Ideeho, Some Chickens, and a Recipe

Had a moxie fab weekend in Ideeho with my aunts.

Aunts are just the thing. They are the bridge between what is and what was. They also give you a good sense of what will be.

They know everything there is to know about you and more...because they remember you before you were you.

And while the past is wonderful and painful and sad and joyful all rolled into one, it's good to root around in it nice and deep every now and again.

We spent a lot of time doing just that. But we also toured Grand Teton National Park and the surrounding area between there and St. Anthony, where my Aunt Vicky makes her home.

We also enjoyed a superfluity of gaiety watching Cranford in its entirety.

Mariann and I got completely caught up. In four days we never lacked for conversation, as is our way. And I got to know my aunt Vicky for the first time, really. Sometimes it takes kicking around in somebody's house for a while before you get to really know them. Since my Aunt Vicky has spent most of my life moving all over the world with her Lieutenant Colonel husband, Mike, and their family, there haven't been a lot of opportunities for me to stay with her.

I am so grateful to have had this one.

For I learned that my Aunt Vicky is a great deal like her mother, my grandma. Quiet and unassuming, listening intently, with just the right, genuine thing to say.  And yet, we busted a gut laughing about this, that, and the other. She made wonderful food, provided us with beautifully made rooms, and was ever the perfect hostess.

Uncle Mike and Aunt Vicky:

The newest member of the family, a four-month-old black lab named Gunner. Uncle Mike calls him Gunner-san because his eyes are a little slanted. Cutest thing evah:

Bee-autiful backyard view:

One thing I didn't realize my aunt and I have in common is a love for chickens.  She has a great collection:

Tucked into a corner:

High upon the roost:

Adorning a wall:

Living on the edge:

 

But to know my aunt Vicky is to know that she loves horses. Deeply. Here are her beautiful stables:

And her beloved horses:

Two aunts and a niece. Two generations, only 8 years apart:

 

On our last morning, Aunt Vicky made cornbread in a castiron skillet the way my grandma used to make it. I leave it with you in the hopes that you, too, will have an aunt or a niece or a daughter or a friend to share it with sometime soon. In the meantime, may this summer bring an opportunity for you to root around in the past, connecting you with the people you care about the very most.

 

Comments

[mariann]

hey cath, loved the blog. loved the trip. love you. mariann

[Nicole]

I didn't know you watched Cranford! Isn't it great? I had the opportunity to enjoy that series in Kaysville with all the lovely Johnson ladies after some Sunday dinners. I also love your new orange background. :)

[Melissa]

sigh...now you've gone and done it. Did you know I am crazy in love with that area of Idaho---my husband and I lived in Driggs and Tetonia for 2 beautiful summers----now we are hooked and miss it terribly. I think my most favorite part of Idaho is the beautiful rolling farmlands covered with the most luscious colors of grain, wheat, flowers, etc---and the old barns---they have a hold of my heart--I'm ready for a trip now.
So happy you shared your pictures and travels with us.
Melis