Comments for From This Dirt Forward

Comment on Breaking Up With Summer by T

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:11:48 +0000

Nice blog. Just found it.

Comment on Breaking Up With Summer by harleysgirl

harleysgirl — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:05:16 +0000

A mug of something warm and gooey would be good. Maybe a rug too. We have hardwood floors too, and I’ve noticed I have to wear slippers all the time now. I’m considering placing a few rugs down, knowing that once Spring arrives I can take them up again. Throwing down the “rug” feels like giving in to Winter though – that’s tough. Enjoy Mojitos in the winter too and dream of summer.

Comment on Introducing The Rhubarb Martini – The Drink That Will Drive You To Drink by winemaker

winemaker — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:42:21 +0000

Have recently made a rhubarb wine. What I found to be very easy,(for those with patience) is to dice the rhubarb and put it in the freezer for a few months. Remove when you can’t wait any longer and press through cheeesecloth or mesh bag. The freezing process breaks down the cell walls and releases all the flavors and juices without the boil. The love of rhubarb (and experimenting), is probably a Maine thing!

Comment on About our Gardens by Carol Ann

Carol Ann — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:55:32 +0000

Dear Annie,
It’s been a while since your last post, and I was just in here checking the site when I re-read your reply about `challenging episodes’ and `Andy stories’. I like the idea that we marry like-minded individuals, but recognize that there is an ocean between our methods.

Immediately what came to mind was an episode before Andy and I were married and I was living in Portland, Maine. I had a tiny (emphasis on tiny) bedroom in my apartment, but it faced the saltwater bay and mudflats and therefore was a desirable room- good for sleeping, dreaming, and ocean breezes. Andy was taking time off and spending it with me in Portland. I had so little space in the room that we decided to retrofit a homemade loft bed for under-storage. Our like-mindedness made it seem like a great idea. I left for work one morning and Andy went to work on the bed.

By the time I got home there was a giant four foot tall double bed that encompassed almost the entire room, with the strength to hold four small elephants. In addition, there was a foot-long hole in the passenger side of my car. It was remarkably shaped like a saw blade.

Turns out he had expertly shoved the plywood sheets in the car which had a beveled opening. They wouldn’t come out the way they went in, as was also the case with the bed upon moving. He took the circular saw into the car and proceeded to cut the wood out of the car, embedding it in my passenger seat along the way.

If you want another good laugh, ask me about his attempt at an apple pie during the same time period. I can relate to the anxious experience you had leaving Doug at home during summer vacation to exercise his creative muscles…

Comment on Top Three Garden Wishes by June

June — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:50:33 +0000

You gave new meaning to the term garden wedding! It does sound blissful…

Comment on Top Three Garden Wishes by Nell Jean

Nell Jean — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:23:43 +0000

Turn his wishes into pluses for your wishes. I wished for giant boulders from underground in the peanut field to be transported to my garden. DH wished for a bulldozer and front end loader. We’re both happy, I with my stones, he with his toys.

Comment on Misadventures in Marriage and Tomatoes by Carol Ann

Carol Ann — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:47:46 +0000

I heard second-hand about this misadventure, but finally reading it first-hand is far more worth it…what a story Annie! From the sounds of it, you have been pretty graceful about the whole thing! All those lovely tomatoes….

Comment on LOST: September by sandy l

sandy l — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:38:25 +0000

Nice to know someone else lets the weeds bloom!!!

Comment on Misadventures in Marriage and Tomatoes by molly

molly — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:13:56 +0000

LOL, what’s the bet his brothers wife is now saying exactly the same thing!

Comment on Misadventures in Marriage and Tomatoes by June

June — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:15:44 +0000

I can SO empathize. We’ve had a blighted year, tomato-wise. We have BARELY any. The ones we have are practically named. In my mind, each one is labeled for some specific purpose: oven-dried, tomato chutney, tomato salad. When they first began to ripen, I coaxed a few Sungolds along, then decided I finally had some ready to harvest. I went in for my basket and came out to find…my children’s friends in the garden. Usually this is a beautiful picture to me — children playing in the garden, foraging for the most delicious snacks on earth. But…one of them had eaten every ripe tomato. Gone. Gone. Gone.

I didn’t scream or throw a fit. How could I? But I had to go in the house and cry. A lot. The summer has just been so stingy with sunshine and warmth and tomatoes, and this was just too much.

Good thing your husband has a gardening brother. But I can’t stand to think about HIS poor wife either…

Enjoy your sauce!