Lehman's Country Life

When Americans envision Italian cooking, it is heavy with the tomato sauce we have all grown to love. But this is not a truly accurate picture, for the tomato is a new addition to Italian cuisine. In fact, the tomato didn’t come on the Italian scene until the late 1500’s and up until the late 1600’s was thought to be poisonous and not used in food. This diversity gives us some wonderful dishes of Italy to use in our warm weather, summer meal planning.
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Spring has blessed us with some warm days, gentle rains and beautiful colors to enjoy. The days are slipping by and summer activities will be here before we know it. What are your plans for summer? Hopefully the calendar has been marked for a few days of vacation or family fun days. Having something to look forward to is important for adults and children. The planning, saving and anticipation is part of the journey, as is the feeling of fulfillment after the event is over.

As a parent, trying to keep a routine is important. It provides structure and helps children and adults be productive. Brainstorm with your family, what kind of chores can be done through the day or in the evening? Who wants to do what? What can we do when the work is done? The short term things that need daily and weekly attention are a great way to get the kids involved and moving. It is also a great way to improve family communication and relationships, being together doesn’t have to be all fun, working is a wonderful way to share your values and listen to your children.
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I love my cats. They keep the rat and mouse population at bay.  But they also have brought in some species that we would rather they did not think were exotic squeak toys.

We live out in West Cavan near the Northern Ireland border. Because of the thirty years of troubles this area became depopulated of humans but the wildlife really moved in.  I have recorded rare damselflies. We rejoice in the frogs that we hope will eat the slugs before they eat the zucchini.

But what has me worried is our cat  Zymina’s latest offering, a horseshoe bat.
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On almost any Monday morning, you’d catch Mom in the kitchen, first filling the old wringer washer with hot water, turning it on, then filling the swishing tub with dirty clothes that hit the suds one by one with a satisfying plop and blurble. Like a hungry monster, the washing machine pulled the clothes downward into the steaming, soapy water. After a moment, they’d rise like undersea monsters, pale colors and shades of white, mounded like the smooth back of some creature… then they’d swish and swoop downward, only to rise and do it again.
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