It's The Little Things

For the past nine days, my grandson was sick. It turned from a side effect from his 15 month shots to an ear infection, eye infections, and a cough. From that it became dehydration and pneumonia, resulting in IVs and 4 times a day breathing treatments.

My daughter took off from work for a few days, my son in law also took off and I helped out when my grandson couldn’t go back to Day Care until he built up his resistance.

Will was really sick, lethargic, and didn’t want to eat or drink. All he wanted was to be held. Each day I was hopeful for when he would get better. When his fever finally broke that was a relief. But he still wasn’t himself.

On the ninth day, Will finally started to drink and then, all of a sudden he decided to eat. I was ecstatic when I changed a wet diaper. Who would have thought that I would have been so excited? That was the sign that Will was drinking and on the mend.

Funny how grandparents worry more about their grandchildren then they did about their own children. Even funnier was the fact that a wet diaper would have made me so happy!

Arian David Photography

Arian David, wedding photographer from Rochester, New York, made a trip into Utica, New York, visited a number of places, took some spectacular photos, and blogged about it. Every so often, he takes his camera and goes off and shoots photos for his artistic pleasure. David

decided to visit some towns in Central New York and blog about them, and Utica happened to be one of these towns.

My cousin shared the story with me and gave me Arian David’s Blog site. What I found interesting is that after the photographer blogged about Utica, and with the news coverage and placing it on his Facebook page and his Twitter account, the photographer mentioned that he had 25,000 hits whereas he had 20,000 visitors. That is so amazing! What was more amazing was that the people who saw his Blog and photos got to see the beauty of some of Utica’s hidden treasures and attractions.

David visited the Railroad Train Station and the Farmers Market that is held there, Utica Roasting Company, Hotel Utica, Stanley Theater, Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute, Matt Brewing Company and The Tailor and The Cook restaurant.

Since going back to visit my relatives, I have seen and visited almost all of those places that David had photographed. But some other personal favorites are the small cafes and pastries, the tomato pie and the Memorial Parkway are also some of my favorites.

Now after reading the Blog (http://ariandavidphtography.wordpress.com), I have told my cousin that when I come in for my annual visit, I want to go back and see all those places again.

Sometimes, real treasures are in one’s own back yard.

Writer to Writer

The other day, my grandson, Matt, asked me a few questions about my writing process. The first question was where do I write. I thought about it and then I answered him, thinking it would be one easy answer. I said that I write on my bed. Then I added, I write in my chair in my bedroom. I added that I also write at the kitchen table. And then it was, Oh…I also write at the computer. Then a few days later, I realized that I write anywhere and everywhere, like in my car, or at the bookstore, or at my daughter’s catering kitchen, I also write on a bench outside or whenever I get an idea, wherever I am.

Then he asked how I write. My answer was that I write long hand with a pen or pencil. But other times, I can expand my writing in front of the computer without using the old way of pencil and pen.

The third question was, “Grandma, do you have a notebook that I can use because I have an idea about a story that I want to write?”

My answer was, “You bet I do.” I promptly went upstairs to my writing room and pulled out a composition book from my bookshelf for my grandson to use. I handed the book to Matt…a gift from one writer to another.

Craving Stuffed Pepper Soup

I have been having a food craving. It centers on soup. Not just any soup but Stuffed Pepper Soup. Earlier in the day, my daughter who is a chef and owns her own Deli, displayed a picture on Facebook of a bowl of Stuffed Pepper Soup with the advice to stop in for lunch and have a bowl at the Deli. That soup looked utterly delicious.

Later that day, I was eating lunch out at a diner with a friend. While looking over the menu, I stopped when I saw Stuffed Pepper Soup. I ordered a cup to go along with my sandwich.

When my order arrived, I couldn’t wait to sink my spoon into the soup and taste it. But, unfortunately whatever they used to make the soup – it didn’t look very appealing at all. I saw something red, and something green, but the liquid looked grayish in color. My friend and I realized that the cook must have used finely ground turkey. It looked unappealing and I didn’t even want to taste it, so I left it feeling a bit disappointed.

I went home with Stuffed Pepper Soup on my brain, and started to try to find a recipe for it but came up short. That night, my daughter, the chef, contacted me and asked me if I could come into her kitchen and help out. My job was to make, of all things, Stuffed Pepper Soup for her Deli! Of course I would have her recipe. For a while, I wondered if my house was bugged or was there a hidden camera embedded in my brain. I shrugged that off and thought…Wow, now I can make my soup and eat it too!

Two Big Congratulations!

A few weeks ago, my oldest granddaughter, Hannah, let me know that she had three pieces of her artwork submitted to this year’s Scholastic Art Program. One of her drawings received a Silver Key and the other two received Honorable Mention.

For the past few years, Hannah has had her artwork accepted and on display at LA Roche College in the North Hills area, along with the other Scholastic winners. In each of those shows, she has received a Silver Key.

Then yesterday, my oldest grandson, Matt, called to tell me that the story he wrote was accepted to the Scholastic Western Pennsylvania Writing Project, and received a Gold Key. I was really excited to hear about that. When Matthew was younger, he used to dictate his stories to a grown- up who would write them down. Then Matt would illustrate them. Eventually he would write more books by himself, as well as illustrate those.

I was so excited that his 8^th grade teacher recognized his talent and submitted his story to Scholastic. Good job, Matt!

Congratulations to both of my grandchildren, Hannah and Matthew. I am so proud of you both!

Halie the Baker

The work at my daughter’s catering kitchen can be long and hard. A lot of the time after working, I go home so sore that I have to take a few pills to help out with the pain. But working in the kitchen does have some rewards.

One of my biggest pleasures is working at one of the prep tables across from the other table, watching Halie, who is the baker, make her ciabatta bred, or roll out and cut the rolls to bake, or watch her frost and decorate her cupcakes. My biggest perk is always getting to sample whatever Halie makes. I don’t always have to ask to sample anything. All I have to do is say, “Wow, that looks amazing, “ and without any hesitation, with a smile on her face, Halie will cut me some of her ciabatta bread, or give me a mouth-watering sweet roll, or a scrumptious scone, or a delectable cupcake or cookie that seems to melt in my mouth. My favorite is the delicious pizza rolls. They are shaped in large circles, rather big, and honest to God, I could eat at least six of them, one after another, and not even feel guilty about it.

What I love about Halie is her over the top energy. She starts work at four and by the time I arrive, she must drink at least a whole pot of coffee. I also like the fact that I like the music she plays and she has learned to lower it so that we can talk to one another.

I seldom get paid or ever get a raise, but I do take my payment in as many free pastries as I can. I have also been known to walk out with one of Halie’s scones without even telling her. Halie also bakes pies and cakes. I have had some of her cakes and those are fabulous. But, I haven’t quite figured out how to sample one of those pies, just yet. But I am working on it!