No Reply

Yesterday and now again today I am unable to comment on my blog nor anyone else's. I can read, but comments won't publish, even when I switch browser. I'll keep trying.

In the meantime, Ben likes to wreck the fence. Mark said he fix the electric fence and tighten the vinyl fence. Eventually.

 

Sunshine

It's a sunshiny morning, brisk but bright. The only plant leafing out are the honeysuckle bushes. Otherwise, still bare. I'm reading a book Boud recommended, Embracing Elderhood, by Howard Englander. I'm not very far into it but I am liking it. I enjoy his writing style and what he has to say.

I'm going to embrace my elderhood. I may have had a Freudian slip. I initially wrote embarrass my elderhood.

 

Cats and Fish

Do you think he'd like the world to just go away?

I can't say I don't have moments myself.

Gatto's doppelganger Tabs. Or is the other way around?

Our rollercoaster weather is still rolling. 50s F yesterday, 80 today. Tomorrow back to 60s. 

I was productive this past week, from cleaning, sorting and organizing the mess of the broom closet to doing the same in the bedroom. Yesterday I finished that job by steam cleaning the two large area rugs in there. I have an over-sized bedroom. The rambler type addition put on in 1973 had a living/dining room combination. After the 1984 addition put onto the east end, it was no longer needed as that. When we bought the place we closed it off from the kitchen to make it a bedroom. It's larger than it needs to be, but there it is. The middle of the house is what is left of the original. The kitchen, laundry and butlers pantry. Yes, it has a butlers pantry, large enough to put the washer and dryer in there. A very odd home indeed! A complete mess when we bought it. I loved a house that needed work. Mark just shook his head.

I think I will give my back a rest today, then carry on with sorting, winnowing, sort of, and cleaning tomorrow. 

I bought a bag of frozen mahi mahi at Costco. I saw the price and said nope. Mark, who has become me as I have become him, said if you like it, buy it. Who is this guy? I did. We had it for dinner last evening, with a lemon, butter, garlic sauce. Accompanied by couscous and my second favorite vegetable, broccoli. I think perhaps cooking and baking keeps me sane during these chaotic, frightening times. It makes the world go away for a short but valued time.

 

Horse. Dinner. Bread. Oh, My.

My first born, Tempered Steele (Remington Steele x LF Diamond Rose) otherwise known as Babe. She was perhaps three in the photo. She is now 32 and chugging right along. She produced some very nice foals, including one halter champion.

And then a bright, simple dinner of leftover pork loin, leftover sweet potato and some nice green broccoli. We do have meals which do not contain pasta. Pasta is just so darn versatile. Just don't break the spaghetti! 

This is a recipe I got from Denise a couple of years ago. Irish soda bread. I make it often, sans raisins. It's so simple and very good. She added a good one to my bread repertoire. 

I also made a batch of sandwich rolls from the same recipe. They look a little rough but I didn't want to handle the dough too much. They still taste good. I make some larger for Mark and smaller for me.

We are having a dreary, on/off rainy day. I still have some soup I made a couple of days ago and today is a perfect day for soup at lunch. That's it. Have a perfectly wonderful Saturday.

Mama Mia

A little profanity

 Do not break the pasta. Seriously.

It's a written in stone rule.

A Year Spent

Nothing much is happening on the old homestead so I have been going through my computer to clear out photos. I came upon these taken in 2020 by the realtor's photographer. This is where I lived from age seven, when we returned from San Diego, until I was twenty.

I spent 8 months emptying, cleaning and refreshing the house. Matthew helped me the final two months. I started at the beginning of May, finished and sold it at the end of December.

This was the last block to be developed, during the 1950s. This house was the model home, which my parents bought when development was finished. The rest of the neighborhood was 1940s, mostly bungalows. We were on the Eastside of St. Paul, a 20 minute bus ride to downtown.

The time I spent there that year was cathartic. I enjoyed giving the home a new life. It felt like I was lifting sixty years of weight from both the house and me. I could feel the lightness as I went along. Being alone most of the time was also helpful. I went along, going through memories, both good and not so good. Matthew and I realized it was our therapy.

Checking In

It is now official. I am an old cat lady.

I'm not feeling chatty at the moment. I'm not going to go on about the why. I will say I caught the last 45 minutes of the 1 1/2 hour press conference yesterday and leave it there. We were 23 degrees F this morning. There is a warmup this week. We just follow the bouncing ball. I look forward to getting out in the gardens and play with some dirt.

 

Worth a read 

Gatto knows how to make the world go away.

I know how to warm the kitchen on a chilly day.

The next three days will be snow, then rain and then snow. We do need the moisture but couldn't the weather gods just pick one? Silly question.

Monday, What Can I Say

Yes, I have the humor of a ten-year-old boy.

 

We the People

My hometown.

Bruce Springsteen was here, but he didn't sing that song.

 

When Do We Hit the Bottom of the Rabbit Hole?

To the Moon 

So. Now the plan is to spend 20 billion dollars to build a livable structure on the moon and send astronauts there every six months. To what end? In the meantime, insurance subsidies have been pulled, housing is in short supply and outrageously expensive. We are spending billions on an unauthorized war we started, with the help of Israel, eying Cuba as the next place to show our superiority and turning longtime allies into foes. The cost of living has become unlivable, for many, truly. Yet, fly me to the moon. Yep. That's a solid plan. Hey, are we great yet? Cause I think if we were mediocre before I'd rather that.

Another Monday

Matthew spent decades in the back of a closet. I brought him out yesterday, deciding Mark should have him gracing his office. I was a stickler for having professional photos done. I believe he would have been about eight. What hair he has left is very dark brown, looks black. Odd it can change like that. He will be fifty-two next month.

I've spent the last couple of days helping Mark set up a new computer. I guess I'm the tech guy. Today he'll call the tax software company to get help downloading the tax files and then he should be done. Leave it an accountant to wait until tax season to do this, as the computer was purchased in February. I have been a Mac person from day one, so working with this system was not my bailiwick. 

My other accomplishment was getting the anti-glare film on the south facing windows of his office. Since the large tree that shaded this area of the house had to be felled the sun, even with the blind drawn, has been too much. You don't know how necessary a large tree is until it's gone. I guess that can be said about a lot of things.

I threw together another leftovers meal yesterday. Leftover faro and pork loin with broccoli, tomatoes, onion and garlic. Took all of about ten minutes. Tops. 

Today my excitement is laundry. I know, you wish you had my exotic life. 

 

More Photos

As some know, I've been going through the large amount of photos I brought home from my parent's home after my mother died six years ago. Today I'm going to make it mostly all about me.

My brother Robert. And me. He's three years younger so I was maybe five.

Our dog, Duchess, when we lived in San Diego. She was born 2 months after me and died when I was 14. We grew up together and I loved her and she loved me.

Me at maybe four with, I suppose, a cousin from the paternal side. I didn't know that side well but this would have been the grandparents house. German Shepherd puppies.

The grandparents, Blanche and Arthur. Me with the doll they gave me for Christmas. The doll my mother told (screamed) my father to put in the attic because a seven year old did something that terrible that she never saw it again. It was in the attic when I sold the house. I left it there.

Duchess.

Blanche and Arthur at their home.

I got to know Blanche about a year before she died. I started going to her house several times a week. She was nothing like I'd been told she was. She had a library full of books and she let me take whatever I wanted. I got many family heirlooms from her. Better late than never that I got to know her. She was a regal woman, smart and independent minded. She was pleased she got to see and know me before she died.

Frieda

My cat has an obsessive problem.

 Throughout the day, she must do this. And lick plastic.

Let it Snow

March

This is standard March weather. Wednesday will be 50 F. March is like riding the rollercoaster. Snow is expected throughout today and all day tomorrow. Later the wind starts to howl so there will be blizzard conditions. We have no need to leave home.

Good Saturday

Just a coupla guys,

The detritus of ever changing technology. There are days when I may belong in that tumbled mess.

 But, not today.

Finished the Finish

I finished the kitchen floor yesterday. It was a fix-up, not a proper job, but it was my only choice and it turned out well enough. At least the wood is protected, which much of it had not been. I have the small bathroom, powder room, off the kitchen left to do. 

I've been keeping myself busy but news does get in. $11.8 billion was spent on the first week of bombing Iran. Let that sink in. Happy Days are here again.

On to my coffee and bagel.

Buongiorno amici miei. 

I have been doing my Italian study, Cheerful! I've been offline for a couple of days to get some work done as well as to get away from the overwhelming, nonstop chaos. That is not possible, but less is best sometimes.

I've been working on finish refurbishing of my kitchen floor. There is no chance of having it sanded and refinished due to the kitchen sitting in the middle of the house. There is no chance of staying in a motel with six cats and I would never leave the place empty overnight because of the horses. So, I'm channeling my father and came up with a doable solution. Today will be spent applying tung oil.

We've had pasta and more pasta for dinner while I am at this. Quick and easy. 

Shrimp, asparagus and pici pasta

 Lobster ravioli with a browned sage butter sauce. Not the most photographic, but browned butter and sage is delicious. At least I think so.

Distraction From Chaos

My first Arabian, Shaka. I went to look at him one fine day to potentially buy. He was young and a hot-blooded fellow. I used a mounting block, which his owner decided not to mention he hadn't seen before, so............he tossed me over his body to the ground so fast it seemed like it could not have happened. Shortening the story, I said I'd buy him. The owner's jaw nearly hit the ground. I loved this horse from that day until the day he died on Thanksgiving 2009, and still love the memory of him. Talented, opinionated, he knew he was a star. He was training Prix St. George when he retired due to arthritis in a knee. 

The first American Saddlebred I owned, Spenser. His trainer, in the photo, took him to a harvested cornfield to ride and came back overflowing with excitement. He could rack! The rack is an animated, fast, high stepping gait. The surface of the corn field brought out the ability he had that we didn't know he had. I did not intend to show him so it wasn't important other than the amazement that he could do it. Instead, this fancy fellow became my trail horse. He also was taught to drive and he really liked doing that. His cart is still stored in a shed.

 Tabby

Frieda

Gatto

As you can see, we've been busy.

Something Lovely

Beautiful. Voice and young man. 

Horses

 

The old boys club.

Laddy 27, Ben 26, Bounce 24, and Scamper 23. 

My oldest is a mare, Babe, the first born to my foundation mare, LF Diamond Rose. Babe is 32. Mama Rose died giving birth to Zing in 2001. His registered name is WF Last of Roses, his barn name, Zing is also a tribute to his dam. If she wanted something she would zing her teeth up and down the stall door bars. She was also called Jailhouse Mama when she did that. That was a tough year, six foals, one an orphan. I didn't have a chance to grieve her loss, so I carried the pain for a couple of years. I adored that mare.

Mama with Topper (WF Impressive) 1997-2025

I think the horse infatuation is born into us. It tends toward the female but not exclusively. There is just something about them that grabs and holds. There is a saying in the horse world. "How do you make a small fortune in horses? Start with a large one."