Fall from the sidelines

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Telling stories out of order again. It's a weakness of mine. We have now wrapped up football but up until the last two weeks this is usually where we were at the end of a week. Looking at the pictures brings it all back so vividly for me. The cheerleaders' chants, the shouting from the stands, our girls hanging out on the sidelines, reading and talking and people watching. Though I am glad to catch our breath now and move on to new projects it was a wonderful way to spend our autumn afternoons.

The boys really loved having their big brother drive over the mountain for a few days to see them play and get in on the armchair quarterback action.

I'm serious. The men in this family are at the ready to advise referees, analyze plays, and debate technique.

Toldja.

Piano Tiles, Grimms tales, and 50 Famous Stories have been standby's if you are wondering. (and sometimes people ask about my phone case here. I heart you England.)

They played hard. One got as far as the semifinals. Now we are preparing for the end of season banquets and it will be all wrapped up for 2016. It's been a good run.

gratitude

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Kim Halloran-Fry

My street is lined with flags planted by the boy scouts in the early morning hours today honoring those who have served our nation. Some of them hold a special place in my affections. Looking at these snapshots leaves me flooded with emotion. So many bits and pieces.

My grandfather served in the US Army stateside in the second world war. My grandmother joined him for a time in California where they shared a three bedroom apartment with two other military couples.

Think about that.

He told the stories about escorting Desi Arnaz around post for the rest of his life. He is shown with Gram, above, and his mother, a Slovenian immigrant, below.

My father-in-law enlisted in the USAF in the '60s. My husband was born on base in Verdun, France while he served there.

Pictured below is my mother-in-law's wonderful, quiet husband who experienced the trauma that was Vietnam.

Al jean

A liberal pacifist young girl (me) married this handsome airman

(below) in the 80's. I did not go gently into the military world but rather was rebellious and argumentative much of the way. Much. I came to understand, respect, and revere the men and women he served with and their positions which had little or nothing to do with whomever currently held office, nor certainly for any love of war.

Sometimes he served at home. Sometimes we held down the domestic fort while he served in Korea or Cuba or Saudi Arabia or Iraq. Sometimes he was here to rock babies every night. Sometimes he had to reintroduce himself to his babies and start fresh.

One of those babies grew up to wear his own uniform. He is reaching the end of his current tour in Europe after serving in Korea and California. He will finish his degree with the GI Bill he has earned being far from home for many, many years.

There are stories behind every uniform. Good stories. Heartbreaking stories. I love hearing them no matter where I might run across them. Just days ago we found ourselves standing in an aisle at Walmart chatting with a 91yo gentleman. He asked the children if they liked math. Admittedly there was not an enthusiastic response. He went on to tell them it was like playing piano. The more you practice the better it gets. How nothing is more rewarding than dedication to hard things.

He explained he was an engineer for nearly 60yrs. He had served in Korea and been sent to Singapore. He returned and devoted himself to science and technology. He had a full life which he credited to hard work and perseverance. And he shared his story with us in the Walmart aisle because these things are important.

I am grateful today for that legacy of quiet service.

Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. – Ronald Reagan

of cakes and company during election week

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Kim Halloran-Fry

It has been a full week, even removing the election from the mix. Saturday was a work day in house and yard, at least after one midday soccer game. LOTS of weeding and leaf bagging and cleaning. We had overnight guests on Sunday which was wonderful. So good to visit even for a short time and I love a full house. The kids helped set up bedrooms and we made a big vat of chili to serve with baked potatoes after church.

Monday and Tuesday were challenging from start to finish. My husband was hosting his work unit at our place for their fall morale day on Wednesday. This is our second year so I had a good idea of what we needed to do though our basement remodel has kept things a bit off kilter around the house. We planned our part of the menu and cleaned as usual. In the middle of it Monday it seemed to me a good time to empty our clown car pantry and closet and deep clean them. Why I don't know but they are super tidy now.

On Tuesday the girls and I headed to the library to vote and return books. Afterwards we went to the thrift store and found some finishing touches for our party tables - baskets and tablecloths in rich fall plaids. With what seemed like mounting momentum we headed to Walmart to make a return and buy the rest of the party supplies and ingredients.

I was feeling ON TOP of my game at that point. Like, oozing good citizenship and hospitality prep. However right there in the craft aisle getting some raffia to tie onto a vase I noticed my vision going. As in away. Migraine aura was starting. Not good not good not good. Not at Walmart where there is no escape from flourescent lighting and no one with a drivers license with me. I've had enough of these to know how long we had before the aura passed and the pain hit. Probably a half hour for the one and up to an hour for the other. So I soldiered on. Tess read my list and we managed to load the cart between us. Fortunately most of mankind was out voting so we at least had a near empty store. When all was clear we headed home and the boys unloaded. I went to bed.

Fortunately the pain was not debilitating and prep could resume a few hours later. By then election anticipation was reaching a fevered pitch. The rest of the house was glued to the set. (Do we still say 'set?' That's TV anyway.) I was rather detached from the whole thing, probably due to the sorta surreal post-migraine haze. I hit the kitchen to begin the first of the two cakes we intended to make, which was the original point of the post.

Oh how I do ramble. It's worse in person where you can't click away.

So cake one was a Pumpkin cream cheese bundt. I was very pleased with this one though it did take a while. And we misplaced the pastry bag when we cleaned the pantry so the topping is…. like it is. My election guys shuffled back and forth updating me. When the cake and cleanup was done it was after 11pm and still no verdict. Knowing the day we had ahead of us it didn't seem as though agonizing all night would be a good idea so I went to bed. Even shut the door. Done.

I must have been pretty darn done because I woke up having slept straight through and reached for the phone in the morning to see what had happened. And then? I got dressed, tied on an apron and made another cake because my job description was not one of those that had changed overnight. In times of upheaval some of the most constructive things a person can do are the everyday familiar things we always do – plunge our hands into soapy water, mix up batter, run a mop, set a timer, arrange a vase of flowers, light some candles. Those are the things I did.

And made a Cider Cake with Butterscotch Bourbon Glaze, which I realized too late was not the pinned recipe I intended to make, but was already committed. Not that it wasn't good. By all accounts it was. Either it was post migraine haze or the recipe was really confusing. There were measures of sugar divided, but then only one direction for sugar usage. Or mention of 'add remaining' such and such but we hadn't used any of that item prior. Being NOT the world's most gifted baker I read and reread to catch my error and couldn't tell you now where it lies – recipe or me. (odds are on me) Someone make the darned cake and either set me straight or validate my confusion if you will. Long story shorter, it was an intellectual challenge of sorts which I enjoyed. Employed some new skills and techniques and would likely have been perfect if I had set my oven properly and not to convection. Because I do things like this.

Just want to pause to add here that when my ballot was filled out I was, in fact, completely coherent lol. I vote better than I bake.

Anyway, the world continues to spin loudly and sometimes precariously outside these walls. Over here we have baked and scoured the junk shop and read books and opened our doors to over three dozen people of all different walks of life this week. It's been wonderful. As my friend MacBeth says, "Humans are very nice close up." Our home has been one of the best places for us to love and serve them. I feel very fortunate to have been able to spread a little warm and happy in what has sometimes been a very not that season.

how to save a nation

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Thoughts for election day….

"…it's not our politics that will save us, but our humanity and the smaller more beautiful worlds in which we love each other,"

"To make us love our country, our country ought to be lovely."

"…such loveliness begins within the simple ordinary customs and small affections,"

more here

weekending

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Hoping your weekend has drawn you in and surrounded you with peace and beauty.

Working the Bison

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Every year, come fall, they round up the bison on Antelope Island for a week-long process of inspection, medication, and culling. We did not get to the round up this year but had been planning this trip to see them working the herd for weeks. I was a little concerned when our normally sunny sky forecast called for rain that day but we moved forward with high hopes. When it still wasn't raining when we arrived I was positively giddy. Giddy still, as I swung that camera strap over my neck and went to adjust the settings on the camera. Giddy passed quickly when I saw that big "E" on the screen. Error message.

See, I was rocking this field trip thing. It was on the calendar way in advance. The little girls were up early packing lunches. We got gas. Camera card was downloaded and bag was packed. The misstep in there was forgetting to take the memory card back out of the computer. Insert sharp gasp and dramatic face palm. Not gonna lie, I almost cried actual tears. It takes 40 minutes to drive out from here to the island and they do this whole thing in a day or two.

Sooooo, I pulled myself together and pulled out the world's stupidest smartphone. You'll get the gist anyway. It's more important to just keep telling the story right?

Ok so bison are bovine and technically not buffalo which is apparently the term more correctly applied to the Asian water buffalo family. Nevertheless they ARE the same critter that roamed the open plains of the wild west. We've just been using the wrong name all this time.

These bison are part of a large herd that roam the island. In the fall they open up these feeding corrals to entice them in. When the medical staff and volunteers arrive they begin the sorting process. A few at a time are moved down the narrowing path towards the chute with this "turkey chaser" tractor.

Bison6

Bison10

One by one they are shuttled into the chute where the vet scans their chips (microchips, not buffalo chips ; )), assesses breeding status, and administers shots or meds as needed. This all happens in about 90seconds. I am not exaggerating. They actually move them through in less than 2 minutes each.

If the animal is not pregnant for two consecutive years or is not growing at a good rate or in some other way is not up to par they get routed to these holding pens to be sold. This year there was a fire started by lightning on the island that took out some 14k acres of grazing area so more stock than usual are being culled to prepare for winter.

Those that make the cut are sent on their way back out to the open range.

After watching for a while the children got to handle some artifacts from the ranch and roam around. Truly one of the best field trips we have done.

Even with a stupid-phone.

Halloween 2016 in pictures

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Kim Halloran-Fry

That's a wrap! Halloween 2016 was a good one. Given how hectic the last few months were Halloween loomed too large for me by late September. Big siblings we thought would be here also ended up with changed plans. We scaled back considerably though still mostly kept our family theme tradition. This year it was Grease, which is pretty funny really considering I haven't let the kids watch the movie lol. They've discovered Happy Days though and we just merged it all up. Our wonderful daughter in law's family loaned Tess her poodle skirt. Abbie desperately wanted poodle skirts this year. (expect to see an upcycle of her cheer outfit for her birthday next month)

It means the WORLD to me when big's are game to dress up.

You have to get into character if you want me to take pictures. It's just understood. Work it!

And Momma is NOT going to all this trouble and missing out on the fun. No wall flowers here! We had a fabulous block party at the neighbors' so there was some Pink Lady action goin' on. I realize I am waaaaaaay pushing the reality envelope as a Pink Lady but I am NOT ready to be the principal lady, ok? Just scroll quickly.

K-man had a costume party of his own this weekend. He was not game for dressing up initially til we landed on Clark Kent, who is sorta mid-century himself.

Back to the block party. So much fun! B shed his jacket to try that doughnut race.

What we brought. Candy Corn Cupcakes. A layer of brownie batter, a layer of cake batter, and frosting. Pretty sure the frosting comes out best when your 6yo neighbor girl is on hand to sprinkle for you.

Carving Party

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Pumpkins. We got them more than a week ago. Maybe two. We can only be so awesome though and costumes and a block party funneled all I the awesome I had up until today. I think I may have grossly overestimated just how much awesome was left over however since it seemed like a good idea to start carving mid afternoon on Halloween day with Dad not available and, you know, a jillion costumes and people to match up and get out the door before dusk.

We pulled it off! Some people, however, thought pumpkin guts were really, really icky.

These two would be subtitled – Things that happen to you when your 11yo brother finds out you think pumpkin guts are really, really icky….. Gotta love 'em.

Oct 2016 pumpkins web (1 of 7)

A healthy supply of Monster Munch is necessary for jobs like this. People, you don't getting a lot of recipes from me, but just know when I do share one it's good! Or at least hard to screw up.

Originally each kid got their own scoop. I also grossly overestimated how much gut scooping small humans can do. Abbie Rose really did give it a good shot. She caved early on though. When I pointed out she had been scooping for all of two minutes she said it was longer than she thought she'd make it because every other year she shows Daddy a picture and he does the rest.

It has been driven home to me why pumpkin carving has been so easy to date.

Dad.

Note to self: Do this job when Dad is off work.

A bigger brother got home in time to help finish design cutting which is really good because I had a bandaid by then and he was all fresh and enthusiastic still. : )

Look at her go.

And look at the empty Munch bowl. Sorry, I got distracted by the vintage-y bowl I found at the thrift shop.

Oct 2016 pumpkins web (1 of 1)-3

And there they are on the steps. And probably still lit because I forgot to go check so am signing off and blowing out those candles. I hope you're having a wonderful, silly, and not too spooky Halloween.

Fixer Upper {ours}

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Autumn has ushered in a season of renovation around here. There is probably a metaphor in there somewhere, at least for me who sees metaphor at every turn. I've been documenting the work but if I don't post early mornings that time does not materialize later in the day. Hence, the story has not been told here.

The project that got us into the swing of things again was the sconces. We had a lot of 70's/80's brass in the house when we moved in. Some was bright yellow gold and some was this greener oiled brass, not to be confused with the cottage or tuscan style brown oiled brass popular today. Children of the seventies will instantly recognize….

We have two large carriage lights in our entry which I wanted to keep but have been torn about finish options. We ended up going with dark brown-black oiled brass which goes with the English cottage vibe on the main floor.

The after, below. I am sure I love them yet, but they are improved considerably and the finish is consistent with what we have chosen for faucets and fixtures elsewhere in the house.

We got our toes wet beginning the main floor painting since we moved some large furniture into the space and didn't want to move it later if possible. It was a hair-pulling ordeal for me to find the perfect sand color. Who knew? We brought home a ridiculous number of samples (per my husband) and one after another had distinct undertones of yellow or gray. We finally settled on this:

From Valspar's National Historic Trust line this is Cliveden Sand. I heart it. So much! Morning, noon, and night it has me swooning. (I'm a little sensitive to color. ; ))

We have much more to paint in that room but had to break off while we tackle the lower level. Our walkout level was finished in early 80's rec room style when we moved in. It has seen a lot of teen party action in its day. There are currently three different carpets going on down there – a patch of commercial indoor/outdoor sort at one end, then a more recent beige, and finally orange shag. The whole space is a hot mess, let's just say. Needs help.

The trim was a low gloss red oak. Ish. We debated a long time about painting it but the decision was made and we are sooooo happy. The low ceiling space has visually opened right up as we have worked our way around the room.

Up next – that floor I mentioned. That's gonna be a big job. Big job.

Big. Stinkin'. Job.

We are getting back on track with telling the story though.

living the in-betweens

Posted on October 22, 2016 by Kim Halloran-Fry

"I live my days in the in-betweens. In between heart-melting sweetness and meltdowns. In between racing and resting. In between letting them grow and internally pleading them to stop growing. My days take years to pass. My years flit by in what seems like days. In between it all, this life that we are building, is happening….that means the weariness that reaches to my marrow every day means something beautiful. Deep down, I know it does. It means something beautiful. The most beautiful of somethings. Being present to it all, right now, is the best time of our life. Hoping that Mercy will infuse it all, believing that it is infusing it all right now, is the best time of our life.

I know deep inside that there are more moments of exquisite magnificence packed into each day than I am aware of."

Carrie's words here said it better than I could. Do go read the rest and know, deep in your soul, that what you are doing – even if you feel you are doing it poorly – means something beautiful.

Starry Sky Journal

Reflections from Starry Sky Ranch

Author Archives: Kim Halloran-Fry