lovely little moony night

I Still Remember When Thirty Was Old

2010-05-11T09:59:00.006-05:00

I haven't had much computer time lately for a number of reasons - asthma issues with my 6-year-old being the biggest one. As much as my family loves springtime, we always know there's bound to be a new growth/pollen complication or two. Before the problems arrived we did manage to have a lovely day for my birthday - we went to a park an hour north of us and spent the day exploring it's eerily impressive Indian burial mounds. This was followed by a self-guided tour of the Lottie Cooper, one of the only Lake Michigan shipwrecks (or any shipwreck, for that matter) that is on displayed on land. The day was topped off with a stop at the dollar store, where we stocked up on frog-catching nets, beachballs, and cute checkered tea towels. A fine day, indeed!

Are you familiar with that line above from Deanna Carter's song Strawberry Wine? I think about it every birthday...usually with both a smile and tear!

Today's Quote: Dr. Suess

2010-04-24T20:45:00.003-05:00

"Be who youare and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

-Dr. Suess

Happy Birthday Susan Branch, Gladys Taber, & Mike!

2010-04-11T16:01:00.006-05:00

Today is the birthday of three of my favorite people - Susan Branch, Gladys Taber, and my husband Mike. It was ironic enough when I heard my two favorite authors shared the birth date, but holy cow when I met Mike and found he was born April 12th as well!

Birthday presents should be special and personal, I think. The real test of birthday gift is that it suits the one person, and no one else. Just the right book is better than a diamond bracelet, if you like books. A piece of Mexican glass, or a vase that is right for gladioli, or a plain wooden bowl for salad - these are the kinds of gifts. And a birthday letter is fine.

- Gladys Taber, The Book of Stillmeadow

Puffy Springy Muffins

2010-04-05T15:50:00.004-05:00

I made these puffy muffins this weekend for out-of-town guests, and if I had time today I'd make them again and eat them for dinner, on the couch like a lazy bum with some milk and a Madmen episode. That would be just heavenly.

The recipe is from the Pioneer Woman blog.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients
3 cups Flour
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
1 cup Sugar
⅔ cups Shortening (Crisco)
2 whole Eggs
1 cup Milk
1-½ cup Sugar (divided)
3 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 sticks Butter
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a different bowl, cream together 1 cup sugar and shortening. Then add eggs and mix again. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Dip fully in butter to coat all sides, then coat again with cinnamon sugar mixture. MUST be eaten warm to fully appreciate.

The First of April

2010-04-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

-The delicate and delicious fragrance of the freesias came in through the door and floated round Mrs. Wilkins's enraptured nostrils. Freesias in London were quite beyond her. Occasionally she went into a shop and asked what they cost, so as just to have an excuse for lifting up a bunch and smelling them, well knowing that it was something awful like a shilling for about three flowers. Here they were everywhere- bursting out of every corner and carpeting the rose-beds. Imagine it - having freesias to pick in armsful if you wanted to, and in your summer frock, and its being only the first of April!

From the book The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

The Season's First Picnic!

2010-03-30T12:45:00.004-05:00

We're in for a warm spell here along the lake the next few days - 60s and 70s, which is downright balmy, actually, this being Wisconsin. I have the first picnic of the season planned for Saturday, and I'm going to follow an easy menu suggested in the June 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine. We'll be having goat cheese spread, pasta salad with asparagus and lemon, and oatmeal-raspberry bars. It'll be the first of many picnics this year, but one of the only times we won't have to deal with winged intruders!

Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Lemon

8 ounces (1/2 box) penne (they call for regular, I'm going to try it with whole grain)
1 pound asparagus (ends trimmed), cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup Parmesan pieces (1 ounce)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
kosher salt and black pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions and add the asparagus during the last 3 1/2 minutes of cooking. Drain the pasta and asparagus and rinse under cold water to cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the Parmesan, oil, lemon juice and zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss to combine.

Boat on the sea, bird in my tree

2010-03-29T09:22:00.004-05:00

I heard this Mason Jennings song yesterday, and it helped along my springish mood (although it mentions summer). If I knew how to put a youtube clip of him singing here I would - learning how is on my agenda for spring break!

Lemon Grove Avenue

If I have my way

I'm never gonna leave lemon grove avenue

Where the summer breeze

Blows through the windows in the afternoon

And all the stars come out at night
And there's a boat out on the sea

And there's a bird up in my tree

And there's a feeling in my heart I can't explain,

I'm coming home, I'm coming home, yeah

Yeah, I'm on my way, I'm on my way

Martha's Vineyard Radio

2010-03-25T13:48:00.003-05:00

Here's a website I enjoy that feeds into my New England/Martha's Vineyard/Cape Cod obsession - mvyradio.com. It's the radio station of Martha's Vineyard, and they play some pretty cool music over there. For example, Ben Folds is currently playing. How I'd love to go to one of the LL Bean sponsored concerts they advertise! I'm thinking of sending a SASE to receive my free Blue Lobster sticker to put on the farm's golfcart. :) Wonder when I'll ever actually set foot on the island and hear the music out of an actual radio with an ocean breeze in my hair.... one can dream!

Purple Light and Whippoorwills

2010-03-19T12:57:00.006-05:00

My daughter is learning new songs in kindergarten for the school's Spring concert. She sang me one of them and I think it has such cute lyrics. When I told my mom about it she informed me that it was a version of a Dean Martin/Ricky Nelson song. He sings "my rifle, my pony and me" but my daughter's version has "my knapsack, my pony and me" along with a few other kid-friendly changes. I'm going to see if I can hear the original version on youtube - any song with the words purple light and whippoorwill is sure to be good!

Purple Light

Sun is sinking in the west
The cattle go down to the stream
The redwing settles in the nest
It's time for a cowboy to dream

Purple light in the canyon
that is where I long to be
With my three
good companions
just my rifle, my pony and me

Gonna hang my sombrero
on the limb of a tree
Coming home
sweet my darling
just my rifle, my pony and me

Whippoorwill in the willow
sings a sweet melody
Riding to Amarillo
just my rifle, my pony and me

No more cows to be ropin'
No more strays
will I see
'round the bend she'll be waitin
For my rifle, my pony and me

Throwing raindrops - That's What Leprechauns Do!

2010-03-13T12:46:00.000-06:00

The three leprechauns placed a pot of glittering gold in just the right spot and watched the rainbow curve itself all the way down till it ended on top of the pot.

They settled themselves to wait. They tootled some grass stalk music, threw raindrops at each other, and ate rosehips they'd brought for snacks.

"Maybe we should put up a sign," Boo suggested. "'Pot of gold, this way.'"

"No, no!" Ari said, "that's not how it's done. There's a bit of magic to the finding, and a bit of luck, and a bit of imagination, too. That gold's waiting for just the right person."

From the book That's What Leprechauns Do by Eve Bunting

Glimpse of Spring

2010-03-11T08:46:00.000-06:00

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.

~Charles Dickens

Favorite Party Decoration Ever!

2010-03-07T08:36:00.000-06:00

I spotted this neat idea for crepe paper streamers awhile back in Better Homes and Gardens. I've made them for several occasions, most recently for my daughter's birthday. I've made them for baby showers, Halloween parties, and Mother's Day. They are SO easy and have major impact! An embroidery hoop is used as a base, then the streamers are wrapped over the top and secured with the hoop inset. The instructions for this particular 'windsock' streamer calls for an 8 inch hoop, with 8 foot lengths of crepe paper, hung by fishing line. Normally I wouldn't put red, purple, and hot pink together as shown in the magazine, but the combination actually does make for a very pretty "Bohemian" type color scheme. I'm looking forward to hanging some outside around the deck for my first warm weather soiree, which will hopefully be sooner than later!

A Poem To Ponder

2010-03-04T13:11:00.001-06:00

OUTSIDE OR UNDERNEATH?

-Shel Silverstein

Bob bought a hundred-dollar suit
But couldn't afford any underwear.
Says he "If your outside looks real good
No one will know what's under there"

Jack bought some hundred-dollar shorts
But wore a suit with rips and tears.
Says he, "It won't matter what people see
As long as I know what's under there"

Tom bought a flute and a box of crayons,
Some bread and cheese and a golden pear.
And as for his suit or his underwear
He doesn't think about them much....or care

Hmmmmm.....

My Girl Turns 6!

2010-03-01T08:49:00.005-06:00

My daughter turns 6 today, but it's breaking my heart that she's on the couch right now with a double ear infection. I can't wait until we're back outside, on a day like the photo above, and not stuck inside with all the germs passing between each other, over and over. We'll make the best of today that we can, and we'll try again for our little family party later in the week. Maybe later she'll feel better to eat some of her cake, which she chose this year to be in the shape of a turtle.

Gladys Taber's Full Snow Moon

2010-02-28T11:19:00.003-06:00

The Full Snow Moon is one of the loveliest; perhaps the crystalline air itself affects her. My friends Helen, Vicky and Olive grow restless after supper and decide to walk in the moonlit woods, even if the temperature is zero. The shadows on the snow are like etchings, and the only sound is the occasional cracking of an icy branch. On such a night in the woods, they feel a strange link with the universe and a renewal of their own identity. When they come in, they bring the smell of snow and pine and damp wood, and it takes a little time before they are ready to get out the popcorn and melt the butter and poke the fire.
In this age of tenseness, we all need such times to renew our souls.

-From Country Chronicle by Gladys Taber

On Demand O'Henry Bars

2010-02-26T08:55:00.002-06:00

Last night, out of the blue, my 8 year old son asked me to make what we call O'Henry Bars (not sure why). Because the ingredients are simple and always on hand, I was able to oblige in minutes. "These will be his home from college request," said my husband.

O'Henry Bars
4 cups quick cooking oatmeal
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter

Mix together oatmeal, butter, and both sugars. Pat into 10X15 inch cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 mintues. Cool.
For frosting, melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together over low heat. Spread evenly over bars. Because the frosting stays quite soft, it's best to keep these bars in the fridge. You probably don't need to cover them - they'll be gone by tomorrow.

Back, Finally!

2010-02-24T14:51:00.006-06:00

Hello to anyone who is reading this - who hasn't given up on me! I won't bore you with the details, but my blogging absence involved a variety of elderly people, sick (nothing serious, but seemingly pertpetual) children, and a number of other little things adding up to be big time suckers. I'm really hoping I can back to this little blog, back to writing about the things that I love and hoping someone out there reads a little tidbit that leads them to a book, recipe, or something that makes them happy, too.

I'll jump right in with my old "reading, watching, listening to" list. Just like having no time to blog, I've had little time to read or get into anything new for the last few months - my latest trip to the library is going to change this!

Currently Reading:

The Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
I must say I'm thoroughly enjoying this book - here is the blurb from Amazon - I particulary agree with the last sentence about introducing her to friends -

Rosenthal has collected a lifetime of thoughts, observations, and decisions, and created an alphabetized personal encyclopedia, complete with cross-referenced entries and illustrations. Rosenthal reveals the minutiae of her life, from pumping gas ("Every. Single. Solitary. Time I go to get gas I have to lean out the window to see which side the tank is on"), to witnessing her son's accident ("I saw with front-row-seat clarity, just how quickly, randomly, and mercilessly your child can be taken away"), and in turns both playful and poignant, engages the reader in effortless and stimulating conversation.
Whether you are laughing aloud or nodding along, reading Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life is like being introduced to a new friend--one that you automatically connect with and feel compelled to share. Fans of shows like Arrested Development will appreciate Rosenthal's quirky, conversational humor and dead-on observations. Writers will see the book as a contemporary portrait of the fledgling artist, and should enjoy her aptly named, "Evolution of this Moment"--a timeline tracking her growth as a writer from her first word ("more") to publication of her fourth book.
Modesty prevents Rosenthal from acknowledging herself as anything other than ordinary--that, and the fact that she has not "survived against all odds"--but that certainly does not mean she has nothing to say, or to share. Her delightful memoir is a reminder that life is not always an adventure, but it can be full of sad, silly, and important moments that make it worth living. Witness the generosity of an author who is willing to reveal so much of herself, not just as a writer, but also as a person--share this delightfully quirky, utterly enjoyable book with family and friends with a note, "Here is someone I think you should meet." --

To Be Read Next:

The Autobiography of Mark Twain

Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Dirt - The Quirks, Habits and Passions of Keeping House by Mindy Lewis

Enchanted April (still have never read this, but would like to read it in April, dork that I am)

I'd love to hear any opinions about the above books from you!

Watching:

Lost, Lost, and more Lost!

Currently Listening To:

Iron and Wine

CD I'm Really Hoping to Get:

En Concert by Jack Johnson - this has a live version of "Constellations" sung with Eddie Vetter - ooh yah!

That's all for now - I'll be back again soon!

Harvest Moon Photo Tips

2009-10-02T12:13:00.003-05:00

I thought this article by Amy Farnsworth over at the Monitor was interesting, especially the photography tips - each year I try to take a decent Harvest Moon photo, and each year I fail!

-The harvest moon gets its name because the light from the moon allows farmers to work later hours – past sunset – and harvest staple crops such as pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice, during this time period. The Farmers’ Almanac says “the moon typically rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the US, and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe.”
The colors of the harvest moon vary and it can appear in red, yellow, or orange hues due to air pollution – mainly from forest fires.
Throughout centuries, the colorful harvest moon has inspired artists, painters, and poets. Many photographers have tried to capture images of the harvest moon, but it’s not very easy.
To take stellar photos of this seasonal event, Writer Geoff Gaherty of Space.com offers the following photography tips:
If your camera has automatic exposure, the scene will look too bright and the moon will be overexposed. The trick to capturing the harvest moon in a photograph is first, to zoom in with your telephoto lens to make the moon appear larger, and secondly, to underexpose the picture by a couple of stops, to darken the landscape, saturate the colors, and expose the moon properly.

wind, leaves, cider & pumpkin cake

2009-09-21T15:58:00.007-05:00

I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things...

I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run

against the wind.

-Leo Buscaglia

Well, I'm finally back! The kids are back in school, and we've gotten through our usual first bout of sickness that always happens this time of year. We are slowly getting back into the swing of things, and while the kids do like going to school I still have a pit in my stomach every day I walk down the steps from the courtyard (see photo) without a little hand to hold. On a typical day I stop at the grocery store and then head home with a pit stop at my husband's 94 year-old grandma's house to run in her morning paper. I then go home and clean like a maniac or do what I can for my husband's work until 11:00 when it's time to pick up our daughter from kindergarten. On Thursdays I try to treat myself to an hour in the local thrift shop or some lounge time in the library. And then all of a sudden it's Friday and time to savor the precious weekend with my precious people!

After school tomorrow we are going to celebrate the first day of Fall with some pumpkin cake and cider in our little cabin in the woods. A fine dinner, don't you agree? :)

Summer Update

2009-08-03T17:37:00.002-05:00

Like so many people I know, I've been crazily busy this summer and can't believe how it's flying by. My computer time has been extremely limited as I've been outside and running around with the kids so much. I almost decide to give up this little blog, but I know that once the kids are back in school and I have no one to eat my lunch with that I'll NEED it, so I guess I'll just call this a hiatus and return again in September.

Before I go, I would like to mention 2 things I've been enjoying recently - the band Iron & Wine and Michael Perry's latest book "Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting." Iron & Wine is perfect summer eve music, and the Perry book has "a literary gem on nearly every page" just like the quote on the back of it says. Here's a random paragraph from a random page:

"We begin on the easy path - a mown strip leading to the ridge past the old circular steel corncrib behind the granary. The crib stands empty beneath its rust-streaked galvanized cap, the iron mesh twined around the south side with a few stray ivy runners. For years it has done little more than sift the wind. At sundown it silhouettes against the sky like some ghostly aviary."

And that's just him talking about a corncrib! Awesome.

Between the dusk of a summer night

2009-07-13T21:40:00.004-05:00

Between the dusk of a summer night

And the dawn of a summer day,

We caught at a mood as it passed in flight,

And we bade it stoop and stay.

-William Ernest Henley

Local Wonders

2009-06-30T21:00:00.005-05:00

"The sky is like old blue denim just before dawn, with one round hole worn through, exposing the cold bony knee of the moon. I have been hearing the trilling of tree frogs. That frog - even one with the chirp of a bird - would live in a tree (not even in but on) , clinging with little suction cups to keep from falling, is the height of craziness, but forty feet in the air, light as leaves, their tiny hearts are slow and steady under kite paper skin, and their black eyes shine with moonlight. Let us praise all who ascend to such high places ont he sheer face of the world."

- From the "summer" chapter of the book Local Wonders Seasons in the Bohemian Alps by Ted Kooser

Thrift Shop Blues - The One that Got Away

2009-06-25T14:30:00.000-05:00

Awhile back, Nan at Letters from a Hillfarm posted a photo of the most inviting Adirondack chair. It brought to mind a pair of weathered Adirondacks I saw for sale at the local thrift shop - they were $36 for both. I decided to sleep on it and stopped back the next morning, only to find them gone, their two marks still left in the grass. That day I vowed to never let that happen again - if I see something I love and can afford it, it comes home with me immediately.

I read about a similar experience in one of my favorite books - Garage Sale America by Bruce Littlefield. I don't buy many books because I'm always visiting the library, but this one I loved enough that I needed to own it. Here's his tale of "the one that got away."

There's nothing worse than the one that got away. It haunts you for weeks like a bad dream, eats away at your psyche like a termite on softened wood. I recently found myself attracted to a delicately aged pair of Bert and Ernie puppets sitting on the lawn of an otherwise innocuous sale of miscellany. My brother and I had them growing up. Ernie slept on the bottom bunk with Brian; Bert slept up top with me. I didn't buy them, leaving them to be taken by some more thoughtful brother, and I've regretted it ever since. It would have been fun for me to send Brian an Ernie with a mysterious note - definitely worth the ten bucks. It was a real missed opportunity, and I try not to let those happen too often.

-Bruce Littlefield

Help prevent birds from crashing into windows

2009-06-09T20:18:00.004-05:00

I'm using a computer at the library right now, as my home computer is again on the fritz. While I hat to spend the money, I think it's time we get a new one...
Anyway, I feel like I have to hurry up here but I just wanted to post this link to a silhouette pattern you can print out for your windows to prevent birds from hitting them...

www.dteenergy.com/environment/pdfs/raptor.pdf

If this link doesn't work, just google "raptor silhouette window decal pattern" and it will come up.

My husband's grandma had so many little birds accidently hitting her patio doors and hurting themselves - we printed out a few of these raptors, taped them up, and haven't had a collision since.

Recipe for Preserving Children

2009-05-27T21:01:00.003-05:00

I read this yesterday and thought it was so cute - it may have been around awhile and I somehow missed it until now. When I read it to my sister, she told me she heard it before - I was reminded of the time I excitedly told her about a new great recipe I tried called Jello Poke Cake. I was then informed the recipe had been around for years and years and was certainly nothing new! (I then politely reminded her of our 25 year age difference, me being the youngest).
Anyway, here's the "recipe" which supposedly originated on a vintage cookie tin.

Recipe for Preserving Children

Ingredients
• 1 grassy field
• 1 half-dozen children (or more)
• Several dogs (and puppies, if available)
• 1 brook
• Pebbles

Method
1. Into field pour children and dogs, allowing to mix well.
2. Pour brook over pebbles till slightly frothy.
3. When children are nicely brown cool in warm bath.
4. When dry, serve with milk and fresh baked gingerbread.

lovely little cocktail night

2009-05-23T20:45:00.004-05:00

Here's a new cocktail recipe I tried & enjoyed last night. I think I've found a new favorite!

Fresh Green Gimlet
1 TBSP sugar
juice of 1 lime
4 TBSP vodka
fistful of crushed ice
dash of carbonated mineral water

Spoon sugar into large tumbler, squeeze over the lime juice and dissolve. Add vodka and ice. Swirl to mix and top with a dash of carbonated mineral water.

The recipe says to add mint leaves if you like. Makes only 1 drink!

Serenity Now!

2009-05-22T17:55:00.003-05:00

Holy smokes, I haven't posted for so long that I almost forgot my sign in name!

In the last few weeks I have:

- Participated in the First Communion plans, preparation, and parties for my 2nd grader

- Been in a car accident

- Dealt with a skin cancer scare of my husband's

In the last few weeks I have NOT:

-Planted any flowers

-Read any books

-Listened to any music! :(

So I very much look forward to getting back to a normal routine! I think I'll start with going blog visiting!

Another year older!

2009-04-30T10:41:00.003-05:00

My birthday was 2 days ago, and just like every year I chose a birthday theme song. This year it was "We Will Not Grow Old" by Lenka. Although the song is about a couple in a new relationship (which doesn't apply to me at all!) I just loved singing the title line with gusto in the kitchen, car, or wherever I happened to be on Tuesday.

Besides the little handmade gifts from my kids, my favorite part of the day was when my husband said "You really don't seem as old you are at all. Although sometimes you seem like you should have been born in the pioneer days with what you like to do." I'll take that as a compliment! And I'll go bake me a cherry pie from scratch while I listen to my very hip Lenka!

Lilacs & Moonbeams

2009-04-23T19:25:00.002-05:00

Lilacs in dooryards

Hold quiet conversations with an early moon.

-Amy Lowell

Reading, Watching, Listening

2009-04-15T18:58:00.008-05:00

I can't believe how time goes and that it's been so long since I posted - I had my husband's birthday and Easter at my house and spun out of control for a little while there. Anyway, here's what I plan on enjoying when I find a spare moment or two:

Reading:

Around the House and In the Garden by Dominique Browning (recommended by Nan of Letters from a Hill Farm)

I also just finished A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson about his hike on the Appalachian Trail. I haven't laughed that hard out loud from a book in a long time, and I plan to get Notes from a Small Island next.

And, since I've read it no less than 50 times the last 2 weeks, I must mention the children's book Little Hoot about an owl who actually wants to go to bed. My 5-year-old can now be heard saying "I don't give a hoot!" while playing with friends and/or stuffed animals.

Watching:

The Straight Story on DVD - "A heartwarming and poignant drama chronicling the story of Alvin Straight, an elderly man who drives his John Deere lawnmower 260 miles to make amends with his brother in Wisconsin."

Listening:

I still can't get enough of Brett Dennen! I also recently got Mason Jennings "In the Ever" from the library, but haven't had a chance to listen to it.

Of course I had Nick Drake's Pink Moon on repeat last week for the real full Pink Moon. Despite it's supposed sad meaning, it's one of my favorite songs of all time. I choose not to think too deeply about it and instead just picture a magical moonlit night (or a Volkswagon commercial).

Wit, Wisdom, & Rain

2009-04-02T10:24:00.004-05:00

"On a day when I had wanted to work outside, had bought garden seeds and made plans, I woke up to rain - slow, steady, drippy, soaking rain. It's hard not to be disappointed. But the weather is nature's way of reminding me who is in charge, who makes the big decisions. The rain put me in my place."

From Living a Country Year - Wit and Wisdom from the Good Old Days by Jerry Apps

Found! Another Favorite Artist - Brett Dennen

2009-03-26T13:05:00.005-05:00

As you know, I am a huge Jack Johnson fan. I discovered him a few years ago in a rather lame way - in People magazine. I like to think I've always been pretty "up" on things, but somehow I hadn't heard of him until his third album. Now he's one of my favorites, and often times I wonder who else I may have missed along the way. The other day I discovered another such artist - Brett Dennen - in yet another somewhat lame way - I was simply attracted to his cd cover art at the library. His cds "Hope for the Hopeless" and "So Much More" have been on alternate repeat play in my house for a week now. He has an interesting voice and lyrics that are timely and valid. He does things I love like rhyming "victorian" with "accordian" - "I'm gonna rent me an old Victorian Down in the Lower Haight, I'm gonna find me an old accordion. Play for the tourists on the Golden Gate." Please give him a listen sometime - you'll be glad you did! (I'd supply a youtube link here if I knew how!)

And you know me and my lyrics...

The power went out,

and the stars came out

and I went out for a walk in the dark

There were fireflies flitting

and I heard poets spitting

rhymes out in the park

I felt myself drift up off the ground

& I rose above the trees

And I saw my life in photographs

of faded memories...

From the song Who Do You Think You Are?

Find yourself a hillside

2009-03-18T13:11:00.003-05:00

I love this springy book passage from Spring Snow: The Seasons of New England From the Old Farmer's Almanac by Castle Freeman, Jr. -

Now, before the trees begin to leaf, before the grass begins to turn green and grow, the land is unguarded. Get out and see it. Find a hillside, sit down, and look over the country.
The air is cold, but already the wind smells of plant life, growth, and earthworms. The land looks like a patchwork cover worked years ago by a stern old wife who distrusted bright colors and fancy patterns. She patched simple rectangles, mostly of common cloth and in common colors. Hardwood stands are brown; above them the belts of softwoods are soft green. Cornfields are a kind of dun color from the brown mud and the gray or brown of last year's stubble. Meadpws are tan, the color a of a pale fox. Where people have their gardens the patches are a fine, rich black. Only where gardeners and farmers planted cover crops last year is there now bright color, intensely green.
You can sit and admire the season. It's one of the shortest of them all. In a few weeks the world will be green. Even today, althought the nights are cold, if you're outdoors at evening you'll hear in the woods a single peeper sounding the same note slowly, regularly, over and over again like a bored kid dinging away at a piano.

- From the essay "Look of the Land"

Blarney!

2009-03-17T12:31:00.006-05:00

Those rascally leprechauns paid a visit to my kids' rooms last night - they put stuffed animals on the ceiling fans, turned lamps upside down, and put underpants on the heads of dolls. They even turned our milk green in the fridge! The traps the kids made did not outwit the leprechauns either, but they left calling cards of a green foil-wrapped Cadbury Creme eggs to soften any disappointment.

Today I'm proudly wearning my hooligan Irish shirt, and I feel I have every right because my grandmother's maiden name was Garrigan (not to mention I AM a hooligan, every day)! I'll be making an Irish radio station over at Pandora.com as recommened by Nan at Jade Page Press to play during dinner tonight. Green jello, honeydew, pizza decorated with a herb-sprinkled shamrock, and green cake topped with green m&ms are on the menu.

"May you always walk in sunshine. May you never want for more. May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door." - Irish Proverb

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!

Awesome Way to Find New Favorite Music!

2009-03-16T13:17:00.001-05:00

If you haven't heard of Pandora.com yet, please RUN, DON'T WALK to the website! I have been become addicted to it - entering in all my favorite musicians and finding new recommendations based on my taste. It is so awesome - you get to create your own radio station with only songs you love. It couldn't be easier to use - you can get going on it in less than a minute! Oh, and did I mention it's FREE? :)

The real description:
Pandora is an automated music recommendation and Internet radio service created by the Music Genome Project. Users enter a song or artist that they enjoy, and the service responds by playing selections that are musically similar. Users provide feedback on approval or disapproval, which Pandora takes into account for future selections.

Try it, you'll love it!

Harry Connick Jr. + Full Moon Tonight = Heavenly

2009-03-11T09:29:00.004-05:00

Another full moon has rolled around again. I always like to play "moony" music on moony nights, and tonight my choice will be the song "Heavenly" by Harry Connick Jr. off his cd We Are In Love. I had forgotten about this song and how much I liked it - I brought the cd out for the first time in a long time for Mardi Gras (we were eating dinner, everyone wanted Mardi Gras music, and the closest I could come up with was New Orleans boy Harry!) Anyway, here are the lyrics, which I absolutely love. If you've never heard it and want to hear some truly celestial harmonies, check it out!

Heavenly

He's always happy

He never looks mean

Even if the sun

should come in between

The man in the moon is smiling

'Cause he's in love

The man in the moon is smiling

'Cause he's in love with the girl in the world

She's there in the evening

She never comes late
All day she spins around

But never makes him wait

The girl in the world is smiling

'Cause she's in love

The girl in the world is smiling

'Cause she's in love with the man in the moon

When two heavenly bodies glow

All the stars agree

A planet might be born

Maybe even a galaxy

And in the morning

They don't say goodbye

But with a kiss

They blend into the sky

Oh, they're smiling

'Cause they're in love

The man in the moon is smiling

'Cause he's in love with the girl in the world

The man in the moon is smiling

'Cause he's in love with the girl in the world

Heavenly!

And now a bit from the Farmer's Almanac:

• Full Worm - March Moon As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.

Sounds like even the moon would like to say so long to winter!

Garden Schemes & Dreams

2009-03-09T12:08:00.013-05:00

"Nature does not hurry,
yet everything is accomplished."
-Lao Tzu

I've started my garden/yard planning list, and while it feels good to have somewhat of a plan down on paper, I can't help but feel overwhelmed. How I wish I had a gardening friend who could help me in my yard, and I in turn in hers - I bet it wouldn't feel like work at all. It seems everyone I know either has no interest in gardening or just has a wild yard that needs little tending.

Well, enough whining - I do have my kids to keep me company by digging for worms at my side, and a husband who is always willing to whip up a little raised bed or haul my heavy wagon full of wet weeds up the hill for me. Here are some of my notes for the yard this year - it's funny how in my notebook I follow almost every entry with a question mark -

-Field of poppies to north of barn? Must check if they are deer resistant.

-Ornamental grasses in deck pots instead of flowers? Too many bees by the sandbox last year!

-Add Creeping Jenny around boulders down hill?

-Make 2X4 raised bed outside patio door for lettuce only. Purchase bagged soil - do not let Mike dump in Bobcat loads of weed-seed-laden soil from the field.

-Buy a Harry Lauder's walking stick tree for the kids. Where to buy?

-Plant sunflowers near the mailbox - or would this bring too many bees around it?

As you can see, it's not an overly ambitious list, but it's about all I can handle right now. Even if I only accomplish one of these things, I'll be satisfied because it will be more than I did last year!

Friday's Quote - Hal Borland on Spring

2009-03-05T16:55:00.002-06:00

My little dear holding one of our chicks, Mr. Peepers, last spring.

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. ~Hal Borland

Blue Moon Granola

2009-02-23T20:19:00.003-06:00

Today I made this delicious granola recipe out of my Potluck at Midnight Farm - Celebrating Food, Family and Friends on Martha's Vineyard cookbook by Tamara Weiss. The recipe begins "You only get granola this good once in a blue moon!" - I agree!

Blue Moon Granola
8 C rolled oats
2 C barley flakes
2 C wheat flakes
2 C oat bran or wheat germ (or some of each)
2 C raw sunflower seeds
2 C pecans (optional)
1/2 C oil (canola or safflower)
1/2 C honey
1/2 C maple syrup
1 C dried cranberries
1 C raisins

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine oats, barely and wheat flakes, oat bran, sunflower seeds & pecans in a large bowl and mix. Stir the oil, honey and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over low heat until warm. Pour heated mixture over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spread the granola out in thin layers on large baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes. Stir and bake another 20 minutes. The granola is done when it is golden brown all over.
Use a spatula or large spoon to transfer baked granola to a bowl. Repeat the baking process until all the granola is done. When cool, stir in the cranberries and raisins. Store in quart-size containers. This granola also freezes well.

Because my family doesn't like pecans or raisins very much, I substituted extra oats and cranberries and it turned out fine.

The recipe says this is delicious with plain yogurt flavored with maple syrup and a bit of ground cinnamon. I haven't tried that yet, but I know it's darn good on icecream!

Back to Reality

2009-02-21T06:56:00.004-06:00

I'm back from sunny Florida, back to the Wisconsin gray skies, wierd, cold fog, and ice moats throughout the yard. We had a nice time, but it was definitly one of those "good to go, but good to come home" type trips. All of us get a little out of sorts on vacation - we all sleep poorly and miss our home routines. Despite returning to this bleak weather, 5 days in full blown sun was enough for us.

One trick I learned on this trip was to not wear my swimming suit every time to the pool. This allowed me to lounge with a book in a poolside chair while my husband swam with the kids. It was perfect - I got to relax, yet still had my happy dearies around me!

I managed to finish the book I mentioned last post - Made from Scratch - Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life by Jenna Woginrich. I very much enjoyed it, having been through many of her newbie farm experiences myself. Here's a little excerpt from the "Chickens, the most exciting lawn accessory since lawn darts" chapter:

"After a few songs, I arrived at the post office. It was a small building you could've mistaken for a storage shed if you drove by too fast (which I did, and had to turn around). When I knocked on the back door, an old man with a basset hound greeted me and handed over the loudest cardboard box ever. I placed it in the backseat of my toasty Subaru and continued down the road to Diana's homestead - Floating Leaf Farm. A steep hill and some twists and turns later, I pulled into the driveway of the cedar-shingled, log cabin-style farmhouse. After all the snow we'd had recently, it would've passed for something on the label of a maple syrup bottle if it weren't for the year-old steer walking down the driveway to join the rest of its gang."

The author has a very nice blog: http://www.coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-02-12T10:43:00.003-06:00

In 3 hours I'll be on my way to Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee to catch a flight to Florida. The family is very excited to go and see the grandparents, but I can't help wishing I was boarding a flight to somewhere like Maine, Cape Cod, or any other New England destination.

For the flight, I have a bag loaded with doodads to keep the kids happy - suckers, activity books, multicolor click pens, mini etchasketchs (sp?). For me, I have my Earplanes (ear inserts so my ears don't pop closed) and a new book I'm very excited about titled Made From Scratch - Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life by Jenn Woginrich. We'll see if I'm able to even get through the preface on the plane!

lovely little full moon night

2009-02-09T09:34:00.003-06:00

Full moon tonight - a perfect day for me to return to my long neglected blog! My mom is doing much better and the spring-like weather we've been having has done wonders for her mood (and mine). I'm sure we'll still get slammed with more winter storms, but days like today remind us that the flowers are getting closer to ending their naps. Yesterday at Walmart I was looking at the gigantic mountain of dirty snow in the parking lot - it must be 12 feet high - and was picturing the greenhouses and tables of blooms that will shortly replace it in the exact same spot.

The moon sure was bright last night - the kids and I turned off all the lights and made moonshadows on the walls. Tonight will be warmer, so I hope to get all of us out on the deck to "bask." If it's not too windy, we might even be able to eat dinner out there in the moonlight. Hmmm, what food goes best with a winter moony night - potato soup and crusty rolls, perhaps? Just pizza? Chocolate cake and wine? I'm going to have to think about this!

From the Farmer's Almanac:
February's Full Moon is called The Snow Moon. Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February's full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult.

Above is a photo of last month's moonrise over a nearby inland Wisconsin lake.

A Brief Hiatus

2009-01-26T20:34:00.003-06:00

It's been awhile since I've posted, the reason being the death of my uncle, my mom's only sibling. My mom has always been such a strong person, but this time my sisters and I detected sadness not seen since my dad passed away 3 years ago. Therefore, we're all rallying around her with extra visits, calls, and outings. This leaves me little time for anything "extra" like blogging.

We're hoping things get a little better soon. When they do, I'll be back!

Bas Bleu

2009-01-13T08:35:00.004-06:00

I received a new Bas Bleu catalog in the mail today. Even though I haven't ordered anything lately (my husband is in real estate, so you can imagine!), I do love their unique products and selection of books. Like a kid with a toy catalog, I did some serious circling of items I'd love to have - for some reason, I find this satisfying enough!

Here are some of the things I circled:
Birds-in-Shoes Postcards - How could I resist these "quirky" cards with woodpeckers in clogs and robins in Mary Janes? I'd love to get 2 sets - one to use for correspondance and another to frame as a wall display.

Book - The Rural Life by Verlyn Klinkenborg
From the book: "In every ditch, every hollow, a cold, sepia brew of last year's leaves was steeping in a basin of discolored ice. I found myself staring into the tangled woods, wondering why humans had never learned to hibernate and whether it was too late to think again."
I hope my library has this!

Book Darts Tin - Tiny shiny clips to use in books or magazines to "hold your thought".

Women Writers Umbrella - featuring authors such as Jane Austen and Emily Dickison. I'd love to retire the ugly umbrella I got free at the bank!

Book - Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman
I am a Mrs. Mike, after all. I think the library will have this one.

Twilight Turtle - A nightlight that projects the starry sky onto the ceiling. This is supposed be for a child's bedroom, but I'd love to drift off to some constellations on my ceiling, especially after a glass of wine.

For the time being I guess I'll just thank God for the library, use post-it notes instead of book darts, and look out the window if I want to see the stars. But there's just no substitute for the birds-with-shoes postcards! :(

reading, watching, listening

2009-01-05T08:22:00.005-06:00

Here's the latest installment in my "Reading, Watching, Listening" post category. I hope occasionally one of you stumbles on something interesting here - so many of my favorites have come from your recommendations!

Reading:

A Year in the Maine Woods by Bernd Heinrich - I just started this, so I don't have much to say except I like the cover! After this one I plan to read Wife in the North by Judith O'reilly, which I read about on the blog Lesley's Book Nook.

Watching:

Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe

I've really been enjoying this show, especially because my kids and husband like it too and we can watch it all together. Other reasons for my enjoyment include Mike Rowe's sense of humor, voice, and muscles. ;)

Listening:

Music-wise, January and February are always odd months for me. The holiday music stops and I never know quite what to play. Many of my favorites, like Jack Johnson and Chris Isaak, seem a bit too summery this time of year. I've found this soundtrack to Imax's The Living Sea featuring Sting is perfect background music for cleaning, relaxing, or whatever I'm doing in the winter months. My kids also enjoy having it on when they are playing or doing crafts. The songs are so peaceful, and they remind us that winter's bleakness is only temporary.

2009

2009-01-01T10:15:00.004-06:00

I'm posting this quickly, as my husband is in the shower and I don't need him looking over my shoulder at my resolutions! Maybe my haste will make what's important rise to the top?

My Brief Resolutions for 2009

- Try to walk a half hour each day (this is non-negotiable!)

- Say "no" if I really don't want to do something/go somewhere

- Make a little more time for myself instead of just complaining about it inside (If I can "make" my husband get the kids out of here for an hour so I can clean, then I should be able to do the same to give myself an hour in my little cabin, ALONE, without guilt

Nothing too exciting or life-changing, yet so important to me, Hopefully listing them here so I can revisit them often will help me stick to it all.

Now, it's time to chip away at another slab of the confetti cake I made yesterday!

Peace to You at Christmas

2008-12-24T12:00:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas to my blogging friends!

"Fire-side enjoyments, home-born happiness,

And all the comforts that the lowly roof

Of undisturb'd retirement, and the hours

Of long uninterrupted ev'ning, know."

-William Cowper

It's a Marshmallow World

2008-12-19T15:35:00.007-06:00

My little guy in his snow fort with a load of snowballs at the ready, waiting for his mom and sister to turn their backs for just a second!

Like much of the country, we were clobbered by a wicked snow storm today. The snow fell fast and furious, the wind whipped all around, and we were snowed in completely. I loved every minute of it! The kids and I baked cookies and had them for lunch with green (food coloring) Christmas milk. Tonight we'll have cocoa and popcorn - the kids will watch The Grinch and my husband and I will watch The Bishop's Wife (heard it's good for Christmas).

The day reminded me of 2 of my wintry quotes from my collection:

Surely everyone is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a wintry fireside, candles at four o'clock, warm hearthrugs, tea, a fair tea-maker, shutters closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies to the floor, whilst the wind and rain are raging audibly out.

- Thomas De Quincey

The smell of buttered toast simply talked to Toad, and with no uncertain voice, talked of warm kitchens, of breakfasts on bright frosty mornings, of cozy parlor firesides on winter evenings, when one's ramble was over and slippered feet were propped on the fender, of the purring of contented cats, the twitter of sleepy canaries.

- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

I wish you all a cozy evening!

All That I Want

2008-12-14T14:08:00.007-06:00

Wow, it's been so long since I last posted I almost forgot my password! We had a variety of illnesses rip through the house and put me behind in about every area of my life, blog included.

I don't know how to post an actual video clip from youtube, but here is a link to hear my latest favorite Christmas song - All That I Want by the Weepies. Any song that mentions a harbor, pine trees, and the moon all together is wonderful in my book!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0EJbr0rFV4

Out in the harbor
The ships come in, it's Christmastime
The kids all holler
carols 'cross the water
Stars that shine

All that I want,
all that I want
Above the rooftops
The full moon dips its golden spoon
I wait on clip-clops,
deer might fly
Why not? I met you

All that I want,
all that I want

And when the night is falling
Down the sky at midnight
Another year is stalling
Far away a good bye, good night

All that I want,
all that I want all

So small a turning
The world grows older every day
An ache, a yearning
Soften when I hear you say

All that I want,
all that I want
And when the cold wind's blowing
Snow drifts through the pine trees
In houses lights are glowing
Likewise in your eyes that find me here
With all that I want,all that i want

Out in the harbor
The ships come in, it's Christmastime

This week's goal

2008-11-21T08:31:00.005-06:00

Rest and be thankful.

-William Wordsworth

Thoughts of November by Gladys Taber

2008-11-14T08:52:00.005-06:00

I love this passage from the book Stillmeadow Calendar by Gladys Taber:

In November, there are gay evenings with Wilma and Willie, and Tommy shows me how to work his tape recorder; dinners with Millie and Ed after we watch a thrilling football game; long afternoons with Barbara and Slim, during which we sip coffee and talk about everything from recipes to literature. There are sunset drives with my friend Faith Baldwin; fireside games of Scrabble with Helen Beals; hamburgers and home-baked beans with Helen and Vicky; Joan Baez records with Bobby Gibson, with cheese and crackers and a bowl of fruit at hand. These are simple things, but to me they are most precious. And as I recall each one, November's beaver moon shines brighter than ever and I know that love and friendship, hearth fires, and faith are indeed gifts to be thankful for and to treasure always.

Around the farm

2008-11-11T07:17:00.000-06:00

As you know, I am knew to posting photos on my blog and am trying to get comfortable doing so. For practice, I took my camera around the yard last week and took a few shots. I don't know if it's my computer or operator error (probably the latter), but it took me an hour just to get these few from camera to blog! Sheesh! And then when I viewed them on screen they don't even look very good - the color seems off - my husband said it was probably the early morning light, but again it was most likely the screw loose behind the lens!

This is one of my favorite summer spots for tea or cocktails. It's time to put away the tablecloth and take down the "Garden Cafe - Open Daily" sign, I suppose. I'll have to make the shift to toddies!

My daily walking path in the woods. It's interesting to me how some long some of the little trees tucked under the larger ones stay green so late.

My vehicle of choice when I'm feeling lazy to walk to the mailbox, or when I need to find my husband when he's out of hollering range.

The creek that winds through our woods, down through town, and eventually empties into Lake Michigan. The source of many-a-soaker.

Sadly, our nights of campfires and ghost stories are coming to a close. We tried having a fire the other night, but it was just too windy to enjoy it.

The north side of the barn. You can see the "trellises" I made out of the ends of my children's crib (I wrote about this in one of my first posts) propped up against it. I put them out there this summer, and they are weathering nicely.

"Little Red", our current project. It is a little L-shaped cottage that we trailered in from a farmer down the road who was going to burn it. We nestled it in the woods by the creek and think it will be a fun place to camp or hang out it with the kids - if we can ever get it finished!

Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald

2008-11-10T16:34:00.004-06:00

Today we remember the Edmund Fitzgerald, lost with all hands on Lake Superior Novemeber 10, 1975. My late father, who was a ship chandler by trade at the time, knew some of the 29 crew and had boarded the ship regularly.

For an informative website on this fine ship, go to www.ssefo.com.

From "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot:

The legend lives on from the chippewa on down

Of the big lake they called gitche gumee

The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead

When the skies of november turn gloomy

With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more

Than the edmund fitzgerald weighed empty.

That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed

When the gales of november came early.

The ship was the pride of the american side

Coming back from some mill in wisconsin

As the big freighters go,

it was bigger than most

With a crew and good captain well seasoned

Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms

When they left fully loaded for cleveland

And later that night when the ship's bell rang

Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin?

A New England State of Mind

2008-10-28T08:54:00.000-05:00

This painting by Will Moses reminds me of the area where I live in Wisconsin. I love all of his work, and while I know he is painting New England I always feel at home in his scenery.

There's a quote by Mark Van Doren in my Autumn Susan Branch book that reads:
"New England has a way of doing this to people; they can be homesick for it even if they have never seen it."

Boy, does that ever sum me up. For as long as I can remember, I've had an obsession with the area, and I have no idea what started it. I've never been fortunate enough to visit in person, but I love to read books of the area and they have taken me there.

Until I get to visit in person, I'll just have to keep "pretending" I'm there. This isn't too hard to do in my little town - we have an adorable harbor and marina, two lighthouses, a quaint downtown with cafes and friendly little shops, very old cemeteries and churches, and beautiful woodland areas. But for me, there's something missing that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe someday, either through my reading or an actual visit, I'll figure it out.

Board Game Suggestions, Please!

2008-10-21T09:43:00.002-05:00

Last night it was cold, windy, and rainy here - definitely an evening for putting in a fire and eating vast quantities of Annie's Kettle Corn. I guess I finally surrendered to the fact that more time is going to be spent indoors than out for the next 6 months. Besides stocking my pantry full like a squirrel, I want to have some things ready entertainment-wise, and I'm thinking I'd like to get a new board game or two. We already have all the basics - Scrabble, Boggle, etc. but I'd like to find some new ones to play when we have friends over. Over the years we've really enjoyed Pictionary and Taboo, but there have to be some new fun ones out that we're missing. Do any of you have a suggestion?

Reading, Watching, Listening

2008-10-19T10:32:00.008-05:00

Here are some things I've been enjoying lately:

Reading:

All books by Patrick McManus
Have you ever read a book by an author and find yourself only in the mood to read another and another by the same person? That's what happened to me recently when I accidently found a group of Patrick McManus books at the library. He's been compared to Garrison Keillor and Mark Twain with a little Dave Barry thrown in - a lovely combination if you ask me. He mainly writes about his activities in the great outdoors, and as an "outdoorsy" type I can relate to many of his follies. His books also consist of anecdotes that run just 6 pages or so a piece, making it possible to grab a book any old time and enjoy a quick laugh.

Watching: Monster's Inc.

It's unusual for me to find an animated movie that I like, let alone LOVE, but I found it in Monster's Inc. My kids saw it several years ago but it was just the other day that I watched it for myself. I found it to be hilarious, mainly because of the many, many humorous details directed at adults.

Listening: Indigo Girls, Rites of Passage
There's just something about this cd that says "October" to me, and I'm not quite sure why. I love the first 8 songs, especially "Galileo" featuring Jackson Browne and David Crosby. Beautiful lyrics all around, with a song for Virginia Woolf to boot!

Embers, woodsmoke, well house, reading!

2008-10-12T15:51:00.004-05:00

Gladys Taber's Stillmeadow Home

Teatime comes early at Stillmeadow now. I hang the kettle over the embers, bring out the toasting fork, and open the sweet-clover honey.
When the air is blue with haze and smells of woodsmoke and the sun is gentle and dreamy, I sit on the terrace by the old well house and read, turning the pages slowly and most of the time just sitting.

-Stillmeadow Calendar

Testing! Testing!

2008-10-11T14:09:00.002-05:00

Testing, Testing! My first blog photo!
I've been putting it off & off, but today I sat down in front of the computer and told my hiney it wasn't moving until I got a photo on. It ended up to be quite easy, but I can tell that the hard part is going to be getting my hands on our camera (it's usually riding around in my husband's car).
This is a photo of an abandoned house on a property down our road. The kid's think it's haunted, of course. I think it's beautiful!

Tea Time/Nature does not hurry...

2008-10-10T15:38:00.002-05:00

Friday's Quote

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." -Lao Tzu

These are the words I found this afternoon as I opened up my new box of tea. Isn't it a perfect quote for a tea box?

If any of you are tea drinkers, I'd love to know your favorites - I'm always looking for new ones to try. :)

Put a trinket on!

2008-10-04T09:49:00.000-05:00

I just love this poem by good old Emily, especially the trinket part - I'm sure many of you have heard before, but here it is again!

Autumn

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.

Emily Dickinson

Flannel Sheets

2008-10-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

Is there anything more cozy than climbing in to flannel sheets for the first time of the season? That's what I'm in for tonight, and I can't wait! For as long as I can get away with it, I continue to wear my summer pajamas just so I can feel the flannel on my arms.

Just another rite of Autumn!

Friday's Quote - Picasso

2008-09-26T15:01:00.001-05:00

If I don't have red, I use blue.

-Pablo Picasso

Happy Birthday Shel Silverstein

2008-09-25T13:58:00.000-05:00

Weird-Bird

Birds are flyin' south for winter.
Here's the Weird-Bird headin' north,
Wings a-flappin', beak a-chatterin',
Cold head bobbin' back 'n' forth.
He says, "It's not that I like ice
Or freezin' winds and snowy ground.
It's just sometimes it's kind of nice
To be the only bird in town."

-Shel Silverstein

Tis the Season to Air Out

2008-09-25T13:37:00.000-05:00

I awoke to a slightly overcast morning with a crisp, dry wind blowing from the lake and decided it was the perfect day for airing out everything I could drag out the door. Couch cushions, pillows, table cloths, throw rugs, winter coats etc. etc. are draped all over outside to catch some fresh air for the day.

No Febreeze for me! :) I'll take the real thing.

Cranberry-Cider Spiced Tea

2008-09-23T13:11:00.000-05:00

California may have passed Wisconsin in dairy production, but we're still the lead grower of cranberries! Cranberry recipes abound around here, and this is one of my favorites.

Cranberry-Cider Spiced Tea

8 orange spice teabags
4 c. boiling water
2 c. unsweetened cranberry juice
2 c. apple cider
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
4-inch cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1/2 t. ground ginger (sometimes I leave this out, depending on my mood!)
Garnish: orange slices

In a large saucepan, place teabags in boiling water; steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Disgard teabags; add cranberry juice, cider, brown sugar and spices. Heat almost to boiling, stir until sugar dissolves. Take a moment to smell "the cozy". Strain tea to remove whole spices. Pour into teacups (I'm more of a "mug" girl, myself!) ; garnish with orange slices. This recipe makes 8 comforting servings.

Happy Autumn!

2008-09-22T08:53:00.000-05:00

I was a child not much given to philosophical speculation, but the fact that my family, which doesn't do much traveling, would drive a hundred miles to see trees in autumn foliage made a big impression. I got the message even then that these trees, these colors, these smells and sounds, these ceremonies of passage, were important."
-Ann Zwinger

Summer's loss seems little, dear, on days like these.

- Ernest Dowson

The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools.
- Henry Beston

Two sounds of autumn are unmistakable...the hurrying rustle of crisp leaves blown along the street by a gusty wind, and the gabble of a flock of migrating geese.

- Hal Borland

Gladys Taber Ushers in Autumn

2008-09-19T11:10:00.000-05:00

I've really been neglecting my blog lately! This is certainly because of the start of the school year for my children and all that goes with it. We're also just getting over bad colds which always seem to come home with the kids the second week of school.

I've had a little trouble letting go of summer this year, mainly because of the family having to return to our regimented days. As usual, I turn to my dear Gladys for encouragment of the transition to autumn...

- At the end of the swamp, a narrow road turns right to the house. The giant sugar maples that surround it are spreading a deep green canopy above the slant roof and I look up at them and tell them that the first swamp maple is turning. Whether they believe me or not, I do not know. They are inscrutable. They are also very independent. Sometimes the biggest one at the corner of the yard will be summer green while the one back where the barn burned is flaming with glory. Why?
Weather conditions are the same for all of them, one is no more sheltered that another, and they are the same age, judging by their size. I like to think one tree decides to keep summer a bit longer and one impetuously responds to the tide of oncoming autumn. Trees are not remotely like people, but I reflect that I know some people who have never let summer go and others who begin to think winter thoughts in July. Perhaps it is all temperament.
After summer's work is over, there is an interval before autumn chores begin. What better time to follow some winding country road?
-Gladys Taber, Stillmeadow Calendar

This week's quote - Little Women

2008-09-04T19:50:00.000-05:00

I felt this with my mother, and I can only hope that my children feel the same way as they go off to school.

They always looked back before turning the corner, for their mother was always at the window to nod and smile, and wave her hand at them. Somehow it seemed as if they couldn't have got through the day without that, for whatever their mood might be, the last glimpse of that motherly face was sure to affect them like sunshine.

Louisa May Alcott, from Little Women

lovely little swooping swallows

2008-08-25T14:17:00.000-05:00

We always have had an abundant barn swallow population around here, but man, they've been wild as of late. I truly appreciate the enormous amount of insects they eat, and I shudder to think what it'd be like around here without them. However, lately they come swooping down so low by my head that I panic that they're actually AFTER ME (or is it just my ridiculous floral pony tail holder?)! I've never heard of anyone getting beaned accidently by a swallow, so I guess I'll just go about my business and hope they use their finely-tuned navigational instincts to steer clear of my noggin!

Here's a little interesting info. I found about them on birds.com:

A familiar inhabitant of barns and other outbuildings, the Barn Swallow is easily recognized by its long forked tail. It was originally a cave breeder, but now the swallow nests almost exclusively on man-made structures.

Description
Small slender songbird.
Tail long and forked.
Upperparts steely iridescent blue.
Underparts rufous.
Size: 15-19 cm (6-7 in)
Wingspan: 29-32 cm (11-13 in)

Song: a twittery series of squeaky notes, often with dry rattle in the middle.

Cool Facts
-The Barn Swallow is the most abundant and widely distributed swallow species in the world. It breeds throughout the northern hemisphere and winters in much of the southern hemisphere.
-The long tail of a Barn Swallow may indicate the quality of the individual bird. Females prefer to mate with males that have the longest and most symmetrical tails.
-An unmated male Barn Swallow may kill the nestlings of a nesting pair. His actions often succeed in breaking up the pair and afford him the opportunity to mate with the female.

That last part sounds like it belongs on a talk show! Naughty males!

This post wouldn't be complete without me mentioning one of my favorite Wailin' Jennys songs, Swallow, from their beautiful Firecracker album:

Oh swallow
What did you swallow?
You swoop so low
You come and you go

Dance by the Light of the Moon

2008-08-16T12:46:00.000-05:00

From the Farmer's Almanac:

Full Sturgeon Moon - August
The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.

Friday's Quote

2008-08-16T07:33:00.000-05:00

How I wish that somewhere there existed an island for those that
are wise and of good will.

-Albert Einstein

What I'm Reading, Watching, Listening to

2008-08-14T12:07:00.000-05:00

Reading: The Beach House by Jane Green and Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (a chapter each night to the kids). The Little House reading is going at an extremely slow pace because I have to keep pausing to answer various questions like "Why would Laura and Mary be so happy to play with a blown-up pig's bladder for a ball?"

Watching: Not much time for TV lately but still catching up on Discovery's Deadliest Catch series. Most recent Netflix movie was The Bank Job, which I didn't care for and stopped watching about 10 minutes in. I'm actually thinking of stopping Netflix for awhile - I feel like I struggle to find new things to put in my queue. I figure I can get any older movies I want from the good old library. The next movie I'll watch (or rather re-watch for the 5th time) will be the 50 cent copy of The Princess Bride I found last week at the thrift shop. Score! And what will really make it fun is that my husband's never seen it before.

Listening: Prince Edward Island Fiddlers, which I received as an iTunes gift from dear Nan over at Letters from a Hill Farm, Alison Krauss Lonely Runs Both Ways, and Thicker Than Water by Jack Johnson and Friends.

Spying Jupiter

2008-08-14T12:01:00.000-05:00

Fly me to the moon
And let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words hold my hand
In other words darling kiss me

This is the song I have stuck in my head today, surely from my viewing of Jupiter last night in the southern sky. Have you seen it? It's easy to spot around dusk - it is the largest yellow dot in the sky that's not twinkling :)

Happy Birthday to My Dad

2008-08-10T18:03:00.000-05:00

Today my mom and sisters are coming up for a visit. I've made a strawberry jello poke cake topped fresh strawberries, as it's my late father's birthday. He would have been 82 today. If we start to feel sad, we have to shake it right off, because that's the last way he'd want us to feel. Be happy, be together, I hear him saying in my mind. And that's exactly what we'll do. :)

Going Weekly

2008-08-07T12:47:00.001-05:00

Now that we've FINALLY gotten high-speed Internet out here, I'm experiencing what it's really like to surf the web. I can blast through Amazon.com listmanias, scroll through 100s of pieces on Art.com, and go from email to email without needing a magazine on my lap to make the time between screens bearable. And now I have time to read more blogs and leave a comment if I wish without it taking 10 minutes to sign in. Because of this, I've decided to "go weekly" with my own blog and use my new found time for reading, not writing, more. I think my mundane life can only support one post a week anyway!

Friday's Quote

2008-08-02T12:41:00.000-05:00

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep it to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.

-Tao Te Ching

Song of Summer

2008-08-01T09:32:00.000-05:00

Every summer, usually unintentionally, one song emerges as my "theme song" for the season. This summer there is no doubt that my song is "Constellations" by Jack Johnson. I play it every day after dinner, and it transports me from my hectic day to the calm of evening. It soothes me, makes me feel a breeze even if the air is still, and lets me savor the word "moonrise".
Ahhhhhh.

Constellations

The light was leaving
In the west it was blue
The children's laughter sang
And skipping just like the stones they threw
Their voices echoed across the way
Its getting late

It was just another night
With a sunset
And a moonrise not so far behind
To give us just enough light
To lay down
underneath the stars
Listen to papas translations
Of the stories across the sky
We drew our own constellations

The west winds often last too long
The wind may calm down
Nothing ever feels the same
Sheltered under the Kamani tree
Waiting for the passing rain
Clouds keep moving to uncover the scene
Stars above us chasing the day away
To find the stories that we sometimes need
Listen close enough
All else fades
Fades away

It was just another night
With a sunset
And a moonrise not so far behind
To give us just enough light
To lay down
underneath the stars
Listen to all the translations
Of the stories across the sky
We drew our own constellations

Friday's Poem

2008-07-25T10:53:00.000-05:00

Midsummer Night
by Elizabeth Gould

The sun goes down,
The stars peep out,
And long slim shadows
Flit about.

In velvet shoes
The quiet dark
Comes stepping soft
O'er wood and park.

And now the world
Is fast asleep;
And fays and elves
Their revels keep.

They fly on the backs of the grey-winged moths,
They skim on the dragonflies green and gold
On shimmering dew-wet grass they alight,
Tiny petal-skirts whirl, gauzy wings unfold.

The fairies are dancing beneath the moon
Hush! See the shimmer of their twinkling shoon!

Winged Book Passage

2008-07-24T17:43:00.000-05:00

The chorus of bird song diminishes now, and Hal Borland says the bird parents are too busy to spend time singing. But my song sparrow still begins at dawn outside my bedroom window and is caroling away after sunset. And the quail keep up an endless bobwhite at the yard's edge.
A special sound now comes at night when the lights are on. I never draw the curtains, since the moonlight view of Mill pond through the picture windows is like poetry remembered. A soft tapping begins first on the glass and suddenly it looks like a tapestry with the embroidery of moth-wings pressed on the darkling panes. I stop everything to watch, for this is a rare sight. I would not try to guess how many shapes and sizes of maoths are there from big bumbling ones to tiny heart-shaped creatures.

- Gladys Taber, My Own Cape Cod

So cool Coolibar

2008-07-22T16:36:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of Coolibar brand protective sunwear? It's the best, and right now they're having a big end-of-summer sale. I always buy several of their sunhats for the whole family, as we are all ghastly pale, fry easily, and need all the protection we can get. Coolibar seems like a very nice company with quality products, and I've had nothing but excellent customer service. The site is coolibar.com, if you're interested.

Happy Birthday, Cat Stevens

2008-07-21T20:06:00.000-05:00

Just heard on NPR that it's Cat Steven's (Yusuf Islam) birthday today. I'll be playing his Greatest Hits cd tonight and since it's a clear night and the moon's just shy of full, I'll be watching for a moonshadow of my own.

I'm being followed by a moonshadow,
moonshadow,
moonshadow!

foggy little bonfire night

2008-07-21T16:01:00.000-05:00

Around 4:00 yesterday the wind shifted and we experienced a rapid drop in temperature. When this happens around here so close to the lake, a thick fog usually rolls in, and that's exactly what happened last night. Although it prevented my moon gazing, it did offer an opportunity to make a cozy bonfire - the day before the thought of a fire would have been ridiculous, it was so sweltering. It was the first time we used our new bonfire ring made from stacked lannon stones. My husband retrieved them from a recently razed farmhouse down the road - they originally encircled a little pond. We replaced our little ring of fieldstones with the stacked lannons, and besides looking nicer I feel the height is a little safer when kids (or imbibing adults) are around.

It was dinner time when we started the fire, and laziness rolled over me like the fog, and I sure as heck didn't feel like leaving my chair to cook. We considered ordering a pizza, but I was worried about the limited visibility and didn't want some poor kid driving it out to us or my husband on the roads. The kids were whining for smores, which I really didn't want to serve as supper and didn't have the makings for anyway. Then I remembered I had a couple cans of biscuit dough in the fridge and some apples in the crisper, so we got some roasting sticks and made....

Brown Bears
Stretch biscuit dough and wrap around your stick. Roast over fire until brown. Carefully remove biscuit from stick, spray with spray butter or margarine, and roll in a cinnamon/sugar mixture.

AND

Singing Apples
Spear an apple (we used Macintosh) on your stick. Cook over hot coals until skin is burned and the apple "sings." Remove from fire and carefully peel off the cooked skin. Roll apple in cinnamon sugar and eat - careful, it stays quite hot.

The kids loved both of these recipes, but I'm the one who's really wishing we could have the same exact thing tonight!

eBay surprise

2008-07-16T18:13:00.000-05:00

Through the years, I've bought many, many things on eBay - jackets for the kids, one-of-a-kind handmade windchimes, antique ice skates, etc. plus probably way too many books. Most recently I ordered a copy of Potluck at Midnight, a cookbook featuring recipes of Martha's Vineyard. Today I received it and planned on sitting down with it later tonight with my pack of post-it notes. As I unwrapped the book from it's packaging, out fell the most beautiful bookmark I've ever seen. It was handmade with bits of pressed violets, ferns, and other white lacey flowers and had a rich, smooth ribbon attached. With it was a note from the friendly eBayer telling me to enjoy the book and to try the "Blue Moon Granola" recipe. The bookmark and personal note were such a nice surprise and made my day. I plan to do the same the next time I sell a book!

What I'm reading, watching, listening to

2008-07-14T15:05:00.000-05:00

Reading:
Summertime by Raffaella Barker (recommended by dear Nan of Letters from a Hillfarm) . Love it, love it, LOVE IT and don't want it to end.
Also in the on-deck reading basket: the latest issue of Living the Country Life magazine (a very nice little magazine that's absolutely free - visit livingthecountrylife.com to sign up), and Vineyard Seasons by Susan Branch, which I've owned for years but is due for a revisit.

Watching:
Flight of the Conchords Season 1 - a somewhat unsavory but hilarious series I was introduced to over the weekend by my very hip brother-in-law, who couldn't believe I hadn't seen it, let alone heard of it.

Listening:
Trouble by Ray LaMontange, Catch the Moon by Lisa Loeb & Elizabeth Mitchell, Wyndam Hill's Summer Solstice, Neil Young Unplugged

How I'd Love to be a Wilderness Guide

2008-07-14T14:58:00.000-05:00

Here's a little passage I found in a magazine that's from a book I hope to get my hands on soon - Ely Echoes:The Portages Grow Longer by wilderness guide Bob Cary.

My thoughts go back to summers spent at the river cottage owned by my maiden aunt, Nell Patterson...What glorious summers those were. There was kindling to split on a wood block in the shade of huge elms. Countless gallons of icy cold, clear water had to be pumped by hand from the well. A fresh layer of green enamel was applied to the flat-bottom rowboat and to the sleek eighteen-foot Old Town canoe, a watercraft that did as much to shape my life as the nine months spent at school.

I just love this!

Belated Friday's Quote

2008-07-13T10:32:00.000-05:00

I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.
-Henry David Thoreau

Gone for a bit

2008-07-13T10:22:00.000-05:00

I've been away from the computer for awhile because my daughter has been having an awful time with her asthma. The doctor said there's just something in the air right now that is triggering it, and we've had to stay inside with the air conditioning on. No car rides with the window down, no golf-cart rides in the woods, no bonfires at dusk. The same thing happened around this time last year, so at least we know it will pass in a week or so after the mystery culprit finishes blooming. In the meantime, it's been all about inhalers, books, and boardgames around here, and lots of extra attention to my little dear to ease her sadness as big brother goes out to catch frogs.

Thoughts on a Screen Porch - Book Passage

2008-07-07T14:11:00.000-05:00

"My idea of bliss is a screen-in porch from which you can watch the sun go down, or come up. You can sit in temperate shade and not fry your brains while you eat. You are protected from flying critters, sandstorms and rain and you can still enjoy a nice cool breeze.
One year my husband and I rented a lake cottage - a rustic cabin set in a pine grove just a stroll from a weed-choked lake. With it came a war canoe and a screened-in porch. The motto of the owners seemed to have been: "It's broken! Let's take it to the lake!"
We ate on the screened-in porch all the time and with great success. Friends with beautiful houses came to our broken-down lake cottage to eat on that crummy porch and watch the sun set over the lake."
- Laurie Colwin in Home Cooking

This sounds heavenly to me! Wish I had a screen porch.

Independent America

2008-07-07T13:37:00.000-05:00

I'm hoping to make it to a free screening tomorrow of a documentary called "Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom & Pop." Have any of you seen it? It sounds interesting to me - it's about a husband and wife reporter team who set out to find towns where small, local retailers are winning the fight against the big chains of the world. During their journey, they stick to state highways and secondary roads - no interstates - which I'm sure makes for very interesting characters and stories along the way. My town, which despite it's small population has a Target, Walmart, and Home Depot nearby, still has a local hardware store, butcher, pharmacy, florist, and appliance store, but I always worry that at some point we are going to lose them. I always wonder: What if all of us townsfolk were a little more careful with our purchases - for example, if besides going to the hardware store just for that chainsaw part we need and are grateful they carry, we also bought our garbage bags, paper towel, and other day-to-day needs instead of automatically throwing that stuff in our cart at Walmart? Or if we didn't use the pharmacy only for prescriptions, but also our vitamins and shampoo, on a regular basis? These little changes in shopping habits just might help keep the Mom & Pop stores we love around. :)

Friday's Quote

2008-07-04T15:21:00.000-05:00

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.
~Erma Bombeck

Floating Flowers

2008-07-02T13:25:00.000-05:00

Early this morning I took a walk around the yard in search of blooms to make a little arrangement in my favorite vase for the kitchen table. I don't have much to choose from yet - the coneflowers, beebalm etc. are on the brink of bloom but not quite there. My blanket flowers have started, but were covered with too many busy bees for me to dare reach in and pluck even one. I had to turn to my containers of annuals, and cut a few scarlet zinnias while under attack of wretched mosquitoes. My daughter insisted on "helping" by bringing them to the house in her bike basket, and I didn't notice when she folded, actually more like snapped, the stems to make them fit inside for transport. I exchanged my tall vase for a glass bowl filled with water, snipped the flower heads from their fractured bodies, and let my daughter set them afloat. Lovely!

"Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning
can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day."
-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Song of the Screen Door

2008-07-01T19:53:00.000-05:00

I must have told the kids to "either go out or stay in" 20 times today. This poem came to mind!

Song of the Screen Door

The screen door sings a homey song
Of cozy creaks and crangs
That kids just love to punctuate
With nerve exploding bangs...
They wait until you're nodding off...
(As grownups often do)
Or better, 'til your coffee cup
Is full of scalding brew.
And then, just as if shot from guns
At deadly point blank range...
Wham! They're in!... Or, slam! They're out!
And splash!...
You have to change.

by Tom Hegg from "Up to the Lake"

Luau Music?

2008-07-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

My brother and sister-in-law are having a luau-themed party at their farm next week, and they have asked me to supply the music. I'm pleased that they view me as having an eclectic music collection, but unfortunately I don't own any Hawaiian music. Unless you count my dear Jack Johnson, which I was told was not "luau-ish" enough. Do any of you have any suggestions?

Friday's Quote

2008-06-27T12:56:00.000-05:00

Life is short and we never have time for gladdening
the hearts of those who travel the way with us.
Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind.
-Henri Frederic Amiel

The Lemonade Stand

2008-06-25T19:51:00.000-05:00

On my way home from the grocery store today I saw a little boy and girl selling lemonade in their front yard. Although I was in a little bit of a hurry because I had ice cream in the trunk, I pulled over to buy a glass. I never, ever pass up a child selling lemonade - I think I'm emotionally scarred from my own unsuccessful childhood entrepreneurial attempts on my very quiet street (no customers until Dad pulled around the corner from work). The two kids were so excited as I walked up the drive, the girl quickly getting a cup unstuck off the stack and the boy trying to catch a slippery ice cube with his bare little hand to plunk in the cup. I told them my usual lemonade line - "Boy, am I glad to see you guys. It's such a hot day, and I'm SO THIRSTY, and I would just love a glass of your lemonade - it looks so refreshing!" I didn't have any change with me but I dug out a dollar, gave it to them and told them to keep the change for a tip. You'd have thought it was a hundred dollar bill, they looked so pleased. It wasn't until I was leaving that I looked closely at the little sign they had tied to a tree. It said:

Ice Cold Lemonade

10 cents a glass

or

2 for 75 cents

Needless to say, I smiled all the way home!

We'll drink to Summertime!

2008-06-24T16:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight one of my big sisters is coming over for dinner. She is fresh off her daughter's wedding last week and HAS HAD IT, so I'm cooking her favorite fish taco dish. Last time she visited me I got in trouble because my beverage selection was limited to milk and apple juice. I've planned ahead this time, and tonight she won't be able to give me any grief - not to mention I think she REALLY deserves a drink!

I made these 2 concoctions yesterday, and she can pick her poison(s) -

Almond Tea

4 Tbsp. instant tea
1/2 c. sugar
2 cups warm water
1 cup pineapple juice
1 12 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
5 cups water and ice

Adult version: Add 1 cup or more vodka

Dissolve tea & sugar in warm water. Add remaining ingredients. Chill & enjoy! Makes 2-1/2 quarts. A fine drink with or without the booze.

Drink # 2 (because I had pineapple juice left)

Sneaky Pete Slush

2 16 oz. cans frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 c. cranberry juice cocktail
2 12 oz. cans frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 c. pineapple juice
1 fifth vodka
2 liters 7-UP

Mix together all ingredients except 7-Up. Freeze overnight. To serve, scoop into cups and pour 7-up over the frozen mixture.

We'll sit on the deck, I'll plug in my sparkly white lights for ambience, and I'll play my best of Harry Belafonte cd. And all her wedding stress will be left behind.

Easy Brownie Shortcake Dessert

2008-06-22T18:59:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while, a true keeper-of-a-recipe is found- one that is delicious, easy, and eventually made so many times it is made by memory and is forever requested by family and friends. This is one such recipe of mine.

Easy Brownie Shortcake

1 pkg. (19.5 oz). brownie mix (I think using a DARK chocolate mix works best - Duncan Hines has a great one)

1 container (16 oz.) sour cream, divided

1 cup thawed cool whip

1 Tbsp. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups cut up strawberries (also mix in peeled kiwi, if you like)

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare brownie batter as directed on package; stir in 1/2 cup sour cream. Spoon into greased and floured 9 inch round cake pan.

Bake 45 minutes, then cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack and cool completely.

Mix remaining sour cream, cool whip, powdered sugar and vanilla. Cut brownie horizontally in half. Place bottom half on plate; spread with half of the sour cream mixture. Cover with top of brownie, remaining sour cream mixture and fruit. Store in refrigerator - tastes best cold.

If you make this for company, it is a good idea to make two and hide one in the back of the fridge. You won't have any left of the one you serve, and you'll be so happy to cut yourself off a another big slab late after your guests leave. I learned this lesson the hard way one night, and when the craving hit and the cake was gone I had to settle for a handful of chocolate chips, the only chocolate in the house!

A Summer Visit to Stillmeadow

2008-06-22T18:46:00.001-05:00

Under my bedside table, kept in a reverent stack, are my beloved Gladys Taber books. Each month, one by one, I read her monthly chapter (most of her books are arranged this way) and relish in her stories and descriptions of the current season. Last night I was finishing up the "Junes" and found myself cheating a bit into the "Julys".

"The moonlight is whiter than pearl over the meadow these July nights. The small businesses of the day and the worries are magicked away by the soft glow. You can step from the door of the little white house into a white foam of moonlight on the dark crest of the wave of night."
-Gladys Taber The Book of Stillmeadow

I hadn't seen the word "magicked" before, and I couldn't find it in my dictionary. Maybe it's not truly a word, but I like it anyway, and I certainly know what she meant by it. :)

Friday's Quote

2008-06-20T13:19:00.000-05:00

The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise...
- Mark Twain

My thoughts and prayers are with those along the Mississippi River where the levees have given way and the many other flooded areas.

What I'm Reading, Watching, Listening to

2008-06-18T18:21:00.001-05:00

Currently, I am

reading: The $64 Tomato, the July issue of Real Simple, and an interesting book about haunted places in Wisconsin (just saw it on display at the library & grabbed it!)

watching: The first two dvds of the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch

listening: Been in the mood for Pink Martini and Pottery Barn's Margarita Mix Cd (somewhat of a theme, me thinks!)