Saturday 1 August 2020

All Things Nice . . .

Summer Song by John Sloane


Today I am flooding my page with all things that are nice, because in the light of what we have been going through in the year 2020 to date, we could all use a little bit of nice. 


Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, Oregon 
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 
this is Oregon's only surviving historical, wooden lighthouse.

 
I want to live in a lighthouse and write books for a living and dress only in mossy colored sweaters and grow mushrooms and thyme and tomatoes and lavender in a little garden surrounded by a little yellow fence . . . .




“Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup.”
~Wendell Berry
 

  
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Cottagecore: Sound

  •  The tea kettle whistling in the silent morning air. 
  •  The fire crackling in the stove while you snuggle up in your favorite chair. 
  •  Leaves rustling together in autumn, whispering their secrets into every breeze. 
  • The screen door opening when your friends come to visit- the anticipation before the knock. 
  • That one squeaky rocking chair that always manages to be the most comfortable. 
  • Picking out individual calls in the birdsong that starts in the nearby forest every morning. 
  • The bees buzzing by as you work in your garden. They came to say hello! 
  • The sound of a hammer against a wooden fencepost, echoing down the dirt road. 
  • The babbling of the stream where you eat your packed lunch. 
  • Your partner (or best friend) humming from the next room.  

 
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I honestly recommend putting your hands in the dirt to everyone. Let the soil under your nail. If you are lucky meet a worm. It’s healing and we should do it more often . . .


  
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When my three middle children were teens we lived in an old farmhouse. It was out in the country on the banks of the Georgian Bay.  We were surrounded by birdseed farms and apple orchards. In late summer across the road from us were fields and fields of sunflowers.  Such a beautiful sight they were, such a beautiful sight. 


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A beautiful reminder to bloom where you've been planted  . . . no accidents. Its just life and opportunities for growth  . . . 


things that can help ease anxiety:

- a hot soothing drink like chamomile tea
- warm yellow lighting, like a little lamp
- sweet scents or candles
- reading a paper book
- organising things
- holding a cushion or pillow
- a big bowl of soup
- listening to songs that are calming
- light exercise or a walk in a quiet street
- fresh warm laundry and a tidy room
- remembering things you’re thankful for
- soft and comfortable clothes

  
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Slowly the morning climbs toward the day. 
As for the poem, not this poem,
but any poem. Do you feel its sting?
Do you feel its hope, its entrance
to the community?
Do you feel its hand in your hand?
~Mary Oliver, "Good Morning." 


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CHEERS FOR CHERRY PIES
May, 1938, The Farmer's Wife

One cheer for the good looking cooks themselves - eight of them from eight different states - who entered this national cherry pie baking contest held recently in Chicago.

A second cheer goes for the delectable pies which these girls baked from cherries grown and canned in their states. Flaky brown crusts bursting wih cherry-red fruit and oozing a bit of crimson juice! That tart-sweet favour of cherries enhanced with a bi of butter and a meltingly-rich pastry!

A third cheer goes to the country kitchen cooks among them, for six of the eight got their star in pie baking in a kitchen whose windows framed a view of the red barn and silo or perhaps a wheat field or cherry orchard. 

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And what would that all be without a recipe for a Cherry Pie.  (I am assuming this is the winning recipe.)


Indiana Cherry Pie

3 TBS cornstarch (5 TBS if the pie will be served warm)
1/2 cup juice
1 cup sugar
1 TBS butter
few grains salt
3 cups unsweetened red canned cherries, drained 

Mix cornstarch and juice in the top of double boiler. Cook until thick stirring constantly. Add sugar and cook five minutes longer. Remove from fire, add butter and salt, then cherries, stirring carefully. Let stand while the crust is mixed and rolled. Pour into pastry-lined tin. Cover with top crust, and cut to allow for escape of steam. Seal edges, bake 15 minutes in a hot oven (425*F) and 30 minutes in a moderate oven. (350*F).

~Mary Wein, Indiana

  
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Compliment recklessly! Say the nice things that come to your head! We've got better things to do than resisting the instinct to be kind!

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There was an old woman who lived in a shoe
who had so many children she knew not what to do.
~old nursery rhyme, 1794 


Debates over the meaning of the rhyme have largely revolved around matching the old woman with historical figures, as Peter Opie observed "for little reason other than the size of their families". Candidates include Queen Caroline, the wife of King George II (1683–1760), who had eight children, and Elizabeth Vergoose of Boston, who had six children of her own and ten stepchildren.[1] Some evidence suggests the rhyme refers to the wife of Feodor Vassilyev of Shuya, Russia, who reportedly birthed 69 children during her lifetime (1707–c.1782) (from Wikipedia)


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When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks, and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness,
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world,
but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, "Stay awhile."
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, "Its simple," they say,
"and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine."
~Mary Oliver 

And with that I will leave you with a thought for the day  . . . 

  

Yes, its a picture one. You can just about hear the trickling of the water as the boat moves slowly through the river, birds singing in the tree tops along the way, the odd boom of a large fat toad long its earthy banks,  while cricket sing in the grass  . . .  

The Best Vanilla Cupcakes 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  The Best Vanilla Cupcakes.  They are made with yogurt!  Moist and delicious. 

Have a wonderful Saturday. Yesterday was one of those days when everything turned to dust. Lets hope that today is much better! Don't forget!

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And I do too!   
 
Happy First of August! 
 


8 comments:

  1. My fave cupcakes vanilla..were at the book signing for Susan Branch's meet at the Cape..and I have made them a few times since..King Arthur Flour ones..but was it my feeling of being there?:) Going to check yours:) Lots of nice things and thoughts..not sure you got the photo I took all those yrs ago of the Chanticleer...Bon weekend

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    1. I did not get a photo Monique? Did you send it via e-mail? I just checked my old hotmail account and found it there! oy! I need to check that one more often! Thanks so much that hobby horse in the garden, how utterly quaint and sweet! How lucky you were to meet Susan! I have had a few chances but never been able to take them. Those cupcakes are really nice. Yogurt makes all cakes nicer I think! Happy Weekend back! xoxo

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  2. Happy August! Oh, yes, let's hope today will be a better day for you, Marie. Your "everything nice" post was everything nice. And your pretty cupcakes. What a delight! You've turned a simple cupcake into a treasure, too pretty to eat. We are headed out to a farmer's market. First time this season in Toronto. I'm off to put the ribs in the slow cooker and get those potatoes cut up for your roasted potato salad. Thanks for the inspiration. Hugs and love, Elaine.

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    1. Thanks Elaine! Not sure they are entirely edible, but they do look pretty. I hope you enjoyed the Farmer's market. I miss those over here! Love and hugs and hopes that you enjoy the potato salad! How do you do your ribs in the slow cooker? xoxo

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    2. Hi Marie, the farmer's market was quite different due to Covid restrictions. It was one long line of tables and you told the associate what you wanted - no touching or getting up close to the produce. You paid for everything at the end which proved faster than paying for items at individual stands. Not as much fun, though. Did manage to spend $20. We bought beefsteak tomatoes, zuchinni,yellow beans, and free stone peaches. All the healthy things. To make the ribs in the slow cooker, I cut them into individual ribs, put a layer in the slow cooker with lots of salt, pepper, white onion slices and garlic. Repeat with a second layer. I turn it on high for 4 hours, drain the fat, add the bbq sauce, making sure everything is coated and cook for another 2 hours on high. You can also put them in the oven to crisp rhem up at the nd but I usually don't bother. The house smells so good when they're cooking and, of course, they taste good. You'll be thinking of dinner right about now. Love and hugs, Elaine

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    3. I;m sure it wasn't quite as much fun. I used to love to go to the 400 Flea Market ouside of Barrie. It was fabulous and had something for everyone. Your ribs sound fantastic! I will give them a try next time I have some spare ribs to cook! xoxo

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  3. I've been enjoying my basket of cherries, first of the season for me.They are delicious.

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    1. OH, I can only imagine how lovely they are. We used to buy cherries from the cherry sellers down South. They sold them in paper bags Pam and they were warm from the sun and oh so delicious. I always had to buy two bags because the first would be eaten before we got home! xoxo

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