Anisette Studio

This painting is the view off my deck. Behind the trees is where 23 wild turkeys’ parade and pick upwards from the woods to the left often, sometimes the right, then across this little field, up and around these rocks, past my deck and out into the driveway to where there is another small field/lawn. They pick their way forward eating what they do. The cross the road working their way around into the woods again.

Coffees at the ready. It’s a quiet morning, just a gentle tock, tock, tock, tock, ____, from the new pendulum clock I purchased for my Boho look in the kitchen area. The clock is made of thin looping metal, almost like and old watch at the top. It has very simple elegant lines. The color reminds me of the same green you find on old wood burning kitchen stoves, I had a tan and green wood burning cook stove as a farm wife. I had bricks holding my oven rack up. I always had bread on its shelf to raise for cooking, starters_____ or large soups kettles simmering away for supper, Boston Baked Beans in the oven for Saturday night card games. Corn bread or biscuits, hot dogs laid in Potsfield Pickles in a pan in the oven.

The sound of the new clock is more like rain dropping from the eaves, onto something wooden outside____ drop, drop, drop, drop. It’s a steady and soothing noise. Pendulum clocks are wonderful, this one does not chime. I have others what would. We will see where they might work. I have a nice bright rug placed at my sink as well, and two green and gold cast iron shelves to put up.

When I was the farm wife I had a huge garden, and a pantry which had everything I needed for cooking supplies, 25 lb. bags of different types flours, cocoa, Dutch chocolate, corn meal___ it was all in there. So many kinds of cooking supplies, raisins____. Sides of beef, pork, chicken were in the freezer, eggs, milk and cream came from the farm. Cheese, fruits and other things came from a co-op we had joined.

There is nothing like having canned foods you have done yourself. A lot of work! We planted Russet Potatoes for a baking potato, red potatoes for an early potato to eat with the first round of peas and ham by the first of July, and a novel, purple potato, and yellow potatoes. There were green beans, yellow beans, shelled beans and pole beans. Carrots, lettuce, swish chard, beets for beet greens and beets, paste tomatoes, beef steak tomatoes, and likely another kind to try like a yellow low acid tomato. Green and red peppers, eggplant, peas, snap peas, popcorn, yellow and gold corn and a solid yellow corn, broccoli and cauliflower. I think that was it. Pickling cukes and regular cucumbers to eat. Strawberries and apples for freezing and jam or jelly making. Black berries from my folk’s house. I ordered peaches, plums and pears from the Davis Supply, a hardware store. We had a cherry tree at the farm.

I canned the remaining beef or chicken in the freezer when new meat came in for the year. There is a lot to be said for being self-sufficient. I purchased paper products and cleaners mostly.

The only drawback to being a farm wife was it did not allow much time for being the artist or writer to be a farm wife. I did raise my babies, and when in my thirties I went to collage when my kids were in school as well. My plan had been to go before I had babies, but it did not work out that way.

It’s interesting how the mind is triggered from the placement of a new clock to the color of my old stove, canning and farm life.

The very best wishes, may love and laughter fill your days! Do what you can for the world at large, but keep yourself sane. Pejj Nunes

Note: I do not give permission without request to use my art.