So 8 hrs later, we arrived in Saranac Lake from NYC last Wednesdsay. I sort of relish the hellacious city traffic because it makes that first relaxing day so obviously antithetical to our citylife. I gainly stayed awake till around 1am finishing wrapping which is a Williams First. No more Christmas Eve wrapping hell. Christmas Eve, Oscar and I woke up and set a world shopping record at Price Chopper. Oy. Then, we all took naps, and went to Christmas Eve mass at St. Bernard. As I tweeted, the priest literally stopped in the middle of the communion line to ask Clarke if he was a skateboarder. I think Clarke's hair freaked him out. His hair freaks me out. (Note to self, keep repeating "Pick Your Battles.")
Then we had some boy-friendly appetizers and treats. I made Clarke the classic Spanish shrimp dish with sherry, garlic, red pepper and olive oil. We had lamb balls (quick made-up recipe: ground lamb, rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, bread crumbs, egg, salt. Mush, make a ball, bake..till done), baked potatoes with fixins', and good bread and cheese (thank you Park Slope Coop). We played board games and read our two Christmas books. Hilariously, the tradition continues to evolve, as Clarke started "Twas the Night Before Christmas" in the voice of Gogol Bordello, an eastern European, folk-punk (?) band. Oscar then asked that I take over and do my french accent. Bizarre and hilarious. I once again, cried at Polar Express- not sure why. The boys opened their one present from me, not Santa. Always pajamas. They love it and it makes me ridiculously happy.
Christmas was super low key. Oscar slept until 7am. Another Williams First. Hooray for Civility. We decided not to ski and were very happy to play outside and read etc. The boys were so gracious and happy with everything they received. They still love reading the Christmas tags and the various characters who dropped off presents. Clarke started downloading free books for his Iphone and is into old sci-fi and horror. He's already read about 4 Edgar Allen Poe (in lieu of his 55 geometry proofs he needs to complete this week).
We skied on Saturday - slushy, warm and no crowds. Yesterday we laid low and then went to see Sherlock Holmes. I was "eh", boys loved. My classic chic review is that I hated the violence - Sherlock Holmes a thug?- but love love loved Robert Downey and Jude Law - and the acting was good too....(thank you. I'll be here all week. Tip your waiters.) Today, Oscar and I skied our brains out. Clarke stayed in to sleep and finish homework and rightfully was pretty mad at himself for missing today. Crazy snow fall, crazy crowds and my legs are still wobbly.
I am in the process of hauling all the firewood that was dropped in a heap on our lawn into our wood shed. Bad timing and late. We are clearly not locals. Duh.
Our only issue so far is this pesky carbon monoxide poisoning threat. We had a new chimney built for our woodstove and ever since, each fire triggers the alarm. NOT. GOOD. I've tried messing with the type of wood, the settings of the woodstove, keeping door open/closed, to no avail. So tomorrow, with temps in the zeros, we will have no fire. Bill our trusty neighbor and caretaker will be over in the afternoon to check it out, but right now, i'm feeeeling sorta sleeeeepy. OK, Not funny. Sorry. No one feels sick. Fire extinguished. Minor issue I am sure. Anyone have ideas? Mr. Small Pines? MR. SMALL PINES?!
That's a few highlights so far. Tomorrow, my guests begin to arrive. The wonderful Juli (seriously, check out her organization -web still in beta- and prepare to be amazed) and Mike from Milwaukee are traveling both to see us and for their 10th wedding anniversary. Therefore, although the boys are very good at harmonizing romantic tunes, they will be staying at the Porcupine Lodge. I must say, I've never stayed and don't know well but looks lovely. Anyone have an opinion?
New Year's Eve we are having a wee get-together. Mostly a few neighbors. I will try to post some pix of the debauchery. I keep taking pictures, but it's the same thing: pretty trees, snow covered boys, fires, wine. That sums it up.
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HORRIFIED at the posting of the BETA site. BETA is a bit overstating it, no? And, GIGGLING at the Gogol Bordello reference. That is my partners FAVE band ever and they rave about the concert practically every minute of every day - and they saw them at Turner Hall more than a year ago. Geez. So, Clarke has GREAT taste. Anybody able to decipher TSA website to tell me if already opened 15 year Cheddar is allowable on my flight? See you soon! BY THE WAY, DO YOU ALL KNOW THAT BRIDGET IS TURNING 40 YEARS OLD in about a WEEK? Yeah you, ADK neighbors, get your butts to the Barn for NYE, its dual purpose. See you soon ADK, MKE will be in the house.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Being that I just installed a new chimney ... LOL. Burning any fuel - propane, wood, or otherwise - creates carbon monoxide. Which leads me to believe it might be a ventilation issue. My questions would be -
ReplyDelete1. Are you getting any smoke blowback or lack of chimney draft issues? Sounds like had it installed by a pro, so I'm sure the top is probably high enough. The rule is 3 feet higher than anything within 10 feet of it, including roof peaks or trees. It's a new chim, so I'm assuming there are no obstructions.
2. Woodstoves suck air from inside, and move it up through the chim to the outside. That is, the fire is getting air from inside the house. Plenty of ventilation in there? If we're talking about a big stove, it could be really sucking the air out of there. I'm assuming the barn is not that tight, but if it is, crack a window.
3. Depending on the stove - All the door seals and gaskets tight?
And just as a reminder - you should not smell smoke in the house. That "wonderful smell of wood smoke" thing is really not so accurate. If you smell smoke inside, there's a chimney draft problem.