big trip, big city, big welcome

Posted on June 10, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Yes, we were in Costco. Banjo Man wanted to have the famous hot dogs for lunch, which we did. It was pretty busy on a Sunday afternoon, but not insanely crowded the way it was before Memorial Day. We had a great time, despite my reservations about my husband’s patience.

But he had a ball. I actually took a picture of the back of the car as he was loading up our purchases, but it no longer exists in my phone. Sigh. Trust me, it was an impressive sight.

It was fun to shop knowing that for the next month we will have plenty of people to eat everything we bought.

Will texted that he was delayed in Denver due to a storm, so off we went to Kohl’s due to a 30% off coupon and Banjo Man’s constant need for new clothes. He has worn his old clothes to death and lately I have been refusing to leave the house with him due to poor wardrobe choices.

These sandals are for Will. I texted him the picture and he picked the brown ones.

Five shirts, one pair of slacks and one pair of sandals later, we were back in the car with lots of time to kill.

“Let’s park over to the side and take naps,” Banjo Man suggested.

“And look like we’ve made a suicide pact? No way,” was my response. So we broke into a container of Costco cherry danish pastries and shared one.

On to the Spokane Valley Mall and Macy’s, where I hope to find comfy shoes. My feet were killing me, but what else is new? Macy’s didn’t have my Easy Spirit clogs, so I staggered to a nearby shoe store and had no luck there, either.

On to the airport, which was what we had been waiting for. The plane was only a little over an hour late, so we collected Will and his suitcase and headed back to the lake (with one quick stop for sandwiches and Jimmy John’s).

Arrived home a little after 9 pm, oh my goodness. We managed to get the freezer/refrigerated stuff into the house and left all the other things to be unloaded today.

Pot roast, hamburger, beans, croissants, olives, salad dressing, coffee, pesto sauce….it goes on and on.

The Funny Grandson arrives tomorrow afternoon. I hope he’s hungry!

Posted in family, food, lake, shopping | 2 Comments

you saw what?

Posted on June 5, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Daughter Nancy sent pictures Monday of owls sitting on our Rhode Island patio. They were there for at least an hour, she said, and were not the least bit disturbed by her taking pictures through the window.

I think they miss their tree, the one that fell on our house a few years ago. An owl used to sit on the largest horizontal branch and survey the world for breakfast chipmunks.

Last Wednesday Banjo Man came home from town and told me he’d seen a moose walking down the middle of Highway 200, across from the gas station that used to sell ice cream cones and only a mile or so from Walmart.

Highway 200, though a state road, is only two lanes. And can be busy.

“Are you kidding me?” could be my only response.

“No,” he insisted. “Cars pulled over and slowed down and everyone gave it a chance to decide what it was going to do. I was too busy driving to take a picture. And it ended up standing by a barbed wire fence. I don’t know what happened.”

Oh, if I had been with him we’d know what happened. We would have pulled over and watched. Taken pictures. My shock and awe and commentary would have known no bounds.

“It was just like Northern Exposure,” Banjo Man declared. One of our favorite shows, the opening scene shows a moose strolling down the main street of the small Alaska town.

Posted in family, just for fun, lake, rhode island | 1 Comment

if you were seven

Posted on June 4, 2024 by is there any more pie?

This fabric is just about the cutest fabric I’ve ever seen. Alpacas with hats? Who knew?

I finished a quilt top yesterday and this was one of the main fabrics, along with bears carrying “Be Kind” signs and smiling sloths hanging from vines. The blocks are big, the sashing ivory and the little animals should make any anxious seven-year old smile.

Or at least that’s my plan.

Posted in just for fun, quilting | 1 Comment

eight more days

Posted on June 3, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Yes, the family action around here starts a week from Wednesday with the arrival of the Texas family. My freezer is full, so I can’t wait for people to arrive and start eating.

Alas, the weather is still awful. Retired Mountain Lady informed me that we are in the middle of a “atmospheric river”.

I do not like atmospheric rivers. It has rained all night and this morning the fog has settled over the lake and I can’t see the mountains. I think we’re in for another couple of days of bad weather. Heavy rain, while gray and annoying, also means that our internet goes down completely or slows to a crawl. Therefore no streaming TV shows or doing anything online. As I type this I am using the hotspot on my I-phone, which should have been an easy fix but ended up only working by being plugged into my laptop. Go figure.

Friday Banjo Man said, as he was packing up seventeen little plastic containers of food to take to the cabin for his lunch, “You should go to town and buy fabric so you have something to do. You know, so you don’t go crazy like one of the Border Collies who needs work to do.”

Hmmmmmm…..

Of course I don’t want to go crazy.

So Saturday we went to town and I did just that. I had the bright idea to make little quilts for Will’s second-graders’ story time. This might seem like an insane plan, but at the moment I think it’s great. I have not told Will yet, though I did get approval to make a small quilt for the times when one of his “little guys” needs to take a break. Kids are dealing with a lot of anxiety these days, which makes me sad.

I think quilts will help.

Banjo Man dropped me off at the fabric store on his way to Home Depot and then picked me up an hour later. There was plywood in the car when he returned, but I didn’t ask what it was for. I know it is going up to the cabin, though. I hear rumors of a “camp kitchen” being created.

I had certainly had a good time at the fabric store. I spent too much money. I bought a new pair of large scissors. It was a great sixty minutes, believe me.

Check out the prints for boys:

Pretty cute, huh? I sewed some of this into a quilt top yesterday. I’m collecting easy patterns on Pinterest.

I’ll keep sewing until the sun bursts out from wherever it’s hiding. Maybe Thursday?

Posted in family, lake, quilting, shopping | 6 Comments

sometimes my stupidity amazes me

Posted on May 31, 2024 by is there any more pie?

First stupid thing: booking an early morning flight out of Austin the day after the concert. I got in bed around 11 PM and had to be up at 4:20 to catch the airport shuttle at 4:40 am.

Why did I willingly put myself on an early flight, you ask? Because it landed in Spokane at 10 AM, giving me plenty of time to drive the two hours back to the lake after…shopping.

(Yes, shopping. What on earth was I thinking???)

Stepping outside of the hotel to the shuttle at 4:40, I was hit by a wall of Texas humidity so thick it took my breath away. Made me dizzy. Sick to my stomach, even. The airport was packed with people, so it took a while to get through security (even with my TSA Pre-check status). By the time I arrived on the other side I was questioning if I was well enough to get on the plane. I lined up to buy water, drinking the water in line even before buying the bottle, and felt better. Bought an overpriced scone. Got on the plane, finished the water, ate the scone and felt a lot better.

Note to self: hydrate.

Damn that Texas humidity.

And damn my stupid decision to fly out of Austin so early. Never again, especially if I’ve had a late night.

Second stupid decision: Armed with a mug of coffee I found my car in Parking Lot C and, triumphant and relieved and delusional, I drove to Total Wine to buy a case of my favorite summer white wine. I panicked at the register when I couldn’t find my car keys in my purse. The very nice Total Wine worker carried my case of wine to the car and there were my car keys, sitting on the console of my unlocked car.

That’s when I realized I needed to pay a little more attention and Respect the Jet Lag.

Oh, I forgot to mention I was wearing a sundress, cardigan and clogs. Everyone else was in winter clothing. The woman next to me on the plane had thick socks and Ugg boots on, plus a down vest. It was raining. And cold. I thought about retrieving a pair of black socks from my suitcase, but beige clogs, black socks and a sundress? Not a good look, especially if you want to appear sane.

Stupid decision #3: going to Costco. AND even worse, going to Costco two days before Memorial Day weekend, something I’d forgotten about due to all of my Texas fun days.

In my defense, I will say that Amber and I had gone to Costco on a Tuesday morning and had had such a good time cruising the aisles, sampling the samples and looking everything. And I mean everything. It was so much fun that I pondered getting a membership and having the same kind of fun in north Idaho while picking up or dropping off family members at the airport.

Costco was a mad house. Truly gridlocked. By the time I got inside and stood in line to join, I was starving. The $1.49 hot dog and drink meal was my only solution to not passing out from hunger and jet lag, so I stood in line once again and eventually retrieved my meal.

Half the hot dog sufficed. I fled the crowded eating area, having shared a table with several other hungry old people. Time to get a cart and hunt down all the bargains.

I couldn’t get to the bargains. I could barely navigate the aisles that I did dare to enter. I grabbed olive oil, steak (still trying to up my iron intake!), cheeses, and a few more things. Then I became totally overwhelmed and ended the whole experience by getting in yet another line and praying for the energy to get out of the store.

Check it out. We have enough dinner napkins to last until August, 2026.

I did manage to drive the 90 minutes home. I stopped for nothing, no drinks, no coffee, no bathroom breaks. Just pedal to the metal all the way to the lake.

Banjo Man was overjoyed to see me and cheerfully unloaded the car without too many comments as to why on earth I decided to join Costco and shop on the way home from a lengthy trip. He pretended to be thrilled with three new bottles of olive oil.

But…the steaks were delicious, as was the blackened salmon and the Japanese dumplings. I think the olive oil passed the salad test.

I am definitely going back when I’m feeling smarter.

Posted in food, lake, shopping | 3 Comments

let the music play

Posted on May 30, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Here I am before the Walsh band concert. As you can see, the Funny Grandson is growing up. Yes, he is tall. And handsome. And happy to pose with his grandmother, thank goodness.

He plays percussion in the Concert Band and the show was fantastic, taking place in one of the middle school’s auditoriums.

You are looking at a little over 1/2 the auditorium. Everything is bigger in Texas.

My cell phone camera is pretty awful. Time for an upgrade?

The Concert Band was awarded all “1/s” for excellence in a recent statewide competition. The Honors Band, which we heard later in the evening, won the national championship.

It was a fantastic evening and I was SO GLAD I was there!!!! The decision to stay longer had been an easy one, but it meant my kids had to deal with their mom for four more days. So Saturday Ben drove me back to Austin for a weekend with Will. Monday afternoon I visited the fourth-graders and the second-grade teachers (Will’s new “team”) at Will’s school, then on Tuesday I Uber’d back to Round Rock for the concert.

Uber is a Very Good Thing, although Ben wouldn’t let me Uber to my airport hotel after the concert. It’s a long drive on a school night, but he said it was fine. So off we went…and the next morning I was on my way back to the lake.

To be continued…

Posted in family, grandmother stuff, music, texas, travel | Leave a comment

sunday on south congress

Posted on May 20, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Yesterday Will and I strolled South Congress, stopping in stores to gawk at merchandise while enjoying the air conditioning. We looked at boots.

Our destination? Jo’s Coffee and live music.

Iced tea never tasted so good. It was 93 degrees. I bought a wide brimmed straw hat from a street vendor to prevent heat stroke. This Northern gal is not accustomed to hot days!

Will worked on school stuff for the rest of the day. Dinner was from Torchy’s Tacos.

My projects today? To wrap the students’ gifts and then treat myself to lunch at the Magnolia Cafe.

And I will wear my new hat.

Posted in austin, family, just for fun, texas, travel | Leave a comment

living the good life in texas

Posted on May 19, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Look who met me at the airport last Saturday night! A very sweet and unexpected surprise.

The plan for this visit was to enjoy a Mother’s Day lunch at our favorite New Orleans-style restaurant and then I would head north to Round Rock for the rest of the week, flying back to Spokane early Saturday after the all important band concert on Thursday night (the reason for my visit).

Mother’s Day:

The celebration continues…

Monday I made meatballs. Tuesday I went shopping with daughter-in-law Amber. Always a good time, especially at Costco. We had fun!

Sampled these. So good!

Tuesday night I accompanied son Ben to a function at the high school and met some of his students. Loved it. Wednesday was my day to help out at Amber’s school library. She let me read to the kids.

I had such a good time.

Thursday was to be the highlight of the visit, when I would finally hear the Funny Grandson play the drums and the marimba. But unfortunately a wild thunderstorm changed all that, so the concert was postponed until Tuesday.

And I decided to change my flights and stay longer. Of course. Because that’s what grandmothers do, right?

Friday the FG skipped school and we took an Uber to Georgetown and went out to lunch at a favorite restaurant, the Monument Cafe.

Yes, I am wearing the same dress as in the other pictures. I packed light.

We strolled around the Square and did a little shopping. My handsome companion was such a treat to be with.

And this morning I am back at the condo with son Will for the weekend. I made another pot of meatballs and am looking forward to braving the heat and strolling along South Congress while Will prepares for the last week of school.

I might find a seat at a cafe, sip iced coffee and watch the world go by. I live in the woods, both in Rhode Island and at the lake, so people-watching in the city is highly entertaining.

Meanwhile, back at the lake, Banjo Man and brother George have been living the bachelor life and getting all sorts of chores done for the upcoming summer season. Banjo Man cooked a pork roast and learned how to make spaghetti sauce for the meatballs I left for them.

I wonder if this family is tired of my meatballs yet. As they probably are of looking at my blue dress.

Posted in austin, family, food, grandmother stuff, texas, travel | 2 Comments

there will be flowers

Posted on May 10, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Dancing Mandolin Player gave me the beautiful gift of flowers in my mother-in-law’s old soap kettle yesterday. Isn’t it beautiful? I have planted various flowers in this pot all by myself, but the outcome was always…pitiful.

I do not have the gift. And fortunately I have a friend who shares hers.

Isn’t this gorgeous?

Let us celebrate the first day of sunshine, shall we?

DMP also gave me this sage plant, as she knows how much I love cooking with sage. Retired Mountain Lady told me to clip my music stand lights onto the top to give the plant a boost.

I did what I was told.

I look at this and see future chicken dinners, don’t you?

Posted in friends, lake | Leave a comment

bits and pieces

Posted on May 7, 2024 by is there any more pie?

Not the best picture, but this is the view of the osprey nest (taken from the screened porch). We’ll be able to watch the show this summer as the ospreys come and go. The pair are in their nest and I assume are sitting on the eggs. Stay tuned.

As of yesterday there is fresh snow on the top of these mountains. Spring has not arrived yet and the gray clouds hang low. The sun will appear eventually, I’m sure.

Yes, it is that time again. Blueberry cakes were baked yesterday morning in preparation for the Funny Grandson’s arrival in June. This grandmother does not mess with tradition!

Trying out a new recipe by preparing sliced chicken breasts with marinade, then freezing them for future easy grilling. I hope it works. I’ll let you know.

Check out the new table runner! It only took me seven years to dig it out of my sewing closet and finally finish it this past winter. The pattern is called “Mountain’s Majesty”, which I think is appropriate.

It’s good to look at mountains again.

Posted in food, grandmother stuff, lake | Leave a comment