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Mis-adventures Are Fun Too

19 Jul

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

We have been enjoying the summer exploring with the grandchildren. Two weeks ago we visited the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We had planned some short walks and a picnic at Collins Creek picnic area. The weather decided to change our plans but we were able to grill our hotdogs under a wonderful pavilion at Collins Creek.

This week we were on a waterfall hunt in Clayton, Georgia. Due to bad directions and an over-full ford, we didn’t find the waterfalls but we did discover a great picnic area, Warwoman Dell.  Warwoman has two amazing picnic pavilions, one with a large fireplace the other with a central fireplace with four grilling stations.  We ended our day with the grandchildren wading in the Chattooga River located on the South Carolina-Georgia border.

Uh-oh should have driven the truck.

Love the fireplace. Looks like a great place for a Fall picnic

Wading on the Chatooga

Neither of our days went as we planned but we had a great time. Sometimes those rainy day picnics and mis-adventures create memories that are remembered far longer than perfect days.

How about you, do you let the weather or bad directions keep you from having a good time?

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Pallet House

12 Jul

On The Porch

Onisha Ellis

My son, Matt enjoys raising chickens. I don’t know why, but he just can’t seem to have enough chickens or chicken houses. Recently he decided to raise bantam chickens. He got eight of the Cochin type and four others of a breed I can’t remember. I’m not up on my chicken knowledge. This caused a problem since these chickens are smaller than his other ones. He decided to build another chicken house but like with many of us money is tight so he had to be creative.

Matt worked in a factory, which had a surplus of wooden pallets, and they were glad to get rid of them. He took seven home and started building. He framed it with five wooden pallets, put two pallets down to make a floor and used two by fours to create a roof. He picked up some Masonite siding from a surplus supply store to finish the outer walls and put two four by eight corrugated fiberglass panels to make a nice roof. He finished it off with two by twos and chicken wire for a door. This chicken house is so deluxe it even has an automatic water dispenser made using a five-gallon bucket. All total, he built a fine chicken house for sixty dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m so proud of him. He has the ability to look at a problem and find creative, practical solutions. In these hard times, we all need to look into ourselves to rediscover that mindset. I fear that in our busy lives we have found it easier to throw money at a situation rather than using our minds to solve problems.

Matt’s chickens even get water front living.

 

Luke 12:42

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Does the Earth Still Call?

8 Jul

I missed my Thursday post due to a problem with my hands. This will be short but I wanted to talk about family. Last week my daughter, Rebekah Lyn took on her first solo-canning project. She had an abundance of Roma tomatoes and decided to make homemade salsa and can it. It came out beautiful and I am re-blogging her post so you can read about her experience. In the same week my son, Matt, canned eight quarts of green beans from his garden. He is an excellent gardener and has begun raising chickens too. It delights my soul to see my city-raised children taking up the skills they saw their grandparents practice. When you have a farming heritage, does the connection with the earth still call to the soul?

Rebekah Lyn's Kitchen

Happy 4th of July!  I hope you all take some time today to reflect on what makes this day so very important in the history of the United States, especially as times are so rapidly changing for us.  There is another reason this day is so important to me though.  Today would have been my grandmother’s 90th birthday.  I have been thinking about Grandma Pearl all week and wish she could have been here over the weekend to help me with my first endeavor at canning on my own.

I have many memories of helping her can preserves, green beans, and tomatoes.  I remember setting up the Coleman stove on the back porch, watching the giant pot boil, peeling the skin off the tomatoes and skimming the froth off the strawberries. Those are memories that I will always treasure.

Since I had so many tomatoes of my own…

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Dirt

28 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

In mid May we planted our second garden here is the hills. Last year we grew tomatoes, green peppers, cucumber and herbs. We missed out on most of the harvest due to an unexpected extended vacation. This year we ventured out to add string beans, garlic, squash, red and yellow peppers and added more herbs.

They are all looking great. The string beans are loaded with blooms and have tiny beans. The cucumbers and squash are loaded with bright yellow flowers and the herbs scent the garden. I picked my first tomato this week. It is named Early Girl and she lived up to her name. To me there is nothing any tastier than a fresh sliced tomato, mayo and a dash of salt all on  freshly toasted bread.

Today, as I wielded my hoe, pulling dirt to the green beans, a pleasant hum ran through my heart. I come from farmer stock and it was almost like I could see my ancestors smiles, heads nodding in approval. Do gardeners still pull dirt to the roots of their plants these days? I have no idea but that is what my parents and now that I am gardening, I’m doing it too. 

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Laughing My Head Off

24 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I just finished laughing my head off. Rebekah and I were talking about how leaving the reader   hanging is a good business plan.  Her new release, “Julianne”, unlike “Summer Storms” ties up all the   loose ends, but so many of her beta readers want to know more about Peter the painter. I would like to see him have his own book. Her response is what left me laughing.

“I can’t believe how many people like Peter. I really just threw him into the book as filler, I thought when I was writing him that it was the worst writing I had ever done. I actually wrote him when I was on the ship’s verandah and you said I was sleep writing.”

 

I continued to laugh at how befuddled she was with Peter’s popularity.

“Really, I need to know what people find so appealing in him.

I tried to explain why I found him interesting but she still didn’t get it. The whole conversation confirmed to me that I was right and my English teachers were wrong. (Take THAT Mrs. Fritch) I had many arguments with them about what Hemingway or Steinbeck meant in their books or what a poet was trying to say. They were dead, how did the teacher KNOW my thoughts weren’t correct. I surmise a lot of authors would be like Rebekah and shocked at reader’s take on their work.

So what about you? Do you have a character that demands to step out of the background and have it’s own story?

“Julianne” by Rebekah Lyn is available on Kindle  and paperback at Amazon.com

“Sumer Storms is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for eBook  and paperback. Also available at www.bzhercules.com

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Loving the Small Town Life

14 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Is there any place better to live than in a small town? I know the shopping and entertainment leave a lot to be desired but what are they compared to kindness, friendship and a sense of community

Wednesday I started my day in a dental office waiting on Rebekah to have her stitches removed. Also waiting was a gentleman and within ten minutes we had covered growing up in Orlando and Sanford, how we came to live in this town, how Disney ruined Orlando, riding bikes all day as kids and no one worried, how hot Florida can be in July and finally, bonfires on the beach and how sad we are it is no longer allowed. I am sure we could have covered much more, but Rebekah was finished and we moved on.

Next we visited my former work place. I lost track of the conversation streams that were addressed in fifteen minutes but Mac iOS6 was an animated discussion as well as western vs. eastern Caribbean cruise preferences and why, Twinning’s new cold brew peach tea, Blackberry tea and porcelain tile vs. laminate flooring if you have a cat that chooses not to use the litter box.

Our final stop was at Teapots n Treasures, a brand new teahouse in our “downtown”. If you live in a small town, you understand the quotation marks. I was very excited to visit Teapots n Treasures because “taking tea” has become my new obsession and to my knowledge, in recent memory we have never had anything like it. No sooner had we settled into our cozy tea nook than I see my dear friend, Wanda and her friend being seated for lunch. With a smile and a wave, she comes into our nook bringing her friend.  In the course of introductions, it was discovered Wanda’s friend had read Rebekah’s book, Summer Storms. Rebekah was so pleased to meet a new reader face to face. They invited us to join them after our tea was done and we did. We picked up our teapot and cups, told the owner we were socializing, ignored the people giving us strange looks and made our way to their tea nook. What fun we had. Rebekah talked book stuff, I caught up on friend news. Along with the chitchat we also discussed a young family’s loss of their precious newborn girl. We are all praying for them as they grieve.  We were so blessed by our unexpected opportunity to visit with Wanda, Jamie and Joan. Wanda would call it a Divine Appointment.

I have never lived in a truly large city. What is it like?

Galatians 5:22-23

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The Room

7 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

“Have you ever just wanted to scream “LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” to your children and hide in your bedroom for the rest of the day?”

This was part of a young mother’s vent on Facebook today. Oh the memories it brought to mind of days being so tired and out of patience I just wanted to scream, then hide. To find my happy place I would pretend. In my mind there was a lovely home nearby where a very kind and sweet woman lived. Young mothers knew they could knock on her door anytime and she would greet them with an understanding smile, give them a big hug and escort them to “the room”. The room was more like a small suite with a gorgeous bathroom complete with a huge tub. The tub edge was lined with an assortment of scented bath crystals or bubble bath. Fresh towels lay on the vanity. The bedroom was totally feminine in white or other restful colors, a fluffy comforter invited me to snuggle down and on the bedside table was an array of books. It was a pleasant dream and helped me through some frustrating days.

Now I am no longer a young mother. I have learned the identity of the sweet and kind woman. She was the spirit of my heavenly Father. As I grew in my spiritual maturity I realized there is always a happy place. It is when I allow myself to rest in my Father’s arms.

Matthew 11:28

My little frustration all grown up.

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Sour Cabbage

24 May

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I titled my blog Old Things R New because I want to learn the old ways of growing and preserving foods as well as  growing and using medicinal herbs. Recently I read “A Luminous Future” by Teodor Flonta. The book is set in the late 1940’s through the early 1960’s in Romania. I was fascinated with the foods he ate during that time, in particular, sour cabbage. In “A Luminous Future”, Teodor’s mother would ask him to get a sour cabbage out of the barrel for dinner. I love learning about different methods of food preservation and since Teodor is on twitter I was able to ask questions and he graciously answered.

            “Sour cabbage: take a whole cabbage, cut out the stem, get in the middle of it where the stem was and clean very well the white matter – you obtain a hole like a cone – fill that hole with coarse salt and place the cabbages on the bottom of a barrel next to each other, then you add other layers of cabbages on top until you fill the barrel. Then you add a handful of pepper whole grain, some horseradish, the root, and cover the cabbages with water. Then you place a plank or a lid on top of the barrel and on top of the lid you place a rock or something heavy to keep the cabbages pressed. That’s it. After 2-3 months your sour cabbage is ready. Among the cabbages you can put carrots, green tomatoes, turnips and they’ll be sour too and are quite good in winter. So, the juices the cabbage release and the water, plus the horseradish and pepper do the trick… you don’t need anything else to preserve them in.”

Of course, my next question was how do you eat it? Do you eat it cold or cook it?

“The cabbage can be eaten raw, as it comes from the barrel, like pickles. Or you can add a bit of oil and pepper like you do with salads. Ariella (wife) uses cumin seeds also and no pepper. Then you can fry it with mince meat or ribs or pieces of pork meat… first fry onions until translucent, add the cabbage, 2-3 bay leaves, 10-12 pepper grains, the meat and let it simmer for 40 minutes or so. It is delicious.”

I love the idea of going to a barrel and grabbing out a spicy cabbage so I am looking around for a small barrel. Thank you, Teodor for sharing your knowledge. Teodor and I also discussed preserving meat by larding. I am sure I will be writing about that in the coming weeks. “A Luminous Future” is a wonderful non-fiction novel and I highly recommend it.

If anyone has any tips for preserving or medicinal herbs, I would love to hear from you.

 

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I’m Looking For a Few Good Authors

17 May

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I’m looking for a few good authors. I’d like them to be no older than forty years of age. I’ve reached the time of life when the authors I spent my youth and middle age with are dying.  It just isn’t right.  One should never outlive their children or their favorite authors. I will tell you who my favorites are and you can tell me yours.

My all time favorite author is D.E. Stevenson. Here is what Wikipedia says about her. D.E. Stevenson was born in 1892 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was educated at home by governesses. She started to write at eight, but because her parents and governesses disapproved she had to do this in secret. She later wanted to go to university but her father refused, concerned about having an educated woman in the family. Stevenson was married in 1916 to a captain in the 6th Ghurkha Rifles.

Isn’t that an  amazing bio? She died in 1973 after writing forty novels. It took me years to find all her books but I think I may have read almost all of them and she is one of the few authors I collect. Her books transported me to the gentle countryside of Scotland into the lives of everyday people getting into scrapes  and of course, food was mentioned a lot, which explains to some degree my fascination with her books.

After Stevenson there is no particular order to my favorite deceased authors. I do genuinely miss Eugenia Price. The St. Simon’s Trilogy was a favorite for myself as well as my daughter, requiring a girl’s weekend to St. Simons Island to visit the marshes and cemetery we felt a bond with. Even today all I have to say to my daughter is “John died” and we tear up. Now that is writing. Savannah Quartet is not to be missed either. I went to Goodreads to skim some reviews and refresh my memory and I was saddened to see how hardened some readers are. They can’t relate to a time when human honor and duty were valued.

Eugenia died in 1996 and was buried in her beloved Christ Church cemetery on St. Simon. I foresee another trip to the island to visit her grave. She is buried step away from the pastor she immortalized in her books.

Since I have a self-imposed five hundred-word limit for my blog posts, I can see this will have to be continued. I would love to hear from you. Which authors have you read for years and now they are gone?

: Christ Episcopal Church

: Christ Episcopal Church (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Being Still

10 May

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

‎ This was my friend Wanda’s Facebook post this morning.

“Quiet Time” on front porch sitting in rocker with a cup of Newman’s listening to the nesting birds chirp or “tweet” their new song! Flag waving gently in the breeze and shaded by the sun-filtering oak tree. Being still …….. ♥

Adding to my friend’s observations, I’m sitting on my porch now, listening to the wind wave the trees and the tink, tinkling melody of the wind chimes,a gift from a friend. A neighbor has decided to rev up a very sick sounding motorcycle. At first I am extremely annoyed then realize even this is a part of being still. What I am hearing is a neighbor with a problem and if I had the skills I could offer to help.

Now our porch dog, Gus has arrived. He belongs to the neighbor with the sick motorcycle and comes everyday to say hello and accept any treats we offer.

Our bird feeders are full of finches today adding their color and cheery chirrup to the sound on my porch. I think maybe God created the birds and insects to serenade us, even the bees.

I love being still, I wonder why I don’t take the time to do this every day.

Psalms 46:10

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