Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Flip Flop
Aaww – How Adorable…..
My reasoning for such drastic measures? Simple! It seems like every single time I catch the girls doing something that is absolutely the most adorable thing ever, I never fail to miss the opportunity to get it on film! The minute I reach for the camera and start to turn towards them, they notice me moving, stop what they are doing, and go into “Mommy’s looking at us, let’s get her!” mode!! And I miss the shot!!!
There were THREE such moments tonight — all in about a 2 hour period – in the same night – what are the odds???? There are no photos to document the high level of cuteness and I am sure a written description will fail miserably in the attempt to do it justice, but here it is…………….
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Picture this: Katie and Amy were laying on the floor beside my desk chair – they were laying side by side on their sides facing each other. Amy had her front legs wrapped around Katie’s neck, Katie’s head was resting on Amy’s shoulder, and Amy was cleaning Katie’s ear!!! Katie was thoroughly enjoying it, too — her head was leaning right into it and her eyes were closed — it was pampering to the max!!!
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A little later, the scene looked like this: Megan and Amy this time – they started making a loud noise that sounded like a mixture of growling, whining, and yawning – like the sound the Wookies made in Star Wars………I looked around at them to see what in the world they were doing and saw them laying side by side facing each other. Amy had one of her paws on Megan’s shoulder and Megan had one of her paws on Amy’s chest. They had their mouths wide open and their heads cocked to the side so that their open mouths were together like an interlocking puzzle and they were both singing the Wookie song at the top of their lungs in perfect harmony!!!
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Then, just a little bit ago, I saw the ultimate heart tugging sight that looked something like this: Katie was laying stretched out on her side. Amy was laying cuddled up to Katie’s belly with her head on Katie’s shoulder and Katie’s arm laying across Amy’s chest. Megan was laying perpendicular to Katie’s back with her head resting on her hip. All were sound asleep and snoring!!
This was a great contrast to the times when they act like they hate each other’s guts and can’t stand to be in the same universe! They really do love each other!!!! Just like human sisters!!! ha-ha
Thursday Evening About Town
I had the BEST salad for dinner at Renalds — it was mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, pecans, strawberries, kiwi and balsamic vinaigrette dressing – I also had a side serving of grilled asparagus — YUM!!! What a refreshing and light dinner!!! Incredible!!! Renalds was PACKED tonight, too — it was a nice send off!
After I finished dinner, I started to head home and remembered that tonight was the first of the Function at the Junction concert series in Depot Park. So, I went over to see if I could get a bench (cause I wasn’t planning to go and didn’t have anything to sit on) and luckily got there early enough to get one! The band was good tonight — they made my night by playing my theme song – “Mustang Sally”!!! ha-ha
While there, I noticed that several friends were there, too. Just as the concert ended, I went over to say hi! Among the friends were a couple of our Sanford bloggers – Emily and Jennifer, whom I’ve known from before we started blogging. As I was chatting with Emily, a girl came up and asked if I was Kim and when I said yes, she said “I’m Melissa”!!!! So – we got to meet “I Am The Mama” — so, that was cool…..
Sex and The City?????
So, help me out here — Have you seen it, yet? What was your reaction? If you’ve been reading my movie reviews, you can tell what my taste in movies is — Should I make myself go cause I’ll end up loving it or should I trust the instinct that hasn’t let me get all that excited about it???? I promise I won’t hold any commenters responsible if I find out I missed a treasure or if I end up thinking I wasted my time!!! ha-ha-ha
Rich In History
So – what makes Albion so rich in history? What are the monuments to the past? It is the 
buildings! You see, many of the buildings and homes around Albion, in fact most of Orleans County, were constructed of one of two types of stone that were abundant in the area. There are several rock quarries that were mined for stone – in particular, there was a stone known as Medina Sandstone (FYI – Medina is a neighboring town in the same county). First discovered in the 1820s, Medina Sandstone is a smooth slab type stone that was popular for paving blocks, walls, bridges, and as blocks for architecture. The photo to the left shows Medina Sandstone slabs used as a walkway along one of the lovely churches that will be featured later in this post.
The other popular stone found in the area and used for building purposes was Cobblestone. During the ice age, glaciers carved out the Great Lakes and the surrounding land. The glaciers rounded and polished stones into “cobble” and the waters of what became Lake Ontario continued to work to form and smooth the stones. The resulting Cobblestone was gathered and used to construct homes and other buildings throughout the area. The photo to the left is an up close shot of the artistic detail of a wall constructed of Cobblestone and the unique masonry that holds them together.
So — here are some of the historic buildings in and around the Albion area — some constructed of Medina Sandstone, some of Cobblestone, and some used other materials, but all have a story rich in history and some even have ties to famous people!!
I’ll start with the Cobblestone buildings. Route 104 (Ridge Road) runs east and west north of Albion through the Orleans County towns of Gaines and Childs, among others. Ridge Road is a historic stage coach turnpike and is often referred to as “the road of the cobblestone houses” because there are more buildings constructed of cobblestone along a 25 mile stretch than on any other highway in America. The Cobblestone Society is focused on the preservation of the cobblestone buildings designated a National Historic Landmarks.
This first photo is of the oldest cobblestone church in North America. It is located on Ridge Road in Childs and is the church that I was married in. I wanted a special location for my wedding and always treasured the Cobblestone Museum Complex, which consists of this church, the parsonage, and several other cobblestone buildings in Orleans County. This church was built in 1834 and represented the Universalist faith. It is now a museum visited by tourists and used only for special events. The building is still true to the time with no electricity – which means that I had a true candle lit ceremony for my wedding the evening of June 21, 1985. It was a beautiful ceremony in a wonderful old church.
This next photo is the parsonage situated next to the church. Also made of Cobblestone, this home was built in 1836. In 1861, a lady named Mary Ann Dwinnell purchased the house and the mortgage was held by her nephew Horace Greely, founder of the Liberal Republican Party, editor of the New York Tribune, and known as the greatest editor of his time. The house is now part of the Cobblestone Museum Complex and called the Ward House – named after Mrs. Inez Ward, the owner who sold the property to the Cobblestone Society in 1975. The home is still beautifully decorated with many of the original Victorian furnishings. The personal significance of this structure is that my bridesmaids and I used it to dress before my wedding. It made for a very romantic setting to prepare for a wedding.
Now, let’s move on to the fabulous churches and other historic buildings in Albion. First – the most distinctive church in town – the First Universalist Church, also known as the Pullman church. This church was constructed of Medina Sandstone and looks much like an incredible castle. It was built in 1894 by George Pullman (of the Pullman railroad sleeper car fame) in memory of his parents, who resided in Albion in the 1840s. George Pullman had his personal architect draw up the plans and was involved throughout the construction of the building. Additionally, Louis C. Tiffany was present for the installation of 41 windows created by his Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. This beautiful church is one of Albion’s major treasures and is depicted in the next two photos.
St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic church is another striking building built of Medina Sandstone in the mid-late 1800s. The church is accompanied by the Catholic School, as well, shown in the photo right after the church.
The following photo is of the Baptist Church located next to the Catholic Church and was constructed of brick in 1832.
The church my family attended was the First United Methodist Church – also constructed of brick in 1832.
The County Courthouse is a Greek Revival Style dome building constructed of brick in 1856.
And, finally, Albion has a famous prison with significant historical value. Construction for the “Western House of Refuge for Women” began in April 1892. The institution opened in December 1893 and was designed as a “refuge” for reformable women aged 16 to 30 charged with misdemeanors such as petty larceny, drunkenness, prostitution, and “waywardness”. The mission of the institution was to give moral and religious training to form a good character and to provide domestic training that would enable them to find employment, secure good homes, and be self supporting. Over the years, the facility went from a State Reformatory School for Women to an Institution for Mentally Defective Delinquent Women to a medium security Correctional Facility for men to a co-ed facility. Once the new Correctional Facility for Men was constructed nearby, the original building returned to a Women’s Correctional Facility, which is as it stands now.
The most notable inmate that the Albion facility has had was Amy Fisher (of Joey and Mary Joe Buttafuco fame) – she spent a part of her sentence for her attack on Mary Joe Buttafuco in the Albion facility.
So — that is a sampling of the rich history of my home town!!! Watch for a post about the schools and one on an incredible historic cemetery in the next day or so.
And The Winner Is….
Check out all the winners by clicking here— you might find an interesting blog in the list!!!
Rosa Marina Salad
I don’t think I have ever been to an Italian wedding without finding Rosa Marina Salad on the table. It is always made lovingly by one or more of the Italian ladies in the family. I even attended a fully catered wedding once (rather than the usual ones where the ladies in the family cook for days prior to the wedding to supply all the food) and there it was – a huge bowl of Rosa Marina Salad available for the guests to enjoy!!!
Rosa Marina Salad is made from Rosa Marina pasta and can be a dessert or side dish – whatever works for the occassion it is being made for. It is very sweet, so dessert is usually the choice, but not so sweet that it couldn’t hold it’s own on a plate along side of a grilled burger or steak! This dish always brings back fond memories for me and I really enjoy making it and seeing the surprised looks on people’s faces that have never tried it before. At first, they think it might be a rice dish, like rice pudding or something – then, when they taste it, they are hooked!!! ha-ha-ha
As I said – the dish is supposed to be made with Rosa Marina pasta – unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find Rosa Marina pasta this far south!!! So, I began to substitue Orzo pasta! Orzo is the closest thing I have been able to find to Rosa Marina – it is a small rice-looking pasta – and works out very well.
Try this and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!
Rosa Marina Salad
Ingredients:
1 pound box Rosa Marina Macaroni
*This is hard to find around here. I substitute Orzo Pasta when I can’t find Rosa Marina. Don’t use Rice – it won’t soak up and swell, like pasta does.
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 large can mandarin oranges
2 8 oz containers of Cool Whip
Directions:
Cook Rosa Marina or Orzo Pasta per instructions on box for “al dente”. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
Separate the fruit from the juice. Refrigerate fruit for use later. Use juice in next step.
Cook eggs, sugar, salt, flour, and the juice from the cans of fruit together until thickened. Stir or whisk to keep smooth while thickening. Consistency should be like a milky, thick gravy.
Pour sauce over macaroni and stir to coat thoroughly. This should be rather soupy. Refrigerate overnight to allow sauce to soak into macaroni.
The next day, the mixture will be firm and usually solid – sauce will be all soaked in. Use a spoon or spatula to break up the macaroni.
As close to serving time as possible, fold in the fruit and Cool Whip thoroughly. Serve chilled.
NOTE: A single batch as outlined above is usually enough for most small gatherings.
NC Symphony at the Civic Center
The downfall of the day was having to do it with a painful knee and leg brace!! Have you ever tried to get in and out of a car with your left leg braced so that it can’t bend at the knee? Not easy!! Luckily, it isn’t the leg I need to drive.
Saturday – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!
I typically really enjoy Saturdays, but I’d like to have completely skipped over the majority of today and just forgot about it!!! Here are my ramblings to tell you how it was a mish mash of good and bad – don’t think there was any actual “ugly”, but it made the title of the post sound cool…..
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First – an update on my earlier post about my experience with the Sanford Herald this morning: The print copy was good – no Business Section! Apparently, it was just an error that it was included in the Saturday on-line version! All is well with the universe! ha-ha
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I was so tired this morning – I decided to lay down for a little while before my 2:00 nail appt. While I was dozing, I had a strange dream – I dreamed that I was riding in my car with my ex-husband driving. We were driving down a road near our home town that has a one lane bridge across a river – the road slopes down to the bridge after a curve and then slopes back up to another curve. In the dream, Ronald was taking the curve a little fast and I yelled to slow down cause he might miss the bridge! Just as he started to slow down, we got to the bridge and there was no railing on the right side and we missed the turn and ran off the bridge into the river! We stayed calm, but I couldn’t reach the release for my seat belt – I looked at him and told him I couldn’t undo my seat belt. He undid his own and then helped me with mine. I then opened the window to relieve some pressure so I could open the door and we both got out of the car and swam to the surface! I was so upset about my beautiful car being under water!!!! But, some guys were there with a winch and they pulled it out and all was fine!!! Weird!!! I had set the alarm in case I fell asleep so that I wouldn’t miss my appt – when it went off, I felt really odd and out of breathe!!!
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I got ready and headed to Marcello’s so Pam could do my nails — that was nice — we had a nice chat and my nails look great!!!
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When I got done there, I went down town to check out that new shop – Beauty Basket – it is located between Local Joe’s and Southern Jewelers on Steele Street. WOW – great store!!!! If you liked Priss Pots for their sunglasses, jewelry, and cool accessories, you’ll like this store!!! I picked up a couple things and chatted with the owner. She has only been open for two weeks, but has already captured the hearts of some of the old Priss Pots regulars! Check it out — you’re sure to find something you like in there!
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Then, I popped in to Shops of Steele Street and picked up a new night shirt and some of fudge and other goodies from Amy’s Confection Company for a friend I needed to get a little something for.
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So far, so good (except the newspaper confusion and the strange dream) — I was getting sleepy again, so I decided to go to The Dairy Bar and get some supper before I went home to settle in for the evening. That’s when things started to go down hill – fast! I got out of the car and when I took the first step that put weight on my left leg, I felt my knee pop and buckle!!!! It really hurt!!!! I have trouble off and on with that knee, so I didn’t think a lot of it – this felt really different than the usual trouble, but I went ahead in and had some dinner. By the time I got home, I could barely walk on my left leg – it hurt so bad!!! I just curled up on the couch to give it a rest.
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It wasn’t long before I realized this was NOT the usual acting up of that knee – it was really painful and I couldn’t find any position that would let it be comfortable. So, I went over to the Pine Ridge Urgent Care – I have been there a couple times now (when I had that cracked rib a month or so ago) and really like the doctors and staff – it is a really nice place and everyone is friendly and very caring!!! And, it is so close to home — definitely the place I think of if I need a doctor during off hours or when I can’t get worked in at my regular doctor. The doc asked me some questions and took some x-rays! He thinks I popped the cartilage and gave me a brace that keeps the knee from bending and moving and told me to take some anti-inflammatory meds and something for the pain, if I need it to get to sleep. BUT — he also said there is some pretty bad degenerative activity going on in that knee – which explains the usual problems I have with it!!! He said there are several big bone spurs! I asked if that meant arthritis and he said definitely!! He said what he saw on the x-ray is classic signs of arthritis!!! Uugghh!!! I had a strong suspicion that I was starting to get some arthritis in that knee and some other joints, but wasn’t absolutely sure – until now!!! Guess I’m gonna need to start taking care of that — all the women in my family have had arthritis and I have watched them all go through such bad pain and inability to do things they loved to do because of it! I don’t want it to come to that and will fight it as long as I can!!! As for this particular problem, I’ll need to wear the brace and take the anti-inflammatory meds at least until Weds – then, if it isn’t getting better, I’ll need to go to my regular doctor to see what else may need to be done!
So – that’s my Saturday!!! Parts were really quite enjoyable and parts really sucked!!! And – hey — I guess there was some “ugly” after all — you should see this big, yucky brace on my leg!!!!
Yanks on the move…
The Yankees have swapped places with Baltimore on the Standings Board!!!
Yep – that’s right – the incredible NY Yankees are no longer in last place! They have slipped up one rung in the standings to put the Baltimore Orioles in the bottom spot! They are on the move and I’m sure will continue their climb to an impressive comeback!!! WOO HOO!!!
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