Fresh Peach Pie and a Keeper from the Recipe Box

We are blessed to have Sherman Creek Orchard so close to our house. We love to drive up the road for fruit that has been picked right off the tree. Friday JEJ came home with juicy,ripe peaches. It was time to dig out my favorite and very easy Peach Custard Pie recipe. A friend I knew back in the day gave me this favorite recipe of her grandmother's and I have loved it ever since. I enjoyed filling the house with the aroma of a baking pie last evening.

Peach Custard Pie
1 cup sugar
3 whole eggs
3 Tablespoons flour

Fill up an unbaked pie shell with sliced peaches. Mix the ingredients above and pour over the filling. Sprinkle nutmeg over the top. Bake 350 for 50-60 minutes.

South of Broad , The Church of the KHS Class of '72, and Friends Close to my Heart

I recently read Pat Conroy's newest novel South of Broad. I was still haunted by images in The Prince of Tides, which I had read many years ago, but was still eager to immerse myself in his prose again.

"I carry the delicate porcelain beauty of Charleston like a hinged shell of some soft-tissued mollusk. My soul is peninsula-shaped and sun-hardened and river-swollen. The high tides of the city flood my consciousness every day, subject to the whims and harmonies of full moons rising out of the Atlantic."

Leopold Bloom King narrates a story about his life in Charleston from the mid-sixties through the eighties. Right before his senior year in high school Leo is thrown together with a diverse group of students that will soon join Leo in a bond of friendship that carries them through the rest of their lives. Themes of friendship, understanding, and forgiveness are woven throughout the book as Conroy explores suicide, difficult mother/son relationships, and racism .

I don't know if it was the best book written about friendship. I don't know if Pat Conroy has " lost his touch" after not publishing a book for so many years. I do know he understands the love of a place and the love of lifelong friends. When I listened to an interview with Pat Conroy he discussed the theme of friendship. " The friends that mean the most to me are the friends I have known the longest." Those are the friends he calls if he needs advice, a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on. Conroy gathered images of the city he loved and his experiences of friendship and created a story that opens our eyes to the class system in Charleston, a love between a father and son, and what lifelong friends will do for each other.

I began reading this book right after my brother had written a post on his blog entitled " The Church of the KHS Class of "72 ." You can find it here. In this post Raymond Pert helped many of us understand how the church he has created with his lifelong friends is a church of the spirit." It's church the way I long for church to be. It's a church where we come with our broken and improving lives and know that we are in the company of other broken and improving people and so there is no pretense of any one being better than anyone else, nor any pretense of righteousness."

Leo and his friends in Charlston had their own church in South of Broad. This church was also about people that had been broken. I couldn't help but draw a parallel between the two. Both Raymond Pert and Leo loved the town where they grew up. Leo never left Charlston. Raymond Pert continues to return to Kellogg. Both of them created a lifetime bond with a special group of people. Leo would fly across the United States to help a friend find her brother. RP has been there over and over again to provide support for his lifelong friends.

I also hold my lifelong friends close to my heart. That is one reason why I enjoy Facebook. Reconnecting with childhood friends and relatives has been a rewarding experience. We share like memories whether it recalling summers visiting relatives or hometown friends remembering school experiences. Many of us went through events that brought us closer. What I have found recently is a common love for our hometown, schooldays, friendships, and family. Each of us cares about what life holds for each other now. Whether is was a picture of a grandson's first day of school or a group photo from a child's wedding, we all give the Facebook posts a thumbs up and add enthusiastic comments. I don't know if I am ready to call Facebook a church, but the reading of this book, my brother's blog post and reconnecting and sharing of memories on Facebook has warmed my heart.

Garden Goodness on the Friday Tour

I always look forward to Friday afternoon at home. It is the time I unwind from the week, grab my camera and do a serious tour of our gardens. I am always surprised at how quickly things change during a school week. Under the leaves the grapes are beginning to ripen.
The vines have almost covered the garden gate.
On this side the path and gate are hard to navigate.
The Autumn Joy sedum continues to be the queen of the September garden.

I was pleased to see the pink Iceberg rose still full of buds,
and the Olympiad Rose is still blooming strong.

The geraniums are not about to be outdone,

or the lemon gem marigolds.

At the end of the tour I loved finding apples almost ready to eat.

Obsession: Springer Style

All the springer spaniels I have known tend to be obsessive. The obsessiveness can involve "a stray cat that was on a fence once a year ago, but let's see if it is back" ,lookingfor squirrels while camping, or being on watch for danger out the car window. Our Annie is Miss Queen of Obsession as you can observe from these pictures.
There is a small bird in the tree and I am not moving until I see it.I hear a squirrel up that tree at our campsite! Yes, I am staying right here.
Is that a bird, a squirrel, or what? I am planted here until I find out.Okay.... now I see something over here!I am sure there is a seagull hiding in that wave! See ya!
I know that cat is still down there somewhere. Where is that cat? I am on watch until I see it.

Cooler Weather, Gazebo Warmth, and Harvest

Cooler, rainy weather Monday brought changes in routine at our house. I discovered I could finally close the little windows in the kitchen by the sink. I didn't need cool air in the morning inside. I noticed a change in cat behavior. Kit and Isabelle are spending more time inside, especially snuggling close together to stay warm.

We finally enjoyed a fire in the gazebo. Nothing like pulling out long sleeved shirts, fleece, warm socks, and relaxing in front of the fire. JEJ decided it was a perfect opportunity to "rest his eyes" .Shelby did too! The autumn joy sedum, asters, and mums are all showing their fall colors. JEJ dug up 60 pounds of red potatoes and the grapes are ripening on the vine. The roses are beginning to form rose hips. If the frost doesn't come early we will continue to harvest tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, beets, and cabbage. I also see the glow of fruit on our apple trees by the house. It is time to bring in more jars for a marathon canning session. Two more weeks and we can officially welcome fall. I think my favorite season is going to come a bit early this year.

Honoring Rain

Rain showers have been few and far between in August. I celebrate a good rain shower whenever we can get it. The area is very dry and fire danger is high. Yesterday we had one of those good rain showers that helped settle the dust, clean the leaves on plants, and make everything smell fresh. Here is a sequence of photos captured during the shower.