Snow, Winter, Flu Shots

Here it is, Saturday December 17 and Christmas is only 7 days away! And it's again snowing!  

We tend to plan our days after we take a look at the forecast. The bitter cold we had this past week has been a topic on both local and national news. Not only was it cold but the wind howled. B had noticed that we had a major draft around the the propane fireplace in the family room. Rather than go out a buy something to cover the opening, he used a combination of heavy bath rug and some boards to eliminate the draft. It really made a difference!

Because more snow was forecast for this weekend, we headed to Sam's yesterday afternoon for a battery to be sure the lesser used car would start when needed. And I had a few things on my list - bread, bananas and a Sam's chicken. Naturally we filled the cart with some other things. And while we were there we got our flu shots. We had anticipated getting them when we visited the doctor for our 6 month check up. But since our appointment was late in November they had run out. We opted to get the shots at Sam's. While I'm not a fan of shots, I'm really not a fan of the flu. We have had flu shots each fall and have had no bad reactions and also no bouts with the flu. 

And the forecast was correct. This morning snow was falling when I took Honey out for her early morning (5:30AM) walk. It's now 10 AM and the snow has turned to a kinda sleety mess. Temperatures should be in the 40s this afternoon and tomorrow. So glad we can stay home. The picture below was taken from my office window on the second floor that overlooks the driveway. It's nice being on the inside looking out!

We have these neat windshield covers that hook over the mirrors on each side. They really work! 

And as you can see, the road is covered. The township plow was by spreading cinders. If the temperatures don't rise this afternoon, B and I will do some snow blowing.

It's December!

After we got all that snow, it warmed up and all melted. Good! While it's nice to watch snow fall, and snow can look lovely, the reality of snow is something else!  Fortunately, as retirees, we don't have to venture out in the snow. So after it snowed we stayed home. And because of the wind and drifting snow, we did finally have to get the snow blower out and blow off the driveway. And then we enjoyed the rest of the snow melting. And we have been having mild (for November) days but cold nights. The other day we had a beautiful frost. I generally am the one to go out in the morning to get the paper that is delivered curbside. The frost on the shrubs was so lovely I went inside to get my camera. One of these pictures will be my new screen saver.

On the walkway to the side door (that's in the front)

This is such a pretty evergreen and tipped with frost it's really lovely!

~

Our Thanksgiving dining room table.

And now that it's December, all the pumpkins have been put away and Christmas and winter things are out. We have decided to not put up all the trees this year. We are limiting it to easy to assemble or already assembled trees. There are many holiday touches around the house but no big display. Easier to do but still festive. Are you ready for the holidays?

First Storm of the Season

The news has been talking about the storm this past week as it traveled across the states. The weather here was lovely with sun and mild temperatures - and it was hard to believe we would need to worry about SNOW. And Saturday I was watching TV in the Family Room with Honey in my lap. And around 9:45PM I took her out and when I turned on the outside lights I was shocked at the amount of snow on the ground! And the wind was howling. Out we went after bundling up in my knee high rubber boots, hooded coat and gloves. And the wind blew and waved back and forth with the trees creaking, ice stinging my face and Honey very skittish. And the snow continued all day Sunday and overnight. And except for quick walks for Honey, we stayed in the house. This morning we awoke to drifted snow and grey skies. The wind has died down but is still noticeable. And while the roads are clear because the township plowed starting Saturday night, our driveway is full of drifting snow with patched of wind swept driveway showing. Our afternoon job is to deal with the snow so we can get a car out of the driveway. I did take some pictures. 

The table on the deck shows the depth of the snow

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And branches were down in the back yard

And you can see the wind swept yard and more branches

And then I came up to my office with Honey to post.  And she kept me company. 

Our Fall Porch

I have been organizing things this past month - and part of that was uploading pictures to the computer. I love the side porch at the Park house. While it's on the "side" it faces the front and is next to the driveway. So, it's the door most visitors use. I had moved the small outside love seat to the porch in the summer and this Fall I decorated the area. And I loved it! So inviting! This past week I put the cushions away and took the hanging wondering jew basket inside. Winter was coming (and we got snow today!)

But I took pictures to remember how inviting the Fall Porch was. Comments for pictures are now below the picture.

The driveway is to the left and you step up one step to the porch. 

And this little green frog greets you. I've had the frog for quite some time. Last year I spray painted him green and highlighted the welcome words. If you poke him gently he bobs. So cute!

And clearly Fall is on it's way out with snow that started last night still falling. More on that later. 

Sunlight and Sprinklers

After a rather wet several days last week, it finally dried out and really cooled down. The trees are turning and the temperature overnight has been moving down. The last two nights we were in the 30s.... COLD!  Because of the rain we had turned off the sprinklers. The past few days have been sunny and cool but the ground was drying so we turned the in-ground sprinklers back on yesterday afternoon. They are set to water if it's an odd day so this morning they were doing their thing. Having moved sprinklers around in our South Jersey house, we really appreciate the convenience. As I've mentioned, Honey is not a fan of water! This morning she had her morning walks (yes she has several) by the time the sprinklers went off in the back. The back yard was really lovely with the sun bright and the water dancing in the sunlight. 

Summer Thoughts

It’s Sunday about 2 PM and I’m sitting on the deck at the Park house enjoying a lovely day. I’m “seasoning” the Masterbuilt Smoker that we bought last year but never used (we were at the Lake house most of the summer). After locating the directions - filed where I keep all our directions - I realized that before smoking it needed to be seasoned…. so the pork will be dinner tomorrow and I’ve defrosted a steak for tonight. Hope to eat outside and cook on the grill. Also will have pasta veggie salad and Copper Pennies. 

It was a busy morning as I worked around the house on a variety of things. Those chores you do daily - make bed, clean bathroom, empty dishwasher, plan the day’s meals if I wasn’t pro-active enough to do that the day before. Then today I continued to clean kitchen cabinets. The cabinets are a nice cherry wood and the ones by the stove are sticky from cooking. I did one side this past week first using soapy water and then Murphy’ Oil cleaner. Today I did the other side. I’m pleased with the results and did some other stuff in the kitchen so I’m feeling accomplished.

Some things I’ve been thinking about:

• I made Copper Pennies - a cold salad made from cooked carrots and a sauce that includes tomato soup. And I was reminded that my mom made this salad when I was a kid. And I had it again at a party we attended many years ago at the house of Sue P. And here I am…serving it to B and me. Strange how things go full circle.
• I often think of people when I pull a recipe to make. Cooking and friends go hand and hand. There is Nancy, a next door neighbor in S. Jersey, who gifted us with Magic Cookie Bars for Christmas - and I still make them and think good thoughts.
• Several good recipes came from Martha D. who was one of a group of friends we would get together with all over South Jersey. The group was comprised of faculty from B’s school. Martha made the most delicious sausage with peppers and mushrooms in a tomato sauce. I made that last week - yum! 
• Loretta S. made the BEST meat balls and gravy. While I follow the recipe the batch I made recently was not up to what I used to make. Don’t know if it’s our taste or the pork of today. A bit of both I think.
• My mother-in-law (Ma) was a great cook! She did a lot to encourage me to cook. I still make her pigs in a blanket and also her beet relish which is served with kalbasa.
• And then there is the serving plate that Dorothy, a neighbor several streets over when we were in Somerdale, gave me. It held some cookies and the plate that was one she had for a long time and wanted to give it to me. Now that was so sweet of her and I still use the plate and think of her though she passed a long time ago.
• I have my mom’s glasses and figurines and while I don’t use the glasses they are on display in my china cabinet. 
• When I retired, the kindergarten teacher, Phyllis, gave me a lovely bone china dish from her collection. Another teacher, Jerri, gave me some glass bottles that her husband found on their property.

Good memories….. and it reinforces the fact that what you give or share can touch someone’s life for a long time!

A Gloomy Sunday

It's been a busy week! Just doing little things around the house. I've been setting up a filing system in my office consolidating the files from both houses. While I do this I'm scanning files and uploading them to Evernote - a wonderful program I'm using to access things using computers or iPhone or iPad. I started using Evernote because I found that the file I wanted was always in the house I was NOT in! At first the major things was recipes. Something I use even though it's a recipe I've often made. I have both a recipe box and a rather full 3 ring notebook for all the recipes I've used and liked. Then there are the cook books I have (and I have a lot of cookbooks) where I mark the page up with notes. And naturally, some or all of what I wanted was not where I was! And then there are the zillion of pictures that I have and have been scanning and saving on the computer's hard drive. And, what if the computer dies....or a fire occurs.....or more likely, the computer is in one house and I'm at the other. So I searched for a filing system that would allow me to store files in the Cloud and access them on both PC and Mac computers as well as my iPhone and iPad. And Evernote fit the need. At first I used the "free" version to see if I liked it - yes I did! So I'm now paying for the middle level of membership which gives me more uploads a month. The fee structure just changed and the free version limits you to two devises and I have four. Need a recipe? no problem... Need to know the insurance policy number? no problem..... need to check to see when Honey's last vet visit was done? no problem. I just scan invoices and pages from books and magazines or clip pages from the web and save them to a folder and also provide key words. I find this most helpful to keep the recipes I run across and want to try... clipped from the web or emails from great blogs I follow, I save them in a file called "clipped and copied recipes" and then key word them for salad, beef, bread....and so forth. So I can search for grilling beef recipes while I'm watching TV and working on my iPad. 

And what did I do this week?

• Laundry - well that is a never ending task with several loads spread over the week
• General cleaning around the house we all do like vacuuming, bathrooms, dusting.......
• Working in what we refer to as the Oil Room which is a really nice large space in the lower level where we put in lots of plastic shelving and I store things. It's a pantry area, place for all the stuff we have accumulated over the years (in boxes or totes that are labeled), craft things, wreaths for the front door (it's amazing how much space they take) canning jars, Christmas stuff (lots of that with several trees and such)   Well, you get the idea. The area does look much better.
• I made a blueberry pie using Jersey blueberries I got from Shop Rite.
• Driving to go shopping or visiting family
• Binged on Netflix.... the past week it was the HBO series (3 seasons) The Newsroom a really, really good program that had a lot to say. If you have Netflix do check this out. I also am finishing up this past season of Blue Bloods with Tom Selleck. (it has been renewed for next season) I also watch Amazon Prime as we subscribe to Prime and have for over 5 years. 

And below, last Sunday's dinner - chicken on a beer can!

And a view of our back yard from the deck. 

We are using the deck a lot and really enjoy our view!

I'm Back!

Hi there! Back on line - let's just say June was a strange month.

One really nice thing about June is was we celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary! Yea, us!!!!  Below is a picture of me enjoying the fruit from a lovely bouquet of fruit - really yummy!

June also brings strawberries to NE PA and we were gifted with a nice large container of beautiful strawberries. Oh, what to make. Well, since I had gotten an ice cream maker for our anniversary I decided to use that... Here is what I did.

 First a bit of research. Sorbet is basically fruit and simple syrup. So first I made the simple syrup - equal amounts of sugar and water brought to a boil on the stove while diligently stirring. While that cooled, I started on the strawberries - first rinsing them and then stemming and cutting either in half or in quarters.

I then pureed them - 3 plus a bit made 3 cups of puree

After measuring out the 3 cups, I added to the puree 3 Tablespoons or 1 ½ oz squeezed lemon juice and 1 cup of the simple syrup that had cooled down while I was doing the berries. I then poured the mixture into the container.

Which was then "dropped" into the machine, covered and turned on.

This was really cool! The machine cooled the mixture and then it froze. The entire thing took about 50 minutes. The next day (I refrigerated the remaining berries on a large tray that I covered) I made a second batch that only took about 30 minutes - the berries and simple syrup were cold. 

The resulting sorbet was excellent!!!!  B and I really enjoyed it. Miss Honey was rather envious watching. 

Sorry, Honey, sorbet is for people! 

Rhododendron in Bloom

What a beautiful day today! The sun is out, the air is cool and crisp, many flowers are blooming and the grass was cut Thursday. We had rain over the weekend with heavy rain yesterday. This morning it was in the low 50s and is now in the low 70s. A strong breeze is ruffling the bushes and trees which are now green. Summer has arrived at the Park house and we are enjoying the day. I spent some time this morning weeding the flower bed by the driveway. All the rain has not only helped the plants but given the weeds a head start. I enjoy working in the garden and filled a bin with weed and clippings from the shrubs I cut back. Still a lot to do across the front of the house. 

When we bought the house two summers ago the front gardens needed some tender care but showed real potential. On one side of the house there are a number of rhododendron bushes that are now in full bloom. So lovely!

And in the back of the house, the shade of the trees provides a cool retreat. 

Binging on Netflix

Last week, after days of cool gloomy weather, Summer arrived bringing hot muggy days and hot muggy nights! A cold front came through yesterday and after some thunder storms really cooled things off. Today is bright and clear with temperatures in the low 70s around 10 AM. 

I have a confession to make - I binge on old TV programs and movies on Netflix. And because of the cool gloomy weather and lack of appealing programs on TV, over the past week or so I finished looking at all the episodes of Crossing Jordan, a show that was on TV for six seasons. I just love Netflix. I also looked at all the episodes of Boston Legal and Downton Abbey. To stream Netflix its only about $8, a bargain. I also have Prime on Amazon and get some programs included in the membership. I enjoy revisiting some programs but more often “find” and look at programs new to me. This past winter I watched season one of Madam Secretary and then enjoyed season two in “real time”. I prefer Netflix as I can look at the program when I want and don’t have to look at all the commercials.  Any suggestions on what I should watch next?

Car Problems??

Late last week we got in B's Lexus to go to the store and the car acted "funny". The engine sounded strange and the car moved rather jerky. An icon appeared on the dashboard. He pulled over immediately and we got out the huge booklet that tells you everything you ever wanted to know (and then come) about the car. The icon indicated trouble with the engine. He turned the car off, then on, and it appeared to be OK. We turned around and returned home rather than take any chances.  

This morning he called the dealer who said the car was under warranty and to call an 800 number for assistance. He did and within an hour, a flatbed truck came to the house, loaded up the car and took it to the dealer. Now that was service! The pictures tell the story

 Within 90 minutes a local company arrived with a flatbed truck

The garage guy drove the car onto the flatbed


The bed was then raised


And the car "tied" down several ways


As it pulled out of the driveway you can see it "tied" down using the wheels. 



Based on a phone call we got from the dealer shortly after the car arrived, nothing major was found. They will service the car as it's due for a normal maintenance and get back to us probably late this afternoon. We are thinking positive! 

At the Lake

Did you ever plan to do something at one time and then move the time to the preceding day? That's what we did early this week. We left for the Lake Monday late afternoon rather than Tuesday morning. And while I was ready, I left several things behind. So this morning I took a drive back to the Park to get not only some clothes but also food. We had some food in the freezer but the pickings were slim! So as well as getting the 4 pair of jeans I forgot, I also added chicken and beef from the freezer. I plan on shopping the freezer all summer and then will defrost and clean the freezer. And now I can't locate the card reader to transfer my pictures to the laptop. Hopefully I will locate it and will then post pictures. If not, I ordered a card reader from Amazon that will be delivered Tuesday! LOVE Amazon! Also like the idea that I won't have to bring my only one back and forth. 

Yesterday was lovely and warm. I worked outside on the deck getting three planters ready and then planting the herbs which I purchased two weeks ago. And today's rain will help. I also have been cleaning. After a long winter things are dusty and dirty. So after vacuuming I've been dusting and rearranging things. It's been a productive week!. B has been working on his list and just finished blowing off the patio. 

One of the things we both like is the selection of channels we have on Blue Ridge Cable. We have Direct TV at the other house and really don't like their choices. Here we have our favorite Philly channel. Each house has it's good points and not so good points. It makes the back and forth "interesting". 

Don't forget to sign up for emails - the small box in the upper right corner. Fill in your email and then you will get an email asking you to confirm your request. You then get an email notifying you of a new post and it also contains the post. Much easier than trying to remember to check and also remember the site. 

Get an Email When I Post

A gloomy Sunday with rain...and we are expecting more rain over the next few days. 

I realized, as I was working on the blog, that I could add a mini-program to the layout of the blog that would notify you when I post on the blog. Talk about a duh moment! So, I've added a widget in the upper right corner of the blog that allows you to request to be notified of a blog posting. You put in your email (I don't get any info about who signs up for this) and then you get an email that you respond to. Then, whenever I post on the blog, you will get an email  notifying you of the post. SO much easier than remembering to go to the blog to see if there is a new post. Still learning about the ins and outs of blogging. 

Hope you sign up!! Don't forget you can also comment at the end of the post.

And here is a typical picture of Miss Honey. She is coming from the dining room into the kitchen. The open doorway beyond her on the left leads to the laundry room. 

Pictures..... have I got pictures!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who had oodles of pictures! I spent some time several years ago going through the boxes and stacks of loose pictures. Pictures from my childhood, family photos going back to when my parents married, relatives (some not labeled so I have no clue who they are). Then there were the pictures that spanned our marriage including several trips we took. (The trips were mostly post cards.) And while there are a lot of pictures, they are limited to the times someone had a camera or wanted to memorialize an event. The pictures (family and ours) span over 60 years. Around 2000 we moved to some digital pictures and the cameras expanded to better quality and memory cards dropped in price and we had home computers that had storage space. So taking a picture was no longer an event. You grabbed your camera to not only memorialize an event, but to just take a picture of the lovely sun set or mess around with your camera. And gradually, we stopped printing pictures because not only were there so many, but we could carry them around with us on the camera's memory card, plug them into the TV or a slide show, send them in an email. And THEN, there was Facebook, the iPhone and all the other phones, the iPad and all the other tablets. And not only could you take pictures, you could post them on FB or send them off to your friends or family. Most pictures were of better quality (unless you jiggled you phone) than you could take with the cameras of the 90's. And I rose to the occasion, took pictures and I have over 7,000 digital pictures!!

I'm trying to organize things......

The digital pictures were at one time located on Picasa, a Google program that stored pictures in what became "the Cloud". From there I moved to purchasing programs and first settled on Photoshop Elements 9 as well as Photoshop Lightroom. With that program I could label pictures and organize them by date and event. I also ended up with several computers as I tend to purchase a new one but keep the old one. So the digital pictures were scattered. And I've tried off and on since I've been retired, to organize things with some success. The actual pictures are better organized with storage in boxes labeled by event. I have a few photo albums. I also made two picture books - one of the first two years at the Lake house and one for B's birthday a few years ago (a this is your life type of book). And this winter, my goal has been to better organize things. And I'm getting there.

I now use two Mac computers, a desk top that's several years old and a MacBook that is new. I purchased Photoshop Elements 14 and am in the process of organizing everything into that. I spent the past several days moving/exporting my pictures from flash drives, memory cards and Photos, the picture program for the Mac. The sense of urgency is due to this blog.... right now I edit the picture and it ends up on my desk top. I started with folders from 2000 to current and all pictures are now in one of those folders. I also have folders for scanned pictures by location (where we lived). It's been interesting seeing all the projects we have done around the Lake house and here at the Park house.

 My mom and me. Back yard of our house in S. Jersey.

Mom made our dresses

Me in the 50s in the living room of our house. Again, the skirt made by my mom.

Here I am in the kitchen of our first house.

Loved the wall oven!

Our second house!

We had the house built and it came with just the trees - no landscaping.

We bought sod from Tuckahoe Turf and laid it ourselves. What a job!

B built the fence. It was inspired by the model home and he made the entire thing. 

Snow at the Voorhees house.

We had a small snow blower and it did the job. 

We had a 32 ft. Carver boat outside of Annapolis. This is B with our first Honey and a friend who was boating with us.

It was a very nice boat - and here I am relaxing in the cabin reading a book.

Our Lake house the third house we owned. Due to the deer and other wild life, I did most of my plants on the deck in containers.

Christmas at B's mom's house. I'm Santa.

Honey in her chair - a favorite spot.

YES, that's a bear walking up the street. The Lake house is in the wilds. Thankfully I had my camera handy and grabbed it as the bear walked past our house and up the road to our neighbor's.

The Lake. I tend to take pictures of clouds...lots of them. It really is lovely.

The Lake house

Honey and I at the Park house

Last year I took part in a CSA. This was one weeks share. We did a half share 'cause there is only so much two people can eat!

Snow at the Lake

More snow at the Lake

As well as taking snow pictures, I also take food pictures. 

A pear and orange salad.

Our house near the Park