Grass

We had a storm three weeks ago, and the branches were heavy with wet snow.  Now all the snow is melted.  The days are glorious.  But all is still brown outside.

 

The word that comes to mind when I look at my backyard: sere.  Meaning withered and dry.

So I decided to do a little planting. These promise to be yellow tulips.

The thing I miss the most during our long winters is green.  Green anything.  Mostly green grass. 

 

 This grass is grown from wheat berries. We should be throwing it in our smoothies. But I just "mow" it with scissors every few days.  I love the smell of freshly mown grass, especially in my kitchen, with no annoying mower noise.

 What could be better than a card catalog AND fresh grass?  Not much.

 It's all good: sun-dappled furniture, books, shells, and grass.  

And (of course) a little poem.

Spring

By Christina Rossetti

Frost-locked all the winter,

Seeds, and roots, and stones of fruits,

What shall make their sap ascend

That they may put forth shoots?

Tips of tender green,

Leaf, or blade, or sheath;

Telling of the hidden life

That breaks forth underneath,

Life nursed in its grave by Death.

Blows the thaw-wind pleasantly,

Drips the soaking rain,

By fits looks down the waking sun;

Young grass springs on the plain;

Young leaves clothe early hedgerow trees;

Seeds, and roots, and stones of fruits,

Swoln with sap put forth their shoots;

Curled-headed ferns sprout in the lane;

Birds sing and pair again.

There is no time like Spring,

When life's alive in everything,

Before new nestlings sing,

Before cleft swallows speed their journey back

Along the trackless track --

God guides their wing,

He spreads their table that they nothing lack, --

Before a daisy grows a common flower,

Before the sun has power

To scorch the world up in his noontide hour.

There is no time like Spring,

Like Spring that passes by;

There is no life like Spring-life born to die, --

Piercing the sod,

Clothing the uncouth clod,

Hatched in the nest,

Fledged on the windy bough,

Strong on the wing:

There is no time like Spring that passes by,

Now newly born, and now

Hastening to die.

Junk Market under Glass 2012

Since we had a booth at this show, I only had time to snap a few pictures.  The ones I like remind me either of the beauty of old worn-out things, or of spring.  Which I believe is right around the corner.

 Here is something that made me smile:  the close proximity of teal, red and yellow.  And the old fishing pole. There is something hopeful about all this color among the grays and browns.

This is a close-up of our white piano cabinet, made from a turn-of-the-century Franklin.  My husband found these 1899 newspaper clippings inside the piano.

 

 The top our our 1916 piano. The blocks are from a century barn.  They make great pedestals.

  

A favorite display at Histories' booth. 

Some of the beautiful jewelry at Mimi-toria's, my friend Gretchen's booth.

For all those who stopped by to say hi and see our booth, thank you!

Chicken Chilaquile Casserole

If I had to give up one kind of cuisine, it would probably be Mexican.  (I could never give up Peruvian or Chinese). But sometimes I am hungry for nothing else but this cheesy, delicious casserole, adapted from Sara Foster's cookbook.  Since I'm pregnant, I cut back on the spicy salsa, but you can tweak it to your taste.

8-10 5 1/2 inch corn tortillas, cut into quarters and toasted in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes
1 cup of your favorite salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 8-oz. package of cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh black pepper
3-4 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Stir together the salsa, cilantro, scallions, cream cheese, feta, sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Fold in the shredded chicken and mix well.

Combine the Monterey Jack cheese and the Cheddar in a separate bowl, mix.

Arrange half of the tortilla wedges in the bottom of a casserole dish (the recipe calls for 9x13, but I use a 7x10). Spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas.  Sprinkle half the cheese over the chicken mixture.

Repeat with remaining tortillas, chicken and cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for about 35 minutes until the dish is bubbling and golden brown.  Serve immediately.

(Block cheese that you grate yourself will be better than the already-grated stuff in bags.  It melts better).

I usually just slice fruit to serve with this.  Lately our favorite beverage has been ice-cold club soda with a squeeze of lime.  It's perfect with this meal.

Guidelines for Listening

I wish I had learned this when I was much younger.  But even after writing this down, it is hard for me to be perfectly still and quiet when listening.  This list is from Vicki Degner at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

1. Remain present.
2. Let me (or let you) cry.
3. You don't need to fix anybody.
4. It's okay to feel uncomfortable.
5. You don't need to rescue anybody (just be present).
6. Don't minimize the pain.
7. Silence is okay.
8. Let me (or let you) sit in this sadness.
9. Don't rob anybody of their pain.  What we can do is pray while we listen.

"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living."  Psalm 116:7-9