Sepia Scenes ~ cherubic

This little cherub greets me when I walk out the front door of our humble abode, and I thought he/she might look good in sepia. I like the shadows from the morning sun. Our house faces East, can you tell?


To see more sepia-fied photos or to join in the fun, visit our meme hostess, Mary T, at Sepia Scenes.

Looking for that perfect cuppa joe

I need your opinion.

For you regular readers, all two of you, you may remember our electric coffee maker recently bit the dust after only seven months of use. We've been drinking instant coffee, and occasionally buying one at Dunkin' or Mickey D's or the bakery downtown.

Now the question is: do we get another automatic coffeemaker that will last less than a year, or get a manual brew, non-electric one like this:

What do you think?

Ruby Tuesday ~ motoring along

Ralph (aka Airhead 55 - who is also a gearhead) and daughter Allegra and I went to a classic car show Sunday, so I have several offerings for Ruby Tuesday this week:


The vintage vehicle display was on the grounds of the Shelton (Ct.) History Center, where this renovated red barn houses a museum with items and information that cover three centuries of the city's history.

This rickshaw-styled conveyance below was used as an ambulance after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. At least that is what it says on the piece of paper you see sitting on it. I thought it was pretty cool looking.

Here we have a police car from 1957.

It's a Chevy!
For more car show pics, visit the gearhead, Ralph, at Airhead 55.
For more Ruby Tuesday fun, visit Mary T at Work of the Poet.

Reflections on a Sunday afternoon

We went to a classic car show yesterday that was a fund-raiser for the Shelton (Ct.) Historical Society.
The annual event was supposed to be held on Father's Day, but was postponed because of rain. Fortunately yesterday was bright and sunny, and a lot of people turned out to view vintage vehicles.

We took a bunch of photos, and Ralph will be posting some of them soon. I also have a couple that are perfect candidates for Ruby Tuesday posts.


I like this photo I snapped featuring a reflection of Ralph and Allegra looking at a 1948 Jaguar.

That's it from here. Have a great Monday ~

Comfort food ~

For some strange reason I got a hankering for comfort food yesterday, so I got the ingredients to make Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie. It's the kind of thing you make in the winter to warm up your family. Well, I made it today in 80-degree heat. Don't ask.



<-- This photo is from the Betty Crocker kitchens.


How did I do?

Go away, WAFs!

WAFs =>Worries, Anxieties, and Fears, are the things that hold many of us back from reaching our full potential, according to a speaker I heard last week.

On Thursday I attended a business event that featured motivational speaker Joy Baldridge. She was so lively and upbeat I got tired watching her. Well, not quite, but she made me feel like I have no energy!

I wrote about her talk for the paper and it was published today. Here's the link.

Now tell those WAFs to take a hike. (If only I could follow my own advice.)

Memoir about abusive relationship sends chills

Ralph and I went to a book signing Sunday at a small bookstore where we met a woman who wrote a memoir about the life she led with her abusive first husband.
Leslie Morgan Steiner of Washington, D.C. read several compelling passages from "Crazy Love" to a small group gathered at the store on a summer afternoon.

Here's the link to a story I wrote about her appearance.

Looking at the Sky ~ from a few years ago

I snapped this through the bus window in Paris. You can see the date..



To see more sky photos, visit our hostess, Tisha, at CrAzY Working Mom. Thanks, Tisha!

Scaredy cats

Please come back in the house Mommy! You've been out there taking pictures of the tiger lilies for two whole minutes. We're scared in here!

(*Photo blurry because they're on the other side of a screen door)

Helpful cooking hint #4

When frying something, and you don't have a special doohicky to block the grease from splattering all over the stove top, cover the remaining burners with pot lids.
Doing that will help to keep some of the grease off the other burners.
Woo hoo! I came up with another hint. Hope it's helpful.

I toad you so

OK, the title of this post doesn't really make any sense, but it is the first thing that popped into my mind.

We were wondering why Linus was batting at his reflection in the slider and staring outside this morning.


This is why.
We never see toads on the patio. You can see him by the mat in the top picture, if you look closely.
At least it provided Linus with some amusement this morning. His brother, Rigby, missed the whole episode.

Bloomin' yucca

This is part of a second, smaller yucca plant we have growing in front of the house. I had to cut down the stalks on the bigger one because they blocked the front window. And the petals were falling off. Not good.
I took this in the morning sun today. I like the photo and the shadows on the railing.

Look what I won

I covered an annual tea hosted by the Derby Historical Society and won the centerpiece. It's full of beautiful fresh flowers arranged in a teapot with a kitchen rooster motif.
A local actress portrayed the life of Amelia Earhart at the fund-raising event, and I wrote a story for the paper that you can read here.

P.S. One thing I never understood: why would a company call a line of luggage "Amelia Earhart" luggage? Wouldn't that name jinx the travels of the owner of the suitcases?
Just wondrin'

Ruby Tuesday

Here we have the first red tomato of the season. I photographed it Monday morning for Ruby Tuesday.
It's one of many tomato plants Ralph's buddy Michael planted in containers for us. We're really fortunate to have a friend like him! He planted several varieties of tomatoes and peppers and some herbs.
He also planted strawberries (I think some visiting critters have eaten all of them) and pumpkins in the backyard.

To see more photos with a little or a lot of red, or to join in this meme, visit our hostess, Mary T, The Teach, at Work of the Poet.

Monday morning thoughts

Getting ready for the day, watering flowers and taking a few photos..I took this when I came back from taking a photo for Ruby Tuesday.
Knuckleheads, as Ralph lovingly calls the Brothers Furr.

And below are some early tiger lilies that bloomed by the patio. Yay perennials! No muss, no fuss.
And me focusing on the tiger lilies.

Happy Monday!

With a little help from my friends ...

I made the Amish Friendship Bread.
We decided that even though we were a day late in baking (today is Day 11 when you are supposed to do it on Day 10) we would give it a whirl.
Wowser the bread is rich. It takes like coffee cake to us. It's delicious.

What's cooking? Not much.

I can't seem to focus sometimes. If I doth not write things/events on the calendar, I doth forget.
I had completely forgotten about the fact we were invited to a get-together last night. I had been planning to bake a loaf of the Amish Friendship Bread after I was done with work and dinner and stuff.
Friday was Day 10, also known as "baking day." Now it's Day 11, so it must be too late. I think I shall have to throw out the starter batter. Notice how I don't seem too upset about this?

Safe to say this baking project was doomed from the start!

On the bright side, at least I was able to get several blog posts out of it. And we had a wonderful time at the party. Too much food, but a lot of laughs.

Looking at the Sky ~ from passenger window

This is on our way home from the family Fourth of July get-together last Friday, on I-91 south in Connecticut.
The fireworks display was cancelled, the rain was on and off all day, but we did see a pretty sunset on the ride home.

When we got closer to home on Route 15 rain started sprinkling the windshield and I got to capture this effect:


To see more sky photos or join in the fun, visit our hostess, Tisha, at CrAzY Working Mom.

Update of Monday's post about friendship bread

It seems I have no friends. :- (

At least none to whom I can pass along an Amish Friendship Bread starter. This is sad.
Tomorrow, which is baking day according to the instructions, my daughter is going to help me skip over a bunch of steps in the recipe and figure out how to use enough starter to make two breads...That means half of this mixture we've been mushing will be thrown out.

What else can I do? Hand a plastic bag of it to someone I meet in the grocery store and tell them to mush it?
I hate to waste, but I'm stumped here.

It's the little things...

that can make you crazy.Or crazier, as the case may be.

Yesterday our less than a year-old coffeemaker conked out. Boo hiss!

Today I stopped at the grocery store to buy some * instant coffee * after dropping daughter off for work. I've been brewing coffee in the morning for myself and Ralph for many years, but I thought I'd try instant again. An emergency beverage, because tea just doesn't get me going in the morning.

Walked into supermarket and saw big display of blueberries, which I am addicted to. Buy one, get two free. Yahoo! Then I dropped one of the packages when someone said something to me..half of the container of blueberries goes rolling across the floor.
The produce manager comes running over and says "don't worry about it," but also says they are the "worst thing to drop"...so hard to pick up so many.
I felt like a jerk. Well I apologized and helped him pick them up.

So I get the instant coffee, come home, put water on to boil ... and cannot for the life of me open the jar. That lid is glued on there I think. Go back out, head to again, this time to Mickey D's and get a Newman's Own organics medium coffee, cream no sugar.

It tastes good, but I went through a lot of aggravation to get it, don't you think? I hope the rest of the day improves. Yikes. As for the coffee jar, I'll ask my strong son to open it when he gets up. I'm sure he will come to mama's rescue.

Little unimportant stuff going wrong is no big deal, 'tis true, but I thought I'd write about it anyway.

The End.

* Update: Cameron read my post and opened the jar when I wasn't home. What a kid!

Sepia scenes

No, this time it's not Paris ~
I photographed this stone church in Rockville, Ct. last August. I had never been there before and was quite impressed with the dramatic exterior. We were there for our niece's daughter's christening.

I think it looks pretty good in sepia.

To see more sepia-fied photos, visit Mary T, The Teach.

Ruby Tuesday

I went back into the photo archives from the summer of 2001 when we went on a family vacation to Cape Cod. Where have the years gone? Our kids are so big now.

There is a bit of red in the photo, so I thought I could sneak it in for RT. Cameron has red in his swim trunks, and there is red brick surrounding the pool. I'm cheating a bit, I suppose.

To see more photos that contain a little or a lot of red, visit Mary T, The Teach, at Work of the Poet.

Helpful cooking hint #3

Today's tip:
Do not accept a plastic bag full of mushy ingredients that make up a "starter" that is someday supposed to be baked into Amish Friendship Bread.
That is, unless you are a patient person and you have about $30 to spend on additional ingredients you will need to complete the project.
For those who never heard of this kind of bread, you keep one mixture for yourself and then divvy up the rest into three more plastic bags to give to your friends. Another problem is I don't know to whom I should give the bags of mushy stuff. It's like a chain letter using bread dough.

I hear the final product is scrumptious, but it takes 10 days of mushing, ingredient adding and more mushing before you can bake it. Patience is part of the recipe here.

If I succeed, I will post photos of the bread. If I don't, forget you ever read this.

Helpful kitchen hint #2

When pouring coffee, always put the milk or creamer in the mug first. That way when you pour the coffee into the mug it will be nicely blended and you won't need to stir it or dirty a spoon.

I couldn't call this a cooking hint, because one doesn't really "cook" coffee when one brews up a pot.

Can you guess I'm not too good in the kitchen? I do plan to get better at it, though.

Check back soon for more helpful hints from my kitchen to yours.

Sunday morning in the garden

Shadows can be interesting ...
This guy has weathered many a winter around here and he still looks strong.
That's all from here on the day after the Fourth of July. Have a peaceful Sunday.

Independence Day thoughts

To celebrate our nation's 233rd birthday, I share a few quotations, and a poem.


By The Rude Bridge

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set today a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

* * * * *

"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

~ Patrick Henry (March 23, 1775)

* * * * *

"Where liberty dwells, there is my country."

~ Benjamin Franklin

* * * * *

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.

~ Erma Bombeck

* * * * *Have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July!

* Tour de floral *

Took some pix yesterday. Woo hoo!
The Yucca plant in front of the window finally bloomed. It usually is up and blooming on Father's Day. These stalks have gotten quite tall. When the flowers die I cut down the stalks, and miraculously they grow again the following year, even though the plant is indigenous to the desert.
I like the reflection of my car and of the stalk.

I call this 'purple perennial plant next to Yucca.'

I forgot the name of it, but it faithfully comes back each year. That's why they call it a perennial!
That's about all for today's tour. Have a great Thursday.

Sepia Scenes ~ sweet

We live about eight miles from the U.S. headquarters of this celebrated confectionary company.

I took the photo for a blog friend last year. Thought I'd sepia-fy it for fun.

To see many more sepia photos, visit Mary over at Sepia Scenes.

Helpful cooking hint #1

Welcome to the first of what may possibly become a series of helpful hints from me, depending of course on how much time I spend in the kitchen.

I am on a pancake kick these days. I made some Sunday and made some more this morning.

Now here's the hint: When measuring out ingredients that tend to fly around, like flour or pancake mix, place your measuring cup in large mixing bowl. That way the excess ingredients fall into the bowl, and not on the counter.

What do you think of that?