What's growing in The Shepherd's Greenhouse?

 I took a little walk out to the greenhouse today after church.  The Shepherd wanted me to take some pictures of some of his azaleas and to show me how the tomato plants were growing.

Wow, are they ever!  And they are blooming already, so we just may have some tomatoes by the 4th of July...

 He had to plant more runner beans because the other ones bolted on him and became a big tangled mess.

I'm not sure what else he's got coming up here.  But it seems like it only takes a day or so before anything he has planted comes up. 

Snapdragons.  They always remind me of my Grandma Dot. She had these great beds of annuals that would reseed themselves from year to year, to year.  I think these will go on the back porch in pots.

And I have been playing around with the panorama view on my phone.  Just walking out to the greenhouse/barn and back this afternoon I think I took about 100 pictures of plants and sky and cats....

George and Gracie were being a little "aggressive" towards each other.  I don't know what's up with that...But she was hiding out, sort of..

Happy Memorial Day.  Remember to take time to give thanks to all our service men, women, dogs and other animals who give their time and risk their lives for us every day, and to those whose lives were lost so we could live safely. 

Snacks for Church - Very Berry Cream Cheese spread

 

We helped with snacks for after church last weekend.  I made a couple of cream cheese spreads to go on the bagels that we brought.  (Plain bagels and Thomas Limited Edition Banana Bread Bagels, which were delicious, by the way) The spread I made for the plain bagels also worked for the crackers that someone else had brought - it was a Muffaletta spread with cream cheese, olives, jardiniere and salami - oh, it is so good.  The spread I made for the Banana Bread Bagels was, as I called it "Very Berry Cream Cheese Spread".  Quite frankly, it's really so good, who needs a bagel - just scoop it up like frosting - ha ha...

One of the ladies asked me for the recipe, so here it is -

Very Berry Cream Cheese Spread

1 8 oz. pkg. Philly cream cheese - I used Neufchatel style light cream cheese

1/4 cup softened butter (NOT margarine)
1/4 cup Chobani Mixed Berry Greek yogurt
2 or 3 tablespoons Bonne Maman brand jam - I used Raspberry-Apricot because that was what was open in the fridge - (I like Bonne Maman jams because they are just fruit, and sugar.  No other added ingredients - no artificial colors or additives, no high fructose corn syrup and they are free of preservatives)
1-3 teaspoons sugar (to taste - both the cream cheese and the yogurt make this a little bit tart without it)

Beat the cream cheese and the butter until smooth and fluffy.  Beat in the yogurt, add the jam and mix.  Add the sugar to taste - It is good to let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours so the flavors get all nice and happy. 

Enjoy on bagels or toast, or crackers - or a spoon - (probably if you put a couple of cups of powdered sugar in it would make delicious frosting as well, but I haven't tried that, so only do it if you are adventurous)





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Don't ever go away again

My co-worker went on vacation for a week - her dog went to the local doggy spa for a vacation while she was gone, but Marilyn the cat had to stay home. 

This is how Angie found her pets the first night she was home - Marilyn was going to make sure that her pal didn't leave again.