Monthly Archives: January 2014

About to Take The Big Step……

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Okay, we are trying to lock in the meeting with the contractor and the cabinet guy to work out final design and timeline for the big remodel of mainly the kitchen, although the front room will be impacted as well, and the flooring of course is both rooms, plus the stairs and loft/landing that leads to the upstairs bedrooms.

Since we can’t actually increase the square footage of the house due to the lot size, we are trying to maximize the space in the kitchen. We aren’t going to change the basic footprint much because any time you start moving electrical and plumbing, you greatly add to the cost and the general layout is not bad. There will be essentially only two structural changes and I’ll post about them later. The kitchen will be gutted though to make the changes and bring in new appliances.

In the model of home that we have, some people use the bay area for a small table and the open area for a small den. When we moved in, we opted to put a small island in the bay area and the dining table in the open space. That was mostly because we had an extra “den set” and we put that in the front room to have two separate seating areas. We have now given away the extra den set and that spot will become the place for the dining table and the corner hutch. We will also move the sideboards to underneath the large window. I’m not quite ready yet to discuss the plans for what will be the open area of the kitchen. I really have to see how the new island that will replace the current peninsula works out before we finalize that. Scale of furniture to the room is important to me. While we will use stock cabinetry as much as possible, we are going to have a few custom pieces put in so that we can utilize the space as much as possible. The cabinet guy will do three 14-inch deep cabinets for the bay area. Fourteen inches isn’t very deep, but that should hold things like odd-sized platters and trays that we use. Those are always tough to store and get stacked up which makes them bothersome to get to. Well, they’ll still be sort of stacked up, but on their sides instead of flat.

Superbowl Menu……

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Okay, notwithstanding that neither of our teams made it into the Superbowl, we’re okay with Denver and Seattle and will root for Denver because of Peyton Manning. In reality, we’re not emotionally invested though, so we’re just looking for a good game. We like to do a regionally compatible menu when we can and we tossed around a couple of ideas. We also like to have an easy main dish as the main meal and that becomes a bit more complicated when faced with Denver and Seattle. Lamb stew almost made it, but not everyone eats lamb. So, we will be regional with appetizers and have a taco bar for halftime. Bison sliders to represent Colorado (I think they have bison there) and smoked salmon for Seattle along with a few other standard things. Beer from Colorado is easy and we will go in search of beer from Washington and the wine part is simple. Of course wine with tacos doesn’t quite work, so it could turn into sangria and I’ll probably throw margaritas in for general principle. The neighbors who usually attend don’t know any of this yet, and for that matter, we don’t know if any of them will be available.

Superbowl meals really should be something easy because that’s the spirit of the event. Brats and burgers are fine, chili, lasagna, ribs, and chicken all work well and the taco or fajita bar is an option. You can do a shrimp or crab boil, too, although that gets you into the thought of Louisiana, Maryland, or one of the Carolinas’ teams. Not to mention with the smell of steaming large quantities of seafood, outside is best for those menus and February isn’t the best time of year for that. We don’t have the cold weather issue here, but we also don’t have the outdoor television arrangement that one of our neighbors went with when they enclosed their terrace.

 

 

Quilting Show Lancaster……..

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Small Town Haven is the second book in the Helen Chowder Adventure Series.

Small Town Haven is the second book in the Helen Chowder Adventure Series.

I have locked my travel plans into place for the American Quilters Association (AQS) show in Lancaster, PA. http://bit.ly/138EvO0 where I will be making author appearances 13-15 March. (The show actually begins on the 12th.) I am excited on multiple levels because this will be my first show to do since publication of Small Town Lies and the recently released Small Town Haven (http://charliehudson.net/books.html), and we haven’t been to Lancaster in a long time. The idea of being surrounded by so many quilters and to put faces to names of several that I’ve spoken with or emailed is something that I am really looking forward to. As I have previously posted, when I began writing the Helen Crowder Adventure Series, I was fully embraced by every quilter that I have turned to for advice and I have come to have an even deeper appreciation for this craft than before.

If you haven’t been to either the charming area of Lancaster or to a quilting show, it’s something that you may want to consider. Granted, it might still be a bit nippy that time of year, but there could also be a milder stretch with blossoms beginning to appear. I’ll keep a close eye on the forecast when I start packing.

Bamboo, It Shall Be…..

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Tile floors in South Florida do make sense, but there is the reality of grout lines that get dirty to downright nasty the longer you have them in and the higher the traffic area. We also have a small amount of Berber carpet on the stairs and up into the little loft area that leads into the upstairs bedrooms/bath. We’ve debated for some time about having the tiles cleaned and resealed, which if we’d done that two years ago, they wouldn’t look so bad, and a few of the tiles in the kitchen have cracked from what was probably improper installation. Wood flooring is the other option and that opens an array of choices. Two different friends have gone from tile to bamboo and that seemed to fit our lifestyle.

Off we went to Lumber Liquidators (not an endorsement since had we shopped around more other places might have been just as good) to look at samples and my, what a lot of choices they had. We didn’t want to go dark, reddish, or too light, so that cut out about a third of the samples. I like the concept of hand scraped, but it also frequently gives somewhat of a “ripple” effect and I set that aside. The price of bamboo has come down considerably since it was first introduced and with 1,000+ square feet and the stairs to do, we did want to stay within a certain budget. The Acacia and Brazilian woods were lovely, as were several others. We then homed in on the bamboo as the young man who was quite knowledgeable told us the three we’d narrowed it down to were all on sale for another few days. That did help with the decision and then it was mostly width of the plank and thickness. He gave us samples and we brought them home where I laid them down side-by-side. It was a toss-up for a while and we waited a day or two before we decided on the wider plank that was slightly thinner. The order is in and we do have a spot cleared to place 50+ boxes of flooring when it comes it. An important factor you have to take into account with bamboo is that you need 2-3 weeks of having it in the place where it is to be installed in order for it to acclimate prior to installation.

We had originally planned to look for new cabinets and granite, then go for the flooring, but with the sale on, the color that we chose is within the palette we like and there shouldn’t be an issue with coordinating the other. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.

A Jazzy Evening……..

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"Rooftop Terrace" , joined by vocalist performing at Jazz in the Garden Jan 2014

“Rooftop Terrace” , joined by vocalist performing at Jazz in the Garden Jan 2014

What a week it has been with back-to-back meetings every day, and I mean every single day. That, of course, will be my flimsy excuse for not having posted and especially for not having posted about this topic. Let me set the stage. Notwithstanding my husband’s belief that I am involved in way too many groups/projects, there are people who do even more than I do. Anyway, as I have posted before, I belong to the Homestead Center for the Arts (HCA), a group that works to promote the artistic and cultural “pockets” in and around Homestead that many people are unaware of. There are multiple affiliates within HCA ranging from artists, choirs, dancers, historians, orchid enthusiasts, and wood turners. One day, and there was wine involved (okay, it might have been beer), three of us were having lunch at the White Lion Café which has a lovely, large terrace area. “Wouldn’t something like a jazz session outside be nice?” was the crux of the conversation. From that, we spun off and within a few days, we had developed the idea for the Music Series (MuSe) that became a new committee within HCA.

The intent was/is to have 3 evening functions per year that feature different genres of music in an outdoor setting with the option of dinner. The Jazz in the Garden that we held January 9th was a hit and everyone had a good time. The 9th was a Thursday because we don’t want to compete with the many activities that tend to be held on the weekends and Thursday is one of those nights where people can say, “Sure, I’ll go out – I can get through Friday.” The focus for MuSe will be to concentrate on local musicians and even though we didn’t have time to make it happen for the first event, we want to especially find that young/unknown musician and allow him/her/them to play during the breaks to provide a platform for really new talent. The next event will be “April Blues” and we’re excited about how that will be. Check out Homestead Center for the Arts at http://www.homesteadcenterforthearts.com/

Starting the Day Off, Off………

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Okay, my poor husband is allowed a little extra sympathy today. As I have posted about before, he is a night owl and I am very much a morning person. We have a well-established rhythm worked out for us where I awaken around 5:00 a.m. (or earlier), put the coffee on, come upstairs and then go back downstairs when I hear him start to putter about somewhere around 8:00 a.m. That changes though when he has morning boat because he has to get up at 6:00 and leaves the house around 7:15 on those days. He has had a string of such days, but this week he isn’t scheduled for mornings so he gets to sleep in. However, yesterday, I had a really early breakfast networking meeting and was out of the house by 6:40, leaving him going peacefully back to sleep. I was supposed to have an 8:30 meeting this morning, although that has been changed and I forgot to tell him. The stage is now set for what follows.

I awakened a couple of minutes before 5:00 and my husband stirred enough for me to say, “I’ll be back down at 6:00.” I really, truly, honestly thought he was teaching a class all day today which meant he needed to be up at 6:00. I hadn’t told him my meeting was postponed, so evidently he thought that I meant I would be back down at 6:00 to get dressed for my meeting. Ergo, I come down right before six, going about with morning tasks to include pouring him a mug of coffee in his to-go cup, warming him a slice of pizza (yes, but that’s the subject of another post), and notice that he seems to have closed his eyes again and hasn’t turned on the television as is his immediate habit. My, “Hey, what’s the deal?” was met with a decidedly puzzled look and that’s when I discover that he doesn’t have a class today and he discovers that I don’t have a meeting until 9:30. Needless to say, telling him to just drift on back to sleep isn’t going to work very well at this stage. The only good thing is that he can at least lounge about for a bit and not have to be in a hurry. Ah well, he should get to sleep in tomorrow and Friday.

Saints and the Superbowl……

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I am a football fan much as I am a NASCAR fan in the sense of my husband is the true fan and I have been drawn into it over the years. If he’s not home, I won’t necessarily turn a game on, but if there isn’t anything else on that I am particularly interested in, I will. Now, for those who have only been watching the New Orleans Saints play when they actually started to be contenders for the Superbowl, there are many years prior to that when the notion they would ever be contenders was essentially absurd. At that point, what fans hoped for was just a winning year or a not as bad a losing year. Playoffs? – no, not realistically. The real slump was back when fans would show up to games with paper sacks over their heads; nose, mouth and eyeholes cut and “The Ain’ts” written on the sack. On the other hand, we’re talking New Orleans, so fundamentally, win or lose, there was a reason to party. Understanding this was part of being a Saints’ fan and when they brought a new head coach in that was supposed to “fire the team up” and who was known for his hard-nosed approach of “winning is everything” attitude, that was obviously not as good a match as anticipated. He didn’t stay for long, although I suspect if he put the experience into perspective, he recognized why it didn’t work out.

Interestingly, about the time the Saints started having fairly reliable winning seasons, Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the city and the Saints temporarily went to Houston. This, too, had an emotional impact on the city and while there was criticism about pushing to get the Superdome repaired with all the other damage that people had suffered, there were imminently practical reasons to do so. The return of the Saints gave a boost economically and emotionally and it was 2009 (right at 4 years later) when the team stunned the city by not only making their first appearance at the Superbowl, but winning as the underdogs. “Who Dat?” became common lexicon and it is unlikely that the term “The Ain’ts” will be used again. However, they did not play well on the road this year and with last night’s defeat, their season is over for now. I don’t know yet who I will be rooting for, so I’ll have to see who’s left in the line-up.

 

The Person You Used To Be……

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Serious content alert, again.  No, it’s not that I am in any sort of “funk”, merely a case of timing with an individual who was going through some issues that bring certain things to mind. The movie, “The Legend of Bagger Vance” is a period piece starring Will Smith, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, and several great supporting cast members. The movie takes place in Depression-era Savannah and revolves around a special golf match that is engineered to bring joy and an economic boost to the people of Savannah. Will Smith plays the role of Bagger Vance, a mysterious man that appears and offers to caddy for Captain Junuh, a WWI veteran who has withdrawn due to the stress he endured during the war. Despite his doubts, he has been coaxed to play in the tournament by Adele, the woman who loved him and has never understood why he turned his back on everyone. The essence of the movie is whether or not Junuh can regain his life while also winning the tournament as the pride of Savannah.

There are some truly funny scenes as well as some poignant ones and in a moment when Bagger allows Junuh to vent his intense frustration, he then calmly explains that part of the problem is that Junuh was expecting somehow for his former self to emerge whole. “You aren’t that person anymore,” he says (more or less), “and you ain’t ever going to be again.” There are times in our lives when we experience something that is indeed life altering, something so profound that it changes us to a significant degree. For this individual that I know, it was dismissal from a job and the subsequent inability to find a job in the same field. Not surprisingly, that was emotionally traumatic and it has taken months for the individual to understand that. It is not an easy idea to come to grips with and as I provided as much of a shoulder as I could, that scene from the movie played in my head. I did not use the quotation exactly, although I tried to convey the concept of perhaps looking at a new direction for one’s life. In seeing the individual over the holidays, things seem to be better even though we didn’t have the opportunity to speak in much detail. There were hugs, kisses, and murmurs thanking me for the support I had provided and I hope that means the most difficult times have passed.

You’re Never Quite Prepared…..

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Serious Content Alert! As I have written in previous posts, I feel strongly that almost every Baby Boomer needs a copy of Your Room at the End: Thoughts About Aging We’d Rather Avoid for three reasons – to face our parents or other loved one’s aging, to face our own aging, and to think of those things that we must discuss with our adult children or younger individuals who are likely to be a part of our aging when the time comes that we can no longer live as independently as we would like to. No matter how rationally we try to approach this subject, if we are being truly honest with ourselves, we just don’t see that we’re going to become that infirmed old person who can’t manage. Somehow, someway, that isn’t going to happen to us and we are almost as reluctant to realize it is happening to our parent/parents. It usually manifests in a medical emergency first, although it might be an unsettling memory lapse or bout of extreme confusion. That call from the neighbor, the emergency room, or perhaps the individual sets your heart to racing and your brain into high gear. Once the immediate crisis is passed, you may still be able to hope that “all will return to normal” until the doctor gives you the real news. “Not yet,” is what most of us think, “it isn’t time yet for this. I/we haven’t made the arrangements that we need to.”

Now, there are lots of people who have done some preparation – have someone lined up for when they can no longer drive, have looked into alternate living options, or in-home care that might be available and affordable; all actions that can then be set into motion fairly quickly. Those are good things to do. What you probably aren’t prepared for is the emotional assault and the extraordinary amount of your time that is about to be consumed for what could be months or years. Even if there is cheerful agreement of moving into an independent or assisted living facility or having in-home care, someone will have to serve as an advocate for an incredible number of things and there are likely to be many, many trips to emergency rooms. The reason for that is because once someone enters into as assisted living category, the body and perhaps mind are already experiencing difficulties and those problems will increase. Also, the individuals charged with caring will almost always err on the side of caution, not wanting to be accused of negligence if a borderline situation worsens. The other time-consuming reality is that it is a major life adjustment and that usually causes at least some degree of emotional turmoil for everyone. There may well be a need for constant reassurance or a repetitive longing for the independence that has been lost. Unless you are in a special set of circumstances, these new tasks will be layered on top of obligations that you already have and finding a way to juggle them is not easy. It is important to understand that among the arrangements to be made is to have a “venting outlet” of some sort for everyone who is coping with this new stage of life. Frustration will set in and having the means to deal with it is incredibly important.

 

Another Baby Boomer’s Fun Career…..

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I am truly terrible about Christmas cards – I always have been and now with Facebook and email, I tend to fall back onto those instead of even sending out the handful that I used to. However, we have some folks that seem to forgive us for my lack of cards and send news of how they spent their year. In this case, there is another Baby Boomer who has managed to align their situation to where he can now have that “fun career” – for him, it is working part time in a bicycle shop. Naturally, this is serious cycling we’re talking about and not repairing the basic kids’ models. He also participated in some bike rides to include one for the Wounded Warrior program and did other volunteer work. What an uplifting letter it was and how great to see someone else able to pursue a dream.

When I look at the choices we’ve made and I hear news like this, I think of one of the ads for an investment firm where the guy on the ad was talking about a financial planner who was asking if maybe he had a dream of owning a vineyard. “A vineyard?”, the guy was musing, “was he serious? No, I’m not expecting to own a vineyard. I just want someone who will listen to me about real plans.” Yes, I paraphrased a bit, but that was the essence of the ad. Again, we can all have that “Lotto List” of things like owning a vineyard, but more often than not, our real expectations will be aimed instead at something like the ability to work at a job that would not otherwise provide adequate income for all of one’s needs. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to do that and I’m always happy to discuss this with anyone who has questions about how to make it happen.