Cooking with gas . . .

Puppy's Pop and I went to a heart healthy cooking class at Backus Outpatient last evening. I don't think he was too impressed but only because one of the attendees was a manic depressive type in her manic state and never closed her mouth for rather tedious, self absorbed minutes at a time! We had a sous-chef from Foxwoods and his apprentice. They made wanton soup which I thought was delicious and spicy from the ginger root. The entrée was pan fried swail that had been covered in Mrs. Dash seasoning placed on top of jasmine rice (my favorite) that had been boiled in water. and coconut milk with chopped peppers. A sauce made of orange juice, ginger root and honey was ladled over the fish. In addition they cooked some leeks in the oven. They were left loose on tinfoil, sprinkled with virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, not minced, fresh lemon juice and then wrapped tightly in the foil. Not sure if I've remembered everything because the chef forgot to bring the recipes. We should get them by email sometime today. I enjoyed the rice, fish and sauce but found the leeks a little too earthy for my taste buds. Puppy's Pop ate the rice and fish but left the leeks. It was an hour presentation which was videotaped. I think that they would like to do more presentations but are trying to get a corporate sponsor! I would go back in a heart beat (pun intended.) I've never really seen a professional cook in person and it was very interesting. There were only about 15 people at the presentation and some of them were able to help the chef when he ended up politely listening to the very personal life of the seemingly very intelligent but egocentric lady by interrupting to ask questions. Not sure if Puppy's Pop would like to go again. But I would definitely go.

Finally getting a little rain, yesterday and today. It was so drab yesterday that we took scenic 169 to go have lunch at Java Jive in Woodstock just to perk us up! It worked. Shall be leaving for lunch duty later on and really don't mind the rain. We need it.

Almost forgot the wonders I have wrought. The Wii wasn't working for some reason. I was able to sync the controllers all by myself and we're back in business. Did about a half hour of stretches in the Wii Fit.

Quote: No joy in nature is so sublimely affecting as the joy of a mother at the good fortune of her child. ___Richter

Dangerous Mémère . . .

Got a surprise call from Connecticut daughter after I had returned from my cribbage trouncing yesterday. She asked if I'd go sit with the Kiddo for a while and naturellement I went on my merry way and picked him up at the bar around 5pm. Son-in-law set me up for a fantastic supper of cheese tortellini, his delicious sauce with mozzarella on top. Zowie, good stuff and Kiddo even let me have a KitKat for desert. Now I know I'm someone special. Of course all good things must come to an end. After following his character around on the Wii playing Skylanders and even moving up a level with my character (who knew I could be so good?) we took a reading break before he decided we should play hallway soccer, only to 12 points. The score was 5 - 2 in my favor when he tried to stop the ball from going into the goal and he ran his left ear and head right into the door jam. Oh yuck. He really didn't fuss too much but I know it hurt like the dickens because I was trying to kick the ball into the goal and he really smashed in hard. What a collision. I sat him on the couch, put an ice pack on his growing bump and super maroon ear when he said "Okay, Mémé, let's finish this game." I declined because I hated to inflict more harm and have his folks disown me but he was insistent. We finished the game and I roughed him up 12-5. He then wanted to go to 20 but I put my foot down. That was enough excitement for me. Mom and Dad came home about 8:45 and didn't fire me so I guess I'll be seeing more of my best Kiddo.

Puppy's Pop is playing horseshoes in East Hartford today. One of the guys he pitches with rigged up a live camera with a link to their web site. That's pretty cool. English daughter had a chance to see her Dad in action! Her friend G. would like to learn how to pitch. I can't wait for them to visit this Fall.

Quote: He that lives on hopes will die fasting. ___Franklin

Kiddo finds something better than a movie . . .

When we got back from playing after school with the gang of second graders and eating supper Kiddo and I went outside to do some sword playing. The sixth grade neighbor girl came to high five the Kiddo and show him the tent she was going to spend the night in. He came back not too enthralled until her seventh grade boy scout brother was allowed to have a campfire. Kiddo just sat on his dogwood tree swing and longed to be next door. I told him to bring some of our fallen branches to the fire and ask if he could burn them. He didn't want to go. After a lot of contemplation and swinging he asked me if he could bring some sticks next door but would I please come with him. So we gathered a bunch of sticks and the boy scout said Kiddo could stay with them, himself, his sister and Nick from across the street. Our Kiddo said it was better than watching a movie! He cooked marshmallows on a stick; didn't eat them, of course; threw sticks and saw dust into the fire making all sorts of neat sparkles. I just sat on my garage swing away from the kids. Lex came out and Kiddo had a chance to pet him as Lex just plopped himself down right next to him. I called the kid home when it was pitch dark. He hated to leave. I was so glad he had a good time. The older kids were really very nice to him even offered him a hotdog they had cooked on the grill. He did thank them and declined the offer. After all, he ate an eclair ice cream bar this week so he had already had his new food for a while!

The renewed milk room wall was completed this morning when the men came to take down the forms. Kiddo went out and took pictures as he heard me talking on the phone with Uncle A and I said I needed to get some photos for the blog. Nice kid. He also talked me into getting him a watch. Just happened to mention that his teacher said the kids could wear watches to school if they were analog. So you already know who has a new Timex soccer watch on the way to his house Tuesday. Amazon is great. Well time to get ready for the UCONN women's game at URI. Grampa didn't want to bring me to the Ryan Center so I'll just suffer here at home with my latest drinkable; one part Sogno di Sorrento Crema Lemoncello to three parts cranberry juice on ice. Terrific! Oops. I just remembered that the game was changed to Sunday. Oh well. I can still have my libation out on the swing. Sounds perfect to me.

Quote: I have not so great a struggle with my vices, great and numerous as they are, as I have with my impatience. My efforts are not absolutely useless; yet I have never been able to conquer this ferocious wild beast. ___Calvin

The Wall

Won three . . . lost three . . .

Lots of cribbage this week. Cousin S. came here Tuesday so Puppy's Pop could go to East Hartford for horseshoes in the Élantra rather than the Dodge Ram. Big, big difference in the cost of gas! She quietly but steadily took two out of the three games we played. We're on again for next week. And yesterday I stopped in to see younger brother after my Backus visit. He let me win two out of three. Great day! The weather is unseasonably warm and dry. Shorts, tank tops and motorcycles are popping up all over the place. I'll be leaving shortly for Groton and lunch duty. Haven't been there on a Thursday in a couple of months because I'd been going on Tuesday evenings to keep the Kiddo company. Back to a normal week for now! Tomorrow Ned should be here to work on the wall near the milk room. It really needs to be fixed but we don't want to put too much money into it. Hoping $525 will do the trick and we don't end up with water in the cellar once it is completed. The cellar has remained pretty dry for a few years. Praying we don't upset whatever has caused that phenomenon! Might just be a fluke of nature.

Quote: Mediocrity can talk; but it is for genius to observe. ___Disraeli

Nifty gadget . . .

On my return from East Granby today the heart monitor was awaiting. After a supper of Chinese Beef with Scallions on white rice Puppy's Pop set the Timex so I could use it. I swear, literally, I can never seem to figure out which buttons to push on these gizmos! He has a knack for it. Probably reads and understands what he reads! He got it working and it's quite easy to use. I just have to strap a sensor belt around my lower chest on which I sprinkle some water, push the on off button, wait a bit and the heart rate appears! Since I was curious if the chime would go off when I reached 120 beats per minute ( the target rate the rehab nurses gave me) Puppy's Pop suggested I go up and down the stairs a few times. That worked! Man, it doesn't take much stair climbing to bring the heart rate up! So I'm good to go. I will bring it to Backus with me because they said they want to make sure it's working right.

I spent time with younger sister today. What a pleasure. We hadn't gone out to eat since early January. We followed our routine pepper and egg grinder with a trip to Simsbury for desert. What a beautiful ride. We stopped at the Park to watch all the dogs and their owners running around. It was a fabulous day for the last day of winter.

Had a rather strange Sunday because Kiddo stayed over Saturday night. I didn't want to push him into going to Mass with me so I just offered to bring him to see some real stained glass. He was excited when they made stained glass replicas in art class and also with the plastic beads I had that he put together for Christmas ornaments and melted in the oven. Sacred Heart in Groton is very modern with no windows! So we went to All Hallows when no one was there and he was in awe of the beautiful windows. We had to walk around the whole church and up into the choir loft to see the window with St. Cecelia playing the organ. He also checked out the basement hall and kitchen. I asked if he was ready to leave but he wanted to go back into the church and just sit for a while. So that's what we did. Just sat up front and were quiet and peaceful. Then he was ready to leave and we had to walk all around the back of the school and church to find our car out front. I think it was a good introduction to peace, quiet, calm and beauty.

Quote: In character, in manners, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. ___Longfellow

A love story . . .

On this grey, abysmal day Puppy's Pop offered to take me to the movies. Can you believe that we actually went to see a love story? I loved it. It was surprisingly good. We saw John Carter in 3D at Lisbon Landing and it was a lot of fun plus it held my interest. I can't believe the reviews were not very good for this movie. Granted you had to pay attention to the plot lines but it was great. It makes a grey day bright.

Monday I will be at the full 25 minute work out at Backus. As of now they have given me a target heart rate of 120 when I go for walks or exercise. Somehow that seems low to me but I feel sure that their judgement is correct and I'm not going to fool around with it. They suggested I buy a heart monitor so I don't overdo or underdo my heart rate while exercising. I have one on order. It's just a plain thing that straps around your chest and the read out is on your wrist. I think this may be going overboard but they tell me, "No, it's the right way to go." They even showed me how to find my own pulse, which I could never do! Great balls of fire.

We're not having Kiddo today because Mom is coming home from work early so she can have a little rest period before she works double shifts (really triple shifts) tomorrow, St. Paddy's Day. We'll pick Kiddo up around 1 pm and keep him until Sunday. That should work out just fine. I may even bring him to the children's Mass Sunday morning!

Quote: The pleasures of the palate deal with us like the Egyptian thieves, who strangle those whom they embrace. ___Seneca (Puppy's Pop bought two coffees at Baker's Dozen but I asked for a honey bun, which I ate all by myself. So I needed this quote to get me back on the straight and narrow.)

Glory be . . .

Oh my! Such a glorious day. Went for my second rehab day and I'm going to be pushed up to max workout either Friday or next Monday. It feels good. When I got home Puppy's Pop was waiting for me and we went to the Brooklyn flying field. Another feeling fantastic part of the day. The weather is June like and I got in three good laps around the the fields. Then we took off for Oakland Beach in Warwick where everyone in Rhody had also decided to congregate! We ate at the Top of the Bay: hot rolls, chowder, clam cakes, baked haddock, rice pilaf, squash,brownie and coffee for $11 each. Just have to add one Bud light and a Margarita to make it perfect. Gased up the Élantra at $3.69 a gallon and got 40.7 mpg on the trip home. Can't beat that!

Spent yesterday ordering new transitions glasses and then picking up Kiddo early. He had a half day. I let him spend more than an hour playing in the school yard with a bunch of his friends before we went to Richoni's for early supper. Later we rode bikes all around the dead end street. I'm riding older brother's Mongoose! That's a riot. We had a perfect day. He beat me at Monsuno ( a new Japanese characters game, I think) but I beat him at hallway soccer before we took turns reading to each other and bedtime. He zonked out as his head hit the pillow!

Quote: I love these little people; and it is not a slight thing, when they, who are so fresh from God, love us. ____Dickens

It's a 1902 penny . . .

Dug out Ma Tante's nice magnifying glass.

Those men ! ! !

Yep, those men can't be trusted. While I was at Mass and taking my wonderful hike around Moosup Puppy's Pop was at the flying field in Brooklyn dragging a monster grating of some sort over his control line field to flatten it out. He was home when I returned and because he needed grass seed for his flying field I managed to get half of my garden seeded. I decided to cut the garden in half because it's getting too big for me to handle. Thank goodness the flying site needed grass seed. He also found a 1902 Indian Head penny. We think it's 1902 but have to study it more, it may be 1802. It's pretty worn out. Neato! Puppy's Pop is going to borrow the neighbor kid's metal detector and look for more! Now . . . after a quick snack of home made ginger bread (not gingerbread) and coffee he is off again ostensibly to try out the only remote control plane he has, one built by the youngest child quite a few years ago. I asked if he intended to get back into remote control flying. "No," says he. Ha! I don't believe it. All the guys were there today and they fly remote control. I'll bet Kyle will need a real remote control plane very soon, not just the Vapor which is really too light to fly out of doors if there is a hint of a breeze. The man is incorrigible. He will never come out and just say what he's up to!

Quote: O, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. ___Walter Scott

Yearly check up . . .

Well, that went quite well. Dr. Slater says I'm very healthy! That's good. But . . . there is a but . . . the pain that I'm now getting in my upper chest is an ulcer. So . . . bland diet, small meals and a medicine to calm it down. Yikes. What a pain in the neck. That is pretty literally true. Oh well, the medicine is only for a week so I have high hopes. It seems the amount of aspirin and Effient I'm taking can cause this mess. C'est la vie.

Puppy's Pop is off to his Yankee Flyers' Club Meeting in Grosvenordale. Pretty soon they'll be able to have it at the field in Brooklyn. We had a gorgeous, blessedly beautiful day today and even though I stayed in at noon to watch my Husky Men get beat by Syracuse Puppy's Pop and I went for a walk up the street after the game. No jackets! That's a wow for early March. I'll be going to lunch duty at Sacred Heart tomorrow and then taking Kiddo home with me at three o'clock. Looking forward to some outdoor fun. Hope the weather holds.

Quote: The heart is an astrologer that always divines the truth. ____Calderon

Damnation . . .

I have an eye doctor's appointment this morning. I had planned to go to the Mall in Warwick to get new glasses from LensCrafters and . . . roam around looking for a few Spring clothes. Haven't done that in years, actually, since Angie died. But . . . UCONN men are playing in the Big East Conference at noon so there is no choice. I'll come home and root them on to victory! Then I'll be off in the late afternoon to sit with the Kiddo. I'm afraid he's going to have to tune their new flat screen to the UCONN vs Notre Dame championship game at 7. We'll probably have to play hallway soccer during the timeouts.

Played a lot of cribbage yesterday. Won some, lost one. Cousin S. gave me a really nice handbag that she had quilted. Now I'll be afraid to use it because I won't want to get it dirty. I may turn it into an iPad carry bag. It'll be perfect for that and books. I also went for one of the best walks I've had in a long time. Younger sister-in-law and I walked in Preston. It is such a beautiful country walk. Walking pass the birthing pasture we saw a cow lying down casually waiting for the birth of the calf whose outline could be discerned stretching her side. Wish I could have seen the birth. She looked so calm. Sure she'll be good Mama! The rest of the cows were busy eating. We had the dog with us and she is allowed to run free, as is only right. We could see the Quinebaug through the bare trees. It's nice walking because the road is only used for the workers at the dam ie. no traffic. I hope to be able to walk there again with my wonderful companions.

Quote: In those vernal seasons of the year when the air is calm and pleasant, it were an injury and sullenness against nature not to go out and see her riches, and partake in her rejoicing with heaven and earth. ___Milton

Best Of Groton: Richoni's Lounge Wins Best Fish and Chips - Groton, CT Patch

Best Of Groton: Richoni's Lounge Wins Best Fish and Chips - Groton, CT Patch

So glad everyone helped out to put Richoni's over the top. So many good people out there.

Bill's Bread and Breakfast . . .

Dans la photo, c'est moi a droite.

Rather gloomy, grey, slushy day so we splurged and went to Putnam for brunch. Puppy's Pop had fish and chips; I had a very berry pancake with real maple syrup. Scrumdeliytious! Had to walk inside today. Almost finished my latest audio book so I've already bought the next book in the series A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, the sixth in the series. When I sell The Fiery Cross I'm going to make sure I send it out priority express! No more 40 days to get to its destination.

Didn't have to go to Groton today but will pick up Kiddo tomorrow after lunch duty. He has a half day so we may have a small feast at Richoni's before heading home.

Quote: The tone of good conversation is brilliant and natural. --It is neither tedious nor frivolous. __It is instructive without pedantry; gay, without tumultuousness; polished, without affectation; gallant, without insipidity; waggish, without equivocation. __ Rousseau