Daily Prompt; Free Association/ Daily Post

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Write down the first words that comes to mind when we say . . .

. . . home.

. . . soil.

. . . rain.

Use those words in the title of your post.

The memories of the home farm with the rich soil that soaked up the rains.

Home; For some reason I never think of my home I live in. I think back to the home of my parents. I don’t really have good memories of their latest home they lived in. They had built that home about five years before mom died.

If I go back to the home that stood there prior to my parents purchasing the piece of ground, that is where the good memories come to front and make me smile. Plenty of fun playing with cousins. Eating good food at Grandma’s house. This land held my grandma’s house first and then my parents.

The outhouse that we used to tell ghost stories about when all of us kids were outside playing at dusk. Riding bikes, walking back to the woods with granddad to pick hickory nuts. Working in the garden with the family. Yes, lots of wonderful memories.

Soil; watching granddad work the land. He farmed eighty acres. His tractor was not modern like the ones you see today. It was a gray tractor, I can remember this. He raised lots of corn.

Rain; The best thing I can remember about rain on the farm is we didn’t have to work in the garden. Instead there were plenty of produce waiting in the summer kitchen to be put up for the winter.

I helped to take corn off the cob so it could be frozen. It is still my favorite type of corn to eat today. I always pick frozen over canned. I helped to make tomato juice. I remember mom teaching me how to use the sieve to squish the juice out of the ripe tomatoes. There was always green beans to snap, potatoes to dig, and green peas to pop out of the pods.

My entire family froze and canned everything they could grow in the garden. So although we didn’t have to work in the garden during rainy days, we worked maybe harder putting stock up for the winters.

I miss those days. I don’t have the energy to do a big garden today. I don’t even have the space to put a garden. I would be interested in doing some patio gardens in clay pots. Maybe some cherry tomatoes and one plant of beef steak tomatoes for sandwiches. Another pot could hold some green bell peppers. The biggest challenge would be the deer that wander through the neighborhood. Would they eat the plants before they produced the gold or would they stop by for a snack of the ripe veggies. I don’t know how to deal with that. I do know that I hate paying high prices for organic. Organic to me is what we grew back in the day, but now we have to pay a higher price. To be able to go out my door and pick a pepper would be wonderful.

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Anyone Hungry?

The day stars early, me in my robe

Washing the chicken and wiping my nose

The kettle is on, calling out the chicks name

I throw it in the pot, turn and wipe my nose again.

I throw some flour into a bowl

And add the yeast and warm water

Stirring and mixing  til my fingers become numb

Hurry and cover it, because my hair has come undone.

I wipe my hair out of my face, and wash my fingers too

I grab a loaf  of bread and start tearing it apart

Getting closer to making the dressing this year

Getting tired already, better grab me a beer.

Now get the eggs and put them in water

Let them boil until they are hard

Using my knife to cut them in half

One flipped on the floor and all I could do is sit back and laugh.

Making a chocolate dessert can be made ahead

I place  pudding  in a bowl and start adding the milk

I turn on the mixer and start out on low

I’m mixing it fine, then the telephone blows.

I race to go answer it, forgetting one thing

I didn’t turn the mixer off, now it has a mind of its own

I come back to the kitchen to see what I did

The pudding has exploded all over the lids.

I can do this, pour the green beans in a pan

Stir some mushroom soup in and add onions on top

I open the oven door to place this pan in

A mouse races out causing my mouth to sin.

Is this what Thanksgiving is all about

Fighting early morning and a nose full of snot

All this because I want turkey and more

Now here I stand a mess, while people are entering my door.

Terry Shepherd

11/21/2012

 

 

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Summertime

green beans (Photo credit: Chasqui (Luis Tamayo))

Watermelons, and  strawberry pie

Fresh snapped green beans

Canning and freezing all day long

This is what summer means.

Daylight staying out so long

Kids staying up real late

Figures and salads a perfect pair

For the convertible and a date.

Swimming and camping go together

Bugs are welcome too

Isn’t the summer the best of all

For fun times, me and you.