January 2025 - Hope's Homestead

Dear Family and Friends,

I don’t know about you, but January 2025 is quickly flying by. Some of you may know that I belong to a wonderful writing group. We meet every two weeks in my dear A’s art studio where we share our latest poem or prose piece. Usually we choose a prompt for inspiration. Our most recent prompt was, “Silence.” I sat with that word and what it meant to me for a whole week but nothing came. Hoping meditation would help, I sat some more. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It wasn’t until the weekend before we were to gather, while whipping up a batch of date cookies when a story finally emerged. I’d like to share that story with you now. Maybe it will ignite a memory from your past when a moment of silence planted a seed that grew in your life too. However, if you’re only here for my Date cookie recipe, ha! scroll to the bottom. These cookies are soft, chewy and oh so flavourfull. Healthy too! Perfect for sharing with my writing buds….or taking to a neighbour.

It’s 1964. I’m four years old. My family and I live in a small town on the West Coast of Canada, called Hope, where everyone knows what day you change your sheets from the wispy ghosts flapping behind your house. Surrounding our sleepy town are tall, heavily forested mountains. They stand like sentinels protecting us while making room for B.C. longest river, the mighty Fraser, which steadily flows with a greeny gray grace of a water determined to be one with the ocean.

Our two story clapboard house is never quiet. My three older sisters make sure of that. My oldest sister Bonnie is 17 and only comes home to change her clothes and sleep, as her world revolves around school sports, friends and a boy named Dick. Cherie is 15 and loves to read but she also enjoys turning our record player on to its highest setting. Dad often tells her and visiting friends that they are going to wear a hole in the carpet from all her twisting, jiving and doing the monkey. Joni, my sister closest in age to me, was born nine years ago, during a blue baby streak in our neiighbourhood. Needless to say, if she wants to play with her peers, she’s often running in and out looking for her baseball mitt, her frog collecting buckets, or begging our Dad to tweak her go cart, so she can beat the pants off all the boys in the neighbourhood.

I like to play with my dolls. I have two soft bodied baby dolls named Sindy and Suzie. Although they are similar in size, they didn’t look alike at first, until I took my little yellow giraffe scissors and cut off all their hair. Now they are both bald and are twins. Today, I carefully dress them, talking to them about our upcoming adventure. Sindy is in blue and Suzie in pink. With them dressed I put my attention to the drawer built under the stairs. I pull and pull. Wood on wood grinds but finally the drawer opens. My eyes are bright.

This is our treasure drawer.

Dad is so clever. He built a set of stairs at the end of the bedroom I share with Joni. Under these stairs is our special toy drawer. The stairs head up into the attic where Bonnie and Cherie each have a bedroom with sloped ceilings and dormer windows. At the top of the stairs is a little alcove Dad built for himself. It’s his writing space. As I’m drifting off to sleep at night I hear him tapping away on his black underwood typewriter. Deep into the night I hear the typewriter’s rhythmic song, while from the kitchen mom’s Singer sewing machine steadily clicks, remaking hand me down clothes, given to us by our Auntie Lennie.

Every space in our house is used. In our drawer I spy Joni’s baseball cards, her bag of marbles and her neglected Barbie. I’m not allowed to touch it, but my eyes feast on her blonde ponytail and sleek black and white striped bathing suit. I push down my jealous desire and reach instead for the little brown checked suitcase that holds my tea set. After that, I dig out my favourite dress up outfit. I’m getting really good at buttons and zippers and I grin when I successful zip and button myself into my purple silky dress. I like the swishy sound of the fabric against my leg.

Into my little wicker buggy goes my blue and white tea set along with Sindy and Suzie. Then off the end of my bed I tug off the quilt my Grandma Clark made just for me. On each square, a nursery rhyme and picture is embroidered. I’ve now memorized all the words to each rhyme so as I start to push my buggy I sing, “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a big fall, All the King’s horses and all the King’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again!”

(Below is a picture of the little ceramic Humpty Dumpty man I had for years in my bedroom. I don’t have him any longer but I was able to find a picture of exactly what he looked like)

I push the buggy out into the hall and down to the kitchen where mom is standing at her spot in front of the sink. She turns and asks, “What are you doing Debbie?” “Just taking my babies out for some fresh air.” I say. “Oh that’s nice,” she says, “Let me help you lift the buggy outside.” And she opens our back door and lifts my buggy with all my treasures inside. She places it onto our backyard grass.

I stroll the buggy over to our lilac tree, next to our white picket fence and lay my quilt under the tree. The purple blossoms are starting to fall in snowy drifts and the scent is sweet and pleasant. It’s a perfect place for our tea party. I gently lift the twins and sit them together, leaning against the tree trunk. Carefully I place a tiny teacup and saucer in front of each of them and then place one on the quilt for me too. I pour our pretend tea and then I hear the screen door slam. Mom is coming out with a little bowl. Oh goodie! My face lights up as this will be more than a pretend day. “Here you go miss Debbie,” she says, giving me a small bowl with three date cookies inside. “Thank you,” I say, feeling my best manners are in order. She wipes her hands on her apron, smiles at me with her twinkling green eyes and heads back into the house. The screen door slams again.

We munch on cookies and sip our tea. I look up and see shapes in the fluffy clouds passing by above us. Other than drifting clouds all is still.

Where is everybody? I stand up and start to dance, twirling and lifting my long dress to the music only I hear. Little do I know but in this moment of joy filled silence I’m scattering seeds.

My babies quietly sit on the quilt looking out into the yard.

Fast forward now. It’s decades later. It’s a winter Sunday and my husband David and our three youngest are up at the ski hill for the day. After their noisy, getting ready to ski chaos, our house is blissfully quiet. I’ve spent the day in a state of delicious relaxation; reading my latest library book, relishing in a long hot bath and finally going out for a chilly walk in our neighbourhood. Only a few people pass by, their dog leading the way. Not wanting to break the silence, I only nod and smile as we pass by each other. I get back home feeling peaceful and with the cold still on my face I start brewing some late afternoon tea. It’s steeping when our garage door clicks and rattles open. Moments later David and the kids spill into the kitchen with rosy cheeks and stories of how our son Will’s spectacular wipe out on the run called, “Attridge,” was the epic moment of the day. Everyone laughs. Thankfully no one is hurt. David finally heads to his den and Will to his bedroom. My twin daughters linger in the kitchen. Victoria asks, “what kind of tea are you making?” “Earl Gray,” I say, “Ohhhh, yummy,” she says, “can we make London Fog?” “Yeah! and have a few cookies too,” says Kate, reaching into the newly filled glass cookie jar.

I start pouring three cups of steaming tea, Victoria brings milk, honey and vanilla. Kate brings a plate of cookies to the table. For a moment all is quiet and in that empty space, in that sacred silence, I’m whooshed back to a long remembered tea party. A precious time when seeds were planted.

Two magic seeds. The best seeds are planted in silence and joy!

~The End~

Below, my bald babies born, May 20, 2011, decades after that tea party under the lilac tree. In a little town called, Hope.

Above, Kathryn Mira (R) and Victoria Hope (L)…..inspired by Suzy and Sindy

and below Katie left and Tori right….

Victoria is left above and Kathryn is right…..this is their 1st birthday picture…..my sweet bald babies!!!

And below my babies are growing….Victoria (L) Kathryn (R) Their hair is finally growing, ha….Victoria’s is light brown and curly and Kathryn’s is blonde and straight

Above are a few pictures of Kathryn and Victoria….my sweet twins. Looking at these pictures makes me want to pinch myself because seeing them, having them in my life is a testament to seeds we plant, dreams we dream, visions of what we want in our life…all comes to pass in time. And that’s why it’s so important we plant good seeds. What seeds have you planted that have come to bloom in your garden?

What seeds are you planting now?

And now that you’ve read one of my stories, maybe it’s time for you to write your story. I’d love to hear if the word, “Silence,” inspires something from your past. And speaking of goodness, let’s make some cookies. I hope you enjoy the recipe below. I like to play around with it and add various spices and also top it with different nuts and seeds. Sprinkle it with a bit of icing sugar and it’s a special tea cookie!!!

On this Wintery day it’s the perfect time to make some cookies which will still be warm when my family comes home from the ski hill.

Date Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups chopped dates

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup margarine or butter/softened

1 teaspoon vanilla…also for flavouring I like to use grated orange peel

3 eggs

4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon….this is optional but I like to add warm spices especially for winter baking

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

optional: 1/4 cup icing sugar for dusting

Directions

In medium saucepan, combine dates, 1/2 cup sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; (also orange peel if desired, blend well. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt and spices; mix well.

Stir in date mixture and nuts. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. (I make my cookies bigger so they take 10 to 12 minutes)

Immediately remove from cookie sheets Yield 6 dozen cookies…optional…sprinkle with icing sugar….Enjoy them with a cup of tea!

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Welcome dear family and friends. It’s so nice to have you back. I hope you join me in embracing a new year full of endless possibilities. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Our family started a fun, possibly new tradition on December 21, 2024, which was the darkest day of the year, it was Winter’s solstice. Each of us took 10 little pieces of paper and wrote an “actionable” wish we desired for 2025. Then we all put our wishes into our own little red paper cup.

Each night, we would take one of the wishes out and without reading it, we would burn it in a pot. On New Year’s Eve, each of us had one wish left. This wish, we opened, and read out loud to the family. We all laughed over the ones that were left for us to read. (Mine was a wish to spend more time with each of my children!) Then we all trooped outside into the bitter cold and inky darkness; the last night of the year. As our final wishes burned, it was exciting and rather magical. I imagined the golden flames were transforming our wishes and handing them over to our Universe’s higher power, which I felt knew exactly how to help us bring them to fruition.

Dreams and wishes come true!

Also, there was something mystical and powerful about starting this ritual on the darkest day of the year and taking our wishes every day closer to the light. With this thought in mind,

New Year’s Day was truly a fresh start.

I plan to take all of the ashes from our pot and dig them into the garden. Perhaps, the secret to growing a bumper crop of vegetables is planting them above our wishes!

And so the New Year has begun. Harrison flew back to his new home in Vancouver. Alyssa returned to her relatively new job locally. And the kids returned to school. Life hums with music, bounces with basketball, and strokes by with swimming practices and running commitments at the gym. With the kids so active, it’s nice for me to make dinner earlier in the day. That way, all I have to do is put a casserole dish in the oven, make a salad and I know we have a nutritious meal to come home to.

Shepherd’s Pie has always been one of our family’s comfort foods so I thought I would share my recipe with you. I’m not surprised that our family enjoys this dish, since it originates in England and Ireland, which is where our ancestors hail from. I believe lamb was often their source of protein though, however I use ground beef. If you want to make a vegetarian version, you can easily use lentils instead of the meat. If I don’t have very much hamburger, I will also add lentils to extend the protein quantity, as I’m feeding three teens now. It’s nice to have these quick, easy dinners to make in the winter and I find it freezes well too. It’s also relatively frugal, which is one of my goals this year; to live more simply and mindfully with regards to our pocketbook.

Okay, ready to cook? Here’s my Easy Shepherd’s Pie recipe: I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Let’s hit the kitchen.

Shepherd’s Pie….a perfect winter meal

Ingredients:

Meat Filling/bottom layer

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 lb of beef hamburger/lamb or lentils

2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves

1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves -minced

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup beef broth

1 cup frozen mixed peas and carrots or mixed vegetables….I love peas. I know weird hey as many people don’t but my Irish Grandma, Flossie Kilfoyle Clark said, “eating peas puts hair on your chest!” (I think this meant it made you stronger at least I hope that’s what she meant)

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels….optional….this makes the pie sweeter

Potato Topping:

6 Large russet potatoes or 8 medium

1/2 cup butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk….the greater the fat the better

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dried Parsley to sprinkle on top

Instructions

Make the Meat Filling and get potatoes cooked

(Cut the potatoes into cubed chunks and place into large pot of boiling, salted water. Cook until tender. When the potatoes are cooking, make the meat filling below)

Saute the onions in oil. Add ground beef/lamb or soaked lentils. Cook well. Add spices and cook until well combined

Add the worcestershire sauce and the garlic. Add the flour and tomato paste. Once it thickens add the broth and vegetables.

Bring everything to a bubbly boil and then simmer for around 5 minutes.

When the meat filling is simmering you can drain your cooked potatoes, mash them, add the butter, milk, garlic and salt and pepper. Sometimes I add a few tablespoons of sour cream too.

Finally, pour the meat filling in a large casserole dish and top it with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with parsley and if you want some parmesan cheese too.

Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 30 mins

While the Shepherd’s pie is baking, make a green salad. I often serve the casserole with a piece of my sourdough bread too…..of which I will be sharing an updated recipe with you soon as I’m getting really good at making it. See picture of a yummy loaf below.

Enjoy!

(I’ve been meaning to share this recipe for almost 2 years…..hence the date stamp on the photos, ha! Finally, finally have got it up on my blog…..see, some of my wishes are already coming true.)

Above is a pic of one of my sourdough bread loaves…..I promise I will get my latest recipe on my blog soon as there is nothing like sourdough bread to go with a plate of Shepherd’s Pie.

And along with a plate of comfort food, I thought I would include the “Happy New Year’s,” video I made today of our kids, Will, Kathryn and Victoria playing a celtic tune they learned last year. Since Shepherd’s pie heralds from the U.K. it seems appropriate to share it at the end of this post. So without further ado, here is The Second String Trio, our kids playing; “Si Bheag Si Mhor,” A Celtic Fiddle Tune, which they call, “So Big, So little.” We have to thank Will’s cello teacher for suggesting they play this. She even found the music for them. Thank you M for all you do!

Finally, they played this piece and several more at our little town’s garden tour last spring which raised money for the Hospice House.

I hope you enjoy it and the magic of wishes made at this time of the year allow all your dreams to come true. I’m a GREAT believer in wishes and dreams coming true. All I have to do is look at my three youngest and I know magic exists in the world.