Nowhere in Africa

My last Netflix film was the artistically filmed Nowhere in Africa
(Nirgendwo in Afrika), 2001. This gorgeous epic, skillfully directed
by Caroline Link, is based on the autobiographical novel of the same
name by Stefanie Zweig. The film tells the story of an upper class
German Jewish family who escape the Nazis in 1938 by immigrating
to Kenya and struggling under tumultuous circumstances to start a
farm.

I was in complete awe of the beauty and poignancy of this film. It's
rich with gorgeous Kenyan landscape and culture. The run time is
141 minutes, but it seemed like only an hour. The delicious multi
layering of this movie completely wrapped itself around me. Can you
tell I loved it? It well deserves the Academy Award it received for
Best Foreign Language Film in 2002. This one is on the "wish list"
for my personal little DVD collection. It is definitely a film I will want
to watch again and again. Queue it up! It's powerful.

Willow's Weekly Word

blackmail

n. the threat might consist of physical injury to
the threatened person or to someone loved by
that person, or injury to a person's reputation.
In some cases the victim is told that an alleged
illegal act he or she had previously committed
will be exposed if the victim fails to comply with
the demand.

Although the crime of blackmail is generally synonymous with
extortion, some states distinguish the offenses by requiring that the
former be in writing.

Blackmail is punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or both.

Traced from 1552, mail is Middle English male "rent, tribute," from
Old English (pre-1100) mal "lawsuit, terms, bargaining, agreement,"
from Old North French mal "speech, agreement;" related to Old
English mæðel "meeting, council," mæl "speech", Gothic maþl
"meeting place." Derived from the practice of freebooting clan
chieftains who ran protection rackets against Scottish farmers.

Black is obviously from the evil of the practice. The term was
expanded in 1826 to any type of extortion and used as a verb
in 1880.

Have you personally ever suffered from the narcissistic and psychotic
behavior of being blackmailed? How did you cope? Did you cave or
did you hold out? How did you weather the attack?


info from etymonline and legal-dictionary

She's at it Again!

This morning, I came downstairs to find the kitchen junk drawer
left completely open. Now, I have a thing about my kitchen cabinets
and drawers being left open. I'm always following behind those who
might not be such a stickler, (not to name any names, of course) and
closing any open drawers and cabinet doors. It's my Libra scales,
liking to have things in order.

Since I was the only one in the house last night, being greeted with
this opened drawer this morning, was a tad startling. Our little
resident ghost has been known to leave the junk drawer open, on
many occasions, but not so much recently. One particular time,
several years ago, the top drawer to the left was open and part of
the contents sorted out on the counter!

Come to think of it, last week, when WT and I were watching TV
around 8:30 one evening, we heard a loud clink, that sounded like
one of the lids on the glass canisters. It was audible enough to be
heard over the TV, and WT likes his volume turned way up! The
sink was completely empty and all the dishes put away, so it couldn't
have been a cup settling in the sink. The next night, at exactly the
same time, we heard it again, coming from the same spot, which, as
you can see from the picture, is in the same location as the drawer
in question.

Maybe she was just helping herself to a little evening snack from the
canister with the mixed nuts? (Which I'm sure some of you are
thinking is most apropos.) But what is she searching for in the junk
drawer?



And just in case you were wondering, here's a peep of the other side
of my old galley style kitchen.





For more stories of the WM ghost, click on "ghosts" in my labels.

outRAGEous!

Many of us are feeling it these days; anger over the economy, lost
jobs, AIG bonuses, and lots of other not so pretty and unfair things.

I heard a piece on NPR about a business called Sarah's Smash
Shack in San Diego. You can actually rent a "break" room, complete
with safety goggles, wires for your MP3 player and plenty of dishes
to smash, in order to vent your pent up rage!

Some actually say this kind of behavior, instead of ridding, fuels one's
anger and can even make the problem worse. Or could it actually be
a therapeutic, safe way to vent, without completely wounding the
spirit of everyone around you?

We all know that constantly livid individual, who habitually showers
their rage on everyone around them. You would think, if they rid
their system of the mean reds, as Holly Golightly calls them, they
would be a calm, happy person. But no; the more they rage, the
worse it becomes.

Being a typical Libra, I tend to tip my scales in an effort to balance
a problem, in a teeter totter kind of way. I hold it in, until my little
scales are at the breaking point. Ask my kids, they'll confirm the fact.
I'm patient...patient...calm...calm...and then...whammy! With no
warning, all hell breaks loose. But only for a minute, of course. I
don't make it a lifestyle, but I admit, my tea kettle does reach it's
boiling point every now and again. I think if there's a healthy
cathartic avenue to release anger, it's a good thing, for everyone
involved.

What do you do with your anger? Would you visit a "smash shack"
in your neighborhood, if one were available?

Anger is an acid that can do more harm

to the vessel in which it is stored

than to anything on which it is poured.

~

Mark Twain

.

Theme Thursday = Mineral

In a Garnet World

In a garnet world

something troubles the rock

--a rash, an itching dazzle

that will not sleep or be soothed,

a night sky of stars without sky

or night; and stars that sting.

This rock once unseen

in its river of ice, is now sick.

A man climbing cloud-high

caught human sight of it

brought to it this blood-colored incurable

infection of light.

Janet Frame

Janet Frame (1924-2004), leading New Zealand writer of novels, short fiction, and poetry was twice contender for the Nobel Prize in literature, her works were noted for their explorations of alienation and isolation. Frame was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of British Empire (CBE) in 1983 and made a member of the Order of New Zealand, the country's highest civil honor, in 1990.

She also held foreign membership of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, received honorary doctorates from two New Zealand universities, and achieved recognition as a cultural icon in her native country.


photo: My favorite vintage garnet earrings from Prague Old Town, when it was still Czechoslovakia.

Short Ribs with Cheesy Polenta

During the warm months, I cook a lot of my meat on the gas grill
outside on the patio. So before the grilling season starts, I am
making a few more of the inside winter season meals. This one is
a favorite of the guys at the manor. The sweet taste of the corn
polenta pairs nicely with the wine and tomato sauce.

Most times, I garnish it with chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, but
forgot to pick some up at the grocery this week. (oops)

Take my word for it, this dish is totally delicious!


Short Ribs with Cheesy Polenta

4 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups frozen pearl onions or 1 large onion chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 can, 14.5 oz., diced tomatoes
3/4 cup low sodium beef broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley or 2 Tbsp dried
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 cup quick cooking polenta
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmigiano-Regiano

1. Combine carrot, onions and garlic in 6 qt. stock pot
2. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Brown ribs in oil on all sides and
transfer to pot.
3. Stir together tomatoes, broth, wine, parsley, cornstarch and tomato
paste in a bowl; pour over ribs, add bay leaf, cover and cook 275
degrees for 4 hours or until meat is tender. Skim off fat. Discard bay
leaf.
4. Combine 3 3/4 cups water, the polenta and salt in a large saucepan
over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add cheese
and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
5. Serve ribs over polenta and garnish with parsley, if desired.

This is also great in the crock pot, 9-11 hours on low or 4 1/2 to 5 1/2
hours on high.

Serves 4.

Willow's Weekly Word

Aries, March 21 - April 20, is the first sign of the zodiac.
Accordingly, it is linked with beginnings. People born under this sign
are typically enthusiastic about new events and are adventurous.
The ram is the symbol for Aries and, like a ram, Aries like to charge
headlong into matters. Aries is a fire sign, as well as a cardinal sign,
signaling action and excitement. They are also said to be willful and
impulsive. Especially good at initiating projects, they have a direct
and dynamic approach, making them natural pioneers. Sharp
weapons are often associated with Aries and are often noted for their
sharp minds, as well as sharp tongues.

Originating from the constellation of Aries, in western astrology, this
sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the
precession of the equinoxes. The astrological symbol for Aries is said
to represent the head and horns of the ram, and originates from the
cluster of stars which constitute the head of the Aries (constellation),
according to the work of Doctor Acacandam dating from 1592. The
head of Aries is given the name of Aluathay or Salhay, and it consists
of four stars.

In mythology, Aries is often associated with the Greek myth of the
ram which carried Athamus' son Phrixus and daughter Helle to
Colchis to escape their stepmother Ino, as well as the mythological
figure of Theseus, from the Greek myth of the Minotaur.

Traditionally, Aries is linked to the head. These people are
sometimes called headstrong because they have a strong will. Red is
the color associated with Aries; a bold, dynamic color linked with
anger. The gemstone is diamond, the metal is iron and flower is the
thistle. Countries associated with this sign are England, France,
Germany and Denmark.

Happy Birthday to all you dynamic Aries, out there in the
bloggyhood!


info from Wikipedia and Astrology by Darby Costello
photo from Google images

Preach always. If necessary, use words. ~ St. Francis

Do you regularly wear a piece of jewelry, other than an obvious piece
like your wedding ring, that is particularly significant to you? One I've
worn for years, that is especially symbolic to me, is this vintage gold
St. Francis of Assisi medal. The simple life and wonderful words of St.
Francis have long been a source of inspiration to me. When I feel this
lovely charm against my skin, I feel peace.

Make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi, 13th century

.

.

Lean's Lemon?

I'm a huge fan of David Lean and own most of his movies; Bridge on
the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and A
Passage to India, but I had never seen this often overlooked
masterpiece, Ryan's Daughter. This film has often been referred to
as "Lean's lemon", but don't believe it!

Warner Home Video has done a marvelous job with the anamorphic
transfer and Dolby Surround. It's probably even more beautiful than
it was in the theaters in 1970. The sweeping scenes, shot on location
on the western coast of Ireland are breathtakingly magnificent.
Lean's signature pallet of neutrals peppered with bits of red, paired
with Oscar winning Maurice Jarre's fabulous score are enough to
merit adding this one to my collection, as well.

The film is set in Ireland during the 1916-21 Rebellion, with an
impressive cast; Robert Mitchum, in an unusually innocent and
passive role, the fabulous Trevor Howard, John Mills (who won an
Oscar for his fabulous performance as the local village idiot), Leo
McKern (you remember him from Rumpole of the Bailey), and the
lovely Sarah Miles.

This is a two disc special edition with it's original 206 minute running
time, so pick an evening to put on your woolly socks, pop some corn
and settle in for this brooding and stormy epic of a film. Just to warn
you, this movie starts out slow and builds, so hang in there, it's well
worth it.

Thank you so much, Michael (Shouting at Streetlights) for this
recommendation. It was absolutely perfect Irish film for St. Paddy's
week!

Theme Thursday = Vegetable

Onions

How easily happiness begins by
dicing onions. A lump of sweet butter
slithers and swirls across the floor
of the saute pan, especially if its
errant path crosses a tiny slick
of olive oil. Then a tumble of onions.

This could mean soup or risotto
or chutney (from the Sanskrit
chatni, to lick). Slowly the onions
go limp and then nacreous
and then what cookbooks call clear,
though if they were eyes you could see

clearly the cataracts in them.
It's true it can make you weep
to peel them, to unfurl and to tease
from the taut ball first the brittle,
caramel-colored and decrepit
papery outside layer, the least

recent the reticent onion
wrapped around its growing body,
for there's nothing to an onion
but skin, and it's true you can go on
weeping as you go on in, thought
the moist middle skins, the sweetest

and thickest, and you can go on
in to the core, to the bud-like,
acrid fibrous skins densely
clustered there, stalky and in-
complete, and these are the most
pungent, like the nuggets of nightmare

and rage and murmury animal
comfort that infant humans secrete.
This is the best domestic perfume.
You sit down to eat with a rumor
of onions still on your twice-washed
hands and lift to your mouth a hint

of a story about loam and usual
endurance. It's there when you clean up
and rinse the wine glasses and make
a joke, and you leave the minutest
whiff of it on the light switch,
later, when you climb the stairs.


William Matthews



William Matthews published eleven books of poetry, including Time
& Money, 1996, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award,
and a book of essays entitled Curiosities, 1989. He served as
president of Associated Writing Programs and of the Poetry Society
of America and as a member and chair of the Literature Panel of
the National Endowment for the Arts. He received fellowships from
the Guggenheim and Ingram Merrill foundations, and he was
awarded the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. He died of a heart attack on
November 12, 1997, the day after his fifty-fifth birthday.
.
.

Things That Are Worthwhile

Don't you love the spunky Maureen O'Hara in her role as Mary Kate Danaher in the film The Quiet Man, demanding to have her "things" about her? I would venture to say that all of us can connect with the need to feel secure through our tangible possessions, especially now with the current economic conditions. God only knows how I adore my nest of "stuff" about me.

This topic sparked quite a lengthy conversation at the manor this past weekend. I think it's safe to say that most of us out there are in "hunker down" mode. The trickle down effect of the massive lay offs has effected all of us. Ms. Jane Doe loses her job. What does she do? She cuts back on the extras, like salon visits for her hair and nails, music lessons for the kids, entertainment and postpones the extra tweaking to the car. This in turn, takes its tole on the hairdresser, music teacher, the arts, and the local mechanic, and on and on. Yes,

it's scary times, indeed. Many out there are losing far more than just the "extras"; they are losing their homes, as well.

But is the sum of our life based solely on material possessions? Can money actually buy true happiness or a loving relationship? How can you put a price tag on a kind word, a moving melody, the scent of wet

earth in the spring air, or the love of a child? This brings to mind another great Maureen O'Hara movie moment from Miracle on 34th Street when Fred Gailey gives O'Hara's character, Doris, some heartfelt advice. You might recall my mention of it during the holidays, and it is surely applicable today.

Look Doris, someday you're going to find that your

way of facing this realistic world just doesn't work.

And when you do, don't overlook those lovely

intangibles. You'll discover those are the only things

that are worthwhile.

So, in keeping with this beautiful advice, we are honoring St. Patrick's Day at the manor by celebrating all those lovely, lovely intangibles. Kick up your heels with me, dear bloggy friends! A good Irish jig will bring a smile to your face! Kisses and cheer to all, be ye Irish or not!

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields and,

Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

~

traditional Irish blessing

Follower

my grandfather plowing

Howard County, Indiana

early 1930's

Follower


My father worked with a horse-plough,
His shoulders globed like a full sail strung
Between the shafts and the furrow.
The horses strained at his clicking tongue.

An expert. He would set the wing
And fit the bright steel-pointed sock.
The sod rolled over without breaking.
At the headrig, with a single pluck

Of reins, the sweating team turned round
And back into the land. His eye
Narrowed and angled at the ground,
Mapping the furrow exactly.

I stumbled in his hob-nailed wake,
Fell sometimes on the polished sod;
Sometimes he rode me on his back
Dipping and rising to his plod.

I wanted to grow up and plough,
To close one eye, stiffen my arm.
All I ever did was follow
In his broad shadow round the farm.

I was a nuisance, tripping, falling,
Yapping always. But today
It is my father who keeps stumbling
Behind me, and will not go away.


Seamus Heaney

I admire the connection of the Irish and their land. "The only thing

worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for," as Gerald

O'Hara tells Scarlett in Gone With the Wind.

.
Heaney, born April 13, 1939, is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer
who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995. He currently
lives in Dublin.

.

Portrait of Seamus Heaney by Edward McGuire, 1974.

Little Bread Beast

A few years ago, I bought a bread machine. It was one of those
crazy things I bought on a whim, not knowing if I would like it, or how
much I would actually use it. Now, it is one of those things I can't live
without. Don't get me wrong, I am an old fashioned kind of girl and
enjoy the glories of getting my fingers in the dough and the process of
kneading it. But how many times did I actually do it? Not many.

In five minutes, I can throw the ingredients into this little beast, turn
it on and three hours later, a glorious loaf of homemade bread is
cooling on my cutting board! Here's a simple recipe for super rich and
moist buttermilk bread, I make quite often. It's good fresh and fabulous
the next morning toasted.

Willow's Buttermilk Bread (machine version)

1 5/8 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
4 cups bread flour
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan.
Select Light Crust setting and press start.
Bake cycle: Standard.

Makes one large 2 lb. loaf

Easy peasy! Pair it with a nice bowl of homemade chicken soup
for a wonderful little supper. Yum-a-licious.

There is something quietly civilizing
about sharing a meal with other people.
The simple act of making someone
something to eat,
even a bowl of soup
or a loaf of bread,
has a many layered meaning.
It suggests an act of protection and caring,
of generosity and intimacy.
It is in itself a sign of respect.
Nigel Slater

Willow's Weekly Word

 

The Aran is a style of jumper, or sweater that takes its name from the Aran Islands off the West Coast of Ireland. The sweaters are distinguished by their use of complex textured stitch patterns, several of which are combined in the creation of a single garment. The word choice of "jumper" or "sweater", or indeed other options such as "pullover and "jersey", is largely determined by the regional version of English being spoken. In the case of Ireland and Britain "jumper" is the standard word with "sweater" mainly found in tourist shops. The word used in Irish is geansaí, a gaelicization of guernsey which has been re-Anglicised to gansey in Hiberno-English.

Originally the jumpers were knitted using unscoured wool which retained its natural oils or lanolin making the garments water resistant and meant they remained wearable even when wet. It was primarily the wives of Island fishermen who knitted the jumpers.

Some stitch patterns have a traditional interpretation often of religious significance. The honeycomb is a symbol of the hard working bee. The cable, an integral part of the fisherman's daily life, is said to be a wish for safety and good luck when fishing. Thediamond is a wish of success wealth and treasure. The basket stitch

represents the fisherman's basket, a hope for a plentiful catch.

Aran jumpers are often sold as a "fisherman sweater", suggesting the jumper was traditionally used by the islands' famous fishermen. It is sometimes said each fisherman (or their family) had a jumper with a unique design, so if he drowned and was found weeks later onthe beach, his body could be identified. There is no record of any such event ever taking place, nor is there any evidence to support there being a systematic tradition of family patterns.

This misconception may have originated with J.M. Synge's 1904 play Riders to the Sea, in which the body of a dead fisherman is identified by the hand-knitted stitches on one of his garments. However, even in the play there is no reference to any decorative or Aran type pattern. The garment referred to is a plain stocking and it is identified by the number of stitches, the quote being "it's the second one of the third pair I knitted, and I put up three score stitches, and I dropped four of them".

Misconception, or not, I find the romantic notion of the family patterns very charming. I'm sure some Irish wives and mothers were partial to certain patterns, and therefore particular sweaters were, indeed, associated with family groups.

I especially like this poem on the subject by Shirley GravesCochrane.

Irish Sweaters

"Ladies and gentlemen--
the sweaters of old Ireland!"
and down the runway come
Maeve and Erin and the other Dublin models
hips switching, eyes scorning
and Maurice, sheepish in his cowl.
"Each household had its special pattern--
you could tell a family sweater anywhere."

Aye--even at the bottom of the sea;
for grannies knit the shrouds of grandson
fishermen who never learned to swim
(to keep the agony of drowning short).
And long after the eyes were gone
and fish explored the geography of skull
the sweaters held and told us who they were--
Cormac and Tom and even Donovan.

See how the stitches knit the bones together.

info from Wikipedia

photo from Flickr

Theme Thursday = Animal

Whoa, baby! That was some pig! Actually, I don't know whether the

pig was so big, or if my great-great-grandfather, Palestine, was so

small. He was a little guy, but nonetheless, this was one truck load of

a pig. The photo was taken on our family's homestead farm in

Howard Co., Indiana probably some time in the 1920's. Grandpa Pal,

looking dapper, was all dressed up, fit to kill, to pose with his beauty.

He looks mighty proud, indeed.

This is me, along with my uncle, "The Bach", on a visit to the old

homestead farm a few years ago. I think we are standing at the same

corner of the barn where Pal was standing with his prized pig, nearly
ninety years ago.

HDD Inspiration

Last week, Charmaine, over at High Desert Diva, featured her lovely
keepsake jar in her Theme Thursday's post for "glass". I thought it
was so charming, I had to drop everything and make one for myself.

It was a fun project, since I have so many quirky little treasures
gathered and dragged back to my magpie nest. I filled a plain glass
globe with vintage Bakelite dice, a whisk broom, face from an old
pocket watch, old skeleton keys...

...a crystal stopper from a broken decanter, a rubber lizard...

Benjamin Franklin refrigerator magnet from a trip to Philly, a vintage
lighter, wind up alarm clock and a glass eye, among a whole pile of
random oddities now displayed for all (or at least me) to enjoy.

Thanks, Charmaine, for the inspiration and the fun!

Gilbert Stuart Blog

Do you enjoy a good mystery? How about artwork? And history?

Well, you know I do! And I've found a blog that incorporates all of the

above. Beth, at her blog Gilbert Stuart, tells the intriguing tale of

tracking down the original painter of a family portrait, passed down

to her, through generations from the 1700's. You might just say she's

got a "History Detectives" thing going on! I'm sure you recognize the

name Gilbert Stuart from his famous portrait of George Washington.

He also is responsible for painting the above portrait of Beth's

ancestor Captain Samuel Meeker. If these kind of things interest you,

trot on over to Beth's place and check out her incredibly interesting

and excellently presented blog!

Beth also has made this offer, if you happen to have a family portrait

in your possession:

.

Your old family portrait can be a blessing and may be hanging in a
place of prominence over the mantel; or, perhaps you are struggling
with a decorating problem! Whatever the case, there is most likely a
fascinating story to tell. Send me an image of your ancestral portrait,
and the tale behind it, and I will enter it into the Gilbert Stuart blog.

A Lark in the Clear Air

Dear thoughts are in my mind
And my soul soars enchanted,
As I hear the sweet lark sing
In the clear air of the day.
For a tender beaming smile
To my hope has been granted,
And tomorrow he shall hear
All my fond heart can say.

~traditional Irish song

A Good Dose of Laughs

You've probably noticed I've had The Triplets of Belleville on my
Netflix queue this past week. Well, I finally watched it and just had
to share it with you. Now, I'm not a huge fan of most of the recent
animated films, but this one you've got to see. It's brilliant and
hilarious!

Yes, it's in French, but there are only a few spoken sentences in the
entire film. Most of the soundtrack is a mixture of squeeks and barks
and the great jazzy music if Benoit Charest. In a nutshell, set in the
late 1950's, it's the story of a bicyclist who is kidnapped from the
Tour de France by mysterious gangsters. His grandmother, Madame
Souza, a onetime nightclub singer, travels to the city of Belleville, a
quirky version of New York, and tracks him down with the help of an
aging has been musical trio, the Belleville Triplets.

This animation is definitely made for adults. It's intelligent, dark,
surreal and incredibly funny. And with the state of things right now,
who couldn't do with a good dose of laughs? Do yourself a favor and
put this atistic little treasure on your Netflix queue. It is tres cool!!

Comfort Food for the Soul

Okay, I know macaroni and cheese is not exactly what I should be
eating if I am trying to lose that blogger's blub. But this weekend,
I just needed some good old comfort food. What better dish to fit
the bill than dreamy, creamy mac and cheese? I paired it with a
big salad, so than balances things out, doesn't it? Of course it does.

Willow's Mac and Cheese

1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
2 1/2 cups milk (I used 1 1/2 cups fat free and 1 cup half and half)
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
3 cups grated fontina cheese (also tasty with cheddar or gruyere)
8 ounces dry macaroni pasta

Cook pasta. In a sauce pan, make a rue by combining the butter
and flour. Cook til bubbly and add salt, pepper, thyme and nutmeg.
Slowly whisk in the milk and stir until thick. Add cheese, stir until
melted. Add cooked macaroni and turn into 2 qt. or small baking
dish. Bake 350 for about 30 minutes or until golden. Serves 4
regular eaters or two complete pigs.

Willow's Weekly Word

DOWN BY THE SALLEY GARDENS

Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet;
She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet.
She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree;
But I, being young and foolish, with her would not agree.

In a field by the river my love and I did stand,
And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand.
She bid me take life easy, as the grass grows on the weirs;
But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears.

.

~W. B. Yeats

Did you know a salley is a willow tree? "Salley" is an anglicisation

of the Irish saileach, meaning willow, i.e., a tree of the genus Salix.

Willows are known as "salleys", "sallies" or "salley trees" in parts of

Ireland.

.

"Down By The Salley Gardens" (in the Irish, "Gort na Saileán") is a

well known poem by William Butler Yeats included in his book, The

Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems, published in 1889. Yeats

indicated in a note that it was "an attempt to reconstruct an old

song from three lines imperfectly remembered by an old peasant

woman in the village of Ballysodare, Sligo, who often sings them to

herself."

.

The verse was subsequently set to music by Herbert Hughes to the

air The Maids of the Mourne Shore in 1909. In the 1920s composer

Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) set the text to music.

I thought you might enjoy this recording of W. B. Yeats, himself,

reading this poem:

And here is the familiar tune, as well:



So, how's this for a Willowy Irish post?

PS~~
I stand corrected, Bloggies! This is not read by Yeats
himself, as I previously stated, but by Tom O'Bedlam
for SpokenVerse on YouTube. Mr. O'Bedlam (witty
name), you have a most divine voice! Thank you!

info from Wikipedia
photo from Flickr

Theme Thursday...Glass

This oil lamp belonged to my Great-Great Grandmother, born Sarah
Elizabeth Dunnam, on September 19, 1855, in Monroe County,
Alabama. I'm not sure exactly when she acquired the lamp, but it
was among her things at my family's homestead, "Stockwell Farm"
in Howard County, Indiana. Hmm...I wonder if I might share any
ancestral ties to President Obama's Dunham family? I'll have to do
some research and get back with you.


On December 18, 1890, Sarah married Thomas Lewis in Burnt Corn,
(how's that for a name?) Alabama. They raised six children, including
my Great Grandmother, Ida Belle. Thomas contracted TB and the
family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico some time after 1900,
hoping the dry climate would prove beneficial to his health.

Tom died at 55 and is buried in Albuquerque. His tombstone has the
unusual Woodmen of the World symbol. Woodmen was one of the
first fraternal benefit societies in the United States, founded in 1890.

Sarah moved back to Indiana after Thomas' death to lived with her

daughter Ida, at Stockwell Farm. My great Uncle Bright tells me he

remembers the undertaker coming to the farm, the cold winter night

Sarah died in 1924, and raising this lamp above her in the dark farm

house. This must have been frightening for an eight year old boy.

.

Amazingly enough, the globe is the original wavy glass, still in
perfect condition, after four generations of households full of
children and grandchildren. This wise old glass has captured so
many reflected images through the years; if only it could tell of
them.

Random Album

While I'm working on the Purgapalooza, here's a bit of fun. This little
meme is from Coffee Messiah. It's random, fun, easy and entertaining.
(Hey, I am SO easily entertained.)

1. BAND NAME: Go to "wikipedia." Hit "random article" or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2. ALBUM TITLE: Go to "Random quotations"or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the
title of your first album.

3. COVER ART: Go to flickr and click on "explore the last seven
days"or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

So, there you have it, my bloggy friends. Go ahead! Give it a whirl
and see what you come up with. It's fun!

Wiki + Quotations + Flickr = Album

Willow Manor Spring Purge

Have nothing in your house
that you do not know to be useful,
or believe to be beautiful.

~William Morris~

We often had yard sales at the manor in the spring, before the heat

and humidity of summer. Spring was a great time of year to have

one, after all the sorting and cleaning of the household closets,

dresser drawers, and kitchen clutter. The event was always a lot of

fun, as well, chatting with dozens of local folk who followed the signs

down to our little manor. Well, to make a long story short, I haven't

had a yard sale in years. It just seemed like too much work to put

one together. Is this my old age speaking? I do, however, have tons

of stuff desperately needing to be purged! Susan over at

29 Blackstreet has been in what she delightfully calls purgapalooza

mode and she has inspired me to do the same. I started today with

my closet and will gradually make my way through the house. For

the very first time, I've listed some items on eBay, starting with a

few handbags and on to other great junk that needs to be weeded

out. So, do keep an eye on my eBay listings. You can click on the

photo on my sidebar to take a peek. I'll be adding new stuff every

day or so during my Willow Manor Spring Purge.

.

photo from Flickr

What it Means to Be Irish

Scarlett: "I don't want Tara or any old plantation. Plantations don't

amount to anything when..."

.

Gerald: "Do you stand there, Scarlett O'Hara, and tell me that

Tara, that land, doesn't amount to anything?"
.

Scarlett nodded obstinately. Her heart was too sore to care

whether or not she put her father in a temper.

.

Gerald: "Land is the only thing in the world that amounts to

anything," he shouted, his thick, short arms making wide gestures of

indignation, "for 'tis the only thing in this world that lasts, and don't

you be forgetting it! 'Tis the only thing worth working for, worth

fighting for, worth dying for."
.

Scarlett: "Oh, Pa," she said disgustingly, "you talk like an

Irishman."

.

Gerald: "Have I ever been ashamed of it? No, 'tis proud I am. And

don't be forgetting that you are half Irish, Miss. And to anyone with a

drop of Irish blood in them the land they live on is like their mother."

Since we're coming up on St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd post a few

fun Irish blogs leading up to the 17th. 'Tis my Scotch Irish DNA I'm

a feelin', stretching its bonny legs and doing a fancy jig!