Dicky Bird's Harvest Time Quick Bread

 

My sister, Bonnie, shared some heritage squash seeds with me this year.  Neither of us can remember the name.  Anyway, they are the BEST squash I've ever eaten!  They are naturally sweet, shaped like a Hubbard and some a little elongated.  Al took the time to save the seeds for us for next year too.  

I made some for our family Thanksgiving and everyone raved about them.  I had a bit left over so I made up this bread.  I looked at a pumpkin bread recipe, but tweaked it to fit my flavor profile.  

I did the wet ingredients first:

2 C squash puree

1/2 C maple syrup

1 C oil

3 eggs, beat well

Add:  

1 T pumpkin pie spice

1 T cinnamon

1 t salt

2 t baking soda

1 C brown sugar, blend well

Add:

3 C flour 

1 1/2 C chocolate chips

I made a "paste" of: 1/4 c melted butter, 2 T brown sugar, 2 T flour, 1 t pumpkin pie spice, 1 t cinnamon.  I placed on top of bread in little teaspoon globs.  Sprinkle top of bread with additional chocolate chips.

Bake 350 for an 75-90 minutes.  This makes 2.  

I did cook down this squash and put it away in the freezer.  You can bet, I'll be making this again.  Super moist and full of flavor.  

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.  

Farmhouse Friday Week 45 - Antique Show

 This Farmhouse Friday, I set up and sold at the Wausau Antique Show and Sale at Marathon Park.  It was nice seeing old customers and new ones.  What amazed me the most, were the people coming in with their phones and showing us the pictures I shared on various sites asking for those specific items.  Could you imagine just 10 years ago, this being a "thing?"  I am still not a pro at navigating my way through social media, but I am thankful I figured a few things out that helps our sales.  Saturday is the last day.  Here are just a few vignettes of our booth.

I had several customers message me and want to buy items from my sneak peek photos.  I told them after the show has been open for an hour or so, I will message you, if the items you are interested in are still available, I will let you know.  So I did sell some that way too.  It's crazy, I know, but this is how people shop now.  One customer even did a live video to his wife of our booth.  I could hear her saying "pick that up" or "how much is that?"  Another lady was buying for her daughter who lived in Milwaukee.  She somehow saw pictures of our booth and sent her mom to buy....I don't know how these things work.  Her mom was sending her messages and photos too so she could buy more.  

Well, anyway, we had a good day and hope to have another one on Saturday.

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.    

The Struggle - Toss it, Stage it, Sell it?

I came across an instagram post or reel, I can't remember and I had to go to look at the profile page.  ALL of the posts, just made me smile.  All that RETRO style.  She really nails it!  The photos reminds me of 3 or 4 of our own customers....you know who you are....

Here is a link to her instagram account so you can go look for yourself: https://www.instagram.com/imarriedamillennial/

Corbyn Hanson Wittig - Imarriedamillennial

What caught my eye was this.....

 

That right there...what she has collected...is why we tell family, "please don't throw anything away, we will do that."  To some, this may look like just "old cleaning supplies" toss it.  To others it looks like "a snip it of history" to be saved and enjoyed.  I tell you, it is a real struggle for us, probably because we find try to find value in everything.  Obviously, someone isn't going to use the product.  Enjoy the grapics, the history of a company that may no longer be in business, yes!  That is what this collection is.  

When we get to these types of products while staging our estate sales, Town Hall Trinkets, LLC and Town Hall Trinkets On Line Estate Sales we never toss them.   I think, "well this lady has saved this for all these years" far be it for me to toss it out now.  Truthfully, thank goodness someone was a "saver!"  

Or, maybe some of this "history" would be lost or forgotten.  Sometimes while digging in the estate homes, we will find something like a bottle, or box with advertising on it and not even know that product or company ever existed.  History lesson - hands on style.  We will often "google it" sure enough that was a "thing" back in the day....

So, just know, if you come to one of our sales or events, you may find items you think, "why are they selling this?!"  Because, we have customers who "get it!"

 Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.  

It's "My On" day Monday - Close Call

Back to "My On" day Monday.   It's been awhile, but if you need a reminder, my on day, reminds me that today is for me.  My day to be "on" to something I want to do.  I still will fail on most of these Mondays in November, as I am still working on that estate.  But, today I am "on" for me.  

I had a close call Saturday.  I was walking out of the grocery store, pushing my cart, minding my own....and I hear a scream from the right side of me....then "BAM, BAM" I was hit by a car backing up.  She hit me then kept backing up and knocked my cart over - Al turned in time to grab it before it all spilled on the parking lot.  I just stood there....I looked at my left side and her bumper was resting on my side.  She slowly got out of her vehicle and said "did I hit something?"  Oh boy, I didn't yell, swear, lose it...I just stood there.  I said "me....and I already have a bad back..."  With that said, she apologized.  I had no injuries so she got in her vehicle and left.   It is what it is.  Thank the Lord, I didn't fall with the first BAM or she may have backed over me.  So, we were lucky I guess....ahahah.  As luck would have it, I have a chiropractic appointment this morning - need a good adjustment.  

With the extra hour from switching back to standard time, I cleaned off my table (eek) and made that fall tablescape.  

Tomorrow is my husband's 56th and our daughter's 31st birthday.  We had a little early supper last night to celebrate. We also had DQ icrecream cake. 

Do you like standard time?  I must be one of the only people I know who does.  I would rather stay at standard time than to switch to daylight savings.  How about you?

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.  

Farmhouse Friday - Week 44 - November 4, 2022

 Well, I am slowly getting back into a "normal" (hahah) routine.  That is what November - April is all about, right?!?  At least in north/central Wisconsin, where we enjoy the full spectrum of seasons.  May thru October we enjoy the other "season" - I hope you get that joke.  

This week, I got back into blogging.  We had Halloween, no trick or treaters here (we ate all the candy anyway).  I went to pick up a van load of consignment for my Town Hall Trinkets Online Estate Sales.  I planted my garlic.  Had my "gramma Bird" day.  I even cooked some meals...ahahah.  We started marking vintage Christmas for the Wausau "Park" Antique Show & Sale which is next Friday and Saturday.  

And today, this Friday, we will be back at the Melzer Estate for a quick, "help us clean out these dolls (and other stuff)" sale from 4-6 pm.  

We have had a very warm, wonderful week of weather here!  Tomorrow I will catch up on housework, it's supposed to rain anyway.  I plan to process some pumkin, squash and apples.  

I hope you all had a great week and wonderful weekend ahead.

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.    

Treasure Hunt

 Lisa and I were hired to do an estate sale.  Little did we know when we signed the contract that it would end up being 3 sales.  This house is 3 floors, it's huge like 3500 or more square feet.  All of those square feet, for the most part, were filled with cool things.  

I will never forget Lisa's face as we sat in one of the rooms looking around...."how are we going to do this?"  We NEEDED a plan.  There was too much on each level to let everyone wander around without things "missing."  It happens.... 

We started with a sale of items on main living area only.  We sold like 80% of that.  Then we boxed that stuff up, took out to the garage and had a $5 box sale.  We did that so we could have a clean slate to move stuff down and upstairs to main level.  Then we did sale 2.  We had the $5 boxes, new items and FREE items.  We are having a reduced sale to clean up the main level again.  We sold like 70% of that.  Did I mention she had hundreds of dolls?  The 3rd sale will be like a Pop Up Boutique.  We plan to move clearance items to 2 rooms.  We saved the jewelry, clothes, pottery, art and some glassware for the last one.  Whew.....I don't say all of this to get comments for pats on the back, I just wanted to explain this part of the post......

"Was she a hoarder?"  I heard this multiple times during these sales.  "Maybe, she was."  I said, "who am I to judge, I have buildings full of 'treasures' too."  "How can 1 person acquire this much stuff?"  I said, "she must have had fun!"  ahahahah.   One thing is for sure - this is the point of this post - I don't think we will EVER find another house like this!  As in, old...old...cool things.  We went through (100's) of boxes of holiday things.  Of course we bought some of them for ourselves....but, thing is...I can't even share because some customers may get jelly....for real...hey, I dug in all that, that was my reward.  We pay the same price we would have put them out for, sometimes more!

I've been in the antique, picking, selling world my whole life.  I am afraid this may be it, there just isn't many houses like this one left.  The ones with old boxes with cool old things, wrapped in decade old paper.  The only way, would be, if it was for another antique dealer type estate.  Hoarder homes, I KNOW for a fact would have way more rodent damage to the items than this did.  We hardly found any of that.  Most families don't want to deal with any of this so they toss it all.  I'm so happy we were involved.  The last dumpster the family filled was ALL garbage, I know we sorted it ALL and made sure of it.  

While working on this sale, I had a dream about a white fluffy squirrel.  I looked up the meaning and it was something like this:  it's a sign to continue persevering with your goals and dreams and if you do you will be rewarded in a form of success.  Be sure not to overload yourself.  (ahahah).  Almost everyday since that dream, that we worked over there, I found a squirrel.  A squirrel...I mean come on....squirrel....

So, here I am, persevering.....getting ready for sale 3.  

This is why I haven't posted like normal on my blog, I've been doing this.  Here are only a few pictures of what we sold so far.  

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.  

November is National Native American Heritage Month

 As most generational "Americans" living in this great old "melting pot," my heritage comes from various backgrounds.  What I am the "most" of is Potawatomi, if one was to divide themselves in fractions.  Which unfortunately is how the U.S. Government regulates tribal people - % of blood quantum.  It is what it is....

I've shared about my heritage in many posts, but this one is a good one:  Great Grandpa and Grandma Ritchie

My dad is the little one, the other two girls are his sisters, my grandma is behind my dad.  My grandma was German.  She worked for Connor Lumber as a bookeeper when she met my grandpa Ritchie.  My dad grew up on the reservation.   

Here he is again.  I love that little smerky face - he did this face his whole life.  He was fortunate NOT to have to go to a boarding school.  An ugly part of history that has now come to a better light is how native children were treated at these "schools."  My great grandpa Ritchie was quoted as saying "none of my grandchildren will go to those schools."  He had some influence and he petitioned the BIA to hire a teacher for the Forest County Potawatomi children.  The Kokomo Reservation School began in 1934 with 20 students (3 were my family).  

I did NOT grow up in traditional ways.  However, we were raised in tradition.  If that makes sense....how we treat one another, our land, how to hunt and gather, garden and fish and respect for all life.  Especially those we took to harvest.  I heard a "hunting story" - it made me sick!  I kept thinking how my dad would not like that!  Even Al said it was so disrespectful to the animal.  Anway....

I struggled with not looking "native" enough, yet being teased for being "native."  Ya....I don't harbor bad feelings or suffer from any trauma...ahahah....

I celebrate my Native American Heritage - rich and full in the knowledge of where I come from - steeped in tradition.  

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.  

November National Adoption Month

 

As much as I would love to share pictures of my grandchildren, I have been asked not to.  However, I can tell you that adoption has made me a Grandma Bird.  I am not the one putting in the time and effort of raising an adopted child, my children and their husbands are.  I am writing this from my perspective.  I feel I need a disclaimer.  

When I was little and in school, I only knew 1 person who was adopted.  It wasn't until just this past year, I found out about 2 other girls I graduated with, that were adopted too.  I had no idea!  

My mom and dad were foster parents for years.  My sister Lori adopted my niece Angie, who was her foster daughter.  Adoption isn't new to me, it's just something I didn't expect for me personally.  

You all may not know this, but as the last of 6, I don't share well.  By the time something worked it's way down to me, it was broken or well worn.  When I get something new, I'm not sharing.   I also, have a tendency to get jealous.  This concept comes learned as well....my mom was the same way.  She said "if I find out (one of us) calls their mother in law "mom" I'm going to get mad!  I earned that title, I put in the time, blood, sweat tears.  That's my name!"  As last child, I had to hear this 5 times over.  To this day, I don't call Marlene "mom," she is my mother in law or Grandma "Pepper" (her dog).  

So, adoption....it's all about sharing.  

I would be a liar if I told you this isn't still a struggle for me.  It is!  Just like my mom, I know the work, time, love, support, prayers that I put into my girls.  As far as "earning" it, I do understand why she felt that way, but I don't want to be like that!  What has helped me, is to think about the birth families.  My little grands came from love.  Their moms and grandmas made difficult decisions based on love and sharing.  I love each of them, pray for them daily and am beyond humbled to share in the loving of our (grand)children.  

I hate to quote "Sister Wives" but, LOVE IS meant to be multiplied not divided.  

I am reminded of my own quote "She is God's child not mine."  When I had to face Anna's cancer.  

Oh, my little grands are God's, birth family, our family, extended family's children.  They are so lucky to be loved by so many.  I will be thankful for whatever "work, time, love, support, prayers" I am allowed to put into my grandchildren.  

The next time you hear someone has been adopted, think about the difficult decisions made out of love.  The love that is multiplied and not divided.  

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.