Melting

Photo captured on 1/1/13 in the morning

Sun-bright shadows, then

Melting spots on the snow...ahhh

Missourah weather!

~~~

xoabb

wishing I lived there...

Shadows

Photo captured on 12/30/12, late in the day

I love the shadows the sun makes possible.

~~~

xoabb

Hope 2013 is everything you need it to be!

Sunday Serenity

Chairs waiting for spring

And the folks who once again

Will fill all those seats.

~~~

xoabb

warmth and goodness.

This one's for you, my most dear mom.

Gourmet Magazines & Aunt Helen

Our Gourmet Group inspiration - Gourmet magazines from the '50's & '60's

Suzanne, the hostess (along with her hubby, Brian) of this 12/1/12 Gourmet gathering was at a tag sale (garage/yard sale to anyone not living in the Northeast) and found a collection of Gourmet magazines from the late '50's and early '60's and she decided that we'd all make recipes from them. (It is amazing how many liquor ads there were in those magazines - at least one per page!) We all made our dishes and had a wonderful night, as is par for our group. 

However, for me, this also brought back many memories of my mom's sis and my godmother, Aunt Helen. From the beginning of Gourmet's existence (she may have missed some of the very first years), Aunt Helen collected each month's magazine and as her collection grew, got binders to keep them all in. When she and my Uncle Sam moved from NYC to Fort Myers, she had a special shelf built in her laundry room just for her (ever-growing collection of) Gourmet magazines. I know she thought someone would want to treasure her Gourmet trove after she was gone, but the mere bulk of the collection scared off all her nieces and nephews. When we held her estate auction in 2000, we finally sold the collection for, I think, $40.00. I am SO glad she didn't see that, and THRILLED for her that the demise of the print Gourmet magazine came after she was gone. That would have killed her! Good memories, just really good memories. (xo godmother).

xoabb

good memories are just that...good!

 

Sunday Serenity

Varco/Murray/Blystone cousins gathered for our 2012 Thanksgiving feast

With the exception of two that simply couldn't be with us this Thanksgiving, above are all the cousins that belong to GB's Aunt Micki's side of the family. My three are actually second cousins, but you'd never know considering how close they all are.

What a wonderful day Thanksgiving 2012 was!

For all of us!

xoabb

good memories!

Sunday Serenity

A big beautiful bouquet of blue delphinium brighten the Fedex Counter-top!
Quite an unexpected delight!

Blue delphiniums

Sitting on the counter-top

Such a nice surprise!

~~~

xoabb

expect loveliness!

Sunday Serenity

Sasqua Pond turkey babies are growing up!

 Turkey tots on the grow! 

~~~

xoabb

babies always grow up...usually way too quickly (sigh)

~~~

Movin' On...

Lower Fairfield County

Nothing more beautiful than the sun shining on storm clouds that are moving on.

~~~

xoabb

Those were some big thunder-boomers!

Sunday Serenity

Newest brood of Sasqua Pond Road turkey chicks...

The last 30 years

We've been blessed with a new brood

of turkey babies

~~~

xoabb

expect goodness!

Daddy

In the garden

Grandad & Grandson

Feeding the duckies

Planting spring-time lettuce for his bride

(of 64 years)

~~~

To the very best father a girl could have

My sibs and I are so very very fortunate

Love love LOVE you, daddy!

~

xoabb

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! 

And thanks to all the moms that made the day possible!