Confessions of a Grandma

Ready for the water slide.  Verdict...AWESOME! Grand daughter liked the faster slide. The slower one was fine for me. We also visited a garnet mine. Lake George public beach--quiet in the afternoon. We had a fun three days and two nights in Lake George.  I took the kids and their mom stayed home and painted and cleaned although she would have enjoyed going to the lake as well.  Moms have to choose the responsible things and grandmas can have the fun.  It really was a fun time.   The kids wondered why Mike didn't come with us.  I had to ask if they really thought they would have got to spend six and half hours at Water Slide World if it had been up to Mike.  He had fun, too, enjoying his quiet time.

Irene swished her cape over Vermont yesterday.  We didn't have the terrible winds that were predicted, but it sure enough did rain.  Fortunately for us, we live high on a sandy hill so we are not flooded.  Unfortunately for those who are along the river beds, there was a great deal of flooding elsewhere.  We had stocked up on food and water when it became apparent we would not be making our planned trip to Rhode Island, which was a good thing since so many roads are closed.  We didn't have a power outage, but that is a wide spread problem to the south of us.  I am anxious to get in touch with my daughter because they are in flood and power outage central. I went out for my walk this afternoon, and, honestly, you would not know the area is under a state of emergency within my usual route--except that I was asked by passing motorists how to get there from here with all the closed roads.  Not easily, maybe wait til tomorrow if you can--that's about all I...

August Birthstone - Peridot It's hard to believe that thirty-eight years have gone by.   Now my baby girl has babies of her own.  Just a couple of weeks ago she asked why I hadn't told her that having kids was so hard.  (Payback, I replied) But, of course, she has two delightful children to light up her life and keep their old granny feeling happy. Happy Birthday, Amykins.  I love you.

Some where...and I have completely forgotten where exactly...creeping decrepitude is set on getting me...some where I was reading about the phrase "cat-lady crazy." Now I loved my cat to pieces, but I am in no danger of becoming a cat lady--crazy or otherwise.  I was, am, and shall remain a one cat kind of person.  Sure, it's possible that I'll get to a point where I don't remember this rule I've made for myself and I'll be tempted by a cute little kitten face, but I think it most unlikely that I would adopt cats willy-nilly.  That's just not in my make-up. I mean, the cat part is not in my make-up.  I am afraid the crazy part just might be a part of my DNA. Actually, I can see myself becoming a bit of a crazy herb lady. [Oh, wait!  I do remember.  It was Chris Bohjalian's column in a Sunday Burlington Free Press.   See.  A little crazy, but not completely senile just yet!  I take my little victories where I can these days.] Sinc...

August is the time for relaxation." Designed by Monica Corduneanu from Romania. One minute August is shouting "Summer!" and the next minute it is "Autumn is coming!"  There has been a noticeable shift in the quality of light and we have started to lose minutes of daylight, but there is still time for a bit of relaxation. I went out to a movie last night.  We saw The Help.   It has been a while since I read the book, but I recognized scenes and story lines.  I thought it was well done.  Although, I remember the book driving home the idea that the young writer, Skeeter, was forced to learn that she was not the center of the maid's who raised her existence--which kind of brought the concept of racial bias permeating a society beyond just the outward racism of segregation. I'm planning to take the grand kids for a vacation stay at Lake George next week.  Then I will need some serious relaxation time.  We plan a few days in Rhode Island the following...

Susan Adcox who writes about grandparents  at About.com had the love/luck of chocolate going for her name in my hat.    So, Susan, e-mail me an address and I will send you Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life as part of the Pass-the-Book.  And check out Sian's blog-- High in the Sky --to get the full rundown on how it all works.  The author is way too young to be a grandparent, but she has an interesting blog and some good recipes. *********** Mike has surprised me big time!  He has cut way, way back on salt.  I never thought he would even try.  Here is a man who put liberal shakes of salt on pepperoni pizza, sausage, Chinese food and tacos.  I guess a night in the hospital made a believer out of him.  And, he is even talking about getting himself a pair of pajamas! *********** Can you tell how swollen my left big toe is from my graceful tumble down the stairs several weeks ago? I have not been able to wear sandals with a ...

I missed the meteor shower the other night, but I did get to see the full moon rising last night as I put the grand kids to bed.  That was good for "one more" hop out of bed to see. My daughter and her husband were planning to drop the kids off at noon and go to the Stowe car show.  Her car broke down (timing belt problem) on the way and they had to get it towed, then get home to take his car, the Mister Cruiser, a honking big 60's Mercury.  The kids arrived here around 3 p.m. and then daughter and son-in-law went on to Stowe, where his car broke down.  Not a good day for them. I drove to Stowe today to get them and take them to Burlington where they could get a car rental for the trip home.  I do wish life was a bit easier for my children, but I seem to have misplaced my magic wand. Pass-the-book is coming soon.  Let me know if you want your name in the hat for A Homemade Life .

Related to my last post...the feeling that summer is ending is much less of a moodiness trigger now that I have been retired for several years.  I always had trouble readjusting my routines both at the beginning of the school year and then again at the end of the school year.  Now the changing of the seasons just reminds me that time marches on and I am getting older and then I am over it.  I appreciate that my time is pretty much my own at this phase of my life.  I am aware of the passing of seasons, years, and yet can feel like I am much more in the moment.  It was the right thing for me. I have just finished reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  I found it to be a very satisfying book--much like a well-prepared meal paired with the appropriate wine.  It's a long book, over 650 pages.  The fact that the story did not tax my attention span speaks volumes. Lately, my list of books to read has grown quite lengthy.  That's anothe...

Just a couple of weeks ago we sat on the deck and admired the green, green, green of summer in Vermont.  Alas, already it is changing.  Warm temperatures are still predicted for the weekend, but the signs are there.  Trees are starting to become tinged with yellow.  The setting sun has moved to the south and says its "good-night" much earlier.  There is a chill in the night air that just was not there a while ago.  The crickets are full on singing.  There is definitely a while to go before summer is over, but the signs of its fading are upon us. Autumn in Vermont is a beautiful season, but there is something about the transition period that has always left me feeling melancholy.  Here, winter settles in like ursine hibernation.  Spring slithers chameleon-like between winter and summer.   Summer arrives like one of those choreographed flash dances.  I guess it is the only season that gives warning.  That bothers me. Mo...

When Mike was 11 years old he had "the best chocolate cake ever" at a friend's house.  He asked the friend's mother for the recipe so his mom could make it home.  Isn't that cute? His mom gave me that recipe, but I could never earn the "Best Cake Ever" status.  My cakes all tend to be slightly on the dry side.  A friend of mine has used the exact same recipe and gets marvelous, moist cake so I don't entirely get it. Anyway..."Chocolate Cupcakes with Bittersweet Glaze" is a recipe from A Homemade Life.   (Make a comment and I could be sending it to you soon!)  Mike is in love with me all over again.  These were a major hit.  Like I said, if you get a craving for chocolate, this will fill the bill. Now, the very last recipe in the book is also for a chocolate cake that comes with instruction that it should not be served to someone your feel just so-so about.  It is for when you want to get some one's full  attention. Hmm...lots of...

A Homemade Life: stories and recipes from my kitchen table  by Molly Wizenberg is about to be passed to another lucky blogger. I am reluctant to Pass-the-Book , but pass it along I must. It was a very enjoyable read and you may want to check out the author's blog at  orangette.blogspot.com . It's just that I have not cooked my way through it yet.  I guess I will just have to spring for a copy of my very own. The very first recipe is for a humble old potato salad.  I love potato salad anyway, but I tried the recipe and it was to-die-for tasty. There is a 'secret'  ingredient.  Thankfully, I halved the recipe knowing I would eat the whole thing myself.  I had trouble not downing the entire batch in one go.  It calls my name still. I learned this method of making a hard-boiled egg:  Place the egg(s) in a pan and cover with cold water.  Bring the water to a boil. When the water is boiling, turn off the heat and cover the pan.  ...

Last Thursday, Mike left for an appointment with the kidney specialist at 10 a.m.  He had his blood work done the day before.  It was supposed to be a fairly routine visit, I thought.  At noon, I got a phone call from him.  He was sitting in the emergency room at the hospital where the specialist had sent him. This is not the kind of phone call I enjoy getting. Two hours later, he called to say that they were going to keep in the hospital overnight.  The doctor took his blood pressure--very high--and a pulse--racing like crazy.  (Although Mike says he had no symptoms, no idea that his heart was beating nearly out of his chest.) Four hours after that, he called once again to let me know he was finally in a room.  Six hours sitting in the emergency room staring at the walls, no food, nothing to drink--I'm sure that helped the blood pressure situation.  Plenty of nurses, though, all looking for veins to hook up IV's and whatnot.  Let's hop...

This sunflower grew from a dropped seed from the bird feeder. Next summer, I may just plant a whole row along the deck. Cherry tomatoes are ripening.  Sweet. Cherry tomatoes, Italian peppers and herbs are from my garden. So fresh tasting.  I love summer food.

This article from Everyday Health lists five foods to avoid if one suffers from Bi-Polar Disorder: Caffeine Alcohol Sugar Salt Fat They are all likely to impact mood swings according to this report. Well, thank goodness I do not have that disorder.  If I had to give up those things, my mood would be pretty stable, though--dark, dreary and miserable, but stable that way. I can say that I am most grateful that I have few restriction on my daily diet. I am also grateful that I can afford  (at least for now) to eat a variety of foods.  According to an Associated Press article in our newspaper this morning: "People who spend the most on food get the closest meeting federal guidelines for potassium, dietary fiber, Vitamin D and calcium...Those who spend the least have the lowest intakes of the four recommended nutrients and the highest consumption of saturated fat and added sugar." The point being made was that too many people cannot afford to follow the new...

Today's garden work involved pruning.  I gave a pretty severe trimming to the lavender in the flower garden and to the spirea in the side yard.  I pruned out the four lilac bushes and snipped off some sucker branches from the two crab apple trees.  Now I have a large pile to haul off to the stump dump tomorrow. Actually, I was quite restrained.  I have been known to go a little overboard with loppers and a trimming saw, but I haven't actually killed any of the hedges and bushes.  The vegetation around here is pretty forgiving. I am also working on my annual clear out the storage areas.  Mike put a lot of stuff up on e-bay and made some good money.  He knows about certain antiques and values so he can do that.  I just give stuff to the Salvation Army or the Clutter Barn.  The funny thing is we have yet to notice big expanses of cleared out space.  Strange about that. I recently read a magazine article about clearing people...

If you really want to know about an ironing mitt, you can check it out here .  I have used one when sewing and need to tame a seam, but it is certainly something most people can live without. I spent time in Bed, Bath and Beyond today--looking at sheets.  Like everything else, they have gotten rather expensive.  I couldn't find the perfect sheets so it was just wasted time I guess.  I am determined to not buy until I find the sheets of my dreams. Today, I found out that I actually won something.  It was a pass the book contest, and the book is A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg.   I'm getting the book from Margaret Finnegan , but the force behind the pass the book contest is at this site: High in the Sky .