May 27, 2015

Hitty Visits the Shoemaker at Old Sturbridge Village!

Finding a Place to Rest Your Pegs!
At Old Sturbridge Village, Hitty was delighted to visit with the shoemaker.


The shoe shop at Old Sturbridge Village, that reminds of us Tasha Tudor's illustration in "The Real Pretend" of Kathy and her brother setting out to collect the money for the Larkin goods they sold. My daughter Sarah was the model for the illustrations of the little girl Kathy in "The Real Pretend".


Shoes on display in the shoe shop.
Several in our Moulton family were shoemakers in the early 1800s from Brimfield, Massachusetts, not far from Sturbridge.


Hitty Rachel and the shoemaker at Old Sturbridge Village.




Hitty was very interested in the wooden pegs used in making the shoes as she, too, is jointed with pegs.


The Freeman farm at Old Sturbridge Village is where Pliny Freeman and his wife Delia lived. Their daughter Delia married our second cousin John May. John May, Delia, and their children lived with Delia's parents at the Freeman Farm in the late 1830s. During this time John May worked at making shoes.






The shoemaker works at the low bench with his tools at hand.






After much walking around Hitty's pegs began to feel tired. She spied this little bed just her size!


Hitty sees that the little bed is already occupied by a little doll who is also in need of a rest. The little doll sort of resembled a Hitty but was not made of wood. Hitty Rachel loved her frock and pinafore!


Hitty found another little bed in the Salem Towne House. She thought that would be the perfect place for her to rest her pegs!
Ima resting at the Towne House garden.
Hitty and Ima were made by talented doll carver Judy Brown.


An antique doll bed on display at Old Sturbridge Village.


When Hitty saw this little doll cradle on display she thought of the book "Hitty, Her First Hundred Years" by Rachel Field and how the original Hitty had her own cradle. Hitty's cradle was made by Phoebe's father Captain Preble and she enjoyed recuperating in it after her trying time in the crow's nest in the "ancestral pine" that stood alongside the Preble house.
"Look," said Hitty, "what a beautiful coach to take an old fashioned ride in!"


The Hartford & Worcester stagecoach at Old Sturbridge Village.
Hitty thought of the original Hitty riding in a coach. In "Hitty, Her First Hundred Years" by Rachel Field, the Prebles and Hitty took the stagecoach from Portland, Maine to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Salem, Massachusetts and on to Boston. The Captain was going to set sail on the ship Diana-Kate and it was decided that his family join him.




Hitty asks the driver of the stagecoach if she could see what it would be like to be in the driver's seat. The driver kindly agreed. Hitty felt that it was almost like being up in the ancestral pine as she was up so high!
Hitty took the reins for a moment but I was too startled at the thought of little Hitty driving the horses to snap a photograph!


Hitty felt like she could nearly touch the roof of the tavern!


Hitty thought a stagecoach ride can be a good way to rest your pegs!
Our email:
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http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2015/05/hitty-visits-shoemaker-at-old.html
copyright © 2015 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
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Posted by Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson at 3:37 PM
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May 25, 2015

May Flowers in Remembrance!

Decoration Day!
Nanny Nettie-Kin loves the beautiful fragrances of the stunning lilacs and the delicate lily-of-the-valley! Nanny Nettie-Kin was made by talented doll carver Judy Brown.

Lilacs are usually in bloom near Decoration Day. When I think of lilacs I think of going with my Grandmum, taking lilacs, putting them in canning jars and placing them on the graves of our ancestors. Graves are always decorated in remembrance of those who have gone before on Decoration Day. Decoration Day was traditionally celebrated on May 30th.




In the book "Wings from the Wind, An Anthology of Poems Selected and Illustrated by Tasha Tudor", with "The Concord Hymn" by Ralph Waldo Emerson there is an illustration of an old gravestone with a flag and flowers growing alongside.

We at the Corgyncombe Courant are thankful to those who have served in protecting our country, thus allowing us to do all the things we love best such as smelling the flowers!


Our email:
atthecottagegate@yahoo.com


http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2015/05/may-flowers-in-remembrance.html
copyright © 2015 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
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Posted by Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson at 7:24 PM
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May 10, 2015

Mother's Day!

Sitting on the Lawn
Above is my Grandmum (my Father's Mum), my Mum who's expecting my little brother, and me little Diane. Look who has her arms crossed just like her Grandmum! No wonder my Mum always told me when I was little, "You're all Shepard!" When I was little I always remember Grandmum in her apron and her hair done up in a bun. She had an old Kalamazoo wood cook range that I remember her cooking and baking family meals on. She had a Jersey cow, pigs, and chickens. Her cellar was stocked full of canned goods and she was well known as a "Canning Fool". Grandmum loved to garden and she had vegetable and flower gardens. Her favorite flower was the Iris, of which she had many varieties. I remember sitting on the lawn with her making dandelion curls and eating potato chips at the same time! One of her greatest delights was bringing us a puffball that she found for my Father and I to cook and savor.

Grandmum always reminded me of Tasha Tudor!

Here is a link to a previous post about my Grandmum
at the Corgyncombe Courant:

Here is a link to a previous post about my Mum
at the Corgyncombe Courant:


Happy Mother's Day to our Dear Readers!


Our email:
atthecottagegate@yahoo.com


http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2015/05/mothers-day.html
copyright © 2015 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
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Posted by Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson at 12:10 PM
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April 11, 2015

Nanny Nettie-Kin's Tasha Tudor Hot Cross Buns and Bobby!

Bobby Loves Tasha Tudor Hot Cross Buns and Goat's Milk!
Nanny Nettie-Kin made Hot Cross Buns using the receipt in "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook". As we mentioned back in our "Forget-Me-Not Fair" post, little Bobby was a problem for Nanny at Hot Cross Bun baking time. This is Part Two of "Nanny Nettie-Kin Makes Tasha Tudor Hot Cross Buns"... including little Bobby.

Click Here for Lovely Music

Some of these photographs were taken last year (2014) but we have not posted them here at the Corgyncombe Courant until now.


As Nanny's back is turned, busy with putting some of her spices away, Bobby whispers to little Hitty "Nanny Nettie-Kin won't miss any of those buns."
"Bobby, they look good but maybe you shouldn't take them!" replies little Hitty.


"Nanny won't see or hear me!" Bobby whispers.


Bobby goes over to the chair and starts dragging it across the floor.


Bobby keeps a keen eye on Nanny. The chair makes scraping noises as Bobby drags it closer to the table.... squeeeak.


Bobby climbs up on the chair as Nanny turns around and exclaims "Robert! It's not nice to take Nanny's hot cross buns!"


Under her elbow, Bobby watches Nanny Nettie-Kin squeeze icing onto the hot cross buns.


Whilst the Hittys have their buns and milk, Nanny Nettie-Kin decides to have a little one-on-one talk with Bobby along with goat's milk and hot cross buns.


Sporting a milk mustache, Bobby states "But Nanny, I'm just a growing boy!"
Nanny Nettie-Kin sighs...


Some of the photographs and some of the writings on this post are from previous Corgyncombe Courant posts that can be found here on the Corgyncombe Courant and from our previous postings elsewhere on the internet.



Setting the Hot Cross Buns out to cool. The receipt for Hot Cross Buns is from "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook".


The buns have been frosted with a cross on top.

 Our email:
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http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2015/04/nanny-nettie-kins-tasha-tudor-hot-cross.html
copyright © 2015 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
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Posted by Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson at 12:01 PM
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April 5, 2015

A Joyful Resurrection Sunday!

A Pussy Willow Bouquet!
In the lovely light of early morn, Nanny Nettie-Kin arranges a pussy willow bouquet.


This photograph of Nanny Nettie-Kin arranging a pussy willow bouquet was taken last year (2014) but we have not posted it here at the Corgyncombe Courant until now.

Whilst out and about yesterday I noticed that the pussy willows had barely started to come out here this year.

We at the Corgyncombe Courant hope that our Dear Readers have a Joyful Resurrection Sunday!

Soon to come, we will have Part Two of Nanny Nettie-Kin Makes Tasha Tudor Hot Cross Buns... including little Bobby.

Our email:
atthecottagegate@yahoo.com


http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-joyful-resurrection-sunday.html
copyright © 2015 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
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Posted by Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson at 10:45 AM
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April 3, 2015

Nanny Nettie-Kin Makes Tasha Tudor Hot Cross Buns!

A Tasha Tudor Easter Time Tradition!
Traditionally for years at Easter time I have made the Hot Cross Buns using the receipt in "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook". Receipt is an old fashioned term for recipe. Nanny Nettie-Kin also uses the same receipt to make Hot Cross Buns for the Hittys at Pumpkin House.


Tasha Tudor's Scottish Nanny used to make these hot cross buns, as well. Nanny Nettie-Kin thinks they are delicious!

These photographs of Nanny Nettie-Kin were taken last year (2014) but we have not posted them here at the Corgyncombe Courant until now.

Nanny Nettie-Kin uses real goat's milk and butter from Corgyncombe Dairy Goat Carmella Lucille. As you can see on the little plate the goat's butter is white. Nanny heats the goat's milk to just the right temperature for dissolving the yeast.


A photograph of Carmella Lucille taken in the pretty, rosy copper light before sunset. She was watching us run and play with her goat kiddles in the Corgyn yard that we call the "Corg'ery".


 After rising, Nanny Nettie-Kin adds the warm melted butter and kneads the dough to make Tasha Tudor Hot Cross Buns. She sets the dough aside to rise again.


After the dough has risen again, she shapes the dough into buns and sets them to rise again.


Nanny Nettie-Kin opens the oven door to her stove the "Ark" and checks to see if her hot cross buns are finished baking. Nanny says they are done just right and asks me to photograph them before she takes them out of the oven.





At the Corgyncombe Bakery, I make Hot Cross Buns, too. After the first rising, warm melted butter is added and the dough is kneaded a bit more.


The dough has risen again.


After rising, the dough is shaped into buns and set aside to rise again.


Above is little Bobby at the Forget-Me-Not Fair.

As we mentioned back in our "Forget-Me-Not Fair" post, little Bobby was a problem for Nanny at Hot Cross Bun baking time. Soon we will have Part Two of Nanny Nettie-Kin Makes Tasha Tudor Hot Cross Buns... including little Bobby.

The carved wooden dolls were made by talented doll carver Judy Brown.
Their furniture was made by talented Roy Bubbenmoyer.

Our email:
atthecottagegate@yahoo.com


http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2015/04/nanny-nettie-kin-makes-tasha-tudor-hot.html
copyright © 2015 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Posted by Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson at 5:09 PM
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March 30, 2015

A Red Squirrel in the Cottage!

The Red-Wings Have Returned!
One morn, in the wee hours, the dogs were alarmed by the presence of a little red squirrel in the cottage. We secured the canines and, using boards, created a safe path to direct the squirrel out of doors. Before the little squirrel went out the door he paused and looked up at me, we had a moment of silent communication, and then he calmly went out the door.
The photograph above is of the little red squirrel or one of his relatives.



It has been a bitterly cold, blustery winter at Corgyncombe.
Above, is a photograph of our smokehouse covered with snow that I took several weeks ago. Now, the snow level is down a bit, a few inches below the latch of the smokehouse door. There is still quite a cover of snow about the landscape and it is snowing this afternoon! We could still have snowbanks in May at Corgyncombe.

The Red-Winged Blackbirds have been late in returning to Corgyncombe. Finally, on March 24th, the o-ka-lee of the Red-Wing was heard and what a welcome sound it was, indeed!


I took our Christmas tree down around St. Patrick's Day. We cut it in December and it was still holding its needles in March. It was just so pretty I hated to take it down. Whilst removing the ornaments, I recognized the white ball with pink roses as similar to the one shown on the dolls' Christmas tree in the Tasha Tudor Christmas video.

 Our email:
atthecottagegate@yahoo.com


http://corgyncombecourant.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-red-squirrel-in-cottage.html
copyright © 2015 Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Posted by Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson at 7:22 PM
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