Leslie

We chatted in the spring about popovers of all things. We had chatted about so many things since 2010 after I rediscovered her web site. "Leslie Land" sits in my side bar as one of my favorite places. Perhaps some of you have visited, too. If not, you must one day. It's a wonderful resource. You'll love getting to know Leslie with her wry sense of humor and her wonderful turn of a phrase. She will make you laugh aloud. (Hope that you find her discussion of whether gardeners must be neat housekeepers.)

There she discusses what her web site is. Her webmasters tell her that it is a blog, but she thinks that it is "a magazine with endless possibilities."

Yesterday, a blogging buddy let me know that Leslie was gone. She passed away Saturday last of complications from breast cancer. I didn't know that she was ill; I didn't know that she had died. One should somehow recognize that the world is a dimmer place...

The Poughkeepsie Journal: Champion of country cooking, ambitious gardener, and, in her own words, 'the latest in a long line of garden advisers that stretches back, approximately, to Adam, who we can be sure was frequently asked about the niceties of apple culture.'  

These are my Leslie Land treasures: two cookbooks filled with wonderful recipes and Leslie's amusing discussions. Oh, yes, and I own a copy of The 3000 Mile Garden written with Roger Phillips. She recommended The Wild Braid as an antidote for dealing with my grandmother's Alzheimer's. I was depressed. She knew it would help. It did.

This seems like a good morning for popovers or staking up a tomato plant or thinking about next spring's garden or exploring some favorite books...

Window Washing

Window Washing. I hate it. Most windows here are in need of washing and so I am not meeting my friend Katie's expectations. She once said, "You can't fool anyone into believing that your house is clean if your windows aren't." I don't always like Katie.

Now that weekdays are cold and rainy, but weekends are warm and fair, we find ourselves doing these spring tasks. Last weekend, John washed the car and some windows. Streaks galore. Oh my! Couldn't imagine what was wrong since I had given him a solution that included white vinegar and he was using my favorite cleaning cloths...microfiber.

Well, Leslie Land may have the answer to everything! (Though I must stop referring to Leslie all the time because I may actually be a stalker.)

We followed her excellent advice and impressed ourselves with the results. You can find that advice *here*; you will not be disappointed. And you can find my kvetching about windows there.

The point is that when washing a gazillion windows and when washing transoms — we have too many of those...what were we thinking...obviously planning on finding the fountain of youth somewhere out in those woods — it is a good thing to do it well and without streaks the.first.time. Leslie's tip helped us accomplish that.



Now does anyone have a remedy for blue haze between the panes of glass?

***My little Comment Experiment continues. If you've not voted in my unscientific poll, please feel free. There's no way for me to tie you to your vote so it's completely anonymous.

One thing I've noticed about not making so many comments, beyond the freedom from the computer, is that when I visit my blogroll buddies, I feel so at ease. There is "no pressure" to comment, unless compelled. Yes, I've been "compelled" a few times. Also, I am taking my time to read very carefully and to look around a bit more. You guys have created the most amazing places!

A Poem for a Gardener and a Web Site Too

To My American Gardener, With Love

Before the seed there comes the thought of bloom,
The seedbed is the restless mind itself.
Not sun, not soil alone can bring to border
This rush of beauty and this sense of order.
Flowers respond to something in the gardener's face—
Some secret in the heart, some special grace.
Yours were the rains that made the roses grow,
And that is why I love your garden so.

~E.B. White for his wife Katharine on her birthday

Gardens feature often in E.B. White's work along with dogs, weather, ducks, chickens, and, yes, spring pigs, too. If you've never read his essays or his poetry, treat yourself. I'm rereading my collection now. I know that I've spoken of E.B. White's admiration for his wife's gardening *before,* but thought this poem perfect for the first day of spring.



Stumbled upon Leslie Land's web site again this morning...such a good one! She wrote The 3000 Mile Garden along with Roger Phillips. This book was also made into a PBS special that you may remember seeing. I enjoyed the premise immensely, which was about a gardener in Maine — Leslie Land and a gardener in Great Britain — Phillips who correspond and share tips and techniques for growing their respective gardens. Wonder if they still do???

So, if you're interested in gardening tips (and a whole lot more) you can't go wrong to read those included in Leslie's corner. Her recipe section is marvelous, too!

Happy spring to you, Dear One...

Edited to Add: Leslie tried to leave a comment here answering some of my questions and yours. Because of my new settings and trying to weed out spammers, I've weeded out Leslie. Wah! You can find her comments, along with a wonderful crisp crust walnut pie recipe, *here.* She also provided Roger Phillips's web site: Roger's Roses. Thanks, Leslie!