It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Saturday, November 29, 2014

From One Day to the Next

Everyone was here, the house was full, rooms full, beds full, laughter, talk, baby talk, young man talk, parental talk, family mother children talk.

All sorts of food .. veggies, sweets, baby delicacies and even something for a kitten.

Bedrooms overflowing, beds everywhere !

Small beings were introduced to New England cold and snow and trees laden with several inches of snow. Birds were included, full feeders and the chipmunks got their pistachios.

Stuffing without a turkey worked !
The first apple pie baked by this baker in over 10 years ... is delicious.
It might become a favorite breakfast, for all I know.

Yesterday .. the baby and his mama and daddy went home.
There was a big gap in the house ... the rooms were a bit more quiet, the little sounds and smiles and sweetness was missing.

Today with a flurry of cooking , eating, laughing , packing , chatting and hugging, the last of the visitors were gone !

Minnette keeps looking out the window ... where the heck did they all go ???

I keep thinking about doing laundry or maybe just take a long shower and read ...
but it is difficult ..

The house is too quiet.
The house is too empty.
Minnette went to take her nap. She muttered something about being bored.

I guess I might go join her in that nap.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Saturday, November 22, 2014

At Home



Home ... in Argentina.
Warm .. summer .. warm nights .. lots of stars .. sit on a bench in the park and listen to the musicians and enjoy the night air..

Here it is cold. Very cold. Windy. The deer are staying in tonight and the birds went to bed hours ago. The Highland Cattle are all facing the wind ... waiting to go into the nice warm barn.
The sheep are huddled together with the babies. The horse looks bored.
Ignore him, he always looks bored . He is a Stud. They have an image to maintain.

Minette is just looking for trouble.
I left a drawer open the tiniest bit , her tiny paw fit right in .. she was fishing things out as fast as she could.
I cut open an avocado, you would have thought it was pure catnip, she practically walked up my arm to get to it .
Figures, I find a kitten who loves avocado .. if she likes chips, we can have an afternoon of chips and guacamole

I got a haircut.
I love it.
phew~

My daughter is driving up here .. now ... not feeling well ... visiting Civil War sites and on her way to Mama's house .
I will be here, waiting , with pots of hot tea and something sweet for the boy.
Who is taller than me .. deep voice .. beautiful baby boy/man.
Minette will be beside herself .. people ! more people to wash !! It must be Christmas !!
and then the baby will arrive and she will just swoon .. she won't know who to wash first.

I am going to watch Doc Martin or something .. I need a bit of Brit in my life.

Have a good weekend ..
 ..

Friday, November 21, 2014

She Chose Me

 A Forever Home

Most of my friends and readers know that my little kitten Minette was adopted from Animalkind, in Hudson New York.
She had been found, under a bridge, in the snow, with a dead cat.

She was dreadfully ill, very tiny, very young and pretty frozen herself.
With all sorts of health problems, she was a tiny sick little baby.

When she was well enough to be out of the hospital, she was kept in the glass rooms in the building, where you see them as you walk in. I was walking towards the desk and saw her, she saw me and started walking towards me.
The lady at the desk said go ahead, pick her up.
And that was that.
She chose me.
We are happy with each other.

Minette was terribly sick .. she was on all sorts of antibiotics and stomach medicines.
Her little tummy is still not great, but she manages not to make a mess anywhere, she flies to the litter box like a good girl.
She is still tiny, she can be a picky eater or she is just finicky and a little Princess.
Whatever, I love her.

Today she talked back at me.
She started to stick her paw where it did not belong and I held my hand out and pointed at her and said no ... and she batted at my hand and talked back.
It might have sounded a bit like meh ... maaa ... maaaa .. Maybe she has been talking to those sheep up the hill ... or the Highlanders.

Last night I gave her a choice, sleep on the bed with me or in her crate .. her crate has an open door and is all cozy and cushy so she sometimes likes to be snug in there ..
She chose to sleep on my bed with me.
For the first time, she slept all night and didn't wake me up at 5 ... she woke me up at a little before 7 am and here is the good part ... she woke me up but came back to bed, snuggled under the comforter with me and we both snoozed a little while longer.
It was a good morning.
I am so glad she chose me.


Friday .......

Friday  To Do List :

Get Hair cut. First haircut since my husband died .. longest my hair has ever been . I sort of hate to cut it but there is something about an adult woman with extremely long girlish hair that I don't like.
(at least on me )
I end up always putting it into a ponytail anyway.
New Life, New Haircut.

Company's a'coming!!
It will be a Full House and I can't wait !
Minette will have two more people to charm and irritate. She will be beside herself with glee.

There is this little house , not far from here, that I have my eye on.
I want it.
It is like a dolls house and my furniture probably won't even fit but I love this tiny little house.
Minette would love it too.
Gotta get advice, look at it again. Make a decision .... ugh ... I hate making decisions.

I will be very busy very soon for a little while and I doubt I will be blogging.

So until then, Have a Fabulous Thanksgiving, eat as much as you want, you can go on that diet the day after. Enjoy your loved ones and be happy ... there is much to be thankful for. Sometimes you just have to sit a minute and remember it all.

Be Happy.


Tuesday, November 18, 2014

I am lucky too

I have 3 or 4 days until the entire family ... my little bitty family .. arrives . We are celebrating Thanksgiving and a Birthday.
I keep thinking I have everything under control then I am out at the market and realize I have no list.
I think I got everything.
When I get home, I find out I got a lot of things but not the right things .. but I did get a brownie mix.

I remembered to get the makings for the cornbread stuffing I will make.
We don't eat turkey but we like all the trimmings.
We will be quite full , I think, on devilled eggs, cornbread stuffing,   potatoes ( not sure what form yet ) , fresh broccoli with garlic, noodles with peanut sauce, a salad with Everything in it , and then there are the other cooks who will make things that I am not even aware of .
Dessert is cooling on the counter now - double chocolate brownies.

I will probably make Ribollita again because it is just so darned easy to make and so delicious.
It has everything you need, veggies and broth and spaghetti .. zoop at its best.
With some nice fresh Italian bread for grilled cheese sandwiches, After Thanksgiving dinner will be fine too.

I want it all ready now- so when everyone arrives, we can celebrate the birthday of a beautiful  young man and all be together when he blows out ALL of those candles ...
I still remember when he was born. I met him when he was 2 days old I think .. that baby would fit in one of his hands now  ..

I am lucky, I am sad but I have to remember how lucky I am too.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Just Minette and I

Yahoo features Pet Finder on their main page.
I look at it. I end up reading stories about pets that have been lost, given to shelters because they barked or wouldn't bark or wanted to play or whatever lame excuse some dim-witted person thought up in order to excuse the fact that they were giving a cat or dog to a shelter that would most likely kill them.
At times like this- when I read stories like these, I hate people.

I look at Minette. Tiny still, blue , huge yellow eyes and a personality as big as a tank.
She talks, she scolds me, she purrs like a freight train and she weighs 6 pounds.
She is totally fearless yet she now runs to me if something startles her or she realizes she hasn't seen me in the past 15 minutes.
She walks up me when I am lolling on the sofa and circles a few times, of course I am part of the sofa... what else am I doing there ? and then settles down for a nap , usually with her head tucked under my chin.
I cannot move until that nap is over.
I cannot cough, sneeze, answer the phone or change channels .. forget about the book that she has pushed out of her way, no reading that either !
I admit, there are days that I end up taking a wee cat nap with her. Something about the warm little body and the purring .. it is impossible to resist.

She keeps me company, she makes me laugh, she sympathizes when I am sad .. now how could any human take a little creature like her and just hand her to strangers in a shelter that will put her to sleep ?

It is beyond me.
I sort of like to pretend people like that don't exist.

I am not sure how long I will be living in this house .
When , if I move again, I am giving serious thought to 1- a puppy/dog 2- another kitten to keep her company. Or maybe, if I were to move somewhere smaller than this house, just Minette and I will be fine. We are a duo now.



Friday, November 14, 2014

Waking up to Winter

I  woke up to silence and Minette.
Minette wakes me up too early - 5 am - and doesn't stop nudging me ... feed me, pet me, open the door, mamaaaa.

But the silence kept dragging me back to sleep .. that big bed in that big warm bedroom just hung on to me ... never mind it was too early for anyone to be awake   .. it was too cozy to be awake !

But she didn't let up .. I dozed, while she ransacked the house .. finally I got up, staggered around, looked out the window.

A Winter Wonderland ... snow .. everywhere.
The huge pine and fir trees are decorated for the holidays .. the ground is covered but it is not deep.
Since the roads are clear and it is the First Snow of the Season, I will not freak out yet.

Company is coming for the weekend.

Company is coming for the holidays .. I have a busy time ahead and combined with hopes for new ventures here, I should be busy . Or frantic . Or insane. Minette and I will make a good pair.


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Sweet

That sweet little face just made my heart a tiny bit lighter today.

It is another blustery day , quite cold and a good day to stay in and nest.
Baking cookies is a good idea but that would require going to the store for bags of chocolate chips.
I guess I might force myself out to do that.

Weird how some days I wake up bouncing with energy and others the kitten has to drag me out .. push me down the hall to the kitchen and hold her bowl so I can pour her kibble in it.

I want to be out among people but they are all home too... it is a definite pre-winter day .. blustery and grey.

The squirrels and birds and chipmunks are working overtime to stock up for the winter.
I am glad the trees in the back provide lots of nutty things for them. Not to mention the nut in the house who is known to buy massive bags of bird seed and who shares her snacks with the chipmunks.
Minette just watches, biding her time, she will get out there and grab one of those creatures one day ..  so she thinks. Let her have her dreams .. the Blue Jays are bigger than Minnette.

I have been feeling slightly off lately but hoping it is going away. I am forcing myself to eat more .. blech.
I think a new project is needed. Something to look forward to, something to work on each day, something that will give satisfaction when done.
Aside from baking cookies of course.

We will see what ideas pop up.
Feel free to suggest anything .. don't feel bad if I say WhadarYoukidding ??

Thursday, November 6, 2014

I am still not able to stop smiling

I went out to the garden, it is damp and cold.
I went back into the house when I heard something and turned around to see ...

  I could hear them but the trees were in the way .. I walked to the edge of the property, there is a line of pine trees then a great vast field where hay grows in summer.
And there they were ...

 A Murmuration of Starlings

I tried to take photos, it is damp and wet and my battery died but if I got any decent photos, I will post them later.
The sound ... I have never heard anything so wonderful .. it is damp and cold and wintery out, and silent ... then there was this faraway sound of many many birds ... then there was the whooshing sound as this great huge cloud of black birds swirled and dipped and passed by ... I will never forget this ..

They all landed ... the yellowish brown cornfield became a mass of black birds ... all making their bird noises as they looked for food.
Then as if a timer went off, the entire flock , at one time, swept up into the air, swirling over and away.

I was and I am just boggled by it .. I was smiling and crying .. I wish someone had been here with me to see it too ..

The Best I Could Have Hoped For ..

Today would have been our  44th anniversary. Yes, I was a child bride.
I had just arrived in New York City. A friend introduced us.
He invited me to tea at Serendipity. And that was that.
I flew to North Carolina shortly after to celebrate my mothers birthday with her and with my "baby" brother .. who is now older than I am .. odd how that happens.
When I flew home to NY, there he was, waiting at the airport .. we went home together to his apartment and we were never separated again. Until now.

He was romantic, he did crazy things, I , younger by a few years, was the one who would say Wait, what if ??? And he would laugh and say, What if we don't ? Why Not ? Everything will be fine.
And it was ..  every day was fun, exciting and full of love.

No matter what was going on in our lives, Love was the one thing we were sure of.
I followed him everywhere , he led.

We had children , he adored them both. He worried about them, he was their Father ..
The best I could have ever hoped for.

He was an adventurer , he lived in all sorts of interesting and exotic places ... Paris, Rome, London, India ... New Jersey .. and Buenos Aires for the last 7 years.
But he was always a New Yorker and my husband , the man I adored.

I was very young when we met and now I feel quite old.
I look back on our life together and so much was done ! so many people we met .. so many places we visited ... so many places we lived ... and I loved every minute of it, even the times I hated, I look back on fondly.

The last seven years in Buenos Aires were like one long honeymoon.
The three of us, we brought Tate, our Standard Poodle with us and the three of us were ridiculously happy living in Argentina.
The last year there, Tate died . He was old and he had cancer .. but he died at home with us by his side, on his own terms. I miss him still.
I like to think like my grandmother used to think, that he and my husband are together, somewhere "up there" , waiting .. it sort of makes the bad days better when you imagine you will be with them again. Be happy together again.

So the weather is appropriate I guess, we are having a dreary grey cold rainy day.
Minette has her work cut out for her, she is all there is to cheer me up today .. so far she bit my nose and helped me make the bed.

I might have to go shopping. Go somewhere ..

Yesterday I had a lovely visit with my friend and realtor.
So changes are being set into motion ..
Minette and I .. preparing for the next adventure.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Yes, there really are Angels .

This is the story about pilots who fly their planes to rescue animals.
Pups in this case.
There are sooo many kill shelters around. It is horribly sad.
Minette was adopted from Animalkind, where they keep the poor little cats and kittens until they are adopted. There are friends of the people who work there that help, fostering cats and kittens.

I see so many, too many stories about beautiful dogs that for small reasons, are left behind by the people they belong to ... abandoned, left to die, to go to a kill shelter where they will die.

These are dogs and cats that only want to be loved and to love you back.

Minette washes my face in the evening .. she thinks I need it. I might taste good since she has done it more than once and she would not do it if she didn't like me.
She was found in the worst possible circumstances .. in the snow, about 2 months old and next to a dead cat. Maybe her mama. She lived. That is a miracle right there .
And now she is warm and fed and loved . Isn't that all cats and dogs ever want ?

So this story is why    these men, who go to the trouble and expense of rescue are such heros to me.

I hope you enjoy the story .. and appreciate them like I do.

dog-rescue


If You Could Change

If You Could Change


Tuesday, November 4, 2014

It was for you






Nothing like a day at the races.
Sunshine. Everyone is in a good mood .. at least as the day begins.
The horses are so beautiful.
We sit in a grass lawn area with small tables with umbrellas and we can walk to the fence .. the one that goes around the track.
If you stand there before they run, the jockey will sometimes pull the horse over so you can reach out and touch. Wish him luck. Take a photo and walk around with a silly smile the rest of the day.
Especially when that horse wins the race ... you know that it was for you ..

Monday, November 3, 2014

Stay Warm

Autumn is here and the landscape is a blaze of reds and golds and some green. That green will become very important when all the colors are gone and that is the only one we will see until next Spring. 

 

I took a drive to Old Chatham where you can have coffee in this room that is all windows with a wood burning stove in the middle of the room. 
You pick a sandwich, soup of the day or a pastry and coffee, or tea and go sit in the room and read, daydream and enjoy the warmth and nice feeling of coziness that the place always has...whether it is busy or you are the only person there. I love the red tin rooster . 
The art on the walls is local artists and for sale. Some of it is fabulous. 
I have a thing for the line drawings/ pencil drawings of flowers .

There are Alpaca and Llama farms in the area, not to mention the Chatham Sheepherding Company.
I have to go there soon and buy some Christmas presents. Soft wool  lined slippers and maybe something cuddly for a certain tiny boy.

 I quit taking walks .. it is so cold. I get a headache from breathing the cold air .. my sinuses complain .. they liked the warm air in Argentina. So did my skin. I am flaking already. Winter has not even really hit yet but I have winter skin .. Nivea and Lubriderm are my Best Friends.
The Sunsets are always pretty but with the trees bare, it is so beautiful, the dark trees etched against the red and gold sky .. Nature has a good time here, making pretty sights.
 Stay warm ..

Sunday, November 2, 2014

A Chicken Soup Day

I woke to the sound of the wind blowing.  Hard.
Trees whipping around, leaves flying around, chipmunks hiding, birds hiding .. a Blustery Day, as Winnie the Pooh would say.
I, on the other hand, call it a Soup Day.
I am not going out, I am not considering doing anything that involves leaving the house.
Minette and I can listen to music, read and maybe watch a movie later and I will make soup.
Yesterday I thought about it, today I will do it.

Because as we all know, when it is a Sunday, the sky is grey, the wind is blowing like crazy, there is nothing you can do but make soup.

I quit eating chicken. I don't know why, I just didn't have a taste for it and after a while I realized that months had gone by and I had not eaten chicken.

The other day I thought, I will buy a little roast chicken at the market and use it in a sandwich or something ... but no .. it still sits and waits for someone to appreciate it.
This morning, looking at the weather and listening to that wind blow, I figured, it is a
Chicken Soup Day .. if there ever was one.

I might make it this way  Colombian Chicken Soup


or I might just make Grandmas Chicken Soup .. everyone knows that one.. you cook the onions, celery, carrots and chicken in water and seasoning then let it simmer and then you have
Chicken Soup.
You can add macaroni, rice, potatoes or as I recently saw , dumplings.

So this is where I will be today, home, with Minette, making soup and watching the chipmunks fly by .. I will let you know if I see any little dogs named Toto flying  by ...

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Soup would be nice.

It is a good day to have nothing that I have to do.
Nowhere I have to go.
And no one here but the kitten and myself.
The landscaper came earlier today and after filling 7 big bags with leaves, left.
He will be back next week with more bags and I will be here with more leaves. Many . More.

It is  raw and wet and cold out .. I would like to have a fireplace but a soft sofa with a kitten and one of my husbands soft sweaters on ... I am managing okay.

Soup would be nice.
Maybe tomorrow.


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sunset in Buenos Aires

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