An old horse, new tricks

I haven't bought a new piece of horse tack for years. Honest. I've been trail riding with my old western saddle forever, but this winter I'm looking forward to learning something new in the arena-- dressage! And Sizzle's tongue told me this afternoon just how thrilled she is with THIS plan! :-)

Of course, this discipline requires all different tack (sigh.) Finding a nice, affordable, used dressage saddle is a real project, and many hours in traffic driving around to far flung tack shops. But I was lucky to find a consignment saddle this week in Bellevue, slightly used but perfect for lessons and fooling around. And Stubben is a "good" brand, made in Switzerland of all places.
The Swiss make nice saddles along with the watches.

The dressage style bridle is also completely different, and for an old western trail horse, Sizzle is being a pretty good sport about this project so far.

Stay tuned for lesson updates...

Happy Halloween

Honestly, it's a bad idea to buy the kind of Halloween candy that YOU like to eat. I have a bowl of Almond Joy's (me) and Hershey bars (John) ready for trick-or-treat tomorrow. Since Halloween is on Saturday night, hopefully lots of parents will take their kids out and the candy will be history. From all the pumpkins and decorated houses, it seems many young families live nearby, although you seldom see children playing outside anymore.

There's something reflective about autumn, and I've been thinking about when we lived in England, and Amanda was exactly the age baby Nova is now. Our country has Americanized the world, so maybe the British celebrate Halloween now, but back then they didn't. I remember our English friends trying to explain a bizarre November "holiday" called Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night, when kids asked for pennies and hanged effigies were burned. There is a complicated history behind it, but I plucked this little fact out of Wiki:

In 18th-century England, it became a tradition for children to display a grotesque effigy of Fawkes, termed a "guy", as part of the Bonfire Night celebration. As part of the tradition, they would often stand on street corners begging for "a penny for the guy". The "guy" would be burned on a bonfire at the end of the evening. As a consequence, "guy" came to mean a man of odd appearance. Subsequently, in American English, "guy" lost any pejorative connotation, becoming a simple reference for any man.

So this is how Americans came by the word "guy," and made it one of the most overused words in the English language! Now Guy Fawkes Night in England boils down to an excuse for young people to party and look for mischief. Just like our Halloween. Have fun this weekend and watch out for "guys" and spooks!

Baby tales from another time

Mommy has a carriage for her baby
Originally uploaded by Heart felt

We were living in Felixstowe, England when Amanda was born. It wasn't a little village, but a fair sized town on the chilly North Sea that was still small enough to walk everywhere. I loved it there. Every morning I walked out for daily food shopping, and pushed my baby in a perambulator like all the other moms. People are always surprised when I tell them it was common to leave your sleeping baby outside on the sidewalk in the pram while you went in the stores. Of course, most shops were small (baker, butcher, etc.) and there wasn't room inside for a big pram anyway. So you ducked in and did your business while keeping an ear out for your kid. Imagine leaving a baby outside a grocery store now!

The English baby nurses we saw for routine care at the Felixstowe "Surgery" were kindly but no-nonsense types. When I told them Amanda would sometimes cry inexplicably (as all infants do) they advised me to "put her pram outside in the garden air for a bit, go in have a quick cup of tea." So maybe this is how the famous British "stiff upper lip" comes about! I'm sure Prince Charles' old nanny did it to him. Hummm...

But not bad advice actually-- a tea break is good for mom's nerves, and both parties are happier when they get back together. And I tell Amanda it's OK to put Nova down sometimes when she cries. Like all new mothers, I worried about many things when Amanda was a baby, but leaving her outside alone for a few minutes in her pram wasn't one of them. Everyone did it. But these are just memories of a very different time and place.

"One of Those Fine October Days"

It Was One of Those Fine October Days

It was one of those fine October days

free from summer’s heat and haze

but not yet gripped by autumn chill.

It was one of those fine October days

when the sky’s so clear

you can see the moon

through the atmosphere at midday.

It was one of those fine October days

when the trees sport yellow and red

instead of everyday summer green.

It was one of those fine October days

when one draws a deep breath

and is grateful to be resident on Earth.

by Richard Greene

Amanda, do you recognize "your" tree? Yesterday was a beautiful day...the first snow falling in the mountains, but sunny in the lowlands. A little break before the next rain storm tomorrow.

A happy baby

An adorable little sequence of pictures John took last week. Babies have great entertainment value! Below is a link to an interesting NYT article called: "In a Helpless Baby, the Roots of Our Social Glue." It's about cultural anthropology and child rearing. I read it in March, long before Nova was born. It made perfect sense at that time, but now I REALLY get it.

"A baby may look helpless. It can’t walk, talk, think symbolically or overhaul the nation’s banking system. Yet as social emulsifiers go, nothing can beat a happily babbling baby. A baby is born knowing how to work the crowd. A toothless smile here, a musical squeal there, and even hard-nosed cynics grow soft in the head and weak in the knees."

Enjoy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/science/03angi.html?_r=1

Figs and starlings

A sad sight:
An enormous tree full of inedible figs. But not to the flocks of European starlings who show up every fall, and make a big racket fighting over the green figs and pecking holes in every one. And there is plenty for all this year. In fact, I've never seen such huge figs on our tree, probably because of the hot summer. But October is never warm enough (yet) to ripen them for eating. I've heard of gardeners growing figs successfully in our climate, but I guess you need the right variety in the perfect location.

European Hornbeam

This sounds like the name of a garden beetle, or a very hard "Jeopardy" question. But the European Hornbeam is a beautiful tree: dense and dark green in summer, brilliant yellow in fall, with a perfect bare structure in winter. The scale is nice for a residential street tree-- not too tall, not too short. I've read they are also resistant to pollution, poor drainage, compacted soil and all the other disadvantages of city living. I had a hard time yesterday getting a picture, because they grow along busy arterials. This one is just starting to turn color, and it's in an industrial area I drive through almost every day.

It's an old variety, and the wood is so strong the ancient Romans used it to make chariots, and the American pioneers yokes for their oxen. I've driven past these trees for years and admired them, always wondering what they were. Just recently, I read on a Seattle blog that local arborists were donating their time to pruning the old Hornbeams, so I finally learned the name. On a bright fall day, a golden row of them is a stunning sight.

Vita Sackville-West

This is a portrait of the English author and poet, Vita-Sackville West, who lived from 1892-1962. She is famous for her unconventional lifestyle on the fringes of the Bloomesbury Group. But to serious gardeners around the world, she is known for the Sissinghurst Castle garden, where she designed her famous garden "rooms." She also wrote a weekly garden column for The Observer, just like a British Henry Mitchell, who wrote the wonderful Washington Post "Earthman" column. Although Henry's writing style was more humorous and ironic, and Vita sounds bossier. This comes naturally to an English aristocrat. Here is what she says about the final fall clean up:


"If it is true that one of the greatest pleasures of gardening lies in looking forward, then the planning of next year's beds and borders must be one of the most agreeable occupations in the gardener's calendar. This should make October and November particularly pleasant months, for then we may begin to clear our borders, to cut down those sodden and untidy stalks, to dig up and increase our plants, and to move them to other positions where they will show up to greater effect. People who are not gardeners always say that the bare beds of winter are uninteresting; gardeners know better, and take even a certain pleasure in the neatness of the newly dug, bare, brown earth."


Oh well. I don't know about November being a "particularly pleasant month" in the Northwest. But I suppose if you had a garden staff to order around, and servants bowing and tugging their caps it would be more fun. Anyway, I have enough "sodden and untidy stalks" to keep Vita's gardeners busy for a long time. But I agree, there is something about that final tidy up that's almost as satisfying as the first spring work. Maybe it has more to do with the promise of rest?

See the fall colors

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn."- Elizabeth Lawrence

Easier said than done, after the busiest summer I can remember! But I like the quiet season of late fall before "The Holidays." Just ignore the sight of Halloween and Christmas back-to-back in the stores. I looked out the window yesterday at my soggy garden, and decided to take my time with the clean up for a change, rather than complaining and rushing around in the cold rain. After all, the mess isn't going anywhere. I'm looking forward to seeing my friends again, and looking ahead to the new year. Who knows?

Amanda, Nova and Tom are headed home today to start a winter routine of their own. In a few short weeks, they all will be back for Thanksgiving.

Out for a walk today

My Grandma didn't want me to get cold, so she dressed me up like an Eskimo baby! And I had a really good time, except I couldn't move my arms. :-)

Nova and BOB

Yesterday, Tom and Amanda made the very first (of probably many!) major purchases for Nova. A deluxe, all terrain, BOB stroller. BOB stands for (you guessed it ) Baby-On-Board. Here's Nova ready for a ride and looking pretty pleased with her new set of wheels.

Cute Nova!

The little family arrived yesterday on their way back from a 10 day trip to the coast. I got in a few quick pictures-- looks like Nova really thrived on the traveling life! We'll have them here to enjoy for a couple days before they head home over the mountains.

Crochet

"The life so short, the craft so long to learn..."

Chaucer wasn't thinking about crochet when he wrote that line, but doesn't it apply to everything we try to master? I can't take credit for making the doilies in this picture-- I bought them for a few dollars at thrift stores. Doilies are useless, but still pretty. I get them out now and then and wonder about all the ladies who did this exquisite work, only to have it thrown in the Goodwill bin. Our grandma's homes used to be full of lacy doilies.

I like to crochet, but I'm not very good at it. I don't especially like following exact directions, so this makes things like crocheting and baking harder and more frustrating than it needs to be. I make loopy Afghans that aren't quite square, thick scarves, pillow covers and baby hats. Crocheting is the perfect activity for a droning TV football game. I can keep John company, and when something happens (which isn't too often) I can glance up and watch the replay.

When I was getting started, I wasted money on crochet pattern books and later found some of the best instruction was free on the Internet. For example, there are hundreds of "how-to" videos on U-Tube. And I especially liked the free crochet and knitting stuff on Bevscountrycottage.com where I found a truly easy pattern for Nova's orange baby hat.

Sourdough bread

Sourdough bread sounds so simple: starter, water, flour, salt, sometimes a little yeast. What could be easier? Just the word sourdough makes you think of gold camp pancakes, San Francisco and pioneer cooking on the wood stove. But making really good bread (especially sourdough) is an art.

The starter is a sticky/living/breathing/growing/bubbling substance that needs to be fed weekly in order to "work." An old friend of mine and a SUPERB baker (she makes speciality quality loaves weekly) got me started with a dab of starter. Julie, the original gift is still alive and kicking. Although this summer when it was too hot to bake and I forgot to feed it, I think my starter saw The Light a few times.

The science is complicated, but basically real sourdough bread dough takes many hours to "proof" (rise) without yeast. This gives it the great crust and soft chewy texture. There are long hours when you do nothing at all, but then suddenly you must tend it! Sourdough baking is meant for someone who hangs around the cabin all day (or is clever enough to time their modern comings and goings to bread dough.)

The sourdough recipe I use with added yeast recipe doesn't have the same texture, but it's quicker--under 3 hours. In most bread making, the first step is to combine the ingredients, and knead. I usually knead until I get bored, 5 or 10 minutes. Then dough goes back in the bowl and is left in a warm place until it looks like this:

What a pretty sight! Then divide the fluffy dough into whatever shapes you like. I like to make small loaves or rolls for the freezer so I can take out a few at a time. Then it rises once more until it looks like this:

Bake in a hot oven for about 30 minutes. Done!

Don't be intimidated by a little white goo. If you want to try sourdough baking this winter, a good mail order source for starter and directions is King Arthur Flour Company.

The clean-up begins

After a week of rain, it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, partly sunny and almost 60. Perfect for getting started on the fall clean-up, and I worked until the compost bin was full. That was enough! The akebia vine had grown so big and heavy it knocked a trellis to the ground, and it took an hour of snipping to remove the death grip. I see on invasive.org that akebia is a threat to natural forests. What a surprise-- another dangerous mongrel I cultivate in my flower garden (sigh.)

On the other hand, here's a picture of the lovely hops vine I wrote about on August 4. The little pods look like miniature pine cones, and I think they smell like beer perfume, if you can imagine that. When I got tired of working, I took my camera out and looked for interesting things to photograph like the rudbeckia black seed heads. Soon the garden will be a cold, soggy mess.

We're looking forward to seeing the honeymooners and Nova and Roger next week in Seattle when they return from the pacific coast.

Goodwill adventures and dim sum

It rained all day yesterday in Seattle, almost an inch, but that warm rain we get when the storms come up from around Hawaii. I was downtown to meet John and friends for lunch, so I stopped at that enormous, headachy Goodwill Store on Dearborn. I've been looking for woolly baby clothes to get Nova through the frigid winter, and Amanda will be happy I have a bag of cute, almost new outfits for her. That baby is growing so fast, hopefully she'll wear them once or twice before spring. I also found a cool vase in the "vintage" section at the Goodwill, and bought it for $12 on impulse. It looks tacky in this picture, but actually has a nice, muted arts and crafts look. Hey, grandchildren really are fun to shop for!

Dim Sum is a popular Chinese lunch in Seattle. Every three months or so, a group of John's co-workers from Boeing clock out early on Friday and head up to Seattle for lunch at the Jade Garden restaurant in Chinatown. I love dim sum so I'm happy to tag along. And the Boeing group is fun because several nationalities are at our table: Korean, Filipino, American and Chinese. It's great having a Chinese expert when you eat dim sum. Not only can he explain what you are eating (sort of) but he can converse in Chinese with the staff and order special dishes. The restaurant staff push loaded food trolleys between the tables, you pick and choose, and the table shares many small dishes. There is usually something for everyone, and if it isn't on the cart, they are happy to make it. And before you know it you have eaten many shrimp dumplings, and don't especially want any dinner.

No beautiful autumn???

I'm happy to say, this is not in Seattle. This is a picture and the message my friend Candi sent me from Montana:

"This is what happens when the temperature suddenly drops down to 8 degrees in October. Green leaves which had not even begun to turn color yet froze on the trees. A week later, the temperature is rising back to normal for October. The leaves are now thawed and are turning black. There is a strange smell in the air, like wet hay rotting in a barn. It's a weird and ugly world."

Ugh! this is what I'm hearing from our friends in across the west! I guess real winter will be a relief after this...

Baked apples with dates and pecans

The apple crop is wonderful this year. Here's a dessert project for a rainy fall weekend.
Healthy, too!












Baked Apples with Dates and Pecans

1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/4 cup pitted diced Medjool dates
Juice of 1 orange + 1 tsp. zest
3/4 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
4 or 5 baking apples
1 tbs. melted butter
2 cups apple juice or cider
2 tbs. brown sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch + 1 tbs. water

Heat the oven to 350. In a small bowl, stir together the pecans, dates, salt, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, orange zest and juice.

Core the apples, and peel down about 1/3. Stuff the apples with the nuts/pecans, then brush with melted butter. Arrange apples in a 8x8 baking dish and add juice to the bottom. Cover tightly with foil and baked until the apples are very soft, but not mushy and falling apart. Transfer apples to serving plates.

Simmer the remaining pan juices in a small saucepan until reduced by about half. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon. Mix the cornstarch and water, add this mixture to the simmering pan and heat until thickened. Serve the apples drizzled with the thickened sauce. (And ice cream or whipped cream-- don't want to go overboard on the "healthy" thing :-)

Slug saloon

Sometimes (just for fun) I'll stick something new out in the garden, and see how long it takes John to notice. He walked right past my new Japanese lantern for about a month during his evening stroll. I knew he finally spotted it when I heard him outside the window muttering "What is THAT?"

Well... to be exact, it's a concrete lantern I bought at a going-out-of-business sale. Does anyone really need a non functional oriental lantern? Nope. But it was the classiest thing I saw among the gnomes, begging squirrels, and turtles with glasses. And after trudging around that block of hideous statuary, I felt like I should reward myself with a little useless "something." Not to belittle the lantern, which has great significance in Japanese culture. And have you ever heard of a "Japanese lantern poem?" A bit like Haiku, but even more structured because the poem can look like a lantern. I love the Internet.

If nothing else, this one will make a fine hiding place for slugs. Many people swear by the happy hour "death by beer" method of killing slugs, so maybe I'll set up a miniature lethal bar in there. I found a passionate discussion about this on the Internet too, right down to what type of beers they prefer. Slug weather has arrived in the northwest. I think it rained more today that during the entire last 5 months. It is still in the 50's during the day, 40's at night so I'm not in a panic (yet) as to where I'll winter all the outside pots and plants I don't want to freeze. But our long, warm, beautiful Indian summer is definitely over.

The simple comfort of home

A Good Pizza

Fresh mozzarella balls, yellow & red tomatoes, Greek olives, homemade crust.

"Simple pleasures are the last refuge of the complex"
Oscar Wilde

The last garden roses

Our little home weather station barometer has been dropping like a rock since we got back Sunday. No rain yet in Seattle, but the wind is picking up and the sky an unpleasant shade of yellow-grey. I saw on the news northern California and the Oregon coast already have a major Pacific storm in, and we hope the honeymooners are snug and warm in their cabin watching the waves with a cup of cocoa or glass of champagne.

The garden is dry, dry, dry--probably for the last time in many months. I ran out this morning in my p.j's to snatch these roses before the rain ruins them. What a summer! And I got my wish to do Amanda's wedding with some of my own garden flowers, like this fragant white David Austin English garden rose. Pretty amazing, for October.

I hope all our friends and family have arrived safely home, or will soon be there. Many thanks to all who made the long trips to eastern Washington for the wedding.

The day in pictures

We were too busy enjoying ourselves to take many pictures, but here's few photos that hopefully capture the essence of the beautiful day. Amanda and Nova arrived at the park for the wedding, and Nova wore an adorable orange pumpkin suit! She had a few "complaints" while her Mommy was trying to get dressed at the motel, but through the entire ceremony she slept like-- well, a little pumpkin baby!

A big highlight for us was seeing our Mandy and her lovely best friend Mandi together again. The two Amandas' met in the Peace Corps, and became as close as sisters while they served together on the island of Grenada in the eastern Caribbean. And another nice bonus-- Mandi's parents also made a long trip for the wedding, and we loved seeing them again. Along with my parents, brother, sister, nieces, the groom's family clan and many friends, we had a gathering of about 70 at the park.

Amanda and Mom...

A sweet moment after a lovely ceremony on a perfect autumn afternoon. The musicians played the dear old Beatle song "In My Life" while Amanda walked up the "aisle." Mandi was bridesmaid, and held little Nova through the service. Tom's best man Carl escorted Roger, the family dog. Amanda and Tom wrote their own vows, and the service was so personal and meaningful. I read a poem about the Methow Valley, and Tom's mother a Bible reading on love from Corinthians. After a great kiss, all the guests surrounded the new family in support and love. A few pictures at the park, then we were off to the Grange to celebrate. And a real treat was still ahead of us.

Here's Grandpa John with little Nova, doing what he likes to do best. Ever see a tough old guy turn to total mush over a baby?

Nova had many pretty lady admirers at the reception, and with 6 grandparents there, no shortage of loving arms. Amanda choose an October fest menu especially to showcase the bountiful food of the valley. We had local artisan sausages, roasted squash, braised red cabbage, fresh breads and brewed beers along with wine and hot apple cider. And finally, the cake! This was not an ordinary bakery creation, but a dense, moist and delicious molasses spice cake baked by the caterer in her home. The perfect ending to a perfect day. Thank you everyone who worked hard to make this happen for Amanda, Tom and Nova. They are off to the Oregon coast for some "ocean time" and relaxation. God speed!

Thank you Tom and Amanda

If we would just pay a little more attention, even ordinary living teaches important lessons every single day. But...maybe weddings show best what is really important in life. The "planners" among us (thanks for putting up with me :-) focus our laser attention on things like lists, food, cake, flowers, decorations, dresses, weather and chairs! Guess what? This is really about family, friendship, acceptance, support and above all love. Thank you everyone, who made the big trips and super efforts to be with us for a perfect moment in time. And thank you Amanda and Tom for sharing your love with us.

Our lovely bride Amanda

On the way to her wedding...more details and photos soon from the beautiful ceremony and reception. It was an incredibly special time for all our family and friends. Thank you Amanda, Tom and Nova for sharing your love and joy.

Ho-Hum

I'm going to a wedding tomorrow...

Deer visitors

You see deer everywhere in the Methow Valley. That is, until next week-- the start of hunting season, when I suppose they take to the hills in a hurry. They like lazing around the motel grounds where we always stay, the lawns are just like a big pasture. Here's a view from the back door of our cabin. Driving back last night, we saw a herd running right through downtown! We went down to the river yesterday to cut some fall foliage to decorate the Grange. It's been perfect Eastern Washington fall weather so far this week. Bright, sunny and clear but looks like much colder weather just around the corner. Still hoping for an outdoor wedding tomorrow afternoon, but the weather has the final word. We're just going with the flow-- the best "plan" of all.

Great-Grandparents

My parents Sam and Marge arrived in town yesterday afternoon, and met Nova for the first time. Here's a happy moment from last night.

The final wedding plans are in progress, and today is the quiet before the storm! Lots of family arriving in town tomorrow from out of state, so along with a big wedding we're looking forward to family reunions too.

New Nova pictures

Nova is a darling baby, and I could hold her for hours-- which is exactly what I got to do yesterday afternoon. Lucky, lucky Grandma! I've been hearing about her "cranky hour" but she skipped it yesterday, and I don't think she cried once from 3-8 :-)

Amanda made us a nice salmon dinner last night, and we enjoyed a bit of quiet before all the wedding activities heat up. The weather is crisp and cool, but sunny and should hold for the rest of the week.

See you next year

"A garden isn't meant to be useful. It's for joy.
Rumer Goddern