Cookie Love and another great find

 I love cupcakes and cookies.  My friend Raven shared these on her blog and I have stolen them to share here and on FB too. Terrible thing, but she tolerates me anyway 🙂  We’ve got more snow falling today so I plan to bake these for my people as a Happy Valentine.  I do need to go out and find some culinary Lavender. 
   

We checked on Stella yesterday, oh, how I look forward to showing you the progress. We’re at the stage where all that’s left is to refinish the floors – and then I get to furnish and decorate!  We found a beautiful bedroom set at a local junk hunting treasure pot, same place I found Edith’s Chair… this time, an Ethan Allen Maple Queen bed and dresser for the second bedroom.  An elderly woman had moved out of her large home and wanted to sell much of her furniture. It had been kept beautifully, we got a screaming deal.  

     My boy built this Clamming Rack for his new hobby – last year he discovered his love for clamming and now has the perfect spot in a great little clamming cove to keep all his “stuff”.  Seeing this in place yesterday kinda made my day. Bigly. 
 If you haven’t caught Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicy yet, oh, please do. Easy to find on google.  I haven’t laughed that hard in ages.  
 Till soon, Friends…. 

Snow and Thunder

    Last night’s sky…. just beautiful… 
 No sooner did I brag about the mild winter we were having when a good ole nor’easter blew in. I woke up this morning, fed the dogs, sat down to read e-mails with nothing happening outside my windows. Half hour later there was an inch on the ground already as I went out to feed the animals.
The flood light is on in the henhouse, it throws enough heat to keep them cozy and the water from freezing. 
The horses were fed, watered and given plenty of hay to keep them busy, they’re closed in while
the wind is blowing.  And boy is it blowing. 

This was 6 am-ish.  The scene is much different already….

I’ve got a call in to the bird feeder repairman….. half the roof is sitting in the snow. 
He’s out plowing and wasn’t amused. 
 We are actually experiencing thunder during this storm. Such a bizarre thing to occur with snow – sounds like someone’s bowling upstairs.  Say a little prayer for my boys to come home safe.  Oh and don’t I know the hypocrisy of someone asking for prayer when they aren’t religious.  I believe being spiritual and being religious don’t have to occupy the same space to be valid, how’s that for an answer.  


I drafted a letter to the President and made it a public post on FB just incase – here’s what I would love for him to read. 
Dear Mr. President (and mouthpiece Spicer) 

Your daughter knows the truth – ask her! Nordstrom notified her last January that her lines weren’t performing well.  It’s a smart business move to cut losses, won’t you agree?  Her products are still available in their stores though, she wasn’t Banned.  Believe it or not, it’s not about you.  As the so-called “Jobs President”,  you are contradicting yourself by maligning and attempting to topple a large American company for your own purposes.


  I want to stand by my President. I have respect for the highest office in the land. I believe in America and I love my Country.  If you want to stop seeing fake news, if you want the larger half of the Country to stop the negativity and rally on your behalf and ours – you really have to stop the daily lies – the little lies, the big lies, the fake news you and your cohorts perpetuate daily.  I’m tired of the political angst, the upheaval of everything, the frustrated posts on FB and blogs.   I’ve been looking for the clearing in the storm, a reason to have hope… but you keep lying and tweeting ridiculous rants. So juvenile for the leader of this great nation. 

Please – stop the lies and the tantrums and the unethical behavior.  Do that if there’s an ounce of you that gives a damn about the rest of us.  You work for us now, we don’t work for you.  I’m really trying to find a reason to believe in the President of My United States, won’t you please rise to the integrity of the office you were elected so that we ALL can move on. 

Sincerely – 






 Heading back out into the tundra to shovel the dog run for the second time.  Till soon, friends…

Be Like Brady

      How about that Superbowl!!  I’m a Patriots fan, so the win was particularly sweet, but if the Falcons had pulled it off I would have been very happy for their owner – The Falcons have never won a Superbowl and their longtime owner deserved a win. The young team worked damned hard to get where they were and they don’t typically play dirty, something I admire.  Brady does his best work when under fire, and boy did he and his team pull it off at the end.  Unfortunately when it looked like they had definitely lost the game, I went to sleep.  Missed the best part!  Fun fact – our neighbor just down the road’s daughter was a patriots cheerleader until recently, when she and Gronk fell in love.  They’ve been dating for a few years now and I love seeing photos of them on instagram and occasionally in news articles – wishing them the best.  What we have heard through their experience is that the Patriots owner and team are truly a family, that’s how they treat and respect each other – love to hear it. 
    Tom Brady is amazing when his team is in a rut – how many times have we seen them pull it out at the last minute for a win.  My husband is not a Pats or Brady fan but even he admits TB is one hell of a QB. 
   For those of us who are rattled by the Orange Scream’s increasingly divisive, narcissistic behavior and all the alarm bells he setting off, like, EVERYWHERE… I hope he finds some solid ground that we all can stand on .. sooner rather than later.  Just look at all the headlines.. everywhere, real news let alone fake.. and you have to know it’s true.  Because I care about our country more than my own need to be right, I hope he can be like Brady and  pull it out for a win for all of us.  That will require checking his ego at the door. 

Conflict of Interest

    *The definition of a Conflict of Interest is a situation in which the concerns or aims of two different parties are incompatible.
     
     If your current residence isn’t the underside of a rock, you’ve noticed social media and news sources have  become a battleground in recent months.    On this I bet we all can agree –  it’s really sad and extremely unsettling to witness a country so divided.  There will always be issues we can’t all agree on, but this level of divisiveness and anger is alarming.

   Remember the Civil War? – North vs. South right here in these United States of America.  Up until recently, for me the idea of such a thing seemed pretty far out there and certainly not repeatable.  My limited understanding of that period of time was that the war was fought over the moral issue of slavery but in truth, economics and political control played just as big a part.   Interesting side note here – Both the North and the South brought God into the equation, both believing their views were supported by God, that he was on their side and some went as far as to say God would determine the length and outcome of the war itself.  Ultimately, morality won.. not because a God inserted himself or that all involved parties finally saw the obvious inhumanity in the practice of slavery.  The North had more muscle, it was that simple.

  I often hear “God is finally back in the White House!”       I wish we’d keep God out of it.  First of all… whose God – yours? or Joe’s across the street?  There are many religions and yet we all got here the same way, however that turns out to be.   There’s the hypocrisy that tends to keep company with religion and so for that reason  I wish we could keep our own sense of religion or God in our hearts, but leave it out of our government.  I’m convinced when the Orange Scream heard the call for God to return to the White House, he thought they were referring to him.

  So who has more muscle in this day and age? Right now I’m feeling pretty helpless as I watch the newly elected President of the United States and his cohorts run roughshod over our government.  I am not a sore-loser lefty or whining Democrat. My views run pretty much down the middle so those labels don’t apply to someone like me.  I’m feeling pretty helpless as I see friends and colleagues willfully ignore some pretty awful practices in favor  of what they believe is the promise of a Better America, for which they have seen zero evidence to suggest that’s what they’ll get.  The hypocrisies pile up, the daily lies are consumed,  I mean he lies about stupid little things just for ramblings’ sake.  The GOP seems giddy with their new power and for all those who cheer them on I ask… how do you accept the obvious ills?

  Supporters were thrilled with the mantra – Drain the Swamp. What you’re looking at in the new White house are the wealthy elite who have been tending the swamp for decades. Hell, the Education Secretary pick is a billionairess, inexperienced in the field, who’s family has donated 200 million to the republican party.  She failed the hearings miserably.. and yet.   The fact that a radical person like Bannon is at the right hand of the President speaks volumes. That’s swamp muck right there, the very thing Orange Scream supporters were railing against just months ago.

  The GOP just lifted a ban on dumping coal debri in streams. A friend argued with me that the jobs are more important than the clean water.  Not fake news: If we don’t protect our clean water resources it won’t matter how many jobs were available in the coal industry if we’re dead.   Our natural resources are limited and we abuse them daily.  We all live in the same camp, we all need to protect it because it won’t last forever,  this is not rocket science.  House republicans are writing a bill to abolish the EPA –  which was created to protect human health and the environment by enforcing regulations based on laws passed by congress.  Why would we want to abolish such a thing?

They’re back to taking away land from the Indians for pipelines because the more affluent people around them don’t want the pipelines in their backyard.  We all know that history, right?  Where is our humanity?

  Many who voted for him hoped the  President would somehow become more “Presidential” once he took office.  Not a chance.  He used the National Prayer Breakfast, standing before religious leaders and diplomats,  to talk about  Arnold schwarzenegger and Apprentice ratings… direct quote…

We had tremendous success on The Apprentice and, when I ran for president, I had to leave the show,” “And they hired a big, big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger to take my place. And we know how that turned out. The ratings went right down the tubes. It’s been a total disaster,” said Trump, who remains a producer on the NBC series. “Mark will never, ever bet against Trump again. And I want to just pray for Arnold, if we can. For those ratings. Okay?”

The Orange Scream’s Black History Month Remarks…

Last month, we celebrated the life of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., whose incredible example is unique in American history. You read all about Dr. Martin Luther King a week ago when somebody said I took the statue out of my office. It turned out that that was fake news. Fake news. The statue is cherished, it’s one of the favorite things in the—and we have some good ones. We have Lincoln, and we have Jefferson, and we have Dr. Martin Luther King. But they said the statue, the bust of Martin Luther King, was taken out of the office. And it was never even touched. So I think it was a disgrace, but that’s the way the press is. Very unfortunate.

This is the face of America. This is the man we elected to the highest office in the land.

   A friend of mine who desperately wants to believe in this man because he is a dyed in the wool republican said ” Why is all this surprising, he’s doing what he did during his campaign, it’s nothing new”.   Actually, his behavior is not surprising, What’s surprising is…  I  didn’t think he would actually get away with it. I didn’t think the GOP would bow to his ego so willingly,  overstep and overreach  so grandly and so completely.  I had HOPED… once the Orange Scream came to the office and felt the gravity, the full weight of his position, that he would indeed.. become more “Presidential”.  Surely those around him would rein him in at the very least.

 It has become abundantly clear, it’s not happening.  For this American in these United States, I am embarrassed for all of us and I worry for our children’s future.  There should be no great conflicts of interest among us, we should all feel that we are on the same team.  We should all be getting that vibe from our government, certainly our leader. That should be the message above all.  Don’t we all want  job opportunities, decent education for our youth, affordable health care, legal immigration, a strong military, fair trade,  equality for all,  justice and liberty for all?  


 Someone tell me how we have become.. so .. incompatible.

   
   

Hello Operator


      So.. you know those bar stools I was searching for to go with Stella’s new raised counter?  Anything I found that was “new” was either cheaply made and didn’t feel like it would stand the test of time or the price was ridiculous. ($400 each). 
      Yesterday the Mr. and I took a ride to a local favorite vintage finds place, the same place I found the rocking horse I revived. More on the rocking horse  HERE .  It’s called the Trove, and for good reason.  It’s full of old treasures and I  always find something to love.  Not only did I score a few pieces of vintage corning ware in excellent condition in the perfect shade for Stella…

.. but as soon as I walked into the second building in the rear, these two lovelies were standing at attention, just waiting for me.

   I could not contain my excitement – I’m sure the gasp was audible across the entire warehouse when I spied No 12 and No 16 right there inside the door.    These are genuine Western Union  Industrial Switchboard Operator Chairs that had been in use up until the 1940’s when they were replaced with a more modern design.  They’ve got obvious wear and will need some caning work and brushing up of their metal.  Now, because of that audible gasp, I don’t know for sure how much of a deal we got. The price tag said $475 for the pair – ugh. And the guy already knew I was smitten.  (This is where the husband rolls his eyes and wishes I had stayed outside).   He did what he always does to counter balance my obvious love for the object of my affection.

Way too much for it, look at the work needed. Nope, lets move on.

And with an audible sigh from me, we do.

     After scrounging around for a while longer in the rest of the warehouse, we have to pass No 12 and No 16 on the way out.  M walks right past them and I lean over the counter to the owner and say – Is that really the best you can do?  Ikea is the next stop.    He laughs and says – I can knock off $100.  I reel the Mr. back in and beg ask if he’ll reconsider for a lesser price. No 12 and No 16 are now in the garage waiting for a little restoration work by me and hopefully a reasonable caning refurbisher.

     Western Union is a financial services and communications company.  Until 2006, It was the best known US company in the business of exchanging telegrams.  According to Wikipedia, Western Union dominated the telegraph industry in the late 19th century, was the first communcations empire and set a pattern for American style communications businesses as they are known today.


     Imagine the history the women seated  in these chairs have witnessed.

     As we drove home with our new treasures in the back of the truck, M said – “Always feels good to me, using something made long ago, something that  stood the test of time, that can serve further purpose.”

     They really don’t make things like they used to.

Counter Action

      The marble was installed yesterday in the kitchen area and Stella’s little interior is really beginning to pull together. The walls have been washed down with Simple Green (I hate the stuff, something about the smell is revolting to me. Anyone else feel the same? ) and now the floors are begging for attention.  The carpentry inside will be done today and we’ll sweep the old girl out before the painters arrive.

      It occurred to me we have nothing besides a broom to pick up dirt and sand at the cottage – and the budget is  currently screaming STOP – so I’m going to the Oreck dealer down the road to ask if they have any reworked old model  vacuums I can buy cheap. We’ve got to get all that saw dust up so that everything can get a fresh coat of paint. Then..   we can decide what needs to be done with the floors – probably a sanding and new stain.

I’m also looking for two bargain bar stools.  Fell in love with a bunch in Frontgate catalogue – way out of our price range – in another orbit completely.  Maybe Ikea?  In my junk hunting adventures, I have not found bar stools anywhere.

Let’s all pause for a moment to gaze at that sink in adoration……

 This is the carrara marble we were able to get from our stone source. As I mentioned before, we’ve used this in homes a lot because it’s very durable, goes with a lot and used to be affordable.  Naturally we thought it was a good choice for Stella’s kitchen counters until our Stone guy said.. “Well it would have been a good choice but currently the Italians are pissed at us and the cost has tripled. ”    What did we do to the Italians?  We’re Italian, does that help?   A few days later he called with good news, he found a chunk in his warehouse and the cost was reasonable.

 A picture of carrara marble in a stone quarry in Carrara, Italy…

 

The whale knocker has been reinstalled on the door, which needs another coat of paint. That’s Gerard the whale right there- why do I name so many things?  Not sure – I’ve had that habit ever since childhood. I still have my collection of little tiny glass animals that lived in a shadow box for many years.   On the bottom of each tiny figure are the names assigned, scrawled in pencil.

 I was going to end this post with another political rant.. but I’m  tired of my own exasperation and I need to set it down for a bit. There’s an adoption even today and tomorrow – I will try like hell not to bring a dog home, the struggle is real.   
Till soon, friends… 

Be the Light

        Yesterday after spending hours at the computer editing for our local publication,  I called the Mr. and said – What do we need for Stella, I want to get out of the house for a while.   As it happens,  we need  light fixtures.  Not my favorite chore.  Why?  Because THE VOLLEY.    You see.. even though I’m left with the relatively simple instructions to  get a  single sconce bathroom light for over the sink, a work area light for over that whole kitchen area that has no light needs five foot chain, and get a cheap paddle fan with light kit… and he clearly states pick whatever you think will look good there….. it never happens that way.
     Having been married to a builder for roughly 29 years, and he’ll agree with me the word roughly applies, we’ve traveled down this road many times, whether it was our own house or someone elses.  (where is the comma there, I’m not even gonna look it up, and I call myself an editor).   
      I go to the shop and take a look around. I see what I think will be perfect and sit down with the shop owner to discuss price and suitability for the space that will require the light. I even bring pictures of the work spaces because I’m that kind of special.  We get most of the way through, and then of course….. there’s a question I can’t answer knowing for certain I gave the right information.  I have to make the call into the powers that be.  That would be He.   
        He provides the answer.. and then says the words I knew were coming….
  but what is this for exactly.. let me see what you’re picking.  
 My nose starts to twitch as I send the requested photo from my phone.  The texting ensues… 
Him:  No.  Too contemporary.
Me: What? This is an antique replica. 
Him:  It probably cost more than the entire cottage! Too nice! What else… 
Me:  Ok how about this… 
Him:  That’s an exterior light fixture, this is for inside.
Me: Yes I know, it’s also for interior use and I think it would be perfect for that spot.  Mr. X says so too… 
Him:  No. What else.. 
And so it goes.  Suddenly, Mr. X seeing my frustration, points up into a corner of the showroom and says – you know.. THAT one would work but I don’t know how you feel about the look. 
Ah, we have a winner.  And the price was just right. 
This fixture will hang from the ceiling (which is the peak of the roof) of
Stellas “kitchen” area. 
     Meanwhile.. back at the ranch…we’ve had some very soggy weather lately. I’m not complaining one bit, soggy is better than heavy snowfall and bitter cold.  I did some cleaning of the barn, coop and hutch yesterday morning and it felt good to tidy up. 

 Ruby thought it might be fun to tag along in the gator but  actual motion changed her mind.

    My 94 year old neighbor stopped by for a visit – She still lives in the home she raised her five boys in, just across the street.  Her son pictured here is such a good man – lives hours away and comes weekly to check up on mom and get things done around the house.  He cooks for her friends on occasion too.  When weather permits, she loves to take rides around the woods on his quad.  
When I grow up I want to be like Margaret. 
    I’ve been a little dismayed at the bitterness I have seen on the internet lately between women who didn’t approve of the Women’s March on Washington and those who attended or supported it.  A good friend of mine said she was really offended and didn’t need anyone marching for her rights. She felt women are damned lucky in this country, we have many rights that women of other countries don’t have and we don’t need to be “like men”.   *sigh.   She felt I was stuck on myself because I have opinions and I express them openly.  Those particular words admittedly stung. I thought about it for a while – am I a conceited idiot who thinks her views are the only way?  The answer to that is no.  Are my intentions always good regardless of the topic?  I can say whole heartedly YES.  I’m not one to shut up, and I won’t apologize for caring and having a big mouth that expresses it. 
    As for the March – I’ll tell you what – If women didn’t march in our recent history, we wouldn’t be voting, we wouldn’t have our own credit cards, we wouldn’t be able to take out our own mortgage, we wouldn’t have access to affordable womens health care, and a myriad of other freedoms we now take for granted.    There are still issues we face, and this March in particular was about many different things.   I have no problem with women who don’t want to get involved – we all have to choose our battles.  What I don’t understand is the offense taken.  I truly believe if you know in your heart you are doing whatever you’re doing in the hopes of improving things for all, you’re on the right track in life.  I’m not going to apologize for it. 

 Till soon, friends – 

Visionary

  Saturday was a misty dreary day here in New England.  As the peaceful protests happened all over the country and I watched with admiration from afar, we took a drive down to Stella to see the progress the men had made during the week.  When I stepped inside, I just smiled big and breathed deep and easy.  Already, Stella gives me the restorative peace I need. 
  Remember the cedar trees a few posts back?  My son and a friend stripped them and they replaced two smaller beams that hold up the center of the cottage.  The new stove was delivered and this week the carrara marble our stone guy found in his warehouse will arrive too. The walls will remain the stain you see, but currently when we run a hand along the walls, black soot comes off. They will get a good washing down, then a new coat of stain/varnish.  The cabinets will get a coat of a creamy white, as will the red cabinets you see under my beloved farmhouse sink. 
 Side note: My husband has lost 15 pounds on the Nutrisystem diet so far – he’s doing really well.  Me? just a few.. still. I have an issue with snacking in between. *sigh.   I will not stay on the Nutri thing though – really not enjoying all the gluten in the meals – now that I know the portion size and calorie intake, I will prepare fresh food and try to stay within the same plan as nutrisystem.  We both feel better already, partly because of the increased water intake, less food consumption and more exercise we have both committed to. 
 My son spent a good part of a day moving some of the furniture around to where it will actually live… it was piled up in the “master” bedroom while the guys worked around the cottage doing the structural stuff..
That was then..   
… .this is now. 

 The table and all those chairs came with Stella… we’ll strip and repaint the kitchen set before the season starts, as their finish is rubbing off in places.

 The window trim and handles are complete.. grills installed in windows on the sides of the cottage. Here you see the exposed ceiling which we decided to leave as is. The bead board installed – we’ll paint that the same ivory white used in the kitchen. 
 Still much to do… but she’s getting there… 

  I know nothing stays the same… but if you’re willing to play the game…..  It’s coming around again…. 

Proud

     I am so proud to be an American Woman today…. amazed at the turnout  of both women AND MEN at the Women’s March on  Washington,  across the country and all over the world 
.  
     Several of my friends are marching in DC and others in our state capitol. I’m hearing that it is very peaceful,  respectful, an inspirational gathering of folks who are alarmed and concerned about the protection of human rights, of healthcare issues, of womens right to govern their own body, of not tolerating the pussy grabber mentality we all witnessed and some dismissed. 
    The turnout is bigger than the crowds for the inauguration – wow!  Hopefully, Washington will heed the warning that we are paying attention and won’t tolerate injustice.  The Orange Scream said yesterday he was giving back the government TO THE PEOPLE… well let’s see if he’ll walk the talk. 

     Women are nurturers, bread winners, doctors, lawyers, we are politicians, innovators, healers, we are military, we are law enforcement, educators, homemakers, we are three quarters of the existence of life itself because we are it’s vessel.  What our bodies have to go through to bring forth life is a miracle.  That we are still, in this day and age, not treated by some of  the powers that be as equal is just wrong.

      Interesting… the World is making a statement today, and there is no comment from the President. Oh he’s been on twitter.. only to praise himself. Not a mention of what’s going on right outside his new front door.  What was it he said just yesterday?…  Your voice, your hopes, your dreams will define our American destiny.  … only if they align with his.
I keep hearing from the GOP and it’s faithful that they want smaller government, less regulation… well that doesn’t fly if you’re trying to regulate a woman’s 
reproductive rights…

 

 My friends are in the photo below, my name is on those signs… kinda wishing I had gotten on that bus yesterday.  I’m with them in spirit and so darn proud and grateful for their courage. Proud that millions of people showed up and demonstrate what peaceful protest means.  Amen and Amen again.

  You Go Girls!

UPDATE:   All those millions of people gathered, Not one arrest was made in DC yesterday – Bravo.