Glorious Homecoming

     After a week away, I finally returned home to the farm last night to discover the gardens in full bloom, Iris and wild Roses, Bachelor Buttons, Allium, Pansies and tiny miniature roses in the bud. Wow! I kind of felt like there should have been confetti as I drove so, so slowly down the driveway, taking it all in. Thank goodness I had done all that weeding and work before I left because nothing was too out of control. I have been out this morning pulling a few weeds, encouraging the faint of heart, scolding the bullies and such.
   
     The cats apparently missed me terribly and now want to be in my lap or wrapped around an ankle every moment.  Poor dears, I know I neglect them but such is life.  It is a misty, moisty morning, as the old nursery rhyme says, and the tiny birds, dozens of bright Gold Finches, are all atwitter in the Cottonwoods that line the drive. I can hear the thrum, thrum, thrumming of the shimmering Hummingbirds that have their nest in the pile of Honeysuckle that we are politely calling a bush, but it is really only a heap, a pile, a tipped over trellis gone wild, if the truth be told.



 Have I shown you this new addition? I finally managed to get it hooked up and running  before I left last week.  I love it. Able discovered this beautiful blue pot sunken into the muck at the bottom of the fountain pond. It cleaned up very nicely, don't you think?






And look at this beauty! It is even a darker orange than this shot shows and alive with ruffles. Reminds me of Maureen O'Hara, all fiery red hair and flashing eyes.

 (You can just get a peek at the lovely Beverly Sills in the background. Follow the link to a poem about her.)

    In good news I have beets up and thriving for the first time in three years and the peas are setting their slender pods. I can hardly wait. Today I will have fresh chard and scrambled eggs for lunch (thank yous to my hens as always). I need to mow the grass but it is far too damp for such foolishness and besides, I don't want to disturb the blanket of peacefulness which has filled this green valley to the brim. There will be time for that later. A nice hot cup of tea is all I need to make this morning completely and utterly perfect.








   

Large Battles and Small Skirmishes

I am remembering my mom today as I watch baby Everett sitting on the kitchen floor. He is playing with two plastic bowls, a set of measuring spoons and a spatula and is happy as a lark.
      I know mom would be completely in love with this tiny little man as she was with all babies; a natural mother.

This week, staying with Abbey's kids, I have had to wear the hats of mom, grandmother and mother-in-law, not a fun thing all the time.  With no mom here to set the boundaries of behavior, I have had to step up more often and remind various short people about the virtues of politeness and such. We have discussed The Golden Rule and what it really means. Several times.
      No one has been to time out, on my watch anyway, and we all still like each other, but there have been whispered comments such as ,"I wish my momma was here." Usually at those times I too wished their momma was here.  But if we are to raise children with good manners and pleasant ways, those rules must be enforced, regularly and repeatedly, for as long as it takes. We press on toward the goal....as Paul said.
      It's just so much more fun to do whatever we want, whenever we want, and to hell with everyone else's feelings and happiness, cleanliness, time schedules and such. Imagine a world in which that were the norm.
     Right. Back to the trenches we go.
       

Poem: Spice

Spices seduce the senses,
Sweet curls of Cinnamon and Cardamom pods,
blooming Star Anise, full of mystery and medicine,
Nutmeg and Mace, brothers in arms,
over whom myriad lives and fortunes
were lost, ruined or forever changed.

Pepper, Paprika, Cumin, Dill;
gifts of flower and seed, bark and bulb,
plucked, dried, smoked, sweated,
ground and bagged, loaded onto
ships that sailed around the world.

Gentle herbs of Savory and Sage,
Rosemary, Fennel, Tarragon and Thyme.
Parsley, to marry flavors together,
Cilantro and Marjoram and Mint.
Set them to simmer in broth or brew,
or slowly sip them in tincture or tea.

Beautiful Saffron, breath of the angels,
Turmeric, fiery as the setting sun,
coloring curries, clothes and skin,
restoring balance to breath and blood.
Frankincense and Myrrh, Sesame and Salt,
the treasures of creation, for commoners and kings.

Ten On Tuesday: May 13, 2013

1.  I'm spending this week at Abbey's, watching and driving her kids around, while she is off in the nation's capitol. Today did not quite work out as planned, most of the time. I blame myself, mostly. Here's the story in numbered format.

2.  On Saturday last, I zipped over to Okeene to work on cleaning up the rental apartment next door to my Dad's house. It was a filthy pit, as they always are when someone moves out, so I scrubbed and washed and wiped and mopped for several hours, stopping at intervals to visit with Dad and get drinks of water and sustenance at the famous pink kitchen table. (Yes, both the kitchen and the table are pink.)

3.  That night I was up all night with an aching arm and hand, the reaction of my carpal tunnel to gripping the sponge and scrub brush all afternoon. Yes, I had my brace on but it made no difference. Yikes! Sunday I went to OKC and worked at the shop and started popping ibuprofen like an addict. Better. Sunday night was not better.

4.  Monday we had a really good day at the shop; talked to a bunch of wonderful people and sold lots of spices. Yay! The arm was some better Monday, thanks to the drugs.
Monday night was much better except I began to notice I had a stopped up ear...dizziness.

5.  Tuesday, today, I woke up and started in on the morning routine and was so dizzy I was nauseous. I pressed on, found some allergy meds in Brent's bathroom and took them. As we got ready for school and drove round and round these four or five blocks between the schools and E's daycare, I began to get sleepier and sleepier. Oh my. The meds were putting me to sleep. Great. I had cookies and mints at the Grandmother's Tea at Maggie's pre-school, drove home in a near stupor and fell on the couch in a sound sleep. The time was 9:45.

6.  Time 2:00. I woke up finally, not knowing where I was, but felt better. I jumped up, coerced my hair into lying down again, brushed the teeth and ran out the door to pick up Maggie from school. She looked a little rough around the edges. It must not have been the best day ever. (Right here is where we went off the rails) 
       She and I went shopping for a few things so I could practice making my breads for the class. (After we had checked out we had to go running back to get the butter....one of the two things I had originally gone in to get. Of course.)

7.  (Aside: The wind is suddenly in a froth outside. Wonder what's up.)

8.  We ran home and put the groceries away; drove to pick up Brendan; almost forgot about E and had to go up the really awful road-construction-road to get him. Came home and had a snack of fruit and bread and Brent walked in at 4:30 ready to take Maggie to get pictures made for her dancing program.

9.  I thought they had to leave at 5:00 and they actually needed to be there at 4:45, dressed, hair done and smiling.  They were there at 5:00, dressed, hair sort of done but not well, and definitely not smiling. I guess it was a disaster all the way around and has her daddy dreading the week-end with dress rehearsal and the program. I again blame myself, mostly.

10.  We had a nice, easy supper and then played outside in the backyard, had baths and books and an imaginary trip to our special safe garden before bed.  Then I went to the kitchen to practice making the Naan. The entire day had sort of spiraled downhill and then leveled out just at bedtime. (Did I mention Maggie's meltdown during the putting on the pj section?Oh well. Brent handled it and I rocked the baby and fixed the falling down shower curtain for B. Sigh.)

11.  Okay, so today was less pulled together than it could have been.  In good news:

a. No one was injured, lost or went to time out, including me.
b. I did not lose my sanity and only one out of three kids ended up crying. Not bad.
c. I feel better this evening and have more appropriate meds now.
d. My arm feels much better this evening.
e. Tomorrow is another day. We begin again.

Love Thursday: The Fragrance of Spring

One month. It lasts for one month, if I am lucky and the heat is delayed....and the rains fall soft upon grassy hillsides and standing fields of wheat, canola and alfalfa.  May is my favorite month  of the year because in this month the earth comes alive, pushing up out of the warming soil and bursting into velvet, tasseled bloom on every side.
       But the thing that brings a smile most often is the scent of growing things and damp earth....carried on the moisture that blesses the morning air. Today, the sun stayed behind the clouds for all but a little while, allowing me to work for hours in my mission of reclaiming the gardens from the crabgrass and other weeds that so love to claim every inch of earth as their own.  I dug out and edged the curving bed south of the propane tank in the fire circle.  I added metal panels to the Wisteria wall and trimmed her errant, reaching arms.
        I weeded the entire patio, swept it clean and sprinkled the pre-emergent.  I finally set up the bubble fountain (it needs a bit of tweaking but I'm almost there).  I tore down the old wooden ladder and wrestled that rogue Wisteria plant out of the ground, moving some of it to the new wall panels.  In the end, I had to resort to the ax to get it out of the ground. (And no, I did not chop off my foot. Thanks for asking.) There is still much to do but, little by little, I am advancing with a firm stride. Things are beginning to look better. During that part of the exercise I had a wonderful visit on the phone with my niece, Erica. Great to hear her cheery voice! It has been too long.
     Tomorrow I need to mow the cemetery and do some work up there in preparation for Memorial Day and the visitors from afar. I hope it doesn't rain. (GASP! I can not believe I said those words. Blasphemy!) I mean, I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow until I can get the mowing finished.  Let it be on my head.
     I also practiced for the bread class that is coming up next week, making Pizza dough and a vegetable pizza from the garden, two batches of biscuits (finally got a good do on them!), some savory monkey bread featuring Gran Paradiso Cheese Dip blend, some naked tomato sauce, and for breakfast,  some Mana'eesh, a flat bread, sprinkled with Sumac and dusted with Paprika, featuring a baked egg in its center. Lots of bread today. No, I did not eat it all. I actually gave some of it to the UPS guy who comes here so often I feel like we're family. He loved it. He said it gave him the strength to climb back onto the truck and finish the route.
    Tomorrow I work on perfecting English Crumpets. Should be fun, fun, fun, but that will be after mowing the cemetery and planting the new Red Bud in Maggie's Wood.



     

Poem: Silken Spring Morning

Shades of green surround,
Hummingbird wing, Willow, Peach,
broad, rounded leaves of Hollyhock
below flat, trembling leaves of Ivy,
climbing the older-than-all-of-us Elm.

Bright Cardinals cry their territories,
a House Finch, perched upon a wire,
turns his rosy head to peer down at me
where I sit, motionless, gazing at him.

A pair of Canadian Geese rise in languid
formation from the creek below,
honking farewells to buff-bellied Swallows,
who criss-cross the morning sky.

Ah, here is my friend, Mockingbird,
swooping into the young Cottonwood,
where a parade of Sparrows take
turns at the swaying feeder.

This day is nature's sweet embrace,
the whole ball of wax, a gift extraordinaire;
a crazy-quilt of color, texture and song,
stitched and shining with a silver thread.
.