Just in from watering the garden and got my current pictures uploaded.....

Kale is curly and green:


Two of seven different kinds of lettuce growing in our lettuce containers -

Jericho lettuce from Seeds of Change Organic Seeds. It is a summer romaine, with excellent heat and drought resistance, produces a romaine head with a creamy texture and sweet flavor all season long, lime-green leaves form large, somewhat loose, uniform heads, bred in the hot desert of Israel, this robust, bolt-resistant variety stays sweet and crisp in hot weather, held up the best of all varieties trialed at our New Mexico research farm, very large, medium green, dense head:


a mesclun mix lettuce:


Cucumbers are stretching up the trellis I built (Kentucky Wonder Green Pole Beans are behind the Cucumbers) and enjoying the irrigation system. These are Southern Exposure Seed Exchanges Organic Asian Suyo Long Cucumbers. They are 60 days, widely adapted, and tolerant of hot weather this is a sweet-flavored, 'burpless' cucumber from China. Use for pickling or slicing. Repeated trials of this variety have shown it to be exceptionally hardy and productive and fine-flavored even under adverse conditions. Recommended as an early, main season and late season variety for the southeast. Widely adapted and very dependable in hot, humid climates. Best produced on a trellis, helps keep them growing straight:


All finished watering, except for some containers which will have to be done in the morning before we take off on our road trip to Kings Island tomorrow.

These are the Sunflowers on June 30th, two weeks later - approximately 8.5 to 9 feet tall. The flower heads are just beginning to develop and show:

~Robert Louis Stevenson~

Great is the sun, and wide he goes
Through empty heaven with repose;
And in the blue and glowing days
More thick than rain he showers his rays.

Though closer still the blinds we pull
To keep the shady parlour cool,
Yet he will find a chink or two
To slip his golden fingers through.

The dusty attic spider-clad
He, through the keyhole, maketh glad;
And through the broken edge of tiles
Into the laddered hay-loft smiles.

Meantime his golden face around
He bares to all the garden ground,
And sheds a warm and glittering look
Among the ivy's inmost nook.

Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true,
To please the child, to paint the rose,
The gardener of the World, he goes.

The most interesting project to me this year is an irrigation system for watering plants at root level. I would like to try something like this some time but instead I found a great idea using milk jugs and liter soda bottles for deep down under ground watering to try this year. I found it at: Old Vegetable Patch, an Australian organic gardener's site. I found out the hard way in my early days of gardening that sprinkling and misting the plants each day is not how to water a garden. It didn't encourage the deep root growth.

We aren't in a drought or under any water restrictions but with prices rising and everything costing more, I'm looking for ways to save on the water bill, conserve water and keep the vegetable plants healthy.

I used my tiniest craft drill bit to drill tiny holes in gallon milk jugs and 2 liter soda bottles, then buried them under ground and up to the opening, just as they are in the Old Vegetables Patch's Dry Garden with Old Milk Cartons. These are for quick deep down watering. I made some of the milk jugs with tinier holes by using a needle which allows the water to trickle out and drip slower, making my watering job easier by not having to refill as often. Now I want to work out something for catching and holding rain water.

The temperature finally warmed up enough to plant the vegetables and seeds the last week of May. In the picture above showing the milk carton irrigation, I now have Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans, Asian Suyo Cucumbers, Sweet Dumpling Squash, Kale and Jet Star tomato but I don't have a current picture yet.

In the front part of my garden, I have Black Cherry tomato, Italian Heart of the Bull tomato, Double Rich tomato, my Uncle's mystery heirloom 1926 tomato, Burbank tomato, Sweet Peppers, and Jalapeno Peppers. In this area, I'll use nets, stakes, and trellis to help contain and grow vertical for fitting in this small space. The first few weeks I water with the hose/sprinkler and watering can fairly often until the plants get established. Now that the temperature is staying in the upper 80s to 90s, I've started to use the buried milk cartons for deep down watering. It will be interesting to see how this helps plant growth in addition to saving a bit on the water bill.

"During periods of dry weather, the addition of irrigation water to home gardens is a must for plant growth. Most vegetable gardens need at least 1 inch of rain or irrigation water per week for steady growth .... adequate soil moisture is more critical as crops begin to flower and mature fruits .... if you're curious as to how much an inch of water is -- it's about 60 gallons for each 100 square feet of garden." ~University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service~

My lettuce didn't do very well last year so I'm trying something different. I'm experimenting with using containers for growing lettuce. I found these containers at Dollar Tree for a dollar each and used my craft drill for drilling holes in the bottom of the containers, then shaped rubber wire in arch shape to support the garden cloth canopies which let in sun, air, water and keeps out birds and (most, not all) bugs -- the garden cloth canopies are held in place by large rubber bands. The last few weeks of May were gloomy and cool, perfect for starting lettuce and they're growing well so far. One part of the experiment will be moving these portable gardens to cooler areas in the shade as the temperature gets higher, either on our back patio, along the west side of the privacy fence which gives shade in the afternoon, or on front porch which is shaded all the time. Some of the different lettuces I've planted:

Sweet Valentine Romaine from Southern Exposure Seeds - 55 days, the sweetest flavored lettuce, heads hold long into the heat without bolting, extremely deep red leaves are slightly smaller than other cos varieties.

Tom Thumb, Bibb Butterhead from Southern Exposure Seeds - 48 days, Pre-1850, Space-saving miniature butterhead, apple-sized head can be used whole in individual salads, tender leaves are medium-green and crumpled.

Mesclun Mix from Seed Savers Exchange, Territorial Seeds, & our own from mixing some of these seeds.

Jericho from Freedom Seeds, Southern Exposure or Seeds of Change - 60 days, Israeli introduction, Bred for desert heat, Jericho thrives in our hot summers. The tall (24"), heavy, light green heads retain their sweetness even when other lettuces have gone bitter or gone to seed. Good tipburn resistance, a favorite among market growers.

Yugoslavian Red Butterhead from Southern Exposure Seeds - 58 days, heirloom from a peasant family in Marburg, Yugoslavia. Introduced in 1987 by SESE, red tinged leaves form heads 10" across, interior leaves are quite pretty: creamy yellow-green dappled with red, succulent with a buttery flavor, decorative and tasty lettuce, ideal for garnishes.

Green Oak Leaf from Seed Savers Exchange - 50 days, known as Baltimore or Philadelphia Oakleaf in the 1880s, resistant to hot weather, long-standing, never bitter, excellent quality even in late summer, Looseleaf.

Webb's Wonderful from Seed Savers Exchange - 65-70 days, English crisphead type, stands well in heat. Very large and robust heads with crumpled leaves. Fine distinct flavor and good texture. Slow to bolt, holds at market stage well, recommended for planting in the South.

A picture of our Giant Russian Mammoth Sunflowers, taken yesterday June 15, three weeks later than pic from May 22nd in first post. They're five feet now, maybe a bit more.

Who doesn't have toilet paper rolls? Who saves toilet paper rolls? Everyone has them I know but most are tossed out or recycled. I may be one of few who saved them throughout the winter but I did so we could experiment with starting seeds in them. I saw it here and made mine into squares.

I intended to make all of them into square seed starters by folding them in half, and in half again, scoring the sides to fold inward to form a bottom. It was easy but time consuming so I ended up using some of them in their original round shape.

All my tomato, cucumber, squash seeds did well in these and have been transplanted in the garden now. Only the Herbs are waiting to transplanted: Chamomile, English Lavender, Lemon Balm, Spearmint, Calendula, Scarlett Flax, Chia, Shiso, Parsley, Thyme, Sweet Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Cilantro, Tarragon, and Sage. The clear containers are shoebox storage containers I found at Dollar Tree for $1.00 each. This was great for saving a bit of money in the garden budget and recycling.

We couldn't resist having the Giant Russian Mammoth Sunflowers in our yard and garden again. We had such a good time watching our sunflowers grow last year and decided to include them again. One of the little guys I use to babysit for, who lives directly behind me, enjoyed the Seed Germination-Root System project too but when asked to choose one or the other project to do with me this summer, he chose to grow Sunflowers along his fence. So, there are many Sunflower seedlings beginning to push their way up through the soil along his fence and he is excited.

Last year's sunflowers were successful as far as growing but they didn't follow the sun as they are suppose to. I think they were planted too close to the privacy fence which kept them in the shade far too long so they grew permanently facing east. Just a guess, I really don't know.

This year the main Giant Russian Mammoth Sunflowers are in the center of the garden which got started early from sunflowers of last year (germinated approximately end of April or first week in May). They will get full sun nearly all day long.

This picture below was taken May 22nd, about three weeks later, and they were about two feet tall. They're are almost five feet tall today but I don't have a current picture because it's raining.


There are also sunflowers along the north side near the garage (germinated/through the soil around May 22nd and are approximately 2-2.5 foot high) and the west side of the yard (germinated/through the soil around May 29th and are approximately one foot high). These will be in full sun most all day long too.

Pictures of main Giant Russian Mammoth Sunflowers in center of garden June 15th.

Pictures of the above on June 29th.

Poem and antique image from a post last summer: Sunflowers

May came and went with plenty of cloudy, cool, rainy days and garden work was slow. The main garden activity was merely adding humus and manure compost to the garden soil in between rain showers and doctor appointments. I've been busy taking my mother and sister to doctor appointments due to their heart/health issues so I haven't been at the computer much.

As the saying goes, "when it rains, it pours" - as of last Friday, I am no longer taking care of my three little boys because one of the parents is out of a job due to their place of employment filing bankruptcy. They no longer need me for child care so I am out of a job and income. I'm rethinking, looking at options available for me and not sure what I'm doing yet.

In the mean time, we're continuing a huge spring project: "Spring Cleaning" and decluttering -- so huge we're continuing it throughout the summer. We've accumulated so much and now that I don't have the little guys around, it's a good time to sort through things and get rid of what we don't use or need -- we plan to have a garage sale. I hope to paint the kitchen too, which was also a spring
project but got delayed. For six or seven years it's been a light tan or beige to make the most of a small, dark, north facing kitchen, which has become boring says Orangeblossom. My dh and Daisy don't have a preference. Orangeblossom likes red. I like yellow. Perhaps there will be a yellow-red combination. With Orangeblossom being older now and busy baking more, she has come up with good suggestions for getting better organized. She's in charge of organizing the cooking and baking equipment. All three of us are learning about better kitchen organization and management.

My Peony is in the center of my vegetable garden. I haven't wanted to take the time or the risk of transplanting it so there it stays. It bloomed beautifully and I managed to capture a photo of it which I entered in a local photo contest:
Our entire backyard is 32' X 50' - nice but not very large. We use the back northeast corner for our garden area, which measures 10' X 25' so this limited space restricts us from growing some of the large vining vegetables we'd like to grow. Almost every inch of earth in the garden area is used so I've been reading through the good information and gardening forum at the Path to Freedom web site. Their garden/yard is a wonderful example of how to grow more in small areas, especially for city gardeners like me. The girls and I have some garden projects started and I hope to post about them soon: Sunflowers (again), lots of flower seed planted, herbs started in toilet paper rolls, container lettuces, an irrigation system, and finally the warm weather vegetables.

I've been looking for spring recipes, the kind both my mom and mother-in-law grew up on, to use for a Mother's Day meal. My mom especially has been reminiscing about many of her own mother's recipes she made up and used during the spring when the wild greens became available. I've been able to find some recipes online using rhubarb, strawberries, dandelions, ramps, nettles, sorrels, spinach, asparagus and salmon -- some good ones and then some:

Asparagus and Smoked Salmon Quiche - see below
All you would ever want to know about rhubarb with lots of recipes.
Rhubarb Custard Pie
Rhubarb Pie with Lattice Crust
More great rhubarb recipes
Balsamic Strawberries with Honey and Basil
Dandelion Soup
Dandelion Greens Salad with Almond Vinaigrette and Feta & Dandelion Greens
Vintage Dandelion Wine
Dandelion Wine - another great recipe
Spring Tabbouleh with Sorrel and Mint
Traditional Irish Nettle Soup
Ramp and Potato Soup
Char Grilled Asparagus
Asparagus with Orange Sauce (Scroll down to bottom) I would add a tiny bit of honey for our liking
Spring Greens Salad - see below

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Quiche

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon onion salt
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoon milk
4 eggs, beat well
1 package (3½ to 4½ ounces) smoked salmon, flaked (I used non-smoked salmon)
1 package (10 ounces frozen asparagus cuts, thawed and drained (I used fresh and cooked/blanched first)
1 cup shredded Havarti cheese or Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces) (I used Havarti cheese)
1 cup whipping (heavy) cream (I omitted & used ½ cup milk)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill weed or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed (I used only 1 teaspoon of dill, one time I completely omitted)
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1 Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, and onion salt in medium bowl. Beat oil and milk in measuring cup with fork until creamy. Pour mixture over flour mixture; stir until dough forms.
2 Pat dough on bottom and side of ungreased pie plate, 9x1¼ inches, or quiche dish, 9x1½ inches. Sprinkle salmon over crust. Cut off bottom one-third of each asparagus spear; reserve top spear portions. Chop asparagus ends; spring over salmon. Sprinkle cheese evenly over asparagus.
3 Beat eggs, whipping cream, dill weed, salt and pepper in medium bowl with wire whisk. Slowly pour egg mixture over quiche ingredients. Arrange reserved asparagus in spoke fashion on top of quiche
4 Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 40 to 45 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. If necessary, cover edge of crust with strips of aluminum foil after 10 to 15 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Spring Greens Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

½ cup champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
¼ cup olive or vegetable oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp chopped fresh or ½ tsp dried marjoram leaves
dash of salt
6 cups mixed baby greens (I used spinach)
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 peaches, pitted and thinly sliced (I didn't use, replaced with more strawberries)
1 cup diced Gouda cheese (4 ounces)
½ cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Mix vinegar, oil, honey, marjoram and salt.
2. In large serving bowl, mix greens, strawberries, peaches, and cheese. Add vinegar mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with hazelnuts.

~author unknown~

SAID the first little chicken,
With a queer little squirm,
"I wish I could find
A fat little worm."

Said the next little chicken,
With an odd little shrug,
"I wish I could find
A fat little bug."

Said the third little chicken
With a sharp little squeal,
"I wish I could find
Some nice yellow meal."

Said the fourth little chicken,
With a small sigh of grief
"I wish I could find
A green little leaf."

Said the fifth little chicken,
With a faint little moan,
"I wish I could find
A wee gravel stone."

"Now, see here," said the mother,
From the green garden patch,
" If you want any breakfast,
Just come here and scratch."

found in Young Folks Recitations, compiled by Mrs. J. W. ShoeMaker, c1908

We read many of these over and over until they were nearly memorized. Great rhyme reading and fun for the young ones, especially good for pre-reading skills.

A Child's Garden of Verses
poetry by Robert Louis Stevenson
art by Clara M. Burd
Saalfield Publishing, c1929 sold at JC Penny's for 10 cents

My Treasures

These nuts, that I keep in the back of the nest
Where all my lead soldiers are lying at rest,
Were gathered in autumn by nursie and me
In a wood with a well by the side of the sea.

This whistle we made (and how clearly it sounds!)
By the side of a field at the end of the grounds.
Of a branch of a plane, with a knife of my own,
It was nursie who made it, and nursie alone!

The stone, with the white and the yellow and gray,
We discovered I cannot tell how far away;
And I carried it back although weary and cold,
For though father denies it, I’m sure it is gold.

But of all my treasures the last is the king.
For there’s very few children possess such a thing;
And that is a chisel, both handle and blade,
Which a man who was really a carpenter made.


The Wind

I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds about the sky;
And all around I heard you pass,
Like ladies' skirts across the grass--
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!

I saw the different things you did,
But always you yourself you hid.
I felt you push, I heard you call,
I could not see yourself at all--
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!

O you that are so strong and cold,
O blower, are you young or old?
Are you a beast of field and tree,
Or just a stronger child than me?
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!



A Child's Garden of Verses
poetry by Robert Louis Stevenson
art by Fern Bisel Peat
Saalfield Publishing, c1940







Fairy Bread

Come up here, O dusty feet!
Here is fairy bread to eat.
Here in my retiring room,
Children, you may dine
On the golden smell of broom
And the shade of pine;
And when you have eaten well,
Fairy stories hear and tell.











The Swing

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

Nest Eggs

Birds all the sunny day
Flutter and quarrel
Here in the arbour-like
Tent of the laurel.

Here in the fork
The brown nest is seated;
Four little blue eggs
The mother keeps heated.

While we stand watching her,
Staring like gabies,
Safe in each egg are the
Bird’s little babies.


Soon the frail eggs they shall
Chip, and upspringing
Make all the April woods
Merry with singing.

Younger than we are,
O children, and frailer,
Soon in blue air they’ll be,
Singer and sailor.

We, so much older,
Taller and stronger,
We shall look down on the
Birdies no longer.

They shall go flying
With musical speeches
High overhead in the
Tops of the beeches.

In spite of our wisdom
And sensible talking,
We on our feet must go
Plodding and walking.

Edited by Mark Daniel
Dial Books for Young Readers
New York, c1986
with full color art and black/white engravings - reproductions from the Edwardian and Victorian era

From the dust jacket:

"Breathtaking reproductions of over fifty full-color paintings and fifty black-and-white engravings from the Victorian and Edwardian eras illuminate this splendid collection of poems from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Children will cherish this dazzling introduction to the timeless works of Tennyson, Wordsworth, Stevenson, Dickinson, Rossetti, Kipling, and many others long after they have ventured past the nursery door. Selections spanning a child's day from cock's crow to bedtime, and a child's year from January to December, cover the best loved rhymes, lullabies, limericks, prayers, and animal verse of an old-fashioned childhood. Sit in the company of familiar characters like Father William and Simple Simon. Delight in Browning's joyous "Spring Song", and discover the strange wonders of Stevenson's "The Land of Nod." Escape to a magical world of rhyme, reason, and reverie, and meet there an amazing array of dragons, pirates, and adventures -- all seen through the wondrous eyes of nineteenth and early twentieth century master poets and artists.

The Wind
~Christina Georgina Rossetti~

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you;
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I;
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.


Weathers
~Thomas Hardy~

This is the weather the cuckoo likes,
And so do I;
When showers betumble the chestnut spikes,
And nestlings fly;
And the little brown nightingale bills his best,
And they sit outside at 'The Traveller's Rest,'
And maids come forth sprig-muslin drest,
And citizens dream of the south and west,
And so do I.

This is the weather the shepherd shuns,
And so do I;
When beeches drip in browns and duns,
And thresh and ply;
And hill-hid tides throb, throe on throe,
And meadow rivulets overflow,
And drops on gate bars hang in a row,
And rooks in families homeward go,
And so do I.

The Throstle
~Alfred, Lord Tennyson~

Summer is coming, summer is coming.
I know it, I know it, I know it.
Light again, leaf again, life again, love again,
Yes my wild little poet.

Sing the new year under the blue.
Last year you sang it as gladly.
New, new, new, new! Is it then so new
That you should carol so madly?

Love again, song again, nest again, young again,
Never a prophet so crazy!
And hardly a daisy as yet, little friend,
See, there is hardly a daisy.

Here again, here, here, here, happy year!
O warble unchidden, unbidden!
Summer is coming, is coming, my dear,
And all the winters are hidden.

Compiled by Mary L. Lovejoy
Books For Libraries Press
Freeport, New York, c1898 1969





















The Coming of Spring
~Nora Perry~

There's something in the air
That's new and sweet and rare --
A scent of summer things,
A whir as if of wings.

There's something, too, that's new
In the color of the blue
That's in the morning sky,
Before the sun is high.

And though on plain and hill
'Tis winter, winter still,
There's something seems to say
That winter's had its day.

And all this changing tint,
This whispering stir and hint
Of bud and bloom and wing,
Is coming of the spring.

And to-morrow or to-day
The brooks will break away
From their icy, frozen sleep,
And run, and laugh, and leap.

And the next thing, in the woods,
the catkins in their hoods
Of fur and silk will stand,
A sturdy little band.

And the tassels soft and fine
Of the hazel will entwine,
And the elder branches show
Their buds against the snow.

So, silently but swift,
Above the wintry drift,
The long days gain and gain,
Until on hill and plain --

Once more, and yet once more,
Returning as before,
We see the bloom of birth
Make young again the earth.




April
~Nathaniel Parker Willis~

"A violet by a mossy stone,
Half hidden from the eye,
Fair as a star, when only one
Is shining in the sky."
~Wordsworth~



I have found violets. April hath come on,
And the cool winds feel softer, and the rain
Falls in the beaded drops of summer-time.
You may hear birds at morning, and at eve
The tame dove lingers till the twilight falls,
Cooing upon the eaves, and drawing in
His beautiful, bright neck; and, from the hills,
A murmur, like the hoarseness of the sea,
Tells the release of waters, and the earth
Sends up a pleasant smell, and the dry leaves
Are lifted by the grass; and so I know
That Nature, with her delicate ear, hath heard
The drooping of the velvet foot of Spring.
Take of my violets! I found them where
The liquid south stole o'er them, on a bank
That leaned to running water. There's to me
A daintiness about these early flowers,
That touches me like poetry. They blow
With such a simple loveliness among
The common herbs of pasture, and breath out
Their lives so unobtrusively, like hearts
Whose beatings are too gentle for the world.
I love to go in the capricious days
Of April and hunt violets, when the rain
Is in the blue cups trembling, and they nod
So gracefully to the kisses of the wind.
It may be deemed too idle, but the young
Read nature like the manuscript of Heaven,
And call the flowers its poetry. Go out!
Ye spirits of habitual unrest,
And read it, when the "fever of the world"
Hath made your hearts impatient, and, if life
Hath yet one spring unpoisoned, it will be
Like a beguiling music to its flow,
And you will no more wonder that I love
To hunt for violets in the April-time.

1 bunch of fresh asparagus, washed, trimmed (approximately 24-30 pencil round size)
2 TBSP virgin olive oil
2 TBSP honey
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP red wine

Saute asparagus in olive oil over medium to high heat until starting to become tender for 2 to 4 minutes, next add honey, lemon juice, and red wine, cook approximately 3 to 6 minutes more depending on desired tenderness.

I never cared for asparagus as a child but I've come to like it very much since I'm older. This is one way I fix it. Asparagus is a member of the lily family and full of nurtients: high in Folic Acid and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin and one of the best things about asparagus is that it has no fat or cholesterol and is low in sodium. Some thing I want to get growing in my garden:

"....asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) has been cultivated for thousands of years. I read somewhere that it was first domesticated by the Macedonians about 200 B.C. It is native to Eurasia and people theorize that it grew wild in seaside dunes along the Mediterranean Sea and the British Isles. If true, that would explain the tolerance of the species to salt. My speculation is that, the crop was brought to North America by English colonists, since the English are particularly fond of it. Anyone who has been to Monticello knows that Jefferson cultivated it in his gardens.

Choosing a site for your asparagus bed: If you have the alternative, choose a sandy, well-drained spot in full sun. Asparagus does not tolerate saturated soil conditions, so if you have clay soil, choose a hilltop or hillside. If water stands in the spot you have chosen for only an hour, it is probably too wet for asparagus. Don't be afraid to choose really sandy soil. Anyone who has visited Oceana County knows that most of the soil is only a step above beach sand and we grow almost 10,000 acres of asparagus here...."

A Collection of Songs, Poems, Speeches, Sayings and Other Writings Dear to Our Hearts
Collected by Ralph Henry and Lucile Pannell
with an introduction by Marguerite Henry
Illustrated by John Dukes McKee
Rand McNally & Company, c1949 First Edition

From the introduction by Marguerite Henry:

"....To no two people will this collection mean quite the same thing. It is a kind of feast which each of us will season with salt and pepper of our own experiences and tastes. Depending on our ages, we will dust it with nostalgic memory or the joys of discovery....Often when you finish your reading of a book, you put it aside as something completed, ended. But with MY AMERICAN HERITAGE you find yourself dipping back into it, and each time it sings more joyously....Around our fireside, at a recent family reunion, it was Aunt Minnie who recalled the next two lines, and soon the whole family was chanting together, ....thou art more dear to me, Than all the prouder summer-blooms may be.... These humble pieces are part of our American heritage, but here you riffle pages to find yourself the most gladsome gathering of flowers ever pressed between the covers of a book."


From the front of the book:

Adventure

Here's an adventure! what awaits
Beyond these closed, mysterious gates?
Whom shall I meet, where shall I go?
Beyond the lovely land I know?
Above the sky, across the sea?
What shall I learn and feel and be?
Open, strange doors, to good or ill!
I hold my breath a moment still
Before the magic of your look.
What shall you do to me, O Book?
~Anonymous~

























The Forest Primeval
from the Prelude to "Evangeline"
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~
This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,
Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.
Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.




Our Country
~Anna Louise Dabney~

Our country is a tapestry,
Woven by loving hands;
By Faith and Hope 'twas deftly made
From threads of other lands;
And each retains its native hue
Whose beauty animates
A varied pattern, lovely, new--
Our own United States.

~Laura E. Richards~
Little, Brown and Company, c1955

From the introduction: "A Joyful Noise"

"When Laura E. Richards was a cheerful eighty-two-years-old and a new addition of her verses for children was about to be published, she wrote a dedication to her youngest grandchild and her eldest great-grandchild, "Two Very Young Gentlemen." It is not only free of the advice the aged usually bestow upon their descendants but has the light touch so characteristic of the author. She always referred to the songs that bubbled up within her as "my hurdy-gurdy." So, after willing the hurdy-gurdy to her boys, she concludes:

For most of her ninety-three years the hurdy-gurdy turned out songs, stories, jingles and dances of such infectious gaiety that they lived on.....Laura E. Richards came by her singing naturally. She tells us that her mother, the beautiful Julia Ward Howe, sang to her children in five languages. When those children were grown she wrote, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," which set the whole nation to singing.....The children of Julia Ward Howe grew up singing. But after she was a mother, Laura discovered that tucked away in her mind somewhere, she had a special music box all her own. If it never sounded the organ notes of a "Battle Hymn," it certainly entranced the children. She would use the broad back of her current baby as a writing board, and all seven babies in turn gurgled and jounced to their mother's jingles...."

Dedication of
"In My Nursery", 1890

To my Mother,
JULIA WARD HOWE

Sweet! when first my baby ear
Curled itself and learned to hear,
'Twas your silver-singing voice
Made my baby heart rejoice.

Hushed upon your tender breast,
Soft you sang me to my rest;
Waking, when I sought my play,
Still your singing led the way.

Cradle songs, more soft and low
Than the bird croons on the bough;
Olden ballads, grave and gay,
Warrior's chant, and lover's lay.

So my baby hours went
In a cadence of content,
To the music and the rhyme
Keeping tune and keeping time.

So you taught me, too, ere long,
All our life should be a song, --
Should a faltering prelude be
To the heavenly harmony;

And with gracious words and high,
Bade me look beyond the sky,
To the Glory throned above,
To th' eternal Light and Love.

Many years have blossomed by:
Far and far from childhood;
Yet its sunrays on me fall,
Here among my children all.

So among my babes I go,
Singing high and singing low;
Striving for the silver tone
Which my memory holds alone.

If I chant my little lays
Tunefully, be yours the praise;
If I fail, 't is I must rue
Not t' have closelier followed you.

A few favorite poems from Tirra Lirra:

The Baby Goes To Boston

What does the train say?
Jiggle joggle, jiggle joggle!
What does the train say?
Jiggle joggle jee!
Will the little baby go
Riding with the locomo?
Loky moky poky stoky
Smoky choky chee!

Ting! ting! the bells ring,
Jiggle joggle, jiggle joggle!
Ting! ting! the bells ring,
Jiggle joggle jee!
Ring for joy because we go
Riding with the locomo,
Loky moky poky stoky
Smoky choky chee!

Look! how the trees run,
Jiggle joggle, jiggle joggle!
Each chasing t' other one,
Jiggle joggle jee!
Are they running for to go
Riding with the locomo?
Loky moky poky stoky
Smoky choky chee!

Over the hills now,
Jiggle joggle, jiggle joggle!
Down through the vale below,
Jiggle joggle jee!
All the cows and horses run,
Crying, "Won't you take us on,
Loky moky poky stoky
Smoky choky chee?"

So, so, the miles go,
Jiggle joggle, jiggle joggle!
Now it's fast and now it's slow,
Jiggle joggle jee!
Say good-by to snorting friend,
Loky moky poky stoky
Smoky choky chee!

Dog-gerel

I sat beside a lady fair,
A lady grave and sweet;
Withal so wise, that well I might
Have sat me at her feet.

She stooped to pat the puppy dog
That gambolled at her knee;
And when she spoke, 't was in a tongue
Was wholly strange to me.

“A wizzy wizzy woggums, then!
A ditty dotty doggums, then!
And diddy wanty dumpy up?
A pitty witty pessums pup!”

I spoke to her of foreign climes,
Of politics and popes;
Of Bishop Bylow's pious rhymes,
And General Jingo's hopes.
She answered well and wittily,
Then turned her eyes aside,
And tenderly she whispered to
The creature by her side.

“A pupsy wupsy keeter, then!
Was never nossin sweeter, then!
A teenty tawnty tiny tot,
A lovely dovely darling dot!”

I rose at length and strolled away,
Not wishing to intrude;
Yet thought perhaps she'd bid me stay,
And rather hoped she would.
But no! she never raised her head.
I turned the corner near,
And as I went, her silver tones
Still floated to my ear.

“A toodle toodle toodle, then!
A wisky wasky woodle, then!
A 'toopid manny gone, my joy,
My diddy doddy dorglums boy!”

Prince Tatters

Little Prince Tatters has lost his cap!
Over the hedge he threw it;
Into the river it fell Kerslap!
Stupid old thing, to do it!
Now Mother may sigh and Nurse may fume
For the gay little cap with its eagle plume.
"One cannot be thinking all day of such matters!
Trifles are trifles!" says little Prince Tatters.

Little Prince Tatters has lost his coat!
Playing, he did not need it;
"Left it right there, by the nanny-goat,
And nobody never seed it!"
Now Mother and Nurse may search till night
For the new little coat with its buttons bright;
But "Coat sleeves or shirt sleeves, how little it matters!
Trifles are trifles!" says little Prince Tatters.

Little Prince Tatters has LOST HIS BALL!
Rolled away down the street!
Somebody'll have to find it, that's all,
Before he can sleep or eat.
Now raise the neighborhood quickly, do!
And send for the crier and constable, too!
"Trifles are trifles, but serious matters,
They must be seen to," says little Prince Tatters.

The Egg

Oh! how shall I get it, how shall I get it, --
A nice little new-laid egg?
My grandmamma told me to run to the barn-yard,
And see if just one I could beg.

"Moolly-cow, Moolly-cow, down in the meadow,
Have you any eggs, I pray?"
The Moolly-cow stares as if I were crazy,
And solemnly stalks away.

"Oh! Doggie, Doggie, perhaps you may have it,
That nice little egg for me."
But Doggie just wags his tail and capers
And never an egg has he.

"Now, Dobbin, Dobbin, I'm sure you must have one,
Hid down in your manger there."
But Dobbin lays back his ears and whinnies,
With "Come and look, if you dare!"

"Piggywig, Piggywig, grunting and squealing,
Are you crying 'Fresh eggs for sale'?"
No! Piggy, you're very cold nad unfeeling,
With that inpudent quirk in your tail.
"You wise old Gobbler, you look so knowing,
I'm sure you can find me an egg.

You stupid old thing! just to say 'Gobble-gobble!"
And balance yourself on one leg.

Oh! how shall I get it, how shall I get it, --
That little white egg so small?
I've asked every animal here in the barn-yard,
And they won't give me any at all.

But after I'd hunted until I was tired,
I found -- not one egg, but ten!
And you never could guess where they all were hiddenn --
Right under our old speckled hen!