Butternut Squash

Squash. I know, the word is weird and makes your mouth turn up on one side, but I like squash. One of my all-time favorites is Butternut Squash, maybe because of the memories and the story that is attached to it. When I was a little girl for a snack my mother would cut a butternut squash in half and put it flesh side up in our gas oven to bake. It would get soft and brown and beautifully caramelized.

Mom would take it out of the oven put some butter and salt on it and smash it up in the shell. Then we would use spoons, not forks, to eat it. It was like hot ice cream, sweet and salty. When I make it in my own kitchen the memory of my mother, the old farm kitchen, and that ancient gas stove come back to me. I close my eyes when I take a bite and for a few moments, I am a little girl again.

What garden food reminds you of a story and takes you back home again? Write it down and tell your kids about it, or better yet, get that food and relive the memory with them. Tell me about it here in the comments, I’d love to hear the story.

Eva Marie, a Gr-Animal Story

We have a “Gr-Animal”. Our daughter Genette, and her husband Abe have adopted a dog. Her name is Eva Marie. Eva ended up with a middle name because Genette got annoyed with her one day and when she called her inside “Eva Marie” just slipped out. So now Eva has a middle name. Eva is a rescue and a mutt, sweet as can be, and is now being taught to come when called.  

Genette and Abe live in Virginia and when they come to visit they, of course, stay for a couple of days. Abe asked me if they could bring Eva with them when they came to visit. I told them it was fine but she would need to be kept on a leash when outside. We live in Charlotte and there is not only a leash law but the roads are quite busy here. Abe remembered that our backyard is fenced in on 3 sides, so he asked if it would be ok to fence in the 4th side so Eva could run around in the backyard. I told him that was fine but I wasn’t sure that we had much in the budget for that right now. He then offered a thought of building one out of recycled wood pallets. Well, I love to recycle and reuse so that was a perfect suggestion. Steven and I began to collect wood pallets.

This past weekend Genette, Abe, and Eva all came to the house and the building began. Under the fine direction of our son-in-law, a stack of wood pallets, some recycled hinges, a latch from a friend’s backyard, and less than $100 for additional supplies and tools; a fence with a double gate has been added to our landscape. I like it!! 

Sometime this Fall they will all be back and the second half of the fence, on the other side of the house will be built. One day I might even put it all together into a stage story!

Live Out Loud

Summer reading this year is a music theme, titled Libraries Rock. So I wrote a program called Rhythm & Rhyme and Note-able Narratives. I've been doing shows at several libraries this summer and it has been fun. I've included some puppets and instruments from different countries and continents. I introduce the instruments to the audience, then tell a story from that country; a thumb drum from Africa, rainstick from Equador, dulcimer guitar from North America, and a couple of others. I have also made a bunch of homemade instruments, so everyone in the audience gets to play something. 

My favorite part of the program is showing everyone how to whistle on an acorn top or turn pine cones into a musical instrument. I learned those little techniques by living on a farm, but there is music all around us. You can hear it when the wind rustles the leaves on the trees, the ding of an elevator door, the cadence of a walk. Even my washer and dryer play tunes when they are finished. 

Learning a new instrument is enjoyable for me. In the past, I haven't played my instruments for audiences; I really am not very good. But then I took to heart one of my mantras — LIVE OUT LOUD. We should make a little noise now and then. Now, I am not saying that we should whistle in the middle of a movie or sing in a waiting room; what I am saying is that we should enjoy our lives.

Make music, ask questions, try something new. No matter your age or gender, you don't have to be good at something to enjoy it. Live Out Loud!

Look Up, And See Where You Are Going

My husband, Steven, and I walked around Freedom Park this past weekend. It was a beautiful day, and not too hot, perfect to get outside and enjoy a walk. When we arrived at the park, we noticed a fairly large amount of people, many were in small groups and were all staring at their phones. We soon discovered that they were not the only ones staring at their phones. Screen watchers were all over the park. It seemed they might be playing some kind of game. As Steven and I walked along the walkway, we found ourselves having to dodge some of the screen watchers. We became quite agile at weaving around them, but finally, we left the walkway and strolled along in the grass. 

We took a couple of pictures and started a short conversation with a gentleman named King, who was sitting on a blanket reading a book. He was a very interesting man; he emigrated from China when he was very young and spoke with a New York City accent. I so enjoyed learning his story. We also shared some of our story with him. We said our goodbyes and began to dodge the screen watchers again as we made our way back to the car. 

Steven and I were quiet as we climbed into our van and started the air conditioning. As we sat waiting for the cool air to come, we began to comment to each other on our park adventure. Together we decided that it was a commentary on today’s society. A beautiful day in the park, but it seemed that 85% of the people there hardly looked up to see where they were going. Although Steven and I made a very conscious effort to keep our smartphones in our pockets, I admit I checked mine once for the time and once to see how many steps my Fitbit was registering (I have a daily step goal, and I wanted to meet it before we left the park).  I took this experience to heart. Technology is amazing and in today’s world necessary, but for myself, I am going to make even more of a conscious effort to look up and see where I am going. I don’t want to miss seeing something beautiful, meeting a new friend, or hearing a really great story.