Friday's Quote

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!)

Remembering My Dad

Today, just like every other day, I think of my wonderful father who passed away almost 3 years ago. He is dearly loved, dearly missed, and dearly remembered.

-There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown

Warm-weather CD Favorite - Dan Zanes - Nightime!

One of my absolute favorite cds that gets me in a summer mood is Nighttime! by Dan Zanes and Friends. I first purchased this cd for the kids, and I soon found myself playing it in the car and the kitchen even if they weren't around. He sings all kinds of evening - themed songs with titles such as Firefly, Linger for Awhile, and my favorite - Night Owl.

Here are Night Owl's lyrics - read them and you'll see why I love it so...

see the shadows as they creep like vines
the sun is sinking and i love this time
i guess i'm just - whoo whoo
a night owl

the stars are winking and the hillside glows
the moons inviting us out so let's go
i guess we're just- whoo whoo
night owls

so we'll fly over the rooftops
and down by the trees
throwing our cares out into the breeze
and we'll sleep when we please

now it's time to say hello to some friends
follow the singing and the laughing and then
we'll find a tree
filled with night owls

and we'll fly over the rooftops
and down by the trees
throwing our cares out into the breeze
and we'll sleep when we please

well the night seems as endless as the ocean is deep
and even night owls need a little sleep
and i guess it's time - whoo whoo
for this night owl

This cd also has beautiful version of Wild Mountain Thyme which Dan sings with the lovely Dar Williams.
He has a wonderful website - danzanes.com if you'd like to check him out. If you do, be sure you look at the artwork on his cds - whimsically beautiful!

The Moonflower Project

For the last couple years, I've kept a pretty paisley binder full of magazine & newspaper articles ripped out because they took my fancy for one reason or another. Every once in awhile I take a moment and flip through it, and today I've decided to try making a moonflower screen I read about in Cottage Living magazine. All you do is plant moonflowers in a oblong metal container and train 6 or so vines vertically on string all the way up to an overhang or porch roof, and you get a lovely privacy screen that will put on a blossoming show for you each night. I'm not trying to block anything out here in the middle of the farm field, but I think I'll like the cozy feeling of being a little more enclosed on the porch. I really do need to figure out how to put photos on here, don't I?!

Friday's Quote

"It's spring fever. That's what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" ~ Mark Twain

Somebody Has To

Today my son brought home this poem printed on pretty paper as a kind of end-of-year gift from his teacher. I remember reading it a long time ago and liking it then, so I was pleased to be reminded of it.

Somebody Has To
Shel Silverstein

Somebody has to go polish the stars,
They're looking a little bit dull.
Somebody has to go polish the stars,
For the eagles and starlings and gulls
Have all been complaining they're tarnished and worn,
They say they want new ones we cannot afford.
So please get your rags
And your polishing jars,
Somebody has to go polish the stars.

Shucks! No shucks!

A few weeks ago the fields surrounding our house were planted, and I've been waiting impatiently to see the first signs of growth. Usually I see the farmers when they are planting and ask them what the crop will be, since we will be living on our island (yard) in a sea of it for 5 months or more, but this year I missed them. On my way to the mailbox today I bent down to inspect the green that had popped up and was SO DISAPPOINTED to see little soybeans and not the corn I was hoping for. I know the farmers have to rotate their crops, and I don't have anything against the soybean (with their shiny leaves, they do make for a pretty crop) but I really wanted my "wall" of corn this year. For the past three years it surrounded us, made us feel secluded and safe, lured deer within our sight, made beautiful rustling music, and danced for us in the fall. Shucks, I say, no shucks!:(

What I'm reading, watching, & listening to

I have a friend who lives in Door County (what a DREAM!) and we speak every couple months or so. I always get a kick out of her because every conversation she asks "Whatcha reading, watching, listening to lately?" just like that, all in one sentence. This is one of those questions that's especially fun to answer! I thought I'd answer it here occasionally on the blog.

Reading: Green Mountain Farm by Elliott Merrick (just about to start), June's issue of This Old House Magazine, and Susan Branch's Summer Book (which I re-read and treasure every Spring)
Watching: Just got 3:10 to Yuma on Netflix (husband's choice), recently watched the story of Jesse James with Brad Pitt and didn't care for it
Listening: Chris Isaak's Baja Sessions - one of my absolute favorite warm weather cds