My Dad made this walking cane. In the photo on the right, he is holding it up and saying, "It was growing just like this in the woods and I took one look at it and thought, 'Why, that's a walking stick' ". He made it many years ago for HIS mother, who lived to be 96 years old. She used it for over 20 years. It is truly a beautiful object, such a useful thing and made with great love.
SIX kinds of greens in Daddy's winter garden! They are: purple top turnip greens, 7 top turnip greens, curly leaf mustard greens, rutabagas, Florida mustard greens and collards. (Collards is from the word "coleworts" which is a type of wild cabbage.)
On New Year's Day, we had a "mess" of greens from this garden, of course! (Daddy always calls it a mess of greens. Is it called this in any other part of the country or is it a Southern thing?)
You eat greens and black eyed peas on New Year's Day...the greens will mean that you will have money, the peas will bring you luck!
Which is better to have, luck or money? I would like both myself - no need in having money if you have bad luck and lose it!
See the bucket with the stick at the edge of the field of greens?
I might have showed you this before....it is to deter the deer. They look at it and think that it is the barrel of a shotgun and it makes them go away. (Hopefully!)
These photos were taken in November and you might be able to see how extremely dry it was...the red Georgia clay was just pure dust, I tell you! So, how could the greens look so good? One word...watering!!!
In the extreme drought, Daddy had to water them very single day.
("You might not can tell"...that might be an unusual combination of words in English but it is the way that my Dad and I speak, so I am leaving it that way!)
That's a photo of Joan above...no wait, that's Queen Elizabeth!
This is Joan, my stylish mother-in-law from England! You can see how I would make this mistake, both of them lovely ladies!
Such lovely walking stick - both of them. And I completely understood each and every sentence. My grandmother called them a 'mess' of greens too. However, I'm not a fan of them. Sorry. Actually, they would probably taste better if a big dollop of bacon grease was put in them. That's the way she did it. :-)
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I only like my Dad's. He knows how to perfectly clean them. "I look EVERY leaf!" And he does too!
DeleteLovely to see your comment here, Kay! :-)
I am wondering what wood the walking stick is made of. And the greens sound mostly good. Mustard greens seem fuzzy to me so I do not eat them often. I believe mess of greens is a Southern expression but we have sort of adopted it all over the country.
ReplyDeleteI just talked to my Dad today and I meant to ask him! When I do, I will go back and put in what kind of tree it was made from! I read that "mess" is also used as measure of food in the Bible! "Mess of pottage". Should have looked that up before I typed my post, right?)
DeleteI love your dad's walking cane! He certainly has the most unique one I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteIt is one of a kind, just like my Dad! :-)
DeleteA well-used, well-loved walking stick is always a thing of beauty. I do envy your Dad his garden, we're just too swampy to have things grow that well.
ReplyDeleteAH, we could have used a bit of a swamp this year. We were so grateful when it finally rained, I can't tell you how much!
DeleteThey are lovely ladies, your dad is a very handsome gent, and i love the way he can make and do and grow things! If i could, i'd enjoy taking lessons from him on everything from canning to gardening to just life in general.
ReplyDeleteThere is a small college near to him and I wish the college knew that someone that has farmed for decades lives so close to the campus, he could teach them so much!
DeleteI love that walking stick that your grandmother used. Amazing. Your MIL is lovely and I can tell she is a sweet person, too.
ReplyDeleteYep -my gramma always said a 'mess of greens', too. She was from PA. His gardens look great and what a wonderful 'mess of greens' there.
I hope you have a wonderful night and rest of the weekend- xo Diana
Diana! Your Green Bay Packers won! What a game that was!
DeleteNow, they will play the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday.
Oh dear, now you know I will have to root for the Falcons, my friend!
Your Dad's walking stick is made from such a beautiful wood. And wow to all those greens! Love the idea that deer are clever enough to stay away from a stick that might be a gun - or is that stupid enough?? X
ReplyDeleteHey Julie! Lovely to see your comment here!!
DeleteI know, it makes you feel a bit sad to know that the deer must have seen a lot of guns sticking up that when they see a stick like that, it looks like a gun to them!
You would love to see and eat from my Dad's garden.
We had some rutabagas from his garden for our dinner tonight!
A lovely pair of sticks! Your Dad is great out there watering his plants, I hope they all taste delicious!
ReplyDeleteThat was a lot of hot work watering those plants during the drought! And the greens were wonderful!
DeleteWhat a great garden of greens, looks so healthy. I am sure it keeps your father fit and healthy looking after it as well as eating the greens. The walking sticks are both beautiful, and I especially love the hand made one. What an heirloom!
ReplyDeleteYou know, growing your own veggies must be better for you! And I know that Daddy enjoys using the cane that he made for his mother, he shows me the marks on it where she used to hold the screen door from slamming!
DeleteLike you, I am always so pleased when an object is useful and beautiful at the same time. This may sound strange, but I strive to be that, too: Useful and beautiful. Of course, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, and we might all define usefulness a little different, but we have some basic common standards, I believe.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful that your Dad uses his mother's walking stick, the one he made for her many years ago!
Also, his greens look great, and I bet they are seved most tastily!
You have reminded me of a quote by William Morris: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful".
DeleteYou know how great my Dad is, and now you have seen the walking stick that he made and now uses himself!
And you are correct as always, the greens are served mot tastily! :-)
What beautiful crops! I have some collards left from New Year's that I plan to cook today.
ReplyDeleteLovely story about the walking stick and your mother-in-law is very lovely.
Collards, don't you love that the word comes from "cole worts"?
DeleteMy mother in law will read this and I am thinking she will like to read your comment! Thank you!
Even though dry and dusty, it would be wonderful to have some fresh greens growing to eat. By November here the frost and cold ended our growing season.Love the walking sticks, I have one I use when hiking. Hope you have a wonderful Sunday!
ReplyDeleteThank you, MA!! Hope you have a great week ahead!
DeleteA homemade walking cane. What a great family keepsake! I can see the resemblance. I did not know there was royalty in Georgia!
ReplyDeleteMy husband is very elegant, I do wonder if he has royal blood! Me, I am as common as mud! :-)
DeleteYour post brought back memories of my Mother-in-law who made the best greens. She was a southern gal from Florida and I loved her cooking. She passed away in 2000 and I miss her. I think Joan is much prettier than the Queen..shhh..don't tell Her Highness! Walking sticks are so fun and those are pretty. I have a spot near our deck where we have homemade walking sticks lined up for a walk in the Creepy Woods. The Grandkiddos find them and we use them until they break or we find others more interesting and switch them out! Have a good week!
ReplyDeleteI am sure that Joan will read this and I am also sure that she will be very tickled to read your comment!!
DeleteI love the thought of your walking sticks lined up for walks in the Creepy Woods!
Hope you have a great week too!!
Your father is a very creative man - the cane, the stick in the bucket.
ReplyDeleteIt is also endearing to see you still actively blogging and thinking of so many topics to share to your readers :)
OH, how lovely to see your comment! I also am glad to see that YOU are blogging still! I find so many things I want to share, it is quite a problem for me to which ones to write about!
DeleteMy Dad is an amazing kind of guy, he really does know a lot, wish I knew half as much! :-)
I think I would rather have incredible luck than a lot of money. You can use the luck to win money. Those walking canes are beautiful. It's incredible they're hand made and you can tell the craftsmanship that went into them, least of all because they still look so good after all this time.
ReplyDeleteWe think the same way, Mark! (You should be very afraid! HA!) Now, only my Dad's was handmade, the one that is in England was bought at a shop but you can see that it is well made and also beautiful!
DeleteI do admire the walking sticks and your father's quick eye to see that one was a walking stick "in the wild". The greens look wonderful. We ate a lot of spinach when I was growing up, but I never had collard greens until I was in my '60s and our CSA had them. I love them!Also, we don't have the custom of greens and black-eyed peas on New Years Day. I learned about that on another blog from a North Carolina man living in France. I still haven't had black eyed peas. I should try them. We eat a lot of other kinds of beans....
ReplyDeleteOnly this weekend, I was beside him on his golf cart and he pointed out some trees that he wants to make into more walking sticks! Black eyed peas are wonderful, but you MUST eat them with cornbread, it is a requirement!!
DeleteThe same goes for greens, they must be eaten with cornbread and my Dad puts onions in his cornbread and it is to die for, it is SO good! x
Oh my word - what an enormous amount of greens. Does your Dad supply the whole of Conyers?!! I love the walking sticks - your Dad has a very good eye for shapes growing in the woods.
ReplyDeleteNow, my Dad does not live in Conyers but in a small town about 30 miles away but you are right, he eats the greens, he is able to can some of them but you know what...he GIVES most of them away! I told you my Dad is the best. xx
DeleteOld school craftsmanship, farm planning and hard graft always wins the day. Nice to see some heat even if its only in your photos. Not so toasty here.
ReplyDeleteOur weather, today our temp was so high, it broke a record set in 1882! (I think it was 79.)
DeleteIt's a bit unsettling this weather and we don't need anything to add to our anxiety what with the inauguration coming up!
I love that walking stick crafted by your Dad. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lee! Wish you could meet my Dad, he can make anything and he's avoid cook too! Like you!
DeleteSo nice to see craftsmanship, thanks for the lovely photo's.
ReplyDeleteA super selection of greens, you just can't beat them.
Good wishes for 2017
All the best Jan
Hey Jan! I didn't say this in my post but both my Dad and mother in law are diabetics! They both look great don't they!
DeleteA great post, as always, Kay. My Dad made me my walking stick.
ReplyDeleteHello John,
DeleteLovely to see your comment here, my friend. Your Dad made you a walking stick, was it after you had spent time in hospital when you were so young? I love that he did that for you.
Sorry I haven't visited any blogs this week, very much under the weather but I hope to be over this soon. :-)
Your mother-in-law is a very elegant lady to be sure. I love the walking canes too. Both are beautiful in their own way.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kay, you have reminded me of your elegant mother!
DeleteWhen I saw Joan's walking cane, I just had to take a photo of it and share it with you along with my Dad's that he had made years ago for his mother, both of them special to me because they are used by people I love. x
I can see why your dad thought that would make a good walking stick. It's half way made itself! Your mother in law is a fine looking woman. I hope you're feeling better Kay and don't have the flu that seems to be plagueing so many people!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad has a good way of noticing things! And Joan is like a model, she and Peter both!
DeleteI am much better, it was just a bad reaction to the shot I had at my physical. I am sure it was worth it, I keep telling myself!