Cold

It is cold here but the moon is so huge and bright. Beautiful!
Son in London is doing well. I hear London is a mecca for vegitarians so he is happy. He posted pictures of Bath, Stonehenge, the Military Museum he is interning at. All in all he seems to be doing well.

I have cabin fever. Badly. I go to work and come home, maybe with a side trip to Beyerly's to get some sushi rolls, or to a fabric store (like I need more fabric!). Just call me Hermit.

Lately I have been dreaming about summer. Walking down the country road by the cabin looking for agates. I am a rock hound to the nth degree. I have containers full of rocks, some good, some bad. Mostly agates but I only keep the big ones. I have rocks from Arizona, New Mexico, well, you name it, I have rocks everywhere. I do not know anything about geology, I just know what I like.

So, I am bored half to death. If I could just sleep all the time things would pass quickly. But I can't and I have a nasty habit of waking up by at least 4:30 - 5:00 a.m. Sometimes the days just seem so long I can't wait till nightfall comes. But this only happens in this second tundra on the right. Minnesota can be so beautiful, but also so bleak at this time of the year.

I am ready. Ready for spring and the cabin. Ready for long walks on dusty roads. Ready for green leaves and fishing.

Sigh. The furnace comes on once more.

Raggy Baggy

I need a hair cut. I am beginning to look like an escapee from Woodstock. Not that the hair styles then weren't the thing at the time. But I look shaggy. And now that I made a New Year's vow not to buy anything new until I am fitter, I feel a tad like a rag doll.

It is amazing how a new style or a new outfit make one feel so good. I think this is why women buy so many clothes. In our sometimes mundane lives, feeling wonderful because we look good is so important.

So, I think I will get a cut this weekend. Maybe something new and stylish. But I will have to think about it because if it is the wrong decision, I could wind up having to look like some chipmunk for a couple of weeks before my hair grows long enough to do the same old thing with.

Until then, I will have to curl, spray, rat, or do what ever it takes to make this mop of mine look somewhat acceptable.

Cheers to you all

This is not a cooking blog

Definitely not a cooking blog. Couldn't sleep. Got up finally at 3:45 a.m. and decided to make something. Scones!

I added everything, mixed and realized something is wrong. A quick re-check of the recipe shows I have forgotten an all important ingredient. Butter! Now I have this massive glob and have to mix the butter in. I have no idea if this will work but I did the best I could, cut the rolled out blob into scone shapes and I am waiting to see if they turn out. I guess my mind is someplace else, mostly wondering if Sam made it safely to London.

The timer on the oven rings. I take out the now golden brown rough looking blobs and actually, they look fine. I will try one and if it worked, I won't tell anyone that I messed up. Because really, who can mess up scones, right?

I should have put chocolate chips in them.

Good morning to you all. Have a scone.......

London Calling

Sam leaves for London today. I have had that on my mind for some time now. He tends to be like Phil in certain ways and forgets things he deems unimportant like where he put his wallet, or locking up his bike, etc. Yes, he is 22 and a man now, but I worry as he is my baby and always will be.

But on the other hand I envy him his adventure. I loved to travel and did well on my own. Spain, Portugal, Japan, DC, etc. I did meet people along the way (I have forgotten most of them), and tried to get away from military stuff most of the time. So I hope he has a grand adventure that he can bring to mind and savor all his life. It is a wonderful learning experience for him and I know that he will make the best of it.

But....my baby, my still smoothed cheek child will be an ocean and a culture away from the hugs of a somewhat over protective mother. Maybe that is the point. After this, my mothering will not be as important any more. All those years of protection, of soothing, of loving more than life will be like a wallet. Hopefully not laid aside and forgotten.

New Year

I wanted to say that 2009 was a year best forgotten. That there were so many things that caused conflict not only for my family personally, but the world at large. The economy tanked, unemployment soared, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq forced us to rethink our position in the world, climate change has become a huge issue, and rightly so, and we worry about our children making a place for themselves in a world that no longer seems as friendly as it did when we were their ages.

We spent the Christmas holiday in Arizona. Mostly at the bed side of my brother in law who was in hospice care. After some time of being ill, he found out he had Hepatitis C, probably for years, and didn't know it. He went through Chemo and was on the Liver Transplant list but things got so much worse that they took him off and sent him home.
Mark was a cowboy, a true cowboy. He was a construction foreman, had a ranch with horses, and he fell in love with my tall beautiful sister in law. Mark was a Viet Nam vet, raised two sons and was at the time in his life to start thinking about retirement. He died on Christmas Day just past noon. We will miss you Mark.

2009 also brought the break up of two friends. After 20 years, he decided he wanted more. It was such a shock and my dear girl friend Karen is struggling with the whys, the what did I do wrongs, and trying to start over at 55.

But 2009 did bring good things too. Weekends at the cabin with my husband, a dearly loved daughter graduating from college, a lovely visit from my sister from Canada who I don't get to see nearly as much as I would like to.
So there were some good things too.

2010 is starting out well so far. I have my lists of resolutions, none of which are so difficult I can't accomplish them. And the best so far is a new Grand Nephew who lives in Germany. I am making him a sock monkey so he knows that far away someone loves him very much.

I still have a job, Phil's company's work is picking up. My son leaves for London in a week or so. What an adventure!

But that is what it all is, one grand adventure. Some good, some bad, but exciting none the less.

Happy New Year to you all.