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 –

Aftermath

  I just discovered we have internet service again.. .no power to the neighborhood yet,  but a generator keeps us up and running at This Old House… believe me, I’m not complaining.

  I  am still shocked over the devastation I am seeing again and again in news images caused by Hurricane Sandy, a small portion of it right here on Ct’s shoreline.   Having grown up on Staten Island, we are used to the water – we’ve always been surrounded by it and it has never been a menace.  Because of it’s close proximity we spent many a summer day with friends down at the Jersey Shore.  In some places it’s virtually gone.  Entire neighborhoods—block after block …  are gone.  You know what comes to mind?…. I hope Snooki and all her cohorts who made millions and millions off that very Jersey Shore will donate atleast a  small portion of their earnings to help that community rise from the ashes.   Literally… ashes.

   NYC is practically imobile… Hoboken, Brooklyn, Queens, Atlantic City… … just unreal, the disaster.  People are still stranded in their homes by floodwater, days later.  Drowning victims still being discovered… Powerlines are still dangerously grounded.   The death toll is now up over 150.   One  heartbreaking story… two little boys on Staten Island, Connor and Brandon Moore, were swept from their mothers arms when she attempted to get them out of her flooded SUV and onto higher ground.  Their bodies were just recovered, days later, in a marsh nearby. She was at the scene and had to identify their remains.  I cannot imagine the horror….and  I can’t stop thinking about her.   So many more stories…..

  This is a photo I took a few miles from here down on the water.   Lobster Landing sits in a parking lot by a dock.  The water has risen out of Long Island sound and has come up the road, days after Sandy has left.

 This is a backyard..notice the planting pot?
Normally there are benches here to sit and enjoy the view.
The water rose up and filled the backyards and basements of many homes
along the shore. This backyard is approximately 1/2 mile in from the sound.
My thoughts are with those who are struggling with horrific loss…
may they find strength and resilience in the days and months to come.

   I have not checked my e-mail yet, but I’ll assume my 24 Project participants have sent me your entries. I’ll post the project within the next day or so.  – thank you


Project 24 Reminder!

Remember… Halloween! October 31st – 12 midnight to 12 midnight
You’ve all got your assignment…
Read a few posts back for list of participants.. minus the few who have signed up since.
Take whatever strikes you.. just one pic.. in your environment at your time slot.
It can be an outdoor scene, a person doing something,
an inside shot, an outside shot..
your morning cup of coffee…
an event in town, etc. etc. etc. etc.
Give me a brief caption under the photo. No more than a sentence,
 but it can even be just two or three words… up to you.
Let me know the state you are located in too.
You can add town/city only if you want to.
Send it to me ASAP, and as soon as I have all entries I’ll post them.
karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com
Thanks to all of you who are joining in.
I LOVE WHEN THAT HAPPENS 🙂 

We’re awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Sandy –

so far, very dark skies, heavy mist and small gusts of wind,
but she isn’t here yet.

Can you believe NYC has closed down their public transportation.. buses, subways, etc?
I grew up in NY, I don’t think that’s ever happened.
Our Governor is saying “We’ve never seen this kind of storm in our lifetime”.
Ugh.
I’m worried about the barn and horses, chickens and coop.

Wish us luck!

23

Our “Cookie” is 23 years old today!

MAX… is her birthday present!

Kristen – you’ve worked for so long and with such determination
to overcome obstacles – We’re so proud of you.
Cowgirl UP!

May you and Max ride many happy trails together for years to come –

 With much love, Mom & Dad xo

Yankee Candle

 Every fall we take the kids and sometimes a grandmother or two to Yankee Candle in Deerfield, Mass. for lunch at Chandlers and some  candle and ornament splurging and oohing and aahhing at the many many things you can drool over.  The kids each get to pick out a new candle fragrance and an ornament for the tree and sometimes we’d come home with a new house or shop for our Christmas Village.  Last year was no different… except… it was very… very… clear…. that we had pushed our luck and the “kids”… were past the joy of it all.   Way.

SO!  This year the Mr. and I went all by ourselves, yes we did. 
 I guess you could call it a date! 
Apple carmelized onion quiche – I gotta find a recipe.
I’d love to bring this Christmas Cow home and place it on the front lawn at This Old House.

This fella was busy checking stuff… see the big book next to him?
Hmmm.. looks familiar… doesn’t he?

Did you know soda now comes in these funky bottles? They’re made of aluminum can material.
I like the glass bottles myself.  These are just.. weird, and don’t hold much.

This is what I brought home… some new fragrances!
Whoopie pie!!!…Peppermint Bark! (yum) Red Berry & Cedar and
an old favorite, Christmas Wreath…

…one more!…
Chocolate Layer Cake… so good smelling, you want to eat it.

It was a good day. 
Can I tell you something, though?  I missed having my kids there..
even the whining and rolling eyeballs mixed with heavy,  bored  teenage sighs.
It’s a good thing – the spreading of wings and broadening of horizons…
the flutter and flight that leads further away from the nest. 
So I’ll encourage and let go, 
all the while hoping that they’ll return with their own desire
on occasion to take part in the traditions and comforts
we’ve provided over the years.  
*life* 

heavy sigh and eye roll.. this time.. mine.

Savoring

…. every moment of this beautiful fall color we’re enjoying in New England.  Hurricane Sandy is going to threaten the East Coast at the end of the weekend, and that means what remains of our glorious red and gold leaves will surely and at best be a wet blanket of fragrant leaf confetti on the ground come Monday.

Great things happening here… so many volunteers coming together to make this
a community meeting and learning place for generations to come.
I passed by one early morning this week and the light was just luminous.

As I began morning chores today I witnessed this…
the sun comes up at the front of This Old House and showers
the ridgeline at the back of the property with golden red light…

Nature gives us such a bounty of treasures….
and Nature can taketh away.
Let’s hope Sandy is gentle.  
If you’re as disgusted with Ann Coulter as I am,
read this … a beautiful response from an inspirational young man.
One final thought  for today…
Ever notice?…
you get one bad pistachio, and the whole experience is ruined?
Just sayin.

*Update and Reminder*

Charla and Chelsea are doing really well in their foster homes…
 thank you to all who have contributed –
Charla
Chelsea
Now for the Reminder…
Remember Project 24?
You asked for a reminder, so here it is….
Click on link above if you need a refresher course on what you’ve signed up for…
Here are the times you gave me.
There are still a few slots left, feel free to join in if you haven’t already.
October 31, 2012 (halloween!)
12 midnight – _______________________
1am – Ms. A – Sarcastic Granny
2am – Mark – Marks Rants and Raves
3am – __________________________
4am ____________________________
5am – Sandra – Thistle Cove Farm
6am – Kate – Chronicles of a Country Girl
7am –  ME
8am – Jodi – Pleasant Home
9am – Saara – Finland!
10am – Cheyenne – Little Prairie Baby
11am – Cait Throop
12 noon – Diane – Lavender Dreamer
1pm – Lynn R.
2pm – Beth – Be yourself….
3pm – Tim Gannon
4pm. – Joey – Catch Joy as it Flies By
5pm – Connie – Hartwood Roses
6pm – Denise – Autumn Sky Ranch
7pm – Hilary – Crasy as a Loom
8pm – Tia – Cottage by the Sea
9pm – _________________________
10pm – Sandy – Doris the Great
11pm – __________________________
Five spots left, any takers???


Savory Bean and Kale Soup

 I made this Better Homes and Gardens hearty soup for my family last night and it was a big hit. Every time I put something together that’s healthy and they actually LIKE it, apparently I have a habit of saying “It’s GOOD for you too!” And so now that line becomes a  sarcastic chorus from all three of my ungrateful kinfolk  as soon as one of them says – Hey, this is pretty good. 

 B H & G put this in their slow cooker recipe files, but I threw it in a big soup pot instead.

Savory Bean and Kale Soup

3 14 1/2 ounce cans vegetable broth

1 15 ounce can tomato puree

1 15 ounce can small white beans or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained ( I put two cans in )

1/2 cup uncooked converted rice  (I threw in a little more rice)

1/2  cup finely chopped onion (1 medium)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/4 teaspoon salt  – I felt it needed more

1/4  teaspoon ground black pepper

8 cups coarsely chopped fresh kale leaves  – that’s too much for my picky family, but it is GOOD FOR YOU!

Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional – but in my opinion, necessary)

Directions – slow cooker version
1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine broth, tomato puree, beans, rice, onion, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours.

My way  As I said, I threw everything but the Kale and Parmesan in a big soup pot and simmered it for a few hours, careful to check it now and then so as not to over boil. It takes a while for the northern beans and converted rice to soften and cook.  I put the Kale in for the last few minutes of simmering…and I put about a half cup of Parmesan cheese in the soup, mixed it up and served with crusty baguette bread dipped right in it.  YUM.