Wee moments with no fancy camera.
Category: Cluttered Closet
Tea Towel Memories
I have a drawer in the kitchen that houses my tea towels. I call them tea towels because my grandmother referred to them in that way. Her tea towels were a daily necessity in the kitchen. She never owned a dishwasher. She was the dishwashing machine.
I have lovely and vibrant memories of my sweet, little grandmother wearing her handmade apron that tied around her neck and her waist. She’s wearing rubber gloves, protecting her hands from the extremely hot faucet water. She’s standing at the sink, washing the dishes and then placing them in the green plastic dish drainer. She knew how to get the suds going for her washing cycle. She had a double sink and she knew how to minimize the use of water when she was rinsing. They were on well water and were ever vigilant about conserving their supply. They truly wasted nothing, especially their precious water. My grandfather completes my recollection, as I see him standing tall and strong by my petite grandmother. I see the tea towel in his massive hands. He’s wiping the dishes dry. The cupboard doors are open to save time as he puts each dish away in its place. Lots of dishes could need more than one tea towel. Not a problem.
Grandmother had lots of tea towels. Her towels were all cotton, a thin cotton and they all looked the same. There were however, a few that she hand embroidered with tiny purple violets. They were special. After drying the dishes, the damp towels were hung on this nifty three-pronged hanger, so the towels would air dry. Once dry, the towels became useful one more time before being washed by my grandmother in the hand wringer washing machine. Then she hung them out to dry on the clothes line. It was a system that worked.
I think that my grandmother would like my tea towels, although they are quite different in look and in usage from hers. Some remind me of our travels and some were gifts from family members, so each one is unique and finally, we use them to dry only the pots and pans that cannot be accommodated in the dishwasher. I know Nannie would really appreciate that my husband prefers to dry, just like my grandfather.
I like my tea towels. It’s a deja vu each time I open the tea towel drawer.
Visit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/12/what-are-tea-towels_n_6135252.html to find out about “What the Heck are Tea Towels, Anyway?”
Fresh and French
We loved the outside cafes in Provence, France. Each day we’d find ourselves in our favorite spots by early afternoon. It was so simple.
White or red, a blanc ou rouge. That was it. The vin du pay was just the ticket. We’d have a crusty baguette and fresh radishes served with a small bowl of rough sea salt. Radishes? At first, this combination seemed strange. We tried the lovely roots and fell in love with them. Perhaps it was the setting, but these radishes became a favorite while on our trip. Back home, when the radishes are in season, we enjoy eating them while sitting on our patio with blanc ou rouge. It’s simple at home, too. Just today, our lovely neighbor brought me a bunch of fresh radishes from our local farmer’s market. I told her my radish story and what she told me was amazing.
In France, she says, they eat the little darlings with butter. I did not know that and you better believe we will be eating these fresh treats along with butter. Can’t wait.
Visit: http://gracelinks.org/3876/french-breakfast-radishes-with-sweet-butter-sea-salt-and-chives for this simply exquisite recipe.
One little word…..
One little word
One something that made your day
One little word
One kindness that kept the moment
One little word
One special day, one little word becoming three
Happy Mother’s Day
pamela 5.7.16
My Honeysuckle Grove
There are days when I wish I were somewhere else, somewhere other than my usual place. You know, like being in a gondola in Venice or sitting in the natural spring baths in Iceland or maybe even Giant Stadium, catching the California sun-rays or perhaps back in New Orleans eating gumbo & listening to street jazz. But today, when Brodie, my golden retriever and I were walking through the woods behind our house in Virginia, I thought… this is exactly right for us. When I told myself that I was content with walking my dog and noticing nature at its spring best, I became mindful of my surroundings. I got into the moment, and into the Honeysuckle grove that surrounded us with sweet fragrance and lush green.
The bouquet of the honeysuckle blossoms wafted lightly in the air. I remembered back to when I was a little girl. I thought of my kind grandfather showing me how to suck the sweet nectar from the inside of a honeysuckle blossom. I could see his huge but gentle hands delicately sliding the stamen out of the body of the flower while dragging the delightful honey out to meet his tongue. There was an art to this and I was a good student. Granddaddy preferred the yellow blossoms, saying they were sweeter. I agreed. He was right.
So in honor of our honeysuckle grove and in celebration of becoming mindful with little effort, we harvested some of the blossoms. The next day I remained content being exactly where I was, as I sipped my homemade Honeysuckle & Spearmint Iced Tea. My liquid refreshment was a simple and sweet memory drink.
Honeysuckle and Spearmint Tea
Pick about 3 cups of honeysuckle blossoms
Sprigs of Spearmint
Pick fresh blossoms, removing all leaves and stems.
In a container with a lid, add the blossoms to about 3 cups of boiling water. Add a few spearmint leaves. Cover the container and steep for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.
Strain the liquid through cheesecloth. Enjoy over ice and with a sprig of spearmint.
Mindful Moments
Walk and think
Walk and dream
Walk and realize
The Honeysuckle memories
Pamelalucas 5/1/16
Let the beets be with you
From red to purple to yellow to orange to gold, the beet is a sturdy vegetable that has come into its own. Beets are popular. Beets are adored by foodies and seen on menus in down home cooking spots and found on the finest haute tables.
If the beets can be with you they will.
When I was a kid growing up in Virginia, this cool weather crop was seasonal at best and not what you would call popular. They made me frown. However, beets were easy to grow and a healthy, hardy vegetable to feed to a family. Beets were often served at our familial table.
Today, my family members remain divided. You either let the beets be with you or not. We like to joke about “Who’s going to eat that?” The very sight of a newly prepared version of these lovely roots is enough to clear some of them from the room, while the rest of us gobble up the beets as a treat.
Simple to prepare, here’s one of our favorite beet recipes:
Roasted Beets with Garlic & Rosemary
For 4 of us:
Number of beets to roast vary based on size of the beets
Garlic cloves cut in half
Rosemary sprigs (for roasting & for garnish)
Your favorite olive oil
Salt and pepper
Crumbled Feta Cheese or Goat Cheese
Cut the greens off and thoroughly wash the beets, leaving little stems. (The greens are enjoyable, but we do not partake of them.) Put the whole beets on a large piece of foil along with the garlic, rosemary sprigs, season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with olive oil. Top this with another piece of foil, sealing the edges. Place this sealed packet on a baking sheet/cookie sheet. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour or until just tender. Let cool for handling.
Peel and cut the beets into wedges. (I wear gloves to avoid staining my hands with the beet color.) Plate beets on a platter for a showy presentation, drizzle with olive oil, scatter with crumbles Feta or Goat Cheese, garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs and let the beets be with you.
For Golden Brodie
Beets look so strong
Beets look so healthy
Beets can be a favorite
Beets can be despised
Beets are luscious beauties in disguise
By pamelawlucas 4/28/16
Dandy Weeds – Lion Face Flowers –Dandelions
I grew up with dandelions. Each spring my father would get out the push mower and sharpen the blades. Then, by hand, he’d start digging up the dandelions. Attack weeds, cut, attack the dandy weeds. This was his thing all spring and summer.
There were dandelions in my grandmother’s yard. She allowed dandelions. She lived in the country. She’d pick the young leaves from underneath the yellow flowers and make dandelion salad throughout the spring and summer.
Easy recipe: dandelion greens, topped with a light dressing of white or apple cider vinegar (no balsamic then) and a pinch of salt and some sugar. The bitterness of the greens was complimented by her simple dressing. Bitter greens and homemade biscuits worked.
Time moved on. Dandelions are all but gone, thanks to the spreading of pesticides & weed killers. Suburban dwellers want and pay for well-manicured landscapes and solid green grass lawns. I get that.
It’s the end of April. We have a few healthy dandelions growing here and there along the fringes of our suburban community. I took pictures of these lovelies before the lawn service arrived for the first killer application. I’m emotionally attached to dandelions.
I am a Dandelion
I am a flower disguised as a weed
Upon your lawn I will stampede
I am a weed disguised as a flower
My leaves and roots have medicinal powers
I am 3 celestial bodies in one
I awaken each morning to greet the sun
I sleep in the evening and dream of the moon and stars
Which are 2 of my other avatars
Upon the wind my seeds are blown
Carried for miles around
But on this lawn I cannot hide
And I’ll soon succumb to pesticides
By Joseph May
http://www.poetrysoup.com/poems_poets/poems_by_poet.aspx?ID=29278
Google search offers many of today’s foodie versions of Dandelion Salad.
Brodie here. Commentary and Contemplation 2… What’s happening?
What’s going on out there? Bound and unbound delegates?…Is someone going to untie these people? No more “Purple Rain”? We all needed those musical and meaningful water drops. In baseball a team can “sweep” another team? How do they sweep with a bat? What happened to the broom? What’s the opposite of trans fats?…trans skinny? “Spot-on” as opposed to “spot-off?” Where is Spot? Question: What distinguishes the front of the new $20 dollar bill from the back? Answer: She’s on front. He’s on zback?
Have you tried a donut sandwich?…be honest now. Question: What’s the difference between rye and whiskey and bourbon? Derby day is coming up… will you care?
What’s going on out there?
Some are going on a sea-cruz while others choose to run the table with the trump card. Still don’t forget the people that are adding kasha, (Is that the correct spelling?) to their diets, hoping for some unbinding…just kidding. Question: What is a “Brokered Convention?” Is that when the release of red, white and blue balloons is not permitted and no cake is served? If that’s the case, then count me out.
What’s going on out there?
Why is Earth Day only one day? Should it not be everyday? robot vacuums flying off store shelves; phone Robo Scam Caller liars with their pants on fire; forget the bad people; remember the good that surrounds us all. 1.5 million cars on recall for driving away once the human driver leaves the car…good luck on getting those cars back…try shouting “Puppy, Puppy Cookies…that gets me back every time I try to bolt. Pronouns…are they superior in knowledge and ability when compared to simple nouns? That pro part is disconcerting.
Thinking about this is exhausting. What’s happening?
Patio garden says “Scat Mosquitoes” & Butterfly Bushes scream “Come Hither Mosquitoes”
We are outdoor people and can be found on our patio enjoying life, weather permitting on a year round basis. Each spring we enjoy preparing our flowerbeds, selecting the flowers, planting & preening, then stepping back and enjoying the bounty. This year our planting criteria has changed, all due to the growing concerns about the mosquitoes, specifically the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries the Zika virus.
After reading up on the 2016 dreaded mosquitoes, it became clear that if we were to enjoy our patio we needed to make every attempt to illuminate these potentially harmful insects. There was plenty of available research and existing common knowledge to help make this happen. There are ways to deter these horrible creatures and it’s simple.
First, eliminate any standing water. Even a teacup containing still water can attract female mosquitoes. The Aedes aegypti, especially likes man-made containers of any kind to lay its eggs. We don’t have a birdbath but if we did, we’d need a bubbler of some sort, a schedule for scrubbing the bowl every two days, then changing the water to attract the birds.
Next plant flowers/herbs around the patio that are actually known to repel mosquitoes. Insects in general rail at the smell of marigolds, ageratum, geraniums, scented geraniums, eucalyptus, pennyroyal and citronella grass, as well as lavender, lemon balm, rosemary, peppermint and basil.
We selected the following plantings that say “Get Out” to mosquitoes:
Geraniums
Scented Geraniums
Eucalyptus
Lavender
Rosemary
Peppermint
Basil
Marigolds
Additionally, lantana is so effective in warding off mosquitoes it’s recommended that you plant them near doors that are opened frequently. The last things you need are mosquitoes inside your home. So this year lantana will be in a large decorative pot by the door.
Of course, there are other flowers/herbs that I would prefer to plant in the patio area; especially ones that are vibrant with color and loaded with nectar that would naturally attract butterflies…but this year we’re planting defensively, at least around the patio area.
Speaking of butterflies, in my research I found an interesting article about the beloved butterfly bushes and how science has discovered that these lovelies, while they attract butterflies with their yummy nectar, they also attract mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are drawn to these bushes just like the butterflies. The source of the article is quite credible and can give pause to those of us who have these bushes planted in our yards. The article states that research is underway and….go to:http://www.glacvcd.org/2016/01/study-highlight-butterfly-bushes-attract-mosquitoes-laying-eggs/ for more details.
Our “scat mosquito” landscaping will be planted soon. Look for updates.
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