There's an old tradition in my family from long before I was born. It often draws us together, and we've had many hours of fun as a result of it.
Sometimes we take it too seriously...and sometimes we don't...
It's Georgia Bulldogs football. I love how it pulls complete strangers together in our state, as well as in other parts of the world. I currently work in St. Louis, Missouri, but part of the reason my boss hired me was because I was a Dawgs fan. (Seriously.) I've had intense conversations on game day with complete strangers in the grocery line, where we debated the Dawgs' chances, or celebrated a victory.
My sister married a GA Tech guy, but he usually knows not to talk trash about the Dawgs, so we forgave her for it.
Every self-respecting little girl in Georgia has a picture of herself in a cheerleader outfit with a big black G on the front...
And there's no day in the year better than opening day.
Around here, we bleed red and black. It's a beautiful thing.
Several weeks ago, Ella entered into a new world - the world of solid food. Well, I guess that's not completely true, since all of the "solid" food she's eaten has been pulverized into a mush. But anyway, she's not on a milk diet anymore.
At her 4 month check-up, Dr. Meyer told us that Ella was ready to slowly enter into the world of taste. Apparently she was able to start eating these foods because:
1) She could sit up with assistance. 2) She was no longer satisfied with just milk. (For example: She kept trying to grab food off my plate and put it into her mouth.)
At first, I started her on rice cereal, mixed into her milk. I put her into her high chair and spoon fed it to her. At first she was excited, because she thought she was going to get to eat big girl food...
Then, when she tasted it, she looked confused...
At some point, she realized that it just tasted like MILK! She must have been pretty disappointed, because she gave me a dirty look...
Meanwhile, Max searches the floor for crumbs...
Well, that was about 6 weeks ago. Ella didn't react too well to the rice cereal - it gave her horrible tummy cramps - so I stopped trying for awhile. In the mean time, she kept trying to grab food off the table and cram it into her mouth. So, a few weeks ago, we decided to try again, this time with baby food instead of rice cereal.
It was a HIT.
I mean...wow. This kid gets into it with both hands and her whole head, even though we try to spoon feed her. I think this was peas, mixed with prunes.
At first, she didn't really understand the concept of a spoon, but now she seems to get it, and she thinks it's hilarious...
Who knows where we'll go next? Perhaps the fabulous world of bananas.
Every spring, I come up against the same problem in my garden - what in the world am I going to do with all the extra cucumbers? Most of the year, I don't have any cucumbers in the garden, of course. Then, WHAM - I've got about 20 of them all in one week, and who could eat that many at a time, even if they loved them?? Well, this year, I started a new experimental process. I decided to learn how to make good pickles!
I have always loved pickles, and in particular, I love the pickles that are made by a women I've known most of my life, Evelyn Oglesby. She's one of those rare breed of women who are "cooks by the grace of God." You know...those people who make food taste like it must have tasted in the Garden of Eden, before the fall impacted the way crops grow on earth. I have been trying to get her recipe for years, but thus far, with no success. So, I decided to try on my own...
I started by picking some good cukes:
Then I cleaned some of my canning jars:
I cut up some onions and cucumbers...
and I loaded them into the jars...
Then I picked some fresh dill off the dill plant on the deck.
I tossed in the fresh dill and the spices, and then I sealed them up. I didn't have all of the necessary spices, so I just had to make do with what I did have. The jars on the left are sweet (bread and butter) pickles, and the ones on the left are dill.
I let them marinate for 6 weeks, and then yesterday, I cracked them open for a taste. I learned several things:
1) I do NOT like sweet pickles. Yuck.
2) I shouldn't try to make recipes when I don't have all the ingredients.
3) No matter what I do, my pickles will never taste like Evelyn Oglesby's until I get her recipe. (And even then, mine probably won't be as good.)
4) I should have let them marinate longer.
Next year, I'm going to try again, and this time, I'm getting the recipe from the pickle master.
My parents live on a beautiful lake, but they don't often get a chance to do more than look at it. They are extremely busy, and there's little time for fishing in their schedule. So, I was excited to see signs that this pattern could change. What changed? Well, for my dad's birthday in July, my mom got him a boat. It's a beauty.
When we were down in Georgia for a recent visit, we decided to head down to the lake to celebrate the first time that this craft would make it into the water.
Ella and I watched excitedly as the men prepared to set sail...
James grabbed a life vest and a paddle...
...and then he and Dad headed for the water.
The lake is pretty low right now because of the heat and lack of rain during the summer months, but it is still so pretty.
Dad held it steady while James climbed aboard.
and then James held it steady so that Dad could jump in...
...but the lake was so shallow that Dad had to walk out into the water for a bit to make sure they didn't get stuck!
Finally, they were off! James looked back for the camera.
They told me that the water was extremely warm, like bathwater...sorta strange.
After a good trip across the lake, they headed back in, because the sun was setting. They had to carry the boat up onto the shore, and they tipped it upside down so that it wouldn't hold rain water.
Recently, my husband decided to give up the job that used to be his dream career in order to spend more time with his family. Who does that?
This guy does...
Which means that this little tiny lady will grow up knowing her daddy, instead of having him be some guy who makes the money while mommy runs the house and raises the kids...
We'll take more time to do fun things that grow us together as a family unit, bound by both blood and by common experience and life-sharing. This will probably involve some fishing gear...
...and a red chair beside a fishing pole...
...ten tiny toes that wriggle in the shade under a tree...
...and twenty other toes that used to be tiny, but are all grown up now...
As I sat looking over the lake in Forest Park, I could see the hospital across the road that used to claim most of my husband's time and attention.
We moved into this house almost two years ago, and our upstairs bathroom was U-G-L-Y. The walls were a very ugly color, and they didn't look good with the rest of the room. Well, I've finally gotten around to painting them. James picked out the color, a Behr paint called Cool Dusk. I love it! Here are the pictures.
For those of you who might not know, my Nana died this week.
This incredible woman decided to tell her own story while she was alive, rather than allowing anyone else to do it after she died. So rather than trying to do it for her, I'm going to show you what she wrote about herself. I'll miss you, Nana.
Dorothy Thomas Griffin, 86, passed away on June 30, 2010.She was born in Morgantown, West Virginia on February 15, 1924 to Mr. Joseph Thomas and Mrs. Mary Soohey Thomas.The family moved to Crownpoint, Indiana where she graduated from Merrillville High School and Gary College.
During World War II, Mrs. Griffin worked in a steel plant in Gary, Indiana while her five brothers served in all three branches of the military.She wanted to join the Women’s Air Force and ferry planes for the Air Force(having already qualified for a private pilot’s license).Before she could qualify, the WAF’s were disbanded, so she spent the next two years barnstorming coast to coast in her Aeronica L3B.It was during this time that she met her husband, Dr. William Robert Griffin of Sylvania, Georgia, while he was being mustered out of the army in San Antonio, Texas at the end of the war.They eventually settled in Savannah, where Dr. Griffin opened his chiropractic practice.When Dr. Griffin died in 1972, she finished raising their four children who varied in age from first grade to the sophomore year of college, putting them all through college.She worked for eight years as administrative secretary for attorney Edward H. Lee at the firm Lee and Clark.Then she worked as the property administrator for the Society of the Cincinnati for the Alida Harper Fowlkes estate for eighteen years.
Dorothy, or Dot, as she was also called, was a member of Independent Presbyterian Church for many years, where she taught the Genesis Circle, then the Tuesday Morning Circle and the Van Puffelen Sunday School Class.She enjoyed memberships in the Savannah Art Club, the Savannah Gold Club, and the Groveland Garden Club (through which she taught flower arranging).Her interests were flying, swimming, golf, painting, and foreign travel.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. William R. Griffin, and her daughter, Donna Marie Griffin.She is survived by her other three children and their spouses:Victoria “Vicky” Griffin Patton and husband Dr. Henry M. Patton of Covington, Georgia, Crystal R. Griffin and husband Mr. Michael Wise of Venice, California, and Mr. William “Bill” R. Griffin and wife Kim of Savannah.Dorothy also had six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren:Dr. Jonathan Patton, wife Lisa and their children Tyler, Madeline, Anna Kate, and Violet all of Atlanta, Georgia; Mrs. Kristen Patton Sagar, husband Dr. James Sagar and their daughter Elizabeth Anne of St. Louis, Missouri; Mr. Jordan Patton and wife Sarah of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Mrs. Meghan Patton McFarlin and husband Mr. Thomas McFarlin IV of Suwanee, Georgia; Mr. Joseph Wise of Venice, California;and Mr. Billy Griffin of Savannah.
Visitation will be held on Friday, July 2, 2010 from 6pm to 8pm at Gamble Funeral Home on Stephenson Avenue in Savannah.Burial will be on July 3, 2010 at 10:30am at the Sylvania City Cemetery in Sylvania, GA followed by a memorial service at 1:00 pm at Independent Presbyterian Churchin Savannah.
