Fall Fun: The First Fall Family Weekend

I wasn't posting, but, oh, were we having fun!

Gommie and Pop arrived here on Friday, just before the kids got home early from school.  They were all so excited to see each other, as I had been a bit earlier.

As usual, there was some show-and-tell when my parents arrived, this time in the form of watching the school musical on DVD, pointing out the kids in each scene, commenting on the whole experience.  Almost as good as being there in person!

Then we went out to dinner at a local place, with artichoke dip, fresh bread, steak, chicken, mussels, meatloaf, hamburgers, profiteroles, bread pudding, creme brulee.  A nice feast!

I think they even squeezed in a couple of games of checkers, with Sis roundly beating Gommie a few times--Pop managed to win against her, finally.

Saturday brought our usual round of kung fu, followed by a special performance at a local festival.  The festival was very small and local, but Gommie and Pop were so glad to get to see Bud perform.  He did his tong bei (first form), spear, and 9-chain routines as part of the larger team performance.  I just love watching him fly through the air!  We did a few of the activities--Gommie got a red flower painted on her cheek; I watched a calligrapher at work.  We all made "snow skin" Singapore mooncakes, which are bright white.  They are made of a pre-cooked dough of glutinous rice flower, coconut milk, with sweet bean paste in the middle--you make a ball and then stamp it with a symbolic decoration.  (See here for a similar recipe.)  It's a lot like mochi, though the woman in charge of the activity balked at the suggestion, saying, "The Chinese invented mochi, not the Japanese."  We walked the beach for a bit and then had a quick lunch of dumplings, shumai, scallion pancakes, and egg rolls.


Then we went out for ice cream!  Not your usual ice cream but the popular new nitrogen-frozen one that's all the rage around here.  Pop and I got the bourbon breakfast one, which is quite boozy.

For dinner, Mama made a delicious pork shoulder in her pressure cooker.  Yes, hers.  I am a bit wary of the steaming, squeaking thing.  But the dinner, with sides of roasted sweet potatoes and also broccoli, was delicious--and the first homecooked meal Gommie and Pop had eaten in 2+ weeks!

Sunday was church, a discussion and celebration of "accounting" of Rosh Hashanah.  I don't remember the exact context, but my favorite part was about those who yell loudly because they feel as if they aren't heard, literally and figuratively.  How true is that!  I see it here at home, in online discussions of local issues, on the national stage from both politicians and their supporters.  It seems like we have a rash of many people trying to communicate without many feeling heard.

And then it was time for Applepalooza!!  I was so excited that my folks could be here for our usually annual party for the first time.   And also for the first time, none of my usual playgroup friends could come; they were missed.  Still, we had our great neighbors and bus route friends, plus more from the community and church.  It was a great group, with lots of good conversation and delicious food, as usual:  apple rosettes, honey apple quiche, apple pie, caramel apples, old-fashioned apple cake with brown sugar frosting, cupcakes, doughnuts, mulled cider, and some fall beers.  Plus Pop's spicy homemade salsa!  The adults chatted around the fire pit, while the kids played--the younger ones in the dirt or on the swingset, the older ones running around playing zombie tag and climbing trees.  It was all going so well, until, simultaneously, a child was smacked in the head by the seesaw and the low dogwood branch the kids were sitting on it the tree cracked.  We confirmed the tree kids were fine while fetching an ice pack for the crying little one.  Soon, all was right again, though Pop later cut the branch off the tree.  The dogwood has some rot, so it's not surprising, but it was a lovely branch.  Still, I'm so glad no one was hurt.


Sis rushed off to speed skating after the party, with Gommie and Pop watching her race around the ice in her impressive "skin suit," made of kevlar for her protection.  She's still a beginner, of course, trying to learn the crossover and such, but she loves it and tried very hard.  We had Italian for dinner, with Sis inhaling a whole entree after her three-hour workout.



Monday was a school holiday and our rest time, though Mama had to go to work.  We sat at home, playing games like checkers and MarioKart.  Pop tried his had a few times at it, finally mastering the controls so that he didn't come in last.  Gommie and I tangled tiles. We watched "Speechless," which Gommie enjoyed.  Pop cut down the branch.   They all went swimming at the hotel. We even practiced flipping bottles, which apparently is the new craze; I didn't even know about it til I read a Boston Globe article, but the kids say it had already been banned at school.  Gommie got down on the floor and was flipping water bottles with the best of them.  Bud had piano and Sis had horseback riding; Pop and Gommie went to the horses, happy to see Sis riding Pooh, as well as grooming him and taking care of the tack.   We nibbled on Applepalooza leftovers until we made our own pizzas for dinner.  (And had some grumpiness with the kids, Mama, and me--if Gommie and Pop wanted a taste of our schedule--with all of our activities and such, they got it and a few of some of our breakdowns when we're tired.)  It was also Gommie and Pop's 54th wedding anniversary!  And as Gommie told the kids, without their marriage, the kids wouldn't be here.  True enough.  We cheered their long marriage.  

Today, Mama is at work, the kids are at school, Gommie and Pop are headed to the Adirondacks or somewhere, and I am at home still fighting this cold.  It wasn't goodbye--we'll see them in Vermont for another wonderful, long weekend.

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King Arthur's Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting--it was fantastic!

Cake

• 2 1/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups peeled, cored, chopped apple, about 1 1/3 pounds whole apples 
• 1 cup diced toasted walnuts or pecans (we skipped these and added more apples)

Frosting

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" pan.
To make the cake: Mix all of the ingredients except the apples and nuts in a large bowl.
Beat until well combined; the mixture will be very stiff, and may even be crumbly.
Add the apples and nuts, and mix until the apples release some of their juice and the stiff mixture becomes a thick batter, somewhere between cookie dough and brownie batter in consistency.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it with your wet fingers.
Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few wet crumbs clinging to it.
Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a rack to cool completely; don't remove the cake from the pan.
To make the frosting: Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts.
Add the milk, bring to a boil, and pour into a mixing bowl to cool for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, stir in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat well; if the mixture appears too thin, add more confectioners' sugar. Spread on the cake while frosting is still warm.
Yield: about 2 dozen servings.

Tips from our bakers

• To toast nuts, place them in a single layer in a cake pan. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 6 to 9 minutes, until they're golden brown and smell "toasty."
• To guarantee lump-free frosting, sift confectioners' sugar before adding to the butter mixture. Usually all the lumps disappear as you beat the frosting; but to guarantee no lumps at all, sift the sugar first.

1. Apple Rosettes
2. • 1-2 sheets puff pastry
   • 1/4 cup cream cheese
   • 3 tbsp sugar
   • cinnamon
   • 1 apple
   • 1 tbsp lemon juice
   • 3 tbsp water
     
     
   • Take out the core and thinly slice the apple.
   • Combine the apple slices with lemon juice and water in a bowl and microwave 3 minutes. Cool the bowl in some ice water. Pat dry the apple slices of excess moisture and set aside.
   • Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 4 even strips. 
   • Spread cream cheese and sprinkle on sugar onto the puff pastry strips. 
   • Arrange the apple slices and sprinkle cinnamon on top.
   • Fold the pastry puff in half lengthwise and roll them up. Place in greased muffin tins.

Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Miss CA

Homemade Caramel Apples--made by a friend's daughter, via Land of Lakes

1 cup finely chopped peanuts, optional
1/2 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup corn syrup

dash salt

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

10 tart apples, washed and dried

Butter waxed paper; set aside. 
Place peanuts into bowl. Set aside.
Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan; add brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 10-12 minutes or until mixture comes to a full boil. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 20-25 minutes or until small amount of mixture dropped into ice water forms a firm ball or candy thermometer reaches 245°F.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
Dip apples into caramel mixture. Dip 1 end of each apple into peanuts. Place onto prepared waxed paper.

Pop's Spicy Salsa

can of diced tomatoes

onion

cilantro

jalapenos (without seeds)

black pepper

In blender, mix tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and jalapenos. Pour into dish and cover top with black pepper.  Stir.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Pop

Pizza Dough--this is Mark Bittman's recipe, essentially the same as the one the girls did at their overnight

• 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, or more as needed, plus more for kneading
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as necessary

• 
  

1. Put the 3 cups flour, yeast, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water through the feed tube. Process until the mixture forms a slightly sticky ball, about 30 seconds. If the mixture is too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time and process for 5 to 10 seconds after each addition. If the mixture refuses to come together, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time and process until it does.
2. Rub a little olive oil or sprinkle a little flour onto your hands and shape the dough into a ball; wrap in plastic. Let rest at room temperature until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. Or, if time is tight, let it rest at least 20 minutes before proceeding. Or refrigerate for several hours, deflating if necessary if it threatens to burst the plastic. (Or divide in half, wrap each ball in plastic, slip into a plastic bag and freeze.) Let it return to room temperature before proceeding.
3. Reshape the dough into a ball and cut in half, forming 2 balls. (From here on, use olive oil if you're cooking on baking sheets, flour if on a pizza stone.) Put them on a lightly floured surface (a pizza peel is ideal), sprinkle with flour and cover with plastic wrap; or brush then with a bit of oil and place on a lightly oiled sheet. Let rest for about 20 minutes, while you heat the oven to 500 degrees.
4. Press a dough ball into a 1/2-inch-thick flat round, adding flour or oil to the work surface as necessary. Press or roll the dough until it's as thin as you can make it; let it rest a bit if it becomes too elastic. (Patience is your friend here.) You can do two baking sheets at once, or one after another, as you'll have to if using a peel. If doing the latter, slide the dough from the peel onto the stone.
5. Sprinkle the pizzas with olive oil (just a little), salt and rosemary. Bake for at least 10 minutes, perhaps rotating once, until the crust is crisp. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

New Year's Weekend

Happy 2016!

We celebrated New Year's quietly.  Mama worked a half day and we did the grocery shopping after I went to PT.  Our menu was pretty simple:  cheesy bacon bites, chips and cheesy beef dip, ham, black-eyed peas, cornbread, Red Zinger punch, and Mama's special mozzarella and prosciutto with basil and balsamic on bread or breadsticks.  Gommie and Pop left early, but the kids were intent on staying up til midnight.  They played various videogames, but we turned on the tv to watch the ball drop and hear "Shut Up and Dance" and some other songs.  It was actually pretty fun, if quiet.

And then we all slept in.

New Year's Day was similarly quiet--all that food, some football, the Rose Bowl Parade, more dominoes and checkers, and crochet.  We also introduced Gommie and Pop to "The Great British Bake Off," which they enjoyed enough to watch several episodes over the weekend.  We also watched the first "How We Got to Now."

Saturday was a tiny bit more lively.  Bud had kung fu, which Gommie and Pop enjoyed watching.  Afterwards, we all went for a seafood lunch.  Then it was more games, tv, videogames, and crochet.

And today, we hung out for a bit before heading to the new outdoor store in the area.  It's huge!  And seemingly so out of place here in our part of Connecticut, which isn't exactly outdoorsy.  I mean, sure, Texas or rural Pennsylvania; I guess there are more hunters, fishers, campers--and what did the sign say? Liars?--who go through I-95 than I thought.  It was very decorated--dozens of taxidermied animals from marlins to beaver to bobcat to deer to mooses--and all manner of gear and gifts.  And lovely murals of the shore and woods.  We actually bought some freeze dried meals to try for fun--lasagna and teriyaki chicken--and the kids had them for dinner; not much better than a frozen dinner but probably pretty good if you're backpacking on the trail.   There were tents, boats, and even quads to crawl on. Eventually, they might open up the single-lane archery range for practice.  There's bowling and a restaurant, too, but we didn't stay.  We had hamburgers elsewhere.  And then, you guessed it--"The Great British Bake Off," dominoes, and checkers.  (Mama and I cleaned out a closet to get out the winter things--it's going to be 15F tomorrow night and we needed the mittens and scarves.  Finally.)

Gommie and Pop said goodbye to the kids tonight and they leave tomorrow.  That was hard.  Though I think I was the only one teary.  It's hard to have such great grandparents whom we only see a few times a year.  These times are nice and long and intensive and special.  And I know there are a lot of special memories for all of us.  But it was just hard to watch them say goodbye tonight.

I'm consoling myself with the beginning of the end of "Downton Abbey."  It's extra-fun to watch because I just keep thinking, we were there!

It's back to our regularly-scheduled life tomorrow, after I take Gommie and Pop to the train station.  But more on all that later.

Time for Lady Mary et al.

Whirlwind

Happy post-Christmas!

We've been quite a buzz since Friday or so.  I'm not even sure I can remember what all.  Not that it was eventful per se--we didn't go to kung fu or ice skating, to any parties or big outings.  We mainly stayed home and played with toys and games and watched tv and such, slowly creeping back into the real world of laundry and garbage and such.  By Sunday, some of us had been together non-stop for nearly five days, which is a long time, and there was the usual post-Christmas tension from too much activity, too many late nights, too much greasy and sugary food, too much off-routine, too much excitement, too much clutter, and, quite honestly, too much togetherness, what Pop used to call, sarcastically, "family fun at its finest."  It didn't help that three of their computer games crashed mid-game in one afternoon, momentously frustrating.   But we got over it quickly enough and re-set ourselves by Monday.

Which is the day Gommie and Pop arrived.  The kids could barely contain their enthusiasm which I couldn't even damper with frequent request to "pick that up" or "take that upstairs" and the like so that the house was reasonably inhabitable by two more people (though they sleep at a hotel, they spend all day here.)    Gommie and Pop were here by 4 and there was a whirlwind of showing off Christmas presents--BB8s and SW books--and performing--piano, "Just Dance" routines.   I think they even squeezed in a game of Scrabble and some puzzle-work.  We had baked chicken and the fixings for dinner and they stayed pretty late considering they'd been up at 4 something.

And lo and behold, their very first night in CT and it snowed!  Just a dusting, but it's the first snow we've seen since March or so.  Pop, particularly, was  happy.  Even if they were late getting to my house because the scraper wasn't in my van!  Who knew it was going to snow??  We stayed in most of the day--once they did a morning doughnut run to our knew favorite place--that is, until dusk.

Mama had to work Tuesday but she was meeting us at the movie theater for--yep, you guessed it--STAR WARS!  We played more at home and then showed them Return of the Jedi to get ready.  Of course, Gommie had seen it 32-odd years ago when she took me out of school to go see it, but she'd pretty much forgotten most of it.  Though, they both remembered the Ewoks.  And neither knew about the prequels.  Lucky them.

We got to the theater about an hour before showtime and it was more crowded with longer lines than we'd seen it at the other two showings.  I guess the weather brought people out.  There was even a line of people waiting an hour to see the Chipmunk movie . . . ???  Who does that?  We got our popcorn, got our seats, and settled in for another great viewing  I won't give any real SPOILERS here, only to say that Pop actually got teary at one point, which made me extra-teary.  Gotta love Star Wars.  And I think they really did.

We went out for sushi afterwards, for a late-dinner treat at Bud's favorite place.  He and Mama shared the big sushi boat, while Sis, Pop, and I sat on the "chicken" (i.e. teriyaki and katsu) end of the table.  Gommie ate some hand rolls and had some sake.  And we tried not to say anything spoiler-y outloud. We even had mochi for dessert.  Then we separated in the parking lot til morning.

This morning, Gommie and I went for coffee while Pop played with the kids (or, more likely, watched the kids play--"they only let me cut a couple of pieces of fruit," he said, referencing Fruit Ninja.)  Gommie and I brought home dominos and checkers home, since these are two games Pop plays. Sis just wiped the floor with Gommie at checkers; there's talk of a tournament.  And Bud impressed us all with his use of "adept" in Scrabble.  I didn't notice the outcome of the two dominoes games.   I'm shocked to see this; in 18 years of living at home and all the time since then, I've never known my dad to play games!  But he's already played Scrabble, two types of dominos (42 and Moon), and checkers.  I'm dumbstruck.

We also watched Inside Out, while Pop napped on the couch, with Mojo curled up on his lap.  Mojo likes yarn and Pop had at least two afghans on--I can't turn the heat up high enough for these thin-blooded Texans, and that's with their thermals on!

Now we're biding time til dinner reservations at the Italian place at 6 p.m.  I'm stretching my back and blogging upstairs with two cats; the kids are introducing Gommie to the "Great British Bake-Off."  I imagine Pop is back under his blankets.

After dinner, we'll do Christmas gifts, which gives us more to do for the next few days.  Stay tuned.

Houston for the Holidays

Owing to the length of our trip and the time in which I currently have to write about it, this will be (relatively) brief.

Houston

• Pappadeux's--as we walked through the terminal of IAH to baggage claim, Bud spotted sushi--"let's eat there!"  No way we're letting him eat sushi at the airport, especially because we knew we'd be going to Pappadeux's, the Cajun seafood place, for lunch!  Bud got Alaskan King Crab legs and actually fell asleep at the table before they arrived (have I mentioned that we were up at 3:30 EST?)!  But he awoke when they were placed before him and proceeded to scarf them down, with technical assistance from Mama.  And would you believe that both kids tried fried alligator??  Tastes like chicken, they said.  I was especially impressed by Sis's bravado; she isn't always so sure of new food.  And I began my hiatus from vegetarianism with some cornmeal-fried catfish which I dipped in ketchup!
• Christmas Eve, our first night in Houston, was spent doing the things my family always did, mainly looking at Christmas lights while singing carols and drinking egg nog.  The kids couldn't get over all of the lights and plywood cut-out decorations and luminaries lining the streets.  It was extra-special to me that we were all singing Christmas carols, which was always my favorite part of Christmas Eve.  We also had shrimp remoulade, another family tradition, which Bud and Mama especially enjoyed.  I had some tamales, a Texas tradition but not so much a family one except occasionally.
  
  
  
  
• The kids woke us up at 7 a.m.--luckily that was CST not EST!  We started by reading the Christmas story, as told in Luke, which was always the most incongruous part of our secular celebration and even more secular family.  Still, I found it with Google (there not being a Bible in the house) and read the requisite parts (one year, when I was in college, I read it in ancient Greek and Aunt Banana read it in Latin!)  And then we did presents, one at a time, which gets easier with each passing year.  Sis especially loved her sterling silver bunny necklace (with bling bead) in the recognizable James Avery bag from Gommie--later, she said she didn't need to see a real bunny at the cabin in the woods because she had her own!  I got more lovely lotions and scarves and Mama liked her Art of Totoro book.  Bud got a boomerang, which he would practice later.
  
• Our traditional breakfast included broiled til crunchy corned beef hash and poached eggs (we scrambled the ones for the kids.)

And then, in a fit of mad inspiration, Gommie decided we should pack up then and there 24 hours after we arrived, and head to the cabin in the woods, Wildwood (named after the street where Pop grew up.)  I don't think I have ever traveled on Christmas Day before and was shocked at a). the number of places open and b). the number of people out and about.  But because of this, we could stop at my favorite place, Buc-ee's!  We got iced tea, a few souvenirs, some snacks for the cabin including "beaver nuggets" (kinda like that old Sugar Smacks cereal), and a nice clean restroom break.

We had lunch at nearby Woody's Barbecue, which was crawling with customers.  Chopped beef, brisket, sausage, potato salad, cole slaw, blackberry cobbler, and iced tea.  They didn't have bacon-wrapped quail, as listed on the menu so we went back another day and brought home four little ones--Bud ate them all!

We also purchased fireworks, which we shot off a few nights later.  No Roman candles like the one that blew up in Pop's hand when I was the kiddos' age, but a few bottle rockets, sparklers, and fountains, which looked great against the pitch black night sky.

Then it was off the black top, then off the County Road, then off the GPS, as we headed into the bottomlands beloved by Pop, who has always liked playing in the mud.  

Wildwood--our days in the woods rather blur together so this is not in any particular order.

• Beavers.  Pop spends a lot of time angering the beavers.  And the kids helped!  See, Pop has this big 12-acre pond in his woods, with a dam he can raise or lower to adjust the water level for his beloved ducks.  See, Pop, who used to hunt, loves all kinds of ducks as much as Sis loves bunnies and Bud loves penguins.  Especially wood ducks.  And the pond, perhaps the whole property, is for the ducks and for him to watch the ducks.  But the beavers don't like the water to move through the dam and will block it up every time they hear it.  At night, the beavers clog the pipes with mud and brush; during the day, Pop shovels it away.  And the kids loved helping. On the third night, Pop let the beavers win, since the water was at a good level.  But each night he did affix his Go Pro camera to the dam to record the beavers building--he'd caught them on film once before but not during our visit.  I did, however, see one swimming in the pond when we went to fetch the camera one evening.
  
• The kids loved going on walks with Gommie all around the property.  They didn't ever spot a bunny, hence Sis's comment about her necklace, but they did find 5 empty turtle shells, which they dutifully carted back to the cabin to show us (at which point we made them scrub their hands!)  It was actually wildlife-light this trip:  no deer, no hogs.  But we did hear an owl (though not while we were owling the first night) and see a hawk (actually screaming at and chasing away the buzzards.)
  
• It was very damp while we were at Wildwood, with rain and mist (indeed, I'm not sure we saw sun or sky in Texas during our whole visit), but Pop did take the kids out on the pond in the canoe twice.  He said they polled it more than rowed, because of the lowered pond level.  See bullet point on beavers!
  
  
• At one point we had three fires going:  one in the outdoor fire ring, one in the cabin fireplace, and one in the smoker for hamburger lunch.  Usually, though, it was just the first two.  And we loved poking and feeding the fire.  Sis liked us to sprinkle Rutland's magic dust on the fire to make it glow blue, green, and purple.  I remember similar briquettes when I was a kiddo.  On our last night, we even sat around singing camp songs.  I wouldn't call my birth family a musical one, but we do like to sing.
  
• One of those rainy mornings, we made our own cookie recipes, using my 1001 Cookie Recipe from Domino Sugar.  I'd made the dough in Houston before we left and picked up some add-ins when Mama and I went shopping at the (very) local store.  I made an orange-chocolate fudge ball.  Sis made chocolate chip cookies.  Bud made strawberry jam thumbprints (Pop's favorite.) Mama made two cookies, both with ingredients from a gift basket Gommie had--chocolate pistachio toffee cookies and fruit-and-nut rounds.  We also made a s'mores version with crushed graham crackers, milk chocolate, and marshmallows on top, but no one really liked that one.  It was all good fun and a tasty treat.  We left several in the freezer for Pop and Gommie to eat later.
  
• One of the interesting features of Pop's cabin is the outdoor shower spigot, with hot and cold running water.  Yep, you can shower au naturel right there in nature (there are no walls or curtains.)  It's an odd feeling to stand in hot soapy water in a 40-something degree chill.  Only some of us--Pop, Gommie, Bud, and I--liked it.  
• And Sis and Mom, who are not on that shower list, both tried shooting Pop's .22 gauge rifle (a Ruger.)   I bet you never thought to see that here on this blog?!!  Gommie had mentioned that Pop thought they might like it and did we have any objections.  Actually, I didn't.  In fact, knowledge is power and I'd rather them know about guns and respect them  . . . so that they can run the hell away if a friend ever pulls one out to "play" with.  In our minds, there's not much point in forbidding them completely; target practice is harmless.  That's not to say I'm a believer in "guns don't kill people; people do" (I don't even like recreational hunting.)  I believe strongly in gun control.  But I don't believe in gun abolition--well, I'd love that, but there's no point wishing for the impossible.  So, we let Sis give it a try but, as it was an adult gun, she couldn't really aim.  Mama, on the other hand, could--and did, making all her shots.  And she'd never handled a gun before.  (I remember shooting at targets at a Ducks Unlimited family picnic one time, maybe also at Deer Camp.  I don't like the way the guns kick.)  Bud listened to the safety lesson about never point it at anything you don't want to shoot and this is the safety mechanism and this is how it works, but he stayed inside otherwise.  I prefer archery and so also passed.
• We always eat well in Texas, and the cabin is no exception.  We even had our Christmas dinner there:  prime rib, scalloped potatoes, asparagus.  Sis loved the cheesy scalloped potatoes.  Later, we'd have baked ham, hamburgers, hot dogs, pinto beans, ham and eggs, and, of course, s'mores.  And those cookies.
  
• Surprisingly, Pop has Direct TV in the woods (but no cell coverage!)  So we got to tape and later watch the Doctor Who Christmas special.  All we can say, because of SPOILERS, is "MOFFAT!!!", the cry of fans everywhere.  But we loved it and are glad about the very end.

After three rainy nights in the woods, we headed back to Houston on Sunday.

Houston Again

• We got back to Houston, through rainy weather, around midday and soon Aunt Banana and Uncle Soccer arrived with Cousins Hungry.  Yay!!!   Sis and Bud really liked having cousins and Sis especially took to girl Cousin Hungry, who liked her back.  Baby Hungry was sweet and wiggly--and he might even be a little bit ginger!
• With three kids old enough to know what was up, we opened presents first.  Cousin Hungry was enthusiastic. Later, all three helped Aunt and Uncle open things.  The kids especially liked the karaoke microphone Cousin brought with her, her foamy puzzle mat which was great for Twister and dancing, and the Duplo food sets we got her, great for tea parties and playing hotel.
• Afterwards, we went to Pappasito's Mexican Cantina (yep, same family, the Pappas, own it)--Bud loved the ceviche; most of us inhaled queso and salsa and guacamole.  Besides my Tex Mex cheese enchilada combo with taco, rice, and refrieds, I really liked the hibiscus lemonade with its cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove simple syrup.  Kinda like cold mulled lemonade.  I think I'll give making it a try.  
• And Aunt Banana had this great pound cake a la Paula Deen that she made.  Yum!  (Is this the recipe, Banana?)
• The adult children stayed up talking that first night, which was lovely, especially because a). I was a tense, PMS-y, tired, headachy grumpy butt the next day (sorry, Aunt B) and b). Mama and I weren't there the next evening.  

Late that afternoon, Mama and I headed down to see Aunt Sis, who was in the hospital.  Only, the next morning when we arrived at the hospital, we didn't find her there.  After much concern (and a very unhelpful receptionist), we learned from a kind nurse that Aunt Sis had been released back to her nursing home.  So we headed there.

Corpus Christi/Rockport

• It's a long drive down to Aunt Sis's part of the world, four hours give or take all the stops we like to make at Buc-ee's, Whataburger, local barbecue places (for my favorite chopped beef, potato salad, pinto beans, banana pudding, Tex-Mex chocolate cake, and the apricot kolaches that Sis had been craving since we booked our ticket to Texas!), even Target (clean bathrooms and we always need something for the road.) 
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• We saw a few Red-shouldered hawks on our trip to the coast and a diving Cooper's Hawk, I think Pop said it probably was.  Also buzzards, pelicans, egrets, and whooping cranes.
• We stayed at the Corpus Christi Omni, getting a $600 room for $100--on the 16th floor with a few of the harbor from the private balcony.  Lovely.  And tea was delivered to the room in the morning.  It was a peaceful respite from the whirlwind trip and drive to look at that view by night and morning.
• We arrived at the nursing home before my uncle did that morning and, for a bit, it looked like the visit might be challenging:  Aunt Sis didn't know who I was.  She was busy looking for my uncle.  But then she recognized us and remembered the kids, even though they weren't with us.  And we had a lovely visit.  Especially considering that she had been in the hospital the day before for several days.  Her eyes were bright and she had an appetite; though, she did have pain when people moved her leg or back, for getting dressed or in her wheelchair.  We gave her the presents we brought--an artistic throw pillow painted with different colorful cats, a Van Gogh calendar, an English pub calendar (yes, two calendars--they brighten dreary walls), and artsy socks with Botticelli's Venus (in honor of her favorite artist, whose work we both saw on separate visits to Florence, my trip inspired by hers) and Van Gogh's sunflowers.  She loved looking at all the images, especially the cat pillow and Van Gogh calendar.  She even had me put her socks on.  But she didn't quite remember the artists, though she said she knew the images were familiar.  Uncle arrived with tipsy balls for Mama and me, one of my holiday favorites from my grandmother's recipe.  We had two books for him--on cats and also the English language, which Mama had enjoyed on tape this year.  We all chatted about the presents, trips to Italy and England and Connecticut, the kids (whom they both praised us for raising the way we were) and their activities (thank heavens for smartphones with their videos and photos, which we proudly showed off), the Christmas cards on the wall including ours, even sign language, which she says she has forgotten.  The only time she just seemed sad was when we mentioned her youngest son; both times her eyes dimmed and Uncle patted her sympathetically, for he lives far away as a monk in France.  When she grew tired, we said we'd let her rest while we fetched our lunch and would come back to say goodbye; if she was asleep, no worries.  But after our lunch, she was bright eyed again and so Uncle got her into her wheelchair and we went to the cafeteria!  This for a woman whom we thought might be at death's door.  She sat at lunch and looked around, recognized people, ate her meal steadily with her own fork and drank from her glass unassisted, all the while talking and smiling.  For more than an hour!!!  I really couldn't believe it and soaked it all in.  But soon lunch was over and we knew she'd need a nap.  We took a few photos and kissed and hugged and repeated all of our "love yous" and then we left.  I walked away well only because they couldn't see me crying.  We learned today that she took a turn for the worse that evening and my uncle has enrolled her in hospice.  Our last visit, as I'm sure it was, was a real gift.

While we were on the coast, Gommie and Pop had major trouble in Houston:  a pipe under their driveway gave out and backed sewage up on their first floor, in tubs and sinks.  Ugh.  The repair would cost a fortune and the house was now without water.  They had showered at dear Granny Q's and we moved to a hotel when we got back.

Houston Again

• Mel's--almost as soon as we arrived home, later than expected because of our nice long visit, we all headed to Mel's for dinner.  Chicken fried steak!!!  Mashed potatoes.  Cream gravy.  Rolls.  Green beans.  Black-eyed peas.  Peach cobbler.  Blackberry cobbler.  And Bud had a big burger.  But not as big as the Mega Mel's, which has pounds and pounds of meat and cheese.  We saw two people order them but didn't stay long enough to see if they finished.
• The next day was our last day in Houston.  We started it by heading to See Granny Q's husband in his new memory care facility.  While there, the kiddos played some of their Christmas songs on the baby grand.  I even played two of mine!  Gommie enjoyed it and the kids didn't mind showing off.  
• To pass time, we went to one of those indoor rec places.  We whiled away the afternoon with bumper cars, air hockey, skeeball, etc.  Every now and again, the kiddos would remember it was our last day and get sad and then they'd go ride another simulator.  Keeping busy was the key.
  
• So we headed to the art store and got drawing supplies.  We had introduced Gommie to Zentangling aka doodling when we were at the cabin, so we got her some pens and a sketch book.  We spent the afternoon at the hotel drawing and watching football.  I started crocheting on a blanket for Gommie using yarn she chose, a pretty hydrangea-like combo of blues, lilacs, and greens called sea glass stripes. 
  
• We had dinner at Pappadeux's again but it didn't go that well.  Bud didn't feel well, Sis's alligator was too spicy, and Mama and I kept hopping up to help Bud (a combo of drainage and stress/panic; a call to Dr. Goo helped.)  I liked my fried catfish though.  And my hibiscus lemonade.
• We drew some more and watched football, finally turning in to prep for our not-quite-as-early morning flight.  Our trip to Texas was over.  And there were fireworks all New Year's Eve to send us off.

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Coming soon:  recipes for pound cake, tipsy balls, cookies, scalloped potatoes.

Gommie and Pop: New Year's Day and Goodbyes

Since we were up past midnight, we slept in some.  But I did manage to rouse myself to set out my sourdough starter and to turn on the soaked black eyes.  By mid-morning, the biscuits were golden and perfect with butter and honey; the scent of black-eyed peas warmed the house.  Later, there was ham and cornbread; later still, cranberry upside-down cake, made by Sis and me.  It was all good.

The kids played games with Gommie, who finally was tired of playing games (I would have quit days earlier!), and they went swimming.  This evening, they watched some of Despicable Me 2 with her.  And then they kissed Gommie and Pop goodbye, the kids heading to school in the morning and the grandparents heading home.

All contingent on the weather, of course, with 6-10" expected in the next 48 hours, and near-blizzard conditions at times.  Pop ordered snow, but he's not staying for it . . . at least, not planning to.

Gommie and Pop: Monday, Monday

Mama went back to work, but the rest of us were in play mode today.

The highlight of the day for the kids was swimming at the pool, or more like, water sliding.  I bet they went up and down twenty-five times, loving every minute of it.  I will admit that aspects of the very tall enclosed slide (two stories?  three stories?) gave me the heebie-jeebies, but I know they've done it before and Pop and Gommie think it is safe.   I could've done without them walking back up it though.  Some things I don't need to know.

We had lunch, games, and just hung out.  Later, pizza with Mama for dinner.

And now the kids are off spending the night at Gommie and Pop's hotel room.  I imagine there will be games, perhaps more swimming, and probably some candy.  Gommie and Pop are wonderful to take them and the kids are SO EXCITED!!!!

Mama and I are enjoying a bit of holiday down time, no agenda, nothing special, just being.

Gommie and Pop: Rainy Sunday

It poured rain--Texas-like rain, well, for Connecticut--all day.  I know they wanted snow--it might snow the day they leave.

We started the day with breakfast at one of our new favorite corner restaurants--peaches and cream-stuffed French toast, African hash, crabmeat quesadillas, beef empanadas, crabcake eggs Benedict--yum!  Pop and Gommie were smitten (though, not "smitten when they were bitten by the kitten Mittens"--our wordplay of the day) and hope to go back again this trip.  We're also thinking of some Indian food later.

After some games, we went to the ice rink, where Sis tried her new skates (thanks, G&P!) and Bud tried again.  We saw a few family friends and watched everybody go round and round.  Sis definitely has skill and confidence and Bud is getting better.  And I'm always just amazed to see them tackle a new thing, pretty much all alone.

Popcorn, hot chocolate, some crocheting, and more games made up the bulk of the remainder of the day til dinner of ham, cabbage, sweet potatoes, and a batch of red beans.  Gommie and Pop retired early (our four, at least, were showing the wear of a week of late nights and activities) and the kids played a little MarioKart with Mama before heading to bed.

Bud's already asleep, with Sis on her way.

Gommie and Pop: Saturday

Gommie and Pop always squeeze in as much as possible, including, today:

• the exchanging of Christmas presents!
• big sausage and egg breakfast
• playing Mah Jongg
• going outside to ride bikes
• eating Christmas cookies
• Bud played piano for Pop and shared his Doctor Who drawings book
• Sis, Gommie, and Mama went ice-skate shopping
• Gommie and Pop took Sis and Bud swimming--lots of "slide for life!"
• Mama and I get some alone time and watch The Hobbit
• dinner of leftover standing rib roast, etc--I managed to eat a plain potato!
• watch a Doctor Who episode (last year's Christmas special)
• bedtime for all.

They're Here!

Gommie and Pop are here!

After a day of travel, they arrived in CT to be met by Mama and kiddos at the train station.  Then they went for dinner at the hamburger place.  And came home to find me waiting (yep, I can get downstairs!  I'm feeling oh so much better, but still tired and not really eating.  It's not permanent, but I lost 9 lbs.  I'd rather have those pounds back instead, and no doubt they'll come regardless.)

The kids talked about Doctor Who most of the time and started to show off Christmas presents, including the MarioKart track, American Girl doll furniture, Friends Legos, and Millennium Falcon Legos.  And Gommie and Pop sampled most of the different kinds of Christmas cookies, including Sis's Snickerdoodles.  The kids were ready to show them a DW episode and to do a musical instrument performance, but we'll save those for other days.

We do have five full ones, after all.

Summer Fun: Camping Supplies

Sunscreen.
Bugspray.
Bug bite gel.
Hats.
Water.
Money for ice cream.
Directions to a new fishing hole.
Camera.
Binoculars.
Fishing poles.
Worms.

Another day at Gommie and Pop camp.

Welcome Home!

If they made it on time this evening, Gommie and Pop's swazu came to an end today as they drove straight from Destin, FL (where they tell me they took us when I was about 6), all the way to Houston (skipping New Orleans??).  That's one whole month--March 28 to today--and approximately 16 states and who knows how many miles of swazu-ing across the country.

And if I understand correctly, Gommie is going to Austin tomorrow to help out Aunt Banana with some grandbabysitting.

Welcome home!  For awhile, anyway . . . .

At War Again

Gommie and Pop are back on the Civil War trail, this time in TN.  They're doing Chickamauga . . . and then they might swazu to Florida!  Or New Orleans.  Or both.  That's the beauty of the swazu.

Snow Call

Gommie and Pop called this evening from near Gatlinburg, TN, where it was snowing!  Not often they call us to mention snow; usually we call them . . . but we've only had rain.  Other than the snow, I'm not sure they like the touristy town, though they think the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is beautiful.

Still on a Swazu

An email from Gommie reports that they have hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail, explored some of the Shenandoah, and enjoyed the Skyline Drive.  They were glad to conclude their Civil War tour at Appomattox, realizing how lucky they were just to be sightseeing, driving, eating in restaurants, and sleeping in hotels so unlike the soldiers' experiences.  They're near Roanoke and will eventually cut back towards Texas, eventually. 'Cos there's no rushing a swazu.

Civil War Swazu

Gommie and Pop called this morning from the road (or, more specifically, their hotel).  They are having quite the road trip and have seen, not in order, many historic battlefields and sites:

• Gettysburg (they liked a Parisian Bistro there!)
• Harrisburg, specifically the Museum of Civil War (Gommie's favorite, I think)
• Spotsylvania
• Antietam
• Wilderness Campaign
• Chancellorsville
• Fredericksburg
• Harper's Ferry
• Richmond, specifically the Museum of Confederacy

It sounds like they're having a wonderful time, soaking in the atmosphere and random historic tidbits more than actual specific infantry maneuvers and battle timelines.  They also stopped by the Appalachian Trails headquarters and met people hiking the entire thing.

Maybe that will be their next trip!

Spring Break: A Colorful Day

Saturday started early, with a surprise visit from the Easter Penguin:

The Easter Penguin visits the night before Easter eve, bringing small treats.  And also wet footprints!

Then we got ready:

Making "Easter-bread" houses,

making natural dyes with turmeric, blueberries, and beets,

dyeing eggs,

mixing the dyes to create new colors,

and building Easter Nests, which is a tradition from Gommie's side of the family and my childhood.  There are rarely enough flowers and grasses in CT at Easter but we managed.  And it was wonderful to share this tradition with the kiddos.  We filled the nests with some of our dyed eggs, as well as carrots for the bunny.