Paul Campbell

The Lexington Bluegrass Association of Realtors

is in the process of giving away over a 100 copies of "Enemy Pie" to schools throughout Central Kentucky.

Realtors are invited to come to the schools and participate when the books are presented to the librarians. The first presentation is at 10:00 AM, Monday, October 19th at Saffell Street Elementary in Anderson Country. We will then travel to Robert B. Turner at 11:25 and finally to Emma B. Ward at 1:50. Invitations have been emailed to Anderson County Realtors.

This is the third year LBAR has purchased new books and presented them to the Central Kentucky Schools. It is a great way to show tangible support for our schools and to connect with the community.

"Enemy Pie" was chosen because of its strong reconciliation message and because it has a very strong Dad as the central character. We live in a culture that likes to laugh at dads and portray them as bumbling, simplistic and aloof.

If you have children or grandchildren check this book out or buy it, you will not be disappointed.

Of Lawns and Gardens

Mid September is the prime time for re-seeding and planting one’s lawn in Lexington. Around the corner from our house one of our neighbors (who is a horticulturalist at UK) has torn up his front lawn and reseeded it. He planted lawn seeds and then strewed straw (nice alliteration, huh?) over the top of it to help retain the soil from any water-run off. His front yard slopes sharply to the street.

Wow – that is a lot of work. I have lawn too, but it more closely resembles a weedy patch of green stretching beneath the two large oak trees in my front yard. Last spring I tore up the bulk of the lawn to plant my garden – and I have plans to further diminish the patch of lawn still in the back yard.

What’s so great about a lawn anyway? Our grandson Sam loves to “run” as fast as his little legs can carry him across a lawn – much faster and I don’t think Kathy will be able to catch him. And the robins like to dig worms out of a lawn. But lawns are a lot of effort for very little practical profit. One cannot eat grass clippings, and we don’t graze animals that need to chomp the grass.

Lawns became popular in Europe among the rich. They had servants to do the labor intensive work of cutting the lawns, using scythes. But even the rich often used their lawns for animals to graze. Lawns became a symbol of having money to lavish on a wide swath of green outside the manor/castle. Middle class folk might own a plot of land, but they used it to grow vegetables for their families. Sometimes they would have flowers among the herbs to provide beauty. Larger plots of land were used for grazing cattle and horses. Poor people often didn’t have land around their homes at all – and whatever they did have they used for growing food. Even today much of the land around homes in Third World countries is used for subsistence farming.

In the 1830’s mowing machines were invented but it wasn’t until after the Civil War that Americans began having lawns. With the growth of industrialization came the invention of a shorter work week, as well as improved mowers and sprinklers. But even then most Americans were content for just green—if native grasses, weeds and moss filled in the area around the house it wasn’t a crime. Dandelions were not a disaster.

I worry when I see a neighbor having their lawns sprayed with chemicals, trucks trolling my neighborhood. I know their information talks about how they use pesticides and herbicides responsibly, but I have my doubts.

When You’re Blonde Enough Nothing Else Matters

Eight years ago my wife adopted a three year old blonde cocker spaniel. Kathy was won over by Abby’s big brown eyes and Jennifer Aniston haircut. Abby was, essentially, already full grown and set in her ways, but I have a hunch that Kathy wouldn’t have been much of a taskmaster. Kathy considers that having raised three pretty good kids, she’s entitled to a dog with challenging behavior. I keep telling her that Marley pioneered the acceptability of bad dogs. Kathy will only grudgingly agree that Abby isn’t exactly Lassie material.

Abby has never been terribly smart. She knows, “Want to go for a walk?” and “Want a cookie?” But any other command and Abby just blinks. Abby liked to run outside and explore our yard. With the heavy dew or rains she would come in thoroughly wet and still expect to sleep on the couch. The only sure way to get her to come was to call, “Abby! Cookie!” When we lived in Seattle Kathy regularly took Abby for walks on a long off-leash trail. Every day Abby happily jumped in the car, traveling to the trail. She would perch on Kathy’s lap. I shuddered every day thinking that Kathy would get a ticket, but she never did.

When we moved to Kentucky Abby got to come too. She rode in the backseat and would lean over to peer out the windshield. Did she wonder at all the different smells as we drove across the country? Does she miss our big backyard and the off-leash trail? One thing is certain: she no longer bears the Most Adorable Surrogate Grandchild status now that Sam and Caroline live near us.

Now Abby’s excursions are mainly walking around the block two or three times a day. She does patrol our yard for squirrels and evil cats (neither of which she has been able to scare away). She still comes (usually) with the promise of a cookie. Now her favorite place is to wait somewhat impatiently underneath Sam’s high chair, hoping that Sam will accidentally drop some of his food. Abby is very good with Sam and Caroline. Sam can throw a ball and hit Abby while she’s asleep and she just blinks and moves. Caroline can grab some of Abby’s hair and she just rolls over.

This weekend our son Andy and family will be adding a Newfoundland “puppy” (at 10 weeks old the “puppy” is already as big as Abby). Andy vows that HIS dog will be well behaved. We shall see.

Green Beans and Kentucky Wonders

I planted 10 feet of green bean seeds in late June. When we lived in Seattle I would have planted the bean seeds in July, with the intentions of getting a crop during late August and early September before the shortening days and damp nights cause the beans to stop flowering. I like to grow pole beans. When we lived in Seattle my favorite bean varieties were Romano (a flat Italian bean) and Kentucky Wonder pole beans. It surely is a wonder that after 35 years living in Seattle, we are in Kentucky now.

There is something wonderful about how a bean plant grows and then twines upwards along a pole. I string a net of twine to make a lattice so that the bean plants can grow up and over however they wish. It isn’t long before the beans form a wall of green. Sam wouldn’t eat green beans (or any vegetable for that matter) earlier in the summer, but now he is willing to eat many vegetables.

Here are two of our favorite ways to serve green beans. Of course the traditional Southern recipe is to boil the beans, throw in some ham and serve with cornbread. These are a little different, but wonderfully good

Roasted Green Beans The recipe below with the basalmic vinegar is so... good!

2 pounds fresh green beans

3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

3/4 teaspoons salt (divided)

2 tablespoons basalmic vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons dill weed

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Take the stems off the green beans, but leave whole. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread in ungreased pan, overlapping as little as possible. Roast in 400 degree oven for 30 – 35 min. Whisk the rest of the ingredients together. Pour over hot beans.

Green Bean and Feta Salad

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans

1/2 c. red onion, finely chopped

1/2 c. Feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans – toasted

1/2 c. red pepper, chopped

Vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon dried basil OR 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

Blanch beans in pot of boiling water for 5 – 7 min, jut until tender but crisp. Drain beans and place in bowl of iced water so that they stay crisp. Drain water once beans are cold.

Combine vinaigrette ingredients. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Whisk until thick and thoroughly blended. Place beans on servng platter and drizzle vinaigrette over. Top with red onion, feta, nuts and red pepper. Cover and chill for several hours.

We harvested the first of our beans in mid July. Every time I go out to pick them I come back with about two pounds. I keep thinking that I will see the last of the blossoms, but still the beans grow. Kathy has kept us in green beans – which are an excellent source of protein – and we have given green beans to our neighbors and our kids. Some of the green beans have been frozen. I know that they will taste great in the stews and soups that will be part of our autumn and winter menus.

But we still have lots of green beans. Our church, First Alliance, here in Lexington, has a garden table in the foyer. Gardeners bring in their excess produce and people take what they can use. Gardeners are blessed that someone can use what they’ve grown. People that take the food are blessed to get home grown produce. I wonder. Isn’t the overabundance of food like God’s grace? It is more than we can use and spills over to bless other people.

Civilization and gardens

During World War II Americans turned their yards (and sometimes roof gardens) into vegetable gardens so that they could ease the strain on the food supply. These were called Victory Gardens. In 1944 about 40% of all the vegetables being consumed in the US were grown in Victory Gardens. The food certainly aided the war effort, but it also boosted the morale of the people who didn’t themselves actively go to war. The gardens promoted civilization, if you will.

Last month I dragged Kathy to the Arboretum for the monthly meeting of gardeners. It was a potluck and Kathy provided a salad that used some of the bounty of our cherry tomatoes. One lady took a bite of Kathy’s salad and said, “Who brought this? What’s in it?” (always a mark of success!)

Cornbread Tomato Salad

Combine in a large bowl:

4 c. cubed cornbread

2 c. halved cherry tomatoes

1 c. cubed Fontina cheese

1/2 c. diced cucumbers

1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

Whisk together and pour over: 1/2 c. olive oil, 6 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon grated fresh lemon peel, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss gently.

The different people went around the table introducing themselves, talking about their garden interests. I told about how I’m new to Kentucky and learning to adapt to the soil and climate here. One couple talked about how they’d converted their whole yard to an immense garden. But what they said was that they had “civilized their yard”. What an unusual phrase! But isn’t it apt? Gardening provides order and even a habitat for bees, birds (and often unwanted bugs – but a big enough garden has bounty for all). Furthermore I find that gardening civilizes me. It gives me a reason to adopt habits of diligent watering, weeding, tending and harvesting.