Just A Number

O.K. It has been two full weeks since I crossed the half century mark and officially turned fifty. I have to tell you that other than relief that the long anticipation is over, I feel exactly the same. Well, no, I actually feel a little better. The irrational (I know it really was) anxiety about turning fifty has lifted and I don’t feel fifty - whatever the heck fifty is supposed to feel like!

Chuck and I have been comparing notes about our ages. Neither one of us could have ever imagined feeling as we do now, way back when we were in our twenties or even thirties. So much emotion and baggage - social and otherwise - gets tied up in the big milestone numbers. We assumed that when we turned certain “magic” ages that we would instantly, naturally, inevitably feel old. Umm. No. Not true.

When I was a little kid I always thought all my grandparents were really old. But when I was born in 1958, my grandparents were actually 75, 71, 57 and 56. Yikes 56! Someone asked me recently how old my Mom is. I replied: “Oh, she’s young. She’s only 84.” and I meant it! In the 1960s there was a saying “Never trust anyone over thirty” and even today 40th birthday parties have “Over The Hill” themes. Sheesh!

I used to think the cliche: “Age is just a number” was both hackneyed and glib. Well, it may be found guilty on the hackneyed, but it is by no means glib. Turns out age is just a freakin’ number. And you can trust me on that ‘cuz while I’m no “Sally O’Malley”, I am fifty!



Clip of Molly Shannon as Sally O'Malley on Saturday Night Live

Milford Pink

Jeff found an interesting newspaper article and companion video about the pink granite quarried in Milford, Massachusetts. The granite was used in the construction of the Worcester City Hall, the Boston Public Library, New York City’s Pennsylvania Station, the foundation steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. - and more! You can read and view more by clicking here.

Yes, Virginia...

Up against the barn, where there is a perennial stand of milkweed, allium rises up every spring. This year, a brilliant, blazing parrot tulip has appeared amidst the allium and the first milkweed shoots. Neither Chuck nor I planted this bulb. More importantly, we both swear we’ve never even seen it before. All we can conclude is that Yes, Virginia, There Is A Tulip Fairy!

Udupi

We’ve whizzed by the Fair Lawn Plaza, just off Route 9 in Shrewsbury, countless times. We’ve even seen the sign for the restaurant “Udupi” tucked in the Plaza. Chuck had wondered aloud if it might be like the late, lamented “Annapurna” which used to be at the corner of Southbridge and Cambridge Streets in Worcester. Why we didn’t investigate sooner, I’ll never know. But oh how I wish we had!

Tonight we went to Udupi after a longer than expected hunt this afternoon for some new sneakers. (Does anyone call those highly engineered, high priced shoes “sneakers” or “sneaks” anymore? Am I dating myself? I so don’t care!) We finally found the New Balance sneaks we wanted at Dick’s out in Natick. They were marked down slightly and very springy and cushy making our feet very happy. We also stopped at Whole Foods to pick up a couple of bottles of the Al Wadi Pomegranate Molasses fabled in story and song (on this blog anyway!). But the clock was ticking, the sun was setting and our stomachs were growling. What to do? We debated the usual suspects as we drove west on Route 9: Shiraz, Biaggio’s, Elsa’s Eatery, El Basha, Wild Willy’s, Blue Jeans, etc. Then Chuck spotted the sign for Udupi as we slowed for the light.

We were seated immediately in the unassuming restaurant. An extensive vegetarian Indian menu was presented to us. I zeroed in on the Dosai and decided on a classic Masala Dosai filled with potatoes and onions. Chuck chose the Baigan Bartha off the curries section and we also order Garlic Naan and some Mango Pickle. The service was prompt, friendly and unintrusive. The restaurant had a steady stream of customers; most of them families with kids of all ages and nearly everyone appeared to be of South Asian descent. The food was terrific. My Dosai was served folded in half, rather than rolled and the accompanying Sambar and Chutney were the perfect complements. The potato and onion filling was moist and flavorful. But Chuck’s Baigan Bartha was the star. The menu description of “fresh eggplant baked on a low flame, mashed with tomatoes, onions and cooked with Indian spices” does not do this creamy, complex, crazy-good dish justice. The Garlic Naan was both soft and crisp as it should be and studded with garlic. I’m not a big fan of Indian desserts, but Chuck ordered the Payasam and enjoyed every bit of its sweet and nutty goodness. The total on the bill? Just twenty-two dollars! We’ll be back...

Things That Make Me Happy - Part One

This isn’t a meme, although feel free to turn it into one. I just felt like listing a few things that make me smile, feel happy and content. I decided to call it “Part One” because I enjoyed the process!

1. Sunshine. This one may seen like a “well-duh”! While I don’t suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) I do notice that on sunny days I have more get up and go and feel generally more chipper.

2. Our salt lamps from this company. They cast such a warm, cozy, homey glow. I don’t buy into all the purported health claims, but they never fail to make me feel good.

3. These inexpensive Grönö lamps from IKEA. (Do you sense a theme emerging here?) When I complete a mini-hack of this, I’ll post it. Just typing that sentence should get me off the the dime to finish it!

4. Flannel Sheets. Preferably Portuguese flannel. I love slipping in between them not just in winter, but year round. Yes they really are warm in winter, cool in summer. Here’s one excellent example.

5. Laughing, laughter and making other people laugh. O.K. perhaps this is another “well-duh”, but I do take great delight in laughing with friends and family. I take special pleasure when I can make someone close to me, like Chuck, my Mom, my sisters or my nieces and nephews laugh. Laughter is one of my top three responses in any situation. I’m not a Three Stooges/pratfall/whoopie cushion kind of gal, but if there is a way to inject a little socially appropriate levity into a stressful situation I’m there!

Watching

We’ve been very fortunate around here lately. The line of strong storms that raced through southern New England today was all bark (thunder) and no bite (severe lightning, hail etc.) for our immediate area . It brought a brief swirling downpour, but not the steady soaking rain we had been hoping for. As is common to that sort of storm, we had sunny, sticky weather all morning, which contributed to its intensity when it arrived. As the warnings went up and the rain began to pelt down, I couldn’t help but wonder what our summer might be like.

An alarming number of states have had severe tornadoes very early this year. Sadly, it seems as if this will be a record breaking year for such storms. Here in Massachusetts we get a fair number of tornado watches and warnings throughout the summer. Back in June 1953, a terrible tornado formed which killed at least 90 people as it swept across Worcester county. Fortunately, we don’t have anywhere near the frequency and intensity of storms as they do in the so called Tornado Alley. But it is still an underlying worry of the summer season. That’s when local meteorologists, The Weather Channel on cable television and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather radio and NOAA on-line, provide invaluable services.

I would never want to go back to the time before there was such sophisticated weather forecasts and warnings.

Lilacs

The perfume from the lilacs is intoxicating. It’s especially intense when the air in the dooryard has been still for a time and then a breeze stirs, sending the concentrated fragrance in through the open windows. Walking up to the blooms you can’t help but lean in. Bees buzzing are no threat as they are far too preoccupied with the embarrassment of riches climbing two stories tall and the same in width.

Lilacs are such old fashioned, classic and beautiful trees. Here in New England, a lone stand of lilacs is often the last vestigial proof of where a home once stood, where a family once made a life. Our ubiquitous stone walls may tell tales of crops planted and pastures grazed, but the lilacs say life was about more than just hardscrabble farming. There was beauty too. Something planted and nurtured that did not put food on the table or money in the coffers, but instead was balm to the senses at the beginning and end of long days.

Memories

Memorial Day weekend always meant two things: going to watch the parade in East Greenwich, Rhode Island and buying then planting our tomatoes. Both activities were with my Dad. I’m sure it can’t be true, but my memory claims the days were always sunny, breezy and warm. Those two rituals signaled that summer was just around the corner. School would be letting out soon. Sand Hill Cove and its fine gray, glittery sand and gentle waves would be warming up and waiting for us.

The first cookout of the year would have already happened on my birthday, a week earlier. Rain or shine Dad would get the grill out and Mom would work her magic in the kitchen. It might be so inclement that Dad would cook just inside the garage door and we’d eat on the breezeway with the storm windows still in place. But it was the kickoff to the season. A season of endless yard work for my Dad, endless preparation for entertaining for my Mom, lawn darts, sprinklers and cookouts on the weekends and as many trips to the beach as we could manage. A season of window fans, sunburns, piles of books, sparklers on the fourth of July and four o’clocks blooming against the white clapboards in the backyard.

I know it wasn’t perfect, but it really was.

Quick & Easy Rice Salad

As is typically the case when I write about food, I don’t have a precisely measured recipe. But I do have a suggestion: Brown Rice Salad. Start with a couple of cups of leftover brown rice. Or, if you have access to a Trader Joe’s store, use one pouch of their frozen brown rice. I always keep some in the freezer to help with a quick meal. If you’re starting with frozen rice, heat according to the directions, then dump the rice into a mixing bowl. Put the bowl into an ice bath to quick chill. Add a little salt, pepper and olive oil, stir and continue to let cool. Meanwhile, dice up some vegetables. I like bell peppers, celery, cucumber, tomatoes - whatever strikes your fancy. Add some seasoned rice wine vinegar or some Italian style salad dressing or some pesto - or whatever you like - to the rice and stir to combine. You really can take this in any flavor direction you want. Add fresh herbs if available. Add the diced vegetables to the rice and toss. Adjust seasonings to taste. This Brown Rice Salad is nutty, chewy and refreshing. I made it tonight while some summer squash, zucchini, onions and garlic were roasting in the oven. I served them both alongside some cod. Yum!

Pithy

I believe this started with Smith Magazine. But now it has morphed into a meme. Barbie2Be is the latest participant and loosely tagged/invited her readers to write their own “Six Word Memoir”. Sum up your life in six words - no more, no less.
Here’s mine:
Happy, unhappy, then happy for good!

Leave your own Six Word Memoir in the comments or post it on your blog and let me know where to go read it. Happy writing!

Take Two!

In keeping with the theme of yesterday’s post, Claudia has posted information about a casting call for a new film. It will be shot this summer, right here in Worcester County. Very cool!

Lights. Camera. Action!

From a distance, it looked like a couple of construction cranes outside a building. As we drove closer, it seemed to be two huge cherry pickers. But as we drove out of Lincoln Square on Highland, up past the Worcester Auditorium and the Courthouse, it was clear that the “buckets” on top of the “cranes” were really giant lights. The lights were aimed at the windows of the Courthouse. Puzzled, we crested the top of the hill and saw that the parking lot on the north side of Highland, behind the Aud, was labeled “Base Camp” and filled with trucks and trailers. That was when we realized they might be shooting a film. If we hadn’t been so tired and in a rush to get home, I would have asked Chuck to stop the car so I could snap some pictures. (Yes. I know. Bad Blogger!)

When we arrived home, I checked some of my favorite Worcestercentric blogs for some info. No luck. So I Googled and found this string of comments on a Boston based blog post. Apparently Bruce Willis is in Worcester filming for the movie “The Surrogates”. Massachusetts has been working hard to bring more film production to the state. Until recently, it seemed that much of the filming took place in or close to Boston and on the North and South Shores. It’s great to see some action in Worcester, “The Heart of the Commonwealth”.

A Very Good Day

Two days into my 51st year (as my Dad used to calculate) and things are still nifty! Yesterday, because the weather was cool and breezy, we worked hard out in the yard. After many hours of raking, trimming and digging, I began to feel my age - actually more than my age. But that would have been true a month ago or a year ago, so everything is still good!

Sunday began with a phone call from my Mom. I am so very lucky to still have my mother calling me and singing me Happy Birthday on my 50th. That was followed by calls from my sisters Gail and Karen. Can laughing with family members be beaten? I doubt it. Although lots of cheerful comments from friends in the blogosphere comes close!

In the afternoon, Chuck and I drove out to Amherst and Hadley, not exactly sure what we would do when we arrived. Until we remembered a restaurant we hadn’t been to in many years and decided to check it out again. Judie’s is on North Pleasant Street in Amherst and is filled with the bright mixed media artwork of local artist Donna Estabrooks. Chuck chose the Seafood Gumbo and I opted for Drunken Scallops in a Mexican tomato amber Dos Equis sauce. We both had the Caesar salad to start. A popover comes with the dinners and was enormous and surprisingly sturdy. We’re used to the more tender popovers up at Jordan Pond House in Acadia. But these were very good, just a different style. The service was attentive without being intrusive. The food was creative - everything had a little twist which kept our palates not just interested but intrigued. Sitting at our table by the window, conversations and laughter from the other diners swirling around us, my best friend smiling back at me, I couldn’t have been happier.

Hold A Good Thought

Senior United States Senator Edward Kennedy from Massachusetts has been diagnosed with a brain tumor; a malignant glioma. Senator Kennedy has served our state and the entire nation for nearly half a century. Chuck and I send our best wishes to the Senator, his wife Vicki and their extended family as he tackles this health challenge. If Senator Kennedy puts half of the effort into fighting this tumor as he does fighting in the Senate for the little guy, the glioma doesn’t stand a chance!
Ted, you have our enduring gratitude for all you’ve done for us and we’ll be holding you in our thoughts.

Fifty Is Nifty

When I started this blog (nearly a year and a half and 500 plus posts ago) I was very careful about what I posted. I decided I would use no last names, no addresses, no contemporary photos of Chuck, our family or me. I was happy writing, taking photographs and learning. I used to describe Pink Granite as being off in a quiet little corner of the internet. Then something surprising happened: folks started dropping by, reading, leaving comments. These weren’t just the family and friends I had announced my blog to via e-mail. These visitors were strangers from multiple continents. Strangers who over the course of more than 500 posts, reciprocal visits to their blogs, a lot of laughter and interesting reading, became “friends”. Or, as Veronica over at Purple Ronnie puts it: “Friends Inside The Computer”!

I didn’t expect that to happen. I didn’t expect that Chuck and I would speak of the folks I “met” through this blog as often as we do. I didn’t expect to feel connected to “strangers”, who didn’t feel at all like strangers. I didn’t expect to feel safer and happier in my everyday world because of all the kind, thoughtful, well intentioned, warm and funny folks I was visiting back and forth with through blogs. As time went on, I realized that of the blogs I visited regularly, I had a pretty good idea of what most of the authors looked like. Last month, I added my voice to Pink Granite. All technological frustrations aside, that was a big deal for me. The fact that I was still invisible, seemed, well, a little uneven, a little lopsided. I talked it over with Chuck - no surprise - and he, uninhibited, Pollyanna of a soul that he is, was all for it!

So here I am. That’s me, Lee, Pink Granite. Chuck took that photograph of me at the end of February. We had been snowshoeing out back and up the hill behind the neighbor’s house. It was crisp and cold and sunny. I felt very happy in that moment. At that moment I was just about 49 and three quarters years old. Today I am fifty. I feel very happy in this moment too!


Layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Software: Apple iPhoto ‘08 & Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 for Mac. Transparency: Icy Transparency Frost by Diane Miller (Scrap Girls). Font: LunaITC TT

Farewell Uncle Bill

My Uncle Bill passed away. He was 85. He and Aunt Bev were my favorite aunt and uncle, which is rather impolitic to write here because they weren’t our “real” aunt and uncle. You see Bill was good friends with my Dad. They were so close, that during World War II, Bill stopped by to look in on my Mom from time to time when he was in Rhode Island and my Dad was overseas. Apparently Bill looked pretty darn snazzy in his Navy whites and the story goes that my Mom became quite smitten with him. There were even two “Dear John” letters written to my father - only one of which was intercepted by my mother’s father and never mailed! Everything got sorted out the way it was meant to. George married Dorothy and they had three children. Bill married Bev and they had seven children. The four adults and the ten children were friends/family together.

Uncle Bill always had a twinkle in his eyes and a ready smile. He and the ever (and still) glamorous Aunt Bev were always warm, welcoming and generous to us. Whenever we went to visit with them we felt instantly at home. With seven kids, their home always felt energetic, but never chaotic. Uncle Bill and Aunt Bev managed to be elegant and sophisticated, as well as easy going and down to earth all at the same time.

Uncle Bill and my Dad were both excellent storytellers. Along with the rest of our little extended family, they both loved to laugh. Whenever they got together they were like a couple of teenagers again. Staying just ever so slightly on the mature side of goofy, they would get to telling stories or jokes and soon they would be laughing so hard, the rest of us might not know what they were laughing about. But we loved it. I have to believe that Daddy and Uncle Bill are sharing those laughs together once again.

Friday Night

This rhododendron flower was ready to unfurl when I snapped this photo last year. Just a couple more weeks and the show will begin again.

It’s raining lightly and steadily, which is very good.
The Red Sox game was called on account of the rain, which is a disappointment.
I have a spring cold - no big deal.
I’m tired.
I’m happy.
But about all I have energy for right now is to zone out in front of the T.V. with Chuck.
More tomorrow...

Big Blog Birthday Bouquet!

Happy Birthday to Roo
as well as Sue and her son Jake!
Enjoy!

“Basic Civil Right”

Today, the California Supreme Court overturned a state ban on gay marriage, ruling that same sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Chief Justice Ronald M. George described it as a “basic civil right”. It is not yet all smooth sailing. Opponents of same sex marriage have been working to get an amendment on the California ballot this November, which, if approved, would ban same sex marriage and override today’s court ruling. Hopefully, California will follow Massachusetts in being the second state to fully protect marriage equality.

Color Muse

There’s an excellent magazine called “Digital Scrapbooking”. It’s been out for just over a year and is nicely balanced between inspiration, new products and practical tips and techniques. The June/July 2008 issue has an article in it by the talented Renee Pearson about an Adobe site called Kuler. Kuler is a collection of color themes. The themes are a bit like sets of paint chips created by individuals who post them to the site. You can register at the site and then save themes to a favorites list, create your own themes or modify an existing theme and make it your own - and much more. The Kuler themes are perfect color inspiration for digital scrapbooking layouts. But I think they are equally useful for fashion and home decorating. They’re also just plain lovely to look at, especially on a gray day!

The example above is from the Kuler site. It’s called “sandy stone beach ocean diver”. It was created by PS and is currently the most popular/highest rated theme on the site. Gorgeous!

A Doubly Special Day

Happy Second Wedding Anniversary L & J!
And Happy Birthday J!
Enjoy the double celebration!

Everything Is Fine - Really!

I’m afraid I have only one thing on my mind tonight. Everything is truly fine. I went to the doctor today for a routine exam. There is absolutely nothing wrong. But because I am about to turn fifty, the doctor had a laundry list of questions, concerns and tests to be run. I posted about this doctor last year. Little has changed, except I am better prepared for who she is and how she interacts with her patients.

What I find myself thinking a lot about is this: from an emotional standpoint, I keep reminding myself that I will be the same person on the last day that I will be 49, as I will be on the first day I turn 50. But because I am crossing a chronological line, I am being grouped statistically in a new actuarial group. Worse still, it is a different medical actuarial group. I understand that many tests are part of preventive medicine rather than diagnostic. They provide a baseline of what is “normal” for an individual and allow problems to be caught early. Trust me, I have followed the rules about such things for many, many years. But today felt different. Even my previous prince of a doctor had told me that when I reached fifty, we would look at some things and reevaluate strategies. However, I believe he would have handled today quite differently.

It’s hard not to feel happy, excited and, yes, a little scared as I reach a half century on the planet. It’s also hard not to get scared about growing older in general and menopause in particular or as I like to call it “That Which Shall Not Be Named”! Especially when I watch a television ad they run here in the U.S.. It shows a woman with little sparkly bits flying out of her body. Turns out the little sparkly bits are her bones being ravaged by osteoporosis! The voiceover starts to talk about menopause and I vacillate between wanting to throw a shoe at the T.V. and fighting down a wave of panic!

Not throwing shoes...
Breathing now...
;o)

For All The Moms

Thank you to my mother Dorothy.
Thank you to my maternal grandmother Gagee, who was truly a second Mom to me.
And Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms and all the Moms-to-be.
Enjoy your day!

I created this layout in 11 x 8.5 landscape form and then printed it on a card for my Mom. Layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Software: Apple iPhoto ‘08 & Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 for Mac. Paper: Assemblage Royale by Ursula Schneider (Scrap Girls). Brushes: Sage Brushes by Diane Miller (Scrap Girls) and Cherry Blossoms by Fee Jardin (The DigiChick). Embellishments: Winter White Embl2 Flower2 by Amanda Sok (Scrap Girls) (color adjusted by LMR/Pink Granite). Fonts: Edwardian Script ITC

Row of Spring Trees

Before we acquired the digital camera, I would appreciate a scene like this. But I wouldn’t stop the car, jump out and snap a few pictures. Film was precious. Developing was expensive. I’m enjoying this digital age!

Hot Off The Grill

My nephew J.R. and his wife Lorrie e-mailed us tonight. They have been in the midst of a huge kitchen gut-to-the-studs remodel which spread throughout the first floor of their home. They’ve been doing all (or nearly all) of the work themselves. During this period of upheaval, they have been cooking using only a microwave and a barbecue grill. At one point Lorrie made homemade pizza on the grill, but didn’t like the way the crust was sagging down into the open spaces between the bars. It tasted really good so she wanted to make it again. This time my nephew J.R. had a flash of inspiration. They had some slate lying around because of the remodel. He suggested they put a piece of slate on the grill and put the pizza on top! It worked like a charm! Did I mention I’m closely related to these folks? Yup, I am convinced our ancestors were the ones who first discovered fire and invented the wheel!

Curious, Lorrie headed for the computer to Google and see what she could learn. While she discovered they weren’t the first to invent the process, she did find some very good advice.* We haven’t tried cooking this way yet, but we do still have a few large pieces of slate from a project a few years ago. And we have used cedar house shakes (leftover from our barn rehab) as planks to cook salmon on, so slate sounds like a natural progression.

* Do heed all the warnings!

OCD? Not Me!

I have reached the point of being truly frustrated by and therefore obsessed with making this audio clip work easily for you all. It was very cool that a few of you could listen to me reading my poem, but it bummed me out royally that so many of you were thwarted by technology. Or, more accurately, thwarted by a blogger who ran right up against the limits of what she understood about that technology!

So today I applied myself to the challenge once again. I was able to get a flash player successfully embedded and to work (big happy dance - thanks Jeff)! Then I read a notice on the media storage website I just started using (MediaMax). As of tomorrow, they are becoming another company and that’s the end of their free storage. Everyone who has files stored with them for free, must upgrade to their fee-based service or those files will be deleted.

Since I don’t want to pay their new monthly fees, that means I no longer will “control” server space. That means I can’t direct the the nifty flash player where to go and what to do. It also means that I need to take down all of the links in the previous posts which connected to this storage company, because as of tomorrow, my files will disappear from their site!

Abrupt end to happy dance.

I’ll still leave the audio bar up (in the earlier post and on the sidebar) which connects successfully to Archive.org.

Thanks for your patience and your advice!

Spring Dinner

Asparagus with a little butter and lemon, roasted potatoes and grilled tuna with a pomegranate-sesame reduction sauce was the perfect spring dinner. I must confess that I really like it when I prepare a simple meal that tastes yummy and costs just a fraction of what it would in a restaurant. It feels like a double win!

Any Problems Voting?

If you went to the polls today in Indiana or North Carolina, I hope everything went smoothly for you. If not, I recommend you 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!

Yes We Can!

Tomorrow, voters in Indiana and North Carolina will go to the polls for their presidential primary. There has been a tremendous amount of media coverage every step of this campaign. I will not disparage Senator Clinton on this blog. In fact I have a link to her website in my sidebar. But I will say that I believe Senator Obama will be an excellent President of the United States. I urge every voter in North Carolina and Indiana to cast their vote for Barack Obama!


Turn HOPE into reality. VOTE!

39 and Holding

Happy Birthday to my eldest sister Karen! While I am crossing the half century mark in just a couple of weeks, Karen is miraculously younger than I am!

Happy Birthday Sis!

Once More - With Feeling!

This Post Has Been Edited!

May 8, 2008 - Well, this is a first for me on this blog. I’ve had to radically edit this post due to some technology snafus! Here’s the explanation.

Sue stopped by this morning and was unable to listen to my audio clip. Because this has been the case for many of you - including both of my sisters - I decided to try a different hosting service.

I hope this allows you to easily listen to my poem: “Two Days In August”!

Still no little audio bar visible to you? If all you see is a big blue Quicktime “Q”, try reloading the page. Or here’s the direct link. It should bring up a new screen and the audio clip will load and then begin playing.

Let me know in the comments section which one of these worked. Thanks!

UPDATE 5/7/2008: Inspired by a suggestion from Jeff, I’m trying another change to this audio clip. Fingers crossed...


I can't put in a direct link to this version. When I do it automatically downloads the file to the computer!

Still More...

The sun came out today; daffodil yellow pushing through steel gray haze.
Late this afternoon, a blazing red-orange disk dropped behind still stark, silhouettes of trees.

Spring Creeping In

It was gray, cloudy and drizzly around here today. No complaints, just an observation. In fact, every day brings more spring green. which has been a lovely and reassuring change from the desaturated colors of a long winter. This photo of creeping phlox, taken on a recent sunnier day, should brighten things up a bit.
Hope you are having a great weekend...

Three Cheers For Holtman & Wallace

I don’t believe one needs to understand the sport in order to appreciate this story. Call it good sportsmanship, call it one classy act or call it bend over backwards fair. These two gals; Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace, along with the entire Central Washington University Softball team deserve high fives. Their actions are even more moving, when you learn the implications of their selflessness.

Just Because...

...I could.
;o)


Jeff, over at WormTown Taxi, had a good suggestion. Many taxpayers here in the U.S. will be receiving an “economic stimulus payment” in the coming weeks. Because of the troubled economy, I imagine most folks will be using their check to pay monthly bills or applying it to credit card balances. But if you are planning on pushing the money back into the economy, make it your local economy. Instead of shopping in the big chain stores or dining in the national chain restaurants, make it a point to patronize local businesses. It’s always a good idea to “buy local”, but especially nowadays.

Poetry

On this, the last day of National Poetry Month here in the United States, I encourage you to read a poem.

Or write a poem.

Or read a poem aloud.

Or do all three.

Or go to the library and run your fingers over the spines of the poetry books until one tugs at your spirit and demands to be taken home, read and savored.

Or invite a child to write a poem.

Or go to a poetry reading and know that the poet is most likely scared and delighted to be sharing their poem with you.

Or do all of the above.

And tomorrow, do it all again...



Here are some places to begin:

Poetry 180, a poem a day (not just) for High School students
Poetry Daily, a new poem every day
Favorite Poem Project, videos of people saying poems they love
The Writer’s Almanac, Garrison Keillor chooses a new poem to share seven days a week

Rain!

This may not be the prettiest photo I’ve ever posted, but at the moment those raindrop ripples in a puddle make me very happy! Yesterday and today brought rain to us here in Central Massachusetts. We needed it after too long a spell without any appreciable precipitation, which left things tinder dry. Now the immediate threat of fire danger is lifted and things are greening up amazingly quickly.

Inside BlogBall

If you have a blog on Blogger, this is great fun, dead easy and I owe it all to DancingMorganMouse. Look up at the address window in your browser screen. Do you see a little pink “PG” to the left of the address? I learned today that it’s called a Favicon as in Fave-Icon. Instead of the little orange square with the white Blogger sideways B, I created the pink “PG”. DMM has her little dancing mouse. She got the inside scoop from H&B, who directed us all to i-Tong’s post about how to insert our own favicon. I first tried using my Pink Granite photo, but it wasn’t clear enough. That’s when I made the “PG” instead.

So follow the trail of breadcrumbs from DMM to H&B to i-Tong. Or, if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to take the more enjoyable and scintilating scenic route, jump directly to i-Tong and follow his clear instructions. I’ll be watching the address window and bookmarks to see what you all come up with!

Clear Risk

In a lovely moment of serendipity, Chuck discovered a new item for our pantry. He was looking for some olive oil in Trader Joe’s when a woman began filling her cart with bottles. She volunteered that she lived about an hour and a half away from the store, but that she would go almost any distance to find this item. It was White Balsamic Vinegar. Neither of us had ever heard of it, but at just $1.99 for 500 ml, why not give it a whirl?

It tastes almost exactly like traditional Balsamic Vinegar and is from Modena, Italy, yet it is perfectly clear, hence “white”. It’s just right for when you want that rich, sweet, tangy taste of Balsamic Vinegar, but don’t want that deep, dark color. We drizzled a little over our strawberries this morning and it was delicious - very summery and bright on the palate. I know it’s dangerous for me to state publicly we like something from Trader Joe’s (or anywhere else for that matter), but this White Balsamic Vinegar is so good I decided to take the risk!

Eye Of The Beholder

While we were visiting with Chuck’s family in Washington state, the subject of my blog came up. I had e-mailed our family and friends back in November of 2006 when I started Pink Granite. But only a handful of them made and continue to make, regular visits (bless their loyal hearts!). Early in our stay, our brother-in-law said he had tried to find Pink Granite, but wasn’t sure he was in the right place. He brought us over to their new-to-them laptop and pulled up my blog. I did not recognize it! It looked awful. The entire page was a mostly white background, with badly spaced text. My two columns were visible, but looked as if they had been typed up and mimeographed. We showed them how dramatically different PG looks on our laptop. We all concluded that the difference might have something to do with our using different internet browsers. But the fact that their “new” laptop was previously owned, caused us all to think perhaps the settings were screwed up.

I didn’t think much more about it until yesterday’s audio adventure. When I learned that DancingMorganMouse couldn’t listen to the recording of my poem, I started researching what the problem was and how to fix it. I immediately began reading about tons of problems with embedding audio clips in Blogger. Many of them referenced the significant differences between browsers. So today I did some testing.

Back in 2006, the artist in me spent a long time choosing which Blogger template to use and then I tweaked the colors and layout until they were exactly what I wanted. When I work on my blog, using my Apple laptop and Safari, it is entirely WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). This first screen shot is what Pink Granite looks like using my Safari browser:


When I use the FireFox or Camino browsers (both part of the Mozilla family), Pink Granite looks very much the way I intended it to. But if I use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, this is what I see:


Eeeek!
And even this image is much better than what I saw on my in-law’s laptop while out in greater Seattle!

So, my question is this: What do you see when you stop by Pink Granite???
Does it look like the first screen shot or the second or something else entirely?
And which browser are you using?
Thanks in advance for your help!

"Two Days In August"

Between Chuck (who reads directions) and me (who dives in without reading directions), we have managed to record my poem. I hope that you are able to listen to it and that you enjoy it!

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement, your caps-lock congratulations and your enthusiastic support!!!

And today, thanks for listening...

Note: Can’t see the little embedded audio bar above? Just click on this link which will take you to a page outside Blogger, where the audio file is stored. BTW, it should begin playing immediately. Thanks!

Update: Thanks to feedback from DancingMorganMouse, I learned that something is glitchy with both the embedded audio bar and the hot link in the Note above. It may have something to do with different browsers (more on that tomorrow). So, until I can get it more streamlined and reliable, try clicking on this link. It will take you to a page where you need to click on a blue link which says “756.2K” under “Advanced Audio Coding” on the lower right. Good luck and thanks again!

Second Update: I may have identified an additional factor in why some of you have been unable to listen to the audio clip. Archive.org (where the audio file is presently stored) has been experiencing some “System Slowness”. I don’t know if this is rare or common, but it might be complicating things.

Success!

This evening’s reading went beautifully! Once again, about three dozen people gathered, this time in a library. The main differences between the two events was that more of the contributing poets were in attendance and read tonight. In addition to the poets, many of the photographers whose pastoral images were included in the book were also recognized and their work displayed. The reception from the audience was just as warm and appreciative as last time, the applause for each participant even more vigorous!

I am still smiling.

The small talk/chit chat aspects of these events still leave me flummoxed. But I must confess that the reading is fun! It’s not quite like the terror of a roller coaster ride morphing into exhilaration, such that at the end of the ride you rush to get in line again. But the fact that particular image came to mind speaks volumes. In fact, if someone had said there was another reading tomorrow, I would have said: “Cool! When and where?” As long as there was no requirement of polite social discourse between strangers!

Four Things

1. For some unknown reason, our internet connection has gone down again. I am currently sitting in a Barnes & Noble Bookstore, checking e-mail and posting this SOS. What are the chances that when we get home I will be able to talk to Carlos in Mexico? Oh how I wish I could have gotten that computer wizard’s direct line! So I may be out of touch for a bit until we can get this all sorted out.

2. Can anyone tell me why Chuck and I should eat at a "Cheesecake Factory Restaurant" ever, ever again? Seriously. We kept hearing good things about the place and after two truly mediocre, over-priced lunches, we’re ready to cross them off our list.

3. We had a great visit today with my favorite ER; my Mom in Rhode Island! She’s feisty and understands that growing older is not for sissies! Go Mom!

4. I have another poetry reading tomorrow night in support of the book, coinciding with Earth Day activities this week. I fear that my first reading last week may have been to an “easy” crowd. I am somewhat less optimistic about the reception tomorrow night, but I am definitely much less nervous. Except about small talk - I’d almost rather go to the dentist than make polite chit chat with total strangers! Wish me luck. I know you will!

Washington Goes Digital

It’s been ages since I posted any of my digi-scrap layouts. I’m happy to report that I continue to make progress with PhotoShop Elements. It is now a tool - actually a very fun tool - and no longer a fierce dragon to be slain!

I like how clean and crisp this layout is of our outing on Lake Washington.

Warning: Tech Speak Ahead!
I used the "Rectangular Marquee Tool” to create the 13 rectangles. I filled each one with light blue and then de-selected. I created all the rectangles on the same layer. Unfortunately, that meant I couldn't move them around individually later to better suit my photo! I then put the photo layer above the rectangles layer. I chose "Group With Previous" from the drop-down layer menu and ta da! I also added a “Noisy Drop Shadow” to make it “pop” a bit more.

And to think that not that long ago, a paragraph like that would make my brain explode!

Layout, photo and paper by LMR/Pink Granite. Software: Apple iPhoto '08 & Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 for Mac. Fonts: Blair Md ITC TT and Stone Sans Sem OS ITC CT

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

A Sweet Day!

Happy Second Wedding Anniversary K & P!
Enjoy every minute!

Seasonal Confusion

Technically, we’re not experiencing a drought around here. But we do need rain - sufficient and soon, please. According to The Boston Globe there were 189 reported brush fires across Massachusetts on Saturday alone. The spring bulbs have been continuing to push up. Even the lilac buds are swelling earlier than normal, due to the unusual warmth. It may feel like summer, yet, at first glance, it still looks more like late winter than a month past the equinox.

View from the kitchen door


Lilacs beside the driveway


First daffodils; spring green through winter beige

Transgression Or Hidden Benefit?

Today the Pope said Mass at Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium, as in the home of “The Evil Empire”, arch rivals of our beloved Boston Red Sox!

What does this mean for the 2008 Major League Baseball season and beyond?

Last week, the Yankees dug up the David Ortiz Red Sox jersey a construction worker had buried in the cement, near the visitors clubhouse in the new Yankee Stadium. Apparently, the Yankees were afraid that Big Papi’s shirt would give the Sox an unfair advantage on their trips to the Bronx.

Now the Pope has said Mass in the current and soon to be old Yankee Stadium.

Is this a “No No Nanette” and Babe Ruth redux?

But what might have been burning in the censer at the beginning of Mass today? The Pope was garbed in white and gold, but the cardinals wear red...

I need to find some tarot cards and get a reading.

Shhhh!

We live in a fairly rural area, but I’m having trouble readjusting to the vernal noise around here. Yesterday, we raised the storms and dropped the screens on the bedroom windows. It’s been unseasonably warm, with temperatures up in the 70s (21+ C) and even cresting over the 80 degree (27 C) mark. As a result, we’re hearing spring peepers, birds in full seasonal song, cars driving too fast on our country road and diesel tractor engines chugging from one field to another. I don’t have any desire to swap this raucous collection for city noises, including beeping horns and unattended car alarms. But this year’s accelerated transition from snow-muffled, winter silence to spring lollapalooza feels a bit jarring.

Today, we added our own sounds to the mix: scrape of metal shovel and rake against sand, dirt, gravel and rocks. Over the years, the crown down the middle of our unpaved driveway has risen in direct proportion to the settling and lowering of the parallel tire tracks on either side of it. So, we dug up one pile of dirt and spread it around into two flatter piles - sort of. It’s a work in progress, which could will come to a grinding halt at the first swarm of biting black flies. At which point I will move inside behind screened windows and/or a screened porch until the first hard frost next October! O.K. That’s a slight exaggeration. I’ll only stay indoors through the black fly, deer fly, tick and mosquito season. Yeah, well, that’s pretty much first hard frost in October...

Question...

“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.”
- Thomas Jefferson (1734 - 1826)

A Shift

I was not happy when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI back in 2005. Perhaps it was his previous position as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the Holy Office of the Inquisition) which left me cold. Maybe it was his reputation and nickname “God’s Rottweiler”. No matter, as a staunch supporter of Blessed Pope John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council of the early 1960s (commonly referred to as Vatican II), I was quite concerned that as Pope, Benedict XVI would unravel the best parts of the Catholic Church. The fact that then Father Joseph Ratzinger was in attendance at Vatican II did nothing to assuage my worry.

As the months turned into years, my opinion had not changed about Pope Benedict XVI. Then he decided to come to the United States. Then he looked so darned open and interested in everything around him. Then he decided to meet with a small group of survivors of sexual abuse by priests from the Archdiocese of Boston. Then the first hand reports of that meeting began to emerge. That’s when I felt something shift inside me.

I remember when I was in the midst of a Roman Catholic annulment of my first marriage. I had not initiated it, but nonetheless I was neck deep in paperwork and pain. Late in the process I spoke with a Monsignor from the Tribunal. It was a long conversation and a frank one on my part. I expressed anger, sadness and frustration. It was in that priest’s voice and words I felt what I had never expected to feel: vindication. I was away from the Church at that time, estranged or lapsed from the weekly ritual of Mass, but still felt very much like the Irish Catholic kid I once was. In that conversation and in the subsequent granting of the annulment, I felt that the Church had supported me in a concrete, proactive way which I had not felt since my childhood and never so powerfully.

My sadness and pain during my divorce and annulment was as nothing compared to the betrayal and abuse inflicted on innocents by evil individuals and compounded by a Church hierarchy running scared and refusing to live up to their own moral code. But as I listened to the voices of the survivors who met with Pope Benedict yesterday, I could begin to imagine their relief and the leading edge of a burden being lifted. I could begin to open my own heart to the possibility that Pope Benedict appreciates what Blessed Pope John XXIII brought to the Church via Vatican II.

Then I read this on Boston.com:
[Boston’s] Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, who pushed for the meeting after the pope decided not to include Boston in his U.S. itinerary, gave the pope an oversize hand-sewn book made of color-washed paper in which a calligrapher had written the names of nearly 1,500 men and women from the Boston area who have reported being sexually abused by priests over the last six decades.

and I cried.

Well And Truly Spring

This year’s crop of crocuses

Since we returned from our trip, we haven’t needed to turn the heat on for the second floor at all. And we’ve only needed to push the heat on for the first floor very early in the mornings to take the overnight chill off. This afternoon, the outside temperature reached 70 (21 C) degrees! Looking at the forecast, I think our heating days are over until next autumn. That also means we need to remove our lovely IKEA Mysa Sol down quilt/comforter. We purchased it back in January, during their big winter sale (I can’t find it on their website). It’s been wonderful - cozy, toasty and light as, well O.K., a feather - or a whole slew of feathers. It’s been so warm actually, that we started turning the heat down earlier in the evenings so that the bedroom could reach our favorite sleeping temperature: 54 (12 C) degrees. So perhaps we saved a little on heating oil since we first fluffed and poofed the quilt onto the bed four months ago.

On the other hand, Chuck and I can’t stand the heat and humidity that are the hallmarks of southern New England summers. And it won’t be long before we need to slide the little Energy Star air conditioner into our bedroom window! But wait! I’m getting ahead of myself. For now, things are beginning to green up - little clusters of spring flowers, tender shoots and even a few buds on trees. The bugs are still few and far between. The days are mostly sunny, breezy and dry.

No complaints - not yet anyway! ;o)

Don’t Blink

Just outside the window in the dining room where Chuck’s Dad eats his meals, N. and B. have placed a hummingbird feeder. While we were there, N. tweaked the proportions in the sugar water nectar recipe he places in the feeder and it was suddenly a big hit. Near the end of our trip, Chuck was able to snap this photo through the window on a cloudy day. We think it is most likely an Anna’s Hummingbird, indigenous to the Northwestern United States.

I Read, Therefore I Am

I’ve been writing poetry since I was a young teen - nearly four decades! Several years ago, I had a poem published in our local paper and most recently, one published in a book. I have read my poems aloud on a couple of occasions to very small groups of folks that I was acquainted with. I have even identified myself as a poet. But it wasn’t until this morning, that I actually felt I truly am a poet.

Today’s poetry reading in support of the book was an unqualified success. My editor coordinated and led the event. The three dozen or so people who gathered in the social hall of a classic New England church were warm, welcoming and appreciative - nary a heckler among them! Chuck literally and figuratively had my back as he sat directly behind me. I was happy that I wasn’t feeling particularly nervous about the reading. I was more nervous about the small talk I needed to make with strangers before things got underway!

I read third, which was just about perfect. I had the chance to see and hear two other poets first, but I didn’t have to wait so long that I could have grown more anxious. I believe I set my voice to the correct volume and spoke to the folks in the back. I believe I looked up several times throughout my reading. Chuck reports that I did well and that my hands and book did not tremble as I stood before the audience. Chuck also said that there was audible murmuring at the end of my poem, followed by generous applause. I sort of, almost, kind of remember being able to hear the applause and smiling in response as I took my seat! I also was able to really listen to and enjoy all the poems which were read this morning.

Throughout the rest of the day, Chuck turned to me and pretended to speak to an imaginary stranger saying: “Why yes, that is my wife Lee, The Poet! Yes, she is available for readings!” How cute is he? Pretty darn cute, I’ll tell ya!

Reading

I’ve written here before about my shyness. I’ve explained how I’ve learned to mostly overcome it. As a teenager and young adult I served as a lector in my church. Every week, I would stand on the altar before the large congregation and read two passages from the Bible, along with the prayer of the faithful. I was fine. Even the time I went to read the second reading and instead began to read the first reading all over again! After a sentence or two, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the monsignor headed my way. I stopped. He reached over and flipped the page to the correct passage. I said: “Sorry Father. Thanks.” and read the passage as he returned to his seat.

Lightning did not strike. The earth did not open up and swallow me whole. I may have blushed, but I did not collapse. I took it in stride. Tomorrow, I need that same ease, self confidence and poise. Tomorrow I will be reading one of my poems aloud, in front of people I don’t know. It’s the poem which was published last year. I know when you read this you’ll be wishing me luck. I’ll let you know tomorrow how it all went.

Breathing now...

Remembering to throw my arms in the air as well --- but not while I’m reading my poem!

;o)

Settling Back In

Crocuses from spring 2007...

- More catching up today - laundry, getting used to cooking meals again, grocery list (the shopping trip never happened, maybe tomorrow?) e-mails, and all the little things that had to go by the boards while we were away.

- The visit to Washington really worked out beautifully - frankly much better than we had dared to hope. The mostly twice daily visits with Chuck’s Dad gave us the opportunity for moments of communication, observation, patience and service. Having Dad recognize us both and show flashes of his wit and humor are something we treasure. Added to those positives, we were able to spend lots of time, nearly every day, with Chuck’s sister Carol and her family. At one point, Chuck realized this was probably the most time he and Carol had spent together since they were living under the same roof as kids!

- At first glance, nothing looked green around here when we returned home. Perhaps it was the sharp contrast with the abundance of greenery and flowers out west which left us jaded! But in fact there are crocuses beginning to peek out and the first thick shoots of daffodil leaves gliding up through newly thawed, tender earth and last autumn’s crumbling leaves.

Being away was good.

Being home again is very good.

Cruising The Lakes

One glorious afternoon, while we were in greater Seattle, Chuck’s sister and her husband took us out on their new-to-them 60 year old boat. The four hours we cruised around was the best stretch of weather we had during the entire visit. We started out on Lake Union, moved through Portage Bay to Union Bay then out onto Lake Washington. While on Lake Washington we motored down to Seward Park and Mercer Island then turned around, eventually returning to Lake Union. From there, we detoured under the Aurora Bridge heading out toward Salmon Bay, before returning to the slip.

Montlake bridge, between Portage Bay and Union Bay, with the Cascade Mountains in the distance


The University of Washington’s Husky Stadium as seen from Union Bay


The 520 across Lake Washington, near rush hour, with the Cascades and the city of Bellevue beyond


Mount Rainier about 60 miles away - seeming to float in the air as if it was painted on a theater scrim


Sea plane at the ready, parked in front of a home on Lake Washington


Mount Rainier rising above Seward Park


The boat in motion on Lake Washington


Part of Bill & Melinda Gates’ house on Lake Washington


Along the waterfront in Portage Bay


Sailing on Lake Union, with Seattle as the backdrop


Under the Aurora Bridge on Lake Union


Along the water toward Salmon Bay, the “Alaska Titan” and the diminutive “Fearless” are moored


On Lake Union, the houseboat from the movie “Sleepless In Seattle”

As always, feel free to click on any image to get a better look.

Welcome Home

I swear we didn’t plan it.
It just worked out perfectly.

We’re home, safe and sound and tired. The luggage is mostly unpacked. The laundry marathon has begun. (Isn’t that how this whole trip started?) jetBlue did just as good a job on the return flight to Boston as it did on the flight to Seattle. But red eye flights, even non-stop ones, truly suck pond water! The drive from Logan Airport to our home yesterday was long and challenging. A nap recharged our batteries sufficient to drive the next leg to the kennel. The cats are home and after some initial zaniness, acting normally - well, normal for them!

But the perfect timing I’m referring to is that this afternoon was the Boston Red Sox Ring Ceremony and Home Opener at Fenway Park - and we were home to watch it all on NESN. It was just dumb luck. If it had been yesterday, we would have been too exhausted to keep our eyes open through the spectacle and the 5 - 0 win. Today, however, we were rested just enough to enjoy it all. It was wonderful. Once again the Red Sox owners and management struck the right balance of fun and sentiment and history. Inviting Bill Buckner to throw out the ceremonial first pitch is an excellent example of how these folks think. So good, so good, so good...

BTW, I have photos from an afternoon cruise on the lakes of Seattle we took with Chuck’s sister and her husband. I hope to get some of those up tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s another picture Chuck took of how beautiful public architecture in Greater Seattle can be:

Public Architecture As Art

The first thing that strikes me on every visit out here to Greater Seattle is how lush and green everything is at any time of the year. On one visit we made in January, we were amazed to find “winter pansies” blooming away under a crunchy layer of icy snow!

The second thing that strikes me is the thoughtful, artistic details in functional public features such as bus stops, retaining walls and medians. I hope the photos below give you an idea of what I’m referring to.

One bus stop


Another bus stop


Greenery on a noise barrier wall


Benches and planter on a street corner


Tile detail (So true!)


Flower against a noise barrier wall

The Whole Family

The days are running together. I find I have to keep asking Chuck what day it is. We are enjoying our mostly twice daily visits with Chuck’s Dad. On one of the two single visit days, we drove down with Chuck’s sister to the Tahoma National Cemetery where their Mom is buried. Because Dad is a veteran of World War II, Mom and Dad were entitled to be buried there if they wished. I mean no disrespect when I say that, just as we have on previous trips, we wanted to visit the entire family while here in Washington. It was a cold, gray day that brought sleet, rain, hail, and snow. Even on a raw, stormy day, Tahoma is a beautiful, peaceful and well-maintained cemetery. The above is a photo from a few years ago (taken with our old camera) on a sunny day when Mount Rainier was not fully shrouded in clouds.

Just a few days ago, the following was included in an e-mail we received from Ancestry.com:

This is a Cemetery…
Lives are commemorated,
Deaths are recorded,
Families are reunited,
Memories are made tangible and
Love is undisguised.

This is a Cemetery...

Communities accord respect,
Families bestow reverence,
Historians seek information and
Our Heritage is thereby enriched.



Testimonies of devotion, pride and warmth are carved in stone to pay warm tribute to accomplishments and to the life, not the death, of a loved one.
The cemetery is homeland for memorials that are a sustaining source of comfort to the living.
A cemetery is a history of a people, a perpetual record of yesterday and a sanctuary of peace and quiet today. 


A cemetery exists because every life is worth loving and remembering – always.

--- From the Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery brochure
Middle Village, New York
author unknown

"Beloved Wife and Mother"
"Beloved Husband and Father"
"Forever in Our Hearts"
"Dancing Together In Heaven"
"Everyone Knew Him As Bud"
"He Finally Got His Wings"

Those are just a few of the inscriptions etched on the headstones of Mom’s neighbors.

A cemetery exists
because every life is worth loving and remembering – always.

The View From Here

This vista captures one of the area lakes with the Cascade Mountains beyond. The photo gives you a taste of the beauty of this region, just east of Seattle. There is so much to photograph - mountains, waterways, public architecture and sculpture, flowering trees, lush greenery - it is an embarrassment of riches. But we have been so focused on Dad, our family and the rhythms of each day, that our camera has been dutifully toted, yet rarely employed. I’m afraid I’ve been off my “photo-blogger” game. Since we have decided to extend our stay, I hope to rectify the problem before the week is out!