Mati, Mai, Ma, Moeder, Madre, Máthair, Majka!

It comes around every year even if some forget it! or try to ignore it or celebrate it a day early or late. Its something that cannot be changed, it is a most important day- because where would we be with out them? It sends men and women and boys and girls scrambling north, east, south and west and it makes any florist, cheese maker, pudding maker, butter churner, salmon smoker all work a little harder for their flowers and cheeses and pudding and butter and smoked salmon for all be loved and shared with their one and only dear and true. That is right ladies and gentleman it is Mother's Day weekend! Whoot Whoot lets hear it for the Mom's. So I thought I would entertain you with some motherhood quotes of my own- that is stories of my Mother not the other way around.

"My mother used to buy my shoes three sizes bigger because she was sure I would still grow"

So this week there has been a hip hopping tumble of cheese making fun! Oh my! One day we had four cheeses touch the walls of my little vat which made me think that perhaps..just perhaps....it may be time for a new one. I started my cheese making career in a thousand gallon tunnel of a vat which every time I looked at made my mouth go aaaawwww. Then I moved to an eight hundred gallon vat- which was still just a little too big and hard! Then one day I found myself in an 600 gallon Vat but still the fit was not quite right. Suddenly I found this little itty 100 gallon Vat and I snuggled in and was very content.
Until now. I think that I may be ready to ascend like Goldilocks did to a different bed so to speak. Until then I will happily churn and stir my little vat with much glee and happiness.

Happiness Happiness Happiness
"One day my mother told me a very funny story about hazelnuts and still to this day the slight mention of it makes me laugh- sorta hysterically and fall on the floor with tears in my eyes from laughing so hard" -what a wonderful Mum she is!

Happiness can be found in some very smooth and creamy mascarpone! I pumped out a strawberry flavor in addition to the sweet and creamy original and its berry wonderfulness at its best!
I know what your thinking. You are going to ask "But Cheese Czarina where o where will we find you this weekend?"
Of course you will want to cook your Mum breakfast in Bed with none other than our curd fed worm and slug eating chickens eggs! and you will of course want to put some cream cheese (yummy olive debuts this week) on her bagel and of course you will want to feed her strawberries and pudding so that she knows you got the very best and you will of course want it all on Saturday or if you are a very late bloomer early Sunday morning.
Saturday we will be at Hollywood and PSU in our glorious new spot and Sunday we will be at the Old Faithful Hillsdale farmers market and Milwaukie! Its Milwaukie's opening weekend so there should be a lot of hoopla there!

I will of course of course be standing next to my dear Mum and Dad saturday at the market it appears that the farmers market manager has a likeness for petting zoo style layouts and has placed us next to one another. We are again next to one another Sunday but mostly so that we can provide the other vendors and early shoppers with a good form of entertainment with my fathers discussions on the fondling of large kings (king salmon that is :) and my discussion of curd fondling and of course how good our eggs were that we had for breakfast!

The markets are all a lot of fun but not so much fun as a whipped cream fight!
"One day my older sister and I wanted to have a whip cream fight! So my mum dressed us up with bags on our feet and water proof jackets with the hoods tied down and gloves so that we wouldn't get dirty!!!"
When I was younger (but not much has changed) I had a likeness for singing-very loud songs that I would make up on the fly. Not understanding that you could not sing a drum beat or that I had no sense of key I would run around singing bits and pieces of whatever I remembered and would eagerly run up to my Mum and ask her "Mum what shall I sing" "Lisa dear please sing far far away"
Thinking that she was prompting me to make up a new song I would sing "Far far far away far far far away".
Wow I guess not much has changed! I still love to sing entirely off tune without knowing any lyrics-except now I do it while making cheese.

We will have a wide range of fresh cow and aged sheeps milk cheeses this week. I churned butter for almost five hours this week and have some of the loveliest spring pasture butter you will ever find! Please come and see us at the markets and enjoy spending the weekend with your beloved Mum! and make sure she knows that every single thing that she does for you does not go unnoticed and that you appreciate all that she had done and will do!

Her love is like the rush of life,
A bubbling, laughing spring
That runs through all like liquid light

And makes the mountains sing.

~Nick Gordon~

Adieu Adieu
Kisses and Hugs
Your Cheese Czarina!