Garden update: April 2012

Well, my garden has slowed down a bit because of the cool, rainy April weather.  It's quite a contrast from March, when we were enjoying 80 degree temperatures and the tulips seemed to pop up from the ground and bloom almost overnight.

I still have quite a few tulips that are blooming, which is a nice surprise.  I guess it helps to plant different varieties that bloom early and late in the season.  It stretched out the tulip season for more than a month!

I couldn't resist buying a couple tomato plants when I saw them on sale at the Earl May garden center.  These tomatoes are supposed to be perfect for container gardening.  I'm going to plant them in buckets when the weather warms ups.  One is a regular red tomato; the other is a yellow pear tomato.  I'm trying to grow a "rainbow" vegetable garden this year, so I'm hoping the yellow tomatoes are a success.

I also planted a few more carrot, lettuce and radish seeds before the warm weather arrives.  So far, the seeds I planted in mid-March are growing well despite the early April frost.  In fact, the biggest threat to the radishes so far are the rabbits!  Those little buggers have nibbled up quite a few radish tops.

Lettuce and radishes are slowly growing.

Those pesky rabbits have gobbled up a row of radishes!

I'm also keeping a close eye on the strawberry pots I planted in early April.  They still haven't grown much, but there are a few blooms that may yield strawberries if the weather warms up next week.

My two strawberry stack-a-pots.

My husband's favorite clematis vines are also blooming right now.  But with the high winds, the blooms blow away pretty fast. Yesterday, we had 40 mile per hour winds!

One of the biggest surprises of the week:  My husband found half a dozen morel mushrooms under our back deck!  Unfortunately, they were too dried up to pick and eat.  But maybe next year?  Can you see the morels in the shadows?

 It will be interesting to see what the weather will be like in May.  Will it be cold and rainy like April?  Or dry and hot like March?  I'm hoping for something in between.  Just as long as the winds calm down.  I can't hit the bike trail when the winds threaten to knock me down!

Iowa eats: Maid-Rite in Newton

My sister and I visited Newton last weekend to run a 5-mile race at the Iowa Speedway.  After the run, we stopped at the Maid-Rite in downtown Newton.  It's one of the original Maid-Rite franchises in Iowa.  Of course, I ordered the maid-rite, a loose meat sandwich.  My stomach was a little queasy after the hilly run; otherwise, I would have tried a few other items on the menu board.

My sister ordered a chocolate shake, so I couldn't resist ordering one, too.  I'm so glad I did.  It really hit the spot after our tough workout!

Can't wait to visit Maid-Rite again soon!  I love a good loose-meat sandwich!

Birthday cake

My husband baked this crazy big cake for my birthday. He bought two boxes of cake mix, dug out three of my cake pans and finished it with two cans of frosting.

It was the best birthday cake ever.  I wish I could share it all with you.  But we ended up eating up every crumb!