Notebooks, Then & Now

Remember when you were a kid, the summer was drawing to a close and school was looming on the horizon? I think the most consistently good part of that transition time was going to shop for new school supplies. Pens, pencils and big pink erasers were all available at Woolworths or Warwick Shoppers World. I used to get one or two of the store bought book covers. I favored the ones with college logos on them. But the rest of the time it was brown paper grocery bags that I cut up, folded and fit snugly around my text books. (I just thought about how I used to do that and I think I remembered all the steps!) But it was the notebooks that really set my heart aflutter. Spiral bound, with white sheets of paper, covered with thin blue lines, just waiting to be written in.

I still love notebooks. Now I carry a Mead Five Star 6 x 9.5 two subject notebook, college ruled and a Strathmore Recycled Sketch 5.5 x 8.5. Both are spiral bound. Both fit neatly into my old Book Gear Canvas zippered pouch, which keeps everything neatly corralled and organized.

I also love my Apple laptop computer. And I really like the Apple word processing software called “Pages”. And the “Stickies” application allows for little computerized Post-It Notes to pop up all over your screen when called upon. But none of these things really approximates the old spiral bound notebooks.

Then along came Circus Ponies and a nifty piece of Mac only (sorry Microsoft folks) software called “NoteBook”. Bless their collective techie hearts; they did it! They made my frightfully expensive, incredibly powerful, uber-modern computer have as many genu-ine, old fashioned notebooks living in it as I want! Spiral bound to boot! Not unlike my Ferrari of a computer which I’m pretty darn sure I rarely get out of first or second gear, I have barely scratched the surface of NoteBook. But I am hooked.

When the plates started spinning again recently I created a new NoteBook called “Our Family NoteBook”. I have a page for each of our elderly relatives onto which I have been typing all the pertinent information: contact numbers, doctors names, medications, etc. Each of those pages or sections can be tabbed and labeled, just like in a three ring binder with dividers. What makes this computerized version so useful is that I can drag in clickable links to relevant web pages or e-mail addresses. I also can continually update it as needed and drag and drop information that applies to multiple people with ease. I still take notes about phone conversations with a pen and paper. But then I transfer that info to “Our Family NoteBook”.

For example, today we had to learn a whole lot about Medicare coverage for inpatient Rehabilitation Services. I spoke with a lovely young woman who gave me the highlights which I then typed up on its own page, in a new section called “Medicare”. This is what the page looks like from a screen shot. (I quickly created an edited example of our notebook for you to view.) You see the little curled corner in the upper right? If I click on that, the page turns. Or if I click on one of the tabs, it jumps to that section.


Apparently NoteBook is very popular with educators and trial lawyers. In part because you can drag in all kinds of multimedia stuff. Oh and it also automatically indexes everything for you. And you can use your computer’s recorder to insert voice annotation which it will date and time stamp! As I said, I have only begun to scratch the surface. If you go to the Circus Ponies website to see NoteBook, do take a few moments to watch their videos. They’re very cool.

Compare & Contrast

“Liberalism is trust of the people
tempered by prudence.
Conservatism is distrust of the people
tempered by fear.”

- William E. Gladstone (1809 - 1898)

Winding Down

No. Don’t worry. I’m not heading off into the sunset. Well, we were doing pretty much just that when I snapped this photo. It was the last day we went snowshoeing before the plates started spinning and the rains came. While we had no clue the plates were being mounted on the poles, we did know the weather was going to be warming up and a rainstorm was brewing. So we stayed out as long as possible, soaking up every minute of it. Instead of retracing our steps back across a corn field and through the woods, we decided to hit the road. Snowshoes slung on poles over our shoulders, this was our view as we started up the road toward home.

Today, we still have some snow on the ground, but about 24 hours of rain and balmy temperatures have taken their toll. There’s a chance of snow every day through Saturday. But, in truth, it is more maple sugaring weather (warm days, cold nights) than deep winter. I’m hoping though. That’s just between us, O.K.? I think most of our neighbors are ready for a swift mud season, followed by a warm spring!


This photo is of a little window into a small stream on our neighbor’s land. It’s near the spot I told you I went crashing through very deep snow a few years ago. I love the lacy effect of the icy snow and the subtle reflection of the tree branches on the surface of the water.


Chuck called this vignette to my attention. It puts me in mind of a snowy inchworm oonching up the trunk of the tree.

Lessons

The plates are spinning again. It has occurred to me that Chuck and I have reached a point in our lives, when there will simply be more spinning, more wobbling and inevitably, unavoidably, occasional crashes. I think this is the reality of being lucky enough to have friends and loved ones who have reached the status of octogenarians and even nonagenarians! The health challenges, the actual falls, the sudden medical crises and the evolution of aches and pains of aging bodies into chronic conditions; these are all on the flip side of being blessed to be long lived.

I know there are lessons here. Some of them I am running from at absolute top speed! Some send shivers down my spine as I get frightening flashes from ghosts of our own future. Those ghosts have nothing on Dickens’ holiday spectres, especially this year as both Chuck and I approach milestone birthdays - he sixty-five, I fifty. But some of the lessons I am taking notes on and making crib sheets. One of those is the need to stay physically active and to continue to challenge ourselves physically. I’m sure that’s one of the reasons we have been strapping on our snowshoes every chance we get. It’s not just that the snow will not be here forever. It’s that right now we can. Right now we are healthy and strong and agile enough to go tromping and traipsing in the woods. Who cares if we come back winded and weary. We are also rosy cheeked, energized, triumphant and very much alive.

Lesson learned.

Bring on the next plate.

V - O - T - R

Tomorrow, as Keith Olbermann pointed out, is “V - O - T - R Day”. Presidential primaries take place in four more states: Vermont, Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island - hence VOTR. The polls indicate that the race is especially tight in Ohio and Texas between Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton. In Vermont, Senator Obama appears to have the lead. While in Rhode Island, Senator Clinton seems to have the edge. That means, if you are registered to vote in one of the VOTR states, it’s very important that you head out to the polls and cast your ballot tomorrow.

You know who I hope you vote for. I believe Senator Obama is the right person to lead the United States out of the darkness of the last seven plus years of the Bush administration. I believe when Senator Obama becomes President, he will help us to reach back as a nation to the powerful values this country was founded on, while inspiring us to be even better than we ever have been before.


Turn HOPE into reality. VOTE!

File 2007 Taxes Electronically - For Free!

Just as we did last year, we helped a dear friend of ours with her taxes. Once again, we were able to help her file both her federal and state taxes on-line and to do it for free!

We started by going to the IRS page for e-filing. Once there, we followed the directions and clicked through to “Individual Taxpayers”. After reviewing the information, she chose to file with the Turbo Tax Freedom Edition. We had an excellent experience using this free service for our friend last year and this year was even easier, because her state is now one of the 21 linked directly with the Turbo Tax federal program.

These free filing options, available from the IRS through on-line tax preparers, have very specific age, income and filing status requirements. But if your tax situation is relatively straight forward, it’s definitely worth exploring.

Filing tax forms is never fun, but this service makes it easier!

Obama In RI Update #2

My niece Carrie reports that she was able to get inside for Senator Barack Obama’s rally yesterday at Rhode Island College. She said there were about 5000 people inside and another 5000 folks waiting outside, who could not get in.

Carrie said there were a number of individuals around her in the crowd who described themselves as “undecided”. Some of them had been to hear Senator Hillary Clinton speak last week and wanted to come and listen to Senator Obama. She even met a registered Republican who said he wasn’t satisfied with Senator John McCain and decided to come listen to Senator Obama!

Carrie said being at the rally, listening to Senator Obama speak in person, was an “awesome experience” and “very inspiring”! Her final message: “Go Obama!”

Spring Training - At Last

We watched our first Red Sox spring training baseball game last night.

Pause for blessed sigh of relief...

It was the usual whirlwind of returning favorite players, peppered with a dizzying array of guys who are working hard to make the team or at least get noticed. Jerry Remy accurately refers to it as the “fog of spring training”. It was nice to listen to Jerry and Don Orsillo banter back and forth as they did their spring training approximation of color commentary and play by play. There was even something reassuring about the way they occasionally snipe at each other.

I was disappointed to hear that Tina Cervasio will no longer be with NESN. NESN had managed to assemble a great team of gals to cover New England sports - in particular, Tina and Hazel Mae. I hope they bring another woman reporter on board to fill the gap left by Tina.

And I have to say it was wonderful to see Johnny Pesky in the Red Sox dugout, right where he belongs! (See my Red Sox Notes from March 31, 2007 for my full rant on this topic!)

BTW, the Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 8 - 3 Friday night and this afternoon 7 - 6!

Obama In RI Update

My niece Carrie just called us on her cell phone. She is standing in line at Rhode Island College, waiting to get in for Senator Barack Obama’s 1:00 p.m. rally. She arrived at 10:30 a.m.. They opened the doors about 11:15 and she is still inching her way forward in the line. She reports the crowds are huge and the excitement electric! I hope she is able to make it inside to hear Senator Obama speak in person and be part of this amazing, historic, political experience!

‘s Wonderful

Chuck and I went snowshoeing again yesterday afternoon. It was very cold (about 22 F, - 5 C) and sunny. As we have done each time, we went out back and chose a slightly different direction to explore. The picture above will give you a sense of what the area looked like. As we went up and down the bumpy terrain, we started to feel as if we had inadvertently signed up for a workout on a StairMaster! But our snowshoes allowed us to navigate it all smoothly.

When we cross country ski or snowshoe without a marked trail, Chuck often takes the lead. He’s very good at picking out a path for us. We’ll stop briefly and consult, choosing a landmark in the distance to aim for and then find the best route to it. Sometimes I take the lead, usually when I’ve spotted an opening that seems interesting, yet not too obstructed.

As we trekked up and down and up and down for the first third of our two hour outing, I was struck by how different our styles are. Chuck takes big strides, partly in keeping with his six foot one inch frame. But also because he feels confident and safe within his body. It’s the same when we are out on the rocks at Schoodic up in Maine, when he makes calculated leaps with ease. While I’m 5’9”, I do not have such a big stride. Nor do I share the same level of confidence in my own body. I approach all of these activities with more caution and more conscious thought. But I still love doing it. Partly because I love overcoming even the tiniest fear and building on every success. Mostly because it's so darn much fun! Thankfully, Chuck is never impatient with a wife who approaches the crossing of a stream or other obstacle with some trepidation. To the contrary, he is always just on the other side, encouraging me, helping me to scout the best path and always ready to lend a hand if I ask for it

It’s just beginning to flurry out. They are predicting another 8 - 12 inches of snow by noon tomorrow. I’m not sure I’ll ever match Chuck’s confidence and physical approach to these activities we both revel in. But once we get the walkways and driveway clear, chances are very good we’ll be snowshoeing out back again tomorrow, each in our own way, together and happy.

Truth, Fear & Politics

In all of the misinformation which has been spread around the internet about Senator Barack Obama’s religious affiliation, there is an underlying message which leaves me uncomfortable. Senator Obama’s opponents, in an attempt to smear his reputation, repeatedly assert that he is Muslim. They also deliberately use his middle name, Hussein, as more “proof” that he is Muslim.

Senator Obama is a Christian and a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ, in Chicago.

First off, a candidate’s religious affiliation shouldn’t matter. But what deeply disturbs me about these tactics, is that many folks believe that to claim a candidate is Muslim is a way to smear them. And what truly alarms me, is that some people believe the lies, have a strong, fearful reaction and then turn against Senator Obama.

When thinking about this issue, it’s not difficult to draw a straight line back to the terrorist attacks of September, 11, 2001. It’s even easy to understand a reflexive twitching of our internal antennae, born of fear, when topics like this are raised. But the actions of terrorists do not excuse United States citizens from seeking out the truth. Nor do the actions of terrorists, who perpetrate evil in the name of Islam, permit us to think that all Muslims are suspect.

Angela’s

Yesterday afternoon, Chuck had a dental appointment in eastern Massachusetts. The morning had been hectic as we continued to try to sort out the DSL problem, so all we had time for was a quick glass of juice and a yogurt. By the time Chuck got through his dental visit, we were both pretty hungry. Where to go? Inspiration struck when we remembered the “Chronicle” show we had seen the night before. (“Chronicle” is an excellent Boston based half hour television program that focuses on all things interesting in New England.) They had featured new restaurants the night before.

So we made a beeline for Route 1 in Saugus and “Angela’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings”. We hoped because it was 3:30 we wouldn’t have a problem getting seated and we weren’t disappointed. Kim led us to a booth in the front window, looking out at the cars zipping up Route 1, as the first wave of the evening commute began. The menu is limited but don’t let that dissuade you. “Angela’s” is working with their strengths and those strengths are impressive. Based on the "Chronicle" feature and the name on the sign, we ordered a small portion of chicken wings and a small pizza. We never order chicken wings in a restaurant. But these are marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and rosemary. The trip through the intense heat of the coal fired ovens (the only ones in Massachusetts) leaves the wings nicely charred, very juicy and fall-off-the-bone tender. They are served on top of slices of foccacia and then carmelized onions are draped over the wings.

As I think back on the chicken wings, I am trying not to drool, trying not to jump in the car and race east to Saugus and trying not to use expletives in my description of the wings! The wings were exceptional. In fact they were freakin’ awesome! They made me think of the best of my parents legendary collaboration with grilled chicken. My Mom would simmer the chicken in broth. Then Dad would brush them with Italian dressing and grill them over hot charcoals before service. But at the risk of disrespecting my Mom and my late father, “Angela’s” wings were even better. And using the foccacia to capture the onions and all those herb infused juices, puts the whole experience over the top.

After the transcendent experience of the wings, the bar had been raised pretty darn high for the pizza. But the pizza did manage to clear the bar. The crust was both crisp and chewy; the tomato sauce sweet, tart, complex and flavorful. We had ordered the “Melanzana” which obviously is topped with roasted eggplant. We decided to add sausage to the mix. The taste of the eggplant was good, but unfortunately it was salty. The sausage was good, but we had expected a little more zing. We would definitely order a pizza again, but we would explore some different toppings. We would also like to figure out a way to make room for one of their abundant family style salads.

The service at "Angela’s" was brisk due to the speed of the coal fired ovens, but Kim kept everything perfectly paced, so we never felt rushed. As we left around 4:30, the place was beginning to fill up with folks of all ages. We bet they all enjoyed the experience as much as we did!

Three Cheers For Carlos!

Hi All -

Sorry I've been out of touch, but we've been without DSL!!!
(It made me crazy to be without the option of accessing the internet!)
We just spent over an hour on the phone with a brilliant tech support person down in Mexico. Carlos fixed everything!
Unfortunately, Carlos was the fourth tech support person we spoke with, but at the moment I so don't care! He worked magic!
After thanking him profusely, I asked to speak with his supervisor. I sang his praises and the supervisor said Carlos is one of their best people. You bet he is!

So, I'll be back tomorrow (actually, later today) to tell you of our other adventures. (I will let you know it involves chicken wings and snow.) Right now I need sleep more than internet access. But it's just so darn nice to have it back again!

Thanks for stopping by!
;o)
- Lee

Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray!
Yay Carlos!

The Most Fun You Can Have...

...with your clothes on, that is! We went snowshoeing again today and it was just as wonderful as yesterday. We headed out in back of our house and decided to travel in the woods behind our neighbors’ homes, toward a hill that rises up to the west. We were surprised yesterday to see so few animal tracks and very little scat. Today however we saw deer tracks. Remember the deer that came through our yard last April? Perhaps it was one of those beautiful creatures.


We continued along to the top of the hill, which is home to a couple of working fields. It was well worth picking our way over fallen trees, tangled brush and prickers to get there, as the view was lovely.


The sun was getting low and we were enjoying the scenery, as well as the evenness of the field. So rather than looping back home through the woods, we continued down the south side of the hill to our road. We slipped off our snowshoes, slung them onto our poles and walked the rest of the way back home.


Tomorrow, we are supposed to get a little snow followed by a lot of rain. After these last two days, I so hope the meteorologists have it backwards. More snow please!

Winter Sports

I can’t say I began downhill skiing when I was in high school, because that would paint the inaccurate picture that I am actually a downhill skier. If downhill skiing consisted of standing awkwardly, wobbly and ever so briefly on skis followed by long stretches of sliding down a hill on my butt, then by gosh I would be one heck of a downhill skier! No, I started attempting downhill skiing while in high school in the mid 1970s, using a rope tow while wearing knitted acrylic mittens. I can still feel the rope burns on the palms of my hands and the sea of interconnected, multicolored bruises on my derriere and thighs. Almost unbelievably I continued to try to downhill ski.

Around 1987, while standing in line to purchase downhill tickets, I had an epiphany: I was not a downhill skier. I walked away, drove to a ski shop that sold cross country skis, made my purchases and did not look back up that steep hill. I had never even been on cross country skis until I went over to my sister Karen’s home later that afternoon and snapped on my brand new skis. I glided ‘round and ‘round in her backyard. Turned out, I was a cross country skier.

In 1993, Chuck and I moved to this old house, set on four and a half acres. The first few winters we went cross country skiing around our property and in the fields across the road. Because our land is mostly wooded, the skiing was challenging. We often carried small pruning shears with us to trim low hanging branches which otherwise would thwack us in the face. It made for a lot of stop and go skiing. So we tended to ski in the fields instead. But we missed being in the woods.

Chuck had owned a pair of traditional snowshoes for many years. We decided to outfit me with a similar pair, rather than the new high tech kind. As you can see in the last photo, mine are more of an elongated oval, with more contemporary (read significantly easier) bindings. Chuck’s are the rounder ones with the old style (read pain in the neck) bindings. Both are bent wood, lashed with rawhide. They are lightweight, highly functional and easy to maneuver. I had found cross country skiing easy to learn, but snowshoeing was even easier. And the risk of falling was minimal. (As I type that, I remember one fateful trek when my right snowshoe plunged through the layers of snow, into a stream. My right leg was through the snow, up to my crotch, while my left leg and snowshoe were still on top of the snow, bent at a ridiculous angle, with my left knee at chin level!)

This afternoon we realized we had no obligations and a layer of fresh snow on top of a decent snow pack. It was sunny and just above freezing. What in heaven’s name were we doing inside? Out we went. I thought of all of you and brought the camera along in the hope of communicating what it felt like. I don’t know how many of you have ever snowshoed. If you never have, I hope this makes you want to try it!

First things first


The reason we strap on the snowshoes


Remember to look up


The tracks we leave behind


Hey Chuck, wait for me!


Navigating barbed wire and the stone wall


Until next time...

Sleeping Beauties

These gorgeous daffodils are sleeping right now in the frozen earth, under a layer of dense, icy snow and about eight inches of fresh, fluffy powder. I know it’s only February, but I thought posting this photo might serve as a little beacon of hope during an unusually stormy winter here in Central Massachusetts.

Journey of Man

Our Public Broadcasting Stations (PBS) had a program from 2003 called “Journey of Man” listed tonight from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m.. Here’s how they described it: Geneticist Spencer Wells follows a DNA trail around the world and back some 50,000 years to tell "the story of your family and how they conquered the earth." It sounded like it could be very interesting or deadly dull. Since there was nothing else competing for our attention (thanks in no small measure to the Writer’s Strike), we gave it a whirl. IT WAS AMAZING!!!

I think you know that I’m not a big fan of “caps-lock communication” (too much like screaming), but in this instance I must repeat: IT WAS AMAZING!!!

“Journey of Man” will be rebroadcast here in the U.S. over this weekend and into next week. Here are some useful links:

PBS.org where you can check your local listings.

A thoughtful National Geographic article which discusses the documentary and the attendant conflicts with other scientific theories. Plus you can view a photo gallery there.

One source for the DVD.

One source for the book.

“Journey of Man” was fascinating, thought provoking, inspiring and very moving.

My summary: We are all connected. We are all related. We are all family.

Wild Willy’s Goes Under The Sea

We stopped by Wild Willy’s Burgers in Worcester this afternoon to find a sign on the door which read: "FISH!" Hunh? Beef, yes, but fish? We inquired and found that they now offer a hand battered, fried haddock sandwich. We ordered some of their absolutely amazing Steak Chili (see my previous post) and decided to split one of the new fish sandwiches. The chili was perfect on this cold, blustery day. And the fish sandwich rocked! The bun was grilled, the lettuce crisp, the tomato juicy and the tartar sauce quite tasty. But the star was the haddock. It was perfectly done - crispy and golden on the outside, flaky and moist on the inside. If you are familiar with Kelly’s fish sandwiches, Wild Willy’s is slightly smaller, but both the fish and the batter are far superior! I know that’s heresy around these parts, but I stand by my statement.

Mind you, if you’re in Worcester and it’s a Friday, “Foley & Son Fish and Chips” over on Plantation Street is definitely the go-to place for authentic fish and chips, wrapped in paper. Their scallops and onion rings are excellent, but the deep fried cod will knock your socks off every time. Any other day of the week (except Sundays) if you’re craving a yummy fish sandwich, Wild Willy’s on West Boylston Street should be at the top of your list.

Who’d have thunk it? ;o)

Just Past Total

The anticipated storm went out to sea well to our south, so we were able to see the lunar eclipse! The temperature was 15 F (-9 C) - very frosty! I tried taking a photo “free hand” but without success. Chuck grabbed our ancient tripod and we managed to take some better shots that looked much more like a lunar eclipse than a blurry flying saucer! The photo above (untweaked, just cropped) was the best one. We shot it about 11:10 p.m. EST, using our trusty Canon PowerShot S2 IS. You can click on the image to get a better look.

Standing out in the icy cold, fingers freezing, tripod acting wonky, looking up at the night sky together - just one more reason I love my husband!

Four Charms and Counting

Since the plate spinning began back on January 23rd, Chuck and I have been on the road a great deal. We’ve also been out and about at odd hours, finding ourselves in need of a quick meal. Sometimes dining out is a treat; a change from routine and an opportunity to enjoy food you wouldn’t necessarily prepare at home. Sometimes it’s just fuel for the humans, like gasoline for the automobile. But over these last four weeks, there have been a few times when we have eaten in casual restaurants, at a leisurely pace, near the end of a long day and used the time to decompress. On each of these occasions, we have been fortunate enough to have been taken care of by exceptional waitstaff. Each one of them managed to strike the delicate balance between being attentive, without being intrusive. We began to collect their names. We repeat them as if they are charms on a silver bracelet or charms like spells, to keep the good news flowing for our loved ones. There was Mandy in Leominster, Jay in Warwick, Blake in Cambridge and Kathy in Framingham. All four did exactly what we needed them to do in their jobs as waitstaff. But if it had been just that, they wouldn’t have stood out the way they have. No, all four seemed to truly enjoy their jobs. All four seemed to genuinely care about us as customers and as human beings. All four of them had an easy smile and a ready laugh.


Mandy, Jay, Blake and Kathy - thank you.

Sunset On Birch

This photo isn’t quite as crisp as I would like it to be, but I love the glow of the setting sun on the white bark of the birch tree. I was snapping a series of successive sunset photos, through an open second floor window, when this tree caught my eye. The sun was just about to dip below a western hill, on a frigidly cold February afternoon. The cold air was spilling in on me, while the aroma of corned beef, simmering on a back burner, was wafting up the stairs. I snapped the last of the photos as twilight began to fall and headed downstairs to finish preparing the simple, one-pot meal any one of my ancestors would have cooked, going back many generations. But as I plated the corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes, I knew no others who had gone before me, would have had the luxury of time and technology, allowing them to take photographs at their leisure on a winter’s afternoon.

Thank you for the recipe consultation Gail!

Winter or Spring?

This beauty caught my eye the other day. In the midst of chipping away at the ice, I glanced up to see what looked like a blossom clinging to a branch. The color was surprising in the winter landscape and it really stood out against a brilliant blue sky. I pointed it out to Chuck and he speculated it was a tree fungus. Does anyone know exactly what kind?

The Electrons Won!

Last December I wrote about our reluctance to leap into the 21st century by paying bills on-line. The response from you folks (including the idea that we were dinosaurs!) was just what I needed to do some more investigating. I started with our area bank where we have had an account for many years. Turns out they wanted to charge us a fee to use their on-line bill paying service! Then I remembered an e-mail I had received from Fidelity. I went on-line to read the FAQs and then called to speak with a real human being. I grilled the poor guy. Question after question - each one asked with a challenge in my voice - and to every single question I got the “right” answer. My challenging voice changed to incredulity when I said O.K., this mySmart Cash Account sounds too good to be true. He laughed and said he understood that, but they really would pay us interest and there were no fees.

So we jumped in with both... - well O.K., actually, we dipped a toe in the water. We set up the account and went through all the usual steps to get debit cards and checks. Then we transferred a little bit of money from our local account and waited. Finally, I screwed up my courage and began entering the names of companies we paid on a regular basis. It all went very smoothly. But I waited a few more days. At long last I clicked “Pay Bills” and began entering amounts and the dates we wanted the bills paid. And then I was done.

Done? Bill paying was usually an event around here. But no longer. Now, when the bills come in, I enter them on-line right away, choose the date to pay them and log off. Ta Freakin’ Da! I’m still not completely used to it. Occasionally I feel a wave of anxiety because I can’t remember if I paid a particular bill. But a quick inspection shows it already waiting patiently in the queue to be paid. Ahhhhh....

What really made me a true believer though, was when I entered a bill from a local concern which we pay only annually. Feeling pretty cocky now, I figured what the heck and entered all the information. A few days later the bill was shown under “Recent Payments”. I clicked on “View Detail”. I read the following: “Check # such&such from your account was mailed to so&so on 02/12/2008. Funds for this payment will be withdrawn from your account when the biller cashes the check.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. They wrote a check and mailed it for us! That’s like having people. You know, people who do that sort of thing for you: business managers, accountants, whomever - people! I really like that in a FDIC insured account!

Happy Day After The Ice Storm Day!

Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day too!

Why am I showing you a picture of our car tire? Actually, the car tire is not the most important aspect of the photo. It’s the way the car tire is NOT cracking through the ice and snow, but is resting on top of the ice covered snow! Now that’s what I call “rock solid”! I was amazed when I pulled the car out of the barn and I did not feel and hear the crunching sound of the car breaking through the snow. So amazed, that I got out of the car to snap a photo! Once the car got farther down the driveway to where the sun had been shining on the snow for a few hours, it did finally crunch through. Which was good, because the Subaru was the only way we were able to break down the plow ridge at the edge of the road. The snowblower would never have been able to make a dent in it and our shovels and ice spade were useless. But once I had wrangled the car over and through the previously solid ridge many times, we were better able to shovel the icy snow chunks away.


Me in my L.L. Bean boots standing on top of the ice, looking down at one of Chuck’s footsteps “fossilized” during the post-snow, freezing rain part of the storm.


Birch trees on the far side of the front lawn.


Ice on the back walk, after I had chipped at it with the ice spade. I eventually gave in to the reverberations in my arm and sprinkled some clay litter (non-clumping!) to give us a little better footing.


I hope you can get a sense of the shimmering icy glaze on the snow from this photo...


...or perhaps from this one


More snow and ice, melting in the sun and refreezing on the fieldstone wall.

As always, feel free to click on the images to get a better look.

Rock Solid

If you’re familiar with concrete, then you’re familiar with the miserable mess we’re faced with around here! Beginning last evening, about five inches of snow fell. Sometime overnight, it changed to freezing rain which added about a half an inch of ice on top of the snow. By daybreak, every twig, branch and power line was encrusted with ice. Then the freezing rain switched over to a heavy, steady downpour, while the temperature barely edged above the freezing point. Yucckk! The shovels struggle to penetrate the top crust of ice and the saturated snow below is dense and unbelievably heavy.

There’s an old expression which we sometimes ascribe to inefficient public works departments: “The Good Lord brought it. Let the Good Lord take it away.” Thankfully, our little town has a much more effective snow removal policy, but we’re thinking this adage is going to have to be our motto for the next 24 hours or so!

Thank You Mr. President

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
- President Abraham Lincoln
(February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865)

Fear

"Nothing is so much to be feared as fear." is the Thoreau quote at the bottom of this Pink Granite page. Twice in the last few weeks, I have come up against a raw, powerful fear in two different loved ones. Fear really can trump all else: reality, experience, test results, and doctors’ opinions. In both cases I had to fight down my own fears, which were stimulated by what I was listening to and trying to logic and feel my way through.

Fear sucks. I know that dreadful sensation when fear washes over me, making me feel hot and cold and weak all at the same instant. That sinking feel in the pit of my stomach, competing with my racing heart for my attention in a horrible moment frozen in time. Fear is so old, so basic to our fight or flight survival instincts. But it can run roughshod over facts and logic if we let it. Last year, I wrote here about my tendency to worry. I believe I’m making progress on letting go of that reflex to worry. Tonya’s comment on that post where she wrote: “worry will not effect the end result.” helped me a great deal. So does the advice (from Dr. Phil perhaps?) to answer the “What If” questions. What if this or that dreadful thing happens? Well, O.K., answer that question. What will you do, how will you respond and cope if that awful thing occurs?

As I listened to the anxiety in our loved one’s voices and felt that pulsing, ancient fear racing through the phone lines, I managed to keep my own fear under control. And even after I did what I could to acknowledge their fears and help them find their own way through them, I tried not to worry about it all afterwards. Because, truly, worrying won’t change the outcome.

Two Voices

“We have tried it President Bush’s way: concentrate wealth, hoard power, disregard science, shred The Constitution, smear dissenters, impugn patriots, go it alone in the world wherever you can and cooperate only when you have to.”
- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

“The stakes are too high and the challenges are too great to play the same old Washington games, with the same old Washington players and expect a different result. People want to turn the page. They want to write a new chapter in American history.”
- Senator Barack Obama

Transcribed from this week’s “Voices in the News” at NPR’s Weekend Edition.

Saturday

More snow...
More driving...
Bone tired...
The Subaru passed 97,000 miles...
Oy...
Obama won Louisiana, Nebraska & Washington...
Yay!
No plates crashed...
Double Yay!
Sleep = Good
Night all...

Catherine

Grandpa & Grandma;
Alexander & Catherine
circa WW II

My Dad’s mother, Catherine, was not a warm, affectionate woman. Grandma came off as cool, distant and suffered from the sharp contrast with my maternal grandmother, Gagee, who was gentle, loving and quick to laugh. But Grandma came by her personality through harsh experience. Grandma passed away just before my ninth birthday. I wish I could have known then, what I know now.

Catherine was born in Rhode Island in 1887. Her mother Elizabeth was about 20 and her father James just 24, when Catherine was conceived out of wedlock. Her parents married a few months before Catherine’s birth. A son John and another daughter Elizabeth soon followed.

In 1890, when Catherine was just three years old, her father died at the age of 27. Her mother Elizabeth was a widow at age 23, with three small children to provide for. The following year, in 1891, both of Catherine’s younger siblings died within two months of each other. Ever so briefly, they had been a family of five. Now it was just Catherine and her mother Elizabeth. But in less than a year, Elizabeth died as well.

Catherine, not quite five years old, was alone in the world. She was a child not yet old enough to be of service to a family, but a child most in need of love, care and constancy. She was taken in by a family related to her on her mother’s side. It was a family with many children and while Catherine’s basic needs were met, she was lost in the hustle and bustle of the large family. Even though Catherine lived with her de facto foster family for more than a decade, in many respects, she was always treated as an outsider.

I don’t know the story of how Catherine met her future husband Alexander. But they married in 1908 when Catherine was 21 and Alexander was 25. Their first child, a son they named Raymond, was born in 1909. Less than a month after his first birthday, Raymond passed away. I wonder if Catherine thought the swift cycles of birth and death from her own childhood were destined to be repeated. But Alexander and Catherine went on to have four more healthy sons, the youngest was my father. All four sons served in World War II. All four came home, married and raised up eleven children between them.

Around 1950, Grandpa and Grandma moved in with my parents and older sisters Karen and Gail into their tiny house in Providence, Rhode Island. Grandpa died at the age of 76 in 1959. Grandma died in 1967 at the age of 79.

Long after she passed, I learned Grandma had made some mistakes, some bad choices in the course of her life, that seemed at best foolish or at worst selfish. Those things added to the sense of distance I felt from her. It wasn’t until I was much older and the details of her early life were teased out of yellowed, tattered records, that I felt my own heart soften. Through these records I came to know and understand my grandmother better than I ever had during her lifetime. Grandma was a survivor. She may not have been a storybook grandmother, but I had already been blessed with one of the best of those in my Gagee. Grandma was tough and had surmounted incredible obstacles to go on to be a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I like to think I got some of my resiliency and strength from Grandma. Thank you Grandma. Thank you for everything.

All In A Name

Grandpa & Grandma; Alexander & Catherine, circa WW II

My Dad called his parents Ma and Pa. We kids called them Grandma and Grandpa. They were both tough and stern. I wish I could remember Grandpa. He died just a little over a year after I was born. My folks told me I made him smile and that I was the “apple of his eye”. As a result, I always felt very close to him. When it came time for me to choose a Roman Catholic confirmation name, I threw myself into the decision with all the intensity of a typical adolescent. I pored over what I knew of the family names. I made lists, crossing names out, whittling them down. There was Winifred, Mercedes, Marion, Catherine and Augusta. There was also Edward, Mervyn, James, Alexander, Patrick and Owen. In the end, I chose Alexandra, the feminine diminutive of my father’s father, Grandpa. I liked the name Alexandra. It struck me as both strong and feminine. My given name was Lee Ann, but by the age of sixteen and my confirmation, I had long since dropped the Ann and was known by my friends simply as Lee. Lee being both a man’s and a woman’s name also suited me in the early 1970s, what with social upheaval and the women’s liberation movement. I was far from androgynous, but liked the idea that, on paper at least, I could be anyone, male or female.

Three and a half decades later I started a blog called Pink Granite, with the explanation: “Pink may be a girly-girl color, but granite is strong, solid and durable.” Some things never change...

Any Problems Voting?

If you went to the polls today here in the U.S., I hope everything went smoothly for you. My sister Karen in Arizona was able to vote, but only after she resolved a significant problem. I recommended she report what happened by calling the People For The American Way’s hotline. Here’s how they describe it:

If you experience, see or hear about voting problems in your state, please call the toll-free, nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. (That’s 1-866-687-8683)

We all need to do everything we can to make sure every registered voter is able to vote and that every vote is counted accurately!

VOTE!

Chuck and I went over to the polls right after lunch. There was a line! We live in a small town and there is rarely a line to vote. Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin, has predicted a huge turnout for today’s primary - including lots of newly registered voters. It’s great to see folks so excited and stepping up to be counted.

If you’ve already voted today: “Good Job Voting”

If you haven’t yet voted today:

Turn HOPE into reality. VOTE!

19 - 0 Oops. 18 - 1

Jeezum Crow! Even I give a rat’s ass that the New England Patriots lost The Super Bowl to the New York Giants, 17 - 14!
It seems crazy that the first game the Patriots lost all season was this last one - crazy and disappointing.

O.K. C’mon. Shake it off.

What we need to focus on now, is the fact that pitchers and catchers report in 12 days!!!

Go Sox!!!
So good, so good so good!!!


Update: February 5, 2008
To better understand the impact of this loss on one die hard Patriots fan, please read Kate’s response in the comments section...
;o)

Spinning, Juggling & Crossing Our Fingers

Our family health situations have calmed down a little. (Man, I hope typing that doesn’t jinx everything!) For the Rhode Island branch; there are still tests and appointments ahead before all questions can be answered. Meanwhile, she continues to adapt, adjust and maintain her independence, while saying “yes” to some assistance! For the Boston branch; recovering from surgery, regaining strength and adjusting to new surroundings are on her agenda. Both women are nearly the same age, have led very different lives and approach life (and the attendant unexpected curve balls) in very different ways. Chuck and I are learning from them both.

Yes We Can

If you are a registered voter in one of the states or entities participating in the February 5th “Super Tuesday” presidential primary or caucus, please vote.

Turn HOPE into reality. VOTE!

Up In The Air

I miss the normal rhythm of my days. I’m embarrassed to even type that. The recent changes in my daily routine are truly nothing as compared to the changes for two elderly relatives. But just as what leaves our loved ones feeling as if their lives as snow globes have been severely shaken, leaves us a little shaken as well.

Today brought a couple of surprises which were dealt with fairly easily. Chuck and I were both pleased, that despite our response being limited by a sleet/ice/freezing rainstorm, both loved ones were doing pretty darn well. That happy state was due to their own independent actions and decisions, coupled with other family members pitching in to lend a hand. That is until the call came in tonight from the Boston branch of the family which required two hours of telephone calls, as we tried to figure out what a possible solution to a crisis might be.

Those balls I mentioned on Wednesday labeled: “health”, “safety”, “happiness”, “well being”, “quality of life”, and “independence” gave us quite a workout this evening. We still don’t have all the answers, but we’re still juggling.

Nowhere? Really?

Today, we did not need to drive to any hospitals or doctor’s offices. What that means is that the spinning plate act seems to be over. So hey, let’s bring on the dog and pony show!

Seriously, the good news is, that while not all mysteries have been fully solved and the “patients” are not 100%, the really, really scary things have been ruled out! Phew!

I believe it was Etta Clark who coined the phrase, “growing old is not for sissies”. Boy howdy, was she right! I have been impressed by the fierce independence exhibited by our older relatives in recent days. I have also been frustrated by it as well! I successfully fought the occasional urges to wrap them in cotton wool and try to insulate them from everything I could think of that might cause them harm. Good thing, or I would have gotten my ears pinned back! As it was, when I would propose what struck me as a simple and logical solution to a problem, but did not put their personal independence as the top priority, I was quickly corrected!

So I guess it’s not yet time for the dog and pony show. Now begins a different sort of balancing act - a juggler perhaps. If so, the balls are labeled: “health”, “safety”, “happiness”, “well being”, “quality of life”, and “independence”!

Still Spinning...

Plates are still spinning, still wobbling, but thankfully, no plates have crashed!!!

-- For one of our loved ones, surgery has been done to repair the L3 vertebra. This is an explanation of the amazing science fiction which is now a medical reality. We’ll know tomorrow if it was 100% successful.

-- Dizziness and wobbliness continue for another loved one, but several serious things have been ruled out. “Vertigo” was a great movie, but not a great way to live! Hopefully, more mysteries will be solved tomorrow.

-- Emergency rooms are not fun. Most of the folks who work there have shiny halos, the one doctor with the bedside manner of a dead fish notwithstanding!

-- Extended family members are a Godsend! Cell phones are little miracles that fit in your pocket and let you stay in touch with far flung family members in need of information and assurance. What flows back is love and support to the person in need. Did the inventors of the cell phone win a Nobel Prize? They should have.

-- Two hospitals, in two states, on the same day is too much.

-- More doctors and hospitals are on the agenda for tomorrow. Thanks for holding us in your thoughts and for the good wishes. Stories about the readers of Pink Granite make for entertaining and distracting chit chat while keeping patients company. Thank You All!

Plates - Meet Giddy

Remember the variety act where a guy would get plates spinning up on poles? They’d be whirling around like tethered flying saucers, when suddenly one would begin to wobble. He would dash over, attend to the plate threatening to fly out of orbit, when another plate would wobble - and so on. It was exciting, a marvel to behold and quite stressful. 


Welcome to our world!

In the last couple of days, we’ve had a little more excitement with some members of our extended family than we would like. Neither Chuck nor I can remember rubbing a lamp and asking for anyone we love to have fractured L3 vertebrae or dizzy spells or mysterious infections. Did we get somebody else’s wish list? I doubt it. It seems more like somebody else’s voodoo dolls. “Hey! Please feel free to remove the pins anytime now, thank you!”

Luckily (despite the fracture) no plates have spun out of control and crashed to the floor. But there has been an awful lot of wobbling in the last few days! 


Earlier this evening, we took a break from tending one particular plate spinning in a Boston hospital and stopped at the Alewife Whole Foods store in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Walking from the car to the store, Chuck veered off from me and returned with a small two tiered shopping cart. Despite being tired, I nearly broke out into a happy dance. I love those carts! Whole Foods is the only store that I’ve seen use them and Chuck knows they make me ridiculously giddy! Those puppies turn on a dime and you can always maneuver your way out of a shopping cart/bumper car/traffic jam. Seriously, if I could figure out even the remotest practical use, I would buy one and push it around the house all day. Crazy, I know and I so don’t care.

Anyhoo, we went in just to get two things. But I happily wheeled my little cart all over that store to the tune of $70.00. Mind you, that’s not at all hard in a Whole Foods store, but it was way more than just our original two items. If we hadn’t been so hungry, I’d still be tooling up and down the aisles in Cambridge. But we were hungry, so we decided to have dinner right there from the soup and salad bar. (That did contribute mightily to the $70.00 total, so I guess it wasn’t too bad!) After we checked out, the three of us headed over to the cafe area at the front of the store to enjoy our soups and salads. Yes, I typed three. Chuck, me and our little two tiered cart! Ridiculously giddy and just what the doctor ordered after all those spinning plates!

Wild Willy’s in “Wistah”

I realize this won’t help the more far flung folks who read this blog, but if you live anywhere near Worcester, Massachusetts you are in luck. Recently, Jeff of Wormtowm Taxi waxed rhapsodic about a new burger joint in Worcester called Wild Willy’s. He and his wife Kathy of Stitches & Samplers both raved about the burgers and the fried sides at this small chain of restaurants. Since we’ve been on the hunt for a really good burger around here, we had to check it out.

We went this evening about quarter of seven. The parking lot was way too small to handle the crowd, even though inside there was still plenty of seating. The line to place your order was long, but moved very quickly. Chuck and I each ordered the “Bubba BBQ Burger”. With Jeff and Kathy’s endorsement we also ordered a small order of fries and a small order of onion rings. Once Chuck spotted the “Steak Chili” he had to give it a whirl. Our order placed, we were given an oversized playing card. We took it to an available (and clean) booth by a bank of windows and placed the card in a holder on the table. This allowed the staff to find us easily and deliver our order to the table. Wild Willy’s cooks everything to order and proudly states that theirs is not a “fast food” restaurant. But it didn’t take long for the food and drinks to arrive.

The burgers did not disappoint! Chuck ordered his medium and it arrived with just the right amount of pink in the center. I ordered my burger well done, which in many restaurants is considered an insult to the cook and therefore can be difficult to get one prepared correctly - not tonight! The burger was well done, still juicy and very tender! Both burgers had just the right amount of char on them and were very flavorful. The buns were grilled, but a little too white bread for me. (I’m still hooked on the sourdough rolls up at Geddy’s in Bar Harbor, Maine.) The fries were tasty. I had hoped for something more akin to the legendary Al’s French Frys in South Burlington, Vermont. (They were a staple of mine all through college!) Chuck noted that the flavor and inside texture were perfect, but he would have liked the fries a little crispier on the outside. On our way out, he checked with the gal at the counter who said no problem, next time just ask for the fries “extra crisp”. On the other hand, the onion rings were superb. They even had malt vinegar on the table for them! But perhaps the biggest revelation was the Steak Chili. It was terrific! It had just the right flavor balance of sour, sweet and spicy heat - along with peppers and black beans. Chuck added a little Tabasco to kick it up a bit, but it started out just-fine-thank-you.

A big thank you goes to Jeff and Kathy for their recommendation. And another big thank you goes to Wild Willy’s on West Boylston Street! We’ll be back...


Update, February 21, 2008: You can see another post about Wild Willy’s by clicking here.

Update, February 20, 2009: You can see my most recent post about Wild Willy’s by clicking here.

A Politics Free Post

Did I just hear a collective sigh of relief?
Yup.
I needed to climb down off that high horse - at least for today...

Speaking of horses...

I found a gal, who has a website with blogs. She lives on a ranch. She writes very well. She takes beautiful photographs. She has a sense of humor. She cooks. More importantly, she posts about the food she cooks, with step by step photographs.

Her name is Ree. She is The Pioneer Woman. Her food blog is the logically named The Pioneer Woman Cooks. The photographs of the wild mustangs will leave you slackjawed at their beauty. The photographs of her delicious dishes will make you drool.

WARNING: Ree believes that butter is a major food group. O.K. I warned you. Enjoy!

Dear Bill,

Dear President Clinton,

May I call you Bill? Thank you. Bill, I thought as President you were the bees knees. You made some serious errors in judgement in your personal life and I never did understand that whole “what-the-definition-of-is-is” thing, but overall I was quite happy with your two terms as President.

I also was pleased to see you out on the campaign trail, stirring up the base, reminding us all of those pretty darn good eight years, prior to these disastrous last seven years of the Bush administration. I thought it was sweet that you were speaking on behalf of your wife Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. But Bill, you’ve gone too far. You really need to dial it back! Certainly you should be a strong partisan for Hillary, while still being, well, presidential.

As long as I’m writing to you in such a frank manner, you need to have a heart to heart with Hillary about her dialing it back. Heck, as one of the two living Democratic Presidents, you might want to call a truce with Senator Barack Obama and advise him to dial it back as well.

One of the problems the Democrats have had over the years is we tear each other apart. In doing so, we make the case for the Republicans, providing them with tons of free ammunition. The Democrats need to pull together - that means former Senator John Edwards and Congressman Dennis Kucinich as well. These top four Democratic presidential candidates all need to be heard on the issues!

So let’s get out there, discuss the issues, play nice and elect our ourselves an excellent Democrat as the next United States President.

Sincerely and with gratitude,

Lee/Pink Granite

I Still Wish...

Last year, I wrote and posted this piece. My feelings have not changed. I believe it bears repeating, perhaps even more so because we are in the midst of a United States presidential election year. The next president will most likely be involved in appointing a judge to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is key to this issue.

Today is the 35th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court Decision known as Roe v. Wade.

In light of this anniversary I have a few wishes to state:

- I wish, that from this moment on, no woman would ever have to make the decision to have an abortion.
- I wish contraceptives, including the morning after pill, would always be readily available to all women.
- I wish that all young people would be taught age appropriate sex and health education.
- I wish that all young people would be taught that abstinence is a legitimate choice, at the same time they get clear information about all forms of contraception.
- And I wish that abortion would always be safe and legal and available to all women.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Cowardice asks the question: 'Is it safe?'
Expediency asks the question: 'Is it politic?'
But conscience asks the question: 'Is it right?'
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but because conscience tells one it is right.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 - 1968)

For many years after 1968, I had trouble figuring out what year it was. When I was asked, I would reflexively think: “1968”. It took me a second or two to realize that it was 1969, 1970, 1971 and so on. 1968 was a traumatic, tumultuous and terrible year. Dr. King was assassinated in April. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in June, less than five years after his brother President John F. Kennedy had also been assassinated. The Vietnam War was raging. Americans were protesting the war, most especially on college campuses. It felt as if every single day something awful was being reported on the news.

In 1968 I was only ten years old. 1968 changed me. Those slain leaders, the protesters against the war, the participants in the civil rights movement and the preaching from the pulpit by post Vatican II liberal Catholic clergy, shaped who I grew up to be. I am grateful to them all, indebted to their sacrifices, inspired by their courage.

Happy Birthday Sis!

”Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Gail
Happy Birthday to you -
and many more!
Wheeeeeee!!!”

Today is my sister Gail’s birthday. So much changed in the last year. Most dramatically, she made that long anticipated move from Rhode Island to Georgia! She has not turned into a “southern belle”, but she loves her new home and is flourishing in her work. We hope she has a great birthday and that this year is just as successful as the last! Love you Gail!

Save Money? Yes Please!

Part of what we imagined robots and computers would do for us in the future was boring, repetitive tasks. Like checking back to see if something you purchased had been marked down after you bought it. That little piece of the future is now. Price Protectr (no, that’s not misspelled!) will keep an eye on items you register with them and e-mail you if and when the price drops. We’ve used it twice. The first time no luck, but yesterday we bought the second Fraser & Hass CD ”In The Moment” on Amazon. We then registered it online with Price Protectr. Last night we got an e-mail from Price Protectr saying the CD had been marked down by $1.99. We contacted Amazon and today they let us know they were refunding us the $1.99! Easy peasy!

Price Protectr watches 78 stores at this point and each store has its own price protection policy. But Price Protectr is free, simple to use and definitely worth a try!

Bright Spots

A busy day today, it was full of what makes up any given day. Nothing special, but it was all good. This morning brought an inch of sludgy, slushy snow down on top of all the other snow. Everything was even brighter and whiter than the day before - just a little mushier! These bright red berries provide a wonderful splash of color every winter. This stand is above our well head, just beyond the hemlocks. This photo wasn’t taken today, but it could have been!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Canada Speaks Truth To Power

CTV reports that the Canadian Government, in educating its diplomats on how to tell if Canadian prisoners in foreign jails have been tortured, provided them with a list of countries with an increased risk of torture. The United States of America was on that list.

I can only hope that having our loyal neighbor to the north speak such truth will cause a brighter light to shine on what has been happening not only at Guantanamo Bay, but in other locations throughout the world where the U.S. has exerted its power.

I do not deny that terrorism is real. I do not deny that we must protect ourselves against attack. But we must adhere to The Geneva Conventions. We must remember our Constitution and the goodness that is at the very core of our democracy. How can we send our military out in harm’s way expecting other nations to treat them according to the rules of the Geneva Conventions when we are not honoring those same rules?

Fair Warning!

The only problem with Trader Joe’s is that they sell only their “bestsellers”. That means, from time to time, they will discontinue a product which is not selling briskly enough. Chuck and I already believe ourselves to be the kiss of death, when it comes to products we love suddenly disappearing from store shelves. So this leaves us in a delicate position at Trader Joe’s. Case in point: their outstanding Pomegranate Glaze. I used it in lots of different ways, most especially as a main ingredient in sauces for everything from veggies to fish. I used it on the baby peas on Thanksgiving and told everyone to head to Trader Joe’s. A few weeks later, when we went to replenish our supply, we got the word that TJ’s Pomegranate Glaze was history! Arrgghh!

We sincerely apologize to everyone else who loved the stuff. Ironically more than one manager told us they had some precious bottles of the glaze squirreled away in their homes! So we began the hunt for a substitute. A knowledgeable gentleman at a Whole Foods store told us to try pomegranate molasses. Naturally, they were out of stock at that moment, but we kept checking back. I’m happy to report that the “Al Wadi Pomegranate Molasses” is excellent. It’s a simple reduction of pomegranate juice with only citric acid added to it. It’s made in Lebanon and distributed here in the States by Sahadi Fine Foods. For those of you scattered around the globe, here’s the link to the Al Wadi website (introductory music plays!).

Now, if in fact, Chuck and I are the big jinx, consider this fair warning to stock up on lots of Al Wadi Pomegranate Molasses before it suddenly evaporates from markets around the world!


Thinking of you Dad...

On Winter

It’s staying lighter longer each day around here. After we passed the winter solstice, the shortest day, it began to happen ever so slowly. But here we are, less than a month later and we can see the difference. It won’t be long before these cold winter days will morph into the blessedly brief mud season and then comes spring. I need to stay in winter, present in this time. After autumn, winter is my second favorite season. It’s one of the more challenging ones; ice, snow, bitter cold, biting winds, but beautiful and so very much of this place. I strayed from New England, but only once, only briefly and scurried back to the six state region that feels like home. And this region has winter. I’ve never been one to crave a “summer” vacation in winter. Oh sure, I daydream about swimming in a pool, drenched in sunshine, but I never hunger for the trip south to Florida or the Caribbean in January or February. Besides, with summer my least favorite season, why would I suddenly insert a chunk of it into winter?

Nope. Shrug on another sweater, pull on the wool socks. Think tea and cocoa, soups and stews. Step outside into the still winter air. Exhale the cloud of warm body/warm house breath and marvel at seeing the invisible. Listen for the black capped chickadees. Wait, they’re never far away. There they are: ”chick a dee dee dee dee dee” as they flit from branch to branch. The first winter we lived here, I stood statue still, my outstretched palm filled with bird seed as the tiny chickadees circled. After many frozen moments, just before I thought I would give in to fatigue and frustration, one landed, feather-light on my finger, little claws gripping, bobbed its head, snatched a seed and darted away! I wanted to squeal with delight, but remained still, grinning from ear to ear, fatigue forgotten, as it happened again and again. I felt like the princess in the Disney films, animated little birds singing above my head, tying ribbons into bows to transform the mere mortal girl into something magical.

Winter.
Be here now.
Will do.

Less Is More

Our geography made us fortunate. Ten to fourteen inches of snow were predicted, but only eight or so fell. Our location in the hills of Worcester County gave us enough altitude, so while the snow was excellent for snowballs and snow people it was not back breakingly heavy to shovel. The colder temperatures from altitude and being a couple of hours inland also helped to keep our trees and power lines in their upright positions. It was not so for many areas closer to the coast or farther to the north.

Once the worst of it was over, I began to shovel. (Despite Chuck’s best efforts, the snow blower’s in the shop.) Along the way, I took photographs as an excuse to rest!

Looking out the kitchen window, under the hemlocks, toward the old clothesline

Hemlock branches and cones dripping under the weight of the snow

Looking down the driveway from the dooryard

Snow clinging to every surface

Tipping Point

I can’t decide if this would be a dream come true or a nightmare. A guy actually got to live in the IKEA store in Paramus, New Jersey for seven days! The geographical location aside (sorry New Jersey), it might be really cool to try out all the nifty furniture and gadgets in the showrooms and marketplace. But since I don’t like surprise visitors, I can’t imagine having a gazillion people walking through my bedroom, twelve hours a day.

O.K. I’m still on the fence, but leaning toward nightmare. If it were Wal Mart, Tiffany, Target or Nordstrom, the decision would be easy: total nightmare, But we’re talking IKEA, home of all things wonderful! You judge for yourself at filmaker/comedian Mark Malkoff’s video diary of his Paramus IKEA experience. He’s from the “Annoying School of Comedy”, but I have to give him points for creativity and chutzpah!

Simple Stitches

I got the hang of sewing with my grandmother Gagee teaching me on her big black treadle machine. Years later, for two summers around fifth and sixth grades, I took lessons at a sewing machine store. The Christmas in between, my Mom and Dad bought me a Singer sewing machine. It could do straight and zig zag stitches. It was a less deluxe model than what the store had us learning on. At the time, I was both thrilled to have my own machine and disappointed that it didn’t have all those nifty bells and whistles. Turns out, my folks chose the perfect machine. I haven’t stopped using it for the past nearly four decades! I’ve sewn clothes, accessories, purses, pillows, table linens and wall hangings, along with countless mending jobs.

Today, I sat down to do some mending at the machine and felt myself hungry to take on some projects. In recent years we’ve shifted over to reusable shopping bags. We started out with string bags, which Chuck likes to say are bigger on the inside than outside, but they don’t stand up and therefore aren’t as easy to pack up and transport. So we’ve tried some branded reusable bags from different stores. The best seem to be shaped like a traditional brown grocery bag, made of a sturdy fabric, with strong handles. The ones with a plastic insert that fits the bottom of the bag are the best of all. So I think I see a few new bags, made from some snazzy material from my fabric stash, on the horizon.

If you’re looking for some fiber arts, sewing or craft inspiration, check out Crafster.org. Folks make stuff (from homely to fabulous) and then post photos and tutorials of how they did it. If the site seems too huge and unwieldy, try the Craftster.org’s Best of 2007 section. Enjoy!