Blue Sky and Pork Salad

 

In case you don’t recognize it, this is a picture of a blue sky as seen through my favorite subject - trees.  We haven’t seen too much of blue sky lately.  In fact, a couple of hours after I snapped this one, the entire sky was overcast.  We had rain by nightfall.  And, we had snow flurries today.  I know Spring is on the way.  My buttercups (daffodils) are about four inches high near the edge of the woods.  They’re usually protected from Winter and sometimes bloom by the end of February.  I think they’ll be a little late this year.  That’s a little scary to me though.  Mom always said that it will snow on the buttercups when they bloom.  I don’t remember her being wrong about that.  But, I don’t look forward to snapping a picture of yellow blooms covered in snow.

I’m still going through my vintage cookbooks for new recipes.  I ran across a recipe for Pork Salad.  Years ago a co-worker brought something like this to a potluck.  So, you know it was a good dish!  I never did manage to get the secret recipe, but this one looks pretty close.  I believe it would be wonderful with country ham.

PORK SALAD

2 cups pork cut in 1/2 inch cubes

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Add 1 cup diced celery

1/2 cup French dressing

Chill 1/2 hour or longer.  Drain and serve in nest of lettuce.

A Valentine Poem

I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite poems for Valentine's Day. Hope you have a wonderful day!
.
IF YOU BUT KNEW
.
If you but knew
How all my days seemed filled with dreams of you,
How sometimes in the silent night
Your eyes thrill through me with their tender light,
How oft I hear your voice when others speak,
How you 'mid other forms I seek -
Oh, love more real than though such dreams were true
If you but knew.
.
Could you but guess
How you alone make all my happiness,
How I am more than willing for your sake
To stand alone, give all and nothing take,
Nor chafe to think you bound while I am free,
Quite free, till death, to love you silently,
could you but guess.
.
Could you but learn
How when you doubt my truth I sadly yearn
To tell you all, to stand for one brief space
Unfettered, soul to soul, as face to face,
To crown you king, my king, till life shall end,
My lover and likewise my truest friend,
Would you love me, dearest, as fondly in return,
Could you but learn?

A Dusting in the Hollow

The last weather forecast I heard called for a slight dusting after rain turned to snow.  Well, I never saw any rain and woke up to this lovely snowfall Tuesday morning.  I am thankful that we are still able to measure our snow by inches rather than feet.  However, I am so ready for Spring!  Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Anyone have a shovel?

There’s a road here somewhere….

Aren’t the trees beautiful?

And just one more…

Snow in the Hollow

 

Well, we didn’t get as much snow as expected, but it was still a decent amount.  And, it was enough for a ‘snow day’.  Remember them as a child?  Remember being so excited that school was closed.  I can remember being huddled in front of the television at night waiting for the Snow Bird report on WSM.  Fingers and toes crossed that our county would be filled with snow and closed the next day.  As adults, we don’t get too many snow days.  Saturday was one for me.  I spent most of the day curled up with a new book.

I tend to look back on growing up in the hollow through rose-colored glasses.  I know times were hard, but I prefer writing about the happier times.  When I heard about the new novel, Everything Will Be All Right, I knew it was something that I would want to read.  It’s a true story of Douglas Wallace and how he overcame poverty mingled with abuse.  Wallace tells his often painful true story with a strong love of family and Tennessee.  It’s a quick read, but still caused me to shed tears along with laughter as it sometimes came too close to home. 

Everything Will Be All Right is more than a book.  It’s a glimpse into a generation not too far removed from today.  It will give you hope, and we can all use a little more hope in today’s world.

Snow?

I'm a little skeptical about the weather forecast. The last time snow was predicted, we didn't get much. Now, they are calling for significant accumulation. Well, in middle Tennessee that is probably about three inches. It could also be a mixture of rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain. Oh my! I feel the need to fill all available containers with water. I must go to the grocery store and stock up on bread and milk. If you end up with an abundance of snow, check out my recipe for Snow Cream. Stay safe and warm!

Is this January?

 

Last week I was so cold I thought my toes would freeze.  This week we’re having thunderstorms and tornado warnings.  It must be January in Tennessee.  Still, I feel blessed.  Blessed to be living here and not in the devastation in Haiti.  My thoughts and prayers go out to Haiti and all of the families and friends of the American’s caught up in this terrible disaster. 

For The Birds

In the Spring I spend a lot of time listening to birds, but in the Winter I spend a lot of time watching them.  How about you?  They are so cute.  I’d love to take some up close pictures of them, but my feeders are quite a distance from the windows.  I’ll usually use binoculars.  I bet the neighbors think I’m watching them!

This Winter the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are conducting a bird count from February 12th through February 15th.   You can record your findings at birdcount.org.  This site will also give you info on how to identify the birds and how to count them.  I’m thinking there will be a little more info than black birds, red birds, little birds, etc.  But, it sounds like a fun project and a way to help out our wildlife.  Happy counting!