MY MOTHER

Were my mother still alive, today would be her birthday. 

This is a photo taken the last time my mother was able to visit me.  It was a precious time as after that, she became ill, and never recovered.

Several years ago, I wrote a small book of poems entitled, WOMAN KIN TO WOMAN KIN: A Story of Generations

In that booklet I wrote a poem for each of the woman on my mother's side of the family that have/had meant so much to me in both my growing up years, and today as well.  Here is the poem from that booklet, to my mother:

My Mother

Everyday just as we passed Gugino's driveway

I'd look back.

Standing at the window

curtains parted

she stood sentry over us.

We'd walk two houses farther before I'd glance again

and still she hadn't moved.

I'd  walk and look

walk and look

and she never went away,

even when I turned the corner

and could no longer see our house

I could sense her watching over us.

All the years we walked the mile to school

I never got so far

that I didn't feel her loving

and protecting me.

Even to this day

across this stretch of nation

across this stretch of years

she is just around the corner

and I can feel her mother-eyes

upon me.

She is the vessel

that funneled me full,

pushed me beyond all boundaries,

bringing me into being...

bringing me all creation.

Mother, I am moved by the sacred sound

resounding in our blood.

What I am fits

glove-like over you.

Just beneath my skin

you lie

always nestled in me

my protector and my strength.

Inwardly and onion-like

all the women of our past

layer far into the core.

Infinitely deep

we sing our godsong,

our womansong,

eternity rings forth 

upon our breath

and we endure

we endure. 

I am glad I was moved to write this 'family song' before she became ill.  I am glad that I was able to tell my mother of  my deep love and how much I cherished her.  To this day, across this stretch of time and death, she is just around the corner, and I can feel her mother-eyes upon me...my protector and my strength.

 

 

SUNDAY RESPITE

I have been spending much time in the kitchen preparing for the Lawton Memorial Library fundraiser dinner, which was last Saturday evening, and a resounding success despite misgivings about getting it all done, and preparing for the Friends of the Kickapoo Reserve Appreciation Dinner this coming Saturday evening.  When I say spending much time in the kitchen, if you multiplied that by several, it might come close.  Now, don't get me wrong, there is hardly a place I'd rather be, except perhaps outdoors.  

But still, it felt wonderful to take Sunday off, or at least the afternoon, and go for a hike with friends on the reserve.  We hiked below the Billings Creek trail on the way in, stopped after an hour or so, had a picnic with terrific food and wine, and resumed the hike.  We returned on the Billings Creek Trail.

As usual, Freddie led the hike, and his skill at this is unsurpassed!!  

We had a wonderful time, the weather was superb, sunny and warm, and the rock outcroppings, as usual, stunning.  I never seem to tire of hiking on the Reserve, everywhere you look, is a scene that tops the last.  We are so lucky to live in this area, to be healthy enough to hike these hills, and to have good friends with which to do these things.

Hopefully I will soon post about these dinners that have consumed my days.

Autumn Odds and Ends

The lovely part of Autumn is slowly slipping away.  Yesterday Freddie and I took a hike on our (207 acre) property.  It is beautiful, located here along Jug Creek amid the tree-covered hills.  Still, most of the trees have lost their leaves, except for the oaks, that is.

 

This mighty oak, said to be over 200 years old, is at the top of a steep incline, stretching its limbs far out into a canopy.  It is a powerful sight to come upon, and never ceases to startle me with its majesty.

Autumn is also bringing an end to the garden.  My sweet red peppers have been prolific, and I still have some sitting indoors in the sun, reddening.  

Roasted red peppers/onions.

Heavily oil (olive oil) a baking dish, cut up peppers, onions, garlic and in this case an eggplant as well...(lots of onion and garlic), and salt/pepper to taste.  Roast in 375 degree oven for a couple of hours.  This is great as a side dish, served over toasted crusty bread, or mixed with Italian sausage.

 

 My kale is heartily growing along, and it, too, is prolific.  I picked nearly 6 pounds of it this morning.  De-stemmed it, cut it up...

and it filled to overflowing, this large stainless steel bowl.

I then brought a kettle of water to a boil, blanched the kale for 2 minutes, cooled it, and was able to freeze 6 bags.  

Come the cold of winter, this kale sauteed with onion, garlic, and Italian sausage, with the last 15 minute addition of cut up potatoes, is probably my second favorite meal (homemade pizza being my first.)

Brussels sprouts are still doing well, and I also picked plenty of them today.  We will have maple-glazed Brussels sprouts later this week.

As much as I love fall, it also presents an overwhelming clean-up time.  The garden clean up seems far more intensive and demanding than planting time.  Perhaps it is just because by this time, it is all old news????

AUTUMN 2012

I think that this autumn is by far the most beautiful in my memory.  I know there are others who feel the same, and everyone is trying to articulate what feelings are being evoked by such magnificence.

The colors are so intense that I feel a bit exhausted, at times, contemplating them. 

The expression 'exquisite pain' comes to mind, as this beauty slams into one with great force.

It burns itself into you...

and even though it is almost too much to take, we keep on looking and loving and entering it.

Many, many years ago I found a poem by Bliss Carmen (1861-1929) that came pretty close to capturing the beauty of autumn...he could have written this in regards to fall this year.  There are lines in this poem that I covet, and wish I had penned.

A Vagabond Song

There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood-

Touch of manner, hint of mood; 

And my heart is like a rhyme,

With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.

The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry

Of bugles going by.

And my lonely spirit thrills

To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills.

There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;

We must rise and follow her,

When from every hill of flame

She calls and calls each vagabond by name. 

Bliss Carmen

Autumn has been calling me especially hard this year, and I have wanted to articulate my feelings in words...darn that such lines like 'there is something in the autumn that is native to my blood' are already taken.  Even knowing that Bliss Carmen has told the story so well, I have attempted myself....a work in progress. 

AUTUMN 2012

Color pushes the limits

this year

almost, though not quite

violently.

The hills, a riot of flame,

push me, too,

singeing my cheeks...

and for a moment

I am aflame...

I am but a leaf

dazzling myself

and the world...

while the blood

roils and tumbles

snapping and sparking me

to the edge of attention

where, on this brink,

I burst into the

magnificence.

Joanne Adragna Shird

A BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE

Iris turned six on the 22nd of September, yesterday.  As much as I regret  the rapidity of the passing of these precious years, I look forward to her (and Elsa's) birthday for many reasons...*the celebration; *the look on the faces; * the joy of the little one who doesn't sense how quickly time passes and is so happy to be a year older: *and the request for a specific cake.  In years past I have been asked to make a dog, a monkey, a kitty, a chick, etc.  This year, Iris, who is totally captivated with the Laura Ingalls Wilder series asked if I would make a 'covered wagon' cake...with the added request that Laura and Mary be 'peeking out'.

This was, by far, the biggest challenge she has given me regarding cakes.  I spent countless hours with this brewing in the back of my mind, and the cake took many transformations during that time.  At first I thought perhaps a flat cake in the shape of a covered wagon, but I really wanted to make a 3-D kind of cake, so then I thought about setting the 'wagon' directly on a piece of cardboard and attaching wheels, but really thought it should be up in the air, like a real wagon.  However was I going to do that?  I did not rush this thinking process, and took the challenge with me to the Black Hills where I sketched, and plotted and planned.  Finally, I thought I had the solution.

I found a small box that I thought could form the base on which to set the cake...

...and set about cutting out portions of it...

Now that I had that done, I needed to make the cake.  I baked an old fashioned 1,2,3,4 Cake (really a pound cake-1 c. butter, 2 c. sugar, 3 c. flour and 4 eggs).  I baked part of it in a small cake pan, and part of it in a 2 # coffee can, which would be the 'covered' part.

Beginning the assembly with much trepidations, was it going to work and was it going to look like a covered wagon?  I thought it just might work.

While in SD, I bought a Laura Ingalls Wilder paper doll book, and copied the figures on heavy paper, covered them with clear contact paper, and had not only Mary and Laura peeking out, but Ma, Pa, baby Carrie, and the dog, Jack alongside.

Transporting the finished cake to the party was a significant challenge of its own, but I finally found a crate in which I could put it, securing it with tape.  Carefully I drove the gravel roads to her house.  

The party was fun, lots of outdoor games, and then into the house for gift opening...

...opening the first of the gifts surrounded with friends...

...everyone was in on this part...

And finally on to the cake and the blowing out of the candles

Yes, it worked, and I do believe that she really loved it!

(Mmm, what will next year bring, I wonder?)

BLACK HILLS REPRIEVE

We took a six day/night trip to the Black Hills, just returning on Monday.  We went for the fishing, hiking, biking and touring.  The fishing wasn't the best, like the mid-west, the drought has wrecked havoc with the streams, leaving little water, and dying fish.  Still, Freddie prevailed and spent two days fly fishing, while I either biked, hiked, or read.  (My shoulder prevented me from casting.)

Sweet little cabin we rented via the internet.  It was built in the late 1800's, and has been refurbished.  It was a nice place to stay, EXCEPT that to get there we had to traverse about 6 miles of washboard gravel roads, the worst I have ever been on, and we could travel little over 5-10 miles per hour.  In addition it was really quite close to the owners home, like within mere feet.  This did not prove to be a problem, however we would have liked something a bit more isolated.  Still it was only $80 per night!

View of Deerfield Lake, about 4 miles from the cabin.  We hiked around this lake one day, it was lovely.

We were surrounded with lovely prairie like this, Freddie especially loved it and hiked it each morning.

Another view of the lake.

The Hills are covered with these dying pine trees, in some places it is really devastating.  The Mountain Pine Beetle is the culprit, and it is moving fast, it seems.

A pause in hiking.

Stunning rock formations everywhere.

Another pause in the hike.

Everywhere I looked was glistening, shining, bits of Mica, (?Fool's Gold?).  Anyway, I was a fool for it, and picked up piece after piece for my granddaughters, knowing they would love to put it on their Season's Table, or in their Fairy Gardens.

Getting ready to ride part of the 100 mile Mickelson Trail, a converted rail bed.

The Needles Highway has to be one of the most stunning drives in America!

...and again...

Three years ago we came to the Black Hills and stayed just outside of Hill City.  We were not far from Hill City this time either, which for me was a real plus.

The food in SD is nothing to speak of, unless one is speaking negatively, however this tiny place in Hill City, The Alpine Inn does serve really good food.  Three years ago we stopped by one evening for dessert (and another day for lunch.)  When I walked in the chef happened to be nearby and recommended that I try the Roasted Apple Napoleon.  Not being overly fond of apple desserts I hesitated, but in fact ordered it.  I must say that it was simply the best dessert I had ever eaten, and for the past three years I have been trying to duplicate that dessert, coming close but not quite.  So on this trip I decided to take photos of it....

Puff pastry triangles with caramelized cinnamon crust, roasted Fuji apples, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, all covered with a caramel sauce.  When I ordered it I thought I would be disappointed after drooling over it for three years, but I surely was not.  It still stands as the best dessert I have ever had.  Honestly, it is almost worth the drive to Hill City itself!!

Refreshed, but per usual, overwhelmed with catching up on fall gardening.

It was a Great Party

On Thursday evening, August 30, an art reception was held at Organic Valley headquarters for my friend Monica Jagel, colored pencil artist, and me.  Monica has drawn what she calls A Rural Alphabet, where each letter of the alphabet is symbolized by something rural.  When she had nearly completed the set, she asked me if I would be interested in writing a poem for each of the letters.

I was excited by the offer, and jumped at the opportunity.  The entire alphabet and accompanying poems are complete.  They first hung at The Blue Spoon Cafe in Prairie du Sac, and since the beginning of July have been hanging at Organic Valley headquarters.  

They are visible there on the wall behind us,

and here is a sample...

 J is for Jam

The smell wafted from the windows 

of the old farm house

saturating the senses

as she stirred the roiling pot

of just picked berries...

awaiting the precise moment

of jell.

Quickly she ladles it into glinting jars

which, when set,

catches the light

like a summer jewel. 

(A Rural Alphabet is available as note cards and can be ordered via Monica's link below.)

Monica is a superb colored pencil artist, and her drawings are truly something to see.  You can see them at her blog, http://colored-pencil-girl.blogspot.com. 

A great spread of food...

...a gathering of friends and OV employees...

Good food, good wine, good friends and great art.

And a good time was had by all!

Monica and I are grateful to Organic Valley for displaying our work.  We took the show down after the reception and it is going to be hung at The Portage Center for the Arts, this coming Wednesday and will hang there until October 2nd.

After that it will hang at the Driftless Cafe in Viroqua, WI, and then at the main library in La Crosse.

We have been asked countless times "when is the book coming out", and we are seriously considering this option.  We are excited and thankful for the wonderful reception that our collaboration has received.