Apple Pear Crisp Recipe

Every year, I seem to blog about apple crisp.  It's a favorite dessert for me to make.  My crisp recipes are lower in calories than many, as I've been a lifetime member of Weight Watchers for several years now.

We are fortunate as we live in an apple growing region.  Here in the Binghamton, New York area, we can purchase heirlooms such as Northern Spy, a wonderful baking apple. 

This year, the pears in the farm stands were so good we decided to mix pears in.

There are many more apple varieties in the farm stands than you can find in your average supermarket.  Many of the older varieties don't ship well, or don't keep well, or don't bear reliably year after year.  But if you can find them, they are worth the effort.

When you do buy an apple, you must ask yourself:  How do you intend to use your apple?

Fresh eating?  My favorites are Honey Crisp, SweeTango, Snapdragon, Autumn Crisp.  Yes, the newer varieties.  If heirlooms were easily available for me, I'd also recommend russets (brown skins).
For baking, my favorite is Northern Spy but you can also try Rome, Jonathan, Jonagold, and Cortland.  There are also dual use apples out there for both baking and fresh eating.

Now, onward to the recipe.

Apple/Pear Crisp (9 inch square pan, serves 9) for People Wanting a Lower Calorie Version

4 large baking apples

1/2 tbsp stevia/sugar blend (or brown sugar, to taste)

2 tsp lemon juice

2 Bartlett pears - you can also use one Asian pear.

Peel and slice cored apples and pears. Mix all ingredients above together.  Place in a 9 inch square baking dish that has been oiled or buttered.

Top with topping.  Keep in mind this is an adaptation of a low-cal topping.  It may not suit you.

Topping (if you aren't watching your weight, this may not be a favorite for you)

1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
2 tbsp light butter blend such as Olivio Light
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix topping ingredients together and top the apple/pear blend.

Bake at 350-375 degrees for about 50 minutes or until the apple slices are the consistency you want.  

Of course, I didn't think of taking a picture until the next day.

 Let cool, unless you can't wait to eat it. 

I recommend you serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Glowing Farmers Market

October 29 was the last indoor/outdoor farmers market of the year.  Until sometime in May (probably) our market will be fully indoors.

In the morning light, some of the produce was glowing.

 

Purple cauliflower.

Carrots.

Onions and garlic.

Brussel sprouts.

More cauliflower. Yes, not all cauliflower is white.

It was almost as if the produce was giving us one last show of beauty.

We are fortunate to have this bounty.

And I'll miss the outdoor portion of the market, as the seasons continue to shift.

 

Glowing Fall Sunset #SkywatchFriday

 I haven't featured a sunset for a while.  Let's correct that now!

Approaching my sunset park. I'm late! I'd better hurry.

Let's sit back and enjoy.

Zooming in a little.

A couple of minutes later.

That's it for today.  Today, incidentally, is Veterans Day in the United States and Remembrance Day or Armistice Day in many other places.  Here is my Veterans Day post for this year.  May we finally know peace in our times one day - in the meantime let's honor the men and women who have protected the freedoms we enjoy.

More beautiful skies next Friday, when I join up again with Yogi and other skywatching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.

The Sleeping Trees of Memory #ThursdayTreeLove

The trees of memory, they are in their winter hibernation.  Because Skywatch Friday is tomorrow, I am writing my Veterans Day post early.

Today, on the 57th anniversary of my mother's passing, I remember the trees.  There was the crabapple tree that was planted just outside the entrance of the apartment building in the Bronx (part of New York City) where I grew up.  Each May, I think of its beautiful blooming in a city of eight million people.

Now, crabapples line the street that intersects the street I live on, and other streets in this area. Bare now, they brighten the streets they are planted on each May.

My father was a veteran of World War II.  He served in non-combat roles as an airplane mechanic and also a military policeman in the Army Air Corp and had various postings, including one in India.  He returned home prematurely due to a head injury that left him suffering from seizures the rest of his life.

Memories...

When I was young, we would get mailings from various organizations, imploring us to send money to plant trees to honor a deceased loved one.

The weeping willows along Seneca Lake near Geneva, New York that commemorate the war casualties of World War I.  In many countries (France, Belgium, Australia, among others) November 11, the anniversary of the ending of that war,which we call Veterans Day here, is called Remembrance Day.

Here is one Canadian blogger's thoughts on Remembrance Day.  We in the United States do not pay enough attention to the fact that many of our allies have suffered in wars where we fought side by side.

Walking in our local park, I saw this oak tree glowing in the setting sun on Sunday.  The color is gone now, but the memory remains.  Soon, this tree will be fast asleep, too.

They bring back memories of snow, cold, and biting winds, the chill of winter that is about to descend upon us after a stretch of beautiful fall weather.

This Northern cardinal (this photo taken last year on Christmas Eve) is a symbol, where I live, of deceased loved ones sending love and positivity to you.  Yesterday, I saw both a male and a female cardinal sitting on this fence looking at me. 

Each Veterans Day (as we call Remembrance Day or Armistice Day in the United States I publish the poem "In Flanders Fields".  This year, I link to our own Veterans Administration for the history of this poem and why poppies have become the Flower of Remembrance.

In Flanders Fields by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly.
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Poppy, Riverside Drive, Binghamton, New York

May all our loved ones forever rest in peace-our beloved family members, our friends, and those lost in war. 

Joining Parul at Happiness and Food for #ThursdayTreeLove.

Strange Signs #WordlessWednesday

From October 28, some strange signs at a local farm stand.

 

Clearance on classic pumpkins?  Wow!  Who knew there was such a thing as a classic orange pumpkin?

Decorative fall grass.  No, tall decorative fall grass.  Maybe it was perfect for Halloween because it was all dead.  Well, dead but still decorative. And tall.  And the sign didn't say "still alive". So no false advertising claims, please. RIP.

See any strange signs around lately?

 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for Wordless Wednesday. 

The Art of Voting

This is a nonpartisan post, and I approve this message.

If you live in the United States, today is Election Day. There's a lot of anxiety about the results.  But let's take a deep breath for a minute.  It's time for some art.

The city of Seneca Falls, New York, was one of the birthplaces of the women's suffrage movement.

Back in September, I had the opportunity to visit the Women's Rights National Park in Seneca Falls, New York.  In the National Women's Hall of Fame there was an exhibit of rug hooking dedicated to women's right, including the right to vote. 

Let's enjoy some of this beautiful art, brought to us by the Rug Hookers of the Finger Lakes.

This is not an art form I have explored, and I admired each of the displayed works.  Some of these are pro-vote art that has been duplicated in the form of rugs.

This may have been my favorite one.

Such an important message. 

I still believe in the process.

I take the right to vote seriously, for many reasons, including the fact that when my father was born, women still did not have the right to vote in New York State.  My mother wasn't yet born when the first woman to be able to vote in my county voted.

It's humbling to think of the many women (and men) who worked to give my ancestors the right to vote.  I will not disappoint them. 

Whatever your identity, my message for today is "if you haven't yet, please get out and vote!"

Electing Some Music #MusicMovesMe

 It's Monday, and it is election day eve in the United States.  It's also time for Music Moves Me.

Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please!)   Our head hostess is Cathy from Curious as a Cathy,  and she is joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and (last but not least) me.

Why not join our music loving folks?  It's so easy. All you have to do is join the linky above with a music post that contains at least one music video (there must be a music video or your post will be subject to removal or labeling "No Music").That's all it takes!

Each month, except December, we have a guest host.  This month, we welcome Sandee at Comedy Plus as our guest host.

Today is a "free to choose" week, and I am choosing songs (since tomorrow is Election Day in the United States) songs related to voting, elections, revolution, or freedom.

But before I do, I need to pay tribute to pop singer, actor, and, more recently, rapper, Aaron Carter, dead at the age of 34.  

At the time I wrote this post, the cause of death had not been released.  Aaron Carter was a troubled individual  who went through many struggles in his young life.  For today's tribute, I am choosing a cover of the Bow Wow Wow hit, I Want Candy.

Listening to him now, I hear the talent, and grieve that he has been taken from us too young.

And now to today's theme.

Alice Cooper - Elected, from 1972.  Fun fact, Cooper decided to publicize the song by announcing he was running for President.  If he had won, how would it all have turned out?

The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again

Bob Dylan - The Times They are A Changin', from 1964.

Chicago - Vote for Me.  This song is from 1977 but it may as well have been written today.

People Get Ready, a song written by Curtis Mayfield and first sung by The Impressions in 1965.

Re-Flex and The Politics of Dancing, from 1983.

And now, a bonus.  When I think of voting, besides politics, I also think of something else.  I grew up in the 50's and 60's in New York City, where a New York City-brewed beer called Rheingold held a contest for "Miss Rheingold" from 1940 to 1964.  I remember the ads posted in subway cars showing the contests and the contest even had its own theme song.

Here's some hisstory of Rheingold Beer.   You didn't have to be from New York City to know about Rheingold beer; it had cameos (so to speak) in a number of movies and TV shows.

The Rheingold Beer jingle.  (I am not sure this will play outside the United States; I did not test the links of either this or the video below.)

No need to watch the whole four plus minutes - just a minute or two will give you the voting flavor of this contest.  I couldn't find a video with just the contest jingle.

And that's an election wrap.

Join me again next week, same time, same place, for another episode of Music Moves Me.

An Iowa Tragedy Update

 On November 6, 2021, I blogged the following post:  Today, one year later, where are we?

I am in mourning today, for a town in Iowa I haven't been to in almost twenty years, for a high school that three of my first cousins went to, and for a teacher I never met.

Last night, we turned on the 6:30 pm national news and one of the headlines was about a murder in Iowa.  When I saw a picture of a park entrance I knew exactly where it was.

My heart sank.  I used to have family in that city of about 9,700 people.   I lived there for a brief time and had walked in that park with my uncle several times, back in the 1970's.

A 66 year old Spanish teacher at the high school in Fairfield, Iowa, had been reported as missing on Wednesday morning. She had taught in that school since 2012.   Her body was then found, later that day, in a local park where she loved to walk in the afternoons.  Now, two high school students, both 16, are being charged in her death.

Apparently, they had discussed her murder on social media.  They are being charged as adults.

A couple posts I've written about Fairfield.

My introduction to Fairfield

Why I Didn't Become a Librarian 

The Fairfield I remember was - how can I put it? Different?  Original?   I don't remember it as a place where you had to be afraid.

People think of Iowa as a flat place with miles of cornfields and nothing much.  That's far from the truth, although there is lots of corn grown in Iowa and some parts are flat.  But there are also a lot of surprises in Iowa.  And, yes, hidden gems.

In our pandemic times, there is an upsurge of violence, including an upsurge of violence against teachers.  So much doesn't get reported, but this tragedy made the national news.  

Last night, there was a vigil for this teacher, with hundreds attending.

I can't bring myself to even start to understand.

A few nights ago, I turned on a national news program on a cable channel and one of the headlines was along the lines of "Possible motive in Iowa murder". I had a feeling (correct, as it turned out) that this Fairfield murder was what they were talking about.

So, the possible motive for the death of a beloved high school teacher was:  bad grades?

Time flies, but justice doesn't. Not in our modern times. The alleged murderers (who were both 16 at the time) haven't been tried yet.  The trial of one of the teens was supposed to have begun on December 5 but it has been pushed back.  Right now, the new date isn't known but it is interesting that the trial is not going to be in the county where the murder took place, but, rather, about 100 miles away.

The other trial is set to begin next March.

Speedy justice, in these times, seems impossible.

I can hope for the trials soon.  The two teens should get a fair trial.  It shouldn't take years for a verdict.  For the sake of the family and friends of the late teacher, the students at the school, and, yes, the accused, it shouldn't go on for year after year.

One can only hope.

Going Out with Color

 Oops.  I need an editor.

I think I scared several of my readers yesterday with a post titled "One Last Color Post". 

 I meant "fall color".

No, I'm not switching to black and white (B&W) photography.  I did too much of that as a youngster, when color film was expensive (remember film?) and color processing was even more expensive.

I could plead a brain cramp.  After all, the weather we've had recently has beautiful blue skies and unseasonable temperatures. The fall foliage is hanging in.  There are even some flowers.  So, dear readers, please come back and enjoy some pictures from yesterday.

Some of the final examples.

 

Still so bright red.

 

These leaves shimmer in the wind.  It was a breezy day yesterday and I expect these trees will be almost bare today.

In a sheltered location, flowers.

White breasted nuthatch (bottom left) and fall foliage 11-3

In less than a week (we think) the true fall weather will arrive.  The sky will turn slate grey and stay that way.  We will have white snow.  

Tufted titmouse (bottom center) and fall foliage 11-3-22

Our squirrels are grey, as are the tufted titmice (a type of small bird) and dark eyed juncos. 

Our only color will be the splashy male Northern Cardinals and an occasional blue jay.

I promise I won't delete color from my blog.  I will find it - somewhere.

That's a promise.

One Last Color Post #SkywatchFriday

I was going to post pictures of a recent sunset today.  Honest, I was.  But we are having unseasonably mild temperatures and we still (in the valley where I live in New York State) have some fall color.

I just had to squeeze one more color post in.  OK, so there's more foliage than sky in some of these but I did include the sky so, technically...Skywatch.

Let's start with trees reaching to the sky on Sunday.  And stretttccch!

I call this and the next photo "When Holidays Collide".  Right after Halloween, Otsiningo Park (where spouse and I sometimes exercise walk) started to put up the lights for their Christmas Light event, which should start in mid November.  Hence, lights on either side of the picnic tables, and foliage.

Hard to read but this reads "Welcome to the North Pole"

Does this look like the North Pole to you?

On the Vestal Rail Trail, where we also walk, there was still color on November 3.

What a beautiful tree!

You know what?  Let's end with a picture of an hour before sunset Tuesday.

Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers each Friday for #SkywatchFriday.

Voting in 2022

Voting should not be much of an issue for us in the United States.  But times have change in the past few years.

Let me tell you about my 2022 voting experience.

Spouse and I, who live in New York State, decided to take advantage of the first day of early voting.  It started for us on Saturday.  One of the early voting poll sites (there are four in our county) is right next to the farmer's market.  We would have been in the area, anyway.  We got there 15 minutes after the site opened.

There didn't seem to be a line outside. So far, so good.

Inside, it was a different story.  We found the end of the line, and settled in.  We were standing in front of an older gentleman (well, we are "older", also) who told us the polling site had not received its ballots, and we were waiting.  We decided to stay.

Everyone on the line seemed to be in a good mood.  No grumbling.  No anger.  We waited patiently.

The ballots were delivered.

The line started to move.

We got to the room where the voting was taking place.  All the poll workers were older people.  In New York, you have an equal number.  Half are Republicans.  Half are Democrats.

The poll workers were smiling and chatting with voters as they checked them in.  

We voted. The process was smooth. We left, and went to the farmer's market.

It was ordinary.

Except it wasn't.  In our modern times, it was the exception.  In our world, a large percentage of Americans feel that our nation is going in the wrong direction.  A major polling company (Gallup) reported record levels of dissatisfaction. Whether or not you believe in these polls, I think this one is accurate.

Poll workers have been quitting in record numbers.  One reason is threats of violence.

Finally, there are the constant death threats our elected officials receive.  Some have escalated to actual attempted, or completed, violence.

No one knows what is going to happen next Tuesday, our national election day.  There is a lot of anxiety.

But there is one thing you can do, if you are 18 or older.  It's not a waste of time.  It will count.

More than ever, I encourage my American readers, no matter what their political affiliations, to vote. 

I am grateful my experience with voting in 2022 was peaceful, and I was able to vote without incident, without armed people monitoring my vote, without intimidation.  My respect goes to those who are turning out and will turn out despite these kinds of threats.

We used to watch that happen on TV in other parts of the world.  Now it's our turn.

Our democracy depends on us turning out and showing we care by voting. 

Scarecrow Winners and a Call for Justice #WordlessWednesday

The winners of the 2022 Scarecrow contest have been announced.  I've blogged about the contest several times over the years, and this year there were more entrants than ever.  I'd like to ask that you scroll to the end before you go because one of these winners has a backstory.

The Winner - Face the Sunshine.  Broome DDSO Riverside Art Program

Second Place - Venus "Crow" Trap. Team DSS

Third Place - Bubble Bubble I'm in Trouble. Berkshire Farm Center & Services for Youth

Fourth Place - America’s Past Time.  Smith

Almost all of these were entered by non-profit groups.  But, for the fifth place prize, this never should have been an entry.  Aliza Spencer should be alive and well and enjoying life as a 7th grader at East Middle School in Binghamton instead of being a victim of violence being paid tribute to by a scarecrow erected by friends.

This display is called " Friends of Aliza Spencer" and it calls out for justice for a then 12 year old girl who was shot while walking in a Binghamton neighborhood on April 21, 2022.  She died at the hospital.

As of today, no arrests have been made.  On October 31,  at a neighborhood memorial, candy was left for Halloween in her memory. A billboard has been erected to try to get the investigation some leads.

This is #WordlessWednesday and indeed, there are no words.   May Aliza rest in peace.  And may my next post be happier.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

NaNoWriMo For a Friend

 In 2012, I blogged this about an annual event called NaNoWriMo:

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The name glides from the keyboard smooth as silk.  NaNoWriMo. 

One month, 50,000. words, fiction.  Write till you drop.  Generate record profits for the coffee industry. Hopefully, get something out of a month of sheer terror that can be refined into a novel.  People have written novels and gotten them published. 

Writers hanging around writers, both in cyberspace and (in various cities) physically, urging each other on, sounded great. Sounded scary. So why did I keep thinking about it? Like a throbbing tooth that you just must nudge with your tongue, NaNoWriMo worked its way into my mind. 

At first I said to myself, I'm not going to do it.  Actually it isn't the 50,000 words in 30 days thing that terrifies me.  It's the fiction thing.  I don't do fiction.  Well, I haven't done fiction since, oh, I was a 12 year old writing the timeless novel "Birdmen of Zuma" about canary men with super powers, living in - where else? - the Canary Islands.  Timeless as in "You've Never Seen it At Your Local Bookstore and You Should Thank Me Daily For That." (I even have a timeless friend and blog reader [now decreased, sadly] who remembers me pounding out that novel, day after day, after school, on her mother's typewriter.)

I thank those writers who gave me encouragement, with a special shout out to the author Jo Michaels, after I blogged about possibly doing NaNoWriMo.  I pondered and made excuses in my head.  Excuses, I do very well.  Fiction, I don't do well at all.  I even looked at the rules and it said FICTION. You know, character development and plot. I prefer to tell stories about what is or what was, in "real life".

I decided to lurk around the public parts of the NaNoWriMo website. And when I started to dig into the forums, an amazing thing happened.  I was back in the book What Color is Your Parachute, in the cocktail party exercise I blogged about last week. [10 years ago now!]

This exercise involves imagining you are in a cocktail party, where people have gathered in the corners.  Historians in one corner. Mathematicians in another.  Artists in another. Mechanics in another, and so forth.  You can hang out in any corner you want, regardless of if you have the skills or the experience, and listen to the conversations. The corner you end up wanting to be in gives you clues as to what your chosen career should involve.

While in those forums, I found my corner. I'm a writer, after all.

How can I resist forums with names like "NaNoWriMo Ate My Soul"? "The Plot Bunny Day Care Center"? and "What Your English Teacher Lied About"? These people are my kind of crazy....

Novels have power to change the world.  As someone who started out college out majoring in history, I should know that. "

I did NaNoWriMo several times.  I completed it all those times except for the last time (2016).  In 2016 I couldn't find the heart in me to go on.  I was writing a dystopian novel (one of my preferred reading genres) and lost my heart for it along the way.

I don't intend to do NaNoWriMo this year, either.  I feel like I don't have much to say. No novel bursting out of me to write.

So why am I writing this post?  Because a Facebook friend and fellow blogger is planning to do NaNoWriMo for the first time. This woman has a lot (and I do mean a lot) going on in her life.  One of these things is supporting the library in Boundary County, Idaho, where she lives.  I blogged about that library situation some months ago. 

A number of townspeople sat on the library lawn and read books that others have, or are threatening, to ban. She was one of them.  She loves to read. 

My Facebook friend reads a lot.  She writes a blog.  She works full time in a difficult job that is so badly needed.  I want to encourage her into success with NaNoWriMo.  Writing is a hard thing.  But maybe she will write that novel.

That novel that may change the world.

Have you ever done NaNoWriMo?  If so, could you leave some words of encouragement in the comments for my Facebook friend?

Be True to the Ghouls #MusicMovesMe

 It's Monday and it's time for music!

Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please!)   Our head hostess is Cathy from Curious as a Cathy,  and she is joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and (last but not least) me.

Why not join our music loving folks?  It's so easy. All you have to do is join the linky above with a music post that contains at least one music video (there must be a music video or your post will be subject to removal or labeling "No Music").That's all it takes!

Each month, except December, we have a guest host.  This month, we are following a format that we will most probably be following for next year - we will continue to alternate "free to choose your music" weeks with a theme, but instead of having a guest host picking themes for a full month, we will have a guest host for each week, choosing that theme for the theme week.  The hope is more fun for everyone who participates in this fun musical blog hop.

Today is Halloween and our guest host, Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, invites us to explore the history of All Hallows Eve and put our spin on Halloween inspired songs.

Let's get started!  As many of us may know, Halloween originated with an ancient Celtic observance called Samhein, where people would dress in costumes and light bonfires to scare away ghosts. When the Romans conquered the Celtic lands, some Roman observances were intermixed.  Later, Pope Gregory III declared November 1 as All Saints Day (it was formerly held on May 13).  The day before, October 31, became All Hallows Eve, later shortened to Halloween.  Some of the Samhein observances made their way into Halloween.

The holiday wasn't universally popular in the United States until after the large Irish migration into the United States in the 1850's.  Trick or treating really became popular in the 1950's.

There are many people in the United States that have turned Halloween into a major decorating/party/drinking/watching horror movies/candy eating holiday.  There are also those following various major religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam among them) who will not participate in Halloween for various reasons.  Personally, I am in it for the candy (chocolate only-no candy corn, please!)

Today, I'm going to go a little vintage for these songs.  Some of these were paired with vintage cartoons from the 1920's and beyond, for a double vintage vibe.  Not all are specifically about Halloween, but incorporate some Halloween themes (the Devil, evil, witchcraft).

1954's Spooks, from Louis Armstrong.

Punky Punkin from Rosemary Clooney, one of my Mom's favorite singers.

From 1961 "That Old Black Magic" covered by Frank Sinatra.  This song was originally a hit for Glenn Miller in 1942 and has been covered by countless artists. 

Brian Wilson wrote this 1964 song sung by the Ghouls - Be True to Your Ghoul.

I Want to Be Evil - Eartha Kitt, from 1953.  I love those lyrics!

From 1959, Graveyard Rock - Tarantula Ghoul and Her Gravediggers

One more - I Put a Spell on You, from Credence Clearwater Revival.

And that's a (mummy) wrap!

You know what to do - join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me!

We Are Doing It Yet Again

One week from today our day will be 25 hours long in much of the United States

Wasn't it just yesterday (well, it was March 5, which seems like yesterday) when I blogged this:

"It's almost that time, here in the United States.

It's almost time to "spring ahead".  Almost time for many to suffer a couple of days of disorientation.  (I'm one of them.) Time again for people to beg, "Someone make it stop!"

Yes, it is time to spring ahead an hour to Daylight Saving Time. (Side note, it is Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight Savings Time).

I do a variation of this post twice a year.

Right now, in the United States, it is legal for a state to not implement Daylight Saving Time (which is why Hawaii, and Arizona outside the Navajo Nation can do it), but that is the only deviation that is permitted.

Although most Americans oppose the spring ahead/fall back practice, no one can seem to agree on exactly how it should end. We are split over year round daylight saving time or year round standard time. Or, should we go back a half hour so no one is happy?

So around and around we go. As the saying goes, where it stops, nobody knows. We've been doing it for years.

Now, it is 2022 and we we will do it again at 2am local time on Sunday, March 13.

And we'll be doing it again on November 6, because this all will be forgotten until November."

Guess what.  It's almost November.  Sure enough, we are dusting this topic off.  We will return to Standard Time, most of us in the United States (except the states listed above), on November 6. (And, on March 12, 2023, we will be jumping ahead once again....maybe).

Maybe...maybe this time....maybe we've reached critical mass.

Some things are actually starting to change.

Take the country of Mexico, for example.  They have four time zones, and the country goes back to Standard time today.  But come spring,  they are going to stay on Standard Time, except for some cities along the Mexico/United States border. They will be allowed to return to Daylight Saving Time to be synced with the United States.

Not only that, but in March of this year, the United States Senate passed a bill, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021, that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent. (The states listed above that currently have year round Standard Time could continue with that.). If passed by both houses and signed into law by the President, the law would be effective in November of 2023.   

There are 19 states that have already passed year round Daylight Saving Time legislation and, if this becomes law, they can implement these state laws immediately.  New York, where I live, is not one of those states.

It doesn't appear the House is going to take up the issue any time soon but, given that the Senate bill was sponsored by a Republican (Marco Rubio), I wonder what will happen if Republicans regain control of Congress.

Our citizens, meanwhile, are split on the issue.

So, around and around we go, but we have a better chance of stopping this twice a year madness than ever.

Maybe.

Tenth Anniversary of Sandy and a Music Tribute

A strange combination, Sandy and a musical tribute, but that's the timing of this.

Today for the New Jersey/downstate New York area (and many other communities in the Northeast United States), marks the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. 

At 7:30 pm on October 29, 2012, Sandy hit New Jersey just to the north of Atlantic City.  That night and the following day, the storm slammed this area, including Long Island/New York City.

The storm is long gone, but not forgotten.  

Repairs are still being made, and we don't know if precautions being made will be enough. 

The vulnerability of the New York City mass transit system is just one concern out of many. 

Although I don't live in the area most impacted, Sandy is very much on my mind today.

I was born in the New York City suburb of Queens (which is on Long Island) in the Rockaways, one of the severely damaged area.  My childhood best friend, who lived in Brooklyn, and her husband, took in people who were more severely impacted than they were.

My spouse and I visited Brooklyn the following May, when the damage was still fresh enough for me to smell (yes, floods have a smell.)

Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, May 2013

During that trip, we visited Kingsborough Community College, which lies near the ocean.  My friend's spouse (a senior citizen) was a student at the college.

Trees were waking up after the winter although some had been killed by the storm. Spring is the time of renewal and rebirth, and at the time, I blogged:

"This past Sunday, we visited the campus of Kingsborough County Community College in Manhattan Beach (one of the many neighborhoods in the New York City borough of Brooklyn) for their annual Spring Concert.

Kingsborough County Community College is considered one of the top five community colleges in the United States.  One of the perks springtime students enjoy is the ability to use a private beach on the campus - what could be more perfect than a New York City college campus with its own beach?

Well, not when a Superstorm like Sandy hits.

 Meanwhile, at the concert auditorium, people were arriving, many of them (and many of the musicians) senior citizens.  I heard more than one friend greet another with tales of losing their homes or apartments.  That story is all too familiar to me, in my area of upstate New York, due to our own flooding in September, 2011.  But our flood was river water, not the ocean.

Two choruses performed - the "Day Chorus" of day students and volunteers, and the "Night Chorus" of night students and volunteers.  One of my friends is a member of both choruses.  We were also treated to the Brooklyn Wind Ensemble and Concert Band.

There were a number of songs with a religious theme, or "river" imagery (as in "crossing over to the other side").   One song in particular, Arlo Guthrie's "Valley to Pray", was an absolute pleasure to listen to, as was a medley of song from Les Miserables.

In the aftermath of Sandy, it just seemed surreal to sit in that audience.  But, after all, life doesn't stop after a disaster - nor should it."

In December of 2018, I visited a different section of Brooklyn.  A cousin drove my spouse and I around to different areas of the borough on Christmas Day after we watched a movie in Kings Plaza.

This area, called Geritssen Beach, was not supposed to be greatly impacted by Sandy.  No mandatory evacuation order was issued this area suffered a lot of damage.  By Christmas Day 2018 things looked a lot better.

But, with all disasters, the memories remain, as they will for people who experienced Ida, Ian, and many other storms since Sandy.

Speaking of memories, it's time to pay tribute to the late Jerry Lee Lewis. Lewis died yesterday at the age of 87.  A greatly talented man with several hits in 1956-58, he also entered into a controversial (what an understatement) marriage to a cousin who was only 13 years old at the time.  It collapsed his career for years, but it's also true that he was one of the founding parents of rock n'roll music. 

Lewis was also one of the first inductees into the Rock & Hall of fame, in their first year (1986).  On October 16,  he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. 

I decided to post a couple of videos today to acknowledge the passing of this great musical talent of my youth.  First,  "Great Balls of Fire".

Finally, a live performance from 1964 of  "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On".

RIP.

Colorful October Skies #SkywatchFriday

It's Friday, and it's time for some sky and color.  These are photos taken over the past week or so in the Southern Tier of New York State.

I love these kinds of clouds.

Along the Chenango River.

Our trees are rapidly loosing their leaves.

One more wispy cloud shot.

These blue skies will soon be rare, replaced by the gloom of November.  And December.  And January...

That's why we enjoy what we have now.  Beauty supplied by Nature.

Along the Susquehanna River.

The tiny dots in the middle of this picture are Canada geese flying.

I'll leave you with this picture of a cloud formation.

Joining up with Yogi and other sky watching bloggers today for #SkywatchFriday.