public service announcement, sort of

Posted on October 22, 2023 by is there any more pie?

Yesterday I spent over three hours trying to stop my tv from freezing up while the Nebraska football game was on.

Banjo Man fled to the basement, where he watched the game in comfort and without frustration from the 50″ screen down there.

I tried everything, from simple (turning the tv on and off, deleting and reinstalling the Youtube TV app) to complicated (changing the DNS numbers, updating the software).

When all else fails I have learned to plug in a Fire TV stick.

About ten days ago the basement tv wouldn’t recognize our Youtube TV account and wouldn’t update the access code, blah, blah, blah, so I bypassed the whole mess by plugging in a Fire stick.

Which is what I did in the 4th quarter to the living room tv.  Banjo Man was able to watch that exciting and triumphant volleyball game without interruptions.  Go Big Red!  Those women are incredible!

So far so good.

I think I have learned that my 2016 Samsung television’s software is not working with our internet now.  The software is supposedly updated, but televisions only offer updates for 3-5 years.  I guess they don’t think they’re going to last longer than that?  Huh?

We have no plans to buy a new tv.  

You are wondering how I happen to have Fire Sticks lying around, ready to be put into action and solve problems.  Well, when it comes to techie things like cords and plugs and all that important stuff, I always have a back up.  Always.

Amazon will deliver a new one tomorrow, one that will go into my “cord box” and be ready in case I need it.

I call it self-dense in this wild, weird techie world.

 

Posted in family, rhode island, television | 3 Comments

special forces: world’s toughest test

Posted on October 19, 2023 by is there any more pie?

Season 2 has begun.  This is not your typical reality show.  If you have an On Demand option on your streaming service, check it out from the beginning.  Season 1 was great, too.

The Special Forces selection process is the most grueling, challenging, frightening process I’ve ever heard of.  Twelve “celebrities”–sports stars, Olympic athletes, actors, reality tv stars–challenge themselves to complete the course.

Check it out.  And imagine our own Special Forces, the real thing, protecting our country.  I’m in awe.

 

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workin’ on it

Posted on October 17, 2023 by is there any more pie?

I am slowly getting my pumpkin act together. The mantel is fixed and looks festive.

There’s not much I can say for the rest of the house. I’m still unpacking six months of “stuff” from the summer, so autumn decorating will have to wait.

All of a sudden there is so much to do. Banjo Man fixed his broken lawnmower Saturday, but had to buy a new weed whacker to replace one that can’t be fixed. The yard is a mess. There is a freezer to empty and a pantry to clean out (we’ve made a stab at both chores). The car needs an oil change and an expert to figure out why our headlights keep going out. We are trying to find someone to remove our old range hood fan and replace it with a new one before Thanksgiving. Doctor and dentist appointments are piling up.

Everyone I know is enjoying cooler weather and thinking ahead to winter and what lies ahead. New England is predicted to be snowy, according to the amount of acorns on the ground and the markings of caterpillars and tv weatherman who forecast El Nino influences.

Before it snows I plan to load up on paper towels, toilet paper, beans, rice, yeast, flour and canned tomatoes. We have several dozen jars of canned Idaho peaches and plums. Our gas stovetop will work, even if the power goes out, so we’ll be ready for what comes our way.

What about you? What are you doing to get ready for winter? Any advice?

Posted in family, food, rhode island | 2 Comments

sunday morning quilt show

Posted on October 16, 2023 by is there any more pie?

The Ninigret Quilters held their annual show in Westerly this past weekend. I managed to get down there on Sunday morning for a look at the beautiful quilts produced in the past year or so.

I’m obsessed with star quilts lately. Check out the border on this one.

And this:

Last week, in the enormous lobby of the Farmstead Inn in Shipshewana, I was able to admire these:

I think I need to make one of these.

I missed my mother yesterday. I don’t say that lightly. It was a rare and overwhelming feeling, as our last years together had been extremely difficult and painful.

She loved to go to quilt shows with me and never turned down an invitation to get in the car and go off for an adventure that always included lunch. She delighted in pausing in front of a group of quilts and exclaiming loudly, “These are nice, but YOURS are so much more BEAUTIFUL!”

I would cringe and try to distract her, but inwardly I was trying not to howl with laughter.

At one show we learned how to make pumpkins out of rolls of toilet paper, autumn-themed fabrics and cinnamon sticks. She would shop for Christmas gifts for her friends and ask me questions about whatever notion or pattern I was studying. She never wanted to make quilts, but she found the process interesting even though she could never figure out how I came to be a quilter.

When I told her I was going to make some “Quilts of Valor” (donated to veterans in recognition and gratitude for their service), she asked to come along to the quilt shop with me. And then she bought a pile of red, white and blue fabrics to contribute to the cause.

She was always very generous that way.

So yesterday I finally felt her loss. Which was such a good thing, no matter how sad, despite blinking back tears in the middle of the show. Because that means I’ve begun to forgive her–and forgive myself–for those final years of hurt feelings and resentment and exhaustion.

I fled the quilt show to cry in the privacy of my car. And then it was time to get on with things. I planned to stop at Aldi’s to buy the ingredients for meatballs. While I was parking the car, daughter-in-law Amber called to reassure me that she was home and recovering from an emergency appendectomy (yikes!). It was so good to hear her voice–we had been worried. I made a quick trip into a crowded store and hurried home. Banjo Man needed the car, so there was little time for dallying.

This morning I realized I’d forgotten to buy eggs, a crucial ingredient for meatballs. Banjo Man has gone to Walmart this afternoon and taken my list with him, so the meatballs might end up waiting for tomorrow. He is never in any hurry to leave a grocery store.

In the meantime, I think I will make a cup of tea and think about star quilts. And how much my mother would have enjoyed yesterday’s outing, taking every chance she could to brag about her daughter’s quilts.

It feels good to laugh about that again.

The quilt I made her for her 80th birthday.

Posted in family, quilting, rhode island | 4 Comments

discombobulated

Posted on October 14, 2023 by is there any more pie?

Discombobulated.  What a great word!

That’s how I’m feeling, now that we’re back in Rhode Island.  I’m finding it hard to get my feet underneath me, literally and figuratively.

Yesterday I went to town for a hair cut.  I had it cut short, just because I was sick of looking at myself and needed a new vision in the mirror.  It’s weird, but okay.

Then off to Marshall’s, to actually SHOP IN A STORE.  There were lots of lovely things to look at and lots of happy people looking at the lovely things, but I was cut off twice driving to the store, plus almost hit by a car while walking in the parking lot.  Thank goodness I was paying attention and jumped out of the way.

Banjo Man now owns two new sweaters.  I have a new frying pan, exactly the same one I bought for the lake.

Then it was time to go to a Chinese restaurant to order take out.  And next door was a seafood store, so I brought home chowder, too.  Nancy came over and we had a belated birthday party for Banjo Man, complete with cupcakes.  He is now the proud owner of a 200,000 lumen flashlight and four LED headlamps.

Oh, the joy!

I am attempting to unpack and settle in, but I don’t feel the least bit grounded.  Such a strange feeling, and an unusual one.  I can’t imagine grocery shopping or menu-planning or cooking.  Even loading the dishwasher seems to be too much work.

I really do have to get a grip.  My bins of velvet pumpkins are waiting to be unpacked and my pumpkin lights need to be displayed above the hearth.  Fall is here and I need to get going!

October, 2017.

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a welcome home

Posted on October 13, 2023 by is there any more pie?


Daughter Nancy awaited our return on Wednesday afternoon. The house–freshly cleaned and decorated–was ready for us.

Such a good feeling to walk into our home after six months away!

Today I am leaving all the piles of clothes, etc. behind and heading to town for a much-needed hair cut.  I’m also going to stop by Clarks Farm and take a little stroll amongst all the different kinds of pumpkins that will be on display.  I love watching the little kids pick out their favorites.

Then I will pick up some Chinese food to bring home for dinner, as Nancy will be joining us.  I intend to decorate the dining table with pumpkins and open a bottle of wine.

Bring on the dumplings!

Posted in family, food, rhode island | 2 Comments

last day, 434 miles

Posted on October 12, 2023 by is there any more pie?

We did it!

Started out at 6:45, just before sunrise. We decided we wanted to sleep in our own bed tonight, so we were up and out early after a quick breakfast.

It feels so good to be off the road! We were gone for exactly six months. It went by so quickly.

Now we’re ready to settle in for the winter, stock the pantry and freezer, plan our projects. I have already signed up for online violin lessons and there is a very complicated quilt I would like to tackle starting after Christmas.

But first…I will unpack, do laundry and start decorating with pumpkins.

Posted in family, rhode island, road trip | 2 Comments

almost home for the winter

Posted on October 11, 2023 by is there any more pie?

We arrived in Clearfield, PA tonight at 5 PM. Which is pretty darn good considering our late start of 9 AM. Banjo Man wanted to stop at Yoder’s General Store and look at warm clothes and farm implements and barn quilts before we left Shipshwana.

On the edge of the parking lot:

Life on the road consists of passing semi’s or being passed by them. Hour after hour.

It’s constant. And not nearly as relaxing as driving through Montana and Wyoming when there is nothing to do but admire the mountains, count antelope and check out the cattle grazing on the hills.

By the way, Indiana is very green. Trees, grass, fields…all green. With highly manicured lawns. We took some back roads this morning to see them close up.

Tomorrow we plan to leave early, at sunrise, and get home before 5. The weather should be beautiful and we’re anxious to get off the road once and for all.

It’s time, don’t you think?

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please pass the pie

Posted on October 10, 2023 by is there any more pie?

Custard pie, actually.

We ended a busy day with dinner at the Amish- run Blue Gate Restaurant’s buffet.

Morning began with an 8:00 start and 145 miles to drive to Shipshewana, Indiana. Those 145 miles were filled with traffic and semi-trucks. We were driving past Chicago after all.

We enjoyed strolling around town this visit (last year it was pouring rain) and shopping a bit.

I want to proclaim that I didn’t buy any vintage tablecloths.

I liked the one with the pears. We’ve been munching on Dancing Mandolin Player’s dried pears for many miles.

I did go to a fabric store. I think there are five here, but I resisted all but this one.

Doesn’t he look thrilled? He was actually quite pleased with himself for having had a bowl of homemade chili and having found an antique store that had a bag of corn husking gloves for sale at a bargain price of $14.00.

This was quite a bit less than what I spent on fabric, so I didn’t even roll my eyes.

We are staying at the Homestead Inn, quite a gorgeous place. Here’s one part of it.

We are 822 miles from home, but I doubt we will drive 411 miles a day any more.

Traffic, trucks and construction have slowed us down, but we eat trail mix and sing along to John Prime and Willie Nelson as we hurtle east.

Two and a half days to go……..

Posted in family, food, road trip, travel | 2 Comments

illinois, 428 miles beyond council bluffs

Posted on October 9, 2023 by is there any more pie?

I am so tired tonight I can’t remember much about the day.

We were energetic and on the road by 8. There were a lot of trucks. A LOT OF TRUCKS.

We crossed the Mississippi. We ate a quick lunch. I don’t know in what town.

Banjo Man is collecting corn husking gloves. I don’t understand why either. But we stopped for a 15-minute search here:

It was only five minutes off the interstate, which was convenient.

Alas, there were no gloves. And while I thought about Thanksgiving, I didn’t buy these.

What are these??????

The highlight of the day—aside from arriving at tonight’s hotel—was a return stop at the Herbert Hoover library gift shop.

He bought a book. I bought a refrigerator magnet so we could remember this day forever.

Sigh.

We are now in Joliet, Illinois. Tomorrow we will drive a mere 145 miles and spend the rest of the day and night in the Amish town of Shipshewanna, Indiana.

There will be pie.

Good night!

Posted in family, food, road trip, travel | 1 Comment