Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

While on vacation earlier this month, I purchased a book for the plane ride home.

I'd been eyeing this book on the shelves of the bookstore for several months. I finally decided it was time to buy it.

Although I had looked at it many times, I had never bought it because I thought it was probably too far left or too far right. I think it's great to grow your own but I figured she (Barbara Kingsolver) was probably a fanatic about living off the land and I wasn't sure that I wanted to go down that road. Now I can say that I'm glad I read it. I found it very interesting and very informative.

I think it's great that Barbara and her family made this journey and the fact that she did it with everyone on board is amazing considering she had two girls (a teen and a 10 year old) who were ready to make this move as well. Obviously there had been much preparation as a family for this journey (which she briefly discusses in the book). I'm not sure that my girls (15 and 12) would be so willing to give up their favorite snack foods (yes, some happen to be processed - don't shoot me). Nor do I think that Lawman and I are willing to work the land (a full-time job, especially in the summer months) to stock the pantry. If we didn't have to work a full-time job in addition to working the land in order to keep a roof over our heads then it might be more appealing.

It did provide food for thought and reflection though.

Food for thought -- Yes, I'm well aware that I'm not always playing my "A" game when I do my grocery shopping. I'll even admit that our family has traveled that drive-thru lane more than one or two times. I would also venture to tell you that as a whole we eat rather well. I don't always buy organic (sometimes it's price prohibitive and honestly, I can't always tell the difference). I do try to purchase seasonal produce from our local farmer's market(s). I love the freshness of the vegetables and fruits when they're in season. We've had fresh peaches this summer and biting into the juicy, sweet flesh is better than any piece of candy I could get out of a candy jar. We'll still be eating bananas (unlike the Kingsolver family); I'm not willing to give that up in order to become a 'locavore'. Could I do better? Sure and somedays I do. I'm a firm believer though of everything in moderation. Since reading this book, I've tried to pay more attention about where our food comes from, distance, traveled, etc.

Reflection -- Reading about life on the Kingsolver farm provided opportunities for much reflection on my childhood. I grew up on a farm. Until I was six we lived out in the midst of the Flint Hills. Way out...I rode the bus an hour to school and an hour home. That's a really long ride when you're in kindergarden. We had a lot of livestock -- pigs, cows, horses. I had pets too; a dog, a bottle-fed lamb and a horse named Kitty. [Kitty was always saddled up and waiting for me when I got home from school. She was my means of transportation to my friend's house. I'd tie her up to their flagpole where she'd munch on grass while I played until it was time to head home for dinner. Sorry about the digression there.] Eventually a couple pieces of that livestock would find it's way into our freezer and no, it wasn't my pet lamb, but the pork and beef sure tasted good. I've had some people ask me if I found it traumatic to think that the pigs and cows I saw daily eventually ended up on my dinner plate. In a word, No. Honestly, it never crossed my mind. I'm sure that's because it was our way of life; I didn't know any different.

We had fruits and vegetables too. We had a big pear tree near the pig barn. Those pears were so good and juicy. We would eat them straight off the tree. Mom would make batch after batch of pear honey to get us through the winter. I remember eating it on toast just like it was yesterday. The sad news is that she never had a recipe for it and she can't remember how she made it. Even the older grandkids remember eating it and they've asked time and time again how to make it so they could recreate it for their own family. I also remember harvesting asparagus with Mom. It grew on another property my folks owned and we'd go over there nearly every day in the spring to bring it home for dinner. To this day, asparagus is one of my absolute favorite vegetables.

Then we moved to town. Not literally but compared to where we had lived, it was town. We were now only 1.5 miles away from town. That's a 10 minute bus ride to school. Big difference.

We were still on a farm. We still had cows and horses. Our freezer was always stocked with a side of beef. Now we had an orchard with apple and cherry trees which meant homemade applesauce, applebutter, cherry jam and plenty of apple and cherry pies. The orchard also had a large sunny spot just perfect for a garden. A big garden. Mom planted everything -- peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, onions, lettuce, carrots. You get the idea. We were never hungry. I was Mom's helper. I learned how to prepare the soil for planting, how to plant the seeds/plants, how to harvest the fruits of our labor, and I also learned how to prepare it for eating. I'm sure at the time I groaned and complained about having to dig potatoes or climb the trees to pick the fruit (sorry Mom). I don't think I probably ever complained about eating a tomoato fresh from the vine or still warm from the sun. Nor did I complain about our favorite family meals, many of which included the staples that we had grown and prepared ourselves.

For more information on Barbara Kingsolver and her food journey, visit http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/.

The See-Saw of Summer

Do you remember playing on the see-saw during grade school recess? Did you and a friend ever try to "balance" it? You know where neither of you are touching the ground and you're balancing ever so lightly to stay there? It was hard to do but possible.

This happens every single summer. I look forward to getting the girls out of school and having freedom. But freedom from what? It isn't schedules because it seems that our summer schedule is tighter than our school year schedule. Why is that?

Right now I feel like I'm on the See-Saw of Summer and I'm having a really hard time getting it balanced.

I know. I know. I (or rather we as a family) do this to ourselves.

This week is truly the first full week of summer activities. If you were to look at my calendar it is jam-packed. Every Single Day. I just glanced at it and there are only 6 weekdays during the month of June that don't have anything extra scheduled. Fortunately, Lawman and I are on different work schedules so he is able to provide a taxi service for the day activities and I take over the taxi job at 5:00.

I know as a child I did not keep the same kind of schedule that my girls do. Is that bad that they're so busy? I also did not have the wealth of opportunities available to me that kids do today. Just within our own household these are our summer activities -- basketball, swim team, piano lessons, band lessons, plus a 15 year old who has a part-time job as well as baby-sitting commitments.

Are my children over-scheduled? Honestly, I think they're fine with it. They prefer to be busy vs. sitting at home with "nothing to do." It's me who is over-scheduled. ME.

I think it bothers me more because I grew up in a different time. Things moved at a slower pace. We busied ourselves with different activities than kids do today. I spent many hours down at the creek which ran behind our house. I read books and more books. I spent leisurely afternoons at the pool working on my tan. I spent days with my grandparents which consisted of playing Uno and Chinese Checkers. I turned hay bales in the hay field so Dad could pick them up with his hay hauling machine. I drove a wheat truck. I caught fireflies in old mayonnaise jars. (Notice that there are no activities listed from my childhood that required electronics or technology. That could be a post of it's own.)

So, my question to you is this. How do you handle summer? Is your schedule jam-packed or do you enjoy the lazy days of summer? How do you find a balance?

Memories

This painting was a gift for my mother in 1969 or 1970 . It was given to her by my brother, Stuart. I am the subject.

The story behind it goes like this....

There is a war in Vietnam. My brother, Stuart, is a soldier there. Mom sends letters and photos to him. His little sister is growing up and he's missing it so she sends a photo. Stuart has made friends with another soldier in Vietnam who happens to paint as a hobby. Stuart shows this friend the picture of his little sister and he paints it.

There's no artist signature on the painting. I don't know his name.

I don't remember when Mom got the painting. I do remember the photo that it was painted from but I haven't seen it in 30+ years. I remember the outfit I was wearing. A cream colored cardigan with brown flowers on it and brown velour trim. The matching shell was made of brown velour also.

I remember receiving letters from Stuart. Many of which were written in 3rd person and always mentioned that he was fighting the bad guys to make the world a safer place for me. So I could ride my bike and play outside with my friends. I have several of these letters.

We would make tape recordings to send to him. The tape player/recorder looked like an over-sized phone receiver. I thought Stuart could hear me so as Mom would play the tape we received from him, I would answer his questions and honestly thought we were having a conversation. He would always ask about my dog, Fritz and my horse, Kitty. I think Mom still has these recorders and probably some tapes.

There were many other gifts from Stuart during his tours in 'nam. Necklaces of pearl and jade for Mom, a silk doll for me (I'll have to post a picture of this later), and more. A wooden box would arrive with his APO on it and it was as if it was Christmas morning.

Thank you brother. For your gifts, your love and your service to our country all those years ago.

The Burning O'the Hills

Spring brings with it an annual ritual on a ranch...the burning of pastures. I have fond memories of this ritual growing up on a ranch in the heart of the Flint Hills. The smell of burning pastures is one of my all-time favorite smells. Lawman thinks I'm nuts. I'm sure it's because I have a memory connection with that scent. It takes me back to a comfortable place.

Yesterday after Lawman and I finished painting our bedroom, we dressed in our work clothes and headed south of town. Our friend, Dane, had told us that his family would be burning at their farm and we didn't want to miss this.

See that smoke? That's where we're going.

It was a beautiful day for burning. The sun was shining, the temps were in the 50's and the wind was almost non-existent. Near perfect conditions.

Things have changed since I was involved in pasture burning. In my day our tools consisted of rakes, hoes, wet gunny sacks, matches and a pickup truck with a water tank on it. Oh, and your feet. We walked the pastures. The ranchers have turned it up a notch. Now they've got fancy starter sticks, gators and 4-wheelers with water tanks. Makes it much easier for them to keep the fire under control.

This is my taxi and driver, Lawman.

Here's a look from the top of one of the hills. This is beautiful to me. I love the land. That would be the country girl in me speaking.

See how the smoke lingers? Sort of creates a sense of mystic, don't you think?

Lawman and I still haven't located our friend, Dane so we're on a mission. We're headed up to the flames. We think that's where we'll find Dane.

This is Byron, owner of this land. We met him on our way up the hill. I'd call him an old-timer. No 4-wheeler for him.

Now we're talkin'. We're in front of the fire and we think Dane must be on the backside.

This is Scott. We met him at the top of the hill. He comes home each year to help with the burning. And he brings his son, Zane (below).

Finally, we found Dane. He and Zane were fixing fence. Seems there was a bit of an emergency situation earlier in the day. The wind shifted and the fire got away from them. Word has it that Zand did very well as the driver during this little adventure. Especially when you consider he drove with his eyes closed because of all the smoke. Good job Zane!

Here's the old farmstead from the top of the hill.

Pasture burning is by no means the cleanest job on the ranch. I was purely an observer today and I got pretty dirty. That is soot on my face....I do not have sideburns.

Lions and Tigers and Bears. Oh My.

Remember going to the grocery store with your mom as a kid? Did you get a treat at the end of the shopping trip? I did. Usually Cracker Jacks, with a surprise inside or Animal Crackers.

Earlier this week I saw a photo of the Barnums Animal Cracker box and it took me back to the days of my childhood.

Remember?

It makes me hungry for those tasty little animals.

How many different animals are in that little box? 18.

What is the newest animal to be added? The koala.

How many boxes are sold each year? Oh, only about 40 million. 40 MILLION!

I had no idea people still bought them. I bet you could count the number of boxes I've bought during my days as a parent on one hand. Maybe just 1 or 2 fingers.

I think I'll add Barnums Animal Crackers to my next shopping list.

Oh, remember the little string handle? I always thought it was to make it easy to carry my crackers with me. Wrong. It was so the five cent box of crackers could be hung on a Christmas tree. Bet you didn't know that.