Sweet memories

Most families have at least one favorite Christmas tradition. We have a number of them, like doing jigsaw puzzles from the time the gift wrap flies until the last dollop of whipcream hits the pumpkin pie.
But the sweetest tradition of all is my Dad making buttery rich caramels and crunchy peanut brittle. It became "the men's project" as we added a son-in-law or two over the years. Dennis became an expert under Dad's tutelage. The caramels were a "must" for the holidays. Now the grandsons-in-law are carrying on (that means you, Brent!) along with some of the gals (yes, Anne, I read your blog).

Being home with Mom for Christmas this year, after missing quite a few years, we finally launched into sweet-tooth mode today. If we do it too soon, there's never any treats left for Christmas day...

Mom and I agreed, it was mighty strange to be sitting around the table all by ourselves, wrapping caramels. It was always a family gathering - gabbing, gobbling, and wrapping those golden nuggets.

Here's Dad's recipe (I have a copy he handwrote for me - one of my precious trreasures). It came from his mother, Ruby - in her day, it was made with rich yellow cream instead of canned evaporated milk. Both work just dandy!

GRANDPA'S CARMELS

Butter a glass pan - a 7x11 makes thickish caramels, a 9x13 makes thinner (and more) caramels.

In a heavy flat-bottomed saucepan (an electric skillet is perfect), combine over med. high heat:

2 c. sugar

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk (or heavy cream)

1 3/4 c. light corn syrup

1 cup butter (NOT margarine - must use the REAL THING)

Boil gently, stirring constantly, to firm ball stage (248 degrees - or use the cold water test: drop a small bit into a small bowl of cold water, let cool a minute and check for firmness). Remove from heat, quickly stir in:

2 teaspoons vanilla

Immediately pour into buttered pan. Let cool several hours, until cool and firm.

Loosen by dipping pan bottom in hot water, turn out onto a cutting board. Cut into strips then into squares. Wrap in wax paper (if you just put them into a bowl without wrapping, you will soon have one solid mass of caramel!).

We also made Peanut Brittle. A little self-control is a good thing, but it can be sorely tested on
a candy-making day...

Next up tomorrow: Popcorn Balls! These were Dennis' speciality. Over the years he won over many hearts with a delivery of a bag of his popcorn balls. Another sweet memory.

Traditions and special treats are a good thing - right, Martha!?

Mom

A small sign on the fridge: "Gettin' old ain't for sissies." No one epitomizes that more than my mom. She maintains that if she sits still too long, she'll just rust away. So she stays active, to the point the rest of us can barely keep up with her!

One of her favorite activities is helping a group of women tie quilts that are part of a charity project. Recently a friend passed away and as her daughter was cleaning out the stash of fabric she welcomed us to take all we could handle, which was a real blessing for the quilters! As Mom and I sorted through the huge bags, we found odds and ends of projects we could do ourselves. One was this small crib quilt. I sewed it together, and Mom tied it.

One of my cherished memories is learning to iron. This is the same ironing board. I still to iron, unlike a lot of my contemporaries. Mom was a good teacher, of the mechanics of ironing as well as the love of a job well-done.

Speaking of antiques ... this mom is Mom's old friend. She says she got it while living in a large army tent when first married, with a wood floor that she kept spic and span clean. The mop is older than I am...like I said, antique.

Mom changes out the towels every twenty years or so...

and even though the squeezy part of the head has to be taped shut now, like so many older tools it just keeps on doing a good job. And just like her tools, Mom continues to "do a good job." We're so blessed to have her, and her generation, to show us how it should be done.

Which is more than I can say for today's built-in obsolescence. Have you noticed that?

Winter provision

A warning for the squeemish - our family has a long tradition of hunting deer and elk to provide winter meat. The follow photos aren't gory, but if you belong to PETA you won't appreciate them...

Two elk were harvested this season. This one, brought in whole, was tagged by my sister-in-law Diane. An improvement on the good 'ol days of backpacking the quarters out of the hills and canyons, the hunting party now enjoys two four wheelers, the modern pack mules. After using them to pull the downed animals up hillsides and across ravines, they then load the large meat-sacked quarters onto each end of the four-wheeler, drive it out to where the trucks are parked, drive them right up the ramp into the truck, and wa-lah!

Two elk were harvested this season. This one, brought in whole along side the fourwheeler in the truck, was tagged by my sister-in-law Diane. She and Bev, my other sister-in-law, have helped shoot and process deer and elk for a lot of years. Bev claims she's retired now, but she's right there to help with the cleaning, cutting and wrapping.

After skinning out, the carcass is quartered, then the meat is carefully cleaned and wiped down with vinegar water to help eliminate any "gamey" taste. The meat hangs in a cooler for 2-3 days to dry-age, then it is brought back to Mom's for the cutting and wrapping. After over fifty years of this, the family works together like a well-oiled unit. The meat is divided equally among the hunters participating in that year's hunt. Everyone is grateful to have meat in the freezer.

The other part of hunting is story tellin'! As the meat is processed, each step and every ridge is relived, with hilarious stories and not a few tall tales.

Yes, Bill, looks like you got him through the brisket!

Hunting is not only a bonding family tradition - it's a necessity for our families. We provide a great deal of our own food via the big game from surrounding hills, fish from the five rivers and clams from Tillamook Bay which is only a few blocks away, tuna from the deep-sea fishermen at our local port only a five minute drive away, and of course our gardens.

It is good to be so self-sufficient.

And share a heritage our grandchildren may be blessed to live.

"Jingle balls, jingle balls..."

Two widder' wimmin aren't terribly inclined to do a lot of decorating for the holidays...you have to take it all DOWN, you know. But we braved the spiders in the attic (at least Mom did - I stayed down below to catch) and uncovered some real Christmas treasures.


These old balls, some dating to the 1930's or so, were too precious to risk falling off a tree - assuming we even put up a tree - so they were given a place of honor in glass bowls, to show off their antique beauty.

The first bowl has balls dating at least 62 years because Mom remembers her older sister giving some of them to her just before I was born. The second bowl has a collection from a local Grange that Mom and Dad belonged to for umpteen years. When the Grange folded a numberof years ago, Mom managed to glom onto these, rather than see them in the garbage bins.


We do have a Christmas tree. I found it amusing to hang starched crocheted and tatted snowflakes (from my sister and several family friends over the years) on the fiber optic tree - which is "fake", of course. The juxtaposition of old and new tickled my fancy!

This little guy started life as a Halloween Ghost. But with a few buttons, a little stocking hat and a fancy ribbon, he doubles as a Snowman. Ummm - not so close to the fire, there, Frosty...




Last but not least, some cedar with cones and sprigs of holly threaded on a honeysuckle vine wreath (made from Mom's honeysuckle vines which were a family heirloom) are a cheery greeting for visitors as they come on the porch. They can even ring the bells, instead of knocking. We're all about multi-tasking!

So there you have it. Christmas decor, a la the Scrooge grammas.

Oh, I almost forgot. We did hang a few colorful balls on the elk antlers by the fireplace...
they don't look as tacky as it sounds.

Knitty stuff

As mentioned previously, this is a "knitty" year. In fact, even the newspapers and magazines are touting the resurgance of knitting. And that's a good thing - right, Martha?

Here's the finished hats - now dispersed to new babes in the family. The pattern is the Umbilical Cord Hat from Debbie Stoller ("Stitch 'n Bitch: the knitter's handbook; pg 188). It's easy, fairly fast even for a moderate speed knitter (takes me a day of fairly steady knitting, to complete one), and oh-so-cute! Two were made with stretchy sock yarn, one with cotton yarn.

These two are one the way to the Kizerian zoo (- um- that would be "home"), for Tessa and Baa. Made with sparkly Vanna White yarn, adorned with bells, sparkles and bobbles in honor of Christmas.

Does this remind anyone of "Narnia"?? Mom's resident lion, whom I can't help but call Aslan, is about 30" long and rules the couch. But he couldn't escape the Christmas elves...cool hat, eh?

Next projects on the needles: a couple of scarves (one is pink, wonder who will be looking for THAT one?!), some hats, socks to finish...

I just became the happy recipient of enough yarn to fill two large 30-gal sacks! So yes - it is DEFINATELY a knitty winter ahead!

Wonder if Santa needs a new chapeau...

What did you expect??

Yep, I'm in Oregon. And here are Oregon Ducks, to prove the point (college team...very successful this year, BTW)! These two pairs have taken over the north end of town, trundling up hills (steep) and down, casing every yard for bird feeders that leak seeds, and thoroughly enjoying themselves in the ditches when it rains. These are the same ditches we played in as kids, only now they have grass instead of just mud....

No one seems to know just who they belong to. They literally stop traffic, as I witnessed this morning. Two were just in the process of crossing the street over to our yard, leaving one in the middle of the road and one sleeping in the grass. A lady in an oncoming car slowed...and slowed some more...then stopped, hands and shoulders shrugging as she waited for the middle-of-the-road sitter to finish the course. But no, he started calling his mate to wake up and get movin'! So here she comes, waddling at duck speed, to join him - and he didn't move an inch while waiting for her - that's true duck-love. The patient driver finally rolled down her window and asked if I knew who they belonged to (the most popular question of passing dog-walkers, strollers, and slow drivers as they go by our house). I declined any knowledge, which she may or may not have believed since the ducks were then quacking contentedly past my feet on the way to the bird feeders...

Not to be outdone by a stampede of ducks, the resident deer ambled through the back yard right after breakfast. Mom has watched this baby grow up, every since it showed up with her mamma as a tiny wobbly spotted fawn. They make regular forays through the streets and yards, and occasionally the gardens.

Mamma wasn't too far behind, grazing the rich grasses just below the dining room window. It was nice of the sun to help with the lighting, after hiding behind a week or so of stormy weather.

Ummmm - did you know this is how lady deer "tinkle"? I have to admit that this is the very first time I have ever, in all my years of living in deer country, seen a deer take care of business. When a gal's gotta go, she's gotta go!

Which makes me wonder - do the guy deer lift a leg, like a dog? Or squat like a bunny like the girls do?

One of life's little mysteries.

High Winds

The coast had almost two weeks of intermittant storms and high winds. One gust, just a mile up the bay from us, was clocked at 89 mph. Lots of rain makes for wet ground, which renders the shallow rooted alder trees very fragile when the winds kick up over 30 mph.
At 2 a.m. a few nights ago, mom and I met each other in the kitchen, unable to sleep because of the howling wind and whipping rain on the windows. The power was flicking in and out, which is a nuisance because you have to reset every electric clock and contraption in the house!

The next day revealed a downed tree in the park just below mom's house. This old alder smacked right through one of the newly painted picnic tables. Fortunately, we only had a lot of limbs and a boatload of leaves in the front yard. THIS time we're waiting until the weatherman says the storm systems are through for a few days before we rake that yard!

I'm making a private wager with myself on just when that pesky tree hanging over the neighbor's fence will stop sharing all it's leaves with us. I thought the maple in the backyard was going to hang onto those last five leaves until Christmas, they just wouldn't give up. But they are now decorating the hedge, so there's hope for that tree out front...

The Garden Gang

My backlog of photos still has a few jewels to share, so from time to time I'll slip in a few from home, amongst the new photos from my Oregon sojourn.
The last group of this season's turkeys had one final job - helping with the garden cleanup before tucking it in for the winter. They love helping in the garden, often "volunteering" by pushing through their gate into the garden area - which was fine, except they would then wander over to the fence stile, climb out, and I'd find them on the front porch!

After several hours of gobbling bugs and seeds (um - that sounds like a pun of some sort...), they were tired and waiting to go back in their own large fenced area - nothing to climb over or through in there, much easier for a fat turkey to navigate! They did a good job in the garden, and were good company for the rest of us as we cleaned up spent foliage and packed away boards and wire.

The other two-legged garden crew was tired, too. As the late afternoon sun was sinking and turning the air golden, they took a rest on the big old beam pile, fortified with animal crackers, nuts, and some water. Cheap labor!

Nikki had done her job, too - supervising everything and everyone.

We have a good time working together. And a sunny late fall day makes it perfect!

Don't you wish you had this garden gang?!

Sherpas

This is a fast update, from the small library in my hometown of Bay City, Oregon. Traveling heavier than my usual one roll-on, I had to enlist some sherpas to get all of my entourage to the plane in Milwaukee. Nothing like home-grown sherpas! I miss them already...


An all-too short visit with KATHY during the two hour layover in Phoenix, then on to Portland, Oregon where I spent a fun and relaxing week with niece Anne and her household of critters (no, Matt, you're not one of the "critters"!).


Now I'm cozily settled at Mom's for the winter, in the bedroom where I slept most of my younger years. We are enjoying daily walks rain or shine (and we are having a LOT of storms and wind right now), cribbage (I've won 4 out of 5 so far - but who's keeping track :>), raking leaves (there will be much rejoicing when that pesky tree is BARE again), and our favorite activity - birdwatching - things that keep us happily busy.

I've also knitted 3 and 1/2 hats (pics on next post) while Mom is embroidering with her amazingly tiny stitches, looks like we'll be doing lots of needlework over the winter. It just feels like a "knitty" year...

My posting will be dependent on keeping the battery charged in my stand-in laptop: Carrie's cute little mini (no room for the big one this time...). And how often I trundle down to the library, which is only a few blocks away. Barring being blown away by the winds (gusts at 89 yesterday), I'll keep posting, hopefully at least once a week, more often when anything exciting happens - but don't count on it if the roof goes...

Homemade Hand Sanitizer

It's one thing to try keeping the winter "bugs" at bay (Nikki has the right idea - extra layers!), quite another to be poisoning yourself or your kids with chemicals. Commercial handsanitizers are truly a mixed blessing - fast and easy, which encourages hand cleaning that is crucial for not spreading the germies, but the ingredients are scary.



Here's a wonderful solution, one of probably many sanitizer recipes popping up as people seek healthier alternatives to keeping healthy.

Make Your Own Handsanitizer

1 cup aloe vera gel
1 tsp rubbing alcohol
2 tsp vegetable glycerin
8-10 drops tea tree essential oil or lavender essential oil

Mix and store in recycled, fun jars and bottles. This could be the gift of the season, share with family and friends!

For the whole story and some ideas, go see what Patricia has to share at:



http://handmaidenkitchen.blogspot.com/2009/11/homemade-hand-sanitizer.html



Essential oils are one of my favorite healthcare items. Besides smelling wonderful, they carry the healing properties of each type of plant. The key is to use THERAPEUTIC GRADE essential oils, such as Young Living which I've used for years. DO NOT use craft-type aromothery oils, they won't give the results that pure distilled oils provide.



Here are some oils I use specifically for their antibacterial, antiviral action:



lemon, eucalyptus radiata, peppermint, lavender, melaleuca alternifolia, ravensara, cinnamon, clove, rosemary CT cineol, marjoram, oregano, thyme



Remember, these oils are powerful, treat them with respect. Unless you are completely familiar with them, do not use undiluted on your skin. They can also, along with a number of other essential oils, be diffused to kill airborne bacteria and virus. We have a diffusor for almost every room, and use them generously during "the buggy season".


If you have questions about essential oils and their uses, I'm always just a click away!

While I'm thinking about it, if you are arguing with a cold, or want to prevent one, I have a tasty remedy over at EarthHeart (http://cstauffer.blogspot.com/), labeled "Killer Garlic" - I LOVE this stuff!

Bottom line: Take loving care of YOU!

Best Day Ever

As I've been "dejunking" closets and cupboards, packing my suitcases, and mentally preparing for an extended trip to Oregon, I keep coming across "notes to myself", tucked away in art books, journals, photo albums, cards, etc (can you tell, I'm easily distracted?!!). Some have brought a laugh, or a chuckle, sometimes a few tears, always a memory - some poignant, some joyful. And some stuff went straight into the circular file...there's a place for everything.

Anyway, when I read over this particular note, I felt it worth sharing, because it's such a good exercise. (No, you don't have to hit the floor.) I keep an off-and-on gratitude journal, which is often a just-before-lights-out reminder of how blessed I really am. This little exercise falls into that category. And exercising your "attitude of gratitude" is ALWAYS a healthy thing! Here we go:

Round up a nice pen (no pencil; no over-analyzing and erasing things), a nice piece of paper or your favorite little journal, pour a cup of fragrant tea (or cocoa!) if that relaxes you, put on your favorite soothing music and take five deep Buddha breathes (clear to your tummy and out again, S - L - O - W- L - Y), and smile. That's mandatory.

At the top of your page, write:

Adding Joy to My Day

Then make a list of the small, ordinary everyday things that bring joy to your life. It doesn't have to be a long list, just go with the flow. You may be surprised at how many things keep popping into your mind once you get going.

Here's one of my lists, from a couple of years ago:

*watching birds out my kitchen window

*scent of the essential oils I use
*listening to favorite music

*warm wet wash cloth on my face first thing in the morning

*cup of herbal tea

*walking outdoors, rain or shine

*wildflowers

*playing piano or guitar

*reading to the grandpunks

*sketching

*breathing meditation

*sharing fresh baking

*holding my cat, stroking my dog

*nap

*soft blankie

*being present - listening with eye contact

*re-reading favorite books

Notice none of those things cost money, or demand much time, or require anyone's permission - except my own. How often do we deprive ourselves of the simple joy of living because we don't give ourselves permission to simply live? That "TO DO " list will still be there after you refresh yourself with this recess.

OK, here's my list for today - first, picture me, I'm sitting in my favorite arm chair, a glass of kombucha at hand (don't ask unless you really want to know...), the flames glowing and flickering in the window of the pellet stove which is blowing comforting heat through the cabin on a cold breezy day, the ambiance of Bronn Journey's Christmas album in the background.

TODAY'S JOY:

*sturdy old log walls to keep out the wind
*a body-and-soul warming fire
*cat in my lap
*memories, emerging from storage bins and tattered envelopes
*three bags of clothes ready to go to GoodWill
*crisp greens in my salad
*nuthatches in the bird feeder
*T-Tapp
*avocados
*snuggy wool slippers/clogs
*sourdough rising
*red limbs of osier dogwood
*Christmas music - thank you, Anne Murray and El Divo
*turkeys running to greet me at the gate
*sandhill cranes and Canada geese calling overhead
*apple walnut cookies
*farmhouse windows glowing in the dusk

I could just keep on going, the list is actually endless. And each day is the same but different.

I really love doing this little exercise in mindfulness, it is such a positive affirmation of my Heavenly Father's love and my place in the grand scheme of things.

It brings me comfort, and joy.

Now go and write down YOUR joy!

Slumber Party!

When the rest of the family were contemplating getting up and out of the house by 5 a.m. the next morning, I made a lot of "gramma points" by offering to have Max and Jayden stay overnight at the cabin. By 7:30 p.m. they were fed and all snuggled into their nests, eager for the Friday Night Movie.

There's nothing like a slanty roof/ceiling, quilts, and snuggly stuffed critters to make a cozy party out of just a sleep-over.

We watched "Robin Hood" for the 1, 496, 235th time.

Cloggin'

My first pair of knitted clogs has been a real adventure. The first clog involved a LOT of counting, recounting, checking the number of stitches on the needle every few rows, muttering under my breath, tearing out, recounting...you get the picture, even if you aren't a knitter.

I finally spent a whole day in the back room known affectionately as the "class room" at The Shaggy Sheep, from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm, determined to get that sucker DONE!! And I did it!

The second one was WAY faster to knit, a matter of a couple of hours, which is what instuctor Bonnie kept telling me. I'm a believer now. There are always little tips and tricks in any knitting project, and I've got a handle on this one, now!

Ummm. It looks kinda like...maybe a Sasquatch slipper?? It's HUGE.
Several friends who make felted totes and handbags say that when they get the bags knitted, they are the size of suitcases before felting. I hafta trust 'em...

Ten minutes sharing a very hot water tubby with a couple pair of jeans in the washing machine, and - wahlah!! FELTED CLOGS!!

Part of the process is to put the WET clogs on right out of the washing machine, to check for size (at least they were nice and warm from the hot water...). If not small enough, back in they go. These were pretty snug, and knowing they will stretch a bit with wear, I figured for a first pair they were good enough.

A hand rinsing, then squeezed gently in a thirsty rolled towel to get as much water out as possible, then reshaping and stuffed with plastic grocery bags to hold that shape, two days of drying - this project is almost done.

I say "almost", because I'm getting some suede soles to sew on the bottoms. I don't like skating over slick floors.

I get enough practice at that sort of stuff when winter hits Wisconsin.

The Neverending Garden...

Have you noticed how often it's the small things in life that bring lasting memories and real satisfaction - joy, even?

This time of year the garden is usually all buttoned up for the winter. We've been dragging our feet getting the last cleanup done, partly because the garden just refuses to call it quits. We had planned on keeping carrots in the ground until the hard, deep freezes - it's still a pleasure to go out and dig up those bright crisp roots, so sweet and juicy from the recent cold snaps. But who knew that an abnormally cool summer would keep the broccoli so happy that it is STILL sprouting away!

Max spent the afternoon with gramma, and since the "Baby carrots" were planted 'specially for him, we went on a carrot hunt. Yep, they were still there, with bright verdant newly sprouting greens shining from the morning rain, waving in the brisk wind. A NIPPY day. Just right for carrot hunting.

Jetta is my garden buddy all summer long. And it looks like she's not going to give it up until the garden says "Uncle." She's very propriatory about "her" garden, checking up on us even in un-catlike weather.

Max's very most favorite food is carrots. Raw, thank you very much. None of those mushy cooked things for HIM. We planted about four times the carrots this year, with hopes some would be left for winter in-ground storage. Susposedly we can throw some insulating straw bales over the wide-bed carrot patch, allowing us to dig carrots even when the surrounding ground is brick solid. I have my doubts, but we're going to try a small portion of the patch to experiment. It freezes four feet deep here, so those carrots better have a dose of antifreeze along with the blanket of straw...

In the meantime, Max came back in the cabin very pleased with the carrot hunt, and while thawing out watching a movie snuggled in his favorite soft couch blanket, he ate his way through the results of his labor - a bowl of crunchy sweet carrots.

"They couldn't do it without my supervision, you know. Gotta watch every move they make."

Next thing we know, she'll be trying to convince us that she invented Halloween.