Gooma's Place

A Year Later!

2010-10-08T17:01:00.002-04:00

I have not posted for a year now! I'm sure something exciting has happened to me in a year.
This summer has been a little more interesting because I had been invited to go to the ocean with Pat and Bonnie about 4 times. I stayed with Bonnie in her park model in a very comfortable campground with a pool next to the ocean. We had very leisurely evenings by a campfire, I stayed far away from the flames, and spent the days on the ocean, reading or learning to crochet potholders. I have it down now. One pattern for the rest of my life. It takes me a while to learn new crafts.There were a few times we dined on steamed clams,lobster with tons of butter, corn on the cob and bread. Very nice! A few times just having lobster rolls with fries. I was treated royally and enjoyed every minute of it! We also had our struggles too, but the good outweighed the unpleasant.

Spots before my eyes!

2009-10-07T22:40:00.003-04:00

Seth and I went to Manchester today to an ear,nose,throat Dr. for some spots he had in his throat. His imagination went wild and he thought he had some horrible thing going on like cancer. We found out he was severely dehydrated. That's it. Thank goodness. By the time we got home he had downed about 6 bottled waters. All better!

Where did the summer go?

2009-09-25T12:16:00.009-04:00

I can hardly believe that its been 3 months almost since my last blog! What a slacker I turned out to be.Let me begin to tell you about some of my summer adventures...I stayed with Bonnie,Pat,Linda,and some other ladies at Wells Beach Maine ,Pat had her silver bullet camper and Bonnie has a newer one next door. I stayed with Bonnie,with all my gear,oxygenator,tanks,cpap,etc! Its an ordeal getting everything organized to go anywhere.She was very gracious letting me have her queen bed,she has a great bathroom with shower,etc. It used to be you would have to walk though the campground to get to the common showers. I just loved it. We went to the ocean and the pool and just hung out for 3 days! There was a large lobster dinner,1 1/2 pounders,a chinese dinner and a steak rolled up with veggies dinner. All of it was very yummy. The girls always do it up right.We had a good time catching up with all our stories,etc.

Another adventure I had was going to Leslies house for 3 days...Saratoga Springs. We got lost going there, off on the wrong road so it took us forever to get there! I was kind of cranky by the time I got there. We had to take a detour on her street. We were only minutes of being at her house and an oil truck had tipped over and they were detouring everyone around the Race track road.Aye ya ya......There were only 65,000 people leaving the track that day!I ended up stopping at a park and having her come and lead us there. We went to the Bartlett garnet mine ,always a beautiful ride into the Adirondacks. We stopped and got beautiful fruit and veggies at a roadside stand. I thought the mine would be a little different in my head before we got there. You had to pay ,then wait for a convoy to go to the pit,listen to their spheel about the mine, then you had 45 minutes to either dig with your hands, or a small childrens beach pail and shovel, you couldn't bring your own picks or hammers. If you wanted to stay you had to go back up and start all over again with the convoy,spheel and your 45 min. It was fun,and a bit of work,but we found some. Actually when we got home a garnet was in the center counsoul of the car and Seth had dumped candy in that spot and cracked a tooth eating a garnet! Ahhhh memories....

We also went to our precious Oscars Smokehouse in Warensburg NY. We LOVE it there, one of our favorite places. The cheese and smoked meats are out of this world. We found out when we got home that Oscars burned to the ground! We are devistated and heartbroken.

Independence Day!

2009-07-05T11:43:00.012-04:00

Elaine relaxing from her genealogy.

We had a great party on the 4th.I worried about the weather all week since we have had rain for over 3 weeks,every single day! I bought a tarp for the porch roof, it is so leaky,from when the kids were little and shoveled the snow off the roof ,ripping up shingles along with the snow. So the tarp went up and we stayed pretty dry all afternoon. The party went for about 6 hours! One couple had to drive through dime size hail to get to my house. We also had thunder storms,torrential downpours,but also plenty of sunshine. It really was a very good day for a gathering.

We had so much food for the party.Tortellini Salad, Frogs eye salad,potato salad,green salad,fruit salad in a watermelon bowl.,2 cheesecakes,cupcakes,2 watermelons,chips,hot dogs and ribs. Everything was so yummy. This pic was taken before all the food arrived. The people who have catered before at the party said that one of these bowls was enough for 30-40 people! Needless to say,everyone had plenty to eat AND bring home. What a great country we live in!

Samantha gave up a wedding of a friend to come to the party. We appreciated them being here.

Aaron Handy discovered that he loves blueberries. Yup hes a native boy all right! I think all little boys like blueberries, I know most of my grandsons do!

This is my favorite picture of the day! Jim Shepard with glow glasses over his own glasses! Look at the kids faces.So cute.

Cookie holding down the fort.She and Elaine were the calm in the middle of the storm!

Greg Noyes with Aaron Handy

Jon and Joy Noyes with their 4 sons. Aaron and Amy Handy with little Aaron. Jeremiah and Samantha with Caleb,Jim and Lil Shepard,Cookie Whiting,Elaine Goodall,John and Donna Acker,Seth and I.

Aaron Handy Jr.

loves his stuffed animal.

Aaron the dad was our BBQ man.Hes a very good cook.

Caleb with glow in the dark glasses. He had a lot of glowing bling for the fireworks later. We watched them at Constitution Park and they were great till they had to put a hold on them because of the wind.The firework sparks were landing on people. Everyone went home early,we were home in 15 minutes ! Unheard of for fireworks with all the summer people who come up to watch them. Its taken 2 hours to get home in past years from the next town over! The Wolfeboro fireworks are fun because the bay is cram packed with boats who honk all night with all the lights on,its really memorable and different.A much livelier bunch goes there.

This turned into a deafening

Bannannagram game! What a rowdy bunch!Joy,Amy,Aaron,Dylan,Donna Acker and Seth. I thought our neighbors were going to call the police on us for being disruptive and laughing so much! It was a lot of fun being in the fray.

John Acker stays calm in any situation. Maybe he was sleeping... He has a new job with about an hour and 45 min. commute!

Dylan is growing up so fast. Hes quite the rap star.

Mans work. Brother Shepard and Aaron checking the ribs and hot dogs. They came out to perfection! Aaron is quite the cook ,he always gets asked to help at the church because he graduated from a culinary school.He made his own BBQ sauce,very yummy with a nice kick to it. He could make some serious money bottling it!

Brotherly love. Seth and Jeremiah Jeremiahs right shoulder is still not doing well. He goes in for another opinion and hopefully a different surgeon soon.

Joy brought this game over called Chuck-O. There are two boards you throw weighted pillows into and whoever gets more in the hole or on the board wins. I had to try my hand at it,I think my Oxygen tank made me lopsided.It was a lot of fun. I don't know how many more points you got if you pegged a child in the process!

The magic of bubbles. Everyone loves them, Matthew sure did! The porch gets nice and slippery when they are spilled though, fun for little boys to slide on until someone knocks themselves out. Thankfully we didn't have many mishaps other than a storm door breaking with lots of glass everywhere! No cuts or bruises though! So I guess you could call it a successful day with fun and games for all.

Super Petunia

2009-06-07T20:55:00.003-04:00

For the last couple of years on mothers day Seth has bought Super Petunias for the porch from Devylders Farm. Last year we got purples and whites. This year we pared down and got one pink one. These are so huge, I just love them. And they always cost less than the local stores sell them for . We also got a geranium in a large pot. Its a brilliant red/orange color.

Our lilacs were very thick and prolific this year. So many cars would stop and just admire them. (We are at a stop sign so that may have had something to do with all the admiration.) I love the smell when your driving with the windows down. I watched one day as a big old butterfly was hanging on for dear life during a very windy afternoon. It was kind of like a carnival ride for the little guy. I thought it was pretty funny that he clinged on and didn't just fly away. He must have loved the smell too!

Our new lawnmower! We have been borrowing one for so many years now, what a pain. It took forever to drive to whoevers house ,load the thing,unload it,use it, load it,unload it......AHHHHH

So we decided to use the c.c. and get one.Its hard getting a job done when you don't have the right equipement for it.

An inside view of Devylders Farm. So many beautiful flowers to pick from.

Jeremiahs Birthday

2009-06-07T20:47:00.002-04:00

We went to Jeremiahs house on his birthday. Samantha bought him his own scirptures and had them embossed with his name. He seemed very happy with them.

Caleb was running around with this mask on. It looks like the one I use for my cpap machine. He was a little mini me.

I had to wear this mask when we were cleaning out the workshop. I ended up getting pretty sick from the whole adventure. I got broncitis again and had to go on super cillin for a week. Im just getting over it now 3 weeks later! I start to feel better and get carried away and then I end up suffering for it. I just need to be more careful.Notice the hose comming out of the mask?

Letterboxing.

2009-06-07T19:53:00.003-04:00

This is an old turntable in Wakefield . The track links up to other train tracks that run off the center. It was very old and heavy. I don't know how they moved it, its so big and cumbersome. Maybe they used horses or oxen. Some of these places that are listed for letterboxing are in the towns you live in and most people don't ever see these fun things. Ive lived here 30 years and never knew this was here!

Lorna stopped by and told me to jump in the car,she had something special to show me. So I obediently loaded myself into her car and off we went . I had never heard of letterboxing before. You can go on the internet and see where you can do this yourself in your own states. We got to an old pound in Wakefield and you can see by the pictures that the box was hidden in the

the stone walls. You really had to look hard to find it. The plus were the ladyslippers. It was in season and they were quite abundent in this pound. You really don't see to many of them now. They are very finicky flowers and don't do well with development and urban sprawl. It was fun and educational. I highly recommend this hobby to anyone!

Lupine Festival

2009-06-07T19:32:00.003-04:00

This was a cool barn that we came across. I love the little squares in the silo. Its so artsy! Ive started taking pictures of some barns that I like. Actually Seth took this one. His pictures always come out better than mine. (He has a better camera,and a better eye). The rest of the pictures are of the lupine we came across. I think we left around 9 am and got home around 5.00. What a great day. We saw a fox on the Kanc, and a different kind of animal at a gift shop. There was a woman who sounded like she was from NY and as she was walking in to the shop Seth noticed she had a trail of T.P. hanging out of the top of her pants! He was like, you have to tell her, I was embarrased but yelled out the window and motioned for her to come over. I told her and she laughed and said, "Thats like something you would see on the television." What a hoot.

The lupine was so pretty. Most of it was a dark purple but there were a few pinks and whites. We wanted to dig some up and bring it home to start our own lupine field. But we didn't . I have since heard that quite a few people do that though. There was also a festival going on, I got a walking stick with a face on it. It was inexpensive and cute. I thought I could use it on rough ground. Seth spotted a woman that he had working under him for the Census. They chatted up a storm for about half an hour.

Sugar Hill

2009-06-07T19:13:00.003-04:00

We went to a Lupine Festival at Sugar Hill,N.H. this Saturday and spent a beautiful day surrounded by mountains and flowers. This was a spot that we stopped at to have lunch. The people that owned the property had put a nice bench out with a monument to a beloved horse that they had, who use to stop here every time they took her out and would look at the mountain and graze. So there is a big boulder with her info on it and the quiet was just so soothing. Birds everywhere and little cheepers with such a beautiful view.

Alex and Gillian

2009-04-16T13:39:00.004-04:00

Emily got some newer pictures of the kids and I thought they were pretty darn cute,so here they are.
Everyone seems to be growing up so fast! Alex has been very involved with Hockey this winter,he is the goalie, so the game depends on him. I havn't seen him in action but I'm told he's pretty good.They both come to church so I get to see them there every week. Thats always nice!

General Conference

2009-04-06T15:07:00.004-04:00

We went to the church Saturday and saw the 2nd session of conference . I got a ride back with Lorna so Seth could stay for the priesthood session. They always have an ice cream social before hand. Sunday we went for the morning session and enjoyed it very much. There is always a luncheon,pot luck, in between so we stayed for that. I t's a good time to visit with everyone. We tried to stay for the second half but I got really tired and didn't feel that well. I have had issues with swelling in my head and neck so we went home and watched it on tv. It was a first that we got it on a regular channel, so that was nice. I just love conference and the messages that are given for us to enjoy and learn from!

Baby Aiden!

2009-04-04T08:58:00.003-04:00

Angeline had her baby! He was born on Mar.31 around 9;30 He weighed in at 6 whole pounds 11 ounces! I was so excited to be able to watch him being born. Angeline had bought a laptop computer and put Skype on it,( getting the computer on time was another whole story with the Dell people!) Her friends came up from Homer Alaska to bring her to "lunch" and when they got there they brought her to a surprise baby shower instead. During the shower she was having some good contractions and went to the hospital after. Everything went quickly from there. They called me around 1;30 in the morning and told me to turn on the computer and there I was! In the delivery room watching the easiest birth Ive ever seen! Angeline is so good at having children. I was so thrilled to be able to watch his birth and so grateful that Angeline went to all the trouble of setting it up and getting everything together on time so that I could be part of the experience. As far as I know this is the first Skype birth. You should go to angelines blog to hear the "rest of the story" Little Aiden is just beautiful and he has a very sweet demeanor.I love my family!

Quiche for lunch!

2009-04-04T08:45:00.003-04:00

Today is conference at church from Salt Lake so I thought I would make something simple and yummy for lunch. We made a quiche with red pepper,onion,ham,mushrooms and feta cheese. It looks very pretty and smells wonderful! I can't wait for it to get out of the oven and cool.I made 2 so we could just come home tomorro from conference and have an insta lunch.

Sunshine State

2009-03-28T10:09:00.014-04:00

Seth had a very nice time with Celeste and Charice in Florida this last week. She lives in a townhouse with her cats Max and Kali . Max is the tomato, grapefruit eating cat that boogie boards in the pool. Seth loved him.They went to Daytona beach,there were jellyfish on the beach so not many people were in the water.Charice had her boyfriend Eddy with her so I thought you might like to see a picture of them together.

Jed came and got him at Celestes house and drove him back to Tampa he spent the night there .The next day they went to a manatee viewing area ,and a State park ,then Jed showed him the house he is building there. Hes very excited to have his own place.Jed drove Seth back to Celeste house and spent the night there after going to a concert of Digweed and Sasha with Seth. Then he drove back home to Tampa. It was fun for both of them to see each other again.

Shakers,shakers, everywhere!

2009-03-11T13:54:00.003-04:00

These are the Shakers of Enfield,N.H. I had always heard of the Canterbury shakers and also the Alfred Maine group,but I had no idea there were so many groups in Ohio ,Penn.or N.Y. We took a little road trip,thats our favorite thing to do, well at least my favorite thing.This group is no longer with us. I think the only ones left in N.E. are the Maine group. We found a mish mash of newer houses behind and beside the buildings the "Believers" built. I am sure at one time it was a beautiful tract of land with their huge buildings and barns.They are located right on Lake Mascoma so they had plenty of water during their peak years during the 1840's.I just love tromping around N.H and learning about all that it has to offer!

Ice Out!

2009-03-11T13:46:00.002-04:00

Its almost time for the ice to melt on the lake. I hope all these bobhouses get off first! Were entering the Ossipee Ice Out Contest this year..our first.I wonder how many other states have bobhouses on their lakes?

Work,work work....YEAH!

2009-03-11T13:20:00.004-04:00

Its been a slow month as far as happenings go. Geoff moved out of the house and into a room in Rochester,NH so he could work at a Mexican restaurant there. Hes so happy to be working again!. Its been months for him and I know its hard to fill in the time when your not engaged in earning money.Seth is also going to be working in April. He starts with the US Census, that will be a lot of evenings and weekends when people are home to be counted, he too is thrilled with the prospect of being able to pay bills and not having to live on credit cards!
We took a trip to Mt. Washington yesterday and took a lot of pictures.It was a beautiful day after a big storm. I thought after having weather of almost 60 degrees that it was going to be warm for a while! Fooled me...
Tomorrow I am going to Portland Maine to an art show with 3 of my friends for the night. I feel silly dragging around my breathing machines and cpap machine and meds and oxygen tanks! They really want me there I guess. Were going to stay at a Marriott and go swimming ,then out to dinner. Ought to be lots of fun!

Pizza party!

2009-02-20T17:59:00.002-05:00

Geoff and Seth are making pizza tonight. Its great having a ex pizza man here to make the dough. Can't wait for the results!

Girls day in....

2009-02-20T17:39:00.003-05:00

Pat..................... Party at my house
Bonnie ..............Giggles and laughs
Linda................ Games and food

Groupie birthday party every year for February girls.....
Painted rocks by Linda ........ pampering products from Pat
Bonnie always has pretty things like makeup bags in lavender
Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun Fun

Vinyl is in......

2009-02-19T19:12:00.006-05:00

Wow! What a show....we went to Portland last night and enjoyed the" Vinyl Cafe ". You may not have heard of them, they are out of Canada and on the radio Sundays at 2.00. Stewart McLean is a great story teller,who grabs his audience and keeps them engaged all during the show. It was 3 hours long and we were wanting more at the end! Last night he had a singer from Canada they were showcasing, Matt Andersen. Hes bluesy,and was very, very good, what a voice! The theater had great acoustics, which made him seem even better. We just missed a huge snowstorm and got home around midnight, the roads were pretty well untraveled because of the storm, I was worried about it, but I wasn't driving. We stopped by and saw Pat (Plummer). She lives in Gorham,Maine and has been married for years now. She looked really good and it was great to see an old friend.

Fruity toot tooty

2009-02-19T17:49:00.003-05:00

Celeste sent a beautiful fruit basket for my birthday that was filled with pineapple,mango,oranges,apples,kiwi,bananas,and grapes. I don't know anyone who wouldn't want fruit! We started eating it and I didn't get a picture of it, sorry about that, but this picture is awfully close to the real thing.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-02-16T08:18:00.003-05:00

I had a very nice birthday starting off with Jeremiah and Samantha cooking breakfast for Seth and I before church. Jeremiah was the cooker of scrambled eggs and hash browns with his one arm,Samantha was the bacon and toast cooker. It was very nice being waited on and thought of,and after 3 hours in church we were not as hungry as usual. Seth got these cute flowers for me and also this Wed we are going to Portland,Me to a show featuring "The Vinyl Cafe". They are on PBS radio station. It ought to be a lot of fun. We are just going to miss a huge storm that is predicted for Thurs. I don't know where people find so many cute cards but I got funny ones from Leslie & Cookie.Angie sent a sweet one and Caleb made me one with cut out hearts. I made a little baby roast with baked potatoes and pickled beets. Nothing special,just what was in the freezer for lunch. The rest of the day was lazy. All the family members called and that was nice talking to everyone. I love you all!

2009-02-14T16:00:00.002-05:00

I hope you all have a day full of love and good kisses......Hugs and kisses to all of you from me!
Cookie came over today with a beautiful cheesecake filled with pineapple,coconut,nuts and a raspberry sauce drizzled over the top....it was out of this world delicious! It was more a birthday cake but that's the good thing about having a birthday so near valentines. You can celebrate either or.

Genealogy we are doing it!

2009-02-05T18:18:00.005-05:00

Today I went with Elaine,Seth and Caroline to Concord to the Vital Statistics for the State of NH.
Elaine was helping Caroline out so she could start her search for ancestors. I was organizing some of my papers and a man who volunteers there came over and we discovered that we were related by Susanna North who was hung in Salem,Ma for witchcraft in the 1600. She was married to George Martin and thats who this guy I met was related to. It was fun. He said that I could be considered a daughter of the American Revolution when I can get the birth and death certificates of the people in my family that served in the civil war. Well La De Da, I could have a title! Im going to try and get myself psyched up to do my genealogy and get it all in a program like Legacy or Family Tree. Im not very good at psyching myself for much of anything, but Im going to try!

No more cabin fever

2009-02-04T15:36:00.009-05:00

Yes! We have our car back...we are so excited to have it again. Its been a long 2 1/2 weeks. A member let us borrow her car , so we didn't get cabin fever. I was OK but Seth isn't use to being in the house for long periods of time. I now have a car to use till the end of the summer. I feel so wild and free! I have no where to go ,but Im ready if I ever think of anywhere or anyone I would like to visit. The car is about 25 years old but only has about 55,000 miles on it!
Sunday we went to church,bore my testimony. Then we invited a young couple over for dinner. She is pregnant and due about the same time as Angeline. I surprised myself by making a great tortilla soup. It was really excellent if I do say so myself! I'm not usually a good soup maker. I tried to get into the whole Superbowl thing but I couldn't really do it. It got exciting toward the end but I was just as happy on the animal planets" Doggy Superbowl." with the half time kittys.
I just got back from getting my driving licence. For the next five years I will have to look like a lunatic if I have to show my picture to anyone. I don't know why they can't take a decent picture EVER! They don't post your weight anymore. You are just a category. I conveniently forgot to write my weight down on the application but someone with an eagle eye caught it!

Keeping busy.

2009-01-29T21:01:00.004-05:00

Pat and the girls came up this week and we played Bannanagram over and over, then went out for chinese. It was a fun time, on the way home they ALL bought the game, so now Im not very special anymore, being the only one with the game.....boo hoo.
Tuesday I went out visit teaching and everyone we visited wanted to talk and talk and talk. It took us 9 hours! What a day......I just crawled into bed when I got home and stretched out.
I spent most of today cutting up material. It was theraputic for me. Somedays I just want veg out and do as little as possible.
Tomorro night Geoff and the kids are spending the night. Emily is having a party and wants them all out. ?. So were going to have a pj party in the living room. I'm sure it will be entertaining.

Friday night with no where to go.

2009-01-23T16:20:00.004-05:00

Another week has passed,it seems like the older you get the faster they go, wasn't it just Sunday? Car is still in the garage so we are stuck for another week it looks like. It
s a good thing we like being home. Just got the 3=D glasses from Steve to watch the super bowl with,Seth tried them out and says they don't work for him.I don't know what he was trying to look at ! Were going to sit around with them on Sunday and I'm sure when the time comes, the goggles will work.
I am starting to feel better,not so much archness and coughing. I have been downing tons of fluids which has helped. Just finished another book by Dana Stabenow,A fine and bitter snow. This is the 2nd one I have read by her. I have never been into novels too much so I don't think I'm going to go out of my way to get more of her works. If they just showed up at the house mysteriously I might reconsider. Hope you all have a good weekend. I enjoyed everyones new posts!

Peek A Boo

2009-01-21T15:53:00.005-05:00

The snow is so high in the upstairs bathroom window that you don't need to shut the blinds when you take a shower! Seth is upstairs on the porch roof trying to get as much off as he can so the roof dosn't cave. Thats what he has been doing for the past 3 days, shoveling off the roofs at the Burkes. We are so grateful that he has been able to work anywhere, its been a long 2 months! Lorna and Jared have been picking him up and dropping him off which has been a blessing to us. We are grateful for the service that they have provided for us.

Presidential swearing in.

2009-01-20T10:19:00.005-05:00

Well, today is the day! I have been up since 2;30 am from a sore stomach ,feaver,and coughing so I have been watching television from very early this morning. I wish the new president all the best. Im trying to be positive and supportive. I did feel safe with George Bush in the presidency and thank him for his service to the country. There is so much we don't know about as regular citizens as to how much someone does in service or the workings behind the scene. To quote someone, " Can't we all just get along? No matter what your political preference its an exciting historical day in Washington,D.C. this January 20,2009. Its also the day I got married 39 years ago.

Americas Top Model

2009-01-19T14:24:00.003-05:00

We spent almost all day yesterday watching Americas Top Model. I don't know what got into us. Other than both of us feeling sick and draggy there was no excuse for our behavior! After a few hours we wanted to see who would win so we kept watching and watching, 10 pm came around and thank heavens it finally came to an end! We were bewitched and transfixed!
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

Down and Out.....

2009-01-18T12:48:00.002-05:00

I caught a flu bug thats been going around and almost everyone I come in contact with has a form of it, it was way beyond my control! Today were having a huge snow storm and with no car I don't feel to bad about being in bed sneezing and wheezing and being feavery. I do hope it passes quickly though!

Cars down and out.

2009-01-16T17:38:00.006-05:00

Things happen in threes they say. I'm not sure who they are but its true. Should I just sit around and wait for bout 3? First it was my excitement with the burning clothes. Today we were off on an adventure and the heat stopped working in the car. Being one of the coldest days yet we were affected immediately. The display on the dash said the car was overheating so we pulled into a gas station and paid $15.00 for a container of anti freeze! I couldn't believe how expensive it was! We filled it up and got around the corner and it happened again. We were right next to another gas station so we pulled in. All the antifreeze came pouring out. They said they could look at it in about an hour,I thought it was a hose that had broken.We walked quickly, I might add to a restaurant,I was so out of breath by the time we got there, It was walk fast and die of a heart attack or freeze to death if I slowed down! We stayed there at the Poor Peoples Pub for 3 hours, and dawdled over lunch as long as we could! Everyone was very friendly and kind. One of those places where everyone knew everyone in town and hugged the waitresses when they came in. Their trash can caught on fire while we were there by someones cigerette. Hummmm ,what is this,fire and me? Finally the car mechanic said it was a water pump or a termostat. So we called Jeremiah and thank heavens he was home to save us from ourselves! We are in for the freezing weekend!! Snow predicted.

FIRE!!!!

2009-01-15T16:35:00.003-05:00

Gosh, I just had the scare of my life! The other day we made egg rolls and I used a bar towel for the draining of the grease. Well,Seth did laundry today and he set the alarm because my buzzer does not go off anymore,so I went out in the entryway to get the laundry. I brought it in and I was on the computer adding music to my playlist when I started smelling something like burnt toast. I got up and went into the kitchen to see what was going on and nothing smelled in there. So I sat back down and continued my music quest. My eyes started watering and the smelll was getting worse so I went to the laundry basket and started moving clothes around and found a towel that had red hot embers on it,smouldering. I quickly jerked my oxygen off and grabbed the basket and dumped it on the cement floor of the entry. It is about 5 degrees out today! This one towel that we had used for the grease had burned through sock,towels,my pjs,and some undies! I dumped water on it to cool it off then threw it outside and covered it up with snow. (Im in my pjs now so Im sure I looked like a lunitic!)The house smells so bad. You all know what a freak I am about fire and fire smells! Well thats my excitement for the day. Seth was in Conway during my calamity.

Happy Birthday Seth

2009-01-14T09:25:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Seths birthday. He found a ski area,Wildcat,that lets you ski free on your b-day. So off he went with a snowboard and proceeded to knock himself out for hours and hours. He really did almost knock himself out by tumbling over and over going to fast, his neck is pretty sore today. There were hardly any people on the hill he was on, being a Tues, not a very popular day to ski, so he laid there for a while and stared at the sky. We then went to Jeremiahs house for dinner , yummy fat burgers and fries. Today Seth is off taking the state test for medical transcription in Concord. I found my favorite quilting book today in the garage,now how did that end up in there I wondered, and now Im all excited to start another quilt! Im going to spend at least a couple of hours in my sewing room planning and playing with material...one of my favorite things to do. I am also in the middle of another Alaskan adventure novel. A gift from one of the girls I have Christmas with every year.Its always fun to read about Alaska but Im not very fond of the series, I think because of the language more than anything else. Fridged weather for the next week,in the -*. Time to bundle up when out and about! For those of you in warm weather, it is your time to snicker at us northerners.!

What planet am I on?

2009-01-07T16:30:00.004-05:00

I love playing "Little Big Planet". I have always been shy and unsure of video games. They seem too quick or Im too slow. So when Seth asked me to play the game with him I hesitated because I didn't want to be the reason for either of us getting frustrated. I LOVE IT! I am always the girl and get to dress in whatever I want with new hair and hats and outfits. Im not very good at it,but Im learning. When the children were all little and I tried to play Mario they would get antsy with me and take the controls to show me how to do it. At that point I knew it was all over! Im sure those of you who have the Wii are equally excited about some of your games.

Shop til you drop!

2009-01-05T20:00:00.004-05:00

I went to Conway with Seth today and got to drive myself to Christmas Tree Shop while he worked out (swam 20 laps) at the gym. Everything Christmas was 75 % off! I was so excited. I got some things for 2009 Christmas party with the girls,cheap! They don't read my blog so Im safe with all of you knowing this. I got a little carried away but it was fun getting out and spending time just browsing on a beautiful day!

New Years Eve in Woodsville

2009-01-03T19:12:00.007-05:00

I'm still recouperating from the New Years Eve fling at the Ackers in Woodsville.It was so incredibly cold! In the 3 below area. The woodstove was putting out all the time we were there. Just opening the door to get more wood from the porch was a shock. We played games all day and night. Donna got home from work and

John made a chicken stir fry , then we proceded to snack all night. We switched channels to check out the firework displays around the world. The next day Seth and Joel went out cross country skiing. We thought they would be out for just minutes because of the bitter cold but hours later they sauntered in after working up a sweat skiing. They were peeling their outerwere off they were so warm.There were people out snowshoeing with their dogs,other people skiing,they saw moosetracks,deer,etc. Only in the woods in Northern NH.We made a nice roast beef dinner that night and then we stayed until 11.00 before going home! It took us 2 hours. I wore my pjs home in the car like a little kid. It was nice sleeping in our own beds,but we had sooooo much fun with our friends . I couldn't think of a nicer way to bring in a new year!

Busy Week!

2008-12-30T23:20:00.010-05:00

This last week has been so busy! Leslie spent the weekend on the island and we visited her about 6 times there and she and her brother came to our house 2 times.It was so nice to see her and play games. We have a new game called bannanagram and it is so much fun! We played it every chance we could. Christmas Eve. Jeremiah and his family came over from about 4-6 and then as they were leaving Geoff and his family came over from 6-8. We had dinner both times and then they opened gifts! We watched a little of conference with Jeremiah and Samantha. Caleb was very attentive. That made my Christmas. It was Pres Uctdorf speaking about the real meaning of Christmas.We read a different version of the birth of the Savior. On Christmas day we had our big breakfast and then did stockings.It had snowed out and was very pretty and it was so warm and cozy inside.We then went to Leslies parents house for the rest of the day. Her mother put herself out each time we went to dinner ,she does so well being in her 80s. It was really nice to get phone calls from Celeste,Steven,and Angie in their respective states.I love to hear from them so much! Sounds like everyone was happy and grateful for those they love....
Today was the first day all week that we got to spend home all day. I was kind of lazy and slept a little. Made egg rolls,and helped put away some ornaments and decorations.Seth of course did the most with taking down and setting up and driving around and making sure I was happy! We still have the big tree up. Thats what everyone says when they see it! I didn't think it was that big but everyone seems to think it is, with 10 foot ceilings it does look impressive.. We have two new elders who came over tonight and they couldn't stop staring at it.This was one of the new elders first house in the branch that he visited. He got here this afternoon from the MTC! Both of our other missionaries were done with their missions and went home.We love our Home teacher,he is so cool. Everyone had a good visit.

Christmas happenings

2008-12-17T19:45:00.004-05:00

We had our Christmas party at the branch and everyone seemed to have a great time. Bro. Handy and Richard were in charge of the food and there was plenty of it and it was cooked to perfection! There was a white elephant game that was entertaining,I followed the gift I brought being stolen by mainly Dillon Noyes and a family that came to visit the Jensens. It was a set of japanese bowls and Dillion ended up with it. The other family with no small children ended up with a telescope so they traded! Everyone got what they wanted after all.
I went to my yearly girlie party with my high school friends. Never a dull moment there. I had broken my regulator for the oxygen unbeknownst to me, and by the time I got to Pats houseI was in distress! Major. I went for about 2 hours before I got another one from a fire department, the only place open at that time. It made me contemplate about how fragile life is again. How one little gasket missing could,(and just about did) kill you,actually me. We had a wonderful time,exchanged gifts and ate tons of yummy food. There was an appetizer that was great. Im going to add it to the food blog.

Trees Up !!!

2008-12-07T08:06:00.007-05:00

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree,I love it! Seth spent yesterday scouring the tree farm down the street looking for the perfect tree....and he found it! We welcomed our newcommer into the living room and shes waiting today to get dressed up for the holidays. We had to immediately put lights on last night before we went to bed. Actually Seth did all this and I just watched. Its snowing out lightly right now and its so cozy inside with the lights on. I just love decorating the house for the holidays. I wish I could keep it up all year!

I should have bought it when I saw it at Mardens!

2008-12-02T22:05:00.005-05:00

Today when we woke up at 7.00 ,thats right I slept in, we made the decision to go to MARDENS in Sanford,Maine. What fun. I love the material section of that store. I really shouldn't go because Im such a materialholic. I just love to feel it and (even smell it!) I know Im one sick puppy.It just so happened that they had tons of stuff for half price,1.50 a yard. And its not just any yard ,its a Mardens yard. The piece they fold over on the bolt you get for free. Sometimes its a quarter of a yard or more! So it was a happy day for me. Of course there is a lot of other stuff there, so spending hours there is no problem.On the way home I was treated to KFC. That was very yummy and delightful too. We have the Christmas lights up around the bay window and the little snowman tree up behind that. Were waiting on the Christmas tree, they are only open on the weekends to cut down so we will go this Saturday and inspect each and every one till we find the PERFECT one to chop. They always look smaller when they are outside! Its a good thing we have 10 foot ceilings..

Happy Happy Turkey Day!

2008-11-29T10:21:00.003-05:00

We have had such a good time going to different houses this Thanksgiving
We first had a nice dinner here on Tuesday with Steven,Missy,Seth,Jeremiah,Samantha,Caleb,Geoff,Alex,Jillian,Cookie and myself. We had the whole works, and lots of leftovers for the next week! Im still giving away bread because for the real Thanksgiving we went to Samanthas for her first get together with her mom,dad and brother and I made rolls all over again! Her house was all cozy and warm with the woodstove going and she had the tables set nicely with such a small area to work with.Good job with her first dinner party! We picked up the missionaries around 3.30 and brought them to the Noyes house for another Thanksgiving dinner.Joy is always such a good cook! Her turkey was by far the best ever, I never seem to have juicy turkey like hers. It was a packed house with John,Donna,Joel, 2 elders,Seth and I and Jons parents and family of 4 boys! Never a dull moment there,I love it. I have never done 2 dinners in a day like that ,I was prepared by eating smaller amounts but I will still be l digesting for the next couples of days! Its just been party centeral since Steven came back. We spent "Black Friday" shopping. I was actually the only one getting anything. No super deals and too many people to move around. Parking lots crammed with cars, the stores crowded with jostling people. I don't know how others do it year after year!
I was spent and done before I started! Im just so glad that I have been able to get around and enjoy the season,I love life and all of you! My family and friends are what I am most thankful for,thank you for your phone calls and expressions of love over this past year :) We topped the day off with dinner at the 99 with Richard and Cindy Cote. It is always so nice to be with them. I just love Cindy,she is so much fun to be around. We went out to celebrate Steven graduating from the University of Phoenix with his masters degree.I don't think any of us had a hard time sleeping that night. Cindy had been out at midnight the night before shopping. Now thats an early bird! I talked to Celeste and she was going to have a quiet dinner with the fam and Kevins mom in Florida.She was smart and had her dinner delivered,just had to warm it up. Angeline was going to Homer with the kids to visit Heather(Matts sister) and Tara and have dinner with gramma Pat Evert,Taras grandmother. Today she is going to Anchorage with Cecily to see the Nutcracker....girls day out...
All in all a great week!

Tuesday!

2008-11-22T18:38:00.003-05:00

Im am very excited that Steven and Missy are comming on Monday night. We won't see them until Tues for dinner and I can hardly wait. I miss my family being all over the country,but thats Ok. Im use to it by now.Theres an old saying,Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Im not sure thats true. Im pretty fond of my children all the time. Im very happy that Steven has a good job and is somewhere warm for Missy. I hope we can see them more than once or twice while they are here!

"Toothless" in Tuftonboro

2008-11-17T13:34:00.004-05:00

Well my moment of panic is over. I went to the dentist today and had a tooth extracted...last time I had one done it was 75.00.....this time it was 176.00! I have one more he is eyeing and one that needs a filling. Then he said we would do a full mouth xray and see about the other 21! I hope the one he pulled is the one that was keeping me in such pain. It was a little one too.
Tonight is FHE and they are going to go to a BBQ place for dinner. Needless to say, I won't be eating anything! Its a going away get together for Lorna since she will be gone for 7 weeks to visit her children.I don't think many people will be going as most of the ones that go are single sisters and no one has any money for food let alone eating out! There are only about 4 families that can afford to do fun stuff or buy anything in our little branch. Oh Well! Life goes on...and on....and on. Thanks for the prayers ,they worked!

Sunday Egg rolls.

2008-11-16T16:18:00.003-05:00

Today after church I made about 48 egg rolls! I guess we know what we will be eating for the week! They are so easy to make and pretty cheap too. It was the primary presentation today. I love watching all the kids. They are so cute singing to their parents and showing off their talents. Alex had a talk and did a great job. It was very touching about it not being easy doing everything right all the time.He said that he finds it easy to love people and care about them. I think this is one of the most important things you can do in this life!
This is one of those days that you want to stay inside and be all warm and cozy with a cup of herb tea....Its so windy and cold and gray outside.
Tomorro I go to the dentist and see if he can do anything about this horrible toothache I have had for weeks now. Im afraid he is going to poke me and Im going to die a horrible death,bleeding from the gums and my eyes caving in. I just hate the thought of going and being filled or yanked or whatever he will have to do.....think good thoughts for me.......Im going to have to put it on my credit card which annoys me to no end. Thank heavens for them thou.
Geoff is in Miami for the week. Hes working there this week and in Calif. next time out. He seems to like this job. He likes the variety. Im getting very excited about Steven and Missy comming out! I can't wait to see them and hang out with them , 9 more days!

Whats next? Stay tuned....

2008-11-12T21:27:00.004-05:00

We just had a very nice dinner at Lornas house tonight. She wanted to make me Cornish Hens in February but it never happened,so we had it 9 months later! We had a wild rice-mushroom mix and baked squash with brown sugar and butter.
Ive been watching the news tonight and Fanieul Hall in Boston is bankrupt now. Every day its something new. It saddens me to see so many people having such a difficult time affording food ,gas and housing. In Maine the lobster fishermen are selling the lobsters from the back of their boats for $ 2.50 a pound! Its because the restarants are not doing very well and people are not going out to eat the way they used to. So not enough sales.They say its cheaper to buy lobster than an ice cream cone! One of the local schools is feeding it to their students now for regular meals. Wouldn't you like to have a freezer full of tails and claws?

2008-11-08T18:34:00.004-05:00

We had a nice Saturday. There was an open house,(actually 12) of them in Tuftonboro so we took the tour. One was some really cool furniture and wooden items,bowls,spoons etc.
One house had some very artsy stuff in it ,willow baskets,hand made wall hangings ,stained glass,ornaments. They were all very beautiful, and reasonably priced if you had money!We snacked everywhere we went,cider,cakes,cookies,jellys,relishes,etc.They are only open for 2 days,but it was worth it to see the local talent. Who knew? One auto place had about 10 antique cars there. Very cool.
Today is the best day ever because Steven got his Masters degree! Im so excited for him. Wonderful job Steven!
I was supposed to go to Stake conference tonight, I usually enjoy going but I felt sluggish most of the day with this feaver and infection Im trying to get rid of with antibotics. So I stayed home.. we will go on Sunday for our session. Usually on Sat. night the branch goes out to dinner after and some of us just don't have it to spend. It takes a long time to get seated when your a large group and you don't get home till 11 or so.
I always feel guilty if I don't attend something church wise,but I think I made the right decision tonight. Im going to bed early tonight!

Congratulations to Steven!

2008-11-08T14:06:00.002-05:00

What a great day for Steven! He is getting his masters degree today from the University of Phoenix. What a lot of hard work and a great accomplishment working full time and studying to reach this goal in his life! I am very proud of him like I know we all are in the family...Great job Steven!

Save me Angeline

2008-11-01T17:17:00.003-04:00

I would like to thank Angeline for helping me with my blog that I continue to try and wreck! This morning I deleted everything on my blog and in a panic I called her at 9 her time in the morning and she patiently helped me get the info back and change my background.
I really wouldn't know how to do anything on this blog without her...so here is a SHOUT OUT for Angeline.!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T14:49:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone has a safe and happy halloween! I love you all....

Bloggers Unite!

2008-10-29T13:56:00.003-04:00

Im so glad to hear that Steve and Missy are now bloggers! Lets all welcome them! I can hardly wait for the pictures and adventures to start rolling in.
This week I hosted a baby shower for a friends daughter who was visiting from Idaho for the weekend. It was attended by about 8 women who had fun buying girlie clothes for her baby,Adelia, who is to be born in Nov.It was a fun time. I felt a little cranky because I have an infected tooth and it was killing me! I don't think I looked or acted cranky though....
Speaking of things that rhyme with cranky, there was a huge fire this morning at our favorite pizza place! Cranky Frankies! Were crushed,they definately have one of the best pizzas around. I was hoping to bring Steve and Missy there when they come out in November,but I guess that idea went up in smoke!
Does anyone know when we turn back our clocks? Its one of those nagging questions in the back of my mind that I don't think about often but clutters up my head when I do.When I went out yesterday the bank clocks were already turned back. I was wondering it it was 6:00 or 5:00 for miles! I did make it back just in time for my H.T. to arrive and get to know me.They were pulling in as Cookie was pulling out! Im sure he was thinking ,WOW this is going to be different from Utah! Hes a lawyer who just started here in NH. Church must be a stressful time for some people because he looked so much more relaxed visiting .I'm excited to get to know he and his family better.

Cozy wood stoves

2008-10-24T15:08:00.002-04:00

Don't you love the smell of woodsmoke? We drove to Donnas in Woodsville NH last week with the windows open and inhaled deeply whenever we passed someones house who had their woodstove going! The leaves were beautiful and we did all the touristy things like getting applecider from the stand of all things apple...cider,pies,apple butter etc etc.Its only open for so many weeks. There is a store there that sells pepperoni that has been double smoked....it is so good. My closet smells like woodstove now! Halloween is coming up, our house gets passed by because its a little too spooky I think if your a little person. There are hot spots in the area you just HAVE to hit first. They give out tons of candy and the houses are close together. Thats what Im told anyway..theres only so much time to get around.Alton has a whole street fair going on with trunk or treating and games and a carnival atmosphere . That is THE place to go,so I hear. I hope everyone has fun and has a safe Halloween.

2008-10-17T10:19:00.000-04:00

Fall Foliage

2008-10-17T09:16:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone! I have spent most of October taking pictures of the great fall we are having this year. Its so beautiful this year,we have had lots of water which makes the color better for the trees. Every time I have gone out I take the camera with me. Now I just have to get them on the computer,so I can post them for you all to see.The picture thats on the blog is an older one I already had on the computer. I went with Elaine to northern NH. 10 miles from Canada for a day in the cemeteries up there. She is doing genealogy work on Pete's line.We had a very nice day together. A little picnic and visiting with some folks up there. I found out I was related to the woman who we visited with through the Sawyer line.Again the fall color was exceptional with the mountains all red,yellow,orange and burgundy with the greens trying to poke out. Cookie and I went to Portsmouth and spent part of the day at BJS' and the oriental food store. Had a K.F.C. lunch and enjoyed the day out. We like being together. We are both about the same speed as far as walking and stamina goes, it limits us,but we have fun! Seth and I have gone on a few great rides to take pictures.We went to Donna's in Northern NH one day across the Kankamungus,it was peek week, so there were lots of bus loads of leaf peepers checking it out. I watched one girl with stelleto heels from NY cracking an acorn,checking it out ,smelling it and licking it to then throw it away. A moment of discovery! Im always so grateful that I live here when I see so many people who plan their whole vacations from all over the world to come here to see what I have to enjoy every single day. What a beautiful place to live! Tomorro I am going with Seth to Vermont to get our annual maple syrup and some cheese. I always look forward to this trip! We have a lot of fun stopping and checking out new places and roads we havn't been on before. Im happy!

Picnic by the lake

2008-09-11T10:16:00.003-04:00

We had a very nice picnic by the lake. What a beautiful area..

Beautiful Adirondacks

2008-09-09T19:31:00.011-04:00

We decided to go to the Adirondacks to a Rustic fair at the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake where there were handcrafted furniture and accessories being sold. The streets were lined with vendors from all over the United States,most of their crafts were VERY expensive, and very unusual and beautiful. The day started out a little cloudy with a light rain, it was going to be a 2 hour drive. We stopped at a cute little antiques store and looked around,there were some very funny metal signs for sale. On the way up we had noticed a shop that sold smoked meats and cheese and decided we would stop on the way back to check it out. (We got there with about 6 minutes to look around before they closed!) We stopped at a very nice lake and had a picnic,I had made tortellini salad, potato salad,and we brought chicken and forgot the hot dogs! After making a charcoal fire we realized the grate for the chicken was very wide and we were going to loose it if we tried to place it,so we didn't cook the chicken. When we got to the Fair the rain was just a deluge! We were soaking wet,right to the bone,hair dripping,it was quite a sight! We walked around for a while and then went to the museum to get dry. Of course after we paid to view the grounds it cleared up and we had a wonderful day! There was so much to see.We always have so much fun when we go to Saratoga.

Day two......

2008-09-09T16:26:00.006-04:00

We had quite a few photo stops on the way to the historical museum. I love the cows all lined up,they were so cute!

On our way to the reinactment we stopped at the General Philip Schuyler House. His house was burned by the British and he built this one 2 weeks later.He was a member of the Continental Congress and a major general.One month before the Battle of Saratoga he was replaced by Horatio Gates.He was a staunch supporter of the canal construction and was known as the Faather of U.S. canals. We were going to go through the tour but the tour guide who looked like he was 100 years old told us to sit on the porch and wait for a group to gather. After about 30 minutes of waiting and no one showing up we left for the battlefield!

Saratoga Battlefield

2008-09-09T16:06:00.005-04:00

We spent the day Sunday checking out the Saratoga Historical Park in Saratoga,N.Y. It was a beautiful day to be outside and enjoy the weather.

This is an ariel shot of the battleground where the British and the Americans fought in 1777. We were hoping for an reinactment but we were a week off. So we took the 9 mile road tour and wandered around at our own pace and checked it out with the map. It was a lot of fun. Seth and Leslie did most of the walking and they were exausted at the end of the day! I checked out the really near sites that were not to difficult to walk. I sat in the car or on benches and read while they explored.

Its been a while.....

2008-08-14T11:21:00.002-04:00

I have been lazy with posting lately. Im so frustrated that I can not download pictures on my computer anymore,its taken all the fun out posting! Lets see, what have I done lately? In the beginning of the month I went with Cookie to Plymouth and had a fun day with her. Pat Herricks daughter and grandaughter are here for a month so I saw them one day. It was Maddys (the grandaugters) birthday, she is so cute.That same day I stopped in at Cindi Cotes house and visited with her. I wish we were closer distance wise. I just know we could be "soul sisters". On the 7th I went to the temple with Bro. Whitney,The Spolstras,Lorna,Elaine, and Bro. Hyde. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun. Gretchen did so well, it was her first time in years being there. I left the house at 10 in the morning and got back at 10:30 that night! I love being there ,its always so peaceful and rejuvinating. On the 8th I drove Jeremiah to the hospital in Conway so he could see his doctor about his shoulder. He starts therapy 3 days a week for it. Right now he can hardly close his hand,its still swollen. Its going to be at least 6 months before he is semi- normal again. Of course he has worries about how things are going to work out financially ,the future of what kind of job he will be able to do ,etc.
This week I have been sick. I don't know whats wrong with me,I may have just got a bug from being around so many people at church,who knows. Trying to keep busy I transplanted my aloes. I can't stop them from multiplying, they are going to take over the town! I also , just minutes ago finished a quilt top for your brother whose birthday is this month. I wish I could post a picture of it! I have 3 nautical themes. Lighthouses,ships, and boat flags. It came out very,very cute. I love it! Now all I have to do is get on the floor and pin it,which just about does me in every time I attempt to do that, and then quilt it, all within the next couple of weeks! Its a surprise,he never reads the blog so Im safe.. Shhhhhh!!!

Summertime.....and the livings easy.....

2008-07-29T09:57:00.001-04:00

Remember picking blueberries with Liam? I love these pictures of him ,stuffing his little face with any kind of fruit he could get his hands on! Blueberry season is here again. Its about 1.75 a pound. It won't be the same without Mr. Cuteness. Peaches are comming right up. The ones we pick are so juicy and drippy and warm and delicious! Can't wait.

Picnic in The Park

2008-07-28T21:32:00.008-04:00

Picnic in The Park

L and P sharing some of those lovely champagne grapes at our wonderful picnic.Matt did an excellent job grilling some chineese soaked pork ribs and teriyaki chicken skewers.

Holy Stromatolites!

2008-07-28T17:31:00.008-04:00

Petrified Sea Gardens

This is Seth at the Petrified Sea Garden in Saratoga Springs. It is a 500 million year old fossil reef that was at the oceans edge,it is one acre .The indians from the area consider it a sacred spot. It was closed because of some storms they had , but these stromatolites were at a marker right off the road, so you could get out and walk all around them. It was so interesting-they were huge!

Seth soothingly smooths swirly segments of stomatilite.

Skene Manor

2008-07-28T17:07:00.004-04:00

We took a little side trip and visited the castle. It was closed when we got there:(
It overlooks the city and must have been a real show stopper when it was new!

The manor was built around 1874 by Colonel Skene. The manor is supposedly haunted by the colonel's wife. The story goes that when his wife died, the colonel was told that he would keep his home only if his wife's body remained above ground. He had his wife's body placed in a lead lined coffin and kept it in the basement. When the house became a restaurant the new owner placed the coffin behind the bar and built a stone fountain around it. Apparently the fountain is still there, and people have seen the spirit of a young woman in a Victorian gown in the manor. She wears an unusual ring on her right hand. Some have reported seeing a hand with a large ring on the middle finger materialize in the center of the fountain.

Digging for Diamonds!

2008-07-28T13:13:00.008-04:00

Herkimer Diamond Mine

I wish we had found these! Ours were quite a bit smaller...

Seth at the Herkimer Diamond Mine in NY.

Herkimer diamond first discovered in exposed outcrops of dolostone at Little Falls in Herkimer County, NY. They became largely recognized after workmen discovered them in large quantities while cutting into the Mohawk River Valley dolostone in the late 1700s. Geologists discovered exposed dolostone and began mining there. The popularity of mining for double-terminated quartz in Herkimer County is what led to the name, Herkimer diamonds.

The hammers were so heavy! There were 3 mines with tons of rocks to try and find the lucky ones that contained the diamonds. Seth found some after a lot of searching and smashing. We had such a nice day!

This is me in all my glory. I look like the queen of the mountain with my umbrella to protect my lilly white skin and my throne to sit upon! The rocks came to me and I swung the hammer for a while then took a rest. I was kind of a half hearted treasure hunter. It was very hot and I would make a lot of noise with the oxygen if I got too enthusiastic! I didn't want to scare small children away with my strangeness. I did find a few small diamonds, it was a lot of fun! We were there for 4 hours!

Matt seemed to have all the luck. He found quite a few decent sized diamonds.He was an avid smasher, chips were flying everywhere!

Saratoga Spa State Park

2008-07-27T15:58:00.006-04:00

Saratoga Spa State Park

A geyser in the park.

Saratoga Spa State Park, distinguished by its classical architecture and listed as a National Historic Landmark, is noted for its diverse cultural, aesthetic and recreational resources. In addition to the nationally known Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the Spa Little Theater, the National Museum of Dance, the Gideon Putnam Hotel and the Lincoln mineral baths, the park offers a multitude of traditional recreation opportunities including sucking of of a natural gas pipe that releases carbon monoxide gas-how fun!

C-Pap for Pat

2008-07-21T12:00:00.003-04:00

Next month I will own my very own CPAP. Yes! I have been paying on it for over a year now ,so now I will own it. The girl who takes care of it is going to come over today and check it all out for me and make sure its all working OK. I will have to pay for any masks or repairs next month so I want to make sure its just fine before its mine!
Yesterday at church I enjoyed listening to the Bertha family speak.. It was a good day. I'm so sad that MG is leaving for Florida next week! Shes always entertaining to be around and listen to. I will just have to visit them if I ever make it to Celestes house in Orlando. Our little branch is shrinking! I hope it dosn't get any smaller...
Seth and I are planning to pick blueberries sometime next week. I am hoping we can do that,its always fun to pick in the sun..remember last year when we went with Celeste and Charice and two people were hit by lightening by a passing cloud? They didn't have a very good time that day! I love having blueberry pancakes and muffins in the winter when the snow is flying! So cozy .. Next crop is peaches!!!! I loved picking peaches with Liam and Angeline,that was so much fun. Liam was so adorable pulling the wagon and taking bites out of however many he wanted. He would stuff his little mouth with blueberries and have the cutest little pale blue lips! Lots of fun memories at Ridgerunner Farm...Get out and enjoy YOUR local farms.

Touring NH in a Toyota

2008-07-19T14:56:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Cookie came and picked me up for a drive around the state! We went to see her son in Errol,N.H. I had never heard of this town. It has a couple of hundred people in it with one policeman. There are really only a couple of business there. Greg works at a parts/skidoo shop. The other big business is an outfitters place like LLBean.He showed us the house he is living in. Oh my goodness! It is on a hill overlooking a huge expanse of lakes and mountains. Its a log home with a contraption that you put wood into or trash and burn to power your home with. It was a beautiful set up that would be the envy of ANYONE!! You have to drive through forests that the paper companys own.So it really is a beautiful place.Rivers all the way up. They used to send logs from logging down the river to the paper companys. Im not sure that they do that anymore. Lots of views of the mountains,you can see Mt Washington in the distance.We had driven past the entrance to Mt Washington on the way up,you can drive your own car or take a van up and pay to have them drive you. Its pretty rough on the brakes comming down so I think I would go with their vans if I ever went up it! Very nice!
We started out with a stop at the Christmas tree shop in Conway.That was fun. I haven't been there for a long time. We took our time and chatted all the way,it was an absolute miracle that Cookie and I stayed awake for the whole thing. We looked like twins with our oxygen on! We stopped by a dam and had lunch in the car. there was no picnic table so we had our chicken salad sandwiches with cantelope,chips,and pickles that Cookie had made. I had chocolate muffins for dessert. I had such a good time. We were gone for about 9 hours! Last night I slept for 10 hours which for me is unheard of! I usually sleep 5 or 6 hours a night. I just love this state with all its beauty and I love getting out for rides. I feel like a puppy with my head out the window just lapping up the fresh air and beautiful sites! Its good to be alive!!!!!!!

Solar Drying Device,man.....

2008-07-19T14:38:00.002-04:00

Well today the "hippie dude" came over and hung my free "solar drying device" . Its a pully clothesline,he attatched it to the house and went to the pear tree with it. Not very long,maybe enough for 4 sheets,but definately long enough for the amount of clothes that I have in a load! This has been in the process for over 2 months now! We have been playing phone tag for that long. He's such a funny,laid back,organic type. It took him about 15 minutes to put up. I had just baked banana pecan bread so I gave him a loaf for his efforts. He was very sweet. Tonight we are supposed to have HORRIBLE thunderstorms. Yesterday we had tornado watches and it was very exciting! There were 60 mile an hour winds with torrential sheets of rain,hail and huge lightening and thunder. I was actually scared! I had set up my oxygen in the living room in case the electricty went out,had the flashlights ready,the cell phone charged and pasta salad ready for dinner in case I couldn't cook! Then I thought, what if the house is hit? Where would I go in a torrential downpour! Seth was working so there was no car to jump into. I figured I could make it to the neighbors house and introduce myself and watch the house burn down! So much excitement. The power in Wolfeboro and most of Tuftonboro went out ,but not mine. Im on a different grid.I noticed when I went out with Hippie man that another big tree had been hit by lightening and was laying out back of the chicken coop. Its starting to look like some logging is going on in the back yard! I now have 2 huge trees lying out there. Well I am going to have to be prepared all week, because were supposed to have very high temps and thunderstorms every day for this week. I hope your weather is better than ours. Steve, I know yours is in the 114* range!

Shoulders and Glass and Happy Birthdays!

2008-07-10T16:17:00.004-04:00

Boy oh boy! I have been in the garage trying to dig through things. Its kind of like Christmas or a birthday finding things you havn't seen for a long while. I found my mothers Sandwich Glass, thats very pretty. Its all washed up and sparkling again!
I was just talking to Jeremiah and he is going to go for the surgery on his shoulder next week. They are going to do an exploratory to see whats going on and why it hasn't healed in over a year, then do what they need to do after that. Hopefully everything will work out well. He won't be able to go back to work for so many months. Lets all keep him in our thoughts.
Your blog Angeline is a hit with everyone. Cookie called and expressed how impressed she was with it and Leslie just called and said she was amazed at how much info and time you put into your blog! You rock!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THAYNE!!!!! You cute little boy! I hope you have a great day today,eating and getting cake all over yourself and others! Grandma loves you!

Hot week!

2008-07-08T09:45:00.002-04:00

Another hot week forecasted for this comming week. It was so hot to me, with the mugginess factor yesterday that I stayed in all day and ran the air conditioners until the house was 69 degrees! I snuck out for a second just to water the poor plants that were hanging with their little wilty flowers. Now they are fine and happy! Today I am going to pin my quilt, AGAIN! Last time the batting was so fat I couldn't sew it by hand. So I ended up splitting it in half,which worked out perfect and now I have to pin it all over again. It takes about 2 hours to do. At least for me it does. This is the quilt that I made in Alaska with Angeline about 2 years ago! Yeah, Im not really quick about much of anything! I don't really have any plans for the week so blogging may be slow.
Have fun doing whatever it is you are busy with. Steve I hope your mouth feels better and heals fast. Welcome to the Family Lost Tooth Club ! Keep smiling!!

4th of July

2008-07-08T09:31:00.002-04:00

I had a long day on the 4th. Cookie came and picked me up to go to her family party. There were quite a few people there. Her daughter Theresa always has the place festive and cute. Tons of good food and her relatives are so friendly.I always feel very comfy there. We ate ,watched the little parade.Its so cute, a couple of horses,a float or two,someone running for some goverment office,and tons of very noisy fire trucks and ambulences and a couple of police. It dosn't last very long ,maybe half an hour but its definately home town proud! We then went to Conway to Joys house. Donna and John were down. Seth and John went to Clarks trading post to get Joel and bring him down. That took about 2 hours. We had a wonderful bbq with steak tips,corn on the cob,potato salad,chicken curry salad and chips and dip.Very Yummy! Jon did the cooking of the meat that had been marinated in something delicious. We then went to the fireworks in Conway. I almost passed out from the walk from the car to the park. My lungs are so naughty,they just won't let me breathe sometimes. I recovered and enjoyed the fireworks. They lasted about 15 minutes. It took 45 to get out of town! We got home about midnight and just collapsed...Fun day had by all. I hope you all had a great time and are making the effort to create memories that are happy for your little brains to bring up in the future! Take the time!!!!

Best Friends

2008-07-05T18:09:00.003-04:00

These 3 women are some of my best friends. The ones I do things with and share my feelings with all the time.
Im very lucky to know them and have them in my life. They make a difference because they care about me .

This is cookie. Her real name is Phylis,but she owned a bake shop and got the nickname Cookie.She is really one of the nicest people ever. She tries hard never to say anything mean about anyone.I love being around her.We try to talk to each other every day,she is one of the few people who really listens to me and what Im trying to say about my problems and joys and loves me anyway! She is very very loving ,sweet and innocent who makes you feel good about yourself and your family.

This is Leslie. We talk every day. She lives in NY near the Saratoga Race Tracks. I love to hear the stories she tells about her everyday life. I want her to write a book.I have NEVER known anyone who has more adventures and crazy things that happen to them than her. She is my comic relief and I find her very funny. She genuinely cares about me. We seem to be psycic buddies. Shes one of those people that can feel
your pain. Leslie gives and gives and gives,and is very loving to everyone and always finds the best in people. Leslie is very easy to be around and can read my mind most of the time so I don't have to talk a lot. We just laugh about how odd life can be.

This is Lorna. Lorna is my friend and neighbor and one of the only people who will pick me up and drive me around with her. We love to drive the backroads and share a love of discovering old towns ,stonewalls,and foundations in the woods. I like going places with Lorna,you never know where your going to end up! She has many faces and wears many hats.(I think thats a washcloth on her head in the picture,maybe not!) She has tons of personality and its hard to capture it all in words or pictures!! Lorna has been with me through all my illness and she still puts up with me.We have a tendency to say it like it is and not coat anything. Sometimes we try to be diplomatic and socially acceptable ,but it dosn't always work out that way. Lorna is always busy doing things for everyone.She can be a lot of fun to be around!

Some of my friends

2008-07-05T17:22:00.003-04:00

I thought I would put a few pictures of some of my friends in my blog. One of my problems is that I don't have a lot of pictures of my friends becauseI keep forgetting to bring my camera with me when I go places.Some of these pictures are older,a few years maybe.
1. Pat.Friends since highschool.
2.Bob and Mary.
3 Jim
4.Elaine .We love sushi and going to graveyards together.
5.Renee
6 .Lil, she smells good all the time!
7.Skip
8. Lorna
9.MG
10 Cindy
11.Leslie (L)
12 Jeffra

Red Sox Nation!

2008-07-05T13:03:00.000-04:00

BOSTON RED SOX RULE!!!!
This was one of my favorite days! The branch went to the Boston Red Sox and we had such a ball! Steven and Missy were dating then and at the time she was in LOVE with Johnny Damon.! Elaine ate 2 hot dogs at the old ball game(.She hardly ever eats hot dogs!)It was before I had to wear oxygen all the time and I look back and think how wonderful it was being without it! Seth was on his mission then in Romania and missed out on the whole thing. The ballpark hasn't changed in 3 years, but everyones lives have since then.RED SOX RULE!

2008-07-03T18:18:00.001-04:00

This is a picture that a friend of mine painted for me. It reminds me of Alaska, I miss so much not going to visit my little family up there for the last couple of years. I have so many wonderful memories of this beautiful state!

Nubble Light House

2008-07-03T17:45:00.001-04:00

This is Nubble Light House at York Beach Maine,we visited here when we went to the ocean yesterday. One summer we spent over a week at my Uncles Cabin and had this view every night and day . In the early morning hours we would go and walk the beach looking for sand dollars and at night we would go and get ice cream on Long beach.We came back very brown from being in the sun all day long! The cabin is no longer there. It was one of the first built, but now there are just super homes lining the coast. We were grateful that we got that experience of Ocean life.

York Beach

2008-07-02T19:43:00.003-04:00

We spent the most beautiful day at the ocean yesterday! It was a perfect day when we left even though the weatherman kept saying it was going to be a drippy day. (Debbie downers)We took the back roads into York Beach in Maine. We had a wonderful time getting there just taking our time and enjoying the ride. It takes about and hour and 20 minutes. We went to Long beach and got a parking spot right in front of the steps, it was high tide and just enough room to set up my "tent". I have it to keep the sun off me because my skin gets itchy, with the medications I'm on. Eveyone on the beach loves my tent and stops to talk to me.Its fun.I use to feel odd sitting in a tent with oxygen on while all the 90 year olds are practically running up and down the beach! Ive got accustomed to my limits and don't feel so weird now. I got in the water with just my feet when the tide was up. The longer we were there the further away the water was so I just sat and enjoyed the ocean with kids playing lacross and boogie boarding. The men strutting around with their stomaches sucked in and the girls showing off their suits.We stayed about 2 hours. Seth then went to the shop that makes salt water taffy. We always stop there and get the peanut butter taffys. Its fun to watch them make it and the machine that stretches it and forms it into the individual taffys and wraps them up.Next stop was at "Teds"We got fried scallops and haddock. No fries or anything with it to spoil the taste. (Except tarter sauce). It was delicious! We then took an unknown road , and discovered a natural spring, one of many in the state and filled our water bottles, then ended up in Cornish Maine. From there we knew where we were again.Its fun gettting lost on some of the back roads, its kind of a hobby. I look forward to getting out in the summer and having special days with sweet memories like this.

Relief !

2008-06-11T09:59:00.002-04:00

Finally the weather has cooled! We had a huge thunderstorm last night that I stayed up and watched out the bay window,of course Seth slept all the way through it. I am always worried that our house will be hit by lightening and set on fire! There was a house that happened to during this storm but it was in another town. Leslie called and in Saratoga Springs,NY there was a tornado watch. She was going to hide in her downstairs bathroom with the dog. I don't remember being afraid of the weather when I was small. I must be getting old. I was at the store yesterday with Seth and the checkout girl asked if I was eligable for a discount. It was 55 or older,so I got 10% off! Im not sure if thats good or bad...did I look eligable? Maybe it was the nose hose.
Today is dump day....Fred is going to be sick of seeing Seth come over and over with garage stuff,better him than me! He is so mean to women that I havn't been to the dump myself in years! Thank heavens for guys!

Heat Wave

2008-06-07T10:54:00.002-04:00

Wow! This week is going to be an unbearable one....its going to be in the 90's with lots and lots of humidity and thunderstorms! I know it sounds like I am whinning but I don't do heat well...its not that WESTERN heat that really isn't so bad.I picked Sunday to have some people over after church so I had to come up with a "cool" menu. I have made the chicken salad with walnuts and cranberries, a pasta salad with artichokes,olives,sun dried tomato, italian dressing and other things in it.A carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and I'm making rolls right now for the sandwiches. Needless to say I have the air conditioning on for the baking part of the day.
Seth has 2 weddings to do today. The Inn scheduled 4 of them with only an hour in between to clean up and set up for the next one! Its going to be busy there today! Im glad that I live a town over.......the traffic is picking up in town with all the "summer people" comming up to enjoy the lake. LET THE SUMMER BEGIN!

Sweet Smells

2008-06-02T15:16:00.002-04:00

I have all the windows open today to catch the passing aroma of all the lilacs! We cut some of the white ones outside the living room and put a huge bouquet in the kitchen. LOVERLY!!!! I just love this time of year (minus the black flys and mosquitos)There are so many greens in every shade, the sun is shining most of the time, its still cool out, and my garden has been planted....again.I look forward to all the veggies to munch on later in the summer. Im counting on the bees to do their job and pollinate everything outside that needs it. We planted lilly of the valley and other smelly flowers this year. The backyard is so pleasant to be in and enjoy.Its a wonderful life!

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-24T09:24:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we went to Conway to visit teach and the traffic was just CRAZY! For every NH licence plate there were at least 15 from Mass.and about that many from Maine. They were lined up for about 6 miles out of town! I was just glad that we were going home and not comming in! Ive noticed that there is a lot less traffic on the other side roads, the gas prices are just making people think twice before they hop into their cars and take off. I know we do! We stopped by the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall. It was in the next town over.There were so many vets there with their wheelchairs,l leg or arm missing. So many with bowed heads mourning the loss of loved ones ,I always have a difficult time with the Vietnam War. You remember that one of my first boyfriends was blown up there by stepping on a mine. Its not that though that moves me so much.Its the emotion thats expressed and unexpressed by those who lived through it and the way that they have had to adjust . The heartbreak for some is overwhelming. I cried, its automatic. It happens to me every time. Empathy can be a painful experience. Have a Safe,and Happy Memorial Day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

2008-05-18T22:49:00.003-04:00

I just want to wish Steven a very Happy Birthday!!
Steven and Missy went out to dinner at a steak house and had a nice time ,then the next night they had some friends over for a BBQ.Sounds like it was fun! We love you and wish we could be there with you...
Jeremiahs birthday is this monday..hes going to be 35! Wow, it seems so hard to believe that your all turning grey and that I keep getting older along with you!

Conference

2008-05-18T17:41:00.003-04:00

We just got back from Stake Conference. It was so good! Elder Christenson spoke and what a great speaker he is. I just cried...He was talking about ordinary people and the extrodinary things we do in the gospel.He is so loving and his stories are so heartwarming...
Last night I drove down with Lorna to Sat. conference and then afterward we went to the Weathervane.There were 18 of us. I had fish and chips without the chips,veggies instead.It took them a long time and we were all starving by the time the food got to the table! But it was good.Got home around 11:00. Today we got to the church around 10:00 and Jon Noyes got baptised. Joy was so happy! All the Ackers were there. Josh is leaving for Utah to the MTC tomorro. Hes going to Santiago, Chili. Joel baptised Jon,and had a hard time getting him up out of the water! Josh confirmed him a member. It was great that the whole family got to participate in the ordinance.Then we all piled into Elaines car and went to conference,it has been a good day. I hope you enjoyed your Sunday where you are.

Mothers Day

2008-05-12T08:37:00.003-04:00

Hello my family that I love...I wanted to thank you all for such a nice Mothers Day!
I enjoyed each and every phone call and all your expressions of love for me . I feel like I'm the one who has been blessed over all these years to have you for my children while were here on earth. All the experiences we have shared,all the happy and sad moments, the weddings,graduations,births,work experiences,vacations,and just daily living.
You all enrich my life every day and Im so grateful for you and your love. What a wonderful life this is! We all live in beautiful places,none of us are homeless,were all mostly healthy and able to function each and every day,most of us can meet our basic needs,most of us have a job and an income and we all have beautiful neices and nephews to enjoy! I love you all so much. You have been my reason to live and my mission here on earth. It has been thoughts of you that kept me alive when I was so sick, your prayers that kept me going,your calls that give me hope. My dream since childhood,was that I would have a close family and I pray every day that we can show our love for each other by keeping in touch and sharing our experiences,and joys and sorrows and feelings with each other! I'm glad to be your Mother!

Spring Cleanup

2008-05-10T16:18:00.003-04:00

Seth has done the most beautiful job on the lawn today! He bought 3 HUGE super petunias in hanging pots for Mothers Day for me and we have them hanging on the porch. They smell so good and look fantastic...He has mowed,raked,trimmed, planted around the mailbox, moved hostas under the bay window and just made this place look so nice. There have been people that stopped on the road to comment on how good it looks.Its so nice to get the winter grunge off the lawn and everything all trimmed and perky! If it wasn't for the black flies it would be Heaven!

Spring Concert

2008-05-09T19:24:00.002-04:00

Last night was a Spring Concert at Calebs school..The kindergarten children all came out and lined up, of course I was watching for Caleb and out he came with both his hands in his pockets looking oh so cute. He was right in front,easy to see. Both his grandmas were there and his grandpa,dad and mom.I went with Lorna and she enjoyed it too.They sang a total of 4 songs. "smile and say hello","Busy hands",Gentle rain" and "Skidamarink". The last song had a lot of love in it and was rousing and fun. Its fun being a grandma!

Work all day.....

2008-05-09T19:01:00.004-04:00

Seth has been working for Elaine for a couple of weeks now. He is her "yard boy". This week it was all about mulch and making everything look nice and neet.Last year he spent a lot of time ripping up the back yard and exposing riverbeds and lots of hard work placing plastic and mulch. It looks beautiful, almost like a japanese garden.Her next door neighbor had been watching the work he did and wanted Seth to be his "yard boy" too. So he works for Elaine until 12.00 then walks over to the neighbors and works for him till 6.00pm.We have been having late dinners and then he is out for the night! His arms are getting beefy and he is trimming down with all the physical work..men always lose weight faster than women. Why is that?

2008-05-07T07:55:00.000-04:00

I love the otters! While I was visiting Angeline in Alaska one year we went deep sea fishing and saw quite a few otters swimming around and playing,they were so cute that I wanted the otter to be "my animal" counterpart. They remind me of how I love to lounge around in the water at the lake, on my back staring at the sky and enjoying the sun on my face with the warm rays beating down.What a life! I can hardly wait for the lake to warm up so I can hit the beach, and the ocean..... mmmmmm
York beach,lighthouses,salt water taffy,sand dollars,and clam chowder or fried scallops! Life is good. A little more expensive this year but still good! I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the country and to have children in really desirable places to visit, Alaska, Florida and Arizona.

"Let thy heart be full of thanks unto God."

Two Otters Holding Hands

2008-05-07T01:35:00.000-04:00

In the beginning.....

2008-05-06T17:58:00.000-04:00

Today Angeline set me up with a BLOG.. I really feel "with it" even though I don't know what I'm doing yet. She does though and is only a phone call away. It will be exciting and challenging for me to share a few thoughts and feelings with you, my family and friends. The pressure is on! I have always been shy about writing and I very rarely share my feelings with people so Im going to start by pulling some memories out of my head and sharing those crazy things that I happen to be thinking about for the day. Let me know what you think about me stepping into this unknown world of Blogging!