The View from Here

Memories of the Kitchen

 

The holidays always remind me of the hours and hours I’ve spent in the kitchen with truly great cooks- my grandmothers, my aunts, my cousins, my friends, my father-in-law,  my daughters, my son, my mom. Each taught me something that added to my culinary skills. And though I no longer cook, I am confident that given the right circumstances and motivation, I could cook because of all the wonderful women, and a few men, who took the time to teach me!

 

My children can stop laughing right now! I choose not to cook anymore, but someone certainly kept YOU from starving, and even managed to teach you a thing or two. And no, it wasn’t just your Grandma Bea or Grandpa Dutch. There were years when I baked something wonderful every single week and I sure didn’t get any complaints. Lol

 

Of course my mom was the one who began my basic training in the kitchen. She taught me all the safety skills so that I knew how to keep things clean, handle a knife, and turn on the stove. She also taught me a host of things that girls no longer know how to do- skin a rabbit, pluck a chicken, singe a duck, and fry a squirrel. Plus the bonus skills- getting water from the well, chipping a block of ice with an ice pick, and heating water on a wood stove. The worst one was the lesson on “lighting the oven with a match”. I failed miserably and had the singed bangs to prove it. To this day I am cautious around gas ovens. And though I peeled thousands of potatoes there were a few stubborn ones that resulted in nicks and cuts. I never missed my target with the ice pick, but I had numerous small burns and scars from cookie sheets and pan handles.

My aunt Juanita taught me how to follow a recipe and how to separate an egg. Funny how I remember those two things. My grandmother and mom had always cooked from memory and used the “pinch of this” method that was so difficult to follow. I was amazed the first time I saw my aunt read a recipe. “You mean there are instructions???” Reading was my best subject- I could do that!! And I guess my mom had never cooked anything requiring an egg white. I just thought that separating an egg was one of the coolest tricks ever. Lol

 

My Grandma Bea taught me how to bake. That woman loved bread! And she made the best cookies in the world. She made cakes from scratch, and pies that melted in your mouth. Her mother made the best pecan pie I have ever tasted.

Mama Della taught me how to make breakfast. She made her own butter and fried perfect bacon. She gathered eggs from her own hens. She made pancakes from scratch. She cooked sausage that Papa had ground and seasoned by hand.

I could go on and on. My Aunt Molly was a school cook. Gary’s cousin Sandy is an amazing cook and caterer. I have friends who are whizzes with pastry and candies. I have been to church potlucks where the food is so good it might be a sin. My daughters have very different styles, but each is a terrific cook. My son knows his way around a stove. All great cooks.

 

And now I’m the dropout. I “assemble meals” from a few basic ingredients. I manage to keep us from starving- my photo is evidence of that! But I no longer bake. I don’t try new recipes or make up my own. Sad, but true. However, I’m a great “taster” and I’m available at all hours. Happy to help you test your recipes!

I hope you have trained or are training a great cook in your kitchen. The next generation needs to know how to make a few things. Maybe not a tasty fried squirrel, but at least a good oatmeal cookie.  

Hope you have a great day!

 

Missing the Show

 

My mom used to say that one of the things she missed when she went to work was her “stories”. She was an avid soap opera fan, even though she often spent time making fun of their plots and odd situations.  In the days before modern technology working meant she just had to miss some episodes and catch up on major events by conferring with friends who were still at home and watching. No DVR, no cable channels.

 

I feel that way about going back to work and leaving the pond. It’s my “daily story” when I’m home. No matter what I’m doing in the house or yard, I glance at the pond at least once per hour…habit. It’s convenient that the sliding glass doors in the kitchen overlook it, so it’s not like I have to go out of my way to take a look. I keep a pair of binoculars in the kitchen. And of course the camera is never very far away.  

 

I have yet to spend a day at the house when there wasn’t something worth seeing on or near the pond. It is filled with turtles, snakes, and fish. It attracts ducks, geese, and a wide variety of birds. The cows, deer, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons and other critters prowl its banks.

However, if I’m at work there is no one here to record what happens at the pond. There is no one to tell me if the bobcat returned or the coyotes are prowling again or the geese spent the morning feeding and splashing. There is no one to admire the heron’s gracefulness or appreciate the kildeer’s high-pitched calls. I just miss the show.

So, I’m eager to get back to work and hear all about what my students have been doing. But I know I’ll be missing the show at home.

 

Last Sunday

 

This is the last Sunday of the month and the last day of my vacation. Did the week go as planned? Did I do everything I set out to do? Is my office clean? Well…yes and no.  As usual I planned more than I could actually accomplish AND unexpected things happened that caused me to set aside my plans. So I am happy to report that most of my shopping is done and packages wrapped. My tree is up and decorated. My house is about as clean as it ever gets. The garden is ready for winter. And my office…let’s just say it remains a “work in progress”.

 

One of the things that interfered with my indoor plans this week was the weather! It was actually much better than anticipated and though a bit cold, the afternoons have been sunny and inviting. I walked each day and of course that means taking the camera and then one thing leads to another and soon I’ve spent an hour outside.

 

It seems like it would be difficult to take bird photos with a big, gray, meowing shadow following me everywhere, but I guess the birds have realized that our outside cat doesn’t have a single instinct for hunting. It is no wonder that he found our yard and stayed here! Otherwise he might have starved to death! I’ve never seen nor had a cat less interested in the critters around him. Babe would be running around like crazy, chasing and jumping and playing. Not Buddy. He’s a mellow, “live and let live” kind of guy. He whines at me to stop and pet him, but other than that, is quite content to just eat and sleep. One day this week I looked out to see him sharing his breakfast with the opossum. Another morning he was sitting inside his little house while the raccoons finished off his cat food. I’ve also seen him six feet from a rabbit without even twitching.

 

 

So anyway, that rambling preface was just my way of explaining that the bluebirds allowed us to stand about twenty feet away from them yesterday. And then a mockingbird landed on Buddy’s water tub, ten feet from us, for his own drink. I’ve read that, with a little training, there are at least six different birds that will eat out of your hand. I don’t think I want to go to that extreme since I like to take photos, but I’m glad the birds are getting comfortable with our presence.

 

I also managed a slightly blurry but cute photo of the woodpecker peeking into the bluebird house. I imagined him asking “anybody home?” I really should buy another bluebird house since I now count six of them regularly sitting on the fence. I’m not sure what they do in the winter. I should Google that.

 

One of the great joys of my life is visiting with old friends. I happened to see a dear one at the post office yesterday and another at WalMart. Also ran into an ex-relative and a couple of former students. Living in a stable area where many people have stayed for generations gives me a sense of belonging that I never had in the city. It also gives me a sense of responsibility- to be and do all that I can to make my community better.

Speaking of relatives- and yes, this is one of my rambling, random thoughts posts- I subscribe to Internet Genealogy magazine, which finds so many great research websites that I can never keep up with all of them. However, this week I tried the DAR website they touted and was astounded by the information available. I found 23 Banta men listed as Revolutionary War soldiers. My own list included only about ten of those, so I was pleased to add the others.  The site also has information about their service and families. I don’t belong to the DAR, although it’s nice to know that I could.

 

Today is my cousin Evelyn’s birthday!  I love to recall memories of us playing dolls and cleaning Mama Della’s house and walking in the woods and riding horses and staying up past our bedtime to laugh and talk. She is a wonderful woman and I hope she has a great day!

Hope you have a great day, too!

Reflections on a life...

 

Gary teased me yesterday because I’ve only watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” once this week. Yes, I’ll watch it again during Christmas break, maybe even twice. I suppose my holiday obsession with it stems from memories of all the lean years when we didn’t know if we would be able to afford gifts for the children, when the rent was overdue, and at least one child was sick and feverish during the holidays.  I can’t tell you how many Christmas Eves have been interrupted by a trip to ER. I don’t remember either of us being frantic enough about our situation to jump off a bridge, but I certainly fantasized a few times about running away to a deserted island in the South Sea.  

Or perhaps my fascination is actually based on my own childhood memories of Christmas. I believed in Santa for many years, but I did notice that he seemed to favor many of my friends and classmates more than me. I was sure that had a direct correlation to my terrible behavior and mean disposition. After all, Mom and Dad had warned me many times that Santa could see who was “naughty or nice” and kept careful score of my behavior. Seemed obvious to me that he was displeased with something I was doing!

And our holiday celebrations weren’t always the stuff of movies. Grandad was often drunk by the end of the day and Gran was nagging at him. Mom and Dad were tense from visiting with other relatives who were better off financially and who didn’t mind making that abundantly clear. There was an unspoken division in our family between the “church-going” and the “unbelievers” and the unbelievers seemed to be much better off financially. It was a confusing time for me.

The one immutable fact in our family was that my grandmother was loved and revered by everyone who knew her. She loved the holidays and often cooked or made gifts for a dozen people who weren’t even family members. She had friends at work, at church, even the places where she shopped. People sought her advice and followed it. They listened to her ideas and believed in her dreams. She told me often that my life would change for the better and that I could do and be anything I wanted…if I worked hard. Turns out she was right.

I reflected on all of this as I decorated our tree yesterday and a woman on television talked about the stress of the holidays.  She pointed out that it is our own expectations that dictate our holiday experience and determine our stress level. I don’t feel that stress anymore. I do what I want and buy what I want and give what I want. I don’t feel obligated to live up to the expectations of others or to recreate some dream holiday scenario from my childhood. I have nothing to prove. I feel only joy that I have so many blessings and I’m able to share with others. I feel grateful that God gave so much to someone so unworthy. He truly does see who is naughty or nice, but instead of keeping score like Santa, he erases some of the numbers and gives me another chance.

Decorating the tree keeps me grounded and reminds me of where we have been and how much our family has grown and evolved over the years. Each ornament I examine has a history and reminds me of another time, another holiday.  And now that I have the perspective of time and experience my reflections include not only the frantic penny pinching and the trips to ER, but memories of all the people who helped us- of anonymous gifts left on our porch, of money slipped into my pocket, of food cooked for us, and prayers said by hospital bedsides. We have been the recipients of the generosity of friends and strangers, and now we have the privilege of paying some of that forward. I guess that is why a sappy movie made before I was even born makes my heart overflow with happiness each time I view it.

My life isn’t ideal.

My family isn’t perfect.

My health is just as fragile as anyone else’s.

My finances aren’t secure enough for me to quit my job.

I don’t have everything on this year’s “must have” list.

But the true measure of a life isn’t what you have…it’s the people you love and who love you in return. “Remember George: no man is a failure who has friends.”

I hope you reflect on your own circumstances this holiday season and bask in the glow of God’s love and the love of others.

It’s a Wonderful Life!

Gratitude

 

I am thankful this morning that I’m alive. Even though our ultimate goal is to be in heaven with Jesus, this is a pretty nice place to visit, and I’m grateful to still be enjoying it. My health is generally good and I have a terrific doctor who is determined to keep it that way.

I’m thankful for my family. Though circumstances dictate that I won’t see most of them today, I know they are happy and healthy and enjoying themselves.

 

I’m thankful for our home. When we moved out here I was grumpy and nervous about making a change after thirteen years. It has turned out to be one of the best places we have ever lived and it has given me joy and peace.

I’m thankful for my job. Not only do I have one, but it brings me great satisfaction. I feel like I’m in the right place at the right time.

I’m thankful for the technology of our times. I don’t use most of it, but clearly the internet and other innovations have changed our lives…mostly for the better. At least I have been given the privilege of keeping in touch with many friends and family who would otherwise be lost to time and distance.

I’m thankful for a hundred daily blessings that I don’t deserve, but selfishly enjoy anyway.  

 

I’m grateful for you.

I’m grateful that despite the rain and winds and clouds this morning the satellite is still functioning!

Have a grateful Thanksgiving!

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

Since we are supposed to have rain and clouds tomorrow I will post this today. I hope you have a great holiday with family and friends. I hope you stay healthy and safe!

Garden Party

 

 
 
Well, apparently the butterflies sent out invitations for one last garden party before our predicted freeze! It was 80 degrees yesterday and I just had to get out of the house for a while to stretch my legs. Of course I took the camera with me! But I didn’t expect to take many photos because the wind was blustering as usual and the yard looked dead. Then I walked around to the garden plot and the butterflies were so busy I didn’t know where to point the camera first. Luckily butterflies are creatures with good instincts and they were on the inside of the fence, out of the worst of the wind. The birds gathered later, after I refreshed the water in the birdbath. You know you live in Oklahoma when this happens just days before Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Week

 

Like everyone else I have my own traditions for each holiday. And as a teacher I have my own traditions for Thanksgiving break. It is basically my “paperwork, mailing, decorating” week. So I began this week with some gift wrapping yesterday afternoon while watching “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Yes, I have my own copy. Yes, I watch it every year, sometimes twice.

Today is going to be a typing, printing, filing, and shredding day. Although I have to admit that every day this week is going to include some shredding! Lol, the trash guy is going to hate me. If we didn’t have 25mph winds I would turn it under the soil in the garden. Maybe I will let some of it sit in the bags for a while.

Tomorrow I plan to do some research at the genealogy library and then finish a bit of shopping.

 

Wednesday will be “clean like you’ve never cleaned before” day!

Thursday- cooking and eating and visiting and relaxing. I love the parade! I love the dog show! Have you ever been to a dog show? The owners are hysterical! So very devoted and serious and they treat those pooches like spoiled children. Almost as much entertainment as a cat show!

Friday I plan to stay home while the professional shoppers do their thing. I will be doing more typing, filing, and researching online.

 

Saturday I will put up my tree and decorate the house.

Of course even though I am a teacher on vacation I’m still a woman…so there will be lots of laundry, cleaning, and cooking during the week. I also plan to finish a book I’ve been reading for a month. And of course there are always photos to shoot! The birds are beginning to gather for their winter feedings. I took these photos through the window this morning so they aren't quite clear, but I still like them.

Have a great day...even if you are working.

 

This, that, and turkeys...

 

Had a good time at school Friday. We had our annual Thanksgiving Lunch with parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and friends. It was very calm and organized and enjoyable! Our kitchen staff did a great job! I surprised my class by dressing as a turkey. They were all dressed up as Pilgrims and Indians, so I just thought I would be different.

 

My father kept turkeys for a while and they really are quite interesting. I can’t say they are the most attractive bird in the world. Aside from their tails, they don’t have a lot to brag about. But they are entertaining.

 

Four of the raccoons came to dinner last night and they were in a bad mood, fussing and snapping at each other. One ran over and jumped on the air-conditioning unit. Another ran up the light pole. Finally two of them turned on another one and it ran off to the woods. They reminded me of very bad children.

This week has been a weather roller coaster: heater and sweater in the morning, air conditioning and t-shirt in the afternoon. 73 today and 46 for Thanksgiving. Freeze for next weekend. In Oklahoma the only sure thing is the wind. It will blow; today 25mph. Not bad.

 

 

I still have a few flowers in the garden, ducks on the pond and critters here and there. Found a caterpillar wandering around yesterday. Haven’t seen the squirrel in quite some time. I’ll be out and about with the camera this week.

 

Once in a while you have to placate your “inner child” and buy something ridiculously frivolous and unnecessary just because it makes you feel so good. I told Gary what I wanted for Christmas this year and she is already gracing my mantel. Her name is Hatari, after my favorite movie, and she is decorated in the style of a Kenyan Pukot tribe bride. She is part of the Tusk series by Westland Giftware. BTW if you collect ANYTHING I urge you to look at the Westland website.

Lots and lots of little projects on the list for this week. Like everyone else there are just so many things I don’t bother to do on a regular basis and then they start to glare at me until guilt motivates me to do something. Yes…I am going to shred those bank statements from 2000!!!

Have a great day!  

 

 

Free Fun!

We never lack for entertainment around here as long as we have Babe. Yes, she is settling into the office trash can. Still there, asleep, as I type this.

 

 

In case you missed her past performances, here are a few highlights from this year.

 
Tasting the raccoon food.

 
Visiting the fish.

 
Not bothering the plants!

 
Trying to go to school.

 
Playing dead on the coffee table.

 
Sleeping with the new plants.