jammin'

Steve helped me pick even more currants today. Then we finally stemmed, cleaned and rinsed them to prepare them for jellying. It was really nice to have the help and certainly made things go faster.

The recipe I use is from Preserving by Oded Schwartz:

For every 2 C. currants add 2 1/2 C. water
Bring to a boil
Simmer 30 minutes
Hang in a jelly bag 30 minutes
For every 2 C. juice add 2 C. sugar and 3 T. lemon juice
Bring to jelly point
Jar, seal, hot water bath

Today was so busy that I only had time to make the juice. I'll process it tomorrow. We have quite a bit and there are more berries ripening so I should get a nice amount of jars this year. Definitely more than the six that I got last year.

There is something ultimately satisfying about preserving fruit that you grew yourself. Somehow any preserving effort is good, but having grown it yourself makes it even more special.

tags: jelly, currants, recipe, canning

fabulous fourth

We had a really great Fourth of July celebration at my in-laws. As usual they did a bang-up job creating a great party with good food, good company, and a good time was had by all. Lots of friends and family, including my folks, were there.

This year we made family history by remembering to eat the watermelon. In past years we have had so much dessert that we have forgotten to carve and serve the watermelon, leaving my poor mother-in-law to eat it all by herself the day after. Although we remembered the watermelon...we forgot the rolls! Maybe the tradition is that we're supposed to forget to serve something, I don't know.

The fireworks were great, we all crammed onto the boat and the dock to watch them. Tobi was a little afraid at first but then calmed down and watched them with us. That was great because it meant we all got to enjoy the show instead of one of us having to hide in the house with a nervous dog.

After the holiday we drove our niece and nephew home so that we could admire our newest niece, Miss K. She is so precious and beautiful. I managed to get in a good baby fix, it's so miraculous to me how perfect they are, how tiny, and how sweet they smell. There's also something really amazing about that cuddle they have; melts me everytime.

walk.jog.run

h/t to Misty for this.

This web site for walk.jog.run is awesome, or, as my kids might say, way kewl. It allows you to plot out your distances and keep routes. I'm definitely adding this to my keepers list.

weekend update

It's been a busy time here in our little town. Lots going on, so much that I've been far to busy to blog and it all seems a blur at the moment.

Stitch Sisters this week was wonderful, as always. Funny enough three of us were working on hats for our charity project. I had decided that I had quite enough of the blanket at the moment and turned my attention to something smaller and, more importantly, lighter...a hat. One sister realized that she had yet to make a hat so she started one. Another sister needed a mindless project for a bit so she's making a hat. We're up to 12 completed hats at the moment. I imagine that there won't be too much activity over the summer but expect a flurry (hah!) of activity once we get to September.

Farm day was fabulous. Gleanings of strawberries, we managed to get two quarts. One quart of amazingly delicious peas. Bok choy, broccoli, salad, garlic scapes, kohlrabi, salad turnips, radishes, mmmmmm, happy tummies in our house. We had steamed peas and broccoli with our dinner on pickup night, it's amazing how much better this fresh, local, organic stuff tastes.

Garden activity...hah! you need to ask? It's been awful! The weeds are everywhere. In good garden news however the currants have been producing like gangbusters. We're harvesting a little at a time and hope to make jelly next week. The raspberries are starting also. Just enough to eat and savor, not enough for a pie...yet.

In other good news it was someone special's birthday this past week. I don't think they want to be mentioned by name to the blogiverse at large but I wanted to wish them a

happy birthday!

Last but not least we have been cleaning out. Taking a cue from my Mom who has been decluttering and, obviously, paying much more attention than I to her surroundings. Our local library has a barn sale every year. We loaded up the van and drove it down, making a rather substantial "stuff" donation. I hope someone else finds a good home for it. Next we went back home, loaded up the trailer with JUNK (and that's with all caps no cutsie que on the end) and hied off to the recycle center. $50 and well worth the price to be rid of the various doorstops (aka old non-functioning computers) and odds and ends that are of no use to anyone. Next on the list is freecycle for the stuff that's not quite good enough for the library but too good to throw away. It feels good to be paring down. So much so that it has encouraged me to delve *ack* once again into my books. I've purged twice in the last few years but I think I need to be more ruthless, possibly even viscious! Argh! LOL But seriously I need to work harder at denying my inner packrat non-accumulation.

tags:knitting, hat, gardening, currants, raspberries, garden, birthday , freecycle, declutter

knitting games

For those who have too much time on their hands even with a full knitting schedule (note: this would not be me) there are games you can play around the theme of knitting to keep yourselves amused.

One is sudoku. Not your ordinary sudoku by any means. Check it out.

Then there are word scrambles, word searches, crossword puzzles and more. It boggles the mind.

works for me wednesday

WFMW is the brainchild of Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer. Every Wednesday you post something that works for you. I was too tired to post last night so my contribution is a day late.

We try to re-use the plastic bags that come from the grocer store. But where to store them. Three ideas that work well.

1. Stuff about 8-9 of them into an empty paper towel roll and leave that in your car. Then when you need a bag you have one.
2. Stuff about 30 of them into an empty large tissue box and put it in a closet (such as in the bathroom). Then when you need one there they are.
3. Stuff about 60 of them into an empty, clean milk carton with a hand hole cut near the top. It has a handle and is very compact. I keep mine under the sink in my kitchen.

It all works for me.

tags: meme, wfmw

the war of the weeds has been lost

Nothing else needs to be said on that topic.

It was raining again today. Like most days so far this summer. Either that or blisteringly hot. Courageously I waded out into the thicket that used to be my garden to start harvesting currants and rhubarb.

The currants are just starting and I'll be picking as they ripen in order to beat the birdies. The rhubarb is probably done for the year. About half of what I tried to harvest was either woody or dry. I have enough for one more batch of something so I think I'm going to make Blackberry Rhubarb Jam. I'll use the frozen blackberries that I have from last summer. I had gotten some thornless blackberries from a neighbor of my Mom's a few years ago; last year was the first year that they really produced for me. The berries are as big as the first joint on my thumb and very delicious.

Here's the recipe:

4 C finely chopped rhubarb
1 C. blackberries
4 C. sugar
1 T. lemon juice

Cover the rhubarb and blackberries with the sugar and lemon juice and let sit at least 3 hours
Put in pot, bring to a boil
Cook 20 minutes or until jelly point has been reached
Ladle into sterile jars, seal and process 10 minutes in hot water bath

tags: rhubarb, blackberries, jam, recipe, garden

beach fun

It was our first day at the town beach. D and her friend A had so much fun diving and splashing as they tried to catch minnows. We saw a beautiful blue heron land across the lake from us and perch on a boat. A really wonderful sight.

It was a quiet time of day and before the crowds at the beach have really started...my favorite time really.

farm day

Today was farm day again. D took her friend A to the farm with us. It was pick your own strawberries, two quarts of the most luscious, fragrant strawberries ever. Plus salad mix, arugula, broccoli, napa cabbage, lettuces, radishes, and scallions. Yum!

It was really wonderful to spend the time wandering the fields to the strawberry patch and seeing all the growing things and watching the girls enjoying running around outdoors.

what kind of flower are you?

Thanks to my Mom for sending me this one.

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

suburban war stories

I've come to realize that living in suburbia, or rural-urbia if there is such a thing, there are certain things that come to be part of the collective experience. Putting in a dog fence is one of those things. Several of our neighbors have dogs. They all have invisible fences. They have all gone through the same experience...you'd think we would have learned by now.

First you call the fence company. They come out and give you a totally unrealistic quote to fence in part of your property. For 20% of the price you can buy the fence and do it yourself. You check by calling a neighbor who tells you they got the same awful quote and did the work themselves and by the way another neighbor happens to own a trencher. Call that neighbor. Oh yes, they got the same awful quote and did it themselves. Sure you can pick up the trencher.

Then comes laying out enough wire to fence in 1.5 acres. Tromping through woods, over rocks, through garden beds ?!?!?. Then comes the trenching part. Two people not required but it goes faster that way. One to trench one to bury. Hot, sweaty, mosquito-y. Then putting out all the flags. And we haven't even gotten to the training part, that takes 10-12 days. But I hear that it's a huge success. And of course once you're done with putting in the fence you're done.

We can now sit by the neighborhood fireside and share our own war story of climbing up a 30 degree grade of rock to lay invisible fencing (wondering why the dog would be that far but not wanting to wade into the thicket of wild raspberries and multiflora rose to avoid it) among other adventures of life in this small town.

tags: tobi, http://technorati.com/tag/dog rel="tag">dog, fence

part what?

Tobi, our dog, is part Boxer. We're not sure what the other parts are but lots of people offer opinions, Ridgeback, Weimaraner, Labrador.

What we are sure of is that he is part pig and part termite. His favorite thing to do when going for a walk in the woods is to chew wood; maybe that should be part beaver but he hasn't started taking down any trees yet, just chewing on the ones that are already down. He also LOVES to eat the compost from the compost pile {urgh}. Doesn't make one too happy to recieve puppy kisses now does it?

tags: tobi, dog

works for me wednesday

Works for Me Wednesday is the brainchild of Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer. Every Wednesday you post something that works for you. Not rocket science but fun.

When I go to visit people if I have things to bring I try to bring it in a laundry basket. This way I have a place to keep my purse, my return dishes, the kids stuff. It definitely works for me.


tag: wednesday

rhubarb rhapsodies

Having lots of rhubarb in the garden I decided that it was time to use more of it. I made two rhubarb recipes today. The first is a cake courtesy of Nina and she was very kind and converted the recipe from metric for me. The conversion is:

2 cups finly chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup of hazelnuts (or almonds), ground roughly
1/2 cup brown suger
7 T. melted margarine
1/2 cup milk
2 cups plain flour
2 ts cinnamon
1 ts vanilla sugar
2 ts baking soda

I used ground almonds, forgot the cinnamon and doubled the recipe so I could have one for now and one for later. I must have done something right because mine came out looking just like the picture she posted. We'll be eating it tomorrow, hopefully it will taste as good as it looks.

The second rhubarb goodness was rhubarb strawberry preserves since I had all those strawberries from the farm:

2 1/2 pounds rhubarb, de-stringed and diced
2 1/2 pounds sugar
1 1/3 pounds strawberries, de-hulled and halved

Let soak 3 hours

add juice of one lemon

bring to a boil, boil 20 minutes or until jelly point is reached. Jar and process 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Makes 8 8-ounce jars.

It looks so red and juicy and smelled fabulous when I was making it. The tastings off the ladle while I was ahem cleaning it were delicious. I love having this stuff in the house, it tastes so much better than what you buy in the store.

I love the fact that the rhubarb is from my own garden and the strawberries were fresh picked today from the local organic farm. It really doesn't get any better than that, unless you happen to have a lemon tree in the back yard.

farm adventures

Today was farm pickup day. Wow! Two quarts of the most fragrant, juicy, delicious strawberries. Mmmmmmmmm.

Plus bok choy, scallions, huge globe radishes, arugula, romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce and one small head of broccoli. I'm so happy to have this. Stir fry for dinner probably on Monday and salads for lunches all week!

adventures in bread

Today we needed bread, so I baked. I ground a flour of 1 C. hard white wheat, 1 C. hard red wheat, 1 C. spelt, 1/2 C. lentils and 1/2 C. pinto beans. Instead of making two 1 pound loaves I decided to make one 1 pound loaf and two half-pound loaves. I cut a half pound loaf for lunch and it was delicious, a really nice combination of grains.

One of my children didn't see the cut small loaf put back in the bread basket and cut the large loaf. Not a problem as bread always seems to get eaten in this family. The problem was that the loaf in question was left on the butcher block...within sniffer range of a certain dog...who discovered for the very first time that has was tall enough to stand on his hind feet and reach the top of the butcher block. The loaf was in the process of being devoured when he was spotted enjoying his mid-day snack. Rats. I guess this means I'll be baking again fairly soon. Hopefully this will be an additional lesson to certain members of the household that nothing is safe if it is within puppy range.

frisbee fun

Today there was an assembly at the local school followed by an evening event. It was the Spinning Bees who came to show the kids how much fun frisbee can be. The evening event was lots of fun and Gary got the parents involved too. Fun to watch, entertaining to listen to, everyone had a great time. We came home with a spinning trainer and a regular frisbee (autographed!). Hopefully we'll be able to keep them away from Tobi. I'm sure he'd love to learn to be a frisbee dog but I'm not sure the frisbee could stand up to his puppy-jaws-of-death.

tag: rel="tag">frisbee

fun on the farm

Today I picked up D from school and we drove to my friend's house. She in turn took us to her friend's house where there is a mini-farm. We got to hug, hold and admire baby pigs (very sweet but noisy squeekers), baby bunnies, baby goats, a baby miniature donkey named Priscilla, plus see angora rabbits, turkey poults, geese, chickens, cats, dogs, ponies. It was a fun afternoon.

One funny event that happened while we were there, we noticed that there were two chicken eggs in with the Vietnamese Potbellied Pig (who is rather large). I guess the chickens like her pen for their nesting box. The eggs had to be retrieved very carefully but retrieved they were. Pretty speckled things, still warm.

tags: farm, chickens, pigs, bunnies, donkey, pony

works for me wednesday

WFMW is the brainchild of Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer. Every Wednesday you post something that works for you. I was too tired to post last night so my contribution is a day late.

I bought a drawer organizer for my socks. It may seem silly but now I can easily grab a pair of socks in the morning. And because the drawer is a little wider than the organizer boxes of knee-highs and mis-mated socks fit perfectly. It definitely works for me!

tags: meme, wfmw

running away

Listening to my last audioblog I realize how very tired I sounded.

We went back to my Aunt's apartment for a little rest before going out to dinner. The little rest turned into a 12 hour nap! But that's a really good thing...something I can't do at home with kids.

The next morning we were going to head over to The Frick Museum but I was still tired and so we lounged all morning. This means we also did not get to go to Gourmet Garage - with a name like that it's a place you just have to visit! Oh well, next time.

Packed up, bought real New York Bagels from the shop around the corner, ate a quick bagel sandwich in the park down the street, and headed off for Grand Central. I did manage to stop at Zaro's to pick up some Black and Whites for my kids. [my Aunt claims the bagel place around the corner is better than Zaro's -- I have to admit they were very tasty]

It was a great get-away and nice to be able to take some time to myself.

running away

day two

links:

United Nations
All Roads Film Project
Tasty Falafel
Strand Books
The Museum at FIT

running away

matzoh brei

This morning we had matzoh brei (a.k.a. Jewish omlette) for breakfast with maple syrup and blueberries. So delicious, so yummy. I love it a lot, rarely eat it and wonder why I have never made it for my children. I'm going to have to change that.

Here's my Aunt's recipe:

1 matzoh per person
wet the matzoh slightly then pat dry
beat one egg per matzoh with a little milk
break up the matzoh
put into egg
let sit a few minutes
fry in a pan
serve and enjoy

So easy!

running away

at the ballet

For some reason the cell network is refusing to connect me to my audioblog settings so this post is courtesy of my Aunt's computer.

Last night we went to the ballet at the Met and saw Giselle. It was an amazingly wonderful, beautiful performance. I was swept away watching it and words cannot describe how very much I enjoyed it. Giselle was played by Xiomara Reyes, Albrecht was played by Julio Bocca with an amazing pas de deux performance by Erica Cornejo and Herman Cornejo.

After the ballet we went to the all night Star Light diner for dinner. I had a bison burger. I had never eaten bison before and found it to be very tasty. Very lean and in some funny way beefier tasting than beef (if that makes any sense). This was served with an absolutely yummy New York half sour pickle and a great cole slaw. Followed by an all-chocolate cake which had chocolate mousse and kirsch filling. Wow! Yum.

Then back to the apartment to collapse for the night. A very fun day, can't wait for tomorrow.

Links:

The Metropolitan Opera
Xiomara Reyes
Julio Bocca
Erica Cornejo
Herman Cornejo
Giselle

running away

exploring the city

Links:

Agra Indian Restaurant
The Container Store
Really Cool Foods (H/T: Doris at Metroblogging for the blurb)

running away

on the train

Link:
Grand Central Station

birdies

Two birding events today:

I was in the treehouse today and checking out my little feathered friends in their nest. I had to stand on tip-toe to see them and I overbalanced, falling toward the nest. Suddenly three birdies flew out and perched in the tree near the tree house. I guess this means they are fledged! I didn't think they were. I'm so glad that they have survived to this stage.

While driving home this evening we were priviledged to see a male peacock walking by the side of the road! It was certainly a surprise. I'm sure that he must live somewhere in the neighborhood what a lovely treat it was to see him though.

baby blessings

We spent the afternoon with family celebrating the arrival of our new niece. My sister-in-law looked wonderful, all of the family and friends looked great, it was a very fun afternoon. It turned out to be a "Jack and Jill" shower with men invited. They seemed a little puzzled and almost hesitant about the games...the women, being more practiced, dove right in and had a great time. I won two of the games, the "how many things in the baby bottle" and the nursery rhyme game.

The men barbequed, there was tons of food. I brought my favorite carrot salad:

14 carrots, peeled and grated
1 C. raisins
1 C. walnut pieces
2 T. lemon juice
1 C. mayonnaise

Mix all together, chill then serve. It's really yummy.

There was an embarassing display of desserts and I'm afraid to confess, but I ate one of everything (and it was good too!).

Then came the opening of the gifts. The men sort of shuffled around while the women oohed and aahed. I was in charge of the "shower hat" which came out quite cute if I do say so myself.

The father-to-be asked me what the significance of the hat was. I replied, "ritual humiliation?" I don't really know why we do this for bridal and baby showers but it's FUN! That's why. The women all thought it was great, especially the mom-to-be, that's what matters.

tag: baby shower, carrot salad, recipe

sunday blessings

Church today was very special. It was an intergenerational Flower Communion which is a service that I really enjoy. And the intergenerational services are always wonderful.

The congregation has hired a new pianist and he played a lot of different music, tango, swing, classical, it was a fun service.

I feel so fortunate to be able to participate in such a diverse community of spiritual support.

tag: church

puppy playdates

While walking Tobi today we went past a dog in our neighborhood who is also part boxer. His electric fence was apparently not working as he came right out to greet Tobi. They hit it off and when Colby ran back to his yard Tobi practically dislocated my shoulder trying to follow. When he reached the end of his lead he started struggling out of his collar.

Before I got hurt I decided to let him off the lead. They had so much fun!!! They chased each other back and forth and forth and back and all around. Jumping, running, they exhausted each other. I'm going to have to call Colby's parents to see if we can schedule another playdate for them as I think it was good for both dogs.

Tobi came home and took a nice nap. I needed that.

tag:Tobi

and the crowd goes wild

D had her softball tournament today. A triple header! Her team won all three games to walk away with the league championship! They were so excited to come home with their trophies. What a fun season for them.

She actually wishes that softball would continue through the summer. I guess this means she's playing again next year.

dinner yummy

We had stir fry for dinner last night with veg from the farm. I love when this season comes and we can start using fresh, local, organic ingredients in our meals. The bok choy and the scallions were from the farm. I added peppers, carrots, celery, garlic and water chestnuts. Served over basmati rice (2/3 white 1/3 brown) it was delicious. No leftovers.

tree house update

I went out to my tree house yesterday to enjoy the peace and quiet. A peek into the nest reveals the babies are getting bigger. I can see them without standing on the chair now. They were, I think, surprised to see me but sat there without a peep. Still very downy and soft looking, I'm not sure what they are but I'm happy that they are growing well.

floppy bread

Having a new puppy in the house is just like having a baby around. He needs LOTS of attention, he's very distracting, and routines need to be adjusted.

Yesterday was bread baking day. I did alright until the point where I set it for the second rise. Since it's been a bit cold I was doing the rise in the oven. After walking Tobi and starting on the after-school routine with the kids I completely forgot the bread. It overrose and started to deflate! Aaaaauuuugh. I baked it anyway. It's okay. Not great. The top is very flat and wrinkly looking and the crumb is nowhere near as nice as it normally is. A lesson to go back to using my timer for now.

yog aahh

(Blogger was down yesterday so I'm catching up on posts)

Went to my yoga class yesterday. The instructor has moved to a new studio space and it was nice. Looking out the windows you can see trees and green instead of the parking lot in front of the strip mall.

It was a great class, lots of stretching and core work. I find my class to be so beneficial on so many levels and am happy to have such a great teacher. This week she lent me a video to work with at home so that I can regain some of the ground I lost when I wasn't able to go for a while. Should be interesting to see how it is doing yoga to a DVD instead of her gentle voice.

works for me wednesday

Works for me Wednesday is the brainchild of Shannon.

My contribution this week comes from years of having moved all over the country. I invest in a box of "calling cards." They are personal cards with my name, address, phone and email. I always carry a few in my purse. That way when I meet someone and they need my information I can give them my card. If I drop something off somewhere I can write a quick note on the back. It definitely works for me.

stitchin' the night away

It's Tuesday and so that means Stitch Sisters. It was fun. Today was Sweden National Day so one of our sisters made a Swedish cake to celebrate, it was yummy.

We also shared prom pictures from our youngest sister, she looked beautiful. It was fun to see the final result after we all helped her pick her dress.

One sister is going on a cruise next month and we had an in-depth and serious discussion about cruise projects. The final result was: sock (small and portable), cotton (not wool, too hot), green (very festive, it will remind her of the cruise everytime she wears them) (she had brought four different sock yarns to pick from). We told her that we expect to see pictures of the sock enjoying it's vacation.

I finished another square -- yippee!! It only took me three Tuesdays to do that. hrrmph. At this rate I don't even want to think about when that first blanket will be done. But I shall forge ahead. I cast on the fifth square. After that is done I will make a hat to mix it up a little and because I am behind on my hat allotment for our charity project.

A great evening. So great we stood around in the parking lot getting eaten alive by mosquitoes as we finished our conversations. Finally one of the ladies remarked, "Let's go home before we're all down a quart of blood!"

what's for dinner?

One of my blogfeeds is to a cartoon that I find hilarious Sherman's Lagoon.

I've been following the last few comics on podcasts, today's is especially funny, check it out.

first farm day

Today was the day!!! It was so nice to go to the farm, see a few returning apprentices and meet one of the new ones. Today's pickup was great, a half-pint of early glow strawberries, radishes, scallions, arugula, bok choy, butterhead and red leaf lettuce. The first few weeks are usually a little slow. but this is a delicious start and we know the bounty that will be forthcoming.

I think it's BLT's for dinner tonight and stir-fry on Thursday.

tobi

I was wrong, his name isn't Toby, it's Tobi. Miss D chose the spelling. We're not sure if he's staying because he and Chloe are not attacking each other but don't seem to be working it out. Hopefully that will change as we cannot live with the cat hovering behind the toilet in our bathroom caterwauling everytime she wants food or water.

He's very good with her, lies down, wags his tail and only whines a little, no barking. But she's not having any of it. We've told the kids to stay out of their way and to let them work it out. We've also decided to keep Chloe inside for the duration until they come to an agreement as we don't want her to disappear.

Tobi has lots of toys at this point which is a good thing because he's chewing on them like crazy. He's manage to destroy one "tough chew" already which obviously did not have the right caliber rope for his extra-strong-puppy-jaws-of-death TM. He's in love with rawhide and catfood and it's difficult to convince him to eat his dogfood. I think we may have to get a different brand. He also likes MY chair, hmmmmmm.

hey batta batta batta

D had a softball game last night. The girls have improved a lot since the beginning of the season. They really worked well together as a team and there were some great hits. They won 10-5. One more game, I think -- not sure with all the storms we have had where the schedule is at this point, and then comes the playoffs. Exciting stuff.

It was interesting watching the game with cottonwood fluffs floating gently over the field in the dusky light. It really looked like a surreal version of a light snow.

gardene meme

My Mom is at it again. Here's another meme this one related to gardening. If you garden, or even if you don't, and want to play consider yourself tagged.

Down In The Dirt

1) Ignoring that mythical holy grail of a soil high in organic, moist yet well-drained - would you choose clay or sand? sand
2) What's worse - too much rain or a drought? drough
3) Do you garden bare handed or do you wear garden gloves? gloves - I kept getting nail infections and finally gave in to gloves
4) Are your garden beds foursquare and formal or casually informal? strongly informal (and heavily weedy but don't look too close)
5) Their edges, do these beds have a spaded edge or do you use some form of edging? spaded edges or rocks depends on the bed
6) And the plants in those garden beds, are they informally mingled and weaving together or carefully arranged in a formal, thought-out design? see number 4 above

Coping with Pests (Know Your Enemies!)

(and understanding that there will be differences of opinion in town or out in the country:)
7) What's worse - deer, woodchucks, rabbits, or squirrels? deer
8) Do you drown Japanese beetle with kerosene / gasoline or dish detergent? dish detergent and hot water

Plants, the Heart of the Garden

Bulbs
9) Do you prefer the early blooming species tulips or extravagant opera diva parrot tulips? Don't have any, see number 7 above
10) What's your preference - Oriental or Asiatic lilies? don't kow the difference

Perennials

11) Daylilies - Do you prefer the true species and older cultivars or contemporary spider, double, highly developed varieties? I like them all but don't get to see many, see number 7 above
12) Yes or no - Is it possible to have too many hosta? no -- if the deer don't eat them all
13) What's more attractive - cool silver foliage or subtle glaucous blue leaves? any foliage is good foliage in my book

Annuals

14) Yes or no - are all those temperennials - bananas, cannas, and such - worth the yearly merry-go-round of dig in fall, store in winter, cosset in spring, and enjoy in summer? No
15) For yellow and orange daisies (not that there isn't a huge assortment from which to choose) - do you prefer pot marigolds, Calendula or French and African marigolds, Tagetes? I like them all
16) Hollyhocks: single or powderpuff double? single
17) For autumn interest - asters or chrysanthemums? asters

Shrubs
18) Shrub roses or hybrid teas? shrubs
19) Hydrangeas: lace-cap or mophead? mophead

And now a truly zen, yin / yang kind of question -

20) Do you prefer a slow stroll around the garden at dusk or do you saunter at dawn with the rising sun? dusk, definitely

to be or not to be

On our way to D's piano recital we saw a wet shivery dog who looked like he was lost and hungry. Heaven only knows what possessed us but we brought him into the garage, fed him cat food and locked him in until we could get home and find his owner.

When we returned a couple of hours later he was waiting for us by the door and was happy to see us. Ran straight into the house and started sniffing around. We called the neighbors. He was wet because he fell into one neighbors pool. Two other neighbors had seen him around several times. One knew which house he lived in on another street.

We drove him to his house and the owner said the dog had run away that morning, they were going to take him to the pound on Tuesday and did we want him. We weren't prepared to have a dog but somehow he's sleeping downstairs and his name is Toby (it was Chester but we didn't think that suited him). We'll see how it goes but at least he's not going to the pound. We think he's part Rhodesian Ridgeback and part Boxer. He's a mutt whatever he is but a cute one. He's 8 months old and will need obedience training, a crate and a few good toys...

Funny how these things happen.

marvelous melody

Today was D's piano recital. As always it was fun to get together with all of the other families and listen to the kids play, their faces all scrubbed, dressed in their nice clothes. D did a really beautiful job, she has so much feeling for music and puts a lot of emotional shading in her playing.

Afterwards there is always a dessert buffet where each family brings something. In this case it was brownies. Out of 20 families there were 6 plates of brownies. And they were all delicious!

garden update

It looks like it's going to rain again later today so I made sure to get out into the garden to finally plant a few things.

The caraway, Korean sesame, and tomatoes are now nicely settled in their new bed. I did get some weeding done while I was out there but it didn't make as much of a dent as I thought it would.

Steve helped me pound some posts into the ground so that we could tie up the currant bushes. They are so full and heavy with fruit that they were falling over.

We also discovered that the bunny-pest that has been chewing holes in our fence is making more holes and helping himself to more and more plants. Obviously the fence we have is not strong enough to withstand his onslaught. Steve went to the hardware store to buy metal fencing and we'll start installing that tomorrow. My blueberries have been savaged of all of their new growth, I have approximately 1/3 of the sunflowers that I planted and somehow all of the weeds remain untouched (imagine that).

Hopefully the new fencing will do the trick, otherwise I may have to resort to this.

breakfast

Thanks to Kim over at Large Family Logistics I garnered this recipe for a Dutch Puff. I made it for breakfast and it was really delicious. It does puff a LOT so you really do need a 9 x 13 pan. We served it with two choices of toppings: Maine blueberries/maple syrup and a peach compote. Served with crusty bread, fresh juice and some soy sausages it was a really nice breakfast.

Next time I think I'll try her suggestion for halving the recipe as it is a lot and very filling.

oh help

It has been raining for almost a week. I'm not complaining mind you because we need the rain and I'm sure at some point in the summer we're going to have no rain and that's going to be a bad thing.

But as some of you may recall I really don't like to garden in the rain. Between the rain, the extreme heat, and other factors I have not been in the garden for over a week and it really shows. As soon as the weather is decent I'm probably going to have to spend a good 6-8 hours cleaning up the fruit bed *sigh*. Who knows how long the rest of it will take.

The back garden? Don't even ask. The weeds have definitely won there. I'd like to win the lottery so I could pay someone to help me weed that sucker and redo the hardscaping there to make it more manageable (of course if I played that might help *grin*). I've tried the neighborhood kids. I'm offering $10 per hour and they still don't want to weed! What the heck is wrong with them?? Mine don't want to do it but that's because I'm their mother...I can understand that. Apparently the teens in my neighborhood aren't in need of cash, pity.

baking day

It's baking day because we are running low on bread and the temperatures have finally dipped to something reasonable enough to bake. Unfortunately it's still raining. When you bake bread and it is moist out, the properties of the dough change and it requires more flour. I was literally scraping the side of my flour mill bin to get more flour before I realized I just had to grind more for today's bread.

Next on the list was desserts. I made a double batch of brownies (gotta scroll down the recipe is at the bottom of that post); one for us and one for D's piano recital tomorrow. Unfortunately one batch did not come out of the pan cleanly. I guess that one is ours. That's okay, they may not look pretty but they are still tasty.

It was also a jamming day as I really need to start working on the rhubarb harvest. I made a batch of rhubarb apricot jam. Easy easy recipe.

2 pounds of rhubarb, de-stringed and diced
2 pounds of sugar. Let this sit overnight in a non-reactive pot
Next morning dice up 8 ounces of dried apricots and cover with a little water for 10-15 minutes
Add apricots to rhubarb and sugar
Bring to a boil and boil 20 minutes or till jelly-stage is reached
Jar, seal, process 10 minutes
Yummmmmmm

what time is it

With thanks to Melissa for this interesting link.

It's call the Human Clock. Check it out!

outing

Lots of errands to run today. While I was out I had to drive past the ball fields which were full of Canada Geese all busy munching away on the grass. There were enormous numbers of cute little goslings there too. Several different sizes all waddling past their parents.

A quick stop at Agway to pick up some marigolds for the garden turned into more herbs and some potting soil for the catnip. Among other things I decided to try some caraway. If it works well I'll have some to use in baking rye bread this fall. Hopefully it will work out. I got another catnip, after Chloe destroyed the first one, and am planning to pot it up on the upper deck where she doesn't go. Hopefully it will survive and then we can keep her well supplied with catnip.

I was going to plant the stuff when I got home but it was too hot, over 80 degrees F. I decided to wait until later. Now it is storming like mad, huge booms of thunder, flashes of lightning and furious downpour. I guess I won't be planting today.

memorial day

When I was a child I loved Memorial Day. The fireworks, the parades, it was all fun. I still enjoy the fireworks and the parades, especially the parade here in our little town which has an almost Rockwellian quality to it.

As I've gotten older I find it is a time to truly solemnly contemplate those who served so that the rest of us may live free. We need to truly honor the men and women of our armed forces for their sacrifices and be grateful for what they have given us.

At 3 PM there is a moment of silence across the nation. 3 PM was chosen because it was thought that this was a time when everyone people would be together. If you are in your car you are asked to turn on your lights. Many radio stations are planning to play Taps. I plan to make tissue paper poppies with my kids at that time.

Here are some other links to learn more:

MemorialDay.Org

The Memorial Day Foundation

Wikipedia Memorial Day

Beliefnet Memorial Day


For those who have served in the past and are serving now, for those who have given their lives that we may live in freedom, we honor you and are grateful to you and to your families.

socks

As part of my laundry update I come to the subject of socks. Lots of people have written about missing-sock-from-the-dryer syndroms, Erma Bombeck being inarguable the most famous of them.

My dilemma is slightly more tricky. Two out of three children in my house (sounds like a commercial doesn't it) prefer to wear mismatched socks. Sometimes not even matching the outfit they are wearing. On occasion not even matching in length. Does this bother me? Not one iota. Why you ask? Well...

it's a form of self-expression,

it means I don't have to worry about matching up socks out of the laundry,

they're old enough to dress themselves, if they wear blue pinstripes and orange polka-dots who am I to quibble about matching socks,

it means I don't have to buy socks as often because they will always have a pair

The one problem with this theory is that all socks are fair game (well, except for Dad's but they don't seem to be drawn to men's black dress socks so he's safe for now. I'm sure in a pinch if they were desperate and thought they could get away with it all bets would be off). This means each others' and, most importantly, mine! [note: let's not even begin to discuss shirts, shoes, pajamas and purses]

Sometimes it can take up to six months for me to get a sock back especially since one of the two does her own laundry. She pilfers one of my socks and who knows when I'll find out about it. Unfortunately sometimes it's been washed so many times more than it's mate that they no longer match, then the child in question gets "new" socks.

I have a section of my sock drawer reserved for singles. It's depressing how many socks are in that part of the drawer. I have, upon occasion, been tempted to rip one of my socks off the foot of a child spotted wearing it. Usually I just request that they return it when they are done with it. Unfortunately I am so brain dead that I don't remember and they continue to wash-and-wear until the next time I notice or until I happen to get to the dryer before they do and remove my socks to safety.

My biggest fear is that one day when they move out I will discover that I actually own several hundred pairs of socks instead of the measly couple of dozen I currently have in my drawer.

laundry

It seems to be a never ending task. Having just gotten our brand-y new dryer (hey now the washer and dryer doors FACE each other instead of the same direction...how cool is that?) we can safely dry laundry in the machine without fear of explosion or other mechanical devastations.

I was going to write a rant about laundry and children but Stephanie did it so much better than I ever could that I'll let you read hers. My only comments?

1. My darlin's don't understand when I get upset about their wanting new clothes. Somehow I can't see buying them new ones to sit on the floor of their room. After all, it's clothing not carpeting.

2. While two of the three do their own laundry, in a new and novel twist they have starting using the laundry/mud room as their personal hamper.

Aargh.

alphabet game

Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer sent me a letter for the Alphabet Game. It's the letter C So now I have to think of 10 things that start with that letter and why I like them. If you want a letter too just let me know and I'll send you one (psst...wanna buy a vowel?).

1. Cookie - I loved Sesame Street and the Cookie Monster was great. Since this was the first thing that popped into my head when I got my letter it winds up on the top of my list.

2. Chocolate - no explanation needed

3. Cows - I love cows, I think they're cute. I used to collect cow stuff but had to stop at 23 because my husband said the house was getting too crowded. I no longer collect them but love the ones I have.

4. Children - mine expecially, but others as well. I think children are such a gift and such amazing people, I really enjoy their company.

5. Cats - I grew up with them, have one now, find myself drawn to them when I visit others. Don't know why but they are great.

6. Cathedral - I love visiting them. There's an aura that pervades them and I find it so delicious to soak it in.

7. Castles - see #6 above.

8. Curry - mild only but I find it delicious. I've been very fortunate in my life to have several friends who are from India. They seem to delight in feeding me and are impressed that I like their food (what's not to like?) so I get fed often, yumm.

9. Corgis - I think they are adorable, there is just something so cute about them.

10. Cousins - very important people in your life. I'm lucky that I have so many and so many wonderful ones at that.

garden book meme

My Mom has started a meme (she said propigate--can you tell she's a gardener?) over on her website and asked me to participate. I think this is a free-for-all so if you like gardening and like books join in!

How many gardening books do you own?
89 - seems like a puny collection compared to my Mom and her friends but it is HUGE comparred to most people I know

What are your five favorites?
What Plant Where, I find this to be a very useful book when trying to figure out how to put things together or figuring out why it's not growing properly.

Reader's Digest Illustrated Guide to Gardening, I seem to refer to this one over and over, it's so easy to understand and is a very useful book.

Gardener's World of Bulbs, (and not just because my Mom wrote it, really) I love the pictures and the information in this book. I pull it out just to look through the pictures sometimes and to read snippets here and there; I like the way she writes (read her Garden Diary to see for yourself).

Nature Notes of the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, I love pulling down this book from time to time and reading through the current season, month, week, whatever. Every now and then I think that I should write my own notes (or even have my kids do it too) to showcase the differences between then and now but somehow it never seems to happen...perhaps one day.

The Kitchen Garden, (I have the earlier version than the link shows) I really like this book, the pictures, the way it's laid out. I dream of one day having a garden that all comes together so nicely. Of course now that I've stopped growing vegetables that probably won't happen in this garden but who knows what the future holds.

What is your most recent garden book purchase?
ummmmmmmm...it's been so long since I've purchased one that I really don't know.

weekend update

It was a very busy weekend, so much going on that I had no time to write it all down until now.

Saturday I got together with my NBF Holly, her daughter E, her sister Wendy, my daughter D, my Aunt Susan and we had a great time. Lounging, laughing, going out for yummy Thai food (I left my take-away in your fridge! - wah), going to Ikea for hours, back to the house, quick dinner, drive home, collapse into bed.

Sunday I was very priviledged to be able to attend a lecture by Swami Asokananda on meditation. He's a very gifted speaker, witty, amusing, thought-provoking. I felt that I really gained a lot from listening to him and having the opportunity to meet him for a moment after his talk.

After that I went to Stormville and wandered around in the hot weather for a little while. I found a few pieces of vintage cloth (tablecloth, etc) and a couple of lovely embroidered pillow cases. My Mom had given us a few very nice handmade lace edged pillow cases a couple of years ago and I think these go nicely with them. It was so hot though that I really didn't stay too long.

Came home, went out with my kids, came home and collapsed (does this seem like a theme?). As I said, it was a long weekend but a lot of fun. Thank goodness today is a holiday so we can have a quiet day at home to try to catch up on chores and relax a lttle.

things are achangin'

Lately I seem to have been on a blog kick. Finding more and more new blogs that I really enjoy and want to read. But there are only so many hours in a day and I need to focus on those things that benefit my family (like, oh, laundry?? meals?). So I am slowly winnowing out my blogs to get them down to a more reasonable level.

One thing I have discovered is that as much as I love the crafting blogs a number of them are probably not going to remain on my list because they are for crafts that I don't do. And while I like them I would rather read my favorite knitting blogs, mommy blogs, etc. Of course the comics/pictures stay (Sherman rocks!) but that's because they are a quick read.

As I was making coming to the realization that I have too many blogs I came to understand that it's almost a metaphor for how I sometimes live my life. Get over-involved with too many projects/good causes and feel overwhelmed but somehow feel that it is unacceptable to let anything go. As if I am somehow failing by admitting that I cannot volunteer for five different committees and take care of my family and house and find a smidgeon of time for myself. By focusing on my priorities husband, kids, house I will ultimately be less stressed and we'll all be happier. It's great to want to give and do for others but you have to make sure you and yours are taken care of first.

Okay, off my soapbox, thanks for reading.

whoops sorrell

I went to plant my herbs in the garden and discovered a duplicate. In the far corner, next to the currants (?) is a sorrel. Looks like the one I just bought. A sample nibble proves that it is indeed exactly what I just bought. But I have never bought one before! Not sure where it came from but now I have two.



Interesting uses lie ahead I am sure:

medicinal uses

Here are a couple of recipes from Garden Guides

Sorrel Omelet

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 tablespoon cream
1 cup sorrel, cleaned and trimmed
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 tsp salt

Shred sorrel. In a heavy pan, heat half the butter and add sorrel and salt. Cook for about ten minutes, while stirring. Combine the eggs and cream in a bowl, beating gently. Add the sorrel mixture and combine. Add the remaining butter to a skillet and heat until butter is slightly browned. Add the egg mixture and stir briskly with the back of a fork or spoon until the eggs are evenly spread on the bottom of the skillet. Keep moving the unset eggs around with the utensil smoothly until there is no liquid left. Do not overcook. Shake the pan gently over the heat a few times. Fold the omelet over in half and serve.

Sorrel Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 pound sorrel
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups water
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 egg yolk

Clean and shred sorrel, then chop. In a large heavy pan, heat butter. Add sorrel and cook, stirring, for ten minutes until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Add the water, potatoes and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Strain and mash or puree the vegetables. Stir the cooking liquid into vegetables and return to pan. Bring to boil. Stir in milk and yolk. Cook until hot, but do not boil. Serve with French Bread.

and more from John Morrell

New Potatoes with Salami & Sorrel

1 lb Small new potatoes 1/2 t Coriander seed
1 sm Handful of sorrel 1/2 t Wholegrain mustard
2 oz Italian salami (or more) 2 T Olive oil
-- thinly sliced 1/2 t White wine vinegar
1 sm Onion Salt & Pepper, to taste


Chop the onion roughly and partially soften it in 2 generous tablespoons of
the oil. Do not let it brown. Scrub the potatoes (but on no account peel
them) and steam them. Wash and dry the sorrel, discarding tough stalks.
Roll up the leaves tighly in your fingers, just a few at a time, as though
making a cigarette, and snip across into fine ribbons.
Tip the softened onion and its juices into a big bowl. Stir in 1/2
teaspoon each vinegar and mustard, some salt and lots of pepper and
coriander seed. The coriander seed should be freshly toasted and ground
coarsely using a pestle and mortar or a spare peppermil. Add the potatoes
to the bowl while still piping hot, so they drink up the flavours of the
dressing. Cut each potato in half or into quarters depending on size, and
toss gently. Scatter some of the sorrel over the base of a shallow serving
dish. Pile the potatoes into the centre, encircle them with the sliced
salami and scatter the remaining ribbons of sorrel over the top. Serve
while potatoes are still warm.

Split Pea Soup with Sorrel

2 T Sweet butter 2 medium Onions; roughly diced
1 small Ham hock; -=OR=- 1 medium Carrot; roughly diced
6 oz -Cooked ham or bacon 2 Celery stalks; roughly diced
1 Lemon, cut in half 1 t Finely minced garlic
3 bn Fresh sorrel 1 c Whipping cream
6 c Chicken stock or Chicken Broth Salt and pepper; to taste

IN A STOCK POT, over low heat, melt the butter and add the onion, carrot,
celery and garlic. Let the vegetables cook, stirring, until limp, about 15
minutes, being careful not to brown. Add the split peas, stock, ham hock
and lemon and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30
minutes, or until the peas are completely soft. Remove the ham hock and the
lemon. Add the sorrel and cream. Transfer to a food processor or blender
and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve. Taste for salt and
pepper and adjust as desired. Serve this soup piping hot or well chilled.
NOTE: If the soup is chilled, thin it with an additional cup of stock,
low-sodium broth or water.

and one from Better Homes and Gardens

Asparagus with Sorrel Dressing

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/4 cup finely snipped sorrel or fresh spinach
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning (optional)
1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed
2 tablespoons water

1. For dressing, in a small bowl combine yogurt, mayonnaise, sorrel, green onion, and, if desired, lemon-pepper seasoning. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
2. Fold a 36x18-inch piece of heavy foil in half to make a double thickness of foil that measures 18x18 inches. Place asparagus in center of foil. Fold up edges of foil slightly; drizzle asparagus with the water. Bring up 2 opposite edges of foil; seal with a double fold. Fold remaining ends to completely enclose asparagus, leaving space for steam to build.
3. Place asparagus on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium-hot coals. Grill about 15 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender, turning once halfway through grilling. Serve the asparagus with dressing. Makes 4 servings.

It's very lemony tasting. Should be a yummy addition to the summer kitchen.

wfm wednesday

Another Wednesday, another tip that works for me (okay, it's Thursday and I'm a day late but let's pretend, shall we?):

When hanging my laundry I hang the shirts on hangers and then use a clothespin to secure the hangers to the line. This way when they dry I can take them down and put them away much more quickly.

Don't forget to check out other tips at Rocks In My Dryer.

yum

My rhubarb has been growing by leaps and bounds. Today I decided to make one batch of jam. The Lemon Rhubarb Jam I mentioned earlier.

The recipe is quick and easy. It made 4 and one half 8-ounce jars of very tangy jam. Steve isn't going to like it because he is not a big citrus fan but I am loving the tastes I keep slurping licking from the pot.

For the next batch I'll probably make more Rhubarb-Apricot since that is a big family favorite. This may wind up being my own private stash of four jars if no one else in the family likes it.

yum

My rhubarb has been growing by leaps and bounds. Today I decided to make one batch of jam. The Lemon Rhubarb Jam I mentioned earlier.

The recipe is quick and easy. It made 4 and one half 8-ounce jars of very tangy jam. Steve isn't going to like it because he is not a big citrus fan but I am loving the tastes I keep slurping licking from the pot.

For the next batch I'll probably make more Rhubarb-Apricot since that is a big family favorite. This may wind up being my own private stash of four jars if no one else in the family likes it.

the littlest sister

Although she is only two weeks old little E came to Stitch Sisters tonight. I confess that I was the lucky winner of the hold-the-baby-and-feed-her lottery by virtue of snatching her from her mother's arms. She is the sweetest little poppet all squeeky and wriggly. She has that lovely baby smell. Mmmmmmm.

Needless to say I didn't get much knitting done. I shamefully confess that I am still working on the same square that I was working on last week. But it was worth the sacrifice *grin*.

buying plants

Today while running errands I stopped at the nursery just down the street. She always has such lovely things and I really enjoy visiting with her as well as purchasing plants. The hard part is that everything looks so lovely I usually wind up buying much more than I need.

Today I was fairly restrained. I bought two tomato plants (one is a patio type to see if perhaps I like that better than beefsteak for the limited growing space). Although we get tomatoes from the Farm I like having fresh from my garden as well. I also bought a thyme to replace mine which does not look like it is coming back, parsley, a catnip (which I will hide from Chloe on the upper deck) and a sorrel plant. I resisted all the lovely jewel-like flowers she had. I'm trying to rip out my backyard the last thing I need to do is to make more work for myself.

When I got there it was a planting party. Her son and two of his friends (all in kindergarten) were helping her make container gardens. They were busy mixing the soil in the wheelbarrow, filling containers with the soil and then planting the flowers she gave them where she told them to. I mentioned that her house is probably one of the most popular ones for playdates...kids are encouraged to play in the dirt there. It was so sweet to see their little faces enjoying the dirt and yet being productive as well.

thump grrr grrr clunk grrr

That's the noise that my *sigh* dryer is making. Now I'll need to go get a new one. It actually starting making this noise a while ago. Steve managed to fix it but a couple of days later it's doing it again, worse than before. It actually frightens me to run the thing. In it's defense I should point out that the dryer is 18 or 19 years old; so I shouldn't complain but...

One of my dear friends, Anita, suggested that I could just have all my friends come over and blow on my laundry. "With all the hot air we've got we should have it dry in no time, doncha think?" OMG that is too funny.

What's not funny is that in the last 18 months we have been through a well pump, water softener system, hot water heater, FURNACE, dishwasher, clothes washer and now this. BLEAH!!! Normally I love shopping for new appliances but I think I've had more than my fair share at this point.

works for me

Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer started a pretty cool idea. Every Wednesday write down a tip that works for you. Could be one someone has heard before, doesn't have to be earthshattering, but it works for you. I'm officially delving into the fray with my first tip:

When I clean out my vegetable drawers in my fridge I line them with paper towels. That way when I go to clean them the next time any gunky stuff (like the tomato that got squished at the bottom of the drawer) doesn't stick to the bottom of the drawer and is much easier to clean up.

acronym

M	Mystical
I	Industrious
R	Refined
A	Arty

Name / Username:

Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com

sounds of spring

In addition to the tweeting of the birds, the peeping of the spring peepers a new voice has joined the chorus to let us know that spring has arrived.

Spooky, my little donkey friend who lives down the hill, has obviously been turned out into his field because we can hear him braying. He's very sweet, white with grey spots. He's named Spooky because he was born on Halloween eve. He has a little harem of six brown lady donkeys but I don't know their names.

The first of the iris has also started to bloom. That vivid purple color is so lovely and really lets me know that the growing season is here in full force.

fluff

As I've mentioned D has recently become a Vegetarian. This means no more marshmallows. Well, that's not exactly true, there are Vegan Marshmallows by Vegan Essentials but they are $3.99 for 10 ounces. Not enough to satisfy one hungry teen on a s'mores feast mission.

I did discover by careful examination of containers that Marshmallow Fluff is made without gelatin. Vital to my daughter's vegetarian happiness. Luckily they have lots of desserty recipes including Rice Krispy Treats, that childhood staple, and Whoopie Pies (which I have never made but now that I have a recipe maybe I will).

magic loaf

One of my favorite blog reads is Jennifer's Vegan Lunchbox. We've ordered the boxes, waiting for them to arrive, and I've been scoping it out for ideas. Since D has become a Vegetarian it's also useful to garner a few recipes here and there.

The entry I just read was excellent!!! It included a link to her Magical Loaf Studio with a great way to combine stuff to make a veggie loaf. Of course I still need the Magical Holly Lentil Loaf (are you reading??) but this will do in the meantime. I'll have to try it and see how my family likes it. I think it looks pretty good.

And here is my first loaf recipe created by the MLStudio:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pine nuts
2 TB olive oil
One onion, diced
One large garlic clove, minced
One large carrot, peeled and grated
Two celery ribs, diced
2 cups cooked kidney beans
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 to 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, as needed
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
2 TB ketchup
Several dashes vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp. celery salt


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º. Oil a loaf pan or spray with nonstick spray and set aside.

Grind the pine nuts into a coarse meal using a food processor or spice/coffee grinder. Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Sauté any vegetables you've chosen in the olive oil until soft. Add to the large mixing bowl along with all the remaining ingredients. Mix and mash together well, adding only as much liquid as needed to create a soft, moist loaf that holds together and is not runny. Add more liquid or binder/carbohydrate as needed.

Press mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until cooked through.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a plate or platter and slice. Serve with potatoes, vegetables, and vegetarian gravy, if desired.

skip to the loo

I found this website and think it's hilarious. It's a list of where to find clean potties when you are traveling. www.thebathroomdiaries.com. It also has horror stories of those who did not find appropriate facilities.

Because of how they list them and the lack of pictures it's hard to tell if the list from Basel, Switzerland includes this one.

sssoa

It stands for Stitch Sisters Seal of Approval. Yes folks, tonight was Stitch Sisters. I am, as I have mentioned before, so very grateful for this wonderful group of women. The friendship, laughter, encouragement, and more is just an amazing blessing in my life.

Tonight my brain was total mush. I was working on a square and wound up knitting the same row three times! More tired than I thought I was I guess.

But we had neat show and tells tonight. One member has finished her sweater and is seaming it together. It's beautiful and we all want it. Unfortunately I don't think she's sharing :-( Another is working on the first of many teeny-weeny doilies to make a tablecloth. Several beautiful scarves, an adorable baby hat (not for our Hats for the Homeless project), some wonderful beading projects and a couple of amazing embroidery/stitched cards and things. The creativity really astounds me and inspires me at the same time.

We also instituted the Stitch Sisters Seal of Approval. One of our members is going to her prom in two weeks. She brought two dresses to model for us to see which one she should wear. We all agreed that she should wear this one gorgeous red dress. She has very pale skin and dark dark hair plus she's slim and gorgeous. She looked just stunning. We had fun watching her model for us and can't wait to see the pictures from prom.

So while I didn't make much knitting progress I got an emotional recharge that I really needed. Definitely worth it.

taxi!

Did a little chauffeuring this afternoon. Had to pick D up from babysitting and take her to piano practice. She got paid for babysitting and left it in the car while she was at piano. Once we got home I told her, "Remember your money, otherwise the next person to drive the car get it."

She gasped in surprise.

As she was getting ready to get out of the car I pretended to pick it up. She yelled, "Mama!"

"What no tip? After all the driving I have done for you? For free! With the price of gas these days??"

"When you're old and I have to drive you around for free gas will probably be $20 per gallon." She told me.

She may be right. It was a very funny interchange. But I hope we have a better answer to energy consumption well before we get to that point.

raining pouring and rhubarb

It's beginning to look like we might need an ark. The rain has been coming down for DAYS. And it's been a pretty thoroughly soppy wet rain too. No gardening for me. I can see masses of green everytime I look out the back window however I avoid looking too closely since I know it is probably all weeds.

I did notice today that the rhubarb was flowering (silly thing doesn't it know it's not supposed to do that?). So I ran out in between raindrops and cut off all of the flowers. While I was out there I got a good look at my rhubarb crop. Whoooo-ee! Lots o' rhubarb. I think next week I'm going to have to start canning because I am a wuss and don't want to gather it in the rain because there is way to much for my family to eat in baked goods and next week it won't be raining this week is not convenient. Of course our jam supplies are getting low so that's not a bad thing.

One thing I think I'll be able to make this year is rhubarb chutney. Last year I made mostly jams and baked goods but I have such a bumper crop this year I don't have to limit myself. I love rhubarb chutney (although I need to make it in smaller containers), it's delicious as a side to cheese and crackers, crudite dip, served along side roast meats and also as a glaze. The kids don't like it plain but don't seem to complain when it's a glaze. Perhaps one small batch.

Rhubarb Chutney

1 C. brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1-1/2 T. minced fresh ginger
1-1/2 t. grated orange peel
4-1/2 C. coarsely chopped rhubarb
3/4 C. raisins
1 t. mustard seed
4 green onions, chopped

Cook sugar, vinegar, ginger, and peel at medium until sugar dissolves and mixture boils.
Add rhubarb, raisins, mustard, and green onions, bring back to a boil.
Reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes or until rhubarb is tender.
Place into sterilized canning jars, hot water bath 20 minutes.

According to instructions from the University of Illinois Extension Service:

Rhubarb can be boiling water bath canned for later use in pies, sauces and other dishes. Rhubarb should be HOT PACKED in order to drive out air in the tissues and to reduce the browning reaction that occurs as substances in light colored fruits and vegetables react with oxygen. Hot packing also increases the amount of fruit relative to juice which can be packed into one pint or quart jar.

About 1½ to 2 pounds is required for a quart of canned rhubarb (or about 10½ pounds for a canner load of 7 quarts). Trim leaves and stems and cut into ½ to 1-inch pieces. Place fruit in a large pan adding ½ cup sugar per quart of fruit. Allow to stand until juice appears. Gently heat to boiling. Fill jars immediately leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe sealing edges to remove sugar or sauce. Prepare lids according to the manufacturer's directions. Adjust lids and process pints or quarts for 15 minutes (altitude of 0-1000 ft) or 20 minutes (altitude 1001-6000 ft). Water level in the canner should be at least 1-inch over the tops of the jars. Start counting processing time AFTER water in the canner returns to a full

Yum.

rain today

It's been raining since last night. A lot. Which is good, we need it. The weather forecast predicts rain all week so I guess I won't be getting much gardening in.

Chloe asked to go out this morning. I opened the door to show her that it was raining to hard. She crouched down, watched it for a moment, shook her head in disgust and walked over to another door where she started meowing loudly. I guess she thought that perhaps it wasn't raining at the other door?

otama

Like I have nothing better to do in my life...gah! Reading the blogosphere I come across an adorable little thing called an Otama. Apparently they are from Japan. They are crocheted. No idea what they are supposed to be for...cute/fun/toy I guess. You can find the link on how to make one of your very own here.

I haven't crocheted in a long time and it looks like it's cute and quick. A great way to use up scrap yarn. No one mentioned addictive because I find myself wanting to make more (I've made three so far -- have to see if I can get a decent pic for you). Each one comes out totally different and with it's own personality. And they are kind of cute.

We won't mention things like housework, laundry, knitting, gardening...just taking some me time and *ahem* making stocking stuffers [yeah, that's it...stocking stuffers...in May].

cookbook meme

How many cookbooks do you own?

93

Which cookbook is the one you bought most recently?

The Splendid Grain

Which cookbook is the one you read most recently?

Fix It and Forget It

Name five cookbooks which mean a lot to you:

1. Joy of Cooking (the old one)
2. Beard on Bread
3. The Occasional Vegetarian
4. Good Things
5. Ball Blue Book

Do you cook? Do you have books? Consider yourself tagged.

five things meme

1. Five minutes to yourself: how would you spend them, ideally?
sitting in my treehouse with my DH

2. Five bucks to spend right now: how would you spend it?
yarn

3. Five items in your house you could part with, right now, that you hadn't thought of already?
I'm sure if I waded into my attic I could find more than that.

4. Five items that mean a lot to you in your house?
materialistcally speaking...photo albums and some handmade items made by family members. It all add up to more than five.

5. Five words you love?
onomatopoeia, montage, mosey, swashbuckle, anthropomorphize

If you're reading this consider yourself tagged. Next!

how to subscribe

I had an email today from someone asking how they could know when my blog is updated. This way they don't have to keep checking it.

My personal favorite it to get an account with Bloglines. It's free and they keep track of all of your feeds for you. There are other news readers out there, this just happens to be the one I use, I'm not getting any money or anything for telling you about them.

Basically this is an RSS feed aggregator; if you want to read cartoons, blogs, news feeds, etc you can sign up for them with your Bloglines feed and when your subscriptions have new posts it lets you know.

For my feed under Bloglines you can put in http://www.bloglines.com/sub/http://mdessy.blogspot.com/atom.xml.


Hope this helps.

a helping hand (er foot)

It's nice to know that there are still people out there who do nice things to do nice things.

http://www.happynews.com/news/552006/man-7-foot-8-gets-new-size-26-shoes.htm

To hear about more good things don't forget to check out:

Happy News
and
DoOneNiceThing.

We need all the good news we can get.

whew!

You Passed 8th Grade Geography

Congratulations, you got 8/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Geography?

on the farm

I'm so excited. I drove past "our" farm and it's looking really good. The farmer and his apprentices are all out there working the land. Not too much longer now and things will be growing. A little after that and we will be able to start picking up our share.

I really love this idea. Last year with the exception of celery, cucumbers and the occasional out of season purchase we bought no produce except from the farm. It's local, organic and far better than anything you could ever get in the grocery store. This year will be the first year that I am not growing vegetables in a very long time. I still plan to put in one cherry tomato plant and I will plant some herbs. But otherwise it's all been converted to fruits. Less maintenance for me and a wider variety of foods for my family than I could grow in my little fenced section.

The costs are very reasonable also. Less than $24 per week (€19 for my European readers) for a lot of produce. As a matter of fact last year at the height of watermelon season we chose not to take our last watermelon because we had had so much we were watermeloned out. In the beginning of the season, June, it's mostly salad greens. As the season progresses we get more and more stuff. In the height of the season I start canning. At the end of the season it's mostly cabbages, squashes, and root crops. Last year I was able to root cellar a fair amount of them (although I did learn that certain ones need to be eaten sooner rather than later so we'll make sure we do that this year).

D and I are also thinking that this year we will donate one day of labor to the farm. Not required since we pay a full membership (you can do partial pay partial labor but we weren't sure we could make that work committment). I think it will be fun to go and help out. Plus it will be good experience for us both. D wants to bring a friend. If she can find a friend who wants to go I say bring em', we'll see if that actually happens.

thunk

Ever feel like the universe is trying to get your attention? Sometimes with a two-by-four? That has happened to me recently.

It started with the book Enough is Enough that came into my life. I read it, it was interesting. Basic premise...we are not superwomen but we are somehow convinced that we need to be or at least not let anyone know we aren't. And we suffer for it.

Then I read this post by my dear friend K who mentioned another post.

Then a friend lent me a copy of Confessions of a Slacker Wife to read. BTW although I haven't finished the book I have to say it's very funny and now I will probably go ahead and read the prequel (if you will) Confessions of a Slacker Mom.

Okay, I think I'm getting the picture. All of this in one week is a lot to absorb. But it has made me sit down and realize just how much I'm trying to accomplish in any given day. My list is NEVER completely checked off. I always have far more to do than can be accomplished by anyone no matter how organized/efficient/super they are. For those of you who manage, I'm happy for you but I can't do it.

Of course in sitting down to think about all of this (and, I confess, write down exactly what I try to do in a day as referenced in "Enough is Enough") I've realized that I'm much better than I used to be. But I still have a long way to go. I've got to learn to ditch the expectations I place upon myself. I won't bore you with a long diatribe of all I used to do. I won't even bore you with what I do now, but I will say that I am working on being more focused on the necessary things in life.

Laundry, cooking, cleaning are definitely necessary. But perhaps I need to rethink how these things happen and learn to accept that sometimes the laundry piles up or we run out of milk. Volunteering for two school committees, to run a neighborhood function and two town projects, not necessary. Playing really bad basketball with my kids, totally necessary.

Being aware of all of this is probably the first step in the right direction. It's definitely time to give up blind acceptance of the message that society is trying to stuff down our throats about how we are supposed to appear. Private reality is always different than public view but I refuse to deem it necessary to apologize or feel guilty for the difference anymore.

Okay, down off my soapbox. But if you have any similar thoughts, or links to other places please post them for me and for those others who read this.

rhubarb

The rhubarb has been growing really well. It's time to start harvesting. So our first rhubarb recipe of the season is a whole wheat apple rhubarb cake. I'm not ready to start canning the stuff just yet...I'll make some desserts and then when my family has had enough begin to process it into jams or whatever.

Although this recipe looks really delicious and will need to be set aside for when I start canning:

2 pounds chopped, raw rhubarb
8 3-inch strips lemon peel, about 1/4-inch wide (no white pulp, just yellow peel)
1/2 cup water
2-1/2 cups sugar
Combine rhubarb, lemon peel and water in a heavy, non-aluminum 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 30 minutes. Stir often. Turn up the heat and begin adding sugar 1/2 cup at a time, waiting for the liquid to return to the boil before adding more. continue cooking over a high heat, stirring constantly. If the jam begins to splatter, turn the heat down slightly. Cook and stir until the jam thickens and reduces to about 3 cups (about 20 minutes).

Of course rhubarb mixes well with lots of things for jam, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, peaches, apricots. Mmmm...getting hugry just thinking about rhubarb jam on toast.

yumm

I was reading Niina de Norse's blog where she mentioned these lovely little treats...belgian chocolate on a stick that you dip into a cup of hot milk to make the perfect hot chocolate. Ooooh sounds fabulous.

You have to buy them in packs of 33, no problem.

Unfortunately they don't seem to sell them in the US, wah!

who's on first

My daughter, yay!

Tonight was D's first softball game ever. Steve and I took her down to the field. It was a lot of fun and very funny. For a first game it was pretty good although a lot of kids got walked.

D was very nervous because she's never played softball before and she was sure that she would do terrible. Her first ever time at bat and she hit a solid thunk to the outfield and ran for first. It was so cute. When she got there she looked at us, held out her hands to either side and said, "So did I make it?" Cute cute cute.

Lots of funny comments from the parents in the field. Since we'll be seeing a lot of them over the next two months I'm sure we'll get to know them well.

PS the score? They lost, but they played really well so it was all good.

my mistake

The weigelia by my front yard is not a weigelia. Apparently it's a viburnum carlesii according to my mom.

I guess that means the weigelia is on the other side of the yard.