Catalpa Tree

My Dad has a big catawba tree which he planted about twenty years ago in his backyard. (Just found out that it came from his brother, George, so it came from Toccoa, Georgia - just like my Daddy and me!)  You will see it spelled this way and pronounced this way, but it is really "Catalpa" and it is a native tree.   It is also called Indian bean tree and fish bait tree.  The fruits of the tree are long and bean like and was well known by Native Americans, but why is is also called fish bait tree?  The catalpa tree is a native American tree that is known mostly to fishermen...

Catalpa bignoniodes 

The sphinx moth lays eggs on this tree and they hatch into very large caterpillars.  These caterpillars drop off onto the ground and they are very highly prized as bait for catfish!  Here's an amazing thing about this tree, some years the caterpillars might completely eat every single leaf off this tree and yet, this does not harm the tree! Isn't that something?  So, if you see this tree in the South with its large heart shaped leaves and worms are eating the leaves, leave them alone! And if you want to read a great piece about this, you may read it just here-Leave it be!

The word, "catalpa" is from the South, it is derived from the Cherokee language, one of the native American tribes who lived here. (There are Cherokees who still live in North Carolina, they are descended from the few who managed to escape from the forced Indian march to Oklahoma.  You do know about this, don't you? So many died on the way there, it is known as "The Trail of Tears".  Anyway, a great deal of our place names and plant names come from the Indians/Native Americans.)

Okay, where was I before I began thinking of the Cherokee and the forced march? Oh yes, the catalpa...

the Cherokees used to smoke the bean-like pod, they do look a bit like cigars.

Now, you all know how, for some reason, I seem to have an English connection to things. (I really don't look for this, it just happens.)

The oldest known specimen of the catalpa tree is in ...wait for it...

Reading, in Berkshire, England!  The catalpa tree there is about 150 years old, it is in a church graveyard there and it is a magnificent tree.  Reading about it (no pun intended, you pronounce the town "redding"), they tried to get rid of the old tree, and they planted a new one just beside it. Both trees are thriving!  The old one refuses to die!  The old tree is called the "trippy tree" as the hippies in the 60's and 70's used to smoke underneath it.  (I do wonder if they smoked the bean like pods, just as the Native Americans did?) Want to read about the trippy tree or catalpa tree in England?  Here is a link for you:

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Indian bean tree or "trippy tree" in Reading, England!

One thing, I would say to not plant this tree unless you have PLENTY of space, it is very messy, what with the worms and the very large leaves, but man oh man, it is one interesting tree!
This is just one more bit of knowledge from my Dad that I am sharing with you!  

My Dad just called me and told me to turn the TV on to the RFD channel, one of his favorites was on there...
Narvel Felts.  He might not be a household name but hey, if my Dad likes him, that's good enough for me.  

See the things you learn from me and my Dad?

Cucumber, Baby! (Cucumber baby)

pickling cucumbers- not very big but they taste good raw or pickled!

Cucumbers!  I grew these cucumber plants from organic seed and was pleased when they all came up!  Only thing, we have had very little rain so it has been a job to keep them alive!  They are beginning to really produce now, so I will either have to give some away or make pickles. How about both?  Yes, that's the ticket!

Looking up recipes for easy refrigerator pickles, I found quite a few that used a long list of pickling spices and ingredients but I found one that only used white vinegar, salt and sugar.  That is my kind of recipe!  I peeled and sliced just two cucumbers and put them into this pint jar with the liquid.  You are supposed to wait two days but hey, it looked too good so I had some on a sandwich the day that I made them and they were delicious!  

Kay's Pickles: 

1 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

(NOTE: I made more pickles and think I used 1 tsp. salt, whereas I had this as TWO teaspoons originally. Please,  I would taste the liquid and put it to your taste. Not meaning to steer you wrongly, I am just trying to remember how I made them! You could also use more sugar if you like!)

Stir in a large glass measuring cup until dissolved and then pour liquid into glass pint jar. Pack the cucumber slices into the jar. Place jar upon a crocheted cloth and admire! (Then, put the jar in the fridge and use within 2 weeks.)

You understand the first part of title post,  I am exclaiming to you that I have grown cucumbers but what does the second part mean?

When I was a little girl, my sister and I used to take cucumbers and wrap them up into a cloth and pretend they were our "babies" and we would cuddle them and hold them close.  (Did anyone else do that or is this just a very "country" type of thing that hardly anyone else has heard of?)

 I told one of my co workers about our pots of cucumbers and she seemed quite keen on the produce. I also told her about my cucumber baby days! So, what do you think...of course, I had to crochet a green and white cloth and wrap up a cucumber for her!

Cucumber, baby!  Cucumber baby!

(I love a play on words, don't you?)

Oh, and speaking of that...does this make you think of the expression, "cool as a cucumber"?  Did you know that the inside of a cucumber is about 20 degrees cooler than the outside temperature?

We have had had about 36 days with the temp over 90 degrees, so cucumbers are a very nice thing to have this year!

Hey, eat more cucumbers, especially home grown ones!

Wish I could send you all one! 

Victoria!

What in the world could take the place of "Downton Abbey" on Sunday nights on PBS?  How about an eight part series on Queen Victoria? That sounds good to me!  It looks as if this will be shown later this year in the U.K. but will shown in the USA sometime in 2017.  Hey, I have to keep up with my British shows, don't you know and I think it is my duty to pass along things like this to you!
In the United States, we sometimes get shows years after they are shown in England, but sometimes we get them fairly quickly.
We just saw the last episode of "Endeavour" here whereas it was shown last winter, I think, in the U.K.  (Love that series, by the way!)
It's funny, sometimes I will ask my in-laws in England about a particular show and they will have to think back, since it would have been shown there much earlier. Hey, it keeps them on their toes, they should thank me!

Queen Victoria was the longest reigning monarch but Queen Elizabeth just surpassed that mark recently.  I have shown you this mosaic of Queen Elizabeth before...made from pieces of cloth, it was displayed in her honour for the Queen's 60th Jubilee from 2012. (It was at the C&H Fabrics in Eastbourne.)  


Long live the Queen!   And don't forget to watch out for "Victoria" in 2017



Where did Queen Victoria keep her armies?
Up her sleevies! HA!  I got this from a Christmas Cracker!

Gathering Wheat (With A Cradle)- Make Hay While The Sun Shines

When I saw my Dad recently, we went for a drive.  He lives out in the country and there were lots of fields with fresh bales of hay.  "Make hay while the sun shines", I said.  He replied, "That's right! You can't make hay in the rain!"   Funny, if you look this up, you will find that many pithy proverbs are in other languages but this one seems to be limited to English, it is noted from 1546!

Whan the sunne shinth make hay. Whiche is to say.
Take time whan time cometh, lest time steale away.

One thing that truly surprised him, we saw several fields of wheat and the wheat had been rolled up just like the bales of hay!  He told me that he had never seen anything like that in his life. 

Later, I reminded him of the wheat and he told me the following:

When he was ten years old, it is was his job to collect the wheat from a five acre field.  He used a wheat cradle and he said it took him a couple of weeks to collect it all. (You might think I typed his age incorrectly but 10 years old would be correct. Farming is very hard work and the children were put to work early. Daddy has always been a very hard worker.)  

These yellow flowers turn into yellow squash! 

We have finally talked our Dad into having a smaller garden this year! When you get to your late 80's, it might be time to take it a little easier! This year, he planted a whole acre of sunflowers! Since we had very little rain at the beginning of the growing season, they didn't grow very tall, but their sunny faces are blooming now. 
Beautiful!  (Must tell you though, Daddy still has a "small" garden, by his standards anyway, growing cherry tomatoes "tommy toes!",
yellow squash and onions!)  He might not be growing his potatoes this year but I still have some that he canned, and they taste so very good!




My Dad has taken that expression to heart, "Make hay while the sun shines"!

Sanctuary (Holy Door of Mercy)

Are you aware that Pope Francis declared much of this year as a Jubilee Year of Mercy? (It began Dec. 8, 2015 and will end Nov. 20. 2016.)  In relation to this, there are several churches that are designated as Holy Doors of Mercy.  The Monastery here in Rockdale county was one of the churches chosen for this honor. 

If you would like to read more about the Holy Doors of Mercy and where they are located (they are all around the world!) you may read more about them just here. 

The word "Mercy" is quite often misunderstood. It is from a Hebrew word "chesed" and it is hard to translate. You may read more about it here.

Door to the Church of Monastery- A Holy Door of Mercy

Monastery Door At Christmas



Sanctuary...it is a word that comes to mind when I think of the Monastery.  Did you know that in Medieval England, a criminal could go to a church and would be protected from the law?  The legal term was called "sanctuary".  I remember reading that one had only to rest one's hand upon the door and no one could touch them.  (I have no idea if this was correct, but from the book that I was reading at the time, it made me look up the English law.)
"Sanctuary" from British history online.

Sanctuary was to be defined as within 40 days and if possible, come to an agreement with those who charged him with a crime. If this failed, he had to appear before the coroner, clothed in sackcloth, confess his crime and abjure the realm.
In 1529, in the year of Henry VIII, it was directed that "immediately after his confession, he would be branded upon the brawn of the thumb of his right hand with the sign of the letter A, to the extent he might be known among the king's subject to have abjured."


“This hear thou, Sir Coroner, that I ................................................... of ...................................................... am a ................................................... , and because I have done such evils in this land, I do abjure the land of our lord the King, and shall haste me towards the port of [mentioning a port named by the coroner], and that I shall not go out of the highway, and if I do, I will that I be taken as a robber and a felon of our lord the King, and that at such place I will diligently seek for passage, and that I will tarry there but one flood and ebb, if I can have passage; and unless I can have it in such a place, I will go every day into the seas up to my knees assaying to pass over, and unless I can do this within forty days, I will put myself again into the church as a robber and a felon of our lord the King, so God me help and His holy judgment.”


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Visiting the church at the Monastery and placing my hand upon the doors makes me understand the relief that those criminals must have felt.

Sanctuary: A sacred place, a place of refuge.

Thomas Paine/Lewes, East Sussex/Marcus Cornish

For many years, I have passed through Lewes on the train from Eastbourne to London. I always wanted to stop and see this town.  Last year, we were able to do so.  There is a ruin of a Norman castle there and also a house which was once owned by Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of Henry VIII.  (Quick, how many did he have? If you said "six", you are correct!)  I saw both of these places but I also wanted to see "The White Hart Hotel" which is where Thomas Paine spent a good amount of time expounding his opinions on freedom! (Richard and I were amused to find a pub in Lewes called "Rights of Man", named after one of Paine's most famous works.)

You do know Thomas Paine, don't you?  Please say that you do! He is considered to have had a strong influence on the American Revolution by his writings of essays and pamphlets. His life was really quite extraordinary even if in the end, rather sad. I have a link for you, you should read all about him just here.   

Thomas Paine had a series of pamphlets published in late 1776 in order to inspire the troops.  George Washington must have thought very highly of his writing as he had the following read out to them...

These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.

On our way back to the train station, my eye was caught by the most beautiful tree with bright yellow leaves.   Very happy that I insisted on a quick dash to see this tree because very close to it was this statue of Thomas Paine! I had no idea that this was here, it was just a happy accident to find it. (It was just in front of the very lovely Lewes Library.)

Looking into it, the man behind this amazing piece of art is Marcus Cornish.   (Have you seen a Paddington Bear statue at Paddington Station in London? That is also by Marcus Cornish.)

  Thomas Paine as a cornerstone...that seems just right for me.

"May you always be blessed with Love and Freedom."




Oh, and I forgot to mention.  Saw this on the news...  a bald eagle was tangled in a rope and was caught on a branch of a very high tree. It was too high for anyone to reach it, so a former soldier had a gun and...NO! He didn't kill the bird, he shot the branch enough times that the limb fell from the tree, thereby saving the bald eagle! He had to be careful, eagles are protected...had he shot the bird, he would have been in trouble!  Love that story, had to tell you...here is a link army vet with incredible story of bird rsecue.

Braves/Marlins Game- July 3rd, 2016- Fort Bragg "Build It, They Will Come"

Baseball!  You might not have any interest in sports at all but please, bear with me and let you tell you something.  If I say, "build it and they will come", do you know that quote?  It is from a great movie starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta, Jim Earl Jones and ...wait for it... BURT LANCASTER!  It is the 1989 film, "Field of Dreams".  If you have not seen it, what are you waiting for?  Now, this same phrase "Build it and and they will come" is also being used for a very special event.  Tomorrow, on Sunday evening (July 3rd)  in the USA at 8PM Eastern time on ESPN,  there will be a regular season game  played at a military installation, Ft. Bragg in North Carolina! Yes, you read that correctly! This is really an extraordinary thing!  The game will be between the Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins.   What a great way to celebrate Independence Day and to honor the military!  Both teams will also play games on July 4th (the Braves in Philadelphia against the Phillies and Miami to New York against the Mets) but I can just imagine how honored they must feel to be the teams chosen to play this special game in front of the nation's heroes at Fort Bragg.  (After this game the field will be converted to a softball field and will be used for the military and their families.)

Thank you, my friends from other countries for reading this post even if you know nothing of baseball! It is a beautiful game,  Just ask my Dad if you don't believe me, he is the expert! 


You all know "Field of Dreams", don't you?  If not, you know I have a clip for you!  Ah, that Kevin...here he is in all his 1980's glory!  Love you, Kev!  Hey, guess what, I have his autograph and besides his name, he wrote, "See you at the movies".  Isn't that wonderful? What a sweetie! And hey, I loved him in his Robin Hood movie, didn't you?  No attempt at an English accent, you gotta love it!