Tag: Family

75

   The weather was perfect yesterday, the setting serene –  temps in the mid 70’s, sun and blue skies, boats bobbing in the water, gulls soaring overhead. Very fitting for a gathering of family and friends to celebrate my mother and celebrate 75 years of a life well lived.

    The only difficulty –  Mom has many friends, some of her dearest live far away, and travel can sometimes be a heartship. There will be more celebration this summer when the The Golden Girls are reunited, but yesterday was for family and friends who live near.

    Happy Birthday Mom… You are loved by many, but especially me.  And who woulda thunk it, huh?  That rebel teen who probably scared the heck out of you more than once,,,…. now counts on you daily for insight and support.  My children could not have hoped for a better grandmother!

Here’s to many more years of shared celebrations.

Daughters, grandaughters and a good friend… 

Dear friends since childhood – see pictures at the bottom of the post – 

Family…
The Granddaughters….

Friends….

More family…..

What it’s all about…
There were a few toasts… 

and a lot of laughs and some great conversations…

Bettina and Kathy – 

Thank you Peoples family for creating this collage – 
captures Mom well …. 

… it’s a beautiful thing.

Randomocity

… that is SO a word.

 We’ve had beautiful weather lately except for one thing.  No rain.  None. Nuthin.  Nada.  And that means we are living in a pollen and dust bowl.  Hello Allegra/Zyrtec/Claritin/Flonase.    I haven’t used any of that stuff yet, but I probably should.  Itchy, sneezy, general feeling of yuck – *sigh

 Anyway.. on to the other random –

   We had a glorious Memorial Day Weekend – time spent with family enjoying good food, good weather, a frisbee and good horses, it’s all good.

  Timely, we watched American Sniper… wow, what a story.  And if you need a dose of reality, this movie is it.  The horrors our soldiers endure is hideous.  The mentality over there is … I don’t have an appropriate word for it.  What an incredible man, what a tragic end.

 On to better things –  K & Opie – I’ve been lax in the riding department and Kris has been giving him some much needed exercise.

I just found this funny – 

 A Mother’s Day gift from my son – I love it. At night it casts a lovely
glow over the kitchen sink.  

Speaking of my son – he traded in his car for a really rad
Jeep.  You know we love our Jeeps around here… 
He’s the Black Jeep Of The Family. 
The fellow next to him is my cousin Kev. 
A finer man you might never know – 
He taught my son all about the joys of
GOING TOPLESS the other day…
because sometimes that’s how we roll. 

Sometimes the Success is not about the ribbons

   This weekend marks the first of the 2015 Connecticut Quarter Horse show circuit series. The four day Spring Classic has felt like anything but -spring-… temps in the 30’s at night, 40-50’s during the day. Indeed, we had SNOW for a while on Thursday. Are ya kidding me??….

   Anyway… 
    This weekend, as it turns out, also marks Team KMax’s retirement.  K and Max had to move up this year, to a division that brings a higher level of competition.  We knew from the get-go that we were probably going to find ourselves out of our league, but K wanted to give it her best shot regardless.  In this division, the horses are very specifically bred, bought and trained to perform at a certain industry standard.  Max is Old School quarter horse, and not what today’s standards require.  He’s not as refined as they like to see in the show pen at the higher levels, and we don’t keep him in  constant training at 20 years old to try to get him as close to it as possible.  So, there is compromise. After a few days of riding and mulling it over at the show, K came to a difficult but clear decision.  
“I think we’re done here, mom.  It’s clear we aren’t cut out for this level of competition and I think it’s time to bring Max home and let him retire. I’m really OK with that. I feel like it’s the right thing to do. “
   Where is the success in this story?  There was no attitude, no aggravation at any point, no sulky behavior or sadness or anger when she came out of class without placing.  There WAS a sense of accomplishment for having actually ridden in that level of competition and a peace of mind that comes with discovering the right path and feeling good about it at this point in the journey. 
   Today I am very proud of my girl.. and happy for Max.  After 20 years of the show horse life, he will come home to This Old House and live out his retirement years in comfort and without a heavy workload.  It’s a beautiful thing.

Where have I been!!???…

   Busy, but in a good way.   In my new old position as editor of our local publication, (because our town is so small we don’t have an actual newspaper) .. I am feeling creative again and contributing to the community, hopefully in a good way.   I love that I can work at home, too. Right now the dogs are laying all around me and I’ve got a candle burning as the snow begins to fly once again.  Oh, did I really just say that?… Indeed….

  We celebrated the big FIVE OH  quietly with family – because of my hearing impairment, big noisy parties and the conversations they require are hard to navigate. I asked only one thing… please, no big party.   I had a lovely day and I can honestly tell you I feel the number is a present to be opened, not a thing to begrudge. Age is a privilege, a gift not all receive.  I’ll take it open handed and embrace each year as it comes, wrinkles and all.  

 Made this recipe the other night and it was a huge hit.  To the arteries, not just the taste buds.  But hey, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do and hope for the best.

Dad’s Swedish Meatballs – Taste of Home Recipe





Ingredients

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup soft bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • DILL CREAM SAUCE:
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dill seed

Directions

  • In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Crumble beef and pork over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls. In a large skillet, cook meatballs in butter in batches until a thermometer reads 160°. Remove and keep warm.

    In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients until blended. Stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with meatballs. Yield: 6 servings.

Hellos and Goodbyes

 Ms. Phoebe arrived in her new home with my daughter and has settled in very well indeed. She follows K around the apartment and frequently talks about whatever, maybe the weather.  Just adorable, she is. Makes me want to go back to the shelter to adopt that little stinker who was just as pretty and loving but also sprinkled with a dash of crazy, I think.  Mike says no, no, and ten more nos.  So I think it’s a no go.

 When you rescue an animal and provide the home and love they’ve never known, there is no question they realize  their sudden good fortune, you see and feel their appreciation.  Want a natural high?  This is one of the best.  For those of you who have adopted homeless animals, you know what I’m talking about. 
   Yesterday mom and I drove to Staten Island to say good bye to a wonderful, genuine, kind, no-bullshit, give- you- the- shirt- off  -his- back kind of guy… My Uncle Guy.  Loved him, miss him, what a gem.  He lived a full 84 years, healthy until the end, still walking two-three miles a day, cooking for himself, visited his wife daily on his walks in the cemetery.  Christmas Eve he was told by his Dr. the aches and pains he was feeling weren’t just old age, he had bone cancer.  Everywhere.  With the dignity and grace and common sense he’s always embodied.. he simply said to his doctor with his son by his side…..
“It’s OK. In every book and story  I’ve ever known, there is a beginning, a middle and an end”.   This is my end, and I lived a full life. I’ve traveled, I’ve shared my life with my wife of 55 years, raised two boys, had three wonderful grandchildren and knew my great grandchildren.  Life Was Good”.   
Not three weeks later he passed.  This picture was taken at a family celebration for my college graduation and my sisters HS graduation.  He was as proud of us as any father would be and at times throughout my life when I needed the advice of a Dad figure, he was often the voice of reason. 
 During yesterdays visit to the funeral home,  I got to visit with cousins I don’t see often . This family of ours always manages laughter and keeping it real regardless of the circumstances.  Now and again I am reminded of this and I’ll always be grateful. 

Some Happy “tails”

  My daughter is now happily residing in her new apartment.  Since we are her landlord, she gets to have a pet. Holding down two jobs and taking care of her horse leave not a heck of a lot of time spent at “home” during the week, so having a dog in the apartment really wouldn’t be fair to the dog.  Or the neighbors.  We contemplated letting her take our little doxie Rudy with her because he sleeps in her bed at night and loves her way more than me nowadays, since I relegate him to the crate due to his pisspot tendencies i.e. marking of good furniture.  Again and again and again.    *ahem.  Rudy also howls when we leave home.  LOUDLY. So.. no apartment dwelling for Rudy, he’s stuck with us. 
  Anyway…. we went to the local cat rescue last weekend – Forgotten Felines on the shoreline… and there were about 100 cats in need of a home.  At least.  Those folks are amazing in their good care of the cats – basically an entire house is dedicated to the care and keeping of those 100 or so cats. There are cat beds and cat scratch posts and cat sky scrapers and cat jungle gyms all over the place. Indoor and outdoor rooms as well, all secure from predators or escape artists.   One long haired calico girl sat quietly in a corner.  K went over to her, petted her, then picked her up and put her on her lap.  It was love at first Purr. 
 We did go around to meet the others, but came right back around to Ms. Purdy. (Now Phoebe).  Phoebe was found on a construction site, locked in a closet with her kitten, emaciated.  She’s looking much better after the care she’s been given.  It took several days for them to approve our application, but she just received word that she can pick Phoebe up on Thursday evening.  
  It was weird being on the other end of an adoption interview and inquiry into my references.  Usually I do that sort of thing to determine whether we will approve a family for whatever dog it is they are interested in.  What is sometimes difficult is when people have to be told their adoption application has been turned down for whatever reason.  It’s not meant as a put-down.. merely an attempt to find the best possible situation for the dog or cat who has already been through so much.   We don’t like to adopt dogs out to people who are beyond our home-visit range… about an hour or so. If you have trouble, we want to be able to come to you and help, or take back the dog.  Sometimes the children in the house are too young and rough when handling the dog and we know it will be a stressful situation for that particular dog.  It’s not that the people are “bad people”.   Inevitably, we piss a few off, never our intention, but the welfare of the animal should come first. 
 ANYWAY… I look forward to Phoebe’s arrival at daughters apartment.  I already dropped off a present.. a cat tier and scratching post so she can scratch to her hearts content and lie on the tier in the window full of sun.  
 We’ve got another small adoption event coming up… Flyer below..
In order to fund these adoption events, we hold fun nights like these two below…
if you’re local, come on down!
 
Here are a few of the faces that will be attending our event 
to find their forever homes…
 Isn’t Cosmo a charmer?  12 years young, takes life at a walking pace,
loves people and dogs and slow walks. 

Winterizing

 We had a lovely Thanksgiving day here at This Old House with the kids and my parents.  As most of you know… you cook and clean for two days and the entire meal is consumed in about 15 minutes. Permit me to brag for a minute?  My pies were divine and not hard to put together, so I’m going to share the recipes with you….

 
I’ve seen some awfully pretty pies… mine are not so fussy though. 
Their taste makes up for the lack of eye candy 🙂 
Kate the Country Girls Favorite Apple Pie recipe HERE
The only things I did different were.. I used four different kinds of apples..
Honeycrisp, Empire, Macoun and Pink Lady
And I used Pillsbury pie crust you simply roll out. 
It might be cheating, but boy it sure came out good regardless.
The most decadent chocolate pie EVER  recipe HERE

  One serious game of Uno

  My son announced during dinner last night that in just 16 hours or so our house was going to look
like Christmas threw up in it.   TSK!

 And.. I promised a Bunny Tale…

There once were two young bunnies….Their names were Cloud and Harley.  It was hoped that they were both the same sex so we wouldn’t have MORE bunnies shortly after.  I noticed a particular behavior not too long ago that meant they were either gay (not that there’s anything wrong with that).. or heterosexual.. but it was important to know WHICH.   So off to the vet we went.  Turns out Cloud is a girl and Harley is a boy.

 It’s much easier to neuter a boy than spay a girl bunny.
So Harley went under the knife, much to his chagrin. 
 
Meanwhile.. back at the Hutch… 
We’ve had some very cold nights already and I couldn’t
stand the thought of those bunnies out there with the wind coming down off 
the hill and into their hutch.  They use the side rooms as a bathroom only,
go figure.  So I clean that out daily and stuffed one of the outside compartments
with lots of hay, which they tunnel in to keep warm.  I also cover
the hutch at night with two old waterproof horse blankets.  
This seems to be keeping them comfortable. 

 Nextdoor in the coop, the girls have a water heater  and a red flood lamp that keeps the temps above freezing in their coop at night.  This seems to work better than an actual heat lamp, with not as intense a heat source, but enough to keep them comfortable.  Not everyone feels this is necessary, but it sure makes me feel better and the critters seem happy and look healthy.

 
 If you’ve got outdoor animals, what precautions do you take to keep them
safe and warm in winter months?  I have yet to figure out how to keep
the rabbits water from freezing during the day. 

 

Just for Fun

 I love Halloween!… and miss those days of crunching through the autumn leaves with flashlight in hand  and giggling running high-on-candy kids dressed in silly scarey costumes chasing each other to the next house. 

Since my kids are too old now for that sort of foolishness,  I’ll have to settle for this sort of foolishness courtesy Picmonkey…

 
 

 

 We’ve been getting this kind of silly too.. and it’s not even Halloween yet! 

Oh, how I love October.
Are you getting your Halloween groove on?
 


Season Finale

 Our last horse show of the season came and went this weekend. Team KMax did very well and has won two awards in their division for the year.  Decisions for next year need to be made. Max will be 19 next Spring and our plan is to retire him to the farm, where he can relax and live the life of a “home” horse instead of the more rigorous role of a “show” horse. That’s all he’s known and he’s good at it, but I always feel they deserve a comfortable retirement after serving so many for so many years.  He’s had atleast five show owners and some of his life as been on the road.

  The question K debates is… should they do another year before Max retires, moving up to the next division?  The next level of competition takes more skill and while Max is awesome, he’s not as awesome (fancy, athletic) as many of those who will be riding in their classes. He’s very fit for his age and it’s important to keep them going to a certain extent, just like us.   So, would it be satisfying to ride just for their own personal goals but not place well, or would it be more frustrating after all?   We always say we’re all about the relationship between horse and rider, but honesty dictates that not placing well can be discouraging regardless. 

 We have time to figure it out.  Right now I am thankful for another successful, safe year for these two.

Team KMax getting their hair done….

 
 
Warm up in the ring before Classes start…

 
 
 
K with boyfriend D after a great ride in Western Pleasure
and a first place win.

 
It’s all good – 

Sunny Disposition

   If I ask you what comes to your mind first when you think of a cheerful flower, I bet many of you will say the Sunflower.  My mom and a group she is affiliated with would agree.. and this year they gave out sunflower seeds to anyone in town who would like to grow them. The idea was to spread sunshiney cheer throughout the town and come together at the end of the season to award prizes in several catagories ranging from largest flower to best arrangement, single flower, photography, etc. The celebraton took place on Saturday and right now there are sunflowers growing at the circle, the gas station, the elementary school, Parmelee Farm, This Old House.. the retirement community up the road.. and many resident gardens as well.  

 It’s a beautiful thing..this spreading of sunshine, don’t you think?  I’m hoping next year participation doubles.  These lovely folks shared a recipe the first selectwoman  created just for this occasion.  It is delicious and unique!  

 
 
  One of the few that actually came up in my garden this year…