You're not getting my Jamie! LOL. Jenna, maybe.

I'll take them both.

I sprinkle 3 shakes of cayenne in my smoothie every morning. One morning I did 4 - YIKES!

Sharon,Fergitaboutit

Whoa, Vic!

OK, Polly.
Fergitted.
Unless you wanted to come too.

Vic, I would have been dancing on the ceiling barefoot.

Great pic of the cayenne string, Dave. Congrats to Trish for making it...you'll have plenty of seasoning now!

I wonder what the best way to grind dried peppers into flakes would be? I've just cut them up with a KNIFE (*) or crinkle them w/my hands directly into dishes but it would be nice to have a jar of home-grown flakes.

Shoe (Who thinks Vic should add cayenne peppers to her garden list next year, along with sweetpotatoes! You can make a "Smoothie Garden" so you have all the ingredients.)

edited cus I speed-typed " I've just cut them up with a nice or crinkle them w/my hands " Sorry. I don't even own a "nice". *grin

I'm going to let one of your sweet potatoes sprout and see what I can do

I'd like to know how to grind those peppers too.

Shoe, crinkling them is how we do it. I guess a mortar and pestle would work, too but we always have salt in there.

Hmm..salt in your mortar and pestle? You must crush a lot of garlic in it, eh?

Okay, I have quite a few Ghost peppers dried now...I'll hand-crinkle some and see how it goes! I understand they are HOT HOT HOT! (I bet I much prefer cayenne and jalapeno though!)

:>)

A couple years ago I bought a pound of snazzy salt; it's a grey salt from somewhere in France and is harvested and sold raw without any refining. It's pretty neat and very tasty but it comes in fairly good sized rocks. So the mortar and pestle tames that beast.

Then, when cooking fried eggs, I can just grab a pinch of salt and sprinkle it onto the eggs as soon as they hit the buttered skillet. Follow that up with some freshly cracked pepper and I have lunch.

Yummy! Sounds good to me! And I'm sure your eggs were home-grown. Delish!

Shoe (full of home-grown omelet, butter beans, and a broccoli salad.)

Of course!

Wonderful article Sharon.
Regards,
Arif.

Thanks Arif!

Love your reminiscences. Different times, simpler life, more down to earth people. What amuses me that in some ways this is cross cultural but how similar it was in those days. How human relationships were similar but now, no one has the time for any one. Time is value and who gives value for free these days? Gone are the days of a mentor and his apprentice. Dog eat dog world out there and may we all remain insulated from the truth and remain stuck to our ideals.
Your articles take me back in time and to write to you takes a disproportionate time of mine due to nostalgia and I have to think hard in answering
Regards
Arif.

My articles are doing for you exactly what I want them to do. I want them to mean something, to make people think, so that in this 'dog eat dog' world, we remember the way it could be, and should be. And maybe in some small way, our memories will help us to reach out to each other, in kindness and with compassion.

If we don't share our valuable memories, then we'll forget our real purpose in life: working together and helping each other along the way. We can't change the world, but I like to think we can gently touch a few inhabitants.

It's so good to know that even 'cross culturally', we share similar memories of our relationships with those who mentored us and those who cared enough to teach us well.

Thank you, Arif.
Your words are very meaningful to me.

Sharon I know you are doing it on purpose you are one of the few writers whom when I read, it seems you are here in person . Listening to Lila Downs, Mexican while writing. A gracious early morning present from Jonna . So long out of touch that now it requires concentration to understand
Ideals and idealism. When I was young I thought I could make a difference or change the world but the world ended up souring me. Now, even if some one approaches me with good intentions, I first circle him and go sniff sniff then sit down out of range and wonder what he is up to. If that reminds you of something, morally even that animal is better. There, if some one goes belly up he is forgiven but here if you accidentally go belly up, that's it.
Not the fault of inhabitants, cooperate greed and a few lackeys. Greed drives humanity from Adam to current.
Regards,
Arif.

I learned many years ago to make do with what I had. I also learned to make the most out of what I was given. I hope I never forget that.

Watch for a T-mail, Arif. There are some links I want to share and you might enjoy.

Will do so . Making do with what you have and be grateful, waste not want not, etc. Try telling this to the new generation. For me a bed, three meals a day, clothes on my body, roof over my head and a loving family, thank you Lord for all your blessings . We were not spoil't, there were rules 1) Spare the rod and spoil the child 2) Don't fulfill all his wishes,let him be grateful for what he gets . Try that now .
Regards,
Masud.
I sail to close to the wind, not good.

You are right about younger generations; I know that so well. I taught teenagers, and over the years I saw the change until eventually I began to see the change in their parents as well.

Cutting those corners too close to the wind can be dangerous, but not always bad.