- Amen - Arthur Godfrey
- I don't Love you Much Do I - Guy Clark & Emmylou
- Don't Put No Headstone on My Grave - Charlie Rich (not a particularly happy love song, but there's just something in that rhythm)
- Fantastic - Louis Armstrong
- My Handy Man - Ethel Waters
- Good Hearted Man - Tift Merritt
- Love Me - The Little Willies
Friday, October 26, 2007
Barefoot in the Kitchen
A Few Great Slow-Dancing-in-the-Kitchen Songs:
Monday, October 22, 2007
Accidentally Organic
As an enthusiastic consumer and creator of food, I enjoy browsing around various food-centric blogs. Each author spends much time rejoicing over organic produce and the wonderful farmers-markets of their neighborhoods or regions. I love it! To me, food is the best sort of celebration for bringing people together, and I love the revival of enthusiasm for truly tasty ingredients. It also inspires a self-conscious grin over the irony of it all.
You see, growing up, “organic” was a necessity rather than a luxury. Our family of 7 hungry mouths, and the conscious decision to have a single income earner and an agricultural life-style required that we forgo a few of the conveniences that were ever present in the homes of my peers. How I longed for white bread sandwiches stuffed with non-descript sandwich meat and processed cheese, pudding snacks, juice boxes, and prepackaged Twinkie-like desserts of any sort. And pizza pockets and the like…say no more! What torture it seemed to unwrap my roast beef sandwich (from the roast the night before) on (sometimes homemade) whole wheat bread, and munch on my apple or carrots while potato chip bags crackled all around me. The worst part was that my peers seemed to also feel sorry for me with my unfortunate lunch.
I smile now, to think that the same generation – my peers who shot those pitying glances – are now the ones paying a premium for organic vegetables, artisan breads, and farm-fresh eggs. Oh, to have known the value of the life we lived! I treasure it now…as vehemently as I rejected it then.
Picking green beans by the washtubs full, topping and tailing the same in marathon stretches at the kitchen table, our grumblings minimized by the aural treat of listening to books on tape from the library…that sticks in my memory as a gift. I smile over my mom’s creative genius with our overly abundant zucchini crop on a yearly basis. Who knew you could make an apple pie that was half apples and half zucchini slices and barely notice a difference? I miss, miss, miss having roast beef, new potatoes, carrots, and onions and knowing that the whole delicious, roasted, mess came from our own acres. Store-bought whipping cream was the sign of a crisis moment, and only happened when we didn’t have a freshened Guernsey cow to give gloopy, golden cream by the jars full! And eggs from free range chickens…well, of course! It’s much easier to let them mill about the yard and scavenge than to feed in the henhouse – it just makes it a bit harder to find the eggs.
What a treat! What a treasure! What a legacy to carry on!
You see, growing up, “organic” was a necessity rather than a luxury. Our family of 7 hungry mouths, and the conscious decision to have a single income earner and an agricultural life-style required that we forgo a few of the conveniences that were ever present in the homes of my peers. How I longed for white bread sandwiches stuffed with non-descript sandwich meat and processed cheese, pudding snacks, juice boxes, and prepackaged Twinkie-like desserts of any sort. And pizza pockets and the like…say no more! What torture it seemed to unwrap my roast beef sandwich (from the roast the night before) on (sometimes homemade) whole wheat bread, and munch on my apple or carrots while potato chip bags crackled all around me. The worst part was that my peers seemed to also feel sorry for me with my unfortunate lunch.
I smile now, to think that the same generation – my peers who shot those pitying glances – are now the ones paying a premium for organic vegetables, artisan breads, and farm-fresh eggs. Oh, to have known the value of the life we lived! I treasure it now…as vehemently as I rejected it then.
Picking green beans by the washtubs full, topping and tailing the same in marathon stretches at the kitchen table, our grumblings minimized by the aural treat of listening to books on tape from the library…that sticks in my memory as a gift. I smile over my mom’s creative genius with our overly abundant zucchini crop on a yearly basis. Who knew you could make an apple pie that was half apples and half zucchini slices and barely notice a difference? I miss, miss, miss having roast beef, new potatoes, carrots, and onions and knowing that the whole delicious, roasted, mess came from our own acres. Store-bought whipping cream was the sign of a crisis moment, and only happened when we didn’t have a freshened Guernsey cow to give gloopy, golden cream by the jars full! And eggs from free range chickens…well, of course! It’s much easier to let them mill about the yard and scavenge than to feed in the henhouse – it just makes it a bit harder to find the eggs.
What a treat! What a treasure! What a legacy to carry on!
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Little House in the Weed Patch
Much progress has been made on our little house, and we are amazed at how quickly this is now coming together. Day 1 was on 10/2 and started with excavation. Here are some pictures showing how much has been completed in just 9 days!!
Below: the hole in the ground (sorry about the night-time photo) and one other sure sign that there are men at work:
Day 2: the footings are started; meanwhile, the trees all around are turning a lovely color and providing quite the view from our soon-to-be windows.
Day ?? (I haven't kept track very well) - A foundation and vapor barrier. On a side note - a beautiful sunrise glowing golden and lavender brought great joy this week.
This is all very exciting! I can't wait to be living there...finally! We are on track to be in before Christmas!! And I'm using a lot of exclamation points!! There will be more photos as things progress.
Below: the hole in the ground (sorry about the night-time photo) and one other sure sign that there are men at work:
Day 2: the footings are started; meanwhile, the trees all around are turning a lovely color and providing quite the view from our soon-to-be windows.
Day ?? (I haven't kept track very well) - A foundation and vapor barrier. On a side note - a beautiful sunrise glowing golden and lavender brought great joy this week.
And yesterday (day 9)...tada! Walls! At least on the 1st floor - one more floor to go!
Photo 1 - Hubby checking out the garage; Photo 2 - a view from the future backyard; Photo 3 - the view from the future family room windows; Photo 4 - I check out the 1/2 bath
This is all very exciting! I can't wait to be living there...finally! We are on track to be in before Christmas!! And I'm using a lot of exclamation points!! There will be more photos as things progress.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
A List of things that make me smile:
· The sound of snowflakes falling on a still night
· Singing along to Charlie Rich’s “Philadelphia Baby”
· The Snake River canyon
· Bacon
· Neutrogena healthy skin glow sheers
· Globe willows
· Singing Christmas Carols year-round
· Songbirds – there is a particular one, but I have yet to identify it
· The rhythm of a paddle
· Pinking shears
· Choxie
· Retractable cords
· Yellow tomatoes
· Tidy little spreadsheets
· Flipflops
· Refried beans
· Leaves crunching under my feet
· A new haircut
· Prescription sunglasses
· Home-made soup of any kind
· Singing along to Charlie Rich’s “Philadelphia Baby”
· The Snake River canyon
· Bacon
· Neutrogena healthy skin glow sheers
· Globe willows
· Singing Christmas Carols year-round
· Songbirds – there is a particular one, but I have yet to identify it
· The rhythm of a paddle
· Pinking shears
· Choxie
· Retractable cords
· Yellow tomatoes
· Tidy little spreadsheets
· Flipflops
· Refried beans
· Leaves crunching under my feet
· A new haircut
· Prescription sunglasses
· Home-made soup of any kind
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