bends in the road

An old Joni Mitchell song runs circles in my brain as I take my daily walk.

"Don't it always seem to go
that you don't know what you've got till it's gone.
They paved paradise
and put up an parking lot."

Not a parking lot exactly, but my neighborhood is changing as they have cut down trees and shredded a variety of wildflowers in order to put in a large thoroughfare smack dab in our secluded residential area.

I've heard it is called progress. Convenience to shopping malls is not what I would necessarily call progress. I will have to go further afield to gather my natural dye materials and take my children on spur of the moment nature journeys. But I will be able get to some places in a lesser amount of time. Still, some days I weep inside.


Yet there are wonderful bends in the road too. We celebrated a good friend's fortieth birthday in the park with a picnic lunch and cupcakes.

Since Charlotte has learned to count in tens, the one candle for every ten years made perfect sense!

As Simple as "Pumpkin" Pie

A most favored pie in my household starting around this time of year is pumpkin. Canned pumpkin and evaporated milk are kept as staples on my pantry shelf due to the fact that this recipe can be whipped up as a quick and easy dessert for Sunday dinner or when an everyday supper needs to be raised up a notch for whatever reason.



On the recipe card I have written, As Simple as "Pumpkin" Pie because it is so ridiculously simple.

1 can of solid packed pumpkin
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 9'' unbaked pie crust

Mix ingredients in order given. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes.

We love to top our piece of pie with either whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

So delicious and "as simple as pie"!

Praying Treasures

"Order my steps in Thy Word:

and let not any iniquity have

dominion over me." Psalm 119:133

I have found that praying His Word has the most profound effect on me, and perhaps are the most treasured prayers of all.

A Dyer of Small Things

Once upon a time I was a dyer of wool.

A collection of old enamel pots of various sizes and shapes were selected and filled with plants or nuts gathered in the fields and the woods, or maybe grown in my herb garden, and set on an open fire outside. A wooden spoon stirred the simmering mixtures, all pungent with their earthy smells.

Through a path in the woods I strolled this morning to gather flowering goldenrod. I snipped the yellow blooms and green leaves and stems to place in a stainless steel pot. The smell wafted throughout my kitchen and out the open windows as it simmered on my kitchen's stove top.

A small skein of wool sheared from my past flock of Romneys was carefully lowered into the dye bath.

The creamy white wool is now a sedate shade of yellow, not unlike some of the colors of autumn.


And on this beautiful Saturday in October I was a dyer with natural things once again, and I loved it as much as I love the word dye bath.

Welcoming October

There is a universal fact about children...they grow. New seasons mean new clothes and shoes, so with a mission to remedy having "nothing to wear", we headed to the shopping center yesterday afternoon.

After several hours of selecting clothes for both Rose and Charlotte, we were tired and slightly hungry for a treat.

*Coldstone* was running an afternoon half- off special on their shakes and smoothies. Rose chose a Caramel Latte shake. I can see a coffee drinking girl in the future since this girl already has such a distinct taste for coffee flavored anything.


A Pineapple Coconut Orange smoothie....that's more my style.


Charlotte, my sprinklely kind of girl, ordered watermelon ice cream with colorful sprinkles, she must appreciate crunch with her ice cream. The wrought iron chairs sitting outside the ice cream store were pulled into the dazzling sunshine and we basked in a beautiful fall day. Until it was time to head back to the parking lot, to the car, and take Charlotte to her ballet lesson.

A very good way to welcome October. Oh, and I must not forget the fashion show of new apparel the girls gave their Daddy later in the evening...

On Such a Saturday as Today

Autumn is giving a slight hint that she has arrived. The weather has turned cooler, but with it has also come rainy, dreary days. A nudging reminder that I needed to pull out the fabrics I bought and begin sewing Charlotte some fall dresses.

There were also some extra mommy duties to do like picking Rose up from a slumber party early in the afternoon. The swishy windshield wipers were my companion as I made the 30 minute trip on curvy roads out of town.


The idea for tonight's supper came from Everyday Foods. The recipe was tweaked and given our own personal doctoring. We used baby beef ribs, included 1/2 cup red wine, and beef broth using canned tomatoes. Slow cooking in a covered pot at 300 degrees for about 4 1/2 hours seemed good to us. Very tasty, which fit our course of the day and provided the comfort food our souls craved on such a Saturday as today.

Should I or Shouldn't I?

This was the question weighing heavily on my mind.

Since Alan made a visit home this past weekend, I humored him by baking a Chocolate Meringue Pie. I regretted not packing it up to send back with him. It was staring me in the face, absolutely pleading with me to have a piece yesterday afternoon.

I took some comfort in the thought that I would also be imbibing green tea without any sweetener as the "yes I should" won out; along with the fact of it being only a little, teeny slice of pie.

I ate the pie slowly, then I quickly downed the tea, as if it was an antidote.

Rose is bitten by the photography bug

A new 4-H photography club we were planning on attending in the park this afternoon, was unfortunately canceled due to rain.

"Resting in the Blue Rockers"

Since Rose is engaged with her camera quite a bit these days, I thought it would be fun to share some of her recent photos of our weekend at the beach.



This girl has fun shooting various angles and subjects. She named this photo,"Polka-dots Blowing in the Breeze."

Future instruction can only improve a rapidly growing interest.

Thumbs up to her long-armed self images too!

Mortar and Pestle

While scrounging around in my kitchen cupboards the other day, I found an unexpected treasure, my mortar and pestle. It was like finding a twinkle in the night sky....

It crushed the dried oregano hanging in my pantry so beautifully, before it was tossed into the red beans and rice....

I felt as if I was kissed. The most fascinating part, the little lip on its porcelain edge.

Sea Magic

The grand finale of saying goodbye to our bathing suits and our beach towels before they are packed up until next year; we are leaving bright and early (the car is already packed) to stay in the little cottage by the sea this weekend.

Already I am hearing the gusty calls of the gulls and sensing the lively sea breezes brushing my hair with it's rigorous breath.

I will behold September sunrises and delight in our mist- damp suits dancing in the wind, as a morning's cup of coffee is being savored while sitting in a blue rocker on the porch. It's divine magic to me, and I find myself being hushed in the ocean's clamor and aroused in the sea's quiet.

Here's to a happy weekend to all!

These are past photos from May's trip.

Hot Pepper Jelly

Tucked amongst the large cookbooks in the antique pine cupboard in my kitchen is a unassuming little cookbook. It was purchased when I was still considered a "young" homemaker. Many of the recipes have been tried at one time in years past. I have revisited the charm and treasure of this little cookbook this weekend. And the added splotches and splatters of wear from its use only give it extra definition.

A bumper crop of green peppers from our county friend was crying out to be made into a something extra good.

A blue ribbon vote has been given by all the tasters whom have tried it. Just pull out some crackers and cream cheese and top it with a smear of this jelly and watch it disappear. I am considering making another batch today. Maybe there are those who would appreciate receiving a little jar of this jelly at Christmas time, I am thinking.

But first I must finalize prep for tonight's dinner guest. Witt is bringing home the girl who, and I quote, " Mama, I believe she is the one".