Storm of Thoughts

What’s With the Horn?

I don’t snore. I don’t. And neither does John, thank goodness. I couldn’t imagine living with that noise all these years. I’d have to come up with a really effective solution, like the old pillow over the head trick. His head, I mean. This trait should really be on the list of “Attributes to Look For in a Mate” list. Right under, ‘Will kill all bugs and critters, NO QUESTIONS ASKED, whether or not you think they are big, hairy or scary.’

I must have a ‘thing’ about snoring. My older sister used to snore sometimes. Not so loud that she’d wake me up if I was in a deep sleep, but if I was awake anyway, then it was loud enough so that I couldn’t go back. A little like a snare drum, with some clarinet thrown in. One night, I was maybe ten or eleven, she was snoring a long time, and I just couldn’t get her to stop. I tried touching her arm (oh okay, I shoved it), then softly started calling her name. Nothing. Finally, I got a bright idea! I got up and got a tissue, tore off two strips, and rolled one end of each into a ball. Which I then stuck into her nose! Perfect. Except what happens? Nothing! She’s lying there with these two pieces of tissue haning from her nose, and she’s still snoring. Well, maybe I didn’t think that one through well enough.

One time we had our old neighbors up to our house in PA for the weekend. After dinner, we’re all sitting in the great room, watching TV, when I notice Bill’s eyes beginning to close. His daughter, Lisa, says, “Just wait, Aunt Luci, in about two minutes my dad is going to make a loud noise, and then start snoring like crazy!” Sure enough, his head goes back, one loud bass drum sounds, and in he starts with the trumpet. On and on he played, while we were hysterical. They even taped him one time because he never believed that he could be so loud.

Another time we had John’s cousin Pete and his wife Donna up for a weekend. When they were heading up to bed, oh a good hour before us, Donna said, “Pete kinda snores. I just figured I’d let you know in case you hear anything.” Well, later on, now everyone is in bed, and I’m still cleaning up in the kitchen. Even Casey (the most wonderful golden retriever in the entire world) is sleeping on the kitchen floor waiting for me to finish up. I’ve loaded the rest of the dishes in the dishwasher, and started setting up the coffee for the morning, when all of a sudden I hear a sonic BOOM and this deafening trombone noise. Casey jerks her head up and looks at me, I’m thinking the belt on the dryer must have broken and it’s going to wake the whole house! We both start running up the steps and when we get there I realize it’s Pete snoring! It’s a contemporary house, they were sleeping on the third level, and Donna thinks Pete ‘kind of’ snores?? That’s like saying the buildings in New York City are ‘kind of’ tall - or that clowns are ‘kind of’ scary.

So anyway, the other night, I’m laying in bed sleeping, minding my own business, when I start hearing a French horn. (Now I admit I don’t know exactly what a French horn sounds like, but I’m thinking it’s somewhat dainty and muted, so I’m going with it.) And then I realize, (gasp!) the noise is coming from ME! But how could I be making that noise and be awake enough to know I’m hearing the noise at the same time? Maybe, it was an out of body experience. An auditory out of body experience if there is such a thing. Or maybe I was dreaming. Yeah, that’s it.

And again, let me assure you, I don’t snore. I’m just playing with the band.

Well I’m happy to report that Chrissy and Pete arrived in the Turks & Caicos safely. And to celebrate…… I’m thinking scones!

Till next time…….. Luci

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The Joy of Hobbies

“Today is life - the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.” Dale Carnegie - American lecturer

Hobbies are a wonderful thing. Even though sometimes you think you don’t have enough time to devote to them, they are always there waiting for you to come back to. I’ve decided you can have too many hobbies, and also, you can have too few. My beloved father-in-law, who passed away in January, (see Chrissy’s posts dated Jan. 6 and Jan. 9) really only had one, fishing. Now, fishing is a GREAT hobby, both relaxing and social. (More on fishing on another day) But, you’re dependent on many factors beyond your control. It could be one of your hobbies, but not your only one.

Photography is a great hobby, one that so many people have gotten into with the whole digital camera revolution. I love photography, and you would be hard pressed to find me without my camera wherever I go. My cousin Irene knits. Our moms taught us both how to knit and crochet when we were kids, and even though we both had the basics, it just didn’t call to us when we were young. But a couple of years ago, Irene decided to get back into it. she makes the most beautiful and intricate sweaters! She made me a pair of socks for Christmas that are so comfortable and she made me this gorgeous handbag! Chrissy and I have tried talking her into selling them, but she doesn’t want to make the same thing all the time. And then too, you know what will happen, it will no longer be a hobby, it’ll be a JOB.

Cooking and baking are great hobbies. Of course, there could be some difference of opinion here. You HAVE to eat, so is it actually a hobby?

Reading is really one of the most wonderful hobbies. It is probably my favorite. You can pick it up or put it down easily, you can take it with you wherever you go and it can take you many places, or teach you whatever you want to learn.

Another hobby I enjoy is glasswork. I used to do stained glass. However, over the years I have developed a little dexterity problem, and now instead of stained glass, I do mosaics. I’m working on a fish mosaic to hang in our just being built guest cabin in Maryland. I was having a tough time deciding on a background because I didn’t want to take away from the fish itself, as I had done once before using sea glass. While I was searching around and looking at the talented mosaic artists out there, I came upon Berta Sergeant and her gorgeous tempered glass mosaics. I was ecstatic! It was just the solution I needed. I wrote to her, and she generously offered me instructions on how to use it, and where to get it. (It wasn’t as easy to get as I thought!) If you’d like to check out Berta’s work, look her up at either www.northwestmosaics.com or www.flickr.com/photos/mosaickid I will forever be grateful.

Here is what I’ve been working on. I figure I’ll be finished with it around the same time as the cabin, in May!

I’m sure you will all miss Chrissy this week, as will I. I will let you know when she and Pete arrive in Turks and Caicos, so you won’t have to worry……… I mean wonder.

Till next time……. Luci

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A Week Away and a Guest Blogger

Starting tomorrow, I will not be at my computer. I won’t be at work, in my apartment cooking, on Twitter, or blogging.

Instead, I will be spending 10 days doing nothing but laying on the beach. Here, at The Sands at Grace Bay, in Turks and Caicos.

And I couldn’t be more excited.

My goals?

Read as many books as possible.
Get a tan. (This one is unlikely, as I rarely tan. At least, not until after I’ve burned.)
Go shopping.
See migrating whales.
Eat 3+ varieties of conch.
Spend several entire days doing nothing but laying on the beach.
And, last but not least, relax.

With no access to my phone and very little to the internet, I’ll have a good chance of achieving my goals. (Although coming back to all those emails is a little frightening…)

I will, of course, return with plenty of pictures, and hopefully some good stories. Maybe even a recipe or two. But so as not to leave you hanging in the meantime, I have arranged for the perfect guest blogger - my mom, Luci.

I have no idea what she has planned, but I would expect some recipes, a bunch of great photos (possibly of sunsets, her favorite subject), very good writing, and, hopefully, no baby pictures or embarrassing stories. Right, Mom?

I will be missing her all week, so please enjoy her for me while I’m gone!

See you March 9th!

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Wordless Wednesday: An Early Dinner in Boston

It’s unusual for us to go out to eat in the North End and see it looking like this! We should have early dinners more often.

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New Look!

After a lot of planning, I’m thrilled with my blog’s new look. After spending literally hours on end for weeks searching for someone to design my blog and finding nothing that really combined the look, feel, and price that I wanted, I had just about given up. Which is exactly when I stumbled onto just what I needed. I worked with Hannah at Sherbet Blossom Designs, and I couldn’t possibly be happier with the way she took my thoughts about the design (as well as her own obvious talents) and turned them into just what I was hoping for.

Searching around in her portfolio, I also found some other bloggers that I now really love. (Plus, of course, their blog designs are beautiful, which makes it easy to spend time there!).

If you’re looking for a blog redesign, I strongly suggest you check out Sherbet Blossom Designs, although I’d recommend heading over there and taking a look at her work either way - all of it is impressive! You can also visit Hannah’s blog to see what else she’s up to - it turns out she has a whole bunch of talents! (As a fellow cook myself, I especially appreciate her recent recipe for Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie which, thanks to today’s cold weather, is going right up on my list of dinners to try.)

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Recipe: Muffaletta Sandwich

Lately, I’ve been in the mood for a muffaletta - and with Mardi Gras this week, it’s a good time to eat food from New Orleans.

1 big round loaf or individual rolls, hollowed out slightly to create room for filling
1 cup mixed olives, chopped
1 cup giardiniera (hot pickled vegetables), chopped (the food processor works well!)
1 teaspoon fresh parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
black pepper
can mix with olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and red wine vinegar (about 1 tablespoon), to taste (although it will work without this as well)
1/8 - 1/4 lb. each Genoa salami, capicola or other ham
1/4 lb. provolone

Fill bottom half of bread with meats and cheese, alternating layers. Mix topping ingredients and pile on top. Gently push down the top of the bread

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Wordless Wednesday: Best Photos of 2008

Today’s Wordless Wednesday post comes courtesy of my dad. Nice to see a year captured on film! Click below to view.

Best Images of 2008

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today, thanks to Reader’s Digest and SMITH Magazine, I got to enjoy some Six Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak, especially appropriate for Valentine’s Day. Some bitter, some sweet, but all poignant.

A kiss can write a secret. ~ Annmarie Howell

I’m your one that got away. ~ Mary Elizabeth Williams

My heart is my strongest muscle. ~ Shanna Katz

He e-mailed again, and I deleted. ~ Molly Antopol

Endurance is an expression of love. ~ Lee Woodruff

Love: eight pounds and six ounces. ~ Kenny Clark

Portland, she decided; I, the Bronx. ~ Dominic Preziosi

Everyone’s crazy except you and me. ~ Mark Frauenfelder

In hindsight, I’d still choose you. ~ Natana Gill

May I have the last dance? ~ Robert Hass

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Wordless Wednesday: A Beautiful February Day in Boston

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A Night Out

You never run out of things to do in Boston. And, having been here for several years now, I’ve had an opportunity to do a lot of things (both touristy and otherwise). But one of the things that has always been on my list is eating at Top of the Hub, the restaurant located at the very top of the Prudential Building. The restaurant is 52 stories up and surrounded by windows, which makes for a pretty incredible view of the city.

And after last night, that is now off my to-do list. (Although it went straight onto my to do again list.) Pete and I celebrated the anniversary of when we started dating (in 2002) by eating dinner there last night. While I could certainly go on for a few pages about how amazing the food, service, and views were, I thought it would be best described through photos.

At the bar when we first arrived.

Our table by the window, overlooking the Charles River (and Cambridge).

I took pictures of practically everything we ate and drank. Here are the dinners, lobster “macaroni and cheese” and beef tenderloin.

More of the dining room (featuring the world’s largest lampshades) and part of Pete’s head.

After dinner, our waiter Mario found us a table in the lounge where we could listen to a jazz band and enjoy dessert.

Here, our view included the Hancock Building and Copley Square…

As well as the band.

Dessert was (obviously) also delicious - made even more so by the fact that all of it was surrounded with chocolate.

But the main reason to go, of course, is still the view.

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