October Nor’easter

We drove home from my aunt’s memorial service in Rhode Island to find at least 14 inches of heavy wet snow carpeting our town. Our area also remains without power. Thankfully, we lost only one tree limb and there appears to be no damage to the house or barn. But the bushes, small trees and shrubs are another matter. We will know more as the week moves on and warmer weather moves back in. But at the moment, it appears that the damage for our property may be worse than the ice storm of December 2008.

The neighbors down the road were kind enough to let us park our car in their driveway until we could make a clear path down our own. We had packed shovels in the car so we walked back to our house and commenced the wintry work. Chuck hauled out the snowblower and cleared the driveway of snow. I set out to remove as much snow from the shrubbery as I could. In some places it meant shoveling lots of snow off where the branches were splayed and then digging out the tips from where they were buried near the ground. Each one that sprang back up without snapping was a little victory.

That done we were able to back the car up the driveway and into the barn. Then Chuck got the generator chugging away and we now have electricity, heat and running water. The temperature inside the house had fallen only to 49F/9C and the freezer had not gotten above 15F/-9C both of which were pretty darn good.

We know we are lucky and we are grateful.

Smart As A Whip

And cute as a button to boot!
Congratulations to our niece Kate!
She passed the Bar Exam!
For the record, she took the exam while she had wicked morning sickness!
Now that’s a trooper!
<);o)

Ah Ha Moment

When the cruise ships pull into Bar Harbor, the launches fill up with passengers who are then ferried to the dock. The passengers then pour into Bar Harbor. It’s easy to tell the cruise ship passengers from the regular tourists. The cruise ship passengers are the ones walking, standing and wandering into the streets. They ignore crosswalks and have been known to stand in the middle of the road to snap a picture.

This morning, as we navigated the very busy streets, it suddenly occurred to me that the cruise ship passengers must view the charming and picturesque Bar Harbor as a theme park. All the locals are from central casting. And the crosswalks are surely just for show. But where the heck is Mickey?

Hello Hare!

As we were driving back to our hotel very late Saturday afternoon, we spotted this big, beautiful bunny sitting alongside a potholed, mixed surface road. This was just a stone’s throw from (the moderately) bustling main drag of Bar Harbor. I snapped a couple of photos through the windshield. Right after I did, he or she took off at a great pace. That was when we really noticed just how large and how white its feet were. Some research on the internet led us to believe it is a Snowshoe Hare or Varying Hare (Lepus americanus). It is likely beginning its long, slow transition to its white winter coat. And it is beautiful in any season.

Schoodic

With a beautiful day forecast we headed over to the Schoodic Peninsula and more of Acadia National Park. Perhaps because it was a Sunday it was a bit “crowded” - meaning we didn’t have the entire park to ourselves! The National Park Service made some improvements over the summer. The most important of which, from a very practical standpoint, is that they now have a universal access restroom open year round. Why yes it IS the little things that matter most! It’s located on the ride out to Schoodic Point, at the entrance to the former Naval base, now converted to the “Schoodic Education and Research Center”, part of the National Park Service. Because we travel to Maine in the shoulder seasons, all of the restrooms on Schoodic are usually closed. While it’s just a “one-holer”, this state of the art, ecologically sound facility was a pleasure. Now I want one of those nifty instant response water heaters in my house!

Sunrise

This was the sunrise today over Frenchman Bay and Bald Porcupine Island, here in Bar Harbor, Maine. On mornings like this I don’t want to ever go home, because not only is this exquisitely beautiful, it also feels like home.

Every Happiness

I don’t know who Jeff and Kate are.
I do know that yesterday they were at Seal Harbor in Maine and that we wish them every happiness...
;o)

Lobstah

At long last we have found a good Lobster Roll at a restaurant in Bar Harbor, Maine. Don’t get me wrong. Bar Harbor has lots of great restaurants. But it has been hard to find a decent Lobster Roll on a regular menu - not as a special. Tonight, however, we went to a place called the Side Street Cafe. It’s been open just a few years, but we’ve had a meal there on every trip up here. The Lobster Roll at the Side Street Cafe lets the lobster be the star: just a hint of mayonnaise, nestled into a buttered and griddled New England style, split-top frankfurter roll. They serve it with a wedge of lemon on the side if you want to squeeze a splash of juice on it. And, most surprisingly, they dust it with a bit of Old Bay Seasoning - very, very non-traditional, but it works.

The Side Street Cafe doesn’t have a huge menu, but because everything we’ve had has been very good, it never fails to leave us wresting with what to order. Now the Lobster Rolls have complicated matters even further. Nope. That was soooo not a complaint!

P.S. When the Thirsty Whale in Bar Harbor or Chase’s
in Winter Harbor, has a Lobster Roll on the menu, feel free to order it as you won’t be disappointed.

Occupy Wall Street

When Occupy Wall Street began it got off to a slow and somewhat fuzzy start. The media, however, was even slower with its coverage. Now, after one month, Occupy Wall Street has picked up speed, gained participants as well as supporters, spread globally, is being better covered by the media, has raised the hackles of some police chiefs and mayors and has ticked off many of the “1%” and the far right.

Well done Occupy Wall Street!

Inevitably there has been criticism and a backlash. Some people misunderstand and mischaracterize the Occupy Wall Street participants as whiners, complainers or loafers. They miss the fact that the protesters are standing up on behalf of the vast majority of Americans, the “99%”.

Now we have an open letter penned by Max Udargo and posted over at the Daily Kos. In his letter, Udargo brilliantly explains why Occupy Wall Street matters and why it is vital to us, the 99%. It is a long letter. But it is a wonderfully readable letter. Udargo hits all the right notes and manages to put a compassionate, human face on the issues while at the same time providing historical perspective. I urge you to read it.

Good Women Both

Two of our aunts passed away this week. One lived to the age of 95; the other 85. One could write a gracious letter; the other could tell a heck of a good story. They were of different religions, upbringings, socio-economic statuses, educations and careers. At a quick glance they had little in common - save Chuck and me. Yet they were both mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters and aunts. And each, in her own way, struggled. One had years of a complicated and disheartening family rift which eventually was healed, but not quite in time for all concerned. The other had a lifetime of a complicated and undiagnosed medical condition which was never healed and identified not quite in time for all concerned.

They struggled. They failed. They succeeded.
As do we all.

May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up

Zichrona liveracha - Her memory is a blessing

A Boy!

Kate called to tell us that she and Phil are expecting a baby boy! I squealed with delight, but then added that we would have been just as happy to hear it was a baby girl! Truthfully, we just want Kate, the baby and Phil to all be healthy and happy, now and forever, Amen. Still, the idea of having a boy born into the family is very exciting because right now there are a whole lot of girls.

Unlike when Kate’s sister Carrie was pregnant with “Bambalina” who became Isabella Rose, we all know the name of the baby already. Phil is in the unusual position of being not just a “junior” or a “third”, but a “fourth”! So “Phil the Fifth”, or “P5” is officially on the way! P5 is joining a very interesting, exciting, loving and fun loving family. We can hardly wait to see what he brings to the mix!

A Liter Of Light

Two minutes of your time will open your eyes to an incredibly clever idea! Originally created by students at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), these Solar Bottle Bulbs are now helping people in poor communities in the Philippines.



Find more information at the Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light) website.

You can follow the 1LitrongLiwanagTeam on Twitter.

And you can “like” A Liter of Light on FaceBook.

Ben’s A Father

...but not a Dad.

Because he donated to a sperm bank, Ben Seisler is the biological father of at least 75 children. The subtitle on the Boston Globe article by Linda Matchan reads: “As kids conceived with donated sperm grow up, life may get complicated for donors”.
But aren’t the lives of the 75 half-siblings just as complicated - if not more so?

Read the complete, thought provoking article here.

They’ll Do Anything

There was an extremely disturbing article in Mother Jones today.
It outlines the Republican strategy to gerrymander the Electoral College.
The piece by Nick Baumann is entitled: “The GOP's Genius Plan to Beat Obama in 2012”.
Be warned, the word “genius” in the title is not sarcastic.


: : Update: Nate Silver, the statistical (and political) genius behind “FiveThirtyEight” which now lives at The New York Times, has a new post up: “Pennsylvania Electoral College Plan Could Backfire on G.O.P. ”.
We can only hope.

September 11th

Because this is the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001, there has been an intense focus on the tragedy of that day.

It changed us.
It changed us all.

But today, on this solemn anniversary, I want to remember the kindness. Citizens and leaders of countries all around the world reached out to us here in the United States. They expressed love, compassion, sympathy, friendship, solidarity and support. Ordinary folks of all ages took to the streets of their hometowns with signs and flowers and candles. They made their way to US embassies and signed condolence books. They ordered the flags of their own nations flown at half staff to honor the dead. They wept. They prayed. They rallied to our side. We were no longer one nation, but one world, indivisible, seeking liberty and justice for all.

Today, I will remember the kindness...

To Be Awesome Again

1. Read this wonderful piece by Melissa Wardy.

2. Then embrace your true, authentic awesomeness.

3. Then help a child to embrace theirs!

Dear National Grid, NSTAR, et al

Thank you.
Thank you for all your long hours and hard work.
Special thanks to the linemen who go out in all sorts of miserable and dangerous conditions so that our lives can be easier and safer.
And thank you for restoring power to my nieces’ homes after Irene left them in the dark.

Now I’d like a word with management.

Please bury your power lines.

Seriously.
Your infrastructure is aging.
Your lines and poles are vulnerable.
I know because during the ice storm of December 2008 our power was out for 157 hours - nearly seven days.
Because of Hurricane Irene more than seven million homes and businesses lost power.

Is burying the power lines expensive?
Damn straight it’s expensive.
But so is the cost to homeowners, businesses, insurance companies, municipalities and the utility companies themselves when power lines come crashing down under the weight of ice or the fierce power of hurricanes.
Isn’t burying power lines complicated by all of the coordination with municipalities?
Yup.
Will burying the power lines keep us from ever losing power?
Nope.
Will burying the power lines help?
Damn straight.

Sincerely,

Lee/Pink Granite

Further information:
Article in the Christian Science Monitor
Underground 2020
Interview on NPR
Q & A at Renewable Energy World

Twenty!

Tomorrow marks our twentieth wedding anniversary! Chuck and I have known each other for 26 years. (It’s fun to say we’ve known each other for over a quarter of a century.) But on a gorgeous, sunny day in 1991, with some crisp, dry autumn air breezing through, we were married. Our Chuppah was the house we were living in; our guests were just a few family and friends who we wanted gathered round to celebrate with us.

When we married, we thought we were the happiest we could ever be. Twenty years later I’m delighted to report we were wrong. Our love has continued to grow and deepen and strengthen year after year.

Here’s to many, many more!

Hurricane Eval

- The state and federal Emergency Management Agencies and meteorologists need to provide folks with all the facts about an impending weather event.
- The elected officials need to both reinforce the message as well as recommend appropriate action and reassure people that everything that can be done will be done.
- The media needs to report the story - the predictions, preparations, history, impact, aftermath and recovery.

But...

There is a phrase “cool under fire”. Every single one of the individuals mentioned above need to do their jobs without histrionics; without hyperbole. They also need to be “cool under fire”. They need to do their jobs with honor and dignity. If they exaggerate the potential and the risks, then they cry wolf and endanger the populace.

The New England Hurricane of 1938 killed over 680 people and did tremendous and lasting damage. It was a category three storm when it made landfall. Had the satellite and forecasting computers we have today been available back then, countless lives could have been saved.

This weather knowledge is vital and must be used properly. A hurricane or blizzard should never be a “ratings bonanza” nor an opportunity for self aggrandizement. It should never, ever tip over into what Jeff Jarvis has called “storm porn”. This flow of information and reportage is a responsibility of the highest order and should be treated responsibly, not like a carnival barker trying to get paying customers into a sideshow.

Sweet Dreams - I Hope

Well, it turns out that 13 hours of sleep over 87 hours is really not enough.
So I will say hello and then good night and try to catch up a bit.

May everyone in the path of Hurricane Irene’s rain, winds and storm surge stay safe and sound.