Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: black bean chili, grandchildren, Heritage Days
It’s a brisk autumn morning here on the Prairie. I have been away from the blogs for a couple of weeks (almost) and taken some downtime. Not from life…just from blog land. I have read a little bit, just not posted.
It’s very windy today and there are some limbs down from last night, but not a lot. The leaves are turning and falling at such a rate I cannot keep my back decks swept clean for more than about 5 minutes. Summer is quickly coming to an end. Saturday and Sunday were the local Lewis and Clark Heritage Days…they have a big to-do at the community college grounds, complete with pre-1840’s artisans and dress and drum and fife corps marching around. There are lots of musicians playing from time to time, my favorites of course are the strings…dulcimers, violins, and the like. One group had violin, dulcimer, recorder and bass and played lovely music. There were all sorts of food vendors, including roast turkey legs, corn on the cob and fry bread. One of my favorites was the clay oven, where they baked marvelous cookies and loaves of gorgeous rye and whole wheat breads. Ham and beans, chicken and dumplings, campfire stews. There were spinning wheels and rug makers and leather tanners. There were bow and arrow makers, flintknappers and carvers. We were there with the grandson and stayed for over 4 hours. We go every year, and are becoming familiar with some of the artisans. There’s one couple who do incredible gourd art that we always stop and visit.
Then Sunday was our district picnic and the turnout and the weather was phenomenal. The food was better than ever and the chance to fellowship with folks from all over Southern Illinois was good too. We didn’t get home til nearly 6 pm.
Iam doing some laundry and some housekeeping before heading out to a noon meeting to meet up with some folks. Then tonight I have class…this session of the Deep Ecology class is on Spirituality and the Earth. I am tired…but I can get through one more night, I guess. I swear Tuesday and Wednesday I am not leaving this house!!!! lol
I have some black beans on the stove soaking…I am making a vegetarian black bean chili for supper, along with some corn muffins. It’s just that kind of a day…the high for today is supposed to be only 65. It feels like fall….the other thing is (I am so devious!!) I have to make a couple of kinds of chili for our speaker/potluck on Thursday. I’m making a white chili, made with great northern beans and ground turkey, and I’ll make enough of this veggie black bean chili to take it too. Looking forward to a woman speaker I have never met, but heard good things about. It’ll be fun…
Feels good to write again.
Namaste.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: autumn leaves, blanching green beans, glaring cats
Oh me…oh my… I am sitting here having my coffee…listening to pups wrestling in the living room, no doubt flinging their swampy stinky wetness over everything I hold dear. The kittens are mostly outside I think. This morning it is 56 degrees, so the cats who opted to stay out last night are chilly and glaring at me through clenched teeth. Do they think I am the one responsible for autumn?
The leaves are changing colors already and it seems too early to me. I have about 10 pounds of green beans that need blanching and freezing or canning today. I can’t decide which to do. I’m thinking freezing… sounds easier, even with the blanching which is a pain. lol
Yesterday was a nice day, I took a drive south about an hour to visit with someone and then came home, cooked a bit and went out again to an 8PM meeting. It was a small and good meeting , BB study on Into Action. 2 newcomers, 2 oldtimers and 4 inbetweeners. A good balance. Tonight is a celebration of one woman not drinking for 6 months. It will be good, as she is so grateful at a late stage in her life to be free again.
I have apples from my tree to make into applesauce. That won’t be today, and maybe not tomorrow. Then Saturday is the Equinox celebration out at La Vista Ecological Center, so it will be full up as well. So much to do…so little time. lol
Yesterdays challenge for CTWW was about using paper towels. Or NOT using paper towels, actually. Iuse them sparingly, only to clean up cat puke and caca when the need arises. I never used to have them in my house, and somehow it’s one of those things (like eating meat) that I slipped back into somewhere along the line without even realizing it. I always use cloth napkins and I used to only use cloth rags for everything. Not having water made me list back into paper towels for more things…lots of things become more difficult (not to mention nasty) when you are at the mercy of water. But now, things have changed. I could easily go back to not buying paper towels, and I think I will. We really do not realize the impacts we can have with little things like this. For years I have always bought recycled content paper products wherever I can. It’s not much, but it’s one thing I can do. I have always recycled, since the early 80’s, in one way or another. I have planted gardens and trees and flowers, to try to make up for the enormous amount of development going on in the world. In my little corner of the planet, I try to think globally and act locally. It’s one little thing I can do.
Thank you again to Reduce Footprints blog, for helping remind us that this is the only planet we get. That one person can make a difference. And for coming up with more ways and means all the time.
Alright…outside the morning haze is lifting and I can see the sun peeking out. I’m off to do freezer work!!
Feel like I’ve been running a race the past 5 days. Today I am firmly ensconced at home. I have been out to the garden, picking peppers and green beans and okra and tomatoes. It was a beautiful meditative time for me, listening to the sounds of the world around me and smelling the transitory smells that come this time of year. The gardens are breaking down and the earth is in dire need of a drink. The chickens are clucking and snuffling in the dirt as the neighbors’ dogs barking echoes across the pond. I am sure that it is going to be a time of rest today, once I get some bread made and some turkey soup going. I vacuumed yesterday and probably need to again today, but will maybe just get the broom out and sweep up a little. I don’t want to hear the sound of the machine today.
The Festival of Faiths and Cultures was a fantastic experience last Saturday. Our 3-4 hour visit there turned into 8, and we had a great time. It made my heart sing to see the tables of people sitting next to each other and sharing a day of beauty. There were Catholics and Muslims and Buddhists and Baha’i Faith. There were orthodox peoples from Poland and Greece and Russia. There were people from the Philippines, from Ecuador, from Germany. There were Iranians and Arabs and Afghans. There were Native Americans and Africans and Jews and Unitarians. The outdoor stage presentations were breathtaking….dancers and drummers and storytellers. Singers and bakers and pray-ers, oh my! I ate food from about 6 different countries. LOL It was a grand event, and I’m glad I didn’t miss it. I will surely be there next year!
Sunday was another full day at an Area Assembly. It was good with a catered lunch that was marvelous. (They aren’t…always) lol It was good to see people that I haven’t seen in a few months, there doing the same thing I was doing…a little service, a little insurance. Keeping me tethered to my sobriety.
I am getting ready to make some soup and some bread to take to the neighbors. I probably should be outside mowing, as it looks like the rain isn’t coming after all. The backyard is getting high and the front still looks like a trainwreck. The water company people are waiting for some rain, I think, to help the dirt settle in around the water pipes they buried. It’s okay…I can deal. I just mow around their giant gopher trail….lol
Life is good, when I stay in the present. When I trust that the Universe is abundant. When I can try to live an authentic life.
Last night we started the Deep Ecology course. It looks to be a lively discussion group and extremely interesting subject matter. It’s about making the shift…from our heads to our hearts…and living the talk. There are some things that are a bit threatening to some of us, like ignoring the many convenient things in our lives when they are not good for the environment. Things we selfishly don’t want to give up. But all in all, I think it will be a good experience.
Blessings and love…
A foggy, wet with dew morning here on the Prairie. It’s really beautiful out there…I am just back from the little trek over to feed the neighbors dogs while they are off on a little jaunt. The stillness of the morning, coupled with the birdsong and dogs barking in the distance was absolutely breathtaking. My neighbors are retired people who spend copious amounts of time working in their yard. There are little flower beds all flung hither and yon, bird feeders and baubles hidden here and there. I stay for about 35-40 minutes while the doggies eat, and then I say my goodbyes and trudge back home. During the day, they may or may not come moseying on over to our place, if they’re feeling a little lonely, but mostly while their people are gone, they stick very close to home. I love the little times twice a day that I go over and love them up and wander around the yard.
Today is the birthday of the poet Mary Oliver. One of her poems that I dearly love is this:
“My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird —
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.
Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
Keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work
which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.”
—from “Messenger” in Thirst (2006), first appeared in Nature and Spirituality
Happy Birthday, Mary. And thank you for bringing more everyday beauty into my life with every word you write.
This afternoon I have to go out to the community gardens and pick up the book for our class that starts on Monday. That means getting my ducks in a row out here and figuring out what’s the best time. I think since I have to go to the meeting tonight early to meet someone, I will just do it then. Hate to make 2 trips to the city, lol. Although the Ecological center out at the Oblate is the most beautiful place, and I could go by the Nature Center, which is just off the same road. I haven’t been out there in some time. There’s really nothing I have to do here today that isn’t already done, lol. Except feeding the neighbor dogs their supper. Oh, and the noodles and soup. But…I could do that tomorrow…
Having a hard time with changing the font and type back to normal on this post for some reason. Argghhh…I change it and it goes back by itself. I am such a technotard….sigh…
Oh well. Variety is the spice of life, as they say. I’ll just leave it and so what? There are more important things in this life to concern one’s self with, aren’t there? lol
A friend brought some edamame for me yesterday and I haven’t had it in years. So, I’m going to steam it for my breakfast. Yummm…. That with some bright red ripe tomatoes and fresh basil…all organic, all gorgeous. Heaven–that’s what it is!
Namaste.
I’ll bet the numerology people are having fun with this day! lol And here it is again….CTWW!!!!!! (Change The World Wednesday). The beautiful blogger at Reduce Footprints has come up with this grand idea to institute small changes in the world, one Wednesday at a time. Things for us to think about and to put into practice in our daily lives. Things that can make a difference.
Today’s challenge is to Plant Something! Here’s an excerpt from the Reduce Footprints blog:
“Quite a few people have suggested, lately, that we do a challenge on growing something. Genuine Woman suggested that we grow food. Sam1982 suggested that we plant Pyrethrum to repel bugs. So, this week’s challenge is inspired by all of their suggestions. Here it is:
Fall is a wonderful time to plant things … trees, bushes, flower bulbs … even cool weather vegetables. And, of course, there are always house plants. So this week, plant something.
Or …
If you feel you’d like a little more of a challenge, then … in addition to part one, write a post about fall planting. Include information on why it’s a “good thing”, which plants/crops grow best in cool weather, where to get them and how to plant them.
SO——there we have it.
Y’all know it isn’t too tough for me to talk about planting things, lol. IN fact, even as we speak, I have a new cold frame in my garage, waiting to be set out in it’s new home in the backyard. We going to plant some carrots, some lettuce and some other things in it…This way we will have stuff growing through the winter as well. This time of year is the perfect time to plant turnips, rutabagas and more beets in the regular garden beds here in the midwest. Kale and mustard do very well this time of year as do peas. Any of the veggies that don’t like too much heat can be safely planted, and barring any freak cold weather, will be harvested right up to
Thanksgiving. We live in Zone 5-6 here, in southern Illinois. I’m not all the way south, but nestled in the countryside across from St Louis. They are changing the growing zones (did you know that?) because the climate is changing. (DUH!) The good news is that we get even a little more leeway in Zone 6 now. lol We have a great long growing season around here.
If you’re interested in year round gardening I would recommend a book by Elliot Coleman called “The Four Seasons Harvest” . This guy is remarkable and gardens throughout the year in Maine. If he can do this stuff in MAINE, why, I suspect that any of us can do it. Maine is COLD in the winter…
I’m also putting out some pansies into the flower pots along my sidewalk, as well as transplanting some of the cheery marigolds that are dotting the last of my garden. They might as well be out front looking all good, right? I have lots of orange and yellow marigolds out there. Perfect colors for the autumn landscape.
I’ll post some pictures of all that tomorrow.
Have a great Wednesday…and don’t forget…Maybe we can’t all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.
Namaste.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Holiday weekends, Gooey Yellow Butter Cake, Peaceful Feelings
Myohmy….
It’s been a busy holiday weekend around these parts. Himself has had 4 days off in a row, grandson was here for 3 of those days, sister and husband from out of state were here as well. They are leaving tomorrow to head back to Florida. I have been as busy as a one armed paper hanger…cooking, cleaning, and generally entertaining SOMEBODY all the time it seems. lol It’s okay…all’s well and I survived and now I will have the next few days to rest up myself. Tonight I am going to a meeting. I haven’t been to one since Thursday, and it was a speaker. Not the same as having a chance to talk a bit. Talk about solutions, talk about recovery.
Today I made a batch of laundry soap that I found on a green website, and the first loads of laundry using it are in the washer and dryer. The jury’s still out.It has to be stirred each time you use it, as it is thick and foamy on the top. That’s no big deal. I only care that it gets the clothes clean at a fraction of the cost of commercial detergents. AND of course, that it’s nontoxic and better for the planet. Of course. lol
The big family dinner was a success. I made homemade french bread and spaghetti with a wonderful sauce of tomatoes, green and yellow bell peppers, onions and garlic, organic basil from my garden, shredded carrots, and large locally made Italian link sausages. I always put the carrots in as they cut the acid of the tomatoes, and give it a bit of a sweet taste as well. They cook away to almost nothing and you can’t even tell they are in there. Then I topped it off with a gooey yellow butter cake for dessert. Everyone loved it, though I thought I overcooked the cake a bit. It was my first time to make it…
Took grandson to a horror movie (??) yesterday. He’s taken a shine to those nasty things of late…I guess it’s a kid thing. lol Anyway we saw Final Destination…one sex scene in it that I covered his eyes for, lol. He said, indignantly, “Nan–I’m almost 13 !!!!” The rest of it was just bad cinema. Yuck. Then we came home and had macaroni and cheese for dinner. (His favorite).
He’s such a sweetheart…I dread the upcoming teenaged years. lol He promised he’ll always still love me, no matter how old he gets. So, naturally, that eased my mind a lot. lol
I’ve got some chicken thawing for supper, hubby’s out to the park for a hike, and the dogs are all sleeping. It quiet and peaceful here…I may have a little nap. Why not??
Namaste.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Dirt Devils, French Onion Soup, Italian Cream Cake
Let’s see…what do you do when you have 10 cats, give or take, 3 dogs, a man a bird, and a grandson…and you finally get running water again?? Well, you steam clean your pathetically dirty carpets, of course! This afternoon I took the bull by the horns and moved furniture and fired up that Dirt Devil carpet cleaner, baby. It was disgusting….lol. I vacuum so much you wouldn’t think that there’d be nearly as much grunge in those carpet fibers as there is.
It took the better part of the day to get it all done, but it sure looks better. I even pre-treated spots! (Martha woulda been proud). I’m getting up early in the morning and finishing up some dusting and stuff and then may try to get out in the yard and do some mowing. Tonight after supper we went out and dug about a 5 gallon bucket of fingerling potatoes. That’s maybe half of the beds. We looked around at our poor garden that has suffered so this year. I have to tell you…I will not order the heirloom seeds again. EVER. I spent a lot of money on those things and the majority of them were a definite disappointment. I’m just going to go back to buying all my seeds from Pappy’s market. The squash and the potatoes did okay. The potatoes I ordered from a specialty place in New Mexico, because the fingerlings are not readily available. The popcorn is still a maybe, but it doesn’t look good. The sweet corn is awful. And so are the green beans. I’m going back to the Blue Lake Pole Beans…an old trusty sure thing.
I have a sponsling coming tomorrow around noon, so I’ll make us some French Onion soup for lunch. I bought a big chunk of Provolone cheese for the top. Prefer Gruyere, but it’s not available at the little market. I may even make a loaf of banana nut bread. I have to bake a birthday cake for tomorrow nights potluck/speaker meeting. We’re having a Mexican Fiesta and I’m just taking lettuce, tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese, sour cream……and the cake. Someone is making taco filling and shells and tortillas, a black bean enchilada casserole, some other kind of casserole, Spanish rice, refried beans…. It’ll be some good stuff.
Looking at that paragraph, I’m thinking the yard isn’t getting mowed…lol. Especially since I’m baking an Italian Cream Cake for the birthday girl. It’s a particularly labor intensive cake.
Okay…off to see the wizard….
Namaste.
Today I am doing laundry. At home. With water. LOL
I know you’re getting sick of my being so giddy over this water thing. I’m pretty sure it won’t be going on much longer. It’s just still so…wonderful.
I spent a chunk of yesterday cleaning up my office and going through the file cabinet and cleaning out old crap. I found a piece of something I wrote on my 29th birthday. Yikes. It is angry and depressing and hostile. Here’s a scary little excerpt from it, this page yellowed and actually TYPEWRITTEN: “It’s a vicious circle of giving in, and giving up and giving out, out, out. So, what’s the answer? Do you live alone and hate it, or try somewhere else and hate it, or stay where you are and hate it? Or stick your head in the oven and join Sylvia and the girls? Or maybe a cool nervous breakdown leading to a rebirth of sorts, like Phoenix rising up from the ashes? Seems to me a nervous breakdown might be the easy way out….”
Crikey mate. I was one miserable drunken woman. I didn’t get sober for another 8 years after this. Then I also found this poem:
“And one day the lights go out.
And you can’t find the switch
to bring them on again.
So, you stumble around
in the dark
Until you finally find a window,
and then you jump.”
It’s not dated, so I can only imagine when it was written. Pretty good guess that it was immediately before or immediately after getting sober. lol
Little things like this shine a spotlight on how good my life is today. I need reminders-I think we all do from time to time. That no matter how scary or how financially insecure I’m feeling or any of the rest of it…my life is so much better today than it was then.
This is where I live. My backyard. I have no worries….
Blessings abound….
Namaste.
Whew!! Glad it’s Monday, so I can get some rest from all the goings on around these parts! lol Busy weekend, full of good stuff. I was asleep last night by 11:30 and so morning came around 6. I was up and wide awake for a change…
Got some much needed housekeeping done, still more to go, but this was just basic stuff. Also got some pinto beans and smoked hamhocks simmering away in the big crockpot…I’ll make some yummy cornbread and chop some onions and call it supper. I also have another loaf of honey oatmeal bread in the bread machine. You can imagine the yummy smells emanating from my kitchen today.
The plumber is here, and we’ve been having a nice chat while he works. He finished emptying out the water heater so he can put the required expansion tank on it, and he’s got the digging done. Now he’s off to get lunch in town with his brother, who’s also his partner in the business. A very nice man. Thought I’d get some words down while he’s gone.
Found out (talking to plumber guy, who has lived here his entire life) that a guy who used to be part of our old crowd, back in the 70’s, died last year. He was a total drunk, and PG says he was still drinking and smoking right up to the heart attack that took his life. My brother used to be friends with him for years, and had told me he lived not too far from me…and that he was always drunk and hadn’t had a drivers license for more than 10 years. I never did see him. Sad. But it’s what happens to us, isn’t it? Death by alcohol disguises itself in lots of ways. He was only 55 years old.
I’m probably going to have water today. Wow…I can’t believe it’s finally happening. My sister-in-law thinks we should have a happy water party. lol I just want to sit with it in gratitude and appreciation. Quietly. lol
Made a birthday card for my other SIL, married to my baby brother. Her birthday is Wednesday, and one could not ask for a better wife for her favorite baby brother. She’s top drawer in my book. And I love her so much…
I need to get out and clean up my back decks…things are a mess out thee. It’s a beautiful sunny day and the temperature has just finally reached 70 degrees at noon. Sheesh. Crazy stuff.
This last day of August is mellow and sweet. I am home, and nicely busy. There are wonderful cooking smells going on and the cats are lazing out on the front porch. All the dogs are inside napping. My grass needs mowing, but it’s gonna have to wait a couple of more days. Maybe tomorrow. I’ll have to see how it goes. I need to run out and get butter and buttermilk for cornbread, otherwise I am content to stay home and be a domestic goddess. Either way, I win.
Life is good on Detour Road. Like it should be. Soft jazz playing on the radio, a breeze that ticklers the wind chimes, and a clean house. Ahhhh………..
Namaste.
