Come on Jutta, it wouldn’t hurt so much had you not sat around so much after retirement but you’re doing great for a 73-year-old grandma!
Woah Nelly
Riding high on her success of mastering the horse, Jutta was primed for some mountain biking. Well, except that she was so wobbly we decided the stationary bike might be a better choice until she builds up some endurance. The good news, my mother-in-law only tipped over once…and I was right there to catch her. During her stay here in America we will try to get to the gym more often, walk more often, go for a swim as much as possible and if the Gods are favoring us, hike a couple of local mountains.
Ride, Jutta, Ride
It’s never too late to try something new and so Jutta, at the ripe old age of 72 got up on a horse for a riding lesson. Jutta has ridden before, oh, about 60 or more years ago. Celia at Chile Acres saddled up Pawnee who gingerly ferried this grandma around the pen for a bit of excitement. After the riding lesson, we enjoyed a meal made by Celia featuring her homemade goat cheese. We actually tried two different kinds of cheese, one was a French herb blend and the other was sun-dried tomato. The main course was a vegetarian mousaka with homemade goat feta and dessert was, of course, you can guess this, a goat milk-based pudding! Celia truly is a “Barn Goddess”.
Bubbles The Goat
After visiting one farm it was off to another, this one being Chile Acres. Here my mother-in-law, Jutta, is meeting Bubbles the Goat – ya, I know, it’s kind of like two old goats getting to know one another. Chile Acres is owned by Jimmie and Celia Petersen. Not only do they raise goats, but they have their hands full raising Saluki dogs and dachshunds, caring for a dozen or more cats, more horses than you can shake a stick at, a donkey that thinks it’s a horse, and chickens; lots and lots of chickens. We originally met Jimmie at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market where he hawks the eggs from all them chickens. Well, he doesn’t really hawk them, he’s actually quite pleasant and quiet about it, but I thought you might go for the pun, chicken, hawk, chicken-hawk!
Farm Tour
Took Jutta out to Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm so we could pick up some veggies, talk with some folks, tour the farm, and spend a lazy morning amongst the birds and lizards. We have been taking home a lot of collard greens lately and would like to call them our current favorite veg from Tonopah Rob’s, but the carrots, broccoli, and radishes have been awesome, too. My mother-in-law is no help figuring out if there is a favorite amongst all the veggies we drag back to Phoenix, she loves them all.
Mother-In-Law
After only a brief 11 months away, my mother-in-law, Jutta Engelhardt is back for another vacation. Arriving in January allows her to avoid some of the worst winter weather back home in Frankfurt, Germany. This trip will be her longest in America at a grand total of 85 days, just 5 days short of what is allowed on a tourist visa. Jutta’s first visit to the United States was back in 1996 for a brief couple of weeks and then in 1997 for 21 days. The next visit was in the year 2000 for 30 days, followed by 2003 – 21 days, 2005 – 57 days, and then 2006 – 65 days. To date and including the days she will spend on this vacation, Jutta’s time in America adds up to 293 days. Maybe we’ll consider 2 more vacations for her here, each being 36 days to bring her to 365 days of vacationing in America.