Grace

A woman I have come to know through blogging
posted this on her page the other day…
…Walk with Me along the high road of thanksgiving, and you will
find all the delights I have made ready for you. To protect your
thankfulness, you must remember that you reside in a fallen world, where
blessings and sorrows intermingle freely…
 
by Sarah Young.
 
Thank you  Vicky – Perfect.



Happy Thanksgiving, All – 
From This Old House to yours – 
xo


Don’t Stop Believin

One of my favorites from my high school days… 
Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin – 
and seriously.. if you remember the song and you’re not
instantly drawn to sing along with it,
Lighten up, I say. Go with it.
No matter what’s troubling you – and especially if you’re having a difficult time today
regardless the reason – let it go for a few minutes, get lost in an old song. 
Throw in some air guitar while you’re at it.
It does a body good. 
turn up the volume and click HERE

Ready? Set?…

I have to share this link with you…
Wow, some really awesome recipes if you’re still looking for some ideas
for the Thanksgiving table.
For the next few days I’ll be shopping, baking, cooking, cleaning,
setting table…
And there will be about 15 minutes of  Thanksgiving dinner consumption
followed by two hours of dish washing on the actual day.
Have you ever noticed?  It takes about three days to put together
a meal that will be done with in 15 minutes. Truth!
All worth it, though… I am thankful that I can afford to put
good food on the table, that we are relatively healthy
and have family nearby that we can share a meal with.
I hope your Thanksgiving Day finds you at peace with your world
and in harmony with the family you love.

This, that and a whole lot of JUST SAYIN

  Are you ready for the holidays?  For a time of year that was originally designed to be such a joyous, celebratory season, why do we have to be ready?   Why?  Because the powers that be (read that as media, retailers, etc.) have blown these once spiritual holidays into a money spending, guilt promoting, tension building headache causing some of the joy to be sapped right out of it.  This year Christmas was in stores at the same time as Halloween.  Are ya kidding?  I actually saw the Thanksgiving decor on shelves in July.  It’s packed away already, have you noticed?  I’m pretty sure Easter is  sitting on the loading dock.

  That being said, I love this time of year.  My Thanksgiving menu is mapped out and I have visions of that big juicy turkey leg dipped in cranberry orange walnut sauce.  And the Cheeses!…  Have you ever been to a Cheese Shop?  Believe it or not, I have not.. until recently in a town not far from here.  I went, I sampled …OMG and then some.    Once you’ve had really good quality cheeses like those you get at a good cheese shop…. you’ll never be satisfied with cracker barrel again.  My recommendation is Cambozola Black – the creamiest brie infused blue cheese I have ever tasted.   If you’re local… go HERE for your holiday cheeses, even if you’re just treating yourself.  

*******

  The Affordable Care Act.   *sigh*   Well.. I’m gonna say it right here right now.  I am so thoroughly disappointed.  I had hopes, I had dreams, I had confidence.. TWICE… that this administration would be the- change – the country needed after my thorough disgust with the previous administration.   I believed in the vision, the concepts, the forward thinking. I still believe it was genuine.   Apparently the country is not mature enough to handle it, and it’s not working out for a myriad of  other reasons either. You and I probably won’t agree that many issues can’t be blamed soley on our President, but some of the blunders are his,  they are big, and they are not the blunders I thought he might make.

  ** Our insurance is cancelling us.  Doesn’t matter that there is a year of _stay_ to sort this mess out…. they are still cancelling us regardless.  They are not honoring that particular new stay, they don’t have to.  Oh, there are other plans… and we can shop around, but my family already pays $1900 per month for insurance, and we are all relatively healthy.  Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, we are being cancelled by our current insurance company, but if we want to come back, they’ll take us.  At an additional $400. per month, plus an $11,000. prescription deductible.     I’m sorry, Mr. President, that’s not my idea of affordable.

***********

  Michael Skakel  is getting out on bail, a new trial awarded.  You may or may not know anything about the murder of  teenager Martha Moxley here in Connecticut many years ago –  surprise surprise, a few Kennedy cousins were in the mix, one convicted for the murder.  One Michael Skakel, who was 15 years old at the time of the murder.  I read one of the books written about the crime, and it sure as hell looked like they had the right guy to me, but someone now thinks differently and he’s being given another chance many years after his conviction. My sister and I were talking about it yesterday.. and she made a great point…

WHY is this man OBESE??  Hasn’t he been in prison for ten years?…. Who’s providing him with all the extra food it takes to maintain that obesity?  Apparently withholding junk food is too harsh a condition to impose on convicted murderers.

*******
 Speaking of Kennedys –
50 years later, Despite all the research,  books, documentaries, TV specials and commemorations
of the tragic death of President John F. Kennedy,
who I think I would have approved of highly had I been alive and mature at the time,
we won’t ever really know for certain who was responsible for his assassination, will we.
Think what you will,  my belief is he was a visionary, he had real courage, the kind
Presidents should be made of, and he loved his country.
Off topic but not really – I will never give a flying f*ck what a person in office does with his or her 
private parts as long as it doesn’t involve children or abuse or the use of our tax dollars. 
That’s none of our collective business, period. 
You want government out of your business, right?  
I hear it time and time again, and I agree!
Well, no double standards then, ok?
Ok. 
********
– Just sayin.

 

forward thinking

We’re born.
That’s the first gift. 
 Then..no guarantees… no choice in the matter. 
  We have no control over the first years of our lives
and very little until we approach adulthood. 
Then the decisions are our own to make, and our responsibility alone.
That’s another gift we don’t all embrace. 
Some of us have had a less than stellar experience in our youth..
whether it was at the hands of family members or the bully kids at school, 
the list is long for possibilities as to the ‘whys’. 
The lucky ones escaped unscathed, nurtured, even. 
I don’t know where you fall in that catagory..
but here’s something we all share. 
You alone are responsible for your well being, for your happiness,
for what your life looks like and turns into. 
Blame no one but yourself if you are not happy with your station in life,
whatever that refers to in your world.  Be kind to yourself when doing so.
You make decisions at any given time, good or bad, given what you have to work with. 
You can most often change, even though change can be uncomfortable… at first.

All have a cross to bear, some bear several. 
It’s the outlook you choose that determines your wealth.
Wealth.. meaning peace of mind, state of happiness, fulfillment in life.
Money is not necessarily wealth. If you have an abundance 
of peace, happiness, fulfillment… you are wealthy.

Saddens me to no end, when I see someone wallowing in WHAT WAS – 
letting it pollute their current existence, possibly even ruining current relationships, 
careers, whatever.

 Just sayin.

Brrrr…

  Well, so much for all that bragging about awesome fall weather.  The cold has descended… and it’s a chilly morn here at This Old House.  Not that I’m complaining!.. Every day is a gift, right?  When the New England chill sets in, there are a few things we layer up around here… 
Pardon the crappy iphone pics.. it is what it is.
The minis grow a very thick coat – 

 The horses do not,
so they are blanketed.

 I add extra bedding to the stalls –

 The chickens get a red flood light to throw some heat –
(my chicken coop looks like a house of ill repute at night) 

ROX anne…. you don’t have to put on the red light….. 
those days are over… you don’t have to sell your body to the night..

ROX anne…
Sorry, couldn’t help myself…
… off topic but who knows the artist who made that song famous.
No googling. 
You’re singing it now, aren’t ya.

 
And I throw some hay around the chicken yard so they can forage a little and burrow in it..

  
The basket of  barn gloves and hats is now perched on the mud room bench for the season..
Don’t ever make the mistake of wearing barn gloves to the grocery store, however.
The scent is distinct 🙂

 
 ..and firewood rests on the porch, easy access on those cold nights.

Although I may gripe now and again about the cold grey New England winters…
I wouldn’t trade the season changes. 
An opportunity for a week or two 
in a warm sunny tropical place wouldn’t be scoffed at and turned away, however. 
Just sayin. 

Just do it

I once asked a friend who was in her late 70’s at the time
how she managed to be in such great shape, moving around
as well as any forty year old I ever knew..
and her simple answer was – 
JUST KEEP MOVING. 
Those simple words speak volumes.

When I lived in suburbia, Staten Island, to be exact…
one of my favorite family rituals was the walks we would take
in my grandmothers Bard Avenue neighborhood after a delicious Sunday or holiday dinner.
I loved glancing over at the windows of the houses we passed,
seeing the warm glow inside and the decorations, the gardens in the yards.

We don’t live in a sidewalked neighborhood nowadays, but

the guy and I have been burning some sneaker rubber at our local parks
and in the woods behind this old house.. and it feels really good to do so.
Oh, it’s not always comfortable.. creeky knees and sore muscles,  whine, whine, 
blah blah blah. 
Don’t listen to the excuses your body gives you, unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
I believe walking is the best form of physical exercise, and it’s totally FREE
once you buy yourself a good pair of walking shoes. 
Good shoes/sneakers are important or you won’t keep doing it. 
So, if you’ve been contemplating a little effort toward better health, 
what are you waiting for? 
Even 15 minutes around a city block or down a country road
improves your health. Make it a point to get out there atleast three or four times
a week and you will reap the benefits.  No excuses, anyone can find a little
slot of time to do this.. the quality of your life is worth the effort. 
For me, treadmills just don’t cut it, they bore me too easily 
and I quit before I’ve really gotten started. 
I find that picking different locations, not going the same route every day, 
helps with the motivation factor.  Also, taking a dog or husband or friend along helps too. 
Don’t drive yourself nuts with EXACT MILEAGE  or step counting
if you’re not a die hard fitness freak.
Just get out there and walk. Even ten minutes at lunch break counts.
  
Hammonasset State Park

 
 

 
 

 

And don’t forget to drink plenty of water!
 Are you a walker too?  What are your tips and tricks to keep the effort going?
Do you have a favorite place to get in your exercise?

The Good in Life

We were invited to share a lovely evening filled with delicious food, great friends,
a gathering of community minded people who I am so blessed
to call friends. Uplifting, it was. 
Thank you, Tim & Eileen, for doing that thing that you always do –
Bring people together in such a positive way.
A few scenes around this old house this weekend – 
The moon rises as the reflection of the setting sun glows in the family room window…
 
Bailey naps – always reminds me of my favorite Andrew Wyeth print.
I bet some of you know which one I’m talking about. 

We now actually USE this big fireplace since the arrival of the sectional couch in the family room.
 
 
Ask me how much I love finally making a good furniture decision.
🙂 

My new project, coming along slowly…
original photo above, attempt in oils below…
 
 
I hope you are all enjoying a peaceful Sunday – 
I’ll be looking toward the Thanksgiving table and menu ideas…
 Any suggestions for something new to add to the menu??…
Even an easy appetizer??
leave a link to the recipe below in the comments section if you’re so inclined.
I’d love to hear them. 
 

New stuff!

When we finally moved into This Old House after the ressurection
was complete.. we bought a new couch and chairs for the “family room”.
I was going for a country look because we were in an old house, and truth be told…
when the furniture arrived eight weeks after purchase,
I was a little flustered at the big bold floral gold print I had actually picked out
for the two overstuffed chairs and the red couch was very pretty but not alot of room
for sitting.  It was a –what was I thinking– moment.
Have you ever done that with a major purchase?  ugh.
And you know, when you spend that kind of money
and the man who paid for it is standing next to you in the new family room
asking if you’re happy with the new furniture..
well, it’s kinda hard to say… I SCREWED UP!!!
So we lived with it.
No one was ever really happy with the arrangement, 
and the room got very little use, despite the fact that it is 
the most beautiful room in the house.  We all huddled in the mancave, 
a small room truly only fit for two-three people comfortably,
because the furniture in there was more casual, comfortable.
Last week the man who pays the big bills in this house
got tired of us all huddled in his mancave and agreed to 
go look at sectionals – the kind that would make the family room
more like a family room.  We went.. we looked, we found
and bought a reasonably priced sectional that accomodates a small crowd, hooray!
We all watched a movie together last night sprawled out and comfortable
together, the way a family room oughta be used. 
Country, it ain’t.  
Comfortable, functional, accomodating… it’s a beautiful thing.
The old gold chairs are now in our bedroom and they actually look inviting.
The red couch is in storage for when the kids get their own place.
 
It’s all good. 
By the way.. we watched Man of Steel last night.. because I have always been
a Superman Fan.  While he wasn’t hard to look at and there were many good
actors involved, the movie was nothing but Aliens having tumbling temper tantrums..
a big disappointment in my opinion.