Holly

Holly comes into its own this time of year.  The evergreen hollies are stalwarts in the landscape while many of the plants are leafless.  Many are decorated with their own red berries, but one at the local botanical garden has been given a little extra ornamentation (don we now our gay apparel):

 

Of course, not every holly is evergreen.  Next to the American holly, ilex opaca, above was a deciduous holly (either possumhaw holly, ilex decidua, or winterberry holly, ilex verticillata, I'm not sure which), which I find absolutely lovely.

 

Thanks to Caleb for taking the pictures (and being willing to take a walk with his old ma this afternoon).



Part-time stud?

I'm by nature an inquisitive person, so when I saw a job listing that was "perfect for a working mom or a part-time stud," I had to look.  Can you visualize a Venn diagram that overlaps there??  Well, the job was selling school uniforms.  I read the entire piece, looking at it as a possibility for myself (as a working mom).  Then I remembered I was also trying to figure out exactly how this job was such a good fit for a part-time stud.  I scratched my head a bit and then realized the title probably exceeded the character limit and "stud" was actually the result of truncating "student."
Ah ha!

Roasted veggies

For supper last night, I decided to roast some of the turnips I had pulled yesterday.  I peeled some of the very small ones, cut them in halves or quarters depending on size, cut some baby carrots in half, and added some Birds Eye frozen broccoli florets.  I tossed it all with olive oil and salt and coarsely ground pepper and spread it in a single layer on a baking sheet.  I baked it at somewhere between 425 and 450 degrees for about 25 minutes, turning it a couple of times.
It was tasty.  I started to take a picture of my food, but ds warned me not to be "that guy." 
If you don't like turnips boiled, try roasting them.

Old ways (amended)

When my grandparents' farm implements were divvied up, I thought it would be interesting to have a snath (scythe handle) as a conversation piece.  I actually ended up getting the whole scythe. 

(Here is the amended part:  this tool is not the one Grandpa cut wheat with.  He cut wheat with a scythe and cradle.  The scythe he used for cutting wheat had a shorter handle than the one pictured below, I'm told, and of course the cradle part is an interesting part all in itself.)
Mama described how her father would cut wheat with a scythe and cradle.  The first few heads stalks of wheat were handed to her mother who tied them together.  That was used to secure an entire bundle of the wheat as her father cut it.  When the bundle was fastened, the children were tasked with stacking the bundles.  Ideally the stack was made in such a way as to minimize the absorption of rainwater as the stack stood in the field.  The straw from the wheat was used for bedding.  I did not know that.  The old bedding was dumped out and Mama described how good the new bedding felt compared to last year's bedding that had been compacted over time.
It's very interesting to hear about old ways.  If you would like to see small-scale grain harvesting in action, HERE is a video I would recommend, though this uses a different style cradle than the American cradle.
And if the legend of John Henry appeals to you, you will probably enjoy seeing the pictures of a barefoot girl in a long dress "mowing down" the competition in a scythe vs. gas trimmer competition.  I like a girl with pluck.

 

 

On another note, I pulled a few more turnips.  (Some things don't change.)



 

I heard a bird sing...

I Heard a Bird Sing
by
Oliver Herford

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

 

"We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,”
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December. 

 

 

Amid the busy preparations for Christmas, I heard a Carolina wren sing today.  They are little and loud and can be heard singing year round.  Immediately, I thought of the poem "I Heard a Bird Sing."  Yes, we are in the "dark of December," but from here on, the days will be getting longer.  I've been told that one of the reasons we celebrate Christmas in December is that the Roman emperor Constantine mixed the Christian celebrations with the pagan winter solstice celebrations.  I'm no pagan, but I am glad to see the days lengthen once again. 

Fruits of my labor

When darling son came in late tonight after a gig at the local coffee shop, he needed a little something to eat.  I like to review what he has eaten and try to address what he needs most nutritionally.  I thought what he needed was some fiber (and a little beta carotene wouldn't hurt!).  I microwaved one of the little sweet potatoes I had grown.  So simple--just wash it, pierce it all around with a sharp paring knife, and nuke it one minute at a time till it's as tender as you want it, rotating each minute.  I think I cooked it 2 or 3 minutes.  I added butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  I also threw in a few pecan pieces from the ones we had picked up at the park. 
(Young women, you should be very suspicious of the character of men who will not for themselves pick bones out of fish, nuts out of the shell, or seeds out of watermelons.)

 

 

Incidentally, we had another lovely sunset this evening.

 

Good night!



Sun dogs, sunsets

I love winter skies.  Frequently you can see the sun reflecting off the ice crystals in high clouds, making what some folks refer to as sun dogs.  This afternoon while I was out doing some yard work, I could see sun dogs on the left and right side of the sun.  Then I noticed above the sun an upper tangent arc.  In fact, I could see the halo between the upper tangent arc and the sun dog on the left.  Alas, by the time I got my camera, the view had changed.  I still captured a few pictures of the sun dogs on the left and right of the sun, though.
The one on the right...

...and the one on the left.



I'll leave you with a sunset picture I took a week or so ago.

 

Do you enjoy sky watching?