Sunday, December 28, 2014

Christmas Weekend...

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.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Healthy Week continues....

Polish Mexican Vermontarian Fusion --



Hot Kielbasa from Campbell's farm, peppers, my onions, pineapple and mango salsa, with a hard cider.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Fish & Veggies...

I'm just happy to be back to my "normal" diet (and finishing up cleaning out the freezer) after the cold caused me to comfort food binge...

Monday, December 15, 2014

Dalmatian Christmas Cards

Finally getting around to using the Christmas Cards the Dalmatian Club of America sell as a fundraiser...that I bought in 2006. They do a new series every year.

This one in particular I liked:


Finally getting over my cold...

I've had way too much comfort food, take-out, and canned soup over the last 3+ weeks while fighting a cold. Don't know if the veggies just weren't appealing, or I just didn't have the energy to prepare them (I know, cutting carrots is so exhausting...).

Anyway, finally getting back to my good diet:


Dalmatian safe sex...

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:

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.

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...

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!

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.