A Different Life II

[skitique]

Maggie
This year when you come to Edisto maybe we ca get together for breakfast or dinner. It will be tax season (guess what I do) do early is probably best but I missed you last year & would like to meet you.

Paiceman - let me know of you come by & we can all meet.

Merry Christmas!
Jane


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[Lily&Me]

I would like that, Jane. . Let me know.

The Amazing Miss Emma has a solo in the Christmas program at their church this morning, so Grandma will of course be there.

8 1/2, and a performer in her bones.

Her parents are not terribly excited about her passion for singing and dancing, but she is really good at it.....and so Grandma bought her a Karaoke machine for her birthday last year and other performance accoutrements this year. . With her parents permission, of course.

If it is her passion, it may be her calling....and should be nurtured and encouraged, IMO.

Supposed to have a high of 64 today, and it is raining.

It was so warm yesterday that, with the oven on for bread and coffee cake, I had to turn on the ceiling fan.

It's going to be one of those winters, but will make getting out of here in a month or so a bit easier than the subzero temps, snow and ice we most often have in January.......tho it isn't January just yet, so I'd better be careful about counting on it.

Picture of Miss Emma to follow.....Emma, who so terribly misses her Grandpa, and tells me that sometimes she feels him rubbing her shoulders, like he used to do when she sat on his lap and read him poetry on Sunday nights.

Emma believes.


Maggie

[Photobum]

Good on Emma....

Looked at Edisto and it seems expensive. Where do you stay? I know you don't spend money like the rates I looked at....

[Lily&Me]

Hi Vince!

I do indeed pay to stay at the beach campground at Edisto, and it and their other campground are all that is down there.

It is worth every...single...penny.

Being reasonably frugal, most of the time , includes splurges on occasion for places you love.


Miss Emma did an excellent job, and has such a sweet little voice.....and all decked out in her sparkly red holiday dress.

It is raining and warm here....but I guess it could be snow and ice.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

My three grands-who-live-close.

Love those sweet babies.


Maggie

[Photobum]

nice images Maggie!!!!

[Lily&Me]

You're too kind.

I'm a pretty awful photographer....most of the time....but these are beloved subjects, so that helps.

Emma is a real ham, but the boys are at that age where smiling for a camera is just not done.


Maggie

[TinCrumpet]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Hi Vince!
I do indeed pay to stay at the beach campground at Edisto, and it and their other campground are all that is down there.
Maggie

Hello Maggie .. read about your Mother in Law .. sad shame ..
I looked through the posts and saw a picture of the Bread Rolls you baked ..
.. very professional .. The knitting looks pretty too ..
Ive been wearing different Hats my Niece made for me ..
Hans isn't sure of one as its of many colours .. striped and goes into a point with a bobble on the end .. we entered Costco and he said
"would you mind removing your hat you look positively insane" ..

Since Muffin suffered a hideous demise we have cleared the Cottage of Teflon ..
Friend of ours has owned parrots for years and enlightened us to what he believed the cause .. Hans and I have wept buckets the past two weeks we had no idea the Non stick coating was so lethal for tiny birds and is not so good for humans ..

It been an expensive turnaround .. discarded electric pans alone cost $600 ..
These two were active when Muffin suddenly became ill ..
normally we only had one on the go ..
I have removed all coated cooking equipment .. I said to Hans we could use the main oven only .. then realised we cant .. the non stick sides are Teflon ..
so we spent a week trawling around Electrical shops and this morning received delivery of appliance which is not self clean ..
I baked bread every day in Teflon Electric Pan and will switch to Cast Iron ..
first CI Pot arrived this morning along with the Red Retro oven .. Retro being the 'in' word... Ive baked bread in CI before .. first attempt a disaster as forgot to pre heat .. needed a crow bar to remove the loaf .. The pan was banished to the charity shop following a heated exchange .. the wafer thin tea towel between iron and hands caused me to throw the Red Hot lump and in the process nearly demolished an Antique table ..
This time around I've invested in extra thick oven gloves ..

Muffin Too is settling in .. he's quite the cheeky chappie ..
He's sitting on my shoulder making weird noises
and every so often I'm spoon feeding him Ready Brek which shuts him up for a few mins ..

Your Grandchildren look delightful ..
Miss Emma brought back memories of my first Party Dress with dangling Red Cherry .. long time ago in Daze of Old when Knights were bold and Teflon weren't invented xx

First picture of Muffin Too ..
Taken with New Leica + 1970's Leica Lens ..High Resolution Long Distance Surveillance .. produced for U.S. Navy ..

[TinCrumpet]

Originally Posted by mimiandrews

Maggie, I need to thank you for sharing all your thoughts and feelings since Doug's passing. It has been good preparation for me as my John's health declined and it became obvious that his end was coming, as it recently did. My own entry into that different life came two weeks ago, and it's just me and a black lab at home now. I'll spend the winter cleaning up and organizing things, and then an old blue truck and the Airstream will take the two of us exploring. Hope we meet you and Lily on the road somewhere, someday.

Mimi .. Saddened to read your post ..
Im strong in some regard
but weak in others and greatly admire ones left behind who soldier on ..

Bud .. Evylyn .. Channon .. and emails received ..
thanks for kind words about Muffin ..

[TinCrumpet]

Originally Posted by DIR1

good for you.. I know that one!! then I do it and wonder why it took me so long!!!! Good morning Maggie...I'm going to copy that recipe...love buttered rum!!!!

Gail ..
Haven't partaked in Tots of Rum in an age but shall now buy a bottle for Christmas .. Oven has arrived .. time to fiddle about with Flour .. xx

[TinCrumpet]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

You're too kind.
I'm a pretty awful photographer....most of the time....but these are beloved subjects, so that helps.
Emma is a real ham, but the boys are at that age where smiling for a camera is just not done.
Maggie

Maggie .. have you made bread which is slow fermenting for baking in
Cast Iron .. i vaguely remember you doing it .. if so .. the recipe would be most welcome .. x

[Lily&Me]

Muffin Too is precious, Lili!

I have never really warmed to birds, but appreciate others love for their pets, whatever the type.

Lili, I can send you that overnight bread recipe, but you need a Dutch Oven for it.....a heavy, lidded one that can go into your oven.

I put the dough in on parchment paper, which prevents any sticking at all. I'll email you about it. It does make really good bread. I made a loaf just the other day.

I have picked up over the years those heavy, restaurant quality baking pans that are not Teflon coated. They have a finish that releases baked goods without a lot of grease and flour needed.

If you get back to the States, Lili, I will take you to TJMaxx and Tuesday Morning. But, you might have to ship things home.

Still raining here....if it were snow, we'd be buried.


Maggie

[mimiandrews]

Mimi .. Saddened to read your post ..
Im strong in some regard
but weak in others and greatly admire ones left behind who soldier on ..

Thanks, Lili. Not so sure I'm strong, just don't have any other choice. Life goes on, and I've got to go with it.

Condolences for the loss of Muffin the first. Great picture of Muffin the second. You post such wonderful photos.

[rmkrum]

Such a cute, vivacious pose. Birds are something we've had in the past. The most memorable was a budgie that could squawk much louder than our appliances.

But yes, something in overheated Teflon coated pans can be very bad for birds. Their lungs are very delicate. Sad that Muffin came to an end, but now that you have eliminated the offending articles it should go better.

Please do post more pictures, that picture says volumes about Muffin Too's personality!

Personally, I think bread and many other things taste better in cast iron cookware, once the iron is well seasoned. Parchment paper is also a good tool.

Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

[Lily&Me]

Been bustling here and there, with my volunteer Monday's and finishing up Christmas things for the grands.

It is also the time of holiday programs at church and school, and concerts for the wee ones with instruments, so my calendar is more full than usual.

Good to be some busy, keeps me from feeling too sorry for myself.

Vacuuming this morning, I am reminded, once again, that Miss Lily is my biggest cleaning problem. What a crazy shedder she is, in spite of regular brushings She's so worth it tho.

We're fixin' to have a cold spell here, so the wood box inside is filled to the brim and plenty more is into the garage. I am hauling in directly from the-pile-that-must-be-moved....why move it twice, right?

Lifting those bags so heavy that I can barely get them off the ground, I remind myself how good this is for my aging bones.

Have finished a sack of heavy duty hats for Pastor Perkins' men, and will be dropping those off tomorrow. He seems a really good man, and I like him.

Miss Emma wants to help Grandma put up her Christmas tree this weekend, and I think I'm going to take her up on that. It will be nice to have company for it.

We went to a 6', black steel ornament tree a few years ago....less mess, and it so beautifully shows off ornaments we have picked up from our travels around the country, as well as England, Ireland and Paris.

Memories will abound. Sigh.


Maggie

[rmkrum]

Good memories are a good thing, and a great comfort.

Our dogs deliver "wall to wall dog hair" when they just walk through the room. We gave up and installed tile throughout the first floor where the doggies hang out. It's a lot easier to vacuum😄


Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

[ColoradoLady]

We awoke to a full howling blizzard this morning, so far we have 10", it is still snowing. Temp is 18*, windchill is 11*! I put coats on the little dogs to go out for pottie. Only one was eager to go out...Bella Diva, our feisty little Pom. She ripped around like a furry snowblower, using her nose to push through the snow. One happy little girl! The others tiptoed around, did what was needed, ran back inside to stand in front of the Dyson heater in the sunroom. Little woosies!

[Lily&Me]

Wow! 10"! We could stand some snow here.

Looks like we are going to have a warm-ish Christmas. The kids will miss not being able to sled while they are off school.

Cleaning my daughters old room last week, and the toy shelf in there, I packed up and put away things the grands didn't want me to get rid of but that they have clearly outgrown....leaving a somewhat bare looking shelf, but for books and art supplies.

So, I did what any good Grandma would do.....got myself a Starbucks, went shopping and selected a few more age appropriate puzzles and games at Tuesday Morning.

One of those places I need to limit my entry into.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

I would have liked to have had a long conversation with Albert, over tea or a good glass of wine.

The thing about evil that I know to be true, tho, is that there is so much power inherent in truly evil systems that it is nearly impossible to do anything about them.

One can try, but anything that exists in the dark....is simply not in the light.

Don't ask where this came from just now....you really don't want to know.

Maggie

[rmkrum]

Understand all too well. And Albert was not just a great scientist. He was a very astute human being and observer of the human condition. And I agree. That's why I DO things when I need to instead of standing by.

Ask my two rescued off the street pups about that one, as they cuddle with their people and sigh as they lay their head down to nap safely off the mean streets. They know they are safe now.


Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums