Reflection

  Thanksgiving was lovely here at This Old House.  The food was traditional, I didn’t dry out the Turkey and the pies… oooh, the pies were divine. Thank you Kate for the best apple pie recipe I’ve ever tried… and if you would like an awesome chocolate cream pie recipe… click HERE. It was THE BOMB.

  The best part of the day is gathering ’round the table with family – this year just seven of us, but the gift of togetherness is not diminished by the number of plates on the table.  As I “mature”… like fine wine, *ahem…. I appreciate more and more the truly important things in life. It’s dawned on me that this appreciation is one of the gifts of age.  I plan to remind myself of this often.

 A snapshot of one of those moments – my 16 year old still  interested in playing a board game with his grandmothers.

Not long after this picture was taken:
A big move is about to be made where he will send my mother’s last  peg  back to
the beginning.  He has a choice.. he can move another of his men and not send her back.
Or he can throw her under the bus and advance.
he ponders… with a smirk.
Me:  ….but… it’s your GRANDMOTHER.
My Mother:  Oooh…  just do what you have to do.
Him:  (a smirk.. a glance at my mother.. a glance at me….
about to make the move that will seal her doom…)
Me:… but it’s your G R A N D M O T H E R!!!……
you’de throw her under the bus??
Him:  (heavy sigh..eye roll.. but still hovering over “the move”)
Me:  …your…. grandmother.
Him:  (makes the other move, that gives her a pass to continue.)
My mother : (rolls the dice.. makes a stunning move that gets her in the winners circle
immediately…and….well, you know.)
Him:  OMG, Mom!!!  You made me lose!!!!
Me:  You shoulda done what you had to do!
Yeah, i know, that was terrible.

It is what it is

 We are enjoying some glorious weather…. and this week the glory continues so I plan to do some  dog walking on the beach (which did not see as much destruction on Ct’s coast as last year’s Hurricane Irene).

 The guy and I ventured out yesterday, as did many others… it was great to see so many people in good spirits, faces up to the sun and out over the water, marveling at the beauty of the day.

 Now that the election is over, flared tempers have subsided and tension has eased at This Old House… I think we like each other again …..

It’s all good.

23

Our “Cookie” is 23 years old today!

MAX… is her birthday present!

Kristen – you’ve worked for so long and with such determination
to overcome obstacles – We’re so proud of you.
Cowgirl UP!

May you and Max ride many happy trails together for years to come –

 With much love, Mom & Dad xo

Yankee Candle

 Every fall we take the kids and sometimes a grandmother or two to Yankee Candle in Deerfield, Mass. for lunch at Chandlers and some  candle and ornament splurging and oohing and aahhing at the many many things you can drool over.  The kids each get to pick out a new candle fragrance and an ornament for the tree and sometimes we’d come home with a new house or shop for our Christmas Village.  Last year was no different… except… it was very… very… clear…. that we had pushed our luck and the “kids”… were past the joy of it all.   Way.

SO!  This year the Mr. and I went all by ourselves, yes we did. 
 I guess you could call it a date! 
Apple carmelized onion quiche – I gotta find a recipe.
I’d love to bring this Christmas Cow home and place it on the front lawn at This Old House.

This fella was busy checking stuff… see the big book next to him?
Hmmm.. looks familiar… doesn’t he?

Did you know soda now comes in these funky bottles? They’re made of aluminum can material.
I like the glass bottles myself.  These are just.. weird, and don’t hold much.

This is what I brought home… some new fragrances!
Whoopie pie!!!…Peppermint Bark! (yum) Red Berry & Cedar and
an old favorite, Christmas Wreath…

…one more!…
Chocolate Layer Cake… so good smelling, you want to eat it.

It was a good day. 
Can I tell you something, though?  I missed having my kids there..
even the whining and rolling eyeballs mixed with heavy,  bored  teenage sighs.
It’s a good thing – the spreading of wings and broadening of horizons…
the flutter and flight that leads further away from the nest. 
So I’ll encourage and let go, 
all the while hoping that they’ll return with their own desire
on occasion to take part in the traditions and comforts
we’ve provided over the years.  
*life* 

heavy sigh and eye roll.. this time.. mine.

Lord, help me to accept the things I cannot change….

This is what happens when you send a bunch of 16 year olds
in to the Halloween Shop and say “I’ll be right back”
because you’ve got a hanker’n for those Macoun apples at the farm market
down the road… and heck, what kinda trouble can they get into
at the halloween store, right?
*sigh*
This weekend is the BIG TEST, don’t ya know.
The Drivers Test, in case you don’t.
see post title above.
*heavy…… heavy… sigh*
HIM:  Mom, you know, after Friday noon time, I’m gonna be FREE AS A BIRD!
(flapping wings in a ridiculous frenzy)
ME:  *heavy……..HEAVY…. deep and agonizing sigh*    with maybe a whimper
at the back of my throat , catching in the bile that is upchucking from my acid-riddled
anxiety prone stomach  and its contents.

Just sayin.

Pink Ponies

  My daughter competed in the final Color Breed show of the season here in Connecticut, and it was her last show aboard Beemer because she’ll be moving on with Max… a bittersweet day.  They had a wonderful time, five firsts, a second and a fifth. Not bad for a couple of rookies.  The shows theme was PINK, for Breast Cancer awareness month.  Participants were asked to don their best PINK…. and so.. they certainly did.

Could they BE any more adorable? ….

Nanny  was the keeper of the ribbons today…

The End.

An AA tradition

My cousin is a recovering alcoholic who frequents AA meetings, which have given him a strong support system over the years.  I give him a huge amount of credit for continuing to battle and slay the demons that have plagued him since young adulthood… it takes an enormous amount of effort and I think we can’t really understand that unless we are among the afflicted.   He was given this plant by an AA member years ago, and my aunt has continued to care for it.  She’s moving, so she has brought me the plant to continue it’s care.  There’s quite a history in the AA “creeping Charlie”  or Swedish Ivy plant.

According to Wikipedia – William Griffith Wilson (November 26, 1895 – January 24, 1971), also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), an international mutual aid  fellowship with over two million members belonging to 100,800 groups of alcoholics helping other alcoholics achieve and maintain sobriety.

The Swedish Ivy plants, whose cuttings are given to AA members,  are descendants of the plant that was in Bill Wilson’s room when he passed away in 1971 in Miami, Florida.  His wife, Lois, took the plant home to Stepping Stones in New York where she cared for it until the mid 80’s.

She gave the plant to her housekeeper who in turn gave it to Michael Manning of Atlanta, George. Lois asked that she pass it on to members of the A. A. fellowship in memory of Bill. Michael has taken pieces of this plant all over the world, she brought it to Washington in July 1998.

This is a true A. A. plant because every time you pass it on, 2 new shoots replace the one that was given away and your plant grows stronger.

This plant is also sometimes called a “Creeping Charlie” plant, and it’s rumored that Ebby Thatcher brought it originally to Bill W. when he was in the townes hospital where he had his original spiritual conversion. Bill supposedly gave it this name after a friend of his named Charlie that kept creeping up on Bill’s back porch to sleep.

The writer of this explanation states:   ” I have a large plant of this type that was given to Dr. G. in San Diego in 1973 by Lois W., and then passed on to my first Sponsor Shedrick M. sometime around 1980. I was given the plant, as well as a short letter that’s supposed to accompany cuttings of the plant on July 4th, 1995 on my 20th AA birthday. It’s rumored to be the original plant, though it’s probably impossible too know the truth about it after all this time. The idea of the plant, and the sharing of some of the common threads of our history is what’s really important about it.”

I’ve told you about the 100 year old plants I have on my front porch, Cast Iron plants. They were an engagement present to my great-grandparents and have been passed down, eventually to me, for care.  My readers helped me identify what they were.   I love having this new addition at This Old House… a homage to all the hard work that people who suffer from and conquer alcoholism  put in every day.  My hat’s off to those of you who can relate.  If you care to share your story, as this disease touches many in different ways… please do so below.

Randomocity

   Did I just make that word up?
Did you watch that ABANDONED program  about the vacant Johnsonville
that I heralded last night?
It wasn’t all the great. They didn’t highlight half of the village’s appeal,
nor did they discuss much of the history of that oddly wonderful vacant village.
If you did see it, the fellow that was haggling over the prices of “stuff”
with the shows host… was the guy who I bumped into when I went
trespassing on the property to take pictures. 
 He was reluctant,but then allowed a few shots…keeping an eye on my whereabouts.
That school house that was purchased on the show still stands..
so if they really bought it for the reported $5,000., they haven’t taken it yet.   
The show was mostly about junk hunting, which  disappointed me. 
Frasier wasn’t impressed either. 
This is a bouquet I picked from the backyard gardens before the storms the other night.
Even though these flowers are all out there for everyone to see…
ALL SUMMER LONG…
the husband and child  thought they were store bought,
shocked that they came from our own yard.
For a minute I think they didn’t believe it.
Now why would that be shocking?
Every morning I’m up at 5:30 am… the dogs go out,
then the dogs come in to be fed. 
The manchild is awoken, much to his chagrin,
and then I head up to the barn and coop  to feed..
while she takes him for a walk..
…in rainboots.
Keeps the ticks off in the tall grass, didn’t ya know.
***
Warning:  If you’re easily offended, look away now.
Finally, a few words about politics and living in a house divided. 
It ain’t easy.
Enough said.