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Showing posts from 2012

Good-bye, 2012; Hello, 2013

So, it is almost over.  We managed to avoid the end of the world on December 21st although, I  guess the fiscal cliff still looms.  Oh, but now they are calling it more like a fiscal slope so that’s all right then. There will not be a phenomenon such as 12-12-12 in the rest of my lifetime.  Oh, well, I took very little note of those dates anyway.  I am sure it would be handy to have your wedding date, or your birth date, or even your twelfth anniversary on that day.  Imagine the righteous indignation you could muster: What?!?  You forgot our anniversary?!?   Unlucky for me, though, because I am the one who always forgets those sentimental dates. According to a numerology article I read in an area magazine—the Sarasota area is tres new agey—the coming year will be a financially beneficial year for me (hence my refusal to worry about the financial cliff).  I hope so, as 2012 was not a banner year on the money front.  Still, we never once went without a meal unless we wanted to—usu

Breakfast

Breakfast at our house these days means a cup or two of coffee and a slice of toast or a muffin.  Except on Sunday.  We have a big breakfast on Sunday mornings. This morning, I made Crème Brulee French toast.  Actually, I served it because I put it together the night before.  It was delicious, custardy…although I may spend the rest of the day in a sugar-induced coma, even though I did cut back on the butter and brown sugar called for in the recipe and I did not see the need to add powdered sugar or maple syrup.  Mike did, though. Just to make it pretty.  I served it with sliced oranges.  I found the recipe through a link-up hosted on Family Home and Life .  The original site was My Turn (for us).   I will not make this often, but I will make it again—special occasion recipe file.  I pinned it.

Merry Christmas

Vintage. We have had our Christmas celebrations with family and friends for this year.  Mike and I will have a quiet day together. To all of you who celebrate in a more traditional manner: Merry Christmas       May we find peace in the coming New Year             

Solstice

I was compelled to drive the 70 miles to my daughter's house yesterday afternoon so that I could attend the grandkids' Winter Concert. Usually, on a cold, dark night, I would stay in with a mug of hot chocolate and let them know I was there in spirit.  Somehow the events of the last few days made my need to see them--and see them in their school--overwhelming.  I put aside my volunteering and I put aside the preparations for the start of our trip to Florida tomorrow and I attended that concert. It was so very worth it.  They were surprised (but pleased) to see me.  I was excited to see them all dressed up.  Dane wore a white dress shirt and a tie -- so precious.  K. had on a white sweater and a pretty necklace and she looked so very beautiful. The program was well done.  The school band played, the chorus sang, there was a group of hand bell ringers, and each class did a sang with an accompanying dance or reading.  The music teacher obviously worked overtime, but so did t

Peace

So often we wish each other peace during this season.  May we all find some measure of peace.  I want to say that even knowing that for too many that will be beyond elusive.  Where is there shelter in this storm?  My heart aches.  Pictures of the Sandy Hook victims reduce me to tears and I only want to hold my little ones tightly. I have visited these words from One Day at a Time so often in the past few days. May we all stay strong.

Another Confession

I have to admit this: I am really, really bad about this whole idea of blogger awards. And it makes sense.  I was the person who always, always broke the chain letter thing.  I just could not bring myself to follow through. Snail mail and, therefore, chain letters are a thing of the past.  But I still get the e-mail equivalent:  I will get $$$ and good luck in just twenty-four short hours after forwarding to 20 of my closest friends.  Well, even worse is those that say if I fail to forward to 20 of my closest friends, bad luck will befall me and all those I hold dear.  I don’t want to believe that stuff, but it still bothers me so greatly that I tend to hit delete before getting through the whole message. What I don’t know won't hurt me. Now, awards are a different thing.  Who doesn’t like to get awards?  Bloggers pass around awards and I have gotten a few and I think, in a Sally Fields kind of moment, “Oh, you like me!”  That feels pretty good.  Still, I am vaguely but cle

Paper Project

I get together with a group of crafty women on a fairly regular basis.  We have fun with glue and glitter…so much glitter.  We have a lunch, laugh a lot, and go home with something completed. We made a lot of Christmas cards and gift tags over the fall.  We met last week and I was responsible for a project.  I made a bunch of these folded pockets to stuff with treats and give to friends and use for the kids’ advent basket.  By then, I was tired of the Christmas stuff, so I packed pink paper and we got all girly. A candy, a note, a gift card, whatever could be tucked inside. The steps are: Start with a square piece of paper.   Fold it in half to form a triangle.   Fold the top point toward the long side (bottom).   Fold one side over, aligning the edge with the upper fold line.   Repeat with the other side.   Voila! A pocket.  No glue or tape required.  Ready to decorate.

More of the season

It is the little touches that make the holiday for me these days.  I bought this basket to hang over the front door. I used to fill these shelves with Christmas dishes and Santas.  Obviously, I have cut way back.  Small touches. What doesn’t show up in a picture is the smell of the tree.  I have supplemented that with oil of balsam fir spritzed on cotton balls and tucked here and there.  And next week there will be the added fragrance of baking. We will be heading to sunny Florida just before Christmas, but until then it is certainly great to have the small touches of color and light to counter the grey skies and early darkness.

Merry and Bright

The wreath is hung on the window outside. It may be early, but the stockings are hung by the woodstove. I have sampled a few too many Christmas cookies.  I noticed I had to give an extra tug to button up my jeans this morning. I have the mail away packages wrapped and about half the cards ready to go. I have the mittens and hats for donation and a toy for the toy barrel in the mall. I even went out for a tree and put it up. It is tiny, but it is real. The red ball says, “I Love YOU, Grandma.”  Yeah for Christmastime!

Scary News

The local newspaper has been full of disturbing news for the past couple of days.  I couple in a nearby town went missing a year and a half ago.  Their bodies were never found, but there was serious evidence of foul play.  A suspect was identified eventually but his name was never officially released until yesterday. The suspect, and confessed killer, committed suicide in an Alaska prison. Israel Keyes had been arrested in Alaska for the murder of an 18 year-old coffee cart vendor.  He then confessed to the Vermont murders and  several others.  He died before authorities could follow up any details beyond the Alaska and Vermont slayings. He apparently killed totally at random, with all his victims unknown to him.  He was fairly meticulous in his planning and claimed his criminal activities had gone on for years. He travelled through Vermont on his way to see relatives in Maine and apparently felt the urge to kill a couple in their home.  He scouted for home with attached garage,

Small Town

My grand children live in a small Vermont town.  The buildings along the main street were mostly built in the  early 1800’s.       Colonial and Victorian influences are evident.  It is a pretty little village. The fountain where my grand son is standing has a boy with a boot during warmer weather.  We have had some cold days and some snow, but this day was quite balmy—almost 50. Anybody know what these architectural styles are?  There are marble quarries nearby so one sees a lot of that in the area. Of course, the very best part of that little town: and  

Easy as Pie

I am going to weigh in on the subject of pie crust. My grandmother made an excellent pie crust.  My mother made an excellent pie crust.  For the longest time I thought it was too difficult to even attempt so I used ready made.  But I have reformed.  I have claimed my rightful heritage.  In fact, when I reach that great bake-off in the sky, I am going to be serious competition for both Gram and Mom. I have a couple of recipes that I use.  The one I will share today was taken from Health Magazine, the November 2007 edition.   It makes one double crust pie.  And, hey, it came from Health Magazine .  The word ‘health’ is right in the title.  That proves that it is good for you!  Eat as much as you want! All the ingredients and all the utensils should be very cold.  The recipe actually calls for use of the food processor.  I don’t use it though. Combine: 2 cups all-purpose flour*, 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add: 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

What Happened to Legos?

I was thinking of getting some Legos for my grand son. Remember Legos?  They used to be these brick-like stick-together blocks that could be used to construct all kinds of wonderful things.  Possibilities as limitless as a child’s imagination. They are not like that so much any more. I found some Star War kits and some City kits at the toy store in the mall.   There were not too many of either variety, but I was appalled at the kits on offer. Robber’s Hide Away is the theme of one. How about Prisoner Transport ?  Drug Sniffing Dog ?   I could not bring myself to purchase any of these. What exactly is the message here anyway? Now I know. This is what the discriminating five-year-old boy is into. Legos, shmegoes.

Book Recommendation

This is the most beautiful book—achingly beautiful. It has left me breathless.

FA LA LA LA LA

I confess.  I have a love-hate relationship with shopping. I love shopping when: I feel like I can afford it. I have lots of time to devote to the task and really comfortable shoes on my feet. I know what I want to get and then actually find that item. I have my lists in hand. Something perfect speaks to me either because it is just what I love OR I know someone I love will like it. I pick something out and then learn it is on sale. On the other hand, I really hate shopping when: I really need something, but I am feeling short on $$. I am tired or hungry. I am looking for something specific and it is no where to be found. I forget my list, thereby neglecting to get something crucial or buying an unnecessary duplicate. I don’t see anything that I like but I am under some kind of time pressure. I shop specifically for a sale item, but it is sold out or not as I expected. I feel the need to get a gift for Mike. There are crowds of other people in the stores. As I

Salmon Recipe

When I was at a friend’s house before Thanksgiving, she told me about a swordfish dish she had made recently.  She gave me some homemade pesto and e-mailed the recipe that afternoon.  I tried it last night.  So good! I just watched the Cuisinart video again and they did use salmon. (An aside is that swordfish worked well, too!) 1.) They took a bunch of potato slices and placed them in the center of an oiled piece of tinfoil. 2.) Spread about a TBS. or so of pesto on top of the potatoes. 3.) Place a piece of salmon on top of the potatoes. Salt and pepper the salmon first. 4.) Then more pesto on top of the salmon. 5.) They said bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. (I baked my swordfish at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, and that worked fine. Of course I didn't use potatoes or pesto. I used asparagus. It might take longer for the potatoes?) Enjoy!   I love the casual approach to recipes.  You know, where the recipe is merely some good suggestions rather than hard an

Happy Thanksgiving

We are heading down to Connecticut for our Thanksgiving festivities. I will be taking Connie's Butter Buns.  If you missed that recipe, you can find it here .  They look mighty good.  And they were not nearly as hard as I thought they would be. I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving and a safe long weekend.

In which I come clean...

Okay...there were no little old men harmed in any way for the sake of my last post.  That was pure figment of my imagination. Also, in my opinion Wonder bread is an abomination to the bread world.  My mother may have once put a Hostess Twinkie in my school lunch, but I highly doubt it.  I am overly suspicious of that white stuff inside those cakes and have no desire to actually eat any of them. I do, however, fondly remember the treat of a Butterscotch Krimpet.   I believe they were made by Tastykake.  I wouldn't eat those anymore either, though.  My palate has refined over the years.  I prefer real food over something my brother may have synthesized from random substances found in his Little Scientist chemical kit. I do admit that I spaced out, switched grocery carts along the way and lost my purse while doing some grocery shopping.  I also did the frantic search of my car and then the house before learning that it had been turned over to the service desk by the very nice pe

Say it ain’t so…

Oh, no!  The Hostess Company is not going to fool with striking bakers.  Instead they plan to close down the whole operation and put 18,500 people out of work.   It’s over!  This is it! No more smooth, soft Wonder bread.  No more Twinkies, always baked unless you go to the State Fair where you can get them deep fried.  Deep frying improves everything.  Maybe I should have tried that with the Wonder bread.  Oh, well.  Too late now. No more day-glow pink Snowballs with the sprinkling of stale coconut.  No more chocolaty HoHos with that creamy white filling.   What is the American public to do?  Well, I’ll tell you what I did.  I got in my car and to make the rounds of area grocery stores and independent markets, snatching up every Hostess product I could find. Ha!  You thought I was mad, thought I was compulsive for cleaning out my closets and storage shelves a while ago.  See!  Now I have plenty of room for stashing my horded snack cakes.  Foresight, that’s what it is called. I

Thursday Thoughts

*There is a drop off at the village store for supplies to be sent to Long Island for Sandy victims.  I think a town resident must have family there and will taking the donations down this weekend.  I don’t know why this requested item surprised me—heavy duty garbage bags.  Of course!  East coast dwellers are facing massive clean-up chores.  All kinds of cleaning supplies must be needed before they can get around to putting homes back in furnished order.  I am going to put together a bucket of cleaning supplies and drop it off today.  You can check out our country village store here. here. *I have to say that I am very disappointed in secession petitions.  This doesn’t seem to bode well for the idea of coming together to solve problems—and, let’s face it, this country is facing a few.  We all take turns living with election results we may not have liked.  We whine and cry for a while; then we put on our big girl pants and deal with it. *The local library was buzzing yesterday.  Th

Long Weekend

I cooked a pre-Thanksgiving dinner for my son, daughter and grand children on Sunday.  It seems like we never get together on an actual holiday—well, rarely—so I figured I would make the best of it by celebrating whenever.  And it was a holiday, anyway. The grand kids had Monday off from school so they stayed overnight because their mom had to work.  We had a busy day.  Dane brought his packet of kindergarten homework.  He is in an all day program and he has a packet of activities to practice letter recognition, numbers, and writing his full name. Here is what I noticed about that.  While we were walking around downtown Burlington (our trip to the city), he was constantly counting things—pigeons on the sidewalk, items in store windows, wrapped packages they were bringing in for setting up under a Christmas tree.  He was reading off the letters  and numbers on signs all over the place, even when we stopped at a light on the way home.  He seemed to be having a delightful time practi

Vermont Mountain

Mt. Mansfield is Vermont’s highest mountain.  It’s elevation is 4395 feet above sea level.  I guess that is small compared to some mountains of the world. For the past few days it has been looking kind of wintery. This view is less than a quarter mile north of my house.  I pass it just about every day. It is stunning at the peak of autumn color, but that was weeks ago.

Cearing Out

I am not an overly messy person.  I am far from a hoarder.  Here is my junk drawer:       Everyone has one somewhere in their house, right? This is my spare room closet where I keep some extra bedding and toys for the grand kids and a few other things that don't have definitive homes elsewhere:     I go through these areas that accumulate stuff every once in a while.  I never think that there is that much that is not being used before I start.   But then I can pull out a pile of stuff that is headed for the Goodwill store.  Honestly, I don't know where it comes from. 

Cold Snap

Woohoo.  Monday morning there was a spot of sunshine.  I put on my Nikes right away and went out for my walk.  I headed south and the air was chilly but still pleasant.  I had worn a hat and mittens along with my winter jacket zipped up to the scarf around my neck.  After walking for about a mile and a half, I was warm enough to pull my mittens off and loosen up the scarf.  In a few minutes, I looped back in a northerly direction to return home.  The sun disappeared.  The wind started to blow.  It was a most uncomfortable trek back with my hat pulled down and the scarf and jacket collar pulled up, mittens back in place, pace definitely ramped up.  I felt tricked somehow. Then in the afternoon I did my volunteer gig at the library.  I was wearing a light sweater, but it wasn’t enough.  My hands were numb by the time I got home.  I made a quick supper of egg, cheese, and avocado sandwiches because I had to go back to the library at 6:30 for writing group.  It was dark when I got home

A New Kind of Farming

This field once held hundreds of  roaming chickens, or at other times, sheep and baby lambs.  I am pretty sure there may have been pigs there for a while.  Now the field is given over to solar farming, although there may be days when farm animals graze there as well. It is not uncommon to see acres of these solar panels when traveling on Vermont country roads.  Are they common in other parts of the country? I did not see any installations like this on our trip to Florida and back—in spite of the fact that we drove through much sunnier states.   We did see many windmills lining the ridges while driving through Pennsylvania.  Wind mills have been proposed for some Vermont mountain ridges, but they are not popular with property owners or environmentalists.   All I know is that it seems like we have much more wind in Vermont than sun.  I guess I will have to inform myself about alternative energy sources.

Breaks in the Storm

  Sandy did not hit our area as badly as it might have.  I heard a meteorologist explain why that was but I don’t remember the explanation well enough to try to repeat it here.  It had something to do with the speed of the storm passing and layers of cold versus warm air.  I know that the winds on top of Mt. Mansfield hit 100 mile hour per hour while we here in the foothills just had a few afternoon gusts.  Our electricity blipped out only for a moment.   While it has been mostly wet and grey for the past few days, there were moments:   The sky was clear and it was warm on Tuesday morning.  The full moon was shining through the kitchen window.   Later that same morning I looked out our front window, which faces directly east.  It was raining quite hard.  I looked out the back door and this is what I saw to the west:   I am grateful that Sandy snubbed us, but heartbroken at the damage s/he did elsewhere.

The Cemetery

Appropriate for the day… This old cemetery is about a mile north of my house.  As you can see, this is a pretty old cemetery: Jericho’s famous resident, Snowflake Bentley, is buried here, but I have yet to come across his grave. I really wonder abut this one: **My thoughts and prayers are with those so affected by the devastation of Sandy.