A Blank Look

When grandson Nathaniel is here, I don’t use the foyer mirror because of his amusing ritual of putting it up high. This morning I turned to check my hat before going out. The mirror was in the correct spot, and I thought I was in front of it. It was blackish-BLANK! Two things went through my mind. Either my eyes had failed, or the magic mirror responded to the question of who was fairest in the land. It picked nobody, and that nobody was blanked-out ANNE!

With relief, I realized the mirror was showing the living room, still dark because the sun had not come up. Blame that on the change to daylight savings time. I tried to calculate when to set my alarm, to dress and walk out 30 minutes after the official sunrise. When set correctly, the clock gets us up in time to get back home before Old Sol peeks above our backyard mountain. The alarm will be right in another week. The photos below show what I saw and what I should have seen.

Celebrating JT

Niece Julie organized a marvelous gathering of her sisters and close family members. Considering how busy this group is, it was amazing that 16 of us could meet for several hours. We were greatly rewarded by spending quality time together. Last Fall Julie’s brother-in-law, John T., was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer. What a shock this was to all of us! He was young, in excellent shape, and appeared to be the picture of health. His medical care has been excellent. JT accepted the diagnosis, followed the advice of his doctors, continues to fight this dread disease, and continuously gives his life to God. We all support him in any way we can, including prayer.

You might guess this was a gathering of family members, since most of the action took place in the kitchen and at the dinner table. Julie picked up our grandson Nathaniel, and he was making a caramelized onion dip when we walked in. We did the unpardonable thing of arriving half an hour early, interrupting their last-minute preparations. We had left home early because we had to drive through fog and rain almost the whole way. They were gracious.

Others came in and enjoyed watching Nathaniel shake the pan and flip the onions. Cousin Sam, also a freshman in college, brought Brownies he had baked while at home on Spring break. Two of the women were in the process of leaving a job, so this is a period of transition for them. Myra and Rick had come from a magic convention in Pigeon Forge. They were a bit behind us, having driven on I-40 near our house to get to Charlotte. Christie and Hunter came the furthest and were spending the night, while we had to get home for church responsibilities the next morning. Christie’s Chicken Marbella was fantastic. Beth and I talked about gardening, since I brought her some seeds from our lavender Rose of Sharon bush. I mislabeled them and had to correct that verbally. Cousin Kate talked about finishing her time with the Girl Scouts and beginning her quest to become an Eagle Scout. Beth and Julie were the chief dish washers. Many thanks to them for cleaning up after us. Brother Bob and I chatted about some childhood memories. As you might guess from this paragraph, we mixed and mingled throughout the afternoon.

Our conversation was more focused while we sat at the table. Christie asked JT about his most memorable trips. He couldn’t narrow it down. He said he learned that a trip was not about a destination, but rather it was the experience of being with the people around him. That led to JT’s account of a recent dinner. Three former students, now in college, heard about his cancer. They took him out to dinner to thank him for all he had done for them. Two of their fathers died before JT knew them, and one lost his dad while he was in JT’s class. JT said, “They told me I had been a father figure for them….” We all quietly lost it at that point. JT is a true follower of Christ, one whose life has affected many people around him.

We pray that JT’s joy in living will be complete as God continues to pour out blessings through his life among us. This humble man has a mighty faith that is truly awesome. Rather than moving mountains, his faith moves human hearts.

“It Didn’t Hit the Floor!”

Neighbor Logan (8) visited with us after school. Among other things, he read to John, helped pick up sticks and limbs in the backyard, played for a limited time on the computer, and batted balloons around with us. One game is to bat the thing around, trying to keep it from touching the floor. Logan made the most dramatic rescues, flinging himself to the floor under the balloon and shouting, “It didn’t hit the floor!”

The balloon whizzed from the front hall, past the fireplace, into the kitchen, behind the table, and came straight at me. In hitting it, my hand caught the lamp shade, and the lamp began to topple. In a lucky save, I caught it. Immediately Logan and John shouted, “It didn’t hit the floor!”

030719 Logan reads to John.JPG — A quiet moment — Logan reading to John

Using and Losing a Cell Phone

David had an unusual use for his phone. I said goodbye to him, and a minute later he called me. He asked, “Could you come and get the neighbor’s dog out of the garage? I need to get to work.”

As David backed out of the garage, the small black dog ran in. David didn’t want to shut the dog in the garage or leave the door open. As soon as I walked out, the dog followed me, and everyone was happy. The dog is a new visitor to our house. Her owner is a neighbor I haven’t written about. I never met the man, and he died in December. We’ve seen the pretty little dog sniffing everything in the pasture and running about the area, but only recently has she come to me. I pet her once or twice, and off she goes again.

John’s phone was the one that was lost briefly. He had been working on the train tracks at the club and had not realized his phone dropped out of his pocket. He would have been greatly concerned if he had known it was missing. The four miles of track are on the side of a mountain, and there are several huge trestles and bridges in the layout. The phone could have been anywhere. It could have dropped in a 20-foot ravine or been lying on the ballast.

Two women in the club walked along the track for exercise. They found John and asked, “Is this yours?”

They were holding his phone. His hand went to his pocket, which of course, was empty.

“How did you find it? I didn’t know it was missing.” he said.

“We were walking and heard a steam engine. The sound was coming from the phone between the rails.”

They were amused, and so was I when I heard the story. A year or so ago I put a ring tone on that phone that has the sound of a steam engine blowing its whistle. The pharmacy happened to call to let John know he had a prescription ready, and that’s when the ladies walked by it.

Norwegian Hot Cross Buns

First of all, Norwegian Hot Cross Buns don’t exist for anyone else. Knowing this was Ash Wednesday, I thought of a special breakfast as John and I walked to the creek. I could make a quick version of the buns before David got up. Well, I was wrong on many counts. Hot Cross Buns are English, and they should be served on Good Friday, not Ash Wednesday. I called my creation Norwegian, because I used cardamom in the dough. Cardamom is featured in many Norwegian baked goods, especially Christmas cookies. I earned another error mark for the wrong season of the year. My last mistake was thinking David wouldn’t be awake early on his day off. He came in the kitchen as I was rolling out the dough.

Despite all these missteps early in the day, we enjoyed our yeast buns that included raisins, almonds, cardamom, and vanilla icing. There was a duet of vocal resistance when I said I’d freeze the leftovers for Good Friday. I guess when you mess up all the cultural rules, you might as well eat up your mistakes in a matter of days.

No Spring in our Step

The day after taking grandson Nathaniel back to college, we went for our usual morning walk. Cold temperatures were in the forecast, but snow was not. Although the roads were clear, decks and steps were white. We donned winter gear and sallied forth. Visualize a generic snowflake, if you will, with its cute little points. Let me tell you, those cute little points were daggers! Forsythia buds shivered in the breeze, and daffodil leaves huddled close. Spring may be looming on the calendar, but it is not here yet. As for our walking steps, they were at winter speed. In consideration of ears and toes, we did not linger. That is, we didn’t linger until we saw neighbor Marla sweeping the snow off the minivan. We agreed the snow was a surprise, as neither she nor John heard it in the forecast.

030419 Marla and John as snow fell.JPG

Spring Break Ends

Grandson Nathaniel’s last full day with us was packed with excitement. Our son John $ was here to visit with him. $ drove Nate and me to Soco Falls between Maggie Valley and Cherokee. We went down the steep path to the viewing platform, which was far enough for me. Nathaniel continued down to the base of the falls where he posed for a moment.

030219 Soco Falls with Nate.JPG

His bright blue shirt helped in spotting him. I zoomed in as he started the climb back.

030219 Soco Falls Nate zoomed.JPG

Because of a connection of dear neighbors, Nathaniel had a job interview in town. It seemed to go very well, and they will talk again when Nate finishes classes in May. I don’t want to jinx it, so I’ll say no more.

Because John was doing trains in Tennessee, we were sharing one car. David hurried to be ready for work, and we dropped him off on the way to Nathaniel’s interview. I knew the car needed gas, so I stopped on the way back. Filling a car would be humdrum for most folks, but it has probably been ten years since I pumped gas. I told Nate I was screwing my courage to the sticking post to do it. I had to read all the instructions on the pump. Bless his heart, he had come around the car and was standing there, ready to help if need be. I know you are snickering, but that was my big excitement of the day.

It can be a bit intimidating to cook for a chef. Nathaniel never criticizes anything, but I’m aware that his standards are very high. What would you cook for him if he came to your house? The two prettiest things I did were a chicken pie and a chocolate chip coffeecake.

We will miss Nathaniel when he is back at school. It won’t be long before he will be here again, and David is still with us. Let the good times keep rollin’!

Chef’s Practice Time

Like all artists, beginning chefs practice for hours.. When passion is involved though, you might substitute “play” for “practice”. I enjoyed watching grandson Nathaniel in my kitchen. He piped chocolate on a plate, working for skill and speed. A design like this might be used to decorate a plate on which a dessert is served. Grandson David was the designated cleaner, eating it the next day.

030119 Design on plate.JPG — This is on a small dessert plate.

I cooked poached eggs for breakfast, using silicone forms. Nathaniel had a second one, which he cooked in the classic way. He boiled water in a saucepan, added a little vinegar, swirled the water with a spoon, and gently tipped the egg in the water. He likes a runny yolk, so he took it out before the yolk solidified.

030119 Poaching egg.JPG — Poaching an egg in boiling water

Nathaniel held his phone in one hand to take a video as he cut the egg with the other hand. I was filming the same scene with my camera. We enjoyed the replay.

I requested a chocolate dessert of his choice. As he and I walked to the creek, he was planning the trifle. While chatting with neighbor Marla, he spoke of his plans and invited her to come over when it was ready. We were delayed by several things, so Connie was home from work and able to come for the spontaneous party, too.

030119 Spontaneous party N Connie Marla.JPG — Nathaniel, Connie, and Marla

Nathaniel practiced assembling the trifle in small bowls. I would have plopped the layers in with a spoon, but he did the proper thing of using a pastry bag. Each layer was even, making a pretty picture from the side. For our little group, he used a large bowl. If I knew he would settle near us after college, I’d buy a trifle bowl!

Supreme an Orange

Grandson Nathaniel had several things going in the kitchen when he picked up an orange. He asked, “Would you like to see me supreme an orange?” (Supreme sounded like “sup prim” to me.) I had no idea what he was talking about. He explained that for presentation, orange slices should have no membrane with them. Hmmmm. Sounded awfully fiddly to me. See if you agree.

He cut both ends off the fruit. Setting the orange on an end, he made a downward slice to remove skin and pith, continuing until the orange was naked.

Holding the orange in his hand, he sliced from the edge to the center. The membrane remained close to his hand. The second cut freed the first slice, which he put in a bowl. He pulled the membrane under his thumb and continued until all the slices had been done. That left only membrane in his left hand. Neat!

The miser in me couldn’t watch him throw away those juicy bits, so I ate them. All that was left was the center of the orange and the pretty slices, which were not displayed nicely.

022619 (7).JPG

I asked what he was going to use the fruit for, and he replied that it was just practice for him. Wow! All that just for practice? We ate what was left, and we were both happy.

Duck Dinner

Grandson Nathaniel loves a challenge, meaning he is willing to cook anything you desire. John had a longing for duck, and Nate was eager to please his granddad. My photo of the two of them does not show off the food well.

022619 Nate John duck dinner.JPG

We sat down to a meal of duck, orange sauce, beet salad, and Nathaniel’s raspberry sorbet. The naked duck looked defenseless in the roasting pan but improved with cooking. The meat was good and provided a reasonable background for Nate’s fabulous orange sauce. He created the sauce and said he should write it down. Indeed, he should! It was the best meat sauce I’ve ever eaten.

Carving the duck was not easy. John provided vocal support as Nathaniel worked with it. The real problem was that there wasn’t much meat. That scrawny duck grudgingly gave us four skimpy servings.

022619 Nate carving duck.JPG

The beet salad was both lovely and tasty. He roasted the beets, coated them with a light dressing, and added spinach and pecans. I’ve always been fond of beets, and his dish was superb. I’m looking forward to leftovers of that.

022619 Beet salad.JPG

The raspberry sorbet provided the perfect ending to the meal, along with his fresh-ground coffee. Oh! How blessed we are when Nathaniel comes to visit!