tiny prayer

Ken,

Here are some pics I promised, aren't they just wondrous??? I'm amazed that I was aware enough to notice, although I had seen the nest earlier in the year and was shocked to see that my bird tape I use to scare off the birds was used in the construction of the nest!!!
OK, now if you will, perhaps think of this quote along with the pics. We are this too, singers of life...

...Till suddenly they took heart and sang from many throats joyously together as birds are known to sing. They sang because life is sweet and sunshine beautiful. They sang under the brooding shadow of the raven. In simple truth they had forgotten the raven, for they were the singers of life, and not of death.
Loren Eiseley

(And last evening, I was so worried about these babies...the winds had almost blown down their sunflower jungle, how would they ever survive a storm and more rain?! I picked up an umbrella, intending to somehow position it over their little nest, hoping to secure it some way...when I spied their mama, their little tiny fortified Fort Knox of a mother spread eagled out across them, her wings stretched all the way over the little nest. With wind in her face and rain pounding her feathers, she faced the downpour like a Marine...forever true she was.) I'm hoping this morning still comes up and shines on that nest and all of it's occupants. That's my little tiny prayer for this day. Amen.

Take care-

tending July

I will paint in remembrance, and portray him


in frame less pictures, large as life


long as the sky


vivid as the sun



and dark as the darkest canyon, I hope I never fully explore...



he wouldn't want that-

"Save joy"
he would say.

Darn kids

(mailbox before the assault...)


Good morning...looked like rain behind the rainbow I caught sight of this morning- and no camera in tow, me in my pocket less airplane pajama pants, walking down the road- following a trail.

Some poor misguided foolish kids knocked my mailbox over last night- I live on a dead end road, and apparently am too heavy of a sleeper to have reacted correctly to the commotion of Retrievers retreating with snarling barks and heavy growls. I do recall hearing that commotion...but the coyotes around here take full advantage of the cover of corn fields creeping right up to my fence line...so close to the chickens and yet, guarded by the aforementioned dogs who unwelcome the wild with a presence fearful enough- wild paws do not dare traipse across the boundaries of a more civilized land.

So- in a nutshell, coyotes and dogs cause turbulence almost every night here, mailbox smashing idiots most likely go unnoticed- and they did. But- they were driving a pickup I suspect by their muddy tire treads, an off road type, judging by the size of the tires. So inexperienced were they, and quite a bit messy...I suppose I could follow along their trail of smashed up postal posts and figure out just about who they were- as they have left behind all kinds of clues. Not to mention this is a small town, people talk...these kids probably boasted around quite a bit about their misdeeds. My own teens may travel in some of those circles...they're not angels, my young 'uns- but I'd certainly hope they'd never destroy the property of another or do faceless senseless, cowardly things in the middle of the night.

I can fix my post without a moments hesitation, but what of the elderly and infirmed out here in the big country? Something like a smashed mailbox could tie them up a bit, not many come to the simple aid of country neighbors these days. Geez, you know where I'm going with this...I mean, I have a drill and am able bodied enough to go around and make sure my neighbors, the ones incapable of fixing slight construction jobs- at the very least might get their mail today. As if I don't have enough to do...though, you just never know what good you might do or what hope one might instill by simple acts of fixing something. During this hell week, it would sure do me good to do someone else good...lemme help.
(I always liked that lyric from that song...I'll yodel or Tarzan call in a group presence of your choosing if you can come up with the name of that song and the singer...bit of trivia here, I'm stumped.)

Darn kids.

Take care-

shine mostly, deah...

Well, it is the dog days of July and to me...the coldest days of the year. But...into each life some rain must fall, though lately, it feels like monsoon season around here. I've got a court date this morning, which means I have to shave my legs and AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!- put on a dress. Walk in- head held high, no tears- no siree, I'll be a statue of strength...until I get in my big old green beauty of a truck and drive away. Once home- I will unleash my torrential emotional downpour on the weeds. Yep. With all this rain, how fast the weeds grow. And tonight, Blueberry wine from Maine, no less...all the way from a friend who says "You shine mostly, deah." He has not experienced my July days defeats, and just when I thought that I had this whole thing figured out-life versus death and life going on and on and on...I crumble like a cookie left in the oven toooo long. So, if you're feeling low and things just don't work out like you thought they would...do not- I repeat DO NOT listen to Etta James- that woman just belts out the blues like a knockout punch. Bam-down you'll go...may I suggest instead, listen to "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" by Flogging Molly. Best line- "I"m OK, I'm alright-though you have gone from my life, you said that it would, now everything should- be alright." Ok, got that? Now- repeat it, loud, scream it if you must...make the driver in the other lane shift uncomfortably in his seat, his gaze fixed on the traffic light...wondering if it will ever turn green.
"If I ever leave this world alive, I'll thank ya for the things you did in my life...If I ever leave this world alive, I'll come back and sit beside your feet tonight, where ever I am you'll always be, more than just a memory...if I ever...leave this world alive."

Cheers. Take care today-

living proof

Me and The Eagle

A whole lot can come from nothing

I was living proof-

you're doing good if you've got your self

four walls and a roof.

If you give up the time

your soul will play the song,

do what you feel is right

and don't do nobody wrong.

Don't pay no mind to critics

they'll say what they'll say.

You need to care more about your work

than you do about your pay.

Be careful where you tread

'cause you'll always leave some tracks,

but if you take some wrong roads

ain't no sense in looking back.

Watch the name you live up to

you may have to live it down-

cause once you start to fly

it's hard to see the ground.

Don't let anyone tell you

who you are, or what you'll be.

Be your own man

and live your life accordingly.

Don't burn all your bridges

you might have to cross them again.

Make sure you know the people

and the crowd you're hanging in.

Anything worth doing

is worth doing right-

including causing trouble

and picking out your fights.

There are only two things for sure-

one is life and then there's death.

Make your dreams come true

and YOU decide the rest.

CPL Beau "Dirt" Robbins, USMC

7/14/82-7/26/03

Beauregards Farm-Market Newsletter July 2008

Oooooooh boys....it's hot!!!! From a song, in the seventies...you remember the 70's??? Oh, never mind...but it is hot! The lettuce is slowly wilting right in the field, requiring a plunge into some freshly drawn well water to bring it back to life- and the radishes are far too hot for most tastes. (Pithy too...) Tomatoes are swelling, their weight cracking some of the stems not made ready to support them yet. And the darn peppers...what is going on with the peppers???? Could it be that the wetness and coolness of June stunted their growth and they're still pouting? Yep, I think that may be the problem. I'll just have to spoil them a bit with extra heat loving mulch and clay field tiles around their middles so they'll warm up to me.
Even though it is mid-summer, and moist and humid and about the only thing we have to look forward too in this sweltering heat is the Illinois State Fair ('cause we all take it in stride, the "fair" weather is nothing but extreme)...we still like to grill, do we not? And it is something we do together, right??? Women are multi-taskers, by golly-- we can grill and cook and shuck the corn all at the same time....but, speaking for myself- usually something suffers in the meal and it's usually the grill cooked dish. Because, I do believe- grilling is for the single minded, the highly aware, the-stay-on-task-or-you'll-burn-it-kind of guy or gal. So- you grill conscious folks....here are a couple of recipes that you just might fall in love with...or maybe redeem yourself after that last episode of steaks burning and volunteer firefighters showing up.....
Take care!

Tarragon Shrimp
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1- 2 cloves fresh garlic(be bold, use 3-4...)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt and white pepper(black is fine...)
1 pound cooked shrimp, (41-50 per pound)
2 tablespoon French tarragon, chopped
In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and mix well. Add the shrimp and tarragon, mix well. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Place shrimp over a bed of mixed greens. Serves 4.
I start a bed of coals, wait till they're about medium in heat, put the shrimp on(using a mesh basket or small grated pan) just heat through with singe marks and oh my goodness...heaven on a bed of greens.

Thee Most Tantalizing Taste For The Grill...(You'll see)
Chicken, Pork or Lamb works well here...
1 Cup Honey (Local honey is the best and good for your immune system...)
1/2 Cup Mustard(any kind, reallly...use Plochmans or that fancy stuff someone gave you for Christmas....)***Add more to taste...
1 Stick of Butter
Garlic cloves(use about as much as you would if vampires were hovering....say- several cloves anyway)
and here is the secret ingredient....
1 Tablespoon good Curry(I know, I know- you're hubby won't eat it...try this, he will.)***Add more to taste...

Place your meat in a pan with sides so that morsels are laid side by side, mix up the above recipe, pour over meat. Let sit for 1 hour to overnight. Place on medium coals, basting meat with drippings from pan. Even teenagers like this and will say so...it's just something different and so delectable...truly.(If it rains...shove the whole thing in the oven for 1 hour at 375, or until juices run clear.)


Every so often, I will add a newsletter...'cause I only have time enough to think long and hard a little...the wheels are always turning about something. Thank you all for being so kind, so considerate, so eerily interested in truly the mundane...Ha.

Be well...and market-ply. Hmmmm....maybe I should sleep more....

thaw point

This is the official 101 blog post! Can you believe it?! Who knew, when I started with "Chainsaw Reaction" that I'd find subtle little things to write about in 100 different ways!!! My oh my...life is just one big learning experience, graduating means nothing in terms of what each day after brings you, and many of those lessons are painful though thankfully, not permanent in their delivery.

And what has life taught you in the last year? It seems many of us are awakening to a new beginning in terms of being more aware of our food, our environment...each other. I was always such an independent sort...the last few years have taught me that interdependence is the key. I don't know where I'd be without the friends who have walked with me, talked with me, carried me, stood up for me and sometimes sat silently with me...holding my hand. No man is an island, and if he thinks he is...how lonely his shore must be. I have encountered so many wonderful souls lately, I don't know...maybe the moon is working with me, or the tides have changed in such a way that all who should gather together find their way to one another. I'm just saying, it seems like harmony- small get togethers, simple dinners, sitting on the swing, listening to sweet music, conversing with the younger sect- dwells within all of us and sometimes swirls all around, bringing a common need to the activity at hand. Or...maybe that's what summer is for, not sweltering heat to be endured, but harmonious hearts reaching their thaw point...melting away the cold remembrances, opening up to new, warm beginnings. I don't know about you, but when I'm experiencing something marvelous, good beyond all reasons and seasons...it only gets better to share such things with another. Maybe that's what it means when it is said that love always creates...

Take care-