But now I have a pair of virtual red shoes, actually only one red shoe. I am waiting for the other shoe to drop… something like that. What does that Mean! Where did that expression come from? Don’t you ever wonder about some of these sayings? What other shoe? And where is it dropping from?
However, I was awarded the Red Educational Shoe Award by Katherine Ingrid whose poetical charm has been gently seeping into our subconscious as she very quietly takes over the world with words and art.
Thank you so much Kathryn. This is an exciting one to pass on, though as usual it took some thinking about. You see there is an element of teaching and learning in each of my carefully collected blog buddies who have carefully collected me in return. The Kitchens Garden comments section is where an enormous amount of information lands and I am endlessly impressed by how much I can learn from your comments. And wonderfully, a person’s comment is my introduction to their blog. So first I need to thank you all for taking the bull by the horns and just putting in your tuppeny’s worth. And this is where I began my search for just a few of the many deserving pages.
I would like to pass this Red Shoe Award to:
Maggie from Mehaffey Farm who is a stand out gardener who feeds many families from her farm, and always adds information to her comments. I have learnt piles since she found me.
Linda. from Savoring Every Bite. I have been looking for an award that would suit our Linda and I know this is the one. Personally I think she would look great in red shoes. Also she is a Midwest girl (now in Florida) and cooks with an Italian flair that teaches me non- stop! I listen to her and just know that she really does savor every bite she takes! A lovely generous supportive personality.
Rumpy Dog speaks out about animals from all walks of life but mostly about dogs and cats who have been abandoned and found. There are many happy endings on these pages and much to learn. All dogs like red shoes!
Audrey from Minnesota Prairie Roots passionately loves the little towns that surround her and takes her camera along. She is a writer. She is always informative and kind. She is another one who is unstintingly generous with her helpful comments.
Sharyn from Kale Chronicles is on a mission to cook and eat seasonally and has a very special ability to illustrate her work. Pop over and you will see what I mean. Also she is kind enough to pop in with info and help when she thinks I need it which is often. She is new to the farmy pages and a wonderful find.
Charlie from Hotly Spiced. When I read her About page I laughed out loud. You will see why if you have time to pop in. She has taught me that writing a blog IS Writing!
So hang this cool award on your walls and pass it along whenever you feel like it.
While we are on the subject of awards- Two Big Hearty Thank You’s.
I need to thank the lovely Gretchen for tagging me to answer a few questions that I answered in this post. She blogs in between writing (which means she writes in between writings!?) and also lives out on the land. Or I guess it would be better to say the land lives around her.
And also I thank Natalie from What we Ate Today for mentioning me again in conjunction with the Versatility Award. I have received this a few times already so I am beginning to feel very versatile indeed. Thank you so much Natalie. Pop over and visit as she has some stunning food over there!
Now if you are anything like me you are feeling desperate to start growing things. Spring is coming but we have to get through half of February before sowing the brassicas. Also as you remember I like to eat what I grow, avoiding imported so called ‘fresh’ vegetables and foods. My freezer food is getting low and I have more empty jars than full ones now and my gardens are covered in snow, so to combat the scurvy, here is what I am growing:
I put a bed of rocks in an enamel basin for drainage, filled the basin with potting mix and sowed thick lettuce seed. This is sitting in a bright South window in a cool room, and I pop it outside anytime we get above 38F. I water it with a mister so the tiny plants do not get knocked down by heavy watering. You can eat them at the microgreen stage but I like to let them go a little further and get a bigger mouthful.
So in a few weeks I will get a pair of little scissors and I shall cut a salad of baby lettuce leaves! If I am careful to only give the wee plants mini haircuts then the plant will keep growing greens for me. It may be a small salad but it will be delightfully tasty and it gives me something green to take care of until I can start seriously sowing seed. Until then I am forcing myself to sit on my hands. Of course John is already way ahead of me. He very carefully cleans and stores his little pots every year and has them filled with tomatoes and cabbage already, but soon he will run out of his orange pots and he will be begging me for paper ones!
It looks like it will be a warmer day today with a high of 47F forecast, so the plants will get to go outside this afternoon. The sun is coming up and will peek out before disappearing behind a heavy cover of clouds. So I had better scuttle back down my ladder and rug up and get out into the barn. TonTon and I have another flock of chickens and cats to look after for a while as my neighbour has been called away, so it is busy busy (my favourite!).
If the light is good I shall collect some farmy shots for you today. I look forward to that.
Good morning!
c
Oh Dog! Thank you so much for thinking of me! And I DO love red shoes…. preferably made of leather.
Just as I suspected. And you teach us lots Rumpy, your are our doggie conscience.. c
I’ve never heard of shoes dropping, is it like pennies dropping? 🙂
Oh, interesting, It is a NZ expression then which means that it is almost certainly a british one! Hopefully we will find out more as the morning progresses.. yes i have heard of the penny dropping too meaning you understand. c
Have you never slept in a room in a flimsy building below another bedroom? The chap up there takes off his first shoe – clunk on the floor. You cannot sleep until the second one drops, and you’ll wait a long time if he only has one foot!
I like the idea of eating infant lettuces. Do you do bean sprouts? I love them and they are so easy to grow, in a lidded jamjar of water which you shake from time to time until the beans start to sprout. You can do it with all kinds of pulses.
I’m about to make your lemon curd cake for my sewing ladies coming tomorrow.
yes I have a jar of sprouts on the bench all winter, we eat them with every meal and THANK YOU, for the answer to our quest about the other shoe dropping.. it all makes perfect sense now.. let me know how the cake turns out, I am dying to make another one but all the lemons from my friend are gone! c
I hadn’t either – and I’m British….
well as viv and paul said it is all about waiting for the other shoe to drop to the floor so you can relax, all over now kind of thing. What a great expression isn’t it Pseu.. c
Goodness me, you still have time to look after the neighbours farmy – you are beyond remarkable dear Celi! Congratulations on your awesome awards! No guessing that I love your pics of your seedlings. I am learning more and more about my camera and having loads of fun taking pics and deleting and taking more.
🙂 Mandy
It is a wonderful skill being able to say No that is not good enough. Good for you Mandy! c
Congratulations on another award! Lovely pictures of the seedlings. I cannot wait to get mine started.
I know natalie,m we are all sitting on the edges of our chairs waiting for the spring now! c
So excited to win this award, and from YOU who I admire ever so much!! Jumping up and down here in Massachusetts! Thank you for the encouragement! Sometimes the blogging gets to feel like you’re just shooting the words out into the black hole of cyberspace. Nice to know someone is out there to receive… The classy red shoe is so ironic in a way too, as I have always been a flats kinda gal, but have been known to stuff poor feet into a torturous pair of deliciously unstable heels now and then in my former corporate life. Whew! Glad that’s over! My feet get stuffed into my muck boots these days…
Oh boy am i glad not to have to dress up each morning either, I am with you on that one. and you are a mine of information Maggie that you are gloriously happy to share, I loved passing the red shoe onto you. c
I am honored to be a recipient of your Red Shoe Award, C. So honored. Thank you for starting off my day in such a fine way. Truly. I am humbled.
And you, my dear, are most deserving of this award for all you bring to us, your readers. Your ability to create a strong sense of place through your words and images is truly a gift. Thank you.
You have a fantastic day, I am very grateful to be able to thank you publically for your support and encouragement in my quest to write better and More! c
You’re so kind to mention me. Thank you! The Red Shoe award is perfect for you. You are a teacher at heart – one whose students are always glad to read what you have to say!! Have a lovely day in your spring-like temperatures!
You are very welcome gretchen, i hope you are having a great day of good writing! c
Mon/Wed/Fri. mornings are my book-writing times…because my four year old is in pre-school. two and a half hours is never enough, but it’s better than nothing. I guard those hours as if they are gold. 🙂
It is great to have a organised time though. you probably get more done in that tiny bite just because it is such a short period.. c
I’m trying to picture you hopping around in one red shoe and one work-a-day boot:) and I have no idea about things dropping, I’m hopeless with expressions and proverbs. But I do envy you your salads. I’m off home in a week and I know that after making a cup of tea and lighting the fire the first thing I will do is to get my seed stash out and start a few tentative sowings. Congrations C, it’s a lovely award for a lovely person.
I am sure you will be sipping on the tea, reading each paper before you use it to light the fire, dreaming of your gorgeous allotment this spring. You have a little glasshouse don’t you.. that will get you ahead! c
Congratulations on your most deserved award, Cecilia! i constantly learn fun and interesting, as well as useful, things from your posts. I think there also needs to be some sort of “Entertaining” award as you’d top the list for that one, too! Your seedling pics remind me that I need to finish up those paper pots and get cracking this week. Good morning!
Yes i am making paper pots this morning too.. no rest for the wicked! c
Congratulations. You are absolutely deserving…I have learned so much from your blog and you.
..bask in the glow.
Jess
You are also a great teacher, isn’t great how we all learn from each other in this cyber space! c
Congratulations! This award seems perfectly tailored to you and your interests. 🙂
Thank you Ms Misk.. we all love to learn i think this is the most wonderful thing about the blog world.. c
Congratulations dear Cecilia, you are amazing writer and photographer and cooker, You deserved this award. But to be honest I was expecting a fairy tale when I read the title, 🙂 I love red shoes too, but it’s been such a long time I don’t wear… I remember this now… Thank you, have a nice week and day, with my love, nia
Have a lovely evening Nia, and thank you.. c
Congratulations on your well deserved award – I´ve certainly learnt a lot from you and I know that I will continue to do so. Love your little seedlings, so small yet so strong 🙂
Yes, fingers crossed for my first mini crop! c
Congratulations and nice looking seedlings too 😉
Morning mad! Are you having a warm day as well? c
Thankfully here in South Africa our winters are short I am making the most of our lettuce and salad produce from our little vegetable garden. Well done on the award.
fantastic to have fresh food all year round.. must be wonderful
Hearty, heartfelt congratulations, my dear! You are indeed a teacher at heart!
John’s tomatoes are making me long for spring!
I know, but you are warmer than us the last few days, It must be so hard not to just pop a few plants in the soil, but Feb is coming and last year it was mean! so I am trying hard to be good. c
Congratulations on receiving the red shoe award. You have plenty to teach us since you grow your own food and preserve it, such as your system for raising window lettuce in a basin — not to mention giving us photography tips and poetry lessons. And thanks very much for passing on the award to me: I do have a teaching bone in my body when it comes to showing people that they can eat seasonally and I love to encourage others to use their creativity. Thanks for your kind words.
It is a wonderful thing to be spreading around. So sensible and so obvious and so healthy! c
Well, thank you Cecilia! A girl can never have enough shoes….let alone RED!! Congrats to you as you truly educate and share your knowledge of life and farm in each and every post. I admire you and your lifestyle; your posts have made me become more careful about using the resources I have around me and less super store shopping!! I’m glad I could share just a wee bit of something that had you think of me. Thank you so much!!
You are welcome Linda, and yes stay out of those super stores, Shop local! Which reminds me i need to drive to the next town and buy some chicken for dinner! There is just so much grass fed steak and lamb a girl can take! c
Morning C,
I bought a sprouting tray last year and have had a wonderful time growing and eating all types of sprouts. I never thought about doing baby lettuce. Think I’ll give it a shot.
The forecast for my little area of Central West Illinois is calling for highs of 64 today and tomorrow. Talk about a case of spring fever. . .I was very tempted to call off sick from work (cough, cough) and go out and play in the dirt. :-).
64! Oh dear Latrice i think you are running a temp honey. You are looking a bit peeky. You should stay home tomorrow. Push a big chair out into the sun and take your blanket and a book, that is my advice for this dreadful illness you might have.. c
Congratulations on your award. You should go and find that other hottie red shoe and celebrate!,
Morning Bam. A celebration is a good idea indeed! c
Congrats Celi..
Oh, waiting for the other shoe to drop is usually used after an omen, or, when you are awaiting something bad to happen. Sort of like…on pins and needles…anxiety, or anyway…where on earth would you wear a pair of those anyway? Okay, that’s none of my business.
Bless You
paul
Well when the waiting is over and I get an entire pair of red shoes than i will wear them feeding out in the barn just because I can, though I shall wait until it is warmer i think! c
thanks for all the links! i can’t wait to check them all out!
You are welcome jaz! c
Congrats again on another deserving award! 🙂
Thanks Jed.. have a great day.. c
No surprise that you would accept a teaching award with a highly educational post!! Further proves my point, if it needed any shoring up, doesn’t it! Clever, wise and ever the gentle teacher, our Celi. Hurray!
xoxo
Kathryn
Thank you kathryn you are such a star!! happy writing today.. c
Congratulations. I have heard the expression ‘waiting for the other shoe to drop’ but like you I have never been sure of what it means, so I am now off to check it out on the net.
Let me know what you find.. ! c
Congratulations, Celi. I adore your style and approach to educating us about all aspects of rural living…including hunters. Without even trying, you make living off the land the greatest adventure in the world – just by being you. I am continuously amazed at your versatility which is exactly what farm life needs. But to have all your skills, experience and intelligence in one package…well – that John is a lucky man!
Speaking of education, Celi, what is “rug up”? Is that putting your bed to bed or rolling yourself up in warm clothes?
Morning Aimee, Rug Up is to put all your warm clothes on. Though thank you do reminding me I beat go and make the bed! c
I bought my first pair of red shoes ever last year! High heeled (for me) suede ones. Have yet to find an occasion to wear them. And I’m smiling at the comment above – I never realised “rug up” was a downunder term (for dressing up warmly..) 🙂
Congrats on the award Celi! And may warm weather be just around the corner for you and John!
I do hope warm weather is around the corner, tho we still have Feb to deal with, and february can be bad!
I have a mental image of you clicking your ruby-slipper-heels together! I laughed when I read the first paragraph of this post too, so true, all the English sayings that make no sense at all 😉 Good morning!
Oh how I wish i could click them together or wriggle my nose or something and get the housework DONE for me so i can be outside more! c
Congrats on the award Cecilia. If only that shoe wasn’t just virtual and it came with a partner in your size! I think they would suit you and be perfect for strolling around your sustainable farm. Well deserved Cecilia as your blog is a joy to read and your life on the land is in such contrast to mine that I find your writing about your lifestyle to be so fascinating and refreshing. Thanks so much for awarding me the Shoe! I’m very honoured. Thank you for saying such kind things about my writing and my about page – I was thinking I needed to update my about page but now I think I might just leave it alone for a little bit longer. Thanks so much for the encouragement – always lovely to receive! xx
Just don’t take the bit about the publishers comment out that is superb!! c
Great pics. I also find etymology and idioms fascinating–if not hilarious.
Hi stephen, yeah some of them are pretty funny! c
I don’t have red shoes either! Great picks and pix.
Thank you greg, your dogs probably nicked your red shoes already anyway! c
Congrats, Celi, for your lates, well-deserved awards! You certainly have taught this city boy a thing or two and I look forward to each and every day’s lesson. Good afternoon!
good afternoon/evening! we certainly had a lovely day today!! c
You are stepping out in style! Congrats! Well deserved.
I can almost hear those little plants growing! Mustard and cress are great too, to snip off with the scissors and sprinkle over other food.
That sounds like a grand idea, I will look for some more seed! c
good morning Celi, and what a lovely piece of writing this is xxx Off to follow the links 🙂
Morning Tandy! Have a great day out there.. c
Another award, that’s great. Congratulations you truly deserve it
Thank you raymund, hope you are having a beautiful auckland summers day! c
Congratulations on your award Cecilia..very well deserved 🙂
look forward to exploring the new blogs
morning Sawson, I am surrounded in so many fantastic writers it is so hard to choose! c
Well done, Celi. One of the things I enjoy about you getting so many awards is that I am lead to new blogs. So, thanks for ‘winning’.
Annie, what a cool thing to say! c
Congrats on the award, you deserve i. Viv’s explanation ref the shoe dropping makes perfect sense.
I know she has all kind of stuff up her sleeve!! c
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d certainly donate to this outstanding blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will talk about this site with my Facebook group. Talk soon!
Thank you Seo, I did not know there was even such a thing as a donate button! The things you learn! And thank you so much for you lovely words! See you soon.. c
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I like both Viv’s and Paul’s explanation of the “other” shoe dropping. I’ve always heard it as an omen type thing. Even if it was something good that happened “first shoe” you better wait for the “other shoe” to drop it could be something bad. Or if it was something bad first it could be even worse the next. So you don’t “fly off the handle” to fast, wait for the other shoe to drop.
yes, you are right, take a deep breath and watch and see.. c