Halloween

Yep, that's me.

Can you guess who I am? Yes, Glinda.

We've Got Okra!

Check this out...have you ever seen red heirloom okra? Here it is. I love the flower.

And, for those of you bubba-ettes who have more experience cooking with it than this Connecticut Yankee, I'm open to recipe ideas. Thanks. :o)

PS. Here is the Star of David okra. Pretty cool, no?

Pickin' Pecans

This is what a pecan looks like when it falls off the tree. Isn't is splendid? This pecan is about 2 inches long. Now, that's a pecan!

It's one of the many gifts of the Lowcountry's bounty...pecans.

As a born Yankee, I learned to say "pee-CONS'", with the accent on "cons." Here we say PEE-cans...unless it is in a pie and then it becomes "pee can" pie, with equal emphasis on the "pee" and the "can", go figure.

So, here's a picture of my husband pickin' pecans under one of our favorite trees. Look at the size of the basket. We've got a bunch of baskets full. How many? More than 3. They should last us awhile!

And, we are going to comb over every inch of the earth and pick up every pecan because here's something you might not know. Pecan trees yield fruit every other year -- so next year, no pecans. You gotta get them while you can.

There is nothing quite like a fresh pecan. True, they are difficult to crack, but that makes it more fun.

We have a special device in our kitchen just for shellin' pecans. You can adjust the back to hold the pecan, located on the left hand side, depending on the length of the nut, then grab the lever on the right hand side and swing to the left...CRACK! The sharp point on the right hand side, pierces the shell and it cracks perfectly in half, if you do it right. And, if for some reason, it doesn't crack quite right, you can still use the pick, which looks like a utensil you might use to remove the hard-to-get pieces of a lobster. Lots of effort, plenty of reward.

There it is. The meat of the nut. And, when it comes right off the tree, like in the above picture, it will be supple and moist and ... absolutely yummy. I've gotta go...am going to go crack a PEcan.

Hoota Woods Redux

Check out the produce from Hoota Woods! We are producing...

green peppers, black peppers, patty pan squash, hot peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, yellow tomatoes, okra and red okra.

It's yummy!

Visiting My Parents

Last week, I went to visit my parents in Chicago.

(BTW, in case you were wondering, this is a picture of the stuffed animals that greeted me in the guest room of my sister's house, where I stayed.)

I miss my parents.

It was strange this summer to go to New Hampshire and stay at the family cabin -- without them. For most of my lifetime, that was our family pattern.

This year it was different. My parents were unable to go.

I was used to seeing them often when I lived in New York. They lived only 30 miles away in Connecticut and it was easy to visit. Even after I was married, I travelled to New York monthly and could check in with them. In May, they moved to Chicago to be closer to my sister and her children and to live in an environment where they could receive more care.

So, it's been a process of letting go of old patterns and reaching forward to create new experiences. There is sadness and wistfulness associated with the letting go. But, I know that to ease that I can look forward, with excitement, to the new experiences that can be created when the old patterns go away.

My parents are living in an independent living facility, which is full of vibrant and caring people. They have already made friends. Both of my parents need care right now, and I'm happy to know that they are receiving a very high level of care and are safe. It's a HUGE relief.

My parents are in the process of recreating their lives. I've told them that they have a choice: either they can measure every new experience against what they've known and what feels familiar, or they can decide to be happy and look for reasons to support that state of mind. I recommend the second option.