RANDOM GARDEN

PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE WEEDS IN THESE PHOTOS, THO I CAN ASSURE YOU THEY ARE NOT A FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION!!!

Tomato garden gone wild.
I am now reaping the problems of planting too close together. You can't see the tomatoes for the overgrowth! We finally took some yellow "DO NOT CROSS THIS LINE" tape, and tried to bind them up off the ground. That, along with some heavy boat rope, seems to be doing the job.
Note to self:
LEARN TOMATO PLANT SELF-CONTROL BY NEXT SPRING.

The new perennial bed with a smattering of annuals for that longer-lasting pop of color.

I am thinking these are four-o'clocks, but too lazy to check my books.
Whatever they are, don't they look like they glow in the dark?

Looking off my front porch to the right.
The boat in the background, unfortunately, does NOT belong to us!

Looking off my front porch to the left.

Front of house.
Yes, indeedy, that is very dry weedy stuff growing there. We have not put actual grass in, but act as if it is grass and mow it when it gets out of hand.

The dog days of summer are upon us, and it is really too hot to do anything in the garden except pluck some tomatoes and a few herbes, and run the sprinkler 1st thing in the morning. This has been a really fun gardening year for me, as we made a few significant changes in the yard, and I hate to see it coming to an end. With the new pool in the backyard, I am spending less time in the front, where the gardens are, and more time lolly-gagging on the deck with a good book or two.
What are YOU doing to keep cool where you are???

AWARDS CEREMONY!

Blogger Reflection Award

This award should make an individual reflect upon five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and who have provided a Godly example. In other words, five dear bloggers whom, when you reflect upon them, you are filled with a sense of pride and joy. . .of knowing them and being blessed by them.

I have been given this award by Lori of: View from our Porch Swing.

Here's what she wrote:

Cyn @ Farmgirl Cyn. Cyn is another energizer bunny! She truly has such a zest for life. She has such a passion for God, family and living. A visit to her blog can be like caffeine. It gives you a jump start on your day. I really love all her wonderful recipes. I'm trying the zuchinni recipe tonight Cyn! I am excited about choosing you for this award.

And Lori, I am most shocked at receiving this award!

As I wrote in my comments:

I am blessed that you have seen fit to honor me in this way. I try to live my life with WWJD as my motto. More often than not, I fail....
"But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. "Phil 3: 13-14

Thank you once again for blessing me in this way.


I now have the privilege of nominating 5 bloggers who have affected me in similar ways. This is most difficult, to choose only 5, as most of you on my sidebar have been an inspiration to me in one fashion or another. But narrowing it down to 5, I must choose these:


Ang, of homemakerang, is truly a dear friend. Open and honest, she is not afraid of speaking about her Saviour and 1st love, the Lord Jesus Christ. After her relationship with the Lord, you know by reading her blog that her "gentle giant" and her children are top priorities. With Ang, it is often a reversal of roles, as the younger(Ang) is indeed, teaching the older.(Cyn!!)

Joy, of savvycityfarmer, is a true, old friend.(I have known Joy for nearly 20 years) Her zest for life and her endless supply of energy are contagious. I am constantly inspired by her love for her Lord and her knowledge of His Word. We are brutally honest with each other, and neither of us would have it any other way. I love her dearly. She is my bestest friend.

Lovella, is a new blogging friend, but one that I know will be around for a long time to come. She is awesome! Her love for the Lord shines thru in everything she puts her hand to. Her love for her mate, Terry, is a testimony to what a Christ-centered home should be like. She has a wonderful sense of humor, and it is ALWAYS uplifting to visit her blog!

Yellow Mama is one blog that I simply cannot forget. Her words are full of insight and wisdom. I feel as if I have found a kindred spirit, tho we have never met face to face. Her writings inspire me to go higher in God. To search the scriptures myself, as the Bereans did in years past. Stop by for yourself, and see if I am right! You will be blessed. I know I am. (Tho, for the life of me, I cannot figure out why her blog is called "one step up from stupid", as she is definitely NOT that!)

And lastly, Jenny, aka, Kansas Rose, aka Prairie Farmeress. I simply call her "friend". You will find a mish-mash of good stuff at Jenny's blog. She is a farmer, wine-maker, artist, wife, mother and friend extrordinaire. Miss Jenny wears her heart on her sleeve, which is always a good thing! Nothing hidden in Jenny's life. Open and honest. Never at a loss for words, she is full of encouragement and much wisdom. I would love to meet her in person, but know that we will some day see each other in heaven, as Jenny is a true sister in the Lord.

Thanks again, Lori, for nominating me, and giving me the chance to pass out my own 5 awards!

Love always,
Cindy

HERE COMES THE BRIDE!

Our son Sam, and his date Brittney.

(Please excuse the order in which these photos appear. I have neither the time, nor the patience this morning to arrange them in chronological order!)

Daughters Krystal, Gina, and Avery

Farmboy and Cyn

Avery, hamming it up before the ceremony

Bride Giselle, and her new husband, Jon

The happy couple at the head table

I wish this was a close up, but we had a friend of Ave's taking photos while the actual hired photographer was taking them, and she needed to stay out of the guys way!

Giselle and her sisters

The bride and her dad

This was a wedding that had been prayed into existence!
For years Giselle had stated that she would never marry. She was content to be single the rest of her life. We, on the other hand, as her parents, did NOT feel that was God's best for her. So we began praying a little over a year ago that God's intended husband for Giselle would show his face! Little did we know that Jon's parents were praying in the same way for Jon!
Giselle and Jon had been friends in high school, and always felt very comfortable together. They lost track with each other for about 13 years, then ran into each other at a 5k race 3 years ago. They then saw each other again at a 5k race Giselle and I ran 2 years ago. This time they exchanged e-mail addys and they went back and forth for a few weeks. Jon abruptly stopped writing, for reasons unknown to Giselle at the time. She found out later he had been seeing someone, and felt this was not fair to the other girl. Then last July Jon e-mailed again, and they picked up where they had left off many years before. Becoming good friends again.
And after 6 weeks of writing, Jon asked her out.
Slow and steady wins the race.
And thankfully, Jon knew that Giselle had to take things very slowly. Jon was turning her life, as she knew it, upside down. And at nearly 34 years of age, she had some patterns set down that were difficult for her to change. Like getting to bed by 8pm! Jon would call and they would talk for hours. Because she lived over an hour from Jon (and us!), most times she would drive here for a date and not get home till after midnight. After several months we knew this was getting serious.
And so a date was set.
And on Saturday, July 21, 2007, God answered the cry of their parents hearts, and the two became one.
We are so very blessed to have Jonathan as our son-in-law. And we know that God has only good planned for them and their children, and their childrens children!

1ST TOMATOES!

The first of many tomatoes, plucked from the garden yesterday.
The dark tomato is "Cherokee Purple", an heirloom tomato I first tasted last year. It is an old-fashioned variety, tasting just like the ones Grandma used to grow. Nice and acidic.
Not sure exactly what the other varieties are, as the chickens pulled out all the tags just minutes after I had painstakingly labeled them in May!
They are nestled in an asparagus basket that my friend Lucy created for me last week using the unpicked asparagus at the front of the farm after it had gone to seed. She says it will last several weeks if kept out of direct sunlight.
Sweet, eh?

Cherokee Purple, just seconds before being slapped between 2 toasted slices of Farmers Market sourdough bread and several layers of sorrel, with just a slight schmear of mayo.
"Heaven. I'm in heaven. And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak....!!!"

The fruits and veggies of summer make me seriously consider becoming a vegetarian.
That is, until I get a whiff of aT-bone steak being grilled over red hot coals!!!

THE PERFECT GIFT

My dear friend Lucy, knowing my penchant for the perfect peach, brought me this special gift last evening at church. Not a Florida peach, not a Georgia peach, and not a California peach.
This beauty is a West Michigan peach!!!
Juicy, and ever so sweet, I inhaled it this morning.
Thank you, Lucy!
And...lest we forget...

"Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow." James 1:17

REMEMBER:

GOOD GOD
BAD DEVIL

Summertime...and the zucchini are comin' out all over the place!!!

I HAVE to share this recipe.
No. I mean it.
This was SO good!

FETA STUFFED ZUCCHINI
adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook

I doubled this entire recipe

3 medium zucchini or summer squash, halved lengthwise
1 TBL butter or olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped (or equal amts. of sweet onion)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 TBL flour
paprika to top

Preheat oven to 350.

Scoop out the insides of the squash with the pointy tip of a spoon. Chop the scooped insides and set aside. When using the yellow summer squash, I find the guts are mostly seeds, so I toss those to the chickens. To make up for that, I just finely chop one of the scooped out boats and add it to the rest of the "insides".

Melt the butter or oil in a large skillet and cook the shallot/onion till soft. Add the garlic and chopped "insides" and cook gently till softened. Remove from heat and stir in the feta, beaten egg, and flour.

Spoon the feta mixture into the squash boats and dust with paprika. I used smoked paprika, one of my favorites.

Bake for 25 min. if using oven. Then finish off under the broiler.

I have made this twice, and have used my gas grill both times. Just lay zucchini boats on heavy duty foil and grill over medium heat for 45 min to 1 hour. Check after 30 min.

JUST CRAZY 'BOUT..........

CHICKENS!
I've always wanted a little "farmette". I think as a product of divorce in the 50's, my idea of a happy family came from TV. There was "Lassie", "Leave It To Beaver", "Ozzie & Harriet", and "Father Knows Best". Granted, June Lockhart was the only farmers wife in the bunch, but you get the idea. When we were finally able to build our "house on the prairie', we had just 1 1/2 acres. Not enough to have cows, goats, sheep, or horses. But...just enough room for chickens.
So last year Farmboy built me a hen house, and we acquired 9 hens and a rooster. Since then I have been drawn to "chicken stuff".
Take a look-see...

Little chicken planter found this week at Trufant Flea Mkt for $2.00.
I thought it a perfect container for my CSA basil. Next to it is my grandsons Fisher price chicken, found in his "farm".

Lonely flour canister, found last year at a tag sale.
You can hardly see the top, which is a baby chick!

Rooster lamp(which, amazingly enough, looks just like our own "Albie Darn, I'm a Rooster".
Found in the burbs of Chicago at the Farmers Mkt just a 2 minute walk from Cityfarmer's farm.

Live...from Cyn's farmette, Albie, LadyHawk, and one of the Ruby's.

The fruit of the girls labor...some kind of eggy thing I whipped up with onions, mushrooms, kale, Gruyere cheese and 18 eggs.

If you take the stems off kale, drop the leaves in boiling water for a few minutes, then drain and squeeze, you will have tender greens with no bitterness. Chop up and use as you would spinach.

SLAP ME SILLY IF I EVER....

even THINK about buying another cookbook!!!

There are so many incredible Food Blogs out there, that I am constantly "copying/pasting/printing" new recipes. I nearly always write down my source, so at least I can reference back to them if I want to comment, but this particular recipe has no such thing. So, I know you're out there, you creator of "Oven Baked Shrimp & Orzo", but I can't give credit where credit is due. This was SO delicious, I felt I HAD to pass it on, or there might be dire consequences. Like, for instance, ME enjoying this dish, and YOU, never hearing about it!!!

OVEN BAKED SHRIMP & ORZO

1# orzo (looks like rice, but it isn't...it's pasta)
4 Tbl olive oil
1 C crumbled feta cheese
1 red onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
pinch saffron ( do NOT leave this out...it smells heavenly!)
4 C chicken stock (NOT broth, if you can help it!)
1 C water
1 C frozen peas(optional, but I love the color contrasts in this dish)
2# uncooked, med. shrimp, peeled, deveined
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, drained
4 teas. minced, fresh oregano (use 2 teas. if dried)
4 scallions, sliced thin (I left this out, as I didn't think it needed another layer of flavor, but you decide)

Preheat oven to 400. Brush 9x13 pan with a bit of olive oil or Pam.

Saute onion and red pepper in the oil, using a dutch oven or large fry pan. Cook over med. heat until veggies are soft, 8 to 10 min. Add garlic and c0ok for 30 seconds. Add orzo and saffron and cook, stirring until orzo is coated with oil and starting to brown---about 4 min. (make sure you stir, so orzo doesn't stick to bottom of pan.)

Add broth and water, cook over med. heat, stirring occasionally until orzo becomes softer, but still slightly firm in the center, about 10-12 min. Add tomatoes, peas, shrimp, and oregano.

Pour in baking dish and sprinkle with feta.

Bake 20 min. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the scallions.

This made a FULL pan, so I thought we would have plenty of leftovers. Not so much. Everyone loved this.

Options: In place of the shrimp, my son thought chunks of spicy italian sausage would be good. I would then replace the feta with perhaps parmesan, or even a sharp cheddar.

Bon appetit!!!

LET FREEDOM RING...

“Thus may the 4th of July, that glorious and ever memorable day, be celebrated through America, by the sons of freedom, from age to age till time shall be no more. Amen and Amen.”

Virginia Gazette on July 18th, 1777

Although July 4th is celebrated as America’s official split from Britain’s rule and the beginning of the American Revolution, the actual series of events show that the process took far longer than a single day.

Taxation without representation! That was the battle cry of the 13 colonies in America who were forced to pay taxes to England’s King George III with no representation in Parliament. As dissatisfaction grew, British troops were sent in to quell any signs of rebellion, and repeated attempts by the colonists to resolve the crisis without war proved fruitless.

The original resolution was introduced by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia on June 7, 1776, and called for the Continental Congress to declare the United States free from British rule.

On June 11, 1776, the colonies’ Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, formed a committee with the express purpose of drafting a document that would formally sever their ties with Great Britain. The committee included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. The document was crafted by Jefferson, who was considered the strongest and most eloquent writer (nevertheless, a total of 86 changes were made to his draft!) The final version, the document that we know as the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, although the resolution that led to the writing of the Declaration was actually approved two days earlier.

The following day, copies of the Declaration of Independence were distributed and, on July 6, The Pennsylvania Evening Post became the first newspaper to print the extraordinary document.

On July 8, 1776, the first public readings of the Declaration were held in Philadelphia’s Independence Square to the ringing of bells and band music.

All of this had occurred with some of the delegates to the Congress not even present; New York, for example, did not even vote on the resolution until July 9th. (Did you know that that not a single signature was appended to the Declaration on July 4th. While most of the fifty-six names were in place by early August, one signer, Thomas McKean, did not actually sign the Declaration until 1781.)

One year later, on July 4, 1777, Philadelphia marked Independence Day by adjourning Congress and celebrating with bonfires, bells and fireworks.

The custom eventually spread to other towns both large and small, where the day was marked with processions, oratory, picnics, contests, games, military displays and fireworks. Observations throughout the nation became even more common at the end of the War of 1812 with Great Britain.

In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a legal Federal holiday.

MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS AMERICA!!!