This Old House 2 – Page 69 – Middle aged musings from farm & hearth

Here we go again…

Another new year… the promise to eat better, exercise more, finally get that extra weight off… blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. That’s certainly us every single year at this old house – and we’re doing the same dance once again.

Only this time I hope it sticks. I just downloaded a bunch of paleo recipes that sound absolutely delicious and I like the paleo diet because it doesn’t deny you healthy things like fruits and vegetables (think Atkins). And it works! We know several friends who have accomplished their weight loss goals by eating paleo and exercising regularly, so here we go.

An excellent link for some great resources and paleo recipes HERE

We’re about to get more snow and some really cold temps..

I’m heading out to the barn with coffee in hand to put warmer blankets on horses

and check the water and heater in the chicken coop.

The dogs are in hibernation mode.

In full camo.

Happy, Healthy 2014 to all –
with special prayers going out to bloggers
Vicky, Ms. A, and Kate, Hilary, among others…

who were handed a hard row to hoe in 2013.
May the new year be kinder and gentler to all

and may we find renewed strength with a hopeful eye
to the future and it’s possibilities.

+PEACE+

A Hearty, Healthy Winter Soup

Blogger friend Kate shared this recipe recently and I gave it a try last night. It was a big hit with my family and will grace our table again and again, I’m sure of it. Winter Minestrone Soup – Delicious and good for you – Some nice crusty garlic bread is an excellent compliment – we left it out because we’re trying to reduce our bread intake.

The weather in New England has been typically fickle as of late – snow and freezing temps, some beautiful cold but sunny days… then a warming and rain.. chilly with black ice this morning. That old saying about New England weather is true…. You don’t like the weather right now?.. hold on a minute, it will change. A soup like this is perfect for warming your bones after outdoor chores or a day of chasing paper at the office…and, it nourishes the body, not just the soul.

A note to some of you who leave lovely comments, compliments, and sometimes questions…. I would love to thank you or answer your questions but you have your e-mail blocked and this prevents me from being able to respond. I want you to know I appreciate every kind word and really enjoy some of your comments. If you want to change that setting, here’s how to do it…

It’s a new day, all – make it a good one 🙂

Maxfield Parrish

While visiting with my artist cousin yesterday I asked him for tips with oil painting. We had an interesting discussion about light and dark and colors and shadows and the wide spectrum of hues… and then he told me about an artist named Maxfield Parrish. Can’t believe I’ve never seen his work… I am in love with it… just WOW. Notice the bold shades of color in his beautiful scenes, colors you might not equate with what they actually represent… just amazing.

I’m just in awe.

His home in New Hampshire is pictured below… The Oaks

which was for sale in May 2013 for $475,000.

He lived here with his wife from the time he built it at the age of 28 until his death.
The house has an interesting history, however…and the reason it has been
on and off the market and at such a good deal of a price is because
the original burnt to the ground in the 1970’s. A replica (sort of) was put back
up in it’s place and the original outbuildings still grace the landscape.

For more information on the artist here

* Update – I’ve just changed the way I posted the links… while I was able to
visit my blog and click on the link the way I had it, another reader
was not able to, saying the link as I had it was not active.

Let me know if the links work for you –

The Story of Lobo

The story begins – a young male pitbull lives in an abusive home where drugs and alcohol play a role in the violence he witnesses on a regular basis. During an altercation between the male and female humans in the home, the dog bites the male as he is attacking the female. THE DOG.. is the one who is incarcerated.

Lobo at the Pound.

Then.. this from Dog Days…

“A
call less than a week ago to ask if we could help a pit bull: he bit
his caretaker but there were a few who believed he deserved a second
chance. Who is going to step in during the holidays to help a dog with a
bite record, sitting on a cold kennel floor next to a landfill? J did, she went to visit him to see if he would be a good fit for her household, O and N visited him with food and treats, T went out to buy him a crate and P brought him treats and bones to keep him occupied in the pound while we were working on a solution. Alex offered to adopt Lobo — not foster, adopt. K went out and bought Lobo a crate bed, training treats and toys and the Veterinary Hospital got him in for a neuter appointment with less than 12 hours notice. L offered to donate money from her calendar sales to help pay for his vet bills and J
offered to send supplies from NJ. –Dog Days Village — you are an inspiration.
Tomorrow the freedom ride pic and tonight Lobo sleeps peacefully at the
vet’s office, warm, well fed and dreaming of life with Alex! Thank you
— Bless you! “

A few of my blog buddies also stepped up to help in Lobo’s rehabilitation costs… and I want to thank you. You are part of my village, and you have stepped up for these dogs more than once. I hate asking for money, even when it’s owed to me, but for causes like this, I will never have a problem sending the word out into the universe. You never know where it lands, who it might stir, what might get accomplished with every small little contribution.

As of yesterday, thanks to the Dog Days Village – Lobo was removed after months of living on the concrete slab, no bed- no toy- no other dog – type facility and is being neutered today as well as innoculations.. and he will go home with his ADOPTER!.. a woman carefully chosen who has experience with pitbulls and can give him the quiet, nurturing environment he needs to learn that not all humans are violent and abusive. I’ll keep you posted.

And you know?…. It’s a beautiful thing.

www.godogdays.org

Over it

I’m one of those people who puts the christmas tree and decorations and outdoor lights up the weekend after Thanksgiving. For me, it’s the weeks leading up to the holiday itself that speak of “the Holiday Season”. It’s the anticipation of the family gatherings and the giving of gifts that were chosen with love, the preparation and consuming of all those traditional foods that I cherish most.

The day AFTER Christmas?… it’s over. I’ve already put away the stockings and taken down the holiday cards taped to a wall in the kitchen. The – Dear Santa, I can explain – kind of pillows I have tossed around the house are bagged and sitting on the cellar stairs waiting to be shelved. All gifts have been put away and clothes that are too worn or too small (for various reasons, not just youthful growth)… are bagged or thrown out, replaced by the new stuff that was under the tree. All extra Christmas Candy and most of the leftover cookies were thrown out yesterday and I’m staring at that Christmas tree, trying to hold off until New Years. I do love the look of an evening house with soft Christmas tree lights to illuminate a room –

My neighbor across the street, an amazing woman of 93 years… begins her decorating on Christmas Eve. For the month of January she will enjoy her festive home and water the tree in her living room. When my mother was very young, my grandparents also brought the tree in and decorated it on Christmas Eve after their three children were in bed. I know that by the time I was born my grandmother put up the tree weeks before Christmas… but I’m curious as to when the majority of people begin their decking of halls, and then pack it away… what say you?

Why did the rooster cross the road?

To get to my hens on the other side…

much to my chagrin.

He’s a handsome boy, I’ll give him that.

But there are several reasons we don’t have a rooster here at this old house.

1. They beat up on the hens and pluck their back feathers out.

2. They demand sex all the time and I’m not subjecting my hens to that crap.

3. They’re noisy.

4. Some are nasty and will chase you if they feel like you are invading their territory.

This guy lives across the street with two other roosters and his own flock of hens.

Until a few weeks ago he stayed on his side of the road.

For some reason, he believes my flock is his now too, and he comes over frequently

to “claim” them.

I’ve chased him back to his place several times, still waiting for him to get the message.

He challenges me on occasion but knows I’m capable of a good drop kick

..so it’s become a stand-off kind of dance without physical confrontation,

then his reluctant retreat.

Hmmm.. . Maybe it’s the red heat lamp in their coop he has mistaken

for a house of ill repute.

ROOOOOOX anne…. you don’t have to put on the red light…

(did I get you to sing it again?)

We had a very nice Christmas holiday,

time well spent with family on both sides, cousins getting together

The older folks reminiscing, siblings catching up.

Those are the most important gifts –

I hope you were able to catch some Christmas joy in whatever way

holds meaning to you –

As my husband says lately when he ends a call

… (and it’s kinda hilarious if you know him well)

*Peace*

Antipasto Squares

I’ve been making these for years

and we’ll take them to my sisters house on Christmas Day –

always a hit at a family party and they are delicious and

not very hard to make…

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/italian-antipasto-squares/c2654daf-8739-420d-b16a-45e76fc66e30

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

Happy, Healthy 2014 to all –

and…

Thank you for stopping by This Old House 2

now and then and joining in on the conversations.

If it looks like a Duck…

By now if you pay any attention at all to the media in it’s various forms, you’ve seen the sh*t hitting the fan over the Duck Dynasty Debacle. Maybe you’ve managed to avoid it, and if you want to continue avoiding it… move on to your next blog now.

If you’re still reading, to recap very briefly, the Patriarch of the now very wealthy Duck Decoy making family, Phil Robertson, spewed off his appalling opinions regarding homosexuality in an interview and A & E suspended him from the show. People are clamoring… Hey, what about freedom of speech??… others, like myself, are cheering. First of all this whole deal has nothing to do with Freedom Of Speech. Secondly, in my opinion there is a difference between freedom of speech and freedom to criticize people (and his particular criticism was VILE) simply because they are different than you. There’s no specific law telling you you can’t go pee on your neighbors geranium pot, but you wouldn’t do it out of decency, would you.

I found this on another website and I say.. BRAVO.

So…. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH?!”
I can’t count how
many times I’ve explained this, but I’m going to keep doing it. Was Phil
Robertson put in jail or fined by the government? Then his freedom of
speech is fully intact. That said, should A&E actually be suspending
him for his comments that in no way shape, or form should’ve surprised
them, it’s in his contract that they can. A&E is Phil’s private
employer, and at some point during negotiations
for the show, his lawyers were given a contract that included a clause
saying A&E can terminate him at any point if he does anything that
negatively affects the network or Duck Dynasty. That is standard,
perfectly constitutional procedure, and something Phil agreed to in
exchange for $200,000 an episode. And if he suddenly doesn’t agree with
those conditions, then he’s a sinner who gave false testimony.