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Showing posts from 2018

Rest in Peace 2018

It's not nice to wish ill of the dead and dying. But really, I am so tired of 2018. I am resenting the fact that December is a 31 day month. There were challenges and good times. I am grateful for the good times with family and friends. I weathered the challenges. Everything happens for a reason, so might as well learn from each experience. I will be spending the next two weeks in Vermont. I will be busy, but still looking forward to making my way south. Hard to complain about anything when I have two roofs over my head, fun things to do almost every day, and great friends in both locations. Still . . . 2018, don't let the door hit you in the bum on your way out. google images

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Real life is getting in the way of my time to engage in my blog life.  We all know it happens from time to time. BUT I want to take the time to wish those who celebrate Christmas a very merry one. If you celebrate or find some significance to the holiday season, happiness and joy. To those who just strive to survive the whole holiday season, know it will all be over soon.  Hang in there!

Recovery

Well, I went to Boston this week for my minimally invasive sinus procedure.  It was an outpatient deal and I stayed with my friend who lives in Massachusetts so it wasn't all bad.  I have a drippy nose (and will for a while) but no pain, at least not in the area of my sinuses.  That part went very well. The hard part was getting set up in pre-op. The anesthesiologist could not get a needle in my vein to hook up an IV. After ten or so attempts she went for help and then there were to of them jabbing both arms with needles.  She finally settled on using a tiny needle --"the size we use for babies." My arms are a lovely shade of purple and my hands look like pin cushions. I am hoping to be breathing better soon.

It Pours

My grandmother used to say, "It never rains but it pours." Bit of a pessimist, my grandmother. Or perhaps a bit of a realist. I am having pouring issues right now. I returned to VT from my place in Florida where I have been for the past three weeks. My friend Don was picking me up at the airport. He found an app the kept track of the progress of my flight -- a good thing since my flight from JFK to Burlington was delayed. He didn't have to hang around a nearly empty airport waiting for me. We got to my place at 11:30 p.m.* I was tired. I didn't hear Don getting up and into the shower but I did hear him yelling when he went downstairs. I now have a shower that allows two people to wash up at once -- on in the tub upstairs and one standing under the ceiling light fixture in the dining room. Good thing he was here. For one thing, he takes really quick showers whereas I take longer and would have pumped a lot more water through the leaking drain. Main thing: he

Bread Ties

You recognize these things. A twist tie or a tab tie keep an open plastic bread bag closed prolonging precious freshness. Sometimes the twist tie comes in handy although I cannot think of a specific example at the moment. Perhaps there is another use for the tab but I have never cared enough to research what that might be on Pinterest. They say plastic straws are clogging up the landfills and oceans. What is the impact of these bread thingies? It cannot be good. NOTE to environmentalists in need of a research topic! I can hear your eyes rolling out there. Good grief, she is really scraping the bottom of the barrel for a blog topic . Of course this is not a post about bread ties. It is a post about a new relationship, a romantic relationship, and the need to negotiate such when you reach a certain age and yet still imagined navigating those mine fields had passed with your youth. A bowl filled with plastic bread ties taking up space on an already too cramped counter top

Some Quilting

I made this  brown quilt -- could be a crib size, maybe a lap quilt. I plan to donate to the church Goods and Services Auction in January. I much prefer to work in this size. I did attempt a larger project: Way too many opportunities for mistakes and way too hard to quilt on a regular old sewing machine! I used left over material (which I bought at a yard sale last winter) to make a shopping bag. I plan to fill that with jars of jam and maple syrup; coffee, tea and hot chocolate; pancake and scone mixes. I will call it breakfast in a bag and donate that to the auction as well. I can whip these bags up in no time so maybe I will just specialize in bags from now on.

Leftover Soup

I have been on a vegetable kick. I am actually not a vegetarian but I do eat lots of vegetables. It's winter vegetable time. Even in Florida. I love roasted root vegetables. cauliflower, carrots, turnip and sweet potato I like to grocery shop on Tuesdays so I usually clean out the fridge on that morning and any left over vegetables from the previous week get made into a soup. My sister-in-law took a tour of Ireland last winter and brought home a recipe for Irish vegetable soup.  Basically, it is potato, leeks, onion, turnip, carrots, parsnips  boiled until mushy and then blended with seasoning. It is a satisfying meal and it makes my skin glow. I did tell a friend about leftover soup once and she looked at me askance and said, "You can make soup out of pizza and leftover taco meat?"

Ready for a Parade

I drove through downtown Venice on Friday morning. In truth I drove around downtown because the actual downtown street was blocked off and filled with paving equipment. I drove past the brand new library which will open this week. Several streets were lined with collapsed folding chairs and blankets spread out. I don't mean just a few here and there. The streets were lined end to end. People staking out their territory. Hmmm, must be a parade is scheduled for the afternoon? Well, actually, the parade was scheduled for Saturday night at 7 o'clock. What? All the spaces taken by noon the day before? I don't get that compulsion. Honestly, it is one of the reasons I avoid dinners and pot luck events at the park clubhouse. If the event starts at 5 or 6, everyone has rushed down by 10 a.m. to leave a sweater or some other demarcation -- "MY SPOT!" Am I the only one who finds this vaguely hostile?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

THE TURKEY THAT GOT AWAY

Motor Vehicle Problem

That was the report that went out to warn those on their way to work on Friday morning that I-189was closed. Here is the motor vehicle problem: A semi jack knifed and blocked the west bound lane.  I didn't see it happen but I did arrive on the scene early in the process. I had planned a weekend with family in Connecticut and I didn't want to give it up, but the roads were so bad I was making up my mind to get off the highway and go home until it stopped. Instead I sat there for two hours. Special equipment had to be brought in to move the truck. No one was hurt. I had a good book. The young man behind me had one of those heavy on the bass speakers and a good supply of rap music he was willing to share with those around him so that was good too. (She said somewhat sarcastically). The snow stopped before the fire truck and police car got there.  By the time we were waved on past, the roads had been salted and plowed. I was on my way with no more problem

I enjoyed this book . . .

Familiar Things  by Hwang Sok-Yong (translated from the Korean original) This is a work of fiction although the conditions do exist in the world.  A thirteen year old boy's father has been taken away to be "re-educated" by the South Korean government. Bugeye, as he is known on the streets, and his mother sink from poverty into extreme poverty. In order to survive, they end up  on Flower Island, a make shift community of tiny shacks around a huge landfill where the people spend their days sifting through garbage to forage what ever they can find to eat or wear or sell. Dirty and dangerous work. They have to pay a fee in order to be licensed to do this recycling work. The refuse sifters are not the only beings on the island.  There are those, mostly unseen, who remember the island's history. It has so much potential to be a bleak and depressing story and yet there is so much humanity and a bright spirit that shines through.  I really loved it.

The Folly of Frugality

There are people my age who still have at least one living parent.  Had my mother lived past the age of 92, she would today be 105.  Had my father lived past the age of 73, he would be 108. Well, that doesn't make objective sense, but you know what I mean. I had older parents although I didn't notice at the time because all parents were old then.  My point started out to be that my parents were just coming into adulthood during the great depression and they were tremendously affected by it. Habits of frugality got handed down. I don't leave lights on. I try not to waste food. I repair and reuse before I replace. So . . . in my shower this morning, I was determined to use that last little bit of shampoo.  I put water in and shook it, poured out the watery shampoo and suds up my head. Then I decided to turn around and put the shampoo bottle on the back edge of the tub so I would remember to put in the recycle bin. I had to bend over a bit to place it on the tub rim an

BInging

I have been watching Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown on Netflix. Let me say that I am not a foodie.  Frankly, there is nothing about this series that makes me interested in world cuisines. The food that man would put in his mouth. Nope, not for me. There are limits on my willingness to try new things. I continue to watch for the glimpse into different cultures, the spirit of the people, and the scenery.  Incredible scenery. No matter what I think, the food that people grow up with is certainly meaningful in their lives. It's a sense of home, a sense of family, a sense of their history. And so many countries have been affected by wars and conflicts. And of course there is knowing that Bourdain ended his life with suicide. I look for signs of depression in him and pop an extra Prozac for myself. It makes my heart ache for the human condition because it seems so clear that we are all fundamentally the same and yet there is so much discord in the world.

Trick or Treat

Three trick or treaters came to my door last night.  That is the most little beggars I have seen at my door since 1992. Three years ago neighbors who moved away by the next Halloween brought their toddler. Then no one until this year. The first time the doorbell rang a handsome young police officer was standing there.  He was little and his parents had to prompt him to say "trick or treat" and "thank-you."  A bit later two youngsters, probably six and seven years old, tapped on the door. I greeted them with a "Happy Halloween" and dropped candy into their little buckets. They immediately said "thank-you" and then the little boy said "Have a wonderful rest of your evening." Politeness.  What a very amazing thing.

Apple Bake

I may have shared this recipe before.  It is one I pull out every year during apple picking time. It's good.  It's simple to put together.  And it was given to me by I woman I used to work with and I hear her voice as I read the recipe.  6-8 apples peeled and sliced 2 tablespoons of sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon Put these three ingredients into a pie plate. 1 cup flour 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 stick melted butter Mix flour, sugar, egg and butter into a bowl until goopy. Using a spoon plop dough onto the top of the apples. Bake at 350º (F) for 50 to 60 minutes.

Smugglers' Notch

My grandson noticed snow on Mt. Mansfield (VT's tallest mountain) and wanted to take a ride to see if could find some snow on Friday.  He had the day off from school so parent-teacher conferences could be held all day. We took a ride through Smugglers' Notch . There were signs warning that the road would be closed for the season on Saturday.  There was snow, although not that much.  We explored a cave or two, but it was already getting dark.  We made a plan to return next summer and spend a full day climbing on rocks. Actually we started a whole list of things we want to do and explore next summer. For Dane, it will be the summer between elementary school and starting middle school.  I really hope he will still be interested in doing things with his old granny then! I of course have no worries about having the stamina to keep up with him. I take my vitamins.

YAY!

Just when I was so frustrated I was about to give up blogging altogether I got a reply from Blogger Help.  i thought that I was commenting on some blogs but then I noticed comments I thought went through were not showing up -- even comments on my own blog.  It seems that the problem is with my browser.  If I am using Safari all my comments disappear.  When I switched to Chrome, it seems I can make comments.  It seems Safari has some kind of problematic filter.  I don't know if it is worth trying to figure out how to "fix" Safari or not. My technology learning curve is dauntingly steep.

Fall in Vermont

My friend Ginnie and I went for a ride to see the fall colors and then have lunch at a country restaurant.  After I dropped her back at her place, I took another scenic route back to my own home. I went through my old town and my old house in the process. The grass is still very green.  It really was a pretty day, lots of sunshine. But the colors are definitely not as vibrant as usual. This is a photo from several years ago, the same place as the one above it.  You can see it has more of the "bowl of Trix cereal" look about it. The reds are conspicuously absent this year.  A subtle political message from our friends, the trees. I stopped in the parking lot for the walking trails behind my old house.  I hope the new owners are happy there. (Still frustrated in my efforts to comment on many blogs.)

Summer is Not Gone Yet!

Summer 2018 is not gonna give up without a fight. A couple of days ago I was getting out my winter coat to go out for the evening.  Monday was pleasantly warmer so I thought I had better take advantage of it and put away deck furniture and clean the deck. My garage is small.  I hung the deck chairs from the rafters.  Good that I have a small car. And then the temperatures shot up.  It's 78ºF today with a slight breeze blowing.  I would not be likely to go sit outside, even if i just took out a folding chair.  There are way too many bugs around. These guys, box elder beetles, and also the Asian lady bugs are knocking at the back door, wanting to find shelter for the winter I suppose.  Well, I am not welcoming them in. I did get out for a nice walk in a large field.  This property is located between the interstate highway and an industrial park.  The airport is a stone's throw away. Traffic and seven or eight planes taking off as I walked, but somehow the warm

Blogger woes again

I have been able to comment on a couple of blogs by re-entering name and a URL, but some sites do not give me this option so I cannot publish comments.  I am still reading and not ghosting on purpose, but how to fix this is beyond me.

@#!* Blogger

I don't know what is going on with Blogger lately.  None of the comments I have made on blogs are showing up. I might be on some kind of Blogger Blacklist. And what is this webroot thing?

October

We are having a rainy week.  And cold.  The temperature today was in low 50's. Time to turn on the heat.  I am wearing a long sleeve tee, a sweater over that, a fleece jacket over that. That's to be indoors.  I put my rain jacket over all when I had to go out to the grocery store.  The damp is right down to my bones and my fingers are freezing.  Just would be hard to work with mittens on. Since I felt more or less housebound today, I made an attempt to decorate for the season.  I have a fall leaf decoration hanging on the front door. I dragged this out. Since I don't really have a wall to hang it on, I put it on the table. I put the owls and pumpkins I made on the mantel. I made these decorative lanterns out of card stock for my grandchildren. They have a battery/fake votive inside to make them glow. Kristen likes cats. Dane likes Halloween. I try to do a week long diet cleanse in the spring and in the fall.  I am eating a very high number

Random Bits

I got my flu shot today at a local pharmacy.  My new medicare card gave them fits, but after three people worked at it, it finally went through so I didn't have to pay out of pocket. Did I already say I was rear ended in traffic? I was not hurt, but my new car!!! It will be fixed and the kid's insurance has accepted liability.  I strongly suspect texting and driving was a factor.  The problem now is that I spend so much time worrying about the car behind me that I am afraid I will end up rear ending someone.  Life is hard. Some have accused me of having way too much time on my hands: Purple page in my art journal Knitting a blue bird.  I don't know why. And also an owl. Because I like owls. It stopped being hot very quickly.  The leaves are starting to turn and day time temperatures have been in the 60's.  It's as though a switch was thrown on the autumnal equinox. I  put away the AC unit and dragged out a blanket.  And I got to use my bright

Hot Summer

Wildflowers I picked on a walk down a dirt road. The weather has suddenly turned cooler.  I was using the small AC unit in my bedroom right up until this past Tuesday when the temperature reached 90º and the humidity was about 90%. I have had that little AC unit for years and I usually don't even bother to drag it out.  And if I do, it is usually just for a week tops that it get used in July.  But this was a hot and humid summer -- practice for if I ever move to Florida full time. I was listening to a piece about Rachel Carson on public radio last Sunday.  I knew about her book Silent Spring  and her warnings about the chemicals impacting the environment.  I did not know about her concerns about global warming.  She had started working on a book about that before her death.  She was charting increasing ocean temperatures along the eastern coast back in the 1940's and 50's. There is an interesting article about Rachel Carson in the March, 2018,  New Yorker Magazi

Self Revealing Stories

SO Margaret of Straight Up - No Chaser recently posted a story that illustrated who she is .  Her story, her blog in general, is wicked funny and worth a read.  She did end the story with a "your turn" sort of challenge. I have written about this before -- giving blood: My first husband was a community spirited, giving back kind of guy, and that is extremely admirable. He may have gone too far, though, when he convinced me, many years ago, to go with him to donate blood. As he pointed out at the time, I was young and healthy. I should feel a responsibility to help those in need. It was an easy thing to do. He did it on a regular basis. They give you juice and a donut when you are done.  A donut?  You should have lead with that! Okay, all ready. I went with him to the Congregational Church where the Red Cross was having a blood drive. The volunteer greeting us at the door gave me a sticker: "Be nice to me. It's my first time!" Goody, a sticker. What am

The News

I am glad that our trip to Boston was on Monday and that we did not feel tempted to linger for a few extra days.  We drove through this area on the way back to Vermont. multiple-gas-explosions-set-more-than-homes-ablaze-across-three-communities-north-boston I am feeling a teensy bit nervous about the natural gas heat in my condo. *** We did learn about this Boston incident while we walking near Faneuil Hall. https://www.wcax.com/content/news/Police-NH-man-offered-to-buy-teen-girl-from-parents-492867791.html *** Uh Oh.  Manafort set to cooperate with the Mueller investigation after more charges are brought? I guess loyalty can only go so far. Although I have to say I marvel that loyalty to a sinking ship has gone as far as it has by so many. But that's just my own opinion. *** My heart goes out to anyone in the path of Florence.  I have been the Cape Hatteras and to St. Martin  within four to nine months after hurricanes had passed through.  It is almost i

Boston

I had a doctor's appointment in Boston. (Aren't there any ENTs in VT?) I had promised my granddaughter a shopping trip for her 17th birthday (which was in June) so a trip to Boston seemed like a good way to cash that one in.  We left on Sunday and stopped at the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester before tucking in for the night.  Oh, yeah we had dinner at the Lobster Boat in Merrimack -- lobster rolls and French fires.  We like our lobster rolls Connecticut style, butter instead of mayo, and they accommodated.  It was a very good restaurant with everything tasting and smelling very fresh. We spent the morning seeing a little bit of Boston.  Kristen did some more shopping and we had a lunch that spanned several of the food vendors at the Quincy Market. Performer (who wanted $20 from each onlooker) It was pretty gray, but the rain held off til later. My doctor's appointment was supposed to be at 2:30, but the doctor was running late.  I was finished with  exa

Out of my Comfort Zone

I like to be learning new things.  I did of course know it all as a teenager, but that was such a long time ago.  I actually was a good student back in the day.  Now it seems my learning curve has gotten much steeper.  Still, it is important to me to keep climbing it. Learning sometimes involves new experiences so earlier this month I put myself out there. Writers' Workshops held a public reading by workshop participants.  I signed up to read some of my poetry. And then I actually went to the bar with a couple of my friends, had a glass of wine,  got up on stage and read three of my poems out loud. Here's proof! People laughed and applauded and it felt amazing!  My poet rock star moment.

Pushing it?

It's still August, probably my least favorite month of the entire year.  Every other month flies by like I'm standing still.  August refuses to go away. So what better way to spend a steamy hot August day than making Christmas cards? I played around with four different designs and have picked the one I will make to send out this year. A B C D I am not a last minute kind of person. I will organize this project like an assembly line: cutting individual parts, stamping, gluing.  I won't until maybe October, but by golly, I do have my plan in place. Anybody want to take a guess about my Myers-Briggs personality type? No, I have not finished my Christmas shopping.  I can do that right up until a week before Christmas. But I have started and, yes, there is a list involved.