Wordless Wednesday

Book Title Meme

I seldom participate in memes but I saw this one on Pam's Perspectives and although I don't read nearly as many books a year as Pam does, I thought I'd give it a try.

What To Do: Using only books you have read this year (2009), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It’s a lot harder than you think!

Describe yourself: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

How do you feel: Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

Describe where you currently live: Snow Island by Katherine Towler

If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine and Love in Italy by Michael Tucker

Your favorite form of transportation: Passionate Nomad by Jane Geniesse

Your best friend is: Away by Amy Bloom

You and your friends are: The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney

What’s the weather like: Five Skies by Ron Carlson

You fear: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

What is the best advice you have to give: Happens Every Day: An All-Too-True Story by Isabel Gilles

Thought for the day: Tell No One by Harlan Coben

How I would like to die: Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer

My soul’s present condition: What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love by Carole Radziwill

Give it a try and leave me a link here. I think a couple I may have read last year but they are all pretty current in my reading list. It was fun....give it a try!

Please Pass The Peas

Does anybody remember spoon rings? I guess they're still around but I first remember them in the early 70's. My boyfriend used to make and sell them. He'd find an old fork or spoon at a yard sale or flea market, cut the utensil end off and polish it up real pretty.

He gave me several but one with delicate scroll work was my favorite. I probably still have it in a jewelry box somewhere. I loved it, wore it all the time back then.

Until one Sunday dinner at his grandmother's house when I reached across the table for the peas. The pattern on her silver serving spoon was the same as my ring.

Never wore it there again.

Confession Thursday

CONFESSION: I have never been to a football game. Gasp

Am I an American, you ask? Yes, a 14th generation American. I'm a Pilgrim. I have been to basketball, baseball and hockey games. Not many, but I've been to them. But never a football game. I never paid attention to sports in school. My high school boyfriend was not a jock, and I just wasn't much of a joiner. Going to games never appealed to me.

My father wasn't much of a sports fan either. He watched a little professional basketball when I was a kid , and he did seem to like car racing later in life. Paul doesn't care for ball sports of any kind, but I suppose he went to games when he was a kid. I've never really been around sports much.

I have, however, watched every Super Bowl that the Patriots have played in since 1997. I believe that would be five. Being a New Englander and not watching the Patriots in the Super Bowl would just be wrong. But I also confess that I really still don't understand the game.

When he was about 11, our grandson Travis tried to explain the whole game to me. Travis LIVES for the Patriots. I thought it was so cute that he wanted me to know so I paid serious attention until the end even though my eyes glazed over after the first three minutes, and I was thinking about what I was going to make for dinner when we got home.

During one of my first Super Bowls back when I was really trying to understand the game beyond the concept of touchdowns (I got THAT right away), I started asking Paul questions. What's first down? What are they snapping? What was that penalty for?

At first he answered the questions as patiently as he could which always lead to more questions. Finally, after about the fourth one, he said "Why don't you just shut up and watch the game?"

I decided right then and there that he didn't know any more about it than I did!

Wordless Wednesday--What Lobster?!

Who Knew? Certainly Not Me

Since I'm hearing that November is National Blog Posting Month, I thought it a good time to say a few things about what blogging is doing to and doing for me. It's become a bit of an addiction. This is my 128th post, and I probably spend too much time here reading and writing. I don't talk about it to non-bloggers as much as I used to. I think I was becoming a bit of a bore. So that's the doing to me part.

I have recently put a gadget on my blog which tells me where my readers are. I have been surprised to see how far away some of you are; literally all over the world. How cool is that? And it has also confirmed what I thought. I have lurkers, people who read my blog but seldom or never comment. Based on the locations, I have a pretty good idea who some of you are. And I'm flattered.

Although I try not to make this always about me, I have written several posts that were very personal. I've written about how Paul and I met and about losing my father. Those two posts were definitely at opposite ends of the happiness spectrum, and I was really touched by many of the comments I received about both. Then there was the post about an ambulance ride to the hospital that I tried to make funny and light. I heard from many people who were concerned and wanted to be sure I was taking care of myself.

I have become acquainted with some amazingly thoughtful and caring people in the blogging community. Many I know I would feel comfortable chatting with over a cup of coffee or a drink. And the talent that's out there among my blogging friends! I am constantly blown away by writing that makes me never want to write another word but then inspires me to become a better writer.

Paul stopped making negative comments about the time I spend here long ago, but he only reads my blog every couple weeks. He usually checks in after I mention a particular subject I've written about. A couple nights ago he sat for a while and caught up.

A man of few words and very little praise, when he was finished he said “so when are you going to write a book?” Now understand, he hasn’t had the pleasure of reading any of you other bloggers who I think are so talented but coming from him, that was a big compliment. I have actually been thinking of finding a creative writing class. I’ve become that hooked on this. But a book? Not likely. That's the doing for me part.

Finding Good News in Bad

In an article in Parade magazine in yesterday's paper entitled "How the Economic Crisis Changed Us" written by Michael J. Berland and Douglas E. Schoen there was a section about benefits some have realized during the crisis. They said that in the past year "creating a more meaningful life" and "giving back" have been important to 68% of those Americans polled. The article also said that 35% had rediscovered community or religious groups and 30% are volunteering more for charities.

None of that really surprises me. I have said for years that our Adopt-a-Family program brings out the best in people. For a touching example of that, read about my friend Joe in a post from last summer. Joe, by the way, is still with us. He and his biker group plan to adopt a little boy through our program this year and Joe has promised to be there in December to volunteer.

AAF gives people a chance to get involved; to do more than just write a check. It's a very personal experience to be able to get a Wish List from a needy child that not only tells you their name and age but their clothing sizes, favorite colors and what kinds of toys and games they like. Although anonymous on both sides, by the time you are done shopping, wrapping and tagging the gifts, you have a little picture in your mind of what your child actually looks like. It's a very satisfying way to get involved.

I haven't had the opportunity to talk to many donors yet this year. That happens more as we get closer to Distribution Week in December when the donors bring in their bags of gifts for the children they have adopted. But one man that I talked to last fall stands out in my memory.

He called the first week in December to ask if he could drop off their gifts early as he would be with his family in Disney World during the week of scheduled drop off. We made arrangements for him to bring them to my house, and as we were unloading his van, I asked about his upcoming vacation. He told me he and his wife have three little girls, and they were all excited about going to see Mickey.

Then he said something like, "We weren't going to participate in your program this year because money is a little tight, and we had this vacation planned and all. But then one day I looked at my girls and thought, 'what if we couldn't buy Christmas gifts for them........." His voice trailed off as he didn't seem able to finish the thought. I was pretty sure he was a little choked up so I tried to fill in with something about what a great job it looked like they had done for their adopted family and hoped they had a wonderful vacation.

I could repeat stories like that all day. And I have to say that as wonderful as it feels to know we are providing gifts of toys and much needed clothing for so many children every year, I personally get more joy and satisfaction from speaking with our donors and volunteers. There is just so much good in people that we don't often have a chance to experience, and with Adopt-a-Family I get to meet and work with these people and I love it!

ADOPT-A-FAMILY UPDATE: As of today we have 548 families matched with donors. That's probably about 1150 children who we know will be getting gifts this year. As great as that sounds, I expect at least that many more to apply before the application period ends on November 20. And our response from donors has definitely slowed. It looks likely that this is going to be the first time in seven years that we may not be able to provide for all the eligible families who apply. A second mailing to last year's donors who have not responded yet will be going out in the next week. We'll keep our fingers crossed that many of those people will be sending back their Donor Reply Card soon!

Highbush Cranberry---November

Fall is officially here. Fewer and fewer leaves on the bush. The berries are getting sparser as well. The birds have been helping themselves. There were several hopping around as I approached to take this photo.

To see the changes, go to June, July, August, September and October.

A Job Well Done

Back in April I wrote about our town's Clean and Green Day. That day the members of the town's Conservation Commission, chaired by my husband Paul, and assisted by several our of grandchildren spent many hours cleaning up a 10-acre parcel of land that has been donated to the town. Once a nursery but dormant for many years, the property is being donated by an elderly lady who wishes it to be named for her late daughter as a tranquility garden.

A valuable gift to our town. Paul and his commission have continued to work on the property in preparation for a granite sign to be delivered soon and a dedication in Dr. Monica's honor sometime this fall.

In addition to the general clean up of years of leaves and overgrown brush, they have also installed a split-rail fence and spread gravel for a visitors parking area. Below are some photos I took of the progress of the project. The photo on the right was taken this last weekend after the fence project was finished.

Here are some photos of the clean up in April.











These were taken after the first phase of the fence was installed during the summer. What a difference!





And here are more from last weekend in all its fall glory!

Morning Thoughts

I woke early this morning thinking about the arrival of November. It's just next week. I can't believe this year has gone so quickly.

I have very mixed emotions about the months of November and December. On one hand they bring the holidays which are fun and hectic. Pam and Geoff host Thanksgiving Dinner. Christmas Eve is always here at our house. It's a crazy few hours that I totally enjoy.

And, of course, all the work with Adopt-A-Family culminates with Distribution Week in December. It's an exciting, exhausting, satisfying, emotional week which I am so happy to see come and go.

But what I really woke thinking about this morning was that November 14th is the 8th anniversary of my father's death. Who decided to call that an "anniversary?" It's eight years since he died. Eight years since that Wednesday morning when at 9 a.m. as I sat eating my breakfast my mother called screaming unintelligible words, and I knew exactly what had happened. It's not a moment you ever forget.

I had been to the gym that morning so I had to shower and then just threw on some clothes. Somehow I ended up in a bright yellow sweatshirt which I looked at as I sat in the undertaker's office that afternoon wondering What was I thinking? Obviously I wasn't thinking about my wardrobe as I dressed that morning, only of getting to my mother.

As I made the 30 minute drive to what was now my mother's condo, I kept saying This is too far, this is too far. I knew we'd have to move her closer as soon as possible. There was a police officer and a neighbor with her when I arrived. Dad had gone to sleep Tuesday night and never woke. Mom had a restless night so she had gone into the guest room sometime during the night. She woke at 6:30 and peeked in to see him still sleeping. She did again at 7:30 with the same result. At 9:00 when she went in again, she knew.

Paul was hunting in Canada that week with his cousin. We had cell phones back then but there was no service where he was. The hunting camp didn't have a telephone. I called Carolyn, his cousin's wife, to ask for help in reaching them. She called the local police who went to the camp and put a "Call Home" sign on the door. I remember standing in my mother's driveway that afternoon screaming into my phone "I need you! Come home!" They drove straight through and got home late that night.

By then I had already been to the funeral home and made all the decisions, alone. My mother was with me but in body only that day. I had never really discussed with my parents what their wishes were regarding their funerals. The wife of one of Paul's longtime friends is a funeral director so we went to Liz and she was a great help, but the decisions still had to be made and I did it basically alone. During that time I was fine and kept my composure as long as I had my mother to comfort. When I was alone, it was a different story.

My father was only 68. My parents were together for 52 years. Retired for a little more than 3 years, my folks were on their third RV. They traveled for 2-3 months at a time and had visited 45 of the lower 48 states. They had not made it to the West Coast yet. He still had places to go and things to see, but I am so thankful for the time they had.

That morning all that came to an end for my mother, and she entered a new chapter in her life. We had the funeral that weekend. In less than three weeks we were under contract to buy a condo 5 minutes away from us. Thankfully her condo sold quickly, too, and soon she was close. She was still driving and actually adjusted to her new life pretty well. But she was lonely.

In less than three years we sold that place, and she moved into an apartment in a retirement community also nearby. Again she adjusted pretty well. It wasn't quite like her own home but she's resilient, and I'm lucky that she is still somewhat independent.

Early last year she started talking about John, another resident in her complex. They had met through their cardplaying group. One day last summer I answered the door and there stood Mom with John. They were out for a Sunday ride, and she had directed him to my house without telling him where they were going. John stood in my doorway looking like a deer in the headlights. He was that concerned about meeting me. It was cute.

Last fall they moved into a bigger apartment together. They were so happy. He had 4 children also nearby who were very attentive. They had lost their mother a couple years earlier, and they were totally accepting of my mother. Christmas Eve Mom and John were here with us and the rest of our family got to meet him. Christmas Day they had dinner with John's youngest daughter. Sometime in the night the day after Christmas, John woke, sat up, had a heart attack and died.

This time when my mother made the call it wasn't to me but to John's son. She called me in the morning with a simple "I lost my friend last night." For her it was almost as painful as losing my father. They had three short months together and he was gone. It was horrible watching my mother go through this again.

So as I laid there this morning thinking about my father and how much I miss him sometimes, I couldn't help but think of my mother and how hard these next few weeks are going to be for her. Life just isn't fair sometimes.

Wordless Wednesday

I Hope They Are Listening

Today's post might be a little boring (maybe they all are, I dunno) but sometimes I have to do some business.....or bidness as a friend used to say.

Chances are you have read recently about the bill before Congress to extend the First-Time Home Buyers Credit. Part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, this opportunity may be gone very soon.

The $8,000 tax credit is available for homes purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009, and is equal to 10 percent of the home’s purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000.

Some people have said that stimulus money given out since the beginning of the year has caused problems in the economy. As a full-time Realtor for the last ten years, I can assure you that the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit has definitely been a success. Homebuyer interest and housing sales increased almost as soon the availability of this program became news. Today's lower prices and interest rates appeal to consumers, but it's been the tax credit that has attracted people to open houses and to homeownership. Demand from first-time homebuyers helped drive a 9.4% increase in sales of existing homes from August to September according to the National Association of Realtors, continuing a trend of increasing sales in five out of the last six months.

This tax incentive is a true tax credit. The $8,000 home buyer tax credit is tangible cash, not a deduction from taxable income. This is not a loan and does not have to be repaid as long as you live in the house for the next three years.

A ‘first-time home buyer’ is defined as someone who has not owned a home in the last three years. There are other restrictions in the qualifications such as income caps, and the home must be your principal residence.

I explain to people that this program has had a ‘trickle up’ effect. Home owners in the lower-priced market have been able to sell to buyers eligible for this credit which has given those sellers the opportunity to move up into more expensive homes. In my business in 2009, 40% of my transactions have involved buyers who qualify for and intend to apply for this credit. Some of those people were:

A woman in her mid-50’s getting back into home ownership after being divorced several years earlier. Her mortgage and condo fees were less than what she had been paying for rent.

A 42-year-old electrician who was buying his first home after having recovered from credit problems.

A young couple and their two-year-old daughter who have been living with extended family whose own home was facing foreclosure.

A couple in their late 50’s who had sold their home years earlier and planned to move South but who bought a two-family house with their son who has 4 children. The grandparents were already helping with the childcare so now three generations are living under one roof and will split the tax credit.

These are just four of many transactions I’ve been part of where the tax credit will be applied for. As the November 30th deadline looms I have seen a slump in my buyers’ activity. It’s close to being too late to enter into a sales agreement with any hope of closing by that date.

Uncertainty about the future of the credit will dampen consumer demand nationwide. There’s a strong lobby in Washington among realtors, lenders and builders urging Congress to extend this opportunity. The progress that has been made in the recovery of the real estate market could grind to a halt unless Congress acts now to extend the credit through 2010. Let’s hope they are listening!

The Number You Have Reached is No Longer Affordable

It's been a long time since I looked at anything on my telephone bill except the Total Amount Due by line. I gave up the long distance part of the service long ago, and we just use our cell phones for long distance so I no longer have to check those calls to make sure they are legit.

I don't know if I've ever had a long distance call charge that wasn't legit but I always checked anyway. My mother, on the hand, has charges monthly for calls she swears she didn't make. She calls the telephone company, and they credit her. I think it's a little unlikely she has that many bogus calls but if they want to take them off her bill, I don't care.

So with only unlimited local calling on our home phone ($16.26) and automated voice mail ($6.95) plus the Inside Wire Maintenance, whatever that is, ($6.99) my "voice services" total is $30.20.

So how come my Total Amount Due is $42.28?!

There's another section of the bill called Total Taxes, Fees & Other Verizon Charges which totals $12.08. That's a 40% tax! Where am I? Sweden?

Let's go over these taxes, fees & other Verizon charges, shall we?

Federal Excise Tax ($ .89) An excise tax is a type of tax charged on goods produced within the country. It's often levied on the producer who passes it onto the consumer. Okay got that.

Rhode Island State & Local Tax ($2.62) This year's budget in Rhode Island had a $65,000,000 shortfall. What else is there to say?

Federal Universal Service Fee ($ .81) As I said I'm only making local calls certainly not universal calls but whatever. It's less than a buck.

911 State/County Charges ($1.00) This is the only charge in the bunch I really understand and have no problem with. When we need to dial 911, we certainly expect someone to be there.

Dual Party Relay Charge ($ .09) What??! Can't you picture a bunch of ad exec types sitting around a table bouncing ideas off each other trying to come up with the most vague term imaginable for yet another fee to add to our telephone bills? I figure the guy who came up with this "fee" got a big bonus.

School and Library Fund ($ .26) I'm certainly in favor of funding our schools and libraries, and I pay my property taxes faithfully every quarter. In the 29 years as a homeowner, I have never missed a payment, never been late. Isn't that in there? Is it really necessary to sneak another tax into our phone bills?

There it is, $12.08 for an additional seven fees and taxes I don't understand nor do I expect anyone at Verizon could explain adequately. I'm thinking it's time to give up the land line.

And don't even get me started on my cell phone bill.

Adopt-A-Family and FBLA

Have you missed me? It's been a whole week since my last post and I've missed being here. This was the longest I've gone without publishing a post since I began. I've written a couple in my head over the course of the week but they never made it to the keyboard.

I have been a little sick (just a cold, will everyone please stop asking if I've got swine flu?!) and I've been busy with Adopt-A-Family business and preparing for an event related to AAF.

On Friday, I had the opportunity to be one of three presenters of non-profit organizations to be featured at the FBLA State Leadership Conference which was attended by chapters from all over Rhode Island.

Over 150 high school students attended the event held at Johnson & Wales Inn in Seekonk. Future Business Leaders of America is a association of students preparing for careers in business and business-related fields. Their mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.

Our granddaughter Katie, a senior, has been involved with her school's FBLA chapter since she started high school. Katie called me last Monday to ask whether I would be able to put together a booth about AAF at their leadership conference. She apologized for the late notice but said she had only found out the day before that she was expected to bring in three non-profit organizations for the Friday conference.

A little concerned about the short notice, I was honestly thrilled that Katie had asked and said I would be there. Over the course of the week, I exchanged several emails with Katie and her advisor. I was so impressed with her communication and leadership skills. It was a wonderful opportunity to see Katie in this light.

With help from Pam, Katie's mom, my stepdaughter and fellow blogger at Pam's Perspectives, I think we put together quite a nice presentation. We had photos, letters from past recipients and lots of handouts for the kids to take back to their chapters. Pam is also a longtime donor and volunteer so she knows as much about the program as I do.

We met with groups of students over the course of the morning to introduce them to our program. Always looking for new ways to increase their community service, the FBLA students were interested in learning how they can become involved as donors, volunteers and fundraisers. The students were eager to learn about AAF, and this was a great opportunity to introduce the program to a new generation of citizens to help us continue fulfilling our mission.

The morning presentations were followed by a luncheon and the induction of state leadership of FBLA including our own Katie who was sworn in as Vice President. It was a wonderful day and I was so glad to part of it for both Katie and AAF.

Home Alone

Paul has been away hunting with Rosey for four days. They should be home today, and both Lucy and I are ready for them to come home. I used to enjoy this time home alone more than I do now.

In addition to hunting, Paul takes a couple motorcycle trips a year so being alone is nothing new but as I get older, I enjoy it less. When he is away on the bike I worry. He calls daily which helps but I worry. And I am on pins and needles until I hear that bike drive into the driveway when I whisper a "thank you again, God" to whomever might be listening. I have traveled some without him, too, and I don't think he enjoys being home alone any more than I do.

My plans for most of this weekend were to keep Lucy company. She is quite despondent when both Paul and Rosey are away. I am apparently no fun. At least that's what her body language tells me. I am only good for someone to sit on first thing in the morning or cuddle up to at night. In between she mopes. Ever see a bouncy, energetic Jack Russell Terrier mope? It's quite sad.

I had an unexpectedly nice day yesterday. I read about a produce wholesaler in New Bedford with a gourmet shop open to the public. On Saturdays they have cooking demonstrations and food sampling. I emailed Gisele last night asking if she was interested in going. After a 4-mile walk on the bike path in the morning in preparation for the 'sampling,' we headed out.

What a find! I'm torn between saying I wish it was closer (about an hour's drive) and saying it's a good thing it's not because I'd be there every week. Let me just say it wasn't the cheapest place I've ever shopped but that's to be expected of anything that calls itself gourmet. Gisele and I basically ate our way through prepared dishes of salads, meat entrees, pastas, chowder, cheeses, dips and dessert all made with ingredients they were selling. We must have spent nearly two hours sampling and looking through the various spices, cheeses, pastas, sauces, oils, vinegars, preserves, fruits and vegetables. Serious sensory overload for me! I wanted it all. We finally decided we better go because we were starting our third pass through some of the dishes, and I think people were beginning to stare at us.


New Bedford is a waterfront city and during the nineteenth century it was one of the most important whaling ports in the world. Like many cities it has seen better days but it's still filled with beautiful old homes built by sea captains some in various stages of restoration. After we left the gourmet shop we rode through downtown looking for a place to have a quiet drink. We were lucky enough to find Cork Wine and Tapas Bar. Set in a restored granite building overlooking New Bedford's harbor, the cute and friendly young bartender told us it was built in 1837 supposedly for $1727. What a neat little place. The menu was interesting enough that I think I will take Paul back for dinner sometime soon.

I was pleased to see Caipirinha on their specialty drink menu and Gisele and I each ordered one. Caipirinha is a drink of fresh limes muddled with sugar added to cachaca, a liquor made from fermented sugar cane produced mostly in Brazil. It's a drink I discovered in Mexico several years ago and don't often see locally. It's also an ass-kicker as cachaca is generally between 38% and 80% alcohol by volume. But it's so good!

This morning I woke to a dark and dreary rainy day. A good day to stay in and catch up on a few things. Hope you are having a great weekend!

Come On In!

Do you have a GPS or Navigational System in your car? You know, one of those gadgets that are either onboard your car when you buy it or an after market device you add like a Garmin or TomTom.

If you do, does it have a HOME button or setting? Do you have your home address in there? Yes?

Next question--do you have an automatic garage door opener on your house? With the remote clipped to the sun visor in your car? Yes?

Okay, so if someone steals your car then sets your GPS to HOME it will direct them to your house. And when they get to your house, assuming you're not home 'cause you're stuck at the mall where your car was stolen from, if they press the button on your garage door opener, they can drive right into the garage, right?

That's what I thought. Even if your interior door between the garage and the house is locked, they have time to find a way to get into your house.

You have 1) given them an automatic route to your house and 2) given them a key to get inside.

Just thought you might like to know, because THEY know.

I'd Rather Take a Trip Than........

I love to travel. Anyone who has been with me over these last few months probably got that idea. Paul and I have been fortunate enough (worked hard enough) to be able to take some pretty nice vacations. Most of our trips are not about relaxing, however. We're not big beach people. I'm a redhead who gets a sunburn from the bathroom light while putting on my mascara. Paul likes to be moving so sitting on a beach only holds his interest for a short time. We're not big on cruises either for the same reason, we like to move. We prefer to fly somewhere and then drive and explore.

Until 2001 most of our travels were in the States, the lower 48 specifically. We still haven't been to Hawaii (it's on the list) but we did visit Alaska in 2001. I won a trip for two to Russia and converted it to Alaska. (They are close) Seriously, I won it. I'd never won anything of any value before in my life. It was the grand prize at the 2000 RI Realtors Statewide Convention. I had no interest in seeing Russia at that time. Paul would have gone but I won it and we weren't going there. The prize had a cash value which we used towards two weeks in Alaska. We did a week on land and then a cruise. A wonderful trip that I would recommend to anyone.

The week after winning the trip to Russia, I won a trip for two to Los Angeles. Again, seriously, I won it. It was a reception for the grand opening of a new Marriott Hotel in Providence. One of those deals where you drop your business card in a bowl. I was at the reception as my friend Gisele's guest. When we dropped our cards into the bowl we made a pact..."if you win, you have to take me," never expecting either would win. The trip included airfare and 3 nights in a fancy Marriott in LA. It was some famous location where they'd filmed some movies. I forget the name. Gisele and I extended the stay to a week and had a great time. What a fun week that was!

The only vacations Paul and I have ever taken where we spent most of the time on a beach were in Mexico. I lost my father in November 2001 and Paul's dad passed away in January 2002. So those few months were particularly difficult. In late winter I called our travel agent and said you have to find us a place to go to relax. She asked if we wanted an all-inclusive resort. I didn't care. My exact words to her were: I want a hotel with a pool AND a beach. I want to be able to walk to the beach from my room. I don't want to have to take a bus, a taxi, a donkey, nothing. I want to be able to walk back to my room from the beach if I want to use my own bathroom. And the only decision I want to make is whether I want red wine or white with my lunch. And, oh yeah, make sure the bars have top-shelf liquor. I don't want Jose's Vodka. Bless her heart, Donna sent us to the Rui Palace in Playa del Carmen where they actually have palm trees for the pale face right on the edge of the beach! We went back four winters in a row, we loved it so much.

So where are we going next? We are taking a cruise on the Danube River from Hungary through Austria to Germany. I have always wanted to do this. It's a much smaller ship than ocean ships, of course, with only 150 passengers. They stop in cities and towns along the way and you are able to just walk off the ship. We are going on Viking River Cruises.

They kept sending me brochures with what looked like great prices so I booked one. Without really discussing it with Paul, by the way. We are going next July to celebrate his birthday. It's sort of a birthday present so I didn't have to ask him, right? Actually we tried to talk about it but everything was so crazy busy and the deadline to take advantage of these prices was looming and there was no time, so I just did it! It's a long way off but it's always fun to have something to look forward to. In the meantime, I'll be getting together information about things to do and see.

I would rather take a trip than.....just about anything!

The Wonders of Nature

I was wandering around the yard today with my new camera looking for something interesting to shoot. I happened to notice these odd looking buds on the magnolia my mother-in-law gave me about 20 years ago. It's one of my most favorite plants in the yard and today it took on a whole new look for me. I've never noticed these before and was fascinated by what they look like.

A baby bird just hatched?

This looks like a bug.....

My all-out favorite.....

"I'm watching you!"

A Keyboard of Bloggers?

You've probably heard phrases like a pod of whales, a herd of elephants, a pride of lions, a colony of ants, a swarm of bees and a gaggle of geese. In some cases these phrases have developed from the appearance of the animals they refer to.

Recently I ran across a listing of some animal-related phrases. Here are some that I found most interesting.

A scold of bluejays

A chain of bobolinks

An army of caterpillars

A clutter of cats

A gulp of cormorants

A rumination of cows

A wiliness of coyotes

A scuttle of crabs

A float of crocodiles

A paddling of ducks

A convocation of eagles
A conflagration of fireflies
A business of flies

A skulk of foxes

A totter of giraffes

A glister of goldfinches

A flight of goshawks

A siege of herons

A bloat of hippopotami

A howl of hounds

A romp of otters

An ostentation of peacocks

A vise of pitbulls

A prickle of porcupines

A mask of raccoons

A battery of rams

A rhumba of rattlesnakes

A ruination of rodents

A squabble of seagulls

A shiver of sharks
A venom of spiders
A scurry of squirrels
A swoop of swallows
A knot of toads
A hover of trout
A nest of wasps
A gatling of woodpeckers

And then there were a few about groupings of people, like

A drift of fishermen

A number of statisticians

A colony of bacteriologists

A plague of epidemiologists

A stalk of foresters

A blast of hunters

Which brings me to my question.....what would you call a group of bloggers?

Adopt-A-Family Program

I've been promising to write something about the Adopt-A-Family program that I help run locally. Rather than recount everything here, I thought I'd send you all over for a visit to a new blog which is also going to serve as a website for our organization.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

So go here.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Stop the World, I Want to Get Off!

Some of you might have noticed I haven't been here much in the last week or so. As I wrote in an email to a friend this morning, my life has just not been my own lately.

I have been working pretty much 7 days a week. I'm not really complaining (well, maybe a little) because in real estate you just have to be available when the clients are. I have been putting some deals together but it's been pretty hectic.

And last Monday night I started an 8-week class of continuing education which will give me the rest of the hours I need for next year's licensing. But I ask you What was I thinking when I signed up for this class? It's eight Monday nights from 6-9 p.m. and it's during one of the busiest times of the year for me. This is the last night class I will take if I have a choice. It's Title Searching which is actually pretty interesting but it's also a bit dry because it's mostly legal stuff. I'm just getting too old for a night class. Makes for a very long day.

And I am gearing up for this year's Adopt-A-Family program. I haven't blogged about that much yet although I mentioned a little about it here and here. I want to tell you more about who we are and what we do and I promise I will soon. It's a wonderful program that I am very proud to be part of.

I'll get back here real soon with all the details and let you know how we are progressing this year. In the meantime, hope everyone is enjoying the beauty of fall. It's going to be a gorgeous leaf-peeping season here in the Northeast!

Highbush Cranberry--October

You can see the leaves are beginning to look a little sparse as they begin to fall. The days have begun to be noticeably shorter. The weather is getting much cooler. Fall is definitely in the air!

To see the changes, go to June, July, August and September.

The Tick Key

This is the first time I have ever endorsed any product here, but I just have to share this with all you pet owners. Paul came back recently from a stop a Cabela's in Pennsylvania with this neat little gadget:

It's called The Tick Key, and it is without a doubt the quickest, easiest, most efficient way to remove a tick I have ever seen! We have deer ticks here in our area and Rosey, Lucy and Paul have all been bitten by them. Deer ticks carry Lyme disease which can be a devastating illness for man or beast if not caught and treated properly.

Deer ticks are so tiny that, despite our best efforts, often the head is left in the dog after removal, and then we end up with a wound that has to be treated because it becomes infected. That was until The Tick Key. This little doohickey works to remove the whole tick in one quick pull.

It costs about $5, is made out of aluminum and has a little hole it in to carry on a key chain or to hang right from your pet's collar. If you can't find one in a sporting goods store near you, visit their web site.

All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up

Remember that great line from Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard?" Let me tell you, it's not something you're likely to ever hear me say. Not particularly photogenic, I really don't like to have my picture taken. I think I picked up photography as a hobby because I decided I'd prefer to be behind the camera rather than in front. Although that has backfired on me a bit. When I look at vacation photos now I sometimes ask myself "was I even there?"

So imagine my terror when an editor from Rhode Island Monthly magazine called to tell me they wanted Paul and me to come in for a photo shoot. Photo Shoot?! Me? Are you kidding me? I thought Paul's going to kill me when I tell him this!

A few months back while on the Rhode Island Monthly website I read they were putting together a piece on love in Rhode Island. If you are interested in participating, fill out the online form and someone will be touch with you. I must have been on my second glass of wine as I sat here that evening because I submitted my info and promptly forgot about it.

A few weeks later I got an email asking me to tell them a little about me/us or something to that effect. Paul's birthday had just passed and I had written this birthday post. I sent the editor a link to the post. She quickly wrote back...."Wow. I just teared up reading your blog post. That’s just lovely. And yes, we’d love to have you come in."

Surprisingly enough, Paul was fine with the whole thing. So on August 11 we went to have our pictures taken. While I can't say it was fun, it wasn't awful. They took photos of each of us alone and then together. The deal was that on one page they would have a bunch of individual photos asking you to match up the couples. Then on the next page they'd have the photos of the couples and a little info about each.

The article turned out to be a Survival Guide to Dating in Rhode Island. Not exactly something either Paul or I have done in a couple decades but I guess they liked our story 'cause it's sort of a happy ending. They only chose 7 couples out of hundreds of responses. So go here to the digital issue of the October 2009 issue of Rhode Island Monthly and check out pages 63-64. You just might see someone you know

Where oh Where Did the Doggie Bowls Go

Here's a real head-scratcher for you.....someone or something stole the dogs' dishes. From the deck.

I got home from work yesterday and Paul asked, "Do you know where the dogs' bowls are?" I remember picking them up, nesting Lucy's little bowl into Rosey's bigger bowl and moving them. Maybe that was this morning, maybe yesterday. I probably opened the kitchen slider and set them on the deck. Well, they aren't there.

We looked everywhere. Everywhere they might be (garage, mudroom, lawn) and a few places they shouldn't be (refrigerator, stove, broom closet, basement) and they are nowhere to be found. Why would someone come up onto my deck at the rear of the house and take dog dishes? One is turquoise plastic and the other is aluminum (in case you see them and need a description to identify them) certainly nothing special.

As of October 1 we have lived in this house for 23 years. Nothing like dog-bowl theft has ever happened. Our house is on a couple acres and is set about 150' off the road and backs up to woods beyond our property line. We do have neighbors on each side. The people on the south side were there when we moved in, the neighbors on the north are new last year. We're not thrilled with the new people; they're noisy and messy and a little weird but can't imagine them coming onto the property, up onto the deck to steal two old dog bowls.

A little weird, no?

Postscript: The dogs' dishes have not shown up. Several people have suggested that another dog or coyote might have made off with them. If it was just Lucy's litle plastic dish I might agree but Rosie's was aluminum and animals don't like to pick up metal so I'm going with the new neighbors as the likely culprits. I think they're just messing with us. Creepy.

Food for Thought--Roasted Red Pepper Puree

It's been weeks since I've done a food post. During the summer I don't cook much, just mostly grilling and salads.

Fall has arrived and that gets me thinking about harvesting my basil for pesto. I've been really concentrating on buying my produce from local farm stands but yesterday at the grocery store I found red peppers in the "slightly used" section, as my mother used to call it. I don't like to buy produce already wrapped (I want to pick the three peppers I WANT not the three they want to package together) but this was different.

The price was about $1 a pound for these beauties. I bought about 9# of red peppers with the idea of roasting them and making puree to freeze. When I got them home I was surprised that they weren't really in bad shape. Some would have still been salad quality.

I've always roasted peppers over the gas grill but I recently found a recipe for doing it in the oven. So here's the directions and how mine turned out.

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a roasting pan with enough foil to later fold over the top. Place the peppers in the pan and the pan in the oven. Roast, turning the peppers about every 10 minutes, until the peppers collapse, about 40-50 minutes.

2. Fold the foil over the peppers and allow them to cool. Remove the core, skin, and seeds from each of the peppers, reserving some of the liquid. I just put the peppers into a colander with a bowl below it to catch the liquid.

3. Place the pepper slices in the container of a food processor with about 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid. Add a large pinch of salt and turn on the machine; drizzle the oil in through the feed tube. Stop the machine, then taste and add more salt and/or olive oil if necessary.

After doing the batch in the pictures, I also roasted a few on the grill after cutting the tops off and coring them. I put them into a big paper bag to cool before peeling. I still like that way better but if you don't have a grill handy or just want to do it in the house, the oven worked fine. Next time I could core them first before putting them into the oven.

From my 9# of peppers I got about 2 1/2 quarts of puree.

Here are some ideas for how to use it:

• Add a couple of tablespoons to the cooking liquid of any simmering grain - rice, couscous, or quinoa, for example.


• Use in place of or with tomatoes in pasta sauce. For example, saute several vegetables and bind them with purée during the last minute of cooking.


• Fold into omelets or scrambled eggs, with or without cooked vegetables.


• Combine with basil, grated Parmesan, and garlic for a pesto-like pasta sauce.


• Emulsify with lemon juice, salt, and pepper to make a beautiful salad dressing.


• Spread on crostini, bruschetta, or pizza before baking.


• Use as a finishing sauce for roasted eggplant, zucchini, or other vegetables.


• Serve as a condiment with grilled or roasted fish, meat, or chicken.


• Stir into soups or stews just before serving.


• Mash a couple of tablespoons of purée with a little olive oil, minced garlic, and cracked black pepper, into fresh, salty cheese - such as feta or goat - to make a dip for bread or vegetables.

Here's what I ended up with.

You will see that I use all sorts of glass jars recycled from my kitchen. I know I could use canning jars and I have boxes of them but I like to freeze different portions and this just works well for me.

Enjoy!

This Is What I'm Talking About!

Nothing too amazing, just a lone honey bee gathering pollen in my yard. These are the types of photos I miss when using a point-and-shoot camera.

I'm actually quite fond of honey bees. Used to keep bees back in the day. I think I had as many as 8 hives at one time.

Paul and I talk about getting involved again. It's an incredibly interesting hobby.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend. It's a beauty here in the Northeast.

Say Cheese

I got a new toy this week. I finally bought a digital SLR. I've had four point-and-shoot digital cameras since I stopped shooting film, all Nikon Coolpix models. I have been very happy with their portability and results.

My most recent is a Nikon Coolpix P1 which I've used for about 3 years now and which has taken most of the photos you've seen here. As a realtor I'm in and out of houses and need to take photos constantly. It's important to have something small and easy to use but with good results.

When I dug around my photography equpment after getting this new camera, I found the receipt for my last SLR bought in 1987. A Nikon 2000 with a couple lenses. A major investment at the time.

I'm no professional but I have been taking pictures since I was about 8 years old when my father had a makeshift darkroom in our basement, and I was developing black and white photos of my dog, Missey. I've taken a class here and there over the years but never really got too artsy with my photos.

Lately the point-and-shoot cameras just aren't cutting it for me. I miss having the flexibility of different lenses and mostly miss being able to take macro shots....close ups.

When I started doing some research into DSLR's I read good reviews of the Canon Rebel. My father always shot with a Canon so I thought I'd give this one a try. I bought a Canon EOS. I still need to purchase a macro lens.

In my perusing of so many blogs I see such fabulous photography, I'm inspired! I'm especially fascinated by the mosaics so many of you make with your photos. So now I've got some new stuff to learn and I'm looking forward to sharing some of the results with you.

Cowgirls Don't Cry....Ride, Baby, Ride

Paul and I recently traveled to Forsyth County in North Georgia to visit his niece, Sherri and to attend the 2nd Annual James Soares Memorial Barrel Race. The race is held in honor of her father, Paul's brother Jim, who was killed last year and raises money for the transport division of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

Sherri's sister Dawn, her husband Jesse, and daughter Raychel were also there for the week. We visited with Dawn & Sherri's mom, Donna, Sherri's son Austin and her fiance Kevin. It was a great week of family fun and getting to know lots of good people who have been Sherri's support group over the last year.

Sherri is the owner of S & S Equestrian Stables in Cumming. A horse farm on 31 acres of beautiful Georgia countryside where she provides English & western riding instruction, specializing in barrel racing. Sherri & Dawn have been riding horses since before they could walk. Both have been champion barrel racers although Dawn hasn't ridden in several years. But you couldn't tell by the way she rode that week. Dawn competed in the adult and open classes of the race and took third place in one of the divisions.

The race was on a Saturday and the Friday night before we had a horseshoe tournament and barbecue. Here are some photos from the week.....there's a lot of them. I hope you enjoy.

NOTE: For those of you who are unfamiliar with barrel racing, and that included me, the average time the riders take to enter the arena, clear the three barrels and exit is about 15-17 seconds. The winning time for this race was 15.095 seconds. Not a sport for a new rider!

Here are Jim's daughters, Dawn and Sherri. Here's Sherri and Kevin. What a great team they make. Both hard workers and devoted to each other.

Getting the arena ready the morning of the race. We'd had a day of rain and it was a mess.

Paul grew up on a farm. He said being at Sherri's that week brought back memories of his childhood. He totally enjoyed it all.

Here are some of the guys throwing 'shoes as my grandfather used to say.

Spectators the day of the race.

Here's Donna and Austin.

Cupcake the Pony all dressed up for the prom.

Sherri and Dawn along with some of the other riders waiting for their exhibition rides.

There were many trailers there for the race with dozens of horses. This beauty caught my eye.




Paul and I were amazed at the work and organization that went into planning the show. Paul said Sherri put the Energizer Bunny to shame. Here she is on her cell no doubt coordinating something.
More riders waiting to race.

Looks like somebody's getting a new pair of shoes.

Dawn and Raychel.

Here's Sherri on Buddy. Her friends told me she and this horse are One.

Raychel kept busy shuttling people around with the Gator. Here she is with her dad, Jesse.

Dawn and Raychel.

Donna worked the food concession stand that raised lots of money.

I had to get involved with the money! Here I am with Sherri in the booth counting out the prize money. Nearly $4000 in prize money was awarded.

The arena has to be dragged after every fifth rider. Kevin must have had saddle sores from sitting on that tractor all day.

Here's Dawn on Heifer the horse not a cow. Doesn't look like she hasn't been on a horse in 5 years.

Another of Dawn's runs. I guess you don't forget.



Here's Sherri on Buddy.

Winner of the James Soares Memorial Barrel Race for the 2nd year in a row, Terri Alexander. More than 125 riders raced that day and $1500 was raised for the hospital.

Paul and I look forward to being there next year.

There's Always Another Answer

I got an email from C the other morning asking if she could give my contact info to her cousin A because she thinks she's going to be needing some real estate advice soon.

The email said that A's husband committed suicide two days earlier. They had relocated to another state a few years ago and from all outward appearances were happy and doing well. They had sold a house in their hometown before moving and taken the money there and invested in another home and some other real estate ventures. When the economy and real estate values tanked, they found themselves in serious financial straits.

The other night after dinner, A's husband took his gun, went into another part of the house and shot himself. She was in the house and when she heard the shot ran to his side but there was nothing she could do.

My heart breaks for her. And for his elderly mother, and for his children. Such a selfish thing to do. Now A is left with the aftermath of dealing with his death under these most horrible circumstances and facing the consequences of their financial troubles.

She will probably be coming back to the town they left. I'm sure had he made a different choice, they could have worked things out even if it meant starting over. She certainly will have to do that now. Alone.

What a selfish, cowardly thing to do. There's always another answer.

Who Put the Pink Flip Flops in My Car?

On my way home from work this afternoon I ran into the grocery store for a few things for dinner. I had just finished a nearly two-hour meeting with a new client and I was tired.

Only had one bag so no need for the trunk. I just opened the rear door on the driver's side to drop it in. Hey, where's my briefcase? I put it behind my seat when I left. I don't have pink flip flops. Oh gawd this isn't my car!

Quickly close the door and go to my car several parking spots further away. Look around hoping the real owner wasn't somewhere close by. It was a gray car but not even the same make or model as mine. I would NEVER have done something like that before. Getting old sucks!

Where Were You When......

As we approached the 8th anniversary of September 11, 2001 I started to remember certain events during my life that I recall and felt were significant. Going back to the earliest in my memory, they are:

November 22, 1963. I was in the 1st grade when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I remember the day fairly well. I was home sick in bed and listening to my little turquoise Motorola AM radio. I heard a news report and remember saying to my mother when she came to check on me..."President Kennedy was shot." Of course, I didn't understand the ramifications of the event, and she scolded me for saying such a thing. "It's true, I just heard it on the radio." My next memory of that week was sitting in the living room watching JFK's funeral procession on our big black & white console television and seeing the tears slide down my mother's face.


July 20, 1969. I remember sitting in our summer cabin in Connecticut with a friend watching the moon landing on TV. I'm assuming I was watching it live but that was 40 years ago so maybe it was taped? I know it was during the day on a bright, hot summer day. I thought the whole thing was very cool.


December 8, 1980. The day John Lennon was murdered. He was shot about 11 p.m. so I didn't hear of this until the next morning when my radio alarm clock went off. I remember they were playing some slow, sad Beatles' song when the radio came on at 6 a.m. When I heard the DJ say John Lennon was shot to death the night before, I sat right up straight in bed and said "I hope he didn't do it to himself." That probably sounds irreverent now but remember this was right after the decade that saw the deaths of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Mama Cass and Janis Joplin. Rock stars being responsible for their own deaths was pretty common then and now, I suppose. No other rock star's death has ever affected me like John Lennon's did.


September 11, 2001. That beautiful Tuesday morning I was sitting at my desk with some news page open on my computer when I looked over to see the first report. This was before streaming news, at least on my computer, so I had to keep refreshing the page to keep up. I rushed out into the office to tell anyone who happened to be in what was happening. The manager of the office, Pat, had a tiny little battery-operated TV on and sat watching the report in shock. Her son Tom was living in NJ and was scheduled to fly from Newark that morning. Remember the plane that flew into the field in Pennsylvania left from Newark. Fairly soon after the first reports she got a call from her daughter-in-law saying Tom was not on that plane.

For most of the day, those of us in the office walked around very quietly. Immediately the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 came to my mind. I was working with an agent, Dan Hunter, who I knew had been in the service during World War II. Dan is one of my heroes. I've said it many times in the 10 years I've known him. On 9/11/2001 when Dan stopped at my office door to talk I asked him, "Where were you on December 7th, Dan?" Pearl Harbor was his answer. Literally my mouth fell open, "You were there?" I said. He was there. He was a young Navy pilot, less than 20 I think, and his job was to fly the officers around the area. He was lucky enough that day to be away from the base. To this day I am amazed that I know someone who was actually at Pearl Harbor on that day.

One of the flight attendants on United Airlines Flight 175 flying from Boston to LA on 9/11 was from my town. Her uncle was a real estate attorney I did a lot of business with back then. I remember having a closing in his office that Friday. No one knew what to say to him, it was so horrible.

Today I expect to be reminded many times of that day and the chaos and horror of the week that followed. Certainly a momentous day in our history.


There were other important events that have happened but I can't remember exactly where and how I heard about them. These are my memories. What do you remember?


Image from Google Images

A House Divided

Mayonnaise vs. Miracle Whip

In case anyone doubts I have nothing to write about lately.....here is a plate from dinner this evening. Gorgeous cukes and tomatoes from Goodwin Brothers Vegetable Stand in town. It's not really a contest. Paul likes mayo and I grew up on Miracle Whip.

Hope to be back up to speed real soon.

Yeah, There's An App For That

As you might guess from my title, I recently bought an iPhone. Paul and I just spent a week in Georgia visiting family. The trip was scheduled about two months ago. When it arrived it came during what was probably the worst week I could have picked to be away. I had two difficult closings scheduled plus I was negotiating a couple other deals. But how can you plan that two months in advance?

I have half-ruined a couple vacations since being in the real estate business. I just carried a basic cell phone and refuse to travel with a laptop. About the only way to really disconnect is to leave the country. I told Paul as we drove to the airport that it was probably going to be a 'working' vacation for me. He doesn't like it when I'm on the cell during vacations conducting business but he doesn't say much. At least this time he was warned.

As we got to Georgia I was already getting knots in my stomach telling me I needed to check email. I knew the hotel would have a business center, but as we drove into the plaza where our hotel was located I spied an A T & T store! I was anxious enough about the whole week that I thought, maybe I'll just do it and pay the extra $200 they want because I'm still too early in my contract for a full upgrade.

We checked into the hotel and drove to meet family. I begged off sitting in the broiling Georgia sun to watch my nephew's football game. I said I'd go back to the hotel to relax and catch up with everyone later. Forget the hotel, I drove right to the store and bought an iPhone. I didn't have too much time to spend with the tech there but he said it was pretty easy to use, very intuitive. Boy, was he right!

So now I am the proud owner of an iPhone. What an amazing thing! It's like having a computer right in your hand. I am able to check emails on all four of my accounts in seconds! I love music but had avoided buying an iPod, now I have one. I immediately opened an iTunes account and downloaded a ton of music. Love it! I could go on and on about the different apps I've downloaded. And I know I've just scratched the surface of what this thing can do for me.

One of the first emails I sent from it was to Tom, the IT guy for my company. He bought an iPhone about a year ago and highly recommended it to anyone who asked. My note to him simply said....Finally bought an iPhone and I love it! His reply was....My iPhone changed my life.

Kind of dramatic but I think I understand!


Image from Google Images

Funny Foto Friday

Meet Lily, the cardboard box killer! Lily belongs to my niece Sherri and she's a mini-dachshund. We spent a week with them in Georgia recently, and I fell in love with this little dog. Made me miss Lucy and Rosey just a little less. Lily only weighs about 6# but she's a first-class mouse hunter.

Get Your Motor Runnin'

Our two oldest granddaughters, Katie & Madeleine, spent the night with us a couple weekends ago. They do that occasionally for no particular reason. We just get a call from someone asking "can I come and stay?" They used to call Paul and he would pick them up after work/school. But since Katie started driving a year ago, she drives them up to visit. We both love it when they ask to stay and love having them here.

When they got here this last time Katie immediately asked "Can I drive the Corvette, Grandpa?" Being the cool grandfather that he is, Paul said yes. Still a couple years from driving and since the car is a two-seater, Madeleine had to be content with taking photos to document the event. Here are a couple.

Putting the top down on the car.

She's a natural, don't you think?

Highbush Cranberry---September

The berries are beginning to ripen. Still, the best is yet to come!

To see how it has changed, go to June, July and August.

Tales of a Pack Rat and a Collector of Shoes

Another rerun, after all, it is summer.

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It's not like I don't sit here at the computer enough between work (my site), blogging (two blogs at the moment) and general time-wasting......but this morning I decided to put a few items out on eBay for auction, too.

Let me say....I don't like to throw perfectly good things away. If it still fits or works, even if it hasn't been worn or used in years, it kills me to just pitch it. We used to have annual yard sales.....that got to be a huge pain in the butt as anyone who has ever done one knows and I quit. We donate to several organizations. Big Sisters picks up a couple times a year and Paul ships boxes to a Native American organization out west regularly. Those groups get clothing mostly.

When I retired from the 'corporate' world in 2000 I went through most of my business clothes and donated much to a local program that helps people getting back on their feet and into the job market prepare for job interviews, etc. But I couldn't part with my shoes! I know many of you ladies out there can relate.

My father used to call me Imelda, as in Imelda Marcos, the lady with the shoe collection. I wear a big shoe (I'll just keep the size to myself, thanks), and they are hard to buy and expensive! Even though I was pretty sure I'd never go back to suits & heels, I didn't dare get rid of my shoes. Every one of the nearly 100 pair was in its original box with a description on the end. I have since altered my system and now put a little digital photo on the box rather than a written description. Makes figuring out WHICH tan sandal is in there a little easier. I know, I'm weird about my shoes.

So when I retired I put dozens of boxes of heels into cartons and up into the attic, just in case. After a few years, I realized I wasn't going back to wearing heels on any regular basis and I pulled the cartons down and decided to try selling them.....on eBay!! Over the course of a few months I sold about 65 pairs of shoes, sandals & boots on eBay. My shoes went all over the country and Canada, some places I've never been. Hey, if I can't go, my shoes might as well! I didn't sell them for a lot of money but at least they weren't in the landfill and someone else was enjoying them. I got great feedback from all.

So this morning I put a pair of sandals that aren't comfortable up for Auction as well as an antique brass trivet and a wooden bowl. They're just sitting on a shelf in the basement getting dusty. As the saying goes.....One man's trash is another man's treasure!

Adventures in Portugal---Albufeira

When I heard the news last week about a rockslide at Maria Luisa beach in Albufeira which is in the Algarve region of Portugal, I took out my photos to see if I had any of that spot. Our hotel was right on the beach. No shots of that area but I think we walked through it and past the site of the landslide. Scary to think that we were in that same spot only 16 months ago.

Here are some of our photos. The beach was spectacular as was the view from our hotel.

This was actually taken from an overlook in town.

This was taken from our hotel balcony I believe looking west.

And this is looking east and I believe towards where the landslide occured.

From the overlook looking back at our hotel.

It was a beautiful little town.

B.P.O.E.---Best People on Earth

Here's a rerun of an early post about a group of people I am particularly fond of.
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Well, that's not the official meaning of BPOE but if you ask me, it fits. I am a card-carrying member of the The Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks Lodge #850 and proud of it! Until two years ago I didn't know much about the Elks. I knew they were a fraternal organization with a very nice building in the City of Woonsocket where I needed to find new rental space to operate Adopt-A-Family, Inc., from.

Until then we called a local church home but it was closing and the building was being sold. We were desperate to find another safe, large location in the city we could afford and there weren't many options. Not expecting that the Elks would be able to rent us their hall for a whole week in December which is prime party time, I made an appointment to meet with them early in 2007 to ask.

They didn't know much more about us than I did about them but they were very nice and when they found out that our mission is to provide Christmas gifts to children of needy families, they were anxious to help. And that was the beginning of what I know will be a long and happy association with the Elks for both myself and AAF.

We rented their hall that week in December 2007, and we really got to know each other. The Lodge is open 7 days a week but most of the time only to members. So they watched us work over that week and they were impressed. I'll tell you more about Adopt-A-Family in another post. This is about the Elks. That week they couldn't do enough to help us and make us feel welcome. We knew we had found a new home.

The mission of the BPOE is all about patriotism and community service. Two things that are dear to me, as well. When I started to learn more about what they do for the community, I was hooked. And before that first week in December was over, I had decided I wanted to become a member. I'm proud to say that the Exalter Ruler that year, Butch Desjarlais, approached Paul and me and offered to sponsor us. In case you hadn't guessed, to be sponsored by the Exalter Ruler is an honor in itself. So before the end of 2008, Paul and I had both become members of Woonsocket Elks #850.

Established in 1868, the Elks nationally are involved in a wide variety of programs, from scholarships to drug education to Veterans Services. The BPOE is second only to the federal government in the amount of scholarship money they award! Scholarships are available to children and grandchildren of Elks. Paul and I have five grandchildren soon to be heading off to college so we'll soon start applying for them.

Our Lodge #850 is located Woonsocket, a city that is home to a large population of struggling families. Some of the events that we sponsor annually include a Fishing Derby, Youth Appreciation Dinner, Soccer Shoot, Basketball Hoop Shoot, Kids Christmas Party, Milk Fund, blood drives plus we have a resident Boy Scout Troop.

Since joining, Paul and I have become involved as much as our busy schedules allow. We enjoy dropping in on a Friday night when the lodge is open to the public for Fish & Chips. The food is good and reasonable. There's no pressure to do anything, just paying your annual dues and buying occasional raffle tickets helps fund the Elks National Foundation. But as I said, this is the beginning of a long association with a group I am pleased to be part of. As our motto states.....Elks Care, Elks Share!

Just Makes Me Want to Hold Them

Knowing how certain emails fly around cyberspace, you all may have already seen these photos and read this story and will rush to tell me it's a fairy tale. But when I saw these two photos in an email that a friend passed on, I wanted to post them no matter what their origin. The photos don't appear to be 'photo-shopped' or created, and I was so touched by them and the story that accompanied them, I was in tears.

Earlier this summer these two reportedly were rescued somewhere in the mountains above Santa Barbara, as the Jesusita Fire wildfires raged through. Reportedly the fawn was 3 days old and the bobcat about 3 weeks. It said that when the kitten was found it was dehydrated and near death. During the mayhem of the fire, rescuers were forced to put animals anywhere they could. They had run out of crates large enough for the fawn. When brought in the kitten ran to the fawn, and it was instant bonding as they snuggled together under a desk in the Santa Barbara County Dispatch Office.

If the story is false, I don't really care, I could just sit and look at these babies for hours. If it is true, I don't have the ending but I sure hope they survived and will be released somewhere safe.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

About 15 years ago Ruth, Gisele, Kathy (my Dinner Club friends) and I went to Bermuda and rented a two-bedroom condo over Memorial Day weekend. Ruth and I shared a room, and the first morning we were there she laughingly asked, "do you realize you have put on six different lotions and potions since you got out of the shower?" Ever since then I refer to my toiletries as my Lotions & Potions.

This morning as I was performing my toilette I was thinking back to when I was a teenager and we didn't have all this stuff. As I methodically reached for each product in its turn I started to count.

Of course in the shower it was the body soap and exfoliant for my face and body. When I got out of the shower it began with the cotton swab.

Then the lotions, not all after a shower but there's deodorant, eye cream, lip balm, morning face moisturizer, night-time face moisturizer, sunblock, hand lotion, body lotion, foot lotion. Then the teeth: mouth wash, floss, plaque rinse, tooth whiteners, toothpaste. Then there's the hair products: shampoo, conditioner, detangler, thickener, root lifter, curl booster, hairspray.

Is it any wonder my luggage is always over the weight limit when I fly?! I try to cut back on all this stuff when I travel but I NEED it; I really do! And I haven't even gotten to the makeup yet which I won't list because honestly I don't use a lot of makeup but there's still a handful of those products, too.

And quite honestly when I look in the mirror, I'm not sure I'm getting my money's worth.

Men don't have a clue how easy they've got it.

Sunday Short---He's Got It, He's Finally Got It!

I've said before that Paul really doesn't complain much about anything I do. But he has been known to grouse a bit over these last four months about the time I've been spending at the computer. He assumes it's all about my "stupid blog" although I do work here, too.

He reads my blog but not usually unless I've left it open and he sits down to check his own email. And I know he has enjoyed several of my posts. Last evening we went to a Porketta at the rod & gun club he belongs to. It was not a pig roast where they actually roast a pig on a spit over an open fire, it was just a fund-raising dinner where they happened to be serving pork.

As we sat at the picnic table with friends he asked if I had my camera. I didn't. It's always in my car, and we had taken his truck. Honestly, I didn't expect there would be anything to photograph or I would have brought it.

Then he said...."I thought you would write a post about the porketta."

He's got it, he's finally got it!!

Dear So and So---Friday Edition

Dear Truck Parked Beside Me,

I don't know who you are or when you decided to drive your door across the TOP of my fender but thanks for the 4" dent. Don't you people have eyes or ears? I've never accidentally tapped another car without knowing I did it and I've never left a mark on another's vehicle even close to what you left on mine WITHOUT OWNING UP TO IT!

Feeling like there's a giant HIT ME sign on my car,
Sandy
______________________________________


Dear Toyota,

Finding out that the power window switch for my passenger side window doesn't work anymore on my 2006 Avalon has me pretty pissed off. That's 3 issues with my car in two weeks. It only has 50K miles and this is a TOYOTA! Aren't they the ones they show in the magazines with something like an average of 225,000 miles? You're getting on my last nerve. I bought this car new and paid a bucket of money for it not expecting to do anything but change the oil for a long time.

Near to being a former Toyota owner,
Sandy

_____________________________________

Dear New Next-Door Neighbors,

Can you ever speak to your grandchildren without YELLING????! We each live on nearly 2 acres and I realize the lots are narrow so you aren't that far (or far enough) away from us but can't you talk to them? Why do I have to hear everything you say? You make more noise with your mouth than my dogs do when they're barking.

Quiet & Peace-Loving Neighbor,
Sandy

_____________________________________

Dear Richard Hatch,

Please shut up and go away. You've already had your 15-minutes of fame several times. You got caught, now finish your sentence and get on with your life. As for your recent yapping in the media that you didn't know you had to pay income taxes on the $1M you won on Survivor because the government didn't tell you. The government doesn't tell me I owe taxes annually either but I know I do and I pay them. What gave you the idea that the prize was tax-free? Just stop it.

An embarrassed Rhode Islander,
Sandy

_____________________________________

Dear Readers,

This is fun! If you want to give it a go, grab the button from my side bar (courtesy of Kat at 3 Bedroom Bungalow) and go!

Move It, Mom!

I stopped by to visit Mom today. I picked up a bouquet of flowers on the way because I was feeling a little guilty. I have been working a lot of hours and hadn't seen or spoken to her in a couple days. I just popped in. She immediately put the flowers in a vase, and we chatted about nothing.

She showed me a new collage of family photos she just put together, and I hung it for her. Then as I sat and watched her walk back and forth across her little studio apartment I thought....hmmmm, she's getting around better. But I didn't say anything. Last week she was very unsteady on her feet; so much so that I really was concerned about falls, which she does often and well.

Today she seemed much better. She mentioned she has gone to a couple exercise classes and yesterday even got into the pool. These are things I have been trying for six months to get her to do. The classes went well; treadmill, light weights, etc. The pool.....not so much. She nearly drowned herself!

Let me say that Mom is the #1 most uncoordinated person on earth. Seriously. Just take my word for it. Apparently yesterday in the pool she lost her footing and just kept goin' under. Funny now 'cause she's okay. Apparently a man at the other end of the pool saw what was going on and grabbed her and got her out. "Couldn't you just stand up, Mom? The pool is only 3 feet deep." I suggested maybe she not go in when it's Free Swim and only when there's some class or other people nearby.

As we talked, with a glass of water in her hand, she just STOOD UP off her couch. She wasn't holding onto the arm or anything, just stood up. I noticed immediately; it took her a couple seconds to register what she'd done. Then she sat down! And got back up. Then sat down and got back up with a big smile on her face.

Lately it takes three men and a boy to haul her out of a chair or the car. Then she has to stand for a bit before she starts to walk. It's scary to watch. I said "That's what I've been trying to tell you. If you'd do that ten times twice a day, you'd get stronger." The way she's been going, I'm afraid she's going to be in a wheelchair in six months. I figure it's downhill from there.

She agreed she'd keep going to exercise and maybe get back in the pool again. She mentioned the spa at the pool that Vito was trying to get her to go into. (Vito? Who's Vito?) I just said, Don't do it, Mom, it's like a warm toilet. She promised she wouldn't.

Today, I felt such a sense of relief thinking that maybe she's not in a downward spiral. Scary thought.....I'm only 22 years behind her. You know what I always say....Rest is rust.

Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk

I guess the real phrase is "You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?" I told you about my friends Chet & Nellie and the beautiful new home they just purchased. Chet owns a local hardware store. The business actually employs three generations of his family; sadly something almost unheard of today. I don't think you'll be surprised to hear that their business is struggling. The mom-and-pop-type of business is being hardest hit in this economy and thousands are going under every week.

A few months back I wrote about a buy local organization in our area called the Blackstone Valley Independent Business Alliance. Chet and Nellie have been instrumental in organizing and promoting that effort because the idea of 'buying local' could mean the continued success or failure of their business.

What else does buy local mean to Chet? It means rather than going to one of those big box home improvement stores, we go to Chet's store. What does buy local mean to us? It means we get quick and personal service when we shop. I admit when I've got all the time in the world, wandering around the aisles of one of the ginormous stores can be slightly entertaining but when I need something and can't find it or someone to help me, it drives me crazy!

One thing I'll tell you it doesn't always mean is a better price. And honestly even if it does occasionally, the few cents I'd save isn't worth it to me.

Think of it this way....the money you spend in a local hardware, paint, appliance, lighting, camera or computer store stays in your community. It goes to pay a family's mortgage, tuition, grocery bill and even better....it stays in the community when these people shop in other local businesses.

The money you spend in those big box stores certainly does pay some salaries and some local taxes but the biggest part of it goes to Georgia or Arkansas and pays the bonuses of high-paid executives who don't give a rat's butt about you or your community! Do you ever see one of those company's names on the uniform of one of your kid's teams? They seldom reinvest in the community they are located in.

I got an email from Nellie this week telling me they have purchased new furniture, appliances and central vacuum. I asked where she bought everything, and she gave me a list of local companies. Here is what Nellie wrote...."I take the service of buying local for granted because I see the service provided by Vose, but when we were actually buying and listening to the expertise of the salesmen and getting priority treatment and instant service, I appreciate it so much more. Imagine free delivery in this day with the price of gas."

Nellie and Chet are Walking the Walk not just talking the talk. We all should.


Image from Google Images

Funny Sunny Sunday Photo

Rosey and Lucy playing in the yard. Not exactly an even match. If Rosey could catch her, Lucy would be in trouble!

More of the same silliness.....

Wordless Wednesday...plus one

"You're not going anywhere without me!" Rosey

Step Into My Orchard

Ocasionally when I refer to my husband's orchard, people tend to look at me a little oddly. You have an orchard? We do, it's small and mostly dwarf trees but it's an orchard. It's a lovely little spot at the back of our property with a bench that I love sitting on in the sun.

We have varieties of pears, plums and apples. Usually the deer get the fruit before we do. This year the plums and pears are doing well. Take a look.

Aren't they pretty?

Home, Sweet, Home

Buying a house is a very emotional experience. And no matter whether I represent the buyer or seller, as a realtor I often become involved with my clients and those emotions. Of course, as the professional on the team, I'm the one who is supposed to stay unemotional and level-headed during the transaction. And I do, to a point. Last Friday I represented some buyers in their purchase of a horse farm, and I got more emotionally involved than usual, and it was wonderful.

Chet & Nellie are friends as well as clients. They were acquaintances first and fellow members of a local grassroots organization we have all been involved with for a few years. I have known Chet's sister and his parents for years but he's a few years younger and I had never met him until recently.

A year or so after I first met them, Nellie lost her mother. Because Nellie and I are both only children, this especially touched my heart and endeared Nellie to me even more. She and Chet live in the house she was born and raised in. After they married they stayed there to be close to her elderly mother. After the loss of Nellie's mother, they started seriously talking about buying a horse farm.

Well, another horse farm. They already had one, sort of, in her property. They have a nice little ranch house on nearly an acre of land with a 5-stall barn and small paddock for her two horses and one pony. By horse standards, a small property, but with good maintenance and attention to all, they manage to keep three happy horses there.

But Nellie wanted more for Skip, Pumpkin & Blondie, and she wanted what she calls a 'husband horse' for Chet. She is the original horse person in the family but in their years together Chet has gotten very involved with the horses, too. It's not like he had a choice. Owning a horse is a huge responsibility and involves a lot of work. I have learned a lot about horses, too, since getting to know Nellie and during our search for a horse property.

So within a year of the loss of her mother, we started looking. With the number of horses they hope to eventually have and the garden Chet wants, Nellie thought they needed at least 9 acres. We looked and looked and looked.

Finally last week, after a search of nearly three years, we closed on their horse farm. A totally horse-ready property that had two horses living on it right up to their purchase. It has a very nice 7-room house, 7.5 acres with several fenced pastures and a 7-stall barn! Plus gardens, fruit trees & outbuildings; this property was just about perfect.

This was such a long road for them with so many ups and downs, as Nellie and I hugged after the closing we were both in tears. I am so happy for them! And I asked Nellie if I could be there when she brought the horses home. I knew that would be a very special moment, and I wanted to see it. So last Sunday she called me and asked "Can you be here about 4 p.m.?" Paul and I were there about 30 minutes early. I wouldn't take a chance of missing it.

So here are some photos of their arrival and introduction to their new home and pastures. It was a great success and a beautiful thing to watch.

Here's Skip getting his first view of his new home.

Pumpkin on his way in to check out his new stall.

In one door and right out the other!

They couldn't get enough of that sweet grass

Here's Blondie.

Skip going to check out his new 'digs.'

Not bad!

Blondie dug right into her fresh hay.

What a beautiful sight! They kicked up their heels and ran from pasture to pasture.

They kept checking back in with each other.



Finally! Everybody is home.

Takin' Care of Business

My real estate business has experienced a major up-tick in the last couple months. Pending home sales rose in June for the 5th straight month in the U.S. The last time there were five consecutive monthly gains was in 2003. The housing market is getting better. Let's hope that's an indication that the economy in general is moving up.

These last two weeks have been incredibly hectic for me. I actually put two properties under contract with the first people who looked at them! I don't usually even speak about such things as I am a bit superstitious. There are so many points in a real estate transaction where a deal can fall apart that I'm afraid to jinx myself by mentioning them.

Then add in my little adventure on Tuesday two weeks ago. I have been trying to take it a tiny bit slower since then. Mostly we've just been eating out more so I don't have to think about household responsibilities so much. I'll milk that as long as I can. I still have some medical tests scheduled, and the doctors haven't been able to give me a definitive answer as to what happened that day. My gut feeling is they never will.

My posts of the last couple weeks were mostly done in advance which was a good thing. What I've really been missing is the time to read all you good people and leave my usually witty comments. So imagine my surprise when I logged onto Google Reader last evening and found a message telling me I had over 1,000 posts to read!!! Okay, time to scale back some on who I'm following.

And among those many unread posts were two awards for me!

Award #1

This first award was from Shauna at They Call Me Lucy.

I imagine the first time I stopped by to visit Shauna I was drawn there because she named her blog after my Lucy. What? She didn't name it after my Lucy? Well, never mind, I love her blog anyway.....she's a wonderful shopper and finds all sorts of cool decorative items for cheap and I wish she lived near me so I could hire her to decorate my house.

So now I'm supposed to pass along this award to some of my favorite bloggers.

1. Stacy at Boomerang Chick One of the few bloggers I'm following whom I actually know. This girl has a shoe collection to die for! And she drives a Mini-Cooper, so how cool is she?
2. Diary of a Not So Glamorous Housewife She always gives me a chuckle.
3. Brittany at Food for Thought Great recipes, great photos and just a sweet lady.

Award #2

And then as I was going through the 1,000 posts I found this award from Mama-Face at Blog Ignoramus.

I read the post where she sent me this award at the same time as I read her post about the loss of her lovely friend, Susan. It seems more than a little foolish to be going on about such frivolous things as blog awards after reading about such a lady but hopefully she would understand. So thanks Mama-Face, your blog is always such an eclectic mix of ideas and subjects, I never know what I'm going to find.

So now I'll send this award and all of you nice people over to:

1. Just Breathe mostly 'cause she's got this great little dog named Skye and you know how nutty I am about dogs......she's really sweet, too.
2. Midlife Jobhunter because I love her quotes and her photos.
3. Angie at Step-Fabulous for lots of reasons....she's a dog lover, a step-mom and just a really nice person.

So please go and visit all these nice people and spread some love!

Sunday Game of Tag

Since I'm posting this on a Sunday there's a good chance not a lot of you will see it. Depending on what comes out, I may be thankful for that.

You see, my friend and fellow New Englander at New England Girl tagged me in a game of Blogger Tag. I'm supposed to:

1. Link this post to blogger who tagged me.
2. Include these rules in the post.
3. Write six random or revealing things about myself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of the post and link to them.
5. Let each person know I've tagged them with a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know my post is up.

So, here goes:

1. I am an only child and have no children of my own, so this gene pool ends with me. Might not be a bad thing.
2. I have been an amateur genealogist since the age of 20. In my research I have learned that I am a direct descendant of Rev. John Robinson who was the Pastor to the Pilgrims.
3. Although I had a steady boyfriend all through high school, I never attended a dance or a prom.
4. I hate eating with my hands....even sandwiches and pizza are a challenge. I need about six napkins going at the same time. This makes enjoying a clambake especially difficult!
5. I am totally non-athletic.
6. I was born under the sun sign of Aquarius. My husband says as a result I am a cross between Albert Schweitzer and Mickey Mouse.

And the six lucky bloggers I'm going to tag are:

A woman, a wife, a mom
Sparkle's Soup of the Day
Counterintuity
Donna Gotlib
A Hesitant Housewife
De-Composition

So there you have it! I am curious to see what, if anything, you will reveal about yourselves!

Adventures in Sorrento & Capri

In my opinion, I have saved the best of our Italy trip for last. When I was in Italy in 2005 we stayed a couple nights in a little hotel in Sorrento on the southwest coast of Italy in an area called Amalfi. From there we visited Pompeii and the Isle of Capri. I thought it was a lovely area that made me think of Southern California. Certainly not a bad comparison but it didn't really impress me. When I planned our trip in 2007 I knew I wanted to visit the area again to show Paul and my cousins both Pompeii and Capri but we only planned to spend two nights there because I didn't think we'd need more than a couple days to see what there was to see.

Sorrento's sea cliffs are impressive and lined with luxury hotels. I arranged for our hotel through our travel agent so I didn't know it was in this area. When we arrived in Sorrento we found our hotel to be the most beautiful place we had ever stayed anywhere.

It was set high on a cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples. From the two balconies of our room we could see across to the city of Naples and Mount Vesuvius. And we had views of both the sunrise and sunset. It was spectacular. When you see tourists coming to the courtyard of your hotel to take their photos of the locale you know you have found The Spot.

Here are some photos from our hotel, Bellevue Syrene.

Through the gates to the hotel.

The rooms were all decorated differently and in fabulous colors. This was our incredible room.

Here is Paul calling home to extend our stay in Sorrento an additional two days. This was at the end of our trip and it was the most fabulous way to finish our stay in Italy.

One of the sitting areas of our hotel.

From our balcony

Our hotel is the yellow building on the cliff straight ahead.

We were able to take an elevator down to the beach and walk along to the dock to take a boat ride over to the Isle of Capri. Here are some photos of Capri.

Finger Lickin' Good!

Summertime…..4th of July parades, fireworks, picnics, and New England Clambakes. Last weekend Paul and I joined a group of extended family at a good old-fashioned clambake in his hometown.


There were over 750 people (not all relatives!) together for a traditional outing held every August. I took pictures of the ‘bake’ as it’s called for those of you who don’t have a clue as to what I’m talking about.

Here’s a picture of the bake when it's just about ready to be uncovered and served. Usually there’s a Bakemaster in charge. He's helped throughout the day by a couple dozen people. A multi-stage process, everything has to be done right or you've got a very expensive disaster and lots of unhappy people.

What you’re looking at is a concrete pad where early in the day they layed down a layer of round stones. You can dig a pit in the sand if you have the room but this is an established location for clambakes. Over the stones they spread a layer of logs which they burn down until they get the stones red hot so they can be used to radiate heat during the cooking process. At the right time, they pull the logs off and cover the stones with a thick layer of seaweed which was probably brought in that morning and soaked with seawater.

Over the seaweed are layers of wooden baskets filled with the ingredients of the bake: sweet potatoes, white potatoes, peeled onions, bags of seasoned white fish, hot dogs, bock wurst, chourico & linquica (Portuguese-style sausage), stuffing, fresh corn on the cob still in the husks and soft-shell clams or what we call steamers.

Then the entire mound is covered with canvas that has been drenched in sea water to seal in the heat and prevent the canvas from burning. The food is allowed to steam for several hours. It takes an experienced Bakemaster to get all the combinations of food, heat, seaweed & timing just right. For a bake this size you’re talking thousands of dollars worth of food and it’s not something you can stick back in the oven or back on the grill if it’s not quite done.

Here's last weekend's bake being uncovered.

The food is served right from the baskets and we dig in!

As you can see this is 'finger food' and the clean up can get messy........

....so I never travel to a clambake without my trusty Wet Ones.

Adventures in Pompeii---La parte due

Here are additional photos of our visit to Pompeii. It is said that some of the most fascinating clues about the lives of the people of Pompeii can be found in the numerous brothels in the city. If that's true, they must have been a fun crowd, and an apparently wealthy city.

This is a photo of a carving of male genitalia in the street. I guess the implication was This way to the Fun House.

The brothel we toured was a small building with a center hallway. Along the aisle on either side were cubicles or private chambers. Over the doorways of the rooms were frescoes of the women apparently to be found inside plying their trade on the stone couches.

The erotic frescoes that line the interior of the building are quite well preserved and very descriptive. There certainly was not as much room as the frescoes would lead you to believe. The rooms are only about 5 feet wide. As they are lined up one after another I had to wonder about the privacy. Can you imagine the sound bouncing off the stone walls?

Then there was this dude. I'm guessing he was a legend in his own mind.

Pompeii must have been a fun town until that dark day in 79 A.D.

Adventures in Pompeii

When we visited Italy in 2007 I was anxious for Paul to see Pompeii. I had been fascinated by the site during my visit in 2005 and couldn't wait to show him what I found most interesting.

Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania. Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed, and its 20,000 citizens and buildings completely buried, during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in AD 79.

The volcano collapsed roofs and buried Pompeii under 60 feet of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1,700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.

When I visited in '05 we had a tour guide who called himself Mimmo. He conducted the tour in the persona of a slave who was living in Pompeii at the time of the eruption. He wasn't dressed in costume but just took us through the tour with his narration in the first person. Here's Mimmo:

These were some of the slave quarters. When the excavations got to this area they found bodies of slaves still chained to the walls and in some cases they also discovered bodies of noblewomen with them. The theory was that the women had rushed to the slaves to try to free them during the volcano eruption only to be entombed with them.



In the 1700's when the excavations began they found empty pockets in the rubble and determined that they must have been bodies that had decayed over the centuries. They devised a method to fill those pockets with a plaster mixture and dug the mold out after it dried. Below is one of the bodies. The detail was incredible. You could see the straps on the sandals as well as the belt around the victim's waist.




During my first visit, the sight that most took my breath away were the ruts in the cobblestones made by the cart tracks nearly 2,000 years ago!


Here are some more photos of Pompeii.

Highbush Cranberry---August

Not much of a difference in the Highbush Cranberry in the last month. The biggest change is in the fruit seen below. Many of the inferior berries have dropped leaving the best for last.

Take a look to see what the bush looked like in June and July.

There Outghta Be a Law

Here's a pretty close transcript of a telephone call I just received:

HIM: Mrs. S?
ME: Yes
HIM: How are you today?
ME: I've been better.
HIM: Mrs. S, this is Anthony calling from the Reserve Police. The reason for this recorded call today is that the Reserve Police are having a fund raiser........
ME: Hold it, Reserve Police officers where??
HIM: Yonkers, New York
ME: Forget about it! (or fahgedabowd it if you prefer) CLICK!!!

AFTER I hung up, I said They got big balls! Why didn't I say that for the recording?! Just so you know, I live in RHODE ISLAND! Last time I checked a map, Yonkers was in NEW YORK.

Except for being disturbed and having to answer the telephone it was pretty much 'no harm, no foul.' I hung up and they didn't get any of my money. But what about my mother?

A couple times a year I see a check she's written to the North Shore Animal League. North Shore of where??! It's not local. Somebody got this nice old lady on the phone and talked her out of $15 she can't afford to give away. Okay, she's an animal lover (wonder where I get it?) and if she wants to give to some animal rescue league, that's great, but she probably would rather give somewhere local. I don't know where they say they are located when they talk to her and they MAY BE legit, but it's not local and I think that's a scam.

I'm sure when Anthony got my click in his ear he had some choice words about me, too. But what I really wonder is What kind of people do they hire to prey on little old ladies this way?

Image from Google Images

High Speed and High Anxiety

Had my first ambulance ride yesterday. Reluctantly, it's nothing I ever aspired to. I'm okay but more doctors' follow-ups to come.

I had a jam-packed real estate business day and could not afford this little 'vacation.' I am negotiating offers for buyers and sellers, preparing to close on a transaction on Friday, 3 hours of continuing education, clients to show new property to and a dentist appointment, all scheduled yesterday. Whew! Seeing it that way makes me think maybe it was a bit much.

Nevertheless, most never occurred because on my drive back to meet an appraiser at a property, I started feeling very strangely; tingling in my left side, disorientation and THEN my car started acting funny, like a bad tire. On a stretch of highway with no breakdown lane, I pulled off an exit into an area I'm marginally familiar with.

Pulled over, tried to make a phone call and couldn't remember how to use my phone. Not worried yet; decided to test the car, seems okay so I begin to drive. I'm not certain of the best route so I tried to plug my destination into my NAV system. I don't remember how to use it. After trying repeatedly with no success, I just drive. I am certain I was not okay but that's in hindsight. I distinctly remember swerving around a trash barrel on the side of the road. Nothing wrong with the tire, by the way, don't know what that sensation was!

I got back to my office after about a 15-minute drive on many busy roads which is scary to recall. There was another agent and my manager in the office, and I walked in and sat on the steps. They immediately realized something was wrong and asked questions that I couldn't really answer as I was struggling with putting thoughts into words.

They called Paul on his cell, I was able to recall his number somehow. I heard Holly explain it to him, and they decided to call the rescue. I wasn't in total favor but surrendered to the plan as long as I got to go to the hospital of my choice in Providence rather than a local one. Paul told me today he heard me say "I hate you!" to Holly. Oops! Not a good thing to tell your manager. (I was kidding, Hol, you know that, right?)

The next thing I know I heard a siren (did they have to do that?!) and there had to be at least 7 medical personnel peering at me asking questions, etc. They decided I didn't need the closest facility and put me into the ambulance (I walked, so you know) and got strapped in for the ride. Strange experience. They started an IV in my hand (ouch! Only my 3rd in my whole life) and soon I was being wheeled into the ER past all kinds of people. Again, strange experience!

No less than 3 IV's in me (ouch, ouch ouch). Blood pressure is fine; heart rate, respiration, all fine. Pulse oxygen in the ambulance was low. I realized that after watching my asthmatic mother's pulse ox reading but figured it was my nails. So did they, but nobody suggested messing with my fingernails!

The CT scan came back fine and there was lots of conversation about my history of migraine which dates back to 18. Apparently they were trying to rule out a cerebrovascular accident, a stroke. I have noticed over the last 3 years or so (hello Menopause?) that my migraines have been a little different. Much experience with the aura, which is a funny visual disturbance, not always followed by pain. Good! you'd think right? Maybe not. As I laid there in the ER for several hours, I kept going into an aura and out; something that never happened before.

More questions (I sent away the chest x-ray order, what?!?) and finally the attentding ER doc came to check on me. "We don't really know what happened." He suggested a follow up with a neurogologist, no caffeine, start taking an 81 mg. aspirin daily and slow down. Yeah, okay. Paul said I kept saying "I'm really very healthy!" Okay, right. (I was trying to text clients and other agents from the ER).

I'm home. Today tried to catch up on what I lost yesterday. Late this afternoon I answered a cell call from a lender friend of mine that I am sharing a transaction with to hear a very calm question/statement: "You were rushed to the hospital yesterday afternoon and you were emailing me at 6:30 a.m. this morning?!"

Ok, ok, I'll make an appointment with the neurologist......after I make this call.


Image from Google Images

Wordless Wednesday

This little goldfinch comes and visits outside my window by the computer.


The quality isn't very good 'cause I shot the photo through the window.

Cosmo The Wonder Cat

I wonder whatever happened to Cosmo.

The Marmelade Gypsy has a picture of her beautiful orange cat on her banner. I have always wanted an orange cat.

I've had two orange dogs, both Golden Retrievers. My beloved Jessie, gone since 1997 and Rosey, my competition for Paul's attention. Have I told you how Rosey barks and jumps up in the air when Paul hugs me? Sometimes we do it just to piss her off.

Madeleine, our granddaugther, said to me once when she was about 3, Grama your hair's not red, it's orange. Since I have orange hair and an orange dog, I've always thought I should have an orange cat.

And one showed up in our garage about 6 years ago. Paul came in one morning saying 'there's some animal out there making an awful racket.' I went out and from under my car comes this skinny orange tomcat yelling his head off. He looked about 4 months old. Despite being so thin he had the most beautiful coat and gorgeous dark orange eyes. He kept meowing like crazy and running around my legs.

He was so skinny, of course, I fed him. No idea where he had come from; I checked with a few neighbors and no one claimed him. We made a bed in an old cat carrier, and he stayed a couple nights while I tried to figure out what to do. After making calls I found a really nice lady who was running a no-kill cat shelter a couple towns away. Actually in the next state, she wasn't supposed to take out-of-state cats but I prevailed upon her,and we made arrangements for a drop-off.

In the meantime, we got kind of attached to the little guy. He was so affectionate, he purred constantly. Pam and Madeleine came to visit and Madeleine name him Cosmo. It was the perfect name.

Paul said several times keep him. But when Tiggy died I swore off litter boxes and since we live near the woods with the foxes and coyotes (remember what happened to Lucy last fall?) I can't in good conscience have an outdoor cat. So, no, he'd go to the shelter and they'd either find him a home or he'd live there permanently.

So the day came when I took him to the shelter which was in an old store front in a strip mall. I was pleased to see about 15 cats of various ages running around having a great time, no cages in sight. As I passed Cosmo to the lady, I teared up and couldn't speak. I had told her his name was Cosmo, and she promised to keep it. I left knowing he was in good hands.

A few days later she called to give me an update. The shelter quarantines new cats and has them seen by a vet as soon as possible. She told me that Cosmo was pretty sick. They had to worm him three times, and he was still at the vet's office. I checked back in a couple weeks and she said he was doing well, back at the shelter and was the life of the party. He had become the favorite of all the shelter volunteers with a personality like they had never seen.

She also told me that he was scheduled to be adopted by a couple who had two other cats they had rescued and was going home that weekend. And his name was going to remain Cosmo.

So when I saw Jeanie's kitty today I thought I wonder whatever happened to Cosmo?

The photo isn't Cosmo, but it could be!

Sunday Visit with Sookie

Meet Sookie, my friend Carolyn's Boykin Spaniel. She's made of milk chocolate and came in an Easter basket. Just kidding but that's what I think of whenever I see this little girl. This photo is when she was just a pup. She's a big girl now.

Sookie decided she wanted a pet of her own. A toad seemed like a good possibility. So she brought this big, fat one home.

Something just isn't right. This toad doesn't taste too good.

Notice Sookie's foamy mustache. Toad doesn't look like he's feeling too good either. Guess she won't be licking anymore toads!

Dear So and So.....Friday Edition

Dear Toyota Service Department,

When I come in for an oil change, all I want is an oil change. Quit trying to get me to spend hundreds of dollars on unnecessary work. It's a Toyota, after all, and my regular mechanic tells me most of what you want to do is BS.

Seriously close to being a former Toyota owner,
Sandy

_____________

Dear Appliance Manufacturers:

How do you arrange it so that SEVERAL different appliances all seem to crap out at the same time? My refrigerator alternately freezes and warms things, my microwave oven door seems iffy, and last night the dehumidifier started emitting a not-so-pleasant smell. Nothing is more than 13 years old. These are not my first appliances but their predecessors all seemed to last much longer.

Soon to be in-debt homeowner,
Sandy

_____________

Dear Garden Slugs,

Please get OUT of my yard. Weather wise this has been the worst summer in my history and you aren't helping much by making lace out of my broccoli leaves.

Lady with the flashlight coming to pick your ass off my plants,
Sandy

_____________

Dear Lucy,

The next time you see one of those striped black and white cats that waddle, leave it alone! Your little face still stinks and I'm tired of washing your bedding,

The loving mom you've got wrapped around your paw,
Sandy

_____________

Dear Rosey,

Please stop looking so old. It makes me sad to realize you aren't the cute little puppy we brought home from Canada 9 years ago, and you aren't going to be with us forever and ever.

The loving wife of the man you have wrapped around your paw,
Sandy

_____________

Dear Readers,

This is fun! If you want to give it a go, grab the button from my side bar (courtesy of Kat at 3 Bedroom Bungalow) and go!

Sandy

You Don't Say?!

My friend Kaye at The Road Goes Ever On has been one of my absolute favorite bloggers since I joined this bloggy community just a few short months ago. Visiting her blog is one of the high points of my daily routine because I still love to look at her banner as it opens. If you haven't been there, I really suggest a visit, and you'll see what I'm talking about! And, of course, I'm not there just to gaze at her beautiful banner but I often find something to comment on after reading one of her posts.

So imagine my surprise when she left a message in one of her comments on my blog that she had a surprise for me. When I dropped by to visit, there in one of her Thesaurus Thursday posts was an award for me in appreciation of my comments. Take a look:

Isn't it beautiful?! And Kaye wrote:

"This cute award is for beautiful people who practice blogging etiquette by visiting or visiting back, and leaving comments. Their observations are apt and helpful and it's a pleasure to have them comment on your posts..."

I couldn't have said it better. As anyone who owns a blog knows, the comments we receive are very important to us. They often give us inspiration and encouragement. I love writing here and I suppose I would continue even without comments but I'm not certain of that. So now I want to pass this award on to eight of my bloggy friends whose comments I look forward to daily and whose opinions and thoughts are greatly valued. Thank you all for time and energy.

Pam at Pam's Perspective

Tammy at Keep in Touch with Mommakin

Anita at A Woman, a wife, a mom

Debbie at Suburb Sanity

Alex at Please Try Again

Bonnie K at Mama K

KathyB! at The World According to Me

Michele at It's a Dog's Life

Please stop by and check out these very special bloggers and see why I think they are all so terrific.

And thanks, Kaye!!

Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me?

Today is Paul's birthday! Isn't he handsome? I think he is, and I probably don't tell him often enough. And I don't tell him often enough how much I love him and how glad I am that we are together and what a great life I think we have.

Paul is an honest, hardworking man. A very experienced outdoorsmen who has literally hunted from Africa to the Artic Circle, he is also a man who appreciates his home which is important to me. He was a good son to his mother which I think is an indication of how a man will treat a wife. An extremely serious man, he's not always the easiest person to live with but I'm no box of chocolates to live with either so I guess we've found a balance in there somewhere. Never demanding, I could feed him a cheese sandwich for dinner and he wouldn't complain.

My husband is a rather unique person in this day and age. He says he was born about 200 years too late and he's probably right. He's not exactly a 21st century man but in most ways I think that's a good thing. He has rather old-fashioned values and can seem pretty crusty on the outside but I can tell you he can be very soft on the inside.

Like most fathers, he loves his children dearly but maybe they didn't always think so because he could be tough on them. I think that was his way of trying to teach them to be individuals and to be able to stand on their own. He's done a good job of that, they are both amazing and successful people. He's a wonderful grandfather to our five grandchildren. They adore him; can't get enough of him.

Tammy has asked how Paul and I met and suggested I blog about it....it is a rather nice story, a love story of sorts....and Tammy says everyone likes a love story so I guess today would be a good day to tell. Hang in here with me, it's long.

I have known Paul for 37 years! Amazing to realize that. When I was a junior in high school I had an afternoon job in the office of a paper company filing, preparing mailings, answering phones, etc. A few months into the job I remember when Frank, one of the warehouse men brought his son in to the office to introduce him when he began working there. You guessed it, the son was Paul. When I tell you I remember that day, remember where he stood in the office when he said hello to everyone, I am not kidding.

Paul starting out working in the warehouse and by the first summer was working the inside sales desk. That summer I was working full-time so we were working in fairly close proximity.

Man, was he a flirt!! Okay, full disclosure here....I'm was a 16-year-old kid with a steady boyfriend and Paul was a 27-year-old married man with two kids, ages 7 & 9 (hi, Pam). Don't be jumping to conclusions yet; nothing went on. BUT every Friday afternoon Paul would say "What are you doing tonight, Sandy, what time should I pick you up?" Of course, he wasn't serious, he just liked to make me giggle and blush.....both of which I did really well.

So we worked together for several months, until I graduated and started college. I don't remember too many specific conversations but I remember that Paul was the first man who talked to me like an adult even though I wasn't quite. The age difference was huge at that point but we still had things to talk about. I guess I must have talked about Paul at home because my father was not pleased that a man so many years older was paying attention to me but it was innocent and nothing to be concerned about.

I graduated, left Central Paper, married my high school sweetheart and started my life. But sometime down the road I called Central Paper to see about buying some special envelopes for the company I was working for. Guess who was still working there and now an outside sales rep? If I tell you that this was all coincidence, will you believe me? Don't, it wasn't.

So Paul made a sales call to my office and guess what? He'd never forgotten about me either. When I was in high school I collected business cards (I know, dork) and he knew it then. Well, in the ensuing years....he had kept a file card box of business cards he collected along the way for me! Be still, my heart.

So I bought 1500 envelopes I didn't need and he made regular sales calls just to say hello. Also in the ensuing years he had divorced. So now I'm married and he's single. Still the age difference but less of an issue now. So still just flirting and nothing more. I was married.

Fast forward a few more years (I know this is long) and my marriage came to an end. One day on a lunch break I was walking downtown and who is coming toward me? I recognized him immediately but didn't expect he would know me. It had been about 9 years since we last saw each other.

As he got along side me I said Paul......and he claims he said my name, too, but I still don't think he knew it was me. Anyway, we stopped and chatted. So, there we are 14 years later and no one is married. He asked me out right on the spot! I said NO....but gave him my telephone number. He called me two days later, we went out that Friday and the rest, as they say, is history!

We bought a house together about 6 months later. We talked about getting married but I said no. I knew I was there for the duration but just didn't ever want to go through another divorce and the only way to ensure that was to never marry.

Six months after moving into our house, we did get married. His daughter was engaged and I thought I might be more comfortable being more than Dad's Girlfriend, so we set a date. In the meantime, Pam postponed her wedding. We got married anyway and then Pam and Geoff were married a few months later. And I was right, it was so much nicer being the bride's stepmother rather than Dad's live-in girlfriend.

So here we are, 22 years later and I can't imagine another life. With Paul came two talented, loving children, Pam & Paul, Jr., the 7- & 9-year olds I'd heard about years earlier. They both married good people from nice families and now we have five fabulous grandchildren to whom I am 'Grama Sandy.' A family I would never have had without Paul.

As Pam said in her Father's Day post, Paul is someone who lives life to the fullest, and I am so happy to be part of that. So if he asks "will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64," my answer is YES! Happy Birthday, Darling.

Go Play.....Outside!!

Do kids ever play outside anymore? I've run into three things today that got me thinking about this. Kathy B! over at The World According to Me wrote about her kids playing for 3 1/2 hours with frogs which really got me reminiscing about my own childhood.

Then there was an article in the paper about social networking and how addictive it has become for some. Kind of what I was referring to in my post about Mouse Potatoes. And then there was another article in the paper about children's unstructured play helping to develop life skills. We all read the statistics about the increase of obesity among American kids from a general lack of exercise.

I'm a City Kid or rather, I grew up in a city. I had a bicycle which I remember riding to friends' houses within a radius of maybe 6 blocks from age 8 or so. That was back in the day when you could let your kids walk city streets without being too worried about them disappearing. For me that was mainly during the school year.

After age 5 I never spent a summer in the city. We started camping when I was about 4. Our travel trailer actually came along as part of a package deal when my grandfather bought a Buick in 1960. Imagine that? He bought a car and a 16' Shasta trailer came with it, literally attached to it! Both were used but in fine shape.

My parents and I, along with my grandparents, did a few weekend camping trips and week-long vacations for a couple years until my grandfather decided that he was going to own a campground. At age 55 he bought 75 acres of virgin woods in Connecticut and developed a campground. He didn't 'develop' it in the sense we think of today. He took a chain saw and cut the roads, and then he dug the well. My grandfather was one cool dude.

But that's another post. My point here is that I was a city kid who lived summers in the woods. From age of 5 until 16, from the afternoon that school ended until the day before school started in September, we were at Sterling Highlands Campground. I wore no shoes the whole summer (did my feet burn that first week of school!) and played with frogs, toads, salamanders; climbed trees; built campfires; swam in ponds and generally just played outside and in the woods. We were camping; there was no inside. This whole experience certainly gave me my love of the outdoors and nature. (My idea of camping now is a 40' motorhome)

But even when I was at home in the city, we still played outside. I had some friends a couple blocks away that I used to stage "circuses" with. Cartwheels, dogs on leashes, that sort of thing. We were probably 8. We sold tickets and lemonade. Really sophisticated. At least we were being creative. Don't get me wrong, I watched television, too. But it wasn't a major part of my life like it is today with most of us.

It seems today that kids don't have as many opportunities to be creative as we did then. So much of their lives is scheduled. So much is all figured out for them. Although I do remember not so many years ago when our oldest granddaugthers, Katie & Madeleine, were visiting during the summer when they still lived in Arizona, and they put on a variety show for us in the backyard. I've got the pictures to prove it

They found a big cardboard box and cut holes in it to use as a stage. We all sat around in lawn chairs and watched as they sang and danced with brooms or whatever they found in the shed. As for unstructured play developing life skills, maybe this was the beginning of Madeleine's interest in the stage. She participates in local theater and is very talented.

I suppose things aren't going to get any better soon but I just hope kids will keep catching frogs and running around outside while they still can.

Summer Stock Sunday

Here's our first taste of summer at the end of May. Summer here in the Northeast hasn't been anything to write home about, but we started off with a week on the gorgeous beaches of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This year we made sure we brought our 4x4 and did some tooling along the beaches. So cool! Then just pick a spot and back into the dunes and relax. I'm not a big beach person back home but this is pretty hard to resist.

This is for a meme called Summer Stock Sunday. If you’d like to participate, post a picture of anything that says summer to you, and link back to Around the Island so that other folks can find you. Have fun with it, and take time to visit the other blogs to see what summer looks like all over the world

Pepe Le Pew Update

I know many of you are wondering what happened to Lucy's little skunk friend. He's gone. Of his own free will.

He spent one day shut in the dog kennel so Lucy wouldn't be able to stage a Second Act. That night after the dogs were in the house, we went out and opened the door. The next day Paul was getting ready to dig the Havahart trap out of the shed, but thought he better see if Pepe Le Pew was still there first. He put on the oldest clothes he could find, a pair of gloves and rubber boots that went to his knees and went out to check. He lifted up the pallet and there he was.....Gone!

Been no sighting or smelling since!


Image from Google Images

Funny Foto Friday

Meet Pearl, our granddog. Pearl has been staying with us for the last 16 days, 15 hours, 38 minutes.....no wait, that doesn't sound right....we LOVE having Pearl visit. Pearl stays with us when her people travel and Lucy & Rosey stay with Pearl's people when Paul and I travel. I can only assume my two dogs disrupt their house far more than having one always-hungry pug stay with us disrupts our house.

I can tell you for certain that Pearl is missing her people. They are due home soon and I have no doubt she will be doing doggy cartwheels when they come to claim her. I think Pearl is actually growing up. She really fit in quite well this time and everyone got along well.

She didn't get to meet & greet Lucy's little skunk buddy which was a good thing. One dog in the sink being de-skunked was enough, thank-you-very-much. But, I have to say honestly, if it's not edible, Pearl's not that interested. Don't think skunk could taste very good.

So this weekend we'll be saying bye-bye to Pearl. I hope she enjoyed her visit.

Lucy, Don't Play With the Black & White Cat!

Real Estate in this area has really picked up, and I am very busy all of a sudden. This week I haven't been getting home until 8 p.m. after 10-hour days. No complaints! Just tired.

So when Paul called me yesterday afternoon to tell me that the mouse Lucy, the Jack Russell Terror, has been trying to dig out from under the dog-house duplex in their kennel was not a mouse at all but a little skunk, I really thought about NOT going home.

Lucy's been going nuts out there over the last few weeks digging, digging, digging and chewing the wooden pallet the dog houses sit on. We just figured it was a mouse or a chipmunk. When Paul started to pull out the old pallet to replace it with a newer, plastic one, he found a nice little nest of hay and a juvenile skunk.

Of course, Lucy was at his elbow ready to drag it out by its neck. Pepe Le Pew had other ideas. Little feet start to stamp and Lucy got a face full. Paul grabbed Lucy and headed for the house and the little bottle of Skunk Off. He called me to warn me the house and yard were still pretty stinky and Lucy was a little less stinky. He thought I might need to give her another dose of the Skunk Off when I got home.

When I opened the door at 8 p.m. it was bad. Paul was out to a town meeting and all the dogs were confined to the kitchen with the worst of the stink. How does one little animal make such a smell? What was God thinking when he created that little bugger? Well, I was much too tired to deal with it at that time so I figured maybe it would just go away overnight. Wrong!

So this morning at 5:30 a.m. I got up, went online to find that natural recipe (I don't have much faith in the Skunk Off) mixed up a batch and stuck her in the sink for a treatment. Fortunately Lucy is only 14# so she's pretty easy to control and can be bathed in the kitchen sink. After the bath, I took her outside to shake off and the little shit headed right for the kennel! Slow learner? NO, just a Jack Russell Terrier. Fortunately the door was shut and I'm assuming Pepe Le Pew was snug in his little bed out of reach.

I don't know what we're going to do. Lucy is a relentless hunter and won't quit until the skunk is gone one way or another. I think it's time for the Havahart trap and for Pepe to be relocated. That's going to be an adventure.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share the recipe for the natural stink remover. We've used it on Rosey, too, and it works pretty well. Better than the store-bought stuff if you ask me. Here it is:

In a bucket, mix:

1 quart of FRESH hydrogen peroxide (available at your local drugstore or grocery store in the health care aisle)
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid soap

The mixture will bubble. Thoroughly wet the victim in this mixture, taking care to keep it out of the eyes. Be Careful! Peroxide burns terribly if you get it into the dog's eyes. Wash the dog with the mixture as if it were shampoo while it is bubbling. Leave it on for 5 minutes. Rinse the dog and repeat. Be careful not to contaminate the rinse water.

The soap breaks down the oil in which the odor is suspended, and the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda neutralize the scent. Do not premix the solution or store this potion in a bottle (the bubbling would cause it to explode).

Hopefully you'll never need it!

Image from Google Images

Food for Thought--Tomato Pie

Today's Food for Thought is provided by guest blogger Ella of Jar Jam Boogie

She wrote.....

Tomato Pie
From More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin

Here's a great summer recipe that uses up your bumper crop of tomatoes. This is how it appears in the book, followed by my notes on what I do differently.

For the Crust:

2 c all purpose flour
1 stick cold butter
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 c milk or buttermilk or a combo of the 2

Combine baking powder and flour in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives or your fingers till mixture resembles oatmeal. Add milk and mix just till it holds together, turn onto floured board and knead a few times, but don't overwork. Divide dough in half. Roll one half and line a 9" pie plate with it.

Add 2 lbs peeled fresh tomatoes (about 6 or so large tomatoes) or a 28 oz can and a 12 oz can well drained canned tomatoes and scatter over the top:

chopped fresh basil or chives or scallions (amount to taste)
1 and 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese

Drizzle with 1/3 c mayonnaise that's been thinned with a little lemon juice

Roll out remaining dough and cover pie, seal edges and crimp, cut a few steam vents and bake at 400 for 25-35 minutes till bubbly.

Cool slightly and serve hot, warm or at room temp.

Ella says:

What I do differently:

Add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 Tablespoons sugar to the dough.
Use basil AND scallions or oregano or whatever I have on hand. You can use dried herbs, but it is NOT the same.
Sprinkle the tomatoes, if they're fresh, with a little sugar.
Add 1/4 c finely chopped red onion.

Put a layer of cheese down on the bottom first on the dough before the tomatoes (I used brie once on the bottom and cheddar on the top and it was heavenly). Then the tomatoes, basil and remaining cheese. I've skipped the mayo and don't notice it's absence.

It really is so fabulous hot out of the oven when the crust is not soggy and the cheese melted, but it's great even the next day zapped in the microwave. Store any leftovers in the 'fridge. Drain any juices in the pan before I put it away.

I would seriously recommend this author to you. Her fiction is OK, but the two collections of food essays are wonderful reading. They are Home Cooking and More Home Cooking. Check 'em out.

Sandy says:

Thanks, Ella! I'm not much of a pastry cook so I might use store-bought crust but I might try making a pie crust again for this recipe. It sounds fabulous!


Image from Google Images

Adventures in Florence

I thought by now most everyone would be tired of my travelog but I got such nice comments on my Adventures in Venice post....You like me, really like me.......that I thought for the next two Mondays I'd continue posting photos from other cities visited in Italy.

So today class we are going to talk about Florence. Of all the cities I have visited in Italy, I liked Florence the best and would opt to return there first. It's a very easy city to get around, not confusing like Rome and Venice. Located in the region of Tuscany, Florence is on the Arno River and is thought of as the heart of the Renaissance. The architecture is beautiful and there are so many galleries and museums I don't think you could ever see them all.

The Arno River has six bridges, the oldest of which is the Ponte Vecchio, shown above. Originally lined with fishmongers, butchers and tanners, the shops were later occupied by goldsmiths and jewelers. Anyone who knows me can tell you I've been in a few jewelry stores in my life. Well, I have NEVER seen as much jewelry as I did in these shops on the Ponte Vecchio. These little shuttered shops you see above hold some of the most amazing displays I have ever seen.

The current bridge was rebuilt after a flood in 1345. During World War II it was the only bridge across the Arno that the fleeing Germans did not destroy. On November 4, 1966, the bridge miraculously withstood a tremendous flood of the Arno which damaged many buildings.

This is the monument to Benvenuto Cellini, the most famous Florentine goldsmith. When I was there in 2005 the fences around the Cellini Monument were full of padlocks with indelible writings, hung up by lovers who believe that it is a symbol of an indissoluble relationship; the keys to these padlocks are then symbolically thrown into the Arno River, where nobody can ever retrieve them. When I returned in 2007, all the padlocks were gone and there was a sign saying anyone caught attaching a padlock to the fence would be fined.

Most photos of the skyline of Florence include Il Duomo an incredibly beautiful cathedral that is covered in red, white and green marble. Begun in 1296 and finally consecreated in 1436 it has an enourmous octagonal dome that was the largest in the world when it was built.

An amazing view that pops into sight as you turn a corner in the city.

The interior of the Filippo Brunelleschi's dome.

The color and detail of the marble on the Duomo are exquisite.

Here's my real Adventure in Florence, the handsome Italian I brought home with me

Funny Foto Friday

When in Rome Do As The Romans.......right? Well, When in Portugal, Eat as the Portuguese. And that means eat FISH FISH FISH. I was told by a few Portuguese friends that I must try grilled sardines when there. I like fish, I like to try local cuisine so when we found an outdoor restaurant in the town of Faro in the Algarve where they were grilling sardines on a big grill made out of barrels, we were in!



Never mind the look on my face, look at my plate! I did a pretty good job on them.

Poor little fishy.


Here's Pam finishing up leftovers!

Super Snoop Reporting for Duty

I did it again....found someone I wasn't exactly looking for. I think in my next career I'm going to be a Private Investigator. Of course the Internet makes it a whole lot easier than ever before to find people, but you still have to know where to look. I like it because I don't even have to leave my chair. I often say that I can find someone, their relative or at least find something about them, like their age, in less than 3 minutes. This all ties in with my thoughts about how it's a Small World.

I was reading the death notices in the paper today and saw a woman whose maiden name was very familiar. I didn't know the deceased but I recognized the first names of her two younger sisters. One was a classmate of an old friend of mine that I dated in high school. In fact, we had double-dated (geez, how old am I?) a few times and I knew that sister's ex-husband. He had married, had a child with and then divorced a woman who used to live next door to Paul and me 15 years ago. Got all that? I didn't think so.

Doesn't matter. It's just how my mind works. So now I've got the current name of this girl I knew in high school and the town she lives in. With a few more clicks of the mouse through several websites I use all the time in real estate, I have her address, her current husband's name and age and a picture of her house online. I don't really care, don't plan to do anything with the info, just wanted to see what I could find. I found a lot.

Okay, so maybe I'm just nosy? But if you're looking for someone, you know who to call.


Image from Google Images

Food for Thought--Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta

Now that all our gardens are bursting with fresh tomatoes and basil (that's about all I plant) I'll be looking around for new ways to use them. My absolutely favorite way to enjoy tomatoes and basil is a basic Caprese Salad which is simply fresh mozzarella, basil tomatoes, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I could literally eat that three times a day and have. In the hotels in Italy that feature buffet breakfasts there's always fresh mozzarella & tomatoes available, and I seriously had them for breakfast several times when I was there.

Today's recipe is simple but a bit elegant. It smells wonderful while cooking and keeps the heat in the kitchen down to a minimum. It also goes together in less than 30 minutes.

Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta

2 tsp olive oil

Cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, minced
1# medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups chopped plum tomato or whatever you have growing
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
2 tbls capers, drained (optional, I don't always use them)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper or to your taste
4 cups hot cooked angel hair pasta (about 8 oz. uncooked)
1/4 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add shrimp; sauté 1 minute. Add tomato and basil; reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until tomato is tender. Stir in kalamata olives, capers, and black pepper. Combine shrimp mixture and pasta in a large bowl; toss well. Top with cheese.

Serves 4 Enjoy!

Adventures in Venice

In 2007 I went back to Italy for two weeks but this time with Paul and my cousins, Don and Chris. We flew first to Venice and then traveled south. I had been to Venice once before but for a very short time. I had been reading about the city since my first visit and was very anxious to go back and see more.

This is Paul at one spot where you can access a gondola on a back canal. The flowers all over the city were lovely.

A fascinating and enchanting city, Venice can also be a maddening place to try to get around. As you probably know, the streets of Venice are mostly canals. In fact, there are no wheeled vehicles of any sort in the city. You walk or take a water taxi or water bus to get around. And it can be very confusing with its maze of streets and web of canals and lots of dead-ends. Even with a map, it's a difficult place to navigate. And good luck asking a Venetian for directions!

This is the Grand Canal and truly the Main Street of Venice. This might have been taken while standing on the Rialto Bridge.

No visit to Venice would be complete without a gondola ride, despite the price. These photos were taken from the boat as we glided through the back streets of this unique and romantic city.



Balconies were full of flowers AND hanging laundry in many cases.

You see boats of all kinds tied up to the buildings. They are the only method of transportation other than walking. And, of course, commerce moves on the water as well. Monday morning when we left, there were all sorts of work boats and delivery boats navigating the canals along with the taxis and personal watercraft.

See the flowers. And the crowds! We stayed right in the city which is the only way to really get a feel for Venice. Most tourists come into the city for the day and then leave in late afternoon on the Vaporetta (water bus).

In the gondola on The Grand Canal. That's the Rialto Bridge straight ahead.

This is taken from the Campanile or bell tower which is the tallest structure in Venice. The current tower is a 20th century recreation of the 8th century original which collapsed without warning into a pile of bricks in 1902.

And here we are leaving the city in a private water taxi taking us to the train station for points south. Venice is truly an enchanting place. You have to see it to really understand it.

I know You Are But What Am I?

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, But Names Will Never Hurt Me.

Main Entry: mouse potato
Function: noun
Etymology: after couch potato
Date: 1993
slang : a person who spends a great deal of time using a computer

What's a mouse potato? The computer-age version of a couch potato—someone who spends hour after hour of leisure time in front of a computer screen.

Who you calling a Mouse Potato?!

Highbush Cranberry---July

My intentions were to shoot a new photo on the first of every month beginning in June but as you may know Mother Nature has not been very kind to us here in the Northeast this last month. July 1st was a rainy, nasty day; as was July 2nd and July 3rd. So, today, July 4th is not only Independence Day it is also a Chamber of Commerce weather day!

So here is what our Highbush Cranberry is looking like today, July 4th, as Lucy and I scope it out. The flowers were gone soon after the photo at the beginning of June and we now have lovely green berries as the picture below shows.

Happy Birthday America!

In a July 3, 1776, letter to his wife, Abigail, John Adams wrote: "...I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great Anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp, shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward forever."

Sounds like good advice to me. I hope everyone will find a minute this weekend to stop and think how fortunate we are to live in this great country. And please say a prayer for the men and women who are away from their families and homes defending us all.

Happy 233rd Birthday America!

Funny Foto Friday

Earlier this week I posted some pictures from my first trip to Italy. These are silly pictures from a trip in 2007 with my cousin Don and his wife, Chris. If Don sees these pictures here, he'll probably kill me. Too bad.

This was in St. Peter's Cathedral in Vatican City. I've heard of kissing rings but not toes.

Look who thinks he's Hercules. This is in Pompei.

In your dreams, Don. This little beauty was parked outside the restaurant we were having lunch in that day in Rome.

Oops, looks like somebody dropped something. That's Don and Paul. Must have been green-shorts-and-tan-shirt day.

Adventures in South Africa plus Soundtrack!

Here is the giraffe that I saw a couple times during my visit to South Africa while on safari with Paul. I took this photo from inside a blind which the professional hunter, Erik, called the Pizza Oven so named because it got mighty hot inside by mid-day. It was a round metal building of sorts which was just big enough for two people to fit inside. The exterior was camouflaged with bundles of grasses. It was at a water tank and the two times I was in it this guy came in for a drink. In this photo he certainly seems to be looking right at me!

That water tank was just a bit under 6' high so Erik estimated the giraffe at about 18' tall. What a sight. Look back at the top photo and you'll see he was missing most of his tail.

My friend Debbie sent me the link to this most amazing video of an a capella jazz choir doing a version of Toto's 1982 hit Africa. Take a listen. It's incredible!

Video link--->African thunderstorm

Christmas in July

Nobody is really thinking about Christmas right now, I know, but something happened recently that does have some time sensitivity and I wanted to tell you all about it.

For about 20 years I've been involved with a local charity called Adopt-A-Family, Inc. The program has been around for more than 25 years, and for the last several I have been serving as its Program Coordinator. A group of about 20, we work each year to locate people in the community to provide for needy children at Christmas. Last year, during the second week of December, Adopt-A-Family, Inc. was able to deliver gifts of toys and clothing to 2,163 children in 1,017 families.

You're going to hear more about us as it gets closer to Christmas but this is about my friend, Joe, a donor and volunteer for AAF. About two months ago I got a telephone call from Joe. He's a biker; goes by the name "Santa" . If you saw him, you'd know where the nickname came from....longish white hair and beard to match.

Joe has been helping us out for a few years and takes his appearance as Santa seriously and really enjoys seeing the kids at Christmas. His telephone message to me that day said that his doctor has given him only a few months to live, and he wanted to set up a fund to benefit AAF after he's gone. He asked me to meet him at a local credit union to set it up.

The morning of our appointment Joe was already there with Frank, an officer in their motorcycle club, who was to be the signature on their side of the account. I would be the signature for AAF. Joe had it all figured out how he wanted this to work, and the credit union was willing to arrange it.

I have to say it was a little uncomfortable at first to talk about this as Joe sat there hooked up to his portable oxygen bottle that he needs 24 hours a day now but he seemed totally calm and at peace with what he was doing. As a matter of fact, when I asked if he had given up his bike, he told me he had just come back from a 2800-mile motorcycle ride to the Smoky Mountains with his oxygen tank on board. Talk about living life to the end! I had to admire what I was seeing and hearing.

Joe's plan was for the club to have a memorial ride in his honor after he is gone expressly to fund this account. The proceeds raised from the ride will be placed in an account titled "Santa's Memorial for Adopt-A-Family" From then on, every year on the day after Thanksgiving, I am to meet Frank at the credit union and we will withdraw 10% of the balance from the account to be used for the program that year. There was also talk about having other benefit rides and fundraisers to put money into the account when possible. We were there that day getting it all started.

So the documents were completed and signed. Joe, Frank and I walked out to say goodbye. I hugged Joe hard and told him I never wanted to see that account funded beyond the $100 he had just deposited and that he better be here this December to volunteer during Distribution Week. But I know that's probably not going to happen. When I drove away I was a little teary thinking about the good our program seems to bring out in people but nobody better than my friend Joe.

Food for Thought--Baby Spinach Salad

Baby Spinach Salad With Creamy Dijon Dressing

Prep: 10 minutes

This tangy dressing works well on any greens and can be made up to 2 days ahead.

Ingredients
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons lo-fat or fat-free mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, sliced, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 medium red onion, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 ripe diced peeled avocado

Preparation
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the first 8 ingredients (through Worcestershire sauce). Refrigerate dressing until ready to serve. (The dressing can be made up to 2 days ahead.)
2. When you're ready to serve the salad, place the spinach in a large salad bowl. Top with the bell pepper, onion, and avocado pieces. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, and toss together gently to combine.

Makes 5 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups salad and 2 tablespoons dressing)

Enjoy!

Boo-Hoo

I just read that Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for the fraud that he perpetrated against thousands of people going back to the early 1990's. The massive Ponzi scheme, estimated between $13.2 billion and $50 billion depending on who you believe, destroyed the lives of thousands when it took their life savings and ruined charities all over the world.

When asked at sentencing if he had anything to say, Madoff called his crime a "problem" and "an error in judgement." Ya think? His wife, Ruth Madoff, has been the target of some of the victims' anger since her husband's arrest while she continued to live her lavish lifestyle and kept quiet. She now says she was duped by her husband and was misled, too.

I saw a TV news report earlier this week saying she also has been financially ruined, and has been reduced to riding the subway to get around New York City. If that wasn't a staged photo op, I don't know what is. There she sat on the subway looking all sad and small. I imagine once the cameras were gone she just about jumped into a vat of Purell.

Today's report, however, says that even though the Madoffs were forced to give up personal property, real estate, investments and $80 million in assets Ruth claimed were hers, they left her with $2.5 million that they couldn't tie to the fraud. Oh, boo-hoo, only $2.5 million?? Poor dear.

Who needs $80 million and what does one do with such wealth? And I guess we should start thinking about a fund for poor Ruth because $2.5 million just isn't going to go far on her budget.

Adventures in Rome

In April 2005 I traveled to Italy for the first time. I love Italian food and my half-Italian husband (his mother was first-generation American) but I never had any overwhelming desire to travel to Italy. When my friend Gisele asked if I was interested in a trip, my first reaction was.......hmmm, maybe, maybe not. Obviously I said yes, and my stepdaughter Pam of Pam's Perspectives, Gisele and Gisele's stepmother Muriel and I traveled together. We had a great time.

It was also my first time on one of those Six-Countries-in-Four-Days kinds of trips where they keep you moving from 6:30 a.m. to midnight. Not the most restful way to travel but you see a lot. We actually only visited Italy but in one week we traveled from Venice all the way down to Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast. From nearly missing the plane in Boston after getting to Logan 7 hours early (don't ask) to Pam and me getting lost in the streets of Venice, it was a wonderful trip!

Here are a few photos of our stay in Rome.

This is a Lamborghini. It probably took 5 minutes to get this shot as Gisele kept saying......'okay, wait a minute, no, oops, I missed it, go back.' I was smiling but was thinking about killing her as I stood making a spectacle of myself in the middle of the street.

Probably my favorite photo from the trip. That's Muriel, Gisele, Pam and me on the Spanish Steps. Don't know who those people in front were.

Another of my favorites. To me this was the ultimate new meets old. Or at least newer meets ancient as the yellow building was probably mid-1800's.

We were there the week after the funeral of Pope John Paul II. This is the door to the Sistine Chapel which was as far as we got because the College of Cardinals was meeting. In fact we were in Italy when they elected Pope Benedict XVI.

These photos are taken on the grounds at the Coliseum. It was a drizzly day which made the site a little eerie especially when you looked into the pits where the animals and slaves were kept but it also made the trees and grass so green, it was a beautiful contrast.

Stick around and I'll post more photos from our visit to other cities.

Funny Foto Friday

Our littlest grandson, Alex, loves All Things Wheels. This first photo was taken when Paul rode up to their house with his buddies on the way to a ride somewhere. I'm not sure Alex, who seems a little beside himself as he stands there, even knew it was his grandfather in the leathers.

In this next photo, Travis is trying to be very cool, Julia is her usual smily self and Alex is still in heaven.

Here's Alex a couple years earlier in his very serious mood getting ready to cut some grass. What do you think he's got in the sippy cup?

Close Encounters of the Unpleasant Kind

They say cats have nine lives but I hope dogs do, too, 'cause I think Lucy has used up a couple of hers. There was that day when she crossed 6 lanes of morning traffic twice on Rt. 195 without a scratch. Don't ask, the story makes me a little sick to my stomach despite the happy ending. But her most recent adventure was last October when she got 'up close and personal' with what we are pretty sure was a coyote.

We have a couple acres of our property enclosed by an invisible fence; a fabulous invention that I highly recommend over tying a dog if you don't have a regular fence. Of course, the flaw in that is that it keeps our dogs IN but it does nothing to keep other animals OUT.

That evening, just at dark Lucy was in the yard barking at something in the woods.....barking barking barking. I called to her to come in but she kept barking so I finally just went inside. Within 3 minutes of going inside I heard her start to scream like a little girl. I ran out screaming her name into the dark yard, I can't see anything and now she's not making any noise and I can't see her! A couple minutes later she's on the deck, bleeding from both sides and she's pretty shaken up. And so am I.

She's short haired but we couldn't really tell what the cuts looked like. I was thinking maybe a fight with a cat. It was late, she was fine so we just stopped the bleeding and left her alone for the night....well, not alone, she had to be right beside one of us, she was so frightened.

The next day when the vet shaved the area around the two cuts, they were clearly puncture wounds from canine teeth!! Lucy had been in the mouth of a coyote and lived to tell.


Paul says I saved her when I ran out shrieking like a banshee. He figures the coyote decided it didn't want to deal with whatever was making THAT noise! Of course, we're lucky it didn't grab her throat or her head or the outcome might have been very different. So that night Lucy was Lucky and we learned a lesson.....no going out after dark alone. In this photo I think she's a little embarrassed.

The Bloggity Blog Blog Tag

Anita over at A woman, a wife, a mom was tagged in this game, and she tagged anyone willing to play............so, that's what I'm doing, too. It seems a simple enough meme and since I'm my favorite subject, why not?

1. Where are you blogging right now? I'm at the computer desk in the corner of the living room directly above where the wireless router is. I recently moved here from my spot in the kitchen to improve the reception. It's quiet and working out better than expected.

2. How many unpublished posts do you have in your 'draft' box? 2-3

3. Whose blog inspired you to start your own? Pam of Pam's Perspective. In case anyone doesn't already know, Pam is my stepdaughter. Pam started her blog back a few months ago and has been very inspirational and helpful to me.

4. When do you usually publish your posts? At 7 a.m. I usually write my posts a day or two in advance and save them for later. Occasionally I publish them right when they're written, depends upon my inspiration.

5. In your guesstimation, how many blogs do you read? About 10 and I try to visit the SITS Featured Blogger daily to say hi.

6. How long have you been blogging for? Since April this year.

7. Why did you start blogging? I like to write and enjoy writing wordy emails about things that are going on. I kept a diary in my teens and a journal in my early 20's when my marriage was falling apart. I started out writing one blog with the intentions of making it a little personal (about happy things this time) and a little bit about my real estate business but soon decided that I wanted to separate them and started a second blog about real estate alone.

8. Why do you keep blogging? I'm enjoying writing my personal blog especially since I've gotten some encouraging feedback from family and friends who are reading it. Of course, there was that person I thought was a friend that I sent a link to early on whose comment was...."get an editor." But I've gotten over that and hope to keep it going. The real estate blog has been slow going but I'm going to keep plugging at that, too.

9. If you could only recommend one blog to a friend, which one would it be? I couldn't begin to know how to answer that. They are all so different. The ones I'm really enjoying appeal for different reasons and I'm discovering new ones every week.

10. If the Internet was "turned off" for one month, what would you do with all the time you used to spend blogging? Well I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be watching television. TV just puts me to sleep. Even movies and shows I enjoy sometimes don't keep me awake. I suppose it would be reading. I have to admit that blogging has cut into my time spent reading. I might try to get Paul to play a game of Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit. We don't do that as often as we used to.

So now YOU are invited to use this tag too. And let me know in the comments that you did so I'll be sure to come and read your list.


Image from Google Images

Food for Thought-Peanut Butter Cake

Thought it was time for a dessert. This is my mother's recipe and it probably dates back to the 1950's. I used to have a copy in her handwriting but somewhere along the way I typed it and discarded the original. Wish I still had it; she used to have beautiful handwriting.

This was also my father's favorite dessert so it seems appropriate since Father's Day just passed. Happy Father's Day a little late, Dad. Miss you!

PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

This makes a very moist, dense cake. This is the original frosting recipe but you might use a chocolate frosting for something different.

Preheat oven to 350.

Sift together:
2 1/8 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Add:
1/3 cup soft shortening
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk

Beat 2 minutes

Add:
2 eggs

Beat 2 minutes

Pour into greased pan. Bake layers 25-30 minutes. Square, oblong or Bundt pan 35-40 minutes. And you MUST test its doneness the old-fashioned way.....use a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, you're done!

FROSTING

Peanut butter
Canned evaporated milk
Sugar

Because it's an old recipe there were never exact measurements for the frosting ingredients. Just start out with a small can of milk and gradually add the peanut butter and suger to taste. Mix ingredients together until very smooth and thin. Drip over cake as thick as desired. Enjoy!

Come on, Dish!!

Last week's Food For Thought was a recipe for Chicken Francaise from my friend, Rich Epstein, Residential Properties' Coach Extraordinaire. When I sent Rich a link to my post I got this message back:

When I was a young, single man, I had one dish I used to cook for potential girlfriends. Having spent from 16 through most of college working in restaurants in various positions I picked up a few pointers. Only if I thought the girl had “girlfriend potential” did I make the meal my sister lovingly refers to as the “Classic Meal for Babes” which consisted of:

Stuffed mushroom appetizer.
Caesar salad.
Veal Francaise with a creamy dill sauce.
My mother’s recipe for garlic bread sticks.
Something store bought for dessert – not a baker.

I thought that was a pretty nice menu. It would have impressed me! Rich's email got me thinking back to the first meal Paul ever cooked for me. It was a freshwater salmon that he caught at Big Lake in Grand Lake Stream, Maine. He had spent Memorial Day weekend fishing at a buddy's cabin and brought the salmon home. I don't remember the recipe other than that it was done in foil in the oven. But I do remember thinking "this one's a keeper" the guy, not the fish!

So now I want to know who remembers that very first meal that your significant other prepared for you? Or how about the most romantic dinner ever prepared for you? Everyone must have a story. Come on, share! Leave me a comment with the details.


Image from Google Images

Here Comes the Sun

I'm starting to feel like a mushroom.....this rainy, cloudy weather is really starting to get on my nerves!

I'm not a sun-worshiper like Tammy from Keep In Touch With Mommakin 'cause I'm a redhead and therefore a burner & a peeler. I've already had one experience with a basal cell and don't need to go through that again, thank you very much. But I do believe I have solar batteries. I just don't feel right when the sun doesn't shine. So I'm bringing some of my own along here to the right.

I definitely wake up with the sun which is kind of cool because morning is the best time of my day. I haven't used an alarm clock for 15 years. Well, the only time I DO set an alarm is when we have an early plane to catch. Then I set TWO because I'm sure I'll sleep through one (I've never slept through an alarm in my life. I'm such a light sleeper I wake up when a mouse farts in the attic) and then I wake up once an hour all night looking at the clock thinking I've slept through both or the power went out. I really should just stay up the night before a flight; I don't sleep anyway.

I remember when we flew to Alaska a few years ago in July. We arrived in Fairbanks at 10:30 at night and the sun was as high in the sky as it would be here at 2 in the afternoon. There we were sitting in an outdoor restaurant along a river at 11 p.m. wearing sunglasses. Weird! The hotels there all post sunrise and sunset times in the lobbies. Sunset 2:30 a.m. and Sunrise at 4:00 a.m. That was pretty neat. They all had these heavy drapes that you had to close at night to block out the sun or you'd never go to sleep. Apparently some people in Alaska get a little manic in the summer; they forget to go to bed.

Right now I could use 22 hours of sunshine. I think I'm beginning to mold.


Image from Google Images

Say It Ain't So

Over coffee this morning Paul asked,"Did you hear that your favorite store is going out of business?" My favorite store? I don't have a favorite store, I hate to shop. Yes, I am a woman but I apparently didn't get the shopping gene. I can do it and occasionally I do but it's not something I really enjoy. My lack of enthusiasm for shopping probably comes from not being able to buy much clothing 'off the rack.' I am tall, 6 feet tall, with a 36" inseam and an arm and foot to match. I'd look a little odd otherwise, wouldn't I? So shopping for clothes my whole life has been a struggle.

Years ago I discovered catalog shopping which, of course, led to online shopping. Between the specialty stores available that way and my preference to shop for clothes sitting here in my sweats, online/catalog shopping was a dream come true. And THAT I do very well.

Paul used to joke that I had my own UPS truck. He thought a UPS truck couldn't drive past our house without stopping. "Not so, there goes one now!" I said one day as we were standing in the front yard and a big brown truck drove past without stopping. BUT (you guessed it) about two houses down, it stopped, backed up, drove in and put a package into my hands. Okay so I'm on a first-name basis with the UPS guy. That's not a bad thing.

So anyway this morning he told me that Eddie Bauer is filing Chapter 11. EDDIE BAUER! Now that's a different story!! I refer to myself as Mrs. Eddie Bauer. It's not unusual to have everything on me, with the exception of underwear, to have an EB label. This could be a crisis!

Wait a minute; Chapter 11, isn't that reorganization? Doesn't mean they are going under, does it? Apparently they are being bought by someone. Well, there goes whatever quality is left in their stuff, which honestly, has gone down over the last few years, but their clothes still FIT me! And a pair of pants doesn't cost $225.

Okay, I have to wrap this up. I have some shopping to do.

Image from Google Images