There is something fun about these men’s shorts, knee socks and loafers. My hubby has often been called ‘old man’ by his friends when he wears his Bermuda's with socks and loafers in the summer. I just laugh, because quite honestly, for me, I found a man’s ability to simply do the sensible thing a true style. Rather than fall to the dictums of slouchy pants, underpants showing and endless sockless sandals ( I have to say, men’s hairy feet sticking out of flip flops and ‘wife beaters’ with hair jutting all sorts of places is the fastest way to turn me off. Even when I was a young thing, it was always the individual who cared more about the practical or simply ‘old man’ dressing that turned my head. In my day, grunge ruled and I couldn’t stand to see another hairy bony knee jutting pale from the hole of purposely torn jeans or the loose swing of an un-tucked flannel shirt. So, for me, the old man socks and shorts, I rather like.
For the most part, my hubby is usually in trousers even in summer. Shorts (and socks and shoes) are really only for really hot days. Of course, when we are sailing, deck shoes without socks is just practical, not a fashion statement. The shoes were made for the decks of boats to not mar and sockless is the rational move, when one is in and out of water. Practical and really this very valid way of living has simply become a ‘way of dressing’. There is nothing wrong with it and I am not complaining, but I do think it funny (or I laugh to myself) if someone in say Kansas in the middle of winter who has never stepped onto the deck of a boat revels in his sockless loafers as a particular cache’. Again, image and presentation takes precedence over practicality or reason.In some cases, the clothes do not make the man, but the man makes the clothes. Not bad, so please don’t become angry at me, as I know there is much ‘Prep style’ out there. I ,myself, was rather preppie and I suppose could still be considered leaning that way (I wore loafers with my dress and cardigan last night), I just find it interesting how things which start with a particular reason or purpose will simply become the ‘fashion’. Or as if dressing a particular way is meant to represent your political leanings and status in life. Therefore, simply ‘buy the image’ and ta-dah, there you are. Just an interesting notion is all and I really like fashion and myself wear 50’s clothes, so please don’t think I am making fun or not being kind, really. It’s just my hubby wears deck shoes, no socks and Nantucket reds, because he is going to be ON a boat, bought the trousers on Nantucket as a matter of course and will be getting his feet wet. No pre-conceived notion of ‘how he looks’ while others may do the same for the reason of the perception. It isn’t bad, it just is an interesting point, I think. And goes to show how the power of advertising to groups of people work. If one wants to feel affiliated with that group, simply come to our store we sell that image. And, in my own modern beginnings with this project, it was a natural matter of course for me to think, “Oh, 1950’s well I had better get all the clothes and the dishes etc” because being OF the modern world it is second nature to think first of purchasing and how we represent ourselves than to honestly focus on what is ‘behind’ that or how one may take or simply have had a lifetime of something to make it that way by association but not by pre-meditated choice. If any of that makes any sense. But, I digress…
This 1956 Spring suit is so crist and trim. How could one not feel a million bucks in this. There is just such a sense of purpose without an air of ‘I am so cool’ about this sort of dressing. You love clean lines and the finished look of gloves and hat and jewels and are confident in yourself and could care less rather the group of 14 year olds at the Mall think you are ‘wack’. Fun. And although this model is modern day thin, I think a fitted suit with a thin belt at the natural waist (maybe a bit thicker for we heavier gals) is rather flattering and does more wonders for a fuller figure than the muffin top of low rise jeans or the horrid ‘jiggle’ one is witness to in velour workout pants.
Now, for the garden. My seedlings are still coming along nicely and I will not be putting them out until after Labor Day. Every day they go outside an hour or so longer to get adjusted to the direct sun and the cooler evening. Trying to take an indoor started seedling (especially a hot plant such as tomatoes or peppers) usually leads to their demise. They burn in the sun or wilt in the first cool night.
This shot of my tomato seedlings looks rather like an enchanted forest, I think. They are still happy inside, though I have started them on a natural food, as they are not getting the nutrients from the ground. I used dried Kelp which you mix just as a traditional chemical feed (but don’t use that because it is bad for you, the ground, your pets and you!) There is also a great food called “Garret Juice” which is an invention of the well known organic gardening expert whose books, radio show and television segments provide a wealth of organic gardening information. But, you can also make your own. Here is the recipe from Garret himself:
To make your own, here are the instructions:
Mix the following in a gallon of water.
Garrett Juice (ready to spray):
1 cup compost tea
1 ounce molasses
1 ounce natural apple cider vinegar
1 ounce liquid seaweed
For Garrett Juice Plus and more fertilizer value add:
1- 2 ounces of liquid fish (fish hydrolysate) per gallon of spray.
For disease and insect control add:
¼ cup garlic tea or
¼ cup garlic/pepper tea
or 1 - 2 ounce of orange oil
Check out his site for many valuable homemade natural plant solutions even a homemade fire ant killer. His site is
HERE.
Something else I do for my indoor seedlings is use my aquarium water. I am not sure if any of you keep fish, but I have a 30 gallon aquarium in my little sitting room which contains a variety of tropical and goldfish. Really, you should not mix the two, as goldfish prefer colder water, but I have always kept the tow successfully. I also have real plants in there as part of the overall aquaculture, so occasionally, I will scoop out some of that water and it is like Mother’s milk to plants. In fact hydroponics (the growing of plants in water rather than soil) almost always has a part of the system going through water in which fish and vegetation live. Some do this to the point that the fish being reared are also food, a very full system. I have no room for such grand schemes, but why not let your pet fish help out in the garden? Or give you an excuse to get a small aquarium full of gold fish. The simple 10 cent feeder goldfish make fine pets and wonderful natural fertilizer! And what child doesn’t like to watch fish swim, including ‘grownup children’?
Well, here are more pictures of my seedlings.
I am rather proud of my cucumbers. You can see here the little fruit already forming. And these are still living inside, but they get daily trips outside and I have witnessed the bees pollinated the buds obviously successfully. I think this picture, as with some of my other seedlings, would really make great art blown up and mounted on a wall, don’t you. And what a fun way to get color inspiration for decor.
Now, for my outdoor plants. my grapes have started budding out.
I am very happy with these vines I purchased. I was able to find at a local wholesaler 6 year old root stock. Grapes will not begin to bear their fruit until their third year, so if you plan on grapes and want fruit your first year, you will need 3 year old stock or later. If the seller doesn’t know then go to someone who does or buy online from a small affair.
My radishes are getting close to being ready to eat. You can also grow radish seeds and pick the greens early, as they are also yummy, good on salads and full of vitamins. And a great ‘instant gratification’.
My carrots.
My snow peas are doing very well and I will soon be sticking in cut branches for them to climb on. It looks so pretty when the old branches get covered with the vines and then you are using up what you pruned from early spring.
Now, for my chickens. I can’t believe how quickly they grown. This little one day old darling.
have become this.
They have little wings and feathers everywhere. They really like listening to my old music and often perk up when I put it on for them in the morning after they get their feed and water.
Speaking of music, here is some modern musicians swinging it ole’ school. I love Ruby Turner.
Another interesting modern expression of good orchestrated big band, is Jools Holland. He was the founder of the Squeeze, one of the early ‘new wave’ bands back in the late 70s. He was their keyboardist and is brilliant. Today (and really since the 80’s) his music is much more big band. Here he is:
Now, nothing against New Wave or ‘Cool for cats’ (one of the squeeze’s big hits) but the simplicity of the orchestration of that form of modern music to this level here is eons apart. Just simply fun and brilliant.
Last night we were visiting an old friend who is in from DC visiting his family here on the Cape. With some wine we ended up discussing the ‘modern world’ until the small hours. Our friends father is, to me, the epitome of the ‘it’s all about me’ Baby Boomer generation. First, let me state I am not nor do I believe that all Baby Boomers are selfish or what have you, but merely I have found, through my year long study, a certain element of ‘entitlement’ that really began with the Baby Boomers. Most likely due to their being that first generation in the modern world with so much of the New world. But, I digress. He has a very specific view point that seems to not be able to vary from only how things directly affect him. For example, we were discussing how insane the level of not only pornography, but really harmful severe twisted forms of brutality and sexuality one can so easily find online today and how that would be to young children. Both my hubby and our friend recounting that first timid realization of a ‘girlie magazine’ found hidden in the bathroom as the innocence to their view of ‘porn’ as a young teen. We were saying that it must have some damaging affects on a young mind to come across, while young and very curious, the things one CAN find online. His father’s response was, “Well, I don’t think it is that bad. I never really get accosted by pornography. I don’t think it is as bad today. It doesn’t happen to me on my computer.” To which we replied, “Well, we are talking about if anyone is curious and wants to find it, it could not be easier” “Well,” he went on, spoken like a true self-involved person, “I think you’re wrong because I don’t find it on my computer”. Yes, we all thought and later discussed, but if you wanted to look it up, merely type anything in Google and there you go. But, because it was not an assault on him personally, he felt the problem did not exist.
Both our friend (he is an E.R. physician) and we are childless. And we were discussing if shall always remain that way or one day ‘dive into children’. We honestly were and are concerned about raising children in the modern world. His father was also upset with me, or rather ‘disappointed’ when I said our education plan for our child, (if he were to exist) involved homeschooling until high school and limiting severely technology until say8-10 as we felt that would then allow them to have built up the ability to self-amuse and study with books and basics before learning of the simple pleasure of video games and computers. He told us we were bad to not want to put more ‘smart children’ into the public school system to help bring the overall level up. I laughed and said, “I feel a social conscience, surely, but not to the point that I would wish to sacrifice my own child for the sake of ‘bringing up’ an average of the local grammar”. There are most likely many good public schools, I am sure, and I am not saying they are all bad. But, I am also concerned about the socialization that happens at them and I think the best way to get that ‘annoying teen’ who is texting, sexting, not doing his studies and irate towards adults is to send him out into a sea of his peers doing just that. But, at the end of the day, we are NOT parents and therefore really know nothing about it, so again I say, “what do I know?”
Well, here I am trying to get back into the swing of my usual longer posts. I have many projects I am working and and will share the complete construction of my Chicken house when it is finished. Have a wonderful day and Happy Homemaking.
We have had some new additions to our little ‘farm’ here. My broody hen, though I should have chased her off the nest, is such a good mother, I couldn’t resist. As we have a rooster our eggs our fertilized, so I simply collected up a clutch and let her get to work.
I love this photo I got of she and her little golden baby. This one, for some reason, really likes to snuggle in the wings of the hen. READ MORE
The other day my first chicks began to hatch. If you may recall, I had ordered a dozen French Maran Eggs to hatch. I want to have a small flock of these hens as their eggs are much sought after by chefs and can command a higher price at our local Farmer’s markets and stores.
Here is an interesting Mayonnaise recipe from 1916.
Here is the page from Betty Crocker’s Picture cookbook. And it is of interest to note that mayo is being used in sweet as well as savory, as the ‘dainty pink dressing’ recipe shows us. Simply adding the juice of maraschino/glace’ cherries and whipping cream makes it suitable dressing for fruit.
These are some of the recipes from my early 1950’s Cordon Bleu cook book by Dione Lucas, who was said to have influenced Julia child in her French Cookery.
This is my 1955 Osterizer. It is a beast. A heavy glass caraffe. Sturdy stainless steel base, this thing has lasted for years before I purchased it. To get a comparable version today would be hundreds of dollars, yet the vintage are easy enough to come by. As an aside, this little darling is wonderful to use at the bar and has seen many Grasshoppers blended in it!
Then I simply decant it in a canning jar and it is good for up to a week in the icebox. I usually make this once a week, so you can see we use it fairly often. It is great on salads, as the base for dressings, I even brush it with other seasonings on chicken when I bake them. This is NOT Miracle whip. AND it has no preservatives, dies or what have you. 
Look how wonderful that sheen and swirl is, you really need to try it. You will never buy mayonnaise again. Or, if you think you hate mayonnaise, make this and mix a bit with cold fish or last nights chicken and toss in salad greens, mmmmm wonderful!
To me, this looks lovely. But, even if you don’t like the look of it, they taste wonderful. Look at that wonderful texture.
I made a chocolate cream pie the other day for one of my desserts this week. It is really a rather simple pie to make, especially if you use the easy ‘mix in the pan pie crust’.
These arrived in the mail yesterday. They are the latest addition to my little ‘suburban farm’ life. They are called chocolate eggs because of the beautiful rich deep brown shade. The are the eggs of a French breed of chickens known as Black Copper Maran’s. 
This close up still doesn’t really do the color and pigmentation and speckles justice, they are just a beautiful egg. To see how dark they are compared to a traditional brown egg, look at this:
Here you can see what my Ameracauna’s blue eggs look like, then the copper maran and then a traditional brown, such as my Orpingtons and Cochins lay. Though this is not a picture of my eggs, it shows the variance.
Here is what a rooster and hens look like. They are a currently very sought after breed and their eggs are suppose to be delicacy. Many French chef’s pay through the nose for these deep brown eggs. I hope to get enough laying hens to supply our local farm for some pin money and to help pay the cost of keeping the chickens for myself.
I just made some homemade brownies yesterday and they are quite easy. I did not use any homemade make ahead mix, for it is so simple to whip these up.
I came up with this very basic chocolate syrup recipe which can easily be stored in your fridge for a month or more (maybe longer, I don’t know as I make small batches and then when I need some last minute, it is so easy to whip up, why have gallons of the stuff sitting around?)
Chocolate Syrup
to this
to these
and now here they are and still not full grown.
These are so much sweeter than store bought ( I did a taste comparison) Of course our local farm also has strawberries to pick, which I will have to take advantage of, as my little patch will not produce enough to put up jam. But, next year I will plant twice as many and hope to one day provide all I need from my home with those. Then I can spend my money at the farm for blueberries as they take up more room than I have here.
These are an old heirloom variety called French Breakfast. They are meant to be long and thin (these actually could have been picked sooner) and their greens are lovely, much like the peppery taste of arugula and great on salad. Last night, though, they were so pretty in their natural state, I just served these and fresh farm tomatoes (hot house started at local farm) raw with our roast beef.
Now, for those of you who don’t eat meat, this may not look very appetizing, but Hubby and I are very much the ‘rare beef’ eaters. It has more true flavor this way. And the mashed potatoes have fresh basil from my garden (It has done So well from seed, I pick from it everyday to cook with!) and garlic chives as well as some of the chopped leaves of the radish. This was just a sampling of how we shall be eating like kings come late summer! 
Here he is curled up resting in the box with them. The two chicks think he is mum and when he goes in the box, run up to him to huddle under his ‘feathers’.
This little grey one seems to be his favorite. It needed help getting out of the shell and is a little bit ‘the runt’ he watches it very carefully and will not move quickly for fear he will step on her.
Here you can see the two little chicks ‘under his wings’. The light is red, because their heat lamp is red and we did not use a flash for this shot. So, we have many things happening on our little ‘mini farm’.
This 1956 Spring suit is so crist and trim. How could one not feel a million bucks in this. There is just such a sense of purpose without an air of ‘I am so cool’ about this sort of dressing. You love clean lines and the finished look of gloves and hat and jewels and are confident in yourself and could care less rather the group of 14 year olds at the Mall think you are ‘wack’. Fun. And although this model is modern day thin, I think a fitted suit with a thin belt at the natural waist (maybe a bit thicker for we heavier gals) is rather flattering and does more wonders for a fuller figure than the muffin top of low rise jeans or the horrid ‘jiggle’ one is witness to in velour workout pants.
This shot of my tomato seedlings looks rather like an enchanted forest, I think. They are still happy inside, though I have started them on a natural food, as they are not getting the nutrients from the ground. I used dried Kelp which you mix just as a traditional chemical feed (but don’t use that because it is bad for you, the ground, your pets and you!) There is also a great food called “Garret Juice” which is an invention of the well known organic gardening expert whose books, radio show and television segments provide a wealth of organic gardening information. But, you can also make your own. Here is the recipe from Garret himself:
I am rather proud of my cucumbers. You can see here the little fruit already forming. And these are still living inside, but they get daily trips outside and I have witnessed the bees pollinated the buds obviously successfully. I think this picture, as with some of my other seedlings, would really make great art blown up and mounted on a wall, don’t you. And what a fun way to get color inspiration for decor.
I am very happy with these vines I purchased. I was able to find at a local wholesaler 6 year old root stock. Grapes will not begin to bear their fruit until their third year, so if you plan on grapes and want fruit your first year, you will need 3 year old stock or later. If the seller doesn’t know then go to someone who does or buy online from a small affair.
My radishes are getting close to being ready to eat. You can also grow radish seeds and pick the greens early, as they are also yummy, good on salads and full of vitamins. And a great ‘instant gratification’.
My carrots.
My snow peas are doing very well and I will soon be sticking in cut branches for them to climb on. It looks so pretty when the old branches get covered with the vines and then you are using up what you pruned from early spring.
have become this.
They have little wings and feathers everywhere. They really like listening to my old music and often perk up when I put it on for them in the morning after they get their feed and water. 
This was an image I found online from someone’s Mother’s Day 1956. I love the dresses. I see a few dropped but fitted waists and you can see that the waistline has come up from the “New Look” earlier in the decade. 
These are Lilacs and Viburnum from the bushes in my yard. I love Viburnum and the chartreuse and purple look so lovely together. I put then in a simple coffee can ( I save these for crafts and also canisters). The trick to keeping woody stemmed flowers like these to last longer is to hammer the ends so they are sort of shredded as opposed to an angled cut like a softer stemmed flower. The woody stem then has more area to ‘drink’ and therefore last longer.
I made a copy of the seed packet, punched a hole in it and tied it to the pot with garden twine. Then I made a little packet out of waxed paper and included more seeds for this variety in case she wanted to start some straight into another pot or in the garden. My MIL has an amazing green thumb and I love talking gardening with her.
I never buy cards. I always make my own, as they say so much more about how much effort and love you have put into something. I make a copy of a photo of her mother, my hubby’s grandmother, that she does not have a copy of. I used old-fashioned photo corners to attach it to the card, so she can frame it later. The rest i hand wrote. Here is the original image.
My MIL’s mother was really something. She had rather a tragic life in that when she was young her only brother was in a ‘home’ as he was slow. When he was 14 the home burned and he perished. I love this shot of her, as this is shortly after her marriage and in her new home. My MIL said she was rather upset, because her (the grandmother) MIL had insisted on designing the house and she wanted more say in it. She did have free reign in decorating, though, and we have all the little wall paper samples and paint chips as she laid it all out to have rooms painted. I always think of “Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House” when I look through it. I love her shoes in this picture and would kill for those drapes. Though, I do have that pot that you can just make out on the top of the built in cabinet. It is my favorite blue. My MIL has the paintings, the boat etc in her home now. Our families keep everything.
Now that I see how easy it is to make, I will be making so many varieties. I want to make a lime/basil and also a vanilla lavender would be lovely, don’t you think. Here is the recipe I used:
You can see them damp and tired from the struggle. Here you see one resting while two of its new siblings peck little openings to free themselves. 
It is always so amazing to me that I simply recieved some eggs in the mail, set them under 99F heat for 21 days and now I will have a source of eggs and meat. (the meat coming from the unfortunate roosters we will get. Of course I will keep one and will most likely sell them rather than eat them, as they are all from breeders who raise show birds, so they would be good show chickens.)
This is one of the little Brahma’s that is so friendly. He sits like this at the edge of the pen whenever I am at my desk, interested in my typing. My little Chihuahua, Monty, always loves other animals and is so gentle with them that they are never scared.
He he is quietly sitting on a silk pillow on my desk keeping an eye on his new little ‘friends’.
I just this the color and pattern so beautiful and I love how sculptural the stems are up close. Here you can see the little tendrils grasping onto anything. 
It almost looks like a little fist holding fast to a line. These will not only provide wonderful fodder for canning and salads this summer, but as they trail up the side of my house in my vegetable garden, they will be a feast for the eyes too! Ahh, gardening and Spring, so much promise.
