Category: Uncategorized
It is what it is
We are enjoying some glorious weather…. and this week the glory continues so I plan to do some dog walking on the beach (which did not see as much destruction on Ct’s coast as last year’s Hurricane Irene).
The guy and I ventured out yesterday, as did many others… it was great to see so many people in good spirits, faces up to the sun and out over the water, marveling at the beauty of the day.
Now that the election is over, flared tempers have subsided and tension has eased at This Old House… I think we like each other again …..
Like pulling teeth without novicane
Max-a-Million
For those of you who are horse savvy, you know that the search for the right horse is not always easy and isn’t always found down the road you thought you’d be traveling. Whether you’re looking for a Steady Eddie or something with a little more athletic zip … sometimes what you think you brought home to the barn doesn’t quite work out the way you had hoped. Over the years we’ve made a few mistakes… ended up with a horse or two that had “too much engine” for our daughter, or myself. I’m a sucker for a pretty face or a sob story, and sometimes in the horse world that ain’t a good thing. We have always managed to re-sell or give those horses to good homes, where the rider/owner was looking for something with more ZIP.
We like the steady Eddie… and with 17 year old semi-retired show horse Max, we’ve gotten exactly that. High praise to the horse Gods for sending him our way….
The object of his affection
Snow = Food, don’t ya know
First, I have to acknowledge the plight of the people of New York and New Jersey who are still coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. We’ve now been hit by a Nor’Easter… and while it’s no big deal up here… it’s like salt in the wound for them.
Anyone who doesn’t believe our severe weather patterns for the last few years aren’t an indication that the world is-a-changing climate-wise… is living under a rock. I don’t know if Al Gore had it right or if this is the natural cyclical order of things, but it’s scarey.
I called the manchild’s school yesterday and asked them to let him come home, new driver plus snow and wind.. not a great mix. They obliged and assured me I wasn’t the only nutzo mom doing so. Today they have no school. Thank you, powers that be. This morning although we have only a few inches out there, the wind is still strong and there is ice on the roads. Weird.. a week ago, tropical hurricane…today, snow on the pumpkins.
What do I do when cooped up in This Old House? Cook! and EAT! I usually have company by the stove.
Tell me….
Random Ramble
* It’s sometimes very difficult when you have completely different political views than those of your spouse. I actually knew that going in. At the time, the things we hold dear together trumped the differences, and they still do. But… .. there are days when we shake our heads, try to reason and change the other’s mind…. then bitch and moan more than a little if I’m being honest here. In the end it still comes down to one vote voiding the other. I understand my spouses point of view, I get where he’s coming from… I just can’t abide it… it’s not in me to turn away from my belief that there is a better way to treat people in society, a road toward more equality, less war mongering, more peace. Both parties have “issues”…. but only one, the way I see it… still stands for “the people”…ALL of the people…
* My heart aches for my home town, Staten Island, NY. The devastation was unthinkable just a few weeks ago… now, a reality for so many families. You know that train of thought “Oh, that doesn’t happen here”. Oh yes it does, yes it can, yes… it did. These were not wealthy shoreline communities that Hurricane Sandy demolished. Staten Island’s most prominent citizens are blue collar workers, the backbone of the NY workforce. Teachers, busdrivers, firemen, police officers, waiters, waitresses, secretaries, nurses…. Their waterfront homes are not beautiful second homes or heavily insured mansions.. they are modest homes, cottages and apartments, townhouses, affordable living complexes. They’ve lost EVERYTHING, which by some standards may not have been much, but contained their whole world.
A testament to the true grit that are Staten Islanders… they were and are helping each other, even before FEMA or Red Cross arrived (days later). There are food drives and clothing drives, baby food, diaper and formula drives… people are offering their heated homes to those without, folks are gathering in the streets armed with garbage bags, brooms and bleach, to help scrub neighborhoods they don’t even belong to… it’s amazing… a renewal of faith for me in humanity. And can I tell you this?…. FB.. has a valuable place in this world, I have a new respect for it. It has been a lifeline for people who had no other way to connect with loved ones, and it’s been a gathering place and announcement hall for all these collections and drives. Awesome.
* I loved your entries in Project 24.. thank you to all who participated. We will certainly do this again.. I’m thinking Christmas Day. Are you in? Then look for a post about a week or two before Dec. 25th and we’ll get it going. I’ll need 23 of you to pick a time slot.
* Have you seen the movie “Game Change”? No big surprise for me, but enlightening just the same.
* Why did I get a spam e-mail in my inbox the other day for Seniorpeoplemeet.com ? Are they trying to imply something??……
– Just sayin.
Project 24 – October 31st, 2012
1am – Ms. Anthropy, Texas.
2am – Mark – ” Gulf of Mexico, latitude 2753 N / Longitude 9656 W”
3am – Cindi – “Haunted Dog”
4am – Diane, Blue Ridge Mountains – ” Bored out of my skull at 4AM and so I sit at the computer… isn’t that what everyone does at 4AM on Halloween?”
4am (2) – Deborah, Minnesota
5am – Sandra – “Morning Meet-up”
6am – Kate – “Our border collie, George asleep on the couch with one of his toys. He opened his eyes just before I took the shot. Then I went to the kitchen to get my coffee. It was my first day back to work since we heard the hurricane was coming and I was glad to have things begin to feel like they were back to normal.”
7am – This Old House -Connecticut…. “Breakfast”
8am – Jodi, Oregon – “The porch just before daylight arrived”
9am – Saara – “Sandy is on the front pages in Finland too.”
10am – Cheyenne – “White, Rural Alberta, Canada”
11am – (oops, missing entry)
NOON – Diane, Ashville, NC – “Autumn Snow Blankets the Blue Ridge Mountains”
1pm – Lynn, Connecticut – “Walking Miss Daisy”
2pm – Beth – “An afternoon of reading in my Zen room”
3pm – Tim, Connecticut – “This picture is nothing special, but this is what I was concerned about and focused on, on the 31st”
4pm – Joey, Connecticut – “Empathizing with my friends who still have no power”
5pm – Connie – “A quick dinner of left-over pot roast with carrots and potatoes … and lots of gravy.”
6pm – Denise – California “”Sparrows getting a drink before bedtime”
7pm – Hilary – Upstate, New York –
7pm (2) … Vicky “Jack’s first Trick or Treat time!”
8pm – (stand-in for missing entry) This Old House – Connecticut – “Um… men at work?”
9pm – Kelly – “This is my youngest son who is 8. Clearly Halloween is exhausting!”
10pm (stand-in for missing entry) – This Old House, Connecticut
“Purple Pimp…or something else entirely?!“
11pm – (oops.. forgotten entry)
MIDNIGHT – Janet, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
Still waiting….
There are six participants I am still waiting to hear from with their entries for Project 24 –
Cait – 11am
Tim – 3pm
Denise – 6pm
Tia – 8pm
Sandy – 10pm
Joan – 11pm.
Hilarious fact… the “hideous” hours were filled with ease!
If you forgot to get the shot, no problem at all – just let me know. I’ve gotten some terrific entries… wait till you see what we’ve all put together! I’ll definitely do this again –