Photo Hunt: Narrow

This week the topic on Photo Hunt is narrowWhen I return home from a trip to Kettle Falls, Colville, or Spokane I always travel narrow roads down the highway to my house.Around our area the Columbia River has become Lake Roosevelt, which is the water behind Grand Coulee Dam. You can cross the lake at a narrow bridge close to Kettle Falls or a narrow road to a ferry at Inchelium. Narrow roads, bridges, and ferry ramps are a way of life around me. Right now I am blessed that the snow hasn't stopped any of these options for travel.

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A Gathering of Four Friends

"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away. " George Eliot

There are four of us that are dear friends. We are connected by teaching, learning, and my school. These three women have been an intrical part of making my school a better place. They care about our students. One works with me every day and the other two have been consultants that have been a support at our school. All of them are dear friends. JB is going through cancer treatment right now.
We traveled through the snow to her place tonight. We brought food, flowers, and encouragement. She is losing her hair, but not her strength or sense of humor. We reminenced, laughed, ate, and enjoyed that comfort of our friendship. We shared new learnings with JB from the conference we attended today. She asked questions and offered advice. It was a special evening gathering around the table with three other dear friends.

Snow in April?

I left home yesterday morning while snow was still hanging on the tree branches from yet another snowfall. As I gazed at the stark tree branches I did try to imagine the trees covered with spring buds in three months. As I adjusted my hat and put on my gloves I looked longingly at the garden gloves sitting close by on the shelf.

My principal and I traveled south to Spokane after school for a state education conference. As a passenger I witnessed cars in the ditch, cars sliding from lane to lane, and making 180 turns. I felt safe in VE's Jeep and I didn't care that she was only driving 40 mph. We arrived to the Snowy City safe.
After attempting to walk around the convention center it was easier to understand why the schools were closed down in this city.The sidewalks were either buried or covered with ice. As the shuttle bus driver negotiated the hill at our hotel he announced over his shoulder that he heard we were going to have snow until April. Snow in April?
Perhaps I should get used to the bare branches on the shrubs around my house... or imagine blossoms on the flowering plum with a dusting of snow.

Weekend Snapshots: Teacher Time

Those of us in the teaching field have certain cycles that are rituals throughout the school year. Around this time for many of us it is the changing of semesters. For me that means a weekend of reading essays, figuring grades, and scoring exams. My weekend photos have a narrow focus. Brewing a favorite blend of coffee and listening to some of my favorite music made the time pass in a pleasant way. I feel good. It is Sunday afternoon and I am all done with time to spare. I did take a break yesterday and took Lily on a tour of the greenhouse. She was excited to explore around the pots. I was excited to check my plants that are wintering over.


To find other weekend snapshots go here.

Sibling Assignment #52: Sunday Dinner

photo by emilybean on flickr

I gave the sibling assignment this week. " Many say what is lacking with families today is that time sitting together at the dinner table discussing the events of the day. Here is your topic: Think of a memorable time when our whole family was gathered at a dinner table and your reflections on that memory." You will find very different conversations around the table from Raymond Pert's here and Silver Valley Girl's here .

We were a family that sat at the kitchen table to eat dinner. I don't ever remember using the TV trays for regular dinner. I think they only came out for holidays,when company came, or when Dad had to watch a certain game on TV. There were certain rituals surrounding dinner. We always ate earlier on bowling night and if Mom had meetings after school we would eat later. Mom did all the cooking when we, the sibs lived at home. As my sister and I got older we were given some of the responsibility. We all had assigned chairs at the table and my brother and I always fought about doing the dishes. At least Dad reminded us of that long after we left home.

Even though dinner was served every night all the family wasn't always there. Dad would work overtime or be on call sometimes. Raymond Pert would be at sports practice. I might be at Camp Fire or play practice. Silver Valley Girl may have been at dancing or tumbling. If dinner was missed Mom always had a plate covered with foil waiting in the oven or canned chili or stew available to be heated up.

Our father was the epitome of pickiness when it came to dinner food. For that reason we never experienced dishes like tuna casserole or lasagna. Leftovers had to be creative. We got to enjoy two French foods: french fries and french dips. If Dad didn't relish the home cooked meal on a given day we always knew it when the peanut butter jar and a loaf of white bread came out at the end of dinner.

Often the conversation was spirited when Mom shared stories about kids at school and we laughed at what happened that day. If Dad had been working lots of overtime the dinner table felt tense and we gulped our food hoping to catch a rerun of Leave It to Beaver or go outside for an after dinner game of hide and seek with the neighborhood kids. Dinnertime at 516 W. Cameron often was a hectic time on any given week.

Things changed on Sunday. Mom and Dad were a bit more rested. There wasn't a rush to get dinner done because of a PTA meeting or Dad taking off for his moonlighting job at the Sunshine Inn. Dad always liked what we had for Sunday dinner. Even after a week of teaching, laundry, cleaning, and keeping us in line Mom often made homemade bread and rolls on Sunday.

The most memorable dinner we had was navy beans cooked in ham and homemade bread. Dad would always say this dinner tasted " just like his Mom's". That made Mom smile. I remember Mom soaking the beans overnight. When I was really young we had one burner on the stove that had a built in pan that sat deeper than the other burners. Mom always used that for the beans. When the burner quit working she still used that same pan on a different burner. Even after crockpots became vogue Mom always made this signature dish on the stove.

There was the strong aroma of yeast as Mom prepared the bread dough. Watching the bread rise on top of the refrigerator was a timetable as to when dinner might be. I knew when she punched down the dough it was getting closer. The smell of the thick beans simmering on the stove and the bread baking in the oven was heavenly. As we waited for dinner we would write our names in the steam that had collected on the picture window in the living room and Dad would watch the last minutes of a sporting event on TV.

While savoring this favorite Sunday dinner Dad would reminisce about his extended family from back east or tell entertaining stories about Aunt Hattie. His favorite was to bring up how much she ate the last time she came to visit from Tennessee. He always talked in a funny southern accent and mimicked Hattie's drawl when he told those stories. Dinner was relaxed. Everyone laughed. We often got an added treat if Mom made Whip and Chill or Jello pudding that she served in cocktail glasses and topped with whipped cream. ( note: That was real whipped cream. Mr. Picky wouldn't hear of Dream Whip or "that stuff in a can".)

Whether it was beans and bread, pot roast, ham (which the bone went in the freezer for the bean dish) , or homemade vegetable soup Sunday dinner was a fine time to gather around the table at my childhood home.

photo by Dazed81 on flickr

Photo Hunt: Old Fashioned

I have posted about The Garden Valley Church before. Our church is old fashioned in itself. It sits on a hill on Lake Ellen Road where it has been since 1912. It is about a mile and a half from our house. Electricity and heat have been added to the church building. We function without running water or indoor bathrooms. There is a cemetery behind the church and horses were winter feeding next to the church last Sunday.
We also had an old fashioned Box Social after the Sunday service last week. The women made the lunches to feed two and the men donated to the building fund. Even though many couldn't attend church last Sunday due to the snow and bad roads we still had a grand time. A variety of lunches arrived and people enjoyed good food and conversation. My mom shared with me that she had gone to Box Socials at the Grange when she was growing up. I think this was my first Box Social!

We had a delicious lunch that included meatballs, baked beans, fruit salad, and a yummy apple date cake.

For other photo hunters using Old Fashioned go here .