Sunday, July 11, 2010
Vacation in the Great North Woods
We just returned from our week's vacation in the Great North Woods of New Hampshire. This year we were there for the 4th of July festivities. Unfortunately for us, all the July 4th festivities in Pittsburg, NH (closest town to the cabin and last town in NH before Canada) took place on Saturday, the 3rd of July! We arrived in town all dressed in our red white and blue for the pancake breakfast, only to discover that everything - the breakfast, the parade, the Lions Club chicken barbecue - had taken place the day before! Arg! Off to breakfast at the restaurant.
The week went by with no mishaps and a lot of fun. The weather was very unique for this part of the country. Most years we pray for a few days of blue sky and sun, and almost always get some rain and thunderstorms during each day. This year, it was Miami all the time, sun sun and more sun. It was so sunny that we didn't fish much. The lake was calm and bright and the fish had cooler, deeper places to be. The dock had gotten messed up by a fall storm, so our chairs didn't fit well on the rocks, and it was too darn hot to sit out there looking at an unmoving bobber. So we donated our $70 fishing license money to the state, and went swimming instead.
The swimming was wonderful. We played a lot of cribbage and cooked out every night on the barbecue over charcoal. We read, and I worked on learning how to read a crochet pattern and made several lovely dishcloths (?), and beaded a difficult project, and read some more. When it got too hot for man or beast in the afternoon, we retreated to our air conditioned car and took rides around the countryside. We drove 100 miles on a 90 degree day to Cabot, VT, and watched a demonstration about curds and whey and spend $50 on artisan cheeses. It was a lovely ride through the Vermont countryside.
I estimate that I used about half of the stuff I brought, including food. It was too hot to do many things, and I didn't need a nice hot pot of tea at the end of the day in my china tea pot. We didn't use our fishing gear, our sweatshirts and sweaters, half of the food we brought (too hot to have much of an appetite), and we stayed cheerful, packed it up and brought it all back home again.
It was a lovely vacation. The whole country was suffering from heat, so why not us too? The days went by slowly, we got lots of rest, no stress, and BEST OF ALL, no bug bites for me thanks to a morning slather of Avon Skin So Soft gel lotion--miracle stuff! Whoohoo!
Here are the pictures.
The week went by with no mishaps and a lot of fun. The weather was very unique for this part of the country. Most years we pray for a few days of blue sky and sun, and almost always get some rain and thunderstorms during each day. This year, it was Miami all the time, sun sun and more sun. It was so sunny that we didn't fish much. The lake was calm and bright and the fish had cooler, deeper places to be. The dock had gotten messed up by a fall storm, so our chairs didn't fit well on the rocks, and it was too darn hot to sit out there looking at an unmoving bobber. So we donated our $70 fishing license money to the state, and went swimming instead.
The swimming was wonderful. We played a lot of cribbage and cooked out every night on the barbecue over charcoal. We read, and I worked on learning how to read a crochet pattern and made several lovely dishcloths (?), and beaded a difficult project, and read some more. When it got too hot for man or beast in the afternoon, we retreated to our air conditioned car and took rides around the countryside. We drove 100 miles on a 90 degree day to Cabot, VT, and watched a demonstration about curds and whey and spend $50 on artisan cheeses. It was a lovely ride through the Vermont countryside.
I estimate that I used about half of the stuff I brought, including food. It was too hot to do many things, and I didn't need a nice hot pot of tea at the end of the day in my china tea pot. We didn't use our fishing gear, our sweatshirts and sweaters, half of the food we brought (too hot to have much of an appetite), and we stayed cheerful, packed it up and brought it all back home again.
It was a lovely vacation. The whole country was suffering from heat, so why not us too? The days went by slowly, we got lots of rest, no stress, and BEST OF ALL, no bug bites for me thanks to a morning slather of Avon Skin So Soft gel lotion--miracle stuff! Whoohoo!
Here are the pictures.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Packing Light
Tonight we are packing up the house to take it to the cabin. We leave for Pittsburg, New Hampshire on Saturday morning. We want to leave in time to miss any 4th of July traffic. By the time the hoards get going, we will be way up past the White Mountains. I think that packing light is highly over-rated. When I go on vacation, I want to make sure I have most of the comforts of home. I take pillows and towels and nice sheets. I take table cloths for picnics and one for the kitchen table. We take our books and binoculars and my beading lamp and supplies. I have an afghan kit to take that should be easy to knit outside by the lake with my feet dangling in the water. I take a china tea pot and two nice mugs, so that I have tea in a china cup. My mother always said that tea and coffee tastes much better in china, and I believe her. We take clothes, but not too many. I probably take one pair of shoes too many, but, hey, it's my vacation and why should I leave my new flip flops at home? We take steaks and hamburger from a good butcher, and cold cuts and sausage from our favorite German sausage store. We buy fresh vegetables and fruits on the way, and I packed a pie plate and small rolling pin so I can make a fresh strawberry pie.
If all this sounds a little crazy, just think of all the things I'm leaving behind: TV, cell phones and computers! See you on the flip side!
Have a great day!
If all this sounds a little crazy, just think of all the things I'm leaving behind: TV, cell phones and computers! See you on the flip side!
Have a great day!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Milwaukee Bead and Button Show
My friend Connie and I went to Milwaukee for the Bead and Button Show. We were there for four days and had a great time. This year, we concentrated on taking classes. She loves silversmithing, and took 3 classes. I am working on learning new skills in seed beading, and I took four classes. Every morning, one or the other of us was up with the birdies, packing our rolling bags and heading out into the Milwaukee sunshine to find our class room. We really had to concentrate in order to have all the materials that we would need for each separate class. Connie had to bring a bench block and hammers. Traveling with a 50 pound limit while carrying heavy tools is a real challenge. I had a Marudai, which is a Japanese braiding stand made of wood. Between the two of us, we worried a lot over our 50 pounds.
We had challenges, and we met them head on and prevailed!
Our first class was on Wednesday night, the same day we arrived. I took a class with Irina Miech in wire wrapping cabochons. I have done this technique before, but she uses half round wire, which makes a softer look, and she is always a great teacher.
The next morning was my class with Sheila Cleary called Seafoam Necklace. This class is Kumihimo with beads and called for a wooden Madurai stand and 12 bobbins of strung size 11 (small) beads. It was a challenge to do the prep work at home, and mine was not without fault, so I got off to a slower start than I wanted, but my skills in braiding were good, so I caught up fast. One whole day of class and I finished half my necklace. I wasn't interested in racing to the finish, I'm more interested in getting the technique perfect, and it was a super class. I have enough work to do in this technique to last me for years!
The next class was the following day - making a beautiful heavy chain maille bracelet called GSG "Great Southern Gathering". I love the name of this weave. The class was taught by Diane Miller, who sells on Etsy, and who supplies me with all my Argentium silver rings for chain maille. This was a fun and relaxing class and the bracelet I made is beautiful. I will list it for sale soon!
Saturday I took an inspirational day long class with Diane Fitzgerald. We worked on making ginkgo leaves out of tiny delica beads and she taught us how to choose bead colors and patterns to make them shimmer in the color change. Color technique in beading is an art and something I could never have figured out by myself. She has many books on beading and color, and is a very thorough teacher. I loved this class, as I knew I would.
Classes at Bead and Button are serious business. They are expensive, and the teachers are very good. Teachers are evaluated and carefully considered each year. Getting to class on time and well prepared is a prerequisite. This is beading at its best!!!
Between all these classes we shopped at the marketplace in the huge carpeted and well lit Frontier Airlines convention center. 370 vendors mean that you can't even visit all the booths in a week, and everything you need to supply your beading needs is there! Expertise abounds and it is really great to walk around and see demonstrations. I walked into one booth and they said, "You're Yvonne Shea? I read your Bead_Tips Twitter every day!" That made me very happy! (I'm famous!)
Connie and I managed to pack our bags for the home trip without exceeding our 50 pound limit, but my rolling backpack was filled with a couple thousand dollars worth of purchases that I couldn't trust to a checked bag. (The lady who pulled our bags aside at airport security said that she wanted to "shop right out of the bag!") Even with all those classes, we found the time to talk to old friends and to buy beautiful artist-made beads and purchase the elements we need at wholesale prices that can't be beat anywhere! This was my fifth year going to Bead and Button. It is a once in a lifetime experience, that you get to go to every year!
Have a great day!
We had challenges, and we met them head on and prevailed!
Our first class was on Wednesday night, the same day we arrived. I took a class with Irina Miech in wire wrapping cabochons. I have done this technique before, but she uses half round wire, which makes a softer look, and she is always a great teacher.
The next morning was my class with Sheila Cleary called Seafoam Necklace. This class is Kumihimo with beads and called for a wooden Madurai stand and 12 bobbins of strung size 11 (small) beads. It was a challenge to do the prep work at home, and mine was not without fault, so I got off to a slower start than I wanted, but my skills in braiding were good, so I caught up fast. One whole day of class and I finished half my necklace. I wasn't interested in racing to the finish, I'm more interested in getting the technique perfect, and it was a super class. I have enough work to do in this technique to last me for years!
The next class was the following day - making a beautiful heavy chain maille bracelet called GSG "Great Southern Gathering". I love the name of this weave. The class was taught by Diane Miller, who sells on Etsy, and who supplies me with all my Argentium silver rings for chain maille. This was a fun and relaxing class and the bracelet I made is beautiful. I will list it for sale soon!
Saturday I took an inspirational day long class with Diane Fitzgerald. We worked on making ginkgo leaves out of tiny delica beads and she taught us how to choose bead colors and patterns to make them shimmer in the color change. Color technique in beading is an art and something I could never have figured out by myself. She has many books on beading and color, and is a very thorough teacher. I loved this class, as I knew I would.
Classes at Bead and Button are serious business. They are expensive, and the teachers are very good. Teachers are evaluated and carefully considered each year. Getting to class on time and well prepared is a prerequisite. This is beading at its best!!!
Between all these classes we shopped at the marketplace in the huge carpeted and well lit Frontier Airlines convention center. 370 vendors mean that you can't even visit all the booths in a week, and everything you need to supply your beading needs is there! Expertise abounds and it is really great to walk around and see demonstrations. I walked into one booth and they said, "You're Yvonne Shea? I read your Bead_Tips Twitter every day!" That made me very happy! (I'm famous!)
Connie and I managed to pack our bags for the home trip without exceeding our 50 pound limit, but my rolling backpack was filled with a couple thousand dollars worth of purchases that I couldn't trust to a checked bag. (The lady who pulled our bags aside at airport security said that she wanted to "shop right out of the bag!") Even with all those classes, we found the time to talk to old friends and to buy beautiful artist-made beads and purchase the elements we need at wholesale prices that can't be beat anywhere! This was my fifth year going to Bead and Button. It is a once in a lifetime experience, that you get to go to every year!
Have a great day!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Picture from the local paper
I am completely charmed by this picture of the baby Swans at Ells Pond near our house.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Off to Washington DC tomorrow
George and I are flying to Washington DC tomorrow to visit Michael and Michelle. We will be on a 7:30 plane, and will meet Mike at 9:11 and spend the day talking, laughing, eating, and having a world of fun. This trip is short, so I don't expect to do much touring around. They always take us to great restaruants and I'm looking forward to Korean food and maybe some Thai food too. I also look forward to one of Mike's grilled sausage dinners. Maybe we can find a birthday cake somewhere. Maybe mommo will bake one. I'm not bringing any crafts, or jewelry tools, or knitting (well...hum...)and I'm packing light. I have a book. We fly back on Monday morning (Happy Birthday, Michael!), and I go to work in the afternoon. Short and very very sweet.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Duck water
On Saturday the word went out that there was an emergency water main break west of Boston and 700,000 households in communities near Boston would have to boil their water. We didn't react very fast. Then I started to think that I didn't want to drink pond water, where ducks have pooped. We began to think about our options.
People who live near Boston always have big lobster pots, so we just boiled some water. But boiled water in a pot doesn't look as appetising as a nice cold bottle of Spring water from the fridge. Then we started getting thirsty. We made a very quick decision and ran out the door. We hopped in our car about 8 p.m. that evening and headed north. No stores near us has any water left, we knew that. People had done what they often do, and rushed to the store as soon as they heard. As we sat around and watched the Kentucky Derby, it didn't take long for the grocery and drug store shelves to empty.
George and I headed north toward Maine and turned off toward Newburyport, which is a touristy and beautiful oceanside area. We figured that people wouldn't bother to take that long slow road to the ocean. Trouble is, there are no grocerie stores. It got dark. We drove further. It got darker. At one point, it was pitch dark and we were out on a peninsula jutting out into the ocean. Water, water everywhere, but....
So, we meandered more and looked for some bright lights. We stopped at a lobster roll/hamburger shack. They had stopped serving dinner, so we had an ice cream cone and kept driving. Into the dark. Thirsty.
FINALLY we come upon a large town - Haverill - and a BIG well-lit Market Basket supermarket. They had no idea of the water ban. They had water stacked to the skies. We bought several gallons and two cases and gloated and stopped at Wendys for a celebratory burger and fries.
Our little late night venture to the oceanside in search of water will be a good memory long after the water ban is over.
People who live near Boston always have big lobster pots, so we just boiled some water. But boiled water in a pot doesn't look as appetising as a nice cold bottle of Spring water from the fridge. Then we started getting thirsty. We made a very quick decision and ran out the door. We hopped in our car about 8 p.m. that evening and headed north. No stores near us has any water left, we knew that. People had done what they often do, and rushed to the store as soon as they heard. As we sat around and watched the Kentucky Derby, it didn't take long for the grocery and drug store shelves to empty.
George and I headed north toward Maine and turned off toward Newburyport, which is a touristy and beautiful oceanside area. We figured that people wouldn't bother to take that long slow road to the ocean. Trouble is, there are no grocerie stores. It got dark. We drove further. It got darker. At one point, it was pitch dark and we were out on a peninsula jutting out into the ocean. Water, water everywhere, but....
So, we meandered more and looked for some bright lights. We stopped at a lobster roll/hamburger shack. They had stopped serving dinner, so we had an ice cream cone and kept driving. Into the dark. Thirsty.
FINALLY we come upon a large town - Haverill - and a BIG well-lit Market Basket supermarket. They had no idea of the water ban. They had water stacked to the skies. We bought several gallons and two cases and gloated and stopped at Wendys for a celebratory burger and fries.
Our little late night venture to the oceanside in search of water will be a good memory long after the water ban is over.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Marudai in the mail
I am taking at class in Kumihimo braiding at the Bead and Button Show on June 5 in Milwaukee. As part of this class, I needed to purchase a Marudai, which is a frame for making this Japanese braid. We will be using strands of beads to make the braid, and the foam Kumihimo form that I already own would not do. They are made out of wood, and have bobbins which hold the fiber and you move the bobbins around. There are an infinite number of braining patterns that can be used. All very Japaenese. I will try to learn one of two and make necklaces. This is a picture of a Marudai similar to the one that my teacher is sending to me and which is in the mail. I'm almost as excited about this ancient form of braiding on a wooden stand as Michael Shea was about his new Ipad: technology a thousand years or so apart.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Bare branches to little green leaves.
For the past three days we have had the big hard rainy blow in New England. The weather has really been bad, with lots of rain, street flooding and turned up umbrellas. Some people in Rhode Island had 6 feet of water in their basement since rivers overflowed their banks. Streets have buckled with sink holes and people have suffered with two floods in two weeks.
My suffering has been very minor. I had a new heavy duty black umbrella. I left the parking garage on Tuesday, opened my new umbrella, and had it immediately flip inside out. I turned and it went back into place, and back into its case, never to be seen again.
We have a beautiful view of a park and river from the windows at work. The trees are in green leaf. We went from cold brown winter branches to inch long little pale green buds and shoots of leaves. The weather will be sunny and in the 70s over Easter weekend.
Hope Springs.
My suffering has been very minor. I had a new heavy duty black umbrella. I left the parking garage on Tuesday, opened my new umbrella, and had it immediately flip inside out. I turned and it went back into place, and back into its case, never to be seen again.
We have a beautiful view of a park and river from the windows at work. The trees are in green leaf. We went from cold brown winter branches to inch long little pale green buds and shoots of leaves. The weather will be sunny and in the 70s over Easter weekend.
Hope Springs.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 07, 2010
A cabin in the north woods
We just learned that we have a cabin reserved again this year for a week starting the 3rd of July. We stayed in the same cabin last year; Otter Cabin on First Connecticut Lake in Pittsburg, New Hampshire. The cabin is just feet from the lake, with a view that is beautiful and serene and interesting. We love going to the cabin. The downside is that I am allergic to the antihistimine in bug bites, so I have to be careful to wear bug repellent, and sometimes I am forced to go inside with the bugs start biting. It is usually nothing other than mosquitos and the occasional black fly, but I am bothered more than I want to be. However, the solitude and complete rest are good for us, and I am willing to put up with a few bites to experience such bliss in the woods.
Cabin, here we come!
Cabin, here we come!
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Spending time outside
We New Englanders have been holed up waiting for the weather to change. Not only today, but all next week is supposed to be sunny. We will take the 50 degree weather because it isn't snowing, raining or sending icy pellets at us.
Now we have to remember what it is that you do outside!
Now we have to remember what it is that you do outside!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Beading fun
On Friday night I took a class to learn how to make this Ojo de Dios bracelet in Salem, NH. It was a wonderful class and only two of us there. The teacher was fantastic and fun to meet and I really had a great time. I couldn't wait until Saturday morning to get started on another piece of it, and get used to the pattern. Several beading hours later, on Sunday morning, I finished it. The beads I choose are nice, but I can improve on them. It is a really fun bracelet to make!
Have a great day doing what you love to do.
Have a great day doing what you love to do.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Twittering about beads
I'm busy Twittering about my jewelry; it's fun to be a twitterbeader, and I have lots of new friends and a place to display, talk about, and sell. Just say yes to Twittering!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
New stuff
I'm having a burst of creativity. Maybe the dark days of winter have inspired me to sit under my three Ott lights and work on jewelry. In the last four days I have made both of these bracelets: my first Chain Maille bracelet, and a crocheted bracelet using Hill Tribe Silver rose clasp.
I really like both techniques!
I really like both techniques!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Time to choose the classes
My friend and I are going to Milwaukee in June to the Bead and Button Show, the largest consumer bead show on the planet. This will be the fourth year for me, and I'm really excited. She and I will choose different classes and then teach each other later what we have learned. I'm planning to take this class in Ginko peyote stitch from Diane Fitzgerald. Is this beautiful or what?
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Selling mom's house
Today we sold my mothers home. This was "home" to me, and the house where I was born. My mom and dad bought the house in l944 and lived happily there through World War II, and the birth of two more children, me and my little brother, Bernie Frank. My older brother, Gerald, was 4 when mom and dad bought that house. It has always been home to us.
My mother always loved the house and she took very good care of it. Even in her 90's she had people coming over to fix things, paint things, mow the lawn, landscape the back yard and repair storm and hail damage. She had a lovely home and she got out of two stints in the nursing home and was able to go back to home. Living in that house kept my mother happy until her very last day. It is a blessing to be able to live to 99 in your own beloved and beautiful home.
Today the lawyer attended the close for my brother and I, and the house now belongs to someone else. I am sad, and yet I am happy. I can't take care of a vacant house that is thousands of miles away, in a climate that is stormy and changeable. I feared every ice storm and tornado that came our way. It wasn't a home without mom there.
God bless my mom, and her lovely home, and may someone enjoy it as much as she did for the last 65 years!
My mother always loved the house and she took very good care of it. Even in her 90's she had people coming over to fix things, paint things, mow the lawn, landscape the back yard and repair storm and hail damage. She had a lovely home and she got out of two stints in the nursing home and was able to go back to home. Living in that house kept my mother happy until her very last day. It is a blessing to be able to live to 99 in your own beloved and beautiful home.
Today the lawyer attended the close for my brother and I, and the house now belongs to someone else. I am sad, and yet I am happy. I can't take care of a vacant house that is thousands of miles away, in a climate that is stormy and changeable. I feared every ice storm and tornado that came our way. It wasn't a home without mom there.
God bless my mom, and her lovely home, and may someone enjoy it as much as she did for the last 65 years!
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Things are going well with my after hours jewelry business. The other day I said that there are four words to describe my jewelry endeavors: My Cup Runneth Over. It is truly wonderful to be able to make jewelry that other people love to wear as much as I love making it. I never dreamed that I would have so many customers.
Days turn to weeks, turn to months, and time starts to rush by. It is incredible to me that Christmas is almost here. This year our plan is to keep it simple. We are going to put up our beautiful tree and buy a few gifts for close family, and the rest of the holiday I plan to spend time enjoying each day and not obsessing about what I didn't get done.
Have a great day.
Days turn to weeks, turn to months, and time starts to rush by. It is incredible to me that Christmas is almost here. This year our plan is to keep it simple. We are going to put up our beautiful tree and buy a few gifts for close family, and the rest of the holiday I plan to spend time enjoying each day and not obsessing about what I didn't get done.
Have a great day.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Coffee Hour
Right in the middle of our Thanksgiving preparations, George and I are coffee hosts at church today. Yesterday he baked oatmeal cookies and rice crispy bars, and we both baked chocolate cake and a pumpkin spice bundt cake. We bought New England crumb cake and powdered sugar donuts for the kids and will serve all of the above after church today with apple cider and coffee.
Whew.
Have a good day.
Whew.
Have a good day.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Old fashioned Thanksgiving
I love all these recipes that are in the newspapers and on TV around Thanksgiving time. It is great to see all this interest in cooking. There are lots of hints and ideas about preparing turkey and hotlines, etc. I read all the hints. One year, it was all the rage to deep fry the turkey. I pass on that. Sounds like way too much dangerous hot oil to me. This year, the rage seems to be about brining the turkey with dry salt. Sounds like a pretty salty turkey to me. This year, I'll make the turkey as I always do. Thanksgiving is one of those meals where I don't need a recipe card. I have done it way too many times to need recipes. Still, I'm always interested to see what they come up with to talk about.
Yesterday we went to Trader Joes. If I never cooked at all, I think I could manage a Thanksgiving meal at Trader Joes. They were handing out cornbread stuffing made from a box, and the stuff was pretty darn good. Add some fresh sauteed onions and celery and I think you'd have it. They had mashed garlic potatoes from a box and gravy mix that didn't look too bad either. The cranberries were from Wisconsin. Living in Massachusetts, I'm not going to eat Wisconsin cranberries. Eat local must not be one of their mottoes.
So, Thanksgiving dinner for me has already started. We bought the brie and crackers, we bought the potatoes, squash, and 3 kinds of apples for the pie. We have three turkeys in the freezer and now only have to decide on which one will be crowned Thanksgiving king. (I always make those white paper crowns for the turkey legs....call me old fashioned.)
Here's the menu: [spoiler alert for Michael and Michelle]
Brie and crackers, bacon-wrapped teriyaki shrimp, roast turkey with cornbread stuffing, (yes, we do brine our turkey in salt water for a few hours) pear & strawberry fruit salad, cranberry sauce with orange slices, crispy rolls & cold butter, sweet potatoes with pecans, roasted squash with rosemary, real mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and George's wonderful gravy. For dessert we are having pumpkin pie and apple pie with ice cream or whipped cream.
The mad scramble in the kitchen right before we serve is nothing new either, but it will all come to the table fine and it's going to be one really tasty Thanksgiving!
Have a great day.
Yesterday we went to Trader Joes. If I never cooked at all, I think I could manage a Thanksgiving meal at Trader Joes. They were handing out cornbread stuffing made from a box, and the stuff was pretty darn good. Add some fresh sauteed onions and celery and I think you'd have it. They had mashed garlic potatoes from a box and gravy mix that didn't look too bad either. The cranberries were from Wisconsin. Living in Massachusetts, I'm not going to eat Wisconsin cranberries. Eat local must not be one of their mottoes.
So, Thanksgiving dinner for me has already started. We bought the brie and crackers, we bought the potatoes, squash, and 3 kinds of apples for the pie. We have three turkeys in the freezer and now only have to decide on which one will be crowned Thanksgiving king. (I always make those white paper crowns for the turkey legs....call me old fashioned.)
Here's the menu: [spoiler alert for Michael and Michelle]
Brie and crackers, bacon-wrapped teriyaki shrimp, roast turkey with cornbread stuffing, (yes, we do brine our turkey in salt water for a few hours) pear & strawberry fruit salad, cranberry sauce with orange slices, crispy rolls & cold butter, sweet potatoes with pecans, roasted squash with rosemary, real mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and George's wonderful gravy. For dessert we are having pumpkin pie and apple pie with ice cream or whipped cream.
The mad scramble in the kitchen right before we serve is nothing new either, but it will all come to the table fine and it's going to be one really tasty Thanksgiving!
Have a great day.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
My Dining Room Table
Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy to live in a nice house that George has known and loved for over 37 years. But I knew I was in trouble right away when I saw the size of the rooms. We have rather small rooms and I have lots and lots of stuff. My creativity gets me in all kinds of jams, and one of them is that I have way more things than most people.
The dining room table is my catch all. I haven't figured out what to do about that. The dining room table is used for bills, letters, work bags, calendars, cameras, sunglasses, scissors and stapler...you get the idea. All my important paperwork is done at the dining room table. If I move something, I usually lose something. There is no room in this house for an office, and I know if I made a little office upstairs in the small bedroom, I would never find all my paperwork again. I also run my jewelry business from the dining room. My light box is there, my camera set up, my tissue, bags, and packing materials. I want to keep all that stuff handy and not worry about losing things or having to sift through boxes to find things.
So, having guests for dinner tonight is a really good thing. It forced me to move my things and set the table. I managed to do all that by 9:00 this morning, so that I can spend the day making jewelry, writing letters, wrapping a birthday present....uh oh. Now where am I going to do that?
So, enjoy with me as I look at my dining room table ready for what it is intended for...dining!
The dining room table is my catch all. I haven't figured out what to do about that. The dining room table is used for bills, letters, work bags, calendars, cameras, sunglasses, scissors and stapler...you get the idea. All my important paperwork is done at the dining room table. If I move something, I usually lose something. There is no room in this house for an office, and I know if I made a little office upstairs in the small bedroom, I would never find all my paperwork again. I also run my jewelry business from the dining room. My light box is there, my camera set up, my tissue, bags, and packing materials. I want to keep all that stuff handy and not worry about losing things or having to sift through boxes to find things.
So, having guests for dinner tonight is a really good thing. It forced me to move my things and set the table. I managed to do all that by 9:00 this morning, so that I can spend the day making jewelry, writing letters, wrapping a birthday present....uh oh. Now where am I going to do that?
So, enjoy with me as I look at my dining room table ready for what it is intended for...dining!
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Cowboy Hall of Fame
George and I were pretty tired, but we managed to get to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City on Sunday afternoon. I still call it by the old name--Cowboy Hall of Fame. I enjoyed looking at the authentic Indian bead work and pottery and George took pictures of the famous sculptures and enjoyed the Cowboy exhibit of famous movie star Cowboys like Tom Mix and John Wayne. It was great as always.
Coming Through the Rye is Frederic Remington's most ambitious bronze sculpture. A contemporary of the artist wrote of Remington's sculpture: "Here are four cowboys, wild, harum-scarum devils, shooting up a town from the mere joy of a healthy existence, plus the exhilaration produced by frontier rum! They are dashing down the street, the ponies at top speed, spurning the ground beneath their feet -- only six of those pattering hooves touch the earth!" The technical feat of creating a sculpture in which the outer horses do not even touch the ground pleased Remington greatly, as he pushed the limits of bronze casting and imbued his subjects with a naturalistic energy.
End of the Trail by James Earle Fraser
It was for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915 that Fraser produced his most recognized work, the doleful "End of the Trail." While intended to be cast in bronze, material shortages due to the war prevented this, and the original plaster statue slowly deteriorated until it was obtained by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1968 and restored. The restored statue is currently on display in the entryway of the Oklahoma City museum, and the original that sat in Visalia, CA, was replaced with a bronze replica.[2]
Fraser was later to remark that he should have copyrighted the image and that many people, painters, print and calendar makers and even other sculptors, made more profit from this work than he did.
Two months and a few days
It has been two months since I posted anything here on my blog. In those two months we have had a couple more Nor'easters, I've knit more socks, got new responsibilities at work, arranged to auction and sell my mother's home and contents, taken a trip to Oklahoma to attend the sale, and made lots of pretty jewelry. That's about it I think.
The hard freeze came last night and our plants and peppers on the back porch are frozen and limp and the grass is covered with frozen leaves. Fall fell hard this year. Summer actually didn't amount to much, and everyone feels robbed. It's like looking forward to a European vacation only to find out that someone swiped your passport. Summer was rainy and cold until August, and by then everyone was back at work, or at least I was.
Our trip to Oklahoma last week was very bitter sweet. It is very good to sell a house that can't stay vacant, and we found some wonderful people to handle it all. There were three auctioneers all working at once and two hundred people came to buy what we could no longer use. The house is all clean and ready for the close. George and I are very aware that we had a lot of help from angels. Things just fell into place for us. Like when we had two large paintings in card table boxes to get to the post office to send to my brother, and they wouldn't fit into our rental car and mom's good friend pulled up right then with a pick up truck. Stuff like that just kept happening, and it all went smooth as ice. I had a few tears, but I was resigned that the stuff needed to go to a better home than mine. Many people came to bid on specific items, like my mother's very good friend who came to bid on her silver, and did, and in the end had to go get her pickup because she had bought so much stuff. It was nice to see things go to people who will cherish the things my mother loved so much.
Now we look forward to Thanksgiving and Mike and Michelle's visit, and to Christmas, when George and I will not be traveling but will stay home with our kitties. No need for further excitement we think. I plan to spend some time decorating and setting up a tree and making our home very festive. We'll invite friends in for dessert and cider and enjoy a Christmas without airports and train stations.
If you haven't looked at the blog on the New York Times called Bitten, try that. It is a great foodie blog and very short and sweet. This morning I'm clipping recipes for Thanksgiving, and enjoying an early Saturday morning in my favorite chair.
Have a great day.
The hard freeze came last night and our plants and peppers on the back porch are frozen and limp and the grass is covered with frozen leaves. Fall fell hard this year. Summer actually didn't amount to much, and everyone feels robbed. It's like looking forward to a European vacation only to find out that someone swiped your passport. Summer was rainy and cold until August, and by then everyone was back at work, or at least I was.
Our trip to Oklahoma last week was very bitter sweet. It is very good to sell a house that can't stay vacant, and we found some wonderful people to handle it all. There were three auctioneers all working at once and two hundred people came to buy what we could no longer use. The house is all clean and ready for the close. George and I are very aware that we had a lot of help from angels. Things just fell into place for us. Like when we had two large paintings in card table boxes to get to the post office to send to my brother, and they wouldn't fit into our rental car and mom's good friend pulled up right then with a pick up truck. Stuff like that just kept happening, and it all went smooth as ice. I had a few tears, but I was resigned that the stuff needed to go to a better home than mine. Many people came to bid on specific items, like my mother's very good friend who came to bid on her silver, and did, and in the end had to go get her pickup because she had bought so much stuff. It was nice to see things go to people who will cherish the things my mother loved so much.
Now we look forward to Thanksgiving and Mike and Michelle's visit, and to Christmas, when George and I will not be traveling but will stay home with our kitties. No need for further excitement we think. I plan to spend some time decorating and setting up a tree and making our home very festive. We'll invite friends in for dessert and cider and enjoy a Christmas without airports and train stations.
If you haven't looked at the blog on the New York Times called Bitten, try that. It is a great foodie blog and very short and sweet. This morning I'm clipping recipes for Thanksgiving, and enjoying an early Saturday morning in my favorite chair.
Have a great day.
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