STUDY IN BARK

Leaves Compared with Flowers
Robert Frost (1874-1963)

A tree's leaves may be ever so good,

So may its bar, so may its wood;

But unless you put the right thing to its root

It never will show much flower or fruit.

But I may be one who does not care

Ever to have tree bloom or bear.

Leaves for smooth and bark for rough,

Leaves and bark may be tree enough.

Some giant trees have blooms so small

They might as well have none at all.

Late in life I have come on fern.

Now lichens are due to have their turn.

I bade men tell me which in brief,

Which is fairer, flower or leaf.

They did not have the wit to say,

Leaves by night and flowers by day.

Leaves and bar, leaves and bark,

To lean against and hear in the dark.

Petals I may have once pursued

Leaves are all my darker mood.

What is a "Study in . . ."? 

A visual record defined by a single element, such as color, texture, or type. For those of you new to this blog, Thursdays are my designated "Study in. . . ." days. My previous journal entries include Studies in Purple, Stone Faces, and Yellow. I hope you enjoy them.

Sharon

MULTITUDES ON MONDAY {259-269}

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, the New York Times Bestseller by Ann Voskamp, dares the reader to list one thousand things to be thankful for. Here is my continuing visual record of gratitude. I also keep a writing gratitude journal over at my book blog.

# 259 Pink Peony

#260 Preparations for my mother's Savannah garden wedding in November 2011.

#261 Zephirine Drouhin roses

{This is what Heaven smells like.}

# 262 Spring berries

#263 Visual Journal (Lemon Blueberry Muffins)

#264 Visual Journal (blank page, ready to write on)

#265 Cans for Cupcakes

6th grade Community Service Project

#266 A bride who threw her bouquet to her younger cousin.

#267 Children at the beach

#268 Children at play

# 269 End of the year Patriotic Choral Concert

Join the community at A Holy Experience.

Hope to see you there,

Sharon

STUDY IN YELLOW

Summer Sun

By Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

 Great is the sun, and wide he goes

Through empty heaven without 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-lot 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.

I've always loved this poem. Since gray skies reigned from October through April in Northern New Jersey, my father's garden only lasted from Mother's Day until the first day of school. But this poem reminded me that the sun would eventually return, regardless of how long and dark the winter.

Sharon

RECIPE JOURNAL: STRAWBERRY BREAD

STRAWBERRY BREAD

2 cups whole strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
3 cups plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour*
2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cup canola oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350º. Butter and flour two 9x5 loaf pans. Slice strawberries and put in a medium bowl.
Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Add eggs and oil to strawberries and toss. Add berry mixture to flour mixture, along with the nuts, and mix until just combined. Divide batter between pans. Bake loaves 70 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

*I substituted white-whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour and it tasted delicious.

NOTE: This recipe journal is an attempt to work my through my grandmother's extensive recipe collection. Below is what the original index card looks like which is why I'm trying to preserve those recipes worth keeping. Last week's recipe was Yogurt Pound Cake.

This bread is perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon or as an after-school snack.

I hope you enjoy! 

Sharon