Posted on 01/01/2026 5:52:41 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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Good morning from Oregon...we are suffering a snow drought...while Mt. Hood may have gotten @110 inches there only remains barely enough to ski on...and we are going to suffer this summer from water problems if this continues. Had our first real freeze this past week..I still have snap dragons, penstemon and geraniums blooming! And, we live between 2 mountains, albeit on the river, at about 400 ft. Have a great weekend, everyone. Prepping here for 11 family coming for next weekend.
Aww, God bless her where she is!
When I lived in a big city rowhome neighborhood, one of my neighbors who had been born in Italy (and never learned English) owned a house-less lot around 15' by 55' next to his house, where he planted a garden. He had built raised beds on both sides and the back, and although it was between two 3-story houses, it got sun every afternoon as it faced west. The crowning glory of his garden was a big fig tree in the raised bed across the back—“Fighi.”
He lived to be over 100, and still toddled out to poke around with his peppers, onions, green beans, tomatoes, and carnations. What an inspiration he was!
What an inspiration your neighbor was, indeed! Great story!
My Grandma (and Grandpa, too) were from Czechoslovakia. Grandma came as a teenager, and grandpa was a little boy. Their families both landed in Brooklyn.
Anyway, once they were married they moved to Florida to raise a family. That fig tree was one of many different trees planted by Grandpa, and Grandma made kolachen with fig preserves as filling. She did learn English, but it was harder for her than for Grandpa. They were very insistent that all of their children learn proper English and used good grammar.
So when I was a kid and wanted to use Southern slang, Mama corrected me and reminded me how hard it was for her mom. I once told her I didn’t “write like that” meaning the poor grammar, but she insisted that I stop speaking with poor grammar, too.
I admit, I do like using “ain’t” from time to time.
I have a keen ear for accents. I love to hear someone with two accents--one of my neighbors is Kenyan and speaks British English; another was born in China with a British grandparent--so fun to listen to the not-quite-American mixtures of vowels and consonants!
I hear you, though. When I lived amongst first-generation Italians, many regretted that their parents didn't teach them Italian because they wanted their kids to fit in at school, etc. So when I was studying Italian for my own interest, I had to ask around a lot in the neighborhood to find someone who still spoke it. My friend the gardener did, so I could sit out front on the sidewalk and practice with him.
One thing I learned, living in a large city, about the Czech people I met is that they had great, witty senses of humor and loved a good laugh. There is a fantastic film, if you ever run across it, set in a Czech village while it was under communist rule before glasnost. It is so funny—My Sweet Little Village.
East of GR here by about 30 minutes. Used to live closer to the lake but in that Benton Harbor area made many trips to visit family, they can really get the snow. Almost as bad as Buffalo. Had to plow with the atv today, 5th time so far this winter. Ugh!
Greetings from the flat earth of Southeast Michigan! Beautiful country you live in. I was there at Government Camp and Timothy Lake for a Crawdad Fest back in 78. I remember spying a view of St. Helens while trying to find Rainier in the distance.
Good point.
My grandpa had a great sense of humor, and it got passed down to my mom and several of her siblings. They were fun to be around! I will look for that movie. I have cousins that have been back to visit the old village where they were from, and they stay in touch with the folks there still.
As for the accent, a year ago I was back home for a family wedding, and outside the hotel I struck up a conversation with a man while waiting for my husband to get the car. Anyway, he told me that I had a very pleasant accent and that he couldn’t quite place it, and wondered where I was from. I had to tell him that I was born and raised there, but had since moved to the Midwest, so my Southern accent has changed a bit. It was a neat conversation.
78? You probably would not recognize Government Camp now. Hope you made it up to Timberline Lodge.
Yeah, when I moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania and years later, back again, I had to relearn my original accent! They both have the funny “o”, but slightly different!
Hope you find the movie. I think some platforms have it streaming. Here’s the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpKoFwZn-3o
It’s particularly wry that they were making fun of communism, which Czechoslovakia had just gotten out of, when idiots here want to go down that sinkhole now...
GREEK RESTAURANT LEMON-RICE SOUP (Avgolemono) / Serves 4
Ing 3 c chicken broth 2-3 oz uncooked rice 2 eggs 3 tbs lemon juice dash salt/white pepper
Method Bring broth to boil. Reduce heat, add rice, cover/simmer rice tender 20 min. Beat eggs/lemon juice. Stir in slowly 1 cup hot soup. Stir into soup in pan. Heat, do not boil. S/p.
Serve immediately w/ chp parsley scattered over.
Chef Note: 3 oz rice makes thicker soup.
The idiots here have no freaking idea about communism, even socialism.
Collectivism only works for insects like ants. It does not work for humans.
Linguine alle Vongole / Linguini with White Clam Sauce
A southern Italian menu favorite, celebrates the freshness of the sea.
Fresh aquaculture clams makes the dish. Or use canned whole baby clams.
Ing: 1 lb linguine ¼ c best evoo 5-6 gar/cloves ½ c Pinot Grigio white wine Anchovy filet Red chili flakes to taste Bag of fresh clams or use 2-10 oz cans whole baby clams 3-4 tbl Butter. Garnishes Fresh chopped parsley, Lemon zest—lemon wedges
Preparation: Slowly heat olive oil, placing the sliced garlic, anchovy filet, and red pepper flakes to gently sauté. Add two tbl butter to cool pan and add white wine. Let alcohol burn off. Put in whole clams to steam, discarding broken or open ones. Cover, may take 10-12 min. As clams open, take out and plate. Remove meat from all but about 8-10 clams reserved for serving platter and 2-3 per plate.
Add clam meat to pan, then al dente cooked pasta, mix with tongs. Fold in remaining butter. Turn with tongs to infuse sauce into pasta. Never rinse pasta the starch helps the sauce bond. Transfer to server with the tongs and add sauce liquid making sure to get all of the clam meat and the garlic. Top with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Grate on some lemon zest. Serve in individual bowls garnished w/ steamed clams in shells. Enjoy with a crisp dry white wine.
I got motivated for some reason, today. Did a lot of cleaning and organizing and finally took down the Christmas Tree and cleaned up the Family Room.
Tomorrow I am scrubbing the Dining Room floor and when dry, putting down the new replacement rug under the Dining Room table. The old one was destroyed by my Beagle and her UTI before I figured out what was going on. Dolly is totally on the mend - thank goodness! Two more day of meds - but she is already back to her goofy, perky, crazy-bunny hunting self!
She's doing quite well for 105 in Dog Years!
“I have a keen ear for accents.”
Beau and I were laughing about this just yesterday. There is NOTHING melodious about the way we speak.
I sound like Officer Margie from ‘Fargo,’ LOL!
Lemon-Rice Soup - Comfort and warmth in a bowl after shoveling snow! :)
Beau says that Communism would be GREAT - if it weren’t for basic Human Nature.
Yeah. I’m not sharing my stuff. Work and earn your OWN stuff. ;)
sounds delish!
The Greeks and the Italians got equal time.
We’ll share with our kids and immediate family, but if you’re a lazy bones, all bets are off, even with family.
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