I was blessed to have all of my family at my home on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. After so many weeks of isolation, we enjoyed our time together. The cousins were excited to spend time playing together, and the adults were glad for a time to chat face-to-face. Most of our time was spent outdoors; however, a mid-afternoon thunderstorm moved our gathering into the house for a bit.
Molly (my daughter) and her crew arrived on that Friday, driving here from western Illinois. I hadn’t seen them since Labor Day of last year, so I was excited to have them visit. My readers may remember my granddaughter, Maggie, who was featured in many of my early columns. Maggie is now quite a bit taller than her Grammie; she will be sixteen in August. Lincoln (9) and Melody (who turns 7 next week) are Molly’s other two children. I had a full house and a full heart!
One of Melody’s requests was to make cookies with Grammie. Maggie helped us make peanut butter cookies on Saturday, and we made sugar cookies on Sunday. Melody was also very interested in my garden. She was a willing assistant Friday afternoon, helping me replant squash since rabbits enjoyed the first plants I put out. We added another row of green beans to the ones already growing and dug holes for a couple of tomato plants. Melody gave her Aunt Candice a tour of the garden on Saturday, informing her of each variety of tomato that was planted.
My son Jonathan and his wife Heather brought a croquet set with them. It was set up before the rain came, and my other son Adam played the game with his older son, Liam, and Melody. Vivian, who belongs to Jonathan, learned how to make clover chains from the blooms found growing in my yard. The two youngest boys, Elijah (4) and Colton (3), were having lots of fun just playing. When the rain drove us inside, the indoor games came out. Lincoln and Colton had fun with the mat pieces that look like a jigsaw puzzle, using different colors of them to create a “picture.”
Adam, Candice, and their boys left before we ate dinner. The rain had stopped (it really didn’t last very long), and things were beginning to dry out again. That meant we could use the grill to cook our meat for supper. Following our meal, things were fairly dry outdoors, so people began to migrate that direction. The croquet set came back out, but the children used it differently than usual.
My back sidewalk leading from the drive to the back patio goes up an incline in a series of long steps. The sections of concrete vary from four feet to just over six feet long. Over time, they have settled and are not even with each other anymore. The game my grandchildren invented used the red and green croquet balls along with a mallet. They set the balls on the top step, turned the mallet sideways, and hit both balls at the same time. Their goal was for the green ball to go all the way down the steps to the driveway, but the red ball couldn’t make it to the bottom. If the green ball was successful, the contestant received a point. However, if the red ball hit the driveway, it was a negative point.
Elijah (the youngest of the bunch) had been inside when the game started. He and I went out about the same time. By this time, the game had been going on for a bit. No one had scored, but the kids refused to change their own rules. The adults had suggested that they could, as the difficulty level seemed to be quite high. Invited to join the fun, Elijah agreed to take a turn. He scored a seemingly impossible point. The play went around again, with no one else scoring. Then Elijah scored again. It was fun to watch the way the kids interacted. I don’t remember a winner being declared; however, as far as I can recall, Elijah was the only one who managed to score. Melody decided the name of their game should be called “Cro-step-quet” because it was like croquet played on the steps.
It was refreshing to have my family here for a few days, and I was thankful for their visit. Something refreshing on warm summer days is iced tea; maybe that is why June has been dubbed “National Iced Tea Month.” I have tried different recipes over the years; here are some favorites:
Blueberry Lemon Iced Tea
1 pound (16 ounces) blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 cups water, plus additional
6 tea bags
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
Bring blueberries and lemon juice to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, using back of spoon to squeeze out juice. Discard solids; wipe saucepan clean.
Bring 6 cups water to a boil in same saucepan; remove from heat. Add tea bags and let stand 5 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags. Stir in sugar (more or less depending on preference). If necessary, add water to blueberry juice mixture to equal 2 cups. Add to tea mixture, stirring well. Pour into a pitcher; cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Serve over ice. Makes 2 quarts.
Note: This tea is quite fruity. If more tea flavor is preferred, make a gallon of tea, using 14 cups of water and 12 tea bags. Add blueberry juice mixture as above.
Red Alert Iced Tea
4 cups boiling water
4 orange pekoe or English breakfast tea bags
1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute*
1 cup tart cherry juice
ADD tea bags to boiling water. Let stand 5 minutes. Discard tea bags; stir in sugar until dissolved. Stir in cherry juice. Chill at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Pour over ice in tall glasses. Makes 4 servings.
*Note: Follow package directions on sugar substitute, using suggested amounts to replace 1/2 cup sugar.
Fizzy Iced Tea
4 green tea bags
3 cups boiling water
12-ounce can of frozen juice concentrate (such as cranberry-raspberry or apple-cherry)
Club Soda
Steep 4 green tea bags in 3 cups boiling water for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags.
Stir in a 12-ounce can of frozen juice concentrate (such as cranberry-raspberry or apple-cherry). Cover and chill.
To serve, fill a glass of ice one-half full with the tea mixture.
Top off with chilled club soda. Add fresh berries, if desired.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Mint Julep Iced Tea
8 cups water
3 tea bags
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/3 to 1 cup sugar, depending on personal preference
In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups of the water, the tea bags, and mint leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.
Discard tea bags and mint leaves and pour tea into a large pitcher. Add sugar and mix until dissolved. Stir in remaining 4 cups water. Serve over ice.