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Sunday, May 24, 2015

SWEET BRIAR COTTAGE JOURNAL: MEMORIAL DAY

Hello dear friends!  First, I would like to thank all those that have served and are serving our country and to all their families.  Your sacrifice is never forgotten here!

Well!  Spring has finally arrived in all its rosy and violet glory!  One day the trees were bare and stark, the next the lanes are canopied in soft yellow-green fronds.  As long as I live, I will always be in awe of nature and of spring. The lilacs have begun to bloom, just as they have every spring, cold or not.  How do they know that it is May? 
Lilacs are my very favorite flower and my very favorite lilac is Beauty of Moscow, a pretty double white.  It is acting coy, just popping open one bud at a time, slowly, like popcorn in a warming pan.  Perhaps next week it will bloom.   I guess anything worthwhile is worth waiting for is the lesson I am to draw from it. In the meantime I will enjoy the anemones blooming in the white garden.

Memorial Day weekend is also the official opening weekend of the tourist season around here.  Oh my!  So many people, so much  traffic and noise!  Jamie set out for a walk, but came back after waiting fifteen minutes to cross the street.  Only last week, you could have shot a cannon down Main Street and not hit a soul.  So we retreated to our orchard for peace and quiet.  We have procrastinated in digging a fire pit  for eons, but decided this weekend would be it.  It only took about 15 minutes!  Why did we put it off so long? 
I plan to do a lot of campfire cookery this summer because  a.) it's fun and b.) it saves on electricity.  It also just tastes better.  Even if you can't afford a vacation, you  can vacation in your own backyard.  When the boys were little, we would make up some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sit on a blanket under a tree and read all day or study the clouds.  In the evening we would look for shooting stars and  UFOs  :).   You see, children don't really care about the money you spend on a vacation, what they really want is your undivided attention.  So  never feel sad or guilty because you can't give your children some expensive trip to Disneyland, I couldn't, and I don't think any of my children grew up any worse for not having those things.

Two nearby villages, Caseville and Harbor Beach, held their village-wide garage sales this weekend, also.  We found a few things, not much that was remarkable, just practical.  Ever since they put shows like American Pickers on TV, people have an unrealistic idea of the value of their junk!  But it was fun just to drive around and soak in all the beautiful scenery.  We turned down one country lane and I spotted my dream home!  It was an old farmhouse, silvered and sun bleached.  The old tin roof was falling in.  But I could envision taking all that old wood  and  perfectly rusted tin roofing,   and building my dream home.  After the furnace incident and dealing with zoning laws, I really have a desire to chuck it all and go live in a cabin off -the-grid.  It would just be one big harvest room with a big wood cook stove for heat.  And it would be far away from everything, especially  building inspectors and tax assessors!  And no big flower gardens, just big banks of orange day lilies and of course a lilac bush or two.  Ah well, one can dream can't they?

I said I wouldn't but I did (!)  can asparagus.
I just couldn't see it go to waste.  Plus this year has been a real bear, financially and I'm not about to waste free food!  We still haven't received the bill for the furnace, so we stopped in the plumber to ask for it but it wasn't prepared yet.  But the receptionist was rather cryptic, stating that there were some pretty expensive parts that needed to be replaced.  Sigh!  Then, this weekend our car's "check engine" light came on.  When it rains it pours!   I'm always so thankful for our bountiful gardens and well-stocked pantry to help see us through tough times.  We haven't bought a cartload of groceries in months.  Thank goodness! So don't let anyone dissuade you from stocking an emergency pantry.  You never know when your "times of troubles" may come!

Thrifty Things We Did This Week

Got free compost from the village for our garden. (They mulch and compost all the leaves in the fall and the villagers can take it for free.)
Canned eight pints asparagus.
Bought more canning jars at the garage sales.
Ate out of the pantry.
Hung the laundry out on the line.
Planted corn, potatoes and  pumpkins that we had saved the seeds from last year.
Vacationed at home.
Picked lilacs for floral arrangements.
Gathered things for a garage sale.
Harvested asparagus and yes, rhubarb from the garden (hopefully next week, we'll have lettuce.)
Killed the weeds growing by spraying vinegar with dish soap.










12 comments:

  1. I too love lilacs, they are so beautiful, I use to have access to the largest lilac tree as a child and we would pick them for my mother. One of these days I will really need to find a spot in my garden to tuck one in. :) Your outdoor fire pit sounds like fun, as well as your plans to campfire cook, we love our backyard campfires, we mostly just roast marshmallows and hot dogs, but I would love to try some cast iron cookery outdoors one of these days. Hope you have a nice weekend! :)

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    1. Those little Tinkerbell ones don't take up much space, April. We have some growing on the south side of our house and they are only about knee high after six years. And they get lots of blooms. Yeah, I think it is going to be fun to do some cast iron cooking. Looking at all the recipes for it are really making me hungry! My prayers will be with you on Tuesday! Speedy recovery!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  2. Hi! Happy Memorial Day! You must have healthy soil...those lilacs are large! Beautiful! I bet they smell great. Our lilac season is over. I have lots of good memories doing bon fires growing up! Food does taste wonderful thrown into the fire (we just threw in our food wrapped in aluminum foil). How worrisome...waiting to see what your bill is. I have always had estimates for me to ok before work is done. We have never gone on a real vacation. My husband is too practical. And now I am too much of a homebody! Andrea

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    1. Hi Andrea! Happy Memorial Day to you too! According to geological surveys, we have some of the richest soil in the country. Beautiful rich black soil. We would have gotten an estimate, but were more concerned about just getting the boiler up and working. We were under the impression that some of the parts were under warranty but the way the clerk talked, I'm not sure. Oh well! What will be, will be! The few times we went a real vacation, we were miserable. I like to play everything by ear, but my husband like to plan every little detail down to the time we arrive and leave the hotel. Travel is fine if I can be home at the end of the day!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  3. What lovely lilacs dear Jane, and your anemones are sweet looking. Your canned asparagus looks great too. The fire pit looks like a fun place to hang out and to cook over too. Enjoy.

    Sorry about your furnace and your car too.

    I am eating more beans and rice these days to help keep expenses down.

    Hope your day today is a nice one. I'll be puttering here at home.

    Love, hugs and prayers ~ FlowerLady



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    1. It's been one thing after another, Rainey. But you know all about that, too. I can't wait to show you my beauty of Moscow, it is stunning. Isn't that the way it goes? The roses will be disappointing this year but the lilac are extraordinary. The Lord giveth and taketh away! You are in my thoughts and prayers, sweet Rainey!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  4. What gorgeous lilacs! Oh Jane, you're a girl after my own outdoorsy heart. Your firepit is lovely I love open-fire cooking and did a lot of it when our youngest and I worked a local historic site for school tours (part of her American History while she was homeschooled.) Great fun! Isn't it wonderful to cook outside all the while keeping the house cool.
    We are working around the home place today...no parades for us, either. We do honor our veterans though by helping support the disabled ones.
    Have a great day!

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    1. I bet your daughter learned more history that way, then she would have reading a history book. I think it's so important for people to learn how others lived in the past. We have Voyageur reenactors here every summer. Fascinating! We're painting today, no holiday for us! I'm glad you contribute to the disabled veterans. My dad belonged to the DAV, it's a worthy cause! God Bless!

      Jane

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  5. Oh Jane, lilac is one of my favorite flowers here in the cottage...their scent is just intoxicating :0) Like you, I do outside cooking, there is nothing like grilled vegetables from your garden :0) mari

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    1. That's very true, Mari! Especially if you pick them just minutes before grilling them. Hope you are doing better!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  6. dear jane,
    your lilacs are a dream !!! love the white anemone,they are so beautiful.outdoor cooking is a wonderful idea and save a lot of electricity.
    have a nice day,
    hugs ,regina

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    1. Hi Regina! The lilacs are beautiful this year. You should see the village, everyone has a lilac in their yard. You should smell the village. It's like a dream!

      Hugs
      Jane

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