Grateful for My Mom and Dad

The grandparents have all departed.  My mom was here for three weeks, slaving away over a hot stove, keeping our little bellies full.  I had a small panic attack when I had to make a grocery list for the week.  It was quite a treat to have my own personal chef.  She watched Helen in the mornings while I was at school and she spoiled Kiki beyond imagining.  I think she still likes us after her stint here, which is quite unexpected.  I was sure she would run screaming from the building after the first week. I hope this is a good sign of more visits to come.

My dad came down this week too.  We had some friends with an overflow of venison, so they offered us some extra.  I love venison so I was quite happy to cut and wrap myself.  My dad is the resident expert, and has all the cool tools, so I called him to see if he was bored.  He said he could come down a few days early.  He was already going to come down for the WSU game.  We got the deer cut and wrapped and ended up with enough meat to keep us fed for a month (maybe).  My mom even got excited about the whole event.  She ended up getting the tenderloins, although she left them in my freezer.  She had so much fun, she texted us that she had seen 5 deer killed along side the road and thought we should drive out to Dusty and pick them up.

On Saturday the snow started coming down around 4:30.  By the time we headed out to go to the game it was a nice white covering over everything.  For some reason I thought I was staying home, and the dads were taking Mads to the game.  My sweet husband decided he wanted me to come too.  I couldn't get out of it, and I tried really hard.  We had friends with an R.V. so we were able to warm up a bit before kick off.  It turned out to be a really good game.  The Cougs won, which was an extremely pleasant surprise.  They had freshman quarterback who played really well, and seems to be a genuinely sweet kid to boot.  We screamed until we were all hoarse.  We stuck it out to the very end, although the touchdown in the first 13 seconds was giving me serious attacks of complaining.  It was a very memorable game for Madie and grandpa, so all in all it was worth sitting in the snow for four hours.

What can I say?  We don't get much more redneck than that.  I spend my late autumn season figuring out how to eat up all the zucchini my dads can grow, cutting up deer, watching football, carving pumpkins, making soup, all covered in some kind of wool clothing.  The smell of wood smoke makes me think of home.  I wish I could say I was classy, but I just really am not.  I like my Levi's, WSU sweatshirts, and wool socks.  My kids don't mind meeting the animals they will later have for dinner.  Maybe someday they will grow up and move to the city, but for now we are country folks.

I have really enjoyed having my mom and dad drop in and stay from time to time.  I know our lifestyle seems like a hurricane compared to theirs.  They have to sit down and just watch us all fly around the house sometimes.  Mom actually found a friend of a friend that has a house she can stay in.  I think that made all the difference in the world.  She could just step out and have a quiet few hours when she needed a break.  It was really nice for us to have her here, and we can't wait for her to come back.  My parents have been divorced since I was in grade school, but fortunately they can be around each other and enjoy their time with us.  They make our lives much richer, and help me have a better perspective on what is happening in my life.  I remember my grandma setting my dad straight.  I think I need those course corrections, and my kids need to know they have a friend in their grandparents.  Sometimes they need that.  I am very grateful for both my parents and their willingness to get involved in our lives.  Thanks mom and dad!

#1189-1198

Full moons

Pictures of our life

WSU winning an occasional football game

Cars that stay on slick snowy roads

Piles of laundry ready to be folded

Freezers filling up with meat

Christmas lists, full of hope

Planning menus for strangers

Planning menus for family

Holidays