Of Starting 2015 with......a cold....~~~~~

Hello Darklings,

Well 2015 has started with a whimper for me, I was fine until Sunday.

New Year's Day Dinner was lovely, and really easy to do.  Ham with heated crush pineapple sauce for the gravy for the Ham, and sweet potatoes that first have been boiled then their skins peeled then bakes  with melted dabs of real butter on top, string beans, also jelly cranberry sauce who prefer it over the pineapple, asparagus,  and any other vegetable that's in season.  I have also used heated sweetened applesauce as well as a type of sauce for the ham as well.

Some people like to get that Honey Bake ham and personally I see no sense in buying that when a Dubuque Ham works just as well.

Once you get the ham free of it's container rinse it with warm water thoroughly, that removes the salty gelatin off of it.   Many people make the mistake of heating or baking the ham with that gelatin and that makes it very salty, a warm water rinse takes care of that.

Then do deep cut's across the top of the ham then pin with toothpicks canned pineapple rings on top (save the juice), then put as much brown sugar as you can on the top, followed by pouring the pineapple juice, then bake for a long as it takes for the size ham you have.   And serve with Sweet Hawaiian roles, years ago Mom knew a lady who would make this Portuguese Sweet bread, into rolls and she would buy a lot of them from her for our New Years Holiday dinner, now King's Hawaiian makes the same type of rolls.

The first time I tried it I said "Ha!! Portuguese Sweet Bread!"  The dear lady gave me a copy of her recipe before she passed away, and I have made it from time to time.

Monica and Coralline helped with the clean up and while the pies were baking and coffee perking we relaxed and chatted, my brother having recorded the Rose Bowl game for the boys to watch the next day.  But he didn't want the game to intrude in this family holiday.  Their New Year's eve was quiet, but someone had set off some firecrackers just down their block.

They were excited about moving into their new "old" house, starting on Monday but Coralline said that she was bit disappointed about having to instead go to school and not being able to stay in the house the first week.  I told her she would have plenty of time to get settled into her new home.

On Sunday Monica called me and asked if I care to go and see the house as the elderly lady was going to be leaving that very day.

We both met the lady and her son as she gave the keys to the house to Monica, her bedroom suite was already packed into the moving van, and all of her personal things and those items the son wanted to keep including family portraits.

She told Monica for her and my brother to take good care of the house, it served her family for many years, lots of joy as well as sadness but she admitted after her husband died the house became empty for her, it needed children and grandchildren again to come alive and she had no regrets leaving it, it was time.  Monica promised to help preserve the historical integrity of the house as long as she and my brother lived in it.

Then the elderly lady was whisked away by her son, but I thought I saw tears on her cheeks as she sat in her sons car taking one last look at this house that she had lived in for over 60 years that had been in her husbands family for nearly 130 years.  I felt sad for her, I could understand her feelings.

But as I looked at Monica I could see pride and joy at the prospect of this house.  So I was given a tour and it had much the same features as mine but not as large, nor a full 3 floor, only two floors, but oh yes a room for Coralline, and one for Chris, a Master Bedroom that was empty of furniture and a good size room towards the back for the twins,  I noticed that in the other rooms there was wall paper but not in the room for the twins.  Monica told me that the lady said it was originally the nursery and the wall were always painted white and no wall paper because children draw on the walls. 

Ohhhh I thought, that made sense, and the nursery was a bit large because the baby nurse or nanny would sleep in an alcove in the nursery to be close to the baby(s). 

One thing I noticed on the 2nd floor was a door at the end of the hall that lead to a metal balcony and metal stairs.  Monica told me that the great grandfather had that installed and it has been refurbished several times because many years ago the great grandfather received a letter from a friend who lost his two children because they and the nanny could not get out of the house because the main stairs was on fire and they were trapped and died.  So he decided to have that escape staircase installed.  It never had to be used.  Monica said in a way she felt safer knowing it was there.

But most of the furniture was left in the house as well as some nick-knacks that seemed just right.  

I saw the basement, the washer and dryer were very old, and there was space to line dry things as well.   But I saw the section that was going to be the man cave and it already looked somewhat finished even with a fireplace---I was told that the ladies of the house insisted that the men smoked their cigars and pipes down her and you could smell the scent of the smoke, Monica said she was going to see if there was a way to remove most of the smell, the carpet and curtains seemed to have trapped a lot of it as well, so as Monica said "Bye, Bye"  and would find a carpet that came close to looks to the old one.

I began to feel tired and Monica said I looked flushed, so I came home fell asleep only to wake up to a Lovely cold.  A honking, hacking, nasal dripping, mucus rendering cold.   I'm in my 3rd day of it Brian had to meet Doyle at the Airport for me so Doyle is going to help nursemaid me.

And now he's here saying I need to lie down on the couch or go back to bed, I think I'll just lie down on the couch, I managed to record "Agent Carter" and "Forever" last night and I want to see it.

I love shows that have a retro theme to it and "Agent Carter" is right up there.

Besides I have to get well for the "Film Noir Festival" in the City.

Later Darklings.