Make Hay While the Sun Shines! - Easter Fruit Bunny

 

 

To make hay while the sun shines is good advice.

 

I've been taking a hay making lesson in Lattimore.  Literally and figuratively. 

 

 In the literal sense, Kentucky 31 fescue grass is planted in the pretty Lattimore pastures.   Dad and his brother, Robert, used to plant alfalfa and they actually pioneered a drying process for alfalfa which is another interesting story I learned last week.  Another day. Another blogpost. 

 

 But these days it's Kentucky 31 fescue in the Hunt Farm pastures.  The cows are rotated around the various  pastures to graze and to let the grass grow.    Gary, Dad and Mom watch the growing grass and they watch the weather to decide when it's the right time to mow and bale the hay. 

 

 For the grass, the right time is when it has the perfect moisture content.   Leafy, high nutritional and - I'm guessing - tasty hay is preferred by farmers and animals. Sight, smell, touch and taste are used to decide when this perfect time arrives.   Dad and Gary don't use any kind of instrument to measure the grass moisture content. They use their senses - eyes, nose, taste, touch.  Dad says it needs to look and feel right.  And that you want your final hay product to be leafy not stemmy.

 

When the grass starts getting to the right look and feel, then everybody starts watching the weather.  Because "once the hay is mowed and mashed down with the hay bind, it needs to sit in the sun to dry a little".  When it is dried to perfection, Gary fits the tractor with various implements to rake the hay into rows, bale it and put it up in the hay barn.  When I was growing up they always used a square baler and the pastures were dotted with little gold squares of hay.  It took several strong people to toss those square bales onto a truck to put in the barn.   These days they use a round baler because it is so much more efficient but I think we all miss the little square bales sometimes.

 

So last week was the right time to make hay in Lattimore.  The grass looked and felt right and the sun was shining and - oh happy day - now there is high quality hay in the hay barn.

 

To make hay while the sun shines means to do something when the conditions are right.  But it also means that you need to know what you want your end result to be, you need to work together with each other and with nature, and that you need to pay close attention to many details along the way.  Good advice.

 

Here's to high quality hay - and a high quality life! 

 

 

 

 

 

Lattimore "horsepasture" with roses in bloom and hay bales ready to be put up.

 

I made hay with one of my bucket list items this spring.  Conditions were perfect for the Cooper River Bridge Run and I can't describe how powerful and emotional that experience was for me.  I walked the 10K with Susan and loved every second of it.   Even though I have an irrational fear of bridges, I appreciate this one because it is so beautiful.  And who doesn't love being in the Charleston area.

 

 

 

Allie lived at the starting line for the Cooper River Bridge event and so Susan and some veteran bridge runners knew how to get a good start.  I was the novice in this and really enjoyed being with people who knew the ropes.

 

 

 

I ran into my cousin David and his wife Michel at the end of the CRBR in Charleston.  David's father, Robert, was Dad's brother and his partner in the Alfalfa drying venture. 

 

I had no idea I would run into so many people at the Bridge Run. I zumba with Lynn and have known Sherry forever but had no idea that either of them would be in Charleston.

 

Crossing the finish line and feeling so happy.  It reminded me of the way my Aunt Burnette had described a particularly meaningful event.  "I am completely saturated with joy!"

 

 

The veteran Cooper River Bridge Runners and me.  Everyone started out the morning together and then each went at their own pace.  We had a meet up spot so we could all celebrate together. 

 

 

 

We were lucky to spend the Bridge Run Weekend with friends and a darling set of twins.  After the run we chilled on the beach and watched the building of sand castles. 

 

 

We made hay back in Shelby when classmate, Batt Humphreys agreed to come speak at my bookclub.  His book, Dead Weight, is set in Charleston and is based on a true story.  Batt is a journalist and did an excellent job with his first novel.

 

I had invited Batt to speak at Literario Book Club and Linda had invited Cassandra King, who has written several wonderful novels, to speak at Fireside Books.  Both authors were coming to Shelby on the same day and so we put it all together at Dragonfly Wine Shoppe and invited the public to join in on a wonderful discussion.

 

This was some quality hay making.

 

  Several of Batt's other classmates dropped in to say hello and I do believe everyone enjoyed celebrating Batt's success and also telling some old high school tales.

 

 

Meanwhile, Jay flew out to Texas to visit a bit and then drive back to NC with David.  After three years working in Dallas in the hospitality industry, David decided to make a move back east of the Mississippi River.  We couldn't be more delighted to have him home.

 

David, Marta, Colin and Jay having a bon voyage dinner in Dallas.

 

David and Jay took a scenic tour home stopping in Memphis to eat ribs at the Rendezvous, see the Peabody Hotel and take a stroll down Beale Street.  Then they stopped in Nashville to visit friends before coming on to NC.  More quality hay making.

 

David and Jay arrived back in Shelby when conditions were perfect for planting tomatoes.  It's amazing how quick they can dig deep holes and get plants into the ground.  Love having them home.

 

With two 20something boys back in the house the cooking went into warp speed.  We had a biscuit making lesson and ended up making four runs.  We ate some and froze enough for a huge Easter gathering to come.

 

I made spaghetti one day and spur of the moment invited Mom and Dad to come for lunch.  They took us up on it and we enjoyed stories around the table.  Dad gave us a lesson on how to grow dogwood trees from seed.

 

Easter arrived and so did ALL of the family.  We had Saturday night supper at our house with about 50 people including 9 under the age of 4.  I was so busy I didn't get a full group picture but it was a really fun and happy time on Fairway Drive.  David cooked in the big cooker and everybody brought a favorite dish and we had plenty of biscuits and cornbread!

 

Easter Sunday, Sister hosted a big crowd for lunch.  We did manage to get the grandchildren and great-grandchildren in a group picture this time.  Loved this time together. 

 

 

Easter weekend I took several people to the Earl Scruggs Center for a quick tour.  Dyna took this picture of Hanse, Caroline and me playing around in the banjo petting zoo.

 

On Easter I brought out my favorite tradition - the old rugged cross in Nanny's pitcher.   I put it out on the front porch to see if it would transform by Easter Sunday morning. 

 

The Transformation.  As Easter dates move around in springtime it seems that each year the cross transforms with different colors, shapes, and plants of all kinds. 

 

Anyone is encouraged to put any plant into the cross.  It can be a bloom, branch, flower, leaf, herb or most anything growing in the yard.  There are no rules to follow, no requirements to keep except to work together to create something beautiful.  A symphonic harmony of diversity.   

 

 I love the way that this beautiful unity is established with such freedom and such diversity.   It's what the message of Easter is really all about. 

 

 

Hunter was in town for a short visit and several of us met up at Nifen for lunch.  Dad and Hunter ordered a bowl of soup and there was plenty to share.

 

 

 

Rachel was in town too and she entertained all of us at Nifen with her cute self.

 

 

 

Lattimore Church holds it's own Memorial Day with dinner on the grounds on the first Sunday in May.  It was a perfect day this year with beautiful weather, lots of good food and new and old friends and relatives.  The new preacher did a wonderful job of encouraging remembering the past with joy  and looking forward to the future with joy.

 

Dad, Elise, Mom and Ned visited at Lattimore Memorial Day.  Dad and Elise are first cousins and are both in their 90s.  They are hilarious and can swap stories with the best of 'em! They have made a LOT of hay in their days.

 

 

 

 

 

We made a trip to Raleigh for some doctors appointments but we managed a little hay making there too.  Judy cooked a delicious dinner and some old friends dropped by spur of the moment.

 

 

Bobby Hunter, Judy, George Miller, Mom, Dad and Sarah Parker posed for a quick picture.   There are a bunch of sharp minds gathered here.

 

While in Raleigh, Stu and I made a little hay in a new wine shop equipped with an enomatic.  This is a cool place where you can taste just a drop or two or the wines before you buy them.  I bet hay making and wine making have a lot of farming similarities.

 

 

 

Beside the wine shop in Raleigh is a Community Garden.  It's just a few blocks from the Governor's Mansion and is a really neat concept in utilizing urban space to grow healthy food.  I met up with my old college pal, Cindy, who is involved with this and with other ways to feed people.

 

 

Back in Lattimore Dad was getting ready for his Thursday night board meeting.  He served pimiento cheese sandwiches and hot dogs.  Yum.

 

 

 

Holy Grail of Lattimore Gardening.  This is the silver queen corn growing on May 21st.  Conditions are looking good so far for a great crop in mid July.

 

 

David, Jay, Will, Elliott, Tucker, Turner,  Kyle, and Taylor went on a kayaking camping trip to Lake Fontana.  I'm sure some hay was made there.

 

Mother's Day at Lake Lure.  Happy Mom.

 

 

A mother's day gift.  I think we should add "lizard trapping" and "hay making".

 

 

David and I joined a fun dance group called the Revelers who met in Greenville, SC recently.  Reveling and hay making seem to go together pretty good.  I didn't get a picture of the very high quality dancing which took place but I did get a nice shot of the Reedy Creek Falls which is right in the middle of downtown Greenville.  Very pretty and such a nice downtown.

 

 

 

Memorial Weekend at Lake Lure brought out a reason to grill on the new grassy area that Jay and David sodded.  They also planted juniper, hydrangea, mountain laurel and rhododendron bushes -  and laid a walkway.  They are really handy to have around. 

 

Making hay while the sons shine.  (sorry I just couldn't pass that up)

 

 

 

Mom, Libby, Paul and a variety of Martins dropped by for a few hours at the Lake.

 

Lake Lure Sunset - May 2014.  I love watching the sun set.

 

 

 

Lattimore Sunrise - May 2014.  I love watching the sun come up too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Easter Bunny Fruit Tray

 

  This is so easy, cute, colorful and healthy.  I saw it online and decided that conditions were perfect to put this together for Easter for many reasons.  We had about 50 people coming for supper and a lot of them were children. Mom always says to eat something of every color and this is really quick and easy to put together. 

 

Just slice the pineapple in circles and use one circle and toothpicks to make the bunny ears.  Blueberries for eyes and nose and then sprinkle strawberries, grapes, blueberries and blackberries around the bunny.   The bunny tail is a real cotton boll and is the only inedible thing on the tray.

  

Make Hay While the Sun Shines!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of Everything - Jay's Sauteed Chicken

Since my last post in January we've truly experienced some of everything.  Snow, wind, rain, hail, warm sunshine - and that was all in one day last week.

 

Tears, laughter, joys, sorrows, exercise, napping, singing, silence, thinking, praying, working, playing.  That was all in one day too.   Pretty much everyday. 

 

 Life is full and beautiful and I am always grateful for the chance to experience some of everything.   

 

 

Peace Avenue continues to be vibrant and fun and I am happy that Beth and John let me be a part of it all.  Pax is the orange guy in this picture. He is wearing a Banjo t-shirt, a Peace Ave doggie bandana and signaling the International Peace Sign.  Pax is the mascot for Peace Avenue and he appears in many different ways depending on his mood.  It's always fun to see what Pax is up to on any given day.

 

We had a winter storm named Pax too.  Pax means Peace in Latin and there is something peaceful about watching snow silently falling.  This snowfall measured a little over five inches in our backyard.

 

 

In the front yard we can watch sledders playing on the hill on the number 8 Fairway. 

 

 

These snow bunnies appeared during the big snowfall on their way to the hill to sled.  Jay was sautéing chicken and we all enjoyed this visit.

 

 

 

 

And what's a good snowfall without Snow Cream.  Jay harvested a huge bowl of snow and we added sugar, vanilla and milk.  It's the perfect time to enjoy a slushy dessert in front of the nice warm fireplace.  Followed by a nice warm nap. 

 

 

 

Music is always part of the mix and we were lucky to hear Travis Tritt solo at the Don Gibson Theatre.  He had just been in Shelby for the Scruggs Center opening but this time he was alone on stage with three different guitars.  He played non-stop for about 2 hours and we loved his enthusiasm, his stories and his amazing talent.  He was down to earth and funny and seemed to be having a really good time.  He played my favorite "Where Corn Don't Grow" early in the set and then I was so happy I just sat back and enjoyed the rest of the show.  

 

Earl Scruggs' niece, Grace, is a friend of Travis from way back when everybody used to go to pickin' parties at Earl and Louise house.  Grace was sweet to get us together for this picture after the show.

 

 

Mom and Dad, uncharacteristically, became Snowbirds during the cold weather and flew to Florida to visit Judy and friends.  They met smiling faces at the airports coming and going. 

 

I had to laugh when I took them to the airport.  Dad was riding shotgun and said, matter of factly, "When we get to Florida I'm going to take out a big legal pad and Mom and I are going to write.." -- so now I'm about to get teary eyed thinking they are going to write down instructions for me, or last wishes, or something like that.  So I look over at Dad and he has that grin on his face and that twinkle in his eye and he finishes his sentence, " we are going to write out our BUCKET LIST!"  And we both crack up laughing.  He's 91 and she's 88 and they are flying to Florida and writing out their bucket list.  Gotta love it.

 

This cool cake was made for a retirement party for our friend Phillip.  He is retired from the NC Highway Patrol but he is energetic and fun and I look forward to whatever is next on his bucket list.

 

Holly, Phillip, Allie and William are good friends and a super sweet family.

 

 

Somehow 50 years have passed since my sisters and I sat in front of the black and white TV with rabbit ears in the old, fun house in Lattimore to watch the Beatles on Ed Sullivan.  It's funny now to think that there they were in their black suits with ties, singing four part harmony and were considered in any way radical.  I still know every word to every song on their first album.

 

 

Another musician that meant a lot to me died recently.  We sang a long with Pete Seeger like he wanted everybody to do.  Mostly I sang at Young Life or riding on a lawn mower where nobody could really hear me but I was grateful to Pete for insisting that everybody sing along. 

 

 

March Madness went into full swing and so there has been a lot of basketball to watch.  If we don't attend the games, we watch Big South Basketball through the internet on the iPad.  Nothing more cozy than a rocking chair, a fireplace and a basketball game. 

 

 

 

We've carved out some time at Lake Lure and enjoyed watching collegiate rowing teams practice.  These teams spend about a week at the lake during their spring breaks and row all over the place.  They were doing this rain or shine and it's pretty amazing how fast they can go and also how quickly they can turn these long boats around.  It takes some precise teamwork for 9 people to work together like this.  Some of the basketball teams we've watched could take a lesson.

 

 

Somewhere a long the way I spent a night with Jackie, Hayes and Porter in Chapel Hill.  We all had work and meetings but Jackie and Hayes fixed a great breakfast of pancakes, bacon and coffee.

 

Carol and I visited with Mom and Dad and enjoyed some good political stories.

 

Carol thought it was cool that Dad wanted to show us some pictures on his iPad. 

 

 

 March is full of birthdays and for my birthday this year Mom and Dad gave me Tim Conway's book, "What's So Funny?"  Dad's inscription says, "for Sally - Remembering loving your laugh."  This is because I loved watching the Carol Burnette show and especially Tim Conway.  I used to sit up and watch it by myself but I would laugh so loud Mom and Dad could hear me across the house.  Carol, Harvey and Tim still crack me up.

 

David and I took a birthday trip to Asheville and had dinner at Curate.  Rhett had told us what a great place it was and he was right as usual.  We loved being there and had a great time in Asheville. Then like horses to the barn we headed back to Lake Lure.  David had to go work but Carol came up later and brought a wonderful birthday dinner of shrimp salad.  These were real shrimp caught on the Carolina coast and they were scrumptious.  It was a nice 58th birthday.

 

Meanwhile Big South Basketball was wrapping up and this was a pic from one of the last home games.  Jay kept his eye on the away bench for any surprise substitutions.

 

Typical GWU/Big South Basketball score.  Tied with 24.7 seconds to go. 

No telling which game this was or which way it went.

 

Too many of these games have to stop while referees confer with each other to make calls.  The new stricter rules this year made for a lot of confusion among players and refs. 

 

David got this shot from TV when GWU for once did not have a nail biter but soundly defeated Longwood. 

 

This was Jay's last season as a Graduate Assistant for GWU basketball.  It has been a great opportunity and a learning experience and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

 

 

 

One of the most beautiful sights of early springs.  Jonquils on Hunt Farm Road.

 

I have written the story of these jonquils before and if you want to read it look back in most any spring during the past four years.  The long and short of it is that years ago Mom and Dad found a few little jonquils growing on their farm where there had been grading and plowing and jonquils would not have been expected to survive.  They believe these small yellow flowers to be a 100 year old variety and they loved the jonquils resilience for springing up despite the odds.

 

So they dug up the jonquils and transplanted some on Hunt Farm Road.  These flowers have flourished and spread and this year were the prettiest they have ever been.    All of us look forward to watching for the jonquils in early spring.  As Wordsworth wrote, "And then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils."

 

People, cows and baby cows have a pretty good life on the Hunt Farm.

 

Mom's birthday is in March too and we met at the Italian Garden for a birthday dinner.  I saw June at a stoplight on the way and motioned for her to join us.  She jumped right in and took this picture of our family.

 

Mom is a very petite and dainty woman who has a tremendous appetite.  Dad says his Dad always loved to watch Mom eat.  We all love it and especially when she gets anything chocolate.  Because she always recites the old Nestlé's commercial with great dramatic flair.  N-E-S-T-L-E-S.  Nestles makes the very best... chooocccllaaatte.  Honestly it's hilarious but you just have to be there.

 

These are more spring flowers in Mom and Dad's yard.  They were so pretty I just had to share.

Mr. Cat has a favorite perch on the window ledge.  He is a superb hunter and sometimes proudly brings a catch home.  He cannot understand why we aren't delighted with these gifts.

 

Simba and Mr. Cat.  The lion laying down with the lamb.  I'm not sure which one is the lion.

 

 

David, Jay and I took a short trip to Ike's Korner Grill in Spartanburg the other day.  There's no where else like Ike's.

 

 

The Scruggs Center held an afternoon tea recently and one of the displays was this Mustache Cup that says, "forget me not".  I sent this pic to Libby and we both wondered if Aunt Burnette had donated this cup to the center.  She collected mustache cups so it wouldn't surprise me if this were one of hers.  She especially got a kick out of the left handed variety.  I don't know for sure if this Forget Me Not Cup is from her collection but, as Libby pointed out, it worked because it made both of us think of Aunt Burnette.

 

 

No post is complete without a picture of a Lake Lure sunset.  This one is from early March.

 

Jay has become quite the chef recently.  His sauté boneless chicken breast is good anytime and everytime.  David says its the one meal he could eat everyday.   Jay varies the spices but mainly he sears the meat on both sides so there is a crispy crunchy outside and a juicy tender inside.  Sometimes he does like Sis taught and adds a little water and covers it so it will steam a little bit.  Sometimes he doesn't.  He always uses lemon pepper and cavender's greek seasoning.  In this picture he is using a cast iron frying pan, but he also can make it in any sauté pan.

 

Jay likes to chop the chicken into large pieces and put on a salad.  If fresh jalapenos are around he likes to cut those up too.

 

Other times he leaves the chicken whole and makes a sandwich.  This one is chicken with a fried egg and fresh jalapeno. 

 

Jay's sauté chicken is good any time in so many ways.   You can try it with some of everything.