Winter white, winter bright

 When winter is here, we stay inside whenever possible. Not because it is cold outside, but because it is so cozy and nice in our home. Built in 1907, it has been our home for 35 years. It was built by a couple to enjoy in their retirement. Mr. Farrell worked as a railroad engineer, his largest work being the Laraedo Texas to Mexico line. They had two children, neither of whom lived in the house. Their son became a lawyer and lived in Cleveland with his wife and two sons. Those two sons became Jesuit priests. Their daughter never married.

  Ron and I had the honor of meeting the two sons when they were both in their 90's. We invited them in for a tour of their grandparent's home. We had a great time hearing about their frequent visits to the house until the death of their grandfather in 1919. They were 7 and 10 years old the last time they had been in the house.

Being avid collectors of any and all dog related items, today I gathered some of the collection together and filled a case in the front parlor. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what we have on display.

In the corner of the kitchen, I decided to bring out some of the collection of white china we have. I've been looking at white kitchens in the decorating magazines and am considering painting all of the cupboards white and getting a crushed glass counter top in white. We had to replace our refrigerator and dishwasher recently and selected white instead of stainless steel.





Every time I go to an estate sale, I buy white linen tablecloths. It reminded me of the snow and I thought it would be a nice way to brighten things up at this time of year. Next I'm heading to the bedrooms to put white sheets and white comforters on each bed. I think the winter white look will be just the thing for the next few months to keep us happy and contented with the look of snow inside and out.

The Art of Napping

 

Naps are just the best thing! It took me years to appreciate them. My mom says I NEVER napped as a baby, much to her dismay. Ron, on the other hand, has been a napper since his days in the Navy. In fact, on leave, he would head straight for a hotel to nap uninterrupted until the leave was over!  He is by far the best napper in the house.

 

 Allie Cat is clearly the most limber of nappers. All four legs are stretched out IN FRONT of her!  She is also very happy to curl up into a tiny ball, or drape herself over ANYTHING.                  

 

Jack insists on having  a pillow of some sort for his napping pleasure.  It is hard, however, to catch him with his eyes closed. He must be the lightest sleeper in the house.

 

Kate used her furry eyebrows to help block any annoying light and is happiest napping curled up next to Jack or Ron, or, as in the photo above, next to a chair leg.

 

Marilyn seems to prefer a dog bed smaller than she is for her napping nirvana. I'm not why this is, but, I feel quite accomplished when everyone around me is peacefully napping! Some think napping is the same as being lazy and so, force themselves not to nap. Are you a napper or a non-napper? Inquiring minds want to know.

Retirement news

 

EEk! Another dog in the family already!!!! says Allie Cat. Looks kinda like Louie, but, I liked him alot better. This girl looks scared of me, how strange is that?

 

This is Marilyn. She is 11 years old and since she was a pup, she has taken care of an elderly lady named Ruth as an official seeing eye dog, trained in Columbus. Several weeks ago, Ruth suffered a paralyzing stroke and can no longer stay with Marilyn.So, M is officially retired and ready to try life as the only retired member of our family. Yesterday morning, I picked up a voicemail from our vet clinic. Betty said that they knew of a white Standard poodle that needed a home and she wondered if we would be interested. Actually, I  was getting used to two dogs again and had decided not to pursue adding another dog after Louie passed away. Knowing, however, that placing an 11 year old dog would be next to impossible, Ron and I agreed to give it a go.

 

So, Marilyn ?? monroe, do you think? has been getting used to Jack and Kate and puzzling over Allie Cat. On the way home from the kennel where M was staying, she stopped at Purrrfect Paws for a bath and blowdry in order to make the best impression on the brood. At age 11, she has some seeing problems of her own, but otherwise is in excellent shape. Knowing that Standards average to age 12, we're counting on the fact that a few  live to the age of 15. Paulie stopped by to meet the newest member of our family and brought us some wonderful homemade soup and bread for our dinner, courtesy of Chef Bob.

 

It was a three dog night again last night. Ron stayed with Kate and Allie and  Jack(not Kennedy) and Marilyn (not Monroe) were with me. This morning, as I write, Jack, Kate, and Marilyn are all asleep at my feet and Allie is still perched on the cabinet gazing down at the group. So far, this is going much better than we expected.

 

By the way, last night we all watched the funny Disney movie, The Cat from Outer Space, starring Dean Jones, Sandy Duncan, Harrry Morgan, McKlean Stevenson, and Roddy McDowall. Allie refused to watch, however, and headed upstairs for a cat nap.

 

I think we're going to visit Ruth in the hospital today and give her an update on her beloved companion and see if she wants to snuggle with Marilyn for awhile.

It's a dog's world

 

Today, Kate is just exhausted. She spent all day yesterday fretting at home....alone. Paulette and I left at 7:30 a.m. to take Jack and Sam to the vet for stomach tacking surgery. It didn't occur to me that Kate has never been without company before. She barked and cried and barked some more. She was in quite a snit when Ron stopped home around noon and discovered the racket.  So, today, I brought her to work with me and Jack, too, where I could keep an eye on him as he recovers.

 

When I took this photo, I glanced over at the painting above my bookcases and noticed how similar the surroundings and the pose itself was to Kate's office lounging. Life imitates art, except that Kate is On the leather chair instead of BESIDE the chair. Ha.

Jack and Sam enjoyed the hour drive to the "Cleveland" clinic. We expected some romping around in the van, so, we put Jack in the middle seat and Sam in the back. It turns out that they were much more interested in looking out the window than looking at each other! In fact, Jack sat in the front beside Paulie, who was driving. I sat in the back seat and Sam sat in the rear of the van. When we got there, we tried to fill out the forms while holding tight to the leashes.

 

Ye

This was almost impossible to do! We learned that of all dogs that get bloat that results in stomach torquing, standard poodles are the most prevalent. Poor Beau. Poor Louie.

 



 

 

The clinic was really nice.  We used the gps to there,  then headed to the east side of Cleveland to have lunch at Nordstrom's. Wine included. I'm pretty sure we were the only ones there toasting to the successful surgery of our dogs. Paulette ruefully remarked that the reason we would not be vacationing in Europe, or spending 6 weeks in Puerto Rico to escape winter, or taking an Alaskan cruise was because between the two of us we had spent that amount on our dogs in the last two months. She had a point. We decided we really didn't want to go to Europe anyway and warm weather is over rated, too. In fact, snuggling next to our dogs is pretty warm and we don't have to struggle with crowded planes and time change issues and other travel hassles.

 

I still can't believe I have a BFF with the same crazy priorities as mine. Case in point: after our RELAXING lunch at Nordie's, we headed to TJ Maxx to kill some time before we could pick up the pups. We didn't buy anything, after all, we were facing some pretty daunting vet bills, but, as Paulette texted me it was time to leave, she said, I wish we had at least another hour here to look around. My thoughts exactly. How weird is that.

 

  

Both dogs are pretty slow today. You could say we have DRUGGED dogs instead of drug dogs.No matter. We are so relieved to not have to worry about death from bloating for Jack and Sam. Prince, Paulette's other standard poodle, will be headed there soon, nixing another ideas of world travel for awhile longer.  

 

New Year's Eve

 

 

 

It is somehow fitting that this last entry of 2012 involves a trip to the emergency vet clinic. This time, it is a run for Paulette's standard poodle, Sam. I am sure the outcome will be a good one. We are becoming familiar with signs of bloat and this trip is in anticipation of warding off an episode.

 

 Both Sam and Jack are scheduled for stomach tacking on Thursday because of the family line of bloat established by deaths of  Beau (Jack's brother) and Louie (Sam's brother) in which both dogs have a  70% increase in risk due to family history. 

 



We were planning to have a picnic of sorts tonight. The Weber Grill needs to be dusted off a bit first. Ron is ready to cook hotdogs (vegan-style for Bob, Paulette and me) and hamburgers (beef for Ron) and two styles of potato salad (vegan and regular) plus baked beans, salad and champagne. We'll see how long the vet visit takes first as the emergency clinic is an hour from here.

 

I read that the common resolutions at this time of year are for losing weight, getting organized, getting fit, spending less and taking life a bit easier. These all sound good to me.Last yearI had to add wear a seatbelt at all times to my list of resolutions. The year before that, I added remember everyone's birthdays on time. But the rest of the list stands the same. I think if I take life a bit easier, the other items will fall into place.

 

I've enjoyed my sharing adventures with Kate, Jack, Louie, Allie with all of you this year. I am thinking about expanding the blog to include more of my fiber interests and try add some features such as sound, video and other nuances. Thanks for reading! Happy New Year to all of you!

 

Merry Chistmas/God Jul

Merry Christmas from the Brooks household.  Kate, Jack, Allie, Ron and I hope you are all having a peaceful day filled with family, friends and fun. The sun is shining in Sandusky and there is only a slight dusting of snow on the ground. Last night, Terri Estel and I walked up and down the streets lined with luminaries. It was a silent night and absolutely beautiful.

Christmas memories for me revolve around Swedish traditions. My Great Grandmother, Charlotta Lambert Lee,  came over from Sweden when she was just 16. In her later years, when I knew her, she lived with my grandparents in Omaha, Nebraska. My dad's sister, Marj, made Swedish breads and cookies from family recipes. We always had lutefisk for Christmas Eve dinner and then opened presents around the tree.

 

I started collecting Swedish Christmas ornaments around 1986 with my friend, Janet Ford. Her grandparents were also from Sweden. We attempted to recreate  Swedish treats every December until we found a Swedish bakery in Chicago. After several years of flying to Chicago, just to pick up the Christmas goodies, they started a mailorder business...just for us!

We both started decorating our trees with Swedish flags, candles, gnomes, goats, red ornaments and straw creations.

In addition to Swedish influences, Ron and I always decorate around our favorite things.

 

 

This year, we added the cool sign that we purchased in an antique mall. It is painted on part of a door and looks nice on our dining room mantel.

This is the back parlor mantel. Santa leave presents in the stockings and around the fireplace here. He's been visiting here every year since 1907 when the house was built.

 

 

We forgot to leave out cookies this year, but, we did leave out a pitcher of bloody marys that he seemed to enjoy.

 

My Great Aunt Alberta (age 102) gave me some of her tree ornaments a few years ago and I like to put them in a glass bowl on the coffee table.

 

 

Can you see the collection of sheep around this tree at the top of our staircase? You might have to click on the photo to see it better.

 

 

Jorden, Paulette's 6 year old granddaugher, helped me get the American Girls ready for the holidays. That's Julie, Kristen, and Molly, in our living room. I'm not sure why they are all wearing glasses, but, I can ask Jorden about that later today.

 

This is the time of year to get out the Christmas bears and the antique ceramic tree for the fireplace mantel in the bedroom.

 

Santas pop up all over the kitchen.

 

 

They are all handmade from a gentleman in Berlin Heights, Ohio. I love their sweet faces.

No surface is without a Christmas collection of some sort!

 

The Spode Christmas plates debuted in 1938. According to one of my favorite books, Dish, there were no Christmas-themed china patterns until this one. Still in production, it is the most popular china pattern of all time. I've been collecting it since 1974 when my Aunt Marj gave me some of her. Every Christmas, my friend, Janet, gives me a special piece to add to the display.

My mom sent this photo to me. Right away I remembered the doll. When I showed the photo to Janet, she said, that's a tiny tears doll. Ebay is an amazing way to recollect your past, and I now have a tiny tears doll again (she's in the kitchen on the shelf with the santas) She's wearing a crocheted shawl that my Grandma Lee made for her. I found something similar for my "new" doll.

Christmas is such a special time of love and laughter.  I love wearing goofy reindeer headbands and giving presents to family, friends, and even strangers. Seeing Allie snoozing contentedly in a pile of gift wrap is a joy. Having Kate and Jack survive consumption of a whole pound of Ghiradelli semi-sweet morsels yesterday is another blessing. That our vet would take the call at 5pm on Christmas Eve is a miracle. I loved that Ron gave me the same present that he did two years ago...that he forgot about...an ISO Cool pillow. Phone calls from my mom in California have kept the Christmas spirit close. Visits with Paulette and Bob and their families are savored. I hope, you too, are having a great Christmas. Send me some of your favorite memories when you have the time.

Polar Express

In October, Ron bought a train to put around our Christmas tree. We brought it home from Temecula in two  carryon suitcases which the airlines didn't seem to mind. It has  been sitting in the attic until yesterday afternoon. That's when Ron discovered that the transformer wouldn't work.

Hmmm. Just where can you find a model train transformer on a late Saturday afternoon two days before Christmas? Google to the rescue. There was a shop about 45 minutes away, they were still open,and had just what was needed!

Those of you who know Ron already know about the stories of Ron's misadventures due to lack of directionitus. Some of you even have said things to him like, "Ron, tell us again about the time you had the mother-of-the-bride in your car and you and she missed the whole wedding reception of her only daughter when you couldn't find the restaurant" or "Ron, remember when you drove the wrong direction for 3 hours turning the wrong way after stopping for gas" and, "Ron, tell us about how you would circle water towers when you were flying in order to read the name of the town when you were lost."

As usual, as we left the driveway, Ron asked which direction to turn. "Pretend we're heading toward the airport", I always say. "Oh", he says, "do you mean head for the bypass?" "Yes", I sigh, "the man said take Baumhardt Road UNTIL IT ENDS at Rt 20.  Then look for FOUR SILOS and FOUR RED BARNS. I have a dairy farm", he added.

We pondered that as we drove. We have never ever been on Baumhardt Road until it ended. I guess we just thought it went on forever. We only travel 1 mile of it before we get on the turnpike and head for the airport. An adventure AND a train store! and a Dairy Farm!

I knit in the car and was happy for the free knit time, so, I kind of forgot to keep my eye on Ron's driving.  So, when we came to an intersection and Ron exclaimed, "there are the silos and 4 red barns", I was a bit sheepish that I didn't notice it first. "Aren't you glad I was paying attention" he said.

So, we turned onto the road, and into the farm drive and past the cute white house with the picket fence and into the backyard beside a huge red barn. We counted 3 other red outbuildings and concluded we had arrived at our destination. By the way, in our haste, we didn't take the gps with us, Ron's most trusted and loved electronic device, and we really didn't think we would need it.

Noticing that there was no sign indicating a train store, we headed toward one of the outbuildings where a radio was blaring  music. "Ron", I said, "we can't just barge into a barn uninvited" (just where I got that piece of etiquette, I don't know) but, we gently pushed open the door and startled a women who was mucking several stalls. (Aren't you impressed I used the phrase, "mucking the stalls"?) We said we were here to visit the train store. She looked at us and said, you must be LOST.

Yikes, we explained about the 4 silos and the 4 red barns and muttered something about Baumhart dead ending on Rt 20. Oh, this is Rt 511........?  oops. Well,  to deflect extreme embarrassment, I said, "so, what do you have here, I see 4 kittens,  and....are these....donkeys?" (I was ready to be embarrassed by misidentifying the four-legged creatures before me)  "yes" she, replied, "I have 4 of them, and this is my 14 year old horse over here," she replied.  I took another risk and said, "didn't I see something in the yard with horns like a reindeer?"  "He's a white tail deer that I've had since he was 8 days old and he is now 14 years old" she replied.  "He is very gentle except during rutting season and then you have to leave him alone."  Ron seemed to get the jist of that right away.

It was now dusk and we headed back onto Baumhardt Road until it ended, just like the man said. Ahead of us was a sign tacked onto a telephone pole, TRAINS, and we could clearly see 4 HUGE silos and 4 HUGE red barns, and a large  building with railroad crossing signs and giant parking lot. It turns out the dairy farmer had closed his farm and opened the biggest train store ever. ToysRUs isn't as big as this former farmer's train store! We learned alot about modern model trains. One customer pointed out the $600 engine he was purchasing as his Christmas present (he was 79) and he talked about the first train set he got in 1941, which he still had.  We left with a new transformer ($100) and wistfully discussed having a small farm with at least one small red outbuilding for a deer, a few donkey,s a horse, and, of course, sheep!