Everything sublime is as difficult as it is rare. Baruch Spinoza

Saturday, August 20, 2022

Just a bit of Fluff



When I was a child I loved to draw and paint. I was told my father had a half-brother who was an artist. I never met him, but it intrigued me. When my mother died and I went through the massive amount of stuff in the house I came across several of my youthful artistic endeavors. I would have been fifteen when I painted this in high school art class. I realized when I took a painting course in college that I was best served by sticking to art history. But, I tried. I brought it home and have it displayed in my snug/sunroom.  My childhood dreams live on in my little painting.




Another form of creativity; growing enormous zucchini. I've told Mark they are sneaky bastards and now he has learned. One must be diligent in watching these green devils, they hide amongst the foliage. The largest of the three beasts was cut open, seeded and shredded. I have three freezer bags waiting for winter use. 
 


Neighbor Bill stopped by yesterday with some apples and more slicing cucumbers. He'd brought me ten earlier in the week. It's a good thing Mark has a near addiction to cucumbers in cream sauce. It's also a good thing I learned from Jacques Pepin how to make the simplest sauce known to humankind. I adore Jacques Pepin and wish he could be immortal.



I got nine quarts of pickles from the last batch of pickling cucumbers Neighbor Bill brought me. There were seven quarts from the prior batch. Sixteen quarts of pickles! He told me yesterday he has more. Nooooo! He told me I'll be getting a lot of tomatoes. I guess I'll be roasting and freezing soon. That sounds like Minnesota weather. We go from roasting to freezing. Fast.

Mark may go to North Minneapolis this coming week to see a client. If he does I'll see if my son with the Vegan Wife, who lives in North Minneapolis,  wants produce. Perhaps some pickles. I have no one to give what Bill has no one but me to give his extras to. An English teacher would have a field day with that sentence.

We miss the big, gangly, high-stepping horse. I'm glad we do. It shows we haven't become inured to grief.

13 comments:

Lori Skoog said...

Ha! I was an Art teacher and have taught every level from pre school to Arts for Children at the college. Retired in 99 and then taught at my home studio for 18 years. When covid hit....I quit and now it's a music studio. I love your painting from High School. The reflections work so well! I know what you mean about zucchinis....the same thing happens with our cucumbers if we do not check on them regularly. I do love zucchini pancakes! I happen to adore Jacques Pepin too....such a gentleman. We will not make anymore pickles this year. I still have 2 quarts of the refrigerator version. Our San Marzano tomatoes are turning red and we will start making sauce this week. I understand what it's like to be missing a horse.......

Sandra said...

I think I did pretty good for a no talent kid!!

I've got my own cucumber plants that I planted from seed late. I don't know if I'll get anything, I'm almost hoping I won't. The zucchini is revitalized by rain and has gone crazy. I like zucchini fritters and zucchini and carrot fritters. It's been awhile since I've made them, I should do it. I've frozen 8 its of the pickles. They are supposed to freeze well, we'll see.

I know you do understand.

Val Ewing said...

Yikes, that is a lot of work!
Those sneaky zucchinis! I have squash growing in my pasture from where I tossed out seeds from the innards last year!
The mules leave them alone!

Sandra said...

Val, the least your mules could do is help you out! This is the time when it gets busy with preserving. My future self is grateful to my past self when I do it. The thing I don't like to preserve is basil. I love basil, but the smell and taste get in my nose and mouth and it sticks with me for hours.

Boud said...

It's a nice painting and I'm glad you honor it and you by displaying it.

Sandra said...

Thank you, Boud. I was a kid. I haven't any ego wrapped in it, it's simply a pleasant memory. I found my artistry in my horses.

My life so far said...

I think it's a beautiful painting.

Gardens are all or nothing it seems. When my tomatoes ripen I'm going to be busy.

Sandra said...

Thank you :) It's pleasant to have something I created with some passion so many years ago.

I got my first couple of eggplant today. Perhaps something eggplanty for dinner.

julochka said...

Oh, now I want to freeze some of my very plentiful zucchini. You just shred it to freeze it? I hadn't tried freezing it because it seemed like it would get rather watery and have a weird texture, but I was picturing it sliced into rounds.

julochka said...

Wait, I forgot to mention the painting...how cool to come upon that amongst your mother's things. And lovely to have a little snapshot of your former self there in the snug.

Sandra said...

Shredding makes it usable when frozen, julochka.

I was happy to find it!

Far Side of Fifty said...

Your local food shelf or senior apartments. In our area the elderly love fresh produce! :)

Sandra said...

Yes, Far Side. It's a good idea.