I mentioned in a post before, that I wrote a poem to my grandfather when I was in jr. high. Several people asked then to read it, but I had to find it first. And then I had to find the courage to post it. I’ve been thinking about him a lot this past week, but hadn’t put together why until today when my cousin posted on Facebook that today is the 5 year anniversary of his passing. So it seems fitting to post this now.
The Tapestry
Come and sit, the old man said,
And listen to my story.
I’ll weave you a tale of life and death,
A tale of strife and glory.
—
So she came to hear his yarn,
Leaned against his knee.
He wove the colors of words so well,
They sang in harmony.
—
Then he spoke and the tale began
The fire crackled and burned.
While Grandpa imparted his wisdom,
Speaking of lessons well-learned.
—
From many lands the characters came,
Dancing before her view.
Actors they were, on the stage of life
Appearing at Grandpa’s cue.
—
One and all, they sang to her
The hues of their voices blending
Of laughter and sorrow, they sang to her,
Weaving the tapestry unending.
—
Dear Abuelito, tell your stories
I’ll lean upon your knee.
The colors you weave are everything.
Unfold your tapestry.
—
(for my grandfather, and all grandfathers who love to tell stories)
Certainly, the swimmer begins the day hopeful and happy. The beach is beautiful, the sea is calm. What fun this will be! What a perfect place to swim! The sunlight glints off little waves and everything seems to sparkle. Out into the water dives our swimmer. The day is full of promise and she is buoyant in the water. She swims circles in the sea, thrilling with the feel of the water on her skin, the way she can cup it in her hands or spread her fingers and let it run through. In the sea she will find joy today. She bobs along the surface, splashing playfully at the waves.
Suddenly, a larger wave slaps her in the face. Surprised, she fights her way back to the surface, gasping and sputtering. Regaining her breath, she looks about herself. The sun still glints off the waves, the morning is still warm. Though the big wave was unexpected, she has survived it. It was a one time kind of wave, most likely, and probably won’t happen again. Besides, even if another big wave comes, she has learned from dealing with the first one. She won’t be caught off guard again. She is still a good swimmer. The beach is still beautiful, the sea is still good.
Again as she plays, a larger wave catches her by surprise and buries her under the water for a few moments. Again she struggles for equilibrium and finds it. Again she tells herself that she has learned how to avoid big waves. Again she returns to the joy of swimming and the sea.
The water becomes rougher and a roller wave catches her by the hair and drags her under. This time when she surfaces, her skin feels raw, as if the water had scraped her. She begins to doubt. Perhaps she is not as good a swimmer as she thought. Perhaps she learns too slowly how to swim over waves. Perhaps one cannot learn to swim over waves. She is treading water now, tired from struggling to stay above the water.
How cruel of the sea, we could say, that it continues to push her down, the way it sucks her down as soon as she falters. But the sea is not cruel. The sea means no harm. The sea is merely what it is, which is the sea. Relentless the crushing waves roll in. Relentless the water pushes against her arms and legs. Relentless, though she is tired. The sea is what it is. The sea means no harm. The waves swell and the waves roll.
Though she is no longer enjoying her day, our swimmer continues to move, continues to hold her head above the water. Now when she falters and the waves push her down, she struggles to reach the surface not to reclaim joy, but only to keep hold of life. Life is precious. Survival is what she struggles for now. The sea is what it is. The sea means no harm. The waves swell and the waves roll. The waves eat away time. The waves eat away her.
What I wonder is
when her head goes under the water for the last time, does she believe that this is only another temporary setback? Does she believe she will return to the surface again?
Or does she know the end when it comes? Does she know she has drowned even before the water buries her?
Gateway arch and reflecting pool in St. Louis, Missouri, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Our trip to St. Louis was awesome! Friday was a whirlwind of packing because the DH decided to take a 1/2 day so we could leave earlier. I had to pack everything with 5 hours less time than I had thought to have. Then I found out he had Monday off because of the holiday and we decided to stay 2 more days, so I had to go back and pack more. But the trailer got packed with Matt & Cegan’s stuff and with some Little Caesar’s Hot & Readys to keep us company plus Jimmy & Tahnee & Morgan, we were finally St. Louie bound.
First thing Saturday Morning, Cegan watched all the kiddie pies so the rest of us grownups could go to the temple. That was wonderful and I may post more about it later. When we got back, she had even cooked lunch at the same time as taking care of 9 kids. It was so tasty! What a super woman.
saint louis zoo (Photo credit: paparutzi)
We loved the zoo, especially the penguin house, Herpetology House, and the zebras and camels. This big camel came right up to us and huffed and sneered. I think he was worried about us stealing his harem of lady camels.
I think the animals there were the most spectacular and up close of any I have ever seen at a zoo. The sea lion exhibit was pretty incredible too. The St. Louis Zoo is free admission. That’s something that really helps out a family of 8! We spent about 4 hours there, which was the limit for our feet and for the kiddie pie’s attention spans. My 4-year old decided that she didn’t want to ride in the stroller, but she didn’t want to walk. She wanted me to carry her. I was pretty hard-hearted and informed her that she could walk or she could ride in the stroller. She refused to do either, so she cried a whole lot. Too bad.
The crying stopped when we got inside the penguin house. I’m still amazed by how close we were to those cute little guys.
Giant Bugs! My Favorite
Back to Matt’s house for delicious dinner and vegging on the couch. We gave the kids Uncle Matt’s Ipad full of Micky Mouse cartoons and we stayed up watching the Bourne Legacy. It was pretty good.
Sunday was church and lucky for us, Cegan’s ward meets at 12:30. Everyone had plenty of time for washing hair and ironing white shirts. Plus Cegan has a whole bunch of Living Scriptures Cartoons so we even had Sunday appropriate movies to help the kids keep reasonable Sunday behavior.
Monday, we decided to visit the Arch. I’ve never been, so it was my first time to see it too! We rode the Metro also so the kids got to ride a train and see the arch. The wind was brisk and it was about 25 degrees outside, so we were pretty cold, but we walked down to the Mississippi River Front anyway. Cherry Pie spit in the Mississippi river just so that she could tell Grandpa that she had. The Arch is just miraculous. I could have just sat and looked at it for an hour, if I hadn’t had to keep an eye on kids. It just seems so impossible and beautiful that I could hardly believe what I was looking at.
There is a museum of westward expansion at the base of the arch full of really cool exhibits and moving animatronics. (And the museum is freeeee.) Riding the tram to the top of the arch is not free, but we did it anyway. The kids enjoyed the tram to the top as much as looking out the windows to see all of St.Louis. I did not feel afraid of how high up I was, amazingly, but I did feel very motion sick. I’m not sure if that was because of the tram ride, or because the arch sways a bit in the wind, or because it was rather hot and stuffy at the top, or all of these things. In any case, I voted for a speedy return to ground level. Next, We walked to a little chapel, originally built by French explorers and the old county courthouse, before returning to the warmth of the Metro. Jimmy & Tahnee had spaghetti waiting for us when we arrived. Thank goodness, because we were about to DIE of hunger. After our late lunch, wehad a nap & then headed home.
We want to go back again soon! (not on a Monday as 90% of the attractions in St. Louis are closed on Mondays. LAME. But now we know so we can plan.)
This past week, I didn’t quite follow the menu plan as outlined–sometimes life tosses in a few speed bumps.
Sunday we were invited to a friend’s house at dinner time, so Lasagna got bumped to Monday.
Then Tuesday with all that went on, I got home late and didn’t have time for the Apricot Chipotle Chicken, so I made Friday‘s Cabbage & Sausage.
Wednesday, I could tell that the kiddie pies and the DH were really tired of all that healthy mush for breakfast, so I made pancakes and buttermilk (a.k.a caramel a.k.a. liquid gold) syrup. They gobbled it down like starving pigs. So you’ll notice that this next week, I’ve planned in some breaks from the mush.
Thursday we had a friend over and though I had planned on making Shredded Pork Sandwiches, it was a new recipe and I don’t like to experiment on guests, especially when I’m not confident about the recipe’s source. (Even Rachel Ray has let me down before, but only once–I still love you Rachel.) So we had Caribbean Pork Tacos/Soft Tacos which was way better and included the Man of the House’s fresh salsa. So tasty! (and there’s lots of leftovers–even better! Hello, Sunday Lunch!)
Now my brother has talked us into schlepping up to St. Louis for the weekend (he need’s our van’s horsepower to pull a trailer.) We’ll fit in a trip to the temple and take the kids to the zoo as well. Awesome! But it means I won’t be cooking on Saturday. Awesome!
The nice thing about planning the menu & buying the groceries ahead is that I have the ingredients I need to improvise something that will work even on days that don’t go as planned.
Do you ever say something that up until that point has been true, but the second the words leave your mouth, your brain tells you, “You are about to be made a liar.”
Happens to me all the time.
Like last night when we had a friend over and I proclaimed,
“I am the BLOKUS master.”
My brain went “ping! wrong-o”
I proceeded to murderously lose 3 games.
Well, the first one was a draw. Which is pretty much the same as a loss when you are expecting to dominate.
Baby Dumpling is saying lots of cute things right now.
When she sees someone else eating something she wants, she reaches for it, saying, “num num num num.”
When she’s happy, she toddles all around the house saying, “gabby gabba gabby dagabbada.”
She loves to rock baby dolls.
It is always fun for me to see how each of my children are different and like different things. That old nature versus nurture debate always interested me. I definitely think that some things you are born with. Only 2 of my 5 daughters really like playing with baby dolls. Another prefers puzzles, another is always creating elaborate games and props to go with them, and the other girl is always talking (loudly) about what would you think of this or that?
The dolly that Baby Dumpling is holding is one I made 2 years ago. We had a big blizzard that trapped us in our house for a week, but we still had electricity. An unsual occurrence here in southwest Missouri where a big storm is often more ice than snow.
We used freezer paper to trace the pattern and ironed it right onto an old sheet to make the doll’s bodies (We were snowed in, I had to use fabric available!)
The sheet turned out to be a mistake in the long run because the fabric has torn across the doll’s arms and legs and at the necks. What do you all use when you make dolls? Perhaps the sheet would have been okay had it not already been so old?
I crocheted little caps for the dolls which we tied fringe all the way around to make their hair. I sewed the wigs to the doll’s heads with invisible thread.
Two of the girls chose for me to embroider their doll’s faces and one chose to color the face.
It was fun to let each girl choose the fabric scraps for her doll’s shoes. Peach Pie’s doll is the one with the belly button. Pumpkin Pie is the one who chose to draw her own face, different from the pattern.
We used an old American Girl Doll pattern reduced to 70% for the dresses and they look so pretty! (Specifically it is Josephine’s brown dress but with short sleeves.) They each chose the fabric for their doll’s dress as well, and here is where I had to bite my tongue. I wanted the switch 2 of the dresses to match the shoes, but the girls didn’t take the shoe color into consideration at all. I told myself, it’s their doll, let them choose. But it was hard.
I never mind snow days when we still have electricity to run the internets and the sewing machine!
Yesterday morning I left the house with Cutie Pie & Baby Dumpling. I had several errands to run, including Baby Dumpling’s next round of immunizations. It was super cold, so I bundled us all in coats, which sometimes I don’t do, because it is such a hassle. Boy, I’m glad we had our coats. We headed to the doctor’s office in a town about 20 minutes away, when suddenly the radio in the car went dead. I recalled that the DH had mentioned that the battery light was on a couple days ago.
The radio going dead seemed like a bad sign to me, and not wanting to get stranded at the doctor’s office, I decided to turn around and go home and just reschedule the appointment.
About that time the engine died, so I just coasted over onto the shoulder of the road. We were just barely outside of town, so I called my sister to come pick us up. Then I called my State Farm Insurance Agent (who happens to be my sister’s husband) and he recommended a towing company and an auto shop (cause I don’t know nothin’ ’bout that stuff.) Because I pay and extra 60 cents a month, I have Roadside Assistance with my insurance, and so State Farm pays for the towing company. So worth it.
The tow truck got to me before my sister did and offered for us to sit in his warm truck cab while he hooked up the car.
Cutie Pie announced, “I like to sit in someone’s warm truck!” She also informed him that she was potty trained and that her mommy liked for her to be happy. Good information to share.
Baby Dumpling screamed her head off most of the whole time, unless I let her hold my cell phone. You can imagine what it sounded like when I was trying to call the tow company.
Then my sister showed up:
State Farm Van
I think it’s marvelous that the State Farm Van rescued me from the side of the road.
This is my nephew. When he found out that he was getting in the van to go rescue Auntie GlowWorm, he insisted on wearing his super cape.
To The Rescue
Thanks for the rescue, Super Y.
After my sister picked me up, we stopped by her husband’s office and he decided to take us out to lunch at my most favorite restaurant in town,
I don’t think that lunch is usually included in Roadside Assistance, but I’m all about getting special privileges that I did nothing to earn. Lunch was tasty.
The car, which needs a new alternator, will be fixed by tonight. So it’s all good.
Wheat Berries. This is specifically hard white wheat (as opposed to hard red wheat or soft white wheat, which are other types of wheat that you can buy. Hard red wheat has a stronger flavor and makes darker bread. Soft white wheat will not make good bread at all, but makes good cake.)
I grew up eating cracked wheat mush every day. For those of you who’ve never eaten it, it is like steel cut oats, only made with wheat and not oats. Cracked wheat mush is very healthy for you.
I hated it.
However, now that I’m older, I don’t just eat food because it tastes good. I try to eat food that will make me feel good after I eat it. Thus, mush is in, Cheerios are out. I’ll be typing up a different post about the Word of Wisdom, for now I will just say that it says “Wheat for Man” so we know wheat is good for us and that is why my parents made me eat it all those mornings before school.
It takes over 30 minutes to cook cracked wheat mush on the stove, so I’ve been experimenting with some steel cut oat crock pot recipes to see if I could de-stress my mornings and still eat healthy. Some people have a grinder of some sort to “crack” their wheat. I do not, so I use my new Breville Hemisphere Blender (which I got for Christmas, thank you DH. It was a good present because I use it multiple times every day making cracked wheat, green smoothies, and strawberry yogurt.)
Here is what the wheat looks like in the blender before it is blended:
Wheat in the Blender Cracked Wheat
Here is what the wheat looks like after about 20 seconds of blending on high. I just blend it until it starts to look like all the berries have been chopped into thirds.
I have found that 4 cups of water to 1 cup of wheat makes the best consistancy when it is cooked: not too runny, not to thick, just right. So I put the wheat with about 1.5 cups of water in the blender and blend it. I pour that into the crockpot, and then I swish the remaining 2.5 cups of water in the blender to get the last bits of wheat out (that gets poured into the crock pot as well.
5 hours in the crock pot on low is perfect to cook the wheat. However, I sleep more than that, so I set my crockpot on low and plug it into this appliance/light timer (Thanks Dad). That way, the crockpot is only on for 5 hours, from 1 a.m to 6 a.m.
Light Timer: How to cook things for only 5 hours overnight in a crock pot.
Also, when you cook the mush in the crock pot, a lot will stick to the sides. I don’t like cleaning that out every morning, so I create a double boiler in my crockpot with a heatproof (Pyrex) bowl.
My crockpot is a 4 quart pot. I put in water (about 3 cups). Then I place my Pyrex bowl inside. You want the water to be about half way up the sides of the bowl. Then I pour the cracked wheat from the blender into the bowl. I’m holding some in a spoon so you can see how it is all chopped up now.
Last I put the lid on the crockpot and go to bed feeling happy about the morning.
Perfectly cooked Cracked Wheat Mush
Because I’m not slaving to cook breakfast anymore, I have time to do fun things like this instead:
Peach Pie Pumpkin Pie
Here are the family’s favorite Mush Recipes that we have tried in the last 2 weeks:
Plain Mush:
1 cup Whole Wheat Berries
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
Blend wheat in the blender with the water. Pour into crockpot, add salt. Cook 5 hours on low.
I like to eat my mush with a little bit of honey or butter stirred in.
Apple Pie Mush:
1 cup Whole Wheat Berries
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter, cut up
2 apples
Blend the wheat in the blender with the water. Pour into crockpot, add salt, sugar, apple pie spice, and butter.
Cook on low for 5 hours
Chop up apples and add just before serving. (We’ve decided we don’t like our fruit cooked with the mush. If you like your fruit cooked, you can add it before cooking.)
Banana Coconut Milk Mush: This one smells divine while it is cooking!
1 cup Wheat
2 cups water
1 can or 2 cups coconut milk (light coconut milk is best, if you can get it)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Mix all that in the crockpot and cook for 5 hours on low.
Chop 2 bananas and sprinkle over the top before serving. (You can add the bananas before cooking, and the flavor is good, but it looks all brown and sick, so if you don’t like your food to look disgusting, leave the bananas out during cooking. Personally, I don’t care, but the kiddie pies and the DH refused to eat the cooked bananas. )
This little girl is not picky about how she gets her banana, as long as she gets it.
Doctrine & Covenants 89:16-17
16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—
17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.
Marvelous Pigs in Satin 