Local Fare

Thanks to Hugh Hallums for fresh cantaloupes!  We had them for breakfast as a succulent side to our farm fresh eggs. 

Can breakfast be better than FRESH eggs from your own hen house?  Yes, the brown ones.  Oh, wait, I forgot there are people who gag at the thought of eating a brown egg, LOL!  They're usually the same people who willingly eat food from restaurants cooked by someone who's had their hands down their pants.  They think eggs are picked from bushes and don't come out of chickens. 

Our girls are laying enough now to freeze some...got a awesome link from a friend, Khadija in Yemen:  http://www.expendableedibles.com/blog/blog/egg-sicles-the-freshest-eggs-when-youve-run-out-of-eggs/ 

Is that little jar cute or what?



Since our corn is late.  I mean really late-- ran up to the farmer's market yesterday and grabbed a couple of dozen ears of Silver Queen.  This was my father-in-law, Mr. Arno's all-time favorite.  Once, I told him that the bicolor corn was real popular and we might plant some.  He said he didn't need to plant anything but Silver Queen because nothing would be better.  I have to say...last night's supper was one of the best because of the Queen. 

Local in my own home:  When you got a boy who wants to unload the dishwasher even before the dishes are washed, life is a merry-go-round.  Are the dishes clean?  Are the dishes dirty?  Who knows? 

Aha Moment!  A sign on the front indicating "dirty."  Ok, Boy, when you see this sign, do NOT put the dishes in the cabinets.  Read the sign.  See no need for a "clean" sign.  If there's no sign, it's okay to unload them.

Peace restored to the kitchen.  Smart gadget, the magnetized bottle opener that sticks to dishwashers as well as refrigerators!

 

Lessons From the Country Garden

I have met the enemy, and she is a Wild Morning Glory!

My tomatoes were being strangled by masses of these wild wines.

I think there are so many Bible parables about farming for a reason.  Growing food is a lesson in life.

This morning I thought about separating the wheat from the chaff at the harvest.  If you start pulling weeds too soon, before you see any fruit, you might pull up the good stuff along with the chaff.  When I plant little seeds in the ground, that's a lesson I've learned.  Wait until you can tell which is the weed and which is the produce.

But the Morning Glories this morning made me think of a different Life Lesson.  I had to get down to the ground and find where those enemies came out of the soil.  Yank 'em up by their roots.  If you only tear them from your food yielding plants, they will continue to grow and choke them over and over.

 And  indeed Morning Glories are pretty flowers. 

And this is the life lesson here. 

How many non-fruit-bearing people or things in this life are beautiful but deadly...and their flowers give them away? 

A beauty that will provide nothing for my table.

A Scarlet Runner pretty girl who will give us beans at harvest.

The Morning Glory vine is hard to tell from the Scarlet Runners...until they flower.  Then the difference is stark. 

Further...they cannot be grown together in the same spot.  The Morning Glory is a tough broad who will choke everything within reach.  Hmmmm...a pure evil beauty.

Likewise, the cucumber is a vining plant also, but the leaves become bigger and thicker as it grows and spreads out.  This morning the Morning Glories had attacked the fence where the cukes had lodged.  I have baby pickles hanging on those vines that my sweet son Jeff loves. 

As of this minute, there is not one Wild Morning Glory in either of my gardens. 

I will remove that deadly beauty even if I have to sacrifice a few desirable fruits, so the greater good can flourish. 

Beauty is many times only skin deep but vigorous in its quest to strangle out good. 

Watch out for Wild Morning Glories in your life's garden.



My Spot

Living in the country, in a smallish community--at least compared to b-i-g communities--it's easier to identify your spot. 

On my spot, I'm allowed to grow tomatoes.  And anything else I want, if it's legal of course. 

I know people who aren't allowed to grow tomatoes in their spot they paid for.  Interesting.

Soon I'll be brewing homemade pasta sauce in my spot and saving some for winter so I can still get a taste of fresh tomatoes.  It's a simple and wonderful treat for yourself.  It makes me feel good to know I made it myself from my own garden. 

But today I'm waiting for more red tomatoes and thinking of the story I might write about spots like mine all over the world.  Small communities.  What will happen at some future time...maybe sooner than later...when people in these small community spots can take care of themselves much better than people who can't do it in their spots that they paid for.  

Think of the things you can do if...
   ... if you lose your electricity.
   ... or your gas and fuel.
   ... if stores run out of food.
   ... if there's no fresh water
   ... if the banks closed

So many other things that could  happen.  That's what my story idea is. 

First, though, I have to finish some other writing projects, but I'm thinking of thise idea a lot.  And I'm asking other people how they will deal with emergecies like the above in their spots.  What would you do in your spot?

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Schmidt Family Apricot Pie Recipe

Copied here verbatim from the old recipes of the Schmidt sisters.  Lots of people asked for this recipe.

Schmidt Family Apricot Pie
From Inez Binkley & Lenore Frey recipes

5 egg yolks
2 c. sugar
2 c. milk
1/2 stick butter
6 Tbsp. flour
3 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp orange flavoring
1/2 tsp salt
apricots (dried)
2 unbaked pie crusts

Use a stainless steel or glass pot because the apricots are a very acidic fruit.  Cook slowly in open pot 6 or 8 oz. pack of apricots until tender.  If they don't cook tender, then put a lid on pot.  Cooking in an open pot seems to give better flavor.  Add salt and 1 cup sugar.  Mash and set aside. 

Then beat egg yolks and 1-1/2 cups sugar. 

Mix flour with other 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water.

 Add soft butter to egg yolk mixture. 

Then add the flour and other ingredients.  Salt to taste. 

To cut the acid in apricots, add 2 Tbsp. Custard Mix.  Divide apricots in half;  put a half in each of two pie crusts.

The custard can be poured cold on top of apricots, but if the custard is heated first, the pies will bake faster. 

Bake at 350 degrees until custard is set. 

Save the egg whites for the meringue.  Use 2 Tbsp. sugar to each egg white.  Use a pinch of cream of tartar in egg whites to prevent shrinkage.  Beat to soft peaks and spread on pies

"Nature Speaks" and Soon Published Ebook

This morning my article, "Use Your Life’s Soundtrack to Write Scrapbook Stories and Memoir, Part 3,
went out over the net waves from Women's Memoirs.com. 
 
Part 1 was about the The Music, the songs that mark your travel through life, highlighting the ups and downs. 
 
Part 2 speaks to those human voices you heard as a child, during your formative, growing years, your teens and young adult years.  The voices of family, friends, political leaders, teachers, who shaped you into who you are today.
 
Anyone interested in leaving stories for children, grandchildren, in scrapbook albums, and those writing memoir, can use these articles to spark ideas, to shine another light on a life story.  Journalers will find fodder here too for spicing up their daily logs.  
 
In several weeks, Women's Memoirs will publish my ebook, and if you will click to "follow" my blog, you will receive one of the first copies free.  The ebook chapters feature simple photo layout ideas along with ideas for writing the important stories that accompany your pictures. 

The Vitriol Factor

Two of the hardest things for me to understand are hatred and discrimination. 

Presently, the airwaves still vibrate over the "vitriol" factor connected with the trajic shooting in Tuscon last Saturday.

I was heartened this morning with the news that Congresswoman Giffords is holding her own.  All that I've seen on the news about her tells me she is a fighter.  Her goal was to help her country, make it a better place.  Hopefully, now, she still has that goal, and coming back from a bullet in the head is the first step in that direction.  I call that a hero.

But the arguments are deepening.  Does the hatred spewed by politicians, radio personalities, and Fox TV fuel violence? 

Obviously, the persons most responsible for vomiting the bitter bile over America and the rest of the world are denying the validity of the statement.  As I wrote Saturday evening on this blog, I would not take that action.  I'd said that if I were Sarah Palin, I would let the world see that I was human.  I'd play the humble card. 

If...  A big IF.  If I wanted to be respected as a serious contender for leadership. 

If I were one of those TV guys spewing the gutter filth over every living thing on the planet, infecting and attaching to the less-than intelligent hosts, the last thing I would do at this moment in time is continue the same old, same old.  A critically wounded young woman lies in the hospital.  A little girl did not wake up this morning to go to school because she was mortally and savagely shot down Saturday, as were five other United States citizens,

I would pay respect. 

But they can't do that.  The money might quit flowing in.  Yes,  hate and discrimination pay well. 

The more disgusting you become, the higher the salary.  This day, right now, given the fact innocent lives were taken in the worst way and one of our leaders is hanging on to life, the TV and radio personalities will make more hard cash than usual if they play on this tragedy.   

I will always wonder how others can listen to what I consider to be intolerable.  In order for me to appreciate life and retain an inner peace, be willing to see good in others, I have to guard against what I allow into my brain.  You take filth in; you'll put filth out. 

Another Bill Cosby truth:  "People who hurt, hurt." 

I just love that man, Cosby. 

People who feel bad about themselves make other people feel bad too.  People who are ashamed of themselvers want to shame everyone else. 

People who live in darkness want everyone to live in darkness.

Tuscon Terror

Can domestic terrorism be defined by a deranged young man loading up his Glock and heading off to the neighborhood grocery to off a few politicians and anybody else he can take down?

Or will it be insanity?

We'll know when it goes to court.  Could be awhile.

When big things happen, I write.  I have to get it out of me.  This one, since yesterday, was growing like an ulcer all day in the pit of my stomach, and I knew what would cure it.  I had to spill it out.  My thoughts.  My wonderings.  My sadness.  It's how I work through it and figure it out as I go.  It's how I handle big things.

And the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the others is a big thing.

And you don't have to agree with me.  It's still America.  Right now a lot of people are second-guessing Freedom of Speech, but not me.  I do think we can play nice, however.

I've read a lot over the last two days.  Couldn't keep up with the tweets last night, they were coming faster than I could down-scroll.  The discussion landed instantly, almost as soon as the shots were fired, on the "vitriol" factor, and I  believe first used by Sheriff Dupnik.

And then one just has to think about this.  Really think about it.  Isn't that what level-headed people are supposed to do? 

So I just kept reading.  Both sides.  And then it started getting nasty.  Research is something I've been trained to do.  It's mandatory, when writing that is. 

The conclusions I've come to--at this point:

Number one is that Sarah Palin didn't put the gun in Jared Loughner's hand.  Nor do I feel her over-the-top language prompted his actions.  But since her name has already been brought up, just let me say I think she's an embarrassment to our country.  She's even an embarrassment to her own party.  The dignified members of her party. 

But, hey, I thought this before the Tuscon terror happened yesterday.  I thought it when I saw she was trying to be vice-president.  I'd love a woman president.  But she didn't know the stuff she was supposed to know to get that job.  I've had to get jobs in my life, and I never tried to get one I didn't know how to perform.  That wouldn't have been good for the employer or for me. 

Nothing personal, mind you, but she has just kept at it ever since then.  At least on my TV in my house.  And on my Twitter and my Facebook.  And her friends, they amaze me too.  They say some of the most unintelligent stuff, and it always has to do with hate and embarrassing stuff like that for our country.  I mean, they hate just about everybody.  Have you noticed?  Poor people, black people. 

Right now, you know, Sarah's name and reputation are all over the place.  Is she going to even say anything about this?  I would.  You bet I would.  I'd be out there so fast in front of the cameras, tweeting, facebooking, UTubing, and please tell me she's not on MySpace, and I'd be saying, "Look, I didn't think anyone would actually think those crosshairs were for the real thing.  I feel terrible. "  And so on and so on.  You know, convince the people of your humility or something!   

Sure, it's a bad coincidenc that one of her map targets got a hole blown in her head  A very, very bad coincidence.  If you're a Sarah supporter, I don't mean this personally--remember, "play fair"--but they're showing clips on every TV station of Gabrielle Giffords talking about the threats due to the health care issue and how she felt about being in the "crosshairs." 

As Bill Cosby says, "Come on, People!" 

Did she scrub-scrub-scrub Twitter?  I don't know.  I couldn't find the one about the crosshairs last night, and neither could anybody else.  Why would she (or obviously one of her staff) do that?  Why? 

Instead of using a soap bucket and brush, she could have been--can I say it?  Real.  Yes, she could have at least "played" real.  It ain't right, Sarah Baby, it ain't right.

I have to go along with one Facebooker last night:  "She done.  Done, done, done."  'nuff said.

Number two is about the freedom of speech thingy.  I've never really written anything much about Bill Clinton, but I feel this made sense:

"Words matter: [W]hat we learned from Oklahoma City is not that we should gag each other or reduce our passion from the positions we hold -- but that the words we use really do matter, because there's this vast echo chamber and they go across space and they fall on the serious and the delirious alike. They fall on the connected and the unhinged alike.. [N]o law can replace personal responsibility. And the more power you have and the more influence you have, the more responsibility you have...And what we advocate commensurate with our position and responsibility, we have to take responsibility for. We owe that to Oklahoma City..." 

Now, before I go any further, yes, he did say that "fairytale" crap about Obama winning more votes than wife Hiliary, but it wasn't as bad as what we're dealing with today, as far as name-calling and all that.

Key words:  "Take responsibility for."  I would so love to see a day in my lifetime when those in high position in our government would take responsibility for their free speech.  Because I do believe with that great right endowed to us comes responsibility. 

The last presidential race comes to mind.  You may not like Barach Obama, but remember back, if you will.  I don't recall him calling the other side the AntiChrist.  I don't recall him calling John McCain anything but a brave war hero.  I thought there for a moment, naive as I am, maybe this could be the start of something.  You know, maybe it would rub off. 

Yeah, like that'll happen.  It's a disgrace, though, that it didn't.  As my Dad use to word things, "A crying shame.  That's what it is." 

That's what it is, Dad.  That's still what it is.

I would like to think that people everywhere, all people, would see the senselessness of this January 8th, 2011, trajedy and think.  Think hard.  Think about what it would be like in these United States if we didn't have to hear those viscious, angry voices shouting constantly.  It's politics.  Of course, with two parties, at least for now, they're on opposite ends of the table.  But don't you just see how inflammatory it gets every year, every month, every week? 

Could ya just let your people know?  I'd appreciate it.

History of Back Road Churches, Brawling & Liquor

I discovered how the name Coopertown came about.  Robertson County was the largest whiskey supplier in the area, and the barrels were made by men called "coopers."  Interesting.  Amidst all of the little churches surrounding this entire area of the South, the liquor industry thrived. 

Last week, I wrote about Dr. Farris Moore, a famous preacher in these hills and valleys.  My book will tell stories from the local folks out here who've known him all of their lives.  I love hearing old stories.  That's what made me want to write when I was a kid.  I thrived on the tales the adults told late at night on our front stoop in Cincinnati's inner city.  I kept a low profile so I wouldn't get sent to bed with the little kids. 

Now here I am in Tennessee and still hearing and writing stories.  I love this home in the country and feel like God placed me here for a reason. 

Doing some work at the County Archives this week and no telling what I'll pull up about this little hamlet. 

Coopertown has become a spot on the map over the last few years because of the town's "Boss Hawg" Mayor.  Under his leadership, Coopertown became  "...one of the more blatant examples of speed traps" in the country by a spokesperson for the National Motorists Association (NMA)."  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coopertown,

 "Hawg" instructed his officers to target speeders on a stretch of highway who were either Hispanics or Fort Campbell military.  He figured both groups would sooner pay the price of the ticket as to show up in court, the Hispanics, he reasoned, because they were probably all illegal aliens

The speeding tickets were known to cost as much as $300 and paid for this tiny community's abundance of police officers whose only job was to catch more speeders.  A sign located at the interstate ramps on Highway 49, where the speed dropped suddenly from 50 to 35, read "We Love Our Children."  Hmmm, dontcha know how many little kids are playing at big intersections these days?

The town's sheriff appealed the 2006 Tennessee State outster writ, which was granted by the Appeals Court despite the "accurately characterized conduct" by the trial court. 

Next election, voters ousted "Boss" at the polls. 

With a new sheriff, fewer patrol cars wait behind every bush, but I'll still advise you--if you come to Coopertown, watch out.  There are still a few lurking where you least expect.