Confessions of a Grandma

I am hoping that everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving. I made the trip to Connecticut on Thursday morning.  The first 60 miles or so were slushy and I was glad I had those studded snow tires.  Then the rest of the way was clear and dry and I had to listen to the thunk-thunking of the studs. The table may have been diminished in terms of place settings and attempts at toasts were teary, but the room was crowded with the spirits of those we love.

Really, what was I thinking?  Taking on a big kitchen cabinet project just as the holiday season shifts into gear was a moment of insanity. Sunday I made pie crust and went to a poetry workshop and then a reading. Monday I helped my son with a car loan application, went to my "Welcome to the Wonderful World of Medicare" wellness visit, did my volunteer thing at the library, and then had writing group.  Tuesday was do a load of laundry, go grocery shopping, go to the poetry group meeting, then work on finishing up the grand kid's advent baskets. I am making all the little bags and boxes and filling them with little treats.  Some of the treats are dollar bills that I folded into rings, butterflies, little elf shoes, and bow ties.  (Pinterest is a dangerous place, a slippery slope.  Why, oh why do I fritter my time playing there?)  I need this to be ready for this weekend. Tomorrow I will need to put together the pies and bake.  I had thought...

Light oak cabinets are so the 90's. So I am staining them with Java gel. Why I start these projects is beyond me. I wish someone would save me from myself! I posted this on my Facebook page yesterday.  It was day #2 of my project.  All the cabinets are washed and lightly sanded and about a third of the them have the first coat of the new stain on.  This should take me at least two weeks to complete.  This of course means two weeks of major mess and disruption.  I am trying my hardest to pace myself because if I keep pushing, I will end up with a mess.   I am trying to "enjoy" the process.  That was the advice from my major handy-with-home-decoration neighbor. My plan is to repaint the kitchen and the bathroom when the cabinets are finished.  We shall see how long the steam lasts. I really have been wanting to update the kitchen in a minor way for some time.  And, although I have painted both the kitchen and bath fairly recently, ...

That Vermont is home to more writers per capita than any other state in the nation is a testament not only to the natural beauty of our surroundings and the possibilities for solitude and contemplation, but also to the great traditions and institutions that support our literary artists when the time comes to share their work.   from:   New England        Review, Vermont Reading Series handout, November 21, 2013   We had a literary outing, the women in the writing group I attend.  We drove to Middlebury, VT , and spent time browsing the Vermont Book Shop , one of those small, independent book shops like I remember from the old days.  (Owning a store like that has always been a part of my fantasy life.)  I did a bit of Christmas shopping.  We went out for pizza at American Flatbread  which is in the Old Marble Works district. The hostess asked if we wanted to be seated next to the large brick fired oven. Now why would any...

I wonder if it is just me or is it really different to cook for one? I mean, I have been cooking for two for the past twenty plus years.  How different should it be to cook for one less? I had supper with my friend Ginnie last Sunday night and she confirmed that it does seem harder to cook for one.  She said that she wastes a lot of food that she buys with good intentions but ends up leaving in the refrigerator too long.  I think that has a lot to do with the fact that she is still working.  I can remember the nights I would come home from work too tired to cook.  We would have sandwiches or Mike would suggest taking me out. We cut way, way back on the eating out in retirement.  Mike got more involved in cooking too. And people seem concerned about someone newly faced with cooking for herself alone.  I have been asked often in the past few months, "Are you eating?"  The answer to that is certainly, yes.  I do like to eat.  And I ...

Where does the time go?  It is so elusive. I don't have that much to do and I can not fit it all into a typical day.  I am pretty sure that I did not even brush my hair today.  I did shower, brush teeth, and floss though.  It was cold so I wore a hat when I had to go out.  So even if I did brush my hair, it would not look it. It was also so cold that I don't have the outside work to do.  So why can't I get through my "to do" list? I swear that fewer day light hours means that there really is less time.  Scientist should really look into this.  Twenty-four hours is not a fixed quantity. Maybe it is because I am continually tricked into thinking it is time for bed, it's so dark, only to realize it's not even 6 p.m. yet. Maybe it is just that time of year.  Some people love the increasing darkness, the cold, and the gathering in for a time of introspection. Yeah, I can be introspective enough in the day light.

I was in the mood for some sewing and I had some fabric stashed away.  Go figure.  (from Pinterest: No, doctor, it is not a hoarding disorder.  It's my fabric stash. ) As the machine hummed along, I considered how much I love my NECCHI. It has a cutting and edge stitch capability that gives a nice finished edge to seams. It does buttonholes with no guessing. And it makes it so much easier to put the buttons on neatly. Of curse the cutting step generates a great deal of lint and that requires a good cleaning after its use. You can see that the dust and lint could build up quickly and cause a problem. I did not have to figure out how to do this on my own,  Mike taught me how to clean, oil, and lubricate my sewing machine.  He had a job in high school helping to maintain industrial sewing machines in a dress factory.  (Have I mentioned lately, How much I miss that man?) And the finished jacket:

I had an appointment to get snow tires put on the Prius first thing this morning. That was pretty timely since we had some snow last night.  The roads were clear, but my driveway is a sheet of ice.  It is good that it is a flat driveway so I did not have trouble getting out.  I did slip and slide later, walking out to the mail box, but I did not fall down. One winter day when I was in high school, the school parking lot and side walks were terribly icy.  I had gotten by car and was walking toward the school's front door with an armload of books (Backpacks were for military hikes back then, I guess.  I only remember carrying books in my arms right through college.)   I made it from the parking lot, across the driveway, and I was just stepping up onto the walkway.  As I stepped, I slid.  Somehow in the disjointed dance I performed in trying to maintain my balance, I did a rather inelegant flip and landed on my rump with books raining down upon me...

Thanks-you to our Veterans and their families. There may always be a need for the military and the services each branch provides, but may there not always be a need for war.

I met with the card making group for lunch and a card exchange on Thursday.  I made a dozen of these: and I came home with a variety of other cards.  We also made two cards with a lunch in between.  Fun. I think my grand son will like the underpants reference so he will get this one for his birthday in February. The 'get well' card...I hope not to have to use it. Saturday--used to always be my day to sleep in when I was working.  It is a habit that I still have.  When I was working, though, it was also a major clean the house and run all the errands that needed running once I got up.  That part has changed.  It is such a luxury not to have to run errands on the same day that every one else is.  My house was clean; my laundry was done.  I spent the day making Christmas and holiday cards.  I almost forgot to go out and get the mail. (in proces) In the evening, I went with two friends to "Poetry, Music...

Mike always said that you have to have the right tool for the job.  He left behind a boat load of tools. He also left behind a wife who doesn't even know what most of the are or how they are used. I figured out this wrench system though and got the battery out of the tractor. It only took me two days to do it.  I can get so stubborn when I think I should be able to do something.  I will ask my neighbor to put it on the charger and then back in when spring comes because I am afraid of electricity.  Unhooking a battery and hooking it back up are two completely different things in my mind. The gas tank is filled and the mower is put to bed for the winter season.  I think I must have been paying more attention to the things Mike took care of over the years than I thought.

I got the gardens cleaned up for the winter yesterday. Today it was windy, but it was warm for November.  I decided to mow the lawn for the last time as the warm is not likely to last through the weekend.  I fired it up but when I lowered the mowing deck, I discovered that the blades were not cutting.  Just another thing going wrong, getting broken.  Oh so annoying! I remembered that when Mike's son was here this summer and went to mow the lawn for me, he said the belt had slipped.  Well, I turned off the motor and looked underneath.  Sure enough the belt was flopping loose.  Here's the good part--I fixed it myself!  I got the lawn mowed. And it doesn't stop there.  When I put the tractor back in the garage, I changed the oil and the oil filter.  That is a first.  I was quite proud of myself even though it is a messy job. My roll ended when I tried to disconnect the battery so I could take that out for the winter.  I co...

I have had no further revelations from my bath towel.  Please bear with me as I travel the path of my new reality. I would like to assure you all that I will not be sharing anymore startling discoveries brought to be courtesy of inanimate objects, but of course you probably know me better than that. I was in Bed, Bath and Beyond last week and there were some really lux towels there whispering, "Buy ME!  Buy me!" but I resisted their siren song. We see what we want to see; we hear what we want to hear. I had a lovely weekend.  Mike's sister came for a visit.  We talked, ate, and drank some wine.  We went to downtown Burlington and cruised some shops, went out for lunch and took in a movie.  We saw Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks--really enjoyed it. Now it is back to the "work" week.  I have bills to pay.  I have to call the chimney company again because the caps keep getting blown off the chimneys.  I have to arrange for the garage...

Does any one see anything written on my bath towel? Or Am just flying off the deep end?  Seriously, does anyone else see it?