Great American Barn Quilts

Here's a video I made of photos of barn quilts - those great works of art that people mount on their barns. The Pennsylvania Dutch used to call them "hex signs." The photography was done by my friend, Kermit Hugo, and I arranged a traditional tune for solo harp, to go with it. The melody is called "Prospect," and it is a popular hymn also, called "The Lone, Wild Bird." This video runs about two and a half minutes.

Independence Day Repast

When we have guests for the 4th of July, I always put on a spread that features salads. This year's meal took place yesterday, a day early, with three of us. Here's the menu:

Summer Sangria (non-alcoholic)
Tangy Potato Salad
Pea Salad
Carrot Salad
Watermelon Points
Key Lime Pie

I'm still refining most of the recipes, so I won't be posting them this year. Since I have switched to mayonnaise-less dressings, a bit of tweaking is still needed to get them to the super-good level. For the key lime pie filling, I used a recipe that I found in Mary Janes Farm magazine, June/July 2011 - it makes enough to fill one baked pie crust perfectly, and this stuff is to-die-for.