Geo started listening to jazz. Maybe it began when we went to hear Dan Silverman on trombone at On the Rise. (Yes, the local Hinesburg bakery is one cozy jazz venue.) Or maybe it was the Diana Krall music he's been playing over and again since March. Anyway, this year we've actually been going to the Burlington jazz festival, not only for the sounds on Church St, but for 2 concerts -- Diana Krall was a real treat, and Branford Marsalis performs on Friday. Yesterday it was up close and personal with Luis Perdomo who shared about his beginnings in Venezuela, studies in NY, his gigs and his band.
Today I heard Count Basie emanating from Geo's PC. Seems he's discovered RTE radio Ireland that features an evening jazz show (early aft, our time). Kinda neat.
So today I bought Wynton Marsalis' book Moving to Higher Ground, all about Wynton's perspective on music. Okay, I really bought it for myself, however - Geo, I do promise to share.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
You know you are a Real Composter when...
1) You roll out discarded tires from the garage out into your yard to stack for a compost pile - Who needs those fancy $$ compost bins!
2) You see grass clippings and think "Nitrogen!"
3) Raking leaves is not a chore, but a joy.
4) Seeing bundles of leaves in plastic bags for garbage pick-up brings a tear to your eye.
5) When your family sees you peeling veggies for dinner and asks, "What are you making?" and you reply, "Compost."
6) When your garbage disposal becomes obsolete.
7) When filling yet another kitchen container for the compost heap gives you that adrenaline rush.
8) That mushroomy earthy smell becomes the new "Obsession."
9) You find yourself stuffing leftover salad greens into your purse when dining out.
10) You actually hear your grateful plants say "Thank you" when you amend that soil.
2) You see grass clippings and think "Nitrogen!"
3) Raking leaves is not a chore, but a joy.
4) Seeing bundles of leaves in plastic bags for garbage pick-up brings a tear to your eye.
5) When your family sees you peeling veggies for dinner and asks, "What are you making?" and you reply, "Compost."
6) When your garbage disposal becomes obsolete.
7) When filling yet another kitchen container for the compost heap gives you that adrenaline rush.
8) That mushroomy earthy smell becomes the new "Obsession."
9) You find yourself stuffing leftover salad greens into your purse when dining out.
10) You actually hear your grateful plants say "Thank you" when you amend that soil.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
"The Chocolate"
Back in the day when I was a dietetic intern, we had a young, let's call her a know-it-all supervisor who was not very well liked. And she was always watching her weight. One intern discovered that this supervisor had a passion for chocolate. So, each day, the intern would anonymously leave a "gift" of chocolate candy, or freshly baked cake, or a brownie on her desk. The supervisor seemed very happy for this gift. All year the interns were watching to see if she would put on more weight eating all this chocolate.
Something similar to this happened to me. One lady gave me a "gift" of a clump of lily of the valley. "Just put it anywhere in your garden. It will grow well in the shade." Well, not only does it grow well in the shade, it grows in the sun and even under that black fabric mat I put down to smother the weeds. It even seems to thrive there! And spread, and spread... It's taking over my garden! For the past few days I've been digging it out. It has a root system that really knows how to travel.
During one moment of weakness I leaned on my shovel and considered, "this may be good ground cover under the shrubs." Perish the thought! Lily of the valley is NOT in the plan. Back to digging out the gift that keeps on giving. I do think I will be battling lily of the valley for all my gardening days.
So this morning I thought about that gift of chocolate. There's a lesson in here somewhere. When I figure it out, I'll let you know.
Something similar to this happened to me. One lady gave me a "gift" of a clump of lily of the valley. "Just put it anywhere in your garden. It will grow well in the shade." Well, not only does it grow well in the shade, it grows in the sun and even under that black fabric mat I put down to smother the weeds. It even seems to thrive there! And spread, and spread... It's taking over my garden! For the past few days I've been digging it out. It has a root system that really knows how to travel.
During one moment of weakness I leaned on my shovel and considered, "this may be good ground cover under the shrubs." Perish the thought! Lily of the valley is NOT in the plan. Back to digging out the gift that keeps on giving. I do think I will be battling lily of the valley for all my gardening days.
So this morning I thought about that gift of chocolate. There's a lesson in here somewhere. When I figure it out, I'll let you know.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
The Square
The business association of my Mom's hometown is sponsoring a contest about recollections of downtown. It's a contest, so I just had to enter. Here's what I submitted:
My Mom Marion was born in Town of Hull in 1919 and my Dad Alex was born in 1905 in Mill Creek. My Dad’s first job was at Uncle Pete Kaminski’s grocery store where he learned how to be a butcher. My Dad later worked at Rudnick’s grocery store on the corner of the Square, and that’s where he met my Mom.
For as long as I could remember, we traveled on vacation from Racine to Stevens Point to stay with my Grandparents Anna and Joe Bonowski. One of our first and frequent stops would be Market Square. My Dad looked forward to meeting his friends on the Square and talking in Polish, of course, about the old days. A lot of farmers would be there selling beans and other vegetables. It seemed like my Dad knew most everybody, but then a lot of people had shopped at Rudnick’s in those days, including my Grandpa. When my Mom was still a young girl, she and her sisters went with my Grandpa to Rudnick’s. The handsome butcher carried the groceries out to the car where the sisters were sitting in the back seat. He smiled and said, “I’ll take the one with the brown eyes.”
Years later, my Mom (the one with the brown eyes) worked as a maid and child care provider to one of Stevens Point’s prominent families. In the evenings she would go to Fisher’s Dairy to buy an ice cream cone. She would eat that cone very, very slowly as she walked back and forth in front of Rudnick’s, hoping to be noticed by the handsome butcher who worked there. They met, became engaged, and in 1945 they were married at St. Casimir’s Church, Town of Hull.
The Square was the center of all the activity in town. It was where my parents met and fell in love. For me, no trip to The Square was complete without including a stop at Fisher’s Dairy for a double scoop cone of raspberry ripple ice cream, and my Dad reminiscing about his days as a butcher at Rudnick’s.
My Mom Marion was born in Town of Hull in 1919 and my Dad Alex was born in 1905 in Mill Creek. My Dad’s first job was at Uncle Pete Kaminski’s grocery store where he learned how to be a butcher. My Dad later worked at Rudnick’s grocery store on the corner of the Square, and that’s where he met my Mom.
For as long as I could remember, we traveled on vacation from Racine to Stevens Point to stay with my Grandparents Anna and Joe Bonowski. One of our first and frequent stops would be Market Square. My Dad looked forward to meeting his friends on the Square and talking in Polish, of course, about the old days. A lot of farmers would be there selling beans and other vegetables. It seemed like my Dad knew most everybody, but then a lot of people had shopped at Rudnick’s in those days, including my Grandpa. When my Mom was still a young girl, she and her sisters went with my Grandpa to Rudnick’s. The handsome butcher carried the groceries out to the car where the sisters were sitting in the back seat. He smiled and said, “I’ll take the one with the brown eyes.”
Years later, my Mom (the one with the brown eyes) worked as a maid and child care provider to one of Stevens Point’s prominent families. In the evenings she would go to Fisher’s Dairy to buy an ice cream cone. She would eat that cone very, very slowly as she walked back and forth in front of Rudnick’s, hoping to be noticed by the handsome butcher who worked there. They met, became engaged, and in 1945 they were married at St. Casimir’s Church, Town of Hull.
The Square was the center of all the activity in town. It was where my parents met and fell in love. For me, no trip to The Square was complete without including a stop at Fisher’s Dairy for a double scoop cone of raspberry ripple ice cream, and my Dad reminiscing about his days as a butcher at Rudnick’s.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
DENIAL
“When in denial, you are anchored, and not able to make the changes to move forward.”
Geo, Mom , and I heard a talk by a man who is totally blind. He once was fully sighted, married and working at a successful career. Then retinopathy set in. He lost everything dear to him – his marriage, his home, his job, even his visually intensive hobbies. One thing he held onto was the expectation that his sight would return, or improve, or – in the least – not get any worse.
He was trained to use the red and white cane for the blind, but kept it in his pocket for two years. To use it would be to admit that he really needed it. So he bumped into obstacles and tripped over curbs. By denying the obvious, serious anxiety and depression set in.
Each morning he would orient himself by a light he left burning overnight in the kitchen. He would make his way from the bedroom and move toward the light. One morning, the light was not on, or so he thought. He found his way into the kitchen and reached up to the light bulb. It was hot. He was totally blind.
He had never thought of himself as “a blind person.” To move from the denial stage, his brain needed to reorient him to a new self-image. Only then could he accept blindness as a secondary circumstance of his life.
Not many of us are totally blind, but we do experience the anxieties and frustrations that come with the denial of difficult circumstances beyond our control. In a negative situation, we “hope” that things will get better, we “wish” that things will improve. We say something like, "If only ____________,
then I’d be successful, then I’d be happy and life for me would be good." Or we may tell ourselves that maybe the situation really isn’t so bad, and if I ignore it, it will just go away. We struggle. In any case, we’re in denial.
How did this person with blindness move beyond denial toward acceptance?
1) He made an effort to establish a social network, so he would not be isolated. He continually works at this.
2) He looked for any glimmer of “good” in his situation. Although he realistically admitted the “bad,” He kept expanding on any positive aspects until the positive was in greater proportion to the negative.
3) He developed a sense of humor.
4) He reached out for adventure. He tried new ways of adaptive living. He began enjoying more non-vision type activities in his current situation.
Interestingly enough, the more he came to embrace his loss of vision, he began to sense and appreciate in new ways the reality of what he lost. This is an outcome of an adaptive life-style.
By using an adaptive lifestyle we can create new successful ways of activity and experience. We continually expand our horizons and grow as persons, sharing positively with others.
For the speaker, he discovered for himself that the best part of his blindness is what it does for the sighted people he encounters. His answer, then, to “Why me?” is the good effect his circumstance has on others. In all humility, he admitted that blind people who have accepted and adapted can truly inspire others to live more fully.
So I could not help but think of the situations in my life where I am “in denial,” frustrated and anxious. Yes, there are those times…
Where can I admit what’s not working, expand on the possibilities in the situation, and ADAPT. What would be the results?
This talk gave me lots to think about, and Yes, I was truly inspired by this remarkable man who now has a new family and a new career. His success and achievements emerged from a bleak situation, but only when he moved beyond denial.
Geo, Mom , and I heard a talk by a man who is totally blind. He once was fully sighted, married and working at a successful career. Then retinopathy set in. He lost everything dear to him – his marriage, his home, his job, even his visually intensive hobbies. One thing he held onto was the expectation that his sight would return, or improve, or – in the least – not get any worse.
He was trained to use the red and white cane for the blind, but kept it in his pocket for two years. To use it would be to admit that he really needed it. So he bumped into obstacles and tripped over curbs. By denying the obvious, serious anxiety and depression set in.
Each morning he would orient himself by a light he left burning overnight in the kitchen. He would make his way from the bedroom and move toward the light. One morning, the light was not on, or so he thought. He found his way into the kitchen and reached up to the light bulb. It was hot. He was totally blind.
He had never thought of himself as “a blind person.” To move from the denial stage, his brain needed to reorient him to a new self-image. Only then could he accept blindness as a secondary circumstance of his life.
Not many of us are totally blind, but we do experience the anxieties and frustrations that come with the denial of difficult circumstances beyond our control. In a negative situation, we “hope” that things will get better, we “wish” that things will improve. We say something like, "If only ____________,
then I’d be successful, then I’d be happy and life for me would be good." Or we may tell ourselves that maybe the situation really isn’t so bad, and if I ignore it, it will just go away. We struggle. In any case, we’re in denial.
How did this person with blindness move beyond denial toward acceptance?
1) He made an effort to establish a social network, so he would not be isolated. He continually works at this.
2) He looked for any glimmer of “good” in his situation. Although he realistically admitted the “bad,” He kept expanding on any positive aspects until the positive was in greater proportion to the negative.
3) He developed a sense of humor.
4) He reached out for adventure. He tried new ways of adaptive living. He began enjoying more non-vision type activities in his current situation.
Interestingly enough, the more he came to embrace his loss of vision, he began to sense and appreciate in new ways the reality of what he lost. This is an outcome of an adaptive life-style.
By using an adaptive lifestyle we can create new successful ways of activity and experience. We continually expand our horizons and grow as persons, sharing positively with others.
For the speaker, he discovered for himself that the best part of his blindness is what it does for the sighted people he encounters. His answer, then, to “Why me?” is the good effect his circumstance has on others. In all humility, he admitted that blind people who have accepted and adapted can truly inspire others to live more fully.
So I could not help but think of the situations in my life where I am “in denial,” frustrated and anxious. Yes, there are those times…
Where can I admit what’s not working, expand on the possibilities in the situation, and ADAPT. What would be the results?
This talk gave me lots to think about, and Yes, I was truly inspired by this remarkable man who now has a new family and a new career. His success and achievements emerged from a bleak situation, but only when he moved beyond denial.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Retirement
This is Day 2 of Happy Retirement.
My laptop, two phones, and a lot of other stuff I needed to return has already been received in Boston. Everything accounted for. That’s a relief.
I wasn’t sure what retirement would feel like. Now I would say it feels a little like sending another kid off to college…I’ve lost some contact, the house seems empty (with laptop and a lot of office stuff gone), the phone’s not ringing nearly as often, and FREEDOM!
I think I’m going to like retirement!
My laptop, two phones, and a lot of other stuff I needed to return has already been received in Boston. Everything accounted for. That’s a relief.
I wasn’t sure what retirement would feel like. Now I would say it feels a little like sending another kid off to college…I’ve lost some contact, the house seems empty (with laptop and a lot of office stuff gone), the phone’s not ringing nearly as often, and FREEDOM!
I think I’m going to like retirement!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Easiest Easter Cake Ever
For those of us planning Easter dinner, here's a recipe I just tried, and plan to repeat, for Easter - a light dessert after a hearty meal:
One box angel food cake mix
One 20 oz can of undrained crushed pineapple
Mix together for 1 minute. Pour into ungreased angel food cakepan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Turn upside down to cool, then release from the pan.
I am serving this with whipped cream and a sprinkle of coconut.
Adding a little rum for flavor, this Easter cake would become the Easiest Pina Colada Cake Ever.
On second thought, I just may bake the pina colada version for Easter!
One box angel food cake mix
One 20 oz can of undrained crushed pineapple
Mix together for 1 minute. Pour into ungreased angel food cakepan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Turn upside down to cool, then release from the pan.
I am serving this with whipped cream and a sprinkle of coconut.
Adding a little rum for flavor, this Easter cake would become the Easiest Pina Colada Cake Ever.
On second thought, I just may bake the pina colada version for Easter!
March 26…
And it was my b’day.
Woke up to presents from the family, got a free cup of java at the local bank, and got my free B&J’s cone (raspberry ripple). With gift money from Mom, Geo directed me to the gardening shop where I walked out with a potted self-watering herb garden – cilantro, parsley, basil and rosemary.
J-Ro sent a bouquet with vase of multi-colored roses – what a sweet surprise from a sweet girl. She’s promised me that home-cooked Thai meal on her next visit!
Geo invited me to an evening concert of Shostokovitch and Messiaen – an ecstatic performance of violin, piano, clarinet, and (Geo’s favorite) the cello.
Addie invited me to a fun nite out (last nite) of Margueritas, appetizers and tacos.(Let's do this again!)
There’s a B&J ice cream cake still in the freezer…A fab way to begin a new year!
Thank you, Everyone!
Woke up to presents from the family, got a free cup of java at the local bank, and got my free B&J’s cone (raspberry ripple). With gift money from Mom, Geo directed me to the gardening shop where I walked out with a potted self-watering herb garden – cilantro, parsley, basil and rosemary.
J-Ro sent a bouquet with vase of multi-colored roses – what a sweet surprise from a sweet girl. She’s promised me that home-cooked Thai meal on her next visit!
Geo invited me to an evening concert of Shostokovitch and Messiaen – an ecstatic performance of violin, piano, clarinet, and (Geo’s favorite) the cello.
Addie invited me to a fun nite out (last nite) of Margueritas, appetizers and tacos.(Let's do this again!)
There’s a B&J ice cream cake still in the freezer…A fab way to begin a new year!
Thank you, Everyone!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Anniversary Week Adventure
This is the week of our wedding anniversary.
Tonight we had a juice glass that slipped into the garbage disposal. I tried getting it out with my bare hands, and when that was not successful, I decided that putting some kind of tool into the disposal would work a lot better. So I called Geo into the kitchen for help. Well, half an hour later, having tried a tweezers, a mini vise grip, a nutcracker, and even two sets of tongs from the barbeque, we were no closer to getting out that glass. I was getting very short-tempered, feeling quite desperate and defeated. It was really wedged in there.
“Let me see what I can do,” says Geo. “But you have to leave…”
Thinking the worst and hoping for the best, I left the room. I tried to warn him about that little button inside the disposal that turns the thing on…, but he kept saying, “You’re going to have to leave if I’m going to do this…” (A and J, does that sound familiar?)
A little while later I returned to the kitchen and looked inside the disposal. No juice glass! Wait, there were a lot of broken pieces in there. Geo solved the problem. He broke the glass. Now what! This situation called for the wet-vac. I dragged the thing in from the garage, plugged in the hose and turned it on. A huge cloud of brown dust blew into my face. Ugh!
As I vacuumed all the little shards of glass out of the disposal, it dawned on me that this is one example of what marriage is about. Little did I think walking down the aisle those many years ago that part of the romance of our lives would be figuring out how to retrieve stuff from a garbage disposal. But we did it! Together the two of us were successful. Problem solved. Life is good.
I love you, Geo. Happy Anniversary!
Tonight we had a juice glass that slipped into the garbage disposal. I tried getting it out with my bare hands, and when that was not successful, I decided that putting some kind of tool into the disposal would work a lot better. So I called Geo into the kitchen for help. Well, half an hour later, having tried a tweezers, a mini vise grip, a nutcracker, and even two sets of tongs from the barbeque, we were no closer to getting out that glass. I was getting very short-tempered, feeling quite desperate and defeated. It was really wedged in there.
“Let me see what I can do,” says Geo. “But you have to leave…”
Thinking the worst and hoping for the best, I left the room. I tried to warn him about that little button inside the disposal that turns the thing on…, but he kept saying, “You’re going to have to leave if I’m going to do this…” (A and J, does that sound familiar?)
A little while later I returned to the kitchen and looked inside the disposal. No juice glass! Wait, there were a lot of broken pieces in there. Geo solved the problem. He broke the glass. Now what! This situation called for the wet-vac. I dragged the thing in from the garage, plugged in the hose and turned it on. A huge cloud of brown dust blew into my face. Ugh!
As I vacuumed all the little shards of glass out of the disposal, it dawned on me that this is one example of what marriage is about. Little did I think walking down the aisle those many years ago that part of the romance of our lives would be figuring out how to retrieve stuff from a garbage disposal. But we did it! Together the two of us were successful. Problem solved. Life is good.
I love you, Geo. Happy Anniversary!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Retirement Party
Or, maybe I should say Pre-retirement Send-off – I’m still on the job and counting down…
“Let me buy you a drink” after our team training session turned out to be one fantastic surprise party with our team from all parts of VT. Darlene – NOT in training- appeared from the far north, and Carla came bearing balloons and flowers from the far south. She even presented me with a hand-knit doll of ME at work – computer, badge and all. (Carla, the only thing you left out was that mug of coffee that keeps me motivating!)
It was a fab party – I’m still psyched about it two days later. I never had a party like that (but then I never retired before!). We had beverages and non-stop appetizers all evening long. To have my teammates Carla and Maxine together with all of us – AND – the big boss from Boston to party, well, it was beyond amazing. I had a really great time. I will miss you guys, you’re the BEST!
Cyndy, a huge thanks to you and to co-conspirators Deb and Carole for putting all this together, and for the Beeauutiful card and verse – the orchid is my favorite flower, how did you know??
Hugs to all of you!
“Let me buy you a drink” after our team training session turned out to be one fantastic surprise party with our team from all parts of VT. Darlene – NOT in training- appeared from the far north, and Carla came bearing balloons and flowers from the far south. She even presented me with a hand-knit doll of ME at work – computer, badge and all. (Carla, the only thing you left out was that mug of coffee that keeps me motivating!)
It was a fab party – I’m still psyched about it two days later. I never had a party like that (but then I never retired before!). We had beverages and non-stop appetizers all evening long. To have my teammates Carla and Maxine together with all of us – AND – the big boss from Boston to party, well, it was beyond amazing. I had a really great time. I will miss you guys, you’re the BEST!
Cyndy, a huge thanks to you and to co-conspirators Deb and Carole for putting all this together, and for the Beeauutiful card and verse – the orchid is my favorite flower, how did you know??
Hugs to all of you!
Friday, January 09, 2009
11 Super Foods
Geo emailed me a NY Times article about eleven nutritious foods that most of us aren't eating. The article named Nutritionist Jonny Bowden as the source.
Well, Geo, I actually am eating those eleven foods, or most of them - anyway. Although I haven't had sardines lately (health food in a can, according to Bowden), and I don't use turmeric too often.
So here they are:
Beets,
Cabbage,
Swiss chard,
Cinnamon,
Pomegranite juice,
Dried plums,
Pumpkin seeds,
Sardines,
Turmeric,
Frozen blueberries, and,
Canned pumpkin.
So here's my challenge to Geo: How about having Super Nutritious Snacks for our Super Bowl Party! Sardines may go well with rye bread and onions. Wash it down with a little pomegranite juice?
Anyway, it may be fun to get creative with a few recipes using super food and seasonings.
We usually have chocolate, and more chocolate, during each quarter.
Beets and cabbage, anyone?
Well, Geo, I actually am eating those eleven foods, or most of them - anyway. Although I haven't had sardines lately (health food in a can, according to Bowden), and I don't use turmeric too often.
So here they are:
Beets,
Cabbage,
Swiss chard,
Cinnamon,
Pomegranite juice,
Dried plums,
Pumpkin seeds,
Sardines,
Turmeric,
Frozen blueberries, and,
Canned pumpkin.
So here's my challenge to Geo: How about having Super Nutritious Snacks for our Super Bowl Party! Sardines may go well with rye bread and onions. Wash it down with a little pomegranite juice?
Anyway, it may be fun to get creative with a few recipes using super food and seasonings.
We usually have chocolate, and more chocolate, during each quarter.
Beets and cabbage, anyone?
Sunday, December 21, 2008
The Yearbook
I came across one of my yearbooks the other day. I enjoyed going through it, recalling how things used to be. Our daughter Addie glanced at it and seemed impressed with all the signatures. Then she read, “To a nice kid, …”
“Kid?” and she began laughing hysterically.
I guess a twenty-something has a hard time imagining Mom as “kid.”
Funny thing, sometimes I feel like a kid. I just don’t tell anybody.
“Kid?” and she began laughing hysterically.
I guess a twenty-something has a hard time imagining Mom as “kid.”
Funny thing, sometimes I feel like a kid. I just don’t tell anybody.
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