I must be getting old

  Is it just me or is my age showing?  I am not fond of this not-so- new and wildly popular trend in TV viewing – in particular, Reality TV.   It seems to thrive on the exploitation of all the weaknesses of the human race – like general stupidity and selfishness and superficial material worship among other things.  I don’t blame the participants…No.. I blame the people who came up with these shows AND the viewers who make them so wildly popular.  The reality stars are just making a living.

 I’m sure you’ve all heard of Jersey Shore by now, because it’s beyond wildly popular..and I just have to laugh out loud.  It’s my old stomping grounds from back in the day.

A conversation with my 14 year old:

Him:  Mom, did you ever hear of Jersey Shore?  It’s so cool, you gotta see it. There’s this girl.. Snookie?…

Me: Yes, I know the show. Actually, I know the place, intimately!

Him:  YOU DO NOT. …Jersey SHORE??… were you ever, like, THERE?….

Me:  Yeah, I was theah.  As many weekends as I cud get theah.  It’s wheah we hung ou
 (“t” is silent heah,  and you say the first pawt of “out” hawd and fast and end it quick) 

Him:  You Did Not. OMG you’re talking LIKE THAT!!!

Me:  Yeah so wut.  Go pahk the caw faw me and don’t step in the wahta outside the daw.

Him:  Mom, STOP, you sound so WEIRD.

Me:  Whateva

Forever in Blue Jeans

  My standard attire, my basic wardrobe,  the outfit I’de pick if I had to wear just one thing for the rest of my life would be without a doubt… blue jeans and a t-shirt.

  Did you know… 

  • Blue jeans were invented in 1873 by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss.
  • Although denim pants had been around as work wear for many years, historically dating back to England in the 1600s with a fabric there called denim, it was the first use of rivets that created what we now call jeans.
  • One of Levi’s many customers was a tailor named Jacob Davis. Originally from Latvia, Jacob lived in Reno, Nevada, and regularly purchased bolts of cloth from the wholesale house of Levi Strauss & Co. Among Jacob’s customers was a difficult man who kept ripping the pockets of the pants that Jacob made for him. Jacob tried to think of a way to strengthen the man’s trousers, and one day hit upon the idea of putting metal rivets at the points of strain, such as on the pocket corners and at the base of the button fly.
    These riveted pants were an instant hit with Jacob’s customers and he worried that someone might steal this great idea. He decided he should apply for a patent on the process, but didn’t have the $68 that was required to file the papers. He needed a business partner and he immediately thought of Levi Strauss.
    In 1872 Jacob wrote a letter to Levi to suggest that the two men hold the patent together. Levi, who was an astute businessman, saw the potential for this new product and agreed to Jacob’s proposal. On May 20, 1873, the two men received patent no.139,121 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. That day is now considered to be the official “birthday” of blue jeans.
 Hilary over at Crazy As A Loom has done something awesome with recycled jeans.  Look what arrived on my doorstep last night …

 The upstairs hallway is very narrow and sits between the kids’ bedrooms.  When the shop closed recently I brought home this awesome blue dresser that we used for displays, but I had no idea where I’de put it. I found it at Homegoods two years ago in the sale department and fell in love.  I don’t decorate with blue though, so it wasn’t looking good anywhere I put it.  Then it dawned on me that there were no competing colors up there and I could go blue-crazy in that one spot.  So I did.

  Look at this finish and the old fashioned handle. 
My father would say  “now THAT needs a paint job, you paid MONEY for it? “.

Turquoise urns..
A simple bee valance in ivory.  
Thank you, Hilary.  My new “jeans” fit perfect.

New Shoes… and.. SNOW?

We’re not even upon Thanksgiving yet,
and the white stuff has made it’s debut.

Mike cut down the roses and perennials in the back yard this weekend,
 just in time, apparently.

 Ben doesn’t like the cold… after five minutes he’s had it, can you tell?
Opie got new shoes on this miserable slushy morning too…
I NEVER pay more than $100. for a really good pair of shoes for myself, and even that is rare.
Opie gets a fancy new set of shoes every six to eight weeks at $165. a clip.
Now you tell me, who’s the fool.

       Opie and Harley in rain gear…
 this is Opies “get out of my hay pile” face.
 
When the blacksmith arrives it takes about 45 minutes to remove the old shoes, assess the new growth, trim and file, refit new shoes shaped to Opie’s foot using hammer and anvil and sometimes a forge.
My blacksmith has a wonderful truck and trailer setup,
as organized as any type A person I know.
For this shoeing he decided to give Opie snow pads and pegs to help prevent slipping
 in weather such as we have today, and stop snow and ice from balling up in his hooves.
The top layer of rain gear had to come off so as not to soak the farrier.
aka blacksmith, horse shoer.  All terms apply, never sure which one to use.
Old shoes… Opie tends to grow long in the toe…

Pulling the old shoes…

Trimming and filing before re-shoeing.
fitting new shoes to the hoof.
If you click on the image to enlarge it, you can see the snow pad and pegs.

There are many sizes and shapes to a horses hoof.
You’ll find many sizes of horse shoe in a blacksmith’s supply rack.
The anvil, forge and hammers are used to shape them according to
the individual horses foot.
It’s a precise science, blacksmithing,  and it’s hard physical work.
There aren’t a lot of young people learning the trade these days
for those reasons.  I worry that someday it will be a dying art.
Sadly, I think it’s already on its way.

 New shoes, blurry shot. Opie did not like the flash. 

Can you hear me now?

  Actually, you don’t have to… because I’ll probably just send you a text. Hopefully not while driving or having dinner with my family. But if I’m being honest here, I can’t even guarantee that.  And that’s what has me concerned, for a lot of reasons.

 I left the house yesterday morning with a list of errands. About 15 minutes down the road I realized I had left my cell phone at home. A wave of panic flew over me and I actually contemplated adding a half hour onto my drive time just to get the damn cell phone.  And that made me think.  Ten years ago I did not own a cell phone.  Communication was basically land line at the house, snail mail and  WOW NEW THING – E_MAIL!…and that was awesome…and sufficient!   How did I become so attached to my cell phone ? (now an iphone, which I love and can’t imagine living without ). 

  To be fair, what I love about it the most is the clear communication of text because I’m hearing impaired and it’s easier.  Even more importantly, there’s the access to my kids, especially when they are out and I want to check on them.   But even THIS has it’s down side for me.  Because now that I have “instant access” to the knowledge of their wellbeing and whereabouts (within reason, I’m not stupid)  …sometimes, if they aren’t near their phone or it’s turned off.. there’s a new wave of panic, and that’s just silly.  I do remember my own childhood, afterall, when there were no cell phones.  Basically after breakfast on weekends we did our chores begrudgingly, and headed out into the neighborhood.  “Be back when the streetlights come on”… said my mother.  When I was a teen, I’de have track meets after school.  I’de get on a city bus that would take me to where I had to go, come home at some point and that’s when I’de touch base with my mom again.  That’s it!  It worked and I’m still here to blog about it.   In raising my own children I wouldn’t call myself a “helicopter parent”.. but in some ways and thanks to cell phone technology, I suppose that shoe fits.

   I don’t generally text and drive. I preach this to my kids on a regular basis.  Honesty hitting me square in the face again and forcing me to come clean, though… not long ago MY SON said to me.. “Mom, stop texting and driving”… and I looked over and said “I’m not, I”m just reading a text ____ sent me”… and he said “SAME THING!  If you saw me doing that when I get my license you’de scream at me”.   and he’s right!.   That conversation shamed me… how can I preach safety to my kids if I’m not practicing what I preach.  I’m glad my son called me on it, and every time I’m tempted I remember that conversation.   I’m sorry it had to happen in the first place.  

   Not long ago we were sitting in a Texas Long Horn restaurant. Across the isle were another family.. five children ages approx. 7-18 and two adults.  ALL of them… all of them… were texting continuously, rarely stopping to throw a sentence at  each other.  This continued for a full hour until they got up and left. When I walk down a city street (I noticed this in NYC)  people are texting, talking, reading while walking.  Totally connected to whoever it is on the other end of their gadget… totally DISconnected from the world around them. I see teens gathered at sports events, standing together but silent.. texting someone somewhere else.  NOT connecting with each other. What is this going to do to the new generation’s ability to socialize, interact face-to-face?  We’ve become so -connected- we’re not even speaking to the person next to us or enjoying the moment we are living in, doing whatever it is we are doing in that moment. Even on my recent rail trail ride on my horse… I had the cell phone in use, even though I was enjoying a beautiful day with two friends on a scenic ride in a new place.  

It’s ironic, this new world of total connection.

Where is this all leading?.. because it’s not going away. We do have the power to put the phone down, though.. and it’s something I’m going to try to do more often.

 All photos courtesy google and whoever took them.
 

Thanksgiving Recipes

Over the years our Thanksgiving feast menu has not varied much from the traditional.  Should I even suggest I might deviate from the norm, the collective gasp is audible in Canada. What I do, though… is change it up just alittle here and there.  I’ve often used Laura Bush’s Cornbread Stuffing (I wasn’t a fan of their politics, but I did like her stuffing) … This year I’m going to give this recipe a try.

Mom’s Turkey Stuffing

Ingredients
•1 loaf of day old French bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 10-12 cups) I’m using pepperidge farm bagged stuffing cubes. It’s just easier.
•1 cup walnuts – leaving those out.
•2 cups each, chopped onion and celery
•6 Tbsp butter
•1 green apple, peeled, cored, chopped
•3/4 cup of currants or raisins. raisins!
•Several (5 to 10) chopped green olives (martini olives, the ones with the pimento)
•Stock from the turkey giblets (1 cup to 2 cups) (can substitute chicken stock)
•1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
•1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or ground sage (to taste)
•Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

1 If you haven’t already made the stock, take the turkey giblets – heart and gizzard – and neck if you want, and put them in a small saucepan, cover with water and add a little salt. Bring to a simmer; simmer for about an hour, uncovered. Strain the stock into a container for use with the stuffing. Alternatively, you can use chicken stock or just plain water with this recipe.

2 Toast the walnuts by heating them in a frying pan on medium high heat for a few minutes, stirring until they are slightly browned (not burned) OR put them in the microwave on high until you can smell the aroma of them toasting, about a minute or two. Let them cool while you are toasting the bread, then roughly chop them.

3 (if you’re not using packaged cubes) Heat a large sauté pan on medium heat. Melt 3 Tbsp butter in the pan, add the bread cubes, and stir to coat the bread pieces with the melted butter. Then let them toast; only turn them when they have become a little browned on a side. Note, if you aren’t working with somewhat dried-out day-old bread, lay the cubes of bread in a baking pan and put them in a hot oven for 10 minutes to dry them out first, before toasting them in butter on the stove top. The bread should be a little dry to begin with, or you’ll end up with mushy stuffing.

4 In a large Dutch oven, sauté chopped onions and celery on medium high heat with the remaining 3 Tbsp butter until cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. Add the bread. Add cooked chopped walnuts. (or not)  Add chopped green apple,  raisins, olives, parsley. Add one cup of the stock from cooking the turkey giblets or chicken stock (enough to keep the stuffing moist while you are cooking it). Add sage, poultry seasoning, salt & pepper.

5 Cover. Turn heat to low. Cook for an hour or until the apples are cooked through. Check every ten minutes or so and add water or stock as needed while cooking to keep the stuffing moist and keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Serves 8-10.
Photos and recipe courtesy Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com/

For dessert I’ll make an Apple Cranberry Pie and instead of the traditional pumpkin, I’ll make a pumpkin cheesecake.   The Cheesecake Factory has my favorite recipes, easy to follow and  never disappoint.


Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

Originally posted to recipelink.com by Elly, Ohio:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham crumbs
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. sugar

Filling:
3- 8oz.pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice

Whipped Cream

Mix crust ingredients together, just till coated and crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 2/3 up the sides of an 8″ springform pan. Bake for 5 min. at 350. Set aside.
Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl, mix until smooth with an electric mixer. add pumpkin eggs, and spices, beat till smooth and creamy. Pour into the crust. Bake for 60-70 min. or till the top turns a bit darker. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature, then refrigerate. After it has thoroughly chilled, remove the pan sides and cut. Serve with whipped cream.

 Now let’s talk Cranberries.  I should get paid for these advertisements, no?  If you haven’t tried this cranberry relish sold by Harry & David, I recommend that you do… it is the bomb.   I actually buy six jars for the holiday season ( $5.50 each and I don’t think they sell it year round)  and when we have turkey or chicken for dinner, this comes out to the table.  It’s so delicious I could eat it out of the jar with a spoon. Truth be told, some times I do.  It’s a great teacher or hostess gift … also terrific on leftover Turkey sandwiches.

So, what are YOUR thanksgiving traditions?
 Any odd recipes?  
A friend of mine goes to the Annual Church Harvest Dinner.
Another goes to Disney with her family – supposedly that’s when the lines are shortest.

Bluebird of Happiness

    Look who landed on the feeder outside my kitchen sink window this morning.  I’ll admit, I was grumbling about the mess in the sink.  (Dish washing is my least favorite chore.)  I looked up, and there he was.

 Blue birds are my favorite of all the bird species. They don’t normally populate feeders, preferring berries and bugs along the edge of fields.  This little guy, in doing something out of the ordinary, seemed to be sending me a message.

 I’m listening.  

 

Air Line Rail Trail

  A few of us barn girls spent a glorious halloween afternoon riding along the Air Line Rail Trail.   For those of you who live in or around Connecticut, this is an awesome resource for biking, hiking, horseback riding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, walking, dog walking  and running.  Even young children can enjoy it, for the terrain is flat and easy to navigate. I will warn you that the high elevation of some of the bridges and portions of the trail system require caution, especially when you’re riding a 1000 lb. animal who might jump to the side if spooked.  My trusty steed behaved,  thank you to The Powers That Be.

Very Brief History of the Rail Trail –  Two of the most important cities in the United States in the mid-1800s were Boston and New York City.  To build a railroad on the straight line between the two cities, diagonally through Connecticut and Southeast Massachusetts, had long been a dream of various railroad investors and engineers. The “Air Line” route got its name from the idea that the railroad would follow a path as “if a line had been drawn through the air” between the two cities.

 The idea eventually took shape after much trial and tribulation, corruption and re-organization.  However..in the long run and moving forward a hundred years –  by the 1960’s there was flood damage to many of the bridges and it was no longer profitable to run certain sections of the rail trail. It slowly became defunct, although certain portions are still in use today.

Once certain parts of the line were abandoned, the state of Connecticut stepped in to oversee the property. The section of the Airline from East Hampton to Willimantic, from Willimantic to Putnam, and in Thompson were placed under the control of the Department of Environmental Protection. The state government in the 1980s began planning the 50 plus mile greenway corridor from Portland to Thompson which would become one of New England’s most treasured recreation paths.

 The information I posted here and the  complete history of the train service can be found on this site.

 My photos don’t do the trail justice, as I had only my iphone and the fear of falling off the side of the cliff should my horse decide to do the unthinkable.  Fear-based iphone pics generally suck.

The trail system all the way through is wide and clean … just amazing. 

Self portrait in shadow
 This is Paula and her horse of many years, Max.
I know what Paula needs for Christmas… those electric socks that keep feet warm.
It was indeed chilly enough to have frozen toes by the end of the ride.
An excellent link to find rail trails in your neck of the woods…
http://www.traillink.com/home.aspx

21

And so, my girl turns twenty one. 


Seems like just yesterday we were heading out of those big glass hospital doors, you safely tucked in your car seat dressed in way too much clothing. If I had my way there would have been bubble wrap too, and all cars would have been ordered off the streets until we got you safely home.  I remember thinking to myself ..” Are they really letting me out of here with this tiny little baby?….I’m going to be trusted with this little life all by myself, without a nurse nearby just in case?  What if I make a mistake? “ 


 I’m sure I’ve made mistakes, but there has been so much joy and love along the way, and it’s been my privilege and pleasure to have raised such a wonderful human being.  You have taught ME a few lessons in courage, strength and perseverance in the face of adversity. 


Dad and I are so proud of all you have accomplished, and we look forward to witnessing the wonderful life you have ahead of you….


Happy 21st Birthday to our Bean, Cookie, the doo, Kristabell, Cookie Crumb…   

21 lessons of life, learning and love

Originally written by Cheryl-Anne Millsap

1. Learn to forgive. Hurtful things are going to happen to you. Learn to let it go. Carrying a grudge is like trying to climb Mount Everest with a boulder in your backpack. It weighs you down and holds you back.


2. Say “I love you” and say “I’m sorry.” These really are the magic words. Learn when to say them, say them often, and mean it when you say them.


3. Be a child. Open your eyes every morning like you are opening them for the first time. Look closely at the world around you and find your place in it.


4. Never stop learning. Whenever you can, turn off the television and pick up a book. Take a class. Learn another language. Try something new. Travel. Explore the world around you. Exercise your mind.


5. Use what you’ve learned. You came into this world as helpless as any creature could be. But, by now, you should have most of the tools you’ll need to survive and thrive. Make good use of them.


6. Lose your ego. You won’t miss it.


7. Ask questions and question the answers. When you get the chance, ask a question. Search for the answers and when you think you’ve found them, look again.


8. Listen. Listen to music, to the birds and to the voices of people all around you. Listen to what they say and to what they aren’t saying. Listen to the little voice inside you.


9. Never lose your self respect. It’s the one thing you can take with you.


10. Hold a baby. Even if you never have one of your own, hold a baby in your arms now and then. Cradle them. Breathe the scent of a newborn. Think about the people who held you.


11. Practice gratitude. Look around you and count your blessings. Count them again.


12. Mind your manners. Make the world a kinder, gentler, place. And for heaven’s sake chew with your mouth closed.


13. Get a job. Learn the value of hard work. You don’t have to be rich or famous or powerful. You don’t have to play sports or be a movie star. Just do what you love and do it well.


14. Make friends but choose them carefully. Surround yourself with people who lift you up. Avoid those who want to drag you down.


15. Take a leap of faith. Sometimes, that’s all you can do.


16. Give until it hurts. Spend time with those you love. Share your thoughts and dreams. Give a little back to those who need it more than you do.


17. Learn the difference in fashion and style. Fashion is what looks good at the moment. Style is what fits you forever.


18. Try something new. Don’t be afraid of change. Break out of a rut. When you get too comfortable, stretch a little to see what happens.


19. Hold onto tradition. Hold onto your history by keeping at least one tradition alive. Cook the family mac and cheese recipe. Tell old stories again and again.


20. Reach out and touch someone. Hold a hand. Give a kiss. Hug someone who needs it.


21. Never forget. Remember that you are loved with a love that knows no bounds.

Count on that.