Let the Festival Begin!

Almost without fail, the dropping of the persimmons indicate to our tiny town of Mitchell, that the festival will soon begin.  Nature signals the beginning of activity around here, but nothing beats the bright orange and neon green Yard Sale signs posted all over town, to get me in the mood for the commotion, the noise and smells that wakes up our sleepy little town.  This morning, on my Dog Walk, Miss Dixie was a bit more than peeved by the amount of 'people' in her domain.  The early Saturday morning, usually still and contained, was a riot in activity that overwhelmed my solitary little friend.  Since my grandog, Scout's, social skills are a bit....lacking, I had to make mental notes as to the Yard Sale stops once the pups were delivered back home.  I am used to the smattering of sales on a given weekend, but to have the buffet of choices this weekend, I was positively frothy.  And Good Sales They Were.  Youngest Son accompanied me as we enjoyed the pleasure of picking and choosing.  Garage Sale hosts were friendly and in the Festival Spirit.  Stopping to chat and share what other sales were offering, made for an enjoyable jaunt for my kindred son and I.  He bought some vintage tools and a picture frame.  I found a Cecil Golding oil painting, huge and goldenly yellow. More Fake Veggies for my little friends.  Why am I such a sucker for fake fruits/vegetables?  Cannot pass them by.YS found a working Underwood Typewriter in a case.  1.50.  I could see images of Jack Kerouac/Stephen King spinning in his visual brain as he paid for it.  I found Vivien two little chairs, sturdy and good.

And what about these amazing aprons?  I believe that someone made them for a church bazaar about 40 years ago, squirreled them away in a cedar chest and then developed dementia.  They have never been washed or used.  And the toaster. Heavy, durable but does it work?  With that styling, who cares?

Then there is the table.  Perfect size for an extraneous table that is ever so convenient to have around.  It doesn't have an owner yet.  I'll throw it to the kids and see who survives.  YS might want to put Jack the Typewriter on it.  A box of cookie cutters.  I make terrible rolled cookies but I love cookie cutters.  Maybe Eldest/Admin should have these for snow days with Miss Vivie.  The heavy, homemade box with decoupaged   flowers adorning it, is chock full of elderly recipes.

This is the abbreviated list of goodies obtained on this, the first day of the week long festival that we Mitchellites call 

The 64th Annual Persimmon Festival!www.persimmonfestival.org

Let the fun begin!!

From Flour to Flower

I know you will need a recipe this weekend that is quick, nourishing and a little bit different.  I put this together after catching the tail end of a PBS cooking show then added to it with an Internet recipe with my own spin on it.  Go ahead; add your own shake on it as well!  Here are the bare bones:

Fall Busy Calzones:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 pkg. yeast

1 cup hot water

1 tsp salt

1tsp sugar

2 tbs olive oil

Dissolve yeast in hot water then add the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well and knead till smooth.  Add more flour if too sticky.  Divide dough into thirds.  Roll into three balls then roll into a round(ish) shape.  Spread with sauce.

My Pizza Sauce:  1 can tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup red wine

1 tbs salt

2 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp Italian herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley)

2 tsp sugar

Mix together in the can to keep from washing one more dish.

Filling:

Spinach

Mushrooms

Onion

Parmesan

Mozzarella

Broccoli

Ham

Sausage

Pepperoni

Spread around, keeping an inch open on the circumference.  Fold circle in half and press the seam together, using a floured fork or your fingers.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until brown and bubbly.  Use leftover sauce to spread on top.

Quick, ingredients in your cupboard/fridge, right?

Fun and yummy!  Enjoy!

I bet your hydrangeas are drying on the stem right now.  Right?  They've turned a delightful color and NOW they are ready to cut and dry!  You don't want to waste those lovely blooms of summer, remember?  The blues and pinks and greens?  The fall side of hydrangeas are just as wonderful, just tissue papery and ready for dried arrangements.

Cut the flowers with long stems.

Remove all the  leaves.

Cluster and tie clumps together.

Hang upside down in a darkish spot.  Like a garage.

Next month, you will have some grand blossoms for your Thanksgiving Decor!

Now you can cross two things off your To Do List this Weekend!!

Seriously Pretending

Last week, I ran into Thirdsie Grant and his mama at a Yard Sale.  TG had a pair of cowboy boots that came up to his knees and he was eager for me to know that he had these boots as if they weren't obvious on his small frame.  Watching him proudly parade in them zoomed me back to a very clear memory of Eldest Son and fortunate for me, I have a photo to document the very day.

All four of my children were deadly serious about Dress Up/Pretend Play.  People used to worry that my children would be stunted creatively because they didn't attend Traditional School.  I would gladly tell them that if my children were any more creative, I wouldn't recognize them.  ES particularly took his pretend play seriously.  When he was dressed as Batman, Superman, Clark Kent, Michael Knight, Joker, Riddler, HeMan, Prince Adam, GI Joe and even a Civil War soldier as pictured here, he WAS that person.  We had to address him by that name and you could see him get into character as he donned the costume.  He was particular about how close to the 'real thing' that he could come.  Fortunately, I could sew and appease his very specific demands.  Capes, shirts, emblems all became my purpose in life according to ES.  Sort of a costuming agent.  We had neighbors that used to eat their lunch in their living room so that they could watch the assorted characters that ran in and out of our home.  A Dinner Show of sorts.

Eldest/Admin was more into pretty.  I would design Halloween Costumes according to her dream.  Loving You Barbie, assorted brides, princesses and even Cleopatra one year.  The photo above came about from a generous gift from a sewist friend that had a bolt of the most beautiful rose colored moire taffeta that she didn't need for her business and immediately thought of my Pretty Dress Consumed Daughter.  Over six yards of free fabric went into her Civil War gown.  I can still picture her elegantly parading through the Civil War Reenactment grounds, acknowledging the compliments and voting tickets for her costume.  We had not even entered the contest but it was clear that in her category, she could have won, according to the number of votes that we had to refuse!  It was a lovely day and a lovely memory of history coming alive as our children were in their element.

Back to the Cowboy Boots.....
ES was VERY eager to don his costume and get to the Reenactment for his pretend to become reality for an afternoon.  So very eager that he cut some corners by forgetting his socks.  It didn't take too long to watch our confident soldier begin to limp around the grounds with something akin to frostbite.  I sat him down and as I pulled off his boots, I could see a series of blisters roaring on his little feet. After the usual motherly chastisement, we set out to find a remedy.  The Village of East Davenport that was near to Lindsay Park where the reenactment took place, at that time hosted mostly specialty shops without a child clothing store amongst them.  No sockies to be found, we approached the subject of going barefoot for the finish of the afternoon, which we knew would be vehemently voted down by our very determined Civil War Soldier. Were we suggesting that he would have to go out of character and look less than 'official'?  Fortunately, we did not have too much left to see when the blisters came close to ruining his day.  As a good soldier would have it, he resolutely walked carefully for the duration of our visit, even posing for this photo in pain.

And all these years later, all it took was a little friend clomping in his first cowboy boots, to bring me to that tiny memory in the vast years quadrupled by all the stories of all four of my children.

Here's hoping that all your days of memorable events with your children, stay with you always....

A Thirdsie Gathering

Thirdsie Grant got to visit today.  His fourth birthday was earlier this month and it was just time for him to come to my house solo.  Without the sibs and without mom.  I go back aways with his little family, having been one of Miss Lily's babysitters back in her baby days, way eight years ago.

http://sonowiknow.blogspot.com/2009/08/tea-time.html,

 http://sonowiknow.blogspot.com/2010/06/lily-love.htmlIt has been a privilege and a pleasure to spend random, child-chosen times with these delightful children.  As you know, most children make my heart melt and when they are the ones that choose you, well, that  makes them extra special to me....

On Grant's premiere visit, he knew that he had to do what his siblings have done before him :TEA PARTY!

Being a Thirdsie myself, I know the drill.  I knew he would be animated.  I knew he would be curious.  I knew he would be entertaining, but I did I really expect the incredible personality?  He bubbled words like a brook.  He expressed joy and discernment and loving kindness.  When Miss Dixie kept crashing our Tea Party, I kept telling her, did you get an invitation?  Do you really think that we will share our tea with you and get dog lips all over our tea things?  Yuck.  And Thirdsie Grant went along with me.  To a point.  His gentle heart soon wearied of discluding the eager Jack Russell.  He soon switched sides and asked me politely, 'Couldn't we have our Tea Party outside so Dixie could join us? It would be okay if she made a mess outside, right?'  I knew it.  We Thirdsies have soft, ol' hearts and hate to see someone(something) left out.  We compromised by letting Miss Dixie Tea Party Crasher have a chew stick to keep her mouth occupied.  

TG was very intrigued by my fake fruit as most of my Child Visitors are.  He was impressed by my pretend apples so I sliced him some real ones for our Tea Time.  He then informed me, that he does not like apples.  I then asked him if there was another fruit he liked that I could replace it with.  Knowing full well that he follows his siblings with the heavy handed sugar spoon, I did not want his mama thinking that I poisoned him on two many treats.  He then asked what fruits were.  I proceeded to list all that I had and some I didn't just to get my point across.  He then contemplates all the choices and comes up with this question, 'Are chips a fruit?'

Ah, Fellow Thirdsie, if only they were.......

Steak 'n Shake Memories

While returning from vacation, we stopped in Frankfort KY for lunch at Steak 'n Shake only after Crazier Don sped past the exit for Panera.  I waited while everyone took a potty break by looking around the restaurant to find something that made it different from the other SnS's I have been in.
I came across this photo on the wall near our booth.  It was one of those drifting, writers moments that turned off the scenario around me as I entered the world in the photo.  I always appreciate in The Voyage of the Dawn treader, in the Chronicles of Narnia series, when the children enter Narnia via a painting on the wall instead of the wardrobe.  I can so see myself doing that, indeed, I do enter other worlds when I involve myself in an image.
Here is where I ended up in the Steak and Shake photograph.

Fiona's Oven Failed

Fiona's day started quietly enough for a person that just recently acquired a new home, put their child in a new school  and sent her husband off to a new job.  Fiona's emotions were rattly and near her skin as she turned back into her home after waving her son off on his first bus ride to his new school.  How could he be six years old and how could he be ready to ascend the steps of a bus on his very own?  And how could he even be brave enough to tell her to wait by the door and not take him down the driveway?  How could her husband be so brave to walk to the train station to head to his new job in the city?  How indeed, was she going to get through this new day in disarrangement of everything familiar?

There was much to do in this new house.  Lots of short term solutions and some long term plans for remodeling but today it was her task to unpack their worldly possessions into a a semblance of Home Sweet Home.  The silence of newness overwhelmed her but after a moment indulging herself in a jag of crying for all the change in her life, she resolutely started on the first box.

As the day wore on and she made herself familiar with the radio stations to learn about her new community, a warm feeling of determination came over her.  She would do well in this new place.  She would make friends and not weep for what she left.  She would make her home a haven and a place where newcomers to her life would be comfortable.  It would be slow but it would be steady and she would make her family proud and secure by her contentment.

The shadows of afternoon and the drone of the radio's soap operas warned her of the time and of her need of supper preparation to implement Phase One New Confidence Plan.  Fiona turned off the radio after Young Doctor Malone was finished and the ads for the new restaurant in town were completed.  The radio entertained her all day as the upbeat sounds of Elvis and Ricky Nelson caused her to dance around her partially unpacked boxes.  Even the sadder sounds of  'Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley', made her oddly perky.

The quick stop at the store yesterday provided enough for her meal that night.  She had placed the ground beef in the refrigerator for the meat loaf dinner that she planned for their first official meal in their new home.  Fiona's mother's recipe for meat loaf pleased her husband and son and brought pleasant thoughts of her own home life in her parents house.  As she blended and mixed, she smiled, feeling a rush of excitement contemplating this new chapter of their lives.

Fiona became so involved in her work upstairs, that it was over an hour before she realized that the savory aroma of meatloaf had not yet reached the top of the stairs.  New to her appliances and air flow throughout the house, she wasn't overly concerned, but continued in the productive  rhythm of unpacking progress.

How could it be on this momentous day, that her husband and son arrived home at the same time?  Her husband had been concerned about Fiona adjusting to the  newness of the situation and grabbed the early train home, just in time to meet up with Bobby's school bus at the end of their drive.

Fiona was pleased to be able to meet 'her guys' at one time and share her new revelations about her new location and attitude with them.  She was eager to hear of their tales of their new days while she finished up the meal.  She was eager to try the new instant potatoes mix that the radio ads had touted.  She knew that she had a can of green beans in the bare cabinet and she knew with those things, she could make a nice meal for the three of them.

In the midst of Bobby's telling about how he selected his seat in his class according to his favorite color, Fiona recognized the coolness of the kitchen when it should be somewhat warm with the heat of the oven.  Cautiously, she opened the door of her new oven, as if peeking would make the imminent news any better.  Her husband and son waited for her response.  They knew that she had been a bit emotional with the move and all the changes and they just waited.

As Fiona removed the still raw loaf of ground beef from the very cold oven, the room remained still.  Quietly, very quietly, she placed the pan on her green Formica kitchen table, wiped her hands on her new apron, smoothed her blue plaid house dress and announced firmly, 'We are going to the new Steak and Shake for supper tonight!  My treat!'  The three of them laughed and cried at the same time, releasing the tension and stress that this new day brought all of them.

On the way to their destination, Fiona told her guys about listening to the ads on the radio all day about the grand opening of Steak and Shake in their community.  She had memorized the location from the constant repetition throughout the day as if she was practicing for the malfunction of her unknown appliance.

Entering the new restaurant, the hoopla of a Grand Opening welcomed them to their new town without them knowing it.  The congratulatory flowers, the signs, the cheerfulness of employees on their first week of business, put the three newcomers a celebratory mood and as the darkness of the early fall surrounded them, they giggled about the raw meat at home, the newness of every part of their days and shared in hushed tones, stories that they had experienced separately and now, united, in the friendliness of this other new place, they felt at home.

Homemade French Bread....Yum....

The Bounty of the Garden.....

Eldest/Admin called me this past week with news of an overflowing of tomatoes in her first attempt at gardening.  She was happily making Spaghetti Sauce and was excited about the outcome.  I love the freshness of homemade sauce and could almost smell it through the phone.  The sauteing garlic and onions and the mixture of fresh herbs, is perfume to a home made lovin' foodie. EA was raised on the sauce recipe that I acquired in 1977.  So she was happy, I was happy and gardening proved to be a good experience for all of us.

While EA was extolling the benefits of homemade sauce, I reminded her of the recipe for Homemade French Bread that is excellent for sopping up all the leftover sauce that your pasta missed.  A highly porous, soft on the inside, crusty on the outside, bread  The best.

This elderly recipe came out of this book wayyyy back in 1974.  I worked in this amazing shop at the time.  It featured gourmet items, Orrefors and Kosta Boda crystal, Marrimekko fabric, Copco cookware, Arabia and Royal Copenhagen dinnerware and Italia crystal.  A wonderful place for a newly married twenty one year old to work.  I was surrounded by 50 something ladies with good taste and plenty to teach me.  I earned practically nothing but furnished my house with wonderful, too expensive retail, but do-able with my discount, items that I still cherish today.  It was a fun time and this recipe is just a sample of the goodness that came out of the pre-Pier One shop called Premiere Plus located in Springfield, Illinois.

So if your garden has blessed you abundantly, if you love a good sauce, you need this recipe to go along with all your gardeny goodness.:

Enjoy!

One Bowl, No-Knead French Bread  Breadcraft 

Dissolve 1 tbs yeast in 1 cup lukewarm water. Add this to 4 cups unbleached flour sifted with 1 tbs sugar and 2 tsps salt. Add just enough of a second cup of lukewarm water to stir up a soft, sticky dough.

Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about an hour and a half.  When dough is high, punch it down vigorously and divide into 2 loaves.

Pop into very well buttered Pyrex casseroles, about 3 inches deep and 6 inches in diameter.  Let rise again until double in size.  Place in a cold oven and set heat 350 degree and bake an hour.

Yield: 2 loaves

Simple Sewing Saturdays: Volume Thirteen: The Essential Little Zippered Bag

I have studied making small zipper bags with other bloggers.  Seems we all make them a bit differently with the same unique application: A handy little bag for all those essentials, whether it be cosmetics, crayons, medical supplies, jewelry or dog treats, we all need the Little Zippered Bag in our lives. I shall endeavor to show you how I made mine. 

 1.  Select a zipper the width of the bag you want to make. I like to use different colors for some snap. Then select the the fabric amount for the length.  The width is determined by the zipper. Usually, 4or 5 inches makes a good little bag. You will need two pieces, front and bag of the desired size.

3.   Press down a 1/2 inch on the cut edges.  Also, cut two little squares about 2 inches and press down one end about 1/2 inch. I used a complimentary print but you can have it match.

 4.  Sew the folded edged little squares onto the ends of the zipper.

5. Lay one edge of the folded fabric against the teeth of the zipper and with your zipper foot attachment, sew the zipper edge to the edge of the folded fabric on both sides with both pieces of the folded edged fabric

.

 6. Trim the two pieces of fabric to make the edges even, making the extended zipper the full width.. 

7. Sew a 1/2 inch seam on all three sides, the fourth side being the added on zipper. 

 8. Trim the two corners diagonally and trim the three seams.  Here, you could zig zag the seams for a neater finish since this bag is not lined. 

 9.  Turn to the right side and poke out the corners neatly. 

10.  Fill with your little essentials and pop into your purse!

Fun and Easy, huh?