Hi Tech and Low Tech - Stir Fry Supper

It's a High Tech Low Tech World.

With the boys schedules taking them all over the place, we have kept up in plenty of high tech ways. Email, text messaging, skype, cells, even regular old land lines. One morning I opened up Facebook and, to my surprise, there was a GWU sports newsfeed that included a blog from Jay who was in the Bahamas with the basketball team.

For years at about this time, I have sat down to look at all types of schedules for David, Jay, David IV and me and then put together a combined family calendar from August till just after New Year's. Then around New Year's I do the same thing for January till August.

The schedules used to seem complicated when it included the boys preschool dates, work and various other things on the calendar. Then the schedules started to get more complicated as work got busier and the boys entries expanded with sports, school and all kinds of extracurricular plans.

In the early days, I synched all the calendars the low tech way - with pencil and paper on a calendar. We would tape some of the sports calendars on a kitchen cabinet door to refer to through the season for times and locations of the games.

In the high tech world, calendars can be synched using smart phones, ipads, email, desktops and laptops. David and I laugh because even though I was a high tech teacher back in the 80's, I have fallen behind and he always does a better job of the high tech calendar synch. But we have continued to use the kitchen cabinet door as a low tech backup.

So I was surprised when we were gathering schedules together and talking about our fall calendar and finally David looked at me at asked, "Do we have any poster paper?"

This happened about the time I was taping the sports schedules to the kitchen cabinet. We may have to add another cabinet door. With the nest empty, you would think the calendar would shrink, but that is not the case. It just keeps expanding.

We've kept a place for the SHS Football schedule on the cabinet. After all - once a Golden Lion Always a Golden Lion. UNC Football didn't get on the cabinet this year. Bless their hearts.

Wofford Football is on the cabinet door because the Terriers and the tailgate crowd are forever family. Gardner-Webb basketball is there with practice starting mid-October, preseason mid-November and games all the way till March 2012. My tennis calendar is scaled back to only Wednesday league this fall. There may be a golf thing or two.

A few things have been added this fall including some flights, some concerts and some pro-football.

So I found some poster paper. To make a low tech weekend calendar. With a color coded key to help us keep it straight.

Friends and family have helped keep us straight also. With David IV off to a great start in his new job, we have had the blessing of friends to check on him. And on us. The four Ms - Michael, Monica, Michelle and Marta - have been supporting from the west, while all of our family and friends have been supporting from the east.

And we have stopped to admire the Lake Lure sunset and the constantly blooming zinnias that Carol calls the workhorse flower.

High Tech and Low Tech collided again when we invited Mom and Dad for Sunday supper. We had David's pork tenderloin over charcoal, Fresh Market Vidalia Onion casserole (October 2010 post) and Stir Fry Vegetables. When supper was ready, 60 minutes was about to come on the television. We all wanted to watch it so David said, "I'll DVR it so we can watch it after we have supper." Momma and Daddy were puzzled and said, "Will we miss anything that comes on later?" David assured them that we wouldn't. And that we could enjoy conversation over supper without one eye on the tv. That the TV would just pause and we could catch up whenever we wanted. And we can zip past the commercials to watch it faster.

Eyes glazed over. Confusion ensued. And then I admitted that I don't understand it either. I don't even understand how an old tube style black and white television worked. As Cindy Sink who worked in TV used to say, "How do pictures fly through the air?"

Whether or not any of us understand the inner workings of nanotechnology, it's fun to fashion our own blend of high tech and low tech. So we can blend the fast paced life with the slow life of time with friends and family.

Stir Fry Sunday Supper

Since we were trying to fix a healthy meal for Mom and Dad on Sunday night, I was happy to see a recipe in the Sunday paper which reminded me of how easy and healthy is it to Stir Fry.

I have a Wok, but I just used a regular old frying pan and a few fresh vegetables that I had on hand. Most anything works but it's important to add aromatics like onions, garlic, peppers first and then the other vegetables according to how long you want each one to cook.

olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper
1 red bell pepper, sliced in strips
1 small onion, course chopped
1 squash, sliced on diagonal
1 zucchini, sliced on diagonal
1 bunch of broccoli, slice off tough stems
1 carrot, peel with vegetable peeler and then use peeler to make thin strips
Soy Sauce


Saute onion, garlic, salt and pepper in olive oil. Add pepper, squash, zuccini, broccoli and stir fry a few minutes over high heat. Add carrot strips and soy sauce.

For variety you can do any combination of vegetable and meats. Mushrooms, green or yellow peppers, jalapenos, nuts, shrimp, pork, chicken.

We made this the other night and added shrimp and hot peppers and then Jay threw in some peanuts. Kind of like Kung Pao Shrimp which we all love.

Stir fry anything is great served with Rice. And you know Mama likes it because it is colorful and healthy.

Poetry and Cooking Save the Day - Shrimp and Pasta with Fresh Basil, Romas and Parmesan Cheese

David started his new job half a country away. Jay moved into his apartment at GWU and then left for the Bahamas with his basketball team. Twice in one week I watched as clothes, shoes, tvs, computers, ipods, chargers, and other boy's necessities accumulated at our front door to be moved into a waiting vehicle and then on to a new fall address.

Poetry and cooking saved the day for me. Facebook friend, Katrina, had posted Kahlil Gibran's poem "On Children". Just in the nick of time.

The most difficult part of parenting is to raise children to become independent of you. It is also the most rewarding part of parenting.

So I watched on two separate days as each son prioritized and organized their belongings, packed up their cars, gave a bear hug and drove out of the driveway. It is such a mixed bag of emotions - the ending of one wonderful phase and the beginning of another.

I am grateful that both boys have such great opportunities in front of them. And I am grateful that both are prepared to accept their challenges and are eager to embrace their own lives.


On Children Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

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A few things that keep this bow stable are the garden, the kitchen and the grocery store. The tomatoes have had some trouble with the heat, but I have been able to find some here and there. The more I cut the fresh basil, the faster it replenishes itself. And then shrimp have been on sale. So it's been a good time for one of my favorite dishes.

Shrimp with Pasta, Fresh Basil, Garlic, Romas and Parmesan Cheese

With shrimp on sale and Roma Tomatoes and Basil in the garden this is a really fast, healthy and inexpensive meal. And the fact that we just mix in all together like tossing a fresh salad makes it super simple.

I used frozen easy peel 21-30 count shrimp, boiled with water and Old Bay Seasoning just until pink, then peeled them and left them whole.

You can use any kind of pasta but just don't boil it to death. I use vermicelli most of the time because I like the long shape mixed with whole shrimp and chopped tomatoes, but it works with other shapes like penne or seashells.

While shrimp and pasta are boiling, chop romas and basil. The amounts vary but I just try to have a good balance of colors and textures.

Don't cut corners on the parmesan cheese. Buy a block of parmesan and grate it yourself. There is such a big difference between freshly grated parmesan and any other kind. It is a little bit expensive by the block, but you don't use all that much and it lasts a really long time in the fridge.

Instead of fresh garlic, I use McCormick Minced Garlic in oil, which is a whole lot easier and maybe even a little better in this dish since you don't saute it before adding.

Mix together chopped roma tomatoes, chopped basil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Firm roma tomatoes are best for this. Other varieties are too soft and juicy and are better for sandwiches or on hamburgers.

Drain the pasta and put into a big bowl. While pasta is still hot, add the shrimp, romas, garlic, and basil and then grate parmesan on top. You can add a little olive oil if it needs a little more liquid. Toss it all together and serve with toasted buttered bread. Then savor every moment.

And the Seasons, They go Round and Round

"And the seasons, they go round and round"

You can't tell it by the extremely hot weather, but the season is already changing around here.

In the last few weeks, summertime reigned along with the heat. Family, friends, gatherings, gardening, food, flowers, music and sports. Boys and girls in and out of the house. Slamming doors. Lightning bugs. Rocking on the front porch. Loud rowdy times and quiet conversations.

We had our Back to School Pizza Gathering at the Mayos that we renamed the Back to Fall Pizza Gathering. This started out as a last hurrah before the children headed back to school or off to college. The big change for us this year is that David is heading off to the working world. 1000 miles away. But he has a great adventure ahead of him and as Marta said, "It's another chapter".

So, we had several more gatherings to give David time to say goodbye to some folks. A few college friends drove up for poolside fun and dinner. Julia, Maggie, Lynn, and Little Will met with us at Sister's for lunch one day. And we met Mama and Daddy at - where else - Wendy's.

Daddy had some good going away advice for David like - "if you watch your pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves." And he had some advice for me as well. He said, "You know, when I take the Momma Cows away from the Baby Cows, they cry for a couple of days. But then they quit."

Just like Daddy to relate everything to cows.

Somewhere in the middle of all this activity, Connie, Cindy and I enjoyed a concert at Flat Rock Playhouse. Tom Fisch and Julie Foldesi played the songs of James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. All of the songs were great but the song that keeps playing in my mind is by Joni.

"And the seasons, they go round and round. And the painted ponies go up and down"

The image of painted ponies made me want to go to the Shelby City Park Carousel and take a picture of Miss Ruby, the carousel pony that is named after Mama. The City Park Carousel is beautifully restored and is a real treasure for all of us who remember going there as children. Then going there with our own children.

With the Joni Mitchell tune still going around and around, I couldn't remember all of the lyrics. So of course I googled them and they couldn't have been more beautiful. Or more real. Or more timely.

Circle Game by Joni Mitchell

Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star

Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like when you're older must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game *

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
And they tell him take your time it won't be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game