Favorite Things: Homemade Cookbooks

I love handmade books. For me, they are much more than recordings  of stories, thoughts, or recipes. They are full of the love and dedication that was put into producing them. I came across these two beauties (circa late 1970's) at the Friends of the Galion Public Library's used book sale.

 

 

The darling hand-painted covers drew me right in. On closer inspection, I discovered that the covers were made by Connie Eichhorn, a full-time country woman who lived on a grain farm, had an in-home ceramic studio, and helped her husband run a saw mill business. 

 

*WHEW* That makes me tired just typing it!  

 

Connie had many talents, not only as a visual artist, but also musically. She was the Jr. Choir director at our church, teaching very young children to sing. My children were all in Connie's choir and my daughter, Meghan, went on to become a music teacher.

 

 

Connie was a member of a hospital "Twig", volunteer organizations that worked on fundraisers for the hospital as well as donating their labor in places like manning the hospital's front desk or working in the gift shop and cafeteria. My guess is that Connie and her Twig members made these books as one of their fundraisers. 

What is extra special about these books is that they are extremely low-tech by today's standards.

 

Can you imagine the time that these women put into producing their books? The covers appear to be coated wallpaper. I can picture Connie drawing and painting each one by hand.

 

 

And then, there was the "inside jobs".

 

 

 

 Each page was typed on old-fashioned ribbon typewriters on a special two-part carbon paper. The carbon part fit on a machine called a mimeograph to make copies.

 

mimeograph machine

Then, each page was cut and put in order and stapled to the covers. 

 

 

This post is dedicated to those who volunteer to make our communities better places to live, like Connie. Connie is in ill health these days. By sharing her talents as an artist and musician, her legacy keeps her in the hearts of those she touched.

 

Marcheta *touched by an angel

 



Got the Spirit? Let's Hear It!

The first job that I do each year that ushers in the Christmas spirit for me is to gussy up Galion Public Library with fresh-from-our-farm greens and wreaths. I am glad that we have this contract because it transitions my soul from mourning the loss of autumn to the joyous Christmas season of special programs, concerts, meals, and family traditions.

As you can see, the sky was a brilliant shade of blue today when I installed the greens.

I've not always been so lucky....today's 41 degrees felt downright balmy compared to years when I'd be out in below freezing weather, sometimes accompanied by freezing rain or snow, trying to wire pine rope, swags, and bows on the beautiful antique wrought iron fence.

Galion is lucky to have such a beautiful library building. Back in the day, forward thinking citizens of Galion matched Carnegie funds and gave our town a legacy.

But wait!

There's more!

Not only do we have this fantastic building, which is also an important part of American history, Galion has a top-notch library staff to go with it.  And I ain't just whislin' Dixie...the staff truly cares about library patrons and goes the extra mile...not only for library business, but also as a hub to connect different people and projects together. With excellent adult and children programs, the library is also a valuable center of learning and entertainment.

As I was installing the greens today, I pondered the fact that Jim and I have been making greens for the library's Christmas for about 20 years (I know! time flies faster than the speed of life!). I just about couldn't get over that fact, and was humbled by the idea of it. l feel extremely privileged to be the person the library board trusts to do the outdoor decorations for the very special season of Christmas.

Marcheta *the fortunate one

Galion Public Library to the Rescue!

A storm last week forced a time of being 'unplugged' for me here at home because it blew out our Internet receiver. I was able to keep blog posts coming because of the free Internet service provided by Galion Public Library.

I am thankful that I was able to continue to work because of the library, but even more thankful that the new receiver was installed today and I can work from home again.

As you can see in the picture, our library is a beautiful building.  It is one of 2509 libraries made possible by  the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. I love the architectural details of Carnegie libraries; stately, scholarly, yet welcoming. Of course, a library is more than an impersonal  building (no matter how beautiful to look at), filled with books, movies, records, and services; a library becomes a good, even exceptional, hub of a town because of the staff. And the staff at Galion's library is *extra*exceptional :)

Forward thinking Galionites in the early 1900 took advantage of the Carnegie Formula and came up with the land and levies to build and maintain the library, an act that has been a blessing to many generations and will continue for many more to come. So, what is a "Carnegie Library"? If you want to learn more, you can read about Carnegie's generosity here.

How often do you visit your library and take advantage of its programming? I am at Galion library several times a week because the organizations I belong to meet there. I bring home books, magazines, and music. Sometimes I wonder just how much money I've saved during the 40 years I've lived in this town because of borrowing from the library...but my brain cannot wrap itself around such a calculation. Lets just say, TONS!

On the shelves I first learned about Helen and Scott Nearing (Living the Good Life); Gladys Taber of the Stillmeadow books; Patricia Penton Leimbach; and many more books by naturalists and 'back to the landers'. I've checked out cookbooks, garden books, craft books; it seems that no matter what I am interested in, I can find out about it at this library.

I know that my life would not be as blessed is it is today without the knowledge that I've gained from our library. Now that, my friends, is a thought more beautiful than the building that houses all of that knowledge (and more).

Marcheta *bookish

Candle in the Wind ~or~ Country Storms

Do you like thunder storms?

I do.

Although storms are frightening everywhere, there is something about watching a country sky when a high wind tosses about lightning rods that light up and give life to dark storm clouds.

Even as a small kid, when a storm came rolling across the fields I would sit on our porch with my little brothers to watch it, all of us wrapped up in Dad’s scratchy army blanket.  The olive green wool was our shield, keeping us warm and dry as we watched the sky light up while the wind sprayed us with cold rain.

Now that I am “all grown up”, I still like to be on my porch to watch storms.  It is sort of like having the whole multi-media experience. With my cat D.C. rubbing around my feet, I often have a camera set up to see if I can get the Great American Lightening Shot.

I am still waiting for that fame. But, no bother; for me the most fun comes from trying.

This picture is from a few summers ago when I attempted to capture lightening as it struck. This particular storm did not produce anemic streaks of lightening, but full-blown bolts that lit the landscape as bright as a full moon at midnight. I stuck a candle in a small milkware custard cup to see what the effect would be.

I might have had success if I had used a tripod, but it was in the car and I did not want to venture out for it. But still, the experience was worth the effort.  And as long as I stay on my porch during storms, I feel safe enough to try to capture the illusive illuminations.

We had a storm early this morning. Or so I am told. I slept right through it. But….surprise, surprise, our “Electric” went out around 5:30 a.m. It did not come back until just after lunch. For us, it also means no Internet. L

And to make matters more complicated, the way our house is wired, when the electric blows and comes back, some of the lines refuse to go back to work. Gotta love the old houses, eh?

We finally got our power to work in every room, but still have no Internet.  Thank goodness for Galion Public Library! I don’t want to miss a day of posting so I came to the library (in a light rain that may build strength) to work.

Marcheta *zapped

Desire to Inspire

Who inspires you?

Over the years, I have have been inspired by the works of many authors who write about country living, none more than Patrica Penton Leimbach. 
But I did not find her books right way.


Read on to discover the journey that I began at Galion Public Library in the early 1970's and led to the creation of Ohio Country Journal in 2013. If years were miles, that'd be a whole lot of truckin', for sure!

When I was a young married, I stumbled across the Stillmeadow series of books by Gladys Taber. Gladys' books were essays about leaving the rat-race in New York City when she and her friend bought country acreage in Vermont. What began as a place for weekend retreats with their families ended up being their full time residence. Gladys was an author who contributed to Women's Day magazine as well as many other publications. I enjoyed Gladys' stories and recipes, but did not really connect with her, probably because her location in New England was worlds apart from what I knew about rural life in Ohio. Still, I admired the fact that she followed her dream and was able to make a living in a remote location, which was really an achievement back in the 1950's.

A few years after finding Taber's books, a new one appeared near it on the library's shelf, A Thread of Blue Denim, by Patricia Penton Leimbach. I truly was able to connect with Patricia's words. She did not live the country life because she needed to escape city stresses. She was raised on a farm by a full-time country woman and well knew what challenges and stresses come with country life when, after college, she chose to become a full-time country woman herself. 

What drew me into Patrica's books was her wit and the fact that her family farm was in Vermilion, Ohio, located on Lake Erie. Plus, A Thread of Blue Denim was current, written in the early 1970's with remembrances from raising her boys in the 50's and 60's, making them my age.

Years later, after Jim and I finally had our own land, I was privileged to hear Patrica speak. I was not a member of the Crawford County Conservation League, but a friend was and she invited me to the meeting where Patrica was the guest speaker. Patricia's dialog was lively and fun and animated. I found her to be absolutely charming, just as I expected. What I did not expect was to hear her say, "I'd like to be a Gladys Taber".  During the "meet and greet" after her speach, I told Patricia that I thought she was already a "Gladys Taber", and she gave me a HUGE bear hug! Imagine that. Patrica Penton Leimbach was inspired by the same woman whom I had admired for years, and because of that had a writing career of her own from her country location. Patrica had a weekly newspaper column and wrote for magazines, which led to becoming a book author. Many times over the years, I thought about recording country life as I knew it, but never got further than "writing in my head". 

Fast forward to 2012 to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I was visiting my high school friend (and journalist), Mary. While reading a bio of Edward Harris Heth in Penzey's catalog, I became curious enough to look for his book in Milwaukee's library system. In the 1950's, Heth had a successful career in NYC, as Taber had, but left it for country life, just as Taber had. Unlike Taber, who forged a life in an unknown (to her) part of the country, Heth retreated to his roots in Wisconsin. His book is Wisconsin Country Cookbook and Journal. By the end of the year, I could no longer ignore my desire to write about the country people I know and to share recipes. This blog, Ohio Country Journal, is a result of being inspired by people's words. Of course, I have no idea where my own words will lead. My hope is that they will inspire others to follow the voice that is nagging them to jump feet first into whatever project is calling them. We don't have to know how, we don't have to know if it will be successful, we don't have to know if it will lead anywhere. All we have to know is that by not taking action, we'll never know the answers to those questions.

I began this post with the question, "Who Inspired you?" I am ending it with another question, "Who do you inspire?"

Marcheta *jumping in feet first into the Deep Unknown

P.S. In researching for this post, I was sad to discover that Patricia Penton Leimbach passed away last January. Here is her obit, which tells about her many achievements. Not too shabby for a full-time country woman! 

January is a Great Month to....Learn Something New!

 

It’s a brand-new year. Yeah, I know…it’s the 17^th and you already know that. But what are you doing about it? I love January because it is a slower time of year for me (I don’t have to work as hard as I do in other seasons). This makes it the perfect month to catch up on neglected projects and to learn something new. It can be as simple as attending a one-day workshop on an interesting subject or as complex as taking a college course. I have done both in the past, but usually a short course at an art center fits my needs perfectly.

This month I am studying Social Media for Artists at Mansfield Art Center. Last evening was the first class and I could not be happier. We lucked out by having Violeta Chinni lead the class. She is a wonderful instructor who presents the topics in a relaxed, fun way. The class is a good mix of artistic personalities. Because the class is very small it is great for interaction, discussion, and feedback.

And, the subject matter is something that I need help with, making learning something new a double plus. I am looking forward to learning the ways that I can improve this blog as well as other venues of communicating with people who may be interested in what I do, and of meeting people online who may have products or services that I can use. This may seem as a counter point to the goal of this blog, which is to connect local people, but, let’s face it, we live in a global community.  No one can make it in this world alone.  My personal preference is: local first, Ohio made or grown second, American made or grown third, and finally enjoying what other people and other cultures have to contribute to my wellbeing.

On the local scene, our public libraries are offering all sorts of one day workshops and lectures. Rachel Mendell, editor of the Galion Inquirer, will be leading writing workshops at Galion Public Library. For fun, the library is also having a tea-tasting party. I encourage you to learn something new this month…maybe pick up the paint brush that is staring you in the face since you bought it at the art store or learn how to edit and print your photographs at home using free software from Google (Picasa, which I highly recommend).

One thing that I am positive about, learning something new helps chase away the winter doldrums! So, why not go out and reach for the moon or stars? You'll never know what new people you'll meet or the opportunities it will lead to unless you reach. :)

Marcheta *attending Brand- New U, are you?