"It's not easy being green." Kermit the Frog quote . . .

This huge antique cast iron frog fountain is one of my favorite things. He's not hooked up to a recirculating pump so he doesn't spout water from his mouth. Maybe one day...

Timely 17th century quote on taxation by Jean-Baptiste Colbert . . .

"The art of taxation consists of so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest amount of feathers while promoting the smallest amount of hissing."

A very timely quote by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, French Economist and Minister of Finance under King Louis XIV of France 1619-1683.

Some things never change, do they? I appreciate the humor of this man in tights!

Image from one of my antiquarian prints.

Life's Little Instruction Book, pages 62 + 63 . . .

...To be continued...

Old original Hershey's Fudge Recipe . . .

Yesterday I made fudge and it turned out exactly like the stuff I used to make when I was 12. My car is in the shop and I needed a recipe using ingredients in my pantry. After a lot of internet hunting I located the original recipe that used to be printed on the Hershey's cocoa box. It is great because it uses 1/3 less sugar than any other fudge recipe on the web. Here goes:

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey's)
2 cups white sugar (next time I will use even less)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon light corn syrup (I used Maple Syrup)
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, stir together the cocoa powder, sugar and salt.
Mix in corn syrup and milk until well blended.
Add butter, and heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C) on candy thermometer, or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface. Stir occasionally.
Remove from heat and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thick and loses its gloss. Stir in vanilla, and pour into a buttered 9x9 inch baking dish. Let cool until set. Cut into small squares to serve.

I beat it too long and it ended up in a mound but it was still delicious. Next time I am going to decrease the sugar to 1-3/4 cups or maybe even 1-1/2 cups. I didn't have any light corn syrup so I used real Maple syrup. Worked fine. I didn't even have any milk so I used powdered milk to make 1 cup. Worked fine. Next time I will use condensed milk. Next time I might add a glob of peanut butter at the end too. Yum!

Willa Cather quote about land ownership . . .

Willa Cather, American Novelist 1873-1947

Life's Little Instruction Book, pages 60 + 61 . . .

...To be continued...

Only Robinson Crusoe Had Everything Done By Friday

"Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday." Author Unknown




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Garden Quote by Rudyard Kipling . . .

For my own purposes I am rewriting this quote by Rudyard Kipling.

"Gardens are not made
By sitting in the shade behind a computer."

I am getting behind in my outdoor work because of the rain. If the truth be known, I am behind in my inside work too. So it's off to the salt mines for me on Saturday.