Hannah DeCaster could have been the poster child for ‘country girl living in town.’ Her farm background was evident throughout her home and yard. She had fruit trees, a huge garden, and a wide array of flowers. In her basement was a large crock of sauerkraut made from cabbage she had raised. Down in that cellar, she also had a taste of summer to last the winter. She canned her own produce.
Carrots were an exception. She packed bunches of carrots in sand and buried them in the backyard. In mid winter she could dig down through the snow to her stash and pull up carrots as fresh and sweet as the day they were harvested. Once a passing neighbor was shocked to see her “harvesting” carrots… seemingly from the garden… in two feet of snow!
Tucked away in her spacious backyard was a small shack she called “The Little House.” It served as a summer kitchen. Why heat the house on a hot day? Inside was a wood burning stove, in which she did baking. When she lit the stove she would always roll up newspaper, light it, and hold it up inside the chimney to start a good draft. When chopping stove-wood, if it didn’t split the first time, her ax would invariably hit the same mark, and chances are it would split on the second swing. Occasionally she made soap from grease she had saved or rendered from fat. I remember chunks of soap spread out and drying throughout the little house.
Born in 1886, she was a direct connection to a time when people were more frugal and self reliant. But I never thought of her as living history… she was just “Gramma,” and had a lot to impart to us kids. She taught us about everything from fire building to country ethics. “Waste not want not.”Be grateful for what you have. Don’t waste food… because something died for your dinner. She said that when they butchered a hog, the only part that didn’t get used was the “oink.” From her we learned about blood sausage, head cheese, and pork hocks.
She often made comments or observations that got you thinking… I once complained about worms in an apple I’d picked from one of her trees. “If the worms don’t want it, maybe you shouldn’t either… just eat around the holes.” Having seen Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty,” I gained a new perspective on the thought of the ideal “perfect” apple. To this day I don’t trust perfect apples.
When I was a kid it was a special pilgrimage to visit the farm where Gramma was born. Her youngest brother still lived there and milked a herd of 50 holsteins, raised a drift of hogs, kept flocks of chickens and geese, raised corn, and had a huge garden. He and his wife were able to eek out a decent living selling milk, meat, eggs, and corn, and also raised five of my cousins. It was there that I learned how to milk a cow, escape from a feisty goose, and catch a chicken.
I recently returned to the old farm after half a century… the barn is gone, chicken coop gone, pastures, corn fields, gone. Only the ruins of the house still stand and that will soon be gone. Wildflowers, grasses, and trees have taken over as the landscape reverts to its original condition. Because they practiced organic (old) farming, there are no residual toxic chemicals to worry about, or groundwater contamination.
This past year Mary and I moved into a new (to us) house, with a monoculture landscape: one sickly ash tree, and just plain lawn. Fortunately my wife is a creative gardener and horticulturist. We’ve been steadily removing grass and planting trees, shrubs, perennials, garden plants, and even a few annuals. We have a small sign that proclaims, “Pesticide Free, All Living Creatures Welcome.”I think Gramma would approve.
In her garden was an iron plaque with a saying by English poet, Dorothy Gurney… “A kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth, one is nearer to God’s heart in the garden, than anywhere else on earth.” Gramma told me that heaven isn’t about some place you go after death… it’s all around us. We’re already there.
Her interesting backyard exerted a gravitational pull on us kids. We hung out there. It was a fascinating place just to be. There were so many interesting insects, flowers, and birds. Think of your landscape as your little corner of the world (or of heaven), which you can influence. The idea is to create a healthy environment where critters can prosper right along with you. A diverse living landscape will pay you back in unexpected ways: a profound sense of place; a connection to the land; lower blood pressure; positive attitude…
Like my grandmother, our culture comes from an agricultural background. We need to honor that past in creating a healthy future. Martin Luther King Jr. taught us, by word and example, that any movement — any culture —will fail if it cannot paint a picture of a world that people will want to go to. Habitat restoration needs to be modern movement. Make the urban environment a magical place to be; a place where children can be motivated to spend time outdoors and connect to nature.
A modest sized yard in the middle of town will surprise you with what it could be. Plants provide texture, fall color, showy flowers, screening, shade, habitat for a wide array of critters, etc. It’s easy to enhance any landscape. There is plenty of help around. For example, at the Park District’s Luthy Botanical Garden, there are several staffers who can offer tips on plants that would be perfect for your situation. Melissa, Marshall, Elona, Bob, Val, Virgil… all have made important contributions at this constantly evolving garden. Just drop in (it’s on the north end of Glen Oak Park), or call 686-3362.