Grapevine: Sleepless Nights
By Rosalyn Queen on October 02, 2013 from The Grapevine
Sleepless nights! We can all lay claim to at least a few of these in our lifetime. This is the sequence they seem to come in. As a teenager my sleepless nights were caused by my fear of not having a date for the school dances and not being able to get a new gown to wear. Then the next phase came when I had found the right man and I layed awake at night just wondering if he was going to ask me to marry him. After that came all the sleepless nights worrying about; first the health of my babies, then when they became teenagers if they were doing the right things and if they would return home safely to me. After that came the missed sleep worrying about retiring and if we would have enough money to lead a happy life. In between came those sleepless nights caused by those horrible hot flashes. There were several nights when I worried about my parents and their health and later their deaths. And as I got older I began to worry about not being able to sleep those eight hours that I thought was required for good health. I later learned that we do not need eight hours as we get older.
Now for the "icing on the cake." This past week my friend, Alexis Scott, came to visit with baskets full of beets, Swiss Chard and peppers. She had gathered them out of her husband Francis's garden. It was late in the evening so I put them on the picnic table on the back porch, knowing I would take care of them the next day.Well, you will never believe this. I had a terrible sleepless night thinking about taking care of this wonderful produce and just what I was going to prepare. But the lost sleep was worth it as I fixed a wonderful minestra from the chard, and steamed the beets and put them in a pickling juice for later consumption. The peppers were sliced and make ready for pepper rings for this winter to accompany the minestra and pasta dishes. I have made up my mind that losing sleep in this manner is worth it. Wow, how our priorities change.
A happy birthday to one of my best childhood friends, Becky Sprout. She is just a few days older than me but we certainly have weathered a lot together. It is rare to have a friend like this and if you are fortunate enough to be able to, cherish this friendship. We go back to the seventh grade at Broadway Junior High and after high school we continued our friendship and it is still in place. There is nothing better than a good friend.
I got my second batch of mushrooms and I am getting them ready to put down in the crock. I did learn that the wet weather has ruined several of the mushrooms but if we still have some warm days we should be able to collect a decent harvest.
Our birthday girl, the original one, Rose Vallelonga will be celebrating her birthday in October. If you know Rose give her a call or send her a card. She sure wished a lot of people birthday cheer in her lifetime.
It is Homecoming time at the high schools. If you have the opportunity to attend any of the Homecoming activities, do so. Congratulations to Miss Francesca Folio who was the homecoming queen at Notre Dame. She is the granddaughter of Jeannine and Sugar Vincent and the daughter of Dr. Joe Michael and Nicole Folio.
I have been sifting through my cookbooks for a pumpkin pie recipe. I always get anxious for the first pumpkin pie of the season and vow I am going to wait for Thanksgiving, but I never do.
Do not forget to attend the end of the season festivals and be sure to get out for a drive to see the leaves. Keep in touch and until next week "Now You Have Heard It Through The Grapevine."
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