Introductions

I’m so glad you found me here and welcome to my celebration of sharing to with you the works, lifestyle, and sentiments of a great writer Gladys Taber, a brilliant author of 59 books, including the Stillmeadow books, and columnist for Ladies’ Home Journal and Family Circle. Her writing career spans from 1925 to 1980, and she captured in her writing genuine reflections on what there was to be grateful for in spite of a cruel and unforgiving world. She spoke kindly about animals, raised gardens, cooked, hosted guests, all while working tirelessly with her best friend (Jill) on the upkeep of their 1690 vintage farmhouse named Stillmeadow, in Southbury Connecticut. I found my first copy of a GT book years ago at a used book store in my neighborhood and have since collected 19 total books, so far I have read 5.

I have been so inspired by her attitude, her interests, and her life as a whole that I have created this blog to continue on writings that are reflective of everything that was Gladys.  I feel kinship towards her, despite the distances in region and time. I discovered a connection from Eastern Kentucky (where I live!) to a New England sea town in Connecticut, and I quickly found our interests in life to be intertwined. The way she described the end of a pretty day, sitting under a big and dark sky, hoping the rest of the world could share the peace she felt among the chorus of spring peepers brings peace to me, and that is what I am here to share with you.

In addition to this blog, I also write a column, “The Mint Patch Monologue” for the Friends of Gladys Taber Fan club’s Quarterly Journal. Four publications a year simply wasn’t enough to demonstrate the ways GT has influenced the way I see the world and I’ve got too much going on to keep to myself anyways! I grow a garden, mainly vegetables, and discover every year how to improve it’s beauty and it’s harvest. I believe seeds are tiny miracles, and to see what is possible to grow with your own two hands lends a feeling I’m afraid I’ll never find the words for. (I’m serious, I get torn up every year when the mail carrier drops off the new year’s seed catalog, I just become a fit of nervous excitement.)

A favorite in the kitchen for me is to cook a whole chicken. I love how simple and wholesome a meal can be when you use the whole bird. I cook (just about) everyday, and I don’t use recipes unless I’m baking. I have a nice stack of very old church cookbooks I’ve collected, the dirtiest pages always have the best things to cook! The entire back of one has been inscribed by it’s previous owner, put to use in another way, and it reads in shaky cursive “I’m leaving the bathroom light burning in case the night light goes off. Ira set it from 8:00pm-2:00am. It worked O.K. but you never know! I emptied the dehumidifier. Turn the commode top down, so another squirrel cant get water. Too, jingle the handle to flush as it hangs once a while. Attention pest control man- thank you for discovering the squirrel. I’m getting around to fix the chimney.” These are the little treasures I’m always looking for, and I paid a dollar for it. My husband and I love to go thrifting and antiquing, we’ve got stacks of banded bowl pottery (his favorite finds) quilts, jadeite, pins and belt buckles, stained glass. We are also raising a perfect poodle named Percy who is 12 pounds of pure love, and who has the sweetest face of any creature alive. My husband is a traveling musician who is on the road -a lot! He has a very exciting and very exhausting career as a bass player which leaves me lots of quiet time at home, typing away to share with you. Please lend me your patience in developing this website, it has turned out to be a big bite to chew (hopefully soon I will figure out how to add lots and lots of pictures) as I am not technically inclined. “This may prove that sometimes if you don’t know anything, it works out very well anyways” -GT I am where old souls and new souls meet, I’m happy to be writing for you and am thrilled to introduce Gladys and myself, to the whole world.

Please, drop me a line sometime! I do love to chat!

justicesarah67@yahoo.com

P.O. Box coming soon!!