I'll admit...

I like Spam!  I know not everyone likes it; in fact I've read that some think it's nasty.  The ingredients say it's made from pork, with ham and chicken.  My biggest concern is the amount of sodium it contains.  But give me a day of working past lunch time, with nothing cooked, and a Spam sandwich hits the spot, of course with a serving of cold pork and beans.  Yuck! you say?

I guess my taste for these two things goes all the way back to when our family worked in the peach orchards and packing shed.  We had no electricity, therefore no refrigeration to keep anything cold.  Mama would get up very early, milk the cow, cook breakfast and then hurry to fix something for our lunch to take with us.  Sometimes she fried potatoes which were cold by noon, but they were so good; I still like cold fried potatoes.  The Spam and pork and beans were something that could be packed and opened at mealtime.  Back in those days, Spam didn't come in an aluminum can with a pop off lid, but rather a tin can that was opened with a little key which was attached to the bottom of the can.  There was a small tab on the upper side of the can and the key was used to wind around the can so the lid could be removed.  My cousin and I had quite a collection of those keys to play with.  If work in the packing shed ran into the night, my cousin and I were sent down the hill to the little country store to buy some bologna or some such sandwich meat.

I've thought a lot about the kinds of meat we had to eat back then.  There was always ham, sausage, bacon and tenderloin to eat in the winter, but by spring what was left was beginning to taste rancid.  Mama canned some of the fresh meat using her pressure cooker, so that must have been what carried us over until we could have chicken.  She always put eggs under setting hens, but it took several weeks before any of the chickens were large enough to eat.  Now we grow chickens in seven weeks that can weigh over seven pounds, but they have feed before them all the time; hillside chicks were only fed once a day and then had to scratch for whatever they could find. The pulley bone was always my favorite piece and I can remember how small it was. 

We never had beef, with the exception of an occasional hamburger in town.  Now and then we might have fish caught from the creek, but were always warned of the danger of getting bones in our throats.  If there was a special get-together of Mama's folks, she would buy a can of mackerel (fish) and make fried patties from it.

But you know, I don't ever remember going hungry.

Think about it,

Charlotte  

Spring Joy for a Farm Wife

This and That

These little flowers may be the only blooming thing left in my yard by morning since we're under a freeze warning ~ on April 14th!  Even I'm beginning to complain!  The lilacs are just ready to open their buds, so I'm considering cutting them and bringing them inside to enjoy for a while at least.

As of 1:18 p.m. today, I am officially crowned!!  On two teeth that is.  These are the first crowns I have ever had and although it all went well, I don't beg to have another one.  A lot has changed in the way crowns are made and put on teeth.  I didn't even have to have an impression made, you know, with that "container" full of stuff that's put in your mouth and hardens to the point you think all your teeth will be pulled out when it's removed.  I dreaded that part, but instead the dentist took pictures of the teeth that would get the crowns and these were put into a computer thingy.  I thought he was stapling something on the teeth because that's what it sounded like.  Then those images were put into a computer machine thing which sculpted the new crown.  Isn't that amazing?? After an hour of "baking" the crown was ready, with no returning in a few days to have it put on.  They feel so smooth.

I'm really bad to let things bother me and I worry about something for days before the time for those things to happen.  So that was the worse part of the crowning process.  After the numbing swabs were put into my mouth, before the shots, and the assistant had left the room, I began shaking real bad.  Even up into my chest and shoulders.  The thought crossed my mind, maybe I'm having an allergic reaction to the stuff.  But in reality I think this is the way a panic attack affects me because I've had this happen before when I'm under stress.  So I took a few long, cleansing breaths and thought myself through it with the help of God.  By the time the dentist came in I had calmed down.  Very aggravating!!

Do you remember the kitten I couldn't reach to take down from the top of the stock trailer?  I figured I'd never see her again, and then one day, there she was, an adolescent, with her mother.  I fed her, gradually was able to pet her while she ate, and soon was able to pick her up.  Now she absolutely loves me!  If it weren't for these dogs (grr-rr) I'd bring here home with me for an inside cat.  But since she would have to stay inside ALL the time I won't do it.  She has even tried to follow me home a time or two from the shed.  Food does wonders doesn't it?

Enough said for today I think.  The farmer is buying some thread for me this afternoon so I can work on the next hope chest item.  I may fall behind on this project when hay season starts.  Of course we've got to have some warmer weather so the grass will grow; we're still feeding hay!

Have a good evening,

Charlotte

April Hope Chest Addition

The hope chest addition for April is a quilted, patchwork table runner.

Just right for a country kitchen.

Charlotte

Calming Work

I was a little stressed at times this past winter and found that crocheting seemed to calm me.  I like to make blankets for babies so I purchased four skeins of BERNAT Softee Baby yarn in these beautiful pastel colors.

The pattern was very simple: 2 double crochet, chain 2, and 1 single crochet, all the way through;  remember, I didn't want to be stressed by a difficult pattern.  It is a wonderfully soft blanket.

And what about the little cherub wrapped in the blanket?  She's a sweet rescued baby doll with the sweetest smile and a delightful laugh (when her hair is pulled).  She's the perfect size to wear my premature baby girl's clothes which I have kept for these 46 years.  Love her!!

Charlotte