This was ten years ago, sorry david, but you were cute then. Twenty five year old guys are not cute, even if they are handsome!
Gratitude #83 - Sweet Biddies!
13 years ago
Friday, March 7, 2008
david (grandson #1)
This was ten years ago, sorry david, but you were cute then. Twenty five year old guys are not cute, even if they are handsome!
proud grandpa
There are times when grandparents strut.
There is going to be two such times this weekend. Here is the first one.
Our oldest grandson is named David he was 25 a few weeks ago, same day Miriam turned 71 to be exact. We went to his wedding last summer, where he married the beautiful Mandy.
He has a pair of Associate degrees in computer tech support. Last fall he went to work at the corporate headquarters of a large church owned hospital chain.
He was one of the tech support guys.
He has no managerial experience. He is one of the guys who does the work.
But now he has just been promoted to be the manager of that whole department at considerably more pay. Top management feels that David can trained to be a superb manager, they have assigned him a mentor and he is off and running.
Shucks I might not even have all of the details just right, but that is the basic story, and grandpa is popping buttons.
You will do well, and I am so proud of you David.
There is going to be two such times this weekend. Here is the first one.
Our oldest grandson is named David he was 25 a few weeks ago, same day Miriam turned 71 to be exact. We went to his wedding last summer, where he married the beautiful Mandy.
He has a pair of Associate degrees in computer tech support. Last fall he went to work at the corporate headquarters of a large church owned hospital chain.
He was one of the tech support guys.
He has no managerial experience. He is one of the guys who does the work.
But now he has just been promoted to be the manager of that whole department at considerably more pay. Top management feels that David can trained to be a superb manager, they have assigned him a mentor and he is off and running.
Shucks I might not even have all of the details just right, but that is the basic story, and grandpa is popping buttons.
You will do well, and I am so proud of you David.
aphrodite
Emily a couple years ago. I think her mom took this picture, I always liked the way the light is so wonderful.
grandpa duty
We are in Portland for a few days.
It is a beautiful city, my favorite, actually, but I have never been to a Florence, or Milan or Timbuktu.
The biggest problem is that Linda, (daughter #4) who lives here works in the willie wanka chocolate factory. It can be pretty rough, with chocolates, spendy hand made chocolates, around the place. I am sure I am not eating them with any where the right amount of respect.
Last night Linda brought some peanut butter delights home, just because she knows her father’s weakness.
We went to the play rehearsal yesterday. The actors were not in costume, but it was a well done production. The play is a kids adaptation of the Helen of Troy story. Emily plays the goddess Aphrodite, and does it well. The whole casts sings and dances and works so well together.
They have been working on this since fall, and it shows.
There is a dress rehearsal today. I wanted to go and take some pictures, but Emily says it will ruin it for us for later, so we will stay home and eat chocolate. The opening performance is Sunday afternoon, and we will be there for that one. Somehow I'll get some good photographs of Emily in costume, with her costume designer, my Linda.
What amazes me so much about this play is the dedication that is so obvious in the production. The kids have worked very hard, but have had a very good director, and it shows. Some of the voices do not project as well as they might, that is the joy of working with kids, but all in all, it is a fine bit of cooperative work.
I was further amazed to watch these 5th and 6th grade boys run the sound and affect systems. They were as accomplished as the actors.
Some one asked who I was and I said I was the grandfather of Emily, the tall skinny one, and that I was "on grandpa duty." They understood.
I am so glad to be on “grandpa duty” I guess that is my calling these days: grandpa duty.
Sweet, just sweet.
Try: http://moonstruckchocolate.com/ if you want to be amazed.
It is a beautiful city, my favorite, actually, but I have never been to a Florence, or Milan or Timbuktu.
The biggest problem is that Linda, (daughter #4) who lives here works in the willie wanka chocolate factory. It can be pretty rough, with chocolates, spendy hand made chocolates, around the place. I am sure I am not eating them with any where the right amount of respect.
Last night Linda brought some peanut butter delights home, just because she knows her father’s weakness.
We went to the play rehearsal yesterday. The actors were not in costume, but it was a well done production. The play is a kids adaptation of the Helen of Troy story. Emily plays the goddess Aphrodite, and does it well. The whole casts sings and dances and works so well together.
They have been working on this since fall, and it shows.
There is a dress rehearsal today. I wanted to go and take some pictures, but Emily says it will ruin it for us for later, so we will stay home and eat chocolate. The opening performance is Sunday afternoon, and we will be there for that one. Somehow I'll get some good photographs of Emily in costume, with her costume designer, my Linda.
What amazes me so much about this play is the dedication that is so obvious in the production. The kids have worked very hard, but have had a very good director, and it shows. Some of the voices do not project as well as they might, that is the joy of working with kids, but all in all, it is a fine bit of cooperative work.
I was further amazed to watch these 5th and 6th grade boys run the sound and affect systems. They were as accomplished as the actors.
Some one asked who I was and I said I was the grandfather of Emily, the tall skinny one, and that I was "on grandpa duty." They understood.
I am so glad to be on “grandpa duty” I guess that is my calling these days: grandpa duty.
Sweet, just sweet.
Try: http://moonstruckchocolate.com/ if you want to be amazed.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
travel day
Today is travel day.
I had two fathers, both were truckers, one died unloading his truck. So gas is in our veins.
My brother even raced cars for many years.
So going places by car is part of our family tradition.
Fuel prices are making me think a bit more about traveling more carefully, however.
But today we go to visit daughter 2 overnight then on to daughter 4 and her daughter Emily for a few days. It will be good to see them again. The event is a play that Emily has a part in. Her father is scheduled to be there, even. Even though he is divorced from my daughter, I like him in a lot of ways, though I could scold him in others.
We will take a lunch. Snack food is spendy and empty. It will be a low cost trip, we will drive the little car, which gets the best mileage.
The weather will be clear and almost spring like.
A good day for a drive with my lady and Leo the dog.
I had two fathers, both were truckers, one died unloading his truck. So gas is in our veins.
My brother even raced cars for many years.
So going places by car is part of our family tradition.
Fuel prices are making me think a bit more about traveling more carefully, however.
But today we go to visit daughter 2 overnight then on to daughter 4 and her daughter Emily for a few days. It will be good to see them again. The event is a play that Emily has a part in. Her father is scheduled to be there, even. Even though he is divorced from my daughter, I like him in a lot of ways, though I could scold him in others.
We will take a lunch. Snack food is spendy and empty. It will be a low cost trip, we will drive the little car, which gets the best mileage.
The weather will be clear and almost spring like.
A good day for a drive with my lady and Leo the dog.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
a pile of kids
a long time ago.
Linda (#4) left, then me (texas years, no mustache), Ben (23 last month), Cliff who married (and still is married to) daughter #2 and David (grandson #1) who got married this summer. David and Ben are sons of daughter #1.
Those were the days.
gifts
This morning I was fixing breakfast for the two of us.
Pancakes. I got out the old cast iron skillet first and got it warming up
Home ground whole wheat flour, home ground corn meal, and rolled oats. Didn’t roll those. Add a bit of salt, milk powder, baking powder, oil and an egg and some water there it is. Pretty decent pancakes.
Then I looked again at the skillet. It was a wedding present 52 years ago this summer.
My dad’s father was younger than I am now, but he gave my aunt some money, memory has it that it was $10, and gave her a challenge:
“Buy them some things they will need, solid things, an egg beater, a good cast iron skillet. . .”
The skillet has been through a lot. It has been over heated a time or two and has a warped bottom, but that is OK. We have a new teflon coated wonder, but I really do prefer to use this old black beauty
Then I got to thinking. As far as I can remember, that is the ONLY wedding present we still use, and use almost every day.
Grandpa had been through the great depression, had gone from Oklahoma to California with “The Grapes of Wrath” generation. And when his oldest grandson got married, that background came to my advantage.
Cast iron skillets are not expensive and I am sure we could have bought a new one somewhere along the line, but I still honor Grandpa TK.
I am sending a gift certificate to my oldest grandson for his wedding gift, this time to a top line outdoor store (rei.com) and I wonder how long he will use my gift.
Pancakes. I got out the old cast iron skillet first and got it warming up
Home ground whole wheat flour, home ground corn meal, and rolled oats. Didn’t roll those. Add a bit of salt, milk powder, baking powder, oil and an egg and some water there it is. Pretty decent pancakes.
Then I looked again at the skillet. It was a wedding present 52 years ago this summer.
My dad’s father was younger than I am now, but he gave my aunt some money, memory has it that it was $10, and gave her a challenge:
“Buy them some things they will need, solid things, an egg beater, a good cast iron skillet. . .”
The skillet has been through a lot. It has been over heated a time or two and has a warped bottom, but that is OK. We have a new teflon coated wonder, but I really do prefer to use this old black beauty
Then I got to thinking. As far as I can remember, that is the ONLY wedding present we still use, and use almost every day.
Grandpa had been through the great depression, had gone from Oklahoma to California with “The Grapes of Wrath” generation. And when his oldest grandson got married, that background came to my advantage.
Cast iron skillets are not expensive and I am sure we could have bought a new one somewhere along the line, but I still honor Grandpa TK.
I am sending a gift certificate to my oldest grandson for his wedding gift, this time to a top line outdoor store (rei.com) and I wonder how long he will use my gift.
my samurai
grandson andrew in his samurai costume. it might be authentic and have some value or it might be a costume and be entertaining, but andrew has a good time wearing it -- occasionally
Friday, February 29, 2008
cold frame
this is my cold frame with the windows pushed to the left.
done right it can produce a LOT of good food.
first seeds
Having been particularly glad for a bit of spring weather, I have been working outside.
Spring stuff. There is plenty to do, maybe since this is the first year that I haven’t “worked” I can keep up with the work better, we will see.
We have too much land for one person to keep up with and have a job. Miriam used to take care of the flowers and the house side, but that stopped a few years ago.
Anyway, I really got the itchy fingers and planted some seeds as well.
I have a cold frame, which is a small unheated greenhouse like structure. Mine is about 4 by 8 feet with a couple of old windows on the top. Last fall I planted some lettuce seeds, for eating about now, but half the bed was empty.
So I planted. There is a bunch of veggies that have this message on the label: “Plant as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring.” So, I did it.
It will be may before much of that is eatable, but just putting some seeds in the ground was exhilarating.
Yo spring, almost.
Spring stuff. There is plenty to do, maybe since this is the first year that I haven’t “worked” I can keep up with the work better, we will see.
We have too much land for one person to keep up with and have a job. Miriam used to take care of the flowers and the house side, but that stopped a few years ago.
Anyway, I really got the itchy fingers and planted some seeds as well.
I have a cold frame, which is a small unheated greenhouse like structure. Mine is about 4 by 8 feet with a couple of old windows on the top. Last fall I planted some lettuce seeds, for eating about now, but half the bed was empty.
So I planted. There is a bunch of veggies that have this message on the label: “Plant as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring.” So, I did it.
It will be may before much of that is eatable, but just putting some seeds in the ground was exhilarating.
Yo spring, almost.
This morning, for breakfast I made a fruit smoothy.
That is not unusual, I do that often. But this time it had a secret ingredient!!
I started out with a bit of plain yogurt, added a cup of left over applesauce, and a half cup (more or less) of some pineapple left over from my last upside down cake.
Put in a fresh banana and a big fistful of frozen strawberries. I looked at the tofu but didn't add any!
That is all pretty standard stuff, but along the way I included the secret ingredient.
There was part of a can of diet cola in the refer and it went in too.
When I talked to Emily (granddaughter 2) on the phone, she summed it up: Icky.
But it was pretty good, but I made too much so what is left is in the bread I am making now (along with a pint jar of home canned prunes, for good measure). So, as I said to Emily, there is diet cola in the bread.
You know what she said!
That is not unusual, I do that often. But this time it had a secret ingredient!!
I started out with a bit of plain yogurt, added a cup of left over applesauce, and a half cup (more or less) of some pineapple left over from my last upside down cake.
Put in a fresh banana and a big fistful of frozen strawberries. I looked at the tofu but didn't add any!
That is all pretty standard stuff, but along the way I included the secret ingredient.
There was part of a can of diet cola in the refer and it went in too.
When I talked to Emily (granddaughter 2) on the phone, she summed it up: Icky.
But it was pretty good, but I made too much so what is left is in the bread I am making now (along with a pint jar of home canned prunes, for good measure). So, as I said to Emily, there is diet cola in the bread.
You know what she said!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
spring orchard and grapes
We sure aren't here yet. There is snow on some of the garden yet, but there is promise in all of those buds.
the b word
Daughter one sent an email to me saying that I had not cogitated lately.
Hmm. Interesting way to say it. Much of my life is pretty boring, I fear.
I did pick the first Mesclun from my cold frame this week and include it in our daily green salad. The last couple of days I have been pruning our grapes and our orchard. We have about 20 grape vines and close to two dozen fruit trees.
I am not a great orchardist. Miriam’s dad made a good living with an orchard of rather small size, but I don’t work so hard at mine. Maybe with retirement I can do better.
We don’t get a fruit crop every year, a late frost often takes out the crop, but even then the trees and vines provide us with sufficient fruit and grape juice.
I don’t make wine, like I said, it is boring around here often.
Hmm. Interesting way to say it. Much of my life is pretty boring, I fear.
I did pick the first Mesclun from my cold frame this week and include it in our daily green salad. The last couple of days I have been pruning our grapes and our orchard. We have about 20 grape vines and close to two dozen fruit trees.
I am not a great orchardist. Miriam’s dad made a good living with an orchard of rather small size, but I don’t work so hard at mine. Maybe with retirement I can do better.
We don’t get a fruit crop every year, a late frost often takes out the crop, but even then the trees and vines provide us with sufficient fruit and grape juice.
I don’t make wine, like I said, it is boring around here often.
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