We were gathered around the Thanksgiving table. My husband asks me....So, would you like to go look at kitchens tomorrow? I swallowed a lump of turkey. "Kitchens?", I echoed in a soft,flat,dazed voice. My son said "You are supposed to say yes". We continued eating. No more mention of kitchens.
Today (two days later) my son said " You didn't go look at kitchens yesterday". "No" I said. "Maybe you should go look tomorrow" he said. Maybe.
I have traveled this ground numerous times in the past 24 years. It was always unstable and crumbled beneath my feet. I learned to stay on the sidewalk.
I have lit this candle many times only to have it snuffed out. But now someone else lit it and I am drawn as a moth to the flame. I unrolled my feelers. I tested the air. Maybe this time, this time there is enough oxygen to sustain the flame.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
embarrassment
Yesterday I looked out the window into the backyard. Something orange that didn't belong was laying in the yard. I went out and picked it up. A tiny plastic clay-colored pot with a few gnaw marks on it. Where could it have come from? Kids next door tossing it over? It would have had to have been a hard toss. It was in the middle of the yard.I picked it up and placed it on the back stoop and forgot about it. Today when I pulled into the driveway after a long.......okay a short day at work....I saw a squirrel. Sitting on the stoop totally engrossed in something. He was holding the pot. And gnawing on it. He hesitated. Gave me an embarrassed look. Set the pot down and ran away. I cant get that look out of my head. Pure embarrassment. Mixed with a little annoyance. I left the pot there for his gnawing pleasure.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
the new marilyn
Today I stepped outside of my office at the health club and a member approached me and asked me if I was the new Marilyn. I responded that I was. I said that I had replaced Marilyn and that my name was Ramona. He said "You sure are a lot thinner than Marilyn". I said "I won't tell her that you said that".
Monday, June 4, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
a a a
We had a momma duck chose a spot to feather her nest beside our garage next to the hydragea bush. She sat on the eggs for two weeks. Yesterday when I went out in the morning to go to work, I saw her in the backyard. She was preening and shaking out her feathers as she walked away. It looked exactly as if she was saying "Enough of of this. I'm moving on." Sure enough when I got home from work, her nest sat uncovered with two lone eggs in it. I waited to see what would happen. When I went out this morning, the eggs were gone. Some raccoon had a treat last night.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
flawed
It's been awhile since I had Coffee with Julia. I got a job and we had to stop our Wednesday morning meetings at Panera. But I see her at Wegman's cooking and handing out samples in the meat department. She has also been promoted to assistant chef for the cooking classes. We got together today at 2 pm and talked for two hours at Panera. Coffee with Julia turned into Iced Tea With Julia. We had a lot to talk about for two hours. We decided to meet on my patio in two weeks for Sangria With Julia.
When we parted today she told me that she had missed me. She said that it is so nice to spend time with someone who is not perfect. I take that as a compliment. I've never enjoyed perfection either. Things and people are so much more interesting when they are a little flawed.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
memorial day
Today is Memorial Day...a holiday. I do recognize it as a day to honor those whose gave their lives so I can live the life I live today. And I am grateful to them for doing so. I try to think if I could do the same. I don't think so. I honor and thank them. But today mostly is just another day to me. B and I never do anything like other people do to celebrate a holiday. No family or friends gather on our patio. We don't load up the camper or go to our cottage on the beach or in the mountains for a nice relaxing weekend. We don't own a camper or a cottage. We just continue on as normal. Friday the drapery rods that we ordered arrived. B is installing them today. I am ironing shirts and cleaning my bedroom while watching old movies that I've seen before. I am going to roast a chicken later. I awoke feeling nervous today and poured myself a glass of champagne at noon. Then another and another. Tomorrow the fitness club where I work is open til 2. So I'm going in for a few hours so I don't get behind in my work. It's not even sunny today to lift my spirits. As I write I see the sun peeking out though.
My most prominent memories of Memorial Day are from when I was young. Every holiday seemed like a special day set apart from the others. Sometimes the McWilliams family would come to visit Grandma Morris and Aunt Jerry. I'd play with Cindy and maybe Donna and lust after Keith. Debbie was young and got in the way. Larry...I think he was older and seldom came. We rode our bikes. I focused on their Chicago accent. The way they always wanted to go with. What do they mean....go with? Go with you? They still had a week or so of school to endure. I felt smug because I was out of school already. My mom would set up the grill and we would have burgers in the back yard on our picnic table. My dad would sit in a lawn chair in the backyard and look up when I yelled at him to Look at Me Look at Me hanging from my knees from the top bar of the swingset. I would put on my bathing suit and run through the sprinkler. We would make a trip out to the cemetery to place fake flowers on my grandparents graves. I would run around and sit on the tombstones and visit the unknown soldier statue. Marvel at the cedar tree. That's what I remember.
My most prominent memories of Memorial Day are from when I was young. Every holiday seemed like a special day set apart from the others. Sometimes the McWilliams family would come to visit Grandma Morris and Aunt Jerry. I'd play with Cindy and maybe Donna and lust after Keith. Debbie was young and got in the way. Larry...I think he was older and seldom came. We rode our bikes. I focused on their Chicago accent. The way they always wanted to go with. What do they mean....go with? Go with you? They still had a week or so of school to endure. I felt smug because I was out of school already. My mom would set up the grill and we would have burgers in the back yard on our picnic table. My dad would sit in a lawn chair in the backyard and look up when I yelled at him to Look at Me Look at Me hanging from my knees from the top bar of the swingset. I would put on my bathing suit and run through the sprinkler. We would make a trip out to the cemetery to place fake flowers on my grandparents graves. I would run around and sit on the tombstones and visit the unknown soldier statue. Marvel at the cedar tree. That's what I remember.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
surprise box
I received a surprise box from my sister last week. She seems to know me better than I know myself. Every item in the box could have been selected by my own private shopper who knows my tastes well. And every item was. Lustreware bowl to add to my collection. A book about chocolate which I can't go one day without. A day without chocolate is worse than a day without sunshine. A cute embroidered hand towel....I also collect these.
Cute pair of sleeping shorts and a white lacy tank
Here is a little collection with a purplish color scheme. I own these shoes in a gold color and love them....so I love them in black also. One can never have too many pairs of black shoes. Colorful sweater...I've worn it already. See "my new little private office". Purple Pashmina and the sweetest paper clips I have ever seen.
Yellow color scheme.....embellished sweater, comfortable yellow suede shoes and a beautiful sheer sequined scarf
Monday, May 21, 2012
my new little private office
This is my new little private office. I used to sit out in the open at my old job. People walked past me a million times a day. No privacy whatsoever.
In my new little private office the door is kept closed and locked. That's okay with me. The better to get my work done. I only spend a half day in it anyway. When I step out of it I'm surrounded by people working out and cute little kids in the babysitting area. I get to listen to great music. If I forget my lunch I can buy a protein shake at the juice bar. I've been using the treadmills and ellipticals when I get done with my work. When I leave for the day I've been checking out the shopping in the area. There's a Goodwill and a Salvation Army close by. I've discovered a great little sewing shop....Marie's Sewing Center.
I've gone from being a public spectacle to isolation booth at work.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
book quotes 1 & 2 on confidantes and secrets
When I lost my Smudgie last week, I posted on Facebook that he was my best friend, my confidante and my sleepin' buddy. And he really was. Smudgie knew all my deepest thoughts and darkest secrets. He was an expert at keeping secrets. Over the years I have jotted down quotes that I like from books. Posting that about Smudgie made me think of a couple quotes I had jotted down on the topics of confidantes and secrets.
The first is from The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd....on confidantes
"I desperately needed confidantes. Because underneath I felt terrified. Because the weight of what I was carrying around was at least ten times heavier than I was and I had come to the end of my ability to hold it."
The second from a book I am reading now
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak....on secrets (Liesel is keeping a secret. She is hiding a Jew in her basement. As she sits in the mayor's library reading a book, the secret desperately wants to slip out of her mouth. She feels a need to share her secret. But she doesn't.)
"There's a Jew in my basement. As the book quivered in her lap, the secret sat in her mouth. It made itself comfortable. It crossed it's legs."
The first is from The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd....on confidantes
"I desperately needed confidantes. Because underneath I felt terrified. Because the weight of what I was carrying around was at least ten times heavier than I was and I had come to the end of my ability to hold it."
The second from a book I am reading now
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak....on secrets (Liesel is keeping a secret. She is hiding a Jew in her basement. As she sits in the mayor's library reading a book, the secret desperately wants to slip out of her mouth. She feels a need to share her secret. But she doesn't.)
"There's a Jew in my basement. As the book quivered in her lap, the secret sat in her mouth. It made itself comfortable. It crossed it's legs."
some enchanted evening
Bali Hai may call you
Any night, any day
I predict Bali Hai will be urging me to Come Away Come Away at 7 pm this evening. I'm hoping it will be some enchanted evening. To dress the part I think I'll wear my hula girl sweater and grass skirt.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
shorter days and pants
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
smudgie earns his wings
Saturday, April 21, 2012
dilemma solved
I settled on gold. I decided the aqua would scream at me. And in the end although I thought dark red would be a good choice, I thought it might scream at me too if I didn't select just the right shade. I like soft colors and I think I can live with the gold for a long time.
If I decide to use the dark red quilt I won't have to worry about the reds clashing.
This is the view into the room from hall. We have an clay-colored accent wall in the hallway and I think the dark red would not have looked pleasing when viewed from the hallway.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
my dilemma
I have been thinking for a long time about adding a little accent color in the guest bedroom. The walls are off-white, bisque, bone, whatever. I have a gold bedspread and a dark red, cranberry, burgundy, whatever bedspread. A Tiffany glass lamp with a lot of colors in it including a lot of shades of red. I inherited the Chinese rug from Bill's office when he got a new one. It has a lot of red and oddly enough a purplish pink in it. My desk chair is upholstered in a greenish-gold and clay-colored flower print. There are a lot of shades of red in this room and oddly enough they go well together. There are a number of shades of gold also. I, however, wanted to choose a perfect shade in the red family that somehow brought all these colors together and complimented one another. I also considered a shade of gold instead of red but in the end decided on a red shade for the punch of color and because I was afraid the gold would match too closely to the wood and not have the contrast that I wanted. I considered for a long time painting the arched wall with the window in the alcove but then changed my mind to paint around the twin bookcases on either side.
So here is the color and although I like it on it's own, it's a big failure in the room. It does match my new purse but nothing else. So now I'm choosing another red. But I can't seem to decide on anything and I'm thinking about going back to the gold.
Smudge has no opinion.
So do I go real dark and match the cranberry, confederate red, burnt peanut or do I go for that second or third to last shade of gold? I'm so wishy washy. Or was it all a mistake and I should have left well enough alone? Or mybe even that aqua? Any opinions?
Saturday, April 14, 2012
wwf
Not the World Wildlife Fund although I am a fan of them too. I have a soft spot for little rodents and I think chipmunks are one of the cutest creatures ever. Ev Ver! In fact I recently read an article in their magazine about the effects of global warming on the hibernation habits of chipmunks that has me very worried about the future welfare of these little creatures. I was so happy to see one sneak inside our garage through a little opening in the foundation this spring. B....not so much.
But I'm talking about Words with Friends and my addiction to it. It's the first thing I do in the morning, the last thing I do before I go to sleep. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and play. I fall asleep seeing letters and the words they make and I'm not kidding when I say that there have been times when I fall asleep seeing a particular set of letters in my head and all the words I could make with them and then when I awake I actually have the opportunity to play that very word. It's spooky. (15 pts) It amazes me how many words there are in the English language ( and words the game will accept that aren't in the English language). I played acorn the other day and thought....I've never played acorn before.
I have always liked letters and words way better than numbers. Sometimes I play a little game and make a little story out of the words that have been played in a game. One game yielded quite a naughty (15 pts) little story. LOL!!
In a game I'm playing now, these are the words. Create, sweat, toil, feel, gaze and tokes. Are you seeing a theme here? I am. Only tokes doesn't quite fit but we will make it fit. I'm working on a project. I love to create. It takes a lot of sweat to toil like this. But when my project is complete I can sit back and take a few tokes and gaze upon it and feel pride.
Here's another one with a lot more words. This game is a little further along.
On a whim (whim) I accepted a job at a tony (tony) manor (manor) in a gated (gated)community. They asked to see my bio (bio) and set me up as a payee (payee) on their checking account. I ironed (ironed)for a dojo (dojo) but when he saw the char (char) mark on his shirt he put an end to that. Next he had me take his cute (cute) little shaver (shaver) to the zoo (zoo). We were looking at the dinos (dinos) when the rains (rains) came. The slugs (slugs) came out and we had to bolt (bolt). It caused quite a stir (stir). This was the fix (fix). He lauded (lauded) me on the great (great) job I did and we shared a glass of rum (rum). It feels (feels) so good going down, eh (eh)?
But I'm talking about Words with Friends and my addiction to it. It's the first thing I do in the morning, the last thing I do before I go to sleep. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and play. I fall asleep seeing letters and the words they make and I'm not kidding when I say that there have been times when I fall asleep seeing a particular set of letters in my head and all the words I could make with them and then when I awake I actually have the opportunity to play that very word. It's spooky. (15 pts) It amazes me how many words there are in the English language ( and words the game will accept that aren't in the English language). I played acorn the other day and thought....I've never played acorn before.
I have always liked letters and words way better than numbers. Sometimes I play a little game and make a little story out of the words that have been played in a game. One game yielded quite a naughty (15 pts) little story. LOL!!
In a game I'm playing now, these are the words. Create, sweat, toil, feel, gaze and tokes. Are you seeing a theme here? I am. Only tokes doesn't quite fit but we will make it fit. I'm working on a project. I love to create. It takes a lot of sweat to toil like this. But when my project is complete I can sit back and take a few tokes and gaze upon it and feel pride.
Here's another one with a lot more words. This game is a little further along.
On a whim (whim) I accepted a job at a tony (tony) manor (manor) in a gated (gated)community. They asked to see my bio (bio) and set me up as a payee (payee) on their checking account. I ironed (ironed)for a dojo (dojo) but when he saw the char (char) mark on his shirt he put an end to that. Next he had me take his cute (cute) little shaver (shaver) to the zoo (zoo). We were looking at the dinos (dinos) when the rains (rains) came. The slugs (slugs) came out and we had to bolt (bolt). It caused quite a stir (stir). This was the fix (fix). He lauded (lauded) me on the great (great) job I did and we shared a glass of rum (rum). It feels (feels) so good going down, eh (eh)?
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
acts of kindness
I was sitting down this morning to post in my blog but before I did I had to take a look at Facebook to see what I may have missed in the 10 hours since I last looked. I was intending to write about a couple very small acts of kindness that I have performed recently. Very, very small acts but still they made me feel very, very good to have performed them.
One of the first things I saw on Facebook was this post...
"3 things in human life are important. The 1st is to be kind. The 2nd is to be kind. And the 3rd is to be kind". (Henry James)
Every year I make a New Year's resolution to be kinder to people. It's not that I'm unkind. Just feel that I could be kinder.
Both my little acts of kindness involved older people. Both were somewhat humorous and both were somewhat sad.
My first little act happened several weeks ago. I was out for a long, long walk with a planned stop at the grocery store near the end of the walk to pick up an item or two. I visited the bathroom and when I came out of the stall there was a little old lady standing in front of the sinks but facing the door. I maneuvered around her, washed and dried my hands as she continued to stand there unmoving facing the door. I started to walk around her to leave but then asked her if she needed some help. She pointed to the magnetic sign on the door that said "Maintenance. Do not enter." and said " I think they are doing some work on the other side and don't want us to go out yet." I assured her it was alright to leave the bathroom.
My next little act happened on Tuesday as I was walking home from Panera down Main Street after having Coffee with Julia. I walked past an older woman pushing her hubby in a wheelchair. She was trying to push him up a sidewalk that ran alongside a building. As I was approaching I saw her push the chair forward only to be stopped by the front wheel wedging into a hole in the sidewalk where a chunk of concrete had fallen away. She backed up and tried again with the same result. I was just passing her when I saw that she was going to make a third attempt. Why didn't she just wheel the chair up the smooth paved road next to the sidewalk and then back onto the sidewalk I thought? So I stopped, asked if I could help and offered my advice. She looked up at me and replied "I only have one eye and I can't see what I'm doing." I explained that she was getting stuck in a hole. She took my advice and wheeled her hubby smoothly up the walk to his doctor appointment, I presume.
Continuing on, it made me chuckle a little to myself but mostly it made me feel good that my tiny little offer of help must have seemed like a much bigger offer of help to her.
One of the first things I saw on Facebook was this post...
"3 things in human life are important. The 1st is to be kind. The 2nd is to be kind. And the 3rd is to be kind". (Henry James)
Every year I make a New Year's resolution to be kinder to people. It's not that I'm unkind. Just feel that I could be kinder.
Both my little acts of kindness involved older people. Both were somewhat humorous and both were somewhat sad.
My first little act happened several weeks ago. I was out for a long, long walk with a planned stop at the grocery store near the end of the walk to pick up an item or two. I visited the bathroom and when I came out of the stall there was a little old lady standing in front of the sinks but facing the door. I maneuvered around her, washed and dried my hands as she continued to stand there unmoving facing the door. I started to walk around her to leave but then asked her if she needed some help. She pointed to the magnetic sign on the door that said "Maintenance. Do not enter." and said " I think they are doing some work on the other side and don't want us to go out yet." I assured her it was alright to leave the bathroom.
My next little act happened on Tuesday as I was walking home from Panera down Main Street after having Coffee with Julia. I walked past an older woman pushing her hubby in a wheelchair. She was trying to push him up a sidewalk that ran alongside a building. As I was approaching I saw her push the chair forward only to be stopped by the front wheel wedging into a hole in the sidewalk where a chunk of concrete had fallen away. She backed up and tried again with the same result. I was just passing her when I saw that she was going to make a third attempt. Why didn't she just wheel the chair up the smooth paved road next to the sidewalk and then back onto the sidewalk I thought? So I stopped, asked if I could help and offered my advice. She looked up at me and replied "I only have one eye and I can't see what I'm doing." I explained that she was getting stuck in a hole. She took my advice and wheeled her hubby smoothly up the walk to his doctor appointment, I presume.
Continuing on, it made me chuckle a little to myself but mostly it made me feel good that my tiny little offer of help must have seemed like a much bigger offer of help to her.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
mediocre musings
I woke up this morning with my mind racing. Thoughts flowing freely. I am loving my time at home but something is laying heavily on my shoulders. A heavy weight pressing down on me. I throw it off but it comes back. Yes, I should be earning money. And I would like to be a productive member of society and I would like to earn money. But I also want to be happy. I want to be happy when I earn money. So I have been giving myself time to think about what I really , really want to do.
This led me to thinking about how people are viewed. I remember when I first met B. His mother prided intelligence above all. So and so's father was a doctor, a lawyer, an Indian chief (a successful bakery shop owner like Betsy's father). To her a person's worth was measured by intelligence and wealth. When someone dies you always hear people say...what a shame. He owned a chain of stores, he had a doctorate in this or that, she had a high-paying job with such and such. They contributed so much to the world. But what about joe schmo. Maybe joe had a factory job and drank two or three beers every evening. But isn't it a shame that joe died too? Is joe's life worth less because he accomplished less? My dad had a factory job, he provided for and loved his family. He would have liked to drink two or three beers every night but my mom wouldn't allow it. But then everyone thought it such a shame when my dad died because he was such a great guy so this analogy isn't really working here. But my point is not everyone can accomplish great things and everyone's life is worthwhile. And this would not be such a wonderful world to live in, I think, if everyone accomplished great things. The world needs people like me and joe to keep it balanced.
I saw a news story recently about a young man who is so intelligent and had such brilliant ideas that his parents let him build a nuclear reactor in the garage. He is foregoing college because what could it teach him? He was teaching quantum physics class for a college when he was fourteen. I'm in awe of these young proteges. Also fearful of them. How is it that a brain like that happens in a chosen few?
So I'm thinking about what I would really like to do. What do successful people have that I don't have? Courage said the Cowardly Lion. But also ambition, drive, dedication, a dream. But maybe I have these things if I had passion. So what am I passionate about? Well, cookie baking. So okay what would it take to make a successful cookie baking business? Well, capital, but let's set that aside for a moment. You would need to advertise and sell your product....not fun, bake cookies every day instead of when you wanted to.....not fun, hire and fire people....not fun. If the business grew and you started to make money then you would have to stop baking yourself to manage the business. Even though your rose cookies are beautiful, the best seller would probably still be chocolate chip so you would have to bake those instead of the beautiful ones. Where is the joy in that? Kind of like Words with Friends where you have this big, wonderful word to play but Qi is the word that will get you the most points.
So I also enjoyed making those paper birdhouses. Maybe I could sell things at a craft fair. I don't think I would make my fortune in this arena, not even a living, probably not even enough to cover the cost of the supplies. Moving on, I love food. Maybe I could work in a restaurant. But then I would have to cook or serve what was on the restaurant menu instead of thinking up delightful menus myself.
I thought that I would like to maybe work in a daycare. Even that requires a two year degree in child care. Does raising a child count I wonder? Or a degree in Accounting with two or those years spent pursuing a degree in Special Education? I feel so inadequate to take of a baby or serve people food. I don't seem to have the experience required. Never mind that a high school kid could perform these duties quite well.
Although I don't have the confidence to outright say it (but here I am saying it) I am somewhat of an expert in Quickbooks, I suppose. I mean, I was sent out to clients to teach them to use it, clients called me to talk them through working with it, people came to me with QB questions. So maybe I'm a bit of an expert. I love to see a clean perfect general ledger with not an entry out of place. So herein, I think, lies what I should do. Because I know how to do this and this is where I could make the most money I guess. Any hobby I have would become joyless if I had to repeat it over and over everyday. People tell me that I'm talented and that I have so many interests, but I am a Jack of all Trades and Master of None. One of the great mediocrities of the world.
This led me to thinking about how people are viewed. I remember when I first met B. His mother prided intelligence above all. So and so's father was a doctor, a lawyer, an Indian chief (a successful bakery shop owner like Betsy's father). To her a person's worth was measured by intelligence and wealth. When someone dies you always hear people say...what a shame. He owned a chain of stores, he had a doctorate in this or that, she had a high-paying job with such and such. They contributed so much to the world. But what about joe schmo. Maybe joe had a factory job and drank two or three beers every evening. But isn't it a shame that joe died too? Is joe's life worth less because he accomplished less? My dad had a factory job, he provided for and loved his family. He would have liked to drink two or three beers every night but my mom wouldn't allow it. But then everyone thought it such a shame when my dad died because he was such a great guy so this analogy isn't really working here. But my point is not everyone can accomplish great things and everyone's life is worthwhile. And this would not be such a wonderful world to live in, I think, if everyone accomplished great things. The world needs people like me and joe to keep it balanced.
I saw a news story recently about a young man who is so intelligent and had such brilliant ideas that his parents let him build a nuclear reactor in the garage. He is foregoing college because what could it teach him? He was teaching quantum physics class for a college when he was fourteen. I'm in awe of these young proteges. Also fearful of them. How is it that a brain like that happens in a chosen few?
So I'm thinking about what I would really like to do. What do successful people have that I don't have? Courage said the Cowardly Lion. But also ambition, drive, dedication, a dream. But maybe I have these things if I had passion. So what am I passionate about? Well, cookie baking. So okay what would it take to make a successful cookie baking business? Well, capital, but let's set that aside for a moment. You would need to advertise and sell your product....not fun, bake cookies every day instead of when you wanted to.....not fun, hire and fire people....not fun. If the business grew and you started to make money then you would have to stop baking yourself to manage the business. Even though your rose cookies are beautiful, the best seller would probably still be chocolate chip so you would have to bake those instead of the beautiful ones. Where is the joy in that? Kind of like Words with Friends where you have this big, wonderful word to play but Qi is the word that will get you the most points.
So I also enjoyed making those paper birdhouses. Maybe I could sell things at a craft fair. I don't think I would make my fortune in this arena, not even a living, probably not even enough to cover the cost of the supplies. Moving on, I love food. Maybe I could work in a restaurant. But then I would have to cook or serve what was on the restaurant menu instead of thinking up delightful menus myself.
I thought that I would like to maybe work in a daycare. Even that requires a two year degree in child care. Does raising a child count I wonder? Or a degree in Accounting with two or those years spent pursuing a degree in Special Education? I feel so inadequate to take of a baby or serve people food. I don't seem to have the experience required. Never mind that a high school kid could perform these duties quite well.
Although I don't have the confidence to outright say it (but here I am saying it) I am somewhat of an expert in Quickbooks, I suppose. I mean, I was sent out to clients to teach them to use it, clients called me to talk them through working with it, people came to me with QB questions. So maybe I'm a bit of an expert. I love to see a clean perfect general ledger with not an entry out of place. So herein, I think, lies what I should do. Because I know how to do this and this is where I could make the most money I guess. Any hobby I have would become joyless if I had to repeat it over and over everyday. People tell me that I'm talented and that I have so many interests, but I am a Jack of all Trades and Master of None. One of the great mediocrities of the world.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
barb's b-day
Today, March 31, is my friend's birthday.
I went to Rochester on Tuesday to spend my day with her. We didn't do much and still had a great time. We spent the morning drinking Champagne at her house and talking and copying recipes. Too much of anything is bad, but too much champagne is just right.
inside of Nick's
Then out for a drive along Lake Ontario with a stop at Nick's Sea Breeze Inn for lunch.
the things I gave her for her birthday
And more driving along the lake and a stop at Charlotte (char lot)Beach where we took a long cold windy walk down the pier. But I knew once we made it to the end that the walk back would have the wind at our back. May the wind be always at your back.
On the way back to her house we stopped at Dollop, a cupcake store. They won the Cupcake Wars on TV. I ordered a brown sugar cupcake with chocolate ganache and vanilla icing. Barb ordered a brown sugar cupcake with Boston Creme filling an chocolate icing. we took them back to her house and had them on cute plates along with a cup of hot tea. And then sadly my time was up and I had to head home in order to be on time to go to a ballet of Cinderella.
We had so much to talk about. It had been awhile since we were last together.
Happy Birthday my friend!
a little stir fry
Once I had a wok. I tried to find a place to store it for years, but finally I got rid of it. I'm not a China restaurant and a pan works just as well. I've tried lots of bottled stir-fry sauces but I still come back to making stir-fry the way I have done since forever.
The veggies that need a tad extra cooking like carrots and broccoli, I microwave for a minute. The ones that need only heating like bean sprouts, bok choy, mushrooms and so forth go directly in the pan with a tad of chicken broth and sesame oil. My sauce is chicken broth mixed with a tablespoon or so of each soy sauce and corn starch. It's still my favorite. I added fresh corn cut from the cob to this and a generous sprinkle of salted cashews.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
a breath of spring
I ended up making fourteen paper birdhouses. I gave away ten as gifts and used four to decorate my fireplace mantel for spring.
Is there something wrong with a woman who enjoys sitting at home all day making paper birdhouses and baking cookies? I hope not!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
the roycroft inn
This is what the Roycroft Inn website has to say about the Inn.
The Roycroft Campus, the Roycroft way of life and its story began in 1897 with Elbert Hubbard a legendary man of vision who founded the American Arts and Crafts Movement in East Aurora NY. For more than 20 years, the Roycroft Campus was a center of entrepreneurship, creativity and learning. It was a hub of activity with over five hundred working artisans and craftsmen and drew visitors from faraway places.
In 1905 the Roycroft Inn was opened to accommodate visitors and artisans looking to experience this emerging community and style. The Inn became a center of activity for this community. In 1986, The Roycroft Inn, as part of the Roycroft Campus, received National Historic Landmark status. Over a nine year period, with support from the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, The Inn meticulously underwent an $8 million dollar restoration to return it to its original splendor. It was re-opened for guests in 1995.
Today, The Roycroft Inn continues to welcome visitors and be the center of the many community activities. It offers its guests a beautiful destination for an overnight stay, a special dining experience or both.
From the moment you enter the Campus and arrive at the Inn, you are immersed in the beauty and unique style of the Roycroft artisans. As you step through the grand doors "time still seems to stand still", at least for a minute. In the Salon you are surrounded by the beautifully restored murals created by Alexis Jean Fournier, an original Roycroft artist. Sit in an original Roycroft Morris chair, read a book by a handcrafted lamp or just wander through the series of exquisitely restored rooms and breathe in the history of this Historic Inn.
So The Roycroft was where the Arts and Crafts movement began. It is a decorating style that seems timeless. I've taken guests to the Roycroft for lunch several times but I had never experienced dinner or an overnight there. B surprised me for our anniversary by arranging for us to do both. We spent St Patrick's Day in East Aurora visiting all the shops on Main Street.
Our room at the Inn was awesome.
This is the restaurant.
the bedroom part of the room
the sitting area
more sitting area
I was particularly impressed by the bathroom
really impressed by the bathroom
Like I said....I really liked the bathroom
The Roycroft Campus, the Roycroft way of life and its story began in 1897 with Elbert Hubbard a legendary man of vision who founded the American Arts and Crafts Movement in East Aurora NY. For more than 20 years, the Roycroft Campus was a center of entrepreneurship, creativity and learning. It was a hub of activity with over five hundred working artisans and craftsmen and drew visitors from faraway places.
In 1905 the Roycroft Inn was opened to accommodate visitors and artisans looking to experience this emerging community and style. The Inn became a center of activity for this community. In 1986, The Roycroft Inn, as part of the Roycroft Campus, received National Historic Landmark status. Over a nine year period, with support from the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, The Inn meticulously underwent an $8 million dollar restoration to return it to its original splendor. It was re-opened for guests in 1995.
Today, The Roycroft Inn continues to welcome visitors and be the center of the many community activities. It offers its guests a beautiful destination for an overnight stay, a special dining experience or both.
From the moment you enter the Campus and arrive at the Inn, you are immersed in the beauty and unique style of the Roycroft artisans. As you step through the grand doors "time still seems to stand still", at least for a minute. In the Salon you are surrounded by the beautifully restored murals created by Alexis Jean Fournier, an original Roycroft artist. Sit in an original Roycroft Morris chair, read a book by a handcrafted lamp or just wander through the series of exquisitely restored rooms and breathe in the history of this Historic Inn.
So The Roycroft was where the Arts and Crafts movement began. It is a decorating style that seems timeless. I've taken guests to the Roycroft for lunch several times but I had never experienced dinner or an overnight there. B surprised me for our anniversary by arranging for us to do both. We spent St Patrick's Day in East Aurora visiting all the shops on Main Street.
Our room at the Inn was awesome.
This is the restaurant.
the bedroom part of the room
the sitting area
more sitting area
I was particularly impressed by the bathroom
really impressed by the bathroom
Like I said....I really liked the bathroom
Friday, March 23, 2012
the night circus
I am reading a fantastic book right now called The Night Circus. The Night Circus is completely black and white. The tents are black and white striped. I think this outfit that I wore on a date with myself today would be perfect to wear to The Night Circus.
I had an excellent day. A five mile walk, the final sanding of my table before the final coat of poly and then I went to see The Hunger Games all by myself. Followed by an excellent dinner at JoJo's all by myself. And now paper crafting and listening to my favorite songs on Spotify. An enchanted day....kind of like an enchanted circus.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
another birdhouse
I made this birdhouse for a friend. I'm planning on making one for another friend and I need to make two more to decorate my mantel for spring. Then on to something else.
I shredded colored newsprint and added a few snips of ribbon and yarn such as a real bird may do when building a nest. And three chocolate hazelnut eggs for a little surprise when the roof is removed.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
anniversary dinner
The first day of spring and our wedding anniversary. I wanted to set a colorful table. Wegmans had tulips today for $6 per bunch. B likes bright colors so I went with orange.
My aim was for a colorful low calorie meal. Simple but flavorful and a little bit different. We started with baguette and dipping oil made with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese and garlic herb mix that Bill's sister gave us for Christmas. A gift that she purchased in Europe.
The salad....Thin sliced English cucumber and red pepper marinated in 1/4 cup of rice vinegar with 2 teaspoons of sugar added.
Main course-Pork meatballs with raisins and pine nuts served on Swiss Chard mix cooked with yellow squash in a bit of chicken broth. I added the leftover bread dip to flavor.
Meatballs are made with 1 pound of lean ground pork, 1/4 c chopped golden raisins, 1/4 c toasted pine nuts, 1/3 t cinnamon, 1 egg, 1/4 c Panko bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Cook on stove top in a tiny bit of olive oil.
Dessert was fresh apple slices tossed in a few drops of lemon juice so as not to discolor. The dip for the apples was equal parts of caramel and mascarpone cheese.
All cleaned up. I left the candles burning while we watched one of our all time favorite movies....Amadeus.
eatin' o the green
We had our corned beef and cabbage dinner on the 15th this year. I always make it every year. But on Friday we have burgers and fries and on Saturday we were going to be having dinner and spending the night at the Roycroft Inn to celebrate our anniversary. So on the 15th I made it in the crockpot and it was one of the most delicious briskets we've ever had.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
oil or plastic
So here is my table after I've applied a coat of dark mahogany stain. It literally glows and I could not be happier with the outcome. But now I have to decide on the finishing coat. I am leaning toward tung oil. B thinks that would be a mistake. He is an advocate of polyurethane. I am terrified that I won't be able to get it right...leaving brush strokes, bubbles or drips.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
woody woodworker
B is on spring break and so I am so to speak. And what do people do when they are on spring break? Oh that's right, they go to Florida. But what do people like B and I do on spring break? We work! We are painting the dining room this week and shopping for drapery rods which is just a downright scary endeavor. All that hardware talk boggles my mind and just when you think you found a solution, they price it out. I would prefer to let my windows go bare than spend $3000 to $4000 on drapery rods and that doesn't even include the draperies. I think we are going to get single traverse decorative rods and rehang our sheers. No fancy side panels for us.
getting started
So while the dining room is emptied of furniture, I decided to take on the project of refinishing the dining room table top. A mahogany Duncan Phyfe style table in bad need of refinishing. I'm just doing the top. The rest of the table is in okay shape.
one drop leaf down
B got me set up in the garage with the sander and 100 grit paper. I swore I would finish it even if it killed me.
half-way there
So here I am halfway there. I finished yesterday with the 100 grit.
And today I sanded it with 220 grit to a satiny finish
I was a little reluctant to post this because I'm considering some kind of design on the table and I might screw it up. Or even if I just stain it with no design, I might still screw it up and you would be left wondering.....I wonder whatever happened with that table she was refinishing?
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