Perfect September

The lazy days of summer are coming to an end. The exhausting heat of summer has passed and have been replaced by perfect temperatures. Darkness is falling earlier, yet the days are still long enough to pack in a lot of fun things. Tomatoes from the garden are ripe, and the zucchini crop (of the neighbor) is fantastic! Sudo has been here and continues to charm everyone around. What a doll! She robs the sunshine every day, soaking it up to her heart's content. September is the month when the roses start to bloom again; when we really enjoy walks in the park because it's now closed to campers and belongs to the local community again; and when we can fully eat "from the garden" with great satisfaction! The neighborhood children are back to school and the voice of the announcer at the high school football stadium can be heard in the community as he announces football plays on Friday nights. What is September like at your house?

Blueberry Picking

Our weather has been cool for mid-June, but our neighbors opened their blueberry patch right on schedule. Picking on the first day of U-picks means there are a lot of blueberries to choose from! Although it's the beginning of the season, the blueberries are sweet and ripe. How blessed we are to have organic blueberries available in our neighborhood! A bucket was picked for eating with a few saved for baking into a batch of scones. Super scrumptious. And the quiet tranquility of the lush, green blueberry patch was as good as going to the spa. Enjoy some visual tranquility as you scroll through the pictures below.

A Car Show & Community Spirit

May days are wonderful days. It's such a beautiful month. The weather is pleasant and the earth is starting to green up again. People that have been holed up all winter because of inclement weather are ready for interesting things to do outside. Communities plan parades, picnics, and events for many purposes, but I think one reason is so that we can have fun things to do!

Usually I share quilters "show and tell" here on my blog, but in all fairness to the guys in the family, I thought I'd share something that others in our community share and enjoy. Cars! 

Does this car remind you of youthful days?

Or how about this pretty white Mustang? Or the one below that is accented in red?

Such a cheerful interior! Red is the color of my true love's heart. I'm pretty sure that the interior of this Mustang has captured many a guy's heart as well.

And how about this purple paint job? It's gorgeous, but look!

It was the A & W tray and mugs that caught my attention. It was always a very special treat when I was a kid when Dad would take the family out to A & W for frosty root beers on a hot, summer night. We'd all jam into our little VW Bug and in later years the Ford Galaxy for an A & W  run. It was always a special occasion!

Brent enjoyed his casual walk around the park. He examined each vehicle and read each description of work done.

He ended up finding a friend and his car, and the tour ended there. He enjoyed a long visit and thorough examination of Doyce's first car. It is a beauty! 

What starts with quilting must end with quilting. Although there was not a quilting "show and tell", I spent time visiting with Doyce's wife about quilts, quilting, and quilt guild. What a pleasant day and such a nice way to share in some community spirit.

Fine Needlework

"And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and of scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework." 

Exodus 26:36

*A beautiful "star" quilt made by a quilt guild member. I love its asymmetrical balance.

Enchantment to the View

'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view, and robes the mountain in it's azure hue."


Thomas Campbell


Photo: a small town library nearby.

Quilting Bee

My friend, Karleen, has a creative approach to productivity. I quite like it! She says that the cold weather months are for quilting and the warm ones are for working in the garden. She does both with excellence, so I know it would be of benefit to me if I would heed her counsel. This winter she invited me to join our local, community quilt guild with her. What fun it has been! Local ladies meet once a month at the community grange where quilts are stitched. Family, friends, and community members benefit from all the busy stitching! There are some very gifted quilters in the bunch! A spirit of cooperation, sharing, teaching, and learning together is evident. And a lunchtime potluck is an added perk! As time goes on I'll share pictures of some of the quilts being made. I think you'll enjoy them. Stay tuned.

~ Click on the montage to make it full-size ~

The Longest Table and Shared Soup

The university that Rylan attends has an annual dinner that is unique and that helps the university students connect with community. The event is called "Longest Table' and brings together a crowd of more than 2,000 students and community members. The main street in town is closed off and one very long table it set up in the middle of the street. It stretches for many blocks. There are a variety of foods at this event, as each person who hosts a section of the table serves a menu that is unique to them, as well as table setting and centerpiece. Sometimes families go together to provide for a larger number of community members. For example, one group of three families got together to make a Mexican fair with a taco bar, salads, cream puffs, flan, and roasts. Another host family provided a lovely meal of sushi and other Japanese food and decor. Each hosts menu is different, but they are all tied together by being served on one long table. I just love the idea! What a way to share with others! And the cost to students and community members who attend is nothing! It is a community event that is designed to draw the students into the community and participants provide it as a volunteer service; a gift from the heart. 


This community service event reminds me of a story I used to read my boys when they were young. I believe that sharing stories that involve food are a great way to tie other subjects to cooking experiences and character development. Here is a story that can be used to teach cooperation, sharing, and self-reliance. It can also be used as a topic starter on problem solving. 


SHARE SOUP

Once upon a time there was a small village.  The sun was going down and it was dinner time. As usual, everyone was in his or her own little house thinking about the same thing --- what shall we have for dinner tonight?  But on this particular night everyone thought and thought for a very long time. There was a problem, and it was a problem that everyone shared. No one had enough food in his or her house to make a dinner. Everyone had the same problem!

Because this was a friendly little town where everyone knew everyone else, the word soon got around. Neighbors were talking about their problems with each other in the street, on front porches, and over back yard fences. They all agreed that something had to be done soon because everyone was getting very hungry.

There was a man in the town who happened to be a very good cook, and as he was thinking about this problem with his wife, she came up with the answer. "We will make a new and different kind of soup called Share Soup, and you will direct the cooking," she said. Her husband thought this was a wonderful idea that his wife had, and as the townspeople in the village found out about the idea they became more and more excited and happy. But what was Share Soup, they asked? The man's wife explained, "Share Soup is a soup you make with a big pot of water and every one's share of food.  If everyone brings their little share of food from home, we can make one big delicious soup for everyone. I call it Share Soup." 

"First we'll need a large pot," he said. The people brought the largest pot they could find. "And now," the man said, "water to fill the pot and a fire to heat it." It took many buckets of water to fill the pot. A fire was built on the main street of the town and the pot was set to boil.

"Soup needs salt and dried herbs," said the man. He began to stir and the children ran to get salt and dried herbs.

"Salt and dried herbs make good soup, but if there were carrots it would taste much better."

"I think I have some carrots," said one woman, and she ran home. She came back with a handful of carrots and put them in the pot.

"Share Soup should really have some cabbage," said one man, and he returned soon with a big head of cabbage which he cut up and put in his pot.

"How I wish we had some potatoes and onions; then this soup would be the most delicious soup ever," the man said. Some children remembered where they'd seen some and hurried home to get them.

A delicious soup --- and all from some water and every one's share of food. It seemed like magic! As the man stirred the soup he thought, "If we had a little rice and a cup of milk, this soup would be the best soup in the whole world." More people ran home to get a little milk and rice. Soon everyone from the town had put in his or her share of food. 

The man who was such a good cook stirred and stirred the soup while everyone watched happily. And then the soup was ready.

"Everyone gets a taste," said the man. "But first, let's set the tables." Great big tables were place in the main street. All around were lighted candles. Such a soup! How good it smelled! It really was the best soup anyone in the town had ever tasted!

*Adapted from Stone Soup, by Marcia Brown

A Sermon in a Loaf of Bread

"In a sermon on the feeding of the five thousand by our Lord, a minister lately spoke of the lad who brought the barley loaves and the woman who made them. Little did she think as she pounded the grain, and mixed the dough, and tempered the heat of the oven, that her loaves were to feed the gathered companies, who sat down in orderly ranks on the green grass, and were refreshed by a meal presided over by Christ. As little do we know whereunto one small act of ours may grow. The obscure agents in this world are oftener stronger than those which are seen."

~

Signs 5/29/1884

Be Gentle, Share Caring

"Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children
of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others
lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past
your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices
no more easily made. And give, give in any way you can, of whatever
you posses. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less
for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have
meaning and your heart will have peace."

~Kent Nerburn~

 Our world is full of many opportunities to share.  Needs are great, as natural and man-made disasters are wreaking havoc on the lives of many.  I encourage you to consider sharing gentleness and care with those less fortunate.  Here are a few legitimate organizations that are accepting donations that will be used responsibly in helping meet the needs of victims in disaster areas.

ADRA
Samaritan's Purse
American Red Cross

Art in the Park

Gentle breezes from the river and the coolness of tall trees buffered the heat for those attending the a local arts and crafts show in the park. People came in hordes to attend this annual event. Handmade jewelry, pottery, garments, aprons, lawn ornaments, photography, paintings, crocheted hats, soaps, linens, and more, more, more. How very creative some people can be! Chatting with vendors and visiting with friends from the community was an added bonus to this artistic day for many.

Do you have an annual arts and crafts show in your community? Do you attend? Do you sell your wares there? What are your favorites? Is this something you look forward to each year? I'd love to know! Please share. . .

Summertime at the Park

Summer temperatures have arrived! And with those temperatures, people from far and near arrive in our community to camp at the park. Winter walks are quiet, with a few eagles soaring overhead as we walk the paths, and a squirrel here and there observing us along the way. But in the summertime, everything changes! The park becomes a community in and of itself! Campers, motor homes, and tents become dwellings of happy groups of people. The smell of smoky campfires and hot dogs roasting fills the air. Happy sounds of children laughing and people talking create a cacophony of noise. It's during these times that we become observers of others who love our park and make it theirs. The park becomes host to special events like weddings, family reunions, holiday picnics, and a meeting place for friends. Memories are made, and for each memory made, the park becomes an important place in the history of those who inhabited it. Observation is fun as we walk the campground loop, but by the time autumn arrives, we will be ready to take our park back, walking in quietness with only the sounds of nature to keep us company.

The Farm Chicks

Under the guise of going grocery shopping and buying seed packets for our gardens, Karleen and I went to the supermarket. It was a neighborly thing to do.


But tucked in our cart was a book recently purchased. It was the "Farm Chicks in the Kitchen" cookbook! Along with all the regular supermarket advertising in the newspaper and fliers was word that the "Farm Chicks" were coming to town and would be having a book signing event.


As a reader who enjoys "Country Living" magazine (a place they have been featured many times) and as a friend of Paula from Elm Street (she loves the "Farm Chicks"), it seemed that meeting the "Farm Chicks" would be something that would spice up the day, the week, the month, the year!


And it did! Karleen and I were there early and the lines were short. Teri and Serena were friendly, cheerful, and informative. It was fun to chat and learn from them. They are true country gals --- with a genuine down-home friendliness.


Their books were displayed nearby, ready for eager buyers. The pages within are filled with great country recipes and wonderful kitchen and craft ideas. The book begins with the life story of both Teri and Serena; human-interest blurbs about their growing up years which set the stage for their "Farm Chickness" in later years.


I especially enjoy the story of how they met. One time Teri was preparing dinner when Sister Kathleen called about a new woman to their church. She needed a sponsor. Would Teri be willing to mentor her? She was, and the rest is history. A beautiful friendship developed between Teri and Serena --- and a multitude of creative ventures and ideas resulted from that simple phone call.


Soon they were not only cooking and preserving together, but going off on junking adventures in search of antiques and memorabilia to satisfy their home decorating urge. Eventually they had 'too much stuff' and had their first yard sale in a neighbor's yard. From there the fun continued and continues still with "The Farm Chicks Antique Show" that is held each year.


My cookbook is now duly autographed by both Serena and Teri. I'm enjoying reading the recipes and preparing to try some of them in my own kitchen. Intermingled with recipes and kitchen tips are great stories of their lives and the lives of those they meet as they venture to new places in search for antiques and more. Sprinkled throughout the pages I've also found terrific ideas that will satisfy any one's creative urge! Instructions for vintage aprons made from old sheets, and a scone cozy that is perfect for afternoon tea, ideas for shelf trims, and directions to make food covers --- and much, much more --- are treasures tucked here and there between sections of recipes and lore.


Their book is on my 'most highly recommended' list --- and they are on my 'even higher recommended' list as ladies of farm charm, well deserving of the name "Farm Chicks".

You may visit Teri's and Serena's website and blog easily by clicking on my "Friends of Gracious Hospitality" blog roll. They have been on my blog roll for awhile --- thanks to Paula from Elm Street and her enthusiastic recommendation of their creative expertise.

To Teri and Serena, it was great to meet you! Happy trails to you as you continue teaching others to live well, laugh often, and cook much!

Photos copyright@LaTeaDah2009

Future Farmers of America

Our rural local high school has a strong student leadership group called Future Farmers of America. As one of the Vocational Clubs of America, it provides many opportunities for students in the agriculture program to gain hands-on experience and education in the plant and animal sciences, horticulture, forestry, and agrimarketing. FFA provides a place for students to practice their leadership skills and gain experience in supervised agriculture career experiences through business.

Each year our local group has a two-day plant sale, just in time for spring planting. Enthusiastic students plant and tend to tomatoes, peppers, coleus, geraniums, petunias, pansies, dahlias, marigolds, and more. Their plants are well tended and healthy! Last Friday I attended their sale; it had been such a great success that they'd sold about 3/4 of their stock by the time I got there. Reasonable prices of thirty to fifty cents a plant attracted many from the local community and afar. Armed with four flats of beautiful plants, my work has just begun! Today tomatoes were planted --- tomorrow the rest.

Supporting Our Communities

Our youth are our future! Supporting them in their productive activities is vital! Cheering them on when they participate in sports, community service events, or on school projects is so important! Have you affirmed a young person today?

Go Josh!

Josh, doing his job on the court, in the midst of an exciting game! Go Josh!

A Watchful Eye

Josh and team-mates may be sidelined for a short rest during the game, their attention and focus has not left the game! Intent, interested, and engaged. . .they are ready to jump back in at a moments notice and bring their team to victory!

Basketball photos by: Rylan
Featuring: Josh