When the Wild Hyacinths Bloom

~ rabbitpatchdiary.com

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There is an old saying that  goes . . . “March comes in like a lion-and goes out like a lamb.”  I can attest, that so far, there is truth in this.  The wind gusts yesterday were over fifty and they blew all day long.  The river, in the small town, where I work has been blown off its’ course.  No longer is what lies beneath it,  a secret.  Boats,  waiting for outings in May,  are now stranded on the bare sandy river bottom-or toppled over.  Just opening a door was a dangerous task, yesterday, as it was likely to fling open wildly.   Driving home, a trampoline flew across the road, in front of me.   It all started ,after midnight, on March first. 

I came home from work, to a yard littered with branches.  They were everywhere.  I saw a pillow from a porch rocker tumble by as I walked in.   The outside chairs were all topsy turvy, yet somehow, the spirea held onto its’ dainty little flowers, in spite of the mighty gales, sweeping across the territory.  The Farm Life community, where I live has earned a reputation for horrendous wind storms, but today we were not alone, as the March wind was blamed for all sorts of catastrophes, hours away, on the evening news.

This morning, before the early service, the sky was a dark purple and the moon rays shone in patches.  The effect was powerful and beautiful.  The wind still blew, but not with the same force.  However, by the time the sun came up, the wind seemed to have recharged and was “taking up where it left off”.  This was not the day to clean the yard, though the temperature was mild enough.  It seemed to me, that this day was best suited for cooking or reading. . . as many are, for me.

I finally decided on a pot of chicken noodle soup.  While it simmered, I ventured out. The wild hyacinths were blooming and appeared to be shivering in the wind.  I felt pity for them.  The daffodils were in the same predicament.  I hadn’t the heart  to tell them, it is supposed to frost this week.  I got a very few  branches up and realised it really was a lost cause today, to do about anything, outside.  I came in and started planning a “Sunday Dinner”.  It has been a while since I have cooked a Sunday dinner and I happened to  have bought a pork roast and turnips on my last trip  to the grocery.  I also have carrots and potatoes on hand.  I thought if I cooked a pot of green beans and made a dessert, it would be a fine meal.  With that settled, I thought to do some painting. So I painted a lavender bird-and then some lavender tulips.   Just lately, I have grown most fond of the color lavender- in the palest shade imaginable.

On Sunday

The day dawned fair and bright.  The  strong wind was now a friendly breeze, though “time will tell”  if that remains so, today.  There is a mystery about wind.  How, I wonder , does, it blow steadily in the day, reaping havoc, and then retreat suddenly, in the evening hours- only to rear up again, the next morning?  This happens often.  I am sure there is a scientific answer, but I am content to think that the wind sleeps . . . and somewhere, birds are lavender.

I did not tarry long at the “early service”.  I prefer slow cooked food and that meant I needed to start the noon day meal in the morning.  I thought to make a special dessert, as the meal was so easy.  I remembered “Mandy”, of  “Pansy & Ivy”  had made a strawberry pound cake, for Jennys’ birthday  . . .and I did have strawberries . . . and Mama loves strawberries . . .and I had gotten the recipe.   In this way, I convinced myself to make the cake.

Only when I bake a new dish, do I use a recipe.  I commit favorites to heart.  Mandy had told me how she made the cake, but after what seemed like thirty steps,I had her send it to me.  Mandy likes precise instructions and amounts.  I do not think she cares for terms like  “pinch” “dash” or “dollop”.  Her cake was a smashing success and a lot to live up to.  I read the recipe over and over-put in the oven, begged it not to stick and prayed.  I do not trust “bundt” pans, in general, but I talked mighty sweet to mine, as I filled it with batter.  Then I looked at the clock, as I will not rely on smell, this time.  The roast will have to make do with the 350 degrees, the cake demands. . .for “what the cake says, goes!”

I took another chance at yard work, while the oven earned its’ keep.  The wind was steady, but had lost some its’ punch.  I got a good patch cleared for Mama and Daddy, to walk to the back door.  I also gathered a load of trash that came from only God knows where.  I have not yet ventured to the orchard and the “Quiet Garden”  looks like “The Secret Garden”, BEFORE the beloved “Dickon” came along.  

At last it was time to cool the cake and the recipe said fifteen minutes, and so I did.  I laughed at myself for feeling “spellbound” over a cake.  I think this is what I hold against bundt pans. . .you must get the cake out of it, and hopefully in one piece.  I remembered that Mandy was adamant about the cooling process, so I was too.  It “paid off” because the cake dropped on the plate without losing a single crumb.  It seems, I have made amends with the bundt pan.

Of course, the cake is now named “Mandys” strawberry cake”.  It matters little to me, the origin of the cake . .  it came from Mandy.  I think we all do that.  I have laughed at my cousins, Martha and Marsha for they have a pie named after me, and a neighbor Miss Joyce, named a casserole after me.   . . and there is “Jo Dees’ barbecue chicken” and” Aunt Agnes’ apple salad”. . . .  Woe to  the “Southern Living” magazine staff, if  they were expecting any credit .

Mama and Daddy came in as I was stirring the gravy.  I creamed the turnips, carrots and potatoes all together.  All went well and would have been perfect, had I  not put ice cream on Mamas” cake. She was too polite to mention it, but I noticed her treading quite carefully as she ate around the ice cream.  She finally said that she did not like ice cream.  Now I, was surprised that I didn’t know this and also because it never occurred to me  that there was such a condition!  I like ice cream and can not think of one flavor, I wouldn’t eat at any given moment.  I remember one year we had an ice cream cake for Mamas’ birthday!  To my knowledge, she  never said a word against it.  So now I know, that along with macaroni and cheese, crowder peas and split pea soup . . . Mama does not like ice cream.

Dear Diary,   I am glad for Sunday, when we gather and  bow  our heads gratefully , together.  I am glad for a kitchen table laden with a meal, to share with loved ones . . .and strawberries put in a cake and  . . . I am glad for the time, when the wild hyacinths bloom. 

 

 

29 thoughts on “When the Wild Hyacinths Bloom”

  1. I need to come to your table on Sunday dinner day. Goodness it sounds good. And don’t you just love finding out new things about someone we have known all our lives. My dad doesn’t know what happened to my voice..it used to be different. lol
    We are getting more rain…but the time will come when we will be praying for it. Hang on…don’t let those winds send you to a new location.

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    1. I do love finding out new things! Mama has eaten a fair share of ice cream, taking her grandchildren to ice cream shops! Mamas will do things like that. I wish you could come to a Sunday dinner-I would be thrilled! love Michele

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  2. We had wind, too, but it wasn’t nearly as fierce as yours. That’s great that the strawberry cake turned out well. I admire you that you memorize recipes. I can’t remember numbers, so it is useless for me to try that. I loved your post, as always. So soothing, even with the wind in it!

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  3. It was certainly a wild week of weather. I have not yet tackled the hundreds of branches and heaven knows what else scattered everywhere. I envy your cooking and baking (strawberry pound cake and much more). It is a delight to read about how you go about and manage this. You always bring me right into the rabbit patch with your words and writing. Thank you for bring me into your home, Michele.

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    1. Dear Jennie, I am honored to have you. Believe me, I have had to learn how to manage and the yard is still awful! oh well. God bless you as you clean yours. I hope you find something beautiful as you work! thank you so much-love Michele

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      1. Thank YOU, Michele. Another snowstorm headed our way Wednesday, so yard cleanup will have to wait. I love to notice spring as it arrives. Makes me hum and sing. Have a good week.

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  4. Isn’t it amazing what we learn about each other after such a long time. All of your baking has made me yearn to do some of my own. As for the wind, I hope it’s well and truly settled down. A lovely post as always. xo

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  5. Dear Ma’am.
    I am grateful for the Thanksgiving like days that take hold when the wind flies high, the branches blow down and the sky is more grey than blue. Those are the days when families gather around, in the warmth of each others’ company to tell old tales and let their hair down( like telling a favorite daughter, that ice cream is not her sort of favorite food). I am happy Mandy’s cake turned out superb. I love the way Bundt cakes look but they seem so difficult to stay in place. The dish looks more suited for a jelly.
    Love your stories.
    Susie

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  7. Dearest Rabbit
    What a truly fabulous read this post was.
    I love how you pick me up with the first sentence, and then you carry me along with you. It allows me to spend time in your world and share with you. Such a beautiful kindness from a wonderful, generous spirit which is you.

    But now tell me Rabbit … have you posted the recipe for the Strawberry Cake anywhere? If so … I’ve missed it, so could you give me a link so I can find it.
    However … if you haven’t already posted it … well … you know what I’m going to ask next, don’t you. LOL.

    I’m so blessed to have you in my life, Rabbit. I thank the Lord for you every single day.
    Sending you much love ~ Cobs. xxx

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  10. You are so right about March coming in like a lion….We are in the middle of a blizzard that is supposed to last till tomorrow night. Schools let out early today and it is iffy if they will hold classes tomorrow.
    I loved your cake baking story. I have also closely monitored desserts when I knew they HAD to turn out. I tend to bake with the pinch and dash method also…so the precision baking method is a little nerve wracking.
    I had to laugh about your mom and ice cream. Fortunately I know that my dad-in-law is not a fan of chocolate cakes.

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    1. It is still breezy and cool, typical March for here. We are so polite, we do not want to say we do not like something served-except me,, I speak up, if I am in “close company” of course. haha! love Michele PS all the measuring makes me nervous too! love Michele again!

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  11. With 32 inches of snow last week and another 8 inches this week, the yard is spotless! Pristine even. I suppose the snow is bound to melt, eventually.
    About the science of wind. Yes, it often rises in the day and calms at night because of the giant solar radiation heater we have up there (the sun). As it warms the atmosphere, it causes eddies and stirs. It’s not always the sun, though. Sometimes occlusion, the meeting of atmospheric pressure zones, or storm fronts, causes the air to stir due to pressure differential. (I imagine your eyes growing heavy during that last sentence, perhaps a short snore at the end.)
    But also, sometimes it’s simply wind magic.

    All my best,

    Paz

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    1. you are brilliant and funny! of course now I need to study ! haha! thank you. That is more snow than I have ever seen! I know you are taking full advantage. When all the world is white and bright-how beautiful. thank you friend

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  12. That cake sounds DELISH, Michele. I’m also into icecream (it’s one of the major food groups?) One thing I noticed about my Mama the last few years – her tastes changed a bit. Some of her previous favorites (crab cakes? scallops?) became things she didn’t like anymore. But, she maintained her intense love of ice cream & chocolate til the end. Hugs!!! 🍧🤗🍧

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  14. Hi Michele, so glad your writing made it possible for me to pay you a visit, and what a sweet one it was. I could picture your Mom confessing her dislike for ice cream as she daintily picked around it. I also read all the comments from your readers as I thought to myself what a way ( gift) you have at bringing out the kundredness in us all. With your love for the simple things of life we are drawn right in to your days, and are reminded also to treasure the wonderful things like hyacinths, a yummy cake that turns out well, and especially our family.
    P.S. Those branches are still down in our yard! Love you dearly.

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