TODAY ALL THE WORLD IS 'GREEN' ~ 'THE PRIME COLOR OF THE WORLD'

"Green is the prime color of the world,

and that from which its loveliness arises."

~ Pedro Calderon de la Barca

JAPANESE PAINTED FERN

LENTEN ROSE

(Helleborus Orientalis)

FERN

HOSTA ~ LADY FERN

Annabelle Hydrangea

COLEUS 'Chocolate Mint'

FERN

AUTUMN FERN

AUTUMN FERN

HOSTA

(Click on photo to enlarge)

'A PRETTY GIRL IS LIKE A MELODY' ~ LAST LOOK ... LENTEN ROSE

“A pretty girl is like a melody

That haunts you night and day

Just like the strain

Of a haunting refrain

She'll start upon

A marathon

And run around your brain”

~ Irving Berlin

LENTEN ROSE

(Helleborus Orientalis)

Helleborus Orientalis is the botanical name of the very popular, early blooming shade perennial more commonly known as the Lenten Rose. Lenten Roses grow hardy around the world in temperate zones 4-7. In the English speaking world they are known as the Lenten Rose but are not roses at all. They are actually of the Butter Cup family. Their flowers bloom during the Easter celebration of Lent, leading the vernal procession of color in the shady areas of thoughtful perennial gardens. When they are not in bloom they remain as lush ground cover throughout the year; and they are deer proof. This lush, hardy shade perennial is grown and prized by master gardeners throughout the world.

(LentenRose.com)

ANATOMY OF A LENTEN ROSE (HELLEBORUS 'Spring Promise' ~ CREOLE SHRIMP with GARLIC & LEMON

"Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps."

~ Luke 9:23

LENTEN ROSE

'Spring Promise'

(Helleborus x hybridus)

CREOLE SHRIMP with GARLIC & LEMON

~ For those who abstain, a simple Ash Wednesday or Lenten meal (adapted from Food & Wine)

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1 lb. large shelled and deveined shrimp

1 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. Creole seasoning

1 finely chopped red bell pepper

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

juice and zest of 2 lemons

1/4 cup chopped parsley

• In a bowl, toss shrimp with garlic, Creole seasoning and bell pepper.
• In a skillet, saute shrimp in oil over moderately high heat, turning shrimp once, until just white throughout.
• Add lemon juice, zest, and parsley. Serve alone or over favorite rice.

Wine Pairing: Lemony Pinot Grigio

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Ash Wednesday

The Wednesday after Quinquagesima Sunday which is the first day of the Lenten fast.
The name dies cinerum (day of ashes) which it bears in the Roman Missalis found in the earliest existing copies of the Gregorian Sacramentary and probably dates from at least the eighth century. On this day all the faithful according to ancient custom are exhorted to approach the altar before the beginning of Mass, and there the priest, dipping his thumb into ashes previously blessed, marks the forehead -- or in case of clerics upon the place of the tonsure -- of each the sign of the cross, saying the words: "Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return." The ashes used in this ceremony are made by burning the remains of the palms blessed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. (New Advent)