Blinding Work

We have been on a steady course of renewing our living quarters, our home. Latest on the menu has been the replacement of some pretty old window treatments that have been bothering us for some time. So here is what we are doing in kitchen. These are really nice because you just lift them up and in comes the light (if it is daytime). Much better than those clacky old verticle blinds.

And here are some photos of the new blinds in my office. I really like the way they look. Much better than the curtains that were there that I could never get to stay open. Since there are two here, I can open the side where there is a window that opens, and open the window, but keep the other closed if I need the shade. Most helpful to have the options.

More Locks in Panama Teddy

Last Saturday was a perfect day to work out in the yard - so that is exactly what we did . . . after getting our other work done. To us gardening is play, so we have to watch ourselves or we wouldn't get our "work" done.
Anyway, here is what we have done so far. I have been pretty good at keeping the soil churned up (I'm such a human tiller) this
Winter, so it was not much trouble to prepare the soil for planting of bush peas (around the little fences), spinach, and butterhead lettuce. All of that is in the top photo.
The bottom photo tends to remind one of a certain basement in Brooklyn, not Greenpoint. It is, however, our potato patch. We did this last year and it worked out very well. We dig down to plant the spuds, then as the plants grow, we keep stacking more dirt on them. We had a great yield last year and are looking forward to more this year if we can just keep the ants and cats off.
Any ideas?

Thinking of Kate Laney

On another blog there are some great photos of a little Irish-looking maiden. She has dark hair, blue eyes, and the rosiest cheeks. So my angel & I were looking up some Irish blessings to find one that she remembers her dad saying, and we ran across a bunch. Here's a sampling, just to remind us of our roots (potatoes).
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I-rish you a very nice place to live,

I-rish God's greatest gifts he'll give,

I-rish you health, and wealth, and more --

I-rish your smilin' face were at my door.

Why I Can Never Get Ahead

As you know, we have made a concerted effort over the past 2-3 years to lighten the load around here. Believe it or not, we have thrown out mucho junko, and given the good stuff to DI & Goodwill. Our children have also helped as they have hauled off what they can of their stuff. But it just seems that we have not made much of a dent. Well, here's part of the problem:

A good and kind friend of mine is doing much of the same thing, and has given me 6 volumes of the Times & Seasons, the newspaper published in Nauvoo in the 1840's. We have gotten quite a charge out of reading this newspaper. And although some of the articles are somewhat dated, it is infinitely more uplifting - even after over 160 years - than the A-D or any of the other current periodicals I have run across. But as you can see, my lack of self discipline when it comes to free books is sorely lacking, causing my bookcases to bulge.

By the way, the significance of the piece of material in the frame next to the books is that it was given to me by my mother, the great-grand daughter of Isaac Laney. On the back of the piece of cloth is a quote, "Landed in the valley near the old fort September 27, 1847, built in the fort, made the first loom made in the new Kingdom. My wife wove the first web being [using] neither machinary or cards. The wool was spun from the fleece." This bit of material is apparently some of that. More information upon request.

Food, Glorious Food

It seems that everyone is blogging about food, so I thought I'd get in my 2 bits worth. Here are some pics of my delicious corn muffins. Take my word for it, they are great! I was going to share the recipe, but I can't locate it just now. Stay tuned.

And moving right along from corn to chocolate, here are the heart-shaped brownies we made for our Valentines Day dinner last Sunday. We had Uncle Peter & mom over for waffles, etc. and made the brownies for fun - which they were. A good time was had by all.