Fossils

This is the worst job I have to do every spring - dread cleaning out the goldfish pond.  While still too cold to climb into the foulest, stinkiest water you've ever seen, I am trying to clean it out with a swimming pool net and pole.  I will have to get in soon though, before the snakes come out of hibernation. Be that as it may, it doesn't take long before my mind begins to wander to the fossils I have placed around the pond. 

Oklahoma used to be covered by an ocean, which mildly disturbs me, but because of said ocean, I find many fossils in limestone around here.  I've said give me a fossil over diamonds and watches, jewelry that I do not wear (though I do love a Van Cleef and Arpels Alhambra necklace in turquoise).   Above is a fern leaf and shell creature encased in limestone.

A tree trunk millions of years old.  Guess it grew when the ocean receded or inundation. 

Don't know what the heck this is, but perhaps a tubeworm of some kind.

My favorite though is this fish or sea serpent.  The head is on the right and the rest of the fossil curves up to the top of the rock.  Notice all the bones and plant life scattered around.  

Well, I better get back to the pond scum.  At least I found something to break up the chore.

It's Spring

It's spring alright.  How do I know?  I'm digging through cabinets and drawers.  Thirty years of detritus and all sorts of things.  Rubber bands, receipts and files from too long ago have filtered down to the bottom of cubbies and piles of paper are being purged.  As I dig I wonder, why did I save these old rubber bands, clips, ink pens that no longer work and stacks of papers?  

To tell the truth, I am somewhat of a magpie by nature, but much of this is ridiculous.  Saving things on the chance that they might be needed someday only adds to clutter.  

Like a slip of paper I have saved for years.  It has Phi 1.618 written on it.  Below is the sign for Phi.

Phi, pronounced like fly, was discovered by Fibonacci and is the solution to a quadratic equation (math was my worst subject in school so I know I didn't save this for the math).  Phi is also known as the Divine Proportion, The Golden Mean, or the Divine Ratio.  So, how does it effect us?  Well, Phi is the proportions of the human body as well as animals, plants, DNA, the solar system, art and architecture, music and even theology. Phi unwinds the chambers of a nautilus and the spiral of a galaxy, arranges seeds in the head of a sunflower. So how does Phi 'figure' into my spring cleaning?  Well, I guess it seemed interesting at the time, but out it goes.  

UPDATE ~ I found another slip of paper from a magazine article which is why I copied Phi down in the first place.  Susan Dell (yes, that Dell) started a clothing company in the 1990's (that's how long I have held on to these scraps of paper) and she named it Phi, after the divine proportion.  So, nothing profound or life changing.  Just a bit of minutia that interested me at the time.  Finally throwing them out.  But, oh no.  Wait, here is a third scrap.  I must have really been impressed.  Seems that Phi is the principle on what Leonardo da Vinci based his illustration of The Vitruvian Man. I could go on but I think I've probably lost most of you by now.  So, nuff said about Phi, but isn't it beautiful ~ like spring?

Smiles

Just love this video.  Makes me happy.

Wild Cherry Tree

Found something new in the Henry Field's seed and plant catalog.  It is a wild black cherry tree.  I have never seen one for sale before.  

Grandma Great had one in her front yard and used to make jam with the cherries.  She said she watched birds come eat them, then fall out of the tree onto the ground like they were drunk.

I found a wild cherry tree by the lake once.  It was very gnarled and old, but had a few cherries still attached.  The aroma of wild cherry was something I'll never forget.  So strong and wonderful.  I can't wait to get mine.  I'll just have to be careful where I plant it because these trees can reach 80 feet tall.  I am excited about this tree. I'm going to make jams, liqueurs, tarts, syrups... The juice has been used for ages as a cough remedy and the bark can be used too.  I will have to read up on why the birds get drunk from eating the cherries.  Don't want druggy birds flying around the farm.

A Plate Excuse

I call this my Goonie Bird plate.  Bought it at Round Top. Though I love it (I'm a bonafide bird nut and love all things bird),  it has been shelved in a closet.  I don't know where it should go.  The painter/artist did a wonderful job.  It is fairly old, but not dated.  I wonder if the bird is extinct now?
Truth be known, I am really just piddling around, trying to find things to keep me from doing the things I should be doing; a lame excuse to use a plate, I know.  Do you feel guilty wasting time and not being productive?  Oh well, guess I'll piddle some more and find a wall to display it on.

Breaking Bad

I'm a late bloomer - didn't get on the Homeland or Breaking Bad train until later.  If Breaking Bad was a drug, I'm hooked.  On a bad binge for both.  Finished Homeland and now on to Breaking Bad.  I can't quit you, Walter White.  It is that good.  Just hope Homeland hurries up with the next season.  Love these shows!

Field Sculpture

We go years without snow and this is what we've had for so long, I can't remember when the ground wasn't covered.  It will be melting by the weekend.  I will be in Tulsa or I would go outside naked to feel the warm sunshine on my skin.  

I made these armillary spheres (not quite finished) from old rusty wheel forms (don't know if that is what they are called).  They were used to hold wooden wheel pieces or wagon wheels.  We have tons and I figured they would work as field art. By the way, armillary spheres were early celestial globes. Wish I could find an old airplane to put out in the field.  A rocket perhaps?

To Mope Or Not To Mope

Trying to brighten up my day (and keep from doing the things I should be doing).  This white bisque rabbit came from Anthropologie.  I guess it is glazed inside to keep water from leaking out.  I also got a goose head.  Just loved these and the gerbera daisies. But, take a look at the paper basket.

I went to Hobby Lobby last week.  I  usually just go there to buy art supplies.  All the rest I consider stuff. I have more stuff than one should have, and am trying to give it away.  Nevertheless, I was amazed at all the cute things they have. They had these paper baskets in different shapes and sizes, and made in China of course.  They were so cute.  Grandma Great used to make paper bead necklaces with a string chain to entertain all the grandchildren. Guess that is what hooked me.  They looked like her necklaces. If you haven't been recently, I suggest you go.  I can't tell you how many things I wanted to buy. 

The Funny Farm

Banana In Snow

"They're coming to take me away ha ha

They're coming to take me away ha ha, ho ho, he he,

To the funny farm 

Where life is beautiful all the time".

(And warm?)

 The first use of the term, Funny Farm, was used in John Knowles 1959 novel, A SEPARATE PEACE, set in New Hampshire (no wonder).

"You might start to believe it, then I'd have to make a reservation for you at the Funny Farm."

Well, they don't call it the funny farm for nothing.  This winter is killing me.  Going to go try and work on a painting, but I'm afraid my muse is frozen outside somewhere on my Peaceable Hill Farm which is why I put a banana in the snow (a lame attempt at an art installation piece/joke). Pitiful.

The Natural World

I've had this tableau tucked in a corner for several years.  So, I got it out, cleaned it up, added a few more things and Voila.  I consider myself something of a naturalist; look and find all sorts of things on the farm and read about them.  My sister calls me Mother Earth.

Had trouble photographing this guy, but the red changes colors from different angles.

Isn't he a beaut? Would have loved to see his wings extended, but this is the way I found him.

Screech Owl skull with his right ocular bone nearby.  They are really tiny under all those feathers.  The sound  they make is like a woman screaming.

Some type of shorebird or tern.

This is a baby snake skeleton which was nearly impossible to photograph.

So this is where it ended up; crowns my new ikea medical cabinet.

Now all I need to do is fill the cabinet.  

Pretty Thing

How is this for a post on a winter's day?  Such a pretty, silly thing.  I carried it to dine in Paris.  Small, though it came in a larger size, it was big enough to carry keys, cell phone, credit cards and a lipstick, perhaps an errant piece of silverware if one collected that sort of thing (and no, I don't, though Barbara Walters does when she visits the White House.)  

Can you imagine how long it took to make all those teeny ribbon roses?  Pretty, yes.  Silly, because with a wonderful, beloved country slaughtering dolphins and whales, well, it seems like such a paltry, silly thing.  Go Caroline!

Gifts

My birthday and Christmas come close to each other.  My family has a hard time figuring out what to buy me.  Unless I specify what I want, well...  I get quite a few stinkers.  I only asked for two things.  I love this salt shaker snow globe from Anthropologie.  It was a gift to myself.

I am not like most folk/women.  No Manolo's or Jimmy Choo's for me.  PS ~ stick doesn't work.  Yes it does.

Anyone want a bung? It goes in a hole.

Tweetle, dee dee.

Not sure how I'll use this.  Hmmm.  Perhaps I'll climb a tree and peer down a knothole. Ideas?  Maybe I can sneak up on someone around a corner and watch them unawares.

Oh, I love this medical cabinet from ikea.  Trouble is, I need another one and it cost almost as much to ship as the item did. So, do I drive to Dallas and pick up another or just pay the damn shipping? 

I got other things I love and some stinkers too.  I don't wear jewelry, except for small earrings, so I was happy with these.

Aging Ain't For Sissies

"Go start the car, honey." 

As we age, we begin to forget things.  My proudest attribute, was my near photographic memory.  Notice, I said, was.  I am beginning to forget things. Drives me nuts; simple words, minutia, things I used to pride myself in knowing. If you remember, fun for me growing up was reading encyclopedias and medical books. I worry that I am in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's Disease.  So, I decided to turn to an expert.  He is a neuropsychologist; specializes in traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's, stroke, blah, blah, blah.  

Dr. T. Ph.D., ABN,FACPN, I'd like to ask you a few questions.

Q - In terms we can understand, what is Alzheimer's Disease?

A - A disease of the brain that results in accumulating or progressive death of brain cells.

Q - What is the difference between Alzheimer's and dementia?

A - There are many diseases of the brain that result in progressive cell death - all of those are classified as a form of dementia.  Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia.

Q - Are they treated the same way?

A - Other than a few reversible causes of dementia (i.e. meds, depression, thyroid, etc.), there are no effective treatments that reverse the dementing process.Some significant progress has been made in the treatment of Alzheimer's, but Alzheimer's remains a progressive, virtually untreatable form of dementia. 

Q - Well that makes me feel a whole lot better.  What percentage of the population will get Alzheimer's?

A - On average, there is a 15 - 20% chance of elderly developing Alzheimer's in their lifetime.  This risk of Alzheimer's increases with age and certain genetic biomarkers, for example, there is almost a 50% chance of Alzheimer's in patients over age 80. "Christ, let me go look it up on my Power Point presentation." 

Q - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz  He can't find his memory stick. Hah.  It's all right dear. I'll put you in a good home.  That is what he always tells me. Personally, I don't care if I get dementia at 80 (though I'm sure I will if I make it that far).  I do care if I get it now.  What is the earliest documented case of Alzheimer's?

A - Cases in patients as young as 20 that are undocumented with no confirmation by autopsy.

Q - What are the earliest signs to look for?

A - In Alzheimer's, it's memory loss.

Q - What kind?  Like punctuation, words, names? Oh, God.

A - Here is an example.  Alzheimer's patients forget whole experiences instead of not being able to recall specific details.

Q - Do you think I am showing signs of Alzheimer's?

A - You show normal age related forgetfulness which is different from Alzheimer's. (I didn't tell him I momentarily forgot how to recharge my camera battery the other day). If you forget parts of certain experiences or conversations and you know you forgot - you are probably okay.  If you don't remember and don't acknowledge you've forgotten, that is probably a concern.

Well, that's all I want to know. It's all a bloody crap shoot.  If you have a question, I'd be glad to ask Dr. T for you.  Meanwhile, it's been nice knowin' ya.

Limoncello

Here is one of the first posts I ever wrote.  I can't believe it has been this long since I started blogging (this post is from December 2008).  My lemons, blood oranges, limes, oranges, grapefruits and on and on are ready once again and the kinds of citrus I grow has grown exponentially. I haven't made this in years as we rarely drink. Nevertheless, here it goes again...

Well, it's that time again. My Meyer lemons are ripening and it's time to make hooch.  I have had this on a beach in Italy and my own concoction, but to tell the truth, I think limoncello tastes like lemon gasoline.  Whew!  The Italians say they drink it after meals as a digestive. This will grow hair on your chest, clear up allergies, coughs; a real magic potion for whatever ails you or maybe you just won't care and get a little limon-mellow. I think I made 4 gallons of the stuff last year. It really tastes best on hot summer days but what the heck, have it drizzled over a mango sorbet or whatever your preference might be. It is also good mixed with tonic or my personal fave, mixed with champagne. So, enough said. Here is the recipe.

17 large lemons
2 750 milliliter bottles grain alcohol
51/2 cups water
6 cups sugar
Wash and dry the lemons. With a good vegetable peeler, remove only the yellow rind of the lemon. Do not get any of the white pith as this will make your limoncello bitter. Place the lemon peels in a 4 quart Mason jar with a rubber-seal lid. Add the grain alcohol. Store in a cool dark place swirling the mixture daily for approximately 2 weeks. When you can hear the peels making a funny noise, check the peels and if they break just like a potato chip, it is ready for the next step. All of the essential oil will have been extracted into the alcohol. Place a colander over a large bowl and line with a paper towel or coffee filters. Pour the alcohol and peels into the colander and let drain. Discard the peels. Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring until it is dissolved. Cover and let cool to room temperature. Transfer the alcohol mixture back to the mason jar and add the cooled sugar water stirring to combine. Store for a month in a cool dark place. After a month, transfer the limoncello to smaller bottles that can be sealed with rubber stoppers or corks. Store the bottles in the freezer. Serve directly from the freezer.
The longer the limoncello sits, the mellower it becomes. It will last in the freezer for at least a year and I've read indefinitely. The internet has many many recipes for limoncello and sites where you can even buy supplies. Make sure that all your equipment is clean ( I know you wouldn't use dirty equipment) but there are airborne yeasts and other little thingys that you need to be aware of so clean is the watchword. I read that the best limoncello is made with the lemons that have green rinds so I experimented last winter and the only thing I could tell is that the limoncello was green instead of yellow. I certainly am not a connoisseur of limoncello so you can read up and let me know. Just in case someone out there might not know, grain alcohol is like 100 proof and this limoncello is very potent so remember, just a little drinky winky.
I thought since I was at it, I would share one more recipe for Crema di limoncello. To a liter of limoncello, stir in 1 tablespoon of vanilla and 21/2 cups of heavy cream. Store in refrigerator for a few days. You can certainly experiment if you please -add more sugar or less cream; this is just a basic recipe for the Crema. Chin chin, y'all.

Found A New Home

I recently did a kitchen remodel in my little house in Tulsa.  It hadn't been remodeled in at least 50 years.  My hats off to all the designers and decorators out there.  What a hard job you have.  Though I have been subscribing to all the design and decorating magazines for about 40 years, (I was only 2 when I started), choosing colors, tiles, appliances, lighting and even hinges and floor registers is stressful to me.  And, doing it from long distance at the farm  made it even harder. And, on a budget, I might add.  My head was swimming to put it nicely.  

I do love it now.  I bought this box of Parisian dishware two years ago; it has Saint Germain des Pres printed on the side (which is where we stayed last time in Paris), but I really didn't have anywhere to put them. They remained closeted.  After the remodel, the dishes finally found a new home on a little white cafe table under a window.

I have told my husband he can't use them.  In fact, I wasn't happy when I went up this past weekend and saw his coffee machine out on top of the counter. Oh well...

Happy Holidays

I have always loved silver dragees.  Nowadays, you can find them in all sizes and colors, but for some reason, I have a hard time finding the silver ones.  The last bottle I bought said something about them not being edible.  What?  What are you supposed to do with them?  Spit them out?  Ridiculous. 

This year my middle daughter is selling decorated sugar cookies on her facebook page.  I'm glad this tradition of iced sugar cookies will go on.  

Happiest holidays!

Saving Grace

Well, I guess you can see where I am going with this.  No decorations, nor wreaths. No tableaux of holiday refinements. 

Bah Humbug!

Why would anyone in their right mind want to live where it does this in the winter?  I must not be in my right mind because it has been freezing for days on end now, yet here I am. Jack Nicholson in The Shining?  Cabin fever?  I know of what they speak.  Roads impassable.  Feeding the animals is horrible.  Part of the greenhouse caved in.  Winter is my hell.  Guess the damn persimmon was right.

Chekhov writes about "grief" to describe cold weather.  Don't  like the Russian writers, but he got that right. 

The only saving graces are birdwatching -

and this pic of my little snagglepuss snow angel, Bella.

Here is a line from Hans Christian Anderson's THE SNOW QUEEN  -  "The flake of snow grew larger and larger; and at last it was like a young lady dressed in the finest white gauze, made of a million little flakes like stars."

Doesn't take very long to make me feel better.

After Thanksgiving

This is what I feel like after the Thanksgiving production - an old, weathered and dried up piece of driftwood.  Yes, we were all together again for another year.  For that, I am thankful. 

Guess who, for the first time in her life, braved the crowds that evening to save $650.00?  Let me just tell you, it was World War Z. News accounts do not do it justice. I had my son-in-law in front of me and my son behind me.  Both tall, strapping guys, I don't know if I'd have made it by myself.  I've never seen anything like it, but hey, I did save $650.00 on a laptop and two 60" televisions.  I was a blithering idiot afterward.  Parker and Katie, Erin and Terry better like their gifts.

Bribery

My friend ( Ms. Mary Kay) pointed out that I hadn't posted lately.  So, here's a twofer.  

When I want my kids to come home, I have to bribe them.  "It's too far," or "I have to work/study", and the grand kids are a handful and have stuff to do", though they love coming to the farm.  Valid reasons all, nevertheless, bribery sometimes does the trick.  In my middle child's case, a Granny Smith apple pie works some of the time.  When my sister comes, she pre orders a tart cherry pie.

My father always had to have an extra sharp cheddar cheese melted on top of his slice.  I don't know where this started, buy I did see David Letterman one night talking about his favorite apple pie with cheddar on top, so I guess we are not the only ones.  It really is good.

Faceless

Faceless love.  One of my tiny treasures.  This little wooden guy separates at the waist and it must be a match holder.  Supposedly made by a Quaker; they don't put faces on their dolls.  Why, do you think, would it be sinful to paint on a face?

Best of the Best

As Curator of Books for the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Barbara Haber developed one of the country's most important collections of cookbooks and books on food history - over 16,000 volumes - to accompany the papers of such food luminaries as M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child and Elizabeth David.  When the Boston Globe asked her favorite book in the collection, she named Cleora's Kitchens.

Cleora's Kitchens is a rare treat.  Not just recipes, but a history, told by Cleora, of her life growing up and learning to cook.  

Born in 1901, Cleora, an ancestor of slaves, traveled by wagon train with her family, from Texas to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) for a promise of free land.  Cleora learned to cook on a wood stove at the age of ten and ended up being somewhat of a celebrity cook herself.  She worked in Tulsa for oil barons and wealthy businessmen; she catered and cooked sometimes for 300 people and served them on a sixty foot table.  

She had a joyful life and spirit, and on the last day of her life, she flew to Dallas with her publisher, to an affair at Neiman Marcus.  They were going to do a fete to launch Cleora's book.  That night, Cleora died, the same day her first book came from the printer.

The recipes are all so original.  Besides Burnt Sugar Ice Cream (Cleora's favorite), the following recipe was one of her most requested and loved.

BAKED FUDGE

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup broken pecans

4 heaping tablespoons cocoa

4 rounded tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat eggs well; add sugar and butter and beat well again. Sift cocoa and flour together. Add broken pecans. Fold into sugar mixture.  Add vanilla.  Pour into 9x12 by 3inch pan. Set pan in a pan of hot water.  Bake in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Fudge will have the consistency of firm custard and will be crusty on top. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

The following recipe is for an appetizer.

BACONED OLIVES

Wrap giant stuffed olives with strips of bacon.  Secure with a toothpick and fry in fat.  Powder (while still hot) with pulverized roasted peanuts.

Whether making home brew or Possum Grape Wine (Possum grapes are a type of wild grape), or baking Popovers or Orange Biscuits, Cleora's recipes sound divine.  I could go on and on, but then you'd get tired of reading this post. You'll just have to get a copy of this wonderful cookbook.

Winter Weather Folklore

Back in the days before weather forecasters tried to predict what the weather was going to do, farmers used lore that was passed down from generation to generation.  I don't know if all the predictions are factual or not.  Has that groundhog ever been right?  One prediction, that birds roosting together on telephone lines predict rain, is indeed true.  I see it time and again.  Another truism is that the moon will have a ring around it when rain is eminent.  

The persimmon seed is said to predict winter weather.  Wild persimmons grow in abundance around here; the deer love them.  Late in fall, the fruit ripens and the seeds are easy to extrude.  What does the persimmon seed say about this winter?

For a spoon, there will be lots of heavy, wet snow.

If the seed has a fork, the winter will be mild with light-powdery snow.

If you see a knife, there will be icy, cutting winds.

Looks like a spoon to me.

Here are a few other folklore forecasts:

When leaves fall early,  autumn and winter will be mild; when leaves fall late, winter will be severe.

A warm November is the sign of a bad winter.

If September is hot (and it was here), look for a mild winter at first, but a very cold end to winter.

Warm falls are followed by cold winters.