I’m not Complaining, Mind You…

…but doesn’t this little guy know it’s the middle of October???

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To Say Nothing of the Fact…

…that today is California Poppy Day!

I Told You!

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April Is Hereby Proclaimed...

…Poppy Month at the Bear Republic!!

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Snopes Says: True

An Impatiens variety, the (gorgeous) parrot plant:

snopes.com: Parrot Flower

In the Rock Garden

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Poppies!!

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New Color in the Front Yard

First bloom for the canna.




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Clever, But You Really Need to Look at the Original to Make the Thing…

How to Make a Pop Up Water Lily Card

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Water lilies are beautiful and exotic flowers which float on the surface of water, anchored to the soil underneath. A pop up card can convey the loveliness of a water lily to someone you care about. Give it to someone with a July birthday, since the water lily is the birth flower for July,[1] or give it as a metaphor to someone who floats through life gracefully yet always remains grounded.

Steps

1. Click the image on the right to enlarge and then print out the full size image on a heavy paper, like card stock or construction paper.
   
2. Click the image on the right to enlarge and then print out the card on another piece of heavy paper.
   
3. Use a ruler as a guide while you press along the dotted lines of the pop-up pieces with the rounded end of a paper clip or a ballpoint pen that has run out of ink.
   
4. Use a ruler as a guide while you press along the dotted line on the center of the card with the rounded end of a paper clip or a ballpoint pen that has run out of ink. Go all the way from the top to the bottom of the card.
   
5. Carefully cut out the pop-up pieces for the flower following the solid, black lines.
   
6. Carefully cut out the card following the solid, black lines.
   
7. Flip the pop-up pieces over so the black dotted lines are not visible. Color the flower pieces with markers, crayons or art paint.
   
8. Fold piece "A" so the center fold comes up towards you.
   
9. Lay the piece on a flat surface and fold up one of the tabs.
   
10. Fold the other tab. Set the piece aside.
    
11. Fold the card in half along its center and open up again.
    
12. Put a small amount of glue along the upper two glue areas only. Do not put glue on the lower glue areas yet.
    
13. Align piece "A" over the glue areas and press onto the card. The pop-up piece will lay flat against the card when it is in position. Let dry!
    
14. Fold the small tab back on piece "B".
    
15. Fold both sides up towards you so the center becomes a valley.
    
16. Insert piece "B" into piece "A" that is already glued to the card.
    
    • Start from the right side and begin inserting piece "B" into piece "A" as shown. Make sure the small tab on piece "B" is still folded up and you can see it.
      
    • Continue inserting piece "B" into piece "A." The right side of piece "B" should come all the way down into piece "A" until it stops. This point is shown by the red arrow.
      
    • Carefully bring down the left side of piece "B" all the way down into piece "A." Piece "B" must be snugly inserted into piece "A" and should be equally positioned as shown.
      
    
    
17. Put a very small amount of glue on the small tab on piece "B."
    
18. Fold the small tab (with the glue on it) over onto piece "A" and press. Let dry!
    
19. Fold the sides of piece "C" back so the center fold comes up towards you.
    
20. Lay the piece on a flat surface and fold up one of the tabs.
    
21. Fold up the other tab.
    
22. Put a small amount of glue along the lower two glue areas.
    
23. Align piece "C" over the glue areas and press onto the card.
    
24. Let dry. The pop-up piece will lay flat against the card when it is in position.
    
25. Carefully close the card.
    
26. Give the personalized pop up water lily card to someone you care about!
    

Things You'll Need

• Construction paper or heavy or cardstock paper
  
• Ruler
  
• Paper clip
  
• Ballpoint pen without ink in it
  
• Scissors
  
• Art supplies of choice to decorate finished
  
• Glue
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Make an Angel Pop up Card
  
• How to Make a Castle Pop up Card
  
• How to Make a Birthday Cake Pop up Card
  
• How to Make a Valentine Candy Box Pop up Card
  
• How to Make a Turkey Pop up Card
  

Sources and Citations

• Simple Pop ups you can make Source of Information. Used with permission.
  
• 1. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae
  
  

1. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make a Pop Up Water Lily Card. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Dandelion Wine

How to Make Dandelion Wine

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Dandelions are in season during the summer and spring months, but they lend themselves deliciously to a beverage you can serve year-round. April and May are the best months to harvest dandelions for the purpose of wine making in the Northern hemisphere.[1] Try it out and taste it for yourself.

Ingredients

• 1 package (7 g) dried yeast
  
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) warm water
  
• 2 quarts (230 g) whole dandelion flowers
  
  • Using 2 quarts+ of just the petals can make for a less bitter wine.[2]
    
  
  
• 4 quarts water (3.785 L)
  
• 1 cup (240 mL) orange juice
  
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lemon juice
  
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lime juice
  
• 8 whole cloves
  
• 1/2 teaspoon (1.25 g) powdered ginger
  
• 3 tablespoons (18 g) coarsely chopped orange zest; avoid any white pith
  
• 1 tablespoon (6 g) coarsely chopped lemon zest; avoid any white pith
  
• 6 cups (1200 g) sugar
  

Steps

1. Wash and clean the blossoms well. Think of it as a fruit or vegetable; you don't want bugs or dirt in your food. Remove all green material.
   
2. Soak flowers for two days.
   
3. Place the blossoms in the four quarts of water, along with the lime, orange, and lemon juices.
   
4. Stir in the ginger, cloves, orange peels, lemon peels, and sugar. Bring the mix to a boil for an hour.
   
5. Strain through filter papers (coffee filters are recommended). Let the wine cool down for a while.
   
6. Stir the yeast in while the wine is still warm, but below 110 degrees F.
   
7. Leave it alone and let it stand overnight.
   
8. Pour it into bottles, poke a few holes in a balloon and place over the tops of the bottles to create an airlock, and store them in a dark place for at least three weeks so that it can ferment.
   
9. Optional: Rack the wine several times. Racking means waiting until the wine clears, then siphoning or pouring the liquid into another container, leaving the lees (sediment) at the bottom of the first container.[3]
   
10. After that time, cork and store the bottles in a cool place. Allow the wine time to age. Most recipes recommend waiting at least six months, preferably a year.[4]
    

Tips

• Pasteurization uses sixty-five degrees Celsius for half an hour to avoid changing character.
  
• Pick the flowers right before starting so they're fresh. Midday is when they are fully open.[5] Alternatively, you can freeze the flowers immediately after harvesting, then pull off the petals right before preparing the wine.[6]
  
• It may take more than three weeks for your wine to ferment if your home is cold. But, be aware though, fermentation at higher temperatures may change the taste of the wine, and can lead to higher levels of fusel alcohols, which can cause hangovers. Warmer temperatures can cause many other problems like strong yeasty flavors, rancid odors, bacterial contamination. Generally fermentation should be done at room temperature or lower (50-75 F or 10-25 C).
  
• This recipe will produce a light wine that mixes well with tossed salad or baked fish. To add body or strength, add a sweetener,raisins, dates, figs, apricots, or rhubarb.[7]
  

Warnings

• Avoid using dandelions that may have been chemically treated. Also, try to stay away from dandelions that have been graced by the presence of dogs, or that grow within 50 feet of a road.
  

Things You'll Need

• Balloons
  
• Coffee filters or straining paper
  
• Empty, clean wine bottles
  
• Large beverage container to strain liquid into
  
• A large pot you can boil the dandelion mixture in
  
• A place to store the fermenting wine
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Cook Dandelion Greens
  
• How to Store Wine
  
• How to Pair Food and Wine
  
• How to Make Blackberry Wine
  
• How to Brew Simple Wild Berry Wine
  
• How to Make Strawberry Wine
  
• How to Brew Cheap Wine
  

Sources and Citations

• Texascooking.com - Source of information
  

1. ↑ http://winemakermag.com/feature/196.html


2. ↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp


3. ↑ http://www.thecompostbin.com/2006/05/how-to-make-dandelion-wine.html


4. ↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp


5. ↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp


6. ↑ http://www.thecompostbin.com/2006/05/how-to-make-dandelion-wine.html


7. ↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Dandelion Wine. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Neat Photos

A link posted today on Everyday_Inspirations:

Little Darlings

She’s really big on birds and her Papillons are quite cute, but her flowers are spectacular, as is “The Beauty of Winter in Ontario, Canada” in the Creative Challenge album.

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Il Papa’s Rose

GardenMessenger:



“Another important rose launched recently in the United States, just before I started this blog, is named for the late Pope John Paul II. It was raised by Jackson and Perkins, Medford, Oregon, who this year are celebrating 130 years in the nursery business. The rose, which was especially selected by the Vatican to honour the late pontiff, is a luminous white with refreshing, somewhat citrus-like fragrance. Ten percent of the net proceeds from the sale of each rose will be put at the disposal of the Vatican, who have indicated that it will be used for charitable work amongst the poor in Sub-Saharan Africa. This first year there are a limited number of 2,500 bushes available.”

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