While the Time is Still Now

Our birthday group had a Christmas lunch at Litengard. Soup. Kale soup and cauliflower soup with crusty bread.

Our purpose was for a Christmas cookie exchange. We made our family's favorite Christmas cookies. And distributed them on 12 trays.

Could we bring some Christmas cheer to the people at Maplewood?

There are 12 cottages at Maplewood. This is the new living concept for nursing homes now. It seems more like home. The dining room is just for 12 people and the food is not served on trays. People are able to have their own furniture in their semiprivate rooms, suites, bedrooms seperated by the bathroom. Some rooms had wonderful Christmas decorations. You could tell, things brought from home to remind them of Christmas's past.

It's nice. It's clean and new and a thoughtful concept.

We went for hours. We greeted and touched everyone. Some were in different stages of dementia. Others were perfectly sound mentally but physically debilitated, their families unable to care for them at home.

I spoke at length to one gentleman, 92, who had been a local farmer. He actually had 3 farms in the area, had moved out west but was visiting relatives here when he fell and fractured 3 vertebrae. This is his home now. I asked him about chickens. (Surprise, surprise) and he gave me some much information about caring for them. I enjoyed talking with him. He liked the cookies.

As we left I wondered what I had seen. And then I knew.

I had seen bravery.

I don't think any of these folks thought when they were young that they would end up in a nursing home. No. We don't plan for that. We plan for full, content lives, filled with family and pleasure, surrounded by comfort and love.

And I didn't see one angry person. I saw bravery, thankfullness, courage and dignity.

I saw this in my mom and dad. And I thought perhaps it was just because they were special. But I think it is the generation.

And I wondered......Is my generation brave?

Do we have integrity, honesty, compassion, dignity? How will we act when we get to be 90 and can not care for ourselves.

Is my children's generation brave? They been given everything.

And then I thought.....Am I brave?

I have to think about that.

Thanksgiving

What I'm very THANKFUL for......



A new RUBBER roof! Yes, even though we had a "new" roof about six years ago, it never did the job......keeping out the rain and snow. We were supposed to get it done last fall but the coumpany was unable to do it. But it was accomplished this year thank goodness. There's nothing better than a secure roof, other than a fantastic foundation. Both are imperative!

We all went out to Lexington for Thanksgiving this year. It was so great to be together. Rob and I were there for a day before everyone else arrived. In the morning we got to go over to the clinic and see a colic surgery. Rob and Jon were in the OR and I watched from the observation window. It was fascinating! Just like a people OR but 10 times the size......especially the patient.

Then Jon's attending asked if we would like to go out to some of the farms with them. They had appointments to "scope" some horses that they were watching. It was so neat to watch Jon "do" his profession. The farms are magnificient in Kentucky. The barns slone would cause some of us to have house envy. These horses are pampered and treated royally.



We had Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant. It was different. We all agreed that turkey cooked at home is the best. My gravy is better and of course everyone thinks my stuffing is better. Lots of butter. But we all had a wonderful meal, lots of seafood, which I don't normally serve at Thanksgiving. And after dinner, Dad shared from the Word verses about being thankful, the purpose and the results of being thankful. We all shared what we were particularly thankful for this past year.





It wasn't all vacation, especially for Dad. He had to study. Some one asked me the other day.....Doesn't he know everything already? Well, almost everything but brushing up on a few things is always helpful.



We had lunch one day at the most fantastic place....Wallace Station. If you are ever in the Lexington area you must scout this place out and have lunch. The sandwiches were scrumptious. The boys and I had the "Racheal", grilled homemade thick crusty rye bread with turkey, swiss cheese, cranberry sauce, chopped red onion, thousand island dressing....I think there was more but it was so good. We had to travel about 20 minutes outside of town in the middle of nowhere, just horse farms, to find this place. And it was crowded, the whole time we were there people were waiting in line. Yum, yum! Could go there again that's for sure.




Our tour of the area took us to Keeneland which is a famous race track and where they auction horses. Jon explained the process to us. Would love to see that someday. Jen put a 2 dollar bet on some horse that was racing at that time in Yonkers. No, she bet on the wrong horse.

We also got to visit the famous "Horse Park" where they had just recently hosted the World Equestrian Games. The first time they were held in the United States. It's hundreds of acres of cross country, arena's indoor and outdoor, driving courses, and museums. Really wonderful to see.



And now we are home and preparing for Christmas. Only a little over a week and a half and we will all be together again. Thankful.

Fun

This was a fun weekend at Litengard.

We have the most interesting people stay here.

On Thursday we had our first film maker. A British man who was doing a documentary for PBS on the Amish Also, there was a mom who was bringing her daughter to look at SLU as a potential college choice.

On Friday we had our second wedding couple. And two "older" gentlemen who had graduated from SLU in 1957. They had a small reunion with a couple of other fraternity friends. One of them arrived with a red beanie on his head. The same beanie they were required to wear the entire freshman year. They met the potential bride earlier in the day and went out and got her a card and gift which they placed in her room while she was at the ceremony and reception. So sweet! They were here for two days so we got to know them a bit during the breakfasts. The breakfasts went on for two hours! And it was fun to hear the conversations between all the diverse guests.

And on Saturday we had SLU parents and grandma who were attending the NCAA's soccer semi finals. They've been here twice before and we look forward to them coming back, especially when they bring grandma. She reminded me of my special grandma, nana to my children.

There are so many interesting people in this world. Glad they are making Litengard one of their destinations.

Older Woman

Yesterday someone called me an older woman.

I was shocked!

I thought I was 30 but that couldn't be, my daughter is 33. But older woman?

She said I reminded her of her grandmother (i thought she was about my age), with my big purse. All older women carry a big purse, according to her.

Her grandmother used to carry a large purse with all sorts of things in it such as bandaids, candy etc. I guess my purse triggered a memory.

Then I remembered Thomas Edison.

He filed his last patent when he was 83 years old. He never considered himself old. He was interested in so many things. And had so many wonderful quotes such as:

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

"If we all did the things we were really capable of doing, we would lterally astound ourselves."

"The thing I lose patience with the most is the clock. Its hands move too fast."

Those are some of my favorites.

Oh well, age is relative and I'm going to act the way I feel. Young!

Memories

It has been three years today.

Like when Kennedy was shot and 9/11, I have memories indelibly etched on my being.

I still feel everything. Every single moment of that day.

A phone call from Italy. Instructions and prayer. A call to our pastor and wife and their immediate presence at 42.

The house filling with family from church; praying, getting airline tickets, securing international phones, calling the military, praying. "Oh, God please"

Calls from Italy every fifteen minutes.

Calls to Wisconsin.

Calls to St Kitts.

Instructions and tears.

A heart pounding with the assurance...."God is good" "God is good"

Rob home, terminating his surgery day. Everyone else cancelled.

Chris home from work.

Ethan in Manhattan in a private office, monitoring phone calls.

But no.

And then we were off. And we are still going down this road to restoration, hope and recovery.

A trip to Syracuse in the back seat unable to stop crying, Bible on my lap.

A flight attendant in NYC asking if I was okay.

Explanation.

She rushed out to a store in the airport to buy a leather journal and boarded the flight with it telling me to write everything down.

My mom's heart grieves for her child and for his mom and for a son whose best friend is gone.

Someone sent me this today.

"I remind myself that suffering is not unique to us. It is the destiny of humanity. If this world were the only one there is, then suffering has the final say and all of us are a sorry lot. But generations of faithful Chrsitians have gone before and will come after, and they have believed or will believe what I believe in the depths of my soul. Jesus is the center of it all. He defeated sin and death through his crucifixion and resurrection. The light gradually dawns once again, in my heart, and hope returns. I find reason and courage to keep going and believing. Once again my soul increases it's capacity for hope as well as for sadness. I end up believing with greater depth and joy than I had before, even in my sorrow"
(Sittser, A Grace Disguised)

There will be restoration. A promise.

And as we continually put one foot forward we see and feel His presence, His love and His faithfulness.

I am far away from everyone today. Not by choice but by necessity.

But He is near.

To us all.

Fall Clean Up Surprise

We are quickly finalizing our fall cleanup. It's getting pretty cold up here and it's not fun to rake leaves when it's 29 degrees out.

The garden has been cut down, but not tilled. I guess we're going to have to wait until spring for that. I did get my garlic planted though.

The one chore that I had to do today was to remove all the cushions from the furniture at Litengard and 44 and get it stowed in the garden room. After pulling the cover off the couch in the backyard this is what I found.


WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REST OF YOU, BUDDY?

The Guest

He was sitting in the den.

As I stopped by to ask how his dinner was he said....

"You have a lot of serious books, religious books!"

He is a lawyer in Boston.

I should have thought he would be interested in the books that line the den shelves.

And as I reviewed them this morning I thought, "no wonder he was interested in why we had ten different translations of the Bible along with Matthew Henry's Commentary- Genesis to Revelation, The Complete Works of John G. Lakes, Revivals of Religion by Charles Finney, Parallel New Testament in Greek and English, a first edition volume of A History of the Holy Bible, from the biginning of the World to the Establishment of Christianity by the Rev. Thomas Stackhouse, M.A., loads of commentaries on Romans, Philippians, James, Psalms and Proverbs, Ephesians etc, Vines Expository Dictionary, and a phlerea of books written by some of our favorite authors, Andrew Murray, Francis Schaeffer, Mary Whelchel, Tim Keller, A.W. Tozer, Watchman Nee, E.W. Kenyon, Derek Prince, C.S. Lewis, F.F. Bosworth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. We've taught a lot of Sunday School classes over the years,

So, we had a conversation about my best friend, my caring Father, my Comforter and my faith that has been developing over the last 45 years.

We've learned alot, we've experienced alot, we've survived alot and we've grown more and more confident that He is faithful, true and wonderful!

We've had some wonderful guests, both at 42 and at Litengard.

This weekend we had two sets of guests that had been here before. They have become friends. They brought me special jam from beach plums, delicious! And special coffee from Jamaica and cinnamon sticks. And today I got a package with a new apron for the fall. Wow! I'm blessed.

And I look forward to new friendships, new guests and new opportunities to share.

Fried Green Tomatoes and Other Such Things

We had an abundance of red.

Now we have bushel baskets full of green. Green tomatoes that is.

This is only one basket full. I have a huge colander, a large roaster full, and several other containers full of green and slightly pink tomatoes.

And I can't throw them away. I was raised by a frugal mom.

Last night I made Chicken a la green tomatoes. It was quite good. I had actually made sauce (roasted red tomatoes, my peppers, onions, garlic, carrots and an eggplant) and blenderized it into sauce. It's delicious. My friend, Danica, put me onto that method. Anyway, put chicken parts in a 13X9 pan, add 2 cups of sauce (i added more), 2 sliced onions, 4 sliced green tomatoes, 1 sliced zucchini and season with salt, pepper, paprika, oregano and bake for 1 hour. i sort of mixed the sauce and the veggies up half way through. Saturday I'm going to try another recipe: Curry Shrimp with green tomatoes.

I have already made two roaster pans full of roasted green tomatoes, and a huge amount of green salsa. They're like the widows oil though, they just seem to be multiplying. I've even given loads away to my neighbors.

Yesterday I had to take a break from the cooking and the Bed and Breakfast and go to Burlington for my every six months check up. It's quite a trek to go for something that you know is going to be fine but I have to obey orders!

It was a beautiful October day. The sky in the morning was a brilliant blue and it contrasted so with the yellow, gold and lime color on the leaves. I've noticed that this year the reds are more mellow and the oranges are more burnt amber. But it was just gorgeous. The Canadian Geese dotted the freshly mowed corn fields, gleaning the last of the kernels for their trip south. I would like to try to cook a goose sometime. It seems that they would be pretty easy to shoot, there are thousands around in the fields and skies. A hundred years ago immigrants used to keep flocks of geese in the backyards of their tenements in NYC. Goose fat was used extensively in their cooking. One also remembers reading about the Christmas goose. Yes, I would like to try cooking one.

I love the windmill farms doting the landscape in Chateaugay. Those tall metal monoliths with their graceful arms stretching heavenward and then towards the horizon. They are so architectural, tall sentinels guarding the adjacent farms and cattle. I don't know if I would like to live near them but they are magnificent to see in the distance and then drive by.

October is an interesting month. It's fickle; sometimes hot, sometimes cold and usually a lot of rain. My dad died on October 5th, five years ago. I miss him. It's Rob's birthday at the end of the month and two years ago it snowed on his birthday. We were all in Washington, DC two years ago in October, to watch Liz, Maja, Meka and Rachael run the Army 10 miler. Ethan and Laura ran the last two miles with the girls. We visited Arlington again and remembered again the fragility and preciousness of life. Two years ago Rob and I were hanging pictures at Elizabeth's new house on Judson Street. This October he has to hang pictures and mirrors in an apartment in Pittsburgh. Last year I only had three postings in my journal. Rob's cousin who was a missionary in Ecuador came to visit with his new wife, Liz was taking Rob to the gym to help him "get in shape", I planted garlic for the first time and wrote "I've lost the word mother and father forever. They have gone and are not part of my vocabulary anymore. Not my mother or my father. And I can hardly bear it." And this October I have a new venture and a house full of new fiends and guests at Litengard.

And so we go forward. Making green salsa, making new friends, establishing new routines and experiencing God's love and protection. And as I go through my old journal I read these words...God doesn't comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.

Dinner and Lecture

I was prepared to dislike her.

I had done my research.

While Rob was installing blinds in the back room, I read all the articles aloud, describing her education, her experiences and her viewpoints on a variety of subjects. And I was prepared not to like her.

But we spoke with her on the back patio and I liked her. My heart went out to her as she reached for words, as older people sometimes do, when words are not at the tip of ones tongue anymore, but in the deep recesses of the brain.

She was 75, still a professor of a major university, still giving lectures across the country, and she is a former US Surgeon General.

And despite being total polar opposites, if she had lived here, I'm sure we would have been friends.

She was warm and kind. She smiled and was gracious. And she was a mother. I can imagine a grandchild cuddling up in her arms, and I can see her reading Good Night Moon as eyelids droop and sleep falls quietly.

But we would have disagreed on almost everything.

The lecture was organized with lots of sides and statistics. And it was a complete political statement with all the liberal talking points.

She believes that every problem of mankind would be solved by education. Hunger, poverty, prejudice, crime, unwanted pregnancies, obesity, sexual diseases.......

And she believes that universal healthcare is a moral obligation in this country and is out advocating that position as she did when she held her high postition. And if we could just educate our young people we would drastically reduce unwanted pregnancies, sexual transmitted infections, obesity, smoking, etc......

They advocate a moral obligation for healthcare but where are morals when they teach our children about sex. Then there can be no morals imposed. "Whose morals?" No one can teach our children from a moral and ethical viewpoint.

Is this logical?

Seems like someone with a basic knowledge of logical could refute all their positions easily.

But, I still liked her.

Funny Phone Call

While walking home from the post office and bank this morning I received an funny phone call on Litengard's number.

ring, ring...

"Hello, Litengard"

"Hi, this is Andy from San Diago"

Our neighbor has a son who lives in San Diago and his name is Andrew. I was a bit confused at first because he has never been called anything but Andrew. Never Andy.

"Andrew, is this you?"

"It's Andy from San Diago"

He was definately not my neighbor!

"What's your last name?"

"Castleberg, I'm the answer to all your prayers"

"I have the answer to all my prayers, his name is Jesus"

"Well, I'm just what you want for your business. I specialize in business cards, brochures, etc....."

"Oh, I already have someone doing that for me that I'm very happy with. Thank you for calling"

"I'm a college football star."

"That's nice. I'm very proud of you!"

"Oh, I thought you might be a cougar"

"WHAT?!? No, I have a husband that I'm happy with and four great children. Not interested!"

"Oh, well could I just tell you about my products?"

"Andy, I don't want to waste my time or yours. I'm sure you have a great presentation and product but I have to go and clean three bathrooms"

You can't make this stuff up. On to my cleaning!

Gifts and Recipies

One of Rob's patients made this for Litengard. It is beautiful! It is modeled after an 18 century French physican's cabinet. And he wrote us and told us he made it exactly the way they would have made it, using the same techniques. Rob has very talented patients!
It is really gorgeous and sits proudly in the hall on the second floor.


We had really great guests last weekend. A family. They were in Canton to visit their son who is a football player at SLU. And all the inlaws came too. They all live in the same town and travel around together, all friends. It's what I dream about. They were so much fun.
They were so interested in the house and all the historic details. They loved the Swedish design and all the family history. In fact, they saw my grandmother's samplier, with her name (Astrid) on it and told me about a book that they had all read....Astrid and Veronika. It is a book by a Swedish author about a friendship between two very different people. I'm just getting into it now. Anyway, they had gone to the bookstore and purchased a copy, gone online and figured out how to write "thank you for a wonderful stay" in Norwegian. It was so very sweet and thoughtful of them.
They tell me they are coming back. Good!



A couple of recipies:

I made this for our brunch the other day. Everyone loved it.

Easy Breakfast Pizza
1 pound sausage, browned
1 package crescent rolls
5 eggs... I used 6
1/4 cup milk....I used 1/4 cup of milk and about 1/4 cup cream
15 ounces frosen hash browns, thawed
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded.... I probably used 1 1/2 cups of cheese

Unroll crescent rolls and press in 9X13 inch pan. I buttered it first although the recipe did not call for it. Spoon sausage over crust, sprinkle hash browns, sprinkle cheese over hash browns. Beat together eggs and milk, pour over top. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until bottom crust is browned and center is set. Serve with salsa. Serves 8-10.

Baked Eggs (Rob's favorite so far)
3 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoons fresh chopped basil (I didn't use this)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup milk I used a bit of cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in small saucepan. Stir in flour, pepper, salt and basil. Add milk and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Stir for 1 minute more. Butter two 8 ounce baking dishes. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of sauce into baking dishes. Break each egg over the suce into the two dishes and spoon remaining sauce over the eggs. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over hot sauce and let stand until it melts, Garnish with chopped basil and serve immediately with Canadian bacon or ham slices, fresh tomato slices. I acutally cooked it a couple minutes less and put it back into the over after I put the cheese on it. It got a bit crusty with I liked instead of just melted. And of course I did serve it with my heirloom tomatoes, three different kinds...pink, purple and yellow. It looks very pretty with ham slices, the tomatoes and a big sprig of parsley. I always make an extra one for Rob.

Birthday Brunch at Litengard

We had a birthday brunch at Litengard today.

Janice was one of my first friends when we moved to Canton 23 years ago. We're the same age.

I was wanting to try out a couple of new breakfast recipes, and our "birthday friends" all like to eat and try new things, so I thought they would be game. Since it was a brunch I also included some Scandinavian specialties.... and some of the friends actually tried them.

Much to Georgia's surprise she actually liked pickled herring in sour cream sauce. What respectable smorgasbord would not include herring. Many also tried my favorite gjost cheese. It's a dark goats cheese, quite sweet with a creamy texture. I grew up on herring and gjost. Everyone liked the Bergonnost cheese. It's mild white cheese, not so different. I made Limpa, which is a tradional Swedish rye bread. It's a moist dark crusty bread made with molasass and anise seed. Wonderful with butter.

I should have taken a picture of the food but didn't. I prepared spinach stuffed tomatoes which were really yummy. I have sooooo many tomatoes, everyone had to take a couple home. But these Camp of Joy tomatoes were just perfect. They are relatively small and have a lot less water. The spinach, garlic, onion, whole wheat bread crumbs and cheese were the perfect topping. Every thing tastes good with enough garlic and onions!

Everyone loved the Breakfast Pizza which was so easy to make. The potato, cheese and egg skillet casserole was wonderful too but a lot of preparation. Would be wonderful breakfast before going out hiking or skiing.

Rob wants me to write a book now and include vignettes about opening an inn, recipes, decorating tips, and fun stories about the experiences with the guests. We've already met some wonderful, interesting people. I tell him, let me get some more recipes under my belt and a few more guests in the inn. I tell him he should write a book on the many funny stories and experiences he has had during his practice. Like when a prison guard escorted a prisoner in his orange jumpsuit and chains into the extremely crowded waiting room and a octogenarian exclaimed in a very loud voice, which Rob heard all the way down the hall in an examining room, " There's a prisoner in the room, there's a prisoner in the room!!! Everyone guard your purse!"
Another funny one was when someone told Rob that they should be legally dead. I think they they were thinking of a different word.

Anyway, we had a lot of fun today. And yes, I am going to post recipes shortly.

A Night at the Opera

After preparing and serving a hearty North Country breakfast, complete with heirloom tomatoes, to our wonderful and fun guests, giving the "tour" of Litengard and it's gardens to over a 100 people who came as part of the EJ Noble House Tour, Rob and I went out to "A Night at the Opera".

I'm not a big opera fan but it was so enjoyable. The music inspiring and beautiful. I loved Kenneth Andrews little note in the program: "For generations, in Europe, the main form of entertainment in even the smallest and most rural towns was Opera! Whole families would consider their outing for the week to be a chance to go to the theater to see an opera production that would take their imagination to a famous city, another country, or even magical and distant land. It might take them on an emotional journey that expressed love, sorrow, tragedy, remorse, elation and perhaps even great heroic deeds - all through the melding of the stage, the score and the orchestra."

The tenor, Lonel Woods, was so entertaining. He was my favorite. He seemed to be having so fun singing and performing. And he had a fantastic voice!

My folks, for years, had season tickets to the Metropolitian Opera at Lincoln Center. They would enjoy a nice dinner down in the city and then a memorable performance at the Met. They were blessed to have seen many great operas.

Rob and I both commented after the performance that a vocal gift is a wonderful gift from God. He is always amazed at these men who compose symphonies, concertos, operas and musicals. But I always remind him that Mozart probably could not have removed some one's gallbladder or appendix.

We each have our own gift!

Growing

I had to include this picture. I told Rob that I had gone around and cut down weeds for a fall decoration in front of Litengard.

"Weeds?"

Yes, and I think they look magnificient!



This is my harvest from yesterday! And there are hundreds of more tomatoes to ripen and be picked! My friend, Danica, put me onto roasting the tomatoes and I've done that a couple of times. Cut whatever type of tomatoes into sections, good olive oil, salt and pepper (I always use kosher) and lots of cut up garlic. Then roast them for an hour or so at a low temp until they are shriveled. I even like them a bit blackened. Just a bit. They are so yummy! Sweet but somewhat tangy. I love them cold, right from the frig. Kay told me her mom would just freeze the tomatoes whole. After frozen, put in a bag and save for stews or soup in the winter. That I am definately going to try.

I really had fun with my garden this year. It must have been a perfect year for everything. The beans never stopped producing, the brocolli was abundant, even the carrots, which I usually don't have much success with prospered. I even have jalepenos and red, green and black peppers!

Every night we have loads of veggies for dinner, straight from the garden. We're spoiled and going to miss the fresh produce in about another month. I do have loads of brussel sprouts, red cabbage (have an interesting soup with red cabbage and sausage I'm going to try), and eggplant that I think will last at least another month. We really could be self sufficient as far as food this summer, except we like meat and fish. Oh well, maybe they'll be chickens next year at 44.





This is another layer to my sustainability kick. I had planted two apples trees in the backyard garden before the wedding. And this year I had loads of apples. The only trick was to get to the apples before the squirrels! They made me mad. They would take an apple and eat just about 1/3 of it and then leave it lying on the ground. I wouldn't mind sharing if they would just finish the apple and not be wasteful. My mother taught me better than that! But I did end up with a couple dozen very nice apples.

Psalm 89

Psalm 89 is Ethan's psalm. Actually, it is the psalm of Ethan the Exrahite and it is to give instruction. The Biblical Ethan, was a musician.

I'm possessive. This is a psalm I became acutely aware of when my Ethan was first born and I read it this morning on my reading through the book of Psalms. It brought back memories and assurances of God's faithfulness.

Our family had moved to a very rural town in western Pennslvania in 1977. Rob was the only surgeon at the hospital where they had limited facilities. I had sort of a "Christy" outlook moving to the coal mining town. I envisioned myself going to the library reading to swarms of dirty, black footed children who didn't have running water in their homes and had only recently had electricity installed. I had read Christy recently and had seen myself doing the same things in my new home town.

It wasn't exactly as I had pictured. The Lord had a different plan. We immediately became involved in local church and as it was approaching summer, when we moved, the church was getting involved with their annual plans for Vacation Bible School. I immediately volunteered to head the program up. Why I don't know. My expertise is nursing but I guess I had some time and wanted to get involved with local church.

We prayed. And we prayed. And God showed up. After all the years of doing VBS they normally had about 20 kids that would come. Well, that year we had over 200 kids come. I didn't even know that there were that many children in the whole community. Anyway, Rob and I unexpectedly got involved in children's ministry which would expand and last the whole ten years we were in the area. Ninety children came to know the Lord that first summer. The next summer I started a program for the mom's while their kids were in VBS. It was fun.

My pregnancy for Ethan was without any issues and the labor and delivery was relatively easy and quick. However, he was born with a collapsed right lung which was rapidly expanding and compressing his heart. He didn't cry or move and when it was discovered what the problem was the obstetrician told Rob, "you have to do something or this child will die."

No pediatrician, no other surgeon, no equipment necessary to install a pediatric chest tube, he had to act. Thank goodness he is creative and can think outside the box and God is his Lord.

He called for a few things and after being plagued with thoughts that he would kill the child before he could save him, he inserted something that passed for a chest tube and got the lung inflated. The NICU, at a hospital an hour away, was called and sent a team over to get him. There he was, tubes coming from everywhere, IV's, chest tube, oxygen. And he was quiet. Saving his strength for breathing. Even Elizabeth took pity on him when she saw him. She desperately wanted a sister.

The nurses at the NICU kept asking us what we were going to name him. They wanted a name. They said it was important. We didn't know. We wanted a name that, when he was called, would reflect a characteristic that would be a Godly characteristic and some quality that he needed right then. That's when we came across the name Ethan. It means strong. And he was anything but that then. He couldn't even cry.

After we chose the name Ethan, Rob's dad, the Bible scholar that he was, told us about this Psalm. The Psalm of Ethan. It speaks about mercies and faithfulness and covenant. It speaks about that God rules the raging of the sea....which I have taken to mean the issues of our lives which sometimes seem to be out of control. "When they arise, you still them" It speaks about justice and judgment being the habitation of his throne and mercy and truth going before his face. Don't you just love the imagery that is evoked with these words. It's beautiful. The psalm speaks about his people walking in the light of his countenance. I always thought I like light, mirrors, candles because of my nordic heritage. Perhaps that is part of i,t but light is such a powerful influence in the Bible. "Your word is a light..... a lamp". And the Psalm reveals Jesus and God's plan for him and us.

It's a magnificient psalm and I'm glad it was part of my devotions today. A reminder of God's goodness and His faithfulness and His commitment to me.

And Ethan is strong and big and not quiet anymore. When he was little, I think around 3 or 4, my parents took care of him for a week or so and when they were driving him back to us he sat in his car seat and talked constantly for about 4 hours straight. My father, not a loquacious man but very tolerant, finally turned to him and asked very potitely if he would stop talking for a bit. He is the most people person that I know. And that's a good thing.

Labor Day

And labor we did.

We had guests for the weekend who were just wonderful. Two breakfasts which included new recipes, they were adventuresome. But both were really scrumptious!

Elegant Eggs which turned out to be really high fluffy eggs served piping hot with a dollop of sour cream and a drizzle of lingonberry sauce. We first experienced lingonberries in Norway and they were delicious. That was served with fresh local bacon, english muffins, orange juice, and locally grown peaches and pears. Today I served Baked Eggs and I believe that the company liked this recipe even better. These are made in individual 8 ounce baking dishes and so yummy. We had slices of my heirloom tomatoes and herbs from the garden, pumpkin apple muffins (apples picked yesterday from one of the apple trees I planted for the wedding 6 years ago), ham slices, fruit, cranberry apple juice and coffee.

Ethan came in at the tail end of breakfast and had his breakfast with the guests. He was made to be an innkeeper. He's a natural.



Dad and Ethan tore down old rotted boards from out back porch and temporarily "fixed" the part where the wall attaches to the roof and then Rob used some old flashing that he had from his grandfather and cemented and tarred parts of the porch roof that had disappeard. We're still wondering what to do with the back porch. I'd like a more permanent structure, one with heat that I could have my washer and dryer in but that probably will be sometime in the distant future.



Ethan then took over Jon's job of trimming the bushes and did a fantastic job! I had trimmed some of the front about 2 months ago but with the heat and the rain everything was very overgrown. He kept saying he knew nothing about trimming bushes but did an excellent job. That's good because I don't think Jon will be home anymore when it's appropriate to trim.



And we made up a big basket of 42 and 44's local produce for Ethan to take back to the city. Heirloom tomatoes all the way from northern New York. And I had to include several potatoes that he had harvested the day before. And then after a long nap, it was back in the car for the journey back to the Big Apple.

Blessings of a Simple Life

Sitting in the den listening to the slow steady clip clop of an Amish horse pulling it's buggy as it made it's way to the intersection of our small village, made me acutely aware of the blessings of a simple life.

I really like it here. It's a wonderful blessing to be able to call this place home.

No, there is no shopping. But that's why we have the internet isn't it?

We certainly have beauty here. Farms and mountains, streams and the raging St. Lawrence, historic homes but no skyscrappers. Wonderful music; music theater, opera, symphony, bands. We have four universities and we have churches. We still have neighborhoods and friends who look out for each other. People who we see almost everyday and new people we're meeting each week now at our B&B.

The Amish, who are quite industrious to say the least, bringing their quilts, aprons, homemade baskets into town almost everyday in the summer. If you want to purchase their picnic tables, chairs, adirondack chairs, gazebos or cabins, you must go out to one of their homes where all of the carpentry is done. Plus you can also purchase baked goods, produce and eggs while out and about.

In the summer here, between May and October, we have a wonderful farmers market down on the village square. This is the time of year when we have corn on the cob almost every night. There is now electricity in the square so that local meat producers can bring their home grown, non steroid injected cuts of meat. I've come upon a farm that has the most wonderful bacon. It's the only thing I serve at Litengard. And free range chicken and their eggs are so different from mass produced food we're so accustomed to getting in the grocery store.

I've been on this sustaining local farmers kick now for a couple of years. It's so beneficial in so many ways.





After a very busy four days of guests, I made my way, with the dogs, to see Elizabeth. They were happily reunited. This is a picture of her living room in the apartment. Very cute and very big. The bedroom is huge. The kitchen is small. Doesn't anyone cook anymore? We did a lot of organization, throwing away of boxes, bringing stuff back to the Suburban to cart back home. hanging of pictures and moving of furniture. We have to wait till Dad comes to hang some of the larger pictures and mirrors. No one can hang pictures better my hubby. Armed with all the right tools, including a level, pencil for mathematical figurings (no eyeballing for him mind you) and the correct weighted picture hangers, nothing comes off the wall when he's done hanging it.

Anyway, the apartment and the area are so cute. There is definately a revitalization of that area now. The Cheesecake Factory is just one block away from the apartment building and i think tapas are all the rage now. There is a really cute restaurant called the Double Wide which is an old Texaco gas station. Looks so cute and I understand they have great food there. When we go back, that's where we're headed. The other way, within walking distance, like a block, are blocks of fantastic stores. Hope that's not a problem. And there are plenty of dogs! The natives told us they are opening a dog park, right in that area, in November.



Look at these beauties!! Someone told me we couldn't grow eggplant up here. Hey, there are plenty more just like these two out in the garden at 44. These babies are going for eggplant parmasean tonight! Ethan's home and he loves it. Plus the pounds of beans that I keep harvesting everyday. I think this must have been the perfect year for green beans.




Ethan has never been one for the garden but when he got home today and saw all the tomatoes a collinder came out and he was out there gathering all sorts of tomatoes. I'm sending him back to the city with a big basket full for all his co workers. Rob had brought a big basket full to the hospital last week plus a steady stream going over to his mom and brother. The heirlooms have been a lot of fun. My personal favoites are the purplish Paul Robeson and the pink Mortgage Lifter. Camp of Joy are wonderfully sweet cherry tomatoes. Anyway, after his interest in the tomatoes, I thought perhaps he would like to harvest the potatoes. And he did! I may make a farmer out of him yet!!

Prolific Gardens

The garden has really been prolific this year. I've planted some vegetables that I had never planted before, eggplant for one and I have at least 4 or 5 eggplants are are looking really good. Actually, I think they will be ready to pick in about a week. I've had a huge amount of broccoli, so much that even Elizabeth got tired of having it. I've let it go to seed. Perhaps next year I will freeze some. Of course we are constantly eating green beans which continue to produce at a frenzied rate. I had wonderful green cabbages, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce and as you can see, red cabbage, each one is spectacular. I'm preparing the one in the picture tomorrow- sweet and sour red cabbage with apples. We are having the neighbors over for an all vegetable dinner. Rob and I could never eat that many vegetables and I'm not into freezing this year. The beets are a golden variety and are super sweet. Too bad Jon isn't here, he loves beets. I planted garlic last fall and have about 40 cloves- I've given many away already. And if you can see, I grew black peppers. They are interesting, not as sweet as red though. The green peppers are small but tasty. I even tried my hand at growing potatoes. And they even grew despite my ignorance as to their need to be mounded. New raised beds in the back yard for potatoes next year. They were fun.

My tomatoes, which I did not photograph, are my pride and joy. I received as a birthday present, a gift certificate to Whites Flower catalog. I ordered 6 heirloom tomatoe plants. They are now over 6 feet tall in the raised beds at Litengard. My favorite so far are the Mortage Lifter variety. They are huge, pink and so sweet. Wonderful on a sandwich. I'm trying Paul Robeson tomorrow. They are large scarlet and green and look quite good. I think in about another 10 days I will have bushel baskets full. If anyone would like some and try to save some seeds let me know. The heirlooms are the only kind that will reproduce from their seeds. I have to read up on how to save the seeds till the spring.



My girl has left. Off to school again. This time in Pittsburgh. We had a small going away party with barbeque chicken, salt potatoes and corn on the cob. And then a farewell game of Mexican Train. Liz won, how appropriate. Then she and Dorie were off in the Volvo to meet the moving van. I think Dorie came back exhausted from unpacking, sorting, setting up, rearranging, shopping and walking up and down three flights of stairs. No elevators!

New Friends and Farmers Market

We had a house full at Litengard last night.

It was fun. One room went to parents of a Clarkson student. They had never stayed in a Bed and Breakfast before. One room went to a mom and her daughter who was interviewing at St Lawrence. They understood old houses, they have one they go to in the summer in Vermont. The last room went to a couple from Persia, who grew up in Holland and will be working in another city and the wife will be a graduate student at Clarkson. He had a sort of Scandinavian accent which was interesting because he totally did not look like us, not that all nordic people have blond hair and blue eyes!

We had a wonderful sausage, egg, and cheese casserole, almond kringle, fresh local peaches and blueberries, orange juice, and locally roasted coffee. I will try to post the recipes that I have used sometime in the near future. I know that many of you have asked for them so I'll try to spend some time jotting them down.

After everyone left and the wash was started I walked down to our Farmers Market. The Canton Farmers Market is every Tuesday and Friday starting in the spring and running through October. It's the best. Especially if one lives in the village and can walk down on a gorgeous day like today. Not only can one get the best local corn from the Nobles, but the Cook's sell the BEST bacon I've ever had. I ordered 4 pounds over the phone the other day and she had it all packaged up for me. She was showing another customer the bacon when I got there (which was a bit later in the morning) but assured me that she had been saving it for me and was just letting the person look at the quality of the meat. The village has installed electricity so farmers can bring their freezers and sell their meats. The beef looked great too. Maybe next Tuesday! I have grown absolutely huge and wonderful heirloom tomatoes this year but I spied another variety at one of the vendors. I think she called it Scarlett something, I have to look it up. She said it made great sandwiches, which is just what Rob said he wanted for dinner tonight. So I came home with two scarlett beauties.

The other wonderful thing about Canton and the Farmers Market is that one meets all one's friends and acquaintances while wandering from booth to booth. I caught up on a lot of news from the neighborhood, the village and Colton (since I have not been to camp once this year to see everyone out there). Then off to the post office and a visit to my local teller and a lovely walk home again laden with wonderful fruit, veggies, meat and local updates.

And sitting in the back room, my office at Litengard, looking out onto the great backyard, a male cardinal just landed on the porch railing. He was beautiful, his mate must be around somewhere, I always see them together. So sweet!

Does summer have to end?

It's Fun Having......

It's fun having a daughter!!!!

After all the work we have done together at 44, 42 and 34 we finally got a day to relax and do fun girl stuff.

We both had gift certificates to The Spa at the Whiteface Lodge, so we booked some special pampering.



After a massage and facial we went up to the dining room and had a lovely lunch. It was a beautiful day. We thought to eat outside on the balcony but it was a bit breezy.



The decor is totally adirondack, with vaulted ceilings, huge chandeliers, stufffed moose, racoons etc, large comfy chairs and lovely rugs. The lunch was absolutely delicious.



We drove home completely satisfied through gorgeous mountains, tall pines and pristine lakes. It was a wonderful day.

A Long Obedience......In The Same Direction

I went to a funeral today.

He was the grandfather of a good friend of mine. He was 90 years old. And he lived the New Testament.

He had a long obedience, in the same direction. A direction similar to those of the "greatest generation". An obedience like my father and Rob's father had, and live by.

The funeral was two hours and I could have listened and stayed longer. There was the usual family, including a brother who was 13 years younger, tributes and memories. A devoted husband of over 60 years, a great father who welcomed all his daughters friends, a wonderful grandfather who read books endlesssly to his grandchildren, played games with them and took them fishing, a brother who bought his siblings Christmas gifts during the war when the farming parents could not afford toys, a hard working teacher at Canton College who developed the HVAC program and instructed students who would come to the house for help, a loyal and active church member for decades, a committed and productive community member and finally a friendly nursing home patient. A long obedience, started early.

The pastor gave a wonderful homily on Luke 6, about building on a solid foundation. Both houses could look the same and be built out of the same material but if one was built with no foundation, the river could and would sweep it away when it raged against the houses. Rivers, (some of lifes issues that we all face) are not selective or respective.

And then he said...."they don't grow them like... anymore". Yes, the people in my father's generation were generally moral, honest, full of integrity, law abiding and God fearing. But I believe that this generation, our sons and brothers can and will be great "in the Lord". We're raising men out of a generation like Jeremiah. God was constantly asking Jeremiah to tell the people to amend their ways and turn back from their sins, because He loved them and wanted them to prosper and He wanted it to be well with them. Unfortunately, they only hardened their necks and went backwards, never a good thing wth the Lord.

I'm counting on my son's generation to hearken to the voice of the Lord, raise His standard, follow after those who have faithfully gone before, and become the continuation of "the greatest generation".

And We Are Up and........Running!!!!

My head has almost stopped spinning. Almost.

I haven't posted since May so I thought perhaps I should let everyone know I'm alive and well.

We did it! We managed to "finish" the project, have the Open House and today I will have my first guests. Wow!

Looking back, I can't believe that we finished this major renovation in a little over four months. We had a great contractor, who worked, himself, on Saturdays and some Sundays and on several occasions came in to 44 well before 6:00am. In fact, one morning when I could not sleep past 4:30pm I wandered over to 44 in my pajamas and was standing on the back porch when in comes Dominic. "Oh, you couldn't sleep either", I said. He had promised me three months, which Rob and I knew was a fantasy but he was determined to get done quickly.

But I really couldn't have done it without my family and some dear friends. Elizabeth worked tirelessly on 44. She shopped with me, she and Jon dug an entire new front garden (he was only home for 5 days before leaving for Kentucky), she mowed the lawn, she moved furniture, she cleaned the upstairs when the contractors were done and the floors had been sanded and refinished, she set up the bathrooms, ironed bedskirts and sheers and she made us dinners when it looked like we would not have any food for that particular evening. She is my hero and soon she will be headed off to Pittsburgh. Hope I didn't drive her away with all her involvement at Litengard.

Ethan came home from the city several weekends to give us muscle moving furniture into Litengard, help with the back deck, powerwash everything outside, set up the croquet court, set up the beds, the daybed with trundle (it came in a box with a thousand pieces, I couldn't have figured it out), and a host of projects too numerous to name.

Christian has been my contact person. I get calls all the time now telling me that a nice man at the Best Western recommended Litengard Bed and Breakfast. He had lots of ideas about hospitality and what people are looking for. He doesn't say much but I think he is really proud of our "product".

Jon is the inspiration for the whole project. Rob and I had thought about doing a Bed and Breakfast for years and had actually looked at other houses with that in mind. 44 had been for sale for almost a year and yet it never occured to us to take on the project next door. Off and on the house had been sold but the deal feel through so it lingered on the market. One day, Jon suggested "why don't you buy 44? You've been talking about doing a B&B for years, I don't what to hear you still talking about it when you are 80." I don't know why we never thought about it. And with some vision, it did become a possibility and then a reality. He was disappointed that he could not be here for the whole process but he is up to his eyeballs in equine surgery and medicine now in a really spectacular internship. Just hope that we will be able to visit him sometime in the near future.

Rob, of course, was my second contractor. He built and built and built. He would love to do carpentry. The finishing work on the back deck is all his workmanship. He hung absolutely every picture and mirror in the place and developed the headboard concepts to all the beds. The general contractor left on Thursday, and we worked continuously until Sunday when we had our Open House. He did have to take a couple of days off and change hats from surgeon to handyman!

And Aunt June....my 83 year old aunt from New Hampshire. She had come a previous weekend and worked on projects, but she came the Tuesday before the open house and began to work. She rewired lamps, she polished silver, and she was my constant gardner, endlessly dead heading and weeding. I really don't know how she did it. She did rest on Monday, per my demand, before going back to New Hampshire and securing a new job. I hope I'm like her when I'm 83.

Greg and Jeremy took the deck to the swimming pool down and reassembled it on the back of the house. And whenever Greg came over he was pressed into service doing "whatever" But he's really good with power tools now and can probably build a deck, hang pictures and mirrors and generally do whatever is needed around a house. And he and Elizabeth helped me log people in who had called wanting reservations before I had a website. The little notebook I was carrying around wasn't at all profession and Ethan was horrified!

My adopted neice, Carol, designed my business cards, and Open House invitations. We went on a fun shopping trip to Penns. but now she's bought a house and is going to have a baby so I hardly see her for now. But she is one of the most creative people I know and I will be selling her wares at Litengard.

And not the least or the last are my really good friends Ryan and Jamie. Ryan is helping me navigate my way through this internet business. And Jamie set up the Resovation software for me and I speak to him almost everyday now as I encounter the next situation that I don't know how to handle. He's one of the most patient people I know. I had to bring Ethan with me the last time he was home to learn how to "do it" and then help me out. Ryan has been invaluable in encouraging me with the website, connecting me to a designer (from CA no less), having loads of ideas which iI could not possibly implement now...he's a visionary. And I'm surprised he even associated with someone like me who is so not hi tech!!

Anyway, here are a few pictures of Litengard. The website is up and running and I am taking reservations on line but the pictures have not been uploaded yet and there is a fantastic virtual tour thanks to Ben. And the music on the tour, I believe, is from suggestions his Mom, the concert pianist, had.

The first couple of pictures are of the outside and the diningroom/living room.






The next three are of the suite in the back of the house. It has a small room with a daybed and trundle and the larger room with a fun chandelier which shines through the stain glass window to the bathroom. Really neat at night.





These two are of the Trondheim, we named the rooms after cities in Norway. The particular city is where my family is from and many still live there. This was the first room we "put together" and Elizabeth says it is her favorite. It does have a room size bath with a pedestal tub and crystal chandelier so I can understand her point of view.




These are pictures of the Bergen, Rob's favorite city in Norway. He wants to live there when he grows up. We had a great time there....the fish market, the ancient city on the harbor, the funicular and spectacular meal on top of a hilltop followed by a concert.




I actually prepared a new recipe for tomorrow morning but... I have one kringle that I had in the freezer and always the standard cereal, local fruit purchased today at the Canton Farmers Market, coffee from our local roaster and lots of good North Country friendship. I'll let you know how it goes.......

It Takes a Family....

It takes a family,

plus a WONDERFUL, GREAT contractor,

plus loads of encouraging friends to establish a new business.

At least it does in my case.

Litengard is almost ready to have her doors open and start doing what she was created to do. Host guests.

Ready or not, July 11th, will be here shortly, the date of our open house. And after that.... let the guests come. I'm already booked for SLU graduation and parents weekend.

But it certainly has been a fun, hectic, messy, tiring, creative, thought provoking, and exhausting project.



This is Liz and our adoptive niece Carol when we went on a shopping trip to the Philadelphia area antique malls. Carol not only introduced us to many wonderful stores and restaurants but she also is one of the most creative people I know and designed my business cards and our open house invitation. I will carry a line of her products at Litengard.



Unfortunately, not a good picture, but the Tomford boys have handled the lawn work at 42 and 44. They have mowed, weed whacked, shoveled and spread mulch, been to the Colton dump, weeded, shoveled manure, moved furniture and bricks and been an all around great help here. I have just an inkling that they may think I'm a bit off my rocker with all the gardens and lawn work. I often quiz David on my next project, chickens. He will be my off site expert on chickens, since he has been caring for his for years now.



My Cornerstone Guys!!! Yea for a new furnace and tank less hot water heater. Now I have confidence that my guests will continue to have heat no matter how far below 0 degrees it gets this winter. And, a long shower? No problem, we have a commercial grade water heater for all three showers, however long they take. You can't imagine the amount of duct work that went into upstairs. There were many rooms that didn't have any source of heat. Problem fixed!




And painters! Where would I be without Dave and Nate. Big tall ceilings, loads of heavy wood trim. A natural wood banister and wainscoting that I wanted white. They questioned the decision at first but came around to my way of thinking and now they are glorying in their handiwork. The banister with it's fret work was a real labor of love and I thank Nate for his patience and precision. Everything looks great. Love all the colors! Every single one. Dave cheerfully painted each day, told me how much he liked the colors and then took many items home with him each night that he could use in his rentals, and we could not. I think it's called recycling.



There is no one else like sis! Where would I be without Elizabeth. Always willing to help with any project. Like the one she is doing in the picture. For those of you who can not tell, that is a manure pile she is standing in. Yes, we loaded many truck loads of manure for the gardens this year. The vegetables are growing great. Already had a zucchini. And the flowers and plants are prospering. We went on many shopping trips for bedding, furniture, lighting, rugs,etc. She created files, lists, garden plans. She cooked when I couldn't. She shopped when I couldn't and she told me when to stop shopping. "We need to see what we have in the house first before we get any thing else!" She's washed and pulled nails and mowed and encouraged. We established a new flower garden on the side of the driveway at 44. We weeded and divided plants and replanted. I can't believe that she's leaving me in less than 2 months. She will also manage Litengard the week after we are opened. Rob and I have to go to a 50th wedding anniversary party down in Westchester. She's the best!!!



The most important person in this project is Dad. He can do anything. Not only is he financing this undertaking but is also involved in hands on projects. Here he is developing the deck project. He's a perfectionist and I really need that at times. Between Rob and Dominic the house is like Mary Poppins...practically perfect in every way!



Jon was home for 5 days this summer. And Ethan for a weekend and 2 days after Jon's graduation. They managed to trim trees, move huge rocks, rip out existing landscape in front of 44 and make an entirely new garden, trim bushes, edge gardens, power washed porches and screens, make suggestions, all in the few days they were home. They are my muscle, my encouragement, my vision and business advisers for this project.



Jeremy and Greg disassembled the old deck that surrounded the former above ground swimming pool, (which has gone to a new home in Norwood). They carefully unscrewed and unbolted what seemed like thousands of screws and bolts and stacked hundreds of pieces of wood. And then developed a deck with the reclaimed wood outside the back door. They did a great job figuring out supports, braces, edging and what ever else goes into making a deck. I power washed the finished project and it looks great. There was some technical advice from deck expert, Dad, but between the three of them I have a gorgeous deck for guests in the summer and fall months. Greg has graciously volunteered for a variety of projects these last few weeks, power washing included. Our latest adventure was trying to keep rust off metal door hinges. His suggestion to me to call the man who stripped them was key. "They must have lacquer applied immediately" was the answer. He could have told me that when I picked up the box of hinges.





We even imported my 83 year old aunt from New Hampshire to work on the project. I know from this picture many will wonder if she really is 83 but take my word for it, she is. She volunteered for the tedious project of cleaning the chandeliers. Soaking and cleaning the metal and then polishing the crystals! What patience and focus. Thanks Aunt June. She also brought the German mine that washed up on the Norwegian shore in 1918 which members of her family found. They actually made it into a work of art and it will be featured somewhere in Litengard. Look for it at the open house. Aunt June will be back and you can get the full store in person.

So many people, family, neighbors and friends, have had such an interest in this project. I'm thankful for so many suggestions, encouragements, insights, and people with expertise in fields that I know so little about. Ryan, whose picture was not downloaded at this writing was and is so instrumental in the development of our website and all the Internet stuff that I know so little about. When we get our website up and running I'll post a pic of Ryan in his "office". Thanks Danica for sharing Ryan with us! Rob and I were there last week and Rob's comment was that he looked a bit like Mike and the Mad Dog. Did I get that right, all you sports fans?

Only two more weeks to work. I'd better stop writing and get back to paying my bills now. Hopefully, I'll have more current pictures to post shortly. The 1885 wide plank pine floors were sanded and refinished last on Friday so we may begin moving stuff upstairs and already are in the process of cleaning downstairs- washing floors, walls and windows. Dad's piano was transported from a friend's in Potsdam to it's new home at 44 yesterday. It looks regal sitting in the corner of the large parlor. Elizabeth wanted to move furniture today but alas, it was raining, so I painted ADK chairs in the garage.

And tomorrow is a new day.......