Good Things by David

A few weeks ago I was fortunate to have visited a farm near our home that was once a working farm.  The  corn crib I wrote about in a previous post is part of that property, and it's just one of the many buildings on the farm.  With my curiosity piqued & a camera at the ready, I was taken around on a small tour by my friend Paul.  My first feelings toward the place were those of complete respect, appreciation & utter amazement for the farmer.  Every building & every road was taken into consideration when the layout of the buildings was established on the beautiful rolling landscape.  Although the actual construction of the various buildings spans several centuries, everything makes perfect sense.    The original stone colonial home, which dates back to the very early 1700s, is now the private property of a family.  A bank barn dating to the early 1800s was...

I want to wish my niece, Audrey, who's turning 3 today a very Happy Birthday!  I'm so thankful that she's a part of my life because she's a constant reminder to me not to take anything or anyone for granted.  You see, my little one has cancer.  She was diagnosed last August with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and has been in treatment ever since.  Although she's making great strides each & every day, her battle isn't quite over yet.  Her prognosis is good, however, so there is much hope for her.  At the end of the day, she's just a normal 3 year old child who likes to read, color, play with her toys, listen to music with her grandpa (she's a BIG Beatles fan because of him), dance, sing & yes, get into mischief! I write & maintain a small, private blog for her & the entire family to keep everyone scattered around the country up to date on her progress.  I give her a voice through that blog by sharing stories, f...

I admit there are times when even I'm rushed to put something on the table for lunch or dinner that's both delicious and nutritious.  By now you must know that in my household, getting convenience food from a chain is never an option.  That doesn't mean, however, that I always have the time to indulge in a long recipe.  Although I'm no longer a strict vegetarian like I was many years ago, I still like to have meatless meals whenever I can.  Pasta is always a sure answer to putting something together in a matter of minutes that is filling & satisfying.  On its own, pasta is fine, but I'm always mindful of including some protein in a meal.  For vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike, chickpeas provide a protein along with much needed fiber.  When you combine them with pasta, a perfect meal is created.   Pesto will forever be a favorite of mine, so what better sauce to add to chickpeas & pasta?  What's more, cann...

There was a time when salt cellars played an important role on the dining table for the host or hostess.  As a result of it being such an expensive commodity several hundred years ago, salt was seen as a luxury and it was the well to do that made salt cellars quite fashionable & a status symbol for the home.  A single salt cellar usually sat at the head of the table and was passed around throughout the meal.  The closer one sat to the salt cellar, the more important one was deemed by the head of the household.  Smaller cellars that were more accessible and with an open top became a part of Victorian table settings.  Fast forward to the 20th century when salt was no longer a luxury and when anti caking agents were added to make salt free-flowing, and one begins to see salt cellars fall out of fashion.  Luckily for the collector and for those of us who like to set a table with Good Things , this can prove to be a boon. Salt cellars for th...

Corn cribs have fascinated me for a number of years now, so I was determined to capture images of one on a neighboring property.  I was told by a friend that this structure, which dates to around 1860, looked rickety and on the brink of falling over, but was quite sturdy and would probably stand for many more decades to come. When I arrived at the farm I was greeted with a disheveled looking corn house constructed of wood that had seen better days.  I was in love!  I began asking my friend Paul all about the corn crib and its history.  Corn cribs were originally built on working farms to store & dry whole corn, still on the cob, with or without the husk.  Although the design of these structures varied from place to place, they all shared similar characteristics.  Slatted walls on all four sides were a must and all were elevated off the ground.  Although corn cribs are no longer needed, even for the gentleman farmer, i...