Carl Crossman Blog

When my sister decided to move, it was a big deal for everyone in the family. We didn’t like the fact that she would be leaving the area, but were glad she was going to start a new life. When we asked her where she wanted to go, she told us that she was looking at Calgary apartments to rent. It was an area that she always wanted to live in as she had spent some time there with her first husband.

The good thing about this area is that there are plenty of choices as to where you want to stay. There are many family communities that I know she would like. We all want her to feel safe when she arrives home. There are many shopping centers in the area as well. All this adds up to a pretty good place to live.

My sister has never been afraid to move and start over. This time is no exception as she will be far away from everyone in the family. We have no relatives in Canada and so she will be completely cut off from us. I know I can always phone her but I will not be the same as seeing her. I guess she can still fly down from time to time as the airport is near her house.

Well, it’s almost time for the kids to get out of school for their summer vacation. They have been looking forward to this for a long time. My son has finished the tenth grade and will be a junior next year. My daughter is especially exited as she will be graduating from high school. We have a big event planned and I am sure she will have a time to remember. It will mark the end of one phase of her life and the beginning of another.

One thing she plans to do this summer is to begin finalizing her plans for college. One college she has been looking at is Walden University. She has some friends who plan to attend that school and she likes the school as she has visited it before. But, before making her final decision, she is making sure she has checked out all the options she has.

One item that is important to us is financial aid. We were lucky to find a site called WaldenU.edu that has a lot of information on the subject. We want her to have a great education but we don’t want to go broke doing it. She has had some good results with applying for scholarships and grants and I am sure that some will come through. I will be pleased when I see her cross the state at her next graduation.

I took the family out for some fun this Memorial Day. We went on a white water rafting trip in Fredericksburg Va. I bought a few rafts for us to float down the river on and we had a great time. The water was warm and pleasant and we all got soaked to the bone.

The kids had the best time of all as they got to do many things they have never done before. It was good to see them deal with new things and grow up a little. We also had a cookout and that worked out well too. I always say that family fun is the best kind.

One of my buddies from the warehouse was bragging about how he cooks the best brisket in Virginia. I told him I would take that as a challenge, because EVERYBODY raves about my brisket.

So we are going to have a cook off over Memorial Day weekend. I am taking this challenge seriously and am determined to win the taste test. I have to give some thought to what side dishes I want to prepare. I’m thinking homecut fries and a vinegar based coleslaw, maybe some corn on the cob if I can find some at the grocery store.

Never have been a big fan of mutton or any kind of lamb. I just don’t like the strong taste of that meat. But I guess Easter means lamb for dinner for a lot of folks. I always thought Easter meant ham, but I have had two different people telling me how much they liked their lamb for Easter dinner on Sunday.

One girl bought a rack of lamb ribs, marinated them for a couple of hours and then cooked them on the grill over charcoal.

My buddy in Dallas says he got a whole leg of lamb, cut it in half and grilled half of it for his Easter dinner. The dog got the bone and everyone was happy.

Maybe the problem for me with lamb is that I’ve never had it grilled. I always had it baked like a roast beef and served with mint jelly. I guess I’d be willing to try it again if someone wanted to grill it and let me taste it. I don’t think I want to try it badly enough to do it myself, but I’ll consider any offers from my friends . . .