Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2018 i Country Woman

I am a wannabe knitter. I love the idea of it—the needles clacking while I catch up with a friend or sit in a meeting. It seems such a great way to stay productive during moments of downtime. Plus, there’s the cuddly sweater that results. Alas, I’ve never been able to learn, despite trying on several occasions. Knitter friends say the fact that I’m left-handed could be the reason—it’s hard to reverse the motions I’ve observed in my right-handed knitter pals. I’ve unraveled the results each time. But now there’s a use for all those balls of yarn left over from my failed attempts. The whimsical yarn-ball wreath on page 11 is oh so simple, and it will be perfect on my early springtime door. I may not have mastered…

1 TUNE UP YOUR TOOLS Clean your tools with a damp cloth to remove last season’s encrusted dirt. You may need to soak off or chip away at caked-on crud. Sand off rust spots and wipe blades with a soft, oil-soaked rag. Tighten bolts and sharpen edges. 2 ORDER SEEDS AND PLANTS Consult your favorite catalogs for seeds and plants, and order early for the best selection. Mail-order nurseries ship to your growing zone only when it’s safe to do so, but seeds will arrive sooner. Plant according to your area’s last expected frost date. 3 SPREAD COMPOST Compost is beneficial for your garden early in the season because it generates heat as it decomposes—a hedge against spring’s temperature swings. On a clear day, sprinkle compost over your garden to…

Treat yourself to a garden of desserts with plants that look and smell like chocolate. Warm brown leaves and flowers show off shades from tan to dark purple to nearly black. Chocolate plants can complement—or provide a luscious contrast to—deep, bright or pastel colors. Choose a profusion of chocolaty richness and your senses will be delighted. 1 Chocolate Shogun Astilbe If you’re looking for a hardy perennial to plant in moist soil, go with Chocolate Shogun astilbe. It makes itself right at home in damp, shady areas. Plus, it’s resistant to deer and rabbits. Pale pink flower spikes curve over dark, lustrous leaves. Find it: whiteflowerfarm.com 2 Chocolate Ruffles Coral Bells Chocolate Ruffles is one of many coral bells hybrids in an array of tempting colors. Coppery leaves with pink…

Word traveled quickly when there was an illness, birth or death in the small Missouri town where I grew up. First, the phone would ring. “Hellooooo,” my mother would answer, drawing the greeting out for all it was worth. Listening intently, she’d shake her head up and down or side to side. There would be a somber “Oh, my goodness” or a lilting “How nice.” Then came the words I’d been waiting for: “I’ll bake up a little something for them and take it over this afternoon.” Every major event had its own recipe. The birth of a baby meant a big casserole with handwritten instructions: “Turn the oven on to 350 and bake for 30 minutes.” On the way to deliver the dish, Mom would say that surely the…

As a child, I adored going through stuff up in my family’s attic. At the top of the attic steps, there was an old trunk that held my pop’s faded World War I uniform. On top of Herbert’s uniform, shaped like a cloth ship, was his uniform hat. Often I’d lift the hat, inspect its moth-eaten holes and gently tuck it back in. The trunk also held a piece of paper penned with a poem called A Soldier’s Prayer, which Pop carried into battle. The prayer asks Jesus to protect the soldier from capture and bodily harm. Grandma Laura wrote a note on the back of the paper that said: “Carry this in your garments. Sew it in your clothing. Study this prayer so you know it by heart. Should…

These volunteers help provide the creative ideas and authentic stories you see in every issue of Country Woman. Visit countrywomanmagazine.com/circleoffriends for more information or to apply. SUSAN APPLETON DANVILLE, VIRGINIA SHARON BLUMBERG MUNSTER, INDIANA TERI CAROTHERS PORTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA BRENDA DAVEY GREENBRIER, ARKANSAS SANDY ERDMAN WINONA, MINNESOTA HELEN FLETCHER SHAD BAY, NOVA SCOTIA DANIELLE GLASGOW UNION MILLS, INDIANA MARIE HILLIARD NEWBORN, GEORGIA MARGIE LYTLE WASILLA, ALASKA JENNIFER MILAKOVIC CAMPTON HILLS, ILLINOIS STEPHANIE MORGAN EWING, KENTUCKY HAYLEY MOSS HULL, IOWA MELODY RICHARDSON MIDDLESEX, VERMONT CATHIE SCHOER SHEPHERD, MONTANA CHRISTINA SESERA ARGYLE, NEW YORK JAMIE TAYLOR MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN JESSICA WAGNER VERSAILLES, OHIO WENDY WALKER EUSTIS, FLORIDA…

1 Farm Animals Stacked Measuring Cups paviliongift.com  $20 These whimsical measuring cups emblazoned with friendly farm animals stack together in a mason-jar shape that’s pretty and practical. 2 Round Parchment Paper (9-Inch) kingarthurflour.com  $9 Parchment paper is a baking must-have, and these handy sheets eliminate the need to cut square pieces to fit. 3 Wade Ceramics Pie Funnel amazon.com  $15 This pig and his fellow farm animals release the steam from within your pie, preventing the filling from boiling over. 4 Rolling Cookie Cutter pamperedchef.com $ 24 Heart-shaped Valentine’s Day treats are a cinch with this cookie cutter. 5 Teacup-Shaped Silicone Baking Cups wayfair.com  $27 Host a scrumptious tea party with cupcakes baked in these cute cups.…

TABLE GAMES TURN AN OLD CHECKERBOARD INTO A DECORATIVE STAND. WHAT YOU’LL NEED Wooden game board Square picture frame with glass or Plexiglas, slightly larger than game board Side table, slightly smaller than game board Fine-grit sandpaper Spray paint Wood glue Bar clamps or C-clamps DIRECTIONS 1. Remove the glass from the picture frame. Lightly sand picture frame and the legs of the table. Wipe surfaces clean. 2. In a well-ventilated area, spray-paint base of table and picture frame with 2-3 coats of paint, allowing to dry between coats. 3. Center game board on top of table and adhere with a generous amount of wood glue. Apply firm, even pressure. Gently attach clamps to all four sides to ensure glue adheres evenly and wooden board does not warp. 4. Place…

Q: What are your tried-and-true tricks for keeping cozy during the winter? I eat hot oatmeal for breakfast, sip steaming herbal tea and make a lot of soups and stews. I also wear layers of warm clothing, like my knit socks and a toasty sweater that my mom made for me more than 20 years ago. And I always have a quilt ready when the temperatures really drop. DAGMAR M. RILEY KEMPNER, TEXAS My favorite way to be warm and cozy is to burrow beneath a blanket with a kitty on my lap. CRYSTAL ANDERSON WATERLOO, IOWA Out here in the western foothills of Oregon’s Cascade Range, winters are typically rainy, and sometimes it snows. To conserve energy, we keep our thermostat at a low temperature, so our house remains…

This seasonal wreath starts with leftover yarn in white and different shades of green. Hot-glue one end of one shade of yarn to a 14-inch foam wreath, and then wrap the yarn around the wreath until the foam is completely covered. Add dabs of glue at key points to keep the yarn in place. Next, wrap foam balls of different sizes—anywhere from 1 to 3 inches—with various shades of yarn. Wrap in all directions to add dimension and to cover the foam. Glue all of the balls to the wreath in a design of your choosing. Embellish with two knitting needles stuck into the top of the wreath, then hang this handmade lucky charm on your door and enjoy. Free subscription to CW ! Send an idea,…

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf In this late-life romance, Addie, a 70-year-old widow, asks her longtime neighbor Louis to sleep next to her at night. She’s lonely, and she suspects he has been, too, since the loss of his wife. So begins an unusual relationship built upon friendship and conversation, not physical attraction. Together they adopt a dog and care for Addie’s grandson as this beautiful, quiet love story unfolds. The Whole Way Home by Sarah Creech Old flames Jo Lover and J.D. Gunn are former bandmates and rising stars in the country music industry. When J.D.’s band is signed by Jo’s label, the two must confront their feelings and learn to make music together again. This slow-burn romance deals with small-town living and second chances, revealing what…

Like the long, winding drive off Highway N to Gosherd Valley Cottage, Connie Cunnigham’s life has had its share of twists and turns. After all, this once-upon-a-time landscape designer from bustling Chicago, Illinois, is now a goose farmer and bed-and-breakfast proprietor in quaint Morrison, Missouri (population 136). Connie’s mother, Patty, bought the 80-acre property with a cabin just over 25 years ago. It was her dream come true. But when she developed Alzheimer’s disease and then, shortly after, cancer, it became Connie’s story, too, as she moved south to care for her mom. Although Patty passed away several years ago, you can still find her daughter feeding a flock of geese and caring for the cabinturned-guesthouse. “This just feels like the way it was supposed to be,” Connie says. But…

Lemon Tarragon Butter Tarragon, a native herb of central Asia, has been an important ingredient to French cooking since the 16th century. This butter is terrific on grilled fish and chicken. —MICHELLE CLAIR SEATTLE, WA PREP: 5 MIN. + CHILLING MAKES: 1/2 CUP 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped 1/8 tsp. lemon juice Dash salt Dash pepper Beat all ingredients until blended. Shape into a log; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to several months. PER (1-TBSP.) SERVING 103 cal., 12g fat (7g sat. fat), 31mg chol., 110mg sod., 0 carb. (0 sugars, 0 fiber), 0 pro. Garlic-Chive Whipped Butter I like to put out a bowl of this creamy garlic butter to dress up plain, ordinary bread or…

The Amish are part of a religious community and separate themselves from modern technology. Though the lifestyle is reserved, they express themselves through food, and there’s a lot we can learn from them. 1. Share breakfast as a family. A typical Amish family rises early, starts chores and sits down to eat together in the peace before the day begins. 2. Eat pie. Lots of it. Pies are practically synonymous with Amish cooking. It’s not unusual for a cook to make eight to 12 pies a week. 3. Enjoy the earth’s bounty. Since the Amish produce much of their food on their own land, recipes incorporate ingredients from the garden, coop or orchard. 4. If you can’t eat it now, can it for later. As a low-tech way to keep…

I’m from Iowa, but I didn’t grow up on a farm. I rarely set foot on a farm until I fell in love with a farmer. Adapting to life with my farmer was like moving to a foreign country. It required not only language lessons, but also adjustments to rural living. Here are a few lessons learned: 1 He calls lunch dinner, and dinner supper. In these parts, “dinner” means lunch. Once I was invited for ham balls for dinner and marked 5 p.m. on my calendar. At noon, I got a call asking where I was. My farmer calls lunch “dinner,” too. And yet when he says, “Do you want to have pork chops for dinner?” I respond, “You mean supper, right?” 2 He doesn’t use white towels. He…

1. Share photos and stories with us using the online form at: countrywomanmagazine.com/submit 2. Note which department you’re submitting to, and whether the material has been published before. However, your item may be selected to run in any section of our magazine, or elsewhere. 3. We do not return submitted materials. Although we are unable to acknowledge receipt of any submissions, we’ll let you know if they’re published. 4. We accept high-resolution digital images. Digital images should be about 4x6 inches at a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch, or about 1200x1800 pixels. Photos must be in focus and of good quality. Please send submissions only through our online form. 5. If we print your submission in the magazine, we will send you a complimentary copy of the issue…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED Empty wooden spool 20-in. piece of fabric Ribbon or twine Washi tape, optional Decorative embellishment, optional Letter stamps Ink pad Glue gun Hole punch DIRECTIONS 1. Measure the width of the spool. Cut a strip of fabric the same width and 20 in. long, cutting it shorter depending on the length of the message you’ve chosen. 2. Stamp a message on one side of the fabric, using letter stamps. Glue the end of the fabric strip to the spool so that the message faces into the spool. Add a piece of decorative washi tape to cover the glued end, if desired. 3. Roll the fabric around the spool. Punch a hole at the end of the strip. Cut a piece of ribbon or twine 16 in. long.…