Not Your Average Sucker

One of the best ways to create a lovely home is to leave it occasionally. Not to grocery shop. Not to run errands. But leave; intentionally. For fun. It is refreshing to leave normal behind for an adventure and then to return grateful for what you’ve experienced.

A few days ago my youngest and I left this house with dishes unwashed and laundry piled undone for a field trip. Bright morning sunshine led us southwest across about 50 miles of US Hwy 127 to the beautiful little city of Bryon, OH. We traveled acres of fields through burgs barely assigned a map dot.

Here the road literally split the lovely farm in half…apparently it couldn’t swerve into the open fields all around

 If you look up Spangler Candy Company you’ll discover an 111 year old business which supplies the world with Dum Dum suckers; amongst other well known candy treats. Here in Bryon is where it all began in 1906 as a family business selling baking supplies such as Gold Leaf baking powder. A short time later they decided to make the sweets themselves.

 

Museum displays noting the beginnings of the local candy empire

For a modest fee we hopped on the trolley tour which lasted a half hour and took us through the packaging and distribution center. Visitors are no longer able to watch the actual candy making process due to health regulations but an informative video presentation filled us in. It was a nice little tour that included the history of the company, and told us how the famous Dum dum sucker got its name. You’ll have to take the tour to find out for yourself.

My single largest take away that day was that Spangler is still a privately owned business which is hugely successful despite remaining in a farming community. While most modern world success stories include buy outs and corporate compromise this company has remained single minded in its venture. Another thing I noticed on the tour was that most of the employees were middle aged or older. I imagine them returning from work each evening to rejoin family at the dinner table for pot roast simmered in a crock all day. It seemed as though the ‘little guy’ still matters.

While my son saw only candy canes and suckers, I saw that it is still possible to succeed in your own backyard with hard work and a great idea. Sometimes I forget when looking through the same glass each day that the view out of someone else’s can be very similiar. A family in an old home surrounded by fields began a venture that is still going strong today. It has taken twists and turns, it has grown while remaining focused on what matters, and it remains today where it was rooted over a century ago.

A Little Game of Hide and Seek

I have this growing boy who not only loves attention, but he also needs it, consistently. Like the most faithful of alarms he brings his tote bag full of stuffed animals and die cast airplanes in to wake me up each morning.

 At my feet they are dumped and I’m asked “What do you want to play this morning mom?” Let’s just be honest here. Most mornings I want to play something called can I get another 15 minutes of sleep please… The mom in me takes over instead and I grab the same kitten that I do each morning. We delve into some story that involves hunting, an airshow, or konfu…or maybe all of the above…until it’s time to go down for breakfast and get ready for the school day. 

On top of my mom hat I’ve already put on for the day I place the chore lady hat to go out and feed the chickens while breakfast is being eaten by the boy inside. Once back in the house I also put on my teacher hat. Monday through Friday it’s now time to hit the books. Sometimes it’s difficult to juggle being mom with being teacher. There’s familiarity and boredom to work through as well as lessons. Its hard for the boys I’m still teaching at home to separate mom from teacher. Sometimes it’s hard for me to think outside the box to create new ways and opportunities to learn. Mixed in with the school day are the daily upkeep chores, grocery shopping, etc. The kids help. They have their hats to wear as well. By the time noon rolls around this young boy I began my story with is ready to cash in every pencil he owns. He’s just done-even though I’m not. With the older kids gone and one still doing his school he has to be creative on his own in the other room for awhile. This is when I wish there were more than one of me to go around. If only I could be everything I need to be all at once! If I could cook, clean, quiz, be the playmate of a 7 year old, a cheerleader for our college student, a sounding board for our son away from home, and also be the wife I’m supposed to be (but feel there’s very little left of by the time 5 o’clock rolls around)….Most days it feels like anything extra is going to tip my scale. But there’s always something extra isn’t there?

A couple of weeks ago I took on the mini renovation of our upstairs bathroom. Not for the sake of vanity so much as it simply has been grossing me out. After eight years it desperately needed a new coat of paint from floor to ceiling and a few updates. I already had the supplies thanks to my husband’s line of work and the recent renovation of the downstairs bath. I can do this. Easy peasy. Only it’s consuming more than what I have in my personal resevoir:time, patience, and the lack of ability to juggle it with everything else that needs me. I counted the cost of supplies before I began, but not my personal expense. “Sorry buddy, I need to spend a couple of hours painting” sounded horrible coming out of my mouth AGAIN.

It’s a work in progress. It will be finished eventually.

 He’d already been waiting for someone to play with him for over an hour. Finally after dinner that night I chucked everything. The laudry sat in a pile in the living room. The dishes stayed on the counter. Everyone else went about their own business unaware of the ‘crisis’ the little man and I had been having that day. He asked if we could play hide and seek…absolutely. For over an hour we squeezed behind cupboards, hid underneath couches, snuck into the black basement, and even got stuck in the back of a closet. Ya, that last one was me. I even pulled a muscle in my shoulder trying to get out. (insert giggles here) It was a great time filled with dogs wanting to aid in the search effort. And laughter. Lots of laughter.

The world doesn’t stop turning. There are always things to do and someone who wants you to do them. I this season I juggle frustration and selfishness with the desire to do right before God and for others. Some demands I place on myself while others cannot be avoided. My loved ones take a hit when I try to do them all. So I cannot. And that’s okay. Sometimes you just have to hide for awhile and let the fun suck you in.

I actually made myself fit behind here…the perfect spot. Until my dog kept coming to ask what I was doing back there, thus giving me away.

I didn’t try to fit under here, but my son did with the help of his brother actually setting the couch back down on top of him. Good times.

A Red Light Insight

In light of this last week’s lack of “yay” moments one sight in particular put a smile on my face today.

We drive a US Hwy most of the way home from church every week through a couple of villages and then into the town nearest us. At the corner of a busy intersection we were stopped at a stoplight. I’m not talking New York City busy, but it’s busy enough- with quite a bit of traffic and several entrances to restaraunts, banks, and businesses. Here we sat, when to our right, in the McDonald’s parking lot, sat a large Massey Ferguson parked in a series of cars. For those who may not know, that’s a big red tractor. At first glance I did a double take. It was out of place..even with rural areas surrounding us. It is out of season. The ground is saturated with early spring rains and it’s far too cold yet to do a thing. None of this may mean a thing to some, but despite appearances I found the sight refreshing.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the demands each day brings-as item after item piles on a zombi-like haze ensues. We each have things thrown at us throughout our days. I wake up every morning asking for enough grace to deal with each item appropriately. This was week 3 of a prolonged virus hanging over our home, and my patience was sorely tried when I discovered my dentist office has some unscrupulous business practices (at my expense). Friends I care for deeply have been dealing with their own life issues so I pick those up and carry them too. Add daily requirements like schooling, laundry, child rearing, house cleaning, cooking….(you know, the basics), and before I know it the fog leaves me wondering who I’ve become. I look out of the window at the chicken coop long about mid afternoon, then I look at the clock and sigh at one more chore waiting to be done. It’s the same with the dogs, cats, projects I’ve taken on…What is meant to bring pleasure has at times felt burdensome. Carrying things I’m not meant to distorts purpose.

I’m not sure I can explain it well. In that moment at the red light a spark of joy relit a low flame inside. This is who I am. I am the product of roots deeper than a century old oak grown far into the ground. Even when the pace and pressures increase beyond me somewhere in it all is a lone tractor in a parking lot full of cars. I don’t fit the mold either. I love my crazy dogs that drive visitors nuts. I love my cats that come to me in the yard…and that my guys love to hate. The bright red chicken coop my husband specially made for me is filled with girls that depend on me. They recognize me when I come to feed them. 

Everything worth keeping requires effort. Sometimes catching an unexpected glimpse of what really brings joy puts all the rest into perspective. So what if the kleenex box tally is still growing or if my trust in the honesty of my dentist office has been misplaced. These are things out of my control. Disappointing, but out of my realm of control. And daily jobs seem overwhelming when viewed as tasks without reward. Yet each job I hold pays amazing wages without end. And so fades another Sunday. Tomorrow morning, on the dawn of the new work week, I will lift up another request for Grace and a Thank You for a tractor parked in the city. Next time I feel out of place or not functioning in the correct season I’ll have this photo in the back of my mind.

Regaining Focus

The view from our kitchen window this Saturday morning is one that hasn’t been present for a couple weeks. A yucky cold/flu virus has swept over each member of our household and held its grip, not willing as yet to let anyone return to their normal. It wasn’t mean enough to push anyone completely under, but had enough attitude to put a real damper on everyday life. So a clean home and a nice breakfast were both finally on the menu this morning. For me, the sunlight streaming through old glass onto pretty plates is part of the cure.

Yesterday I finally had enough in me to pull out the inner drill sergeant mom: One thing my kids did not miss. I began “barking” “requests” to whip this place back into shape. It only takes a day or two to go from clean-ish into an all out disaster zone around here. A single day without a broom or vacuum bears very dog hairy consequences. The spiders took advantage of our sickness too. I walked down the stairs after tucking a small someone into bed Thursday night and was horrified at the number of cobwebs lining the ceiling. I shouldn’t have looked up…because then I continued my search along the walls into other rooms. “For heavens sake-who cleans this place?” I asked aloud. Apparently it has not been me. I shouldn’t have looked down either as piles of dust and dog hair mixed with bark and straw could be found in every crevice. Farm life at its finest has found each nook and cranny. 

So rather than walk around blindfolded we began our quest to conquer the dirt, cobwebs, and put this viral crud to rest in the trash bin where it all belongs. ..With the six boxes of kleenex we’ve gone through in a week and a half. Opening up the heavy curtains to let the sunshine stream in increased the job tenfold. The light shed far too much truth. After school it took a few hours to get things whipped back into decent shape. Please, oh please, don’t pull the white glove test on us though. We aren’t ‘there’ and probably never will be. I’m fairly certain a layer of dust will always be seen floating on the morning rays here in this old place. Its the least of our battles. This morning after our yummy breakfast I’m watching them float over my dogs head as he looks our the window next to me-and dirtys it again.

I’m no wonder woman so let me just say this breakfast was an easy one to prep after an afternoon and evening of cleaning yesterday. We had a partial box of hash browns left in the freezer so I lined five of them in the bottom of a greased 8×8 baking dish and then covered them with a cup of milk mixed with 4 beaten eggs, 1/4 tsp. dried mustard, and some salt and pepper. I added somewhere around a cups worth of cooked cubed ham and about a cup and a half of cheese. After covering it with foil it went into the fridge overnight. This morning all I had to do was set the oven to 350° and place the pan in there, still covered with last night’s foil, for about an hour. Taking off the covering for the last ten min. helped firm up the center. While it baked I made up some orange juice, sliced up some berries, and whipped up some cream for pizzaz. All done in the comfort of my jammies in about ten minutes. I had plenty of time to spare so I reflected on how refreshing it is to throw off the weights that so easily distract us.(Hebrews 12:1) This verse is referring more to sin, but even the little things like viruses, and the wake they leave behind, are able to take our eyes off of the big picture. Time to regroup!