These Days

These days, visits to this Blog are increasing rapidly. My counter (http://statcounter.com/) tells me that many of the "hits" result from searches for "Povitica". A recipe is included on this site. http://butterflyhillfarm.blogspot.com/2008/12/recipe-povitica.html Plus, I have often talked of my memories of this wonderful Bread. http://butterflyhillfarm.blogspot.com/search?q=Povitica

This Nut Bread was made by my Croatian Grandmother Dragica (Dora) especially around the holidays. Povitica is also called Potica and Pah-cah-TEET-sah, which is a name I cannot spell but can surely pronounce.

Making Povitica was no small commitment for the Grandmothers, taking about an 8 hour day to make, and resulting from complex skills learned from many times in the observation and making. Grandma Dora immigrated here with her husband Kazimir in 1908. They came from the region of the Austro-Hungarian empire known as Gorski Kotar. Her trunk of treasures included many foods of traditional fare, which were a part of the glue that defined them.

Perhaps the rising interest on the Blog comes from a gentle and persistent nudging of the Grandmothers for the memory of who we are and from whence we have come. Those of us in this modern frenzied world have left behind so many traditions. But some traditions just cannot seem to be denied. They surely must be encoded in our cells.

As we return to these traditional crafts in our slow and often fumbling ways, the Grandmothers would surely nod and smile. It's a coming home.

Better and Better

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When I was younger,

I always wondered

what Folks thought about

when they got

some snow on their roofs.

That is:

gray/white hair.

Didn't think they thought about

much of anything

of consequence.

But, now

that my hair is graying,

I think

it just gets

better and better.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2010

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On Gratitude

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Gratitude gets

all the Fanfare

on Thanksgiving Day.

But rather,

it should be a practice

every day,

all year long.

We try,

right here

down on the Farm.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2010

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Thanksgiving Menu

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...Gratitude...

Heirloom Breed Turkey

(raised by local Farmer John Arbuckle,

Singing Prairie Farm),

Wild Rice Dressing

(Wild Rice from Native Harvest

harvested in the traditional way

up there on those beautiful northern Minnesota Lakes,

with Celery, Parsley, and Garlic which we raised

and Onion which we did not,

Giblets from the Turkey, butter from the store)

Mashed Root Vegetables

(Rutabaga, Celeriac, Parsnips, Potato, Leeks, Garlic,

all from right here on the Farm;

Butter from the store,

Milk from Brad Whitaker's Cows)

Brussel Sprout Salad

(Brussel Sprouts, assorted Lettuce,

all of which we raised,

Walnuts,

Goat Cheese from Sarah Wilcox-Hughes's Goats

and made by her hands,

dressing was oil and vinegar,

and mustard from Sandhill Farm),

Indian Pudding

(Varieties of Indian Corn raised on our Farm,

Milk from Brad,

Molasses from the Crawford Family,

Butter from the store),

Gravy

(Rice Flour, Butter and Juices from the Turkey),

Cranberry Relish

(Cranberries handcarried

from Wisconsin last year

and relish made right here),

Sweet Potato Pie

(Sweet Potatoes from here,

Brad's Cows' Milk, Molasses from the Crawford Family,

Honey from Hollenbeck Farm,

Eggs from our Hennies,

and Assorted Spices,

Gluten Free crust

using Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix)

....

Yum

....Gratitude....

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http://nativeharvest.com/

Reduction Program

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are intent

on reducing

our Car Inventory to 2.

That means

sharing more,

"ours" rather than "mine".

We'll reduce insurance costs,

reduce property tax costs,

reduce costs of care and upkeep,

have less to take care of,

create more space,

live more simply.

Richard's Runner

will take his place

in the Garage.

One vehicle is more

the sturdy country/farm type.

The other

is for saving on gas,

decreasing our contribution to global warming

and distance/highway travel.

All these things will happen

when they are supposed to.

One more to go.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2010

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Sold

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sold my Car today.

Were on our way out the door

headed toward the dealership.

Car was clean,

sparkly,

spiffy,

ready to go.

Title, keys, records

were in my hand.

Coat was on,

mittens too.

Phone rang.

Friend expressed interest.

We met 20 minutes later.

They fell in love,

just as I did.

We were neither

in the car selling business.

So, setting price

was strange all around.

They asked

what I would like.

I asked

what they would like.

We hummed, hawed,

looked down at the ground,

shuffled our feet,

looked back up again

and smiled.

I suggested a price.

They offered more.

We settled.

Sold.

Hugs all around.

Isn't this the way
it's supposed to work?

She sits

on a new drive

tonight.

Feels good.

She took good care of me .

She will take good care of them.

She has new adventures ahead.

So do we.

I gave her

a little pat on the way out,

said "Thanks",

wished her

and her new Family

well.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2010

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Winter Preps

It's beginning to feel more and more like Winter. Shift in seasons is surely in the air. That means that final preparations for Winter are in order. In the last couple of days,

• Garden statues migrated into the Garage.
• Cornelia, the Scare Crow, took up winter quarters in the garage too.
• We filled all available 5 gallon buckets with rain water and brought them inside for the inside plants.
• The Rain Barrel was emptied, cleaned and put away.
• Barbecue grills were stored.
• Mums from the Bakers and the Kerbys, and Rachel found places in the west garden.
• 14 gallons of Carrots were dug.
• Bird baths were tucked away.
• Containers from the West Porch are now stacked in the Garage.
• That newly arrived compost was spread onto 7 raised Garden Beds.

Mostly, Richard did all of this. He worked slowly and deliberately. I'd look out and there he was in yet another place. Melanie and I had in town work to do today. Plus, I am pretty pooped out these days from all the intensity of the last few weeks and months.

Rest is good. We can almost feel a longer rest coming. Yesterday, we had 2 Garden Catalogs arrive in the Mailbox. After the intensity of these last few months, we aren't ready for that. So Melanie carefully tucked them away.

Grandma and Grandpa Say

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If a job is worth doing,

it's worth doing well.

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Storage

Jonathan keeps working away at shelves in the Basement. We are very pleased. That's all local wood. His design is in keeping with our specific needs and functions to make this Little House into a Missouri Farm House. You will note the work station to the left.

This is the 2nd set of shelves Jonathan has built in the basement. Richard looked at the 1st set and commented that it is really good to see a finished product of someone who takes pride in their work.

I am not so sure why that sounds so unusual, but these days it seems like a lot of folks are just putting out the minimum. Seems like what you put out is also what comes back to you. Who are we fooling?

Over the next 4 days, we will be cleaning up the area of sawdust. Then we will put boxes and tubs on the shelves according to the functions we have in mind. We are already looking ahead to the next storage project. Hopefully, Jonathan will return soon for the next round to weave his magic yet again.

These storage projects surely are helping us feel like we are home here. That feeling seems like the product of time, experience, and bonding.

15 Tons

On this day which is Richard's Birthday, we had a delivery of Aged Cow Compost from the Cows of our friends Rolf and Ilse. That's 15 Tons. I can imagine that the Garden is just gleeful with delight.

Book Friend

Roth, Sally. (2003). The Gardener's Weather Bible: How to Predict and Prepare for Garden Success in Any Kind of Weather. Emmaus, PA: Rodale.

Grandma Says

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A place

for everything

and

everything

in its place.

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Guidance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Years ago,

I began to feel

uneasy

with popular means

of thought and action.

Some things simply

did not make sense.

It was

as if I was putting

on "Hand Me Down" Shoes

that did not fit

my Feet

and hampered

my Walk.

Plus,

I had questions

I had to pursue.

I began to walk away

from Boxes that constrained

my Thinking,

my Actions,

and my Walk.

Simultaneously,

I was drawn to studying

other Cultures' views of the World

and their place in it.

In that moment,

I began to honor

the Voice

inside of Me.

I was learning

to color outside the Lines.

Instead of a Black and White World,

I found Colors

hanging on the Rainbow.

I found Guidance

for my Earthly Walk.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2010

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A Place for Everything

The day seemed to be on that Edge between Fall and Winter. Skies had those striking Winter Colors. Clouds were gray and heavy. Glimpses of Brilliant Blue sometimes appeared. It was cool. Rain was predicted.

Enter Jonathan, who has been intent upon helping us make this little House into a Home and this design of a Minnesota Lake Cabin into a Missouri Farm House. His intention is helping us making Sacred Space in the place that we call Home. He brings his Gifts into our Lives and we are ever so grateful.

In the time that he has shared his talent with us, we have mostly focused on interior painting. This past week, he has been working on creating some storage in an upstairs Bedroom. Lately, he has turned his talents on the Basement.

While somewhat functional, our Basement has been largely without Shelves these past 3 1/2 years. That means, Storage is in stacks of boxes and piles. That sort of arrangement is hardly efficient or fun.

Jonathan is intent upon making Shelves in the Basement. He has watched and listened intently on what we need to have happen here to make the Basement and the Farmhouse fully functional. He disappeared into the Basement and came up with some new solutions that we had not even thought of. The 1st task is about making Shelves for the Canned Goods of which we have a lot.
Please note that the Shelves will be made out of Local Wood. I could not be more pleased.
Before he left today, he had largely gotten the shelves in place in the Basement. Do we ever like what we see. He has a bit of finishing work to do on them. Already, the boxes have been vying for their place on those wonderful shelves. And another wall wants a set of shelves there too. It's like the Basement is beginning to breathe. And the Humans are too. I remember the Old Timers saying: "A place for everything and everything in its place."

In the meantime, I am intent on packing away the last of the Seeds. The Flower Seeds have been patiently waiting: Zinnias, Marigolds, Coxcomb.

It's amazing to me how efficient Nature is. I pulled those Pretty Petals out, and Bingo, Nature produces Seeds for the Next Generation. The reaches of the Life Cycle sat there in my Hands.

The Following 2 Flowers are Benary's Giant Zinnias and my Mother's Marigolds, both of which I dearly love. I usually just keep small envelopes of Seeds. For these, I used large and small brown paper Bags. That's way more than I need and aplenty to share besides.We had Venison Roast with Veggies for our Evening Meal. The Roast cooked most of the Day and its aroma was wonderful. Great Niece Cassie got the Deer during the Young Hunting Time. The Deer was young, so it was really tender.

Richard headed to the Garden to gather some Veggies. Those Turnips are just terrific. There is a big difference between those that were grown in regular Rows and those that were grown on Raised Beds. Those grown in regular Rows are stressed and small; the texture and flavor are less than ideal. It's pretty obvious they have struggled this growing Season. The Gigantic One below was grown on a Raised Bed. That Plant was really happy. We Gardeners are too.

Patience

All of Nature is completing preparations for the coming Winter Months. The Praying Mantis has prepared a lovely Nest for her Eggs. That Nest sits almost at eye level in the Little Oak Tree beside the North Bench.

This Fall has brought some special challenges and gifts on and off the Farm for the Humans in completing their Preparations. We keep poking away at our Winter Preparations. We celebrate that which we have gotten done. More awaits. We wonder what we will actually get done.

Somehow the thought of incompletion before the Winter arrives is like writing a sentence without putting a period at the end. I try to be Patient but it is hard. Maybe Patience and Letting go are just the lessons I need to learn.

Peanut Memories

November 1:

On this day, we pulled some of the Peanuts from their dried Vines. As I sat there pulling Peanuts, I shared that I didn't think this was the customary process for that big name company which sells such things. On this day and on our Farm, the Peanuts are big and are they ever good.

When I was a Child, I loved to write stories. I would tell them to anyone who would listen. They always seemed like a kind of magic to me. One of my Memories of such Tellings is the warm smiling face of my Mother looking down on me.

One of the stories that I wrote was called "The Little Peanut". I was about 8 and in the 3rd Grade. I just couldn't quit writing and telling stories because the words seemed like they would never stop.

The story went something like this: "Once upon a time, there was a Little Peanut. He lived on a Farm in the Soil with his Family and his Friends. They laughed and played together. Life was good and they were very happy.

One day, they heard some loud noises and felt the ground shake. Pretty soon, a large machine came and dug them from the ground. They were placed in a large box under which the wheels turned. They were taken away from the place that was their home. It was dark in the box and they were sad, alone, and afraid. Where did their family go? Where was the place they called home? Would they ever return?

The wheels stopped. And they were thrown into something that moved. They were squashed and stirred all around. Somehow, the Little Peanut still knew who he was. Later they were placed in jars with the lids on. Once again the Little Peanut and all the other Peanuts were in boxes and under them the wheels turned. This time, those Wheels turned in a different direction. Things were all dark in there so they did not know what was going on.

Then the lid came off and the Little Peanut could see the light. To his surprise, he was back home and he was surrounded by his family and friends. No, it wasn't quite the same. They were now Peanut Butter, but they lived happily ever after on the Farm that was always their home.

"The End."

Winnowing

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These days,

we are tidying up on more levels

than we can count.

I shelled the remainder

of the Dry Edible Beans.

Since they were mixed

going into the bucket

out in the Garden,

they were mixed as I shelled them.

After they were shelled,

there was a lot of "chaff".

I headed to the porch

to "winnow" them.

Richard taught me how to do this

and I just love doing it too.

Pouring them from Container to Container,

a soft Breeze takes away the Chaff,

leaving the Beans behind.

I then separated them

according to type and put them in

Jars in the Pantry

for Culinary Crafts ahead.
~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2010

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Simple Formula

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You just can't have

Healthy People on a Sick Planet.

What we do to

the Air, Water, Soil, Fire,

we do to ourselves.

Physicians take

an Oath

to first do no harm.

Buddhists practice non-harm.

God gave us Creation.
Shouldn't we honor

and cherish

that Gift

in every step?

How did we

get so far off

that page?

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2010

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Quote

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To keep the body

in good health

is a duty

...

otherwise

we shall not be able

to keep

our mind

strong and clear.

~~~~

Buddha

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Problem on Its Way to Some Kind of Solution

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have had Mice in the Garage.

Up to this day,

we stored Food for the Chickens

in the Garage.

Lots of Food.

Organic.

Good Stuff.

We have also stored

2 of our Cars there.

That's not a good mix.

Previously,

we have taken care

to make sure that the Garage

is sealed all around,

if you can completely know

about such things.

Mice can come in

through the smallest of Spaces.

And we have set traps.

Mice need 2 things:

Food and Shelter.

Under the previous circumstances

that makes our new Garage

a 5 star Hotel.

Those Mice are smart.

They are survivors.

These days, they are scurrying inside

anything that could be perceived as Shelter

because they know Winter is coming.

The urgency in them is survival energy.

On this day, Richard removed

all the Food from the Garage.

It now sits in the Rooster House.

Shhhhh...

The Garage Hotel

just got downgraded.

We are keeping

our Fingers crossed on this one.

Mice, be gone.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2010

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