Thursday, May 14, 2020
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Food with a Story May 5, 2020
There's a lot of food on Cape Cod! Mostly seafood, though, most of which we don't much enjoy. But OUR food is still the best for US! So I'll share about it as I tell a bit of our story.
John and I had met at the church there, then got married and lived for 3 years in nearby Taunton, where the Cape was always our favorite playground. We embarked on a 36 year western sojourn after three years of marriage. First to Santa Rosa then Vallejo, CA, where our two girls were born, then on to Wisconsin where John became a pastor for five years, then six years in Lebanon, Oregon, and finally eastward to Missouri. That's where the previous details of this blog happened.
The opportunity to move to Cape Cod was facilitated by star recruiters, Charlie and Lori Case. The move was confirmed when I was offered the job of Health and Nutrition Services Director at Cape Cod Child Development. It was a glorious 2 1/2 years living back on the East Coast and among old friends who welcomed us like family.
The church was large and active, a welcome change from our small and often dying Missouri churches. We loved inviting new and old friends to our home for a meal and these were our first guests, Ubis and Karen Esparza. Ubis is Queen of healthy salads and the large bowl was her masterpiece. I had made steamed gluten with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, and a favorite holiday vegetable dish of cauliflower with peas and corn.
Any gluten recipe is a bit time-consuming so I will spare you the details, unless you specifically ask for them! An elderly lady in our first church district in Wisconsin made us the cauliflower dish. I steam the head whole. While it is cooking, I dice carrots and start them cooking. When they have cooked five minutes or so, I add a bag of frozen peas, and cook till done. The whole head of cauliflower is placed on a platter. The cooked peas and carrots are arranged around it. A quarter cup of butter is browned in the same pan in which I cooked the cauliflower. This browned butter is then poured over the cauliflower and peas and carrots. It is beautiful and tasty.
The greatest privilege was having a houseful of old friends over for a Sabbath meal. It was Floyd and Rose Hansen, Terry and Toni Copsey, Kevin and Sherrie Wall, and Charlie and Lori Case. Tony and Sherrie and Lori are friends from Stoneham, Massachusetts, while Rose came along when we were at Atlantic Union College.
Another favorite meal was Mexican, with guacamole, beans and chips, salsa, and all the fixins' like olives, pepperoncini, fresh lemon, and finely chopped lettuce.
My friend Sherrie would often say, "You've seen more of the Cape than I have!" John and I acted just like the local tourists, constantly checking out the beautiful place that was our new home. With 400 miles of shoreline, 384 lakes and ponds, PLUS rivers and creeks, there is so much WATER. We were less than a mile from Nantucket Sound and just a few from Cape Cod Bay. The National Seashore on the eastern side was perhaps our overall favorite place. It was the body of water with the most spectacular waves and water.
This
dish to the left was created by me for just John and I. It was a pizza
of sorts, using a toasted sourdough sub roll. It's really more of a vegetable
sandwich than a pizza, with sauteed peppers, onions, and mushrooms, a little
cheese and some tomato sauce on top. This is John's plate. My plate
ti the right had just one half a sandwich AND a pile of carrots and celery, for obvious reasons.
One blessing of living in a resort area is that people do like to come and visit. Our girls and their husbands came that first summer. My sisters and brother and his family came, along with our cousins Kathleen and Tim and their families. Picnics are always a summer favorite. Here's one with my sisters. Heidi was so impressed with my color coordinated picnic set. I had purchased it at an Estate Sale on Squaw Island, a very elite and private area near where the Latimer family lived, those old friends mentioned earlier, Toni, Sherrie, and Lori. This picnic was the first stop in a favorite Cape Cod tour for my sisters: Chatham, National Seashore, Rock Harbor.
This picture to the left was a Labor Day Cookout with whatever friends I could gather. The main course was Shish-ka-bobs. I use some gluten and marinate it in soy sauce, molasses, and olive oil. Then put it on skewers with colorful peppers, white and purple onion, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and pineapple. The BBQ is just to the left in this picture. As you cook them, you brush more of the marinade on. They always are such a HIT! Crusty bread is a good addition. We had lots of other great goodies, too. Afterward, we played some outdoor games AND did the mandatory walk around Sandy Pond which is 1/2 mile from our home. It was my favorite close spot either on foot or on my bike. And I loved bringing friends of that walk with its pine-needle strewn paths. Friends in this picture include Josh and Laura, Almarene, Alio and Cindy, Kaydian and some of her family, and of course, my husband, John.
The Chick Pea Salad shown here was my creation with ingredients I had on hand. All the chopped vegetables looked so pretty: onion, colored peppers, green onion, fresh parsley, and green chili. I used about 2 cups of cooked garbanzos (one can), gently whizzed in the food processor, along with mayonnaise and salt to taste. I served it on a leaf of fresh lettuce. A crusty sourdough bread would be my choice for the sandwich. 
Is it just me or do others also like the rhythm and motion of chopping? The other night I made a pecan loaf with lots of chopping and it was comforting and enjoyable. That recipe will come later!
It was in June of our second year on Cape Cod when the most delightful news came our way...not one, but both of our daughters were pregnant and due to have babies in early 2019.
It was also near that same time when I could see that our agency was destabilizing. But because I was soon to be a grandma, the news did NOT trouble me! Without my good job, however, there was no way we could continue to afford to live on Cape Cod. John was working 32 hours a week for Hy-Line, the ferry company that takes passengers to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. He hated the thought of leaving his job but it was not sufficient to finance life in a resort!
Molly Grace was born on February 27, 2019, and I flew out to Oregon on March 2, knowing that Natasha was herself in labor. As we touched down in St. Louis for our layover, Jeremy texted, "Ezra Elliott has arrived!" I FaceTimed with them soon after and was assured that everything was fine and so I proceeded to Portland for a week with Molly. Flying in to Chattanooga for a week with Ezra followed. What a whirlwind...I mean, couldn't these girls have planned better than THAT?! Being grandparents is just the BEST!
Natasha planned to go back to work while Karissa chose to stay home full time. So being needed for Nana-duty suited me just fine and so it was decided to move to Tennessee.
More about that to come!
There's a lot of food on Cape Cod! Mostly seafood, though, most of which we don't much enjoy. But OUR food is still the best for US! So I'll share about it as I tell a bit of our story.
John and I had met at the church there, then got married and lived for 3 years in nearby Taunton, where the Cape was always our favorite playground. We embarked on a 36 year western sojourn after three years of marriage. First to Santa Rosa then Vallejo, CA, where our two girls were born, then on to Wisconsin where John became a pastor for five years, then six years in Lebanon, Oregon, and finally eastward to Missouri. That's where the previous details of this blog happened.
The opportunity to move to Cape Cod was facilitated by star recruiters, Charlie and Lori Case. The move was confirmed when I was offered the job of Health and Nutrition Services Director at Cape Cod Child Development. It was a glorious 2 1/2 years living back on the East Coast and among old friends who welcomed us like family.
The church was large and active, a welcome change from our small and often dying Missouri churches. We loved inviting new and old friends to our home for a meal and these were our first guests, Ubis and Karen Esparza. Ubis is Queen of healthy salads and the large bowl was her masterpiece. I had made steamed gluten with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, and a favorite holiday vegetable dish of cauliflower with peas and corn. Any gluten recipe is a bit time-consuming so I will spare you the details, unless you specifically ask for them! An elderly lady in our first church district in Wisconsin made us the cauliflower dish. I steam the head whole. While it is cooking, I dice carrots and start them cooking. When they have cooked five minutes or so, I add a bag of frozen peas, and cook till done. The whole head of cauliflower is placed on a platter. The cooked peas and carrots are arranged around it. A quarter cup of butter is browned in the same pan in which I cooked the cauliflower. This browned butter is then poured over the cauliflower and peas and carrots. It is beautiful and tasty.
Another favorite meal was Mexican, with guacamole, beans and chips, salsa, and all the fixins' like olives, pepperoncini, fresh lemon, and finely chopped lettuce.
My friend Sherrie would often say, "You've seen more of the Cape than I have!" John and I acted just like the local tourists, constantly checking out the beautiful place that was our new home. With 400 miles of shoreline, 384 lakes and ponds, PLUS rivers and creeks, there is so much WATER. We were less than a mile from Nantucket Sound and just a few from Cape Cod Bay. The National Seashore on the eastern side was perhaps our overall favorite place. It was the body of water with the most spectacular waves and water. 
This
dish to the left was created by me for just John and I. It was a pizza
of sorts, using a toasted sourdough sub roll. It's really more of a vegetable
sandwich than a pizza, with sauteed peppers, onions, and mushrooms, a little
cheese and some tomato sauce on top. This is John's plate. My plate
ti the right had just one half a sandwich AND a pile of carrots and celery, for obvious reasons. 
One blessing of living in a resort area is that people do like to come and visit. Our girls and their husbands came that first summer. My sisters and brother and his family came, along with our cousins Kathleen and Tim and their families. Picnics are always a summer favorite. Here's one with my sisters. Heidi was so impressed with my color coordinated picnic set. I had purchased it at an Estate Sale on Squaw Island, a very elite and private area near where the Latimer family lived, those old friends mentioned earlier, Toni, Sherrie, and Lori. This picnic was the first stop in a favorite Cape Cod tour for my sisters: Chatham, National Seashore, Rock Harbor.
This picture to the left was a Labor Day Cookout with whatever friends I could gather. The main course was Shish-ka-bobs. I use some gluten and marinate it in soy sauce, molasses, and olive oil. Then put it on skewers with colorful peppers, white and purple onion, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and pineapple. The BBQ is just to the left in this picture. As you cook them, you brush more of the marinade on. They always are such a HIT! Crusty bread is a good addition. We had lots of other great goodies, too. Afterward, we played some outdoor games AND did the mandatory walk around Sandy Pond which is 1/2 mile from our home. It was my favorite close spot either on foot or on my bike. And I loved bringing friends of that walk with its pine-needle strewn paths. Friends in this picture include Josh and Laura, Almarene, Alio and Cindy, Kaydian and some of her family, and of course, my husband, John.
The Chick Pea Salad shown here was my creation with ingredients I had on hand. All the chopped vegetables looked so pretty: onion, colored peppers, green onion, fresh parsley, and green chili. I used about 2 cups of cooked garbanzos (one can), gently whizzed in the food processor, along with mayonnaise and salt to taste. I served it on a leaf of fresh lettuce. A crusty sourdough bread would be my choice for the sandwich. 
 |
| Winston and Karissa Tonack with Natasha and Jeremy Micheff |
It was in June of our second year on Cape Cod when the most delightful news came our way...not one, but both of our daughters were pregnant and due to have babies in early 2019.
It was also near that same time when I could see that our agency was destabilizing. But because I was soon to be a grandma, the news did NOT trouble me! Without my good job, however, there was no way we could continue to afford to live on Cape Cod. John was working 32 hours a week for Hy-Line, the ferry company that takes passengers to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. He hated the thought of leaving his job but it was not sufficient to finance life in a resort!
Molly Grace was born on February 27, 2019, and I flew out to Oregon on March 2, knowing that Natasha was herself in labor. As we touched down in St. Louis for our layover, Jeremy texted, "Ezra Elliott has arrived!" I FaceTimed with them soon after and was assured that everything was fine and so I proceeded to Portland for a week with Molly. Flying in to Chattanooga for a week with Ezra followed. What a whirlwind...I mean, couldn't these girls have planned better than THAT?! Being grandparents is just the BEST!
Natasha planned to go back to work while Karissa chose to stay home full time. So being needed for Nana-duty suited me just fine and so it was decided to move to Tennessee.
More about that to come!
Thursday, April 23, 2020
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| Karissa and Winston got married the end of May... |
This was about one year after John's aortic dissection, his two hospital infections, 40 days in Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, coming home to Rolla, not being able to work, though he tried for three months, and going on disability in August of 2013.
Right away, we started gardens with the foster boys.. First two raised beds that another worker, Dom Medrano, helped me and the boys assemble. Then we worked a small plot up near Lori and Randy Adams home. Getting the boys to help was the main challenge, naturally. But there were always some who enjoyed the work, learned to love watching things grow, and especially loved to EAT the fresh produce.
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| Our 'little cabin in the big woods' in Arlington, Missouri. |
The train runs right through Arlington and then onto a bridge over the Gasconade River. The River is the real attraction there! Years ago, tourists would come from St. Louis, get off the train in the resort town of Arlington, then walk along the main street, stay in the hotel, and hunt and fish and stroll up and down the promenade.
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| Everything from the garden, except the cheese! |
During those years, I would post pictures on Face Book of all the produce and people would oooo and aaaahhhh over how good it looked. Many a meal in those days was ALL from the garden.
So let me tell you the story of this plate of food to the right. When I cook for just the two of us, I've come to prefer my corn steamed in the microwave. I take off a few of the outer husks, cut of the ends, then soak well in water. Then I give each ear three minutes. So if I am cooking four ears, I microwave for 12 minutes, or thereabouts. I let it cool a few minutes and then remove the husks. The silk comes right off very easily. It's the freshest tasting corn I've ever had.
We grew lots of oriental eggplant. On the plate are two pieces. I decided to try a new way of preparing it. I cut two of the long skinny kind (called Oriental) in half lengthwise, put a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) in the frying pan, then laid in the four pieces. I cooked them on the cut side with a cover for 10 minutes or so on medium heat till they seemed a bit soft. Then I turned them over, laid fresh tomato slices on the cooked eggplant, then sprinkled with some cheese. I put the cover back on the pan and let the cheese melt. I didn't really want to cook the tomatoes, just warm them enough to melt the cheese. We were delighted with how fresh and delicious my new creation tasted. Could they be called Oriental Eggplant boats?
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| Garden abundance |
Just recently, I made an innovation. I added another seasoning to my bread crumb mix. It's called "Everything But the Bagel" and is mostly white and black sesame seeds. I added a good shaking, about a Tablespoon. It adds some protein and it tasted so very good!
Now that the eggplant rounds are baked, we love to eat them just like they are. We also put a big round on a slice of bread with mayonnaise and fresh garden tomato for a good sandwich! Another delicious variation is to layer tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish, put one layer of baked eggplant rounds, sprinkle a little mozzarella cheese, then add more tomato sauce, another layer of eggplant rounds, more cheese and top with sauce. Baking this covered for about 30 minutes makes wonderful Eggplant Parmigiana. I like it best served with spaghetti.
One more delicious way to use garden-grown eggplant is called Ratatouille. It is essentially a vegetable sauce that cooks way down. I saute lots of onions and garlic, green peppers (other colors work fine too), and then a cubed eggplant. This recipe requires quite a lot of EVOO because the eggplant especially absorbs a lot. This cooks down slowly with frequent stirrings and as it continues to cook, I smash it with the spatula so that it breaks down till it is a nice thick sauce. It can be served as is with some parmigiana cheese sprinkled on top or on top of any kind of pasta or brown rice. With some cottage cheese, say, and some other fresh vegetables you have a meal!
As we kept on our work with Bob and Bev, John kept getting better. He volunteered with the boys and in the gardens. He was a terrific help especially with tilling. Working with foster boys was challenging and hard work and sometimes even rewarding! But I did long for work more in my field. One day an old friend from Cape Cod called and asked me if I would consider coming to check out a restaurant they wanted to buy. We arranged to go visit them in early November of 2016. They didn't buy the restaurant. But we came home from our visit and started looking for jobs! John and I had met on Cape Cod in 1977, then lived nearby til 1981, and I had always wanted to move back east, back HOME.
In July of 2016, a huge storm blew through and felled one of our great big trees, right onto the driver's side of John's station wagon--attempted murder, John likes to say. John worked hard for a whole month getting that mess cleaned up. Because our cabin was the original building, our one acre plot contained the SEVEN huge original trees and the only ones left of the nearly 200 acre Arlington town. Losing that tree took the wind our of our sales.
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| Our Cape Cod home in Mill Pond Nantucket style village |
By mid-December I had an offer letter to be Health and Nutrition Services Director at Cape Cod Child Development. We were so excited! We packed up our U-haul, pulling our car behind us, and arrived on Cape Cod in late February. We loved our time there, our old friends, the lively church, and our dear little Cape home. John started working as a shuttle driver for Hyline Ferry Company about a year after we arrived and loved the interaction he had with tourists.
My job started looking shaky in late 2018. By then we already knew we had two grand babies on the way. We knew we could not live on Cape Cod without my good job. So we decided it was time to move to be near Natasha in Tennessee. She is a nurse practitioner and wanted to go back to work a day or two a week and needed Nana to care for Baby Ezra. It was August of 2019 when we packed up and left our beloved Cape Cod. Here we are renting a small home just 3 miles from Natasha and Jeremy and Ezra.
In my next segment, I will share a few more happy details about our two and a half precious years living back in New England.
Friday, May 30, 2014
FRIDAY, continued
Update on John
Since this blog started for the purpose of keeping you informed about John's condition, let me tell you about him. It has been almost 18 months since his aortic dissection on January 14, 2013. We've been told it can take up to 2 years to recover. Some days John can hardly drag himself around. Other days he feels pretty good. Always, though, he must pace himself. He tends to do the natural thing which is to overdo and then it takes a while to recover.
He is on lifetime antibiotics, two blood pressure meds, and several other drugs. When he feels crummy, he wants OFF the meds. Our plan is to talk to his infectious disease team at Barnes to see if in fact he MUST stay on the antibiotics. Since the Pseudomonas infection got onto his graft, some medical experts say that the antibiotics are suppressing the infection because it cannot be eradicated. It is for that reason that they have recommended lifetime antibiotics or at least as long as he can tolerate them. Whatever THAT means.
He was having a difficult time controlling his blood pressure. His CT scan in January showed that his aorta has in fact grown some, which means his blood pressure is NOT low enough. That was when they changed his medication and we have seen some improvement.
Karissa has said that she knows why God spared her Dad's life; first, so she could graduate from college. She felt she never could have gone on, been able to concentrate, and finish. Second, so he could walk her down the aisle. That is tomorrow. So we've accomplished several important purposes in these 18 months.
John's main constraint is emotional energy. Loving people as he does, he talks and visits with people, and gives a tremendous amount of energy to his relationships. It takes its toll, however, and he is soon worn out and it takes some time to recuperate.
He continues to work out about three times a week and has learned to use the treadmill and is starting to even enjoy that. Thankfully, he also eats well and sleeps good, too. Lots of blessings, to be sure!
Sometimes when he wants to become discouraged
with his debilitated condition, I have to remind him just how much worse he COULD be. Not everyone "comes back" from these kinds of surgeries. Some people's brains just cannot take the trauma and they don't "come back". How fortunate we can be that John is as well as he is. That he CAN take care of himself.
Not being able to work takes a major adjustment. John has a hard time with that as well he should. We have also just moved and that requires adjusting, too. Life is, after all, sometimes just one big ADJUSTMENT! So, here we are, grateful that John is where he is and looking forward to our future which God has securely in his hands!
Update on John
Since this blog started for the purpose of keeping you informed about John's condition, let me tell you about him. It has been almost 18 months since his aortic dissection on January 14, 2013. We've been told it can take up to 2 years to recover. Some days John can hardly drag himself around. Other days he feels pretty good. Always, though, he must pace himself. He tends to do the natural thing which is to overdo and then it takes a while to recover.
He is on lifetime antibiotics, two blood pressure meds, and several other drugs. When he feels crummy, he wants OFF the meds. Our plan is to talk to his infectious disease team at Barnes to see if in fact he MUST stay on the antibiotics. Since the Pseudomonas infection got onto his graft, some medical experts say that the antibiotics are suppressing the infection because it cannot be eradicated. It is for that reason that they have recommended lifetime antibiotics or at least as long as he can tolerate them. Whatever THAT means.
He was having a difficult time controlling his blood pressure. His CT scan in January showed that his aorta has in fact grown some, which means his blood pressure is NOT low enough. That was when they changed his medication and we have seen some improvement.
Karissa has said that she knows why God spared her Dad's life; first, so she could graduate from college. She felt she never could have gone on, been able to concentrate, and finish. Second, so he could walk her down the aisle. That is tomorrow. So we've accomplished several important purposes in these 18 months.
John's main constraint is emotional energy. Loving people as he does, he talks and visits with people, and gives a tremendous amount of energy to his relationships. It takes its toll, however, and he is soon worn out and it takes some time to recuperate.
He continues to work out about three times a week and has learned to use the treadmill and is starting to even enjoy that. Thankfully, he also eats well and sleeps good, too. Lots of blessings, to be sure!
Sometimes when he wants to become discouraged
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| Our wonderful neighbors, Randy and Susan, who provided the ministry of caring for our lawn for over a year! |
Not being able to work takes a major adjustment. John has a hard time with that as well he should. We have also just moved and that requires adjusting, too. Life is, after all, sometimes just one big ADJUSTMENT! So, here we are, grateful that John is where he is and looking forward to our future which God has securely in his hands!
FRIDAY, May 30, 2014
I am looking out my window, watching planes take off from Northwest Arkansas airport. Today, we check into our Ludy Lake House for Karissa and Winston's wedding weekend. So excited!
On my last post, I showed you our new home in
Arlington, Missouri. I wanted to introduce you to our nearest neighbors. We didn't want to disturb them but it was inevitable. When we moved in, these flycatchers were sitting on eggs. But within a day or two, they hatched. Even looking out the windows disturbed them and they would fly away. One did fall our and died on our porch but it may have been just the opposite: it may have died and then fallen out. The remaining four were healthy and now we have a whole family catching bugs for us!
The original nest was green with pretty moss which mostly has dried up. We've been in our home now for 2 1/2 weeks and just the other day, the nest was empty...they've flown the coop.
We arrived here in Arkansas last evening before 5. We went straight to Whitney Mountain Lodge, found Karissa, and got to peak around. What a gorgeous spot! High up on a hill over-looking 500 miles of lakeshore on Beaver Lake, with huge thunderheads and dramatic sky and cloudbursts here and there, the Lodge is just lovely. There are 16 rooms which will be filled with friends and family, outdoor wedding venue, indoor dining rooms, and meeting rooms for church and rehearsal dinner.
After 5, we drove the two miles over to Bob and Molly Weaver's (Winston's grandparents) lake house where about 25 gathered for spaghetti, salad, bread, and custard, chocolate sauce, and mini brownies....u-u-good! Our job was to deliver Janna Sauder to her hotel so we stayed here by the airport. In order to help with the decorating this morning, we will head back early. Our house is just a few doors away from Weavers.
Natasha and Jeremy are driving from Tennessee and should arrive by noon; sisters-in-law Ruth and Esther are flying in from Oregon early afternoon; nephew David and Sabrina and Micah (with one in the oven); Chris and Rosy Davies (also with their first in the oven) arrive early afternoon; sisters Heidi and Juli arrive early evening; brother Jonathan drives in from Texas Saturday.
The high excitement will be over Saturday night but some of our families will stay through Monday for quieter time together.
Stay tuned for more on our much-anticipated and happy time together!
I am looking out my window, watching planes take off from Northwest Arkansas airport. Today, we check into our Ludy Lake House for Karissa and Winston's wedding weekend. So excited!
On my last post, I showed you our new home in
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| Four baby flycatchers ready to fly the coop |
The original nest was green with pretty moss which mostly has dried up. We've been in our home now for 2 1/2 weeks and just the other day, the nest was empty...they've flown the coop.
 |
| Karissa and Erica at Weaver's Lake House after dinner |
After 5, we drove the two miles over to Bob and Molly Weaver's (Winston's grandparents) lake house where about 25 gathered for spaghetti, salad, bread, and custard, chocolate sauce, and mini brownies....u-u-good! Our job was to deliver Janna Sauder to her hotel so we stayed here by the airport. In order to help with the decorating this morning, we will head back early. Our house is just a few doors away from Weavers.
Natasha and Jeremy are driving from Tennessee and should arrive by noon; sisters-in-law Ruth and Esther are flying in from Oregon early afternoon; nephew David and Sabrina and Micah (with one in the oven); Chris and Rosy Davies (also with their first in the oven) arrive early afternoon; sisters Heidi and Juli arrive early evening; brother Jonathan drives in from Texas Saturday.
The high excitement will be over Saturday night but some of our families will stay through Monday for quieter time together.
Stay tuned for more on our much-anticipated and happy time together!
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Sabbath, May 23, 2014
Next Sabbath is a high day for us as Karissa, our daughter, and Winston, get married in the evening. We have a wonderful family time to which we look forward. Family is coming from everywhere and so it will be a high, HIGH, weekend together. It is happening in northwest Arkansas on Beaver Lake. Next blog should feature the wedding.
My last entry was just as I ended my time as Director of Stepping Stones Day Care, took some good solid time to take care of myself, and emerged on the other side of that difficult time. Bob Bretsch had invited me to come down and help with his foster kids at their home in Arlington. The primary drawing card for me was that I would get to work with Bev again. She and I had co-directed Stepping Stones and so I KNEW we could work together well. But, I'd never considered teenage boys my forte, having had none of them myself! I got both my boys full-grown, thank you very much, Jeremy and Winston!
However, I needed work, and despite searching while I was at Loma Linda, at Southern, and on-line in Oregon, nothing had materialized. So I finally consented to part-time work with Bretsch's. Starting to work with James, and all eight of the other boys, I had to go to trainings to learn the ropes, and it all felt foreign and not at all like a JOB. I mean, I had to take the boys down to the river and
play and float, and talk with them and I just didn't feel all that comfortable...for a while. But pretty quickly, I started to understand and I started to feel more comfortable. Before I knew it, I was invested! I grew to love James, with his sweetness and irrational suggestions. Joey grew on me; all he wanted was to be listened to. Kristian was a big showoff but wanted to be noticed. David wanted to do his own thing but could realize when he'd blown it. Brandon just wanted to work, work outside, work with anything mechanical. And so on till I've gradually come to love them all.
So I began by providing respite so that Bob and Bev could get away for some rest. Later on, I began cooking Sunday Dinner for them so they could sit down to a steaming hot meal as soon as they came in from church. Now I am licensed to care for all of them. Another job of mine is to plan excursions; my long-coveted role of "tour guide"! Though it has its challenges, I feel as though I belong, this is my purpose for now.
Toward the end of March, our home sold. We had been wondering what our next step would be. At first, we thought we might move back to Oregon for low cost housing. I didn't really want to start over again in Oregon. I checked out Loma Linda and Southern. With no jobs appearing, it began to dawn on me that I needed to stay where I had a job. A few weeks after our home sold, and we knew we had to be out May 9, this little cottage/cabin in Arlington unexpectedly came up for sale. We had not planned to buy another home. And yet, I had always admired this place and after all, we did need a place to live. We had hoped to just rent it. Others who were interested either didn't have the money on hand or wouldn't have it for another few years.
Arlington is part of county land, a township of its own,
very close to where the Little Piney River flows into the Gasconade River, just 12 miles from Rolla. There are lovely bluffs, the town of Jerome is across the river, the railroad runs right through the township, and the river bottoms are home to wildlife like beaver, turkeys, deer, and multiple birds.
So, here we are! John was determined to "follow me" since for years I had left several good jobs in order to move on to another church with him. At first, he really was not too delighted with this place and was surprised that I didn't want to go to Oregon. But he understood my reasoning and came to agree that we needed to be where I had work.
Originally, this was a two-room cabin built like 80 years ago, just a few hundred feet above the big white Victorian mansion. In 2012, it was remodeled to a 1300 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, home. Some of the rock foundation and the rock chimney still remain but other than that it was pretty much redone from the floor up.
In the mid 1800s Arlington was a resort where rich folks from St. Louis would alight off the train. Right by the tracks is the old train station labelled "Arlington". Next door is the old hotel. Other original buildings dot the area. More recently, Arlington River Resort was operated as a campground. John posted a video on facebook showing a family playing in the beautiful pool with motorhomes and campers lined up in the background. Here's that link: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=
Route 66 ran right through the resort, over a
bridge, and on westward. Up the hill from us on our road, which is the old Route 66, is another old resort called John's Modern Cabins. These "modern" cabins have crumbled down and yet it is fascinating to imagine the history that happened on this major route between Chicago and the west coast. Many motorists still travel the full length of Route 66 and drive slowly down our road, guidebooks in hand. They want to talk history and they want to know what is going on in Arlington these days. John has already had several interesting conversations with these tourists and it promises to be an interesting diversion for him.
The Trail of Tears also runs through this property. Cherokee Indians from the southeast were ordered onto reservations in Oklahoma, despite numerous treaties that had been signed promising them they could stay in their own areas. This Trail of Tears reaches from the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee, all the way to Oklahoma. On our property are burial mounds from those sad days.
In 2006, a young military family, Leo and Rachel Clark, bought the entire 480 acre resort with all the buildings and campgrounds sight-unseen when they were still in Afghanistan. For several years they operated the campgrounds. Our friends, Randy and Lori Adams, parked their RV in the campground and lived there year round for several years. She was our elementary school teacher in Rolla. She became close friends of Rachel. Lori often told me about the big old Victorian mansion which was built by the mayor of Arlington 100 years ago when it was still a resort. Rachel and Leo gutted it and remodeled it. Lori used to help them in some of the projects on the house. Before long, she came up with the idea that her folks, Bob and Bev Bretsch, needed to move here from Oregon. The big white house was big enough for both families with two living areas.
That was when Bob and Bev came to check it out.
She was hired to be our day care Director and they moved here. She did an excellent job as Director. I came on to help her voluntarily at first and when my unemployment ran out, then I was hired to work with her. Later on, when her family was starting the foster home, she opted to diminish her hours at Stepping Stones and that is when I took over.
And so the irony continues as I now start to work for Bob and Bev! As I realized that I needed to stay where I had work, then heard that this cabin was for sale, I just held my breath, wondering how this would work out. As usual, God's timing is impeccable. Our home closed on May 9 and we were able to get pre-possession occupancy so that we moved in here May 7.
Our challenge here is to FIT! As we packed, we sorted, threw away, gave away, donated, and sold everything we could. But I knew in my heart that we still had way too much. And we do! So now, we are sorting, giving away, selling, and donating what doesn't fit here. This house was sold as is, with couch, chairs, décor, and cleaning supplies still under the cabinets. Dirty, too. Much of what I could not use, I passed on to Bev. They purchased the old hotel, in addition to their big white house, for their foster home so they can use lots of stuff to furnish the boys rooms. My own canning supplies, food stores, and extra kitchen utensils are down in the hotel. With no garage and very small closets in our little cottage, our garage and garden supplies are stored in the old school house and in an old cabin. Our stuff is spread all over but here in our little cottage, we will have all we need.
On of my first projects was building a kitchen garden for
Bev. The boys helped Bev and I and now it is growing marvelously well. We've eaten lots of salads from it already. In addition, there are two large field gardens just up the hill form the big white house and down the hill from us. Between moving in and working, we've tilled, planted, fertilized, weeded, watered, and generally kept very busy trying to get all these gardens functioning.
Animals are arriving, too, so that Arlington can be as self-sufficient as possible. Two large pigs were the first to arrive. Then came a Jersey cow and calf. Two more cows will arrive shortly. Our boys will participate in the care of these animals as a means of teaching them responsibility. Our core values are
something we try to teach and exemplify every day: BUICK--Belonging, Usefulness, Influence, Competence, and Kingdom. I try to help them be useful by giving them the privilege and opportunity to assist in producing our food supply!
John admitted rather sheepishly recently that he is beginning to like it here and it is growing on him and I am so thankful for that. AND, I don't know how I could be any more delighted with our new home, my job, and this very inclusive and loving community.
Next Sabbath is a high day for us as Karissa, our daughter, and Winston, get married in the evening. We have a wonderful family time to which we look forward. Family is coming from everywhere and so it will be a high, HIGH, weekend together. It is happening in northwest Arkansas on Beaver Lake. Next blog should feature the wedding.
My last entry was just as I ended my time as Director of Stepping Stones Day Care, took some good solid time to take care of myself, and emerged on the other side of that difficult time. Bob Bretsch had invited me to come down and help with his foster kids at their home in Arlington. The primary drawing card for me was that I would get to work with Bev again. She and I had co-directed Stepping Stones and so I KNEW we could work together well. But, I'd never considered teenage boys my forte, having had none of them myself! I got both my boys full-grown, thank you very much, Jeremy and Winston!
However, I needed work, and despite searching while I was at Loma Linda, at Southern, and on-line in Oregon, nothing had materialized. So I finally consented to part-time work with Bretsch's. Starting to work with James, and all eight of the other boys, I had to go to trainings to learn the ropes, and it all felt foreign and not at all like a JOB. I mean, I had to take the boys down to the river and
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| Sabbath afternoon hike with Bob and the boys: Damien, Kris, Joey, Bob (the BIG boy!), Kevin, David, at Clifty Creek Natural Bridge; the boys loved catching crawdads and little fish |
So I began by providing respite so that Bob and Bev could get away for some rest. Later on, I began cooking Sunday Dinner for them so they could sit down to a steaming hot meal as soon as they came in from church. Now I am licensed to care for all of them. Another job of mine is to plan excursions; my long-coveted role of "tour guide"! Though it has its challenges, I feel as though I belong, this is my purpose for now.
Toward the end of March, our home sold. We had been wondering what our next step would be. At first, we thought we might move back to Oregon for low cost housing. I didn't really want to start over again in Oregon. I checked out Loma Linda and Southern. With no jobs appearing, it began to dawn on me that I needed to stay where I had a job. A few weeks after our home sold, and we knew we had to be out May 9, this little cottage/cabin in Arlington unexpectedly came up for sale. We had not planned to buy another home. And yet, I had always admired this place and after all, we did need a place to live. We had hoped to just rent it. Others who were interested either didn't have the money on hand or wouldn't have it for another few years.
Arlington is part of county land, a township of its own,
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| Arlington Community dog, Princess Buttercup, roams by the lake in the river bottom with the beaver home in the background |
So, here we are! John was determined to "follow me" since for years I had left several good jobs in order to move on to another church with him. At first, he really was not too delighted with this place and was surprised that I didn't want to go to Oregon. But he understood my reasoning and came to agree that we needed to be where I had work.
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| Looking up the hill from Bob and Bev's big white house; old cabin on the right; gardens right and left; Liz's red house on left with our house in the background up the hill |
In the mid 1800s Arlington was a resort where rich folks from St. Louis would alight off the train. Right by the tracks is the old train station labelled "Arlington". Next door is the old hotel. Other original buildings dot the area. More recently, Arlington River Resort was operated as a campground. John posted a video on facebook showing a family playing in the beautiful pool with motorhomes and campers lined up in the background. Here's that link: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=
Route 66 ran right through the resort, over a
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| Getting closer to our place; still before spring |
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| Our favorite shot of our home with a clear view of the old stone foundation; new addition with cement foundation is visible to the far left; added 2 bedrooms; 2 baths |
In 2006, a young military family, Leo and Rachel Clark, bought the entire 480 acre resort with all the buildings and campgrounds sight-unseen when they were still in Afghanistan. For several years they operated the campgrounds. Our friends, Randy and Lori Adams, parked their RV in the campground and lived there year round for several years. She was our elementary school teacher in Rolla. She became close friends of Rachel. Lori often told me about the big old Victorian mansion which was built by the mayor of Arlington 100 years ago when it was still a resort. Rachel and Leo gutted it and remodeled it. Lori used to help them in some of the projects on the house. Before long, she came up with the idea that her folks, Bob and Bev Bretsch, needed to move here from Oregon. The big white house was big enough for both families with two living areas.
That was when Bob and Bev came to check it out.
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| Looking back down the hill toward the big white house; garden in foreground, tilled once; old hotel barely visible through trees to the right |
And so the irony continues as I now start to work for Bob and Bev! As I realized that I needed to stay where I had work, then heard that this cabin was for sale, I just held my breath, wondering how this would work out. As usual, God's timing is impeccable. Our home closed on May 9 and we were able to get pre-possession occupancy so that we moved in here May 7.
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| On my lovely front porch with pretty Rosy kitty in my window |
On of my first projects was building a kitchen garden for
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| James giving some giving some suggestions on how to put the raised bed together with the big white house to the right |
Animals are arriving, too, so that Arlington can be as self-sufficient as possible. Two large pigs were the first to arrive. Then came a Jersey cow and calf. Two more cows will arrive shortly. Our boys will participate in the care of these animals as a means of teaching them responsibility. Our core values are
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| Kevin helping me plant our broccoli plants that we grew from seed; every boy planted some |
John admitted rather sheepishly recently that he is beginning to like it here and it is growing on him and I am so thankful for that. AND, I don't know how I could be any more delighted with our new home, my job, and this very inclusive and loving community.
SABBATH, MARCH 1, 2014
For the past 40+ days we have been remembering what was happening one year ago. By this time, we were actually home and had been here nearly a week. So today I can say, PRAISE GOD for all his blessings through this experience. It could be so much worse!
We still have lots of challenges, first of which is John's blood pressure. It still tends to be too high and that is what caused his aortic dissection in the first place. He is on two medications for blood pressure and it still goes up and down.
For the past 40+ days we have been remembering what was happening one year ago. By this time, we were actually home and had been here nearly a week. So today I can say, PRAISE GOD for all his blessings through this experience. It could be so much worse!
We still have lots of challenges, first of which is John's blood pressure. It still tends to be too high and that is what caused his aortic dissection in the first place. He is on two medications for blood pressure and it still goes up and down.
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