NEW CDs

If last year was the "year of gardening" for me, this new year may be the "year of listening."

Geo bought me Paul McCartney's Good Evening New York City and Reba's Keep on Loving You.

Jenn gave me a fully loaded MP3 player, and Sean's gifts were noise canceling earphones AND the newest Decemberists CD The Hazards of Love.

Sean and Jenn introduced me to the Decemberists, and now I'm a fan. The new album is quite complex, beginning with a haunting Prelude, and actually weaves a story through the lyrics to the very last song. Click on this blog's title for a link to the official website, then on "launch audio" in the website to hear some of the music.

Here's The Finished Product

 

Here are the Eggnog Cookies! These cookies were fun to make. The dough is very light. That's why it needs to be refrigerated (try the shelf in the garage if you live in Vermont) before scooping them onto the cookie sheet. As for flavor, they taste almost like butter cookies, but with a hint of spice. The frosting is very creamy. The dash of nutmeg really makes the cookie. I'm adding this recipe to my holiday collection. These cookies will be coming with me to the cookie exchange next year. How's that for planning ahead!

Eggnog Cookies

When I lived in Wisconsin, a popular holiday drink was a "Tom and Jerry" made with a dozen eggs, separated, with the yolks whipped with 1 pound of powdered sugar, then blended with the whipped whites. That was the batter. Put a dollop of that in a mug with a shot of brandy and rum, top with boiling water and add a sprinkle of nutmeg. I haven't made that since I no longer serve anything with raw eggs, but I still love eggnog! When I discovered this recipe on the YUM blog, I decided this is a must-do for me:

Frosted Eggnog Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup SALTED butter, room temp
1/2 cup eggnog (I used reduced fat)
1 teaspoon vanilla (or rum)
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 300F.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well with a whisk and set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Chill dough for at least 15 minutes.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg or skip this step and sprinkle on the nutmeg after you ice the cookies. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown.
Transfer to cool, flat surface immediately with spatula.
Eggnog Icing
3 C. confectioners sugar
1/4 C. softened butter or margarine
1/3 C. eggnog (use as much as you need)
In small mixer bowl, beat confectioners’ sugar and butter or margarine until well blended. Gradually beat in eggnog until icing is smooth. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg after icing.

Here's The Man

 

Love that smile!

Here's one more

 

Jenn, this one's for you.

My first photo blog

 

It's about time I post a few pix. This is an unedited photo taken by Jenn on Addie's birthday. Jenn used my new Panasonic Lumix.

The Cookie Exchange

Tomorrow night is the big event of the annual cookie exchange and caroling at the home of Mr. and Mrs. G. So today is baking day.

I made Frostheave Fudge (aka “Rocky Road”), Mrs. Pillsbury’s Holiday Sprinkle Sugar Cookies, Dream Bars, and Snowballs. I do think the Snowballs turned out the best. Here’s the secret recipe:

1 cup unsalted butter
½ cup powdered sugar (I used ¼)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used almond)
2 ¼ cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup powdered sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with sugar and extract. Mix in flour, salt, and nuts. Roll 1 Tablespoon of dough into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. (Do not let cookies get too brown.) While cookies are still hot, roll in powdered sugar. When cookies are cool, roll them in sugar once again.

Mom used to make similar cookies – everybody’s favorite – and shaped them into crescents. She called them Pecan Dreams.

It will be fun to see and taste all the yummy cookies tomorrow night. May the tradition live on!

Geo’s Birthday

We planned a simple leisurely dinner for two at the Essex Inn. We arrived early, so we relaxed in the beautifully decorated lobby before dinner. The young man at the desk asked us if we’d be interested in tickets for the Vermont symphony – that evening! Evidently they had extras. We said, “Yes!” Our leisurely dinner became entrée only, dessert to go, and we dashed off to a Holiday Pops concert. Tickets were for Row 6. It was a surprise gift to us, and one terrific concert.

Happy Birthday, Geo!

Mt. Philo

Jenn and Sean drove up from MA for the weekend – time to meet with friends on Saturday and to see the Decemberists at the Flynn on Sunday.

After Mass at the CC on Sunday, Sean treated Jenn, Geo, Grandmother and me to a very leisurely lunch outdoors at Halverson’s. It was a relaxing afternoon before Jenn and Sean left for the concert.

It was great fun just getting together again, but for me the high point (figuratively and literally) was our Monday morning trek up Mt. Philo. Jenn and I had this event on our We-Need-To-Do-This list, and there was no time like the present. It turned out to be a spectacular day. Wilderness leader Sean and adventurous Geo decided to come along.

It’s been a long time since I’ve trekked the trails. Now this novice trailperson is ready to invest in new hiking boots.

I’m so impressed with Geo going the distance. At the top we took in the view, snapped a few pix, and feasted on grapes and freshly baked cookies.

Jenn says the big debate about hiking up a mountain is: Why do we do this? Is it the experience of the hike itself? Or is it the accomplishment of reaching the top?

I guess for me it’s the hike. I love the winding footpaths and finding my way in the midst of nature. For Geo, I think, it was reaching the top (and the comfy Adirondack chairs conveniently placed at a look-out point).

Geo promises we will do this again. Camel’s Hump, before long we’ll be on our way.

Remember, “We’ll always have Mt Philo.”

Thank you, Jenn and Sean for a super visit. Come again soon.

The Place(s) To Be

Sunday Geo, Mom and I headed up to Hardwick. We arrived in time for brunch at Claire’s. I had read about Claire’s in Eating Well magazine. Geo read glowing reviews about Claire’s in none other than the NY Times. Claire’s is a destination gourmet eatery that features local products, and it’s amazingly located on Main Street of a small rural Vermont town. Breakfast was superb!

Next we traveled to nearby Wolcott (that’s “Wool-kitt” for all us flatlanders) to High Mowing Seed Company’s late season festival, hosted by owner Tom Stearns and his staff. High Mowing grows about 800 varieties of plants and veggies to package the seeds. Being there for this event felt like a true Vermont experience. The weather was perfect – cloudy, rainy, sunny, typical. There were farm families, growers, neighbors and others who came from near and far. We toured the fields, sampled the veggies, and witnessed a demonstration of a new machine extracting seeds from melons. Sometime during the afternoon students showed up from NECI (New England Culinary Institute) to prepare dinner. They worked outside under tents. What a feast! Three kegs of Magic Hat were tapped, along with apple cider. Two young women with a banjo and a fiddle entertained. Of course, there were not enough chairs to go around, so people sat on row covers to enjoy the picnic. It was so neat to be part of this experience – this flatlander began to feel a bit like a real Vermonter. To top it off, the crew from Emeril Lagasse was on site taping for a future episode. We'll be watching for this to air.

The Rhubarb Patch

I’m a great fan of rhubarb – love the sauce and especially a rhubarb custard pie.

This morning Mr. Boutin from our local Farmer’s Market gave me a rhubarb plant, roots and all. I dug very deep into our clay soil, added a generous amount of fresh compost and topsoil, and planted my future crop. I watered and mulched, and even added dry grass clippings to the mix. I was so eager to get it into the ground that I forgot to use gardening gloves. (So much for the manicure…)

For the first season, the rhubarb needs to grow. For the second season, a few stalks can be harvested. For the third season and forever after, I should have a bountiful crop. I promised Geo and Mr. Boutin rhubarb pies in 3 years.

Anticipation!

Morning Moments on Lake Champlain

Sunlight sparkling on morning dew,
Waves rippling,
Breeze dancing with shoreline reeds,
Ducklings lazing along the water –
My day at Kamp begins.

Government Health Insurance Protests

Some citizens at town hall meetings are really ripped about government expanding its role in health care insurance. They are being vociferously vocal about it, engaging in shouting matches with elected reps. Some say it is an organized effort getting agitators involved to disrupt the meetings so “Obamacare” gets derailed.

Who are these protesters, really? Look at the video. Aren’t these people the aging boomers who were once the hippies and hippie wannabes of the 60s? They were anti-establishment then, and no doubt feel they are in their element NOW still protesting government direction. Why is anyone surprised at the outcry across the country? The boomers know they are a generation who can make a difference. Boomers know how to protest. Boomers know how to make their voices heard, whether in organized marches, silent sit-ins, or in town meetings. It may not be pretty, but it is freedom and it is democracy.

Let freedom ring.

Iranian Revolution

This is a critical time in Iran when people are protesting and risking their lives for their voices to be heard. They are asking to have a legitimate choice in their government and in the way they live.

I came across a blog of an Iranian student who is posting about events as they are happening. His pictures are vivid.

Click on the title to read his blog.

Branford and Justin

Friday nite and Geo and I were at the Flynn listening to The Branford Marsalis Quartet. A rockin' knockout performance was anticipated, but not the virtuoso rhythms of 18 year old Justin Faulkner on drums.

Branford's replacement for Jeff "Tain" Watts graduates from high school on Tuesday. "I'm 49 years old," says Branford, and I never thought I'd be asking my lead drummer, "How's the prom?"

Why Justin? Seeing him at a high school performance, Branford was impressed with that left hand work. And, "he gets the music."

Justin not only held his own with this 10 year veteran group, he brought the house down.

Click on my title to see Justin in 2008.

I Think He's Hooked

Geo started listening to jazz. Maybe it began when we went to hear Dan Silverman on trombone at On the Rise. (Yes, the local Hinesburg bakery is one cozy jazz venue.) Or maybe it was the Diana Krall music he's been playing over and again since March. Anyway, this year we've actually been going to the Burlington jazz festival, not only for the sounds on Church St, but for 2 concerts -- Diana Krall was a real treat, and Branford Marsalis performs on Friday. Yesterday it was up close and personal with Luis Perdomo who shared about his beginnings in Venezuela, studies in NY, his gigs and his band.

Today I heard Count Basie emanating from Geo's PC. Seems he's discovered RTE radio Ireland that features an evening jazz show (early aft, our time). Kinda neat.

So today I bought Wynton Marsalis' book Moving to Higher Ground, all about Wynton's perspective on music. Okay, I really bought it for myself, however - Geo, I do promise to share.

You know you are a Real Composter when...

1) You roll out discarded tires from the garage out into your yard to stack for a compost pile - Who needs those fancy $$ compost bins!

2) You see grass clippings and think "Nitrogen!"

3) Raking leaves is not a chore, but a joy.

4) Seeing bundles of leaves in plastic bags for garbage pick-up brings a tear to your eye.

5) When your family sees you peeling veggies for dinner and asks, "What are you making?" and you reply, "Compost."

6) When your garbage disposal becomes obsolete.

7) When filling yet another kitchen container for the compost heap gives you that adrenaline rush.

8) That mushroomy earthy smell becomes the new "Obsession."

9) You find yourself stuffing leftover salad greens into your purse when dining out.

10) You actually hear your grateful plants say "Thank you" when you amend that soil.

"The Chocolate"

Back in the day when I was a dietetic intern, we had a young, let's call her a know-it-all supervisor who was not very well liked. And she was always watching her weight. One intern discovered that this supervisor had a passion for chocolate. So, each day, the intern would anonymously leave a "gift" of chocolate candy, or freshly baked cake, or a brownie on her desk. The supervisor seemed very happy for this gift. All year the interns were watching to see if she would put on more weight eating all this chocolate.

Something similar to this happened to me. One lady gave me a "gift" of a clump of lily of the valley. "Just put it anywhere in your garden. It will grow well in the shade." Well, not only does it grow well in the shade, it grows in the sun and even under that black fabric mat I put down to smother the weeds. It even seems to thrive there! And spread, and spread... It's taking over my garden! For the past few days I've been digging it out. It has a root system that really knows how to travel.

During one moment of weakness I leaned on my shovel and considered, "this may be good ground cover under the shrubs." Perish the thought! Lily of the valley is NOT in the plan. Back to digging out the gift that keeps on giving. I do think I will be battling lily of the valley for all my gardening days.

So this morning I thought about that gift of chocolate. There's a lesson in here somewhere. When I figure it out, I'll let you know.

The Square

The business association of my Mom's hometown is sponsoring a contest about recollections of downtown. It's a contest, so I just had to enter. Here's what I submitted:

My Mom Marion was born in Town of Hull in 1919 and my Dad Alex was born in 1905 in Mill Creek. My Dad’s first job was at Uncle Pete Kaminski’s grocery store where he learned how to be a butcher. My Dad later worked at Rudnick’s grocery store on the corner of the Square, and that’s where he met my Mom.

For as long as I could remember, we traveled on vacation from Racine to Stevens Point to stay with my Grandparents Anna and Joe Bonowski. One of our first and frequent stops would be Market Square. My Dad looked forward to meeting his friends on the Square and talking in Polish, of course, about the old days. A lot of farmers would be there selling beans and other vegetables. It seemed like my Dad knew most everybody, but then a lot of people had shopped at Rudnick’s in those days, including my Grandpa. When my Mom was still a young girl, she and her sisters went with my Grandpa to Rudnick’s. The handsome butcher carried the groceries out to the car where the sisters were sitting in the back seat. He smiled and said, “I’ll take the one with the brown eyes.”

Years later, my Mom (the one with the brown eyes) worked as a maid and child care provider to one of Stevens Point’s prominent families. In the evenings she would go to Fisher’s Dairy to buy an ice cream cone. She would eat that cone very, very slowly as she walked back and forth in front of Rudnick’s, hoping to be noticed by the handsome butcher who worked there. They met, became engaged, and in 1945 they were married at St. Casimir’s Church, Town of Hull.

The Square was the center of all the activity in town. It was where my parents met and fell in love. For me, no trip to The Square was complete without including a stop at Fisher’s Dairy for a double scoop cone of raspberry ripple ice cream, and my Dad reminiscing about his days as a butcher at Rudnick’s.

DENIAL

“When in denial, you are anchored, and not able to make the changes to move forward.”

Geo, Mom , and I heard a talk by a man who is totally blind. He once was fully sighted, married and working at a successful career. Then retinopathy set in. He lost everything dear to him – his marriage, his home, his job, even his visually intensive hobbies. One thing he held onto was the expectation that his sight would return, or improve, or – in the least – not get any worse.

He was trained to use the red and white cane for the blind, but kept it in his pocket for two years. To use it would be to admit that he really needed it. So he bumped into obstacles and tripped over curbs. By denying the obvious, serious anxiety and depression set in.

Each morning he would orient himself by a light he left burning overnight in the kitchen. He would make his way from the bedroom and move toward the light. One morning, the light was not on, or so he thought. He found his way into the kitchen and reached up to the light bulb. It was hot. He was totally blind.

He had never thought of himself as “a blind person.” To move from the denial stage, his brain needed to reorient him to a new self-image. Only then could he accept blindness as a secondary circumstance of his life.

Not many of us are totally blind, but we do experience the anxieties and frustrations that come with the denial of difficult circumstances beyond our control. In a negative situation, we “hope” that things will get better, we “wish” that things will improve. We say something like, "If only ____________,
then I’d be successful, then I’d be happy and life for me would be good." Or we may tell ourselves that maybe the situation really isn’t so bad, and if I ignore it, it will just go away. We struggle. In any case, we’re in denial.

How did this person with blindness move beyond denial toward acceptance?

1) He made an effort to establish a social network, so he would not be isolated. He continually works at this.

2) He looked for any glimmer of “good” in his situation. Although he realistically admitted the “bad,” He kept expanding on any positive aspects until the positive was in greater proportion to the negative.

3) He developed a sense of humor.

4) He reached out for adventure. He tried new ways of adaptive living. He began enjoying more non-vision type activities in his current situation.

Interestingly enough, the more he came to embrace his loss of vision, he began to sense and appreciate in new ways the reality of what he lost. This is an outcome of an adaptive life-style.

By using an adaptive lifestyle we can create new successful ways of activity and experience. We continually expand our horizons and grow as persons, sharing positively with others.

For the speaker, he discovered for himself that the best part of his blindness is what it does for the sighted people he encounters. His answer, then, to “Why me?” is the good effect his circumstance has on others. In all humility, he admitted that blind people who have accepted and adapted can truly inspire others to live more fully.

So I could not help but think of the situations in my life where I am “in denial,” frustrated and anxious. Yes, there are those times…
Where can I admit what’s not working, expand on the possibilities in the situation, and ADAPT. What would be the results?

This talk gave me lots to think about, and Yes, I was truly inspired by this remarkable man who now has a new family and a new career. His success and achievements emerged from a bleak situation, but only when he moved beyond denial.

Retirement

This is Day 2 of Happy Retirement.
My laptop, two phones, and a lot of other stuff I needed to return has already been received in Boston. Everything accounted for. That’s a relief.
I wasn’t sure what retirement would feel like. Now I would say it feels a little like sending another kid off to college…I’ve lost some contact, the house seems empty (with laptop and a lot of office stuff gone), the phone’s not ringing nearly as often, and FREEDOM!
I think I’m going to like retirement!

Easiest Easter Cake Ever

For those of us planning Easter dinner, here's a recipe I just tried, and plan to repeat, for Easter - a light dessert after a hearty meal:

One box angel food cake mix
One 20 oz can of undrained crushed pineapple

Mix together for 1 minute. Pour into ungreased angel food cakepan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Turn upside down to cool, then release from the pan.

I am serving this with whipped cream and a sprinkle of coconut.

Adding a little rum for flavor, this Easter cake would become the Easiest Pina Colada Cake Ever.

On second thought, I just may bake the pina colada version for Easter!

March 26…

And it was my b’day.

Woke up to presents from the family, got a free cup of java at the local bank, and got my free B&J’s cone (raspberry ripple). With gift money from Mom, Geo directed me to the gardening shop where I walked out with a potted self-watering herb garden – cilantro, parsley, basil and rosemary.

J-Ro sent a bouquet with vase of multi-colored roses – what a sweet surprise from a sweet girl. She’s promised me that home-cooked Thai meal on her next visit!

Geo invited me to an evening concert of Shostokovitch and Messiaen – an ecstatic performance of violin, piano, clarinet, and (Geo’s favorite) the cello.

Addie invited me to a fun nite out (last nite) of Margueritas, appetizers and tacos.(Let's do this again!)

There’s a B&J ice cream cake still in the freezer…A fab way to begin a new year!

Thank you, Everyone!

Anniversary Week Adventure

This is the week of our wedding anniversary.

Tonight we had a juice glass that slipped into the garbage disposal. I tried getting it out with my bare hands, and when that was not successful, I decided that putting some kind of tool into the disposal would work a lot better. So I called Geo into the kitchen for help. Well, half an hour later, having tried a tweezers, a mini vise grip, a nutcracker, and even two sets of tongs from the barbeque, we were no closer to getting out that glass. I was getting very short-tempered, feeling quite desperate and defeated. It was really wedged in there.

“Let me see what I can do,” says Geo. “But you have to leave…”

Thinking the worst and hoping for the best, I left the room. I tried to warn him about that little button inside the disposal that turns the thing on…, but he kept saying, “You’re going to have to leave if I’m going to do this…” (A and J, does that sound familiar?)

A little while later I returned to the kitchen and looked inside the disposal. No juice glass! Wait, there were a lot of broken pieces in there. Geo solved the problem. He broke the glass. Now what! This situation called for the wet-vac. I dragged the thing in from the garage, plugged in the hose and turned it on. A huge cloud of brown dust blew into my face. Ugh!

As I vacuumed all the little shards of glass out of the disposal, it dawned on me that this is one example of what marriage is about. Little did I think walking down the aisle those many years ago that part of the romance of our lives would be figuring out how to retrieve stuff from a garbage disposal. But we did it! Together the two of us were successful. Problem solved. Life is good.

I love you, Geo. Happy Anniversary!

Retirement Party

Or, maybe I should say Pre-retirement Send-off – I’m still on the job and counting down…

“Let me buy you a drink” after our team training session turned out to be one fantastic surprise party with our team from all parts of VT. Darlene – NOT in training- appeared from the far north, and Carla came bearing balloons and flowers from the far south. She even presented me with a hand-knit doll of ME at work – computer, badge and all. (Carla, the only thing you left out was that mug of coffee that keeps me motivating!)

It was a fab party – I’m still psyched about it two days later. I never had a party like that (but then I never retired before!). We had beverages and non-stop appetizers all evening long. To have my teammates Carla and Maxine together with all of us – AND – the big boss from Boston to party, well, it was beyond amazing. I had a really great time. I will miss you guys, you’re the BEST!

Cyndy, a huge thanks to you and to co-conspirators Deb and Carole for putting all this together, and for the Beeauutiful card and verse – the orchid is my favorite flower, how did you know??

Hugs to all of you!

11 Super Foods

Geo emailed me a NY Times article about eleven nutritious foods that most of us aren't eating. The article named Nutritionist Jonny Bowden as the source.

Well, Geo, I actually am eating those eleven foods, or most of them - anyway. Although I haven't had sardines lately (health food in a can, according to Bowden), and I don't use turmeric too often.

So here they are:
Beets,
Cabbage,
Swiss chard,
Cinnamon,
Pomegranite juice,
Dried plums,
Pumpkin seeds,
Sardines,
Turmeric,
Frozen blueberries, and,
Canned pumpkin.

So here's my challenge to Geo: How about having Super Nutritious Snacks for our Super Bowl Party! Sardines may go well with rye bread and onions. Wash it down with a little pomegranite juice?

Anyway, it may be fun to get creative with a few recipes using super food and seasonings.

We usually have chocolate, and more chocolate, during each quarter.

Beets and cabbage, anyone?