No more posts from me until 2007.

Happy New Year everybody!!!

John

Celebration

A gigantic candy cane float arrived on the village green. It was led in by reindeer. Penguins were waving to everyone and tossing candy.

Then the top blew off, everyone looked around no santa but a lot of snow. The count-down for santa started, 10, 9, 8, 7..... BOOM!!! a santa flew threw the air over everyone's heads, shot out of the candy cane,

And then a spot light on a near-by roof, It was Santa, Everyone was cheering,

Merry Christmas.

After lots of talking and hugging and greeting we walked home.
and sat down to a feast.
The end.

Fran stealing a Parmesan Black-Pepper Biscotti. Pretty easy to make.

Gougeres cooling. Easy.

Baking

The pizzelle are finished. I was laughing to myself about the "recipe" that I use. It's a list of ingredients written on a postcard covered in a few years of sticky dough. I can hardly read it, if anyone is feeling adventurous.3 cups flour 1/2 cup more maybe?
1 box confectioner's sugar
6 large eggs
2 sticks melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp anise flavor
1 tsp anise seed
About 6 dozen

So that's what I had to work with.
I do know that I got the recipe over the telephone from my sister. We always called the pizzelle made this way, with the confectioner's sugar, Joe and Terry's recipe. That would mean we have probably had the recipe for over 30 years. Terry died sometime in the 1970's. That's something I love about cooking and food. It is a part of that line between the past and the present, I always think of Terry when I make these even though my memory of her is very faded.

To the making,

I mix together the eggs and the sugar and the melted butter(cooled), then I add the flavorings and the anise seed. I always add an extra tsp of the seeds. I mix that all together and then add the flour. This year I needed to add the extra 1/2 cup I think the eggs were extra large.

Anyway it's that simple. What you end up with is a very soft dough.

you put a teaspoon of the dough for each cookie and press for about 30 seconds. They cool really fast and when they're all cooled I sprinkle them with powdered sugar.
That's the pizzelle story. Oh and yeah it was about 6 dozen.

I'm trying to hold on to

that feeling I have when I am walking through this.....

No pizzelle were made yesterday. It became a day of running errands, and everything seemed to take just a little bit longer.
Today off to Connecticut to set up our new selling space. Then home and I'm hoping the cookies get made on Friday. gotta run...

A quick get away

On monday we had some business in Massachusetts so we decided that we needed a little bit of a break, A place that would relax us, a place that we love. So we went to Provincetown for one night.

The Holiday food binge continued there. With , well, all kinds of seafood. We even brought lobster and oysters home for a little bit of a Provincetown dinner once we got back.
We had heard that there were 2 whales off of the coast last week, but we didn't see them.
We did have a great time walking on the deserted and rainy beach with 50 degree temps in December.

We're home now and the final holiday prep is going into full swing. The shopping for ingredients starts today and I'll be making the pizzelles. Photos of them (I hope) later.

More holiday eating

The Xmas Tree has been decorated.

Just in time for the 2nd holiday dinner.

It was great having Cynthia around to help with the cooking.



A roast chicken and latkes once again, this time made with blue potatoes and parsnips. Oh, and yes we did drink a little bit of wine.



Tonight will be a little break from the week of feasting, while we plan the menu for xmas eve, west coasters welcome. It looks like a fish pie for the main dish. An orange flavored crust with vegetables, swordfish, sultanas, olives, I forget what else .... a little bit of 19th century sicilian cooking. What kind of sides would go with that?

There is still a ton of food shopping to do, oh and We have planned a bit of baking.

Holiday Season

The latkes are cooking and the xmas tree decorating has begun. Later we'll be at Magic Meadow to celebrate the solstice.

This was last weekend

I survived the in-laws visit despite the statement "You Liberals are trying to outlaw Christmas", yep Fran's Dad actually said that. There are tons of reasons why this is funny.... a few

1. he is a UU, Yep, a good old inclusive New England Unitarian Universalist, fighters for gay marriage, in other words a Liberal.

2. We happened to have been subjected to very similar rants while in NJ at My families.... All coming from FOX television.

3.Fran's family never was a big Christmas celebrating clan. They do save this time of year though for the biggest, long simmering fueds/battles.

That was only the tip of the iceberg of last weekend.

I am recovered. I'm ready to have some fun for the holidays...
You all know that with Fran holidays are not his thing. He might even be said to be against them.
I've been mentioning getting a tree and decorating it for about a week, with the response, No , not yet, too early. For a little greenery I made a boxwood wreath yesterday, yes very Mid-Atlantic elite of me.

Now I'm over it and moving on to the next thing which is the Xmas eve dinner.

I happen to love doing this. It all is planned around the big eve celebration in Woodstock.

I invite the group (friends) and you all know who you are. over for cocktails and some nibbles in the late afternoon. It's got to be early because the santa arrival on the village green is at 5:30, so we need a little lift before we head out into the cold to see what transportation Santa will arrive in... Here's someone's story from last year. As you can see it is a very elaborate affair and the entire town is there.

After that we all head to the house and start the feast. I like to loosely base it on the Italian vigili. In other words.... lots of seafood.

So that is where my head it at this morning. hope to update you all soon. with a menu once the planning is done.
There will be something with baccala and .... I'm not quite sure what else yet.

strange pattern ceiling dirt

If you got here by googling the above...

Congratulations on your poetic ability.

Sorry I can't help though, maybe it's mold?

Just when I thought that i would be able to relax and have a little bit of time to myself.... The In-Laws arrive.

A recap

We were in New Jersey to see my Mother and Sister for the holiday. They remain as crazy as ever. Fran thought worse I thought slightly, ever so slightly better. If we had tons of money it would be grey gardens...

So we're there for Fran's birthday, and we all go to Philadelphia to see this amazing show. and we have a great lunch at Delilah's, a place we manage to get to every time we are in Philly. We survive the trip and get home, and it's time to prepare for the arrival of Fran's parents. They come every year at this time. For Fran's birthday and guess what... it's both parents birthdays , too. and we celebrate xmas. So this will be a party weekend.

Some how I have manged to make enough room in my studio, they'll be sleeping here. I might not get to the computer while they have my space. I'll try to sneak away though.

Time for me to have a drink or two. Happy Holiday.

I have given up on editing my posts. I'm just happy that I manage to get something written with a minimal amount of whining.

how I have been spending my time

It seems like I have been spending weeks trying to fit the things from the shop into the new room. This week I think I have nearly finished. Well, finished enough so that people can actually come over and see stuff.


Some how I managed to do all of this while barely able to move because I totally twisted my back and pulled a muscle while unloading from the last Pier show.

All of that is past now. I'm still sore, but my mood has improved ever so slightly.

My next goal is getting the studio into functional shape. I really haven't had the time or been in the mood to even knit a hat. no knitting for 3 weeks. wow.

Somehow I have also gotten it into my head that it's time for us to have a pet. I found a cat online (it's at the local shelter) and then there is one who has been visiting from the neighbors house.... I thought of catnapping him before he's eaten by the coyotes. But then I start to itch. So even though Fran says if I want a cat I should get one, I think maybe I don't really want that itchiness in my life right now.

So.... I started looking at dogs. Everyone who knows me will realize this a big deal. But wait, what if we do go to Mexico for a month or two..... Would we drive down with the dog? I'm so confused. So unless the perfect dog falls into my lap no pet in the near future.

Thanks for putting up with this little yakkity yak post. I'm going to NJ for a couple of days (family visit) and I hope my mood improves.

Happy Thanksgiving

It seems that all of the plans for Thanksgiving in NYC fell apart. Intead we are home and I've cooked / am cooking a crazy amount of food... for 2.

I'm laughing about it.

Tomorrow we're up super early for day 2 of the show set up and then two days of the show. The last one of the fall seaon, hopefully we will get to Mexico in December.
I'm worn out. Hope you all are enjoying yourselves (even those not in the US)

I start to look at the older work when cleaning the studio

I have been feeling uninspired lately. I suppose that is a good thing since I have had so many little tasks to complete. I'm still working on all of that stuff.
Plus we leave Thursday a.m. for the show in NY and then home for 2 days and back for a second show over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanksgiving dinner will be at Cynny's apartment. We still need to figure out the menu.
Today since it is feeling cold and damp and rainy I am leaning to a traditional T-day menu. The event is a week away so it all may switch. I haven't forgotten the conversations that I've had with everyone about a non-traditional, based on the food of the Americas type of meal.

If you have arrived here via my favorite Canadian blogger, welcome. Do come back, I'm not always so boring, really.

Because something should be written here

From Strange Little Mama. thanks

You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.

No.
Explanations.

1. Yourself: loyal
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): detached
3. Your hair: thick
4. Your mother: wacky
5. Your Father: gone
6. Your Favorite Item: soft
7. Your dream last night: oooooh
8. Your Favorite drink: coffee
9. Your Dream Car: none
10. The room you are in: messy
11. Your Ex: who?
12. Your fear: mediocrity
13. What you want to be in 10 years? alive
14. Who you hung out with last night? FRAN
15. What You're Not? rich
16. Muffins: corn
17. One of Your Wish List Items: passap
18. Time: yes
19. The Last Thing You Did: cooked
20. What You Are Wearing: blue
21. Your Favorite Weather: transitional
22. Your Favorite Book: Melville
23. The Last Thing You Ate: dinner
24. Your Life: chaotic
25. Your Mood: calm
26. Your best friend: genius
27. What are you thinking about right now? art
28. Your car: lesbian
29. What are you doing at the moment? answering
30. Your summer: over
31. Your relationship status: long-term
32. What is on your TV? Fran
33. What is the weather like? rain
34. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday

who else will do this?

I am still around

This weekend saw the last of the scarves go. That part of my knitting machine life has gone.



The studio remains a gigantic mess. I have basically been spending my days huddled in the corner photoshopping images for the store website.

I've been knitting hats, too. every night sitting around and knitting a few rows on a group of hats, just fun silly stuff, things I keep forgetting to photograph.

The plan is to get back to the machines after Thanksgiving. (we're busy with shows until then). But when this show mania is past The machine will be set up and the old singer will be buzzing and I'll see what gets made.

So..... thanks to anybody who still might be dropping in here.
I'm still sane (somewhat) and I'm hoping that soon posting will be regular again.

Let's Vote

I'm up early today and I'm ready to vote.

Time for a change.

A quick post on a Monday

Most of the last week has been spent working on the new website for the "shop". I am trying to get the thing updated before all of the fall shows.

That means that I have been taking photos of stuff and working on it in photoshop, blah, blah, blah. In the middle of all of this I decided that I had better get glasses. I had my eyes examined and have a prescription for reading glasses, yes it's official no more cheap drugstore reading glasses for me I will actually have ones that are the correct magnification for each eye.

I've been looking at stuff on the studio wall


There hasn't been much added.

I've also managed to finish a hat. Unusual that I actually have a finished something but here it is....

modeled by Danny, on his last day working on stuff around the house this fall.

Somehow this doesn't sound like an accounting of all of my time since the last post. Still busy and boring.
and yes, my Sims are doing well, thank you for asking.

Somehow I thought that not being in a shop every day would give me time to do my own work and post to the blog.

It doesn't seem to be working out that way. I suppose it is all about adjustment. I've got to figure out a whole new way of being in the world now that I'm not in the shop.

In other words... I have been so, so busy.
It's the kind of busy that if I went into any detail about it you'd just click away to the next read.

Even Halloween was eventfully uneventful.

The meshing of everything into the house continues. ...

The big excitement is that our shed arrives today. That will help to clear a few things out.
I'm still trying to harness the energy in the chaos. It is a particularly wild ride..

Oh ... one other thing. I am back to an old addiction, Yes, everyone who knows me has probably been in fear of the day .....

I'm back on TheSims. Whoa, there goes a couple of hours.

Mess/chaos has its own energy

First off.... I just want to thank everyone who has been sending notes asking how and where I am. I'm not sure where I've been but I'm starting to feel like I am on the way back. Thanks to Tina (who is unfortunately blogless). She made a comment to me that the energy in the mess can be harnessed and used. So that is what I'm going to be trying to do.

I need to get back to the original point of this writing/blog - The studio wall.

Sometimes it isn't what I want it to be but, hey putting it out there is all a part of the process.

So....... Thanks you all for sticking with me. Who knows where this is going.

oh, and p.s. nice haircut.