May...always a whirlwind!

For us, it always seems like May is a whirlwind of activity...I'm sure it is for many of you as well. School is wrapping up, which means the normal schedule is higgledy-piggledy, then there's the itch to finish up cleaning and organizing indoors before the flurry of outdoor activity begins. You know the drill: flowerbeds need weeding, the garden needs tilling, and the grass continues to grow and grow.

But in my effort to enjoy the simple pleasures, I've tried to slow down the May frenzy to look around me. I've found that this year, the perennial flowers seem to be bigger and more colorful than ever...maybe it was:

the late snow...

frosty mornnigs...

foggy days...

or summer-like heat. 

Whatever it was, they are overflowing with color and have never looked so pretty.

May also means my favorite little farmers' market opens, and now it's bursting with strawberries and rhubarb...so jam-making time is also at hand. Homemade jam is oh-so easy, and in mid-winter, when the snow flies, there's nothing like the taste of summer that can be found when opening a little jar of jam you've made yourself.

And where better to let those little jars of berry goodness cool, than on a Hoosier cupboard? If you've been visiting here for awhile, you know I LOVE old things, and a Hoosier-style cupboard is something that's been on my wish list for ages. I really haven't seen many locally, until one popped up in an antique shop off the town square. I took a close look, but you know what? It was just too perfectly, perfect. It didn't look like it had any history or that it had been worn from the daily use of a farm wife, so I put it out of my mind. 

Then, a few weeks later, I thought I'd search online; I was surprised to find one. It was about an hour away and the price was just too good not to look it over. So, on a Saturday morning, my daughter and I made the trip to see the cupboard...I'm so thankful for GPS maps! Oh my, we were driving through beautiful winding roads, over hills, and through valleys...and I had only a rough idea of where we were. 

When we finally arrived, I knew instantly it was coming home with me. It had been loved...it was not "perfectly, perfect", but had the signs of times past...a chip here, a worn spot there. Just my style. I'm not sure of the maker...looking at the hardware, it seems to match maybe a Boone, Kitchen Maid, or a Marsh brand. The numbers 9050 are stamped on the back. Anyone who might know, your thoughts are welcome! 

The woman selling it was like a kindred spirit...we had the same love for old things. Then, before we left, the price was dropped...by one-third of the asking price! She was anxious to make room for a Sellers cupboard she'd discovered...the cabinet of her dreams. This was just too good to be true!

OH. 

SO. 

HAPPY!

Oodles of storage room...

and she has her original sifter...

a perfect spot for summertime canning, the enamel top pulls out another 12 inches, it'll be great for making noodles or cooling cookies.

a closer look at the handwritten cookbook...I found this years ago, and it's so sweet. This page features Apple Dumplings and Huckleberry Pudding.

My grandmother's handwritten recipe cards are tucked under the cookie cutter...Bread & Butter Pickles, Green Tomato Relish, and other old-fashioned favorites.

It makes me smile every time I walk by...the simple things in life are the best.

I suppose I am a sparrow, a stay-at-home bird.

-Gladys Taber