The weather has been temperamental at the very least.  Perhaps a series of tantrums might be a better description.  The winds last night were 35 and 40 miles per hour, and most of the past week saw sleet, rain, snow and freezing rain. Yesterday it rained throughout most of the day which we should be thankful for because not too many miles north, it was 10 more inches of snow. My ten foot stream has now expanded to a 40 foot wide stream and the wet lands across the street is now a pond. They have spent the past few weeks clearing the brush, and flattening the swamp bogs in preparation for some future dredging. While I'm still very ambivalent about how it will change the life in the wetland, it certainly will enhance the countryside. Now we have a 4 acre lake across the street.  When I first moved up here, I had visions of an ice skating pond and years later it will come into being.

 

My seeds and planting materials have come. I have enough seeds to last me several years but split between two families and shared with other, I think it will work out just fine. I'm going to try and get a load of horse manure from the neighboring veterinarian, and perhaps order some mulch and top soil from the local landscaper. I have several vegetable beds in mind; one for the strawberries, another for the lettuce, herbs and spinach, and the other for the squash, cucumbers, zukes and melons. The potatoes and corn will just occupy regular garden space as will the beans and beets but I may have to treat the eggplant and peppers to a bed as well. The tomatoes I'll buy as plants or a neighbor who starts hundreds of plants from seed has already offered to provide me with several dozen plants. And gosh....how can I forget the fennel seeds.  What I probably will start early from seed are the peppers and eggplant. I have an empty tray on my planter with grow lights that I'll use to start some of these plants......so I'm really looking forward to some degree of success here. We really can't plant outdoors until about Memorial Day weekend; that's when we can plan on not having any killing frost. So peppers, and eggplants will be started inside. They need very warm soil to thrive.

 

I've been reading a biography on Katherine S. White entitled Upward and Onward. She was the fiction editor of the New Yorker Magazine but I am more interested in the series of articles she wrote on gardening. I'm always fascinated when I hear of someone who became a transplant to a most unsuspecting area of the country.  In this case from a New York City-ite who had an apartment in Turtle Bay to one who relocates to Brooklin, Maine. After 35 years on the New Yorker staff, she committed herself to gardening and writing an occasional column on her earthy joys.

 

While reading the biography by Linda Davis on KSW, I can upon several interesting asides. Katherine and her first husband Earnest Angell had a summer home in Sneden's Landing approximately 25 miles north of New York City. But at that time, transportation across the Hudson River was by a passenger boat. In her case, she'd take the passenger ferry from Sneden's Landing to Dobbs Ferry. There was no Tappan Zee Bridge nor George Washington Bridge. Now for my interesting asides.

 

My mother was a caterer. When I was in high school and college, I spent many, many hours helping her prepare the food.  My mother was known for her buffet suppers and one of her community of clients was Sneden's Landing.  It was always known for it's artsy people and I remember one evening she told me she had met Mikhail Baryshnikov. Of course we've talking a difference of 20 or thirty years between when K.S.W. lived there and when my mother catered there.  

 

When she started talking about the ferry, it brought back memories of when from my high school windows I watch the building of the Tappan Zee take place. The Tappan Zee Bridge spans the widest part of the Hudson River, approximately three miles from Nyack to Terry Town.  But I remember having taken one trip in the early 50's across the Hudson in a passenger ferry.  The boat held about 20 or 25 people at best and we were visiting the daughter of my Godmother who was a student at Marywood College. It was a nightmare of a boat trip. We crossed in a rain storm, waves and wind slapping against this barely enclosed boat that was struggling with everything it had to cross this churning river. It was one of those moments where even as an 8 or 9 year old child I remember saying to my self......are we going to make it. I remember being impressed with the dinner - lamb chops, green beans and rice, and strawberry shortcake for dessert and what really impressed me was the table clothes on the tables and the male servers. Guests and students were seated at tables and everyone was served at the table. At that time there was no such thing as walking through a food line.

 

Anyway, I'm almost finished with the book and will look forward to Onward and Upward in The Garden which is a compilation of her gardening essays but together by her husband E.B. White.

 

To all my blog friends......be well.  Spring is coming.     Bittersweet on the hill.

 

 

On my first trip to Europe, my parents took me to Austria, Germany and Holland. They wanted to share some of my heritage with me, have me meet family I have never met before and enjoy some of the food, culture and sites that were important to them. One of events I very much remembered and enjoyed was a trip into the mountains overlooking Vienna. It was mid-day and we were beginning to think about our mid-day dinner and my mother walked up to a stranger and asked him where a nice place for dinner was. She came back to the car and said, "follow that gentleman."  He took us on a twenty minute ride higher and higher into the mountains. At a certain point he left us feeling that from that point on we'd find our way.  We ended up in what was a former monastery now converted to an outdoor restaurant overlooking Vienna. We sat on an outdoor veranda and had a delightful dinner of blackened trout, green beans, with something else and this dessert called Salzburger Nockerln.  This enormous bowl of white foam came and while it was quite tasty I wasn't sure what all the fuss was. It really was nothing more than an enhanced meringue. I had been enjoying Sacker Torte and Black Forrest cake so this didn't quite excite me as it did for my Mother. I think it brought back childhood memories and for her it held meaning.

 

Anyway, for years I was trying to remember the correct spelling and/or pronunciation of Nockerln.  I had remembered it as Salzburger Nockerlie which may have been close but not close enough for me to find out what it really was. I had taken a number of German courses over the years and would always try looking up the correct name, spelling or perhaps a recipe. Nothing.  Then last week I was looking at the most recent issue of the AARP magazine and something caught my eye. Wolfgung Pak was taking about foods of Austria and there he mentions Salzburger Nockerln.  So after 25 or 30 years, I finally find out the correct spelling and name  and that it is nothing more than a "luscious" meringue.  Laughing with you.   Bittersweet

 

 

I just opened "The Book Bag," an autodidacts's literary newsletter.  In short a woman in Williamstown sends out a six to eight page review of books which encompasses what's on her night table, books of interest, usually a reading theme, a summary on books that have won this years book awards etc.  It's her take on books in a paragraph or less and far from a stuffy newsletter. It's so delightfully written that I read it from cover to cover. I always have another book or two to add to my list when finished.

 

This newsletter focused on E.B. White - his work with the New Yorker, his wife, Katherine White, his friends, his writings, books and children's books.  I think we all know "Stuart Little" and "Charlotte's Web."  And many of us have in our possession Strunk and White's, "Elements of Style."  I buy a new copy every few years when I can't find my last copy!

 

But this is not what my entry is about. My brother had the desire to build a boat - a small boat but a boat.  The closest he's gotten to that project is a kayak. But it was the early eighties and my brother asked me if I want to go with him to North Brooklin, Maine to visit a small boat builder. We took my parents motor home and took a several days trip to visit Steve White who had a shop in North Brooklin. The town was small, this small boat yard, a general store, and a business that was the home to the magazine "Wooden Boat." The community was very quaint, quiet and typical New England. The old salt box homes, pea gravel driveways, fences, full shrubbery and well maintained hundred and two hundred year homes.  What I remember was the isolation and this enormous barn which was the home to this boat builder. Somewhere in our conversation Pete mentioned that this was the grandson of EB White and the son of Joel White, the gentleman who started the boat building company. What I wasn't aware of was that Pete was planning to talk to Steve about working for him for awhile and was enquiring about the details. It was a wonderful idea until the salary came up; three dollars an hour! I think that was the end of Pete's boat building career.

 

The editor of the Book Bag references several books that I knew I'd add to my books to read; "Onward and Upward: a Biography of  Katherine White which "traces her life as a child, as a shining student at Bryn Mawr College, as the young wife of Ernest Angell, her second (and very happy) marriage to E.B., her New Yorker days, her life in Maine, her gardening passion and her children and grandchildren, ending with her death in 1977." The second book is entitled "Onward and Upward in the Garden" by Katherine White. In her later years as fiction editor of the New Yorker, she wrote fourteen columns on gardening that were published over a 12 year period in the New Yorker. Posthumously, E.B. White edited and compiled her gardening columns into this book which "became her final legacy."

 

So you wonder how I find some of my books that lay in piles all around the house?  Some of it starts as innocently as a trip to North Brooklin, Maine and an interest in gardening.  Have a good day.   Bittersweet

 

 

 

I don't know how many of you rooted for the Giants but I mentioned awhile back that the Giants were my team for the last 35 or 40 years. Prior to the game I reconciled myself to the fact that if they played a decent game I'd be satisfied. I knew the defense would play well and if Eli had an error free game, well, when all was said and done I could hold my head high. Well the improbable happened.  The NY Giants won. What i didn't realize was how emotional I was as a result of this win. Historically there were so many close calls; if they didn't have that interception, or if they had made that field goal, or the quarterback didn't play well etc., etc., etc. In recent years, post Lawrence Taylor, they never seemed to draft that impact player. They was always something that left fans saying, well there is always next year. I heard a phrase yesterday while watching the parade....NY teams "just pump the heart." But back to the emotionality of all of this.

 

While I was going to school, doing Master's degrees, Doctoral studies, taking on a demanding job, which required report writing,(and many of my weekends were spent writing,) doing government work reviewing grant proposals, adjunct faculty in graduate studies while working full time for the State Education Department, my free time was very limited. The one thing I permitted myself was watching the New York Giants football game. It was the one luxury I allowed myself - and sometimes it wasn't even a full game. Maybe I should say.....many times. When there was the expectation of a win, they never performed. And our greatest nemesis was either the Cowboys or the Redskins. I still remember Emmitt Smith taking the ball down field at the Meadowlands with a dislocated shoulder. Here's our opponent, winning the game - late, with their running back injured and he takes the ball down the field with Giants hanging all over them. How can you respond to that!

 

So when the unexpected happened this past Sunday after a season of controversy; a coach that was almost fired, mutiny by players that objected to the discipline, former player (s), feeling the quarterback wasn't showing leadership, injuries to our receivers etc., etc., I and millions of others were in shock. Keep in mind that there last six games of the season where games the sports analyists thought they'd loose.  The Vikings, the Redskins, Tampa Bay. the Cowboys, the Packers and then the Patriots. I and many others would approach each of the those games with.....ok, let's see what happens. As each Giant win mounted, you'd wonder when the bubble would burst.  Did I mention that the Giants did play the Patriots somewhere around Christmas and did play them very well. I think 35 to 32. A game where the Giants could have rested players but went all out. In my mind, that set the tone for the Giants that they could compete with the Patriots. Anyway, the Giants did the unexpected, they won the Super Bowl.

 

So why am I repeating something that we all have read or heard about a hundred times?  I found myself in tears most of the past two days.  I knew that the win was very emotional for me but I found myself asking.......but why.....it's only a football game. And I started to think back to all those years that I had to curtail my Sunday afternoon pleasure. But it was more than the memories of lost or won games. It was also the reliving of 30 demanding but very rewarding professional career.

Hello blog buddies,

 

How does this much time pass?  But somehow it does. So where to begin.

 

My little Sydney has decided that chasing cars seems to be fun.  She broke away from our grasp and spotted just the car she liked. Well she got whacked on the right shoulder and side of her mouth. When we brought her into the house her right leg hung like a useless appendage and she was bleeding from her mouth. My initial impression was that she broke her right leg. I never heard a dog cry before and as she was leaning next to and against me she was just whining from pain. She managed to quiet down as we prepared to get her ready to take to the vet clinic.  Thankfully a half mile down the road. What I didn't realize was that she went into shock. My brother picked her up under the fore-legs and carried her to the car. I can't begin to imagine the pain she was in at the time. The vet called several hours later and said.....the good news is nothing broken but we have moderate concern for some nerve damage. (In my mind, the possible nerve damage was worse than not having a fracture.) She was definitely spending the night if not the weekend. The radiographs showed a badly whacked shoulder and water in her lungs! To make a long story short, she was fortunate. She's on pain meds and by days end she has a slight limp. But I am grateful that she is recovering well and very much her old self.  What I do know is that there is an electric fence in her future!

 

Our weather has been quite frigid. If anyone has been watching the football games last weekend you know what our weather was like. One night it was -3 with a wind chill between -10 to -15.  When it hits those kinds of lows it becomes a bit frightening.  Those are the kinds of evenings when you keep the wood-stove stocked and the faucets dripping. Nothing as distressing as frozen water pipes. And we have the occassional inch or two of snow which helps keep the landscape pristine. Several times last week with the snow and cold, the hillside looked like a winter wonderland. It truly was very beautiful.

 

I finished reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns," by Khaled Hosseini and I must say the book blew me out of the water.  It probably was my best read this past year. I recommend it highly.  He is the author of "The Kite Runner's" which was made into a movie.  I've now started a book entitled "A Golden Age," by Tahmima Anam. This book takes a slightly different perspective on the war in Pakistan and neighboring countries.  It is from the perspective of a mother and her two children and the impact of children wanting to join the military and political efforts of revolution and war. I suspect the mother will play a larger role than what we are led to believe early on.

 

Anyway my friends, I continue to peek out at the hillside and look for the yellowing of the willow trees.  It is too early to think that meybe there is some pink showing on the distant maples.  Blessings from the hillside.  Bittersweet

Well we're a few days into the New Year and had snow for several consecutive days.  We just received a summary of December's weatherman and he indicated we had 31 inches of snow in December. We've had a few smaller storms since then and then temps plummeted to -10 with the wind chill two evenings ago. I think winter has thrown its mantle around us and I must admit there is a beauty to the scenery that only winter can bring.

 

Christmas went well. I enjoyed our indoor tree although I took it down because the needles were shedding and it was becoming quite dry. I am unsure as to why since it was a freshly cut tree and we kept it outside until it was coming in. Some years it is just like that!  I usually keep my tree up until the 15th of January but not this year. We enjoyed the outdoor tree and turn the lights on most evenings. Our Christmas Eve dinner went splendidly well.  We had 8 for dinner including one neighbor which is plenty enough especially when your cooking a full dinner. We repeated last years menu of a shrimp cocktail followed by prime ribs, mashed potatoes and then garlic green beans and glazed carrots enhanced with rosemary and honey. I don't cook the carrots but julienne then brown then in a light layer of oil, adding the black pepper and rosemary and towards the end add the honey.  The carrots cooked this way are truly special. And the meal is topped off with homemade German cookies and chocolates with coffee. I think most of these past two weeks has been about cooking.  Preparing nice meals is a source of pleasure for me so I take every opportunity I can. I can honestly say that I've never prepared a meal for the sake of having a meal on the table. It was always prepared with thought and care.

 

I just finished reading Khalid Hosseini book, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and must admit it is one of the best reads I've had in the past year or two. Shocking, breathtaking, and beautifully raw. You read of the horrors of life in Afghanistan and it becomes excruciatingly painful when one of the characters you truly care for gets caught in the cultural, archaic and religious web of a country gone mad. I was spellbound and horrified at the same time. Hossiene's writing is beautiful and flawless.

 

I hope all are well and many blessings in the coming year.  Bittersweet

 

The weather man projected an 8 inch snow storm which when it was finished ended up being from 14 to 17 inches. I live for snowstorms. In fact I become a child just watching the snow come down.  We got more than our share of snow and we're expecting a nor'easter this weekend.  They are projecting more snow than this one, colder temps and more winds. 

 

Last night just as the snow was ending I looked out the window at the outdoor tree and just fixated on the glow that radiated on the fresh white snow.  The peace and stillness just rattled my soul. The lights on the tree are white and radiate quite a distance from this lone blue spruce that sits on the knoll.  It really is a lovely scene in the night.

 

I have a story about Sydney.  Sydney is now 10 months old and loves running.  There aren't many occasion where she can run to her hearts content.  Yesterday was one of those days.  It had already been snowing about 4 hours and the snow was falling at about an inch an hour, later at 2 inches an hour and I thought now is a good time to let her loose.  No traffic on the roads, fields all around and she can run to her hearts content. We watched her the first 30 minutes; in the fields, around the garage, among the apple trees and after any scent that she could still find.  Then there was this 10 lapse in time and when we looked again, no Sydney. The snow kept falling and finally Pete took the red leash and went out on the road.  No Sydney.  Then this Cadillac pulled up where Pete was standing and on the back seat was Sydney. The man opened the door, let Sydney out and drove off.  Pete didn't recognize the driver nor the car and we don't even know where he went.  He just drove off into the snow storm.  I'm sure the clue was Pete walking with a red leash in his hand.  So today it is back to the limited range of the wire run.

 

Since we opened the spigot to the rain barrel, my orchids aren't getting their share of rain water at the moment.  So yesterday I was gathering snow to melt in 5 gallon buckets so I'd have a few feedings of rain water.

 

Subconsciously I think I am thinking about where I can improve things in the coming year. One is to be more deliberate and consciencious about my writing and taking better care of my orchids.  It really has taken a year or two to begin to understand the care of orchids.  I'm still working at improving the environment for my orchids and understanding which need more moisture and where others require being dry before watering them again.

 

I guess it is time to work on more of my Christmas cards.  Blessings to all.  Bittersweet

 

In some ways, this is the time of year I enjoy.  Winter is the time of year I like to close the world off and enjoy the gifts of home and nature. I must admit I am not a shopper.  To go out and fight people in the malls would not be on the top of my list of things to do.  The first "to do" after Thanksgiving is to make sure the outdoor tree is lit and must admit this year I got a gift. The blue spruce that my mother and I planted about 15 years ago has grown to the point that you really can't reach to string the garlands of outdoor lights.  I managed to get it done last year with the help of two or three people, latters and the back of a pick-up truck.  I didn't take the lights down because it would have been as big of a job as putting them on. I think there was a little of the subconscious working on me - the hope that when I plug in the outdoor cord that the lights just might come on again. Low and behold.....luck was very much with me.  The lights all came on.  So faithfully at 5 o'clock, I turn on the outdoor switch and enjoy this lone tree that sits on the knoll. It brings back so many memories of my mother and my childhood.  Christmas was her favorite season.

 

One of the rituals of Christmas when I was a child was that we each got a box of Barton's chocolate. Since we each got a box, it was something we didn't have to share which was a big thing.  And of course we got all the clothes we needed such as pajamas, play clothes, shoes or boots.  Mom usually knitted us the sweaters, gloves and hats.  And we always received one other non-utilitarian gift.

 

But Christmas is about having the green table clothe on the table, Christmas music, a real live Christmas tree, a well-conceived Christmas dinner with family and finding those spiritual moments to be thankful for life and the gifts to the soul that all too often we forget.

 

Winter is also the time to catch up on my reading.  I fear we don't read as much as we should.  It really takes a concerted effort to get into the habit of reading and I am thankful for the gentle nudges of "The Bookbag," and Bas Blau. And of course Amazon Books and an assortment of other book club reminders and friends. Consequently I am much more diligent about my reading and always keep a few near the kitchen table.  I am more a morning reader than a night reader so like that little pile of books near the table or bench.

 

And lastly, my little black spider.  Most of you know that I keep most of my orchids in the kitchen on a large garden cart.  Of course plants can have all kinds of plant flies and aphids which you are always on the lookout for.  Anyway, several weeks ago I noticed a black spider on the wall behind the plants. My immediate reaction was to get the vacuum cleaner and dispose of him in short order. Then it came to me that spiders are wonderful when it comes to the little creatures that can destroy your plants.  So this little guy lives amongst my orchids and disposes for me all those unwanted creatures.  He's not the dandy long legs variety but a short black squatty one  who is quite content to live among my plants.

 

Well my friends, be well.  Bittersweet in the hills.

Well folks, Thanksgiving is almost here and I need to pick up my turkey. I figured I'd do that tomorrow as well as pick up all the ingredients for my side dishes.  I have as much fun planning for the side dishes as actually doing the turkey.  I spend a lot of time thinking about my stuffing, sweet potatoes and vegetables as I do the actual turkey.  And of course, the gravy is important. But for starters, I do have the bittersweet picked. I'm trying to figure out how I can make a small wreath for the table but every year we end up removing everything from the table except for the serving dishes.

 

Well I did get a very nice picture of Sydney except that I can upload it to this site.  I've loaded pictures before but just can't get it to work.  I'm going to try again as soon as I finish writing this entry.

 

I finished reading another of Rumer Goddens novels, "Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy."  Almost as enjoyable as "In This House of Brede." It is amazing how she can draw you into the characters that reside in a convent/cloister. I very much enjoy the praying rituals as background, her character development, her beautiful prose and the unexpected endings.  Her novels are certainly classics and I'm looking forward to reading "Black Narcissus."

 

I've just started reading a book I never thought I'd pick up. Clarence Thomas's book "My Grandfather's Son."  Several weeks ago I saw him being interviewed by Croft on 60 minutes. I was very taken by the man I was meeting and changed my perceptions of him.  Then I was scanning C-Span and caught the book signing party that was hosted by one of Thomas's friends. Again I was taken by this man; his charm, his personality, his voice and the things he had to overcome while growing up. So I bought the book and it doesn't disappoint. Justice Thomas is my age, and I remember listening to the confirmation hearings and was very much swayed by Anita Hill. It truly was a situation where - who do you believe? Today my answer probably would change but at the time, women's rights, consciousness raising, women entering the professions and women's self-actualization all played a part.  Getting back to Mr. Thomas, the physical poverty, the emotional poverty, being raised by very strict grandparents, and constandly fighting racism was just mindboggling. The biggotry when he was a seminarian, followed by the biggotry at Holy Cross and Yale Law School would leave you dumnfounded. And then after having graduated almost at the top of his class, finding he couldn't get a job.  Finally he got a job with Dansforth who was the state Attorney General from Missouri and later to be Senetor from that state.

 

His grandfather's words to him when he went into the seminary was don't disappoint me.  When he left the seminary, probably because of the racism, he returned home and was thrown out of the house by his grandfather. From that point on he was on his own.  He managed to get a scholarship to Holy Cross but every dime, every penny was worked for while going to school.  He tells a funny story.  He took out college and tuition loans that he was still paying for when he became a Justice of the Supreme Court!  He was a very angry, angry young man. And that is as much of his story as overcoming the poverty, the racism and coming to terms with the back person's role in society.  This is a man who was raised on "self-reliance," who very much struggled with the pros and cons of affirmative action.

 

Anyway, I do hope to make my way back before Thanksgiving but in case I don't, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  Blessings from the hillside.   Bittersweet

 

 

My niece and family were up and it was a great visit. I hadn't seen the little guys for 2 years and it was amazing to see how much they had grown.  But they enjoyed playing on the newly cut fields, rolling down the back slope, playing baseball with their Dad, and going to the apple orchid.  And of course there was time to paint, watch cartoons annd play with Sydney.  I must admit, I was exhausted. I couldn't believe how tired I was.  But seeing them was a treat.

 

We've been having an unbelievable nice autumn and now they are talking snow flurries for Wednesday and Friday.  Ouch. Thanksgiving is usually when we see our first snow but then again, our worst storm was October 7, about 20 years ago.  We were without power for 8 days.  The first day you laugh and just camp out and think it is fun....by the eighth day, you can't stand yourself and you get pretty tired of cooking on a woodstove.  But I must admit, we did survive. Melted snow, for water and had either a stew or chili going and even toasted bread on the top of the stove.

 

An update on the orchids; I initially had 4 that were in bloom when I brought them into the house. I have two new ones that are sporting flower heads.  I am excited about what I might be getting since I have no recall on what they were.  I've lost some of the markers.....a no, no in the orchid world but it does happen.  You repot an orchid and take the tag out and set it aside, and all of a sudden you say....." which one did this come from?" You can count on this happening when someone offers to help!

 

Miss Sydney is 7 months old.  Still in puppyhood but I'm hoping miracles happen in the next few months.  I hope to post a picture of her in the next day or two so you will see what I mean.  Sweet and loveable but far from obedient.  Anyway, I hope all is well.  Enjoy the last of autumns colors and look for that first snowflake.  Bittersweet.

 

My niece and her husband and three boys are visiting next weekend.  I decided to treat myself to some new bathroom towels an while I was at it, some new bedsheets, pillow cases and pillows. And I threw in a bath sheet for Sydney and made sure it was a color that would help me differentiate her sheet from the rest of us - a reddish nutmeg. Why does Sydney need a bath sheet? She doesn't sleep in either of her beds so I've resorted to bath towels which she enjoys especially since she loves chewing the ends. She's already destroyed the sippers on her dogie beds so now we have resorted to extra large towels since I really don't like her sleeping on cold tile floors.

 

Anyway, back to the sheets, pillows, pillow cases and towels. I've been using linens that have been in the house for years so was somewhat in shock when i started ordering new linens.  I must have spent hundreds of dollars just for some basics!  Talk about sticker shock!  Good thing I didn't order silk sheets or monogrammed towels. I'd be passed out on the floor.

 

Last night was the "harvest" moon and what a moon it was. My bedroom and the dining room both face northeast and when the dining room lights are on I can see the reflection of light when I'm lying in bed.  It was so bright out that I had to actually get up and check that what I was seeing in the dark wasn't a reflection from the lights. And of course, with the full moon came some cooler crisp weather. I think our Indian summer is finished and now the cooler weather is setting in. I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet but we had a delightful autumn so I can't complain.

 

I think I mentioned that my mature orchids have spent the summer outdoors.  One of them started flowering in August and when I brought them back in, pretty much finished its blooming a week or two after coming in.  Three of my phals are blooming quite nicely. And one of my denobriums has a really nice flower head which should be a lovely bloom in several weeks or months.  You never know.  Other than that, lots of nice growth but no new blooms on many of them. So we keep feeding and hope that some decide to bloom in the winter.

 

So tonight we expect some rain. I'm hoping youngest brother gets home in time to clean out some  of the storm drains and gutters so the rain doesn't overflow down the side of the house. With the wind and showers the past few days, the gutters have filled up with leaves and should be removed. Always something to do in the country!  Anyway good friends, be well.  Bittersweet

 

My niece and her husband and three boys are visiting next weekend.  I decided to treat myself to some new bathroom towels an while I was at it, some new bedsheets, pillow cases and pillows. And I threw in a bath sheet for Sydney and made sure it was a color that would help me differentiate her sheet from the rest of us - a reddish nutmeg. Why does Sydney need a bath sheet? She doesn't sleep in either of her beds so I've resorted to bath towels which she enjoys especially since she loves chewing the ends. She's already destroyed the sippers on her dogie beds so now we have resorted to extra large towels since I really don't like her sleeping on cold tile floors.

 

Anyway, back to the sheets, pillows, pillow cases and towels. I've been using linens that have been in the house for years so was somewhat in shock when i started ordering new linens.  I must have spent hundreds of dollars just for some basics!  Talk about sticker shock!  Good thing I didn't order silk sheets or monogrammed towels. I'd be passed out on the floor.

 

Last night was the "harvest" moon and what a moon it was. My bedroom and the dining room both face northeast and when the dining room lights are on I can see the reflection of light when I'm lying in bed.  It was so bright out that I had to actually get up and check that what I was seeing in the dark wasn't a reflection from the lights. And of course, with the full moon came some cooler crisp weather. I think our Indian summer is finished and now the cooler weather is setting in. I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet but we had a delightful autumn so I can't complain.

 

I think I mentioned that my mature orchids have spent the summer outdoors.  One of them started flowering in August and when I brought them back in, pretty much finished its blooming a week or two after coming in.  Three of my phals are blooming quite nicely. And one of my denobriums has a really nice flower head which should be a lovely bloom in several weeks or months.  You never know.  Other than that, lots of nice growth but no new blooms on many of them. So we keep feeding and hope that some decide to bloom in the winter.

 

So tonight we expect some rain. I'm hoping youngest brother gets home in time to clean out some  of the storm drains and gutters so the rain doesn't overflow down the side of the house. With the wind and showers the past few days, the gutters have filled up with leaves and should be removed. Always something to do in the country!  Anyway good friends, be well.  Bittersweet

 

We are experiencing some incredibly delightful weather. The next few days will be sunny and in the low 70's - which isn't hard to take.  The down-side to all of this is that we could use some rain. They're now talking about some heavy rains overnight with the possibility of a tornado which is unusual for the northeast. We get nor'easters and the aftermaths of hurricanes but rarely a tornado.

 

First, I have to say how delighted I was that Gore was the recipient of the Nobel Prize.  Anything to draw more attention to the plight of global warming and pollution. We could do so much more to protect this earth as well as becoming more self-sufficient in terms of using less of the resources that do remain.  I was reading about the benefits of wave energy.  I still have this notion in the back of my mind that I'd love to design and build an energy efficient cottage/bungalow. I think "we" as a nation need to think about down-sizing in most areas of our lives. If I were to build a home, I have only four requirements; a big kitchen, an open living/dining area with lots of wall space for bookshelves, a porch and fireplace. Lots of solar windows and solar panels. I don't need big nor do I want big.

 

I jst started a new book entitled, 'better,'  A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande. It is frightening when you read about MRSA or other super-resistant bacteria that exists.  What I am enjoying reading is the caring characteristics of what makes a good doctor.  I've just started but it is one of those books you sit down with, with a nice cup of tea.  Which leads me to my next read, 'Tea Bliss,' bt Theresa Cheung.  There is a ritual to making tea and the beauty is in the calming effect that takes place when to prepare for and make a cup of tea. I love adding just a dab of honey and lemon to my tea. I know there are purests out there that are shaking their heads but isn't that the beauty of it all.  We can all live in harmony.

 

I shall take on the world by tending to my little corner of the world. Little Sydney is well; not particularly attentive or well behaved.  The other day she managed to grab from the running board of his truck a box of staples for a staple gun, managed to open it and started chewing on one of those lengths of staples that break down when you put pressure on it. I guess she enjoyed the crunch of those staples!  Fortunately my brother managed to reach into his mouth and grab everything he could put his fingers on. We shutter at the thought of all this.

 

Anyway, be well my friends.   Bittersweet

 

I was just looking at the date of my last entry and can't believe it was September 6th!  How did I manage to loose a whole month? I can't even say I went on a trip although my computer has been less than stellar. It takes me about 15 minutes to get connected.  These wireless routers can be more trouble than they are worth. 

 

Anyway, our weather has been really quite pleasant. We're about 10 to 15 degrees above normal and I expect afternoon temps to hit 84. How bad can that be?  I'll take every moment.  In fact, my orchids are still outdoors although I expect any day now they will be coming indoors.  I really don't like it when the night temps hit below the low 50's.

 

Little Sydney gets spayed next week.  She is still as energetic as ever but I'm hoping she slows down after the surgery.  She is 6 months old and has that uncanny ability to break loose when you least expect it.  She has already figured out that there are deer in the hollow and that they seem like great creatures to play with. Of course they are gone in a flash and she doesn't have a chance. That's all the more reason to keep the fields bush-hogged so that they have the advantage of seeing her coming and get to the stream.  We generally keep her tied up or in her 10 x 10 foot cage or walk her about 8 times a day.  Does she ever have the life.

 

This afternoon the iris bed gets worked over for the last time.  I need to thin out a bit, cut back the old leaves and replant 50 or 100 of them. They've gotten a bit thick and irises don't stay healthy when crowded.  So my afternoon is in the garden.

 

Have a good Columbus Day weekend.   Bittersweet

 

September has arrived - that in-between month. There is still that residual warmth from summer but also the breezes have a new chill that reminds you of something else to come.  But today is lovely, and tomorrow it will be 88. Time still left to enjoy the warmth of summer if you missed it.

 

Labor Day was most welcomed and pleasant.  I did make that all American potato salad and must admit I enjoyed it very much.  Which leads me to ......how many of you know what a cornichon is?  The recipe called for 4 or 5 cornichons diced for the salad!  It's French for marinated baby Gerkin cucumbers!  Wouldn't it have been easier to have ust said pickles?  Anyway, I went with Martha Stewart's recipe and was very pleased with it. I typically don't add hard boiled eggs or dried mustard to my salads but it gave it a nice little zing. I had the last of it with the last of the London Broil yesterday and as I was eating the salad, started thinking about the changes in cooking over the years. Today foods seem to be bolder in presentation and taste.  Things are diced much larger and spices much more pronounced so that you are tasting things in a different way. 

 

When I was an adolescent (high school and college student,) I helped my mother who was an independent caterer.  Everything was finely diced or chopped so that you could taste it but not identify it.  It didn't matter whether it was a sit down dinner, a buffet supper or  hors d'oeuvres and party sandwiches, they were always highly complimented affairs. Anyway, I learned to make good gravies while working for her. I wouldn't think of making a leg-of-lamb, roast chicken, prime ribs, the dinner would be a failure if it didn't have a great gravy. And yet today, many things are prepared without thought to gravy. Everything is seasoning and olive oil. Good, but different than what I learned early on.

 

I spent sometime working on my iris bed.  They need to be thinned and it is just too warm and dry to start shifting them around. But we repositioned some of the larger rocks and I ordered just a few new ones so that I'll keep cycle going to add new ones each year.  So I'll have to plan a few more days working on them when it is cooler and we've gotten some rain.

 

I've started a new book which I suggest that if anyone has the time......please read it. "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson. A truly great book.  Please ad it to your reading list.

 

Well.....do enjoy your day.  Blessing from the northeast.  Bittersweet

 

 

I was looking out of the bathroom window and was startled by what looked like the perfect maple leaf laying on the ground.  It wasn't a bright red, or yellow but a muted combination of red/yellow and orange.  It probably was the coloring that attracted my attention and the fact that it was this one perfect leaf just laying on the green lawn. I wanted to retrieve it but was distracted and never did go a pick it up. As one looks into the distant hills, one can see changes in the leaves. Not necessarily color but just a dryness that certainly hints at fall. I mentioned to my brother that soon we'd have to spend a day or so in the garden, pulling the stalky mint and cutting back the irises. For some reason I just don't feel as if I've consummed enough of summer. Somehow it has eluded me.  But, if nothing else, I will do some steamed lobsters outdoors before the summer is over. 

 

Every now and then I let my imagination run.  Have you ever wondered where you might like to live in this country .... even if it is just for a year?  I keep thinking that I'd love to live in a city even if it is just for the experience of living in a city.  I'd like to live 'simply,' use public transportation to make my way around and take in the cafe's, cultural events, the food emporiums, the bookstores and libraries.etc. Nothing expensive but as inexpensively and economically as possible. Of course I'm looking at it from the eyes of a late stage baby boomer and one who is on a fixed income.

 

So.....what do you think are great places for mature members of society to live in?  I'm not sure that there should be a distinct between old and young but this was the list of 5 places to live as mentioned in the AARP magazine.  Cities to consider:  Portland, Oregon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chandler, Arizona; Atlanta, Georgia; and Boston, Massachusetts. Each of these cities have some wonderful opportunities for older folks. There is an upside and a downside to each of these cities but effort is made to promote quality of life and social equality for all.  Reference is made to an organization called Partners for Livable Communities. I just have this notion of wanting to live as inexpensively as possible without being a landowner and experiencing what a particular city has to offer.  Ok, ok.....just an idea.

 

I read the article on Katrina revisited.....two years after and I'm shocked at what we haven't done for the people of New Orleans. There are still sections that haven't been touched or cleaned up and many, many people who have just had to re-locate because FEMA and insurance companies have negated any responsibilty to assist or pay insurance claims.  Unfortunately, it has taken its toll on many people and the bottom line is......life will never be the same.  The stories are endless.

 

Well I leave you.  Remember to be thankful for at least one good thing in your day and if nothing else, smile or acknowledge one other person today.    Bittersweet on-the-hill.

 

 

Ahh, that atypical August weather!  We're experiencing some coolish weather and I must admit, that everyone pulled out a flannel shirt and the woodstove is going.  I'm sure this aberrant weather pattern won't last long but it is frightening to think that fall's head is rearing!  The signs are all around. The smell of the air has changed, the leaves on trees are drying, the yellow finches have left and the chrysanthemums are being sold at garden and vegetable stands. So fall is slowly coming.

 

I just received my September/October issue of "The Book Bag," and found it an absolute treat. This issue was called Russian Dressing and focused on both great and contemporary Russian writers. It brought to mind my first introduction to Russian Literature and how much I enjoyed the powerful and detailed writing.  So I just might select a book from each of several authors and add it to my bookshelve for winter reading.

 

I received my first issue of the AARP magazine and found it a delight. Without exception, every article was worth the read. I'm about to read the article on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina which I know will upset me deeply.  I fear we've left the people in hurricane alley high and dry.  It seems as if our government just can't get anything right.  The economy, health care, the mortgage crises, the war, FEMA and trailer cities etc. etc. and lets not forget the bridge collapse and the mining accidents. We're just not spending the money were we should be. My brother Pete and I were talking ....how you just can't rely on the government anymore.  Don't think any of us are going to be able to rely on the government for much of anything as we get older.

 

Another brother went out to Martha's Vineyard to visit his daughter and while there saw Buffy Saint Marie at the Tabernacle in Oaks Bluff. She happened to be a guest at the movie tribute to her and he had met her in the early sixties at one of the state colleges. They talked about why today there is very little activism by the young and why we don't see more protests by the young. Her answer was simple.....no draft.  Young people don't have to be worried about being drafted like they did in the 60's.  Our armies are all volunteer so people aren't getting involved. Where is our outrage????  The Black Panters, the Grey Panthers etc., etc.  I'm sure as soon as I read the article on the aftermath of Katrina I will be seething with rage.

 

I have spent the last 10 years isolating and insulating myself from the turmoil of life and there are times I fear what the cost of complacency and inactivity will cost.  I have become aware of the lack of home health care services and think that may be my focus for awhile.  With this being a presidential election year, it might be a good time to do some letter writing and at least make some issues known.

 

So good friends, we move on.  Good day to all.   Bittersweet

 

A few more minutes of relaxing and then I'll start my day. Sunday mornings should be designed around an added hour of 'do what you want' relaxation before the day begins.  So with cup of coffee in hand, I'm sitting here and will bring you up to date.

 

Let's start with my weather. Delightfully beautiful.  It has cooled down, the sun is out and no rain until this evening. This has been one of those near perfect weekends and at this point, you feel guilty when you can't spend at least part of each day enjoying the out of doors. The cacadas are singing, and the air has that scent of fall emerging and you just know from here on out, your beautiful, sunny warm days can be counted. I still have a few days to order some daffadils and irises for a fall planting so things are in hand.

 

The big event of two weeks ago, is the acquisition of 4 month old Sidney.  She's an Australian Shepherd, sweet and just full of play! Good thing there are three of us because that is what she requires! I can only say thank God she goes quietly into her cage and sleeps through the night. "NO" is not within her vernacular yet and neither is "come here."  The occasional motor cycle is of great fascination especially the Japanese bikes with the high whine!  I have acreas and fields on all sides of me except the road side and she seems to be attracted to the jogger, biker and anything that moves. We try to give her free play time, someone is always with her, but am always fearful that she just might make a dash when we least expect it.  We just put up a run but that's not the answer and may have to look at some invisable fencing for awhile.  I have always let my dogs loosing but am not sure about this one.

 

Sidney was picked out of the litter because of her similarity to an Australian Shepherd we had in the early 80's She also was a Sidney and was a beautiful dog although too protective of me and my mother.  Anyway, the similarities are uncanny! This young pup loves mouthing wood; she loves carrying sticks and bark chips around and has even tried tugging and moving some fire wood around. She has this desire to dig holes and is probably smelling the chipmunks that have been displaced.  I do notice a few woodchucks in the fields and I'm sure she'll go after those in time. And she just loves rolling on her back with her legs in the air.  Not very lady-like but part of her behavior just the same. Fortunately she enjoys all of us even though I think she has already determined that one of her roles is to protect me. I'm not sure why this is the case but perhaps because I am in the kitchen a lot, and always find time for that assuring pat. She certainly is one glutton! We have decided only dry goods this time since the original Sidney was heavier than she should have been and once gained, very hard to take off. 

 

I may have mentioned that I have my Tucson house on the market. Since i had pictures shipped home, I decided to have the furniture shipped as well. The furniture isn't worth much but I can add it to the 50 years of accumulated junk in the barn.  So one big barn sale coming up on the 24th and 25th of August. Two of my brothers and one of their lady friends will help me with the sale. Fortunately most of it I can keep in the barn if the weather is bad or just have a rain date. So we'll see.

 

Lastly, 'c' introduced me to some random quizzes at her site. Check them out......cool and interesting.  But, as for what color purple am I......I am a lavender, born year of the horse, have the Biblical name of Shira Gilana, my city is Boston, am 44 % democratic and am absolutely yin!  So there you have it.  A good day to you all.   Bittersweet

When I think chipmunks, I think back to my childhood when it seems as though all we did was rescue chipmunks from the cats.  The cats always seemed to be carrying these limp rags of reddish brown fur who played the art of pretending death to perfection.  Some survived and some didn't. I remember getting a box, pulling grass, getting a towel and a dish of water and watching vigilantly for that first sign of life.

 

As the owner of an 1850's Greek Revival I view them somewhat differently. There is nothing as disconcerting as hearing something in the walls scurrying around you are trying to sleep and not knowing whether it is a mouse, a squirrel or a chipmunk. The mice I can handle. They just pitter-patter across the ceiling and you just roll-over and continue your sleep hoping you remember to set the mouse traps the next morning.

 

What does knock you out of a dead sleep is when you hear some furry think inch its way up between the studs and it sounds as if it is the size of a cat. That's when I wake up one of the guys in the night and stupidly ask....."what's that noise?" Finally they have proclaimed......enough.

 

This year it seemed as if there is a profusion of chipmunks.  So the youngest has proclaimed a war against chipmunks.  He purchased an expensive trap and set out to catch every one of them. They seem to have a series of holes in the mulch by the rhododendrums next to the kitchen and my bedroom. So the trap is set with a gourmet dinner of peanut butter covered with the best variety of bird seeds. And sure enough, we have caught 5 to date.  The one stipulation is that they not be injured and that it is catch and release. So they all have new homes.

 

I was kind of curious where he took them all.  On the mornings of his big catch he loads the trap onto the back of his pick-up truck and drives off. I watch him and think.....big game hunter!  A stinking little chipmunk and he acts as if this catch may take him to a taxidermist!

 

So where did these creatures go? I don't make a big deal of it but at the end of the day I nonchalantly ask...."so where was the drop-off today?  The first one ended up in the parking lot of the Niverville  post office.  Ok......four miles is a safe distance, lots of country, trees and if he is extra diligent, he can make up for lost time.  Second one, the water falls in Valatie. This one would have to work harder to catch up. People feed the ducks so maybe he can find some bread crumbs.  The third one.....a country road on the way to his work project in Ghent. I think this one will have to raid another chippies den to make it through the winter. The fourth one has lots of history on his side. Old Kinderhook, the home of the 8th president of the U.S. - Martin Van Buren.  This one has lots of choices from among the Revolutionary heroes homes.  The Poole House, Lindenwald, the Aaron Burr House, I'm sure one of them would be happy to accomodate another chipmunk.  And now for the most recent one - the cemetery where our parents were burried. I looked at him and said,....."oh!"  He even added a comment.

 

"It was kind of interesting to watch him.  Everything was so flat. He didn't quite know where to go since there was no place to hide. He just kept running around among the tomb stones."

 

"No bread crumbs there," I said to myself.

 

So, the story of the first five.

 

 

First, I must admit that I wrote an entry twice on Sunday and couldn't publish them as a blog entry.  And yes, it is always something simple like not having put a title to the entry!  So even though I kept the site open most of the day......nothing happened!  So closed the site and started again and still nothing.  Perhaps it was the heat and humidity.

 

Let's begin with the loss of our four chipmunks.  Somehow we are inundated with chipmunks this summer.  They are in the woodpile, out in the garden shed and love tunneling in the woodchips in the flower beds.  So it was trap time.  I refuse to let anything happen to them and as each was trapped, they went on a trip.  One is now located by a neighboring town's post office, another by the water falls in another town, one on a country road on the way to David's work site and the last one in Old Kinderhook the home town of Martin Van Buren, 8th president of the U.S.

I do apologize to each and every one for the lost efforts of their summer but feel they will be industrious enough to find enough seeds and nuts

to build a new cache for winter.  Anyway, they have been thieving thistle seed  from the gold finches so now they can start to work in earnest!

 

Well Miss Xena has finally arrived home. It was nearly an 8 hour round trip to the Finger Lakes region of the state and thankfully one of my brother's offered to make the trip with his lady friend.  I'm thankful he viewed it as a Sunday drive because I'm not sure I was willing to make the trip.  So Xena, a four month old Australian Shepherd is now a full fledged member of the household and a lovable, sweet dog.  Lot's of kisses and licks and lots of outside running. The area where the fruit trees are is cut lawn and she views it as her play ground. She has added a new joy to the household and loves sitting outside with us when we enjoy the afternoon or evening.

 

I hope you are all well.  We are experiencing hot, humid weather and tomorrow will be worse.  Peace,  Bittersweet