Love of the Land

Can't you just hear the swing creaking and the screen door slamming in this wonderful painting by Duane Bryers? A trip over to the farm this week brought back that familiar "Home Sweet Home" feeling. We were there to mow and spray weeds, a work day so there was no time for porch sitting or moon gazing but I have those memories tucked away and they will never fade!

Our Grandson went with us and mowed the yard, hard work for a 12 year old! Gavin has inherited a love of the land, not sure how that happens when you've been a city kid all your life! He begs to go with us and wants to help out with the work involved. I wonder if farm life may be in his future. It suited my Grandparents, they chose that lifestyle while Grandpa's brothers and sisters moved to California during those Depression years for better wages.

I've heard my Mother time and again tell about when her parents bought a wheat thresher to help them with the harvest. They took great pride in this piece of machinery that made their lives so much easier.

Until they were able to buy the thresher, hay rakes were used to harvest the wheat.... can you imagine?

This instruction manual was in the top of one of the closets, it didn't take me long to locate the pictures of the delivery day of this much anticipated machine!

 This had to be either the banker or the salesman... a suit and farm work don't exactly go together! Grandpa is in the background.

 Here Grandma and her cousin show how easy it is to operate this big rig!

Today's farmers face many challenges, costs for producing crops are astronomical with the price of corn and gasoline, not to mention farm equipment. When I look at these pictures, I am in awe of the strength my Grandparents must have had to run their farm. Really it was just the two of them, and somehow they managed. We've come a long way, American farmers feed the world. Quite an accomplishment!

Home Sweet Home

We moved a lot when our daughters were growing up. I've counted before, 18 addresses in 45 years. Not enough time to put down roots with many of the houses. Home should always be that place where memories are made. It has to be much more than four walls to feel like home and a Mother's job is to add the ingredients needed to make the warm and fuzzies.

If you reach back into your childhood those feelings are stirred when you remember how you felt in the security of those walls. It wrapped around you like a blanket and protected you from the outside world. I can remember my bedroom...the wallpaper was pink roses. I can see the white curtains moving gently with the cool breezes from a south window. It was an old house, on the corner of Summit and Division with a big wrap-around porch. Mom had the banisters full of pots of begonias and impatiens and ferns. I would set out in the swing and watch as neighbors mowed their lawns or walked to the neighborhood market. Inside, Mom was almost always in the kitchen cooking.

Since our daughters are eight years apart, their strongest memories would most likely be two separate houses. For Stephanie the house on Birch in Harrison is where she learned to ride a bike, celebrated many birthdays and wondered how Santa got in the house Christmas Eve since we didn't have a fireplace! For Amy the house at Horseshoe Bend is where she lost her first tooth, learned to swim and played long summer days with our dog Lizzie. It's not far from here, if you go by boat it's only a few coves away. It seems like such a long time ago that we lived on that little farm, 25 years can seem like an eternity while feeling like a "blink ago."

Every house had celebrations...holidays with family gathered, sleepovers with best friends and private "alone in their bedroom" time when they played and pretended and grew up. 

In their heart and minds will forever be the color of that bedroom or the pictures in the hallway. Etched in their memories are playing house or riding their bikes or just setting and dreaming about their future.

Home is as simple as the front door...

...or the sound of the doorbell~

It's that feeling of welcome and being the most important thing in your parents' lives. That is what being a Mother is, and a Father too. Forever that bond that never goes away, only gets stronger. Even when we are separated we hold those memories most dear.

Homemade Hummingbird Nectar and Cherry-O Cheesecake

I see the Bluebirds are back and busy making their nests in all the birdhouses around the yard. My father-in-law made all of our's and they are beginning to show their age. Birds aren't too picky about the condition of the house, but it needs to be free of last years' nest and have a good roof that will keep the eggs and mama dry while she's setting. Think about location when you place a birdhouse, a secluded area at the edge of your yard is perfect. Depending on where you live, consider the sun and whether it will warm the birdhouse on chilly mornings or be too hot for the new family growing inside. We keep our feeders up year round, it's fun to watch the many beautiful birds throughout the year.

It's time to put the hummingbird feeders out again. I love watching the little hummers each morning as they crowd the feeder that hangs just outside our kitchen window! They arrive in the South as early as March. You can see where they are right now by looking at the map here.

Hummingbird Nectar:

1 part white cane sugar

4 parts water

Store unused syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. This is the best recipe since it closely resembles the nectar of many wildflowers. Don't try to use honey or brown sugar and it's not necessary to use red food coloring to attact the birds. Keep the feeder clean, wash out with hot water- no soap- each time you refill.

                       In the kitchen this week, Grandson Gavin's favorite...

Cherry-O Cheesecake

from EagleBrand.com
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 or 9-inch) prepared graham cracker or baked pie crust
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling, chilled
BEAT cream cheese until fluffy in large bowl. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla.
POUR into crust; chill 4 hours or until set. Top with desired amount of cherry pie filling before serving.

TOPPING VARIATIONS
BLUEBERRY: Omit cherry pie filling. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in medium bowl; mix well. Add 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice then 2 cup fresh or dry-pack frozen blueberries, thawed; mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes or until thick and clear. Cool 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool 15 minutes. Spread over pie. Chill thoroughly.
CRANBERRY: Omit cherry pie filling. Combine 1/3 cups sugar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in medium saucepan. Add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water and 2 cups fresh or dry-pack frozen cranberries; mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Spread over pie. Chill thoroughly.
FRESH FRUIT: Omit cherry pie filling. Just before serving, arrange well-drained fresh strawberries, banana slices (dipped in lemon juice and well drained) and blueberries on top of chilled pie. Brush fruit with light corn syrup if desired.
AMBROSIA: Omit cherry pie filling. Combine 1/2 cup Smucker's® Peach or Apricot Preserves, 1/4 cup flaked coconut, 2 tablespoons orange juice and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in small saucepan; cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat. Arrange fresh orange sections over top of pie; top with coconut mixture. Chill thoroughly.

PRINT RECIPE

Time Out

We like to sit outside under the trees after supper and relax on lazy weekends, just enjoying the sounds of summer. I allow myself to just sit there, literally thinking about nothing...content to listen to the crickets and watch the fireflies do their magical dance. I sit there totally relaxed and happy.
 

There is something about the “great outdoors” that seems to put all things in perspective. It's good to slow down our lives and breath in all that is right with the world. Sometimes it feels like the world just wants us to absorb the negative. Newspapers and TVs blast it at us.
 

After a time out, it's easier to let go of the little things, allowing them to just pass by and not getting hung up on the things that aren’t quite right. There are so many things in my life that are right. Things like the joy that our kids and grandsons bring us, good health and a marriage that has endured the test of time.
 

So fix yourself a glass of iced tea and go outside after supper tonight, just to listen to the sound of the crickets singing their "Summer Song!"

Recycling plants

via

It's that time of year when the days are getting shorter. When we roll back the clocks in November, winter has set in and we are in for a long season of dreary days. Old Man Winter stays a long time here, coming as early as late September and staying around until early June. Sometimes we think he will NEVER leave! The only way I make it thorough without going crazy, is the hope that houseplants give me! I've already started re-potting some of my summer annuals to bring inside. There are many that do well in a sunny location in your house... impatiens, begonias, spider plants and ferns. You'd be surprised how happy they can make you feel when the days are cold and blustery! One of my favorite houseplants is the Christmas Cactus. It's orchid like blooms put on a show from late November through Christmas.

via

They come in almost any color... I love the pinks and reds since they bloom at just the right time to add color to my holiday decorating! Easy to care for, they tolerate low light conditions in the house. All summer long I keep mine on our shady patios, other than a little plant food and a spritz of water, they are on their own... summer vacation for them and me! When nights begin to cool, I bring them inside and take away their plant food letting the soil dry between waterings. Until buds start forming, they like low light. I keep mine in the living room. Once the buds start to open, move them to a light location, not direct sun though. Favorite places near windows are perfect... bookcases, bedside tables, mantles, kitchen bars, even on the side of your tub if it's near a window! If you have a cool house, they will bloom for as long as 6 weeks! Once it's finished with it's show, move to a sunny place until summer arrives and it's time for their vacation on the patio!

via

I learned from Mom that summer's annuals can easily be moved indoors and enjoyed, only to recycle the next summer... and the next summer... and the next summer! She moved her ferns, wandering jew and swedish ivy inside every year and enjoyed them all winter long. The ferns set in the coolest part of our house, a foyer that was shut off from the main house with french doors. There was enough light from the rooms that came off of that hallway to keep them in a semi-dormant state all winter long. It must have kept them from doing the leaf drop that mine are prone to each winter. My house is simply too warm so I keep our ferns in the garage. Since it's well insulated, they do just fine.

via

I love a plant that gives me a plant, the Ivy leafed Geraniums that you may have bought this summer can be "wintered over." They are a trailing plant and by the end of the season are often overgrown and rootbound. You can simply give them a haircut, taking off all but 6-8 inches of growth, then set the pot in a cool place with weekly waterings until early spring. For us, that's March. Then you remove from the pot and slice off the bottom 1/3 of the soil to get the tangle of roots. Divide up into pots of three plants, keep them watered and in a light place until temperatures warm and you can move them outside.

via

Some of the plants that you can easily propagate are Spider (Chlorophytum comosum), Philodendron and almost any ivy. Just snip, plant and water! 

via

Hands down, my favorite houseplant is an African violet. Somewhere along the way, African violets got the reputation of being temperamental. Given a bright window and a drink of fertilized water they will fill your home with blooms all year long. I love the lacy white edged purples and the double bloomed plants, they remind me of Mrs. Freeman. She had her collection on a large table near a dining room window, they were the first thing you'd see as you walked into her house on Summit. No matter how much snow was on the ground, those violets were blooming!

I know I'll be glad I moved all those plants inside once the snowflakes start to fall and I'm on the inside more. It will make winter bearable and give me the hope that springtime will come again and I can dig in the dirt! 

via

Speaking of "dirt," here's a great recipe for Ghosts in the Graveyard Cake. This one is from Kraft Foods and is so easy! You can Make and Take in less than 30 minutes, so SAVE for that emergency dessert that you may be needing in the next few weeks. Click HERE for the recipe!

Support Local Farmers

The price of eating fresh fruits and vegetables has really gotten out of hand this year, this summer's drought across the nation has put a death grip on costs associated with food production. That not only includes grain of all kinds, but the transportation costs associated with shipping our food to market. From farm to table, it's an expensive process.

One way we can save on costs is buying local. Farmer's Markets are a great way to find the freshest fruits and vegetables in your area and you are helping a farmer with each and every purchase.

Have you seen okra in your grocery store this summer? Me neither. It's almost impossible to buy here unless you know someone who grows it. A southern staple in the summertime, we cut it up and give it a dip in cornmeal before we fry it crispy. Served with fish and cornbread, for those that love it, this is as close to Heaven as you can get!

Late gardens are bringing on a flood of turnips, greens, winter squash, carrots and beets. The great thing about these are their "keeping quality." If you have a cool place to store, they will last for a long time.

Cabbage is another great fall vegetable, taking only 80 days to maturity it can be planted in mild weather states in late summer. A visit to the Farmer's Co-op to pick up a tray of fall seedlings will give you the head start you need to keep that garden going! Fall really is the best time to plant.

I came across this great idea the other day on Vegetable Gardener... growing a hill of potatoes in laundry baskets from the Dollar Store! Yes, this does work and it produces about 8-10 pounds per basket. You simply add soil, seed potatoes and then keep topping it off each week with more soil as they grow. Some people say they lined the basket with straw or burlap and that helped keep the soil from coming out the sides. 

Earlier this spring, we were having a problem with black tree ants. I noticed greater numbers outside on the patios, then on the decks and one day they had somehow found their way into the house. At first only one or two crawling across the carpet. I know it only takes a small crack for a bug to enter your home, so I began my search. In no time, I saw a large number of them in the upstairs windowsill. It was closed and locked but somehow they were getting in. I had a spray and used it along the sill, that killed the ones there in no time. But what about the great numbers I was seeing outside under the oak trees? 

A quick call to Richard at the Farmer's Co-op and he had a solution for me. Diatomaceous Earth. Ever heard of it? It's actually a natural product from the ocean.

The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of the insects' exoskeleton, causing them to dehydrate. They die in a very short time, usually hours after application. That's exactly what happened after I applied a light dusting around the oak trees where I saw great numbers of the ants. The good news is that Diatomaceous Earth was poison free, pets coming in contact with the powder couldn't get sick. In fact they could actually lick it and it would work the same magic on intestinal pests! Watch the video and you will be amazed at this natural occurring marine settlement that's beneficial for so many uses!

One more thing you may want to add to your fall planting list is garlic. Simple and easy to grow, you probably have everything you need in the kitchen right now! That is, if you cook with fresh garlic. It's convenient to have the bottle of minced garlic in the fridge, but nothing tastes as good as fresh in my opinion. The bulbs I buy in the produce section last for a a good month, maybe longer. That's pretty good for shelf life! But having some growing in a sunny place in your yard is even better. Mother Earth News says planting garlic in the fall produces full sized bulbs that have more flavor. About a month before the ground freezes, place the single cloves of garlic in a sunny part of your garden, about 2" deep. Mulch well and then let Mother Nature slowly grow you a bumper crop of garlic!

It was 57 degrees at my house this morning, cool enough to get me thinking about fall desserts! I found this great recipe on Pinterest this week and it's making the trip to Texas with me... I bet it will be a big hit with my kids!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

2 cups crushed gingersnap crumbs

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 (8oz) packages of cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 large eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter cut into pieces

caramel sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 8″x8″ glass pan with foil, be sure to cover the sides, you are going to use this to lift the cheesecake out of the pan.

Combine the melted butter and gingersnap crumbs and press into the bottom of the pan. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

In a bowl beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar, sour cream, vanilla, eggs, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Beat until smooth and creamy. Note: if you end up with lumps you can transfer the mix to a food processor and pulse a couple of times until smooth.

Pour mixture onto gingersnap crust.

In another bowl combine flour and brown sugar. Using a pastry cutter cut cold butter into the mixture until crumbly.

Sprinkle mixture over the top of the cheesecake. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until the center is set. If a knife inserted comes out mostly clean you are good to go.

Allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 40 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until chilled through, about 2 hours. Cut, drizzle with caramel sauce and serve.

Country Living

Finally......... cooler temperatures have arrived and even a little bit of rain. It's truly amazing that the grass is greening up after so many weeks of drought, just a little bit of moisture is all it takes. I've said it before, Mother Nature is amazing! 

There's  a lot of garden projects that are waiting on us. We have lost several boxwoods this summer and they need to be pulled and replaced. I'm going to be doing a little "furniture moving" in the yard, I bought 20 dwarf crepe myrtles to use along the picket fence that runs on the east side of the house. It's strictly decorative, the fence, just to hide the steep slope that is hard for Jerry to mow. This summer he has resorted to using Round-up to kill out the grass that gets out of hand. When you have country property and only the deer and raccoons see your work, there's no complaining from neighbors who expect grass to be green and flowers to be full!

Anyway, a garden should be a "Stress Free Zone," to be enjoyed and a work in progress... don't you think?

Because not everything is always picture perfect. We have several tree stumps over the property that could use a little face lift. Love the checkers stump, great for my GRANDS! 

Here's another great idea using stumps, add a thick board and you have a great rustic bench. I can picture this loaded up with pumpkins and gourds for Fall! One of my friends on Facebook just salvaged some large stumps from her old school ground. The memories of those 80 year old trees that had to be removed for the new school's addition are destined to become tables in Cindy's home. I LOVE that!

Re-purpose is just another word for 'use it up.' We've been doing that a long time here in the Ozarks. My Grandparents never threw away anything, well practically anything! Grandpa saved twine from bales of hay, wire from chicken coops and cans or bottles to reuse for other projects. They were stored neatly in the brooder house, a shed out back that had been used 40+ years ago to raise chickens. OK, you are getting the whole picture now... it's a way of life for many. Out of necessity, being saving, or purpose. I say it's a mixture of all three... they LIKED being thrifty!

I loved going to my Grandparents, all the roads that lead to that house were pure country. 

You'd pass by farm after farm, old red barns that held hay and pastures of cows grazing contentedly. Tractors parked where they stopped their days work...

It's a piece of Americana that still survives. All along the rural roads of America, families cling to this lifestyle. Small towns that have nothing but a gas station and a church, residents find their way to work in nearby towns and the kids ride a school bus to get an education. They choose country over city, with it's slower pace and cleaner air. In turn they give up pizza delivery, going to the movies spur of the moment and running through McDonald's for a quick bite. We lived in the country when our oldest daughter was a teenager and if you had asked her then if she liked it, she would have said no. If you ask her now, the answer has changed. She has come to appreciate the perks of that lifestyle and in fact, has returned to Small Town America! Since that's where we live too, it makes me very HaPpY!

Are tomatoes fattening?

That question was asked on Facebook the other day and after much consideration I'm thinking it's probably true. I've noticed that my clothes definitely fit a little tighter after I eat this...

I should have some control, but ever since I found out on Pinterest that I can cook the WHOLE package of bacon on a cookie sheet in the oven, I have this endless supply of crispy bacon waiting on a sandwich! Why does bacon smell so good cooking? Is that a Divine Plan? Why would God give us something so delicious if it is bad for us? All these questions swirl around in my head and it's all I can do to choke down this double layer, tomato heaven, crispy lettuce, creamy mayo lunchtime treat!

Another favorite, I call it the "diet version," is simple. It's bread, mayo and tomato. A whole big tomato... the ones that fill up your palm, hefty to the hand, are required for this sandwich. In Arkansas they can be a Bradley,  a tomato that grows down south around Warren is a good choice. It's a dark pink, prized for it's big old fashioned acidic flavor... you know you've had a tomato when you eat this. No namby-pamby store tomato taste here! 

It's really not the size of the tomato that matters, homegrown is what counts. The hard work and love that a gardener puts into a summertime of caring for them is what really makes them taste so good. My Dad loved his garden and he especially loved the "Arkansas Travelers" that he would plant every year. He'd set up cold frames so that he could start them early. In the cold months of February and March he’d go outside no matter the weather to check on the progress of the 200+ tomato seedlings. All summer long he’d weed, water and tend that garden so that the bounty could be put away for their winter use. But the abundance was the real joy of that garden, he loved to share with neighbors! 

If you've not had a tomato sandwich this summer, plan one ASAP. To learn how to make a proper Tomato Sandwich, it will help you to visit Tomato Sandwich Spirituality... and don't worry about the calories!