The Issue Of The Holidays

I was listening to the news this morning and the issue of Holiday "Correctness" came up.  It made me think.  I think that everyone should be respected for whatever their beliefs may be.  They were discussing the schools this morning and what is proper or not as far as the Holidays are concerned.  I went to Renbrook, a private school in West Hartford CT, there were no Holiday decorations or any favoritism showed towards any particular group.  Did that mean that kids were not able to celebrate whatever they happened to be brought up with celebrating??  Absolutely not, that is what family traditions are, just that, family traditions.  There are people who celebrate Christmas, there are Jewish people, there are Jehovah's Witnesses, there are people who celebrate Kwanzaa, etc. etc. etc.  Each and every person should at least be respected for what they believe, and what they choose to celebrate or not, and people's beliefs should not be imposed on others.  If someone wants to say "Merry Christmas" go ahead and say it!!  If someone wants to say "Merry Christmas" back, go ahead and say it!!  If you don't want to say "Merry Christmas" back, a simple "Thank You" might be appropriate.  In my opinion it all boils down to respect.  The majority shouldn't always rule, respect should.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

It's amazing to me how I never get tired of looking at the same things, in a new way.  The snow fell all night long last night and we got to wake up to a winter wonderland.  I love seeing the little foot tracks of the birds in the snow.

I spotted this bird right in the middle of all of the branches and I swear he was posing for me because I think he knows how much I love birds :)

Snow on branches is always simply beautiful.

Last but not least, my little boy looking outside, fascinated by all the neighbors shoveling or snowblowing their driveways.

Better Than Any Perfectly Wrapped Expensive Present

Friday, one of my customers came in with her two little boys.  She asked her older boy to tell me where they were going next and he let me know that they were going to Grandma's house to make Pizzelles (delicious homemade Italian wafer like cookies) with her.  I let him know that those are my favorites!  Really, my favorites.  So, we laughed and chatted and off they went.  Well, Saturday my customer's Mom and Aunt came in to my store with arms out with a foil wrapped package.  Inside were the best Pizzelles!!  As if that wasn't sweet enough, I took one out and in the middle of the cookie was "LS". 

Then came another gift, the story of these Pizzelles.  "LS" was Lorenzo Sanzo, my customer's grandfather.  He made this press that weighs over 60 lbs. and is over 100 years old.  It has stayed in the family and they make these cookies every year.  They have to use this press over a gas stove and they can only make one at a time.  They made about 150 of them this year.  I just love that story.  In each bite of the Pizzelles, you can just taste the history and love that is mixed in the batter, and then artistically pressed in Lorenzo's handywork, generation after generation after generation.  What a gift.

I am not smarter than a 5th grader!

Tonight I went to volunteer at My Sister's Place and we played this game.  Just like the TV show, we all had to answer questions, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and so on.  Turns out I'm not smarter than a 5th grader!!  :)  It's all good though, there was just a small group of us, 3 kids and 4 adults and a lot of laughs!!  The kids proved that they are listening and learning in school because they got quite a few answers right!!  That's a good thing.  Then I came home, in the dark, dark, dark of winter, but when I got out of my car, I looked up and the sky was overflowing with beautiful bright stars.  I guess I can handle the early darkness.

Yummo!!!

I found this recipe for meat loaf in the newspaper and I made it last night and it was deeeeeeeelicious!!  So, I wanted to share it.  There is nothing like the smell of meat loaf cooking on a cold winter's night.
Here it is:

"This Is It Meat Loaf"

1 pound beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
(I used 1 pound of ground pork instead of using the veal)
2 Eggs, beaten
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3/4 cup tomato juice
6 strips bacon
8-ounce can tomato sauce

In a large bowl, mix meat, eggs, onion, garlic, parsley, Worcestershire, mustard, salt and pepper, using your clean hands and fluffing the loaf, not compressing it.  It should be wet.  Add the bread crumbs and tomato juice with your hands again.

Place in a shallow baking dish, shaping it into a loaf 8 to 10 inches long and 4 inches high.  Cover the top with bacon strips on the diagonal.  Pour the tomato sauce over the entire loaf.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

It's Yummmmmmmmmo!!!  Enjoy!!!

Bits Of NYC

Looking for our 1 millisecond of fame, we claimed our spot at the Today Show in Rockefeller Center.  While waiting I looked up into the sky and saw this.

Then came Merideth Viera.  She was so delightful.  She stopped and shook hands & took pictures.

To my right in the picture is Linda.  She was great.  She was spunky.  She moved to NYC just because and is writing a book.

Wandering around, seeing the sites, there are lots and lots of sculptures everywhere in the city.  I spotted this bird on one of them.  I love birds.

While in South Street Seaport, Judy spotted this little guy enjoying lunch on a display of food outside of a restaurant.  I snapped a photo of him.

Another snapshot while in South Street Seaport.

My dad always loved the Brooklyn Bridge.  I have to take a picture of it every time I see it.  It makes me happy to think of him when I see it.

A handle on a door isn't always a handle on a door.

These windows at Tiffany's were spectacular.  The pictures don't do them any justice.

Where else but NYC can you see a gigantic snowflake hanging in the middle of a 4-way intersection??

Did I say I love birds???

And last but not least for now, when I stepped onto the evelvator in the Museum of Arts & Design, this was the texture of the walls!  Very cool.

An Interesting Thought Shared With Me

A good artist will always look for the source of the pain, or look to the source of the pain.  Often both.
-Thank You DMP for sharing that with me.

Next Time You Think Something Is Worth Getting Upset About.......

My girlfriend and I went to NYC this weekend.  We arrived Sunday and left Monday.  One of the things we did on Sunday, was check out a market that I had been told about, Agat & Valentina, 1st Ave. @ 79th.  It was a fabulous market, freshly baked breads, wonderful produce, wonderful selection of prepared foods, wonderful selection of every kind of cheese, wonderful fish & meat departments, wonderful coffee selection that could be freshly ground, wonderfully freshly made sushi, wonderful soups, you name it this market had it.  My friend and I grabbed our selections and had a seat and enjoyed our food.  While we were eating and chatting, it was evident that a young lady was quite upset about her purchase, and she was letting everyone know about it.  A container had opened in her bag and spilled out onto other items in her bag that she had purchased to go.  She demanded to see the manager, and kept letting everyone know that this was "unacceptable".  She also wanted the manager to take care of her husbands dry cleaning bill because he got a little something on his clothes.  She made a scene, and got her items replaced and huffed out.  On Monday, we were walking down the street in the morning and passed a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk.  He was all bundled up.  When we left our hotel in the afternoon, on our way to Grand Central to go home, we passed the same homeless man in the same spot............Next time I think something is worth getting upset about that really isn't, I'm going to think about that discontented woman and that homeless man.  I don't think that that homeless man would have been bothered by that container leaking a little bit. 

Sometimes Sad Things Happen

My ex-father-in-law passed away.  At least, my last memory of him will be him hugging me and us laughing together not so long ago.  He was a huge Yankee fan so we would talk baseball and I would get such a kick out of him mis-pronouncing some of their last names, I would tease him and we would laugh.  You will be missed "Big" Sal.

Snow Day

Well it's a snow day!!  I have today off, and it's snowing out and it's delightful!!  I'm going to work on my jewelry all day in my pajamas......weeeeee!!  I'm also excited about this weekend, my best friend and I are going to NYC to see all the crazy creative windows.  I can't wait.  I'm still plotting our course, which is half the fun.  We're staying over so I hope that our hotel is all it seems cracked up to be!! 
I also wanted to share a couple of thoughts that my mom shared with me......"Joy is not in things, it is in us".  In light of all the news lately, you can't help but hear about Tiger Woods and all his troubles, and it's just a lesson in Joy or lack of it.  If Peace and Joy don't exist in us, nothing will make us happy.........just a thought.
The other little jewel my mom shared with me......."we can try to avoid making decisions, but even that is a decision".  That's a good one to ponder and remember.....thanks Mom!

Our First Snow

There is nothing like the first snowfall of the year.  It's so beautiful and it's so wonderful to see it settle on everything!! 

CBS Morning Show

One of the things I love about Sunday mornings besides my first cup of coffee :) is watching the Morning Show on CBS.  It's full of wonderful cultural tidbits about people, places, and things.  One artist that was featured recently was Eric Daigh.  He's a pushpin artist!  He was recently the 3rd place winner in the Grand Rapid's Art Prize competition.  He uses just five colors of pushpins, and creates wonderful portraits!  It's worth Googling him and checking out his work.  It just made me think that anything can be used to create art!!  It pays to keep looking around at usual objects and think about how they can be used unusually!!

Sunday Morning

I saw this poster in a bathroom in a bead shop down in Mystic CT.  I loved it so much, I stayed in there and wrote it down :)

Every Woman Should.....

Know how to use a stick shift;

a plunger;

Understand the difference between

don't tell a soul and

don't tell a soul I mean it;

Know her mind; change it;

have protection handy;

but not too handy;

use special china;

and special underwear for no special reason;

over commit; come through;

refuse to do it again;

do it again;

be able to discuss first and ten;

have better things to do;

set bounderies; go camping; grow something;

dance crazy all alone; stare at a phone;

get dressed in 5 minutes;

be a princess; get over it;

believe in the perfect man; get over it;

read; walk; flirt; shock; listen; sing; thank God;

Be single and like it; a lot;

raise a child; or not;

See a wrinkle and be reminded of her youth; not her age.

Courage Comes In Small Packages

I was moved by an experience I had last night.  I volunteer at a transitional housing home, and while the moms are at various meetings, we volunteers take care of the kids.  About 3 weeks ago, I met a new mom with her two kids, a boy and a girl.  The first week, both kids just wanted to stay with their mom, understandably so!!  New people, new home, new fears.  The next week, the girl stayed but the boy just couldn't.  Last night, the girl AND boy stayed.  He worked through his fears, and was so courageous to stay!!  He ended up laughing and creating a beautiful card for his mother. I was so proud of him and inspired by him. 

Monday Morning

I was doing the dishes this morning, looking out the window into the back yard.  The back yards sits up against a big wooded area.  It's so much fun to watch the squirrels and chipmunks run around!  This morning I grabbed my camera and went outside and waited for the chipmunks.  There was one on top of the rocks, and there was another just sitting by the base of the tree.  I had my zoom on but I still couldn't believe how close he let me get!!  Life's simple pleasures!

Don't Forget

Don't forget to look up.  Don't forget to look at the bushes to the left of your car as you get out, it's a rainy Sunday morning and you just went to get donuts to go with that deeeelicious coffee, and there you find one single Forsithia blossom with a drop of rain hanging off of it, grab your camera.  Letting your dog out.....day after day after day.....don't miss the Junkos in the Bittersweet!!  Life is good.

Alphabet For Life Plaque

I was flipping through a catalog this morning, and I came across this "Alphabet for Life Plaque".  I love it and want to share it.  "Accept differences, Be kind, Count your blessings, Dream, Express thanks, Forgive, Give freely, Harm no one, Imagine more, Jettison anger, Keep confidences, Love truly, Master something, Nurture hope, Open your mind, Pack lightly, Quell rumors, Reciprocate, Seek wisdom, Touch hearts, Understand, Value truth, Win graciously, Xeriscape, Yearn for peace, Zealously support a worthy cause."

Oh, and one more thought.  I was listening to an interview with David Foster this morning on "Sunday Morning" (CBS, great show), and at one point he said: "Good is the enemy of great".  I thought that that was a great thought to mull over.

NYY

Well, my Yankees won their 27th World Championship!!  Way to christen the new Stadium!!!
Yankees Win!!  Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees Win!!!

A Little Tradition At Our Health Food Store

My mom and I have a silly little tradition at our Health Food Store.  Whenever one of our customers goes on vacation, we ask them to bring back a stone or rock from wherever they go.  Well, our latest acquisition is from China.  One of our customers went to China and came back with some "forbidden" stones from the "Forbidden City".  They date back to the 1400's.  That was pretty cool.  Other stones in our collection come from Vidago Portugal, Baltic Sea Poland, Casablanca, England, the London Royal Palace Stable, Scotland, Quebec, Niagra Falls, Greece, Kaanapali Maui Hawaii, Gibralta, Ireland, Lake Champlain, Cannes France, Florida, Jomtien-Pattaya Beach Thailand, and Capri Italy, just to name a few.  It's a little silly thing, but it puts a smile on all of our faces!!

10-31-09

I get to see these guys and girls on my way to and from work every day. What a treat! They were waiting for hay when I took these shots. It's just fun to sit and watch them for a few minutes. The little one was hopping around the big horses while they were eating their hay, and finally settled in and took a few mouthfuls.

Welcome To My Blog

Welcome to my blog.  I was letting my dog Tango out the other morning and while I stood in the doorway, I was looking out at the fence across the way and noticed the little droplets of rain on the bushes and foliage.  It's the simple things in life that make the biggest difference.  I brought Tango back inside, got my camera and captured these photos.