Simple Thursday

38°f/3.3°C, cold wind and rainshowers all day. Brrr. We reached a high of 51, but we should miss a killing frost tonight because of rain and cloud cover.

Larry picked the last of the garden stuff this morning,  since forecasters said we might have a killing frost. Five green tomatoes, and lots of peppers!

So I need to get these strung up to dry. 

I have been craving scones. So today I made cranberry orange ones. 

So good. And just right on this cold morning.

The rest of  today's to-do list: listing things on ebay, and putting up the outside Christmas lights. We won't turn them on yet, but Larry wanted to do them yesterday and had dragged everything out, so he went ahead with it today, even though the weather wasn't the best. Downright bracing, in fact.

I helped him and we got most of them done.

Then I got to work on listing. I got these in an auction in August and am just now getting to them. 
These are Italian, and just gorgeous.

There are eight of these blue tumblers,

and 8 of these lowball cocktail glasses. Boy, if i could keep them I would, but there's no sense in that. I have no space, and no need.

This lovely little teaset also came from the auction.

Each cup has a lithopane of a Geisha in the bottom, visible only when held to the lught. 

There are 6 of these cool midcentury cups by Libbey. Sold as coffee cups, these can actually be used for hot or cold drinks.

I picked up this watch case at a yard sale. It's a 1950s Bulova watch case, apparently an award presentation.  No watch, sadly! But just the case is worth $45.

Isn't it pretty?

Last, this very large book, published in 1978, is the last volume of the West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia, the brainchild of the publisher of the West Virginia Hillbilly newspaper that had wuite a large national circulation in its heyday. The book is filled with archival photos and artwork, biographies, etc. I have the other 50 volumes which I also plan to sell sometime soon.

I was intrigued by the story of the Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Like many, i wondered what Hegseth would do. I told Larry this morning that the right thing would be to apologize and commend the soldier for doing his job. But I was astounded to hear Hegseth had given him a medal! A bit overkill, I think, but at least acknowledging his mistake.

My friend Suzy is doing amazingly well after her quadruple bypass. She is home now and just one month after her surgery, she's been cleared to drive! I haven't heard from Sarah lately but continue to drop her a note every now and then to keep her up to date on family things, and on our lovely fall. 

As for my physical therapy,  this first appointment was an evaluation.  She taped my shoulder and gave me instructions for how to sleep so as not to exacerbate it, how to hold my arm to keep weight from my shoulder, things like that. I go back Monday, and I suppose then I will have exercises to do. For now, the taping has definitely helped. I'm just trying to not lift anything (very hard to do), and to sleep correctly (also very hard to do).

Tomorrow is usually booth day but i just want to stay home. So bad of me! But I think that's what I will do.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Family Veterans Day Salute

My annual Veteran's Day post, with a few new photos of the vets in our family.

To all veterans, whether you chose to serve or were drafted, thank you. As the mother of soldiers and airmen, I know a little of what it took and what it still takes from you. And to all the families of our veterans, thank you too. You also gave much.

Above, son Derek with his daughter Haley, after she joined the Army National Guard. She's works full time in the Guard. 

Haley with our great-grands Ellie and Ryland.

Below, Derek at his promotion ceremony, where he was promoted to Sgt. Major. (He was Command Sgt. Major when he retired in 2016). Today he's grandpa to those two little ones above!

One of my favorite photos of Derek, when he was in Iraq: 

Had to keep practicing that golf swing, even in the desert!

My father, who served in England during WWII, and met my mother there:

These photos are from post-World War II. Dad is in the front on the first one. He was sent to Germany for a few months after the war ended.

On the ship coming back to America after the war.

Dad and friends, goofing around--Dad is in the center bottom of the photo.

 Post-war Germany, so much damage. How sad is this? And yet wars continue. Mankind never learns from the past.

Dad at Dachau, where he helped with the post-war cleanup. No matter how grim, he was always able to find humor it seems! We did find a stack of photos taken inside one of the camps (I think it was Dachau, but cannot remember now). I could only look at the first two--they were too terrible.

Dominick Connelly, my father's great-grandfather, who served in the Union Army during the Civil War, serving as a drummer. He was imprisoned once at Harper's Ferry, or in that region, and I believe he might have been injured once too. My sister Judy discovered that Dominick was sent to Andersonville, where he somehow managed to survive the terrible conditions.

My mother's Uncle Sidney Wilson, a British soldier who was killed in 1917 in World War I, before she was born.

And her Uncle Sydney's brother James Wilson, killed in 1915, just a few weeks after this photo was taken:



We believe at least one of the brothers was in the 1914 Christmas Eve truce, when soldiers from both sides joined in a game of soccer or football. 

Back in the US:

My grandfather, William I. Connelly Sr, who served as a lawyer for the Coast Guard during World War II.

Dad again, William I. Connelly Jr, who served in the Army Air Force in England during World War II.

My husband Larry, a Vietnam War Marine Corps veteran, above. 

My late son Jonathan Ford who served 10 years in the Army before a medical issue forced his early retirement.

Above is my son Aaron Ford who served 4 years in the US Air Force;

and below is our son Tommy, who also served in the US Air Force.

Larry and Tommy at Tommy's graduation from basic training in San Antonio.

Below is grandson Clayton who served in the US Navy.

And granddaughter Beth, still on active duty in the US Navy. She's second from the right.

Last but not least, granddaughter-in-law Desiree, who serves in the Army National Guard full time. Desiree is third from the left.

To all our soldiers, my profound gratitude and respect.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Still Blooming

36°f/2.2°C, clear. Sunset about 5:30 was just stunning.

It has been another long, hard day of sorting and storing. Two totes and a large trash bag of stuff went to Goodwill when Larry went to his doctor appointment.  All the stuff from the booths--Fall and summer items--are in labeled totes and put in storage. I sorted out more Christmas things and put some aside to go to the thrift. I still have 2 totes and a table full of merchandise to price. That will be my next job. 

I did take some time for garden wandering. So many flowers are still in bloom! I will try to get photos tomorrow,  but I did pick this bouquet.

I picked a tiny squash, and was stunned to see half a dozen green tomatoes hanging on the trellis. We will pick them tomorrow, along with a surprising amount of chili peppers still hanging on. I thought the deer had destroyed those plants, but they are loaded with bright red peppers. The garlic I planted last month looks good too, as do the leeks. 

As I put the bouquet on the desk, I noticed these two small photos that I don't think i have ever posted before.  These are my favorite photos of my mother and father. I think Mom was in her late 60s or early 70s here, and Dad was probably about 65 when his was taken.  Mom was crocheting, i think; she took it up when her hands didn't work well enough for knitting. And Dad? Someone must have told a funny story! Mom was born in 1927, and died in Secember 2005. Dad was born in 1922 and passed away just 10 months after Mom. Both were in poor health the last 5 years of their lives.

Now it's evening, and I am ready to stop for the day, with ny favorite drink, a cranberry mimosa. Tomorrow I start physical therapy,  so wish me luck!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.