Growth and Change

How is it that time flies by so quickly?  I can remember my adorable cuddly toddler boy like it was yesterday, and this Spring he graduated from high school.  I guess all kids grow and change.  So for us, this also brings a huge change.  For almost eleven years, in the back of my mind has been this goal of sorts: when my only child is 18 and graduates from high school (both criteria are necessary), he will not have to switch between my house and my ex's house anymore.  While the potential that I might see him much less is there, I've always known the difficulty he  has gone through to not live one place or the other, to be a nomad.  I have been doing it myself for almost as long.  It prohibits any sort of settled feeling; keeps any deep roots from becoming established in one place.  It's difficult.

So early this summer I spent a LOT of time working on my house to get it ready for the rough housing market.  I've had to face a lot of tough emotions surrounding leaving the community I've been a part of for over 20 years (HOW can it be that long??), which I have truly grown to love.  But the realities of what we do for a living won't allow us to live over an hour from our offices--and any real potential for gainful employment.  And keeping two houses is just not feasible with our schedules.  Clearly, I had to give up my house and leave my people in the "country."  

Change is difficult, too.  I actually wrote the first paragraph of this post in May but found it difficult to finish writing about the ideas surrounding change.  Instead, I needed to live with the ideas and slowly adjust to what my new life would mean--to the changes--in order to deal with it.  And it turns out that this works.  By allowing myself time to adjust slowly, it's been better.  No more feelings of being completely overwhelmed, out of control, displaced--these negative feelings have slowly abated as we have moved, step by step, toward the actual combining of households (with my husband of almost four years) and leaving my beloved community.

Now that the house has come together and I have time to reflect, I realize I've missed writing.  So, I'm back and hope to make this a regular thing!  Did you miss me?

Have a comment? Advice? Random observation? I'd love to hear it. Click "COMMENTS" just below.

Starting to Get Excited

I was just going to stop by the store for some milk, a frozen pizza and a few apples, I swear.  Unfortunately, (really unfortunately for so many reasons) there's only one of those mega-stores whose name I'm not going to use here...to pick up a few things.  And I'm easily distracted I guess. But who wouldn't be distracted by such exciting scenes as these: 

I wandered--or I should say, was drawn--toward the side of the store, which had been transformed from leftover holiday merchandise into a garden section bursting with the promise of imminent Spring since my last visit to the store.  My imagination took off!

So many things to grow! So much potential!  The plans and ideas started bubbling up....what can I manage this year?  I want strawberries, blueberries, asparagus... sunflowers... do calla lilies grow this far north?  

I somehow resisted the garden magazine section, which I'm sure is bursting with beautiful garden photos and ideas, but for the first time, I feel like Spring is about to arrive!

So soon, I'm going to do the planning and research work; start the seeds indoors, and get the garden underway!!

The Deep Black Earth

Fall is a wonderful time for the gardener.  I am in love with the richness of the season and the potential I can feel for next year.  While most of the garden around here is settling down into dormancy, there are still some things to do.  

I'm very happy with my little trees, all of which I planted (or transplanted) when they were tiny.  A walk around the yard shows the hawthorne, crabapple, river birch and redbud all much taller than me.  One of my two hollies, below, (both "found" as seedlings)  turned out to be female so now I'm enjoying her bright red berries!  The male is about chest high, nice and bushy, while the one pictured below is about 2 1/2 feet tall.  I planted them both when they had about 4-5 leaves and were a few inches tall. 

Here's something I started finding in and around my gardens which was new to me (below).   This one is in a little sapling which decided to grow next to my compost area.  It's an egg case of a praying mantis.  While it looks kind of foamy, it's very hard and dry to the touch. I love seeing them, since I love having praying mantises around.  

Not too long ago, a friend of mine who lives in "Pennsylvania Dutch country" mentioned some lore about these egg cases:  the height of the cases above the ground shows how much snow we are going to get this winter!  I'm hoping this is just an old "wives' tale" because this egg case was at my eye level!!!!

On beautiful Fall weekends, I love to get outside and get something accomplished.  The last weekend I was at home, the weather was phenomenal--mostly sunny with temperatures in the high 60's and no wind. Almost all of my trees' leaves were down, so I decided to start some deep black composted soil for next year's garden.  As I raked, I was a little bit torn--I think that the leaves are really needed around the side yard because the soil is so sandy that the grass can't grow in some parts.  

But grass isn't my thing, so I raked.  Between the big cherry out front and the two maple trees on the side, I easily gathered several huge piles.  Using an old trick from my former father-in-law, I raked the piles onto an old double sheet and used it to transport the leaves to the compost area--I think it was 6 trips!  

So I pulled the semi-composted grass cuttings and vegetable parings out of my compost "bin," piled the leaves in, and intermittently tossed the old stuff on top.  In the end (and I pulled out the tape measure because my estimates are unreliable) my pile of leaves mixed with the started compost is 5 ft. tall, 7 ft. wide and 6 ft. deep--officially big enough it to create its own heat, from what I've read!  

By the time Spring returns, (with a couple of turnings probably) I should have some beautiful, deep black earth to mix into my mediocre soil for my herbs, flowers and vegetables to enjoy.  Can't wait!


Have a comment? Advice? Random observation? I'd love to hear it. Click "COMMENTS" just below.

Exhilarating Fall

Well, here I am again.  I decided I wanted to write but needed a new space (prior readers will know why).  The new title has so many meanings--which will probably become clearer as time goes on.  For now, though, I'm just glad about my decision to start fresh and free.

Have you ever had that feeling where you're just bursting full of thoughts and images you want to write about--so full you can barely contain yourself?  If so, you know how I feel right now.

For several weeks, I've been going around, enjoying brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red leaves (despite our insanely early snow and sleet storm on October 29, which poured over an inch of the white stuff on our pretty leaves.  Luckily it melted by the following day).  


On my way to work every morning, I was warmed and buoyed by the beauty everywhere around me. One tree--an unusually tall maple or perhaps a gum--was for weeks the most brilliant yellow, like flames dancing high aloft in the morning sun. But two mornings ago, the new season dug her heels in and jarred us into realizing that Winter isn't far off.  Overnight, the leaves went from treetops to roadway and the air turned harsh and cold.  Suddenly, the morning sun glared in through bare treetops to the beech and shrub understory along our road and the formerly pale gold beech leaves transformed into a dull tan.  My tree of flames had dripped all of its gold to the ground.

Although I know it happens every year, it's always a surprise to me. Maybe it's denial, or we're just too busy enjoying the cooler weather and new colors to notice that their time is fleeting. I did make the most of it though, while it lasted. Hubby and I took a couple of good long hikes in the wooded hills, I gathered pine needles and mulched the new herb garden (tell you about that another time), fixed up the back of the property after the lawn guys messed up the leaves, pulled out the compost (which is doing beautifully), added massive amounts of leaves and turned them in, and planted nearly 100 bulbs.

As time flies on toward Winter, perhaps we'll have one more temperate day to enjoy the passing of yet another Fall.  I hope so--and if we do, I'll be out there enjoying it!       

Have a comment? Advice? Random observation? I'd love to hear it. Click "COMMENTS" just below.

Garden Flowers, Early June

I've been just so busy--as always--sounds like a broken record I guess.  Haven't had time to do much of anything but work.  BUT today was sort of a sick day.  I didn't feel great so I took the time to rest pretty much all day.  This evening I walked in the gardens (unweeded as they are) and took a few photos.  To be candid, I took them because a far away friend posted some flowers from her garden and I really enjoyed looking at them, so I returned the favor!

This first is my Peace Rose.

It's planted symbolically near our door, to bring peace to the house.

 This is a salvia of some description; it's a perennial and several years old, so I no longer recall which one!

 Next is Feverfew, one of the medicinal herbs which is known to be useful for migraines in modern times and was formerly used for all sorts of ailments.

 This is catmint, mentha nepeta.  It forms a spreading mound and the leaves are used in teas and pultices.

 Here are some of my tiger lillies--they are just starting to bloom here.  Where I grew up they bloom a bit later, and are naturalized.  These were given to me by a friend and are hard won around here.

Here is one of my very favorites: Asclepias tuberosum, a.k.a. Butterfly Weed, Pleurisy Root, orange milkweed and other names.  I wanted this herb for years when I lived in my first house.  It is native to North America, and when I moved a little bit south of where I grew up I actually located 2 or 3 places where it grew wild.  I tried to grow it from seed which I collected on the roadside from one bunch, I bought a plant locally, and finally, when road workers were cutting in a new shoulder along the road where one native plant had been growing for years, I stopped and dug up the plant before it was graded into oblivion and brought it home to my seaside garden.  None of those ever survived in the harsh salt-infused microclimate where I lived. 

At my new house it's a completely different story! I planted this large plant/group of plants from seed one year and it has actually self-seeded throughout my garden.  I love this plant because it's a true native herb and there is lots of evidence that the native peoples used it for pleurisy, fever, cough and diarrhea as well as non-medicinal uses.  Even better, modern analysis has proven that it has "medicinal" properties: it contains cardiac glycosides!  I enjoy pondering how natives a thousand years ago identified and learned to use these herbs.

Just writing about my herbs is getting me enthused to get out in the garden again. Thanks for the opportunity! 

Have a comment? Advice? Random observation? I'd love to hear it. Click "COMMENTS" just below.

Priorities

Have had some busy times recently, and a shift of priorities.  I have set my mind on getting back into a healthy mode of life and lose the extra weight I've carried for almost 3 years, and this time I'm not letting anything distract me or get in my way.  It seems almost silly to have to say this.  Who in their right mind would let distractions get in the way of a healthy life?  (At least that seems to be the sensible perspective, when you step back and regain a little.) (Oh, and it's also a big reason I haven't posted much recently.)

But it almost seems more normal around here to ignore healthy ways than to put them first on the list.  I certainly see it in the people closest to me.  When there's work to be done, the first thing to skip is going to the gym, taking a walk or an exercise class.  Of course the next thing to go is the healthy diet--worked late? too tired to cook? Just eat out and enjoy the fat-laden, ultra large portions (complete with bread and all the fixin's) we find in most U.S. restaurants today.  Before you know it, you're so far down that path it's hard to see where you took the wrong turn.

Well, I have a confession to make--but it comes with an affirmation.  More than once during the past month, things have gone undone because my health is more important than that.  For example, at one house (the one where I spend less time), my Christmas tree is still up.  (The horror!)  I have spent 2 weekends there during which I should have taken it down, but after the really mandatory housework, cooking and grocery shopping, I went to exercise classes, took walks, and even did 45 minutes of yoga on the floor right in front of it.  I prepared healthy meals instead of prepackaged stuff, while that poor tree continued to wither.

I don't care.  I am really just sick of feeling crappy and letting my good health slip away while the mundane, repetitious busywork of life is allowed to take over.  It won't be holding me back any more.  I'm moving forward--leaving unvacuumed carpets and pine needles in my wake if necessary--but I'm going to take this weight off, regain my health, and get back to being alive!

 Have a comment? Advice? Random observation? I'd love to hear it. Click "COMMENTS" just below.

Tradition Revived--Cappelletti in Brodo

One quest for my adulthood has been to find a recipe for, and make, my grandmother's cappelleti.  I remember going to her house as a child around Christmas time, hearing her tell about how she, Aunt Anne and Aunt Mae had spent time together and made the Cappelletti....mmmm, always music to my ears!  Now, I wish I had been able to spend time with them, cooking--how much I would have learned!  I also recall asking friends and other relatives, searching old cookbooks, and even obtaining a recipe from a German lady's old cookbook in the late 80's--but it just wasn't "it."

Finally, through the "magic" of the internet (and learning Italian), I began to follow various Italian blogs (many cooking-related) and my quest has come to an end.  Pippi, who lives and cooks a bit north of Pisa near the sea, has a wonderful blog full of delicious recipes!  I immediately looked through her archives for Cappelletti, and when I read her recipe, it seemed right.  I made it, and it was perfect!!  Just like my grandma's!  Pippi's recipe is here, but I thought I'd translate it:   
Ingredients for the filling:
7 oz ground pork
7 oz ground beef
5 oz prosciutto crudo, (raw ham)
1 slice/round of mortadella (sausage bologna)
2-3 eggs
an onion
parmigiano reggiano cheese, a good bit
breadcrumbs
butter or oil
salt, pepper to taste
nutmeg--few dashes
Procedure: (as Pippi wrote it)
First, brown the finely chopped onion in a large pan with the butter or oil, after which you put in the ground meat and brown it well. Add the prosciutto and mortadella, also both minced.   Season it all. [salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste]  Once cooked, put breadcrumbs in to dry out the mixture and add the parmigiano. When it is cooled down, add the eggs and fix the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Roll out the pasta (strictly made by hand but with less egg) put a mound of filling a little bit from the edge, fold the pasta over the mound, with a round cookie cutter, cut out the cappelletti one by one.

So, I browned the meat, drained it carefully and seasoned it-- Then, once it was cooled down, it all goes into a food processor and the eggs and cheese are added.  To me, a "good bit" was 2 plates full of very finely grated cheese (just to the right, above).  This is then combined well with the blade and it will resemble pate.I forgot to mention: I made the pasta dough before starting the filling so it was resting while I was making the filling.  So next, I rolled out the dough (#6 on the Kitchen Aid seemed right).After achieving several pieces of the right thickness and even ends, I covered them with waxed paper to keep the moisture in while I worked on the others. (I never seem to have those clean tea towels other people use, but waxed paper worked well.)  So, then you cut the dough into squares with a pizza cutter and put a teaspoon-ish sized mound of filling on each. I didn't get any pictures of the folding, but it's not difficult; fold in half and match up the points, seal, and then bring the two corners at the long side together and seal. (Pippi used a cookie cutter, but I wanted to do my grandmother's shape.) After they're all made, you boil them for just a very few minutes--it doesn't take long at all.  I froze the rest in a ziplock freezer bag and they were delicious when I brought them to my siblings after Christmas.My grandmother served her Cappelletti in chicken broth with raisins, so of course I did too!  This was beyond delicious to me, it was tradition revived!  My husband and son ate every morsel, too.  Thank you Pippi!!

Snow Day Revisited

What a beautiful snow we had here! It really messed up the roads, but almost everything was closed so we didn't have to go to work.  So, I took a nice walk outside (another mile plus for the big race) and took a few photos to share.  The first two were in the development (where private plows cleaned things up)...

This is how the "real" roads looked (above); it was no fun to actually drive on them when I had to make the trip South late today.

And what do cats do on a day like today?  If you've fed the birds right outside the door, they hang out and "hunt" for birds together...like a pride! 

Always fun to watch--they cluck and chirp, their tails twitch and sometimes, they all crouch down and their ears go back--ready to pounce!  Who needs any other form of entertainment! 

Have a comment? Advice? Random observation? I'd love to hear it. Click "COMMENTS" just below.

Thanksgiving

When I caught up on my blog reading yesterday it was good to see how many of my fellow bloggers had posted on Thanksgiving and what they were thankful for. So, although late, here are my Thanksgiving thoughts.

Ok, so I've been staring at the screen not knowing what to write. My first impulses were to list my son and his successes, my husband and our relationship, my siblings and our families, our grandchildren, my job, my church, the cats, our health....our many material things, our ability to travel...the beauty of nature around us, this country.....but then came the doubts. I am deeply thankful for all of these things, definitely, but...

I'm not sure I "believe in" Thanksgiving so much...that's the problem. Of course I believe in thanking God for our very lives and all of the blessings he gives us, it's not that. But one day per year? And all of the trouble and strife we go through to prepare and/or attend a huge feast? And the thanking comes when, at the prayer before we dive into the food? To be sure, I absolutely love getting together with family members and visiting and catching up and renewing our relationships...which seems to happen only over the holidays anymore. (I think I'm seeing a problem here.)

Typically we would travel to visit relatives on my side or host a feast here, for hubby's side of the family, but this year was different. Our Dear Aunt has passed (and those relatives went to visit their other family members), it was my son's year with his father, and we wanted to put our thankfulness into action by helping others.

This year we volunteered for Meals on Wheels and delivered Thanksgiving meals to homebound seniors. Thanks to the exceptionally well-run program, it was so easy to join in and help. The program worked like a well-oiled machine: we were signed in, given information, picked up the hot Thanksgiving meal with accompaniments, received the cleverly packaged meal for Friday (to go in the 'fridge) and were out on the road in no time. The people who run the program were cheerful, helpful--just all-around great.

I didn't know what to expect, either from the people or myself. I've been reading about motivation for serving in various ministries, and of course the GHMP I attended addressed such issues as well. One thing I knew was that feeling self-satisfied or being self-congratulatory ("aren't we great for volunteering on the holiday") was wrong. I was sure such motives were not my reason for being there. As always, God was there with a lesson.

The first two deliveries were to people who lived in trailers from the 1970's, people who were hit hard by life, from what I could observe. They accepted their meals with no ceremony and barely a word. Our hearty "Happy Thanksgiving!" had been met with little response.

It was then, after these two deliveries, that it struck me that I must have been hoping to get some worldly thanks. My motives were not so pure as I had hoped. The lesson hit hard. Despite my desire to serve unselfishly and my awareness of worldly motives, they were still there. Our remaining deliveries were quite different, and we met some dear folks who were warm and talkative, but the lesson remains. I'm sure certain other facets of that lesson will be revealed over time as well.

We finished our deliveries in the cold rain, came home and put a beautiful turkey breast in the oven. Together, we made cranberries, apple and pumpkin pies, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cole slaw and corn. It was a time of togetherness and a time to reflect. I called my son and had a nice talk with him; for that I was also thankful.

So, I guess I've gone a bit far afield of where I began this post. I am thankful for what God has given me, but should that thankfulness perhaps translate into more action? Are we truly grateful or do we maybe feel, just a little bit, as though we've "earned" it? How do we express our thankfulness, and how often? Is once a year enough?
  
Have a comment? Advice? Random observation? I'd love to hear it. Click "COMMENTS" just below.

Keep the Faith

Boy, has it been rough around here lately!  For about one minute things were set on an even keel.  My teenage son was happy, and happy with me, life was busy as always but riding along as normal.  It's amazing to me how things can all just change from different directions all at once.

First, the boy started having some trouble with his grades...just a little...maybe he was distracted by his first love.  She's a lovely and beautiful young lady, and they were always happy together.  Then, something happened and they were no longer "together."  (That's how they say it these days--awfully mature, it seems to me.)  He was unhappy and ended up getting into a bit of trouble...I think it was because he was not himself. He's always been such a good boy.  Now we've been talking about how couples communicate effectively in relationships.  Again, so mature. They're still spending time together but not "together" as a couple...I don't know what that means exactly.   

Then, a friend looses a job...the floor in my laundry room sinks down (!!)....then politics comes between family members...then illnesses around here...but you know what?  It's going to be ok.  My faith has been tested to its limits in the past, and by those tests it has grown very strong.  I'm glad for that.  God is good.

So I'm going to rest and feel better soon, support my son and begin sifting through all of the possible college choices, get my trusted contractor to fix the laundry room floor (it's an add-on structure and he says it wasn't built with joist hangers for the floor boards so they have simply fallen apart. Geez!!!), help everyone I can where ever I can, appreciate my loved ones, and keep the faith.

Have a comment? Advice? Random observation? I'd love to hear it. Click "COMMENTS" just below.

Houses

Every morning I'm at home, I drive my son to school (about 2 miles away).  These days he actually does the driving to the school and I drive back home without him.

This morning as I re-entered our development, I passed the woman who just moved into the house on the corner closest to mine.  A frail, elderly woman had been living there for years, and then a month or so ago she and her visiting nurse and meals-on-wheels no longer appeared.  Next, new stakes at the property corners showed that the property had been surveyed and then I saw evidence that the garage had been cleaned out.  Now toys are in the yard.  This is the first I have seen the woman and preschooler headed out in the morning.

As I drove the last quarter mile home I looked at each house on my street and mentally surveyed the ones I was familiar with on the adjacent properties.   A handful are owned by retired widows and two or three are retired couples.  Every single other house save one is empty all day as the parents of the children in the homes are working every day.  I guess that's the way it is these days, but how lonely it must be compared to the neighborhoods of a few decades ago. 

I certainly wish I had more time to just be at home with family.  Maybe my new neighbor feels that way too.  I see she's one of "us"--out at work all day.  I wonder if that one stay-at-home mom, now that her kids are both in school, notices how empty the neighborhood is during the days.  I imagine the widows and elderly couples notice it more.  The home is "the heart of the family" some say...I wonder if these lonely houses feel that way.  

Have a comment? Advice? Random observation? I'd love to hear it. Click "COMMENTS" just below.

My State Fair, Part II

As a would-be farm girl growing up, I have always loved farm animals--at lest in theory. Other than chickens, I've never had any, but most of my childhood friends did, and were active in 4-H. (For those who may not know, 4-H is a great program with its roots in the late 1890's farming communities in the U.S. It developed with the assistance of the U.S Agricultural Extension Service and grew up with the creation of the Cooperative Extension System in rural counties to become a nationwide program of hands-on learning, in local clubs, for rural youth.  Early on, corn growing contests and then cattle and swine shows were hallmarks. Soon after, canning, sewing, and other home arts were subjects which girls learned in 4-H. 

Prizes, such as trips to Chicago for the best in category cattle or pigs, motivated participation and learning.  In 1922, an Iowa girls Canning Club won a national competition and a trip to France, where they gave demonstrations.  My own 4-H participation focused on sewing, needle arts and nature/conservation.  This has turned into quite a tangent, as I enjoyed learning about the history of 4-H just now.  You can read more about 4-H at their website, here, or on the national headquarters (USDA) website, here.)

Ok, back from tangent.  So of course I visited all of the animals at the fair.  First were the sheep.  Most had had their final baths before competition and were dressed like they were headed to a Klan meeting. I wish I had had a video camera to show you a young man giving his big sheep her bath...they were both all full of suds and she was NOT cooperating very well. 

These adorable rams (I don't think they would want me calling them "adorable"--any young man would object) were trying to scrape the hoods off their heads.  Luckily they don't have wear them except right before judging.  The one came right over when I said "hey pretty boy" a couple of times.  I guess he gets called that at home!

Right next door were the swine.  This big girl was taking a rest after her trip in from the farm.  (I believe she is a mixed breed, as she doesn't match any of the standard breeds listed.)

I can identify these two: here, a Hampshire greets the Duroc-Jersey in the next pen...nose to nose, lots of snuffling and snorting involved.  I spared you any shots of the "boar" (males) full-length....I don't think anyone wants to look at an extra-large-grapefruit-sized scrotum stuck on the back end of a pig!
In the next pavilion, some of my favorites: the cattle. Here's a beautiful Holstein (spotted) and I believe the others are Belted Galloway (the cow lying down has a fuller white belt than the standing calf.)

Here's a scene that made me happy on all sorts of levels. These sisters had just arrived with their Holsteins and together, they were giving the big mamma her bath before settling her down in the show area. Joking and laughing as sisters do, they clearly were comfortable with the animals and were having fun.

One more from the cattle department: the world famous black Angus, among the best beef cattle around.  This family had several young bulls there to show.

And the last pavilion I visited (only last because the poultry was scheduled to come in beginning on Friday) was the one housing the goats.  I'm no goat expert; never even been a real fan of goats, but the brown and tan mother and baby were absolutely adorable together although hard to photograph because they kept moving around.  The first two photos show Pygmy goats.

These two gals were just cute, both needing to eat at the same time. I think they may be Turkish Angora goats, recently shorn. They looked like they had a fresh haircut, and I have searched for any other type which looks like them, to no avail.  (The fair rules only indicate that "all breeds" are shown together, so that wasn't helpful, either.)  There were also Boer goats, but I couldn't get a good photo of them.

 

Without the Poultry (which is really "big" around here), I can hardly say my livestock photos are complete, but I'm just not that broken up over its incompleteness to go back to the fair just to see the chickens. 

Stay tuned for my final installment, which does not include any photos of the "midway" or amusement rides.

My State Fair, Part I

My bout of nostalgia ended up taking me to the State Fair which opened yesterday.  In a larger state, this would be like a county fair.  Here, we have only 3 counties so we have a statewide fair.  It has all the same things I remember from the old county fair from my youth, plus some of the more modern draws which have been added over time.  Early in the evening, the Citizens Hose Band of Smyrna (a volunteer fire company band) played some Sousa marches.

I ducked into the nearest exhibit hall (air conditioned to some extent) to see what there was to see.  (And to get out of the 92 degree heat and 50-55% humidity after my long walk from the parking fields.)

I love the home arts (as regular readers must already know), so this was the best place for me to begin.

So many quilts and crocheted, knitted and other sewn items to see! The colors were vivid, and more than anything else, I marveled at how diverse the works were--some classic, some bright and modern, some traditional designs and some highly creative new designs!  (clicking on the photos should give a much enlarged version).

Behind the crocheted flag, there are dozens of scarves, sweaters, and many hand sewn quilts in traditional patterns as well.

Moving toward the back of the exhibit hall, I toured the traditional displays from competitions in the Farm, Fruit & Apiary and Garden Vegetable Departments.  Here are: Best 8 Ears of Corn, Any Variety; Biggest 8 Ears of Corn, Any Variety; Best 5 Ears Old Fashion Indian Corn, Best gallon jar Yellow Corn, Shelled, and more.  (Love the categories, which have probably been unchanged for ages.)

Here are a few apiary entries: at center, comb honey in frames (jars of honey and the purified wax were on the end.)    Above the frames are quart jars of various seeds, such as several types of clover.  The upper right shows a back view of some huge sunflower heads, which were at least 20 inches across. On the bottom are peaches, plums and nuts.

 

I love this next shot just for the colors.  These are the Garden Vegetable Department's tomato varieties--red, green, and yellow classes.

 

Below are the yellow squash and a glimpse of some of the peppers (hot banana peppers are just above the squash.)

Finally, along the back wall, were shelves and shelves of canned goods.  This is only one of 4-5 tiered units full of canned produce.  These are beets and pickles (shown for my husband, who loves both) and there were rows and rows of canned fresh vegetables, fruits, jellies, jams and preserves.  They're not readily visible, but on every single jar there was a sticker that said "I Have Been Opened," which I thought was a great example to the public in accordance with the Department of Agriculture's home grown food safety program.  

One final shot for this edition: each night of the fair they have featured entertainment in the grandstand, which includes big name country singers and other shows.  For opening night though, it was the Demolition Derby. That says a lot.  This picture says even more.  Although announcements were made that $10 tickets were still plentiful, this is a part of the fence surrounding the track at the grandstand:

Just can't take the "country" out of the boys, I guess--and they're not all boys.

I have two more installments in mind to give you a flavor for the rest of the fair. Y'all come on back now, y'hear?

Wildflower Memories

I've been feeling a bit nostalgic these past few days--not something I get too often, as a rule. Maybe it's Summertime; the hot, languid days calling back some feelings from long ago. I want to swim on days like these: to get in a pool and feel the cool water and be refreshed! I could see me floating around on a couple of noodles, just relaxing away!

Before becoming a mom, I also used to go on long bike rides on days like these. It always felt good to have the breeze cool me as I rode. On the lonely back roads I'd watch the butterflies flit silently among the flowers which crowded the edges of the road.

The other day my son and I were back on one of those roads.  The flowers were there, as they always were.

I've loved this pretty little flower for years.  I used to call it "cornflower" in my mind, because in the big big box of Crayola Crayons (what an exciting moment, to open a new big box of crayons--all perfectly pointed, wrappers pristine...with that unmistakable smell!) there was a beautiful shade of blue almost that color called Cornflower.

So I finally learned that my pretty blue flower is actually Chicory.   I never knew!  Many years ago, I had a chocolate milk substitute, made by a friend's mother who was an early naturalist. She used fresh goat's milk, honey, and ground chicory to make a rich and flavorful drink.  It was nothing I was used to, but it tasted pretty good!  Trying chicory has crossed my mind over the years as a result.  If I dig some up and roast it, I'll let you know!

Also on my rides was another common flower I remembered from childhood.  Queen Anne's Lace, a lacy white flower many people probably know.  I remember it because when I pulled it up, the leaves looked and the root smelled like carrots--I could not get over how much it smelled like carrots when I was young.  Now, come to find out that Queen Anne's Lace and the carrots we eat are both  Daucus carota.  I knew they were related! 

I love how the light blue and white flowers sprinkle the edges of the road subtly--not blaring with color--understated, quiet, unnoticed by many who rush down the road.

Another of my favorites is the trumpet vine, or trumpet creeper, which grows wild along the back roads here.  Sometimes you can see a hummingbird visiting the flowers, poking a tiny beak inside for nectar.  I have wanted to grow it at home, but I just read that the vines can cause a rash.  I hadn't heard that before--does anyone have any experience with that?

I'd love to attract hummingbirds, but my sensitive skin would probably not handle an irritant vine.  I need to find that out before trying to grow it. 

Thanks for taking a little walk down memory lane with me!