Since this is a quiet weekend, no rehearsals or mandatory attendance at functions related to work today, Muffin, who brought me gorgeous pink and coral roses Thursday night, took me to dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant and to a movie. (We expertly ran two errands in between those events, but it was still a date.) The dinner was yummy. He had shrimp and pasta. I had the Sicilian grilled chicken salad. I love the exquisitely fresh greens, tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese, and herbs, not to mention the homemade dressing.
The real treat of the evening is this movie. See it!
Muffin’s cute Mom, Nana, is loving this election. She has already voted by mail, so she will not need to set foot into a parking lot at early voting or on election day. That way, she can watch CNN and FOX and keep track of every red and blue duly elected official in the city, state, and nation. Mail-in voting also preserves her hip replacements and allows her to stay home in her comfy shoes. Nana would not be caught in public in her comfy shoes, oh no. We almost had to have a very undemocratic election to get her to wear the comfy shoes in the first place. It all went down when she had the second hip replaced and was attempting to leave the hospital and move to the rehab unit with her dress shoes on her feet. I realized we needed to act fast, went to the local athletic store and purchased some slip-on New Balance 801’s and some Skechers. At first she balked, in her polite way, and tried to manipulate us into allowing the slick soled heels, but even the rehab PT’s complimented the new shoes. Then all her friends loved them.Then Nannie started to wear them.
I had never thought about it much, but our mothers’ generation had never, ever worn shoes without backs. All their sandals had backstraps. No mules or clogs, flip flops, or rarely a house shoe without a heel or heel strap had ever touched their feet. They insisted those shoes would be impossible to retain on their feet. Last time I was at her house, Nana wore only the 801’s. Now she declares all others “too much trouble”.
Nana is a major piece of entertainment.Her three brothers and two sisters agreed. Papaw, may he rest in peace, always thought the same.Her dear mother, Grandmother L, had gone to glory when I met Muffin, but Gradpa L always said as he watched her walk away from him, “She could get there faster if she didn’t wiggle so much from side to side.” Her spectacular walk is somewhat reflected in little Roo.
But far and away, Nana’s great hidden talent is---drum rolllllllllll please!—turkey calling. This was a huge family secret for years.Then during one snowy Thanksgiving by the fire in her home of 50 years, when our daughters were very young, she decided to entertain them by demonstrating her very authentic turkey call. Did I mention that the vocalization is VERY authentic?Can you also picture this petite, and very pretty, very tidy, very proper and protocol prioritizing (OK, enough alliteration already) 70something grandmother flapping her lips with her index finger and mimicking a turkey in the wild? It was enough to make the dog-of-the-day, Buffy, sing along in high octave barks and howls!
Now, picture this.A few years later she did her turkey demo at a local market because the prize was a fresh turkey, just a few days before Thanksgiving. If there is anything Nana values more than her dignity, it’s a great bargain. That free turkey was too good to let go, so right there in the market, she sacrificed her dignity---and WON! Since then our daughters and Nana’s friends have not ceased to give her turkeys in many forms—salt & pepper shakers, stuffed, wind socks, ceramics, you name it. If you think this is a fowl collection you just don’t know our loveable Nana.
Pioneer Woman likes this time of year and so do I.In her location the mosquitoes and gnats are gone and the grass is brown. Here the grass is greener than it was in July and the flying critters are thick and scary. But I do love the cool mornings and using less air conditioning, the resurgence of summer flowers like begonias, petunias, pentas, and geraniums; the emergence of chrysanthemums, pansies, and ornamental cabbage.
This season always reminds me of the years when my children were growing up at home, planning to attend the next home football game at the high school of the year (Our family got caught in two re-districting years while our four daughters were in public schools. We changed school districts four times but only changed locations once.) There were slumber parties, floral mums with charms and ribbons, big sis/little sis weekends, cheerleading events, bus trips, and lots of French toast and donuts for breakfast on those special weekends.
In 1996 Muffin went to work out of town, living in an apartment during the week and returning home to us on weekends. Eventually he was able to work 40 hours in 4 days and return on Thursday evening, allowing us three full days together.It put a new perspective on weekends.We curtailed our weekend activities outside the family, stayed home more, stopped going out with friends, allowed our youngest daughter to have friends over almost every Friday or Saturday.After the girls moved away from home our weekends changed to a time of rest and accomplishing what is necessary.Some weekends are so full of necessities that rest seems like a distant dream.Last weekend was one of those—full of rehearsals, concerts, and chores.
For the next two months, however, there are few responsibilities on the calendar, and those do not require full days.So, we’re looking at R&R.I mean, serious fun!Going to concerts for fun, not work!Picking pumpkins. Reading books. Watching movies.Christmas Shopping. Taking the Rowdy Girls to Sea World.In only one month, no more political debates, calls, or mailings! I love this time of year.
Drove by this just in time to experience a musket blast, which made me think I had run over something really big while driving the car. It produced quite a cloud of powder over the intersection too!
Stayed awake until after 4 a.m. after performing this. We had some wonderful moments and some scary things happened with the ensemble, too. I had dreams that I was trying to pick up broken beads--tiny ones that had rolled all over my tile floor and were sticking to the grout grooves. Then I woke up and dreamed I had to retrieve cereal that had spilled all over the same floor. Then I went back to sleep and dreamed that the Rowdy Girls were in our care and were climbing the kitchen sink and coming over the cabinet and counter top head first and I was trying in vain to stop them. And they were giggling.
On Wednesday I took Nannie for this and she can see! After she was settled at home I went to Bible study, where we are studying this
which can be purchased here. It's an awesome study--really meddles with your attitudes.
After the concert we went here with friends and I had the raspberry soda--delicious! The conversation was also fabulous, except I talked too much, which is what I do after the adrenaline rush of concerts.
And, tonight I made this. Smitten Kitchen is one of my favorite cooking blogs. And this coffee cake is absolutely a delicious memory of the years when Muffin and I lived in CA and went to Apple Hill every October, driving the loop and sampling the products, then returning to our home in the valley with fresh cider and dumplings.
Top 10 reasons I know it is Autumn: 10. Apples are getting cheaper at the market 9. Roses and other flowers are blooming again in Texas 8. Butterflies are growing more numerous as they migrate through Texas on their way to Mexico 7. Early mornings are cooler 6. I got my flu shot last Saturday 5. Ragweed is blooming and making everyone sneeze and sniffle 4. Football--on TV, radio, intramural fields--is all around me 3. My favorite fruits--blueberries, apricots, and nectarines--are no longer available or not as sweet as they were in spring and summer 2. Musically, all organizations are preparing for Christmas. We rehearse through the Fall so the sounds of Christmas will be sweeter. 1. It's that week again! Five concerts and six rehearsals for student concerts and classical performance on Saturday night.
Sunday, September 21 the W's arrived from AZ/Lubbock about 3 p.m. and Kaki, CB and twins arrived around 4:45.JB had no vacation days and stayed behind, thinking he would be home all week. (He had to fly to WV Wednesday). Muffin took a day of personal family sickness to compensate for having Nannie in the hospital Thursday and Friday til 3 p.m.I taught every one of my 30+ students.It was crazy and loud, and funny and tiring.
On Monday the girls and Jonah went to Nannie’s house and she came over here as well.There was much screaming, giggling, dancing, playing sand castles, and saying “no” to Jonah.Gracie was adorable and spent time in the music room with me while Muffin played with Jonah outdoors.The movies that I ordered didn’t arrive until Wednesday, but we had DVR’d some of their favorite shows.Roo ran about spelling and Em covered her eyes when it was all too much for her, then arrived in the music room and "performed" by signing the alphabet.
Tuesday the girls took the children to the Zoo while I taught from 10:45 til 7 p.m.They tried to wear them out, and they did take long naps, waking late in the afternoon to take photos on the porch and make short visits to the music room to see me.Gracie kicked and smiled at the students and parents from the floor or from the sling that Boo “wore” her in.At 7:15 that evening CB, Kaki and twins left for home because Kak had to work the following morning.Roo had fallen asleep while drinking her smoothie, sitting in Nannie’s lap, and snored loudly with her blanket on her head until CB woke her to take her upstairs about 1 p.m. that day.Arriving in her pea pod (sleeping tent), she convinced herself that she had already had a nap, and tried to wake darling Em for an hour and a half.So, their trip home was wild—Em trying to go to sleep, Roo snatching blankets and shrieking, both of them being cute and spelling and talking and singing, both of them watching DVd’s intermittently.They finally slept 45 minutes and 20 minutes from the house.
Wednesday Boo, Gracie, Jonah and I stayed in to keep things a bit quieter.I did not attend Bible study and loved my morning with Jonah and Gracie and having coffee or "coppee”, as Jonah titles it, with Boo.Gracie let me bathe her 2-3 nights and just laughed and kicked water all over the bathroom.She did her first real belly laugh at our house!I think she gained a pound and grew 2 inches too.The headbands, bows and beanie hat with gerbera daisy arrived on Tuesday and Roo was so proud of her “hat”—a crocheted elastic headband with a peony with Swarowski crystal in the center.She also tried to make my red Theraband her “hat”.Em kept her bow in her hair for quite awhile.Gracie looks quite fabulous in her accessories.We want to teach her early that the “only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize.”
Thursday we took Jonah to FortImagination at 9:45 and he played like a wild banshee until 11:30.There were 4 boys, ages 2-4 there beginning around 10:30 and they played so hard and ran for so long that you could actually smell them.One of the 4 year olds took his pants and underpants off and tried to go down a slide on his sweaty, bare behind.He finally made some incoherent noise and Boo and I suggested to his mom that he might want his pants back—she hadn’t even noticed.Jonah was grubby and worn out and had 4 cups of water, but he was starving.We fed him a quesadilla, which he can pronounce very well, and 2 more cups of juice, then found him drinking part of Boo’s Dr. Pepper.He was so tired, but kept having to go potty.Later that afternoon, he went to sleep and Boo and Gracie went to visit an old friend and her new baby while I listened to my concert music for next weekend and Jonah snoozed hard.Not too long after he woke, Grandpa was home from his work week.Although Jonah had begun to sorely test Boo and any rules she made, he changed into a different boy when Grandpa came in the door.Later than evening after some sand castles and dinner, and stories and Gracie cuddle time and some DVD time, he told Monte “Grandpa, you’re my best friend”.Muffin will live on that one for a long, long time.
Michael drove in from the DFW area and entertaining clients for 2 days, as well as seeing his sister for a few hours, and that got Jonah really revved up.Plus, he sneaked part of Michael’s 44 ounce Dr. Pepper and once again had to stay up to go potty about 70 times.After he went to sleep Muffin and I got some Gracie time and it was so, so sweet.I spent most of the late afternoon cooking—2 hash brown quiches (Melissa Moore), a chocolate sheath cake (Pioneer Woman Cooks), and as per request of my darling Becky, 4 dozen Snickerdoodles.
On Friday morning it was time for our precious daughter, son, and grands to return to AZ, this time by way of El Paso and Las Cruses. They arrived at 4:00 CDT today.It will be Thanksgiving, God willing, when we see them again and Gracie will be four months old.Jonah will be taller, more verbal, singing more songs, remembering far more details, and as God gives grace, will have grown even more in His favor and richer in wisdom. May we all grow in those paths.
