Karen – Page 5 – This Old House 2

Therapy

I just finished a painting for mom, inspired by an old image of the greenhouse at Snug Harbor on Staten Island where she served as a volunteer and gave tours for years. I’m no professional but I’m learning as I go, it’s been a wonderful form of therapy during the pandemic, to pick up brushes again after years of ignoring the easel and creating something, whether it’s good in anyone else’s eyes or not. That used to stop me… to think I wasn’t good enough to really pursue painting. Art is art – and it’s so individual. Your style is your style – we can all learn as we go and improve what we’re doing with tips and tricks and general rules of how to’s…. but never cut yourself up so that you don’t enjoy creating, whatever it is you like to do. The world needs more of it, our souls need more of it –

Off to the frame shop it goes… and next up on the easel – I needed an infusion of those vivid St. John USVI colors.. so I’m going back to the island on this canvas board…

Another great form of therapy for me, for better health, body and mind.. has been the hiking I continue to pursue. In our neck of these United States woods we have access to so many trails, and I am grateful for the diversity. Kai is a wonderful hiking buddy, too. These images are from Peters Woods Preserve. Yesterday we had a wee fox cross the trail just up ahead of us.

Check out the rainbow my daughter caught in the image below… we should have been looking for a pot of gold!

I’ll end this post with a funny ( at least to this profanity using texter) and a delicious recipe, a combination of a few flavors I love.. strawberry and lemon. A perfect combo to remind us of sunny days ahead.

Strawberry Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbls poppy seeds

1 and 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of 2 lemons

Glaze:

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Juice of one lemon

2 tbls milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup chopped strawberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-inch-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment.

In a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Whisk to combine.

In another bowl, add both sugars and egg; whisk to combine. Whisk in oil, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth.

Add the chopped strawberries to the bowl with the flour and toss to combine. Gently fold in the wet ingredients.

Transfer the batter to the loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bread.

While the bread is baking, make the glaze by adding the powdered sugar, lemon juice, milk, and vanilla to a bowl; whisk until smooth. Add the chopped strawberries. Using the whisk, smash the strawberries into the glaze to break up, small chunks are okay

Till soon,

Heavy and Light

Such a weird weird time, isn’t it? Are you still masking everywhere? Doctor’s offices still require it but many stores do not. Around here I would say the ratio is more masked than not, but there are naked faces and I must admit, I am SO TIRED OF THE MASK! I cannot imagine how the folks who have to wear it all day long for work/safety reasons are tolerating it. And the poor kids! To be clear, I’m not debating it, not wading into that mess because I just don’t have all the answers, and neither does anyone else, and I totally get the need to be cautious and protecting ourselves and others and have done that more so than not for the past two years. TWO YEARS, wow. As a hearing impaired person the masks are even more of a hinderance for the obvious reasons.

About those shots and boosters – We’re boosted around here, but there is an odd uptick in strokes lately and I’m not going to lie and say that doesn’t concern me. Strokes among younger folks, not where you usually see them. And I’m not going by news sources, I’m talking about people we know. I’m not anti vaxx, but I’m not sure I’ll be getting more covid shots now that I’ve had these three. I want more time spent on it, more research. In the meantime we’re both on a weight loss kick (AGAIN) and I’ve been walking/hiking with Kai as often as I can talk myself in to it, at least four times a week when weather permits. Eating less meat and more greens and fruits, drinking more water.

2024 – raise your hand if you think we all deserve better choices than Biden/Harris and Trump/anyone in the next presidential election. Man, I feel like we’re floundering big time on so many fronts and for a variety of reasons. We need a reset, but not of the hideous kind, of which I worry we are headed.

Enough of the heavy – here’s some Light –

We’re gearing up for a family wedding this June – my son and his lovely fiance who is also like a daughter to us now… and the wedding planning has been so fun! The bride has wonderful taste in what she’s picking out – simple and elegant – lovely whites and creams and greens and elegant black. My mom will be Justice of the Peace, and the whole thing will take place at an old Lace Factory that is now a wedding venue… family and friends and the groom and his men will arrive aboard the Essex Steam Train – how romantic is that! All of this set against the CT River. A few pictures below to give you a sneak peek at the vision board, so to speak .

We’ve got that wonderful day to look forward to… and a three day trip booked on the Vineyard for the Mr. and I in July… plus! .. a really exciting trip planned for June 2023 with a cousin and his wife – Italy! Starting at the Amalfi Coast where my husband’s family 2 generations back are from. This will be the first time across the pond for the two of us and I am over the moon excited. We met them for dinner the other night, they’ve been to Europe many times.. and my workaholic husband has decided it’s about time he starts enjoying life and even some travel. Encouraged by travel accompanied by a couple who know the ropes, so to speak, he agreed. Hooray!

I hope this finds you well and sane, and I hope love found you in one way or another yesterday, so many ways to see and appreciate and give love in it’s many forms. Found this quote and love it – May you see love in everything today and may your heart be filled with gratitude for all

Till soon…

Imagine

The following is written by my mother, my best friend and advocate always, love you mom –

Imagine: Thoughts on the Anniversary of An Insurrection

by Kathleen Amoia

I think there are many reasons we are at this inflection point in our democracy. Some are the result of anger at government failures in the face of major societal changes, some self-indulgent ignorance, some opportunist power grabs, some racist and misogynist. Another reason, I believe, is a general failure of imagination that includes most of us.

Too many of us are playing with the idea of losing our democracy as if it has no intrinsic value to our daily lives. Too many play with the idea of secession as if it could be an easy and successful separation, no harm, no foul, a mulligan of sorts. Many are considering forever contesting election results without proof of fraud, of denying the vote to major segments of our citizenry without imagining the pushback, considering letting elected officials go unpunished for treason without imagining what that means for good governance and the rule of law. Many rant and rave over manipulated petty outrages of no consequence while ignoring growing authoritarianism, a three year pandemic, and the existential threat of climate change. Do look up, imagine the proverbial asteroid ( democracy, voting rights, climate change). It is right over our heads.

We flirt with fascism and the power grabbers are thrilled. Imagine them without constraints on their greed, their ability to corrupt the courts, to buy every election forever. Imagine another fascist inclined president whose sycophants have learned how to pull off a coup. Imagine what would have happened if Pence had in fact been killed and the fascist in the White House had declared martial law and just remained in power. What then? What would fighting, blood in the streets, vigilante justice, mob rule look and feel like? What is it like when a nation, afraid and weary of death, destruction, and economic chaos , turns to the strongman and accepts whatever he demands in exchange for peace. And yes, promises the trains will run on time. They won ‘t. Imagine and don’t think for a minute it could not happen here.

Imagine we are halfway to being Russia on steroids. We are bigger, we are armed to the teeth, and we are being taught to hate each other. We are richer, there is more to be grabbed by the corrupt and those they favor. Let’s imagine it all until it scares us sufficiently to get serious about the work that has to be done to save this fragile democracy. Let’s imagine what would be lost and perhaps never regained.

Let’s imagine we like most of our fellow Americans and the democracy we were blessed with, imperfect but so much better than fascism. Let’s protect the vote and use it to elect decent, informed men and women who want to lead for the right reasons and have the innate decency and courage to do so.

Imagine that!

The Will Of The People

This year I’ve made a concerted effort to stay out of the political fray, and it’s been good for me. I notice many others are doing the same. However, I can’t ignore what happened a year ago today – nor the cult-like acceptance of the many lies and the violence spurred by those lies, all put in play by one inflated but lethaly cunning ego and enablers so twisted, they emboldened all that is ugly in this society and managed to make a mockery of much that is good. Despite many many attempts to find proof that our elections are rigged, there is ZERO ZIP evidence that DT lost the election any way but fairly and through the fault of his own damaging actions (proof here…. if he had proven he could be a decent leader, this person would have voted for him in his second run. He destroyed that within his first year, and I’m not alone in feeling that way, not by a long shot). He’s a horrible loser and he can’t let it go, not even for the good of the country and the democracy he is supposed to protect. Truly one of the ugliest types of a person there can be in every catagory proven by his own actions and words during his lifetime, yet somehow, he’s gained a following he will never be worthy of, because he knows how to rile and anger and arouse the worst in humanity to forward his mission, and his mission is always, always about him first, not We The People. He knew our weaknesses (he wasn’t wrong about those) and he abused and exploited them and managed with his words to divide this nation like never before. The worst possible type of human to lead these United States, and he brought the worst out in all of us. He proved me right again and again and again. I so hoped he would prove me wrong.

FIVE PEOPLE DIED during his tantrum on the capitol, an angry mob fueled by a lie, many lies. Proven. Not Fake News. Texts from his own family and cohorts prove they knew how awful it was too, begging him to do something to reverse it, yet he did not. What was it that was said so often after H. Clinton lost the election? You lost, get over yourselves. The hypocrisy is laughable, if only five people hadn’t died. Where are the back the blue people as they applaud that hideous day? Trump lost this election all by himself, with his own hideous mouth, lies, abuses of power, the corrupt (how many arrests??and proven guilt?) … swamp he surrounded himself with.

So they say we’re on the brink of losing our democracy. Do we really understand the meaning of the word? In it’s simplest form, a way of governing run by the will of the people. Why would we not protect that very important thing we all want? We are never all going to agree, and for this to succeed, we all must agree to disagree and accept elected officials as they are elected, the elected must WORK TOGETHER for the common good, and we need to encourage candidates who are first and foremost qualified, and unifying – not divisive and corrupt. TERM LIMITS, AGE LIMITS! Is it possible? I don’t know.. but it’s the only way forward if the system is to survive, and it starts with We The People.

I didn’t want Joe Biden for President, and I am disappointed with Kamala Harris, for reasons I don’t need to go into here. I’m capable of hoping for the best for them and for us, as I tried to do for Trump initially. I don’t see evil people in our current Pres and VP… I see politicians who dedicated their lives to serving a country they believed in, whether we will agree on some of their choices or not. What Biden said today was spot on – it’s our truth whether we want it to be our not. Blind ignorance serves no one, especially those who choose it…. so I hope we all will heed the warning, because it’s screaming over our hills, down our roads and through our valleys, communities, in our cities, our villages , our world.

“At this moment, we must decide what kind of nation are we going to be. Are we going to be a nation that accepts political violence as a norm? Are we going to be a nation where we allow partisan election officials to overturn the legally expressed will of the people? Are we going to be a nation that lives not by the light of the truth, but in the shadow of lies? We cannot allow ourselves to be that kind of nation. The way forward is to recognize the truth, to live by it”

– Amen

Holidays during Pandemic times

How were your holidays? Scaled down like ours? We managed some smaller gatherings and I’m grateful we’re all still here and relatively healthy. We even did a weekend at The Woodstock Inn, a favorite place for us. Last year’s trip was cancelled because Vermont was basically closed to outsiders, and this year still looked different but was enjoyable, regardless.

Christmas came early while in the Woodstock village, the Mr. obliged my obsession with these boots as we kept passing them in a store window and they whispered to me every time, I’m not even kidding.

The Inn was magical, the depleted staff did a fantastic job with a difficult scenario.

Christmas rolled around and we did what we thought was best – smaller gatherings, and some of them cancelled.

🎄 Mom holding a delicious refreshing Christmas Drink – the Poinsettia – Prosecco, Elderflower liquor and a splash of cranberry juice, with some frozen cranberries thrown in. Mix together according to taste – pretty and yum. I’m not a big drinker but I like a refreshing one now and then and this hits the spot. And kills the germs, right? LOL

We’ve decided to scale back down the restaurant dining since the new Covid surge, but we did get out to our favorite cafe in Stonington, the Dogwatch. Their “power bowl” is my favorite – packed with healthy eating. the Town of Stonington is beautiful any time of year, but especially during the holidays.

The kids and I have done some hiking and that is the single most awesome thing that happened to me this year- upon the adoption of Kai, my spirit dog as my mom calls him, I knew he needed a lot of attention and trust building and hiking was a good way to do it. That also gave me the opportunity to tone up and get in better shape, and my adult kids don’t mind hanging out with mom to do it. I’m not a gym rat, I hate being stationary to exercise. Treadmills, elipticals, blah blah blah. Get me out in the scenery and I can go for miles, and so I do. It’s been a win for all of us during pandemic times and my goal is to continue exploring trails long into the future.

Yesterday’s hike at Hammonasset State Park on Long Island Sound, Madison, CT

Wishing us all good health and much joy in the years ahead.

Shots or Not

I certainly… certainly… thought by now we’d all have that damned virus kicked to the curb. At this point I’m not sure it will ever be eradicated. I missed the smiles on people’s faces and it’s discouraging to see masks coming back into every store again, but I understand the fear and the need for caution. All the crazy out there is flapping in the breeze, too ….. there are government chips in the vaccines, you know…. they’re tracking you…. even though that smart phone you have in your hands has been tracking you for years if that’s something you lose sleep over.

I’m not thrilled to inject my body with any foreign anything, heck, I don’t ever get the flu shot , but I’ve been inoculated throughout my life as most of you have too and I know without a doubt vaccinations have eradicated many a disease we would otherwise die from. I’m grateful for the option to get vaccinated against the virus I saw take my Dad down in a matter of days, but I do believe it should be everyone’s right to decide for themselves if it’s right for them , and I understand the legitimate concerns.

While it’s true you can still get sick once you’re vaccinated, and even carry the virus to give to others, science and experience is saying the severity is diminished and so far in my life I have seen science save lives much more often than it takes them. It boggles the mind that somehow, through recent politicizing of a public health threat that should NOT EVER have been politicized, science for some has become something not to be trusted.

You know.. there are gambles we all take on a regular basis. When you drink or smoke you take a gamble. When you get in your vehicle and drive off you take a gamble. When you choose not to get your health check ups you take a gamble… When you sip a c*ke, eat k8ntucky fried chicken, throw back some Adv*l for pain, eat take out chinese food, pizza, Mickey D’s, buy foods supposedly labeled organic, skate on a pond, ski down a mountain… it’s all a gamble, and it’s yours to take.. or not.

I’m not advising anyone on what they should do regarding the vaccine or anything else for that matter. Heck, I go back and forth myself. But I know science isn’t evil (big ph*arma, the business, is another story) and science is ever evolving, and while I absolutely abhor some members of our government, for the most part I’m certain most of them aren’t evil either. In so many ways we are so damned lucky for the science and the democracy we have today. How we have benefited from both is getting lost on some people as they get mired in the conspiracy theories and utter bullshit some will spew for their political posturing and to confuse and divide the masses. That’s how you control and keep the masses down where you want them, proven through history time and again. How is that lost on anyone?

We here in this house decided based on our circumstances and the conclusions we’ve drawn from our own research… we are vaccinated. That doesn’t make us sheep. With great hope, it might make us and our loved ones safer. That’s the gamble we decided to take.

Wishing you, each and every one – vaxed and unvaxed –

a Merry Christmas and a Happy, HEALTHY New Year –

with much love from This Old House 2 and Stella by the Sea –

Nature, the ultimate recharge, my cathedral

… has always been nature and the animals. In my quest to keep this aging body moving and in good working order, I’ve been walking and hiking more… my newest rescued dog Kai as my faithful companion. He is such a joy because he loves the outside time and he doesn’t pull! That’s a bonus I have not had before, not even with little Sally with the twisted front legs, which don’t slow her down one bit.

The biggest bonus is.. my kids actually like hiking with mom! So now and then I am accompanied by some of my most favorite people, too. The only nuisance are the damned ticks. I have found the all natural Cedarcide spray does help repel them. I buy it on amazon.

Lost Lake at WestWoods, Guilford, CT – my boy introduced me to these awesome trails –

A train occasionally blows through on the tracks – I look forward to hiking these trails when the snow lands, Polar Express comes to mind.

This is an old quarry area, hence the large blocks of stone, and below is an old horse watering station.

The trails of Parmelee Farm are close to home and we go there often. My son was hired to enhance the trail system and he and crew are doing a beautiful job.

When I’m not out in the woods or mucking stalls or editing for work on this computer, I try to get upstairs to sit at the easel – newest painting I’m working on is a scene from a recent hike on Barn Island, such a glorious day and fun new discovery for nature walks, I decided to try to capture it on canvas. Still much to do with it, but here’s where I’m at ….. with Michael Bolton on Amazon music – I may be 3/4 deaf, but I remember the nuances, and the beat tells me where we’re at in the song. The Brain is an amazing thing, this I know for sure, and in this way I can still enjoy music on a whole different and definitely less satisfying level, but still, there’s joy in it. Grab it where you can!

Some good advice and humor for you as we head into the weekend –

We’re all just walking each other home – Ram Dass

Till soon, friends…

The language we choose to speak

Being hearing impaired can really suck, I miss music and easy conversation. However my family and friends have helped me to make it doable over the years and the kindnesses are always noticed by me and so appreciated. I actually love when we can laugh over it as I occasionally get the words wrong.

I have always loved and bonded with animals, and even more so now- our conversations are all visual and feel, with soft words that don’t really matter- it’s the demeanor, it’s the reassuring presence. If we could all just have that simple language with each other no matter our obvious differences , all of us- what a beautiful world this is capable of being for every being.

Happy Thanksgiving, all –

Christmas in the Living Room, Thanksgiving everywhere else

My usual tradition is to bring Christmas in the house the day after Thanksgiving – I mean I am chomping at the bit once the Turkey Day company has taken the tupperware home filled with Tday leftovers. The stuff stays up until just before the New Year, and it always feels a little like it was too short a Christmas season, with all the work that goes into setting it up, but for some reason I always want a clean slate come Jan. 1.

This year…. welp. I casually mentioned I felt like putting up the tree this weekend even though I knew that’s just ludicrous and really pushing the decorating envelope. BUT.. the kids said.. All our neighbors have their tree up and lights outside up already! (they live just over the hill from us) What? What. Really?…. Well.. then….

You know, I think we all feel like we need a little extra cheer this year… it’s been far too long, the pandemic misery, the political misery… I believe we’ve all had just about enough – and the spirit of Christmas is just the ticket to drag us up out of the trenches a bit. Heck I’ve already watched two Hallmark movies – They billed them as new, but they are the same story recycled over and over. The poor (single) girl who comes to be the nanny or whatever and eventually she and the Prince of the Kingdom marry… or the woman who comes home for Christmas to help the parents or her favorite Aunt with something, a dying business, the selling of the family home… enter the old flame. Still… something about those Hallmark movies, an uncomplicated sugary christmas drenched storyline that always has a happy ending, complete with fake snow on many locations… well it’s sure enough uplifting.

Our tree though. Sometimes we do a real tree, (we’re actually growing christmas trees up on the hill) sometimes a fake tree – (I don’t want to deal with keeping the dogs away from drinking the tree water… plus all those dead needles, too much fire worry) The fake tree down in the basement has seen better days. Not all of the lights light up and it’s a heavy son of a B*tch. Since it’s always yours truly dragging that thing out of the basement lest I want to wait till Santa’s a$$ is already stuck in the chimney, I have to do it myself. That tree needed a replacement.

I went out yesterday – thinking it’s before Thanksgiving, surely I can find a decent fake tree somewhere. Nope. What was available is mostly sold out and what was supposed to be available is stuck on a container somewhere, apparently. Walmart had a few cheap versions left and so I grabbed one – I don’t love it, but this will have to do for this year. I put a smaller charlie brown tree next to it to help it limp along – and at the risk of totally offending you because I am usually one of those who says – Oh COME ON, it’s not even THANKSGIVING YET, LET THE THANKS and TURKEY HAVE IT’S DAY- here you go.

This year I did things a little differently – the theme for my trees is usually – everything I have all at once all up on the tree. I decided to do more of a nature themed tree but since the tree is so clearly fake? It doesn’t look so nature-like. The small tree next to it has the ornaments I cherish most, the ones my children made when they were little. And my collection of OLD ornaments found at flea markets and antique shops around New England are in a big bowl on the ottoman. The rest of the house is still all about Fall and the Thanksgiving feast until the 26th.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods – If you care to share your traditions, I’d love to hear about them –

Till soon –

Barn Island

Yesterday was so gorgeous we decided to get out with Kai and explore a new-to-us walking area – the 1,013-acre Barn Island Wildlife Management park in Stonington/Pawcatuck, the State’s single largest coastal property managed for wildlife conservation. The property provides a diversity of ecosystem and habitats, including hilly uplands, agricultural/open fields, mixed hardwood forests and salt, brackish and freshwater tidal wetlands. The property is very popular for hiking, cross country and snowshoeing, mountain biking, wildlife observation and hunting.

The Barn Island Loop is approximately 3 miles long, easy walking, and the scenery is beautiful. The only issue were the ticks, which I found several of on both myself and Kai when we got home. I got in the shower and he got a tick bath shortly after.

I downloaded a great app for hikers/walkers of the great outdoors – Alltrails. We tooka detour and it came in handy to get us back on the main loop.

I do see my next painting in one of these images. just a glorious day 🙂