Gardening…a little

May 23, 2020gardeningsusanmanzke

I do not have a large garden. Up until today, I only had potatoes planted.

Yesterday, I called Keilhofer Greenhouse to see if they had any tomato plants left. They did. They also said I could arrange to buy them over the telephone and then pick them up without having to go inside.

Yeah, I told her I wanted 3 different tomato plants: Roma, yellow pear, and cherry tomato, along with a sweet pepper plant–I got their last sweet pepper plant.

We made the arrangements for my purchase. When all was set at the greenhouse, I got a phone call to pick up my plants.

This photo was taken in my car after I picked up my plants.

Today, I put my tomatoes and pepper plant into a raised bed Bob set up years ago.

It didn’t take long to put them in place.

This is a closeup of my pear tomato plant.

I also planted some lettuce seed, so with some bacon, at the end of August I’ll be able to put together a BLT.

If I want other fresh vegetables, I will head to a farmer’s market.

I do not plan on doing a lot of canning, if any anymore.

Now I have fingers crossed that my tomatoes do well and receive a gentle shower tonight to get them settled in their home for the summer.

In my dreams, I can see my little harvest and almost taste the juiciness of the bounty of my little garden patch.

Sibling photos – late 1982

May 22, 2020Family, photographysusanmanzke

I’ve been going through old photos and scanning them for a column collection from 1982-1983.

Today I’m sharing two here.

This first one is of Rebecca and baby Rachel Jo.

The second shared photo is of Russell and big brother Rob.

I love the expressions in both photos.

Of course, everyone was sweet every day–NOT. As they grew, these four had many meltdowns. But they survived.

Today, our children are best friends.

Rhubarb Crisp — recipe

May 21, 2020food, recipesusanmanzke

I made this every spring with fresh rhubarb, until Bob plowed up my rhubarb. These days I pick rhubarb at our neighbors’.

I halved my recipe this year and omitted the crust and found it just as good.

Here’s is my crust-less Rhubarb Crisp recipe

1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 2 eggs, 2 cups diced raw rhubarb (or more)…

…when I cut up my rhubarb, I had more than needed, but I added it anyway, so I used almost double the rhubarb called for.

Baked in a casserole dish at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until it seemed done.

Let cool before eating.

It comes our sweet/tart and creamy.

I did not miss having a crust at all.

Taking measure

May 20, 2020Family, Memories, Weathersusanmanzke

How much rain did you get?

It all depends on where you live and how you measure.

We have a rain gauge on Sunny’s pen. This day we had 3/4s of an inch.

Bob used to talk about his grandfather. In days gone by, they compared the amount of rain measured at their homes. No matter the storm, Grandpa always had more rain, even when he lived next door.

How could this be?

It was the way Bob’s grandfather measured. His rain gauge wasn’t like the Manzkes’.

This was Grandpa’s rain gauge…

…his wheelbarrow.

Of course, he always had more rain.

This method brought a measurement of 2 inches, not 3/4 inch. The day that I took these photos, the guages were about twenty feet apart.

Grandpa never saw the need for a calibrated rain gauge. He liked his wheelbarrow method, which he used all his life.

So, how do you measure the rain coming into your yard? Rain gauge? Wheelbarrow? Teacup?

Working from home

May 19, 2020work, writingsusanmanzke

After losing Bob, I could have quit, quit writing, quit everything. Instead, I ramped things up by blogging and now doing YouTube.com column readings.

These self-imposed jobs give me a reason to get up, get dressed, and even comb my hair each morning.

In the beginning, I thought about taking over Bob’s office. Instead, I’ve set up my workspace at the kitchen table.

It doesn’t bother me if I move things around to find a place for my plate at mealtime. I can always move them back again.

There’s no one else to please but myself.

What I do like is that I work next to a big window when at the table. It opens up the world to me.

So, for now, I’ll continue to write one way or another. I hope my little efforts are entertaining enough to keep people reading and listening, that way I’ll have a reason to get up every morning.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person

Gardening…a little

Sibling photos – late 1982

Rhubarb Crisp — recipe

Taking measure

Working from home