really raised bed

I have a little bit of research in front of me.  We (hired helpers really) built a loft bed for our daughter.  After painting it to her specifications, more or less, we slung the mattress up and had one perfectly good boxspring left over.  I tried to give away to be used as boxspring but no takers.

My brainstorm is to reimagine and remake it into a raised bed on top of our flat garage roof.  It's heavy with the springs in it.  Probably quite a bit/lot lighter without.  I'd  remove the springs, paint with outdoor paint, fill with lightweight potting soil and plant up with scavenged sedum. The roof should be fine.  In the winter we shovel tons of snow from the 3-story porch on to it.  No other place for the snow to go.  The shallow planter would be much more compact and lighter.

The questions in my mind are:

Is this a good idea?
Is this a bad or dumb idea?
Is my plan doomed to failure?
Will the wood warp or rot in short order in spite of being painted?
What material should I use on the bottom for drainage--lava rock, gravel, or something else?
What other plants would survive hot full sun and wind in a shallow planter?

If anyone has words of advice, direction, or validation I would love to hear from you.

chocolate and orange, a love supreme

There was a TV commercial for a candy with a tag line of "2 great tastes that taste great together."
If memory serves, it was for a peanut butter filled chocolate cup. That is not my pick for a heavenly combo, but chocolate with candied orange peel is.

Yesterday, I chiseled out dried and candied orange peel from my mom and sprinkled it on top of the little bit of chocolate ice cream my family left at the bottom of a container taking up space in the freezer. Truly a pleasure. Here is link to recipe for making it youself: http://storiesfromtheoldneighborhood.blogspot.com/search/label/candied%20orange%20peel

My favorite treat is long strips of candied orange peel dipped in dark chocolate from the little shop attached to bloomer's chocolate factory.  A friend lasciviously smacked her lips at the cocoa powder men in brown jumpsuits who lugged packages into trucks.

Aldi sells inexpensive yummy dark chocolate bars with orange peel, hot peppers, etc before Christmas.

One of my favorite chocolate chip recipes is from The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook, edited by Michael Baer and Fran Irwin, as follows, my changes in parentheses:

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar (I just used white, smaller amount, I don't like overly sweet cookies, plus I was using sweetened candied orange peels)
1 stick softened butter (I used unsalted)
2 tablespoons oil
grated zest of 1 orange (I used chopped bits of candied orange peel)
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used regular, unbleached white flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda (I used baking powder)
 1 teaspoon salt ( I skipped, I get annoyed tasting salt in cookies)
1/2 cup walnuts (I skipped, didn't want the distraction)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I roughly chopped up some dark chocolate into irregular pieces, love the sensual experience of biting into a big, soft, melty chunk)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with baker's parchment. 

Cream together sugars, butter, oil, and orange zest.  Add the eggs and mix well.

Combine the flours, soda, salt, and stir to mix.  Add to the cremed misture and blend well.  Stir in the nuts and the chocolate chips.  Drop by the tablespoonful or scopp onto the baking sheet; flatten slightly to make thick, round disc shapes.  Allow about 2 inches between each cookie.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are light brown.  Let cool on the sheet completely for a few minutes before transferring the cookies to a rack to cool completely.  Yields about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

I won't be making these anytime soon as the heat index is about 104 degrees F.  Once the weather cools down, I make extra and freeze them for a treat in the summer that follows.

blue and gray, summer grouse

As the heat index tops 104 degrees,

I think back to a cool, blustery evening spent on the shores of Lake Michigan.

John Hancock building and Drake Hotel on the left margins.

Icy waves.

Overcast skies. A wee bite in the air.

Lakepoint Tower, you look so alone and cool.

Jacket weather in Olive Park.

I miss you jacket weather.

Summer, not to complain too bitterly, but you're drooping my "O."