Le Bon Trottoir à La Belle Vie

In case you've been wondering where I've been, as there has been a deficit of postings, I've been out searching for sidewalks!

Since my last posting, my feet have sampled a number of sidewalks and I have to say that the more I hit the pavement the more I crave.

I've put on a few miles walking on concrete, asphalt, cobblestone, and more over the past five months.  Can't say that I prefer one over the other, as they all seem to work by getting me from one place to another.  And, of course, as my wife tells me, I can't complain about any sidewalk because all that she seems to hear from me (her story) is that I want to walk out our front door and be able to connect feet to sidewalk and get somewhere, anywhere!

May seem that I'm fickle, but not entirely.  At times, sidewalks lead to places that one has been to before or one you need to go to; other times, they take you to places that are new to your experience and give all the credit in the world to your desire to try out a new-to-you sidewalk. There is a method to my sidewalk madness...they connect you to new people and new places.

Last month, they connected us to Watkins Glen.

My wife wanted to escape town for a few days and she announced, "I have a great sidewalk to show you!"  Always up for a trip that involves a path to somewhere, I packed quickly and happily and was soon in the car to head west.  It's a four hour trip from our non-side-walked home, but worth it for the scenery, the lure of sidewalks and for something else that I knew was in the area, wineries!

What the wife hadn't told me is that the sidewalk she had in mind to visit was of the vertical kind.  She drove us to the Watkins Glen State Park.  There, one is treated to a two mile hike...up!

Well, one way is up.  To get back to the car you get to walk down!

Carved out by water, for probably more than a few years, a gorge ascends between 200 foot cliffs and features a stream that descends 400 feet.   They advertise no less than 19 waterfalls, and you get to run under and around some of them as you make your way up 800 steps...yes, 800.  How do I know that?  I counted every single one of them.

You should check out their site here:

http://www.nysparks.com/parks/142/details.aspx

Worth the trip if you like waterfalls, and gorges, and getting spit on by mother nature, but more so because it's just a short drive to Penn Yan.

And, what's in Penn Yan do you say?

Sidewalks.

And stores and shops and a rail trail that goes between a couple of those Finger Lakes that are surrounded by wineries.  Over one hundred of them.  More wineries than we could do in one day, turns out.  We tried, well that's another blog.

The best thing about Penn Yan is where we stayed.

I'm fairly certain that my wife used the lure of sidewalks to get me to a B&B that she had visited a couple of years back. She and a college roommate had done a winery and yarn trip (yet another blog) and stayed at a place about which she raved upon her return.

She talked up the wineries (a favorite of mine), the towns (ergo sidewalks), and some good restaurants, and then said, "Let's stay at this place I went to."  She described it as a pretty Victorian House, run by a nice couple, and they make a great breakfast, and you get to talk to people (another fact...sidewalk deprived folks don't have many people to walk to and talk to) and "it has a sidewalk that leads you to town and to stores and to restaurants, just like where you want to live."

I'm not hard to please, really...give me a sidewalk and I'm off.

We did the steps (did I mention 800 of them?), lunch in town, a winery or two (okay, five of them), and then landed in Penn Yan at the aforementioned B&B, "La Belle Vie."

My wife was a little off in her description of the inn.  Pretty?  It was gorgeous.  Victorian?  Highly so, and Italianate...impeccable inside and out.  And, a wonderfully hospitable couple, Laurel and Llewellyn, greeted us in the driveway as we arrived and took care of us as though we were many-times-returning friends.

I've been in the hotel business for over 35 years and have always said, "Clean room, good food and good service and I'm set."  Well, the proprietors of "La Belle Vie" have set a new standard for me.

I've also stayed in a few B&Bs in my day, but have never felt the warmth of the owners such as here and the place was spotless.  And the, the breakfast...amazing!!!  I don't think I've had a better breakfast anywhere, ever.

Laurel cooks, Llewellyn serves and you don't want it to stop.  The scones and the pancakes were beyond belief.  And, perhaps it's because Llewellyn waits on you (have you ever seen that at a B&B?), the eggs were the best I ever had.  Coffee?  Served.  Breakfast?  Served.  Are you sure you're done?  How about seconds?  Of course!  And this is a B&B.  In another such place you might find a buffet laid out with muffins and boxed cereal, without a person in sight, with signs, "help yourself."  Not here.

I have to mention the menu and I don't want to get this wrong, but I think the pancakes were Lemon Ricotta.  And, Lemon scones...I didn't want to leave the table.  This reminds me to ask for the recipe, though I doubt they'd taste as good without the company of Laurel and Llewellyn.

Once the breakfast is served, with Llewellyn at your beckon call, Laurel joins all in the Dining Room (we were one of three couples that day), and great conversation ensues.  I all but forgot about sidewalks!

Our bedroom at "La Belle Vie"  The Macintosh Room

The whole place is about relaxation and comfort and the proprietors make everything happen in a gentle and relaxed fashion...just really nice.

Now, I like to visit wineries, and I like to go to towns that have sidewalks, such as Penn Yan, and really just enjoy traveling to different places to see the sites, and the places we stay are usually the means to the end, but you need to know that I would make a trip back to the Finger Lakes just to stay at "La Belle Vie." 

You have to check them out, here's their link:

http://labelleviebb.com/

The next installment of my blog is in the works, so don't fret.  We did visit about twenty wineries and have made a few other trips over the past few months, so more to come soon.  But first, I must get that recipe from Laurel and Llewellyn at "La Belle Vie," so that "ma vie sera mieux."

Rakish Behavior

Can you believe I'm raking the roof?

I spent two months raking leaves off the lawn, now I have to rake things off the top of the house?  What's next, raking the trees?

The artist in me is saying, "Go indoors,warm up by the wood stove to warm the body and conjure up a creative project to warm the soul, and put on some good music, like the Bee Gees."

An artist needs time and space!

The wife next to me is saying, "You need space?  Go outdoors and do something about that snow that's forming icicles that are hanging off the roof!  And that'll take some time, too!  When you're done you can think about playing with your paints and listen to your Bee Gees!"

They're my Bee Gees.  No one else in the house listens to them, unless I'm playing them and then they're forced to.  The tunes stay with you...at times, I don't always remember the lyrics, but the energy of the music is good and gets one moving...Jive Talkin' is good roof raking music.  I have to figure out how to hook up an outdoor speaker!  Just like the best of "Stayin' Alive" is now the recommended beat for CPR, Jive Talkin' could be the next snow removal tool!

Of course, I had to make up some of my own lyrics..so as you listen to the guys belt out this tune, you can follow along with my verse below!

Wife Talkin'

 It's just my wife talkin'. She's making me work, yeah.

Wife talkin', should wear a disguise.

Wife talkin', she don't understand, yeah.

Wive talkin', work before fun.

Oh, my wife, you'll never know

Just what rakes do to me.

Oh, my wife, make me do so much;

It's gonna take away my energy.

With all your wife talkin', you're making me work, yeah.

Glaring sun gets in my eyes.

Nobody believes what I say.

It's just your wife talkin' that stops all my play!

(Bridge)

Oh, my wife, you're so good at finding work to do.

There you go with your fancy lists,

Leavin' me lookin' like an overworked fool.

With all your wife talkin', you're making me work, yeah.

Wife talkin', should wear a disguise.

Wife talkin', she don't understand, yeah.

Wife talkin', work before fun.

You know now, work talkin' is all very fine, yeah.

Wife talkin' just isn't a crime.

And if there's somebody you'll love till you die,

Then all that wife talkin' just tears up your eye.

More to come on that...

Meanwhile, back at the snowed in farm.  I was allowed back in the house, but was too beat to do anything creative.  You probably can see by the photos here that there are no sidewalks to shovel, just a 300 foot driveway!  And, the weather forecaster is saying, "More snow this week," so I'll be sure to come up with some more lyrics (as long as you don't tell my wife I'm writing these things)!

Butterflies Are Free, Wine Tastings Two Bucks!

Guess what they have in Ithaca, New York? 

Sidewalks...lots of them. 

I tried to Google the question as to how many miles of sidewalks they might have, but no luck.  But they are everywhere in town.

Sidewalks are in front of all sorts of stores and businesses.  We walked on some of them.  They lead to music and yarn shops, to arts and craft businesses, to restaurants and pubs, and more.

And, there's a lot to do in Ithaca...here's a link below to "Downtown Ithaca."  They even talk about their sidewalks!

http://www.downtownithaca.com/

We had decided to do a one night trip out of town this past weekend and chose Ithaca for several reasons.  My wife wanted to do some birdwatching with the Cornell Ornithology nature tour leaders (they do weekend morning hikes) and she wanted to take me to Taughannock Falls State Park.  We also needed to revisit some of the Finger Lake wineries!

I was looking forward to some walking on sidewalks, so I agreed to some off-concrete action! 

So, one trip was to the State Park.  Here's a You Tube shot...not ours...of Taughannock Falls in the winter...the water was pretty much frozen in time this past weekend, but similar in looks to this one, and still a spectacular sight.



As I mentioned, we've visited several of the wineries on Cayuga Lake, in the past, but you can never be quite sure if you've tasted everything.  

Now, I know what you're saying.  "There aren't any sidewalks that lead to the wineries!"  What I do understand is that there are things we have to accept for the sake of grape art.  If I have to get in a car and drive to a winery, so be it.

I'll continue to promote "sidewalks for all," with the hopes that someday they'll link the entire lake's wine region with sidewalks, but in the meantime, to keep the industry afloat, I'll make the sacrifice and find my way there any way I can.   Any day, any time!

We're fans of many of their spirited offerings.  For a couple of bucks, you can taste six or eight, or more, of their products.  If you haven't been, here's a link to their "Wine Trail" site and I recommend that you try them all, several times:

http://www.cayugawinetrail.com/

There doesn't seem to be enough time in a day to fit in all of the wineries.  And then we got a little off plan, which can happen when you're driving from spot-to-spot.

My wife will, all of a sudden, spy a shop or see a sign and become immediately attracted to its driveway.  That happened as we passed the Cayuga Nature Center on Route 89.  Check it out:

http://www.cayuganaturecenter.org/

The Nature Center has many exhibits, live animals, some hiking paths, and they offer a number of educational programs.  They don't seem to grow grapes or make wine, but they did have complimentary hot chocolate the day we were there.

Just FYI, as I think it's important for you to know, there are producers out there who do make chocolate wine and chocolate beer.  I don't know why they don't offer it at the Nature Center.  I would check out nature more often.  Wouldn't you?

Chocolate is natural, wine is natural, beer is natural, and from the size of the big butterfly sculptures out front of the Nature Center on the main road, you'd think someone there had a few too many.

We spotted the two huge winged insects from a distance and wanted to check out the place.  Of course, now that we're halfway through the wine tour, we're really interested in seeing just how big the real ones are, need to check out this "Butterfly House," and want to see what else is going on in there!

We went through each room in the interior of the center, after paying a small fee, and then headed outdoors, up the hill, towards the Butterfly House.

By the way, that same amount of small fee would cover eight wine tastings, at one winery, just up the road.

I took some pictures of the "Butterfly House" at the Nature Center and want to point out several things.


From a distance, you see the sign on what appears to be a transparent building.

As we got closer, we could could plainly see that there were no butterflies in the building at all.  In fact, apart from dead plants and weeds and snow, it was pretty much empty.

I whipped out my camera and started shooting.  My wife asked what I was doing.

I told her that, as we seemed to be the only people at the place, I was sure that they were going to blame us for the fact that the butterflies got out.

I will also point out at this moment, as you might be asking the question, I was not driving, she was.

I took a picture of the door, to prove to the staff in the center that I saw the sign and was sure to close the door behind us!

When we got back in the building, we let one of the curators there know that we had made the trip up the hill, saw the exhibit and were sure to follow the instructions on their sign, but had to report that the butterflies were no where to be seen!

At that point, much to our relief, she explained that they let them go at the end of the warm weather season (they must be akin to circus performers, there for the warm month's shows and then off to other parts of the country when the summer season ends!)

However, the curator was most appreciative of the fact that we saw the sign and that we had made sure the door was closed!  That ensured, she said, that other insects and animals wouldn't get in to make more work for them in the Spring!   I wonder how many wineries she had been to that day?

We'll be sure to visit there again, maybe before we hit the wine trail next time.  I'll be sharing some of our other adventures from this recent trip with you, and a few winery and other area activities, over the next few days.  We did make use of the sidewalks!

Resolution Review

I thought it might be a good exercise for me to review the resolutions I made for 2011, seeing as I've all ready fallen behind!

While I believe that there are some who start out the year listing things they intend to do and never start, I was committed to writing something for my blog every day.  I did it for a whole three days straight!

I didn't get around to it yesterday and I don't seem to have a good reason for not doing it.

I didn't include anything about exercising more for the New Year.  My wife and I were very busy yesterday, shopping, visiting stores for gift exchanges and picking up a few groceries.  We do try to fit in some sort of hike or walk when she's off work and we did start a walk down the road, but it was so cold out we turned around barely 1000 feet from the house.  But, not a prob.  We didn't promise anyone that we were going to do that regularly.  So, I can't say that stopped me.

No commitments for eating less or dieting, either.  We had breakfast at home.  Grabbed a quick lunch at the mall (slice of pizza and a Diet Pepsi), and came home for a not-so-late dinner of leftover soup.

Managed to sneak in a few cookies, chocolates, potato chips, sodas, hot chocolates, snack crackers and cheese...hey, I said I wasn't dieting.

Dinner didn't take long to make, done well before prime-time TV set in.  Can't blame attention to dietary process.  Wasn't busy calorie counting or sneaking to the fridge when no one was looking!

I didn't vow to spend less time on the computer...that would have been at cross purposes to this endeavor.  Can't tell you how much time I spent near the machine, but I know I received and sent email messages and caught up on the news, via my browser.  It appears that I had the opportunity, so I'll need to reflect on this further.

Perhaps, I was upset by a card I received.  A long time friend sent me a holiday card that came in the mail yesterday.  Her message included a P.S., "We live on a corner with a sidewalk in front AND on one side!"  That hurt.  But, would it have stopped me?  Nah.  That's food for blogging and, besides, it means she's reading my stuff...that should have spurred me on!

There were no weather factors involved.  We're more than 100 miles north of New York City and, while they're still digging out more than a week after the last snowstorm,  no one's waiting for me to show up down there and help them out.

And, there were no people distractions.  Our youngest was distracting himself pulling on an in-grown toe nail for hours and the others weren't home last night.  My wife busied herself with helping the toenail patient a bit, some crossword work and some TV, but she did those things on her own, so I wasn't otherwise busied.

I went back and re-read all of my resolutions and there it was!

Or wasn't!

I forgot to list the most important resolution of all.  Resolve to follow through on all resolutions!

Furthermore, I checked around the web and talked to a few friends and guess what?  They didn't have that one listed either.

Unfortunately, I guess I'll just have to do the best I can with the ones that are left.  Without the direction of a directive, I'm not sure how the rest will play out.

I'll do my best and hope that next year I remember to add that resolution resolution.

And, if you forget that one, too, it can't be helped...heat's off for another year!

Sidewalk Resolutions

I have two choices with this title.

I can either share my list of stuff to be sure to do for the coming year, which you may be expecting, or provide various photographic shots of sidewalks...you know, focusing (pun intended) on aperture, zoom, other settings, locations, and all of the graphic stuff that goes along with the highs and lows of photo resolution. 

As it's my brother, and not I, who is the professional photographer, I'll stick to the pseudo-personal-prophecy stuff and let you in on what I have planned for 2011.

Grab a Dewars and water and enjoy!

1.  Buy more Dewars.  I've given tribute to this grain-nectar in my blog postings several times and want to be sure to keep up with the image I'm portraying...truth in advertising, you know.

2.  Follow up on a bacterial test for our well water.  I had one done in mid-2010 and was told that doing the same each six months would ensure that we were aware that the water we are drinking is safe.  Seems that there are unacceptable levels of bacteria that can inhabit well water.  They can come from a variety of sources that I'd rather not think about (and my wife talks to the chipmunks in the front yard, encouraging them to stay).  I told the water testing place that I had an additive for the water I drink that purified it...Dewars!

3.  Buy more stock in Dewars.

4.  Keep blogging daily and send out more reminders to readers and potential readers to increase my number of followers.  Also, encourage more comments and solicit ideas for posts.  Maybe have a contest and award a prize to the person who gets the most people in their circle of friends to sign up and for the most comments!  First prize perhaps, what do you think, Dewars?

5.  Continue the search for a sidewalk, to which we might move closer.  Places sidewalk will provide connection to include a house, coffee shop/cafe, grocery store, gift/toy shop, antique shop, art/craft shop and museums, florist, post office, barbers shop (do they still make them?), something else I'm forgetting?  Oh yeah, liquor store...Dewars!

6.  Follow through on signing up for education and art classes.  Some of them may be on-line, others offered at spots in surrounding towns to which I'll have to drive.  As I never drink before driving, I should get my class schedule set, find out just how much I'll be driving (as in time on the road, at class and back) and reassess portfolio distribution as regards stock in Dewars.

7.  Paint the deck this Spring or Summer, cut and chop wood on our property for use during cold months, do something about about dying hemlocks in front yard, contact town about water running off the road through our property, and find something to do with the gazillion acorns that fall in our yard each year.  Set goals for each, by writing out a plan, follow through and have a rewards for the completion of each.  Are you thinking what I'm thinking?  Dewars and water.

8.  Enjoy family and friends more.  Stress less about the time spent driving too and from places to meet with them.  Come up with relaxation techniques while driving safely.

9.  Visualize walking on sidewalks, perhaps, as I'm driving the complete length of the thruway to visit with family for half an hour.  "Think" sidewalks as I'm driving an hour to get a gallon of milk.  "See" sidewalks as I return to town because I forgot to get eggs, too.  Repeat, over and over, "there's no place like a sidewalk, there's no place like a sidewalk," as I prepare for trips to the mall.

10.  Many gurus will tell you, think it and it's yours.  I'll work on that.  And when I return home from my automobile adventures that would not take place if I were connected to those places we need with a sidewalk, I'll take solace in the fact that I will have a sidewalk of my own someday soon.   Until then, it's me and my wife, the two boys still at home, and our four cars to get us to our daily needs, and my Dewars.

Holiday Review

Some folks wrote and told me that they missed getting my Christmas newsletter this year; I sent them out to those who wrote, but am guessing that the mid-west snowstorms slowed down the planes that would carry my greetings to out of state areas so, before the year ends, I include the highlights here!  Hope everyone had a great holiday....here it is:

We're waiting for our bailout!  Should the government debt program float some funds our way, I can assure you they'd have it back faster than you can say, “What do you want for Christmas?”  All monies would be spent back into circulation in no time flat.  Nothing would change, we’d still be broke!!!  But, what a Christmas it would be!

My wife only wants all expense paid trips to Hawaii, Italy and Ireland, and would be happy to spend about three months getting it all in.  I told her that a trip like that would be very expensive and most likely we couldn't afford for both of us to go.  She said, without a blink of her eye, “Okay.  I can send you postcards!”   She came up with that too fast!

She'd also like a home in the country.  You see, she doesn't think that we live far enough from civilization.  For those of you who know where we live, I'll wait a minute until you stop laughing.  For those of you who don’t, all you have to know is that I need a GPS to find my way back from the store.  Any time I mention my desire to live near a sidewalk, to get to places, like walking to the store for a quart of milk, instead of driving an hour for it, she takes me on “know your county” drives, that lead further into the woods each time.  I'm waiting for the day when, in the midst of uncharted territory, she makes up an excuse for me to get out of the car and drives off leaving me there until I come to “her senses.”  She loves the wildlife that frequents our front and back yards...I've pointed out similar things in the city, like the guy in New York City who was riding his roller board down the escalator at Barnes and Noble, “Look at that turkey!”  See, nature!  Or, that cute woman I spied in the Metropolitan Museum, “That's some fox, huh?”  (Should have kept that bit of nature to myself).  In the city, we've seen people who are bears and loons.  Near the Playboy Club (no, we didn't go in), we saw bunnies.  South Street Seaport…someone with a rod and reel...a fisher!  Lots of nature.  She also expounds that she wants “tranquility.”  I told her that she could buy it in any fragrance store in the city and that it comes in a yellow bottle, her favorite color.  No comment.

As long as we’re in a spending mood, the boys each want a brand new car, clothes and musical instruments (the youngest-guitar, the eldest-guitar, the middle child,-guitar, keyboard, drums, whistles, bells, pieces of iron that you can bang together to make noise...yikes).  They would also take a private apartment each and a weekly cash allowance to support their efforts on their own and, on some days I think, “new parents.”  We know it's hard on them having to eat our food, use our laundry equipment, and turn up our heat.  While we're still not empty nesters, I do know some day when they are all moved out and on their own they will look back at these days and fondly state, “What were we thinking...we should have stayed!” 

I should also take a moment to review some of the highlights of the past year, that would be of great interest to you.  We had the septic tank pumped.  It's a good thing, as we've found out in not such a good way in the past, so I try to keep ahead of it.  My wife reached her first anniversary in the dialysis unit and continues to provide great health care…there.  At home, should I cut off a finger or fall on the floor writhing in pain, she‘ll barely throw a glance and say, “You might want to have that looked at!”  I took a break from work to become a student.  Nothing like reliving your youth and basking in the glow of many long-forgotten educational processes (skipping classes, dropping courses before the four week cutoff so you can get 50% back, paying someone else to write your paper, and attending the freshman beer bash...and, with everyone in my class older than 50, we can actually buy kegs with our own IDs).

I still get up every morning and wave to the school bus as it goes by.  I truly love not making those lunches.  And we took a few trips this year.  We were in Maine, New Hampshire (over a mile higher than sea level at Mt. Washington), Massachusetts (below sea level if you count my falling out of the boat and going underwater), Vermont, and Virginia.  Spent a full week at the lake in Richfield Springs, and we've been through New Jersey on several trips to New York City.  Going through a state counts, right...but, then, the fact that it's New Jersey, well....

Last year for Christmas, we got clothes and goodies, games, fragrant things of all sorts, and I actually got a crate full of coal... not because I was bad (I think), but it's useful.  My wife got it for me as, she explained, it burns cleaner and longer than oil and it helps the stove fire burn hotter.  I like to burn things.  That bothers her, but she supports that habit when it’s contained to the woodstove; it was a nice gift; kept us warm!

Then my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year and I told her, lightly, “Peace on Earth, Size Large, Color Blue.”  She immediately wrote it down on the “What I Want For Christmas” list that appears on the refrigerator each year around Thanksgiving, that we’re supposed to fill out so we buy gifts that people actually want.  I thought the idea would touch her soul.  I was a little bothered by the fact that I saw her pull out her “other” list and cross off Scotch, Vodka, Xbox Kinect, and Chocolate Covered Cherries!  Not sure if she all-of-a-sudden remembered that she had bought those things for me or if my idea sparked another thought.  You see, these days she 'forgets' things...which works for me as I'm wrapping up all of last year's gifts that I gave her to put under the tree for her again this year...the ultimate re-gifting!  Then, when I looked again, I realized she wrote, “Piece of Earth!”

Knowing how her mind works (or doesn't), I started to put it together...she probably forgot the coal gift last year, but an ember of that memory relit in her brain and the bill we had recently received, for “Large, Blue Anthracite,” is now for me the ghost of Christmas future. 

Did she forget what she bought me last year, or is she thinking that she won't have to think about a gift for me as she knows I think she forgets, but she didn't, and now she can get away without thinking about a gift for me by getting me the gift for which she can state, “I forgot I got you that,” when she didn't forget...do you think? 

Okay, I won’t think about that for very long.  Coal or scotch, I hope your holiday is warm, too!

Sidewalks are Christmas!

Christmas was very nice this year!

We spent less on gifts and more time and effort on the time and meals we were going to share.  We enjoyed it all.

As we get older, I find that the emphasis is more on family time and less on material things.  And face it, at this point in my life if you're not getting me a Maserati GranTurismo or an all expense paid cruise to several European ports, there's only so many socks I can wear at one time and, since I left the job this summer, I really don't need any more ties!

I always have a need for chocolate covered cherries (scored those) and I like a new flannel shirt each year...they're warmer when they're fresh!

What I have come to understand is that I find Christmas in the little things that surround the holiday; the ones that make it easy.

There's the fact that the tree hasn't fallen over (yet).  Less cursing, no water damage to the floor, and we look forward to having most of the same ornaments on our tree next year.  It costs less if they don't break and, while we'll still find pine needles in strange places in June, there's no picking of colored pieces of glass out of feet.  (I didn't get new slippers).

The outdoor lights stayed lit, without a single bulb replacement, and the electrical burning smell we experienced last year has not returned.  Maybe those new light strings did the trick.

We have experienced a minor masking tape issue.  We stick cards that we receive to various spots on our walls, as decoration, but the masking tape I got this year is less sticky than usual.  At times, we'll hear a sharp crack.  I'm thinking it's a mouse trap securing a victim, but so far it's been about a dozen cards falling off the wall, making that noise as they strike the hardwood floor.

Not too much to complain about.  I did get new tape, I'm still indoors when I'm rehanging them, and I can do it in my pjs.  Not like last year, when the wreaths kept flying off the porch posts and shed doors and I had to track them out in the cold like a truancy officer.  I was ready to superglue them to their spots, after about a dozen trips outdoors to rescue them, but knew that would come back to haunt me (as in, my wife would find out).

Even without sidewalks, a few family members made it to the house.  Due to the fact that it's been more like Spring than Winter, the driveway hasn't turned into a skating rink and cars and people can come and go safely.  

I had amazingly low cookie breakage this year (that's a big thing for a cookie maker...if you remember I made ninety dozen sugar cookies and they can be fragile and break during frosting) and we've had five nights worth of meals out of a ham we bought for Christmas!

Okay, that wasn't planned.  We thought we were having company on the day after Christmas, but the famed nor'easter of that day put the kibosh on those plans.  I kept cutting ham, and cutting ham, and cutting ham, and it turned out to be the proverbial cornucopia of meat...tomorrow I'm turning the rest of it into soup.  From the looks of it, maybe ten gallons.

I know that's a lot of soup, but nowhere near as much snow as some places around us saw.  We got a dusting...maybe three inches...here's our deck after the snowstorm.

I did take out the snowblower to deal with the driveway, but more as, "Why not, it'll only take ten minutes," as opposed to having to do it by hand...I could have shoveled what was there.


If I had a sidewalk, I'd shovel that for sure.  Did I mention that I didn't get a sidewalk for Christmas?  Wanted one.

A city friend of mine who knows of my desire to be living adjacent to a sidewalk sent me a Christmas card, below, with the note that she hoped she hadn't invoked city sidewalk envy.  She did.  

To poke me in the face, on the front of that one card, there are representations of just a few of the people she sees in just a day, yet more than I see in a year in my neighborhood.

True, I could drive all over the place to find most, but she can walk out the front of her place, greet the doorman, get almost run over by a bicycle, jump out of the way of a guy walking thirteen dogs, as she passes the neighbor (mumbling to himself) who works on Wall Street, check out all of the shoppers in the stores lining her sidewalk, wave to cabbies if she wants a ride (or just to confuse them), order food to be walked to her place, catch a bagel on almost any corner, shake her head at the kid skateboarding in the middle of the street, point out any number of famous people hiding behind sun glasses, have a Broadway star or starlet wait on her at her favorite restaurant (that she can walk to because her sidewalks connects to the one by that place), and bask in the glory of nature as she views the pigeons in Central Park (or on any building anywhere).  Okay, pigeons aren't high on the list of nature's "must sees," I admit, but they beat running into a bear or cougar.

You see, I did have a bear run towards me in my driveway one day, and I can state they are much more intimidating than a pigeon.  Although, now that I say that I have to tell you that I've never had a pigeon come after me, so I should hold back on further thoughts about that.

Anyway, I don't know what all of this means.  Except, I think that people connections are really important, and the holidays prove that as people make the time and put out the effort to get together.  Sidewalks connect people to people, and make it easier for them to get together, so sidewalks help to make Christmas!

Wouldn't it be nice to have Christmas all year long (I'll find that sidewalk, yet!)

Mulling Sidewalks

From our house to yours, Merry Christmas!

Don't forget to check out the Norad link on the right side of this blog to track Santa's progress.  I'm writing this about 3:45 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.  That means Santa has all ready started his trip on the other side of the world!!!

Hopefully, you've all been good enough for a quick stopover.  If not, perhaps those of you who live near sidewalks could make your own cheer by going door to door caroling...'tis better to give than receive, you know.

I hear that strain, "I'm dreaming of a white sidewalk...."

To go along with caroling, as you'll want to stay warm while you're hitting the pavement, be sure to take a look at this recipe from Daily Candy for spiced wine and pack some for the trip!  Oh, be sure to drink moderately and responsibly!  Or, just keep it warm at home and have it when you return:

Cup of Cheer

Mulled wine is a must for going door to door:
Pour a bottle of Chianti into a medium saucepan, add two cinnamon sticks, two star anise, one tablespoon of cloves, three tablespoons of brown sugar, and the peel of one orange (or cut to the chase with mulled wine syrup); simmer for twenty minutes.


We have a bottle of spiced wine to enjoy this evening (it does come pre-packaged these days) and we'll be toasting you all...if we get toasted ourselves, then I'll have more to write about for the holidays!

Oh, and I did ask Santa for a sidewalk this year...I know he doesn't use them himself, but it's big on my list.  I'm not sure how he'll get in down the chimney, and I did forget to specify color and size, but due to the recession there's lots of room for it under the tree, no matter what he brings.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Sidewalks, Cookies and Beers, Oh My!

Many will ask me why I want to give up the quiet and seclusion of the country and replace it with the busy-ness of a town or city.

I relate that it has to do with sidewalks and the ability to walk out my front door and propel myself to coffee shops, news stands (they still have some of those, right?), stores, or any other place the town offers that interests me.

Now this! Proof that sidewalks lead you where you want to go...check out what you can do in London for the holiday:

 
STROLL
Christmas Eve Pub Walk
What: View historic sites and festive lights by foot, and stop into The Sherlock Holmes Pub for a frosty glass.
Why: You’re avoiding midnight mass.
When: Fri., 6-8:30 p.m.
Where: Meet at Embankment Tube Station, Villiers St., WC2 6NL. Info at 020 7624 3978.


That's not all...along with this posting from Daily Candy, check out their other strolling offerings for the holidays in London, where there are lots of sidewalks, where sidewalks can take you to all sort of events this season:

http://www.walks.com/London_Walks_Home/Christmas_Weekend_in_London/default.aspx

See, I told you sidewalks had merit.  Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz walked a long, yellow, brick one and it lead her to the greatest understanding of her life.  Who knows what I would find on my sidewalk?  Not sure, but stopping at a pub or two along the way couldn't hurt.

On top of this, today I received an email with information that you'll want to save.  Having baked my ninety dozen cookies, I think the sender was inspired to send me over ninety recipes...check these out from NorthPole.com.  Click on a cookie name and get the recipe:

Amish Sugar Cookies Andies Candies Cookies Angel Crisps Angenets Applesauce Cookies Aunt Edy's Molasses Crinkles Auntie Linda's Ginger Gems Bakeless Dream Cookies Banana Drop Cookies Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World Biscotti Boiled Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies Brown Sugar Shortbread Brownie Cookies Brownie Delight Brownies Buried Cherry Cookies Butter Cookies Butter Nut Balls Butterballs Butterscotch Haystacks C.O.P.. Cookies Candy Cane Cookies Candy Cookies Caramel Shortbread Cheesecake Brownies Cherry Buns Cherry Crowns Cherry Winks Chewies Chewy Noels Chinese Chews/Haystacks Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Chocolate Chip Cookies Chocolate Chip Meltaways Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Chocolate Christmas Trees Chocolate Cream Cheese Squares Chocolate Crinkles Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (no bake) Chocolate Snowball Cookies Chocolate Streusel Bars Chocolate Sundae Cookies Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars Choco-Scotch Crunchies Choose A Cookie Dough Recipe Christmas Crackers Christmas Crunch Bars Christmas Ginger Snaps Christmas Macaroons Christmas Mice Cookies Christmas Shaped Cookies Church Window Cookies Coconut Cookies Congo Squares Cookie in a Jar Corn Flakes Cookies Cornflake Christmas Wreaths Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal) Cream Cheese Cookies with Apricot Filling Crème De Menthe Chocolate Squares Crème Wafers Crescent Cookies Crispy Crunchies Date Nut Balls Date-nut Pinwheel Cookies Diabetic Peanut Butter Cookies Disgustingly Rich Brownies Doodles Double chocolate chip cookies Double-Chocolate Crinkles Eatmore Cookies Eggnog Cookies Elizabeth's Sugar Cookies Elves Quick Fudge Brownies Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Emily's Best Brownies Famous Oatmeal Cookies Firemen Cookies Fluffy Shortbread Cookies Forgotten Cookies Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies Fruit Cake Cookies Fruitcake Squares Fry Pan Cookies Gems Ginger Cookies Ginger Crinkles Gingerbread Baby Gingerbread Cookies with Butter Cream Icing Gingerbread Men Gingerbread Men Ginny's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Glory's Golden Graham Squares Glory's Sugar Cookies Gramma Chapman's chocolate coconut drops Grandma Elsie's Zimt (cinnamon) Cookies Grandma J's Butter Cookies Grandma Olson's Parkay Cookies Great Grandmothers Sugar Cookies Gum Drop Cookies Gumdrop Gems Haystack Cookies Ho-Ho Bars Holiday Cereal Snaps Holiday Chocolate Butter Cookies Holiday Raisin Walnut Bars Holly Cookies Hungarian Cookies (Little Nut Rolls) Ice Box Cookies Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies Italian Cookies Jacob's Peppermint Snowballs Jam Bars Jessica's Famous Brownies Jessie's Chocolate Chip Cookies Jubilee Jumbles Juliet's Peanut Butter Blossoms Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies Kentucky Colonels Kiefle (cream cheese cookies with jam filling) Kifflings Kiss Cookies Lacy Swedish Almond Wafers Lemon Angel Bar Cookies Lemon Bars Lemon Cake Cookies Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies Lemon Squares Linzer Tarts Log Cabin Cookies Luscious Lemon Squares M&M Cookies Magic Cookie Bars Melt in Your Mouth Cutout Sugar Cookies Melting Shortbread Meme's Cream Cheese Cookies Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies Mincemeat Cookies Mincemeat Goodies Molasses Cookies Molasses Forest Cookies Molasses Sugar Cookies Mom Mom's Crescent Cookies Mom-Mom's Ginger Cookies Mom's Nutmeg Sugar Cookies Mom's Old Fashion "Puffy" Sugar Cookies Monster Cookies Moravian Christmas Cookies Nana's Famous Soft Southern Cookies Nitey Nite Cookies No Bake Chocolate Cookies No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies No Bake Cookies No Bake Cookies No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies No-Bake Cookies Norwegian Sugar Cookies Nut Balls Oatmeal Bars Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies Oatmeal Coconut Crisps Oatmeal Cookies Oatmeal Scotchies Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies Ooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate Dunk Ooey Gooey Squares Orange Slice Cookies Parking Lot Cookies Peanut Blossoms Peanut Butter Bars Peanut Butter Blossoms Peanut Butter Cereal Cookies Peanut Butter Chewies Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars Peanut Butter Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Peanut butter fingers Peanut Butter Reindeer Peanut Butter Surprises Peanut Marshmallow Cookies Pecan Puff Cookies Peppermint Snowballs Peppernuts Persimmon Cookies Persimmon Cookies Petey's Yummy Spicy Almond Thins Pfeffernuesse Pffefferneuse Cookies Pineapple Filled Cookies Pizzelles Potato Chip Cookies Potato Flake Cookies Praline Cookies Praline Strips Pterodactyl Nests Pumpkin Bars Pumpkin Bars Pumpkin Chip Cookies Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Pumpkin Cookies Queen Biscuits Quick Cookies Raised Sugar Cookies Raisin Filled Oatmeal Bars Raspberry Meringue Bars Really Peanutty Butter Cookies Reese`s Brownies Reese's Peanut Butter Bars Rich Flavor Christmas Cookies Rich Lemon Bars Ricotta Cheese Cookies Royal Almond Christmas Bars Rudolph Cinnamon Cookies Russian Tea Cookies Russian Teacakes Samantha & Kelsey's Chocolate Chip Cookies Sand Art Brownies Santa Claus Cookie Pops Santa Claus Cookies Santa's Butterscotch Melts Santa's Shorts Santa's Special Squares Scotch Cakes Scotch Shortbread Scotcharoos Scotcheroos Seven Layer Cookies Short Bread Cookies Shortbread Skor Squares Snicker Doodle Cookies Snickerdoodles Snickerdoodles Snow Balls Sour Cream Apple Squares Sour Cream Christmas Cookies Special K Cookies Spice Cookies Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Spritz Cookies Stained Glass Window Cookies Stir & Drop Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Swedish Pepparkakor (Pepper Cake) Cookies Swedish Sugar Cookies Sweet Marie's Swiss Treats Taralle (Italian Cookies) Tea Time Tassies Texas Brownies The Best Shortbread in The World Thumbprint Cookies Thumbprint Cookies Toffee Squares Traditional Christmas Sugar Cookies Traditional Gingerbread Men Cookies Triple-Chocolate Chip Cookies Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies Vanilla Waffer Balls Walnut Butter Cookies Walnut Crumb Bars White Chip Chocolate Cookies Wild Oatmeal Cookies Will's Famous Apple Jack Cookies Yummy Yummy Peanut Butter Blossoms


So, here's what I'm thinking.  I can walk to the store, buy the ingredients for all of the cookies, bake some up, and then tote them off to the pub to share with all of the holiday imbibers!  In fact, if my sidewalk was connected to your sidewalk, I could even bring some to you!!!

Comments, anyone?