Letters from a Hill Farm

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Sunday Stroll/September 14

Today's Sunday Stroll highlights the stars of my September garden.

Lavatera, in two colors

Flocks of Miss Lingard white phlox, and a few magenta ones.

Autumn Joy sedum - and a joy it is!

Cosmos

And new to me this year, dahlias. A local fellow said this wasn't a good year for dahlias, and we didn't get too many, but they are still coming, and the ones we've gotten have been wonderful.

The rosehips are right alongside some new blooms on the rosa rugosas.

And the dear, dear spiderwort (pronounced wirt) blooms and stops, blooms and stops all summer long.

You may see who else took a stroll this Sunday at The Quiet Country House.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

This week's Saturday Sally begins with a photograph:

I just love this black and white picture of a seacoast city street. I really must take more black and white photos.

I found Joyce's post absolutely fascinating about the beginnings of a church.

And Kerry's blog which I discovered just this morning celebrates the bounty from Farmer's Markets, and invites us all to do the same.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Friday Finds/September 12

Go here to read more Friday Finds.

1. From The Oldie magazine, Two Cures for Love - Selected Poems 1979-2006 by Wendy Cope. I love her poems and want to buy this collection.

2. I heard the author, Benjamin Mee, on the Diane Rehm show, talking about We Bought A Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Changed Their Lives Forever, and wanted to read the book. You may visit the zoo, and learn more about the author and his story here.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

September 10 at the Farmer's Market

Ooh, first apples today! These are Honey Crisps. And check out that basil bouquet, as fragrant as any flowers. I'm going to make tabouli with the little tomatoes.

Mix 1 cup bulgur and 1 teaspoon salt.
Pour 1 cup boiling water over it, and let sit until water is absorbed.
Stir in:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic which has been put through a press
add parsley, mint, and tomatoes to suit your personal taste

We're also having baked potatoes topped with roasted garlic. Yum!

Addendum: Three days later: I just discovered a Farmer's Market blog. Please visit, and add your Farmer's Market visits, if you'd like.

Today's poem

Not flesh of my flesh,
nor bone of my bone,
but still,
miraculously, my own.
Never forget,
for a single minute -
you didn't grow under
my heart, but in it.

Writer unknown

I've had this poem hanging on my wall for twenty-six years. I read it nearly every day, and it always brings tears of gratefulness to my eyes.

My dear ones.

Wordless Wednesday - dahlia

Deuil Du Roi Albert dahlia, 1936

Albert, the beloved “people’s king” of Belgium, died in 1934, hence its unusual name: “Mourning for King Albert.”

From: Old House Gardens Heirloom Flower Bulbs

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Cookie Tuesday - Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Mix together:
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a separate bowl, mix:
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add dry mixture to butter mixture.

In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Shape rounded teaspoons of dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar/cinnamon mixture.

If desired, press 1 pecan half on top of each ball.

Place on greased cookie sheet and bake in preheated 375ºF. oven for about 10 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

These were very tasty, and a perfect rainy day cookie.

More Bookkeeping

As you may see I've been doing a bit more bookkeeping today. I wanted to have a place on the sidebar where I (and anyone who was interested) could click to see the book reports I've written each year.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Sunday Stroll/September 7

For my Sunday Stroll this cool, rainy September day, I'm going to stay inside, sit in a comfortable chair, and stroll through my current book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Saturday Sally/September 6

I'll begin this week's Saturday Sally with humor.

I am still laughing over the funniest blog entry title from One Perfect Little Miracle: Excuse Me, I Have To Go Wii. Not only is it hilarious, it told me in a way I will never forget, how to pronounce a word I've only seen and not heard. And it is a very interesting entry as well.

I've had Baking For Britain in my 'new visits' browser bookmark ever since I did a search for Lionel's, (in As Time Goes By) custard tarts. I've just added it to my bloglist, because it is a great site, not only for the delicious sounding recipes, but as an historical reference.

If you've read this online journal for awhile, you know that I enjoy poetry. I read one this week that I just love on Patrice's blog. Oh, Emily Dickinson, what a wonder!

Today's cd/Rosemary Clooney Sings Ballads

One of the great things about my new Beetle is the cd player in the front. The old car had a six-cd changer, but it was way in the back. It didn't like bumps in the road, it didn't like cold weather, and I found it impossible to learn how to put in the cds. So, now I am in music heaven as I drive along. Mostly I play the old standards, the ones I can sing along with, such as the songs on this cd. Rosemary Clooney was, is, and always will be my favorite "girl singer," as she titled her 1999 autobiography. Today as I drove to a farmer's market a bit further away to meet a friend, I felt the time changing. I expected to see older cars on the road. I was transported back to the days when these songs were on the radio. And what songs they are! I looked up the word ballad, and this is the definition: a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas. Each of these songs does tell a story. Thanks For The Memory is a tale of a couple meeting again after many years. They reminisce about places they went together and things they did.

Many's the time that we feasted
and many's the time when we fasted
Oh well, it was swell while it lasted
We did have fun, and no harm done.

We who could laugh over big things
were parted by only a slight thing
I wonder if we did the right thing
No doubt we did; of course we did.

And at the end, Rosemary lowers her voice, and sings:

And strictly entre nous, darling how are you?
and how are the little dreams that never did come true?
awfully glad I met you
cheerio and toodle-oo
I thank you so much.

Whew! It brings tears to my eyes. Regret, wondering what if? And she tells it like no other.

She sings The Shadow of Your Smile, from a favorite movie of mine, The Sandpiper. Another song of lost love, remembered with such fondness.

The shadow of your smile when you are gone
Will color all my dreams and light the dawn.

One of the best songs ever is on this album: A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley (British pronunciation - Bark) Square. Oh, talk about time travel. I'm back there in "London Town."

And as we kissed and said goodnight,
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

This collection of little short stories ends with one of the all time great songs: It Never Entered My Mind, a song about loss, and how she never, ever imagined they would break up, and what life is like now. So sad, so perfect.

You have what I lack myself
and now I even have to scratch my back myself

Here is the whole list of songs:

Thanks For The Memory
Here's That Rainy Day
The Shadow Of Your Smile
A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
The Days Of Wine And Roses
Easy Living
Spring Is Here
Why Shouldn't I
It Never Entered My Mind

I have a lot of Rosemary Clooney albums, each of them wonderful, but this one tops my list. Each song is indeed a little story, a happy one or a sad one, sung so beautifully. This was recorded when she was in her fifties, in 1985. Her voice is more mature; she has lived these songs and shares the experiences with us.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Today's picture/Spider

All I could think of when I saw this spider on the porch ceiling was Gomer on an Andy Griffith show being afraid to go under the bandstand because of "spahders!" From what Tom and a friend said, this one is harmless, but wow, it's big. Click on it, if you dare.

Musing about awards

If you look on my sidebar or read my posts, you may think, oh, poor Nan. She never gets any blog awards. :<) Well, here's the thing. When I first began blogging, and wonderful, thoughtful awards would come my way, I posted the pictures of them on the online journal, and I passed them along to others. Sometimes the 'requirement' would be five, sometimes seven. But always, no matter how many people I could pass along an award to, it wasn't enough. Fairness and kindness are high up on the list of what is important to me. I don't like leaving anyone out ... ever. So, many months ago, I took off all the award pictures, and when I get one, I go right to the giver's blog, and thank them. My gratitude is very sincere, and it does mean the world to me to be appreciated for my 'letters,' but I'm not passing any along anymore. If a reader wants to know what blogs I value, what I read to warm my heart and soul, and stimulate my mind, they are there on the sidebar. I love my blog list. I love all of the blogs. And I have a bookmark in my browser callled 'new visits.' This is where I keep track of new-to-me blogs. I go through the list occasionally, and decide if I am reading one often enough to add it to my list. And so it goes, and so the list grows. Beth used the phrase, "bushels of blogs." It implies such wealth, such bounty, and that is exactly right.

Today's poem - On the Grasshopper and the Cricket by John Keats

On the Grasshopper and the Cricket

by John Keats

The poetry of earth is never dead:
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
That is the Grasshopper's - he takes the lead
In summer luxury, - he has never done
With his delights; for when tired out with fun
He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.
The poetry of earth is ceasing never:
On a lone winter evening, when the frost
Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills
The Cricket's song, in warmth increasing ever,
And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,
The Grasshopper's among some grassy hills.

John Keats (1795-1821)

Friday Finds/September 5

I found one book this week, and it sounds like a great one!

From Elaine: The Private Patient by P.D. James. Here's her review.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - ice cream cone

2008 Audiobooks

All titles are unabridged. You may click on the highlighted titles to read a review.

80. A Bear Called Paddington
by Michael Bond
read by Stephen Fry
juvenile fiction, 1958
finished, 12/27/08

79. The City of Falling Angels
by John Berendt
read by Holter Graham
nonfiction, 2005
finished, 12/22/08

78. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
by Bill Bryson
read by the author
nonfiction, 2006
finished, 12/10/08

77. Ten Little Indians
by Agatha Christie
read by Norman Barrs
mystery, 1939
finished, 12/7/08

76. The Partly Cloudy Patriot
by Sarah Vowell
read by the author and various others
nonfiction, 2002
finished, 12/4/08

75. Dead Man's Mirro r
by Agatha Christie
read by Hugh Fraser
mystery, 1937
finished, 12/3/08

74. 4:50 from Paddington
by Agatha Christie
read by Joan Hickson
mystery, 1957
finished, 12/1/08

73. Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression
by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
read by Ruth Ann Phimister
nonfiction, 2007
finished, 11/20/08

72. In the Shadow of the Glacie r
by Vicki Delany
read by Carrington MacDuffie
mystery, 2007
finished, 11/15/08

71. Sunday The Rabbi Stayed Home
by Harry Kemelman
read by George Guidall
mystery, 1969
re-read
finished, 11/13/08

70. They Came to Baghdad
by Agatha Christie
read by Emilia Fox
mystery, 1951
finished, 11/9/08

69. Evil Under the Sun
by Agatha Christie
read by David Suchet
mystery, 1941
finished, 11/3/08

68. Ex Libris - Confessions of a Common Reader
by Anne Fadiman
read by Suzanne Toren
nonfiction, 1998
re-read
finished, 10/31/08

67. An International Christmas: Seasonal Stories and Poems
a collection written and read by various artists
fiction, 2004
finished, 10/29/08

66. The Hollow
by Agatha Christie
read by Hugh Fraser
mystery, 1946
finished, 10/28/08

65. Lyddie
by Katherine Paterson
read by Alyssa Bresnahan
young adult fiction, 1991
finished, 10/25/08

64. Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry
by Harry Kemelman
read by George Guidall
mystery, 1966
re-read
finished, 10/18/08

63. Dear Mr. Jefferson: Letters from a Nantucket Gardener
by Laura Simon
read by Suzanne Toren
nonfiction, 1998
re-read
finished, 10/14/08

62. Quentins
by Maeve Binchy
read by Terry Donnelly
fiction, 2002
finished, 10/13/08

61. A Nun in the Closet
by Dorothy Gilman
read by Roslyn Alexander
fiction, 1975
re-read
finished, 10/10//08

60. A Redbird Christma s
by Fannie Flagg
read by the author
re-read
fiction, 2004
finished, 10/7/08

59. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
by Barbara Robinson
read by C.J. Critt
juvenile fiction, 1972
finished, 10/4/08

58. Consider This, Señora
by Harriet Doerr
read by Barbara Rosenblat
fiction, 1993
finished, 10/2/08

57. Friday the Rabbi Slept Late
by Harry Kemelman
read by George Guidall
mystery, 1964
re-read
finished, 9/30/08

56. Before Midnight
by Rex Stout
read by Michael Prichard
mystery, 1955
re-read
finished, 9/28/08

55. I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts On Being A Woman
by Nora Ephron
read by the author
nonfiction, 2006
finished, 9/24/08

54. Bread and Roses, Too
by Katherine Paterson
read by Lorna Raver
juvenile fiction, 2006
finished, 9/22/08

53. Counting on Grace
by Elizabeth Winthrop
read by Lili Gamache
juvenile fiction, 2006
finished, 9/17/08

52. Thank You Jeeves
by P.G. Wodehouse
read by Alexander Spencer
fiction, 1934
re-read
finished, 9/16/08

51. Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
by Daniel Tammet
read by Simon Vance
memoir, 2006
finished, 9/11/08

50. Strider
by Beverly Cleary
read by George Guidall
juvenile fiction, 1991
re-read
finished, 9/3/08

49. The Country of the Pointed Firs
by Sarah Orne Jewett
read by Tracy Lord
fiction, 1896
re-read
finished, 9/2/08

48. Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish
by Dorothy Gilman
read by Barbara Rosenblat
fiction, 1990
re-read
finished, 9/1/08

47. Uncommon Carriers
by John McPhee
read by the author
nonfiction, 2006
finished, 8/29/08

46. Death on the Nile
by Agatha Christie
read by David Suchet
mystery, 1937
finished, 8/23/08

45. The Time It Never Rained
by Elmer Kelton
read by George Guidall
fiction, 1973, 1984
finished, 8/19/08

44. Irons In The Fire
by John McPhee
read by Nelson Runger
nonfiction, 1997
finished, 8/14/08

43. The Second Mouse
by Archer Mayor
read by Christopher Graybill
mystery, 2006
finished, 8/11/08

42. The John Cheever Audio Collection
by John Cheever
read by various readers
twelve short stories, 2003
finished, 8/8/08

41. The Ponder Heart
by Eudora Welty
read by Sally Darling
fiction, 1953, 1954
finished, 8/4/08

40. Hickory Dickory Dock
by Agatha Christie
read by Hugh Fraser
mystery, 1955
finished, 7/30/08

39. Roller Skates
by Ruth Sawyer
read by Kate Forbes
juvenile fiction, 1936
finished, 7/26/08

38. The Miracle At Speedy Motors
by Alexander McCall Smith
read by Lisette Lecat
fiction, 2008
finished, 7/24/08

37. The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean
by Alexander McCall Smith
read by Charlotte Parry
juvenile fiction, 1990
finished, 7/12/08

36. Charlotte's Web
by E.B. White
read by the author
juvenile fiction, 1952
re-read
finished, 7/11/08

35. Ramona the Brave
by Beverly Cleary
read by Stockard Channing
juvenile fiction, 1975
re-read
finished, 7/8/08

34. Ramona the Pest
by Beverly Cleary
read by Stockard Channing
juvenile fiction, 1968
re-read
finished, 7/6/08

33. The Amateur Marriage
by Anne Tyler
read by Blair Brown
fiction, 2004
finished, 7/5/08

32. A String in the Harp
by Nancy Bond
read by Barbara Caruso
juvenile fiction, 1976
re-read
finished, 7/2/08

31. Dear Mr. Henshaw
by Beverly Cleary
read by George Guidall
juvenile fiction, 1983
re-read
finished, 6/26/08

30. The Prince of Frogtown
by Rick Bragg
read by the author
biography, 2008
finished, 6/24/08

29. Sandhills Boy
The Winding Trail of a Texas Writer
by Elmer Kelton
read by George Guidall
autobiography, 2007
finished, 6/20/08

28. Back When We Were Grownups
by Anne Tyler
read by Blair Brown
fiction, 2001
re-read
finished, 6/16/08

27. A Pocket Full of Rye
by Agatha Christie
read by Rosalind Ayres
mystery, 1953
finished, 6/10/08

26. Henry Huggins
by Beverly Cleary
read by Barbara Caruso
juvenile fiction, 1950
re-read
finished, 6/7/08

25. A Caribbean Mystery
by Agatha Christie
read by Rosalind Ayres
mystery, 1964
finished, 6/4/08

24. The Code of the Woosters
by P.G. Wodehouse
read by Alexander Spencer
fiction, 1938
re-read
finished, 6/2/08

23. At Bertram's Hotel
by Agatha Christie
read by Rosemary Leach
mystery, 1965
finished, 5/16/08

22. Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist
by Dorothy Gilman
read by Barbara Rosenblat
fiction, 1997
re-read
finished, 5/10/08

21. Farewell, My Subaru
An Epic Adventure In Local Living
by Doug Fine
read by the author
nonfiction, 2008
finished, 4/30/08

20. Truman
by David McCullough
read by Nelson Runger
biography, 1992
finished, 4/29/08

19. The Abracadabra Ki d
A Writer's Life
by Sid Fleischman
read by Nelson Runger
autobiography, 1996
finished, 4/17/08

18. The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets
by Nancy Springer
read by Katherine Kellgren
young adult mystery, 2007
finished, 3/26/08

17. Babe and Me
by Dan Gutman
read by Johnny Heller
juvenile fiction, 2000
finished, 3/19/08

16. Pilgrim At Tinker Creek
by Annie Dillard
read by Grace Conlin
nonfiction, 1974
finished, 3/18/08

15. The Case of the Left-Handed Lady
by Nancy Springer
read by Katherine Kellgren
young adult mystery, 2007
3/13/08

14. Alice's Adventures in Wonder Land
by Lewis Carroll
read by Davina Porter
juvenile fiction, 1865
finished, 3/11/08

13. An Ocean Apart
by Robin Pilcher
read by Samantha Eggar
fiction, 1999
re-read
finished, 3/9/08

12. Love Among The Chickens
by P.G. Wodehouse
read by Jonathan Cecil
fiction, 1906; somewhat re-written 1921
finished, 3/2/08

11. The Case of The Missing Marquess
by Nancy Springer
read by Katherine Kellgren
young adult mystery, 2006
2/24/08

10. Love Over Scotland
by Alexander McCall Smith
read by Robert Ian Mackenzie
fiction, 2007
finished, 2/22/08

9. Mr. Popper's Penguin s
by Richard and Florence Atwater
read by Paul Hecht
juvenile fiction, 1938
finished, 2/11/08

8. Bedtime For Frances, 1960
A Baby Sister For Frances, 1964
Bread And Jam For Frances, 1964
A Birthday For Frances, 1977
by Russell Hoban
read by Glynis Johns
children's picture books
re-reads
finished, 2/6/08

7. Gift From the Sea
by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
read by Claudette Colbert
nonfiction, 1955
re-read
finished, 2/6/08

6. Ava's Man
by Rick Bragg
read by Tom Stechschulte
biography, 2001
re-read
finished, 2/1/08

5. 1776
by David McCullough
read by the author
nonfiction, 2005
finished, 1/29/08

4. Raw Spirit
In Search of the Perfect Dram
by Iain Banks
read by Tom Cotcher
nonfiction, 2003
re-read
finished, 1/23/08

3. All Over but the Shoutin'
by Rick Bragg
read by Frank Muller
memoir, 1997
re-read
finished, 1/16/08

2. Greece On My Wheels
by Edward Enfield
read by the author
travel essays, 2003
finished, 1/12/08

1. The Year of Pleasures
by Elizabeth Berg
read by Sandra Burr
fiction, 2005
finished, 1/2/08

Bookkeeping

You'll see a post this morning called 2008 Audiobooks, which is essentially just a reference post. I'm going to separate the audiobooks from my 2008 Books post. It will be listed over on the sidebar under Reading Journals.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Cookie Tuesday - Chocolate Chip/Toffee Bit Cookies

Chocolate Chip/Toffee Bit Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Beat together until creamy:

1 cup soft butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Stir together, and then add:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup toffee bits.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.
Let cool a bit on the cooling rack before removing.

Makes a little over 4 dozen.

These are perfect, perfect cookies! They're easy to make and they are utterly delicious.

Monday, September 1, 2008

August 31 at the Farmer's Market

Aren't these unbelievably colorful!

Sunday Stroll/August 31

In May I offered a 'Further Afield' posting about Susy's Garden. Yesterday we were invited down to her home again, and I thought how perfect for a Sunday Stroll. On Mother's Day, we were in the fullness of spring; and on Labor Day Sunday, we were looking toward fall.

Before the strolling began, we had lovely gin cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, one of which was sliced cucumber on toast spread with horseradish, and topped with a little garlic and parsley - delicious!

Susy is a potter, and her wind chimes played merrily as we picnicked in the deck's screened gazebo.

Bright Lights cosmos.

I love these little steps going up to the gazebo.

And the plants alongside the steps: nicotiana, snapdragons, yellow roses, lavender.

Susy's is a hillside of paths.

Rhododendrons on the hill.

Steps up to the house. Don't you just want to climb them?

Susy's meals have come from her vegetable garden all summer.

Clivia, outdoors for the summer.

Susy and her grandson.

Down by the pond. Yes, there is even a pond!

We ended our lovely afternoon visit with a homemade trifle -

and Zoe (Susy's son's family dog) in sunglasses!

I hope you can see from these pictures why I find Susy's home to be a place of enchantment. There are outdoor nooks and crannies, and benches everywhere to sit and enjoy the many special areas.