A repeat....

Most of you know I love barns.  Maybe it is because I spent so many happy hours in the barn when I was a child. It was one of my favorite places to play...going to the barn to milk the cow, feed the pigs, and feed the cows in general was never a chore for me. And even though that has been over 30 years ago, the smell of cow or horse barn is a pleasant smell to me that takes me instantly back to my childhood.

We were dirt poor in so many ways. We raised almost all the food we ate...we raised and butchered four hogs every year, we almost always had a cow or two that we milked, and raised all our vegetables. And we picked wild blackberries, as well as there was a couple old apple trees that my mom gathered apples from to make jelly with. To this day my favorite job on earth is to pick blackberries. Why I don't know...as a kid I always ended up with bunches of chiggers...if you have never had them you haven't missed anything other than misery!

My mom filled every jar she had and also had a deep freezer that was always stuffed to the brim with food we raised. And there would be guys bring truckloads of peaches up from Georgia and drive along the roads and stop and ask if you wanted to buy peaches...my mom always bought a couple bushels and we would freeze and can them. It is so refreshing to come in from hoeing the garden and to have peaches that are just beginning to thaw--that are still in that crystallized state. I am getting hungry just thinking about them.

We had cornbread almost every day of our life, and my mom made biscuits every morning too...there were a few times when she got bronchitis that she didn't get up and make biscuits but I bet that was not five times a year. And her biscuits were unlike anybody's I have ever seen. But oh, so yummy good! When grand kids were home, I have seen them have her make them a pan of biscuits after breakfast and they would eat every one of them.

She didn't measure anything, just mixed them up by feel. And she didn't roll them out and cut with a cookie cutter, she just pinched off a little bit of the dough, and worked it between her hands, and placed in the pan. And every one was the same size! I do not know how to explain what they were like...but I would give anything to have a pan of them right now!

Another thing I never hear of any where up here is shucked beans...or do not even hear them called dried beans. We always took green beans and snapped the ends off them, and if need be we took the 'strings' off--I wonder if anyone that is reading this knows what I mean? Anyway, then we would have just use regular string/or crocheting thread and a big needle and would run the beans on the strings and hang them to dry. And everyone called them shucked beans down there...they had a sort of strong flavor, but I really liked them. I think I have a picture somewhere of some...I will hunt for it after while and scan it in...

Enough reminiscing for now...

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This is a repeat post.  From December, 2007, thought I did substitute a photo.  I hope you don't mind and maybe even find a little enjoyment in reading it.

Autumn--I can feel coming in the air

This is not from last year, but on our way to Walmart a bit ago, I did see trees painted with color just like this.  Granted, they were small walnut trees.  Still, it only enhanced the feeling of autumn closing in.

I declare though, I think I spend half my time wishing my life away.  Though in all honesty, this instance it is not wishing my life away...it is looking forward to something.  I think I would be happy if autumn took up half the year with the other three seasons spread between the other 6 months.

But back to the thought of wishing our life away.  It seems I am forever waiting for something to be over...actually wishing time was past.  Does everyone do this as they get older.  I just think if I had been this way when younger, I would forever have been wishing tests and exams were past.

I wish I could go back to the frame of mind I had when younger.  Where I enjoyed the present to the utmost, worried about things when they got here...or better still just do the best possible...and go on with life.
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Just wondered if anyone had noticed the other tab at the top of the page.  I created a page with my just my quilts.  I still have few older shots to put up but will eventually get them done.

The day is done and so am I

Okay, so these are the two I canned on our anniversary, but I did can two more jars of tomato juice today.  I started this mess this morn, and during it stopped and hung out a  load of clothes.  It was such a beautiful day I just couldn't resist doing a load.

While I had a minute I was outside with my camera and got this of the Bubbie.  It has been rotated 180º...he was squirming around on his back so much I could not get a decent shot.

Another of the FatBoy, or as we should call him No So Slim...he is a cat with character.  Loves messing with us...but also is easy to mess with.  Just any little thing will scare him and make him jump two foot straight in the air.

And believe it or not, I finally did something I have been planning to do for a long time.  I got a flannel backed table cloth and got it hung.  It makes an excellent design wall for quilts.  I had heard about it forever, then saw Judy's post....and after a question or two which she answered right away, I bought the table cloth and have had it forever.

For some reason I wanted it up today.  So at the end of this day I got it ready.  Since it is the biggest I could fine--84 inches long and 60 inches wide...I folded it, and sewed across one end a couple times and put ties on it...then Roger put up those sticky things that can be removed easily.

I was just dying to show the backing that I am making for the small crumb quilt made with leftover blocks.  I still have quite a bit of sewing to do as I am piecing this back.  But thought this would give you an idea of what how it is looking.