refrigerator revelation

Atop my fridge is a wine rack with a variety of mostly Ohio wines. To the left the remains of my homemade raspberry wine in a thrift store "genie" bottle and jars of surplus sugar and flour. To the right a vintage Japanese tea set that was in a $1 auction box lot.

Have you ever seen a kitchen with a naked fridge in an occupied home? I can't say that I have.

On my fridge there resides:

• a picture of my great niece
• "all states of mind reproduce themselves" magnet
• a list of Ohio apples and what they're best suited for
• "When your heart is in your dream then no wish is too extreme"-Jiminy Cricket quote magnet
• last years garden layout (to remind me how much space and how many rows I can plant)
• "all that we are is a result of what we have thought" -Buddah quote magnet
• a picture ton from a magazine of some earrings I'd like to duplicate
• "when sleeping woman wake, mountains move" magnet
• a heart drawing by my grandaughter
  

• John Lennon magnet from the Rock Hall. The only time I visited was when they featured his life and work
• instructions for building a simple solar oven
• "remember, absent everything else, you are not" magnet
• a drawing by my great niece that depicts me and my cat Oden
• "What would love do now?" magnet
• a list of positive affirmations to aid healing
• "If the whole world were to follow you, would you be happy with where you took it?" magnet
  

• "we are all one" magnet
• a thank you card from my great niece with a very nice leaf mosaic
• a framed flower photo taken by my daughter
• kewpie magnets
• advertising magnet for septic cleaning that reads, "a flush beats a full house." Cute slogan, eh?
• "choose love" magnet.
  
• a picture of great grandson Tyler
• a "Happy Thanksgiving" card from grandson Luke

• mountain sunrise drawing by grandson Luke
• "to the world you may be one person but to one person you may be the world" magnet

It appears a lot can be revealed about a person by their refrigerator decor. So dear readers, what's on your fridge?

my place of sorcery

Enter our home from either door and you enter the kitchen. My country kitchen is homey, amply sized and somewhat eclectic. We don’t have a separate dining area, so the kitchen truly is the central place in our home where the majority of my day’s activities take place and where people seem to gather when they visit. It’s where the action is and where magic happens, where cupboards are filled with a myriad of ingredients and items for magic making.

The antique medicine cupboard on the east wall is abundantly full of herbs and spices to conjure up a most scrumptious meal or culinary treat.


The farmhouse cupboard on the southwest wall is stocked with more herbs most specifically for tea and medicinal use.

Behind the glass doors reside essential oils as well for aromatherapy potions and massage oils. There are bottles and jars both empty and full, and crystals tucked in baskets along with books on herbs and oils as well as my own secret recipes written into my book of shadows.

The bakers rack in the southeast corner hosts my most loved and most used cookbooks.

A small wooden chest houses those more rarely used herbs and you can see soap curing on another shelf. Beside the bakers rack resides my wicker chair at the window, situated intentionally for reading, recipe browsing or simply relaxing with a cup of tea.

Above the stove is a plaque purposefully chosen for that space. It shows the Kanji symbol representing love.

I believe the energy of words and thought are as real as anything.

I consider love a most essential ingredient and a constant in any sorcery that takes place here. Therefore, it’s most assuredly all good.

Last but certainly not least, there is my kitchen table where much if not most of the magic happens. You’ve seen it time and time again in photos I’ve shared. Appropriately it takes center stage. We purchased it in early 93, specifically for this kitchen during our first residence here and just shortly before we learned we had to move. Eventually it was passed on to our son. When his family no longer needed it was put to use at our daughter’s house. It has had fifteen years of steady use, of dough rolling, cookie cutting, kid climbing, card playing and dinner eating. It may look rough and in need of refinishing, but it’s imbued with all fifteen years worth of good vibes from family and friends gathering round it, so to me how it appears doesn’t really matter. It's value is in memories and function. Like me, it’s a bit careworn and weathered, but like me it has come home and together we make magic happen.

afternoon thoughts

Spider spins and weaves a web across the front porch from post to a hanging mobile. So intent with just this one mission, I don’t have the heart to tell him to take his business elsewhere. I watch the intricacy of his work, tiny limbs move with lightening speed in nimble perfection. Voila! He shoots through the air then stops to resume spinning his transportive web. I watch, in awe of this tiny miraculous creature of the earth.

A mamma bluebird perches atop the electrical line, keeping an ever watchful eye on the box that houses her young ones below. She and Papa never travel far from their young. Every so often Papa returns to the nest and peers in through the hole in the box to check in on the youngsters.

Redwing Blackbirds chirp loudly as they dart back and forth across the summer sky. They now own the south field where in late winter and early, early spring the Red Tail, Kestral and various other hawks ruled and hunted. Now seldom is a hawk seen as the Redwing sentries perch atop grass and weed. And if a hawk dare traverse their territory he is met with quick aggression, chased off by a flurry of redwings.

A faithful couple, the cardinals fly to and fro from Maple to Spirea, melodiously calling out to one another as they flutter and dart from tree limb to bush. There is much activity today in the green of the Maple tree.

We planted that tree in 88 or 89 during our first residence here, having dug it from my sister’s property. Just a small, young thing, it survived being bumped and broken more than once by the lawnmower. Not only did it survive, it thrived. When we returned here in 06 it was a wonderful sight to behold…our tree stood tall and mature, providing perfect afternoon shade for the front lawn and the south window.

When we first returned here in May of 06 to begin clean up as a favor to our friends, I would take a few minutes to myself on occasion to go out, sit on the ground and face the woods. I would find myself speaking with the trees and sometimes I would cry, yearning to come back. Oh how I had missed the beauty of their presence.

What is it that connects us so strongly to a place, making us feel so sure of where we belong? I do not know, but I do know beyond a doubt that it exists. And so, for a moment or two each day, I find myself being consciously thankful for my return.

around the homestead

Plants were purchased on Thursday and we were able to get a variety of Brandywine, Amish Paste and Cherokee Purple tomatoes as well as a variety of hot and sweet peppers. After mulling it over, we decided we have to forfeit a weekend picnic with family in order to get the garden in. The weather forecast is excellent through Monday and we can’t let the opportunity pass. Last year the weather was too wet for planting on the Memorial Day weekend and our garden was a little late getting planted. Since we are planting a second plot this year, it will likely take us most of the weekend to get garden related chores accomplished.

We knew our small plot was very rich dirt as we had planted their years prior. A number of years have passed since our prior tenancy here, and the woods have grown closer to the back edge of the yard. We made a tough call about whether to risk keeping the young walnut that hovers over the secondary plot. As much as we hate to ever cut a tree, (sigh) we decided we couldn’t risk the possibility of the tree destroying a good portion of our food supply especially now, with the increasing costs of goods. We just learned our electric co-op is intending a rate hike, which was expected, but that it could be as much as a 70% increase, putting us above state regulated companies. Yikes! That makes us ever more dependent on our homegrown food supply and our ability to cut costs wherever we can. So, down came said Walnut.

It didn’t want to fall precisely where we had estimated so Coop and I had to help it along by roping it and directing a pull. We both can feel that in our back and shoulders! She wasn’t teribly big but took everything we had to pull her down.

As I also mentioned the other day, the spirea are in blossom and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them bloom so thick and full. Probably because Coop had cut them back extensively the first year here. Last year they had just a few blooms but more than made up for that this spring. As you can see they’re large bushes and I’d guestimate about forty years old or better. When we lived her before we kept them trimmed down, but when we moved back in August of 06 they were overgrown to the point of entirely blocking the sidewalk.

And here are the "bronze" Iris.

And, Mr. GE being silly.

On Thursday I baked up a batch of banana bread.

One loaf went to the freezer for use later, one loaf was cut and another one (with chocolate chips) saved for last night’s dessert when the kids were up for dinner. I made my daughters favorite meal; crispy fried chicken, smashed taters, milk gravy and a green salad.

The past week kept us busy as usual, puttering about inside and outside the house. Coop retilled the back garden patch and I planted the zinnias, we did our monthly bargain shopping among other things. I looked for lye while we were out, but despite it being a common commodity in stores some years back, no one carries it these days. In fact when I asked about it, no one I spoke with even knew what it was. I figured Sam and Fannie, our Amish friends, would know where to find it, so I asked when we stopped by to get eggs and butter. It just so happens Sam’s parents purchase it in bulk, so Fanny said the next time they saw her in laws, she would see if she could get me some. I am anxious to try making my own soap. Fanny had called us into the bedroom to speak with her. I mentioned in a previous post that she was pregnant. She’s further along than I realized and now at 24 weeks she’s at risk and will be bed bound now until she delivers. If she carries to term that means all summer. I felt so bad for her and Sam. It was obvious how worried they were. They have a girl there to help out, taking over Fanny’s responsibilities in and around the house and I noticed a boy out helping Sam on the farm.

Coop also put my antique medicine cupboard up this past week! Yay! I’m using it as a spice cabinet in the kitchen. He wanted to paint it but I argued that point. I wanted to retain its character so after a good clean up, he hung it up as is. He even made a shelf for it to replace the one that was missing.

(yes, I really do need all these herbs & spices)

I bought this about 15 years ago from an old gentleman at a yard sale. It was priced at $2 but when I showed an interest he let me have it for $1. Throughout the years it’s one of the few things I’ve held on to. Some things just have that type of simple, nostalgic charm and you do that. Precisely why I keep Coop around..snicker snicker. Well, at least that’s what I tell him anyhow. : ) Truth is I don’t know what I’d do without the man…but don’t tell him that, ok?

a home, a reflection, a refuge

As we go through the days we may tend to take our living space for granted, seeing it as simply a place to eat, sleep and work. Caring for our homes can begin to feel tedious at times as there are always dishes to wash and floors to sweep and bills to pay for the privilege of living within the walls we call home. Before long, one can become focused on all that feels burdensome rather than what is actually a blessing.

A home is so much more than a space we occupy or come to at the end of a day. It is more than a building that shelters us from the elements. A home is a refuge, a dwelling place that offers us warmth and protection, a gathering place for family and friends. A home reflects the spirit of those who dwell within it.

Everything in the universe is composed of constantly changing energy, so this is true also of your home and its contents. We invite energy into our home, (consciously or not) that makes it what it is. This energy not only mirrors us, but can greatly influence us. Realizing this, we can become more conscious and appreciative in caring for our homes. Rather than viewing our daily housekeeping as a burden, we can see it as a privilege and a blessing. We are the caretakers of the space we call home. We are not separate from it, but an integral part of it and everything within it. It is sacred space and with this thought in mind, we can imbue it with love and appreciation by the way we go about our tasks.