Matriachs to Me

Pictured here is my Grandma on my father's side, Maria, and my Grandmother on my mothers side, Nicolina.  The second photo of me at graduation shows also my mother and my Aunt Angela.

I've been so fortunate to have these wonderful women in my life, in my formative years, and in our family.  Not just one woman who nurtures, loves, and feeds a family - but 4 dynamos!  Right now, only one is viable.  The Grandmas have long past, living into their nineties, God Bless Them, and my mother with Alzheimers diagnosed in mid 90s.

These women were all so great to us.  First of all, my mother was perfect in many ways, including the unconditional love and support.  She raised 5 children with my Dad and did so in such a way that our family was quite happy in childhood.  She cooked gloriously.  And she kept house very much like the traditional homemaker in her day - providing all the comforts and luxury within our means.  She was also very good financially in stretching a dollar and saving for a rainy day.  Here is an example of one week of family dinners - every night a different meal - feeding a family of seven - and each week would be differenct - how did she do it?
Day one - eggplant parm from scratch
Day two - roasted chicken, garlic, and potatoes
Day three - broccoli and pasta with garlic and olive oil
Day four - meatloaf with veggies on the side
Day five - PIZZA- we would order out or Grandma would make her homemade pie at he house!
Day six - barbecue or fish fillets
Day seven - pasta - sometimes homemade by one of the Grandmas
Each Sunday we would get together with the cousins and have a larger family dinner together.
These Matriarchs really made our lives special and I like to honor them in the work that I do and the legacy we carry on for them...I see 3 young women in our family who are already the Matriarchs for the next generation and we are very lucky!

Hebe Returns

We rec'd a yearling doe looking alot like Hebe, our kid born/died in the same year.  Black with striking white lines down the front of the face. Here is a picture side by side.

HEBE

HERA

What a strange and lovely surprise! A distant neighbor said the animal had appeared one day at the woman's home - she called around to find the owner without succeeding and was hoping to find it a good home. My neighbor who I had spoken to about my goats - thought maybe it was mine and dropped it off with a note. Here is the note.

When I heard of the gift goat - I went out to see it - it was very wild - but also quite healthy looking with a glossy coat and strong horns - a very pretty creature. A La Mancha - Hebe was not - but in all other respects she looked just like her.

It took over a half hour and some Buck baiting but I finally caught her and called the gift givers inquiring how they were able to catch her in the wild when I could not even catch her in a pen. Two heads are better than one - I guess... Once caught, I pet her. Once I showed her the other girls in their pens, a big fear seemed to lift off of her and she seemed once again home on the farm!