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.