Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Chattin'

The sun is shining here now.  Sometimes when the sun shines after a particularly rainy night I think it's smiling rather too hard.  Our adventure last night was the ever-popular,  middle-of-the-night, unstick the sump pump romp.  It involves listening for at least an hour to the pump going off more often than usual.  Then like labor pains, you start to time the intervals.  And, like, labor pains, you try and ignore the obvious...something has to happen here!  Indeed, it did.  Out into the rain, to lift the lid and poke around to unstick the workings.  It wasn't worse...sometimes, you have a stone or cone blocking the intake and have to brave the cold, cold water.  I'm the lucky one.  I get to hold the umbrella and direct the light.  Of course, it only happens when it rains!

But I've grabbed a sock on the needles and carrots for Wendell - I'm off to Patrice's place to chat with everyone on the porch.  It's nice there, too, and we can sit outside.  The seasons are slowly changing.  What's the talk today?  Let's listen...

What's you favorite kind of salad?  My favorite salad would involve romaine lettuce because I love the crispiness.  After that I don't really mind what fruit or veg are in it...anything goes.  And usually anything does...we eat a lot of salads.  One of my favorite ways to dress a salad is with olive oil, lime juice, Dijon mustard and maple syrup. 

How old were you when you learned to cook?  I have no memory of cooking anything before I was about 9.  I can clearly remember my mother teaching me to make baking powder biscuits for dinner one night.  After that, they became my 'dish' and I made them often.  They are still one of my favorite things to make.  Not a lot of opportunity to make them these days, though.  

What's your favorite kind of store? (grocery, garden, department, cooking, bookstore, etc) It depends on where I am in my life, I think.  I love to shop - not necessarily to buy things - but I love to cruise around the stores looking at everything on offer.  When I was a younger mother, I sewed almost everything that we wore or used.  I spent a lot of time in our local fabric store.  Now, I hardly visit at all.  For years, I was especially fond of office supply stores.  I can really get into all the different kinds of pens and papers.  Oh, just talking about it makes me want to go.  Of course, I love yarn stores but they're a bit dangerous.  I find it hard to just admire without taking some home.  I like bookstores but I find them overwhelming nowadays as they are so big and have so much other stuff.  And I'm even quite fond of the grocery store.  Do you sense a trend?

 If you could have lived during another time in history, what time would that have been? I know this will sound odd, but I think I would like to have been living between 1920 and 1939.  The highs and lows of this time are so dramatic.  There were more and more opportunities for women to be educated and work in the world.  I love the fashions which reflected new thinking and new fabrics. There's also some great music from that time period.  
Most of all, I think it's an important part of our parents' and grandparents' heritage that they lived through the Great Depression.  It made them so strong and resourceful.  I know  it wasn't a happy time for so many but I think it created character such as we may never see again.  I have had such an easy life  thanks to those same people wanting me to not have their same deprivations.  But easy living doesn't always make people rise to greatness.   


I'm looking forward to_______________.  I'm looking forward to taking a day off tomorrow to play.  We're going out to see the snowy owls which have migrated to Boundary Bay this winter. 

Many thanks to Patrice for inviting us once again.  If you'd like to visit just hop over to Everyday Rurality.

8 comments:

Rudee said...

Romaine is a great lettuce to use for salads. My favorite is pairing it with blood oranges, good blue cheese and a light dressing. Mmmmm.

I miss the small bookstores, and avoid the mega stores as much as possible. Kindle makes that rather easy these days.

Patrice said...

We grow Romaine and it's a favorite. i hope you will share pictures of the owls at Boundary Bay. I hope you're having a wonderful day of. Wendell says thanks for the virtual carrot.

Ginny Hartzler said...

I hope you take pictures of the snowy Owls!! We have seen one only once and just for a short time. They are a beautiful sight. My favorite stores would have to be book stores and office supply stores. Maple syrup in salad dressing? I would love this recipe!!!

Empty Nester said...

Romaine lettuce is crispy. I put it in pretty much every salad I make. Powder biscuits? Recipe? :) Oh, yes! Office supply stores! I love going in there and looking around at everything! Especially pens.

Tanna said...

Stephanie, I love your answer about what time in history you would want to have lived. Very thoughtful. Enjoyed sitting on the porch with you. blessings ~ tanna

Farm Girl said...

I am with you and the salad. I just love salad. I love that your Mom had you learn to make baking powder biscuits. I stayed with my grandmother one time and that was what she showed me to make.
It sounds good, I haven't been by in awhile.
I hope you are doing good.

Anonymous said...

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Suzanne McClendon said...

I agree about those living during the Depression. My granny shared with me a story about begging for fried chicken when she was a little girl. It makes me cry just thinking about it. Here's this little girl just wanting to eat what the other kids were eating and being denied it. Heartbreaking.

They were strong; they were survivors. Sometimes I think it was just an entirely different breed of people back then. For all the struggle they went through, they were so strong. Then I think of people like little Braden and his family, and little Kate and her family. These babies are battling cancer. The struggles are still there; families are still fighters and survivors. Different battles, different times...same fight and determination.

I've always heard "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." Back during the Depression...and today battling awful illnesses...there are some mighty strong folks out there. I am in awe of all of their strength and faith.

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