Ode to Wendell Berry

 

When I despair I gather myself,

put the dog on a leash and

head out the door.

Walking thru a grassy field

I hurry

to the creek.

Hundreds of geese are honking

as they welcome each other back

from a day in the fields.

Overhead the buzzards circle

before smoothly landing

in just one lone pine.

I like to think they are

settling in for teatime

or happy hour.

This is the setting each winter

no matter the pandemic,

the unrest,

my personal despair.

Life goes on as I continue

to take comfort from

the routines of nature,

of which I am a part.

                                Inspired by Wendell Berry's The Peace of Wild Things

Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New

                 Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,

                    The flying cloud, the frosty light:

                    The year is dying in the night;

                Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

                Ring out the old, ring in the new

                    Ring, happy bells across the snow

                    The year is going, let him go;

                Ring out the false, ring in the true.

                Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

                    For those that here we see no more;

                    Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

                Ring in redress to all mankind.

                Ring out a slowly dying cause,

                    And ancient forms of party strife;

                    Ring in the nobler modes of life,

                With sweeter manners, purer laws.

                Ring out the want, the care, the sin,

                    The faithless coldness of the times;

                    Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,

                But ring the fuller minstrel in.

                Ring out false pride in place and blood,

                    The civic slander and the spite;

                    Ring in the love of truth and right,

                Ring in the common love of good.

                Ring out old shapes of foul disease;

                    Ring out the narrowing lust of gold

                    Ring out the thousand wars of old,

                Ring in the thousand years of peace.

                Ring in the valiant man and free,

                    The larger heart, the kindlier hand.

                    Ring out the darkness of the land,

                Ring in the Christ that is to be.

                                            Alfred Lloyd Tennyson, In Memoriam

                    

Autumn 2020

When we lived in New England, fall was a bittersweet season.  The colors were stunning and the crisp air invigorating, but underneath it all lay a sense of darkness and farewell.  It's quite a different story here in Maryland. Autumn brings a great sense of relief from summer's intense heat and lasts a long time. Especially during this year of the pandemic I am grateful for the chance to spend time outside almost every day. We have entertained frequently on our front porch-what a blessing that's been during this time of isolation! (One or two guests at a time, socially distanced, of course).

There is much to complain about the pandemic, for sure, but there are unexpected gifts as well, if we will only look. One of the biggest gifts for me has been more time with my husband, including lunches together al fresco and evenings at home with no rehearsal tthat requires rushing out the door. Another gift is the time to really cook-thoughtfully, carefully- and to come up with my own recipes.

In an effort to use what's in the fridge I've begun making what I call "refrigerator review" soup.  Frustrated at reading recipes and trying to gather all the ingredients (and make another Covid-exposed shopping trip) I threw up my hands and just improvised.  Here's how it works:

Saute an onion and a clove or 2 of garlic in olive oil.  When softened add whatever vegetables you have on hand-I usually have some carrots and celery, a few pieces of squash or broccoli, a potato or two.  When these are softened add a can of chopped tomatoes with their juice, a quart of chicken or vegetable stock, and a can of beans. Salt and pepper to taste and throw in some dried herbs such as basil, oregano or thyme. Let simmer for 30 minutes or so; taste and adjust seasonings. I serve this piping hot and add a handful of fresh spinach to each bowl. Stir it in and it will wilt immediately.

Why did I ever need a recipe for this?

I've also begun making Irish Soda Bread and boy does it work well with this soup. There's a story to my soda bread, which I'll save for another post. You'll see it in the photo below, which shows a recent al fresco lunch. Bon appetit!

 

Summer's End

 The summer of 2020 was exceptional and I feel a great need to document it with words and photos. In some ways it seemed to endlessly stretch from one impossibly hot and humid day to another, while concurrently it was over in a second. With the advent of an early fall my head and heart have been restored a bit and I can see more clearly.

The first few months of the pandemic allowed us time to expand our vegetable garden, which ended up being a huge disappointment.  We have not managed the transition to gardening in Maryland particularly well!  Have you ever heard of a gardener bemoaning the lack of zucchini? Well, that's us. The basil, on the other hand, was spectacular, and I'd guess that we supplied at least a dozen folks with enough for a good batch of pesto.  Bill's signature crop, garlic, did well-enough.

This was the second year of my higgeldy-piggeldy garden and it came into it's own. Do you know what a higgeldy-piggelgy garden is? The definition of that term is in a confused, disordered, or random manner, and that's exactly what my garden is. Anchored by a few perennials, the garden is home to whatever is on sale at the nursery or has been given to me by friends.  I love it!  St. Francis is hiding in there somewhere-next year he needs moving.

For a few blissful days we were restored by the peace of a cottage in Central Maine.  It was a different sort of Maine trip, due to the pandemic, but I cherish every moment we were there.

The summer was notable in that we finally ate crabs, after 5 years on the Eastern Shore. Courtesy of dear son-in-law Jeff, we sat on the porch and made a huge mess.  Wow, crabs are a lot of work!  I really don't mind eating mine in a crab cake, tho.

And then...it was the summer of our family's relocation to Colorado Springs.  Zev spent a few days every week at Nana Camp and Ari made frequent visits as well.  It was intense, exhausting, and life-giving. There was time to introduce Ari to the books of Robert McCloskey and weekly trips to a farm market for lovely produce and yummy ice cream (especially the peach!). Zev and I greatly expanded our baking repertoire from blueberry muffins to include oatmeal cookies, homemade bread, blueberry crisp and banana muffins. Did we ever make a mess...but oh so much fun.

Bill and I made a similar cross-country leap when we moved from Dallas to Maine in 1993. Begrudgingly I have to say I understand the reasons for the move to Colorado. Of course it is different here without them 55 miles down the road and I miss them terribly. But I am happy for Emily and Jeff and proud of them for trying to do what's best for their family.

How could I not say something about the state of our country and the upcoming election? I am worried, yes, and the above says it all.

Every day I make it a point to remind myself that we are all God's beloved. May we treat each other as such and work for healing and peace.

Love Thy Neighbor

Greeting God

Summer heat blistering the pavement

as I rush to start my car, turn high the a/c.

In the corner of my eye

a black man appears, gesturing enthusiastically

and pointing to my bumper.

His eyes light up as I roll down my window

and he cries, "Biden, yes! He's our man!

"We've got to work hard!"

I am honored to be included in that "we."

He and I both feel joy-his at seeing

a left-leaning woman

in a right-wing town

and mine, feeling solidarity

with him.

For a moment we feel a connection

and greet God in each other.

The Recipe

Don't you love the Lady Editors above?  I was quite surprised to see that the first edition of this cookbook was published in 1972-it seems rather late for that sort of attitude.  But I do love the homey, old-fashioned kitchen pictured on the cover and admit that it is really my dream kitchen. The minimalist style just doesn't do it for me in the kitchen.

In the summer of 1982, a few months before Bill and I were married, he introduced me to Maine.  After picking me up at the Portland Jetport we made a stop at L.L. Bean in Freeport, where I picked up this cookbook.  It is at least as much about Yankee culture as cooking, which was brand new to me.  It was a summer of planning for the future, adjusting to a different way of seeing the world, and falling in love with Maine.

As you might imagine, the rural location of our rental cottage in Central Maine was like another country to this Texas girl, who had grown accustomed to big city ways in Dallas.  I could not believe my eyes at the scant choice of produce in the small groceries where we shopped.  But then Bill introduced me to Maine strawberries, the pick-your-own kind that you just can't stop eating.

I began making this strawberry pie back in 1982 and have made at least one every summer since then. The berries have been an adjustment in Maryland for the past 5 summers- certainly better than what ones buys in the supermarket, they are not as sweet and juicy as perfectly ripe Maine berries.

My pie is inspired by the recipe in the Yankee cookbook, but I take great liberties and must say it is delicious!  Let me know if you make one for yourself.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

1 baked, single pie shell

1 1/2 quarts strawberries

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch, softened in a little water

whipping cream

Wash, hull and dry the berries (drying is important!). If some are very large, cut in half. Arrange 1 quart of berries on cooked shell. Cook the remaining 1/2 quart of berries with the sugar on low heat for a few minutes.  Bring to a gentle boil and vigorously stir in the cornstarch softened in water. Cook a few more minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Let cool 5-10 minutes, then pour over berries in shell.  Top with whipped cream.

This makes a chunky glaze, which I like, but if you don't you could sieve the berries before adding cornstarch.

Tea with Mahler

In the pre-Covid world Bill and I were planning to get on a plane for Vienna today. Yes. That's been a hard one for me.

For years I've had a dream of Bill and I going to that city together-it abounds in many of the things we love in common-classical music, art museums, history, architecture, and coffee shops.  It took some work to convince Bill he could make the trip and it would, truthfully, have had its challenges.  But with supplemental oxygen, a relaxed schedule and a room at the centrally located Benedictine monastery we felt we could make it work.

It's not so easy to simply say We'll just reschedule for next year. Aside from not having any idea what travel will look like in a year, we have no idea if 87 year-old Bill would be up for the trip.  That's where I feel the loss.

Vienna fascinates me, especially the historical city at the turn of the 20th century. After hearing a Mahler symphony at the Kennedy Center in February I decided to do some research.  The above book is what I came up with-it is not only a biography of Mahler but a cultural history of that time period in Vienna, complete with tales about Wagner, Strauss, Klimt, Schiele and so much more.  Just what I wanted.

It is 700 pages long. Gulp.

But we're in a pandemic and I have time, right?  Most days I reserve 30 minutes for "Tea with Mahler."  I make the tea in a pot and in proper Viennese fashion have a little treat to go with it.  For a couple of weeks now I've been able to sit outside and am joined by a symphony of birdsong. And I'm halfway thru!

Here's the recipe for my afternoon muffins-they are even somewhat healthy with oats and very low sugar. Try them and let me know what you think.

Mahler Muffins

Combine 1 cup milk (any kind) with 1 cup old-fashioned oats and let soak 15 minutes.

Beat 1 egg with 1/4 cup vegetable oil, then stir in oatmeal mixture.

In a separate bowl mix 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Add the wet ingredients to this bowl and stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Gently stir in 1/2 cup or more of add-ins such as raisins, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips.

Transfer to greased baking tins and bake at 400 degrees for 15-25 minutes-check early as these are not good if overcooked!  Makes about a dozen.