Granny's Parlour

The weekend is a good time for grazing. This is a summary of some of the delightful Blog articles I have been reading during the week. I invite you to graze through these, and also through the archives of the creative writers who have written about appetizing recipes, food preparation, gardening, canning and preserving, aspects of nutrition, homesteading and life’s choices, hopes and lessons.

The 18 Blogs of Christmas

I suspect it is not possible to talk about food, sustainability, gardening and self-reliance without discussing life as a whole.

The Blog environment is a blessing. The more I explore it, the more I believe that it brings to business a much-needed sensitivity and connection to real life and real people.

In the course of the past several weeks, we have had a glimpse of the heartfelt and creative journals of fellow bloggers. For me, as one who loves to write, these have been a revelation. Every day, I am astounded by the scope of this Bloggosphere and its open-mindedness.

Writing, here, is an act of giving with no strings attached. The Blogs I have discovered, and now follow, are the vantage point wherefrom we observe the landscape of hard work, tough decisions, simple pleasures, creativity and resourcefulness that makes us all at once unique and similar.

Though it would seem that New Year’s Eve might be an appropriate time to say “Thank You,” I need to say it now, because I feel I have received a gift. So on behalf of All Seasons Homestead Helpers, on behalf of our web visitors who have enjoyed discovering new voices, and on my own behalf, of course, I offer heartfelt thanks to the fellow bloggers who make a gift of their words.

Here are the Blogs we have been enjoying so far, in no particular order. No titles. Just a picture and a few words to peak your curiosity. Please take a moment to offer Seasonal wishes to those you visit.

Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season and an abundance of blessings in the New Year. ~ Granny Wise

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“Dear Santa, … I want you to turn me into a patient and kind superhero… and I want to keep my glasses.  They make me look smarter (and see better)…” - Joy The Baker

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“… is a farm and a vacation incompatible? Does my desire to grow Emerson’s Acre mean that these delicious days… with my family are all the more precious because they will soon be in …short supply?” - Emerson’s Acre

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“… A cook deserves a special secret reward – like the edges of the brownies or the tops of the cakes that need to be leveled…” - In Fine Balance

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“…By New Year’s Eve, we will already have gained four minutes and 32 seconds…” - The Gardening Canuck

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“Santa gets his milk and cookies, but what does a “Tea Princess” get for Christmas? That’s easy: anything she wants! - The English Tea Store Blog

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“Hey, we’re trying to sleep in here!” - The Flying t Ranch Blog

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“Mom had a basic recipe for pfefferneusse… The only problem I saw with it is that it called for candied peel — can you say “yuck?” … And then I had an inspiration: what if we substituted candied ginger for the nasty candied fruit?” - The kale Chronicles

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“I’d also prepared to bet that 95% of mince pie consumers do not make their own mincemeat…” - Frugal Feeding

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“I’m not usually a big fan of pancakes but wow these are good…” - Savory Simple

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“According to legend, the chiffon cake was invented in Los Angeles in the 1920s by Harry Baker (how appropriate!), an insurance salesman…” - Daisy’s World

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“As a child I remember bringing home boxes upon boxes of produce from my Grandparents’ farm in the Okanagan and spending what seemed like the next week canning with my mother…” - Organic Urban Farming

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“My grandmother used to say, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and I believed her. Now I am older and know that there are different kinds of clean…” - Leslie Ann Lloyd

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“My earliest memories of Christmas were watching my mother bake cookies.  The kitchen was filled with the most wonderful aromas as tray after tray of cookies emerged out of the oven…” - Savoring Every Bite

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“When Christmas means summer, sun, beaches and BBQ’s the landscape around you looks a little different to the traditional fir trees and snowflakes that symbolize a northern hemisphere festive season…” - Drawn Outdoors

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“Lay your shadow now on the sundials, and on the open fields let the winds go!…” - high heels To Hay

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“We were in quite a dilemma… Then we stumbled upon this eye-catching, energy saving, duet. The choice was clear; we had to get new ones.” - Chateau de Vie

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“Call the children and enjoy some of the best hamburgers that you can imagine!” - Your Sous-Chef

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“There is an ornament on this tree with a bite taken out of it…” - The Middlest Sister

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