A Childhood Rekindled

There are certain scents, certain strains of a forgotten melody, certain flavors that call forth old memories; scenes of the long-ago come rushing into my mind the instant I encounter them, and I find myself remembering vivid details I have not thought of in so long that I never would have imagined they could still be so clear in my mind. Yet, there they are, with that certain strange scent suddenly in the air…a certain staleness, but with a peculiar sharp quality to it, and my first grade classroom surrounds me: the reading corner where an incubator warms chicken eggs, the 5 low tables and chairs the perfect height for first grader statures, the darkness of the room for there were only two windows in each corner, and my teacher, Mrs. Robinson, with her withered skin and short dark hair sitting behind her desk. It’s all there, but it fades again once the scent is gone and I have done exploring those memories.

For my Dad, there is a very particular cookie recipe that does this for him. He’s been searching for it, he’s attempted and failed to reproduce it, he’s asked his family about it, and, until now, he has had to go without his beloved childhood cookies. A few weeks ago, while cleaning out Grampa Zenk’s garage, this recipe card fell onto the floor at his feet: “`Shorty’s’ Oatmeal Spice Cookies.”

He knew it for what it was instantly: His Grampa’s long lost cookie recipie. After all the failed attempts, the first batch from the oven doesn’t let him down. Delicious, scrumptious flavors of his long-ago childhood bring forth memories more potent than the spices of the cookie, and he is in the past.

They are delectable cookies, warm and gooey, flavorful and satisfying; the kind of cookie you have wished for and craved, the kind of cookie that you remember, the kind of cookie that doesn’t disappoint, and the kind of recipe you don’t mess with, for it can’t be improved. It is nostalgically perfect.

Shorty's Oatmeal Spice Cookies:

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup soft shortening or 1 cup margerine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
4 Tbsp milk
1 packaged chocolate chips
nuts or cocunut as desired (Dad put walnuts and sunflower seeds in his latest batch.)
4 cups uncooked rolled oats

Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Add shortening, sugars, eggs and milk. Beat until smooth- about 2 minutes. Fold in chips, nuts/coconut and oats. Drop onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. (Dad recommends a shorter cooking time 8-10 minutes, so sit by and watch your cookies to find the right cooking time for you.) Enjoy!

Eat them with your feet up in a dark comfortable room with soft music playing... ahhh.

Surprise Party for Karen

My sweet friend Karen definitely ranks as one of my favorite people. This year for her birthday, Valerie, another friend, and I decided to throw Karen a surprise birthday party. I've never thrown a successful surprise anything (I get caught) but Karen played along beautifully for this one. I am convinced she knew nothing.

Valerie helping me decorate

Valerie and I wanted to do something different, something none of us had ever done before, so I suggested we visit the new Cameron Park Observatory, then go to my house, pre-decorated of course, for the obligatory cake & ice-cream. She suggested we meet at her house first, as if it were one of our usual game nights, to throw her off the scent of our deviousness. Jared, another game night regular, met us there to further blind Karen to the truth. After a while, I put an end to the gaming, and informed everyone to (please) go get in my car. Karen didn't ask one single question! Not one! She just climbed right in, happily participating in the conversation about thumb wars! ("Luke...I am your mother!") So, I drive us out of town, expecting some kind of question from Karen, like, hmm, I don't know: "where are we going," or something like that, but no. She just sat there. Even when I turned off the highway and started winding us through the dark countryside roads, she asked not one question. She didn't even ask WHY when I charged my passengers to avoid any light sources upon pain of death! (To get their eyes as adjusted to the dark as possible for better night vision, good for star-gazing.) She just obediently sat with her eyes closed until we got to the observatory and I told her to open them. Later, when I asked how on earth she could possibly go along with everything and not ask one single question, her reply was: "Why would I? I LOVE surprises!!"

The new observatory was interesting... a little small and plain, like everything else is in podunk Placerville, but interesting. They had a couple telescopes set up outside, and one huge one inside. The planet Jupiter was the subject of the night, and we also saw 4 of it's 63 moons. (Did you know there was that many??) We had a good time.

Claiming I needed a bathroom break, with Valerie and Jared readily agreeing, I drove us to my parents house, where Valerie and I had spent some of the afternoon decorating. We came inside, Karen looked around, and then she asked her first question: "Whose birthday is it?" It's yours, you silly goose! Surprise!" Golly. And then we attacked the cake.

Karen, Valerie and Jared

Karen turning ____ years old...even though her birthday is really on the 5th.

(There is an unspoken agreement in our group. We don't ask, and we don't tell. Its a birthday. Thats all you need to know.)

After we took the decorations down, we decorated Karen for a photo op. ( I got Michael out of bed to take it for us. He's such a good sport.)

New Tooth

My first cosmetic alteration: I got my chipped front tooth filled in! Awahaa! I don't look like a hick anymore! I know its a small thing, but it makes me feel totally different about my smile.

I chipped it when I was somewhere around 12... playing marbles with Michael. Don't play marbles with your face down within range of your opponent.

I have a brilliant dentist. Took him an hour and a half, two tries to match the shade, but it was worth it. I love and adore my dental hygienist, Ann. She is about 45, but she is just like me in every personality aspect we have discovered so far. I never miss my regularly scheduled 6 month cleaning, but I'd go more often just to see her again! It takes her twice as long to clean my teeth as any other patient because we're both jabbering away. Ever had a full on conversation during a cleaning? Messy. It was she who first assured me that the chip was fixable when I complained about it at my last appointment, so I asked the doc to do it, and I'm so happy I did!

New Home for My Books

I have been accused of not posting often enough. Well, as you see, I haven't got much to blog about. Nothing super exciting anyway, but in an effort to appease my fans, I promise to blog more often, telling whatever stories I may to entertain you. But remember, you asked for it. I really DO tend to ramble.

I recently acquired about 20+ books from Grampa Zenk's garage sale that looked interesting to read. The problem, though, is that I have no more room in my room for more books. I have books on top of my armoire, in drawers, on my desk, crammed into my one little book case, and my closet is full of them. Beloved books, future beloved books, books, books, books. I've even spilled over into the study hall shelves outside my door. Not good when you have a mother who measures dust depth. I've had to create a pile-shifting pattern so she thinks these books are in constant use. She sometimes chucks stuff that has more than three hours worth of dust on top.

The solution? New bookcases! Two of them! Side by side under my windows they sit, providing a safe harbor for the huddled masses. Actually, they just have room enough for the books that were lining the floor under my window...I still had to cram more paper backs onto my little book shelf in the corner. (Point of interest, Grampa Clawson made that for me.) It's nice to have a place for stuff that was cluttering my desk as well: pink boxes! New shelves! My room is a happier one. Much Better.


Here is a "before & after" for you.

(A post featuring the above mentioned garage sale is soon to follow.)