The Joys of Spring

   The lushness of the garden in spring has finally arrived.  The barren fields of our farms are now green with the promise of corn and soybeans.  The headaches of planting are forgotten for the moment.  The exceptionally hot weather for May has spurred all green things to shoot up.   (Including weeds)
  The rains have been gentle, farmers wish for more as soon as that last seed is in the ground.
   True gardeners are admiring their vegetable plot and dreaming of the first tomato while munching on early green onions.
   I am satisfied with ;my flowers.

A trip to the College Corner Cemetery
delighted my eyes with the beauty of peonies.  Thanks to the caretakers of the cemetery for this peony beauty.  I’ve seen no other cemetery with  the profusion of blooming peonies at Decoration.  The mix of long established peony bushes with the bright silk flowers can be tolerated.

This young, coral beauty grows in my bed.

   I admired one plant that was covered with dark red blooms. I must have one like that, I thought.  But a stop at Shademakers and a talk with Kevin who informed me that sales were brisk for red and pink peonies.  He had none left.  Only white.    He also told me that they need fertilizer.  I did not know that.  He said every growing thing needs food for growth.  And I
thought peony blooms lived on love.
  Some plants multiply and multiply just on love. Take the clustered bellflower, for instance.  A friend gave me a start some years ago and the purple bloom is gorgeous in the spring.  Soon it had spread to another part of my flower garden.  It became entangled with iris and poppies.
   It was time for me to share, and I did.  And she made it a star with supporting cast.  No love lost there.

This bed can be seen at Stewart Square, OxfordAdd caption

   Some plants multiply without much love.  The lilies of the valley were so
rampant I gave away a bushel basket full.
   Gooseneck loosestrife with it’s bowed heads is charming in a bouquet but
watch out, it will take over the whole flower bed if you let it.
  Growing flowers can be a lifetime of joy and learning.
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Children, Garden Club, and Life

   Life has its  disappointments.  Some are big and some are small.  A lack of spring mushrooms falls in one of those categories.  Amazingly, we survive.  I wanted to write how I fried the morels and snakeheads, but no--.
   On the other hand, life has rewards.  Some are big and some are small.

Children bringing dandelion bouquets is one reward.
The State Line Country Garden Club plant sale was a reward for many.

The members had fun (and work); the buyers went home with things they never knew they needed; and when the angelonia blooms everyone will be happy.

   First grade students in Union County,; Indiana and  Kramer Elementary School in Oxford   were

rewarded with redbud tree seedlings.  Thanks to the garden club that gave 200 trees to students.  The mature  redbud trees are in their glory now, so children can see what the future may hold.

   My seed starting venture is going slowly, despite the fluorescent lights.  I just sow seeds
for plants that are not readily available at the greenhouses.  Globe amaranth, cockscomb, statice and tall snapdragons are it for this year.  . I have only a tiny bit of space for planting annuals;, January catalogs enticed me to buy zinnias seed, sunflower seed and

other necessities.  Reality sets in in May.
    I read somewhere that bees like dandelions.  So, my lawn is a winner, there.
   You don’t need a recipe for asparagus fresh from the garden.  What you need is a steamer that fits in your pan.  Just  a minute or two, then add a bit of salt and lemon juice and you have a spring treat.  .  Some folk like to roast  asparagus.  A bit of olive oil and some salt, add some other vegies  and you have an easy meal. Thankfully the spears seem to shoot up overnight.

Food for thought.

Reason faces up to life
And sees things as they are
Hope sees things as they ought to be
And wishes on a star
Faith dreams of miracles to come
That only God can do.
Love goes to work with patient hands
To make those dreams come true.
                                            Anon

Blessings, But What Happened To Spring?

What happened to spring?  I think someone forgot to pay the preacher. 
   We must be patient.  At least we haven’t had to mow grass yet.  There
are blessings to be found. Our Easter weekend was wonderful, and more children are coming this weekend!  The nice part about that is I can use the same menu, half of the big ham loaf recipe is ready waiting in the deepfreeze.  Now I know how long it takes to get a good rise out of the yeast rolls so they will be ready at the right time.  Timing is the key. 
The weather was decent enough for an egg hunt and everyone was well. 

Jessica and Harrison

Emersyn and Finley

Julie and Rowyn

You can’t beat that with a stick.
   It isn’t every year I can have family in and eat out, too.  It just worked out that way.  Our destination was the Golden Lamb at Lebanon, Ohio.  It has been in continual operation since its beginning in 1803.  As an inn it has accommodated many notables; presidents and Charles Dickens.  The 18 guest rooms are tastefully decorated and  are available through Expedia and other hotel services.  What stories  the rooms have to tell.  And yet it could not be more up-to-date  in food presentation, taste and service. 
    It was a packed house with Mr. Easter Bunny entertaining those who waited for their turn at the tables.  Here is a look at our food.  A special Easter menu was pricey, but included the restaurant’s standards,  celery seed dressing and Sugar Cream Pie. 

Salad with celeryseed dressing

Chocolate Cake

Beef Tenderloin and greenbeans

   The thing I especially liked about the salad was that it was lightly dressed,
Not drowned with dressing.  My family knows a thing or two about celery seed dressing.  Here is our take on it. 
                                                  Family Celery Seed Dressing Recipe
2 cups vegetable oil                            2 cups granulated sugar
4 tsp salt                                              2 Tblsp celery seed
1 onion grated                                     1 1/3 cup cider vinegar
¼ cup plus 1 T. water
2 tsp. dry or prepared mustard
Heat the oil, sugar and water until sugar is dissolved Combine all ingredients in blender.   Chill, toss lightly with greens plus shredded apple.

If and, and, Rhubarb

     If

If I were Will Rodgers, I would read the newspapers and write something humorous.  If I were Erma Bombeck, I would generate laughter. Mother
always wanted me to be like Erma.
   If I were an intellectual I would explain nationalism, populism and anarchy.  I would tell my friends why the electoral college is as important today as it was when the constitution was written.
   If I were an activist I would solve the health care system problem.  Everyone would agree on what is best for patients, doctors, hospitals and gasp-insurance companies.
   If I were a philanthropist I would have a special day to throw $100 bills as I drove along in my Cadillac.  (I’m for American made.)
  If I were a child I would play Hide and Seek instead of tiring my thumbs with electronics.  I would fly a kite, go sled riding (not enough snow for that.)
   If I were a politician I would strive to be a statesman.
   But I am just an old woman praying for the humorists, the intellectuals, the activists, the politicians, the philanthropist and the children. 

   Then there are recipes.  Spring with fresh rhubarb is just around the corner.  (My rhubarb and strawberries came from the deepfreeze).  Enjoy.

        Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp
2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups strawberries
¾ cup packed B.; sugar
½ cup flour
½ cup rolled oats
¾ t. cinnamon
¾ t. nutmeg
1/3 cup melted butter
Grease 8 by 8 baking pan.  Add rhubarb and strawberries.  Combine remaining ingredients and spread on top of fruit.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. 

Just the right amount of rhubarb tang!

Easter, food, the house

   How many days till Easter?  Easter when the house should be clean, the weather beautiful, the food plentiful and the children  coming home. 
   Don’t we wish.  Let’s take this in stages.  If the children are coming home, there is much to be done.  Start with the dining room table; mine seats 8 -10 comfortably.  I have had more white linen tablecloths than I knew what to do with; have given some of them away and still have two nice ones. 
   I wanted bright runners down the middle of the white linens.  At a recent luncheon I got my idea.  The tables at that luncheon were covered with bright plastic cloths.  Folded they would make perfect runners.  Problem solved. 

   If your linens have spots and are stuck away in a back cupboard, you have time to get them out and restore them.  Here is how.
   Biz is an oxygen bleach of years past.  I think it is still possible to find it in the stores.  My half a box has been on the shelf for years.
   Soak linens in a solution of water and Biz.  Then fold each linen in a strip of dry cotton sheet and then put it in a big plastic bag.  (I recall when if I ran out of ironing time, I put the dampened clothes in a big plastic bag and put that in the deepfreeze. When I ironed again the frozen clothes softened for a little while and ironed beautifully.) The trick would be in finding that large plastic bag.
   These directions call for the bag to be refrigerated for 3 days or so; remove the still wet linens and iron.  They will look starched and perfect.
  For my center piece I will arrange a Longaberger basket  with small pots of live herbs; parsley, chives, basil.  These are available in the supermarket as live, potted herbs.  Wonderful favors to hand out to the girls after the meal is over. 
   Now the menu.  Each family has its own holiday favorites.  We must have noodles and  home-made dinner rolls. Once we made our noodles, but those days are gone.   This year I’m doing ham loaves. At a recent Reminisce Luncheon at Union Co. Public Library attendees were served individual ham loaves.  Delicious! The recipe came from a cookbook by Jean McCormick.  Here it is.
                                     Ham Loaf
5 lbs ham loaf mix
1 (No. 2) can crushed pineapple
6 Tbsp. Brown sugar
2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp. dry mustard
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  Mix well and make into desired size loaves.  Bake 1 ½ hours at 350.  Serves 25.            Basting Sauce to be applied while loaves are cooking
1 ½ cup brown sugar              2 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. dry mustard                   2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. cornstarch                     1 ½ cups water.
  Cook until thick, then baste the loaves. 
 For desert I am going to serve lemon bars and angel food cake with 7 minute frosting.
                                   Lemon Bars
2 cups flour                                          4 Tbsp. flour
½ cup P. sugar                                      6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ cup melted butter                              1 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs                                                    Extra P. sugar
2 cups sugar
  Combine 2 cups flour, ½ cup P. sugar,and butter. Press into a 9by13 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until slightly golden.  Beat eggs and gradually add sugar.  Beat well.  Add   remaining flour, lemon juice and baking powder.  Pour over baked crust and return to oven for 25 minutes until golden.  When cool dust with P. sugar.  Cut into squares.

  
       If only getting the house clean was so easy.                                               











 

Birthdays and Fun

   Times have changed. (As if you didn’t know.) Yesterday’s birthday for a 4 year old meant a  special cake with candles. Recently I was happy to participate in my great grandson, Fletcher’s, 4th birthday celebration and it was a WOW. 
   Pizzas from Papa John’s, fruit and veggie snacks, bottled water, and cupcakes designed to make a birthday cake. 

 The designation was the school where momma teaches.  The school was a learning experience for me.  The big attraction was the gymnasium where the children attending the birthday party were able to entertain themselves by jumping on trampolines, tumbling and for the young ones, little slides I had never seen the like of. Of course, there were balloons, but no games.  The walls of the gym were lined with trophies; trophies for cheerleading.  My exposure to the school was limited to the gym and the cafeteria.  However art work  and posters on the walls indicated there is some serious stuff going on. 

   A few weeks later they came to see me.  E bundled them up and with the help of J, drove  across the state for a night-over.  They brought more food, toys and stuff than you can imagine.  E thought of everything, well just about everything.  Meals without catsup?  I was not prepared.  It was a dilemma. J came to the rescue with a Styrofoam box from a fast food place with left-over plastic silverware, napkins and, and catsup packets!  At last food was edible. 

   Times may change, but some things remain the same.  Loving families who want the best for their children

Trip to Indy-Family, Fun an Food

   For me, a trip to Indy is like a trip to another world.  A world of city life, theater, movies and someone else’s food.  It is a different lifestyle,  young people off to class, boyfriends and crazy work schedules.  I loved it.

   My outings to Indy in the winter  seem to bring on ice.  Ice so bad one must drive the pick-up to get to the mailbox.  But not bad enough to close schools.  Off this senior went; driving the best car in the garage to get to class.  I took an anxiety pill, but it was just a normal day for her parents.
   Since the subdivision was icy, thankfully B drove us downtown to the Murat Theater for the performance of Shen Yun.

   Years ago Bob White of the Oxford Press reviewed theater productions, I wish he  could have seen and written about this one.  It was very special.  The music, the costumes, the dance and the technology combined to provide a look into Chinese culture and history.
   Five Shen Yun companies travel the world simultaneously performing and telling their stories.  From the Shen Yun program book I quote the following.
         A Lost Treasure
   Nowhere else can you see the authentic Chinese culture that Shen Yun presents.  Sadly, this culture has been almost completely destroyed in China under communist rule.
   China’s ancient civilization was, in fact, deeply spiritual.  Traditional Chinese culture is based on the idea of harmony among Heaven, Earth and humankind.  But the Chinese Communist Party’s doctrine teaches just the opposite; officially atheist, it sees this culture as a threat to its power.  For decades it has tried to destroy this ancient heritage.  It nearly succeeded.
   Yet in 2006 a group of artists in New York formed Shen Yun and have brought this culture back from the brink of extinction.  Even today, Shen Yun is not allowed to perform in China-but the company is now sharing this heritage with millions; people fly from China especially to see Shen Yun.
    They will be performing in Cincinnati in May.
   Indy was not all Chinese dance.  Young people like food.  E and I made the familiar Texas Sheet Cake.  Our take on it was with different pans.  A round cake to sit on the glass cake stand.  This old stand-by is so easy and can be adjusted if you exchange the ¼ cup cocoa for ¼ peanut butter. The chocolate icing would be great on the peanut butter cake or peanut butter icing might be good on the chocolate cake.  We went with the standard chocolate on chocolate. 

                                                                   Texas Sheet Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 stick butter
½ cup Crisco
¼ cup cocoa
1 cup water
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 lightly beaten eggs
   Combine flour and sugar and set aside.  In heavy pan bring butter, Crisco, water and cocoa to a boil.  Remove from heat, add flour mixture.  Combine remaining ingredients except nuts and add to flour mixture.  Stir well. Pour into a greased rimmed cookie sheet.  Bake 20 minutes at 350. Prepare icing while cake is baking.
1 stick butter
   
6 Tbsp. milk
¼ cup cocoa
1 pound P. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Chopped nuts if desired
  Remove cake from oven, wait only 5 minutes then pour icing on cake. Add
Nuts on top.  Everyone loves this and it is easy.
 
  There is more to Indy than theater and food; there is the Indianapolis Public Library.   The original structure was built on ground donated by James Whitcomb Riley.  The latest addition combined with the original, covers a city block, opened in 2007 at a cost of $150 million.  It showcases a 6 story atrium of curved glass and steel. 
   Let us appreciate our libraries.  Sidney Sheldon, author and poet had this to say: Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination.  They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and contribute to improve our quality of life. Works by Indiana authors, James Whitcomb Riley, Kurt Vonnegut, May Wright Sewall, the Wooten Family and Booth Tarkington are on exhibit.