Geo’s Birthday

We planned a simple leisurely dinner for two at the Essex Inn. We arrived early, so we relaxed in the beautifully decorated lobby before dinner. The young man at the desk asked us if we’d be interested in tickets for the Vermont symphony – that evening! Evidently they had extras. We said, “Yes!” Our leisurely dinner became entrée only, dessert to go, and we dashed off to a Holiday Pops concert. Tickets were for Row 6. It was a surprise gift to us, and one terrific concert.

Happy Birthday, Geo!

Mt. Philo

Jenn and Sean drove up from MA for the weekend – time to meet with friends on Saturday and to see the Decemberists at the Flynn on Sunday.

After Mass at the CC on Sunday, Sean treated Jenn, Geo, Grandmother and me to a very leisurely lunch outdoors at Halverson’s. It was a relaxing afternoon before Jenn and Sean left for the concert.

It was great fun just getting together again, but for me the high point (figuratively and literally) was our Monday morning trek up Mt. Philo. Jenn and I had this event on our We-Need-To-Do-This list, and there was no time like the present. It turned out to be a spectacular day. Wilderness leader Sean and adventurous Geo decided to come along.

It’s been a long time since I’ve trekked the trails. Now this novice trailperson is ready to invest in new hiking boots.

I’m so impressed with Geo going the distance. At the top we took in the view, snapped a few pix, and feasted on grapes and freshly baked cookies.

Jenn says the big debate about hiking up a mountain is: Why do we do this? Is it the experience of the hike itself? Or is it the accomplishment of reaching the top?

I guess for me it’s the hike. I love the winding footpaths and finding my way in the midst of nature. For Geo, I think, it was reaching the top (and the comfy Adirondack chairs conveniently placed at a look-out point).

Geo promises we will do this again. Camel’s Hump, before long we’ll be on our way.

Remember, “We’ll always have Mt Philo.”

Thank you, Jenn and Sean for a super visit. Come again soon.

The Place(s) To Be

Sunday Geo, Mom and I headed up to Hardwick. We arrived in time for brunch at Claire’s. I had read about Claire’s in Eating Well magazine. Geo read glowing reviews about Claire’s in none other than the NY Times. Claire’s is a destination gourmet eatery that features local products, and it’s amazingly located on Main Street of a small rural Vermont town. Breakfast was superb!

Next we traveled to nearby Wolcott (that’s “Wool-kitt” for all us flatlanders) to High Mowing Seed Company’s late season festival, hosted by owner Tom Stearns and his staff. High Mowing grows about 800 varieties of plants and veggies to package the seeds. Being there for this event felt like a true Vermont experience. The weather was perfect – cloudy, rainy, sunny, typical. There were farm families, growers, neighbors and others who came from near and far. We toured the fields, sampled the veggies, and witnessed a demonstration of a new machine extracting seeds from melons. Sometime during the afternoon students showed up from NECI (New England Culinary Institute) to prepare dinner. They worked outside under tents. What a feast! Three kegs of Magic Hat were tapped, along with apple cider. Two young women with a banjo and a fiddle entertained. Of course, there were not enough chairs to go around, so people sat on row covers to enjoy the picnic. It was so neat to be part of this experience – this flatlander began to feel a bit like a real Vermonter. To top it off, the crew from Emeril Lagasse was on site taping for a future episode. We'll be watching for this to air.

The Rhubarb Patch

I’m a great fan of rhubarb – love the sauce and especially a rhubarb custard pie.

This morning Mr. Boutin from our local Farmer’s Market gave me a rhubarb plant, roots and all. I dug very deep into our clay soil, added a generous amount of fresh compost and topsoil, and planted my future crop. I watered and mulched, and even added dry grass clippings to the mix. I was so eager to get it into the ground that I forgot to use gardening gloves. (So much for the manicure…)

For the first season, the rhubarb needs to grow. For the second season, a few stalks can be harvested. For the third season and forever after, I should have a bountiful crop. I promised Geo and Mr. Boutin rhubarb pies in 3 years.

Anticipation!

Morning Moments on Lake Champlain

Sunlight sparkling on morning dew,
Waves rippling,
Breeze dancing with shoreline reeds,
Ducklings lazing along the water –
My day at Kamp begins.

Government Health Insurance Protests

Some citizens at town hall meetings are really ripped about government expanding its role in health care insurance. They are being vociferously vocal about it, engaging in shouting matches with elected reps. Some say it is an organized effort getting agitators involved to disrupt the meetings so “Obamacare” gets derailed.

Who are these protesters, really? Look at the video. Aren’t these people the aging boomers who were once the hippies and hippie wannabes of the 60s? They were anti-establishment then, and no doubt feel they are in their element NOW still protesting government direction. Why is anyone surprised at the outcry across the country? The boomers know they are a generation who can make a difference. Boomers know how to protest. Boomers know how to make their voices heard, whether in organized marches, silent sit-ins, or in town meetings. It may not be pretty, but it is freedom and it is democracy.

Let freedom ring.

Iranian Revolution

This is a critical time in Iran when people are protesting and risking their lives for their voices to be heard. They are asking to have a legitimate choice in their government and in the way they live.

I came across a blog of an Iranian student who is posting about events as they are happening. His pictures are vivid.

Click on the title to read his blog.

Branford and Justin

Friday nite and Geo and I were at the Flynn listening to The Branford Marsalis Quartet. A rockin' knockout performance was anticipated, but not the virtuoso rhythms of 18 year old Justin Faulkner on drums.

Branford's replacement for Jeff "Tain" Watts graduates from high school on Tuesday. "I'm 49 years old," says Branford, and I never thought I'd be asking my lead drummer, "How's the prom?"

Why Justin? Seeing him at a high school performance, Branford was impressed with that left hand work. And, "he gets the music."

Justin not only held his own with this 10 year veteran group, he brought the house down.

Click on my title to see Justin in 2008.

I Think He's Hooked

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.

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.

"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.

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.