TURKEY SERVED WITH A HEAP OF LOVE

I was young when I cooked my first turkey dinner-newly married and just a few months into my first teaching job. I had a class of seven severely mentally and physically handicapped, non-ambulatory, teenaged boys who had lived their entire lives at the residential treatment facility where I was working. I loved those boys. In a very short time, they had become more then my students. They had become my family.

I knew that they had never had a home cooked Thanksgiving dinner, so I decided I would cook my first turkey, complete with all the trimmings, for my boys.

I spent the entire day before Thanksgiving in the center’s kitchen cooking and baking. I had hauled in all my own pots, pans, utensils, foods, and spices with me that morning. Since I was on the clock and couldn’t leave, I had to carry on when I discovered I had forgotten several important ingredients (like eggs for the pumpkin pie, marshmallows for the baked yams, and sage for the stuffing). And, when I went to wash the turkey, I found the neck in its cavity and I had no idea what it was, and I did NOT want to touch it! (Like I said, I was young). SO, I wrapped my hand in a towel and shoved that disgusting body part back into the bird!  I found out later that I had also cooked the bag of giblets inside the turkey!

To make a long story short, the dinner was not very good and I was feeling a bit embarrassed as I served it. I had invited my husband, my sister, several aides and the center’s Director to join us with promises of a gourmet meal.  It is an understatement to say 'gourmet' it was not. But, my boys loved it! They gobbled it down with gusto, grinning all the while. They clapped and they cheered. They ate every last bite.  My boys thought it was the finest meal that they'd ever eaten and that I was the world's greatest chef.

Since that Thanksgiving dinner 38 years ago, I have learned to cook, and, Thanksgiving dinner has become my favorite and finest meal to prepare. My children all come home and we share a royal feast.

And, every year, the day before Thanksgiving as I begin the cooking and baking...I think about my first Thanksgiving at CWC and the lesson I learned that day: When you prepare food with joy for the people you love, LOVE permeates the food. And, in the end.....isn't love really all you need?

WINTER LOOMS

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns".- George Eliot

I do love the change of seasons in Wisconsin. Well, mostly. I love the spring, summer and fall...winter, not so much.  This dreary morning as I took a walk, I saw the signs of winter's approach all around: the birds are gone, flown away to the warm south; the squirrels are scurrying around hoarding nuts; the branches of trees and bushes are bare and lonely. Every living thing is preparing for the dormant season ahead when the earth rests and readies itself for another rebirth in spring. This is our circular journey of life. Still.... I hope winter holds off just a little longer.

OOOHHH ORANGE!

I have always been drawn to the color ORANGE. Orange reflects many of my favorite things: The 1960's era, Autumn, October, sunsets, the first dress I ever made myself (crushed velvet-Homecoming, 1968.), the flowers in my wedding, the shag carpet in our little cabin, my son's hair, my new fall jacket.

Orange is warm and vivid. It has the ability to lift spirits. It's nostalgic. Positive.

Bittersweet. Persimmon. Tangerine. Pumpkin. Coral. Rust. Amber. Gamboge.
I just can't resist the many faces of orange!

ECCENTRIC ECLECTIC GYPSY GLAMOUR

If  you have been following my blog for awhile, you know that my fashion guru is Simon Doonan. From his book, "Eccentric Glamour",  I learned that I have been sporting 'Gypsy Fashion' for quite some time, although I didn't know that there was an official name for wearing recycled vintage clothing. I just knew I liked the shabby chic look and the idea of being eco-savvy.

According to Simon, Gypsy Style is very much in vogue right now. Because the style is so compatible with the Green Movement, it makes perfect sense to me.

And, Gypsy Style is incredibly romantic. Just imagine yourself living in a tent or a....log cabin. Imagine how uninhibited and free you feel, swirling around the campfire in a flounced cheesecloth skirt and vintage Victorian bloomers you found at the flea market. What could be more dreamy?

If sustainability and fair trade, freedom and comfort, are important to you, you may want to adopt Gypsy Glamour as your look as well. But, do be mindful: just because a garment is made of organic cotton does not mean it has allure and sizzle. Remember, you still want to be glamorous in your green wear.  My advice: look for off the shoulder Carmen blouses, embroidered taffeta skirts, Victorian piano shawls, oversized silk scarves, men's hats, knee high suede boots and espadrilles. Mix and match. You will be hot and hip. (Not to mention you will feel good about helping to save our planet).

Likewise, decorating your tent, cabin, apartment, or house in Gypsy Style is similarly romantic and eclectic. And, oh, so easy. Hang some Indian saris on your walls. Add a couple of vintage saddles around the room. Dangle some dream catchers and sling a hammock or two across the living room. Place unusual trinkets from your travels here and there. Voila! Gorgeous, and virtually no maintenance.

What's not to like about Gypsy Style?!

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Tom and I took a jaunt to the cabin this past weekend and discovered that autumn has officially arrived in Wisconsin's north woods! Everywhere deep scarlet, bright persimmon, and golden saffron surrounded us..and pungent pine, sugar maple and sweet fern filled the air. There is nothing quite as heady.

PONDERING NATURE'S MAGIC

I slipped outside to the pier at dusk and watched the blazing orange ball of a sun slip beneath the horizon. I listened to the wind whisper in the trees, and the waves lapping at the shoreline. Out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed a twinkling in the woods....and I wondered: was it merely moonlight dancing off the lone birch tree, or could it have been a shooting star? Perhaps it was the tree faeries having one last summer romp?

I made a wish and am certain it will come true, for where else can you be so sure of life's dreams then at the cabin in the woods?

LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER

 "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability".

Labor Day is approaching, and our carefree summer days are coming to an end. Personally, I plan to eek out every last ounce of 'doing nothing' before Autumn officially arrives. I will take a few more beach walks, finish a few more summer books, grill a few more weenies, toast a few more marshmellows, and take a few more hammock naps....oh, how I will miss these lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.