8/27/13

JULY AND AUGUST PASSED BY....

AND: all of my POEMS have been on Facebook...
I DO HEREBY PROMISE to Transfer Over the Best of Them onto these pages, as Archives...three months of Poetry Writing, and I finally feel like my CRAFT is at my fingertips....
MUCH Writing Done, Every Single Day: So, I AM READY!
for What, I am not sure...
here in upcountry, Rim Fire is Raging...truely RAGING....
My Health was so poor for the last three months, I was not sure I would survive...
But, I DID survive, and now am ready for the next Creative Challenges...Whatever Those May Be....
Hold On, Family and Friends of my Heart: The Ride will be Exciting, I'm hoping...but, of course, Bumpy and Freedom-Loving!!!
Let's Go!!!!!!!! Kat

6/30/13

JUNE PAST

Well, June past, with all my poems being put onto Facebook, due to problems with shortness of breath, dizziness, and the resolution of arthritic pain. I'll transfer them all over here at some point...ah, well...into July. I will write more here....in the meantime, I new speak almost entirely in poetry only: haiku, and lyrics. Bear with me. I intend to publish soon. really. if I don't cross over, first...Kat

5/9/13

DELTA SORTA WOMAN is inspired by my love of the Sacramento River Delta and of the Mississippi River Delta: May they thrive with LIFE forever!


I'm a Delta Sorta Woman
Got Delta in my blood
River keeps me churnin'
Through it's silty livin' muds
Gotta keep on singin'
Gotta live the Songs
Rivers meet the Oceans
Delta Life ain't Long
But Delta Livin's Wide, darlin'
Delta Livin's Fast
Days and Nights in Deltas
Baby:  Last, an' Last an' Last

5/8/13

WHITE WOMAN DOCENT is about beginning to be a Docent at Grinding Rock State Park, just fifteen minutes down the road from us...a good place, that The People themselves find conflicts of their lives within...there is never much rest in that remaining places of the Native Miwok, here in Upcountry....

WHITE WOMAN DOCENT

Upcountry is Home...
Live here with the Jays, tall Trees -
Whistle on this Wind...

Long before I'm here,
Folk were here grinding Acorn -
Left holes in black stones....

Elderberry here -
Make clappersticks click and clack!
Thud of woodearth Drum...

Death is here plenty -
Cold winter to each deep bone -
Spring clover revives...

Gather in these seeds -
Dig for bulbs, roots, earthy foods -
Pass on old ways - proud...

You have eyes unmet:
Your focus is far away -
It's as it should be...

Long ago, Gold came -
Long ago, miners came, too -
Took gold, earth, water...

Can't erase these scars -
Can't give back your life, old ways...
Can't breathe for your Dead...

Long after we leave,
Earth will not forget, forgive...
You will not forget...

Upcountry knew Life -
Knew no slaughter - knew good years -
You will not forgive...

Today, my fingers
Print out in words on paper -
Not onto black stone...

I prepare to tell
Your story of lives, of deaths -
Since you will not speak....

Forgive what I know -
Forget what I do not know...
Stories have their way:

Long after I'm gone
Long after even You leave:
Stories live Lives here!

Oak sings them - these Stones
Tell these stories without Fear...
Hope is here, is Here....



...

5/5/13

HOW I FEEL ABOUT MUSIC IN MY LIFE....A Vignette....



Woke Up late this morning, from a night of allergies and joint aches, but woke up happy, as usual, because MUSIC was going on in my home, as usual, being played by Den...a song came to my mind and heart and lips and I was humming and then singing...and it occured to me, as I wrote this comment to Billy, Tim, and Jeff, three of my Music Lads who I care for mightily, that I wanted to share this Thought about Music Folks and their psyches and how they make it through every day of their lives...here's what I wrote to them:
"...may I add: MUSIC is So Essential to how most of us describe our own selves to our own selves, that Our Music and Our Breathing have become synonyms for us. We cannot live, 'well', without Music, and won't, and will learn Music and hear Music and 'practice' Music, and rehearse Music, and share Music, and write Music, and perform Music, and even pray' Music, until Time takes Music away from us. That's just the Way It Is for most of us. Our 'Egos' ARE Music. Amenski."
so there you are...happy Cinco Day, California! Sing On and Play On and Radio On! Kat

5/4/13

A COLLECTION OF HAIKU all submitted onto Facebook was my Writing Work for April...they'll all appear here...need to organize their busy lives, so that they can live on these pages too....

April was Haiku
One after the other, yes
And all on Face Book...

I will post them soon...
There's no rush - they are woven
Into my deep dreams....

a COPY of Den's and My MUSIC BIO, for KQBM...where we now have our Radio Broadcast...DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN, on Fridays from 6-8PM PST LIVE STREAM on www.kqbm.org as part of the Wonderful KQBM 90.7 FM...Blue Mountain Community Radio, out of West Point, California....happy sighs.....


Dear Folks,
Two years ago the collaborations of Dennis McCue and Kat Everitt
brought about a combo that brought diversity to the open mike stage
of the San Francisco East Bay Community...
A combination of musical genres reflecting folk beginnings and
melodic new twists to pop songs.
Denny’s classical musical background began in brass instruments,
winning several awards, including the nationally recognized John
Philip Sousa Award; and then progressed to the musical stage, with
his performing in twenty theatrical productions. Leaving that behind,
he toured with his folk group through Europe and also another
European tour with the St. Charles Madrigal Singers.
In the Navy he was accepted into the Marine Corp. band, but instead
chose to tour with the Navy Bluejackets Choir doing concerts through
out the Midwest, while he served in the Naval Air Command.
The succeeding years found him playing in Bluegrass groups, and
studying at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago on Guitar
and Banjo. While in Chicago, he studied under banjo master Michael
J. Miles; and performed with Pete Seeger in Chicago; as well as
singing the National Anthem in several ball parks, including the
Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field.
Kat Everitt comes from the same Classic back ground as well, and
performed lead rolls in the musical theater. She also conducted
several Irish and Alpine singing groups in the Bay Area, for about a
decade. Kat performed Solo Irish Music for over five years. She is a
valued back up singer to several performing groups in the Bay Area.
As a California Credentialed K/12 Multiple Subjects Teacher, Kat
also taught and directed Singing/Performing Groups for ages twelve
through eighteen for over a decade. She also has written scores of
Lyrics, twenty of which have be given their melody by Song Writers
in the Bay Area, and are performed regularly at venues in the Bay.
Both of us are very interested in Radio. Kat performed in radio for
years as a child, and loves the medium...Both of us are personable,
articulate, experienced performers, who would love to share all the
wonderful musical selections, artists, genres and performances we
have known and loved for so many years. In addition, we have a
wealth of Friends who are Performers, Singers and Musicians and
Song Writers, who would be willing and able to perform Live on any
‘Show’ we put into production. We would be happy to work with the
Local Performers of the Counties reached by KQBM, to have them
perform for our ‘Show’ frequently.
We intend to call our ‘Show’: DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN.
Our Production would be Americana Music, meaning songs and
instrumentals from the Old Timey Music genre; Fifties R and B
genre; through the Folk Period Revival of the Sixties; into the Blues
from the early decades through today; Country and Western;
Bluegrass; and more ‘folksy’ Jazz, such as Dixieland, even! The
Music is historical and American in orgin...we’d be commentating as
we went along throughout the Production. We anticipate the ‘Show’
to be at least a halfanhour
long, at least once a week, at a good
primetime
spot, if we could, as we believe there is a very large
audience of folks who would enjoy this music very much, in our
Mountain Communities. We would be happy to consider more time in
Production, if the Radio needed our Programming.
We are delighted to be a part of the Mountain Music Community and
the rich historical and musical heritage tradition around us. We hope
to be part of your Airwaves, as DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN, in
many positive and productive ways, all in service of Music!

The Simple History of my work as a School Teacher for twenty years...lives are old resumes much of the time...I'll post my Nursing One soon...that one's a Peach!....


PROFESSIONAL PROFILE:  Kathleen A. Everitt

2007 – September, 2012: WEST WIND ACADEMY, Berkeley, California – Full time; to Part-time, Spring, 2012
·         Credentialed Multiple Subject K-12 Teacher and Single Subject Health Credential: current through 2013; Dean of Students for two years: English and Literature and Social Studies Teacher for thirty Students ages four through eighteen in a State Registered Private School Setting: Developed and taught all Curriculums for all Grades according to tested California State Standards every year: averaged 85% and above for all students each year in the English CSS testing  - covering all required Curriculums for High School  Graduation standards for the State of California as well; School Cal-licensed RN
I initiated and taught the English/Literature/Social Studies Curriculum for West Wind Academy, which I taught fulltime until Spring of 2012, when I was down-sized to two days a week, due to economic down-turns by the West Wind Schools Systems.  At that time, I taught as the Social Studies Teacher for Grades 3 through 12; and the Advanced Composition Teacher for Grade 12 Students.
 I would like to move on to part-time Teaching, since I was laid off due to the Schools’ financial needs, in September of 2012, partly to allow time to develop my third career choice: Free-lance Writer and Lyricist. I would also enjoy job-sharing as a Teacher on any level of Kindergarten through 12th Grade, for two to three days a week. I’ve also been exploring options as an on-line Teacher and/or as a Tutor in my home or others homes, or on-line.
I have now moved to Pioneer, California, as of late October, 2012, to attempt to reduce expenses in a more rural area to live, and to attempt to semi-retire.
Refer to Mr. Christian Thompson, Principal, at 510-841-1426 or 510-601-1661, at West Wind Academy


1994 – 2007: ORINDA ACADEMY, Orinda, California – Full-time -
Credentialed Multiple-Subject K-12 Teacher/Single Subject Health Credential: English and Literature 7-8; Health 10; Geography 9; Contemporary Issues 10; Women’s Literature 10-12; Hiking PE 7-12; School RN; Chorus Productions 7-12; Assistant Drama Productions Coach 7-12; Advisor for up to twelve students each year;  original Curriculum Development approved by UC  Berkeley for Women’s Literature, Geography, Health, Chorus Production, and Contemporary Issues Courses; School RN, Cal-licensed
Left to assist Mr. Christian Thompson, Owner and Principle, in his founding of West Wind Academy, Berkeley, California
Refer to: Mr. Ron Graydon, Orinda Academy Director: 925-402-1117: Refer to my previous name: Kathleen Amann-Weitzer –


2001 – 2004: CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY HAYWARD, Hayward, California
 Completed Humanities BA Equivalent; and Teaching Credentialing Year, through the Department of Education; Student Teaching; Substitute Teaching 2002 through 2004 in Hayward Schools: Credentialed K-12 Teacher, current, State of California

Before 2001: Worked for twenty-five years full-time and sometimes part-time as a Registered Nurse in Illinois and in California. I still hold an active RN license in the State of California, renewed every two years.  I am also a California State Certified Public Health Nurse; I hold a BA in Public Health Services Administration from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California.
My extensive resume for employment as a Registered and Certified Public Heath RN, is available on request, if needed. 

BROADCAST PROPOSAL for UPCOUNTRY ALMANAC...For Blue Mountain Community Radio...Spring, 2013....


PROPOSAL FROM KAT EVERITT:
“UPCOUNTRY ALMANAC”
Radio Broadcast for KQBM 90.7 FM/Blue Mountain Community Radio
Spring, 2013
UPCOUNTRY ALMANAC intends to fill the Purpose of INCLUSION: drawing all Community Members of the Upper Hills Country of the Counties of Calaveras, Amador, and Tuolumne Counties, most specifically, into a friendly Network of Men, Women, and Children exploring Upcountry Life.
 The Broadcast will cover such subjects as: Community concerns, enjoyments, stories, nutrition solutions, cultural traditions, lifestyles, events, recreation, seasonal wonders, services, and personalities dear to the hearts of the unique Communities within the Broadcast Reach of Blue Mountain Community Radio.
As host, I would divide this one hour-or-two broadcast into four segments:
#1: My PERSONALLY SPEAKING commentary and bits of story and music on current issues, events, concerns, recreations, seasonal observations, and other interests of being a Woman in the Upcountry of the Foothills, in the present – delivered in some prose, poetry, lyrical verse, and conversational  style, with some folkloric focus, from my more country/small town background interests and experiences over the years
#2: A pre-planned – sometimes even pre-recorded - COMMUNITY INTERVIEW:  a fifteen minute or more Interview with a Community Member about their Work in our Communities, their personal and ethnic approach to the Community Issues their work and perspectives address; and connecting information and resources. I intend to include Community Members who are well-known in a civic, social-justice, social services, health community services, and/or geopolitical services, all the way to Men, Women, and Children who have no formal credentials for speaking to and for their Communities, but who have much to speak about in witness to the past, present, and future projections and traditions of their Communities…
This is not proposed as a segment to exercise Political or Religious Views, Beliefs, Endorsements, or Positions . These Interviews would be crafted as an Introduction of the Wider Community to the ethnic, social services, personal, and constructive Personalities of our Foothills Demographics.
#3:  Pre-planned, often Community Based, RECIPES  FOR LIFE: PUTTING THINGS BY: A cheerful Recipe Sharing from my own Book: Putting Things By: regarding preserving harvests and cooking simple, nutritious foods and meals; with Community Guests (Cooks, Cookbook Writers, Ethnic Cooking Specialists (i.e., Native American;  Italian; Cajun; etc.) and Community Garden’s Gardeners, sharing their experiences, Recipes, and Cooking /Preserving  Strategies…
And,
#4:  STORY TELLERS TIME:  Oral tradition: Reading s of Short Stories, Serial Stories (continued over time); Poetry; and Children’s Literature: I, or Guest Story Tellers from the Community: reading aloud these Printed Recreational (again, not Political, Religious, Biased, or Prejudicial Written  Matter): to encourage Oral Reading Skills, Listening Skills, and the encouragement of Local Story Tellers in their Craft – especially for those for whom the Oral Tradition is a Cultural Value as well – for example, our Native American Bands and Extended Communities in the Foothills….
I would intend this Broadcast to cover an HOUR up to Two Hours, if the Board thought it would be useful, of Live Stream and Live Studio/on-the-dial time. At this time, I would appreciate input as to what Time Slot would be most appropriate… and also, as to What Day of the Week would be best. I am not available on Saturdays and Sundays for Broadcasting, at this time.
I intend to have a Show Theme Song, and Music changes in the theme for each of the other three segments of the Broadcast. Den Mc Cue has agreed to assist me in the Studio with theme songs changes, mic work with guest Interviewees, Speakers, and Story Tellers, and with other Technical matters, to facilitate fluid transitions.
My Credentials for hosting this Broadcast are:
I am a reasonably healthy Community Elder with a rich and varied background in Social Services, in Rural and in Urban and in Small Town Family Life:
I am the Mother of Three; Step mother of Three, Gramma of Eleven,  Step-Gramma of Eight; and Great Gramma of Three.
I’m a California Licensed Registered Nurse, with active service for over forty years; and am a California certificated Public Health Nurse.
I’m a California K/12 Credentialed Multiple Subjects Teacher, for twenty years.
I’m a published Lyrics Writer; and a Creative Writer of Poetry primarily (I’ll be Reading two of my Poems at the Sacramento Poetry Center Benefit this June 1st); with an active Writing Blog (http://kathyanneriverperson.blogspot.com/) of over four hundred Written Works.
I have worked creatively with other ethnically diverse Communities in the past: I would be happy to discuss my non-fiction writing and community connections to Peoples with diverse Cultural and Ethnic Traditions and Lives. I also have a rich Connection to younger people though Facebook and other social networks, with around fifty plus Former Students who have remained Friends with me since their graduations from high school. for decades.
I have over fifty years of experience as a Solo and Back-up-Harmonies Singer, still actively performing; and around a decade’s experience as a Dancer. I have a rich network of friends among the Performing Communities of the Bay Area, and am forming these Connections here in Upcountry. I am co-host with Den McCue for the KQBM Broadcast, DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN, promoting and commenting on Americana Music and Performers, both Local, and from the greater Community Base of the Valley and the Bay Area, in our Live Stream capacity.
I have a great interest, over decades, in Local History and Cultural Geography: my BA is in Public Health Administration; with a Second BA Equivalent in Cultural Geography from Cal State Hayward. I am presently working with the Amador County Historic Society, interviewing /recording Oral Histories for the Upcountry Community of Eastern Amador County. I am also beginning work as a Docent at Grinding Rock State Park. I am also just beginning to explore a two hour/two days a week Tutoring position at Pine Grove Community Center, as a Volunteer.
I am a good cook, with an avid interest, having had a Farm in my past, in Preserving of Foods, and in Cajun Cooking (my father was a ‘Quarter-Cajun’), and love sharing Food Preparation information.
I am a personable Story Teller/Reader and a competent Interviewer, and enjoy both skills very much.
As I am already a Broadcaster on KQBM, I am aware that my proposal may not be accepted for me to be able to broadcast this Show, but also, that it may fit a niche somewhere in the Programming , very well. If I don’t meet the station’s needs at this time, I’m hoping the Board will keep the IDEAS presented here, in a fresh place in your minds. Any one of these ‘Segments’ I presented, might make for a viable and useful Community Broadcast, for other Broadcasters to consider producing.
Thanks for the many considerations always shown me by this Board of this Fine Blue Mountain Community Radio Station!
Respectfully Submitted,
Kat Everitt

3/26/13

UNDER THE SNOW is about Spring trying to happen, while new snows and rains beat the petals down again....loss of trust in a new friend...put away the judge and jury: there is no fault here...only difference....pushing through the snow, spring begins again....

UNDER THE SNOW

under snow cover
flowers are waiting for Spring
which comes, goes, again

loss is in the air
warmth too, and rain, and more snow -
upcountry told-tales

new friends do not like
my clothes, my hair, my old face -
put on makeup, spring!

am who I am now
under the snow the flower...
above...only white

I do not weep now
all loss is in the raking
pine needles, kindling

we hold on so tight
Hansel and Gretel - both lost -
drop breadcrumbs on snow

we will make  it home
we will bloom, somehow, again
we come from strong roots

death is always here
in and under these snows, cold
still, sun is warming

rise like first stem, leaves
out of these cold soils of spring
rise into new life

there is glory here
being alive, after pain
through pain...one more time

3/19/13

MIWOK ON DAFFODIL HILL is a tribute to an old couple - very obviously Miwok of this Upcountry...come up to see the Daffodils blooming on this land of their Ancestors...as the Land moves into Spring....

MIWOK ON DAFFODIL HILL

Old Miwok Woman Old Miwok Man
Climb the Hill of Daffodils where once The People roamed
Among the Oaks for acorns Where one Time
They called this Land their Home

Small and brown and tough like acorns
Round and black, deep eyes - and smiles
The Daffodils smile back at them
They recognize their wit and guile

Deer bow sweet in memory
Daffodils bow sweet as well and even Wind
Bows to their formal path among
These Flowers - All are Kin

This Miwok Woman Miwok Man
Are of the Earth as I can't be - I am so new
To these Mountains I am not capable at all
While they are Mountain through and through

I know they are not Noble Folk
But they are Noble all the same and True
To Daffodil and Apple Bloom and
All that is this Spring Anew


3/16/13

WHEN A FULL MOON is a lyrics to speak to the love we hold for folks in our lives who felt "just right" at the time...and then they left...or died...like Den's Dixie, or my Alex...'gone' in some ways - but never, ever forgotten....

 WHEN A FULL MOON

Need you when a Full Moon
Full Moon fills this sky
Where you should be eternally
I will be, by and by
I should be, by and by

And you ain't got my soul entire
But almost got it full
My heart sure holds you most of all -
It always will
It always will

Need Love when a Full Moon
Remember yours the best
Sleep with deep affection now
But not the 'best' - you were the 'best'
Can't sleep without the 'best'

And you are in my thoughts entire
When ever moons are full
My memories are full of you
They always will be -
Always will

Need you when a Full Moon
Full Moon fills the sky
Where Love lives on foreverly
I will love, by and by
I must love, by and by

3/14/13

BABY, DID YOU EVER WONDER is my first lyrics, about Den's and my Radio Beginnings... for the Radio Show, Down From The Mountain, goin' on streamin' from www.kqbm.org, Blue Mountain Radio, West Point, California, Community Radio at 97.1 FM! I've been hummin' the original to this song all week!!!! Glory!!!!

BABY, DID YOU EVER WONDER


Baby, did you ever wonder
That's the song the Radio did play
Whatever became of me, my Baby
Living on this Air so far away

Did you get tired of waitin' for this Gypsy
That I've become who just ain't satisfied
You could'of  been a husband or a lover
I could'of been a lover or your bride

But I ain't tired of packin' and unpackin'
Like the song say: up and down the dial
An' when we play our Music on the Radio
I'll think of you and your amazin' smile

Baby, did you ever wonder
Wonder, whatever became of me
I'm gonna be there on Blue Mountain Radio
An' you can hear about how I am free
Yeah, you can hear me sing of bein' free
Well surely, I will sing 'bout bein' free

3/7/13

UPCOUNTRY SONG is about where we love and live now...and wants to reflect that in the mirror of its many lakes....

UPCOUNTRY SONG

Been livin' this life here
Up-country Life, here
Been singin' these New Songs
Been feelin' some Joy

Been wanderin' Homeward
To where I ain't been before
A Bewildered Woman
Just wanderin' Home

Been wonderin' why Luck
Is speakin' with me now
Is hangin' in my house
Just havin' some tea with me

It just don't make sense now
That Life is near over
That Luck should be so great
As to be favorin' me

Been livin' this life here
Up-country on cold days
Just wishin' for heatin'
That wouldn't cost gold

But wanderin' Outside
To where Beauty lives now
I find it is priceless
To live in this Home

Up-country is mountain
A third of the way up
To where Alpine trees bend
In mighty great Winds

I've lived near the Oceans and
Rivers and Bays now
Still this is the best of
Where Wonderful's been

So Lovely is kind here
And Passion is huge here
For all is Intense in this
Upcountry World

We're livin' so happy
We can't even think right
For feelin' comes first here
Our hopes are unfurled

Repeat First Verse


3/3/13

CELTIC PINS HOLD CLOAKS SHUT is a first effort to use the Haikus with the photos from FB....hope the Magic comes through a bit.....


Microscopic photo of snowflake. For some reason we like this quite a lot here at FrostWire ;)
Microscopic photo of snowflake. For some reason we like this quite a lot here at FrostWire ;)

  • We pinned these on us
    Cloaks of Silver - Cloaks of Green -
    We were Magic, Then....
    We wore Stars and Suns
    On our cloaks in Times gone by -
    Once, we were Magic
    Aurora, Moon and Stars

    Photo was taken on February 14, 2013 using an Olympus E-M5.

    Copy Credit : Norseman1968

3/1/13

OLD SEA WOMAN IS ILL is a metaphor for how I feel when I am not well....as I am not, today....

OLD SEA WOMAN IS ILL

He comes for Conversation -
To comfort in my time of Illness...
I welcome him with older hands...
Brown marks of wrinkled elder beauty -
Birth marks long gone into the tide-worn
Skin of a different Body - a different Waters

Give me Jelly Fish and Sea Horses to ride
Give me Harbor Seals and memories of
Life beneath the Waves of Time
Pelicans on the Wind: I want the Sea!
This Land Business is making
Weakness out of Me

Used to ride these Waves of Salt and Mer -
Used to swim for a mile without complain
Now I cannot walk this room with Breath
Everything of Water is leaving me
The Canoe danced across the Water
I was Mistress of its every Waltz

Now I am Older than I should be possible
Now I have less Courage, Faith -
Only Hope stays in me like a Demented Bird
Scolding Me - a Parrot losing Plumes -
Old Feathers falling to a Floor of my own
Lost and Damaged Dreams

Fly more like a Sea Bird, Silly Harbinger!
Swim as a Sea Lion swims - all glide and distance!
Breathe in the Waters if you must!
All Rivers run and run and run to some Sea
Of their own Imagined Nations of  Treasures -
Somewhere, they will find Them....

My hands dry as old berries smooth his Face -
It's good to touch salt tears and know they are
For me and for what I was once when young:
A Dolphin - not a Thing of Earth - but of the
Sea that gave me Birth - yes, of This Sea -
That breathed my Birth....


2/28/13

GREEN MAN AND MOUNTAIN OSTRICH is about Magic and Spring here in Up-Country, where Spring and Magic mean exactly the same physicality...Green Man, of course, is Real.

GREEN MAN AND MOUNTAIN OSTRICH

Green Man met Ostrich
Mountain Ostrich smiled vaguely
They had met before

Where have you been now?
Where are you going now, Man?
This be my hood, Man....

I be goin' down -
Mountain Men are few and far
Follow my own Star...

Mountain Ostrich laughs:
You been just up-country, Man!
They all Pagans there!

They follow you Home
They follow most every where
You be goin' down...

Green Man Laugh Big, Long!
You be funny, Foothill Bird!
Far from your own home!

Don't you miss Desert?
Don't you yearn for hot sweet nights
Down under somewheres?

Mountain Ostrich grins
Here they feed me plenty, Man!
Here I be Some Bird!

Just like you I Live
Here where Spring needs you, needs me -
Needs to have Magic!

You and Me : Magic!
Don't belong most any wheres -
Be in Modern Time -

Don't believe in You -
Don't believe in Me - not much!
We be Ghosts of Pasts...

Green Man laughs and laughs!
You be so right, Mountain Bird!
Ostrich and Green Man!

Here, up-country sings
Songs of old Superstitions -
Of the Mountain Folk...

Only They see Us -
We bring Spring, Magic for Them -
They can See Us True...

Mountain Ostrich sighs
Bring it on now, Mighty Man
Bring on Pagan Spring!

Now Daffodils bloom -
Yellow is their magic song -
Green Man sings along....

2/27/13

WARM SUN DAY is a special day we spent out-of-doors driving around Calaveras County in the False But Believable Promise of Spring To Come.....

WARM SUN DAY

Where all these towns breathe
In and out and in and out -
Rattlesnakes sun, too...

We are so alive
We miss the Daffodil's death
Into its Bulb Heart

Preoccupied now
With Life and Death and Illness
I Console, Console

Compassion: hot red
Scarves of heat waves flow past me
Into Deep Blue Pools

Ghost Towns of Greed Past
Miwok Wilderness of Dust
No Miwok would build

Managing This Land
Was not the same as Neglect
They knew each Tree, Seed....

Spring is slow comin'
Here in Up Country,  Cold Hums
Songs of Prevalence....

Apple Trees in bloom -
Too early, Woodpecker cracks:
They will all Fall Down

Stones Grow out of Dirt
This you can see here, and huge:
Granites, Others: Old

Oak Woodlands now bare
Of either Leaf or Acorn
Wait Simply for Spring

Cold in shade - Warm Sun
Reddened unaccustomed skins -
Put us to deep sleep

Here we will wait, lone -
Snowflakes will fall again, yes -
Blizzards hail This Spring....

2/26/13

THIS LETTER is the only posting I have on this Blog that was written by someone else...I want to be able to read it myself, when I need to have Courage beyond my capacity...hoping I can face my Life and my Death as he is doing now....

I'm posting something unusual today: the letter to just everyone possible, by a dear friend of mine, about his dying, which is going to happen sooner than anyone, even he, knows. This is the Bravest Letter I have every read. I am honored to be his Friend in Life and in his Crossing Over....

Here it Be, as He is: my dear, talented, Intense, and Alive Friend:

How am I feeling, Mr. Status? Well, pull up a chair...and careful of the questions ya ask.

I will write and share something with you all, but I am going to ask that you please not send me morbid inquiries. After all, it long been my belief that the devil is in the details. The details are unimportant at this point…

It’s an easy thing to look over another’s life and say, “I told you so.” Like B. Dylan once wrote, “backseat drivers don’t know the feel of the wheel…but they sure do know how to make a fuss.” No fuss is needed; nor will any fuss be entertained as concern. No, at this point, it’ll be greeted as icky Facebook voyeurism.

If you’re tight with me, then you already know the details. If not, then you’ll know where I’m at – and on the next ride of this wheel, let’s make a vow to stay more in touch.

Right. Was told years ago to stop smoking, and how it would kill me. And of course it wasn’t believed. I would live forever, as I always have. It was akin to telling a teenager to just wait until he or she is a parent – unfathomable, unthinkable. Well, so it was with me – try to convince me that I’d ever see beyond the age of 50…with this fucked up broken body I was given…and I greeted such news as the teen who’s future parenthood has been prophesized.

I will see a specialist in a few days, one I’ve known for years. He’s a doctor, and he’s a good one, a kind man, a compassionate man. But he is human. And dedicated men and women such as he do not like to think that someone got lost while on their watch. So, I know I’ll be told of the magic drug…over $1,000 a vial…that could have kept me alive and pain-free for many, many years. If only I’d stayed with the program…

But staying with the program meant that I’d never be free. I’d have to do this job that I do out of necessity, like a slave to health benefits and health care. And then I become no better than the weird mongrel government worker who called me a “sell out” for working *my* job while trying to advance the career of his “non-sell out” spooky wife who works for a lawyer’s office (glad the dude saved money on college tuition).

And, really, I should not even give such worthless dead weight consideration or time in this farewell. But we all run against such dead weight in our lives. We’ve all known their kind – they tell you there’s no Heaven, they tell you there’s no Santa Claus, they remind you with certainty there was never an Eden…in short, they kick you in the gut on the very day that your dog or roommate cat dies. You hope that they mean no harm or malice…for if they do, then scary evil. Nah, they’re just clueless and limited in scope/talent. It’s why they’d play “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” at the end of the night, even though they’re face to face with one who actually is a-knocking. Hell, it’s a lack of imagination and flexibility…it’s having to do an unrehearsed song on the spot. If imagination, flexibility, and being so rigid in one’s ways is where a person is at, then that person equals dead weight in this world, at this stage of the game.

But the universe has laws…and it will take care of such dead weight in its own way and manner. Always has, always will.

And the universe is scolding me in its own way…for a lack of faith. For not believing that life could be sweet in its golden years. For not recognizing the joys that would come from children who’ve grown into wise adults who have become as much caring and loving friends. For not realizing that someone very beautiful could still love you, even when your body is broken…so long as your spirit still soared.

It was a slow suicide in hindsight. But, c’mon, I lived through a head-on collision unscratched. I died on an operating table for 30 seconds, none the worse for the wear. My car rolled over into a ditch and the car…along with myself…came out without a scratch. I survived six major surgeries and over half a year residing in a hospital bed. I drank poison only to become immune to poison. I did everything I knew to be wrong, pretty much flipping the bird to every threat or ill-wind that blew a reminder of mortality.

My “heroes” were often of the “live fast, die young…leave a pretty corpse” variety. Of course, they now grow content with their millions in hidden, exclusive retreats in Connecticut, the Bahamas and Maui. But I was taught to believe the art…not the artist…so no hard feelings, Keith.

So, you’ve one year left…or “five years stuck on my mind”…what to do with it?
How to keep the fear of the ride ending from becoming so strong that you forget to enjoy the ride while still upon it? It’s harder than they make it out to be in movies and books, I can tell you that much.

Never lose faith…that will kill you more than anything. No wonder despair becomes the one sin in a good book that is not so easily forgiven nor rectified.

But an Italian dictator who was a horrible man said a truth, “better to live four years as a lion than forty like a lamb.” Flawed a man as he may have been, he was right. And a good, wise woman said, “If you live fast, you always die young...even if your body dies old....”, and how I wish I’d heard those words two, three or four years ago. Life would different now. Life might still seem endless.

But it isn’t endless. The ride ends. And I don’t know if we ride the wheel again. I don’t know if we rest on ice for a spell. I don’t know…and I hate not knowing. Always have. My whole life, if there was a locked door then it became my mission to find its key. Wish I’d applied that to my own life…instead of spending so many years encaged as a slave with the key right within my grasp.

Before my father died, he tried to open his mouth and tell me something. He had a look of fear in his eyes, as though he’d seen into the next world…and did not like what he saw. Or felt overwhelmed and unready for it. He couldn’t talk, so I’ll never know. And people find it funny when I say this, but his eyes seemed to say to me, “I understand, son, why you loved that singer Sam Cooke so much. I get it now…” In short, my old man died a soul man. Always knew Vallejo would have a positive effect on the old grouch. Ya can’t teach Sylvester Stewart (of Sly and the Family Stone fame!) without it having some sort of influence on you. After all, it is all connected. Nothing is random. Nothing is chance. There are no accidents, and there is no such thing as coincidence.

And why Sam Cooke? Because he could tell you that we were having a party…and still make it sound as though it’s bittersweet, like the second line of a New Orleans funeral. Because he made his do-re-mi as a gospel singer, but was still honest enough in the end to say, “It's been too hard living but I'm afraid to die… 'cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky.”

Amen, Sam Cooke. Over on this end, I do not know what is more frightening. That it could be a permanent lights out/game over. Or getting to that place could be the most screaming painful thing that’ll make Jesus’s three hours on a cross seem like a walk in the park by comparison.

In other words, I don’t know what will be worse…the dead or dying part.

Really, I thought for certain I’d live forever. And maybe I will…in a song, in my children, in my students, in the ones for whom I did not burn every bridge or treat like dung (becoming more and more a rarity as I get older). Wish I could come back to tell you which is worse…the leaving or the destination. But when you go, no one follows… “that path is for your steps alone.”

Warts, flaws and all…I want it known right now – I have loved and have been loved. So, it was not, nor will ever be a wasted life. But it’s getting scary, and more so with each day.

So to Dr. Levy, my mom, my brothers, Miss Lindsay, my close friends, my roommate/bro Little Mate and others who’ve been good to me…I know where I fucked up. There is no need to say, “I told you so…” I’ve done it enough for all of you. If you want to be my friend, if you want to show a kindness or give some comfort… just help me exit with a bit of dignity. I am scared, and this comes from someone who tried to live with no fear…or “four years like a lion.”

Besides, I lived in a world where they had radio, Atticus Finch and Napoli's Pizza, Indian food, Christmas and Diwali. It's been a world of hearing trains at night, the prettiest gal in the world saying my name like a prayer, the most beautiful girl in the world calling me "Dad." It's been camping trips and sailing ships and sunny days in Mexico and the streets alight like Carnival...everywhere from home to abroad. Sometimes a never ending Mardi Gras. It's been a blessed and charmed life. Wish it could just go on and on and on...but my, wouldn't that make for a crowded world?

At this point, scratching and clawing in anger and fighting with the universe is just making a damn fool of me...and making me destroy the very things that make life sweet & worth living. And that's no way to die...or live.

love,
=B/.

and that is all he wrote....


2/25/13

WINGS FOLDED is Haiku, one after the other, about the Cold Up-Country here where we live now....it is deep to the marrow for me - less so for my fellow, who often finds it refreshing....I await Spring with longing....

WINGS FOLDED

Wings folded: so Cold
In China, the Birds don't sing...
Heard this One Song, once....

Costs to bring Heat Home -
There is so little Warmth here -
We snuggle closer...

Snow, at times, cold Rains -
Sleets and Huge Crystals loom large...
Melt in only days...

I've been told of Spring:
There's Beauty, Flowers and Warm -
My body feels this

Summers are hot, dry -
Lakes will sit still and fish plop -
On the deck: Iced Tea

Fall is easy smoke
All the Trees in colors wait
Raised Wings move on South

Down this Mountain side
We're traveling away, Cold:
Birds, Animals, Us....

Love this House of ours -
Still: it has been Cold since Fall -
Cold to the marrow....

Wings folded, once, twice:
I will fly but don't know when -
Ice in each feather

There is only Cold  -
Wings mean nothing: flight: too late -
Trapping me here, in

By the fire: warmth -
And light, Courage in the dark
When Cold is not there

Give me warm sunshine -
Give us warm Wings to fly now -
Unfold these Cold Wings....

Unfold these Cold Wings....

2/24/13

GOLD TOWNS GROW OLD is Haikus about the aging, even further, of the wonderful Old Gold Country Towns, such as Sonora, and Jamestown, high in the Counties above in the up country Foothills of the Sierra....

GOLD TOWNS GROW OLD

Gold Towns are so old
Oldness wears them like a coat
Threadbare, falling thin

A mountain Ostrich -
Cheeky! Grabbed at my hand strap!
Felt his bill brush by

Up here are dark caves
Some filled with gold, still, crystals...
Limestone drips, drips, drips

Victorian House -
Across the street: red and mauve
Victorian Church

Missing teeth, he smiles -
Cowboy hat filthy, hands sly...
Mountain Man begs coins

Big Truck - two dogs, horse -
One Big Man and two Wild Kids -
Mom looks so tired...

Everything closed-down
Except this Bar, Antiques, Books,
Ice Cream Sodas Shop

Sometimes you can see
All the Glory - the Riches-
All that Gold, That Gold!

2/23/13

IN THE QUIET OF THE ANIMALS is Haikus about the Animals around us in the Winter months...we are all waiting for Spring, very ardently!....

IN THE QUIET OF THE ANIMALS

In quiet times here
Animals come to eat, chat,
To scold and to wait

Turkeys head down roads
Fatter than expected now
Winter being Cold

Deer sing for apples
You can hear the silent song
Brouse is gone - hungry...

Skunks stink in hollows
Near this place on icy roads
We call it Skunk Drive

Gray Squirrel is bossy
Sasses me - hates granola -
Prefers plain peanuts

No raccoons up here
They like warmer places now -
Went down the mountain

Four Blue Jay families
Went down to Jackson for warmth
Won't be back til Spring

No birds at Feeders
None singing in the trees here
They knew when to leave

Chilled to the marrow
We humans struggle with Cold
Turn up the heat now

Spring will come, surely...
We are going to hope more:
Winter, End. It's Time....

2/22/13

OLD SACRAMENTO is a Sunny Day in yes, Old Sacramento....impressions about a place that has changed and changed...and yet, has not changed at all....

OLD SACRAMENTO

Old Sacramento
Older Buildings: new kids there
Order Ice Cream Shakes

There: History Is
No one sees it quite alive
Looks dead, in person

Cobblestones racket
Uneven and stone, so hard
Tires rattle, too

The Delta Queen sits
In River Bottom silt, mud -
No where left to go

Trash is Fun to buy -
Breaks right away, but who cares
Old is Old, not New

History - hers, too
Military Museum Dust
Honor Bright and True

Railroad Cars, Engines -
This is Wonderful and Huge:
Dining Cars are Best

Wooden sidewalks clack -
All are raised - travel is slow
Down the street: click, clack

Horse-drawn white buggy
Up and down and up and down
Old Streets in these times

Historic Plaques shine -
Brass and Fine Words tell Stories
Some of Us can hear

Old Sacramento...
No Antique Stores anymore
Fake Old Photo Shoots....

Leaving off the Bridge -
Huge New Buildings - Pyramids!
Back to mountains now....

2/21/13

RIVER RUNS DOWN is a tribute to the Mokelumne River, which is a river very close by to us, which I am growing to love as if it was a person, more and more every day....

RIVER RUNS DOWN

For these fine three miles
River runs down to join Life
Deepest in it's bones

No River has blood
Still you see the sinews tight
Against these great rocks

Fight for wild, for free
For the chance to be alive
With the Animals

Carry me with you
Ophelia, still, alive
Bent on gliding home

Child of River Life
In love with each River's Song
River Rats Sing, too

Bring the boulders home
Bring home the trees, roots and all
Bring them to this sea

At mouths of each sea
Rivers are singing of land
Places they have been

When I am well gone
My ashes go to River
River will do well....

2/20/13

ONE DAY ON THIS SIERRA ROAD is Haikus in honor of a beautiful day in the Sierra up past 9000 feet into the New Snow of a sunny February day....

ONE DAY ON THIS SIERRA ROAD

Ice Falls over Stone -
Snow Falls: Majestic, still: Cold...
Sierra Silence....

Men across the Snow...
Powder behind every Ski -
One more Run this Day!

Whistle Up-Country -
Watch the Rain to Sleet to Snows...
Whistle the Weathers....

In Jackson Town Streets
No one is biding Hello...
Quiet Gold Town Day....

Ordinary Day...
Snow is a sleeping white dog:
Winds settle his furs....

Sunrise comes True Gold...
False Gold Evening Sky flames
Red, Orange, now, Scarlet....

Old Collectables
From Old Stores in Old, Old Towns...
Reminders of Gold....

Tell Sierra Tales -
Tall Tales and Tales of By-Gone
Times of Deep Snowfalls....

Across this Dark Pass
Emigrants with heavy Loads
Went before to Live....

Snow again falling
Angel's Hairs stream in the wind...
Sierra Night Sleeps....



2/19/13

Snow Today! and so, a Poem, one Poem...for Snow in these Sierras....

ONE POEM FOR SNOW

The Fire is almost warm in the face of this Snow
No Wind is not engaged in rings of silver with this Land

I hold you for warmth and will not let go
To my bones is Cold and no Snow is a blanket
For this human need

The White is clean and brighter than the Moon

Still, the Sun will send it into water then to transpire
Into clouds not of our making

Snow is not Royalty as Ice can be
It can kill but is not willing
Ice is willing, Fire, more than Ice

Snow Avalanches fall from every Tree
Rain Snow down to the earth
Each crystal shatters
Is not Snow anymore

Bears who are still in Dens
Stretch and yawn and smell
This Snow
Turn over in their sleep
To wait for Melt

Snow Melt will come
Land gives over to Water
Snow leaves quiet
Somewhere inbetween

Only this patch
Black from cinders on this road
Reminds:
Once I was Great and Covered All

Once I was No Sign Of Life
On the Life of this Land

Once
I was
Snow

2/18/13

COLD AS THIS AIR IS is haiku poetry for the Miwok, The First People of this Central Miwok Region of the up-country Sierra. it is fitting that a foreign person, as I am, would use another foreign poetry form to write my impressions about my learnings!...I hope these People will be patient with this student!.....

COLD AS THIS AIR IS

Cold as this Air is
Mountain Sun makes Life warmer
I wait in This Sun

Four months of Deep Snow
Miwok never lived This High
Too Cold for Acorns

Bear is Like a Man
You would not kill this Fine Man
He is One Brother

Grinding Rock Cleaning
Soaproot Brush and clean feet, skirts:
Women are Cleaning

When the Time is Right
You will know the Bulbs are Here
Digging Stick goes deep

Learning Old Ways, Signs -
Things used long ago and well
Gather in Harvests


These are not my Ways
Still, the Ways of these People
Sing, for me, This Song



2/17/13

SWEET GHERKIN PICKLES are crisp, cool, wonders of the Pickle World...really delicious and really sweet on a hot summer evenin'...second only to Vena's DILL PICKLES, which I swear I will teach you about quite soon....Gherkins are a great cucumber and make a Great Pickle, that's all a Wisconsin Farm Woman can tell you about 'em....

well, I think we'll do SWEET GHERKIN PICKLES next...since Cherylanne asked about them....they are a Lot like Bread and Butter Pickles, only sweeter and exotic in their spices, to my taste - and their Crunch Appeal is out of this world!...this is a Four Day Process, by the way, so settle in for the duration....it's worth the Pickle!....

You pickle the newly early-mornin'-picked Gherkins Cucumbers in batches of about eight pounds at a time - which reminds me that Aunt Verna had a Big Kitchen Scale she used all the time...you want to stay pretty accurate with pickling, to get the product you want, and not just any old pickle - or, worse still, a batch of really sour or 'musty' pickles....anyways: clean the little Gherkins - the little knobby ones, that are only about one and a half to two and a half inches long. drain them...get six cups of plain water (preferably not from a well loaded with iron in it) and mix in a 1/4 cup on no-iodine salt called canning salt, usually. pour over all the gherkins in a non-reactive bowl, and let them sit in a real cool, dry place overnight, or at least eight hours. Verna then would drain them and do the same thing again (this is two days straight, as you can see) the next day, she'd drain them a prick each one once with a fork. Then, mix three cups of white cane or beet sugar, three cups of clear white vinegar, and just a half teaspoon of turmeric in a large non-reactive pot. now, you tie a little cloth bag called a spice bag, with two sticks of cinnamon, a scant teaspoon of whole allspice, two teaspoons of the packaged whole mixed Pickling Spice, and two teaspoons of whole celery seed. add the Spice bag to the liquid. Bring the whole thing to a boil, and pour the hot liquid over the gherkins. let them sit in this liquid in a cool, dry place for eight hours. Then drain the cukes, but save the liquid they were in. Now, add two cups of white sugar and one cup of white vinegar to this liquid they were in. Pour this new solution over the gherkins, and let it all 'stand' again overnight, in a cool dry place....on the last day, drain them again, and keep the liquid. Add Another two cups of white sugar and a cup of white vinegar to the 'reserved' liquid, and bring it all to a boil again. Pour it all over the cukes one more time, and let it stand for eight hours. Take out the spice bag. Drain the gherkins again! keep the liquid again! Add one more cup of white sugar, and bring to a boil. now pack the pickles into hot scalded jars, and pour the liquid over each one, leaving a 1/4 inch 'headspace' in each jar. Process the lidded, rimmed, newly sealed jars in a fifteen minute boilinf water 'bath'....let cool in the bath a bit. take them out with the tongs...when cool enough, check the seals, and store in a cool, dry, dark space. Verna stored her pickles in her basement mainly, as Sweet Gerkins were served for 'special' - brought up if folks asked for them, at supper-time with guests present, usually....every one knew they were Four Day Pickles, so they were indeed 'special'... and sweeter than most other pickles too, with that Crisp Gherkin 'snap' to 'em.....




2/15/13

BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES and HASTY PICKLES are two Standards in the Pickling Business of Life...Aunt Verna taught me, and I will teach you what I remember and wrote down....if you try these, you'll be happier than you expect to be.....

PICKLES are served at every meal under the sun in Wisconsin, except breakfast, and I've even seen BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES on the breakfast table...at Aunt Verna's house on hers and Uncle Joe's Farm....

O, I am going to tell you so much about Aunt Verna over time as I post these Recipes....I admired her and respected her mightily, and I missed her most of all my kid's dad's side of the family, when I moved away from Bumpity Road Farm in Portage, Wisconsin in the early seventies....

Verna raised her own pickling cucumbers, and they were picked at different stages of growth for different pickle recipes...Bread and Butter Pickles are picked when they are about as big as a bratworst sausage, in the early morning when the dew may still be on them. the heat of the day is no time to be picking cukes anyways, or you'll get heatstroke for sure. Verna would bring in about a gallon of these medium-sized cukes, and wash them in the big iron sink, and then cut them very thin width-wise without peeling them. then she'd slice up, also very thin, eight large white onions. She'd mix the two veges and then mix in a half cup of dairy salt, which has no iodine in it. let the big non-reactive pot of these sit for over three hours in a cool place - for her, that was the Spring House, with its stream of cold water running down the canal in the cool stone building, between the 'setting stones' where the milk pans and other cooling pans were sitting, as well....She'd drain them in big colanders, and then pack them by the spoonfuls into hot scalded canning jars. cover them to the top with a Brine of five cups of white sugar, one and a half to two teaspoons of tummeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves, two tablespoons of white mustard seed (or yellow, if no white is available), one teaspoon of celery seed, and five cups of scalding hot apple cider vinegar...put the lids and rims on tight-sealed, and then  process them in boiling water in the big enamel pots on the stove, for ten minutes...she'd fish them out of the water with the big canning tongs when the water had cooled enough, check the tightness of the 'seals', and then leave them on the counter over a day and a night. next mornin', she'd check the seals again. the jars without tight seals would go into the big ice box to be used up first...the others would be put into the fruit cellar, where it was cool with a steady light humidity - almost dry - for use way later - right through the winter, as she'd keep putting up these pickles until the crop gave out...dozens of jars. Seals are checked on all the jars every week...'broken' seals: up into the ice box you go.... you can eat these pickles in about three weeks - four is best...the ones in the icebox you eat sooner, and they are called HASTY PICKLES, and are fresh and crisp and ready to eat - not as Bread and Butter - but still, a good pickle!

If Verna had four or five large, seedy Cukes, she'd make HASTY PICKLES anyways. she'd scoop out the seed with a spoon, and cut them very thin., or would slice them crosswise about 1/4 inch thick - she'd layer them with one white onion also cut thin, into a small open bowl or crock. over them, she'd pour one cup of white vinegar mixed with a quarter cup of pickling salt and a cup of white sugar, and she'd put a little cloth bag of 'pickling spices' (bought in bulk) suspended into the liquid. then she'd cover the bowl or crock with a dessert plate or the crock cover, and place in into the icebox. they'd be ready to eat in two or three days....sometimes, she wouldn't use the salt at all, for a sweeter pickle....these were cool and refreshing to eat!

Verna put Pickles 'by' all summer long. Next post, we'll do the Dill Pickles and the Dilly Beans. They are a whole other world of Pickles! Important to know, is that Verna would put-by Produce every single day of the Summer through the Fall. the Stoves were always going, and she was always chopping up every vegetable and meat in sight. Her Fruit Cellar and Basement were full of canned goods. By late fall, all this produce was ready to go for the Winter and well into the Spring. This was the way of the Farm Woman in Wisconsin, and no one thought anything special of it. Verna was better at preserving than many women in her county, but not better than all of them. She won prizes at the County Fair for much of her work, but so did other Ladies. She was a Queen of Putting Things By....but there were many kingdoms in her time.....

2/13/13

PUTTING FOODS BY is my next postings, throughout the forty-some days of Lent! The recipes are easy - I know, cuz I've done em, many a time...preserving foods is a lot of fun, not that time-taking, and has you feeling good about your self and your work and the foods themselves....try some of these recipes as they 'come up' - they are tried and true!

LENT PRESERVES AND JAMS

For forty days and forty nights, I am goin' to attempt to eat healthy foods of all kinds...and these perserves and preservations and jams and so on are Very Healthy Foods, indeed they are!

Here are my General Public Health Rules for preserving all foods, especially by 'canning'...all these recipes from my Putting  Things By Book are Tried and True: which means I made them at least once and usually much more. I gleaned them all from older Wisconsin Women Family and Friends near Bumpity Road Farm in Portage, Wisconsin in the early 70s. Every Woman for miles about Preserved Everything in sight that wasn't nailed down permanent or running away!

Public Health Rules:

1) Wash everything washable with a vegetable brush under running water.
2) Cut out any soft or bruised spots - very fresh produce only!
3) Cut off the blossom-end of any fruit or vege - especially cukes or zukes.
4) Select same-size of cut pieces to same-size as much as possible.
5) Use canning or pickling or sea or dairy or kosher salt: do Not use table salt, which has iodine in it.
6) Use vinegars the are four to six percent acid only.
7) Use cider vinegars most often; not wine vinegars.
8) Be Exact in measuring vinegars.
9) With white vinegar, be sure the color is clear.
10) Sugar in preserving is usually cane or beet white sugar.
11)When using brown sugar or honey, you'll need 1/2 more than with white sugar, often.
12) Use only fresh whole spices of herbs in little cloth bags (make yourself or easily purchased) unless you want that country-effect, visually!
13) With garlic, always blanch the cloves for two inches before adding - they'll spoil in the jars otherwise.
14) Crisp pickles with alum if you want, but grape or cherry leaves crisp better with no commercial aftertaste, so are especially good with dill pickles.
15) Utensils should all be enamel ware, stainless steel, or glass, only. wooden spoons to stir. Earthenware Crocks, glazed, no lead. Tongs, funnels, food grinders should all be of these same materials.
16) To weigh-down veges or fruits into brines, use china plates with glass jars filled with water, on top.
17) To Brine: in long-method fermentation (three weeks or over) you must remove the top scum daily, and keep the brine cool, or it will all spoil something awful.
18) To Brine fresh-pack, for a pungent taste: brine overnight.
19) For Fruits, brine in a sweet and sour syrup, overnight.
20) Processing means boiling the product in its clean or sterile canning jar with lids and rims on tight, for anywhere from ten to thirty minutes in a 'water bath' that covers the jars in a big pot. this preserves the product against spoilage for months. Recipes should tell you how long to 'process'.
21) Preserves of all kinds have to 'Season' for awhile. Alcohol products are carefully capped or corked, and then have to season for six to nine months, sometimes more, in cool, dry places. Recipes will tell you how long it will be before the product will be seasoned - pickles take weeks; jams: just a few days, for example.
22) Follow every step in a good recipe exactly as you  can. It's a lot of work for nothin', if it doesn't come out tasty and safe!

These are the Basic Rules...

The First Pickles will be tomorrow's post! Aunt Verna's Prize Bread and Butter Pickles!




2/12/13

CAJUN DRINKS FOR FAT TUESDAY is three usual Cajun drink recipes for Families...not the fancy drinks...just the usual ones. save nice Jars to serve them in...it's somewhat traditional to drink from jars rather than glasses, even for your Cafe Au Lait! ...Let the Good Times Roll!!

CAJUN DRINKS FOR FAT TUESDAY...and, for anytime you're havin' a Cajun Meal!

First One: CAJUN LEMONAID!

Stir together in a big punch bowl or in a glass gallon jar with a pour spout: two cups of light run, a big can of frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed, and a teaspoon of Tabasco sauce. add in a quart or a liter of club soda, chilled, and pour over crushed ice to suit, or cap and take to the party, or ladle out of the punch bowl into jars. Cajuns like to drink from 'jar' glasses when they can. Really! of course, you leave the rum out if it's for the kids....

CAFE AU LAIT

is a strong brewed coffee, a dark French roast With Chicory, with half scalded milk: pour them together from two separate pots.  The best brand of this coffee to buy is Community Coffee, which is a New Orleans Coffee brand, and you can order it on line to have at home, or some places that sell coffees and teas in bulk and so on, also have it There are other good brands, if you can't find them. you use a drip coffee maker Only. serve each cup with half a cup of coffee and the other half of the cup with the barely scalded milk (no 'skin' on top!). Most people sweeten it with a teaspoon or two of white sugar. some even put honey in, or a dash of cinnamon. Do NOT make this coffee like an expresso with frothy milk, or no Cajun will drink the stuff!


CAJUN SWEET TEA

Like any other Southerner, a Cajun Person drinks ice tea sweet and black and that's that. they prefer an Orange Pecoe, but any black 'china' tea will do in a pinch. You boil up the water and use twice as many teabags as you have cups of water. Steep it until the brew is dark, but not bitter. add white sugar to taste. Do NOT Dilute with ice...cool it to room temperature - the way a Sun Tea would be. Pour it into a pitcher filled with ice just before serving it. Southerners serve it Sweet...period. REALLY Sweet. just a warning. sometimes, there's a sprig or two or crushed mint in it, but usually, plain! Cajuns don't serve ice tea late at night, usually...only in the heat of the day....


POEM

pass dat jar ta me, he scolded
yer ma ain't got no bssness tellin'
me wat ta do, cher!
dis lemonaid is tres bon, girl,
wit or witout that demon rum!
but wit the rum, dis is as
close to hebben as your pa
is gonna get!
now go help your ma
fixin' the dinner -
go along now!










































2/11/13

CRAWFISH BOIL, the night before Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday...a Big Feast and a Bon, Bon Temps....

CRAWFISH BOIL: THE FEAST IS ON!

CRAWFISH BOIL is not hard to make, but it takes big pots and a lot of standing around together prepping and boiling stuff while you gulp down 'jars' of rum or whisky or moonshine or whatever...It's a FEAST and Mardi Gras is all about Feasting and Dancing and acting-up something terrible!

This Recipe feeds about eight to ten people....
You have to have at least a five gallon pot with a big strainer insert, if possible...fill it half full with water. Throw in three big heads of garlic, which don't have to be peeled, a handful of bay leaves (5-6), a product called Crab Boil seasoning - at least a tablespoonful, no-iodine salt and lots of fresh ground black pepper, 4 oranges, halved with seeds out; four lemons halved with seeds out, three or more whole large artichokes, and twenty red potatoes, washed, whole. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a half hour. Sir in thirty or so baby corn pieces, a pound of fresh trimmed green beans, two large onions, diced large, and simmer another twenty minutes... Now, stir in cut slices of any favorite smoked sausage - about 30 ounces of it, and simmer for another ten minutes. Finally, and here's the Heathen Part: Add in four pounds of LIVE crawfish that you've rinsed off in a colander under cool water. Bring the mix back to a boil and simmer until the shells turn bright red and the tails pull out easy, which is about five minutes. don't overcook them, or they'll get tough really fast, and they are too expensive to waste. To serve your Boil Louisiana Way, you drain the mass of food in the big strainer, and the spread the whole mass out on clean newspapers spread out on a big picnic table. give folks brown butcher paper and lots of paper towels and let them go at it! It's a big, glorious mess, and I've only done it once and it was really, really delicious, but I really can't go through boiling those crawfish alive to death any more. I'd eat it if someone else did it though, in a quick Cajun second, which is faster than most....
Now, how to eat a crawfish, fresh boiled. First if the tail is straight and NOT curled, then toss that crawfish away, cuz it means it was dead when it got cooked and it's not 'safe' to eat...Then: first: remove the head by holdin' the top of the crawfish with one hand, and then put your other hand above and around the tail. twist so the tail separates from the head. then pinch the very end of the tail with one hand, and pull the tail meat out with the other. pop it down the hatch, sometimes having dipped it in a garlic/cayenne/salted butter sauce if you want to...some people also suck out the head, but I usually can't watch that one, much less try it...I mean, these animals have legs and whisker stuff and eyes and all...nope. I'm not Cajun enough to muscle that one....

.
Poem:

Crawfish Boil so fine, so fine
Pass that jar, cher,
Pass them rice and beans
An' when you do get done
We'll all feel good
We'll have a bon, bon  temps
Sweet Cher
We'll have us a real
Good Time....




















2/10/13

CATFISH JOHN SAUCY SOUP is my make-up name for this Catfish Soup/Sauce that makes good of a poor-man's fish....only Cajun 'Clear'-Water Fish Recipe I know....

CATFISH JOHN SAUCY SOUP

is my effort, not unheard of, to make Catfish, which is the Cajun 'fresh'-water fish for cookin', palatable for me to eat. I am NOT fond of Catfish, but then, it is no longer like it was when I was a kid. Bottom-feeder Fish is more muddy-tasting to me now than it was back in those oldy-days, I swear it....and Farm Catfish just plain taste horrible to me. period. so, anyways, if you have some real fresh Catfish, cook this, and you will like it for certain....

Directions:

Make your Roux, dark brown, with one cup of flour with one cup of vegetable oil, and then stir in two cups on onions and two cups of celery and one cup of red or green bell pepper, all chopped fine - make it in a big cast iron or heavy five quart pot. This is one of those rare Cajun dishes that uses tomatoes, so add a cup or two of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of ketchup - stir in - now add two and 1/2 quarts of fish stock, or same amount of water with one chicken bullion cube and one vegetable bullion cube and a half cup of coffee in it - I do the bullion one, to cut the fish taste down to size a bit....add this liquid a ladle-full at a time, stirring it in...then stir in about two ounces of lemon juice, put three bay leaves in, and stir in some dried thyme and some dried dill and some no-iodine salt and ground black pepper. simmer all of this for around forty minutes. add in a cup of chopped green onions..now, add three or less pounds of washed catfish fillets, cut into cubes. Simmer only five or six minutes more...turn simmer down real low to start to thicken, which you can do with a 'cold roux' or file' or just cook down a bit more, if you want it to be a thick sauce. if you want it to be a soup, then leave it a bit 'soupy', or add cooked rice right to it. If it's like a sauce, then it's sort-of an ettouffee, and you can spoon it over the rice, or serve cooked (long-grained) rice, on the side, like you do with a gumbo... this all tastes as good as catfish is going to get, if you ask me!!


Here's a Poem for the Poor Catfish....

Swimmin' with whiskers outreachin'
In the dark 'clear' waters of this river
Along the stones and muddy bottoms
Where lots'a plants and muck are growin'
Dark and slick his body slithers
Full of Life and Mean and Crafty
Ain't got no purchase on the Light
No place in the brighter world -
Puts on white flesh that tastes right fine
When your Family's hungry, though...
So I won't be puttin' him down
No ways, No...just pass the Soup
I'm eatin' homey, eatin' good -
Dat Catfish tastes just like he should....

2/9/13

PICKLED OKRA is my favorite Pickle of all - more than Dill or Butter Pickles, my Midwest Favs...it's the OKRA...no other Vegetable like it...when we lived in St. Charles, Illinois, we were the only kids who even knew what Okra was...in the whole Fox River Valley....

OKRA PICKLES are my favorite Pickles ever, ever, ever. If you cannot buy them made the Cajun Way, especially, then you need to preserve your own, and it's not hard at all....

Here's how:

Wash 4 pint jar and their lids and rings in hot water. Wash two pounds of very fresh, small tender, young okra. pack them into the jars. put one garlic clove, one tiny mild red pepper or a few red pepper flakes, a dash of celery seed, two to four black pepper seeds, a pinch of mustard seeds, a pinch of no-iodine salt, a pinch of dry thyme, and a pinch of onion dry flakes, into each jar with the okra. Bring a quart of white vinegar to a boil. Pour over the okra and seal. process (boil the sealed jars covered with boiling water) for ten minutes. cool slowly. check the seals. Let the pickles 'stand' in a cool, dry, dark place for eight weeks...now they are ready to eat! When you have opened a jar, keep it in the icebox. the jar will 'keep' for a week or so there. But you know, you will have eaten them all up by then!

Here's their Poem:

OKRA.
people look strangely:
slimy.
don't like Okra much...
For Some:
So Comfort -
So Thick with Good -
Gumbo -
Chowders -
Fried -
Pickled -
The South is Green
The Same as Okra...
That Thick, Dark-Gray-Green
Of Spanish Moss
Thick in Swamp Trees -
Thick like that -
Married to Roux -
Blessed by the Holy Trinity...
Celery, Onions, Green Peppers...
Taste of Home and Heat...
Slidell. Monroe. Shreveport.
South of my Young Years...
OKRA.







2/8/13

MARDI GRAS KING CAKE can be a really labor intensive recipe of love and tradition, or an easy one like mine, for the kids to help you bake for fun! It's a Mardi Gras tradition to serve this cake, and it's fun and delicious with all that icing all over the place!

MARDI GRAS KING CAKE

Mardi Gras King Cake Made Real Easy is a real short-cut to making a Cake that can even go so far as having Yeast in it, if you make it from scratch. You have to have your Family and Friends eat some for Mardi Gras! And, you hope some worthy kid will find the little plastic child/baby doll hidden in the cake, for very good luck! The icing can be done by kids you know, with lots of sparkling sprinkles in wild designs all over the cake! It's all just for fun....!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a baking/cookie sheet. Open three cans of refrigerated sweet dough roll and unroll and pat them into three ribbons of dough, from each can, for a total of nine ribbons of dough Place the three side by side and pick them up together to make one large strand. Fold the dough in half and roll into a fat log of dough Do this with all three sets of dough. put the three logs on the baking sheet and shape to make a ring of all of them and pinching the ends to make a complete circle. Bake the ring/circle until firm to the touch and golden brown, which should take just an hour. Cool on a wire rack. Put the Cake ring on a serving plate and place the small plastic baby deep inside a slit in the cake, hiding it from view.- now, divide two large cans of creamy vanilla ready-to-spread frosting into four bowls. thin each bowl's frosting with a tablespoon of milk or 1/2 and 1/2. Stir food coloring into each bowl to suit: greens and reds and yellows and purples are the usual Mardi Gras colors. Drizzle the cake with the icings in any patterns you want and then toss multicolored sprinkles all over the place...some like to insert the Mardi Gras coins all over the top, too, or throw beads all over the cake. It's your call!

Here's Kind Cake's Poem!

King Cake is cut now -
Little Jim found the Baby!
Luck for him, for sure!