There are a lot of these moths in the garden this summer though we saw a real hummingbird one evening. The real ones are a somewhat rare site here and usually only in the spring and fall.

I couldn't resist planting a few Indian Blanket in the backyard. They have been blooming most of the summer and are still going strong and it's the middle of August. Gathered a few seeds this afternoon to share with a innkeeper friend.

We took another trip south on Hwy. 283 on the Smoky Valley Scenic Byway to check on the wildflowers. They're awesome. The Blackeyed Susans are blooming now along with the upright prairie coneflowers and purple bee balm.

Smoky Valley Scenic Byway

This photo was taken last year just south of the Smoky River bridge on Highway 283. Drive south of WaKeeney on the Smoky Valley Scenic Byway, past the bridge till you crest the hill and pull into the drive on the east side of the highway. Mexican Hats are the wildflowers blooming. They should be in full bloom in another week or two depending on the weather.

Upright Prairie Coneflowers

The Upright Prairie Coneflowers are a very common native wildflower in western Kansas.

Wildflowers are blooming!

The wildflower patch with the Main Street Nature Trail in the background, downtown WaKeeney.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Another favorite:

2 cups milk or buttermilk
2 cups rolled old fashioned oats
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning add:
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup white or whole wheat flour
2 eggs (beaten)
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whisk together until well mixed. Spoon onto hot griddle. Turn when bottom of cake is lightly browned. Bake on second side. Enjoy!

It must be this cold weather that makes pancakes sound so good. A blizzard this morning and the wind keeps blowing and blowing. This is what we get for all that nice warm spring weather earlier this year. Found an interesting quote from Mohandas K. Gandhi: To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves. Hope I can get out there and dig soon!

Featherweight pancakes

This is one of our guests favorites so would like to share the recipe with you. We also serve these to about 60 children and adults for the Midweek supper at our Church several times a year.

2 cups sifted whole wheat flour (we grind our own flour from the wheat raised on our farm west of WaKeeney)
1 tsp. baking soda
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 plus 3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup oil

Sift flour, baking soda, sugar and salt together. Add oil and vinegar to milk and let stand. Whisk eggs. Add milk mixture to eggs. Add dry ingredients to egg and milk mixture and whisk until just blended. Spoon batter on hot griddle and turn cakes when first side is brown. Turn and brown on the second side. Serve with butter and maple syrup or rhubarb/blueberry sauce and yogurt.

Our bed & breakfast guests were back from their early Monday morning photo shoot and had a wonderful time. It was a beautiful clear morning with a great western Kansas sunrise. They were sincere in their appreciation for the wide open spaces and quiet countryside. Something they don't find in their urban area. They lingered over breakfast, walked downtown to scope out the soda fountains and came back with chocolate malts and then ordered lunch to take with them. Green bean and dumpling soup was on the lunch menu and they supposed it was a Swedish soup since they had visited the old Swedish Lutheran Church the day before and were surprised to find out the soup's origin was German. The rest of their lunch consisted of grilled ham & cheese sandwiches, Lutheran salad (that's a carrot & crushed pineapple gelatin salad) and pieces of freshly baked applesauce/oatmeal cake. With their promise of a return visit we waved good bye to more new friends.

Time for breakfast

We have Bed & Breakfast guests at the Cottage this morning so it's up early to get it all put together. One of our guests is a photographer and he left very early to catch the morning sun at Cedar Bluff. Hope he has some photos of the bluffs as they would be nice to add to the Smoky Valley Scenic Byway brochure and the wakeeney.org web site. He returned right on time for breakfast and after breakfast I suggested that they head south of WaKeeney on the Hwy. 283 leg of the Byway and see the old Wilcox School that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's very much in need of repair and that should start happening soon. He had seen the old Emanuel Swedish Lutheran Church on Hwy. 147 on his way to Cedar Bluff early in the day and expressed a keen interest in old limestone buildings. It will be interesting to find out how their day went when I see them in the morning.

New to blogging

This is my first blog and the words escape me but they say a photo is worth a thousand words.

My garden doesn't look like this today but the photo keeps me going till spring. I can hardly wait till the ground thaws and the days are a little longer and what is hidden will be revealed again in the spring. I sometimes wonder how anyone could exist any further north than Kansas.