There is a river under there and other notes from the tundra.

I took the picture yesterday morning on my way to work. If you can believe it beyond those trees is the Hudson River. Yes folks there is a river under there. Amazing right? A harsh beauty to be sure you just have to remind yourself that there is life under all that. Another chilly morning out here by the river. Must have been -8 or so when I woke up today and you can always tell when its cold when the dogs do NOT linger over their business. Needless to say its been a long winter but the days are getting longer and the sun feels stronger more permanent the light just a bit brighter. I keep looking at the extended forecast to see a break in the weather and then you think you see it a day above freezing a night not one the likes seen only in Siberia and then poof you get to that day and its negative 8 at night and 19 degrees during the day. I just went out to give the chickens fresh unfrozen water and man its cold out there. So I did what any sensible person would do I made another cup of coffee and got back into bed with the pups. I am only human right?

Struggling to think of things to write about besides its cold, I'm cold, its still cold. Have I mentioned its cold? Boring!  Spring spring spring spring wait its still cold cold cold cold. But its got to come right? This isn't one of those fantasy novels when evil has spread across the land and the harvests fail and spring never comes again until the young hero breaks the evil spell and everything is right again is it? Maybe its a plot by the mysterious man that must be in my driveway now as I type because Booker is barking his head off and growling but I am not going to fall for it I am not. I am not getting up to look to see whats out there because I KNOW there is nothing. Even Lulu is looking and doesn't look upset so I am going to ignore him. Probably a freaking bird. Not that I can blame the poor pup he must have a serious case of cabin fever I mean how many naps can you take in a day. Don't answer that the answer is lots.

I have started to plan a small garden for this year. I have no idea when we are going to move but I am going to grow food anyway whats the worse thing that happens someone buys the house and gets a great veggie garden too? Growing food for me its really all about the process and not the end result so if that happens I am okay with it. I wasn't going to garden at all everything is just too up in the air but a friend at work told me that I was being silly. She said it obviously makes you very happy growing food so do it you are lucky enough to have something you enjoy doing so much so go do it. Wise words. So I worked up my master plan yesterday how big (24'x36') what I wanted to grow and then got down to the brass tacks of how many of each when to start the seeds when to transplant and all that good stuff. So now we only really need spring to come and we can get started. Now that I think about it I have to start a tray of spinach today. Let the games begin! Stay warm everyone springs coming I can feel it.

Food is love even when its meatloaf and a welcome shot of color.

old bishop been gone a few years now but oh how I loved him he had a joie de vivre like no other

Happy Valentines Day everyone. The hubster wanted to send me flowers so I could compete in the annual flower competition at work but I said no no I would rather spend the cash on fixings for a nice valentines day dinner. I guess that's what makes me happiest is cooking for the people I love. Tomorrow is my Dads bday and we will go into Saratoga tomorrow night to cook dinner for him. That's what I give people since I usually am light on cash and to be frank when you get to be older what on earth do you really need. So earlier in the week I told my Dad to think about what he would want for dinner anything he wanted the sky's the limit.

To my mothers chagrin (total eye roll) he chose meatloaf. Now I make a fine dandy meatloaf and in the winter I make one at least once a month but now my challenge is how to make a meatloaf worthy of a birthday dinner. Hmmm time to consult the cookbooks.  But it is actually a good choice there is some nasty weather coming in and meatloaf and mashed potatoes sound just perfect for such a blustery Sunday night. Its snowing as a type and I am watching the birds eat the bird seed I tossed on the driveway (yes too cheap to buy a feeder) earlier I love watching them fly in and out as I sit cuddled up watching cooking shows with the dogs. There are two great big fat cardinals out there what a welcome shot of color on such a day.

Now back to tonight to celebrate valentines day we went to the fancy market to get some fixings for drum roll....smoked salmon on baguette with red onions lemon and caper followed by shrimp scampi over linguine then okay major drum roll please molten lava chocolate cakes with vanilla ice cream. See who needs a dozen roses when you can use the money to make food. Food is love. Well at least it is to me. I remember the first romantic dinner I ever cooked. I must have been 15 or so and my boyfriend Gary was going to college all the way in Arizona and my parents were cool enough (seriously cool) to let me cook him dinner at the house while they went out for dinner with friends. Don't remember all the details but I remember taking a melon baller to potatoes and making a super cute small round potato saute probably with a steak or something and maybe chocolate mousse for dessert. Followed (stop reading mom grandma and anyone else who might be shocked) with having sex everywhere in the house we could think of.  Good times damn straight.

Okay so obviously food as always meant a ton to me its one of my major creative outlets so making dinner tonight is how I express my love and also I am sorry I just really love to cook. Tommy is always saying no no take a break get take out and I cant convince him that I just really love to cook. I love the planning involved trying to figure out a whole menu that makes sense and of course the shopping I love grocery shopping I always have and of course turning some music on pouring a healthy glass of wine and getting the stove cracking.

Happy V day people go cook something for someone you love or hell cook a great meal for yourself and have a glass or two of wine.

More snow Chinese food i'm stuck their stuck is that a helicopter I hear?

Classic snowy night story in the good old northeast. Snow falls all day commute home is worse than the one to work. First plan for dinner was to stop at the fancy food store and get some fried chicken. But the losers closed at 5pm. Closed at 5pm are you mad you are a grocery store in the North Country you don't close at 5pm. Okay okay calm down whats next think girl think. Okay don't want to actually go to the supermarket and do something responsible like shop for the week nope nope I am looking for a quick fix....Light bulb Chinese food.

Acquire Chinese food and text husband is the driveway plowed he says I don't know but Jeff was just here so it must be. Drive 13 miles with Chinese food and guess what driveway not plowed....attempt to bust through and get stuck about 3 feet from the road. Now I can usually get myself out of these type of jams but I looked down at the Chinese food and said heck with the car it stays here till tomorrow and I eat Chinese now. Food turns out to be a major disappointmemt and the dogs score a human meal. Okay so I shake the disappointment off head to the bedroom or as I call it my sanctuary gather the dogs and a large glass of wine and start reading and watching a little tv.

Enter my saviors Scott and Clark my plow guy super hero team. I just hired these guys the storm before this aka just freaking last week and I hadn't called them today because I realized I took the cash to pay them with me to work. Less than helpful. So at 9pm there is a knock on the door and Clark says we didn't know if you wanted to be plowed but we saw you were stuck. Oh MUSIC to my ears. Well they say this to Tommy I was actually sitting in bed in my underwear drinking wine covered in blankets. So up I leap grab a pair of jeans put my fancy english farm snow boots (no socks yes I am an idiot) and off i go into the dark to rescue my car.

We try once to no avail and Scott (Clark is Scott's sidekick Scott drives the truck Clark snow blows and shovels) yells get the shovel and dig her tires out. Then to their surprise I say hey do you have another shovel let me help two will get this job done faster than one. So out we dig the little Honda and out she pops from the yard. Yes I didn't drive into the driveway apparently I drove into the yard. But hey hard to tell whats what with all that snow. So thankfully with visions of my wine glass still frosty inside I pull onto the side of the road and put my hazards on while Clark and I watch Scott work his magic well magic until the magic stopped in the name of getting stuck so bad I feared we would need to get another truck with a winch.

The thing about getting stuck in the snow is that you have to remain calm and not panic. My first thought is always OMG i will never get out I will get fired because I cant go back to work till spring (okay wishful thinking) but you need just to take a breath and you will get there. You might have to sacrifice your cats litter or maybe even your chickens grain (it works trust me) but you will get out. So thankfully after 15 minutes or so out pops the truck and Scott finishes up. I gave them an extra 20 for the late night and for saving my ass. Figure if you are going to through some cash around in a winter like this your plow guy is probably not your worst bet.

Stay warm and dry everyone and if you go out to shovel please remember to put socks on before your boots and maybe don't wear the pair of jeans that are more holes than fabric. And to my wonderful hair stylist Mel who keeps posting pictures on facebook of her fabulous vacation in Arizona which looks to involve more vodka than whats currently available in Russia or Anne my college roommate and her husband Peter who live in the Caribbean who's restaurant was just featured in the NY times whatever people whatever I have snow dammit snow. Lots of lots of snow I don't need your freaking sun tans and fancy drinks....oh who I am kidding if a helicopter touched down right now and someone shouted get in I would. Destination unknown.

Cabin fever and the mysterious man

Not sure about whats going on at your house but at my house a major case of cabin fever has settled in for the duration. Especially effecting the two dogs. Booker and Lulu swing between taking naps and searching for the mysterious stranger that stalks our house. Now you will have to take their word for it because I for one have never yet seen the mysterious stranger. I look for him often every time the dogs start barking at what i think is nothing. I say to myself hey give them a break maybe there is a mysterious stranger lurking outside behind that tree wearing a black cap and a fedora maybe just maybe? So I get up (again) and look and guess what at least to my eyes NOTHING not even a bird braving the cold. But I try to see it their way scores and scores of dodgy people wearing capes surrounded the house getting closer with every step diligence needed with every bark.

They are currently in nap phase. I will keep you updated.

tomate-toe tohmahtoo and a world of possibilities

The view that needs replacing. wont be easy.

I feel myself changing starting towards a new direction and maybe they are right everything happens for a reason. Maybe I have just delayed getting going selling this house until i know where I am headed. The world even the small one around me offers just too many possibilities too many paths to choose. This town that town, in town or the country, to farm or not to farm, to be traditional to step outside the box. So I have been babbling about moving and finding my forever home for almost a year and to be honest we aren't much farther than when we started a few things have been done but not many I really thought we would have been moved by now. But maybe my delay will be a good thing maybe its what I need to ensure the path we end up is the right path for us.

So now for an explanation of the title of this little piece. See I grew up in Greenwich CT and its pronounced grenitch (locked jaw and all that) and the town I am seriously thinking of moving too is Greenwich NY but unfortunately for me they pronounce it greenwitch. Am i destined to move to a town where i will surely mispronounce the name and they take how it is said over there pretty damn seriously let me tell you. You get some really odd looks if you say grenitch. Makes me want to say well we say it like they say it in England but I don't think that will help matters much. I guess I will have to practice and maybe employ a speech therapist wouldn't be the first time, I had one when i was a kid and i still have problems with things that end in "LF" like wolf tends to come out more like wooff.

And to set the record straight I don't just check out a prospective town I freaking stalk it. Yup stalk it. If you live in a town I am thinking about moving to you most likely will see me at the supermarket the local stewarts the wine store the local chinese restaurant tractor supply and the list goes on oh I don't forget pizza you will see me getting pizza too cant possibly live some where with sucky pizza. And I just wont visit once nope I will stop by on my way home from work I will find a reason to visit to maybe catch the town in a lie it cant be that perfect so maybe if I can catch them all unaware I will see whats really going on. Okay no of course not thankfully I am not that paranoid my mind just took a bizarre turn there. Girl stalks town to make sure its right for her catches it unaware one night and town is actually full of zombies. Back on track fingers back on track.

Okay now back to the title again I have explained the whole pronunciation thing now what about the rest? When I first contemplated moving I knew I wanted a farm with an old farmhouse and lots of land. Well unfortunately for me there are none. Or at least that I can afford.  So now I had to broaden my view and say okay only the land is really important as long as there is enough and the view is good I can make the house be what ever i want with a little cash and sweat. So this was my path for awhile until there were none of those left either....So now I switch gears again to just land and hell I will just build a house. Now this opens up limitless possibilities what kind of house big small what style traditional or modern and so on and so on. Now to muddy the waters even further I start watching tiny house nation on monday nights and now my mind is opened up to the tiny house possibility! Why build such a big house and get in debt. One of the reasons for selling this old beauty of ours is to hopefully get out of debt as much as possible. So instead of building big what do we really need how much space do you really need to be happy? Big questions indeed. But guess what now I cant find any land either! But hopefully the low inventory is due to it being the middle of and endlessly cold winter and once spring comes more listings will appear.

Almost reminds me of the books we had when I was little that have different ending depending on a series of choices you made.  Choices choices choices! Stay warm my friends.