Overheard in the Wolfe House #278
Sam (to the plumber): Well, Steve, you’ve been with us all day.
Steve: It happens sometimes.
Growing while shrinking
I’m glad we decided to etch the kids’ heights in the side of an old bookshelf from Pier I instead of on the pantry wall or some other doorway in the house.
Bookshelf etchings
When we built our little house on the Texas prairie nearly 20 years ago, this was supposed to be the last home we’d ever own. We cleared the land and planted 10 acres of pecans. We planted fruit trees and asparagus and berry beds. We started capturing the rainwater and saving it for irrigation on dry August days.
We planned the farm as a backup plan for Sam in adulthood. We were inspired in part by a kibbutz-like farm in Ohio that was a group home for adults with autism. If Sam had nothing else, he’d have the farm. We gave a lot of thought to how we would manage it as we aged, too.
When Mark died, I didn’t see the need to change the plans. The kids were still like fledglings then. Sam didn’t even have his driver’s license. Soon enough, I saw that all the plans Mark and I made only got us to the launching pad. The kids dreams are their own dreams.
In the end, they don’t care if the house they grew up in is the house I stay in. So, I’m not going to.
I’m not quite sure what comes next, but it starts with packing, and donating, and finding better homes for things, and throwing things away.
That wobbly old pine wood bookcase from Pier 1 has really yellowed, but I’m going to keep it. It’ll have a place of honor in my next kitchen, holding all the cookbooks, wherever that may be.
Home Sweet Home
August, 2014
Saying farewell to that summer abroad …
… and shameless parental bragging. She may have more video to share, but if you want to see it, go over to Wandering Seoul on YouTube and subscribe.
Siri, Hannah and Paige
Paige graduates from the school of world experiences. Here’s part two of her video blog from Busan.
Overheard in the Wolfe House #277
Sam: Everybody in this house needs a shower except me.
Michael: Well, good for you, Sam. Do you want a biscuit?
Sam: No, thanks. I already had breakfast.
The North Texas State Fair is coming
Maybe we’ll see pickles like Aunt Regina used to make. Here are some more pickling recipes for the bounty from your garden.
For the first time in many years, I’m growing dill and okra for okra pickles. They were one of Mark’s favorite. It’s taken a while for the heart to heal enough to make them again.
Don’t let anyone tell you that cooking and food and love don’t go together. They totally do.
Although I am also growing elephant garlic, I discovered one year that it doesn’t pickle with okra. Well, it does, but only if you don’t mind eating blue-colored garlic.
A day at the beach, Busan-style …
Just adorable.
I’m starting to think that we didn’t take the kids to the beach enough when they were little.
Overheard in the Wolfe House #276
Peggy (after arriving home in surprise visit in the middle of the day): You’re writing code?
Sam: Yes. (pauses) For Sibelius.
Soldier stew, a CD callback and a hiatus …
She’s going to the coast. (Yes, I told her not to take the ferry.)
As if the DMZ was a boy band …
This amount of enthusiasm for the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea gives me confidence in the next generation and the pursuit of world peace.
Best Birthday Ever …
The beauty of a summer birthday is the terrific parties you can have. Paige had some wonderful ones growing up, swim parties and slip-and-slide parties and going-to-Shakespeare-in-the-Park parties. The best one I remember was when she turned 6 or 7 and we loaded up the family and a bunch of her friends, and even a few friends’ parents, in the old school bus and drove to the pool in Highland Village where we inherited a membership (shout out to Sue B and Brian K for that one). Everybody swam and the girls played a fishing game in the baby pool and we ate an ice cream bombe cake that looked like a watermelon and Paige opened presents on the drive back.
I think her 21st birthday abroad has outdone it.
P.S. Don’t glaze over when Paige gives her critique of the K-pop bands. She knows things. Two summers ago she showed me a YouTube clip of this obscure, goofy dancing guy that about 100,000 people had seen. Turned out to be Psy and Gangnam Style (266 million views and counting).