Quote of the Day

The divide is not between the servants and the served, between the leisured and the workers, but between those who are interested in the world and its multiplicity of forms and forces, and those who merely subsist, worrying or yawning . . . . The world is full of light and life, and the true crime is not to be interested in it.

A. S. Byatt in "Elementals: Stories of Fire and Ice"

Studio Saturday

It has been a nice Saturday and I needed a nice Saturday. I went to the Farmer's Market and Roys and then spent the rest of the day in the studio and around the house. I did go out to get some more paint when I ran out of a couple of things this afternoon.

Other that that, and hanging out clothes and getting dinner from the garden, I have been indoors.

I've noticed it doesn't matter how much table space I start out with, by the end of a session in the studio, I'm working in a space about 18 inches by 12 inches. Maybe this is why I don't do much large format stuff.

I fear I'm not going to get any actual paintings completed for the show, but I'm doing a lot of smaller things - journals, ornaments, etc. I think they'll sell better at this show, anyway. I think this is more a "craftsy" crowd than an "artsy" crowd. So, I think I'm far less likely to sell a $500 painting than I am a $15 journal. Not that that's not always true, but it would certainly be the case here, I think.

I believe in giving people what they want. So, I'm going to devote my time to ornaments, journals and similar things. I'll just tuck my ego away on this one and go for things I think will sell well at this particular show.

I'm very happy with some of the journals I've been doing lately. They require many steps to complete - from painting the front to dyeing the paper the quotes are on to any number of other additions. But I like the finished products.



I also love this quote from Henry Miller: The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.

Farm Girl

CAUTION - LANGUAGE

So, what do you think of when you hear the term, "Farm Girl?" I heard it used today in a derogatory manner, and it never occurred to me before that it was a negative term.

It was one of those classic situations where you never know who's around and what their background is. I was at the round table at Roy's BBQ and there was another regular there with some guests. We nodded at each other, as one generally does in such a circumstance.

They went on to talk about a couple of women moving something very heavy and one of them said, "They must have been farm girls." Derisive laughter all around, and a glance at me to include me in on the joke, as if I could not possibly be a farm girl, and would enjoy a laugh at the expense of women who know how to work hard on a farm.

People are often telling me I'm a little "prissy," and I always discount that. However, I must give off that aura. Because today with my hair pulled up in a clip, absolutely no make up, old jeans and t-shirt, and my hands covered with paint, I still don't give off the "farm girl" feeling - whatever that is - but I'm pretty sure it's the opposite of "prissy."

Well... I am a farm girl... Always have been... and Always will be.

I just got up and boxed up my food to leave. I didn't want to share a table with those four guys any longer.

Now, goodness knows, I've stuck my foot in my mouth on more than one occasion in similar circumstances. I wasn't going to embarrass him or his guests today, but the next time I see this guy at a chamber breakfast or a local fundraiser or something I will take the opportunity to tell him I am a farm girl. He likes me - at least he always acts like he likes me - maybe it will open his eyes to the idea that farm girls can sweep their hair up into elegant chignons as well as wear it in pigtails. We can wear heels or boots. We can go effortlessly between different worlds, without people ever knowing we're "imposters." You'd think that would be something a man appreciates, but apparently not any of those guys.

I'm not sure why being able to carry my own luggage, even if it is filled with "prissy" things, makes me less appealing. But, I guess it does. Well, at least to some men. My guess is that would mostly be men who are offended that a girl might be able to lift more than them, or wield a power tool better than them or drive a tractor better than them. I'm certain in the case of these men I would have that competition wrapped on the the last two, and maybe all three.

Some men prefer their women dainty and helpless. Because when their women are helpless, the men are stronger by comparison. That's certainly true for this man's wife - I'm always amazed the woman can dress herself and function from the way she looks to him for constant guidance.

I'm guessing there's some compensating going on there on his part. And, yes, I did manage to get out of there without saying it, but it was on the tip of my tongue the whole time. But I refrained. Until I got in the car, where I said outloud, "Geez, I'm really sorry about your -----."

I can't decide if I'm more offended by the comment or amused by the compensation. It's pretty much a toss up.

Oh well... this farm girl is going out to use a power tool now... and then carry some lumber upstairs.

Sugar Cookies

My dining room table is covered with heart shaped sugar cookies and I am so relieved they are done. I despise making sugar cookies. Ironically, I love to eat them - but not enough to make them. I think the last time I made them was for last year's tea.

I was once involved with someone who loved them and I made them for him many, many, many times. I don't think he ever fully appreciated what a symbol of love that was.

Also ironic - I've always been on the lookout for the perfect sugar cookie recipe. I have three that I really like - Nan's, Mary Ann's, and Shirley's. I have others that I've never tried but that I've gathered because one day I might want to make them. Because, as we've already covered, I like to make them so much.

The one I used this time is Nan's because the recipe doesn't call for any milk. I don't drink milk, so I didn't have any in the house, and didn't want to go get any.

The trick with sugar cookies is you want one that's going to hold its shape and yet be tender. In reality, this has more to do with things other than the recipe. Of course, no one ever told me that, so I had to discover it through trial and error, cookbooks, the food network, or some other place. I can't even tell you exactly how I gained this knowledge, but I'm going to share it.

1. If you want the cookies to hold their shape they have to be COLD. Keep the dough cold before you roll it out. After you cut the cookies out and put them on the sheet, put it back in the fridge to chill before you bake them. Voila! (By the way, Voila! is a French word and means "There you go!" or something similar. There really isn't a perfect translation. But it is not spelled "walla" as I sometimes see it. That's one of my pet peeves. "Walla" in English is a second spelling of the word "wallah" that refers to a person who's essential in an organization, or works in a particular field. "Walla" is not a word in French as far as I know. Walla Walla is a city in Washington. Other than those instances, don't write "walla" when you really mean "voila". I also sometimes see it spelled, "wahlah," which is not a word in either language as far as I know - nor is "wahla.") OK, I got that off my chest... moving on...

2. What makes the cookie tough is overworking the dough. What that really means in this case is that when you pick up the bits and pieces and reroll them again and again it eventually gets tough - partially because of the added flour.

The same rules apply to pie crust. Maybe I just applied it to cookies from pie crusts - maybe that's how I learned it. Whatever the case - those two things work.

Today I got some of the shopping done for more cooking this weekend. I'll be cooking. Then cooking some more. To be followed by some cooking. Does my life seem dull? Well, imagine how it feels to be living it.

OK... just because I'm so nice... I'm going to share Nan's Sugar Cookie Recipe. She and I made these together one year before Valentine's Day and she sent some to the man she was dating at the time. He proposed a few months later. He, obviously, understood what an indication of true love a batch of sugar cookies is - unlike the man I was with. I'm not saying it was necessarily the cookies... I'm just saying they're good.

Nan's Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.

I double this recipe often. These will freeze well, if any survive long enough for that.

OK... go forth and bake!

Garden to Tummy in an Hour

This is lunch and dinner today - all fresh from my garden. I bought some goodies at the farmer's market yesterday, including an eggplant, only to discover that I had not only some baby ones, but a couple of full grown ones as well in my own little garden. I'll have to find a home for the one I bought yesterday.

I came right inside and cooked up the tomatoes, chives, oregano and basil with some olive oil and garlic, and some onions I bought at the farmer's market yesterday into a sauce.



If it doesn't look as red as you would expect, that's because it's made from real tomatoes, without any red food coloring added in.

I cut up one eggplant and sprinkled the slices with salt and pressed them to get some water out of them. However, I didn't let them sit for two hours, as is always suggested. But, they didn't need it.

I dipped the eggplant slices in egg and dredged in flour with salt and pepper, and fried in a little olive oil. By the time they were done, the sauce was ready to be pureed. I layered an eggplant slice with some cheese and then poured the sauce over all. Naturally, I added freshly grated parmesan on top and garnished with some tomatoes and a basil leaf, and sprinkled with fresh chives.



It was delicious! I mean, really, really, really delicious. Even though I'm alone in the house, I exclaimed, "That is good!" outloud to myself when I took the first bite.

I am becoming more and more devoted to the idea of having food as recently picked as possible. There's a world of difference in how it tastes. If I'm not careful, I'm going to be canning before I know it.

Obviously, I need a bigger garden. This fall I think I will take the side of my yard where the garden is and get rid of the grass so I can put more garden in next year.

Oh... and dessert... the rest of the fresh blackberries from the farmer's market yesterday. Yum!

What in the Hell Happened to Journalism?

I was a journalist for many years. I got into the profession because it was a noble cause - I wanted to expose injustice and right wrongs. Along the way I figured there would be an opportunity to do some good - not only in the big ways, but in the small ways. I did my fair share of reporting from arts fairs as well as disaster areas. Both have merit.

To promote the Victorian tea I'm doing for the MHA on Aug. 11 I sent a number of press releases out to small newspapers in the area. This morning I got a call from one of them wanting me to advertise. That's not unusual and I understand it. I explained we're a non profit, running on a shoe string, trying to MAKE money and we're not spending money on advertising.

At this point, they informed me that if I didn't buy advertising they wouldn't run the press release. What? Excuse me? Did I hear correctly? Yes, yes I did.

When I studied journalism at the University of Kentucky we would have called this "unethical." That was true all three years I was getting my BA in journalism. Many years later, I still don't see any change in that designation.

Obviously, I refused. Not only on the basis of we don't have money - frankly I could have bought a little classified for a few bucks and gotten it in - and that's all it would have taken. There's another lesson here - people who can be bought are generally pretty cheap and they're not worth having - the same is true for newspapers. I will not sully myself or my organization in that way.

It would be different if it were being promoted as something other than a "news"paper - but I think most people expect their newspapers to be geared toward news. In a small town, that's probably not national news, but more local and regional news. The goal is to publish things of interest to your readership.

I'll be the first to admit that a press release about an event is not necessarily news. But, it could be made into an interesting story - when I saw the caller ID that said "Lindsborg News Record," I assumed that's what it was for. You might notice that "News" is part of the title of the newspaper. Nope, not interested in a story - just interested in getting some money out of a non-profit, which I also happen to think would be unethical for me to do. I don't think people who are members of the MHA think I'm going to spend their money on advertising - and they're right.

I am shocked. Maybe this is commonly done these days. I guess I'll know if I continue to get phone calls throughout the day. It won't change my opinion of it even if it is.

What is that quote about "Truth is not determined by majority rule..." or something like that? I fear "truth" may be something that's not of particular interest anymore in these cases. If it were they wouldn't dream of such a practice because it breaks one of the major rules of journalism - the APPEARANCE of a conflict of interest is just as damaging as a conflict of interest. Trust me, buying a story in the newspaper, which is what this is, is a conflict of interest. There's a word for buying space -  advertising. There's a word for content - editorial. N'er the twain should meet.

Blackberries

Today was the farmer's market and I found something I absolutely adore - a pint of blackberries picked just this morning. I got the LAST one. I've just finished a small bowl of them, but saved some for tomorrow. I did hate to put them in the fridge, but did. I couldn't believe my luck at grabbing the last pint of them.

Blackberries are my very, very, very favorite fruit. I have always loved them and have many happy associations with them.

For many years I went to Kentucky at the end of June for a family reunion. Blackberries start ripening right around that time. My mom would pick the ripe ones from her vines and have them for me as a treat. It was one of those special things a mother does for her child. And this child appreciated it.

The last time I had freshly picked blackberries they were brought to me by a man I was deeply in love with. He arrived on my doorstep with a pint of blackberries he had driven to a farm (40 miles out of his way) to pick up before coming to see me. That ranks as one of the most romantic gestures I've ever experienced personally. I had just mentioned once that I loved blackberries and he brought some for no reason. Ironically, today is his birthday, so it's interesting that I saw fresh blackberries at the farmer's market for the first time ever today.

I think this is what men don't understand about women - it's not a new car that gets to us, it's you leaving a note in our old car telling us you care. It seems so simple to us. But, I've had two different men in the last three days ask me to explain women. I guess that's the best explanation I can offer.

I've had a very "blackberry" kind of day. I started the day by making Blackberry Tea Cookies for our upcoming tea. I hadn't tried the recipe before and wanted to test it before making it for the tea on August 11.

Well, I'm headed off to bed shortly. I'll probably dream of blackberries, or men bearing blackberries, or something of that sort.