Back to the Beaten Path

By the time we found our way out of the woods, back from the walk in the park, after the sit in the tree, and after our long drive and mini-golf, we’d had a full day and it was time for the German goulash I promised Goodnight.

As intrigued as I was by the facade of the German restaurant, it was the chimney sweep that caught my eye.

Goodnight is a foodie and declared the German noodles that accompanied her goulash, “the best noodles I’ve ever eaten!”  I love her easy gratitude.  Inside the restaurant, a mural of a German scene and a train circling the restaurant overhead, kept us amused – thought with GN, not much extra amusement is necessary.  I find her easy company when I remind myself to listen to the world from her perspective.

Goodnight is the shopper in the house and while she was designing her own souvenir T-shirt, I strolled the street to drink in the colors of the flowers adorning the walk.

We eventually found our way to a lovely spot where I could knit a bit and read a while.  I perched myself right where the sunlight was spilling onto the furniture.

And then of course, a long stay in the pool before tucking a tired teen under the covers.

Goodnight is still sound asleep for now and I have time to grab some coffee and knit a bit.  It’s tough to knit in the car along the way as I’m the only driver.  Later today, I am going to introduce my granddaughter to an old friend of mine.  

 

Off the Beaten Path

Prior to the walk in the park where GN and I spotted the loon, we took a walk in the woods.  We were definitely off the beaten path.  In fact, there was no path whatsoever.

I parked my car at my regular entry point.  As you can see by the photo below, I am only a few yards into our walk and the car is disappearing from view because of the thick underbrush.

There is truth to the saying, “We may never pass this way again,” but sometimes we get to become comfortable with where we’ve passed because we are given the chance to repeat it.  That’s true for me and this particular spot.  I have more years of experience with passing this way in the woods, than I do at my work.

These little flowers greeted us shortly after entering the woods.

Everywhere the eye can see, it was thickly wooded, thick with mosquitos, dotted with birch trees, and heavily overgrown.  It was a good hike and a good test of orienteering.  There was absolutely no path.  (Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place for a path or a paved walk in the park, but while I am able, I want to step lively in the woods from time to time.) I loved it because we got to see what we saw because we stepped over felled branches or small trees rather than follow some pre-determined, paved journey.  It’s a good way to beat the summer heat, too because the sunlight struggled to find its way to the forest floor.

I’m not much of a shopper for souvenirs, but I usually bring back parts of birch branches that have decomposed from the inside, leaving the bark, which makes lovely holiday candles or Christmas tree ornaments.

How about you: beaten path, find your own way, or a combination of both adventures?

A Loon, A Moose, and the Best Tree Ever!

My granddaughter and I took a lovely drive yesterday.  We usually take Sunday drives, but we started early this weekend.  We just wanted to relax and see what we could see.

We spotted a single loon on a lake.

We spotted a serene moose, willing to pose for photos while eating.   ;-)

We took a walk in a park and spotted the ‘best tree ever!’  I must adit that I thought it took a graceful and inviting dip toward the shoreline.  A peaceful place to read, I think.

Further along in the park, we spotted some boys bridge-jumping into the water below. I snapped the photo at a moment when they were taking a break to laugh at their adventure.  Though they were huddled off to the side, they had been jumping two at a time from the center of the bridge.

It was an easy day: mini-golf and time outdoors with a teenager who is willing to hit the road with her gram.

 

The sign said “Free Pop for Hole-in-One: This Hole Only”

I took Goodnight to play a round of mini-golf this afternoon.  We went to a little place where we haven’t played before.  As we approached the first hole, we saw the sign promising the free soda (we say pop here) to anyone who got a hole-in-one one there.

GN went first.  She made it through the obstacle on her first attempt.  I wasn’t so sure I was going to be able to do it.

 

I took my swing and got it through, then my ball dropped right into the hole!  The owner and his two sons were watching at the widow.  They opened the window as soon as they heard us laughing. 

“Did you get it?” asked the owner.

“I got it!” was my reply.

GN got a hole-in-one on the fourth hole, though it didn’t qualify for a free pop, it did qualify for some laughter, high-fives, and some bragging!  Way to go, Honey!

GN and I finished out the round.  When we went to return our clubs, one of the boys had fetched the three kinds of pop they had in the cooler.  I chose the kind I knew GN would like.  Shallow victory if the Gram doesn’t say, “Would you do me a big favor and share this with me?”

 

Monday Lunch

GN:  What’s for dinner, Gram?  I’m hungry.

Gram:  Monday Lunch.

GN: We’re having lunch for dinner?

Gram:  No, Honey.  We’re having Monday Lunch for dinner.

GN:  What did we have for lunch on Monday?

Gram:  I don’t remember, Honey.

GN:  But you said we were having Monday’s lunch for dinner and I don’t remember what we ate for lunch on Monday.

Gram:  We are not having Monday’s lunch for dinner.  We are having Monday Lunch for dinner.

GN: I’m confused.

Gram:  I can tell.

GN: Oh!  I get it!  What is Monday Lunch, Gram?

Gram:  I’ll show you the recipe I found.  It’s in my potato cookbook and it looked like we would both like it.

GM : (peering at the recipe)  THAT’S what smells so good.

Gram:  Yes it does.  I thought the smell would call you to the table.   That’s Monday Lunch.

Monday Lunch is a potato soup recipe with some meat in it.  My old cookbook called for diced hot dogs, but I found a recipe online that called for bacon.  The online recipe varies from mine a bit, but not a lot.  It’s very hearty soup.

GN:  Gram!  We should come up with other recipes for the rest of the week!

Gram:  I suspect that’s already been done, Honey.

I can’t wait until she asks me what’s for dinner tonight . . .  I love to see her cogs turn as she processes things.

For the Birds

Goodnight and I have returned from Smalltownville.  Whenever I’m there, I stop in some store on Main Street and controbute to the local economy, so to speak: the bakery, the drug store, the thrift shop, the grocery store, and on our most recent excursion, the quilt shop.

I am not a quilter and don’t claim to be one, but I always like to take a peek and fabrics.  Goodnight was interested in doing some sewing this summer, so we both wen into the quilt shop to see what was there.  It’s a small shop, but for its size, it holds enough bolts of fabric to take some time browsing.

It didn’t take me long to spot a fabric that had some birds on it.  I bought just enough to make a center runner for my table.

I took the time yesterday to get most of the table runner constructed.  In the photo below, I have some other items that I purchased from the thrift shop.  I decided I wanted som stemware appropriate for serving (virgin) rhubarb daiquiris.  The glasses I found were even better than I had hoped for before I went into the shop!

The sections really represent four seasons as the background for the birds, but I found a backing fabric that had pine needles on it that I liked.

The ends of the table runner have not been sewn shut yet.  I am knitting a bit of trim to add first.

The trim will take longer for me to complete than the sewing did, but there’s really no timetable on this phase of ‘nesting’ that I’m currently in right now. 

 

 

 

 

Nuthin’ included a ‘leap’ of faith . . .

My granddaughter doesn’t get to swim in pools that have diving boards very often.  Even less often would be the chance to swim in a pool with a higher than normal diving board.

Such was the case yesterday afternoon (actually, the day before as well, but she couldn’t work up the courage).

In keeping our appointment with nothing, we headed back to the swimming pool of my youth near Smalltownville.  I swam in competitions there once in a while and was quite at home with the deep end of the pool.

It takes time and repetition to get comfortable with walking to the end of the high dive and just taking the last step over the edge.  GN tried several times, but ended up going back down the ladder.

Then, finally . . . she just jumped! 

After that, there was no stopping her.  She kept holding her nose and taking the leap! 

Music still plays over loudspeakers at the community pool and though it’s not from my era, it’s a pleasant accompaniment to our appointment with nuthin’.  It’s a good prescription for summer: toss in pool, climb ladder to high dive, jump, rest on towel in the sun every now and then, repeat until dusk, tuck into bed . . .

Barefooted, cloud-watching, pool-dipping . . .

I did as I promised.   GN got properly soaked in one of the swimming pools of my youth.

Earlier in the afternoon, we aimed our noses to the sky and watched as animal-shaped clouds drifted over the corn fields near Smalltownville.  There was a bat with wings spread, a shark, sea-horse, and a turtle . . . all fluffy and white with the promise of no rain for the dip in the pool.

As for the rest of the weekend, we have an appointment with lots of NUTHIN’!

 

It’s been a ‘great-great-great’ week!

I’ve been continuing my family research this past week.  It’s a scavenger hunt, but I enjoy that sort of thing.  As I’ve visited with my mother over the years, there are stories I remember, but they only went back in history so far.  I guess what I really wanted to do was to be able to tell my mother some things that she didn’t already know.

My mother knew the names of her grandparents.  This past week I was able to find out the names of her mother’s grandfather and great-grandfather.  I also found the names of their wives (and children) and where they all are buried.  I also found out that the country of their country of origin hasn’t been passed down accurately: not because of lies, but because of misinformation.  I have a new geographic heritage to consider (from one side of the family.)

Whatever information I find and share with my mother, benefits me as well, because her great-grandfather is my 3x great-grandfather and that makes it 5x great for Goodnight.  I am organizing the information for her so when she’s more interested in family history, it will be readily available.  Unfortunately, there are no photos from so far back, but my great-great-great grandfather’s birth goes into the late 1700′s.

I’ve been stuck getting further back than my maternal grandfather’s folks.  No middle initials have been passed down, so it’s taking more time to look for information about the next generation back from them.  I found information about the 1,200 acre farm they owned and the 17-room house that stood on the land.  I’ve visited that farm, been inside the large house and recently found an aerial photo of the property.

I had equal luck on my father’s side of the family, though they have presented more of a challenge.  I was able to find information about the church where my dad’s grandparents were married, including the name of the minster who performed the wedding.  The church is on the National Register of Historic Places, so current photos abound.  I plan to visit it soon, but not until I make a list of all the family places to visit in that area.  I plant to visit when it coincides with a heritage festival (of my newly discovered country of origin.)

I understand that it is possible to look at old records at the historic church, so I’m hoping to find out the name of my paternal grandmother’s great-grandparents.    The census information never listed any city of origin, only the country, so I’m still trying to narrow it down.

But . . . enough of the old stuff!  I’m tossing my granddaughter in the car, heading to Smalltownville for the weekend and we are going to hit the swimming pool where I used to go as a kidster.  It’s in the next town ‘over’ as they say there.

 

 

 

“Grammy? You’re the cake . . .

By the title of my post, you can already guess that Goodnight was speaking to me, right?  And you can probably guess that she completed her sentence with something witty.

She’s a pixie, that teenager!

“Grammy, you’re the cake, but I’m the frosting.  You’re the package, but I’m the bow.”

I don’t think she’s putting me down, nor do I believe it’s vanity.  I just think it’s her playful side poking through as a result of the summer Happy-Photo-of-the Day Project I assigned her.

She has a busy summer schedule.  She is volunteering at a summer program for her younger schoolmates at her (now) former school.  This is her third year volunteering for that program.

But . . . when she is home for the day, she disappears to her room for a while.  It’s quiet up there as she looks about and stages a happy photo to shoot.

She decided to take pictures of herself.  I didn’t set that as a parameter, but it met my criteria for her project.  At the end of each week, she transfers her photos to a file for a PowerPoint presentation at the end of the summer.  When she presents it to me, we will dim the lights, make some popcorn, and have an old-fashioned slide show but with updated technology.  (Anyone remember those?  Remember having to cock your head at an unnatural angle because a slide was in upside-down?)

I’m not going to take too many liberties with her pix, but when she bounced down the stairs last night to ‘turn in her assignment’, I loved it!  It made me smile for so many reasons.  The look on her face of indecision about a nail color, thought feigned, is characteristically natural and it is about all the stress I want her to have for a while.

One interesting thing I’ve noticed in her pix so far is that her arm barely perceptible as she reaches out to hold her camera and take the picture.

If I’m the cake and she’s the frosting, it’s just her way of assuring me that she makes my life better.

I concur.