- Good food, good company, good advice from Grandma

Remember Whensday

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Me on the left, Donna on the right in 1995

I met my friend Donna, in 1964 or 65, when we were in the 8th grade. I was the new kid, having moved from Austell to Douglasville, Georgia, after school had started for the year. We were inseparable in our early teens, spending almost every weekend at her house. We helped each other through our first marriages, having our children, and through the divorces that followed.

We visited as often as we could over the years, but it never seemed like often enough. The photo above was taken in May of 1995, when we drove to San Antonio, Texas together to take a bassinette to my son and his wife for their firstborn child. We decided that since we were close enough, we would just drive down to Mexico for one day before returning to Atlanta.

Donna bought a longhorn steer skull, with a horn span of what seemed like six feet. If it had been one more inch, we would have had to have driven all the way with the rear windows rolled down so they could stick out. A few years later, when I hit the road for my life as a gypsy, I lost track of her. We haven’t seen each other in almost 10 years, maybe more. But, I found her on Facebook this week! I hope we can get together when I go home to Douglasville over the winter.

For more Remember Whensday posts, click here.

Where Does The Time Go?

Karen · 6 Comments

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I’m sitting here tonight, wondering how in the world it got to be October 6th already, and thinking I only have 18 days before we leave the North Rim to go to Alabama. I am psyched for traveling again, and really glad that I’ll be in a place where I’ll see water every day. I am happy that I will see my daughters and my grandson again soon. But on the same token, I am saddened that I will be leaving a place I love so much. Saddened that there aren’t enough days to spend with friends before we go. Lonely for them already and we aren’t even gone yet.

And as I think about that, I also wonder how I got to be fifty-seven years old so fast. Where did all THAT time go. I think about the people back home in Georgia, the related ones, of course, but more often the chosen ones. People who have been my friends for years, who still love me, no matter what flaws I may have. Amazed at how many of them I have found on Facebook, and who want to get together with me for lunch or coffee, or whatever, when I get back to town this winter. And overjoyed that I found one in particular just recently, who I have known since the 8th grade. Knowing that she was my best friend for many years, and that I have known her for more than 40, and happy that I may see her again soon.

And that kind of thinking always leads me to think of my mother. My relationship with my mother has always been shakey–I have never felt like I have accomplished quite what she wanted me to, or that she has ever approved of anything I have done. Lord knows I have tried. But at 57, I have tried to let all that go, and just love her, no matter what, in the hope that she would do the same. Sometimes that is hard to do. Sometimes I cringe when I see her phone number in the caller ID, and sometimes I don’t answer when I know it is her. Sometimes I do, hoping she will be the sweet mother I always hoped she would be. Too often, though, it’s not. And I know I can’t change that. I really do try to be patient with her. She misses me–my sister tells me that she does. It’s just hard to believe that when every time she calls me she loses her temper with me–whether it is something I say, or, a lot of the time, whether it is something I DON’T say.

We have very different opinions about a lot of things, from politics to religion, and back again. Most of the time she rants on rather loudly about whatever it is that has gotten her ire up, and I just listen until she calms down. More and more often, though, if I keep my mouth shut and bite my tongue in an attempt to NOT make her mad, that just makes her mad. And I have told her over and over again, that just because we have different opinions, it doesn’t mean I don’t love her. That maybe we should agree to not discuss religion or politics, and just talk about family, and my life and her life. And forget about the rest.

Our most recent telephone conversation ended with her calling me some ugly names, and hanging up on me. And I cried like I was eight years old again. I wish I could figure out why this happens. My sister says it is because she misses me. And that she wishes I would call her more often. And I might agree, that that is the case. But who wants to call when they know what the result will be?

I know there will come a time when I will wish that every time the phone rang it would be my mother. She is almost 82 years old, and I know how lucky I am to have had her in my life for as long as I have. I just wish she would feel lucky to have me, even if I am 2,000 miles away. Mama, do you know I love you???? do you know that you did a great job raising me? do you know that even if I didn’t accomplish what you dreamed for me, that I have achieved my dreams for myself? do you know that I am lonely for you, too?

Scenic Sunday

Karen · 8 Comments

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Autumn colors on Hwy 67 at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on Tuesday, September 29, 2009. The colors came on fast and disappeared just as fast, but for the short time they were here, they were fabulous! Yellow aspens among the firs and ponderosa pines.

For more Scenic Sunday photos, click here.

Mmmmm, Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Karen · 2 Comments

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I made some yummy chocolate chip cookies tonight, using Pamela’s Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix. For a review, click here.

What A Great Day!

Karen · 8 Comments

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As if this:

Or this:

Or even this:

Were not enough reason to call it a good day, someone came by my work station today and brought this:

She said she had had a visitor who left them behind, and she would not ever eat them, so she gave them to me.

And then, another co-worker came by a few minutes later, and brought this:

A half dozen home made chocolate chip gluten free cookies. Okay, I ate three of them, and they were yummy! He said a friend of his is starting a gluten free company in Tucson, and when she came to visit she brought these for me. Well, by then, I was feeling really extra special and very loved. And then, another person came by and brought this:

She had been down to Flagstaff, and was shopping at Frontier Foods, and when she saw their gluten free aisle, she thought of me. And that Cranberry Pomegranate juice? Because she knew I had that kidney stone last week, and just wanted me to have it.

People, I am so high on this spontaneous show of love from these people! I can’t tell you how good this made me feel today. I can hardly wait for tomorrow…

Oh, Deer!

Karen · 5 Comments

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In the two years that we have been living and working on the Kaibab Plateau, we have never driven up Hwy 67 from Jacob Lake in the dark, until last week when we came home from the emergency room. The closest we came was when we drove up around dusk one time and counted 105 deer. Those deer were way off in the meadows, close to the trees. Not right on the road.

I was pretty well drugged up that night last week, so I COULD have been hallucinating, but dang! there were HUNDREDS of deer out there, just hanging around. It was very creepy to see them, those animals that look so cute in the daytime. See:

But the other night they were standing in groups, herds, of probably 20 or 30, on both sides of the road, along the 43 mile drive. When our truck lights hit them, they seemed to turn in unison to look at us, the light reflecting from their eyes looking all red and evil. I told FabGrandpa it was like they had called a meeting to discuss taking over the world! It was sort of like that old Alfred Hitchcock movies, “The Birds”, except this was mule deer.

And as if that was not enough creepyness, we saw two cows standing on the side of the road about half way up the road. They were the weirdest looking cows I have ever seen, but of course it could have been the drugs. I only wish I had taken pictures. But it was dark. And I was on drugs. They sort of looked like this:

(This photo from U.S. Ayrshire Breeder’s Association website)

only they seemed to have a larger, shaggier body. And a smaller head. And shorter legs. And they looked really scarey in the dark.

Gluten Free Banana Pudding

Karen · 3 Comments

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My neighbor gave me a bunch of ripe bananas today, so I decided to make some gluten free banana pudding. It turned out really good–FabGrandpa ate two big bowls full. To make it:

1 cup sugar

3 cups milk

1/4 cup corn starch

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

5 ripe bananas

1 box of Mi-Del Arrowroot Animal Cookies

Mix the sugar and corn starch in a 4 qt pot. Add milk and salt, cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Separate the eggs, set the whites aside. Beat the yolks well, then add a small amount of the hot mixture from the pan to the eggs, stirring well. Add the egg yolks to the pan, stir and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.

Layer the cookies and bananas in a large bowl. Pour the pudding over the bananas and cookies.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add 1/3 cup sugar a little at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Spread the meringue over the top of the pudding. Put the bowl into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the meringue is browned.

Company Comes To The North Rim

Karen · 3 Comments

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Because we live in such a remote area, and have such a small community, whenever someone has company, we ALL have company. It’s not that we are being nosey and and hogging up each other’s friends, it’s just that we are all starved for news of the outside world. Or, it could be that any occasion is a reason for a party. Whatever.

Lenny, Kenny, Sandy, Dennis, Walt

So, a last week our neighbor and co-worker, Dennis, came over and asked if he could borrow my dutch oven so he could make some stew for his visitors who were coming the next day. I gladly loaned it to him because I sort of knew I would be eating that stew, too. The next day, I was working at the entrance station, when the guys came in. Even though I had never met them, when they showed me their pass and ID, and I saw that they were from Kentucky, I knew they were the guys coming to visit Dennis. Sure enough, they were. I gave them detailed directions to where their friend lived.

FabGrandpa and Zach

When I got home from work that night, FabGrandpa wasn’t here, but I knew exactly where to find him. I went over to Dennis’s place, and found him eating the pork and chile stew. When I came in, I was still in uniform and the guys were all, “You gave us great directions” and “How did you know we were the right people?” and someone handed me a bowl of stew. Yum.

Me and Kenny

The next night there was a party at Dennis’s place. We had a campfire in the barbecue grate. It was loads of fun. Even though we hadn’t met until the night before, it was like we had all known each other forever.

Lenny, me, and FabGrandpa

Zach, FabGrandpa, and Walt

Kenny tending to the fire.

Dennis’s company left the following Monday. Today, Dennis came over with a bunch of bananas. He said one of his visitors left them at his place. So, I thought, when life hands you bananas, make banana pudding!