Connecticut Harvest

Early on in this blog, I got some complaints from some of you who shall remain nameless that I was spending too much time on the garden. Now I think I'm not spending enough time on it!! Summer has been hot this year, sometimes oppressively so. Deer are hungry and we have been under attack from all sides! Our neighbor feeds the little cuties, and that makes matters even worse. They eat her grain then come over to our yard for dessert.

Someday I'm going to make a list of all the plants that deer simply won't eat - and when I do, you will find many herbs on that list. So we usually get a good crop of herbs, and since some of them have nice flowers, well, that's nice too. I harvested the basket in the picture today - there is tarragon, basil, fennel seeds, calendula, yarrow and nasturtium flowers. It's time to make flavored vinegars which I will use all winter. Here are some combinations that are my favorites: mint/dill/garlic in cider vinegar (my mom always made this); tarragon/lemon peel in white wine or rice vinegar; fennel seed/clove/orange peel in red wine vinegar. Just pop the herbs into a big enough bottle and cover with vinegar, store in a cool place for a few weeks, and its ready to use. You can use as-is or re-bottle some with just a sprig of the herb/fruit in the new bottle to give to friends. Its fun to play around with them.

Calendula and nasturtium are nice flowers to put into salads. Yarrow is an interesting plant. I've always loved the smell of it, which reminds me of bay leaves. It has a reputation as a medicinal herb for stanching bleeding and healing wounds. It is said that Achilles used it to stop his soldiers' wounds from bleeding - hence its genus, Achillea. I also read somewhere that the Chinese used the very straight stems from yarrow plants to make sticks to cast the I Ching.

Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream....

Last night there were hastily-organized demonstrations across the country in support of Cindy Sheehan, the woman who lost her son in Iraq and has parked herself outside the entrance to the Bush ranch in Texas, demanding an explanation. I saw on the web there was one planned right in our very own (heavily Republican) town of Ridgefield, CT, right on Main Street in front of the town hall. Naturally I went! The scene was eerily familiar - the crowd a lot older than the last time we all had to do this in the 60's and 70's. Noticeably lacking in young people! But there were about 100 people there, more than I would have expected given the nature of our community. We stood with our candles and signs where passing motorists could see us - "honk if you want to end the war"! My informal poll of the observers suggested that of those who made responses, around 70% were supportive - more than I had expected. Oh yeah, every once in awhile someone would drive by and yell at us out the window of his car- one guy even stopped in the middle of the intersection to berate the crowd telling us that we were being especially unpatriotic, since the Revolutionary war was fought right here, in this very street! In an earlier time, we might have pulled him from the car and rolled it, but cooler heads prevailed and he drove off in a huff.

Anyway, it was beautiful evening - a lovely clear sunset, caring people, candles in the dusk. The way life should be. Stop the War.

Meanwhile, Back in Connecticut...

Mike got his first car. It's a Toyota Corolla, and believe it or not, we bought it on eBay! Seller turned out to be a local guy ten minutes from our house, right in the next town of Pound Ridge, NY. Car has about 50,000 miles, and seems to be in good shape. So look out, folks, Mike's on the road!!

We also had a chance to visit Uncle Teddy and Aunt Mary Vukcevic in Euclid. It was great to see them again. Both are looking well and are getting along despite the usual ailments of age. It was nice to catch up on their family and also to see the generations together.
 

Another Great Week at the Farm

Just got back from another great week at the farm. It was really relaxing, and great to spend time with Paul and Laura and - of course! - niece Helen and nephew Jack. We picked blueberries and swam nearly every day - pool felt great, because it was so hot all week. The kids and I took the horse trail for a long hike one day - here's a picture of the intrepid hikers on the trail, braving heat and bugs and poison ivy!

Jack is very into building things - his favorite cartoon is a show called 'Bob the Builder'. So we got a birdhouse kit which he and Paul built. Good idea for Jack to learn early about using tools! After much debate, it was decided to paint the birdhouse 'John Deere' colors - green and yellow! I imagine it will be home to many happy feathered generations!

Harriet Knirsch

I want to take a minute to pay tribute to a wonderful and gracious lady and the mother of my friend Karen Knirsch, who passed away last week after a long illness. I met Harriet Knirsch when Karen and I were students at Oberlin together. What a treat it was for a kid from the small town of Chardon, Ohio to visit the BIG APPLE!! Harriet and Benno lived just across the Hudson from that magical city, in the town of West New York, New Jersey - an easy bus ride into New York. So many times I was welcomed into their home as Karen's friend - Harriet was as gentle as Benno could be gruff. She often surprised us with tickets to hear music and see the ballet, knowing Karen's musical talent and preferences. In a family of effusive, boundless energy, Harriet always seemed the quiet center. I will always remember her kindness and grace. My deepest sympathies to Karen, sister Susan and brother-in-law Dave.