Playing in the Dirt

Today, just before the rains came, my Sweetie and I planted tomatoes and Thai basil in our plot at the community garden.

My Sweetie bought Celebrity, Early Girl, La Roma, and Sun Gold at Whole Foods. They are large, strong, healthy plants. I can’t wait until we can pick the small golden-orange fruit of the Sun Gold that taste like candy.

Thai basil has small leaves, purple stems and a subtle licorice or mint flavor. It is described as having a more assertive taste than regular sweet basil.

When the earth is dry again, we will add more tomatoes and sweet basil.

I can taste them now with fresh mozzarella.

Wildlife in the City

We were welcomed home by a family of raccoons in the half-dead tree that really needs to come down. Now I am glad that we didn’t have it done this spring. Where would Mama have her family?

If you walk too close to the tree, Mama turns around, lifts her tail, and flings poo.

Although most raccoons give birth to three to five young, we have only seen one little face.

Around 8:00 this evening Mama must have needed a break. She reclined on the knot for a half hour or more. I think all mothers can relate to her exhaustion.

The New York Thruway

Apparently the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend is the day to drive the New York Thruway.

Normally I hate the Thruway. In fact, we usually take the Southern Tier Expressway across New York State. But this morning we decided not to spend the night on the road. Home beckoned.

Since the Thruway is the fastest way home from New England, we picked it up in Albany.

So although we spent 12 hours on the road and off it, it was a pleasant drive. I seemed to be the rabbit most of the time. Why was everyone else driving 65? Not having to share the road with the semis was such a relief. The few I did pass were driving 65 if that.

So here I sit with my cats. Home again. Safe and sound.

A Week of Music

Tonight we attended the fourth concert this week that our grandchildren participated in. What a talented bunch.

Gareth plays the tenor sax in the high school concert band and jazz band; Rayna plays the oboe in the junior high concert band. Eira and Rayna are in the seventh and eighth grade chorus and also Select Chorus. Adam is in the elementary school chorus.

Tonight the Upper Valley Youth Winds' concert was held on the Dartmouth campus. Gareth played the alto sax and Rayna played both the oboe and the flute. This is an invitation-only orchestra.

It has been wonderful to be here to attend all of the concerts but now it is time to head home.

Maine Maritime Museum: Part 2

Shipbuilding was hard, dangerous work as evidenced in the four 19th-century buildings of the Percy & Small Shipyard on the grounds of the Maine Maritime Museum.

The caulkers were deaf after years of using chisels to stuff the oakum into the chinks between the timbers of the ships.

The painters surely suffered from lead poisoning.

Most of the woodworking machinery was unguarded.

The men worked outdoors in all types of weather.

Only when machinery was installed in the mill and joiner shop did the men have three walls and a roof. The side toward the river was open with canvas to drop if the weather became too inclement.

And there was always the danger of fire. Smoking was strictly prohibited anywhere in the shipyard.

Percy & Small was fortunate to suffer only one major fire in its 25 years of operation. The evidence can still be seen in the charred beams in the mill and joiner shop. Where did it begin? In the blacksmith shop - the only place fire was allowed.



If you click on the photo, you can read the sign that says, "NO SMOKING ALLOWED IN THIS YARD."

Maine Maritime Museum in Bath

My Sweetie and I expected the ship models, the naval paintings, the fishing equipment, and all things nautical. We did not expect to learn about the Friendly Floatees.

In 1992, a container of 28,800 rubber duckies broke lose and washed overboard in the Pacific. Oceanographers have been tracking them ever since. Finding them in the Atlantic has confirmed trans-polar currents.

I am smiling as I think of hardened sailors collecting Friendly Floatees on the bounding main.

The White Mountains, Part 2

Our new car ably handled the eight-mile-long Mount Washington Auto Road. I drove up and my Sweetie drove down.

Here you would see the video I took on the way down but technology failed. Maybe tomorrow.

The White Mountains

Another summer-like day in New Hampshire found us on the Kancamagus Scenic Byway, named for a chief of the Penacook Confederacy, who tried to keep the peace between his people and the settlers. After his efforts failed in the early 1690’s, the tribes moved to northern New Hampshire and Canada.

As we began the ascent, a traffic sign warned that there was no gas for 32 miles. For 32 glorious miles there were only tree-covered mountains with glimpses of granite outcroppings.

Then we came down the mountain into “civilization.” It was a shock to re-enter the world of ski resorts and outlet malls.

Fortunately, our lodging was a few miles farther north in the tiny village of Jackson. We rumbled across a single-lane covered bridge and wound our way up the hill to the Eagle Mountain House. On the registry of Historic Hotels of America, it first housed travelers in 1879. Fire destroyed the wooden structure in 1915 but was rebuilt immediately using timber from the farm.

Tonight we will go to sleep to the chorus of the spring peepers in the babbling brook across the road from the hotel.

My Daughter, The Lawyer: Part 2

My Daughter, The Lawyer

On a summer-like day in the Green Mountain State we proudly watched our younger daughter walk across the stage to receive her diploma and her hood from Vermont Law School.

We are so proud of her. What an accomplishment for this mother of three teenagers and a stepson.

There were times when she wasn’t certain that she could handle both school and family. That she did was also a tribute to Jason, the father of her children, and Ken, her husband. Without the help and support from both of them, she would have been unable to spend the required time on her studies.

Congratulations!

Awesome!

As we drove away from the evening’s festivities at Vermont Law School with our two thirteen-old granddaughters in the back seat, they expressed approval of our new car. One said, “This is so awesome.” The other said, “This is the most awesome car in the world.”

As their long, honey-colored hair blew wildly around their faces, their grins kept getting bigger.

They giggled and threw their arms over their heads as if they were on a roller coaster. We all listened to how the sound of the wind changed.

They decided that our convertible was more like a spaceship than a car.

Now I love our car even more.

First Road Trip in the New Car

My Sweetie and I wondered if we would be as comfortable in the Volvo as we are in the Highlander. We both realized that we would give up our vantage point of sitting higher and the cargo capacity of the Highlander.

Although the Volvo’s trunk is quite roomy with the top up, we had to plan for having it down. The advantage of a hardtop convertible is that you have the quiet and security of a sedan but the disadvantage of having a top that folds into the trunk. This leaves about half of it for luggage.

We are happy to report that it is a worthy road car. It is a dream to drive and In some ways it is more comfortable. Now we just have to learn not to bring everything with us when we travel.

Women, Writing, and Traveling

Although I knew that taking five hours out of the day before a trip wasn’t the most sensible thing to do, I refused to miss a meeting of WOW. I wanted to reconnect with the women of the group. Besides it is just plain fun. And, yes, we did respond to a writing prompt (shoes) and critiqued a piece of writing. But that came after a delicious lunch (who knew that food without garlic could taste so delectable) and almost two hours of talking and laughing.

So now here it is almost 11:00pm and I am not finished packing. But I am sticking to my decision of getting up early (that will require setting an alarm) so we can leave before our typical 11:00am start.

Let’s see what the morrow shall bring.

Deciding

How does one decide when to stop covering up the gray?

I remember my mother coloring her hair when she was in her sixties. Did she continue into her seventies?

Will I?

Living in a Rainforest

My Sweetie, a native Californian, moved here from Arizona 13 years ago. Every spring he marvels at the absolute greenness of the eastern half of the United States.

I was 17 the first time I visited California. I was astounded that the hills were brown in July. To me summer is synonymous with green.

I have since marveled at the green velvet hills of California in the winter. But give me my Sweetie and green hills in the summer.

Foyle's War on Masterpiece Theater

Anthony Horowitz, creator of Foyle’s War, explained that Michael Kitchen was as responsible for the development of Christopher Foyle’s character as he was.

“It's not always been easy. Michael is very demanding. One of the funny things about him is that he's the only actor I know who demands fewer lines. He'll look at a speech and say to me, "Actually I can do all of that — five lines — with one look." And the annoying thing is, he's always right; he can — which means I have to write more dialogue for the other actors to fill out the episode.”

There were several times in tonight’s episode that my Sweetie and I looked at each other and laughed. But the scene in which the husband is arrested for the murder of his first wife is priceless. Foyle tells DI Milner, his former sergeant, that he will be on his own since Foyle is not only retired but headed to America. DI Milner’s inept sergeant pipes up that he will be there. Foyle pauses, looks at him, and says, “Precisely.”

Indeed.

Humble Boy

First you will laugh and then you will cry.

Humble Boy, a 2001 work by British playwright Charlotte Jones. opens on the day of James Humble’s funeral. James, a biology teacher and bee keeper, has died of a heart attack or so we are told in Act I. His adult son, Felix, has been reduced to stuttering and has been unable to deliver the eulogy.

During the two acts every human emotion and foible will be exposed. And just when you think there will be no more revelations...

Locals need to make a beeline (sorry) to catch the play at Dobama through the end of the month.

A Lovely Day

After last night’s thunderstorm with torrential rains, I did not expect such a lovely day. The humidity of yesterday was gone; the sky was blue with white fluffy clouds.

My Sweetie and I went for a walk, greeting neighbors who were out doing yard work.

It was a lovely day in the neighborhood.

A Day of Rest

I decided today that I would not do anything that I absolutely didn’t want to do. I would not cross one item off my to-do list.

I had a lovely day of talking with my daughter, hanging out with my Sweetie, petting the cats, reading the first book in a new mystery series, doing crossword puzzles, playing games on my iPad, and watching a new-to-us TV show through Netflix via the Wii.

Now I am rested.

A New Window on the World

Today two carpenters installed a replacement window in the second floor bathroom. Since 1986 I have been talking about uncovering the window that previous owners had put drywall over.

If we hadn't had a leak in the third floor bath, I would still be wishing I had one. Since we did not discover the leak until the next day, most of the plaster ceiling was waterlogged.

After I tore out the lath and plaster, I grabbed the reciprocating saw to investigate the window. They had removed the entire window leaving the triple track storm on the outside. They also taped a window blind on it so from the outside it looked as if the window were still there.

The new window is lovely. Now we just have to remodel the bathroom to meet this new standard.

Driving While Distracted

Today a driver made a left turn directly in front of my older daughter. She was not injured tho her car may be totaled.

It was a sunny day with dry roads. Yet this sales rep turned into her path.

The only explanation that I can come up with is that he was either talking on the phone, texting, or looking at paperwork in his truck for the name of the contact at the business he was turning into.

Why do humans think that they can operate, what is in essence a lethal weapon, and take their attention away from the road for even a second?

Why do they think that something is so important that it cannot wait until they have parked?

iPad

iPad; I happy!

Motherhood

When I became a mother at 19, I was fortunate to have my mother to help me learn how to became one. Without her support I don’t know how I would have survived those first months.

No one ever tells an expectant mother how demanding motherhood will be. Maybe women deliberately don’t remember labor or those first months of life with infants. Because if we did, no one would ever get pregnant.

All expectant mothers should receive a copy of Anne Lamott’s Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year. It is a honest, hysterical look at dealing with an infant. It has been more than 10 years since I've read it but I am smiling remembering how she thought of putting her infant son outside in the winter so she could get some sleep.

But, somehow, we and our infants not only survive those months of exhaustion and insanity but forge a bond that cannot be broken.

Pilobolus

Just back from seeing Pilobolus.

Happy Birthday to My Brother

My brother is seven years older than I and has always been the brother with whom I have the closest relationship.

He was my champion growing up. He never questioned whether I was capable of doing any task. I remember his arguing with our oldest brother about my driving the tractor during haying season. I was probably 9. Of course, I did not disappoint him.

Since we live on opposite sides of the continent, we don’t see each other as often as I would like. But no matter how much time has elapsed between visits, it feels as if we have just seen each other.

He is definitely one of the good men in my life. Happy Birthday to my dear brother.

Crowns and Fruit Strips

Crowns and fruit strips are not a good combination. They join the list of banned substances: Jelly Bellies, hard candies, caramels, toffee, and other foods that can either crack or loosen a crown.

It seemed like such an innocent pleasure. We had stopped at the Canal Visitor Center and Loren offered me a 100% organic pomegranate real fruit strip - only 45 calories. It was just the little pick-me-up I needed until we had lunch in Peninsula.

As I began chewing it, I bit down on something hard. Since I had lost a piece of porcelain on another tooth just a few days before, I knew that I had broken another tooth. I was actually relieved to see that it was a crown that had come loose.

Today my dentist told me that there is actually a substance much like a fruit strip that is used to pull crowns off. I am sure that it doesn’t taste as good as the one did yesterday.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

In a manner of minutes we left the hustle and bustle of modern life and were whisked back to a slower-paced life that included travel by boat on the Ohio & Erie Canal. It was the first canal to be built in the West, following the completion of the Erie Canal across New York.

The 308-mile canal, with a minimum width of 40 feet and depth of four feet, was dug completely by hand by Irish and German immigrants as well as local farmers. Their pay? Thirty cents a day and a jigger of whiskey if they wished.

Construction began at Cleveland in 1825. By 1832, it stretched to Portsmouth on the Ohio River with 146 locks. Before the Canal was built, it took 30 days to travel from Akron to New York City; by canal 10 days.

For more than 25 years, canals were the principal means of transportation of both people and goods. Their demise came at the hands of the iron rail.

Our first stop was the Canal Visitor Center, housed in a structure that once served as a tavern and earned the name, Hell’s Half Acre. As we walked from room to room looking at the photographs of the rough-looking canal boat men, I could well imagine how it got its name.

Four Dead in Ohio: May 4, 1970

Top left: Allison B. Krause - 19 years old
Top right: William K. Schroeder - 19 years old
Bottom left: Jeffrey G. Miller - 20 years old
Bottom right: Sandra L. Scheuer - 20 years old

Wildlife in the City

Yesterday it was a opossum slinking through the neighbor’s yard. This afternoon it was a groundhog that scurried away when I went out the back door.

We haven’t had a visitation from the herd of deer that live nearby since earlier this spring. I just know that they are waiting for the hostas to get bigger and the daylilies to have buds.

Out with the Old, In with the New

Last month our new living room furniture was delivered. One might expect this to be a cause for rejoicing. Certainly, it was for my Sweetie.

It was practically prescribed by his physical therapist. It seems that one’s knees should never be higher than one’s hips. Our low-slung 70’s sofa and love seat did not meet this standard. The old sofa was just fine for me since I am a foot shorter than he.

I tend to use my possessions until they are absolutely worn out. Just ask my Sweetie about the ratty jeans I wear for projects around the house. I am considering patching the torn knee.

I knew that I would feel better about replacing the furniture if I could give it to someone. Thank goodness for Freecycle. I posted the offer on a Friday evening; by morning I had three responses. The young mother, who picked them up Saturday afternoon, sent me an email on Sunday telling me they loved the sofa and love seat.

I just wish I had more to give away.

Company

Why is it that we can live in a less-than-clean house but expect it to meet a different standard for company? Why don’t we deem ourselves worthy of that standard?

Getting ready for our company reminded me of our dear friends who were contacted by an elderly former resident of their house who asked if she might come for a visit the next time she was in town. In order to show her that they were good stewards of the house, they even cleaned their offices. They felt safe thinking that she wouldn’t open closets. But she did! I should explain that their home’s master bedroom has a large closet with a window in it - a common feature of the gracious homes built in the early 1900’s. She just wanted to see it one more time.

Fortunately, it was not Fibber McGee’s closet.




Isn't it interesting that they did not re-shoot his flubbed lines?