Monday Memories - The Second Half of Summer

Anonymous.

Someone bought our dinner.  And not just mine and Calvin's dinner, but also Michelle's, Ande's, and Cali's.

One night while the girls were here, we got a babysitter for the kids and went out to a quiet meal so we could visit.  The check never came and it never came and it never came.  We went to the front and the cashier smiled and said someone had already paid the ticket.  He wouldn't say who it was he just smiled real big, threw his hands in the air, and in his accent said, "I promeeeesed I wouldn't tell."

Whoever it was, it was so appreciated.  We've talked of it several times.  You just don't forget generosity like that.


Bad Idea.

One day Levin and I were jumping on the trampoline.  He said, "Let's do tricks Grandma."  I moved to the side of the tramp while he jumped and twirled. Then it was my turn.  I thought, "I think I've got one last flip in me, but after this one, definitely no more.  I'm 52 and probably shouldn't try anymore."  I told Levin to move to the side so I wouldn't bounce him off and then started to jump . . . higher and higher and higher.  The last jump before I went into a flip the trampoline ripped from stem to stern. Providence?  I don't know.  Perhaps.  But what I do know is we're out a trampoline top and I think I'm through flipping.  What I wonder is how, oh how, do you be a grandma without a trampoline?


Canning.

Ande canning peaches.  The timing stunk; the timing for canning usually does.
Ande, Michelle, Cali and their children were all here visiting when the peaches were ripe.
Good news is there was lots of help.  Bad news is there was lots of help.
But they're done.  Beautiful.  Delicious.

A friend called and offered Calvin all the apples we could use.  He brought home half a bin.
Enough to can 80 pints of sauce and feed the chickens all they wanted too.

The first grape juice I've ever canned from our own grapes.  I told Calvin, "I love canning free stuff."
He said, "What do you mean free?  I've worked for 30 years to get a successful grape crop.  These are hardly free."
He's right.  All that water.  All those posts.  All those plants.  All that fertilizer.  All that work.  They're hardly free.

Peaches.  Applesauce.  Pears.  White grape juice.  It's been a bountiful year and it feels good to get the food on the shelves.


Dead Deer.

A wee bit morbid, but what else are you going to do with a dead deer in 100 degree weather on the side of the road in a swanky neighborhood?  Adorn it, I guess.


Extractor.

One day while the grandkids were here playing, Levin stepped on a bee.  I pulled out the extractor that Ty and Michelle gave us as one of their favorite things for Christmas.  I have no idea if it pulled out the bee venom, but I do know that Levin hollered so hard at the suction that the bee sting no longer bothered him after I finished operating.

This is handy and I'm glad we've got it just in case.


Family Home Evening.

Ross, Ed, Wyatt

Cali and Levin

Ande, Zeph, Cali, Levin, Atlas, my niece Jesse, and I drove through Idaho to meet up with the family for my college graduation in Utah.  En route, we stopped to spend the evening with my niece Jenny and her family.

They showed us the improvements they've made to their home, talked about their plans for the future, filled us in on the things in their community, and fixed us supper.  It was Monday night and we had family home evening with them, too.  It was a sweet and special evening, as you can see by Cali crying in the picture above.  Eleven year old Wyatt gave the lesson on Samuel the Lamanite. I'm sure it was just a regular family home evening for Jenny's family, but we were grateful to be a part of it.


Good grief.

Just once I wanted to be poised.

My cap never budged once during the big commencement exercises.  Some tipped, some slid, some were pinned to the head, but my cap sat serene and still.  (Granted, I pulled it down tight over my ears so it couldn't move as I have some experience in this department.  When you rodeo in high school you learn quickly that if you don't pull your hat down tight or wear a stampede string you lose it in the arena and you feel stupid asking for it back.)  

But as we walked across the stage to receive our diplomas and shake hands with professors we'd never met, everyone's hat stood firm.  Except mine.  It tipped.  Nay.  It fell all the way off.  I was the last one across the stage and as my very kind cheering section yelled, "Way to go Grandma," and "Yay Neighbor Jane,"  I raised my hand to wave at them and I knocked that mortar board clean off exposing flat, sweaty hair.  I fumbled and tried to put it back on, but between shaking hands, focusing on not tripping, feeling conspicuous, and holding a diploma case it wasn't working.  I finally whispered to the dean, "I think I'd better just leave it off," and he whispered back, "I think you better too."

Next time.

Next time I'll be poised.

Except there won't be a next time.


Happy flowers.

I see these on my walk.  Daisies may be the friendliest flowers, but sunflowers have to be the happiest ones.
  

Instruction.

One Sunday Morning I saw Calvin sitting in front of youtube watching a segment of "How to Tie a Bow Tie for Dummies."

It worked.

Calvin would have loved to live during the time of the mountain man, but I keep reminding him he wouldn't have had youtube and that would have been a sincere handicap to mountain man living.


Jury Duty.

Again.  Calvin and I both. Neither one of our groups have been called in but we're doing our duty.


Keepsake.

My niece Jesse has a knack for creative projects.  She drew this/cut it out and applied it to canvas and gave it to me for my birthday.  I just love it.  She has done a few projects like this for her mom.  I took a picture of them and developed the picture and hung them in our home, but Jesse decided I should have my own.  I'm so glad.


Livestock.

Can you imagine being calm with flies on your eyes?  Me neither.

They were disappointed I brought no slop.

I told her not to jump.

Our animals are not photogenic, but they are friendly producers.

This is the most gentle batch of calves we've had in a long time.  If they see me bringing corn husks they'll leave their perfectly sweet grass and come get it out of my hand.

The pigs will be ready to butcher next month.

Our chicken coop has a hole in it.  An old board fell down.  The good news is the new batch of hens are laying.  They're itty bitty eggs for now, but they are eggs.


Mulch.

Mulch - Compost.  Tomato - Tomata.  Whatever you call it, we have it.

Calvin has begun composting in earnest.  Heaven knows we have enough leaves, lawn clippings, garden vines, and matter to decompose into a mighty heap.  I love it when Calvin gets a bee in his bonnet on projects like this.

At the very top of the picture you see some fresh pinto beans.  That would be because today I was making chili.  I cooked the dry beans until they were plump, then picked green chilies, tomatoes, and onions from the garden to add to the beans.  As I blended them in the blender, it made a funny sound. Not easily discouraged with funny sounding appliances, I kept pushing the blend button hoping the sound would go away.  I did wonder where the little clear cap that fits inside the plastic lid went, but just covered the hole with my hand since I couldn't find it.  When everything was chopped nicely, I poured the vegetables into the pot and . . . .plop . . . out fell the mangled and splintered missing cap along with shards of plastic.  Argh.  Out went the pot.  Out went the beans.  Out went the chili with the chopped, fresh greens.

At least the compost pile keeps it from being completed wasted.


New straw stacks.

The second half of summer is filled with wheat harvest in the fields around us.  Sometimes I walk up to a new straw stack just to take a deep whiff.  Every time I smell new straw I think of kittens (when I was a kid our cat kept her new kittens in the straw stacks) or the county fair where we fluffed the straw to make beds for our steers.

I'm surprised no one has created a new straw stack candle yet.  I'd buy one and then buy more for all my sisters too.


Owls.

I made chocolate truffle cupcakes and decorated them as owls to thank a friend for being a wise mentor.  The cupcakes looked stupid sitting on a white paper plate.  Owls don't sit on plates.  I put them on a 2x4 to deliver them and they looked just right.


Pinterest Recipe.

http://www.ohsweetbasil.com/2013/06/cilantro-lime-rice-cafe-rio-copycat.html

I promise.  This is a good one.  I've made it several times this summer.  I like to add chives to it.


Quip.

Levin and Atlas had stayed with us a few days and one day as we were driving, I did the cardinal sin of messing with the temperature dial.  (Calvin says whoever is driving should control the temperature, but I say the co-pilot is more aware of passenger needs.  And since there was coldness in the air, I sneakily reached over to adjust the AC.  Calvin caught me doing it and began his sermon on messing with the temperature.  Levin piped up from his car seat in the back, "Calm down Gwampa. That thoundth rude."

Ha.  Grandpa snorted when he laughed and it was just enough of a diversion, he forgot to readjust the temperature.


Rotten Tomato.

This is what a movie theater looks like when everyone but you knows it is a terrible movie.  Oh it was bad.  Bad acting.  Bad dialogue.  Bad all the way around.  Don't go see 50 to 1 unless you want to hide from the world for 110 minutes.  

But, we did go to a very, very, very good movie this summer, too.  When the Game Stands Tall.

You win some you lose some.


Sew.

I made some yellow, polka-dot curtains lined with muslin for the kitchen, dining room, and living room.  I've said it before, but a splash of yellow does something to a room.  They're cute.
 

The Book of Mormon.

Calvin wrote the kids a letter at the beginning of the year:

Dear Kids,                                                                                                                           

     Your mother and I have been talking about the challenges your families face today and what we can do to help you raise your families.  As we visited, President Marion G. Romney’s quote came to mind:

I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity - the pure love of Christ - will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.  (Marion G. Romney, April 1980 conference)

     I know President Romney is right.  We’ve realized these blessings within our own family and again recently as your mom and I have been studying it together we have realized them again. 

     We know you all have scripture study in your families and we’re proud of you for that.  We’d like to offer the invitation for each family to read the Book of Mormon this year.  Your mom reminded me that when you were younger and we finished reading it as a family we went skiing or to Salt Lake to celebrate.  It’s not like we can do something like that now, but it would be good if we could still encourage each other to study it and pass on some of the things we learn from it. 

    If your families would like to read it, I’ll check in with you periodically to see how you’re doing.  I know it will look different how each family reads it, but we’d like you to join us.

    I love you and am proud of each of you and the contributions you make.  Keep up the good work in your homes and let us know how we can help you.

Love,                         

Dad

Calvin and I listen to it each night before we go to bed.  It's one of my favorite traditions.  In the summer it's especially nice because the frogs croak in the background and there is a light breeze that comes through the window.  Pretty wonderful.


Ultimate.

Levin and Afton

Atlas and Zeph

Afton helping Grandpa drive home

Eliza looking through a very smeared door at Dan the dog and Levin and Afton eating otter pops.

Bar none, the very best part of our summer was spending time with family.  Whether it was in South Carolina with Joe and Ande, camping or weekends with the Folletts and Paynes, the weekend in Utah with the whole family, or when people came to visit here at the house . . . spending time with family is the very best part of life . . . and summer.

One of those family times was when Michelle and the girls, Ande and Zeph, and Cali and the boys all came here to spend a week.  It was beautiful chaos.  The only thing we were missing was Grace and Henry.

Zeph, Atlas, and Eliza are all just a few months apart.  Eliza kept Zeph and Atlas crying.  She'd see them, get excited, and run for them.  Then she'd tackle them, climb on top and start kissing them.  It didn't take long for Zeph to learn that Eliza meant discomfort.  When he saw her coming he'd screech and try to run away.  Atlas on the other hand didn't walk.  He just had to endure her enthusiasm.  By the end of the week Atlas and Eliza had a truce, but Zeph still wouldn't let her near him.


Vianey.

Me, Vianey, Calvin

One of our young women from the Spanish Branch left to serve a mission in Colorado.  The last missionary I remember leaving from the Spanish Branch was well over ten years ago.  I'm so proud of Vianey.


Waste not, want not. 

Vincent

Vincent scaling the chicken's feet

Anna, our friend from Moldova, called and asked if we could bring the whizzbang chicken plucker to their house and help them butcher chickens.  Calvin, who really should be called Saint Calvin, and I loaded the plucker and went to their house to help them butcher 40 chickens.

Anna and her family (husband and four children) live in a fifth-wheel trailer with no hot running water. They heat water in a 55 gallon drum over a fire just outside the trailer.  They are building a home on their property, but they only build as fast as they can pay for the materials.  They want no debt.  Anna is very clean and tidy and makes do while she waits for her home.  

Underneath the trailer Anna has two-quart, home-bottled jars of pickled tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers.  She also has gallon jars of pickled eggplant. She has planted flower beds around the trailer, and though their living conditions are very humble she has done her best to make it beautiful and comfortable.  

Their garden is quartered off like the walls of a home, the corn being the walls. There is a tomato room, a pepper room, a potato room, etc. Through the edge of the garden and next to the chicken coop is a line of twine hanging as a clothes line. The chicken coop is a hodge podge of wire, pallets, fencing, and metal.

When I pulled into the yard 9-year-old Lavinia came running up the hill, she grabbed me by the hand and led me back down the hill showing me the new improvements to their home and garden since we’d been there last.  We ended up at the chicken coop where the chickens were hanging upside down waiting for their turn in the whizz bang.  The chickens were a wee bit thin as Anna and Savalyn tried to keep the feed costs low and fed them whatever they could find.  

Calvin began butchering and everyone helped, whether it was carrying birds, dunking birds, turning on the whizz bang, descaling the feet, or bathing the plucked birds.  Anna saves the feet and heads to eat.  She makes a gelatin meat dish by boiling 10 chicken feet along with a male carcass, then she spreads the feet broth over a pan of meat pieces and chills it until it's firm.  The kids love to chew on the feet after they have been boiled.  Those chickens were utilized inside and out, nothing was wasted.  

 X.

At the beginning of the summer I had several goals to accomplish this summer.  I am relieved to say that I got to X everyone of them off.   Might not happen for another twenty years, but it happened.


Young Women.

When our young women have a birthday we have them come to the front of the room and stand in front of the chalkboard while everyone writes a word to describe her.  Then we take a picture and print it out for her.  


Zinnia zoo.

The garden has reached the jungle phase.  That's a tomatilla plant in the front, the feathery thing invading it is dill, the marigolds and zinnias are taking over behind them, and spurge is creeping underneath it all.  It's not pretty.


That wraps up our summer.  What's a day you wish you could repeat from your summer?