Celebrating and Picture Taking!

Yesterday, the three of us (and Leo) drove to Columbia to celebrate Mary's retirement from Tolton and education in general. It was a special day, mostly spent just relaxing and enjoying each other's company. We didn't do a whole lot because Sophia was not feeling her best.

Once we headed out to Rocheport, though, to celebrate in earnest, Sophia popped back. We had fun looking in the little shops and antique stores. Sophia got started on a button collection, and Erick and I got some lovely holiday glassware. We just need to find the right holiday concoction to put in them because eggnog is not our thing.

Finally, we ate at Abigail's. Somehow, in all our years living in Columbia, we never managed to eat there, and I am so disappointed about that now. My goodness, but that was delicious. And special. Just very, very cool.

 It was a perfect way to celebrate and to enjoy the evening together.

Sophia is covering her ear because I kissed her loudly in it - not because my laugh is too loud. I'm pretty sure, anyway.

I just love this restaurant. I want all my pictures to be taken here with the lights and the room in the background. I love it.

And Sophia is beautiful while she's telling me how weird I am. But she loves it. I'm pretty sure.

Breaking the Seal

It's hard to believe, though not really, that I have only posted once or twice so far in 2019. It's been a very fast year. There are almost ten blog drafts that never got published. Let's hope that this one doesn't get added to that.

At some point in the recent past, I got a new phone.

Then we went to the brewery and I took some pictures. I will post those here as a way to break the current seal on this blog.

Even the selfie camera is marvelous.

I took a lot of pictures of Sophia. She was making faces in most of them. I love that about her. She's just so darn cute.

She took some pictures of me, and I was making faces, too. I guess she gets the silly streak from me. At least partially.

Goodbyes are so hard

My Grandma Lock passed away a week ago yesterday. It's hard for me to write about this particular loss for some reason. Maybe it's because she never liked to be the center of attention. Maybe it's just because I'm not ready. Since I know I'll never be ready, I'll just give it a go.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I believe that it's hard to write about her because she was too essential to describe. It's like trying to describe the ocean just by talking about the waves. Or describing a quilt just by using color. I can't find the right way to describe what she meant to me because every time I try to pin it down, it slips away. Here are my best efforts.

Grandma was as constant as the stars. Always there with a cup of tea and an ear when you needed it. She was the best listener. It must have been the practice of living with an epic storyteller. She always seemed to know when you had a story to share and just how to draw it out.

I will miss her whimsy the most. When we were kids, she loved to tell us stories about the fairies and the sprites. All of her favorite recipes included a good story as their most important ingredient. With the practical, and sometimes hard, life that is farming, my grandparents - especially grandma - made sure to take time out to have light-hearted fun.

Service was her daily bread. I don't know that she went a day of her life, at least as long as I knew her, without doing at least one thing for someone who needed it. She was always thinking of others, trying to ease the burden of someone else. It's what did the most to ease her own.

The surface has been scratched. I hate saying goodbye. Sophia and I are baking up a storm and sharing it with our world. Grandma made the world a better place every day, and I'll try to do the same.

Grief and Joy

This isn't really going to be a post about grief. I haven't done one of those in a great while, but I'm not going to focus on that part today.

This weekend, Sophia, Erick and I went to his family farm to say goodbye to his grandma. We hadn't seen her in about three years, as she has been living in Oregon, but Erick did get a chance to talk to her occasionally. She would have been 97 this week! What a long, full life she lived.

The weekend was, in turns, heartbreaking and joyous. Sophia and I have not had the chance to get to know Erick's extended family well, with just a few exceptions. When I asked Sophia about her takeaway, she declared that it's a family of "unique individuals." Not a one would disagree with that, nor take it as slander, since that's certainly not how she meant it. There's very little that she values more than individuality. So what a treat to find that she comes from such interesting folk.

As families always do, we ended the weekend by saying that we mustn't wait for the next sad occasion to bring us together. I truly hope we can keep to that as I'd love to get to know these guys and their families!

Thanksgiving 2016!

I know it's been two months since I've posted. I'm still getting used to this working thing. So, please be patient. I do think I'll get back to the point where I can post once a month instead of once every two months. Maybe.

For now, let me just tell you about our Thanksgiving this year.

It was relaxing and fun. Not a lot of time outside, but just a little to work up an appetite after the Macy's parade. Grandmary was with us, and we all enjoyed the family time.

Sophia wore herself out practicing goalie in the park. So Erick generously carried her back up the hill.

The rest of our weekend was more of the same time of relaxing and fun. We got up all the decorations, and put our tree into our newly orange room.

Sundays at the Art Museum are Family Fun Days, so we try to go there when it works out. This Sunday they had the chance to decorate ornaments for their tree and ours. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a chilly Sunday afternoon in St. Louis.

Tomorrow, it's back to work and school. Just like every other family in this stage, we're all a little melancholy. We have a longer break to look forward to, of course, but it feels like it might be a long month. Hopefully I'll have the chance to tell you something more in the meantime!

Happy holidays!

Farewell, Summer!

School starts for Sophia on Tuesday. It's so hard to believe that another summer has come and gone. I love summer. That's an understatement. This summer, especially, has been one to remember.

I haven't had PTO work, and I decided at the beginning that I was going to wait until school actually starts up to pursue the next phase of whatever life will bring me. So, Sophia and I have been living completely and totally in the moment together.

Our huge list of things we wanted to do this summer is almost entirely checked off. We got more accomplished than we have in several summers. We've also had more time just hanging out at home - playing video games and watching TV, yes, but also lots of outdoor time and creative play. I have fully enjoyed this summer with Sophia. She turns 10 in September, and I just don't know how much longer she is going to want to spend her summer with her mom. I also don't know how much time there will be to spend together next summer.

Anyway, it's been the best summer I can remember, honestly. I am sad to see it go.

Here are a few highlights.


Tea for the ladies

Flo Rida and fireworks!

Feeding birds at Grant's Farm. (I was outside the cage because I do not like birds.)

Ah, the Circus!

Lots of fun with the Boysies, too!

And an adventure at City Museum.

This is just a slice of the fun we've had this summer, but it'll have to do.

Spring Break

We've had a lovely spring break so far. Last year's spring break trip was to New Orleans. That was marvelous. Our only trip for spring break this year was to the farm in Illinois. Not as big of a change, but we had a lot of fun.

Sophia is so interested in agriculture. It's really interesting to me. As soon as we crossed into Illinois, she started asking questions about augurs and silos and how they all work together. Once we got to the farm, she spent a lot of time out in the wind with the dogs and the cows and the hay bales.

She also enjoyed the time spent indoors making cookies with Granny. It's something they enjoy each time, and Sophia always earns a little more trust with the process as they go along.

It was never too long before Sophia was headed back outside, though. She was determined to find this particular calf. On our last visit to the farm, Sophia got to name this little heifer, so she has a very vested interest in her progress. The plans for her don't include being eaten, so that's a relief.

In order to get out to her, we had to get onto the gator, a cross between a golf cart and a small tractor. I drove out through the cows, but in honor of my grandpa, I let her drive us back. She did great, and made a wonderful new memory.

I love that Sophia connects so fully and completely to the Illinois farm. It's fascinating to me how much of this stuff really is genetic. I'm grateful that we have the chance to deepen these connections while she's old enough to make memories and young enough to be formed by them. 

We sure will miss him

Grandpa passed away this morning. I am so sad. Not for him, of course. He was ready. He was dissatisfied with life away from the cattle and the land.

No, I’m not sad for him, but for the rest of us. The rest of us will miss that strong man. Always ready to wrap a protective and fond arm around your waist and say “we” when he really means “I”. “You know, we sure are proud of you kids.” In the last few years, even a “We love you.”

He was the first adult to teach me what it felt like to be trusted. None of us ever wanted to disappoint him because he gave us the freedom we craved. Freedom in the form of money at the State Fair to spend and a few hours without adults around to do it. The keys to an old car and an open pasture before we knew how to drive. The reins to an unruly pony that he wasn’t sure you could handle.

Trust is what I learned from him. Because he trusted me, I began to believe that I was capable. I was willing to take risks because he seemed to think I wouldn’t fail, or that failure wasn’t the worst thing.

He was a farmer who kept horses and carriages. It didn’t make any sense, but he did it anyway. He didn’t care what other people thought about the things he did. He always knew better than anyone else. It’s one thing that most of us inherited from him, for better or worse. We tend to be the type of people who stick with our plans in spite of common wisdom. Common wisdom has nothing on us.

If you find us unwilling or unable to see when we’re wrong, you have him to thank. Of course, he gave us other qualities. Some got his ability to tell and stretch a good story. Some got his love of the land. Some can judge character in a person with stunning accuracy.

The thing we all got was the benefit of his love. For us, but most of all to witness the love he had for his wife. Over 70 years of starry eyed devotion. It will stay with us always. 

I am so glad I am one of his. We sure will miss him.

Delicious Christmas Tradition

Last Saturday, while we were in Columbia enjoying Christmas with Grandmary, most of my extended family was on the farm in Illinois having Christmas at Granny's. It is, I am almost sure, the first such Christmas I've missed. I'll make up for it soon by heading to the farm myself and visiting, but I won't get to eat more of Granny's fresh Santa cookies than I should.

In order to rectify this situation, Sophia and I made those Santa cookies today. I talked with my grandma today, and she said, "They're not the easiest cookies to make, are they?" Nope, they certainly aren't. But they're worth it.

First, of course, you need the recipe. I happen to keep my recipe on the counter all through the year.

Once you've made the dough, you have to chill it for a few hours. This is key in order to keep it workable but not sticky. When you're ready to roll it out, don't get stingy and make them thin. Be sure they're thick enough for the cutter details to show up. That's key.

After they cool down a little, they're ready to be iced. This is when the Santa cookies get a little tougher. The first step is actually a little water painted onto the red parts (hat and rosy cheeks) then sprinkled red sugar. The beard and hat ball are next.

To make the Santa cookies that will make Granny proud, he must have a piped on mustache and eyebrows. My frosting bag broke. I tried a couple of secondary baggie options, but those failed miserably. My only other option was to push the icing through - with my fingers. So, yeah. I got dirty.

Like I said, totally worth it. Granny would approve, especially since his beard looks windblown and he's delicious.

Traditions may be my favorite part of Christmas. That's why we're about to head to see The Nutcracker! Again. I asked Sophia if she wanted to try a different Christmas show this year, but nope. The Nutcracker it is.

Practically Summer

This last weekend got off to a great start with a visit from my parents. It was perfect weather for a visit to St. Louis. Mid-70's, not yet humid. Lots of sunshine and blue skies. In my opinion, the blue skies we get here are never more beautiful than over Art Hill in Forest Park.

We took a trip through the George Caleb Bingham Exhibit while they were here. And had our picture taken with a statue that made Mom uncomfortable.

If you're curious, Trader Joe's has really great sweet corn. And eating on the patio is a perfect way to kick off a lovely late spring weekend.

Fancy nails and fancy drinks help that feeling too. Anyway, it was a lovely visit and the best time of year to live in our neighborhood. Except for all the pollen. That's a different, whinier post.

Christmas Spirit

We bought season passes to Silver Dollar City this year. It may have been optimistic, looking back. However, the Christmas festival really makes it all worth it.

We went on Friday night, and the weather was perfect. I have to assume that most others are not yet ready to embrace the Christmas spirit because it wasn't crowded. Oh well. I'm so glad we went and enjoyed it.

See? Christmas spirit.

This was the first time that we've been to Silver Dollar City that Sophia took part in what was a childhood tradition for me. Dipping candles. The experience is almost identical with one very significant change. They now have instructions for making a rainbow! I remember many failures at making striped candles. I can't believe it took them so long to do this. Regardless, it's brilliant.

Another new thing this time around. Sophia is too tall for the double rider swing on the big twirly swings. She has actually been too tall for it for a couple visits, but we've been able to sneak her in because she wasn't ready to do it. This time, she's both taller and braver. Here she is with a big exhale before we take off.

Fact: I have always loved taking pictures of myself and others at Silver Dollar City Christmas.

Evidence from this visit:

Feeling Christmasy yet?

Illinois Summer

This week, Sophia and I took advantage of our free time and visited my mom's family in Illinois. Well, a few parts of the family anyway.

I'm so grateful that my mom's parents are still around so we can continue making memories with them. These are the ones that Sophia will look back on for the rest of her life. I remember rolling a ball back and forth on the floor with my mom's grandpa. So imagine how vivid the memory will be for Sophia of taking a ride on the farm Mule/4-wheeler thing will be! Grandpa took us out to the pasture to get all the cows moving around. That, of course, was not nearly enough, so he took us up the road and around the corner to where the creek crosses so we could ride through. It was about the mildest ride Grandpa's ever taken me on, but it was just right for Sophia's first ride with him. She would have gotten out and walked back if he got to take us down the hills in their pastures up north.

                                       


Sophia is a dog person, and there were a couple of opportunities to love on some canines during our family visits. I was happy that we got to visit with Carrie and Ben. Sophia was happy to see Bobby. She even cried when we left him.

                                        

On the way home we stopped at the Lincoln Presidential Museum. It was quite impressive. And apparently too intense in spots. Not, as you would guess, around the Civil War parts. It was more just the weird wax representations of Lincoln and other figures that freaked Sophia out. Note to self: no wax museum trips in the near future.

It was a wonderful way to spend a couple of our summer days. I love Illinois, and I do miss it sometimes, especially at this time of year. The skies are so blue when they're pressed so close to the chest-high, tassel-less, green corn. Nothing like it. All those farm houses stand out so cleanly and beautifully right now. In a couple months, all you'll see are the tassels waving. That's another kind of pretty but not nearly as breathtaking.

More Birthday Fun

This weekend, it was our turn to celebrate Grandmary's birthday!

Lots of playing with Sophia is what was most desired by both parties. Of course, we also needed to do something special. In this case, something special turned out to be Eckert's Farm. The weather was just starting to turn, and it made for some great pictures. The sky was so pretty.

We all had lots of fun celebrating Grandmary. Couldn't have "picked" a better way to do it. Get it? Picking apples. It's funny.

Silly Sunday

It was a beautiful day yesterday. We started it outside with some grass weaving. I helped braid, but the primary braider was Sophia.

She was in such a good mood that I got an actual smile out of her. Beautiful smile.

The middle of the day was filled with football watching, resting, card games, imagination games and such. We got a little bored but had determined we were not going out. So, what did we do? Face crayons, of course.

In case there was ever any doubt, Sophia marked me. "Clown."

We are very serious about our makeovers. Intensity suits our moustaches quite nicely, yes?

Frame it.

It's impossible to make Sophia look ridiculous. Not sure I'd really try, but seriously. That face.