LAST FROLICK OF 2011

well, Mom heads down to Boston tomorrow. Then, off to Fl on Monday!  She is very excited.  but, first we had errands to do, mail a package, drop off her books at the library, off to CVS for necessary and un necessary suppilies!! Next over to Walmart for a Tracphone and finally to a great lunch Legasses where we were joined by Don and Mike.  Now she just needs to jam all the stuff into her suitcase which was already filled to the max.  Then, hang the christmas lights outdoors and all put on smiley faces to decorate the tree at 5. What?  Do you think... it's easy at the Howe's house?

LETS GIVE THANKS

Happy Thanksgiving....dinner is in the oven, the boys are home and Don's family is on the way!  There is way too much food here and I have been prepping veggies for 2 days now!  Dessert is on the way-compliments of Grandma

DON GETS HIS HARLEY

Mom's ready to go...don't tell Don!  Back to the routine here after the long weekend.  Spent some time tonight boxing up Christmas presents and getting them ready to wrap.  Now time to relax and watch "Survivor".

MASSACHUSETTS GETAWAY

Mom and I drove down to MA for a 4 day getaway on Thursday!  Mom spent her time visiting her sister, Betty who just recently moved to Hudson, MA from FL.  I roamed around visiting various friends and family and the time just flew by.  I managed to fit in productive Christmas shopping time with my friend, Sue, catchup with a few cousins, have dinner with Cindy and Boudy at The Continental, as well as take my son, Mike out to lunch :)!  Picked up Mom Sunday morning and drove home...last stop before Rutland...the nostalgic Vermont Country Store!! 

FRIDAY FUNDAY

Well, the workweek is over and it's was time to play.  We headed to Sears to frolick around the children's section....one of our favorite sections in any store, as this is where grandkids are spoiled.  Here's mom acting like a kid again!  The air outside was turning cooler, so we drove back home where Mom snuggled in a blanket to watch the Dress show (Friday nights are typically spent watching "Say Yes to the Dress" marathon.)  Oh, Mike came home tonight, for the weekend  : )  So nice to see him and hear that college is going well now.  Guess the transistion takes awhile to settle into after being surrounded for years by such good friends.

FROLICKING WITH DENISE

We all went to Burlington for Mom's Dr appointment.  On the way home, as we approached Middlebury, we headed right into a snowstorm and we were still 45 minutes from home.  Ya, we didn't like driving in the dark during a snowstorm....but then when we got to Rutland....and it was just beautiful! We especially like the snow-laden tree under the street light, so stopped to take a few pictures.
It was a long emotional day at the hospital...both good and bad.  Happy to have Denise along for support.  Oh, another snowstorm on the way...hey, it's not even Halloween yet!

VISITOR FROM PA

Tuesday night , shortly before bedtime, lo and behold Denise comes crashing in the front door. We all screamed...what a great surprise!  Today I went to work and they visited and headed straight to Bed Bath and Beyond for Kuerig coffees.  They stopped to mail a package at Stewarts, even though Don told them the Post Office was at Irving! Apparently mom insisted it was at Stewarts I didn't know Stewarts had a Post Office?? After school we had a late lunch at Ginger China...you must try this place if ever in the area...it's fabulous!  Then off to do a little shopping.  Tonight we are laying low and watching Survivor.

MISSING GNOMES?

So, I was in Joann's Fabrics this morning purchasing material for gnomes, when the news came over the radio that someone had stolen something like 49 gnomes from a lady's lawn.  The announcer couldn't get over that someone would actually have that many gnomes to begin with!  Well, I could not get over the irony of it all, as I stood waiting in line with my bolts red felt and white fur, along with all the other Halloween costume makers.  Coincidences like that ....they just don't happen in real life....but, it did this morning!  I hope you enjoy our video, above, entitled "Gnomes in VT"

IT'S ABOUT TIME WE FROLICKED AGAIN

Lets see...we took a foliage drive after work to catch a last glimpse.  Also, on our agenda this afternoon...mail birthday PRESENTS to Denise (...Gawwwd we miss her!). Last night  Mom thought she'd indulge in a nice cup of yogurt after dinner.  She proceeded to fill her cup full of butter spread and even mixed in some peaches....then licked her spoon and luckily, before she ate her treat, she mentioned to me that plain yogurt doesn't taste very good.  I responded "we don't have PLAIN yogurt!! hee, hee..

ARE YOU KIDDING ME NOW??

Minding our own business, sitting on the deck, soaking in the last warm weather and the phone rings....WHAT??  It was a 'friendly" call from the police!!!.  they wanted to inform me that one of our vehicles was spotted driving away from the Gas station without paying for the gas!!  Um, noooo...must be a mistake!  the car was the boys car and I promptly hunted Dan down "at work" only to discover that he had got gas, but he paid and even better, he had the reciept!  So, I obviously HAD to clear this up!  I stopped by and got Dan's reciept and headed full steam on to the gas station to prove my son's INNOCENCE.  Then, I demanded the attendant call the police and retract her accusation...which she did...which also resulted in me having to wait for the police to arrive and clear this up.  WHAT??  by the time I returned....no more sun on the deck : (

FOLIAGE IS HERE

VT has some beautiful trees lately.  We took a drive after school to capture the scenery while it is bloomimg!  Later this week when the rain comes , the leaves will all be gone!  Can you believe someone got annoyed with me when I stopped dead in the middle of an intersection to admire the foliage on the mountain....GAWD....what's wrong with people, don't they know it's foliage season??  Luckily, the farmer down the road didn't mind me snapping a picture of his cows when I pulled into his driveway!!  Mom heard from baby John today....he apparently loves Mom to "sing" Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la"...so to prompt her to sing to him, he says "lalalala" and "Talking".....too cute : )

YUMMY SCALLOPS

SZEGED is the best!  Mike and friends discovered this years ago when sampling delicious chicken his mom had made for dinner....they liked the chicken so much, they decided to make a video about Szeged chicken, sent the video to the company and the company enjoyed it so much they sent Mike and friends a case of seasoning and $100 to go out for burgers.....well, this is the fish seasoning and I just coated the scallops and panseared it with a little olive oil...yum-my!  look for mike's video which is about 5 years old now.  You may also notice our first video debut (See above) starring Mom, Denise and myself...LOL!

MOM'S NEW LUGGAGE COMES BACK

Mom's luggage returns with Mom-in-tow.  She had a wonderful visit with Annie and her daughter, Nancy. They played Upwords til the wee hours of the morning.  Turns out they are both very competitive and thus the tournament continued night after night.  Mom took a ride down to the Berkshires with Nancy and was quite impressed with the size of the mountains along the way.  They were lucky to have a visit from Ben's brother John and his wife Mary who came over from NY for the day!  It had been years since mom saw them.  Much delicious food was eaten during the week, compliments of Annie!!

MOM'S FROLICKING IN BENNINGTON

Mom is off to enjoy her sister-in-law, Annie, for a few days!  I'm sure she will enjoy her time as life here has become very routine as of late, what with school in session again. I have to say she looked pretty snazzy with her new luggage in tow. On the ride down to Bennington this morning I was noticing the changing landscape. We are at the very beginning of what will hopefully be a beautiful Fall Foliage season...the maple trees have started to show their true colors.  Now, let's see.... what am I going to do while Mom's away?  Carpe diem!

SATURDAY-TIME TO FROLIC...

Don left for MA  to fish for Striper in his kayak....caught a big one, too!  Mom and I got straight to business.  First on the list...TJ MAXX!!  Lunch at Ginger China- the best Chinese in Rutland. (have to keep our energy level up) Then, off to our Mall (such as it is).  Mom scored big today...she was the winner by a long shot.  I searched endlessly for something to buy....but, it was an epic fail.  Oh well, better luck next time!! Then off to serve the out-of-state National Guard dinner. Yup, they are still here fixing the roads from IRENE.

IT'S SEPTEMBER ALREADY??!!

On Thursday night of my first full week of school Mom says "Boy, the week just flew by!".
 Really??  I mean we still had one more day to go! I guess time gets away from you while relaxing unlike the standstill moments of time experienced over and over in a good days work.  And so, we settled into the new school year.  The weather took a turn and caused us to close all the doors and windows for the first time since May.  Goodbye heat and humidity, hello Fall!! : )

EGGIES AND UPWORDS

This is my life now...Don really takes an interest in "As seen on TV" gimics.  Usually I can reason him out of purchasing the item  but every once in a awhile one slips in...and this time it was "EGGIES".  It's claim to fame is that you don't have to bother peeling those darn hardboiled eggs...ever again!!! Imagine the frustraion melting away!  So, we tried "Eggies" today.  They do cook the eggs and you don't need to peel them...but, it's a bit tricky and how are we going to clean up the billion plastic pieces called "Eggies"?  Later, I played a full afternoon game of UPWORDS with mom....one of HER favorites.  Who wants to play her next??

NEW LUGGAGE FOR MOM

Don't know where she thinks she is going, but, mom bought new luggage!  You just never know! Labor day today, we have been working around the house....Don's workshop in particular.  Anne dropped by bearing her home baked goodies...today's offering was rhubarb-orange cake and chocolate chip cannolis.  hard to resist as everything she bakes is absolutely delish!  Heard from Mike today...everything is going well and he and his three roomates have the best room in the dorm : ).  Got to go watch the Red Sox and pray that Becket is not hurt too bad : )

DOCTOR DAY AGAIN

Doctor appointments today for mom but managed to drop off toiletries for our fellow Vermonters and also have lunch with the girlfriends in between. Workers have been busy and more roads, although temporary, are opening up so people can move around a bit. The help all over is astounding and someone created tshirts that say "I am Vermont strong" which have sales almost up to 2,000 in one week.  all proceeds go to the Vermont Foodbank....that's huge.  Very bad, sad news for us shoppers today : ).  Our closest decent shopping center (in West Lebanon) was completely destroyed by flood.  Among those lost were Kohl's (I know!), Kmart, TJMaxx, CVS, JC Penneys, Shaws...just to name a few....total disaster for our NH neighbors....all those jobs lost!

HURRICANE DESTROYS VERMONT ROADS

HURRICANE IRENE tore up our state something awful!  most major roads were affected by torrential flooding like you can't even imagine.  The rivers sweelled up 10 times their width and the raging waters became powerful destroyers of anything in their path....we can only be ever so thankful there wasn't more loss of lives, but a few people were swept away, some remain uncounted for even today.  There has been massive relief efforts by trucks and helicopters out to reach the 13 isolated communties mostly around Killington.  we have Red Cross and Fema here in Rutland, as well as local relief efforts in which we gave to yesterday at Restoring Rutland which is also reaching out to these communities.  It will be a very long time repairing this mess.  But, the humanitarian effort around here is going full force and Vermont is strong.  People really care about others and it is nice to see everyone working together.

WE HAD A VISITOR TODAY

today was a day to catch up on things around the house.  Mike left for college and his room got straightened out....if you know what I mean.  Our first day of school has been delayed a week because of plumbing problems and it is just plain weird....waiting!  here is a picture of the deer staring at Don today through our brush in the backyard.

HURRICANE IRENE

Wow..from the moment we awoke until now at 6 pm, we have been attracted to the weather updates like magnets.  We hunkered down, gathered supplies and prepared our kitchen....all for Irene!!  and what do we get?  a regular, windy, rainy day that was very long!  But, there is something to be said for that!  we have watched the damage Irene created in her path all day....and we are thankful she didn't stay here long.  I was hoping for a great video op as a weather announcer today.....but, sometimes things don't go our way.  We took the tip from the weather man and mom filled the bathtub so we could have a running toilet if we lost power.....seemed like a good idea so, thought we'd share it with all of you!  Your welcome : )

FROLICKING AT LAKE GEORGE

Don  joined the Mudda and 2 sistas on a trip to Lake George.  We played tourist and visited Fort William Henry where Millie made an appearance....of all places. Had lunch and on the way back we stopped at Hillbilly Park (a favorite ice cream place!)

HANGING OUT IN PROCTOR

This morning we went to the Marble Museum....very cool gift shop.  Then off to the Wilson Castle. Things were going well until I backed up to take a picture of Mom and Denise in front of the castle and slipped on green slime at the fountain and fell sideways, totally immersing my camera in its water..filling the lens with water.  But, brought it home to Don who saved the day by fixing the camera for me : ).  next, a few dr appointments, dinner at the hospital and catch up on Big Brother.

THE LONG WAY HOME

Today was the day we had to leave our temporary home in North Conway and our comfy bed to head back to VT.  The 3.5 hour drive took us 9 hours this time....but it wasn't because we stopped so much like on the way to NH.  It was because we took a little shopping detour in West Lebanon (could not pass by the KOHL'S)  We had a very fun, memorable trip, took tons of pictures, but all agreed that it would have been better if we took video, too...because there were just lots of funny scenarios each day that were truly worth recording.always remember "David, Davis"..."really, Denise?" "Who's on first routine" "the coffee at the hotel is free?" "cell phone towers"and "cell phone driver".

BUSY DAY IN TAMWORTH,NH

started out this morning when we took over the front lobby for our photo shoot.  Then off to the races (go-carts) in Tamworth.  Mom is a good sport...trying to keep up!!  We visited a few gift shops, antiques stores and a Native American shop where we we're told we could only take 1 picture....imagine!  Stopped for lunch at Kelli's Place for NE seafood...yum!  Then, walked around North Conway center, off to Storyland and topped it off with DQ (dairy queen)we seem to find lots of faux animals who want to take pictures with us around here.  Mom found out today that someone would actually put fish gelatin in coconut marshmallows, package them and sell them....WHAT!?  Gross.

FOUND BUCKFIELD MAINE!!

OK, so it is sooo out in the sticks...small little town.  A general store, a post office and a library given to the town by Gov. Long.....that is downtown Buckfield.  But, drive straight up the hill, all the way to the top and find mom's childhood home aka John Davis Long homestead.  He was born in Buckfield, moved to Hingham, MA and  became the governor of MA.in early 1900's (check him out out at Wikipedia...very accomplished guy).  Mom was so happy to see the house again....which made it worth the trip!! 

THE SINGALONG

We're sitting in hotel room having a singalong with Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, Tom Jones, Englebert, Dean Martin and others from the past....thanks Youtube  : }

ROAD TRIP SUMMER OF 2011

Fun trip to NH today...an 3 hour trip took us only 8 hours.....we definately wore out the Mudda as she is sound asleep at 6 pm!  She has shown some expert skills at photography today along the way.  We stopped to eat lunch at an old RR depot and had delicious sandwiches...they told us we may see a bear, but...no bear!  Shortly after, while continuing on our venture, we pulled over to see what everyone was looking at on the side of the road....it was a baby moose...(see picture).  Well, off to shop as mom sleeps  : )

DENISE"S ARRIVAL

Well, we waited for hours and then....she just drives right by.  Coffee and chatting on the deck.  Sunseting over the mountains in the distance.  Life is good!!! Ditto, Denise :)

TEMPORARY NURSING DUTY

and I do mean temporary!  Don is recovering well from knee surgery and mom, well...she decided to take a little side trip before the" 2 Sistas and the Mudda"  road trip and fell on her knee, too!  Luckily, she is ok, too!  Whew...do you think this is easy?  It was kind of funny when Don (on crutches) was helping me get mom up  : )

RAINY DAY IN ART STUDIO

Well, things are going swell.  Mom started and finished her best painting yet today!  Taking it easy this week in anticipation of the big, fun, girl's roadtrip  to ME and NH....just waiting on Denise!  We'll be sure to take lots of pics along the way.  Oh, got the song lyrics written, now just need the melody.  2 Sistas and the Mudda are ready to rock and roll  : )

WE TRIED...BUT WE COULDN'T DO IT

Mom has been taking it easy but, had enough.  So, today we went out for a little frolicking in the morning after Dr appt.  Well, we had a swell time and decided to frolick a little in the afternoon, too.  Lots of limos downtown...hmmm.  We visited the local arts and crafts shop and got a few pointers for our future paintings.  Anyone interested in applying for lead singer job should definately know Brenda, Roy and Willie.  Mom and I are working on writing a song tonight that is sure to go viral.

LUNCH AT THE 99

Dr Carmody says for mom to take pressure off the foot for 2 weeks...so frolicking will be limited to indoor activities, but that is not to say we won't have fun...because we have a few clever ideas in mind.
Lunch at the 99 today....lobsta for the Mudda (again).   The 99 decor includes local varsity athletic teams so Mike and Alix were both hanging on the wall and we sat at the "Alix" table.

CARRYING ON IN NY

First on the agenda today was Mom's doctor appt.  Then, continuing on to Glens Falls outlets since we were so close.  Great bargains at Bon Ton's....even though we really don't need anything at this point.  Next, OUTBACK for a delicious burger and a cup of coffee.......more shopping for kid's clothes.  Oops...I left out the part where I had to swerve quickly to avoid hitting a racoon on the way back....didn't want to run him over!

GIFT SHOPS......JUST LOOKIN

Off to the Rocking Horse and Truly Unique gift shops today to browse. Saw lots of  "stuff" that would make nice gifts....somewhere down the line.  Check out the moose in the pasture, he stands all day, everyday in the same spot...That is another way of saying he's a fake.

HANGING IN THE ART STUDIO

I used to have a kitchen, but, no need for that anymore...crafts have taken over.  Painting/sewing simultaneously.  Working on cutest dish towels for my friend's church craft fair.  Mom is trying to read me a short story while I type....apparently she can't wait  : )  here we are working on our latest 'masterpieces!"

DOCTOR DAY

Woo-hoo!!...went to a few Doctor appointments!  (Good report there).  Then off to the library for  that special read!  This book (see picure below) picqued our interest.  Finished up with a quick trip to Big Lots,  Dan's College, and Olivia's Market for Boar's Head coldcuts (the best!).  Mom's packing up a box destined for Florida...I think Cat and John will be happy about this one.

THE PINK RIDE

Out frolicking again.  This time it started at Sears with a return.....2 hours later we walked out of the store, arms full of bags again!  The kids department was having a HUGE sale, practically giving the stuff away and you know, that is my kind of sale!  I wanted to take a picture in the Barbie department, but, we know how mom feels about that so.....we compromised by modeling the new Barbie pink bikes instead.  Someday you may see us riding these bikes, but, not today!!  Rushed home to cook dinner on the grill for Mike and friends.  Now, grabbing a sweater and  hunkering down awaiting the BACHELORETTE. Life is good : )

THE COWBOY

Don and I spent the day with the grandkids today....more frolicking!!  Playing on the huge bouncy toys at the mall, lunch at friendly's and riding the ATV.  Last week,  mom was in the process of painting a desert background and when Yayo saw it, he thought it needed a cowboy.  So, mom was kind enough to give her background to Yayo.  He painted the sun (of course!) then decided to paint a camel and cowboy.  Today, he got to take that home and you could tell, it was a prized possession!  Check out their duel effort below!

COCA COLA

I inadvertantly was showing Mom an email I just opened showing exactly how many teaspoons of sugar are in soft drinks as mom was sitting here drinking her Coke.  Hey, is this my fault!  Anyway, we discovered there are 17 teaspoons of sugar in a bottle of Coke and 27 teaspoons of sugar in a Mcdonald's shake.......just sayin'
  ps- thanks for the email Don  : )

HEATWAVE DAY #3

OK, we have had enough of this heat already!  Today was a no-brainer...hang out in the air-conditioned mall all afternoon in the heat of the day.  Rutland mall is so very sad...every other store is vacant.  Found the "Chill Zone". Interesting place started up this year by a few local seniors who were interested in business, community service and building up their college applications.  The Chill Zone is for local teens age 13-20 to hang out, play pool, ping pong, etc.  and is manned by the Seniors.  It is located at our mall.  Mom proved herself to be a trooper today and shopped all afternoon with me! 
ps- you may have noticed that this post has been revised due to my being hot, tired and cranky at the time of posting original!

THE HEAT WAVE

Boy....just so hot and sticky....yuck!  Spent the afternoon in TJ's air-conditioning....very cool!  Stopped by to visit Mike on his first day of the new job.  He is working at the Bossy Cow which is his friend, Chris's father's brand new ice cream store.  (Hey, we only had a small!  But, left a BIG tip!).  Having done all the errands, with time to kill....still way too hot to live...so out to dinner at the 99.......check out Mom's lobsta roll...delish.  Sweltering here now...waiting for Big Brother.

Guess where we went today?

No.. not canoeing....if you said to a restauraunt then you are right... out for Chinese food.  We went to JC Penney's (great sale, by the way) then slipped into the Ginger China on the way home.  I (alone) was not thrilled about this idea....but, boy the food is tasty and fresh there : )  This was not a good start to my diet which got off on a good foot this am. when I taught my student how to make healthy strawberry/banana yogurt smoothies!  I was on a roll....but caved in (and to think, we almost made it home)

Life with mom

Trying to keep busy here.  Have successfully transformed mom into an artist of sorts.  She has completed about 10 paintings on canvas using acrylics.  Each painting comes alive with color and changes as constantly as the wind....but, in the end....well, I'll let you decide!