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.

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.

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

cold frame

this is my cold frame with the windows pushed to the left.
done right it can produce a LOT of good food.

leaves

Ok this was last fall, but the colors are fun.

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.

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!

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.

my sweetheart

We were so young when we married. Thin and clueless. I don't know why it all worked, but I am glad it did. I still find myself amazed that a woman as beautiful as Miriam would put her life in my hands and trust me so much.
I am glad she did.
I love you Miriam.

thoughts from a comic

A friend sent me a piece by George Carlin.

It is not new, I think it was written soon after his wife died of cancer 10 years ago. George and I are two weeks different in age, it turns out.

The piece talks about the inconsistencies in life, but ends up being very personal. He reminds us to spend time with our loved ones because they won’t always be around.

With the sword of Alzheimer’s hanging over our heads, we never really know how long we have together.

I have been able to spend a lot of time with my dear Miriam in the last few years. When I was still working I would take her with me. My customers didn’t mind (I told them ahead of time she would be with me) and it was good for us both.

But even as I roll around in the wonders of this relationship I have enjoyed these years, I know it is finite. Her memory is shorter each day, not by much, but a little. She may not forget who I am, but she might too. I cannot know.

So, here I am wallowing in her love, doing my best to return that love. I guess that is the advantage of a long term love. I am glad.

I love you Miriam.

BTW, if you want to read the Carlin piece you can find it here:
http://www.7streets.com/oh-georgecarlin.htm

em n linda (daughter #4)

Emily said I needed to post come cute pictures of her or her mom. Emily was born hair challenged and was beautifully bald for a long time.
Emily: is this one cute enough?

em and corn

This was Emily's first encounter with an ear of corn.
She wore a lot of hats in those days, but not much now days.

pepper, alan and I

It's a dull day so I'll just add a picture.
This is Alan, who is 17 now, and Pepper my great companion for many years, and my then new chevy pickup.
Alan is graduating from high school this spring.
Pepper and the new pickup have gone to their final reward.
I miss them all, but I will see Alan again soon.