The Start of the Dark Ages

Winter is settling in and we are doing what we can to survive the “Dark Ages” of January to March. While the adventures are still happening, the colder and shorter days are slowing some of the activities down.



We have taken a multi-pronged approach to keeping active…

Shoveling snow…making ice candles…

 

Having a party to watch the Patriots beat up on the Jets…no wait…that was how it was suppose to turn out. Fortunately (at least from my point of view) the Steelers vindicated the loss…of course I will now be cheering on the Packers…At least this gave us an opportunity to make some three-day chili, have people bring over cornbread and salad, and spend an evening with friends.

The hot tub continues to be an oasis in the middle of cold days and nights. It may be cold getting out to it, but once you are in it becomes easy to enjoy and the warmth stays with you all the way back across the deck into the house.

While the hot tub is nice, we also figured that a trip to Florida would get us past some of the snow.  So off to visit Dad  for a long weekend.  Of course, with the snow storms moving up the east coast, we woke up on the Thursday morning we were set to leave and found out that our flight was cancelled.  Fortunately, the airline automatically rebooked us to a later flight in the day, so it actually gave us some time to get the current storm results off the walkways and cars. The snow was actually beautiful (other than the shoveling part) and made the house look nice in the winter light.

 
 

With the delays and changing flights our trip took us from Providence to Chicago to Tampa. All in all we spent about nine hours in airports and planes...arriving in Florida just after midnight.

Our nephew Brian, who decided to continue living in Tampa after graduating from the University of Tampa earlier this year, picked us up and provided carrier-service to Zephyrhills where Dad winters. We had a great time visiting with Brian during the trip—we don’t think we have seen him since last May—and he stopped in for a few minutes to say hi to Grampy as well.  Since it was so late he decided to head right back to his place in Tampa, but it was great to spend some time with him.

Coming in so late—earlier that morning—Friday started out as a slow day.  Dad’s dialysis appointment got moved up a little bit so after we dropped him off Cheri and I decided to do some shopping and a few errands.  I took the opportunity to get Dad a wireless router and set it up at his place.  Now he can bring his laptop out on the porch…over to the couch…into his bedroom.

My sister Deb came over from Lakeland, where she now lives full time, to spend part of the afternoon with us.  She brought along a new chaise lounge for Dad that he wanted but hadn’t been able to find in stock at the local Home Depot.  So while Dad was finishing up dialysis I put the chaise lounge together as well.

Out on Dad’s refinished porch he now has the chaise lounge and he is displaying his ability to keep some plants in bloom and flourishing out there as well.

After Dad rested up from his dialysis we enjoyed a nice fish dinner (after all it was Friday…not that it mattered, but a good excuse), a little TV and then off to bed.

Saturday morning we awoke to the sound of the Valleydale Park annual Yard Sale.  We were at Dad’s last year for this event as well and it is quite an undertaking for the Park.  Residents start setting up tables on their lots the night before and by 7 am the early-bird lookers are already making their way through the Park.  It is almost non-stop cars until just after 10 am with people looking for just the thing they didn’t know they really needed.

Dad took advantage of the event and put a couple of items on two of his friends tables—Ruthann & Harvey’s and Bill & Georgianna’s—both of which sold.  As a last minute thought he put the old chaise lounge frame out on the curb…mostly for trash pickup, but when someone asked I told them Dad wanted $2 for it…he offered $1 and I took it for Dad…gone and with more money in his pocket then when he started.
Cheri did take advantage of the nice weather and went to the outdoor track by a nearby hospital (I wonder if this is a Florida thing…put the ICU near the exercise area…hmmm).  She was able to get in a three mile run, so at least one of us got some exercise over the weekend.

After she got back (and showered) we packed up Dad’s car and headed out for Melbourne on the east coast.  Dan and Paula Chang now live in Melbourne Beach and we had arranged to head over and spend the night with them.

Dan and Paula have a beautiful house right on the Intercoastal Waterway and we arrived just in time to have cocktails and appetizers on the back patio overlooking the waterway.

We were also able to enjoy the sun setting over the  Waterway.  Dan and Paula say they often see and hear dolphins and manatees just off their quay, but we were not fortunate enough to glimpse any.  However, there were large numbers of pelicans and seagulls perching on the roofs of the dock structures next door (a special thanks to Danny for providing these pictures).

The Changs fed us extremely well…all washed down with some good wine…and then we watched a little bit of a movie, visited some more, and then all headed off to the guest rooms.  

Sunday morning Dan and Paula combined to give us a big breakfast and we spent more time just visiting.  It was very relaxing and too soon we needed to load up Dad’s car and head back to the Tampa airport.  Before we headed out we did get a photo of Cheri and Paula together.

We made the trek back across the State and arrived just as we had planned 90 minutes before flight time.  It was hugs and goodbyes on the curb with Dad and then our return travels from the sun and 70 degree weather to another planned snowfall in the coming week…it is after all winter in New England…and we are looking forward to it. 

The Adventures continue… 

Sometimes a Lump of Coal isn’t a Bad Thing…Particularly if There are Naughty Nurses

Time leading up to the Fall and Winter Holidays seems slow in getting here and then rushes by so quickly. The Adventures last ended with Thanksgiving (both the holiday and the heartfelt thanks) and now we're about to welcome in 2011; with multiple adventures in-between—St. Lucia party, Winter Ball, Football, and a joyous Christmas.

The first weekend in December we hosted our annual St. Lucia party. It is not so much a party about St. Lucia, but a reason to welcome in the mid-winter with some Swedish food and a gathering of friends. This year the party expanded to over fifty guests with people from work, church, the neighborhood and some that are mixes of all, and our house once again proved itself to be the right size and layout for a festive gathering.

In the week leading up to the party Cheri was baking and making several dishes; with a goal of having very little to do during the party other than heating things up and visiting. She was busy preparing potatoes stewed in cream, saffron bread braided and made into a wreath shape, onion pies, fruit soup, and glögg spices.

I did a bit by making the sill salad (a favorite of mine—herring, beets, apples and walnuts that gets spread on crackers), Janssen’s Temptation (sliced onions, potatoes, herring cooked in cream), snow pudding and a custard sauce, and a sliced cucumber salad. In addition we had some smoked salmon that required us making mustard and dill sauce, a spiral cut ham that needed glazing and spritz cookies.

By Saturday, December 4th, we had the house and much of the food ready. Guests also brought both edible items—Swedish meatball, Almond Cake, salads—and some further libations—red and white wines. It was a great celebration and a nice way to welcome the shortening days; as well as look forward to the days lengthening again after mid-winter.

A little aquavit frozen into a block of ice helped with the outlook as well.

We recovered through the week to get ourselves ready for the UMass Memorial Second Annual Winter Ball. This black-tie event is a  fundraiser and we enjoy the chance to dress up and go out. Besides a very good meal, there is a live (and lively) auction for some large items and several really nice silent auction items. I have won some sports tickets in the past in the silent auction, but this year was not as successful. But, we enjoyed watching other people spend their money—a very successful fundraiser—and Cheri and I were even out dancing for part of the evening—a success that Cheri values highly.

For the second year in a row the Winter Ball takes place on Friday evening, and the Army-Navy Football game is the next day. I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to attend once again, so I was up at 3:30 am to begin the trek to Philadelphia—site of the game. Along the way I stopped at Deb and Scott Whitney’s in NJ to drop off my bag and join up with them for the game.

Besides Deb and Scott, Tim and Laura joined us for the trip and the game. As usual, the game was filled with pageantry, jabs at each other’s schools, football, and outstanding sportsmanship both during and then following the game; when the teams stand respectfully for the singing of each other’s alma mater.



Following the game we made the relatively quick drive back to NJ. It was Scott’s birthday—which made it seem nice that they scheduled the football game to coincide—so we enjoyed a little bit of good beef and some nice wine to celebrate the day’s events.

Timing then gave us a week-and-a-half to finish preparing the house…and ourselves…for the celebration of Christmas.

On the 23^rd Nana and Papa showed up to spend the first half of the weekend with us. Since we had the time and the oysters—just two gallons worth this year—Papa got to work making the Fenton family traditional oyster stew. As we took the oysters out of the refrigerator Papa said he could hear the earth moving from Gram Fenton rolling over in her grave. He said her idea of making and stretching oyster stew was, “…tie two oysters on a thread and swirl them around in the broth.” Seeing two gallons of oysters going into a stew would be too much for her to bear.

We did have a little taste testing on the 23^rd, just to make sure we had the mixture done correctly. That saved a good portion for us to have on Christmas Eve. There were also pies to be made and decorated and other foods to be prepared for the next several days.

Deb, Scott, Tim and Laura showed up mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve and we made panini pressed sandwiches to go with the oyster stew for a late lunch / early dinner prior to having our first round of Christmas gifts. As is usual when we let Cheri and Deb sit next to each other it wasn’t too long before they were both laughing and egging each other on to more laughter. We had a great afternoon and then sent the Whitneys on their way to Maine to be with Scott’s family while we headed out to a Christmas Eve service.

The candlelight service of carols and readings was very nice. Cheri played several roles as a deacon and a bell-ringer. She was handing out candles as we came in, played handbells during the service, was a reader and then collected used candles at the end. The service was one of joy and sending people out very upbeat…different from the Christmas Eve services of the past which
 
were more solemn and reflective. Both types of services are important and good reminders of what Christmas is truly about.

Christmas morning meant sleeping in for some…some of us just continue to be early risers…and then we checked our stockings to see if we’d been naughty or nice. Either we had been just nice enough or hidden our naughtiness, because there was no coal to be found in any of the stockings.

  

Since everyone had been so nice, I went ahead and prepared the traditional eggs benedict we enjoy on Christmas morning at our house. Then we opened our presents from under the tree…great gifts to and from everyone.

We shared gifts with them and tried to convince them…by displaying the Christmas feast beef…to stay through the evening, but they needed to move on.

Papa and I managed to get a 3½ mile walk in during the morning…to help justify the amount of eating we had already done and in preparation of what was coming. Soon after getting back to the house Dan and Monica Whitney stopped by on their way from Monica’s family in NJ and heading to meet up with the rest of the Whitneys in Maine. Soon after they left Dave, Karen, Derek and Anna arrived to spend Christmas evening with us. Dad came along with them and we stationed him near the fireplace to keep warm.

The feast was great…although the beef ended up a little too rare for some because I didn’t follow my own directions in preparing the meat…and we enjoyed the company around the table. Later in the evening we played some Left-Right-Center. 

A few days earlier, while getting some libations for the weekend, I found a combination of items that just seemed right.  One of them was a Naughty Nurse…and I figured if you are getting one you might as well get two.  Of course that meant you might end up with a Lump of Coal in your stocking…but this kind didn’t look to bad. 



So Dave and I managed to try them during some of our games.  We then tucked everyone in for another nice winter’s nap.
    
Sunday morning Nana and Papa got themselves packed up and headed off to NH before the predicted winter storm blew in. The rest of us finished more cooking and preparing another batch of snow pudding while awaiting the arrival of some more members of the Swenson family—excepting those in Florida, Denver, Australia, and in MA but already becoming snow-bound.
  

As people arrived we snacked on more of the Swedish food prepared for the day, as well as cookies and appetizers. There was football on the TV, sitting by the fire, visiting, and then we got everyone involved in a couple of rounds of Left-Right-Center. The events took us into late afternoon followed by  a Yankee Swap of gifts. Then it was another smorgasbörd of entrees and desserts.

With the snow storm heading up the coast the travelers did not want to tarry too long before heading north and away from the larger snow falls. We ended up with only a few inches on most of the ground although the snow drifted much deeper in some areas. More significantly the wind gusts took down many trees and branches in the area, including one in our back yard that woke us up in the middle of the night. No damage to the house, but loud enough to make you wonder what had happened.

As the Year’s Adventures are winding down it seems that it has been a good year.  Good times with Family and Friends…traveling…good food, wine, and spirits. It also looks like more great Adventures ahead with more traveling—Florida and Australia—more time together with friends—Valentines Day, Cinco de Mayo—and along with that should be more good food, wine and spirits.  HAPPY NEW YEAR to all as we continue the Adventures into 2011.