Washington, DC

I have never been fond of Washington, DC.  The roads are confusing, and the traffic is normally horrible.  Well today I got even 'less fond' of Washington, DC.  The story starts back in early October when I was traveling with two of my grandchildren to Boston.  As we approached DC my grandson and I were working on math and spelling.  I was paying very close attention to the road, but not the road signs and I missed the turn to the 495 beltway.  This mistake took us on 395 which goes very close to the center of DC.  We laughed and said it was an educational detour since we got to see the Pentagon, the Washington Monument and a distant view of the White House.  I pulled over and got out the GPS, which I was not using since I have made this drive 2-5 times a year for the past 11 years.  I used the GPS to guide us through DC and back to the 495 beltway and we did not even lose much time.  I was on the SE Freeway for part of this ride, it was not heavy traffic and I was moving with the flow of traffic at 55 mph.  I try to never speed, especially when the children are with me.

So today I go to my mailbox and among my mail is a legal size white envelope with bulk first class mail and the word POLICE in the upper left corner.  Normally I just run this type of mail through the shredder, but for some reason I decided to open this envelope, and it was probably a very good thing that I did!!

Inside this envelope was a speeding ticket for going 55 in a 40 mph zone.  There was a picture of my truck following about 10-12 car lengths behind another car in the left hand lane of this freeway.  There was a second picture of my license plate.  I swear I never saw a 40 mph sign on that freeway, it was Saturday morning and there was no construction being done either.  So I officially 'really dislike' DC! 

So $50 of my Christmas money will now go to our Nations Capital....ARGH!  I am not a happy camper. 

The next envelope I open is my annual health benefits enrollment.  Well, that just made my day!  My benefits have again gone up and this year it was not $15 or $30 dollars it was a whopping $53 bucks a month.  In 2005 my retiree benefits were $126 a month, they are now $270.  If I am not mistaken that is more than a 100% increase in 5 years. 

Well that is my tale of woe for today.  Hope the moon moves to another spot, I am tired of bad news! 

Flea Markets - one of my favorite things to do

I have always loved a good flea market!  For several years I have been complaining that I need to clean out the attic, the room over the garage, and get some of the 'stuff' out of my house.  About six weeks ago this flea market opened near where I live, so I finally took the leap and rented a booth (which are 12x14) and moved my stuff in this past Friday evening.

So here is my first attempt at being a vendor at the Flea Market.  It was a slow week-end since the State Fair is in town, but I made enough to cover the booth rental and make a few bucks for myself.  I am looking forward to next week-end since I have more stuff to move into the booth, to replace the stuff I sold.  The building is not full yet, but will be soon I am sure.  The vendor on my left sells paintings and prints, and the vendor to my right has literally hundreds of book, lots of antique glass and sodas and candy.

It was a long two days for me since I am not used to standing on concrete floors all day.  I am tired, but I am sure I will adjust.  I will also start selling the purses I make, and possibly little girls dresses.  Hoping that the upcoming holidays will bring lots of shoppers. 

Hope you all had a great week-end. 

The Weather Outside is Frightful, oops that should be Delightful

We have had several days of absolutely beautiful weather and after the cold from last week, it was sooo welcome.  I managed to get my lawn mowed, which is my least favorite thing to do.  Hopefully this warn spell will not cause it to grow to fast.  This time of year I always think (when I am mowing), this might be the last time I have to do this until Spring!!

My favorite thing this time of year is when the local markets get Cranberries.  I love Cranberries!!  I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes with you. 

Cranberry Streusel Pie - The season's bright berry meets walnuts and cinnamon

1 - piecrust (homemade or store bought)
2 cups fresh cranberries (you can use frozen, but I like fresh better)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Put your crust into a 9-inch pieplate, fold edges, and crimp
Stir together cranberries and next 4 ingredients, and spoon into the piecrust
Whisk together egg and remaining ingredients, and pour over cranberry mixture
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and bake 30 minutes

I love this pie with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream.  Enjoy! 

Back from Vacation......Thank Goodness!!!

I had forgotten when you travel with children (in my case grandchildren) it takes longer to get where you are going. It took 16 hours of driving to get from my home to our first destination on Cape Cod. Thankfully both children travel well, and it was not a bad drive, just took a long time when you factor in stopping for meals, gas fillups, potty breaks, etc.

We went to the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory in Hyannis to see how potato chips are made, and of course to visit the gift shop where we bought a big bag of Vinegar and Salt chips. We also went to the beach to play in the sand (and write names in the sand). The weather was cool but nice.


Then is was on to Boston where we found lots of parks, went apple picking and spent time with the new cousin (who is now 3 month old and as cute as a button). The week went by very fast and on Monday we drove home. The trip home was much faster since we left from Boston. It only took us 12 hours to get home. There is something to be said for traveling on Columbus Day, no commuting traffic jams in the major cities. We ran into some light rain, but nothing that slowed us down much. I spent Tuesday in my jammies trying to catch up on laundry, emails, paying bills, etc. Hope you all had a great week too!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Last night I attended my 10 year old granddaughter's softball game. I have been to 99% of her ball games over the last couple of years, but last night was the most exciting. It was cold, there were millions of bugs, and we were on the edge of our seats. For the first time at the end of the game the teams were tied and had to play an extra inning!!! The other team was up first and did not even get on base, three batters, three outs.

Then our team was up, First batter struck out! Second batter got a base hit, third batter got a great hit and due to an error (overthrow) by the other team the person on base got all the way to home and it was all over! The girls were so excited, as were all the parents and other spectators. It is too bad the season is over as these girls are just now learning to play as a team. Well, there is always next spring. Oh, and my granddaughter was playing third base. She has rotated between catcher, first base and third base. I love watching her play, she is a good sport and always does her best.

Oh and did I tell you it was cold and there were millions of bugs.

Movin On Down The Road

It has been almost a week since I posted. Not much happened this week, just the same old laundry, lawn mowing, etc. However, this next week should be more exciting. I am taking grandchildren #2 and #3 on vacation. They both attend year-round school and tracked out for their 3 week break on September 29th. So we are off to Cape Cod and Boston to have some fun. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for our bike riding, beach walking, Nerf Gun backyard battles, grilling our food and just enjoying the fall weather.

Thankfully they both love to travel since it takes many hours to get to our destination. They make me laugh with their questions and comments. They love to eat at Cracker Barrel, so I am sure that we will go there at least once on the driving part of the trip.

I hope you all have a great week-end. I will be posting more about the trip in the middle of next week. Possibly with some pictures for your enjoyment.