We are away at Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland for the week. Its slow--everything from getting going in the morning to the day to the dial-up internet. I haven't felt my usual vacation impatience of trying fit stuff in, just hanging out, not worrying about much of anything. We took the little kids to "Toddler Tuesday" for some hiking, animals and playgrounds. They even let them paint and cleaned up after them--worth every penny! Then we took Mom out for her birthday pizza and made homemade ice cream. Tonight we'll go to the park's weekly bonfire for roasted marshmallows, stories and drumming. Tomorrow is date night courtesy of the grandparents. Maybe a little kayaking on Friday. In all its slowness, the week is going much too fast!
Then there is a small world is playing in my head. We went to the weekly party thrown by the rental company, ran into someone we know from church here in Maryland. Her brother was with her and he and my brother-in-law know each other from their hometown in Pennsylvania--what are the odds?
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Rituals of the Past
I opened my e-mail account this morning to find the following e-mail from an old friend....
Greetings Recovering Housing Friends!
Waking up today was not stressful. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t until the news anchor noted the date that I realized it was even August 1st.
Everyone remembers the significance of August 1st RIGHT (or you wouldn’t be getting this email)…training started.
Yes, days and days of policy review, opening of school information, team building exercises, copying lots of stuff, finalizing late RA hires, eating lunch at the Schwebel Room, planning for the RAs to arrive and 1000 other things!
So, nine years after my last August 1st training day started, I can finally enjoy the day. Why? Because I’m NOT going to TRAINING!
Now, this doesn’t mean I didn’t like training, after all I was assigned nine of those years to coordinate some part of training (RA, RD, KIC and GA).
Yes, we still remember it, vividly all these years later. I worked as a Resident Director for 7 years. Seven years of safety and diversity and communication training for two weeks followed by another couple of weeks of passing it on to my own staff. Team building, did she mention the team building exercises? It had fun moments but in some ways it made you long for the craziness of the school year so you could wake up from the training haze. Every night after the numbing training sessions there were rooms to inspect and forms to fill out--ah, those were the days. The good news was 2 months off, or at least 2 months doing something slightly different and enjoying the summer slow down on the campus.
Sometimes I miss those days--mostly those school schedule induced breaks that don't happen in the corporate world. One day someone at work remarked about how calm I was in a crisis. I looked him in the eye and told him I didn't have to worry about keying into a room and finding a dead kid, no drunks threw up on me and the police never called at 4AM so as crisis went this was really nothing.
Greetings Recovering Housing Friends!
Waking up today was not stressful. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t until the news anchor noted the date that I realized it was even August 1st.
Everyone remembers the significance of August 1st RIGHT (or you wouldn’t be getting this email)…training started.
Yes, days and days of policy review, opening of school information, team building exercises, copying lots of stuff, finalizing late RA hires, eating lunch at the Schwebel Room, planning for the RAs to arrive and 1000 other things!
So, nine years after my last August 1st training day started, I can finally enjoy the day. Why? Because I’m NOT going to TRAINING!
Now, this doesn’t mean I didn’t like training, after all I was assigned nine of those years to coordinate some part of training (RA, RD, KIC and GA).
Yes, we still remember it, vividly all these years later. I worked as a Resident Director for 7 years. Seven years of safety and diversity and communication training for two weeks followed by another couple of weeks of passing it on to my own staff. Team building, did she mention the team building exercises? It had fun moments but in some ways it made you long for the craziness of the school year so you could wake up from the training haze. Every night after the numbing training sessions there were rooms to inspect and forms to fill out--ah, those were the days. The good news was 2 months off, or at least 2 months doing something slightly different and enjoying the summer slow down on the campus.
Sometimes I miss those days--mostly those school schedule induced breaks that don't happen in the corporate world. One day someone at work remarked about how calm I was in a crisis. I looked him in the eye and told him I didn't have to worry about keying into a room and finding a dead kid, no drunks threw up on me and the police never called at 4AM so as crisis went this was really nothing.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Being the ant--my obsession with summer produce
This weekend I felt a bit like the ant laying up stores for the winter while the rest of my family played grasshopper. I am sure all my little bugs will enjoy it this winter. There is such great fresh food available right and I want to take full advantage. Next week we starting getting a weekly box of produce from Shaw Farm CSA. This weekend I put away 4 quarts of peaches and 4 bags of lima beans to eat this winter, as well as adding to my blueberry stash.
Friday night I picked these at Larriland Farm, putting my blueberry picking total for the summer somewhere up around 15 pounds (not bad for someone who never picked a blueberry before! It was a beautiful night, there was the threat of storms and a wind that cooled things off. I was out in the blueberry patch all by myself. 
Although there were a lot less berries than the last time I was out, the picking was a whole lot easier, no worrying about the green ones, they just weren't there. I can home and made blueberry muffins (with a little help from the girls) for breakfast on Saturday morning. I used this recipe from Food Network. Alton never steers me wrong. They were great right out of the oven. This morning I wasn't nearly so impressed, they were a bit dry. I would guess that has more to do with my over baking in the convection oven than Alton's recipe.
In addition to the last of the blueberries I picked the first of the summer peaches. I picked just over 20 pounds (to get the discount, I am a sucker f0r a discount). It was the first day of peach picking and the trees were heavy with fruit. I had a good time ducking into the middle of the trees to find the juiciest peaches--lots of them were still on their way to even "firm" ripe. Once home I spent lots of time on the computer trying to find new recipes to make with my bounty. So much for new recipes, I went for the tried and true cobbler recipe combining my blueberries and peaches.
Fruit Cobbler (from the Gilman United Methodist Church Cookbook)
Friday night I picked these at Larriland Farm, putting my blueberry picking total for the summer somewhere up around 15 pounds (not bad for someone who never picked a blueberry before! It was a beautiful night, there was the threat of storms and a wind that cooled things off. I was out in the blueberry patch all by myself. 
Although there were a lot less berries than the last time I was out, the picking was a whole lot easier, no worrying about the green ones, they just weren't there. I can home and made blueberry muffins (with a little help from the girls) for breakfast on Saturday morning. I used this recipe from Food Network. Alton never steers me wrong. They were great right out of the oven. This morning I wasn't nearly so impressed, they were a bit dry. I would guess that has more to do with my over baking in the convection oven than Alton's recipe.
In addition to the last of the blueberries I picked the first of the summer peaches. I picked just over 20 pounds (to get the discount, I am a sucker f0r a discount). It was the first day of peach picking and the trees were heavy with fruit. I had a good time ducking into the middle of the trees to find the juiciest peaches--lots of them were still on their way to even "firm" ripe. Once home I spent lots of time on the computer trying to find new recipes to make with my bounty. So much for new recipes, I went for the tried and true cobbler recipe combining my blueberries and peaches.
Fruit Cobbler (from the Gilman United Methodist Church Cookbook)Cover the bottom of a 9x9 pan with fruit
Mix together:
3/4 c sugar
3 TBSP butter
1 c flour
3 TBSP butter
1 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c milk
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients and then add milk and stir until it comes together. Spread over fruit (don't worry about covering the entire thing).
Mix:
1 c sugar
1 TBSP cornstarch
1 c water
Pour over the entire pan.
Bake 40 minutes at 375F.
I baked zucchini bread using Gretchen's recipe and put one loaf in the freezer. Gman and I loved it, haven't gotten the kids to try it yet. I also put together a peach pie and put it in the freezer as a surprise for dessert one night next week when we are on vacation with my family. So that is the end of the baking for the weekend.
I also gave canning a try for the first time this weekend. I LOVE hot pepper jelly so I decided to give it a try. I used this recipe from the nice folks at SureJell. I am not sure how it tastes yet but it did all set up and the jars sealed (love the little pinging sound as they go). Since the jelly went so well I was on a quest to make pickles as well. I am in search of the recipe for my grandmother's sweet pickles. My grandmother is in a nursing home following a stroke and my Mom can't find the recipe. I found one on a forum that I sent to Mom to go over with grandma and see if it sounds close. It will be a big project, its a 10-day process adding boiling water or syrup to the pickles every day while they process. The end product is so worth it, both in taste and for the memories of the big crock sitting in my grandparents kitchen for most of the summer as she made different kinds of pickles. Until I find the recipe, a crock and 10 days where I have time to tend to the pickles everyday that project is on hold.
I also gave canning a try for the first time this weekend. I LOVE hot pepper jelly so I decided to give it a try. I used this recipe from the nice folks at SureJell. I am not sure how it tastes yet but it did all set up and the jars sealed (love the little pinging sound as they go). Since the jelly went so well I was on a quest to make pickles as well. I am in search of the recipe for my grandmother's sweet pickles. My grandmother is in a nursing home following a stroke and my Mom can't find the recipe. I found one on a forum that I sent to Mom to go over with grandma and see if it sounds close. It will be a big project, its a 10-day process adding boiling water or syrup to the pickles every day while they process. The end product is so worth it, both in taste and for the memories of the big crock sitting in my grandparents kitchen for most of the summer as she made different kinds of pickles. Until I find the recipe, a crock and 10 days where I have time to tend to the pickles everyday that project is on hold. To test my pickle making skills I started out on Sweet and Spicy Pickles. Next time I will heed the warning to wearing gloves while dealing with the jalapenos! My skin cracked on my index fingers kind after using the mandolin to slice all the peppers. It was kind of like when you put Elmer's on your hand as a kid and then moved it. Not so cool when its your skin. No long term harm though, things are back to normal if a little rough today. Again, all the jars sealed, now they need to age 10 days before we give them a try.
Very busy domestic weekend. It reminded me again how much I hate my kitchen, not nearly the room I'd like to do these big projects but thinking back its WAY bigger than my grandmother's kitchen and she turned out all kinds of good stuff.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The summer sickies
Or is it allergies? Not really sick enough to take a sick day, not really well enough to function 100%. I've got an annoying cough, annoying enough that my friend in an office down the hall came bearing cough drops this afternoon. Apparently she'd heard enough. I must say her Ricola Honey & Herb drops were not bad, I was gag-free. (Yeah, I know, TMI but usually cough drops are worse for me than the coughing!)
Gman isn't fairing much better, he says his throat hurts and he has a swollen gland. We are doing a lot of horizontal parenting these days, mostly to request that the whining stop. right. now. We did give into the request for Rita's this evening. Nothing like something cold to calm the throat. He is currently giving the girls a bath, I haven't heard screams from any of the involved parties so it must be going okay.
Vacation countdown: 7 more work days until vacation
School countdown: 33 days
Gman isn't fairing much better, he says his throat hurts and he has a swollen gland. We are doing a lot of horizontal parenting these days, mostly to request that the whining stop. right. now. We did give into the request for Rita's this evening. Nothing like something cold to calm the throat. He is currently giving the girls a bath, I haven't heard screams from any of the involved parties so it must be going okay.
Vacation countdown: 7 more work days until vacation
School countdown: 33 days
Monday, July 23, 2007
Twenty Years, Really?
I went to my 20th high school reunion this weekend. I wasn't too sure I wanted to go, I wasn't sure what everyone would be like as we approach 40. I remember bits and pieces of my high school experience and sometimes its the things that I didn't do like go to my senior prom or boat dance that stick out in my mind. When people were talking online about going to a dance club I'd never been there and wondered if I'd idealized some of my experience and maybe I had missed out on more than I knew being the fat girl.
With a little trepidation I wandered into the party on Friday night knowing that a couple of my good friends were there. I kind of snuck in and found them. It was dark, we were outside and I was trying to get my bearings. We were standing in a small group trying to figure out who was whom. The women were relatively easy--the men not so much. We all looked basically the same, a few pounds here or there, a lot less hair (no perms or spraying for height). The boys had become men, lost hair, gained bellies and facial hair. People were in small groups talking but there was lots of movement between groups. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to see each other after all these years. There were hugs, kisses and shrieks as people found each other.
The next morning it was coffee and donuts with our families and some old teachers. My ninth grade English teacher came. I had forgotten what a hellish group we had been. She was an easy target, we were a smart (ass) group and gave her a serious run for her money. She remembered it in minute detail--it was frankly a bit embarrassing and I hadn't been one of the perpetrators, I was just along for the ride. She must be in her 70s but obviously she has the memory of an elephant! My mother dug out my yearbooks, the senior issue of the high school paper and a whole book of clippings. We had a great time looking through them.
Saturday night was the big get together, dinner and dancing. More fun than either was talking and laughing. See the big smiles pasted on our faces? We laughed until we cried. My throat hurt, my sides hurt and I haven't had so much fun in a very long time. There is something about being around people who know you from back in the day and still like you that is really comforting. As much as we'd all changed, it was interesting to see how true to ourselves we really were way back then. There was a certain bond being able to laugh about things that had embarrassed us 20 or even 30 years ago. The cheerleaders mingled with the farmers, the band geeks talked to the football players, and from what I saw and what I've read online today, everyone had an unforgettable time. I've heard that you often regret more what you didn't do than what you did. I have to say I am sure I'd regret it if I hadn't gone home to be with my class this weekend. As different as our lives are now, we all have those years together in that small town that ground us and made us who we are. Hail our alma mater.
With a little trepidation I wandered into the party on Friday night knowing that a couple of my good friends were there. I kind of snuck in and found them. It was dark, we were outside and I was trying to get my bearings. We were standing in a small group trying to figure out who was whom. The women were relatively easy--the men not so much. We all looked basically the same, a few pounds here or there, a lot less hair (no perms or spraying for height). The boys had become men, lost hair, gained bellies and facial hair. People were in small groups talking but there was lots of movement between groups. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to see each other after all these years. There were hugs, kisses and shrieks as people found each other.
The next morning it was coffee and donuts with our families and some old teachers. My ninth grade English teacher came. I had forgotten what a hellish group we had been. She was an easy target, we were a smart (ass) group and gave her a serious run for her money. She remembered it in minute detail--it was frankly a bit embarrassing and I hadn't been one of the perpetrators, I was just along for the ride. She must be in her 70s but obviously she has the memory of an elephant! My mother dug out my yearbooks, the senior issue of the high school paper and a whole book of clippings. We had a great time looking through them.
Saturday night was the big get together, dinner and dancing. More fun than either was talking and laughing. See the big smiles pasted on our faces? We laughed until we cried. My throat hurt, my sides hurt and I haven't had so much fun in a very long time. There is something about being around people who know you from back in the day and still like you that is really comforting. As much as we'd all changed, it was interesting to see how true to ourselves we really were way back then. There was a certain bond being able to laugh about things that had embarrassed us 20 or even 30 years ago. The cheerleaders mingled with the farmers, the band geeks talked to the football players, and from what I saw and what I've read online today, everyone had an unforgettable time. I've heard that you often regret more what you didn't do than what you did. I have to say I am sure I'd regret it if I hadn't gone home to be with my class this weekend. As different as our lives are now, we all have those years together in that small town that ground us and made us who we are. Hail our alma mater.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Summerus Childus Obnoxious
Symptoms of Summerus Childus Obnoxious:
- Non-stop whining
- Responding to every request with "no" or "I don't want to"
- Incessant requests to go to the pool after they've been told no
- Frequent tearful reactions to minor things often accompanied by stomping off
- Refusal to eat anything other than mashed potatoes and Popsicles
My kids have got a severe case, from what it sounds like it might be going around Builder Mama HQ as well. Is it the different summer schedule? Are they just tired from being outside all day? Is it the influence of the older kids on PDQ? Is it the heat? I don't know, but I can say it was one of those mornings where there was no regret in dropping them off and going to work. Just five minutes of quiet, really, what a concept. I swear Boobah has no off button and PDQ's volume is stuck on 10. Less than three weeks to vacation, pray that we all live that long!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Mindless Summer Fun
We did a whole lot of NOTHING this weekend. Its been an intense couple of weeks, it was hotter than hades and everyone just needed some serious chillaxin'. I went to the gym, church, the farm market, and the grocery store between Friday night and this evening and those were the only times I left the house. I watched a whole lot of nothin' on TV--The Biggest Loser special editions, hours of FoodTV and Dr. 90210. My mind is officially mush.
I did make the effort to go to the farm market today and they had just picked lima beans. I LOVE fresh lima beans. I don't know why frozen ones from the store just aren't the same--but they are not. Growing up we cooked them, then when the water was mostly gone added milk and butter and ate it over white bread. I have no idea why, I just know that it was GOOD. Today I bought 5 pounds of lima beans. It is so hard to tell how much that is in terms of beans because the pods are so big. I brought them home and shelled them and shelled them and shelled them in front of the mindless TV. I cooked some and stuck a bag full in the freezer. They were delicious. Between that and the salad with fresh, halved yellow and red cherry tomatoes, a bit of fresh basil, mozarella and balsamic vinegar--it tasted like summer.
Es and her boys came over to share in the bounty. I also whipped up some homemade ice cream, it was our second batch since receiving the freezer for Christmas.
MM: Does it turn off when its done?
GM: Nope
MM: How long should it go?
GM: The instructions said 15 minutes
MM: How long has it been?
GM: I don't know
MM: So, how will you know when its done
GM: Last time I listened to it and I knew. Your Dad says it is when water comes out of the drain hole.
I did make the effort to go to the farm market today and they had just picked lima beans. I LOVE fresh lima beans. I don't know why frozen ones from the store just aren't the same--but they are not. Growing up we cooked them, then when the water was mostly gone added milk and butter and ate it over white bread. I have no idea why, I just know that it was GOOD. Today I bought 5 pounds of lima beans. It is so hard to tell how much that is in terms of beans because the pods are so big. I brought them home and shelled them and shelled them and shelled them in front of the mindless TV. I cooked some and stuck a bag full in the freezer. They were delicious. Between that and the salad with fresh, halved yellow and red cherry tomatoes, a bit of fresh basil, mozarella and balsamic vinegar--it tasted like summer.
Es and her boys came over to share in the bounty. I also whipped up some homemade ice cream, it was our second batch since receiving the freezer for Christmas.
MM: Does it turn off when its done?
GM: Nope
MM: How long should it go?
GM: The instructions said 15 minutes
MM: How long has it been?
GM: I don't know
MM: So, how will you know when its done
GM: Last time I listened to it and I knew. Your Dad says it is when water comes out of the drain hole.
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