Isn’t it impressive that my 69 ½ year old husband is still able to get up and down from the deck? And more importantly, he’s able to stay down there long enough to do actual work. That’s what amazes me.
He’s about to finish rebuilding our 38-year-old deck. It’s hard to see in the background, but this is us bringing Nathan to the house, walking across the same deck Steve and Noah have been working on almost four decades later.
Last week, he and Noah cut and installed all the pickets on the back steps the two of them constructed together.
When all the woodworking is done, he and Noah will paint it. And then I will put out a pretty outdoor rug, a few fake, unkillable ferns, and we will be done.
To make it more convenient to work on the deck, Noah stayed overnight a couple of nights last week. During his stay, he was taught some kitchen lessons by his grandpa, including making a recipe that required chopping onions. He told me, “Grandma, I just couldn’t keep from crying when I was chopping!” They had dinner ready for me when I got home from work.
Noah also mowed our lawn and our neighbors’ lawn during his visit. Behind the wheel of a lawnmower is one of his happy places.
He was also able to get some time to hang out with Belle.
Madi started school last week. (Meagan will teach the boys at home.)
And speaking of boys, this is an important picture because our family actually counts a Chick-fil-A cow among its members. Nathan was The Cow when he worked there many years ago. The little boys had to be sure to pose with a new cow, even if it wasn’t their dad. We all agree, Nathan was the best CFA cow.
We will be having a dinner Saturday to celebrate Andrew and Grayson’s birthdays; we will also celebrate Sarah, who turned 31 yesterday.
I took her and Meagan out for a birthday breakfast and a Goodwill visit.
I love spending time with them. They are both so wise and full of compassion and empathy. Whenever one of them shared something important or serious, I loved seeing the concern and care offered by the other one. We had tears and laughter and everything in between. So thankful for my daughters!
I’ll close with a photo I took because I liked the way the sun was illuminating the room. If you look carefully, you can see Belle tucked into her little doggie bed doing little doggie snores. So peaceful.
What about you?
Do you have any hints for cutting an onion without crying? I’m sure Noah would love to hear them.
Have you ever met a CFA cow?
Do you remember learning to cook as a child/teen?
We’ve never had an outdoor rug on a deck before. Any advice on what is the best material to buy so it doesn’t get moldy?
If I remember to wear my glasses when chopping an onion, it helps prevent the crying because the stuff released can’t reach my eyeballs! Also, I invested in a new chopper and it’s made life truly lovely while chopping and less time consuming! I’ll try to message you a picture on FB or something. I loved being a part of Christmas cookie baking when young and I’ve all my Mom’s handwritten recipes. That said, outside of baking, I learned mostly on my own except for the family sauce, lol! I season with my heart!
a hint for chopping onions, put a wet paper towel nearby. Or if you wear contact lens, chopping onions will not burn your eyes!
I don’t usually cry when I chop onions but I’ve heard that if you cut them in half and then run them under cold water, that helps. I’ve never tried it though.
My mom taught me to cook and how to improvise and “eyeball” measurements. It’s really come in handy these days as I’ve had to redo recipes for my dietary needs!
I’ve only been in a CFA one time and then didn’t see the cow.
My sister has a rug on her deck and it almost feels plastic like yet still soft. After it rains, she hangs it on the railing to dry. It’s very lightweight.
The sunlight in the last photo looks as if it is continuing right thru the bridge in the painting.
No hints on cutting onions, but we have a little stainless steel soap bar that if you rub it thru your hands after cutting onions, it takes the smell off.
I never met the CFA cow, but I had a stuffed mini one in my classroom. It fell down by the lizards cage and the lizard would put his feet up on the glass tank and stare at the cow for long periods, frequently. It was funny to see.
I remember the first cookies I made by myself, with a library cook book I checked out at school. It said, “mix by hand”. I went to the living room, where the entire family was watching TV, and asked my mom if that is what they meant. She said yes… At the same time I stuck my hands in the eggy dough and said, “but it’s all gooey” my mom realized what I was really asking and ran in to tell me it meant to use a spoon not a mixer…
The only rug I used outside was a plastic backed industrial like carpet mat. It lasted a few seasons laying on the dirt outside my trailer in rainy, snowy Montana. It eventually did mold, but endured a lot first.