Gardening: Words and Images

Today was a bountiful day for harvesting our gardens. It was time to gather flowers for bouquets, pick vegetables for canning and eating, and reflect on the beauty of favorite spots we have created.
"Those who labour in the earth are the chosen people of God ." -- Thomas Jefferson
"If you have a mind at peace, a heart that cannot harden, go find a door that opens wide upon a lovely garden." Anon.
"Kiss of the sun for pardon. Song of the birds for mirth. You're closer to God's heart in a garden than any place else on earth." -- Dorothy Frances Gurney

Kiki Aru Asks A Question to The Teacher In Space

My niece Kiki Aru is waiting in Boise today for a unforgettable day tomorrow. She was one of eighteen students chosen in Idaho to ask Barbara Morgan, the teacher on the Endeavour space shuttle, a question while Morgan is in space. Kiki was nominated for her academic performance and interest in science.

She said herself in an interview in the Spokesman Review from Spokane that her third grade teacher nominated her because " She knew I wouldn't have trouble talking in front of the crowd!" When Kiki, who is going to be a sixth grader this year, left for Boise she still hadn't decided on the question she would ask. I'm sure by now it will be tough to narrow her questions down to one.

Tomorrow the twenty minute questioning session will take place at the Discovery Center in Boise. It is a proud time for me to have a teacher representing our profession in space. It is icing on the cake to have my niece talking to her in space! This auntie's proud buttons are popping tonight! You can read another post about Kiki Aru's trip to Boise on my sister's blog here.

Kiki Aru will be joined by NASA representatives and members of Idaho's congressional delegation at the Discovery Center tomorrow.

Way to go girl . Your Aunt C and Uncle E are very proud of you!

I Love Zucchini #3 and a Keeper From the Recipe Box: Zucchini Sweet Pickles

After I posted the last zucchini recipe I heard from Dawn, a friend of mine since we were in elementary school. The post reminded her of when her mother was challenged to create different ways to cook zucchini. Dawn was not a lover of squash, but she loved her mother's recipe for Zucchini Sweet Pickles. She sent me the recipe and having just made them I can see why Dawn likes these pickles. They are delicious and the recipe also uses lots of zucchini! This was my first experience making sweet pickles. I am eager for the final taste test by Dawn next week. The recipe is not hard, but you have to plan on being home a few days. There is setting to be done, but it was worth it.

Zucchini Sweet Pickles

Day 1:

Make the syrup:

4 cups vinegar

2 cups water

1 T. pickling salt

8 cups sugar

3 T. pickling spices in bag ( double cheesecloth)

4 drops green food coloring

Simmer about ten minutes. Let set 24 hours.

Next take about 5 quarts ( 9-10 pounds) of peeled zucchini, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes.

Add:

1 gallon water mixed with 1 cup of pickling lime*( see note below)
Let stand 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

Day 2:

Pour lime water off zucchini. Rinse with running cold water 10 minutes. Let stand in fresh cold water 3 hours. Drain well. Pour syrup over squash. Let stand 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

Day 3:

Drain off syrup into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add zucchini and cook until tender ( about 25 minutes*). Test with a toothpick. Don't overcook. Pack into pint canning jars and put in hot water bath in canner for 10 minutes to seal jars. Yield: about 8 pints. Pickles will taste better if stored a few weeks before opening.

This pickle maker's notes:

-I didn't peel all the zucchini as you see in the picture thinking it would add color to the jars. It didn't work well. I think they need to all be peeled.

-I found some new stuff to use instead of pickling lime. It is put out by Ball and is called Pickle Crisp. In using it you don't have to do all the rinsing... directions are included. I found it with canning supplies at the store.

-I had some big cucumbers and added them to the mix. I didn't peel them.

-I only cooked the zucchini about ten minutes and that seemed almost too long. My zucchini was big and soft when I started. Use your own judgement on this!

Sibling Assignment # 31 : Annie, Sandy, and Goosebumps

This week for our sibling assignment we were to write about a memorable musical . Sunday Scribblings word is Goosebumps so I combined the two. You can find Raymond Pert’s post about the musical here and Silver Valley Girl’s will be here soon.

"Maybe far away
Or maybe real nearby
He may be pouring her coffee
She may be straightening his tie!
Maybe in a house
All hidden by a hill
She's sitting playing piano,
He's sitting paying a bill!”

I get goosebumps any time I hear the red-headed orphan sing this song in the opening of the musical “Annie” as she is longing for her parents. I love musicals, especially ones that have a happy ending. In “ Annie” I am drawn to the good vs. evil, children singing and dancing, the rags to riches storyline, the suspense of Annie searching for her parents, and the significant relationship between a girl and her dog. Annie was spunky. She was a girl you wanted to be. I remember first hearing about the musical “Annie” when the search was on for the girl to play her on Broadway. This was in 1977. Soon the song “Tomorrow” became popular and I loved hearing the stories of the live dog on the stage.

My first memory of the character was the poem by James Whitcomb Riley that my mom had read to me as a child:
"Little Orphan Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep; “
Actually, this poem inspired the original comic strip. I didn’t really remember the comic strip much except how Little Orphan Annie had those weird eyes without pupils, red hair, and a dog named Sandy. When I was teaching in the Tri-Cities a girl from our school was chosen to play Annie in the Richland Players production of the musical. I kept looking at her, unable to picture her in the part until the day she came to school with bright, curly red hair! Her mom had redone her appearance for the part. I went and saw that production of “ Annie” and got goosebumps. I fell in love with the orphans in “It’s The Hard Knocks Life” as they performed the song and dance routine while cleaning at the orphanage. It was a lively production and the star kept that red hair for the rest of the school year!

Later I saw “Annie” on stage at the Opera House in Spokane. By then I had seen the movie version and could mouth the lyrics to “Maybe”, “ Tomorrow”, and “I’m Going to Like it Here”. “Annie” is the type of musical that always sticks to the story. I love that nobody has tried to do this musical in modern day, or with Andy instead of Annie, or with a poodle or pug as Sandy. Traditional musicals give me goosebumps. I know there will be a mean Miss Hannigan, a red-haired girl, and an otterhound mix named Sandy. I think all of us growing up had a time when we wanted to run away or wished we had a different parent because we were upset about something. When Annie sang about her love for her long-lost parents in that opening song it made me feel thankful that I always had my parents. It gave me goosebumps that my mom was sitting next to me in Spokane Opera House listening to Annie sing that song:
“So maybe now this prayer's

The last one of it's kind...

Won't you please come get your "Baby"

Maybe.”

Andrea McArdle was the original Annie on Broadway(left) Allison Smith (above) was another Annie before "Kate and Allie" and "West Wing". Sarah Jessica Parker (right) first played July,one of the orphans then played the role of Annie before starring in " Square Pegs" and creating the role of Carrie Bradshaw.

You can find other Sunday Scribblings about goosebumps here.

My Own Friday Fourteen: Reasons I Am Glad Summer is Still Here

Even though I hinted that autumn is in the air in my blog yesterday, we do still have lots of summer ahead of us. It is just that those of us that are on the " school schedule" ( teachers, parents, and students ) see the seasons changing a bit quicker!

Fourteen Reasons I Am Glad Summer is Still Here:

1. I can enjoy late night reading of a novel I can't put down.

2.There is the smell of lilies, phlox, and scented geraniums in the air.

3. We can enjoy fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and beans.

4. Apricots and peaches are ripe and ready to pick.

5. The Ferry County Fair is a few short weeks away in Republic.

6.Morning sunrise is still beautiful as the rays shine through the pine trees.

7. I have the time to pickle, can, preserve, and freeze our garden bounty.

8. Family members can come and visit before beginning the fall school schedule.

9. We can still enjoy fresh bouquets picked from the flower garden.

10. As one last baby swallow waits in the birdhouse we can watch the mother bring him food.

11. There will still be time to go camping.

12. The yellow jackets challenge our eye-hand coordination, patience, and humor each day (and maybe that is not a good thing!)

13. The lake is still warm enough for swimming.

14. The last reason I am glad summer is still here is because soft vanilla ice cream cones from Sandy's Drive In by Kettle Falls always taste better in the summer.

My Own Thursday Thirteen: Autumn is Just Around the Corner

Today I began to notice that autumn was in the air . My favorite season begins when school starts the day after Labor Day. That is fall on my calendar.

Thirteen Ways I Can Tell Autumn is Just Around the Corner

1. I used a throw to wrap in when I sat outside drinking my coffee this morning.

2. I got a welcome back letter from my principal in the mail yesterday.

3. The peaches sign is up at Sherman Creek Orchard.

4. Chrysanthemums are just beginning to bloom.

5. Today we harvested dill, put our thumb in the winter squash, and pulled carrots.

6. The cats are coming inside to sleep more.

7. I read a funny cartoon today and thought it

would be great to use the first day of school with my students.

8. The grape leaves are covering the flower bed and the clusters are getting bigger.

9. The coleus is showy with it's vivid purple and green leaves.

10. I wore socks today.

11. I found the school supply list I had made for my students at Wal Mart and checked out the choices of pens for myself.

12. The Autumn Joy sedum is about to turn its lovely color of apricot.

13. I set my alarm for this morning to get in the habit of once again being an early morning person.