Covid Journal, Day 38: Homely Things

51 and stormy this morning. We've had sheeting rain, hail, clouds, high winds (again!) and sunshine today. April is such a temperamental month.

Since it was really nasty this morning, we both decided on inside work. I started my day listing things on ebay, which I seem to do better in the mornings. I think listing, and writing in general for me, go better with coffee. I got four items done--an antique lamp shade, a gooseneck lamp with no shade, an antique oil lamp without its burner or chimney (already sold), a set of 4 art prints of pretty birdhouses, and a Fenton glass bell.

The glass shade. Such a pretty thing.

 I was going to do more, but went to make more coffee and got sidetracked. I wanted something with the coffee, and we had no cookies or cake, so I thought I'd make some biscotti. To do that meant hunting up all the ingredients. Larry had rearranged my big pantry cupboard after spilling some honey in there, and I have not been able to find anything since. So I set to getting it back the way I like it. I found all kinds of things--the missing raisins, three opened bags of all-purpose flour, a jar of chocolate chips, extra jars of peanut butter. A lot of things. Then I got to work on the biscotti.

Biscotti isn't hard to make but it is time-consuming, a point I'd forgotten. You mix it, then shape it, bake it a while, take it out and slice it, put the slices back in the oven to toast on one side, take them out again and turn them over, toast on the other side, then finally let them cool on a rack. By the time I was finished, my coffee was long gone. But now I have two jars of a lovely treat to have with my coffee.

I do like these old made-in-Japan cookie jars. My mother disliked anything from Japan because she lived through WWII, and for years I carried on her dislike, until one day I realized that there really were some pretty things made there. And finally overcame my aversion.

When I finished that I put together a pot of lentil and ham soup, one of my favorites. I've been meaning to make it all last winter, so when I came upon a jar (actually, 2 jars) of lentils in the cupboard, I decided today was the day. There's plenty leftover for tomorrow, which is fine with me.

I'd no sooner got the soup on to cook when Larry came in with the mail and a box. It was my order from San Francisco Herb Company. I've ordered from this company off and on for 40 years. Their prices are so good--but you have to buy in bulk, and I believe there's a $30 minimum. But just look at these prices:

Now, a 1/2 pound of Chamomile is a LOT of chamomile; ditto the orange peel, pepper, rosehips and spearmint. I have plenty to blend my own herb teas now for a year or more, which is what I plan to do. A friend gave me a blend she made with spearmint, rosehips, chamomile and cinnamon and I want to make it myself, adding a bit of orange peel to the mix. And candied ginger is as good for my stomach as an antacid; this is far, far less than I would pay anywhere else for candied ginger. Coconut is always a favorite, and I'm thinking to make some macaroons soon. I would pay more than this for just a few ounces each of the things on my list. So I was happy to get them, but it was back to the pantry to put everything in containers and stored away.

When I finished with the herbs and spices, I got to work on the two painting projects I've been working on, and got them both finished and ready to take to the booth tomorrow. As I mentioned before, the antique mall is closed but the owner is working there on other projects and online selling, so we can take things in. I am so glad to be done with this because now I'll get my kitchen cleared out. I've had 4 chairs and the small table I was working on in there and it was getting cramped! Here's the dining table, all finished. It has a neat folding center leaf.

And the little table. This one has leaves too; the sides fold down.

Larry worked on the bathroom floor again, this time replacing some tiles. He's worked on this in fits and starts, and I think it may be midsummer before he gets done. Joking of course, but tile is not his favorite thing to do. He was glad when the weather cleared up and he could escape outside.

With these high winds, we had to tie down the two little greenhouses. I'd already tied the one with Christmas ribbon in the middle of the night last week when a bad storm blew up, but Larry found some actual rope to tie the other. All the plants are looking good so far.

The day ended with a beautiful evening, although the winds continued. Sometime maybe we'll get to sit out on the patio again and enjoy a fire, but not yet.

So that was our day. Nothing outstanding, just lots of little tasks that kept us busy right up to 7pm. Tomorrow I go back to the doctor to take this monitor back, and drop off the furniture at the mall. Maybe we'll take the long way home. Why not? There's not a lot of places to go these days!

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

Small Things

Coffee time,

In the cupboard,

flowers in the window, 

and tea time.

It's the little things, the small moments, the fleeting glance that make the everyday something special.


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

The Kitchen: Memories and Memories

A conversation with my husband today got me thinking about kitchens and the ones that left an impression on me.It is funny how one thing--in this case a large preserving kettle in an antique shop--will spur a memory and lead to remembering long-forgotten places, people, or things.

Me, first Christmas in this house, 1976. That's my
first Tappan stove in the background. The house
was nowhere near finished yet.

The kettle reminded me of the neighbor we called "Grandma" Compton. She wasn't my grandmother, of course. My grandmothers lived in England and New Orleans. But she suggested to my mother that we children call her that, even though to be honest she was a little frightening to us. She was, we thought, really old. Now I realize Grandma Compton was probably about the age I am now, possibly a few years older. Her deep, rich voice intimidated any child thinking of mischief, and her eyes didn't seem to miss a thing.

(This memory of Grandma Compton's kitchen is sharing space with some pics of the evolution of my kitchen here in this house I built with my first husband 40 years ago.)

 We didn't go to her house often; in fact, I can only remember being there twice. Once was with my mother for some kind of party event where pretty things were shown by a lady to a group of other ladies, and the pretties were passed around for everyone to see. I don't remember what the things were, but I remember trying to keep one of them until my mother's firm voice told me to pass it on.

About 1979, pretty tired from canning all summer and getting
ready for my parents' second visit. Things were a little more
finished, but no electricity yet.

The second visit is the one I remember most clearly. Grandma Compton had come up to our house with a large, steaming preserving kettle--the blue-black speckled kind--full of the most heavenly-smelling applesauce. In her booming voice she suggested my mother send me down to get more apples, as she had more of them than she could work up.

So a little bit later I was shyly knocking on the door of the big white Victorian house two doors down
from us and shaking a bit when a loud voice called "Come on in!" I made my way timidly through the dark hallway with its looming oak hall tree and wide stairs that disappeared in darkness above me. "Come in, come in!" the voice boomed again, and then I was in the kitchen.

About 1982. My parents were visiting for
the third time, bringing English family
with them. Still no electricity, and the Tappan
had given up and was replaced by this stove that
I came to hate.

And what a kitchen it was. A cast-iron, white porcelain sink with a high backsplash was on one wall, and another wall was covered by tall dark wood cabinets with beadboard doors at the bottom and glass doors at the top that reached all the way to the ceiling 12 feet above. Windows looked out to a sunroom and gardens beyond. The smell of spicy applesauce filled the room, wafting from steaming kettles on a large old-fashioned porcelain stove that stood on curving legs. A large aluminum kettle added its own heat to the room as it boiled away on another burner.

Grandma Compton's sharp eyes saw me and she said, "Hello there. You've come for the apples, I expect." I could only nod, my voice completely trapped in my throat."

She clumped over to the door that led to the back porch and lifted a brown bag full of apples, bringing it over to where I stood like a statue. "Will you help your mother with these?"

I nodded quickly and swallowed. "Yes ma'am," I squeaked.

She smiled. "Well then, get along home now." I scurried out of there and up the walk with the heavy bags, my feet seeming to grow wings.

Early 1986, when I was working fulltime as a security guard in
Charleston. That year I had my 5th son, and in 3 years I would be a
 sophomore in college, and we would finally have electricity.

I can still see that kitchen in my mind, with the crockery bowls on the shelves in the cabinet and Grandma Compton in her full apron and sturdy black lace-up shoes with their chunky one-inch heels. And I think now she would have liked it if I had stayed and talked, for she lived alone. I also think her kitchen is part of what inspired my love of vintage kitchen tools and crockery from the 1930's-1950's.

What about you? Is there a kitchen that stays vividly in your mind, one that brings back emotions and even smells when you think of it?

And another thought: Where does the word kitchen come from anyway? According to Wiktionary: 

My wood cookstove, which I finally sold
2 years ago.

"From Middle English kytchen, kichene, küchen, from Old English cyċen, cyċene (“kitchen; cooking; cuisine”), from Proto-Germanic *kukinǭ (“kitchen”), a borrowing from Vulgar Latin cucīna, from Latin coquīna (“kitchen; cuisine”), from coquō (“to cook”), from Proto-Indo-European *pekʷ- (“to cook, become ripe”). Germanic cognates include Saterland Frisian Köäkene (“kitchen”), West Frisian koken (“kitchen”), Dutch keuken (“kitchen”), German Low German Köken (“kitchen”), German Küche (“kitchen”), Danish køkken (“kitchen”). Romance cognates include French cuisine (borrowed into English cuisine), Italian cucina, and Spanish cocina. In other languages, the cognate term often refers both to the room and the type of cooking. In English, the distinction is generally made via the etymological twins kitchen (“room”) (of Germanic origin) and cuisine (“type of cooking”) (from French)."

My kitchen today, with another beloved Tappan range:

For a fascinating look at kitchens through the ages, check out these sites:

Wayfair's Kitchens Through the Ages.

This Old House's American Kitchens Through the Ages

If vintage stoves are your thing, this post on Old House Online is a fun browse.

I am looking forward to reading about your favorite kitchens in the comments!




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

Another Update: Marietta Booth

This was a get-back-to-work week for us! We hadn't been to Marietta for a month--the time slipped by so quickly, and then it turned so cold I didn't want to be away from home that long. So we had lots of catch-up work to do.

Sales were good in December but they're in the toilet so far this month, worst we've ever seen. We assumed the lower sales in October and November were election-related but now I am not so sure. Other friends with retail businesses tell me that they're having the same issue--people are coming and looking but not spending. And restaurants are seeing lower than usual traffic too. So we'll see what happens the rest of the month. I'm running a sale for the rest of the month and probably into February, so we'll see if that helps.

Meanwhile, here's a bit of what we did:
We found this table last weekend and the yellow chairs about a month ago. The table needed only a little cleaning up to be ready. We have had the red chair for a while and decided to just put it in the booth, and priced all pieces separately so people can mix and matcg as they choose. The big silver tray was badly tarnished but cleaned up nicely.

Lots of shiny chrome appliances!

Changed up the display on this table to include silverplate, and some candleholders. Sometimes just moving things around helps them sell.

Looking into one of our booths.

Again, changed up the items on display. Next trip we'll be doing some major changes to this area, moving the Hoosier, etc. to give this booth a fresh look.

I love this Hoosier. It has a fantastic capacity, can hold all kinds of stuff.

Peeking inside the Hoosier--nifty cup rack, isn't it? There are two of them. Quite a few Swanky Swigs have gathered in this booth, so I got them all together.

Afghans, quilts and books on this tall shelf because the floor is shaky in this area and it's not a safe place for glass. It's not unsafe, just, you know...old.

This corner cabinet isn't nearly as wide as the photo makes it look!

I gathered up barware for display on the porcelain-topped table.

The old phonograph is still here. I set it up so people could see inside.--and put a 25% off sticker on it.

That's bit of what we did, anyway. I packed up quite a few things to be stored or gotten rid of--sometimes that has to happen too, if something's just not moving and taking up a lot of shelf space. So today I have some sorting and packing to do as we unload the van. It's a stuff in, stuff out business for sure.

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

Quiet but Busy: Painting and Canning

Besides planning for our trip, I've been canning and painting, not necessarily in that order.

 Pickles and vegetable soup have been the order of the day this week, along with some frozen squash medley. I have discovered that if I saute' squash, onions, celery and peppers together the squash is delicious and not squeaky like frozen squash usually is. We have had an overload of yellow squash this year, after having none last year, and a person can only eat so much squash! This mix is delicious with a little garlic and red pepper tossed in and put over rice, or mixed into pasta sauce and put over spaghetti noodles or macaroni. I expect I'll find other uses for it too.

Larry planted late green beans and they've provided enough for seven pints canned, and for adding to vegetable soup. I've got about 30 pints of veggie soup put up now, and will probably get a few more before we're done.The late corn is just about ready, a small patch of turnips and other greens is getting going, and the late onions are also coming on now. Despite the terrible heat this summer the gardens have done well.

As for painting, I've been rolling out some small projects and Larry got another dinette set ready to go. Here's a look at some of what we've been doing:

 This little desk was just ugly--it had been badly painted in the 70's, I guess, with one of those antiquing kits. I planned to paint it all-over red, but the top was rough so I gave it a good sanding. As I sanded, this finish emerged, and I loved it.

 We have a stockpile of chairs, so it wasn't hard to choose one I thought would look best with the desk.

We've been putting this set together for a while. We started, actually, in February or March of 2015, when we found the table. It was in a small, non-electric log cabin that had belonged to a 95-year-old man. We bought several items from his estate. The table had no chairs to match so we began looking for some we could have re-upholstered. We had the two cream ones already done, and then found two others that were not really matches but we went ahead and had them covered in turquoise to make this set. Some elbow grease to clean up the table and here she is:

I have had this table in my booths for 3 years with no takers, so it came home and got a coat of paint. Maybe now it will sell? Fingers crossed!

The little decorative sled just needed a coat of paint and some white glaze; the table was another one of those "let's sand this and see what happens" moments.

This is a work in progress. I can see I need to take it apart--again--and paint the inside of that bottom piece.  It will also get some prisms hanging from each light holder and a crystal bead chain to hang it. I put timed candles inside the light holders.

I call him Don Carlos--he's made to hold a bottle of wine. He had some chips and scrapes so I did some repainting and touch-up to spiff him up. I think he's pretty cool.

Little lamp got a coat of teal to brighten it up.

Larry has been working on old fans lately. Somehow we ended up with a half dozen of them, all needed some TLC. He's done some rewiring, cleaning and even fixed one so it rotates properly.

An upcoming project. We've had this in the workroom for a while and finally pulled it out and put it together. Sadly it's missing two of the glass doors that swing up and under. It's a Wernicke lawyer's bookcase and in perfect condition they bring good money. This one, with the missing doors and the damage to the top, won't bring anything like the usual price. We will repair the base and remove the veneer from the top, which will then have to be repainted. The rest will get a good wipe-down and then we'll see if it needs more work to make it look good again.

It looks like the top got water damage at some point. What a shame.

I had so much fun re-doing this bed lamp. It was a plain brown metal, and needed to be re-wired. We teamed up to find a good cord for it and got it re-done, then I painted and stenciled it. Kinda wishing I could keep it but I really have no need for it.

Little magazine rack is ready to go. I am so bad about taking before photos, but try to imagine it dark brown stain, scratched and scuffed and dirty. There is such pleasure in transforming a piece from junk to keeper.

That's a few of the things I've been working on. In progress are a coat rack, two little tables that will be painted with a Coca-Cola theme, a wood box with a floral transfer on top, a mirror frame, some candleholders, two lamps...what else? Stay tuned to see the finished results.

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