Covid Journal, Day 165: Toast and Toast

72, cloudy, humid, fog this morning. Rained most of the night, but today the cloud cleared and it was a nice, although hot at 86, and humid.

So Larry has been complaining about our 1950's Sunbeam toaster. This is the coolest toaster, believe me. It takes the bread down when you drop it in the slots, automatically, and brings it back up again so smoothly. Yes, in the 50's they had this technology. So cool.

But Larry had so many problems with it. The toast wouldn't go down for him, and he'd call for me in frustration almost every time he tried to use the toaster. The problem was almost always the same: he'd somehow jammed the bread, or had jammed the automatic riser piece. I'd unplug the toaster, shake it a bit or stick my finger down in the there to free the mechanism, or get a fork and fish the bread out. The other problem was a simple one--he'd forget to check to make sure the toaster was plugged in. A patient man, he's not, and if something isn't right there in front of his eyes, he can't see it. I'm not telling any secrets here, he'd tell you the same things.

So today I found him a new toaster:

a 1930's model, made by an obscure company called Son-Chief. Apparently the company made toasters for quite a few years, and some of them were pretty streamlined. This one, well. Maybe you've had a toaster like this at some time in your life. You flip the doors down, put your bread in, wait a minute or two, open the doors, turn the bread over, and wait a couple minutes again. Walk away to do something else and you'll have burnt toast.

This is the kind of toaster we had when I was a young girl. It toasts fast, and there's no way to jam the bread in too-narrow slots. But it does require vigilance. 

Larry likes it. We'll see how well he likes it after he uses it a few times. Something tells me I'll be back in the toaster market before too long. Although I am perfectly happy with the Sunbeam myself. Maybe I should just take on toast master duties myself?

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 164: Serendipity, or the Planets Aligning

A friend dropped me a message: "Do you want a bunch of records and other stuff? For free? I'm cleaning out my cousin's estate, and there are so many, I don't know what to do with them all."

I recognized the tone. She was overwhelmed, as so many of us are when we are faced with clearing out the homes of loved ones who have passed away.

"Sure," I replied. "I'll take them. " I don't sell records, actually, and know nothing about them, or the terminology that probably went with selling used ones. Used books have all kinds of terms--foxed, bumped corners, broken spine, marbled endpapers, etc. Those I have a nodding acquaintance with. But records? It would be new territory. I was feeling a little overwhelmed myself by all the garden produce coming in, the painting projects that needed to be finished, all the usual tasks that fill our days. Still, I figured the records could keep until I had time to look at them.

There were a lot. She wasn't kidding. Her cousin had been wheelchair bound all his 82 years. When his mother died, my friend and her husband built a house especially designed for the cousin and moved him next door to them. Designing the house meant more than just wheelchair accessibility, because this man had a unique hobby: he had a small radio station on which he played his kind of music--big band, swing, musicals of the  mid-1900's, Rat Pack, etc. He also had a ham radio setup. Wheelchair-bound he might have been, but this was one busy, creative guy. My friend and her husband took care of him as far as travel, helping with shopping, doctor visits, etc., but for the most part the cousin was independent. It still amazes me to think of it, and I sure wish I'd met him.

But the records. And the CDs. And cassettes. And 5 1/4" old computer discs--remember them? There were 45's, 33's, even 78's, some of them at least a quarter inch thick. Some records were in those old album sets. We loaded all of it into the van and told our friend that probably we'd take the cassettes to a thrift store. She knew we'd probably sell what was good, and donate or trash the rest depending on condition and so forth. The van was full, front to back.

We did drop off a few cassettes to a thrift, but many of the were recordings of the cousin's radio shows, which they did not want. We figured those would have to go in the trash. On the way out of town we stopped at the local Goodwill, just for a quick look. You never know, right? Last week I found a signed Blenko glass bowl there, after all. As I was browsing, I heard a staff member tell a young man that there were more albums in the back of the store. My ears perked up. Someone was looking for albums?

So I walked over and asked the man, "Are you interested in old records?"

Yeah, he said. I love all kinds of music. Especially old music. 

Well, I told him, I have a whole van full of records outside. Wanna have a look?

Indeed he did. So this stranger and I met Larry at the van, and the young guy's eyes about bugged out when he saw what we had. The cassettes of radio shows thrilled him. "I drive this vehicle just because it has a cassette player," he said, beaming.

We gave him the whole load. He was absolutely thrilled as he carted all of it to his SUV. "I have been so bored during this lockdown, but I have plenty to listen to now," he said.

Maybe there were some records in there worth real money. I don't know. I got all I wanted from them just seeing the joy on that young man's face. Larry and I both smile whenever we talk about him. My friend was happy too, that her cousin's treasured collection and tapes are with someone who values them as much as he did.

This world is a big place, but sometimes it seems so small. And so wonderful.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 163: Roseville and Belle Valley

72 and so humid it feels like we could wring out the air like a dishcloth. More rain on the way today, and the gardens are loving it. 

Yesterday we took a road trip--back to Ohio and in fact, not too far from where we bought our van last week. I found a flatwall cabinet that I thought would be great for our booth, and it looked like it was only an hour and a half away. 

Hoo boy. Underestimated that; it took 2 1/2 hours to get to Roseville. The name was familiar to me, and many of you reading this have probably heard of Roseville pottery. It's beautiful and distinctive, and generally too expensive for me to own. But I never considered where it might have been made and as it turned out, it was in the very town we visited.

The Roseville pottery was established in 1890, and its art pottery became highly desirable, and remains sought after by collectors. The area where Roseville is located is called "Clay Valley", a hint of what the local industries might have been. Today the town is hanging on, benefiting from its location close to the larger city of Zanesville and a major interstate highway. This little vase is the only piece I own that looks like Roseville, although it is unmarked and I have not yet identified it with certainty--it could also be Weller or another of the popular art potteries of the early 20th century. But it gives an idea of the general look of the beautiful work the pottery produced. This website has many photos of Roseville pieces.

Interestingly, there is a mining company in Roseville that mines clay, limestone, and shale for commercial use.

We weren't able to stay and explore, unfortunately, as it was late and we had a long drive home. So we've got Roseville on our radar for a return trip when we have more time. And yes, the cabinet is nice, still in the van. It will need paint and new pulls, but other than that it's perfect. 

Along the way to Roseville we saw a couple of operating coal mines, and several communities where coal had been the main employer but was no more. In many ways we were reminded of southern West Virginia--empty, deserted homes, business locations with aging 'for sale' signs, poorly maintained streets and sidewalks. All signs of places that have lost the main source of income for the inhabitants. 

We took a different route home, and found ourselves driving through another historic area, Belle Valley. The event that made this part of Noble county, Ohio famous was a sad one, unfortunately: follow this link to read about the crash of the airship Shenandoah on September 3. 1925. It was a horrific event, made worse by the looting that began almost immediately. Amazingly, 12 men managed to survive by steering the front portion of the airship over 12 miles and landing it safely. This photo is from the website OhioMagazine.com

Again, no time to explore so we'll have to make another trip. We saw a museum, but these days it probably isn't open.

Isn't it funny how what seems like a straightforward trip turns into a journey into history. It's what makes travel so interesting.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 161: Good-bye to a good friend

70 this morning, another hot day but showering and thundering as I write.

Last week was a roller coaster of emotions: anxiety about our van, satisfaction as we put up more food for winter, joy at finding a replacement van, happiness over good sales at our booths, and sadness.

My friend Brenda finally lost her fight against brain cancer. Hers was a two-year journey, and for a long while it looked like she might win. But as often happens, a fall led to other issues and a steady downturn in her health. 

Brenda was my first friend here on the ridge, and lived only a mile away. I often walked to her house to meet my sons when the got off the bus. I'd get there early enough for Brenda and I to have a cup of instant coffee and a good visit. Since I had no telephone then, and no family within hundreds of miles, our friendship was my main communication with another woman for weeks at a time sometimes. We share political and ethical outlooks; our children were the same ages and we were both into growing our own food. Brenda got a milk goat just before we got ours; she had chickens too, and gardened and canned. We had much in common, even though we were raised in completely different places. She'd even lived for a few years in northern Virginia, where I grew up, so she understood my background.

I remember her parents, too, good people who could sure raise vegetables. For a few years Brenda helped her father grow truck crops to sell at a farmer's market; never have I seen such beautiful broccoli and cauliflower from a home garden. Her mother was an excellent country cook, and I shared many a treat she made.

Our boys and Brenda and Dave's girls played together like siblings. Brenda once had to take our son Aaron to school when he'd dawdled so badly on the walk to the bus that my other sons told the bus driver to just leave him behind.  When I decided to take the test for LPN school, Brenda encouraged me; although I did well on the test I did not get the same encouragement from my then-husband and didn't follow up. But her faith in my ability was a boost to my shy self. She began raising foster children, and I was impressed by her willingness to share her home and life with troubled children. 

When a long strike threatened at Dave's workplace, they sold their house and moved closer to town. By that time I was working as a part-time mail carrier and my marriage was foundering. With still no telephone, we were out of touch for several years. Then I remarried, Brenda went to nursing school, I went to college and had a baby. We saw each other from time to time, and it was always like picking up a conversation where we left off only minutes before. 

Finally, about 5 years ago, Brenda and Dave moved back to his homeplace, just a few miles down the road. I wish I could say that we once again saw each other often, but as usually happens, we just never got back into the habit. She was still raising foster children--and had adopted four--and I was busy with storytelling and our booths at antique malls. We'd stop to chat occasionally but didn't have the long visits of the past.

Although I didn't see her much in the past few years, I will miss Brenda very much. She was the good friend that was always there, and now she's gone, much too soon. 

Brenda's obituary is here. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 160: My New Ride

70 and humid, with a forecast of a hot day ahead. Good rain night before last has everything green again, although leaves are falling, and there are other signs that autumn might be arriving early.

So here's our new-to-us van. 

Not my favorite color, as it will show dirt badly--not a good thing when you live on a gravel road. But other than that, it suits us very well. It's very like our old van, which is nice because finding all the controls, buttons, bells and whistles can take a long time. I had my old one five years before I discovered a hand bin for maps ans such right under the passenger seat. This van doesn't have that nifty feature, unfortunately.

It is funny how manufacturers change such little things, for unfathomable reasons. There was a small compartment for glasses right over the driver's door in the old van, but gone in this one, and so is the handy hook for a trash bag. Little things, but we'd got used to them. However, it does have a backup camera and dual temperature controls so the conflict over who's hot and who's cold is over. That's very good news.

Larry spent Sunday morning installing seat covers, rubber floor mats, taking out the second row seats folding down the third row, and spreading a tarp over the carpet. I know you're thinking that we should have just bought a cargo van, but those do not come with all-wheel-drive except for some 2020 models we can't afford. And these Toyotas are so convertible, it fits all the uses we have for it.

This will be our main vehicle for the next seven years or more, I hope. I wonder how it will adapt to country living?

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

COVID Journal, Day 158: Green on Green

67 this morning, cloudy. Warmed up to the 80's and humid, looking like rain this afternoon but nothing so far.

There is a large watershed lake a few miles from here that is one of the most beautiful places in our county. Unlike other local scenery which usually features rolling hills and valleys, this is a strange place with rotting tree stumps sticking up out of the water, and many narrow backwaters and marshes. I am fascinated by it, especially the area with the stumps, which sprout a fine crop of grasses and other plants every summer. I have wanted to photograph this for a long time, and finally took time to do so the other day.

A Great Blue Heron surveys his watery kingdom. We have spotted eagles and egrets here too, but not this day. The heron had the stumps to himself.

This lake is called Elk Fork Lake, and it's located on Gay Road, just a few miles from the town of Ripley. It was constructed to control runoff that used to regularly flood Ripley and other low-lying communities. 

This is a popular fishing lake. There are usually quite a few boats in the water every day. It must be tricky navigating among the underwater snags.

There were seven lakes built altogether; the one on my road, Joe's Run, was the first, completed in the mid-70's, and I believe Elk Fork Lake was the last. All have provided recreational activities that were not formerly available. There was some opposition to the flooding of prime farmland to create these lakes, but I believe their worth has been proved by the reduced flooding and the many uses they offer--not to mention the abundance of wildlife and waterfowl that the lakes attract.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal: What Day Is It Anyway?

I am so behind on posts, but I have good reasons, honestly. What a week it's been.

First off, there was our poor old dog. Did I write about him being snake-bit? I don't think I did. Poor Otis. He is almost recovered now, but it was quite a scare. We think probably it was a copperhead. 

A happier event was getting this cabinet in place. 

We bought it in Ohio about a month ago, intending to sell it. But we liked it so much we decided to replace my old jelly cabinet with it. Now I can see the pretty dishes inside.

Then there were those peaches. I am finally done with them. Twenty quarts and more hours than I want to count later, but they're done and will be wonderful this winter. While I've been working on them, Larry's been at our son Derek's, continuing work on a block retaining wall there. 

A beautiful sky in Ohio on Thursday. Why was I in Ohio again? Well, after getting the insurance settlement for the damage Larry did to my poor van, we decided it was time to let the old girl go and get another one. 

I spent more countless hours on the computer, looking for one that was very like our old Toyota Sienna, only newer.  I finally narrowed the choice down to two, and we went to look at them Thursday. Both were in Ohio, and the one we eventually bought was in Wooster, a fair distance away, a 3 1/2 hour drive. But we found pretty close to what we wanted for the price we wanted, so we're happy and relieved to have this major hurdle out of the way.

As for the old van, we've decided to donate her to a disabled veterans organization that takes used vehicles. With her high mileage--256,000+ --and some mechanical issues, this seems like a good idea. I'll be completing the request form soon, and then we'll say a fond farewell to our faithful old girl.

Today we had some catch-up errands to do, including buying floormats, seat covers, etc for the new van. We stopped at a yard sale being held back a beautiful country road. A couple who were 86 and 87 years old, are moving to Florida and have sold their amazing home. We bought a lot of nice things for reasonable prices, and had a good visit with them. I wish I'd known them before--now they're almost ready to move away. Their gardens were quite a sight to see, flowers and herbs, vegetables and fruits everywhere. A veritable Garden of Eden. They've been caring for it all by themselves, and it's not a small place, covering several acres. What role models they are.

So that's most of the news. There are a couple other things, one good and two sad, that I'll try to write about in the next few days.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 154: Tomatoes and Peaches

Wonderful 59 degrees this morning, crisp and bright morning.

I was up to my elbows in peaches yesterday. It was a hard day; these were free peaches from a neighbor's tree and had a lot of insect damage, bruising, etc. So much cutting, trimming, and care. Some were cling, which means that the seed does not come away from the pulp easily--meaning more cutting. And they're small. As I cut the peaches up, I dropped the pieces into a pot of water with some lemon juice in it to keep them from turning brown. 

I ended up with 5 quarts, and then took the water I'd put them in, cooked it down, and made it into 5 pints of peach jelly. The water was full of peach juice and bits of pulp and made a pretty jelly. This was water I might have normally tossed out, but this time I was able to use it, given the amount of juiciness in these peaches.

The other thing I've been working on has been fun: dehydrated tomatoes. I've wanted to try this for years, and finally this year I have time to do it. The tray above holds a couple Black Krim slices and the rest are a large pink tomato that puzzles me because I don't remember planting pink tomatoes. It may be from a volunteer plant, as we had several good healthy volunteers this year.

There are about 10 tomatoes of various sizes in this pint jar. I could probably pack it fuller, but this is fine. These are the same as the popular sun-dried tomatoes; I could cover them with olive oil to store them too. I may try that with the batch I'm drying today. This is a great way to use up small amounts of tomatoes--we're getting tomatoes ripening in dribbles, which makes it difficult to make things like pasta sauce, but I can dry a small batch every day.

So back to the kitchen for more peaches. I'm about a third of the way through, so I see a couple more long days ahead of me. Is it worth it? I'm not sure, truthfully. But here are the peaches, and here I am, so that's all there is to it.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 152: Cooking, Cooking

67 and cloudy, but turned into a nice day, never reached 80 and the humidity dropped. A blessing for sure.

I cooked a lot over the weekend--the cookies that disappeared like water in the sun, and then yesterday, canning pepper mustard, putting sliced squash and tomatoes in the dehydrator, and fixing a big dinner since my son would be here to eat. 

If you're interested in the recipe for the pepper mustard, you can find it here. One note: I used sweet banana peppers and added hot sauce to my taste. This gets rid of the need to worry about burning your hands cutting up the hot variety. 

As for the dehydrated squash and tomatoes: a friend slices squash and zucchini lengthwise in long thin slices, dries them and uses them as substitutes for the noodles in lasagna. I'm willing to try anything once, so we shall see. As for the tomatoes, Tipper posted about drying them and raved about the flavor. So I'm going to give it a go. I tasted one that dried faster than the others, and liked it very much. This might be a good way to preserve those small batches of tomatoes that ripen and aren't enough to make anything else with.

Dinner was another effort to use up veggies. I made a squash casserole that was a big hit. I found the recipe on the Taste of Home website. A definite keeper, and so easy to make. Click here if you want to see the recipe.

Then I cut up tomatoes and cucumbers, added some chopped parsley and basil and poured Italian dressing over them. I set that dish in the fridge to blend the flavors. Delicious.

And cooked cabbage. We're one of those weird families that loves cooked cabbage. I just cut it up, boil in as little water as possible, add salt, pepper, and a good chunk of butter, and that's it. 

The main dish was a casserole made with our own sausage, browned with onions ans mushrooms, then added to my home-canned pasta sauce and whole tomatoes, adding some garlic, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and Worchester sauce, and simmered that together for a while. Poured this mixture over penne pasta, covered with shredded cheese, and baked for about 40 minutes. My son took a lot of it home with him, as well as some of the squash casserole and the cabbage. And of course, some of the pepper mustard.

It was a lot of cooking, but look how many vegetables I used up! That's a major win right now when we're inundated with goodness. And today, there were plenty of leftovers for dinner.

I'll be back in the kitchen tomorrow, as a neighbor gave us almost two bushels of peaches. I believe that will keep me busy for at least a couple days. Let these good things roll!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 151: A Lazy Saturday

67 this morning with 90 percent humidity. So cool, but so sticky. 

I'm enjoying this change in the weather, even with the high humidity. Yesterday it rained until mid-afternoon, light-to-heavy showers that were perfect for the gardens. 

We had a lazy day yesterday. The rain seems to invite us to slow down, doesn't it? We had a leisurely breakfast of apple pancakes with real West Virginia maple syrup and our own sausage. Coffee on the porch, then more coffee while I settled into a new-to-us recliner to finish my book. These recliners--there's a pair of them--are well worn but so comfortable. I made them into perfect "old-people" chairs by adding doilies. They remind me so much of some elderly person's home, but I cannot remember who. But the memory has a good feeling about it so I must have liked them. I know I am sadly out of style, but that's okay.

My book was the perfect choice for a rainy day: Rainsongs by Sue Hubbard. 

I believe it was Pat at Weaver of Grass who recommended it, and I enjoyed it very much. It's not a fast-moving story, rather one filled with vivid descriptions of a part of Ireland I have visited and loved, with strong, slow character development, much Irish history and lore, especially from County Kerry, and a story line that was at times uncomfortably close to my own heart. A woman lost her only son in an accident; twenty years later she also loses her husband and must go to a cottage he inherited in Ireland to sort out his affairs, and in the process try to sort her life as well. While not a happy story, it is not a sad one either, surprisingly, and a very satisfying read if you are in the mood for something slower and thoughtful. I will be looking for other titles by this author.

While I was reading my son Derek called to say he was on his way over with his daughter and grandson. How odd to say my son's grandson, but there it is, and a lovely little man Ryland is. He loved Granny's snickerdoodles, which I hastened to make when I realized I had no snacks in the house. 

They were just in the oven when our company arrived, and came out hot and ready just as the coffee was done. Ryland had several cookies, and even stole one right out of his mother's hand. 

He found the little wood workbench I have in the living room, and left it on the couch. I haven't had the heart to put it back where it belongs. A little boy's toy, left in his wake. It touches me somehow.

After they left, I got back to my book and finished it, then did some tidying up and worked on the china cabinet I'm painting. It's almost done, just the last sanding and waxing to do. Dinner was a pieced-together meal of leftover potato soup I'd made the day before, leftover cucumber-tomato-onion salad, and toasted homemade bread and butter. So delicious. Simple and very few dishes, too. 

In the evening we watched the first episode of The Grand, a BBC series about a hotel in England. It looks promising. We haven't watched anything in so long I can't remember what the last thing we watched was.

So that was our day. Nothing exciting or dramatic, just good. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 150: A Post from a Friend: Recycling and Sky-Diving

 70 this morning, muggy and cloudy after a stormy night--the kind of storms that are all noise and light show, but little rain. Still, the plants and I were both happy with it, and glad it wasn't a deluge that does more harm than good. Nice.

The following was posted by my longtime blog friend Nance--some of you that have been readers for a while have probably seen Nance's comments on my blog. She posted this on Facebook last week, and I thought it was wonderful and something all of you would also enjoy reading. So, with Nance's permission, I share it today, which is actually her birthday. What a nice coincidence.

"TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2011

Repurpose

I like the word "repurpose".

There are other words that go right along with repurpose -- like recycle, reuse, rerun, redo. I like them all too. In fact, I'm sure I've posted before:

Use it up

Wear it out

Make it do

or do without.

This was a long ago motto. Maybe it has been around forever but I think of it as coming out of the Great Depression or World War II. I grew up with it as a way of life.

My Mama didn't drain the potato water down the sink drain. She drained it into a bowl and used it to mash the potatoes instead of milk. Milk was better kept for drinking for growing children. Mama used the paper off the stick of oleo that went in the cookie dough, to grease the cookie sheet. Left over mashed potatoes became potato patties and left over boiled potatoes became fried potatoes. Left over stale bread was turned into bread pudding or dressing or even fed to the birds. But never thrown out in the trash.

My Mama cut buttons off of old worn out shirts. This was after the shirts outlived being a "good" shirt. A shirt or dress went from being "good" and going to town, school or work to being "everyday". Everyday shirts might be patched and miss a button but they were there to put on after school, to wear to the garden or to do the laundry. Ever day saved your "good" shirt for better things.

After a shirt was demoted from "ever day" it became a rag. Mama (or her daughters) cut the buttons off and ideally removed the thread and any fabric stuck to that button. The buttons went in the button box to be used later. The shirt went into the rag bag at the bottom of the boys' closet. Someday I'll write about the rags in the rag bag and what all those rags were repurposed for but for now, I better stick to this subject.

My Mama bought laundry soap in the big round economy box and every wastebasket in our house started life as a box of soap. One girl or another would need a 4-H or rainy day project and out would come the empty ALL detergent box and the patterned contact paper and soon there was a color-coordinated waste basket for whatever room was needing one! Repurposed strikes again!

Newspapers were repurposed big-time. Newspapers became pirate hats, drawer liners, mats for muddy wet boots and they also lined the bottom of Petey, the canary's, cage. Newspapers were, of course, a source for the "current event" that your social studies teacher requested each week. Newspapers were used to start fires, wrap coffee grounds and potato peelings. Folks paid good money for those newspapers and they were bound to get their money back out of them. I know my folks did.

White butcher paper that came home clean from the grocery store could be saved for art projects. When I was small, JC Penney's often wrapped your purchases and tied them up securely with a nice long piece of string. When you got home and unwrapped the packages, you got the ball of string already on hand, tied the new string onto the leading end and rolled it all back up together. The ball of string was an indicator of the economy. The better the economy, the better the shopping. With more shopping there was more string. So a big ball of string meant a good economy and a little ball of string meant no money to spend!

Shoe boxes were always saved and had a gazillion uses. They were used as drawer dividers, paper files, containers for small toys and paper dolls, They were used to organize my Mama's kitchen and my Dad's garage. Even with nine children, 2 adults and 22 feet at home, we never had enough shoe boxes. Of course, even with all those feet we usually only each had one new pair of shoes a year -- so only eleven new shoe boxes per year. No wonder there was a shoe box shortage!

Match boxes, wooden spools, bread wrapper twist ties, rubber bands, orange juice cans, glass jars -- the "to save" list goes on and on. Now, after all this, you might be wondering where I'm headed.

When I was in high school, it was fashionable to have long, long hair. Some girls liked the straight, "ironed" look and some of us wanted a little body in that long mop top. If you remember the pink foam or the pink plastic rollers, they weren't very big and if you had wrapped your head full of those little curlers, you would have looked like the naturally curly red-headed step child with hair uncontained and curling in all directions.

Something larger was needed. Large rollers or curlers that would give body but no frizz or curl and that was when we went to our Mama's surplus item box and dug out all the condensed orange juice cans. Now, they would have been washed and both ends cut out. With clean, mostly dry hair, you would roll it up and secure the cans with a super duper hair pin or two. Girls were known to suffer sleepless nights with a head-full orange-juice cans . . . but oh how nice to get up the next morning, shake the cans and the hair out and have all that straightened hair with body!"

Thank you for letting me share these good memories, Nance!

And here, friends, is what Nance did for her birthday. What a lady. Happy birthday!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 148: Painting, the Post Office and August teacup

73 at 8am, extremely humid. Another hot day.

After being away from home three days in a row, today I find myself tired, my stomach upset and my head feeling stuffy and achy. I'm not used to being away, that's the truth, after the past months of being home almost every single day of the week. My poor tummy is rebelling against the unfamiliar food--sandwiches picked up at a drive-thru, too much coffee--and my head is reacting to the hot stuffy humid air. And tired--well, don't you feel that way after being out for a day or two? Maybe I'm just showing my age but it wears me out.

So I'm low-key today, pushing myself to do the usual housework and get back to painting that china cabinet. I've finished coat 3 of new paint this afternoon. I've worked a bit on ebay too, packing things for shipping. I was surprised and concerned at this message on the ebay shipping page: "USPS is experiencing significant delays across their delivery network. Please consider using other carrier options that may provide a better buyer experience."

Hunh? What other options do I have? None, I can tell you that with confidence. FedEX and UPS charge to pick up packages and their shipping rates are outrageous for the kinds of things I ship. Big volume shippers probably get great rates, but not small-time sellers like me. To use either of these services means a trip into town, or pay an exorbitant price for pickup. I am deeply concerned about what's going on with the USPS. That service is a lifeline for many rural people, especially the elderly. To see what's happening to it right now is frightening and sad.

I will be closely watching the news about the post office changes, and hoping it can hold on and remain that backbone of communication it has always been. I understand when change is necessary, but I think we'd be cutting off our noses to spite our faces if the service were to be ended.

At least I can get some peace of mind with a cup of tea. And with a pretty cup to make it taste better--well, that's what my mother always said. This month's cup is marked "Z.B. Co. Bavaria." It's simple, but a nice shape and holds more than some. I bought a set of 4 for 2 dollars, but one cracked on the way home, and I sold the other two, just keeping this one for my own use. The basket of flowers seems appropriate for this late summer month. The pretty little platter behind it was a 25-cent find, and is our morning toast plate now. We both like it, which is funny because I didn't think my husband noticed what dishes we use. Apparently he does. Pretty sweet.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 147: Flat, and Some Cool Finds

70 this morning, humid as can be. It got up to about 90, but now it's clouding up so maybe there's a shower coming our way. I can hope.

I've been working at the antique mall the past two days, re-doing a table I painted. The table had two issues: first, a stain came up through the paint and second, I had not painted the legs because I thought they looked great in their original finish. Apparently I was alone in that thought! So back to the paint. After sanding, shellac on the stain, re-painting and waxing the top and painting and waxing the legs, it looks fine. A lot of work, and the price is still the same. Sheesh. But I am more satisfied with it, and that's important.

We had a couple more big things to bring in, so Larry came over with them later, in the truck. Boy was I glad to see him, because my van had a flat tire. It was low when I got to the mall, and within minutes it was flat as could be. Larry showed up and had the little air compressor with him, so he could pump up the flat a little and get the van to a safe place to change the tire. Hot as it was, he just got in there and did it. One reason I love my man. The lady who owns the bakery at the corner brought him a cold water, such a thoughtful thing to do.

When we got back home, we were both flat-out tired. He went in and took a nap, and I listed things on ebay. Here's one thing I listed today:

This is a huge Blenko Glass pitcher, apparently only made for one year, 1970. I bought it at the mall today. It won't sell fast, probably, so i can enjoy it for a while until I have to send it on its way.

A  few other things I listed today:

I bought this compote at the Marietta mall, thinking it was Early American Pattern Glass, which I would add to my collection. I could not find an ID for it, and finally asked on one of the Facebook glass groups. A member identified it for me as a Cambridge piece, made in 1916. So not pattern glass as it's not within the right timeframe, so I decided to sell it.

Then there are these abalone shell plates. I've had a hard time finding information on them, but as best I've been able to learn these were a mid-century thing, possibly for serving caviar and other seafood. There are two on ebay for 99.00 for the pair, amazingly. I bought the lot for 1.99, so I listed the 8 pieces for 99.00 or best offer. We shall see what happens there.

I listed a couple crystal pieces too, one Rogaska glass and one Waterford cream pitcher.. Learning how to find the very tiny maker's marks on crystal has helped hugely in identifying good pieces, but of course not all of it is marked. Thankfully, these two were.

M.A. Hadley is a pottery maker in Kentucky with a very distinctive style. Every now and then I find pieces of her pottery, like these three plates.

It took me a while to identify this goblet-like piece, and finally I again went to a glass group on Facebook for help. A member who is quite a glass expert identified it for me as L.E. Smith Glass, and it is not a goblet, but a jam stand. That, I would never have guessed. I had hoped it was pattern glass but it's from the 60's-70's era, so it went on ebay.

Identifying glass and the other interesting things I pick up is really a fascinating hobby, but quite time-consuming as you can imagine. I guess it appeals to the research librarian in me, and also to the side of my that loves puzzles. I find it relaxing, something to do when I just need to sit and rest for a while. The only downside is that a lot of beautiful glass ends up coming to live here, and I am constantly having to decide what stays and what has to be sold. But it's a good problem to have.

Monday the van goes to the shop to get the front end aligned and maybe a new tie-rod---there goes money. And new tires. Ah me. Money in, money out. The name of the game, right?

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 146: Almost Losing Track of the Days

The weather has been pretty consistent this past week: 80's during the day, 60's at night. Fairly humid, but a wonderful break from the 90-degree days of July.

I do love August. Mornings stay cool almost right up to noon, and after 5 in the evening the heat begins leaving quickly so we can enjoy being outside. I guess the only downside is insects. There seem to be a plethora of them this month, from moths to gnats to weird flying things I've never seen before. Evenings and night are especially bad, especially for me since they eat me alive unless I use a repellent of some kind. But we can have firepit time again, and Larry's been cooking out a lot. Dinners are grilled corn, tomatoes, cucmbers, some kind of grilled meat or fish. The other night we had a small picking of green beans which I cooked with thyme and made a sauce from the pot liquer. Delicious.

Mixing a few flower garden photos in with today's post. I'll have to get some vegetable garden photos later. Here, the view down to the chicken house. The apple tree in center has a lot of apples but we're battling a thieving squirrel for them.

This month is serious food preservation month around here. We are not putting up any corn since we have too much left over from last year, but we are still doing tomatoes, and I made another batch of dill pickles over the weekend. I also flash-froze some squash and finally got bags for the vacuum sealer given to us by other son, so I am trying it out with the squash. The sauerkraut is working, onions and garlic are hung to dry, potatoes are stored away, and I'm saving the banana peppers we're getting to make pepper mustard. 

Rosemary in the big clay pot, thyme and sage in the planter on the wall. The tall, big-leaved plant is a hibiscus we transplanted from a swamp this spring. It's doing quite well in its new home.

There's dill for salads and bread, basil is flourishing, as are the thyme, rosemary, and sage. The parsley plants are disappointing but I'm hoping they'll hang on and over-winter so I'll have plants in the spring. I've dried plenty for this year's use anyway. Chamomile is blooming, the chives are growing...

Looking over the walled garden, where the dill, chives, basil, chamomile, and sad parsley are growing. Also some calendula, and there are watermelon vines, some Tenderette green beans, and a new planting of cucumbers in here. There are some grapes on the grape arbor. Yay! 

The only downsides: blight is hitting the tomatoes, some of them before they've had and ripe maters. And the deer. They got into my big flower bed and pretty well mowed it. So disappointing. 

The Naked Ladies are in their garden seat. I do love these flowers, also called Magic Lilies and a few other things.

We've had some rain, some real deluges and some showers but it is getting dry again and we've had to start watering. Again. It's been a boom or dust summer, seems like we can't get a balance between booming storms and dry, dry, dry,

Well. Besides gardens and weather, what have we been doing? Because really we do have a life of sorts!  Just a lot quieter than past summers. I've been working on my poetry more than I have for a while, and have written some fair stuff.  And we got two new-to-us recliners that I just love, but they meant a big rearranging project in the long room--which is currently cluttered with furniture to be prepared for our booths. I've been trying to get some things finished up just to get some space again. The workroom, where I am supposed to, um, work, is getting better now that Larry has finished working on two big pieces so I will be able to move back out there this week. 

Besides deer, we also have dog-and-cat problems. In this struggling flowerbed, the cat has decided to make it a litter box, and the dog has been walking through, so new barricades are up. Thyme, rosemary and oregano are in here, along with a red peony that has yet to bloom, some new iris and phlox, a sorry tea rose, lemon balm and bergamot.

We've also been doing more work at our booths and the extra attention is showing in sales. I think people are nesting this summer--since the usual travel is out, people are working on their homes, making changes and fixing things up. I've seen many home improvement projects in progress, and buyers say they're changing decor, or getting ready for autumn. Are you finding the same thing in your area/around your home? Are you nesting too? I guess I am, as I've made a few changes and have more in mind when we get time for them.

The road to my neighbor's house, about 3 miles away. It's a rough ride--this is a smoother portion. There is an escaped Chinese pheasant and his mate living somewhere in this area. I've spotted him a few  times on the road; our neighbors plan to try to trap the pair before winter, as they're unlikely to survive. She has a great hand with raising poultry, so I hope she is successful.

Oh, and we have new baby chicks! That's courtesy of our neighbor who bought pullet day-old chicks for 50 cents apiece and shared with us. So we'll have a new laying flock in a few months. We were down to 8 hens, which means an average of 6 eggs a day. Since we usually eat 4 for breakfast, that made it feel too tight, especially since our son and some friends like to get eggs from us.

That's about all the news from here. Just the usual day in, day out things that make life pleasant. I hope your days have been the same! 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 141: A Day to Catch Up

66 and light showers this morning, but becoming sunny and humid. Still, the temperatures are much better these days, and no AC needed at night.

After two days of tomatoes, we're resting a little bit today, just trying to catch up. We ended up with  80 quarts of tomato juice, which will be enough for this year, I think. Any more tomatoes will become pasta sauce, as we can always use that.

Our friend came to pick up the Sellers cabinet yesterday and brought her 9 year-old son with her. What a delight. He was curious about everything, pronounced our house the "coolest house" he's ever been to. He checked for eggs several times while he was here, and wanted to help make tomato juice because he was very interested in how we did it. So we went ahead and made juice, with help from Riley and his mother. So much fun, and a reminder of the days when our grandchildren were here and helping. 

Riley wanted to help pick vegetables in the garden, too, and to taste fruitcake. Longtime readers here know we make fruitcake with my sisters every year, and I still have a few from last year, so we broke one out. Riley said it was delicious, and wanted his mother to try it. She doesn't like fruitcake usually,but this one might have changed her mind. 

Of course Riley had to try the tomato juice too, even though it was still hot. He tasted, thought, added salt and pepper and pronounced it excellent. I usually don't add a lot of salt or pepper when I make the juice, but after tasting his concoction I upped my amounts of both, plus more Worchestershire sauce and hot sauce. Delicious. 

It took until almost dark to clean up and put everything away. Today we did a bit more cleanup, and then Larry has been mowing grass while I clean house, do laundry and pack ebay sales. Life is back to something like normal--and we have rows and rows of beautiful tomato juice in the cellar. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 139: Tomato Time

67 this morning, a light shower then cool and hazy. Never made it to 80 all day, and not too humid, a real treat.

This morning we were out early to pick tomatoes at a local farm. Came home with five bushels, enough to keep us busy all afternoon and probably half of tomorrow. We're making all of these into tomato juice, which we love, because we have plenty of whole tomatoes, salsa and pasta sauce already. 

These are tomorrow's work.

And one of the many pots today, cooked down and ready for the Squeezo.

The day's work done, and then all the cleanup to do--my least favorite part. This is one of three Squeezo's or Victorio's we own. I cannot remember how I ended up with three, but oh well. There is really nothing like them for tomatoes and applesauce.

We had a brief visit with my son Derek and his daughter and grandson on the way home, then this evening some neighbors came over bringing a gift of food--a favor we returned by giving them corn and cucumbers. I love this time of year, with such a bounty of food to share.

And today was Zoom poetry workshop too, so I got to see other friends as we shared and worked on our work. What pleasure this gives me. This group keeps me motivated to write, and I find myself challenged to try to be a better write because of them. They are all better poets than I will ever be, but I am learning a great deal from them, and they are so generous with their time and input. The best part? I get to read and hear them read their poems. Bliss.

Tomorrow another visit as the friend who bought the Sellers cabinet will be coming to pick it up. We'll share lunch with her and her son, all part of business, of course. Have I said how much I like this time of year? Well, especially since it's no longer July 😊

So a nice day today even if we did work pretty hard, and another one coming up tomorrow. Life is good.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 138: Campfire Smoke

63 this morning, a cool night with windows and doors open, and no AC. What a pleasure.

We had firepit time this evening, after a dinner of our first corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a medley of green beans, new potatoes, onions, squash and carrots, all from the garden. The corn is a fitting tribute to the full moon, called the Green Corn Moon by some--green corn being fresh corn as opposed to dried corn stored for winter use.

 

The smell of the smoke brought back a flood of memories this evening, of times spent beside a fire. Times like these:

• picnics with the family when I was a girl, at the Manassas Battlefield Park or a smaller park called Conway Robinson. Mom would pack up a simple dinner, often a pot of spaghetti, or maybe hotdogs or even breakfast foods like eggs and bacon. No matter what we had to eat, there were always marshmallows to roast over the fire. Dad was in his element, hatchet on a hanger on his belt, booted and ready to build the perfect fire. Which he always did. 

                                                                 Mom at Conway Robinson Park, late 50's early 60's. 

• camping with my first four sons. Many weekends when we were looking for a place to move to, we'd take off in our little Chevy van that we had set up for easy camping. We had a big box with our food, all things that needed no refrigeration, and all out utensils. We'd grab the Coleman stove, sleeping bags, eggs and a few other things, and some clean clothes and be out the door in 20 minutes. Then we'd drive to the mountains, usually with a bottle of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill tucked in my bag. When we found a likely spot in the national forest or a roadside park, we'd set up camp and build a fire. After the boys went to sleep we'd sit by the fire with our cheap wine and watch the stars. Mornings, we'd stoke up the fire and make eggs, fried potatoes and tea or coffee. What good times those were, full of the promise of the future.
• camping here on this land before we got our house built. We built a shed and set up a fire ring for cooking. We'd sleep out under the stars, or if it was raining, inside the shed. 
• New Year's bonfires, which we did for years, and still do sometimes at our son's house. Friends and family, faces around the fire, stories, singing, food, wine...what good times.

                                                         

• storytelling at campfires all around West Virginia. Smoke, rapt faces, ghost stories and ballads. Afterwards my hair and clothes smelling of smoke, but I didn't notice it while I was telling.

• evenings at my friend Kirk's camp at Buckeye, WV on the Greenbrier River. Poets and musicians, wine, moonshine, laughter, stories and stories and stories.
• and of course the many, many fires in our firepit, often just me and Larry, the dogs and the cats, quiet evenings listening to night descend.

All good memories, and there are many more I've forgotten to list. A reminder that even in hard times there are still treasures to be had that need little to be discovered. Just a firepit, some wood, a match, and time. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.