The Season of Goodbyes

It is season of goodbyes these days with graduation, summer break and friends moving away for the summer. It is also the day we said a final goodbye to our beloved buff tabby Franklin. We knew this day would come, but as weeks went by and one year turned into two, it almost seemed as if the doctors were all wrong, that he wasn't really sick after all. He was our miracle kitty - far outliving and thriving despite a grim prognosis.

On Thursday Franklin stopped eating. He retreated to the far corners of the closets and shunned even the company of his best friend Peter. Baby food and tuna weren't enough to stimulate his appetite or bring him out of seclusion. Yesterday when he stopped taking water we knew for sure it was time to let him go and this morning at 10 am our beloved vet (Dr. Jeanne) came to the house to ease him into the next life. Dr. Jeanne only does house calls. She loves kitties and is the sweetest and kindest vet I've ever known.

As a young cat, Franklin (and his buddy - an orange kitty) had been rescued from the home of a person who appeared to take great pleasure in torturing animals. He and his orange pal were found doused in oil and both had suffered other obvious physical abuse. Because of this, the SPCA made a special stipulation that they be adopted together as a pair. They found a home quickly but sadly the woman who adopted them never cleared the addition of cats with her landlord so back they went. This time there was no stipulation on their adoption and the lively, outgoing orange kitty found a home right away. Poor shy, timid Franklin languished for many, many weeks however.

I met Franklin at an off-site adoption fair and it was love at first purr. When I picked him up he went in for the snuggle right away, pushing himself against me in a way that was so sweet and so trusting, and also so desperate. He was literally starved for affection. I might've officially rescued Franklin that day but in fact it was he who rescued me from the heartbreak of losing my 16 and 17 year old kitties less than a year before. In the ten years I had him he never lost that sweet sense of gratitude for food, a warm bed and his people who loved him so.

After about six months I got Franklin two 10 week old kittens to keep him company - Peter and Lillie. He fell naturally into being a "mom", allowing them to "nurse" on a little patch of fur on his chest, carting them from room to room and letting them sleep right on top of him. They were an inseparable trio. As the kittens grew up the bond between Franklin and Peter remained and grew stronger.

Occasionally Lillie would allow him a little snuggle.

He and Ken had a special bond as well.

Though I think he never quite forgave Ken for
getting that new sleek flat screen monitor...

Today Peter seems a little confused and is needing a lot of attention and snuggles. We'll have to keep a careful eye on him. When Franklin was first sick, Peter also became ill - the vet said it was stress. As for Ken and I, well we've rambled about the house aimlessly, unable to focus on much of anything. I've stopped crying for now. Our hearts are broken but we take comfort knowing our sweet boy isn't suffering any longer. We imagine Franklin is out there somewhere, getting to be the outside boy he always wished he was and eating all the catnip and big crunchies he wants without Peter getting there first.

Rest well my sweet boy.

History

We went to the annual meeting of the Newfield Historical Society last night and heard all about the noteworthy women of Newfield - farmer's wives, household servants, school teachers, milliners and even a famous opera singer. It was fascinating and inspiring. Who new that Newfield was once home to seven millinery shops, most run or staffed by women? Or that the land just down the road from us was farmed for 33 years by a widow with many children. She eventually passed the farm on to her eldest daughter who continued to tend the land for some time. Hardy stock they were back then.

I got a kick out seeing the rules for teachers in Newfield.

I'd be in trouble for sure.

They had some interesting recipes and home remedies from
the 1876 journal of farm wife Matilda Stamp Crawford.

Perhaps in 3010 someone will happen on my blog

and think they should try out a few of my own concoctions.

It was twilight when we got home but light enough to get a few photos,

Isn't the rhododendron just amazing this year?

We'll have poppies any day now

and the peonies are right behind them.

Rhythm

I love the rhythm of these early blissful summer days. Sunshine and noisy neighbors (cardinals and robins mostly) are our wake up call. We're able to drink our coffee leisurely on the porch most days, have lunch at home and a nap after wards, eat dinner late and still have time to sit on the porch until it's dark. The fire flies will be out soon. Life is good. I think my head is finally above water.

Since it's still technically the "season" of Ken's birthday we had one more dinner party last night with our dear friends JoAnn and Joseph. Great food, great company and Joni Mitchell songs on guitar with viola accompaniment - doesn't get much better than that. Joni's songs were made for the viola. I can't wait to learn more.

Last Saturday we set up our dining canopy on the deck, brought out our old kitchen table and four chairs and have pretty much camped out there for every meal ever since. We're dreaming of a screened in porch now and a built in grill (oh yes please!).

Wild flox, lupine, columbine, Solomon's Seal and alium are all in abundance now.

We're been hard at work on our online auctions today and tomorrow and are gearing up to buy at one of our favorite auctions on Friday. I still need to plant peas but I just can't take my eyes off of the nest of baby robins in the hummingbird vine. Poor momma bird, I am driving her batty trying to get a photo of her three little babes. So far all I can see is beaks.

Birthday Boy

Ken celebrated a milestone birthday yesterday by turning one of those numbers divisible by 11. Happy Birthday sweetie!

We started our day with a 5am wake-up call so we could get to an interesting looking sale about 40 minutes north of town. Sadly it turned out to be a total bust but the drive was nice and it gave us time to finish a second cup of coffee in the car. The second sale of the day was the annual Cayuga Heights fire department sale (set up in the BIG fire house). We showed up at 7:30am for an 8am start and were surprised to be 5th or 6th in line. Our friend Bill was already there and Dan arrived soon after. While we were waiting a little tussle broke out in the area where they had the bikes and outdoor toys displayed. Guess some folks were trying to get a head start on their shopping. Ken thought some may have been trying to cut the line. In either case I just didn't see why it was worth an argument.

Once we got inside more mayhem ensued - in fact it was a total zoo! Ken headed straight for the books and artwork while I honed in on the kitchen and household area. In between scouring for my own treasures I got a great kick out of watching Bill and Dan in action. They zoomed through the fire hall like they were on some kind of critical military reconnaissance mission and in no time they'd made three or four complete passes of the space in the time it took me to go through twice. After wards Ken and I hit a few more sales in town and then we decided it was time to get home and prepare for the birthday dinner.

Our celebration included an evening at home with our friends Dave and Lucia who arrived with a chilled bottle of champagne and Lucia's homemade lemon pot de creme with raspberries (it was amazing). Dinner was Ceasar salad and pork tenderloin from the grill. We lingered long over our meal out on the deck. In years past it's been too cold for an outdoor party, but yesterday we hit mid the 80's. It almost feels like July!

Here's some current views of the garden and our most recent tenants.
Momma robin has a nest full of babies.

The rhododendron is at peak and it is gorgeous this year!

The peonies will pop in the next week or two
and the ants are at work on them already.

I know this post is way too long but before I sign off I just have to leave you with another recipe. Enjoy!

Deb's Best Ceasar Dressing
4 or 5 cloves of garlic
1/2 to 2/3 cups Asagio cheese chopped into small pieces
1 tbs of stone-ground mustard (I use Amy's organic with horseradish)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 tbs anchovy paste (don't skip this even if you think you HATE anchovies - it really makes the dressing)
3 raw eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 vegetable oil
Juice of half a lime
1/2 - 1 tsp freshly cracked pepper

In a food processor combine the Asagio chesse and garlic. Process until well ground. Add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy paste, cracked pepper and eggs and process until well blended. Keep the food processor running and slowly and steadily drizzle in the oil. (This is the trickiest part but you really do get the hang of it after a one or two tries and the end result is totally worth it.) The mixture start will gradually emulsify and get lighter in color and should be about the consistency of mayonaise. Add the lime juice after all of the oil is in. Keeps in the frig in a well sealed container for about three or four days though it may not last that long since you'll be tempted to sit down and eat it with a spoon right then and there! Makes a great veggie dip, is outrageous on a sandwich in place of mayo and of course in a salad made with romaine, thin slices of red onion and croutons.

A Girl with a Box Truck

Woohoo! We made it through our first outdoor antique flea market and let me tell you, a girl with a box truck is a wonderful thing - I want my own now! By the time we'd packed everything, the 14 foot U-haul was full and so was our car. Some how we managed to squeeze it all on to our small site and thankfully by the end of the day most of it had gone away. The verdict is in - this was BIG work but it was also BIG fun!

We arrived at 7am to set up under the only tree on the lawn and most importantly right next to our best girl Sandy (who I might add has a box truck of her very own). Our first sale of the day was to her. She recently cleaned out two entire estates so it took two trips with her truck fully loaded to get everything there. By 7:30am the dealers were circled around her truck and when she started unloading boxes it was a feeding frenzy. I've never seen anything quite like it and the funniest part of it all - I was right in there with the best of them, pawing through stuff too! We bought three boxes of nice old photos and an antique frame.

I'm a little tired in this photo but I've got my game face on and I'm ready to sell. That's Sandy behind me working her magic with the hovering dealers.

Ken's raring to go - bring on the customers!

We had some pretty sweet things to sell.

This piece sold in the first hour of the sale, go figure...

Since the antique center staff does the selling for us we only interact with our customers if they happen to be in our booth while we're sprucing it up. It was especially nice yesterday to get such positive feedback from browsers and customers and to watch the responses of those who simply passed us by. We learned a lot. The item that got the most attention was a beautiful 1940's yellow laminate table. Almost every person who came by petted it lovingly and told us stories about how this was THE table they grew up with. The hipsters thought it was simply way cool. People couldn't seem to keep their hands off of it - it got more pets than a litter of kittens! It eventually went to a lovely young woman who'd been by three or four times in the course of the day to look at it. We were glad it went to a good home.
We're a tad bit exhausted by our first flea market experience but we had a blast. The weather was great and so was the company. Sandy plied us with homemade snacks and a cocktail in the afternoon - it was a fantastic party and we're already signed up for the next one. My fortune at dinner after the big event read "You have only begun to scratch the surface of your real potential", Ken's said "You have sound business sense". Here's hoping!

A Good Place to Start

Friends and family have been encouraging me to write down my recipes for a long time, so I guess it's time to start. This project may prove easier said than done since my cooking starts with opening the frig and ends with improvising and tasting until it seems right. I'm one of those cooks who thinks a written recipe is only a good place to start (except of course when it comes to baking). Drop, glop, drizzle, chop and stir - that's way more my style!

Deb's Chicken Salad

I've made this salad countless times and with endless variation. It's our standard auction picnic food and my favorite summer lunch on the porch.

Ingredients
1/2 to 2/3 cup of mayo (the real stuff)
1 tbs of stone-ground mustard (the kind with horseradish if you have it)
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbs honey
4 green onions chopped (both white and green parts)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup toasted walnut halves (chopped)
1/2 cup dried cherries
Pinch of chipotle powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 dribble of Wegman's lemon oil
8-12 boneless chicken thighs or the meat off of one store-bought rotisserie chicken (any flavor)

Place walnut halves in a single layer on the toaster-oven sheet – fill up the entire sheet and toast on medium darkness until you just barely smell them. Let cool and then chop. Get a big bowl and glop two or three big spoonfuls of mayo into it. Add one small glob of mustard, one 2-3 second long drip of honey, the juice of what ever citrus you have in the frig and add a pinch or a few drops of something which provides a little heat. Whisk it all together until it's smooth. Add chopped celery, green onions, walnuts and dried cherries to this secret sauce! If I want to get really fancy I'll soak the dried fruit in a little orange or lemon juice. Dice chicken the size you like it – mix it all in, call your sweetie for lunch, get a couple of forks and move to the porch. Yum.

Add-ins or substitutions:

Nuts - almonds, cashews, pecans or macadamias

Fresh herbs from the garden – cilantro, parsely, thyme, mint or chives

Dried fruit - Craisins, raisins, apricots or apples

Fresh fruit - tangerine, orange or apple. Zest of any citrus fruit works well too.

Juice - tangerine, orange, lemon, lime

Slightly exotic flavors – garam masala, curry powder, smoked paprika

Heat - Tobasco, red pepper flakes, Asian chili paste

Healthy things - blanched, cold, leftover veggies (especially asparagus, green beans or sweet peas), sliced fennel, chopped sweet red pepper

Is it time for lunch yet?

Big Flea

We're gearing up to sell at our first outdoor antique flea market this Sunday and while I hope we sell lots and lots of stuff there, I'll be happiest if we can simply get both cars into the garage after it's all said and done.

We've got an impressive collection of treasures and we hope the 14 foot rental truck will get us there and back in one trip (as opposed to ten).

I swear the bubble wrap is breeding when we're not looking

Our faithful staff - always ready to help or offer unsolicited advice.

Rescued

It's the first official day of my summer break!
I even posted my grades this morning. My earliest submission ever!

When Ken came to pick me up at the college yesterday he left
me this email to let me know he was outside waitingRescued indeed!

After two long days of performance exams I'm a wee bit battered but I managed finish out the term with my most of my wits intact. Let me tell you, this is no small feat. We had a modest number of performance exams this year - 10 hours spread out over two days. Most years we'll hear 12 or 13 hours! Everyone passed and several students even had the best performances of their lives. A few were, uh, how should I put this tactfully...let's just say they didn't have their best performance day this go round. If you're not sure what I mean, imagine the sound of ripping bed sheets or of moving a heavy old refrigerator across a sandy wooden floor...eeewww doggie! My teeth were starting to itch and I swear they even sprouted a few hairs from some of the less than stellar intonation.

This is how I would like to spend a major portion of my summer

Sorry for the grainy phone photo but I just had to post it since it totally captures my immense joy in making music with my dear friend Carrie. Ken snapped it on his phone this past week at a party for Carrie's dad.

We're headed to auction today so I'll leave you with this little bit of parking lot humor (seen in the Wegman's lot yesterday).

You gotta love those boxy Scion cars and their most witty owners.

All in a Day's Work

Happy Mother's Day!

Ken's been working hard at teaching the kitties how to make waffles so they can bring me breakfast in bed on Mother's Day but Franklin just can't seem to figure out the toaster oven, Peter can't reach the microwave and Lilie thinks that licking the butter is an essential part of the recipe. Oh well, maybe next year....

Two auctions worth of goodies managed to pile up again, so for the last two days we've worked hard to excavate the dining room and locate our dining table. I'm plumb tuckered out but the good news is we can now eat at the table without having to move a four foot high stack of dusty boxes! I did a lot of cleaning today but surely one of the more memorable parts of my day had to be the hour I spent scrubbing 75 year old cow poop off of a sweet little yellow milking stool. Crazy or devoted - you be the judge.

Franklin helped me by being sure that the quilts all had the proper amount of cat hair on them before they were moved to the booth.

We had an especially fun day at auction on Friday where
there was quite an array of interesting and delicious goodies!

Out in the "projects" they had five of the coolest old metal shopping carts I'd ever seen. I was excited about using them for displaying linens and the truth is I really had my heart set on getting them. Sadly I was beaten out by someone with deep pockets who was willing to pay $55 a piece and rumor has it he trucks all of his merch down to Texas where he sells it for big bucks. I was ready to go up to $25 a piece and was pretty sure I'd win them...big bummer.

We did come home with some lovely things though
and much of it is already in the booth.

The white kitchen cupboard was out in the barn in the "projects" area of the auction. This is where they stash the pieces that need either refinishing, regluing or simply need to be chucked in the woodstove. We were glad to get it and to be able to put it in our booth without any major work. Just a little goo-gone, 409 cleaner and a little elbow grease and it was ready to go. Our dear friend Sandy hauled it all the way back to Ithaca and this afternoon Ken and I wheeled it out on the floor and straight into our booth. It's a genuine "Hoosier" cabinet and believe me, if we had room in our kitchen this piece would be there right now!

We're still ahead of the game in the bloom department.

The rhododendron is a good two weeks ahead of schedule.

The plant is about to take over the front porch and
in a few weeks the entire thing will be covered in fuschia blooms!We're well into the "This is why we live here" season these days!