Buckeye Bash 2014 - Success and Fun!!

                

The Buckeye Bash 2014 came to an end on Saturday afternoon, after two days of fun with friends.  We weren't a large group, but we still had a blast!  Mickdee made the trek from Michigan, Sassyoldlady came from Toledo, and coming from the Columbus area were Saveur, Bellepepper and Midwestchef.  Mother Ann (that's me!) hosted the event in Rootstown, Ohio.  All of our spouses attended as well and I believe they had as much fun as we did.  Earlier in the day Don from Spain had posted on the Buzz that he was gathering up the funds and preparing the paperwork to bail us out of jail if needed - apparently we have quite a reputation for being a wild bunch!  I did appreciate his willingness to help out from across the big lake, but thankfully we did not need to call on him.


We started the festivities off on Friday evening with a meet-up at a local winery - Barrel Run Crossing Winery & Vineyard.  Saveur and Sassyoldlady could not join us for this part of the fun and they were greatly missed.  We spent some time chatting and renewing our friendships - all of us knew each other from prior round-ups except for myself and midwestchef.  We had never met until this Bash.  Jon and I arrived at the winery first to set up the fruit, chocolates (kisses and Buckeyes, this was the Buckeye Bash after all!!), cheese and crackers I had put together for our munchies.  I set my AllRecipes orange bag out to help everyone find our table.  Next to arrive was midwestchef and Mr. midwestchef.  I felt like we were old friends - we just naturally took off talking and felt very comfortable around one another as we waited the other's arrival.


The winery has a small menu with sandwiches and pizzas and we eventually got around to ordering our dinner.  The sun set and still we sat around our table under the pavilion chatting about anything and everything.  Every so often conversation would move to discussions about AR and food.  The men gathered at one end and had their own conversation.  Partway through the evening, Jon leaned over to me and said, "I don't know what you ladies have planned for breakfast but us guys are meeting up at Mike's Place for ours."   Us ladies opted to skip breakfast, but the men met up and enjoyed a huge breakfast. 


Around noon on Saturday we all met up at Mi Rancho Mexican Restaurant.  Jon and I are involved in the ownership and this is the restaurant our dear friends (the parents of our "adopted" grandchildren) run.  We had the party room for our gathering and I had the servers bring in a couple pitchers of margaritas and bowls of chips with salsa, authentic Mexican guacamole, and queso dip.  We spent an hour or so chatting and greeting Saveur and Sassyoldlady (and their other halves) before placing our orders.  As we were finishing our meals Federico, his wife, and children arrived at the restaurant and I was proud to introduce them to the gang.   Next on the agenda, for those who were not too full, was some homemade ice cream from the shop in the corner of the restaurant.  Dreamsicle and Double Chocolate Peanut Butter seemed to be the favorite choices. 


There were gifts for everyone as well.  Bellepepper presented each of us with a bottle of balsamic glaze.  I can't wait to try it out; in fact I might try it on some grilled shrimp tonight! Mickdee made some delicious candied pecans; it's going to be tough to make sure I get my fair share - Jon really likes them!  Midwestchef had been shopping in Amish country and presented us each with a jar of blackberry jam - yummy!!  Sassyoldlady brought bread dipping sets with cute little dipping dishes and the seasonings to add to the oil - funny, I had just been to my sister's and was jealous of her dipping dishes - now I don't have to go out and look for my own!  Saveur presented me with a lovely hostess gift she picked up at an antique shop - 2 little pitchers; one that says "vinegar" and the other says "oil" with chickens/roosters on them.  She's never seen my kitchen but I have chickens and roosters as part of my décor!  Also two shakers which we determined are possibly for cinnamon and sugar as the holes are too large for salt and pepper.  Lastly, I made raspberry peach sangria wine jelly for everyone. 


Sadly the fiesta had to come to an end as everyone had long drives back home.  It was a wonderful time and it makes me that much happier that I discovered AllRecipes.  With that discovery I have not only become a better cook, but have made some wonderful friends.  If you have never been to a round-up, you really need to get yourself to one; or host one yourself!  They are a blast and the folks you meet will quickly become true friends.  A round-up can be something as simple as a meet-up at a restaurant for an hour or so, or be a multi-day event.  The first one I attended was two years ago at Bellepepper's lovely home.   I had no idea what to expect that day and I was very pleasantly surprised.  I arrived as a stranger and left having several new friends.  This year I made another new friend in midwestchef.  The spouses and significant others of the AR gang have also become friends and I know Jon looks forward to these round-ups as much as I do.


We are thinking our next Bash will be a visit to Cleveland and the West Side Market - a smorgasbord of culinary delight!  Who knows, we may not even wait a year for the next one!

Family, Fun, and Food!

Jon and I just got back from our trip out West.  This was a different vacation - not only did we take our two labs, but my parents also went and took their two labs.  And - we went to South Dakota to visit Stephen, as well as my sister, Deb, and her husband, Brian.  What a trip it was!  My parents left about a week before us so they could attend the grand opening of a museum in the town my dad grew up in - Pickstown, SD.  The following day was a school reunion for him so they also attended that.  Tom Brokaw was the keynote speaker for the museum opening as he also grew up in this same town, with my dad.  They had a great time and my dad enjoyed seeing all of his classmates and old friends.  From there they went to Stephen's house for a couple days and then on to my sister's where we all eventually ended up together.


Jon and I got to Stephen's house on a Friday afternoon.  We spent the afternoon/evening getting the grand tour of his home and town. Annie and Suzy got to meet their "cousin" Blanton (a Rhodesian Ridgeback who just turned a year old).  Annie loved him. I now know why Stephen loves living where he does.  He works for a juvenile detention facility and lives inside Custer State Park.  Steve's backyard is literally thousands of acres and he has buffalo, bighorn sheep, turkeys, mountain lions, you name it - roaming through his "yard".  We didn't see a mountain lion, but we saw plenty of everything else.  For dinner Steve took us into town and we ate at a great little place called Black Hills Burger and Bun.  Quite possibly the best burgers ever!  The servers were all friendly and it was obvious Steve is a regular - they all knew him by name. 
                               


Once at my sister's house there was quite a houseful.  Luckily Deb's house is huge and could hold all of us and all of the dogs.  Steve packed his dog up and also stayed there.  It was one big happy party for a week!  In the mornings we would go kayaking/fishing.   We found a few wineries to visit and did some other sight-seeing.


Deb made a few awesome meals.  The best was pork medallions with a raspberry sauce, twice-baked potatoes, salad, and green beans.  A couple bottles of wine and this meal was as good as anything from a restaurant.  We also ate out a few times.  Steve, Deb & Brian have a favorite Italian restaurant in Rapid City they love.  Botticelli's was fabulous!  The food was great, service super, and it was quite obvious they are regulars - the servers and owner knew them all by name.  After that meal we headed across the street to the Main Street Square and grabbed a table to watch the kids play in the fountains.  As it got dark the lights came on in the fountains and it was beautiful to watch.  Also - once our dinner settled in our stomachs we found our way to the homemade ice cream shop. That was a perfect treat to a perfect evening!


Sunday afternoon Deb had a cook-out and we got to see a few of her friends we had met before.  It was fun to just visit, eat, and of course enjoy Fish House Punch!  No family gathering is complete without it.  We first had Fish House Punch years ago when we helped to put on a large AKC dog show each year.  After the show there would be a cocktail hour, then dinner, for all the judges and club members.  Fish House Punch was the traditional beverage for the cocktail hour. 


The time flew by way too quickly and before we knew it we were heading back toward home.  As we pulled out of Deb's driveway my tears could not stop flowing.  It had been a wonderful week and I loved every minute of spending time with my sister, brother-in-law and especially Steve.  Having my parents there also was a special bonus.  As our truck rolled down I-90 toward home I just wanted to grab that steering wheel and turn around and go back.


We made a few stops along the way home to stretch our legs.  One of those stops was at a cheese place in Wisconsin.  After all, who can pass through Wisconsin and not buy some cheese?  Not us! 


When we finally arrived home, our dogs were happy to see their own yard.  First stop for them was a splash in the creek! 

It's Porch Puppy Time!

The trees have leaves and the sun is shining some warmth down on us finally!  That can only mean one thing - Summer is not too far away!  I have 15 more days to work and then I am officially on summer break until August.  Finishing my 24th year working for the school you would think I was used to having summers off and it would be no big deal.  Oh no!  You would be wrong if you thought that.  I'm as bad as the kids - I can't wait for lazy summer days filled with hikes and morning cups of coffee on the deck.




I love to sit on the deck, steaming cup of coffee in hand, and dogs at my feet.  Coffee just tastes better with a couple of "porch puppies"!  The best time of the day is when it is barely light and the birds are all waking up, singing their merry tunes to greet the new day.  Missy, our old chocolate lab who has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, was the Queen of Porch Puppy-dom.  I used to sit on the porch and Missy would sit right beside me - gazing into the woods, watching for squirrels or deer.  Suzy was just a young pup then and she would sit on the porch beside Missy.  That is until a chipmunk was spied scurrying along the hill, or a squirrel.  Or any kind of real or imagined critter that needed checking out.  Now Suzy is the grown up and she'll sit by my side gazing into the woods, content to wait for that scrap of poptart or bagel to drop to the floor.  Annie is now the pup - content to sit on the porch beside Suzy for all of about 5 seconds. 

                                                           

The yard is too full of things to explore to sit on the porch! 


                                                




Annie is a fairly smart puppy and she is eager to copy whatever Suzy is doing, so I'm hoping her sits on the porch grow longer.  Who knows - by the end of the summer she may just stay on the porch while I drink an entire cup of coffee! 


After my peaceful morning coffee, I got to work and did a few chores.  Then I found a perfect trail for Kristal and myself, along with her Maggie and my Suzy, to hike later this morning.  Annie is not quite big enough to walk as far as we go so she'll have to stay home. 

A Wee Bit O' Irish in the Morn'

Friday was my last day of work before my week-long Spring break.  If only Mother Nature had gotten the memo - but I'm not one to complain; at least not for too long.  I'll take a week off even if it's going to be cold.  And snowy.  A week off is a week off after all.  Besides... this Spring break is going to be a lot of fun because we picked up our new puppy!
                                                          


Annie Oakley is her name and looking for trouble is her game!   


Saturday morning finally arrived.  Suzy and I got up early and went through our morning routine-breakfast and a quick trip outside for her, then coffee for me while we sit on the couch relaxing and enjoying each other's company.  Suzy had no idea she was soon to become a "big sister", but I knew and I decided I had to savor this one final morning that would be so peaceful.  Once Annie got here things were going to be different.  Puppies just don't understand that morning time is for sitting quietly and relaxing.  Since it is St. Patrick's Day weekend and we would be heading to a St. Patrick's Day party later in the evening what better way to enjoy my coffee than to make it an Irish Coffee?!
                                                       
I was making an Irish Lime Meringue Pie to take to the party so I even had Irish Whiskey. Just a small splash of that went into my coffee along with the Bailey's.  Redi-Whip sprayed on top with a sprinkling of nutmeg.  That was a coffee to enjoy!  I could feel my "Irish" coming out already!


The pie was a snap to make.  I cheated and bought a graham cracker pie crust to use.  The filling was a can of condensed milk, 3 egg yolks, a couple tablespoons of Irish Whiskey, and lime juice.  Then I whipped up my meringue and popped it into the oven for about 15 minutes.  I have to pat myself on the back here and brag about my meringue. It was the best attempt ever for me at making meringue!


                                                                
It was light, subtly sweet, stiff enough to stand up nice and straight, and best of all - it did not weep or pull away from the sides of the pie!  While we went to the party we left Annie with my mom and dad.  They had her littermate and brother, Chip, so what's one more puppy to rush outside for potty breaks, right?  Plus - my little sister had another brother, Hank, and she would be visiting with my parents.  A regular puppy party was going on.  It was cute to see the 3 pups wiggle with excitement when they saw each other after being separated for a day.  I hear Annie is the ornery one that instigates the "fights".  I believe it - she does the same thing with Suzy and Suzy doesn't seem to mind all that much. 


Suzy likes Annie.  When she came to live here there were new toys for both!  Annie eats more meals and that means Suzy is getting to have a few little bites in her dish, too.  There are lots of trips outside, too.


The party was fun and the food was fabulous!  I ate so much corned beef, shepherds pie and desserts I felt like I was going to burst.  We left early so we could get back to Annie.  I didn't want her to forget where she lives.       




This morning there was no time for coffee.  After a trip outside, breakfast, another trip outside, several games of chewing, discovering that cats live here, and much running, jumping, exploring, Annie finally wore out! 
   Her naps last just long enough for me to get comfortable.  Then we have to start the routine all over again:  Trip outside, play a while, eat, another trip outside, play, then another nap.  Yup - this week is gonna be a dog's life for me!  (And I couldn't be happier!)

Everything's Coming up Puppies!!!

Spring is just around the corner and this year in my family that means one thing:  Puppies!!   It's a sense of deja'vu of the best kind ever.  Fifteen years ago my parents had a Labrador retriever they bred and we got our Missy, who has been gone for 2 years now.  My parents had Missy's littermate and the two grew up playing with each other for just over 13 years.    Now here we are, 15 years later, and my sister has bred her lab (a "nephew" to Missy) and both us and my parents are getting a puppy!  Littermates once again; us a little girl, them a little boy.  Last time around we both had chocolates.  This time around we are both getting black.  I'm sure my blogs will be filled with stories of these two puppies!




    

 

Surprises!

We are a family full of dog lovers.  It's all my parents' fault!  We always had a dog growing up and were taught to love, respect, and care for that dog to the best of our abilities.  Because of that life-lesson taught all four of us kids, we all have dogs and our children are all dog lovers as well.  We've all had our share of dogs - both mutts and purebreds.  One is not better than the other - a dog knows no snobbery of being from "good bloodlines" or just a simple "dog" with many bloodlines.  Each and every dog has been a faithful and well-loved companion for many years.


My mom and dad had a black lab, Chief, that they trained and showed.  He quickly became a champion and then moved on to more important duties; he became a therapy dog touching the lives of many sick, elderly, and family members of the sick and elderly.  Arriving at the hospital or nursing home, Chief would be greeted by name by all who saw him.  My parents were usually simply known as "Chief's owners".   Their part in this endeavor was valuable for Chief couldn't be there without them, but clearly Chief was the star.  Chief also became a stud dog.  My dad would carefully screen who Chief would be bred with and many litters of great labs were born.  One of those litters contained two chocolate labs that became a very important part of our family's lives.  A little boy my parents had and a beautiful female that became our beloved Missy.  Prince and Missy lived a good long life, 13+ years in fact.  In March it will be two years since Missy crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, just one month after Prince had done the same.


Another off-spring of Chief was King, a yellow lab my parents also had for a good many years.  Prince and King not only were well-loved family members, but they also were therapy dogs and stud dogs.  My younger sister has a puppy of King.  Midas is his name and he recently became a father of a litter of 10 beautiful black labs!    Thus - this story begins!


January 25th was a much anticipated day in our family.  My sister had bred Midas with a dog belonging to the same woman that had the mother to our Missy.  Midas's "girlfriend", Abbi, was not related to Missy's mother, but Midas is Missy's nephew.  These puppies were going to be related to Missy and I wanted one in the worst way.  Ten beautiful, healthy puppies were born - eight boys and 2 girls.  I had convinced Jon we "needed" a puppy - even though our Suzy is only 5-1/2 years old.  Our labs are hunting companions for Jon.  Suzy had ligament repair surgery to her back left leg a few years ago and is showing signs of arthritis.  We fear her days out hunting in the marsh are numbered.

Jon called to see if we were high enough up on the list to get one of those little girls.  He came home that night only to tell me that there were several people in front of us on the list who wanted females.  Our chances were pretty much zero to get a puppy.  I resigned myself to the fact that we were not going to get a puppy from the same bloodlines as Missy.  My parents were getting a puppy and I figured I could spend a lot of time playing with their pup. 

Thursday while at work I got a call from Jon.  He starts the conversation out with "Don't be upset with me for lying... but.... we are getting a puppy.  I wanted to surprise you, but then I decided you needed to know so you could be in on the excitement of waiting and figuring out a name."  WooHoo!!  That was the best news!  And Saturday we went to take a look at our new baby!! 

She is beautiful.  And smart.  And very curious.  She was the first one to figure out how to crawl out of the box.  I think we have picked out a name - Annie Oakley; Annie for short.  I know she will fit right into our lives.  Suzy will love her.  The cats will hate her, but only for a week or so.  Once they figure out she's not going anywhere they'll welcome her into the fold. 

We get to bring her home on March 15th - the start of my Spring Break!  How perfect.  I get to stay home for a whole week with her!  She will be coming home one week shy of exactly two years since Missy left us.  I know that's a sign of some kind.  Now all I have to hope for is that winter leaves us by March 15th.  Going outside with a puppy every couple of hours in the snow and cold doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me. 

A Too Short Pit-Stop Visit

I noticed something this past Thursday.  I've always known it, but it really hit home for me on Thursday. Time really does fly.  At least when you're having fun it does.  But, you can squeeze a lot of fun into a little time!  You see, my older sister was passing thru Ohio on her way to New York City from her home in South Dakota.  She was traveling with two of her friends and two dogs; one a Vizla named Elton and the other one was her dog, a Spinone Italiano named Partito.   Elton and Partito were going to be shown at Westminster!   They left Rapid City around 11:00 am on Wednesday and arrived at our parents' house in Ohio Thursday around lunch time. 


As soon as I had heard they would be stopping there for an overnight visit I knew we had to have a pre-Westminster party!  We don't do "party" without plenty of food and plenty of laughter.  I told my mom if she made the salad, I'd bring the rest of dinner, dessert included.  Wednesday I got lucky and had a snow day from work - giving me plenty of time to cook and bake for a crowd.  There were going to be 11 of us who could make it.  I baked a pineapple upside-down cake and an awesome new brownie dessert.  These brownies are first a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough pressed into a pan, followed by a layer of oreo cookies, and then a 13x9 brownie mix spread on top and baked.  They were a hit, and I thank my co-worker for the recipe!  I also cooked and cut up chicken - enough for two 13x9 pans of chicken noodle casserole, saving the broth to cook the noodles in on Thursday.  I have decided that I want to make my own condensed "cream of" soups, so I made up my condensed cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups and placed it in canning jars.  I then refrigerated them, wondering if it would be possible to can this stuff up.  That's something I'm going to research. It was good and it was cheap to make.  I also planned for us to have cheesy garlic bread, but that was in the freezer hanging out and I didn't have to do anything with that until Thursday after I pulled the casseroles out of the oven.


Since this was a party to not only spend some time; albeit very little time with my sister, but also a party to celebrate Partito (and Elton) being shown at Westminster I decided we needed to have something to have a toast with.  A man we knew well and who was a celebrity in the dog-world, Max Riddle, always hosted a cocktail party after our kennel club's dog show and served Fish House Punch.  Max has been gone for a while now, but he is still known and well-respected.  We always serve his Fish House Punch to celebrate dog-show accomplishments in our family.  When he served his punch it was always out of a plastic gallon jug, like the kind milk comes in.  I always make and serve mine the same way.  I was keeping my jug of punch a surprise, to be pulled out after dinner and to raise a toast with.


I made a deal with my boss that morning that I would work thru my lunch on Thursday and also on Friday, if he would let me leave an hour early so I could spend just a little more time with my sister, who I had not seen for over two years.  He very willingly agreed to my deal.  Sometimes my boss can be an OK guy.  Jon, myself, and Kristal arrived just before 3:00 pm.  We had never met one of my sister's friends, Adrienne, but we quickly felt very comfortable with her; she fit right in.  As we all chatted, my sister made the comment how Fish House Punch would be so awesome to have at a time like this, celebrating such a cool adventure.  I smiled inside and couldn't wait for dinner to be over. 


We all ate until we felt like we would burst.  I went into the kitchen and came out with a stack of plastic glasses (just like Max used to serve his punch in) and my gallon jug.  I poured the glasses for a toast, wondering just how would I word this toast, when Adrienne raised her glass and gave a fabulous toast - I couldn't have done half as well as she had - it was almost as if she knew we would be raising a toast to this occasion and had planned this little speech in advance!  Fish House Punch is deliciously smooth and very potent.  It doesn't take much to warm you up from the inside out!  Besides a liter bottle of club soda and a few ounces of fresh-squeezed lemon juice and gomme syrup it is made up of peach brandy, cognac, and dark rum.  It didn't take long for the party to really get rocking. 


Before we knew it, it was almost 11:00 pm and we needed to get home and get to bed.  I had to be at work by 7:00 am the next morning.  While driving to work Friday morning I wondered how I can spend eight hours at work and it seems like forever; but eight hours having fun flies by in an instant.  Friday morning my boss asked me if I had a nice visit.  Yes I did - if only it hadn't been such a short visit, it would have been perfect.  But, I've learned to take each moment and enjoy every minute of every hour, for each day is a true blessing.  It was wonderful to see my older sister.  My son, Steve, lives in South Dakota and it was great to hear his aunt and also her friends (they know Steve, too) talk about him and hear how he is doing from someone else's perspective besides his.  Though, his conversations with me seem to go about the same as what they had to say.  He really does love his job and is "living the dream" in the wild-wild west.


Deb and friends have arrived in New York City and are continuing their celebration and doing some sight-seeing before the show.  Getting to show at Westminster is an honor.  Taking home a ribbon or two would be sweet! 

No School = Lots of Fun!!

Northeast Ohio has been in the grips of frigid cold weather lately!  Our schools have all been cancelled since last Thursday.  I work in a high school guidance office, so that means I've been home; free to enjoy this unexpected but very welcomed time off.  Last Friday I tried to be the responsible adult that I am most of the time and used the time off to do things like clean the house, pay bills, and other "grown-up" things that needed to be done.  I spent the weekend doing my normal weekend "things" and enjoyed a few roaring fires with glass of wine in hand and good book to read. 


Sunday afternoon we had my daughter and son-in-law and our friends over for one of our "Sunday Spaghetti Dinner Days".  The three kids came busting into the house bringing arctic blasts of cold air in with them.  They hadn't been over in a while and were excited to be coming for dinner and to play.  I have a room full of leggos, Barbie dolls, crayons, markers, paper, and various other toys and games that they know are there for their enjoyment.  Their parents took their time coming in - they were busy taking photos of all the snow outside.  I have to admit it is a beautiful view in our woods when it is snow-covered.  After dinner we all gathered in the living room to watch a movie and enjoy turtle cheesecake. 




Monday morning I received the call cancelling school.  I decided to use this surprise day off to simply read and do things I wanted to do.  Bozwell, my "geriatric" kitty was all too happy to join me on the couch for a morning of laziness.  He sat on my lap for a couple hours while I read a book. I am reading a book called "Enslaved by Ducks".  The title caught my eye as I have always been a lover of ducks and we used to have several as pets while the kids were growing up.  It is a cute story about a couple who find themselves with an entire "zoo" of animals, many of them ducks and birds.  It describes a part of my life as we've always had a lot of animals - many of them things like hedgehogs, rabbits, turtles, iguanas....  You get the picture.  It's the sort of thing that happens when a kid has an animal lover as a parent.  I could never tell my kids no to any request for a pet.  It wasn't that many years ago I was begging my own parents to get a rabbit.  Or a guinea pig.  Or another kitty.  Besides, children who have pets learn responsibility, compassion, and know the joy of something depending on them and loving them unconditionally.  I believe having pets helps give confidence and self-esteem to a child as well.




Monday afternoon the call-off came for Tuesday.  Temperatures were well below zero and showed no signs of letting up.  I spoke with Federico and asked if Kristal and I could play with his kids on Tuesday.  We picked the kiddos up and headed to the bowling alley.  I hadn't been bowling in years, probably as many years ago as the oldest (11) has been alive, so we were all on the same playing field.  Except for Kristal.  She had just been bowling Saturday.  We laced up our shoes, chose our bowling balls and headed to Lane 6.  I asked the woman behind the counter to please put up the "bumpers".  I did not want to embarrass myself with numerous gutter balls.  Since Kristal had just been bowling, she knew how to enter our names in the self-score system.  Whoa!! Our names and scores were going to be up on the boards.  Where anyone could see them!  I told Kristal we had to be careful how we bowled; there might be scouts from the pro-circuit and I didn't want them hounding us to join the pros.  After the first frame, I knew we'd be left alone. Jocelyn, the six-year-old, was in the lead; she'd bowled a spare.  The kids had a blast, and so did Kristal and I.  The first game came to an end and we headed to the lunch counter.  Our bodies needed re-fueling.  We all had some pizza and started our second game.  About that time, a local bowling team showed up for practice.  They were bowling strikes and spares as if that 's all they knew how to do.  Kind of put us to shame; but I think we were having more fun.  When Kristal rolled two strikes in a row we were all high-fiving and raising our fists in the air!  Bowling is hard work and makes one thirsty.  Back to the lunch counter we had to go - the kids just had to have a slushie.  Soon they were sporting red and blue tongues and were ready to go spend some time at my house before returning home.


Suzy was so happy to see her favorite kids so soon after having spent all Sunday afternoon with them.  She could not stop following them around.  Mostly because they love to feed her treats and she's always happy to eat those treats.  We played a rousing game of Sorry! and Hands Down!  I don't remember who won and I don't think anyone cares - we just had fun.


Tuesday night is our night to eat at the restaurant and we had "company" tonight.  When Jon got home from work we loaded the car up and headed out in the cold.  I had told Marisela we would return the kids to the restaurant and they could eat with us.  There was a birthday celebration going on that turned out to be for a friend of mine.  A table of 8 women drinking margaritas makes a lot of noise with all their laughter and the three kids found them quite interesting.   Soon two friends of mine from work walked in.  They stopped by to chat and to tell me they had received the call-off for no school on Wednesday as they were pulling into the restaurant.  I had not heard my phone, so this was good news to me; another day off!


My friends said they didn't know what they were going to do.  They were beginning to get bored and wanted to return to work!  Not me!  I can always find something fun to do.  Today Jon only works until 11:30 and then we're going to see what sort of adventures we can find.  I have decided these snow-days are practice "retirement" for me and I think I can't wait to retire!

Momma Got a Sippy Cup!

Last night we met up with family and friends at a local winery to hear one of Jon's school friends perform.  Steve is really good - he plays guitar and harmonica and sings easy listening songs. Lots of John Denver, one of my favs.  When we go to hear him, I always pack up a dinner and we stay for several hours eating, drinking wine, laughing, and of course listening to the music.  Last night I made chicken salad for sandwiches, oriental slaw, and a pineapple upside-down cake.  Others brought homemade whiskey pretzels and crackers and cheese. 
If you've never been to a winery you are missing out on some really good times! This winery is run by some really awesome people. They are so friendly and make you feel right at home.  There is a small "store" inside with various wine-related items for sale.  One of those items is a sippy cup.  Not just any old sippy cup, but a really cool sippy cup.  A sippy cup for grown-ups!  It is clear and the inside part is shaped like a wine glass.  I've been eyeing these cups the last few times we've been to the winery.  I think one would be great for camping - no more spilled wine glasses around the campfire.
Last night when Jon went to get the table another bottle of wine he came back with a present for me.  That's right - he got me a sippy cup!  I couldn't wait to try it out.  This morning I drank cranberry juice out of it - it sort of looks like red wine.....

Unexpected Family Reunion

My husband has never really spent much time with his family; other than with his siblings and parents and even that time is time spent sparingly.  The only exception being "the sisters".  The sisters are 4 cousins on Jon's father's side of the family.  Growing up these four girls and Jon and his brother and sister spent a lot of time together; Jon's grandmother lived with them.  Jon's Grandma and their Grandma were sisters.  When I started dating Jon (I was a senior in high school) I would go with the family to visit "Grandma Far Away" as she was called.  Jon started calling this Grandma that when he was a little boy to keep his Grandma's straight in his mind - one grandma lived close to him and this grandma lived about an hour away - thus "Grandma Far Away".  Anyways... Grandma Far Away lived with these sisters so when we would go to visit they would all be there.  To this day we still keep in close contact with Barb, one of the sisters; and the other three we see several times a year.


Last Sunday Barb called Jon.  She was very excited.  She is a nurse at a nursing home and had just found out that their great aunt, Olga, was a temporary resident there for rehab.  Auntie Olga was their grandmothers' sister-in-law and had been a big part of their lives growing up.  I had met Auntie Olga at our wedding and at a couple funerals.  Jon had just recently spoke to her last year to tell her of his father's passing away.  She had been unable to attend the funeral as she was not well herself. She is 89 years old and has difficulty seeing and getting around but her mind is sharp as a tack!


We made plans to go visit her and after work on Wednesday headed to the nursing home.  Barb had already stopped in to see her and said she remembered her and was happy to see her.  We arrived at the home and signed in.  Jon noticed that Barb's sister, Cathy, was already there.  As we walked into the room, Olga's son (Dennis) was also there.  Everyone remembered Jon (and even me!).  Dennis immediately called his sister and she said she'd come right over to see Jon.  She also had their other brother with them, Steve, so he would come, too.  Jon had not seen any of these cousins for 35 years or better.  They walked into the room and much hugging and talking and laughing ensued.  Olga was enjoying this impromptu reunion immensely!  Stories were remembered and there was much catching up to do.  Suddenly a visit that I figured would be about 45 minutes to an hour had turned into almost three hours!  My planned breakfast for dinner for that night was not going to happen.  I knew we would be stopping somewhere to grab a quick bite to eat on the way home.  We did end up at Rockne's and ate unhealthy burgers and fries; but boy did it taste good!


As we were leaving I stood beside Auntie Olga and said "Let's not wait another 20 or 30 years to see one another!"  Her reply was "Yeah, I won't be around then."  I chuckled and said, "I may not be either!"  She grabbed my hands and began to rub them, saying "Well here - let me give you some of my good long life!" 

Cold Day!!

Today was the first day back to school after winter break.  Ohio is currently in a deep-freeze and just about every school that was supposed to be in school today cancelled.  My school had a scheduled waiver day.  That means only staff was reporting to work for in-services.  I work in the Guidance Office of the high school and needed to get a few things done before the students report back to school so we would be ready for the second semester.  Has half the school year really passed us by already??!!

I ate my toasted ham and cheese sandwich for lunch and got back to work.  I was still having lingering thoughts of my time spent on the marshes of Chincoteague Island, Virginia this past week.  Jon had made me a pretty tasty sandwich in his duck hunting boat when I went out with him and Suzy one fine sunny day.  I thought maybe I could feel like I was still on vacation if I made a duplicate for today's lunch.  It didn't really work out that way.  I still felt like I was at work, but it was a warm and filling lunch for me.   Just as I got back to work the principal stopped in to tell me the superintendent had just called school off for tomorrow!  Temperatures are supposed to be well below zero with a mighty fine wind chill as well and most schools have called off tomorrow already.  Hearing those words made my afternoon fly by and as I left for the day I couldn't help but start plotting how I would spend my bonus day off.  I know one black lab who will be quite happy tomorrow morning when I settle down in my new chair with a cup of coffee and my Kindle instead of heading out the door.

On the way home I stopped to pick up a few things we needed to make the oyster stew we are having for dinner tonight.  We brought a couple hundred oysters home with us and after giving Federico half of them I decided to make stew with some of ours.  I bought some buttermilk, too.  I just might make some buttermilk biscuits to go along with it.  Sounds like a warm and comforting dinner to me.

This year’s winter trip to Chincoteague was different than any other year.  Jon, Suzy and I were the only ones who went; at least from our family.  Jon’s hunting friend, Kevin and his family, went also and we spent some time with them, but it was just us two old folks and our lab rattling around in the old island cottage we stay in.  We arrived Saturday afternoon and it was 55 degrees and sunny so we spent some time out on the beach and the wildlife loop.  We couldn’t wait to head to one of our favorite restaurants and gorge ourselves on Chincoteague oysters.  We ordered a double-order of Oysters Rockefeller and I had crab-stuffed flounder.  Delicious!

Over the years Jon has become friends with a man who lives on the Island and is a fellow-hunter.  Ryan took the week off so he could spend time hunting with the boys from Ohio.    When Suzy was a pup she met Ryan and fell in love – we have pictures of her kissing him and sitting on his lap in the duck-hunting boat.  I knew she would be excited to see him again.

About 30 years ago I went out hunting with Jon in his duck blind on the shore of our local lake.  It was a “blue-bird” day and while he did not shoot any ducks, I got some awesome pictures of Goldie, our golden retriever we had at the time.  I have not been out hunting with him since that time.  There has always been a child to look after, or a child (albeit a grown child) to hang out with and enjoy time with.  Monday was another one of those blue-bird days so the boys did not spend all day hunting.  They came in around lunch time and we all piled into the duck hunting boats and went for a boat ride to the tip of the beach, known as the Hook.  To get there by walking is a several mile hike and that is where the best shells are.  About 15 years ago I took Kristal and Steve on that hike to look for shells while Jon was hunting.  We gathered huge bags full of conch shells and headed back.  Every 15 or 20 minutes we’d stop and re-assess our shell collection.  Those shells were heavy so we just kept dropping a few out of our bags until we only had about 6 shells when we got back to the car.   This year we filled a bag with shells in a matter of minutes and put it in the boat.  Kevin has small children and they had a blast.  I won’t lie – the grownups had fun, too.

Tuesday I spent the afternoon with Kevin’s wife and children while the guys were hunting.  We took a walk out to the pony overlook and got to see some of the wild ponies.  We also saw a couple thousand snow geese.

                       

We had dinner at The Village Restaurant and headed back to our cottages.  In years past we went to the “Horseshoe Drop” at midnight for New Year’s Eve, but this year we decided to celebrate with the Australians so we didn’t have to stay up so late.   J  We were in bed before midnight and sound asleep. 

Wednesday morning Jon and the guys went out sea duck hunting so Suzy stayed with me.  We went for a nice long walk and then spent the rest of the morning reading and enjoying some of the Christmas cookies I had brought with us.  Jon was back for a quick lunch of several dozen fresh shucked oysters and was heading back out for more hunting, this time to a place where Suzy could go.  I could go, too!  It was a day just like it was 30 years ago when I went on my last hunting trip.  I zipped up the old camo coat and out into the marsh we headed.  Suzy thought it was grand that “mom” was in the boat.  It quickly became obvious that I was her cushion.

                                                        
Jon put out his decoys and we settled down to wait for some birds.  I haven’t been married to a duck hunter for 32 years and not learned something – I know the ducks don’t really fly when it’s 55 degrees and sunny, but as far as I can tell one would have to be insane to go hunting in any other kind of weather!  We did get one lone duck, a bufflehead, swimming amongst the decoys but Jon didn’t want to shoot it.  I wondered if he left it alone to back-up his stories to me about all the ducks that land in his decoys and he just doesn’t feel like shooting.  I’ve always figured that’s what he tells me when he comes home empty-handed.  I’ve heard all the stories about how Jon makes delicious hot sandwiches while sitting and waiting for the birds, so I started hinting about how lunch was not very filling and a nice warm snack would taste so good.  Finally he got the hint and dug out his little stove.  I got a hot ham and cheese sandwich and a cup of tea!  As you can see by the picture – Jon has a “Sue” Chef.  She assisted quite eagerly by eating the excess ham and cheese.

                                                           

As the sun set, the breeze picked up and the temperature started to drop.  On the ride in to the dock, it was confirmed for me – I am NOT a duck hunter.   I’ll gladly drink my tea by the fire while I read a good book and wait for my man to bring my dog back home safe and tired.

                                    

I learned several things at the close of 2013 and beginning of 2014:  1) Even though I went to bed before midnight, it was still January 1, 2014 when I woke up Wednesday morning; 2) I only want to go duck hunting when the sun is shining and it’s warm; 3) Suzy listens and obeys commands so much better while hunting.  I might start wearing camo and carry a gun just to make her mind.  Or maybe I just need to carry ham and cheese around with me; and 4)  Jon didn’t ask me if I wanted to go again this morning – apparently he’d rather I stay home and drink my tea by the fire and read a good book, too, at least on days when it’s only 37 degrees and cloudy.