Larky Lady's Lingerings

Our Town's History

2011-12-03T10:38:00.002-06:00

In 1996 our town observed the Sesquicentennial of our state of Iowa by making a video called, A Brief History of Steamboat Rock, Iowa. Many old pictures are shown along with 22 voices telling the history.
Now available on DVD, it may be purchased for $6.00 plus $1.00 shipping. Send to: SR Historical Society
K Griffin
P.O. Box 402
Steamboat Rock, Iowa 50672
You may find this is typical of activities of a river town through the years. There are pictures of the ice cutting operation which sold the ice to many nearby towns. Another business was collecting clams for button making. Just two of the many stories of interest.

Springtime in England

2011-11-07T18:18:00.010-06:00

We thoroughly enjoyed these roses during our five week stay.

Beautiful Roses.

As You Were Saying. . .

2011-03-26T18:12:00.002-05:00

The secret to life is knowing that beauty and great wisdom can be found in the simplest of moments.

May you always be overwhelmed by the grace of God rather than the cares of life.

When you're down to nothing, God is up to something.

All that is not eternal is eternally useless.
C.S.Lewis

They may see the good you do as self serving.
Continue to do good.
They may see your generosity as grandstanding
Continue to be generous.
They may see your warm and caring nature as weakness.
Continue to be warm and caring.
For you see, in the end,
It is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

A Family Found

2011-03-14T16:22:00.002-05:00

The family of six who were unaccounted for earlier have been found and are all okay. Their home has windows broken and other damage, but they escaped unhurt. Details about their experience will be given sometime soon. Right now electricity and internet are not available. Many in Japan do not have the blessing of reporting this good news. They all need prayer and financial support.
Continue to follow http://pristinecleanhome.blogspot.com

EARTHQUAKE !

2011-03-12T06:51:00.003-06:00

This family is unaccounted for following the earthquake in Japan. Living only 80 miles from the epicenter of the devastating 8.9 earthquake, they have not been heard from. Communication was steady during the first recent earthquake which registered over 7 and had numerous after shocks over 6 on the Richter Scale.

The wife/mother of this family, who evidently took the picture, is a sister of my daughter-in-law. See her blog -- http://www.pristinecleanhome.blogspot.com/

Join the many who are praying for their safety.

Speaking of Recipes . . .

2010-09-26T12:51:00.001-05:00

This Herb/Spice Recipe book is still available. It has many recipes using a variety of herbs and spices. Read about it at this Etsy site.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/51229836/an-excellent-cookbook-using-herbs-and

New Recipes Needed

2010-09-24T21:39:00.002-05:00

With the cool days soon to be upon us, we need some new recipes, or some old ones, that fit the season. Do you have any good soup recipes? Or a good cookie or bar recipe? Please share if you do. Just send to the email address: mgriffin288@gmail.com

Thank you so much!

A Tearful Episode

2010-07-22T21:02:00.002-05:00

Saturday morning, June 19, 2010 members of the Historical Society in Steamboat Rock were brought to tears! Was it a revelation about the Rainsbargers? Did someone discover a horse thief as a relative? What could have made everyone cry?
It seems that unbeknownst to anyone, including past employees, there was a small vial of tear gas secreted in the vault as a security measure. Saturday morning, vibration caused the vial to fall to the floor and break, causing everyone to exit the bank rather quickly.
The Historical Society has an open house each Saturday morning from 9:00 to 11:00. Anyone interested in local history is invited to come and share. A gas mask is not usually required.
www.steamboat-rock-historical-society.com

What Do You Know About United States Money?

2010-04-24T18:23:00.002-05:00

We who live in the United States use money almost daily. But do you know the history of this money?
Before 1775 people in the American colonies used English, Spanish and French money.
1775: The Continental congress printed paper money to finance the American Revolution. Its value dropped quickly, soon becoming nearly worthless.
1782: Congress passed laws making the dollar our official currency and authorizing the U.S. Government to make coins.
1793-1861: Private banks printed their own paper money, called "State Bank Notes."
Eventually, there were 7,000 kinds of paper money in the U.S.
1861: In order to finance the Civil War, the Federal Government issued official United States paper money.
1863-1929: Private banks printed official U. S. Government "National Bank Notes."
1913: Congress created the Federal Reserve, the official bank of the United States. This bank issues the only U.S. paper money made today. Look for the words, "Federal Reserve Note" on any U. S. bill.
(Taken from Financial Literacy 2010)

An Interesting Website

2010-02-24T14:28:00.004-06:00

Something new has been developed that will be a guide to Steamboat Rock, Iowa and the new Historical Museum. Our historical society has a new interesting website. It is available for you to visit even though it is being added to and refined regularly. If you find errors or mistakes, if you find incorrect information or would like to make a comment on something in it, please do so. We encourage your input.

http://www.steamboat-rock-historical-society.com/www.steamboat-rock-historical-society.com/Welcome.html

Christmas Traditions

2009-12-21T19:37:00.004-06:00

What are some of the traditions observed in your family? Do you have a Christmas Tree with old fashioned ornaments? Or do you like a modern look? Do you have a real tree or an artificial one? We like to put our tree up (an artificial one) the day after Thanksgiving. This year we were in England for Thanksgiving, so it was put up after we got back on December 1st. The outside lighting went up about the same time, and that job caused EG some problems. He tested each string before they went up, but after they were turned on, sections didn't work. That problem was only partially solved. One string only has part of it working, but it has stayed up!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I had a surprise that day, because before we left for England EG made plans with his children to find a turkey so we could have our Thanksgiving meal there. When I walked in that evening, there it was, all nicely browned and very much enjoyed.

A Devastating Hail Storm

2009-10-10T21:41:00.010-05:00

On August 9, 2009 a huge hailstorm hit our area. In fact the storm's path was 150 miles long and 10 miles wide. The nearby town of Eldora, Iowa was in the direct path and it caused extreme damage there. Crops were lost. Many farmers won't have anything to harvest. These are some pictures we took of the damage to homes and businesses. The hail stones were golf ball size and larger with some winds clocked at 100 miles per hour.

Quilt Expo

2009-09-17T19:45:00.005-05:00

Last week we attended a Quilt Expo. What a lot of beautiful quilts there were. So many were landscapes, some of which you can see on these pictures. Many quilters have developed their own individual techniques for arranging the colors and patterns of the fabrics to accomplish the desired picture. Tiny pieces were put in place and then each one had to be stitched down, usually by hand. It truly was a feast for the eyes.

Introducing The Loopy Family

2009-07-31T08:17:00.006-05:00

The Loopy Family has moved into milarks’ Etsy shop. This family is a group of cousins who recently found each other and decided to take up residency there.
Rupert is a dominant personality, stern and quiet.
Annabelle is petite and sweet with her pink attire.
Paulis is a little guy who lets his pet dog walk all over him.
Dottie likes her name because it matches her looks.
Homely Homer has a difficult time looking pleasant.
Clementine is a demur maiden, proper and coy.
They expect more cousins to join them in the near future. Their arrival has been delayed, but they will surely arrive in time for you to look them over before Christmas.

Losing a Brother

2009-07-21T14:23:00.002-05:00

On July 15, 2009 I lost a brother. He had a heart attack while driving home from work. Although he had a heart attack a few years ago, I never quite believed that it would take his life at the young age of 66. In some ways I lost him many years before. When he moved across the country away from where we live, contact gradually became less and less. There is bitterness in part of the family and sadness is what some others are feeling. So the heart is heavy. Today I've been searching albums for pictures with the plan of sharing them with his children. That is what is left now, pictures and memories. And a heavy heart.

My Country Tis of Thee

2009-06-30T21:22:00.002-05:00

Sunday morning the Praise Team led our church worship with a group of patriotic songs.
A Song of Peace
God of Our Fathers
My Country 'Tis of Thee
Let There Be Peace on Earth
America , the Beautiful
God Bless America
All are special and beautiful, but I couldn't sing some parts because the tears kept getting in the way. Yes, it is "My country tis of thee" that I am concerned about. I feel some of the freedoms this great country was founded upon are being taken away from us.
My country,' tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty,
of thee I sing;
land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrims' pride,
from every mountainside
let freedom ring!
But then I tell myself to remember Who is really in control.
Our fathers' God, to thee,
author of liberty,
to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright
with freedom's holy light;
protect us by thy might,
great God, our King.
And that is my prayer this July 4th.

Hydrangea is Blooming

2009-06-14T13:25:00.004-05:00

This hydrangea was a gift last year (2008) in May. It was in full bloom then. A year later it is in full bloom again after successfully getting through the winter. Such a beautiful pink with blossoms so heavy they had to be propped.

Red Petunias? Or Are They?

2009-06-10T19:39:00.006-05:00

Last fall I saved seed from a lovely red petunia that we had purchased. Six to eight weeks ago we started some of that seed, and now the plants are having their first bloom. How interesting! As you can see, we got quite a variety of shades of red. These are the only ones in bloom today, and each one is a little different, in shape as well as color.

Mystery of the Night

2009-05-24T19:53:00.001-05:00

Did you know there are mysterious things that happen to you every night? While you are asleep, all kinds of activity is going on. Actually, it’s a wonder you get any rest at all! When you’re asleep, your muscles and cells repair themselves. In fact, some cells in your brain are 5 to 10 times more active when you’re asleep than when you’re awake! Your immune system strengthens itself to help you fight off sickness. Also your brain organizes the things you learned during the day.
Then there are the dreams! If sleep is a mystery, dreams are even more mysterious. Most dreams happen in a stage of sleep called REM (Rapid Eye Movement), when the brain is really active. You might have REM sleep five or six times a night, so that means five or six dreams a night, and that would be more than 1800 dreams a year. How many of those can you remember?
Animals need sleep, too, but some have strange sleep patterns. Some animals sleep almost all day. Some hardly ever sleep. The brown bat sleeps 20 hours a day, but the giraffe only sleeps two hours. The squirrel needs 15 hours of sleep, but the horse only needs three hours per day. Most birds can sleep with one eye open and they can sleep with only half of their brain at a time.
Scientists don’t know a lot about the mystery of sleep, but what they do know is really cool, isn’t it?
(Taken from the May 2009 Banner article The Big Night Mystery by Sandy Swartzentruber.)

Workbasket Magazine

2009-05-15T17:44:00.003-05:00

Have you ever heard of the little craft magazine called "Workbasket?"
The "Workbasket" magazine started publication in October 1935. It was a 16-page issue and printed on newsprint. The first issue titled, "Aunt Martha's Workbasket, Home and Needlecraft, For Pleasure and Profit" contained a little letter which stated: 'Aunt Martha is going to compile different projects together in each issue. Each issue will sell for 15 cents or a yearly subscription would be $1.00. '
It became so popular that three printings were necessary to meet the demand for the September 1936 issue. Dropping the "Aunt Martha's" from the name in Jan 1942, it went on being published until 1996 with several price increases until then when it had a complete change in format and the charge was $2.95 per issue.
I have quite a few copies of the magazine which I am willing to sell. The three I have listed in my Etsy shop are from 1982 and 1983. If there are craft people looking for something to make from long ago these magazines may be the answer.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24689022

It's That Time of the Year

2009-05-12T14:41:00.007-05:00

We have lots of plants started and they are living in the greenhouse for now. Any day now we should be able to get them planted outside; however, with the frost two nights ago, perhaps we need to wait a little longer.

Picture on left shows pink allysum. Picture on right a flat of marigolds with four pots each with a tomato growing. The tomatoes will stay in the greenhouse all summer.

Picture on the left shows geraniums, tomatoes and impatiens. Picture on right are two kinds of basil--green is sweet basil and in the back is curly purple basil. On left are blue salvia. Other started plants not shown--petunias, lobelia, morning glories, four o'clocks, thyme, marjoram, parsley, and three kinds of peppers.

How Special!

2009-05-04T13:59:00.002-05:00

I have made a new Etsy friend and she has done something very special. Kayla contacted me weeks ago about doing a feature on my Etsy shop. It sounded interesting, so I completed a questionnaire that she sent.
Actually Kayla is a very special person and she is a very sick person. Only 19 years of age, she has been living with Lyme Disease for 5 ½ years. If you go to her blog, you will read more about her, and this is where the feature of me is located.
I invite you to check it out –
http://theeclecticelement.blogspot.com/2009/04/sunday.html

Cyclist Elgar, the Musician

2009-04-18T16:35:00.003-05:00

On the grounds of Hereford Cathedral in England (see pictures in previous blog) there stands a statue of Edward Elgar with his famous bicycle.
So who was Elgar?
Edward Elgar was arguably the leading English composer of his generation. He was born in the small village of Lower Broadheath outside Worcester, England in 1857, the son of William Elgar, a music dealer and his wife Anne (nee Greening). By the age of eight, he was taking piano and violin lessons, and would often listen to his father playing the organ at St. George's church, and soon he also took that up. His prime interest, however, was the violin, and his first written music was for that instrument.
Surrounded by sheet music, instruments, and music textbooks in his father's shop, the young Elgar became self-taught in music theory. On warm summer days, he would take manuscripts into the countryside to study them (he was a passionate and adventurous early cyclist from the age of 5). Thus there began for him a strong association between music and nature. As he was later to say, "There is music in the air, music all around us, the world is full of it and you simply take as much as you require."
Although he started cycling at an early age, Elgar's first bicycle was purchased a month after his 43rd birthday. He then became serious about cycling and was often accompanied on his cycling trips by friends. One friend remembers, "there cannot have been a lane within twenty miles of Malvern that we did not ultimately find ... as we rode, he would often become silent and I knew that some new melody or, more probably, some new piece of orchestral texture, had occurred to him'. Though none of Elgar's bicycles seem to have survived, some of his cycling maps have, complete with the routes he carefully filled in.
Elgar is probably best known for the five Pomp and Circumstance Marches, composed between 1901 and 1930. Shortly after he composed the first march, Elgar set the trio melody to words by A. C. Benson in his Coronation Ode to mark the coronation of King Edward VII.

Morris Dancers in the UK

2009-04-05T14:00:00.005-05:00

One of the excursions we made on our last visit to England was going to Stratford Upon Avon, well known, of course, as Shakespeare’s town. We came across some street dancers with some unusual attire. These strangely clad men, waving handkerchiefs and sticks, with bells jingling from their clothing are called the Morris Dancers. Popular all over England, we learn that the origins of this tradition are lost in time, but the ritual goes back well over 500 years.
The black faced dancers we saw were colorfully dressed with fabric strips and handkerchiefs sewn all over their clothing and gave their performance with the accompaniment of accordion music to the tune of "Oh Susannah." They've been merrily dancing with their blackened faces for 200 years but recently, because of political correctness, they might be forced to abandon darkening their faces. We’re not sure if the feathers in the hats has any particular meaning!

Another Episode with Two Guys

2009-03-23T15:31:00.005-05:00

Here we are with the two guys who model the soap holders for milarks' Etsy shop.
This time they each have some soap!
They say that soap holders are as cool as sunglasses and ipods.

Two Guys -- One Soap

2009-03-12T13:35:00.004-05:00

Time to model the soap holders milarks is selling on Etsy.
"I’ll take green and you can have the red one!"
"Mom, we each need a bar of soap."
"You’ll have to look in the upstairs bathroom."
"There’s only one there."
"Try looking in the downstairs bathroom."
And that’s how it happened. Only one bar of soap was found, and the red soap holder got it!!
The pictures tell the rest of the story.

More Recipes

2009-02-17T17:48:00.003-06:00

Two recipes have been added. Another Carrot Soup recipe which is very tasty and just right for a cold winter (going into spring) day! And what better to go with it than an easy to make bread. Be sure to try this Focaccia Bread which is so light and yummy.
The invitation is open to anyone to submit a recipe for this blog. Something special for you might be something we would like, too. Previous recipes are near the bottom of right hand column.

All A-Twitter

2009-02-16T09:22:00.001-06:00

Everyone is talking about Twitter! Even news broadcasters tell listeners they can "learn more by going to Twitter." So what is it?
Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates. It asks the question, "What are you doing?" Then you answer by sending short text messages 140 characters in length, called "tweets" to your friends, or "followers."
The short format of the tweet defines the service provided by Twitter, giving relief from the fatigue of long email and IM use. It allows quick communication with people that you wouldn't normally exchange email or IM with, opening up your circle of contacts.
Your tweets are displayed on your profile page, on the home page of each of your followers, and in the Twitter public timeline.
Twitter is quite new to me, but I am learning. If you have used it, would you please leave a comment and tell how it is useful to you?

Free Fonts

2009-02-02T18:11:00.003-06:00

Do you have all the fonts that you would like in your word processing program? I have a lot in mine, but so many are useless for what I want to use. I have often searched for new fonts that might be available to download for free. Well, I have found such a place that has so many that when I start checking out some of them, I find I have not even scratched the surface. Listed alphabetically it seems the amount under each letter is just endless. There is also a search feature in which you may even try to locate a particular font.
This site encourages letting others know what they have to offer. "If you want to help maintain this website, link to it from your website or Forum." So since I don't have a website, I decided to put it on my blog. If you find this useful for you, will you please leave a comment telling what you think?
http://creamundo.com/index.php?lang=en&verThumbs=1&letra=a

A Place of Interest in England

2009-01-22T21:19:00.010-06:00

The current Hereford Cathedral, located at Hereford in England, dates from 1079. The cathedral is dedicated to two patron saints, namely Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Ethelbert the King. The latter was beheaded by Offa, King of Mercia in the year 792. Offa had consented to give his daughter to Ethelbert in marriage: why he changed his mind and deprived him of his head historians do not know. The execution, or murder, is said to have taken place at Sutton, four miles (6 km) from Hereford, with Ethelbert's body brought to the site of the modern cathedral by 'a pious monk.

Nostalgia

2009-01-03T14:43:00.004-06:00

Nostalgia is part of leaving the old year and entering the new.
We look back on the special family times–Thanksgiving and Christmas, a graduation in St. Louis, Mother’s Day with a daughter’s family, our England trip and spending time with the family there.
Most of the year 2008 was filled with what I call an adventure in the unusual. In January a close family member told me about a place called Etsy, which is a place to buy and sell all things handmade. By the end of the month I became a member. I opened my shop called "milarks’ Creative Connections" with a few of my handmade articles and began creating in earnest after that. Sewing, quilting, knitting and crocheting took on new meaning because it was something I could share. Digging out some Vintage items served a double purpose–emptying shelves and drawers as well as finding someone with a new appreciation for those things. How rewarding has been all the friendships that have developed through being part of Etsy.
Then the Larky Lady’s blog was created. What fun to tell about our various endeavors with plants and growing things. What fun to share pictures of our England trips. What fun to include the awesome pictures EG took of the pelicans and their extended stay on a nearby lake. What fun to include submitted recipes by friends and family. Yes, all that has been fun. Not so, telling about the tragedy of a tornado or a flood, or two little girls with serious illnesses.
So the year was filled with memories to cherish. Rumblings about what’s in store for 2009 make us uncomfortable. We may choose to look at the bleak picture of our future, or we may trust our faith. The choice is ours, isn’t it?
Warmest of wishes to all my blog readers.

Statue of Another Lady & The Bard's Birthplace

2008-12-16T23:02:00.003-06:00

Promised Pictures

2008-12-04T16:02:00.003-06:00

Here are two pictures taken in Banbury, England. (See previous article for story.)

Banbury Cross Statue and Lady on a White Horse Statue.

Actually the Lady is on a horse, but it isn't white.

A little humor though--notice how I caught her with a chimney on the top of her head.

December

2008-12-02T10:59:00.003-06:00

To the cold December heaven
Came the pale Moon and the stars,
As the yellow Sun was sinking
Behind the purple bars.–
Charles Dawson Shanly, Canadian poet, 1811–75

Yes, December is cold and already snowy. We had 5 inches over the week-end and more predicted for Wednesday.

The Old Farmers' Almanac tells about this special event--

Sky Watch
The planets and the Moon are putting on a show! For a few nights, brilliant Venus, bright Jupiter, and the crescent Moon blaze in a striking conjunction. They first formed their brilliant triangle last night, 15 degrees high, in the southwestern sky. The three celestial objectives will continue to stay close together as seen from Earth even though the planets are millions of miles away.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T16:21:00.002-06:00

So many things to be thankful for--
Faith
Family
Friends
Freedom
Food
Health
Happiness
Home
Church
Community
Comforts
Neighbors
This certainly isn't everything, but what I could think of right now.
Do you have some you could add to the list?

Banbury Cross

2008-11-16T11:34:00.000-06:00

Do you remember the nursery rhyme?
Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady upon a white horse
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes.
We drove to Banbury one day where we saw the two statues -- one of Banbury Cross and the other of the lady on the horse.
The words of the Banbury Cross nursery rhyme are often attributed to the "fine lady" Elizabeth I of England. One day she travelled to Banbury to see a huge stone cross which had just been erected at the top of a steep hill. When the Queen's carriage started up the hill a wheel broke and the Queen chose to ride the cock horse to the Banbury Cross. The people of the town had decorated the horse and the Queen was attired in her fine jewellery, as well as shoes with pointed toes. The fashion of the day was to attach bells on the toes of those shoes.
Thus the nursery rhyme. The original cross of the rhyme was demolished in 1610.

Obama Victory Brought Euphoria In Britain

2008-11-11T14:06:00.000-06:00

Election of the new president in America elicited such excitement in England that radio commentators were euphoric. Words such as "amazing performance, historic event, massive effect, high expectations" were common terms. He "hits the ground running, has enormous prestige, second coming." He's "the people's president, change has come, just believe." One reporter even joked, "now the weather will be better." On a Sunday morning radio program they talked about Obama's message of Hope. A newspaper cartoon had a sign by the White House, "Please don't walk on the water!" On the radio they were calling in and singing songs about Obama. "Barack Kareoke" "Obama Mia, Yes We Can."
Newspapers on the news stands had Obama front page headlines for three days with photos of him and his family. Headlines, such as -- "Whole World is Galvanized." "Obama Mania Across the World." "World Looking to Obama to Solve Problems." "Obarmy Army." "As Obama Gets Elected, the Earth Moves." "Obama Factor Boosts Tourism in America."
This has been very interesting experiencing this frenzy. We were in a shop one day and in conversation with the clerk, after she knew we were from America, she mentioned the election and wondered if I was sorry to be here and miss that. "Oh," I said. "Absolutely not. I really enjoyed being in this country and seeing what happened here with our election in America.
We never would have known any of this if we were home."

Remembrance Sunday in Great Britain

2008-11-09T11:37:00.000-06:00

Standing outside by the Redditch War Memorial on a cold, windy Sunday, we took part in the Remembrance Sunday Observance, which is held every year on the Sunday before Armistice Day. It included the wreath laying ceremony, which was preceded by the Two-Minute Silence Observance signalled by the bugler. The wreath ceremony was led by the mayor of the town of Redditch.
Following the ceremony we attended services at nearby St. Stephen's Church. This was a continuation of remembering the war veterans and ended by singing "God Save the Queen," Britain's National Anthem.

Election Day & Guy Fawkes Day

2008-11-04T14:38:00.001-06:00

Today, November 4, is Election Day in America. In England it's the day the early 1600s when a conspiracy to destroy the English Houses of Parliament was discovered. Through means of a tunnel 36 barrels of gunpowder were stored in a vault below that House by a group protesting the suppression of the Roman Catholics. After receiving a tip from one of the conspirators, a search was made of the vault where they found the gunpowder and a Catholic Englishman, named Guy Fawkes, who was commissioned to set off the explosives. He was arrested, tortured and later hanged. Today the plot is celebrated as Guy Fawkes Day and the explosion is commemorated by fireworks on November 5. So tomorrow night we will be hearing a lot of "booms" and "bangs" and will see the skyline bright with fireworks.

Yes, England, We're Here!

2008-10-29T14:48:00.000-05:00

I don't think England got the message that we were coming. We were greeted with rain the first few days. Then guess what happened! We got snow. A good layer fell last night and it's cold! The forecast is for more cold days ahead. The really bad part is that my Iowa family writes that they are having sixty and seventy degree days! Is that fair?

The other not so nice item--we went to Birmingham mall one day. You would have thought it was the day before Christmas there were so many people! Every aisle was packed. Part of the reason was that there is no school here this week, so many of those were students.

These are just observations, not complaints!! The flight was just fine; everything on time and it was even shorter than scheduled. And we've been spending time with family. All good!

England, Here We Come! Plus Other Bits and Pieces

2008-10-13T20:46:00.001-05:00

Next Monday, October 20th we are leaving for England and will be there for four weeks. I will have limited access to a computer, but I hope to make a blog entry a time or two while we are there.
I did my voting last week, absentee. We won’t get to follow the excitement of hearing voting results like we would if we were here, and maybe that’s just as well!! But we will get some information from the BBC. And hint–maybe I will get some emails about what happened.
We had a flock of birds swoop in and feed on the berries in the crab apple tree the other morning. I tried to see what kind of birds they were, but they flitted so much I couldn’t see, and then they were gone. They must have stopped over for brunch and the leader said, "That’s enough, guys. Time to go!"
I had thought at first they might be Cedar Waxwings, because a flock of them usually makes a visit once a year. But I couldn’t see them closely enough. They are so cute with the little tufts on top of their heads.
We did see some Blue Jays, Cardinals and a Downy Woodpecker eyeing the feeder the other day after EG uncovered it. It was completely covered again this summer with morning glories. That adds a pretty touch to all the other flowers around the deck and to the pots full of blues, reds, yellows and pinks on the deck. Now before we leave, the pots will be moved to the garage hoping some plants will winter over and the greenhouse will be taken down.
Summer ends. Winter looms.

A Hint For Etsy Sellers

2008-09-29T14:56:00.002-05:00

When I read that an Etsy Seller had "cream tea" as part of her name, it made me take real notice, because as I wrote sometime before, that was a yummy dessert I had on our first trip to England. So I wrote to her commenting about that English treat.
Just before that I read on one of the threads a remark about the importance of showing shipping charges for other countries. Since she was from the UK, I thought she would be a good one to ask about it. I have had many times that God has sent someone into my life at such an appropriate time. She did have an opinion on this topic, I thought, from which all sellers could all profit. I have tried to make International buyers welcome by asking them to write for shipping charges.
Here is the gist of her comments.
"As a buyer I never write and ask about posting charges unless it is something I desperately want and cannot get anywhere else. This has happened once in the 3 years I have been selling and buying on Etsy.It is all about impulse buying and in a site such as Etsy, with such competition it is essential to grab the buyers and make the process as easy as possible. Plus on an international site it can lead to delays in answering convos (conversations) because of the time difference. Therefore a loss of sale if they have bought elsewhere in the gap.
Plus another point...if you only list shipping charges for your country, it may be perceived that the other countries aren’t seen as being important. You don’t even want to hint at that."
I know I am going to try to add some international shipping charges to my listings. Maybe this will help you, too.

Here It Is!

2008-09-17T21:38:00.003-05:00

The mystery plant opened to a beautiful white blossom. Don told us what it is--datura innoxia. We looked up more information and found all parts of it are poisonious, but this very white blossom is so pretty. The mystery of how it got into the pot of soil has not been solved. And yes, slight pressure on the leaves does give the smell of peanut butter.

Another Plant Mystery

2008-09-12T12:24:00.008-05:00

At least we knew where the first mystery plant came from, but this one is a complete mystery. That one was from a packet of Forget-Me-Not seed. But this one , we have no idea.
I had decided I needed to start some rosemary cuttings one day this summer. So I got the pot ready for them, filled it with soil from the bag that had been used before for other plants and inserted the little cuttings.. After a few days, we noticed a lot of little plants coming up. We couldn’t understand where they came from and didn’t recognize what they were. We left them until they got too big and crowded the rosemary. So I transplanted several of them into individual pots. We had to keep some of them to find out what they were. Well, we still don’t know what they are, but they are different from anything we have had before.
So where did all those seeds come from? They were only in this one pot and so many of them. And what are they? Also interesting when we look at the five plants in the picture together, they are in all stages of growth before the bloom. I will add more pictures when the blossoms open.

Someone Special

2008-08-28T19:53:00.003-05:00

Look what someone special did for me--

http://spottedcowsoaps.blogspot.com/2008/08/more-herbs-less-salt.html

After she purchased the first cookbook, she said she would be back for another. I had forgotten all about it; then one day there was the order for the second one.

So heartwarming to find these special people who enter our lives. I am truly blessed.

Garden Progress

2008-08-19T17:02:00.007-05:00

Maybe there should be another title for this, because of how BIG some of the things are. We are quite shocked when we find each one.
Brandywine tomatoes are huge. We had one weigh 1 lb., another weighed 1 lb. 2 oz. and then we found the one pictured which weighed 1 lb. 8 oz. In the second picture you can see it in comparison to some also large sized tomatoes. Shown in the picture are a few Chocolate Drop tomatoes. They are like a cherry tomato, but are dark colored like chocolate. Very tasty. The small oval shaped ones are Baby Girl and very sweet.
Then there is the large cucumber. What can you say? It just grew big. We gave it to a friend who is into making relish.
EG has a large dahlia bed, of which he is really proud. He keeps me supplied with bouquets every day. But of this yellow one, he is especially proud. It measures 10 inches across! What a beauty! So enjoy looking. We’re happy to share with you.

Garden Beauties

2008-08-05T19:25:00.006-05:00

These are some pictures we just took of things that are growing in our yard. First of all on the deck we see a beautiful canna. This was grown from the seed of Princess Di Canna, but it doesn't look like the parent plant. Then there's the lovely red hibiscus grown so tall with a profusion of huge blossoms. The last two pictures show one plant of Brandywine tomato with its twelve large fruits plus several small ones. Just beginning to ripen, a taste treat awaits us!

My Painting Experience

2008-07-23T20:04:00.004-05:00

WhenI was asked me to write an article for the church newsletter about my painting hobby, I wondered what the best approach would be. Then the thought hit me that this hobby has led to many adventures. When I bought that first little box of oil paints so many years ago, I had no idea where the Lord was leading with that and how much enjoyment would come from it. It was always a thrill seeing what putting the paint on the canvas looked like, how adding a touch of another color would change the whole effect.
As time went by, I found I liked acrylics, too. Then I went to watercolors and pastels. Along the way I took advantage of a few different classes. One I enjoyed was given by a local artist who gave lessons in oil painting and pastels. The class excursion one of the days included painting buildings on a nearby abandoned farm.
Enjoyable was a watercolor class a friend and I went to in northern Minnesota given by a well-known watercolor artist, Ed Whitney. There we met another watercolorist and arranged for her to give a two-day watercolor workshop in our town to anyone interested.
Another interesting project. A friend read poetry while I did a painting with pastels. We gave the program several times for groups. Seeing the interest in the students when I demonstrated oil painting at the local Christian school one year, was rewarding. On the scene painting with friends through the years has also been enjoyed.
Some of the paintings were displayed in several area places and were hung for a time when our local vacant school had a Gallery. A few times some paintings were entered in various fairs. Quite a few were sold.
Then there were the murals. That all began when two of us mothers of students at that time began painting scenery for Proms and Homecomings. We did a total of five Proms and two Homecomings between 1980 and 1984, usually on pieces of cardboard eight feet tall and of various widths.
Stemming from that there was the request to paint murals in the Steamboat Rock school. Two others helped with that project. We painted smaller ones in the hallways, but two covered the two walls of the study hall. On one wall was the large rock formation along the Iowa River for which the town was named. The other wall was Tower Rock, the tall rock formation near the River, too. That was in 1983, and in 1984 we painted another postcard scene of the town’s old flour mill on the City Hall wall. All these murals are still there today.
Finally, all this culminated in being asked to paint a large mural on big cardboard pieces for Kiwanis of Eldora and that was 40 feet long.
Personal murals were one for my sister in St. Paul and two in my house
Sometime during these years I decided to do an oil painting of our two churches. I wasn’t satisfied with the painting of the new church so that was never finished. I decided now is the time to get the painting of our former church out of the closet and give it to the church.
It has been a long traveled road that brought much reward and enjoyment.

Lingering Aftereffects

2008-07-10T11:35:00.004-05:00

Never to be forgotten is the devastating tornado that leveled a large section of the town of Parkersburg, Iowa on May 25 this year. A recent popular event was a fundraiser held by three graduates of the high school which was destroyed. Athletes Casey Wiegmann, Brad Meester and Jared DeVries (Aaron Kampman, planned to attend but was detained on a flight) who are all players in the NFL came back to help their former school and community. Attending the event was one Parkersburg resident in a wheelchair who cut in the long line of people waiting to get autographs. "I think I have bragging rights," he joked. "If people complain I just say, ‘Hey, did you have a house fall on you?’"

John initially wanted to skip his last Butler County Fair, even though he knew that the Fair officials had decided it should go on as planned. After all, his aunt was killed and his parents injured, as well as feeling the loss of their home and business. Also the twister had killed several head of cattle John planned to show at the fair. However, through the encouragement of friends and family he did show two of them. Four were suffering from severe injuries, and John turned his back when they were shot by the police.

An avid gardener Marian prefers working in her garden, but instead she has spent the better part of June tending her lawn, pulling a rake through the grass, periodically stooping to sift through glass, and other material. Nearby, her 12-year-old grandson, Logan, uses a magnetic bar on wheels to collect wayward nails.

After the tornado destroyed the home of Gina and Bruce, they moved into a trailer. After one night, rising flood waters forced the pair to evacuate that. Heavy rain flooded their town. Since then, it's been laugh or cry, Bruce said. He chooses the former. He is comforted by religious teachings that everything in life serves a purpose. Ironically, they weren’t home the night the tornado struck because they had gone shopping for a broken toilet handle.

Residents returning to the area that should include houses, businesses and trees, not open space, piles of debris and heavy equipment, were stunned with mixed feelings. Many look to faith for answers and strength. "This is not something you are going to wake up from."

Finding comfort in his faith, a 75-year-old who lost his wife, says, "Every day is a blessing. It's only through God's will that I'm here, because everything was out of that basement except the freezer and a few other things," he said. "Why else should I be alive?" Indeed, following last month's storm, many friends and neighbors mistakenly believed he had perished with Shirley. The couple had huddled together in the lower level, holding on to each other as the noise grew, overwhelming their senses. "Then all of a sudden there was a huge 'BOOM.' I looked up and the whole house was twirling, and then it was gone. Shirley never said a word, so I think she went to be with Jesus right there."

The business of recovery demands more than a hammer, nails and a blueprint. Some survivors find a positive outlook and thankful heart are also essential.
Quotes--courtesy of Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier.

Christmas in July

2008-07-02T07:17:00.003-05:00

Many people like to do their Christmas shopping early, so the Christmas in July theme is being promoted by several Etsy shops. Anyone looking for something handmade would benefit by checking some of these shops this month. And there are a lot of shops to choose from. Since Etsy’s launch in June 2005, over 100,000 sellers from around the world have opened up Etsy shops.
My shop will be joining other Etsy shops in this Christmas in July event, a venture which will be a service to all those early shoppers looking for ideas of the unusual for teachers' gifts, friends and neighbors’ gifts, stocking stuffers, etc. These shops will have a variety of items, from jewelry and soaps to large quilts and wall hangings, from tissue holders and pincushions to knitted scarves and gloves, from original paintings to chocolate chip cookies, from purses and totes to baby apparel. No limit to the variety and selection.
This is my Christmas in July list for you to look at.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5582428&section_id=5488299
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5582428&section_id=5512781
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5582428&section_id=5512788

If you type "Christmas in July" in SEARCH, a long list of items will come up from many different shops. Enjoy!

Plant Progress

2008-06-29T20:09:00.006-05:00

Well, we know the plant is making progress as evidenced by the recent picture. But there is no progress in determining what it is. The rapid growth certainly suggests that it's a weed, but no one has come forward to help with identifying it. We took pictures of it to Earl May Nursery, and they tried to find what it was, but could not. So we are still looking. And that's the latest update!

Two Little Girls, Two Big Messages

2008-06-22T18:07:00.010-05:00

Delia
On Friday my little Great Granddaughter was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, also known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. She will be seeing a specialist in this field sometime in the near future to verify this diagnosis. This usually bubbly and happy little 4 year old recently began complaining of her foot being sore and that it hurt when she walked. The diagnosis indicated the arthritis was located in her right foot and right hip. Only a pain killer as treatment has been prescribed so far. We are praying for a treatment that will give relief and that she will be one of the children who will outgrow it early.
Delia, with her stay-at-home mom, dad and little brother, Elliot, live in rural Iowa near a very small town where her dad is employed as a Soil Analyst. She has gone to Preschool this past year and will be attending Kindergarten this fall. Delia will be five years old August 17.
I will relay any messages left for her in "Comments."

Siobhan
Little Siobhan lives in Florida. She is barely 4 years old, yet her artwork suggests her age is much older. Just give her a canvas and some squishy paint and she is busy creating another lovely painting. Hands and fingers are her paintbrush. This adorable talented child is special because at the age of two and a half she was diagnosed with Autism. Her mom, who is also an artist, is a stay-at-home mom, a soldier’s wife, a veteran and now an Autism Awareness Advocate. Her father is in the Army, and she has a little brother, Orlando.
It’s interesting that Siobhan, who loves the squishy paint (Crayola Tube Paints), will not touch anything else that’s of that texture. The idea of eating something such as yogurt or peanut butter or even ice cream is repulsive to her, and she will only eat dry, crunchy foods.
Although she is virtually non-verbal, with her artwork she is very expressive. The family is hoping to spread a more positive message that while Autism does have it's challenges.... it has many gifts, too
"I am her voice. She is my world. We are her hope."
Siobhan’s Dream – http://siobhansdream.com/
Her Etsy Shop -- http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5304688
Her Mom’s Etsy Shop – http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5722895

The Buttonhole and The Button Box

2008-06-20T16:53:00.002-05:00

Etsy once again has been the avenue for a special happening.
I was happy when Janis bought the Tote Bag that I had made and had for sale on Etsy. I was not happy when I heard from her that the buttonhole I made on the bag was too small for the button I put on. (Thinking back, I must have planned for another button when making the buttonhole, but changed my mind when it came time to sew the button on.)
I wrote Janis an apology and thanked her for telling me. I told her if there was anything I could do to rectify this to please let me know.
And I signed it, Blessings.
She answered,
Not to worry. I know how things can slip past us even when we're very careful.
She thought she might have a button to replace the one I put on.
I'll get out my button box and check. You know, now that I think about it, this is a blessing in disguise. I'm reminded of myself as a little girl sitting in the middle of Mom's big bed with her button box poured out in front of me. Haven't thought of that in a very long time. Makes me smile.Thank you for your offer to rectify the situation if you can. Your gracious response is more than enough.Thanks for the memory!
Right after this, she found the email I had written telling her I had sent the Tote.
And you signed your email with ‘Blessings.’ Thank you. The memory of my Mom's button box is a blessing indeed. :-)
Blessings to you as well!
My response,
That makes two of us who have smiles right now, Jan. What a sweet thing you wrote about your mom and the button box. You are so nice about the buttonhole problem. I am sure when you use that tote bag that you will think of the button box and your mom and maybe of me, too, who caused this whole situation!! I know whenever I make another tote bag, I will think of this one and of you who were so kind. I'm so glad to know you, a very special person.
And I thought it very appropriate to sign it–
Showers of Blessings!
Then I invited her to visit my blog. (I received her permission to make this entry.)
Then she sent this message--
Isn't it funny how things turn around? I have a lovely new tote bag and I am so glad it has a too small button hole! :-) Because that buttonhole sneaked past you, I have a tote bag "accessorized" with a new friend and a wonderful memory. They say you can find good deals on Etsy but I never imagined How good! :-)
You're right. I will think of my mom and the button box and, most definitely, you when I use the tote. I'm smiling some more now. :-)
I don't have a blog but I'll definitely visit yours tomorrow. I'm glad to know you, too!
I think the Showers of Blessings have already started. :)
I’ll leave it to you to determine who received the greater blessing!

Can You Identify this Plant?

2008-06-18T11:59:00.005-05:00

Again, we have a plant of interest! Last year I had the adventure of trying to start some Rosemary plants from seed. (See The Rosemary Story earlier in this blog.) We had a difficult time identifying the plants that came up, which we knew weren't Rosemary. This year I planted some Forget Me Not flower seed. The plant shown here looked like the Forget Me Not when it was transplanted into this hanging pot. Then it started to grow so fast and now reaches the top of the greenhouse. And look at that flower! So different! Definitely not a Forget Me Not! We eventually discovered that last year's mystery plant was Lemon Balm, but we are truly mystified by this one. Can you help?

Flood at Steamboat Rock

2008-06-15T16:41:00.007-05:00

This has been a very wet year breaking records and a year of many storms. Floods across the state have been breaking records in every town that is situated on a river. The record in our town exceeded by 18 inches the previous record, and the flood threatened my daughter's family's house. Pictures show the sandbags, but the water didn't reach them. Other pictures show entrance to their home.

One city in the state, Cedar Rapids, had water 12 feet above flood stage, which is causing such serious flooding that it is being called the "katrina of Iowa."

Ten Seconds

2008-06-06T13:28:00.007-05:00

"Ten seconds, and it was all over."
People of Parkersburg, Iowa telling of the experiences they had that will never be forgotten.
"We were huddled in the basement. When it was over and we looked up, everything was gone."
One family was clinging to each other on the couch when they saw their dog go flying by. The dad reached up and grabbed him out of the air.
Another couple holding onto each other on the couch experienced being bounced from the wall on one end of the room, back and forth to another wall, and when it ended they were left sitting on the couch with everything around them gone.
Fourteen customers were in a Pizza place and tried to get everyone into the bathroom. All but two fit inside so they sat by the door and witnessed a pickup truck flying at them and landing five feet away. All were able to crawl out to safety.
An elderly husband and wife who couldn't get to the basement did not survive. A total of eight people died in this horrific tornado which was classed as an E5, the strongest rating with winds over 200 miles per hour.
Then the aftermath--heartache and tears. Searching for possessions in the rubble. Rejoicing when some little keepsake was found. Hoping someone would locate a billfold or driver's license or an important document, some of which were found in a nearby state.
If trying to find a large item, you knew it would be damaged. A lady reported finding three such cars in her yard, and none of them were hers.
And today the bulldozers arrived.

Pictures courtesy General Denny Mills, Parkersburg, Iowa

Springtime

2008-05-31T12:15:00.012-05:00

Springtime means flowers in the yard.

Springtime means pots of flowers on the deck.

Springtime means hostas and flowering ground cover.

Springtime means May and May means my birthday.

I love Springtime in May.

Treacle Tart

2008-05-23T14:34:00.004-05:00

So what is Treacle Tart? It’s a very popular and traditional dessert in the UK. I only had it once when there, which, I guess, is surprising because it is so popular. Maybe because the times I’ve been there I usually make the desserts, like pies, cakes, cookies and bars. But I really liked this dessert. Very different.
An interesting fact is that Treacle Tart has become somewhat of a curiosity in other countries because of its frequent mention in the Harry Potter books. Actually, it is Harry’s favorite dessert.
Treacle Tart is made predominately of shortcrust pastry and golden syrup. It has a consistency similar to pecan pie, though it usually does not contain eggs in the filling. The Tart is normally served hot with a dollop clotted cream. (Yes, we first heard about clotted cream in the blog about scones.) It can also be served with ordinary cream, custard, or yoghurt. Treacle tart is good served cold, too.
Many think treacle is like molasses and it is often called that in the UK. Actually it is a by-product of sugar-making the same as molasses, but more similar in taste and texture to honey. However, it has a taste of its own. We brought back a bottle of Golden Syrup and I made my first Treacle Tart. The pastry base of the English recipe didn’t turn out very well for me, so next time I will use a shortcrust recipe I have which would have more shortening in it. The Golden Syrup is combined with fresh breadcrumbs, lemon juice and zest with a small amount of ginger to form the filling of the Tart. It bakes at a high temperature for about 45 minutes. In lieu of clotted cream, we used Cool Whip!
You may find Golden Syrup in the US in international food stores, and it can be purchased on the Internet so you can make the perfect Treacle Tart.

English Recipe for Treacle Tart
For the pastry:

225g/8oz plain flour

110g/4oz butter, chilled and diced

1 medium egg

For the filling:

450g/1lb golden syrup

85g/3oz fresh breadcrumbs

generous pinch ground ginger

1 lemon, zest, finely grated

and 2 tbsp of the juice
Method

1. Rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Mix in the egg with a knife,then knead to a smooth dough..

3. Use the dough to line a 23 cm/9in loose bottomed tart tin, prick with a fork and leave to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas

5. Bake the pastry blind for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown.

6. Mix together the filling ingredients and pour into the pastry case. Bake for about 30 minutes. Serve hot or cold.
Enjoy!!

Lilac Time

2008-05-20T14:43:00.005-05:00

A special time of year when trees are dressed in pink, white and lavender with touches of purple and maroon. This little verse says it all!
My lilac trees are old and tall:

I cannot reach their bloom at all.

They send their perfume over trees

And roofs and streets, to find the bees.
–Louise Driscoll (1875–1957)

Treasury West

2008-05-16T21:33:00.002-05:00

I had a new experience today. There are a lot of Treasuries on Etsy, and most of the time they are filled to capacity. On one of the Forum Threads I was on, mention was made that there were some openings on Treasury West. I went to the site and happened to click on it at the right time and just like that, I got a Treasury to fill. Going to the Forum that I was on at that time, I found twelve different items that had the color scheme I wanted and filled all the spaces. Now it's available to all to see!

It's not easy to explain just what it is, but you can get an idea if you go to the listing. I hope you will go to it, read the comments and maybe leave a comment. That would be very nice. It will be open until next Monday, May 19.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=10205

Pink Spires Tree

2008-05-12T18:25:00.004-05:00

Every spring this Pink Spires tree brings a short time of enjoyment with its beautiful pink blossoms. They don't seem to last very long, especially if they get rained on, but have given much pleasure anyway.

About 25 or so years ago I decided I wanted a flowering tree planted out by the deck so that I could see it from the dining table. Just a few feet from the deck was the spot decided upon. I purchased it from a Nursery and with help in digging the hole the mission was accomplished.

This is the way it looks today with my Mother's Day gift Hydrangea right in front.

Two More Etsy Friends

2008-05-08T16:27:00.003-05:00

These two friends have Etsy Shops as well as blogs.

Donna wrote that she was featuring me on her Tuesday, May 6th blog. So if you go to her blog address and scroll down to Tuesday, you will see what a nice she way she handled it.
This talented gal is from Mukwonago, Wisconsin.
http://dzfantasy.blogspot.com/

Her Etsy Shop is found here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5619441

Today Gina sent me the message that I was the artist featured on her blog today. She had asked for a favorite recipe and that was put on there, too.
Gina is from BC, Canada.
http://anything.typepad.com/

Speaking of someone busy, she has THREE different shops and is very talented.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=110331
http://icraft.ca/mosaico
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5150112

Kentucky Derby

2008-05-03T13:36:00.004-05:00

What does the Kentucky Derby have to do with me? with my shop? with my town? with my state? Well, actually it does have something to do with my blog.

One day I got this messsage --

Hi, greetings from the bluegrass state. All your recipes look wonderful! I am a fellow etsyian. I have only been to Iowa once. I saw it from the window of a train, but it was so green and full of darling farms. They looked almost like toy farms, to me. (from sweetb)

In response I told her that I was proud of our state and liked her description of it. So I decided there is a connection between our two states. Maybe we can make connection with some others, too? I think I can and will make that another blog topic.

So I invited sweetb to submit a recipe for our Recipe Section. A few days ago I got this answer--

Here is my recipe from Ky, just in time to honor the Kentucky Derby. It is from a wonderful cook book, Out of Kentucky by Marion Flexner. The forward is by Duncan Hines 1949. He is an ole boy from Bowling Green who also has lots of cake mixes named after him! The recipe is a Louisville specialty still is served at the Famous Brown Hotel.

Hot Brown
4 slices of toast
1/4 C American cheese grated
4 slices of baked chicken or turkey
cut from the breast about 1/4 thick
8 strips bacon,fried crisp
4 T grated Parmesan Cheese
1 C cream sauce *
thin sliced garden tomato (optional)
Blend yellow cheese with cream sauce until cheese has melted. Place a piece of chicken on each piece of toast and cover with 1/4 cup of sauce. Place 2 strips of bacon (previously cooked) on each sandwhich,and sprinkle with 1 T of Parmesan. Place sandwhich under broiler until golden.

*Cream Sauce
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 cup milk (or cream)
Melt butter, mix in flour. Slowly add milk and cook until mixture thickens.

So you can watch the Kentucky Derby and think of Iowa. That is, if you think I made my case!

Our Seed Cannas

2008-05-02T16:44:00.012-05:00

Two years ago we started our project of growing cannas from seed. EG has always grown cannas, so our deck looked beautiful the summer before with some tall beauties we had purchased. In the fall, he collected seed from those that produced seed. Not all cannas will, but we ended up with quite a few seeds. The next spring I learned a lot about growing them. First of all, you need to scarify each seed (which means to make small cuts); then soak them for two days in warm water before planting. Soon you will see little leaves poking out of the soil. It was exciting to see what the bloom would look like, because in most cases it would not be like the parent plant. Pictures are of the small growing plants--the first one to open was Ours (red without label). The other red one is Stick Red (named because it was very tall); a beautiful pink, my favorite, Ours Romance. Two yellows are Best Yellow and Yellow Speckles.

Larky Lady and Etsy

2008-04-27T21:22:00.002-05:00

ETSY
The recent trend toward "old" things" allows for the success of the Etsy endeavor. So picking up on that trend, Etsy was created. The originators will not divulge their reason for choosing that name. Actually, Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. In this fast-paced world of mass-produced products, many people have lost sight of the real value of goods. We think back to the day when we bought our bread from the baker, food from the grocer, and shoes from the cobbler. Bringing back that same concept Etsy has provided producers (those making a product) with an avenue to the consumer (those using a product) by giving them a marketplace which is a thriving and growing community with a vision of presenting a better choice.
Launched on June 18, 2005 Etsy became an instant success, and has now grown to tens of thousands of sellers and five times that many in buyer accounts, with more being added every day. Etsy provides the general public with a way to buy and sell handmade items.
Those wishing to sell their handmade items register for an Etsy account which allows them to open a shop where their items can be listed. Etsy makes money by charging a listing fee of 20 cents for each item and getting 3.5 percent of every sale.
Buyers are also required to register and open an account, choosing a password with an email address. They will then receive an email from Etsy, asking for a response so they can activate the account, which is free.
After that, be prepared to visit these many thousands of shops where anything can be found from the realm of ordinary items to wildly extreme. It’s a great place to find unique gifts for friends, family–– and yourself for that matter!

LARKY LADY
I have used "milarks" (the first letter of each one of my family with only "i" additional) for my identification for many years–since I first began emailing and doing any online activity. So when I registered with Etsy, I also used "milarks." A lot can be learned by visiting the Forums and Chat Rooms and I go to some of them every chance I get. One day on a Forum in a general discussion, another Etsian addressed me as "Larky Lady." I liked it and when I decided to have a Blog that seemed the right thing to call it.

Friends

2008-04-25T10:16:00.008-05:00

Friends are made in many different ways. These new friends are through contact with their Etsy shops. Aromafields and I have been emailing for several weeks. This mother of three lives in California and her shop is filled with the candles and soaps that she makes.

Minicoops has returned to the states after going to school for three years in Malasia. She deals mostly with Vintage now.

GwynnsGifts is featuring my shop on her blog. I recently won a contest she sponsored. She has just finished a children's book, The Brave Brothers, which was inspired by her two sons. She makes these beautiful cards.

Last, but not least for now, is reesascreations where I was again the winner of a random drawing. Here is a picture of her product.

Roses

2008-04-23T15:50:00.007-05:00

After mentioning Carol's roses in the last blog, I got a set of pictures from her, and.........yes, they were pictures of her roses. So for your enjoyment, here they are.

Orchids Two

2008-04-22T22:55:00.003-05:00

These breathtaking orchids were sent by my friend, Carol. Her orchid collection is wonderful, and she grows roses, too. Hope you enjoy seeing these beauties.

And The Winner Is --

2008-04-21T17:31:00.003-05:00

milarks.
Yes, I was the winner in a blog contest sponsored by another blogger. Actually, it was a random drawing, but there were some nice things said.

"The winner of my blog promotion contest is milarks!
Congratulations!
Milarks will be receiving a FREE item of her choice from reesascreations.
Thanks to all of you who participated---all 18 of you! Look here in the blog soon to read one in which I will feature each and every one of you! I have enjoyed meeting each one of you through this promotion. Best wishes to all!
Visit milarks at her etsy store. She also has a wonderful entertaining and informative blog at http://milarks.blogspot.com/. "

"milarks, I enjoyed reading your blog very much! It is entertaining and interesting. Loved hearing about your travels and seeing the pictures. I am planning on visiting your blog again to see what you are up to next! "

This page will tell a little about it.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=365905254&blogID=382470040

Then today she had this.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=365905254&blogID=382827603

My Aunt Laura

2008-04-20T14:57:00.002-05:00

What a lady she was! When she passed away, she was about six weeks away from her 100th birthday which would have been February 14th. The amazing thing was that just before that, on December 10th she had a Christmas Coffee for ten ladies where she served coffee cake and rolls on a lovely decorated holiday table.
Aunt Laura always had a good memory and was a good cook, noted for her baking of pies and cakes. She loved flowers, grew huge dahlias, had a beautiful rose garden, and summertime found her yard filled with pots and hanging baskets of geraniums.
Here is one of her pie recipes:
Aunt Laura’s Pecan Pie
This recipe was found in a hand written cookbook that belonged to her sister-in-law.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup salad oil
1 cup light corn syrup (Karo)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans
Directions:
Cook together all ingredients but pecans until sugar melts. Pour into unbacked crust. Put pecans on top. Bake 50 - 60 minutes at 325 - 350 degrees.

My Genealogy Friend

2008-04-19T17:26:00.006-05:00

I have been making several friends through Etsy connections. More about them another time. Today I will introduce you to Carol, my Genealogy friend.

For many years I was quite involved in researching family history. Carol was also involved in researching one line of the family that I was doing, too. In fact, she has plans to publish her findings in book form. However, another special interest of hers is growing orchids. She has sent some pictures of some absolutely gorgeous ones that I thought you might enjoy.

Please Check GwynnsGifts

2008-04-18T17:18:00.003-05:00

I made the acquaintance of a great gal while writing on one of Etsy's Forums the other day. We decided to list links to each other's blog. She put my link on hers today; however, not just a link but something very special. I hope you will go to hers and check it out. So nice of her.

http://gwynnsgifts.blogspot.com

She is a very talented person and has just written a children's book. You can read all about it on her blog. I hope you visit her Etsy site, too which is:

http://gwynnsgifts.etsy.com

Warwick Castle

2008-04-17T15:26:00.007-05:00

On this dark, rainy day, I thought we would visit Warwick Castle. On a Spring day, sunny and warm, unlike this one today in Iowa, it was a special experience spending most of the day going through the different parts of the castle. The famous Madame Tussaud's mannequins occupy several rooms depicting scenes from that era. The grounds were beautiful, too, with Peacock strutting atop the trimmed hedges. By clicking on the picture you should be able to enlarge it. Then you can see in the back of the picture that the some of the hedge is trimmed to look like the peacocks.

What a Windy Day!

2008-04-15T20:45:00.005-05:00

A very windy day here. And what do you suppose we did? We put up the greenhouse. Two reasons which seemed logical. Rain is predicted at times during the next several days, so we wouldn't be able to do it then. Main reason--the little plants started in the house need to get more light. They can be moved out to the greenhouse at least during the day. Not sure about night time temperatures yet. So if the temps get too cold we will move them into the house at night.

Here's a picture to show you what we will do with one of the tomato plants.

EG has planted one in this planter the past two years and has had very good yields. It's called "The Upsidedown Tomato."

Cream Tea

2008-04-14T17:47:00.004-05:00

On our way home from a tour of Warwick Castle on my first trip to England, we stopped at a little dessert shop in Henley. It was just warm enough so we could sit at an outdoor table right outside the shop. And there is where I had my first Cream Tea! We were served a plate with a scone split in half horizontally and from there I had a lesson in how to create the Cream Tea. First, you cover the cut surface with butter; then slather on the Clotted Cream, followed by a liberal amount of strawberry jam. Without hesitation, you pick up your fork and enjoy! Especially good with a cup of hot tea.
So what is Clotted Cream? Clotted cream is a thick yellow cream made by heating unpasteurized cow's milk and then leaving it in shallow pans for several hours. During this time, the cream content rises to the surface and forms clots.
I found this quote -- "Sadly all this clotted cream is not good for the waistline, however a little now and then is good for the soul."
A scone may be described as half way between cake and biscuit - harder than a cake but softer than a biscuit.
I found this English recipe for scones –
Scones
2 cups [8 oz] of self-raising flour [If you don’t have self-raising then use plain flour but add 2 teaspoons of baking powder]
2 ounces of margarine or lard
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda [If you use baking powder leave out the bi-carb]
½ cup [¼ pint] of milk [if the milk is just turning sour it works better but fresh is OK too]
Pinch of salt
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and rub together to a sort of breadcrumb mix.
Add all the milk at once and mix lightly to a spongy dough.
Knead lightly to make the dough smooth and roll it out to about ½ to ¾ inch thick.
Cut out with a 2" round cutter. Brush lightly with milk and bake in a hot oven (220 - 230 degrees C, 425 - 450 degrees F or gas mark 7 - 8] for about 10 minutes.
Cool the scones on a wire rack so that the outside stays crispy.
This quantity makes about 12 - 15 scones.
The most important things to remember are to add all the liquid at once and cook them quickly.

Yorkshire Pudding

2008-04-13T11:48:00.003-05:00

The first time I saw Yorkshire Pudding, I said, "That’s pudding?" It didn’t look like pudding to me.
Actually, Yorkshire pudding is a dish made from batter, and it is cooked by pouring the batter into a preheated greased baking pan containing very hot oil and baking at very high heat until it has risen. My impression was that it made me think of Popovers.
One description reads, "When fresh from oven, good Yorkshire pudding is a puffy irregular shaped golden mass, unlike any other baked dish. On standing a few minutes, the surface settles more or less evenly, and when cut the outer crust is tender crisp and the center soft and custardy." Traditionally, it is served with roast beef which is where I first had it at a Carvery. Carvery is like
a Buffet where the meat is carved as you walk past, and there was the Yorkshire Pudding beside the roast beef.
So here for your enjoyment and a taste of England is a Yorkshire Pudding recipe.

Picture is a typical Sunday dinner.

Yorkshire Pudding
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
4 tbsp. oil
Beat flour, salt, eggs, milk together until very smooth, scraping bowl occasionally. Refrigerate 2 hours or longer. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Measure oil into 8 x 8 x 2 inch square Pyrex pan. Heat for 2 minutes. Pour batter into pan and bake for 20-30 minutes. Do not open door. Serve immediately.
This may be baked in muffin tins, using 2+ T. batter per muffin, with 1-2 tsp oil in each tin before preheating pan to very hot. Wrapped tightly, Yorkshire Puddings freeze and reconstitute very well.

A Garland of White

2008-04-11T11:21:00.002-05:00

That’s what the pelicans were called by today's local newspaper’s article about their temporary stopover in Pine Lake State Park. "They are big, they are white and by all accounts hungry for fish." Over 300 pelicans, by some counts, produced the "big show on the lake." They got absolutely no privacy whatsoever as sightseers came in from considerable distance for the relatively rare view and seemed not the least bit intimidated by all the onlookers. With their cars lining the water’s edge, the gathering of camera toting people was a sight in itself.
The pelicans are mostly bound for Canada, experts say, and it was probably a little bit of winter left lingering in the air that got them to slow down and stay over a while on the lakes. When they arrived here and found some of the upper lake still frozen, they might have instinctively stopped to wait for a few more degrees change in the season.

English Food

2008-04-10T14:20:00.003-05:00

The next three entries in the Recipe Section will feature England recipes, from EG, Amanda and Lee. Cooking in England reminds me of my first baking experience there. Making the pie crust resulted in more than was planned.. Suffice it to say, I brought my own measuring cups on the next trip.
The food experience was really great. I tasted my first "real" Fish and Chips from a "real" Fish & Chips shop; ate at a Carvery where I had my first Yorkshire Pudding; and enjoyed my first "Cream Tea" which was a "real" experience. Explanations of these and other foods will be told another time.
Other food terms: Gammon, is a British cured ham. Most American hams are precooked, but Gammon Hams are not cooked "leaving you that pleasure."
British sausages are called bangers.
Another traditional dish in the UK is a kind of meatball called a Faggot.
Then there is Bubble and Squeak, which is a fried cabbage/potato combination.
But not to be left out is Brown Sauce, a condiment you can't do without.

A Surprising Sight

2008-04-09T13:49:00.009-05:00

What a lovely view! When EG drove around Pine Lake this morning on his way to Eldora, he saw a lot of white blobs all over the lake. As the realization came to him that he wasn't in Florida (where he has visited before) but that he was in Iowa, he came back home to get the camera to capture some pictures of PELICANS. Not knowing how long they planned to stay, he hoped they would still be there when he got back. If not, then their visit would have to be called "Pelican Briefs."

Animal Antics

2008-04-07T19:12:00.009-05:00

A few more of the Safari Park pictures.
Watching the animals is always fun.

Recipe Section

2008-04-06T15:15:00.002-05:00

One by one, recipes are being added to the Recipe Section on the right side of the Blog.

As you linger awhile looking them over, you are invited to submit your recipe, and it will be included ready to be enjoyed by others. Perhaps you have one with a story to tell. Maybe it's a recipe that has been passed down from a grandmother or another family member. That would be special, and the story will be published on the Blog.

So Enjoy and Blessings to All!

Trip Through Safari Park

2008-04-04T14:17:00.016-05:00

Today is quite a nice day with temps in the 50's, so I thought we should take a ride through Safari Park. You can stay in the car, and we will just drive through.

This is what we did on our England trip in April of 2006 on such a day as this with temperatures about the same. (Before it became an Animal Park, EG said he went to the lake there to fish for carp!!)

However, today we will experience up close some of the wild animals and their antics.

(Click on picture to enlarge. Especially look at Joey in his mom's pocket and giraffe checking out the schoolbus occupants.)

Starting Seeds

2008-04-02T18:16:00.004-05:00

It's time to start our seeds again. This was a winner last year. Beefsteak tomato which we kept growing in the greenhouse. We have a few seeds of that left, as well as Baby Girl (a small oval tomato, very sweet) and Mr. Stripey, which true to his name had stripes. Not as prolific as the other two, but tasty. I wouldn't mind having a taste of any one of those right now!

April

2008-04-01T14:13:00.007-05:00

Winter’s done,

and April’s in the skies.

Earth, look up with

laughter in your eyes!
––Charles G. D. Roberts

Well, when we looked up this morning,

it wasn't with laughter!

Snow -- again!

Just enough to give a thin layer.

Then the sun came out, and it disappeared.

Here is a picture of the rosemary that

we kept in the house over the winter.

April Fools from Etsy

2008-04-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

http://www.etsy.com/waffles.php

The Rosemary Story

2008-03-31T15:45:00.003-05:00

Last spring we started a lot of plants from seed which was a very successful venture. There were cannas, geraniums and lisianthus as well as the usual tomatoes and peppers. More about those another day. Today I want to tell you about Rosemary!
Quite the challenge it was, trying to grow Rosemary from seed. I did some research and found it was very, very difficult to start, but some web sites did give some hints and ideas. My first packet of 100 seeds (yes, I did say "first.") was planted in two little containers. It took a long time before TWO came up, one in each container. There was only one problem. They weren’t Rosemary! I couldn’t find out what they were, so after they had the second set of leaves I took a picture of them. One day when we went to an Earl May Nursery, I showed the picture to a the gal there and asked if she could identify them. She said she'd look it up. She did and discovered they were Lemon Balm!! In the meantime, that packet of seeds was replaced, and I started over. To shorten the story, I bought even more seed and did get some plants, probably about twenty in all. They were planted out in the herb garden did very well. I kept two potted in the greenhouse. (Shown in the picture.) I have had three growing in the house through the winter which will go back outside when warm weather comes.
By the way, I found that Lemon Balm is quite tasty when chopped and added to salads. It is a very pretty plant.

April in the UK

2008-03-29T09:38:00.007-05:00

Everywhere you go there are daffodils. Planted along roadways and in round-abouts, around houses, and in parks makes a beautiful picture. Added beauty happens when you see primroses in the park at Worcester and hyacinchs with the daffodils on a main street.

Spring Snow!

2008-03-27T10:22:00.007-05:00

Springtime snow, a continuation of winter in Iowa!
It brought the birds to the feeder.

My Thoughtful Neice

2008-03-26T14:08:00.004-05:00

Last night I received an e-mail from my neice, Mary Jo. She found this article in a Twin Cities newspaper and thought I would be interested.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/16905686.html

Of course, something that promotes Etsy always makes for a happy feeling. I wonder how many other publications have had similiar articles?

Coventry Cathedral

2008-03-25T17:23:00.003-05:00

In Coventry, England we viewed the remains of a medieval cathedral which was destroyed by German bombs on the night of November 14, 1940. Only the walls and the tower were left standing.. Rather than seek revenge the Provost vowed to work towards reconciliation. The statue of two people hugging, which is now part of these remains and labeled with the inscription "Father Forgive", is representative of that reconciliation.

Look At This, Norma

2008-03-24T13:55:00.002-05:00

Way back when, my sister and I collected Beanie Babies. In fact, she got me started collecting. Well, you know, she's from the Twin Cities, and they are always ahead of Iowa!! So I had never even heard of Beanie Babies. Now look how far it's gone. I knitted this little scarf for Glory. I love knitting scarves and have some listed on Etsy, so why not knit one for a Beanie Baby? This pink scarf is for sale there, too, and Glory goes along as the free gift. Let's see. Beanie Babies. Oh yes, that's how I met my husband, too. :-) :-)

Linger a Moment

2008-03-23T13:38:00.007-05:00

Let us linger a moment on this dark, chilly day. Only 29 degrees at 1:00 pm.
Actually it's a happy, warm day.
It's EASTER! He is Risen, as He said!
Because of that we have "a Living Hope."
Hope was the message in church this morning.
A message to warm us.
Here is another taste of warmth.
Cannas grown last summer.

Cleopatra (yellow) and White Speckles

Tewkesbury, England

2008-03-22T11:51:00.005-05:00

Tewkesbury Abbey began as a small monastery in 715. The present building was started in 1090. It is believed that, with the exception of Westminster Abbey, this Tewkesbury Abbey contains more medieval tombs than any other church in Britain.

This Abbey and a few streets in the town were completely surrounded by water in the Flood of 2007 in England. There were still places closed when we were there.

A sign at the Baptist Burial Grounds read, "this burial grounds has the tombs of many noted families, including Shakespeare's family."

Sharing England

2008-03-21T17:29:00.007-05:00

Sharing England through pictures. Beginning today I will show some that we took in October, 2007. These are some typical street scenes. Some were taken as we drove, so they may be a little fuzzy.

Almost time for Rhubarb Pie

2008-03-19T15:52:00.003-05:00

Soon the rhubarb will be showing signs of growth. I can't wait to make one of my favorite pies.
Pie recipe moved to right side of page.

Robins

2008-03-18T14:37:00.005-05:00

Robins enjoyed lunch today but not necessarily the chilly weather.

My Etsy Shop

2008-03-17T16:47:00.003-05:00

http://milarks.etsy.com

Think Spring

2008-03-17T11:56:00.016-05:00

Today is dark and chilly.
Woke to see a layer of snow everywhere.
So looks like Spring is delayed again.
Here's a bright spot ---The hibiscus we had in the house produced this blossom.

We enjoyed the birds all winter. The cardinal in flight was neat.

Spring is Here!

2008-03-15T13:03:00.002-05:00

Yes! We saw our first robins this morning. Three--four--five in one bush and another five or six in the tree. None were on the ground, but you can't blame them for that. We still have a lot of snow.

Last year the robins came the end of February. We have a picture of about 20 feeding under the bird feeder in the snow. Looking out at them this morning, EG said, "Got it wrong again, fellas!"

The weather may still be chilly, but the robins know the promise of Spring is everywhere.

Song of Solomon

11 : For, lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone;
12 : the flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

My Etsy Shop

2008-03-14T18:24:00.002-05:00

This is the first thing I would like to do. Show you how to get to my Etsy Shop. If this is something new, and you wonder what it is, the best thing to do is click on this ---

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5582428

This is my location on Etsy.com.

For anyone who likes handmade things, the whole Etsy site is a fun place to explore.