Category: Family time

The Chair

Years ago, we laughed at episodes of the TV show Frazier, with “the chair.” The chair belonged to his father, a ratty, striped recliner with duct tape holding it together. In one episode, Frazier, bothered by the look of the chair in his very modern svelte apartment, removed it to the building’s storage room and replaced it with a new leather version. Dad was not happy and the episode revolved around the search for the taped up old chair to return to the apartment. The story line going much deeper, but for my purposes, we will leave it here.

About 16 or 17 years ago, while still living in Virginia Beach, Mountaingdad found a ginormous rocking recliner in Sam’s Club. Every time we went to shop, he went to see if the chair was still there, sitting in it and wishing. Daughter and I decided that it would make a great Christmas present for him, drove my minivan to Sam’s Club and purchased the last one, a hulking leather monstrosity and wheeled it out to the car. It wouldn’t fit in the van in the box. We unpacked it and with much Tetris like activity, got it into the van, but didn’t want to abandon the box in the parking lot as that went so totally against my hippy, you must recycle it mindset. I ended up leaving the box and my 16 year old daughter in the parking lot, drove the chair home and unloaded it in the garage, drove the few miles back and picked up daughter and box and drove to the recycle center to leave the box. Back home, we approached a neighbor about storing it in their garage until Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve early in the day, we removed it back to our garage and covered it back in an area in front of my mini van, hoping that Mountaingdad would not spot it. That night, it was hauled into the house, set in place and a big bow taped to the back.

That chair has been his favorite. It moved from that house to the rental we took after selling the house to build this one. Moved again to two different apartments that he occupied after I moved up here to work and supervise the construction of our new home. It moved again to our log home upon his retirement and continued to be his favorite spot to use his laptop, watch TV and recuperate from surgery then a broken humerus. After all of the years and all of the moves, the chair’s leather began to split. We tried Frazier’s Dad’s approach and bought some dark brown duct tape to try to repair it. It held for a little while, but not for long. It became a place where Mountaingdad and Ranger shared time at night.

But alas, it was just falling apart. About a year ago, I started suggesting it was time to replace it, but he wasn’t ready. A week ago, I received a coupon for 20% off a furniture item from Grand Furnishings as we have bought several mattresses and the grandkids bunk bed from them in the past couple of years. The end of last week, he admitted that it was time.

The seat and arms of the chair as it awaits disposal.

Sunday, we used the coupon to buy him a new leather recliner. Large and comfy, but not quite as massive as The Chair. Today it arrived at the local Grand and was picked up.

I don’t know if Mountaingdad and Ranger will both fit in this one. I hope it provides at least Mountaingdad comfort for as long as The Chair did.

March 11, 2015
Cave Hill Olympics Vol. 4

Last winter Olympics we had a couple of back to back snows and grandkids coming. We bought a couple of plastic toboggans in anticipation. Once our friendly farmer neighbor with the behemoth tractor with a heated cab plowed us out, we drove to town, resupplied and parked the 4 wheel drive SUV at the top of the driveway. With the toboggans in the back, we loaded the groceries onto the toboggans and before Mountaingdad could turn around, I hopped into one with the groceries and started sliding down the driveway of packed snow and ice. He quickly caught on and hopped in the other one to race me. Each time we had to go out for supplies, we dragged one of them to the top of the drive (2/10 mile) and hauled the supplies back down to the house. When the kids arrived, the fun really began and we took many photos of kids and adults, us included, sledding down the various hills on the property. The biggest kid was our son in law, the one still in Florida trying to sell their house, but he is flying in today for the weekend and some snow fun.

The day after our foot of snow this week, we dragged the sleds out and bundled everyone up for some snow play.

Once we struggled uphill to the top of the drive, sledding down hills as we went and hauling the 3 year old on one sled, we discovered that the road had been plowed by a pickup truck with a front blade and it as it is downhill from the paved road to the bottom of Cave Hill (the hill beyond our house), it made a great toboggan run. All of us, from the youngest, with an adult to the most senior of us, took turns sliding down the slick packed hill, laughing and getting snow covered.

So much fun to be “young.”

Last night after 8 p.m., the neighbor farmer and his behemoth with enough lights to light up our house, plowed us out. We had gotten an additional couple of inches of snow yesterday, it was 13f (-10.5c) with strong wind blowing snow in whiteouts.

We woke to -1f (-18.3c) with a high today of only 4f (-15.5c) and a low tonight of -14f (-25.5c) and light snow falling. We have fires in the wood stove and fireplace and will hunker down except for a trip out to pick up son-in-law by one or two of us when his plane arrives.

Tomorrow is supposed to be somewhat warmer and I expect a great deal of snowplay will occur, lots of dryer time as we dry out layers for more play. Saturday, we are expecting another 5″ of snow and ice before a thaw begins on Sunday. We will enjoy it while it lasts and hope that spring is on its way.

February 19, 2015
International Days and Borrowed Ideas

For the past few days, Daughter and I have been visiting other countries through our culinary skills. We were bored with the same menu repeatedly and decided to venture out, making wholesome, home-cooked meals with fresh ingredients. On Thursday, we visited Germany, preparing Sausage and Potatoes with Rosemary.

On Friday, we took a trip to Mexico, making handmade tortillas and using them to make Mexican style soft tacos, with shredded pork or taco ground beef served with fresh cilantro and chopped onion, sided with a salad and guacamole.

Saturday we traveled to Asia, preparing a pork stir fry with lots of fresh vegetables including some of the ginger I grew this past summer and served it over rice.

Today we stayed in Asia and made Red curry with Chicken, vegetables and rice. Tomorrow we will make Ricotto and Mozarella and fresh pasta dough to make homemade Ravioli with spinach and cheese filling, served with some of the pasta sauce I canned last summer and a salad of fennel bulb and carrot. After tomorrow, we will have to decide where next to visit.

As for borrowed ideas, we have had an eight year old who in spite of a home library of books, a bookshelf of games, a garage of outdoor toys and two beautiful days, Legos and many other indoor toys, has repeatedly announced, “I’m bored.” Daughter saw a great idea on Pinterest, a “The Bored Jar,” a jar with tokens each with a chore or suggestion such as “Read for 30 minutes” and we decided that we would implement it.

Instead of a glass jar that could easily be broken, we bought a small galvanized bucket with a chalkboard label on the side. With a paint pen, the label was completed and we bought a bag of 25 wooden disks on which I have been adding the suggestions/chores. Once we have disks all completed, we will fill him in and each time he states “I’m bored,” he will have to draw a disk from the bucket and spend however much time the disk requires or the task takes. This should teach him some responsibility for entertaining himself and perhaps get a few chores accomplished without constant reminders.

February 8, 2015
Winter Disappointments

By this time in winter, we have seen several snowfalls. Sometimes a dusting, others a real snow, but this winter has been mostly rain or freezing rain We went to bed last night listening to the dire warning being issued in the Northeast USA and a forecast for snow to fall beginning around midnight and accumulating up to 5″ here in Southwest Virginia. We awoke to no snow on the ground, no snow falling and broken clouds. Granddaughter hoping for snow later in the morning but wanting to wear her short sleeve, frilly “Frozen” dress, created a most interesting outfit.

Her leggings are black and white with zigzags, hearts and other patterns, the boots as you can see are black and pink with multicolored polka dots. She was ready to go out.

Daughter has commented that she needed slippers and warmer taller socks to wear, so we decided to venture out early to return something we purchased yesterday on our girls afternoon out while Mountaingdad and Grandson went to a movie. We also were seeking socks and slippers for her. Did you know that slippers are an item like gloves that are purchased by stores for Christmas and are not available year round? We finally found her a pair at the third store we tried.

While we were out, the chickens were free ranging, but when we returned home a bit after noon, she and I lured them back to the pen so the dogs could wander. Our dogs don’t mess with them usually, but their Golden Retriever by nature wants to chase them and barks at them even if he sees them coming and going from the coop. When we went to lock them up and check for eggs, the coop smelled damp and too strongly of ammonia. My two large round bales of hay that were set aside for coop use this winter and garden use in the spring have gotten wet and moldy and can’t be used in the coop anymore. The local feed and seed had square bales of straw so I drove in to purchase two. We are due for more very cold weather and I have already seen some frostbite damage on Romeo the rooster’s comb, so I had to do more cleaning than just adding layers to the coop and stirring up the layers. Trying to leave at least some of the composting layer in the bottom, most of the hay was shoveled out and tossed into the run and into the compost bin, including the nesting box hay. About a third of a bale of straw, clean and dry put a nice deep layer in the coop so hopefully the gang will stay warm and dry in the upcoming cold.

Though I don’t like to put food or water in the coop, I have been tossing a handful of scratch into the coop in the late afternoon to encourage the chooks to keep the bedding stirred up and broken down and the corn they eat helps them stay warm.

I guess the spoiled hay will be used to keep the run drier and less muddy and in the spring to mulch the garden. I hate having to buy straw when we harvest 80 to 100 round bales of hay each spring. Next year, I will find a better way to store it.

This afternoon, it has begun to rain off and on with a snow flurries expected as the temperature plummets to the teens tonight. More is expected later this week and weekend, just as I have to ride a bus to Northern Virginia to babysit Grandson #1 and pick up my car from Son #1 who has been using it for a bit.

I really hope we have at least one good snowfall for the kids.

January 26, 2015
First Meetings

Early this morning, Son #2 arrived with his family. The eight year old boy cousins haven’t seen each other in several years and the 3 year old girl cousins had never met each other or the boy cousin.

The girls hit it off immediately this morning. They are about 5 months apart in age. The boys have been running and playing chess with each other all day.

While this has been ongoing, I decided to learn to make Ricotta cheese. . .

A gallon of milk first made into mozzarella and a second gallon into about 4 to 5 cups of Ricotta. Two balls of pasta dough made and a pound of sausage cooked and a fresh homemade lasagna assembled.

Son rolling out the noodles.

A baking and a salad and we will have dinner for 9 tonight with two new lessons learned, Ricotta and Pasta. Three products I will no longer buy. In a day or two, daughter and I will make homemade tortillas. I used to make them when Mountaingdad and I were newlyweds but with kids I switched to commercial ones. Daughter bought an 8″ cast iron tortilla press so we will make our own.

The dogs don’t know what to make of all the activity and want to be in the middle of all of the play. The girls escaped. . .

It seems safer inside the dogs cage than out.

January 24, 2015
The Changes

I have lived in this house for about 8 1/2 years now. Mountaingdad for about 6. When I first moved in, Son #1 and his family were living with me, but they moved to the university town after a couple of years and the household was just Mountaingdad and me for a couple of years, then 3 years ago, we added the pups and we had visits by Son #1 and family, Daughter and family, and Son #2 and family from time to time. Two summers, we kept Grandson #1 for extended periods to help out.

Almost three weeks ago now, daughter, 2 grands and granddog moved in as her husband tries to sell their home in Florida and moves here with them. They will live with us for a year or two. It has been a new experience for everyone. The children are having to adjust to not having Dad in the house for now, but having 3 adults monitoring their behavior. Mountaingdad is very good about staying out of behavior correction, I’m not as good, but try to defer to their Mom dealing with issues that arise. The household experiences the pattering around of children, the dog that barks at our cats, the visiting cows, anyone coming or going on the driveway or walking around in the basement or the loft if he hasn’t seen the person leave the room he is in.

Since their arrival, we have had only one afternoon that was both dry and warm enough for the bundled up Floridians to play outdoors, but they loved having the huge yard in the midst of the farm on which to run, bike and play without fear of cars on the road or the canal behind their house that was home of “Chewey” the 5 foot alligator that appeared at times.

There have been times when each adult has had to escape for a bit, to a closed bedroom or to leave the house for an errand or two without kids. Fortunately, they are okay being left with one of us for a while.

Granddaughter has had the hardest adjustment at night. Because our bedrooms are spread out over all three floors of our home, with the master upstairs, two on the main floor and one off the finished basement, the kids are sharing a room with a twin over double bunk. Eight year old grandson took right to it, getting the top bunk. Granddaughter has the double bottom. They each had a double in Florida in their own rooms. Daughter has been trying to keep Granddaughter in her own bed for naps and at night, but Granddaughter has other ideas and will resist until she is so tired from crying that she finally falls asleep, sometimes for an hour, sometimes all night. Yesterday was a resistance day and this is where I found her…

Curled up with her blanket, stuffed toy and pillow, outside her Mom’s bedroom door on the floor. She had cried for over an hour before falling asleep there for her nap. I texted daughter not to come out of the room quickly and sent her the photo. She slept there for about an hour.

Lately, we have been having a nearly daily visitor, Jumper Jr., the ginger cow in the background. She comes over to graze, I guess our field is more appealing to her than her own. Yesterday she brought her Mom, Jumper. They got their name because neither of them can be kept penned up. Daughter and I decided they should be Ginger and Blondie. We don’t mind the visits and the kids think it is great. Granddaughter runs to one of us whenever she spots the ginger cow and excitedly states, “Jumper’s here.” Now if we can just get their dog on board with this idea too.

Today, we are having a winter storm that began around 10 a.m. They closed the schools 3 hours early and brought the kids home. When Grandson got home, his Mom and I were both knitting and he decided that he wanted to learn too. Since daughter is just beginning to pick it up again and is a novice knitter, and since Grandson and I are both left handed, I was nominated to be the instructor. This is lesson one. He is excited about learning and eager to make a scarf. I patiently have had to tink (knit backwards) more than one of his rows this afternoon to repair his work, but he is being persistent. I think he is going to catch on. I don’t know if his interest will hold, but it is fun teaching him. Three year old sis thinks she is “big and strong enough” to do it too. I think we may buy her a spool knitter or pot holder loom to start on.

January 23, 2015
OLIO 1/19/2015

Olio: a miscellaneous collection of things

This has been the birthday weekend for the 8 year old grandson now living with us. His Dad flew in from Florida to be with his family for the weekend. The celebration began with three generations bowling, 6 of us. I can’t remember the last time I bowled and in spite of sore stiff joints, it was fun. From there we were off to the birthday boy’s favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse for steaks and ribs, then home for a birthday cake that took his Mom 3 hours to decorate while he was in school on Friday. He wanted a Corvette Stingray cake and she managed it nicely, placed high enough that he couldn’t see it until serving time Saturday night. Sunday they went out for family time and lunch together and today, his actual birthday was supposed to be a school holiday, but ended up being a makeup day for a weather missed day last week.

Before he got home from school and while his Mom was taking Dad back to the airport to fly back to Florida, I finally cleaned up the garage from the move in night when we quickly unloaded their trailer into the garage. Son #1 had left his butchering station cleaned up, but left in place after we did fall chickens in hope of the deer he never got this year. I dismantled it and put it back in storage until it is again needed. The box of outdoor toys was finally opened, the crate shelf moved to a more convenient place, the bins of balls, bats and helmets filled, bikes lined up until we can get wall hangers for them.

Toys are now accessible and I can walk through the garage to get to the outside.

Also today, 10 gallons of whole grain chicken feed was made and stored. Before grandson got home, I made 18.6 oz of homemade Mozzarella cheese, solo this time, in preparation for homemade from scratch pizzas, his request for a birthday dinner.

In 20 minutes, I can make this cheese with a gallon of milk at a cost of about half of the price of 8 ounces of “fresh” mozzarella from the grocer.

It was a beautiful day for all of these tasks. This gorgeous sky was seen while awaiting his school bus to arrive. Once he got home, I stayed outdoors with him for a bit of archery practice with his bow and arrows that he got for Christmas.

The pizzas were made and savored, followed with left over birthday cake and ice cream. The end of a busy and full birthday weekend for the young man.

January 19, 2015
Snow play

Today we have a dusting of snow and frozen drizzle from over night. Enough to make the roads slick and close schools again, but not enough for real snow play. Granddaughter’s only other snow was when she was months old and being worn in a carrier by her Mom. After breakfast and chicken chores, we bundled her up and I took her out on the deck for some snow play.

The only place we could accumulate enough snow to “play” in was on the back deck. The snow was too dry to pack into snowballs but it stuck to her mittens like it was velcroed, but she had a blast and was so excited.

Such fun for this little Florida born cutie.

January 14, 2015
Baking with a Grand

This was another morning where the freezing early temperature was the high. It was foggy with occasional freezing drizzle, not enough to affect the roads or school, but enough to warrant hunkering down in the house for the day. Daughter woke with a bad cold and after taking her son to the bus stop nearly half a mile away, she got in a hot bath then back in bed. Once granddaughter awoke, I decided to entertain her to let her mom sleep.
After we had breakfast and I did chicken chores, we decided to bake crackers together.

She put on her apron, helped measure, pour, mix and cut. After they baked, her job was to put them in the jar.

I think she ate one for every 3 she put away, but it kept her entertained for a while and she made a glorious mess playing in the flour.
This afternoon, we used two very ripe bananas to make a loaf of banana bread and now a pot pie is baking. The warm oven has helped the fire keep the house warm and cozy for sick daughter and the healthier crew that just didn’t want to be outside today. Except for bringing in wood and doing chicken chores, I have stayed inside. If it is going to be cold and damp, I wish it would snow.

January 13, 2015
The Great Chill

Our Virginia born daughter who has lived the last dozen or so years in Florida and her Florida born children arrived as an Arctic blast hit our region. The first two days they were here, we saw highs of around freezing and lows 10 or so degree lower. They are cold, to the bone cold and the next two days are colder. We awoke to 20°f (-6.67°c) and that is today’s high.

We have a wind chill advisory for the next day or so. It is snowing, mountain snow showers. The kids want snow to play in, but not this event.

When I took food and water to the chooks, the wind cut through me. I filled the PVC feeder that hangs inside the coop and realized that even the water in the coop was frozen solid. The waterer was brought in to thaw and a pan of water put in the coop. I opened the pop door, they ran out into the yard, turned and back into the coop, where they will likely stay today.
Other than trips to the coop to check for eggs and thaw water, we are going to hunker down indoors with a fire going, games to play, knitting, planning and reading.

My knitting is an Ouroboros Moebius from Margaret Radcliffe, a local knitting designer and author, a friend knit out of Green Dragon Gradient sport weight in Teal which I will treasure as this other local friend is no longer dyeing yarns. Son#1 and family gave me the Organic Seed Grower for Christmas and my two favorite seed catalogs arrived during the busy holidays and I haven’t had time to even look at them.
The day will be fueled by a pot of stew or vegetable beef soup and maybe a pan of bread.

January 7, 2015