Life in the Bristolwood

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!

I was made aware that making comments on my blog was confusing.  Sorry about that! (Although I need to delete so many SPAM comments each and every day!) 

If you would like to leave a comment on my blog, all you need to do is to click directly on the title of the post. (I just posted an entry entitled Tired of Autumn Yet?  If you click on the title,  the page will reload with only that post. 

 As you scroll down, you will then find a little box in which you may write a comment . Merely click inside the box to get the cursor in there, then write your comment.

After you have said what you would like to say, just move on down and click  the Submit Comment box and your comment will then be added!

I hope this helps and looking forward to hearing from YOU!  (Spammers, stay away!)

Preface:  It actually took me about 4 hours (no, I didn’t work continuously, all at once on it!) to get all of the photos up on the previous post!  Our connectivity is spotty at best, here in the campground!

So….if you read my blog on a regular basis, you probably know that I sometimes refer to deer in the yard as “lawn ornaments”.  At times, they appear that way as they seem so comfortable grazing and making themselves at home in close proximity of the house. That’s in the Bristolwood.

But.

Take a look at this!

Mark spotted (haha, pun intended!)  this duo resting peaceably in front of a nice house.  In looking a bit more closely, it seems the little one on the right was actually nibbling at the decorative evergreen conveniently situated next to it!

We went a short distance and saw a pretty doe. It would seem she is getting educated!

Of course, there was the one deer who did not want to be photographed! Ever see a deer blow raspberries?

Yes, that is pretty redical, then!  After this disrespectful show, she went to work doing her lawn mowing….A car with an out of state plate on it came up and did something I had never seen before! An arm came out the window and the deer walked right up and ate out of the hand.  The car was behind us and I missed it, but Mark said it seemed so strange.  One thing that really made me wonder, though….with all this interraction going on between the humans and deer…I wonder if Lyme Disease is present in this area?

Oh my, what a birthday! My mom called early this morning to see if we might be coming to visit them today. I wasn’t sure, but after talking to Mark, we decided that would be fun.  We left home this morning and were on our way.

When we arrived at my parents’ home, we sat and talked in the back yard for a long time.  It is always so fun to walk around the yard as there is always something in bloom. We had fun talking until it was time to head to the Rod and Gun Club for dinner.  Yay! My birthday was on a Friday this year, so that meant we could enjoy a fish fry!

As always, dinner at the Rod and Gun Club was outstanding! We have never been disappointed by their food or service! After dinner, my brother, Randy, rode home with Mark and the kids. I went with my parents. We stopped at Coldstone Creamery where my parents told me to pick out an ice cream cake!  I picked a Cookie Dough Delirium Cake. 

 Mom, Dad, and I went home and we waited for over an hour before Mark, Randy, and the kids finally got home.  Randy had bought a small screenroom so I thought we should eat outside in the screenroom. After dinner,  Mark  and the kids had me open gifts they bought me at the dollar store. By this time, things were getting pretty silly! Mark told me about a gift he wanted to get me but he wants me to pick out what I want.

As we sat at the table,  I removed my temporary tooth because, well, the thing just outright drives me buggy! This sent my mother into waves of laughter, which in turn made me nearly crack, laughing hysterically.  Everyone else thought my mom and I were crazy, but oh, what fun we had laughing! After the ice cream, I began to feel chilly, so I thought maybe the tissue paper from my gift bag might insulate me, taking away the chill…..

Michelle really got into the action, stuffing tissue paper inside my sleeves and fashioning  a hood for me! The bright yellow thing in my hand is a duck keyring.  It has a push button on it that when activated, makes the little duck cast a bright light and it “quaxks”! It is so cute.

We didn’t leave until after 10pm.  I am bloging remotely, via the wee netbook. What a long and terrific day!

Well, sorta!

Happy Birthday, Anniversary….or whatever,  to my blog, which I began writing four years ago today!

Really, I am!

Things have been so incredibly busy and sometimes I feel like I am paddling backwards.  There seems to be so much to do and no matter how hard I try, I seem to fall behind! I shan’t whine and moan, though!

Michelle is continuing to do an outstanding job with her college studies.  She has taken quite a shine to accounting.  She told us that her professor scolded the class after grading the mid-term exams.  She said it was obvious most people didn’t study.  After class, Michelle went to talk with the professor and the professor assured her she had “nothing to worry about”.  Michelle had to wait a while before getting her exam back, but the instructor was right…Michelle scored 100%!

I haven’t taken a great deal of photos recently.  There has just been too much happening to even think about getting out with the camera.  So disheartening.

I do have some photos that I will try to post tomorrow. Til then….

Uh oh! I took so many photos going to my hometown of Jamestown, New York, that I decided to break this up into two separate blog entries!

We had planned to visit my parents and brother, Randy, the day after Christmas to celebrate.  It was not to be, though, as my mother caught a terrible cold that really hit hard!  I spoke to her every few days and she would tell me about the severe cough that seemed to linger, making life miserable and very tiring.  Thankfully, she began feeling much better the end of last week and the coughing was diminishing! (and becoming less “deep”)

We planned  our trip for yesterday and we couldn’t have asked for a better travel day!  It was a cold start…0 degrees. (F) As the day progressed, the temperature did warm up, but it was interesting watching the frost on the trees thicken as we headed into the higher elevations, then disappearing in the valleys!

I took a few photos as we got closer and closer to our destination. These are the places that I frequented in earlier days and I love.  This feels most like “home” to me….

Now,for a disturbing sign…..the first time I saw this billboard, I truly thought I dreamed it up!  I mean, it is soooooo graphic!  If I were a smoker and ever needed a good reason to quit, I think this sign might just be the ticket.  Every time I see it anymore, my eyes ache!

And from the strikingly graphic sign to one of the most picturesque farms I have ever seen…..

You must forgive the fact that all these photos were taken out the truck windows as there are signs all along the highway warning of “no stopping except for emergencies”.  I have taken so many photos of those barns out the windows with no success, but yesterday’s brilliant sky was the perfect backdrop and somehow, the photo wasn’t too bad!  Perhaps one of the reasons I am so attracted to this farm is the lovely yellow color, which is certainly a diversion from the typical “barn red”!

As we drove closer to Jamestown,  we could see a little change in the scenery…all of the pine trees looked like they belonged in a scene with a life-size Gingerbread House! They certainly had the “frosting”,  after all!

You can also see that the snow is definitely increasing in volume on the ground!  We finally reached our exit off the highway and I was so happy to be getting closer!  There was, however, one little side trip we had planned….

Now, if you have read here for any amount of time, you will realize that I find cemeteries not to be dreadful, scary places, but rather, some very attractive and beautifully peaceful spots to find remarkable photo ops!  I had seen some photos posted by a friend on Facebook that showed Lucille Ball’s grave marker.  I had wanted to visit there last fall, but we  never found the time.  I am so glad we didn’t, as the Lakeview Cemetery was amazing dressed in its snowy shroud!  I could have wandered about here for hours, but we needed to hurry a bit, as we were on our way to visit! So, for anyone who has laughed themself silly watching the I Love Lucy Show, the small town of Jamestown is very proud to hail as Lucy’s hometown!

The roads in the cemetery were plowed very narrowly and  don’t think I would have wanted to enter without four wheel drive! I had my little netbook propped in front of me with some very vague hints on how to find Lucille’s grave.  We drove right past it the first pass, but Mark said we should try once again.  Since the roads were so narrow, Mark needed to complete going around a loop because there was no turnaround and the snow was probably at least two feet deep! Oh, and by the way, this is a huge cemetery!

The above marker belongs to James Prendergast. He wa the founder of the city, thus the name, “Jamestown”!  I wish I would have photographed the writing on the front, as I cannot read it!

We also passed some other beautiful markers…..The Lady in Glass is a most awesome tribute!  There have been so many stories about this particular grave, but the bottom line is that the young lady’s father basically had the beautiful sculpture made to honor his daughter….

The grave is also beautifully landscaped with shrubbery around it, but the bushes were literally buried!

We made our way back up to the entrance and turned around, reentering the cemetery and Mark drove very slowly as I read the intstructions again.  We found the “Highland Section” and I got out of the truck and began looking….I was wearing a pair of very short boots and the snow came up above  my knees!  I counted the markers to the right, hoping I was aiming the right way.  When I saw this,  I knew I had found it!

This is a family plot,  listing Lucy’s father (Henry, of Scottish descent),  mother,  (Desiree),  Lucy, and her brother, Fred.

Under Lucy’s name is the  inscription, You’ve Come Home.

It was only after I had found the marker that I discovered a worn little path where others had visited Lucy’s grave!

Lucy was born in Jamestown but left as a tiny little girl. I read on the internet that she wanted to be buried in California, and was when she passed away.  In 2002, however, her children had her reinterred in the Lakeview Cemetery in Jamestown.  I was surprised that the grave marker wasn’t more elaborate, but it is much “fancier” than most modern markers.  The plot is located in an old section of the cemetery.

We made our way back out and were on our way to visit my family. 

We turned and headed south down Main Street….

Along the way, we passed S.G. Love Elementery School.  This is where I attended from Kindergarten through second grade….

We arrived and had a wonderful visit!  There is nothing as satisfying as visiting family and my mother fixed the most delicious meal!  We all ate until we thought we would burst!  

I will continue with my hometown visit in my next entry! 

was that I would try to post an entry each day here on my blog.

Phooey! I have no photos today! 

The kids and I went out early this  morning to deal with the snow so Mark could plow with the ATV.  While shoveling,  I must have pulled something in my back, or twisted funny, as my back grumbled a great deal the rest of the day.

I was able to find another fun activity, though…..namely, going through what seems like zillions of receipts for items bought this year. I checked them with the statements issued by the credit card company, as well as our bank statements.  I worked on these until I thought my eyeballs would spin out of their sockets.  I had just leaned back and thought how comforting my bed would be when Ben came to the rescue, offering to further help me.  We worked together for a couple more hours, sorting and filing until we both vowed we were going to open the window and just let them sail away in the bitter winds~

I also made some hot dog buns today.  I had bought some Kosher hotdogs that I like, but they are incredibly large.  No matter what kind of buns I have bought, they always seem to come up short.  So,  I actually made the buns from scratch, even kneading them by hand!  I made up a batch of eight, and when I removed them from the oven,  Ben and Michelle were both razzle-bedazzled by their beautiful golden color.  I made eight and we each had one.  Ben and Michelle said they were good, but Mark didn’t comment….he had spent some time in the garage today, working on a wood project with Michelle.  I had made a fire in the little Jotul out there so they were relatively warm,  but they both came in and went almost immediately to bed!

The weather is the big news here….seems snow is in the forecast….over and over! Hopefully, my back will straighten back out by tomorrow! As an aside, we only got about 6 inches of the fluff, whereas my parents saw nearly 36 inches! How I miss living in the snowbelt….

Better late than never, rght?

We celebrated this morning and opened gifts around the Christmas tree.  I think everyone was pleased with the goodies they received. 

We all puttered around until the afternoon when Mark decided we would have a non-traditional dinner of takeout Chinese! I was right there with him on this one as I just didn’t feel like cooking today!  Mark called around until he found a Chinese restaurant open in Geneva.

We drove out and picked up our food, then drove home and ate.  It was a nice diversion and much appreciated!

Once again, Merry Christmas to all my friends and readers here at the Bristolwood!!!

Have you noticed everywhere you go, people are wishing everyone “Happy Holidays!” instead of Merry Christmas?  Yeah, I know….don’t get your knickers in a knot…right?  It is just that it seems with every year that passes, Jesus is becoming less and less the center of the celebration. I guess the name of Christ is just so offensive, no one wants to utter it.

And, speaking of Jesus.  Well, when my father-in-law passed away,  we inherited his nativity set.  The nativity is beautiful but it takes up a good bit of real estate.  When one lives in a small house, it is hard to find empty flat surfaces to place such things.  This year, I found a cool solution when I really wasn’t looking!

I love this nativity! Yay! Takes up little space AND as an added bonus, it adds the element of fire!!! Yes, there is a place for a votive candle in a cup in the center.  This makes the fire gently wash upon the faces of the wise men, angel, and shepherds.  It really is pretty.

You might wonder where I have been and to tell the truth, no where in particular!  I have just been busy.  The other day, we took Michelle to school and dropped her off.  We then headed to Rochester.  On the way to Canandaigua, the skies were so pretty.  They looked like watercolor paintings.  Sorry about the smudges….those are Scottie snuzzles on the glass!

Michelle has completed her first semester of college and I am pleased to say she has done very well.  It is always a bit of a relief, as a homechooling family,  to get a good report from school.  Michelle will have her final grades the day after Christmas, but she is sure she has made the dean’s list.   She was excused from the final test in one class, as her average exceeded 100%. 

On Monday, I had to visit the dentist for three (argh!) fillings.  The dentist gave me two shots of novacaine in the upper front and then proceded to work on a small cavity on the bottom. When I nearly jumped out of the chair, he gave me one more shot.  I have a tendency to close my eyes and look as though I have stopped breathing, causing both the dentist and hygenist to keep questioning whether I am okay!  Of course I am….I am just *trying* to relax.  By the time I reached the receptionist,  I was so numb in the face,  I could barely talk!  The dentist came up behind me and massaged my neck. They all laughed,  saying he should have relaxed me BEFORE I got the work done!  Ah well….I smiled and told him “Another dental visit survived”!

Now, why I took the camera with me to the dentist is beyond me,  but when I came home,  there was a pileated woodpecker right behind the house.  These birds are so flighty, it is impossible to ever get a photo.  This time, the bird stayed put for awhile, but  I only had a short lens on the camera.  If you click twice to enlarge the photo, you can see the bird right in the center of the photo.

Ah, one more story about the shopping trip… As I awaited Mark and Ben to pick me up at Sam’s,  I heard an elderly woman ask one of the guys gathering carts for help unloading the heavy items in her cart.  Unfortunately, the wind was blowing and the guy didn’t hear.  I pushed my cart over and told her I could put her heavy items in the trunk for her.  She was glad for the help and told me about how her son and daughter-in-law were flying out today to China to pick up a little girl with Cerebral Palsy that they are going to adopt.  They have four children of their own, but wanted another child. She also told me her granddaughter had been accepted into the pre-med program in Syracuse.  She confided she was so excited….and so blessed, this year!  As I finished up,  she grabbed me and gave me a huge hug….

Don’t you wish everyday was Christmas?