I’ve tried for weeks now to get this blog started up again. I felt like I should say something about my daughter since her death notice was the last thing I posted. I’ve tried, but I can’t write about Beth and what an amazing person she was in a simple blog post. I can’t and I won’t….I’m just going to try and move on.

Anne and I have sort of channeled part of our grief into our garden. We’re harvesting arugula, chard, spinach, and some outstanding strawberries. Plus, the green beans, squash, zuccini, cucumbers, nasturtiums, asparagus, peppers, tomatoes and onions are all up and healthy….the rain plus some increase in our knowledge of organic gardening is really paying off.

One of the things I’m learning from this is a new respect for the small farmer. My garden is a hobby. If I choose not to work in it one or two days because of the weather, it’s no big deal. Farmers don’t have that luxury. They’re out there 7 days a week in every kind of weather trying to eke out a living and provide us with some of the things we need to sustain life. I’m beginning to find local sources for a lot of good to excellent food. Once I have a few more, I’ll post a list for local beef, poultry, pork, lamb, produce, eggs, cheese and any other supplier of locally grown or made goods I think you might find useful. This down economy is far from over and our neighbors need our support. Without them, our quality of life will greatly suffer.

As I’ve said before, think globally, but buy locally.

One other thing. My computer crashed during the worst period and I still have to replace a lot of software…..like the program I need for my photography. I’m taking the shots and will post them as soon as I can.

On March 9, Anne and I lost our only child, our precious daughter Beth. After a 30 year battle with diabetes which led to partial blindness, kidney failure, and failed organ transplants, her fragile body finally gave up. As much as I would like to tell you about her and how special she was, it is still too soon. The tears have not stopped and I just can’t do it right now. Anne and I would like to thank the hundreds of friends and relatives who have contacted us during this most difficult time. If you would like to see what others thought, or you would like to make a donation to the two charities Beth actively supported, please go to www.hinesrinaldifuneralhome.com . In the obituary search space enter Elizabeth Gatti.

I will resume my blog in a few days. In the mean time, I thank you for your continued support and patience.

In the year and a half that Anne and I have lived here full time, we’ve had some some really good times. Usually they involved either music or food, and the best of them involved both. Friday night was one of those times. We drove over to Floyd to have dinner at the new Over the Moon Cafe and to listen to the music of the Bernie Coveney Trio. It would have been worth the two hour round trip to do either, but the combination of the two made the evening special.

Bernie is a musician’s musician, and he’s played with many of the great ones. He, along with fiddle player Martin Scudder and bassist Tom Klingelhoffer, perform a unique fusion that blends jazz, bluegrass, American roots, and country with a little rock ‘n roll and gypsy guitar thrown in for good measure. Much of the music features Bernie’s own lyrical compositions. For better than two hours we were taken on a musical journey by three accomplished musicians who appeared to be having just as much if not more fun than their appreciative audience.

All you foodies out there take note. There’s a new sheriff in town, and if Friday night’s meal of American tapas (small plates) is any indication of things to come, we have a new destination restaurant. Shana Criner, a regional executive with Subway Restaurants, is the new proprietor of the Over the Moon Gallery Cafe. She and her staff are developing a menu based on locally sourced and seasonal products. The small but focused wine list features several excellent selections from Floyd County wineries. They also offer a nice variety of micro brewed beer, and baked goods that are to die for.

Based on one visit to each restaurant, I consider the food at Over the Moon to be far superior to the more famous Harvest Table near Abingdon. Not only is the food better, it is also a much better value. Additionally, the Cafe Gallery showcases the work of local artists and craftsmen, some of which is museum quality. I’ll have more to say about this little jewel after I’ve had a chance to visit a few more times, but I urge you to give them a try, you won’t be disappointed.

As I’ve said before, I’m not much of a winter person, so the arrival of the first blooms of the year always gives me a much needed emotional boost. The crocuses pictured above actually pushed their cheery little blooms up two weeks ago. Judging from their location, I suspect we have some hard working squirrel to thank. Crocuses are not native to this area, and their location on a wild slope behind our humble little cottage leads me to believe they were planted by other than human hands.

The past few weeks have given us some warmer days, including a couple of 70 plus degrees. Daffodils, irises, and day lilies are all showing their tips, and fresh chives are sprouting in their pot on the porch. Sage, oregano, and thyme are starting to green up, and it looks like one of the rosemary plants may have survived January’s sub-zero temperatures.

Spring arrives on March 20 this year and in case you can’t tell, I’m chafing at the bit. In a few weeks, our onion sets and lettuce seeds can go in the ground. I’ve begun the annual clean up of winter debris, and I plan to start prepping the garden soil this next week. I’m as ready as I’ve ever been, and as soon as Mother Nature gives her go ahead smile, I plan to get busy. 22 days and counting.

Sometimes, the majesty of these mountains we call home can take your breath away. The sense of history, both manmade and geological is all around us. A simple drive can take you back to another time. I think because most of us are involved with the activities of day to day living, we tend to forget just how special this place is. As you go about your business today, take a moment to consider just how lucky we are.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve been about as entertained by winter as I care to be. These last few days of warmer weather have provided a nice respite, but I fear it’s like half-time in a lopsided ballgame….. some serious ass-kicking still awaits us in the second half.

I’ve had a particularly difficult time with Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD) this year as evidenced by the fact that I haven’t posted anything in almost two months. SAD is sometimes referred to as the “winter blues”. I suppose if I had been able to write about it, I might have felt a little better, but metaphorically speaking, it’s difficult to type from the fetal position with one’s thumb in one’s mouth. The news doesn’t help either. Five minutes of listening to CNN is enough to make you want to drive south until your hat floats.

As our economy continues to deteriorate, we need to give serious consideration as to how we spend our money. LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESSES NEED OUR SUPPORT. Even during the best of times, these businesses have a difficult time competing with the national chains. Nowhere is this more evident than the restaurant business. Restaurants operate on very thin margins, and often four or five customers a day determine whether a place stays open or not. Instead of having lunch at Subway, go to Fran’s Deli. The sandwiches at Fran’s are not only twice as good, they’re cheaper.

You want a burger and shake? Screw McDonald’s, go to Burger Express. A chilidog from New River General or Skeeter’s beats the dickens out of Hardee’s. The next time you take the family out to dinner, take them to Virginia Heights instead of KFC. These folks are our neighbors, and as times continue to worsen, we’re going to need our neighbors to make it through.

Speaking of neighbors, there is one other thing that has been on my mind lately. I’d like to thank all the booger-eating inbreds around here for continuing to trash our roadsides with their litter. I’m just thrilled that more of our tax dollars have to be spent to pick up your crap. I hope the next time you go home, your momma runs out from beneath the front porch and bites you on the leg. A couple of weeks ago, Kevin Engler, a state senator from Missouri, introduced a bill to make littering a capital offense. Said Engler, “I think that if we kill just a couple of people that we catch, the rest will catch on.” Engler later withdrew the bill saying he was just joking to make a point. I’m not so sure he shouldn’t have left it for a vote.

I’m pretty sure Anne didn’t set out to string the lights on the fir tree in the front yard to resemble a maniacal horror movie killer-clown, I figure she just got lucky. It seems that no one has any chili pepper lights this year, and we need more than the five strands we have. So after a trip to a very picked over WallyWorld, we bought the only red lights we could find, and the rest is just serendipity. Here’s wishing you the tackiest of holidays.

Forgive me for the picture. Part of the wreath was in shadow, and part of it was in sun. However, my lousy picture should not take away from Anne’s excellent wreath. She collected the cones from this tree in the front yard, (said tree soon to be swathed in red chili pepper lights)

attached them to some grapevines twisted into a circle, and tied the ribbon in a nice bow. The first decoration of the Christmas season is up. Since I plan to prune the pinetrees this week, I predict a house full of pine boughs soon. We’re thinking of getting a balled tree this year to be planted after the holidays.

We had a great time Thanksgiving, though the Little Prince and Heir Apparent decided he didn’t want his picture taken, so every time the camera was pointed at him, he did this:

No, seriously……everytime.

In Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Mock Turtle sings the praises of “soup of the evening, beautiful soup!” The very word soup conjures up a feeling of soothing comfort. And whereas chilled summer soups are just fine, it is the hearty winter soups that we most identify with.

Soup has been a part of American diets since Colonial days, when it was often served for breakfast. Served with a salad and bread, it can be a complete lunch or dinner. The best thing about soup is that practically anything can be used to make it.

Cookbooks will tell you that the basis for any good soup is the stock or broth. Then they proceed to try to guilt trip you into making your own, which can be very time consuming and require more time and effort than most of us have.There are a number of very good canned stocks and soup bases available. I recommend Swanson’s for the canned variety and Minor’s (available locally at King’s Produce) for a base. These stocks can be improved by the additon of onions, carrots, celery, bay leaf, herbs, and meat scraps. Just saute any additions in a little oil to bring out the flavor before adding the liquid. Simmer for 15 minutes to a half hour and strain if you want a plain broth or leave them in if they work in your recipe.

I made the smoked sausage and potato soup pictured above in about a half hour. It’s very simple to make and tastes fantastic.

Ingredients

For each person:

1/2 Idaho baking potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1 6 inch piece of your favorite smoked sausage cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
2 TBS each of  chopped onion, celery, and carrot
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 small bay leaf
2 TBS of heavy cream or half and half
salt and cracked pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Film the bottom of a pre-heated pot with just enough olive oil (or vegetable oil) to prevent sticking and saute the smoked sausage until it begins to brown. Remove the sausage and add the onions, celery, and carrot and cook until the onions are clear. Add the stock, bay leaf and thyme, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. At this point, I use a stick blender to puree the vegetables, but this step is not necessary. It’s just my personal preference. If you do, remove the bay leaf first, then put it back in. Add the sausage and potatoes, cover and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Mash a few of the potatoes against the side of the pot to thicken the soup and add the cream. Simmer an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and cracked pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf, ladle into a bowl, sprinkle with chopped parsley and dig in!

The tough put on wool socks and long johns underneath their jammies. Man oh man has the weather been rough here on the Creek lately. The days have alternated between sunny and cold, overcast and cold, and windy and cold. The nights have just been freezing cold… colder than a witch’s breaststisties. But hey, it’s the price you pay for living in our Blue Ridge paradise. I took the camera out a couple of times and wandered around the ol’ homestead. Here are some of the results:

At one point, I thought about titling this post “Dead Flowers” after the Townes VanZandt song.

I also found some interesting looking berries, which I have not had time to identify. So if any of you know what they are, please let me know.

And finally, here is

A WOMAN WHO IS OUTSTANDING IN HER FIELD

Ok, that’s it for now. Anne and I along with the cat and dog are headed up to Maryland where I’m fixing dinner for our little family group. The Heir Apparent has annouced he is only eating sweet potatoes with the marshmellows on top and jellied cranberry sauce. Sigh…….

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!