ASK Land

40

2011-10-27T07:59:00.002-05:00

This year I turned 40. A few days ago in fact. To be honest it rather feels the same as 39 although it has a different weight if you think about it too long. No longer a kid. I am doing what I am going to do as an adult. There used to be so many options and questions in front of me. Not that I would change a single thing. I love the town we live in, our home, our friends and family (not that you can really change that), I love what I do for work and that we volunteer.
We worked pretty hard in our thirties. We owned our business and it was my primary job for the entire decade. That seems a little odd when written down. Makes one wonder if it will be another decade? Time does seem to be accelerating, so another decade could pass in no time at all. I still think we are in a good industry and provide a product and service that is helpful. It is an alternative energy, but more than that it is a local energy that provides local jobs and supports the communities around us.
We have spent almost 9 years in our little farm house. We have been renovating it since the day we moved in. A process that is not likely to end any time soon. This year we took the front part of the greenhouse that was falling down (and by we I mean our contractor friend :-/) and put in a concrete pad and a higher roof so that it can be used to park our tractors and bobcat. Inside I spruced up a bathroom that had an ugly beam in it, Ody-bird chewed wood trim, and some dilapidated drywall. I also updated the countertop and sink in the bar. Little things but it is nice to have many of the big projects out of the way.
It is my third or fourth year with chickens. I need to go back through my blog history to find out for sure. We still have Abbie and Dorrie, two chickens from our first group. They no longer lay but they are both very sweet and have a forever home here. Mama (Cuddles) has been busily sitting on three eggs for almost three weeks now. It is really late in the season but for many reasons she never was able to hatch a chick this year. I am hoping for one for her at least. If not, that would probably be o.k. We are supposed to receive our first snow today.
It is amazing to me how I adapted to New England weather. When we first moved here I was always cold! I couldn't imagine what the crazy people who were running around without a coat were doing in the rain or on (what I thought) was a cold day of 60 degrees or less. Each year I wear my coat less and less, turn the stove on later and later, and get grumpy when it is hot.
We stayed locally this year, both due to cost and because we have a wonderful new puppy that we were training and wanted to have around. We did take what is becoming our annual ski trip with our friends. The guys and kids ski while us girls go shop or snowshoe. We enjoy the friends we have made in our town. It makes it a home. We also rented a beach house with my sister and brother in law. That was fabulous since it was so close. Hubby's folks could come by and other family members and even a visit from our friends. This coming year we have a few more ventures in store. Our fifteenth wedding anniversary was last year and we have yet to take our trip for that.
One of the most memorable trips I will have from this year is the surprise trip my wonderful husband took me on to celebrate my birthday. He has been so busy at the store this fall that I don't get to see him much. He has been working seven days a week. Even when my folks were here for almost two weeks he was only able to take a couple of half days and one full day off. I was a little disappointed but glad my folks understood. We have just come off of a few really lean years at the shop and this was our first opportunity to pay off some of the costs incurred from our move and property purchase. So the trip was very unexpected. He held the secret until the Saturday before when we were on the way to the Bruins game. He had actually planned to take me to Quebec City as I had missed a trip a few years back and have always wanted to go. But once I knew that it was really just for a day I wanted to go closer to home. I didn't want to drive twelve hours to enjoy a day when we could drive two and enjoy two half days and a full day. So we searched around and settled on Portland, Maine. Neither of us had spent time there exploring the city. I liked going somewhere new and so did hubby. We picked a hotel down in the heart of the city on the waterfront. It was a couple hour drive and then we were checking in. We immediately headed out and walked around and around and around. Up and down the waterfront and some cozy streets with cobbled stone. What a great little city. We stopped at a floating restaurant for a drink then went off to find some dinner. We ended up at Bull Feeney's which is a little Irish pub and restaurant. They actually had a really great menu. I ended up with a lamb-hamburger which was incredible. Hubby had fried Camembert cheese which is a favorite of his at a German restaurant we like in Massachusetts. We walked around more before heading back to turn in. We started the next morning at a spot called Breakfast in Paris then spent the day exploring Portland more. We also took an excursion North to my absolute favorite LL Bean. The real one with five different stores. So much more selection that the outlets around us. Such fun. We then did a couples massage in the afternoon. Hubby's first massage. It was very relaxing and decadent. We shopped around a little bit and finished the night talking with a couple visiting from the UK and Scotland at a cozy little place called the Chocolate Bar. The next day we took a leisurely morning walking around a bit more but heading home before noon. Hubby was back in work mode, on the phone and stopping at the distributor. I ended up with a flu so it was a bit of a long ride home for me. At the end of it all a wonderful trip and fabulous memories with my love. So thoughtful of him.

Visitors

2011-10-17T14:40:00.001-05:00

I am not the only sad one in the house this afternoon. Blizzie is on the bed in the guest bedroom and will not leave. Zdeno looks at me with sad eyes and sighs. Then he goes to the back bedroom and back to me to whine and sigh again. So quiet. My parents just left after their annual fall visit. This is a visit I always look forward to with great anticipation and a visit that saddens me when they have to go.
They flew in last Friday night and we hit the ground running. We had the family over on Saturday for our annual fall get together. Food, family, and fun. It is also a last time we can all get together before Art's folks head South for the winter. Art's sister, four of our nieces and one nieces boyfriend stayed the night and we took a great hike over Pack Monadnock the next day. A six mile trek with great vistas of the changing leaves. It was a spectacular day. It must have been 70 degrees out and was sunny and beautiful.
Monday we headed down to Boston to see our first hockey game of the year. They weren't in our mini season package but they were playing the CO Avalanche so I thought we would all enjoy it since my parents still live in Colorado. The Avalanche won 1-0 so Art and I were a little disappointed, but my Mom was pleased as punch. It was another gorgeous day so we walked around for a while and saw some sights and went to Durgin Park for lunch.

Tuesday we didn't slow down but Art did have to go back to work as he had already taken off more time than he probably should have. Fall is such a busy time, and especially this year for some reason. My folks and I headed up North. We hit the outlet stores in Tilton, then had lunch at one of my favorites the Yankee Smokehouse. Best barbecue in my memory. Then we did a little more shopping in North Conway before heading to our condo in Bartlett.
Wednesday- the one day I had my camera :-\ we drove to the top of Mount Washington. This is a mountain with 4000 foot rise in elevation. It has some of the worst weather recorded, including a top wind speed of over 230 mph. It was, again, a beautiful day though. It is a mountain that is frequently enveloped in the clouds yet it was 54 and mostly sunny. The clouds that were there were down below in one valley creating a stunning vista.
Thursday we shopped a little more and took our time heading home. We then headed out again to ManchVegas to have dinner with Karyn and Ralph. We went to Firefly Bistro. A cozy little place in downtown Manchester. It was good to catch up with them.
Friday we took a bit of a down day and walked Zdeno up to the Ledges here in Temple. He was such a good dog. We took him off leash once we left the road and he stuck right by us. It does crack me up how he dashed up and down the marble ledge with ease yet he won't go up or down stairs.
Saturday was a rainy day so went to see a movie. Footloose. I hadn't seen the original with Kevin Bacon so I enjoyed getting the opportunity to see this one. It doesn't strike me as a movie Art would see with me but we all had fun. My Mom then made enchiladas for dinner- YUM! Then we taught them the hand and (in?) foot card game. Good day.

Sunday was the last full day and we had ambitious plans to go to Maine for the day. However, it was a little windy and we were pretty tired from over a week of busy activity. So we hung out in the morning and watched a movie on tv, played angry birds on the ipad and iphone, then headed over to Karyn and Ralph's for dinner. We picked up some $4.99/lb. lobster at Market Basket on the way. We had a great dinner and enjoyed sitting outside by their fire pit. My Mom also picked up a cake from Frederick's Pastries for my impending birthday next week. Great day again.

This morning we went to one of my Mom's favorites- Parker's Maple Barn for pumpkin pancakes before heading out. Now, it's just me and sad little Z and Blizzie again. I cleaned out the coop for a distraction and will get to work making up for all that I didn't accomplish last week but I did want to take a moment to secure my memories from a wonderful visit! I can't wait for the next one :-)
Of course, all week, Zdeno got to play ball with his Grandma and Grandpa. They brought him a bag full of tennis balls and he was in heaven. Inside ball, outside ball, nonstop ball. He is going to miss then most I think!

Newport 2011

2011-10-06T10:43:00.001-05:00

Each year we go down to Newport to visit Art's parents during their timeshare week. We really look forward to the trip. Our favorite activities are often done over and over again and we look forward to revisiting our favorites. This year we spent both days out on Breton Point flying kites. Art got a new kite this year in hopes that he would be able to go out there to fly kites with his Dad. They both have stunt kites but Dad also brought a fun airplane kite. It didn't seem air-worthy but on the second day they got the flappy little guy up no problem. We had a great lunch at Flo's Clam Shack the first day. The gals had fish and chips while the boys had fried clams. Delicious! We also walked up and down Thames street for a little sightseeing and window shopping. We did get Art's Dad some fudge for later on. We also were able to catch up on our card playing. Art has been so busy this fall at the store that we haven't been able to go over to their house as much as we'd like. Hand and foot is our game du jour. We have a great time playing. We also made a stop at the Brick Alley for burgers on the way out of town. It was a short visit but one that I am so glad we were able to make!

Zdeno is People's #1 Leaf Pup!

2011-10-02T09:11:00.002-05:00

The Unexpected Guest

2011-09-30T11:29:00.000-05:00

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for four legged fur-balls. We have had a little black kitty visiting our yard all summer but he was always very elusive. Until Irene swept into town. Three days before she arrived he came running to me when I called him, let me pick him up, and purred as I brought him into our house.

Boy was he scruffy! He was so thin and although he was a black kitty with white socks and frock he had these weird brown patches of dried out matted fur all over him and even beyond the un-neutered male smell he had a pretty foul odor about him. But he was being so sweet! After I let him wolf down a bowl of food and get a drink of water he rolled on his back so I could pat his belly while he purred non-stop.

He ate three bowls of food that night and Art even gave him a bowl of cream. He continued to eat up to two bowls a day and had wet food, tuna, and treats of course. His ugly brown fur was slowly fading into a shiny black again :-)
We have had three cats before- Once. Three cats is way too many cats. It's a quantum scale with cats. One is not enough unless you like tattered curtains and someone sitting on your face at two am. Two is just right. They can torture each other and occasionally let you pat them. Three cats is like Armageddon. Two will team up on the third for a constant cat battle for territory, they will all want to sit on your lap at the same time and are willing to fight for it, and you will need something on the order of eight litter boxes to contain their battle continence. So, adorable and sweet as he was we knew we could not keep him.
We took him to the groomer the next day since Zdeno had an appointment anyway. We also made a vet appointment for the following week. Then we hunkered down for the storm which really was not much more than a big rainstorm for us although our neighbors to the West in Vermont and NY were hit pretty hard.

We brought him to the vet the next week and got him up to date on his shots, treated ear mites, de-wormed him, got flea control, and made a next appointment for him to be neutered. Unfortunately the next time we could get in was three weeks down the road. Three weeks with a stinky male cat. Such a good thing he was so darn sweet! Art named him Guy. Guy got along with Blizzie and Z and just loved people. He would seek you out to be patted if you didn't come to him first. Calista was spending a shocking amount of time outside though so we were resolute in our decision to find him a home.

I started to look for a home. I went through a few potentials before I was sitting at my desk on day and a lady I know a little bit from town came over and asked if I had a kitty looking for a home. Instantly I knew Guy had a home, a good home. So a few days after he was fixed she picked him up.
We will miss the little purr-box but know he is in a good place!

Ball

2011-09-04T14:09:00.001-05:00

What to do on a hot day!

Feeling Knitty

2011-08-31T08:22:00.005-05:00

I taught myself how to knit a few years ago. I got a beginner's knitting book some yarn and a couple of big needles. My first attempt was an odd shaped polygon as I seemed to add a stitch with each row that I knit. My sister-in-law/craft guru Sue suggested that I start by knitting a hat in the round. That way I could get a feel for knitting stitches without the bother of turning corners. I stumbled my way through my first hat with only a few pull-outs and interventions. Then I was off. I knit a few hats that year then I progressed to scarves. What is a hat without a matching scarf after all?This last year I knit a couple of sets for myself, one neutral that would go with many of my coats, and one in Bruins colors so I could wear the team colors to the games :-) I also knit an ear flap hat but I think I need a different pattern because I couldn't keep the ear flaps from curling?? It looks cute though. I knit a few scarves and hats for gifts this year as well. I also knit a foot guard for our chaise on the couch. Simple but took longer than I thought it would.Even though we live in a remote area there is a fabulous little yarn shop not ten minutes from my house. My SIL and I took a sock knitting class there last year. It was a cram two day course which extended to another Saturday to finish up but we did learn a great deal about socks. We did a two sock method where you complete both socks at the same rate on the same round needle. This was a little more complicated but we appreciated the logic behind getting both done at once. Yet I still prefer the little bamboo needles one at a time. I finished one pair and started on another. We did several X-mas stockings in the sock class. Most were packed up but here is one that Zdeno adopted.I was feeling pretty ambitious over the winter and thought I would try to challenge myself with a sweater. I found what I thought was a pretty simple pattern and saved up my coupons for Michael's to get the yarn and off I knit. I went around and around and around. I was feeling good. I liked the ribbing at the bottom and the yarn was beautiful. Then as I started to get a little higher I noticed how far around I was going each time. I thought it must be me so I kept going. After about eight to ten inches up it was undeniable. I had made it extra large instead of medium. I don't know anyone this size and it would swim on me so I pulled the plug. I yanked the needle out but didn't have the heart to unravel it. I still have it intact as if I will have an epiphany about how to save it without losing all that work... At some point I will hopefully come to my senses, pull it out, and start again.When we were in Ireland a few years ago we went to a woolery in the heart of the country. Art picked out some yarn and I was charged with making a sweater for him. No pressure. I spent the first year finding a pattern and picking out needles. I did start knitting last Thanksgiving but really haven't put much time into it. I generally get a few rows done at a time here and there. I am hoping to pick up speed soon so that Sue can help me when I get up to doing the arms. Thanksgiving is my goal for that.My other ambition for this year is to add gloves to my repertoire. I have a pattern for fingerless gloves that looks like an easy place to start. I am sure I will need a hat and gloves to go with it as well so hopefully I will have a full set by spring or earlier!

Guy

2011-08-26T16:05:00.014-05:00

From time to time over the summer we have seen a rogue cat or two in the yard. So shy and skittish we would usually just get a glimpse before they went off into the brush. Until three days ago. I heard meowing in the front yard and thought it was Calista wanting in, although that was strange since it was the time she likes to go out- not come in. I opened the door to see the rogue little black and white kitty meowing at me. He walked right up to me and wrapped around my legs. I scooped up his skinny little body and brought him in as it was raining.
I took him upstairs and set him in front of the food bowl. He ate the whole thing without pause. The whole time I was petting him and trying to get a good look at him. He was scruffy! Matted hair with a huge clump on his back. He had brownish dry hair weaving between his black and white hair. His eyes were dull and his fur lackluster. He was strong and hard as a rock albeit very very skinny.
He was also as sweet as could be. After he ate the dry food I scooped out a half a can of wet food for him, and gave the other half to Blizzie who was now glowering at me and the visitor. He alternated between purring and getting pets and gulping the food.
After he ate and got some water I spent some time patting him. He hopped right up on my lap and rubbed and purred as I patted him. He would get antsy and move next to me to spin onto his back so I could rub his belly. I did this for about a half an hour then he hopped back down to see if he could have more food. I let him have another bowl then we went back to the patting routine.
Art came up later with a bowl of cream and informed me that three cats was a lot of cats. I had to agree. We had three cats once and it was a LOT of cats. For some reason it is at least twice as many as two even though that is not mathematically possible. We discussed trying to have him live in the greenhouse since he seemed semi-feral and we could use a barn cat.
He slept upstairs with us, waking up Art at five am for more food then I shuttled him out to the greenhouse the next morning. He did not like it. I let the chickens out and they just rushed at him like they wanted to eat him. He hid behind me for a bit then he went right up into the rafters. I had to go to work so I put up a ladder with some treats and told him I would be back asap. At the store and at my Town job I started asking if anyone wanted a kitty since three cats is just too many cats for us. I got two leads and was thrilled.
I came home after a couple of hours and he was gone. I looked everywhere. Just. Gone. I was so sad. I texted Art to let him know. Of course at this point I was feeling guilty that I stuck him out in such a scary place and now he's going to be stuck outside when Hurricane Irene blows through this weekend. :-(
Later that evening we heard meows from the yard. I opened the front door and the kitty breezed right upstairs and stuffed his head in the food bowl like he had been doing it every day of his life. He paused to let me rub him and pat him. I was taking Blizz and Zdeno to the groomer the next day so I decided to take this guy, too.
Oh, by the way, Art named him. Guy. Short and sweet.
We took him to the groomer today and he was very well behaved. He is still a little ratty but it's probably because he's malnourished and has clearly lead a rough life. The groomer guessed that he's about five to seven years old. He has not been neutered yet. Luckily, he had no fleas or mites or other parasites.We brought Guy, Blizz, and Z home and fed them all dinner. Z got a cute Bruin bow for being so sweet to Toni and for giving her kisses while he was getting his bath. Blizzie was simply informed that she was no lady and needs to work on her manners. :-\
We will all hunker down over the weekend while Irene blows through and will reassess on Monday. I imagine the vet is next. We just paid off Zdeno's surgery and now we get another vet bill for Guy. It will be worth it. I hope we find him a good home, but worst case scenario he has already found one :-)

Remembrance

2011-08-25T13:30:00.005-05:00

Sweet Polar. We adopted him within a few months of moving into our first home in NH. He was the runt of the litter but he was so sweet. He loved to go for walks and catch frogs in the pond. He loved the snow! The colder it was outside the less likely he would be to come in. He died suddenly on this day last summer from liver failure. He will always have a place in our hearts.
(1998-2010)
Two years ago tomorrow we lost our sweet Zoicite. She came home with us to the first house we bought in Denver after we were married. She was a sweet kitten from the start. I don't think I appreciated enough just how snuggly she was, how much she loved to be on our laps, be stretched, and most of all be loved! (1996-2009)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T14:27:00.009-05:00

Are corporations people?

2011-08-21T08:17:00.015-05:00

Are Corporations People? When I first heard this story it was on an ultra-hippy liberal facebook friend's wall. My first (and lasting) reaction was, "Of course corporations are people." Since that point I have read many articles on the matter and have seen several snappy retorts attempting to discredit Mr. Romney for his opinion/observation. Most people are staunch in their declaration that corporations are not people. But then they continue on about the evil corporations and how they aren't doing their part blah, blah, blah...
So, armed with my laptop and good old Google I went on an information hunt. Looking at Webster's definition(s) I found that by definition corporations are in fact a group of people or a "person":

1:a : a group of merchants or traders united in a trade guild b : the municipal authorities of a town or city

2:  a body formed and authorized by law to act as a single person although  constituted by one or more persons and legally endowed with various  rights and duties including the capacity of succession 

3: an association of employers and employees in a basic industry or of members of a profession organized as an organ of political representation in a corporative state
Reference http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corporation
All of that aside I used my personal and business experience to come to the conclusion that corporations are people. When we started our business we were a C-corporation. This is probably the least 'people' oriented business I can imagine. The corporation is treated as it's own entity (person) and it is taxed, then taxes are paid on dividends and payroll through shareholders personal taxes. You get to tax the business separately with a C-corp. However, these corporations are becoming a dying breed. We were participant to that process.
We own two corporations currently. One is our retail store which is an S-corporation and the other is a real estate holding company which is an LLC. When we upgraded our accountant we upgraded our corporate structure to an S-corp. The biggest benefit to the S-corp is that the business income flows through our personal taxes eliminating the dual taxation. Our LLC company also flows through our individual (personal) tax return.
I could make a philosophical argument about how my business could not survive without me, my husband, or our employees (all people). I could say that all of the people in the company benefit from the business (are employed, get paid, IRA's, insurance, holidays, etc.) and that if the business paid more taxes (a la Obama) we would (and do) have fewer employees and the people that remain will have to settle for less if big brother takes more. This is the type of argument that seems to degrade most quickly, such as I am biased because I am the evil corporate owner, I just don't want to do my share, I'm the greedy one... never mind that it isn't just our livelihood on the line, it's also all of our employees. But, it is my house that is on the line as well as all of my other savings. My husband and I are the last to take a bonus in good years and the first to not get a paycheck if need be... but I'll stick to the simple tax facts.
I read that S-corporations are the largest growing corporation type and that much of this growth occurred in the 2000's by companies that converted (like we did). By 2006 over 66% of corporations were S-corporations. After five more years I'll be willing to bet that number has grown even higher. This means that those corporations are taxed through the shareholders personal tax returns. LLC's and C-corporations make up the remaining and LLC's are also taxed through personal tax returns of the owner's.
The bottom line is that both philosophically and with regard to taxation WE are our businesses. Unless you would like to try to make the argument that we are not people...

Bird's Eye View

2011-08-20T12:57:00.005-05:00

A long time friend of ours recently got his pilots license. He was kind enough to take us on a flight around Southern NH and over to Vermont one beautiful spring morning. The only turbulence we experienced was when we flew through our own air on a turn. Here are some of the shots I got to take.Our friend and Art with his new toy! It was a perfect day for a ride.
Our first view was of Mt. Monadnock. This mountain defines our region. The name means mountain that stands alone. It does and is so beautiful especially in the fall. It has many hiking trails. It is more challenging than you would think. We once did a midnight hike that was unforgettable!This is Temple's downtown! You can't see the Fire Department/Town Offices though. They are just off screen to the left. To get to our house you head down the road to the left of the house on the bottom of the picture.This pic is coming around on our property. You can also see the pond across the street, the little cottage by the pond, and our little trailer parked next to the greenhouse!
Here we are honed in our our little patch of land. It is early spring and we had been doing a little work behind the pond so it looks a little scratchy in places. You can also see the fields where Damon grew his yummy veggies! We miss him so! The long rectangle at the bottom left is our glorified chicken coop, the back half at least. We are redoing the front for tractor parking.
Above is a shot heading on the back side of Temple Mountain. It is a part of the Wapack range. The Wapack trail is a great interstate hiking route that we have not done in full but we do frequent the portion around us. Some day it would be nice to hike the whole trail!

Lake Umbagog

2011-08-18T08:05:00.005-05:00

At the Northern tip of NH on the border of Maine there is a beautiful body of water where three rivers converge. It is remote and there are few power boats. Just go to Errol and turn right. It is a small town but an important land mark. Most people access the remote camp sites by canoe or kayak. It is a unique mix of state park and private property with both scattered along the rocky shores and islands.
My husband has done a previous adventure down the Magalloway River into the lake and to the camp site. He is very good at coordinating an annual camping and hiking/kayak trip. All are welcome and he will adjust the plan accordingly. This year it ended up just being three of us and Zdeno which was nice. We went with an old and dear friend of Art's and a friend of mine as well.
We had a nice easy 4.5 mile paddle to our campsite. We arrived much sooner than we thought.We had a great time playing cards, swimming and kayaking/canoeing. Ted was firemaster and we all enjoyed our stay. Our camp site was half in NH and half in Maine. Always fun!Zdeno loves swimming but he had never been in a canoe, much less for 4.5 miles! We were also camping right on the shore so I had concern that his puppy brains might get him in a little trouble so we got him a life jacket. He just thought he was the bees knees when we put that on him. He ended up being very good in the canoe dipping down to get drinks but mostly sitting in the front sniffing the breeze.
He is a bit of a sloppy swimmer in general. He doesn't like to get his face wet so he has a very splashy paddle to keep his head high. With the life jacket he is buoyed an extra few inches and it smoothed out his paddle. He just loved it! I am sure whenever that comes out his excitement meter will spike!

The Power of the Ball

2011-08-17T07:13:00.008-05:00

When I was growing up we had a black lab next door, Rowdy, who would play ball with you any time. I used to love it when he would come over. He would settle for a rock if he couldn't find a ball. I didn't understand the obsession. Our own dog had a soccer ball that he would chase around but he did not share or play well with others.
So when Z showed an affinity for playing ball I was pretty happy. From day one he had a great time chasing after the ball and he was pretty good at bringing it back.
Of course, being new to the puppy/ball game it took me a minute to learn that I had to teach him to drop the ball and wait for me to pick it up. For a while it was a game of keep away which he was much better at than I was.
He would play ball inside or out. His green nubbly ball was his favorite for his first couple of months. It was a soft ball so he could play inside or out with it. This was a good fetch ball but hard to catch.
I would be remiss if I didn't say that not everyone in the house was quite so happy about all the ball playing... Blizz is skeptical about the dog (even today) but she has been more accepting than Calista.
Zdeno is the luckiest pup on earth. My parents are avid tennis players. What could a ball lover love more than a non-stop stream of tennis balls to play catch with? This, and most mornings, his first task is to empty his toybox out onto the floor. We now separate 'inside' and 'outside' balls so that he can't mix them up.
His new soft soccer ball became a hit when he learned that he could catch it when we threw it up in the air for him. Who knew you could have so much fun with balls!
We were a little worried when the snow started to fly. We were able to play for a bit while the snow was still shallow. Art also plowed a path with the Bobcat for playing. Toward the end of winter we ended up playing ball with snowballs. This way he would get his exercise running through the snow but we wouldn't have to worry about tracking down lost balls.
Of course, if there were no ball to be found Zdeno could usually find a stick (or branch) to fill in.In the spring he started swimming in the local ponds again. Chasing a ball or stick into the water and rescuing it was a new way to enjoy his favorite activity.
He isn't proud. He will let anyone play ball with him. There is a little girl who helps pet sit while we are gone. She will do her homework down where Z stays at their house. She will throw the ball, get a little work done, throw the ball...for hours. Doggie heaven!
At this point Z has countless balls. Outside we stick to tennis balls as we have a launcher that can throw them the length of the field. Our skinny mini pup probably runs 5-10 miles a day! Maybe a little less when it is really hot as he splits his time between sitting in the pond to cool down and running after the ball.
The ball is the training tool we have used with Zdeno. He is not a foodie so we bribe him with ball. If you want him to come you better have the ball. If you wanted him to sit, lay down, stay you better have a ball! There is something for everyone and for Zdeno there is a ball for every occasion!

Family

2011-08-15T08:18:00.004-05:00

Last summer our nephew Kevin married Jamie. They are a sweet couple and the wedding was so much fun. The sunset was absolutely amazing and since they got married on July 4 we were able to see fireworks from different towns up and down the water. My Mom-in-law even got up for a dance with Dad-in-law.
Abbie came with her boyfriend Zeb. He is from Colorado and we had fun getting to know him!
The day after the wedding we went to Halibut point with Art's folks. It is one of the first places I visited in New England. They looked so sweet overlooking the water I just had to get a shot :-)
Our Thanksgiving ritual of going to Plum Island was a success as usual. The weather was pretty darn nice and we, of course, listened to Alice's Restaurant all the way there.
Keeping warm by the fire. Zeb even fashioned a pot holder over the fire so we could keep the soup warm. So ingenious and fun!
Introducing Maggie! Sue, Sam, and Charlie adopted Maggie just about a month before we got Z. She is exactly one month younger and the two of them adore each other and have such fun playing together!
They played together so well and they slept for a whole day afterward! No one wanted to nap lest they miss something!
The goal- global domination. The result- lots of fun!
Lindsay's pup Bailey also joined in the fun. She is a bit older so she is in charge. They had a great time together. They played in this room all night!
Our annual Christmas picture. We had Sue take it when everyone came over for a pre-x-mas dinner. Usually it is just me wrangling everyone into one shot.
Went to Colorado for Christmas. We got to spend time with the kids and also got to know Julie better. We went to the Bronco game one afternoon and Julie introduced us to a fabulous Mexican eatery in Denver called La Loma. Delish!
Julie has a son Harry who is half way between my brother's two boys. Now they have five kids between the two of them. Wow! It can be loud and is usually chaotic but they are all a lot of fun and seem to get along well.
Mom turned 80 this past June. She had a fun party at Stratham Park and lots of family and friends came. It was a rainy day so we all cozied under the pavilion and caught up. I met a few new family members and some old friends of theirs. Great day and Mom seemed to have a wonderful time!
We moved the party back to Mom and Dad's house after the extended family cleared and the day wore on and got cooler. Such a great family! I love how often we were able to see each other this year!
For Father's Day we caught up for the traditional lobster dinner. Sam and I had hamburgers ;-) I try them every year but still don't like them. I do like the occasional mussel though, if there is enough wine, butter, and garlic on top!
We rented a house on the beach with Art's oldest sister this summer. It was a fabulous time! We were only fifteen minutes away from Art's folks house so they were able to visit often. It had a little back yard so Zdeno was able to come and enjoy the ocean. He had Maggie and Bailey come to visit a couple times which was great. We also got to meet Kevin and Jamie's new (older pup) Lester. He is a retriever pyrenees mix. He is a love with people but sadly did not really get on well with the other dogs.
The dogs, and us people, really enjoyed walks on the beach. It was early in the year so the water was still cold but we had some pretty hot days that made it feel refreshing. I even had a girlfriend that was able to come and spend the day on the beach with her three kids. Great time!
I definitely would like to do this type of vacation again. Super relaxing. We were close enough to home that we could go back if needed (Art, Karyn, and Ralph all had to work at least one day), we were close so family and friends could visit. The best was that we got to bring Zdeno and he even had visitors!

The Big Move

2011-08-14T14:37:00.007-05:00

Welcome to Brookline, NH

We bought the business property in the summer of 2009. We quickly did needed repairs to wiring and walls so that we could move our warehouse over by summer's end. By fall we had paved the new parking lot and put a fence up for the fuel and put in a turn around for the tractor trailers. It was working out beautifully as a warehouse. Our storefront was still at the location it had been at for the last nearly ten years. We had one more year on our lease so we had to make a decision. Should we stay or should we go to the new property? Cost-wise it made sense to be located in one building, but there were a lot of unknowns. The traffic count was lower for one big thing. We would also be on a lesser commuting path instead of a main road, a road which doubled as one of the busiest shopping roads to add to the conundrum.
The cost of renovating the property was also a consideration. We had already gone over budget with the initial repairs as we did not know that the infrastructure was so messed up prior to moving in. The site planning, site work, and paving were also more than we anticipated. We really thought we did our homework but boy were we wrong! Our sales were also on the decline. Partly a symptom of the new economy and the general mood of the country, but also our industry had a few black eyes from 2008 and 2009. Moving was a big risk!
We did a survey and got enough of a positive or neutral responses that by December of 2009 we decided to move. We had our contractor start work in the spring, after the pipes froze and we had the future showroom side of the building flood, of course. :-( We saved when we could and did it ourselves and borrowed the rest of the necessary funds from our line of credit and a personal loan so we could move in during the month of June. We built displays and walls to get started but planned to finish the center display, the insert display, and the wood stove section as we could.
We had our main fears about moving alleviated pretty quickly when we had a fall that was much better (percentage-wise) than the first half of the year had been in our old location. We were also finally starting to see the savings of having one building instead of two: one insurance bill, one rent payment, one utility bill, lower gas and propane costs...
We vented some displays to heat the building and installed a furnace for the warehouse.
One big bonus for the new building is that we designed and had a break-room/office built at the back of the shop. This way the guys could eat their lunch in peace and we could have our meetings uninterrupted. They also had a place to put their things and a place to get away.
One thing I think they were even more excited about (I know I was and I don't even work on stoves!) is that we finally had a workshop area where the tools could live and stoves being cleaned or repaired could reside.
We have a pretty happy group now who work well together and are doing a great job :-) We had just a couple changes on the employee front. We had fired a liar/thief late in 2009. The other guys were instrumental in helping to catch him. We also let our first employee go in early 2011. He was a difficult person who never cared for me much and I also think he was burned out. The guys were tired of his complaining and unwillingness to work with the group, and his assets were being overshadowed by his liabilities. The good news is that we were able to hire back an employee that worked with us for a couple of years about five years ago. He is a good fit.
Improvements continue. We are currently painting the building. It really needs to be re-sided but the finances just aren't there yet. So we will paint and hope it will buy us five or so years until we can do it correctly. We still have the main display to do and wood stoves to vent, but we did get the insert display in. Like my fake brick?
Other than that it seems like a good move and we don't regret it for a moment!

First Photos

2011-08-13T08:03:00.004-05:00

Turns out Zdeno is quite the ham. He loves to have his picture taken. He does squint if he thinks the flash will go off though. Here are his first photos. They were taken in October 2010. I was very late and lazy with leaf pickup but it worked out as a nice backdrop for our photo shoot!

In the Coop

2011-08-12T08:20:00.005-05:00

On our fourth year of having chickens I finally feel like I am getting the hang of it. We have our routines down and everyone is getting on well. I have a few people that buy eggs from me. Not for much but it does help to offset my chicken feed bill. We were up to 22 girls and two roos this year. Lou Lou La Roo has been the most amazing rooster ever. He is so patient, sweet and protective of both me and the chickens. His eye mostly healed from Frank's attack but he will never fully regain his sight. Flower was our first hatch here and he was the cutest snuggliest little rooster. More on him later...Our resident brooder "Momma" Cuddles hatched two babies last fall. I named the first one Pumpkin because she was soooo tiny! Art named the other Baby Spice. Pumpkin just wasn't strong enough and didn't make it but Baby Spice is one of our most adorable bantams. Her Daddy is Flower and her Momma is Cuddles. They were a nice fall treat. This year I had her sitting on some leghorn eggs but when we went camping our pet sitters unknowingly took the eggs away just shy of their hatch date. Cuddles is mad and won't sit again so I am not sure if we will have any new fall beaks hatched here.
Baby Spice at five months. Super sweet and snuggly.
We got a turkey for Thanksgiving from a our local farmers. It was a 36 1/2 pound beast! I brought poor Flower in to pose with it. He was a little nervous- can't blame him!
This spring I placed my order from My Pet Chicken early. We got the babies in late March. It was still really cold so I set them up in our shower stall. Everyone got a big laugh out of that but I loved having the adorable little beaks right there! I was also able to introduce Zdeno to them and teach him to lay down and be calm around them.We spent hours playing with the chicks and he would always help feed and clean their space :-)
I spent a great deal of time taking him into the coop on a leash and teaching him to be calm around the chickens. He is pretty good now. I won't take him in without a leash yet but he is good at letting them be. He does have a special relationship with one of our Andalusians- Ashleigh. She will go right up to him and peck around his toes and let him sniff her. It is pretty cute.
It has been a really sunny and hot summer so I thought I would try letting the chicks out to munch on grass in the shade of our yard. It worked great for a couple of months but then someone moved into the brambles behind the greenhouse. We live in a pretty rural area so we frequently have predators. We thought it was a fox at first so we loaded the gun and went on the lookout. He had taken our primary girl, a RI Red named Rhonda and also one of our new babies. Next he took sweet Flower. Also both of our baby Leghorns. The next day Art saw a Bobcat run across the road. We can't do anything about that. They are protected and someone in town told me that chickens are considered fair game for them.
So everyone is in lock-down in the greenhouse. I pick weeds to bring in to them. We are re-doing the front of the greenhouse to make a parking space for the (machine) Bobcat and the tractor. After that is done I will be able to put up their fence again so they can go outside. Turns out the fence wasn't to keep them in it was to keep the predators out.
I am hopeful that Cuddles will get broody again so I can hatch more leghorns but if not I will probably go to a chicken swap in September to try to get our group back up to at least 20 and try to get another rooster. We have too many predators and poor old La Roo just can't see as well as he used to...

New Beginnings

2011-08-09T08:20:00.006-05:00

Recently hubby and I were talking about blogging and he was saying how nice it was when I blogged because it was a great journal to look back upon our trips and adventures. Over the weekend I received a lovely note from Exseno saying that after a long absence of her own she was going to start blogging again. So I have been inspired. I miss it too. I got sucked into the void that is Facebook but find that it is not fulfilling what blogging did. Blogging is really a sort of diary of our short little journey and as I get older and I find that my memory is not what it used to be I think that is quite nice. I have also met some great people who share their lives in return.
Probably the biggest change in our lives since last year was the addition of our new family member- Zdeno. (pronounced Zah-Day-No).
After we lost Polaris last summer I thought I would need a long break from having another pup in our family. But I missed having a buddy to take walks with, someone to keep me company as I work alone in my home office most days, and someone to snuggle with and keep me and the chickens safe. So, in early October I filled out applications with a couple of dog rescues. I wasn't sure what type of breed I wanted, but I knew I didn't want to 'replace' Polar so another Malamute was not what I wanted. I was really hoping to get a white dog though. Then he and Blizzardora could shed the same color. I was thinking a little guy like a Shiba Inu mix where Art, of course, wanted a BIG dog like a Newfie mix.
We visited a lot of shelters but never got the feel that any pup was right. We were not in a hurry by any means. The only reason I started in October was that I heard it could take up to two years to get a puppy. I definitely wanted a puppy so that I could train the dog to be around the chickens. That was a stressful part with Polar as he would attack them. One of the groups I applied to was a White German Shepherd Rescue called Echo Dogs. They are a group here in NH, but they rescue shepherd's from all over. We filled out an application, they checked our references, and they even came to our house to do a home assessment.
To my shock and delight they called us just a few weeks after we applied to say that they may have a puppy available in Connecticut.
It was a strange process. The lady that had the pup was not computer oriented and didn't have a camera. She was also not sure if she wanted to give the pup up. She had adopted the puppy from a breeder in Minnesota. Turns out they were terrible breeders. When she got the puppy he was sickly and had giardia. He was also fed a solely raw diet. So the lady spent a great deal of time taking him to the vet and trying to get him to gain weight. He had constant diarrhea and the only thing he would eat with any regularity was his poo. On top of that she had a three year old dog that did not like the new puppy and would attack it any time they were in the same room. So this poor sick puppy spent most of his life trapped in a laundry room listening to another dog growl and knowing that if he asked to go out to do his business he would likely be attacked. Yet the lady wasn't sure she wanted to give him up.
I spent weeks talking with her on the phone assuring her that we would be a good home and agreeing that her situation was not good for the pup. After she backed out of the deal twice and didn't show up when she said she was going to drop him off she finally arrived. Up until the second I saw her car I didn't really believe that he was going to come! Keep in mind that I had no idea what this dog looked like. I only knew that he was born on the second of July and he was a sickly pup.
We did get a few things to prepare though, just in case she actually showed up. We got a kennel this time. I wanted to kennel train as it was such a nightmare with Polar and we already knew that he still wasn't potty trained. I made a little mattress in their with a fleece pillow case and we got a few toys.
She arrived in an SUV and had him in a little dog carrier. When she opened it up and let him out I just choked up. There was this adorable white fluffy bundle of joy that bounced out of the car and ran right over to me. I couldn't even believe how cute and happy he was! Art came out and had an instant huge smile on his face! The pup ran right into his arms.We had done a little prep on what we would like for names. We knew his name was Zoltan but didn't want to keep that. Art had a cousin with that name and it just seemed so severe. But we did like Z names and thought the puppy would have an easier time if we kept the sound similar. We settled on Zdeno. If you have not heard that name you are probably not a hockey fan. Zdeno Charra is the team captain for the Boston Bruins. He is also the largest hockey player currently playing and he is a big 6'9" teddy bear. Back to Art wanting a big dog I thought that we had potential for Zdeno to be big as his breed can often get up to 120 pounds or more.We took the lady around the house and yard and introduced her to the chickens. She lives in a suburb of NYC for all intents and purposes so I am sure our yard was not what she expected. I gave her some fresh eggs, some syrup that was made from the maple in our yard, and some jam made from our raspberries as well as a hat that I had knitted over the last winter. After she was on her way we just cuddled and snuggled and played with Zdeno all night. His favorite toy was a nubbly green ball. He was very good at running after it and bringing it back. He seemed instantly at home. He went right into his kennel exhausted at the end of the evening.
Welcome home Zdeno!

Fall in New England

2010-10-20T10:42:00.009-05:00

Where does the time go? As I watch the leaves falling outside my window I realize that another year is coming to a close. It goes by faster each year!

Most of our time and money went into the business this year but we did replace a rotting and leaky slider with windows at home. This has been a hard year. We were distracted early by renovating and moving our business but our sales have continued to slide down as a result of the warm weather and soft economy.Outside our new shop

Inside

We did a little traveling this year but not much.

We lost our beloved Polar this summer not even a year after losing our feline friend Zoicite last fall. One day in late July he stopped eating dry food. It was such a bloody hot summer we didn't think anything of it. Within a week he was only eating one meal a day, then the next week only a bite or two. He spent a week in the vet hospital on fluids and for testing. He had liver failure. We took him home, made him comfortable as possible, and loved him and lavished attention on him until he passed away in his sleep a little over a week later. Heart-breaking. Still fighting back tears...

We did have some new additions to the family as well. We got new chicks from My Pet Chicken this spring, and Cuddles hatched three eggs this year! Our first hatch was a frizzle leghorn mix named Flower. He ended up being a rooster so his name was upgraded to Flower Power. Her second was a Buff/Leghorn mix and was given away to someone who wanted to use him for breeding. The third is a cochin frizzle mix. Baby Spice, who is two months old is most likely a hen... I'll get back to you on this though. Cuddles does not have the best track record for laying hens instead of roosters!
New silkies. They are adorable and sweet! Tiffani, Milli, and Iffi
Baby Spice hatched with her sister Pumpkin. Pumpkin died within a couple days :-(

We are also working with a dog rescue to try to adopt a new pup. More on that later hopefully! My brother has started dating Julie, a wonderful energetic vibrant person and we have enjoyed her and Harrison's addition to our family. Art's parents are doing better this year. We had a mini-scare with Bud when he had a blocked carotid artery and needed surgery, but he is on the mend.

Chicks, Man!

2010-03-01T11:11:00.005-05:00

The time has finally arrived! It's chick time! Well, time to order them, anyway... I was actually a bit slow on the draw. Silkies were high on my list but I should have ordered them in January.I would have had to wait until June to get them. So I will try to find a couple at local chicken swaps this summer instead.
Our current crew is working out really well. The two bantam roosters are a perfect combination. Lou Lou La Roo is top dog, and Sexy Frank is a good balance although he still has a bit of a Napoleon complex.The little girls are good layers and Little Miss Sunshine is just adorable and cuddly through and through. Cuddles is usually right beside La Roo or between the two roo's so I don't get much snuggle time with her. The older girls are sweet as ever and laying like champs!I am adding 13 to the roster this year. Five layers are good for our house and a few to give away, so I am hoping that by upping to 18 layers I can provide the family with farm fresh eggs!We are getting 3 White Leghorns. Sexy Frank is a bantam leghorn but these gals will be full size. If we get a boy we will have to name him Foghorn...
I really wanted some Polish chicks but they were backordered into May. So I am getting a mixed rare breed and hoping that I get one of these, a Frizzle, or a Favorelle. Looks just like a little Elvis chick!
We got 4 rare breed chicks. We are excited to see who comes!! A Frizzle chick looks like the little lady above. TOO CUTE!
I love my Aracaunas. Dorrie is one of my sweetest birds. I also love their blue/green eggs. So I got 3 more of these.
This is my exotic purchase. Three Appenzeller Spitzhaubens. Their are almost as cool to look at as their name sounds! We'll have to come up with a few good Bavarian names for these little cuties!
They arrive at the end of the month!! I can't wait to show pictures of the real cast! Stay tuned!

Our Journey Part One

2010-02-23T19:10:00.006-05:00

Almost eighteen years ago I met a tall, handsome man with wild hair! You made me laugh with your easy way, and dazzled me with your intellect, and brought out the best in me. The next winter we started dating. In the spring we took our first trip together. An adventure down to Moab, Utah. We drove in your red jeep with Moose. You brought a friend as backup but that was o.k. by me. We had a great time hiking around, playing in the river, and camping out under the stars. That summer we camped out up in the mountains. That summer you flew home for your sister's wedding. Did we fly back for the holidays that year? I met your folks and was introduced to New England. I remember you quizzing me on which states were in New England. I had a lot to learn about this area! I was happy to meet your family and see the town you grew up in. I also got to meet some of your friends. I still remember going to Steve's house for the first time, being mesmerized by his pellet stove. When you were considering grad school we took that road trip up to Montana near the Canadian border. It was an amazing condo my parents let us have for the week. It was Thanksgiving and I knew it was a big holiday for you so I did a feast for two, turkey included, and had a romantic dinner for two.
We drove out to New England stopping in Wisconsin on the way and visited with my family. Then my Grandpa Jack got us ferry tickets and we hopped the boat with our Volvo and then across Michigan, up into Canada, through Niagara Falls and back down to Massachusetts. I loved visiting the ocean and watching you and your Dad fish with the giant poles! Poor Moose was so afraid of the water, but he was such a good traveling companion!
I remember driving down to Arizona to see your parents early in our relationship. We stayed with them in their little travel trailer. They were so kind to share their space with us. We visited the air museum, a favorite destination to this day, and hiked up the canyons.
Once you finished school we headed off to Utah. We didn't have jobs lined up but after visiting the area we loved the beauty and were hopeful. This was not one of our best times. We had a cute little house that we rented but poor Moose had such a tiny back yard and we went through our first test. Utah didn't last but thankfully we did. Our parents both came out that summer and we had a great time up at Bear Lake.
We headed to Texas Creek next. I bought some property with residuals from my dog bite early in life. We planned to build a house on the hill there. We traveled all around Salida, Cotopaxi, and down to Canyon City looking for the place to call home. It was a beautiful area but jobs were pretty scarce. We did get to see a lot of the beauty in Southern Colorado while we were there. It wasn't long before we headed back North to Denver.
We knew we didn't want to live there so we headed off across the country to Rochester, NY. Your sister was so kind to put us up until we found a place of our own. It was an adventure and very different for me. I liked that we were able to walk everywhere but our tiny 1 bedroom apartment was not the Ritz. I still remember our splurge of Boone and spaghetti dinners. A job offer in Colorado pulled us back pretty quickly, though.
Back to Greeley. We lived in the basement apartment and I worked in IT. You had some interesting jobs then but we were back in the beautiful state of Colorado and we were getting married!
We married in Loveland Colorado on a perfect February day. It was so nice you didn't even need a coat! You had many friends come in the night before the wedding and had a rocking bachelor party. I had a more low key with my family as my relatives had just done the long drive from Wisconsin. Our wedding was just perfect. It went by way too quickly.
We had made the decision to skip a honeymoon and put any gifts and monies toward buying a house. So we went up skiing with your family the days following our wedding. This was a great idea. I got to know your family better and we were able to buy a house that year.
We bought our first house in Denver in 1996. You had gotten a job in Broomfield and the commute from Greeley was so far! Shortly after we moved in I got a job traveling and setting up Intranets. I traveled the Western half of the US for the next year. I saw places like Roswell, Boise, Seattle, Bozeman, SLC, Anchorage, Phoenix, etc. My favorite trips were the ones you could come with me on. My first trip to Las Vegas was so scary. I stayed at the MGM and it took me a half an hour to find my room! So when we went together and stayed at the Excalibur it was wonderful! I also enjoyed our trip to Cheyenne, and Estes Park when we stayed by the lake. Our first anniversary we went to Baby Doe's in Denver and had a fabulous meal. It was wonderful to live so near all of our friends and be so close to work and life was wonderfully simple then!
Fall of that year you were offered a relocation package to New England. Just a few weeks you were off to Mass, and by February we were settled into temporary housing in Mass and looking for a home. We nearly landed outside of Worcester but a last minute snag ended that deal and we landed in New Hampshire.
Within a few weeks we had the idea to start our store. You were working weekends down in Shrewsbury while I worked on our business plan and got financing in order. We also put the land in Texas Creek up for sale. We received an offer at the perfect time and that enabled us to secure financing for the shop. We opened our doors September 1, 1998.
We worked hard those first two years. Trips were short and close by. When we closed the shop to travel to Colorado for Christmas we entrusted our customers to pay us later for the fuel they took. Times were simple then.
As we grew and got employees we achieved a little freedom. Our first big trip was our belated honeymoon taken on our fifth anniversary. A transatlantic cruise featuring the Glen Miller Orchestra. We were by far the youngest on the boat. I remember wobbling up the hallways because the storm we traveled across the ocean with rocked the boat so much! We had a great engine room tour, and had great fun. Sailing away from the volcano at Funchal Madiera was most memorable. We ended our adventure in Barcelona after seeing the Azores, Malaga, and Ibiza (boring during the day). Barcelona was so quick but so much fun! I loved the aquarium and having Sangria on at midnight was the best ever.
The next summer we headed South to Cancun for a couple of weeks. Swimming in the crystal blue waters and visiting Cozumel were quite memorable. It was great to catch up with my folks and Aunt and Uncle there. That was when you discovered that you loved Shakira's music. :-)
Many of our early trips surrounded the store. We went to Salt Lake and down to Moab again, Baltimore, Nashville, Reno, Hilton Head, Anaheim, and Atlanta for the hearth show. I loved when we added side trips on to some of our favorite destinations. Las Vegas was a warm midpoint to meet our friends and family during the long winters at home. Visits to Colorado and Arizona became a staple.
The houseboat trip to Lake Powell was an all time favorite. That water was SO COLD but the day was hot and whole experience was perfection! I can't wait to get back out to do that again!
The annual trips to Newport were also a real treat! I do love that town and catching up with the family is priceless.
Taking a trip up to Montreal was a real treat. I had never visited a bilingual city! Catching up with our suppliers in Ontario on the lake was a blast. It was great to get to know Stew and Paul.
Taking the Caribbean cruise was a delight! Belize was an absolute favorite, but I also enjoyed Roatan, and Hondoras. Cave tubing was such an experience!
The year we flew into Munich and drove over to Wels for the World Pellet Conference was a whole new experience. Stopping in Dingolfing to tour the BMW facility will always be the factory tour to beat! I loved this part of the world even though we don't speak the language. It was just comfortable.
I really appreciate that we were able to travel with your folks. Our trip to Florida, and the Bahamas was a great time to spend with them. The German cottage we stayed at was impeccable. The keys were fabulous!
I also liked the short local trips that we have taken. Vermont is a great getaway, camping at Pillsbury, and visits to Ogunquit Maine, and down to the Cape are adventures I look forward to and enjoy immensely.
We found our dream home in Temple. It was a trick because not only were we buying the house before we sold the old one we were buying it on New Year's Eve and then leaving to Mexico for two weeks after only owning the house for nine days. My Dad retired and we all traveled down to Mazatlan to help him celebrate. The big freeze occurred during this trip but gladly not until the very end so we were able to enjoy our time with family.
We planned our next trip to Europe. Salzburg was high on my list. We would stay there and take the train to Wels for the show. Such a great time riding around up by the Eagle's nest, and walking around the HohenSalzburg Fort. Such beautiful countryside!
I loved our preseason trip out to Block Island. It was like having the amusement park to yourself! The bike ride was incredible, and the Boston Creme Pie ice cream is still the best! Such a fun ride to and from, too!
Hawaii was a pleasant surprise. It definitely has paradise potential. I loved pulling off and snorkeling or just riding along listening to KAPA fm in our little HHR. The plane trip around the island was amazing! The whole trip was a wow!
So many places we have traveled! We should really do a timeline!
How about the Nova Scotia trip? We planned that months in advance. Such an adventure driving all the way up to Cape Breton! Halifax and the museum were among my favorites! Taking the CAT out there was half of the adventure. Going back up that way on a fall cruise was a great way to see the highlights again as well as Bar Harbor! Cadillac Mountain was so cool!
New York City is not a place I would live but I have enjoyed our many visits there. The Fancy Food Show was a great time. I also loved catching up with your sisters and niece there. It is so nice that we can stay in CT for the night then take the train in.
Our anniversary trip to Zion is one of my favorite memories. The little cottage, the great hikes and the horseback ride make that a winner! Stopping at our favorite haunts in Vegas on the way back was fun, too!
I do love visiting places when they are not busy. Martha's Vineyard last year was an adventure. You can imagine what it is like on a hot summer day, but appreciate the peace and beauty of the area that first made it so appealing.
One big trip of a lifetime was checked off our list this last summer when we flew to England and then on to Ireland. Such a varied and fun holiday. Picadilly Circus, the Tower of London, Dublin Castle (church brought to you by Bailey's ;-), Dungarvin, and the Gold Coast. Kilkenny was a gem. So beautiful and so much fun!
The last seventeen years have flown by and have been made better because you have been a part of my life! <3Happy 14th Anniversary to my love!<3 Our adventure has just begun :-)

Hotly Cold and Coolly Hot

2010-02-19T12:45:00.006-05:00

After all our employees had done to step up after the firing of the Ex-Psycho-employee we decided to take everyone on our annual ski trip after all. We came across a great deal to stay up in Bartlett and got free ski passes along with our stay. The only trick was that we had to stay two nights. So we did one night with our employees, then Art and I invited up our friends to stay the second night. Art got to "Ski FREE" on his birthday at wildcat the second day so it was a great bargain! The best part was that I had a shopping buddy! In past years I would do puzzles, read, watch movies, and shop the outlets to entertain myself while the guys were skiing. This year it was quite nice to have a friend along. We shopped a little, stopped for lunch and a beverage, then shopped a little more! Their kids loved the pool at the resort, too. I enjoyed the sauna. The condo had two bedrooms, a loft with four beds, a living room dining room, and kitchen. Very roomy! So sad they pulled the wood stove out of there... probably a lawsuit killed that one year's ago. One of our employee's brought his acoustic guitar and some song sheets. We sang acoustic karaoke or more group singing as we knew the words. It was good to get away from work and just hang out with the guys.
After one day at home I headed South for my next adventure. Surprising my Mom for her 60th birthday. Note that she and Art (and nephew Jack) have the same birthday. Since we were up skiing I did not even call her on her actual birthday. They were celebrating her's and Jack's birthday before heading back to Mexico for the winter so I thought she would be distracted. I also didn't want to blow my surprise! So I flew into Mazatlan one half hour before she arrived. So when she got off the plane I was the first person she saw! She was shocked, she cried, then started wagging her finger in my face saying how mad she was that I didn't even call for her birthday! Too funny!
To add to the fun my Aunt and Uncle moved down to Mazatlan a couple of years ago.This was the first time I was down there while they were because they had only been partially retired and not spent most of the winter down there before. My cousin her husband and daughter were also there visiting. It was wonderful catching up with everyone! We went to the Tequila factory, boogie boarded at the beach, and took a great sail around on the Patricia Belle, a local schooner.
We also had a birthday/Valentine's party. Art stayed home and held down the fort. I do wish he would have come with but it was nice to know that the animals were fine and the house was being watched during the coldest month!

It was nice to see all of my parents neighbors down there. Sandra was so helpful when my parents moved down there, and she is an incredible cook!
She made Chile rellenos con camarones for me. Heavenly! I also get a kick out of how most of us understand Spanish enough to know what the other is saying and they understand enough English to know what we are saying but we don't speak using that much Spanish and they don't speak using that much English. Must be hilarious to listen too! Travel season has begun well!

Brookline is moving along well. The wiring has all been replaced on the "shop" side of the building. They have the office/break room and bathroom walls up and should be ready to sheetrock this coming week.
One of our guys (goes by the name of 'Not Me') opened a virus on our computer at the store. This is a repeated offense and why I keep the important software on the other computers there! However, since we are running an old version of XP there is no chance we can find another machine to match... So I spent an hour and a half on an online chat at Apple, then Art and I spent the afternoon down at the Apple store yesterday. It is going to cost less to get an Apple server, and three new Apple computers (using our monitors) than it would be to update the three PC's we use now. Our guys also hate our Point Of Sale system. It is still full of bugs and glitches even though it is five years and even more versions into it. We were faced with upgrading that POS again (aptly named) with the hopes that it would run better at the steep tag of $899 per machine. Mac has a similar program- NEW- for only $399 a machine! What a difference! It has been suggested that it won't be the crappy work around the problems and bugs kind of software and I find that pretty easy to believe.

Home Alone Blues

2010-01-17T11:49:00.005-05:00

"I'm all alooone, there's nobody here beside me..." I dropped hubby off at the airport last Thursday. I had so much on my plate with end of the year taxes for the biz, end of the year reports for the town, a new payroll system, software updates, etc. etc. etc. that I was looking forward to having time to get it all done!!
Right after I dropped him off I headed to the town where I spent five hours before I packed up and headed home to my office to work more. I was able to finish the main report by 7:00 that night! I was so excited.
The next morning as I was having some morning Dunkies I started to get a taste of the downside of one adult in the house. There was a dog next to me squeaking away, a bird in the other room squawking for food/love, and three cats staring at me... boring holes into me is more like it.
So I patted everyone, fed everyone and then locked myself away in the office for the morning. Later that I day I also received my late xmas present. An HP Mini Netbook. Add that setup to the list and off my afternoon runs... I got our final reconcile done and some reports pulled for end of year taxes. I finished the job I started days ago of filling the bulk bin for the boiler, and take out all the trash around the house and basement. I also made up a floor plan layout for the new shop. I was pretty excited about that... although I think a move in date of June 1 is going to be a BIG challenge! After the pressure tank failed (or froze) and flooded the shop side of the property we started cleaning it out and filling the dumpster.
In just two days we have it mostly cleared out. One more day to take the walls down then Wil will come in to run electrical. Then we start dry-walling.

I am so excited that we are moving though. To finally be in one location instead of wondering (or having to go see) if something is at the other building, not to mention less rent, utilities, gas, time... I digress.

I spent the evening knitting a scarf that I have had on my roster since last year. I also pulled out a pattern for a beginner's sweater that came in my new knitting magazine. This year I finished a hat and scarf for myself, a hat with ear flaps for hubby, and another hat for me. I started working on a sock project with my SIL, but am stuck at the heal. So that will have to wait until we can catch up with each other again. I got some great yarn when we were in Ireland this past summer for a sweater for Art. While he would love for me to jump right in and knit a sweater for him, I thought I should start with an easy sweater for me so I can work the bugs out and figure out what I am doing with local (coupon purchased) yarn from Michael's before I use the fancy Irish wool yarn.

Today is day three. Thalia kitten woke me up at five am. She stands on the headboard (on the other side of the bed of course) and scratches at the wall. Whatever. I spend fifteen minutes shooing her away, but in that time she wakes the dog. Fast forward the fifteen minutes and now two cats are tearing around the room chasing each other, and the dog is breathing on me and squeaking. My Blizzie was also awakened so she crawled out of the blanket nest she had made herself next to me and now just sits above me on the headboard with a disapproving look. So I get up, throw the dog out on his chain, feed the monsters (and my Blizz), then start coffee. I cleaned up a bit, started some laundry, cleaned the cat boxes, vacuumed upstairs, fed birds and chickens, and tidied papers. In about an hour I plan to head down the hill where I will go to Target to get some cutting boards since the old ones look like they were put in a blender, get more yarn for my sweater with my Michael's 40% off coupon, and head to the shop.
Since we fired the loser thief last month MJ has taken over service. I get to try to help decode the loser's system and figure out what he did/didn't do/needs to be redone. Then I get to do a long awaited (but will be hated anyway) software update. The database runs SO much faster and cleaner, but you lose all sales data from the past. Pick your battle. They want clean and fast so they are going to lose some...
It has been a ridiculously warm and dry January. The sun has been shining which has been lovely but the snow is sad. I think we had one maybe two storms that resulted in all of three inches of snow. At this point the ground is exposed on roads and paths. Of course, there is a storm coming in tonight and tomorrow that will dump 6-12 inches on us (which I would normally love!) just in time for me to have to drive to the airport to pick hubby up. Going to take it slow. I will make a stop in Milford to transfer some $$$ for the town, then stop in Bedford for gas, then depending on how I do I will try to make a run for the airport. Stressed out about it already!
It will be nice to have hubby home again. I am glad to have all this work behind me, and now we can really ramp up activity at the new shop, and plan for some upcoming trips! :-)

Trip Within

2010-01-02T11:01:00.005-05:00

2009 was a busy year. We traveled near and far going to Utah, Nevada, Vermont, New York, London, Dublin, and planned our final trip of the year in Colorado.
After two years of staying in New England for Christmas my Mom was glad that we were taking the trek to Colorado for the holiday. We are the only Aunt and Uncle to my brother's kids.

They are having a difficult time this year as their parents are going through a divorce right, and it isn't a cordial or clean one... We had a great time catching up with everyone and enjoyed spending extra time with my brother.
My maternal Grandmother who had been sick for a while, and in a nursing home since summer passed away just a few days before Christmas. So my Mom and I took a trip to Wisconsin in the middle of our trip to Colorado for her funeral. It was a little surreal. I hadn't been to Wisconsin since my paternal Grandfather's funeral four years ago. But my grandparents from both sides must have talked about it because everything was the same. Same chapel, same staff, same cemetery... even the place we all went to afterward was the same restaurant. I felt like I was mourning my Grandfather again while mourning my Grandmother. My Grandpa was doing well. He seems to be in pretty solid shape for his age, and mentally intact. He was glad that his wife was no longer in pain. It was good to catch up with my cousins while there. I have reconnected with them on facebook but there is something nice about visiting in person.

Our pellet boiler has been amazing for us. Hubby went around and addressed a few issues with our ancient distribution system and now the whole house is humming off of pellet fired hot water :-) I still turn the stove in the living room on now and then but it is nice to have the quiet heat all around. We even put our radiant floor on a programmable thermostat so it is always just right in there.
Our pet sitters were here to help as always! We could not travel the way we do without them. Everyone here loves them, and we are so greatful! They thought the little chicken eggs were a delight ;-)

Our chicken crew seem to be settling in. After the mink came in and dropped our population to three we picked up four bantams from a family nearby that didn't have a coop or indoor area for them... we got them the day before it snowed. All were relieved. We got two cochin bantams, and two frizzle bantams. A picture doesn't do our Little Miss Sunshine (frizzle) justice. She is so adorable! A little puff ball with backward feathers. Lou Lou La Roo is the leader of the pack. He is too secure to bother me but he keeps everyone else in line and love. But not in an Elliot I shall destroy you kind of way. Cuddles is just what her name suggests. Sweet and cuddly. Her buddy Sexy Frank is like a miniature fog horn leg horn. He is not much bigger than a cornish hen but has Elliot sized attitude. Little-man-itis reigns supreme. The three remaining older girls seem content with the new brood. Dorrie hasn't laid an egg after her core group got taken out in late September and as a New Year's gift she laid an egg for me yesterday! A good sign.
Winter has arrived in New Hampshire. We had a little early snow and a couple of little storms but not more than a few inches of snow on the ground. The day we came home it started snowing with little flurries, and has been slowly building over the couple of days. After four days we should have a fresh foot or two of snow on the ground. Polar is out on his deck accumulating and loving it. Hubby will probably head down to plow the new warehouse later. I think I will save shoveling until it is all done.

Retrospect

2009-12-10T12:43:00.006-05:00

This summer I was introduced to facebook. This has been a wonderful connection to old friends, and to family that live far away... unfortunately, it has sucked every spare moment of time I used to devote to this blog, my online memory of times gone by.
I so enjoy going back to see where I was at a year or two ago for the same month. See what was going on, what was important, and what challenges we faced. Looking at last year during this time we were in a very difficult situation. The ice storm was in full swing. We were in the middle of a nearly two week power outage, had trees, and wires down all around, generators were a hot commodity and we worked day and night to make sure everyone had a warm meal a warm place to sleep, and if possible helped make sure their pipes didn't freeze.
This year we have a good foot of snow on the ground from a couple of storms, but it was a very warm November and December is quite pleasant so far. We had a successful year with the fire department. Only one house fire and the house was not a total loss. They have rebuilt the portion lost and are back to life as normal. After the ice storm it all seemed to be downhill.
My job at the town has intensified over the last year. Our selectmen have been "giving back" by using town fund reserve to keep taxes low. Unfortunately, they have "given" so much that now we are facing cash flow issues and I am called to the floor (along with others) to try to stop the bleed and keep us from having to borrow money. It is all very political and I am trying to make my point without choosing sides and trying not to get involved in the petty he said she said debates. I have a wonderful new deputy. The old deputy was fifty years older than I was and was having health issues, at 88 I'd say she's doing well, but still... She stepped down in June and I asked a long standing member of the community to help me out. She has been wonderful!
The shop is the usual roller coaster ride. Never a dull moment. We finally stopped paying rent for our warehouse and were able to buy property. We are using it as warehouse space and may move the store there eventually. We learned a lot buying commercial property. There was so much more involved between getting planning board approvals, town permits, site surveys, etc. etc. We moved in at the end of August after renovating and paving more of the parking lot. Our business flow is quit the opposite of last year when we were on allocation and could not get anything fast enough. This year people are mad that things were so slow last year, and prices were so high. Oil came down a little bit and pellets stayed the same which didn't really make sense to anyone. People are very sensitive to that sort of thing. Plus it has been really pretty warm this year. Our guys are doing great though and we have not had to let anyone go (knock on wood) so I guess we are doing ok still.
It has still been a learning year with the chickens, bless their little souls. We had dog issues, fox issues, rooster issues, and more fox issues. Alas, we have two original girls still- Abbie and Dorrie, one Rhode Island Red from the last batch- Rhonda, and four new beaks. Two Cochin Bantums- Frank and Cuddles, as well as Two Banty Frizzles Little Miss Sunshine (Sunny), and Lou Lou Roo.
Arts sweetest Zoicite passed away after a a tough year. She was a doll and we miss her every day! She was one of a kind, and it will be a long cold winter without her on our laps!
We do have two spunky new kitties in the house though. They are sisters, and they have energy! They are still working it out with my Blizzadora but they are getting better. Thalia is super smart and I think she has an inner snuggle-bug that will come out when she gets a little older. This smarty can turn on faucets, open doors, and is a great big tattle tail! Calista is Art's cat. She is the original smelly cat. We took away the forever feeder because she would just pack food into her tummy so she felt rock hard, and tooted her way through the day. Now they eat twice a day and the fatties have left the building!
We traveled an incredible amount (again) this year. I think Art is going to be at 70 nights away from home and me just a few days behind. We do have a few trips for the coming year but I think we are both a little burned out and plan to stay closer to home. We got a new tractor (yes a Deere) so we are getting excited about getting the yard and fields in order. Damon had a rough year growing because of all the rain and how cold it stayed through the summer, but we are excited for next year. We have ha Art's cousin's daughter coming a few weekends this fall and she was a huge help in clearing and maintaining the raspberry patch. We also hope to plan a few more fruit trees along the stream behind the pond. We also have a lot of work ahead of us at the new property getting it cleaned out and updated.
We are getting near the home stretch with home projects. We re-did our upstairs bathroom this year, and did a few more windows. Just a slider, a few more windows, and a screened porch and the house will be ready to start over with painting and maintenance! We do hope to tear the cottage down this year and put up another garage with a workout room loft. We can then bring the Porsche home and put the Bobcat in there as well as get my exercise bike out of the middle of the living room! The other exercise stuff we don't really use since it is in the cottage which had a huge tree limb fall through the roof last winter leaving it damp and cold in there...
Family has been up and down as well this year. Art's Mom started walking a big again so that has been wonderful! Not sure she will ever totally give up the wheelchair but she can get to and from the car, bathroom, etc. which is huge! Art's Dad had a scare with a blood vessel popping in his eye. He seems to have leveled out but still has blood pressure issues... They did buy a house down in Tucson so they are excited about that. My Grandmother went into a nursing home this year and is currently not doing very well. I am sometimes sad that I didn't know my extended family very well but I know my cousins and Aunts and Uncles are taking good care of both her and my Grandfather.

Fluffernutter

2009-10-08T11:54:00.002-05:00

It's National Fluffernutter Day! Fluff is a truly New England original! Like maple cotton candy, boiled dinner, and Dunkin Donuts! In the thirteen years we have lived here I have learned that Fluff is amazing stuff! It is a fluffy , gooey, sugary delight and today it is celebrated as a sandwich. White bread (a must), peanut butter, and fluff. Sweet lunchable goodness! Wheat bread is a no-no. Plus it just doesn't taste right without white bread! If you are in it for nutrition and watching your calories, go eat some carrot sticks instead. Somerville, Mass is the birthplace of this culinary wonder but it was soon sold to the Fluff confectioner in Lynn, Mass. (Lynn Lynn the city of sin, you never come out the way you went in...)
For this and other yummy Fluff concoctions visit their web site!
http://www.marshmallowfluff.com/pages/recipe_favorites.html

Feline Fine

2009-10-03T11:41:00.004-05:00

How can you tell that I have been home for a while? Our family grows! LOL! We added nine new beaks last week, and this week we have two new members of our little family.
Now that Blizzie is (mostly) out of her kitten/scratchy phase we started talking about replacing the faded and scratched couches in the living room. I would really like a sectional. It would help define that part of the room and separate it from the back part. So we went around to the different furniture stores and found what we both agreed upon.
Meanwhile at home we are adjusting to life without Zoi. Blizz has never quite warmed up to snuggling with Art. She'll play with him, but if he tries to pat her nice she just bites or runs away... After having such a good buddy snuggler in Zo I was pretty sure he was going to want another cat. I gave him some time to think about it, because you cannot get a new couch if you are going to get a kitten. Not practial at all. If you are going to get a kitten now is the time since we are home and not traveling every other week.
So, he agreed to go look at some kitties. All the shelters are full and there were a lot of kitties to choose from. Our first stop had a pretty gray boy with thumbs that was pretty sweet, and I liked the white and tabby kitten. A few rooms later as soon as we walked in a little gray tabby walked up to Art, wrapped in and out of his legs then started purring. He stood up to look around and she stood on her back legs (front legs on Art's shins) to get his attention. Just like Zoi used to do. He melted immediately. He continued looking but never took his hand off this little tabby. I was enamored with a long black haired cat with thumbs. She was sweet.
It was the first place we went to so he wanted to keep looking. We left and worked out way out to the Seacoast stopping at shelters along the way. Some of those places are so weird. The ASPCA has got to be run by some hippie liberal freaks. Those nutters wouldn't even let us open a cage to pat a kitten to see if we would like him without filling out the entire adoption application and giving them a copy of our license. Needless to say we left. Way to try to find those kittens a home!
After all of our looking he still had the tabby in his mind. Someone was patting her as we left so he was worried that she might get adopted. I tried to call the shelter to see if we could put a "hold" on the kitten but not so. We did download and fill out the app but had to go back at noon on Friday to see if we could get her.
We were there promptly at noon. Probably a little earlier actually ;) They were delayed in opening, of course! When the doors opened he shot right back to the room where she was. I could hear the relief in his voice when he announced that she was still there. Someone else came in the room (and he wasn't going to let her go again!) so I went out to get the ball rolling. Lisa came to help us. When we got back to the room Art was playing with a cute little gray kitten. She was so sweet. The little tabby had a bit of an edge on her today. Didn't want to be held as much and was a little hissy. But Lisa found her paperwork and told us what they knew about her. She was surrendered because the family had a kid. She came in with ear mites and while almost a year old was not fixed. She was also surrendered with her sister. A sister that the previous owner requested she not be separated from. The gray kitten is nuzzling with me at this point. Art is checking out a black cat he sparred (playfully) with yesterday. Black Thumbs is gone. Adopted. Good for her! Back to the sister. Lisa went off to find out who that was and the search began. Oh, wait a minute. Here she is. Right in front of us. A little gray kitten!
Kismet. I said immediately that you can't separate them! Art just kind of nodded his head.
So now we have two adorable snuggly new kitties.
The tabby is Calista, and the gray one is Thalia. Tally and Cally. They are temporarily set up upstairs in the TV room. We are introducing them to Blizz slowly. Zoi was such a snot to her so we aren't sure how she will be. Hopefully much better. So far so good! Polar is oblivious. He doesn't care. He just hopes they will play with him too!

Favorite Things- Holly Housemaid Edition

2009-10-03T11:01:00.005-05:00

The house we live in is a whole lot of house for me to try to keep up with. Between the animals fur, the hubby (who does a lot to help- outside and with dishes) and birds who love to see how far they can throw anything and everything. Not to mention two kitchens, three bathrooms, over sixty stairs, five bedrooms, etc. etc... Vacuuming is a full day all by itself. I grew up with a very clean house. My Mom was so diligent about cleaning. I did not inherit her polished home drive, but clutter and grubblies in my toes do aggravate. There are a few key cleaning tools I have grown dependent upon to help me get it done, quick!

This little gem does not necessarily clean, but it does help certain areas seem fresh even when they otherwise would not be. Like near our shoes, or by the cat box. The little motion sensor is wonderful!

This powder is such a help with the Swamp Dog smell that we have all summer, and the cold wet dog smell all winter. It keeps him dry, cleans and absorbs the goo, and because it's menthol he won't lick it all off :)

This is a brandy new toy but I have had the idea in my mind since I went to a baby shower this summer and saw the girl get two diaper genie canisters. You put the stinky diaper in swirl the lid and the smell (and poo) is sealed in the plastic container until you take it out. Wow is that nice for a cat box. Especially now that we have three little sets of kitty piddy's running around.

The Magic Eraser. What can I say. It's Magic! Not sure how or why but it will get just about any crud off of any surface. Toothpaste goo soaked into wood, slime in shower, glass buildup, appliances... Wow!
My vacuum cleaner. Hubby got it for me for my birthday four or five years ago. Not sure how I ever owned furry animals before this vac. I average four to seven times emptying the canister when I vacuum the house. It is awesome that it rolls everywhere easily, is light, has a wand to get the cob webs and bird feathers, and can be dumped and back into service in less than a minute! I turn off the brushes to do the hardwood and tile floors. Sucks almost as good as day one. LOVE IT!

My muck boots. They don't "clean" per-say but they do help keep a lot of gunk out of the house. Tromping back and forth to the greenhouse is a dirty path. They easily slip on and off though so life is good.
Simple Green. I tripped on this by accident. It was on clearance at Big Lots for something like a buck and I needed a quick cleaner. I am amazed at how clean this gets my butcher block countertop, and wood floor. It is a miracle bird poo and fruit goo remover on the floor and walls, and gets sticky beverage leftovers off of the countertop. It gives a nice shine to stainless sinks, and appliances too. Only the lemon seems to really work great and give a polished finish look, but I don't know what I would do without!

Last but not least. My Swiffer. Hubby is a mop man through and through. Once or twice a year he will haul out the bucket, the Murphy's oil soap, and the big ugly old mop then proceed to swab the decks. Good for him! Me? Not something I have time or desire to do every week or two! No Siree! I dilute Murphy's oil soap with water, or Lemon Simple Green, spray it on the floor and Swiffer my way to a clean smell, and dog slobber free shine! No need for the Spray Swiffer. Much easier to spray my own cleaner depending on the floor and the goo...

First Crisp Fall Day!

2009-09-30T13:10:00.000-05:00

Pets are not your lunch! but they do give us breakfast.

2009-09-30T11:50:00.008-05:00

Seriously, what does one have to do to explain to the furry ones in our home that the birds are cohabitants of this household not a snack! The dog was let off the leash while we were painting the other day... no big deal. He's eleven for crying out loud. He takes fifteen minute to get up for dinner! HA! We turned our back to do some ladder work and {poof} he was gone. Just a few minutes later he comes trotting up to his porch with my beloved Bobbie in his mouth! Terror! Hubby puts the dog in the basement and I run out to check the rest of the girls. He also got our new baby Roo Killer. Sad day. The next day we found a pile of little white and blue feathers in the living room. Bunny was no longer in her cage... Blizziemonster was the only one in the house while we were gone! Geesh! Welcome to Slaughterhouse number five!
I moved the couch so that Beaker was further out of reach and took down the bird bath that left a crack big enough for a bird to get out (or a paw to get in). Outside in the greenhouse I sured up the outer door, and fixed the latch on the inner door. Polar will always be chained up or leashed outside. Period.
Not to be deterred we went to a chicken swap on Sunday. I got a couple of black silkie chicks and 3 Canadian Chantecler chicks. We were then out of bucks so we headed out. We barely made it out of the parking lot when we decided to hunt for an atm. We found one and headed back to the swap to see if anyone else had shown up.
We looked around, not really anything new, but they did have a beautiful white silkie Roo. Nah, The day after Killer was sacrificed my sweet Isabel Silkie crowed for me. Alas, she was re-christened by Art and now her-mmmm- I mean his name is Igor...)
We were about to leave the swap when I noticed a new van with a couple of boxes. I went over and out peeked a cute little red headed beak, then another. We asked what he had and he said he wasn't sure, but we could take the box for twelve bucks. Someone else came up and the guy said, "not to worry" he had another box with three of them in the back of his van for him. So we took the mystery box of chickens home. I was guessing there were five girls inside.
We got home and sprung the girls packed into the box. Four New Hampshire Reds. They look like they are about five or six months old. He wasn't sure who was laying yet or not, but he said they were close or laying...
I put the babies in with Igor in the back coop and let the bigger girls in with our other four. Dorrie (former low girl on the totem pole) went to town on them. Man, chickens are Mean! Mean! Mean! The four stuck together and held their ground though. At four days in Abbie has switched 'teams' and hangs out with the reds now. The others are still prone to the occasional snit fit but the reds don't seem to mind. They are the most social birds we have had yet :-)
They flock around me and love to be held and fed! Abbie always did too so I guess she blends ;)
I thought for sure I would not be able to tell them apart but they actually look very different and have varied personalities.
Olga is the lightest one, Pennie has a little white on her tail, and a white and red alternating pattern on her neck, Queenie is the lighter of the dark reds, and Rhonda is the reddest.
The next day I went out in the morning and had two eggs from the older girls and a new darker colored egg! Yippee! Then when I went out later that day I found a whopping four more eggs! Two from old girls, two from new! Then when I went out to close up the coop for the night I found another from the Reds! Eight eggs! Happy Happy Joy Joy!The little Silkies had to fight for every scrap of food they ever got I have a feeling. They were sopping wet when we got them (rained the day of the swap and their owner had them in an open pickup bed...) When I set them in the coop they ran for the feeder and ate and ate and ate and ate! They still camp out by it and I have to make sure that others get a turn to eat! I think they are easing up a little now that they have gorged themselves for several days!One of my (twin) neices asked me to name a chicken after her when I got to her letter in the alphabet (we are going in alphabetical order to better keep track?!). Problem is I can't remember which neice asked! LOL! Anyway, I named the older 'new' silkie Lexie, and the smaller one Mollie.The Chanteclers are a beautiful and very hardy bird. They are for both meat and laying but we will be using them strictly as layers. One is two months old, and two are one month. Suzy (the older one) has elected herself adoptive Momma of the two little ones- Tori, and Natalie. They are shy birds and have set up camp behind the box we brought them home in.
Little Igor is the king of that roost! He is so proud :-) He has lost two BFF's in his short life but he is only stronger for it! I think he and Suzy may work it out and be good buddies, too.
Now we have one big happy coop with Abbie, Corrie, Dorrie, Frannie, Lexi, Mollie, Natalie, Olga, Pennie, Queenie, Rhonda, Suzie, and Tori!

Out my Window

2009-09-30T11:49:00.001-05:00

Atlas Shrugged was not a 'How To' manual...

2009-09-13T14:40:00.005-05:00

New meaning to the "Elephant in the room!"
It may not be perfect but it is the best out there!

How to get a banana socialism vs. capitalism.
Socialism - Capitalism
Be careful what you wish for!
Atlas Shrugged was a cautionary tale.

China Condemns U.S. Tariffs on Tires as 'Protectionism' - Political News - FOXNews.com

2009-09-12T07:18:00.001-05:00

China Condemns U.S. Tariffs on Tires as 'Protectionism' - Political News - FOXNews.com

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FREE

2009-08-30T08:34:00.002-05:00

Kiplinger's released a top 30 list of Free items and services in 2009.
You can click here for the full article http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/2009/08/freelist_2009.html but I will transfer a few here so that I can remember them!

4. FREE SOFTWARE
For most of your computing needs, you can get free software. For word processing and spreadsheets, go to OpenOffice.org. For antivirus protection, head to http://free.avg.com. For free basic photo editing, check out http://picasa.google.com, or for more advanced touch-ups, try Gimp.org. And to manage your finances, use the free programs at Mint.com or Wesabe.com.

7. FREE TV AND MOVIES
Head online to watch free episodes from hundreds of TV shows -- old and current -- as well as free movies. And it's perfectly legal. At OVGuide.com you'll find a list of TV and movie sites including Hulu.com, Veoh.com and Fancast.com, as well as individual network Web sites, such as ABC.com and CBS.com.

18. FREE DIGITAL STORAGE SPACE
With free online backup storage, you can protect your important files and photos from computer crashes, theft or natural disaster.

For instance, Spideroak.com and Myotherdrive.com each give you 2 gigabytes of free and secure digital storage space. You can also store your cherished photos and videos at sites such as Photobucket.com and Flickr.com. You can also store your pics at photo-print ordering sites such as Snapfish.com, Shutterfly.com or Walmart.com, as long as your account is active.

21. FREE TOUR GUIDES
To get a real feel for a city when you're traveling, team up with a local. The Global Greeter Network organizes volunteers in several cities worldwide to show you around, give you the inside scoop and answer your questions. Tours can last a couple hours or longer, the service is free, and there's a strict no-tipping policy.

Cities include New York, Houston, Chicago, Paris, Buenos Aires, Melbourne, Toronto and more. (See the full list.)

22. FREE CULTURE
You can visit many museums, galleries and other attractions nationwide for free, on special discount days or during certain hours. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, for example, offers free admission every Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Some top-notch attractions are free every day of the year, such as Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, the Baltimore Museum of Art, St. Louis Science Center and the Getty Center in Los Angeles. And many college campuses host free concerts and student art exhibits.

26. FREE PLACE TO STAY
Traveling? Consider trading spaces. Hospitality exchange Web sites are growing in popularity. You can network to trade homes with someone who wants to visit your town, or even take turns hosting each other.

28. FREE MUSIC
For a free way to get your groove on, try Pandora.com. Type in a favorite song or artist and this online music-streaming service will play similar tunes it thinks you'll like. It's a fun way to discover new music. You will have to listen to the occasional ad –- but they're super-short and infrequent. Pandora gives you 40 free hours of listening per month.

Slacker.com is another good (and free) music-streaming site. You'll also have to listen to a brief ad here or there, but there's no time limit on your free listening.

29. FREE DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE
Save a buck or two and dial 1-800-GOOG-411 next time you need directory assistance. Google's free phone service will connect you with the business you're looking for, and there are no ads to listen to. However, it doesn't offer residential listings yet.

You could also dial 1-800-FREE-411 for business and residential directory assistance, but you may have to listen to a short ad.

A Chicks' Life

2009-08-28T11:44:00.005-05:00

I got my first set of baby chicks last year. Eight little beaks with seven chickens and one Roo. I got my first egg on my birthday last year. All through the cold winter the girls gave me four to six eggs a day. I spoiled them feeding them warm oatmeal with apples, and a special mash made with cracked corn and whole oats. My philosophy was (and is) I feed them well, they feed me well.
By spring Elliot Roo was quite a handful and by summer I was at my wits end. He was so big and could be so aggressive. He would attack our poor gardener every time he bent down to pick a weed or plant a seed. He would strip the poor girl's backs he was so fiesty. He would lunge at me randomly and I did not turn my back for a moment! Although if you caught him he would happily snuggle down to be patted, and he loved it when you hand-fed him anything!
I made a fence outside for the girls so they could free range on bugs, grass, and weeds. Elliot got to me (and the girls) one too many times so I put him outside the fence for a couple of days to give us all a break. I would let him back in at night when he was calmer. After the third day he had had enough. He left. The next day I went looking for him. I could hear him but did not find him. The day after I looked again and thought I saw him at a neighbors. I had to go to an appointment but vowed to come back with Art later to get him since he was still hanging around. I really thought he would eventually just come back to the coop... The next day he was gone. I assume that someone took him. He was a big beautiful Roo for those who can handle him in all his glory!
We lost our first chicken to illness. Poor Ginny got sick inexplicably and died while we were out of town. We lost her sister Hallie to a fox. This prompted us to put a gun out in the greenhouse in case he came back. I also hung a predator "eye" outside. The fox has not returned.
We got our baby silkies by a fluke. I went to Tractor Supply to get chick feed and they were having a chicken swap. I bought two beautiful blue/black silkies that were about a month old. They were so snuggly and adorable. But so shy. They clung to each other and even when I brought them out to munch on grass they would never be more than six inches from each other.
Two of my birds went broody this summer. Ironically, they did it just after Elliot left. Not sure if they were trying to replace him or what but both Dorrie and Abbie were out of commission for a month! Corrie was hoarding eggs but would not always sit on them and once they were taken she would forget about them for a week or so. Still, she was brooding off and on for about two months. All told I think we 'lost' two dozen eggs to brooding behavior. Maybe next year we'll have some baby chicks in the coop.
The other day I was absolutely horrified when I went outside and saw that my dog had gotten one of the baby silkies. HORRIFIED! I think the dog is getting nuts in his old age. He killed a squirrel the other day and brought it into the house, too. He has never ever ever done anything like that before! Scary. So the dog is on restriction. I won't let him off his run outside, all guests are warned to give him space, and he can't be inside alone with Blizzie. I was bit by a dog when I was small and I have zero tolerance in that department. I love Polar but it would be unforgivable if he bit a person! I cried and cried. Between losing Zoi and losing Jezzie all within a week I was a mess.
We did get a new little feathered friend. We adopted a little Cochin Bantam born in June. He was a little sweetheart. He has made friends with Isabel who has been very sad and lost without her sis Jesabel. He does have spunk. Jumps right in there and tries to make a place for himself. Of course, he runs right behind me when they peck at him. Too funny! Izzie and he are in the little coop away from the big girls who are pretty aggressive toward them. Hopefully, when the Roo grows up a bit it will be a smooth transition.His name? Well, I told Art a long time ago that he could name the next Roo. We are going alphabetically and the next letter was K so he could pick any K name he wanted. Yeah, he picked 'Killer.' It sounds more like Killah since he says it with a Boston accent but all the same... I call him 'Baby K' because Baby "Killer" is way inappropriate.
I hope we are done with loss and on to happier times in the hen house!

Family

2009-08-28T08:37:00.000-05:00

Where all the time and $$$ goes!

2009-08-28T08:17:00.001-05:00

Zoicite

2009-08-28T08:15:00.002-05:00

One Pot

2009-07-24T10:21:00.005-05:00

When you are feeling a little sluggish, or are in a hurry, or just don't want to spend any more time cleaning up than you have to it is nice to have a go to meal that you can cook and serve in one pot! Here are some of our favorite one pot wonders.

Noodles and tomatoes
Ingredients
* 2 cups prepared pasta (I prefer egg noodles or elbows)
* 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (you can use whole tomatoes as well and just moosh them up)
* 2-3 tablespoons butter
* salt
* pepper

Directions
1. Prepare the pasta according to package directions and drain well.
2. While the pasta is draining, melt the butter in the pasta pot.
3. Add the pasta back to the pot, mix well.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, mix well and serve.

NEW ENGLAND BOILED DINNER
1 corned beef brisket about 2-3 lbs.
1 lg. cabbage
6 to 8 carrots
6 to 8 potatoes
boiling onions
3-4 Parsnips
Dash of salt and pepper

1. Put corned beef in large pot. Fill with water 1/2 way to cover beef and boil for one to three hours depending on size of brisket.
2. Slice cabbage into quarters and put also in pot and boil for 35 minutes.
3. Add carrots and potatoes and cook for another 35 minutes on medium flame.
4. You can also add boiling onions or parsnips if you like at the last step.

Shannon's red Chili
4-5 slices bacon
1 pound ground beef
2 hot sausages (removed from casing)
1 medium onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 jalapeno
1 package sliced mushrooms
1 large canned diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 garlic clove
1 tbps. butter
2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in boiling water
1 tbps. chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp cilantro
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
hot sauce to taste

Directions.
1. Brown onions and garlic in butter over medium/medium high heat.
2. Add bacon and cook until crisp.
3. Add ground beef and sausage and brown
4. dice and add mushrooms.
5. dice and add red, green, and jalapeno peppers.
6. Add diced tomatoes and lower heat to medium.
7. Add chicken stock and tomato paste.
8. Spice to taste and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes over medium heat.
9. Serve with sour cream/ jalapenos/ cheese on top.

Chicken Soup

4 cups chicken stock
1 can chicken or 1 chicken breast, 1 full leg of chicken, or equivalent.
2 stalks celery
1/2 cup broccoli stalk
2 carrots
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup peas
evoo
turmeric
salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Soften garlic and onion in butter pot over medium heat.
2. Add chicken stock to pot and increase temp to medium high.
3. Add diced cooked or canned chicken, diced broccoli and celery. Cook for twenty minutes.
4. Add carrots and spices. Cook for five more minutes.
5. Add peas. If cook for three minutes then serve.
I am not a noodle girl but you could certainly add in the second step if you like...

Brownie Cookies
For the undecided crowd!
Brownie batter
Cookie dough
Pam Cooking Spray or butter
Pan
Directions:
1. Add brownie batter to coated cooking pan.
2. Drop cookie dough drops into brownie batter.
3. Bake per brownie directions adding five minutes or so if needed.
Enjoy!

Summer

2009-07-17T10:50:00.010-05:00

Summer 2009 is flying by at a never before seen pace! I can't believe July is already half gone.It seems like just yesterday we headed down to Newport with the family for a great Barbecue cookout, and Margarita tasting session! We love it that Art's sis is a QC and Development person for a juice company and we get to "help" taste sometimes ;) I made some Dulce de Pina Tamales that we tasted on our trip to Mexico in May. It was great fun and we had a blast with the family as always :-)
We had yet another commercial property deal fall through in May also. But one of the others we had originally looked at (and bid) on went into receivership so we made an offer to the foreclosing bank. After much back and forth it was accepted and we once again started down the hell-path that is purchasing commercial property.Buying a house is so much easier! No lawyers, no environmental surveys, site plan and planning board approval, town approval, water protection district surveys, septic design and approvals, meetings with town planner, fire department chief, building inspector, abutters, the inspections, the dickering back and forth, the paperwork (and the lawyers...) In June we did a final series of planning board meetings and got approval for our site plan review. So after the thirty day waiting period is up we get to finally close on our new location Monday.
In June we also took a quick trip down to New York City to see our wonderful resident niece/tour guide and to go to the Fancy Food Show. We spent one day running around Central Park, and doing a bit of a pub crawl going to the oldest, and one renowned bar that didn't allow women until the 1970's. The next day we spent snacking and tasting our way through the Javits Center at the Fancy Food Show with Art's sister.
We started with coffee sampling and pastries although it wasn't too long before Art found a Tequila booth... The Mexican coffee next door hit the spot for me :-)> Loved all the chocolate with a special love for cold hot chocolate. I can't remember tasting so many yummy chocolates! Other standouts included Margarita in a bag (just add booze and freeze). It was like a big capri sun bag with a twist cap on it. I got a theme flavored lip balm at the Baconnaise booth. Everything's better with bacon! Sparkling teas were everywhere, and in the Far East section they had a jellied aloe drink that was surprisingly tasty. I had the best proscuitto I have ever had and breads, cheeses... There were a lot of rose flavored or hibiscus flavored drinks and wines. Not really for me... kind of like munching on flowers from the garden. Hot sauces, puddings, mousses, coffee, wine, juices... The hint mint people had a new flavor to introduce but no samples. Weird. The jelly belly booth had a Harry Potter's selection of weird flavors like pencil shavings, and skunk flavored beans. I didn't try those.
We topped it off by meeting up with everyone at Rockefeller Center for drinks, then off to Grand Central to home.
It rained every day with a sparse four partially dry days in June. Our pellet stove popped on July 1 it was so cold and damp. So we thought we may as well try to plan a "sunny" vaca, holiday if you will, in Ireland. We had two weeks to wait through the appeals period to close on the land and the store is quiet. It is July after all... So off we went. I patched on a couple of days in London so we flew in there before heading off to Ireland.

London was great. We did the typical tourist double decker red bus tour in the morning. We stopped at the Tower of London for a tour in the afternoon. We were staying just a couple of blocks from the Gloucester tube station, Kensington Palace, and Hyde Park. We ate fish and chips, had a Ploughman's Sharer, and lots of pints. The tube is an awesome way to get around London although we did take the notorious black cab to our hotel the first night. Wicked expensive, but quite an experience. We took the tube or walked the rest of our time there. The second day we walked through Hyde Park and over to Buckingham Palace. I had dreamed of seeing the changing of the guard since I was a little girl. I was shocked at how large the palace was, and how many people were gathering. I almost wondered if the Queen would make an appearance there were so many there. Not this time, but the changing of the guard was wonderful. Like having a parade every day! It was a bit cheezy when they played Yesterday and the theme to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. It was great. Then we headed over to the National Museum. Despite it's many bins requesting pounds for donation every ten steps it is a Free museum. It was like walking through my Art History class in college. Dream come true. Unbelievable really. The museum even housed my all time favorite painting by Jan Van Eyck, the Arnolfini Portrait. Often called Arnolfini's Wedding although it isn't truly a wedding picture, but a portrait of Arnolfini and his wife. Then off to Harrod's for a wild and frantic experience. Man that place is huge and packed, and huge! We had a great last dinner at a local pub before hopping the tube back to Heathrow.

We arrived late in Dublin and caught the last bus into town. We taxied from there to our hotel by Dublin Castle. We decided to hit it in the morning. We saw St. Patrick's Cathedral first then headed off to Dublin Castle for a tour. Tiny compared to the Tower of London, but still spectacular. We were surprised to learn that it is still used as a government center and has never been out of commission. We even got to go down into the belly and see an old Viking wall from the year 900 or so... Then off to walk, shop, and pub crawl.
The next day we walked by the Guinness plant which hubby loves but I do not, so we bypassed the 20 Euro per person tour and headed off to Jameson. We both like Jameson and the tour was much more affordable at only seven Euro a person. We did a Jameson sampling while waiting. I liked the plain old Jameson the best, and hubby liked the special 12 year old blend the best. During the tour I was also selected to partake in a tasting panel. After the tour we tasted a Scotch (Johnny Walker), a Bourbon (Jack), and Whisky- Jameson, of course. I truly did like the Jameson best. I gave the Scotch to Art. I do not like that 'I just licked a fireplace floor' aftertaste. Then we got free samples and tottered off for a great Italian dinner.
The next day it was raining and it was also the day to pick up our rental car or as they say hire a car. We got a little Hyundai foru banger with standard shift. We zipped out of Dublin heading for Waterford driving on the left hand side of the road, hubby flicking the windshield wipers on each time he meant to signal and having a grand time! We didn't mind that it was raining but we did get off our scheduled path an had a great detour through the countryside. Going 80 km/hr on the wrong side of the road on tiny little lanes that are frequently edged by ten feet tall shubberies that have been cut back making them look like walls was quite an experience. We did decide that Green was indeed the best way to describe Ireland if you had only one word.
Waterford on a Sunday was a bust. Everything was closed. We stopped by the tourist information then headed down to bump along the Copper Coast. Beautiful drive with green pastures, sheep, cliffs, castles, and quaint little towns.
The next day we went to the Waterford Crystal plant before heading out of dodge. We headed up to Graigeunamanagh and the Cushendale Woollen Mills. I thought it would be easy to find woollen yarns and sweaters but it was shockingly difficult. It seems that they mostly import their yarn from England now, and knitting has gone by the wayside. We did pick up many skeins of yarn for what will someday be a sweater for Art, a woollen blanket, some gloves, and a sweater for me.
The prices in Ireland were an eye opener. Our cabbie in Lonon warned us that it was extremely expensive there. A pint in England being on average 4 pound, and in Ireland often twice that. It didn't take long to find that to be true. Still not sure why??
We continued on to Kilkenny. I think this was my favorite Irish destination this trip. We were a block from Kilkenny castle and right downtown. We toured the castle and walked the grounds a couple of times. They have even renovated parts of it, and still retain some of the Ormonde family art which was displayed in a spectacular hall.
We walked, shopped, an pub crawled some more. I could sit for hours an watch the ducks swim against the current and play on the Noor River that runs through town.
At some point Art wrenched his knee so we spent the second night here sipping Jameson and playing Cribbage in the room.
We headed back to Dublin for the last night. There was a convention or gathering of priests and nuns at the hotel we were staying at. I got the biggest kick when a priest and another guy walked into the bar. The guy ordered a 7 Up and the priest asked for Jameson on the rocks.
We headed back the next morning. British Midland Airways has taken the title of world's worst airline from ATA and that was no small feat. They were awful from start to finish, and the snark was unbelievable! Luckily, we were on Virgin from Heathrow back to Boston. They were amazing. They helped me check in and went to Art since he was sitting down for his knee issue. The inflight entertainment made the seven hour flight pass very quickly. The wine and lunch helped a bit too.
I am happy to be home now. I opted out of the trip to Ponte Vedra Florida next week which we were supposed to go to the Pellet Fuels Institute annual meeting. Our partner and maybe Art will go instead. Then we just have one more trip in front of us before we hunker down for stove season.
I will put pictures up and stop by your blogs soon! Hope your summer is going well :-)

Fire!

2009-06-11T07:34:00.004-05:00

Between the cold wet grass, the gray skies, the fired up dog, the smoke, and of course the flames from the massive pile of sticks and limbs Blizzie decided to stay in her basket today.
Hubby has been on fire in the yard this year! He and the bobcat have two piles of ice storm debris like this, and a third yet to be compiled.
This one is clearly viewed from the house so I was delighted when I peeked out the window and saw it ablaze!
Fire is fascinating. I love my pellet stove, and the pellet fire is cool to watch, but wood fire is mesmerizing. The pops, hisses, snakes, and sizzles just add to the effect!
Hubby is the firemaster. I help move some of the smaller sticks but he just throws tree limbs about without a second thought of the heat!
Polar had a great time! He loves to hang out with us. He did wish we had hot dogs though... come to think of it so did I!
It was a perfect night for a bonfire. It was chilly and has been cold and rainy the past couple of days. Nice to hang out in the warm glow!
Impressed that hubby got it burned down by 11:00pm. About six hours- just right! The ice storm is fading into my memory.

National Donut Day!!

2009-06-05T07:58:00.002-05:00

I thought it was a Dunkie's holiday, but Krispy Kream (sp?) is doing it, too. Maybe even Winchel's, etc...

Longest Week!

2009-06-04T08:54:00.004-05:00

We lost our beloved Ginney this week. She was always low girl on the totem pole but she was also very sweet. She loved to be cuddled and enjoyed it when I would hand feed her or fend Elliot off. She was sick for a while and I knew that but it is still sad...
We have also been going through tough times with our now thirteen year old cat Zoi. This is the little one they told us to euthenize last fall because she would not live for more than a week or two. Well our stubborn little kitty showed them. But, she now is extremely incontinent and thus is outside or in a room lined with a tarp for her frequent mishaps. It is so frustrating when she piddles mere inches from her cat box. Her balance is a little wonky but otherwise she seems fine. She can run to the door or across the field just fine.
Then Tuesday came... After a long night with Zoi I discovered that Elliot Roo had run away. Very strange because even if he hops or is let out of the fence he stays very close to his girls and food bowl. Today he was gone. I walked all around the woods (through the poison ivy thank you very much!) to try to find him and I swore I could hear him when I called out to him, but I could not find him... Two days later I found that a neighbor had put him in their fence. So now I have the conundrum of whether I should let him stay there and let the girls live free of this tyrant or do I bring him back home?
We went through a stressful morning getting a "proper" commitment letter from the bank for our property purchase, then ran down to the store to try to finalize an advertising program with the local aaa baseball team, and then went through a six hour review with one of our guys. SIX hours! He is the second of six. This could be a long summer!
Then the bomb. Toward the end of the review Art's cell phone rang. It was his eldest sister. I told him to take it so he left the table for about twenty minutes. When he came back we wrapped up and dropped our guy off at the shop.
Art's Mom has been doing so much better this year, walking several feet at a time and feeling and looking better than she has in a long time. We were almost feeling comfortable. We weren't even thinking about Dad. My father in law had a vein burst in one eye and now he is blind in that eye. They also fear that the other eye will soon do the same. This is devastating. This man lives to carve and read. He is also very active and the primary caretaker in the house.
My Mil and I were talking last week because her driver's license is coming due. At her age she would have to take a driving test to keep it. She hasn't driven since going in a wheelchair and her eyesight is not that great anyway. So when I asked if she was going to renew she laughed at me and told me there was no way she could drive anymore.
The siblings all coordinated to see who could get them to their necessary doctor's appointments in the coming weeks. Art called to try to get them to Mass Eye and Ear for a second opinion. They stubbornly refused help or a ride down there insisting that Dad could still drive just fine with his one good eye. They also sprung on us that since Dad's other eye is in peril Mom is going to get hand controls and renew her license. What?!? This is where we are at...

Peek in Our Fridge

2009-05-31T14:04:00.006-05:00

I love it when I see the online articles and pictures of what's in who's fridge. We try to guess who the bachelor is, who's the professional chef... Here is a snap shot of our fridge pre-shopping. A little sad but at least our egg bin is full :-)
When we travel our fridge can be barren or when we are super busy it can be loaded with leftover containers! When we are home I do try to stock up with meats a couple of times a month, and I try to get fresh fruits and veggies once a week. It has been three weeks since I last went shopping and we traveled before that so it looks like we got a lot. I am hoping that we can make it at least another two weeks before I do a big shop again!
I did a coupon experiment this week. I made my shopping list like normal, then I spent about twenty minutes online looking to see if there were coupons for any of the items on my list. I was shocked at how many I found. So I printed the coupons from the various sites- http://www.coupons.com was the best I found. You didn't have to give up any info to get the coupons. I also grabbed the doubling coupons from Stop and Shop, and printed a coupon page from Shaws. I still looked to see if the off-brand was less expensive (it was for Sudafed and Dole salad) but otherwise I used the coupons. I spent $97 and $44 ($141) at two different stores. I saved $14.50 at one, and $9.65 with club card discounts at the other. That was a total of $24.15! Just for taking a few minutes to print some silly coupons! Will I do that again? Uuummmmm... Heck Yeah!
Growing up in Utah instilled a good sense of pantry in me. What does that mean, you ask? I stock up on dry and canned goods to last through an emergency and then some! I am not as much of a pack rat as I used to be but I do stock up if they have a sale, like this week they had their canned tomatoes 10 for $10 so I got them because I know I will use them eventually so I might as well save when the saving is good!
We are lucky to have a separate bar/game room in our house. So we keep all the beverages in there, well the cold ones anyway ;-) I also use it to stash any zip-seal fruit from our garden that I couldn't cram into our regular freezer.
Hope you enjoyed the tour through my pantry! All this talk of food is making me hungry! and thirsty!! I'm going to go get a snack :-)>

Spring

2009-05-23T11:05:00.006-05:00

Spring has arrived in New England with of it's glory! The seeds are being planted, the flowers are beginning to grow, the black flies are out in force, and new baby chicks abound! Today we ran around doing last minute errands with hubby driving right past Blue Seal which was on my list. So we went to Tractor Supply instead. Happy day! There is a farmer's market set up with all sorts of plants, new ducklings, bunnies, and chicks galore! I have had my eye on getting silkies since I got my chicks! Of course, there were many silkies at TS today! Hubby groaned when I reminded him that I did ask to go to Blue Seal and HE is the one that drove right past and decided to go to TS! We came home with two adorable new silkie beaks :) Wanting to continue our alphabet scheme of naming that left us with I and J. Inga- yikes, isla, ingrid... No. Then I thought we could break with tradition and name one Sam and one Carter (Stargate...) We settled on Isabel and Jesabel, with hubby reserving the right to call one Igor if it turns out to be a roo.
Miss Jesabel checking out her new digs.
Isabel has a set of lungs! Every time I left the coop she would hop up on her box and start peeping at the top of her lungs!
I just love fluffy hineys!
Too cute for words!
The other girls are loving the warmer weather!
Elliot is having a time out because he has been a very naughty bird lately. Pecking, attacking, bullying...
Seeds have been planted in the greenhouse and beans are beginning to sprout in the field.
We have a serious chive patch already!
We kept our tradition of starting off the summer with a drink at Poco's in Portsmouth sitting on the deck watching boats and jellyfish in the water.
Blizzy has slimmed down to twelve pounds because she runs around all day now. She loves to play with chipmunks. She missed the memo that she is supposed to eat them but loves to chase them!
Other flowers around the yard.
We even have these little daffies hanging on!
Happy Spring 2009!

2009-05-07T12:36:00.001-05:00

Vacation alone...

2009-05-07T11:10:00.003-05:00

We just got back to a green and wet New Hampshire that has several cases of swine flu. We were in sunny Mazatlan visiting my folks and having fun with Art's sister and her hubby. Note: Sinoloa has NO cases of swine flu. NONE. ZERO!
The big Swine Flu scare in Mexico City happened the day we were leaving. We are not prone to panic and didn't think anything of it. Besides, my folks are in Sinoloa not Mexico City. This is drive of over 17 hours or almost 600 miles as the crow flies. That is like saying you won't go to Chicago because of a riot in New York. Silliness.
The American media has been screaming at the top of their lungs that we should NOT go to Mexico, and we should shun those who have gone there. As the first week of our trip wore on we found that there were fewer and fewer tourists. A little odd since they had several holidays including Labor Day, el dia de los ninos (National Children's Day), and Cinco de Mayo which isn't as big a deal (partywise) as in the US but rather a regional holiday to celebrate the Mexican's defeat of the French in Puebla. Mazatlan is a big tourist destination for Mexican Nationals, Canadian's, Europeans, Japanese, as well as from the US. Yet they were all slowly disappearing- or not coming...
It is really disappointing to see the effects the American media has had on Mexican tourism. First with the border gun scare. Which ironically is more of an American problem, not a Mexicans running wild with random guns problem as they suggest. Tourism in Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo (among many others) were hit very hard by this series of media warnings and scare tactics.
The flu scare seemed to be more of the same or perhaps worse. The Mexican government did an excellent job of stepping up cautions and controls. They mandated that all food servers wear masks- even in Sinoloa which to this date has had ZERO cases of swine flu. They canceled schools, stopped bus services, celebrations, and flights. They were very proactive in containing and helping to come up with a solution. Yet, when the Mexican health official determined that the flu was reduced in strain and not a threat any longer, the US stepped up their fear mongering scare tactics. It is hard to watch these individuals whose livelihood depends on tourism. Not just American tourism- tourism. Times are tough all over yet we deliberately take food off the tables of thousands of taxi drivers, hotel workers, food service, and entertainment workers because of fantastic coverage. Not fantastic as in wow- fantastic as in fantasy, overblown, ridiculous fear mongering. It really makes me angry!
We had a wonderful vacation and highly recommend Mazatlan, or any Mexico beach destination for a fun in the sun vacation. The exchange rate is also very favorable right now. VISIT Mexico :-)

Goldilocks

2009-04-13T17:49:00.004-05:00

Sorry I have been so lame about posting lately. We have had a very hectic schedule. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel now! We have an accepted P&S on a piece of commercial property finally! We will be able to use it for warehousing which is a good thing because we had put in our notice and are out of our existing warehouse at the end of this month. We have been moving (cramming) all of the warehouse items into every spare nook and cranny we have!
I felt like Goldilocks looking at properties lately. We looked at one that was just too big!

Then we looked at one that was way too small for our big trucks to get in and out of.

Just when we thought we found one that was just right we found out that the guy who owned it had been using it as an ATM for the last five years and had acquired seven liens on the property! No one loan was big enough to foreclose on him, but he was in arrears with all of them! Run away!!!

Then we found a great on our road that was too a great building but way too expensive! This guy thought it was still five years ago when the market was at the peak and banks would loan you anything!

Then another popped up that was for very short money. It was less than half the cost of our existing warehouse, but it also had half the space!

Then we re-visited on we looked at last summer. It is kind of a local landmark, is right on the main East/West road in our state, and on half of our guys way to shop.
It was just right! They accepted our offer to boot!

Of course, now I have the perfect excuse to do the ice cream stand I've always wanted to!

Hoppy Easter!

2009-04-11T09:12:00.003-05:00

The Easter Bunny has won! Spring is beginning to well... spring!Hope you and yours cozy up for a great Easter together!
Dyeing eggs is a must! Even for hubby who hates eggs (?!?!)
Here is yet another great idea for eggs! Just kidding. They're cookies!
Yet another reason why Hubby won't let me get silkies! Although he offered up Blizzie as a test sample!
Just chillin with my peeps!
I would so adopt these guys!
I would love this room -for at least the weekend anyway!
No idea what it means?!? Even after a babel fish translation, but it was just too funny!
Happy Easter everyone!

What's in a Name?

2009-04-08T10:09:00.006-05:00

When we first opened our business over ten years ago we spent a great deal of time coming up with a name. It had to be catchy, memorable, and still let people know what we do. There is a shop right on the main highway through town called Kindred Spirits. I always thought it was a tack shop since we have so many horse places in town, or an antique/consignment shop. Turns out it was a country furniture place. Still don't see a connection. Here are a few very catchy, very clever biz names...
I bet people walk from miles around to get a taste of this!
Can't we all just get along!
A little dirty ;)
I would leave a light on here!
Vegetarian haven...
Everyone should have a good time!
I wonder if he does weekend work?
Wonder if they get paid a lot?
Life is like a box of roses...
Sounds like my kind of morning!
The wild west!
Saw this at the hearth show this year. Definitely a favorite!

Looking for Luv!

2009-04-04T09:37:00.005-05:00

Every critter in this house could use just a little more love. One more hug, more time getting patted, brushed, or messed with. But poor little Beaker is not a people person. He is terrified if you try to get him out of his cage. He doesn't freak out when I change his millet, but that took a long time. I felt bad that he didn't have anyone to snuggle or cuddle with. He has a deep and complicated relationship with his mirror but it is just not the same. So after looking around we decided to bring a new housemate, a girlfriend maybe, home for Beaks.

It has taken a while to settle on a name for her. She is young, and strong, and wrapped up in her own little world. So we decided to go back to the roots of Beaker's namesake for hers. The scientist and the assistant. The Doctor is Dr. Bunsen Honeydew so that would not work on it's own since she is a she. We proudly introduce Dr. Bunny Honeydew.

Muppet Show - Germ Enlarger

2009-04-04T09:33:00.001-05:00

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker

Travels

2009-03-24T14:13:00.004-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. It has been a crazy month! I will get around to see everyone asap! We have had a few trips, and the contractors didn't leave until yesterday after almost six weeks here! Our last trip was to Reno, Nevada for the Hearth Show Convention. I am not a big Reno fan so I thought if we flew into Sacramento (couple hour drive) we might stop in Napa for a day, or Tahoe, or something like that. We did get away for an afternoon hike up in the mountains above Reno but sadly that is all.
We did have fun with our peers, and I had a great time playing hockey at the Canadian groups reception. We have always tagged along with some Canadian manufacturers...

It was a much smaller show this year. What usually takes three days to do justice, we accomplished in one this year. The economy affects us all. Gas companies were most noticeably missing. Lennox wasn't there at all, along with Peterson and many other gas log folks. HHT's companies were all in one booth where they used to be in four different ones, and larger companies that used to have indoor booths as well as outdoor burn displays picked one or the other...
We did see the first European Boiler at a US show. The Froling Pellet Boiler is a leader in Germany. We had the privilege to meet Herr Froling in Austria at the World Pellet Conference several years back. Other than that not much new or exciting. A new zero clearance pellet insert.

We were treated to a wonderful dinner by our good friends and suppliers at Lauzon. They have excellent taste in restaurants (and company ;). We had a decadent steak dinner, with some of the best wine I think I had ever had, a table made Caesar salad, the guys had oysters, and truffles topped it off.

I need a long hot bath!

2009-03-24T12:07:00.007-05:00

Here we go again. In our relentless pursuit to drag this old house into the 21st century we decided to tackle the upstairs bathroom. This was actually the first room we "re-did" when we first moved in but it was a quickie job and so many things have changed since then. So time to re-do our re-do. We actually used the bathroom and the walk in closet for the new bath. A new closet was made for the bedroom.

Yeah, the bathroom's up there. Our contractors wasted no time letting me know the scope of the project by ripping the ceiling out of the sitting room below... and the walls had to come down too, of course.
In no time they had taken over both sides of the garage, the two bedrooms and laundry room adjacent the bath, the dining room and sitting room of course, and our bedroom :( All the bath stuff we needed went to the main bathroom, and bath stuff we didn't need ended up between the laundry room, and guest bath. All the furniture they evicted ended up in the great room and bar, and artwork was in the guest room. Luckily? this is our busy traveling time, but when we were home we had to sleep in the loft or the now-crowded guest room.
When the guys were tearing down the walls they did come across some goodies. They found my marbles!! I thought they were lost forever! HA! I crack myself up ;-) They also found two Benjamins. They were supposed to take a ski trip with it, but haven't found the time yet! Tick, tick, tick...
Since we were ripping out windows in the bathroom (great way to cram the new stuff in btw...) and the sitting room was torn to shreds anyway we decided to go ahead and finish replacing windows on the old side of the house... The Bobcat got it's workout lifting the tub, drywall, etc...
Blizzie supervised, of course!
Then the tile went down, and paint was chosen. Then when the paint dried purple I painted again!
Now we are missing one floor tile (see above) but the tub is delightful with southern sun pouring in all day :-)
Missing hinges for last cabinet door then done! Note I have already started cramming the cabinets and drawers full anyway! The granite countertop has bright blue flecks in it that I adore!
The steamy thing as our trusty contractor calls it is the focal point. With an overhead shower, a steam generator, built in radio and massage jets it has been a lot of fun! Of course, Art was sicker than a dog when we put it in so it was me and two contractors huffing and grunting to put all those glass pieces together! A day and a half later it was worth it! Too fun!
But the coup de gras, the cherry on top, the pride and joy is our beloved stained glass window. Designed by my Dad P, and made by Mom and Dad K for us. It is in the hallway gathering light from the southern windows over the tub...

Ski weekend

2009-03-24T10:42:00.005-05:00

Each year for Christmas the K siblings have agreed to take a weekend trip somewhere instead of doing the whole gift thing...
This year the trip was to Mount Snow in Vermont. I do not ski (by adamant choice), but there are plenty of other things to do. We rented a great house that fit us all, and had a great time. Even A made it up from NYC. It was her birthday, too!
We went to Bennington On St. Patty's day, had beer, went to a stove shop open house where we got the great idea of cooking corned beef on the pellet grill (delish!!), and watched the local parade.

Blizz-Adorable to BLIZZARD-ora

2009-03-07T11:07:00.007-05:00

The day we brought our little puffball home she was so tiny!
She was good at cleaning her shiny coat although we still weren't sure if she would have short or long hair! Her tail seemed way too big for her little body!
She was very playful! She could make a toy out of anything, and wanted to be a part of whatever whoever was doing!
She grew so quickly! Before we knew it a year had passed! Then our little puffball turned into a bathmat! A nearly 15 pound bathmat! (yeah that's her... laying on her Malamute pal's woobie!!)
She still loves to play but you now have to be careful! She is a biter! Thank goodness she doesn't use her claws- on people! Couches are still a different matter-Gggrrrr....
She used to snuggly up with us while we did our morning computer business... now she kicks the computer off of my lap so that she can have snuggle time!
She is the biggest bundle of fluff and is a trouble-maker through and through but I just love my Blizzardora!

Here is a short vid of her playing with Art- such as it is :-)
... and no- It's not all fluff!

Perspective

2009-03-06T14:45:00.006-05:00

Obama has a 3.7 Trillion dollar budget proposed for next year. This will leave the deficit over 1 Trillion dollars. How much is that- really?
This is a visual example of what all of these bailouts and this spendulus will leave us owing...

Start with a hundred dollar bill. Most of us have seen a few of these in our time.

A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2" thick and contains $10,000. Imagine the fun you could have in Vegas with this little package!

This next image is of One Million Dollars (100 packets of $10,000). Not as impressive as I thought...

One Hundred Million dollars is a little more impressive and stacks nicely on a pallet.

Now we are up to One Billion Dollars. This is starting to look like something...

Now for a TRILLION...

This is that number we've been hearing about so much.
What is a trillion dollars?
Well, it's a million million.
It's a thousand billion.
It's a one followed by 12 zeros.

You ready for this?

It's pretty surprising.

Go ahead...

Scroll down...

Who turned the lights on?

2009-03-04T13:39:00.008-05:00

First I thought I would share a little video of my darling Elliot saying a friendly "Good Morning" in his own roostery way! He is afraid of the camera still so he doesn't attack on cue! LOL! I'm sure it won't last but it's working for now!!

I got my adorable baby chicks last June. I wasn't sure if they would lay any eggs until spring because they take from four to six months to start laying, but many stop for the winter.

On my birthday last year one of my nieces found the first egg laid :)

They have been laying two to four eggs a day. This is perfect! I have two eggs a few times a week for breakfast. Ody has an egg every few days, as does Polar... I have been leaving the light on all day and turn it off at night at about seven or seven thirty which many said would keep them laying. Others said it was having Elliot that encouraged them!

The holidays I made deviled eggs all the time! What a great appetizer to bring and share! Then winter set in and I started baking! I found a great quasi-quiche that had eggs and sweet vidalia onions, egg salad, hard boiled eggs, omelets...

Occasionally I would bring a dozen in for one of our guys, I would bring my Deputy Treasurer a dozen for helping when I was gone, or if we went to visit family I would bring some eggs.

Well, something happened this week!

Someone must have turned on the light switch! They jumped from two to four to SEVEN eggs a day- from seven girls!

Holy batman!

They are burying me fast now!
You are looking at four days of eggs minus the four I have used to make cookies the last couple of days!

I declared Thursday (when we have our store meetings) Bring an Egg Carton to Work Day! That way I can bring my basket of eggs and get rid of four or five dozen! (one guy is on holiday, and another out for sick kids...I'll get them later!)
I am going to have to come up with a long term plan!
I could start a candle-making company!
Or an Easter Egg Factory!!
Furniture??
At least I don't have to shop for eggs anymore!!

Pay it Forward

2009-03-01T08:56:00.003-05:00

Thanks Nikki from Blah, Blah, Blah, blog for paying it forward...

My turn. Singapore has a Kindness week and Pay it Forward Day on April 7. We are starting a little early!

A "Pay it forward" That takes the pressure off. You get a whole year to do whatever you want...buy or hand make. I love having plenty of time to plan and no stress getting in a hurry!!!

The first three people who want to respond , will get something made or bought by me. My choice. For you.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make or buy!
2- What I do will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on their blog. The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did ...win a FAB-U-LOUS gift by me! Who's in?

Not the first, second, or third person? That doesn't mean you can't pay it forward! Pay it forward :)

Heaven on Earth

2009-02-28T08:08:00.009-05:00

Sixteen years ago I went on a trip to Moab with my new boyfriend. I was smitten and I was also very nervous about the trip because I did not want to mess anything up! So we hopped in his red Jeep with his Malamute, Moose, in the back and headed off over the Rocky's to Moab.

Three years later we were married at a Guest Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. Of all our wedding plans the choice of where to get married took the longest. We settled on the Ranch because it was close to us and my parents, not in the mountains (we were getting married in February after all and we did not want to get snowed out!!), not too big, and it was beautiful!

We don't always do something for our anniversary but this year it seemed important. We had signed up for a conference in Las Vegas for late February. So we tacked on a couple of days and headed to Zion National Park.

It was named Zion because of how breathtakingly beautiful it is, kind of like heaven on earth. We drove up through AZ and into Utah then wound our way up into some of the most impressive mountains Ihave seen. Highway nine and through the mile long tunnel they carved into the rock mountain to our destination- the Zion Mountain Ranch.

We passed deer on the way and three other times on the trip, and they have Buffalo on the Ranch that wander around in the field in front of the cabins. We also passed wild turkeys but hubby was not impressed with them!
We checked into our cabin just before sunset.
There was a fresh blanket of snow which rarely happens, but it was around 45 F (almost summer to a New Englander!) so we sat on thr porch swing and took it all in!

The next day we hiked, and hiked, and hiked!

It was wonderful. We started with the easy but very rewarding Overlook Trail. Then we drove up the scenic road (which only allows shuttle buses in the summer) and hiked the Emerald Pools Trails, TheRiver Trail that goes up to the narrows, and the Weeping Rock Trail.

It is a very special time of year because the snow melt causes beautiful waterfalls, and pools of water collect in the beautiful dessert environment.
We were pleasantly surprised how many others were enjoying the park. Usually when we go places in the off-season you can hear crickets it is so empty and quiet!

We had a great lunch at Oscars in Springdale as recommended by one of the previous guests who had left their recommendation in a guest book left in the room. (I love that!) Then we watched the sunset again after having stopped for a little refreshment. It is Utah so choices are VERY limited. We got some beer. Turns out it was 3.2 (you think I would know this!). The sunset was nice though!

Before heading out the next day we went for a morning horseback ride. Art hadn't been on a horse since he was about five years old, and it didn't go well... Horse properties are a large part of our town and about 20% of our medical calls are horse related. So I was very pleased that he would go! We had a great time! The views were beautiful, Art's horse was very gentle, and the weather was perfect!

Prince and the Pea

2009-02-22T14:24:00.010-05:00

Ah, bedtime. One of my favorite parts of the day!
When I was little my Mom got me a canopy bed. I used to run up the hall, jump into the room, swing around the pole, and onto the bed so the alligators underneath couldn't eat me!
When I was in high school I got a waterbed. A big pillow kind. I LOVED that bed. The room was often cool, but my bed was always toasty warm!
Then I started sharing my bed!
While I can sleep almost anywhere...
and even though ou wouldn't know better by sleeping on his lumpy old futon...
I married the Prince (and the pea)!
So we began to look for a bed that fit just right.
The first one we got was as hard as a rock!
It was also a little too small!
We wanted something fun!
Well... maybe not that fun!
It had to be warm because our room was chilly!

Then, once we had two cats and a dog we were trapped!
The sand and grit are endless!
We might as well sleep outdoors!

We finally found the perfect fit!

Sweet Weekend

2009-02-15T18:02:00.000-05:00

NO STIMULUS

2009-02-11T10:45:00.005-05:00

http://fox.nostimulus.com/

I had a problem with the bank bailout last fall and the auto bailout but felt powerless to do anything about it. Now the Spendulus bailout is poised to sink us another 820 billion. This really ticks me off!!
Giving people money does not teach fiscal responsibility, it only prolongs their downward slide. If I ran my business poorly it stands to reason that I would lose money and be forced out of business. I would never expect a handout as a reward for my poor performance, nor would anyone offer me such a handout. Fox News has been very informative about the bailout, including copies of both the house and senate version. It is over 1500 pages so I cannot say I read it all, but you don't have to see much at all before you see how loaded it is. There is a petition link on their home page and I would like to encourage everyone to sign it and pass it on...
Thank you :-)
http://fox.nostimulus.com/

White Mountains

2009-02-08T18:47:00.004-05:00

We just got back from an all too short getaway up in the White Mountains of NH. We left our motley crew in the trusted hands of our pet sitters, loaded up our skis, snow shoes, cross country gear, ice skates, and lots of warm clothes and headed to North Conway. We took the Kancamangus Highway hoping to see a Moose (like we did a few summers ago). No moose but it was beautiful. We stayed at the Eastern Slope Inn (formerly home to EMS) which is right downtown.

We had a great visit. Art's favorite may have been cross country skiing around Dolly Copp. His family used to camp, hike, and fish up there just about every summer. He had never been there in the winter though!?! We did camp in nearby Barnes field one September, but never in the snow.
He had a great time showing me all the spots they used to hang out in. The skies were clear and although it was cold we had a great time. We even brought some snowball (cupcakes) with us from our breakfast in Gorham. That was Art's birthday treat.

Our course, his favorite may have been going to Wildcat on his birthday. It had gotten down to seventeen below zero the night before, and we were only expecting to get up to about ten (down in Conway), but hubby would Never turn down a FREE ski ticket. So he froze his eyelashes and enjoyed spectacular views of Mount Washington as he skied.

Oh, then there is one of my favorites. We rode the Snow Coach up to about 4200 feet.
It was amazing. We even ran into the snowcat coming down from the observatory with the once a week shift change. It was still crystal clear and you had full view of the Presidential Mtns. Very cool.

I spent his b-day shopping at the outlets. They had a new Bean up there, but I think I am spoiled by the ones in Nashua and Manchester. They have all the best stuff without the vacation destination price tags.

Another favorite was ice skating. There is a great town rink right in front of the train station in the center of town. There were people there day and night. So many people teaching their under five kids how to skate all the way up to teenagers waving around hockey sticks, to adults skating every which way. I mostly tried to eavesdrop on an overly excited parent who was teaching his (guessing...) 3 year old how to skate, stop, turn, etc. It was my third and fourth time skating, and I think I might be getting the hang of it. My arms were nowhere near as tired as last year ;)
We ate well the whole week. We started with Martini's, Calamari, and a great dinner at the local steak house. We enjoyed Horsefeather's renowned curried crab asparagus soup. We ended with a good German dinner and beer. Now I think we are eating celery and carrot sticks until the end of time...

Art had a great birthday. He loved his tent. We set it up in the condo to test it out. All was well on the home front. Even Elliott was a good boy while we were gone. The babysitters love all the fresh eggs too! Life is Good :)

Triple Crown

2009-02-05T16:36:00.004-05:00

Today is a very special day for three people in my life.
My Mother becomes a better friend and confidant each year. She is so vibrant, and full of life! I miss that we live so very far apart. This has always been a special day for us to celebrate her. I can still remember a rare time when my grandparents came to visit us, and it was for my Mom's birthday. At the time she was actively decorating cakes. I remember feeling very impressed, but a little sad that she had to decorate her own cake. It was beautiful, with yellow frosted roses all around it.

I started dating hubby over the holidays. One of our first 'solo' dates was in early February. He wanted to go to Denny's. We we're in college, and it was a common hang out so it did not seem anything out of the ordinary. Then when the check came he took out his license, gave it to the waitress, and said it was his birthday. (Denny's did free birthday meals at the time -maybe they still do??- and I did not know at the time, but my parsimonious Yankee hubby will never pass up a freebie!

This was an adjustment for my Mother to have to share her birthday! She was too funny about it. She was a good sport, though. Art thought it was pretty cool.
Then it happened. With my brother's third child. My sil wasn't due for nearly a month, but on February 5th my charming little nephew J made his debut!
That is three birthday's on February fifth in a family of nine (at the time)!
It has been a celebration ever since!
So happy happy happy birthday to three people I love dearly!

Dictionary

2009-02-02T16:07:00.008-05:00

A New Englanders guide to winter terms.

Frost heave- No this is not when you are so sick of the frosty cold that you feel you might lose your lunch. These are the wonderful moguls that appear on any, and from my perspective all, paved roads in the winter. Water sneaks down a tiny little crack, builds up, freezes, and pushes the road up.

Pot holes- Often created when a plow truck goes barreling down a frost heave ridden road. Some are large enough to lose a small car in, but if you're lucky it will be filled with ice for most of the winter.

Plowable storm: It snows so much here that have created a minimum standard at which point we will plow. Usually over four inches. Art and I will not usually do anything unless it is over six. The snowblower doesn't come out unless it's over eight.

Squall- a short lived but wicked nasty storm that tears through dropping snow and blowing anything over that is not tied down.

Plow Mail Box: I have included a picture because I know many of you are skeptical. We have lost our mailbox at the shop three times this year (alone) to our friendly neighborhood plow trucks... Ggggrrrrr... We are making one of these in the spring.

Reduced Salt Area- No this is not a healthy alternative meal plan. In New England if you don't use salt to melt the snow off the roads you will very quickly not be able to find them. They use more elbow grease and less salt in areas with drinking water nearby, however. These roads are usually very slick and what may be a four lane road in summer may be a single lane by mid=February. The good news (or maybe it's bad news...) is that you get a new car every six years!

Nor'Easter- The mother of all storms. A wicked bad storm that usually starts in the early morning, snows and blows its way through the day and next night, etc. and so forth for up to three or four days. The storm hits the ocean then wraps back around dumping ungodly amounts of white stuff all at once. I have seen multiple inches per hour, and multiple feet in a storm.

Wicked bad- I am pretty sure this term started in relation to the weather, which is frequently just that.

Mud season- Even though we are done plowing, snowblowing, shoveling, scraping, slipping and sliding, we have run out of room to put all the snow and the wood pile is running low we appreciate every last day of cold because the next season to come is mud season. AKA- spring. When the rains come to melt all this snow that is what we have for April, May, and into June...

Sun silly- My favorite! This is what you get when that sun makes a rare, and long overdue appearance! Many New Englanders will run outside with their shorts on to celebrate...

25 Things About Me I Bet You Didn't Know

2009-01-31T09:55:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by Carla.

Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1. I have moved to eighteen different towns in 37 years. We moved a great deal when I was young, and Art and I moved around a quite a bit before we found home.

2. My Mother never wanted to let us have pets growing up. She is not a pet person. I am. Maybe that is why I have so many now!!

3. We once traded our two ferrets for two parrots. One of our early stove customers fostered parrots, but really wanted ferrets. After four years we were WAY over the ferrets, but I wanted a parrot. Ody still lives with us seven years later. Hilly went to live in CO but died of a brain tumor.

4. I am a picky eater. For example, every time I think of eating pickles I think of Dan telling me stories of someone he knew who cleaned pickle vats in Denver and about all the nasty stuff that would fall in. Ewww!

5. I am not a clean freak. My Mom was the type that would make your bed if you got up to pee in the morning… With three very fuzzy animals my carpets are more often white than the black they appear when I vacuum…

6. I have a savant ability to remember numbers. I am a hubby’s walking phone book and remember my credit card numbers. I can remember phone numbers from growing up, locker combos… A little freaky! I guess that is why I work in accounting!

7. My favorite job (other than my current one) was Radio Shack. I just loved that place! I had most of the part numbers memorized and could find the most obscure little diode anyone brought in. The pay was worse than pathetic, but I LOVED that job. It also taught me most of the structure we used to build our business!

8. I sleep flat on my stomach. Kind of like the dead man’s float. I cannot fall asleep otherwise.

9. I redecorate the house frequently. I think this is why I am such a good candidate for renovating a house. We walk into a house and start imagining tearing down walls, moving rooms. On a basic level I move furniture around and resituate constantly.

10. This is really hard! I am really pretty simple. I am not sure I can get to twenty-five!!

11. I don’t think I can live in a house without a stream anymore. I just love the sound on a summer night, and in winter it is so calming to go outside and that is all you hear…

12. I go to bed at ten. If I don’t go to bed at ten I might as well have. I gloss over and no amount of caffeine can keep me alert!

13. I find things like birthdays and anniversaries very important. Not the gifts, but celebrating and acknowledging them…

14. I got carded up until two years ago. It used to make me so mad! Now that I am not carded, I am a little put off…

15. I am a coffee addict. MY DD mug is rarely not in my hand!

16. My nemesis is laundry. I hate doing laundry!

17. I miss the sky. I love my trees, but a good sunset is really lacking!

18. Am I there yet?

19. I love that our town is so small it is kind of like high school. Everyone knows everyone else, and we all pitch in to make our community family work.

20. I have tinnitus that comes and goes in my right ear for a reason six doctors have not been able to pinpoint.

21. I had radial keratotomy done fifteen years ago. It held for ten years, although I didn’t get glasses again until two years ago.

22. I cherish my marriage. I know this is no secret but it is important to me. My life is fuller than I could have ever imagined. We complement each other well, and even when we worked twelve hour days together to get our biz up and running we loved being together. I feel very blessed.

23. I have a brown thumb. The few houseplants we have are cared for by Art.

24. I am a Stargate junkie. SG-1, Atlantis, the movies… We have a Stargate pinball machine, my favorite coffee mug, I have them all on DVD...

25. I am a New Englander. We moved here after we were married, but it felt like home. I love the seasons, the fact that we have mountains and the ocean. I also enjoy Art’s large family here.

Ski Widow

2009-01-26T08:32:00.006-05:00

This week I am feeling the full effects of being a ski widow.

Yay! for hubby to get out there in the subzero temps and get some exercise but boy do I miss him!
Good for Art.

He did ski patrol last Friday, today he is up at Canon with some friends, Wednesday and Thursday he will be up at Crotched.

All of this to warm up for his big "ski birthday" next week.

Although it will probably be a lot more cross country next week so I can go, too.
It has been an awesome year for skiing up here in New England. We have had consistent snow a couple of times a week down here, and I imagine even moreso as you go North. It has been a good winter. Not a lot of melting or warm ups, and even though we had a rocky start with a few ice storms we seem to be out of that and into the white fluffy powdery snow. I would prefer the sub-zero era to hurry up and end already, but at twenty it is really very pretty and I love being out there. Next week I am praying for a warm up (to at least the teens! if not the twenties) so we can get in a lot of skating, cross country, and snow shoeing. Art will do his FREE ski day at Wildcat, of course! I will surely spend that day shopping or at the spa :-)

I used to ski EVERY weekend when I was little. Well, probably not every weekend, but it sure felt like it! We lived in Utah and Colorado and I think my parents thought it was a pre-requisite for living there or something...
But, the whole slip down the hill on two long sticks with wind and snow in your face was never fun for me. Not to mention the falling! I did that very well! I would snow-plow from one side to the other all the way down the hill. I have learned through Art's patrolling that now kids just pretend they are sick or hurt something to get out of skiing! Why didn't I ever think of that?!?LOL! I think I'll stick to snow shoeing if you don't mind!

If the shoe fits...

2009-01-18T20:38:00.008-05:00

I joined some friends for the day since Art is off in sunny Arizona. They have a rope tow set up in their back yard with several runs cleared for skiing. They also have many trails carved for snowshoeing in winter, and hiking in the summer.
We had about eight inches of fresh fluffy snow last night so it was beautiful.
We spent a good part of the day hiking around, then headed inside for chili, venison stew, chicken soup and fresh baked bread.
It warmed up about twenty degrees over what it has been all week. Still amazing to me how warm the teens can feel after a cold snap.
A great day :-)

Done.

2009-01-16T12:35:00.004-05:00

I finally finished my second knitting project. I got the hat done in four days during the ice storm. Who knew that the scarf was going to take so long! But Art was skiing all day yesterday so I had time to finish it last night!!

I think it may look best on Lizzie. She thought her fur coat was more than enough!

BBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

2009-01-16T09:11:00.002-05:00

Hubby is off to Arizona with his sisters to surprise his Dad on his 80th birthday.
Am I jealous?
What do you think...