Comfort Food

I rarely sit around feeling sorry for myself. Let's face it. I have very little in my life to feel sorry about.

But this week I indulged in a short period of time wallowing in self-pity due to a summer cold. One of those nasty colds that just hangs on.....and on......and on. Makes me wish, just a little bit, that I still drank. Could have drowned it in brandy or some other suitable alcoholic beverage touted as a cure-all for the common cold. But alas, it was not to be. Just waited it out and sniffled a lot.

As feeling sorry for myself wasn't working real well, I decided to do something to make myself feel better - at least make my state of mind feel better.

Comfort Food! Great idea. I would bake some bread. I was down to my last loaf anyway, and hadn't been able to work up enough ambition for a trip to the grocery for more.

There is something therapeutic about smacking (kneading) bread dough. Gets out the aggression. Gets your mind off of your problems. Great upper arm exercise. So I stirred and beat and kneaded and shaped. Got a little bit carried away. But I now have my freezer stocked. And it worked. Forgot all about my cold.

I think I will go have a cinnamon roll now.

Fish Fry

A few weeks ago Kelly called me. He said that he and Jackie had a bunch of fish in their freezer and asked if we would like to get together for a fish fry. When I talked to David, his response was that he was always up for a fish fry. He and Kelly worked out the details.

Last Saturday we met at David and Staci's home. Duane picked me up and we were glad that we had left early, for about 10 miles from the turn-off on I-94, we encountered traffic moving at a snail's pace, slowed by road construction. Took an hour to go that 10 miles, and at one point we saw a guy walking along the shoulder of the highway. He seemed to be making better time than we were.

It was a perfect summer day. Lots of blue sky and white, fluffy clouds. I love the new deck. It adds so much to David and Staci's house. And it makes a really neat platform for watching the grandkids swim in their pool. The girls swam and dove and splashed and played and Jacob sat in his little floaty boat and pulled himself round and round the pool's edge. Staci said that she was glad that Jacob actually likes to wear his pint-sized life vest. Makes life much easier and he has so much fun in the pool.

David got into the act, getting into the pool to retrieve toys, I think he had nearly as much fun as the kids did!

And then there was the fish. Real honest to goodness northern Minnesota fish, from a real Minnesota lake and not from a box at a supermarket. David made foil packets of fish topped with peppers, onions and spices and cooked them on the grill along with packets of cubed potatoes with garlic and rosemary. Wonderful! Kelly and Jackie also brought a variety of fruit including my personal favorite, blueberries. Duane brought a really good watermelon - you just can't have a picnic without watermelon - and my contribution was a double batch of chocolate chip cookies. It just doesn't get much better than this. One of these days I will remember to take pictures of the food, but this day everything looked so good that taking pictures was the last thing on my mind. Let me at that fish!

We relaxed on the deck, talking and laughing and watching the kids play. There were memories revisited and current topics discussed. My family is so well informed and although now and then opinions differ, they are able to talk of these things without rancor. I love listening to these conversations.

It was getting on to evening when it was time to head home, and after ice cream and root beer floats, Duane and I started back south. I always hate to leave, but the time spent with my family is time well spent. It had been such a good day. Kelly and Jackie.....if you ever find yourselves with an excess amount of fish, give us a call. I'm thinking that we can find a way to help you out with that!

They Dance

My Granddaughters dance. And they do it well. Last Saturday they had their annual dance recital and this Grandma was privileged to be there to watch them dance.

Last year was my introduction to dance recitals. I had spent a Saturday afternoon watching the girls dance, and was impressed at how well they did, remembering all of the moves and dance steps. Even when I had a working memory, I doubt that I could have remembered everything that they were required to do.

This year's dance recital was amazing. Boston and Maddie's groups performed three dances as well as the closing number and the Daddy-Daughter dance. I noticed right off how much both of the girls had improved in their dancing from last year. Some of the girls in each group would glance around from time to time to make sure they were doing the dance steps right. Not my granddaughters. Eyes forward, smiles on their faces, performing each dance flawlessly. I am so proud of both of them. Their Dad tells me that both of them just love to dance, and it shows. The hours spent on dance class and practice have surely paid off. They are so much fun to watch.

It warms a Mom's heart to watch her son dance with his daughters. Even though David said that he was a bit nervous about his performance, it went off with out a hitch. To see that so many Dads took the time out of busy schedules to attend the practices and learn the steps for this dance and to see so many little girls enjoying dancing with their Daddies gives me a double dose of the warm fuzzies.

Staci deserves a round of applause for all of the work she does behind the scenes. She helps the girls with their costumes, does their hair and makeup and, as was the case last Saturday, stayed on for the second show that Boston was in, thus spending nearly an entire day on just this one recital. Boston is on the competition dance team for her age group, so Staci has been spending time at the various competitions as well.

The taking of photos or video during the performance was not allowed, so afterward we all met in the lobby of the school where the recital was held, and we were able to get a few photos of our dancers. Staci's parents were there to share the pride I felt in our granddaughters and they enjoyed the day as much as I did.

Boston and Maddie, keep on dancing. You are a joy.

My Guardian Protector

Everyone should have someone who protects them. Meet my Guardian Protector. Her name is Lily.

It is not really accurate to call Lily a "rescue dog." It is true that she lived all of her seven years with a breeder of Yorkies. Same place I got Jessie Jane. However, she was not abused or neglected. She was well fed, well cared for, had regular veterinary care and had play dates with other female Yorkies.. She had three litters of puppies. The lady who owned her does not breed her dogs indiscriminately nor does she pump out as many puppies as possible to sell at pet shops, but is careful of how many litters they have and sells puppies only after meeting the prospective buyers. Lily has not had a litter for over two years.

She does, however, need to learn behaviors that a pet of her age who was adopted as a puppy has and she does not. She needs to be a little better with where she can potty and where she can not. Now that I am home with her every day, she is getting better at going outside when she needs to. This involves many trips up and down the stairs from my apartment, but, hey. I need the exercise. At least that's what I keep telling myself! (Grumble, grumble.)

She needs to learn to walk with her harness and leash. Jessie got it right away. Jessie and I go for walks all over town. Lily, on the other hand, mostly goes for a "carry." This past weekend I spent lots of time outdoors with her and she is starting to get the idea. Yesterday afternoon she walked to the end of my block and back without having to be carried. Baby steps. Time and patience. I think she is getting it.

She needs to be socialized with people. The only person she saw before coming to live with me, was her owner. She is shy with people other than me. I am thinking that when we get the walking on a leash thing down and she is able to go for walks with Jessie and me, she will get better at being around people. Jessie is a good teacher. She just loves everybody.

Now, about this protection thing. Lily seems to think that I need to be protected. And she does it well. Ready and on the alert.

I live in an apartment downtown. Early in the mornings on weekdays, there is a parade of delivery trucks and garbage trucks that make their way on the street in front of my home and in the alley alongside. After nearly 14 years of living here, I just don't hear them any more. They are just background noise that I blank out and ignore. Not Lily. I think she firmly believes that it is her job to make sure that no truck ever gets close enough to me to do harm. She stares at whatever window the offending sound is coming through, stiff legged, ears standing up, tail straight in the air. And she barks. And barks. And barks some more. She puts her whole self, all nine pounds of her, into keeping that truck away. Must work. No truck has gotten to me yet.

Now, I am a sucker for cute. Especially when it comes to babies or animals. Will get to me every time. And as long as Lily's bark is small enough so that she doesn't disturb the neighbors (I asked and they can't hear her), I find it kind of cute that she is so protective. However, last night we went right on past cute to annoying. On the hallway wall right across from my apartment door hangs a smoke alarm. Normally I am happy to have it there. Smoke in the hall, I will know about it. However, the battery must be low, as yesterday the alarm began chirping at regular intervals - about 30 seconds apart. I didn't have a battery to fit it, and the local convenience store didn't either. Nor did the neighbors I talked to. As there is probably a fire code law for disabling a smoke alarm in a common area of an apartment building, I decided to leave it alone. It didn't bother me. It did bother Lily.

I am now retired. Which means that I didn't have to get up this morning to go to work. Which also means that I don't have to go to bed the same time the chickens do, but can stay up late with the big folks if I want to. Which I did last night. I found a funny movie to watch on my computer, so I watched it while I sat and cut out pieces for a quilt. Then I found another one and watched that, too. 2:00 AM I finally was tired enough to go to bed. No problem. That is, until Lily decided that this chirping sound outside the door was a threat.

She barked. She growled. She stalked stiff legged back and forth in front of the door. She sat on the floor by my bed and protected me from the chirping monster that would surely attack at any moment. I took her to bed with me hoping that she would calm down. Nothing doing. I put her in her kennel. That didn't work either. Put the kennel as far away from the chirping monster as I could. Nope. She was having none of that. She didn't calm down until about 5:30 this morning when I gave up all hope of sleep, got up, made coffee and turned on the TV to listen to the news. Lily took a nap.

I truly hope that my landlord arrives soon to fix the chirping monster. If he doesn't - doggie Valium? Sounds like a plan.

Photos By Nicki

This spring Nicki took a trip to Montana with two of her friends and the parents of one of those friends. I hear she had a wonderful time. I love it when Nicki goes someplace and takes her camera with her. She is so very good at capturing what she sees. Here is just a small sample of the pictures she took on her trip.

Thanks, Nicki. You made my day.

Love, Grandma

Lunch With Family

I hang my head in shame. I really do. I have been a slacker when it comes to blog entries. I offer no excuses. A few words from family members like, "So, Mom. I checked your blog and saw that there haven't been any new posts. How come?" and "I've been looking for new pictures, but I haven't seen them yet." etc., have prompted me to, as my father has been known to say, get the lead out of my britches and get going. I finally downloaded the photos from my camera and here they are.

A while back, Kelly was working in the area, and David thought it would be fun for us to get together on a Sunday for lunch at his house. We did, and it was.








Jackie came down from Bemidji and I was so glad she was able to join us. Jeri and Chris picked me up for the ride to David and Staci's house. Chris drove, and even though I just couldn't resist a little bit of teasing of a new driver, I must say that he did a good job of getting us there in one piece. Duane came in from Gaylord and said he couldn't miss the opportunity to see Kelly and Jackie.

David fixed grilled ham and cheese and Reuben sandwiches to go with the salad that Jeri brought. I think next time I will have to bring twice as many chocolate chip cookies, as they disappeared in a flash. Good food and good conversation seem to be a hallmark of our family get-togethers and that day was no exception. It is so good to catch up on what everyone has been doing. Just spending time with my family warms my heart. There is nothing better than a house full of brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren. I truly hope that we can do more of this come summertime.

In six weeks I will have no excuses for not keeping up on blog entries. Right after Memorial Day I will be officially retired. I finally will have the time to spend taking pictures, blogging about them, taking the dogs for long walks, working on projects that have been sitting on closet shelves for a long time, spending time on my computer searching genealogy websites for those long lost black sheep in my family that tickle me so when I find them, and in general, enjoying my life. I think I will like this. Life is good.

Christmas 2009

As you all know, I usually accompany a blog entry with photos of whatever I am writing about. That's not gonna happen here. Even though we all had a good time, when I looked at all of the pictures I had taken, you all had looks on your faces like you had just been awakened at 3 AM by a wrong number phone call. Grumpy! I know that there were smiles and even some outright laughter. I was there. I saw and heard them. But I failed to capture them with my camera. So here is my account of Christmas 2009 - minus the photos.

It has long been our custom to meet as a family over the Christmas holiday, and this year was no exception. Jill and Joe hosted the Christmas Day event this year and we were treated to a lovely brunch. I must get the recipe for the egg dish that Jill served, as it was delicious. I must also get her recipe for a cookie that is like a peanut butter cookie surrounding a Reece's bite-sized candy. Wonderful! I wonder if my grown children realize how much I enjoy seeing them all gathered around a table, sharing a meal.

Duane and Kathy weren't able to join us this year, and we missed seeing them. Mother Nature didn't co-operate this year, and she had dumped a good amount of snow on us, plus sleet and some freezing rain. The streets in town were alright for travel as were the freeways, but the country roads they needed to use to get here were just plain ugly. When Duane called to tell me that they wouldn't be able to make it, he told me that the trip on Christmas Eve from Kathy's daughter's house in the next town, back to Duane and Kathy's apartment, had taken over twice as long as it normally did, including coming within a hair's breadth from being run off the road by an oncoming snowplow on a curve. Although I wished that they could join us, I was relieved that they didn't try to travel on roads that bad.

After our meal, the kids were anxious to see what treasures were inside the wrapped packages under the tree. They did a fine job of finding out and seemed to be happy with their gifts. It is always fun for me to watch them open their presents. It so reminds me of when my own children were young and could cover a living room floor with ribbon and bits of wrapping paper faster than one would think humanly possible!

We sat over coffee and visited for a time. Boston and Maddie played tennis on the Wii game and Jacob tried to get into the act with a hand held control that wasn't connected to the game. We didn't tell him, and he had a good time playing with his sisters. Zach treated me to a demonstration of what he had learned so far with his guitar lessons. He is doing well with his guitar. I am glad that some musical ability has been passed down to his generation, for it has skipped me entirely. I really loved watching and listening to him.

Early in the afternoon I went home, and shortly thereafter got a phone call from Jeri. Her kids would be home soon from visiting their father, and would I like to have supper with her, Jon and the kids. Of course I would! So I enjoyed a really good ham supper with them. I need to get her recipe, as well, for a creamy salad she served with the meal that has sort of a mocha tasting base and is Chris's favorite, I am told. That's one of the fun things about this season - adding to my recipe box the new recipes that my kids come up with.

After supper, Chris and Nicki, who had been pestering us to open presents early, finally opened them and soon their floor was littered with wrapping paper and ribbon. Even though they are both now teenagers, I still delight in the expressions on their faces when they see what is inside their packages. I think both were pleased with their gifts. Pooh, the Goldendoodle, pretty much stayed out of their way, but spent lots of time showing me what a really neat chew bone she had, and leaning against me to have her ears scratched. Soon after, Jeri took me home as the temperature was dropping and before long the slush on the streets would turn to ice.

As I often do, once I got home and got comfy in robe and slippers, I reflected on how much I had enjoyed the day. I do believe that my kids get it. It isn't about the presents. It is all about family. Whether it is a Christmas brunch or dinner, or a picnic at the lake, it is the times we all get together as a family that are important. Just lately, as I was emailing back and forth with a dearly loved cousin, we were talking about how it seems that the older we get, the faster time seems to fly by. The fact that some of this fleeting time is spent in the company of my children and grandchildren is so very dear to me. I am so grateful that we all live close enough to one another that we are able to take the time from busy schedules to gather together now and then. I wonder, sometimes, if my family knows that they are the one constant source of joy in my life, and how much they are loved.