Home Is Where the Heart Is

"Give a little love to a child, and you get a great deal back."
-- John Ruskin (1819-1900)



Last month we visited relatives in Indiana, and we had a great time geocaching, going on nature walks, picking blackberries and birding. On one of our little walks, my youngest found this rock and gave it to me. I just had to share it with you. Isn't it cute? I placed it in my flowerbed as a new steppingstone by the outdoor faucet.

Of all my souvenirs from Indiana, I think this one is my favorite. It won't ever wear out or go bad, and it will always remind me of a little person who saw a heart and thought of me.

Clean and Green

There's a new "green" trend these days, and like many "green" trends, it hearkens back to the past as a way to make the future more environmentally friendly.

Since my college days, I've dutifully recycled my paper, cans, boxes and used motor oil, kept my shades down in the summer, walked or biked when possible, conserved water and even tried cloth diapers and composting. But a couple of months ago, my husband challenged me to cut back on our clothes-dryer use, and he hung up a simple line in our back yard.

Now, I have memories of hanging out and bringing in clothes from our backyard line when I was a kid, but I admit I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of adding more housework to my current list. With three very busy kids (and two in football), we go through a lot of stain remover, and I wash about one (BIG) load a day. Yet I knew I had to "walk the talk" and give this a try.

After stringing up more line (so I can actually hang at least one full load) and buying more clothespins, I started hanging up all our laundry, and I've found I actually like it.

There are many good reasons to eschew the clothes dryer. Not only does hanging your clothes out save money and energy (clothes dryers account for up to 15 percent of the energy used in the United States!), but it uses fewer chemicals (no fabric-softener sheets) and is easier on your clothes (less wear on your clothes means less lint in the lint trap). It only takes a few minutes' more work, and your clothes and linens end up with a fresh, natural scent that isn't from a bottle.

Sure, there are some drawbacks. One of my children complains about his now-crunchy underwear, and the birds have left a few small "calling cards" now and then. But overall, I find my new ritual rather relaxing and enjoyable. For a few minutes, I get to escape our noisy house and think my own quiet thoughts amid the birdsong and airy breezes. And that nice, fresh scent is really soothing when you climb between your sheets.

Now you've probably heard that you should never air your dirty laundry in public, but what about your clean laundry? Throughout the world, clotheslines have been the norm for thousands of years. In many parts of the world, electric clothes dryers are still considered a luxury. Only in the United States has the once-ubiquitous clothesline now become so old-fashioned that it is actually outlawed in many locations for "aesthetic" reasons. Think about it: In how many upscale neighborhoods do you now see clean clothes blowing in the wind? It's another one of those time-honored traditions that could be in danger of being forgotten if not for its preservation by a few nostalgic and practical folks.

With all the talk now about global climate change and energy consumption, it's nice to know a simple alternative such as air drying your clothes can be an effective way to fight pollution and save energy. It is estimated that if we all hung our clothes out to dry, we'd save enough energy to shut down several power plants. Isn't that a worthwhile idea?

One movement that is trying to do just that is called Project Laundry List. Its website is a great resource for all questions relating to air drying, and its members are lobbying the public to turn off their clothes dryers as a way to help the environment.

Here in Texas, it's so easy to use a clothesline. We have more hot summer sun here than we could ever want or need, and on a dry, 100-degree day, my clothes are done in less than an hour. Luckily I have no community regulations against air-drying my clothes, and I like the fact that I'm actually using some of that dang-blasted heat for a good purpose.



I've found a darling little book that tells all about the history and use of clotheslines. Called "The Clothesline," by Irene Rawlings and Andrea Vansteenhouse, it is packed with photos, anecdotes and antique images. It's a fun read, and it recalls the days when every housewife had a weekly laundry routine, and nosy neighbors judged others by the way they hung out their clothes. Like aprons, fresh-baked bread and homemade quilts, clotheslines are a symbol of humble simplicity.

It's wonderful to know that even in these modern times of traffic, TV and electronic gizmos, it's still possible to refresh your laundry and your mind by the little task of hanging your clothes on a clothesline.

Our New Picket Fence

We live in Texas, where the wind blows almost ceaselessly and sometimes turns violent. Straight-line winds frequently rival tornadoes in their intensity, and fences around here usually die a catastrophic death before they succumb to old age.

Last year a particularly strong storm swept down our street and felled limbs and trees for half a mile. It even crumpled a giant electrical tower only a block from our house. We were lucky; the wind only knocked down one of our fences.

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

After the storm, my husband dragged the flattened fence to the curb. Lo and behold, we were surprised to see a transformation in our yard. We liked it even better than before! The old fence was boring and ugly, blocked our view and made one corner of our back yard a desolate dead-end. So instead of replacing our old fence with another just like it, we decided to do something old-fashioned, yet rather radical for our cookie-cutter neighborhood, which sadly is characterized more by nine-foot "privacy fences" than by wide open spaces.

We built a picket fence.

My engineer husband designed the fence, and all three kids helped us paint it, a la Tom Sawyer. Paint got everywhere, but they had fun. (This is not recommended for those with perfectionist tendencies.) The new fence is white, airy, and such an improvement.




When I was a girl, my great-grandparents lived in a little white house in a small town in California. I remember visiting their home and thinking it was the most adorable little house that ever was. It had a large porch with a place to visit, a giant hydrangea beside the porch, a rose garden along one side, a cool basement housing preserves, and a white picket fence with a little gate out front.

I loved visiting their house, and I always wanted a white picket fence of my own someday. Now I finally have one, and I love it! Its low profile opens up our yard so we can enjoy it more, it frames a pretty view, and it adds charm and personality to our red-brick home.

Picket fences have long been a symbol of Americana, and for good reason. Their quaint good looks dress up even the plainest front yard, and they look great with flowers peeking through the slats. Since we built our picket fence, we've enjoyed gardening, birding and just relaxing along that side of our yard. We've even seen more birds visit our backyard feeder because the increased spaciousness and visibility have made birds feel safer and more welcome. This summer we had a family of mallard ducks slide through the fence every day to forage under the feeder! We know that never would have happened if we'd still had up our tall wooden fence.

With just a little bit of initiative, we've revived a little bit of history, and we think our new fence is not only more appealing, but more practical than its predecessor.

Now if I could only get my hydrangeas to grow as big as Granny's!

Pasta and Pesto

My husband and I recently took a trip to Maine. It was my first time there, and I loved it. We stayed in Portland, an old town right on the Atlantic Ocean. The old downtown area right by the water embraces its historical charm, and its wood-and-brick buildings hold funky shops and trendy eateries.

On our first day there, we ate at the cutest little Italian restaurant called Paciarino. Inside it was furnished simply, its brick walls painted a buttery yellow. The best part was these hanging lights over the bar with shades made of metal colanders! Aren't they cute?

Our food was good, too.


They started us out with hunks of crusty bread accompanied by three types of tomato sauce for dipping. I think one was tuna sauce, one regular and one spicy.

Then we got our pasta, which is their specialty. All the pasta there is handmade and fresh. I had pesto ravioli, and it was yummy.




I love pesto, and I think I'll have to try making this at home. Do you have a good homemade pasta recipe?

Colorful Crape Myrtles

In the dry heat of Texas, nothing says “summer beauty” like crape myrtles.

Deep in the suburbs of Dallas, where the relentless sun bakes nearly every plant to death, beautiful gardens are not naturally abundant. When other states enjoy pleasant summer days, we have scorching heat. When blossoms of every kind flourish in the northern states, we stick with bushes and bermuda. On the Fourth of July, we sweat through a quick morning parade and then rush back to our air-conditioned homes.




Amid this sultry sea of grass and pavement, one reliable bloomer is the crape myrtle. Its bold spots of color provide bright highlights in an otherwise drab palette of red-brick buildings and faded green lawns. In fact, the plant has become so popular here that in 1997, it was named the official state shrub of Texas!

The crape myrtle, which comes in sizes from 3 to 15 feet tall, is one of the few flowering trees that both survives and thrives in the humid South, making it an ideal addition to many yards. In the spring, their barren twigs burst forth in green, followed by heavy bunches of vibrant purple, lavender, magenta, red, white and pink. In the fall, their flower clusters yield round seeds. In mature specimens, peeling bark showcases beautiful trunks that add interest in a dying landscape.



Crape myrtles are hardy as well as graceful, and they hold forth all summer long in one of the longest blooming seasons of any flowering tree. They prefer hot, sunny climates such as Texas, California and the Carolinas. The young trees need plenty of water, but once they are established, crape myrtles are fairly drought-tolerant and need little heavy pruning.

Most early crape myrtles in the United States originated from Lagerstroemia indica, a native of China and Korea. Since then, growers have developed hundreds of new cultivars of every type. It obtained its common name of “crape myrtle” due to the petals’ resemblance to crinkly crepe fabric.

First introduced to the United States around 1790 by French botanist Andre Michaux in Charleston, S.C., the deciduous plant is now a common ornamental shrub as far north as Massachusetts and in other warm climates throughout the world. It grows well along highways, in city landscaping and in residential yards. Inexpensive and versatile, it can be trained into a single trunk or left to grow with multiple trunks.

The Caroline Crape Myrtle Home Page states: “Their stunning summer color has made crape myrtles a hallmark plant of the South since 1800. Magnificent specimens grace historic neighborhoods of fine southern cities and stand as enduring symbols marking forgotten home sites in rural areas.”

With such flashy beauty and easy reliability, it’s no wonder the crape myrtle has grown to be such a beloved staple in Southern yards today.


Bibliography

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/trees/hgic1009.html

http://www.floridata.com/ref/l/lager_i.cfm

http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/tx_symb.htm

"B" Is for Betsy and Books

"When the day came for school to open, Betsy was up bright and early. She had new brown oxfords to wear."

Seeing my kids go back to school this week reminded me of some of my favorite children's books by Carolyn Haywood. This dear old library book, above, is in our collection at home and sports the cutest black-and-white illustrations drawn by Haywood herself.

When I was young, I enjoyed reading about Betsy and her little sister, Star, her friends Ellen and Billy, her sweet teacher Miss Grey and their kindly policeman Mr. Kilpatrick. The Betsy stories, full of silly mix-ups and childhood friendships, are simple and earnest, and all their little adventures end happily despite a few scrapes here and there.

Born in 1898, Haywood was a writer and painter who created dozens of popular children's stories beginning in 1939. But her most well-known books are the " 'B' Is for Betsy" series, whose large type and simple plots are just right for beginning readers. Even today, her books are still in print and continue to appeal to young children and their parents.

I love old books, especially children's books, and especially those by women writers. The old stories show warmth, innocence and old-fashioned values that are hard to find in many books today. I think Haywood must have been a remarkable woman; she lived to be 92 and kept writing books into her '80s!

To find out more about Carolyn Haywood, visit http://www.abcbooksbyann.com/authorhaywood.html

Happy reading!

The First Day of School

Monday was the first day of school here in Dallas, and it is always a big deal at our house.

Although our three kids were less than enthusiastic about returning to the "daily grind," I have to say that my husband and I were quite happy to send the children off on their new adventures with new teachers and new classrooms. And though the kids said the first day of school was "boring," I know they enjoyed seeing their old friends again.

Personally, I don't know why my kids aren't excited to go back to school.

I have happy memories of heading back to school with new leather school shoes, new clothes and new plastic lunchboxes. When I was older, I agonized over what to wear on the first day, and I'd walk to school with a head full of anticipation and my arms full of new Pee Chee folders. It was always so fun to see who had grown taller, who was new, and who had changed the most over the summer.

OK, I wasn't your typical kid; I liked school -- the freshly sharpened, pointy pencils that smelled like wood, the clean, white paper, and new textbooks to read. I remember blackboards and squeaky chalk and the smell of that purple ink on the ditto machine handouts. Nowadays my kids' schools are astonishingly high-tech, with laptops, computerized whiteboards and multimedia projectors. Going in a classroom now makes me feel ancient.

But my kids still have new shoes, new folders and those butterflies in their little stomachs.

And now, decades later, it's still one of my favorite days of the year.

Happy Back-to-School Day!!!