The Accurate Account

Long before I kne w how to do anything,  I knew how to bake an apple pie. From the moment I was tall enough to see over the kitchen table, my Nana had me in her kitchen and at her side. Before that, I was under the table playing with her Tupper-ware and wooden spoons.  Everyone in my family could tell you stories of their favorite Nana recipe. They could each remember how they tasted, how they smelled, and how they felt when they ate it. After my baking partner passed, I threw in my baking towel. Over the years since, I have attempted to bake a few pies here and there, but they never seemed to match up to the pies Nana and I would make together; they tasted like they were missing something. Tonight, and long overdue, I took out my baking towel; actually, it was my Nana's. I fired up the oven and sunk my fingers into the mixing bowl once again. I am not sure how my pies will taste, as they are sitting on the cooling racks just waiting to be enjoyed, but I was sure to add t...

Ok, so Leggett's mine is not really a gold mine. It is actually a closed anthracite coal mine. This photo was taken today and ironically  this morning, my husband and I coined our property the Leggett's gold mine. Why? Well, these beautiful images taken from the view of my front porch will soon be luxury homes within the next few years. Although we will miss the spectacle of  sunsets, we are happy to appreciate them now as our home appreciates in value! 

I took this photo today when I got home from work, around 4:15p.m. Usually, the sun will set to the right of the tree line, over West Mountain. Because of the time of year, I was able to see the sun slip behind the Leggett's Creek mine, just across the street from my home. All of the leaves have finished falling, leaving the sky filled with a winterly scene of branches and cool hues.

I 've always wanted to have a document keeping track of all of the famous people I have met in person in my life. Here's my best attempt. 1985 I think the first famous person I ever met was Richard Harris . He came to my school when I was in 3rd grade and hand picked several children to perform in his adaptation of Julius Caesar. I was one of his children. My role was to wait upstage right until the girl with the flashlight gave me my cue to go onstage. While I was waiting, Sir. Harris exited in my wing, and every night, he kissed the top of my head. After he kissed me, the girl with the flashlight gave me my cue and I went onstage. 1988 Also while in grade school, on a typical vacation to Atlantic City, my sister and I had an experience of a lifetime. We were staying in one of the suites and were allowed private pool access during certain hours. These hours were also the same hours that the performers were allowed to use the pool. My sister and I played for hours in the pool w...

Before stepping away from my garden, home, and precious puppies for 10 days, I had some expectations for when I returned. I expected that my garden would be fruitful, my home would need a cleaning, and my puppies would be filled with seperation anxiety. So what happened? My home was spotless (thanks to my mother giving me the royal treatment), my dogs now have seperation anxiety for my mother (thanks to her giving them the royal treatment), and my garden is now absent of all of my cucumber plants, my tomatoes are splitting, and my corn looks like it was run over by the lawn mower. My blossoming rose bush has been completlely eaten by some bug, who has only left the stems, to remind me of where a rose bush once stood.

I remember I was a junior in high school, history class with Mr. Douaihy , when I learned about the Great Depression. My public high school text books were nothing to brag about. Maybe it really was the quality of the photos in the books that made the people in them look that much more desperate, that much more gray-er. I thought then how awful it must be to one minute have a job, and the next, to be huddled on a heat vent with children, just tying to stay warm. What will future children read about these times? A news report yesterday said that NYC is offering one-way free flights for the homeless. The unemployment rates are near 11%. The most popular vacation is the stay-cation, or homation . Basically, we're not going anywhere this summer kids, have fun on your Wii we charged for you 2 years ago. As we enter into the school year, more uniform swap gatherings are popping up everywhere. Last spring during prom season, I can remember many of our seniors going to Cinderella's C...

These very pretty, striped or spotted beetles have become my nemesis this summer! Beware of these awful little creatures. I have not come across too many solutions to removing them. Apparently , waking up very early in the morning while they are feeding, then plucking them from cucumbers and squashes, is the most effective way to ridding oneself of them. I decided to write a poem as a tribute to these little buggers. Cucumber Beetles LiftLift under there? pick lift pick pick cucumber beetle cucumber beetle squish, squish lift damnit!!! my flower!!!! squish lift cuCumbeRrr -- beeTle DAMNIT! CUUUUUUUUUUUUU CUMMMMMMM BER BEEEETLE STAY OOOOOOF my CUUUUUUUU CUUUMMMMM BERRRRRS! ska wissh!

Why in the world do we need some scientific research to tell us that by putting more chemicals in our bodies, that we are going to have negative side effects?? I understand why some farmers and food manufacturers will add these preservatives, food additives and pesticides to their products...money, money, money. The time is now, people, to go back to basics. Sure, a completely organic and whole food diet can be challenging. I am struggling myself. In this economy, when we are just barely making ends meet, we are charged MORE money for eating FEWER chemicals and preservatives!! As an example, a lb of organic baby cut carrot is nearly a whole dollar more than non-organic. Just to let you know, I am very proud of my backyard garden. I have 23 tomato plants, 8 string less bean plants, 6 cucumber plants, 4 butternut squash plants, garlic, chives, basil, carrots, and corn (which usually doesn't yield anything but looks cool). It really takes up only a portion of my yard (15x15) and littl...

Yes, I am very new to this blogging thing. I am sure that years from now, when I am a successful blogger, I will look back at my first blog and say, "What were you thinking?" But right now, I feel it is very important to discuss t he simple pleasure of garlic. Once used to scare away vampires and scorpions, to treat infections and dog bites, this staple from the onion family swept me off my feet today. To fully understand, we need to go back in time a bit. Last summer, while shopping for my latest order, I picked up one of those 5-garlic-in-a-net things. At the end of the summer, with a full garlic left over, (and having heard roomers at the farmer's market of how easy it is to grow) I planted the garlic cloves on the southern edge of my garden. This spring, sometime around April, a strange thing happened. I forgot that I planted garlic, and these tall thin shoots popped up, even before my crocuses and daffodils. It wasn't very long before I realized what they were, a...