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Homemade Pretzels

I haven't made homemade pretzels since we were in Alabama and I had forgotten how easy they are if not a little time consuming. I made these last week for Oscar night. They keep a long time in an airtight container. 1   (.25 ounce) package   active dry yeast 1 tablespoons   brown sugar 1  teaspoons   salt 1 ½   cups   warm water (110 degrees) 3   cups   all-purpose flour 1   cup   bread flour 2   cups   warm water (110 degrees) 2   tablespoons   baking soda 1-2   tablespoons   butter, melted 2   tablespoons  kosher salt Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Place the yeast, brown sugar and salt in the 1.5 cups of warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in the flour. Knead for about 7-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let it rise for an hour (I place mine in the oven with the light on). Combine the two cups of warm water with the baking soda in a square shallow pan. After the dough has risen, cut it into 12 equal pieces.  Roll each section into a
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Garden Blogger's Bloom Day for August 2017



August has always been my least favorite month of the year. I have to say though that August in the Pacific Northwest is nowhere near as bad as it was in Alabama. We just got over a long hot spell (about a week of 90+ temps) but it is now back in the low 70s. Yesterday was overcast and cool, the weather I really love, and I spent most of the day working on the monster English Laurel hedge along our border. 

 I hope the hot weather is gone but we are having more insulation put in our ceiling this week in an effort to cool our house a bit better. We do have AC but our house is not shaded yet and the poor unit runs non-stop on those hot days.

 The flowers for August, despite the heat and drought (we have also had 55 days with no rain whatsoever) look great and I am amazed at what all is in bloom. Michael has been really great about weeding and keeping the containers fertilized. The Pan statue (right) took a while to get going good but it now looks great with petunias, sweet potato vine and King Tut grass. The white flower on the ground is Nicotiana which looks great one day and awful the next. It always looks really dreadful after the sprinkler gets it but it always bounces back.

 More blooms from the garden -


geranium-rozanne
Geranium 'Rozanne' - I have planted clumps of this perennial outside the fence along the street and it is really doing well.


verbena-homestead-purple-hamlyn-grass
Also along the hell-strip area is Verbena 'Homestead Purple' and Dwarf Fountain Grass 'Hameln'
(Pennisetum alopecuroide)


rudbeckia-california-fuchsia
California Fuchsia
(Zauschneria septentrionalis 'Select Mattole'). This is a new plant for me. It seems to thrive in hot, dry weather. It is planted in the terraced area. The hummingbirds love it.
rudbeckia
Rudbeckia 'Goldstrum'
lagerstoemia-dynamite
Crape Myrtle 'Dynamite' (Lagerstroemia). They are a bit of a novelty here and are catching on. They seem to perform okay here (I think some varieties are better than others).


hydrangea-ruby-slippers
Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia 'Ruby Slippers')
dahlia-gypsophila
Dahlia and Baby's Breath (Gypsophila 'Bristol Fairy')
coreopsis-red-satin
Coreopsis 'Red Satin'
dahlia-lollipop
Dahlia 'Lollipop'
cape-fuchsia
Cape Fuchsia (Phygelius × rectus 'Winton Fanfare')
heliotrope
Heliptrope
oxydendron-sourwood-tree
Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum)
rose-lady-of-shallot
David Austin Rose 'Lady of Shallot'
rose-climbing-iceberg
Latest rose acquisition - 'Climbing Iceburg'
fuchsia-garden-news
Fuchsia 'Garden News'
Asclepias-tuberosa-butterfly-weed
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) - growing this successfully for the first time!
lophospermum-lofos-wine-red
An annual vine called Lophospermum 'Lofos Red Wine'
hollyhock
Hollyhocks
strawflower-mohave-orange
Strawflower 'Mohave Orange'
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is hosted by May Dreams Gardens. Check out what is blooming in other blogger's gardens around the world.  



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Lisa at GreenbowAugust 15, 2017 at 5:24 PM

    For not having any rain for 55 days your blooms look great. You have some blooms I am not familiar with. Fun to see. Happy GBBD.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AlisonAugust 15, 2017 at 6:51 PM

    Your roses are beautiful! I admire them in others' gardens, since I don't grow any myself. I may change that next year, we'll see. I'm sure after living in Alabama our heat wave was a piece of cake for you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LINDA from Each Little WorldAugust 15, 2017 at 7:33 PM

    Dahlias, Fuscias and Roses, oh my! Looks gorgeous considering the temps and lack of rain.

    ReplyDelete
  4. danger gardenAugust 15, 2017 at 9:53 PM

    "Back to the low 70's"? I didn't realize you were so much cooler than us. Yesterday was in the mid 70's here, as was Sunday, but now we're back in the 80's. which of course feels much cooler than the upper 90's we've been experiencing.

    Love the Lagerstroemia, and I'm seeing them all over town now, they've definitely arrived!

    ReplyDelete
  5. RoseAugust 16, 2017 at 6:40 AM

    Lovely blooms and fantastic photos, Phillip! It's hard to believe the heat and lack of rain you have had; that's not what I think of when I think of the PNW. Your garden is looking beautiful in spite of it all.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dee NashAugust 16, 2017 at 11:13 AM

    Looks wonderful Phillip. You and Michael are really starting to settle in there. Yes, August in PNW has to be better than the South. Happy Bloom Day.~~Dee

    ReplyDelete
  7. outlawgardenerAugust 16, 2017 at 7:26 PM

    Beautiful blooms all and so well photographed!

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownAugust 17, 2017 at 6:34 PM

    You prove that August CAN be beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  9. JeannieAugust 18, 2017 at 6:40 AM

    I loved your roses. They are beautiful, well, everything is great!
    I hate August also, but hate February (bitter cold, dark, nothing growing) even more.
    Thanks for sharing on GBBD.
    Jeannie @ GetMeToTheCountry.Blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hoover BooAugust 18, 2017 at 1:09 PM

    Outstanding photos of outstanding flowers--maybe August isn't so bad now?

    The statue is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  11. SallysmomAugust 20, 2017 at 5:31 AM

    Love your Rozanne. Sadly, she hates me. I am zone 8b & near to the Gulf Coast so don't know why.

    ReplyDelete
  12. EveAugust 20, 2017 at 5:20 PM

    Everything is just beautiful Phillip! You two are really making your new home your own!

    ReplyDelete

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