Getting ready for company at last

Yesterday I made two crock pots of soups: chicken and noodles and hodgepodge.  The latter was entirely eaten last evening so I made another pot this morning.  It burbled away while I did another cold Italian salad to go with the brunch frittatas for tomorrow's arrivals. Notice the baby corn; I adore products from Jake and Amos, I think it is an Amish company.  Fell in love with their baby corn and the marinade in which they rest.  I could eat the entire jar.  All of their products are good but expensive unless you go to an Amish store, then the products are more than reasonable.  I ordered several from Amazon because I did not want to go into a store if I could help it.  So I paid more but they were delivered the next day right to my door. Love Amazon too. In this salad, I used the juice from the jar of baby corn and let it rest and mingle until Sunday morning when guests arrive for the first time since July 2019.  What a world. When I waved the July 4th guests good-bye last year I had no idea, nor did anyone, what hell we were in for and now it is upon us.

Guests, oh my

We are having guests Sunday, the first time in over seven months. I'm a bit giddy. Kathy is driving Miss Daisy...no, she is driving Joe and Glenda up here to Many Branches for the day.  I will have a nice hot frittata waiting for them along with a salad with all Italian ingredients. It is never the same and the ingredients change with whatever is on my shelves and in the fridge.  For dinner, I will have a lovely bacon-wrapped pork roast, roasted potatoes with multi-colored carrots which will be roasted with the pork.

We are in the middle of construction trying to recover from the new pipes syndrome which has left dust and grit all over the house. Normally, I would not have guests, even family, during that time but I think last July was the last time family was here.  Only three are coming, so it will be fun outside playing cards and having good food and catch-up time. Oh, drinks might be in order as well.

ahhhhh the dust, the dust

Celebrities have never much interested me.  However, I did follow Martha Stewart when she first started out.  I admired her work ethic but not her stiff way of speaking.  She was trying to shed the New Jersey girl speak and was often seen as stilted and pompous while trying to shape a new way of presenting herself. I bought and watched and rewatched her first set of videos.  Sometimes weekend guests would visit (a lot) and I would cook Martha dinners which was very laborious, a bit like her speech pattern.  One Thanksgiving the company and I dressed the turkey in puff pastry and it looked perfect and was delicious to boot.  But it is not something I will ever do again. Anyway, Martha rode high for a long time and worked very hard pinching other people's ideas on occasion without giving them credit or so the press said, and you know the media is always right.  Lately, however, she's struggled to be important again in the TV sector.  But, I think she has found her niche on HGTV channel 52 (I think) in Columbus.  It takes place on her pristine farm and it is a garden show.  Andy and I liked it very much and she even told jokes--one about her husband.  She said couples who garden together stay together but not my husband, he ran away. (He actually did leave her and was it messy!) She said, 'I used to assign him garden duties and he would lay down in the grass and listen to classical music.' She did not think much of his gardening skills although she did tend to be critical of everyone who wasn't her.  Now she is more comfortable in her situation... loose and more comfortable in speech and demeanor and I think this show may work out for her.  She is a very good teacher and prides herself instructing others often and clearly. I think Snoop Dog has caused her to lighten up either that or its the weed. They are an unlikely pair but enjoy their time together. Strange, the connections we make with people in our lives. 

If you follow my blogs you know about the new pipes and the big cut-outs in my ceilings.  The powder room is the worst and a guy has just torn it to smithereens and is still working on it as I write. This blog gives me an outlet so I don't run screaming down Cooke Road. None of us like messed up houses and all dread construction and I have had enough of it done over the 34 years we have lived it.  I can't think there can be that many more surprises in store for us.  I've talked to The Lord about it and I think he agrees, we've had enough all the way around this year. Yet the hammering continues, the dust is still flying, and I have my night work ahead of me...that includes the shop vac and the mop. I bet you are wishing you were me. lol

Note:  I do have time to read and the book I am reading now is really, really good.  Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate.











                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Almost back to normal

Things are getting back to normal.  Right now there is not a plumber in sight, Bella is at the vet having 17 tiny teeth pulled (a problem with Yorkies), and, Dino arrived last night to assure me he can put the house back together and will leave no holes to worry about, plus he is spray painting the pergola. All is right with the world...well, maybe not.

Another happy note is David, JD, and Johnna are coming for Thanksgiving.  I think we will make it a blow out and celebrate all that has gone missing these last seven months. It will be my 83rd birthday as well and, oh, Beth's birthday is that month too. It makes me happy to think about us all getting together.  I will see what the plans are in Cincinnati too. It could be a really big house full of fun.

I am out of the cooking mood today, so everyone must shift for themselves unless I get an urge for spicy shrimp alfredo which is tempting. I've worked pretty hard chasing dust, mopping, and trying to have some cleans rooms until Dino starts working on Saturday. Then the grit and dust return with a vengeance.

Life is good considering the alternative.

Shrimp in alfredo sauce with marinated carrots

Pounding and sawing and hauling oh my

I need to distract myself from two guys taking down some of my ceilings in order to get new pipes in place.  The old ones are 82 years old and they have started problems.  I already have a man scheduled to do the fix-up work, the plaster, the drywall, and the painting.  He is coming tonight to look over the project. Hopefully, the WaterWorks will be gone along with the troubled old pipes .

I have some lovely BQ country pork ribs in the crockpot which will be served over thin noodles for dinner, along with a salad. That Kroger meat run yesterday is serving us well.

I don't want to look at the powder room, they have been in there for hours.  It makes my stomach churn.  I like things running smoothly with no surprises.  Guess that request is out the window.

The guys have accomplished the new pipes and boy were the 82 year old pipes a rusty mess.  So, we are good to go but now every room in the house must be cleaned due to the grinding and the fall out.  Oh well, it could have been worse.  We could have called a different company and had to deal with the sales' pitch for things we did not need.  WaterWorks has integrity.

Many Branches

I feel like the Pioneer Woman must feel when she is out living in the middle of nowhere. She does find ways to entertain herself and others just as I did today.  I actually got excited about spending half an hour in Kroger just in the meat and produce parts of the store this morning.  Andy had the get away car washed and got me an iced capp at Tim Hortons and by then I was ready to be picked up and eager to get home to cooking. The Kroger meat department at Graceland is a hidden gem.  Their meat department is pristine and inviting and today I walked right in and filled my cart with wonderful things.  They had the little fillet steaks, bacon wrapped, two for eight dollars which is a bargain.  Nate, my grandson, works outside all day and he starts off every morning with steak and eggs.  (By the way, he leaves the kitchen looking like he had never been there which I totally appreciate.) 

Tomorrow, WaterWorks hopefully completes its job of new pipes for the Mother-In-Law Suite.  They have cut holes in three rooms so far and then that will be left to be repaired and painted.  Construction is destruction as I well know. But, those pipes are 82 years old and we knew it was coming sooner than later.  I am going with the flow, not getting excited or worried about what will be.  It is what it is and it has to be done.  We love this home and will do pretty much anything to keep it up and pretty.

Tonight we are having corn on the cob and salmon.  I have a lot of choices since my Kroger run, but that's the one that appeals to me today.  It is easy and delicious.

We were so lucky to have three year old Madeleine spend an over-night Saturday.  Her mother had to call to have her come home because no one wanted to release her.  She is such a joy. Mike and Beth made a tent for her to sleep in, but Mike ended up having to sleep in the tent and Madeleine slept in the bed with Beth.  Who would have ever thought Mike would be so besotted with a child? Well, we all are.

Thursday Bella gets dental surgery, Friday I get my hair done, Saturday Beth, Mike, Andy and I are going to an open house couples shower in Cincinnati.

I hope you are all well and happy and hanging in there with interesting ways to keep you entertained...TV news will not be one of them.

Waiting like birds in the wilderness

Like birds in the wilderness here we sit waiting for WaterWorks to come to fix some pipes in one of the bathrooms.  Is this the period of time when things begin breaking one by one?  One Christmas in our other house ten things broke in a very short period of time: the sweeper, the dishwasher and on and on.  I hope this is not a sign of what is to come, although, hell is breaking loose all around us according to the news. Next Saturday we are to venture down to Cincinnati to a couples shower for Andrew and Brittany. Guests come in groups at two-hour spans but still our group will be at least (with) 20 people.  I have not been near that many people since January.  I may be becoming a recluse.  I love the couple who have postponed their wedding and parties three times so far, but I am not looking forward to the chances we are taking.

On a happy note, the weather has been glorious.  It's a true summer this year with no great temperature changes or awful storms. And, it is still summer for more than a month.

I have not cooked today due to waiting for the plumbers.  I don't want to be in the middle of something and have to hike to the second floor or the basement or wherever the warren of pipes lead. I don't want to know how it works, I just want it to work.

Mike is excited, tonight we may have an overnight guest if she can work it in her schedule; Madeleine may be packing her bag as we speak for a sleepover at Many Branches. (She's three and says white milk frustrates her.) She should try waiting for plumbers.

Summer beauty

The beauty of summer.    Really, is there anything prettier?...well, yes, when the bacon is added.  Andy and I enjoy the basil leaves instead of lettuce.  It adds another dimension of flavor.

I am thinking of a trip to Amish country in Plain City.  I like so many of their products like baby beets, their deli cases filled with wonderful choices at reasonable prices and their bread, and their dried pasta selection is incredible.  I checked to see and they are open today.  Beth is wanting to step out and that may be the answer...a trip to Amish country. (I am thinking. I am convincing myself to take a ride.)Oh, yes, there will be sweet corn and tomato stands along the way. That does it.   We are going!

waxing nostalgic two

Once I get a memory in my head it leads to many others waiting in the shadows. If you have read the blog before this you will know a page out of my past, but just a small one. I only spent two or three years in the little town and then my father had saved his money and bought a large 50-acre farm with a wonderful farmhouse, a cottage, and a glorious barn for way under $1000.  In the distance was a long, low chicken house. (My niece Nancy gave me the watercolor shown at the bottom of this essay of this wonderful place.) Wonderful once my mother and father got ahold of it and turned a disaster into a beautiful space.  I remember weekends were always spent there in the brambles and neglect and then on Sunday going back to our other place to work hard on the jobs and to look forward to the weekend of work ahead. Then, after a year, it was done up and in we moved. The wonderful town of Malta/McConnelsville was a delightful experience with kind people and a tight knit community. I don't remember a mean person in all the years we spent there. He sold that place when I was in college for $13,000.  That was a bargain.

I was just finishing up my 7th grade and wanted to take a Saturday in Zanesville before we left for good.  I needed to make a purchase.  I had saved my money, but it didn't cost a lot anyway, I needed my first bra and my parents were not into introducing me to the private things of life.  I had to deal with those problems myself.  I could do it because I was brave enough to fire my babysitter at the age of five and watch myself so that I would not have to suffer another witch like the one cast upon me. So off we went for the last shopping time in Zanesville.  I headed for the Five and Dime to buy a bra...the smallest they had by the way.  They are called training bras now and many girls get them way before 7th grade. The price tag read 69 cents and then it was mine. I wore it every day with pleasure even though I didn't really need it.

                                                                    

Waxing nostalgic

When Andy and I were in our lawyer's office hashing out the details of our will, we also discussed kids and schools--all the normal things people chit-chat about.  The lawyer was trying to come up with a number that he should send to his son, a Freshman, every month as an allowance.  He did not know if he should give him $500. or $600. dollars a month. Laughing and hiccupping, both he and Andy became concerned about my reaction even though Andy had an idea why I found those numbers so ludicrous. When I was a Freshman at Otterbein I had no allowance, everything was included in the price my father had to pay; room, food...the usual. How he paid it I have no idea.  Oh, he had a job, he always had a job and so did my mother.  Other people at Otterbein seemed to have money for bits and bobs, but I did not.  So I wrote to my mother and asked if she could possibly send me two dollars a week.  She was so good to me and I now appreciate that amount of money that she sent every single week until I was finished with that part of my life. I also had $11. dollars a month for working in one of the professor's office typing and filing.  We were poor and I never realized it because my parents worked hard and made a living for the four of us...a family of four. I never felt left out and I knew instinctively what the limits were for me as far as asking for money or anything connected with money. Having written that, every Saturday as a child, our outing was to Zanesville for shopping where I was allowed to spend a dime in the Five and Dime store.  One day I wanted an extra item and threw a fit that I still remember and insisted on items costing twenty-five cents. I got my way but I am still sorry about that. I remember worrying about Mother finding her way to the stores, Zanesville seemed so big to me when actually everything was on one main street.  There were two big department stores with walnut cases and sale's ladies in black dresses and pearls. Webers and Binzes (sic). That's not the correct spelling of that store.  But, they were mighty fine, well-run establishments. I am just saying you never know when conversations about money can trigger memories both good and bad.  Mine, luckily, have always been good. I wish I could tell my parents thank you.  I never said it enough and it is now too late.  Think about it.

Busy day

I am moving up my monthly maintenance program today before they close everything down again.  I read that California is closing the businesses that just opened in an effort to stop the spread, so I imagine that we won't be far behind. Columbus always waits to see a program fail and then it sets it in motion here. Bella's vet could not operate on her because her assistant tested positive for the virus.  They tested that same person a few days later and the test was negative...same person, same test, different results, but it set the entire vet hospital in an uproar and dozens of animals paid the price of not getting the operations that they needed.  So, I am going to try to get everything done, safely, today, and then hunker down for another siege.

The family has been eating well I must say.  Every day I look for something special to cook.  Beef is so expensive that I usually opt for another meat, fish, or chicken...or pasta.  They all love pasta and I have so many varieties on hand.  Same for rice.  The pantry is full.  I think today it will be a special touch on mac & cheese.  I usually put pepperoni in. But today (the cooked together)Bob Evans zesty (hot) sausage is the star with, chopped onions, bell pepper, cilantro, drained chili peppers chopped, Jack cheese, cherry tomatoes, sriracha, cumin, and chili powder cooked and added to the prepared mac and cheese. Whew!  Let's see how that turns out. I should probably tell you this after I make it to see if it turns out, but like Columbus, we forge ahead into possible disaster. 

Chili Onion Crunch was the talk at the salon today.  It's from Trader Joe's and I look forward to trying it.