Happy New Year

Another year has come and gone. Happy New Year t you all.

Welcome 2013

Well, the Holidays have come and gone. Christmas is a week behind us and Mona and I enjoyed the Holiday with various members of our families.

We brought in the New Year Monday night by going out for a few drinks and Dinner within a couple miles of the house so we didn’t go way out this year. We were home prior to 8:00 and watched TV together until Mona decided to go to bed since she has come down with a dandy cold.

Ironically, and purely by accident when I decided to go to bed and walked into the bedroom the chime on the clock in the dining room started to announce the arrival of  the New Year. Naturally I had to wake Mona up and wish her a New Year.

Here is wishing You and your Family a very Happy and Prosperous New year!

(Click on photo of our Tree this year to enlarge)

Christmas Eve 2011

Corey, Tracy and Miranda came up for Christmas Supper and the exchange of gifts at our house on Christmas Eve again this year. Since John normally has the camera in his hands he took some pictures for our photo albums. He had the tripod ready but forgot to get a shot of the entire group at once. (Maybe next time?)

 

 

Christmas Day

Getting ready to visit the family by my Mother’s house.

Happy Holidays.

Merry Christmas

We celebrated the Neverman Christmas yesterday by Mona’s Sister in Manitowoc. We had a good time. Mona got her quick fix of the Monopoly Card Game.

Photos to Follow when I get a little time.

Happy Easter!!!

Mona, Tracy and Miranda color Easter Eggs on Good Friday.

Lots of “Deviled Eggs” comin’ up

Miranda gets an ear full from Santa

Miranda got to meet Santa up close and personal at our house on this Christmas Eve however it was too late for her to plead her case for more gifts this year.

Doesn’t Santa look a lot like Mona?

Christmas Eve Night at John and Mona’s

Christmas Eve 2010 brought Corey, Tracy and Miranda to our house for Supper and then the opening of gifts. It was also a good time to pull out the camera and catch a few of those “Kodak Moments” for the future.

Happy New Year’s to All!

Here’s wishing you all a Happy and Safe 2011.

CHRISTMAS AT ARLINGTON CEMETERY

Rest easy, sleep well my brothers.
Know the line has held, your job is done.
Rest easy, sleep well.
Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held.
Peace, peace, and farewell...

Readers may be interested to know that these wreaths -- some 5,000 -- are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine. The owner, Merrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He's done this since 1992. A wonderful guy. Also, most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with this event to help out. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is in one the poorest parts of the state.

Memorial Day 2010

Our families have many ties to war and distruction down through the decades. Be sure to take a few moments this Memorial Day to remember those who have fought the battles and sacrificed their lives and limbs so that we may remain free. It's just not all about having an extra day off from work to grill some burgers and brats or to get an extra day at the cabin. Take a few moments to reflect.

Our Christmas with John's Relatives - 2010

It started out with Christmas Cookies at our house. Mona, Tracy, and Miranda put the finishing touches on dozens of sugar cookies while John watched. Then it went from Christmas Eve to "Tree Hopping" and more.

Mona took the Aluminum Tree from my Grandmother down earlier this week and is in the process of taking the real tree in the activity room down as I post these photos. There are probably a couple hundred more in the camera so I guess I'll get started downloading them.

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Holiday Season.

Our Christmas with Mona's Relatives - 2010

The Holiday Season for 2009-2010 has come and gone so quickly. Below are a few of the photos taken while visiting with Mona's side of the family.

Hope you enjoy it.

Spicy Chicken Wings for the Day After New Year's 2010

1 pkt (1.25 Oz.) Ortega Hot and Spicy Taco Seasoning

3 Tblsp Canola Oil

2 Tblsp Red Wine Vinegar

4 Tsp Tabasco Sauce (originally 2 tsp. if you want to start out slow - divided)

4 Pounds Chicken Wings w/ tips snipped off

1 Cup Ranch Dressing

Celery Sticks

In a one gallon zip lock bag combine Wings, Taco Seasoning, Canola Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, and 3 Teaspoons Tabasco Sauce. Seal bag and then work bag until all wings are evenly covered with mixture. We like to place them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to marinade but the original recipe didn't call for that.

In small bowl combine Ranch Dressing and 1 remaining teaspoon Tabasco sauce and set aside.

Preheat grill and grill Wings for about 10-15 minutes total on medium heat, turning occasionally to avoid burning.

Serve with your pre-made Ranch Dressing and Celery Sticks.

One time we added an additional ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper and ¼ tsp of hot chili pepper which gave it a little more zip. The more we make them, the more we like to experiment.

The guests we had over for this batch thought they were hot but I guess it's what you're accustomed to. The recipe started out with a total of two teaspoons Tabasco Sauce divided and we've doubled it so far. Mona and I will probably crank er up another notch when we make it next time.

This recipe originally came from Sandra Lee on The Food Network but we started to modify it a little with the ingredients we wanted each time we make it.

By the way - this picture was taken outside when the wind chill factor was 10 to 15 below zero.

Click on photo to enlarge.

How About Some Brats in Beer?

It's New Year's Day and what better time for some Brats and Beer?

First we cooked the Brats on the grill and put them in a small Nesco. 2-3 cans of beer, some onion slices and about 2 tablespoons of butter. That way you can keep them hot and serve them when the guests arrive.

Happy New Year!

Last post for 2009...

It's a few minutes before we pass into the second decade of this century. Mona and I went out tonight to celebrate the new year. We started out with "Double Bubble" at the Washington Inn in Cecil at about quarter to five. Dinner reservations were for 6:30 (I have to add the food was great!) and we were probably home by 9:00 o'clock or so.

I just woke up on the couch with the TV still playing and I see Mona must have gone to bed. I just figured I'd say: "Happy New Year!" (Darn... missed Dick Clark again!)

Brew says: Merry Christmas

Brewster (the 65 pound lap dog) says MERRY CHRISTMAS everybody.

He's pictured here helping Mona decorate the Christmas Tree this year.

Brew doesn't help much, but he likes to supervise.

Mona Gets into the Christmas Spirit

Right around Thanksgiving or so Mona started getting into the Christmas Spirit slow but sure. Here she is finishing up with some of the ornaments on the tree this year. All that's needed to complete the job is the tinsel yet.

Note the Stockings hanging on the fireplace. They're still empty. St. Nick must have passed us by this year.

What's up with that?

Summer's Around the Corner... they say

It's been a long haul, but it appears (at least when you look at the calendar) that summer's just around the corner. This is a first for us since owning the land here where we are now that the garden is all in except for a few Watermelon plants we're looking for and a few more cabbage plants. The rest is in the ground. One year the garden was so wet that we didn't get it in until the 4th of July.

The last week has been like stuffing 8 hours of work a day into a 3 hour time span each day trying to get ready to go up north to the Hayward area for a week. I've been assured by Diane at the Chippewa Pines that I do not need to take my Ice Auger along to drill holes in the ice to fish, however, the fishing is about 2 weeks behind what it normally is when we go up there.

Keep tuned and if we're lucky we'll get some stuff up here relating to one of our most important weeks of the year if you care to share.

Happy Memorial Day and don't forget the meaning behind the Holiday - It's not all about grilling out with the family and friends and having a few drinks.

Season's Greetings!

Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year to you all.