Nice getting outside . . .

Porch roof

We've been inside a lot the last couple of days. Well, at least I have been inside while P&D's Pop has worked very hard getting the yard cleaned up after what I shall refer to as our mini-blizzard. We ended up with about two feet of snow and some really, really monster drifts. The snow on the porch roof is about half way up the windows! But I can still take photos from senior Kiddo's old room. I don't think I'll take any photos today even though the sun is out bright and the sky is a cloudless, serene blue. I decided to walk in the yard for my half hour exercise today. I just circled the driveway down to the basement and back. If felt good and refreshing to be out. I kept the porch swept and the birds fed during the storm and today I cleaned off the Dodge Ram. That was a chore! But compared to Grampa I really had it easy. Since we were inside most of the time yesterday I made bread and today I made some no bake Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Oatmeal cookies. Good stuff!

When we were in Rhode Island last week we got gas for $1.99. I bet it's lower than that this week. Of course we don't see decent gas prices in our neck of the woods. Was also impressed with the skating rink in Sterling. There was a mémé and two little kiddos holding on to her for dear life as they tried to skate. It was great. Haven't seen anyone skating around here in ages. Of course the two feet of snow we just received from on high may put a crimp on the skating unless some hardy young souls get their shovels out and clean off the rink across from what used to be St. Joseph's Church.

Oh, oh, I feel a picture taking mood coming on strong. Where the heck is my will power?

Quote:  Nature is a frugal mother, and never gives without measure.  When she has work to do, she qualifies men for that and sends them equipped.    ___Emerson (Really, Ralph?)

Ah, what a day . . .

Such a pretty Miss.

Nowhere to go because of the bad weather forecast for tomorrow so P&D's Pop took us to Oakland Beach on Narragansett Bay today. Incredibly beautiful, bright, cold cloudless afternoon; sat in the healing warmth of the sun in the wonderful windows at the Top of the Bay and watched the gulls and cormorants wielding overhead; excellent lunch with a Black Russian and some Bud. If you forget about the idiocracy in Hartford and DC life can be perfect. Almost 48 years married and the pleasure, warmth, closeness and love is sweet.

On our return we went to make another video of the newest plane. The Panasonic is much better than the old Konica/Minolta for video; that's for sure. Grampa is in the basement hangar working on bettering the Shark. We will miss having Kiddo tonight because of the weather forecast but I should see him next Friday when I go to help at Sacred Heart and then he, his Mom and I will head to Stonington for another basketball game. The kids got robbed Tuesday when they played St. Bernard Academy. Our local catholic schools have grades K-8 in one building. They have no middle school to speak of so the JV teams for sports in all K-8 catholic schools are made up of Fifth and Sixth Graders. The Varsity teams are only 7th and 8th Graders. Since St B's Academy is a true Middle School they play Sixth and Seventh Graders for JV and actually allow some of them to play Varsity. That isn't in the rules governing our K-8 Schools. The academy is only supposed to play their 6th Graders against the Fifth and Sixth graders of the other Catholic League Schools. Our kids were working hard and were a bit ahead of St. B's when the St. B's coach put in his 7th graders. We lost by 3. I suppose it may be considered sour grapes but there are supposed to be rules about only Fifth and Sixth Graders playing JV. Oh well, I have someone looking in to the rules for me just for shits and giggles. And yes, my language is appalling but I really love that expression!

Quote:  It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.   ___Spurgeon

Can't warm up today . . .

It's not that cold outside, 35 degrees, but I can't seem to warm up so I'll be staying home and doing a long indoor walk listening to my latest audio book while P&D's Pop goes off to the flying field with the Konica/Minolta to video his flights. He's on the phone now talking to his Louisiana friend. I love to answer the phone when Gil calls because he always asks me, "How are you, girl?" I just love to be called "girl" especially with his Louisiana accent. That makes my day.

Went to see younger sister yesterday and we finally found the Reese's Spreads that P&D's Pop has been asking for. We'd already tried Geislers and Big Y with no luck. The Stop&Shop in Granby had what we were looking for along with some Halos that middle child wasn't able to find in Groton. They are a Clementine but called Halos and Kiddo and his Mom like them the best. I hope I remember to bring them with me tomorrow. I'll probably just stay in Groton until 9pm because Kiddo has a basketball game Saturday morning and we're expecting some bad, freezing rain, sleet, snowy mix Saturday morning. There's no way I want us driving in it so it looks like we'll be home most of the day Saturday. I imagine they will cancel the game at St. B's as well.

May try to get a few bird photos later on today if the birds finally show up! The feeders are birdless which is unusual. There must be a hawk or something hanging around. The neighbor's cat often hides under the porch but I don't think the birds worry about him too much. Even the squirrels aren't running around. Just had my noon snack and have warmed up a bit; time to hit the walking trail in the living room!

Quote:  Passion may not unfitly be termed the mob of the man, that commits a riot on his reason.   ___Penn

Grampa's Seventy-one . . .

Northern Flicker having his snack on  the lawn at noontime.

Not sure if 71 is a milestone. It  looks better than 72!  Hard to believe we've been around long enough to have two kids in their forties. Yikes. We don't do anything super special for birthdays anymore; went out for dinner at The 99 in Killingly because so far we've gotten good food and good service. Only had a little glitch on my Black Russian which came out looking like a very pale replica; even when it was 'fixed' it still was super pale. As luck would have it a former student  works there and he stopped by to ask us how things were. I had him look at my drink. He took it away and came back with a proper Black Russian. From now on I'll remember to insist on good liquor in my drinks!

Have made a couple of videos of Grampa flying his latest plane which he built from an online template. The videos were pretty good although the first one had to be done in the rain so the camera was in the cab of the Dodge Ram. We made the second one yesterday with a much better set up. At the end I swear thousands of Canadian Geese flew over my head, squawking so loudly they drowned out the plane's engine! I've never seen so many coming from different directions to join in one monster gaggle. I couldn't get them on video because we were just finishing up the plane video. We did end up with their squawks and some very distant looking geese trying to get in formation but that was just incidental.

Going to watch Kiddo play basketball at St. Bernard this evening. I hope it goes well. They've lost three games, two of them were very close. Would be nice if they get a win but what the heck - it's just a game and they certainly don't have much to work with. There are only eight kids on the team!

Quote:  Ignorance is a prolonged infancy, only deprived of its charm.    _____Boufflers

What the heck . . .

Karen's photos from our excursions to Slater Museum at NFA

Listen to the news and ruin a very good day. So . . . Mr. Pope, yeah, the guy in Rome, is as flippant as Mr. Obama. Gees, does no one of consequence do and say the right thing anymore? I don't care what you call it but if any group of people go about purposefully killing others it is murder. Therefore it be hooves society to act quickly and ruthlessly to root out the murderers. Western society has the means at its disposal to wipe out the Islam that is succeeding in setting up its Caliphate but we do not have the will to do it because we are unsure of our own position vis a vis Islamic jihad. Woe be to the West as we allow murder in the name of cultural, barbaric nihilism to reign the world over. Be ready to fight the disastrous evil sayers and doers in your midst. Even if they are not holding a sword to your throat their words are potent and the fear they engender is palpable. Western leaders are a powerless lot of talkers with no clear goals or direction. Not sure what we can expect to happen next when we can't trust our 'democratic' governments to protect us from evil.

Well now . . . I spent  a pleasant day with Karen at the Slater Museum in Norwich. It's good that the museum is small because my poor brain goes on overload with so much beauty and interesting art and stories. We will return again so I have more time to absorb what the museum offers. Got caught up in the Greek and Roman statues and was trying to remember the history and mythology going along with Sophocles, Plato, Heracles, Nike of Samothrace. . . My head started to hurt! Just the exhibit dedicated to the Slaters was overwhelming never mind the Crocker exhibit. And . . . that does not include the modern exhibit of prints. Definitely good for your soul.  We stopped for a late lunch in Taftville at the Bakery. It is located in the building where I worked my first summer job over fifty-six years ago. The bakery is beautiful; seems like a daft word for a bakery but the cases of sweets and breads are colorful and gorgeous. We shared an excellent chicken sandwich, soup and coffee before leaving with two boxes of desserts.

Expect to see Kiddo at school tomorrow. Haven't been on lunch duty since early December. Hope I remember what my chores are! Perhaps he will bring a board game home with him and I can try to win at the Game of Life. Also had a real treat this morning as I was eating breakfast.  A sleek red fox ambled up the driveway, walked behind the garage and crossed the top of the hill. That was great.  I also saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a Red-bellied Woodpecker at the suet feeders. Didn't take the time to get the camera because I would have missed it all!

Quote:  Fain would I Raphael's god-like art rehearse, where, from the mingled strength of shade and light, a new creation rises to my sight; such heavenly figures from his pencil flow, so warm with life his blended colors glow.  __Addison

Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow . . .

This older P&D's Pop photo helps to keep life in perspective. It really is a grand if challenging world in the good old US of A.

And so it came to pass that the quaint Diner era has come to an ignominious end. What seemed like a real, honest new owner cum chef cum family walked out after six hours on the job. The whole family called it quits after some supposed legal problems and, bien sur, some words of discouragement from the almost past owners. Quite a feat - the Diner lasted about two and half years. We are thankful for little things when we must contend with Connecticut in all its foolishness - this is just another seemingly asinine act on the part of another asshole or more likely assholes. Connecticut seems to have more than its share of idiots. Do you suppose our wretched, no class prez was actually born in Connecticut? It certainly seems feasible. Even the earth is quaking in protest.

PS  The thesaurus says there is no other entry for asshole. So I shall go with this word because slug of the earth just doesn't seem fair to slugs.

Quote:  I do not know what comfort other people find in considering the weakness of great men, but 'tis always a mortification to me to observe that there is no perfection in humanity.   ___S. Montague

What if . . .

Refers to the three earthquakes felt in the Plainfield area this past week.  News is making a rather big story about it.

What if the puny earthquakes rattle around long enough to knock the big leaning rock over? That would truly be awesome. I would seriously like that to happen. That big boulder always gives me the heebie jeebies. I just wish it would tumble down nice and flat and then we could climb on it for picnics. Doesn't that sound fine and dandy? Ah, a girl can have her dreams.

It's been a bit odd today because P&D's Pop didn't go to school and work on the solar/battery powered car because the mighty powers that be call off school in case of freezing rain. Well, it's noontime and raining but no freezing; at least none yet. Too bad to have a wasted day.

We went out to Twin Oaks with Oneco friends last night and it was very good - time spent with good friends is precious. It's so good to be able to share your thoughts and laughter with like minded souls, where you don't have to second guess everything you say.

I'm going to try to put up a Facebook photo about the Earthquakes in northeastern Connecticut. It's too funny for words.

Quote:  It is astonishing how little one feels poverty when one loves.    ____Bulwer

C'est si bon . . .

Ah bon! Oui, c'est si bon quand on mange ce qui est délicieux. Oh my, how good to eat comfort food. I made myself dark white toast with scads of soft oozing butter covered with dark brown sugar that seeped into every buttery nook along with P&D's Pop's coffee. Can't even describe how good that was. I had just returned from Mass and gassing the Hyundai for under $20. That is a truly incredible feat. It is so odd that I asked the clerk if she had made a mistake with my change! I'm accustomed to giving the clerks two twenties and getting at least seven dollars or so back and this time I just got a bit of change and a dollar bill. Must admit that feels pretty damned good.

Kiddo and I played a lot of Connect Four this weekend and although I would get ahead in scoring by four games or so he would always surge at the end and wipe me out. His strategy is better than mine. I get so excited about possible wins I miss the obvious. Go figure. Here I am 62 years older than he and he beats me pretty regularly. Perhaps I should follow my own advice and slow down and think!

I'm trying to get him to play the saxophone more by encouraging him to practice some Beatles solos. Most of his music is accompaniment so it's really hard to appreciate what he's playing. Not sure if my words of wisdom are considered wisdom by Kiddo but believe it or not he thanked me for talking to him about it! I find him to be a very interesting young man and although our conversations are at times bizarre I suppose when you've got 62 years of living under your belt the modern kid has got to think that you're the one with bizarre behaviors! We have a good time on our Frications.

Grampa just came up from the basement hangar with another volume of America, a history of the US from 1916 to 1925, copyright 1925 and he found a postcard dated March 14, 4-PM, 1950 - Conyers. It was addressed to Mémère Caron. I shall put a photo of it at the top of this day's blog.

I've been playing with my old Konica-Minolta because it takes better photos through windows than the Panasonic. It just doesn't have a good telephoto lens. Oh well, nothing can be perfect and it's up to me to play around with my new one and improve my photo taking skill but I get anxious if I'm playing and miss some good shots so I don't really practice with the settings. This must prove that I, at least, don't improve with age. I've been thinking about buying some Harvey's Bristol Cream just so I can feel calm, warm and comfortable sitting in my Vermont Folk Rocker and contemplating what ever pops into my feeble brain. Seems to me the Sherry would be a perfect accompaniment to my getting-lazier-by-the-year self!

Quote:  The man that hath not music in himself, and is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; let no man trust him.   ___Shakespeare

Amazingly cold . . .

Accidental capture

Wow, I know that New England can be cold but the temperature this morning is not going up. We're at a whopping 6 degrees in bright sunshine and just feeding the birds was a chore and I'm wearing a complete set of long johns. Looks like it'll be in the extreme cold range for us all day. The schools have delayed by up to two hours because of the cold not because of snow. I left East Granby earlier than usual yesterday because of a snow squall which blotted out the sun but when I got to 91 South the sun popped out again. Pretty wild stuff to be driving in for sure.

We took a ride to Zip's this morning because they were celebrating Nancy's twenty-fourth year of working there! Goodness, we hadn't been in a long time but decided to stop in to see her. She still remembers our order! The Diner is such a neat throw back to the good old days. The menu doesn't change; the faces are the same; the service is the same and that can be comforting in this age of murderous, fanatic, brutality. Taking the spotlight off of the media and talking heads filled with fear mongering and asinine commentary is good. Listening in on conversations of normal everyday people on their way to work, eating breakfast helps bring you back to reality. What reality? The reality that the supposed defenders of truth, justice and the enlightened way don't dare to fight the barbaric Islamists in every way possible. Kill them now without hesitation wherever they are. Yes, without trials and a media circus. Governments know where they are but get caught up in the foolishness of giving them a say and defending them. No more excusing radicals. Destroy them. Okay, I guess that's the end of my rant for today.

P&D's Pop has been working hard this morning shoring up the four outside doors in this old house. The frigid air is getting through no matter what we've done previously. Every little bit helps to keep out the cold. I'm still thinking we should replace the five windows in the kitchen because this is a very cold area. But it's probably not worth the cost especially if we hope to sell this old house. No matter what we do it'll never be cost effective. We're comfortable but still have to turn up the heat and dress warmly. Phooey!

Quote:  In the history of man it has been very generally the case, that when evils have grown insufferable they have touched the point of cure.    ___E.H Chapin (We can only hope that this is true.)

Good thing the windows are closed . . .

The ripping apart of Kaman has begun in earnest and the noise is pretty gd loud. It'll make for an interesting 10 years. Yep, it seems the town has given the rubble rousers ten years to turn the land across the river into a pristine park. So, I guess it's a good thing my hearing is not so good! The experiment with P&D's Pop old hearing aids fizzled. They just made everything so loud that I looked like a Mexican jumping bean.

Starting out 2015 with a visit to PT in Norwich. I do believe that'll  be it for fixing up the sciatica. I can pretty much keep it at bay at will so that's pretty good. But the right arm is literally getting to be a pain in the neck. Not sure how I'll handle that except to try not to use it and just rest it as much as possible. Problem is that when it feels good I forget about it and go and do something that re-activates the pain and that is most annoying. This growing older is not for the faint of heart. Gotta be a tough old bird!

Younger sister just called.  Haven't seen her in a few weeks because the holidays and weather haven't been cooperative. We'll see if I can get there this week. We're supposed to have some snow tomorrow but Wednesday is just going to be frigid. We have no snow left from our Saturday storm but East Granby still has a snowy ground cover. We'll have to see what the Tuesday storm leaves behind. I don't drive in bad weather. Don't like it at all. Getting cautious in my dotage.

P&D's Pop is on his way to school. I'm trying to talk him into having his hands looked at by the VA. He's having a lot of trouble using them without pain. He never complains like I do about pain but I can see it in his face and the number of ibuprofen he consumes. Always takes me a long time to get him to do something about his aches and pains; stubborn old Yankee codger.

Quote:  The multitude unawed is insolent; once seized with fear, contemptible and vain.   ____Mallet

Bonne et Heureuse Annee . . .

And Puppies' and Dante's Pop is off to the Yankee Flyers' Field for First Flight 2015. Excellent.