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?
Yes, that’s wonderful Steve can still get up. I just turned 83 and I have to think about it – do I really need to get down on my knees . . .? If I do, then some strategy about getting up again. I remember when my mom cut onions and she would sing, “Everybody hates me, nobody likes me, guess I’ll go eat worms, big ones, little ones, oh, how they wiggle and squirm.” So we didn’t have to ask why she was crying. If you play the piano, you know the tune. That deck is going to look beautiful. Yes, I too, am one that can kill a fern, so fake ones are the way to go. Late Happy Birthday Sarah!
Sharyn,
I haven’t thought of that song in years. Such a fun one and I love it that your mom sang it while chopping onions!
I’m right there with you on getting up from the floor. I had to smile when you said, “Do I really need to get down on my knees?” That’s exactly what I say to myself, too.
I’m with Noah. I had never mowed a lawn in all my life, even though I’ve owned five houses. Then I moved into my current house and the previous owners had left an old ride-on lawn mower. Oh my, I fell in love. Sitting on it for an hour in the sunshine. Getting my lines just right. So relaxing and meditative and peaceful. An hour all to myself, alone with my thoughts. We’re moving back to North Carolina, so we just sold the mower, and I was so sad to see my trusty friend go. Nice that Noah gets to do a kind service for the neighbor while enjoying some thoughtful time to himself!
Ellen,
I have met more than one person who said that they love mowing a lawn–Steve being one of them. I never really understood it but your reasons you gave me insight I hadn’t considered before. That doesn’t mean I’ll be doing it anytime soon but I can see the appeal a bit better.
(In the interest of full-disclosure, there is no one living in the house across the street so the owner pays Steve to keep up the lawn. But with Noah’s kind heart, he’d do it for free!)
Welcome back to wonderful NC!
I was just a bit curious as to why Maddie is going to school and the boys are being home schooled? I would think with Noah’s athletic ability they would want him to bond with other kids his age and become a team member?
I’m a homeschooling mom in North Carolina. There are sports teams for homeschooled kids and some school districts also let homeschooled kids participate on their teams.
Ellen,
Glad to hear that homeschooling/sports is going well for you. I loved teaching my kids.
Hi Dale,
You’re right– Noah definitely loves his sports! 🙂
But there are so many ways to be involved in sports outside of a school setting and the boys take plenty of advantage of those. They will never be sport-less!
I’ve never met a Chick-fil-a cow but I do have a funny Chick-fil-a story. I was teaching middle schoolers, eighth grade to be exact, when we were eating at a Chick-fil-a enroute to an overnight field trip. Several of the girls came running up to me excitedly telling me to tell the others that chicken does not come from cows. I thought they were joking when I discovered they, in fact, were not joking, and some of them truly believed that chicken came from cows. That led to a lesson on satire and irony about why the cow was Chick-fil-a‘s mascot since they don’t sell cow meat.
Common sense is not something people are born with.
I am very impressed with Steve’s flexibility in being able to get on that deck and work. I am more than 10 years younger than he is, and I couldn’t do it. You are both blessed!
Lisa,
I’m sure you had a difficult time trying to control the expression on your face when your middle-schooler pronounced the news of chicken coming from cows. At least you got a satire/irony lesson out of it! 🙂
Yeah, Steve stays active and is much more “bendy” than I am. I’m glad since he has all the bendy jobs!
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!
Guerrina,
Hmm. I guess it makes sense that wearing glasses would protect your eyes from onion fumes. Good idea!
I admire a cook who seasons with her heart. I tend to be more of a recipe gal unless I’m creating a new recipe from leftovers and then anything goes!
a hint for chopping onions, put a wet paper towel nearby. Or if you wear contact lens, chopping onions will not burn your eyes!
Hi Kay,
Good to hear from you!
I wonder what a wet paper towel does. Next time Noah comes over, he’ll have to give it a try!
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.
LeeAnne,
You’ve only been to CFA one time in your life? You must not have loved it if you didn’t go back. It’s one of my favorite fast food places but I only go 3 or 4 times a year because we don’t eat out much.
I guess it would be helpful to have a rug light enough that it could be hung on a rail, even if it was wet. I’ll have to keep rug weight in mind when I am shopping.
And running a half onion under cold water first? Interesting!
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.
Patti,
I never noticed the sunlight blending into the bridge until you mentioned it. Good eye!
I love the visual I’m getting of your classroom lizard with its feet up staring at a CFA cow. That sounds like a plot for a fun kids’ book! 🙂
Well, at least you did try to get confirmation from your mom on the whole “mixing by hand” bit. And you just took it literally and went about your business. Ooo-y, goo-y business.
Great story!