Out with the Old, In with the New

My Christmas gift from Geo this year was stainless steel cookware ~ totally unexpected! And not just one random piece, but a whole matching set!

So Jenn inherits my old pieces, and I’m cleaning out the pantry so my new cookware will have a handy happy home on the shelves.

With the cookware came some heavy duty red mitts AND a cookbook for classic Italian meals.

Jenn and Sean gave me a variety of Penzy spices.  I am now so inspired to take cooking to a whole new level.

(Don’t tell Geo, but I am getting him into the kitchen with me so he can participate in the culinary creations.)

2013 promises to be the year for going gourmet.

Thank you for my gifts, and Happy 2013!

GCEPD

During December, it's a good time to review what we have done over the past year and to plan ahead for progress in future months.

This is exactly what we did at a recent meeting of the Vermont Governor’s Committee on the Employment of People With Disabilities (or, as we like to call it, the GCEPD).

This is one enthusiastic group of people with varied backgrounds and experiences related to the disability community. There’s so much to learn from one another.

The GCEPD’s mission is to promote equal employment for all citizens of Vermont by advising the Governor on current issues affecting employment of people with disabilities, and through partnerships between business, government, and people with disabilities.

Yes, the GCEPD is on youtube: http://youtu.be/yBxOy9daOuQ

The past year we networked at business trade shows, we gave out awards to noteworthy employers, we engaged in the national Disability Employment Campaign “What Can You Do?” 

We wrote a public service announcement for statewide distribution by our Governor, we "got our feet wet” in social media, and so much more…

To see the official website, go to: 

www.hireus.org .

What’s ahead? Stay tuned. The GCEPD is putting together some exciting plans to accomplish goals of promoting and encouraging inclusivity in the workplace.

In the meantime, please check out the new FACEBOOK page for the Vermont Governor’s Committee on the Employment of People With Disabilities. Here’s hoping you’ll “like” us.

Baguettes

First "snow day" of the season here. Cars were sliding all over the road today on my way to Burlington. Rescue crews were out in full force. I turned around and headed home until conditions were better. 

So what to do?
Bake baguettes, of course.

Here's my recipe:


1 C water
2 1/2 C bread flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon rapid rise yeast

Place all ingredients in bread-making machine. Choose dough cycle. When done, turn out dough into greased bowl. Punch dough down and turn it so that dough is well-greased. Cover and let raise for 30 minutes.

Place dough on floured surface and flatten. Roll out into 16'' x 12'' rectangle.
Cut in half for two 8'' x 12'' rectangles. Roll each one tightly into a baguette-shaped loaf. With sharp knife, make slits across the tops. Lightly oil or butter. Place on greased cookie sheet or baguette pan. Cover and let raise for another 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Bake for about 25 minutes in 375 degree oven.

Yield is two yummy loaves.

A Trip to Ottawa

The Canadian History class at the University of Vermont took an annual trip to Ottawa. Invited to go along was a Canadian Studies class from St. Michael's College. Since I'm currently taking the class in Canadian History, I signed up to go with the students. We were in Canada for three days, two nights.

One of our first stops was Parliament. We went through some serious security, and anything that could be tossed from the gallery, literally, was temporarily confiscated, including purses, cameras, and cell phones. We proceeded to the House of Commons for Q&A.  A myriad of topics were covered, accompanied by loud partisan cheering and clapping by the members. Everyone in the gallery, however, needed to be as quiet as a church mouse!

We had an informative tour of Parliament, including the library (shown on the right of the Parliament building in this photo). On display were news stories and clippings of the times Queen Elizabeth had visited Canada.
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Later that afternoon we personally met with five members of Parliament of different parties. For me, this was a real highlight of our trip. They responded to our questions clearly and directly, each from their own points of view. No matter what the topic, no one wanted to give the other "the last word." It was quite a lively discussion.

We also visited the Museum of Canadian Civilization (soon to be renamed the Museum of Canadian History). This is a photo taken near the front entrance. (See the view of Parliament in the distance.) We breezed through an overview of Canadian history through the 20th Century.

Here's what the ground floor looks like. There's an impressive collection of totem poles here.

 We also had a tour of the National Gallery where we viewed art. The interior hallway and atrium are stunningly beautiful.



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 I found one Rene Magritte here, and also an Alexander Calder mobile. The Canadian artists I discovered were Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. They primarily painted scenes from the Canadian Shield of water, rock, sky, and trees. This one by Tom Thomson is entitled The Jack Pine and dates back to 1916.

A huge part of Canadian culture is ice hockey. So we took in a game of the Major Juniors, the Olympiques (home team) playing against the Titans. The Olympiques won 4-3.

No visit to Ottawa would be complete without a stop at one of the local bakeries. I just had to splurge on a croissant with almond filling. It was delicious! Really interesting, though, were the Obama Cookies. The Canadians were pleased about President Obama's first foreign visit to Canada, and the bakery where he stopped still commemorates his visit by selling sugar "Obama Cookies" in special tins. Wow, three cookies cost me more that $8.00 Canadian.

Our hotel was near the Byward Market. We had plenty of time to visit this outdoor market before heading home to the USA.

This was my second visit to Ottawa. Hopefully, it won't be my last!

It's Sunday

Three takeaways from Mass this morning:

1. Incense. Our priest was really heavy with the incense this morning. Each time I turn around, I still get a whiff.

2. Homily. The sin of a "good person" is refusing God's invitation for self-sacrificing service and love. (The Scripture reading was about the rich young man who was asked to give to the poor.)

3. Year of Faith. The Holy Father asks that we celebrate a Year of Faith beginning Ocober 11, 2012 and culminating November 24, 2013. During this time we can deepen our knowledge and practice of Faith. As one way to do this, our priest challenged us to go to: http://www.flocknote.com/catechism to sign up for reading the whole Catechism in one year by daily emails. 

I signed up. Hope I can persevere through November 2013!

Potato Harvest

It was early Spring when I planted a few pieces of potatoes in four bags. After cutting the seed potatoes, I "cured" them by exposure to air for a day or so. Then I put about four pieces into each of the bags with a depth of about two inches of an even mixture of compost and topsoil. 

As the vines grew, I continued to cover them with the compost and topsoil so they were not exposed to light.  I added about as much soil as the bags could hold. By June 28, the potato bags looked like this.

I watered them only when they were extremely dry. Toward the end of August, the vines began to die.

This was the day I was waiting for. On September 1, I dumped the bag onto a tarp. Some potatoes rolled out.

I sifted through the soil and found a plentiful harvest.

And this was the largest!

The other three bags did not yield so many potatoes. Since planting, I have heard that it may be better, when planting in bags, to use small whole potatoes, or much larger pieces, so the vines have extra nourishment to get started. Next year I will try using larger pieces at planting time. However, I'm happy with the harvest. We should get lots of good meals from this crop!

The soil I had dumped on the tarp? I dragged it over to another part of the yard to expand my flower garden ~ getting ready for more peonies next year!

Update: The Peony garden is beautiful in season, and I am newly inspired to plant more potatoes!

If you found me here, please take a look at my newest posts at Resolutions. Thanks!

Our Trip to Cabot

Yesterday we took a drive to Cabot, Vermont to see the Creamery. I believe the Cabot Creamery is the largest dairy farmers' cooperative in the Northeast. We saw the video of the history, took a tour to see the operations, and sampled some products.

We were impressed with the speed of the line and the efficiency of the workers.

Since we had read in the Summer 2012 Vermont Life magazine about a nearby historic Victorian home, we continued down Main Street to find it. It is privately owned. Looks like it could be a wonderful Victorian museum someday. 

From there we drove to the Grand View Winery. The roads were unpaved, rural, and rough. Loggers were at work and they needed to move their truck so we could pass them. It was worth the drive. The views were Vermont-beautiful. Gardens leading to the winery were gorgeous, including a hardy hibiscus that , I was told, can survive a 30 degree below winter. I was busy taking photos of the flowers while Geo was sampling wine.

I like this view through the wineglasses of the fields and mountains.

We purchased a bottle of Pear Wine.

Then it was back over the rough roads to highway 2 towards Plainfield. Geo wanted to find The Dancing Goat cafe. We stopped for tea for him and a latte for me.

We had lunch at a restaurant on 2, then headed home through Montpelier. We stopped at Manghis', one of Geo's favorite bakeries, for a few loaves of bread. AND Geo picked up one of these:

Special edition dark chocolate yet to be enjoyed... (along with the pear wine!)

The Brick House of the Shelburne Museum

Even before we entered this historic house, I had my camera ready and I began taking photos. "This is a great place for taking pictures," one of the guides said to me.

The Brick House was the summer home (and frequently a fox hunting retreat) of Electra Havemeyer Webb, the founder of the Shelburne Museum. It is located at the Shelburne Farms in Vermont. Our guide said this house may be seen as a microcosm of the Shelburne Museum because it is furnished with pieces from the founder's collections.

Once inside, I turned to see the view from the front entrance, the tree-lined drive.

   Here's a close-up of the reproduction of the original wallpaper.

         We took the very elegant staircase to the second floor.

The family's bedrooms were on one side and the servants quarters on the other. All rooms were comfortably furnished. I do think each bedroom had its own full bathroom.

In one room I spotted a quilted fabric chair. (I was surprised it wasn't a lot more well worn!) One of the rooms had fabric "wallpaper."


















One bedroom has a photograph from 1938, showing how the room looked at that time. It's easy to see the similarities and the changes that have taken place.

  

I like the image of the lily on this wooden mirror.

The doll looks quite at home here.

What I really like are all the arched doorways. I wish we would have these in our home!

 This open door is leading into one of the many bathrooms.

         The photographer at work: 

                                                                                                                  

         We returned to the first floor.

This is the very first item Electra collected at age 15. Apparently her mother, not as appreciative of folk art, was quite dismayed at her purchase.

The room for entertaining is very much like a den or family room. The guide pointed out that the "curtains" are actually made of wood. (Hmm, fabric on the walls and curtains made of wood!)

                  The living room is also comfortably furnished.

       From the dining room we can peer into the breakfast area.

             I again note the arched doorway.

Here's a centerpiece of glass globes.

This view is of the oldest portion of the home. It had been the site of a circular drive and where the foxhunters would gather with their horses.

From the patio there are stunning views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. It is not hard to imagine the family and guests gathering here to enjoy the summer breezes off the lake.

Not far off is a little cemetery for the hounds. I was told there is also one here for the horses.

Our tour concludes with refreshments.

Tours are available at appointed times during the summer by reservation. This was our first visit.