After what qualifies as a packed social calendar for me (Eric & Missy's on Christmas Eve, Pam's on Christmas night, Kivela Cousins @ Willimantic Brewing Co. on Friday, and Pat's on Saturday), some pics:
Decorated!
Finally found a home for the wine rack from April -- and first bottles of wine:
Out with the old, in with the new. Toaster Oven I think came from Allen Hill (c. 1988), no idea where the toaster came from. Both missing buttons!
20% off coupon at BB&B, half Xmas money, half my money got a new Breville:
On sale for $30 bucks off at Lowes, plus a $25 off $250 coupon (which I was at after picking up what I went into Lowes for), and half on a Xmas gift card and half my money got a new Shark vacuum.
The old vacuum came from the dump, was my first HEPA, the wand worked well but the beater brush would kick up dust. Not sure if I should be pleased or mortified when I did a quick test with the Shark over *part* of the living room and bedroom it picked up 3 pounds of dust and fur :eek:
Cabbage soup -- "soup bean" collection from Goya, Ham, Cabbage, my own onions.
It came out REALLY good! I was surprised!
Looks like next summer's vacation is re-roofing the garage:
Materials for a temporary patch on the roof rack:
Baked the steak for one hour at 140 degrees. It came out rare instead of medium rare. I think I will try 150 for 90 minutes next time -- it was close, but the interior meat wasn't quite broken down enough. Steaking from the Hunters.
Made veggies for the weak -- mashed taters and Abington Grown beets and carrots.
Countering the nattering nabobs of negativism and the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Healthy Week continues....
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Fish & Veggies...
Monday, December 15, 2014
Dalmatian Christmas Cards
Finally getting over my cold...
Sunday, December 14, 2014
A December picture dump...
Well aren't I fini -- liked how this new shirt/old tie combination came out:
Eric helped me move the sofa from Heidi's apartment yesterday, Sunday I did a bit of re-arranging, but I know that treadmill will be a lethal toe-stubbing hazard with how tight the passage between the love seat and it is. Dad's camping trunk will make a nice coffee table.
The deer were annoyed I interrupted their supper...
In the words of a fried, "Shabby Chic." Fashion sense enough to know I need a poinsettia, but I leave the Skil X-bench folded up next to the sofa.
The better quality pipe insulation made into some toe guards:
Ok, so it was easier to buy a print on sale at Michaels than properly fix the hole it's hiding...
Porterhouse (on sale) grilled to perfection and my first woodstove baked potato of the season:
Eric helped me move the sofa from Heidi's apartment yesterday, Sunday I did a bit of re-arranging, but I know that treadmill will be a lethal toe-stubbing hazard with how tight the passage between the love seat and it is. Dad's camping trunk will make a nice coffee table.
The deer were annoyed I interrupted their supper...
In the words of a fried, "Shabby Chic." Fashion sense enough to know I need a poinsettia, but I leave the Skil X-bench folded up next to the sofa.
The better quality pipe insulation made into some toe guards:
Ok, so it was easier to buy a print on sale at Michaels than properly fix the hole it's hiding...
Porterhouse (on sale) grilled to perfection and my first woodstove baked potato of the season:
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Merry Christmas Cooper
You know that chair you like to climb into when you're visting and think I'm not here?
The one last April you decided, without warning, to jump into my lap and fatally injured in doing so?
After many months and several surgeries this morning it finally succumbed and ceased to be a reasonable facsimile of a chair.
I managed to find you a new one on Craigslist for $30 up in Woodstock...score! Checking the straps at the Pomfret Center post office.
New chair at home.
The funeral pyre of the old one.
The one last April you decided, without warning, to jump into my lap and fatally injured in doing so?
After many months and several surgeries this morning it finally succumbed and ceased to be a reasonable facsimile of a chair.
I managed to find you a new one on Craigslist for $30 up in Woodstock...score! Checking the straps at the Pomfret Center post office.
New chair at home.
The funeral pyre of the old one.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Gingerbread Dreams...
Greater Hartford Habitat for Humanity's Gingerbread House show (was a good excuse to turn my brain off for three hours and go for a drive on a rainy day -- hadn't taken a pleasure drive in a month or more!). First time I went to that early beachhead of New Urbanism, Blue Black Square:
Across the street was upscale Ikea -- a/k/a Crate & Barrel. But I like that and I bet I could make one!
Dear.God.Candy.Crack...
Across the street was upscale Ikea -- a/k/a Crate & Barrel. But I like that and I bet I could make one!
Dear.God.Candy.Crack...
QOD
It often feels like you have a broken heart, but it turns out to be a bruised ego. Luckily, that’s something you can deal with!
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Family Pics
From going through a bunch of old photos after Heidi's graveside service:
Arvid and a pony on Bermuda during the early years of WWII. Wish I knew the story of the pony. Uncle Ed seemed a bit bitter they weren't allowed horses or ponies on the family farm!
Dad
Uncle Bill
Dad, John, Ed, and Dick at Heidi's Wedding. Congratulations to Aunt Joy for being the only one able to make a Kivela boy wear a decent pair of socks...
A very young Uncle Bill.
The two on left are Impi (second) and Lempi (sp?), Impi's sister on the very left.
I **LOVE** Granny's expression and body posture in this, and the sunglasses probably help. She's a woman who had earned a high school degree when Finland was still part of Tsarist Russia (and hated that Russian officers took her paperwork away when inspectors boarded the ship she was emigrating on, though she just lost papers -- one of her friends was taken off the boat). Makes you understand why a popular reply from my grandfather to the kids' questions was, "Maybe yes, maybe no, maybe we go ask your mother."
Uncle Ed thinks the dog's name was Feller -- this is the dog that would "rescue" anyone swimming in the farm pond. My dad told of neighborhood kids coming up and asking, "Mister, would you put your dog in the bard so we can go swimming?" If he saw someone in the water, he'd swim out, take them by the arm, and wouldn't let go until they were both back on dry ground.
Arvid, Impi, and Lydia Wesa
Big & Little Ed having an extended (like 10 minute long) discussion over the pic in Ed's hand.
Uncle Bill again. This puzzled me for a moment until Ed explained he operated landing craft in the Navy. I remember late in his life Bill at some family party, and somehow the topic got on the military (or maybe it was the fire company after Franky had passed away?), and he got a bit of the thousand yard stare -- as he recalled how you never forget picking up the broken bodies of the dead when on burial detail. One of the few times I ever saw a WWII vet get emotional over their experiences in person.
He's sitting on the bumper of his rare '42 Ford, since not long into the model year all production was switched to the war.
And after the war in his Oldsmobile. I loved his blue and white pickup when I was little, guess he always had good taste in vehicles :) And where did all these great cars and trucks ever end up?!?! Why don't couldn't we have a family barn full of these treasurers...
The farm's GMC
The two youngest grandchildren of Impi & Arvid:
Impi, Niomi, Impi's sister Amelia from Finland, and probably Carol standing.
Arvid and a pony on Bermuda during the early years of WWII. Wish I knew the story of the pony. Uncle Ed seemed a bit bitter they weren't allowed horses or ponies on the family farm!
Dad
Uncle Bill
Dad, John, Ed, and Dick at Heidi's Wedding. Congratulations to Aunt Joy for being the only one able to make a Kivela boy wear a decent pair of socks...
A very young Uncle Bill.
The two on left are Impi (second) and Lempi (sp?), Impi's sister on the very left.
I **LOVE** Granny's expression and body posture in this, and the sunglasses probably help. She's a woman who had earned a high school degree when Finland was still part of Tsarist Russia (and hated that Russian officers took her paperwork away when inspectors boarded the ship she was emigrating on, though she just lost papers -- one of her friends was taken off the boat). Makes you understand why a popular reply from my grandfather to the kids' questions was, "Maybe yes, maybe no, maybe we go ask your mother."
Uncle Ed thinks the dog's name was Feller -- this is the dog that would "rescue" anyone swimming in the farm pond. My dad told of neighborhood kids coming up and asking, "Mister, would you put your dog in the bard so we can go swimming?" If he saw someone in the water, he'd swim out, take them by the arm, and wouldn't let go until they were both back on dry ground.
Arvid, Impi, and Lydia Wesa
Big & Little Ed having an extended (like 10 minute long) discussion over the pic in Ed's hand.
Uncle Bill again. This puzzled me for a moment until Ed explained he operated landing craft in the Navy. I remember late in his life Bill at some family party, and somehow the topic got on the military (or maybe it was the fire company after Franky had passed away?), and he got a bit of the thousand yard stare -- as he recalled how you never forget picking up the broken bodies of the dead when on burial detail. One of the few times I ever saw a WWII vet get emotional over their experiences in person.
He's sitting on the bumper of his rare '42 Ford, since not long into the model year all production was switched to the war.
And after the war in his Oldsmobile. I loved his blue and white pickup when I was little, guess he always had good taste in vehicles :) And where did all these great cars and trucks ever end up?!?! Why don't couldn't we have a family barn full of these treasurers...
The farm's GMC
The two youngest grandchildren of Impi & Arvid:
Impi, Niomi, Impi's sister Amelia from Finland, and probably Carol standing.
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