Shopping List

Little A decided to make me a shopping list today--fully illustrated! It has two items on it, "korn" (corn) and "cat-tilop" (cantalope).

That's a range (stove) on the left, shopping cart on the right. and a grocery store fruit case at the bottom.

Organic Connections

By the calendar, summer is nearing its end. But my garden doesn't know that yet. Capsicum/peppers (cubanos), yellow squash, and tomatoes are still ripening. Nasturtiums, chrysanthemums and roses splash bright blooms amongst the delicate white alyssum. While some of my sunflowers are now bowed down by their weight of seeds, others continue blooming merrily.

The blooming season here begins in late March or early April (crocuses and daffodils) and lasts into November (mums and pansies). For veggies, it's peas (May/June) to pumpkins (October/November), though I didn't grow either of those this year.

Usually the tomatoes flourish along my driveway, but they weren't quite so abundant this year, even though I followed the usually successful practice of planting basil with the tomatoes (the two plants feed each other's roots and basil keeps pests off the tomatoes). However, I've been delighted with my cubano pepper experiment. Somewhere I read the suggestion to plant pepper plants in front of rocks because the heat reflects off the rocks onto the pepper plants and peppers love heat. So I placed a few pepper plants in front of the few big rocks that decorate my flower bed --it was a roaring success!

I learned my love of gardening from my father who, in the midst of his very full pastoring schedule, managed to grow a huge garden every summer (still growing a sizable patch even now). I helped with the cultivating, planting, stringing of lines and weeding. It was never a chore--always a joy--an organic connection that bound our family together. Already I can see the same organic connection taking root in my own children. Pure joy!

Mum's Self-Crusting Quiche

When my oldest was a toddler, he hit that stage where he began to reject vegetables. My mother-in-law, Judy Anne, offered this recipe as a way to “disguise” the dreaded veggies and get them into the boy. Twelve years later it is still a big favorite with my children.

Quiche, Self-Crusting. (Judy's notes: "quick to prepare, nutritious budget dish.")
In a large bowl mix 3 eggs, 1 cup self-rising flour (or plain flour plus 1 tablespoon of baking powder), 1 ½ cups milk, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Method:
Into this bowl add 2 cups of left over mashed veggies, bacon bits, pieces of ham, onion, frozen mixed veggies, mushrooms, corn, asparagus. Use anything edible from your fridge. Grease pie dish. Spoon in mixture, then garnish with parsley, tomatoes, grated cheese.

Cook 30-40 mins. 180 degrees Centigrade.

Judy was a master budget-chef. She could concoct the most delicious of meals on the barest of budgets and make it seem easy, even when she was very sick with cancer. The kitchen has never been my native habitat, but Judy never criticized or belittled me (even though I was feeding her son and very first grandson). She empowered--- coming alongside me as a helper and a friend.

Thank you, Judy! I miss you still.

Flying Monkeys Attack

This is a newspaper clipping I found on the sidewalk the other day.(he he) (I got the picture from the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)

Judy Anne's Speedball dip pens

Of the very few tangible memories I have of my mother, her dip pens and Speedball book have always been special. Others are some pottery she made, her water colour paintings, knitting for the kids (especially the oversized jumper for JJ), apron, scarves, cook books. Her Speedball book is marked 6/- (6 shillings, no pence), and also E/- (whatever that means). Inside she wrote her name and there is a stamp COUTTS the CHEMISTS, Chemists & Booksellers, WHANGAREI, N.Z. She must have bought it when we lived in Whangarei (c. 1964-67). I don't know if she did any calligraphy before that. She probably took a night class. I don't remember ever seeing her use her pens, although she helped us with our school projects, and must have made posters for Happy Hour (vacation Bible school).

The book got so much use that it fell apart and was taped with cellotape (obviously very acidic). I took out the rusty staples and removed the tape, and stitched the book together as a single signature (also covered it with contact plastic). It's funny that I now live not far from New Jersey where the Speedball book was published.

We were all interested in lettering as kids since we used fancy letters for our school projects, especially old english. We would always trace or copy the letters from the Speedball book, everyone had one, but we never actually wrote with ink in the calligraphy style (although that possibility always intrigued me).

When I came to USA, C. was already writing calligraphy, mostly with felt tip pens (with a calligraphy point). My interest was renewed, and now JJ is taking on calligraphy (with fountain pens with calligraphy nibs). The first font he mastered was uncial, and he went from there. We bought him a set, and grandparents bought him a set. Recently he got another set at a yard sale for $1.

I just bought some india ink (thinned out so it is good for fountain pens too) and a holder for the dip pen nibs (I have two holders of mum's, but I can't find them at the minute). We have had fun using them again (and trying to read the writing on the nibs!). copyright 2008.

Twelve Pages of Speedball Charts, click here (pdf file)

Fixing the Dungarees Clip

September 6, 2008.

Alas, the shoulder strap clip on the girls' dungarees broke. It was made of zinc based alloy and I could snap the broken pieces in my fingers. The solution was not really a blacksmith, but I took some copper wire out of an old piece of 14 gauge Romex electrical wire. Using pliers I bent it into a rectangle, then hammered the ends down so they would overlap at the join. Using an electrical soldering iron I soldered the join so it wouldn't just spring apart. A small file the size of a points file took the rough edges off, and we're ready for school again.

copyright 2008.