Life in the Bristolwood

I think I would like to just have the world slow down until Christmas.  I REALLY need a break!!!!!

Each day, our temperatures seem to be bottoming out lower and lower.  This is scary for those with meager income…I cannot imagine living without our wonderful woodstove, but I know many folks cannot have a stove or are shivering in their homes, unwilling to turn the thermostat up.

While the cold can present some problems, it has made the atmospheric conditions perfect for photographs!

These photos were taken mostly this morning with the exception of the sunset this afternoon.

 Everyone who lives in or near New York State knows that Buffalo(and points south)  have always been considered the “armpit of the state” when it comes to winter weather.(Snow. Snow. Snow!)  I will never forget when I worked in New York City.  One day, my boss called me into his office.  Fearfully wondering what I did wrong, I walked into the office only to have my boss roar with laughter as he related a story he heard on the news the night before.  It seems the City of Buffalo was sending their copious amounts of snow by railway to my hometown to dump into the Chadakoin River.

The reason Buffalo is the brunt of many a joke is because it sits on Lake Erie.  As the cold northwest winds blow in from Canada,  moisture is picked up passing over the lake  and then drops down on Buffalo and the Southtowns in the form of snow.  It isn’t a mystery and it usually is a pretty sure thing in the winter.

Mark found a(nother) snowmobile that was for sale in “Snow Country”, so yesterday we took a ride to pick it up.  We now have three sleds that cost less than one brand new one would run. 

I took a few photos along the way…some out of the window, and some more out and about.  As you will see, the snow offers such a wonderful backdrop!

How’s that for a title?  Let me tell you, that is precisely how life feels right now.  Every day, it seems there is some new plot/ploy/scheme in which I am conned into playing!  Well, it isn’t that bad, really, as it sure beats sitting around like a couch tater!

Yesterday afternoon, I got to meet in person a blog friend who lives not too far from my home!  We got together at one of her favorite places to eat, called Simply Crepes. 

 I was about ten minutes late for our one o’clock meet, but let me tell you, Jeanne and I chatted away like we’ve known each other for ages!  We giggled and laughed and ate the most incredibly delicious crepes!

Jeanne selected a tasty-looking Thai Beef Crepe….

While I opted for (yeah, Mrs. Spicy….that’s me!) a Buffalo chicken crepe.  It was fabulous! Mmmm!

I love the decor in this store. I am always trying to do the umexpected when it comes to decor.  For me to walk into a room full of furniture in which everything matches perfectly,  I feel like I am in a showroom.  I *like* mismatched pieces and feel much more at home with styles and designs that might just contradict one another.  (I am sure there must be a test somewhere that would analyze such characteristics!)  When I looked up and saw crossbraces supporting the floor above the ceiling with chandeliers hanging below,  I really, really liked this place!

A cozy mantel, complete with  fireplace just added so much to the atmosphere!

I love the red and gold Christmas theme placed on the mantle as well!

Our waitress was a delight. She was amazed Jeanne and I were meeting for the first time and she laughed and had fun right along with us! Now, where might the photo of Jeanne and me be? Oops! For that, you need to take a peek at Jeanne’s blog ! Yes, although I had my Nikon with me, Jeanne was more forward thinking in having our very accommodating waitress snap a shot of the two of us!

This meeting was such a treat!  Jeanne was the same in person as she is in her blog….a personable, caring, sharing person!  And the best part?  Well…this just might become a tradition!

This afternoon, we left home-sweet-home to do a few running around chores.  Those chores were all to the north of us and while we (argh!) live two miles from a ski area and have been getting no snow, we certainly saw some today!

These photos, save the very last one, were all taken as we drove westward from Palmyra towards Rochester along Route 31. 

That last photo was taken at a plaza where we stopped. As you can see, the snow was falling at a pretty healthy rate! I think Mark was grateful to arrive home safely from our journey…the major roads were snow-covered and people were driving very slowly except for the crazies that came flying past every now and then, looking like the pavement was clear and dry!

I was very happy to walk into a warm and cozy house. I will never tire of our fantastic woodstove!

Well, once again, I am in a rather “stale” mode; or is that “stall”?  I’ve not been inspired to take any photos the past couple of days.  Today, however, I did have somewhat of an excuse. The wind has been howling mercilessly the entire day…I am convinced that were I to take a camera out in this, it would either shake so badly, all my images would be grossly distorted, or, (worse scenario) the camera would sail right out of my grip and fly into the atmosphere!

Today was a very boring day with the highlights being the food we consumed.  And it was not all that exciting!

My Amish friends have been on my mind a lot the past couple of days.  They are being faced with some whopping big bills from their little Susanna’s birth.  Since the Amish do not subscribe to insurance,  the price tag seems a bit insurmountable in my book.  If you are inclined, please keep my friend’s family in your prayers.  I know they are greatly appreciated!

Hopefully I will be getting out and doing some photos again soon.  My poor trigger finger is itching badly!

No, I’m not in possession of a time machine or any such thing, but when I visit my Amish friend, Eunice, I feel as though I am going back in time!

Although I don’t have any really interesting photos from today, I like this one.

These tiny pines were nearly covered up under a blanket of snow!

I drove on down to visit with Eunice and was surprised to see that tiny little Susanna who began life weighing only one pound, fourteen ounces, is now a hefty six pounds!  The wee little lass is now the size of many newborns!  She is really beginning to grow like crazy and Eunice said the public health nurse said she no longer deems it necessary for home visits to see Susanna’s progress!

Eunice and I visited and chattered  while her fifteen-year-old sister-in-law did the family’s laundry, washed dishes, and swept the floor.  She was so incredible, silently performing the tasks at hand with no hesitation and an ease that would convince an observer she had been doing such work all her life.  I am sure Eunice takes great comfort having another set of hands around to help with not only the baby, but two-year-old Chris as well.  Her sister-in-law lives with her parents a short distance from Eunice and Noah’s house.

We had such a nice visit and Eunice confided that were she to have a vehicle (which would never happen as the Amish cannot own a vehicle) she would get out more often!

I know many folks suffer from depression during the winter months when daylight and sunshine are at a premium, but I find myself envigorated, regenerated,  and just feeling so good.  The short days don’t bother me and when the darkness creeps in earlier and earlier in the day,  to me, it almost feels like a cozy warm blanket covering me, making me feel snuggly and satisfied.  I find no sense of guilt putting my labors to rest earlier than in the long days of summer.

This morning, as we drove Michelle to school,  we had to stop at the other end of our road.  Sometimes photography is mandatory, after all!

The beauty of such a sunrise just speaks volumes to me of a Creator who delights his creation with colors and textures to excite one’s very soul.

Mark and I dropped Michelle off at school, then I had to run into Lowe’s to grab a paint pad. I smiled as I saw their offerings of snowblowers all lined up in front of the store.

Mark suddenly felt an urgency to head on home. The small amount of snow we have received has excited him to no end,  making him feel  anxious to ride those new snowmobiles.  So anxious, as a matter of fact, he talked me into climbing on board and taking the sled for a spin around the yard! It was truly fun, but I was so unprepared, wearing a skirt and no hat or gloves! (What must the neighbors have thought?…..Aw, who cares, anyway? )

After my maiden voyage on the sled, Ben got his turn.  Being 100% boy, Ben loved riding the machine and within just a short time,  looked as though he had been riding for a long time!

Michelle advised me the above should be our Chistmas card this year!

Well, here is to more snow and more fun in the snow!  We cannot ride the snowmobile trails in New York state until after December 20, when hunting season ends.  Not wishing to hurry time any faster than it naturally flows,  I must admit I am a little excited myself.  We plan to join a local club and go on rides with other folks from the area.

Yesterday’s weather felt nearly “balmy”.  It was warm. And rainy. It was a pretty miserable day with gray skies that never went away the entire day.  We were told substantial rain was coming but while I waited for the kids to be done with their classes, it was mostly just windy.

I am going to digress off topic and add a most strange and unusual story.

Ben and I decided to go to a store to look for curtains for his room.  We looked around the store, then left so I could drop Ben off for his class.  I walked on to the truck….the wind was so brisk, it nearly hurt your head as it parted your hair!

Ben called me over.  I kept walking, turning my head to look at him and he insisted I come to him and look.  I walked over to see him standing in front of a shopping cart.  In the cart was a very expensive looking Etienne Aigner purse.  Ben asked what we should do.  He picked the purse out of the cart, but it was empty, save for one of those tiny silicone packs one finds in new leather goods.

I told Ben to get in the truck and I would take care of the purse.  I dropped Ben off at school, then looked at the purse.  Being a non-smoker, the first thing that struck me was that it smelled….horribly!  The purse was very smoky smelling.

I went back to the store where we had found the purse and asked if anyone was missing a purse or if they sold a purse like that.  Both answers were no.  As I looked at the purse once again, I wondered why every zippered compartment was wide open.  I wondered if the purse had been snatched from someone, so I decided to take it to the police.

I drove to the sherriff’s headquarters.  The woman inside the office told me that the plaza where the purse was found was in the jursdiction of the Canandaigua police department.  I walked over to the city headquarters.  The woman in the office there said the sherriff’s department was who would handle this.  Argh!  The woman at the desk did me a great favor and called to let the deputy know I was coming! (I found out there is a thin line (perhaps literally?) between the city and county jurisdiction in that particular area.)

I walked back to the sherriff’s office and was eventually met by a deputy who took my information.  He asked of I checked with the store where the purse was found and when I told him I did, he said it looked like someone had stolen the purse, then deposited it in the shopping cart.  Interesting…it was very clean inside, but had mud splattered on the outside.  It also smelled terrible.

I laughed and told the deputy I was so dizzy from walking back and forth between the departments, I was considering just taking the purse home and forgetting it!

I told him it looked very much like a purse a store across the highway might sell. He said he would check with them and if they did not claim it,  they would hold it for thirty days, then I could have it.  He said he would call and let me know what happened today but I never heard from him.  I figured the store would be glad to get it back into their inventory if it was stolen from them.  Never having had “sticky fingers”,  I felt funny even holding the purse after the deputy said it looked to him as though it had been stolen!

After my little “runaround” with the strange purse, I just wanted to relax, so I parked by the lake and sat for a long time.  As I sat there, the darkness came in quickly! The rain also began to fall.

Yes, even my phone verified it was raining. hahaha.

When I awakened this morning, the wind was still blowing powerfully.  As I looked out back, the lid from the hot tub was lying about ten feet away from the tub!  I went outside to put it back on and was instantly aware of noise!  It was not just the noise of wind.  It was water. 

As I looked at our trails in the woods, there was water rushing down like wide ribbons wound through the trees!  I woke Ben up and he set to work making sure all the culverts were clear.

Ben had everything in order within about half an hour, raking some sticks and rocks out from ditches.

So…

The weatherman said snow was on the way.

By mid afternoon…

I loved watching the little squirrel eat his lunch. The little bugger nearly disappeared as he “tunneled” through the snow looking for his stash!

Yes, we went from warm and balmy to snow in less than a few hours!

No, I have been here. I have just been overwhelmed by day to day life in general.  As I watched the days passing by one after another,  I decided I would wait until December first to begin posting once again.

In all honesty, life has been so full of this, that, and the other thing, I just thought a break would be beneficial to my overly-stimulated brain cells!  I keep bumping into myself coming and going and I was feeling a bit “fragile” to be perfectly frank.  Life has been one activity followed by another…most not lending themselves to my photography addiction and that made me feel so distraught! 

Soo….where do I begin?

Well, a couple of weeks ago, Ben and I began working on painting his bedroom.  Poor Ben. He had been given a small room and it was painted a (very!) pale pink color on the walls.  I loved that pink, as it really didn’t appear to be pink. When Ben was about ten, he decided pink was not his choice of color.  Taking matters into his own hands (quite literally, indeed!) he worked frantically, using an office stapler to mount newspapers and old maps to cover what he insisted was a hideous color.

Ben learned how to not only spackle, but also repair walls with some major flaws in them! He worked for a long time, removing those small staples and filling in the holes.  He had also made some larger holes in the walls so he learned how to repair those as well. 

After visiting the home centers a few times and bringing home scads of color chips to mull over, Ben decided on a color called “Fretwire”.  *as in the wire used to form the frets on a guitar*  I thought the color might also be called buckskin, as it reminds me of that color. (really dating myself here…remember when there *weren’t* zillions of colors available?)

Here is a photo of the freshly painted room.

This photo seems a little light to me, but you can see it looks very nice with the moulding and floor. Too bad. Well, about the floor, anyway, as Ben wants to put down some carpeting.  Argh. Oh, hey, Ben’s ceiling isn’t boring white, either!  The color is Swiss Coffee.  Doesn’t that sound like something one would want to awaken to?

Mark and Ben have some plans for building a bed and finishing the room.  I will show photos as the room progresses.

This is the time of the year when we begin to think about decorating.  One of the projects we undertake is a Christmas wreath on Mark’s dad’s grave.  Al really loved Christmas, so this is really special. This year, I asked Mark if we might try doing the wreath ourselves.  We usually go to a business across the road from the cemetery, but I thought we might try our hand at this.  As it worked out, we bought a gorgeous wreath from Wegman’s.  The only thing I had put on at this point was the bow. (and yes, most always a lovely plaid!)

Michelle saw me decorating the wreath and thought she might like to give this a try, so I stepped aside. This is what she wound up creating.

I was thrilled with the end result, as was Mark.  The most surprising outcome of our do it yourself effort is that it cost about one-half of the price we typically spent.  And, it had a lot more decorations!

Thanksgiving was the 25th of November this year.  Carly had asked if we wanted to join her and her family at her in-laws’ home this year. Wow, Carly offered to make the entire feast (with lots of helo from her three kids) and I wasn’t about to let an offer like that go! 

Madeline and Cy are the most awesome hosts and we spent the hours talking and laughing, sharing stories and just having so much fun!  Carly and the kids were bustling about in the kitchen when we arrived and it was awesome watching them work!

So, here are some photos of the most awesome feast!

That turkey could not have been any more perfectly browned! It looked like something from a magazine!!! (Carly used some recipes she had found in magazines to prepare this amazingly executed fare.)

Carly spent so much time creating this fit-for-a-king meal.  The bread used in making the stuffing was made by Carly! Carly’s Sarah has an allergy to soy and soy-based products, so Carly is careful about making food without those culprits.  It is tough sometimes, but she has been doing it long enough that it isn’t so taxing anymore.

Oh my, those devilled eggs were good! Carly made the mayonnaise used in making them as well since most mayonnaise contains some soy or soy products. The stuffing to the left of the eggs was awesome with cranberries and pecans included! On the very left of the photo is the delicious cranberry sauce she made.

By the way, isn’t that table elegant?  Madeline had created a most beautiful atmosphere in which to enjoy the meal! I loved the colors….everything really was picture-perfect!

The one dish I loved that I probably overate on was Brussel Sprouts and grapes.  I thought the combination really different, but it was lip-smacking good!

Oh, the rolls behind the Brussel Sprouts and Grapes were my (humble) contribution.  Carly had initially asked me to make an apple pie, but later asked if I could bring rolls instead. I love making rolls, so I was happy to do so.

Mmmm….there was rice with cranberries as well. There were amazing bite-sized biscuits with Chai and cranberries and simply amazing mashed potatoes with celery root.

The flowers on the table just added to this special meal!  Everything was fantastic!  I enjoyed this day so much. It was obvious that Carly and the kids had put a lot into this special holiday. Carly also made the most scrumptious pumpkin pie!

After a most filling meal, the women retreated to the kitchen to put away leftovers.  The kids went to the family room to enjoy some Wii games and Mark and Ben visited with Cy for quite some time. Cy had set up his bass guitar, thinking Ben might like to give it a try.  Ben thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity and was impressed by some things Cy showed him and Mark.

It seemed like the time flew by…as always, times flies when the occasion is enjoyable!

Thanks again, Madeline, Cy, Carly, and all who contributed to make this day one of the most memorable ones we have enjoyed!  I am just sorry this is so late!