The Record Keeper

Keeper of Records -Me

The Franklin Recliner Chair was purchased on March 1, 1991 at Montgomery Ward in Johnson City, NY. It cost $799.99 and I purchased it on sale for $399.00 plus tax. My final cost was $417.29.  That makes it to be over 22 years old! It also makes the cost of having this quality chair has been $18.97 a year! About $.052 a day!!  Works fine. Lesson here is that you get what you pay for.

Other examples:

The Kenmore gas grill that is used at least twice a week - every week - was purchased at Sears on July 2, 1984 for $258.00 plus tax. Yes! it is almost 30 years old! Sits out on the porch, day in, day out. Works fine.

The GE Microwave oven was a gift from my husband and some of our kids as my 1985 Christmas present. I never even wanted one of these. I love it and it is used several times a day every day! I have no idea of its cost, but we had to replace the oven bulb a couple of years ago and that little sucker cost $23.80 s/h incl. My point here is that I had kept the model number, serial number and instruction manual all these years - 27 years, in fact.

The JVC 27" TV was purchased on December 7, 1999 at Circuit Stores in Vestal, NY. $399.99 incl. tax. It's over 13 years old. Works fine. Its capability for today's faster electronic changes is lacking now. 

The Shopper

My husband is frustrated with our old large TV because he can't read the football downs and scores on some of the channels. They are posted on the far upper left side of the screen and we don't have a wide screen TV! He has a cable box hooked up already so he can see the Speed channel for his auto races. That had to be done when there were some of them being run on an channel that isn't in our cable plan. He didn't want to upgrade to a better channel selection just for that one channel due to increased costs. A digital box was installed a couple of years ago.

I think by now you're getting my point - he watches a lot of TV in the wintertime. Every time we go to Walmart, a 60 mile round trip, for grocery items that we can't get here, he heads to the back of the store to check out TVs. The last time we went he came home and said he found the one he wants. He then told me he was determined to have it and will put it on the credit card! That is supposed to be used only for emergencies. Oh well, I gave in. After all, I have my computer to keep me busy and he only has an old TV. 

The very next day, he left early heading to Walmart. He really must have had itchy britches, you think?  He returned several hours later with a large, but not heavy box. Or so he said. It reminded me of this quotation "He's not heavy, he's my brother." 

It took about 3 more hours for him to set it up. The stand stood empty because the first thing he did was to put the older TV in the middle of the living area floor. When I asked where he would move it to later, he said nothing. All the input/output wires from the cable box, CD player and VCR were attached and it functioned perfectly after being programmed.  He loved his new TV. The only thing yet to do was to attach his remote wireless headset. Oops! No output port ANYWHERE!

Nadda! Nuttin! NO WAY! He cannot use his wireless headphones and charging cradle with his new TV.

You see, he is VERY hard of hearing. His hearing aids pick up too much of surrounding noises and annoy him to the point of taking them out. The next thing he did was call for customer support. The answer was that he needs a TV that has an audio output port. DUH! 

Next day.........New TV all repacked to perfection, loaded in truck and a trip back to Walmart.

The only ones they have with the necessary hole are too large, too expensive, or not in stock.

After returning home, he completely reset up his old TV, and today is sitting comfortably in his lounge chair, headset on head, watching football. A credit IN FULL (no re-packing charges) has been applied to his card and I'm sure, this will all start over very soon.  

He has been one very busy, very frustrated fellow. 

Pecandy Pie

No, I didn't spell incorrectly - 

It IS CANDY PIE!

If I could give you a piece

you would surely agree.

I put the old pot again into service.

This pie is made by using another OLD OLD recipe that came to me from a friend of a friend, of a friend. 

It's a bit labor intensive now for me - I never used to think so - but well worth the work! I used to make my own crust, but now a frozen one from the store works - not excellent, but OK  and not as messy.

I even drool just thinking about it sitting on the counter even though I've already had a piece, just one tiny one to see if it came out all right; it always does. Here's the recipe in case you'd like to make your own. I love how the pecans just float right up to the top when it's baking. 

Pecan Pie

1 3/4 Cup light brown sugar (packed) or dark OK

1/4 Cup dark Caro syrup

1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) BUTTER

Bring above ingredients to a rolling boil. DON'T over boil.

Pour INTO 3 beaten eggs. Stir.

Add 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (not imitation)

Add 1 Cup chopped pecans (I GRIND them)

Add pinch of salt. Stir.

Bake in pie shell 3/4 hour at 375˚

Hint: wash your pot and other utensils right away - it sticks like glue if you leave them unwashed for very long.                                                                                               

I grind the pecans very fine now so they don't get stuck in our teeth. Funny how we adjust as we age.

Winterscape

A necessary roadtrip to another town to buy groceries, is taken about every three weeks and I never bring the camera. The main reason is that there is no pull-off to take photos when I see something special because the narrow roadway is usually fairly busy with trucks and other assorted farm and business vehicles. It's dangerous to slow down or stop. Determined to photograph SOMETHING, the camera came along yesterday and I got a break on one section and snapped a few just to give you an idea of the beautiful Pennsylvania landscape in the country wintertime.

Click photos for larger, clearer views.

It reminded me that even though we don't ice skate, sled, ski, snowmobile, ice fish or play in physical winter activities any more, we can still enjoy the beauty of our winter months as the days go by.

View from my Bed

This morning I opened my eyes and this is what I saw! I know it is time for the knockdown of these. 

Who gets in bed with their camera? I do. Up I got, back I went, to save my last early morning views.

If you notice, these are taken through the inside window and the outside screen. We don't have a real storm window for this room, but the screen in its frame is covered in plastic. There! Whatever works - works!  I sure wished the sun had been shining, but it wasn't granted.

Click photo to see larger view.

Now they are all knocked down and will be kept that way. Next year I'll enjoy some new ones.

To Market, To Market,

Well today, after traveling about 30 miles one way, we traipsed around Binghamton and Vestal and then had lunch at Applebee's. I had absolutely no printer paper and not even one file folder left after doing my year-end home office work and I didn't even have any manila envelopes or file folders left.  The Office Max store that I used to go to disappeared. I couldn't find any acceptable items in Target or Walmart. Finally, we found a Staples and they had everything I needed and I MEAN NEEDED! Mission complete. I even found red ball point pens that were not gel or marker. They were hard to find! Now I have a dozen! Need a red ball point pen? I also purchased a nice small gooseneck lamp so I can read paperwork by the keyboard. I tossed out the last one a few months back when it pooped the bed and have been doing without it. Wow! What a difference good lighting makes. I had forgotten. 

Tomorrow will be a reorganization and cleanout of my desk and files. That's a project I look forward to. Organization is my middle name. 

On the way there and return, I saw numerous homes with larger and more beautiful icicles than we have and could have kicked myself for not bringing my camera. I almost never take it with us because I don't want it stolen or broken. It's not valuable, but it's all I have! Oh well, maybe we'll go to market again sometime soon.

A New Year Starts...

Well, methinks the snow is here to stay! The ice as well, and has become solid and dense. Let the fun begin.....

Before we have to knock down the icicles, I ventured out this morning to capture their beauty. Pretty, eh?

Wordless Wednesday View

Click on photo to enlarge

To see more Wordless Wednesday photos:

http://wordlesswednesdayagain.blogspot.com/

Camera Critters #5 Bella

My friends from far away have a new puppy and sent this photo. Wish I could pet her. 

Go here for more camera critters:

http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/

Wordless Wednesday - Lexi

To see more Wordless Wednesday photos, go here:

http://wordlesswednesdayagain.blogspot.com/

Camera Critters #4 Cluck Cluck, Woof!

My daughter tends to her neighbor's poultry when needed. She is very good with all animals and they love her back. 

Even Lexi, who is being a naughty girl and looking at her Santa gifts before she should!

Go here for more Camera Critters

De Ice Has Returned - Day 14

It started to form on November 28.

It continued forming on November 29.

It had all melted by December 6.

Today, December 14,  it has re-formed.

We shall watch its progression during the coming week.

Wordless Wednesday Photo-Bengal

To see more Wordless Wednesday photos, go here:

http://wordlesswednesdayagain.blogspot.com/

DE ICE! Day 7

Exactly one week ago I saw ice forming. The geese and ducks had left the lake. I was expecting completion of lake ice by this week. Well, it didn't happen. Mother Nature won again. She always does, I should have known better. 

The Canada geese arrived back this morning. I wonder where they went for one week.

Then I looked back and realized the ice didn't get fully formed and become "safe for travel" until mid-January! Silly me.

Wordless Wednesday Photo

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Efforts of Photography

Once in a while I upload a photo to our news station. This is the third time one has been used and rewards my efforts.


http://wnep.com/2012/12/03/photolink-library-1130/

Understand

1963

Once in a while someone says to me, "Why don't you just sell the cabin and move to someplace warmer?" (or easier to keep, or where you can have a washer, or where you don't have to worry about power losses, or closer to town)

I really can't explain it any better than to say my roots are here. The cabin is my home.  I belong here. It is my energy source. The cabin vibrations nourish my soul.  To abandon it would be forsaking myself. It is my protector. It is my karma, my destiny and I like it here.