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.

To Remember & Honor

This New York Times article reports on the efforts of the Negro Leagues Grave Marker Project. Over the last six years, the group has provided nineteen headstones for Negro League players with unmarked graves.

________________________________________________

When my father died in 1988, he was buried in the same plot with his parents and two brothers, one of whom had died in infancy. Seeing the headstone was painful for me because it was inscribed simply with our family surname and my grandfather’s full name. It frustrated and even angered me that there were no other names and no dates at all, to acknowledge and remember who was buried there.

From a genealogical perspective, the lack of information on the stone was also hard to accept. Many times Chuck and I have gone to a cemetery and been able to add more information to the family tree and even detail to family stories. But it was through my genealogical research, my imagination and my poetry that I was finally able to make peace with my Dad’s headstone and his father’s decision, made nearly a century before.


In Rhode Island, 1910

He was a young man
younger than I am now
Married to a woman
who was not warm and funny
which in courtship
somehow suited him
and suited her
He knew her past
and she his
But back then
self help
was an odd grammatical construction
for what one did to live a life
not what one was told to do
to live it well

So when their first child
a son –
the special pride and blessing
of any man
to have his first born be a son –
when that child died
a babe in arms
a piece of him died too
A piece of her as well
But as the man
he had the job
of going to the bank
and riding to the churchyard
and picking out a plot
and then a stone

He was not a man of means
though he had hope
He chose a smooth flat marker
the color of lead
the weight of his heart
one to lie firmly in the ground
It was all he could afford
but it was sensible as well

And what to put upon the stone?
He stood there
looking at the slab of granite
polished high
with flowers swirling in the corners
in the center
the Sacred Heart strangled with thorns
thorns he felt in his heart
Saw the stone was bigger
than his son had been
thought about how the plot
was fit for four
and of his grieving bride at home
wondered if the next child -
for surely there would be another –
would survive
and said, no dates
just “SMITH - John L. Smith Family” *
and wondering too
how swiftly would the plot be filled
he headed home
to a house thick with mourners
and muffled tears


- LMR/Pink Granite

*Name edited

Air

The air changed this evening.
Cool and dry came in steadily on a light breeze.
It was not a moment too soon.
I could feel myself reviving.
Until that feeling of relief washed over me, I hadn’t been fully conscious of how draining the heat and humidity had been.
It’s good to break out of this August-like weather, even if it is only for a few days.
Those few days will be enough.
The next heatwave will bring fireworks in the air.
That’s not a euphemism for a thunderstorm.
On Sunday there will be fireworks over the ocean, shared with family and friends.
That will be more than enough.

Shape Shifter

I was disappointed that Photoshop CS5 came with only a handful of shapes. I don’t use them often, but sometimes they are exactly what I need. I knew my old copy of Photoshop Elements had a ton of shapes. Chuck asked if I could copy them. Hmm... I tried copying them clipboard style, but no luck. Then I decided to wander around in Finder. I went into my Applications folder, found Photoshop Elements > Presets > Custom Shapes. Back in CS5, I clicked the Custom Shape Tool > Shape. Then from that flyout menu I chose Load Shapes and selected the Custom Shapes Folder > All Elements Shapes from Elements. Easy Peasy. Thanks to Chuck asking the right question, I am a happy camper once again.

A few weeks ago I posted a layout I had made in Elements of Kate and Phil’s puppy Murphy. I whipped it up it while I was between Photoshop CS3 & CS5. So once I was up and running on CS5 I tweaked it. As I said to Kate, it’s easy at first glance to think there’s no change. But aesthetically I was more satisfied with the redo. It includes the use of a little pawprint shape. I also made an enhanced background paper. I used a photo of some grass and reeds collapsed in late autumn, with the Blending Mode “Overlay” above the solid yellow layer (playing with the opacity) to create the effect.

Here are the original and revised versions:



Photographs courtesy of KRL. Layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Fonts: Hypatia Sans Pro and Jayne Print. Software: Apple iPhoto ’09, Adobe Photoshop Elements for Mac & Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Mac.

Drowsy...

We’re just home from seeing “The Drowsy Chaperone” at the Ogunquit Playhouse up in Maine. Carson Kressley was terrific. As was a member of our extended family! But we are, well, drowsy.

Night all...

I Said No, No, No

O.K. So it’s not that I need rehab; probably not even an intervention. But I have been digi-scrapping up a storm. I was doing some cleaning and organizing on my computer, which included going through iPhoto and trashing the blurrys and the duplicates. When I took a look through my Layout Folder, I found lots of events had never made it from photos into layouts. Well, clearly that was far more fun important than paying bills or folding laundry. So off I went. And it didn’t help one bit that Kate sent another photo of Murphy either!



Photograph courtesy of KRL. Layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Fonts: Hans Hand. Software: Apple iPhoto ’09 & Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Mac.

Two Degrees of Separation

Prince Albert of Monaco, at age 52, has, at long last, become engaged to a beautiful woman from South Africa: Charlene Wittstock, age 32, a former Olympian.

My Dad wanted me to drop my then boyfriend and marry Prince Albert of Monaco. He told me so back in the late 1970s - right in front of said boyfriend! It was irrelevant that I had never actually met Prince Albert. The fact that a very good friend of mine was not only attending the same college as the Prince, but living in the same building, was all Dad needed to know. He was immediately ready to marry off his youngest daughter into a style to which she could easily become accustomed!

Despite my Dad’s enthusiasm and determination, I never did meet Prince Albert. But because of my hopelessly romantic heart, when I heard the news of his engagement, I felt happy for him and wished them both well. I found my soulmate. Hopefully, the Prince has finally found his.

Neither Mutiny Nor Michael

Over on Advanced Style, they have a pictorial post on stylish folks, of certain age, with canes. In recent years we’ve had some experience with canes and walking sticks. Two of our elderly relatives have needed canes. Neither of them was interested in anything too “loud” or too “flashy”. Believe me, we tried! But the goal for each of them was to be as normal as possible, to not stand out; to not shine a bright, hot light on age related needs. As someone who is inherently shy and has magically worn a cloak of invisibility for years, I absolutely get it. But as someone who also has a penchant for snazzy, eye-catching, often vintage purses; who always has a folding fan with her and is never, ever afraid to use it and who loves wearing bright striped socks - well I really don’t get it.

When Chuck and I recently chose hiking sticks we looked at function, strength, lightness, feel in the hand and yes, appearance. We chose a couple of sassafras ones. They were frankly inexpensive. But we wanted to try them out when we walk on dirt country roads, the carriage trails in Acadia, the rocks at Schoodic - pretty much anywhere that isn’t paved or a high school track. We wanted to learn to use them efficiently and effectively. We wanted to become comfortable with using something for pleasure and additional ease. But we also wanted to be prepared to extend our options and maintain our agility and mobility as the years roll by.

Yes, we’re young - well, we think we are! But our ERs remind us that, if we’re lucky, the road is long and hardly ever gun barrel straight. So we’ll start with a couple of sassafras beauties. However, should circumstances change, we’ve already got our eyes on something like these dazzlers. Fair warning to the generation behind us: Uncle Chuck and Auntie Lee will not be going gently (or dowdily) into that good night!

Health

: : Chuck is definitely feeling better today. Kind man that he is, he is giving me and my chicken soup most of the credit! My money’s on tincture of time and the chicken soup, but it is very nice to feel appreciated!

: : We also got some optimistic news. The cancer treatment for a loved one will be far less invasive and onerous than we had feared. The Radiology Oncologist will be using CyberKnife treatment. Once again medicine collides with science fiction.

: : You may remember my disappointment and dissatisfaction with my primary care physician. Well, we took the bull by the horns today and Chuck tried to get me transferred over to his doctor. No such luck, but his doc, who knew my beloved retired doc and knows my current PCP, did make a recommendation for me. It looks like the paperwork transition will go smoothly. Fingers crossed my new PCP and I will be a good fit, ‘cuz heaven knows I would like this settled.

Fathers Day

There are so many different sorts of fathers. Probably as many as there are men. Chuck and I both got really good Dads. Some folks get dealt a very different hand: here’s one and another.

So today, here’s to all the good dads, stepfathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. And here’s to all the godfathers, big brothers, uncles and fine men who serve as father figures. Happy Father’s Day to you all - and thank you!

All Will Be Well

Chuck has been reading, resting, watching a little television, drinking plenty of fluids and generally trying to get better. He is improving, but the fever is still not gone. Once he gets past the acetaminophen window, the symptom returns. Thankfully his temperature has not gotten as high as it was yesterday. I’ve been keeping him company and digi-scrapping on the laptop.

One of the songs that has been going through my mind is “All Will Be Well”. It’s by a group out of Nashville called The Gabe Dixon Band. Soon I found myself taking a sunrise photo of Frenchman Bay up in Maine and including part of the chorus from “All Will Be Well”, because, well, it really will.



Photograph & Layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Lyrics quoted from The Gabe Dixon Band. Font: Hans Hand. Software: Apple iPhoto ’09 & Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Mac.

Where’s The Off Switch?

You know those ball machines that serve tennis balls or pitch baseballs to you at a steady clip? You remember the “Lucy and Ethel work in the chocolate factory” episode when the conveyor belt speeds up and overwhelms them? Life came at us a little like that this week. Some of it was very troubling: a relative with a serious health diagnosis. Some of it was curious: Chuck with a fever and no other specific symptoms. Some of it was frustrating: the domino effect on our family when Chuck’s fever meant we had to cancel a visit to Rhode Island. Some of it was just plain stupidly-small: our e-mail service changed formats and left us feeling like all the easy, useful features had been stripped in the name of “new & improved”.

You get the idea. The sense that every time the phone rang a new challenge was being delivered - major, minor and every size in between. I know that many things will resolve themselves on their own or yield to some attention, effort and maybe a little homemade chicken soup. Worrying won’t really help - but it does occupy one’s time and energy. Tincture of time is frequently effective - but requires patience. Perhaps a good night’s sleep will leave us better prepared for whatever life sends our way tomorrow. Hey, including being able to truly enjoy some good news - - - O.K. Universe?

Need some inspiration? Click here.

Flatbread

If you’re ever in Portland, Maine give Flatbread Company a whirl for lunch or dinner. They’re on Commercial Street, right on the water and convenient to a parking garage and the ferry terminal. When we went on our rocking chair adventure to Freeport last month, we stopped there for dinner on our way home. Yum! They have a simple menu: salads, flatbread pizzas and a couple of desserts. Oh but they do it all quite well. Their philosophy is focused on “local organic produce, free range and clean meats. All of our major ingredients are made in house and cooked in a wood fired cauldron or in a hand built wood burning earthen oven.” We were seated near that oven and enjoyed a fascinating, well choreographed floor show as the food traveled from the open kitchen, into the huge oven and off to the diners.

We started with their mesclun salad - mine with goat cheese, Chuck’s with blue. The house vinaigrette was surprisingly mild, but the cheese added some zip, making it all work and play well together. Our flatbread included the homemade pepperoni which was meaty, classically flavored and had a nice spicy kick to it. The crust was thin, well cooked, but with just the right amount of chewiness and yeasty goodness about. We both agreed the pizza had “good bones”.

Our waiter wrapped up our leftover pizza in foil in the shape of a swan, but also told us about the desserts. We had already seen a few of the brownies being warmed in the pizza oven prior to service, so sharing the brownie sundae was an easy sell. It was scrumptious - warm, fudgey on the inside and a teensy bit crunchy on the edges. Topped with vanilla ice cream and resting on a puddle of chocolate sauce - yeah - you wouldn’t have liked it! Nope, not one bit.

For folks here in Massachusetts they have restaurants in Amesbury, Bedford and a new one to open soon in Somerville. Plus there are two locations in New Hampshire, one in Connecticut and one in Hawaii. That last one is a bit of a schlep, but I hear Maui is awfully pretty!

Service & Sweet

This may be slightly premature, but it seems entirely possible that LaCie rocks!

One of the three ways to connect my 2008 LaCie Rugged external hard drive (EHD) to my laptop went kaput. At first I thought it was the cable. But a quick side trip yesterday to an Apple store, determined that it was the “outlet” or something internal to the EHD. Ted said “It’s still in warranty. Call LaCie. They’ll treat you right.” I called. They did - treat me right that is. I’m wrapping it up and shipping it off to them tomorrow. They will either repair it or send me a new one. Sweet!

Now, because many of you just glazed over as soon as you got to “external hard drive” I bring you another photo of another four legged member of our family, Cassie:

Lust In My Heart

I held and touched an iPad today.

Oh my, my, my! It is an extremely good thing that neither Chuck nor I are early adopters of technology!

And if I need help keeping my lust under control, I will read this - again!