Wild, Wild Horses

I've said it before...and I'll probably say it many times more. I love living on the prairie. I wish I could bottle the sounds for you of standing on a hilltop--gazing into the far horizon...and the sounds of the wild horses. The puff of their breath. The softness of their neigh. The whisper of the grass. The hum of the cicadas and crickets.

The prairie.

Eye of the Quilter 2013--International Quilt Festival, Houston

Momma It's Cold

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Do These Horses Make Me Look Fat?

In 2009, the International Quilt Festival, held each year in Houston, Texas, began featuring a special exhibit called "The Eye of the Quilter." This special exhibit features photographs taken by quilters. The theory is that quilters develop an “eye” for not only quilting but other detailed and creative works of art. Entrants were able to submit up to three digital shots for the juried exhibit, with the winners being on display at a special area of the Festival in Houston, which brings more than 53,000 attendees to this event. Each year has a special “theme.” This year’s theme was “Flora and Fauna.” I am excited and honored to learn that all three of the photos I submitted were selected for this year's exhibit. This will be the fifth year that my work has been selected. In addition to the photograph, the photographer must also submit a short essay to explain “why” they submitted a particular shot. I must say that I stressed and agonized over what to submit this year. I KNEW I was going to enter the photo of the Cross L Ranch horses with the quilt...and probably the bison at Woolaroc. BUT...the photo of my shadow was a midnight decision..."what the heck"/see if they like it submission. One thing I know about quilters, they have a great sense of humor and I figured they would get a kick out that shot! What a hoot that it was accepted!!! Yippee!!! Here's my photos AND the essay submitted with each "shot."

DO THESE HORSES MAKE ME LOOK FAT?

I HATE photos of myself. Ugh. There is a golden hour on the Tallgrass Prairie just before sunset when everything has a golden halo. The shadows are long. I'm blessed to live where the ranchers have herds of wild horses. Imagine looking across a valley at a herd of horses covering a hilltop. It leaves you breathless. So one beautiful evening I was driving down a country road when these three pretty horses were standing at the fence just begging me to stop my Jeep! I stepped out & saw that (at last!) my shadow made me look TALL! How does this photo relate to "Flora and Fauna"? The definition I found of "fauna" was "the animals characteristic of a region." If you are visiting northeastern Oklahoma—you are in "wild horse" country! (Think the opening scenes of Ree Drummond's "Pioneer Woman" cooking show). Also, the entry information on this year's Eye of the Quilter stated "fauna (wildlife)"—that's ME…one "wild" and "wacky" quilter photo woman!

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

This spring I participated in a "30 day photo challenge." One day the challenge was simply, "Obsession." Hmmm…there are so many things I would say I am obsessed with!! But two "themes" kept circling around in my mind: horses and quilts. But how do I show my obsession in a photograph?? As I pondered this task I noticed an antique quilt top sitting in a basket—and there was my answer! The rancher next to our farm in southeastern Kansas has some of the most beautiful horses. I was hopeful they would be "out" and not in some far off ravine or on top of a far hill. I was also hopeful that none of the other ranchers or farmers would pass by to see me throwing a quilt over the fence (and making my husband hold it down so it wouldn't blow off to the other side!). But if they had, I'm sure they would have thought, "there's that crazy lady in the red Jeep with her camera shooting horses AGAIN!!!" How does this photo relate to "Flora and Fauna"? The horses, of course, are the fauna…and touch of flora in the quilt!!

MOMMA IT'S COLD

When I first bought my "real" camera, I took a photography class by a local Oklahoma photographer at Woolaroc preserve and museum (Jerry Poppenhouse). He showed us photographs he had taken one winter morning of the bison at Woolaroc where they were covered with frost. From that moment on, whenever the weather forecast was for frigid temperatures and snow, I would pray that I could get to Woolaroc to photograph a frosty bison!! One blustery fall afternoon karma was good. I was off work and conditions were "right." Quickly my husband and I headed the 20 minute drive from our home to Woolaroc! Let there be frost. Let there be frost. That was my mantra. Turning a corner we were greeted by this sweet scene…a momma bison and her calf. Awwwwww. No. Brrrrrrrr!!! How does this photo relate to "Flora and Fauna"? The bison epitomizes the Oklahoma wildlife. When we imagine the "Oklahoma hills" that Woody Guthrie sings of, we envision the herds of bison roaming free.

Good Morning!

I like mornings. I’m definitely a “morning person.” If I am going to get something accomplished, then I’d better get it done in the morning. By the afternoon I have fizzled and my “get up and go” has went. My workday mornings are pretty routine: Dan gets up and goes to “work out” around 5:30 a.m. Sometimes I hear him…most times I snooze on. He gets back & wakes me up at 6:30 a.m. Stumble into the kitchen and make coffee (hopefully on the walk from bedroom to the kitchen I will have become fully awake…otherwise we usually have some sort of catastrophe on our hands—coffee made without coffee filter, coffee pot never turned on…). Brush teeth, put on makeup. At 7 a.m. the “Today Show” comes on. That is my “alarm” and I’d better be blow drying my hair at that point. By 7:30 a.m. I am “out the door” and ready to start my workday. Every work day that’s my morning. Seriously. Every work day. Like, since always. Ahhhhhh, then there is the “week-end me.” The morning dawdler. A friend of mine, Jeana, introduced me to the phrase, “of a mornin’,” as in:

Of a mornin’ I like to have a large cup o’ coffee with vanilla cream.

I love that phrase. It gives off a conjecture of lazy Saturday mornings—doing what you want. So I think of my Saturday mornings as “of a mornins’.” I can piddle around and discover that it is 10 o’clock and I am still not dressed and ready for the day. Oh, but I have enjoyed my morning! I love a special blend of coffee that is sold at the Red Buffalo in Sedan, Kansas. That’s my “week-end brew.” Now don’t turn your nose up—it is chocolate orange flavor. I know, I know…it sounds so odd. But it is soooo good. And the aroma! I will start the coffee, maybe water the plants. Drink some coffee. Fill the bird feeder. Watch some HGTV. Drink some coffee. Make the bed. Drink some coffee. Do my nails. Drink some coffee. Mess up my nails. Drink some coffee. See what I mean? If you haven’t dawdled away a morning…come on over, I’ll show you how it’s done. The coffee’s ready!

Jelly Making, Grandma and A Glass of Wine

August…hot summers in Kansas…at the Farm…one window air conditioner…and Grandma is making jelly.    My Grandma Ruby made the best jellies and jams.   My memory of her making them in the kitchen at the Farm is so clear.   As I make my jelly and jams, I like to think she is smiling down at me, knowing when it looked like I was more interested in the book I was reading or getting out of doing my chores, I was actually learning from her and now continuing her legacy.

I love the term “putting up” used in connection with preserving/canning foods.  It sounds domestic (and I don’t mean that in a “Susie Homemaker” way, but a “taking care of family” and “providing.”   I always think of the pioneer housewife, after a morning of picking a bushel of tomatoes, “putting up” the jars of canned tomatoes, tomato preserves, etc.—and sitting down in the evening looking at her efforts cooling on the table).

I am struck by the similarities and the differences of Grandma “putting up” the jelly and me doing the same.   Grandma’s bounty was either picked (by Grandpa and the grandkids, probably) or exchanged with a neighbor (her peaches for their cucumbers).   I sent Dan to the store for a bushel of Porter peaches.

Grandma would take her bowl of fruit to the living room to cut it up as she watched her “shows” (soap operas).   My cousins and I would be on the floor at her feet playing with paper dolls or reading one of the many volumes of “Reader’s Digest Condensed Books” that was always found on the bookshelf.   I prepare my fruit after work at the kitchen sink, peering over the breakfast bar as I watch the latest episode of “Duck Dynasty.”

The first time I made jelly, Dan was in college in La Grande, Oregon.   We were so broke we couldn’t afford much in the way of Christmas gifts for our family.  Our landlord had planted a cherry tree in the yard of each of his duplexes.   The tenants were allowed to pick all they wanted.   They were the most beautiful cherries.  Dan and I picked and picked and picked.   We could not afford a good cherry pitter, so we bought this little one-at-a-time pitter.   You would center one cherry into the center, press down and out came the pit.  One.cherry.at.a.time.   I still have that pitter—wouldn’t trade it for anything.  Dan attended school during the day while I worked at the Juvenile Department at the County Courthouse and then he worked at night as a jailer at the Courthouse.   Often our paths crossed at the on the Courthouse steps.   During that week of “pitting cherries,”  I remember we would give each other reports of how far we had progressed:   “Ten Cups!”  “Only two cups tonight!”  That was the BEST cherry preserves ever made.  After I “put up” jar after jar of the preserves, I would often go to the basement pantry to just stare at the beautiful glowing ruby jars.   I don’t know if the recipients appreciated the gifts of jelly, but I don’t think I have since ever made a gift that had as much love and effort put into the making as those cherry preserves.

So fast forward 39 years and here I am “putting up” peaches.   This time my jelly and jams have a twist that happened from a lucky experiment.   Last year as I was making grape jelly, I did not have enough “juice”—BUT I did have some open sweet Texas red wine.  Hmmm.   Yep, I did it!  Just poured that wine into the measuring cup.   The result was very, very tasty.     So, on a trip to Missouri (where you can find many wineries with “country” or “non-grape” fruit wines), I purchased some inexpensive peach wine.  

The "Juice"

Here’s my “Peach Wine Jelly” recipe:

Peach pits…yes, peach pits.   Save them as you cut up your peaches.   Leave a little “meat” on the pits.   Simmer them for about 30 minutes in several cups of water.  (I was making two batches, so I used about 8 cups of water).   Strain into a bowl.  

2 cups “peach pit” juice

2 ½ cups peach wine

3 cups sugar

1 pkg. Sure Jel (I use the “for less or no sugar” kind) Pectin

Follow the directions on the box of pectin for making the jelly.

For my “Peach Wine Jelly-Jam” recipe (it is kinda jammy and kinda jelly):

In a large Pyrex measuring cup (4 cup), I place about 6 finely chopped, peeled peaches.   (Actually, I prepare my fruit & freeze it.   It is easier to chop the semi-thawed peaches that way, and I can make the jelly when I want and not feel as pressured to do it all at one time…but that’s another story).   Pour the peach wine over the peaches to the 4 cup mark.   Now add ½ cup more wine (the recipe calls for 4 ½ cups prepared fruit).

3 cups sugar

1 pkg. Sure Jel (again, I use the “for less or no sugar” kind) Pectin

Follow the directions on the box of pectin for making the jam.

Oh yes—you should have a little wine left over.   Put it in the freezer to chill as you start the jelly making process.   As soon as the jars of jelly are cooling, sit down, put your feet up and finish that bottle! 

Mix your pectin with a 1/4 cup of the measured sugar

Hint:  Keep a bowl of sudsy water in the sink to "quick wash" hands and spoons, etc.

Organization and prep--makes life easier

Stir, stir, stir. (I use a BIG pot so I won't make a mess)

Water Bath...almost finished!



Now relax!



DONE! 



Initial Preparations...Peach "juice" and Peach wine!

Let's Take a Road Trip to Branson

I haven't posted in a long, long time....a bad bout of mono last fall knocked me out thru Christmas...so very little got done...and the new year brought many challenges at work.  SO--instead of thoughts today, I thought you might enjoy a "road trip" to beautiful Branson, Missouri.   As I write this, it is Spring--the redbuds and dogwood are in bloom.   My husband and I enjoyed a morning drive south of Branson to Big Cedar Lodge--coffee on the terrace overlooking the lake!  Then on west and north across Table Rock Lake and back towards Indian Point.   We stopped by a peach orchard and of course found a cow or two!   Enjoy!!!

Royal Empress Tree--Branson Showboat

Looking at Lake at Big Cedar Lodge

Driving into Big Cedar Lodge

A couple of cardinals joined us for our cup of coffee

Looking across the lake at Big Cedar Lodge

Flowers at Big Cedar's gardens

Spring leaves against stained glass at Big Cedar

Old fashioned flowers

At Big Cedar's gardens--I could handle a dog like this

Of course I found a horse!

A nice gentleman told us to go "above the stables" at Big Cedar and "see the colors."

Everyone needs a rest!

Bridge on Hwy 13 across Table Rock Lake

I made Dan turn the car around to "shoot" these lovely ladies.

Peach blossoms

Peach Blossoms

More peach trees--overlooking the Ozarks

Peach orchard