Poltrack Blog

After my Tricnit Mills  post was published I was amazed about how many people the mill employed. I wonder if that is true for Warwick Mills? I learned of another cottage industry while volunteering at the Green Center. I found a package of Christmas postcards from a business named Panache Papeterie Products. The address of the business was Bank Village, New Ipswich. I wonder how many readers worked there? Papeterie is french for Stationery Package of 10 identical postcards - First design Second Design

In spite of two back to back snow and ice events, the roads were in good condition for travel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, We gathered at my mother's house in New Boston on Christmas Day for a ham & turkey Christmas dinner. A Teddy Bear sports the Santa hat my dad used to wear  Streaming some Christmas tunes My sister Susan did a great job on food preparation for both Christmas Eve & Christmas Day Ginny enjoys a laugh Isaak & Joshua zone out with the little screens Jesse sports his Smith Brothers beard It was nice spending some time with my grandnephew Alex My sister has a new sewing machine than can do some fancy stitching  Forget the television image, we had the real thing Alex prepares for a gas attack A new sleeping bag for a junior fireman Here is a classic from my childhood, the drinking bird  and it still fascinating to watch Source Wikipedia The drinking bird is a  heat...

I'm dreaming of avoiding a White Christmas like we did in 2015 but in reality we hit the SNOW jackpot. On Christmas Eve we got a snow/ice mixture but avoided losing power. By the mid afternoon the roads were in good shape so we were able to visit my sister in New Boston for our annual Christmas Eve festivities. It is snowing on Christmas Morning and hopefully it will taper off before noon so the family can visit for a brunch and Christmas gifts. Merry Christmas to all of you, be safe and happy in 2018. Susan found some seasonal chair covers at her recycle center. My sister and I have a mutual appreciation for recycling centers. She has her room at the transfer station and I have my Green Center . Lizzie made a big hit at dinner by providing an Ambrosia Salad. Alex was happy to have his own plate with cold green beans Blowing out candles with Grandma A longtime Polish family tradition is sharing a Christmas Wafer ( opłatki) Alex set up a race car...

I grew up with fresh cut Christmas Trees and continued that tradition when my kids were young. We would go to a local farm and argue about which was the perfect tree until my feet got cold and I would cut something down. I had the room to grow my own so I purchased trees from the New Hampshire Extension Service. The trees were too small and sparse for Christmas Trees and were mocked by my kids. However they continued to grow in the 30 years since they were planted. I have a monster in my front yard that would put the one at the white house to shame.  I decided several years ago to put up an artificial tree. I have enough house plants to water without dealing with a dead tree. Meanwhile the ones outside reach for the heavens. In 2012 I let my friends top one for their Christmas Tree. It has become an annual tradition for them on Dec 23 or 24th. Catch of the day in 2012 - Parker & John In 2013 it was a bit more seasonal with some snow A beauty in 2014 20...

It's nice to watch the Christmas Television Specials depicting happy loving families walking in soft snow toward a log cabin in the woods with a snowman outside and Christmas lights softly glowing.. The reality is falling in the driveway and breaking a hip, or skidding into a ditch on an ice patch on the way to the mall to buy that last present. What a treat in 2015 when there was no snow, spring-like temperatures and carefree road conditions. It was a once in a lifetime event. The weather forecast for Christmas Eve and Day 2017 is not encouraging. A chance of a mix of  snow and freezing rain. If we get more than 1/2 inch of ice there is a good chance of losing power. So much for the twinkling lights. We'll see how it goes. Merry Christmas Josh & Emily on Christmas Day in New Ipswich Matt grabs a  Christmas Nap (Note the lack of snow)   www.poltrack.net

My earliest memories of Christmas Eve & Christmas Day were spent around this table in Stamford, CT. I'm on the right (wearing suspenders) being held by my Aunt Mary. Christmas Eve was a fast day  prior to a change in Canon Law in 1983 and my devout Grandmother (seated center) took it to extremes. There was no bread, dairy and certainly no meat. Dinner was fish and beet soup. At the time I liked neither so it went out with my cousins to fill up on ice cream sodas at a nearby drug store lunch counter. My Grandmother would recite prayers in Polish before the meal and even though I didn't understand, I would catch our names being mentioned. She prayed for all of us and those who had pass. As a kid I would try to make my cousin laugh during the prayer which in retrospect was not very respectful. I guess I needed the prayer most of all. My favorite tradition from this meal is one we have continued into the present day. Sharing Opłatk ( Christmas wafer ) with friends and fam...

Every Christmas Season we set out a number of snowmen decorations. My personal favorite is this $3.99 item from the Christmas Tree Shop. This year I decided to do a photo shoot with a slightly different background, so we took a walk outside during a snow storm Inside it was nice and warm I finally see the real thing How deep will it get?   www.poltrack.net

On Sunday folks decorated the New Boston Rail Trail with non-breakable Christmas ornaments. It was nice event with hot cocoa served at the end of the trail. Gathering at the trail head with ornaments in bags Grandma Susan Carr assists her grandson hang an ornament Bending a tree to get the ornament high off the ground Alex gets an assist from his dad Alex gets more ornaments Hot cocoa was a nice touch Susan warms up with the cocoa A sample of the ornaments   www.poltrack.net

Two Days till Christmas Did Santa bring me a catnip mouse? Prepared for any family heated discussions (just kidding we don't have them) On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me A fake Cardinal in a fake tree Christmas Card from my Navy roomate, always a treat to see Christmas Past, my twins decorating the tree  I don't often attend Office Christmas Parties but  I attended this one Spinning a Holly Jolly Christmas tune