Birthday Weekend - Lots of Good food and Fun

 What a nice birthday I had this year, the beginning of my last year before becoming an octogenarian!  

From Friday evening until just now, on Sunday afternoon, we've had a good time with sweet cards and gifts and messages from Facebook friends plus a two-day conversation with Debra from GA.  I'm not sure we got around to all we needed to say, but maybe we won't wait a year next time.

Today is fresh on my mind, since I just got home, but I'll have to rave about a wonderful new-to-me place that Noreen took me.  

It's called The Freestone and is a cute little unassuming place right in the middle of Railroad Avenue in Old Snoqualmie - across from the Railroad Museum.  With such a beautiful day and rain expected next week, it looked like everybody in the area was outside.  

Having had a delicious Mexican dinner Friday night and a spicy Thai lunch yesterday, I was ready for something fresh and not so filling.  After looking at the menu, I could tell I would find something there.

Just walking into the place was Heavenly with the smell of freshly-baked bread and coffee and pizza.  We noticed two small tables outside and a little place for maybe 3 people to sit inside.  The main tables are upstairs, so we read the menu and placed our orders and then looked at the gift and prepared foods section.  I wish I had taken pictures downstairs, but it was a little busy and crowded.  

There were jars of condiments for sale along with coffee and bread, casseroles and quiches, little pots of succulents - perfect for a little gift when you don't know what to give!  Cakes, pies, cookies, biscotti, freshly milled flour, cat and dog biscuits!  It's such a different concept that I'm just now reading their website and realizing what they offer - sort of a community-involved deal where guest chefs prepare foods and conduct cooking classes.  There are Community Pizza Nights, Holiday Menus, and a featured fresh bread every day.  I need to get some notifications so I see what's going on and when.

Noreen and I each got a different sandwich so we could exchange halves and try both.  These were our three finalists:

TURKEY & BACON Roasted Turkey Breast, Fall City Meats Bacon, Swiss, Mayo, Avocado, Heirloom Tomato & Greens on Housemade Focaccia $16.95

 HAM & FIG - MISS FIGGY Shaved Ham, Fig Mostarda, Gouda, Dijonnaise, and Pickled Red Onions with Arugula on Housemade Focaccia. $16.95 

VEGGIE - LADY BABA Olive Tapenade, Baba Ganoush, Heirloom Tomato, Cucumber, Ferndale Mozzarella, Fresh Arugula on Housemade Glass Bread $15.95 **We love to add Wilde Roots Shiitake Bakin’

We picked Ham & Fig and Turkey and Bacon and saved the Veggie one for another time.  I ate my Ham and Fig half first, and it was one of the best sandwiches I've had.  I was afraid it was going to be a little sweet, but it was just perfect with fig mustard and pickled onions along with a very generous serving of ham and thick focaccia!  

I had one bite of the turkey sandwich and realized I was just too full to eat that and saved it for later.  Noreen said it was delicious, so I can't wait to try it.  That third one, the veggie, Lady Baba - sounds very tempting, and I'll try to get back and order that next time.

Since the tables were full, we took our coffee upstairs, and they brought the sandwiches when they were ready.  We had the whole room to ourselves almost the whole time, and it was so nice.  No one checked on us and just let us relax with our coffee and food and talk as long as we wanted to.  

These are both sandwiches side by side, and they looked and tasted a lot better than these pictures.  Homemade fries too.  I can see getting soup and a half sandwich on a cold rainy day and one of their delicious coffees.  Or quiche.  Or Pizza.  Or just a chocolate cherry scone.  

Overall, a pleasant afternoon.  We drove around the back streets for a bit and saw the renovations to the park by the river and some of the cute little houses there before going home.  

I love outings where everything goes smoothy as planned, the weather is nice, and the food is good.  We've tended when we go out to just walk down to the nearest restaurants and not be too adventurous.  The Infusion Bar and Grill, which is the restaurant a couple of blocks away that we tend to gravitate to  has closed.  I didn't even know it.  I have never lived here when it hasn't been on that corner.

I'll talk about the Win-Bin prepared fish tacos and more that we had Friday when I have more time.  Yum.  Such a happy night.  Now I have to go play with my big gift - my very own set of Mah Jongg tiles and racks and a pretty mat.  I'm working on getting everyone interested enough to learn and give me someone to play with.  

Raspberry Jam

 

I've been hoarding this jar of raspberry jam every since Noreen shared it with me last summer.  It's the freezable kind, and I put it in the corner of the freezer to bring out at another time.

She picked them at Remlinger Farms Raspberry U-Pick in Carnation WA, one of my favorite towns.  She and the oldest grandson Anthony did the picking and came home with a big supply and had fun doing it.  I plan on savoring it as long as I can, because it's a long time til summer.  Maybe I'll learn how to do this.

It's been a long time since I've been to Remlinger Farms, and it was not to pick raspberries or fruit.  I went along with the family to a work-related picnic the first time, and it was a lot of fun.  After a good picnic lunch, we went inside the gates to find all kinds of things to do.  There was a roller coaster and a pumpkin ride, and maybe some swings, but that's all I remember.  Katherine was too young to ride, so I was content to watch her wander around and wave to the others.  There was a barn filled with hay for jumping, and I think that was their favorite thing to do.  They met friends there and had snacks and picked out our pumpkins.  We even met some Auburn fans who live in the area.  

I notice from later pictures that it's expanded quite a bit.  Many more rides and attractions.  I hope they go this year, and I'll try to attach myself to the group.  

Kate was here long enough to do her homework and make a bowl of mac and cheese.  It was long division AND decimals but only two problems.  

We were laughing at her sad eraser.  Right before school started, I gave them a cute little pencil case just filled with sparkly colorful mechanical pencils with extra lead and erasers, and then I look over and see her with this.  So where are they?  At school or at home or just two rooms away in her bookbag.  I think she just liked the fact that the top kept falling off and distracting her.

I think this is the one I got them in different colors.  I'm just trying to imagine how excited I would have been to have something like this when I was in school - something besides a few #2 yellow pencils and some Blue Horse tablets.  Not that I didn't get excited about everything to do with school, but this would have been something I could only dream of. 

They both left for soccer around 5:00, and it's a nice night for reading up a little on mah jongg and doing whatever I want to do.  

Smoky Days

 I didn't take one picture today and more than likely will not.  Maybe I'll find one in my phone or someone will send me one.  

We planned to go to Graysen's cross-country meet and meet up with Emily in Carnation, but GG called about 2:15 to tell me the meet was cancelled because of bad air quality and asked if she could come to my house.  I was playing MahJongg but told her Elise was there.

It was a nice MJ day.  Sharon, Jan and Tom were there as well as Sandy from the "good" group.  I had nothing to work with and no jokers the first hand - none of us did - and I let Sandy take my place for the second one while I paced around behind them and ate some cheese and Triscuits.  I just can't eat lunch before I get there at 1:15.  Third game looked a little more promising, and it worked its way to being good, so I won that Mah Jongg.  It's a good feeling to see the tiles fall just right and to see that winning tile - a flower - get thrown on the table.  

I brought in the garbage cans, checked the mail, and made a sandwich from the leftover chicken and Chic-Fil-A sauce.  Then I washed the living room windows that needed it as well as any mirrors and glass things I came into contact with.  

I'm yawning like crazy now in spite of just having a cup of coffee.  Looks like I need to straighten up the girls' minor messes, since they had to walk home in spite of no xc or soccer.  Just DMW.  I'm putting in a load of laundry and setting the timer for 10 minutes to pick up a little, and then I'm going to go to bed even if it's not dark yet!  Tomorrow is a day when nothing is planned until school is out, and then it's just Kate for a couple of hours.  

Cat Faces and More September Memories

Do you swear on this book of short stories to tell the truth, etc.

Bowie living his best life.

Today was a nice Monday with nothing at all to do except what I wanted to.  I made myself cook today.  Chicken Diane, which is funny because it's a recipe that I've had for years and years, given to me by my friend Debra - the very one that I talked to at least 3 hours yesterday.  It was so much fun.  Neither one of us talks on the phone much - just depend on texting and FB posts - but when it's time for our yearly talk, we shut everything down and just lose track of time.  There's a lot to cover when you're talking about a year.  We always say we're going to do it more often, but even though we do keep in touch, we don't have the long, in-depth conversations like we do in our September calls.  Her 5 grands are ages10 to 15, two boys and two girls.  We have soccer and teenage and pre-teen conversations and catch up on what's new or not in Thomaston.  She still has friends there that she talks to a lot, but I haven't been there in 15 or more years and doubt I will go back, but we do have a lot of memories there.  We met when Mark and Debra were first married, and we had 2 children, soon to be 3, and then their 2 boys were born.  We worked together and went to church together and never fail to find something to laugh about.  I think we're both doing fine although wishing some things had worked out better for us.  We're near our families and in fairly good health, so all is well!  

Now to more Septembers

2011:

The only thing going on that September is that Mike had retired and come back to Montgomery.  We were having border wars and trying to claim our various comfort zones.   

I had arranged the furniture like this when I moved there since it was a strange room - big but strangely laid out.  Mama watched TV in her room, and I didn't watch it at all, so it didn't matter that it was behind the couch.  

When Mike got moved in, he decided we might like to turn the thing on sometimes, so I worked on changing the whole floor plan.  It turned out fine, but he still missed his recliner that he left in Lubbock.  I guess we should have gotten him another one.

A work in progress.  It worked nicely, and we watched some football games and all the Downton Abby we could.  We found out how to record shows, and that was a nice bonus.  We were always late to the newest technology!  I still miss the cozy feeling of the first room, but it rarely got cold enough to have a fire.  I wish I had all that storage space now and the couch and chair.  

We did work on pruning an overgrown pyracantha, and it really improved it.  It was so nice having someone to work alongside, even if we were bickering about something all the time, it seems.  He shouldn't have left me by myself for 4 years to get independent!

2012:

I had to go into October to find something to write about and had only one picture. We had just found out there was going to be a baby in February, and I was already digging out the quilts I had made over the years. 

I had just finished piecing Emily's quilt top too.  I can't believe I was so productive then and wondering where that enthusiasm went! 

This is what I wrote on October 1.

Biggest change is that right after Emily and I found Baby Boy's complete 1st year wardrobe on sale for 75% off, we discovered that he is actually Baby Girl. We miss him, but we are so excited about a little girl. It's still kind of hard to wrap our minds around. 

October was just jam packed with pictures of everything to do with getting ready for a baby and possibly moving to WA.  Days of excitement and some fear too.  Sadness because Mike's dad died later on in October.  

And

September Through the Years

 I've been thinking about how many years I've been writing nonsense on this blog and how much I enjoy looking back and seeing what's happened over these 17 years.  Since September is always a new-start kind of month for me, I had an idea of going back and picking at least one picture from September to post here in one place.  When I lived in the South, we didn't have a lot of pretty fall scenes until maybe October, but I did like to get out my favorite things and start celebrating the end of the year.  I just have 8 days to get in 17 years' worth of pictures.  

2009

In this year, I had just started writing down my daily doings and was living in Montgomery with Mama, Darby the dog, and 3 or more cats between us.  Mike was in his first - and we thought only - year in Texas.  I started writing to keep him up with what was going on at home and getting contributions from him and other friends and family members.  It seems like much of September's posts were of a trip to Lubbock and back but nothing indicative of the change of seasons.

This is the picture I chose, not because it's so pretty or interesting but because it reminds me of how I just enjoyed life more then and let fails roll off me without worry.

I loved this kitchen window.  Even though it looked across to our neighbors house, I could see their kitchen window too, and it was comforting to know they were there and doing all their things.  Sometimes a cat would be sitting there looking in, and the crepe myrtle tree was in full bloom several months of the year along with a beautiful large wisteria up the street.  

The wreath was kind of wonky and old, but I hung it there anyway on a suction cup probably.  It kept falling down into the sink, so I had just propped it up.  The little wooden houses and trees we picked up in New England are still around, and I thought they just added a little hominess to the scene. 

2010:

This month it seems I was always hoping for rain, which is strange to think about now with an overabundance of the wet stuff.

I found two pictures of parents that I liked.

This was a day when we went to Target, I think, to get Mama's flu shot. She was 87 at the time.  It's funny to think that it never crossed my mind to take one myself, but now it's one of the first things I think about in the fall.  Getting old will do that to you! She always loved an outing - to the doctor, to buy groceries, just to ride around town or push the shopping cart through Wal-Mart.  And talk to people.  I guess there wasn't much excitement around the house with me working most of the day and having just the pets to talk to.

We usually finished up our outings with lunch at Chic-Fil-A on Fridays to celebrate getting her hair done for the week and home for a nap.  For her.  I think I started work at 3 p.m. Sometimes we would go into the fabric shop.  I don't think we ever came out empty-handed, even if it was just a skein of yarn or a spool of thread.  She could sit at the pattern counter and just browse through the pattern books forever.

And then this was the month Mike's dad Roy published his 3rd book, Uncle Fuddy-Duddy and the Big Bad Bear.  The local newspaper did a nice write-up about it, and I imagine everyone in Andalusia had a copy of at least one of the books.

He loved writing about the stories he used to tell our children when they were little.  He would gather them in his lap when they came for a visit and just start making things up.  They usually involved Uncle Fuddy-Duddy and his adventures and misadventures and always had a moral.  He got so much satisfaction from doing that and loved going to local schools and libraries and reading to the children.  

A Few More PIctures of the Picnic and Cross-Country Meet

Kate starts planning and gathering for the birds' nest every year.  Graysen was not much in the mood to help, but she managed by herself.

Graysen's bouquet added to the nest area. 

Even on an overcast day, it was beautiful.  Just so peaceful.  We sometimes see an eagle, and there were several eagles or hawks flying around. It's hard to tell sometimes.  It seems to be a popular area to walk dogs, and we enjoyed seeing the different breeds come by with their people.  Woodrow had a ball just leaping and chasing his ball and wagging his tail at the other dogs.  

Emily stopped at Trader Joe's and found an interesting variety of goodies.  Some excellent cheese.  I liked the soft cheese on crackers - Le Delice De Bourgogne, I think - with apples, grapes, and almonds.  The truffle almonds sounded good but were not something we'd try again. 

 

Monday was the first cross-country meet for the SMS Eagles.  Emily picked up me and my chair, and we headed to Centennial Fields, a nice park/athletic field/track that is in a beautiful setting with Mount Si looming there.  We got to watch a little bit of the other 3 races, and I was so proud of those runners.  Everyone can't win or even be in the top 10 of a cross-country race, but everyone can finish and be proud of it.  There was a lot of cheering going on from the first runner to the last in every category.  I was across the field from the end of the race, and there was so much talking afterwards that I never was sure how Gray finished.  I know when she ran past me once, she and Maija were together behind two of the other school's girls.  She won several of her meets last year and I think planned to do the same this year, but she got a stitch in her side this time that made her walk a little bit, and she fell behind.  I believe she was 4th. She is too hard on herself and just wants perfection.  She had a hard time getting her spirits up again, but after their practice the next day, I think she was okay.  She wasn't happy with her time, and it didn't mean anything to me when she told me.

I wasn't in a position to get good pictures and videos, but it was an enjoyable day, and I'll post a few of those I did take.  Plus Emily sent me some from across the field.

Maija and Graysen were the fastest girls on the 6th grade team last year and ended up first and second for the Eagles for the first 7th/8th grade meet.  So proud of them, and they are so sweet!

Katherine stayed with me in my place in the shade with a beautiful view.  She entertained herself by running all over the field kicking and picking up dandelion fluff.  To each her own!  It kept her happy and active.

One of the 7/8 grade boys.  This was the second pass by me, so they were getting a little tired.  They ran clockwise (to me) around the field, then took a detour and came back and ran counter-clockwise to finish where they started.

Another 7/8 runner just starting out.  I think we know him but can't think of his name.

I've spent too long trying to get videos to appear, and I just can't figure it out today.  There's a good soccer score by Kate yesterday that needs to be recorded too.  At least it's raining today, and I won't be tempted to be outside.  

I try not to be out after dark, but then I miss some pretty blooms in the outside lights.  I walked Kate to DMW class on Thursday evening, and it wasn't over until 7:30.  By the time we walked back home and got her delivered to her house, it was quite dark.  

It was so much fun to see her in action.  I've missed a lot of her activities because of getting tired so easily, but now I think I've gotten over that hump and can do more.  

Here, they have a partner, and while one runs across the floor and touches the floor, twice, their partner is doing pushups.  

They had just finished their beginning 25 pushups, and then one of the instructors was having a birthday, so they had to do a pushup for every year of her life!  It started out as 32 and then 29 and finally 42!  They got their quota today, for sure.

They then worked on various skills but were across the room from me, so I couldn't see very well.  Kate was the leader of her line, and others had a chance to kick her out of first, but no one did.  She's tough when she needs to be.

I took these pictures of the porch as I finished a walk Friday.  Not much attention has been spent there this summer.  Elise reads out there a lot and takes care of the watering, and it all looks healthy.  We got a new paint job on the door and window trim this month, and the maintenance guys keep it looking neat, although I would add some things if I had permission!  The hosta comes up every year as healthy as can be and is pretty all season.  I'm surprised not to see any nibbles by deer or bunnies.  I guess the cats in the window or sleeping in the chairs help with that.

These dahlias and the strawberry-vanilla hydrangea have spent the summer out back near the garage where there is full sun all day.  Now that it's cooler, I've brought the dahlias to the front.

I had an enthusiastic helper with me this week when grocery shopping.  She was everywhere, bringing me her choices of snacks for her and Graysen.  She doesn't ask for anything - just stands there and holds it and looks at me.  There's very little she doesn't get!

This looks like serious consideration, but I've never known them to like these little fruit cups.  She talked her mom into getting an apple slicer last week, and I remembered that I used to have one.  It was plastic and broke after several years, so I got a new metal one.  Why have I been slicing apples for them all these years?

I'm now off to waste the rest of my Sunday afternoon any way I want to.  I had a good conversation with an old friend from Thomaston, Debra.  We use September to catch up on a whole year, but our Friday conversation was cut short by Graysen having to get ready to leave, so we promised to carry on later.  It might be today.  Who knows?

Noreen has been gone all week, and I've missed her.  We both seem to be busy with kids during the week and spend the weekend resting up.  She always watches football with one or more grandboys on Sunday afternoons or Monday nights.  The Seahawks.  She has snacks all prepared and pretends to be totally into the game!  You have to go where they are at this age!  Graysen got to go to a baseball game Friday with a friend's family to see the Savannah Bananas and whatever the local team here is.  Oh, the Firefighters.  I think they enjoyed a little levity in sports for a change.

It looks hilarious.  I just finished reading about them, an exhibition traveling team with professional baseball players and a ton of imagination.

Graysen was telling me about the person called Stilts who really pitches on stilts.  I was not expecting the height of them though.  Amazing!  It looks like I might have to see one of their games if there's another one here.

                                                         

Mike's Tree

 I want to try to take more random pictures and just write about happenings as they occur.  The girls know that I'm "writing a book," as Graysen said, and she wondered today why I don't have it published.  I told her that no one in the world would be interested in reading this except them - and even then, they might find it a little boring.  

I also enjoy just going back through the years and finding out what September was in years past.  Emily and her family and then all of them with me have tried to go to a special place near here every year around September 12 when Mike left us.  

Emily found the tree somehow in a green area beside the Snoqualmie River in North Bend, WA.  I'm not sure exactly how she found it, but she went there sometimes after coming home from spending all day in the hospital.  She would go with me and bring me home since I was petrified of that drive - a floating bridge and 2 tunnels and a many-laned interestates - three of them actually that criss-crossed.  Toward the last two weeks, I was able to come and go myself - although I never liked it much - and she would go to the field and just fall apart.  Just starting a new career and having two babies plus a father not expected to live was almost more than she could take.  I think I waited a while to fall apart and just routinely went to the ICU floor every day for the whole 28 days and listened and learned and helped when I could, so I was busy - and exhausted when I finally got into bed at night.  Also, I think I had had time to digest it and realized that we were getting to the age where this was not such a shock.  Maybe acceptance.  I don't know, because I still haven't fully accepted it.

Anyway, we grieved side by side by in different ways during that September and on through the year.  I want to sort out all the pictures from all the years - some years we didn't get to go and maybe a couple of times Ryan or I missed it.  Even though we are sad, talking helps and smiling and laughing and regretting that the girls didn't know him and he didn't know them.  

I'll just put a few pictures here that we took on Friday.  It was quite a production to plan this and do it.  You wouldn't think so, but Emily had a noon meeting in Bellevue and she didn't get home as quickly as she should.  She stopped and got some nice snacks for us and set them out with blankets and chairs and Woodrow running around and the girls building their usual nest from the crabapples (I think) that are always on the ground.  I'll go into more detail later, but these are a few pictures.

I tried to get Graysen to sit with us and take a selfie, but she wanted to be the photographer.  She was proud of her handiwork, and there is evidence that I existed!

Emily has more pictures, so I'll finish up when I'm not hurried and probably remember other things.