World Photography Day

Today is World Photography Day, a day when you can upload your photo and share your perspective of the world.

Of course, I didn't know about World Photography Day until about 10 minutes ago.  I had planned, instead, to blog about summer.

When you live in a northern city like I do (near Binghamton, in upstate New York), summer is like a special gift.  For a few short months, the grass is green, the trees have leaves, and the flowers bloom.

Now, the Labor Day (September 6) sales are already starting, and I just want to yell "Hey!  Summer isn't over yet!  There's a little more than a month left.  Don't rush it!"

Why do businesses always want to rush the season?  Why, I expect to see Christmas decorations in stores any minute now.

I must take action. What if I posted a top 10 list of what I love about summer?  Strange how I had already planned a post with lots of photos in it.

What about you?  Feel free to post your list in the comments.

In no particular order, here's my list:

My son tried to photograph a rainbow in this picture after a storm

10.  Summer skies and clouds.

9.  Being able to ride one of the six carousels in our Triple Cities - all, forever, free, due to a beloved businessman;

Otsiningo Park, June 2016

8.  Going to the park, and maybe even being able to watch a balloon launch.

On the High Line, July 5, 2013, New York City

7.  Ice cream trucks. And, for that matter, ice cream.

July Fest, downtown Binghamton, New York

6.  Festivals.

5.  Growing things in the warm weather, unless the weather is too hot.  Which, come to think of it, it's been this year.   But along with that, hot peppers, such as these Carolina Reaper peppers (not my son's plant, but he has several from this nursery) can really spice life up.

4.  Road trips.  Not that easy in the snowy, icy, wintertime.

Hydrangea, Binghamton, New York

3.  Taking exercise walks and being able to admire other people's flowers.

Sage 8-17-16

2.  Herbs:   Fresh herbs, and the joy of my spouse cooking with them.  Basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, mint, and more can be found in our front yard.

Our first tomato - July 9!

And the number 1 reason I love summer:

1.  FRESH TOMATOES.  For a little over a month, the fresh tomatoes are ripening, and I dream of the day of the first tomato the rest of the year.  My spouse makes a salad by combining grape tomatoes with some fresh mozzarella, adds some basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and instant heaven.

You can't do this with supermarket tomatoes, so don't even try.

Do you like summer?  If not, what is your favorite season? What is your favorite part of summer?

And do you plan to celebrate World Photography Day?

Throwback Thursday - How Did the Baby Boomers Get Online in 1958?

A "personal favorite" posts from 2009, repeated once in 2014, and edited a little.  My son is grown up, and hopefully, knows the truth now.

How Did The Baby Boomers Get Online in 1958?

First, I am not trying to mock my teenage son. But it shows how, in some ways, the mindset of the present generation is so much different from those of us born only 35 or 40 years earlier.

My son knows about what the computers of the 1950's looked like. People of my baby-boomer generation, do you remember the UNIVAC?

Do you remember the famous "hoax" picture of the 1954 RAND prototype of the first home computer? Maybe that was what son was thinking about when he asked his question.

One evening my son asked me "how did you get online when you were growing up? Did you have one of those huge computers in your bedroom?" I thought he was pulling my leg.

He wasn't.

Although he intellectually knew there was no "internet" as he knows it back in the 1950's or 1960's, he had to believe that there was something out there, just something very clunky, probably in black and white, and using technology full of vacuum tubes.

No.

Interestingly, son is also very interested in "old technology". For example, he is looking for a good Betamax player (and has several Betamax tapes). He just couldn't make that intellectual leap of people living before certain technology existed..

 Let's think about this a minute. I bought my first home computer (a bit later than other people, I admit) in 1996 and went online in January of 1997. So my son was in early elementary school at the time.

From his viewpoint, there was a computer in his life "forever".

By the way, when did the Internet start? The answer is complicated. This link has quite the discussion and the answer is..."it depends".

Do you remember life before "online"? Or, has there been a computer in your life "forever"?

Summer Ramblings - Holding Off The End

In mid-August, you start to realize fall is coming, at least here in upstate New York.

You hear crickets chirp.

You see the daylight part of the day growing shorter and shorter.

You realize the stores are holding back to school sales. (How nice that I don't have to worry about those anymore).

Because of drought, some trees are already starting to show fall color due to being under stress.

The end is coming.

But the heat is still on, and my flowers are still blooming.

African impatiens.

Begonia.

Dahlias.

It isn't just flowers.  It's the foliage plants.

Persian shield with purple sweet potato vine.

I even have some tiny astilbe flowers blooming in my back yard.  There's a story behind these plants.

Soon, all that will be left are the pansies.  And even they will be a memory by November.

But for now, I will hold off fall, at least in my mind, for as long as I can.

This part of August has become a sad time for me.  This week contains the anniversary of the deaths of several relatives.  Today is the anniversary of a the death of a beloved aunt, an aunt who was so proud of her garden.

She loved hibiscus (the only flowers in this post that are not mine) so much.

I turn to my living flowers, at least for now, for solace, and lose myself in memories.

Eulogy

Have you ever had someone walk into your life just as you needed them?

Years ago, we were experiencing a troubled time in our lives.  One evening, my spouse and I took our then-elementary school aged son to a skating party sponsored by his school.  We were standing around while our son skated.

Up walked a middle aged woman.

"Hi, I'm _____", she said, extending her hand for a handshake. (Maybe this isn't exactly what she said but let's make believe it was.) "I'm running for school board, and would appreciate your vote.  How are things going for you?"

In that moment, I decided to be honest.    I was so frustrated with what was happening, and didn't know where to turn.  I gave her a condensed version of our situation.  I thought she would just nod, exchange a pleasantry or two with me, and move onto the next voter.

I was wrong.

"I am going to give you a phone number", School Board Candidate said, digging a pad and pen out of her pocketbook (this was before the days of computers, email, and smart phones).  "Please, call this woman.  She has helped me tremendously.  She can help you, too."

The number connected with a woman named B. She was a parent advocate.  She was a single mother raising a son who had been born prematurely.  Her son had cerebral palsy.  Her husband had greeted his son by checking out of his son's life and his marriage emotionally and, several years later, physically.  This left B as a single mother, in a time when attitudes towards those with disabilities were just starting to change.  And did I mention that, during this time, she also successfully battled cancer?

She learned so much, advocating for her son (who is now in his 30s). 

B wanted to help us even more than she did, but was battling other health issues.  Still, she led us on the right path.  Part of what she showed us was the way she dealt with the school - always positive, always seeing their viewpoint, but never deviating from advocating for her son's needs.

What she taught my spouse and I have served us both well, as we advocate for my spouse's younger brother, "B", who has a developmental disability called autism.

B told me once "not all of us walk the straight paths of life.  Sometimes we have to go around a lot of curves and detours to find the path that leads to what we love."

A wise thought.  She was right, too.

This acquaintance moved from this area several years ago.  We didn't stay in touch that much, but we had connected on LinkedIn, and elsewhere on social media. 

It was through a post by her son last Thursday evening that I found out B had died earlier in the week after a short illness.  It was a shock.  B had even commented on one of my blog posts last month.

She was a long distance caregiver for her own ailing mother, who died in July. She wrote poetry and music.  She made jewelry and sold it. 

Life is too short.  This woman helped many people, I suspect, in her 68 years on Earth.  And now, I ponder my own future, having lost still another acquaintance.  That is what happens when you are in your 60's.

With every friend or acquaintance who becomes ill, or worse, I increasingly ask myself:

What can I do to make a difference in this world?  B did it, quietly, with each person she helped.

Farewell, B.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day August 2016-The Annuals

Welcome to my August, 2016 edition of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

Two weeks ago our lawn was brown. We were in a severe drought in my upstate New York garden, near Binghamton, New York.  But then the rains rolled in.

We may well have a record breaking hot summer.  This past weekend was so humid.  Not enjoyed by humans, but the plants are enjoying it.  This August is the turn of our annuals, as we are between blooms on our perennials.

This year, for the first time in several years we decided to chance impatiens.  My favorite African impatiens are again thriving in the front.

New Guinea impatiens have joined them.

The first of several dahlias.

I bought these first two dahilias on a clearance at a nearby nursery.

I have had these dahlias for over 20 years.  The friend who gve them to me passed away in 1998 from cancer. Each year my husband digs them up.  We store the tubers and replant in the spring.

One of our two lantanas, soaking up the hot, humid heat.

I thought this variegated lantana would be a disappointment.  It isn't.

One of our cosmos flowers.

A petunia.

We do have a handful of perennials in bloom, such as this deep red Crocosmia.  My false sunflower is also in bloom, along with a surprise glad that overwintered.  

It is sad to realize that, by September, we may be getting close to our first frost.  Enjoy the heat while we can, even if we can use just a bit less than we have right now. 

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting this monthly meme.  Please go to her site next, enjoy the flowers, and see what flowers are blooming all over the world.

What's blooming in your world today?

Upstate Union

Has your city or village ever disbanded?

I had intended this post for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, but decided to leave it for another time.

For almost the past thirty years, my spouse and I have lived just outside the village of Johnson City, in the Town of Union, in Upstate New York.

Years ago, Johnson City was prosperous. People emigrated to the United States and many ended up here.  The ideal was to get a job at one of two of the best employers in the United States, IBM (which started in nearby Binghamton), or Endicott-Johnson, a manufacturer of shoes owned by the Johnson family.

Those glory day are long over.  Some of the greatness remain but there is a lot you really don't want to see.  Our population has dropped, too - from nearly 20,000 in 1950 to just under 15,000 today.  And, in 2009, Johnson City almost disbanded.  A close vote of the people saved this village.  Before absentee ballots were counted, the margin that saved Johnson City was...one vote.

Imagine - the village or city where you live being saved by one vote.

But some of the past remains and today, I'd like to show you a small sample of it.

Our post office dates from 1934, and features murals painted as part of a government program called the New Deal.

Another mural.

This, at one time, was an Endicott-Johnson (EJ) recreation building.  Endicott-Johnson provided many facilities to its workers, including farmers markets, hospitals, swimming pools, parks, carousels and more.

Main and Arch, downtown Johnson City.  Like many urban downtowns, this one is in serious decline despite sometimes beautiful architecture.  My son was born in Wilson Hospital, on the edge of this downtown, once an EJ facility.

Sadly, this is only one of the many empty Endicott-Johnson factory buildings that litter the landscape of what we call the Triple Cities.

Even Wal-Mart could not pull Johnson City out of its decline.

About 16% of our population is below the poverty line.

I like to keep on the positive side of things but one thing that irritates me, as someone who did not grow up here but has lived here much of my adult life is how so many people still seem to want to live in the past of when Endicott-Johnson and IBM brought prosperity to our area, rather than looking to the future.

Those who live in the past will stay in the past - and, without looking to the future, we will continue to decline.  Perhaps one day, we will rise again.  The latest effort comes from Binghamton University and a School of Pharmacy - groundbreaking will be soon.

People must be ready for the unexpected,  It will be interesting to see what the latest twist in Johnson City's history will be.

And, another lesson learned.  Your votes count.  Without that vote, Johnson City would not exist today.  And, if you live in the United States, it is more important than ever to exercise your right to vote in the upcoming Presidential election.

Do you take advantage of your right to vote?  Or, do you even have that right?

Local Saturday - A Courthouse Community Garden

On a patio near the Broome County Courthouse in Binghamton, New York, a community garden has sprouted.  It's part of a program called Plant it Forward.

In what were trash receptacles, now grow parsley.

Cherry tomatoes thrive in planters where day lilies grew last year.

Here's a closeup of the tomatoes.

Nearby, peppers grow.

When I first blogged about this small community garden in May, I was concerned about theft or vandalism.  Perhaps because this is a guarded area (being next the the courthouse), the vandals have left it alone.

I'm not sure this can properly be called a "community garden" as it seems the boxes are being tended by employees of various law offices and other corporations, but it is a hopeful sign of what can be accomplished in Binghamton.

I know it hasn't been easy for those dedicated volunteers. We are in the midst of a drought.  At first, people were tending these boxes carrying water from who knows where.  Later, a grounds person looped a garden hose so people could fill their watering cans.  Still, a lot of effort has gone into growing this small garden.

But what about the flowers that were in these boxes last year?  Well, I do miss them, but Nature has provided one last surprise.  On the edge of the courthouse lawn, near a magnolia tree, sits this volunteer petunia.

Is there a downtown community garden where you live?

The Demolition Continues

Some people love to see demolition.  But to me, the demolition of a building in our neighborhood bring me sadness.  And, today extra sadness.  The last time I wrote about the demolition of this building, a woman who came from this area commented on my post.  Last night, I received word that she had passed away on Wednesday evening.  I will blog more about her this weekend.

This vacant building and I have become friends, in a way, over the years, ever since it was flooded in September of 2011 due to Tropical Storm Lee.  I pass it every day.

Since February, this building, one of the largest wood framed structures in the United States, has been undergoing demolition.

As of two days ago, this is what the remains of the building looks like.  Most of it is gone.

Soon enough, it will all be gone, along with a little dream I once had.

I'd like to share  a portion of an email I wrote to a friend in February of 2012 (yes, they were planning this demolition that long ago).  At one time, I felt this site may have been a good one for a regional farmers market.  But the market was built elsewhere, and opened earlier this summer.

Still, the thought of a farmers market in my neighborhood makes me wistful.  I think it could have been built in a way that would have been compatible with being in a flood zone.  It would have had good highway access and been right on a major bus line.  And, there would have been plenty of parking (unlike the site that was ultimately chosen).

The neighbor I blog about below?  Her house was foreclosed on.  She had to move.

Yes, that flood had so many repercussions.  We in my neighborhood still feel them today.

The email:

It breaks my heart that this solid 70 year old building has to be torn down.  My neighbor (actually she lives two blocks from me) feels much the same way. She has lived in my neighborhood all my life and told me the building was even hit by a tornado once.  Must have been before I moved there in (mid 1980's)

I was thinking - they have plans to build a regional farmers market at Otsiningo Park, a park which has been flooded to the point that it must be closed, at least 10-15 times (if not more) since the 1980's?  Where they will build it (near the former rest stop on I-81) has not flooded but what is the use if no one can get to it?  [note, another site was eventually chosen]

On the other hand, this beautiful brick building has loading docks, bays for trucks, and is right on a major bus line and is centrally located close to an exit off U.S. 17.  And yes, it would be blocked off in case of a flood warning but you know what, I think the portable flood wall across Main Street has gone up four times (including this last time) since 1987 and held up to the last time.  A slightly better record than Otsiningo Park.  

They can demolish the lower part of the building, the part that really got flooded bad in September (the back of the building) because they would need more parking than the site has now.

I'm close to blogging about it, not that it would change anything.  And who knows if it would even be possible, given that the Air Force owns the building.  And maybe it would just be cheaper to tear it down.  But then we'll have a big vacant hole there for the next trillion years.

It really is too bad.

 

Throwback Thursday - It's Raining It's Pouring and My Heart is Not Soaring

I wrote the post below in September of 2011.  It's so hard to believe that the flood that created the events of that post are almost five years behind us now.

Yesterday morning, I woke up to the sounds of a thunderstorm and a heavy downpour.  I welcome the rain, so needed in our drought.

But my heart still does not soar when it rains.

I have a feeling it never will.

Demolition activity in my neighborhood continues.  More photos of the demolition of a historic factory building will come tomorrow.

It's Raining It's Pouring And My Heart is Not Soaring

A few minutes ago I got out of my evening bath, dried off, and prepared to sit in front of my computer to blog.

Then I heard this sound.

There are a lot of sounds around here nowadays.  There are the backup beeps of heavy equipment, going day and night (24/7) at the BAE Industries plant, thanks to the flood recovery contractors. There's the sound of garbage trucks coming around to pick up flood debris (using back end loaders and dump trucks.) There are the contractors, coming around to give estimates for damage repair or new furnaces.  For a while there were the scavengers, hoping to wrestle scrap metal or scrap something to sell out of a pile of someone's 30 years worth of soggy memories.  Thankfully the last has mainly stopped, due to the garbage pickups.

But there is one sound in the neighborhood that we all dread.

It's the sound of rain.

There was just a burst of rain.  Heavy, pouring rain.  It stopped a few minutes after it started.  But more rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.  They say maybe 1 1/2 inches of rain by Monday.  But they could be wrong. And I'm thinking, and I know my neighbors are thinking:  will it be like two weeks ago?  Will the basement we just paid Servpro good money to steam clean and dehumidify in an effort to keep our first floor living room floor from warping further overwhelm our new dehumidifier?

I used to love the sound of rain.  Even after the flood of 2006 that affected parts of this area I still (after a while) fell back in love with its sound.

I don't know if I'll ever like that sound again.

If it starts to rain again, my heart will not be soaring.  It will be in the pit of my stomach.

Summer Ramblings - The Unsafe Ordinary

For some, the most ordinary things are deadly.

As I write this, a preteen girl from our community is on life support, all because she ate a brownie at a celebration that should have been the happiest moment in a couple's life.

Not just any brownie.


It was made with....peanut butter.

Peanut butter.

The girl had a peanut allergy.  She had an epi-pen, I'm told, but she couldn't get to it in time.

Last weekend, my spouse and I were grocery shopping, and we passed a display of "school safe snacks".  We turned to each other.

There are so many children with allergies.  Nut allergies and peanut allergies can kill.  They are not jokes.

Our son is grown, and, thankfully, he has no food allergies.  But I know people who do.  I even know people who developed them as adults.  Their first inkling was eating out (usually in a restaurant) and having to be rushed to the ER because their throats had closed up and they couldn't breathe. It seems the most common of those older-adult allergies (at least, for people I know) involve seafood of some sort.

Meanwhile, in my youth, so many of us enjoyed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  They were a staple in my youthful diet.  We are all wondering: what happened?  Why these food allergies?  What is causing them?

What I read online is disturbing.  One of every 13 children have a food allergy, according to NPR (National Public Radio).  The most common:  nuts, soy, milk, wheat, egg, shellfish.  Some 30% of individuals with one allergy have more than one.  Doctors are working on treatments to try to desensitize individuals.  But why do they happen in the first place?

I can still enjoy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  For now I do not have any food allergies that I am aware of.

But tonight (I am writing this Tuesday night), all I can think of is a family who must make the ultimate decision on behalf of their little girl.

It's a decision none of us should ever have to face.

What Is a Spiedie, Anyway?

104,000 people can't be wrong.

That was the estimated attendance at this weekend's Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally, a celebration that started over 30 years ago to celebrate a food beloved in my community of Binghamton, in upstate New York.

The spiedie.

So, what is a spiedie?

Simply, it is cubed meat (traditionally lamb, but more commonly nowadays, chicken - it can also be pork or even venison) marinated in an oil/vinegar/herbal marinade for three days or more, perhaps up to a week.  The meat is then grilled, and served on Italian bread.  Here, you can buy bottled spiedie sauce, or the pre cubed, marinated chicken, in the supermarket.

Believe it or not, I rarely eat spiedies, and if I do, I skip the bread.  I find the commercial sandwiches too dry, and I have a problem with swallowing dry food.

But making your own is an excellent way to show creativity. The Spiedie Fest has a cooking contest every year, and these are some of the winning recipes.

From the above link, here is the winning recipe of last year.  Doesn't it sound delicious?

Chicken
First place: Katherine Madden, of Endicott

• 3-5 pounds cut-up chicken
• ½ cup red or white wine
• ½ cup white vinegar or lemon juice
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ¼ cup chopped sweet basil
• ¼ cup chopped mint
• 1 tablespoon salt (season)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and marinate 3 days. Cook over hot coals until meat is white inside, but don’t overcook or they will be dry.

And, a link for another recipe from AllRecipies.

For my readers from India, I wonder if you could adopt it to your way of cooking.

Does this appeal to you?

Music Monday - Up Up and Away

This past weekend, Binghamton held its annual Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally. 

This festival started out as a celebration of a local food specialty, the spiedie, and has evolved into something much bigger.  So my question for today is:

Would you want to ride in a beautiful balloon?  


First, a couple of songs about balloons.

Up, Up and Away by the Fifth Dimension.

99 Luftballoons by Nena - not about hot air ballooning, but a song well worth listening to (the original, which I like better than the English version, is in German).  Note, this is far from a happy song about 99 red balloons.

For those who do enjoy hot air ballooning, I also found a list of songs about hot air balloons on another blog.

Here's a post from a 2013 visit to the Spiedie Fest about watching a balloon launch.

Would You Want to Ride In a Beautiful Balloon?

This past weekend, Binghamton, New York enjoyed its annual Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally. I was fortunate enough to attend this year - many years I don't, and last year I had a family reunion.

This year, I had a weekend full of concerts, a balloon launch, a chance somewhat close encounter with a Disney star, and a lot of crowds. (Saturday the attendance was about 62,000. Not bad, as Binghamton's population is about 47,000.)  And, oh yes - there are spiedies.

I'll blog about spiedies (our regional food) in future post.  But for now, a little taste of the hot air balloon part of the festival.

The lovely part is how close you can get to the balloons and see all the steps from inflation to launch. I will blog more about that later this month.  For now -

A lovely overview.

A closeup of a gondala as a balloon launches.

And another one launches.

This year, I've spoken to several people who have ridden in those hot air balloons and a couple of people have asked if I've ever gone up in one.  The answer is no, and the reason is that, many years ago, there was a balloon accident in this area on landing, and people were thrown out of the basket and seriously injured.

It also seems to be this is an expensive ride - over $100, with no guarantee you will be up more than a few minutes.  Am I afraid of heights? Not that much, although I did chicken out of Chattanooga, Tennessee's Incline Railway at the last minute when I saw how steep the first few feet were. (Gulp).

But I can also tell you how it feels when you are around these launches.  The feeling is incredible, almost indescribable. You feel like a little kid, almost wanting to stomp your feet in glee.

Have you ever been up in a hot air balloon?  Would you recommend it to others?

Not A Festive Festival

The only constant in life is change.

And sometimes, things you love change.  And not always in a good way.

For many years, Binghamton, New York (where I work) has had an annual festival called the Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally.  I don't go every year, but when you are able to see a balloon launch, it's a fantastic experience (I'll blog more about that tomorrow.)

I didn't go last year because of previous commitments, at a time when various changes were being made to the festival.  It was now being run by a different organization (it used to be run by a charity).  I didn't know if I would go this year.  But, Friday, due to the generosity of a local credit union, there was free admission to all venues but a nighttime concert (Rick Springfield, of "Jessie's Girl" fame).

We used to live in that neighborhood, so knew where to park.  Our walk (about 10 minutes) ended with a walk across a bridge over the Chenango River.  It looked so peaceful.


After passing through  a security checkpoint, we were immediately greeted by people who looked to be in their 20's, handing us tickets and directing us to tablets that were set up in several groups.

My spouse obediently headed for a tablet.  I, on the other hand, looked at the ticket.  It had a Reward Code, and, on the back, the name of the company giving them out.  It was a travel company "licensed and bonded" in Florida.

Alarm bells went off.  I pulled my spouse away.  At first, he resisted me but I succeeded in pulling him away.

"Weren't they part of security?" he asked, wondering if we had done something wrong by bypassing the tablets and the helpful people ready to help us redeem these tickets.  (I have to disclose here that my spouse, as much as I love him, doesn't engage much in the Internet or social media.  In fact, he does not know how to send an email, or text.)

I also need to mention that some 20% of the population of our county, Broome County, in upstate New York, is over 65.

Security Poster at Spiedie Fest, 2016

"The security check point was right at the beginning, where they were pulling people with backpacks to one side, and letting us go", I said.  "Those people were wearing "Security" T shirts.  The people who gave us these tickets weren't.  And what is this code?  What would we be signing up for?"

I was not that happy, and the more I thought about it, the more upset I got. 


I am not giving the name of the company, but when we got home I googled them, both on the Better Business Bureau website and on Yelp.  It would appear this company sells discount vacations where you are expected to listen to timeshare presentations. 

Whoever they were, they weren't Broome County security.

How many people signed up on those tablets for...what?

This used to be a family friendly event.
It used to be a fun day.
Now, is it just a place to avoid scams?

I wonder.

Local Saturday - Real Blueberries and Fake Birds

We've had an excellent blueberry season here in upstate New York.

We went picking for the third time today.  I've rarely shown you the countryside around Binghamton, New York so wanted to share these photos with you.  This is an overview of the U Pick farm.

And these are the berries.

I decided to shoot a short video with my new phone.  To me, it came out a little blurry, but it gives you a view of being in the countryside.  One thing, though - those birds you hear are not real. It is part of a system the grower uses to discourage birds from eating his berries.

This year, it isn't working too well.  It may be because of the drought situation we are in. He's lost part of the blueberry crop, and most of his sweet corn.

But, I still find it peaceful to listen to.  I hope you find it so, too.

Blueberries are so easy to pick, store, and cook or bake with.

I just couldn't resist blogging about them one last time.

Waiting

I sit, turned off, ignored.

I was once your Magic Phone.

I stored your memories,

I recorded the flowers,

The sunsets, the vacations.

But now my voice is stilled.

Another feels your soft caress

Of fingertips on her screen.

Another looks your questions up

And snuggles in your embrace.

I remember you.
Do you remember me?

A Movie-Worthy Ending

At the beginning of this year, I wrote a post about a contest a small town movie theatre owner in Maine, up north near the New Brunswick (Canada) border, was running.  The prize:  his theatre.

Today, I wondered: what ever happened with the contest?

I am going to rerun the post, and, at the end, post an update.

"Did you used to have a favorite movie theatre growing up?

I did.  This contest made me think back to my childhood, growing up in the Bronx (a borough of New York City) in the 1950's and 1960's.

Back in the 1950's and 1960's, instead of going to the local shopping mall and going into an cinema with multiple screens, you went to a local movie theatre.  There was one screen, and you got two pictures for your admission fee.

My parents were far from wealthy, and we rarely went to a movie.  But when we did, it was a big event. This is a picture of the local movie theatre in my childhood neighborhood in the Bronx.  Several blocks away was a bigger theatre.

But the best one of all was the Loew's Paradise.  I graduated from elementary and junior high school there.

Where I live, near Binghamton, New York, there are no more family theatres.  The remains of some, abandoned for years, exist, slowly crumbling.

So what better thing would there be to do on a cold winter's day in upstate New York than to sit down and write an essay so that I can own my very own movie theatre.

No, I'm not going to write that essay.  But I am so intrigued by this contest, I wanted to share it with my readers.  

I am not a cinema buff but perhaps one of my readers is.  And I know at least one of my readers lives in Maine. So..(disclaimer: I do not know these people, and I am only reporting something I saw online.  I am not at all connected with this contest or responsible for it in any way.)

To quote from the Temple Theatre website:

" The Temple Theatre is at the center of Market Square in historic downtown Houlton, Maine. The Temple building is over 6000 sq. ft. on each floor, built to last in 1918 of wood, steel, and brick as a proud architectural addition to Houlton.....

• The theatre and building are in fully operational condition.
• The theatre has run almost continuously since 1918. There is space and approved plans for expansion of theatre space.
• The Temple Theatre is the quintessential small town movie theatre. There is steady attendance and good community support for the theatre."

The new owner would also have won $25,000."

So what ever happened? Not enough people entered.  The money was refunded. But, someone from the town, now living in New Jersey, is moving back, will buy the theatre (the sale may have closed by now) and will live upstairs.  As for the contest, the owner posted, on his website:

Essay contest announcement. We did not receive enough entries to award the prize. The many hundreds of essays we received are truly phenomenal: powerful, passionate, honest, brave, hopeful, truthful, and aspirational. They have been a joy to read. It’s been a long process. We started on this in August and have worked on it tirelessly for six months. We received entries from almost every state (we think) and at least 6 countries! We are still processing the entries and will be getting out refunds within ten days. We’re truly sorry that at least one dream won’t be answered and awarded the theatre. We deeply thank you all who entered: we cannot tell you how much your entry was appreciated, read, loved, and treated with respect. And we also thank all of you who helped share and promote the dream, followed along, and cheered everyone on. We’re going to regroup and will keep you posted on further developments. Thank you all again and we’ll see you at the movies.
–Mike Hurley

Don't we all like happy endings?

Summer Ramblings - The Bright Colors of Summer

Today, please enjoy some of the bright colors of summer in an almost wordless post.

Coneflowers, Binghamton, New York.

More coneflowers.

Volunteer petunias, Broome County Courthouse, Binghamton

Iresine at sunset, my house.

My pansies (still alive!) at sunset.

And finally, a trumpet vine, Binghamton, New York.

What is your favorite flower of this time of year?

Everyone's Gone To North Carolina

Everyone's gone to the moon North Carolina.

Some days, it seems like everyone in upstate New York is either moving to the state of North Carolina, or planning to move.  Our state has been losing population for years.

Google "New Yorkers moving to North Carolina" and you get over 57 million results.

When I think of everyone packing up and leaving upstate New York, I was reminded of the song playing on WABC radio in New York City the night of November 9, 1965 when the lights went out in the Great Blackout of 1965.  But they aren't going to the moon.


Who has moved?

My neighbor across the street.  A baker who sold at the farmers' market for many years.  A former co worker. (Another will probably follow in two or three years).

I enjoy the Carolinas (I vacation there enough times) but move there? 

April 7, North Carolina (where else?)

We of upstate New York must be chasing rainbows.  Life is so short.

When I first moved to the Binghamton, New York area almost 30 years ago, I was intrigued by the connection between this area and North Carolina.

North Carolina furniture stores advertised in our papers.  Buy Direct! (Alas, you don't see those ads any more.  But the furniture places still exist.)  In fact my in laws did just that, and furnished their home in furniture shipped up here.  I think it was from a factory in Hickory, North Carolina.

Bundy Key Recorder - eventually this company became IBM

Part of it was the connection forged through IBM.  IBM, incidentally, started in Binghamton, New York.   It started as a time clock manufacturer.  As they say, it's a long story.

IBM had a major facility in Charlotte, North Carolina.  We had a major IBM facility just down the road in Endicott, New York.  There were a lot of transfers back and forth.

We've even transfered our food.  The spiedie, the food we are known for, can even be found in North Carolina.

Although IBM is no longer a major presence in our Triple Cities, the connection with North Carolina remains.  Many who want to escape our harsh winters in retirement and don't want to live in Florida end up halfway between Florida and New York.  What is halfway?  North Carolina.

People blog about it.  Some tongue in cheek. 

Others, more trying to benefit from the migration.  


But, then, there is also this.


I have seen, in other places, where locals get locked out of the real estate market because people from the North, who can afford to pay high prices (especially if you are from the New York City area) raise real estate prices.  I can't believe that, eventually, there is going to be a lot of resentment towards northerners.  And a part of me won't be blaming them for feeling that way.  It won't be just the real estate prices.

It will be when their highways are jammed with traffic.  Or when their infrastructure is strained because of all the people pouring in.

Or the crime rate goes up.

I don't want to be in North Carolina when that happens.

Strange how people end up destroying the very things that attracted them somewhere in the first place.

Will I end up joining the migration out of upstate New York one day? 

We can't see into the future.  I'll just have to wait and see.

Is there a place, where you live, that everyone seems to be leaving for?

Music Monday - Time

My spouse and I are now the senior residents of our block.  The man who had held that honor has gone to live in a nursing home.


He and his wife had lived next door to the house we've owned for nearly 30 years.  They had been there some 50 years.  Yes, 50 years.  I still wear a necklace he helped my once-young son make me for Mother's Day.  His youngest son, who loved to work with youth, used to spend a lot of time with my son when my son was a teenager.

My neighbor used to cane furniture and make jewelry.  He and his late wife (who was a librarian) raised six children.  He was active in his church and cared greatly for people.  His children are just as caring as he was.

He used to share some of his memories with me, back when he had memories.  His children kept him in the house, with caregivers, as long as they could.  But his dementia had gotten to the point where he refused to eat, to bathe, to let others care for him.  Now, he is adjusting to nursing home life in a dementia unit.


Perhaps it is best that we can not see our future.  I remember thinking, at one time, that we were fortunate to have such caring neighbors.  I remember nights when I was overcome by motherhood, and went over to their house to visit for a few minutes, just to get away.  But both of them were taken by dementia.  His wife first, and now him.

A couple of songs about time.  (Some may take up a lot of your time - come back at your leasure, if you want.)

 Time (Pink Floyd).

No Time (Guess Who) in a version you may not be familiar with.

I'll leave you with one more thought - there is something called music therapy for people with dementia.  I don't know if it was ever tried with my neighbor, but it is intriguing.  Here is a playlist of 15 songs said to spark awareness in people with dementia.

One of them, ironically, is sung by a singer in the last stages of dementia himself, Glen Campbell.

I dedicate this other Glen Campbell song to my former neighbor.

I will not say goodbye, neighbor.  Only Godspeed.