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Though we have the occasional opossum in our backyard nibbling at fallen bird seed, I’ve never given them much consideration as a pet….
Until now.
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Damn you Facebook for having an opossum lovers page and making me want to adopt one.
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Now I want to give an opossum a bath…
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And dress him for the holidays.
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I even want to put one in a box.
And give him a manicure.
❤️
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Am I the only one who was unaware what happens to unclaimed luggage?
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Good question… and one I honestly never gave much thought. But if the airlines can’t reunite you with your lost bags?
Read on…
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Whaaaat!
A veritable lost luggage Goodwill?
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Omg.
This is almost enough to make me want to move back down south.
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And while it ticks me off to think how many millions the airlines are making from what’s basically their incompetence…
I admit I really do want to shop there!
🥴
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Because sometimes recipes make me cry.
Every Thanksgiving I’m asked to bring this dessert, a cappuccino mousse trifle. It’s easy to make and sits well overnight so I can make it ahead of time and not rush the morning of.
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The reason it chokes me up?
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It’s written in my mother’s hand, one of the few examples of her script I have. Yes, it’s old and stained … but to me, it’s precious.
As are the memories of her helping me make it.
If you want to follow along it goes something like this…
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Cube a pound cake.
I like to slice off the top so the coffee absorbs more fully.
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If you have a trifle bowl do three layers, if not… do two like this one. I use Starbucks medium roast instant coffee as it’s much smoother than Folgers.
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Soaked cubes, then coffee mousse layer sprinkled with chocolate. Be sure to use whole milk, not lower fat versions.
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Top with Cool Whip and cinnamon.
I don’t pipe rosettes but feel free to dress it up if you’re an over achiever.
As I said, I make this the afternoon before and find the flavor is deeper the next day.
Enjoy.
😊
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I’m running out of reasons, just do it.
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I used to adore Christmas and everything about it. I decorated everything that stood still, cooked huge meals, bought carloads of gifts and wrote so many cards my fingers cramped.
Over the years our celebrations have gotten smaller and quieter. No more big get togethers, less decorating, no rampant overspending. And that’s fine.
I’ve gotten to the age where very little of it matters anymore and though at times I miss the fun… more often than not the holiday itself makes me sad, missing those no longer with us. Five of our yearly family guests are gone now, we lost two just this summer. Death is a part of life, yes. But it makes for a very empty table.
Okay, that was depressing .… back to the question.
Favorite traditions:
When I was a child …
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A wee bit older than that, it was spending the day in NYC with my father. Every year he took me to his office where all the partners gave me little gifts. We ate lunch at the Bankers Club at 120 Broadway where he snuck me into the gentlemen only grill room. Even my mother hadn’t been there. The Rockefeller Center ice rink, Fifth Avenue shop windows, FAO Schwartz, the glorious tree. New York is a magical place for a child that time of year and I have lovely memories.
Years later when I married my husband? Hunting for and cutting down a tree. It has to be full, fat and perfect, as well as too big for the living room.
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Snuggling on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate watching It’s A Wonderful Life. It’s not Christmas without Jimmy Stewart.
Driving around town on Xmas Eve looking at lights and eating Chinese food … because I need a break from the kitchen and it’s always the only thing open.
How about you?
What’s your favorite Christmas tradition…
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Every Thanksgiving I’m asked to bring my Crab Toasties appetizer. And since I rarely make them at home because my husband doesn’t like crabmeat… I’m happy to oblige.
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It’s a treat that takes a good chunk of 💰 seeing that fresh crabmeat is currently $30 a pound and I doubled the batch and needed two pounds, but holidays are made for splurging.
Use fresh crabmeat… do not, I repeat DO NOT! use canned… here’s the recipe.
It’s quick, easy to make and oh so yummy.
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** Crab Toasties **
1 pound cooked crabmeat
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 package Thomas English muffins
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Mix first 5 ingredients together
Quarter English muffins and arrange on cookie sheet.
Spread crab mixture on muffins heavily, sprinkle with paprika and parsley flakes if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
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Easy peasy, nice and cheesy.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper for quick clean up.
👍
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I bought a bottle of Pantene shampoo a while back. And after only a week in the shower… I reached down, pumped and got nothing but air.
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Seeing that my husband has very little hair left, I thought it odd the bottle had emptied so quickly.
Which is when I unscrewed the top.
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Really?
Mystery solved why no shampoo was forthcoming, but come on.
A little quality control goes a long way.
🥴
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One of the few restaurants that rarely disappoints.
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Dead fish greeters.
What’s not to love?
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Their seasonal sangria is to die for.
PUMPKIN PATCH SANGRIA
white wine, vanilla vodka, chai latte,
cinnamon sticks, white cranberry juice,
topped with Downeast pumpkin cider
Mmm, mmm good.
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A tasty calamari appetizer with zucchini, onions and peppers with pepperoncini aioli for nibbles.
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For dinner we both had the same thing because it’s fabulous.
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PAN SEARED PANKO HADDOCK
almond compound buttered green beans,
confit garlic & parmigiano mashed potatoes,
crispy leeks, charred scallion aioli
If you’re in the neighborhood be sure to drop by.
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It’s that time of year.
Time for every social media site you visit to bombard you with Christmas gift ideas.
Don’t know what to get grumpy Uncle Ulrich? We have just the thing.
Have a hard to please MIL? No problem.
Of course with my weirdo algorithms you know the suggestions are going to be a little…. off.
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Do I need 3 bottles of anal gland spray to feel joy?
I most definitely do not.
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Will my friends and family cheerfully cherish fuzzy cat testicles clipped to their dashboard?
A few weirdos might, but in general?
No.
🤣
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This is our living room.
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And as much as I shudder at the idea of another potential disaster, replacing this floor is the next project on my list.
The carpet is old and was put in by the previous owner in 2002.
It’s time.
We’ll be replacing the carpet in our bedrooms, but for the living/dining room and main hall we’re thinking luxury vinyl plank.
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Since I refuse to replace every baseboard, door and piece of window trim as well as the built in bookcases and fireplace mantle …. I’ll need to stay in that honey tone of wood.
Question is – do I go light?
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Or dark?
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I love online stores who have this app. Visuals are everything when choosing floors.
Our contractor says he might be able to install the floor in late December so I need to start shopping seriously now.
Armed with a broken piece of trim, my girlfriend and I hit a few floor retailers.
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Too grey.
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Too brown.
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The frustrating part? I came home with three samples that all looked different at home than they did in the store. Heck, they look different from room to room.
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Nope.
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Ugh. Even worse.
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This has the same hue, though it’s more rustic than I wanted. Pulling it up on the app, it looked muted.
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Though in this picture the color striations are more pronounced.
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I like the color…
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But I’m wondering if it’s too busy a pattern?
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My husband goes to breakfast with “ the boys” every Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning. Three different restaurants, three different groups of “boys”. I don’t join him because they’re standing tall at the doors when the places open at 5:30am. That, and the fact they love to argue politics before the sun comes up is more than enough to keep me away.
The waitresses at all three restaurants know them, enjoy their business and treat them like family.
This is evidenced by one of the server’s response when a certain sarcastic fellow was giving her a hard time.
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No, it wasn’t my husband.
But he did take the picture of these anatomically correct eggs I’m sharing with you now.
Waitresses.
Ya gotta love ‘em.
🤣
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River's world..... 