Karen – Page 13 – This Old House 2

Let there be Light

The Mr. wasn’t particularly fond of the pendant lights we had over the kitchen island, so we started looking at other options. There are SO MANY!!.. just browse Pottery Barn (my favorite for lighting) or Bellacor or Seagull lighting websites and you’ll be amazed and confused. After a significant search and a little bickering, we did settle on globes we found on Lamps Plus….

Out with the old..

In with the new…

I like them! I have found the glass globes are a bit of a pain in the ass because Smudges*smears*streaks*dust, but I do like the overall look.

The blank spot on the wall over the sink used to display three of my small paintings. I found a fairly local craft person on Etsy who makes rustic old wooden signs for a very reasonable price. She’s doing a farm sign for me and it will go right there where the paintings used to live. I’m a big fan of changing things up around the house now and then, and it doesn’t have to be much at all. A change of throw pillows on the couch to reflect the season, moving a painting to a different room, adding a plant or two, etc. And the best decorating tip of all – get rid of clutter noise. I tend to be a knicknack collector, and sometimes it becomes too knicknacky so I pick through and simplify. Cleaning up a disastrous closet or counter, folding that mountain of laundry that’s been building in the (fill in the blank) can give you a feeling of renewal. All those shoes that accumulate in the bottom of the coat closet.. some that haven’t been worn in three years? Out.

My guy is very type A – he is not fond of clutter and on the island we go back and forth with his love for -nothing at all – on it, and my love of decorating to create *cozy*. Sometimes I do a big decluttering around the house and he is in love all over again…. only to come home a few days later with the now familiar words… “Uh-oh.. I see clutter forming again”… tumbling out of his mouth. I’m just redecorating, that’s all.

The big glass hurricane candle holder thing we had on the island didn’t look right with the new pendants, so I went up the road to a local shop that sells wonderful things, so many wonderful things you can get in trouble quickly if you have to answer to a husband who balances the household budget in the aftermath.

This was yesterday’s score…Simple.. and I can leave it there all winter, change out the greens, etc. for other seasons.

Have I told you lately about our new granddog, Gizmo? We are all in love with him, hard to imagine someone dumped him on the side of the road, where he was found matted and afraid and wondering what the hell happened. He’s house trained and so loving, just wants to be up in your lap kissing you. He’s good to his brother by another mother, although he tries to herd Rex when they’re outside. I think he’s got border collie in him, Shih tzu border collie, that’s my guess.

Are you hosting any of the holiday meals on the horizon? We will have both Thanksgiving and Christmas meals here with the extended family and I’ve begun planning the menus – below are some awesome cheeseboard ideas, I plan to use these photos to create something similar here at This Old House.

I hope all is well in your world – Till soon, friends.. OOh.. and if you don’t already follow Susan Branch’s blog.. she just published a lovely Thanksgiving post.. worth the click over to HERE… where you’ll find lots of lovely things, including her uplifting spirit.. and this recipe below, which is also her artwork.

Spot

My grandfather Al used to feed the birds and squirrels in his tiny Staten Island backyard. He would sit in a chair on his back porch and hold peanuts in his hand. The squirrels would come up to him slowly, carefully, and reach for the peanut in his fingers. I would have loved to join in but at the time the squirrels weren’t sure of the eager child sitting across from him. It was enough to sit quietly and watch his interactions.

Many people think of squirrels as a nuisance. A rodent! (not that rodents are really a bad thing and oh, I know some of you may be cringing, but they’re smarter than we think). In my adult years I have not managed to feed the squirrels on our little farms by hand as my grandfather did, but they do frequent the bird feeders. Sometimes that has annoyed me because they can be piggy, but in the past few years a certain visitor has changed all that.

Spot has been here on this farm for a few years now, her unique marking on her forehead the giveaway.

What I’ve learned from observing Spot is.. squirrels have families. They have territories. They live for a while if they aren’t splat crossing the road. That crazy zigzag behavior you might witness in front of your car or out in your yard does not mean they are stupid or “nuts”… it’s their natural defense mechanism for escaping prey. So slow down your driving if it’s a safe option and let them get away.

Spot’s home base seems to be the ancient maple in our driveway across from the bird feeder at my kitchen window. For a few years now that’s where I see her most often, besides our feeder. I know she’s a female because that’s rather obvious ( no balls) when she’s hanging upside down from the feeder. That nob from an old branch is where she and a buddy or two often sun themselves, clean themselves, bring a morsel to nibble.

Squirrels frequently stretch before they move on – You can see her hanging by back feet in two of these pictures, extending her front paws out in a reach/stretch position.

I can watch her from my office desk too.. sometimes she ventures over to the split rail near the road, looking across, but I have yet to see her actually cross to the other side.

So the next time you see a squirrel, don’t think of them as a nuisance… remember they have families and places they consider home, too. We humans have encroached on their habitat, they aren’t encroaching on ours.

Who is America?

What we now refer to as America started with the arrival of Indigenous people of Siberian origin before 15,000 BC. Many cultures formed and disappeared, and then what we all know of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in 1492 was the beginning of the colonies.

Some data I obtained from several sites on the subject:

**From the time Europeans arrived on American shores, the frontier—the edge territory between white man’s civilization and the untamed natural world—became a shared space of vast, clashing differences that led the U.S. government to authorize over 1,500 wars, attacks and raids on Indians, the most of any country in the world against its indigenous people. By the close of the Indian Wars in the late 19th century, fewer than 238,000 indigenous people remained, a sharp decline from the estimated 5 million to 15 million living in North America when Columbus arrived in 1492.

Even more fundamentally, indigenous people were just too different: Their skin was dark. Their languages were foreign. And their world views and spiritual beliefs were beyond most white men’s comprehension. To settlers , all this stoked racial hatred and paranoia, making it easy to paint indigenous peoples as pagan savages who must be killed in the name of civilization and Christianity.**

We’ve all heard this cautionary tale – those who do not heed the lessons of history are condemned to repeat it. Never has that been more clear to me than as I witness President No. 45 and the minions who applaud his reckless behaviors, his hateful rhetoric designed to divide, his trampling laws to suit his agendas, his total disregard for truths in small and very big ways. Most horrifyingly to me…. are all the supporters who are willing to give him a pass because in some way he speaks to their fears, their own prejudices, their hates, their needs and he gives them a free pass for any behavior associated with it. I doubt any Tr&mp supporters read my posts any longer, but if you are reading this and you will vote for him again, I absolutely believe that the only reason you can abide this man in office is because you harbor within yourself some of the prejudice, hate, or greed this man projects daily and you want action and permission, validation for those things. It means nothing that you are “religious”, the hypocrisies there have been too many. I no longer care who this offends – I am assaulted daily with the damage he’s doing to this Country’s integrity, this Country’s soul.

And that brings me back to my post title. Who is America? I used to believe, with every fiber of my being…. that in this day and age we were for the most part a generous, intelligent, enlightened lot despite a not so perfect government.. although one must acknowledge here we are damned lucky to have lived in a Democracy with the freedoms we have clearly taken for granted. Did we fail the ultimate test with these freedoms? Have we fallen too far down the rabbit hole to redeem ourselves now that social media and news outlets and the President himself give us full power with a few clicks on our keyboard or speeches or articles to weave a tale that suits our agenda, to unleash those concealed (not buried, not destroyed, not diluted) racist bents some of us still hold close to the vest? And all this newfound bold display of untruth and hate is then devoured by those who favor it’s content. Let others be damned who are different or may be in need or have rights of their own, US FIRST. Well… that’s how it all started here in America. Are we to repeat the mistakes of the past?

What does America’s soul look like today? It surely isn’t charitable, kind, or respectful under this administration. Prosperous? I don’t know – would you consider opening the flood gates once again to polluting our waters, destroying our remaining pristine forests, walking back air pollution regulations, electing a man who lies to all daily, spews rhetoric designed to divide the nation, paints immigrants as the enemy, of which we are ALL if you want to be honest,…. are these qualities of a prosperous, healthy nation? What price is too much to pay for perceived monetary gains? Where’s the line? is there one? …..

It feels like we have sold our soul. And you know …. I don’t like what that implies specifically.. the collective “WE” in this narrative. Because not all of us has fallen for this nonsense. Not all of us is OK with this erosion of our values, or morals as a country. I and the many who feel as I do are not to blame for the ugly, corrupt, narcissistic picture that is currently being sold as “America”. Will not carry that baggage as if it is my badge to wear. I will resist.

Our country has always been a melting pot, a seaming together of many cultures, many religions, many nationalities, a picture taken with a wide economic lens. We’ve overcome many hard things to become a strong nation, one I hope will find it’s way once again among our people, within our government, and as a participating cooperative enlightened member of the worldwide community, a beacon in preservation and respect for life and the health of our planet, in the natural world and the spiritual. It sure as hell isn’t what we are right now, but we’ve proven before we are capable of change, and I hope enough of us can right this ship before it’s too late.

Morning Commute

After 31 years of the same old grind, I still love my morning commute. Although this is our fourth small farm in those 31 years, this one in particular, of which we hope and plan to retire on, is the most extensively “farmed” – we hay our fields, raise chickens for eggs, my horses adorn the fields as lawn ornaments for the most part but they do get use, sparingly. (those spoiled, spoiled horses).

We used to have a huge vegetable garden, but with enough produce yield to feed a lost continent full of folk and a weed war we could not possibly win, we downsized eventually to a two-raised bed configuration 1/8th the size of the original, now located in our back yard. We also have a small young apple orchard with peach and plum trees, blueberry and raspberry bushes, and a Christmas Tree lot in a back field. (haha..hahahaha… I’ll ‘splain later in the post).

So.. my morning starts with breakfast for the two of us around 5:30 a.m. for no good reason at all other than that’s when the Mr. and I religiously wake up. And we aren’t religious. We’re just *UP*. The dogs are let out to do their business and then fed. If it’s chilly, like this morning, I put on my outer layer of barn attire and Miss Sally waits by the door because she knows the routine and she loves OUT. And OUT with MOM is the stuff dreams are made of.

We head out into the frost coated everything to begin the rounds. Sally stays within the dog fenced area, but it allows her to follow me up the driveway to the barn area where she waits around while I feed and muck.

Side note: (I’m a little ADD, I’m pretty sure of it ) Peering over to the left in the backyard, my daughter’s home is in sight. We are absolutely loving our new neighbors 💖. Her new family member, adopted adorable Gizmo has blended very well with their dog Rex, and all is well in their new little kingdom in the field across the way.

Back on track we go – morning commute… The chicken coop comes first – I let the girls out into their coop yard and refresh the water and feeders, rake the chicken yard, and once a week the whole coop gets an overhaul of fresh shavings, swept out cobwebs, new hay in laying boxes, etc. This year’s babies have already been laying for months and they’re beautiful! The two shown here are Light Brahmas. They have feathers on their feet! They are part of my GOT flock. Winter and Ghost , with Arya on the right. Cersei died early on of a deformed beak ( if only that had happened in the series! ) Sansa and Daenerys are doing well.

Once the girls are all set for the day, I head up to the barn to feed and water the horses and turn them out for the day.

The two old boys.. Max1 and Max2.. are let out into the fields after they’ve finished their morning grain. They’ve just started wearing their fall sheets to keep the chill off on these 30 something degree mornings. Older horses have trouble keeping good weight on due to teeth that are ground down with time, so we give them a little help with special grains for seniors and blankets for added warmth.

The mini horses are little cherubs, chubby little cherubs. Their weight needs to be kept reasonable and so they are not allowed on the big grassy fields with the larger horses as they’d eat themselves to oblivion. So we keep them in a smaller dirt paddock and give them the appropriate amount of grain and hay for their size.

Once feed is done, I usually muck stalls. On Sundays our boarder does stalls to give me a reprieve, so this morning I walked about the fields and took a few pictures instead.

Our little orchard on the hill behind the house. The apple trees on the left are a few years old and have produced very little so far. It takes a few years for trees to establish themselves, and we’re still learning about proper pruning and fertilization – must be enough, but not too much. The blueberry and raspberry bushes will get a netting cover once berries appear, lest the birds and squirrels get them all. Yep, That did happen, lesson learned.

In the field behind the horse barn is a tree lot … where for three years, we’ve planted 100 Christmas trees. The first year we had a wicked winter and the wind chill was awful, killing most of the trees. *ah, crap. We replaced them with slightly bigger ones the second year… of which we lost more than half to a grub infestation. *crap again. And why does it seem so many have just planted a ton of trees and lo and behold, a tree farm was born – like, super easy. I mean it was such the infestation that when you walked among the saplings the ground crinkled and crunched for all the grubs squirming around just below the surface. BLEH.

We’ve planted the new little baby Christmas trees in this third year of tree farming, with a fence around lest the deer eat them up, ( can you imagine?) the ground is treated for grubs and we’ll cross our fingers for a not-so-terribly-cold windy winter, shall we?

With the walk about done and checking for downed fence rails, I walk back down to the house where Miss Sally has joined me along the fence line and up onto the porch where she waits to be let in while I shuck off my muck boots. We then get on with our day.

It’s a dirty business sometimes, this job of mine, and never is it glamorous – but I wouldn’t trade it for the world and then some.

Another Side note: Have you been a Downton Abbey fan? I hadn’t paid any attention to it for all these years, how did I miss such a gem? – just got hooked on Amazon and within three weeks I’m almost done with the six seasons, looking forward to the movie! I love it! Fantastic actors too – What a different world. Living not far from Newport, I’ve toured some of the old “cottages” and saw first hand their elaborate lives preserved for all to explore. These are not the estates of Europe, of course, but the summer colonies for some of the wealthy elite Americans of the late 1800’s early 1900’s.

Till soon, friends –

Orange Koolaid

R*bert Mueller’s team indicted or got guilty pleas from 34 people and three companies during their lengthy investigation. Six former Tr*mp advisers, 26 Russ*an nationals, three Russ*an companies, one California man, and one London-based lawyer. Seven of these people (including five of the six former Tr*mp advisers) have pleaded guilty.

There is absolutely NO DOUBT in ANYONE’S MIND there was Russ*an interference in our election process, among other things. AND YET… now.. we have a criminal investigation into the investigation itself. All because B*rr is in Tr*mp’s pocket, and Tr*mp wants vengeance because a spade was called a spade and it makes him look bad. If the shoe fucking fits, dude.

This Pres*dent is trying to block any witnesses to testify to anything that might not go his way, he publicly mocks anyone who doesn’t agree with him. Republicans storm an impeachment inquiry that was following their own playbook! Their rules!!… His own lawyer is telling judges he should not be held accountable for any of his crimes while he’s Pres*dent, including shooting and killing a person – that.. was his very words to the Judge. This.. is nuts.

What you are witnessing is the destruction of our Democracy at the hands of a man and his cohorts who NEVER HAVE AND NEVER WILL HAVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART. I’m not telling anyone they should take my word for it- Their own history proves it! They line their pockets right in front of the world, pull illegal bullshit and step all over the constitution that those who support him USED to swear they wanted upheld…and yet they applaud what they used to know was no damned good. The corruption here is just so unbelievable, and yet so many are still drinking that orange Koolaid. It’s absolutely DumbFounding to anyone with their eyes wide open, (not a fucking snowflake, not a radical left). Just a human being seeing what’s happening right before our eyes.

For the love of everything decent, holy, just, sane, for our country to come together again because divided we will fall!!…. WAKE. UP… before the freedoms and protections and quality of life for ourselves, our planet and the species that inhabit it among a myriad of other things we’ve all taken for granted for so long are destroyed by this corrupt asshole. We are damned lucky to live in a Democracy – and some of us are actually encouraging it’s destruction, under an absolutely false pretense of Making America Grate Again.

FUCK TR*MP.

Welcome Gizmo!

For years I’ve been a volunteer at shelter dog adoption events here in Connecticut, and was a founding member of Homeward Bound CT. Due to my hearing loss I stepped down from the Board eventually, as it became increasingly difficult to hear conversation at meetings, etc. I no longer work the events as a conduit between the adopters and the dogs on three day stretches for the same reason. I didn’t want this damned hearing loss to squelch my shelter dog assistance efforts, however, so I contribute in other ways that don’t require conversations in the crowded busy barky affair that is an adoption event. I bring food for the many volunteers, photograph and advocate for the dogs coming to the event, and donate money to the rescues to help them accomplish their monumental tasks.

Two of my three current dogs are rescues, and my daughter also has an adopted pooch, Rex. Well.. she did, but now she has two. K and D adopted Gizmo this weekend at Homeward Bound CT’s latest event, and I can honestly tell you I have not ever seen a more grateful dog. Gizmo just absolutely loves everyone. As soon as he locks eyes with you, if you don’t melt, you don’t have a heart in your chest cavity, I’m telling ya. He was picked up by an ACO as a stray in Georgia, where he landed at a kill shelter – and was quickly pulled by a rescue friend of ours, who vetted him, fostered him, and brought him up here to Connecticut with her other saves. A more loving, cuddly dog does not exist. We don’t know what his circumstances were that landed him in a kill shelter, but he’s out of those woods now.

Welcome to our family, Gizmo!

We took her boyz for a walk around the property yesterday to help Gizmo learn what home is to him now.

This picture shows the relationship between our two homes – It’s so awesome to have our girl and her little family right nextdoor. This old farm has truly become our family’s haven and I can’t begin to express appropriately how grateful I am.

I remember vividly passing this place on our way to visit my aunt many years ago. As a young girl I would glance at the overgrown fields behind the viney overgrown roadside and the ancient peeling sinking house…. and dream a little dream of living in the country on a place such as this. Never would I have guessed I’d call it home someday. It all started with a desire to live in the country with horses and dogs, and a big leap of faith to make a bold move when I was 19. The support of family and the love of a good man was the glue that kept the dream together.

Both in Vermont and here in CT, the fall foliage has been oustanding. What is fall looking like in your neck’o the woods?

Till soon, friends…

A Glorious Fall Foliage Day in Vermont

On Saturday the Mr. and I woke up at our usual time, 5:00 am ……why? We have no idea, but it’s just always been our way, to be up at the crack of dawn. In that way we are well suited for each other. With perfect temps and sun on the horizon, no big obligations for the day we decided … Let’s go to Woodstock.

With K living right next door now, a simple text ….. can you feed and turn out horses and dogs today, etc. so we can take a day trip?… and because she also gets up at the crack of dawn religiously, the answer was immediate.. sure thing!

And off we went. The colors are so glorious this year, conditions must have been just right. We hit our favorite places along this route – Scott Orchard first in Dummerston where I grabbed a few bags of heirloom apples you don’t find anywhere else, and their delicious heirloom apple cider. I love their farm buildings, too… hundreds of years old. The slate roofing.. just beautiful.

Then into Woodstock, were we walked on the green, visited the Woodstock Inn, inquired to see if there was possible just one room left so we could stay overnight – nope. Bummer. This is the weekend we usually come with the family and stay for a few days, booked way in advance. With other travel plans next spring, we decided to forgo the expense this year, with just a day trip for the Vermont Fix we crave.

We had a delicious lunch at the Mountain Creamery – a lovely old shop that retains it’s simple farm style charm (they raise their own livestock for their signature meals and ice cream) A better sandwich or ice cream float you will not find in Woodstock, I can attest to that. Their mile high apple pie is so good, I took an entire pie home in a box for later enjoyment, just a slice would not have been enough.

Turkey Bacon Cheese Pesto sammy with a side of potato salad like no other (shredded veggies in it, what a perfect addition)

Then we headed over to Billings Farm to visit our cows. I say our cows because I’m hoping one day to convince the Mr., who loves them as much as I do, that our little farm needs two cows, and two cows need our farm. I’d like to buy two bull calves who would otherwise be sold most likely for veal and let them live their lives out on our farm the natural way, as pets. If you have to be a dairy cow, the Billings farm is a good place to be, as they take excellent care of their herds. But.. the realities are still what they are – any boy calves born are not needed unless you’re one of the lucky few who are kept for breeding purposes.

Our Woodstock trips aren’t complete without a stop in the old Gillinghams General Store, not much has changed here either in many years, and we’re so glad of it.

This good dog did not move one inch, didn’t gaze anywhere but directly into the store where his mom was right inside the door for just a few minutes. I loved his intensity of duty.

Till soon, friends…

A Palate cleanser

After the last post I feel I need to sprinkle some happy up here in this space. Let us not allow the *crazy* to infect every corner of our world, because truly there’s so much to appreciate and good works we can do and fun and adventure to be had, regardless. I find a lot of solace in the every day, in the routines, the natural beauty outside these old doors, my animals up on the hill, the family that gathers round the table and the dogs curled up under my desk.

Here on the farm the leaves are turning and beginning to blanket the stone walls and pathways. My gardens are depleted, but there is still much color and many blooms and berries…

Zinnia still reaching for the sky…

The Dahlias – easy to grow and just so stunning…. I do need to pull the bulbs out of the ground once the frost hits if I want to use them again next year. And I might not, because sometimes I’m lazy that way.

My New Dawn roses have made a second appearance, just a few on a very lengthy vine along the dog yard fence.

I forget the name of these hydrangea trees, their blooms are prolific this year! My mom has been here several times collecting bunches for friends, they are great for drying.

Beautyberry – a more vivid purple berry you have never seen.

More Dahlia….

And although the daisies were done over a month ago, because of the warm weather, a few have shot up again.

Inside the house I’ve brought in fall – one of my favorite seasons to decorate. Pumpkins everywhere! and.. I bring bittersweet vine in from the fields and drape them along the fireplace mantels. There are pumpkins on the front door steps and over the door itself on the “shelf”, too.

I’ve been holding on to a painting by my late great grandfather in 1949 for some time now. His writing is on the back, so it was easy to discover what this painting was of – The covered bridge in Arlington, Vermont just in front of Normal Rockwell’s beloved home on the green. Above as it appears in our dining room, Below is a picture of the area now, and his painting up close. I recently had it matted, framed and glass covered for protection as it was in rough shape – it’s hard to get a photo of it without glare. The white house in the very background was his home.

Current….

And as my great grandfather saw it in 1949…

I hope to get up there in the near future to stand at this spot myself, with a nod to my deceased ancestor who did the very same. He and I have a similar painting style – not too detailed but the end result is pleasing to the eye, if not very professional or precise. Right now I’m reading Normal Rockwell’s autobiography and I look forward to the inevitable mention of his beloved home in Arlington.

11/28/1939-ORIGINAL CAPTION READS: Norman Rockwell, artist. Photo shows Rockwell painting with smoking pipe in his mouth.

Hopefully Getty Images folks own’t mind that I used their image.

I’ll leave you with a link to some scrumptious fall recipes from a favorite blogger of mine, Jane of Blondie’s Journal. Visit her post HERE. I’ve got the beef stew on my stove as I type this, and the other recipes will get a chance here at this old house as well. The stew is delish! Perfect for a cool fall evening.

Till soon, friends –

Dump Tr*mp

It’s going to be a beautiful day here in New England, and I hate to spoil even two seconds of it mulling over the current state of these Uniteds. Seriously… can you believe all the nonsense currently spinning around in the tornado that is Tr*mpworld?

Regarding the most recent pressuring of another country to investigate his political rival…P*nce had this to say in defense of his President…

P*NCE: “ One of the main reasons we were elected in Washington, DC, was to drain the swamp. And I think the American people have a right to know if the vice president of the United States or his family profited from his position as vice president during the last administration,” he said. “That’s about looking backwards and understanding what really happened.”

That’s absolutely hilarious!! Does he think the American People are so dumb we don’t see the many ways the President of the United States and his family are profiting from his position as the POTUS? That’s about looking at what’s right under our nose and understanding what’s really happening, right now.

Let alone there has been ZERO evidence of any wrong doing by Biden or his son, already investigated.

More Fake News from the Tr*mp Train. Holy shit, talk about the dumbing down of America. I would never in a million years have believed such a corrupt lying egostical maniac could garner such support. Now that he has shown us what he truly is made of, how does ANYONE overlook all the obvious ills. And yet. It’s as if some of our population has decided to stick their fingers in their ears chanting la la la la la la la la la…… instead of looking at the facts. Ignore the Treason, People!… we just have to figure out who the leaker is.

Never again do I want to hear “We need a businessman to run the country instead of politicians”. How’s that working out? Let alone the fact that a lot of his business was shady to begin with! Does being Rich impress them? A pig in a ball gown and tiara is still a pig. And if I hear one more chirp about how well the economy is doing… Ha! The economy has been on the upswing for more than 8 years now, whether we want to look at what’s actually true or not. Ask farmers how they’re making out. And how about that bailout? Much more costly than Obama’s auto industry bailout, and yet Obama was criticized for -socialism-. To be clear, I’m all for helping the farmers out, I believe in some forms assistance, especially when Tr*mp fucked them over in the first place. I’m heartened to see some of them are finally seeing the forest for the trees. The real irony is…. some of Trumps supporters, friends of mine I can attest to… are the very people his policies will never help. They cheer on his hate for immigrants and cling to their love of guns (we all believe we need immigration reform, and no one has been trying to take away your guns) and it appeals to them how he gives everyone permission to be an asshole, because hey, the POTUS is standing up on that podium doing that very thing, telling YOU to do that very thing, and he’s getting away with it. …..All that hate mongering is just false narrative, an excuse to rail against the machine. … and one more thing… Let’s talk about bible thumpers. He could not recite one verse, he’s cheating on every wife he’s had, he’s a self admitting pussy grabber!…. though I’ve heard it said we’ve put God back in the White House.

Man, that’s some strong Orange Koolaid.

What does this guy have to do ? Where’s the line? ……………….

You know what? I feel better now, I’m glad I spit it out. And I’m not worried about who I may have offended with this post, because I’m offended every damned day by that lying, bullying, corrupt, hate mongering piece of shit you’ve elected. He’s like a slap in the face to anyone who believes in decency, integrity, truth, upholding laws and our constitution. May he get what he deserves.

The Lights are on and Everyone’s HOME

When we bought this run down old farm, our goal was to restore it and create a family gathering place for many years to come. With our kids now grown and making their way in the world, tonight I see the bonfire up on the hill with the boy and his cousin and long time friends gathered round the fire once again as they have since their high school days, all college graduates and professionals living near and far. Next door, I see the lights on for the first time, my daughter and her boyfriend’s first night in their new home. I have a husband with vision and tenacity who saw this all through, and I’m grateful for every second of it. ♥

A little tour of the new home…

Wishing my daughter and her partner in life many happy years here!

While the new home owners were unpacking, the Mr. and I went down to Stella by the Sea to sit on her now vacant deck once again and enjoy the early fall breezes. (more like… he enjoyed the breezes and took a nap while I did laundry, picked tomatoes, dusted, vacuumed and packed away bedding for the coming winter months.)

I did manage to stick my feet in the water and absorb a little more Vitamin Sea.

The last of the seaside garden tomatoes… those four plants yielding more fruit than my 10 or so here on the farm – go figure.

I’m too exhausted by all the noise coming out of Washington to dive into it much here… – Bonfire of the Vanities – sums it up, new meaning of course.

Apple Slab Pie with Maple Icing – link HERE.

Till soon –