Apple Picking and Other Shenannigans

 Joe and I went up to Vermont today to visit some friends and go apple picking!  We went to breakfast with Sarah and Penny, and then went to meet Emily and Jon at Basketville.  It is apparently a tourist attraction, and it certainly provided us with some good solid entertainment.  Probably our favorite things in the store were the wicker animals.  

Yes.

Wicker.

Wicker dinosaur.

Wicker Lobster.

Wicker moose.

Wicker giraffe.

And, easily our favorite, the wicker shark.  We inquired about the prices of the wicker animals only to find that, alas, they were not for sale.  The man in Japan who made them has died.  So sad.

After the wicker wonderland, we made our merry way to the orchard.

There were reindeer!  They liked to eat apples from your hand.

They also liked to get nose goo on my lens.

Reindeer butt.

Pretty reindeer.

There were also horses.  If you look closely, you can see me in the horse's eye.

Horse butt.

This horse took a particular liking to Jon and followed us a little ways down the hill.

Penny decided there was a better way to get down the hill than walking...

                     

Once we found the apples we wanted, Emily discovered the first really pretty one of the day.

Then I found a pretty one of my own.  I have already forgotten what variety of apple it is.  It was very yummy though. 

Sarah liked to pick the Galas because those are her favorite.

More pretty apples.

Joe quickly figured out that the best apples were high up in the trees.

Joe and I!

The orchard had several ladders available for our use.  We didn't use them though, since climbing apple trees is way more fun than climbing ladders.

See?  I told you.  Look how much fun we're having!

Sarah and I have pictures of us in a tree from just about everywhere we go.  Today was no exception.

Emily got into the tree climbing action as well.

Multitasking...hi Miss Annie!

The weather was crazy.  One minutes it was really hot and sunny, the next would be dark and breezy.  And in case you think I am trying to fool you, don't worry...I know these aren't apples.

I took a picture of Jon taking a picture of a tree.  I am like a picture-taking ninja.

The whole gang!  Emily, Jon, Penny, Sarah, Me, and Joe.

There was a pumpkin patch on the property as well, though the pumpkins left a little bit to be desired.  The vines were really cool.

Penny and I took a ride together.  Weee!

We were not sure what these were. But they were brightly colored.  And shiny.

Joe kept telling me to stop taking pictures and pick some apples, so here is proof that I did in fact pick some apples.

Of course Jon climbed a tree as well.  Just before I snapped this photo, Emily told Jon to show her "angry".  I'm not convinced.

Another pretty apple.

The whole gang again, this time on a giant apple crate.

After apple picking, we went to Jon and Emily's house to meet their dogs.  On the way there, we saw this.  Only in Vermont.

This little girl stole Joe's heart.  He's wanted a bulldog for a while, and meeting her convinced us both that bulldogs are great.

When we got back to Sarah and Penny's house, we made a pie.  Joe and I did not get to taste the pie, since we had to drive home and feed our own dog.  Tomorrow we will be making our own freshly baked apple pie!

Our next goal is pumpkin picking...

Bad Blogger.

I realize I have been neglecting my blog as of late. I did cheat a little by posting several youtube videos that helped me waste some time the other night.

Admit it, you liked them.

I promise you I have several posts at least partly written that are saved as drafts and waiting to be finished and published. Generally I update my blog on my days off, but this coming week my day off will be devoted to creating an entirely new website for my store. I know, I know...I've already completely redesigned my website once already. But I was never as happy with it as I felt I could have been, plus it's wicked expensive to host my online store where I do now. I have since discovered a new site that has great layouts (so I don't have to stress out over creating my own) and is totally affordable. I will have to switch to using paypal as a means to accept credit cards, which I am not totally sold on, but I can't ignore the savings I will see by switching sites. As soon as it is up, I will post a link here so you can go check it out for yourself. I will be begging everyone I know for input as well as help spreading the word, so be prepared. ;)

As for right now, I am very tired. For the past few weeks (this week having been the worst) I have been battling what I am almost positive is another kidney stone. I drink a lot, I pee a lot, and in between I curl up in a little ball on the couch under my blanket with my dog next to me. Thank god at least my favorite tv shows have started back up again and can act as a very good distraction.

This weekend I will be going apple and pumpkin picking in Vermont with some friends, so cross you fingers that my damn kidney simmers down a bit and gives me a weekend off.

I have the itch again for another tattoo. I'll keep you posted.

This coming April I will be turning 30. To celebrate, Joe and I will be going to Las Vegas. Not so much to gamble- more to just walk around slack-jawed and starry eyed at all of the shiny objects and sparkling lights. Also to hike Red Rocks and visit the Hoover Dam. Anyway, if you have been there, and have any ideas for must-stay hotels or must do activities, let me know.

For now, that is all.

Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Proud WHAT?!

Apparently New Haven is home to the Worthington Hooker School.  I discovered this today only after driving behind a minivan on the merritt that proudly displayed this bumper sticker:


Yes.

I was convinced I had to be reading it incorrectly, but after I nearly drove up her tailpipe to get better look, it was confirmed.

I wonder what their school mascot is?

This is our Friend Chris Hayes.

Someday he is going to be famous, and we will be able to say we knew him when...

You can check out some videos of him pitching.  He's a submarine pitcher and has a cool riser.

I wonder if Otter ever did this...

Funny Cat Montage

Ninja Cat

Bad Timing

Joe and I were driving from one picnic to another today when we passed a soccer field.  

All of the devoted parents were dutifully sitting in the bleachers on one side of the field.

All of the players, on both teams, were waiting on their respective benches.

Waiting, because the field's sprinkler system had sprung into action, dousing the entire field when they were supposed to be playing their game.

Oops.

A first Dance...Off

Our First Garden

This was the front of our house.  Notice the empty patches of dirt immediately in front of our porch.  Notice the conspicuous lack of color or interest.  We do have daffodils.  But there are not enough to make a statement, and they don't really last that long.  The only things we've added to our front yard are a half-dozen solar-powered lights.  If you look closely, you can see them in this photo...most of them are nowhere near being plumb, as Joe continually hits them with the lawn mower.

In short, our front yard was ugly.


So some time early this summer Joe and I planted or first flower garden.  It was mostly Joe's wish to have a garden.  Not that I don't like gardens, I just hate weeding, and prefer my garden yield vegetables.  Anyway, a friend is a prolific gardener and offered to give us some plants straight from her garden to transplant into our own.  We graciously accepted this offer, as we have a large yard and no money and plants are expensive.  We were given some tall decorative grass (which I LOVE), faux sunflowers, black-eyed susans and wild daisies (both of which I actually quite like), a butterfly bush (which it turns out I don't really like), and some coreopsis (which unfortunately did not flower...we think we put it in a place where it did not receive enough sunlight).

We made a narrow bed on each side of our walkway, and larger beds in front of our porch. 

 We also ditched the hideous mailbox that came with the house and got a much cleaner looking one to mount on the house by the door.

Here's a close-up.

Admittedly, the garden looked a little raggedy when we first planted it.  We did it over the course of two evenings, once in the dark, and once in the rain since the plants could only be out of the ground for so long before they suffered ill consequences.  It turned out way better than we'd hoped, and next year should be even better.  We didn't really have a lot of time to plan out the garden, so we are already planning on moving some things around next year. The tall grasses need to moved further from the house.  I do not care for the butterfly bush.  Joe likes it, however, and we both like butterflies, so we are going to move it to the backyard next year. Also, the coreopsis needs to be moved to a sunnier home.  We loved the black-eyed susans and wild daisies right where they were, so hopefully next year they will be fuller.

I thought I had pictures of the garden in bloom, but I can't seem to locate them.

Our hope for summers to come is to slowly expand the garden forward, until it meets the sidewalk.  We will incorporate small boulders and hopefully more grasses.  We will also have to do some research to see what flowers grow in this zone that are shade tolerant, as there is not as much sun in the front of our house as we originally thought.

All in all we are happy with our little garden.  We will slowly fill the back yard in with plants (hopefully ones that will not make me sneeze come spring) and  eventually have a yard that we are proud to call our own.

The only thing left to do to the front of the house is get it painted or sided, since right now it borders on looking like it should be condemned.

All in due time.

New Appliances!

Joe and I got new appliances! We've had them for a while now, and I am finally posting pictures to prove it.

First, our dishwasher.


We actually bought the dishwasher at the same time as we bought our cabinets. It lived in its in box, in the dining room, for over a year. It finally got installed and we love it.

Then we got our shiny new stove. ooooooooh...



It's a gas stove, so we had it in place in the kitchen for a while without any gas running to it. We eventually got a gas line run from our basement to our kitchen, and now have a working stove! I love it. It cooks food evenly, the gas makes it easy to control temperature, and the oven temperature is accurate(!) which is a luxury I've not previously enjoyed. It also has a warming drawer, so I can't wait to throw a big party with multiple side dishes. :)

Above the stove you'll notice a junction box hanging from the cabinets.  This is the power for the range hood that we do not yet have.  That will be the last appliance in the kitchen, and the last thing to be installed before we are able to have our final kitchen inspection and get our c.o.

Then, the only remaining steps between us and a completely finished kitchen will be:

1.  Install toe kick and molding at base of cabinets

2.  Install trim around doors (3) and window (1)

3.  Caulk small gaps in crown molding

(Ok, we also still have to install and connect the pex which will provide the kitchen with radiant floor heating, but that is not a project that is visible from the kitchen, so no one will really know if we've done it or not.)

Then, we will move on to the upstairs bathroom...

I Will Love You Forever

Part of  the work some of my coworkers do is to process jewelry items that have been returned to the store to evaluate wether or not they can be refurbished and sold again as new.

(This practice of selling refurbished jewelry as new happens all the time and unlike California, Connecticut has no law making it necessary for the store to disclose the fact that the "new" item being purchased could have previously belonged to someone else for ten years before it was refurbished and sold again.  FYI)

One particularly amusing item came in the other day and a coworker shared it with me.

It was a wedding band.  

It was engraved, "I Will Love You Forever 2007."

Oops.  I guess they changed their mind.

 

Respect Your Elders....and the half-dozen or so stories they choose to tell over and over.

Do you know anyone old?  Say, 65 and up.

Do you ever talk to them at length about nothing in particular?

Try it.  You will hear great anecdotes from their life pre-65+.  Anecdotes that will give you insight into who they were before they were this aged person sitting before you, and let you get to know the person better. Stories that, if this 65+ chatter is a family member, may clear up some questions about other family members or old family jokes or which band of gypsies were the ones to drop you off on your "parent's" doorstep when you were a wee tot.  These grand stories will be intricately woven webs of vivid detail.  Or, more likely, there will be cadillac sized gaps in details such as names and dates and points of stories.  But where details fail, you will surely find fervent conviction!  And plenty of brilliant hindsight accompanied by sage advice for your own future.

Ah.  

It's a real treat to sit and hear these recollections.  And it's great to be able to appreciate the difference between the years in which you were raised, and those a senior citizen's childhood called home.

After you'd had this opportunity to look through this glimmering window into the past, wait a while and try it again with the same person.  I am positive you will find that at least three stories you heard in the first conversation will wind their way into your second conversation.  Don't worry if you missed any details the first time around.  They will be slightly different this second time.  Or they might not be there at all.  Or, joy of joys, they will be exactly the same as the first time, verbatim, chock full of the same detail voids, conviction, and advice.  

But hearing the stories again will only help you remember them better.  So it's ok.  You really won't mind hearing them again.

Until the third conversation.  And the third time you hear the same stories.  With the third set of details.  (Or course, by this point, if you piece all the versions together, you may actually get the whole story, so that's a bonus.)

But I completely understand why someone who may be past their prime would want to endlessly recount tales of their own rich history.  In these stories, they were young and vibrant and had their wholes lives ahead of them.  They had loves worth loving and fights worth fighting.  Back then they looked forward to days ahead which didn't include a multitude of doctor's visits or rounds of medication.  These fondly remembered days were free of the humility of being cared for by those to whom they were once a bedrock.

So the next time you talk to them, and they tell the same stories, again, just smile and pretend you've never heard them before.  

Because you just may never get to hear them again.

$57,000

Today I worked on a pair of $57,000 earrings.  

The kind of earrings you never see on real people, only on movie stars. Red carpet kind of earrings.

Earrings that cost

FIFTY

SEVEN

THOUSAND

DOLLARS.

I wish I could afford $57,000 earrings.

Not that I would ever spend that much on two pieces of metal to jab through my earlobes...but it would be nice to have the option.

Headlamps. And anatomy.

I had to use a headlamp for a recent home improvement project.  I was trying to cut in the walls of a closet up near the ceiling before I painted them.  I must have had to adjust my headlamp 72 times.  It never seemed to be pointing where I was looking.

It got me thinking.  Are we ever really facing what we are doing at a perfect 90 degree angle?  It seems that we are not.  And it really surprised me to find out just how little of the time I was pointing my whole head in the direction I was looking with my eyes.  

It didn't seem fair that my neck got to be lazy while my eyes had to work double time just to keep everything on an even keel.  I wonder how many parts of our bodies and minds are constantly compensating for other, lazier, body parts...

I think I need a calendar.

I did not realize until today that it is September.  

Three whole days before I had any concept of the date or month.

huh.