summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Thursday, September 23, 2021

on that cold cold wet day....

 

Dr. Seuss, of course, from The Cat in The Hat.
Suri and Sunny remind me of those two, but they actually DON'T wish they had something to do, they're just like me, they like doing nothing.

Here in the country, we have well water and a septic tank.  This is not the worst thing, I actually like our water, although it's very iron-y.  (Yes, we have a water softener system).  But the septic tank needs to be pumped every year.   It's a huge tank, and a big system, because we built a big house and the system size is based on number of bedrooms.   So, the guy is on his way over, in the pouring rain...fun fun fun, on this rainy dark day...

Dinner was good last night, just in case you are wondering:


Pork chops aren't my absolute favorite, but I find that if I marinate them, they're better.  These were soaked in vinegar, salt and pepper for several hours, and came out so tender.  Not my favorite, but they are inexpensive, and nutritious, and if you make them right, it's a good dinner.

Sunny seems to know that someone is coming over, she's on the alert, and her barker is getting ready to go off. 

She kindly alerted me to a flock (gaggle?  group?  oh, I looked it up, it's either flock or rafter) of turkeys, at least a dozen of them, giggling and gobbling down the driveway...BARK.

Oh dear, never a dull moment.  Evelyn is now in Seattle, where she is helping a family there dealing with some sickness, Jonathan is renewing his passport and making plans for next year:  a year in Germany with a youth group.  Sonja is in nursing school, bracing herself as it gets busier and her clinical starts.  Charlotte Claire is in "real" school, gets on that bus all by her lonesome every morning, and loves it.  Camille loves her homeschooling, she hasn't gotten bored yet.  Abigail is spending the week in Conneticut, for work, Emily and Mariel are going on an Adirondack hike this weekend.  Samuel and Grace are mourning the sudden accidental loss of their cat, she fell from the cat tree and a toy fell on her, she died instantly, so sad.  

I vacuumed and mopped this morning, washed up the dishes and bleached the sink.  Yesterday, I made pie crust for today's pot pies for dinner, chicken pot pie again, because why not?  I have all the ingredients...and it's so nice to change into the fall/winter cold weather cooking patterns, but by spring, I'll be chomping to start grilling again.  We actually do grill in the winter sometimes, but you know what I mean, all the barbecued chicken, burgers, hot dogs...we are so spoiled, getting sick of things.  Sometimes when I make taco salad for the second time in a week, and one of the kids whines about it, I remind them that there are people in this world who eat rice and beans every day, if they ARE LUCKY.  There are people who dig out of trash to eat, and there are people who have nothing.

I've tried to raise my kids not to waste food.  Take what you'll eat, and eat what you take.  You can always get more if you want it.   I stopped short of MAKING them finish their food, I'd encourage it, and remind them not to waste, but if they didn't have to clean their plates.  When the older kids were little, I was definitely more rules-y, but I toned it down a lot through the years, you live and learn.  

The septic tank guy is still out there, he'll be coming in for the payment in a few minutes, why do I mini-dread it?  I like talking to people but I also hate talking to people ha.  I'm in my sweatpants and an around-the-house shirt, as opposed to a BYE-BYE shirt, but I'll be darned if I change my clothes for a five minute interaction.  It's not like I'm going to Target or something.

Ah well, have a really really good day, thankfulness is always a good place to start...


8 comments:

Michelle said...

Aw, I’m sorry to hear about Sam & Grace’s cat, that’s so sad.

Unknown said...

Hey Della………….I’d like to know about the pork chops as they are not my actual favourite either…..they’re ok. What kind of vinegar do you use and how much? Then do you just take them out and bake them? Any olive oil or anything? You’d think after 100 years of cooking (seems like it) I would know these things. 🤣🤣 Has Jon finished school now? He will have so much fun in Germany. That’s funny about Sunny and the turkeys 🤣🤣

Have a great day!

Marilyn from Canada 🇨🇦

16 blessings'mom said...

Michelle, thank you.
Marilyn, I am so sorry that I'm not a measurer, I just pour some into a big container, put in the salt and pepper, and put them in, moving them all around so they all get some, ha. I sometimes use lemon juice, sometimes lime juice, but vinegar is cheaper and more plentiful. I put olive oil on the pan, with some rosemary, and then brush the tops with a little more olive oil, as I like them crispy. They're better grilled, but I'm kind of done with grilling for a while...

Anonymous said...

Yes, you live and learn. My dad lives near us and comes over for dinner. He occasionally has comments about how our youngest needs more correction. Most of the time I pretend I didn't hear him, ha. Because: I have learned to pick my battles! And he just sees a small piece of what I do all day. So. We have had a cold wet wet day here, too!
❤️ Valerie

Betty said...

Your iron water brought back memories we lived across from what is now village green on O'Brien rd growing up our water had so much iron that my mother could not get the whites bright when doing laundry. We were so happy when "city" water came in. Funny what triggers a memory. So sorry about the
Kitty.

Joybells said...

I love your cheerful voice that comes right through the text, Della! Thanks for sharing your day. I hope the rain goes away soon. I'm sorry about the cat, that's very sad for little ones especially. :(

Joy from Salem

Terri D said...

Cat lady that I am, I of course zeroed in on the cat's accidental death. How absolutely awful that must have been. I'm so sorry!! Your pork chop dinner looks very good. I do like pork chops but usually buy the boneless ones. I enjoyed my visit here! xo

16 blessings'mom said...

Valerie, your dad should know that the youngest in the family is very special, they just get away with more! The things that seemed so important with the older ones, well by the time the littler ones were born, meh. But that is very wise to just pretend you didn't hear his comments ha.
Betty, wow, you lived not too far from me! Yes, city water, yay! My daughters live in the village, five minutes away, and have much better water than we do, "village water". Our water is plentiful, a deep drilled well, but ugh.
Joy, I know, poor little Grant, I hope he wasn't too traumatized.
Terri, I know, I think they were just shocked. They had brother/sister cats that Grace brought home when she worked at a vet's office, as kittens. So sad.