The Summer Solstice

Solstice Sounds

Cordelia 6/17/08

Listen to the call of the ancient bones,

Rising up from the ancient stones.

Heartbeats from those who have gone before,

Stir upon the land once more.

As the sun rises high in the summer sky,

We listen to the words the ancestors cry.

Remember us and remember our stories,

Telling of a time of former glory.

When the earth was clean, the waters pure,

Food from the harvest soon ready to store.

Using and taking only what they would need,

Returning to the ground the precious seed.

As the wheel of the year continues to turn,

Lessons from the past we must learn.

Listen to the call of the ancient bones,

Rising up the from the ancient stones.

Wishing you all a wonderful Summer!

And to my dear friends in the UK celebrating at Stonehenge,
I am there with you in spirit!

Tasty Tuesdays - Fruit Baskets

As the summer fruits arrive at the roadside stands, markets and produce sections of our stores I thought I would share a picture today instead of a recipe.

I made this for a picnic a few years ago. I used my Pampered Chef cutter to make the design around the watermelon. Scoop and add melon balls from watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew to the watermelon shell. Pineapple chunks & cherries trim the outside. Kiwi is lined in the scooped out honeydew shell and then filled with grapes. You could also use the cantelope shell. Grapes, kiwi and strawberry surround the bowls. The combinations and designs are limitless. Let your imagination go and create a fresh fruit work of art for your next picnic!

We Are Divisible

Read any old books on etiquette and the two topics of conversation that are to be avoided are religion and politics. Now times have changed and we discuss things openly, but these two topics still seem to cause deep division and heated dialogue. So before you read this, let me state for the record I am both spiritual and patriotic. I just may not express it in the same way as you. I respect the right of all to believe as they see fit and ask the same respect from others in return.

This past Sunday NBC News omitted part of the Pledge of Allegiance, the part that states "under God", during a segment that opened the U.S. Open. And the uproar began. Now they have issued apologies. In their apology they stated it was not their intent to upset anyone by doing this, that they were focusing on patriotism. So now people who supported their decision are upset.

With all that is going on in the world, is this really that big of an issue? How I wish people could put as much energy in to caring about world hunger, war, the environment, domestic abuse, health care, etc., etc.. You get the point.

How much do you know about the history of this pledge? I invite you to read "The Pledge of Allegiance, A Short History" by Dr. John W. Baer.  The original pledge was written by Baptist Minister Francis Bellamy in August 1892.  Here is the original text of the Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to my Flag

and the Republic for which it stands,

one nation, indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all.

Obviously, the part of the pledge, under God, that caused so much discussion, is not in the original text. Yet I can honestly say I don't think since the Revolutionary War was there ever a higher tide of patriotism as during WWI and WWII. And people prayed in their own way for their country, without that clause in the pledge. It was not added until 1954 after a campaign by The Knights of Columbus.

And if the word God is in the pledge, just which God are we under? If you listen to the Conservatives of today it is only the Christian God they follow. And even there, not all Protestants believe the same. Add to the mix Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and all the other religions of the world, how do you determine which Gods or Goddesses call the shots for the country? And then of course another heated question; what about the Agnostics and Atheists? Do they not have rights?

I am a genealogist and I love the fact that since the first days when the Europeans started to settle this land, America has been a melting pot. Unless your lineage is from the original inhabitants of this land, your family at some point lived elsewhere and you are descended from a diverse collection of immigrants. They came here for many reasons, seeking the American Dream of freedom and prosperity. One of the freedoms they sought was Freedom of Religion. My father's paternal line descends from the first settlers of Maryland who sailed from England on The Arc & The Dove. They were escaping the persecutions they faced as Catholics. My mother's family includes the early settlers of Pennsylvania.  Quakers and Mennonites, among other denominations, all wanting the chance to worship as they pleased. The Puritans came on The Mayflower with the same desire. Against their will, the Europeans brought the people from Africa. Eventually all corners of the world would seek refuge here. Today we are all Americans, with very diverse backgrounds.

Separation of Church and State prevents any one religion or spiritual path from dictating the governing body. Right now there is a frightening push in this country to make it only one religious affiliation. I quite like the original pledge. How I wish those who recite the pledge truly believed what they were saying about liberty and justice for all. I personally think we need to focus more on that concept! We sure aren't there yet. Interestingly at the time the original pledge was written, women did not yet have the right to vote. The 19th Amendment would not be passed until 1919 and would take another year to be ratified. It would take almost a half a century until the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, outlawing all discrimination in the voting process. So we are relatively new at allowing freedom for all. There is still so much hatred based on race, gender, sexual orientation as well as religious and political affiliation.

I respect the right of every American to believe as their heart and mind leads them. Faith is a very personal thing. And just because someone may not want to use the word God in the pledge does not make them unpatriotic. The word God does not need to be in the pledge for people to naturally call on the Divine for guidance for their country. However, I am not so sure the Divine of any spiritual path would be too pleased with the way we treat one another. 

I will close with a quote I have used before and will continue to use because I love the message. "It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength." Maya Angelou

Father's Day 2011 - Part 2

Today I am honoring my grandfathers that grace my family tree as part of my Father's Day 2011 post.

PATERNAL SIDE

Walter Kefauver Spalding
01 July 1896 - 03 July 1970

Grandpa Spalding was born in Thurmont, Maryland.  His first jobs were with the railroad. When jobs were scarce in the late 1920's he moved his family to York Haven where a job a the Paper Mill waited for him. He worked there until he retired in the early 1960's. I loved going to visit there. Grandpa was just an older version of my dad. He had such a warmth about him and he loved his grandchildren and spoiled us well with attention.  I loved the holidays because he would set up a big train platform in the living room and it included animals, trees and homemade houses. My aunt passed those houses on to me and I still display them during the holidays. In the center of the platform was a silver aluminum tree with the rotating color wheel on the side to light it up in various colors. In 1968 my grandparents moved from York Haven to the city and were only a few blocks from us. I got to see them even more then until Grandpa passed in the summer of 1970. After that Grandma moved to Quincy.  Summers in York Haven gave me many wonderful childhood memories.

Bernard Hampton Spalding
13 March 1866 - 25 August 1952

I never met my Great Grandpa Hamp, but through daddy and Grandpa Walter I felt I knew him. When they were together they often talked about him. He was born in Emmitsburg, the son of the local blacksmith. His father died only a year and a half after he was born so he never got to know his father. His sister Hattie took her baby brother under her wing and the two of them were very close according to older family members. His mother later moved the family to Mechanicstown (now Thurmont). He would marry and raise his family and live out his life there. Daddy loved going to visit his grandparents in Thurmont and was close to them. He often talked about how upset he was that his grandfather passed while he was overseas in the Navy and he wasn't able to get home for the funeral.

Charles Nicholas Spalding
01 October 1819 - 03 October 1867

Charles was born in Taneytown and the family later moved to Emmitsburg. There he married and raised his family. By the 1860 Census he is listed as Master Blacksmith. The family home was on Annandale Rd, close to where Mt. St. Mary's college is today. In June of 1863 the Union Troops were camped in Emmitsburg. Family tradition is that he would have been forced to serve the troops and help shoe their horses. I often wondered how he would have felt about this, knowing a number of his cousins were fighting with the Confederacy. His passing is recorded in the church records but I have not been able to find a cause for his passing at age 48.

William Webb
18 January 1823 - 15 March 1911

William was the father of Annie Louise Webb, who married my great grandfather, Bernard Hampton Spalding. He was a blacksmith, first in Emmitsburg and then later in Mechanicstown. I don't know a lot about him, but continue to search for other Webb cousins who may shed more light on this family for me. 





Rev. Franklin Benjamin Emenheiser
22 May 1870 - 28 April 1957

My great grandfather Emenheiser died a few months before I was born. I never got to meet him, but heard about him through the years from my dad. He was born in the rural countryside of York County where his family farmed for several generations. He went to Lebanon Valley College to prepare for his 40 years of ministry. His charges took him all over South Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland. It was during his time at Weller's Church in Thurmont his daughter Ruth Rebecca Emenheiser met Walter Spalding.

Benjamin Franklin Emenheiser
24 July 1837 -29 October 1916

Father of Rev. Franklin Benjamin Emenheiser. Benjamin was a farmer and the father of 10 children, 7 boys, 3 girls, 9 lived to be adults. He and his wife, Elizabeth Keller were married 56 years when he passed.

MATERNAL SIDE

Ralph Steiner
circa 1900 - date of death unknown

Ah, the elusive Grandpa Ralph! With all the triumphs of my family tree I still long to know more about Ralph and that branch of my tree. If I do have a picture of him among some of the unidentified photos I don't know it but I doubt it as my mother said she didn't think any were him. He apparently left my grandmother when my mom was only 4. I never heard too much nice about him over the years I was growing up from my grandma or her brothers. My mother never said much about him, other than she did remember a few gifts from him. The one she talked about the most was her life sized doll she named "Monie". She had it for a number of years, but after she fed it fish, her mom made her throw it away because of the smell. She used to laugh and say she couldn't understand why! I have a piece of doll furniture he was said to have made for her, that is pictured here.

There was a pocketbook of my grandma's that I always loved to play with when I was little. When she passed I kept this. Some time later I discovered a side zipper inside, something I had noticed when I used to play with it. In that pocket was the marriage license and divorce decree and a few letters from Ralph. These are great treasures to me!

These letters shed a new light on Ralph for me. In them he was begging my grandmother to come live with him so they could be together as a family. One of my grandmother's brothers was still living at the time I found these and I asked him about this. He said that my grandmother refused to leave her parents home, feeling as the only daughter it was her duty to stay and take care of them. I had always been told he deserted them. Sounds like they both played a part in their seperation. Perhaps a job took him some where else or he just didn't want to live there. It was a big house so room wasn't an issue. My grandma made the decision to stay with her parents over going with him.  The marriage licence has no birthdates, but from the 1930 Census I know he was born around 1900. The census states only that he was born in the United States and location of parents' birth listed as the same. I do not know the names of his parents. Family tradition stated his mother was Native American, possibly Lakota. I was always told he was a truck driver, though in the 1930 Census his occupation is listed as Fireman, shovel work. So I am still searching!


Michael Watson Mundis
04 August 1870 - 11 Dec 1967

"Pap", the patriarch of our family. I grew up under the influence of Victorian ideals and teachings. No wonder I feel like such a fish out of water! Loved this man so much and I treasure every minute I had him in my life. Living just across the street made it easy to spend time with him and my grandma. Pretty much where Pap was, I was by his side. From him I learned my love of the past and to honor the ancestors. He knew the old ways of natural medicines and healings. If only I would have been older that I could have remembered more of what he shared. He was fit for his age, still taking long walks, and I mean several miles, daily until he was about 95. One of the funny things I remember is that I would help him "sew" the newspaper for easier reading. We would open the newspaper flat so there were no folds, then take a large upholstery needle with twine on it and put a few stitches up the center to bind it. He hated loose pages falling on the floor so this was a daily routine.

He worked hard as a farmer until the family moved in to West York in the late 1920's. While there he served as Chief Burgess. He worked odd jobs as a carpenter and I thought it was interesting that he and my Great Grandpa Emenheiser met many years before my mom and dad married. Pap was helping to build the church where Great Grandpa Emenheiser was assigned and both of them worked together building it. In the 1940's Pap moved his household, which included my mother and grandmother, to the home on West King St. where he lived until he passed there in 1968. My grandma lived there until she passed in 1977. I didn't realize when I was really young that he was my great grandpa, not my grandpa. Since Ralph wasn't there, it just fit that there was a "Pap"! Next to my dad, I have to say Pap was the greatest influence on me during my childhood. His death when I was ten was the first death of a close relative I had to deal with and one I took very hard. But he lived 97 years and up until the last year of his life, he was in good health. A well lived life to be celebrated and he left his family with wonderful memories!

Daniel Mundis
17 June 1834 - 10 Aug 1917

My Pap often talked about what a hard worker his father Daniel was. The family lived in Winterstown and were tobacco farmers and a number of the boys were farmed out to others to help on their farms. Daniel was only 5 when his father George passed. He and his siblings are listed on the list of Poor Children in York County in the late 1830's so I am sure he did not have an easy childhood after the loss of his father. I visited the family homestead many years ago and I was always amazed to think that my Pap lived there with so many siblings along with his parents. Daniel and Henrietta had 16 children, 13 of which lived to be adults, many of them well in to their 80's and beyond. In his old age, Daniel lived with his daughter in the city of York where her husband managed a hotel. Pap said that his father went out to sit on the bench one day and just fell asleep there and passed away. Another long life in the Mundis family.


David Murray Brenneman
24 February 1842 - 11 March 1912

David was the father of Sarah Elizabeth Brenneman who married my Pap Mundis. In the 1880 Census he is in Winterstown with his wife Sarah Rebecca Himes and their family. His occupation is listed as carpenter. My grandmother did not know much about her grandfather, though she did remember him living with her Aunt Aldia at a farm not far from theirs in Hallam. She would have been 12 when he passed there in 1912. 

Related Blogs:
Father's Day 2011 - Part One
Mother's Day 2011

Father's Day 2011

Since I paid tribute to the special women in my family tree in my Mother's Day 2011 post, I thought I would do the same for the gentlemen this Father's Day! The love, support and wisdom my father and grandfather's shared was priceless. I miss them all so much. Not a day goes by that I don't think of them.

Well then I got working on adding some more stuff to my dad's Military Page at Ancestry.com and lost track of time. So this will be a two parter. Sharing about dad today and then tomorrow I will post on my grandfathers and the greats down the line.  I started a Military Page for Jesse Deeter, my father-in-law who passed in February. I wanted to do something to honor him for my hubby for this Father's Day. Need to do some more digging there, but at least I got it started!

For all the men out there who are dads, grandpas and uncles or stand in for those roles, enjoy the day!

Charles Warren Spalding
February 28, 1930 - January 10, 2000

To hear me talk, you would think my dad was perfect. Well, obviously no one is, he would have been the first to admit that. But my dad did his very best to be a loving father to me and husband to my mom. His love was that rare unconditional love. He always had an encouraging word for me and even on days when I knew I didn't, he would tell me I looked nice.  Now we had our moments of conflict, those teenage years when we were on opposite sides of the whole Vietnam War issue were quite volatile when the subject was raised. Mom often said she needed a whistle to referee. Dad taught me to question and form my own opinions. It was just that he was hoping they might be his more conservative ones. When he could work he was a bookkeeper. Many years were spent at home though recovering from one back surgery after another. It was because of this that we got to spend so much time together. He used to tell me that being home with mom and me was the blessing of the injury.

I have so many wonderful memories of the times spent with my dad. I have shared some of these in other blogs.  Most of all what I remember is that I was well loved and returned that love to him as well.

Below is one of my favorite pictures of my dad and me. Safe in my dad's arms on Christmas Eve 1957. When I look at this I remember the sense of security I had with my dad and knew he would take care of me and protect me no matter what. I was told I gave my parents a very special gift that Christmas. I had colic for 3 months that ended that night. That is probably why dad has the big grin on his face!

On the right is the picture I shared yesterday. I am all dressed up for my fourth birthday party in my Pollyanna dress. I truly did live with rose colored glasses on as I grew up. My dad, grandpa and my pap were my protectors. I didn't have to deal much with the nastiness of the world until I was older. They kept the dragons out of the castle! Another reason this picture is so special is that it wasn't long after this that my dad was injured and started what would be a lifelong struggle to live with his back pain. He was an inspiration to me in the way he handled the challenges that came with that.

My father loved life and his family! He was proud to have served his country during the Korean Conflict. When he was able to be working he was a conscientious worker. He loved singing on the church choir and played piano and harmonica. Both he and mom were readers, artistic and musically talented. They taught me to appreciate the arts, something I have always been grateful for.

Daddy was a simple boy from the country who always seemed to keep some of that innocence about him. I used to tease him that he reminded me of John Boy Walton. We loved to go for walks when he was able and when we did he would tell me stories, we would make up guessing games or we would sing songs.  Many times we ended up at the old Bernstein Sewing Factory where we would sit on the steps and watch the trains shifting and passing.

He read like crazy, loved doing crossword puzzles, listening to all types of music and putting jigsaw puzzles together. Another place we frequented was the Martin Memorial Library. I loved the big reading room. We would gather picture books from around the world and sit for hours looking at them together or go to the music room where you could go in a room and listen to music as well as check albums out.

In later years dad became my Genealogy assistant and loved going with me to the many libraries and cemeteries to track down our ancestors. He would be amazed at what we can find now online. So many times when I discover something new I immediately think that I need to call dad and let him know.  Then I laugh because I realize, he probably already knows now that he is on the other side of the veil! If only the reception were better and he could relay more data to me regarding the missing links in our family tree!

Missing you so much Chuck and remembering you with love! Better close for now Chuck. It's after 1:30am and my head almost hit the desk!   
Love ya, your Peppermint Patty

An Astral Visit

As the weekend of Father's Day is upon us, I reflect fondly on memories of my dad, my grandfathers and my uncles.  I'll post a tribute tomorrow for them like I did for the women in my family tree on Mother's Day. Today I wanted to share a beautiful experience I had a few months ago.

October 1, 2010 - 

After working on some craft projects most of the morning, I took a break.  Sat back in my rocker in my Craft Room, turned on some meditative music and just closed my eyes to relax.  I know I did not fall asleep, but this is the journey my mind took me on.

I suddenly envisioned myself spinning about in the grass, obviously on a mountain top.  I remember giggling to myself as I was thinking I looked like Maria in Sound of Music.  I was wearing a beautiful long green dress, trimmed in Celtic knotwork of gold braid.  My hair was down and flowing in the breeze.  I realized that as I was spinning I was becoming younger and younger.  Finally I was a little girl, same dress, but I did notice my glasses were gone (got them around 6^th grade). 



I saw myself smiling and then laughing as I ran a little and reached up to a hand.  As I looked up it was my dad.  Young and handsome and wearing dress slacks & shirt and a thin tie.  This is how he would look when he went to work when I was a little girl.  His smile as warm and loving as always and I remember the feel of him hugging me. He took my hand again and we started walking a little further on the mountaintop.  I can remember that there were huge bright white billowy clouds around us, but I also could see the brightness of a light on us as if the sun were shining on us.

24 September 1961
With my Daddy, Charles Spalding

As we walked on a few clouds ahead parted and I saw my grandpa Spalding, daddy’s father. I heard my squeal of delight and watched myself running to embrace him.  He lifted me up and twirled me around.  He was wearing his denim jacket and hat that he always wore to work at the paper mill.  His laughter filled the air.  When daddy caught up with us they both embraced each other, broad smiles and tears painted their faces.  I could see me running around them in a circle, something I was known to do as a little girl. They used to tease me that I was like a bumble bee buzzing about.  Each of them extended a hand and we walked a little further toward the gathered clouds.  I couldn’t make out any conversation, but could see we were laughing and chatting as we walked.

Easter 1959
with my Grandpa Spalding

Then the clouds ahead started to part and I could see across a body of water.  There on the other side was a beautiful castle.  Not the fairy tale kind, but the castles of old.  It was gray, but there was still a glow about it and I remember thinking how beautiful this was and how peaceful I felt. I could sense I asked if that is where we were going and both of them smiled and nodded. 

Easter 1960
With my Pap Mundis

At that moment I heard another voice call to me.  My Pap!  Up ahead was my great grandpa. White shirt, bow tie, suspenders and dress pants.  The way he dressed everyday I remembered of him until he became bed ridden a few months before his passing at 97.  I ran as fast as I could to embrace him.  I distinctly heard him say we had to hurry or we would miss the boat and he motioned to my dad and granddad to catch up.  Again, my jumping and circling had begun, I was so excited!  At that point I came back to consciousness in the present.   I sat for a moment wanting so much to return.  And then I began to think about this.  Was it a dream, just my imagination, a vision, a promise from them that they will be waiting for me to help me journey to the Summerland?  

Friday Ramblings - Celebrating The Good Things

Another drummer captured us Tuesday night at our drum circle.
That's Silver Wolf in the green shirt and me to the right.

Sometimes we forget to take stock of all that is good, focusing only on the challenges and bad things. This week was one that I found my blessings seemed to be in my face saying here we are, celebrate us. It was a good week!

I have been working hard on trying to get my years of research organized and enter information on Ancestry.com.  Now, I am going to turn 54 this year and I was about 14 when I started collecting the Family History in earnest. I have numerous 3 ring binders, notebooks and 4 file drawers full of paper! Add to this another plastic tub I still am sorting and at least 3 large tubs of photos, this is a daunting task! But it does bring me joy and I have made it my mission to preserve the memory of my family members who have gone before me so that future generations of descendants can benefit from it as well. I work on it when I can, and when I do, I usually forget all else as hours pass without notice. Through Ancestry.com I have been able to share this information with others as well as connect with cousins who I share a common ancestor with. 

Tuesday was a true day of celebrating good stuff!  My oldest daughter and two oldest granddaughters came up to spend the afternoon with me. I love having time to talk with them and enjoy their company. When Silver Wolf got home we had pizza and then we all headed out to Drum Circle. I cannot say enough about this group! The drumming is so healing and the energy that develops at these gatherings is amazing. In addition to drummers there are dancers and hoopers and fire spinners and those who play various other instruments. There is no agenda, no schedule. Everyone shows up when they can and the magic happens. I love the fact that the group is this beautiful eclectic mix of all ages as well as diverse ethnic and spiritual backgrounds. We come together and celebrate the joy of life itself. In our small corner of the planet all are one.

Inspired by the joy of that, I still realize we are a long way off from global peace or even acceptance of differences in our own communities! I love this quote from Maya Angelou: "It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength." We must continue to educate and promote the value of each and every human, no matter what gender, race, faith, political party, sexual orientation or other things that create divisions.

While the Lunar Eclipse on Wednesday could not be seen here in North America, we could catch a glimpse of it online. While that was occurring though I was pretty much out of it! My back has really been bothering me, despite trying to ignore it. A friend offered to do Reiki for me. Well add that to meditative music and some good visualization and I was out. I slept, and I mean very soundly, for 3 hours till hubby got home. We enjoyed a quiet Full Moon evening just relaxing and watching Ghost Hunter's reruns. It is so wonderful to be so content with the one you love!

After Silver Wolf went to bed I went out on the deck and basked in the glow of the Full Moon. I offered my intentions and could feel the energy of my sisters who were offering the same intentions that night. I sat for a while just focusing on the moon and meditating.  I think one of the real joys of celebrating both Tuesday at Drum Circle and then the Full Moon was the fact we have had such wicked weather in the past few weeks. These two days were the gems of perfect spring weather and were very much appreciated.

As I shared in my blog last week we are considering moving. It is not something we need to do right away and in the end we may not. But we are certainly exploring options. Right now there is a possibility out there and I was very content to offer it up in my intentions on Wednesday night and honor the concept that if this is to be for us, it will manifest.

For the most part, I have celebrated small blessings all my life. But at times when I was either too busy or in the midst of extreme challenges, I could forget. Luckily I had my dad or Silver Wolf to get me through those rough times and help me see the silver linings in those dark clouds. At this point in my life I am trying to take the time each day to remember the small blessings that surround me. Something simple as the joy I had yesterday going around the house watering my plants and seeing how well they are thriving brings a smile. The birds playing in the tree outside my window always bring me joy.

Today I celebrate that we made it to pay day with enough gas in the truck and food! We had an unexpected repair bill so things were tight. But we always seem to manage to get through. What I treasure is my husband and my family. That the basic life needs of food and shelter are being met is a gift for sure. After that all else is just added blessings.

Have a great weekend and don't forget to acknowledge and celebrate the blessings in your life!

Tasty Tuesdays - Green Tomato Pie

Eva Spalding Litten 1904-1989

When my dad was born he was very ill. My grandfather's sister Eva Philomena Spalding Litten came to stay with the family in York Haven after he was born. She helped take care of my dad and my grandmother for several months. Aunt Eva often related the story to me of how frail dad was and that she had to carry him around on a pillow. It was a number of months until he was strong enough and they knew he would survive. Dad was always very close to Aunt Eva and I always loved visiting with her as well. Like all the women in my family she was a wonderful cook.  

One of my dad's favorite creations from her kitchen was Green Tomato Pie.

Aunt Eva happily shared this recipe with me, among others, when I went to housekeeping. I was very pleased and felt it a great compliment that my dad would say it was just like hers when I would make it for him. Green Tomato Pie is not one of my favorites, I prefer my green tomatoes fried. While I haven't made this pie since my dad passed in 2000, I thought there may be others who might like to try this unique pie.

Aunt Eva Litten’s
Green Tomato Pie

Pastry for an 8" double crust

6 medium green tomatoes
1 C sugar        
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
2 T flour
½ tsp nutmeg
3 T lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 T butter

Roll out ½ pastry and fit to pie plate.  Core and thinly slice and quarter tomatoes.  Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, flour and nutmeg.  Add tomatoes and toss lightly.  Add lemon juice and rind.  Turn mixture into pastry.  Dot with butter and cover with remaining pastry.  Seal and cut slits in top.  Bake for 40-45 minutes at 375º or until tomatoes are tender.  Serve pie slightly warm

Labels

Having little tolerance for prejudice and stupidity, when someone asks "what are you?" I resist the urge to be a smart ass and reply "a female human, isn't that obvious!?". I bite my tongue and try to politely reply. I know that they are trying to pinpoint my faith, my political views or my world view. I also know that as soon as I share, I will be judged and labeled. And my reply is that while I don't like being labeled, if someone feels the need to categorize me I consider myself a Pagan, following earth based teachings and practices. I am a liberal tree hugging dirt worshipper! Depending who is asking, that reply either results in  raised eyebrows, stunned silence or thankfully other times it stimulates intelligent conversation with an open minded person.

With all the bru-ha-ha that erupted recently at Circle of Mom's over Pagan's being part of the BLOGS FAITH and all the other judging I have witnessed as a Pagan, my old dislike of labels is even stronger.

Why must we be labeled? Now yes, we all fall in to different categories, but must we be known by a label rather than by our characteristics? When I left mainstream religion and started following a nature based Pagan spirituality, it was still me. My way of thinking about and celebrating my spirituality changed, but my personality remained, my talents, my likes and dislikes are still the same. My physical composition has not been altered. If you liked me then, you should still like me regardless of my spiritual choice.

Would make it easier for all of those judgemental folks who feel the need to know how to sort us and put us in categories they deem acceptable or not acceptable if we carried ID cards?


This would eliminate that awkward questioning step. We could even color code them so they could spot the Pagans right off.

Of course I am joking on the whole card thing! How about looking at the individual and enjoying their personality and all they have to offer, labels aside!

Hold Fast To Dreams

DREAMS

Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

My Dream Board - made June 29, 2010

This poem by Langston Hughes has always been a favorite of mine and has served to inspire me to dare to dream. When we had to move from our home in 2008 I felt as if so many of my dreams had died. My spirit was crushed for quite some time. The home we built and worked so hard for was no longer ours and I struggled to understand why. Now I understood the obvious reason was finances. What I didn't understand was why this had to happen to us. We were good hard working people. Didn't we deserve to have our own home? Well, we all know that things come along in life that aren't fair or are challenges. We need to learn how to deal with those challenges, learn from them and then move on.

We like where we live good enough, but I have struggled with calling it "home". After owning our home for so many years we now live where there are guidelines and rules as to what you can and can't do in your own living space. The charges to have a pet are high. This has prevented us from adding cats to our family again after all our pets passed before we moved. Maybe it is my anti-establishment mind set from the 60's that makes me rebel, but I don't do rules well when it comes to people telling me how to live.

June 29, 2010 I made the Dream Board pictured above. My heart's desire is to live where we have some space between us and neighbors. A yard and garden space that would be manageable for us would be wonderful. I want to be able to have bird feeders again and sit out to enjoy them visiting. Living somewhere that I could have a garden shrine again would be wonderful. We want kitties! We miss them! This is the longest I have gone in my life without the companionship of a cat. A big eat in kitchen where we can have all the family sit down around the table when they come visit is also on my desire list. I really miss that!

We looked at a few places last summer and decided that it was probably best to stay where we were at the time. Another year would put us in better financial shape. Over that year I started to think that maybe we should just stay here. After all we have lawn care, snow removal and maintenance as part of our lease agreement. BUT we don't have the freedom to do what we want. I tucked my Dream Board in the background, hanging on the wall behind the door in my Craft room.

Just a few days ago I stood looking at it and started to cry thinking how much I really longed to live where these things were possible. I dismissed it as one of my maudlin moments and even considered throwing it out. I didn't though. 

Yesterday a notice came with updated guidelines and rules as to what we can and can't do here. One of them is no grills, which we could have when we moved in. Other things included no candles and incense. HELLO... witch here, how do you operate without candles and incense!? The funny thing is we have fireplaces that we are to burn only wood in. I would think that would be more a hazard! Most of the time when I burn intention candles I set them in the fireplace anyway so they are certainly safe. We had a fire in my home when I was small and I am super conscious of burning things safely. Again, this is my living space. I don't do rules well!

My first reaction was being mad. That prompted resolve to act on this. I looked at my husband and said this is it, we're moving. Later last evening I remembered my visit to my Dream Board a few days earlier and saying out loud will this dream ever come true?  Well, no, not if you don't act on your desires. I put that question out there. Was this notice a response from the universe, a plan to move me to action. I giggled as I could imagine the Goddess saying "here's your sign"!

Last night I sent out a message to some of my close Pagan friends to ask for their wisdom concerning this situation and to ask for support of our intentions. Then I started looking through the classifieds as the search begins! This is not a situation where we need to move right away so we can take our time to look for that place that will be just right for us!

So here I am, a year after I made this Dream Board, starting this day holding fast to my dreams!

Tasty Tuesdays - Shoe Fly Pie and Shoo Fly Cake

If you grew up in the heart of PA Dutch Country, you certainly will know the goodness of Shoo Fly Pie!  My mom and grandmother's made this often and it is one of my favorites. This is the recipe they used. I found the recipe for the Shoo Fly Cake on the jar of Mrs. Schlorer's Turkey Syrup. Put on a pot of coffee and cut a slice of pie or cake and enjoy!

SHOO FLY PIE

(Wet Bottom)

Liquid:

1/2 cup molasses*

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 tsp baking soda

Crumbs:

1/4 cup shortening (Crisco)

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of ginger, nutmeg & clove

9" deep dish pie shell, unbaked

Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water. Stir in molasses. Set aside to cool slightly while mixing crumbs.  Combine the dry ingredients, add shortening and work with pastry blender to combine and make crumbs. Put a layer of crumbs in the pie shell, then pour half syrup mixture over that. Do this again and then top off with crumbs.

Bake in a hot oven, 450 degrees, for 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes more.

* I use Brer Rabbit Full Flavor Molasses. This gives it a strong molasses taste.  If you like it a bit milder you can use 1/4 cup of  this and 1/4 cup of either Grandma's Molasses or Mrs. Schlorer's Turkey Syrup.

Shoo Fly Cake

Crumbs:

4 cups flour

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup butter

Liquid:

1 cup Mrs. Schlorer's Turkey Syrup

2 tsp baking soda

2 cups boiling water

Combine sugar and butter with pastry cutter. Add flour one cup at a time. Cut together until crumbs are blended. Reserve 1 1/2 cups for topping.

Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water. Stir in syrup and blend well. Add to crumb mixture and mix well by hand. Batter will be thin and lumpy. (I can guarantee you will look at this batter and think it can't be right!)

Pour in to a greased & floured 8" x 12" baking dish. Sprinkle reserved crumbs evenly over the top of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Summer Scents

A few weeks ago in my blog on Memory Triggers I mentioned the scent of honeysuckle as one of those triggers.

Yesterday we spent the day with some special friends. The honeysuckle was in full bloom behind their pool. It filled the air with that haunting fragrance. Then on the way home hubby stopped at a pull off to make a phone call. I looked out the window and saw the hillside was covered in honeysuckle as well. While he was on his call I got out and took some pictures and inhaled again that wonderful smell as I drifted back to those wonderful memories of summer as child.

Not sure where the roads will lead us today, but I bet we find more honeysuckle!

The Chaos of Organization

It all started a few days ago when I was looking for something. I knew it was in my Craft Room "somewhere"! Decided I really needed to reorganize this room. I started by moving things around on my bookshelves. However, afterwards the shelves are full, I added some things, and there is still stuff on the floor that needs a home.

I noticed some small boxes that needed to be sorted. Some of the things that were in the boxes went in containers in my craft closet. While in there I noticed the closet was getting a bit messy. Pulled out some things to straighten that out. Reorganized my jars of herbs on the shelves in there. This reminded me I needed to harvest some of the Mugwort that is thriving outside my front door. After I did that I got side tracked looking for a recipe.

Next day I got back to the closet. Now I think I am fairly organized. My plastic tubs are stacked neatly and well labeled. I try to put things away after I am done using them. But it never fails, things still get misplaced and lost in that closet. It has a mind of its own! While reorganizing my paper and scrapbook supplies I came across a few file folders in the closet that contained some genealogy notes. Not sure how they got in there! Sat down to look through this and got lost in time reading over the information the folders contained.

I spent all day yesterday entering the new information from those files to my tree on ancestry.com. Of course this meant pulling out my file folders on the related families to file the papers I found. Somewhere around 2am this morning I stumbled to bed.

Hmmmm, looks like the house elves had a party in here. It is worse than when I started working on it a few days ago! Boxes and books scattered about, closet in disarray and file folders all over the place from my genealogy work yesterday.

I will get this organized! My mission is to reclaim my sewing table, get my genealogy stuff filed and get this room back to it's dual purpose of being a "Craft" Room and a place to do crafts. I wouldn't dare try any spell work in here right now with the chaotic energy about! Organizing and smudging are needed! Half the room is dedicated to The Craft and the other is my desk and craft table. I promised my oldest granddaughter new curtains by summer and summer is here! So I must close for now and get back to the task at hand!

Oh, and the item I was looking for.... at this point I forgot what it was!

HAPPY WEEKEND!