My Little Hen

Bird in tree

My husband gave me a pair of binoculars for Christmas. When we kayak I always ask for the little "binos" so I can scout out the birds. Now I have a great pair of "binos" and hope to bird watch this winter into spring. It's amazing how differently things look when we can see clearly.

January 22 already! Happy 2012...

some kids from the past

I read about this photographer  Charles W. Crushman on Design Mom. Looking through his archives I picked these images of children in everyday life to share.

I recall pushing this type of lawn mower for fun in my grandparents well manicured back yard. Humble folks and lawn proud. My grandfather called from his window for me to stop clipping the lawn. He cut a perfect lawn and there I was hacking it up... I didn't know this grandfather well, it is one of my strongest memories of him.

Love the dresses and the general hanging around here. Do kids get the chance to just hang around these days? Days are lived fast and furiously. It's very hard to slow down. I love this photo since it reminds me to encourage my family to take it a little slower day to day. Hang around and see what happens.

Beautiful light.

Love the bare feet. No parents in sight. Do kids get to roam like this anymore?

A rare shot of Black children. Beautiful. The boy on the right reminds me of my friend Blake whose Grandmother was part Cherokee. She has the very same lovely eyes.

I could go on. Thanks for visiting this ad free blog zone,

Apples = apple sauce

We picked the last of the bounty of apples from our two apple trees this weekend. Kinda fun to climb a ladder to reach the highest ones.I spent a lot of time in apple trees as a kid. Just hung around in the tree thinking about stuff. Being up in a tree can give a new perspective on things...I wonder if that's what the birds are doing...

Anyway, Fall season is apple crisp and applesauce time. We aren't making quantities, just a quick batch for the fun and flavor of it as well as for our family tradition. If I don't teach G to make applesauce who will?

But what I really wanted to show you are the apples. They look a little odd unsprayed, all natural. Underneath that less than lovely appearance are some of the very best apples I have ever had. I wouldn't bring a basket of apples to the neighbors looking like this but they are perfectly perfect for applesauce. Next year we are going to figure out how to spray them organically. I suppose we are inclined to do this so we have less than mottled apples.

 My quick applesauce goes as follows:

Cut and peel 6-8 large apples. I use this This Kuhn Rikon peeler from Switzerland. Works great.

 If I'm in a hurry I add the peeled apples whole and let them cook.

Place in pot and add 1/4 cup of water

Simmer on low for twenty five minutes.

Let cool. 

Here's the key step. I run the whole apples through this ricer.

I got it as a Chritsmas gift and never like to use it for potatoes. It is perfect!! for applesauce.

Sweeten to taste. I like to add about one heaping teaspoon of sugar to this quantity which amounts to about 2 full cups of applesauce. Place in lidded glass jars and eat as soon as possible.

Games kids play

On my way to work this morning, I walked by children playing with chalk on the sidewalk outside their school. They were just playing, hopping, talking and enjoying the day.  Their teacher was nice enough to let me stop and take a few photos. Using my trusty iphone camera here's what I saw.

Heirlooms

Hot days turned chilly overnight. Blankets and comforters were added to the beds. Sweaters and jackets pulled from the depths of the closet have that cedar wood storage smell. The Union Square farmers market is brimming with produce, cheeses, cider, and maple syrup. I think it's safe to say Autumn has arrived. 

9/11 recalled

I have a 9/11 tale, like so many...but this photo says it all. We remembered our own stories this year, in passing. We recalled our horror and fear, in passing. We recalled our experience from a ten year distance. It was a good thing to do, to remember. 

end of summer harvest

We found these beauties on the peach tree. Although they are unripe they looked so lovely. In a few weeks we can harvest to make pies, tarts, jams and eat our fill of fresh fruit. This year the ancient apple trees near the brook are bursting with apples and old Mr. Hayes's sixty year old apple trees bend majestically in the meadow. The deer wander up nightly to eat the fruits. I plan to get a large bushel basket in late September and harvest our share too.

Looking around at all this food now growing wild without care made me appreciate the abundance and opportunity of a backyard garden. These old trees are remnants of the days when many Americans with a backyard planted a few fruit trees, grape arbors and a small vegetable garden to feed their family. 

We always had a garden when I was growing up. An old cherry tree, rows of tomato plants, some pumpkins and squash along with several rows of lettuce and radishes graced our side property. Even now, I still love to hop over the chicken wire fence and pluck out a few beets, pick the green beans, and gather the basil and parsely for a pesto dinner. It's a great feeling (you know the old simple pleasure idea) !

I didn't write down the recipe for my pesto but it is basically traditional. Here you are, for inspiration!

Backyard Pesto

a bunch of basil (washed and stems plucked off)

a handful of italian parsley 

3-5 cloves of garlic

1/4- 1/2 cup virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1. Using a cuisinart style chopper, blend the basil and pasley leaves with 1/2 of the oil until pureed.

2. Gradually add in the garlic, lemon juice, pine nuts  and the rest of the olive oil until you have the desired consistency. I like pesto a little thick so it melts across the pasta or spreads like butter across fresh bread.

3. Store refrigerated in a lidded glass or plastic container until ready to use.

September, Thoreau, some advice

All summer, in starts and stops, I have been reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau. In between moments-early weekend mornings outside on the lawn chair, late at night on the couch, I worked to "get" this famed book. Thoreau is finally reading to me as an old wise one, a friend to listen to. My,oh my! The keeper of the simple life. He was brilliantly nutty and the definition of an individual.

This stuck:
"Simplicity, simplicity,simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail".

Awesome Ava

 I met this little girl Ava this week at work. Her Mom and I are art directors on a project and Ava came to the studio since school has not started. I have never met such an able young crafter. Her finger dexterity was remarkable for a 6 year old and her spark to make was nothing but inspiring. I showed her how to make the up and down stitch using a paper heart as a template sewing card and then had some scrap felt for a heart pin. Nothing fancy but she welcomed the chance to use the needle and thread. Awesome Ava! I hope you like this post and I hope we can make a real sewing project soon. Don't forget to finish your paper chains and clothespin dolls. 

Summer Days

The long days of summer are starting to end. The "s" word is fully in our vocabulary. School.
Advise to myself...Pause.

 Pause long as August unwinds. Smell the cut grass, notice the light, the clouds in the sky. August is dancing towards September in her old familar way. Swim long, swim deep. The water is cool beneath. Linger in the surface of the water warmed by the sun. Pause. The August skies are full of shooting stars. The Milky Way stretches wonderously across the open canopy of night. Campfires crackle, children yawn in their mothers arms. We know. The lost tribe of childhood know the sweetness of the summer days. Fishing days,  lazy days. Books read, friends made, days lived. They end. With the new,