Earth Day 2007

As Hannah and I were trying to clear out all the castle rocks and white rocks from around the trees in our yard (remnants from the prior owners), a small tree frog hopped out to visit. He was such a tiny little guy, yet he seemed comfortable with Han and let her catch him.


I tried to get a close-up of his face. He was very sweet, yet seemed a little perturbed we were disturbing his home.


Saturday we purchased two new trees. We bought a maple and a forest pansy redbud. I just love maples as they are so very colorful in autumn. Redbud are among my favorite spring trees. We had to dig holes (we, HAH! Brien) for the trees. Of course, Hannah will be quick to assure you she was the one who did all the hard work ;o).


I couldn't resist taking this photo :o).


Hannah working hard and completely unconcerned with her daddy and what he was up to.


Meanwhile, B had to dig the holes with this short little shovel and it was a LOT of work!


This was why he had to use the short shovel... Man, the boy doesn't even know his own strength ;oP.




These are pictures of the new maple. We lost an oak tree (you can see the stump behind the maple) this past winter and were anxious to replace it. B and I just LOVE trees! It must be the mountains and forests in our blood.


This is the forest pansy redbud. It blooms in late April (yay, I'll get to see it!) and the leaves are initially crimson and change to green as summer progresses. We loved the gnarly look to the trunk.


On the day we purchased the trees, I also found this beautiful ivy geranium. I typically have wave petunias hanging on this shepherd's crook, but find as summer progresses, they begin to look tired and brittle. I've noticed geraniums don't have much trouble dealing with the terrible heat we have here. Here's hoping this beauty fares better than the 'tunies.


The leaves seemed so verdant I just had to snap a photo.


Here Lil celebrates Earth Day with a cup of water and a her "cheese" face :o).

"CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!!!!!!!"

Lil's favorite word because it's her favorite food :o). I thought it was time to move on. Last week was for mourning, this week begins the healing. Healing that includes spending time with those we love. How can you not love that face? It is late and I have many images to post and much to say but I need to get to sleep. I'll begin the moving on tomorrow. Have a great night!

Emotionally Exhausted

It's been a long, trying, emotional week. As awful as everything has been, there are more glimmers of hope on the horizon. Today was Hokie Hope Day. People around Virginia sported maroon and orange. Today, the students, faculty and staff at William and Mary were proclaimed in a resolution, by the Board of Directors to be Hokies.

I think the healing has begun for many as well. For those of you who watch or read the news, you are probably aware of the ring of 33 Hokie stones laid out in an arc on the drill field as a memorial to the lives lost. Yes, 33, not 32. Many are still angry, but it seems some are ready to forgive and try to move on. I have to say I admire the thought and the attitude. I was very struck by the Amish after the horrible tragedy there--they forgave the man who slayed their children. Amazing! I think maybe some are already taking steps towards forgiving Cho.

Let the media roll out of town and let the healing commence!! :o)

Media Blitz

I have still managed to avoid the "Manifesto" and tried to avoid all images associated with it. Unfortunately, when I checked out cnn.com last night I was greeted with an image of some young man pointing a gun at me. It was absolutely terrifying! I can only imagine how all the victims must have felt when he was standing there pointing it at them. I knew he was only an image on my screen, for them, he was there in the flesh with a real live, honest-to-god weapon meant to kill.

I'm horrified NBC chose not only to air the images and video, but that they then distributed them to other media outlets. No one should have to be subjected to any of it, especially the parents and friends of the victims!

Yes, I'm very sorry this young man was teased and bullied. I'm also sorry he chose the "revenge" and way out he did. I'm especially sorry for his poor poor parents. I can't help but put myself in their shoes. This is their baby, the child they loved more than life, as I do Hannah and Lily. What if they had moved on to another stage of their lives and I wasn't much a part of them? What if I didn't know what they were up to because they were adults and fairly uncommunicative? What if they decided to kill themselves, which would be more than devastating, but what if they decided to take down fifty+ people with them? What if their pictures were posted all over every media source and outlet? The guilt and shame I felt on top of my anguish and grief would be almost unbearable.

I'm sure everyone on campus is positively tired of being hounded by the media. I'm always amazed at how the media will hang on to and gnaw on a story the way a dog worries a bone. They will get every bit of meaty morsel they can however they have to, even if it means cracking the bone and leaving nothing but tiny slivers behind. I worry that's what the media are going to do/are doing to the Tech community. I heard a report on NPR today that stated the students were tired of the media and there were even signs which said, "Media go home!" I can't say I blame them.

I know Lissie had been planning to head to the 'Burg this weekend for a friend's birthday. The plans had been in the works for months now. We (Mom, Brien and I at least) all think of a trip home as a mini-vacation of sorts. (I'm always very homesick whenever I go home and have to leave.) Well, as a result of the media influx, Mom is no longer heading home. Too bad the media aren't either.

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Don't Forget Your Maroon and Orange Friday!!!!

Hokie Hope Day

I'm going to copy and paste the email I received today to provide some background information for those of you who weren't previously Hokies but are now. :o) (I apologize for the difficulties in reading some of the text of this post, but it really is all about the maroon and orange with our Hokies!)

FRIDAY APRIL 20^TH IS “HOKIE HOPE DAY” – In Memoriam- Pass this message along…

To show your support of the victims and families and friends of the victims and the other students, faculty & staff at Virginia Tech – Friday April 20^th, 2007 will be “Hokie Hope Day” across the nation as an alumni-led declaration of a national “orange and maroon effect” day.

It is being asked that we all show our support and wear the Hokie colors as a sign of memoriam and respect to the school and their tragedy. The colors are burnt orange and Chicago maroon.

Help show support and wear the famed colors all day Friday April 20^th, 2007.

“Deepest sympathy to those at VA Tech, the victim’s families and friends and the other students, faculty and staff. As we embrace this sad time and pull together, not just as a college but as a family- with support from other colleges, the state, other states and the nation as well as other nations in this time of need- let us not forget that we are all human and we all need each other. Hokie’s - you are all in our hearts. God Bless…”

~anonymous

What Is a Hokie?

A Look at Virginia Tech Traditions

Here is the answer to that oft-posed question, "What's a Hokie?" and an explanation of other Tech traditions.

What is a Hokie? The origin of the word "Hokie" has nothing to do with a turkey. It was coined by O. M. Stull (class of 1896), who used it in a spirit yell he wrote for a competition.

Here's how that competition came to be held. Virginia Tech was founded in 1872 as a land-grant institution and was named Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College. In 1896, the Virginia General Assembly officially changed the college's name to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute, a name so long that citizens shortened it in popular usage to VPI. The original college cheer, which made reference to the original name of the institution, was no longer suitable. Thus, a contest was held to select a new spirit yell, and Stull won the $5 top prize for his cheer, now known as Old Hokie:

Hoki, Hoki, Hoki, Hy.
Techs, Techs, V.P.I.
Sola-Rex, Sola-Rah.
Polytechs - Vir-gin-ia.
Rae, Ri, V.P.I.

Later, the phrase "Team! Team! Team!" was added at the end, and an "e" was added to "Hoki."

Stull later said that he made up the word as an attention-grabber. Though he may not have known it, "Hokie" (in its various forms) has been around at least since 1842. According to Johann Norstedt, now a retired Virginia Tech English professor, "[Hokie was] a word that people used to express feeling, approval, excitement, surprise. Hokie, then, is a word like 'hooray,' or 'yeah,' or 'rah.'" Whatever its original meaning, the word in the popular cheer did, as Stull wanted, grab attention and has been a part of Virginia Tech tradition ever since.

Orange and Maroon Colors

Since the university had a new name and a new yell, new college colors seemed to be a desirable next step. During 1896, a committee was formed to find a suitable combination of colors to replace the original colors of black and gray, which appeared in stripes on hats, books, athletic uniforms, and other paraphernalia and presented an image resembling prison uniforms.

The committee selected burnt orange and Chicago maroon after discovering that no other college utilized this particular combination of colors. Burnt orange and Chicago maroon were officially adopted and were first worn during a football game versus nearby Roanoke College on Oct. 26, 1896.

Above From: http://www.vt.edu/about/hokie.php


For more info on Virginia Tech click here.

The Blame Game

Last night was powerful and beautiful and I wish I could have been a part of the crowd to show my support and solidarity with my community. I was certainly there in spirit if not in the flesh. For those of you who don't know, the big castle-like building in the center of the photo is Burruss Hall, the main administrative building on campus. To the right, right next door, is Norris Hall, the seen of the main massacre. Such beauty as this supplants the ugliness of the horror in my mind.

As with 9/11, the good and kindness of humanity is already starting to rise above the horror. I have encountered numerous websites that are not affiliated with Virginia Tech or Blacksburg in any way that are all sending thoughts and prayers to the community. One site, Pink is the New Blog is a celebrity site I frequent for rumors, speculation and gossip. I find Trent to be very sweet and enjoy his posts. Today's post begins with a beautiful tribute to the Hokie Nation.

From there, I found a site featuring commerative t-shirts which are being sold to raise money to purchase a memorial bench to be donated to the Tech campus. The site is run by a James Madison University (Virginia college) student. I'm in awe of their kindness and generosity.

The Washington Nationals replaced their usual baseball caps with Hokie caps for their ballgame Tuesday night. You can read all about it here. What a lovely tribute.

Then, I received an email today telling me about Hokie Hope Day. Friday has been selected as a day for everyone to show their support for the victims and their family and friends as well as the Virginia Tech and Blacksburg communities at large. People are being asked to remember the Hokies by wearing either of their school colors, maroon and orange. I'm already trying to decide which of my maroon and orange items would be most appropriate for the day.

These are just a few examples of the kindness and generosity of spirit I have witnessed today. Unfortunately, I've also been inundated with media trying to play the blame game. It seems it is easier to blame the school administration or the police than to put the blame squarely where it belongs on the gunman's shoulders. This was a headline I found at CNN this morning, "Teacher went to police, university for help but without clear threat, nothing was done".

You are all aware of how this makes the Tech community sound and yet, there really was nothing that could be done. And of course, we have all heard about (maybe some of us have even read) the gunman's plays. They are allegedly very dark and disturbing. Having not read them I don't feel I can accurately comment on them, but I know people keep trying to create a link between his writings and his psychological state, suggesting the campus community should have/could have done something to prevent this tragedy.

However, I would like to point out people could also argue Stephen King and other writers of his genre are deeply disturbed individuals based on many of their writings. Hindsight is truly 20/20 and I know people are all looking for answers. Maybe they should be patient and wait for the answers instead of speculating and casting blame where it doesn't belong.

Hm, maybe we can blame the owners of the shops that sold the gunman his weapons. After all, he had been court-ordered to received psychological treatment at a local psychiatric hospital. As such, he was ineligible to purchase handguns yet, he has them. But, then he lied and that information did not show up on his background check. By the reasoning of many of the blame casters, this would therefore, be the owners' faults. After all, if the university is to blame for not telling the students a shooting had occurred in one of the dorms when it was perceived to have been an isolated domestic dispute with the shooter leaving campus and no longer posing a threat, it's the shop owners' faults for not letting the students know a student had purchased a handgun.

The most frustrating part of all the media attention and blame casting is that it is all done under the guise of "finding answers" or "making sense of the situation". You know what, there are no answers, and it doesn't make sense! I'm not even certain we will ever have the answers to our questions, and goodness knows it will never make sense to me.

Today We Are All Hokies

I'm so overwhelmed. I have come to realize that yesterday I was still fairly numb. Today the numbness has worn off as the victims have been identified, as I realize this is my home and community. As I watch it all and take in the media onslaught I'm almost two people--the first looks on rather blankly still trying to accept what has happened in her community, while the second stares, stunned that all the buildings they are showing and all the locations she sees are home and home doesn't have tragedies of this magnitude.

I've been reading and watching tributes by Hokies for Hokies. The first is an interview with Dateline NBC's Hoda Kotb. She very eloquently describes the Hokie Nation and how we feel about our school and our community.

I found this letter from Homer Hickam to Charles Steger in the Roanoke Times:

Homer Hickam, author of "Rocket Boys" and a Virginia Tech graduate, today sent Tech President Charles Steger a letter that read, in part, "Today, there is pain everywhere in our community, and our hearts are troubled. Yet, I am certain our university will persevere. The spirit of Virginia Tech cannot allow otherwise. We who once walked its halls and studied in its classrooms were trained to represent all that is good and right in the world, and we will prevail. Evil can never succeed, not while there are yet men and women like the people of Virginia Tech who reach every day for success, and endeavor for the improvement of the human condition across the planet."

Well said, Homer. That is exactly what I think but couldn't begin to express nearly as eloquently.

On the way home from school today, NPR was broadcasting the convocation on the Tech campus. Nikki Giovanni, a proud Hokie and renowned poet, was the final speaker. She was so very positive and forceful in a very understated way. Her message was uplifting and wise. At the end of her speech the crowd erupted in a uniting and self proclaiming, "Let's go Hokies!" It was so beautiful. Please check out her speech at CNN.

It was exactly what the Hokie Nation and Blacksburg are--we are united in good times and bad. We will overcome. We will not be forever linked with this horrible and unthinkable event. Out of horrible tragedy comes greatness and the world will be stunned to see what greatness rises from the mountains of Southwest Virginia. The things I love best about Blacksburg will be those things which help it rise up from the ashes of this massacre--the unity of a small community, the commitment of a community to reclaim what is their's, a diversity of students and staff from around the world coming together to make the college great.

Sure, we are being inundated and bombarded with images and stories by the media. I'm very distressed Charles Steger and Chief Flincham have been villainized as they have for doing the best they could with the facts at hand. I'm overwhelmed by the sensationalist reporting of news networks desperate for ratings and trying to make small pieces of information into more than they are. I can only imagine how much worse it is for those actually in the 'Burg. The first sources I have checked for the past two days are The Roanoke Times and WDBJ 7. Both are local news, one a newspaper, the other a tv station, but both very familiar with the community. They have been less sensationalist and more nitty-gritty details without trying to draw us into thinking something that may or may not be true.

Before too long, the media will pull out and move on to the next big story, and from there, the Tech and Blacksburg communities will move on. We are all Hokies today. We will survive!!

My Shattered Heart

I'm having a difficult time trying to get my thoughts in any semblance of order so please forgive the wanderings of this post. Just know my heart has been shattered today and I'm so overwhelmed by today's events I don't know where to begin.


I have spent the day trying to make sense of the massacre on the Tech campus and I still can't quite wrap my mind around it. Blacksburg is my home, my heaven, where my heart really is. I can't think of a more perfect place to live. It's snuggled in the mountains of Southwest Virginia and is small and intimate. At the same time, it is also large enough to afford a wide array of multi-cultural activities and experiences.

Some of my favorite things about Blacksburg are the mountains, the close proximity to amazing hiking and beauty. I love The Cellar and Svoulaki and Gillie's for breakfast. I love that all my family is close by. I love the people are so very friendly no matter what you may look like. Most of all, I love the influence the Virginia Tech campus and community has on the diversity of the town's population and the incredibly low crime rate. As Jessie posted on her blog, Blacksburg is a place where you never had to worry about locking your door. In fact, Papa would often leave his car keys in his ignition with the windows down as he went grocery shopping.


And, today, in a senseless act of violence, that peace was shattered. Until this morning, and excluding the anomaly of Michael Morva back in August, the biggest crime to hit Blacksburg was an illegal poker ring. That's it!

As I keep trying to tell people, there is no way the Blacksburg police department was equipped to handle an event of this magnitude, nor was the campus police force. Additionally, the local hospitals are not equipped to deal with trauma of this degree. However, I know everyone has done the best they are capable of, even going above and beyond that.


One of the things that keeps bothering me is everyone questioning Steger's response to the first shooting and how they could have possibly let it happen a second time, only so much worse. Mom said it best, as a parent you do the best you can with the information you have at hand and make the best decision you can based on that info. Dr. Steger and the campus/Blacksburg police believed the first shooting to be a domestic dispute gone awry. They believed they had the shooter in custody or that he had left the area. Why would they close an entire campus if they thought either of these were the case? As Brien pointed out this evening, it would be like the local police closing all stores and streets in a five block radius when a robbery had occurred.



I had been on a field trip with my students when all of this began and I couldn't figure out why Mom seemed so desperate to get in touch with me (btw, Mom, when emailing me during they day, you need to use my school address as I can't check the home account at school). As a school teacher she knows not to interrupt during the day. When we got back to school I answered her call and was absolutely floored by the news, although I still hadn't placed the shootings in Norris Hall. Only when I called B did it click: Norris Hall=Norma Guynn, my best friend/cousin's mom. OMG OMG OMG!!!!!

I called Rob and was told Norma was fine and out of the building but that it had been very scary and traumatizing as she and her office mates had barricaded themselves inside their office until the SWAT officers arrived to escort them out. Norris is also home to the ESM (Engineering Science and Mechanics) department which was B's home while at Tech. Additionally, we had gone to school with/were friends with many of the children of the profs in that department.

My thoughts then moved onto Scott Hendricks, the father of one of my friends from kindergarten through our senior year of high school. I was petrified something had happened to him. Imagine my extreme relief when I heard him being interviewed on NPR this afternoon. But, although hearing his voice provided a modicum of relief, he stated two of his colleagues had been shot, one in the arm, the other in the face and leg. I promptly called Robin who said Norma told her Dr. Grant (B's friend's father and his co-boy scout leader) had been shot in the arm, with B's adviser had been shot in the face and leg.

Jessie and I talked about how horrible Columbine was, but that we were still in some way removed. This is our town. Our family. Our friends. We knew the buildings and sites that were fleshed relentlessly across the screen. They were ours.

I watched the news in growing horror afraid I was going to recognize one of the victims. I've become rather immune to the tragedies of life in the inner-city, and gunshots aren't that uncommon downtown. As scary as they are, they are where I am used to them occurring. Things like this just don't happen in Blacksburg. They DON'T!

From now on, Blacksburg will be eternally linked with this tragedy and I fear the other wonders and beauties of Blacksburg will be overshadowed and lost in the horror of today. I'm afraid this will be what defines Blacksburg forever.

This is awful and my heart aches, simply ACHES for the victims and their families and friends. I'm also sad for those of us who saw Blacksburg for the heaven it was and are now left with nothing but questions and innocence lost.

Quick Update

I don't have much time to write this evening because of all the happenings in my home.

1. I managed to slice up a huge chunk of my thumb. Not enough to require a stitch, but enough that it is extremely painful and bled fairly profusely the entire time B was gone to Lowe's (for the second time today...). I don't do blood and wounds well and I certainly didn't take this well. I'm such a wimp! B got home, put on the Neosporin and a Band Aid (actual Band Aid brand) and we kept enough pressure on it to get the blood flow stopped.

2. We purchased a new microwave today. When the display on the one we have went out it was a nuisance. When it wouldn't start when you pressed the "Start" button, well, that was broken. We trundled off to Lowe's for a new one.

3. B also had to fix the rocking, leaking toilet in the powder room. He did a fine job and was done in no time. Yay!

4. The new microwave doesn't want to be installed. B had to go back to Lowe's to pick up some replacement toggle bolts after three of the four we were provided broke and were rendered unusable. And, it was during this time I sliced my thumb open. I don't want to confess how ignorant I was and how it was all my own stupid fault--suffice it to say I'm the world's biggest klutz, EVER and it's not surprising I did this. I'll have to detail all the ways I did myself bodily harm as a child some time...

5. I didn't do any laundry last week so I had no fewer than seven loads today, one of which is wrinkling in the laundry basket as I type this.

6. I've got to go pack Lil's lunch or she'll be very hungry tomorrow. Quick Lily update: I was poking around in her mouth to see how we were doing on the teeth front, as she still only really has the four front ones. I felt a new eye tooth popping through and went a little further back and found she managed to break through two new molars last week. My guess is this was along about the time she was having those fevers and feeling nasty.

7. I have to figure out what our school improvement plan needs to include in order to be accepted as a school wide Title I school. (Don't ask, it's complicated and boring, even for those who are affected by it.)

And that folks is all I've got time for tonight. Have a great day! :o)

Lily's First Haircut

Lily had been sporting a lovely baby mullet as her hair has begun to grow in. This weekend her lovely Aunt Jessie volunteered to give her a slightly more stylish 'do.


I have to say I was pretty impressed with how quickly Jessie worked, and I must say Lily was less than an ideal head to cut. She kept trying to turn around to see what Jessie was up to.



As you can see from this picture she was more than a little discombobulated by the entire process. In spite of all this, she has a lovely little cut and I have a nice bit of hair to put in her scrapbook. It's odd, I would swear she has blondish-brown hair, but the bits I have almost look reddish.

In other news, she continues to run a high fever and has a fairly reduced appetite. I'm calling the doctor's office tomorrow to make an appointment as Brien didn't do it today.

Here We Go Again...

First off, these are Hannah's new sandals. Aren't they divinely wonderful?? Wouldn't you just LOVE them if you were a Fancy Nancy five year old??

Now, onto other news. Lily is sick.

Again.

I quit.

When I arrived at Melanie's today, Lil was in the booster seat for her after nap snack. She seemed a little flushed, but well, she had only just awakened. Then, she began to quiver a little. More than a little alarmed, I felt her and she was quite quite warm. I loaded her up trying to figure out what in the world it could be. Two weeks ago she had flu. Two weeks prior to that it was strep throat. Now what?

She had a mild fever when we got home around five. She didn't want to be put down so she and I sat snuggled on the couch. As we sat I felt her temp rising higher and higher. By the time B got home around six her fever was 104.1 and she was a lethargic lump of miserableness.

I was very worried at this point as she kept shaking as if chilled and wasn't really moving, more of a soggy lump of Lily-ness than anything else. She would look at the laptop screen calling out pitifully, "bay-BEE, bay-BEE!!" whenever she saw an image of a baby on the screen. At one point she saw Ella and called out, "Ella-ler-ler bay-BEE!!!!" and that was the most enthusiasm I had seen in quite sometime. At this point we forced a dose of Motrin down her throat in hopes of restoring some semblance of a normal temperature.

Feeling rather panicky I had B call the Ask-a-Nurse folks to see what they thought we should do. By the time they returned our call, Lil's temp had dropped to 103.2 and continued to drop. She was eating pizza (hm, appetite still in place!) and was far more spritely. Yay! By the time the evening waned, Lil was toddling around the house exploring and getting into mischief in true Lillers fashion.

According to the Ask-A-Nurse ladies, there is a virus going around whose only symptom is a high fever and our doctor's office wouldn't want to see us until she had had the fever for at least three days. B has tomorrow with her and I will take Thursday if it comes down to it. Here's hoping she mends quickly and that this is the last of our illnesses this year!!

Fancy Hannah Rides Again

I'm convinced Easter has to be one of the Monkey's favorite holidays. What other holiday sees the dying of eggs multitudes of pastel colors? What other holiday results in fingers dyed a multitude of pastel colors from dying the eggs?


And, not only were there eggs to dye, there were fancy clothes to wear. Lissie purchased this dress in three sizes for each of her girls. (An aside, poor Lil if she ever decides she doesn't like the dress...) In addition to the dresses there were fancy hairbows, new fancy sandals and socks and new fancy shrugs.


As if all this fanciness wasn't enough, there was even more wonderment and excitement in the decorating department!!


Nana had purchased these decoratable cookies! The cookies were rock hard and iced in plain white sugar frosting. There were six cookies and six scented, food coloring markers.


Hannah was in heaven. Absolutely in heaven. What could be better than wearing fancy new clothes and hair doodles and decorating fancy cookies??


Here is one example of Hannah's handiwork. There were three cookies like the one above, and three with cartoonish bunnies on them. Hannah has enjoyed sampling her efforts, while I, quite frankly haven't been that tempted...

While dying eggs Saturday evening, Hannah discovered there was some sort of Easter magic afoot. These two eggs came out with her name and Lily's names on them! How odd!


Please take note of Han's greenish fingers on her right hand.


But wait, there was even more magic about because here was an "Ella" egg!! Holy smokes!



Here Hannah took a photo of all the eggs she dyed this past weekend. The colors were far more vibrant than detailed above, but when you are fairly small and can't back far enough away from your subject, said subject has a tendency to be washed out by the flash.

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Ah, Lissie and her girls, two of whom were in fairly miserable spirits. Lily was exhausted from NOT SLEEPING for two nights in a row. No, I'm not exaggerating, the child did not sleep for more than two consecutive hours either Friday or Saturday nights. By the time Sunday morning rolled around she was absolutely shattered.


Ella meanwhile just wanted her mommy. The funny/tragic part of these pictures is they were the only photos of all three girls taken together in their Easter finery.


One interesting/funny thing that did happen Sunday morning was Jessie asking if I would please do Ella's hair. This makes be snicker because she is the hairdresser, not I! Overall I don't think I did that poor a job :o). (Poor poor Lily--I think she just wanted to go to sleep.)

Fried Apple Pies (For You, Paul)

Fried apple pies are without a doubt one of my most favorite slices of cardiac arrest heaven. No body make them better than my mom. In fact, every time she is visiting or we are visiting her, I'm hard pressed not to beg her to make fried apple pies. Jessie isn't as shy about asking :oP.


When we arrived at Mom's late Friday night there were three lonely pies sitting on a paper towel, cooling into fried pie blobs. No worries, little fried pies, Rachael was there to see their fried pie happiness quest fulfilled. Sure, they are best hot, but I was so thrilled to see them I snarfed two of 'em down in short order.


Sunday afternoon, Lissie once again took on the task of clogging our arteries (thanks, Mom!) with these little slices of heaven. She begins by rolling homemade pie crust very very thin. Using the rubbermaid container in the lower left corner of the picture above, she cuts circles of crust. A dollop of good apple butter is placed in the center (good apple butter is a MUST and I'm afraid we are all very picky about our apple butter--the best we ever had being homemade in a HUGE copper kettle over a wood fire, but that's a story for another day...) and the crust is then folded in half and crimped with a fork.


These babies are then fried until golden brown on both sides. Mom has discovered they cook better over gas heat than they ever did on the electric range. (Insert gas range envy here...)


Hot fried apple pies should be eaten with care as the innards are roughly 1000 degrees and will burn not only your tongue, but also the corners of your mouth and then you won't be able to taste the rest of the pie, which would be a really big shame. However, when faced with such a tempting pile of pies, patience is often hard to come by and you somehow wind up burning yourself in spite of everything. I always eat far to many because they are so decadently delicious.

(Mom, thank you thank you thank you! Paul, if I could figure out some way to send these through customs without the Homeland Security guys eating them (well, that and getting them to you hot, as that is of the utmost importance), I would send you a double batch.)

Family Photo Fiasco

My mom has had the same request for Mother's Day the past two years: she wants a group portrait of all five of her girls together. Since we all happen to be together in Greenville this weekend, Jessie scheduled a portrait sitting for us.


To work around the various and sundry children's schedules and event scheduled for today, Jessie made the appointment for 5:00. This would allow the little girls to have a decent nap, and for us to go to Dr. Groby's chowder social--everyone would be well rested and well fed making everyone happy.


We made sure to arrive ten minutes early as a courtesy to the studio. We could tell they were very busy with Easter weekend portraits and there were quite a few families waiting to either have their pictures made, or order prints from the pictures that had been taken. We waited and waited and waited! We were finally seen at 5:40!! The girls were out of sorts, Ella in particular was a bundle of energy waiting to explode as she hadn't napped at all today.


We began with a group portrait of everyone and it really didn't come out too badly. We then moved onto to a group shot of all five girls. Again, not too bad. But, when it came time to try and get all three of the little ones by themselves, Lily and Ella had had ENOUGH!


Lily is still going through a big mama's girl phase and wasn't interested in leaving my side. Additionally, we were all thoroughly tired and ready for it to end.


We figure that over all they are fairly decent for having two exhausted and worn out little munchkins.