Cold Comfort

It has turned cold and wet here in Ohio.

Crops have been harvested, leaving the fields empty, muddy, and brown.

This time of year I warm my belly and my soul with bowls of rich stew created with the ingredients that I put up so lovingly in the summer.

But I'm not the only one looking for warmth.

When fields are harvested critters have to find new homes. This one built a nest under the inspection lid of my propane tank.

Unfortunately he's not a very good housekeeper. And I would prefer it if uninvited tenants didn't poop on my propane tank.

But I have to admit, I found it hard to evict this cute little fellow, especially after he winked at me.

The First Picture I Ever Took with my Cell Phone

This is the first picture I ever took with the camera on my cell phone:
It's funny what people think about you when you have a food blog. They think you know about things like food. And blogging.

Ha! I get lucky sometimes, with food. And blogging? Well, computer stuff is a constant struggle. So it's funny when people think I know something.

When I got a new cell phone last year it had a camera on it. I know the rest of the world was already abuzz with cameras on their cell phones. But this was the first time I had a camera on mine. I was intrigued, yet puzzled. I didn't know how it worked. One day, while walking in the pasture, I practiced taking pictures of turkey vultures (which are also sometimes called buzzards). I thought I would write a post about them.If you live in the United States you've likely seen these huge birds. Their wingspan can be 6 feet long. You notice it when one flies over your head.But this isn't a post about turkey vultures. It's a post about the first picture I ever took with the camera on my cell phone, remember?
After I took the picture I didn't know what to do with it. It was on my phone for months because I didn't know how to get it from my phone to my computer.

I finally asked someone.

He said, "Well you might have a little card in here..." He opened up a little flap on my phone and pulled out a fleck of straw and looked at me.

"You need a sim card."

"A what?"

Long story short, I finally learned how to get a picture from my cell phone to my computer and I'm so excited to know how to do this! I've already used my cell phone to take pictures of baby chicks at Tractor Supply Company and an Amish auction. It's so handy and convenient......no wonder everyone was all abuzz... or should I say, "all a buzzard...?"

The Parkinson Tulip

Parkinson's disease is named after James Parkinson, an English apothecary surgeon who originally identified the condition in 1812.

The Parkinson Tulip was developed by a dutch horticulturist, J.W.S. van der Wereld. He named it after James Parkinson in 1982 and it has since become a symbol for Parkinson's Disease.Last year I searched far and wide for a way to purchase some Parkinson Tulip bulbs.I finally found them through The Maine Parkinson Society. I ordered several bags of them and eagerly planted them when they arrived in the fall.This spring I was delighted when every single one of them bloomed!

April is Parkinson's Awareness Month.Here is a printable order form from the Maine Parkinson Society in case you would like to plant some of these unique and lovely tulips yourself:
Maine Parkinson Society Parkinson Tulip Order Form

Bunnykins (and a Retro Recipe using Leftover Ham)

Recently, while rummaging through my mother's closets and cupboards, I found this set of Bunnykins dishes.I must have always been a foodie because this was my own little set of dishes when I was a little girl and I loved them!The bunnykins designs started in 1939 and they were drawn by a Catholic nun.
Bunnykins are still made today.
Just looking at this little mug makes me want some hot chocolate.This one was my favorite. (Or maybe it was just the one I was allowed to use most often.) You know how I know?
I noticed something interesting after I pulled the plastic bags off these dishes.Two recipes! Of course I had to make one of them right away......a ham salad sandwich with a couple of twists. Besides the usual suspects (mayonnaise, onion, chopped pickle or relish, and mustard) this recipe calls for horseradish, shredded carrot or cabbage, and shredded Swiss cheese.
The horseradish gave it a little zing. The shredded carrot added a nice crunch. And the cheese? Well, isn't everything always better with cheese?

MEAT SALAD SANDWICHES
(recipe printed on a plastic bag circa early 1970's)

You can use cold cooked beef, ham, pork, chicken, or turkey as the base for this sandwich filling (I used farmhouse cider ham).

1 cup chopped cooked meat
1/4 cup shredded carrot or cabbage
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons sliced green onion (I used minced red onion)
5 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1/4 teaspoon each, prepared mustard and prepared horseradish
salt and pepper
4 hamburger buns
Butter or margarine

In a bowl, mix together your choice of meat, carrot, cheese, and green onion. Also combine the mayonnaise, pickle relish, mustard, and horseradish. Stir dressing into the meat mixture until well blended, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate several hours so flavors mellow. Just before serving, split and toast the buns; spread each half with butter and then fill buns with the meat mixture. Makes 4 sandwiches. (homegrown countrygirl note: I forgot to toast and butter the buns. Also, in my opinion, this only makes 2 sandwiches... but they were very good!)

How to Replace a Broken Axe Handle (in Pictures)

An Amish Auction

Yesterday I went to a local auction. I took a few pictures to share with you...


(Those are retractable laundry lines at the top of the picture, not electrical wires.)