A Special Outing!
An Annual Pizza Tradition
Many of our friends have quite a few kids. One set of our friends have six boys, and over the years a sort of tradition has evolved. My husband trained a lot of young people in the military, and he is very good at mentoring youth. One year our friends were having some issues with their young teen son, so he got sent to "T school" at our house.
What encompasses "T school" you might be thinking? Well, fun, character building tasks like building fence lines or digging post holes are a major part of the "T School" syllabus. Clearing land and animal related chores also make an appearance on the "T School" schedule. Lest you think our youngsters only engage in manual labor drudgery, fun things happen like learning to run chain saws, learning to drive all manner of vehicles, from the tractor to a pickup truck, and I haven't even got to the food part of the enterprise.
Our first group of pupils are grown and have moved on, and they interestingly credit "T School" with having a big impact on their development. There is something so fulfilling about learning how to build, create, and master things. Whether it's forging your own steel hooks to give as presents to your family members, to laying out and installing a fence line for cattle, learning how to complete actual applied physical work does something amazing for the confidence and well-being of young people.
Explanation aside, we are into a new session of "T School" with our first pupils' younger brothers. They are thirteen and fifteen and all summer they helped us work on things from a horse round pen to putting up hog fencing. Now that winter is here and Christmas is near, we get to do the fun part of the yearly grind, take our workers to dinner wherever they wish to eat.
Our two workers, along with our own children who are now working right alongside their friends, blurted out:
"Second Avenue Pizza!!!"
when queried as to where they would like to have their end of the year feast. I have no issues with their choice, for I think that Second Avenue Pizza is one of the best pizza joints on the planet!
The little pizza place is unassuming, with wooden booths full of sharpie scrawled and knife scratched graffiti. You walk up to a counter and order your feast, and my favorite part is that they have a large sign above the counter stating that they will not sacrifice quality by hurrying the process. You will wait a bit for the pizza to be crafted, but the wait is totally worth it, for the Second Avenue folks do not cut corners at all!
Our "T School" feast took place to a background cacophony of some railroad workers having their own party. More F bombs were dropped than in an episode of South Park, but we drowned out the inebriated worker's profanity with exuded laughter and tomfoolery of our own. All in all our evening was special and all of the kids told us that they were looking forward to next year's schedule.
Just don't ask any of them what my son did to the pizza box......
Goodnight to you all!!
And if you ever happen to be in Sandpoint, Idaho, I wholeheartedly recommend Second Avenue Pizza. It is amazing!!!
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Man I just got a lot more hungry :/
Oh No! Sorry! LOL! Wait a minute, aren't you in NYC, the land of amazing pizza? I bet you can get the most fantastic slice of cheesy goodness in minutes, lucky!!!!
That's a nice way to treat kids for doing a good job. My grandpop had different method. When you got your chores done, he rewarded you with more chores. I would have preferred pizza.
Ha ha ha! My Papa most likely would have had Grandma fry me up a piece of Spam and tell me to get back to work, which is probably why I dish out the pizza to my herd of laborers! Your grandpop sounds similar me thinks, you better go get yourself a restorative slice of pizza!
I'm fairly certain I could live on pizza alone. But then again, probably shouldn't. I'm keeping this short, with little said, so I don't entice to you write back, when you are so busy right now. Can't imagine.
So....all you have to do is just open the front door, look out to the wonderful, deep, white snow, and yell "Hey Homeskillet" in your best high-mountain yodeler voice, then close the door and go back in. (Hopefully when the family is not looking or within ear-shot. "What's wrong with mom?") That should about do it for me. Oops, I wrote a whole bunch anyway. But as long as you do what it says above, that is a-OK with me, and a bit irrelevant. Wow, this is as deep a comment as the snow outside your door. At least you don't have to shovel it ( :
Have a nice night, GSpecialK
PS. I NEED COOKIES TONIGHT
Any time I see one of your replies or posts I am totally enticed to reply in some form. That said, the last twenty-four hours have been a touch rough. My entire family, self included, have been struck down with the plague. Fever, congestion, the whole immuno-banana. It's been swell. I am not allowed to be ill, as I had acapella rehearsal, to run the 'brare, and prep two huge trays of lasagna today. It's been awesome. Thank goodness for echinacea extract tea! Ooh! Enough whining, but I so wanted to whine to you and stuff....
Today I ran into a moose traffic jam in my driveway, both going to and coming home from my errands. Mama and baby moose were trying to liberate hay out of my hay shed. Pictures tomorrow!
Um, my family already thinks that I am off my stump, so I am totally going to mountain yodel a Home Skillet hymn, cause I can!
Laterz, and I would love to provide you with some cookies to commit masticating carnage on. That might have to happen sometime:o)
I haven't been there. Hadn't even heard of it til you mentioned it! I need to fix this....
You must remedy this situation! Like quickly!
Is this done at this hour? What am I going to do now? 😊😊 I want Bende 👍👏👏😊 It looks so delicious @generikat
LOL! Thank you @slayer10! I sure hope you found a pie somewhere, it sounds like you desperately needed one!
I heard rumors of flatulence and pizza boxes.
You heard correctly, my nostrils and abs still haven't recovered!
Wow...pizza...
I'm realy like pizza with cool ginger beer....
@generikat mam I hope made pizza for my kids x-mass dinner...
Good luck...
Ooh! Pizza and ginger beer, nice! Thanks @dini1
Yammy!!Pizza is one of my favorite food.
Now I can not cope with temptation :)
merry chritsmas @generikat
Pizza is pretty much my fave food too! Love it! Hopefully you found a slice somewhere!
Merry Christmas to you too @rahulsen!
“T School” sounds like an incredible forging process. My wife works with young adults and it is one of the harder jobs to get though to hardened hearts. There are so many broken homes.
Major kudos to you and your Hawaiian hunk for this great work you do! Just another reason we would love to stop by for a visit when we see her Brother in Idaho sometime.
You speak the truth my friend, I can't believe how many young adults are just existing out there, so much emotional wreckage and not enough caring actions. I am so glad to know that there are people like you and your wife out there forging away:o)
If any of you are ever in the Panhandle, a grilled steak and garlic mashed potato dinner awaits!!