Saturday, July 23, 2016

Sunflowers and Grandpa, What's For Supper?

  Do you remember that my Dad planted sunflowers and I told you I would show you the sunflowers when they bloomed? Well, here they are!  Look away if you don't like sunflowers! 
Richard took most of these photos, but I took this one!



Outstanding in my field! (Totally stole this from a birthday card, I have no shame.)


Leonardo de Pisa, usually known as Fibonacci might come to mind when you see the head of a sunflower.  See the way the seeds are in a spiral?   Fibonacci did, you may read about him just here.  And maybe it is just me, but all of nature amazes me! Look at the seeds on this sunflower, they are perfectly positioned to perfectly maximize the space.  (God made, not man made!)

Now, I wish I could have gotten a photo of my Dad posing with his  sunflowers but he was taking a nap when we were taking photos. He had been very busy canning!  Just today, he told me he had canned the following: 5 quarts of October beans, 7 quarts of peaches, 3 quarts of pickled okra along with 4 pints of pickled okra! (Have to use the smaller jars sometimes!)   Earlier in the week, he had canned 21 quarts of green beans! (He put some October beans in with his green beans.)  He also canned jars of vegetable soup....but I am sorry, I forgot to write down how many jars he told me but I think it was 15 or so.  This is very hard work! All the cleaning and chopping of the vegetables and then, the canning procedure...very hot work in such hot weather!






They still show the old TV show HEE-HAW and my Dad loves to watch this even though he must have seen all the episodes. There is a segment on there where they say "Grandpa, what's for supper?" and Grandpa Jones replies with a wonderful list of Southern food and it always rhymes and it always sounds good! (You know my Dad is a great cook and can cook all these Southern favorites!) I have a clip of Grandpa Jones with his wife Ramona for you.  Enjoy!

46 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, Ad-Man! I only messed up one by being in the picture!

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  2. Wow, the sunflower field is just stunning! And wow to your Dad for all those preserves! X

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    1. I still think "Wow" when I see all that my Dad does!

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  3. Oh, these glorious sunflowers! They remind me of Hungary where sunflowers are a major crop and sunflower oil is the most common sort of cooking oil one sees in stores. Your father is just amazing! His accomplishments are outstanding. How involved with life and living he is! An inspiration.

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    1. We also have fields of sunflowers close to my Dad's house, there is very large company called "Pennngton Seed"! Daddy is an inspiration to me and he is most certainly very much involved with life and living!

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  4. The sunflowers are lovely. Van Gogh would have been tempted :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. I love Van Gogh but it is the sunflower painting by Monet that I have on my wall! (The print of course, the original is at the Met in NYC!)
      Glad you like my Dad's field of flowers! xx

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  5. Your dad's canned string beans makes me wish I had planted some. Next year for sure! Love the sunflowers! Does your dad harvest the seeds?

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    1. My Dad has now started taking the seed heads and giving them to his chickens! Oh, didn't I mention he also has chickens and has fresh eggs to share with me? I am telling you he is one busy man!

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  6. All The Lord's creations are amazing when viewed with His handiwork in mind! Someday i'm going to have to learn to can veggies.

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    1. As much as I love nature, I never forget that it is all from God. I just can't see that this wonder just happened.
      Maybe you and I can learn to can vegetables together, we might look like Lucy and Ethel making those chocolates! :-)

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  7. Wow Wow Wow, I love the field of sunflowers! I have never yet managed to grow any, the slugs always eat them! Your dad has certainly been busy :)

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    1. Yes, my Dad really is a busy guy! And I am tickled that you like the sunflowers too, I was thrilled to see them. My Dad felt he couldn't maintain that large a space in his normal crops, so he planted the flowers instead. A happy compromise, if you ask me!

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  8. WOW, your dad is amazing! All that canning.....it's so much work! I love all the sunflower photos and I adore "outstanding in my field". When I was small, I watched Hee Haw religiously and I liked it so much that my parents bought me some pants that had Hee Haw on them. I WISH I could find a picture of me wearing those. How funny would that be? It's been a very long time since I've seen Grandpa Jones singing....thanks so much for the flashback! Hope you've been enjoying a lovely, lovely weekend! I am OVER THIS HEAT!!! Argh.

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    1. Oh, you MUST find a photo of you in your HEE HAW pants! How funny! And glad you like my little "out standing" joke, I love greeting cards and am not above stealing from them!
      My car said 107 today when I came home from work. I am ready for it to cool to the 80's!
      Hope you are cooling off with your girls in a swimming pool!

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  9. Your Father never ceases to amaze me! Love the Sunflowers. I remember Grandpa Jones and what's for supper, my Mom loved that show.

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    1. We never missed HEE HAW! "Oh you won't hear me repeating gossip. So you better listen close the first time"! I am so corny, I thought it was funny!

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  10. The sunflowers! Oh my gosh...they are spectacular. I love them. And your dad is so amazing. So hard working.

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    1. Thanks, Martha. I wish I had his energy and zest for life!

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  11. Replies
    1. Some people don't like to plant sunflowers because they say they are too "weedy". I love them!

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  12. I love sunflowers and an entire field of them is very unusual here. Beats me where the older generation get all that energy from as I know a few folk, like your Dad, who are still very active and busy all the time into old age.
    The more we find out about the natural world the more complex it becomes. Watched a few horizon programmes over the last year about highly advanced mathematical patterns appearing in almost every aspect of nature, like an invisible blueprint.
    That's probably why so many things start to go wrong when we interfere with the natural order. Feeding animal parts to cattle, messing about with the bees etc..and taking shortcuts to drive down costs.

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    1. When we interfere with the natural order of things, we are asking for trouble. GMO is just becoming an issue here, whereas I have heard of it in England for years. I do think that the UK is ahead of us in the protection of our foods. Here, the big businesses and chemical companies are hand in hand. It is a problem.
      Glad you like the flowers, I was thrilled with them. My Dad was a bit disappointed because the flowers face his house and not the road, but you see, that's my Dad, he would have rather the sunny faces for the neighbors to drive by and see!

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  13. Those sunflowers are outstanding.

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  14. Did you know that Grandpa Jones became "Grandpa Jones" at the ripe old age of 26? Anyway your father is one ambitious guy. He will have so many good meals this winter.

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    1. I really should do a post about Grandpa Jones, he was a most interesting and intelligent man.
      And not only will my Dad enjoy those vegetables, but he also shares them with others.

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  15. Kay, I love this post. You look so pretty in the field of love your father planted. He is an amazing man. He canned goods look wonderful. My parents loved watching Hee-Haw too. They made us kids watch every thing country, Midwestern hayride, The Grand Old Opry...You know. Blessings to you and big hug to your dad. oxox Susie

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    1. Hey thanks, Susie. i tried to make Richard take that photo as FAR away as possible! LOL!
      And we watched everything country too! I didn't like it when I was a kid but I had to keep up with country artists because of my Dad. When I next see my Dad, I will give him a big hug and think of you! xx

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  16. Those sunflowers are gorgeous. I also commend your dad for staying so active and busy. He's slowing down but he's not stopped. Then again that much canning could hardly be called "slowing down".

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    1. It was close to 100 degrees today and he was outside most of the day, cutting his grass and tidying up his yard! I love his joyful enthusiasm. It inspires me.

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  17. Beautiful sunflowers - my sis and her husband plant a field of them on their farm every year, too.

    I miss my dad so much - he did all the cooking after he retired and I loved when I would call in the late afternoons and he would say, "Sugah - I wish you were here for dinner." And he would rattle off the menu - it always made me think of that Grandpa Jones thing. :)

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    1. Sugah...yes I love how you wrote that. My Dad has that great Southern accent too!

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  18. Great post Kay! Your dad never ceases to amaze. Blessings and long life to him.

    The sunflowers are awesome. :)

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    1. Hey Sue! Lovely to see your comment here! Hope you are enjoying this summer on your bike and crocheting! (But not at the same time! HA!)
      Thank you for the blessings for my Dad! xx

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  19. I am sounding repetitive here, but your Dad is THE BEST - you know that, of course :-)
    Those sunflowers are soooo beautiful, thank you for showing us the pictures! They truly epitomize summer for me.

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    1. I don't mind it one bit...you may repeat it often, my Dad is the BEST! :-)
      I am so happy that you love the sunflowers too. I just wish I could have shown you the goldfinches flitting from flower to flower, their gold feathers rivaling the beauty of the golden petals. xx

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  20. Absolute joy to read this post and see the pics and learn about sunflowers. Your dad is amazing. And yes, I ask the question like that often "What's for supper?" How I would love to have all those yummy canned goods.

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    1. My Dad gives us canned goodies, also to all my siblings..and it is so much, we also share this with our friends!

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  21. Hi Kay

    'Nothing is impossible to industry' said one of the seven sages of Greece , and your father is living proof of that. Absolutely incredible for a man of his advanced years.This is a post that Henry will love.

    Kind regards

    Henry

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    1. "opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work".
      How do you like that quote by Thomas Edison? I think of my Dad in his overalls when I read that!
      Oh, I love that you will show Henry (and Joy!) this post of Daddy's sunflowers and his canned goods! You can't see how far back those jars go into the cabinet, but I think they are 8 deep and five across on EACH shelf! And he has loads more that he has to put in the dark in a back bedroom! Lots of food, lots to share!
      Thanks for your comment, Henry! Take care!

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