Deck the Halls

Actually, the only hall I have is upstairs, and it didn't get decorated. However, the main floor is highly decorated now. I have spent the last two days putting up decorations both outside and in. Everything except the tree. That chore takes an entire day in itself, as I have an artificial tree which has to be recreated, branch by branch every year before decorating. Maybe next weekend for that. Anyway, the house looks very much like Christmas now with candles, snowmen, snowflakes, winter pictures and Santas - all red and green and white. I will take some photos, but don't have time now, before Sunday School, to do that and get them up. OK, here are some photos. These went up quickly - amazing!

Starting on the right: the front door. The painting is by my niece Terry. It's an old one of hers (not one of her favorites), but I really like it. Trees and snow - works for me. Next is outside: my flag and a lighted snowman on the trellis. Red lanterns and bows on the shepards' hooks. Last photo is the little evergreen out by the sidewalk.

I have more photos, but just now when I tried to upload them, the computer gave me one of those error messages that says "internet explorer cannot find web page". I have no idea what that means, but I'm not going to press my luck. No more photos today.

I had a great Thanksgiving - a real feast. We started with hors d'oeuvres at Patty's house. Cheeses and crackers, salami and pepperoni, nuts, cauliflower with cocktail sauce (poor man's shrimp substitute), and many other raw veggies. That was at noon. About 4 PM we somehow found room for dinner. We had two kinds of sweet potato dishes, stuffing both in the bird and in a casserole, turkey (of course), gravy, cranberry relish (recipe to follow), snow peas in a cranberry sauce, salad, biscuits and finally pumpkin and apple pie. As if this weren't enough for the weekend, on Friday, Patty made turkey taquitos and guacamole and cheesecake, so we ate another shared wonderful meal. If one can't have family for Thanksgiving, good friends are the next best thing!

The three of us took two long walks on Thursday. One to work up an appetite for dinner and the other to settle the dinner so that we had room for dessert. Luckily the weather was delightful - sunny and rather warm for this time of year. Maryland is strange that way - the temperatures jump up and down almost daily in the fall. For example, yesterday we had sunshine all day and temps in the 60s. Today is colder and rainy. I'm not complaining. The longer winter holds off, the happier I am. However, Patty and I were both too busy since then to walk, although I did walk by myself yesterday evening. I have gained 2 pounds just from Thanksgiving dinner, so I really need those daily walks! Probably won't walk today, however. I don't care what the songs say, I don't find walking in the rain romantic, even if I were walking with a cute guy!

Since you asked, here's the recipe for my cranberry relish. First a bit of background. My mother always made an uncooked relish with cranberries and apples and maybe an orange. After Dad developed diabetes, she tried sweetening the relish with saccharine (the only sweetener available at that time). This wasn't very successful, because the cranberries are very tart and if you use too much saccharine, it turns bitter. I had this happen to mine - believe me - it was awful! Anyway, after Mom died, I decided to find a better way to make the relish so that Dad could eat it. This is the result:

12 oz. fresh cranberries, washed and sorted, discarding soft ones

1 can of crushed pineapple in juice (no added sugar) 16 oz can or slightly smaller one

2 0r 3 apples, peeled

2 packages of no-sugar orange jello

orange or cranberry juice, as needed

Drain pineapple. Cut apples into chunks. Put some cranberries and some apple into blender. Cover with juice. Process a low speed until chopped finely. Empty into bowl, draining off juice. Repeat until all is chopped. Using 2 cups of boiling water, dissolve both packages of jello. Add a bit less than 2 cups of juice - pineapple and other. Because crushed pineapple is very juicy even after straining, I don't add quite 2 cups of juice - maybe less a tablespoon or two. Stir, then add fruit. Pour into serving bowl. This looks very pretty in a glass bowl. Cover loosely and refrigerate. I usually make this the day before, as it takes a long time to thicken up. Enjoy!

It's beginning to look a bit like Christmas

My house is still decked for Thanksgiving (until Friday), but I've started putting up a few Christmas decorations. I love the Holiday Season and can't wait to get all the red and green and silver and gold stuff on the walls, the windows, the floor, and in a few weeks, on the tree. Anyway, I had all these empty pots out on my deck. And they looked so sad and lonely that I decided to stick some evergreen cuttings (from my own tree) and some poinsettias (from Michael's Crafts) in them. We've had some cold weather and the soil in the pots was pretty much frozen. You should have seen me out there with a metal rod, poking holes in the soil so that I could insert the stems of the decorations. Pretty silly, but hey - whatever works!

I have been trying to upload some photos here, but not having much luck. I just got some kind of error message that makes me think I have to try again, but I'll wait a bit and see. After three tries....

HIP, HIP HOORAY! I won! Third try was the charm. The first two photos show the fake poinsettias on my deck. The third photo is of the corner of the dining area. The red scooter I just recently found at an antique store on my way back from a family visit. I had a similar scooter as a child, so I just couldn't resist. It was cheap, too! The poinsettia is real. The bust in the Santa hat is 'June' whom I think I have mentioned before. June was the model in a sculptor class I took last year.

Today I'm trying to get a head start on Thanksgiving dinner. I'll be baking pies - apple and pumpkin - this afternoon (if I ever stop blogging) and making cranberry relish that is always better the second day. I make an uncooked version with a couple of apples,chopped, a can of crushed pineapple (no sugar added), a package of sugar-free orange jello, and a bag of cranberries, chopped. The jello and pineapple provide the sweetening, so no sugar is needed.

This afternoon, my sink is filled with cold water and a frozen turkey, which I hope is thawing. It's been in the fridge for a couple of days, but still felt pretty solid this AM. The only problem is that I can't use my sink because - duh - the turkey is in it!

As you saw, I did finally get those photos up. I was about to give up. Because my Internet access is dial-up, loading photos is VERY SLOOOOW, even when it works properly. The only advantage to having a dial-up connection is that it ties up my phone lines so I get fewer calls from Verizon trying to sell me a combination package of Internet service, telephone, and television. I keep telling them that I don't want it, but they don't listen! Today, I told the caller that I wasn't interested in buying any package deals and she kept right on talking. Are telemarketers trained to ignore what the customer says? Needless-to-say, I hung up on her.

I just found out today that one of my nieces is reading my blog and has set up a blog of her own. What fun! Diane lives in Wisconsin, works in an environmental job and has a few horses to care for and enjoy. I mentioned her sister, Terry, in an earlier blog, I think. I don't visit them very often, but I always return refreshed. It's beautiful up there where they live. Very rural with many lakes, waterfalls, trees and fields. The night sky is magnificent, with no city or airport lights interfering with viewing the stars and planets. I don't think I would be comfortable living out in the country, as they both do, but sometimes when the traffic here is bad, I do wonder about moving. Unfortunately, in Wisconsin, one experiences real winter, not this pale imitation we have here. I guess I'm too spoiled by years in Maryland to enjoy several months of ice and snow.

Time to work on pies. Soon the house will smell wonderful. I doubt I'll be able to wait until tomorrow to sample.

The holidays are coming and so is winter- brrrr.

Recently, I spent a few days in rural Virginia, visiting with my brothers and sisters-in-law. I love driving over there, as the rolling hills and farmland remind me of where I grew up - in western New York State. It's beautiful countryside. This visit was a good one, despite the fact that both my SILs and I are losing our hearing. What makes this worse is that my brothers are both soft-spoken. One mumbles and the other talks with his hand in front of his mouth. (Jack, if you are reading this, you'll know who I mean!) Many of our conversations are rather repetitive, with voices getting louder and louder until all of us heard what was said. Sometimes by that time, we aren't interested any longer! ; ) The weather was cold, but driving over and back was good - no rain, sleet or snow. One couple was on their way to Florida for the winter - lucky them. They should be safetly settled in by now.

I'm getting ready for hosting Thanksgiving dinner this week. It's a small group, just my friend Patty and her mother, and they help with food preparation, so it's not much work. I'm cooking a 21 pound turkey. Yeah, I know that's really big for three people, but we all want leftovers, so we cook the biggest turkey we can find. My house will smell of turkey and stuffing for days afterward - yum.

Today is the first rehearsal for the MAD (Music and Drama) Holiday Chorus. MAD is the amateur theater and singing group to which I belong. We will sing one concert at Goddard Space Flight Center (the rec. council there sponsors the group), a couple of concerts at local nursing homes and one at a business group's luncheon. I like the Holiday Chorus. The music is always enjoyable and we don't have to memorize it. (I really hate memorizing music). I love singing, and especially Christmas music, so this is going to be great fun.

I have to bake Christmas cookies soon as well, since I think I am involved in two 'cookie exchanges'. They are both the kind where we just bring cookies to eat and the recipes to share - not dozens and dozens to trade with others. Still, that is more baking than I usually do. The problem with baking Christmas cookies is that I keep too many and then, of course, eat them! I'm hoping this year to bake many different kinds, but give most of them away. Kate does this very well, fixing plates for friends and the children's teachers. Last year I helped her bake, although she hardly needs help from me, as her girls are old enough to almost do the baking on their own. Grandchildren grow up so fast!

Sarah, my oldest granddaughter, is now 11 (going on 15!) She took a test this month for admittance into a rather posh girls' school. She won't know until March if she got in, but if she doesn't make the cut, the local secondary school is a good one, so she'll be fine wherever she ends up. I do think that eleven year olds are too young for that kind of pressure, but that's the way the school system in England is set up. Mostly, I think the English schools are better than most here in the US. My grandkids seem to be learning things at an earlier age than my own kids did. Of course, I'm out of touch with US schools. The last time I volunteered in schools was back when I was working for USDA which gave us release time to tutor once a week. The school was in a less than desirable neighborhood in Washington, DC. Not somewhere I'd want to be after dark! The teachers were good, but the kids were several grades behind the suburban schools. Hopefully, things are better there now.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

start of a PIF tag

Ok, we are in business. Post a comment on my blog, saying that you want to have your name in the drawing for this PIF (Pay it Forward) tag. I will draw three names on Dec 3 and announce the winners. Hopefully, in January or February (but more likely March), I will send a hand made object to the winners. (see previous blog for what kind of object)

The rules are that if you win, you have to hold your own PIF tag. You actually have a year to send out the prizes, so it isn't a great burden.

Have fun!

I won!

A few weeks ago, I entered a PIF (Pay it Forward) drawing held by Mumzy. ( http://quiltsandall.blogspot.com ) I was one of the winners and yesterday I received a lovely white scarf made by Mumzy. I think it's crocheted, but I'm not sure - maybe it's knitted. Anyway it is very soft and light as a feather and feels wonderful and warm and luxurious draped around my neck as it is at this moment. I will try to take a photo of it, so you can all see how nice it is. There it is. The scarf is wrapped around "June", a sculpture I did in a class that I took last year.

Since I am a winner in this contest, I now have to hold one of my own. Basically, what this means is that I am asking folks to log onto my blog, and leave a comment to say they want to be in the drawing. We will start tomorrow November 19 and close the contest on December 3. My blog is very new and I don't think I have many readers, but Kate has promised to mention this on her blog, so more folks will know about it. I will draw three names on Dec 4. The winners will receive something hand made from me, sometime in the next few months. If you win, you have to run a PIF tag of your own. (FYI: I do not do much sewing, so don't expect something made from fabric. My hobby and passion is playing with clay, so winners will no doubt get something ceramic.)

We had our first snow today! It came in brief bursts of flakes, between periods of sunshine. Very weird weather. Of course, the snow melted as it hit the ground. I was outside raking leaves and spreading a bit of mulch. Nothing like raking leaves while it's snowing. I loved it!

Plays, phone calls, and a exciting book

This was a theater weekend. Friday was "The Rocky Horrow Show". Then yesterday, I served drinks at a performance of "Joseph" put on by the music and drama (MAD) club at Goddard Space Flight Center. (No, I never worked at Goddard, but they let other folks join the club.) The show is fun to watch and I think the group did a good job. We are all amateurs, of course, including the sound and light people and the musicians. I sometimes sing in the fall shows, but this year my fall was too busy - too much traveling - to even consider it. It was fun to see my friends performing.


Our balmy weather left us yesterday. It had been in the low 70s earlier in the week, but it turned windy and cold. Snow was predicted for Saturday, but it never happened. Today is sunny and lovely looking outside, but not exactly warm. Still a nice fall day. Snow tonight - maybe.


This morning I had an unexpected phone call from my niece Terry who lives in Wisconsin. We chatted about the election and the environment (she's an environmentalist and an artist) and where she and her husband are going this winter. They earn their living at many different jobs, such as: selling her paintings, fur trapping (he does this), teaching environmental programs, conducting loon studies, and so on. They often spend a month or two in the winter in some warm place, doing volunteer enviromental type work. They work for room and board and get to see various interesting places around the world. This winter they will be in Costa Rica for a month. It's always great to talk with Terry, partly because she and I think alike on most issues, although she is much more environmentally aware than I am.

That brings me to a book that I am reading. It is "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. It's a wonderful book - very long, but fascinating. After reading the chapter on the beef industry, I am considering giving up beef altogether. Feedlot conditions are really gross. This book is full of information about sustenable farming, organic foods, and the way our food production has become industrialized. Did you know that the food industry in the US uses as much petroleum in a year as all the cars in the country? Who would have thought that? Kate and I discussed some of the issues from the book when we talked yesterday. She buys some of her food at a farmer's market or at 'pick your own' farms. This book hasn't made me decide to grow my own food, but it does make me want to find a good farmers' market where I can buy food produced in a sustainable (old-fashioned ) way. I highly recommend it to anyone concerned about how our food is produced, processed and delivered.

Rocky Horror Show

Last night my friend Lynne and I went to see a performance of The Rocky Horror Show. I have wanted to see this show ever since my daughter was in high school. Kate and her friends used to go to a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at a local theater. The things she told me about the show were so funny! The group was going to set up a "moms' night" when a few of us moms would go along. However, this never happened due to scheduling. After having seen the show, I think it's probably a good thing I didn't see it years ago with Kate. I was a pretty liberal mom, I think, but I would rather not have realized that my daughter was being exposed to quite that much overt sex. I knew, intellectually, that she was knowledgeable, but still I wouldn't have been comfortable to have that knowledge thrown in my face, as it were.

Actually, I enjoyed the show. It was very funny in many places and the audience participated to some extent. There were a dozen or so young people in the audience who knew the lines and kept throwing in the extra lines which are part of the experience. There were even a few which were not traditional, but referred to more recent happenings. Unfortunately, with my hearing problems, I seldom could understand those lines, but that was ok. I got the general picture. The singing was great. The actors had excellent voices, although they were rather wasted on the songs. And several actors were very good at ad-libbing back at the audience. All in all - lots of laughs and at the end, the whole audience, including us senior citizens, stood up and danced with the cast. A great evening!