The Traveler Returns

With the delayed departure of his flight from Hong Kong to JFK, Mark arrived home at 2 am today from the trip he and Dawn took to the 2011 World Orchid Conference.  There is a 12-hour time difference between Bangkok and Connecticut, so he wasn't really sure what time his body clock thought it might be after being in the air for so long!  I was so excited Mark was coming home that I waited up for him.

Kita woke up at 6:45 am but we were able to fall back asleep until a "wrong number" woke us at 8:30 am.  We decided to get up and try to get on a more normal schedule.  Needless to say, we're both feeling a little punchy.  It sure is wonderful to have Mark back home with me!  The view from our deck is quite different than anything he saw in Singapore, Malaysia, or Thailand.

Par-tay!

With my own family away, I was fortunate to spend a lot of time these past two days with my wonderful friend Dorine and her family.  They welcomed me into their home with members of their extended family to celebrate Thanksgiving, and then invited me back for leftovers on Friday. Let's see, it probably took me oh, maybe 2 nanoseconds to say "Yes!" I can't even think of words to describe all the fun I had.  And all the delicious food--that would take pages!  However I have learned a new and delicious way to fix turkey...

Here they are, relaxing at midnight--right before I went home.  I hope they'll have plenty more time together to relax before the two oldest children head back to college on Sunday.  Holidays like Thanksgiving just fly by!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for:

Family

near and far

Friends

faithful and caring

Freedom

here in the USA

Foods

plentiful and varied

(it is Turkey Day, after all!)

~ Wishing you much to be thankful for in your life ~

With love, Mary

Smile!

My sister volunteers at her local animal shelter and she recently attended their annual fundraiser, the Puss 'N Boots Ball.  She won this "Krazy Kat" cross-stitched design at the silent auction and mailed it to me.  Looking at this cat's gigantic grin sure makes me smile!  Thanks, Adria!

A Nice Surprise and More Books

Yesterday afternoon I had a nice surprise when Ann called and invited me to join her, Jim, and Anita for supper.  After a lovely meal, we shared stories about the pets we have known and loved--or in some cases, where we endured a pet's idiosyncrasies for inexplicable reasons!  We had a few good laughs as we pondered the mysteries of the human/animal bond.

And now for more books from the library...

I highly recommend The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman. The book appears to be the separate stories of 4 different women who are dovekeepers at Masada in the year 70, the time of the Roman siege.  At first I was a little put off, thinking the first story was a bit like a romance novel set in ancient times, but I'm glad I continued--the book is much more complicated and original than that!

The Amazon review says:  "The lives of these four complex and fiercely independent women intersect in the desperate days of the siege. All are dovekeepers, and all are also keeping secrets—about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love. The Dovekeepers is Alice Hoffman’s masterpiece."  I agree!

I loved the way that Michael Ondaatje was able to tell this story from an 11-year-old boy's perspective in an authentic way.  And what adventures he and his friends had!  In today's thinking, it's hard to believe that in 1954 it was perfectly acceptable to send unsupervised children halfway around the world on a ship.  I felt The Cat's Table was weaker when the three boys interacted and interpreted the events of the voyage as adults.  I think Hoffman did a better job of tying everything together seamlessly in her book than Ondaatje did here, but it's still a worthwhile read.

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See is the sequel to Shanghai Girls, which I reviewed here on October 24, 2011.  I truly enjoyed reading both of these books:  fast pacing, historical details, and family relationships come together in a straightforward yet entertaining way.  Good storytelling!

"My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter."

William Hazlitt, author (1778-1830)

Working Weekend

There's a lot of yard work to be done in late November and fortunately the weather cooperated this weekend.  Ross was a tremendous help:

Leaves were everywhere, so he strapped on the backpack leaf blower and got to work on Saturday.  After 4 hours or so, the yard was in pretty good shape! 

Ross did the final leaf clean-up on Sunday morning and then mowed the lawn. He hauled out our smaller extension ladder and trimmed some of the broken lower branches on one of the maples, and then he removed the large beech branch that had broken and then gotten stuck in the top of the hornbeam triplet.

I spent both days getting the perennial beds that surround the house ready for winter:  raking, gathering up the dead hosta leaves, cutting back foliage, etc.  It feels wonderful to have everything done--the snow can fly and we won't care!

Ross's third grade teacher now lives on our street and came for a quick visit today.  The weekend flew by but we sure accomplished a lot!

Walking Weather

As I drove past the reservoir entrance in the pouring rain on Wednesday, I noticed that the gates were open and the "Closed to the Public" signs were gone at last.  On Thursday, Kita and I got in a good walk before the afternoon showers, and weather conditions improved mightily today.

With a high of 45 degrees F, I was able to walk quickly without working up a sweat and I even got warm enough to take off my fleece gloves. (I hate cold hands!)

After 4 cloudy days in a row, it was nice to see the sun again--even though it shines weakly at this time of the year, with long shadows at 2 pm.

Kita practically poses for me now!  I wish she would keep her ears up when she sees the camera.  Who could resist this face?  Not I!

We saw lots of evidence of storm damage in the reservoir and several trails are still closed.  The paved 5K route is completely open now, along with the connecting trail over the causeway. 

I felt like I was in Oregon when I followed this logging truck out of the reservoir property.  Of course in Oregon the truck would only have 3 really massive tree trunks!  This is pretty impressive for Connecticut all the same.





Homemade Pizzelles!

Yesterday I was invited to dinner at the home of my dear friend Ann and her husband.  After a lovely meal, Ann served the pizzelles she made for dessert.

Ann's parents were both born in Italy and came to the US as young adults if I remember correctly.  These pizzelles were so light and crisp!  A taste of Italy right here in our town--and Ann kindly send me home with a bag of them.  Yum!

Book Bonanza

Seems like there are suddenly lots of new books out there that I am interested in reading.  When I checked our library's website, most were already out on loan so I reserved a few in hopes that I eventually would get my turn.  Maybe I should have bought lottery tickets--suddenly all the books became available!  Here's what I've read so far:

Paula McLain was inspired to write The Paris Wife after reading A Moveable Feast, Hemingway's memoir of his early years in Paris with his first wife.  Apparently the author did a lot of research on the life of Hadley Richardson, and the book did seem carefully researched but the dialogue was stilted and never felt natural to me.  I suppose it might be easier to write a novel about people one invents than to attempt a novelization of such famous people whose lives have been carefully documented.  Now I would  like to read Hemingway's book to get his perspective on those days, "straight from the horse's mouth"! 

The Language of Flowers is a very original story.  I loved the way the author tied in the Victorian "language of flowers", where every plant has a hidden meaning or is a symbol of some emotion, to a very modern setting.  The heroine is a young woman who has spent her childhood in foster care and becomes emancipated from the state system at age 18.  Vanessa Diffenbaugh has fostered several children and her book has an authenticity that my previous choice lacked. The main character has difficulty relating to people in ways that many foster/adopted children do (reactive attachment disorder), and this novel shows how she reinvents herself, with many stumbles along the way. I really enjoyed this book, maybe because I believe that even one act of kindness is like a little seed that can bear fruit far into the future.

Aaahhh, how to describe Saramago?  My book group has read so many books by this Portuguese Nobel Prize winner:  Blindness, Seeing, The Stone Raft, History of the Siege of Lisbon, Death with Interruptions...and some we preferred more than others...

Although I haven't read his Gospel According to Jesus Christ, others in my book group have discussed it, and I suspect Cain is written in a similar vein. This book would probably  be considered blasphemous by any seriously religious person.  Saramago uses biblical details and pointed examples to gently poke fun at Old Testament stories and to question God's behavior.  Cain was published posthumously and to me seems more typical of Saramago's earlier works than his recent Death with Interruptions.  If you're a Saramago fan, you'll enjoy this book.  If you haven't read him yet, I'd recommend Blindness and then Seeing--both powerful books by the author at the top of his form.

"What I Did On My Vacation"

I've been thinking how local students had an unexpected "vacation" of 7-9 days due to power outages from the October snowstorm and how teachers probably made them write about their experiences when schools reopened.

I suppose it's a bit of a stretch, but then I got to thinking how being unemployed is like taking an unpaid vacation--money going out but no money coming in.  So what have I been doing during the past two weeks of my "vacation"?  Hauling brush!

The town has said it will pick up brush from the storm that is placed at the edge of the road so I have been spending several hours each day bringing it to the curb.  Or at least everything from the front half of our yard goes to the curb; everything from the back half I hauled down the hill.  The piles are five feet high and extend from the driveway almost to the property line.  Fortunately the weather has been perfect for working outside.

Next project:  getting the perennials ready for winter!

Greenhouse News

We're coming to a quiet time in Mark's greenhouse as the days continue getting shorter.  It amazes me how plants can tell when the days start getting longer in January and so many start to bloom again then.

This striking orchid, Oncidium Mendenhall 'Hildos', has a flower that is 5" tall by 3" wide.

Although this air plant, Tillandsia stricta, is only 8 inches across, it has a multitude of flowers.  The blooms always make me think of fireworks the way they shoot off in all directions from the plant's center.

The flowers of this species orchid, Dendrobium anceps, have petals that are delicately tinged with purple.  They're approximately 2" x 2" in size.

I sure do appreciate Mark's hobby!  Hope you have time to do something you really enjoy today!

Sunday in Sturbridge

Last Sunday we drove to Sturbridge to meet Ross, Malima, and Malima's sister Violetta at The Publick House.  I think I've eaten there only a couple of times in the past but I love this old historical building.  We wanted to spend some time with Malima before her move to Milan and this was a good halfway meeting place.  After a delicious lunch and lively conversation, we headed outside to take photos.

The late afternoon sun presented some photographic challenges with shadows from nearby trees and then flash being too bright.

Being there reminded me of all the wonderful trips I've taken to Old Sturbridge Village over the years.  Even as a young child, I found the Village to be a charming and peaceful place to visit.  I just loved the idea of life in the 1830s, not realizing until much later that it was being presented as a highly sanitized ideal in a living history museum.  Maybe I can convince one of my friends to go there on a road trip with me soon!

I love, love, love this photo of Malima and Ross when they were in California recently to attend her cousin's wedding!  The hat Ross is wearing was something I kept from my parents' attic and belonged to either my father or grandfather.  The hat Malima is wearing came from Mark's parents' attic and was most likely worn by his mother.  Adorable!

Fabulous Friday

I am certainly blessed to have some really special people in my life and I was fortunate to spend time with them today.

This morning Ann and I met at our usual Dunkin Donuts.  We originally planned to spend more time together since it is Veterans Day and Ann was supposed to have the day off, but the recent snowstorm changed those plans because our local schools were in session today to make up one of the days that was missed due to the power outages.  We were happy to be able to squeeze in breakfast together before she left for work!

Dorine invited me over for dinner, and what a wonderful meal she prepared!  Warm rolls fresh from the oven, a tasty pork roast stuffed with spinach and Italian sausage, mashed potatoes, stuffed tomatoes, and salad made a sumptuous feast.  And dessert was her homemade crumb cake served with hot cocoa!  Of course the best part was spending time with her and her loving family in their welcoming home.  She's lucky I didn't think to bring my sleeping bag because I could have just settled in for the night!

May the caring of true friends make your life a little easier.

More Storm Pics

Saturday afternoon:

Sunday morning:

The oak beyond the driveway post light on Sunday:

The oak beyond the driveway post light on Tuesday:



Look!  All the snow melted in two days!  But we'll be cleaning up broken branches and downed trees for a long, long time...

The zelkova is now in serious need of pruning as quite a few branches have split.

The beech and the American hornbeam triplet might actually recover!  The landscape in our area will look quite different for years to come as a result of the storm's damage to so many trees.

Back in Business!

Our cable TV/internet was fixed at 5 pm yesterday and our local schools reopen today!  It's amazing what problems snow in October can create.  We got over a foot of the stuff on October 29, before we even had our first hard frost.

As you can see, the snow is over the tops of my good old L.L. Bean boots!  Dawn knit the hat for me from the pattern on the cover of last winter's issue of Vogue Knitting.  She used the recommended yarn, which is soft and warm, but I'm having a hard time keeping the crown upright. I think it looks cute worn to the side like this.

This was the view Sunday morning, standing in the middle of our street, looking north:

And in the middle of the street, looking south:

Yup, our neighbor's tree fell across the road when it broke and took out our mailbox.

We lost the kousa dogwood next to the front walk/garage:

At the height of the storm Saturday night, we were woken by a loud CRACK!  WHOMP! WHOOSH!  as the top half of the pignut hickory snapped, fell on the guest room roof, and slid to the ground.  Fortunately the house doesn't appear to have any damage.

More photos tomorrow--be safe and warm, wherever you are!

Some Good News

Our power was restored on Sunday evening and now we're just waiting for cable TV/Internet. Mark's company finally has power this morning so they can start working.

I realize someone has to be first and someone has to be last, but our town certainly got the short end of the stick when it came to power restoration! For most of the past ten days we had the highest percentage of power outages in the state. This morning, 10 days after the storm, 27% of our residents still don't have power, so our home is one of the lucky ones. A neighboring town currently leads the state with power outages of 35%.

I'm quickly burning through my AT&T cellular data plan for this iPad and the service continues to be spotty. Although the aftereffects of the storm have been inconvenient and annoying, I'm very thankful that everyone I know is safe.

No Power...No Progress

Our little road is still one lane with broken power lines and cables just laying in the street. Trees are leaning on the lines that haven't broken and no vehicle taller than an SUV could fit under the propped-up wires.

On the plus side, the generator works beautifully and we go out for one nice hot meal each day. Enough gas stations have power that it is easier to get gas for the generator now without having to wait in lines. And the cellular data service for my iPad has improved somewhat too!

On my way home Thursday I saw the first utility truck in our area...Mark thought I may have been hallucinating! I must admit it felt a little like seeing Bigfoot!

The utility company still estimates than power will be restored to 99 percent of their customers by midnight Sunday. I like to be optimistic but I have a sinking feeling that we will be in the unlucky 1%...with only 15 or so houses I don't think our road will be a priority. Let's hope I'm wrong!

Aftermath of Winter Storm Alfred

We lost our power on Saturday around 3 pm and it will be nothing short of a miracle if it is restored by this Saturday. At least the generator runs water, furnace, fridge and a few lights. All of route 4 from the highway through Unionville is still without power. Route 44 in Avon was just restored today. The lights at the bottom of Old Mountain Road are working but no others until you reach Lasalle Road in West Hartford center. There are lines down everywhere still and of course everyone is driving over them or else no could go anywhere. Very few gas stations have power so there are long lines and gas runs out quickly. I hope we will be able to get more gas to keep the generator running.

In our travels there is little evidence of work being done to remove trees or fix power lines, even along the few main roads that are open.

I've signed up for Internet through the cellphone system for my iPad, but the service has not been very reliable. Who knows how long it will take to get our cable Internet service back...

but we're OK and I'll eventually have some pretty spectacular photos of the storm damage to post!