KALEIDOSCOPE

For years, my mother has been attending open houses for friends and relatives who achieve milestone birthdays.  When my mother turned 78, she was adamant about what she wanted and didn’t want in regard to her 80th birthday.

No one was to put her on display at an open house for her birthday.  No one!  As the only child, it was fairly easy to acquiesce to her wishes.  I did feel, however, that something had to be done.  Rather than an open house, I had thought about a big surprise party at one of the local parks in the shelter.  I began my planning in early April, her birthday falling in August.  I identified specific people who I thought my mother would like to see in attendance - including her God-daughter, Lisa, who came to town every August.

With the guest list begun, I needed to decide whether it should be the weekend before or the weekend after her birthday.  This is where the process of throwing a surprise party gets difficult.  My 79 year old mother travels extensively since her companion of 18 years died a year ago.  She had been his care-giver through two years of dimentia (a form of Alzheimer’s) and had never felt comfortable leaving him alone or having someone else come into the house to watch him.  By mid-May, she was organizing her plans for travel; Canada was on her list for August, but she couldn’t decide whether to leave before her birthday or after.  Before her birthday would put a surprise party early August, and I was going to be in Missouri with my husband visiting his sister.  After her birthday would not work for several people who I thought should be at her party.  I, however, had to wait for her decision before I could continue my plans.

Her final decision was to leave the day after her birthday, but she decided so late that pulling together a major surprise party where people would actually attend would not be possible.

So? Plan B.

I must say I think she liked Plan B better than  a big surprise party.  This plan had two steps to it.  First, call from our vacation to Missouri and make sure Lisa had gotten to town.  Finding out no one had planned any extended family get-together, I had Mom arrange a breakfast for the four of us (my mother, Lisa, Lisa’s sister, and me) at a favorite Swedish restaurant.  (We all love Swedish pancakes.)

Step two was a little more devious.  In fact, my youngest son (23) was shocked to learn just how sneaky his mother actually was.  (He was around to hear the phone conversations.)  I arranged to take over fellowship time after church the Sunday before her birthday.  I was so grateful that all involved kept the secret.

Of course, even this was not easy.  Saturday evening when my Mom called, she began listing the possible things she might do on Sunday, but thankfully she added that it would be after church.  (I don’t think bakeries look kindly on the return, or non-pickup, of a full sheet cake.)

My mother’s first surprise was my “late” appearance at church; I rarely, if ever, go.  She thought my appearance was the “best birthday present” I could have ever given her.  It wasn’t until the end of the service when I grabbed my camera that she realized something more was up.  The paster asked for the congregation to sing “Happy Birthday” to her, and then I asked everyone to join us in the basement for birthday cake.

I made her day.  She keeps saying that she can’t believe what I did for her.  Wait till her actually birthday when she gets her real present: the hot air balloon ride she has always wanted.  (She’s going to have to accept a certificate, though, because her travels seem to have her booked.)

My garden is producing zucchini at an unbelievable rate.  At one point, I thought I had green counters rather than yellow.  It’s time for zucchini bread, zucchini brownies, and zucchini whatever.

In my haste to get the first loaf of zucchini bread made, I inadvertently mismeasured some of the ingredients.  Thankfully, the loaf tasted fabulous.

In trying to figure out what I left out, I found that I had made a healthier loaf of bread, and one that was better for my husband who is a diabetic.

Here’s the new recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*Use “Pam” to grease and then flour one large loaf pan (or depending on the large size 2) or four mini loaf pans.

*Grate and drain 2 cups of zucchini

*Mix the following dry ingredients together and set aside.

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

*In a mixing bowl, beat the following together.

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup natural applesauce

2 teaspoons vanilla

*Stir the zucchini into the wet ingredients till well mixed.  Then, stir in the dry ingredients.

*Pour into the prepared loaf pan(s) and bake.

**Large loaves at least 1 hour.

**Mini loaves 40 minutes - 60 minutes

For parents, kids, and teachers alike, the countdown to the first day of school is on.

For parents, it focuses on checking to see if those clothes from last spring still fit, or does the school uniform still fit or even be found, or is a grand shopping spree around the corner.  If your kids are like mine, we had the need for new clothes; my boys seemed to grow as if I put the Miracle Grow on them rather than the plants in my garden.  Every fall, the jeans looked like what they called “flood waters” pants.  If we bought them longer than necessary, they complained about having to roll them up.  Then, the never ending list of school supplies that the teacher, school, or school district deem necessary needs to be purchased, names written on the items, and the items put together in the backpack to get them to school for the first day.  I feel sorry for the parents with school supplies; at least my kids had few choices.  It seems to me that Crayola has a plot to make a parent pull every strand of hair out trying to appease the child about what pack of markers he can get.  Then, that task of writing the child’s name on each crayon, marker, and even marker cap drove me nuts.

For kids, it becomes an impatient not for classes, but to see friends that haven’t been seen for the whole summer, or even the next door neighbor.

For teachers it is a whole different countdown.   I spend the last few days of summer vacation deep cleaning my house and working with the beginning harvest of the garden.  Why?  Well, once the school year starts, I don’t have the time that I would like to get everything done.  I teach high school English and creative writing and most evenings are spent reading for class or grading.  I finish up the novels that have been started, and begin to look at planning what I will be teaching.  Yes, I’ve been teaching for better than 20 years, but I rarely do the same thing two times in a row; it gets too boring for me.

I also start looking at gathering school supplies and checking out the wardrobe.  I doubt the administration would look too favorably at me if I wore my cut off jean shorts and a t-shirt.  My concern, though, is not did I grow, but did I gain weight.

I numbered my days on my calendar today.  I have 22 days left of freedom till the routine of the school year attacks me again.