The Bell

Three hundred and sixty four years ago a man named Basho wrote...

The temple bell stops
but the sound keeps coming
out of the flowers.

Basho (1644-94)
(translated by Robert Bly)

If you listen very closely, I think you can still hear something...is it singing?

My long time friend, Carol, is visiting for the weekend. She came up from Sacramento, yesterday. Carol and I met in high school and she was my bridesmaid when I got married 44 years ago. That was in the 60's. What a time it was. We have gone through a lot together and even though we spent many years apart, we always found each other again.
The weather has cooled off and last night we stood outside and watched, in awe, at the beautiful full moon, rising over the eastern mountains. We have shared a lifetime of experiences, from a little house in the Pygmy Forest of Mendocino to a farm in the foothills of Amador County, so last night it seemed right to share the full moon rising.

I have asked her to do a guest post for me. She said "Yes" so...., my friend..., you're on.

Carol's Post

Some wise person, I don't know who, wrote "there are no coincidences in the universe..." and so I can't say what a strange coincidence it is to be asked to write about a poem translated by Robert Bly. I've often been moved by, irritated with or in awe of his poetry. What a mixture of confidence, profound respect and linguistic ability must have gone into his decision to attempt these translations from the Japanese.

As for myself, I think I'll just wander outside again into the Farm Lady's garden and watch the late summer roses fade.

Vintage Thursday: A special gift.

Remember my dear friend "D" who came down here when my Mom passed away. Well, many years ago, when she came back from her travels one summer ( June of 59'), she brought me this bible. It is the most beautiful bible I have ever seen. It's covered with mother of pearl and leather and says on the Licence page...
In terms of the Letters Patent granted by Her late Majesty Queen Victoria to Her Printers for Scotland, and the Instructions issued by her said Majesty in Council, dated Eleventh July Eighteen Hundred and Thirty- nine. I hereby License and authorise Messrs. William Collins Sons and Company Limited, One hundred and forty four Cathedral Street, Glasgow, to print and publish, as by the authority of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the second, an Edition of the Holy Bible in Times Ruby Type..., dated at Edinburgh the fourteenth day of April, Nineteen Hundred and Fifty Eight..., and it's signed W. R. Milligan- lord Advocate.
A few of the mother of pearl pieces are missing now but it's still in very good condition.

The illustrations are just wonderful and there are maps of the holy land in the back. I have taken good care of this bible for 50 years and it's one of my prized possessions. "D" brought it back from Jerusalem and told me that it had been blessed on Jesus' tomb. I remember thinking, at the time, that this was very cool.
I always wonder if some of these many bibles that were written in different languages lost some meaning in translation and I have my doubts about the accuracy of them, as a whole, but something that has lasted for 2000 years can't be completely dismissed and it's a fascination to me that each translation can still be so interesting.
I'm sure there is an argument for and against every interpretation. To me this small bible represents more than a history of a people that lived 2000 years ago; it's also speaks of life, struggle, belief and faith in something much larger than any of us understand and yet something as fundamental as a friendship that has weathered time..., and the need for connections , memories and love. To me , this beautiful little bible is filled with the "holiness" of each life that has been touched by it and in that respect..., it's invaluable.

Please stop by Colorado Lady's blog for more vintage things. If you like "Vintage", you'll love the list of blogs that have something to show you.

Artwork: Picasso Bean, Baby Bean and Beautiful Innocence

The Bean is Learning to Swim

"If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams,

....and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined,

one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." ~ Henry David Thoreau~

Sister Visit

Sis called and asked if she could come up for the weekend. Absolutely...., let's make something for dessert!

I had some peaches from Slough House. I picked them up on the way back from Sacramento on Wednesday, so I made a Clafouti. What?..., a Clafouti. (pronounced Kla-foo-tee). This is an easy French dessert that is more traditionally made with cherries, but can be made with any stone fruit or apples, or pears etc. Google "peach clafouti" and you will get so many recipes it will boggle your mind. I followed a very basic recipe , used less sugar, regular milk, no amaretto( just didn't have any) and cooked it longer than they recommended. Maybe it was the heavy ceramic pie plate I baked it in, but it took a lot longer that 45 mins. I recommend this recipe and next time I will have some amaretto and half & half so I can follow the directions exactly. All the same, it was really good and even better the next day cold from the refrigerator.
It was delicious!! I didn't "arrange" the peaches, but you can if you want to. I also wouldn't dust with confectioner's sugar until you're ready to serve it. It's a pretty dessert and would be great for a luncheon or tea.
The two little dishes in the top photo were made and baked because I had too much batter, so I threw some frozen blueberries into these ramkins and poured the rest of the batter into them. I used too many blueberries..., they cooked too fast and made a hole in the middle. Pretty but not as good.
I first heard about this dessert on a blog called Posy Gets Cozy. Alicia Paulson makes (and photographs) food beautifully, among other things, and you need to check out her site. Hers was the first Blog I ever looked at and she got me motivated to start one of my own.

Sis and I had a good visit. Took a long walk with Carl on the road that goes down to the Mokelumne River. It was so beautiful. We got a good workout( a bit too warm though ), picked up some trash (as ever), and saw this beautiful thistle blooming on the side of the road , near the creek below our road. Can't find it in the wildflower book. It's very lush in this spot because water continuously flows out of our gold mine into the creek here and there is a constant source of water for the wild figs and cattails. I've always wanted to build a small cabin here. It's right on a seasonal creek and it's just so pretty.

Glad you came Sis. It's never long enough, but we had such a nice time. Want to build a little cabin on the creek?..., just for a small getaway..., with your own key and you can borrow Carl to sleep with. If you get lonely you just drive up the hill to our house and have some Clafoutis. It would be your own little sanctuary from the world. On second thought, it sounds so nice I might build it myself. Wouldn't it be lovely?..., to have a place where you could go, all by yourself and just BE? No phones, TV, people or problems allowed. We need to work on this.