Farewell

Jeff Barnard died today.

We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Kathy, who Jeff described as his “angel”.

Jeff was the dean of Central Massachusetts bloggers and Worcester was his special calling.

Two weeks ago Mayor Joe O'Brien and City Councilor Rick Rushton, presented Jeff with the Key to the City.

Now that city, and beyond, mourns his passing.

Thank you for all you gave us Jeff.

Peace...

Simply The Best!

Thanksgiving Day.
We are giving thanks.

Isabella Rose came home from the hospital yesterday afternoon! After 112 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Carrie and Al and their beautiful daughter all slept under the same roof for the very first time.

Over the past week, as possibility turned into reality, the discharge date remained somewhat fluid. Therefore the family’s Thanksgiving Day plans continued to evolve. Had Isabella remained in the NICU through turkey day, we would have all gone out to dinner and then Carrie and Al would have headed back to the hospital. But with Izzy’s discharge, that needed to change because she can’t yet be out and about in the world with the general public.

So this afternoon Chuck and I picked up my Mom and went to Legal Sea Foods in Warwick, Rhode Island. Happily, in addition to their wonderful regular menu, they offered a traditional turkey dinner. The chef did a very nice job: moist turkey, classic sausage dressing, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, cranberry sauce and gravy. They also featured an autumn cocktail dubbed The Maple Leaf - bourbon, maple syrup, ginger, lemon and orange juice. It was served in a martini glass and was a terrific accompaniment from the oysters, through the entree, all the way to dessert.

On our last visit to the NICU on Tuesday, Carrie had invited us to stop by their home after our dinner at Legal. The rules at the NICU were pretty simple. Everyone had to scrub up to the elbows upon arrival. Then, during the course of the visit, we would use a hand sanitizer as needed. For example, if I had been using the camera, I would use the hand sanitizer before giving Isabella a finger to squeeze. The discharge nurse and Isabella’s spectacular primary nurse had been very clear about what life at home should be like. Visits to the pediatrician need to be first visit of the morning or afternoon, so as to limit exposure to sick children. No going out in public, no crowds over to the house, no visits with other babies or children and everyone coming into the house needs to wash their hands and “Purell”.

As we walked up the to the house, there was Carrie holding Isabella in her arms, welcoming us through the storm door! Amazing! For the last three and a half months Izzy was always attached to monitors and tethered to the equipment near her incubator and later her crib. Even when her parents or family members held her, it needed to be while sitting in the recliner next to the computer screen which displayed her heart rate, respiration and oxygen levels. Now she was free and her Mom and Dad were obviously delighted! The great surprise was that Isabella seemed extra alert and aware. It was as if she was happily taking in her new surroundings; absorbing the details of “home”.

We had a lovely visit. The overarching feeling was how perfectly normal it all was! None of us would have ever wished for Isabella to be born at just 26 weeks. But the up side of that, is that ever since August 5th, Al and Carrie have had the benefit of hands on training and the advice and guidance of knowledgable nurses and doctors. All of that experience means we saw two very relaxed parents, relishing their newly-home daughter.

Thanksgiving Day.
We are giving thanks.

Lunch At The Palace

Last week Chuck and I went to “Elvis’s Hot Dog Palace” in Leominster. Seriously. We had heard about the place - er - palace when it was still in Lunenburg, but we had never eaten there. “Elvis’s” is now located in a little strip mall on Mechanic Street; nestled between Consumer Auto Parts and Family Dollar. Inside, the restaurant is crisp and bright but surprisingly plain. The place is immaculate and oddly enough it doesn’t smell of hot dogs nor the wide variety of available toppings.

We approached the counter at the rear of the shop and spotted the large chalkboards with all the menu options. As it should be for a joint called “Elvis’s Hot Dog Palace”, hot dogs dominate, but they also sell burgers, wings, salads and ice cream. The staff was very nice, especially when I confessed we were “Elvis Virgins”! We placed our order and sat down at one of the tables lining the long, narrow space.

Soon our dogs arrived. A Reuben Dog and Thai Dog for Chuck while I had ordered a Rachael Dog and an Arnold Ziffle Deluxe Dog - all grilled. They were yummy! We love Flo’s Hot Dogs up in Maine, so the bar has been set pretty high. Elvis’s has very different dogs from Flo’s. Nor do they seem to have a homemade, signature relish like Flo’s. But before you think I am complaining, let me reassure you that these dogs were very good. And unlike some adventures in hot dog dining (yes, even Flo’s) we had no regrets later in the afternoon!

Which dogs did we like best? That’s a problem. They were all very tasty and very different from each other. If pressed, I would have to say that the Rachael edged out the Deluxe. Chuck thought the Thai was tops and totally out of the box. (Due to the peanut component I had to take his word for it.) With most dogs priced at $2.95, not only is Elvis’s a good place to satisfy your craving for hot dogs, it’s also a heck of a bargain. We’ll be back.

Full Moon

Chuck and I were out walking early this evening when we spotted the full moon rising. And, once again, we’re not sure which one of us took this photograph!

New Combos

This weekend I discovered two new combinations of food and drink which were especially enjoyable.

: : Aunt Nellie’s Onions, creamed in the traditional * way with a butter and flour roux, taste quite fine with the addition of well-drained, chopped spinach. I crushed the onions after creaming. Depending on how you tweak the seasoning and what ingredients you add, it can become the tangy, oniony version of spinach-artichoke dip - minus the artichokes!

: : Wild Turkey Liqueur with Honey tastes even zippier with a splash of Limoncello. Definitely good for what ails you - or whatever you imagine might possibly be ailing you, now or in the future! In the interest of science and medicine, I also tried orange liqueur but Cointreau and Grand Marnier didn’t play as well with the WTL.


* Make the butter and flour roux. Slowly add the liquid from the Aunt Nellie’s jar of onions. (Aunt Nellie’s has a more involved recipe for creamed onions on their website. It looks interesting, but has never graced a holiday table in my family!)


Thanks to Ilva and Morgan for asking all the right questions!

Skeevy

The television advertisement for the 2011 Toyota Highlander gives me the creeps. It’s the one with the little kid dissing his parents’ older minivan, as he climbs into another parent’s Highlander. (While complimenting “Mrs. J.” on her choice of ride, he channels a young Eddie Haskell.) The kid’s tagline is: “Just because you’re a parent doesn’t mean you have to be lame.” Ouch. The base price range for this SUV is $28,200 to $43,755. Freakin’ A! I’ve got no problem with capitalism and free enterprise, but Toyota, is this really the path you want go down to peddle your wares in a recession?

Izzy Update

: : Isabella Rose now weighs Five Pounds, Four Ounces / 2.4 Killograms!
She is still in the NICU, but all the nurses feel she could well be home by the end of the month. The doctors, on the other hand, won’t even commit to a “target” date. We’re trusting the nurses! ;o)

: : So far I’ve made 56 digi-scrap layouts of Isabella with her family and friends. But I have a long list of layouts yet to be created. In the process, I’ve learned a great deal about Photoshop CS5. I also feel that I have sharpened my eye for photography, video and design. Thank you Izzy!

: : Isabella’s grandmother, my sister Gail, now known as “GG”, flew in from Georgia this afternoon. By now she has held Isabella for the first time and is on cloud nine!

: : From the moment they learned “Bambalina” was on the way, Carrie and Al have been very generous in including their auntie and uncle in all of the excitement. When Carrie delivered Isabella prematurely at just 26 weeks, they welcomed us onto the sometimes frightening roller coaster. We have felt every emotion you would expect. But from the beginning there has always been hope. And throughout it all, even in those first few hours after Isabella’s birth, there has always been laughter.
This has been an amazing experience.
Our hearts are full.
We are so very grateful.

In The Palm Of My Hand

The islands that dot Frenchman Bay off of Bar Harbor, Maine are known (left to right) as: Bar, Sheep, Burnt, Long and Bald. They are known collectively as The Porcupines. Here they are as seen from the top of Cadillac Mountain on a wickedly windy day in October.


You may notice another large island, of a sort, in their midst. That was the Queen Mary 2! The morning had been incredibly foggy. But the QM2 made her way into the bay just after dawn and dropped anchor. Until the fog cleared mid-day, it was impossible to know she was there - with the very notable exception of her horn. As sunset drew near and the tide was out, Chuck and I were down on the rocks below the Shore Path. We decided to play around with perspective. We didn’t get it quite right, but we had a lot of fun!

Green Sea Urchin

Well, it’s really a photograph of the empty test of a Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus drobachiensis). This one had come to rest at low tide, in a slight eddy which had formed between two examples of Maine granite. We returned home from Maine just one week ago yesterday. It was a great trip. But it feels as if it were at least a month ago.

Quixotic Me - Again

Fall behind.
Sigh.
Yes, I do recognize the likely futility of my quest to put an end to the artificial and arbitrary manipulation of our time. But here’s my post from three and a half years ago.
A girl can dream can’t she, however impossible that dream might be?

2011 Is Just Around The Corner

If you are looking for a gorgeous 2011 calendar, Ilva Beretta, of the beautiful and delicious food blog Lucullian Delights is selling her calendar over at Red Bubble. A Swedish ex-pat living in Italy, Ilva’s wall calendar features some of her best photographs. Hanging in your kitchen, they are bound to provide you with culinary inspiration - and her recipes are just a few clicks away on her blog.

We Voted!

Photographs by LMR/Pink Granite & CGR. Layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Font: BlairMdITC TT Software: Apple iPhoto ’09 and Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Mac.

Kicking Up Her Heels

Isabella is now four pounds, nine ounces (2.06 Kgs), off the oxygen, off the nasogastric tube, out of the incubator and in a crib!

Election Day!

We were talking with Isabella Rose the other day about the election. She can’t leave the NICU yet. But next year, on election day, she’ll be all bundled up and in her mother’s arms in the voting booth. Izzy won’t be able to cast her own ballot until 2028. So today, we have to vote on behalf of Isabella Rose. We have to think about what is important and take the time to go to the polls and vote.

We cannot be complacent.
We cannot be apathetic.
We have to vote as if our lives depended on it, because they do.

If you need information about your polling place here in Massachusetts, go the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website.

Live your values.
Love your country.
VOTE!

Tomorrow Is The Big Day!

VOTE!

What He Said

Jim Gonyea, of Leicester has a great post on the proliferation of campaign signs on public land and vacant lots. Thanks Jim!

Not George Washington

Back in July, The First Family spent a weekend on Mount Desert Island, enjoying Bar Harbor and Acadia. If memory serves, they were here only about 48 hours. On their first night on the island, the family had dinner at Stewman’s Lobster Pound, on West Street in Bar Harbor. We’ve never eaten there because we visit too early in the spring and too late in the autumn. But because Stewman’s put up a sign, we had our chance at a photo-op!

Wait

The fog began rolling in Tuesday afternoon. This morning it was still thick and gray down at Seal Harbor.


The wind picked up late this afternoon, driving the fog out beyond The Porcupine Islands in Frenchman Bay.


Tonight was unseasonably warm. So warm, that The Thirsty Whale kept its doors open, allowing the autumn leaves to skitter about on the wood floorboards of the long, narrow bar. That would be the bar with the yummy food and the great service!

On The Wing

We were down at Seal Harbor early this morning. It was mostly overcast, with only a light breeze. There were many Herring Gulls (Larus smithsonianus) as well as some Great Black-backed Gulls (Larus marinus) on the beach and in the water. Despite their numbers, it was quite quiet and peaceful. After a few missed starts, I managed to snap two fairly clear photographs of seagulls in flight.

Doe, A Deer

Alongside Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park, not far from Otter Cliffs, we saw this beautiful White Tail Deer. We were driving in the car, late this afternoon, when a slight movement caught Chuck’s eye. I pulled out my camera. But she was moving and the engine was running, so it’s all a bit unfocused and dreamlike. Yeah, that’s what I was going for - a dreamlike quality! Worked like a charm. ;o)

Schoodic

On the one hand I want to keep it a closely guarded secret. On the other hand I want everyone to be able to enjoy it. I’ll err on the side of inclusiveness. Here are some photos of our trip over to one of the loveliest parts of Acadia National Park, the Schoodic Peninsula.


First of all, we found Fred. Or, more accurately, Fred the Herring Gull found us. Chuck was napping in the car at the time. I believe Fred was so concerned that someone was not actively appreciating the scenery that he flew up onto the hood of the car and stared at Chuck in amazement!


I let Chuck and Fred commune and headed off with my camera and my Sassafras walking stick to find this beautiful sight.


Soon Fred was able to rouse Chuck and he (Chuck, not Fred) joined me as the waves crashed up against the rocks. Fred was totally right about the importance of enjoying the scenery!

It Looks A Lot Like This

...pretty much wherever we go in Acadia National Park. This is the view from Jordan Pond House, looking down toward Jordan Pond and across to The Bubbles.


We were up to an early start thanks to a rumbling sound outside our window at about 6:00 am. I peeked through the drapes drawn across the windows and door to the balcony, to find a cruise ship heading right at us!


It was the Crown Princess. About twelve hours later, it pulled away under a full moon.

Remember This Guy?

Yes, we’re back in Bar Harbor, Maine; staying in the same hotel and we’re hoping to see our winged friend from last spring, tomorrow morning.

We drove up in a mix of sun and rain, arriving just after sunset. The waves sound wonderful. The fact that we are here means that our grandniece Isabella is doing so well that we decided to keep our reservations. Those were the reservations we made last spring, timed so that we would be back home in plenty of time before Carrie and “Bambalina’s” original due date of November 6th! Izzy now weighs three pounds, fifteen ounces (1.79 Kgs) and is off all of her supplemental oxygen - hurray! It will still be a while before she is able to head home with Mom and Dad, but we are all delighted with every milestone she passes.

Yawn

What? You got sick of looking at the photo of the overpass? But it’s pink!

I’m sorry I have neglected my blogging responsibilities. All is well. I have just been busy with happy things and mundane things. While the idea behind a blog is to write about one’s daily activities, I’m afraid it would be a bit, well, repetitive.

Example:
...slept, cooked, ate, drove, took photographs, drove, shopped, iPhoto, Photoshop CS3, e-mail, washed laundry, iMovie, QuickTime, YouTube, hung laundry, fed cats, cooked, ate, scooped litter, folded laundry, slept...

Repeat.

But at least you’re now fully up to date.

Oh! Except for the very important fact that our grandniece Isabella now weighs three pounds, eleven ounces (1.68 Kgs) and is ten weeks and three days old! Preemie Power indeed!

My Favorite Overpass

I don’t know who the creative geniuses were who thought to paint the overpasses spanning Route 146 in wonderful colors. Nor do I know which state bureaucrats had the good sense to authorize it. But my hat is off to all of them.

This one is located in Worcester at the intersection of Cambridge, Quinsigamond and 290.
It is, for obvious reasons, my favorite.

Autumn In Shadow

It was a warm, sunny Autumn day. I was hanging laundry on the front porch, while also trying not to step on a cat’s tail. In glancing down to avoid said tail, the shadows caught my attention. I thought of Roo who, in his photography, has a wonderful eye for shadows. I stopped and reached for my camera. This is the result.



Speaking of Roo,
Happy Anniversary to Andrew and Peter!

Preemie Power!

Whenever Isabella Rose raises her fist in the air like this I call it “Preemie Power”!

Isabella was born at just 26 weeks on August 5th, weighing one pound six ounces. We said from the beginning that she struck us as ”sweet and strong”. That continues to be our impression. She began feeding from a bottle on September 26th. Then she also began nursing on September 28th! She now weighs three pounds, five ounces (1.5 Kgs) - give or take a few grams. Wow! Carrie and Al continue to be wonderful parents. And Carrie has been recovering steadily from the Severe Preeclampsia and its attendant complications. Hurray!

Put Your Money Where Your _____...

Mouth Is
Heart Is
Values Are

The right, the far right, the conservatives, the Republicans, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the tea-party-ers, Karl Rove and all the astro-turfers are pouring vast sums of money into political campaigns. After the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United it has been virtually no holds barred on how much money can flow in from businesses and anonymous donors. The amounts of money are staggering. The right doesn’t want to take us back to something they miss; something they feel we have lost under the present Democratic administration. They want to take this nation in an entirely new and dangerous direction.

So we, the little guys, the average American citizens, have to pony up. We have to put our money where are mouths are. If we want to scream every time the right wingers spew lies, then we have to open up our wallets and support the good guys. If we hate the vision of America the tea-party-ers paint, then we have to put pen to check and support the good guys. If we know that we need more time to haul ourselves out of the recession and keep building on what has been accomplished in the last twenty months, then we have to navigate over to candidates we believe in, click on the donate button and support the good guys.


psssst... Do $omething!

Wicked Cool

There’s a wicked cool Photoshop video tutorial from NAPP Executive Director Larry Becker over on Corey Barker’s Planet Photoshop. It’s called “Abstract Backgrounds”. It is very easy to follow and left me slackjawed with all the nifty permutations and possibilities - think filters, digi-scrap papers and more. Check it out here!

My experiment:
From stones to stripes

Mark Your Calendars

Some of the people running for public office this year are just plain nuts.
Many of them have big money behind them.
We should not assume that because they are nuts, that they couldn’t possibly get elected.
We have to go to the polls and vote.
Vote as if your life depended on it, because it does.
This is a shake-the-snowglobe/Alice-down-the-rabbit-hole moment in our nation’s history.
We cannot be complacent.
We cannot be apathetic.
We have to go to the polls and vote.
Heck, you can even vote by absentee ballot.
But you have to freakin’ vote.

Living in Massachusetts? Need to register to vote? (You have until October 13th.) Need to vote by absentee ballot? The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website has all the information you’ll need.

Mark Your Calendars.
Election Day Is
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
VOTE!

Rhino At The Mall

As I Tweeted on Twitter earlier today:

The bad news: I have a cold so we can't go anywhere NEAR the NICU! ;o(
Heck, I won't even breathe in a SouthEasterly direction!

The good news: Isabella now weighs 3 pounds (1.36 kg)!!! Hurray! ;o)

I blame my cold on the Massachusetts court system. I had jury duty in Worcester’s “Mall of Justice” on Main Street and with 100 plus citizens all in one pool room there must have been a bug or two tagging along. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.

I have to say that all three judges I either spoke with or listened to impressed the heck out of me. I had not been looking forward to my “one day, one trial” tour of duty. I understand and appreciate civic responsibility, but the timing for this call up was not the best. I really was hoping not to be empaneled and I wasn’t. But as each inspiring judge spoke, I had the powerful urge to hold up my juror badge and say “Pick me!”

So five stars to the judges; four and a half stars to the impressive facility; and five stars to Court Officer Rose who kept us all informed and advocated to get “her jurors” where we needed to be. Oh, and minus five stars to this damn rhinovirus. You’d think that all that scanning and screening at the front door would keep such nasties at bay!

Fewer Or Less & A Word Among The Missing

Here’s a simple, general way to decide when to use the words “less” and “fewer”. If you can count whatever it is you are talking about, use fewer. If you can’t count it, use less. I am no grammarian, but it’s a rule which seems to be frequently broken.

The following sentence is correct:
I should spend less time knitting and buy fewer skeins of yarn.
I could reconstruct it this way:
I should spend fewer hours each day knitting and buy less yarn.
But the following sentence is not correct:
I should spend fewer time knitting and buy less skeins of yarn.

Grammar Girl has a detailed column on the topic. Grammar Monkeys have a brief audio explanation involving zombies.

As long as we’re on the topic of word usage, what the heck ever happened to the word “pled”. As in “She pled not guilty to the charges.” All I seem to hear on the news these days is “She pleaded not guilty.” I understand that pled is an alternative to pleaded. I also learned, after a bit of Googling, that its usage is disputed. But to my ear pled sounds right. And I don’t think it is due to my age, my having been born and raised in Rhode Island or my Scottish heritage.

Thoughts?

Shine On

Chuck and I were finishing our walk early this evening when we caught sight of the Harvest Moon. (Well it was really the Harvest Moon plus a day.) We’re not sure which one of us took this photograph. We had the camera with us, but no tripod. So we tried various settings and leaning on each other to try and steady the shot. We took a lot of pics but this was the only one which began to capture the beauty of the moon, rising up through a stand of trees, in central Massachusetts.


P.S. How old am I? I Googled “Harvest Moon lyrics” and instead of the early 1900s song “Shine On Harvest Moon” by Bayes and Norworth, up popped Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” from 1992. I have never heard of the latter, but have sung the former my whole life. Apparently I am ancient!

Mike Lowell

Mike “I only know how to hit doubles and home runs” Lowell is still going to retire at the end of this season. The Red Sox will be honoring him before the October 2nd home game. Lowell is one of my favorite players and I hate to see him go. This article by Ian Browne is a great read. It sums up Mike Lowell and his terrific career.

Update: Thankfully, it looks as if Mike was not seriously injured when he was hit in the right temple by the ball, during tonight’s game against the Evil Empire. A game which we won!

The Tech That Binds

Knock wood, all continues to go well for our grandniece Isabella! After several weeks of taking lots of photographs, I had a slap the palm of my hand to my forehead kind of moment. I suddenly realized that our Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera has a video feature. Isabella had been moved to a new room in the NICU and I thought that her family living far away would like to be able to see her new room and, much more importantly, see Isabella in motion. So, I shot less than three minutes of footage, loaded it onto my computer, edited it in iMovie, uploaded it to our private iWeb site and sent the link off to family and friends. Unfortunately, not everyone could access iWeb or view the video.

Cue the abrasive sound of a phonograph needle being scraped off an LP!

I’ll spare you the excruciating details of how I tried to troubleshoot the problem and how many e-mails I sent out. Eventually, I had to take another route and I finally found a winner. Turns out YouTube offers a Private video option. You upload your video to YouTube, tick the box marked private and then send out invitations to whomever you authorize to view the video. You’re limited to a maximum of 25 people and they have to register with YouTube. But for the family members whose non-Apple PCs and internet browsers weren’t compatible with iWeb, it has been a great solution. We’ve uploaded four videos to both locations and have it down to a pretty smooth system.

There was only one family member left out of the unlimited access loop: Nana, Isabella’s great grandmother. She has watched a couple of the videos on our laptop, but unlike everyone else, she doesn’t have nor does she want a computer. So this afternoon I used iDVD and burned all four videos to a disc. If her reaction to Carrie and Al’s wedding DVD is any indication, I should probably bring her a box of tissues along with the DVD!

Notting Hill

Apropos of nothing, the movie “Notting Hill” really holds up. It may have been made in 1999; it may be classified as a “chick flick” but it is still a pleasure to watch. I laughed. I cried. I clapped. Can’t ask for much more than that in film.

Visiting Family

The period of time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is known as the Days of Awe. During this time, it is customary to make visits to the cemeteries where your loved ones are buried. Today we picked up Chuck’s 87 year old aunt and drove to the collection of Jewish cemeteries in Woburn. We stopped at the first gate to pick up some pebbles from an open tray and went to our family member’s graves. On each headstone, we each placed one of the pebbles. They are left as a sign of respect and as a visible acknowledgement of the visit. Tante managed to leave her walker behind and, leaning on Chuck, walk to her parents and brother’s gravesite. But as the visiting continued, she stayed on the main paved path and we served as her ambassadors, leaving pebbles for her on the headstones of other relatives. As we walked, Tante would stop, read an inscription on a marker, remember and then tell us so and so was friends with Grandma or so and so worked with your father.

I do not like death or grief or loss. But I do love visiting a cemetery. I also love a good funeral home and a truly fine funeral. Apparently my pleasure today was evident because Chuck told me later that Tante said to him: “Lee’s certainly enjoying herself!” I think she likes that we are comfortable with the tradition of visiting; of reminiscing; of connecting the branches on the family tree. I think she also appreciated that as we walked around the cemeteries today, we began to take note of what Tante would like her headstone to look like. (Her plot is right next to her parents and brother.) Turns out, she likes a very finely grained, pale, pink granite!

Katydid

Well, we call them Katydids, but the scientists say they are part of the Tettigoniidae family.
Yup. Katydids it is!

Oops! I should have put a link in for the Katydid. They look like grasshoppers, but are actually more closely related to crickets.

VOTE!

Tomorrow is Primary Day here in Massachusetts.

The polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

If you need information about your polling place, go the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website.

Apathy is the enemy.

We cannot afford to sit this one out.

Live your values.
Love your country.
VOTE!

Unique Memorial

We’ve driven by this unusual headstone many, many times and I’ve always wondered about it. But I never went to see what individual or family it represents. Today we went into St. John’s Cemetery off of Cambridge Street in Worcester and learned that it is the Palermo Family.

May all the members of the Palermo, DeMango, Cipro and Pedrone families know peace. And may P.F.C. Vincent G. Palermo’s ultimate sacrifice always be remembered and honored.



You can follow along with The Wormtown Fleet by clicking here and following the “Linky blog hop” links.

That’s Eft Not Elf

An Eastern Newt Salamander (Notophthalmus Viridescens) in its Red Eft stage, as seen in our dooryard this morning. Chuck provided assistance by holding back the greenery and adding a sense of scale. Thanks Chuck!

Paper Deal!

By far, our favorite paper to print photos and digi-scrap layouts out on is Staples Photo Supreme Double Sided Matte Paper. When we stopped in the Staples in Millbury on our way home from visiting Isabella and Carrie today, we found they were running a ridiculously good deal on it. List price is $14.99 for 50 sheets. But you can get a rebate card or check (check please!) for $14.74. That makes your final cost just 25¢. Limit two per household, but it’s a great chance to try out this consistently well reviewed paper (4.5 stars out of 5 on 711 reviews).

Would I prefer they still sold boxes of 100 sheets? Yes please.
But I’ll happily take advantage of this in-store deal - good only through Saturday, September 11th.

The Book Cover

As promised, a photo of my version of the Reversible Journal Cover.
It was well received. ;o)

Book Cover

I needed to make a book cover out of fabric. I had been thinking about winging it - my usual strategy! And heaven knows that once upon a time I wrapped all my textbooks with brown paper bag covers. (I also used the glossy store bought ones with ivy league college and university logos emblazoned on them. However inspiring they may have been, the brown paper bag ones lasted longer!)

Anyhoo, I Googled to see if I could find a good design. I found several. But if I was not going to wing it, I needed a really good tutorial. By good I mean clear and easy to follow directions, coupled with very good images to follow. I found a nifty one which, by the description, should have been way too complicated: “A Reversible Journal Cover”. It wasn’t! Lara Cameron in Melbourne, Australia posted the directions, complete with illustrations. I’m a visual learner so that was important. You have to look very closely at those illustrations but she really does spell everything out and make it quite simple: basically four rectangles of fabric and six seams.

Full disclosure: I neglected to double a measurement as advised in Step 3. That was my own darn fault for reading too quickly. But it actually worked out just fine. On my next one I will double that measurement as advised to give the “pockets” where the book cover slips in, better coverage.

Following Breadcrumbs - Again!

You know Masterpiece Theater on PBS?
O.K.
You know the Swedish series “Wallander” starring Kenneth Branagh?
O.K.
You know the haunting song they play every time they advertise “Wallander”?

“Tram wires
Across northern skies
Cut my blue heart in two
My knuckles bleed
Down the tattered street
On a door that shouldn't be
In front of me...”

O.K.
It took some Googling but it turns out that it’s called “Nostalgia”. It’s sung by an Australian gal by the name of Emily Barker.
The reason it was a bit of a hunt was because they changed the lyrics from the original song to fit the “Wallander” series.
I found the info thanks to this German blog.

Umm... So, now you know why I’m a little backed up with my laundry!

Two Years!

Happy second wedding anniversary
to Al and Carrie!
May happiness be
your constant companion ~
and may Isabella grow stronger every day!

Nineteen Years!

“Happy Anniversary to us,
Happy Anniversary to us,
Happy Anniversary dear Chuck & Lee
Happy Anniversary to us -
and many more!
Wheeeeeee!!!”

Chuck and I have known each other for 25 years and as of today we have been married for nineteen! The best thing that ever happened to me was meeting Chuck! The smartest decision I ever made was saying yes to this wonderful man!

Where Am I Standing?

We ran several errands late this afternoon and had dinner in Worcester.
Where was I standing when I snapped this photo?
(You can click on the image to get a better look.)


: : Update: Well that didn’t take long! Mike quickly identified that I was standing outside Wild Willy’s. Karl came by shortly thereafter and concurred.

I’m happy to report that Wild Willy’s still makes an excellent burger and a mean cup of steak chili!


You can follow along with The Wormtown Fleet by clicking here and following the “Linky blog hop” links.

Most Best

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while now. The working title in my mind was “How To Be An Excellent Hospital Visitor”. The problem is that it really was a story of how our niece Kate was “An Excellent Hospital Visitor”. Before I was hospitalized back in early July, my doctor had prepared me for what could be a stay of just three to five days, but, if the worst of the possible complications developed, it could be up to two weeks. Kate immediately got back to us and invited Uncle Chuck to stay with her and her husband Phil. They live less than half an hour away from the hospital and knew that Chuck was going to stay in a hotel close to the hospital. They also offered meals or just a place to rest and relax whenever he needed it. Once it became clear that the surgery was a success and I would likely be in only a few days, Kate immediately scheduled a visit. Her first instinct was to smuggle her dog Murphy in with her! We suggested that since we had seen him the Sunday before, just two legged visitors would be more appropriate!

That’s how Kate came to visit her Auntie and Uncle the day after my surgery. She appeared in the room with an armload of tropical flowers half as tall as she is, a card signed by her entire branch of the family, some lovely linen spray in case my room smelled a bit too hospital-y for my taste and her cheerful and drop dead funny personality! Talk about a breath of fresh air! She also brought a flash drive with her. She and Phil had traveled to Ireland earlier in the year and she had uploaded a slew of gorgeous photographs from their trip. Chuck had his laptop which he quickly set up on my wheely bed tray. He and Kate pulled up chairs next to my bed and we enjoyed an Irish travelogue!

Now you see why I planned to call this post “How To Be An Excellent Hospital Visitor”. But I really could have titled it: “How To Be An Excellent Niece”!

Thumbs Up

We’re late to the party, but we finally bought a flash drive. Actually, until now, we couldn’t think of a good reason to justify the purchase. If we need to move files around we just do it wirelessly on our home network. Then we found ourselves bringing our computer down with us on our visits with Al, Carrie and Isabella. We would swap photos and files back and forth with their laptop. But if we just loaded the items we wanted to transfer to their computer onto a flash drive we could leave the laptop at home. And we could still off-load their photos onto the flash drive to ferry back with us.

Decision made, we bought an 8GB SanDisk Cruzer. It’s light as a feather, ridiculously small and easy to use. We just plug it into one of the USB ports on our Macs and it appears in Finder. We drag and drop JPEGS and files and we’re on our way.

If you click on the link you’ll see the color we chose. Yes, it’s pink. In person, it’s really a sort of plummy metallic magenta. And yes, Chuck is a very good sport! Actually, the day I had my surgery I carried a hot pink, madras plaid, patchwork tote from L.L. Bean as my purse. (Here it is in navy.) All my medical paperwork fit in it easily. But when I realized Chuck would have custody of it until I got out of recovery I asked if he wanted me to choose a different bag. He replied that he was sufficiently secure in his masculinity that he would gladly carry my hot pink tote bag. So you see, the plummy metallic magenta flash drive was truly not a problem!

Three Weeks!

Miss Isabella Rose turned three weeks old yesterday!!! She was serenaded by her Mom, her Great Grandma Nana, her Uncle Chuck and Auntie Lee. When Isabella (then "Bambalina") was born she weighed just one pound, six ounces (624 grams) and was 12 inches (30 centimeters) long. As of yesterday, she is now 14 inches (35 centimeters) long and weighs one pound, fifteen ounces (879 grams)!

Isabella has coped amazingly well with her sudden departure from her mother’s womb, into the room filled with the equipment and round the clock medical staff necessary to attempt to replicate that perfect space. We have been amazed by the technology which monitors and supports our grandniece. And we have been humbled by the expertise and compassion of the nurses, doctors and support staff of the NICU.

Our niece Carrie, Isabella’s mom, has been recovering steadily from the Severe Preeclampsia and all the attendant medical challenges. She and her husband Al have been marvelous to one another and loving, attentive parents to their daughter. Being able to watch them has been a lesson in grace.

The Wormtown Fleet #1

Jeff of Wormtown Taxi chronicled it all on his blog; from the razing of the old buildings to the clearing of the land through the plethora of rumors and, finally, the results. Even though we have driven by the new WalMart off of Route 146 a million times (hyperbolically and emotionally speaking) we had never stopped. Last night we did. I snapped this photo of one of the miniature wind turbines which top each parking lot light stanchion, pinwheel style. We then went inside the crowded temple of all things cheap, consumable and disposable.

The wind turbine was the highlight of the trip.


You can follow along with The Wormtown Fleet by clicking here and following the “Linky blog hop” links.

The Wormtown Fleet

Jeff of Wormtown Taxi has been battling with and blogging about his cancer diagnosis and treatment. His daily routine has been dramatically altered which means he is no longer out and about on the streets of Worcester, Massachusetts. Jeff has been an inveterate snapper of photos. As he drove his taxi throughout the city and beyond, Jeff took photos and video of whatever caught his fancy, struck his funny bone or, most likely, triggered the sharp-eyed cynic in him.

Nicole of Nicole, Worcester (AKA NIcoleCommaWoo) reached out to Jeff’s fellow Worcester Area bloggers to see if we could all band together to train our cameras on Worcester. Yes, it’s true, we all recognize it is a sisyphean task for us to collectively try to match Jeff’s productivity. But we can give him a tip o‘ the hat as we humbly post a few of our own pics.

Here’s Nicole’s more thorough explanation of what “The Wormtown Fleet” is all about - and how you can join us in the project.

Jam Jar

Nope. It’s not something you spread on toast in the morning. It’s a wine from South Africa. It’s a Sweet Shiraz. It was fruity and fun and almost too drinkable! We had a simple meal of salad and pizza. The screw top Jam Jar 2009 was just right with both. Oh, and so was the price. We bought ours at Wine Nation in Millbury.

F-Stop

I know that there is sunshine and all manner of flora and fauna outside this summer. I know that United States and international politics have not evaporated. I know that the environment and the economy are both still struggling. And it’s not that I don’t care. It’s just that our world has shrunk. The lens we focus to view life through has sharpened and narrowed.

Here’s what we see through that lens:

: : Today marks six weeks post surgery for me - just two more to go.
: : Carrie is doing quite well. She and her husband Al are still working together beautifully as they care for each other and their new daughter.
: : Isabella is one tough little chick. She is sweet and mellow and feisty all rolled up together. She has completely captivated us all. In her thirteen days there has been only one substantial scare - one in thirteen days! Amazing, really, for a child born so soon; so small. (Yes I am knocking on wood.)
: : My sister Gail (Grandma or perhaps GG) heads back to Georgia tomorrow - not the direction she wishes to head right now.
: : My tooth broke and required a trip to our good dentist and (cha-ching) another crown.
: : iPhoto ‘09 and Photoshop CS5 and I are on very good and close terms. I take huge numbers of photos of Isabella and the family and spend hours (which feel like minutes) poring over them; trying to find the best ones.
: : The Boston Red Sox are 69 and 52 on the season - that’s 69 wins, 52 losses, which is incredibly good considering the dugout and bull pen look more like hospital wards.

Happily, most of what is listed above is now good and positive. Some of it has been stressful and challenging. But beyond normal daily routines, we have allowed little else in. I need to correct that last statement. We have not only allowed but welcomed your encouragement and good wishes for Isabella and her parents. Thank you!

One Day At A Time

This has been an unusual few months. As my sister-in-law put it, we got “up close and personal with the health care system” this summer. (Yes, she is the mistress of the understatement!) I’m at the five and a half week mark in my post-surgery recuperation - less than three weeks to go. Our niece Carrie’s condition improved enough so that she has been discharged from the hospital. And our beautiful grandniece Isabella continues to make progress.

In her first week Isabella gained a little weight and added an inch to her length. When we spend time with her, despite her petite size, we have absolute confidence she will grow and thrive and have a long healthy, happy life. It is only when the phone rings with updates or we look up a symptom or procedure on the internet, that we feel a little flush of fear wash over us.

The risks are never far from our minds. Yet we try to stay focused on the all that is good; all that is working. We remain grateful and try to remember to be here now.

Knock Wood Before Reading

In the short six days that Isabella Rose has been with us she has done remarkably well. In fact, her doctors have said that she is doing better than many other babies born at 26 weeks. Every afternoon at 4:02 pm her Mom and Dad sing Happy Birthday to her. We are now in day seven. Tomorrow afternoon will be her one week birthday. We are amazed and grateful and hopeful.

Carrie, Isabella’s Mom, has been riding a bit of a medical roller coaster. She has been making steady progress, looks wonderful and is in good spirits, but she is still in the hospital. However, when you calculate what her body went through with the Severe Preeclampsia and the caesarian section we are left amazed and grateful and far more than hopeful.

Al, Carrie’s husband and Isabella’s Dad has been wonderful. We’ve loved Al since long before he and Carrie married. We always knew he was a good guy. But this medical crisis has only served to bring out the best in him. Watching the easy, gentle and loving way he and Carrie have between them is another cause for gratitude and yes, joy.

Thank you for your good wishes and support. It means so much to all of us.

Day Three Begins

Today was another positive day for Carrie and Bambalina. Carrie felt much stronger and better than yesterday. Bambalina had a good day too and met her Great Grandmother “Nana”. She also held her Daddy’s finger!

The other big news is that the name Bambalina will now be retired and become part of our beautiful grandniece’s birth story. As of today, her name is officially Isabella Rose! Miss Isabella is only 52 hours old. Yet she has nestled right into our hearts and filled us with wonder.

Updates

: : Carrie and Bambalina continue to hold their own and make progress despite the unexpected dangers of the last few days. We are so grateful for the excellent care and attention they are both receiving.

: : The CEO of the hospital I stayed at a month ago replied to my letter which was a happy surprise. Best of all, my letter was being forwarded to nine additional department heads whose areas of responsibility I had commented on.

Early Arrival

Miss “Bambalina” arrived very, very early. Late this afternoon, our niece Carrie delivered her daughter who weighed in at just one pound, six ounces. Carrie is doing well after the wrenching fight with Severe Preeclampsia and amazingly Bambalina is doing well too! Al and Carrie have yet to settle on a name so we get to call the newest member of the family Bambalina for just a little while longer.

Chuck and I were lucky enough to see Carrie briefly and spend a great amount of time with Al and Bambalina in the NICU. We know that after only 26 weeks traveling with her mother, she will be taking it ounce by ounce and day by day. But she and Carrie are receiving the best possible, compassionate, highly skilled care. And I have to tell you that the more time we spent with Bambalina, the more she struck us as relaxed and sweet as well as strong and tough.

I Took Names

Jeff of Wormtown Taxi has been dealing with cancer along with other health challenges. Reading his descriptions of his current hospitalization sent chills through me. He uses words like “torture”, “sadists”, “maximum annoyance” and characterizes the purpose as [for patients to be] “driven down into complete submission”.

It sounds absolutely dreadful and I sincerely hope that Jeff is back home with Kathy very, very soon.

But it did remind me that I wanted to mention another important part of my drastically different recent hospitalization: I took names.

Starting with my CT Scan weeks before my surgery, I began making note of the names of the kind, friendly, well intentioned people who worked with me. Three shifts a day, the names of my nurses and aides were written for me on the dry-erase white board in my hospital room. With Chuck as my nearly constant companion, he jotted their names down for me, along with the volunteers and anyone who contributed to my care. A few weeks after I got home I drafted a letter. I worked on it over several days. Eventually a three page missive - heck, if it were put to music it would be more accurately described as a paean - went into the mail.

I wanted to be certain that the hospital CEO, the director of nursing and others knew exactly what they had done right. From the spectacular nurses to the spotless facilities to the room service style food to the pre-op nurse who managed to get my IV started deftly and painlessly (usually an enormous challenge) - I wanted to give them details. At first blush three pages may sound excessive. But it needed to be done. Obviously the hospital already has a patient centered culture, but it can’t hurt to hear from someone who noticed and appreciated all the details - big and small - which made my hospital stay such a superb experience.

What Worked

I was lucky. I knew I would be hospitalized and having surgery several weeks ahead of time. As a result, I was able to prepare and figure out what I needed. Besides finding a brilliant, compassionate surgeon, here’s what worked for me:

: : I purchased and read quite a bit of Peggy Huddleston’s book “Prepare for Surgery, Healer Faster”. I did not follow all of her advice, but I found it very useful. I did listen to her companion relaxation CD - a lot - (which I loaded onto our iPod) and found that to be tremendously helpful throughout the entire process. I listened to it when I felt my anxiety begin to rise in the weeks leading up to the surgery and in the hospital at night when I couldn’t sleep. (Both are available on Amazon here and here.)

: : I created a folder in iPhoto called “Favorite/Special People & Places”. I dragged in photos of family, friends, Bar Harbor, Acadia, favorite digi-scrap layouts and so on. I loaded that folder onto our iPod. Many, many times I flipped through those photos, each of which made me smile. Connecting visually with the people, places, memories and moments I love made me feel good and calmed me down. It also helped me think ahead to what I would like to do after my recovery.

: : I reached out to the people in my life who I could count on. Chuck was naturally and rightfully at the top of that list! I knew I needed kind, well intentioned and funny people pulling for me, each in their own unique way. I sent out the call and the responses bowled both of us over.

: : As soon as I went into surgery, Chuck began sending group e-mail updates to those close friends and family members who were part of my “team”. That kept them informed and their responses were tangible support to Chuck while he waited. When I was out of the recovery room, Chuck continued the updates and the responses cheered us both immensely.

: : I remembered to be me. I made sure to engage positively and with good humor with every person I came in contact with. I wanted to be sure that I would not be just another number. I wanted to connect with the people responsible for my care. Coping with life’s challenges through laughter is one of my favorite strategies. Kidding around with my surgical nurse on the way to the operating room; joking with my nurses over profoundly embarrassing personal moments - that guaranteed I was not a number! I was Lee.

: : I walked. Before surgery back in 1987, my sister Gail advised me to get up and walk as soon as I was able. It was good advice then and now has become the gold standard for post-op recovery advice. This time I would emerge from my room, wrapped in my robe, one hand on my IV pole, the other on my incision and slowly but surely travel up and down the hallway. I did so at any hour of the day or night, always encouraged by the nurses and Chuck.

I was lucky.
I remain filled with gratitude for extremely good health care, fine health insurance, excellent nurses, generous friends and family and my understanding husband.

Salmon & Potatoes

After my two week post-op appointment (see "Returning..." below), Chuck took me to a Trader Joe’s. My energy was still very thin, but we needed to stock up on some easy meal options. I had seen the TJ’s pre-cooked salmon in the refrigerated section for ages, but had never tried it. This time I did and what follows turned out to be delicious - and blessedly uncomplicated.

Lee’s Salmon & Potatoes

Trader Joe’s pre-cooked salmon - comes refrigerated, having already been steamed with just salt and lemon (Substitute leftover poached salmon)
Yukon Gold potatoes, 3/4” dice
Onions, coarsely chopped

Olive oil
Butter
White Wine
Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Dill

Light Sour Cream
Cain’s Mayonnaise
Lemon Juice
Trader Joe’s Mustard Aioli Sauce (Substitute a little mustard & some garlic to taste)

Lemon wedges

Toss the cubed potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and dill. Make sure they are well coated. Spread on a parchment paper covered baking tray and (convection) bake at about 400F until tender inside and crispy and golden brown outside.

Meanwhile, saute the onions in olive oil, butter, water and white wine.Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder and dill. Remove from heat when they are golden and soft - and most liquid has evaporated.

In a small bowl mix two parts light sour cream to one part mayonnaise, a splash of lemon juice, a heaping teaspoon of Trader Joe’s Mustard Aioli sauce, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and dill.

On a plate, place a layer of the hot roasted potatoes.
Spoon some warm sauteed onions over the potatoes.
Place the cold salmon chunks on top.
Add a squeeze of lemon.
Drizzle the sauce over all and enjoy!

Serve with a tossed salad or other veggie.


Note:
We had leftovers. So I created this variation for brunch:

I placed some cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, cut side down in two gratin dishes. I spooned the leftover onions over the tomatoes and popped the dishes in a hot (400F) convection oven. When they were sizzling, I added the leftover potatoes on top.

Meanwhile, I poached two eggs.

When the potatoes were heated through, I removed the gratin dishes from the oven. I placed the leftover cold salmon chunks on top of the potato layer and slid a poached egg on top. I drizzled the last of the cold sauce over all.

Both versions were very satisfying. The first was cool enough for a summer evening. While the second, in the gratin dishes, held the heat and would be good any season of the year.

Returning...

I put Pink Granite on hiatus back on July 6th. The next day I had surgery. I’m happy to report that everything went better than my surgeon had anticipated. The care I received from my surgeon, as well as the nursing staff at the hospital was wonderful. And Chuck has been taking excellent care of me ever since. This coming Wednesday will mark the halfway point in my healing and recovery time. I’ve been back on Twitter for a while now - 140 characters was far less intimidating than a full blog post! But it feels very good to be back here.

Hiatus

Thank you for stopping by.
Pink Granite will be on hiatus for a bit, due to a medical situation.
I look forward to being back in the swing of things very soon.
;o)
- Lee

Peaceful

The heat wave has brought out the best in the garden, even if things are blooming a little early. The hostas have all thrown their flower spikes. Those trumpet shaped lavender flowers have already attracted hummingbirds. However, this photographer has yet to be in the right place at the right time, with camera in hand, to photograph said hummingbirds!

Happy Fourth of July!

Today’s Independence Day party at Carrie and Al’s was very much like last year’s celebration had been: excellent! Though I believe today was quite a bit warmer - 94F / 34C! The food was great; the people cheerful; the babies and kids (too numerous to count) were all adorable. And we got to meet Murphy! He has ridiculously soft fur and is even cuter in person.

Unfortunately the heat got the better of us and we decided to leave before the fireworks shows began all along Narragansett Bay. But, based on last year, we bet they looked something like this:

That's a waxing gibbous moon right in the heart of the fireworks and the water’s edge below (7/4/2009)

Thanks Al and Carrie!
We’ll be there for July 4, 2011
- and so will Bambalina! ;o)

What’s In A Name?

It looks like Morning Glory, but according to a knowledgeable gardening friend, it’s actually Bindweed. I don’t know. They’re both part of the genus Convolvulus. But one is prized and the other is a weed. It’s not bothering anything. It’s just hanging out in the wilder brush behind the Day Lilies; looking pretty and doing its pretty plant thing. I like it. So say hello to the lovely Convolvulus - a rose by any other name...

Bella Luna

As we were leaving the house early this evening, I was startled when this Luna Moth (Actias luna) fluttered past me and landed on the driveway in our dooryard. Chuck quickly handed the camera to me and I snapped a few photos. When we returned home several hours later, the Luna was up on the barn door, resting in the spill of light from the old fixture.

A Place To Start

Ever since the BP oil disaster began in the Gulf of Mexico, I have felt overwhelmed by it. The can-do, girly-girl solution side of me wanted to rig up something involving a giant funnel, a long hose, some duct tape and wrestle the gushing catastrophe into submission. As days turned into weeks I began to despair. I still have no idea when the engineers and scientists will either control and capture the gushing oil or somehow stop it from flowing into the Gulf and damaging or destroying everything in its ever enlarging sprawl.

In the meantime - and I fear for a long, long time to come - people and animals and the Earth need help. Charity Navigator has assembled a list of where we can “Make A Donation To Help Threatened Wildlife, Impacted Ecosystems And Damaged Economies”.
It’s a place to start.