Friday, December 25, 2015
Red Rooster Farm, Merry Christmas to All!
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Looking Back, Looking Forward
It's been a green December, thus far. Unusual weather, especially after two very cold winters. Some sputtering snow yesterday, but nothing to speak of on the ground. The wind blew it all away.
The semester is officially over. Grades are in. I am trying to relax. It seems to be impossible to find that zone of quiet, with my arms loose at my side. I don't want to hold anything; not a pen, a book, a fistful of paper. I want to wander in the orchard's crisp air. Clear my thoughts of all the words that I've ingested over the semester-- some tender, some wise & thoughtful, some full of heartburn. I taught five writing intensive classes, 147 students (the most I've ever had) and directed an Arts Minor Program that sponsored over 8 Lecture & Art events over the semester that were so successful. Our audience attendance (Rochester and St. John Fisher community) ranged from 60-180. I'm grateful for all the collaborations, for all the people who said yes. Now it's time to imagine something else, but before I do, I plan on having a bit of good cheer.
Without expectation, I can be free of practically everything. Imagine that.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
December 5, 2015: The Fall Semester Is Nearly Over
Have You Had Your Free-Range Egg Today?
An eyeblink. Setember to December. The silence on this blog.
Too long. Time to dust it off and put on some writing music. Fill you in on what has been happening.
We've had an exceptional growing year. My root cellar is full of jars of tomato sauce, jams (strawberry, blueberry, apricot, peach, raspberry),
verde sauce, sweet pepper sauce,
pickles, applesauce and so on. Freezers full of fresh veggies.
Exceptional year for tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, garlic, peppers sweet to hot-- all kinds, tomatillos, eggplant, cabbage (purple and green), butternut squash, acorn, green beans, dry beans (which I still have to shuck!) pumpkin, zucchini, yellow squash; not so good for cauliflower or broccoli, onions (fair). We're in good shape, though.
Our Thanksgiving meal was all farm produced, with exception of wine and beer. It was quite a moment for all of us gathered round, realizing that we did it. We had a big gang of family here. Such fun.
~
On November 14, 2015, I received a Big Pencil Award from Writers & Books, for Lifetime Achievement. My family and friends were at the award's ceremony. It was a wonderful evening. My sister Karen made me a pencil tiara, which is so fantastic! It sparkles in my silver hair!
~
On November 21, 2015 at Writers and Book, we celebrated the life and writing of friend and mentor Jusith Kitchen, and the new CNF anthology Close Encounters edited by Judith Kitchen and Dinah Lenney. It was an evening of beautiful readings by Sonja Livingston, Bill Capossere, Alicia Hoffman, Carol McMahon, Jenny Lloyd, Monica Gilligan, Bruce Bennett and me. I am grateful to all of these fine writers for saying "yes" to participating in this event and making it happen seamlessly. To Joe Flaherty and Al Abonado for giving us the space to celebrate and ordering the anthology. To everyone who came to be there and listen and remember Judith. It's so hard to believe that a year has passed since she left us physically, but her spirit and energy is everywhere. I share her words daily with my students. She is in my thoughts, always.
~
This semester may be busiest yet. I have a 147 students, all doing a significant amount of writing. I have been keeping up with my usual 7-10 day turnaround on papers (critical and creative). It's been challenging to say the least. I have a World Lit class with 43 students, who love to read! Somehow, this class has been mostly discussion based. They have been such a gift, in so many ways, and a majority are freshmen, so they will only get better and better and better. I hope I'll get a chance to work with all of them again.
Actually, all of my classes have been a joy. I raise my cup of coffee to them all!
Sunday, September 27, 2015
The Answer to Where I've Been
Tomatoes, early August 2015.
It's hard to believe that I've managed to put by over 70 quarts of tomato sauce since early August. I'm grateful, no giddy, that there isn't a bushel waiting on the porch to be processed. My last post marks the beginning of the putting by season, and not a word from me in those seven weeks. Every day at the stove, like a witch I stirred the pot. Hucka-Pucka!
My dining room table has a dramatic line up of jars of all sizes and tomato sauces for every mood. We will be in great shape this winter, but I confess I'm having sensory fatigue, even as I ooh and ahh over the last batches of roasted tomatoes. I want to be away from this constant cooking, so I can come back to it with fresh tastebuds. Still, I can't believe how blessed we were this year. The garden did well by us. I like counting the jars. It makes me feel rich.
Now with this sudden release from kitchen duty, I'm able to poke around a bit, which has made me so happy. Yesterday, I went out to the pumpkin & squash gardens and picked what was there. Then, took a look at our apple trees, heavy with fruit. Soon we will turn our attention to bringing in the apples.
In the next five weeks, the landscape will change drastically. I think our area is several weeks behind what is to be expected. That is, I bought peaches and sweet corn yesterday, and we all know that the season for peaches and sweet corn should be completely over. Gosh, I'm so glad it's not. The sweet corn we had for dinner last night was simply heaven.
Now to enjoy the next five weeks, my mind is open to the oncoming change.
Wishing everyone, the best of autumn.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
A Few Days of Stormy Weather . . .
Once again, I'm standing on a brink of another new year. For me, the year begins in September, the start of something new,something possible. I have been know to look at pen and paper supplies for hours, picking out the ones that will suit me without fail. The Sunday paper had a headline boasting money-saving coupons for Back-to-School. August can be filled with anticipation. 31 Sunday evenings, that anxiety of returning to work that never seems to be done. Grading is so repetitive. Once one group is all sorted out and humming along, there' s a new group that needs to hear your instruction. I want a nickel for every comma splice or split infinitive. Maybe I'll do that this year. Put in a nickel for each time I note these corrections. I bet it would buy me a night out. It may make the process a challenge, because the nickels should be less by semester's end, right? I think I'm going to do this and see if I'm making progress. This will be called the NICKEL ASSESSMENT.
Nickel in Yankee idiom means hug. So I'll expect a bunch of hugs this semester. I will keep you apprised of the experiment.
~
It's much cooler this morning. A perfect day to accomplish a lot. So far, so good. I have written letters and cards. Re-read my poems written during 31x31 poetry challenge. I can't believe that I've been on task with this. I have a million thing yip-yapping at me. The other day, I put by Apricot Jam (pure gold,as my mother would say, 'Too Good For The Common People.' Of course, if you were told this, you weren't one of the common ones. You were uncommon and would know what was uncommonly good. This includes you who stops by and read this.) Well, this batch of jam was a wrestling match. It bubbled and jumped out of the pot. Splats of sweet, sticky heat, enough to burn my forearms, face, wrists-- the price of close work. I was stirring with a kettle screen. The process took three hours. If any you get a jar of this jam, you are NOT to be less than enthusiastic. I know, I can't hope to have rave reviews, but it would be nice to hear that it brightened that muffin, or piece of toast, or ice cream . . . and you thought of us, of our attempts to live simply and honestly here on the farm. Every jar has sun in it. Imagine that!
~
Here's the latest issue of THE BLUE Heron Review. Please take a moment to peruse these exceptional poems. This is one of my favorite journals.
http://blueheronreview.com/blue-heron-review-issue-4-summer2015/
Back to work . . .
Nickel in Yankee idiom means hug. So I'll expect a bunch of hugs this semester. I will keep you apprised of the experiment.
~
It's much cooler this morning. A perfect day to accomplish a lot. So far, so good. I have written letters and cards. Re-read my poems written during 31x31 poetry challenge. I can't believe that I've been on task with this. I have a million thing yip-yapping at me. The other day, I put by Apricot Jam (pure gold,as my mother would say, 'Too Good For The Common People.' Of course, if you were told this, you weren't one of the common ones. You were uncommon and would know what was uncommonly good. This includes you who stops by and read this.) Well, this batch of jam was a wrestling match. It bubbled and jumped out of the pot. Splats of sweet, sticky heat, enough to burn my forearms, face, wrists-- the price of close work. I was stirring with a kettle screen. The process took three hours. If any you get a jar of this jam, you are NOT to be less than enthusiastic. I know, I can't hope to have rave reviews, but it would be nice to hear that it brightened that muffin, or piece of toast, or ice cream . . . and you thought of us, of our attempts to live simply and honestly here on the farm. Every jar has sun in it. Imagine that!
~
Here's the latest issue of THE BLUE Heron Review. Please take a moment to peruse these exceptional poems. This is one of my favorite journals.
http://blueheronreview.com/blue-heron-review-issue-4-summer2015/
Back to work . . .
Sunday, August 2, 2015
It's August. Believe it.The Fall Semester Begins at the End of this Month!
Sometimes, I use this blog to keep my ambitions honest. I have had a very gentle summer. Being here on the farm, with little distraction, just the daily work has been fortifying. I have been working on my writing and well as tending the gardens. No drama. No complaints. No aches. No disappointments. It is what it is.
Since I have been working on prose, I thought I should do a 31x31 poetry challenge for the month of August. I think this will ease me back into the Fall semester. So far, so good. The poems can be in any form, any theme, any length. So two done. 29 to go. I did sneak a 100 word story in the mix.
I bought 4 quarts of apricots two days ago and I'm waiting for them to ripen up a bit before I make a batch of jam. Usually, we have an abundance of apricots, but this year, the early summer weather has some rain storms that included hail and tortured our local fruit farms. Strangely, this did not affect our orchard, but we no longer have apricot trees. So for the past two weeks, I have driven the country roads West of here in search of apricots.
On Friday we went to the Mennonite auction, but were shut out by farm stands owners who were buying produce (whole lots). We just couldn't compete with the asking price. I wondered what they were going to sell the produce for, in order to have a profit. Something was way off. 8 quart baskets of peaches are going for $12.50-14.00 per basket, depending on where you are. Closer to city or towns with higher population reflects the higher price.
I was really disappointed by the auction, and our driving up and down those country roads, with no luck.
Then, on a lark, we stopped at two places we knew would be pricey, just to see if they had apricots and blueberries. Sure enough, just what we wanted. Bought blueberries in one spot and apricots in the other.
The blueberries are amazing this year. I love summer.
Since I have been working on prose, I thought I should do a 31x31 poetry challenge for the month of August. I think this will ease me back into the Fall semester. So far, so good. The poems can be in any form, any theme, any length. So two done. 29 to go. I did sneak a 100 word story in the mix.
I bought 4 quarts of apricots two days ago and I'm waiting for them to ripen up a bit before I make a batch of jam. Usually, we have an abundance of apricots, but this year, the early summer weather has some rain storms that included hail and tortured our local fruit farms. Strangely, this did not affect our orchard, but we no longer have apricot trees. So for the past two weeks, I have driven the country roads West of here in search of apricots.
On Friday we went to the Mennonite auction, but were shut out by farm stands owners who were buying produce (whole lots). We just couldn't compete with the asking price. I wondered what they were going to sell the produce for, in order to have a profit. Something was way off. 8 quart baskets of peaches are going for $12.50-14.00 per basket, depending on where you are. Closer to city or towns with higher population reflects the higher price.
I was really disappointed by the auction, and our driving up and down those country roads, with no luck.
Then, on a lark, we stopped at two places we knew would be pricey, just to see if they had apricots and blueberries. Sure enough, just what we wanted. Bought blueberries in one spot and apricots in the other.
The blueberries are amazing this year. I love summer.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Nearly the End of July, Really?
I'm taking stock. This early morning air s light. It's going to be close to 90 degrees today. I need to continue working in the gardens. Yes, weeding. I have four rows done in North garden.
On Monday, I harvested beans: Blue lake, Tenderettes, Romas and purple. Made a delicious cold salad for dinner. Have to put by the box of Tenderettes, which are gorgeous beans.
I also collected burpless cucumbers, yellow squash and zucchini-- all of which we have plenty of. The supersized yellow squash and zucchini have been picked and cut up for our always hungry chickens and turkeys. They love, love, love it.
I plan on working another 4 hours weeding, then a swim. I have been swimming 17 times. I'm hoping to break 30 by end of summer. It's great therapy for my muscles, especially after all those hours bent over in the repetition of weeding. Hoping to take a ride out West in search of apricots. The blueberries we found on Saturday were so delicious, so sweet, and are all gone. So a few more pints of those, too.
Started a few watercolors this week. I'm so rusty. Long ago, I met a woman at Writers & Books who was first an artist and second a writer, who advised me to pick a subject and draw that subject for 100 days consecutively. She said to plan on 15 minutes, per drawing. Much like morning pages, this practice loosens up the soil, so to speak, acting as a bridge between dreams and awareness. I have been drawing flowers.
First drawing went the way of too much enthusiasm. For a still life, it didn't look airy but cartoonish. It really puzzled me. Next drawings were far more successful. Zinnias. I do love them.So I may do a series of painting. I imagine they would become a catalog of summer.
Summer, I don't want it to end. I'm finally settling in to its rhythms. I am grateful for the solitude. I've been made keenly aware of time. Nothing is accomplished quickly. Well, maybe doing the dishes, or making the bed, but everything else takes time. Hurry has been making me anxious. I keep asking myself, what happens if you don't hurry? And the answer is something will be bumped into tomorrow, because I'll run out of time or energy, or both. So be it.
It's nearly 8 a.m. and It's time to start this day's work.
On Monday, I harvested beans: Blue lake, Tenderettes, Romas and purple. Made a delicious cold salad for dinner. Have to put by the box of Tenderettes, which are gorgeous beans.
I also collected burpless cucumbers, yellow squash and zucchini-- all of which we have plenty of. The supersized yellow squash and zucchini have been picked and cut up for our always hungry chickens and turkeys. They love, love, love it.
I plan on working another 4 hours weeding, then a swim. I have been swimming 17 times. I'm hoping to break 30 by end of summer. It's great therapy for my muscles, especially after all those hours bent over in the repetition of weeding. Hoping to take a ride out West in search of apricots. The blueberries we found on Saturday were so delicious, so sweet, and are all gone. So a few more pints of those, too.
Started a few watercolors this week. I'm so rusty. Long ago, I met a woman at Writers & Books who was first an artist and second a writer, who advised me to pick a subject and draw that subject for 100 days consecutively. She said to plan on 15 minutes, per drawing. Much like morning pages, this practice loosens up the soil, so to speak, acting as a bridge between dreams and awareness. I have been drawing flowers.
First drawing went the way of too much enthusiasm. For a still life, it didn't look airy but cartoonish. It really puzzled me. Next drawings were far more successful. Zinnias. I do love them.So I may do a series of painting. I imagine they would become a catalog of summer.
Summer, I don't want it to end. I'm finally settling in to its rhythms. I am grateful for the solitude. I've been made keenly aware of time. Nothing is accomplished quickly. Well, maybe doing the dishes, or making the bed, but everything else takes time. Hurry has been making me anxious. I keep asking myself, what happens if you don't hurry? And the answer is something will be bumped into tomorrow, because I'll run out of time or energy, or both. So be it.
It's nearly 8 a.m. and It's time to start this day's work.
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