Can't believe I forgot to post a smiling Grampa!

Some of his winnings in Baton  Rouge.

Poor old house . . .

UK World War II Museum

We lucked out with Hurricane Sandy. Only lost power for about 10 minutes this morning. Puppy's Pop found the pieces of my spinner, straightened it out and we're back in business. Kiddo and his family didn't lose power either so Richoni's ended up being the only bar open last night. Did a good business with everyone out looking at the damage! The beautiful Eastern Point Beach in Groton is a mess. The concession stand got super flooded as did the house where Kiddo celebrated his 8th birthday. The high tides, winds and rains truly devastated the coastal communities.

 Puppy's Pop spent the last two days working on his planes. I finished painting the second coat in the big bedroom and took down the old wall paper. Oh my. It's pretty bad when the wall paper was covering a lot of broken horsehair plaster! I knew the wall near the bathroom was in bad shape but not as bad as it is. Puppy's Pop just replastered quite a few good sized holes which I had vacuumed clean earlier. If I get a chance I shall wash the walls with a TSP solution tomorrow. Then we can let it dry out really well before we put up the new wall paper. It will certainly not be perfect but it will look nice and clean for a few more years. I still want to tackle the ceiling in the living room and then wall paper the walls. Not sure when I'll get the gumption for such a scary undertaking!

Quote:  The force, the mass of character, mind, heart or soul that a man can put into any work, is the most important factor in that work.  __A.P. Peabody

Older is fantastic . . .

Take a look at how long Eleanor has been in business.  Angie and I bought wall paper for Ma and Pa's house from her when we were in highschool!

Pretty creepy, no?

I keep having such wonderful experiences. And it's true what Ma used to say, " Every age has its compensations." Eleanor Racette and I had a date for Monday, October 29 so I could pick up the wallpaper I had chosen a few weeks ago after she had graciously opened her wallpaper barn for me when she saw me peeking in the closed, locked door! She left me a phone message that with the weather closing in on us she would be open this afternoon, Saturday or if I wanted she would open up for me on Sunday. I decided to go today. As I finished paying cash for my 8 double rolls she said to hold on and she would carry the box out for me. I said, " No way!" and I hefted the box off of the counter. She followed me out to the car and asked how old I was. So I told her,"Seventy in December." She said, "I thought so." When I asked her her age she said, "90." Eleanor is old enough to be my mother! She still runs the business with her 63 year old son who is also an Art Collector. She is phenomenal: so handsome, neat, knowledgeable, kind, bright and has grand kids! She told me to just keep on living, I was doing just fine! Gotta love that lady.

Kiddo and I had a great evening yesterday. He was invited to a pumpkin carving party at the neighboring cousin's house. After playing some baseball with the kids he went in for the carving.  I wasn't going to go with him but he's a bit shy so I went along. What a good time we had. While the kids and Dad ate pizza A and I had a delicious ice cream pie. Way to go crazy! All of the pumpkins came out awesome.

Quote:  Age sits with decent grace upon his visage, and worthily becomes his silver locks, who wears the marks of many years well spent, of virture, truth well tried, and wise experience.   ___Rowe

Strange but true . . .

What a shame.  We were looking at real estate North of Baton Rouge. Could have been a beautiful spot.

Puppy's Pop had a letter waiting for him on our return from LA. The Ford Dealership in Plainfield wants to buy his 1937  Ford. It's scary that they know we have a '37 Ford. They must have a way of getting Motor Vehicle records from the state or town. I was dismayed. Although if they offered us $75,000 I would consider it! But I know that Puppy's Pop would be aghast. Such is the life of the high and mighty!

Spent today getting in shape after our comfortable stay with southern family. Found out that my Wii Fitness Coach will kick my butt just like A's did when I was using his. I made myself another profile and skipped most of the set up so my profile may show me as closing in on 70 but it thinks I'm a pretty active old lady! That's all it took to pep up the work outs. So that's cool. Spoke to older brother and his wife today and found out that she had a same day surgery while we were gone. She ended up with a boo boo to the right of her nose right near her eye! Can't believe that the doctors don't tell patients that the oxygen mask can peel your skin so badly you need more medical attention after surgery from a dermatologist! She just finished taking prednisone to clear it up. Makes you wonder if this cavalier attitude towards patients is commonplace. Speaking of medical stuff: I will have an extra $30 a month to play with. The insurance we receive from the Teachers' Retirement Board is going down and the coverage is staying the same. Seems very odd. Have to wonder if somehow it has to do with the elections!

All of my plants that I had brought in from the porch before we left are just beautiful. I put them up stairs in Grampa's former workshop, near the window. The more I forget them the better off they are. The Christmas cactus should be in bloom before Thanksgiving! Not too sure what to do about my Live Oak. I have to research the problem.

Quote:  What millions died that Caesar might be great.   ___Campbell

They just had to have My Fitness Coach . . .

So . . . I had no excuse for not continuing my regular exercise program while here in Louisiana. A & M have a newer version, I think, than mine and the lady coach really worked me with some more strenuous exercises but it really is great. I always feel better when I finish a session. I'm sure I've gained a few pounds down here because I adore breakfast at the Waffle House. I could never eat like that at home  but our two treks a year to visit our southern family is perfect for excess of any kind! Their oldest daughter, middle child Sargent and her friend Carlos were here Saturday and A & M took us out to dinner at Sammy's. I had another best : Fried Green Tomato Poboy / spinach, remoulade, pepper jack and diced onions. It was so amazing. A and I shared it. The next time I'll get my own! It was that tasty. This was the first Poboy I've had in all the years we've been visiting, about 7, I reckon. I just thought it was like a grinder. It does have bread, meat and veggies. But the bread is smaller, light and a bit crispy. The filling was so fresh and clean tasting. It is not a heavy lunch. Just a perfect lunch or dinner or snack! Ended Saturday evening starting a 1000 piece puzzle. We started it about 7pm and M worked through a good part of the night. It was completed by 2pm Sunday. She is a puzzle junky! Not sure I even put in 50 pieces. The kids were a big help too. M also won the overall cribbage games, 4 - 3. In all 7 games the biggest hand was 20 points and it wasn't mine!  Puppy's Pop is out flying with Gil. He took a first and second place in the Aerobatics Contest at Liberty Park this week end and he was thrilled to win some good stuff in the raffle. We mailed home two model airplane kits plus other important odds and ends. One of the kits is somewhat larger than he usually flys but it is what most experts use. So I think Puppy's Pop will be moving on up!

Grace . . .

We had a chance to go out for supper with Southern friends last night. Backroads is a small cinder block building almost in the middle of nowhere with a cement slab floor. The decor is plain. They are only open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 9pm. They were busy and the food is homemade goodness. But the best part was that Gil and Kathy reached out their hands to us and Gil said grace before we ate. Haven't done that in such a long time. It was very nice. Took the beautiful ride home with the sun setting over the flatlands.

Today we went for my pecan waffle before setting out for a winding ride on back roads in West Felicianna Parish. Oldest Kiddo showed us the roads he bikes on with friends when they get together. They are wild, woolly, narrow, charming roads. And . . . we ended up on the shores of the mighty Mississippi. The waters were very low and I guess it was about a mile across. Took off my shoes and socks and waded in. There's something comforting yet awe inspiring about Old Man River. When in flood stage it has to be more than  two or three miles across.  There is no contending with its mighty force.

We have visited the Bluebonnet Swamp in Baton Rouge this week and the Art and Science Museum. Everything here is just the perfect size for me. I have been overwhelmed at museums in New York, Chicago or Boston but in this slower paced southern life I find myself appreciating the easy going attitudes of the people, their cities, towns and parishes.

Bites of History: Coffee | Food | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA

Bites of History: Coffee | Food | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA If you like coffee this is a very interesting short history.

Home again, home again, jiggedy jig . . .

Still incredible that we can get from Connecticut to Louisiana so quickly. Have already checked out my favorite spots for sitting, contemplating, conversation and reading. All is right in this southern world. Started out this day at the Waffle House with  a pecan waffle, bien sûr, crisp, delightful bacon and coffee. It seemed like a home coming of sorts. We were in Zachary when the Waffle House first opened in 2008, I think. The manager had a broken arm and she still did a fantastic job of getting the store off and running. This morning she was there with her arm in a sling! Déjà vu. Even the cook is the same one who opened the store. That's pretty cool in this age of transients and lazy bones. Went to LeBlanc's for my Baton Rouge Advocate and odds and ends. Puppy's Pop is with his friend Gil and Puppy and I are enjoying a sunny, warm day at home while the rest of the family is at work.

This past Saturday we had to get Kiddo home early because he took part in the fundraising marathon for Sacred Heart. He wasn't too sure if he really wanted to compete but finally set his mind to it and remembered to look straight ahead, no turning around while running to see who might be close behind. He came in third in the marathon (a run around the entire school property) and first in the 50 M dash. How exhilarating for him. His Mom said she was more anxious than he!  Really stupendous effort for our Kiddo who gets pretty worked up before any type of competition. I think he's beginning to realize that the only thing of real importance it to compete against himself. Always trying to improve and having no concern about what others do.

Time to get the Wii Fitness Coach to work.

May have wallpaper . . .

Sunshine sparkling off of Gram's carnival glass onto the ice box.

Didn't expect to have a busy week but . . . I didn't have to go to Groton Monday because big brother was also home for Columbus day and the guys were able to hang out together so I went out in search of wallpaper. You have no idea what a chore that is. I went to Creative Interiors in Canterbury but they don't carry paper, wallpaper, only vinyl. I need paper because the walls in this old house need to be covered in old fashioned paper so all of the bumps and bruises of 200 years won't show up. I called Home Depot: no wallpaper. I called Lowe's and they said they had books and maybe some real paper. (He was new in the department and couldn't be bothered to really look well.) I took a ride to Lowe's and found one possibility, only one and it wasn't great. Most of the stuff is garish, modern and ugly. If it's not ugly then it belongs in monster new homes with monster wall surfaces. I took a chance and drove on the back roads to Putnam where Agnès and I had bought wallpaper years ago to redo Ma and Pa's kitchen. The old barn was exactly where it should be but it was deserted. I got out to peak inside to see if there was anything in the place when a sweet, kind, darling older lady came out from the farm house across the street with the key and let me in! Wow, it was wonderful. Same cold rooms filled with all kinds of wallpapers. She helped me to find a few designs that might work and cut off strips of four of them so I could bring them home to see if I liked any one of them. As I left she thanked me for the visit! I believe her son still runs the business but only some afternoons or by appointment. He also sells on eBay. Can you believe he had a shipment ready to go out to Australia! That is so cool. I tried to get in touch with them to tell them what I wanted to buy but by the time we finished playing phone tag it was too late to do anything now. I'll go see them in a couple of weeks.

Kiddo and I spent a good afternoon and evening Tuesday playing and book buying. Wednesday cousin Susan and I went to O'Live a Little because she loves to cook and wanted to buy some neato olive oils and vinegars. We also stopped at LLBean because the last time I was there I had forgotten the $10 coupon youngest had given me. So I ended up with one, yes, one pair of socks! But they are certainly cool, in the bizarre meaning of the word.

Quote:  An inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather.  __Washington Irving

Narrative paragraph . . . Associative property . . . What the heck!

 

Our Kiddo is teaching me a lot of new stuff in math and writing. Last night I had to sit down and write a narrative. He explained I needed to put By Irène Rose, my full name, in cursive at the top of my lined paper. Then I needed to name my character, say where my character was, give the setting, write about the problem/conflict, describe the action, solve the problem and write a conclusion. Whoa!  As I was faithfully carrying out the assignment he would check over my shoulder to make sure I was on task. When I finished he took it from me sat across from me and explained I needed to use more detail. Then he let me go with this warning. " Now, remember that, Mémé." What a blast. (For kicks I wrote everything in cursive. He didn't skip a beat.) He called us Friday morning before he went to school to tell us that he had been writing  a story in his special pad just for the fun of it! More cool beansies!  Thursday I had to learn the commutative and associative properties of addition. Pretty neat stuff going on in the third grade classroom. It's a good thing he's been paying attention in class!

Got a hair cut today and while Puppy's Pop was at a Fun Fly in Wrentham, MA I finished the second coat of paint on the other two bedroom windows. Tomorrow I'll start painting the trim. There's a lot. Puppy's Pop figured out the square footage so I can start looking at wall paper. It's a pretty big job! But I'm going very slowly.  Petit à petit l'oiseau fait son nid. I'm glad Grampa doesn't mind coming to the rescue!

Quote:  Void of freedom, what would virtue be?   ___Lamartine

Pretty busy . . .

World War II Museum UK -  Was once a POW Camp

Been an interesting week. Went to Soft Surroundings near the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester with youngest sister-in-law looking for jeans. I did try on their latest design and didn't like them so we roamed around a bit. She had already found a pair of New Balance sneakers which were perfect so we were off the LLBean. I was glad to find that the LL Bean wasn't one of their outlets where they sell the things that people send back to them! I found two tops that I liked and with sister-in-law's help the right size! Stopped at a neat new store, O'live a Little. Now that was fun. The store is jam packed  with stainless steal vats filled with various imported olive oils and vinegars. You can taste anything they have! I ended up buying  a pint of Wasabi Oil and a pint of Green Apple White Balsamic Vinegar. It's a fantastic combination for bread dipping. I've been dipping for lunch with Nan, the wonderful Indian bread we had in Leeds, UK a couple of years ago. Good lunch. Won a couple of games of Cribbage Tuesday before I headed off to Groton where Kiddo and I had an interesting time doing homework. I am glad to see the work that he's doing in Third Grade. He had some writing, spelling, reading and math. He's doing well and had to help me stumble through some of the directions! He was very pleased to show me how well he writes his name in cursive. He doesn't use cursive for everything yet but I hope he will before the end of the year. Managed to paint one coat on two more windows yesterday before our former sister-in-law stopped in for pizza! So it was a great day. As I write Puppy's Pop is putting some fertilizer in the garden before he tills it and plants the winter rye. Full steam ahead!

Quote:  Men show their character in nothing more clearly than by what they think laughable.  __Goethe