Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Snippets & Snatches..... Sunny...Hot..90's

                        AND OUT CAME THE IRON

Back in the '50's,when we lived in So. California, we got our first
T.V. Dad worked as a television repairman ( mostly house calls, then)
so we were able to get a discount. My Mom loved to be informed, but
there was little time for watching T.V., so often during special
events she would iron as she watched. This is not such a time
consuming chore today but then we all wore ironed clothes  (probably
the wringer washer caused the need!) and with a family of five there was always a laundry basket waiting.
I can still smell the steam and hot cloth and remember the three
events that are etched in my mind's eye.
The first was after supper one night.
Dad hadn't  come home. He worked 60 miles away and we didn't
have a phone, so we had no idea where he was. So out came the iron , and Mom ironed while we waited.
Around 10 o'clock he opened the door and said
"I promised these good people you'd make them a cup of coffee!"
And there he stood all bandaged with
2 strangers. He'd been in a crash and to save the ambulance fee he'd
asked those folks to take him to the hospital. They volunteered to
wait until he was treated and drove him all the way home. I can still
hear his holler as he tried to lay down that night on his broken
shoulder!
The second event happened on June 30th, 1956.
The news reported a TWA and a United aircraft missing.
They had left Los Angeles airport that morning and contact had been lost with both of them.
Mom said "I'm afraid that will be Jim's plane!", and out came
the ironing board. 
 
Jim was an in-law who often stopped by on his way
to the airport for a flight. He was a TWA co-pilot. We waited (and she
ironed) for updates. Eventually the crash site was spotted in the
Grand Canyon. Hours passed, the little children slept, lots of clothes
were ironed as hope faded for survivors. Then the news, there were no
survivors. Later we got the official notification that it was Jim's
flight. But we didn't need it, Mom had been sure from the start.
The third time was during a very hot spell in Sept. 1957.
Every afternoon for a few days,when I would come in from school,
 Mom would be at the ironing board in
front of the fan,  shaking her head as she watched the
scene in Little Rock, Arkansas.
 
Court orders had been given to
integrate Central High School and the Governor was preventing it.
Angry people shouting while those young students tried to walk through the crowd.
Mom was doing her chores and keeping us tidy while keeping up
with events, or keeping as busy as possible when sick with worry!
                                                                            ©Jonquiljunction 2016


Sunday, August 28, 2016

Sunday Quotes.....Partly sunny....warm

All of life is rearranging...............
From before the cradle
Until you're no longer able
All of life is rearranging............................


You can read the full poem by clicking HERE



Saturday, August 27, 2016

Jalapeno Jelly..... Partly sunny.... still hot!


All the rain has been good for the peppers! This is one of our favorite ways to preserve them! If you've never tried Jalapeno jelly before just keep in mind it isn't jelly for peanut butter sandwiches', but try it on warm cornbread and we think you'll be pleasantly surprised!  
2 ½ cups finely chopped Bell peppers
1 ½ cups finely chopped Jalapeño peppers
1 cup vinegar (5 % acidity)
5 cups sugar
1 box Sure-jell pectin OR 1/3 cup (well rounded) Dutch Jell **See note
 
Remove seeds and veins from all peppers and finely chop, use a food processor on pulse to chop—don’t over process—you want small pieces you  don’t want puree!
Combine all peppers and vinegar in a large heavy bottomed pan, over medium heat, add Dutch Jell and stir well with a wooden spoon, bring to boil, add sugar all at once. Stir till dissolved, bring back to a rolling boil, and boil for 5 minutes if using Dutch Jell and 1 minute if using Sure Jell. Ladle into hot half-pint jars, wipe rim and cover with lids, process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from water and cool, check for seal!



**Note: Dutch Jell can be found in bulk at many health food stores if you can’t find it substitute one small box regular Sure Jell.

**This recipe is written for people who have canned before, if you haven’t we suggest researching home canning procedures first!

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

New Handmade items....>Sunny> warm

 Have you stopped by our Etsy store Lately???
New items being added, custom orders accepted, every item made one at a time right here in the Ozarks!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Jonquiljunction?ref=hdr_shop_menu





https://www.etsy.com/shop/Jonquiljunction?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Apple Blondies....Partly cloudy.....cooler

Believe it or not ,Fall is just around the corner.....here's a favorite to make with fresh fall apples !

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup applesauce-unsweetened
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups, peeled and grated apples

Cream peanut butter, oil, applesauce and sugar together, add apples and vanilla, mix baking soda and flour together and add to mixture. Will be dry at first continue to stir until evenly mixed batter will be stiff. Spread into a well greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Bake at 350* for 25-35 minutes. A knife inserted near center will come out clean when done.

Wonderful just the way they are, warm with coffee OR milk. But if you prefer your desserts iced try these with our Browned Butter icing recipe : HERE



Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Recipes, coffee and more......Cloudy....chance of MORE rain


This is for all of you who (like Me) do this repeatedly throughout the day, whether you are distracted by the kids, the chores , the animals, the computer (does anyone get on Facebook for 'just a minute' and actually succeed?) or something else, I think you can relate! 
So I invite you to pour a Hot cup of coffee and browse through our site: Recipes galore, handcrafts, country photography, animal adventures and much more! Thanks for stopping by! Follow the links below to see some highlights from our blogging past!
http://jonquiljunction.blogspot.com/search/label/cake

http://jonquiljunction.blogspot.com/search/label/handcrafted

http://jonquiljunction.blogspot.com/search/label/cookies

http://jonquiljunction.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunday%20quotes

http://jonquiljunction.blogspot.com/search/label/farm%20adventures

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Dog Days...Clouds and light rain.....cooler than expected !

                            Remember this post from Waaaaaay Back in June?
" the Cat days of June get us prepared for the Dog days of August"



Well they are here!
 
Welcome to the dog days of August!
Dogdays posts from the past:
http://jonquiljunction.blogspot.com/search?q=dog+days

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Lemon Cake.... partly cloudy... still HOT

Very Refreshing on a hot summer day, Nothing says 'summer' like lemonade!


Lemon, Lemon Cake
1 recipe lemon cake ( I used cake mix)
6 oz. thawed frozen lemonade (not diluted)
1 cup whipping cream
3 Tablespoons confectioners sugar

Make cake according to directions. Bake in 8 or 9" square pan. Let
cool 15 minutes. Poke holes with handle of wooden spoon all over.
Don't poke all the way through to bottom of pan. Fill holes with
lemonade and chill at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile whip cream and fold
in sugar. Spread cream over cake and decorate with lemon zest or
candies. I used lemon curd from the freezer. Serve now or chill till
cold.  Very refreshing!

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Farm Life...Sunny....hot & humid

A.Wyse and Cinnamon sharing a mother daughter moment before Cinnamon leaves for her new home in just a few weeks........A. Wyse Ol' Goat is certainly never at a
loss for words...........Maybe that's why she's writing a book !


Monday, August 8, 2016

Snippets & Snatches...rainy...cooler

"Rainy Mondays"  don't these 2 look unhappy? These two 12 year old
"Renegades" (as my husband calls them) are the last descendants of the
original goats we brought with us to Jonquil Junction 38 years ago.
They belong in their area which is 1/8 mile away from the house.

For some unexplained reason they moved to our yard area this summer.
When the rain started early today they didn't want to walk "all that way
back" to their house so Paul scrunched into the dog house and Tanner
tried to get under the eave ( which didn't help at all!) I guess they
forgot to read A. Wyse's book which points out that goats hate rain,
to quote "we are not cows after all".


Sunday, August 7, 2016

Sunday Snippets & Snatches...Cloudy...still summer :)

Today for our Sunday, Snippets & Snatches I'd like to share a poem with you my Granddaughter wrote yesterday, school will soon resume and I believe she is a bit melancholy :) 
 
As Summer Fades
 
See the fading light of summer.
Feel the fleeting breath of warmth.
Hear the gentle tree tops whispering,
The songbirds tune break forth.
 
Oh, burning sun above me,
From whence shine thy rays?
The brilliant light is waning,
And shorter grow the days.

Ye fallen rose of summer,
With petals fading fast,
Are telling me that summer is short,
Alas, 'twill soon be past.
©Jonquiljunction 2016
 
 

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Frozen Lemon Pie..partly cloudy....

A Summer favorite around here, if you like lemon you can't go wrong with this refreshing pie, make it this morning and come in out of the heat to a refreshing ready made dessert tonight!

Refreshing Lemon Ice Pie

1 large can( 12 oz.) evaporated milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 cup sugar
graham cracker crust

Place milk (Undiluted) in a large bowl and place in the freezer till just beginning to freeze around edges.
Beat with a stand or hand mixer until foamy, add sugar, continue to beat until soft peaks form, add lemon juice and extract, beat just to incorporated and spoon into a prepared graham cracker crust(will be quite high, just pile it in.)
Place immediately into the freezer and freeze for four hours or overnight.
Can be cut and eaten straight from the freezer for a refreshing summer treat!

Monday, August 1, 2016

HELLO AUGUST... Sunny....HOT!

What's your favorite/least favorite thing about summer??

Please click on 'older posts' to see all our posts! Thanks :)

The items we offer are as varied as the weather in these hills!
Hand-hammered copper jewelry, handmade wood case clocks, biscuit and rag quilts, handsewn infant gifts, handcrafted soap, & homespun tales and photos of our menagerie of four footed and feathered friends.




Copper earrings

Copper earrings