How to Stop a Drought

We decided to go ahead and have all the glass replaced in our Four Seasons "sunroom" that Mark uses as a greenhouse.

 

Shortly after the full-replacement-value warranty expired, the heat mirror film between the panes of glass began to fail until the whole greenhouse looked like this. I wish I could say the windows are merely dirty--but they're not! The workers came yesterday to start the job.

 

 

Of course they need good weather since they will be replacing all the glass--roof, sides, and front of the greenhouse. Today was the first full day of a good soaking rain that we've had in many months, so I feel we can take full responsibility for ending the moderate drought our area has been experiencing. You're welcome!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!



Meet Esmond!

Today was a great day--I not only got to have lunch with Dorine, but I also got to meet her new puppy.

I hope I'm spelling his name correctly, but Esmond is the cutest little 5-month-old Cavalier you could ever hope to meet! And what a good boy!

 

Just look at his sweet little face! I love the way he melts into Dorine's arms when she holds him.  Considering her family just got him from the breeder's on Thursday evening, he seems to be settling in just fine. He's one lucky pup to have found such a great new family!

Nonfiction Books

I've been in the mood recently to read some nonfiction, mostly because the subjects interested me.

How did divorce become so prevalent? We find out in this book. 

Poor Mrs. Robinson was caught in an unhappy marriage and fancied herself a bit of an authoress, so she kept journals detailing her interests--especially in men other than her husband.  Several years into the marriage, Mr. Robinson decided to read (without her permission) what she had been scribbling so copiously on a daily basis. The laws in England had recently been changed to make it easier for regular people to petition the courts for divorce, and he decided to charge her with adultery based upon her fanciful writings. Unfortunately, this book is rather dry and reads like a dissertation.  Since the journals no longer exist, the author had to make do with the parts of them entered into court records for her research. The mystery remains--was she truly unfaithful or were the journals her wishful thinking?

The story of these two society girls and their adventures as schoolteachers in the mountains of Colorado in the early 1900s was fascinating.  The author used letters they had written to family back East to expand what started as an article into a book.

Our pioneers were certainly sturdy stock, and these "society" gals did not shy away from hard work and rough conditions in the Wild West. Again, this book was rather dry and I wish the author had reprinted the letters themselves instead of retelling what they said. I loved seeing the photos and wished they were larger. I came away thinking how life was so much harder a mere 100 years ago!

 

One of book group's selections this month was An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny.  Laura Schroff certainly made a huge difference in this man's life, but I am left wondering what made her decide to write this book. Does she want recognition for her good deeds? Does she hope to inspire others to take a chance and help those less fortunate? No mention is made of any plans she has for the proceeds she will earn from the sales of this book.

Maybe it's my Catholic school upbringing, but I kept thinking how the nuns drilled into our heads that a good deed should be done because it's the right thing to do and we shouldn't expect recognition for doing it (at least not in this world--they were awfully fond of the expression, "Your reward will be in heaven"!)  Will Laura use any profits to fatten her retirement account? Will she set up a foundation to help those in need?  Will she set up a trust to pay for the education of the children of this now adult man?

Laura did take a huge chance on this young man and because of her efforts, he was able to escape the drug-addled culture into which he was born. That's what I have to keep reminding myself--even one person can make a difference!





On a Clear Day

Today we walked Kita in the reservoir. The water was even lower in the one where the earthen dam will be replaced.  Work starts tomorrow and this part of the trail will be closed until the work is completed in a little over one year, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather to take this longer loop for one last time until then!

Rodgers & Hammerstein's 'Carousel'

Saturday we headed to The Gelston House for dinner before going to see 'Carousel' at The Goodspeed Opera House.

We ate inside due to the tornado watch for our area. The food was good but nothing exceptional--the location next to the Goodspeed Opera House makes this restaurant very popular. I'm glad we tried it but I don't feel the need to eat there again.

The show was wonderful! As written up in The Wall Street Journal, James Snyder, the actor who played the male lead, was excellent--great voice, great stage presence and very handsome. The female lead was weaker (the original actress left after one week for a better opportunity!) but we really enjoyed watching Jenn Gambatese, who starred in the secondary role of Carrie Pipperidge. As far as I'm concerned, she stole the show! 

All in all, it was a great birthday present. And some heavy rains came through but nothing worse. We were home before midnight!

A Special Lecture

Friday evening we went to Hill-Stead to attend a special lecture given by the world-reknowned Monet expert, Paul Hayes Tucker.

We were fortunate enough to have seen an exhibit he had curated at the Boston MFA in the early 1990s. Because Hill-Stead's paintings cannot go out on loan according to the terms of Theodate's will, Prof. Tucker came to Hill-Stead to examine its two grainstack paintings. Yesterday he told the audience that he would have loved to include them in that exhibit!

Yesterday's lecture focused on Monet's waterlily paintings. He spoke quite a bit about the huge paintings in the Musee de L'Orangerie--I'm so happy we went there!

Prof. Tucker is an interesting and dynamic speaker with a good sense of humor. We also had seen his Monet in the 20th Century exhibit at the MFA in the late 1990s. I had that catalogue with me when I guided at Hill-Stead on Thursday, and several of the staff/guides said they were planning to bring their copies to the lecture for Prof. Tucker to sign.

After the lecture, we had a few minutes to speak with him and he gladly signed my book. I was so excited! The inscription reads:

To Mary,

a fellow Monet admirer

with warmest regards

Paul Hayes Tucker

Farmington

September 2012 

 

Prof. Tucker was asked to curate the Monet's Garden exhibit currently showing at The New York Botanical Society--I hope we'll have a chance to see it. My dream is to visit the real Monet's garden in Giverny someday!

Our Capital City

On our way to the carousel last Saturday, we walked past the State Capitol, which was completed in 1878. It was designed by Richard Upton in High Victorian Gothic style. One of these days I would like to tour the inside.

 

We walked under the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch which is dedicated to those who served in the Civil War. The road is now restricted to one-way, one lane because cars and trucks keep hitting and damaging the arch!

We also walked by the recently restored Corning Fountain with its beautiful hart sculpture at the top. In spite of the perfect weather, the park was nearly deserted!

More Carousel Colts

I took lots of photos at the Bushnell Park Carousel because the horses are so beautiful and each one is different.

There isn't much time between riders getting off and new riders getting on, so I dashed around taking photos while the carousel was stationary! I think my favorite horses are the "feminine" ones with floral decorations. They're all lovely though.

All Play on Labor Day

As the birthday gal I got to decide how we would celebrate Labor Day.

I felt like making pancakes and asked the men what kind I should make.  We settled on banana nut and our bananas were perfectly ripe. After our breakfast and reading the paper, we went to play minigolf.

The annuals planted around the course are in full bloom and look great.

Ross won but I came in second! Mark was playing well but a "6" on a couple of holes put him behind. The weather was perfect for this last hurrah of summer.

We followed golfing with a stop at their ice cream shop. I had my favorite: a soft-serve twist with chocolate shell topping.

The men came with me to the MDC reservoir property where we walked the 3.8 mile loop in approximately one hour. As we came around a curve in the road, we were stunned to see this empty reservoir.

Whew! It was a relief to read this explanation. It's been quite dry lately, but not dry enough to drain a whole reservoir!

Ross is on his way back to Boston and we're about to decide what to eat for dinner. I can't wait until Saturday when we'll get to enjoy my birthday present from Mark--dinner at The Gelston House and "Carousel" at The Goodspeed Opera House.

New Mailbox and Post

Saturday afternoon Mark and Ross got to work replacing our old mailbox and post.

Fortunately Ross has an engine hoist from working on his cars that was put to good use pulling out the old post.

They had to make the existing hole larger to fit the bigger post that I had chosen. This was not an easy task in our rocky soil but they persevered! By using a crowbar to enlarge the hole and then using Mark's good old "R2D2"
(our nickname for his trusty shop vac) to get the loosened dirt and stones out of the hole, they were able to install the new post.

The cedar post should weather to nice soft taupe color and it can be stained if we choose. Having Ross help Mark with this big project was a fantastic birthday present for me!

The Bushnell Park Carousel

As part of my birthday weekend celebrations, I convinced Mark and Ross to take me to the Bushnell Park Carousel in Hartford.

This carousel is owned and maintained by the Carousel Museum in Bristol.  We've been there several times but this was my first trip to ride the carousel in Hartford.

It's one of only three remaining intact carousels that were handcarved by Solomon Stein and Harry Goldstein, owners of Artistic Carousel Company of Brooklyn, New York. This carousel was made in 1914 and used in several different locations before finding its present home in Hartford.

Each horse is a work of art! Nowadays they need bright yellow signs tied to their legs reminding people not to step on the legs, which of course were never meant to be weightbearing.

Today the carousel is housed in a wooden pavilion to protect it from the elements.  The clerestory windows make photography a little tricky on a sunny day like today.

Taking a ride on the carousel is like a time machine--with music from the Wurlitzer band organ playing as my jumper went up and down, I felt transported back to 1914! These beauties are my kind of horses--they'll never run away with me.