Remembering Mom

Wishing eternal rest in peace for my amazing and beautiful mom, Mildred Shanley Regan. Poet, artist, writer, avid gardener, draftswoman (Norfolk Navy Yard WWII), commercial greenhouse owner, veterinarian assistant, bookkeeper, elementary school teacher, voracious reader and Great Books Foundation group leader. Passionate about historic preservation, she served as a docent at Hope Plantation and lived in and restored two historic homes. Fossil hunter, rock and mineral collector, bird-watcher, dog lover, rug-hooker, diarist, bread baker, bridge player, county fair blue ribbon prize winner. A strong swimmer, she did 32 laps at the college pool 3x a week well into her 70's. She was a graduate of Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts and Trenton State College. She was a mother of three, grandmother of three and great-grandmother of one. Born in 1918, she became an orphan at fourteen during the Great Depression. She passed away yesterday morning, 3 months short of her 97th birthday.

Wolfie LOVES Ice Cream

I was afraid that today I was going to have to say goodbye to my cat Wolfie. He's been very ill for over a month with tonsillitis so bad that he hasn't been able to eat much - and in the last few days it's been nothing at all! The vet has tried everything and can't find any reason for it, so it seems to be something chronic with no available treatment. The inflammation didn't respond to 2 weeks of antibiotics. He's had a chest x-ray, throat x-ray, you name it. He's lost several pounds in a very short time. The worst part is, when he purrs, it seems to really irritate the throat so much that he can barely breathe. So there's no comforting him 'cause that just makes him purr harder and then gasp for air. He gets very happy when his food bowl is filled, but that makes him purr, so he can't eat. It seemed he had gone into a state of anorexia since his last trip to the vet on Wednesday, refusing any and all food. Wolfie is 14 years old and has used up way more than his alloted 9 Lives already, so I was thinking that rather than see him starve to death, euthanasia was going to be the next option. My heart was breaking....
Then in the middle of last night, I heard him licking the tablespoon of vanilla ice cream I had left in a little dish by his bed. Vanilla ice cream has always been his favorite. This morning I offered him Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys Seafood and Whipped Egg Souffle with Pacific Shrimp and Garden Greens. Who cares how much it cost! (I 'm just glad he wasn't holding out for Caspian Sea Beluga Sturgeon caviar with Italian White Alba truffles.) At first he couldn't eat because of the purring, but then after he walked around the house a few times and calmed down, he came back and ate it all! Tonight he ate Egg Souffle again and is now sleeping peacefully on my bed. Maybe he's on the path back to health - and life number 28.

My Dream House is For Sale

I live in a Civil War era home overlooking a charming river-front village. There have been very few owners in its 145 year history. It has been home to several prominent families - a steam sawmill and spoke factory owner, a pastor and county school superintendent, a state assemblyman and local mayor; for over 50 years it was the farmhouse of the Pine Tree Dairy & Hatchery, America's first commercial hatchery, famous throughout the country for shipping day-old chicks.

The main part of house consists of living room, parlor, dining room, kitchen and powder room on the first floor. There are 3 bedrooms and 2 baths upstairs. There are also two charming 1-bedroom apartments with private entrances. The apartments retain original features and could easily become part of the main dwelling again. The house is beautifully restored and recently painted. There is public water & sewer.

The home is in the Gothic Revival architectural style. It has high ceilings, beautiful woodwork, big rooms and a great floor plan. There is a wonderful sense of history about it - imagine, Lincoln was president when it was built! No features of the home have been substantially changed but it has been beautifully restored and updated. It has 4 attractive outbuildings including barn/garage, studio, garden & storage sheds. It is on a 1+ acre hillside lot. There are tree-top views, a large private back yard garden, a long driveway and plenty of parking space. We're close to the river, the canal and a jogging/biking path. The local K-6 school, just a few blocks away, is the oldest 3-room school in the state still in operation. It is known for its small classes that give individual attention to each student and is compared frequently with local private schools.The town is quite small - just over 1/2 mi. square, population approx. 560. Stockton has several good restaurants - one, the old Stockton Inn, is the original "Small Hotel with a Wishing Well," immortalized by Richard Rodgers. It offers fireside dining when it's chilly and outdoor dining with patios, terraces, pond & waterfall when the weather is good.

Did I mention our house is for sale? Why in the world would we want to leave this idyllic place??