"Time Enough for Dreaming"

There are certain times in the year when dreams seem possible,

even seem destined to come true.

June is one of them,

maybe because of the leftover emotions

from childhood--

School is out! Summer is here!

June seems like a new beginning.

Is that why so many weddings are in June?

Our dear Gladys Taber wrote:

"...in June one feels the security

that summer has just begun,

there is time enough for dreaming."

I do a lot of dreaming when I look through my vintage magazine collection

and the June issues are my second favorite.

Christmas issues claim first place with me.

I'm still a sucker for Bride covers and the above one from The Ladies' Home Journal

issue of June 1951 was my happy place this morning as I wait for the heavy rains and predicted strong weather to arrive.

We got up at 5:30 a.m. to get some things done before we lost the sunshine.

It's been a beautiful June morning and RH got a few plants in the ground before breakfast. 

I clipped some long legged herbs before the rains could beat them down.

Flowers on the tarragon were already weighing it down and they make a pretty bouquet 

in my kitchen window.

Did you know the flowers are edible too?

I can snip them for my salad dressings this week and maybe some for the pork chops RH plans on cooking for us because the sage needs to grow some more before harvesting.

I hope the model above,

bride Francine de Fere in her 

Christian Dior gown,

had her wedding dreams come true.

I didn't have a Christian Dior wedding gown but I did have a smaller version of her bridal bouquet.

Stephanotis was standard bridal bouquet flowers back then, and a decade later mine had it with gardenias--divine scent!

Looking out the window now, I see the rains have arrived. I hope people in the way of these storms are safe.

Tropical Storm Cindy has already claimed the life of a 10-year old boy, his and his parents' dreams ended.

Cherish your beautiful dreams.

I'm going to dream this summer

and I hope you do too.

Summer has just begun!

Schrafft's Oatmeal Cookies

Sometimes I just want a simple homemade oatmeal cookie.

No gourmet ingredients in it, please.

Just the old basic Schrafft's oatmeal cookie.

I turn to the recipe in Evans Jones' biography of James Beard,

my favorite chef of all time.

Jones says that "Cookies were more than the understandable sweet bites that bring passing comfort to most children--

they remained one of Jim's mild passions."

James Beard loved Schrafft's Oatmeal Cookies and so do I.

1. Cream 1/4 lb butter and 1 cup sugar together.

            [or 3/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar]

2. Add 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat till light and fluffy.

3. Stir in 1 1/2 cup oats [old-fashioned, not quick cooking]

4. Mix and stir together 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder,

          1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon,

          1/2 teaspoon allspice.

5. Add the butter and sugar mixture and 1/4 cup milk to the flour mixture

          and beat till well blended.

6. Stir in 1 cup raisins and 1 cup chopped walnuts.

7. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet, 1 1/2 inch apart.

8. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 12 minutes.

     

          Remove and cool on racks.

           

Other than Jim's own books about his life, Evan Jones'

Epicurean Delight, The Life and Times of James Beard,

is my next favorite book about this complex man who taught

so many people how to cook good food.

Including a simple homemade oatmeal cookie.