Green December

So here it is. Four days after Christmas and 3 day's before New Years Day. Green.
I hiked the horse trails yesterday and it was quite messy with slush and gushing creeks which made for a challenging walk trying not to slip. It felt great being there tho and out of the house!
My two weeks of entertaining have come to an end and I'm exhausted to say the least.
Christmas with all its bells, lights and ribbons is put away. The miniature village on my sideboard is down. God bless the humble hot dog stand! I made it through!
I'm ready to welcome in 2009 and have had a great practice this morning just me myself and I.
AAAHHHH! I miss my kayak!

Lets Forget About Christmas And Just Go Back To Halloween...For A Minute!

Aurora came home safe and sound for this holiday. And naturally not to soon after she got here I had a "Mac" question for her. So she whipped out her Mac Pro and said "Oh Wait did I show you this picture?" Nope says I. I wanna learn how to iChat! Well, even tho she's in college limbo. She's having the time of her life and is one creative little monkey! She's loving retro-wear antique-in an Jon an her kittens oscar and bert or ally and ben or ollie and bard...or something like that! They are cute and I'm a forever sucker of kittens.
Here's a shot of her an Jon this past Halloween. Priceless!

Right Smack Dab In The Middle Of It!

The holidays that is!
Busy! Busy! Busy! To say the least. Martha Stewart, Barefoot Contessa, Paula Dean and the Pioneer Woman would be dang proud of me! I'm a cooking machine. Everything I've made over the last four days while Bill's father was here turned out exceptionally well.
I did a seafood gratin dish. A keeper. A homemade calzone filled with hot sausage, pepperoni, yellow and red peppers, onions, italian cheeses and sauce at Bill's request. I sublimely spoke to Bill in the early hours one morning and told him that he really should get me and his dad out of the house. So we got lunch at the Colgate Inn on Tuesday. That night we had grilled herbed lamp chops with a mint pesto, mushroom risotto and oven baked brussels sprouts. Yum! The last meal was a italian herb crusted beef tenderloin with gorgonzola walnut sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. Perfect. Even baked an apple pie. Sadly, I'm all cooked out. I just got back from running a chicken bouillon cube up to neighbor Leigh and got a dinner invitation! Even better! Party! Right up the road!
I'm off the hook tonight AND tomorrow!
Time to relax and enjoy these next few days. Yep it's time.
So here's a shot of me. I was the first child. This shot cracks me up with the ONE stocking hanging above my head.One of my first Christmas's and yep I'm still ironing. From the the looks of it. I didn't like ironing back then either. I wish I could find a shot of me and my easy bake oven. Oh how I loved that thing. It was blue and had cake batter crusted and burnt all over the light bulb. It's a wonder it didn't burn down the house.
Oh and here is my son Nick. Wishing you all peace in hash or where you may find it.
Merry Christmas.

Skyway Community Christmas At The Colgate Inn

As I sit here watching the gray white lacy snow fall outside my window having just had a grand time playing house getting ready for the onslaught of the Brown Family, I count my blessings and am so happy with the simple life I live and grateful for my health and for my kids, family and friends.
My invisible-in-the-snow white free range bunnies are fed and cozy under the front porch. The cats are napping on the throne of my bed and Ed is fast a sleep in doggie land up on the back of the couch. Bill just came in from snow blowing the near foot of snow that blanketed us during the night. The house is cleaned up and in order. Time to blog.
I played for the Madison Lane Ladies yesterday a handful of Christmas songs. I promised them a special treat when I was done playing and a wee little old lady said, "Is he tall, dark and handsome"? I quickly replied, Yes! Thinking of Ed running zig-zag down the road with his back left leg bowing out retarded like, ears layed back and a bottom tooth missing. Ed looks just the dog on the bottom of the Rocket Dog shoe line. It's ED to a tea!
Anyway I ran out to the car to wake the ole mutt up and place his little head in a toy Christmas deer antler head band thingy and returned to the dining room where the 20 or so Madison Lane Ladies shrieked it delight with their hands all reaching out eager to pet my poor dog. Ed peered up at me with a What-the-hell-did-I-do-to-you-to-deserve-this look plastered all over his little doggy face! He was a hit! Steve Skollar is right. I should of gotten Ed and agent.
His story alone would top Marley and Me any day.
Anyway Skyway Community Christmas was wonderful!
The Colgate Inn was simply beautiful in its holiday fineness and a perfect setting for our event.
Musicians that came out in support of Skyway were, Reyana Stagnaro, Ed Vollmer, Robin Schade, Maren and Cole Vantine,
Peter Leone, Daryl Wilson, Jimmy Wunderlich and I and the exotic decorated bodies of the amazing Adishakti Dancers!
The Colgate Inn has graciously invited us back next year to host another Skyway event! So Meredith, Jimmy and I are just thrilled.
We didn't have a lot of time to get this story in the paper. Jimmy worked his butt off getting all the musicians recorded and got the raffle together with amazing speed. We raised pretty close to what we need to insure the park on Skyway Day in August.
Evergreen Gallery, Sushi Blues, The Colgate Inn and a few other places in town have offered to sell the first Skyway Christmas CD in their stores so I have no doubt we will be successful in raising more than we need.
So! Here it is the 12th of December!
I've fulfilled my Christmas community obligations. I feel good!
Time to head up the road to Reverend Ross's Christmas Tree Farm and cut me a spruce!
Get some baking in. Perhaps a little recording.
Let it snow!

A little holiday advice boys!

Beware of the Doghouse- Hilarious! - Click here for the most popular videos

A Skyway Community Christmas Concert

Wednesday, December 10th the Colgate Inn has graciously allowed Skyway to put on a Christmas concert in the lovely side parlor of the Inn. The event will start at 5 and run till around 8 with local Hamilton musicians singing holiday cheer while the local merchants keep their doors open selling their wares for the Christmas Shoppers.
Little old San Hamiltonio will be at its finest adorned and a buzzing!
Jimmy Wunderlich has worked tirelessly getting our local musicians into his studio to record their Christmas songs.
There will be CD's for sale for a ten dollar donation. Our goal here is to make enough money to insure the park come Skyway Day to take this burden off of Charlie Getchonis.
I'm also releasing my new CD, "Songs From Mountains East and West" and will raffle a few off. Reyna and Jimmy and I will also play a few songs from the CD along with my holiday contribution, "Ode To Martha Stewart".
Having just scanned in over 200 shots for my parents 50th wedding anniversary, we needed a festive shot for poster promotion and didn't have alot of time. So yep thats my two year old mug on Santa's Lap on posters plastered all over town.
Just wait till my mother goes to the grocery store and sees her kid blasting from the past on the cork board in the entryway.
I've also been asked to perform at the Adirondack Museum in September for their Antique show and to sell CD's in the museum store. I have an appointment there on Monday I'm looking forward to.
Oh and Harry Boyt the Common Threads Radio God didn't like my CD. Oh well, I'll just have to start writing another!
Off to the horse trails!