Tag: life

Ice jam and a close encounter of the very best kind

    After  hours of editing work at the computer yesterday, I needed to get up from the desk and out for some fresh air.  Several friends and news channels were talking about the massive ice floes on the Connecticut River and the images were incredible. I grabbed my camera and drove down to what I thought would be a good reference spot…the Chester Ferry dock.  This is what I found before reaching the river…






   The road to the ferry dock was flooded.  We’ve had extreme cold temps lately and  that big, long, rolling river actually froze in places.  Then we experienced milder temps and rain, which melted the snow and some of the ice,  hence flood.  Up and down the river, docks are under water.  Some residents have had to evacuate their homes, others have been stranded in place, waiting for the water to recede. 








A little info about the CT River –  It’s the longest river in the New England region of the United States and is approximately 406 miles long.  It runs through four US states, rising at the border with Quebec, Canada and emptying into Long Island Sound here in CT. 


  I gave the Jeep a job to do- drove her through that mess to see if I could get closer to water’s edge. On the other side of the flooded section of road stood a lovely couple who live on a beautiful panoramic rise above the river.  The gentleman waved me through the best angle to proceed and  I stopped to thank him.  Noting my camera and that monstrous lens, they invited me up to take advantage of their view, and oh what a view they have.  Bald eagles are regular visitors, can you imagine…  


    For me, our interaction amounted to much more than access to a stunning panorama.  I’ve been letting world news drag me down, been feeling disheartened by the evidence of lack of empathy and the assault on  humanity I see in some of our society’s response to 45’s behaviors.  I took a few shots with my camera and was invited inside their home, where we talked about gardens, wildlife,  wonderful books of which they have authored, good bread baking and home making.  Such good and kind and generous people.. our brief encounter was soul soothing,  life affirming, a huge comfort.   A friend of mind calls this kind of exchange a God wink.  










    Indeed, this is their view across the river.    For more information on Gillette Castle State Park, click HERE. 














 Docks and wetlands under water …. 








      Now, from where we were at this vantage point,  the water was flowing freely without much ice.   Just up river at the East Haddam Bridge, however, there is what they call an Ice Jam.  The photo below was taken yesterday by  another photographer …. 







  Ice jams occur when ice covered rivers warm up after a rain and/or snowmelt.  They rise quickly and the ice breaks up in big chunks.  A jam occurs where the river narrow or goes under a bridge – in this case, the East Haddam Bridge.  The ice chunks accumulate and clog.  This is not a frequent occurence, and in my 30-plus years in CT I don’t remember it happening before.  The Coast Guard is in the process of trying to break through it to get the flow going… 


  After our visit I left their oasis with a lighter heart and a delicious loaf of bread. I headed up river to the bridge to see what I could see… 










 Just under the bridge you can see the clog line.  The Goodspeed Opera House is on the right. 




















    The blue hues in the ice make it look like gemstone, or an iguana!  Fun fact (googled) –  Ice only appears blue when it is sufficiently consolidated that bubbles do not interfere with the passage of light. Without the scattering effect of air bubbles, light can penetrate ice undisturbed. In ice, the absorption of light at the red end of the spectrum is six times greater than at the blue end. Thus the deeper light energy travels, the more photons from the red end of the spectrum it loses along the way.   Basically, as the air bubbles are squeezed out, the ice becomes denser and bubbles are replaced by more ice crystals. This, along with other optical tricks mentioned above, makes the ice appear blue or turquoise. 


   Finally I stopped another mile up river at a favorite riverfront marina and dining spot.. the Blue Oar.   This  area is above the bridge and as of yesterday the jammed ice floe  is up in the parking lot and around the seating area. Crazy. 










 A report from a friend says she spies large junks of ice heading downstream,  hopefully evidence that the jam is clearing. 






 Till soon – 






Frozen Cove

 We had two days of 50’s temps and pouring rain for one of them, much of the previous storm’s snow gone.  It was practically Tee shirt weather, I’m tellin ya!  Today.. however.. we woke up to temps in the 40’s… now dipping down and shall reach the teens again. 
   The Mr. and I drove down to Stella, our cottage-by-the-sea, with the intention of getting a walk in around the island.  When we got there, however, the wind and cold changed our minds. I did walk around with my camera to capture the beauty of this frozen world at water’s edge. 

 Where the water was exposed, the sun’s reflections danced like diamonds… this is not edited.. see the shapes of the sunlight on the water….  it was amazing to behold.

    To give you a sense of the scope of the place… that’s me with camera out there on the little jetty off the swimming beach.  Those large chunks of ice rise and fall with the tide and current and incoming waves,  staying together in their jigsaw puzzle formation as they shift and bobble in the surf.  Occasionally there’s a large cracking sound, so deep and loud even my half-deaf self can hear it.   Truly peaceful out there today, silent but for those sounds – I breathed deep, let the cold salty air fill my lungs and let the tide of  anger and fear for our Country leave me with every exhale.

 Till soon, friends…. 

One of those ramblers

   
   Did you watch the Golden Globes?  I’m not big on award shows but this one caught my attention, because indeed, this is a year of change.  Bigly and Yuge.  If you read here often, you know I’m thoroughly horrified at the idea that enough of the people of this country elected such a bullying egotistical mentally unfit sociopathic self absorbed and self obsessed idiot  that he actually got elected.  I say this and I’m not a Republican hater – I just really believe in the importance of decency and respect in general from a world leader.  I paid attention to what all the candidates had to say in 2016.  I felt Dems were missing the mark on a few important issues so I was open to a Rep candidate that might speak to all the issues we have before us.  As for Republicans –   The old guard is showing their true colors lately.  I hope “new” republicans will change the ugly face of the old in the near future. 
( Note: I’ve already lost 45 supporting readers for the most part, and that’s OK, I get it…In all fairness, a lot of the reasons he was elected were legitimate.. people were tired of the same old that wasn’t working….. and it’s kind of offensive to hear someone talk about your guy or your brand  as I do here.  I’m kind of offended that they’re not offended, but the beauty of this country is we can all have an opinion and no one is forced to read mine.) 
   Some good things might come of this turmoil, though.  Take that award ceremony.  For one thing – women have decided after a self admitting p*ssy grabber was elected President that Enough is Enough. Look how many sleezes have been flushed out of the woodwork in recent months.  The sea of black attire at the Globes was a show of support for women everywhere. The message was clear –  we will not tolerate abuse, we demand equality on all fronts, once and for all.   I commend the men, and there are many many truly good and decent men in this world… I commend them for standing with women on this. 
     Oprah’s speech-  Wow.   While there is some noise about her run for the Presidency in 2020 – and the Orange Scream had no more experience than she does so that’s a moot (thank you, anonymous, for the grammar correction)  point,  I hope she doesn’t take that idea to the mat.  Why?  Truly she doesn’t have the experience in the political world – I do still think that matters, even though she is far more capable of critical thinking than 45.   And we all know now, what a life it is.  Would you choose to live under such scrutiny?  I sure wouldn’t, no matter what the perks.  The meanness in our society plays a full court press in politics.  It’s ugly and disheartening and after all she’s accomplished, why do that to yourself?  
   I  wouldn’t be surprised if 45 isn’t thinking that very thing at this point in time – and his whole family, even more so… What the hell did we do?   Because their lives are forever changed, and I don’t believe for one minute it’s for the better.  Think of the freedoms and the ways they ran their lives under the radar in important ways before, ways in which they can’t now and never will again.  After watching his outrageous behavior unbecoming of a world leader on a daily basis, I take comfort in that small piece of knowledge.  He’s suffering too.  For every cringeworthy tweet and speech he vomits on all of us, for every environmentally unfriendly  policy change, for every white supr*macy encouraging move he makes, he deserves what he’s asked for.  
Truly, he’s his own worst enemy. 
 By the way, I bought that book.  Not that I’m going to read it – simply because it’s a vote.  A vote against all the crap he’s unleashed on us all.  I hope it reaches the best seller list and my little purchase is a drop in that sea – because he does pay attention to his numbers.  Then again, he lies about them too. 
  I don’t like my blog to be about the negatives, though. We all have enough of that in our lives, why visit someone else’s site for more of it, right?  Most of my posts this year will not encourage this sort of environment.  Sometimes it just feels irresponsible to ignore it completely.   
  So let’s get up out of the swamp, shall we?   Until recently I was intimidated by the thought of baking bread from scratch.  Something about the active yeast, the kneading, the rising, the possibility of flopping.. it all seemed too risky.  I’m a decent cook for cripes sake, so that’s a little ridiculous, no?   I decided to try a recipe shared by a fellow blogger, and it came out pretty darn good.  But I knew I still wasn’t getting it quite right.  Then I asked another blogger friend what her tips were, as she is a master bread baker.  
   Her tips?  Hot water used with the kind of Yeast that is kept in the fridge, even sold that way at health food stores.  She also buys her flour at a local mill where there is no crap added to it… and she shared this very very simple recipe with me.  Within two hours I had a delicious loaf on the counter yesterday. My guys devoured it and the house smelled delicious.  I think what makes this really simple french bread  extra special is the touch of  honey added to the mix. Yum!  

Easy Peasy French Bread
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
  • 3½ – 4½ cups flour
Instruction
  1. Combine water, honey, salt and yeast. Let sit for 5-10 mins until there is a foam on top.
  2. Knead in flour until no longer sticky.
  3. Cover with a towel and let it sit for 20 mins. while preheating the oven at 400*
  4. Cut slits in the top and bake for 15-20 mins.
     I bought these little bulb vases at the grocery store yesterday –  There’s a little patch in my garden just outside my kitchen sliders that contains a variety of hyacinth planted from winters past – the smell of a hyacinth is delicious, isn’t it?  I do this every year when winter is it’s most ferocious to remind me that spring is coming.  These bulbs will join that little gathering outside the door come spring, but for now, I have a little bloom on my kitchen window sill. 

     I’ve been decluttering and de Christmasing this old house while the temps have been in the single digits, feels a bit like spring cleaning, lifts the spirits. 



   Now that I’ve purged on this post, and I thank you for getting this far (!) it’s time to head out for barn and coop chores on this almost balmy! morning at 28 degrees.  

 Till soon, friends –  



Frozen

   Here in New England, we’re experiencing crazy cold weather.  I believe the snow fall in my neighborhood was approximately 8-10 inches, but the biting cold and wind are what make it a dangerous issue.  We’ve spent the last few days layering clothes, shoveling, ice bucket clearing and water refilling, and the guys have been out plowing and sanding. 

 
   The horses have their winter coats on, even the minis! Lacey and Coady have the typical very heavy winter coat, so under normal conditions they don’t need a blanket….but at -4 degrees with wind I’m not confident that they can be comfortable without them.  The chickens have a cozy coop heater in their coop and the rabbit’s hutch has been fortified with lots of hay for tunneling and two horse blankets over the coop to keep out the wind.  

  Meanwhile, down by the sea –  before the big snow storm we did a quick check of the cottage,  I’m happy to report so far no “meece”  encroachment.  How can I properly describe the bone chilling cold inside an unheated summer cottage?  Stunningly frigid, to say the least.   The Cove is frozen over, although not the safe walking kind of frozen. Quite a feat with ocean water if you think about it, and a testament to just how cold it is ’round here. 

 That’s Horse island out in the middle of the cove – there is a house on it, no winter residents, of course.  This photo was taken at sunset a few nights ago by a local photographer who captures some stunning views of local landscapes. 
       I understand even my Florida friends are wearing winter coats – stay warm, friends, I hope you’re safe and snug, where ever you reside.   Till soon – 

Snapshots from the future


   With each new decade of my life, my perspective on various issues changes. Have you found this to be true as well?  The things we focus on and fret over when we’re younger seem so frivolous,  and the things we didn’t realize were so important, really are.   Kinda makes me wish I could have sent my younger self a note or two or 100.   I sit here now and wonder – if I am lucky enough to live to be 85, what notes would I send myself now? 


    About eleven years ago when my daughter had been lying in a hospital bed in a coma for about two weeks. I took a half hour break from searching for any signs of her coming back,  the whirring of the machines, the reading of the respiration and heart rate numbers, the squeeze of a hand. I left her room in the ICU and sat on a low wall outside, watching people come and go as they bought food from the  trucks parked in front of Yale in New Haven.  I couldn’t ever imagine life to be “good” again for  any of us. I was horrified, I was angry, I was absolutely in some form of shock.  I remember my whole body feeling as if it were in fight or flight mode every second of every day.   Besides the hundreds of silent prayers I recited over and over again for a restoration of my daughters health, the one recurring thought was – if only I could have a snapshot of our life five years from now… with my daughter in it, whatever that would mean.. I would be OK, we would be ok.

    Thankfully, thankfully… everything would be ok in the long run.  We are not exactly what we were before, but in some ways perhaps we’re better for the hard work and triumphs we’ve achieved as a result of that horrific accident. 

   With the Orange Scream in office, on a different level  I am once again absolutely horrified at this place we have come to in our political environment.  I find myself sitting on the proverbial wall looking out over the sea of people, wondering how we could have possibly elected  a man with his history and temperament and wild ego to such a position of power.  His latest tweets in the new year (just three days in!) are so alarming, he could be destroying a 70 year era of relative peace.  That he doesn’t see how destructive his words are, that his supporters don’t see how erosive on so many levels his mentality is, well….   Once again I long to see that snapshot five years from now. 
   I mentioned the  HBO series, Game of Thrones, in my previous post.  Throughout the series, there has been a distant threat to the known world of the seven kingdoms.   The threat has become more prominent as the series progressed. They are called white walkers – dead people reanimated by their ruler – the Night King. They were initially created as a means of protection by well meaning creatures, but with their numbers now in the millions, they are a significant threat.    They show no emotion, they have no goals or apparent motives other than destroying what lives.  They are simply a force of nature, the equivalent of a natural disaster.  How many countless threats do we face in the real world, how many could we overcome through mutual cooperation? Think about it – Two big threats to all of our well being – we could collaborate to stop climate change or nuclear proliferation, which has the potential to destroy us all.  This is absolutely obtainable. The problem lies in our own petty squabbles. We lose sight of the big picture as we’re consumed with our various greeds.  
   Right now, as season 8 is filmed for Game of Thrones, the setting is a version of this conflict where the characters will have to work past their deep-seated grudges and work together to defeat their common enemies or they’ll die.   I believe we are coming to this place in our history.  If you don’t think what’s going on out there is that serious, then you haven’t truly been paying attention or you’re blinded by a party affiliation, whatever that may be.  
  Oh, for that snapshot five years from now… or even 20.. to know that we will be OK. Not exactly what we were before,  but in some ways perhaps better.  I pray the good people will keep doing the hard work it will take to get us to that better place across all party lines.  I’ll do my little tiny part to contribute to the betterment of our society  – each salty drop of water contributes to the vast sea, after all.   I hope you’ll join me in doing the same. 
 It’s a new year, folks.  Let’s make it a good one.  

Winterizing

  The Mr. took this week off – gave the crew some much needed R & R – although with yesterday’s little  snow  fall they were back out in force shoveling and plowing – with frigid temps making layers necessary.  Oh, do I know that woe – barn chores are not fun by any standards at 6 degrees F.  I’ve been chiseling out ice buckets for days and the manure is frozen to the ground in the paddocks.  Bleh.  
   When the Mr.  actually takes a week off, I see a glimpse of what “retirement” will look like for him. And me.  This man of mine has to be doing something almost all the time, and if he’s not doing something he’s wondering what I’m doing and what I could be doing in a more organized fashion *sigh.  I’m sure I’m not alone in this dilemna… ah, but that for another day. 
   In between snow chores we’ve been doing some much needed clean up – moved some furniture around, cleaned out some drawers and I packed away Christmas (yes I did that already – I decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving and for me, once the holiday is done, it’s done).  Our bedroom decor needed a lift, so I switched out some pictures and bought a  new throw blanket and a few new pillows to put on the bed – the effect with just a few simple changes was warm and uplifting without breaking the bank.  If you’re feeling a little stuck-in-a-rut during these cold winter months, take a look around your home space – declutter (!) where you can,  add a little color, rearrange the furniture if that’s practical, give it a fresh perspective and you will feel refreshed yourself. 

 

 We  got hooked on Game of Thrones this week too, crazy thing.  It’s a little alarming, the binge watching that we’ve been doing… but we truly had NO IDEA how addictive the series can be!  Have you been watching?  I believe they are on season 8 this coming year. I hadn’t paid any attention to it, as we aren’t  big on TV unless it’s a great series, and this particular series at first glance looked like it was all about raw nudity, vulgarity and hideous violence.  Nudity doesn’t offend me but there’s an awful lot of it paired with violence, which I really hate.  So I didn’t invest in watching… until this  vacation week when the temps kept us in more than out.   So many nuggets of wisdom, so many great actors, truly!   I’m glad we figured that out. 

     
   Cold weather makes me crave comfort foods – like this Turkey chili I threw together yesterday in the big pot, my favorite pot of all,  a le Crueset with many sauces, stews and soups under it’s proverbial belt.  The cookware is expensive, but it’s worth saving up for a piece or two because it does such a good job with the cooking. 
 I don’t have a recipe to share with you – but I can tell you what I threw in the pot.   
I browned ground turkey in a bit of olive oil in the pot first, then added diced onions until translucent.  Then I threw in a large can of crushed tomatoes and a large can of diced tomatoes.   I rinsed and drained a can of dark red kidney beans and a can of light red kidney beans and threw those in.  I diced celery,  added it to the mixture along with shredded carrots, and then added the spices –  Chili powder, Cayene powder, two gloves garlic minced, Cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper – all to taste.    The whole mixture simmered for hours on the stove –   Then I served it with shredded cheddar melted in, and then sprinkled on top with a blob of sour cream for garnish.  Delicious! and a big comfort on a very cold evening. 
Below is a simple desert, easy to make and delicious – It was a big hit on Christmas Day –  I first saw it on another blog and thought – hmm, let’s give it a go – Thank you, Raven, for the idea. 
   My Christmas gift from the Mr. was a super zoom lens for my Canon – These pictures were taken from the warmth and comfort of my house because it’s too darn cold to take the good camera out in the tundra. Thankfully I have a bird feeder not far from the kitchen window and was able to get these shots from that very spot, even through dirty windows 🙂 
 This little Junco below doesn’t look too happy with the weather .. 
Either that or he’s not fond of the paparazzi… 
– Karen 

Time Out to Enjoy The Ride

    Do you find yourself rushing through your days, sometimes out of necessity but sometimes just out of habit?  Yep, me too.. stop doing that. 

    There was a time when I punched a clock and work hours were this time to that time with a lunch break in-between.  Then I was a stay at home mom, which I adored.  Now I work part time as  editor of a local publication, but out of my own home, so I make my own hours.  The care and keeping of this house and farm and Stella*by *the *Sea fill the other spaces.   In all those phases I have kept a certain pace – and if I stopped the forward march I felt like I was slacking or falling behind, so I didn’t.  Now, when  you’re juggling a 9 to 5 somewhere outside the home and then have to fit the family and home care in, there’s little choice. But when there is some flexibility – for the love of all things worthy, slow the heck down.  My new mantra. 
     Surely you’ve heard it, take time to smell the roses.  The other night while I was feeding and watering and blanketing horses up on the hill, thinking of all the food prep ahead of me for the family Christmas gathering…. I almost missed the gorgeous sunset happening right behind the barn. I closed the last stall door, shut off the lights and began my hurried rush down to the house to get more “stuff” done… and noticed the golden hue reflected on the house.  So I glanced backward… and stood in awe of what was before me.  I took a full ten minutes to breath in the crisp winter air and behold the incredible sky and light.  Our neighbor ‘s son across the street sent me a text in those moments (always with the phone in the pocket or taking pics, as you can see)… he said “Margaret and I are enjoying that sunset over your hill too”.   Margaret is our 95 year old neighbor… I love that she still gets to witness those sunsets on the hill.  She’s been enjoying that view you see below for many many years.   
       We get so busy making a life that sometimes we forget to truly live it.  What are we rushing around for if we don’t get to enjoy the fruits of our labor?  For me, part of living it is appreciating this gorgeous natural world we live in. 

  * this pic was taken just before the fresh Christmas snow we got in the nick of time.

   Another blogger, Debbie,   wrote about something that struck a cord with me – why she moved away from NYC and cherishes  her life in the mountains of Upstate, NY.  We share the same reasons we moved away from that area, both young at the time.  The noise, the crowds, the traffic, the pollution.    Now and then instead of getting all caught up in the “stuff I need to get done”,  I try to take stock of what we’ve accomplished  here and just plain enjoy the ride.  I want to do more of that.

   On this little farm I have what I’ve always wanted – a home for family to gather  and a beloved family to fill it, fields to walk with my dogs, a small horse barn and pastures for grazing those horses I love,  and heck I wouldn’t have guessed it  back in the dreaming stage  but I do love my chicken coop too!  Who knew.   The grounds outside the windows of This Old House 2 are my idea of a heavenly place to live, and I’m just so grateful for the opportunity.  I’m so glad all those many years ago I stuck my adopted ancient horse in a rented horse trailer, (keeping a horse in an Urban/Suburban area like Staten Island was an experience)….  gathered all the courage I could muster and took a big leap of faith by moving to the country. I did have family supporting my decision and efforts and boy does that help.

    Those leaps of faith- they may seem treacherous, daunting, foolish even!… but oh so worth it if you muster your way through.  And whatever you do – where ever you find yourself – I hope you take a time out now and then, I hope you slow the pace to live your life full.

   

  

 

Till soon, friends – 

*gifts*

    In this season of joy and celebration,  my thoughts turn to all those people out in California affected by the wildfires.  When I think of their current reality –  displaced by the fires and their tremendous losses, I am also reminded of those who have nothing to lose – like the homeless.  Imagine what these holidays must be like for them as they watch the rest of us bustle around with work parties and errands and shopping and indulgent eating and cheerful family gatherings, etc. etc.   Throw in those who have lost or are losing a loved one, suffering debilitating illness whether mental or physical… indeed, the holidays can be anything but joyful for many.
    Since my father has being living in a nursing home (assisted living and rehab facility is the more politically correct term) I have seen some pretty sad scenarios.  Around the holidays the realities for some residents are stark.    Fortunately his facility runs an excellent recreation program – there’s always something upbeat and entertaining going on and all residents are encouraged gently to participate.  Surprising to me, my father is one of their best customers.  Their decor is beautiful too.    Despite these things, there are many residents who are relegated to their  bed or wheelchair due to their mental and physical infirmness and they spend day after day sitting in that chair out in the halls or in their room with very little interaction due to their limitations.  They don’t receive many visitors, if any,  and I wonder if they are aware of how very different their life has become.  Would they choose to exist in that state if they could make the decision for themselves?  It doesn’t seem kind to let them linger but who am I to decide where the quality is in a life –  therein lies the thorn.  It weighs heavy on me when I see it, especially when most of the world is in seasonal celebration mode.
      I am a natural gift giver, and by that I mean I absolutely *love* buying or making things I know the people I care about will use, need, eat, appreciate or love in whatever the ways.  In reading your posts, I know many of you in blog land feel the same.   While I realize my good fortune at having the means to do so, this was also true  when I was very young – I would make toys out of bits of yarn and twigs for our cat and spread peanut butter and  seed over pine cones or “itchy balls”  for the birds outside, hanging them high in the hopes that our cat wouldn’t get the birds in their attempts to collect their treats.  My sister and I made crafts for relatives with the help of my mom – like macaroni wreaths spray painted gold, ceramics from ceramic class, and handmade cards that I learned recently my  now deceased Aunt had kept for all these years.  
   Most years I have my gift buying and making and wrapping done early – and 2017 is no exception.  My daughter’s old room upstairs is currently bedecked with wrapped presents and all the “stuff” one needs to get that job done.   I will bring it all down and place it under the tree shortly…and cross my fingers that the new pup won’t eat anything. I’ve caught the (grown) kids peeking in  “the Christmas room” a few times when they visit and I love that they still feel a little of the excitement, the wonder that goes along with the spirit of childhood Christmas. 
   
     I’ve started my holiday baking… have you? What are your favorites?  Mine are my Aunt Virginia’s Sugar Cookies and a sand tart recipe I can’t give out as it’s a family friend’s heirloom recipe that he wishes to keep close.  I made the peppermint fudge I shared in the previous post and it is so easy , delicious  and it looks pretty on a plate.

   


   We’re expecting snow in the next day or two. Already the skies are grey and heavy.  I’m looking forward to the snowfall this year, although I worry about the workload it entails for my guys. It means more work for me up at the barn and coop, too.  I feel like the air, the atmosphere, the political climate,  the season needs a cleansing.  There is so much unrest –  A fresh snow fall might do the trick with a little Christmas magic thrown in.  The world slows down when there is snow, out of necessity of course, but also within ourselves, do you notice that?

   I’ve donated a little cash to each of the incredibly selfless dog rescue folks I know – each of whom have little in the way of material things and give all of what they’ve got to those in need – people and animals.  They are among the real heros we encounter in life.  I will take the time as I’m blowing through the lobby of the nursing home to stop and chat with those I see in the chairs and I will thank the staff who make their lives a little brighter (more heros).  I will thank those who provide services – like the mail guy who tackles his fear of big dogs and puts that package on the woodpile under the porch roof despite the 190 lb. dog staring at him,  and the garbage pick up guy who always waves at 5:30 a.m. when I’m letting said 190 lb dog out as he’s emptying pails.  I’ve sorted through old clothes and dropped them off at the Salvation Army and donated to food pantries. To the grumpy woman in the grocery check out line I pay a compliment out of the blue (the color of your scarf really brings out the green in your eyes!)  and her big smile says enough.  Perhaps she’ll pay that compliment forward to someone or  maybe whatever’s got her feeling grumpy won’t seem quite so heavy a weight. 

   Gifts don’t have to accompany a fat wallet. Many of the most important gifts we can give are free or cost very little.  A small tin of your grandmother’s vintage recipe cookies is worth more than a cashmere sweater from  “Needless Markup”, as is a pleasant conversation, your time spent, talking to someone who is mostly alone. 

  May we all find peace and love in the varied ways we need it.  May we give it, too, in the ways that we can. 

Nature’s Beauty & that Thanksgiving Meal

    Two nights ago I was out feeding the horses their evening grain and hay when I noticed up over the hill the glow from the setting sun was intensifying dramatically.  I quickly finished up at the barn and grabbed my iphone to snap some pictures out in the field. 
     In these photos I’m standing in the same spot, just turning around for the views… 
It went from this… 
To this…with a 2 minute rain storm that soaked me pretty good. 
To this.
Nature is truly amazing and the most beautiful artist – 
     Are you serving Thanksgiving dinner this year?  Anything new on the menu?  We are hosting for a party of ten – not too big, just perfect because all can fit at the dining room table, tight but cozy.    I’m cooking most of the food with a little help from my mom and SIL- they’ll each bring a dish so that my two ovens can handle what I’m making here.   I’ll make the  pies the day before.. actually one pie and a custard cake – Pumpkin pie because YOU GOTTA! and… an apple custard cake recipe I found in Yankee magazine instead of the traditional apple pie, which I love and hesitate to leave out but my favorite son asked for the variation and I can’t say no and sooooooo….. the link to that recipe can be found below… 
      I’ll also have the traditional Turkey, stuffing, gravy,  a small spiral ham, mashed sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts gratin, twice baked potatoes, cranberry relish from Williams Sonoma,  green beans,  and a cheese/crackers tray and those cranberry brie bites for apps beforehand. 
About those brussel sprouts – I either love ’em or hate ’em, depending on how they’re prepared.  This seems like a good option and it’s something new, so I’m going for it.  Click on the titles for recipe links. 


       I’m not making the following cheesecake for this holiday – but BOY is it good. Not hard to make either…. try it if you’re looking for something a little different. 


 There will be wine!   The husband and I aren’t big drinkers, never have been.  If we have beer in the fridge it’s to offer visitors. More often we might have a glass of wine with Friday night dinner out, but we always have it on hand for company and holiday meals.    We are not well versed in the world of fine wines, but we do know what we like. 
  It’s usually in the reds family –  If we’re feeling extravagant, Caymus and Amarone are our picks. 

 If we’re feeling frugal,  14 hands Merlot or Rare Red are our go-to’s.  

 With all the cooking and baking and eating that comes with the holiday season,  I’ve ramped up my exercise routine.  I take long walks with the dogs on the farm and trails daily, no excuses including drizzle, and it feels good.   I’ve discovered losing weight after 50 is a JOKE!!!… you need to eat five crumbs, three grapes, seventeen glasses of water and maybe an egg for the entire day unless you do 450 minutes of cardio daily – ain’t happening.    Truly, it’s calorie intake and I know I still need to pare that down.  Work in progress, always. 
No point in dragging out the political dramas today – in simplest terms, all I got is.. 
What the everloving F*ck. 

Small town living

  
** I’m aware that some folks are having a real hard time leaving comments here on the blog – I don’t know what the issue is, must be a blogger thing.  I don’t have blocks set up and nothing looks amiss.  I’m sorry for the inconvenience and I appreciate that you’ve attempted to reach me. 

   We live just a few miles from a busy shoreline, but our little town is still considered by many to be living “in the sticks”.  That may have been true years ago, but if you judge by the through traffic that flies up the road past our farm and the fact that I have a Dunkin Donuts, a subway, a bank, a True Value Hardware store and a four star gourmet italian restaurant about a mile from my front door,  I think those who truly live “in the sticks” would get a chuckle at the reference.  The one thing we don’t have is a grocery store, go figure. 
   Because we live in a small town, not much is missed by the masses.  There is a small political group lead by a newcomer to town who are hell bent on trashing the good will we have all granted each other over the years regardless of our differing political views. The following is a piece I posted on Fb that kinda sums up how I feel about the subject of small town life around here…  I bet those of you who live in a small town community can relate.  The photo accompanies the post. 
   This is what a healthy community looks like. So many things this one photo represents- the obvious- a town owned farm long dilapidated and then resurrected mainly by many volunteers and civic groups who often come together regardless of their political affiliations for common goals that benefit generations.
This photo also represents a wholesome family activity away from the iPhone and tv screen and ear buds.. – the tables of pumpkin carvers were filled with all age groups, the young and young at heart. If you didn’t attend, you can still enjoy the fruits of their labor with a simple drive-by at night- the glow of this community effort will warm your heart.
I’ve lived in ******** for over 32 years. So many good and generous and community oriented folks here. I think it’s why we all chose this little town to raise our children. We have been lucky until recently that regardless of our different and varied political views, opinions, beliefs in what was best for our town, we pursued those beliefs while still respecting that we are all neighbors, our children are watching our behavior, and thankfully, political opponents have been respectful of each other. Most of us still believe in this way of life.
The truth about the party system- there are several approaches to building a community, it’s a multifaceted task. All parties have valid concerns and ideas and we won’t always agree on the method . We are not each others enemy. If we treat each other with respect, we can work together and separately to keep our town on track to thrive. It takes a village- and in this little village there is no need or use or want for nasty political jabs. Want to make a difference? Speak with respect and doors open, people listen.
A big Thank you to all the people in our community who show up, reach out, volunteer, speak up, participate, iron out issues and work through problems, differences, needs, etc etc.. together.
    We’ve enjoyed a crazy beautiful summer-like fall so far, and we’re taking advantage of every minute of perfect weather we can.   Stella’s leaves are all raked, acorns picked up, the rest of the furniture put away, and I took another kayak around the cove. The water was crystal clear and chilly, felt so good and refreshing on my feet and hands.  There were indeed some swimmers on Saturday, and I was so tempted to join them. 

   Katherine Hepburn lived just up the coast a few miles back in the day, and she swam in the sound in front of her home daily all year. (that’s her below )  That just seems crazy to me, but there are others who do the same and like Kate, claim it has great health benefits and clears the mind.  ( among other things, i’m thinking!) 

 

     My best girl and I also rode the mini ponderosa here yesterday on our trusty ponies – a glorious day with few bugs on the trail and still – late October, t-shirt weather.  I think the yoga  I’ve been forcing myself to do… and walking/hiking with the dogs  is helping with the stiffness and pain of the   fibromyalgia, because I have not been tremendously sore after these activities… it’s encouraging.

   Here are a few more pictures taken around the farm with my phone – truly these iphones are amazing –  If you had told me 15 years ago we’d be walking around with a little square box that is a mini computer, a phone, a camera, a compass, and so much more, I wouldn’t have believed it. Do you think we’ll see hovering cars in our lifetime?

The light has been glorious, the temps comfortable, the colors not as vibrant as they could be, I’m guessing due to the lack of moisture and the warmer air.. but fall has indeed arrived along with pumpkin spice everything ( I’ve got the yogurt in my fridge to prove it) and I’m savoring every minute.

 Till soon, friends –