Sibling Assignment #187: Sunnyside School Chili Feed

Bill also gave one of our sibling assignments for the month of February:

" Last night’s crab feed got me thinking about the different feeds held in Kellogg when we were youngsters. The first one that popped to mind was the Sunnyside Chili Feed and I’m trying to remember what kind of feed the PTA held in the downstairs lunch room at Silver King. Was it oyster soup/stew? I know we used to have an oyster soup/stew feed at the United Church. Write what you remember about any feeds or a particular feed that occurred in Kellogg."

When I began attending Sunnyside School is second grade I began hearing about The Chili Feed after Christmas vacation. I had never heard of a chili feed. ( If memory serves me right, I think Silver King School started theirs a few years later. ) The Chili Feed was a huge fundraiser  put on by the PTA. I think it was held in February because I remember after finding a parking place a block away, we had to walk through snow. When I attended my first one, these memories are clear in my mind. There was always a line that went down the hall and up the steps to the foyer by the principal's office. When you got closer to the serving line, you walked by the pie room. It was a small room close to the lunchroom  full of slices of homemade pies that all the moms donated. I can remember staring at all the different kinds of pie, wondering which kind I would choose. 

We went through the line just like during the week at hot lunch. The cooks were there serving the chili, this fresh, crisp salad, and the next part is fuzzy. I can't remember if they served cinnamon rolls like they did with chili during lunch or if it was crackers. The lunchroom was packed, families were squeezed into the tables enjoying their chili dinner. Then came the time when we got to choose our piece of pie. I always wanted cream pies then because we didn't have them at home as much. For some reason Dad didn't like going to the Chili Feed, so maybe Mom got food to go for him. 

The other best part of the Chili Feed was the poster contest held when you were a sixth grader. Each student made a poster that were hung around town to advertise the event. I planned and designed that for weeks. I really wanted to win. I made beans that were like people and filled in their bodies with coffee grounds to add more texture. Part of me thinks I may have won a prize, but I can't say for sure. All I know that between looking forward to the feed, waiting for the sixth grade year when I got to enter the poster contest. 

Every time I prepare chili and cinnamon rolls, my mind goes back to those feeds so many years ago. Great memories.

Sibling Assignment # 186 : Sunday Dinner at 516

Carol gave one of our sibling assignments for the month of February.

“Since we have started doing family dinners, has this created memories of family dinners growing up a 516 West Cameron?  Think of a particular dinner, or kinds of dinners you ate while growing up and share some memories from these family dinners.”  You can find Carol's here and Bill's here.

Mom taught school during the years of my childhood. She was still able to get dinner on the table every night. Every once in a while we got burgers from the S and R or French Dips at the Sunshine Inn.

Sunday was a different story. Most Sundays when Mom had more time, she prepared memorable Sunday dinners. I always loved the Sundays she made homemade bread and rolls. We had the rolls with dinner, the had the bread for toast and sandwiches during the week. On a special Sunday we got cinnamon rolls.  Mom told me once kneading bread on Sunday relaxed her.

The dinners I remember most are navy beans and ham, chili and cinnamon rolls, roast beef dinner with all the trimmings, homemade vegetable soup, and pork roast dinner with all the trimmings. We had traditional comfort food on those Sundays. No “weird shit” food for my dad. It wasn’t a good time for us to ask Mom if we could experiment with a new recipe (that Dad usually didn’t like).

What I remember is how Sunday was a slower pace day, a calmer day at 516. Mom had time to prepare soups and roasts and not be rushed. That was why I liked all those meals . They were filling, filled with flavor, and there always seemed to be more quantity.

I can’t really pick a favorite dish. I did learn from my Mom that cinnamon rolls go well with chili. Vegetables cooked with roast beef are the best way to eat them, especially when there is gravy for the potatoes.  Applesauce always goes with pork roast . I also loved the leftovers. I could always count on another meal made with those roasts or a heated up soup later in the week.

Along with being a calmer day, it was a day my dad was always happy. These meals just lit up his face and he often ate seconds. No peanut butter on white bread after dinner on Sundays. ( He pulled that out on weeknights when Mom made something he didn’t really like.) The picture above is before a dinner in later years, but the table is in the same place and holds the same love for family.

The Shed Notebook: Motivation to Clean the Bathroom

Now what in the world would give any sane person motivation to really deep clean a bathroom?
My motivation was a visit from the contractor. Shawn came and looked at our bathroom with excellent ideas of how we could renovate it. Right now it serves the purpose, but having a walk in shower, new flooring, paint, and sink is getting me pretty excited. As I prepare for my knee surgery a higher toilet will be so much better, and safety rails in the shower will provide me with peace of mind. The best part of the visit from the contractor is he found other little things throughout the house that he could fix easily and without a big cost. I thought I was the only person having trouble with the basement stairs. He said they needed treads and it would make my trip up and down better. Who knew?

We have more plans for other projects I will share later. The other good thing is he is doing our house and brother Bill Woolum's next door at the same time. One dumpster, all the workers moving between the two houses, so much   more efficient.
Now it has been internet scouring for bathroom ideas. Between Houzz, Pineterest and the Lowe's, and Home Depot sites,  it is mind boggling. JEJ finally requested I not show him any more images until I narrow down the ideas to about fifty. Stay tuned.

The Shed Notebook: The Mysteries of Grayson, Frontier Internet, and All That is Missing

Our house has been surrounded by some strange mysteries this month. Grayson is our big, beautiful, fluffy gray cat. We have a cat door in the basement so the cats can go outside. The mysterious disapperances of Grayson started early in the fall, but after diappearing for at least a week, he returned. He could have stopped in to eat during the night. We just didn't know. Then he was back living with us twenty-four seven. Last week he decided to disappear again. After a few days he just saundered upstairs for feeding time like he had never been gone. Where does he go? Does he have another family that he gets tired of? Is he cat food stealing around the neighborhood? We just don't know. Perhaps he needs a cat cam so we can track his activity. We are so pleased he is back home and keeping my head warm as he relaxes on the back of my chair.

Frontier Internet has been another huge mystery in the Silver Valley the month of February. Many nights in a row about 7:30 the internet would just go off, then come back on much later in the evening. Our local classified page on Facebook had a huge thread about what was going on. It seemed each time a person called, they got a different reason why this was happening. They heard they oversold in our area, there was a break in the line, they were going through an update, a solar outage ( which happens in February or early March. Who knew?), or they had no reports of any problems. I think my sister's theory is the best. When people livestream the Olympics, watch Netflix, or play games after dinner it does overload the system. It has been okay for a few days now. The next thread on the page was how it needs to be fixed. I am not even going into that!

The third mystery is all the things that have ended up missing in my house. I received a beautiful book from a friend after Mom died. It is missing. When I couldn't get my printer to work wirelessly, I looked for the cord. You guessed it. Missing. Two camera batteries walked away to somewhere also.
I won't even go into the usual socks, Tupperware lids, keys, and gloves that walk away. I am hoping one day soon I will open a box, drawer, or bag and find the missing items. Either that, or when the snow leaves, the dogs will show me a hole they dug so they could bury the items. I am holding on to hope.

The Shed Notebook: Top Ten Things I Dislike When It Is Below Ten Degrees

In Kellogg we went from a few days that felt like spring to a blizzard, ten inches of snow, then temperatures that dropped way below freezing.  These temperatures can make things difficult for this person that just wants to sit in front of the fire, wrap up in a blanket and sip hot beverages.

Top Ten Things I Dislike When The Temperature is Below Ten Degrees

10. Having to find boots at eleven o'clock pm to check the garage light. Advice: don't try it barefoot.
9.  Discovering my arm isn't quite long enough to reach the newspaper out the front door when I still have on nightwear.
8. Having Riley jump in my lap when he is covered with fifty tiny snowballs from head to toe.
7. Learning that a latte left in the car overnight turns into a icky coffee slushy thing.
6. After dressing in layers, zipping the coat, getting on gloves, scarf, and hat then discovering I needed to use the bathroom before leaving.
5.  Losing my lip balm.
4. Getting shocked by the static electricity on my sweater, socks, bathrobe, and hair.
3. Realizing shivering doesn't count as steps on my Fitbit.
2. Finding snow in my boots.
And the #1 thing I dislike when the temperature is below ten degrees:
Remembering I forgot to buy my dogs the latest clothing and assessories for really cold weather

Fifty-Two Cups of Poetry: The First Chapter

During the time I first composed this poem my sister Carol was doing research and beginning the writng of a historical novel. As I shared in my last post, life gets in the way of writing sometimes.  Life got in the way for Carol also. I am hoping in sharing this revised version of the poem, she will get back to those characters from so long ago. Enjoy.

The First Chap­­ter

to my sister Carol

Reflecting on the beginnings of

 her historical novel,

her hands fluttered in excitement as

she shared her revisions.

She had completed the first chapter.

She was surrounded by

The women writers at “The Swallow’s Nest”

As her mind journeyed back through the eyes of

Mother Earth,

embracing The Cataldo Mission.

Through her prose she introduced

A Coeur d’Alene Indian, an

Italian immigrant, and a

girl named Elizabeth.

Gentle suggestions, questions for clarification,

historical observations, and praise

spilled out over coffee and warm cake.

“Who is telling this story?”

“What about the point of view?”

“Can you explain the setting?”

Her thoughts drifted far away to a place long ago.

 “Oh… the view… atop the hill by the Mission is breathtaking,” she replied

as she closed her journal and smiled.

The first chapter had been shared.

By Christy Woolum 2006   Revised 2018