Let's Not Forget .... either Paris

My plan for today was to tell you about school, but then life intervened in the form of bombings in Paris and the "Paris of the Middle East" ... Beirut. 

While we have been focused on the awful events and tragedy of Friday night in Paris, if you live in the U.S. you may not even know that on Thursday [yes, the afternoon before] there was a bombing in the main marketplace of Beirut.  Forty-five were killed and nearly 240 injured.  In a country with a population of 6 million, that's a big number.  [France has 67 million population.]

We need to broaden our focus and mourn all of our lost brothers and sisters - and not just the Europeans.  Yes, the French have been long time allies and friends, but so have the Lebanese.  In recent years we have not been as close, but i well remember the stream of students in my dad's engineering classes in the 50's and 60's.  Within the past ten years Mitchell sponsored the immigration of a Lebanese family.  Their sons are like our adopted sons.  So, it saddens me that we tend to forget that part of the world. 

I'll just say that we need to find ways to get along; to live together in peace; to allow others to disagree without resorting to killing them.  We need to honor the dead and support their families in these terrible days.

You might want to join the Metropolitan Opera orchestra, chorus and principals of "Tosca" in singing "La Marseillaises" and if you know it, the national anthem of Lebanon.  

[Ok, so i couldn't figure out how to imbed the video.  You're smart and the Google will help you find it.]

 Peace.

Counting Down ... Finally!

Thirteen weeks from today.  Ninety-one days from tomorrow.  

In three months I am retiring!  

When I set the date - nearly two years ago - i bemoaned the fact that I still had so long to wait, but a very wise woman [a blogger friend in Arizona] told me that "anyone can do 24 months".  And, she was right.  I did move the date up by three months, but even counting that, the time has flown.

Am I excited?  absolutely?

Am I nervous?  Not at all.

Am I worried about what to do?  Never.  I have plans, plans, plans.

Obviously, the garden is high on my list of priorities and i have three projects slated for the outside. 

We'll be turning the current office into a library/music room, so that's a big indoor project.  I hope to take some classes at the community college.  

And, i have a lead on a community group that is working on voter registration.  Virginia is one of those states that has recently enacted legislation that requires more complicated voter ID, so i would like to help people complete the necessary paperwork.

That should be a start ... don't you think?

Two more days and this awful February will be gone.  Two more weeks and we should start seeing signs of spring.  It's time to get back outside, and to start blogging again.  Be seeing you soon!

Random Thoughts

on Daylight Saving Time:

I was going to wish you a Happy Spring Forward Day, and I guess i will.  You can never send too many good wishes out there. 

 June 2009

The beginning of DST is one of those markers we use for the garden.  Like Astrological Spring - the Equinox - and climatological spring.  The latter varies depending on where you live and garden.  In Central Virginia it's around March 1 - when one can begin to safely work the soil - but the farther north you live, the later it comes.  Then there's the date of the last normal frost - many consider that the first day of "real" spring.

But the truth is ... i don't much like DST.

Like many [apparently very many] people i get jet lagged for several days following the spring forward.  A bit of Googling will tell you that there will be a spike in traffic accidents tomorrow, more "cyber time wasting" at work tomorrow, more heart attacks this week, and in general a population that is dazed from being sleep deprived for the next week!

 June 2010

There are at least three petitions to ask Congress to do away with DST.  Arizona and Hawaii don't switch to it now.

On the other hand, there is a bill in Tennessee to go to DST and then stay there.

And, there is a bill in Idaho to stop going to DST.

 June 2011

Alaska - because of its northern geographical position - spans four astronomical time zones - but it is all on Alaska time (Pacific) already.

The most interesting proposal I found was one to change the entire US to two time zones - one hour apart.  Eastern and Central zones would go to Central, while Mountain and Pacific zones would go to Mountain.  That would solve all the business issues of east coast/west coast commerce, as well as jet lag for travel across this country. It would be a little tough on our Canadian and Mexican neighbors - at least until they got used to it. [There is a second proposal that would have to two zone system, but with them two hours apart in time - not just one. That one makes less sense to me.]

June 2012

There are lots of experts who say that we don't really get any energy savings from changing time, so the real question is the leisure one.  I'd actually rather have the light in the morning.  My biggest objection is that it starts after SNL - on the only night that i routinely stay up later - so I feel like i am getting a double whammy.  If I oversleep again tomorrow, i will miss my Jazzercise class!

Whew!  Too much thinking on a sleep-deprived morning.  

 

On blogging:

Five years and 499 posts ago, i started this blog.  Sometimes, i feel like i have something to say or something to share.  Often, i feel like it's drivel.  But i have met so many wonderful people out here in blogland.  I thank each and every one of you for coming back to see what's happening with me; for sending encouragement and advice; for being friends across the Web.  

Thank you for coming back to see this 500th post.

 June 2013

I wish you a warm spring and good growing conditions for the summer.

Good weather for me this week, so I see a Workday coming up.  See you then.

Lion or Lamb?

I'll leave to it others to figure out where the saying "If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a Lamb" came from.  Apparently the sentiment has been around since the 1600's; the Farmer's Almanac subscribes to it; and it has a climate/meteorological basis, etc. etc. 

What I want to know is ...  

what did we get this year?

On March 1st (Saturday) it was mid- 50's here - sunny and breezy.  We spent the whole afternoon watching "Prince Igor" from the Met, so didn't get to enjoy it much, but even at 4:30 it was still warm enough to sit outside "our" Starbucks for an iced coffee.  

Definitely lamb territory.

Sunday, March 2 was even better.  In the 60's by 10 a.m. and highs bumping on 70 degrees; a great day for working in the garden

 ... before the rain came and the temperature plummeted.

And, then this morning ... sleet and freezing rain early and snow, snow, snow by 9 a.m.  They are predicting 3 - 6 inches.  It's coming down solidly, so we could reach that amount by afternoon.  It's a lovely white ... like a lamb.  But, if i remember that this air mass has made its way all the way across the country dumping rain on California - way too much, way too fast - then snow all across the plains and now sleet and freezing rain here.  That's definitely Lion Country.  The last one included "thunder snow".  If we get that again, we will definitely hear it roar. 

What i really want to know is ... when will it be over?  this awful winter?  Please, please, please let this be the last lion!  Long live the lamb!

Recess!

Well, that's exactly how it feels - like recess from a long day of spelling and division.

After weeks of way-too-cold [I know.  All of you have had it, too.] we finally got one of those wonderful spring-like days that Mother Nature likes to throw in just to keep up our spirits.  69 degrees about an hour ago.

We've been penned in the house for so many days, looking at this:

 Taken early in the morning.  Once the sun got up higher, it was not quite so dreary, but still cold.

That a day when we could go outside and enjoy the day came like .... recess.

Most cities have at least one kitchy little shopping area, and ours is called Carytown [it's on Cary Street] and is about 10 blocks smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood where 1920's row houses were long-ago converted into shops and  restaurants.  

 In the middle of a block, with no standing place in front ... I don't quite get it.

It's near enough to the university that it's filled with all kinds of folks from college kids to oldsters, relatively poor to rather wealthy, babies in strollers, dogs on leashes, and every gender identification you can think of ... in other words a great place to browse, graze and people watch, especially on that spring-like day in the middle of winter. 

We had lunch in this little cafe, which a friend introduced me to several weeks ago.  Locally sourced food with an emphasis on vegan and GF, but great hamburgers just in case your a beef person, good wines and beers, and desserts to die for.  My kind of place.  

We did not sit outside, but it was warm enough - even at noon.

 Many clothing boutiques - both vintage and new.

 For the kids, too.

And then we wandered - window shopping, stopping to browse, buying a few little things, and just enjoying the day.

 A completely re-done corner.

 What else but a bicycle shop.  There are several more.

 A street magician.  He was playing a shell game.

 A flower vendor.  The flowers were a bit cold-damaged, unfortunately.

 Even a street musician .... very good actually.  Probably a music student at the university.

 A cosmetics boutique.  They will mix you a personalized lipstick color ... cool.

 Who doesn't love orange deck chairs?

Yes, indeed.  A day to remember that despite the groundhog's prediction of a late spring, it will eventually get here and will bring lots of days like today.  Thanks, Mom!

I'm Thankful

Whether it was the Pilgrims or the Jamestown settlers, I'm glad our forefathers and mothers took the time to be thankful for their survival and started us on this annual observance.

We live in a time of such plenty [at least in much of the world] that an annual pause to reflect is in order.

This year I am especially thankful for good health.  My younger brother is dealing with serious vision issues and it makes me realize how precious my good [tho aging!] vision is, and how much it contributes to my well-being.

I'm thankful for Mitchell, who enriches my life daily.  Playing his harp fills our home with music and my heart with joy.  

And, the man can cook, too. 

I'm thankful for Elizabeth and James - they know why.

And, I am very thankful for the friends I've found in the blog world.  Women and men across the globe who share their daily loves and lives with each other and with me.  Interesting people with triumphs and tribulations who offer support and guidance to folks who used to be strangers.  

It's a wonderful world on the blog.  Who knew?

You know who your are.  Raise a cup or a glass and know I am saying "thank you" when I raise mine .... hopefully filled with something bubbly!

November

November may be the only month when the garden truly sleeps.

There is nothing left actively blooming, but as I look around the camellia is full of buds that mean flowers by Christmas and then in January the hellebores will burst forth and we will start the entire cycle again.

Outside, it's time for a rest.  Time to enjoy the grasses and the berries.  

Time to focus indoors for a few months.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

This is what our weather has been since last Tuesday:

See that dark green band over Virginia?  Imagine my house in the middle of that.

And, this is the plan for the next week:

At least it will be a bit warmer...

Now, I like rain as much as the next girl - probably more - but enough is enough!

Must be Fall ... I'm Cooking Again

You know that I am not a good creative cook.  Truly.  I have good intentions, but I grew up in a meat and potatoes family, so tend to throw something formerly-alive on the grill [like 200 nights a year], add two warm veggies or one and a salad, and call that dinner. 

It's not that I don't want to be more creative ... but, it's really all I know.  On my "What to Do in Retirement" list is "take some cooking classes".  My newest success, tho, is eggplant parm.  It's always been the thing on which I judge Italian restaurants, but I never even tried it until a couple of weeks ago.

Thanks to Rachel Ray [I am taking her her daily one-hour cooking class ... you know, 2:00 Monday thru Friday] I've learned some techniques.  This one is breading:  dry, wet, dry.  So Mr. Eggplant went into flour, then egg, and then crumbs.  [I used a combo of Panko and Italian flavored.]  Then it baked for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.  Turn once midway.

And then I assembled.  Eggplant, fresh mozzarella, basil from the garden, bottled Barilla sauce and my secret ingredient - roasted yellow plum tomatoes from last summer.   Shredded parm on the top and back into the over for 30 more minutes.

I thought the roasted tomatoes added a  lot of flavor, altho Mitchell* ate around them.   

Add a salad and some garlic bread and voila!  a gourmet [at least for me] meal.

 *  For the most part Mitchell is very supportive about my cooking, and generally he is adventurous in trying new cuisines.  We eat all sorts of Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese) and Mexican, Ethiopian, Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Armenian - you name it, and he will like it - especially if there is a bit of heat involved. 

But when it comes to "Amurican" food, he has standards.  Beets are purple, lettuce is iceberg, peppers are green, kale is curly and tomatoes .... are definitely red (and preferably round).

 

With all those rules, I need a little refreshment when I cook!

Opera in the Park - Oh, My!

Summer is winding down, but can you think of a nicer wrap up than a picnic in the park with the music you love - and all for free?

It was a lovely warm evening last night 

at Dogwood Dell with enough breeze to keep the bugs away.

A bit of picnic - bread, cheese, tomato jam, Asian pears and wine, of course - and plenty of entertainment. 

Our music of choice is opera, so the Virginia Opera invited us, along with 3,500 or our best friends for an evening of opera and Broadway classics.  A good time was had by all.

I hope they sold a few tickets, too.  We already have ours.

What?

And, that's all I have to say about it.

Summer of 2008

I wasted the entire Summer of 2008.

It's an old story.  You know it well. 

The successful small, local company where I had worked for 15 years had been bought several years before by another small, successful company in a neighboring state.  They in turn had been bought by one of the big boys - really big boys.  

As ofter happens in arranged marriages - err, mergers - things did not always go well.  

"You don't understand me!"  "You never want to do what I want to do!"

By 2008, our little outpost had become more isolated and its value was only as a cash cow.  And then we lost the contract that provided a big chunk of the cash.  Suddenly, we were very expendable.  And expend they did.  With the required 60 days notice, they just shut us down.  Gone.  Fifty plus full time employees and nearly 100 part timers out on the street.

July 1st and nothing to do.  Well.... nothing except find a job.

It was a lovely summer.  Cooler than normal temperatures.  Less humidity.  Blue skies.  Long afternoons that could have been spent with an iced tea and a book on the deck.

Instead, it was OMG I have to find a job.  Prowling the want ads.  Sending out resumes and cover letters.  Trying to network.  Working with the folks at outplacement and the Employment Commission.  Writing references for co-workers and commiserating on the phone.  Always feeling that a minute spent relaxing was a minute spent not finding a job.

Slowly, normalcy returned and October 1st brought me a new job happily working for my previous boss and helping to start a brand new company with all the excitement and heady success of a new enterprise.

I've always regretted wasting that summer.  The comfortable, sunny afternoons not spent enjoying the garden, not sipping a drink on the deck. 

Just wrapped up our big summer project last week and have promised myself that I will not waste the rest of the Summer of 2013 - yet another summer of lower temperatures, lower humidity and blue skies.  I promise that you will find me every single afternoon spending at least an hour outside  - just enjoying this glorious time and place.

No more regrets!

From One Old Dog to any Others ....

So, last week I raised the question of what the heck is going on with Blogger Reader?  Got several helpful answers and just to prove that I am not a totally old dog (there is a five-letter word that many of my friends would choose ...) I want to share what I have learned. 

Technically, it is Google Reader that is going away at the end of June, not precisely "Blogger Reader", but apparently they are the same thing!  So, why couldn't they say so more directly?  No clue. 

There are at least two other readers readily available.  One is BlogLovin (www.Bloglovin.com) and Feedly (www.Feedly.com).  I signed up for both just to be sure I was covered, but will probably only use one of them.  Here are my first impressions:

BlogLovin was a little more difficult to sign up for, but not much.  It wanted an email address and then sent me an email with a link to complete the process.  (My email thought the message was spam and blocked it - twice - but I finally found it and from there it took only seconds to complete my enrollment.)  It asked permission to upload my "Google Reader" and took about 20 seconds to upload all of the blogs I follow.  They are displayed just like in Blogger Reader, and you access the same way.  It may take one additional click.  I commented on a blog while I was there and it worked exactly the same way. 

Feedly didn't make me sign up for an account.  It seemed to already know me and already have my reading list.  It may be that it is Google, or perhaps just Big Brother.  It gave me a couple of choices for how I want to display my reading list, but seemed fine.   I don't particularly like the way it looks (just not as attractive as Blogger) but it seems to work fine.  Apparently "they" are in the processing of upgrading, migrating or something and there will be some additional changes in the next two weeks.  So, things may look a little different in a couple of weeks. 

Both appear to work on tablets, too, altho I have not tried them on mine.  That's the next step. 

So, for what it's worth ...  this was an easy trick for this old dog to learn.  And Apolonius said, "Come the edge.  They came to the edge; he pushed them off, and they flew."

What's Happening with Blogger?

Twice recently i have read that that the Blogger Reader is "going away" at the end of June.  I can't find any real info on that, and haven't a clue what it means for me.  

[It's all about me, after all.]

Does anyone know what - if anything is happening.  And, do we care?  Yes, if it's true of course we care.  But what are other folks going to do?  Can you point me in the right direction?  Help!

You Gotta be Flexible!

For the past seven or eight years I have kept an envelope in my desk at work.  It contained a sheet of paper with the date - 

June 1, 2013 - on it.  

 Yes, today. 

I had planned for today to be the first day of my retirement.

But life intervenes.  Companies close and people lose their jobs.  The market crashes and people lose their retirement funds.  Things change and you have to be flexible. 

There's a new envelope in my desk today.

September 1, 2015.

Keep your fingers crossed!