Pleasure and Product – Pap-Pap’s Sugar
My sister Susan’s honeybees often visit my yard. Bees can fly up to four miles from their hives to collect pollen, and I live only a mile away from my sister’s home and hives.
The honeybees love my spearmint, which happily is grown organically, as are all of my sister’s vegetables and flowers.
Here’s a jar of Susan’s honey. She calls it “Pap-pap’s Sugar” in honor of our grandfather who also loved bees and had many hives during his lifetime. The honey is so beautiful. I love the way the sunshine illuminates it’s golden and pure goodness. My favorite way to use it is in tea…a bit of heaven in a cup.
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Place and Person – Pitman Grove and Camp Meeting and C. Austin Miles
The first meeting in the tabernacle in Pitman, New Jersey, was held in 1871. A history of the town and the camp meeting can be found here: History of Pitman, New Jersey. The tabernacle is at the center of twelve paths, or spokes, reminiscent of the twelve apostles.
C. Austin Miles, a prolific songwriter, wrote the hymn, “In the Garden,” while staying in the grove area. He said of himself, “It is as a writer of gospel songs I am proud to be known, for in that way I may be of the most use to my Master, whom I serve willingly although not as efficiently as is my desire.”
Here are a few pictures I took Sunday at about 10:00 in the morning.
These small cottages are just a sampling of the dozens and dozens that surround the tabernacle.
Many years ago when I first moved to the area with my parents, I called this cottage on the fringes of the tabernacle wheel my home. What I remember most about it was the amazing attic it had. When I lived there it had a long front porch which has since been enclosed.
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Pots and Pans & Product
My Nero d’ Toscana kale is still doing great in my Square Foot Garden . When I read the description of this plant in a review this past winter, I was very intrigued by the fact that the reviewer thought it resembled a tree from a Dr. Suess book, and after growing it I agree. Even better is the fact that this plant has grown and produced since Spring. It is still growing strong, and now with cooler weather on the way, the kale should be even more delicious. I am wondering how long it will continue to grow after reading the reviews I found here: Nero di Toscano Kale.
The kale is not only an attractive and productive plant, it also cooks up into a delicious meal or side dish. Here is a lunch I had the pleasure of eating this past week. It was simple and delicious. I didn’t use a recipe. I boiled some water, and had angel hair pasta at the ready to pop in for about four minutes. During the time I waited on the water I sautéed the kale in a bit of Smart Balance spread (watching the cholesterol now) or butter if you prefer, added a touch of salt and a lot of one of my favorite new finds…
McCormick Italian Herb Seasoning
I tossed a few of my home-grown cherry tomatoes in the pan in the last few minutes, then sprinkled with my favorite shredded cheese mix – Four Cheese Pizza Cheese. It was so delicious, if my mouth hadn’t been full, I would have sung a song of joy.
Visit Mel Barthlomew’s Square Foot Gardening Website. Growing a vegetable garden by this method this summer has been a real joy to me and quite a success: Square Foot Garden
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Product – Etsy and the Teeny-Tiny Fairy
I love handcrafted items. I sell a few of my pressed flower cards on Etsy, and sometimes buy from the other artists and craftspeople who sell their wares on the site. I loved this teeny-tiny baby fairy I came upon. Here she is hanging on a wreath in my home.
Here she is with a penny to show how very small she really is.
She is going to become part of an ongoing game with my grandsons. Each time they come I’m going to hide/hang her in a different room. It will be fun to see who can spot her first.
Another thing I love about Etsy is the personal touch and interaction I have with the other artists who sell on the site. It’s so nice getting a genuine “Thank you,” rather than the usual “Here you go…” response I receive so often as I am handed my bag in a big store or grocery. Thanks Tania. To visit Tania’s Etsy shop click on this link: FAIRY SHADOW SHOP.
To visit all of Etsy click on this link: ETSY
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Projects – Stepping Stone Walkway
I decided this summer that I really must go through all the shells, rocks, mosses and other natural items I had stockpiled in the garage during the twenty-five years we have lived in this house. I have made a dent in the collection. In the spring I created planters with a border of seashells, and in the last few weeks I have been creating stepping-stones with my huge rock collection. I love to step along the stones and relive the feel of walking across them on the beaches, bays and creek beds where they were gathered.
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Plants – Flower Garden Update/August 2012
My late-summer flower garden is thriving. The Rudbeckia is full of blossoms. I don’t deadhead these flowers. They do not produce more blooms if I do so, and then I would deprive the finches of their treat. These flowers produce hundreds of seeds and are a favorite of the goldfinches. I often see the small birds hanging upside down on the seed heads, feasting on the bounty.
The Coral Nymph Salvia is a beautiful plant. It almost becomes shrub-like as the season progresses. I do deadhead the spent flower stalks of this plant, and it keeps producing until cold weather. It is a favorite of hummingbirds.
This Salvia self-seeded last summer, grew in a crack between the sidewalk and front porch steps, and is thriving. I will save seeds from this plant this fall. It has a resilience and determination I admire.
The Popsock Cosmos I grew this year is a bit taller than I had thought it would be, but is still a welcome addition to the front garden.
These cheerful petunias I bought on a whim this spring have been fantastic. I love the bright color and the abundance of blooms they have given me.
The coleus plants in the front garden are outstanding. I will soon let them begin to flower for next year’s seed harvest.
The asters I grew by winter-sowing are beautiful. They come in a variety of purple, lavender and pink shades. I am really pleased with this plant.
The Bonariensis Verbena is often perennial. This patch grew tall and broad this year and is constantly attracting butterflies. Last year it also self-seeded, and I have several new patches of this great plant.
Dahlias grown from seed and sun-loving impatiens (a Mother’s Day gift) are all doing well.
Here is one of my mistakes, although I love the lilypad-like foliage. I planted nasturtium in fertilized soil, and the foliage is abundant, but the flowers non-existent. They prefer to grow in poor soil.
Both varieties of Fuschia are doing well, as are both varieties of the Dragon-wing Begonias.
Last but not least is my Lady In Red Salvia, a great hummingbird flower. I love the little hover-fly sipping nectar that I captured in the photograph below.
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Problem Solving & The Power of Prayer
This is my cat Rusty. This is my cat Rusty…HIDING…in what he considers a very safe spot. He knows he can make a quick getaway under the bed’s dust ruffle. Why is Rusty hiding? Well, Rusty hides at the first sign of visitors or something going awry, and my, oh my, did things go awry a week or two ago.
The first sign of trouble was a noise that sounded animal-like coming from the chimney. Both Rusty and I noticed the small muffled squeak. Rusty stared in the direction of the fireplace, and I mentioned the sound to my husband, who gave his usual reply of, “It’s nothing.” Okay, I conceded, I wasn’t sure I really heard anything anyway. I forgot all about it. The next afternoon I had a rude reminder on the return from a beach outing. I opened the front door and instantly was assaulted by the image of a bat flying around my dining room. According to my husband, I backed out of the door saying, “Oh, oh, oh…”
Funny…fleetingly, the old 1960’s symbol of the show Batman was the first thought that crossed my mind. The bat, illuminated against the yellow-green walls of the dining room exactly resembled the “bat signal” as it flew. I expected Adam West and Burt Ward to show up. (I’m giving away my age.) The next thought was, “Get out of here…NOW!” I did. That was mistake number two. By the time I convinced my husband I saw a bat, the creature had disappeared somewhere in the house.
We both walked around the house, with a broomstick, thumping on walls and near pictures. I still don’t think Joe really believed I had seen a bat. The bat was nowhere. (Rusty had retreated to his safe spot and was no help at all) After several minutes of this we still had no idea what to do. I began to pray that God would help us find the bat. Suddenly, the bat made another appearance and began swooping around the house. It really did seem attracted to our heads, especially mine, I wonder if it is because they are guided by sound. A swooping bat is not a sight or sound for the fainthearted.
I really did not want to kill it. I felt a bit sorry for it. Joe didn’t feel the same. He had the broom and swung it as the bat flew near his head. I had a bucket at the ready to scoop up the unfortunate broom-swatted bat. It flew so quickly, and was so efficient at dodging the broom bristles by flying near our heads, that knocking it down before it touched or bit one of us seemed hopeless. I began praying and held the bucket up near my head. Praise God for a miracle and an answer to prayer, the bat suddenly flew smack into the bucket I was holding up, and became tangled in the work gloves at the bottom. “I’ve got it!” I yelped. We both ran outside and pushed the bucket over on the grass and the winged marauder flew away.
It was risky letting it go. I know that now after reading articles about bats getting caught indoors. Bats do carry rabies, but it is rare. You run more of a risk of getting rabies from a racoon or skunk or stray pet. I don’t think it was sick, I just think it was an unlucky bat, flying around at night, minding his own business, who somehow flew into a chimney and spent hours wiggling out through a crack in the fireplace screen.
God answers prayer, yes he does! Sometimes you need to wait for the answer, but sometimes, he is very, very fast. Amen!
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Plants – Mid-August Update/Square Foot Garden
Eggplant
My Square Foot Garden is still going strong. I have never grown so many delicious and beautiful varieties of vegetables.
Eggplant
Tuscan Kale (has grown since spring…still delicious)
Pickling cucumbers
Late summer sowing of black beans
Late summer sowing of pickling cucumbers…not sure if these have enough time to fruit.
Golden Mohawk peppers and eggplant…Gorgeous!
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Place – Philadelphia Museum of Natural Science
My husband I recently took our grandsons to the Philadelphia Museum of Natural Science. We had a grand time. My only complaint…it’s a little dark inside.
My favorite exhibit was the butterfly house. It’s amazing to feel butterflies flitting right by your head.
The museum has a dinosaur hall too…quite a few dinosaur skeletons on display.
There is even an Egyptian mummy on display.
On the way home we said “Hello!” to William Penn. It was a perfect day in the City of Philadelphia.
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Praise – Leaning on the Everlasting Arms (through the decades)
A friend sent me this delightful version of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” It was the fastest twelve minutes of my week. Take a listen…you’ll hear music from the 40’s through the present day. Priceless!
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Pets – Silent Saturday – Rusty Blending In
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Pressed Flowers – The Unpressables
Wildflowers are abundant, even invasive sometimes. To see all this plenty makes my fingers always itch to press, but I have had little luck with many of them. Tops on that list of unpressables are chicory and white aster daisies. Chicory has a very thick calyx, and by the time you get it home, the petals are limp and shriveled. The asters have super thin, thread-like petals with a large, hard center. I managed to press a few recently, and had a bit of luck. I crushed the calyx of the chicory before I placed it in the pressing book. I did the same with the center of the aster daisies. In the top corner are a few petals of lantana, a whole other story I won’t get into today. I gave these wildflowers about 15 to 30 seconds of heat. The amount of time depends on how hot your microwave gets. I wanted the book to be gently warmed, not hot.
The bottom line on these two wildflowers is you must press three to five times the amount of flowers you want to use. As you can see from the chicory on the left, only one out of three worked out at all. The blue was retained, but there is also a little browning I will need to try to pull or cut away. Still, true-blue flowers are not abundant in the garden, and the daisies are unique and delicate. I will keep trying and press more than I think I need.
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Plants and Pleasures – Harvesting and Storing “Tea” Herbs
Hopefully, this will be the start of a daily cup of tea this winter. I’ve been picking my spearmint and lemon balm and freezing it in ice-cube trays. I had a test run last week, and found that if I left the herbal ice cubes in a cup for an hour or two they thawed out. I then strained away the water, fired up the tea kettle, and within ten minutes was drinking a cup of spearmint/lemon balm tea that tasted as if it was picked fresh out of the garden. I’m thrilled to know I’ll be able to continue drinking the tea throughout the winter.
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Pressed Flowers – Pressed Flowers 101
If you are new to pressing flowers you might be inclined to use your own books for pressing. You will find that the flower petals and foliage will ruin some of the pages, and others could become warped by moisture inside the stems. Thick flowers also will cause dents and some flower colors will stain the pages.
To avoid ruining your own books go to thrift stores for old books, or do as I do and check out the public library. Large outdated periodicals or how-to books work best for pressing.
One thing to beware of is the ink on the pages. The moisture in the flowers sometimes reactivates it, and it can stain your petals. I’ve even had words imprint backwards onto my flowers. To remedy this, when first used, rub the page briskly with a paper towel and hard pressure and any excess ink will be removed.
For more pressed flower tips click on the catergory link at the bottom of this page. Thanks.
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Pots and Pans – Chicken Divine Tweaked
A week or two ago the Sunday paper’s Parade magazine had a recipe inside created by Sherry Sheppard. The picture and ingredients look yummy, though a little high in fat. I had most of the ingredients on hand, but substituted lower fat alternatives for others. I loved my recipe tweaks…so did my husband…I think you will too. I can’t wait to make this again and hope to serve it to company soon.
Chicken Divine Tweaked
2 bunches broccoli florets (steamed until al dente)
1/2 stick “I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter (or other butter substitute)
5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Cups broth (preferably homemade with fat removed * see note at bottom of post)
3 Tbsp any fruit juice or wine you have on hand
1 Lime juiced (remove seeds)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Italian herbs or other favorite spice mix
1/2 Cup Four cheese pizza cheese (you can buy this shredded already)
2 whole chicken breasts cooked and sliced thin
Melt butter over low heat, add flour, cook until thickened. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cook on low, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Add 3 tbsp juice and lime juice. Add salt and pepper and spices. Stir to combine.
Arrange broccoli in flameproof low edged casserole dish, Top with half the sauce. Stir 1/4 cup cheese mixture into remaining sauce. Arrange chicken on broccoli, pour remaining sauce on top and sprinkle the remaining quarter cup of cheese on top.
Broil, about 6 inches from heat until it begins to brown. Sprinkle with paprika.
Eat and enjoy
*** I like to make my own broth a day ahead of time. I then store it in the fridge, and before I use, I skim away the hardened layer of fat on the surface.
You can use lemon instead of lime. The original recipe used lemon. I like lime better. It doesn’t add a flavor per se, but instead adds a citrus brightness. Sometimes lemon can be overpowering in a recipe.
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Projects – Saving Seeds
Vinca Seedpod and Seeds
I have seedpods and seeds strewn all over my house. It’s time to get serious about letting a few plants go to seed so that I will not have to buy the same seed packets again next year.
I’ve even collected a few wildflower pods. Milkweed attracts monarch butterflies so I collected a pod from a roadside plant.
I let my collected seeds dry out for several days, either on the windowsill, or inside a glass.
I then enclose the seeds in aluminum foil and store this packet inside a recycled tea bag wrapper.
Finally, I file these seed packets, and any leftover seeds from spring, inside a recycled plastic container. In the picture below I’ve used a baby wipes container. These are kept in my refrigerator until I begin to plant once again.
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Proverbs & Peace –
“The Lord’s blessing is our greatest wealth.
All our work adds nothing to it!” Proverbs 10:22 (Living Bible)
I hope for you to find inner rest and peace on this Sabbath day.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Amen.
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Place – Block Island Day 7/Saying Goodbye
On the day of our departure from Block Island we stopped at Payne’s Killer Donut Shop and bought a few of their amazing donuts for the ferry ride.
A last goodbye to the buildings surrounding Old Harbor and the ferry parking lot.
I snapped just one more photograph for my watercolor/acrylics reference library and we were off. We’ve already made our reservations at “The Upstairs” for next year. I can’t wait to go back.
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Place and Phascination – Block Island Day 6/The Cairns at Mohegan Bluffs
To get to the amazing beach below the steep hills of Mohegan Bluffs you must climb down 144 steps. The first time you descend you get a rude surprise. Instead of stepping onto the beach, you have a 15 to 20 foot portion of the bluff to pick your way down. This can be tricky. There are many natural springs in the bluffs, and the fog and surf spray can make the rocky dirt slippery. It’s worth the effort though. The beach is gorgeous, and the view in all directions is terrific. If you click on the photograph above you can get an idea of the climb at the end of the staircase. The two people in the upper right corner are at the end of the staircase, and the people in the middle have just finished climbing down the side of the bluff.
It was foggy when we reached the bottom this year. The misty atmosphere gave a magical feel to the field of Cairns along the beach.
I have never seen so many cairns in one spot before. The photograph can’t capture them all because they fade into the mist.
I loved this arrangement of stones with a message and decided it would make a great motto for the year. I took a snapshot and pasted it in the front of my daily to do notebook.
Here are a few more photographs of the beach at Mohegan Bluffs.
This gives you an idea of the clay that can be found all around the island. Many people apply it to their skin, let it dry in the sun, and then dip in the water to wash it off. Others create interesting works of art by scraping images into it with driftwood and shells.
Mohegan Bluffs is worth the climb.
