Instant Pot Christmas Roast
8 years ago
Monday, June 11, 2007
When I come back
This is how I want to look when I come back as a dog.
Flea Market
I love flea markets and garage sales. When I go I always look for two items. Pedestal cake plates and Wallace Nutting pictures in original frames.
Yesterday at the flea market I found both. But did not buy them. The cake plate was one I have been searching for, for ions. A Fostoria American pattern 10" square pedestal cake plate. The seller had a price sticker of $185.00 and would not budge on the price. The plate had a flea size chip in it that was not visible but could be felt when one ran a finger along the scalloped edge. I pointed the flaw out to the seller and he still would not budge. I also told him the plates usually sell for $125.00 on eBay, he still would not budge. Schmuck!
EBay has the plate every so often, but I never win the bids. Usually I am to late to up my bid, and I have lost confidence in the eBay system as a whole. To many scams and con-artists sell and buy on eBay.
The Wallace Nutting picture was in the original frame, but the matting had a huge water stain on it. The seller was asking premium pricing for the picture too. I did even bother trying to negotiate the price for the picture because of the water stain.
For 25 years this particular flea market has been home to many sellers of junk treasure, but recently it has been invaded by sellers of knock offs. Handbags, sunglasses, clothing, baseball caps, t-shirts, toys, tools, belt buckles etc. These sellers take up 4 and 5 stall spaces, displaying their awful Chinese imported crap. This type of seller takes away from the true meaning of a flea market, the ambiance is no longer nostalgic, no longer a treasure seekers place of divining for treasure. It's turning into a cheap importers paradise. Only junk, not treasure junk. If I want junk I will go to Walmart. If I want treasure I want to be able to go to the flea market to search for it.
Yesterday at the flea market I found both. But did not buy them. The cake plate was one I have been searching for, for ions. A Fostoria American pattern 10" square pedestal cake plate. The seller had a price sticker of $185.00 and would not budge on the price. The plate had a flea size chip in it that was not visible but could be felt when one ran a finger along the scalloped edge. I pointed the flaw out to the seller and he still would not budge. I also told him the plates usually sell for $125.00 on eBay, he still would not budge. Schmuck!
EBay has the plate every so often, but I never win the bids. Usually I am to late to up my bid, and I have lost confidence in the eBay system as a whole. To many scams and con-artists sell and buy on eBay.
The Wallace Nutting picture was in the original frame, but the matting had a huge water stain on it. The seller was asking premium pricing for the picture too. I did even bother trying to negotiate the price for the picture because of the water stain.
For 25 years this particular flea market has been home to many sellers of junk treasure, but recently it has been invaded by sellers of knock offs. Handbags, sunglasses, clothing, baseball caps, t-shirts, toys, tools, belt buckles etc. These sellers take up 4 and 5 stall spaces, displaying their awful Chinese imported crap. This type of seller takes away from the true meaning of a flea market, the ambiance is no longer nostalgic, no longer a treasure seekers place of divining for treasure. It's turning into a cheap importers paradise. Only junk, not treasure junk. If I want junk I will go to Walmart. If I want treasure I want to be able to go to the flea market to search for it.
Friday, June 8, 2007
My favorite Drink
While in Manhattan Mark and I discovered a fabulous Brazilian restaurant that served the #1 drink in Brazil. For me this drink was love at first taste. I can not pronounce the drink (it is more then 2 syllables, which makes it difficult for me to say), but I know I love it.
Caipirinha is like a mojito only better. I can not get it here because the bars do not stock the liquor, so when we go to NYC I indulge and have a few.(until recently that is). To make the drink, it is an absolute must that Cachaca be used.
(Caipirinha (pronounced [kaj.pi.'ri.ɲɐ]) is Brazil's national cocktail made with Cachaça (pronounced IPA: [ˌkaˈʃasɐ]), sugar and lime. Cachaça is Brazil's most common distilled alcoholic beverage. Like rum, it is made from sugarcane, however, cachaça is made from sugarcane juice whereas rum is made from molasses, a byproduct of the sugar refining process. )
The recipe: 1 lime in four pieces, 2 1/2 ounces of Cachaca, 1-2 tbs fine cane sugar, crushed ice. Crush the pieces of lime with the sugar thoroughly in a thumbler, add the ice, Cachaca and stir well. The lime remains in the glass.
I was able to get a bottle of Cachaca recently and will enjoy this drink on the deck of the Cottage with a View.
Caipirinha is like a mojito only better. I can not get it here because the bars do not stock the liquor, so when we go to NYC I indulge and have a few.(until recently that is). To make the drink, it is an absolute must that Cachaca be used.
(Caipirinha (pronounced [kaj.pi.'ri.ɲɐ]) is Brazil's national cocktail made with Cachaça (pronounced IPA: [ˌkaˈʃasɐ]), sugar and lime. Cachaça is Brazil's most common distilled alcoholic beverage. Like rum, it is made from sugarcane, however, cachaça is made from sugarcane juice whereas rum is made from molasses, a byproduct of the sugar refining process. )
The recipe: 1 lime in four pieces, 2 1/2 ounces of Cachaca, 1-2 tbs fine cane sugar, crushed ice. Crush the pieces of lime with the sugar thoroughly in a thumbler, add the ice, Cachaca and stir well. The lime remains in the glass.
I was able to get a bottle of Cachaca recently and will enjoy this drink on the deck of the Cottage with a View.
Cottage with a View almost ours
I'm like a kid on Christmas, excited with anxiety mixed in. Our closing date is for the 15, hopefully in the morning. If we close in the morning I can get into the cottage to clean and prep for painting. Unfortunately the painter we wanted, a friend of our son, we like to hire college kids because we know they need the money, is not available until the following weekend so I will have to paint. No big deal I like painting, provided my husband is not around.
Mark likes to help out so I do not have to do all of it by myself, but he is not the neatest of painters, and his help is more of a hindrance then help. I think his lack of neatness is because he gets bored and wants to finish as soon as possible. Generally he overloads the roller or brush and we end up with drips, spills, splatter, and uneven edges. Or he over rolls and we end up with not enough paint on the walls and the old paint peeking through. I try not to complain and pooh pooh his offer of help, but his painting skills really suck.
Over the years I have found that distraction seems to work best with him. I try to have a list of smaller projects for him to do while I paint, or send him on errands to Home Depot. Sometimes this back fires and we wind up with a lot of stuff from the store we do not need. Oh well, I can return the stuff later.
Mark likes to help out so I do not have to do all of it by myself, but he is not the neatest of painters, and his help is more of a hindrance then help. I think his lack of neatness is because he gets bored and wants to finish as soon as possible. Generally he overloads the roller or brush and we end up with drips, spills, splatter, and uneven edges. Or he over rolls and we end up with not enough paint on the walls and the old paint peeking through. I try not to complain and pooh pooh his offer of help, but his painting skills really suck.
Over the years I have found that distraction seems to work best with him. I try to have a list of smaller projects for him to do while I paint, or send him on errands to Home Depot. Sometimes this back fires and we wind up with a lot of stuff from the store we do not need. Oh well, I can return the stuff later.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
A test of wills?
We have lived in our current house for about 8 years. Every spring a robin builds her nest on the ledge over our front door, and every year I have told my family and visitors to use the back door until the babies are gone. This year was different. The robin has decided to build her nest on the ledge but on the opposite end of the ledge near the opening of the door.
This has proven to be a nuisance because I can not open the door to let the dogs outside without nest debris falling inside, something to do with the air current vacuum the door causes when opening, I guess. So I allowed my husband to remove the nest, first making sure no eggs where in it. I was hoping the robin would move on to another location.
Moving did not happen. When I arrived home from work a new nest was built. My husband removed that nest too. Before the end of the night the robin began to rebuild. The half finished nest was removed.
In the AM Lucy our yellow lab was barking at the door. I thought she wanted to go out, but no that is not what all the commotion was about, the bird had built another nest, and was guarding it. Lucy was barking at the bird perched on the edge of the nest. Mark removed the nest again.
Hopefully the bird has gotten the message and will move on. I can picture the mommy robin with her legs crossed trying to hold the eggs in because she has no place to put them. I feel bad, but the nest mess is gross. It could have lice in it, and enough is enough with the yearly inconvenience of having to use the back door for 3 weeks in the spring.
I have a soft heart for critters and will suffer an occasional inconvenience. I didn't mind the mommy raccoon living in our tree with her babies, I don't mind the ducks in the back yard that make our dogs crazy and leave poop mess on the grass, the toads in the garden are ok, the chipmunks burrowing in my Peonies I can tolerate, the mice that live in our wood pile can stay there, I enjoy the noise the crows and blue jays make, the chatter of the squirrels is pleasant, but enough all ready with the nest.
This has proven to be a nuisance because I can not open the door to let the dogs outside without nest debris falling inside, something to do with the air current vacuum the door causes when opening, I guess. So I allowed my husband to remove the nest, first making sure no eggs where in it. I was hoping the robin would move on to another location.
Moving did not happen. When I arrived home from work a new nest was built. My husband removed that nest too. Before the end of the night the robin began to rebuild. The half finished nest was removed.
In the AM Lucy our yellow lab was barking at the door. I thought she wanted to go out, but no that is not what all the commotion was about, the bird had built another nest, and was guarding it. Lucy was barking at the bird perched on the edge of the nest. Mark removed the nest again.
Hopefully the bird has gotten the message and will move on. I can picture the mommy robin with her legs crossed trying to hold the eggs in because she has no place to put them. I feel bad, but the nest mess is gross. It could have lice in it, and enough is enough with the yearly inconvenience of having to use the back door for 3 weeks in the spring.
I have a soft heart for critters and will suffer an occasional inconvenience. I didn't mind the mommy raccoon living in our tree with her babies, I don't mind the ducks in the back yard that make our dogs crazy and leave poop mess on the grass, the toads in the garden are ok, the chipmunks burrowing in my Peonies I can tolerate, the mice that live in our wood pile can stay there, I enjoy the noise the crows and blue jays make, the chatter of the squirrels is pleasant, but enough all ready with the nest.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
My husband the dog Groomer
Mark decided he was going to groom our dogs. He bought a dog clipper, which as it turns out he can use to groom cows and horses as well as dogs. A little bonus he did not expect. I did not want to be a part of the grooming process. Some lessons in life I learn well. Not using an electric groomer is one lesson that will remain with me forever.
I made the mistake of thinking I could give my son, who was 8 at the time, a buzz cut. Quickly I learned electric groomers are not something a novice should attempt to use. After two quick strokes of the clippers on my Son's head I knew an emergency trip to the barber was needed. Never will I use electric clippers again.
My husband however did not heed my warning or choose to remember my mistake with our son. So after 20 minutes of grooming, two of our dogs look like they have mange, and could possibly get a sunburn because they have an 1/8 of an inch of hair on their backs, with little island tufts of fur on their sides, legs and necks. They look terrible. He says they look fine and will be cooler in the heat. Mark might be correct about being cooler but I can tell the dogs are depressed and know they look awful.
I really do not believe Mark thinks they look OK. The dogs need their lepto shots this month and Mark said maybe we could wait to bring them to the vet till the end of the month. That length of time should allow for some of the fur to grow back.
HA!
I made the mistake of thinking I could give my son, who was 8 at the time, a buzz cut. Quickly I learned electric groomers are not something a novice should attempt to use. After two quick strokes of the clippers on my Son's head I knew an emergency trip to the barber was needed. Never will I use electric clippers again.
My husband however did not heed my warning or choose to remember my mistake with our son. So after 20 minutes of grooming, two of our dogs look like they have mange, and could possibly get a sunburn because they have an 1/8 of an inch of hair on their backs, with little island tufts of fur on their sides, legs and necks. They look terrible. He says they look fine and will be cooler in the heat. Mark might be correct about being cooler but I can tell the dogs are depressed and know they look awful.
I really do not believe Mark thinks they look OK. The dogs need their lepto shots this month and Mark said maybe we could wait to bring them to the vet till the end of the month. That length of time should allow for some of the fur to grow back.
HA!
Needs
I stole this from GKL: It was fun.
Ellen's needs
1.an unexpected birthday present. (this would be nice. I never expect a birthday present)
2.you ( how true I like all my blogger pals and need you to help me laugh, cry, sigh, think and much much more)
3. needs a female friend ( yes, my female friends are non existent, this was the subject of one of my first posts)
4. glasses, ( a definite)
Ellen's needs
1.an unexpected birthday present. (this would be nice. I never expect a birthday present)
2.you ( how true I like all my blogger pals and need you to help me laugh, cry, sigh, think and much much more)
3. needs a female friend ( yes, my female friends are non existent, this was the subject of one of my first posts)
4. glasses, ( a definite)
5. help to get elected, ( not sure about this one, no political aspirations from me, I am to lazy)
6. time to stretch ( absolutely, I do not take the time to do this often)
7. to continue her dive south ( I am leaving this one alone)
8. to rest ( I did have a fitful night's rest last night)
9. to convince her family that getting the right amount of sleep will help put her in a better mood (very true, I can be a bit nasty if I do not sleep well)
10. figure out why she has to be the mother hen to everyone ( this is so true, being the mother hen is my role in life, I worry about everybody almost all the time)Monday, June 4, 2007
almost a done deal
The inspection for the cottage with a view went ok. A few things are wrong that we did not anticipate but the seller made a cash concession on the sell price that will help towards the repairs.
The un attached garage could collapse at any time according to the inspection guy. The north foundation wall is bowed so much that he recommended demolition of the building. No big deal for me I like demolishing things. My husband is not happy because it will be money not spent on fun items that he considers absolutely vital to survival. A flat screen TV is at the top of his survival list.
I am not sure why the TV is at the top of his list, he doesn't watch television often. He will only sit down and watch The Sopranos, otherwise he finds other things to do. Me, I have several shows I like to watch, but the TV is not in the top 5 items on my survival list. My #1 is a coffeepot. Then coffee mugs. After those two items the list can be random. I can survive anything as long as coffee is available in the AM. Well, maybe sunscreen will be 1A on my list. Uhmmm, maybe I should add beer and liquor too, then club soda and other mixers, tall drinking glasses are necessary for those things, and ice, straws, lemons, limes, well I might have to include a bottle opener, and a kegerator. Isn't a blender necessary for margaritas?
Am I forgetting anything important?
The un attached garage could collapse at any time according to the inspection guy. The north foundation wall is bowed so much that he recommended demolition of the building. No big deal for me I like demolishing things. My husband is not happy because it will be money not spent on fun items that he considers absolutely vital to survival. A flat screen TV is at the top of his survival list.
I am not sure why the TV is at the top of his list, he doesn't watch television often. He will only sit down and watch The Sopranos, otherwise he finds other things to do. Me, I have several shows I like to watch, but the TV is not in the top 5 items on my survival list. My #1 is a coffeepot. Then coffee mugs. After those two items the list can be random. I can survive anything as long as coffee is available in the AM. Well, maybe sunscreen will be 1A on my list. Uhmmm, maybe I should add beer and liquor too, then club soda and other mixers, tall drinking glasses are necessary for those things, and ice, straws, lemons, limes, well I might have to include a bottle opener, and a kegerator. Isn't a blender necessary for margaritas?
Am I forgetting anything important?
Friday, June 1, 2007
Cottage with a view progressing
The seller of the cottage has finally 
decided to get realistic with her expectations. She has agreed to close June 15, and after the inspection of the cottage and property tomorrow she will begin to move her possessions out of the cottage.We are not sure what caused her to change her mind but are grateful that she did. So tomorrow at 8:30 am, after I have had my Starbucks medium half caff. with an inch of ice at the bottom of the cup, we will meet the inspection guy at the property. Hopefully nothing major will be wrong and we can close on June 15.
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