Feelin' Blue...

I'm feeling a little blue these days.... It could be from the blueberry pie I've been eating... mmm... LOVE blueberry pie. It's one of hubby's favourites too. Each August when the fresh blueberries are available at our Farmer's Market, I buy one or more 5 pound boxes from Tuddenham's and put them in the freezer. That keeps me going through the winter for pie, blueberry muffins, blueberry crisp, etc. And since I had made several raspberry pies (MY fav but NOT his), I had to do a fresh blueberry pie for the hubster. This photo was taken in July at my friend Donna's cottage at the lake, just a few days before the birds totally cleaned her blueberry bushes... the little varmints!! I know they have to eat too, but it IS most annoying when they take your whole crop!
But probably my feeling blue is because my darlin' daughter is now back at University. The summer went by way too quickly and there were so many things we had wanted to do together, that just didn't get done. I miss her already. But she is looking forward to another year - remember that "first day of school excitement" - when you have all new binders, fresh paper, sharp pencils, new crayons...? Well, okay, she's past the crayon stage for sure, but each new school year always holds great promise and excitement. I'm hoping she has a better experience this year. It will be a tough year work-wise, with a full course load plus an Honours thesis to write. She will earn a little pocket money again by working at the DalPlex, hopefully she can be a note-taker for disabled students again too, as she did last year. She has already written an article for the first issue of  the student newspaper and has applied for another "writing job" for a provincial association's quarterly newsletter. SO I daresay she's not going to be bored and looking for things to do... Her apartment is all set up now and looking "homey"... snug and cozy. Miss you hon! Sending big hugs your way....

I never know what I'm going to see when I look out my kitchen window. This morning as I ate breakfast I was watching Mr. Woodpecker, once again drilling my apple tree for his breakfast... But look who was passing through the backyard a few days ago - Mr. Foxy Loxy! Bold as anything - at 3 in the afternoon - he was just out for a stroll. He looks thin, but his coat is in beautiful shape.... My paternal grandfather was a fox rancher for a number of years, selling the pelts to the Hudson Bay Company. You can read the story of the great fire that destroyed all of that, here... So foxes on our property is nothing new... For those of you who have never been close to a fox - they have an "odour" all their own.. very similar to a skunk.... yuch!
Guess where I'm spending the afternoon today? In my studio!! YES! It feels so good to be "back at it"... One might think I have forgotten how to sew by now- there sure hasn't been much of it going on through the summer. Just boring stuff like mending jeans knees for Mark, repairing clothing and a few sewing jobs for Laura's apartment (curtains, etc.) So now it's full speed ahead. Lots of quilting and sewing projects to get back to, classes to prepare for, etc. Whooo- hooo! Can't wait!

Piece,
Linda

"Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate accomplishments." ~ Napoleon Hill

More long weekend fun...

The Joslin Farm

Labor Day weekend around here also means a special weekend at Kings Landing- it's Agricultural Fair time. This is one of Laura's favourite "special event" weekends, albeit a bittersweet one. It not only means the end of her summer job for another year and saying Goodbye to her KL "family", it also means some good ole fashioned competitive fun with her co-workers. Handicrafts and baked goods made by the KL staff are on display at the Exhibit Hall. Laura was thrilled to win four ribbons this year- two each for her knitting and sewing - three "seconds" and a "first"! The public can also get in on the fun with the opportunity to try some of the games and friendly competitions that the villagers

would have enjoyed in the 1800's, such as corn husking and eating,  the log toss and cross-cut saw competition, tug-of war, wool carding and woolwinding, the dishwater toss, the laundry competition, childrens' games and so on. I'm not sure who has more fun, those competing, or those watching.

As well there are a number of interesting displays around the village - a number of carriages and wagons, heritage  vegetables, herbs and their medicinal uses, spinning and straw-braiding demos, and so on. There's something going on everywhere you look! And the day finishes off with a barn dance- well okay, this time it was a "street dance" as the barn was in use... I even joined in and kicked up my heels a bit. Yes believe it or not, I know how to do the Grand Chain, Promenade, Do Si Do and a few other sweet moves of the 1800's! lol  Enjoy some of my photos of the faces and places at the Landing... better still, get yourself up to Kings Landing tomorrow and experience it for yourself!!

Peace
Linda

Kings Landing is "History Well Told"...

Laura with Lewis, the Ox Teamster

Could these three ladies be gossiping?

Noah

The Morehouse garden and Scarecrow

Wagon and Carriages near the Morehouse House

One of this year's lambs

Window at the Heustis House

Graham in the Cooper Shop

Musicians waiting for the dance to begin

Dancing the "Tucker"

The last Hollyhock...

Labour Day weekend fun...

September already! How can it be? Labour Day weekend is upon us, and in this town that means several things: the start of school is imminent, the FREX is here again, and it's time for another NB Crafts Council Fine Craft Festival. The FREX (Fredericton Exhibition) is our annual fall exhibition with midway, entertainment, livestock shows and harness racing, provincial 4H Show and horticultural, craft  and "domestic" exhibits. In it's 184th year, the Frex has seen many changes over that timespan and I must admit, my interest in it has changed too. One visit is enough for me now - I just go to see the quilts and needlework, photography and floral displays. I usually know a few of the ribbon winners, so that's always fun! It's on my list for some evening next week.The photo you see above is the Old Exhibition Palace (built in 1864?) which stood on the current Exhibition grounds until it burned in 1877. It was, reportedly, "one of the greatest works of wooden architecture that Canada has ever seen". The dome was 86 feet in diameter. Naturally lit by day, evening illumination was from 650 gas-burning fixtures and lamps. Can't you just picture that? What a grand spectacle it must have been in those days...
This afternoon I visited the NB Craft Festival, held downtown in historic Officers' Square. This Festival is over 30 years old, and has seen it's share of changes too, but continues to be an exhibit of the fine work of the many skilled craftspeople of our province. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, the perfect type of day for browsing around the various booths. Pottery, jewellery, textiles, wrought ironwork, glass.. you name it- you can find it there.
I am not a huge lover of pottery, but I do have one favourite potter,and she was there today. I love the work of Rachel Morouney of  Hidden House Pottery of Otter Creek (near Port Elgin). Rachel was working on an amazing piece in the Demo area and I enjoyed chatting with her again. (I tell her I am her biggest Fredericton fan...) Being a lover of blue and white, you can see why I love her work. I don't know which I like better- the floral designs or the dragonflies. Both are so beautifully done- she has a magical touch when she gets the brush in her hand...

Below are a few other pics I took today at the Craft Festival. If you are a local reader, make sure you visit this special event, running until Sunday at 5. You'll be sorry if you miss it...

Peace,
Linda

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures."
~ Henry Ward Beecher

Feelin' Peachy

Well, Irene is behind us now. "Good Night Irene" is right! Good riddance! Actually we got off easy, compared to Vermont and some other areas. We had lots of wind and rain, but no major damage. Some trees down in the neighbourhood, but not on our property. Laura did get home on Sunday night, despite the wind and rain. She was lucky to get bumped up to an earlier flight- good thing as her original flight was canceled, as I expected. For those of you who have followed her journey with the March of Remembrance and Hope since March, she is still posting on her blog  http://pilgrimagetopoland.blogspot.com/    Her journey continues.... You can click here to read her latest posts.
So, my weekend in the kitchen yielded the Lady Ashburnham pickles, a batch of ratatouille and blueberries in the freezer, this Peach Jam, and now I have a large batch of sweet pickles underway. It's a new recipe for me so we'll see how it turns out. It takes 14 days.... I picked 22 large cucumbers from my garden today, and still have more... they're multiplying like bunnies....  
My Peach Jam recipe originally came from either Chatelaine or Canadian Living magazine- I can't remember which one. I have modified it slightly to make it a little quicker/easier. Here it is:

Brandied Peach Jam

9 cups peeled and sliced peaches (pretty much a 4 liter basket)
9 cups w. sugar
4 medium oranges
1 lemon
1 cup slivered almonds
1 6oz. bottle maraschino cherries, drained and quartered
1/4 cup peach brandy  (I have also used apricot brandy if I couldn't find peach, or Peach Schnapps)

Wash jars or bottles, rinse and place in oven to sterilize. Prepare sealer tops and screw bands for sterilizing. 

Remove skin from peaches by plunging into simmering water for several minutes, then peeling. Slice peaches into large preserving kettle or stockpot. Mash with potato masher. Add sugar, stir. Place over low heat to begin warming while you prepare the citrus.
Wash oranges and lemon. Grate the zest of each, and squeeze the juice. If oranges are large or peaches are particularly juicy, as they are some years, I use only 3 oranges. I add any of the orange fiber that I can scrape from skins as well. Add juices and zest to peach mixture. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, uncovered, at a brisk simmer until peaches are translucent (about an hour). Stir frequently, especially near the end of cooking time, to prevent scorching.
(If you cannot find the small bottle of cherries, I use about 1/2 cup, once chopped up.) Add cherries and almonds, cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and add brandy or schnapps. Stir. Ladle into hot sterilized jars, seal with melted paraffin and add tops and screw bands. This recipe makes roughly 12  8 oz. jars. Yummy!!  A favourite of mine on croissants for Christmas morning breakfast...

Peace,
Linda

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

Are you in a pickle?

At the request of several readers, here is my recipe for Lady Ashburnham pickles. I didn't realize they are a favourite with so many people!! I guess I didn't realize they are so famous far and wide!  lol
Before I give you the recipe- here's my best pickling tip of the day. I love making pickles but don't enjoy chopping the onions. No doubt I'm not alone. So here's what I do to make the job bearable: I take my largest cutting board, sharp knife and onions outside into our attached garage (right off my kitchen). I set up on my hubby's workbench and turn on the fan which sits there. It blows at my face and blows away all those onion "fumes". Works like a charm! I have brought the fan into the kitchen and that's not bad either, but I think being "outside" with more fresh air circulating around in a larger area seems to work even better. So there you go. I do this whenever I have a good amount of onions to chop...

Lady Ashburnham Pickles

6-8 large cucumbers, peeled and seeds removed
1/4 cup coarse salt
4 cups finely chopped onions
optional- finely chopped celery and/or finely chopped red and/or green peppers
2 cups vinegar
2 cups w. sugar
4 Tblsp. flour
1 Tblsp. dry mustard
1 Tblsp. turmeric
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. celery seed

Chop cucumbers finely, as for relish, into large stockpot. Add salt and let sit overnight. Drain in the morning, do not rinse cucumbers. Add chopped onions (and celery and peppers if desired). Mix together sugar, flour, mustard, turmeric, mustard seed and celery seed and add to cucumbers along with vinegar. Stir well.. Cook until cucumbers are translucent, probably 45 minutes or so, stirring often to prevent burning to the bottom of pot. Pour into hot sterilized jars, and seal. (I am assuming readers know how to clean and sterilize jars and tops, etc.) Let cool. Store in cool place. Easy peasy!! Makes approx. 5 pint mason jars.

Next: Peach Jam. It's peachy!!

Peace,
Linda

Law of Gardening: You get the most of what you need the least. (like cucumbers!)

The Story Behind the Pickle...

Painting of Ashburnham House by Fernando Poyatos

Mmmmmm, I love the smell of pickles cooking.. Can you smell them from where you are? I just finished a batch of Lady Ashburnham pickles. If you live in my area you know what they are - to everyone else, I guess you would call it a mustard pickle relish. It's an old local recipe, supposedly the favourite of Lady Ashburnham of the early 1900's. Fredericton has many heritage buildings, and anyone who has lived here for very long knew Ashburnham House of 163-165 Brunswick St. (sadly, it was recently torn down.) It was originally two buildings, one an old inn and the other the residence of a city alderman. It's most famous occupants were Maria "Rye" Anderson and Thomas Ashburnham, the youngest son of Lord Ashburnham, the head of one of England's oldest families. As the fifth son, there was no expectation that Thomas would ever assume the title; after an army career and a decoration for bravery, he was sent to Canada, arriving in Fredericton as a typical remittance man, living on an allowance provided by the family.

Lady Ashburnham

Here Thomas fell in love with Rye Anderson, a common telephone operator and they married in 1903. Ashburnham purchased the two buildings on Brunswick Street and they were joined by a glassed-in conservatory forming a porte cochere which provided access to the back of the house and the beautiful lawns and gardens. Thomas resided in one house and his wife in the other. (Hmmm, not sure why....perhaps he didn't like her pickles??)
Unexpectedly in 1913, Thomas received word that his last surviving brother had died childless and that he was now Lord Ashburnham. His wife "the Telephone Girl" became the mistress of a vast estate, including a 100 room mansion. Her stay in jolly old England was not that enjoyable as she was not accepted by his family so they moved back to Fredericton in 1914 and became the "centre of an elite social life in the community". Apparently these pickles frequently graced the table when they entertained, but they were made by Lady A's sister Lucy; Lady A. herself was not  terribly devoted to "things domestic".  Lord A. continued to spend part of the year in Fredericton and part of the year in England, until his death in 1924. Lady A. lived on Brunswick Street until her death in 1938. (Info taken from Impressions of Historic Fredericton by Fernando Poyatos with text by William Spray.)
EDIT, Sept. 1  One of my commentors has sent me a link to an article on Lady Ashburnham, originally published in the Saint John Telegraph Journal, August 2010. Very interesting story... click here to read it.
Sorry... sometimes  I get carried away with a story... just thought my local readers might enjoy that snippet of local history... anyway, my pickles are done and cooling; tonight I will make a batch of Ratatouille. Can't do the Peach Jam yet as the peaches need to ripen/soften a bit more...

I went to our wonderful Saturday morning Farmers Market today. Came home laden with lots of fresh local goodies.. fresh picked corn for supper, fresh crunchy early apples, 5 lbs. of blueberries, red and green peppers, broccoli, beets... is your mouth watering yet? I love August and September when the produce is local and so fresh...
Several of you have inquired how my brother Wayne is doing. He is doing just fine, thanks for asking. His last visit to the surgeon went very well and he was told no more visits were required unless he had a problem. The foot has healed well and the bones are continuing to strengthen. He is walking albeit with a slight limp, and his foot tires easily but, hey, he still has the foot..and can walk again! We're not complaining. Today is his 45th wedding anniversary! Congrats Wayne and Shirley! What a wonderful choice you both made 45 years ago...
Love you both...

Peace,
Linda

Rest in Peace, Jack

August busy-ness...

August always seems to be such a busy month. Trying to keep ahead of all the yummy fresh veggies in the garden, getting pickles and jam done, produce and berries into the freezer and now getting ready for "back to  school university". I'm starting the "stock the freezer with easy meals" routine this week- at least it's only for ONE returning student this year! So far- lots of berries (for smoothies), meatballs, and banana breads. In this next week I'll make spaghetti sauce and chili. If I'm lucky (or should I say if SHE'S lucky?) some homemade soup as well. That will give Laura a good start for her freezer, and some easy meals for the days when she has classes all day and comes home too tired to want to do much meal prep. We had a bumper crop of raspberries this year (12 qts. in the freezer) and now I'm trying to stay ahead of the cukes, beans and peas. I have LOTs of tomatoes but they are slow in ripening... I got a batch of pickles cut up tonight, will cook them in the morning. Then next up is my Peach Jam. I sure hope Hurricane Irene does not interfere with my plans with a power outage or some such thing... Also hoping to get a batch of Ratatouille done in the next few days too (see my recipe here). Laura likes it so I guess she'll get a few containers of that too... So, you can see things are busy here at Casa Linda.... No rest for the weary as they say...
Laura is in Ontario this weekend, for a reunion with MRH participants. It is a Leadership Retreat weekend and most of the group were planning to attend. I expect Irene is going to mess up her return flight plans.. we'll see...
Sorry no photos today..hopefully tomorrow I'll have some pickle pics! lol  Hope you all have a good weekend and stay safe. Do take this coming storm seriously ....

Peace
Linda

Gardeners know the best dirt...

Backyard Visitors

It seems we have a new family in the neighbourhood.... a family of woodpeckers. It's not unusual for me to see a woodpecker on the apple trees in my backyard, but today as I went out onto the deck to hang out yet another load of laundry, there were three on the same tree. That's a first... I think at least two of them were juveniles as they were smaller and the feathers on their breasts still looked somewhat "downy" - like immature feathers..? So I quickly came back in, grabbed my camera and quietly stepped back out the door. By then they all had separated.. would they come back together for a "family portrait"? Of course not. The larger one (Mama perhaps?) flew to a tree further away, the shy one had headed up higher in the tree and was pretty much hidden by foliage, and I was left with just one - the keener. He had listened well to his Mama's lessons - he was pecking away at a furious pace - remember Woody Woodpecker, and how the chips of wood flew? Well this little guy was almost the same; I guess our trees must be full of juicy little insects. Of the dozen or so pics I snapped quickly, many were out of  focus. His little head never stopped... They must have migraines by the end of day...

As I look at my perennial beds, I can see that summer is drawing to a close. I feel ripped off - in some ways it seems we haven't had much summer at all. Some plants have done well- those that like lots of rain. Many others have not fluorished. My purple coneflower is doing well right now, and is attracting lots of  bees...
How are your gardens this summer?
I recently finished a great read- the first I have read by Kate Morton. I thoroughly enjoyed The House at Riverton, and am looking forward to The Forgotten Garden, also by Morton- it has been highly recommended to me by several friends... Right now I'm reading No Great Mischief  by Alistair MacLeod. What are you reading this summer?

Peace
Linda

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks." ~ John Muir

R.I.P. Jack

Canada lost a good man today- Jack Layton, leader of the N.D.P. party, and Official Leader of the Opposition.
Rest in Peace Jack.

Peace
Linda

"Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."  ~ Jack Layton

Happy Birthday and a Half..?

My friend Barb's birthday is in early February and this year I did not have any wonderful ideas for her gift. At that time our Guild was hand-quilting a Raffle Quilt, which was set up in a frame in my living room. Barb came several times to hand quilt on it, hoping to get some help/instruction/advice from more experienced hand quilters. Both times when she came, due to poor weather and other reasons, no one else showed up and it was just the two of us. Since I have little experience, I wasn't much help to her.
It was at that time that I came up with an idea for her birthday gift. I would "hire" Trudy, another Guild member and a beautiful hand-quilter, to give the two of us a private lesson. Barb thought this was a great idea and we both were looking forward to it. Then Trudy had a fall and did serious damage to her shoulder... Months of little movement, and rehab therapy followed... Long story short, we just had our private lesson today, six and a half months later. It was wonderful!! We both think we now have the idea and with some practice (OK, maybe LOTS of practice), we'll have decent looking small even stitches. Having individual attention and someone showing you exactly how to hold the needle, how to insert the needle vertically, and how to use the underneath finger and the top thumb to make the ""hill"...makes all the difference. It seems so much easier now! Each of my stitches now go through all three layers - a problem we were both having before, not always catching the backing fabric... It's really not all that hard, once you know how to do it correctly!!
It was pouring rain this morning, so it was the perfect day to be indoors, with two friends, quilting!! We teased Barb telling her it was her "Birthday and a Half".... we didn't sing Happy Birthday, but we did enjoy a lovely lunch after our lesson. I didn't take any photos, but perhaps I'll share one of my block, once I finish the quilting. I must say, it doesn't look too bad at this point   ( it's a feathered heart).

So, next time you are struggling  for a birthday gift idea for a friend, consider giving your friend a "lesson"... in whatever.. a shared activity is always fun...

Peace,
Linda

Friends fill your life with joy, your soul with sunshine and your heart with love.

Off to a Quilt Show...

Several weekends ago, hubby and I visited Cambridge Narrows, a small community about 45 minutes away, during their summer community festival weekend "Life at the Lakes". We wanted to visit our friends Wendy and Grant to see the progress on the new home they are building right on the shores of beautiful Washademoak Lake. I had a second purpose in mind as well - a quilt show! The small Guild there, Akerley Area Quilters' Guild, was putting on a Show and Tea called Stories Behind the Quilts. Many quilts had a short write-up telling the "story" of the quilt, and many were hand-quilted - so nice to see.We were a little late getting there, and time was short so my photos were rushed and are not fantastic, but I love seeing quilts displayed over pews in a church.  This was a lovely small country church, and I'm guessing you would like to see this display too. So here they are....

 Great job, Akerley Quilters!!

Piece,
Linda

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.

Girls' Trip....

A change is as good as a rest, they say... As you no doubt have guessed, I've been away again. Darlin' daughter and I had a short "girls' trip". We headed down to Nova Scotia for a few days and got some things done in her apartment so things will be pretty much ready for her to move in, in several weeks time. Cleaning, organizing shopping, etc - all good. Since it was so great to finally have a few days of sunny warm weather, we decided to take a little jaunt down to Peggy's Cove, as Laura had only been there once before. It was such a beautiful day with blue skies and rolling surf. I could have stayed on those weather-worn rocks all day long, watching the pounding surf. What is it about watching the ocean? It's mesmorising, just like watching a bonfire, or campfire. I love the smell of the ocean, listening to the surf, watching the ever-present seagulls glide and soar on the air currents... It was a great afternoon.   Since Peggy's Cove is such a well known "representative" image when one thinks of Nova Scotia, I thought you might like to see a few of my photos from our visit...

As you leave the Cove, on your left you will see a wonderful carved mural in a granite outcrop. As you can see from the above photos, this entire area is sheer rock. (I'm amazed there is even enough soil for grass and weeds to grow.) What would you do with a 90 foot granite outcrop in your backyard? Artist William deGarthe decided to do a carving as a tribute to the community and people he loved- the hard-working fishermen of Peggy's Cove. At age 70, (in 1977) he began, with chisel and power tools to, as he put it, "release the figures sleeping in the rock for over 10 million years". Granite is not an easy rock to work with, as it is as hard as ordinary steel. So after years of study and planning, and some basic sketches, he began by outlining the figures with dark oil paint on the rock. Then he drilled holes along the outlines to weaken the rock, then used chisels and other tools to "reveal and refine" the figures. Over the next 6 years he carved 30 figures in the granite. He divided the work into three distinct sections, called Work, Bounty and Grace.

Work is the largest section, on the right- depicting the local fishermen hard at work, hauling nets, pulling a dory and using other tools of the trade to acquire their catch. Bounty, the middle section, celebrates the riches of the sea- the fish so essential to the survival of the community. The young woman carrrying the basket seen here is the famous "Peggy" who some say inspired the name of the cove.
 The section on the far left, Grace, features a guardian angel watching over a fisherman and his family. (The seagull you see there on the far left, is Joe, deGarthe's pet seagull.) Sadly, deGarthe died in 1983 before his monument was completed, but what he left behind is a work of art- a tribute to him as an artist, and to the community he loved. Be sure to see it, if you ever visit Peggy's Cove.
Many people wonder who Peggy was? One legend tells the tale of a young woman named Margaret who after being rescued from a shipwreck, settled here and fell in love with one of her rescuers. Nicknamed Peggy, this legendary woman was a source of inspiration for deGarthe.
Peggy's Cove.. a beautiful spot (as is all of Nova Scotia.) These photos have not been altered or enhanced in any way- these are the colours as we saw them that day....ah, the ocean blue!

Peace,
Linda

"The voice of the sea speaks to the soul." ~Kate Chopin