Pi Day - Torta Pasqualina

Today is Pi Day - March 14.

Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, commonly approximated as 3.1415.  It was also genius scientist's Albert Einstein's birthday (March 14, 1879).  In recent years, in the United States, it has taken off as an unofficial holiday (March 14, or 3-14 as we write dates in the United States) where you are supposed to make - or eat - a pi.  Excuse me, a pie.

Pie bakeries now report that March 14 is one of the busiest days of the year for them.

I am not a pie baker but now, for the first time, I am swept up in this celebration.

My mother in law, and relatives before her, used to make two types of pies for Easter - what she called a "grass" pie, and a "pizza rustica".  These are both savory pies that are a part of my spouse's childhood and young adult memories. 

For Pi Day, I decided that I  my spouse would attempt the grass pie, also known as torta pasqualina.  We both follow the Weight Watchers diet (the old points plus system, not the current system) and wanted to make some kind of compromise that both we, and my mother in law, would enjoy.

There are so many versions of this pie and spouse decided to incorporate what he remembered from his childhood.  A lot of versions, for example, call for making indentations in the filling, cracking eggs and dropping the contents into the wells - this wasn't a part of the tradition he remembered.

This is what he did.  Note, the bacon is optional - we just happened to have some.  Also, for the crust of the pie, we were intending to use phyllo dough.  But, needless to say, we forgot to buy it.  So we decided to go to our local store and get some ready made frozen pizza dough, instead.  We made the pie yesterday, as we both had to work today.

Recipe:
(Metric folk, you are on your own. Sorry.)

1 bunch Swiss Chard
6 oz Tuscan kale (can use regular kale)
1/2 pound baby bok choy
2 oz arugula
(you can substitute other greens - traditionally this is made with swiss chard, and even early spring wild greens.)
1 teaspoon (tsp) oil of your choice - spouse used olive
2 oz thick cut local bacon (optional)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped and caramelized 
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup ricotta (we used a "small batch" part skim ricotta made in Wisconsin).
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 farm fresh eggs
1/4 tsp nutmeg (spouse uses a nutmeg and grates fresh but you don't have to)
1/3 cup parsley
1 package frozen pizza dough, thawed and cut in two equal pieces
10 inch spring form pan.

Method:

What we call Swiss chard in the United States

Chop the greens except the arugula.

and cook with enough water to cover, about 5 minutes.  Drain.

Meanwhile, saute the onion in about 1 tsp of oil with the garlic  until golden brown. then simmer on low heat to caramelize the onion.  Then add the chopped bacon and about 2 tbsp of water, mix together, cover, turn heat off, leave until cool.

When done, set aside greens and onion mixtures to cool, perhaps about 20 min. They must be cool enough to squeeze the greens out.  You can reserve this liquid for another use.

Add the onion mixture to the greens mixture, set aside.

Meantime, spouse grated the Parmesan cheese and set it aside with the ricotta.

Beat the four eggs (then set aside about three tablespoon of the beaten egg).  Make the cheese mixture by mixing the Parmesan, the ricotta, with the remaining eggs, and parsley.  Add the nutmeg and stir.

Now it is time to make the crust.  Take slightly more than 1/2 of the pizza dough, roll out. (the bottom has to be bigger than the top)

Set into the pan.

Add the greens mixture.

Add the cheese mixture.

Roll out the other half of the pizza dough, add it to the top.  There will be some dough from the bottom hanging over the side.  Take that dough and fold it over onto the top crust, then brush with the reserved egg. No need to make any vent holes.   Bake about 50 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown.  

Let sit at least 10 minutes.

The results?  We will have the pie tonight and I'll let you know. 

Happy Pi day!  Are you participating?

Pi Day Preparation, Easter Pies and Blog Roundup #9

Today I am keeping this short - I have a pie (or two) to research, because tomorrow, March 14, is "Pi Day" (3-14). Last year was a true "Pi Day" (3.1415....) but hey, who can resist a good pie?

My mother in law used to make two types of pies for Easter - what she called a "grass" pie, and a "pizza rustica".  These are both savory pies.  In recent years, she's bought them from a bakery from where she used to live.  But where she is living now, near us in upstate New York, I don't think there is any bakery that makes these.  So it will be up to...gulp, me, someone who is not known for her pie baking.  Or cooking in general.

The grass pie, may I reassure you, is not made from grass.  In Italy, it is known as  "torta pasqualina". The green is usually swiss chard.

My challenge is to make something easy and something in between "so Weight Watchers friendly no one else will touch it" and "heart attack in a slice".   Pi Day will be a test run for something I might make just before Easter so my mother in law can nibble on it on the days leading up to the feast.  That's what I am researching now.

The crust will need to be store made because it also needs to be edible.  I think I can handle the rest, with my spouse's help.  Hopefully, I'll report on what happened tomorrow in my Pi Day post (and it won't be a disaster).  Easter is coming early this year and, as rarely happens, doesn't coincide with Passover, so I can actually eat these savory pies at the Easter table instead of drooling while my Christian in-laws dig in. 

Are you gearing up for Pi Day?  If so, you may want to hop on over to Baking in a Tornado - at the bottom she has a link to 11 Pi Day pies.  And, this will be the first link I will share with you today - you'll also love her recipe for Pistachio Bread. 

At Cresting the Hill, we ask: Why do we blog? what do we get out of it?

Carol Cassara, several days ago, had a guest post:  it was one of the best blog posts I've every read, called "On the day I die".

And finally, from Dr. Roshan (a man, and that matters) in India, a powerful post about a subject too many of us close our eyes to (note, adult content - must read adult content).

Thank you for stopping by - and I would love to hear about your Pi Day Plans.

Music Saturday - What A Lucky Man

I had decided, after one last post in late March, to discontinue Music Mondays.  What began as a weekly feature to share some good musical memories had become a weekly obituary column.

But, after hearing of the death of keyboardist Keith Emerson yesterday, I knew I had to continue the feature.

Emerson founded the group Emerson, Lake and Palmer. He was a pioneer instrumental (no pun intended) in the adaptation of the Moog synthesizer into rock/progressive music.  The Moog was developed in part by Bob Moog, who graduated from my high school the year I was born.  The Moog was further developed in Trumansburg, New York, a little more than an hour where I live. (If you are interested in the history of the Moog, this lecture has a lot of interesting information.)

Normally, my Saturday feature is a Local Saturday, and you can't get much more local (for me) than that.

Today, for a few minutes, I want to go back into my late teenage years in New York City.

I occasionally baby-sat for a family with three children during those years.  The father had a tremendous collection of records (yes, I'm dating myself). One of them was an album by Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

I was immediately (as we said in those days) blown away.

This, Fanfare for the Common Man, was not original to the group, but what a cover it was!

Perhaps my favorite of their songs was Lucky Man.  Enjoy the Moog solo at the end.

And here, Keith Emerson explains the Moog.

How sad that we are learning that Emerson's death may have been suicide, a result of him developing a disorder that would have increasingly made it difficult to play his beloved keyboard.

Once again, we mourn the loss of a musical great.  Maybe calling him a "lucky man" may not be totally appropriate, but we were all lucky to have experienced what he had to offer.

Falling Friday - The Return

I had discontinued this Friday feature, but a recent blog post by Dorit has inspired me to blog about falling one final time.

In the post, she blogs about a fall on ice.  But the post isn't just about falling.  It is just as much about the healing process, and what Dorit has learned from the process.

It's made me think and I wonder if I should start up the feature again.  Here's a small sample.
Attending the wake of a beloved woman who died due to a fall.
Kindness and vision
Can We Turn the Tide?

I've known my mother in law, who is in her late 80's, for some 45 years now.  In other words, she was in her 40's when I first made her acquaintance.  Her youngest child was just starting school.

Time passes, and we all change.  So, over the years, I've seen her age and change.  And, falling has been a bit part of it.  Her first falls were many years ago.  It's only gotten worse.

The last few years have been so hard for her, no thanks to those falls she has suffered.  She has other health issues, too, but those falls may have impacted her life more than just about anything else.  Pain is her constant companion.  There is fear, too.

When she was at an age when the falling started, there weren't classes on falls prevention.  Doctors didn't screen for it (they do that now at one of the major health practices for any patient over age 80.)

You Tube wasn't full of videos demonstrating exercises.  If you google "fall prevention exercises You Tube" you will get about 260,000 results back. 

My Falling Friday feature started when I started taking fall prevention classes for myself.  I am 62 and have already suffered several falls.  Knock on wood, no major injuries.  I also hoped I could learn something I could use to help my mother in law.  From there, I realized a lot of people might be interested in the subject.

I hope that my Falling Fridays that I blogged last year were of help for someone, although I write from the viewpoint of a layperson.  I still do the exercises but I haven't progressed past a certain point.  I need to go back to the texts we were given and see what else I can do.

I've also discovered I am on the edge of osteoporosis in my hips, and my doctor has told me to do strength training.  But, then, I am let loose onto the world to find the exercise program that will help the most.  So I may incorporate some of my fight against osteoporosis into coming posts.

I think we still have a long way to go to help the seniors needing the help of exercise programs, and exercise classes.  I hope I can, in my own small way, fill that gap.

I may start up Falling Friday again, after the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge, perhaps as a biweekly Friday feature, to see what I can do with it.

Call it a personal challenge.

Throwback Thursday - Nostalgia Still Isn't What it is Cracked up to Be

Here is a post from January of 2013.  You'll be seeing a sprinkling of "throwback" posts as I prepare for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge in April.

My spouse and I exercise walked yesterday, talking about old television ads from our childhood.  We tried to think of how far back we could remember.  It was enjoyable.

Ah, nostalgia. I think it is human nature to engage in it, and I would be willing to guess that all of my readers engage in its practice, too.

I wrote this post three years ago, so reading it again might be a form of nostalgia, too.  

Do you enjoy this type of remembering?

Nostalgia Still Isn't What it is Cracked up to Be

A summer evening in Brooklyn.  I am visiting a childhood friend.  We've known each other for 50 years.  You can't get more nostalgic than that.

A familiar bell rings in the distance.

It's the Mr. Softee truck!

Mr. Softee was one of the staples of growing up in New York City, along with the Good Humor man.   But I hadn't had a Mr. Softee in - oh, 50 years?

I didn't even know they existed any more.

I had to have a Mr. Softee.  My friend's husband bought me my favorite, a soft vanilla cone. No sprinkles, no gunk, just pure vanilla pleasure.

Do you know what happened?  I had already eaten dinner, and I ended up with a stomach ache.

Sometimes, that's what happens when you try to relive your childhood.

No, nostalgia sometimes isn't what it's cracked up to be.

What is nostalgia?  One definition I found (Wikipedia) says:

The term nostalgia describes a sentimental longing for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations

As we age, we find ourselves slipping into nostalgia more and more.  Just today, I was part of a conversation that turned to encyclopedias.  Remember encyclopedias?

As a 20-something participant in the conversation listened in amazement, the others in the conversations (mostly people in their 50's) talked about parents scrimping and saving so we could have a set in our homes.  By the time they were paid off, (even before that!) they were obsolete.  Then, our parents would have to buy yearbook supplements so they would be up to date. Until the next year.

The 20-something mused "And now we have the Internet."

Yes, we do.  We hold the greatest library man ever created in our hands, and on our laps.

I can miss many things about my childhood.  I engage in nostalgic thinking.  But when it comes down to it, the present, in many ways, isn't so bad after all.  The Internet.  Modern medicine (I wouldn't be alive without it.)  Thin and light eyeglasses.  Whole grains, and organic produce, available in the local market.

Would you rather live in the "good old days"?

Winter Wonders - Winter Is Most Sincerely Dead

Ding dong, winter is dead. And not only merely dead, winter is most sincerely dead (to paraphrase a favorite movie quote).

In upstate New York, I have NEVER said that in my almost 30 years of living here.

Ever.

Let me explain that where I live, in the Southern Tier of New York State, we have a four season climate.  Winters here can be harsh (although far from the harshest - we are on the edge of a snowbelt that can see some amazing snow totals).  Normally, by March, we still have snow on the ground.

Most years, it seems that spring will never come.  I've called Spring "The Hunger that will not die".

Not this year.

We had some cold weather, but possibly a record snow (as in "no snow") year.  And now, winter is dead.  Here are the proofs.

Exhibit 1: The first crocus (not mine) I saw in Binghamton, on March 5.  And not through snow, either.  Last year, my first crocus was sighted on April 13.

Exhibit 2 - Snowdrops, also on March 5.

Exhibit 3-more crocuses on March 6.

Exhibit 4-a magnolia starting to bud out in downtown Binghamton.

And the final exhibit- the seven day forecast (in F, of course).  72 F is 22 C.  And I will be jumping for joy on every one of those little degrees.

Will it snow again?  Most likely, but hopefully just flurries.  Will we dip below freezing again?  Certainly, yes.  And that becomes a concern, if flowers come out too soon.

So it isn't time for a happy dance just yet.  We still don't know for sure if apples will be caught by a late freeze, as they were in 2012.  Or if our maple syrup season will be a dud.

But for now, the sap is rising, and spring is on its way.

How is the weather where you live?

International Women' Day 2016 - Get Out and Vote

Today is International Women's Day.

According to the website, we are to "Celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women."

We may have come a long way in my 62 years on Earth.  Sunday, I watched a debate between two political candidates in my United States living room.  One was a woman. The other candidate was a Jewish man. Either of those people being on that stage would have been unthinkable when I was growing up.

Also on Sunday, Sunday, Nancy Reagan, the wife of late President Ronald Reagan, died at the age of 94.  She grew up in an age where women had to fight for equality.  She was a career woman at one point in her life (an actress) but ended up in a supporting role as the wife of a President - a position we call First Lady.  Still later, as her husband declined due to Alzheimer's Disease, she sometimes went head to head with members of her husband' political party in advocating for more funding to find a cure for this dread condition.

Today, this First Lady is mourned, and the flag over the White House flies at half staff in respect.

Nancy Reagan, in her own ways, made today possible.

Yet, we have a long way to go.  One of the ways to further the journey is for all women, wherever they are able (and that's a blog post for another time), to vote the next time there is an election.   I would like to repeat a post from August of 2015, though, to thank those women who came before me, those who made today possible.

Today, I #pledgeforparity.  Will you?

Thank you.

Women's Equality Day

 Yesterday, August 26, was Women's Equality Day in the United States.  On August 26, 1920, the 19th amendment was adopted, giving women nationwide in the United States the constitutional right to vote for the first time.

For that, we need to thank the 19th century, as I did in this post (slightly edited) from earlier in the year.

If you are a woman, do you vote?  Do you exercise your hard earned rights, or do you take them for granted?

 Thanking the 19th Century

100 years ago, in the United States, women could not vote in a national election (that right was granted by the 19th amendment, ratified in 1920) nor in many local/state elections.

 

This building is the Wesleyan Chapel, located in Seneca Falls, New York.  The original building (most of this building was a reconstruction) was built in 1843.

In this building, in  July of 1848, the First Women's Right Convention was held.  Out of this convention a document called the Declaration of Sentiments came, signed by 68 women and 32 men.

I would like to write this letter to all the signers of this document, but especially, the women:

"Dear signers of the Declaration of Sentiments:

"I owe so much to you, as a married woman living in the United States.  Due to your courage:
-I have the right to vote
-I can keep the wages I make
-I have the right to own property and to pass it down, upon my death, to the person or persons I choose
-I have the right to an education.

and I have other rights women in some other countries don't have - the right not to have their bodies mutilated,  the right to marry or not marry, the right to become or not become pregnant, the right to attend school without worrying about being kidnapped and sold into slavery, or being killed, and even the right to drive a car.

If I wanted to write a book, I could do that under my own name.  I wouldn't have to pretend to be a man.

It took so many years for you to win those rights for me.  Instrumental in getting these rights were your efforts in getting women the right to vote.

And now, too many women take these rights for granted.  Many of us don't vote.  We don't take advantage of educational opportunities.  We devalue ourselves.

A sad thing about history is, if you didn't live it, you tend to forget it.  I can remember the days of "Male" and "female" help wanted ads, just as one example.  I can remember when one of my high school teachers became pregnant, and had to leave when she started to show. (This, incidentally, was in 1969.)

You all taught me never to take rights for granted.  Rights taken for granted are rights lost.

Worst of all, there are places where women have never had those rights, and both men and women suffer for it. That's part of women's history, too, the story of the present.

Those once called suffragettes, thank you for your courage.

Thank you for what you did for generations yet unborn. Like mine.

Sincerely,

AM"

Music Monday - A Dream Come True

So many times, since I started Music Monday, I've had to blog about singers who have passed from cancer.

This time, it is heartbreaking, and I am not even a country music fan.

I've been following the story of country singer Joey Feek for several months.  I  first read about her on Facebook.  Diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014 three months after giving birth, this singer, who sang with her husband Rory Feek as the duo Joey + Rory, passed away at the age of 40 on Friday.

The blog post her husband wrote to announce her death is one of the most touching blog posts I have ever read. 

He had started the blog in 2014 and he is a blogger of great strength. (And if you are wondering why I chose the blog headline "A Dream Come True" - read the post. It will break your heart, just like a good country music song.)

Joey, besides her husband, left her two year old daughter, Indiana.  Indiana has Down Syndrome. I hope, as she grows up, she will be inspired by her late mother.  And by her father.

This song is from 2012 - "When I'm Gone".

And one more song "That's Important to Me."

Cancer truly sucks.  We can only count the days until it is finally defeated and I never have to blog about anyone having cancer, ever again.

I will be taking a two week break from Music Monday. One more music post March 27.  Next Monday is Pi Day (how can I resist?) and the 21st is Reveal Day for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

In April, I will be participating in the Blogging from a to Z Challenge. 

What's on your mind this morning?

Blog Roundup #8

Every Sunday, hopefully through the end of March, I will be posting links to some of the blog posts I enjoyed this week.

All I ask is that you visit some, or all of them.  Pay the love forward.  Read, comment, share.

Shall we get going?

First, Dorit, who sustained a fall on ice, blogs about the aftermath of her injury and the courage to believe she can heal.

Amy, who has blogged, and written books, about her experiences with Usher Syndrome, shares an inspirational story from someone else who is coping with vision loss.

Suzy: A musical challenge - and something all Beatles fans will love.

Karen blogs about Saying NO when necessary - and, for too many of women, NO is the hardest word to say.  It shouldn't be.

Are you a quitter? No? Silvia says you should be.

For those who like a certain brand of humor, Laura writes about a dilemma - if she should launder her Tibetan prayer flags, or not. And one thought led to another....
(This one may not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it.)

Remember, fellow bloggers - pay it forward!  See you next Sunday!

Local Saturday - Put a Cork on It

It goes without saying that buying local is best.

Why?   I can think of these reasons.

• You support a small businessperson, and his/her family.
• Maybe you support local employees, as that small businessperson thrives, and needs to hire to continue to grow.
• Your spent dollars stay within your community.
• You can sometimes check out where they produce what they produce or give the service they are providing, through open houses or giveaways.  

Through my years (started in 2009) of blogging, I have cyber-met some businesswomen from all over the world.  Starting today, I would like to give a shout out to some of these.

I had mentioned, the other day, I would blog a little about Sasha Johns, a woman from Alabama whose art has taken a little bit of a different direction.  Her creativity intrigues me.  I've never lived in Alabama, but I have lived in the South, including in Arkansas for five years.

I love the idea of upcycling - taking material that would otherwise be wasted, and making art or something useful with it.  Her Etsy shop features keychains and other jewelry made with wine corks.  She also sells wine jellies locally.

It may puzzle you, knowing that I live an hour or so from New York wine country, why I am giving today's shout out to someone from Alabama.  The reason is simple.  We need to help one another.  (In New York State, we can't grow those delicious Muscadine grapes you can in the South, either.)  At least one of these corks, Duplin, may have come from a bottle of delicious muscadine grapes.

Now I own a piece of her art (a letter A made from wine corks) thanks to a giveaway (thank you Sasha) and I am happy to get the word out about her local business.

And speaking of giveaways - we all love giveaways, but we should also buy from these local craftspeople.  I have been a bit negligent about that but there is a certain birthday coming up.

So I am going to revisit some of the crafts bloggers I have interacted with through the years, and see what I can do to make my special someone happy with a crafted gift.

Linking to the #BlogShareLearn Linky Party.  Come join the fun!

Tattoo Me Tattoo You

I was fascinated, a couple of days ago, to read a post by a blogger, Carla, who has celebrated her love of Dr. Seuss books by having several Dr. Seuss-themed tattoos.  She blogged how explaining her visible tattoos to others made them relive their childhoods.

Turns out she is far from the only person who has a Dr. Seuss inspired tattoo. 

I've blogged a couple of times about how all of those who write wish to be the author who changes the world.  Books have that power.

Which made me think of tattoos.  I do not have any.  Not one. (And I so wish I could write that in Dr. Seuss-type verse.  No, I am not going to try.)  I know people whose only tattoos came from their need for radiation treatment.

In fact, I've never had a piercing.  Not one.  Not even on my ears.  Not even the so-called traditional one so I could wear earrings.  Not ever.  I've not regretted it, either.

Why?  A number of reasons.

So, today's question to my readers is this:  Do you have any tattoos or piercings?  And if so, did you end up loving them, or regretting them? (Temporary tattoos don't count.)

Call it an informal poll.  I look forward to the results.

The results should be interesting.

Post 2300

Time to celebrate.

Today is the 2300rd post on my blog.  It is so hard to believe that I have been blogging for almost seven years now - I started in April of 2009.  The years have flown. 

So much has happened in those last seven years.

I couldn't have done it without you, my readers!  Without your follows, without your comments, without knowing someone out there in the vast reaches of the interwebs cares enough about my ramblin's to read me, this blog would have fizzled out years ago.


You all rock!  There are too many of you to list.

Recently, a blogger in Alabama, Sasha John at True Vine Gifts, gifted me with something - something material, but also a realization that I have benefited so much from the world of blogging.  I will blog more about it, and her blog, another time.

Most of all, I want to thank the spouse who does the cooking and some other things that permit me the free time to indulge in the blogging I love.

Thank you, everyone, who has supported me through the years.  I am grateful.

Winter Wonders - The Cruelest Month

In some ways, here in upstate New York, March can be the cruelest month.  Stormy. Windy.  Today is no exception - the wind is howling outside, and in a few minutes I will venture forth.  I'm grateful that it is above freezing.  Many times, it isn't.

Some years, we enter March with feet of snow on the ground, yearning for a break - anything that will signal that Spring still exists, somewhere.  Like last year.

And the year before.

But then there was the incredible year of 2012, when everything was a month or more ahead of schedule.  But even 2012 can not compare to this year.

The forecast for next week:

Tuesday: high of 60F.

Wednesday:  high of 66F. (18.8C)

Thursday:  high of 62F.

It sounds great, doesn't it?

Not so fast.

In 2012, that year when we had forsythias and Bradford pears in bloom in the third week of March, we also lost a lot of our apple crop due to a late frost.  And, our maple syrup crop wasn't all that great, either.

I fear for our maple syrup crop this year, too.  The conditions just aren't right.

In weather, unusual isn't always good.  The norm of upstate New York winters are cold and snowy in March. This mild winter (except for a -10 morning) may mean survival of this camilla, though.   (You aren't supposed to try to grow camillas in upstate New York - not hardy enough,but my camilla, one of the hardiest available, is still hanging on.   I think.)

But, someone is going to be paying for this mild, almost snowless (perhaps a record) winter.

I hope the owner of this didn't mind me taking a picture

It would be terrible if the cost of our unbelievable winter was losing another apple and maple syrup crop, never mind the people who have already lost months of income from the lack of snow.

Sometimes, indeed, March can be the cruelest month.

Super Duper Tuesday

In the United States, it is Super Tuesday.    The process by which we determine who will be the Presidential candidate for each of our two major parties hits a peak today.  Today, residents of 12 states get to vote for someone who may eventually be elected as our President in November. 

So...
That's about as political as I am going to get today.  Because I am not blogging about Super Tuesday.

I am blogging about Super Duper Tuesday.

Super Duper Tuesday, the first day of March, is the first day of meteorological spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Usually, that means nothing to us in the north.  It is still cold, and usually we have several feet of snow on the ground.

Not this year.

For once, it is almost beginning to look like Spring here in upstate New York.

Courtesy of my "guest photographer" this past weekend

Chickens cross the road to get to the other side on rural roads that are almost free of snow.  Almost free of snow.

Spring bulbs are coming up.  In yards.  Along the sides of houses.

Birds are singing.

Blackbirds are gathering in yards (but no robins - yet).

Yesterday, my spouse saw seven different flocks of geese, in their famed V formations, heading north high in the sky. (Perhaps they weren't coming from the South, given recent habits of Canada geese, but they were heading north.) 

 Sunday, it reached 61 degrees F. (16C).  In February!  Next week it will be even warmer, they say!

It seems too good to be true.  In fact, we in Binghamton, New York are on track for the least snowy winter since records started to be kept. The Golden Snowball (an award given to one of five upstate cities with the most snow in any given winter) is quickly turning into a golden slushball.

In the coming days, we'll find out if it is too good to be true.

Does the strange weather continue to affect you, too?

Music Monday - Leap Day and The Musical Pillars of the Vittala Temple

February 29 is the bonus day we only get once every four years here in the United States, where we use a secular calendar called the Gregorian calendar.

It comes once every four years, on a year divisible by four (with one exception).

It has some interesting physics behind it.

It's rare - and precious.  We don't want to waste it.

It's only the second leap day in the existence of my blog.

Today, a special leap day edition of Music Monday, where I will share some blogged information about the Vittala Temple provided by Parul, an Indian blogger.  Ruins at this site are considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Instead of talking about the architecture, which Paurl does an excellent job of, I will blog a about the musical pillars.

Hollow pillars at the temple, if hit correctly, produce musical sound.  Parul tells the story of how the British, fascinated, cut open two of the pillar to see what was making the music.  The pillars turned out to be hollow

You don't have to travel far to hear that music - just click on the link.

 Interesting and (for an American) rare-just like a leap day.

Finally, as a bonus for this bonus day, here is the #1 song on the charts as of February 29, 1960:  Theme from A Summer Place. A totally different style of music, but one appropriate (I think) for those of us wishing for the days of summer.  Enjoy!

Weekly Blog Roundup #7

Welcome, everyone, for my Weekly Blog Roundup, seventh edition.

At this time, I intend to continue this roundup through the end of March, as it is so much fun to give shout outs to fellow bloggers.

Here are some of my favorite posts of the week.

Alice's Grand Adventures lead her to a mosque and a fascinating discussion of what she learned.

Kimberly explains to writers why we must make our characters suffer.

Marian gives us a peek into how a story can begin from a little throwaway thinking scrap.

Leanne blogs about regrets:  What would you change if you could?

Gilly blogs about an abandoned Jewish cemetery rotting away behind a car wash.

Denise asks: do we google ourselves?  Or others?  It's interesting what you may find.

Green diva Brigette blogs about dry skin and the many things we can do to help our bodies and skin hydrate.

Here are some about philosophy:

Techniques and steps for overcoming discouragement.

Do we live life as if we were being chased?

Thank you for reading - and, please, pay the blog love forward.  Tag a blog you enjoy today!

Local Saturday - Fickle February Finale

The title of this post was inspired by Kathy, a local blogger, who blogged about her "Stroll Through Fickle February".  

Kathy has country property to stroll through.  I, on the other hand, live on a little postage stamp of an urban property.

But that doesn't stop me from celebrating this most fickle of Februaries in the almost 30 years that I have lived in this part of upstate New York.

Let me share some memories of this past week.

There was the sundog I saw.  (Note the true sun, over on the left, and the sundog, between the conifer in the middle of the photo and the row of houses to the right.)

The beginning of a sunrise on Friday.

One of the many stunning sunsets February brought us.  This was the last of a series of sunset photos I took for my Winter Wonders post Wednesday.  The horizon is on fire, with the Susquehanna River in front.

Our high near 60F, our low -10F, I still wonder if our camilla, our experiment in trying to grow a southern plant out of its hardiness zone, will survive.

And now, by Sunday, it will be back in the 50's, or so they say.

Could you ask anything more of a Fickle February? 

It Can Never Happen Here

Last night, I was half watching the Republican Party's Presidental candidates debate on CNN.  I opened my laptop and clicked on Facebook.

I saw the news "active workplace shooter situation in Hesston, Kansas....at least 14 wounded...reports of three dead." (This is now updated to 4 dead).

For my dear readers outside the United States, "active shooter" means exactly what you think it means - a shooter is on the loose somewhere, shooting at people with the intent of killing.

This time, the gunman was a 38 year old man, an employee of Excel Industries, a lawn mower manufacturer, who came through their production area with an assault weapon. Prior to that, on his way there, he shot at people from his car, according to news reports.

Many years ago, due to my spouse's job, we lived and worked in Wichita, Kansas.  My husband had to make occasional trips to the Hesston area, which is about 30 miles from Wichita.  I've also had ties of sorts with a couple of other shooting locations, including Charleston, South Carolina.

My memory, whenever I hear this type of headline, heads to April 3, 2009, when 14 people (including the gunman) were shot dead at the American Civic Association, a few blocks from where I work in downtown Binghamton, New York.

These shootings are a routine in my country now.  The shooting.  The news coverage.  The people stunned: "it can't happen here".  The realization that it did happen there.  The funerals.  The finger pointing.  The political speeches.  The uptick in gun sales.

And then nothing changes.

The shooting happened before the Republican debate ended, but not once was it mentioned.  No surprise there, because we all know how the candidates would have reacted.

So today, I will tie on my snow sneakers, go to work, and wonder, while at my workplace, where it Will Never Happen Here next.

Confessions of an Orchid Killer Part 1

Considering that I say (in the description of my blog) that I blog about gardening, and my Twitter handle (or whatever you call it) is "RamblinGarden", I don't seem to blog too much about gardening.

Except on the 15th of the month, when I participate in Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

But that isn't enough.  I need to get back to my roots (pun intended) and do an occasional post about gardening.  So today, I have a true confession for my blog readers.  I've been inspired by Bethany over at Dandelion Pie, to confess something that I rarely talk about.

I'm an orchid killer.

That's right. Yes, I know they are supposed to be hard to grow, but I am a GARDENER.  A RAMBLINGARDENer.  I should be able to grow anything, right?

Wrong.

I am an equal opportunity orchid killer, too.  I have killed several Phalaenopsis (the common ones you see in your local supermarket), a Dendrobium, and even a Cattleya (and let's not forget the lady slipper my son killed for me, but that's another story) during my long orchid killing career.

Oh, I don't necessarily kill them right away.  I've had a couple of phalaenopsis rebloom but eventually, they all make their way to Orchid Heaven.

Until last year, I bought all my victims orchids at the local orchid show which is held either at the end of April or the beginning of May. I could not go to that show without coming back home with a plant in bloom, or with flowers getting ready to open, even though I knew what its eventual fate would be.   But my favorite vendor retired, and I decided to go orchidless last year.

Until I saw this plant at the local supermarket, in a display for Mother's Day, that is.  They were in a beautiful cachepot. I wanted to buy my mother in law a Mother's Day gift, too. At the time she lived some 150 miles from us.

Was the Orchid Killer about to strike again?

To be continued.

Have you ever succeeded in growing an orchid?

Winter Wonders - Not a Liar, Sky on Fire

What a wonder this winter has been.

February always brings its share of beautiful sunrises and sunsets, but it is usually a chore to take picture of them due to the cold weather.

This is what sunrise usually looks like in a small upstate New York village come winter.

Not this year.

Last week, this is what sunrise looked like in the east.

Meanwhile, at the same time, this is what it looked like in the west.  Mind you, this is a sunrise not a sunset.

A few days later, the sunset glowed so much over the Susquehanna River it looked like the horizon was on fire.

The birds are singing more and more each day, nature's announcement that winter may end one day.

One of the few things I will miss when winter ends are all those sunrises and sunsets. 

Only another month (according to the calendar) till spring.