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Lucky

   When I was young and daydreamed of keeping a pony in our tiny side yard ( our house backed up to a dead-end street-no backyard), I had a horse shoe.  It was given to me by my dads good friend who had a farm upstate.  That shoe was cherished. It was a touchstone…something a real horse had worn, something tangible I could hold in my hand, even in the shadow of the city. It was a bridge to a hopeful future filled with horses. 

   Turns out there have been more than a few horses in that future, and I’ve got a great little quarter horse sidekick now to plod along  autumn trails and dusty roads. To have been able to fulfill this dream, I consider myself lucky.

  And I still love horse shoes.  I’ve got an idea for a piece of artwork… and this is just the beginning.

Before and After – Side Door Entry

The side entrance was part of  a 1940’s dogleg addition. That slatted area was a woodshed and the side door and mudroom/hall to kitchen was located in the A-frame roof section to the left. There was also a very narrow staircase to the second floor.   The greenhouse, which was dismantled and sold to a neighbor, contained a narrow concrete pool.   I initially loved the pool/greenhouse and had visions of growing stuff organically, but the pool itself was tiny, no laps or jumping, kinda creepy and in need of much work. Ultimately it was in the way of moving the house back where we wanted it.
This is the same profile today.
 Hallway before the re-do… actually it had alot of rustic charm. We did not reincorporate the staircase, instead putting one in the family room going up to the loft/pool table/bar area.  (at the end of this hallway the mancave and family room are on the right – kitchen and main house on the left.) 
After
A  bathroom was installed to the left here, before you walk down the hall.  That’s  one of my 100 year old Cast Iron plants, which I just brought in from the front porch. It’s been very happy there all summer.  The old barn wood that we have on the family room and mancave walls also wraps around to the hallway here.
Mudroom door…

 

Bench picked up in an anitque shop whos  owner is very generous with his prices.  Looks to me like an old pew, maybe?  I want to call it a Deacon’s bench, but  I don’t truly know what that is, as I am new to paying attention to these things..

Bathroom door.. and this sink is the smartest idea  I contributed to the design of the rebuilt house.  It’s the DOG SINK.  All of my dog supplies are under there, and this sink is where I give them baths when they are filthy from the yard, make their meals and clean up their dishes, leashes, collars, etc.

 I used curtains and tension rods to cover the mess underneath.

This is another piece of eco-friendly furniture by my friend Art.  If you’ve read this blog in earlier days, you may remember he makes furniture out of old material from dismantled houses and barns.. like windows, doors, barn siding, etc.  There are usually atleast three different paint colors involved too….

My awesome really-cheap mirror find….

 And since it’s a miserable rainy morning made for lazyness and I’m walking around with the camera doing nothing productive anyway, here’s what we’re doing outside too…

This weekend we bought some plants for around the front walk lantern…

A few evergreen shrubs, some vibernum (favorites of mine) and coral bells.. (also favorites)

I had no idea coral bells came in so many varieties…
At the side door I have begun a perennial garden with lavendar, purple and coral coneflower, catmint…small boxwoods and packasandra (yes I know that’s spelled wrong) 

Remember my newly acquired Newport Real estate?
This is it.
The commute is zero and the taxes are virtually nothing!  🙂
 

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Recipe for Sunday Sauce

 You know I love to share recipes… however, this Sunday Sauce is the old world family recipe of  great friend Matthew Olerio, handed down from generation to generation. We almost had to kidnap his wife’s  beloved dog to get it out of him.  So I cannot divulge this recipe, one that includes several secret weapons ( like 1 shallot minced instead of onions, garlic thin sliced and mashed,  NO PASTE, NO OREGANO, NO SUGAR,  a large can of Hunts Tomato Sauce as well as two cans of San Marzano!  tomatoes crushed in a food processor, some parsley, some basil…might be a few shakes of garlic powder and pepper too). Sweet Italian sausage sauteed in olive oil and his killer beef/bread/egg/parsley/butter/pepper meatballs have something to do with it …..although last night I made RAO’s Frank and Anna Pellegrino meatball recipe because sometimes that’s how I roll.

I could tell you the rest… but then I’de have to kill you.

Fugedabowdit.

Buzz Off

 Should I be reading more into this?  I’m getting visions of Amityville Horror here, I’m not kidding. For those of you who might have also  been horror show obsessed back in the day, remember the flies? 

We’ve got them. In the hundreds.  All over the house.  But they especially like to taunt you when you’re eating, typing on the computer or trying to brush your teeth!!!…. We have been windex zapping them, vacuum sucking them, fly-stripping them, but..they… are… everywhere. 

 Wouldn’t have anything to do with soneone’s brilliant idea of a  few tons of Chicken Sh*t sitting in the back field under a tarp waiting to fertilize hay fields, now, would it? ……  Actually, I sure hope so… because the Amityville horror thing?  Ain’t happen’n here. 

Maybe I should summon a priest out to bless the house just to see if he has any fainting spells, profuse sweating or sudden violent illness upon entering.   *sigh*

Rain & Randomness

  The rain feels glorious this morning. We’ve had a very dry, hot summer and the earth is thirsty.  Autumn has definitely arrived, but the colors in the sugar maples are muted… I’m thinking it has something to do with the lack of  rain. 

 I had lunch again at my favorite diner  (twice in one week, the shame of it)  and while there I asked if they’de be willing to give up their coconut chicken recipe.  The waitress came back minutes later and said just this..    ” The cook said real simple.  Dip the chicken cutlets in flour, then egg… then sweetened shredded coconut.  Pan fry in a small amount of butter or oil until golden brown. Use any sweet and sour dipping sauce for a side.”       They serve it with white rice, and I found another recipe that recommends marinating chicken cutlets in Coconut milk for a few hours beforehand.  I also recommend using thin sliced cutlets.  We gag on the fat ones around here.  Really. 

The guy on the right here is making me so proud these past few weeks… He’s doing a great job on his new Baseball team…he’s one of the rookies, for sure, and his game has improved tremendously.   I just received his progress report on his first month in High School… a strick Catholic HS, no less…. and he is doing a great job there too.  Big improvement from middle school and it’s been a huge effort on his part.  He even ties his own tie now. Amen, brothers.  And I mean that, with a hearty THANK YOU, LORD.   Yes I am aware of my views on religion in my previous post and the  occasional hypocracy I display here.   

  So, DUDE… great job, I’m so proud.  And.. next time we go to the diner I’ll let you suck down all the creamers just once without scolding, because sometimes I’m cool like that.

   I’ll go in to work today and begin packing up the remainder of the pottery.  The rain is fitting of the mood.  This gallery has brought so much to my life, all of it good, some of it difficult, a great learning experience  and a difficult door to unhinge.  That’s what it feels like I’m doing.

Thanks for the Memories, REO Speedwagon

On Saturday night a group of ladies gathered on the hill at the Durham Fair to see a band from our youth perform some of their classics…”Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore”,    “Keep on Lovin You” ,   “Take it on the Run”….  The band may be aging, but they still deliver and I was grateful for the reminder.  I’m not talking about the obvious.. a reminder of my own youth and the heady feeling of  group exuberance and excitement for the future.  I needed a reminder that we are all still capable of coming together regardless of our differences in age, political affiliation, education, gender,  societal status (is that a word? It is now)  or race.  There were very young people in the audience… very old people too… and plenty of us who are in between and remember REO in their heyday.   

 A friend and I had a brief conversation last night as I sat outside in the church parking lot waiting for my son to come out of the 5 pm mass, a requirement for his confirmation year.  She asked why I hadn’t gone in, and I told her the truth – it wasn’t required of the parents and I had shopping to do.

 I will make it clear here that I was brought up as a Catholic, but I am not religious. I do give my kids the same upbringing so that they can make those decisions for themselves.    My religion is about doing right by others, helping where I can, being kind and considerate and generous where possible.  I try  to see the good in people,although I’m not always successful.  Science makes more sense to me than what I was taught in my religion classes.  It doesn’t mean I KNOW.. it doesn’t mean I have any more answers or that I’m right in my beliefs. Truth be told I believe that if I was like my friend and had a real FAITH, I might be more content with the state of the world.  I don’t have that crutch and sometimes I envy those who do.   I asked my friend what she gets out of her Faith… and she said simply “I have to believe there is something better than this… People are so mean, I have to believe there is something better”.    

 Saturday night on the hill at the Fair, while REO belted out their tunes… we all sang together, swayed in rhythym together, forgot for two hours whatever weighed heavy.  It was my confirmation that we are all still capable.  Thanks, REO, for the memories and the reminder.

Fun Facts:

Where did the Band get it’s name?  “From a flatbed truck, first built in the early 1900’s. It was very high-speed and heavy-duty for its day, and was considered a milestone in the history of transportation. It was sometimes outfitted as a fire engine. The letters REO are the initials of Ransom Eli Olds, who went on to create the Oldsmobile.”

Where did the band get together?
“At the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Neal and Alan started it from their dorm, where they were roommates.”

Three things I love about Niantic, CT

  Yesterday I headed north to pick up my first born so she could spend a weekend at home recharging. That happens less and less as campus life becomes more interesting, but I”ll take the crumbs 🙂   When I’m tired of the craziness that is the I-95 drive I take a detour through a little town called Niantic.  It’s one of those quaint New England towns without any pretentiousnous right along the Sound. Funky old buildings, houses and waterways make up the overall feel of worn-in and welcome.

Niantic is a village in the Town of East Lyme, CT. The population is approximately 4,000. Niantic Bay is located on Long Island Sound and is popular for fishing and boating.  The only bummer is The Millstone Nuclear Power Plant, which looms nearby in Waterford.  Rocky Neck State Park is a great mile-long beach with views of Long Island Sound and a handful of offshore islands.  The park also has some great hiking trails in the fall.

 According to Wikipedia : Once famous for its Niantic River scallops, the scallop population has been in decline for a number of years. Attempts to revive the scallop population have not met with much success, most likely due to increased pollution from the heavy traffic of motorboats on the river.

My three favorite places are on the same stretch of road running right through the middle of it all on West Main Street…

Smith’s Acres, a totally rock’n garden center with everything you can think of for your gardening needs and an abundance of selection too…

Plants on the roof!..
It was love at first sight for me and this truck…
If he ever needs a new home, I gave them my address.

…then it’s a lunch stop at Niantic Diner for a menu of food that offers more than a Diner suggests..

Coconut Chicken with Sweet & Sour sauce… awesomeness.

  …and right around the corner sits the Book Barn, a really funky place famous for it’s 350,0000 some-odd books housed in seven different buildings on the property. The main barn is jammed from floor to ceiling and there is no subject that isn’t covered.  This is an awesome adventure for avid readers, and if you’ve got young children, it’s a great place to stock up on children’s books very inexpensively.  They buy and sell used books and have everything from the newest releases to 17th century editions.  This is what I ESPECIALLY LOVE about them… found on their website: 

We would like for everyone who visits The Book Barn to have as enjoyable a time as possible. Therefore, not only do we provide complimentary coffee, tea, water and snacks of cookies, crackers and doughnuts, we also have several picnic and seating areas for our guests to bring their own picnics to enjoy outdoors. Just remember that we do employ 13 cats that all believe in taste testing our guests’ food, you know, just to make sure it’s safe, of course. If you’d like to buy lunch from an area restaurant, we can provide menus for you.

Our goats live in a fenced pen next to The Last Page, and they truly love to get treats from everyone. There is a coin operated cracked-corn dispenser where you can purchase a handful of corn to share with them.


We provide kitty food to all of our feline employees, but you are always welcome to bring them snacks, or share your lunch with them.


There are always plenty of milk bones on hand for you to share with our dog Zoey. Zoey is a 3 ½ year old, black and white Border Collie and Whippett mix. She absolutely loves to play ball. She plays soccer, basketball, and will chase a tennis ball for hours!

If you’re so inclined, there is ample seating outside under the many trees surrounding the building. They encourage you to sit and read.. or play checkers or chess on the many boards available. The building behind the tree is yet another book “annex”.  Honestly, I think this place used to be a petting zoo.

This is the main barn… see the gourds that are growing on the vine up to the roof?
On another note.. we’re heading to the Durham Fair tonight to see REO Speedwagon… remember them? 

Fire & Rain

Two years ago I stepped out of my life’s box and started a small artisan gallery with a friend. She and her husband had just purchased a large building in town, formerly a christmas shop, and she was in the process of moving her toy store business into a portion of that building.  Off to the side, there was what we used to call “the ribbon room”…and the natural light wood floors and beams in the ceiling would lend itself nicely to a warm and inviting gallery. We jumped in with both feet, creating Fire & Rain Artisan Gallery & Gifts. 

The name … Missy and I both love Martha’s Vineyard and music.  We were looking for words that embodied elements you use to create things.  One day while humming James Taylor’s Fire & Rain, we realized it just fit.  Never mind how many times I’ve had a customer come in looking for fireplace equipment or James Taylor memoribilia.

Two years of  meeting wonderful local New England artisans, and some as far away as California. Two years of Gift Show trips to New York, daily chatter with friends and neighbors, heartship, parental worry, triumphs and tragedies shared over morning coffee (and multigrain bagels with cream cheese from Dunkin Donuts!)  and.. ok sometimes a baked potato pizza.  If you’ve never had one, you’re missing sumthin. Two years of wonderful.

The media would have you believe the recession is over, but I beg to differ. Five shops in neighboring towns have closed down in the past few weeks…and I see vacant store fronts everywhere.  A nearby KFC is now empty.  If the colonel can’t even sell chicken, we’re in trouble.

So it is with heavy heart that Missy and I have made the difficult decision to close the doors. She has invested five years (and a hefty mortgage!) in her toy business, and together we’ve run Fire & Rain for the past two. Both were housed in the big barn, such an awesome space.  There is simply not enough business to make a case for staying open, and the near horizon doesn’t show promise for change any time soon.

It’s time to turn another page.. but I’m sure going to miss the previous chapter.  Thank you to all who have made it such a wonderful journey, and to my family who have given their unwavering support.

 I keep telling myself  “When one door closes, another one opens”… I just didn’t want to close that door.