A Holiday with Dad

We spent last weekend with my Dad. We won’t be there for Christmas so we made it our holiday weekend. Dad is 92 years old. He lives by himself in the house built in 1985 for him and my mom. He still does his own housework and cooks for himself. Yes, the house is a might on the dirty side. He can’t see as well as he used to. He has been a little upset with us lately because we asked him to stop driving.

He sleeps on a pallet on the couch in the living room because he hasn’t slept in the bed in the master bedroom since my mom died over 20 years ago.

He used to keep a roaring fire going in fireplace all winter until he got COPD and can’t breathe well. Except for being hard of hearing he’s still mentally agile. Of course he is contrary but he has always been that way.

He loves the St. Louis Cardinals and in the summer lives for Cards game broadcasts. Which he used to listen too on the radio, but we got him satellite TV and now he watches every game. The sound is turned up as load as it will go, we couldn’t talk even if we wanted to, which we wouldn’t dare do, he may miss a play. I don’t think he likes replays.

Dad, have a great Christmas, we love you so much.

The Zen of Hanging Christmas Lights

I have been hanging Christmas lights, both indoors and outdoors, for over two decades. You would think by now that I would have a failsafe system. But each winter I feel as if it’s my first time all over again.

The last ten years my wife has taken over the duty of putting lights on the Christmas tree. She had to it if she was going to get them up before Christmas Day. I became so good at procrastinating that her female, “I’ll just do it myself” gene eventually took over.

That leaves me with only the outdoor lights. Each Spring when I finally get around to taking down the lights I always promise myself I’ll pay attention to just how it worked. I have even made copious notes and diagrams just how to put the lights up the next winter.

So along comes Thanksgiving and I begin to think about the lighting. Each nice day I think, “Oh, I have plenty of time. The weather’s nice and I have it all worked out from last year.” Usually the week before Christmas when a really cold front moves in (snow really helps motivate me)I finally give in and don heavy coat and gloves to hang the outdoor Christmas lights.

Of course I have no idea what my notes mean. So I’m at it again. A newbie all over again. But after a mild case of frostbite I get the decorations up and they look pretty nice.

Next year I’ll do even better because I’m going to remember just how this all works.

The Beginning of a Tradition

This Thanksgiving it was fantastic to have my whole family home. Each one of my children are either working toward or already in a career that someday will most likely take them far away from home. It was a delight to have them all crowded around the dining table on Thanksgiving Day. As my late father-in-law would have said, “This is glorious!”

Almost every family has it’s holiday traditions. My wife’s family would have everyone hold hands around the table as her father said a blessing; which most often was more of a short speech on how happy he was to have everyone “home” and a short newsletter on what was happening in the family. Being my shy, introverted self this was an awkward feeling moment for me the first few years, however I got used to it and eventually learned to look forward to what he would have to say at any particular dinner. Today his family still carries on the tradition each holiday although no one can quite put the panche’ into it that Jack did.

My family didn’t have any special tradition. I tried to emulate the hand-holding speech making but it just wasn’t me. And I could tell it made the new members of the family uncomfortable, just as it had made me so many years ago. This year at Thanksgiving, thanks to a  family member that works in a vineyard and winery we had some great wines. So I made a toast before the dinner. I started by thanking everyone for being there and how delighted I was that they all could make it. Not too long after the dinner was underway my daughter made a toast to the cook and later near the end she made a toast to all the members of the family that are working so hard to follow their dreams. I think we may have stumbled on to what I hope will be Our Tradition.

I am going to call it an Open Toast tradition. At any time during the dinner, anyone, if the mood strikes them can make a toast. I think it will be fun. Of course we will need to keep the wine glasses full.

Late Autumn

For the past several mornings the early morning sun has been gleaming off bright layers of heavy frost. Any water left in the garden bucket is frozen solid. There are a few lonesome but brightly colored leaves still hanging tenaciously from the baring branches, but most lay as a colorful carpet across the lawn. Autumn is winding down with winter just around the corner.

On Saturday we went shopping for groceries and then out to eat a late lunch and watch the Missouri Football Tigers take on the Tennessee Volunteers. It has been a trying year to watch Mizzou compete in it’s first year in the SEC. But a Tiger win in multiple overtimes was delicious.

With the Presidential election just over the day had an almost peaceful air about it. Even though Kansas City was not in a swing state we have still gotten our share of obnoxious political ads. Now it is over, at least for a little while, until the next crop of Presidential want-to-be’s begin posturing for position.

But wouldn’t you know it, every place we went they already have Christmas music playing. And I don’t mean pretty holiday carols, but those tinny little obnoxious songs I  have been hearing for decades, you know, "Santa Baby" and "Rockin’ Round the Christmas Tree". With almost two full months until Christmas I’m not sure I can take it. However, it is the poor store clerks I really worry about. I do hope they have good mental health coverage in their health plans and I do hope they are searched for firearms each day before they begin work.

Spring Break 2012

It’s Monday, first day back to work after spring break week can be a difficult day. For me it is always hard to get to sleep on Sunday night. I’m rested from the week with my sleeping times all askew and I can’t help from worrying about the new week to come. Even if there is nothing to fret about I still can create something in my mind to occupy it and keep me awake.

Then early Monday morning the alarm goes off. The tendency is to hit the snooze, at least until the sun rises. However, this morning I popped awake and was ready to go. I think it has something to do with the beautiful spring weather we are having and also because I had such a wonderful spring break.

We did things a little different this year for spring break. Instead of flying off to a southern latitude, renting a car, spending lots of money and trying to do way too much, we just took a leisurely road trip.

We left Kansas City on Friday morning and drove to Chicago. We pampered ourselves by staying at the old historic Palmer House Hotel. Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day we walked down to the Chicago River and watched them dye it green.

Then it was on to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Columbus Ave. Followed by an afternoon of green beer, corned beef, and fish and chips.

All topped off with a late night deluxe martini at the Palmer House bar. Then we tumbled into bed happy and exhausted.

Sunday was a travel day to Cleveland. For the rest of the week we were going to be staying with relatives so it was all easy on the pocket book. In addition, we decided to try to eat light, fresh snacks and then spurge on one big meal a day.

After a day in Cleveland we were then on to Columbus and on Thursday we made the long haul home so we could be back for the finish of the Kansas City Science Fair at Union Station Friday morning.

It was a great trip. The weather was fantastic. All the relatives were well and a delight to be with. All the cities were fun.

We picked out one thing in each city we wanted to concentrate on. Of course in Chicago it was St. Patrick’s festivities. In Cleveland, we went over in the old Ohio City neighborhood and visited the West Side Market, followed by a Middle Eastern deli lunch at Nate’s Deli and Restaurant. In Columbus we visited two micro-distilleries (Watershed Distillery and Middle West Spirits) and a microbrewery; then sampled their fare on High Street near The Ohio State University.

The only downside was I caught a cold on the way home and felt terrible for two days afterward. But it was short-lived and now I am back and ready for a great week.

Sunday Brunch at Avenues Bistro in Brookside

It was a sunny, early spring morning; a perfect day for Sunday Brunch at Avenues Bistro in Brookside. We arrived just after 10am, the restaurant was about half full and we were seated immediately.

The service was casual and a bit laid back which seemed appropriate for the morning brunch atmosphere. Our server was attentive and friendly. The brunch was laid out in a large oval serving area in the center of the bistro. The selection was good for the price. Along with the standard fare of pastries, fruits and salads a few of Avenues special dishes were available in heated serving trays. Also included was a made to order breakfast dish; or if you preferred for an addition charge a more unique entrée could be added.

I started the morning with a Bloody Mary and then switched to coffee as I began the standard brunch. I also had a Swiss cheese, spinach, and tomato omelet that was cooked to order. Everything I had was very good and certainly worth the price. I especially enjoyed several of the salads and the hot dishes that were available. I was a bit disappointed in the sweets, which is okay because I am not a big sugar fan. The pasties were good, but most Sunday brunches have a few desserts that stand out. Not today. Also the fruit was lack luster, nothing to get excited about. And good fruit is one thing I do enjoy. Also my omelet was slight over cooked, but then I am very particular about eggs.

Despite these small setbacks, when you take the total experience, the service, atmosphere, price and overall quality of the food I certainly would recommend the Sunday Brunch at Avenues Bistro and will be happy to return again. However, in the mean time I will keep looking for a Sunday Brunch that provides that little extra something that can make it a truly special experience.

A Hint of Spring and "A Sand County Almanac"

January can be a long, cold month here in northern Missouri. Then we begin to have a few days that give you hope that spring will return. On these days I begin to think of Aldo Leopold and his little masterpiece “A Sand County Almanac”. Leopold, known as the father of wildlife ecology, was at the forefront of conservation ethics.

Aldo Leopold taught at the University of Wisconsin and wrote from his weekend retreat, an overused sand hill Wisconsin farm. ”The Almanac” was published in 1949 a year after his death. It is a collect of writings made of his thoughts while working his old farm and other essays on the then emerging field of conservation ecology. His slim volume has become a nature writing classic similar in status to Thoreau’s “Walden”.

The first chapter “January” is an essay about a skunk that has awoken from its winter slumber to a world of melting snow and lengthening days. The skunk begins a journey across the farm to find food, leaving a trail which is investigated by the tracker Leopold. Each January I find myself pulling out my copy of the almanac and beginning to read it again. I usually only make it through the a few chapters before I put it away for another year. But just as longer days and warmer temperatures make gardeners get out their seed catalogs, I too have to have my spring fix of Aldo Leopold.

Now It's Winter and Now It's Not

Blogging about the weather? I know…What a boring topic. But you have to admit it has been a challenging subject this year.

I’m one of those people that like the weather to be the way it is suppose to be. In winter I want cold and snow. Summer should be dry and hot. Spring can be variable, but a slow warming that blends into summer is most welcome. And autumn, my former favorite season, needs brisk days and chilly nights that let the foliage turn beautiful colors.

The previous two winters were pretty true to definition. There was snow on the ground for Christmas both years and last year the snow hung around until March. But this year is behaving quite differently. There has been no snow of any true amount and worse the days are fluctuating between highs of 60 degrees followed a few days later by cold in the teens. What makes it even worse is that when we have these wide variations it means the wind blows hard along the temperature gradient and makes everything miserable.

Of course with all this deviant weather behavior you can’t help from wondering about Global Warming, which is a topic that is liable to restart the Civil War her along the former border states. We take our red and blue state divisions seriously. Religion, science, sports teams, and the weather can all result in gun shots being fired.

I said that autumn used to be my favorite season of the year. But as I get older and the cold is making parts of my body I don’t even know the name of begin to ache, I now see autumn as a forewarning of the pain to come. Maybe the way to solve this problem is to pack my bags and head to a warmer climate as so many of my fellow baby boomers seem to be doing. After all a gentle winter in a sun-belt state or even Mexico or Central America would be nice. And when I want a dose of good bracing cold I’ll just make a visit, although a short one, back across the Mason-Dixon Line.

What a Great Christmas!

For the third year in a row my whole family was home for Christmas. By family I mean my wife and our two children; although our children are now adults with partners of their own. We are beginning to reestablish some of the family Christmas traditions that we had not been able to do over the years when everyone was living so far apart.

My wife and I each have one parent alive, her mother and my father, which are becoming affectionately known as “the ancients”. They both now live within visiting distance so we were able to have a “Christmas dinner” with each. Which means quite a few extra Christmas dinners over several days of Christmas, but it was worth it and I’ve always thought that so much preparation goes into the holidays that Christmas Day should be more than one day anyway.

It looks like 2012 is beginning as if it may be an excellent vintage year. Happy New Year everyone!