Tag: Family

These are my PEOPLE!

  The first time I took my son to the city where he was old enough to absorb the atmosphere, he peered out the restaurant windows in Times Square.. stared long and hard at the scene, and proclaimed “THESE are my PEOPLE!”   He loved the chaos, the hustle, the variety of different KINDS of people.. the artsy –  noisy  – food everywhere –  TALL building vibe. 
Wax Museum… 

Central Park carriage ride…
where I wanted to rescue every carriage horse from the perils of city living.
 Saturday he went with his girlfriend and another young couple for his first trip without the ‘rents.  Well pass me the Xanax and I will survive!  was my mantra for the day.  They did too….  Taking the Metro North into Grand Central – about a two hour ride –  where my son was in awe.  It is a cathedral, if you’ve never been. 
 
Then, as they headed out into the throng of PEOPLE… it was wall to wall.  The walking was slow going, as the crowd was so thick it was more like a shuffle.  Hailing a cab was an olympic event, impossible for those
still green behind the ears of city life and not accustomed to pushing people out of the way and whistling, hand waving, taxi cab saluting more vigorously than the 2000 other people also doing the same on the curb surrounding you.  What they finally managed to do was grab a Bike Taxi… (ever been? It’s a little hairy, espcecially in NYC traffic) … and that driver was able to get them to the Empire State Building.
 The view from the Empire State Building at night is amazing… 
And then they were hungry. Very.
Back into the throng. 
Two hour wait anywhere they went.
So, they found a vendor selling noodles and that’s what they had for dinner in the Big Apple.
Their initial plans to skate at Rock Center weren’t happening, as it would take too long
to GET there from where they were and they had a train to catch. 
Turns out, they picked the most congested day of the year for tourists
visiting the city dressed in it’s holiday finery. 
I’m still sad that they didn’t get to see the tree.  
But hey, he got to see HIS PEOPLE!
A sleepy crew arrived at my door around midnight,
and I promptly fell asleep.  We all survived 🙂 
And while the boychild did NOT take many photos (and he’s my son!)
he did bring home an ornament for Mom. 
   It’s a beautiful thing.

Cousins

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying…
you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose family.
In the cousins department, I’ve been a lucky girl. 
Although most of us don’t live near each other, states away, actually…
when we do talk or get together it’s just like old times,
those young kids swinging around the support poles in nanas basement
or trying on the old wedding dresses laid to rest in trunks.
Riding ponies up a dusty road, now paved, of course..
Pillow fighting and cookie tin raiding, the list goes on. 
Nowadays we commiserate with each other about the raising of children, 
the care of aging parents, the care of OUR aging bodies,
sharing laughs and tears as well. 
My kids are lucky to have cousins nearby, 
and they occasionally get to spend time with those far away too…
Last night I witnessed and truly appreciated the bond
my children are lucky to have with their cousins,
a relationship that is never really matched in life, unique in it’s own way. 
A gift, it is.  I hope they know it and always hold each other close,
regardless of any miles between them. 
 
 

Are you Decked yet?

 
 
 
Below is a ceramic tree my Aunt Virginia made for my family many years ago.
She passed away last Christmas and I miss her dearly.
Grateful for this reminder of her love for all of us …
and the spirit of the season. 
 
An ornament from 1965 with my name (and birth year) on it.
Used to hang on our family tree.
Every year I open the boxes of ornaments and hope I didn’t break it.
 
My favorites are the ones my kids made in elementary school…
 
..and the globe ornaments. 
 
What decoration says, mostly, it is my belief anyway…
is that Love Lives Here. 
 You don’t have to spend money you might not have 
to add seasonal love to your home.
My friend Heidi made this wreath by walking around her yard
and cutting vines and greens as she went. 
It’s a beautiful thing.

A little whine and art on All Hallows Eve

Can I admit to you here that I am just a little sad that my
own little trick-or-treaters are now grown and
not doing that stuff anymore?
I miss the dress-up, the crunching leaves under feet with flashlights in hand
while little sneakered feet pad up to the door with candy anticipation
and wide eyed curiosity at who will answer the door and what will be
put in their plastic pumpkin.

Since I’m not getting my kiddos ready for halloween festivities
 today and we don’t get many trick-or -treaters out here ..
I took a drive to the only art store in this part of Connecticut, about 45 minutes away,
and wallowed alittle in paint brush purchasing pity.
This mural is on the side of Blicks Art Store in Plainville, CT.
I love it! 

Gifts

   This is my breakfast on this chilly fall morning…
A healthy bowl of oatmeal, berries and honey (just add hot water )…

 I remind myself now and again that not all have the many choices I take for granted, something simple like fresh berries in the fridge to throw over oatmeal stocked in the pantry.  Dog food under the sink for four dogs that I can afford to feed.  A family to nurture and care for (and swat and yell at when they get out of hand 🙂 Horses and chickens up on the hill that.. yes… have to be fed come rain or shine,  and their bedding mucked out and water buckets dumped and refilled, etc. etc… but it’s my choice to add these chores to my day, because I love my critters. Choice… it’s truly a gift.

Their after- breakfast ritual.

Speaking of gifts.. I received these in the mail yesterday from a dear friend who I met years ago now in blogland when I stumbled across her blog while doing a Martha’s Vineyard search.  Joan, thank you so much for such a thoughtful “play” on our shared obsession and love for Martha’s Vineyard.

Recently I admired a fellow bloggers craft skills and particularly coveted
a pair of mice.  Guess what arrived in the mail soon after…
Diane is one of the most cheerful, upbeat people you could ever be lucky enough to know…
She lives in Florida and  I’m pretty sure -sunny disposition- is her middle name. 
Thank you, Diane –

  The manchild has a new girlfriend and from what I hear from others, she is a lovely young woman.  So far, all I have to go by is this photograph and the perpetual smile he’s got on his face –  This child of mine tends to hold emotions close to the vest..doesn’t share much and I guess that might be typical of the age.  That smile, though, gives it all away 🙂    Another gift.
We’ve got the gift of a Dog Days Adoption Event coming up this weekend,
set up starts tonight  – let’s hope we find the gift of 100 homes for 100 shelter dogs – 
It’s a new day all –  you know the drill. 

Glorious Fall Weekend

 These are the days I love most.. when this little family finds time to slow down and relax and enjoy the simple things together!  OK… maybe for an hour here and an hour there we are all doing something together… or at least some of us are together most of the time.  Good enough.  
 
 The weather has been wonderful and we’ve been walking, talking, cooking, eating, watching movies or football, picking apples at a local orchard, blowing leaves (no rakes around here – blow ’em into the woods or chop ’em up with the lawn mower.)  sittin’ round a bonfire and taking a dog or two around the fields to explore. 
 
  Right now, the girl child is off riding her horse while the boyz are watching football.  I’ve baked an apple pie and the aroma is intoxicating…. recipe HERE.  Even if you hail from the Deep South  I hope you get to experience fall in all of it’s glory at least once in your life time. The air smells of woodsmoke here in the country…the  earth is littered with crunchy leaves and golden hues, the harvest fruits delicious.
 
Scotts Orchard, Deep River, CT
 

Have you ever seen so many apples??
 
 Hammocks ’round the fire pit up on the hill… 

 
 
 

 

William Cullen Bryant

Horse’n around

 
Florida cousin V is staying here with family for a few days.
She’s always loved the area and is considering a move to CT to attend college
and see what she can see.
 
It’s a BIG DECISION… choosing to uproot yourself from friends and the family
you’ve always lived with to change up what you feel needs changing.
 
I did this very thing 30 years ago,only I was moving just two and a half hours up the pike,
with an old horse in tow, trading city-suburban life for horse country.
The place and the people I called ‘home’ back then were not so very far away.  
 
 
When V visits, we get the cousins together for some horse’n around…
 
  
 
 
Max and K have concluded their show year…
next weeks show is a no-go due to an equine respitory cold that’s been going around.
Thankfully our guy is healthy but we’re not taking chances.
At 17 after a long career of hauling and showing and teaching,
 he deserves good care and easy living.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

You say TomAto, I say TomOto…

 
   First, I have to say this… Did any of you watch the Yankees Red Sox game last night?  My husband is a true blue Yankees fan, and while neither of us is a big A-Rod supporter, what the Sox did to him last night was nothing short of disgraceful. That kind of play should not be in baseball, and I believe the Yanks answer to that atrocity was perfect. And before we all crucify A-rod for the “Roid” debate.. there are just as many Sox over the years who could join that list, and they have.  That ump oughta retire, too. His judgement is clearly impaired,  or colored- RED.  

  In between trips to the cottage at the cove, we’ve been picking tomatoes.  Holy cow, have we been picking tomatoes.   There are three basic kinds of tomatoes…sauce tomatoes, slicing tomatoes and cherry.   Mike planted all three this year and they have produced!

These need a little window time to ripen to perfection.
Ugly does not mean they aren’t delicious. 

The San Marzano is, in our opinion, the best sauce making tomato…
Next time you make sauce, be sure to use San Marzanos, you can buy them 
canned in the grocery store if you don’t have them fresh. 
This is a “heart” tomato… it has a pinkish hue that my iphone did not capture. 
An Heirloom variety, seeds straight from Italy…
..and my Italian Ice cherries.. the only cherry tomato we planted this year.
They are easy to grow, sweet to the taste and prolific. 
With all these awesome tomatoes on the kitchen counter,
Mike was inspired to make some sauce….
or gravy, as I’ve been told any real Italian calls it.
I don’t know.. I’m Italian.  To me sauce is sauce….
gravy is that brown stuff you put on a roast.
My dear Aunt Virginia, the most awesome Italian Cook I have ever been lucky enough to love,
 might just be rolling in her grave.

Sea Dog

Last night I gave it another go with dog and kayak. 
He climbed right in and sat quietly for a ride around the cove..
…not even a quiver. 
It’s a beautiful thing. 
Two Cousins and their grandmother …..
…and  another evening at one amazing little oasis.
You don’t have to travel the world to find the perfect place for respite. 
Sometimes it’s just down the road a piece. 
“Can I just have one more Moon Dance with you… my love”.

It was this or boxing

My son is a guys guy. 
For years he’s been talking about wanting to be a boxer.
No way ever in a million years
after three blue moons with a blood red sun in the sky over an inhabited Jupiter
would I ever let him become a boxer.  
Too many blows to the head, you know.
He would always tell me once he was 18 he wouldn’t need my permission.
I told him I’d show up at the gym and throw myself in the ring in protest,
This is not an idle threat – I’m not kidding and I’m totally capable.
Thankfully, he has chosen something else instead.
Body building.  
I’m OK with that as long as we’re not talking the steroided kind.
He assured me this is the natural approach, and after some snooping
it appears to be so. 
All this means there’s a new menu here besides the one I cook for
those of us not feeding ourselves for competition..
(although maybe we SHOULD)…
Breakfast – 
1 cup of oatmeal (no adornments)
1 cup egg whites (no adornments)
1 grapefruit (no adornments)
Lunch – 
8 oz chicken breast
1 cup broccoli
slice of sprouted bread 
There’s salmon and tuna and more broccoli and salad greens, Ezekiel sprouted bread
and more egg whites and more oatmeal and water water water 
included in this meal plan… five meals a day. 
A competition is in the near future, 
and no boxing on the horizon because you don’t want to screw up the body
you’re building, after all. 
I’m good with that.