Meet The Memorial Wedding Bear

This is the bear I had made by Brenda Olmsted Petty using my mom's silk velvet wedding gown and the silk shantung matron of honor dress she wore for her sister, Fran's wedding.  He's wearing the tuxedo bowtie my dad wore for their wedding, too.  He looks pretty good for being made from 'antique' fabric, doesn't he?  The wedding gown was used April 15, 1948 and the matron of honor dress Aug. 11, 1953.  My mom made both dresses and I think she'd agree this is a good way to recycle the dresses AND an even better way to remember the original owner and the occasions.  Brenda's prices are very reasonable and one piece of clothing can usually make several bears so more than one family member had get a memento. It makes an unusual gift, too.

Cleaning the Shop Has Started

  We had our official 1st Cleaning Day at the shop in Cooperstown Thursday.  Three of us 'old timers' got together and kicked off the season.  The  electricity had to be turned on at the main fuse box (in another business near by) before we could start and even with the thermostats turned up over 70 degrees the shop was so cold for so long the 409 kept freezing whenever it was sprayed onto something!  Eventually the place warmed up...a little...and we got all the shelf units washed.  We even dismantled shelving we thought should be moved to better accommodate new merchandise.  We kept saying we're doing so much of it 'our way' that Judy will never let the 3 of us loose together in the shop again.  Towards the end of our scheduled work period the phone rang, it was Judy and Sharon (who is currently Chairperson of our co-op) explained all that we had accomplished.  I took some photos and promised to email them to Judy as soon as I got home.  (She's still away for the winter.)  Then we went to Sal's Pizza for lunch.  I had told Jeff I'd be home around 3pm but we didn't leave Cooperstown till almost 3pm.   I don't know what we looked like crossing Main St in Cooperstown...3 middle-aged ladies laughing and giggling like teenagers but I haven't laughed so much in a long time. Cleaning the shop was almost fun.
   My next job for Spring Clean-up was to send an email to the rest of the members telling them that they could go in anytime and do any of the chores on the list we left for them.  Got a couple of quick responses and 2 other members will be joining Abby and me on Tuesday for a painting session.  I sent Judy the photos of what we did and got a phone call(just love Skype calls, don't you, that fade in and out) from her asking for more details.  Anyway, on Tuesday while those 2 additional members will be painting walls, Abby and I will be putting back some of what we dismantled.  We knew she probably wouldn't like what we did but we did it anyway and now we have no one to blame but ourselves because we have to put it back. (Judy is CEO and was one of the shop's founders so it's still her 'baby' 43 years later.)
   Anyway, I am getting a new display for shawls and adult hats.  Abby measured the space and is bringing in a square piece of plywood to create a shelf.  Jeff's said he'd cut a 2x4 for me and Abby and I will create a hat stand.  She uses empty toilet paper rolls covered with fabric over a dowel to hold hats and the shelf is just big enough for a couple of them. Now I just have to finish a couple more shawls and do some adult hats.  Last night I collected some hat patterns and can't wait to do them.   Only 13 days till the shop's scheduled to reopen for the season and one of those days will be spend in Cooperstown moving shelf units back to where they started!

Colorful Tomatoes

   What would you do if you found these growing in your garden?  Just ordered the seeds!!  Can't wait to see what happens.  Aren't the colors beautiful?  They're tomatoes!!  Hope they produce for us.  I promise to keep you posted!!

Spring Cleaning?? More or Less.

     If you've visited our home since my mom died in 2013 you will know that we still had the toilet frame and riser in the bathroom...and a new toilet seat in it's box on the floor near it.  Jeff said he'd change it but never got around to do it until this weekend when the toilet seat and the riser split company.  Made sitting down very interesting, to say the least.  Anyway, Jeff decided now was the time and started to collect the tools necessary to do the job. After getting the large wrench and bolt cutter from the box in the garage he found out the bolts were too rusted to budge and yesterday decided the reciprocating saw was the best way to go. In a few minutes the job was done...the frame was on one side of the room and the riser on the other...and the new seat was on. He even cleaned the toilet!  Took a lot less time that I ever imagined!  (Sure helps when The Man of the House had been a Supervising Custodian in the Utica Public School district.)  The bathroom looks a look bigger without the frame...and the toilet a lot smaller!  It's like sitting on the floor!!  Fanny loves it!  She can practically climb onto your lap while you're sitting there.  Ever had a nearly 100-lb. dog sit on you while you were taking care of business?  Then you haven't lived with a dog!!  Anyway, it's going to take some time to get use to.  At least no one fell during a middle of the night trip.  Yet.  And it is a good excuse to start Spring Cleaning.
   Friday I'm suppose to meet 2 other members at the shop in Cooperstown but the weatherman is now calling for freezing rain and, since 2 of us live up here, north of Rt 20, the roads might be a little iffy, so we've decided tmorrow will be our 1st clean-up day at the shop.  Only Abby, Sharon and I will be there and we'll only work for half a day but it's a start!  I'll probably wash a lot of shelves. We manage to wash and paint all the walls and shelves in the place every year.  (The shop walls started out as barn boards but there are so many coats of paint on them they are almost smooth 40 years later!) I need a re-do for part of my display area.  I want a better way to display shawls.  Space is at a premium and I used a hall tree last year but I want something different.  Maybe a shelf...for hats... with a hook underneath it with one of those multi-hanger holders? Have to wait and see what the group comes up with.
   I think I'm pretty well set...stock wise.  I have 6 or 7 new sweaters waiting for buttons and zippers and last night I did a baseball hat.  I should be able to do 5 more of them in the next 2 weeks...plus some spring hats, too.  Oh, yesterday I started a size 1 dress, too.  We'll see how that goes.  The shop opens in 16 days!!
   I finally got to see Meryl Streep's latest movie, Florence Foster Jenkins.  It's based on a true story about a rich woman who loves to sing (but can't) and how her husband, played by Hugh Grant, helps her fulfill her greatest wish...to sing at Carnegie Hall. Her young accompanist is played by Simon Helberg, who plays Howard Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory. He did an excellent job because there is not trace of Wolowitz in his performance!  I understand why this movie did not rake in any prizes at the Oscars, it was entertaining but not nothing great.  I'm glad I got it free from the library and did not have to pay for a ticket to see it.  But I missed the popcorn.
   Jeff still has to finish digging out the Outback.  Wally did a damn good job of adding to the snow on it and it's taking more effort to get the car free than normal.  Hopefully, it will start when it is free in a couple of days.  I hate the idea of going to Cooperstown and leaving Jeff without transportation.
  

Digging Out

     The Forester started right up for Jeff this morning but he still had to dig it out! 
   Wally (from next door) finally got the dirt road open but he managed to fill in our driveway in the process.  (He refuses to turn the snow chute when he drives by.)  Let's just say Jeff was not pleased when he got the car stuck and had to dig it out again.
      Fanny is still hesitant

about going out into the snow.  She barely makes it down the stairs and has been leaving piles on the steps.  Lovely.
   Glad we brought in 3 bags and 2 boxes full of wood before the storm (there's 1 of each left).  The rip in the roof of the shed hasn't gotten much

bigger.  The snow has just pretty much filled it in.  The path doesn't go to the shed...yet...so we'll make do with what we have inside...for now.
  The forecast is for a little more snow every day...maybe even another nor'easter...over the weekend.  Oh, joy.  And the 1st day of Spring is Monday???  Where's that damn groundhog?????
   Oh, some guy was interviewed on the 6pm news last night digging out his car on Main St in Herkimer and he said he didn't recommend trying to drive in the village yet.  You couldn't tell which were snow piles and which were buried cars.

    Jeff's got the driveway cleared out and one car free and running this afternoon, then made a quick run to Walmart for bread and cereal.   The Outback is still buried in front of the garage and 

the woodshed hasn't been reached yet.  And poor
Fanny is just not sure she is ever going to like this much snow.  5:15pm, Thurs., 3/16/17

Storm Stella

   Storm Stella hit us last night after we were well warned.  First, the forecast said just light snow over night but I woke up at 7am to find several inches... much more than just a dusting.  

   This is the view south from the TV room.  That's what's left of the old Boxelder that use to dominate our back yard.  The old trolley road use to run on the other side of those evergreens.  Now it's blocked and overgrown.

     Looking out my bedroom window towards the garden and driveway, you can see the gate to Wally's land.  The bases of those raised garden boxes are about 6" high and the tops are 18-20 gal plastic tubs. 

   This is the view west from the TV room.  Wally's house is right there behind that telephone pole you can just make out in the picture.  It was reported that Herkimer(village) got about 8" so far and the forecast is calling for another 12-18" of snow before Stella is finished with us today with 5-8" more tomorrow.  And then some lake effect snow on Thursday.  And the first day of Spring is next when?  Monday?

   All 60 counties in NYS
have declared snow emergencies with no unnecessary travel. So many roads are closed!  I don't think we're going anywhere.  Here's my car(r)...sheltered

between the house and the garage...with the snow up to the middle of the wheels about 9:30am.. The Outback is just visible behind it in front of the garage.  And here it is (l) at 2pm buried to the top of the tires and enough snow   on it to hide the Outback. Look how high the snow got on the
garden table next to it!
Now look!  Here's the 4pm update! (l). Never
realized how boxy my Forester is!  (What's in the garage?  The snow blower, the lawn mower, wheelbarrows, extra garden tubs, etc.). 
   I called the Ilion library and cancelled my appointment to have the AARP volunteers do my taxes this morning.  The director said they're going to reschedule another session so I'll still have it done in time.
   I think it's time to put some wood on the fire and look around for lunch.  Jill, one of the meteorologist on WKTV, just made a joke...you can tell the storm is bad when they start closing the liquor stores.

   Fanny finally followed Jeff down the stairs after supper and into the snow.  When it rose above her back, she jumped up and made it back to the stairs in 1 leap...and peed on the stoop.  Guess she got tired of holding it!  7:35pm 3/14/17 
Snow total: 30" in Herkimer, 40" in Cooperstown...and it's starting to snow again.10am 3/15/17

Celebrating Birthdays!

   We celebrated Jeff and my cousin Ed's birthdays today with dinner.  I did a pork loin with gravy and baked potatoes and fried carrots that came out nearly perfect...if I say so myself.  I poked the pork full of holes then rolled it in 'A.1 Dry Rub' and put it on the Rondo for about an hour.  Jeff bought one of the high-end gravy mixes and a loaf of garlic bread.  For dessert I did a 'Shirley Temple' cake(made a box cake mix, poured cherry Jell-O made with 7-UP and maraschino cherry juice over it and frosted it with Cool Whip).  Because Jeff's sister was suppose to join us and since she was recently diagnosed as being type II diabetic everything was sugar-free. I was a little hesitant to use the sugar-free versions of the mixes, 7-UP and Cool Whip but the cake was delicious and no one could tell it was sugar free!  I sent Ed home with a enough of the cake so he could have a late night snack and still have some left for tomorrow.  Jeff and I both had a second piece while watching TV and while there is a nice hunk left, I doubt it will be there by morning. Sherry missed a good dinner and a fantastic dessert.
   Jeff had to make a fast trip to Lowe's this morning for a tank lever when the one in our toilet broke making it un-flushable!  When he went outside he discovered a huge rip in the plastic covering the 1st woodshed that wasn't there yesterday when I filled the wood bags.  That plastic is about 4 or 5 years old so it was getting pretty brittle.  We don't know what hit it but the entire side of the roof is now ripped open.  Maybe a squirrel landed on it?  Since Jeff's had that plumbing job to do this morning we're going to wait until tomorrow to try and cover the roof with a sheet of plastic.  The shed is about 3/4 empty but that still leaves a fair amount of wood in it and there is a nor'easter heading in our direction for Tuesday. 
   Oh, and that nor'easter is suppose to give us 10-14"of snow.  Nice, huh?  And I have to have my taxes done Tuesday morning.

(Here's the wood we brought in today, 3/23/17, to be ready for tomorrow's snowfall.  That's 3 bags and 2 boxfuls.  Hope it's enough! And some of Fanny's toys...a rubber camera, star, soup bone and what's left of a pull toy...you'd think we had a little kid.  Or do we?  One who barks??. And we couldn't find anyway to fasten a piece of plastic over the hole so we're just going to have to take our chances.)

Here's the Japanese Knot Project Bag by Jean Barresi that I found on Ravelry. Instead of using a US7 and an acrylic, I used Lily's Sugar'n Cream Tie Dye Stripes (100% cotton) and a US8.  I made the base wider, the sides higher and the straps longer.  I'm not sure how well I attached the straps but I like it.  Now I have to decide if I'm going to keep it or use it in a swap.

  

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

     Well, we celebrated Jeff's 64th birthday with some style yesterday.  We went to Roma's Pizza on Main St in Herkimer for a late lunch and ordered cheeseburgers and French fries.  The burgers are double patties on toasted buns and Jeff has everything on his except the kitchen sink.  They are delicious!  The fries are crisp and golden!  So good!  And the price ain't bad, either, only $6.95 for the burger and fries. We both had small salads with our burgers and while they came in a small soup bowl heaped with sliced black olives, onions, tomatoes and croutons I thought the $5 each price was a little steep.  They were good but a little hard to swallow.  With coffee (for Jeff) and Pepsi (for me)our bill came to $31.01.  For cheeseburgers and fries.  No further comment.  We will go back coz the food is good, the service excellent and the place spotless but I'm not sure about ordering a salad again.
     In the evening Jeff went down to his favorite haunt to spend some time with the guys.  He called me later and I went down and joined him at Stoney's for a drink.  (One glass of wine...I was driving.)  Before we came home Jeff suggested stopping at Pete's (he wanted to clear up a possible misunderstanding) and while he was talking to Pete I was introduced to him and another guy who was sitting there and who turned out to be an old student of mine from Annunciation in Ilion.  Now the last time I remember seeing Gary he was graduating from the 8th grade and heading to high school.  I didn't recognize him...I remembered his name...but he remembered me!  Boy, did I feel old!
   Today I've got to get Jeff's birthday socks finished.  I'm half way up the leg on the 2nd sock so I should be able to do it.  It's cold outside and very windy so sitting by the fire and knitting sounds like a good idea.

Birthday socks finished with the stripes just slightly off match.  Jeff says that doesn't matter but it does to me...but not enough to rip one sock out and do it over so they match!  3/2/17, 8:34pm