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Saturday, December 17, 2011

What's Been Missing This Christmas

Kids! That is what has been missing at my house! Today my granddaughter and her friend were here to help make cookies. Well, actually they were here last night and helped me set up and take down for the open mic. We had a good time there; poets, writers, storytellers and one musician gathered to share the mic.

Here, writer Patrecia Gray shares her "cracked" version of Froggie Went A-Courtin'.

This morning, I could have cooked breakfast here but the girls jumped on the offer to go to the Downtowner, so off we went. While we were in town we stopped at my friend Reta's antique shop and I found two more Ruby Red cups and saucers. They're not matched--the cups are round punch cups instead of the square cups that should have been with the square red saucers, but I don't care; I just like them. Reta sold me many antiques at very good prices when I first moved to Jackson county, like the cast iron wood cookstove for $75. I still find a few bargains in her shop, 35 years later.

Who should we see wandering the streets of town but this suspicious guy:


I didn't get a chance to tell him how good I've been, but he did corner a few people on the street.

 Soon after we saw Santa, we stopped in the library briefly. On the way in a cute dog--half-grown puppy, really--ran up to us and we petted him and talked to him. He ran off again to some kids on the other side of the street but he ran right in front of a car. Poor puppy, he was hit and rolled. That is not a good thing to see or hear. Fortunately he jumped up and ran back to us as Hannah called to him. He had no collar and no one seemed to know whose dog he was. So he ended up in our car and now he's here. I am sure he is littermate to Hannah's pup Tillie and he's already been dubbed Willie. His owners may come to claim him--the library knows we have him--but in the meantime we're quite enjoying him. I don't really want another dog, but what else could we do? If he doesn't develop a taste for chicken like the last stray did, he may be a permanent resident.

Then it was home to find a tree at last, and make cookies. We cut a tree on our neighbor's farm (with permission!) and shoved it in the back of my car on top of who-knows-what. It was only a half-mile to home anyway.

We could have gone home and gotten the truck of course, but that seemed kind of silly. The tree will need a bit of trimming as we are planning to keep it smaller this year. Planning being the key word in that sentence. We'll see how it plays out.


Then it was cookie time! Hannah and her friend were champs.

They followed recipes effortlessly, and made those Hershey's Kisses cookies, Chocolate Cherry Cookies, and Orange and Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti, and got some refrigerator cookie dough in the fridge to be finished later. I pretty much stayed out of the way; I showed them what I wanted to make and helped when asked, and did the clean-up.


We went up on the ridge to see how Warren was doing with his new cabin. He's the guy who bought land from us last spring. Their cabin is under roof and they can rest easy now. (The pic is from a couple weeks ago, when the roof was put on.) Hannah drove my car--her first time driving! She's almost 14 and this is a good place to start out because there's no traffic and you can go v-e-r-y  s-l-o-w-l-y. She did fine.

Today made me realize how much I miss having kids around at the holidays. The grandkids are mostly teens now and so busy, but today and last night was a return to something special that I have always cherished. Maybe I need to borrow a couple kids more often!

15 comments:

  1. Borrowing grandchildren and their friends for Cookie Baking - makes everything nicer. When DGS goes home for the weekend to his Mom I really feel his absence. I have been so very fortunate to have a big part in his young life.

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  2. I can understand, Joy. My granddaughters aren't far away, but these days it's not as common for them to spend as much time here as it used to be--teenager years, you know :) I sure miss having kids underfoot, though. You're lucky!

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  3. My oldest grandchild is almost 13 . . . I can see those days coming when the grandchildren would rather be off with their friends instead of spending time with their Nana. It is only right and proper . . . but so sad for a Nana! And you, Sue, another busy day. Busy weekend. Busy week! I do not know how you get it all done. Way to go! Good job. And Warren, the neighbor -- he's going to have a dandy of a cabin on the hill, isn't he? Which reminds me, how's your new cabin addition going?

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  4. What an eventful weekend for you, and to get to share the fun with kids makes it all the better! Yesterday my grandchildren helped me dress Christmas-y for a best-dressed contest at a friend's cookie exchange. Silly me! No pics, and I won!!! I called the grandchildren to let them know and I could hear them all squealing with delight. Earlier, when they arrived, my teenage granddaughter came in, sprawled on the loveseat as usual, texting to friends and looking very tired and uninspired.
    I got her untired and inspired! She topped off my outfit with a wreath and an angel! I was a tree.

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  5. I could so relate to your post. I miss kids and babies more than anything. The holiday seems lonely without them. The four grands nearest us are teens too and busy with school, activities etc etc. We managed last year to have a cookie baking here before the holiday but don't think this year will work for any of us.
    They make the whole house sing with their spirit.
    God bless you and yours on this most sacred holiday. Barb

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  6. They will go, Nance, but they come back from time to time and it's just as much fun to have adult conversations with them :) I do remember last year when another granddaughter and her friend were here making cookies. The recipe (written my me in cursive so it was a little hard to read) called for wheat germ. The friend looked at it puzzled for a moment, then said, "What! A cup of sperm?! What kind of recipe is this?" Ah, teenagers!

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  7. Stephen, the cookies were as good as they look :)

    Go Ronda! I bet you looked awesome!

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  8. You are so right, Barb :) I loved the chatter; their voices are like music.

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  9. I so miss my kids being little. It was so fun at Christmas time, they liked to help with everything - the tree trimming, the baking, etc. Now they don't want to do anything. Sigh - maybe someday I will have grandkids. Those peanut butter kisses look delicious.

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  10. We were lucky in a way, Janet, because we had Tommy when the other guys were pretty much grown. Then they had grandchildren so there was no gap. But now I think we've hit a place where the grandchildren are older and busy with their own lives too. It's okay, but I sure enjoyed having the girls around yesterday.

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  11. Grandgirl Mari(a) stayed with us for a week. Her aunt had passed down a pair of in-line skates and she would scarcely take them off to sleep. I let her know if she wanted goodies, she had to stop skating long enough to help bake them. She made a very special chocolate/coffee cake and three kinds of cookies. But she skated around the kitchen to gather her ingredients.

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  12. I love that, Kate! She might start a whole new way of cooking :)

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  13. The girls have been helping me decorate, bake cookies, make premie hats for the hospital, and scarves for the old folks home. But my gosh...just reading about all the wonderful things you do makes me tired. You truly know the meaning of passing it forward. Blessed Christmas to you & yours.

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  14. Brighid, I love it that you make things for the babies and elderly--caring for life at beginning and end. A Merry Christmas to you :)

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