A Sense of Place

According to wikipedia, that term has several meanings, a sense of place. I relate it to a feeling of belonging, of being comfortable, contented where you are. While I enjoyed my childhood neighborhood and Staten Island upbringing, I knew from a young age it was not where I was meant to settle. As soon as I was old enough, I hightailed it to where I wanted my roots to take hold… in a more rural setting. The rub in the want for “rural” is that I also couldn’t imagine being too far away from the water. I had family in Connecticut I could live with temporarily so I was very fortunate to land in a good mix of a country setting near shore life. 34 years later, I’m still here… just a half mile down the same road from where I came in for a landing all those years ago. I’ve had no regrets.

I loved reading your comments yesterday, learning a little about you and where you’re from, where you find your sense of place, and in a few cases, where you long to be. It’s clear in many of your answers, you have also found your sense of place, in some instances right where you’ve been all along. It’s a good feeling, a settled feeling, one that helps balance out all the other aspects of a life.

I also find my sense of place in the act of caring, always have. It started with my childhood pets, then an abandoned race horse I adopted and brought with me to CT… Every nickel I could rub together with another back then went to the care and comfort of my horse and gas in my car, let me tell ya. Wasn’t the most sensible thing to do but I managed alright regardless.

Shortly after, we started our family, my husband grew his business and we built a small horse farm – and I’ve been tending family and farm needs ever since, sprinkled with part time jobs and volunteer work, a short stint as an Artisan store owner, and 7 years as editor of our small local news source. I am forever grateful that I was able to raise my children as a stay at home mom. It occurs to me that I could have done more with myself by other people’s standards. I haven’t closed the door on that possibility yet – although being 3/4 deaf makes a few things much more difficult. But what I have been doing, what I do now… well, I feel at home, I feel I’m where I’m supposed to be, I feel productive – and that’s a gift, a real blessing I appreciate whole heartedly, will not allow myself to undervalue or overlook. I’m wishing you the same.

This morning I was reminded of all this as I worked my way through morning chores – Cloud, our rabbit who lives next to the Chickens got a freshly raked yard and was thrilled to be out in it after yesterday’s rain.

Old Max, Below – now 32 years old!… got a good shedding out, too.

Owned by a friend, he has been here with us for 7 years now.

He can no longer chew hay, his teeth ground down to almost nothing.

He gives it the old college try but it inevitably ends up

clumped around him, so we pump him up with three different grains and

grass out in the fields, which sustains the old boy pretty well.

The side porch that we all use most of the time to come and go from has an interesting new development. See the trellis with gate? It’s covered in New Dawn roses now, just a beautiful sight when it blooms. Robins are not the smartest of birds, I’ve concluded over the years. We often find Robin nests in less than desirable places, clearly they are confused by their Sense of place.. or lack thereof. A pair are currently building a nest right in the busy traffic lane here at This Old House.

They are undeterred by our comings and goings from the gate in the center of the trellis, inches from their nest. I’ll keep you posted on their.. tenacity? Stubbornness? Stupidity, but that’s such an unkind word.

Meanwhile, just a few feet from my desk out the window here on the front porch – the purple finch babies behind the lantern have hatched!

Speaking of birds and nests, the girlchild is coming home to our nest tonight

to have dinner with the ‘rents. I love when that happens.

I’ve got that Mountain Dew (Sprite) cake

on the counter just waiting, because Mama Bird I will always be.

Till soon, friends –

Thank you for stopping by 🙂

What’s Soda got to do with it?

A long time ago we were big soda drinkers. A staple on my husband’s family’s dinner table when he was young – a bottle of orange or coke or rootbeer soda. We smartened up years ago, and only occasionally enjoy the original Coke or a good Root Beer. But.. there are some fun recipes that are thoroughly enhanced by the addition of soda, like this cake below, using (my teeth ache just thinking about drinking this stuff) Mountain Dew! This is a nice light cake – not good for you at all in the healthful eating sense, but sometimes you just gotta give yourself a treat that has no other benefit than the YUM factor. Because CAKE.

Mountain Dew Bundt Cake

Ingredients

1 box Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) box Lemon Jell-O instant pudding mix

4 large eggs

1 (12 ounce) can Mountain Dew (equal to 1 1/2 cups if you’re pouring from a bottle of pop)
** I used Sprite instead of Mountain Dew

1/2 cup oil

Glaze

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar
10. 1/2 cup Mountain Dew

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. (yep, 325) Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt cake pan/tube pan
. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix with the pudding mix. Add the eggs and oil, then
slowly add the Mountain Dew. Mix at medium speed until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in
the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for five minutes, then transfer cake to a wire rack.

Glaze directions: While cake is still slightly warm, melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter in a saucepan over low heat.
Add 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup Mountain Dew to the melted butter. Turn up heat and bring to
a boil, stirring often. Boil for two minutes and remove from heat.
8. Poke holes in cake with a wooden skewer or the tines of a fork, then spoon hot glaze over
cake. Cool completely before serving.

This photo, taken at Barbara Bush’s funeral services, makes me smile for several reasons. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

*yesterday he was admitted to the ICU, doesn’t surprise me that he

might go so shortly after her passing. They were a team in every sense

of the word. Life without her must be unimaginable for him.

I’ve been debating changing blog platforms to WordPress, simply because Blogger is free and powered by Google and therefore there are no guarantees it will be around forever – think of seven years of blogging all gone should they decide to fold. Anyone out there have experience with WordPress? Opinion? It seems like it might be more technical than I’d like. I am NOT tech savvy, and blogger has been relatively easy.

Another blogger with a much larger following posed the question – where are you from? I enjoyed reading the answers and learning where her many readers hail from and live now. So, I’d like to do that here. Years ago this blog had a lot more traffic as we documented the resurrection of The Old House. Now, on average, approximately 150 readers stop by here daily as you browse blogs and a handful of you leave comments on occasion, which I enjoy reading. If you’re so inclined, in the comments, leave your city or state or town of origin, other areas you’ve lived and where you live now (just what you’re comfortable with). I’d love to hear from you.

It’s a new day, all – let’s make it a good one. PS – the sun is SHINING here again today – Amen!

Here Comes the Sun

Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right

Star magnolia tree in our side yard,

a mother’s day gift from my daughter

a few years back 💗

We are rejoicing in the reappearance of the sun. Temps are still on the chilly side.. but we have green. We have warmth, we have that golden glow in the sky. Amen.

The chickens are sun and dust bathing again…

The horses grazing…

We have a little side deck off the kitchen sliders – the wood heats up when the sun is out and ooh, does it feel good to lay out there, back pressed to the wood, soaking up the rays – which we did quite a bit of yesterday, me and the dogs, and for ten mintues, even the husband.

The grass is greening up, the horses are shedding their winter coats and birds are nest building with some of that horse hair. Egg laying has commenced.

Purple finch eggs behind our porch lantern

The forsythia is just beginning to bloom, weeks late, ever so hesitantly – and daffodils that are not planted in the shade are blooming. The others still need convincing. The seeds my guys planted are out in the little greenhouse sprouting away, too soon to safely live out in the garden plot, so we wait. These below are purple peppers I ordered from Bakers Heirloom Seed Co. I look forward to tasting this new-to-me variety come summer.

I was never overly fond of the Bush Family, but I have certainly admired Barbara Bush for her strength and tenacity, dedication to literacy of our children, her devotion to her family and to the grace and dignity she brought to her position over the years. May she rest in peace –

Let me tell ya – we can laugh about the following little ditty… but it’s absolutely true up here in this house.

Sharing this Good-For-You meal found in Family Circle, perfect for Spring and Summer –

Zucchini Noodles with Asparagus, Peas and Bacon

1/2 pound asparagus

1 yellow pepper, seeded

8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 pounds spiralized zucchini

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

2 large cloves garlic, grated

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup basil, very thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1Trim woody ends from asparagus and peel bottom 2 inches if needed; slice on the bias into 1/4-inch-thick pieces, leaving tips intact. Cut pepper lengthwise into 8 pieces, then slice crosswise into 1/4-inch strips.

2Heat a large stainless skillet over medium. Add bacon and cook until crispy, 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off bacon fat, then return 2 tbsp fat to skillet.

3Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium and cook zucchini and 1/4 tsp salt, covered, until crisp-tender, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain zucchini.

4Add yellow pepper to bacon fat; cook 1 minute. Add asparagus; cook 1 minute more. Sprinkle vegetables with flour and cook 30 seconds, stirring well.

5Stir in milk and garlic. Add peas and half each of the bacon and basil. Cook until sauce thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

6Add zucchini, 1/4 tsp salt and the black pepper, and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with remaining basil and bacon. Serve immediately.

Have a good day, all – and thank you for stopping by.

Little reprieves, a Seaside Stroll and a healthy recipe for Bikini Season (ha!)

Still real chilly around here. 30 degrees on April 20th.

Ask me how much I love Friday mornings, when my daughter comes to the farm to do the barn chores and I get to lounge around a little before getting on with the day. I’ve been taking care of horses for 34 years now. For 34 years, no matter what the weather, twice daily, I have been up and out to the barn to feed and water and muck and rake and turn out …then to do it again in the evening. That’s on top of raising a family, holding down whatever jobs I’ve had (worn several hats in that department) and hold down the family fort.

There’s no doubting – animals (in particular, livestock) are a huge commitment. Eight years ago I added chickens to the mix and I absolutely love them. I wouldn’t trade it, it’s a life I chose and worked for and defend now and then… but there are moments when I look forward to an easier life. That won’t happen until my geriatric crew has all passed on, for I won’t give up on them up in their golden years . They’ve all been with me a long time, done their jobs, brought me much joy (ok maybe not on those really frigid mornings and evenings when my boots are soggy and fingers stinging cold before I’m halfway through. )

Someday, we will move down to live at the summer cottage from June through September of our golden years, when we don’t have the herd up on the hill to tend to. I might just bring a very small flock of chickens and of course, my dogs, with me.

For now, we’ll enjoy Stella as we currently do – with day trips and evening strolls and dinner on the deck and swimming and clamming and kayaking in the cove. 💗

Despite the cold and snowy rainy weather, I’ve been taking the dogs for walks when it won’t soak me. Frasier and I went down to the cottage two days ago to explore a little beach we hadn’t known was open to all residents and get our exercise in. Although it was yet another gray day, we saw signs that the Island is definitely beginning to wake up. Our neighbor, just in from her own walk, had deposited mulch bags around her spring garden, and another was opening up windows, airing out her cottage.

Garlic Mushroom Quinoa recipe HERE.

Always looking for healthy meal choices,

this looks pretty good… and bikini season
is just around the corner, don’t ya know.
Time to work off the donuts.. (ha!)

Till soon, friends –

Rambling Rose

Because sometimes a post title just doesn’t come to ya.

Happy 22nd Birthday to my boy, who I adore more than it seems possible. We’re so proud of the kind, responsible, hard working young man he’s become. I’m one of those ridiculous moms who’s children are literally my everything. My children are truly my greatest accomplishment in life. Is it ridiculous? I don’t know, I bet most of you moms feel the same way most of the time. ( we all have those “other” moments) My life is busy with my editing work, farm chores, volunteer activities, my hobbies and family life – but “family life” is on the top of my importance list, always. 💗

Since being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia last year, I’ve been struggling with the diagnosis, which is a tricky thing because after all the tests and all is said and done, they can’t tell you why you’re experiencing so much pain and inflammation everywhere – it just is. What??…. that’s frustrating.

If you suffer the same affliction, I can tell you this. Diet helps. Cut out the crap, literally. Sugar and Gluten are not your friend if you suffer from fibro. Too much dairy consumption also isn’t great. I’ve cut down big time on all three things (didn’t totally eliminate) and it has helped. Also… exercise. That’s a big one. It’s real hard to make yourself work out, go for long walks, run on a treadmill, insert whatever form of exercise you prefer… when your body is telling you OW THAT HURTS..with every move you make. But.. it’s important to do so if you want to keep moving, and even feel better.

A wonderful physical therapist I was sent to this fall has taught me some very valuable tools. He said…. “Those who improve from this condition do the hard work – they keep moving, keep exercising, and work on their diet continuously. Those who give in to the pain and don’t do the hard work, don’t improve, they get worse. Also, when you’re exercising, tell yourself that nothing is actually broken, even though your body is sending you pain signals. Work through the pain, and it will gradually decrease.” He was so right. I have now been in a steady work out routine here at home for a few months and I am feeling better. Not awesome, not perfect, not pain free – but better. Amen.

What I currently do is watch my diet (but I do slip up here and there – not much willpower, I love food!), I’m using the WW app to track my food intake, and I’m light weight training in the gym at least five days a week, have even increased the weight, three sets of 12 reps of a variety of lifts I was taught by a good friend (Joey), and I either take the dogs on a long hike or sprint/jog/walk on the treadmill on crappy weather days (MANY LATELY!!).

What can I say about the current state of political affairs here in our country… Holy cow, what an absolutely bizarre point in our American History we have reached, on so many fronts.

For those who still embrace the 45 Cult, man, I give you credit for standing by your man. Sorta like Melania… can you imagine what their cosy evenings at home must look like now? And I’m not making fun of her, she didn’t ask for the three ring circus she now lives in. Truly feels like he’s just throwing all the sh*t against the wall and hey, let’s see what’ll stick.

The thing about 45 is, I don’t totally disagree with some of the things on his “list to fix”. He just can’t get past his giant ego and his sordid past to lead this country in any sort of respectable, commendable, responsible, honest way. Sad thing. He is truly his own worst enemy. That he knowingly had that past history, and didn’t figure out that it would ALL come home to roost for him if he won the presidency, is remarkable. People in Cult 45 still clamor for 2020, but I bet 45 wants nothing to do with it, now that he sees what this position he holds has done to his and more importantly, his family’s formerly fabulous unfettered life. He and they are now in the fishbowl and who knows what price they have yet to pay. What he did to Obama and others is now being done to him, tenfold. And he keeps asking for more. Strange times.

33 degrees here in Connecticut today – I donned hat and gloves yet again, mid April! to do barn chores this morning. Our friends in Canada and Vermont still have snow! We planted seeds, which are now in their containers in the greenhouse – growing, growing, with nowhere to go until we see REAL spring temps. The forsythia is trying to bloom.. weeks late… but the attempt is half-hearted.

Come on, Spring.. the world NEEDS you!

Till soon, friends…

Take Out

Yesterday the Mr. and I met down at the cottage to clear out a few pieces of furniture we are replacing with new stuff that suits the little living space better. If you can believe it, Mom and I had yet a second successful couch sit last week after I spied a couch for sale on FB at a really cool small home store on the Shoreline. As soon as I saw the photo I knew I had to ~~drag~~ accompany mom to the shop to see if she felt the same about the piece.

She was a good sport once again, and together we purchased the small couch AND a recliner especially for my guy, because we would indeed be removing his much loved but out-of-place wing back chairs we acquired when we bought and renovated This Old House, then transplanted to Stella as we threw furniture in there to get through the first year. We found in a tiny space, those wing backs are just too tall and overbearing, and they weren’t very beachy. The cheap couch we had bought for the same space inside Stella was just -blah- not particularly comfortable either. These pieces work well. The price was reasonable and the fabrics we chose are durable – (not what is shown in the photo) … we went with a hardy driftwood colored fabric for the couch and a pale sea green blue hardy fabric for the chair.

Stellas little “living room” before we removed the old furniture… a mix-match of perfectly good furniture that just doesn’t belong here in this space.

Stay tuned for the reveal.

After We moved the “stuff” out, I took some photos around the island (which is not really an island but that’s what it’s called) and below is what I captured…

A handsome duck

A momma Osprey in her nest…

Some graceful egrets fishing in the wetlands…

These two chillin on a rock…

and this fellow who hit the jackpot as far as Lunch is concerned..

a large fresh conch…

He saw me about 50 feet away standing behind my tripod and camera

and decided instead of dining at the restaurant,

this lunch might best be treated as Take Out.

I hope all is well in your world –

and thank you for stopping by.

Harry’s Farewell Party

The Mr. and I went to a wake last night in his childhood hometown. The services were for a well known and loved man who had run a bakery for many years there with his entire family. One of the most generous men you’d ever be lucky to meet – Harry would feed the homeless out the back door of his bakery, lend money to friends he’d never see returned, give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. The line was down the block and although it was a freezing cold day with winds whipping off New Haven Harbor, there was so much -warmth- among the people in attendance. Part of that was because of Harry himself, he brought people together by nature and he was always up for a party. But also… it was about where these people come from.

M and I both grew up in the congested suburbs of bigger cities, New York and New Haven. Blue collar families, police and fire families, immigrant families of different ethnicities as well as white collar families coexisted comfortably in close housing of all kinds. Mostly modest homes, postage stamp lots. As children we went out to play in the neighborhood and no one had to worry about our safety – we were among friends everywhere. That’s not to say there weren’t issues in the ‘hoods, but somehow it all blended in to a comfortable community.

We saw that camaraderie again last night as we waiting in that long line, all of us chattering Harry stories, consoling each other in the fact that we’ll never see him again. We half expected him to be standing at the door ushering people in with a joke and a cigarette and his pastry on a nearby table. People of all ages, ethnicities, economic levels were kind and affectionate with each other. Folks who hadn’t seen each other in 40 years embraced with tears and hugs and love. That kind of togetherness, that blending of so many differences into a likeness – a kindness – a friendly way of being… isn’t really seen as often where we live now. The more affluent shoreline communities certainly have plenty of good folks doing good things, but that relaxed “my home is your home” feeling, not so much.

What’s evident when we visit both our childhood communities is a deterioration of the old home structures, businesses too. Seems we lived in those areas in their hey-day. Sad thing and I’m not sure what economic realities are causing that to happen, or what can be done about it. I just know, growing up in those communities made us a more caring lot of people, an experience no amount of money can buy. It’s all in the heart, and both M and I are grateful for our community upbringing.

Harry died as we all hope to – in his mid eighties, peacefully asleep on his couch. He is being buried as he lived – surrounded by his loving and beloved family, his 1,000 friends in attendance, multiple family pictures in his casket, a pack of cigarettes, a picture of his favorite entertainer, Marilyn Monroe, his wedding ring on his finger – the lifetime love of his life and wife of 60 or so years by his side to help others say goodbye. This quote is Harry all the way –

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”

― Hunter S. Thompson,

Couch sitting

Mom and I went couch sitting yesterday. That is, we went to a furniture store where I proceeded to covet so much stuff , I just wanted to redecorate my entire home. While doing the coveting we also sat on a bunch of couches to determine which would be a good fit in MOM’s home.

When you’re short like us, (5’4″ – ish) it’s important not to have a couch that’s too deep, or you end up looking like Shirley Temple swinging your legs in the distance between your feet and the actual floor. Either that or your feet are touching the floor but you’re all slouched back, gazing at the ceiling. When you nap on it frequently, it’s important that the arms aren’t too thin and hard or thick and high, so that you don’t snap your neck in the process of the napping. When you’re indecisive like my mom, (hi mom! Love you lots!) it’s important that the couch in question be not too different than what you’ve had before, but maybe very different, yes, maybe, no, not sure, I don’t know, I don’t want to think about it now. Also, there’s the issue of the color. In mom’s case, a neutral color is far more scary than, say… LIME GREEN COUCHES and PINK WALLS AND CARPET. That actually sounds scary, doesn’t it… and yet mom did this with vigor, and admittedly… it was a relative success in her home for a long while. But now.. with the prospect of NEUTRAL… well, we’re all aquiver.

We did find what I believe will be a lovely couch in a neutral shade, and I hope that is what she believes when it eventually lands in her living room. I’m especially hoping there was no perception of BULLYING whilst we made the neutrality decision. We then had a lovely lunch in a nearby restaurant – the drinks exotic, the food divine, a perfect ending to our couch sitting experience.

Meanwhile, the President gets his 30 million dollar military parade. All the debt and all the issues we currently have, and this is where he chooses to spend thirty million dollars. If the intention was to commend the military, how about putting that money toward Veteran mental health and regular health care, housing(so many homeless vets) the Wounded Warrior Project? Instead, he chooses a parade to feed his all consuming ego. But.. if the constant lies and juvenile twitter rants and constant unethical-to-the-office-he holds- slamming of everything and everyone who doesn’t applaud him and really.. really poor judgement of having unprotected sex with porn stars doesn’t bother you enough, a parade is just a parade, right?

Man, you couldn’t make this shit up. It wouldn’t fly in a sitcom because no one would believe it could ever actually happen. Then again, I’ve been binge watching Homeland… those folks live through being blown up, poisoned, beaten to a pulp, betrayed, shot, fired, rehired and blown up again more often than we change the sheets on our bed around here. ..and that’s once a week!

After all that heavy –

I’ll leave you with this …

What a difference a day makes

We had a lovely weekend – light jacket or no jacket weather. The Mr. and I did some Spring clean up at the cottage, raking the little lawn, clearing out the remains of last year’s perennial foliage…

and I am happy to report all the stuff we planted last year is making a comeback. Our dear friend, BJ, gave me some perennials from her garden just down the lane and I see the daylilies have already doubled as they come through the soil now.

We’ve noticed just how clear the water is in the cove – a sign that the Sound reaching out into the Atlantic is in relative good health –

My guys planted seeds for the garden, which reside in my living room until

the temps warm a bit…

… and we had a lovely small Easter Gathering ’round my kitchen table, where I used up much of my extra Weight Watchers points for the week eating ham, scalloped potatoes, string beans, and that orange cake I did make.. and I’m here to tell you – the frosting was delicious!!… and the cake very dense. Tasty but a tad dry. I’m wondering if because I used regular milk instead of butter milk (the store was out) that was the reason. The recipe I shared makes for one layer – if you want a two layer cake, double the recipe. We were a small group watching our weight, so I didn’t double it.

As for Weight Watchers – just five days in and I LOVE it. The points system is so easy to use, and I’m finding the 0 points foods you can reach for when you get hungry and need a little snack make it very do-able. I’m a grazer, so I need to be able to do that. I have not stepped on a scale yet, I know there isn’t enough difference to satisfy what I want to see on the scale, but I already feel less bloated. It helps that I really like fruits and vegetables. The phone App is awesome. I’m doing the very basic plan, I have a page online and an app on my phone – that’s what I use for the most part. I’m not interested in going to meetings (and there are meetings down near our cottage) … I’m doing this primarily by myself.. with a little help from my friend, Hilary (Crazy as a Loom). She’s given me some great tips.

Also this weekend, while my girl is visiting Florida with her BF and his family, I’ve been taking care of her beloved Rex… who is missing his beloved Mom, terribly. Oh, the WOE in his little fluffy face every time he hears the key in the door, only to find me on the other side of it. He’ll be happy to see his mom once again today when she arrives home.

So we’ve enjoyed the arrival of crocus in the last few days… and it was beginning to feel like the Spring that it actually is. Isn’t she a beauty? When the crocus arrive on the lawn, I say hello to Elizabeth, the woman who lived here for over 40 years until she died at the age of 90-something. She planted these crocus, as well as the ancient lilacs by the shed, the old pear tree in the horse paddock and all the pines and cedars on either side of This Old House.

This morning, however… we awoke to this…

As soon as I publish this post, I’ll pull out my snow pants and jacket, hat, scarf, glove, and boots and I’ll trudge up to the barn and over to the coop for morning feed rounds – I knew I should wait to wash them all and store them away. But I didn’t… Murphy’s Law and all that.

Till soon, friends..

A Rambler

I joined Weight Watchers yesterday after a good friend told me how much success she’s had with it so far. Menopause hit me last year and the ensuing ten pounds plus the extra 15 I was already carrying have been miserable to get off. As in.. despite my regular exercise efforts and all the barn work I do, it hasn’t budged. Having been newly diagnosed with fibromyalgia last year too, I think the extra weight isn’t doing me any favors in that department either.

Part of the problem is I’m definitely a) a grazer and b) I LOVE FOOD. I mean I LOOOOOVE food. And I like making and baking it for others too. I’m not much of a drinker, an occasional glass of wine or Gin andTonic at a social gathering is about all I might have, so that’s not a piece of the equation. So far I’m finding WW is easy to follow, the phone app that helps you keep track of the points system is extremely useful. I’ve already cut gluten out of my diet and now I’m cutting out as much sugar and salt as is humanely possible. Yep, I meant humane… because ME. I’ll let you know how it goes – day 2, so far, so good. My mission is to lose 25 lbs and no, I’m not going to share my starting weight because OMFG. Pardon the profanity. It fits.

*ahem.

Netflix is new to the husband and I this winter, and although we aren’t big TV watchers, it’s been so darn cold here in New England we’ve had plenty of time at night sitting by the fire to catch up on all those series others have recommended.

Grace & Frankie – I absolutely love it. I’ve seen all kinds of hate posts in reviews of the show about Jane Fonda, she’s anti American, blah blah blah… and although I was too young to fully have a grasp of the Vietnam horrors until reading about them after the fact, I’ve read the stories of her protests of the war and some behavior I’m sure she wishes now she never engaged in. Actually she has said that very thing. And the most basic truth here – can anyone blame her for being against that atrocity of a war? Anyway, she and Lily Tomlin along with the rest of the cast are hilarious and the show does tackle real life issues and gives that podium to our older generation.

Homeland – Well, what should I say – there’s some tremendously good acting here – and you come to really care about some of the characters – but after a while, the constant high pitch intensity and how many times can one person be kidnapped or blown up and survive and move on to the next crisis, like immediately… is exhausting. In the series, Claire Danes’ character, Carrie, suffers from bipolar disorder. I give the show and Claire credit for what I believe is handling the difficult road of managing that illness well. I can’t help but feel the entire show is trying to handle it’s own version of a difficult illness, though, because of the constant hyperactive loop it and she runs through over and over. The series is so good in other ways I keep returning to watch the next episode.

Game of Thrones – The first time I tuned in, years ago, I thought it looked like nonsense and I didn’t bother finishing the episode. Well, hell.. I was wrong. If you watch from the beginning, it is amazing to me how much of it can be applied to real life circumstances of today, real struggles in our societies, leadership, governing law.. and lawlessness, good versus evil, power, greed, corruption, redemption and love. There’s some eye candy, of course, and dragons – always a good thing – and the period dress and sets/scenery are beautiful. My favorite character? Surprised me! – Tyrion Lannister played by the remarkable Peter Dinklage. His character in my opinion is one of the most intelligent and intriguing of all. Some of the lines in the show, and many by him… are priceless.

I ‘ve seen some pretty hateful posts on some of my friends FB feeds lately and I’m trying to just leave it. That in itself is a miracle for me, I admit it .

I said this on my own page, though, and I’ll say it here … it’s possible to express concerns and opinions without hateful comments, without sharing false information, without trying to shame people, without cruelty. The current President would cheer us on and uses that brand of behavior himself… and that’s a damned shame… but we don’t have to feed off of it.

We are better than this ugliness and I’m getting tired of seeing it in my own feed. We don’t all agree on some big issues, but that’s life. Whether we agree with each other on any current issue or not, let’s debate it,or not, with the respect we would display if face to face. I wish folks would stop sharing fake news, seriously – spend the moments it takes to verify. Can’t we leave the hate out of comments and stop share hateful material just because it lines up with one’s beliefs.

It’s possible to get the ear of someone who may think differently if we can all do it respectfully. That kind of communication builds roads instead of blowing them up. The only way to fix this clusterf*ck we have now is to come together instead of encouraging divide and hate. Pardon the profanity again – it still fits.

Are you still with me? If you’ve trudged through all the above, you deserve a great cake recipe I found on another blog. I’m making this for my son’s birthday next week – will let you know how it turns out. Looks delicious and a Spring kind of refreshing, doesn’ t it? (Just Hush)

Orange Cake 🍊

– recipe found HERE.