A few weeks back, there was a post at the Plurkette Hencircle to sign up to get a penpal. As in, a real pen penpal. As in, pen and paper. No e-mails. Just good, old fashioned, personal letters. I thought it was a fantastic idea.
I signed up and received my penpal assignment earlier this week. I was delighted to find out that my penpal is from the U.K.! I’ve already written a letter and it’s sitting here on my desk at work till I have a chance to run down to the post office and mail it. I’m really looking forward to having a penpal to correspond with.
When I was in grade school, I had a penpal named Katie who lived in England. She was the granddauther of a family friend. She and I used to write to eachother all the time. I loved reading her letters and once we even exchanged tapes we recorded with a mix of talking and our favorite songs. Over time though, we grew up and lost touch. And our friend Betty, who was her grandmother and our dear friend, has since passed away. So I’ve really lost touch with her. I’d love to track her down again someday though, and see if she remembers her childhood penpal in America, as much as I remember her.
When I got this penpal, I went to the Hallmark card store in search of some pretty stationary. They had two options: plain white or plain cream. Wow, how times have changed! I remember when I was a little girl and wrote to Katie, I had a 101 Dalmatians stationary set and a Lisa Frank-designed unicorn stationary set. I probably had others too, but those stand out in my memory. I remember the stores always had all sorts of pretty sets of writing stationary — with sayings on the bottom and pretty pictures and borders. Now it’s a real challenge to find stuff like that. Several people suggested to me to try dollar stores, so I’m going to check there. But I guess it’s a commentary on our lives today: no one hand-writes letters anymore. At best, we sometimes type a letter, print it, and mail it. But more often, we just type an e-mail and shoot it off instantaneously across the world. And while that ability to communicate in milliseconds is absolutely wonderful, I think there’s still something to be said for old-fashioned hand-written cards and letters. I know it means a lot to me when I get a card in the mail where someone took the time to write a paragraph or two, rather than just doing a mail-merge and stamping out form letters.
Maybe I’m just old fashioned that way, though…
How does my garden grow? Typically, not very well.
Behold my attempt at gardening…
- 1 lavender plant
- 1 sweet basil plant
- 1 little planter with seeds for basil, parsley, and chives
A bit pathetic, eh? But I’m trying.
I’ve never had very good luck with plants. Outdoors, I tend to forget to water them and they wind up baking in the hot sun. Or I get lazy about weeding and they get choked out. Indoors, I manage to put plants who need partial sun in direct sunlight, and those that need direct sunlight inside closets. Not to mention, I recently discovered that my cat has a love for shredding houseplants apart as well.
But I’m giving it all another go. Thanks to MyFolia, I’m learning about what type of lighting and watering-schedule different types of plants need to thrive. I’m doing my best to keep to a consistant schedule and keep my plants healthy. And so far? It’s working!
Just look at those happy little sprouts!
Now I’m really wishing that my husband and I lived in a house where I could plant more things — zucchinis, squash, pumpkins and tomatoes — but unfortunately, living in an apartment really limits you for outdoor space. So I’m container-gardening. There’s a group on MyFolia specifically devoted to container gardening, and a few people there pointed me in the direction of McGee & Stuckey’s Bountiful Container, which is apparently the guide to container gardening. It’s on my Amazon wishlist now, so hopefully I can order it soon! (And hopefully it’s not too late in the season to plant a few more things…
Look what I found growing wild in the field beside our apartment…
At first I mistook them for black raspberries, but upon further research, I determined they’re in fact blackberries. I’ve never had blackberries before! I’m so excited and I’ve been planning all the things I can do with them…
I was able to pick just over a cup of berries yesterday. The bushes are absolutely loaded with berries, but most of them aren’t ripe quite yet.
I went out last night and bought the supplies I needed to make blackberry freezer-jam. My mother has made strawberry and black raspberry freezer jam, and I’m thinking that blackberry should be every bit as good. I’m also considering attempting mixed-berry jam with blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries.
Here is the recipe I’m planning to use.
Blackberry Freezer Jam
3 c. blackberries, crushed
5 1/4 c. sugar
1 box Sure-Jell fruit pectin
Measure berries into large bowl; thoroughly stir in sugar and let stand 10 minutes. Mix 3/4 cup water and Sure-Jell in small saucepan. Bring to a full boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. At once, stir into fruit and continue stirring 3 minutes. Immediately put into prepared containers (freezer jars or cartons that have been scalded), leaving 1/2 inch space at top.
With a damp cloth, wipe any spills from containers. Cover at once with lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store jam in freezer until ready for use.
I’m also looking for other recipes to try with my blackberries — pies, muffins, etc. So please feel free to share!
