Friday, July 27, 2012

Harvest Time


This is my apple tree. I think I started with three, yes, it was three; but this is the lone survivor. I picked the apples on Tuesday. They could have used a longer time on the tree, but the deer got them last year before I could, and I didn't want to lose them again.
Several weeks ago, during one of our stormy evenings, several of the apples dropped off. I picked them up, and we have been eating them, but they don't have the same crisp flavor of a fully ripe apple. So now that I have picked all of them, I am drying them into chips. That is one of #1's favorite treats, dried apple chips.
I also planted a couple of pear trees when I planted the apple trees. Both of the pear trees have survived. In fact, one of the pear trees is so plentiful that its branches bend to the ground, heavy with fruit. Isn't it "funny" that the apple trees didn't do so well, and the pears are extremely abundant. #2 is allergic to apples. Maybe it isn't so funny after all. Thanks God.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

The Smells of Childhood


There is a country song out right now about melody being a memory. Odor is also a strong memory. Tuesday, as my boys and I walked through the halls of a local public school, I commented that it smelled like a school. The odor of disinfectant, tile and concrete block, and stale air hung heavy in my nostrils.

The lunch did not appeal to me, especially since I can remember such pleasant odors emanating from my own childhood schoolhouse. Mrs. Bolyard and Mrs. Beavers made wonderful homemade foods.  Breakfasts of fresh cooked oatmeal or cinnamon rolls welcomed me to school in the mornings. About an hour before lunch I could smell the fresh pepperoni rolls and boiling tomato soup. It was difficult to focus on math problems as the warm odors made my stomach growl.

Several days ago my husband helped me (actually he did most of the work) to mark off an assignment on my summer to-do list. I wanted to restring the wire on the grape arbor and try to get it tied back up. After we did that I picked the ripening Concord grapes. And that is when I was once again transported back to my childhood.

I could smell the sweetness on my fingers, and instantly I remembered plucking grapes off the vine as I played under the arbor in our backyard. The thick skin of the first sour, then sweet, fruit would make me pucker, but I kept eating. I played house under that arbor, hiding beneath the shady leaves as my imaginary friends came to tea. Funny how a walk down memory lane means you just have to follow your nose.
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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Lunch, Anyone?


The boys are completing a cooking project this year in 4H, and one of their assignments is to evaluate school lunches. Since that is a bit difficult for us, or at least unfair, we decided to take advantage of the free summer lunch program offered by the county schools. Anyone under age 18 can show up at a school and eat for free this summer. I paid $3.25 for this honor.

This is what was offered on Tuesday: hamburger- no toppings other than condiment packages- chewy french fries that had been baked, fruit cocktail with mostly canned peaches and pears in it, and chocolate, fat free milk. No fresh fruits and veggies. No colorful foods. Very much not appetizing. Look at the joy on my boys' faces!

We had planned to try it twice this week, but after our poor experience, and a discussion with the cook, we decided we are done. #1 said he would tie himself to his bed before he would do that again!

The talk with the cook was interesting. They bake everything. In fact, there is no oil or grease anywhere around so that they can not possibly fry anything. That happened about five years ago, and though it took the kids a while to get used to it, they don't seem to mind now. Salt is not added to anything. Ketchup is to be offered in ounce servings. Most kids eat the ketchup and not the fries, per the cook.

I asked about the lack of fresh food. The cook said since it is so close to the end of the summer program- it has three weeks left- they will not offer any more fresh food. I guess they have had some fresh fruit earlier in the summer. She did say that starting in the fall they will begin offering cup sized portions of fruits and vegetables instead of half-cup sized. Also the fruit will be fresh. She did also comment that they have a butter seasoning sauce that they are allowed to put on vegetables they cook, otherwise there is no seasoning.

I noticed that our plates were thrown away with quite a bit of food left on them. The other kids who attended, ones in the summer program, emptied their plates. I guess you get used to bad food.
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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Reading Again!

When I was young I read constantly. My dad would yell about being tired of seeing kids with their noses in books and shoo us outside. (My brother was a reader, too.) Even after I grew up and got a job, I often was reading a good book. Being a teacher, I spent my summers absorbed in good reads.
Then I had children. The world of books still existed, but it bcame One Foot, Two Foot and Skip to My Lou instead of thicker, more age-appropriate texts. Every now and then I would sneak in a couple days of books, but those days were years apart. I thought I had became a non-reader. I was wrong!
Now that the boys are older and more independent, I am able to read again. I am not sure how many books I have read in the past year, but I know it is more than I read in the past fifteen years! Yesterday I actually read two books in 24 hours. Today I have some work to make up for, but I thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the porch, and the couch when it was too hot on the porch, to read all day yesterday. I think the boys enjoyed it too. #1 had gotten three books Sunday at the store and he was poring over them. Like mother like son, I suppose.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Culture Wars

I took the boys to the library yesterday, and I checked out several books for myself. I really like to read, but for many years now I have not had the opportunity to read in the way that I like. Now that the boys are older, and I have started to feel like the home place is settling down, I have begun to read again.
One of the books I checked out is East Wind, West Wind by Pearl S. Buck. In American Lit last year we read The Good Earth by Buck, and I really enjoyed it. It isn't an upper of a story, but it is well-written and intriguing. So as I searched for a book yesterday, I thought I would try another of Buck's famous books.
I woke last night and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to read a bit. A bit turned into three hours of the entire book! It was also an intriguing book to me. This one is about a Chinese family, around the 1920's I think, which is struggling with the changes in society and family. The women see their role in society very clearly, and though to us Westerners it seems like a stifled existence, to the Chinese women it is the way things are to be. Once change begins to occur, the women are off kilter.
The main character, a young bride, is confused when her university educated husband wants them to be equals. How could they be equals, she wonders. She imagines it as a strike against her people and her country. She believes her husband is unhappy with her to request such a thing.
Pearl S. Buck grew up in China, though she was American. She was able to see the world through both sets of eyes, Eastern and Western. Not many of us have been so blessed. May we each learn to listen carefully and openly before we declare another's way of life incorrect. Perhaps they like their way of life and believe ours to be barbaric.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

My Boyfriends Are Back

Congress was a hit, again. Thank you to the grandparents for helping us send the boys to this special event. It is expensive to attend, but there are a lot of other hidden costs as well. They have to wear business attire to several events, and business casual to other things. That means shopping. #2 got new dress slacks and a dress shirt two weeks before his District Presentation, and by District he had already outgrown them! So I was a bit smarter on this shopping trip and waited until just a few days before the big event.
#2 got two pair of dress slacks, a dress shirt, and a new belt. #1 has slowed down with his growth spurts, and since he had new clothes in May for the Governor's Page Program, he didn't need anything more than having his suit and slacks cleaned. Then #2 reminded me that before he headed to camp in June he had shown me the holes in his tennis shoes. So we headed over to the shoe store. Of course there were holes in his shoes; his toes poked through because they were a size too small. He is in a 9.5 or 10 now! The store was having a special if you buy two pair, and #1's shoes had a hole in the bottom, so we got two pair of tennies. Then after a trip to the eye doctor- #1 had some vision changes in the last month- we went to Eyemart to get two new pair of glasses. #2 needed glasses because his head has grown this year and his glasses were squeezing him.
After all of that we enjoyed a dinner at home together. During the dinner conversation we asked the boys what they were looking forward to about Congress. After all of their conversation about seeing old friends, competing, dances, etc. #2 asks his father what he is looking forward to. "Naked Tuesday!" he declared. Gee Whiz.
The boys came back Thursday and during dinner we had lots of excited talk about what they did and learned while they were gone. Then, as innocent as a babe, #2 asks, "So, Dad, how did Naked Tuesday go?"
"Not as well as I had hoped," Hubby answered.
With arms raised in the air #1 says, "I win! I called it. I said she would't cooperate."
Now I have a couple of problems, (1) why does he assume I won't cooperate, and (2) who was he taking these bets with!!??

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Painting Ceilings

Painting ceilings is hard, difficult work. It is very painful work, too. My neck is crunched on the right side, my shoulders and arms ache, and my back is wrenched. I started yesterday thinking that I was all set to paint, when I realized my good paintbrush was ruined by the stain I put on the porch last month. So I headed to Lowes to get a good brush.
I had other brushes, but when you are painting you need the right equipment. To get a sharp line on the corner, to apply evenly with few drips, and for comfort of application, you need a good brush. A good brush will cost you a lot more money than the cheap ones, but it willl save you so much time and pain, that I definitely think it is worth the extra expense.
I was thinking about that yesterday as I worked on the dining room ceiling. The Jews had equipment that would have kept them in God's good graces, but the equipment was difficult to use and didn't quite do the job. The right equipment was needed to make it easier. But the right equipment was a lot more expensive. It wasn't the blood of bulls and sheep, it was the blood of a beloved Son.
I'm glad God understood the benefit of paying a higher price and was willing to open His wallet to the world. The earth is a more beautiful place now that Jesus is our paintbrush.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Kids Are Gone, Am I Playing?

The boys left yesterday for State 4H Congress in Raleigh. This is #2's first time to go for the whole week. Last year he was allowed to stay one night. He seemed apprehensive about going this year-- excited but still a bit unsure. #1 was very nervous since he was competing for a free trip to Atlanta in November. He had to write an essay, fill out an application, and make a resume all before Congress. Then yesterday he was to have an interview. He will find out Wednesday if he won. They all come back on Thursday afternoon.
So am I playing while the cats are away? Well, Hubby and I took advantage of his day off yesterday and headed to the beach for the day. It was quite windy and there was a strong current, so it wasn't as fabulous as it could have been, but it sure was good to be out of town with my man for a day. We stayed at the beach for a few hours, then headed over to a little town to walk around and have dinner.
Now what will the mice do today? Well the big one is headed to the office and I am headed to the ladder. I plan to paint two ceilings. These mice sure know how to play!!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Clean

I have been cleaning the kitchen for about a week now. I do a little each day so that it isn't so overwhelming. Last week I cleaned out the refrigerator and the next morning Hubby said how great it looked. He hadn't realized it needed cleaned until he saw it clean. (Everyone needs a husband like that!)
Then I headed to the cupboards. Take everything out, put things in a yard sale pile/tub, wash it all down, put it all back. Then there are the "extra" things that hang around, like cookbooks I don't use but every now and then leaf through. I still have a shelf that I need to scrub, and the baseboards and floor are in need, but I feel so much better having it sanitized and organized.
Now, honestly, anyone who walked into my house last week would not have said, "Oh Yuck! I am not eating here! It is disgusting!!" But now knowing that it is quite clean, I can imagine people feeling better enjoying a meal with me. I think that is how grace is in my life.
God points out a few corners that could use a little Lysol and Brillo, but he still comes to dinner with me. As I take the time to clean out those cobwebby corners, God seems more able to enter my house. Not that he didn't come in and settle down in a comfy seat before, but when I really start cleaning out all the things I think I need junk, there just seems to be more room for Him and His Spirit.
Then, like my husband with the refrigerator, I exclaim, "Wow God! I didn't realize how bad I had gotten!" Thank you God for Spring Cleaning my Soul.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Growing Up

The day I dropped the boys off at camp was the day I knew that #2 was growing up. He is a very touchy-feely child, often playing with my hair, hugging or kissing me, or poking me in the nose. This year #2 was placed in the big boys' cabin, so he and the other two boys took their things and headed over. I helped the friend we were taking who is still in the little boys' cabin.
After dropping off my charge, I headed toward the van and saw the other boys there talking with a girl. There was a comment made about not having all of the other NC 4Hers with us, and by then I had reached the van, so I commented that we were all they needed. Then I gave #2 a hug. His body stiffened and turned to the side. The type of hug that says, "Please don't do that."
And that was when I knew that my baby was gone. Sunday, June 24, about 4:45 PM.
Since then he has returned to his normal touchy self, but I still think he has left me behind. Why? He suddenly remembers to brush his teeth! A woman at church who raised three boys once told me that is the sign that they are growing up: they brush their teeth. Not only does he remember at bedtime,  but he even wanted to brush his teeth before he and his dad headed to the movie on Sunday. Oh My Word!!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Disassembly Required

After camp I put #2 to work on a project. He wants to study Architecture this year for his 4H project, so I thought he could first learn about Un-Architecture, or Demolition. This "fort" was here when we bought the house, and the boys have pretty much outgrown it. Sometimes they climb up on top to look at the stars, but mostly it is an eyesore.
 So I told #2 it was his job to tear it down. He went right to work on it and did an amazing job.




Now we have to get a cool day so that we can burn all of that scrap wood. The salvageable wood is to be made into a picnic table and benches or stools. His project now is to design something to fit that bill.

Monday, July 09, 2012

Taylor County Camp

Here are pictures of the cutest kids not at camp. My mom and her sisters invited me to a girls' lunch out while I was home last week. We allowed one guy, since he was small enough to do as told. I talked with the middle one during lunch, and boy did she have a lot to say. Here is a message to her aunt who reads this blog, "Come over and watch us play ball when you can."
 Every morning at camp they raise the flag and then every evening they lower it. I remember it being a much more respectful event when I went to camp, but they do quiet down and stand. Citizenship and Etiquette are important in NC 4H. I guess not so much in WV anymore.
 The last evening of camp parents are allowed to attend the camp circle. After the flag lowering there are Reflections, and that night it was the Seneca Tribe's turn to lead. #2 helped lead the thoughts on making new friends and learning new things.
 During Council Circle the tribes do things like sing and skits. Here are the Cherokees trying to sing something.
 And one of our NC kids won a prestigious camp award: Head. Each H letter is awarded to one kid from camp and then one kid is awarded teh Spirit Award for embodying all four H's: Head, Heart, Hands, and Health.
The kids had a great time as usual and hope to attend next year. They said they really felt like a part of the WV family of campers this year.

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Gardening


I run my fingers through my hair, grasping it together in a large clip. Tendrils hang down damply against my neck. Smoke from the local wildfires fills my nostrils as I bend over to weed the small garden bed. The weeds have taken hold of the soil while I was away for two weeks.



“Why do you keep trying to raise a garden?” asks my fourteen year old son. It is a legitimate question. I have tried for years to raise a vegetable garden but with little success. I travel too much in the summer, and the weeds squeeze out the produce. Sometimes drought kills my budding plants before I can return to douse the green shoots with life-giving water.



I don’t have an answer to his question. Why do I sweat and toil, pulling muscles and breaking nails, blistering hands and burning my neck when all I get are a few cucumbers and a handful of tomatoes? It makes such little sense when I can easily go to the market and buy beautiful vegetables, but I do it year after year.



The answer lies deep in my soul. A primal urge courses through my veins to be a part of the Creator, to plant and grow, to continue the process that was begun so long ago. To return to a simpler time, to be quiet and meditate, turning soil to the never-ending rhythm of which I have no control, this is my answer.



My son cannot comprehend this need to work so hard for so little. I remember a time when I also didn’t appreciate the hot days in a garden pulling weeds and tossing out rocks. My grandfather would hoe around the little plants, and I would pick up the unwanted weeds. There’s no way I will garden when I grow up I thought to myself. But here I am hoeing, planting, weeding, and occasionally reaping a small harvest.



Perhaps someday my son will find himself in a plot of soil turning over its cool wetness, drinking in the smell of fresh earth, and marveling at the miracle of seed propagation. The innate drive to be a part of something greater than himself will draw him to the side of the Creator as they walk together through the garden.
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I wrote that last year, obviously, #1 is 15 years old now. I thought I would post it as I tell the world that I have given up the garden. I have struggled with it all summer. Not with the garden, but with the decision to give it up.
I kept thinking that once school was out, I would have time to go at it. Then it became once we return from WV, because I don't have to go anywhere the rest of the summer. Then I decided to help my mother after her surgery in August, and so now I have a two week hiatus from Eastern Carolina. Not a good idea in a place where weeds propogate at an alarming rate.
So as I lay in bed last week thinking through all of the things I need to do, I decided the garden was one I could scratch off of my list. My reasoning is that the rest of the family doesn't eat vegetables the way that I do and what little I get out of the garden often goes bad before it gets eaten. So it is better for me to do what I do best and give up on what I don't do as well.
Then I cleaned and washed the refrigerator. While cleaning it out, I came across the Ziploc bag of garden seeds that I keep. I stared at the packages of lettuce, beans, and corn. Well, I started to reason, the family does eat those things... and I left the seeds sitting on the countertop. Temptation.
It isn't a temptation to hard work, sweat, and sore muscles. It is a temptation to a way of life. As the post above shares, I feel closer to my Creator when I walk in the garden with him. But the more I think about time with the Creator, the more I realize that a garden is just another version of busy-ness that turns my life into a struggle.
So walking past the seed bag I dropped them into the trash bin. Sometimes you have to put the beautiful Devil right where he belongs.

Saturday, July 07, 2012

Sleep Disruption

Two years ago, #1 took a Biology class with a group of kids. One of the assignments for class was to complete a project and then display it. If I remember correctly, #1 chose to see if talking to plants would actually help them to grow.
#2 was intrigued with the idea of doing a project, and started thinking about his own. Last year he decided on his project: Sleep Disruption. He wanted to see what the effects would be if he switched his sleeping pattern to day time and was up all night. I told him that kind of experiment would have to take place in the summer.
So this week, seeing a cleared calendar, #2 set to work on his experiment. He started Wednesday night, meaning that he was up for 22 hours straight in order to get started. Thursday morning he said he didn't want to do it any more. I spent some time giving him some strategies and encouragement, and he did it again that night. Last night he  had a friend come over with the knowledge that he was to help #2 stay up all night.
I don't know what time they gave up, but at 6:15 this morning, they are both asleep on the couch. This was probably the last night for the great experiment, but I think he has learned a lot already. The idea was to see what it would be like to be a shift worker. I am pretty sure he will not decide on a career that requires night work.
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On the up side, #1 realized how much he likes his brother. While the two of us had lunch together yesterday, he asked if this is what it will be like for me in  a couple of years, lunch with just one boy. "It's kind of strange without him," remarked #1. Yes, it is, but its a lot quieter too!

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Returned

I feel like a letter that has an incorrect address. I keep getting sent on, not knowing where my home address really is. Last week I got to spend a week at "home". That means I went to WV and stayed with my folks while the boys went to 4H camp. I taught a class at camp, but otherwise I spent the time at the home place, walking, resting, writing, planning, and visiting. The lightning bugs were absolutely beautiful, as always.
I had needed to go home. I noticed at the beginning of June, returning from a trip to Richmond, that it seemed awfully flat when I got into my county. I need the hills, I thought. I was right. I enjoyed walking the hills to sit on a log and look over the ridge into the distance. I walked the mile to my old elementary school and watched the deer in the fields next to me. I ventured into an area I had never explored before and realized just how steep some of those WV hills can be!
But at the end of the week, I came home. How can that be? How can I go home and then return to home? Home is where the heart is. Memories of my childhood, of familiar places and people, of traditions and inflections make my heart jump. Resting in my Lover's arms, sharing a joke with him and the boys, petting my goats, returning to my church make me feel at peace.
I guess that is how I best explain my desire to be in Heaven. Heaven is home, but here is home too. Both bring me joy and peace. So my envelope is addressed, the stamp is licked and placed, and the flag is up, but what time the mail carrier goes is still to be determined.