Three summers ago, our beloved neighbors moved and we had new neighbors move in. It was the very end of summer, so the new neighbors were only here for about a month before they left for the winter in Florida. I did have just enough time to meet them before they left. Last summer, we just never quite got around to having them down, I just never got the house clean enough. Then, I got pneumonia - so another year without dinner with the neighbors.
This year, I was bound and determined that we would have them for dinner.
Why was it so important? Well, D!husband grew up in this house. His father designed it. I really wanted to learn something about the history of the house.
I was really hoping that we would get along and have something to talk about. I discovered that they are the nicest couple. I really wish we'd done this earlier in the summer. I suspect that when I was stuck on my couch, I would have had alot of fun chatting with D!wife.
They really liked some of the things we've done to the house and learned a bit about it's evolution. Our kitchen is almost unchanged (at least since 1965) - the house was built in 1946. Mr. M. was a lawyer in town and there were 6 kids in the family - I believe 4 boys and 2 girls.D!wife and D!husband dated in high school. What I just learned is that they had been married to other people. When D!wife's husband passed away, she put a notice in the local paper. D!best friend saw the note and called D!husband to tell him that D!wife was now single. D!husband sent a card, they found each other and they have been married now for 10 years.
D!wife very kindly gave us a copy of a DVD of home movies. It has been so fun to see what the house looked like.
Now, do I take a quick nap or get back to work (ok, it's my day off but I'm working - then again I will be exchanging some time off later in the week.
Showing posts with label house history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house history. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Mulled wine and apple crisp
Friday night, I made Mulled wine and apple crisp for my friends. A while ago, I finally learned that a friend of mine doesn't drink red wine. But, she had asked for Cosmos, so the wine choice really didn't matter. But, I decided to use white wine. It was amazing!!
http://www.ehow.com/how_10318_make-mulled-wine.html
2/3 c. sugar
1 750ml bottle wine (I used reisling)
1/2 c. brandy
6 to 8 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
orange peel from 1/2 orange
1. Pour the wine into a nonreactive saucepan and place over low heat.
2. Cut the zest off half an orange with a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler so that only the orange part is removed. If some of the bitter white pith is still attached to the zest, cut it off and discard it.
3. Lightly pound the pieces of zest with the back of a knife or a mallet to release the aromatic oils. Add the zest to the wine. Squeeze some juice in, too.
4. Add the remaining ingredients.
5. Stir occasionally. Do not let the wine come to a boil.
6. When the wine begins to steam and is very hot, it is ready to serve.
7. Shut off the heat and ladle the wine out into mugs or glasses, leaving the seasonings behind.
Some tips from the website:
Mulled wine can be made from red or white wine. Zinfandel is great, but merlot also works well. Among white wines, riesling and viognier are good choices.
Wines that have been aged in oak do not make good mulled wine.
Don't pay too much for wine to mull, but don't pay too little, either. A bad wine becomes even worse when heated. Shoot for the $7 to $10 range.
If using white wine, try using Turbinado (unrefined) sugar for a more complex taste. Turbinado's subtleties are lost in red wine, however.
Always use a stainless steel, ceramic, heatproof glass or nonstick coated pot to mull the wine in. The acids in the wine can react with an aluminum pot and give the final product a metallic taste.
Thankfully, I did most of my house cleaning in prep for Friday night. Thank goodness because 2 soccer games and a birthday party didn't leave much time for me to clean before the neighbors came for dinner. Dinner was so much fun -- I can't wait to tell you the stories about that. But, that will have to be another post.
http://www.ehow.com/how_10318_make-mulled-wine.html
2/3 c. sugar
1 750ml bottle wine (I used reisling)
1/2 c. brandy
6 to 8 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
orange peel from 1/2 orange
1. Pour the wine into a nonreactive saucepan and place over low heat.
2. Cut the zest off half an orange with a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler so that only the orange part is removed. If some of the bitter white pith is still attached to the zest, cut it off and discard it.
3. Lightly pound the pieces of zest with the back of a knife or a mallet to release the aromatic oils. Add the zest to the wine. Squeeze some juice in, too.
4. Add the remaining ingredients.
5. Stir occasionally. Do not let the wine come to a boil.
6. When the wine begins to steam and is very hot, it is ready to serve.
7. Shut off the heat and ladle the wine out into mugs or glasses, leaving the seasonings behind.
Some tips from the website:
Mulled wine can be made from red or white wine. Zinfandel is great, but merlot also works well. Among white wines, riesling and viognier are good choices.
Wines that have been aged in oak do not make good mulled wine.
Don't pay too much for wine to mull, but don't pay too little, either. A bad wine becomes even worse when heated. Shoot for the $7 to $10 range.
If using white wine, try using Turbinado (unrefined) sugar for a more complex taste. Turbinado's subtleties are lost in red wine, however.
Always use a stainless steel, ceramic, heatproof glass or nonstick coated pot to mull the wine in. The acids in the wine can react with an aluminum pot and give the final product a metallic taste.
Thankfully, I did most of my house cleaning in prep for Friday night. Thank goodness because 2 soccer games and a birthday party didn't leave much time for me to clean before the neighbors came for dinner. Dinner was so much fun -- I can't wait to tell you the stories about that. But, that will have to be another post.
Friday, September 14, 2007
General musing! Grab a cuppa, it's a long one
So much on my brain, and so little energy. Yesterday morning I woke up early to finish some stuff from work. OK, OK, I know, 5:30 in the morning wasn't normal work hours. But, I have a certain way that I work best. I learned as an undergrad that if I work on something for a bit in the evening and the words aren't coming, I go to bed and let my brain process, wake up at 5:00 or 5:30 and crank out what was giving me a block.
Anyway, while I was working, I could hear a mouse entertaining him or herself in the kitchen, then the playroom, then running across the living room floor.
Last night I kept waking up and hearing the same mouse. I didn't sleep well.
On the job front: Yesterday I was having lunch with a friend and her husband. Believe it or not, I'm buying meals to eat at the dorms. The variety is better than the on campus eatery and the price is better too. So, while we were sitting there, the guy who is the manager of the job I'm thinking about applying for sat down with us. It was a bit of kismet.
So, at the moment, he is willing to let me work 20 hours this semester, 30 next, and then work 30 hours in the fall and 40 hours in the spring. The potential flexibility is great because it means that I can keep teaching. But, he said that he really would like to ultimately like to have someone full time. Eventually I would too.
I talked to DH about it a bit last night, and he told me to be wary of jumping to another job quickly that still isn't what I want to do nor is a promotion. I do like my job, it's just my boss who bugs me. And, not all the time. I think that I can make a difference where I am. . . . and I have some things in the works that I'd like to see through this year.
This job is either something that will take off and grow, and I could grow with it - or it will fall apart within the next few years.
I was going to try to apply over the weekend, but I think I might try to meet with the Director one more time to get a better idea of the job and expectations. I want to make sure that at the beginning of the job, it's not going to have too many administrative tasks - I'm not good at them.
Sarah had a soccer game last night. One of the downsides to teaching is that Sarah plays Tuesdays or Thursdays - the days I teach. So, I didn't get to watch the soccer game last night, but I hear Sarah did really well. She's come close to getting some goals. I need to bring the video camera to Sat. games to film both girls. I have been amused at DH. This spring he was rolling his eyes at the idea of a travel team for 1st graders. Now he is talking to Sarah's coaches about how she might be able to try out. It is true that Sarah loves soccer and is showing some skills. It is also true that playing travel teams now will help her is she wants to play in high school as she would be competing against kids who have been on travel teams. And, she does need more skills practice (I think I want to propose to our soccer association that they incorporate more practice time in the season rather than 3 weeks of practice and 2 mos of 2 games per week. If they changed some of the mid-week games to practice during the season, the kids would be able to hone the skills they are starting to understand during the games.
I'm really enjoying my students and class this fall. About half of them are really talking. Last night they did complain that there was alot being assigned, but I pointed out that I could change it some, but then they would be writing their paper over the week long Thanksgiving break (ok, I didn't tell them they would be reading a book, but its not quite the same!) When I explained that there are a lot of requirements for the class and I do try to spread the work out (and give them reading assignments in at least a week before it's due so they can work on it when they have time rather than try to read stuff in just a few days - they understood that I am considering their limitations and trying to be considerate.
In between dance for Sydney, homework for Sarah, and Soccer for Sarah, we went to the picnic for our block at the University President's social house. He doesn't live there, but it is down the street from us so they try to be "neighborly" since we have to deal with the extra traffic when they have events at the house.
I was talking with D a bit and learned a bit more about the house. He was one of 6 kids, so the four bedrooms are a bit small to accommodate the need for some many people. He always thought the garage was too small as it really only accommodated one car even though it's billed as a "two car garage."
I also learned that the room off the garage was used to keep the freezer and store wood for the fireplace.
I also asked when his mom passed away, and he said it was about 1994. So, the R family owned the house for about 8-9 years and we've had it for 5. We are the third owner of the house.
I need to get Sydney to preschool. I hope everyone has a great day.
Anyway, while I was working, I could hear a mouse entertaining him or herself in the kitchen, then the playroom, then running across the living room floor.
Last night I kept waking up and hearing the same mouse. I didn't sleep well.
On the job front: Yesterday I was having lunch with a friend and her husband. Believe it or not, I'm buying meals to eat at the dorms. The variety is better than the on campus eatery and the price is better too. So, while we were sitting there, the guy who is the manager of the job I'm thinking about applying for sat down with us. It was a bit of kismet.
So, at the moment, he is willing to let me work 20 hours this semester, 30 next, and then work 30 hours in the fall and 40 hours in the spring. The potential flexibility is great because it means that I can keep teaching. But, he said that he really would like to ultimately like to have someone full time. Eventually I would too.
I talked to DH about it a bit last night, and he told me to be wary of jumping to another job quickly that still isn't what I want to do nor is a promotion. I do like my job, it's just my boss who bugs me. And, not all the time. I think that I can make a difference where I am. . . . and I have some things in the works that I'd like to see through this year.
This job is either something that will take off and grow, and I could grow with it - or it will fall apart within the next few years.
I was going to try to apply over the weekend, but I think I might try to meet with the Director one more time to get a better idea of the job and expectations. I want to make sure that at the beginning of the job, it's not going to have too many administrative tasks - I'm not good at them.
Sarah had a soccer game last night. One of the downsides to teaching is that Sarah plays Tuesdays or Thursdays - the days I teach. So, I didn't get to watch the soccer game last night, but I hear Sarah did really well. She's come close to getting some goals. I need to bring the video camera to Sat. games to film both girls. I have been amused at DH. This spring he was rolling his eyes at the idea of a travel team for 1st graders. Now he is talking to Sarah's coaches about how she might be able to try out. It is true that Sarah loves soccer and is showing some skills. It is also true that playing travel teams now will help her is she wants to play in high school as she would be competing against kids who have been on travel teams. And, she does need more skills practice (I think I want to propose to our soccer association that they incorporate more practice time in the season rather than 3 weeks of practice and 2 mos of 2 games per week. If they changed some of the mid-week games to practice during the season, the kids would be able to hone the skills they are starting to understand during the games.
I'm really enjoying my students and class this fall. About half of them are really talking. Last night they did complain that there was alot being assigned, but I pointed out that I could change it some, but then they would be writing their paper over the week long Thanksgiving break (ok, I didn't tell them they would be reading a book, but its not quite the same!) When I explained that there are a lot of requirements for the class and I do try to spread the work out (and give them reading assignments in at least a week before it's due so they can work on it when they have time rather than try to read stuff in just a few days - they understood that I am considering their limitations and trying to be considerate.
In between dance for Sydney, homework for Sarah, and Soccer for Sarah, we went to the picnic for our block at the University President's social house. He doesn't live there, but it is down the street from us so they try to be "neighborly" since we have to deal with the extra traffic when they have events at the house.
I was talking with D a bit and learned a bit more about the house. He was one of 6 kids, so the four bedrooms are a bit small to accommodate the need for some many people. He always thought the garage was too small as it really only accommodated one car even though it's billed as a "two car garage."
I also learned that the room off the garage was used to keep the freezer and store wood for the fireplace.
I also asked when his mom passed away, and he said it was about 1994. So, the R family owned the house for about 8-9 years and we've had it for 5. We are the third owner of the house.
I need to get Sydney to preschool. I hope everyone has a great day.
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