Weekend in Connecticut

Anna and I decided to take a couple of days and visit my brother Leo down in Old Lyme, CT, before all his empty bedrooms fill up with homeless relatives. (No, you'll have to ask HIM about that.) He and I get together a couple of times a year to yak and catch up on old memories. As soon as Anna and I arrived, Anna wanted to know where Leo's fabulous cookies were! Leo laughed and told her he was all out, and that she'd have to make them herself. Out came the flour, sugar, chocolate chips, etc, etc, that were needed to make these wonderful caloric bombs. While they cooked, I flopped on the sofa with a good book. (I'm not stupid. :-)) In a short time 5 dozen gorgeous cookies emerged from that overworked oven and filled the house with an incredible aroma.

Leo and I spent the evening looking at some ancient photos and talking about our dear ones who've gone on before. Anna was bored brainless, but, hey, I spent hours being bored when I was 16. It's my turn to be the grown-up! Let's hear it for being an adult!! Yea!!

The following morning we went to a small art museum located right in downtown Old Lyme (stop giggling!) It was the Florence Griswold Art Museum and labeled itself the "home of American Impressionism". Miss Florence Griswold was a middle-aged maiden lady whose father, a sea captain, had left her penniless and loaded with debt. He also left her a huge federal style house on Lyme Street. Miss Griswold took in boarders in the summer to keep body and soul together. One of her summertime guests was an artist from New York City. He was so taken with Miss Griswold, her house, and the surrounding Old Lyme countryside that he persuade several of his artist friends to board there also. They founded an art colony of American impressionist painters that lasted for decades. The artists even had contests that involved painting the inside of the house! A new museum was built behind the old house in 2002 and has three large rooms filled with breathtakingly lovely impressionist art. The house is also part of the museum, decorated as it was around 1915. There are even more paintings in the house, not to mention the walls and door panels that had been decorated by the artists themselves. Who could imagine such a place in Old Lyme? Who knew??

BTW, poor Miss Griswold died in 1939, a penniless bankrupt whose house and belongings were sold to cover the money she owed.

Anna and I headed back to New Hampshire that afternoon, trying to beat the weather and the rush hour traffic. We'd had a wonderful time with my "much older big brother" (he's going to kill me for that. . .) I hope we get to see him again before next Thanksgiving.

It's been an interesting few months. . .

Well, it sure has been an interesting time to live in my house. In late November, my 16 year old granddaughter decided she would rather live with Jack and me that with her mom. After much brou-ha-ha, Anna will move in with us January 20. Jack & I will be her legal guardians and we will have a teenager in the house once again.

On December 11, I had plastic surgery to reduce the size of my upper arms. I had a gastric bypass two years ago to get my weight and especially my diabetes, in control. I lost about 80 pounds and no longer require insulin injections. However the excess skin on my arms was intolerable and I decided to have it "whacked". I didn't think it would be too awful, having been told by an acquaintance that it hadn't bothered her very much at all. Hah. Thank God my husband was here, 'cause I would have to have gone to a nursing home for care. Ace wraps on both arms, and all around my chest. I have at least 18 inch incisions on each arm which are still sore and stiff. I have sutures still working through my skin that don't want to be pulled out. Shudder. . . Hopefully I will be able to get back to work on Feb. 1st. I'm broke!

Of course Christmas came right along on time. I was smart, tho, and had the tree up, the shopping completed and all the packages wrapped and mailed before the surgery. Just as well since I was not my old self so soon after the Mass General experience. Needless to say, my daughter is not speaking to me any longer, my son is in Tampa, my parents are both gone to Glory, so there was only me, Jack and Anna for the Christmas festivities. It was kind of lonesome.

Jack's mother had her 90th birthday on January 7, so we flew down to Virginia to help her celebrate this great occasion. We stayed at Jack's sister's house in Oakton, VA which is easily the size of an elementary school. We spent three days there and then back home. You know, we flew on jetBlue and I was mightily impressed. They left right on the dot, arrived early and then repeated it all over again on the way home. There's lots of leg room, great TV and music, and you get to have more than one package of snacks if you want!

Anyway, now I just have to deal with another surgeon's appt., moving Anna, the court hearing re legal guardianship, and finally my job. If you look in the dictionary under the word "stress", you will find my photograph.

Photos are of my preoperative state, the view from the upstairs landing at my sis-in-law's house, and our little fiberoptic Christmas tree. Oh yes, also a photo of our deck on December 21. The huge white lump is the gas grill. You bring the hot dogs and we'll provide the ice. Sigh. . .
(Pictures will be posted as soon as blogger gets its act together. . )