Almost

He almost made it. Jared is home again. They arrived last night, late. One would think that since he is the captain, he could better determine a proper time to come home. One would be wrong. Jared did get to eat some leftovers from Thursday. I froze just enough for him to have turkey sandwiches for a few days. We have children so there was no chance of leftover desserts. Those barely lasted the day.

Jared missed out entertaining our holiday guest. We sponsor a single sailor every holiday we can. If the ship is in port, it is usually one of the crew. That means we have sponsored a grand total of 5 from the ship… out of 12 Thanksgivings. This year’s guest was an ensign that is from Oregon, my home state. It was refreshing being able to speak of places and events we have both enjoyed. It turns out we have probably crossed paths before. A favorite spot of hers is Depot Bay which is my favorite place. In fact, it is where I met my husband. Her hometown is not far from my town so we both tended to shop in Salem. As they say, it is a small world.

June was a great help in preparing our dinner. She insisted that she prepare deviled eggs. With a little oversight, the mustard was not too much this time. She was very helpful with other things too. She was very particular about how the table was laid out. Everything had to be just so. Not a fork or plate out of place and the napkins were perfectly centered which we were not allowed to disturb until dinner officially began.

Chao lei was… well… Chao lei. He snacked all morning then ate and ate at dinner. I was unaware of his hollow leg. I have to think that is how he ate so much. I have never seen him eat so much as he did. He takes after his father. The help I got from him was far from volunteer labor. I told him it is not his sister’s job to do all the cleanup. If you eat, you work. With great reluctance, he cleared the table.

Holiday is over, Jared is home, now we return to normal… until the next time. A positive thing is it is possible we will have a family Christmas this year. One can hope.

Saturday Soup

 ... On Sunday

I forgot yesterday's recipe so I'll post it today. I know it would have ruined your entire week if I did not post it. ;-)

Today is split pea soup. It is a hearty soup, almost a stew. It goes wonderfully with Honey Black Bread. My children love it. Jared? Not so much. I discovered this by watching him eat small bowls and the sandwiches he would attempt to sneak not long after dinner. He will eat it without protest (because he is a good husband) but I avoid making it while he is at home.

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

•     ·        1 meaty ham bone
• ·        1-1/3 cups dried green split peas, rinsed
• ·        2 celery ribs, chopped
• ·        1 large carrot, chopped
• ·        1 sweet onion, chopped
• ·        4 cups water
• ·        1 bottle (12 ounces) light beer (substitute with chicken stock if desired but the flavor will be different)
• ·        1 tablespoon prepared English mustard
• ·        1/2 cup 2% milk
• ·        1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• ·        1/2 teaspoon salt
• ·        1/4 teaspoon pepper
• ·        1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ·        Additional minced fresh parsley, optional

Directions

    Place ham bone in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Add peas, celery, carrot and onion. Combine water, beer and mustard; pour over vegetables. Cook, covered, on high 5-6 hours or until peas are tender.

    Remove ham bone from soup. Cool slightly, trim away fat and remove meat from bone; discard fat and bone. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces; return to slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. If desired, top with additional minced parsley.

I usually use the largest ham bone available, at least 2 lbs. I simmer it for two hours and use that stock. I bone it and save half the ham for the next batch of soup. Half the stock is saved as well.

 Enjoy!

How Disappointng

I have heard from the DoDEA concerning a teaching position in the Rota schools. It is not good news. There are no positions scheduled to be vacant. The most likely position I may currently look forward to is as a substitute. *sigh* This is disappointing. What am I to do with myself? Because of the Agreement on Defense Cooperation (ADC) with Spain, employment anywhere else is a challenge. I will submit the necessary paperwork for full time teaching and for substitute but otherwise, home school it is.

I am told that our first summer will be occupied just by learning about Rota and El Puerto de Santa María, the two cities closest to the base. Since the cost of living there is very reasonable (according to my research), I need to find where I will do my shopping. I will surely check out the NEx and commissary, but I have been informed the prices off base are usually slightly lower but slightly more inconvenient due to having to leave the base and exchanging money before you go.

We remain focused on one house in particular that is in the city of Rota but it is still a long time to wait for it. According to the realtor, the house is due to become available in June of ’24 which is perfect. Jared is set to arrive in June. It is possible the children and I will arrive with him but likely we will arrive shortly after him but before the change of command. I hope it is not too late since I have a reception to plan. I do not wish to do so from another continent.

The good part of our arrival is timing. We will arrive at the height of tourist season so all the things to see will be in full swing. I have been told some are closed for the winter. We will have much to explore on our arrival. With good fortune, likely much work, we will have at the least, basic Spanish by the time we get there. The nice thing is, Spanish is very portable. It can be used almost anywhere in Europe. English is also common around the southern Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. We have the British to thank for that since they vacation here a lot, I am told.

With no teacher positions available at the schools, the children and I will explore. Often. We will bring Jared with us as often as possible. Perhaps we may even be able to vacation somewhere. I tend to look to London. Say… two weeks?  We will see.

Just a short mention of June and her antics… well… not sure I can call then antics this week. Her behavior was actually rather practical. Should anyone tell you your children do not watch you, do not believe them.

June often joins me in the kitchen when I prepare food. I have not specifically sought to instruct her in how to prepare this or that. I have thought of her as too young (foolish me). It seems, though, that she pays more attention than I have given her credit for. I was straightening the living room when I heard a shout from the kitchen:

June: Where is the paprika?

Oh no. Now what? It seems She decided she wanted some deviled eggs for a snack, so she retrieved the hard-boiled eggs I had boiled earlier, mayo, mustard, and relish from the refrigerator and prepared six of them. I will admit, she did quite well. There was a little more mustard than I prefer but they were still very edible. And the best part was, the mess was minimal; a bowl, a knife, and two spoons. Yes, she pays closer attention than I thought. This will make her grandmother so very proud. It does me.

Another event is not so nice but I find she was only being practical. As I stood in the hallway, June charged past me toward the bathroom shouting, “I am oiling my pants!” What!?

As I looked in on her she explained herself but not well. “By that I mean I am water pooping my pants.” Huh? What is water pooping? Well, it seems she has been having some slight tummy issues that has resulted in a watery diarrhea. I told her she should tell me of these kinds of things. Her response? “Why? It just makes me have to hurry to the bathroom. It does not hurt or anything.” I told her to tell me anyway. Now I have to explore her room to see if there have been any “accidents.”

It is sunny and 62º and I am freezing. Normally I would not be as cold but the wind is coming from Sagami Bay at 45mph. The dampness seems to ignore my coat. I know I am not in Alaska, but I remain cold. The point is, I just enjoyed a sunny day that was 79º. A real Feel temp of 52 is a drastic change my body was not prepared for.

Focus Not Required?

I see all these people who have interests in their lives, and they share them with ease. I see things like sports and the outdoors. Outdoors and book reading seems to be the most popular ones. My subjects tend to wander a bit.

I am not a sporty person generally, but I do enjoy hiking. The Japanese enjoy the outdoors tremendously so there is a plethora of trails to hike. I think it is possible to never hike the same trail twice if one does not wish to. My problem with writing of that is my English. Unlike those who are native English speakers, I find it difficult to find words to describe my experience.

Other people write of books they have read. These people pique my interest in a book being described but I can rarely find the time to read them. Being a teacher drives my time to other things. I do have some of the books just waiting for time to be read though. That must count for something. Right?

It is not that I do not read. I actually read very voraciously. It is the rare person though, that wishes to read my impression of what I have read. Be honest. How many of you wish to read books such as “Quantum Supremacy” or “Superintelligence”, both of which are about quantum computing? I also read titles such as “Unmasking AI” and “AI 2041.” “Designing Machine Learning Systems” is a real cliff hanger. All of these books are of interest to those in the computer sciences. To those that are not, not so much.

Cooking I know but not in some super-culinary way. Gordon Ramsay or Rachel Ray I am not. I am just a wife and mother doing her best to feed her family good food. I do post recipes, usually soup (you know, to go with the page theme). I can assure people that all of the recipes I have personally prepared, and my family has enjoyed. The enjoyed part is the prime qualifier to be posted. Why would I post something that was rejected by my family? I am also a proponent of the idea that a recipe is only a suggested starting place. Prepare it once by the recipe. If you enjoyed it, prepare it a second time but experiment with the ingredients to discover a flavor you prefer better.

I write of my children and the never boring life they inflict on me. Chao lei is at the age he is discovering more adult things. His questions have become not as easy as when he was younger. He is becoming resistant to hugs and kisses in front of his friends. I still get them, but they are usually accompanied by “Aw, Mom!” He has begun to grow almost faster than I can get new clothes home for him from the NEx.

Then there is June. The sweetest little girl while at the same time, a firecracker ready to explode at any time. Sometimes the things she says leave me wondering where she heard such a thing. “Mom, is it illegal to ride sharks?” She has yet to learn tact.  Being asked “Mom, why is there hair under your nose?” while in a group of other ladies makes your greatest desire to fade into the walls. I have sprayed many a sip of tea because of something she has said. I try to write them down, but they seem to come so quickly, I forget the earliest ones before I can.

The closest I can come to writing of Jared is to acknowledge he exists in the Navy or PCS activities. Much beyond that is governed by OPSEC. I speak so little of what he does, I have been questioned if he exists at all. I am beyond proud of him for his career choice but it is sometimes frustrating that I cannot brag about him and what he does now and then as civilian wives do.

I suppose I will just keep writing what I write as it strikes me to write it. After all, I write because I enjoy it. It is not my job but it helps me think things through.