It's No Surprise

I cut my cast off.

And threw it away.

I was annoyed.

It was the cast's fault.

So, today I visited a hand specialist and he concurred that I didn't need a cast. Just drugs. He thinks it is inflammation.

I like this guy. No cast. Drugs for pain. I am going to send him flowers.

First Day Musings -- "We Understand"

I have hope. Where once there was dismay and confusion about how well the youngest generation will fare in this crazy, out-of-control world, I now have confidence that things Might Just Be Okay.

"Gnomio, oh Gnomio!" The not-so-little boys and I went to see "Gnomio and Juliet" today and was it fun! We saw the 3-D version, which leaves me feeling like I am walking in a tunnel afterwards, and ate so much popcorn there is a danger of either exploding or tossing my cookies. Either would be a relief.

For those unfamiliar with the movie, it is Elton John's production of "Romeo and Juliet" except there are gnomes. Red and blue gnomes. All kinds of gnomes! And, as fate would have it, the gnomes hate each other, a la Shakespeare, based on their "colour." But, the story is deeper than that; it is a pretty fair rendering of the play, except, well, there are gnomes. And the lesson of how we are all the same -- we love, dream, hope, and desire in a world that is marked by the lunacy of It's All About Me.

I can't get over how completely brilliant this is conceptually. I mean, we all remember the Velveteen Rabbit, right? Well, can't gnomes come to life as well?

Anyhow, I won't spoil the story for you, as there are some plot differences, however, the kicker for me was when nine-year-old Nat says to his Dad in a most confidential tone: "Dom didn't get it like Aunt Sissie and I did." And, it's true. If a kid that age can get the humor in "Rosengrantz and Gildenstern Movers" and catch the outrageous humor of a pink flamingo as "Friar Lawrence" -- well -- maybe there is hope for this up and coming generation.

And, if there isn't, please don't tell me. I like my world with the purple sky...

Inspired

If you have time, take a quick look at this story.
I am inspired. What if we all did this? What would the world become? Shall we see what happens??

Almost forgot Farm Friends Friday! Click the picture to visit Amy!!

We are not amused

This is why I haven't been able to hold a needle to finish Dee's towel. My hands have ached and hurt for two months, partly because they were cracked from the cold and partly because they just hurt. This weekend I dropped everything I picked up and cried when I did manage to hold anything.

Long story short, I have six ganglion cysts in my palm and wrist. Too many for cortisone, so we are resting for three weeks and then might still have surgery. Fun times.

I'll be lurking and writing some. Mostly I will be whining.

Happy Valentine's Day...

XXOOXX

Matty

First Day Musings -- Religiously Organic??

This past week I heard from an old graduate school buddy whom I adored. It was a trio: Mark, Paul, and Me (sounds like a rock band, doesn't it?). We were in classes together; studied together; pulled all-nighters together; and spent a lot of time at Boone Drug eating lunch -- grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup and sweet tea. Mark and I were each married; Paul wasn't. It was one of those relationships that you didn't want to see end. Yet, after graduation, we each returned to our normal life -- Mark back to his family in Kentucky; me to the farm; Paul to South Carolina to look for work. We wrote and talked for a while, but, as life gets busy, one gets lost and looses those connections.

Flash forward ten years. Out of the clear blue I got a wonderful email: "Is this you?" Seems Mark and Paul found me through the blog. I was thrilled to hear from Paul and to catch up. We tried for three Fridays to catch each other on the phone, but something always kept us from talking, until last week.

I knew his voice immediately. "Hey!" and it was just as though we had just left the drug store from lunch.

"Mark found you; he said you have gone religious and organic," Paul laughed.

Hmmm... Interesting evaluation of who I am. And, frankly, who I have always been.

How many times do we judge people based on our own values rather than taking the time to learn who they are? How many hours do we spend with people and yet never really know what they dream, desire, or need? And, how many people do we pigeon hole without ever knowing the true substance of their heart, soul, and intellect?

Most of my life it has felt as though I have been overlooked. It seems no one values my opinion nor wants to hear what I want. It is always what they want. If I offer advice or an opinion, I am talked over and told Why I Am Wrong. My pitcher is full.

Yes, I am religious. Yes, I am organic. And, yes, I have a dreams, hopes, and desires of my own. Don't you?

Eggs-actly

The girls were too young last summer to do us much good at the farmer's market, but, once they started laying, boy did they! We are gathering about three dozen eggs a day right now! What is one to do with so many eggs?

Omelets, egg salad, potato salad, fritattas, stuffed eggs, pound cakes, meringue cookies, breads, cakes, ice cream... You see how it goes... and you can see why I have a smaller lap when I sit.. anyhow.

One of my favorite cook books is from 1963: Freezing and Canning Cookbook from the editors of Farm Journal. There are so many wonderful ideas in this treasure that I wonder if it is possible to even use them all! However, one of my favorites is how to freeze eggs.

Our grandmothers saved eggs by dropping them in barrels of waterglass to preserve them. However, today we have freezers and our thriftiness is aided by such a wonderful appliance! To preserve your egg surplus (from your hens or a great sale at the grocer's) just:

Break a cup of eggs into a glass bowl.

Add, depending on the intended use:

1/2 t. salt (for scrambled eggs or other egg dishes) OR
1 T. sugar (for baking or custards)

STIR to break the yolks. Do not beat!

That's it. Freeze for up to six months.

What I have done is measure out what I use for my favorite receipts -- cakes, cookies, and so forth -- and frozen according to those uses.

Here is one good use for your surplus eggs:

3/4 c. butter (or margarine -- but why bother?)
1 1/2 c. confectioners sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 c. chopped pecans
3/4 t. vanilla
3 3/4 c. vanilla wafer crumbs

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in nuts and vanilla and add 2 3/4 c. crumbs. Mix.

Spread remaining crumbs over bottom of buttered dish (8" square). Spread creamed mixture evenly over crumbs. Makes 16 squares. Freeze. Serve without thawing.

You can make this ahead of time and store for up to one month. Yummers.

I {Heart} Sally Melville!

It took me a long time to give in to purchasing The Knit Stitch by Sally Melville, but now that I have, I am in love! Every pattern in the book is based on the knit stitch. Literally. No Purl. All Garter Stitch, which is wonderful if you are going for speed and texture.

This is the first piece from the collection that I am knitting -- an asymetrical Vest. But, I am making it Symetrical instead. I just don't like the idea of my clothes looking as though I buttoned them wrong. I can do that on my own...

This is knit from Yukon that I had purchased, oh, longer ago than we can speak of here. It was for another project, long since fallen out of love with (read: for the Mister before I knew that he stayed too hot to wear sweaters). The project is on size 10.5 needles and really goes quite fast. There is a huge (note the sarcasm) amount of stitches on the needle -- 48 for the front and 53 for the back. This is going to be snug and warm. I suspect I will wear it a lot because I love vests.

It is interesting to see what Melville has done with the simple garter stitch in her collection. Elizabeth Zimmerman used a lot of this stitch because she, as I, really preferred not to purl. And, she, as I, really liked to avoid much sewing, so most things were knit in one piece with creative bind offs and cast ons. Melville has carried these same ideas through her collection, leaving me with the desire to knit Every Single Thing In The Book. I feel the stash shrinking...

What are you knitting these days??

Don't forget Farm Friend Friday over at Verde Farms!