Tom and I knew that New Hampshire was a nice place before we moved here in 1998. When I say “nice”, I’m not talking about pretty or clean — although the state is all of those things and more. I’m talking about people. The people who live here are just nice… and when I tend to not think about it, there’s always someone waiting to remind me.

When we put in the pool last summer, we had to cut down a bunch of trees. We barely got them sectioned and stacked before winter settled in and we’re just now getting rid of them. I finally managed to convince Tom he just didn’t need 40 years worth of firewood, so I posted to craigslist and the phone calls started pouring in.

One day I got a call from a guy who makes himself 4 or 5 gallons of maple syrup every spring. He came and picked up a small load… then came back a few days later and brought us a pint of syrup.

This morning, I got a visit from a husband and wife woodworking team and they brought me a TUIT (see below if you don’t know what a TUIT is). As if that wasn’t enough, when they came back to pick up their tractor they brought me two of the most beautiful maple bowl (New Hampshire maple, of course).

All told, trucks have been in and out almost every day for the past week and other than the fact that the wood piles are a lot smaller, you can’t even tell they’ve been here.

New Hampshire folks may have equals, but there are none better!

References:
Time-Honored Designs
Wikipedia

About First Contact Day

About April Fools Day

Happy Birthday Mother.
It’s sure to be the best one yet.
Though you left me here behind,
Did you think that I’d forget?

Your cake this year will surely be
A beauty to behold,
With the icing made of Silver
And the candles made of Gold.

Yes, your birthday in Heaven
Will be such a grand affair.
And I know you’ll look so lovely
With a halo in your hair.

The Angels will come from everywhere
To sing your birthday song,
And I know they’ll be so happy
That you’ve joined God’s Happy Throng.

No, I can’t send a card this year
Or give a gift so fine.
So I’ll just send a special prayer,
To that wonderful mother of mine.

By Winnie Lovett 1968

Happy Birthday, Mom. We miss you!

References:
Winnie Lovett’s Poems

A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist and a member of the ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, “God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I’ll give you exactly 15 minutes.” The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, “Here I am God. I’m still waiting.” It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold. The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, “What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?”

The Marine calmly replied, “God was too busy today protecting America’s soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid shit and act like an asshole…so, He sent me.”

It’s test kitchen night. That’s the night I browse the cupboards and freezer, start pulling out what appeals to me and turn it into dinner. Here’s tonight’s experiment.

1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. Southern Comfort
1/2 14-oz can Hunts tomato sauce
1/4 c. Plochman’s mustard
2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 1/2 tsp. cumin seed
2 lbs. beef tips

Mix all ingredients except the tips in a sauce pan and simmer while you prepare the tips.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat until it starts to smoke. Brown the tips in the skillet.
Coat the tips with the sauce, cover and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.

I’ll post an update when it’s done, but it smells yummy.

About π Day

We lost a family member yesterday. When she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s some odd thirty years ago, she opted to go through an experimental treatment — knowing that the most likely side effect would be tumors. She was one of the few who survived the treatment, but it kept its promise and the last few years have been difficult ones.

She underwent surgery for yet another tumor last week and this one proved to be too much. But before she went in, she said the most amazing thing to my brother-in-law… I’ve had thirty years I wasn’t supposed to have. That’s powerful. I’ve met so many people who have trouble finding something special in every day… not realizing that just seeing the sun come up one more time is as special as it gets.

A while back, I posted a link to The Dash by Linda Ellis. If you’ve already read it, you should read it again. If you missed it, you might want to grab a tissue or two before you head on over to Linda’s blog — the poem is at the bottom of the page.

As I now reflect on the times I had the pleasure of being in Sue’s company, I can’t help but think that she’s one of the privileged few who would be proud of how she spent her dash. I remember thinking the first time I met her now here’s a real human being. She was down to earth and she had a big heart, and she made me laugh.

We love you Sue, and we’ll miss you.

I’m just not sure about this one… I have approximately 315 pounds of pets.  That’s a lot of love!

About Presidents Day