Monday, February 09, 2009
Monday Mornings
Today is Monday morning, and it is a really fine day. Years ago, I used to have something I called the Sunday Night Syndrome, where I dreaded Mondays and started the downward spiral sometime on Sunday afternoon. I knew it was irrational, but I couldn't seem to help myself.
Today that Monday morning syndrome thing is all gone. I no longer stress about work on Sundays, and I look forward to each day the same. Monday is the beginning of another exciting week for me, and I feel very very lucky to like my job so much.
This weekend I felt that I should probably have someplace to go, or something exciting to do, but I didn't. Instead of finding my fun outside the house, I bought some paper and made valentines. I mailed them this morning. The process was really fun. As I sat and cut out paper hearts, and embossed the cards, I realized that i was going back to the creative process that children have when they make things just for the fun of it. I wasn't going to make any money doing this, I wasn't probably going to learn that much (although I did learn a better way to take glue dots off the backing), and I wasn't spending my time doing anything that would impress others. But I had a great deal of fun all by myself, cutting out hearts and pasting them on cards and making designs that I thought others would enjoy. I mailed out 10 valentines this morning at the post office.
I can't think of a better way to start off a Monday morning.
Have a great day.
Today that Monday morning syndrome thing is all gone. I no longer stress about work on Sundays, and I look forward to each day the same. Monday is the beginning of another exciting week for me, and I feel very very lucky to like my job so much.
This weekend I felt that I should probably have someplace to go, or something exciting to do, but I didn't. Instead of finding my fun outside the house, I bought some paper and made valentines. I mailed them this morning. The process was really fun. As I sat and cut out paper hearts, and embossed the cards, I realized that i was going back to the creative process that children have when they make things just for the fun of it. I wasn't going to make any money doing this, I wasn't probably going to learn that much (although I did learn a better way to take glue dots off the backing), and I wasn't spending my time doing anything that would impress others. But I had a great deal of fun all by myself, cutting out hearts and pasting them on cards and making designs that I thought others would enjoy. I mailed out 10 valentines this morning at the post office.
I can't think of a better way to start off a Monday morning.
Have a great day.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Kitty helper
Simba came up on the table and laid down on the fabric of the new fleece blanket I was sewing. The fabric was still in the machine and he had already made it his. It was so funny!
Oh Simba.
Oh Simba.
Monday, January 19, 2009
More fun with the new sewing machine
I bought this fleece today and made this fun throw and hemmed it with a blanket stitch. They are great fun to make. Mike, let me know if you want one!
Love, Mom
Help the economy: buy fabric
Today I am going to Joannes to buy more fabric to make stuff with my new sewing machine. As I go forth into the snowy, quiet, peaceful world we call Melrose in Winter, I am thinking about what it would be like to be standing on the Mall in Washington catching a glimpse of some celebrity on a giant screen TV. I imagine that I would be cold, tired and want to go to the bathroom. What in the world are they going to do with all those people?? Where do they eat?? How much would be pay to be a hot dog seller down there today?
Anyway, I'm off to do my part of keeping the economy going. What would I do without a good fabric and yarn store nearby?
Have a great day.
Anyway, I'm off to do my part of keeping the economy going. What would I do without a good fabric and yarn store nearby?
Have a great day.
How we measure snowfall
We can measure how much snow we get by looking out at the back deck, the railings and the window boxes. Yesterday we got 8 inches and George spent a lot of time snow blowing and shoveling. This morning we woke to 4 more inches and he has to do it all over again. A winter wonderful on a day off is not a bad thing.
Have a great day.
Good sewing weather
Yesterday George and I set up my new sewing machine which he bought for me for Christmas. It is awesome. So simple, and much easier to use than my old Singer, and a plethora of stitches to choose from. I sewed one practice seam, and within minutes was already experimenting with the fancy stitches. I had bought some fabric for curtains for the bathroom, and whipped these up, as well as a pink kitty fleece blanket for George's granddaughter. Today we will take my Joanne fabric coupons to get a cutting board for the table. Measuring on the floor was ridiculous and hard to do. I had a great time making stuff, and although I haven't sewn anything in over 20 years, I fell back into the routine easily. The old machines may be heavy and trusty, but the new machines are light and smart. Fun.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
I never tire of kitty pictures
This is taken this morning, when Simba and Safari decided to stretch out on a nice silk shirt of mine for their morning nap. So spoiled. So cute.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
A very warm feeling after a very cold day
Today I was sitting at my desk finishing up some work, and I decided to hit the button on my new keyboard that brings me right to The New York Times. I guess everyone else at my office was busier than I was, because no one had heard about the plane landing on the Hudson River.
Goosebumps are on my arms as I realize how lucky we all are tonight that the tragedy was averted. What a wonderful guy that pilot is. An experienced fighter pilot since Viet Nam, with thirty years of experience as a commercial pilot. And all he had to say was 'hang on, it's going to be a hard landing'. I think he gave people on that aircraft some confidence that they were going to be ok, and then they all had the presence of mind to climb out on those wings and stand shivering waiting for their turn on the boats. What an incredible thing. I can't imagine what I would be thinking if it were me standing inches above the river and know that no matter how bad, we are alive, there is no fire, and the boats are right here to get us. Incredible! Today is a great day for all of us. It is exciting to know that there are so many heroes amongst us, passing us by every day. It is exciting to know that the commuter boats will turn around and be there in minutes, with commuters giving up their coats and holding people to provide warmth. It is exciting to know that a city can stand still while the emergency crews arrive in minutes to help 155 people escape a drowning airplane.
All I can say is that it is a very good night after a very cold day!
Have a good night.
Goosebumps are on my arms as I realize how lucky we all are tonight that the tragedy was averted. What a wonderful guy that pilot is. An experienced fighter pilot since Viet Nam, with thirty years of experience as a commercial pilot. And all he had to say was 'hang on, it's going to be a hard landing'. I think he gave people on that aircraft some confidence that they were going to be ok, and then they all had the presence of mind to climb out on those wings and stand shivering waiting for their turn on the boats. What an incredible thing. I can't imagine what I would be thinking if it were me standing inches above the river and know that no matter how bad, we are alive, there is no fire, and the boats are right here to get us. Incredible! Today is a great day for all of us. It is exciting to know that there are so many heroes amongst us, passing us by every day. It is exciting to know that the commuter boats will turn around and be there in minutes, with commuters giving up their coats and holding people to provide warmth. It is exciting to know that a city can stand still while the emergency crews arrive in minutes to help 155 people escape a drowning airplane.
All I can say is that it is a very good night after a very cold day!
Have a good night.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Always nice to be appreciated
George and I have really enjoyed buying things for the kitties, and it is really nice that when you buy them two new beds for Christmas, they appreciate it and actually sleep in them.
There are so many nice things to say about our kittens!
Have a great day.
There are so many nice things to say about our kittens!
Have a great day.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
The hook
This Christmas has been marked by a certain cat behavior. Every once in a while, the kitties disappear, especially Simba. It is very quiet, which usually means trouble. Simba will hunch over something on the floor with rapt attention, then pounce and push the "prey" under the rug or a chair. Safari sometimes joins the fun, but it is Simba who loves wires. This has been happening over and over, several times a day. It seems that Simba had found his own stash of large Christmas tree hooks. I didn't know where he was getting them, and even after I found an open box on my beading table, he still seemed to have another secret stash.
This morning, I got a picture of the kitties being playful with the contraband. They just love these hooks, and no matter how I try, I can't seem to find all of the hooks they have hidden around the house.
Last weekend we moved some furniture in the den to make room for our new recliner. There, under the corner of the couch, was Simba's secret stash. A bent up Christmas tree hook, a twist tie, a 3" piece of beading wire, and a small piece of yarn. And I still haven't found the source of the hooks!
Have a great day.
This morning, I got a picture of the kitties being playful with the contraband. They just love these hooks, and no matter how I try, I can't seem to find all of the hooks they have hidden around the house.
Last weekend we moved some furniture in the den to make room for our new recliner. There, under the corner of the couch, was Simba's secret stash. A bent up Christmas tree hook, a twist tie, a 3" piece of beading wire, and a small piece of yarn. And I still haven't found the source of the hooks!
Have a great day.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Undecorating
Earlier in the Christmas season, I was listening to several people talk about how they cut their own Christmas tree, and always buy a fresh tree, and that the smell in your house is so much better. I even talked to someone who grew her own greens in her backyard so she could cut fresh holly and greens at Christmas time. I was a little envious. We have a large fake tree. It is a very nice tree, and cost over $200 at Lowe's, and I thought George was very generous to shell out that kind of money for a Christmas tree, so that we could have a nice full tall one, but it doesn't smell like pine. Even with the little drops of pine fragrance that I bought for it, it still doesn't smell really good.
Today I am un-decorating the tree, and, frankly, I am very grateful that we have a "fake" tree. There are a multitude of reasons for my gratitude, including the fact that I don't get scratched with pine needles and get red welts on my hands, the needles aren't falling all over the floor and getting caught in the floorboards and window sills, and the tree makes it easy to take the decorations off. This year I had a kitty proof tree, and almost all the decorations were unbreakable. I hung them with ribbons, and had a soft yarn and felt garland that was easy on the hands, and came off the tree like a dream. There's something to be said for a kitty-proof tree. The ornaments are indestructible and harmless to animals...and to me.
I can remember years when the tree turned brittle and the branches drooped. My pretty Christmas balls dropped off the tree and smashed, and when bits of the dried up tree would get caught in the hooks as you tried to take them off. Trying to get a dry falling-apart tree out the front door of the house was a crisis. I am not envious of that experience. I also don't miss feeling bad about that poor dead tree in front of the house, when it had been so fresh and beautiful in the forest just a month or so before.
This year, I am also grateful that I can un-decorate any time I want, and there is no emergency to get the tree out before it cracks apart. Yes, it doesn't smell as good a fresh tree, and the experience of getting the fake tree out of storage is not nearly as festive as going out to a snowy field to cut your own tree, but next year I'm going to look at the process all the way through to the end...and celebrate the good points.
Have a great day.
Today I am un-decorating the tree, and, frankly, I am very grateful that we have a "fake" tree. There are a multitude of reasons for my gratitude, including the fact that I don't get scratched with pine needles and get red welts on my hands, the needles aren't falling all over the floor and getting caught in the floorboards and window sills, and the tree makes it easy to take the decorations off. This year I had a kitty proof tree, and almost all the decorations were unbreakable. I hung them with ribbons, and had a soft yarn and felt garland that was easy on the hands, and came off the tree like a dream. There's something to be said for a kitty-proof tree. The ornaments are indestructible and harmless to animals...and to me.
I can remember years when the tree turned brittle and the branches drooped. My pretty Christmas balls dropped off the tree and smashed, and when bits of the dried up tree would get caught in the hooks as you tried to take them off. Trying to get a dry falling-apart tree out the front door of the house was a crisis. I am not envious of that experience. I also don't miss feeling bad about that poor dead tree in front of the house, when it had been so fresh and beautiful in the forest just a month or so before.
This year, I am also grateful that I can un-decorate any time I want, and there is no emergency to get the tree out before it cracks apart. Yes, it doesn't smell as good a fresh tree, and the experience of getting the fake tree out of storage is not nearly as festive as going out to a snowy field to cut your own tree, but next year I'm going to look at the process all the way through to the end...and celebrate the good points.
Have a great day.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
George's Christmas Present
George's new recliner arrived a few minutes ago. We had to push things around a bit in the den, but overall, it was a good addition to the room, and the chair is incredibly comfortable.
I'm going to start counting the number of naps that will be taken in this chair and make a little chart. Thousands I'd bet.
Have a great day. Time to take a nap.
I'm going to start counting the number of naps that will be taken in this chair and make a little chart. Thousands I'd bet.
Have a great day. Time to take a nap.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christmas Continues
Yesterday George and I went shopping to see what we could see, and found a Christmas village. It helped that all the pieces were 50% off. I never really thought I would like a village, but here it is in my den, and it has little lights and is really charming. There is something to be said about decorating the house a day AFTER Christmas. Even though it sits in front of the window where the kitties sit, they aren't bothering it. They just neatly pick their way through the buildings and little trees on their way to their view. Nice kitties!
Tonight we are baking, getting ready for company tomorrow night. We are making gingerbread boys and girls, (and chickens and sheep) and these are George's Oatmeal raisin cranberry cookies. In the oven is a lemon bundt cake for a birthday guest tomorrow. Lots of yummy stuff going on here.
Have a great night.
Tonight we are baking, getting ready for company tomorrow night. We are making gingerbread boys and girls, (and chickens and sheep) and these are George's Oatmeal raisin cranberry cookies. In the oven is a lemon bundt cake for a birthday guest tomorrow. Lots of yummy stuff going on here.
Have a great night.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
The Day After Christmas
My mother (who was 99 years old last month) always said that the day after Christmas was her favorite day of the year. I tend to agree. It is a day to savor the results of all the preparation we did to get ready for Christmas. This year, George's family is coming over on the Monday after Christmas, so that means we have more time to cook, more time to bake cookies, and more time to do what we want to before the festivities are over. I'm looking forward to making a big casserole dish of Jambalaya to share with them, and more opening of presents. A birthday cake for James will top it all off. We're going to make a lemon Bundt cake and frost it with white frosting and green holly leaves and red berries.
Today George decided to go to his office to work on a project that has a deadline, and I am frolicking around the house doing whatever I feel like doing. That includes straightening up shelves of books, cleaning our corners in the den, putting away yarn projects, doing even more finishing touches on the Christmas decorations...(Christmas is twelve days, right?) and just enjoying my day off.
We had a wonderful Christmas dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, cornbread stuffing, sweet potatoes and key lime dessert. My friends were wonderful hosts to George and I and we won't soon forget what a great Christmas Day we had. Christmas Eve was nice too. We ushered at church, and were delighted that the program that caught on fire when the acolyte accidentally dipped his candle-lighter too low, did no damage to anyone or anything, and pepped up the whole proceedings a bit. It was fun to see friends on Christmas Eve, and even fun to enjoy the 50 degrees outside that melted all the black ice.
The kitties have discovered Styrofoam pellets. They find them who knows where, and make this little crunching sound behind the sofa. Simba likes to eat yarn and beading wire, so I have to be especially careful not to leave bits of stuff around. Bits of stuff make wonderful cat toys!
Michael and Michelle gave me Sennheiser earphones for my Ipod, and my recorder that I use at work, and I'm thrilled to listen to my music with perfect sound. Mike has taught me the wonders of the Amazon gift list. It is pretty nice to get just what you asked for, I must say!
Have a great day after, and Merry Christmas all over again.
Today George decided to go to his office to work on a project that has a deadline, and I am frolicking around the house doing whatever I feel like doing. That includes straightening up shelves of books, cleaning our corners in the den, putting away yarn projects, doing even more finishing touches on the Christmas decorations...(Christmas is twelve days, right?) and just enjoying my day off.
We had a wonderful Christmas dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, cornbread stuffing, sweet potatoes and key lime dessert. My friends were wonderful hosts to George and I and we won't soon forget what a great Christmas Day we had. Christmas Eve was nice too. We ushered at church, and were delighted that the program that caught on fire when the acolyte accidentally dipped his candle-lighter too low, did no damage to anyone or anything, and pepped up the whole proceedings a bit. It was fun to see friends on Christmas Eve, and even fun to enjoy the 50 degrees outside that melted all the black ice.
The kitties have discovered Styrofoam pellets. They find them who knows where, and make this little crunching sound behind the sofa. Simba likes to eat yarn and beading wire, so I have to be especially careful not to leave bits of stuff around. Bits of stuff make wonderful cat toys!
Michael and Michelle gave me Sennheiser earphones for my Ipod, and my recorder that I use at work, and I'm thrilled to listen to my music with perfect sound. Mike has taught me the wonders of the Amazon gift list. It is pretty nice to get just what you asked for, I must say!
Have a great day after, and Merry Christmas all over again.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Kitty-proof Christmas Tree
This is my "kitten-proof" Christmas Tree. I found a garland made of felt mittens and little balls of yarn, straw ornaments, Scandanavian felt ornaments and balls made of unbreakable plastic strung with ribbon rather than wire. My goal was to have a tree that would not be dangerous to kitties in case they took an interest in it. For the first few days, they like to bat at things, but they only knocked off a ball twice, and both times, it just rolled across the floor. They have two new little beds tucked under the tree and enjoy spending time there. I wonder if they know that this Christmas Tree is just for them!
Christmas Eve Day
Today is Christmas Eve day. My company will be letting everyone go home at 3:00, which is very generous. Staying in an office building until after dark on Christmas Eve seems rather draconian. Still, the holiday of Christmas seems to have rushed up from behind. Everyone I talk to is amazed that it is already here. George and I will be stopping off at the grocery store after work to buy the ingredients for our Christmas Dinner offerings. We will come home, put the groceries away and head to Church for the 6 p.m. service. I am the lector and we are both ushers at that service. I have a new red sweater to wear. Christmas is here!
Christmas Day is going to be very different. George and I have usually traveled somewhere for Christmas, and this is the first time we will be at home alone. My friends have invited us over for dinner, so that will be fun, and I'm sure that being alone on Christmas morning will be just fine. We will have apple pancakes and make some Christmas cookies. I often bake sugar cookies on Christmas morning anyway. It is finally slow enough to really enjoy the process, and cutting them out in shapes and decorating them with piped frosting and colored sugar takes a slow morning to really enjoy the process.
Frankly, I am pretty excited about Christmas this year. In fact, I woke up early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. When I was a little child, I would lay awake on Christmas and wonder what "sugar plums" were. I always heard about them at Christmastime, but no store I ever saw ever sold "sugar plums". That is the way I feel today. Wondering about what Christmas will be like without Michael and Michelle here, and wondering where I can find the recipe for "sugar plums."
Have a great day. Enjoy each and every minute of Christmas. It only comes once a year.
Christmas Day is going to be very different. George and I have usually traveled somewhere for Christmas, and this is the first time we will be at home alone. My friends have invited us over for dinner, so that will be fun, and I'm sure that being alone on Christmas morning will be just fine. We will have apple pancakes and make some Christmas cookies. I often bake sugar cookies on Christmas morning anyway. It is finally slow enough to really enjoy the process, and cutting them out in shapes and decorating them with piped frosting and colored sugar takes a slow morning to really enjoy the process.
Frankly, I am pretty excited about Christmas this year. In fact, I woke up early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. When I was a little child, I would lay awake on Christmas and wonder what "sugar plums" were. I always heard about them at Christmastime, but no store I ever saw ever sold "sugar plums". That is the way I feel today. Wondering about what Christmas will be like without Michael and Michelle here, and wondering where I can find the recipe for "sugar plums."
Have a great day. Enjoy each and every minute of Christmas. It only comes once a year.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Lap cats
It is a snowy Sunday evening, and we have a couple of lap cats here. Two laps, two cats. Nice.
Christmas is here
All big meetings at work are over for the season, and now we can concentrate on all the fun things of Christmas. Last night George and I went to a really nice restaurant in Waltham called Biaggios with his golf friends and their wives. It was a terrific evening, and the food was wonderful. Conversation flowed and I got to meet many people I had only heard about. It was Christmas and fun and the Cioppino was wonderful too. I had a salad with mesclun lettuce, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries and Gorgonzola cheese that was really holiday-like, and roasted squash ravioli. George had the fresh fish stew - Cioppino and I was stealing little bits of scallops, shrimps and mussels from his plate. Yum! He had tiramisu and I had cannoli for dessert. Others enjoyed chocolate mousse with raspberries. That last time I had that I broke out in hives, so I don't have that anymore!!!
Today we are doing some last minute Christmas shopping. I still don't have George's gift yet, so I have to scurry with that and have him visit somewhere else while I am buying whatever it is I'm going to buy. Can you tell he is hard to buy for? I don't have a clue!
We are also making hermits today from one of the 20 or so recipes we have been researching, as well as a lemon Bundt cake to share with my office mates, and I'm looking up the recipe for Martha Stuart's chocolate crinkle-top cookies which are really pretty on a cookie tray. George's kids will be coming over, and I"m planning to make a nice box to mail away.
The tree is decorated with kitty proof decorations. I bought strands of felt mittens with little yarn balls, unbreakable red and green balls and little straw ornaments. This year we also have big felt Scandinavian ornaments that look at lot like cat toys. I figure if the cats think that the tree is one big cat toy...we'll we might as well join 'em.
Have a great day!
Today we are doing some last minute Christmas shopping. I still don't have George's gift yet, so I have to scurry with that and have him visit somewhere else while I am buying whatever it is I'm going to buy. Can you tell he is hard to buy for? I don't have a clue!
We are also making hermits today from one of the 20 or so recipes we have been researching, as well as a lemon Bundt cake to share with my office mates, and I'm looking up the recipe for Martha Stuart's chocolate crinkle-top cookies which are really pretty on a cookie tray. George's kids will be coming over, and I"m planning to make a nice box to mail away.
The tree is decorated with kitty proof decorations. I bought strands of felt mittens with little yarn balls, unbreakable red and green balls and little straw ornaments. This year we also have big felt Scandinavian ornaments that look at lot like cat toys. I figure if the cats think that the tree is one big cat toy...we'll we might as well join 'em.
Have a great day!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Home for the Holidays
I have one big wish for Christmas. I wish I had more time. George and I have decided to stay home by ourselves this Christmas, and I am looking forward to it. I am not going to think about the fact that I am working both on Dec. 24th and Dec. 26th. Christmas is going to be fun anyway!
This Saturday we will put up our big Southern style Christmas tree with beautiful flowers and beaded garlands. I'm looking forward to putting up a tree, and baking cookies and making roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for Christmas dinner. It will also be nice to be home with our two new kittens, Simba and Safari. They love us and it was hard to leave them home alone for several days at Thanksgiving time. As they get older, they will be less lonely I think, but as 7 month old kittens, they love a good playtime and thrive on attention.
Most of my shopping is done, and I am making embossed Christmas cards this year. My Christmas card list is small, so it is fun to make hand-made cards. We are also planning to make a variety of cookies and get some in the mail to our family before the holidays. George and I have always enjoyed baking together, and we can't eat everything we make, so it will be into the mail with all those little caloric critters.
I'm excited about the holidays. The wreath on the doorway is lit up and cheerful and looks so inviting. For this year, anyway, I'm happy to be home for the holidays.
Have a great day.
This Saturday we will put up our big Southern style Christmas tree with beautiful flowers and beaded garlands. I'm looking forward to putting up a tree, and baking cookies and making roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for Christmas dinner. It will also be nice to be home with our two new kittens, Simba and Safari. They love us and it was hard to leave them home alone for several days at Thanksgiving time. As they get older, they will be less lonely I think, but as 7 month old kittens, they love a good playtime and thrive on attention.
Most of my shopping is done, and I am making embossed Christmas cards this year. My Christmas card list is small, so it is fun to make hand-made cards. We are also planning to make a variety of cookies and get some in the mail to our family before the holidays. George and I have always enjoyed baking together, and we can't eat everything we make, so it will be into the mail with all those little caloric critters.
I'm excited about the holidays. The wreath on the doorway is lit up and cheerful and looks so inviting. For this year, anyway, I'm happy to be home for the holidays.
Have a great day.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thanksgiving Day
This year our Thanksgiving Day is going to be a little different. We will be driving in the car to get to Michael's house in Virginia. I really love Thanksgiving because I love to cook, and I also really know how to cook a nice Thanksgiving meal without using any recipes unless I want to. Turkey is .39 a pound, which is about as cheap as any kind of meat gets these days. George and I are going out today to buy a frozen turkey or two, and put them in the freezer. A good turkey meal is nice at any time.
Because I like to cook, I am making some road food for us to take on our trip. I'm not sure what this will be yet, but one idea is shrimp and vegetables and sushi. We'll also have gouda and swiss cheese with crackers, cut up vegetables and dip, cubes of cantaloupe, strawberries, and home-made oatmeal cookies. My goal is that we won't have to stop to eat any road food, but will be totally self-sufficient.
The road food on the way from Boston to Washington DC isn't anything to brag about. There are McDonalds on the Mass Pike, and not much at all through Connecticut, and the New Jersey Turnpike is the worst. Connecticut does have one nice deli not far off the highway, but for the most part the trip is all hamburgers, fried chicken and other stuff that's not good for you. The exception is the three or four Starbucks we pass and where we often stop for a break. My plan is that we won't be hungry enough to stop and eat the wrong things because we'll be happily munching on shrimp, fruit, and sushi.
I will keep the food cool in a cooler in the back seat, and since it is winter anyway, we don't have to worry that the food will get too warm. We will have juice and soda and plenty of bottled water on ice. Actually this is starting to sound delicious.
Both of us have to work on Wednesday, so we don't have much choice anyway. I will miss the big turkey dinner, I know, but we will have that again when we get home. In the meantime, it will be wonderful to see Mike and Michelle again, and there's lots of fun to be had at their house. We plan to go out for a big Korean dinner, and I'm really looking forward to that.
Happy Thanksgiving. How do you say "gobble gobble" in Korean?
Have a good day. Simba says hi. He is hanging over my shoulder right now.
Because I like to cook, I am making some road food for us to take on our trip. I'm not sure what this will be yet, but one idea is shrimp and vegetables and sushi. We'll also have gouda and swiss cheese with crackers, cut up vegetables and dip, cubes of cantaloupe, strawberries, and home-made oatmeal cookies. My goal is that we won't have to stop to eat any road food, but will be totally self-sufficient.
The road food on the way from Boston to Washington DC isn't anything to brag about. There are McDonalds on the Mass Pike, and not much at all through Connecticut, and the New Jersey Turnpike is the worst. Connecticut does have one nice deli not far off the highway, but for the most part the trip is all hamburgers, fried chicken and other stuff that's not good for you. The exception is the three or four Starbucks we pass and where we often stop for a break. My plan is that we won't be hungry enough to stop and eat the wrong things because we'll be happily munching on shrimp, fruit, and sushi.
I will keep the food cool in a cooler in the back seat, and since it is winter anyway, we don't have to worry that the food will get too warm. We will have juice and soda and plenty of bottled water on ice. Actually this is starting to sound delicious.
Both of us have to work on Wednesday, so we don't have much choice anyway. I will miss the big turkey dinner, I know, but we will have that again when we get home. In the meantime, it will be wonderful to see Mike and Michelle again, and there's lots of fun to be had at their house. We plan to go out for a big Korean dinner, and I'm really looking forward to that.
Happy Thanksgiving. How do you say "gobble gobble" in Korean?
Have a good day. Simba says hi. He is hanging over my shoulder right now.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Home from Oklahoma
I went to visit my mother in Oklahoma for seven days. We had a good time being together, but I am happy to be home and back to my routine. The kitties are doing great and I missed them a lot. I found myself doing a lot of knitting at my mom's house because she goes to bed very early. I made a pair of socks for her and two black hats. I gave one of the hats to a friend at work, and kept the other one for myself. I wish I had enough time to do all the crafts I want. I have jewelry to make, and hats to knit, and a ton of other things I'm interested in as well. I'm not sure how I got so crafty, but there it is.
The kitties are using George as a cat bed. All three of them slept together on the couch this afternoon while I worked on a scarf that will be a Christmas present for someone (it's a secret). I'm almost finished with that, and I bought the yarn for the next project, a hat for my mom.
It's a rainy day and perfect for knitting and I am enjoying being in my own home. Where, by the way, cats rule!
Have a great day.
The kitties are using George as a cat bed. All three of them slept together on the couch this afternoon while I worked on a scarf that will be a Christmas present for someone (it's a secret). I'm almost finished with that, and I bought the yarn for the next project, a hat for my mom.
It's a rainy day and perfect for knitting and I am enjoying being in my own home. Where, by the way, cats rule!
Have a great day.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
My habanero peppers
Today I picked my habanero peppers I have been growing on the deck. I love to plant these little peppers in amongst my coleus plants. They are stubborn little devils. At 200,000 to 300,000 Scoville units each, a measure of their capsicum, or hotness, these really are devilishly hot! These peppers are among the hottest peppers on the planet. Handling them requires gloves unless you like pain. Eating them is almost out of the question. Last year I diced the peppers and put them in the freezer. I labeled them POISON. Then I used about four diced flakes in a large pot of chili. Those four little flakes heated up that whole pot!
This year I will also put my gloves on, dice these pretty peppers into pieces and use them in many pots of chili. I don't really know what else to do with them. I could make them into hot sauce, but it is probably too hot for anyone to enjoy.
They may not be that practical, but boy, are they pretty! I had a lot of fun watching these peppers grow in their pots all summer, and you can't put a price on that!
Have a great day.
This year I will also put my gloves on, dice these pretty peppers into pieces and use them in many pots of chili. I don't really know what else to do with them. I could make them into hot sauce, but it is probably too hot for anyone to enjoy.
They may not be that practical, but boy, are they pretty! I had a lot of fun watching these peppers grow in their pots all summer, and you can't put a price on that!
Have a great day.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Hunting Hummingbirds
Last May, George and I decided that we would try to attract hummingbirds to our backyard. We hung a red geranium with large luscious looking blooms and a red plastic feeder full of a sugar mixture that we boiled and cooled. Then we waited. And waited. One morning, I looked out and there was a nice big hummingbird, who took one sniff on our sugar water and went flying back from whence he came. I ran out, thinking that our sugar water must have been full of bees, or mold, or diluted by rain water. We boiled more water, added sugar, cooled it on an ice water bath, and ran out to the feeder with it. We didn't see another humming bird for a month!
Then, one day I looked out, and the feeder was on the ground. The red geranium was there, and a hummingbird came, took one sniff of that foul smelling plant, and flew back into the woods. I ran out, got the feeder off the ground, washed it, filled it with nice syrupy sugar water and hung it back out. I never saw another hummer for weeks.
The day before yesterday I looked out. The hummingbird feeder has been there, but rather neglected, with the old sugar water and the colony of bees that have found it a nice home away from home. A big FAT hummingbird came, sniffed at the flowers, ignored the feeder completely and flew away. Gah! I have given up. I think the first mistake we made was buying that big bunch of beautiful red geraniums. They look great, but hummingbirds hate 'em, and they probably smell bad and taste worse.
SO, next year I will buy a different bright red plant, something yummy and sugary, and hang that on the post with a sign; "Don't give up on us, please COME BACK!"
Have a great day.
Then, one day I looked out, and the feeder was on the ground. The red geranium was there, and a hummingbird came, took one sniff of that foul smelling plant, and flew back into the woods. I ran out, got the feeder off the ground, washed it, filled it with nice syrupy sugar water and hung it back out. I never saw another hummer for weeks.
The day before yesterday I looked out. The hummingbird feeder has been there, but rather neglected, with the old sugar water and the colony of bees that have found it a nice home away from home. A big FAT hummingbird came, sniffed at the flowers, ignored the feeder completely and flew away. Gah! I have given up. I think the first mistake we made was buying that big bunch of beautiful red geraniums. They look great, but hummingbirds hate 'em, and they probably smell bad and taste worse.
SO, next year I will buy a different bright red plant, something yummy and sugary, and hang that on the post with a sign; "Don't give up on us, please COME BACK!"
Have a great day.
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