HennyPenny's random thoughts. New set of goals!

[Blackbird]

That is so cool Henny! Little things like that make one appreciate things more, not sure how, but it just does. Life seemed to different back that, something plkeasant and happy about it, so it seems, regardless of the times. So many stories and history, a treasure for sure!

 

[hennypenny9]

Yeah, life sure was different. In the end, my grandma would have seven boys, and one girl, my mom. One boy would die very young. This is the one who had a reaction to a vaccine, had seizures, and died only days after being injected. But still, seven kids on one income. My grandpa was a mail man. But he died when my mom was only 16, so I never knew him.

Oh goodness. I went through one more box... And found three cookbooks. Two from 1934, and one from 1935. Many have notes and dates from my grandma on them. "Very good" and "disappointing!" And such. I really really need to pack it up to get ready for bed, but I don't want to! If I had a choice I would leave it for tomorrow, but what if the house gets shown? Bah, this is why I want the house to sell!

 

[Blackbird]

I can relate to that, my dad has/had 10 siblings, and my mom had 6 brothers. My grandfather died when my dad was 12, and everyone grew up poor. Times were pretty bad sometimes, but some people seemed pretty well off. Notice I only said some.

Having people come to see the house all the time has got to be a pain, and to be neat and clean all the time!

 

[Farmfresh]

Those cookbooks are another treasure. You should really try out some of the more unusual recipes in them! I have my grandma's old cookbook and many of her recipes that she wrote out on cards for me.

They are great recipes calling for ingredients like "bacon grease" and "white lard", heavy cream and "several good fresh eggs". The recipes in that old book always turn out wonderfully! Much more delicious than what "Betty" can cook today, with her diet ingredients and nutrition counters.

Living in a house that is on the market is like living in a fish bowl. It is a hard place to be. Maybe your time is coming soon now and the house will sell.

 

[Aidenbaby]

You guys should be posting some of these yummy recipes in the recipe section. I'm tired of buying cookbooks and finding a great recipe that calls for weird things like capers. I know what a caper is but I want recipes that I can just yank any old thing out of my pantry/freezer/refridgerator and make a meal out of it.

 

[BeccaOH]

Hi, HennyPenny,
I have a bit of a collection of old cookbooks. Those from church groups and other organizations are some of the best -- they don't have all those weird ingredients Kelle mentioned, but sometimes they don't have clear directions for cooking either. :/

I love old recipe cards written out by family. My grandmother's are priceless as she wasn't a good speller -- cooky = cookie.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

And to think you were complaining about 75 degrees. ROFL That isn't to say that I like it being 75, but about now I'll take it! What happened to June being the month when we can start to mentally prepare for summer to hit? What is up with this nearly 90 degree heat? It is so bizarre considering that only 2 weeks ago I still had a few nights of frost.

HennyPenny . . . I think we have the same hair type. Keeping it out of the way is the only way to deal with it. You can't cut it short if you want to keep it under control.

I think it is really cool that you found your grandmother's journal. Maybe you should make some effort to keep those documents under more archival conditions (keep them out of humidity and temperature extremes . . . don't store in cardboard boxes, etc.) It would be fun to have your mom come up and sort through the stuff with you, and possibly re-pack some of the more interesting stuff more archivally. If you don't do it now . . . .

I hate trying to keep a house show quality. You really can't get anything done . . . except for maybe sweep the floor, yet again!

 

[big brown horse]

Hennypenny, DrakeMaiden,

It is I who cursed us with the hot weather. You see, bad weather follows me. Hurricanes in TX, so we moved. I got here in October and this year you guys had the worst winter in 20 years. Now it is pushing 90 degrees with no rain, or even a cloud in site for days on end too. The average high in the month of June is like 75, right?

All my friends back home said "you know it rains alot there" well, I wish it did! My garden is revolting, the chickens are panting and the horses have been driven deep into the forest and have yet to be seen! My poor grass which was soft with moss is looking a lot like the grass in TX, its brown now and the earth is cracked.

Our only relief is to load up the Saint Bernards and drive to the sound for a swim. That is quite a messy job too!

Henny, those books sound very, very cool!!!!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Yes, well, I thought it was you, big brown horse, who brought this ghastly heat from TX, I was just being polite and not saying anything.

My mom says this is an unusual weather pattern, but one that does happen here occassionally -- extra cold winter and extra hot summer. She has been living here longer than I have and tracking the weather longer than I, so I believe her.

 

[big brown horse]

Yes, well, I thought it was you, big brown horse, who brought this ghastly heat from TX, I was just being polite and not saying anything.

Sorry y'all.

Henny I am still thinking about the journals and cookbooks you found. What a treasure! We looked at another house with an established orchard before we bought the one we are in. One of the house's selling points was that it came with an orchard journal of sorts that was kept over 25 years. It was kept on the table along with the real estate agent's card. I looked at that more than I looked at the house! In it were things, like when the mason bees emerged, when the first humming birds arrived, the swallows, more mosquitoes than the norm, spraying for whatever, spliced fruit branches, the prices of items at the time etc. Very cool!! And a great idea!