- Good food, good company, good advice from Grandma

Remember Whensday

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In the summer of 1985, I had major surgery and was out of work on sick leave for 10 and a half weeks. While I was recuperating, I went on a short trip to visit my brother and his family. I lived west of Atlanta, and he lived in south Georgia, out in the country.

I had a wonderful visit with them, just hanging around the house, doing nothing special at all, but it was one of my favorite trips I ever took. One day while we were there, we visited Okeefeenoke Swamp, and took a boat ride along the murky water, with alligators swimming by. That is my sister-in-law, Jean on the left, my daughter Becca in the back, and me on the right, sitting in Jean’s kitchen.

For more Remember Whensday photos, click here.

Fire On The North Rim

Karen · 8 Comments

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One of the most frequently asked questions I get from visitors at the entrance station is “How long ago was the fire on Highway 67 a few miles back?” That fire, known as the Warm Fire, was caused by a lightening strike on June 8, 2006, and burned over 58,000 acres before it was contained on July 4.

While the burned area visible to visitors who drive along that section of Highway 67 to get to the North Rim may look devastated, the vegetation is returning. There are lots of young aspens coming up, and plenty of wildflowers and grasses there, too. To us humans, it looks like a terrible loss. But to mother nature, fire is one of her tools of renewal.

The aspens come back first. The shade cover from the aspen slow the growth of the pines and firs. But aspen grow quickly and don’t live as long. So when they die the canopy opens up and allows the pines and firs to grow. This is forest succession. Plus the Ponderosa Pine are very fire resistant. The thick bark and self-pruning of the lower dead branches helps protect them from fire. Many have scorched trunks , but are still alive and provide the seed for new pines.

If you click on the picture above to enlarge it, and look closely, you’ll see the new growth coming up around the dead, burned trees. You may or may not see the nesting holes of the woodpeckers and flickers who live in the shells of the dead trees, eating the many insects that also occupy the area.

Last week, we had thunderstorms in the area again. Five new fires were ignited by lightening from those storms, in various areas of the North Rim. No, I am not afraid, we’ll be evacuated long before we are in any danger, if any of the fires come too close. The fire above is called the Aspen Fire, on the Wallhalla Plateau, near Cape Royal. It is probably north of where my friend and I hiked a few weeks ago. I don’t know for sure, because they have closed the road. It is about 3.5 miles or so across the canyon from where I live. So far it has burned about 730 acres.

There is a lot of smoke from this fire. At night, it sinks down into the canyon so that in the morning all you can see is the smoke.

According to the Wildland Fire Policy, “…the role of federal agencies in the wildland/urban interface includes wildland firefighting, hazard fuels reduction, cooperative prevention and education, and technical assistance. Primary responsibility rests at the state and local levels…” “….Finally, agencies and the public must change their expectation that all wildfires can be controlled or suppressed. No organization, technology, or equipment can provide absolute protection when unusual fuel build-ups, extreme weather conditions, multiple ignitions, and extreme fire behavior periodically come together to form catastrophic events…”

(the road to my home)

As this fire continues, I am sure I will be asked lots of questions about it from visitors when I go back to work on Tuesday. I hope I can give the correct answers, and let them know that even though it looks like a bad thing, it really is nature doing what it does.

For more information about fires on the North Rim, see Geogypsy’s post here.

Dinner On Hold

Karen · 5 Comments

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I have been planning a dinner party for 10 people for the last month or so. When we went to Flagstaff, I bought 3 pounds of tilapia and 2 pounds of shrimp, so I could make a large pot of my Mexican Seafood Soup. Yesterday, we went to Kanab, and I bought six avocados and some corn tortillas. My neighbor, Mark, bought fresh pineapple, cantaloupe, and mangos for his contribution to the party.

And then, this morning, my supervisor, who was also invited to the party, called to tell me she just remembered we have a mandatory staff meeting for our department tomorrow night at 6 p.m. One hour after my party was to have started. She apologized to me for not letting me know when she was invited, but hey, we ALL got the memo in April with all the dates of all our staff meetings for the year. Oh well, we are still having the party, but is has been rescheduled for next Sunday.

Because the party was postponed, I have to figure out what to do with those avocados. I bought some frozen avocados from Schwan’s a couple months ago, and they turned out pretty good. I was surprised at how good the guacamole was that I made with them, because, to be honest, I really didn’t think frozen avocados would be all that good. So, I am going to try freezing them, and them mash them up next week and make guacamole out of them. I usually serve avocado slices with my soup, but I have also put guac on the top of the soup before, and it was good. I just can’t stand the thought of wasting $9 worth of avocados.

So, no party this week. And I was so looking forward to the company of friends…..

Scenic Sunday

Karen · 10 Comments

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This photo was taken out the window of my truck last year in July, when we were driving up Hwy 89 on our way to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.

For more Scenic Sunday photos, click here.

The View From My Cubicle

Karen · 9 Comments

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On the days that I work the morning shift at the entrance station, it can be pretty slow in the early hours of the day. On those days, I like to watch the flowers grow.

These little asters are in reality, only about four inches tall. But, they can seem like towering plants, depending on your perspective.

Yes, I was practically lying on the ground, in my spiffy uniform, hat and all, trying to get a good shot of them. And while most of them are pathetically out of focus, I still like the feel of the photos enough to share them.

I can only imagine that this is the what a bug or a ground squirrel would see on their little journey through that patch of weeds.

And while there is no picture of him, one of those little ground squirrels did come by, and peek his head in my door that day. I just wasn’t fast enough to capture him. The view from my cubicle is great!

Remember Whensday

Karen · 7 Comments

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Back in 1992, when FabGrandpa and I were newly married, we decided to take a weekend trip to the mountains of Tennessee. We reserved a cabin in Sevierville, left the three teenaged girls at home, and took off for some much needed R&R.

We got to the cabin, unloaded the car, then took a drive over to Cherokee, North Carolina. On the way back it started snowing. We pulled over on a scenic overlook and watched the snow falling for a while.

When we got in bed that night, and looked up, we discovered that there were mirrors on the ceiling over the bed. I don’t think we have laughed so long and hard as we did that night. Every time we looked up, there we were! It was far from romantic, but it was just what we needed that night.

For more Remember Whensday posts, click here.

Shrimp Stir Fry

Karen · 4 Comments

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When we were in Flagstaff last week, I bought a refrigerator full of veggies, including some bok choy. I have never bought or eaten bok choy before, that I know of, but it always looks so good in the store. So, when I got home tonight, and wanted something quick and easy to cook for dinner, I thought about that bok choy in the fridge.

I also had a bag of raw shrimp in the freezer, so I decided to make a shrimp stir fry. To make this, I used :

1 whole red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 small zuchinni, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small bok choy, sliced thinly
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled
salt and pepper to taste
1 package bean thread noodles, cooked according to package directions

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet, add all the chopped veggies, and stir fry until they are done to your liking (I cooked mine about 7 minutes). Add some salt and pepper, a couple of shakes of some gluten free soy sauce, and 1 pound of shrimp, peeled. Stir and cook about 5 minutes more, until shrimp is done.

I served this over bean thread noodles, with more gluten free soy sauce. It turned out very good. FabGrandpa said for me to put bok choy on the shopping list more often.

A Soapmaking Day

Karen · 6 Comments

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I wouldn’t exactly call this a hobby, because I don’t make soap every week or every month. I only make it when we need some more bars. I started making my own soap in, I think, 1996. FabGrandpa’s skin itched all the time, and we had tried every brand of soap available in the store. So, I learned how to make our own at home.

It is really easy, once you get the hang of it (and all the proper equipment to do it with). Yesterday, I made seven pounds of lavender mint soap. (I wish you could smell this picture) This should last us six months or more, even if I give some away as gifts. It is now in the back of the truck, where it will sit for a week or two to dry and cure, before I put it all in ziplock bags and store it in the bathroom. I’ll have to make another batch next week, with clary sage and cinnamon in it, then I’ll be done for another year.