a woman hungry for corn

i have an evening at home with nothing to do. and i am going to enjoy every minute of it. just showered and am on my second busch. so to bring you up to date.

the corn picking has been more than steady. but still relaxed. weather could not be better for being in the corn rows. love the interaction with the customers while loading the stand. record sales almost daily. a couple of hours picking zinnias this evening for market tomorrow. will close the corn stand for one day and then open again on sunday. probably just for that one day and then we will be out of corn for 10 to 14 days. will be nice to catch up on house and yard work and personal time. possibly a day trip or two.

Tom and Diane are thinking about a week in the mountains.

Dan and Cherie are in Minnesota. so Hank is Henry. :)

Had blts at Joe's tuesday.

dinner and a camp fire at the river last night. a beautiful evening.

still finding little surprises around the house.

many pleasant thoughts to keep me going....

a view from my window and a few thoughts

the process is repetitive. pick corn for an hour or so and then load the stand. repeat as many times as necessary. usually 5 or 6 truck loads a day. it wears the body down but i still feel great at the end of the day. tired, yes, but great.

there are still a few more days of picking before we finish our second planting. i am hoping that friday wraps it up until the 3rd planting is ready to be plucked. it would be so nice to relax in the park on saturday and sell our flowers at farmers market!

this morning i woke up early. a little after 4:00. completely refreshed physically and mentally. i was able to lie there and reflect on the last 10 days. events have happened that will change my life forever. events that allow me to see a different direction to my future. events that make me smile as only one with peace of mind and love in one's heart could smile. life is good. the next one...

a little this. a little that.

i am home. a long but wonderful day. my life right now is one big wonderful high. it feels so good to be so at peace with all once again. i have had company on and off recently. always nice to have friends and family visit. and nice to see them go. you know, have things get back to normal. this time it was just nice to have friends visit. everything went so well, the time spent together so wonderful, that i hated to see it end. i am already looking forward to the next time we can see each other again.

SWEETCORN...we had the stand opened for part of the day last Wed. and again Sat. afternoon. yesterday and again today we had enough corn to go full time. and full time we went. Sunday our sales surpassed our one day record by more than $100. yesterday our stand brought in $836. today the total was $870! as important as the figures are to us that is not the real story. our corn is the best around. there is no doubt about that. but we sell our corn strictly on an honor system. we pick the corn and fill the stand. our buyers come and bag their own corn and put the money in a box. so simple. so trusting. and it works. a wonderful tribute to the people of rural america! i am proud to be able to supply you with one of our summer treasures. thank you.

opening day

we opened the corn stand Wednesday morning and closed it up at 2:30 that afternoon. normally our corn starved fans are still picking up corn until late evening, sometimes by the light of their carlights. but this year our first patch was devastated by raccoons. they usually move in the night before the corn is ripe and just don't have the time to do enough damage to bother us. this year they started pulling stalks down and sampling from ear to ear, probably grinning from ear to ear also, 10 to 14 days before the corn was prime.

yesterday Tom and i spent all afternoon stringing an electric fence around one of the next three patches to be ready. we may be able to start picking again Saturday or Sunday. Many anxious corn lovers are waiting.

back to opening day at the corn park. before we opened the stand we bagged 22 dozen ears for one lady. yesterday she called and wants another 33 dozen ears on Monday. must be having a hard time deciding if she likes it or not. dollar count on Monday you ask - $480+ in little more than half a day. if you want corn, come early!!

thursday morning ladies' coffee club

earlier this morning we sat on Sandy's porch and enjoyed coffee and the softly falling rain. i was enjoying listening as Sandy related to Sherry and Lisa her thoughts on meeting a friend i had introduced to her earlier in the week.

"When I first saw her walk across the yard I thought she had the presence of a doctor. And then as we talked I narrowed it to possibly a psychiatrist. I was so enraptured with her ease of conversation and had the feeling she had complete control of any situation and of her inner self."

"Not a doctor" I said. and i told Sandy of my friend's goals and ambitions. and of her interests and passions.

"Oh, God. A woman after my own heart."

"Sandy, a woman who already has my heart."

Sandy nodded and smiled. "I know, gigi. I could tell."

the morning after

you are in every room of my house. there are constant reminders. you have marked your territory.

i stirred to semi-consciousness this morning. the clock read 2:44 a.m. i rolled to drape my arm and pull you closer. i touched nothing but the memory of you on the pillow.

it's quiet here. too quiet

i returned home this evening to a different house. as i walked across the lawn i could hear music playing through the open windows. i sensed a change. everything was normal inside. neat. tidy. but then i began noticing small differences. an object moved here. another there. lamps had been left on. the shades higher than usual. a pile of books where there once had been only one. and oddly, small stones sitting atop my collection of blue bottles.

i have questioned Oscar about this. a waste of time. i might as well have been interrogating the pile of rocks, or what was left of it. i have exhausted myself trying to solve the mystery. i'm tired. too tired to undo the changes. besides, i think i like the new look. somebody has done me a favor. and i am 'spent'. i will leave things just as they are.

so, you who are out there. you who were in here. i thank you!

home is where the heart is

and for the last few days Hank's heart, and the rest of his dog body parts, have been here. his natural home is down the lane at Neighbor Dan's. but when Dan is gone for more than a day at a time or when there is the faintest rumbling of thunder in the sky, Henry, his name when he lives with me, laboriously treks down the road to my house. and it thundered a few days ago. Henry is still here and very comfortable. i always keep some of his dog food here but ran out this evening.

so hopefully tomorrow Dan will come for him, or bring more food, or i will need to walk him home.

i enjoy seeing Hank when i visit down the road, but love my conversations with Henry when he does a sleepover, no matter how many days he might stay.

farmers' market and the sweetcorn stand

i had planned on being at market this weekend. at least i thought Tom would be. i thought we would cut flowers on Friday and have them ready to load early the next day. and then i would be doing a solo act in the corn patch keeping the stand loaded. not fun for one.

yesterday i deadheaded all the flowers, including cutting the still nice ones but with short stems. it just doesn't look like there will be enough long-stemmed ones to take to market. one more week?

after the deflowering i walked through the rows of corn that should be ready first. some of the ears are of good size and beginning to fill out nicely. it looks as if there will be corn to eat by the weekend but, like the flowers, will there be enough to open the stand? will have to play it by ear.

so...what to do with this unexpected extra time. the weather is expected to be cooler than normal. possibly windows open and fresh air. light blanket at night. that would be nice. i'm going over a few lists of things to do (not chore lists - definitely not). looking at my list of favorites there are a couple that stand out. pleasant, two-way conversation. that would be a nice beginning. and then on from there...

here's to a lovely day

movie night

found Doc Hollywood on one of the channels tonight. i have always enjoyed this light-hearted romance. but had forgotten how many summer dresses are in this movie. fabulous!!!

and now they are at the evening festivities dancing to Crazy, by Patsy Cline. followed by a waltz.

possibly the Highlandville?

purrfect movie for this evening!

a gathering of friends on saturday

Bill hosted a cookout last evening for our friend Jane. she is visiting from North Carolina while her husband sits the cats and oversees the beginning of their new home. Jane owns the house where Bill lives. where the festivities were held. where...

i almost forgot. i brought the best dish there. baked tomatoe pies!!! yum and yum again

some more about Sandy

Sandy is a retired high school art teacher. a very positive and upbeat person. and lots of fun. we have known each other for many years but it has only been in the last few months that we have become good friends.

at this time her art work is focused on painting found driftwood to make them look like objects. she also is in the process of painting designs on the tables at my favorite Greek restaurant. here are some fotos of her house, her yard and her work. oh, and one of Snickers and Sandy. hope you enjoy. :)

freshening up the shed

i made a trip to town this morning to see how Sandy was progressing with her settling back in. she recently moved back 'home' from Memphis, Mo. i had heard of a new mural she painted on a back shed and had caught a few glimpses of it on drive-bys. i'm glad i decided to give it a closer look.

any Vermeer painting?

returning home this morning i was reminded of a 'favorites' list posted by larkspur a few days ago

100%, +/-

i wasn't crazy last weekend. but i was definitely experiencing technical difficulties. it was like a 24 hour mental virus that lasted a few days. monday i was on the upswing but still having a few, slight relapses. by midweek i was well enough to know i was going to be back to normal soon. but i needed to know why this had happened. what had gone wrong.

yesterday i was so close to having it figured out. i was happy, confident again. at peace with the world. but there was still something that had gone wrong that i could not quite put my finger on. i needed to find this missing piece. needed to find it to prevent this from happening again.

i awoke this morning around 3:00, still troubled. while the coffee was brewing i went over some recent mail and some of my writings. it was there, somewhere. but what was it.

in an old pair of clogs, shorts, a flannel shirt and coffee in hand i went out to walk and think. i had planned on wandering the golf course but instead found myself on the gravel road. a path with a direction. a good setting for thought. the coolness of an early summer morn. enough moon to see. and it worked. i am not exactly sure how i figured it out, other than just my determination to do so.

for weeks i had been receiving so much positive input from outside sources. i had devoured it. wallowed in it. flourished. i had come to rely on it for my happiness. i didn't need me anymore. i had someone else to make me happy. it was as if i had written a script for the players to rehearse, learn and then perform, just for me. i was not prepared when one of my actors would ad lib their role.

"That was not in the script. Now lets try it again. Say exactly what I have written for you to say. With feeling. Make me happy."

i don't want to be the writer or the director. i want to be one of the actors. i want to be in this play that has no script.

i am me again. 100%, +/-!

Paul Snar Schork

during my pre-school years both of my parents worked. five days a week my father would drop me off at my grandparents farm where i experienced an informal education that would shape the rest of my life. there are many, many stories about this life to share, but here is one of my favorites. i still wonder to this day if the ending to this exchange between myself and my grandfather was spontaneous or well planned, and him patiently waiting for me to give him the opportunity.

on more than a few occasions my grandfather was known to audibly pass some gas. followed by

"What'd you say, gigi?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Sounded like your voice."

i was never quick enough to the punch. until one day...

a little thundering gas.

"What'd you say, grandpa?" finally, i had him.

"I didn't say anything."

"Sounded like your voice." i did it! I got him. and i vowed to never be beaten again. and then...

"Smells like your breath."

a list of my own

yesterday i read a list of favorites by Larkspur and have been granted permission to do the same. so...

early morning thunderstorms

relaxing, or cleaning, to my Sunday morning music

a stroll on a beach

reconnecting

a day in the garden after an absense

a full day away from the garden

walking in a light rain

sharing a bottle of wine with my cats

the nervousness of new love

autumn colors

finding myself after being misplaced

rainbows

moving some wood and discovering a blue-tailed skink

a fresh fruit breakfast in Mexico

mowing through some mint, especially lemon

pleasant 2-way conversations

being barefoot in a freshly tilled garden

a first kiss

taking a salt shaker into the tomatoe patch

breakfast on the road - 2 eggs up, hashbrowns w/salsa, lightly buttered rye toast and black coffee

letters in my mailbox

taking the best dish to a gathering

virgin snow

micro-brewed beer

being given a 2nd chance

miss mary

last night i was reminded of someone from my early life by a dear friend. i awoke this morning thinking of Miss Mary. i had known her since i was a very young child and she was one of the first non-family members for me to have memories of.

Miss Mary lived next door to my father's parents, Charles Cecil and Elsie Mae. My grandmother was an invalid and Miss Mary devoted many hours of attention to her.

in the 1920s, when basketball was still an outside sport, Miss Mary was my mother's coach. in the 1950s she was a summer bible school teacher of mine. for many years Miss Mary was the librarian at the public library and also the 'unofficial' county historian.

last night, in a garden setting, my parents, grandparents and Miss Mary visited me while i slept.

this dream brought back one of my fondest memories of her.

the year was 1981 or 82. i was in Mary's garden visiting with her while she dug potatoes. she wore a summer dress and straw hat, and was bare-footed. she was probably 90 or 91 at that time. as she talked she wood take her wire-rimmed glasses off and rub her watery eyes.

"gigi, do you remember such-and-such?"

i thought. "No. I don't think so Miss Mary. But I'll ask my dad. He knows just about everybody around here."

"Oh no. No. He was way before your father's time".

thanks for the memories!

good to be home

it was another long day but productive. the flowers are now all weeded and strawed. just waiting for them to get longer stems for market. hopefully in 2 to 3 weeks.

after finishing the flowers i spent another couple of hours working in the rest of the garden. a weed here and a couple there. dug some potatoes and garlic and picked tomatoes and peppers for dinner tonight.

then it was in town to mow at an old house of mine. finished mowing, did some weed eating and then dropped the mower off at my house and returned the trailor to Tom.

before going home i decided to take a hike at the park. i was hot and dirty but couldn't resist taking a trail around the lake. very relaxing. very peaceful.

early to bed...

was up early again this morning. the heat is moving back into the area and i want to be in the garden while working conditions are still pleasant. yesterday i finished weeding and strawing the few tomatoe plants i hadn't yet gotten to. then on to the 14 rows of zinnias.

i finished only one of the three or four rows that i wanted to get done. Tom and i decided to get into the patches of the smaller sweetcorn and do something about the weeds and grass before it was too late. Tom ran the field cultivator and i tackled the job with the tiller. we have it looking pretty good but will still need to give it some up close and personal work in the next few days.

so...one more cup of coffee and i'm off.

roses are red

this weekend nothing seemed to be coming up roses. i struggled with a headache, sore throat and an ear infection. and these were nothing compared to the pathetic case of self-pity i had come down with.

i tried writing at different times but my mind seems to be more accommodating when i am in my up-beat mode. when i start to write i usually am not sure in what direction i will go but my thoughts just seem to flow and the words come easy. not so the last couple of days. as i would try to write my thoughts would drift, actually leap, back to where i was trying to escape from, causing me to pack it in and try to compose again at a later time.

i knew all this would pass but that still doesn't create an immediate cure. i took walks to my favorite places, my power points, to meditate and try and make sense of it all.

i spent time with my friends but i wasn't really there.

it rained all day Saturday and i couldn't get in my garden, my usual cure-all.

this morning still isn't great but i am determined. i will fumble in the dark for the switch and hope to see my light again. i look forward to again viewing the world through rose-colored glasses.

farmers' market nears

i will be the one selling flowers

i do enjoy this

i like being in the shower and watch the water, the color of garden dirt, run off my body and swirl onto the shower floor, searching for its own direction in life, and then race toward the drain.

just another day

yesterday morning i weeded and strawed another row and a half of tomatoes. 32 more plants to go. during my breaks i would walk over to the melon rows and pull the biggest weeds. lots of little melons in there and a few the size of slightly deflated volleyballs.

coming home i drove on past my house and down the lane to Neighbor Dan's to drop off some tomatoes. Cherie and i reflected on the 'sweat' a couple of weeks ago and made plans for another in mid-July. (so...if anyone is in the neighborhood, bring a towel. you will want it for the midnight swim afterwards.)

Dan told me he was going to put the blade on the tractor for a small project of his and this would be a good time to blade my drive. i've had a big ditch down one side of it since a huge rain a number of weeks ago. he showed up at my house about 3:30 and preceded to drag the washed-down gravel back up the hill and expertly leveling it out.

later we sat in the shade on the deck and enjoyed some bottles of Negra Modelo and talked of drying tomatoes in his hoop house and possibly packaging them in his production kitchen for marketing. a little side note here. Dan has an organic apple orchard and also grows much produce for farmers market. google blueheronorchard.com

Dan and i had just opened our second bottle when Tom called, inviting me over for darts and pizza. "All my attempts at work backfired so i'm done and you can come over anytime. What are doing now?"

before long Tom, with a 6 pack of Dos Equis Amber, had joined Dan and me on the deck. the three of us sat and drank and smoked and talked of the pleasures of our lives in small farming.

i'm pretty sure i thru darts last night. and in the mirror this morning i think i saw the remains of some pizza sauce.

no yekky beet story here

i was feeling lazy a few nights ago, and not all that hungry, so for dinner i opted for a cheap frozen pizza. before placing it in the oven i doctored it up with some chopped tomatoes and extra shredded cheese. while eating my pizza all i could think about was how wonderful those hot tomatoes tasted.

for lunch the next day i nuked the remaining piece and, while savoring that warm flavor again, started wondering about experimenting with my tomatoes. so i googled baked tomatoe recipes. the first one i read gave me all the info i would need.

now baked tomatoes might be old hat for some of you, but this was my first taste of this delectable dish. i placed thick tomatoe slices in a baking dish. topped that with some thin slices of onions. then drizzled olive oil over that. next came a healthy layer of shredded cheese (i used parmesan, but any kind will do). after sprinkling with oregano, rosemary and black pepper, i popped it in a 425 * oven for 11 minutes.

i'm a meat lover, but i think this summer there will be a number of days i won't be taking any meat out of the freezer to thaw.

get er done

i finished cleaning most of the house this afternoon and was enjoying living in not-so-much dirt. still, i had guilt feelings about not being in the garden. though not really wanting to, i decided to go and weed some more tomatoe rows. but 1st i took the compost down to the edge of the woods. aha! i could burn and weed eat. and that i did for the next few hours. another LOVELY day!!!

beer time. late again.

1 last veggie pic...i promise

at least until the sweetcorn is ready in a couple of weeks!

i'm as tired of posting these shots as i am sure you faithful followers are of seeing them. but lately these lovely gems from mother earth is all i have had time to shoot. this is 1/2 of yesterdays pickings. i gave the other 1/2 to Diane and some other 'needy' friends.

my menu for last night was to be boiled new pototoes, beets (yea!) and baked tomatoes with onion, cheese and herbs. it didn't happen. i spent much more time cleaning and strawing the tomatoe plot than i had intended. it was late afternoon before i called it quits. even past beer time! i drove across the river, traded a bag of tomatoes for a pitcher of Fat Tire, ate a delightful meal at the Greed restaurant and drove home. showered and to bed early for a long, wonderful night of sleep.

i was up early this morning, refreshed physically and mentally. i have decided to take this morning off from gardening and rid the house of a few layers of dirt. the music is cranked and i have already made a big dent. all i have left to do is fold some clothes, straighten up a bit and then sweep these floors - finally!!!

and i know what's for dinner tonight.