If you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.  ~Conan O’Brien

Kyle’s not smiling because of all the delicious fresh sweet strawberries we get to eat. Nope! He’s happy he’s done picking! Pollock’s Strawberry Farm Bush Valley 6/28/14

Saturday morning, we got up early to head out to Pollock’s family farm in Brush Valley to pick, none other than fresh strawberries!  It was about a half an hour to forty-five minute journey to our sun ripened destination.

Why?  Well, besides having seriously fresh strawberries, it was a unique activity for Kyle to partake in.  Not many kids ever get to see strawberry fields, let alone sit among the rows of sweet goodness to pick them ripe off of the vine.  It was a good experience.

At first it was fun and exciting.  We got up there early to avoid sitting in the hot sun, which none of us are fans.  Then, the merriment really began when we got our baskets and were led to a strawberry row, followed by instructions.  What kind of instructions?  We were to start at the top of the row, work our way down and pick half of the row on either side.  When finished, no matter if the entire line was harvested or not, we were to move our flag to the completion of our efforts.  Pretty easy.  Kyle looked on with anticipation, at least at first.

Kyle was sandwiched between mom and me.  Naturally, he was in the row beside me, while Mike was on my other side, surrounding me by those I knew.  Even better!

I’m guessing about five small strawberry plants down, Kyle informs me that I needed to pick his entire row because he was focusing on one.  The one him and his Gigi shared.  Ok buddy, whatever works for you.  This I was expecting to be honest.  No worries, I still picked half of my row by Mike and the entire row closest to Kyle.  Sitting on my knees, I scooted down with every pass getting into a rhythm.

Mom & Kyle picking fresh strawberries at Pollock’s Strawberry Farm. Mom gave up early…I made Kyle help me. 6/28/14

Before long, my basket was full and I had Kyle run to get me another so I could finish my section.  By then, mom had long since ditched us.  Her knees were bothering her and I’m sure the direct sun overhead didn’t help my sun sensitive mother either.

By the time I was on my second basket, Kyle was simply going through the motions, not really working.  In fact, I watched him as he picked a berry or two, waited for me to push my basket down the row, then followed suit.  He was keeping up with me, just not the way I expected him to.  I can’t really tell you how many times I heard, “Aunt Heather, it’s really hot out here.” or “Aunt Heather, I’m sweating.  I don’t like to sweat.”  Anyone who knows me, knows I too am not a fan of direct sunlight, nor heat and humidity, which all accompanied us on our trip.  I shared my logic with Kyle and that was ‘The faster we work, the quicker we’ll be done and leave.’  Kyle still didn’t hold that goal near and dear to his heart, he was just plain done.

The beginning of fresh strawberry snacks… Pollock’s Strawberry Farm, Bush Valley, Pa. 6/28/14

Soon I told Kyle, once he filled up his basket, he was done.  I even started to throw some of the red berries I picked into his basket to help him out.  What did Kyle do?  Well, he certainly didn’t step it up.  O NO!  He started to look into my basket and criticize the berries I picked, mentioning if they weren’t fully ripe or too small etc.  Yep, it took everything I had not to loose it on this pre-teen who should be able to match my energy and work efforts second for second.  At the very least strawberry pound for strawberry pound.

Once we were done, we weighed our strawberries, paid and left.  As we were standing at the car talking, down in the lower field was a coyote running at full speed.  Then, it got me thinking, I wondered how the farmers were able to keep rabbits, deer and such out of the strawberry fields?  I didn’t see any fence or natural obstruction.  I never did ask, but now I’m even more curious than ever.

We took a detour after picking strawberries to stop at Riddle’s Bait Shop. Stocking up for fishing on Sunday on the Loyalhanna Lake. 6/28/14

We did manage to take a detour to the local bait shop before going home, to pick up some bait for a Sunday fishing expedition on Loyalhanna Lake.  It’s never a full weekend without the fishing poles making their appearance.

On a side note, while fishing on Sunday, dad snapped his fishing pole.  He purchased it with his own hard earned money at nine years old.  It was heartbreaking to see this fifty-five year old pole in pieces.  It held a lot of memories and experience.

After we came home and settled in to our cozy air-conditioned environment, mom brought up a good point.  She mentioned to Kyle how some people earn their living by doing the very same thing we did for forty-five minutes, all day long at least five to six times a week, for months at a time.  They don’t pick for the luxury of fresh strawberries, but for minimum wage, to simply provide for their families.  That’s hard work.  Those are the people who appreciate their efforts the most.

Pollock’s Strawberry Farm in Brush Valley, Pa. Picking our own fresh sweet goodness! 6/28/14

I don’t believe anyone really knows what others go through unless the path is walked for them.  I knew Kyle didn’t quite get the point, but then again there was a small part of me that knew he did.  It’s not only good to have an appreciation for where your food source comes from, but also how it’s awarded.  Buying groceries in the store certainly looses the origin and the hard effort it takes to deliver food to the table.  Yes, it’s nice, but every once in a while, getting back to our roots is the way to maintain a sense of reality and appreciation for God’s land and people.  At least that’s what I hope Kyle gained from this experience.

Dad fishing. Looks like it was a successful day! 1984

The funny thing is, Kyle doesn’t like and simply won’t bait his own hook, at least not with maggots, mealworms, red worms, butterworms, or chicken livers.  I have seen him hook his own line with some sort of prepackaged bait, salmon eggs and he’s a big fan of the spinner when fishing for trout.  Aside from that, he leans on me or dad to hook him up, so to speak.

Kyle also won’t unhook a freshly reeled fish.  He doesn’t like touching the slimy, slippery skin and its pointy scales and teeth.  Forget ever asking Kyle to help scale and gut the fish.  NOPE!  I’ve tried having him help me once, and I thought he was going to puke.  He did a halfway job and I had to finish thoroughly cleaning his fish for him.  He told dad next time he’ll try and help us.  I’m not holding my breath.

Kyle does enjoy the thrill a fish nibbling on the hook and the tugging of the line ever so slightly; the feeling of knowing there is a fish interested in his bait; and the possibility of a huge catch.  Everyone loves that!  He gets so excited with the exhilaration of fighting the mystery fish and then finding out the species, and of course, the size of the catch.  This information is only used for later story telling on Kyle’s behalf.  He could careless about the meat he’s bringing to the table.

Kyle also eats fish, which I am so glad!  This past weekend, my sister was home, so mom fried us up the freshly caught catfish from Saturday.   Total, we probably caught about twenty small to medium sized catfish, mixture of bullhead and channel cats.  None of them were the size you see on television, whereas they needed to be picked up by two or three people.  Nope, these were pretty manageable for a single person.  Enough for a good meal.

On Saturday morning, we got up early.  How early?  I was up around 5:30 am and I woke sleeping beauty around 6:30 am, dad was up well before me, 4:00 am.  We packed the boat and headed out to Loyalhanna Lake, getting on the water by 8:00 am.  We wanted to get out earlier and be at our spot by then, but it was raining pretty good and it took us longer to get situated.  Dad’s not as fast in his later years, not like when I was a kid.

Yes, it was raining and we still wanted to go fishing.  Dad is no stranger to fishing in any sort of weather, even if it’s a cold, bone chilling rain.  Dad is, or I used to say was, as die hard about fishing as he is hunting.  It did drizzle on us a little, but no monsoon was in the forecast.  Personally, I was fine with that, it wasn’t too cold, it was cloudy so the sun wasn’t directly hitting me and making me sick, and the bugs were kept at bay from the rain.  Win, win all around!  Like I said, perfect day to go fishing!

Nicole’s First Holy Communion. All cousins: Front row – Casey Olczak, Ryan, Me. Back Row – Timmy Bobinchek, Jeremy Piper, Chad Piper & Nicole. Yes, that’s the tree that held my fishing pole after I was practicing how to cast. c. 1981

I’ve been fishing since I was little.  All of us fished except surprisingly, mom.  Ryan loved to fish too, often going by himself when friends and family where working or busy.

As we were casting our lines, I noticed how controlled Kyle was at the action.  I was the only one who caught a tree, but it didn’t result in a loss of hook or bait!  So no worries.

While we were sitting there fishing up a storm, I told Kyle how I used to practice casting my line all the time when I was little.  He looked at me in amazement.  It’s true, I did!  Not in water, but in the front yard.  I really enjoyed standing there and practicing the action of throwing out the line and reeling it in.  Of course, back then, mom had a white birch tree in the middle of the yard.  Somehow, I caught the tree, a few times. (sarcasm)  Yes, instead of casting away from the tree, I would stand directly in front of it and cast my line.  One time in particular, I was not able to pull my fishing pole out of the branches, so I reeled in the line and let the pole hang there, waiting for dad to get home from work.  Dad rolled his eyes resulting in the pole hanging there for quite some time. I didn’t care, I was enjoying myself.

Naturally, the first person who caught anything was dad, a nice sized catfish.  Then, Kyle and I started to get into the rhythm.  At one point, all three of us were pulling in catfish at the same time!  That made it so exciting and really a lot of fun.  We moved to a few different locations when the biting stopped, to try our chances elsewhere, before calling it a day at 2:00 pm.

While patrolling back down the tributary, dad decided he had to relieve his bladder.  I know I probably shouldn’t be talking about his but it was so funny!  Earlier, we made Kyle do so off the side of the boat, while dad and I looked the other way.  It wasn’t that easy for dad, since he’s so big and the boat is so small.  Instead, dad decided to pull up to a rock cliff and have us hold onto saplings to keep the boat parallel with the side of the hill, while he stepped out and climbed up the bank.  At first Kyle wasn’t holding onto anything while dad was stepping out.  Dad had one leg on the rocks and one in the boat, as the boat slowly started to separate from the side of the hill.  Kyle looked at me, without trying to help, like he was accepting his next statement and said, “I think this is going to end badly.”  Yes!  I started to laugh because it was kind of humorous, but then I yelled at him to grab a hold of a branch to pull the boat closer to help his pappy out.  It was quite comical!  Doring this adventure, I was hoping no one would go past, and no one did.

Legofest 2012… I decided to be a pirate. Kyle was cracking up, yet was rolling his eyes at my silliness. Pittsburgh, Pa 2012

After putting away the bait and poles, Dad explored the other side of the lake that we never ventured down.  Let me explain, he recently got back his boat engine that was in for repairs.  Basically, dad was a boy who got back his toy.  He opened it up, let her rip, making wakes!  We felt the spray of water in our faces.  Keep in mind we were on a little fishing boat that resembled the one used from Grumpy Old Men, nothing extravagant.  Kyle and I were giggling and hanging on the entire time, not that dad was going mock speeds, but it was just the kid in us, well maybe me and dad, since Kyle is still a kid.

It was pretty uneventful getting the boat in and out of the lake.  Except, when I went to drive the boat up on the trailer, I accidentally hit the gas pretty hard and scared myself, driving it at full speed toward the truck.  Dad must have saw the freight in my eyes and started to laugh while sitting in the driver’s seat.

While I was out on the boat, I yelled to Kyle to assist me getting the boat on the trailer straight.
Me:  Kyle direct me in.
Kyle:  What?
Me: Kyle direct me in!
Kyle:  What?
Me:  Kyle!  Tell me if I’m straight!
Kyle:  (Stood there like a statue and pointed his index finger ever so slightly in one direction)
Me: (Thinking, Whatever!)

Once the boat was safe and secure, dad commented, “I thought you were going to drive the boat into the bed of the truck.”  We got a good laugh.  You should have seen the look on Kyle’s face when I revved up the engine too hard, he gave a reaction like I was going to drive into him.   Keep in mind, he was a good yard and a half away from the action, in no immediate danger.  Afterwords, Kyle stood alongside his pap and got a good chuckle.

Planinsek Fishing Derby, the long awaited for PRIZES! 2012

Before we left I instructed Kyle to leave his phone and his iPod behind.  You see, Kyle finds it a need to take a picture of EVERY fish he catches.  He was devastated when I told him all electronics are getting left behind.  He actually got into a slight state of panic when he realized, I meant my phone too.  He argued, “But Aunt Heather what if we have an emergency and need to call someone?  Then we are out in a boat in the middle of the water.  What do we do?”  I told him, “Believe it or not buddy, people have been fishing on water for centuries without a phone, we’ll be alright, besides we’re not out in the middle of the ocean.”  He didn’t particularity care for my comment but reluctantly went along with my logic.

Nope, no phone and I wouldn’t let Kyle take his either.  Not because I thought he was going to be sitting there talking.  Actually, on the contrary I wanted him to call his Aunt Nikki to see where she was in route, but simply because it was raining off and on and I didn’t want any phone to be ruined.  Unbeknownst to me, halfway through our fishing, I realized dad has is phone on him anyway.  Personally, it was great not checking emails, answering the phone or responding to text messages.  Just fishing.

What great quality time with the family.  Collectively, we all had fun.  Dad and I kept calling Kyle Catfish Hunter!  It was so peaceful and relaxing.  A nice lazy day in the boat with fish as my only focus.  Can’t wait to do it again!

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Laughter is wine for the soul – laughter soft, or loud and deep, tinged through with seriousness – the hilarious declaration made by man that life is worth living.  ~Seán O’Casey

Since my posts have been pretty heavy lately, I wanted to come back to my preferred reality of fun and humor.  This post is a bit unconventional, but what the hay, life is short!

Yesterday, I was going through my photos on iPhoto, which usually originate from my iPhone, some from my iPad.  Looks like over a year or two, when there was a funny text message, I would take a screen shot.  Usually when I do this, it’s to be accompanied with a blog post, but some may have been forgotten or there wasn’t the space.  So in honor of these silly text messages, here they are for all to share.  Enjoy!

Warning:  These text messaging screen shots are really NOT funny, but they sure do bring a smile to my face.

My little man… Kyle     Screen shot 5/12/12

This isn’t funny, but simply sweet.  I must have taken a screen shot of my phone screen.  Naturally, guess who always seems to take center stage.  This picture was accrued during a Santa Workshop at Kyle’s elementary school.   He always did love me showing up and helping out, believe it or not.

Here is one that cracked us both up.  My friend Kelly and I were texting back and forth and it appears I wanted to make a Barnes and Noble run, but I was already involved in another book serious.  I have a sneaky suspicion the “book” Kelly was referring to was Allegiant by Veronica Roth.  Usually, I order my books online, but sometimes I do swing by the store in a moment of book desperation.  This one I remember I ordered to begin upon completion of the Harry Potter books.  The show, which involved the auto correct is called Mike & Molly.  Auto correct struck again!

Wanting to read Allegiant but busy reading the Harry Potter books. 10/1/12

I remember this day very clearly.  For it was a day of disgust, intrigue and pure victory.  After much distraught and confusion, I finally found what was running rampant in my house.  I thought it was a mouse, a super mouse to be exact, but after I caught the elusive critter, I found out it was a chipmunk!  Gross.  Yes!  But victory was mine and I could now find peace in my own house. Of Mice and Me … Part 4

Chipmunk Incident 10/28/12

Every year, Nicole takes Kyle for a week in the summer.  It’s been referred to as the ‘Aunt Nikki and Kyle’s Week of Fun’.  Sometimes they do stuff locally around the D.C. Metro Area or sometimes they go away for the week or a few days.  It’s a nice time for them to spend together.

This particular trip included a bunch of cold showers.  Kyle cracks me up!  We’ve been bribing and fighting with Kyle to take showers for as long as I can remember.  He never wants to!  I still have no idea what his aversion is to being clean, but there it is.

There were times when I wouldn’t get him for a week, and when I did, he was greasy and filthy!  Then, to only be resistant when taking the plunge.  You could tell it wasn’t an act that was reinforced regularly and instilled in him (not from my family, we love to shower and do it regularly, meaning daily).  I had the same problem with Kyle and brushing his teeth.

Recently, Kyle said to me, “I always take a shower, every night.”  What?  News flash buddy, who are you trying to kid?  He made it out like he’s been do this his whole life, but in reality it was this past week.    I’m on to you and I have proof!

Kyle’s comment on cold showers during Aunt Nikki and Kyle’s Week of Fun. 11/13/12

This did crack me up.  While outlining Christmas plans for the year, out of nowhere, Nicole started the Soft Kitty song.  She cracks me up.  I showed it to Kyle and he was grinning from ear to ear, being a fan of the song and the show, The Big Bang Theory.

Nicole texting Soft Kitty to me.. for no reason just to be silly. I cracked up! 12/21/12

I read random things online.  Usually they are human interest stories, news articles, breaking news, politics and such, but there is the occasion, when I find something that catches my eye for pure entertainment.

I started writing blog posts about these interesting facts, eventually calling them ‘Random Fun Facts’.  They are simply information and statistics, which I was not aware of or did and forgot, or information I feel others might find interesting.  This particular blog topic was focused on flatulence.  Yes!  Farting!  I found it funny and entertaining, which I clearly replied to Nicole, after she evidently read the blog post.  Facts About Farting  Read it, it’s actually enlightening!

Our conversation based off of my blog post, Facts About Farting. 12/27/12

This conversation started out discussing business, Thrill of the Hunt, our start-up company.  Apparently, I needed a check for something.  If my memory serves me correct, it was to pay for our booth at either the Banana Split Festival in Latrobe or the Steelerfest at Saint Vincent College (Random Fun Facts: Saint Vincent College, Bertha Nesser’s Alma Mater May You Both Find Eternal Peace).

I am happy to announce the business has come a long way in a little over a year, yet we still have many more journeys ahead.

What cracks me up, in the middle of our presumably serious conversation, Nicole goes south.  Please refer to the previous screen shot and entry, where she makes fun of me and my flatulence topic.  Can’t tell we’re sisters?  At least mine was in response to an infographic I read, hers was due to an experience.  Notice how I instantly threw my dog, Seven under the bus!

Nicole & I discussing our company Thrill of the Hunt & then the conversation quickly goes south! 8/7/13

These screen shots were my proof, I needed to sent to Kyle, showing I’m not a terrible chess player.  We both love to play the game, and as I’ve mentioned before I taught Kyle to play when he was just a little man. Checkmate – Game of Chess  Naturally, at that time I used to crush him, not so much in present days.  This particular instance, I was playing the computer and I won!  Twice!  I was on fire!  Granted, I’m sure if it was on the hardest or easiest setting.  However, come to think of it, it might have been on the hardest, since Kyle is the one who manages the controls.  Regardless, I took screen shots and IMed them to Kyle.  Victory was mine!

On a side note, I always have to be white and Kyle black, as per my little man.

On the left 8/10/13 & on the right 8/11/13 I beat the computer… finally. I had to send these to Kyle! Victory was mine!

This conversation was between me and Kyle.  To be honest, I don’t really remember why he was asking about my legs or what book he wanted.  I wish I would have kept some of Kyle’s other text messages, even though they usually only consist of “Ya” and “Ok”.  Man of few words.  The funny part of this text is Kyle’s call out of “Bad Girl”, an inside joke (that I guess is not so inside anymore) WannaBe 80′s Scavenger Hunt & a Puppy In a Day.

Bad Girl joke in our family… Kyle cracks me up! 8/21/13

Kyle strikes again.  He will only reach out if he needs something, and of course I always comply.  This time he needed a recipe for school.  I guess he was making something in Home Ec or they were reviewing recipes (I remember doing the same thing).  Later, I told Kyle we needed to work on his spelling, I guess his phone doesn’t have auto correct or it’s clearly not turned on.

I love being able to communicate with Kyle through so many different means!  My favorite is in person, but I’ll take what I can get when he’s not with me.

Kyle needed a recipe for school. He needs to turn on his spell check! 2/13/14

This is my favorite of all!  At this point, every time I looked at Facebook through the app on my phone, this is what I saw.  It totally cracked me up!  Look at her face taking up the entire space!

What was really funny, this went on for a few days, every time I opened the app, there was Nicole’s head staring back at me.  It seemed to never update and push me through to other posts.  It was stuck on Nicole’s head!  Taking this as an opportunity to instigate, I screen shot it and shared it with her.

Good old Aunt Nikki! 12/14/13

Accept who you are. Unless you’re a serial killer.  ~Ellen DeGeneres

Dad hanging out watching television – Nicole’s fish tank in the background c. 1990

With the recent posts of those passing away, I feel like my blog has become an obituary.  I truly want to pay my respects and share stories to those who have passed, yet I need to find humor in the every day.

First, I must say, by writing this post I mean absolutely no disrespect.  It’s just something I’ve notice, as did mom, and I wanted to share.  I find dad funny and it’s how he is and that’s the way it is.  I take no offense to dad’s ignorance, just plain humor in his cluelessness.

Most people have a tendency to omit details and not pay attention to others, and yet there are others with this wonderful talent for such details.  I’m referring to specifics such as likes and dislikes with respect to food, their favorite color, their favorite music group or hobby and the list goes on and on.  Even those are pretty big items most people are aware of with close family and friends.  But what about the smaller, sometimes unknown finer points about a persons personality or habits?  Usually they are commonplace with close family, right?

Dad has no trouble keeping tabs on deer season, turkey season or fishing season.  Those are pretty standard times of the year, and I too can give a guess without looking up exact dates.  However, dad has this unique talent for naming specifics when it comes to those activities.  He can tell me what rifle I was using two years ago, what rifle shot what point deer and who made the shot.  He can tell me what grain of power is in my shells, Kyles and his and what he used the previous year and how each one shot.  He can name each location in four different counties where Ryan and him shot deer, my mom, my sister, Kyle and even me, for all the years we’ve been hunting!  Seriously no joke!  Our Hunting Adventures…New York, Our Hunting Adventures…New York Continued.  He can do the same for small game and fishing.  Actually, it’s pretty amazing.  This talent has yet to slow down, he’s still that sharp.

This recollection also can be applied to dad’s fruit and nut trees.  Dad can rattle of each of the fruit and nut trees in the back yard (about 25 different kinds) without missing a beat.  He can also tell you when each one was planted and how each one produced year-over-year.  He too can name the types of vegetables we planted in the garden every year since I was little.  Pretty impressive!

It doesn’t stop there.  He can name each location where he cleared out trees, worked in the woods or hauled lumber.  Ingrained In the Wood  Sometimes he can tell you what logs he chopped down and hauled out and where they went.  We’re talking over the course of most of his life working in the woods since he was nine or ten!

I think it’s safe to say, that dad is still as sharp as a tack, at least with respect to his interests.  Then there are those times when he is completely oblivious.  Example, when I was in the junior high, mom took me to get my ears pierced with my second holes.  I wasn’t allowed to get my ears pierced until I was in the fifth grade, but a few years later mom allowed me to get two more holes with the understanding that I stopped there.  About three or four years later, after the holes healed up and become commonplace, we were sitting in the living-room and out of nowhere dad asked defensively, “When did you get your ears pierced again?”  I actually sat in shock not truly remembering.  He had NO idea!  It’s not like I had long hair that covered my ears.  It’s not like we didn’t mention we were heading to the mall and what we were doing.  It’s not like there was a big conspiracy or secret kept from him regarding my ears.  Nope, my ear jewelry was a widely known fact that somehow passed over his head.

Dad & Kyle cruising on the quad. Kyle loves his pappy! c. 2004

Now let’s get to the silliness of this blog.  When we were butchering the pig a few months ago, Bringing Home the Bacon…Literally dad stepped out and come back with lunch.  (Sometimes I work out of my parent’s kitchen)  Great!  Much appreciated.  What did he get me?  He got me a Subway sandwich.  Good!  Meatball.  Good!  With lettuce?  Not sure how to take that.  Dad knows I love lettuce and salads, so in his mind he felt lettuce on top of the meatball hoagie was the way to my heart.  Umm…. ok?  Did I eat it?  You bet!  Did I mention this strange combination to dad?  Never!  Love the attempt, just a slight miss.

Then, a few weeks ago, dad came home with strawberry frozen yogurt milkshakes for me and mom.  That was a nice surprise.  Dad’s favorite flavor?  Strawberry.  Mom’s favorite flavor?  Chocolate.  Dad got her strawberry.  My favorite flavor?  Vanilla.  Dad got me strawberry.  Mom and I laughed while sucking down our strawberry milkshakes.  After all these years, he truly has no clue.

Recently, I got a hankering for chocolate covered raisins.  Not a favorite stable, but a nice treat every once-in-a-while.  Dad noticed I was eating them because he asked me what I was shoveling in my face.  Between chomps, I informed him, chocolate covered raisins, before polishing off the bag.  Keep in mind, he heard me and I didn’t stammer my words or speak another language when I answered him.  The next day or two, dad comes home with malted milk duds, which I absolutely hate.  In this particular instance, I did mention my displeasure with those gross pieces of chocolate, only after popping one in my mouth thinking it was a chocolate covered raisin.  To my surprise, it was not!

Me: “Oooo Dad, these are malted milk duds!”
Dad: “Ya, don’t you like those?”
Me:  “No, I thought it was a chocolate covered raisin.”
Dad: “You scarfed them down the other day, I didn’t even get one.”
Me:  “Those were chocolate covered raisins!  I told you when you asked.”
Dad:  “O, well I’m sure they will be gone by tomorrow.”
Me:  “I don’t think so.”

They are still sitting in the same place with one missing.  I can’t stomach those things!  Even mom and Kyle turn their nose up to them.

Personally, I’m not a picky eater, truly I’m not.  There are very few food items that I won’t eat.  However, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to reiterate that I don’t eat peppers, no kind of peppers.  Yet dad will bring it up, “Want some stuffed peppers?” or “Let’s get peppers on the pizza.”  No thanks, I’m good!

Gotta love dad!  He truly has no clue, but then again if he did, I wouldn’t have anything to write about.  I know it’s the thought that counts, but he sure is funny!

Everybody talks about wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself. And that’s a lot. Because if you can fix yourself, it has a ripple effect.  ~Rob Reiner

Pap (Walter Piper), Gram (Alice Piper), Uncle Sonny (Walter Piper Jr.) & Dad (Ronald Piper) c. 1954

This past weekend we were watching one of those shows that take you on a factory tour of a particular product.  This time it was milk.  Yep, that white silky smooth liquid enriched with vitamins including Calcium.

So why is milk so significant to me?  It’s really not.  I’m not a big fan of it, not since I was a little kid.  I definitely don’t consume milk independently nor do I use it regularly.  With the exception of using the creamy liquid as an ingredient, it would be omitted from the grocery list.  Nope, we really don’t eat dry cereal and on the very rare occasion I do, (which it’s been seriously years because of all the sugar – my favorite is Cinnamon Toast Crunch) I apply the milk very sparingly.  Same goes for Kyle, although I know he drinks milk at school and unlike me, he’ll flood his cereal.

Again, why this dissertation on milk?  Watching the show made me remember Mr. Hixon, our milkman.  Yes, believe it or not, when I was growing up, our family had a milkman who would deliver the crate of milk and retrieve the empty glass bottles to start the cycle again.  I believe we had milk delivered a couple times a week, then with less consumption as we got older, our delivery dropped to once a week.  Just talking about it now, makes me feel like that was a whole world away, since not many people of my generation experienced the same.  However, the old fashioned notion of a milkman was alive and well when I was a youngster.

Mr. Hixon lived up on Solomon Temple Road (Butina Ridge).  His cows were natural grazing cattle that used to be hand milked.  The milk consumed, once it reached our doorstep, was probably the freshest anyone has ever had, unless they lived on a dairy farm.  I truly don’t remember if it was pasteurized or not.  I’m guessing it was, but it certainly was the real deal that separated in the glass bottle while being stored in the refrigerator.  To this day, I have the habit of shaking the milk carton before using it, re-distributing the cream that floated to the top back among the rest of the contents.

Aunt Fredricka Piper, Uncle Leroy Piper, Aunt Ida Tarr, Great grandparents Cleveland Piper & Myrtle Piper

It makes me sad the milkman is not a profession anymore, at least none that I am aware.  I wish Kyle would have experienced the good old fashion milkman and real milk, not the heavily processed kind, shipped all around the nation, purchased in stores.

Personally, I think we should get back to the small dairy farms who distribute fresh, unpasteurized milk.  Yes, I said unpasteurized.  Our bodies need some of the good bacteria that is removed during pasteurization along with the natural nutrients that are also lost.  Yes I know what they claim, the nutrients are reintroduced, but to me that’s again messing with the natural product and is now processed.

In fact, I don’t get it.  The government regulates our milk intake, meaning it’s illegal for dairy farms to distribute milk that is not pasteurized.  That’s ridiculous!  Yet, they permit pesticides on fruits and vegetables, they permit all this extra crap like preservatives and unnatural substances to be added to food to increase the shelf life, or worse the dyes added, which are proven harmful.  Those items are not illegal and distributed freely and widely, however good old fashioned natural products of are not permitted.

If I want to eat dirt, then I should be allowed to do so.  If I want to drink unpasteurized milk, then that is my choice.  I agree with holding these facilities to certain clean standards and maintaining good conditions for the animals, but to tell me what I can and cannot drink is not right and not the healthy way to live.  Look at energy drinks, they literally have killed people!  Yet, they are advertised and widely sold to all ages.

A while back I read an article about others who felt the same way.  Their solution?  To get around this law, they actually sold stock in the dairy cows.  Instead of selling the milk, they were given the milk as a share of the cow.  Pretty clever!  I want to get in on that deal.

I knew a couple of families who had children with terrible stomach issues and most certainly couldn’t drink milk from the store.  Whether they partook in the stock program of a cow or they had another method for obtaining raw milk, they did so on a regular basis.  And guess what?  Over time, the kids were able to drink the raw milk and their stomach issues were almost immediately eliminated.  This happened without the use of drugs or medication or doctors or expensive medical technology or anything other than getting back to the basics and finding a simple solution that’s been there all along.  Granted you can’t just start drinking the raw milk, you need to be re-introduced to it, but once the body adjusts, it’s a healthy decision.

Did you know there is a bill trying to be passed, which would force all food to be industrialized, meaning home grown food in our very own gardens would be illegal?  Yes, completely true.  It was mentioned briefly on Fox News, but because of Obamacare, it hasn’t gotten much attention.

In many ways, I believe wholeheartedly we need to get back to our roots.  It’s healthier, it’s better, and it’s the right way.  Everything seems to come full circle and organic is being noticed as a healthier alternative, especially when there can be money made from it.  I’m fine with that, as long as I know Kyle is being fed healthy.

Onions and bacon cooking up just makes your kitchen smell so good. In fact, one day I’m going to come up with a room deodorizer that smells like bacon and onions. It’s a fabulous smell.  ~Paula Deen

Pappy & Kyle hanging together on the highlift at Gutchess Hardwoods c. 2005

Two weeks ago dad asked me, “Are you going to be around on Saturday?”  Meaning, “Heather I need your help so be at the house.”  No biggie, but very curious I ask, “Why what did you need?”  To be answered with dad’s newest project, “I think I’m going to buy a pig and butcher it.”

Really? O yes!  Dad left early last Saturday morning with a friend of his, Chris, to go to an auction in Maryland to purchase a live pig.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise to us when the day finally came because dad’s been talking about getting a pig for quite some time now.

Before he left, dad told me and Kyle we weren’t aloud to pet the pig or name it.  I guess someone was thinking ahead.

This may sound odd to some, however dad used to butcher pigs all the time, either at my Uncle Ray’s, Uncle Irvin’s, or at my pap’s house, the Piper brothers.  Dad raised a pig or two in his day, not to sell or breed, but simply for butchering.  I kinda sort of remember dad having pigs, but I was really little.

Why you may ask, would someone take the time to build a pig pen, raise the creature and then invest all the time in butchering it, as opposed to buying the bacon in the store, nice and clean ready to go?  Simply because it’s healthier.  When you raise an animal you can control how it’s raised and what it’s fed, meaning no hormones or other synthetic substances.  Unless you know those key facts, then buying it off of a reputable farmer and butchering it oneself, allows you to control the preparation factors.  Factors like the preservatives added to the food for shelf life, all the extra salt and dyes, that sort of thing.  If you do it yourself, you don’t have any of those foreign contaminants in your meat (unless you add them), plus it’s cheaper.  It’s a lot of work, but I will admit, if the animal is properly butchered and utilized, one well worth it.

Dad got back late Saturday night with an extra body.  Yes you guessed it, a pig!  Was it alive?  You bet it was!  The keyword here is, WAS.  Dad’s friend had this “house” (it was actually a really nice super sized dog house) on the back of his trailer.  Lucky for us the structure had windows so we could peek in to see our three hundred pound walking bacon.  Naturally, since it was late, we couldn’t drop it, meaning kill the pig, until the next day.

Sunday morning came and dad shot the pig.  I know, on a Sunday morning, but we couldn’t keep the pig in such a confined space any longer.  That would have been cruel.  He put a .22 bullet in it’s head for a quick death.  He also sliced the throat to start the process.

On a side note, evidently there is a special way to shoot a pig.  Dad said the pig’s brain sits lower, so you have to shoot straight back from between the eyes.  Unlike a cow, whereas you draw an “X” from its ears to its eyes to get your bulls eye.  Good to know.

Dad’s antique (lard) press, which can be used for anything to press. I helped render the fat from our butchered pig…messy!

Many may not know this, but the nerves are still working after an animal has been killed.  Same with chickens and turkeys, which I’ve seen first hand.  Even after you cut off their heads, they can still run around.  Apparently, the pig was laying on its side in the “house” and kicking.  Kyle tracked me down in the kitchen to tell me the pig was running.  What?  For a brief moment I thought the pig got out and was literally running around.  All I could picture was this three hundred pound beast making a mad dash for the woods, and I would have to chase it down and kill it.  Not in my agenda for the day.

Eventually, I went outside to help Kyle with the butchering process, meaning the emotional strain on someone not used to witnessing such an activity.  He was fine, he just needed to get acclimated.  It’s a shock for someone who’s not around this type of living, meaning Kyle doesn’t’ know what to expect or how to handle it.  Me?  I’m good, I’ve been around dad for too long.

I helped dad move the massive beast into the garage.  No easy task!  Once inside, dad hoisted the pig up with his engine lift he uses for skinning deer.  He said it will hold up to a thousand pounds, but I was very skeptical.  It did, at least a three hundred pound pig!

Kyle’s initial job before he had to get ready for church (he was serving 10:30 mass at Sacred Heart Church) was to clean up the blood on the trailer, so we could return it in good shape.  Kyle asked, “Why didn’t pap walk the pig out before he shot it?”  Mom chimed in with one hilarious statement, “Did you ever try walking a three hundred pound pig that was scared?  You just don’t do it!”  Then the jokes started to surface about wrestling it to the ground and jumping on its back for a ride and so on and so forth.

Thinking this was not going to be a big deal, I was quickly informed differently.  Skinning a pig is nothing like skinning a deer, which dad and I have down to a science.  A pig is a bit of a challenge.  Actually, it’s all the fat and the heavy hide that make it so difficult.  Perhaps because I’ve never done it before, but as dad scolded Kyle and me by saying, “What are you guys doing?  You’re hacking it all up!”  Yes our side of the pig didn’t look nearly as nice as dad’s.  Our half was all choppy while dad’s has was fairly smooth, what it should look like.  Either way no harm to the meat, it takes practice.

Kyle was on the edge of his seat from the time the pig arrived till it was being cut up.  It was an exciting couple of days and two weekends, I mean it’s not like many of his friends ever got to say they butchered a pig before.  But it’s good experience and good knowledge for the kid.  As dad says, “You never know when you can’t afford to shop in a grocery store or government regulations stops the stores from selling meat, but if you know what you’re doing, you can always butcher your own.”  I agree, life is very unpredictable and possessing invaluable survival knowledge can mean life or death, or worse, a life without bacon!

On another side note, while we were butchering up the pig on Saturday into bacon, pork chops, roast, ribs and sausage, dad kept calling Kyle Putin, as in Vladimir Putin, as in the egotistical president of Russia (since 2012).  Not because Kyle is full of himself nor because Kyle is questionable in his moral actions.  Nope, because he was running around without his shirt on!  I was dying!  We watch Fox News and they love picking on Putin (rightfully so) especially when he struts around in front of the cameras bare chested on his horse.  Not a good look for a president but a great joke for dad toward Kyle.

These are the little piggies dad’s friend Chris purchased to raise as pets.  They were swilling and Kyle wouldn’t hold them.

This is the pig we butchered and is wrapped up in our freezer.

Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.  ~Molière

Me & Kyle at Idlewild Park for the Gutchess Picnic.  He always loved horses! c. 2002

“You knew this day was coming.”  My mom gravely reminds me.  What day is that?  The day I am no longer the coolest person to hang out with, the day Kyle doesn’t really want to plan his activities with me, the day when I find myself replaced.  Yes that day has happened, at least it’s on the verge.  My own person Apocalypse.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad thing, not in the slightest.  I’m more than thrilled Kyle has friends and he’s learned to build a relationship with someone other than me, his Gigi, pappy and Aunt Nikki.  Good sign Kyle is on his way to being a normal teenager.  We hope!

The issue doesn’t reside with Kyle but with me.  I personally need to adjust to this new standard and new way of being.  Kyle has always been by my side, for everything.  It’s pretty commonplace to find us together, no matter what we were doing, the movies, roller skating, snowboarding, cooking, grocery shopping, Christmas shopping…. you get the point.  Even going to picnics and parties at my friends’ houses, Kyle was always invited and he would tag along, mostly for the food or the idea of playing with other kids.

Me & Kyle screwing around at bedtime, taking selfies & texting them to Aunt Nikki. c. 2009

Why this sudden reminiscing about the good old days?  Because they are slowly slipping away and becoming a thing of the past.  Kyle is not wanting to hang out with his Aunt Heather as much.  Who am I kidding, soon it will turn into, ‘Not At All!’

The other day I mentioned to Kyle, “Buddy we still need to hit the slopes, before winter is over.”  His response, “Umm we’ll see.”  What is he the adult regulating my activities?  I added, “Why don’t you see if Duncan skis or snowboards and I’ll take you both up to the slopes.”  His comment, “Ok!  I’ll ask him, that would be fun!”  Yep!  I thought that was going to be his response.

Me & Kyle at the Planinsek’s Pavilion, playing on the swings. c. 2002

It wasn’t just the snowboarding, although that’s always been our thing together, but it was the movies too!  Same story, I’d ask him if he wanted to go to the movies and the same blasé response, until I mentioned he should ask his friend to go, then it turns into a big deal and it’s exciting.  Again, I will reiterate, I am ecstatic that Kyle has friends and he has fun with them, but come on, throw the aunt a bone.

I knew this was going to happen, but it doesn’t make it any less depressing.  I should have seen it from that single moment when I dropped Kyle off at school and he wouldn’t let me walk him to his classroom in first grade.  That was the beginning of the this uncontrollable, unpredictable avalanche.  Yep, even as recent as this past June in the sixth grade, not even a year ago, he wouldn’t dance with me for his Folk Festival at school.  Denied!  No Dance For You!

Yes, I remember it wasn’t that long ago when Kyle was at daycare, one of his favorite places to hang might I add, and even though he had friends, when I walked in the door he was excited to see me!  He would come home and tell me all about his friend Luke.  He would say, “Aiya, my sviend (friend) Lutty (Luke).”  I remember when he first started talking about his friend Luke.  It was Luke this and Luke that.  Ironically, I did get to meet Luke and his parents and get to know his mom over the years.  I still talk to Sue Lander, the mom on Facebook from time to time.

Unfortunately, Luke was a grade younger than Kyle, so I’m sure they see each other, but aren’t glued at the hip like they once were.  Plus Luke is a lot like his mom, into running, not Kyle’s cup of tea.  He prefers his video games.  Different interests build distances between old friendships, I guess it happens.

His newest gang?  That would be Mr. Duncan, Kyle’s Very Own Big Bang Theory.  I’m happy he has friends he enjoys, and Duncan seems to enjoy hanging out with Kyle.

Kyle at the Latrobe Roller Rink, roller skating. Look how flushed he is, working hard, skating like his dad! c. 2009

Kyle and I still have our interests, reading books and discussing them, church, sled riding and cooking.  All good activities to do together.  My favorite is our exchange of books.  Yes we swop books that we read and enjoyed (age appropriate).  We discuss the characters and the storyline and we use these new worlds for our own person inside jokes and funnies.  Example, this past weekend, yesterday morning as a matter of fact, Kyle and I took the dogs for a hike up through the woods, not Kyle’s suggestion might I add.  When we were walking back, Kyle was trying to uproot smaller trees.   Why?  No clue, but who cares, he’s a boy and he was having fun.  I said, “You better watch it, you might upset Treebeard!”  We both laughed at that one, for only someone who read the Lord of the Rings books would understand, I’m not just talking about watching the movies.

Yep, me and Kyle are two of a kind.  I only hope and pray we will always remain this tight.  He is my little man and I am his Aiya.

Here are some old videos of Kyle roller skating, he really worked hard at it.  Enjoy!

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.  ~Roy L. Smith

Continued…. Perfect Gift – The Ugly Quilt

Roasted chestnuts popping out of their shells.

Now the next perfect gift of the 2013 Christmas season goes to … dad.  Mom came up with the idea and me, Nicole and Kyle were totally on board.  It was truly brilliant!  So what was this perfect gift?  Easy, it was two chestnut trees to be delivered this spring.  What?  Yup!

Dad loves chestnuts!  When he was younger my gram and pap had chestnut trees that dad would pick and roast and eat.  My pappy loved these seasonal nuts too, as do I.  Well, maybe not as much as dad.  They used to roast them in the fireplace, (on an open fire) but in modern times, mom pokes the chestnuts with a knife, sprinkles water and covers and microwaves them for a couple of minutes.  Voila!  Chestnuts ready to eat!  Not as good as fire roasted, but not bad.

On a side note, this story must be told.  Mom came home from the grocery store a couple of weeks ago with a really funny tale.  She said, while in the check-out line, the girl ringing her out asked mom what type of nuts was in the bag.  Naturally, mom replied “Chestnuts.”  As mom continued with the story, she was toppled over with sheer laughter.  Ok?  What is so funny about chestnuts?  Apparently, the girl asked mom in a very serious tone, “Are you going to roast these over an open fire?”  Ok, I’ll admit I lost it, I didn’t see that one coming.  Me and mom were rolling with gut stretching laughter.  Mom said, she didn’t want to be mean to the girl so she tried not to giggle and explained that she used to roast the chestnuts that way and you most certainly can, but now she just nukes (microwaves) them.  The girl was so enthralled she kept asking my mom about this newfangled method of cooking chestnuts.  She wanted to share your knowledge with her grandpap who apparently loves chestnuts too.  Great!  I hope we brought back the popularity of chestnuts!  They really are a unique treat.

Yes, now-a-days, mom makes the chestnuts in the microwave, even though she complains about it every step of the way.  You see, if you leave them in for too long they explode, just like any other food item and obviously makes a mess all over the interior of the microwave.  To ease mom’s pain with this process of making dad happy, I got her a plastic cover to use, but she still chances it without the cover and grunts about making the chestnuts for dad.  Now on the opposite side, can dad make his own chestnuts?  Sure.  Does he know how?  Yep.  Will he?  Nope.  It’s just like making coffee.  Mom and dad have a Keurig, so basically it’s a matter of popping in the coffee pod and pressing a button, but dad won’t touch it.  Of course the man’s never used an ATM machine or touched a computer either in his life.  Ever!  Mom might always yell and complain about waiting on dad hand and foot, but who trained him to be like that?  Certainly not me.  That behavior has been going on since I can remember.  I guess that’s another blog topic.  Maybe one for the couch, one for the professionals.

Back to the chestnuts.  Since we didn’t have the actual chestnut trees on hand to place under the Christmas tree, we had Kyle read the receipt to dad.  Dad was totally surprised and excited!  I even added, “Yes dad and me and Kyle will help you dig the holes and plant them.”  In dad’s eyes, he was given the perfect gift!  Immediately, he started to discuss his ideas for placement of the chestnut trees.  Only dad!  I have a feeling this will be a whole adventure in itself.  Mom said she ordered two of the six or seven foot chestnut trees.  Yikes!  I have a feeling this one is going to make me sweat.  Although I don’t know what variety they are.    Merry Christmas to dad!

Chestnuts off of the tree … they are messy! Hence why I wanted to plant them far away from the house.

Dad is so stoked about his gift, he already started to ask when the trees would be coming in and when he would expect to harvest the chestnuts.  Sorry to burst dad’s bubble, but alas I guess we have a three year wait.  Or I should say, I have three free years before I have to go and pick chestnuts for dad.  I guess it doesn’t matter, that was truly the perfect gift!

On another side note, as I’ve mentioned I too like chestnuts, clearly not as much as dad, but regardless.  One year dad insisted that mom put chestnuts in her stuffing for Thanksgiving.  Why would anyone mess with mom’s stuffing  perfection?  No clue, but mom did as suggested.  No doubt someone saw an episode of chestnuts on the Cooking Channel and got the great idea.  The verdict?  Not a favorite.  It was just ok.  Even dad had to admit he didn’t like the buttery nuts mixed among his stuffing.  First, it was definitely the size of the nuts that threw us off.  Mom doesn’t believe in chopping food items up, so they were pretty whole throughout.  Luckily it was easy for me to pick them out and eat them separately. Lesson learned.  Eat stuffing or eat chestnuts.  Don’t combine them.

Naturally, Kyle got a bunch of Legos courtesy of Aunt Nikki and Gigi and pappy, which is always the perfect gift in his eyes.  I got Kyle the Chronicles of Narnia books, The Book Thief and the last Diary of a Wimpy Kid book.  Those were also perfect choices, just not for the immediate play time.  Although he already started to dive into the books.  I also got him for his Jazz Band concerts a new Calvin Klein tie.  Since I don’t want to spoil the good cheer in this blog post, I’ll save that story for later.  That one was a fight to the finish.  Spoiler alert, I won.  I think.

Yep, we are truly blessed!  Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas as we did!

When publications like the Baltimore Sun run headlines like ‘Seafood, tea, sauerkraut in food spotlight,’ you know that sauerkraut has arrived in the national consciousness and has spiked in popularity. We’ve seen our sales climb pretty rapidly in the fourth quarter of 2005 as people have learned about the health benefits of sauerkraut and continued eating it because of its versatility and flavor.  ~Chris Smith

Kyle’s 8th Birthday Party at the Tin Lizzy with Chef Dato. They made pizza’s & pretzels. Great party! 7/2009

Yes, we do make our own sauerkraut, about once every couple of years.  We make a big batch and then when it’s ready, we freeze it and it lasts a long time.  No joke!  Great for the crock-pot with kielbasa and hot dogs! Anytime of the year.

It’s funny as we were getting things prepped and ready on Sunday for the deed, Kyle was super stoked!  He was so excited to participate with the family, on such a tradition.  I even said, to him “Kyle you’ve only done this once before.”  He corrected me and informed me he’s participated a few times with making sauerkraut.  My bad!  I didn’t realize this meant so much to him, and it really did!

Actually, I’m really happy about that, learning to make anything is a good lesson, not to mention keeping up family traditions is the best.  My sister didn’t join us this time, but maybe next.

So why would one make sauerkraut?  It tastes so much better than store bought, out of a can!  Way better!  Tell me if this makes sense, but growing up with a half polish mom, you’d think I would have a taste for the aged cabbage sustenance, but alas I never really cared for it.  In fact, when mom would cook sauerkraut, I would gag at the smell.  Literally dry heave.  Luckily, over the years I’ve grown accustomed to the potency and developed a mild craving for sauerkraut.  Only mom’s.  I still don’t care for the canned or store bought.  Probably because mom and dad’s sauerkraut only has cabbage, salt and water.  Whereas, if you read the ingredients on the packages, it contains a lot more than that, which I feel taints the taste.  Yep homemade or nothing.

The kids made pizza’s & pretzels for Kyle’s 8th Birthday Party. Tin Lizzy with Chef Dato. Kyle’s on the right. 7/2009

How does one start to make sauerkraut?  It’s really easy actually.  Dad always gets a few bags of eight large heads of cabbage or so from the farmers market.  Then, you peel off the outside leaves, chop the heads in half to remove the heart, then the real fun begins.   We have a professional grade meat slicer we use to slice up the cabbage.  Before our lives were made easier, we would use mom’s food processor set to slice and then before that we would use a hand mandolin or microplane, whichever you prefer to call it.  Now that uses the arm muscles!  No wonder the Polish women are buff!

After each head of cabbage is sliced, then it is placed in a large ceramic crock, ours holds about fifteen gallons.  Then, you add about one of dad’s handfuls of course Kosher salt and begin pounding it down.  This helps to generate the natural juices from within.  Where does one buy a sauerkraut pounder?  No clue.  Dad made ours.  It’s simply a wooden cylinder head attached to a long wooden handle.

This process is repeated after every head of cabbage is shredded and added to the ceramic crock.  While the pounding continues, tons of juices come to the surface till your arms are ready to fall off.  Dad and I took turns pounding.  Mom was in charge of adding the cabbage to the ceramic crock while Kyle was on the meat slicer.  Yes I know, not a safe job for a munchkin, but he did help with the other jobs and begged us to let him on the meat slice.  It does have the safety features and Kyle was instructed on the consequences of what could go wrong.  When Kyle is scared, he is always overly cautious.  Knowing that, we still meticulously watched him and made sure he was safe.  Dad’s only comment was, “Kyle this thing could take off your finger easily and that hurts, trust me!”  As dad showed him his finger.  Kyle about turned white from hearing reality.

Kyle rolling out his dough for his personal pizza at his 8th Birthday Party with Chef Dato. Tin Lizzy 7/2009

It’s true, a couple of years ago dad was slicing deer meat on the band saw and took off the tip of his finger.  It’s still missing, gone!  Did he go to the doctors?  Nope!  He wrapped it up and washed it out until it healed.  It’s still sore for him, but he manages and uses it now as a learning lesson.  That’s taking a negative and turning it into a positive!

Once the sauerkraut was pounded and done, we placed a glass plate facing down on top of the soon to be aged veggie, with a gallon jug of water to weight it all down, allowing the cabbage to soak in all the salty juices.  Then, we placed several layers of garbage bags down in to seal it off from contaminants.  Yes, the bags are clean and no, I don’t know what they used in the olden days.  Probably some sort of burlap, which we don’t have a supply of laying around the house.  Then, as a final step, we dumped more water into the garbage bags, which resided onto of the gallon jug, glass plate and the sauerkraut, to really keep the weight pressed down on the future goodness.  That’s it!  Let it alone for about eight weeks and enjoy!

Since we make so much at a go, we divide it out into freezer bags, label them and send the sauerkraut to our own arctic in the garage, awaiting our next meal or for New Year’s Eve morning.  Yes, that’s another tradition I know most people share in, hot dogs, kielbasa and sauerkraut for New Years.  I love it!

While we were making the sauerkraut, I do recall the last time.  Kyle was giving everyone positive reinforcement.  You know, “You’re doing good Aunt Heather, keep it up.”  or “Wow, pap pap, good job!”  As he gave my dad a thumbs up.  He was in that cheering us on stage, which was way too cute!

Love that kid!  I hope he never changes and I hope he is always available to make sauerkraut with us for years to come!

P.S. it’s such a whirl wind when making sauerkraut I never thought to stop and take pictures.  It actually happens so fast and we get into such a rhythm.  Maybe next time, I’ll be sure to snap a few pics for my records.

A lesson taught with humor is a lesson retained.  ~Ruth K. Westheimer

A close-up of my little man! He was about 3 years old. What a cutie!! c. 2004

Kyle, what else can I say?  He is too much, and sometimes the perfect reminder of stories past.  Yesterday, while taking him to his piano lessons, we stopped at PetCo first to pick up The World’s Best Cat Litter.  On a side note, it truly is the world’s best cat litter!  My sister introduced me to it a few years ago, and I must say, well worth the money.

Anyway, for some reason Kyle brought up ice-cream and he reminded me of the ice-cream cone story.  In fact, Kyle relives that story a lot!  Every time we get ice-cream, pass an ice-cream joint or like yesterday, out of no where mention the ice-cream cone incidence.

What is this great memorable story you may ask?  I know I’ve mentioned it a time or two, but I guess it’s worth highlighting again today.  After all it is Friday!

Kyle is now twelve, so I’m going back quite a few years when he was probably around four or five, maybe even three.  Yesterday Kyle told me he was four when it happened, so I’ll go with that.  The kid claims he has a horrible memory.  O no!  I beg to differ.  Kyle remembers EVERYTHING!  He really does, especially situations in which he got himself in serious trouble and those that really made him laugh.  He remembers ALL!

Back to the story at hand.  It all started one hot summer day.  Kyle and I decided to stop at the local Dairy Queen to pick up ice-cream for the family.  It was a scorcher, so we were trying to move quickly to get the frozen treats back before they became a mass of melted sweet milk substance.  At that time, Kyle only ever ordered his usual, ice-cream cone with rainbow sprinkles.  I’m not sure if this was the point in life when he ventured out and would eat the twist, or if it was strictly vanilla, but regardless it was an ice-cream cone.

I need to deviate slightly again to really set the story.  I’m not really meticulous about much, but there are certain things that get to me.  Once happens to be the inside of my car.  I like it clean and tidy, not that it always remains that way.  It may never always be sparkling perfect, but there is never extra  junk, trash or messes in my car.  Now the outside usually looks like I went off-roading, but not the inside.  Having Kyle as much as I have over the years, he knows this about me.  He sometimes tries to push my buttons, even to this day, by stuffing tissues, garbage or what have you, in the side of the door, or behind the seat.  I hate that, even though it is sometimes funny.  Just, last week I found his dirty socks stuffed in the door pocket.  That kid!  Now back to the ice-cream.

Naturally, the place was hopping.  After we stood what seemed like forever in the heat, we got the goods and scooted out.  As I always did and still do to this day, I said, “Don’t get any ice-cream on the seats.”  While Kyle licked his mountain of melting frozen goodness, he nodded and proceed to load himself in the backseat, with a little assistance from me, still being in his booster seat at that time.  He graduated to the window seat, as opposed to the center backseat position.  So maybe Kyle was right he was around four years old.

We loaded up the car and we were off.  Another thing about me, is I like to drive with the windows down.  Yes, no matter how hot or cold it is, I love the fresh air circulating.  So maintaining former habits, I dropped all four windows before pulling out and heading up the highway.  Looking back on it now, I guess air conditioning would have eliminated the entire story, but then again we wouldn’t have the story to laugh about for years to come.

As I was rushing up the highway, I heard Kyle say, “Umm O no… Aiya?”  Without turning around, remaining focused on my mission of getting our ice-cream back while it was still considered ice-cream, I halfheartedly replied, “What buddy?”  With a very nervous and unsure retort Kyle said, “Umm… Aiya, look!”  Kind of rolling my eyes as if what could possibly be the matter and what could’ve happened in the few minutes I had my eyes off of Kyle, I turned my head just give him a satisfactory glance, and then I saw what he was warning me of.

Kyle getting ready to really enjoy his ice-cream cone.. & get it ALL over him! 9/2012

Kyle had ice-cream all over his face, which I knew I would happen, but the rest was a surprise to me.  There sat Kyle, looking like a deer in headlights, holding onto his ice-cream cone while rivers of melted goodness along with colored sprinkles ran down towards his hands, as he was trying to vacuum them up.  To his right, ice-cream was splattered ALL over the seat belt, the seat, the window, EVERYWHERE.  It was even along the outside of the car just like I was shot with a paintball gun in rainbow sprinkles!  Apparently, accelerating with the windows down, while holding a very runny ice-cream cone, in the summer heat, causes the ice-cream to take flight and land perfectly all over the car.

I could tell by the look on Kyle’s face, he thought he was in trouble, even though there was nothing he could have done about it.  One look and I busted out laughing.  First of all ,he was just too cute sitting there in that mess and secondly it was my fault for not using the air-conditioner.  After realizing that I found complete and uncontrollable humor in the sticky situation, Kyle began to bust out in laughter too.  It really was funny!  Initially, all I could say was, “What on earth?”

Since we were only a few miles to our final destination and I didn’t have the cleaning supplies to tackle this mess, I told Kyle to hold tight and I’ll deal with it later.  We both laughed and giggled the entire way back.

Once we arrived at the house, Kyle couldn’t wait to tell his Gigi and pappy about our little sweet adventure.   That is, after he striped off his ice-cream covered cloths.  Kyle’s thing, he doesn’t like to be sticky or have his cloths wet.  He finished the remainder of his ice-cream cone in the comforts of the living-room in his underoos, while I eventually made my way back out into the heat to scrub down the car.  I never did get all the ice-cream out, but at that point, I didn’t care much.   I had a half a mind to send Scooby in there to clean up the mess.

Yep, that was a day neither one of us could ever forget and it seems to be a very fond memory of Kyle’s!  I’m glad I was there to experience it with him.  That mess was totally worth it!

Below is a video of Kyle eating an ice-cream cone from last year.  He was cracking me up!  He even brought up the ice-cream cone story.

The true genius shudders at incompleteness – and usually prefers silence to saying something which is not everything it should be.  ~Edgar Allen Poe

Kyle taking a break from picking grapes… making grape jelly. 9/2/13

A part of loving a child, is really appreciating them for their humor, reasoning, intellect, innocence and for those unplanned, unexplained small moments that really bond adult and child.  At least that’s my opinion.  I mean there are many many more parts to loving a child like discipline, teaching respect, education and so on and so forth.  But if you don’t truly appreciate them for who they are, then there’s a part missing, because like I said, it’s a PART of loving a child.

I love all aspects, well maybe not the disciplining them, but it goes with the territory.  Recently, the small moments part really revealed itself to me through Kyle.  My last blog touched on it, Music Reinforces Our Tight Bond, but there’s been more!  I’m sure these small moments happen at a higher rate than I can see them.  Let’s face it with running around checking off my task list and getting caught up in the pace of the day, I’m sure I’ve missed more than I’m aware.  In my eyes, that’s fine as long as I catch and glimpse every now and again.

Storm had a blast playing with us while we picked grapes! 9/2/13

Last Sunday Kyle was at my house, winding down for the day.  Lately, I’ve been struggling with Kyle regarding his reading.  He loves to read, but this summer he hasn’t found much interest to get lost in the books.  Now that school has started up, I thought he would get back to his routine and pick up where he left off.  Nope.  At least not just yet.

While sitting in the living-room Kyle got up and walked over to one of my bookshelves to examine the spines of the books.  Yes, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s nothing like the feel and the smell of an actual book, where you can turn the pages, makes notes in the margins, smudge up the pages with food and drink to later rediscover yours or someone’s past.  There’s nothing wrong with digital books, I think they are great for traveling and such, but I still have an affinity for the real deal.  The words on my pages and cover design will never change, unlike its digital sister.

Storm getting ready to climb the grape harbor…Kyle was picking grapes to the left. 9/2/13

Anyway, Kyle started to read the titles and question me about them.  He saw the Mortal Instrument series and stopped and noted The City of Bones.  We just saw that movie and now his interest was peeked, asking me which books are good.  I love going through my past reads, introducing my old friends to my nephew.  Then, he stopped at The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.  For some reason over the years those books keep catching his eye.  They are the old plain covers with a small symbol on each in muted solid colors.  Nothing flashy, yet intriguing to him.  Personally, I loved those books, immensely and I told Kyle so.  Of course, I had to sadly inform him they are more adult oriented and very violent, but really good reads.  He just nodded and continued perusing, until he came on an old book with a red cover entitle Works of Edgar Allen Poe.

Kyle reaching to pick the grapes.. thinking grape jelly! 9/2/13

I’ve never seen another book with this cover, in fact I know it used to be a part of a larger collection of classic writers, but I have no idea what happened to the rest of the compilation.  Somehow Mr. Poe has been following me over the years, hanging out on my bookshelf.  It contains short stories, poems and essays.  I’ve read through the entire book several times, but I can’t say in the past decade.  During high school and college I would pull out stories and poems for a class project, but I haven’t sat and enjoyed his works in quite some time.

With a huge smile, I introduced Kyle to Edgar Allen Poe.  I said, “Here buddy let me read you a few poems.  Gigi used to read some of them to me when I was little and I loved them!”  I opened up the aged pages and the first poem I saw was The Raven.  Every time I think of that poem, the move The Crow starring Brandon Lee, the son of the famous Bruce Lee, comes to mind.  Recapping the movie to Kyle, I dove right into the poem, since he didn’t seem to have a clue what I was talking about, nor did he care.  When reading poetry, it’s so much fun to keep the rhythm and enunciate the words with gusto, to truly paint the picture.  I must say I am pretty good at it, at least enough to capture some of Kyle’s attention.

Seven & Storm hanging out under the grape harbor. 9/2/13

After The Raven I moved onto mom’s favorite, Bells.  Kyle listened, but I could tell he wasn’t too into it.  He even said, “All I heard out of that was Bells.  Bells, bells, bells, the ringing of the bells.”  I laughed and said, “See!  You enjoyed it and even started to memorize it!”  I must say I was quite entertained and was loving the time, maybe not as much as Kyle, but I do believe he will remember it, just like I remember the first time I was introduced to Edgar Allen Poe.

I think I really lost him sometime around A Dream Within A Dream.  Asking Kyle if I could read him a short story, he quickly said “No!”.  I was really getting into this walk down memory lane and reading to Kyle once again.  So that was a major disappointment.  I’m not sure if it was the way I was projecting the poems, the idea of poetry or if the kind-of-creepy content threw Kyle over the edge.  Yes, Bells is rather upbeat and cheery, yet it has the creepy dead thing about the content.  Kyle hates suspense, thrillers or anything remotely scarey and disturbing.  I’m sure he picked up on it, especially from The Raven.  Note to self, maybe I should pick another classic to introduce to Kyle.  Regardless, I enjoyed our small moments of togetherness and having the opportunity to read to Kyle again.

Putting the book aside to turn on the stove, Kyle and I had a great time on Labor Day making grape jelly.  It was the day after we got back from our New York trip, What It Takes to Move a Tree Stand and What It Takes to Move a Tree Stand … Continued.  Before we left, dad mentioned the grapes were ready to pick.  So on Monday, Kyle had it in his head that he wanted to pick grapes.  Not really on my list of desirableness, but I thought what the heck, I was just sitting around anyway.

Storm kept pouncing on our hands while we picked the grapes. 9/2/13

We actually had a great time.  It was nice and peaceful, except the two of us chit chatting occasionally.  Seven and Scooby came out to join us and run around, as did Storm.  She had a blast, running up and down the grape harbor, creeping among the leaves to pounce on our hands as we reached for grape bunches above our heads.  It turned out to be a nice time full of accomplishments.  We ended up with five or six brown grocery bags full of grapes.

Now what to do with them?  Initially, Kyle wanted to make grape juice, except we still had grape juice from years ago we never drank.  So we agreed upon grape jelly.  We only made a few batches and gave the rest of the grapes to my cousin Karen for her crew to use up.

It was a fun day in the kitchen, even though my mom would probably disagree.  I love knowing that Kyle is exposed to traditions, especially canning.  He was even getting creative by substituting the sugar for honey.   He was very proud of himself, as was I.  It turned out to be another unplanned time to bond, and for that I am very thankful and blessed.

You can’t plan these small moments, just realize when they are present and soak them up like the sun, for they’ll disappear before you know it, like grape jelly.

I think careful cooking is love, don’t you?  The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who’s close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give.  ~Julia Child

Kyle hanging with the Star Wars Boba Fett or Janko Fett at LegoKidsFest 2012 in Pittsburgh

My family is like many who enjoy cooking and cooking together.  We really don’t eat out a lot, hence the congregation in the kitchen when hunger pains arrive.  Seriously, we don’t even really eat fast food.  In fact, the only fast food joints I support when I am in a pinch, or if the graving takes is Chick-fil-a, their service and friendly demeanor is always awesome and contagious, not to mention I love their chicken; or SubWay, when I need serious food and I want to control what is put on my sandwich; or Panera, when I’m looking for better tasting quality food, quickly; or Jioio’s when I want my thin, slightly sweet crust pizza; or any other pizza joint for that matter.  Every now-and-again I will make my appearance at a 5 Guys Burger & Fries or a Sonic or a Dairy Queen, but again that’s rare.  Nope, eating out is a rarity not a daily choice.  I was raised that way, and so I continue to keep the tradition.

I’ve said it before and the same still holds true, I enjoy cooking, especially with Kyle!  No matter if we are talking about breakfast, lunch, dinner or a simple snack, cooking together always makes it more fun!  Kyle really likes being in the kitchen, but he prefers to develop his food with the assistance of others.  Not that I can blame him, cooking together is way more fun and sometimes exciting when we start experimenting with ingredients.

In the past, cooking was a way for me to reinforce Kyle’s reading and his math by making him read the recipes to me and forcing him to figure out the measurements himself.  (Inner Conflict, Egg Sandwich Spectacular, Healthy Smoothie Sunday) Not to mention it was a great way to introduce him to different dishes, expanding his pallet and to teach him about the health benefits of specific foods, or lack there of in some cases.  Yes, I don’t always make the healthiest of dishes, but at least I am aware of what goes into the items I consume.

Kyle & his pappy getting ready to mentor deer hunt. We eat a lot of deer meat throughout the year. 2012

Same goes for Kyle.  I have always stressed the importance of eating healthy, however I have also demonstrated the moments of weakness and giving in to temptation.  When I splurge and steer clear of nutritious foods and swap them with junk food, I am also aware of how much I consume and how often.  Not to mention I have always lived by example to burn off the food through various exercise.  I’m not saying I am the poster child for physical fitness, but I do try and make a conscientious effort to demonstrate good healthy behaviors to Kyle.  I’m not saying he completely listens to me, but I know the information is being stored up in his cranium cavity…somewhere.  It’s my job to guide him in the right direction, even if I’m pushing him up a very steep hill.

This week has been wonderful, spending every day with Kyle.  For his birthday, I bought him two Bricks 4 Kidz Lego Camps at Saint Vincent College.  He’s been going all week with a morning session and an afternoon session, allowing us to hang out together for lunch.

A rare treat at IHOP. Kyle wanted caramel hot chocolate. He was reading the Hunger Games while enjoying his dessert drink! c. 2011

All week we’ve been doing breakfast, lunch and dinner together!  And you what?  He has been eating healthier.  I’ve seen his improvement over these few short days.  When we cook together and eat together, Kyle is making better choices with his nutrition.  Plus, having the right foods on hand is a big part of it.

Everyday, he gets to help pick out what he wants for lunch and every day we make the meal together!  Like I said he loves being in the kitchen, helping to prepare the food, cut, stir and flip.  When we’re done, he is truly proud of what he’s made and knows I approve of his eating choices.  This situation just makes everyone happy!

Speaking of happy, Kyle has been seriously energetic and upbeat!  Keep in mind he’s been building Lego’s every morning and night, and this week, one of his rewards for his great report card came in the mail, in the form of another Lego.  So those certainly can sway a child’s attitude, but it also has to do with what is digesting in his gut.  When y0u eat right, you feel right!

Example, Kyle used to like vegetables when he was little.  Then all of a sudden he refuses to eat them, even though I know he doesn’t hate certain veggies.  One day this week, Kyle and I made a huge salad, per both of our suggestions.  He helped me chop up the salad stuff including the carrots and mushrooms.  More importantly, he was excited to make the salad large enough so his Gigi and pappy would have some for dinner.  He not only ate one salad for lunch, but he ate two and then one for dinner!  Granted it was coated in French dressing (low fat), but it wasn’t covered in cheese and no croutons made their appearance.  Just good old fashioned vegetables.  He LOVED the salad and was proud of what he made and his choice for consumption.

I am still amazed over what a difference a few days make, when choosing to eat correctly!  Granted, he does eat pretty good on the weekends, but a lot of the time, that’s our cheat days, which unfortunately is just a continuation of Kyle’s normal week.

Sometimes Kyle tells me what he’s had during the week, and although it sounds fine, the food items he eats are all processed crap.  Full of fat, sodium, not to mention the extra junk they throw into food bought off the shelves that alter our natural body’s chemistry.

The more I learn, the more I’ll continue to teach Kyle and try to live by example.  After all, it’s my job to fight for his health as much as it is for his spiritual well-being and his brain development.

Wander what he wants to eat for lunch today?  I can’t wait to pick him up!

Becoming a grandmother is wonderful.  One moment you’re just a mother.  The next you are all-wise and prehistoric.  ~Pam Brown

Mom & Kyle 8/12/01

Gigi and her Kyle.  When there needs to be a negative comparison it’s usually between these two, for those seemingly unfavorables, appear to stand out.  Yet there is more than meets the eye.

Kyle has always pointed out that he shares Gigi, his Aunt Nikki and his dad’s blue eyes.  I was told, “Ya not you Aunt Heather, you and pappy have brown eyes.”  Yes that’s certainly true, but I didn’t realize his blue eyes made him royalty.   Regardless, Kyle does have really pretty blue eyes and I’m glad that is a shared trait between him, his dad, his Gigi and his Aunt Nikki.

Does Kyle and Gigi both share their aversion for physical activity?  You bet they do!  Even so much as to mope around with their heads down when they have to do a little bit of work, or walk an extra two feet.  It’s complete torture for them.  They both drive me crazy when it comes to that.  Do they both like to complain?  Again, a big YES!  It’s actually kind of funny.  When neither one wants to do something or they disagree, they sort of grunt and make noises.  Dad calls it “Letting the air out of the tires.”  Just to share in this trait, so does Aunt Nikki.

Is that all the similarities between mom and Kyle?  Nope, not even close.  Even though he tends to favor my sister more, and there is no secret that Nicole and mom are a lot alike too, sometimes too much, Kyle did pick up more from his Gigi.

Kyle & his Gigi hanging out c.2003

Besides the physical traits of having the blue eyes and lighter hair color, Kyle also shares some personality traits as well as behavioral ones with mom.

On a side note, I do want to call out that Kyle shares mom’s, dad’s and his dad’s talent for having a sense of direction.  The department Nicole and I miserably fail in.  What a great quality!

Let’s start with innovation.  Yes, mom is such an innovator, if that’s the right word for her.  This goes on all aspects of life.  When it comes to cooking she doesn’t need a recipe, or specific ingredients.  Mom can make a great meal out of cupboard items and miscellaneous food found in the refrigerator, on the fly.  No preparation, no research, just mixing and matching and voila!  A unique meal, that is favorable to the taste buds (as long as she doesn’t burn it).  Kyle is following mom’s knack with food experimentation.  He is certainly taking her lead when he is mixing items together, even something as simple as a smoothie.  Kyle is already breaking away from the standard and the ordinary and is creating his own.  That, I must say takes, guts, talent and skills, maybe a little adventure, which I completely support and encourage.  There has been many a time when I wouldn’t have a said ingredient and mom would say, “Ahh just use this instead.  Not as good but it should be alright.”  The word “should” throws me every time, but I always trust the Gig (our shortened term for Gigi or mom).

Mom is also innovative with everyday household items and situations.  If something is broke or missing, mom can adjust accordingly on the spot to make it work.  Yes sometimes it involves the use of duct-tape.  Her substitutions, however crazy they may appear, usually work.  Kyle can also think out of the box and adjust to to solve a much larger problem.  What really cracks me up, both, mom and Kyle usually think this way to eliminate additional work.  They truly love to take the easy route.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that, except if you will not carry on with an activity because of the perception of it being too difficult due to the laziness mind set.  Once when Kyle was a much smaller tyke, maybe four or fives years old, he said, “I want to build Gigi a robot to help her do housework, so she doesn’t have to.”  Yep, somewhere the Olczak engineering gene resides in both of them.

Usually accompanying innovation are details.  Yes, the smallest part of a plan or story.   When mom is telling a story she will give every minor detail before she gets to the point at hand, always having to prod her along.  Now I know where I get it!  At least my details reside in the form of writing and event planning, another trait of mom’s.  Kyle follows all details, no matter how small, especially when it comes to putting his Lego’s together.  Yes again, that must be an Olczak thing, the tiniest of all details is never overlooked.

Mom is also a passive aggressive person, which is not my favorite by far.  Instead of getting to the point or spitting it out, she will go around and around till you figure out what she wants.  Not me!  I would rather just say it or have someone do me that favor.  I do tend to appreciate candor more than politeness.  Can you guess who else does this?  Yes!  The one and only Kyle Piper.  He will go around and around on a topic or subject without just asking the question or getting to the point.  There have been so many times I’ve said, “Kyle what do you want?!  Just spit it out, I can’t read your mind!”  I’ve always encouraged Kyle to ask, but also not to expect him to get his own way.

Gigi & a little bumblebee Kyle 11-18-03

There is one topic that will get Kyle and his Gigi to spit out their feelings, that’s blood and gore.  Yep, both have a really weak stomach for such things including needles, surgery and even a pronounced scratch.  Can’t say that I understand.  The only thing that really gets to me is feces, which can I be blamed?  I’m talking about real life and not TV drama.  Mom could never stand it when we got hurt, including dad.  Every time one of us broke our leg roller skating (Nicole), nail stuck up the foot (me), sliced our head open from the debarker at the sawmill (Ryan), mom would never look in our direction.  She would either call my cousin Paula who is an RN, or my cousin Karen, who doesn’t mind, or another one of the our family friends in the medical field to inspect the damage, seeing if it was hospital worthy.

Side story.  When I was around five or so, my grandparent’s dog, Lady, bit me along the side of the head, just missing my eye.  Not to mention scratched up my chest pretty good.  Naturally I had to get stitches, without Novocain!  As the doctor had my head turned sideways to apply the stitches that I could see go into my head, I also saw mom in the near distance.  She was sitting in the corner of the emergency room, with her legs crossed, bouncing her one leg up and down, and looking away from me.  Wouldn’t even come near me to hold my hand!  She kept her distance even after all the crying for her.  Yep, mom can’t deal with emergency situations!

Kyle on the other hand, is the exact same!  Last summer I got a bad case of Taking On Poison Sumac.  I had to go to the MedCare to have it looked at.  Yes, it was that bad!  The entire time Kyle, who was trying to be supportive said to me, “Boy Aunt Heather I hope you don’t have to get a shot!  I hate shots.”  Guess what?  Yes, they needed to give me a steroid shot.  Kyle took one look at that needle and about turned green.  It’s not just for other people he has no stomach for blood, for himself too.  If he flosses his teeth too hard and they draw a little bit of blood, forget it!  He’s in complete panic mode.

Maybe it’s the idea of pain that scares them.  Mom and Kyle are both babies when it comes to pain.  Pain upon themselves as well as others.  I’m not saying I like any physical discomfort, but I know I can take quite a bit.  I would rather have pain inflicted on myself than to watch another suffer.  Mom and Kyle, can’t deal with either.  If Kyle gets a scratch he is wailing and thrashing around with perceived pain and agony.  Even from a small one inch long thorn scratch.  Maybe they both have extra sensitive skin.

Dad, me, mom, Nicole & Kyle at Kyle’s First Holy Communion at Sacred Heart Church

Of course, dealing with real life situations are usually accompanied by chaos and panic, I get it.  Neither mom nor Kyle can handle such stressful situations.  They don’t respond to pressure.  But to see it on the big screen?  Even when it’s fake?  Nope, neither one has a stomach for it.

Usually gory and graphic is accompanied with suspense and thriller.  Words that most certainly are not accompanied with mom or Kyle.  Scary movies?  Forget it!  I’ve seen Kyle nearly rip the arm off of the couch when he’s watching a show, and it doesn’t have to be a thriller, any show that causes tension.  Kyle will almost get so engrossed into what he’s watching, it’s like he’s living it.  Mom on the other hand, will bury her face in a pillow like an Ostrich and cover he ears so she is as far removed from the sights and sounds around her.

I don’t get it really.  Mom and Kyle both have a flare for the dramatic.  Remember when I was talking about pain?  Yep that’s usually when their theatrical performances take center stage.  Even if something doesn’t go accordingly, and let’s face it, in life when does it ever, that is their time to drip in drama.  I’m sure many can say the same for me, however I am able to keep a level head in a crisis situation, at least the ones I have experience thus far.  Although, I won’t deny my love of the theatrical arts.

We may seem like we’re being mean because we are blunt and able to call out each others faults, however, I’m glad!  No person is perfect and to truly see another, even a family member, for who they really are is a rare quality.  No ego stroking in the Piper family.  We don’t put on disguises, or act like something we’re not, we accept each other for who they are, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Read more comparisons

Who Does Kyle Favor More, His Dad?
Who Does Kyle Favor More, Pappy?
Who Does Kyle Favor More, Aunt Nikki?

Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever.   ~Author Unknown

Ryan’s birthday party.  Yes Ryan’s wearing Mork & Mindy suspenders & yes that’s the back of my head & our cousin Tim, inspecting Ryan’s gifts. 1979

Sometimes we sit back and wonder, ‘Who does Kyle favor more?’.  It has been the topic of many conversations over the years.  Not because it really truly matters, but out of sheer curiosity.  At times, Kyle is like a mirror image of one of us and other times we see blended traits.  I guess there are two sides to the coin when making a comparison, the physical and the behavioral characteristics.

Let me start with Kyle’s dad, Ryan, my brother.  Seems like the best place to start, especially since Ryan’s half the reason Kyle exists in the first place.  When Kyle was first born and when he aged into a really little tyke, he looked like a spitting image of Ryan as a child!  Comparing images of the two, they were certainly similar, almost twins.  Naturally the resemblance helps with the blond hair and blue eyes, but the shape of his face and his smile were all his dad’s, even down to his teeth.  As for the rest of him, he was a mix between my dad and my sister.  Kyle always had a thick neck and legs and a stocky frame, unlike Ryan, who always had long skinny legs and a frame to match.

Ryan waiting for Kyle to arrive at Latrobe Hospital. Ryan & Kyle both LOVE donuts 7/30/01

Kyle not only shows some of Ryan’s physical characteristics, but Ryan’s behavioral demeanor really seeps out of Kyle’s pores.  I guess I’m talking about sugar!  Yes Ryan loved sugar!  He would put so much on his cereal it basically was a paste of sugar milk.  Gross!  Every time I watch Men In Black and the “Edger” alien asks for sugar water, I totally think of Ryan.  Ryan could have hung out with the alien and Kyle could have easily joined that group.  Both, Kyle and his dad alike, have been caught dipping their fingers in the raw sugar to sample.  Like they forgot what it tasted like!  And let’s not forget the container of chocolate milk mix.  Both boys had a sampling of that contents a time or two.  Ironically, each one having a sweet tooth did draw them into candy.  Neither one really ate much candy, but the pair had an affinity for pastries, cakes and treats.  The only difference is Ryan could eat.  I mean put away food like he never ate before.

Once when Ryan and I were in high school, we came home and started watching TV.  Naturally, after a long day of draining the brain, we were both starving.  Now I will admit, I used to have a huge appetite, being able to consume large amounts of food and out eat everyone I knew, except Ryan.  Ryan went to the kitchen to grab a bunch of bananas.  Not two or three in this bunch, there was at least eight or nine bananas there.  Without blinking an eye, he sat and peeled one banana and ingested it in three or four bites, then proceeded to the next.  Once he got through four bananas, I couldn’t help but stare in amazement.  Ryan looked at me and sincerely asked, “What?”  In complete disbelief over this consumption of food, I said, “I really want a banana but I’m afraid to grab for one, for fear of loosing my hand.”  He laughed and simply said, “I’m hungry!”  Obviously!  He continued on a steady ingestion course until he polished off about six bananas before slowing down.  Amazing!  And his waistline never went above 29 inches, until he hit his twenties then it went to 30 inches.

Ryan in his pj’s c. 1981

Ryan didn’t eat horribly, but he was never concerned with healthy choices.  When he would stop at McDonald’s, he would not only pick up one double Big Mac, but he would eat two or three!  Kyle doesn’t have an appetite like that, the food similarities end with the sugar and the love of fruit and meat.  But Ryan was never a picky eater.  I can’t really say the same for Kyle, even though he does pretty good about giving different food choices a try.

Kyle has always had an infatuation with wheels, cars, the sounds of an engine and big equipment.  Always!  There are a few simple stories I’d like to share to truly put this into perspective.  First, I’d like to point out that some traits are taught and some are environmental.  Ryan passed away when Kyle was three months old, therefore, I can only believe that there is a gene somewhere inside Kyle supplied directly from Ryan, or Ryan is in heaven encouraging and guiding the young man.  Either way, it’s pretty funny.

While attending Seton Hill University for my second degree, I had to babysit Kyle.  This was not a new concept, if the family was working and I had to watch my beloved little man, I would take him to school with me.  Getting pretty creative when attending classes, I would pass Kyle along to my friends who had free time, until I was able to pick up my responsibility.  Being the only one to stand to loose if I missed a class, I never did, not to mention I was paying for my own education.  It worked out brilliantly!  In fact, one spring semester during finals week, I happened to be toting around my favorite little man.  My friend Sarah was kind enough to watch him on campus while I fulfilled my final exam requirements.  At the time, Seton Hill was building the Athletic Center so there were plenty of big trucks moving dirt and material.  Sarah walked him around the campus and stopped to let him watch the construction sight.  She said he loved it!  Unbeknownst to her, we already knew that Kyle loved trucks and equipment, but it was still cute and amazing at the same time.  His infatuation with the large equipment and the noises put a smile on Sarah’s face, as well as mine.

Ryan holding his newborn baby son -Kyle 7/30/01

On a side note, for all those who say they can’t tend to a child while attending school and having other responsibilities hasn’t really tried.  I am not the only one who has made this happen.  With the grace of God and support of family and friends, anything is possible if wanted enough.  To this day I still appreciate the efforts of my friends and professors!

Sometimes when Kyle and I would drive past a construction sight, he would intently stare in amazement at the life size Tonka trucks.  Then, without missing a beat he would begin to make engine noises, revving and shifting.  He almost looked like he was imagining himself in the vehicle moving the earth.  In fact, he continues to do that to this day!

Once when mom and I were at a funeral and there was an elderly person sitting in a wheelchair minding their own business.  Kyle, being two or three years old, walked over to the wheelchair, sat down, and started to move the wheels.  It looked like Kyle was going to shoot the person into the casket!  The poor victim of a push and run, had no idea what was going on because Kyle was obstructed by the back of the wheelchair due to his lack of vertical length.  Who would think they needed to be protected at a funeral while hanging out in a wheelchair?  Apparently, Kyle should have come with a warning.  As soon as it happened, I whisked up the perpetrator and saved us all from a potential embarrassing situation that would have surely won America’s Funniest Videos.

Ryan hanging with his pap on his birthday wearing his Mork & Mindy suspenders 1979

The comparisons don’t stop there.  Even though Kyle is now eleven, we’ve had years to see the similarities.  Believe it or not, Kyle loved to help out with house chores and work.  He was a hard worker and enjoyed it, well that is until a few years ago when he was influenced differently.  That was also the about the same time he discovered video games and found laziness.  Kyle loved to vacuum, dust, help with the dishes and stack firewood.  I mean it!  He would cry if he couldn’t help anyone who was doing chores.  We would put him to work, which not only helped him physically but helped to build his character and work ethic.  Plus Kyle is part of the family and everyone pitches in around the house.  We always have, and continue to do so.

My brother was such a hard worker.  When he was nine he started working in my parents sawmill during the summers.  Yes, nine-years-old and he worked!  Throughout his short life, he worked and worked hard, never complaining and never missing a beat.  Eventually, when he became a machinist he would function as a part-time mechanic on the weekend for extra cash.  Not because he was greedy, he was the farthest thing, but because he needed the moola.  I completely respect that!  No one paved his way and he never took the easy road.

Kyle hanging with is pap 11/18/03

Granted Kyle’s work ethic and motivation are not quite comparable now-a-days, but we still continue to push him along, for his own sake.  He is eleven and knows how to do laundry, cook, clean, grocery shop and yard work.  I believe that’s a good starting point and a great foundation.

While I’m on the topic of good character, Ryan was a kind and honest person.  He was sincere and not malicious in any way.  Proudly, these are characteristics I have seen from Kyle and they were certainly passed down from father to son.  Ryan would help anyone out, whether it was for a specific skill needed that Ryan possessed, or it was just the assistance of his brawn.  If someone needed help moving or work done on their car, Ryan was always the first in line to lend a helping hand.  He certainly took care of my car for years, changing the oil, replacing my breaks, cutting my drums and rotors and the list goes on and on.  He would never take a penny from me.  He just wanted to help.

Paula & Kyle 2001

On another side note, Ryan was a bean pole yet he was a very strong lanky guy.  One would have never have guessed he was as strong as he was, but I can personally verify it!

Even through Kyle always has a determination to get out of doing work, he is a good hearted individual.  He never wants to see anyone upset or in pain.  His heart bleeds for those around him, especially the ones he loves.  Just to redeem Kyle a bit, when help is truly needed, Kyle is there to assist, well maybe to bark orders, but I guess that’s his way.

It wouldn’t be a true comparison if Lego’s weren’t addressed!  Nothing captures Kyle’s attention more, than the mention of that word.  LEGO’s!  Even to this day he is still obsessed. (Lego Obsessive or Driven, Happy Lego Birthday Kyle – 11 Years Old!, Are Professions Born or Taught Part 3, Seattle – Twilight Pilgrimage Part 4 and the list goes on)  Ryan had Lego’s but didn’t really take such a liking to them as Kyle.  Although Ryan liked to work with his hands.  He would build in other ways and tear apart to investigate the inner workings of objects, much like Kyle’s curiosity.

Sometime in elementary school, Ryan decided to take apart a little black and white TV we had.  He was curious to see how it worked and how the innards were put together.  Did you know, you should unplug electronics before dissecting them?  Lesson learned on Ryan’s part.  We knew Ryan was up to no good because all of a sudden the breaker switched over and killed the juice to part of the house.  The part that included Ryan’s bedroom, Kyle’s current bedroom.  Just like Kyle, always curious to see the guts, the inner workings of objects and devices.  Although I’ll give Kyle credit, he would never have made such an error.  Kyle would have thought the process through before attacking it and simply unplugged the television set to be safe.

Ryan with his godparents Paula & Joe 1977

Then, let’s not forget about Ryan’s first truck.  It could have been called a piece of art or just plain junk.  First of all it was a beater, that goes without saying, but he customized it.  I’m not talking about putting it up on blocks or adding a spoiler.  Nope!  Ryan decided he wanted to modify it so no one could really drive it.  He reworked the wiring so the horn was not a horn but controlled something else, same goes for the windshield wipers etc.  In addition to the internal parts being modified, he did manage to custom create his own exhaust pipe.  He welded it to snake up past the door and remain vertical with a flap on top.  Yes it looked like a big truck’s exhaust!  He thought that was funny and creative.  You know what? I’ll give him that!

Kyle loves to build.  More-than-not he likes structure and everything the way they its suppose to be, not a lot of free interpretation.  Ryan and Kyle similar in the arena of talented mechanical building, yet Kyle is more structured like my sister, which I’ll get to that comparison next.  Kyle is a building machine and structural visionary, like Ryan, just in a different way.

Kyle’s still growing so only time will tell if Ryan’s genes will ultimately take over, physically and characteristically.  He is certainly a part of his dad, no question.  There are so many other characteristics and stories to call out, maybe another blog post!  Next up, Nicole!  To be continued…

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  ~Philippians 2:4

Mom, Kyle & me at the St. Valentine’s Day Pancake Breakfast. We took a few minutes to visit with mom & dad. 2/10/13

Two Sundays ago, was February tenth.  In addition to being the fifth Sunday in ordinary time, it was also the Valentine’s Day Pancake Breakfast for the Sacred Heart / Saint Cecilia Youth Group, held at the Sacred Heart cafeteria.  Yes my old Alma Mater!

What a great fundraiser!  The tickets were only six bucks and  you received three large pancakes, three sausage links, fruit cup, coffee and orange juice.  The youth group students, along with their fearless leaders, decorated the cafeteria in a fun Valentine’s Day motif, set up the seating areas and prepped the kitchen prior to the event.  This ambitious group worked the Saturday morning prior and started the Pancake Breakfast off at 7:30 am.  The fundraiser was open to serve the hungry community at 9:00 am and wrapped up around 12:00 pm.  Kyle served mass Saturday night, allowing us to contribute our Sunday toward the event.

Everyone who assisted with the Pancake Breakfast was needed and truly made a difference.  Everyone, all the youth group students, parents and friends alike, but let me explain how valuable one leader is with an event like this one.  A special kudos goes out to our event organizer, Marty Singer.  Marty really rocked the house!  His experience and general know how with running a kitchen made the Pancake Breakfast run smoothly and seamlessly.  Seriously!  Marty certainly has been blessed with very important attributes, and his strongest ones were exhibited throughout the day and prior to the fundraiser.  God has blessed him with leadership, organization, common sense, patience, and authority, just to name a few.  He had everyone aligned and delegated appropriately, including selling the tickets, setting up and tearing down the kitchen and cafeteria, plus administering and directing the volunteers during the breakfast itself, real-time while the pancakes were being flipped.  The logistics to getting an event like this one organized can be overwhelming, let alone have it go off without a hitch.

Tina, Mom, Kyle, Me, Dad & Andy at Pancake Breakfast for the Sacred Heart / Saint Cecilia Youth Group Pancake Breakfast. 2/10/13

Marty ordered the food and supplies, not just for the dinner but for all aspects of the event including the chef’s hats, a nice touch!  On a side note, that made working in the kitchen more fun and we appeared totally official!  Marty calculated the cost of everything and manged the entire process to stay within budget, concluding the fundraiser a success.  As he was running around keeping everyone on their toes and moving things along, I heard him continue down his checklist residing in his mind, really only speaking to himself but clearly having our lot under control.   He had a specific number of pancake dinners to serve, and you know what?  He reached and exceeded his goal, all within the same budget and without a shortage of food.  Actually, he was pretty spot on!

Sacred Heart / Saint Cecilia Youth Group members.  Christie, Megan, Marty, Rachel & Jeremy 2/10/13

Marty was clearly recognized at the go-to-person.  Every time guidance was sought out or questions needed answered, they went straight to the Big Kahuna himself.  Sometimes under pressure people tend to show it or the stress is felt.  Nope, not with our master commander, and I am confidently saying this from personal experience.  I waited on tables in high school and I eventually put myself through college by continuing this skill and expanded it to bartending.  Knowing first hand how hectic and maddening a kitchen can become with the pressures of serving food, running the front of the house as well as the back of the house, it very real.  Our captain ran a ship like it should have been, allowing everyone to enjoy themselves and be rewarded with the sense of community and good service.   Nicely done Marty!

Kyle showing his dish washing abilities… Pancake Breakfast cleanup 2/10/13

Stepping away from the Marty fan club for a moment, I would like to say all the students and parents alike kept in step with the Pancake Breakfast too.  I always said, in order to be a good leader, you need to be a great follower.  This crew was that, what a bunch of hard working individuals!  Functioning as part of the kitchen crew, I wasn’t really among our guests except to sneak out and visit every now-and-again, but I can tell you what I saw was very inspirational.  Those working the front of the house was running their buns off, servicing our guests and really tending to them.  The back of the house kept up with the flow of Pancake enthusiasts, maintained the mess and did what was needed.   Again, what a great bunch we are blessed to have apart of our church!

Me cleaning up the pancake batter. The Sacred Heart / Saint Cecilia Pancake Breakfast was a hit! 2/10/13

Mom and dad were among the breakfast patrons.  Kyle did take a break to stop and chit chat with the grandparents, as did I, however he still didn’t neglect his duties.  During the little visit, he left our side to address new church goers waiting to fill their tummy’s with pancakes.  While running around, I did keep my eye on him, making sure he wasn’t slacking or calling mutiny by assuming the lead.  He did neither, in fact I saw him on occasion, teaming up with others to reset seats for the next pancake muncher.  Kyle, like everyone else was on the move the entire time!  I must say I was sincerely impressed by Kyle’s work ethic.  When I saw that, my thoughts were, ‘He is a hard working Piper’ and ‘His dad would be proud.’

Not only did the youth group raise m0ney and they served the community, but they also had a great time doing it.  I will admit, I did as well!  Besides scooping fruit and assisting when needed, I cleaned, washed dishes and entertained.  Who would have thought washing pots and pans could be enjoyable?  I guess that’s the grace of giving back.  It’s totally worth it!

Coexistence…what the farmer does with the turkey – until Thanksgiving.  ~Mike Connolly

Me & Holsters ready to run the Turkey Trot in Latrobe 11/22/12

Today, we participated in our traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Mom made the feast, assisted by me and Kyle.  This year, Kyle wanted to make homemade pies, including the crust.  His comment was, “Aunt Heather it will be better making them ourselves so they’re fresh and it’s healthier ’cause we won’t have preservatives in our pies.”  Now how can I argue with that?  He was right!  Not to mention we both enjoy cooking together.  Last night we went to work on the desserts, making a pumpkin (mom’s favorite) and an apple crumb (Kyle’s favorite), plus a coconut mouse brownie dessert, courtesy of Pinterest.  A little nontraditional but a nice change.

Kyle helped my mom with the stuffing by ripping up the bread.  Actually, let me clarify, he had to cut the bread into perfect cubes.  Ripping the bread haphazardly like mom is not in his nature.  He was also in charge of making the punch and setting the table.  My goodness he is getting big!  Even Nicole made a comment about Kyle’s first experience at Thanksgiving, just like it was yesterday.  (sigh)

Kyle was rolling the dough… the pie dough 11/21/12

I stepped out for about an hour to run in the Turkey Trot.  Kyle was relieved when I didn’t make him join me, but I think next year things are going to be different.

Instead of fighting the holiday traffic, the plan was for Nicole to wake up early today and drive in.  Except, Nicole slept in and got a late start.  I really thought she was going to miss Thanksgiving dinner, but alas by the grace of God she made it just before we were ready to sit down and pig out.  Our standard crew gathered together, mom and dad, Nicole, Kyle and Uncle Denny (mom’s brother).  Plus let’s not forget the rest of our family, Scooby, Seven and Storm, her first Thanksgiving.

Anyway, like most families there are popular topics of conversation that fly around the table.  On a side note dad commented, “Gigi makes the best turkey and stuffing around.”  Followed by Kyle confirming this statement and adding, “Pappy, Gigi makes the best in the world!”  Too cute!   Well as the conversations continued, this year included our trip to Forks and the time Nicole went turkey hunting with dad.  This story is so appropriate for the national holiday, I have to share.

It was Kyle’s idea to make the pies, including the pie dough 11/21/12

One year, when Nicole was in her early teens, dad took her turkey hunting.  Please keep in mind I wasn’t there so my information was heard from the those that were present, Nicole and dad.  Both versions are similar and yet slightly different.  Basically, the story goes like this.  A turkey flew past dad and Nicole while they were hunting and landed in a nearby tree.  Letting Nicole have the honor, dad told her to shoot the turkey.  Nicole’s reply was, “That’s not a turkey, turkeys don’t fly”  Needless to say the bird took off, probably hearing the conversation and laughed all the way to another tree, high up in the air.  By the time they got home, dad was beside himself because he couldn’t believe that someone really wouldn’t know that turkeys can in deed fly.  Ryan, who pretty much lived at dad’s side in the woods for all hunting seasons, just laughed.  Once my Uncle Sonny and my cousins Chad and Jeremy caught word of the story, they teased her about it until everyone forgot about it.  Not me!  Personally, I don’t think that story ever gets old!

As I brought up the story again while we all feasted on turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, dad just chuckled and rolled his eyes and said, “Yes”.  A little turkey humor for a day devoted to serving up Turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. The gravy boat made its appearance.  Although we couldn’t find it at first, I thought Nicole hid it from me.  But it was found and all was right in my world.

Read more on our Traditional Thanksgiving!

Read our trip of Forks from the beginning.

Pre-flight – Twilight Pilgrimage Prequal

Forks or Bust! – Twilight Pilgrimage Part 1

Rain Forest, Forks, Beach…all in a Day! – Twilight Pilgrimage Part 2

More Forks & Port Angeles – Twilight Pilgrimage Part 3

Seattle – Twilight Pilgrimage Part 4

Coming Home – Twilight Pilgrimage Part 5

I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead.  Not sick.  Not wounded.  Dead.  ~Woody Allen

Discussing food and different tastes seems appropriate to talk about, since Thanksgiving is upon us.  The day to over eat and mix a smorgasbord of flavors.

Kyle’s 1st Birthday…hanging with pap 7/2002

Kyles tastes are certainly changing the older he gets.  Personally I love it!  It’s neat watching him develop his own likes and dislikes for food and really expanding his pallet.  My favorite is watching his new discoveries with specific edible items.  Is this a new behavior for Kyle to try new foods?  Nope!  Not even close.  Ever since he was little, we always encouraged Kyle to at least sample an unknown taste.  Our deal was, if he tried it and didn’t like it, he would never have to eat the unfavorable item again and I would never say anything about his choices in sustenance.  You know what?  He lived by that deal.  Sometimes he would turn his nose up to certain items or shy away from the sheer mention of a food, but when it came down to it, he always gave it a shot.  Surprisingly, whether he liked the item or not, he was proud of himself for giving it the good old college try.  Then, when he discovered a new favorite taste, he bragged about it and would go off on a tangent. He would even push the food on us to try it if he felt it was a new discovery.  I was always content with Kyle just trying.  My belief is, how can a child make a decision without knowing all the facts?  I guess more people should use that belief with everything in life.

What really cracks me up about Kyle is his consistent behavior.  Kyle is now eleven and he’s been like this for years.  He has his “usual” at specific places.  There was a time when he would never deviate from the “standard”.  I mean, I know other adults who do this, but for a child?  No one can say that I’m like that, not at all!  I like to change things up, try new items, crave different foods. I like to explore the menu and try the specials.  When Kyle only orders his previously established standard, set by himself, he reminds me of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory.  He’s the uptight genius who has to have everything a certain way, being very consistent and particular, especially with his food. That’s Kyle.  Well, maybe not that extreme, but not far off the mark.  I will give Kyle credit though, he has a much better sense of humor and personality!

As I mentioned, for the longest time, Kyle had his favorite items at certain places.  I say places because that includes mom and dad’s house, my house, his Aunt Nikki’s, plus different restaurants and gas stations etc.  However, I’ve noticed he’s been trying new items and changing it up a bit.  Not a lot, let’s not get silly, but subtle changes.  Now indulge me while I outline a few examples.  Instead of his “usual” items he gets at these  places… he’s been introducing his pallet to new flavors and variations of the food.

Kyle actually makes this face!

Dairy Queen.  Ever since Kyle was eating ice-cream he was known for eating a twist on a cake cone with rainbow sprinkles.  Done!  He only deviated on the different sizes.  When we would treat ourselves for ice-cream, Dairy Queen was generally the place to go.  If we did go to another ice-cream establishment, Kyle would order the same.  Heavens forbid if they didn’t have rainbow sprinkles!  It was like his world was crumbling into a pile of melted ice-cream.  In fact, mom and dad would get him rainbow sprinkles and cones to eat his ice-cream at home.  Way to fuel Kyle’s obsessive behavior mom and dad!  Me, I’m the opposite, instead of catering to him, I would intentionally screw with Kyle to force him to try something new.  I’m fine with the arguments and the kicking and screaming that accompany this situation as long as I was opening his mind.  Not to mention, this fuels my nature to instigate.  Our last few visits to the Dairy Queen included Kyle experimenting with different toppings.  He has branched out to the waffle cone, caramel, hot fudge and nuts.  Not that junk food should be promoted and praised, but it’s a start.

Once when we were at the TastyLand this past summer, he said to me “Aunt Heather I think I’m going to try a chocolate dipped cone instead of sprinkles.”  That may not sound like a big deal to anyone else, but that was a profound statement.  And you know what?  He did and he loved it!  Then he said, “I think this will be my new cone when we come to TastyLand.”  Again, it’s a start.

Moving off of the important sweet tooth to something hardier.  Let’s discuss Subway. Normally I don’t allow Kyle to dine at fast food restaurants.  I try to direct him to eat healthier choices by making our meals, but there are those times when we’re running around on serious crunch time.  In those cases, we try to eat a little bit healthy by hitting up the local Subway.  His usual was a ham and cheese sub with lettuce and black olives.  Over the last year he has branched out to include turkey, ham, pepperoni, bacon with his standard lettuce, cheese and olives, plus onions.  Yes!  Kyle has acquired a taste for onions.  Not a lot, but a few mixed in his food are fine by him.  I don’t know how that happened, but I’ve informed Kyle that onions are good for the heart and he seems pleased with his new staple.  My sister always comments on how disgusting this sandwich is, not that I disagree.  Sometimes I make Kyle omit the pepperoni or the bacon to cut down on the fat.  Although, he never adds ranch or any dressing and he always gets a multi-grain bread.  I can live with that!

Admittingly, I do like the Sheetz Tomato Basil panini sandwiches and the one with Pesto.  Kyle tried them and surprising was not turned off by the hot sandwiches.  This, coming from the boy who has proclaimed his dislike for tomatoes a time or two over the years.  He said “Umm it’s ok, maybe without so many tomatoes.”  That statement actually put me in shock!  His comment was almost unfathomable!  That’s the first I’ve ever heard Kyle speak of tomatoes in any positive manner, not including sun dried tomatoes Cooking With Kyle – Aunt Nikki’s Hors d’oeuvres.  These are all positive steps!

Our little man falling asleep with his once coveted bottle… drink of choice c.2002

Even his usual Egg Sandwich Spectacular! has been pushed to new limits.  He asks for different vegetables to be added to the mixture.  That’s very amusing since he still won’t eat most cooked vegetables, let’s not even discuss the raw ones.  The other day Kyle went into a dissertation on why he thinks he is going through a growth spurt.  You see he is at least a head and a half shorter than all the kids in his class.  Let’s not even discuss that he’s the only one with baby teeth, half of them to be exact.  His height has been the topic of many of his conversations, brought up solely by him.  So when he turned to me and said, “I think I’m growing Aunt Heather.  I think I’m going through a growth spurt.  Maybe I’m going to be tall like my dad.”  I quickly shot back, “Maybe, your dad was around six foot, but I know you won’t grow right if you don’t start giving your body what it needs, like fruits and vegetables.  Your body needs those minerals and vitamins to grow properly.”  He looked at me almost horrified and then said, “But I eat meat and that’s protein for the muscles!  I eat fruit!”  To give him the big picture I said, “Yes, but it also needs other nutrients, the ones found in all the foods.  Even the ones you say you don’t like.”  I could tell he was thinking it over but didn’t say anything else on the subject.

Speaking of foods he claimed to not like.  One root vegetable that I have never understood his disgust for is the potato.  I love potatoes!  Mashed, parsley, baked, home fries, french fries, scalloped, you name it, I eat potatoes.  For the longest time Kyle would never eat the tuberous crop.  Really?  Yep, except french fries, naturally.  He wouldn’t even eat mashed potatoes.  Who turns their nose down to a bowl of mashed up starch with butter, milk, salt and pepper?  Especially at Thanksgiving!  Let’s not forget the potato cakes made from the left over mashed potatoes.  YUM!  It wasn’t until a year or two ago that he started eating mom’s potato cakes.  In fact, every now and again he’ll say, “Gigi can you make some potato cakes?”  They are really good!  I love them really, really crispy!

Since the discovery of the potato cake, Kyle all of a sudden started eating mashed potatoes.  What?  After all these years, he’s acquired a taste for mashed potatoes?  To be honest I think it was the mashed potatoes he initially tried that made him turn away from the side dish.  I don’t ever remember Kyle eating mom’s mashed potatoes until he was asked to by mom.  Then like magic, he was a big advocate of mashed potatoes!

I know tastes change but everyone should follow Kyle’s example.  Give everything a little try and don’t be turned off by something, even if at first it’s not to your liking.  Give it another go.  Maybe it was made differently or your pallet has matured.  I don’t expect Kyle to eat everything and it’s really not that important to me, but it is important for Kyle to give it go.  That’s with everything.  If he has an opportunity to try something I don’t want him to assume he doesn’t like it or worse, afraid to go out of his comfort zone.  I also don’t expect Kyle to be like that alone, everyone in my family lives by the “try it” rule, well within moral reason.

For the record, I eat oysters and muscles.  I especially love muscles!  I don’t care how they are prepared, whichever way desired by the chef.  In fact, I love seafood!  Just like my dad most everyone in the family.  There are very few foods I will not eat.  My pallet is a lot like my dad’s.  Although sometimes I wish I was disgusted by sweets and pastries.

I think children are like pancakes.  You sort of ruin the first one, and you get better at it the second time around.  ~Kelly Ripa

My cousins Bill, Denise & Zach Olczak

Two Sunday’s ago, mom made the batter for buckwheat pancakes.  I totally love buckwheat pancakes!  They are a little bit thinner and crispier than regular pancakes and in my opinion they have a hardier taste.  What’s the difference between regular pancakes and buckwheat cakes?  Basically the buckwheat.  So next question what is buckwheat?  Truthfully, I had no idea so I did a little digging around.  Naturally, I did what every person sitting at a computer does, I Google’d it.  In my little bit of reading, and we all know the internet doesn’t lie or contain false information, (sarcasm) I found that buckwheat is a fruit off of a plant.  Then it’s ground down into flower.  It’s considered a hardy and nutritious fruit, rich with omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids.  I also read:

“Buckwheat is a member of the grass family whose seed is high in calcium. Buckwheat seeds are ground whole into a flour before used in cereal, which result in the appearance of small, black specks in flakes. Buckwheat is gluten-free.”

Does all that really mean a lot to me?  Yes and no.  I already liked the pancakes prior to this knowledge and if buckwheat wasn’t really healthy, I still wouldn’t give it up, just be mindful.  Of course, with this knowledge tucked away in my brain, it actually causes more damage.  Now I have it in my head that I can eat the entire batch, which is not healthy either.

So why the rediscovery for buckwheat pancakes?  Pretty simple actually.  Dad just purchased the buckwheat flour with the intent of making buckwheat pancakes.  The entire family is a fan of the hardy food, well Kyle is he just forgot.  Did the internet tell me this piece of information?  Nope, I actually have proof on this statement.  Every year, we try to make it to the Flax Scutching Festival, (65th Annual Piper Reunion) where incidentally they sell buckwheat pancakes.  So I know Kyle has tasted buckwheat over the years and if he disliked it in any way, we would have heard about it.  Kyle is not shy about voicing his opinion.  Yep, we are all fans of buckwheat!

Being a little unsure about the buckwheat pancakes, Kyle helped me flip them anyway.  Partially because he takes pride in trying new foods and experimenting with cooking methods, and because he really enjoys cooking with me.  I must admit, it has become a favorite of mine too.   Mom mixed up the batter the night before and Kyle helped me man the griddle, well he started to for a little bit until he helped himself to the fresh hot cakes with maple syrup while I finished up.  On a side note, nothing beats real maple syrup, 100% genuine maple syrup!  I don’t really care for the store brands that are loaded with a list of ingredients.  Anyway, I don’t mind cooking at all, plus it gave mom a break, considering she definitely has more hours invested in front of the stove than I do.  But no matter who’s cooking, the conversations seem to surface.  While I was standing there flipping the cakes, I was talking to mom about the best pancakes in history, courtesy of my uncle Walter.

Uncle Walter & Family. My grandpap Chester is on the far right

My uncle Walter was one of my grandpap Chester’s brothers.  He was truly a great guy!  Uncle Walter lived down the hill from us on the farm and was a huge part of our lives.  He had cows and chickens and he made hay, just a simple farm boy.  Not to mention he and my aunt Mary had a greenhouse where they sold soil and plants.  In his younger days, uncle Walter was a merchant marine in the navy.  His job?  A cook of course!  There is no doubt those guys were very well fed!  I’m sure Uncle Walter’s life reads like an impressive resume, but I just wanted to give a synopsis.

As mom and I stood there babysitting the buckwheat pancakes, I brought up one of our trips to Erie, that’s where the story of the best blueberry pancakes takes place.  My cousin’s Bill and Denise live in Erie, Pennsylvania.  Casey’s dad, Jim and Bill are brothers, both sons of my Uncle Walter.  They are all on my mom’s side of the family.  One weekend, all of us including my cousin Casey’s crew and my whole family took a road trip to visit that branch of the family.

It was so much fun!  We went to Presque Isle and ran around on the beach.  We hung out at Bill and Denise’s and fished from their pond off the dock,  paddled the canoe around the water (being mindful of the drain), checked out the beavers living near the water and visited their goats.  Incidentally, that was the first time I ever had goat milk.  I am not a milk drinker but that trip opened my eyes to the love of goat cheese and ever since then, I am a dedicated fan and advocate.  At the time, I don’t remember if they had their horses, but it certainly was an adventure.  Even down to the sleeping arrangements.  Since there were so many of us, all the kids camped out in tents in the yard, making the trip even more exciting and fun.

Mom & dad sitting by the pond at Bill & Denise’s 7/4/85

That Saturday morning, I remember waking up early to the smell of breakfast, blueberry pancakes!  To this day I can describe the fluffy spongy texture of the pancake that encapsulated the juicy sweet blueberries, perfectly spread throughout the circular treat.  As uncle Walter flipped the hot cakes, I stood behind watching his technique.  I was amazed that they never stuck and the pancakes seemed to be perfectly round.  As I was staring, uncle Walter just gave me a smile and asked if I wanted some.  To be honest I was just content watching him make the pancakes, although they smelled so good my stomach told me differently.  What I really wanted to do was assist him, but I didn’t want to screw up his system.  In no time at all, I gave in to hunger and ate my beautifully sweet, heavenly blueberry pancakes.  To this day, I just remember how awesome they were!  No other pancake has touch his, ever!  I’m sure there were other meals that weekend, and I’m sure uncle Walter helped out, but nothing stood out in my head like those pancakes, except maybe the introduction of goat cheese.

With all the running around and the excitement of hanging out with family, we had a great weekend!  Ever since that weekend in July 1985, 27 years ago, we kept saying we are going to head back up and visit Bill and Denise.  But alas we never made the time.  I think we are past due, and this spring Bill and Denise are going to get some visitors, including one who’s never been to Erie, our little Kyle.

Uncle Walter with one of his five kids

Just to give a short bio on Bill and Denise.  Besides being a pillar in the community, they are great role models and a testament of what one family and one dream can become.  Even though the desire and knowledge to start Mystic Mountain was always in their hearts, it didn’t come into fruition until 2001.  They opened Mystic Mountain Training Center, a nonprofit organization for children and families to learn mentoring, discipleship, and teamwork.  So what do they do?  Besides offering equestrian, shooting, and drama, they inspire and bring families together.  I can’t image growing up and not knowing what the countryside is like or riding a horse.  Bill and Denise developed programs to bring inner city kids to Mystic Mountain to experience all the benefits of God’s country and the beasts of the earth.  I believe being a part of nature, especially being around horses energizes the soul and helps to develop a new respect for life.  Keep up the good work guys!

Mystic Mountain Training Center

Interested in experiencing Mystic Mountain Training Center for yourself or would like to make a donation?  They would love to hear from you.   Go to www.mysticmtc.com.  Tell Bill and Denise Aunt Heather sent you!

I’m not an amazing cook. But I can follow a recipe!  ~Rachel McAdams

Some may know what Pinterest is and some may have heard of it, while others have absolutely no idea.  With the booming age of social media, there are sites popping up all the time.  For the most part I really don’t pay attention to every little change and introduction into the social world.  If I did I wouldn’t have any time to blog and use the social tools that I do enjoy using.  However, there is one that has struck my fancy and I have really adapted into my daily routine.  Pinterest!  It’s simply a social sight of pinning pictures and videos to your digital cork boards, just like being a kid again.

As a child and even into my high school years, I would go through magazines and tear out pictures of dresses or shoes and pin them to my cork board hanging on my bedroom wall.  I would also pin recipes and ‘how to’ instructions.  Pinterest is the same concept, except you can have multiple themed boards, as many as you want named however creative you can get, and it’s all digital.  Not to mention instead of a single magazine, the entire internet is your magazine.  Plus you have the option of uploading and linking your very own pins.  Love it!  As with a social site, the ability to ‘share’, ‘re-pin’, ‘comment’ and ‘like’ is available.  Not to mention you can follow others of like interests and its linked to other social sites for distributing information.

Kyle wanted to make his own hero sandwich 2012

Being in marketing, I tend to see trends early and I will admit I do partake, sometimes on the latest and greatest.  This time I did.  Statistics change, now-a-days more rapidly than ever, but I still like to read the analyzed data.   After all numbers never lie and with summarized data, it’s sometimes easier to understand the focus of the social tool or the particular direction it’s moving toward.  When it comes to my clients, I do try to practice what I preach.  Pinterest is, as least as per the most recent numbers, 80%-90% women.  However, a majority of the purchases made on there are from men.  Not that I want to keep throwing numbers out there, but I find this fascinating, “66% of Pinterest users are aged 35 and older, compared to 64% of the US internet audience.” according to Marketing Charts.  Pinterest themselves stated, there are 20,000 items pinned on Pinterest every day.  Estimated numbers from AppData.com, state the two-year-old site has 11.7 million active registered users.  Wow!

So how did this almost too simple idea of themed digital cork boards come to fruition?  According to my “trust worthy” site Wikipedia, Pinterest was developed in December of 2009, then went into a closed beta test in March 2010, and in March of 2011 they launched their app.  Needless to say, Pinterest is pretty new to the scene, but growing leaps and bounds thanks to Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra and Evan Sharp, the founders.

Now why this dissertation on Pinterest?  Thanks to an article I read on Mashable, according to RJ Metrics, “17.2% of all pinboards are categorized under Home, followed by Arts and Crafts (12.4%), Style/Fashion (11.7%), Food (10.5%) and Inspiration/Education (9.0%). Of those, food is the fastest-growing category.”  I did read another article that stated recipes have clearly taken the top spot on the Pinterest pins but unfortunately when I went to look for it, I couldn’t find the article to back up that claim.

As with all things on AuntHeather.com all roads lead back to Kyle.  I want to tell and story about the impact of Pinterest and naturally it involves one little 11 year old.  I know I’ve mentioned it, that I used to have Kyle pick out recipes in the cookbooks and we’d make whatever he wanted.  The only catch, was he had to read me the recipe and measure out all the ingredients.  This was one way to reinforce reading with Kyle, especially when he went through a spurt of I HATE READING!.  Not to mention it was great practice with measuring and math, always Kyle’s favorite subject.  Who am I kidding?  I love to cook too and hang out with Kyle, so that was a win win for me.  Little did I know, that Kyle would develop a love for cooking AND enjoy it!  I guess that’s a win win for him too!

Now I’m getting to the meat and potatoes of the story.  Recently, a friend of mine, Kelly, was talking about making recipes that she found on Pinterest.  Last weekend she was sending me some good ones to try and she said she wanted to start making different recipes.  This conversation reminded me of Kyle, because we started to do the same thing.  In fact, Kyle has steered away from the old fashioned hardbound cookbooks and tends to jump on my Pinterest account for recipes.  Yes, I said he goes on my Pinterest, and yes he has the password to log in.  What can I say, the kid owns me!  Not that I mind in the slightest.  Kyle knows to go to  board, and scroll through the pictures of the deliciousness.  It’s funny how our way of cooking has changed from even a year ago.  We still pretty much follow the same system of Kyle reading off the ingredients and directions and I assist him with measuring and mixing and he still gets to pick out what he wants to make.

Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies, courtesy of Pinterest

Sometimes, Kyle uses my phone and jumps on the Pinterest app to search for different recipes he wants to try.  He is too much!  Usually the re-pins are sweet treats although he surprises me with casseroles and pointing out low calorie, or natural fruit dishes.  I’m not saying I’m any better than Kyle when it comes to a sweet tooth, but I do try and limit the dessert recipes made.

It’s amazing how our daily lives have changed, children are no longer pulling out the old cookbooks from generations past.  They are downloading them and cooking other family recipes online.  In one respect, I miss the use of a good old fashioned cookbooks, but then again how can you beat the wealth of information and options at your fingertips.  I guess it doesn’t matter as long as the traditions are passed down, new traditions are started and shared, and cooking brings the family together.

See the recipe for the Oatmeal Creme Pies- Puppy Problem Called Seven.

“If you knew how to cook, maybe I would eat,” Jace muttered.  Isabelle froze, her spoon poised dangerously. “What did you say?”  Jace edged toward the fridge. “I said I’m going to look for a snack to eat.”  That’s what I thought you said.” Isabelle turned her attention to the soup.”  ~Cassandra Clare, City of Bones

Since it’s Friday, I thought I’d bring out another one of my lost archive videos that Kyle and I made.  A Cooking with Kyle episode.  It’s a fun little snack that I hope everyone has the chance to make, or modify to personal taste.

Every year since Kyle was about five or six, he would go and spend a week in the summer with my sister.  It has now been dubbed “Aunt Nikki and Kyle’s week of fun.”  It’s their chance to hang out with one another, just the two of them.  Kyle loves his Aunt Nikki very much and looks forward to going every year.  Usually Nicole surprises him with a different adventure.  She has taken him to downtown Washington, DC, which has been visited many many many times by the entire family over the years since there is so much to see and do.  One of our favorite destinations!  They have gone to National Aquarium in Maryland.  One year Nicole tried to plan for Kyle to swim with the dolphins, but that didn’t work out.  They go to the movies, they go shopping, swimming, you name it.  Not to mention my sister allows him to play his video games day and night, which is not permitted any other time.  But when he’s on vacation, he’s on vacation!

Last year was the big trip, New York City.  Nicole arranged for them to take a bus from the DC Metro Area to New York City for the week.  The trip was actually a surprise, until Kyle read the ticket and found out his final destination.  They did all the touristy stuff, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and Central Park.  Nicole took him to Serendipity and other key places to eat.  Even though it was New York and Kyle never was in that city, there was another reason to visit the Big Apple, yep Lego’s!  Ever since Kyle saw the Lego’s store in the background while watching Dick Clark’s Rock’in Eve on TV one New Year’s Eve, he has been obsessed with the idea of a huge store dedicated to Lego’s.  That year we were looking for my sister on TV.  She was in New York City ringing in the New Year with her friends.  That’s when Kyle spotted the Lego store.  I will elaborate on the “Aunt Nikki and Kyle’s week of fun” another time.  Let’s get back to the subject at hand. Aunt Nikki’s Hors d’oeuvres.

It was during one of these ‘weeks of fun’ that Kyle and Nicole were grocery shopping and Kyle spotted the sample lady.  From my understanding, Kyle loved the snacks and had my sister buy all the ingredients to make them later.  After he came home, would you believe he told us all about his new favorite snack?  He had me get the ingredients because he wanted to show me how to make them.  Ever since then, he tells everyone about his healthy snack.

I hope you like them as much as Kyle does!