Saturday, June 30, 2007

This Diamond Ring Doesn't Shine For Me Anymore...


Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the beautiful diamond ring that sits in a little turqoise box in my lingerie drawer. True, I have more important things to worry about but, it's time to make a decision regarding the fate of this once treasured gem. It used to be my most highly prized posession--- lovingly created just for me---and I wore it with a pride and respect unlike any I had ever known... prior to that phase of my life. But the winds have blown and the tide has shifted and now it represents nothing more than platinum and stone and the potential of a little something to put aside for a rainy day. I suppose I could have it redesigned and wear it but I'm not a jewelry person and besides, it was never intended to be jewelry anyway but, rather, a symbol of something spiritual and real.
Having said that much, I guess I know what my next step will be. My little cottage is about due for the 'mother of all purgings' and this sound like a mighty fine place to start.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Planting, Planning and R & R




The early summer garden has been nothing less than phenomenal, but, like most good things, it will come to an end. The freezer is full of beans and squash and the pantry is loaded with homemade tomato sauce, salsa, pickled peppers and pesto. I've picked the last of the tomatoes and tomorrow I will pull up the bean vines. All that's left in the garden is cantaloupe, eggplant and peppers. We usually plant in March around here, and by mid June---when temps are in the 90's---the heat is just too taxing on the plants and vegetation. The herbs are continuing to do well and I will soon begin preparing the beds for fall planting. So, for the remainder of the summer, I will focus on the flower beds and see about adding another birdbath and a few more boulders to the landscape. If I'm lucky, maybe I can have a small greenhouse built by fall or winter. Until then, I think I'll focus on packing a bag in anticipation of a little R & R, via a wonderful, fun-filled cruise.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

In Praise of Butter Beans




If you were to stop by a true southerners home at mealtime this time of year, chances are great that you would find lima beans, better known to us as 'butter beans', gracing the table. Along with the 'butter beans' there's usually fresh sliced tomatoes (or maybe fried green tomatoes), yellow squash, sliced cucumbers, cantaloupe, fried eggplant, corn on the cob, fried okra, cornbread made from scratch with real butter and, of course, sweet iced tea. 'Round here, meat or fish is optional in the summer and even the greatest carnivores can attest to the fact that it just ain't necessary when all the wonderful summer garden vegetables are abundant.

Some folks, believe it or not, have been known to turn their noses up at lima beans. Maybe it's because they fall under the 'green category,' I don't know. But, you owe it to yourself to sample these delectable little morsels before making such a hasty decision.

The best lima beans, hands down, are those fresh from the garden to the table, and in some parts of the south-- especially Texas--they're plentiful now. But, if you aren't blessed by having a garden (or a wonderful friend with one), you can buy them frozen or dried. And they’re very versatile—for instance, you can boil them with a ham hock, fry them with sausage and peppers, puree them into a hummus, throw them into a vegetable soup, sprinkle them into a salad, or bake them with molasses and mustard. And while the bean by itself is sort of unrewarding, this quality is what makes it such a marvelous vehicle for other flavors.

So, in honor of summer and my wonderful 'God-blessed' garden, I offer you my recipe for lima beans with garlic, rosemary and bacon. Trust me, even if you think you don’t like limas, try these creamy, bacony beans and you just may change your mind. And if you’re still not convinced, think of them as butter beans because really, how could anything with the word butter in it taste bad?


Lima beans with Bacon

3 cups of fresh baby lima beans removed from the pod or 3 cups of frozen baby lima beans (1 16 oz. bag)

6 slices of bacon

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Salt and pepper to taste


Fry the bacon in a skillet until all the fat is rendered, remove from skillet and crumble. Leave two tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet.Add lima beans, garlic, half the crumbled bacon, basil, rosemary, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of water to skillet and bring to a boil.Turn heat down to low and then simmer the beans (stirring occasionally), covered, for 20 minutes until beans are tender. (For soupier beans, just add more water.) When the beans are done, top with remaining crumbled bacon and lemon zest.


Juneteenth and Quilts


Before the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves seeking freedom escaped by way of the Underground Railroad, the discreet network of people who helped slaves escape to the north and to Canada. Those who went south and guided people north to freedom were known as conductors, with Harriet Tubman being the best known.

While the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted in 1863, news didn't reach Texas until June 19, 1865; and two years later the Freedmen's Bureau organized the first Juneteenth celebration in Austin.

Quilting lore says that the hefty handmade blankets played an integral role in the Underground Railroad, guiding slaves to freedom and warning them when danger was near. These 'freedom quilts' held secret messages and were typically made by conductors in Kentucky and Mississippi for slaves passing through by way of the Underground Railroad.

Specific quilts would be hung on the porches of homes along the way to relay a message to the slaves that they could visit there, get a lunch and then get on the Underground Railroad and move toward freedom. Each quilt relayed a specific and strategic message that was vitally important to the success of the journey.

There is indeed something very nostalgic about a quilt and, even today, each hand-stitched scrap of fabric tells a story, whether it's a dress remnant, a piece of dad's tie or a scrap of granddad's old trousers.

Texas artist Earline Green, whose grandmother made these handmade treasures, first learned about the stories that quilts tell after reading "Hidden in Plain View" by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard. "There were a lot of things I discovered in the book in terms of hiding information that I used in my own work," she said. "I would give hints in the title what was going on in the quilt."

And that is precisely how conductors on the Underground Railroad were able to conceal their messages, too, thus enabling those in bondage to continue on the journey to freedom.

In Green's work titled "A Safe Place," which depicts people guarding a child in an abusive situation, she uses two of the same symbols - a log cabin and a drunken path. She said the log cabin with a yellow center was a symbol to move forward. If the center piece of fabric was red or black, it meant danger ahead.

The 'drunken path patch' was used to tell those on the Underground Railroad to take a path that zig-zags, like the gait of an alcoholic, Green explained.

Quilts, it seems, are oral histories stitched in time. They also symbolize prayers patched together and, often, a kind touch and warm embrace.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Me 'n Daddy


Most everyone thinks they have the best dad in the world, but, I know the title really belongs to my daddy. For as far back as I can remember, I have been my daddy's buddy, his one and only little girl, his pride and joy. Over the years my dad has taught me volumes of practical knowledge that I truly treasure---how to grow a great garden, how to buy a new car at an unbelievable price, how to sling a hammer, install a sink, put a battery in the car, plant a tree properly, and countless other gems necessary to maintain a life of self-sufficiency. My daddy is getting older now but, in my eyes, he's just exactly the same as he was when I was a little girl.

I remember, when I was about five years old, giving my daddy a goodbye hug at the airport--- not really sure where he was going or why. As it turned out, he spent a year in Buenos Aires working on a special construction job. It never dawned on me until this morning, but, shortly after his return my parents built a nice new home. So that's why Daddy went away to work. What a sacrifice it must have been for him to be away from his family for an entire year. I still have the two dolls that he brought me from that trip, and they're still in excellent shape, though one is missing a shoe. Not bad, considering they've worn those same shoes for 46 years.

When Justin, my first baby, was born you would have thought that Daddy was the first person on earth to ever have become a grandpa. I think he must have believed that God created the earth just for Justin to walk on. Justin took my place and was the 'new' pride and joy. At that time Daddy was shrimping as a hobby and had recently purchased a new boat. He waited for months to christen the boat, planning to name it after the baby girl that I wanted so badly. When the baby arrived, with no girl parts, Daddy revised his plan and christened his new boat the Justin' Time. Every shrimper on the Gulf knew the Justin' Time and how it got its' name.

I could go on and on, singing the praises of my Daddy, but I really don't have time right now....I've got a special gift for my Daddy and I've got to go see him.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Southern Friends

FRIENDS: Never ask for food.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Always bring the food. And lots of it.


FRIENDS: Will say "hello".
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Will give you a big hug and a kiss. More than one.


FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Call your parents Mom and Dad, and often.


FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Cry with you. And for you.


FRIENDS: Will eat at your dinner table and leave.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Will spend hours there, talking, laughing, and just being together. Then do the dishes before leaving.


FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you. And often times know you better than you know yourself


FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds' back-ends that left you. Then walk beside you in the front of the crowd.



FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, "I'm home!" If you are not, they will wait.


FRIENDS: Are for a while.
SOUTHERN FRIENDS: Are for life, and then some.

Just a Little Pinch of Seed......



.....with the help of the sun and moon and rain, and, of course, lots of 'God winks' transformed to all these wonderful, delectable organic vegetables. I'm thankful for another day of good harvest.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

The One That Didn't Get Away



My son, Justin, is happier when on the water than when anywhere else on earth so, I can only imagination his elation when he reeled in this big one while 90 miles out in the Gulf this weekend. Between himself and a couple of buddies, 200 pounds of Grouper and Red Snapper were caught. Now that's a lot of fish tales...

Requesting Assistance, please...




Can anyone share with me the method for titling photographs when they are added to a post? I can't seem to find helpful information. Oh, the picture today is a bloom on my beautiful passion vine. Pretty exotic for Southeast Texas, huh?