In elementary school, social studies was my favorite subject. By the time I was 10 years old, I had also discovered science fiction.
My introduction to science fiction was a book by Robert Heinlein called Have Spacesuit Will Travel, and then to what I consider as soft science fiction - the Barsoom series of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
It was love at first read.
Contrary to popular opinion, science fiction isn't just about space travel and interacting with alien races. It is said that science fiction is the literature of change. It is certainly the literature of ideas.
Somewhere along the line, I discovered a book called The Man in the High Castle, by Phillip K. Dick, and was introduced to two new genres - dystopian literature, and alternate history.
In The Man in the High Castle, Phillip K. Dick imagined an alternate world which diverged from ours when Franklin Roosevelt was assassinated in 1933. In our world, Roosevelt survived that assassination attempt but the Mayor of Chicago was killed.
In that alternate world, where Roosevelt died, the Allies lost World War II. The Nazis and the Japanese conquered the United States, and divided it up between themselves. Now, it is the 1960's and.... (Note: if you've seen the Amazon.com series, be aware that it differs from the book in many ways). So, alternate history works simply - imagine something happens that didn't happen in our timeline. Then what happens? It's lots of fun.
Even Stephen King has written in a genre that could be related to alternate history - a book called 11/22/63, a strange type of historical novel with strong elements of time travel.
Anyway - as I blogged about earlier this week, my local library gave me a Valentine's Day gift - a book by Harry Turtledove, who is a prolific writer of alternate history.
My favorites of his? A series called Worldwar. If I told you the plot, you might run - but please don't. It's 1942, we are fighting World War II, and alien lizard like creatures invade Earth. Yes, really. It works, especially because of the detailed research Turtledove obviously undertook.
While researching something for my blog, I found a free story by Turtledove posted online. So now, here is a gift for you, my reader: a short story by Harry Turtledove. You can call it a soft introduction to alternate history. I caught onto it pretty quickly, but I still enjoyed its depiction of an elderly woman, one who lives in a world just slightly different than ours.
And that made all the difference.
Do you read/enjoy alternate history? What books are your favorites?
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day February 2017
On the 15th of every month, Carol, an Indiana garden blogger, hosts a meme called Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, which is a sneaky way to make us keep a garden journal.
I know some areas of the country have had an early spring. Carol's is one of them.
Not here.
It is February in my upstate New York zone 5b garden, meaning there are no flowers outside. Snow rules. And today is no exception. Actually, underneath the snow, I know I have a lenten rose trying to bloom.
Maybe this weekend I'll see the plant again.
Until then, all I can show you is what is inside my house.
A Phalaenopsis, a present to myself for Valentine's Day.
We bought another plant for my mother in law.
Once again, African Violets save the day. This is the end of one plant's flowering....
....and the beginning of another plant's bloom.
Meanwhile, the Persian Shield plant I brought inside in the fall is just barely hanging on, but it is blooming. I could only get blurry photos out of my iPhone (these blooms are small).
And two of my Thanksgiving cactuses have buds on them.
Finally, here is my snow covered Lenten Rose as it looked earlier this week, when we were between snowstorms.
Just think, only two more months till spring (don't believe the calendar if you live up North).
Visit May Dreams Gardens and see what is blooming all over the world.
I know some areas of the country have had an early spring. Carol's is one of them.
Not here.
It is February in my upstate New York zone 5b garden, meaning there are no flowers outside. Snow rules. And today is no exception. Actually, underneath the snow, I know I have a lenten rose trying to bloom.
Maybe this weekend I'll see the plant again.
Until then, all I can show you is what is inside my house.
Once again, African Violets save the day. This is the end of one plant's flowering....
....and the beginning of another plant's bloom.
Meanwhile, the Persian Shield plant I brought inside in the fall is just barely hanging on, but it is blooming. I could only get blurry photos out of my iPhone (these blooms are small).
And two of my Thanksgiving cactuses have buds on them.
Finally, here is my snow covered Lenten Rose as it looked earlier this week, when we were between snowstorms.
Just think, only two more months till spring (don't believe the calendar if you live up North).
Visit May Dreams Gardens and see what is blooming all over the world.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
My Library Valentine
We all want to be loved and appreciated. Some of us will celebrate Valentine's Day today. I'd like to send you, my readers, a couple of virtual Valentines today to show that I appreciate you.
Flowers and balloons.
Is this better? (Come back tomorrow, for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, and see what I bought myself for Valentine's Day).
But, last week, I got an unexpected gift of all for Valentine's Day, and today, I opened it.
A couple of Saturdays ago, I had gone to the Johnson City, New York library (which is called Your Home Library) and saw a display of wrapped books. The sign invited me to pick one. To my delight, the library told me it was mine to keep.
I love alternate history, and I thought I knew what the book was.
I was wrong, but it was by an author I am quite familiar with. I've read a number of his books. Fortunately, not this one.
Harry Turtledove has written some excellent books. And some not so excellent books. We'll see which this belongs to.
The best part, though, was coming back this past Saturday, finding several unclaimed Valentines remained, and getting one for my guest photographer. I hope she enjoys her cat related mystery.
Tell someone important in your life today that you love, or appreciate, them.
But, last week, I got an unexpected gift of all for Valentine's Day, and today, I opened it.
A couple of Saturdays ago, I had gone to the Johnson City, New York library (which is called Your Home Library) and saw a display of wrapped books. The sign invited me to pick one. To my delight, the library told me it was mine to keep.
I love alternate history, and I thought I knew what the book was.
I was wrong, but it was by an author I am quite familiar with. I've read a number of his books. Fortunately, not this one.
Harry Turtledove has written some excellent books. And some not so excellent books. We'll see which this belongs to.
The best part, though, was coming back this past Saturday, finding several unclaimed Valentines remained, and getting one for my guest photographer. I hope she enjoys her cat related mystery.
Tell someone important in your life today that you love, or appreciate, them.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Music Monday - Al Jarreau
Multiple Grammy-award winning artist Al Jarreau died yesterday at the age of 76.
Jarreau, active to the end of his life, he had only retired from touring last week. Next month, he would have turned 76.
Here are some videos you may enjoy.
Morning. Al Jarreau always seemed so happy. We need that so much today.
After All. So smooth. So delicious.
We're In This Love Together.
And finally, a jazz classic- Spain (I Can Recall). Just listen to the lyrics.
Another great gone.
Jarreau, active to the end of his life, he had only retired from touring last week. Next month, he would have turned 76.
Here are some videos you may enjoy.
Morning. Al Jarreau always seemed so happy. We need that so much today.
After All. So smooth. So delicious.
We're In This Love Together.
And finally, a jazz classic- Spain (I Can Recall). Just listen to the lyrics.
Another great gone.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Everything's Political In Its Own Way
As we become increasingly polarized in the United States, even small acts like watching television have become political.
The popular TV satirical show Saturday Night Live, on for over 40 years, now ratchets up its satires of the new Administration in our country.
Now, even the Super Bowl, which once was a championship football game eagerly awaited by fans, who partied and watched the game and commercials (and non-fans who partied and watched the commercials) has become political.
Here is a comprehensive list and links to some of these (and other) Super Bowl commercials.
If you don't have the time, here are a couple by themselves:
A commercial originally aired in 2014 by Coca-Cola was rerun, to much controversy.
Then, there was a commercial so controversial that the TV network showing the Super Bowl required an edited version. The full version (above) is available on You Tube and runs a bit over five minutes. Over 10 million views, and if you want to see the Internet in action, just read the reviews (or, perhaps, don't.)
February 12 used to be celebrated as the birthday of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. We haven't forgotten that Lincoln was President during a time when the United States was at war with itself. Over 700,000 dead later, the states that seceded lost the war, and, today, we are a nation of 50 states.
Days after the war ended, Lincoln was assassinated by someone who sympathized with the rebels.
What we call the Civil War, others The War Between the States, and still others (still) the War of Northern Aggression is in our DNA.
The United States is at a crossroads. More than ever, those who supported the man who is now our President and those who did not are at odds with each other. So much so, that families and friendships have been torn apart. People debate at work. I find myself resenting those who voted a certain way, and I'm not the only one. On both sides.
Our country has been in terrible situations before. Perhaps, from history, we can learn some lessons before we tear ourselves apart.
I am therefore going to restart my Civil War Sunday feature, which ran from 2011 to 2015 (the 150th anniversary of that war) with two new Civil War Sundays. The first one, next Sunday, will be on Frederick Douglass (because, apparently, some in our country think he is still alive. Another Mandela Effect situation?) I may continue this into March, with some selected reruns.
I can promise no less on Lincoln's birthday.
The popular TV satirical show Saturday Night Live, on for over 40 years, now ratchets up its satires of the new Administration in our country.
Now, even the Super Bowl, which once was a championship football game eagerly awaited by fans, who partied and watched the game and commercials (and non-fans who partied and watched the commercials) has become political.
Here is a comprehensive list and links to some of these (and other) Super Bowl commercials.
If you don't have the time, here are a couple by themselves:
A commercial originally aired in 2014 by Coca-Cola was rerun, to much controversy.
Then, there was a commercial so controversial that the TV network showing the Super Bowl required an edited version. The full version (above) is available on You Tube and runs a bit over five minutes. Over 10 million views, and if you want to see the Internet in action, just read the reviews (or, perhaps, don't.)
February 12 used to be celebrated as the birthday of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. We haven't forgotten that Lincoln was President during a time when the United States was at war with itself. Over 700,000 dead later, the states that seceded lost the war, and, today, we are a nation of 50 states.
Days after the war ended, Lincoln was assassinated by someone who sympathized with the rebels.
What we call the Civil War, others The War Between the States, and still others (still) the War of Northern Aggression is in our DNA.
The United States is at a crossroads. More than ever, those who supported the man who is now our President and those who did not are at odds with each other. So much so, that families and friendships have been torn apart. People debate at work. I find myself resenting those who voted a certain way, and I'm not the only one. On both sides.
Our country has been in terrible situations before. Perhaps, from history, we can learn some lessons before we tear ourselves apart.
I am therefore going to restart my Civil War Sunday feature, which ran from 2011 to 2015 (the 150th anniversary of that war) with two new Civil War Sundays. The first one, next Sunday, will be on Frederick Douglass (because, apparently, some in our country think he is still alive. Another Mandela Effect situation?) I may continue this into March, with some selected reruns.
I can promise no less on Lincoln's birthday.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Local Saturday-A Library Valentine
Last Saturday, I visited the local Johnson City, New York public library.
Two years ago I blogged about this library and admitted that I rarely visited it. It's small, and it isn't (sorry) in the best location. I did visit a couple of other libraries in our area - we are fortunate to have several,
Times change. Needs change.
When my developmentally disabled brother in law moved up here later in 2015, we found Your Home library was a good fit for him. We took him there for a few months. Then, I found it is just the right size for me when I want to find some good things to read without a lot of effort.
Like last Saturday.
One thing this library has is a beautiful sun room, where they display books recommended by librarians and others. Can you resist this room? Be honest.
See that display in the middle? Here is part of it, close up. Even full size, I know it is hard to read. But you can see a display of "mystery books", each described on a Valentine cut out. (Sorry, I can't make it bigger.)
A sign invited readers to choose a book, so I did.
I took my wrapped choice, and my other selections, to the circulation desk. I received a surprise there.
My other books were checked out. Then, still in the wrapper, the clerk handed the wrapped book back to me.
"It's yours to keep", the checkout clerk said. "Take all the time you want. If you like it, keep it. If you don't want to keep it, feel free to donate it back to the library."
Wasn't that sweet? This small Your Home Library gave ME a Valentine! The best kind, too (next to chocolate - spouse, don't get any strange ideas.)
From the description on the Valentine of my book, I suspect I know what book it is. I don't own it, and I haven't read it in a long time (if it is the book I think it is) but it was the book that turned me on to alternate history. If so, what a gift.
It also reminded me that it's been a while since my brother in law with autism, "B", asked to go to the library.
Now, if you have a public library in your area, it's your turn. It's easy to give a library a Valentine back.
Take books, DVD's, audiobook, or other items they lend out (our local libraries' funding somewhat depends on the volume of use). Return them on time, without damage. Take advantage of their programs-if yu have children or grandchildren, take them to story time. It's one of the best gifts you can give a young person. Shop at their library book sales.
Also know that libraries do so much more than lend books. They help people look for work. They provide databases that would cost money if we subscribed to them ourselves. They provide Internet to people who can't afford it otherwise. Some even lend seeds (although ours no longer does).
Support your local library. It's always there for you, but that may not be true one day.
What was your most memorable gift book?
 |
| February 2017 |
Times change. Needs change.
When my developmentally disabled brother in law moved up here later in 2015, we found Your Home library was a good fit for him. We took him there for a few months. Then, I found it is just the right size for me when I want to find some good things to read without a lot of effort.
Like last Saturday.
One thing this library has is a beautiful sun room, where they display books recommended by librarians and others. Can you resist this room? Be honest.
See that display in the middle? Here is part of it, close up. Even full size, I know it is hard to read. But you can see a display of "mystery books", each described on a Valentine cut out. (Sorry, I can't make it bigger.)
A sign invited readers to choose a book, so I did.
I took my wrapped choice, and my other selections, to the circulation desk. I received a surprise there.
My other books were checked out. Then, still in the wrapper, the clerk handed the wrapped book back to me.
"It's yours to keep", the checkout clerk said. "Take all the time you want. If you like it, keep it. If you don't want to keep it, feel free to donate it back to the library."
Wasn't that sweet? This small Your Home Library gave ME a Valentine! The best kind, too (next to chocolate - spouse, don't get any strange ideas.)
From the description on the Valentine of my book, I suspect I know what book it is. I don't own it, and I haven't read it in a long time (if it is the book I think it is) but it was the book that turned me on to alternate history. If so, what a gift.
It also reminded me that it's been a while since my brother in law with autism, "B", asked to go to the library.
Now, if you have a public library in your area, it's your turn. It's easy to give a library a Valentine back.
Take books, DVD's, audiobook, or other items they lend out (our local libraries' funding somewhat depends on the volume of use). Return them on time, without damage. Take advantage of their programs-if yu have children or grandchildren, take them to story time. It's one of the best gifts you can give a young person. Shop at their library book sales.
Also know that libraries do so much more than lend books. They help people look for work. They provide databases that would cost money if we subscribed to them ourselves. They provide Internet to people who can't afford it otherwise. Some even lend seeds (although ours no longer does).
Support your local library. It's always there for you, but that may not be true one day.
What was your most memorable gift book?
Friday, February 10, 2017
Skywatch Friday - Snow Moon Eve
Today features a rare combination - a lunar eclipse, a snow moon, and a comet.
Here's more on this rare combination.
On what I could call "Snow Moon Eve" (last night) I took this picture of the moon rising over a snow covered small upstate New York community.
Here is another view of yesterday's snow.
To see pictures of the sky all over the world, visit other bloggers participating in #SkywatchFriday.
Here's more on this rare combination.
Here is another view of yesterday's snow.
To see pictures of the sky all over the world, visit other bloggers participating in #SkywatchFriday.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
February Flowers
What this world needs is more flowers.
Here in upstate New York, it was warm yesterday. We had a record high of 48F (8.8 Celsius) and our snow mostly melted (just in time for another snowstorm).
In my backyard, a Lenten Rose has been trying to bloom for the past month. The snow falls. The snow melts. The snow falls. The snow melts. We used to get January thaws here, but then winter rolled right back in. This winter, the fall and melt pattern has kept up all winter.
It's determined.
Meanwhile, both of my pansy plants are still alive and well, although neither are blooming.
This morning, the snow is back, the temperature is 22 (-5.5C) and, it feels like 11 (-11.5 C) with the wind chill. It's still dark, so no snow photos for you.
Welcome back, winter.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Winter Wednesday - Snow and Resolutions
Today, a photo of a dead tree in a frozen over swamp in rural Broome County, New York, for my blog readers who love snow.
This was taken by my "guest photographer" in a swampy area which is frozen over, so my guest photographer was able to get "up close and personal" with this and other dead tree roots sticking out of the ice.
So, what does that have to do with the other thing I want to talk about today?
I read a blog post yesterday that made me think.
"February 7 is the day we give up".
That's right. We start the year with the best of intentions. We start out at full speed, with the best of intentions. But, before you know it, we realize it is going to take time, and work, to reach our goals. We say "the heck with it." And that happens...around February 7.
I had this word for the year....what was it, again? Oh yes. Determination.
I had already forgotten it.
But yesterday, something interesting happened to me. It was drizzling, and the temperature was right at freezing. The conditions were right for freezing drizzle. I knew that was a possibility as I started my commute to work.
I'm scared of ice. But I ended up having to walk on some sidewalks yesterday that were just starting to ice up. I didn't have ice cleats on, and my balance (despite the balance exercises I do) isn't the best. I was so tempted to freeze (no pun intended) in place the first time I started to slide. But I knew I had to keep moving.
I made it to my destination.
Once there, we talked about some serious things in a meeting, but also shared a couple of jokes.
That's more advice from the post I read yesterday- remember to laugh and have a good time.
I will remain determined, and I will remember to be grateful, and to laugh, every day.
This was taken by my "guest photographer" in a swampy area which is frozen over, so my guest photographer was able to get "up close and personal" with this and other dead tree roots sticking out of the ice.
So, what does that have to do with the other thing I want to talk about today?
I read a blog post yesterday that made me think.
"February 7 is the day we give up".
That's right. We start the year with the best of intentions. We start out at full speed, with the best of intentions. But, before you know it, we realize it is going to take time, and work, to reach our goals. We say "the heck with it." And that happens...around February 7.
I had this word for the year....what was it, again? Oh yes. Determination.
I had already forgotten it.
But yesterday, something interesting happened to me. It was drizzling, and the temperature was right at freezing. The conditions were right for freezing drizzle. I knew that was a possibility as I started my commute to work.
I'm scared of ice. But I ended up having to walk on some sidewalks yesterday that were just starting to ice up. I didn't have ice cleats on, and my balance (despite the balance exercises I do) isn't the best. I was so tempted to freeze (no pun intended) in place the first time I started to slide. But I knew I had to keep moving.
I made it to my destination.
Once there, we talked about some serious things in a meeting, but also shared a couple of jokes.
That's more advice from the post I read yesterday- remember to laugh and have a good time.
I will remain determined, and I will remember to be grateful, and to laugh, every day.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
The Mandela Effect
Did you know that Nelson Mandela died in prison sometime in the 1980's?
If you do know that, you aren't alone.
I first heard of the Mandela Effect this past New Year's Eve when my adult son came to visit us for a couple of hours. Over some food, he asked "remember the Berenstain Bears?" I sure did. We owned several of the book series. They were a favorite of son's when he was young enough to be read to.
"How do you spell Berenstain?" son asked, innocently. He knows I am a terrible speller, but my spouse is excellent in that skill. So I tried to dredge up the memory of one of the covers, and saw "Berenstein".
"Berenstein", I responded, confident. I saw it in my mind's eye. It was so obvious.
"No", said son, "it's Berenstain". For the next five minutes, we argued back and forth. I was so positive.
I was also so wrong.
And so are a lot of other people.
Son then told me about the Mandela Effect. It's named after a common belief that Nelson Mandela died in prison, instead of being released, and living long enough (he died in 2013) to be the President of South Africa from 1994 to 1998.
Apparently, many of us have common memories of things that never existed. Never happened.
There are lots of common memories we hold that drift into Mandela Effect territory. The Berenstain misspelling. A painting of King Henry VIII holding a turkey leg. The famous movie request "Play it again, Sam." The name Coca Cola not hyphenated. A movie released in the 90's called "Shazaam", starring the comedian Sinbad. It's so clear in our memories.
Nope. False memories. Didn't say that. Wasn't spelled that way. Logo didn't change. Item never existed.
There's even a Reddit group for these discussions.
That New Year's Eve, I ended up going to a website that blamed this phenomena on the Devil (seriously). But, as a reader of science fiction, I don't buy into the "alternate reality" theory, either. I think that our minds do play tricks on us. As we are all human, we are basically wired in the same way.
Still, it is a strange phenomenon.
What do you think? I'm wondering if this happens worldwide, so if you aren't a reader in the United States, I'd especially like to hear from you.
If you do know that, you aren't alone.
I first heard of the Mandela Effect this past New Year's Eve when my adult son came to visit us for a couple of hours. Over some food, he asked "remember the Berenstain Bears?" I sure did. We owned several of the book series. They were a favorite of son's when he was young enough to be read to.
"How do you spell Berenstain?" son asked, innocently. He knows I am a terrible speller, but my spouse is excellent in that skill. So I tried to dredge up the memory of one of the covers, and saw "Berenstein".
"Berenstein", I responded, confident. I saw it in my mind's eye. It was so obvious.
"No", said son, "it's Berenstain". For the next five minutes, we argued back and forth. I was so positive.
I was also so wrong.
And so are a lot of other people.
Son then told me about the Mandela Effect. It's named after a common belief that Nelson Mandela died in prison, instead of being released, and living long enough (he died in 2013) to be the President of South Africa from 1994 to 1998.
Apparently, many of us have common memories of things that never existed. Never happened.
There are lots of common memories we hold that drift into Mandela Effect territory. The Berenstain misspelling. A painting of King Henry VIII holding a turkey leg. The famous movie request "Play it again, Sam." The name Coca Cola not hyphenated. A movie released in the 90's called "Shazaam", starring the comedian Sinbad. It's so clear in our memories.
Nope. False memories. Didn't say that. Wasn't spelled that way. Logo didn't change. Item never existed.
There's even a Reddit group for these discussions.
That New Year's Eve, I ended up going to a website that blamed this phenomena on the Devil (seriously). But, as a reader of science fiction, I don't buy into the "alternate reality" theory, either. I think that our minds do play tricks on us. As we are all human, we are basically wired in the same way.
Still, it is a strange phenomenon.
What do you think? I'm wondering if this happens worldwide, so if you aren't a reader in the United States, I'd especially like to hear from you.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Music Monday - They Are the Champions
Our Super Bowl last night may have been one of the most exciting ever, with a come behind victory by a team famed for its come behind victories. It literally had to go into overtime, the first time ever.
Now that we have survived the Super Bowl, how about some sports oriented music?
I'm thinking here of songs I used to hear at our minor league baseball games in Binghamton, New York. We would be entertained during the game, especially during the "7th inning stretch" where fans would get up between innings, stretch, move around and even dance.
So the music was dance music.
Cotton Eye Joe: for years, this song, as sung by the Scandinavian group Rednex used to entertain us at the Binghamton Mets (Double A baseball) games. Alas, the Binghamton Mets are no more; they were renamed at the end of last season. They are now called the Rumble Ponies (don't ask). At least they weren't renamed the Stud Muffins.
Then there was Lazy Mary, by Lou Monte. This song is a remake of the Italian tarantella "Luna Mezzo Mare", and has quite an interesting history.
For some years, before the game began, the B-Mets management would play Renegades of Funk, as covered by Rage Against the Machine. This song has an interesting history, which actually involves a neighborhood near where I grew up in the Bronx.
But the song perhaps most associated with sports may well be this gem from Queen. The 1977 "We Are the Champions." This morning, this is again the theme song of the team that won the Superbowl
So congrats to the New England Patriots.
What songs do you associate with sports?
Now that we have survived the Super Bowl, how about some sports oriented music?
I'm thinking here of songs I used to hear at our minor league baseball games in Binghamton, New York. We would be entertained during the game, especially during the "7th inning stretch" where fans would get up between innings, stretch, move around and even dance.
So the music was dance music.
Cotton Eye Joe: for years, this song, as sung by the Scandinavian group Rednex used to entertain us at the Binghamton Mets (Double A baseball) games. Alas, the Binghamton Mets are no more; they were renamed at the end of last season. They are now called the Rumble Ponies (don't ask). At least they weren't renamed the Stud Muffins.
Then there was Lazy Mary, by Lou Monte. This song is a remake of the Italian tarantella "Luna Mezzo Mare", and has quite an interesting history.
For some years, before the game began, the B-Mets management would play Renegades of Funk, as covered by Rage Against the Machine. This song has an interesting history, which actually involves a neighborhood near where I grew up in the Bronx.
But the song perhaps most associated with sports may well be this gem from Queen. The 1977 "We Are the Champions." This morning, this is again the theme song of the team that won the Superbowl
So congrats to the New England Patriots.
What songs do you associate with sports?
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Snow Snow Snow
I made a promise to a number of my blog readers, who live in places that never see snow, that I would share some of the snow here in upstate New York with them.
In fact, they can have all of it. Kidding. I think. In our harsher winters, I wouldn't be.
Today, I am keeping my promise to share the snow. Readers from warmer climes, prepare yourselves.
It makes you look at your world in a new way when you think of something so common to you that is exotic to others.
Dear readers in warm climes, we haven't had a really snowy winter so far here. In fact, we've had stretches of days without any snow on the ground. But, it is February, and, for us, that is the heart of winter. The snow is here.
These are some pictures I took in downtown Binghamton, New York on Friday morning.
If that isn't enough snow for you, here are some of my favorite snow posts, for your enjoyment.
Oreo snow. Yes, there is such a thing. I think so, anyway.
Must Frosty die?
Great Glops of Snow.
The winter that's been a wonder.
And finally, if you wonder if snow sneakers are a thing - they are. (I'm not into snowshoeing or skiing, by the way - I've never been into winter. Alas.) The snow sneakers in this post are still going strong, by the way.
Happy Sunday!
In fact, they can have all of it. Kidding. I think. In our harsher winters, I wouldn't be.
Today, I am keeping my promise to share the snow. Readers from warmer climes, prepare yourselves.
It makes you look at your world in a new way when you think of something so common to you that is exotic to others.
Dear readers in warm climes, we haven't had a really snowy winter so far here. In fact, we've had stretches of days without any snow on the ground. But, it is February, and, for us, that is the heart of winter. The snow is here.
These are some pictures I took in downtown Binghamton, New York on Friday morning.
 | ||
| Shrubs, downtown Binghamton, February 3 |
 | ||
| Bench, downtown Binghamton, February 3 |
 |
| Left to right, Security Mutual Building, Civil War Monument, Broome County Courthouse |
Oreo snow. Yes, there is such a thing. I think so, anyway.
Must Frosty die?
Great Glops of Snow.
The winter that's been a wonder.
And finally, if you wonder if snow sneakers are a thing - they are. (I'm not into snowshoeing or skiing, by the way - I've never been into winter. Alas.) The snow sneakers in this post are still going strong, by the way.
Happy Sunday!
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Local Saturday - Superbowl Meatballs in Red Pepper Sauce
Tomorrow is Superbowl Sunday in the United States - the last pro football game of the season, for the championship. It has become a major party night (the game starts at 6:30 pm in our time zone)
for people, who invite family and friends over and eat mostly the most unhealthy food you can think of.
We do it a little differently. We serve healthy foods such as homemade guacamole and salsa.
This year, spouse also decided to make healthy meatballs. This is (sort of) his recipe.
My spouse has been cooking for so many years that he just does things by instinct, so please don't trust these proportions. Just go with the flow, as we like to say, and it will turn out fine.
I hope. Herewith, Superbowl Meatballs in Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
1 lb mix of ground pork (ours was local) and 94% ground turkey (ours wasn't)
6 stalks green onions
2 large cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp each savory, ground up fennel
scant teaspoon salt
1 tbsp matzoh meal or dried bread crumbs
Cooking spray
One large red bell pepper
Small amount of chicken broth
Method
Red Pepper Sauce
Char a sweet red bell pepper on gas stove or in the oven under broiler until skin is black all around.
Stick in plastic bag let cool 1/2 hr. Remove. The charred skin will come right off.
Cut red pepper in half, seed, put in blender with some chicken stock for thick puree. Put aside.
Meatballs
Combine all ingredients above, mix thoroughly, about 2 minutes
Make into little balls using about a heaping teaspoon of mixture per meatball
Using only cooking spray, spray a non stick fry pan.
Add meatballs and cook until brown all around. Then, remove meatballs.
In the pan where the meatballs were cooked, add the red pepper puree and cook on low heat about 15 min.
Scrape the pan to get the fond (aka the yum-yums, it's the part of the meatballs that may have stuck to the pan) off. If it is too thick, you can add small amt of water or chicken broth.
Add back the meatballs and cook on low heat about 20 minutes.
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! If you indulge in this celebration, what do you like to serve?
for people, who invite family and friends over and eat mostly the most unhealthy food you can think of.
We do it a little differently. We serve healthy foods such as homemade guacamole and salsa.
This year, spouse also decided to make healthy meatballs. This is (sort of) his recipe.
My spouse has been cooking for so many years that he just does things by instinct, so please don't trust these proportions. Just go with the flow, as we like to say, and it will turn out fine.
I hope. Herewith, Superbowl Meatballs in Red Pepper Sauce
1 lb mix of ground pork (ours was local) and 94% ground turkey (ours wasn't)
6 stalks green onions
2 large cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp each savory, ground up fennel
scant teaspoon salt
1 tbsp matzoh meal or dried bread crumbs
Cooking spray
One large red bell pepper
Small amount of chicken broth
 |
| Here's the savory and fennel, ground in a marble mortar |
Red Pepper Sauce
Char a sweet red bell pepper on gas stove or in the oven under broiler until skin is black all around.
Stick in plastic bag let cool 1/2 hr. Remove. The charred skin will come right off.
Cut red pepper in half, seed, put in blender with some chicken stock for thick puree. Put aside.
Meatballs
Combine all ingredients above, mix thoroughly, about 2 minutes
Make into little balls using about a heaping teaspoon of mixture per meatball
Using only cooking spray, spray a non stick fry pan.
Add meatballs and cook until brown all around. Then, remove meatballs.
In the pan where the meatballs were cooked, add the red pepper puree and cook on low heat about 15 min.
Scrape the pan to get the fond (aka the yum-yums, it's the part of the meatballs that may have stuck to the pan) off. If it is too thick, you can add small amt of water or chicken broth.
Add back the meatballs and cook on low heat about 20 minutes.
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! If you indulge in this celebration, what do you like to serve?
Friday, February 3, 2017
Skywatch Friday - Groundhog Day
Yesterday, Groundhog Day, no groundhog would have seen his or her shadow.
So we can all hope, here in upstate New York, for an early spring.
Yesterday, while the nation's groundhogs were trying to predict if we were going to have six more weeks of winter or an early spring, we had lake effect snow squalls. Here are a couple of shots.
These squalls, incidentally, come quickly and can sometimes cause near whiteout conditions in mere seconds. In other parts of upstate New York, they can dump several inches of snow in a matter of inches.
This one was bit more sedate.
During the squall.
Right after the squall. Several minutes after this picture, the sky was blue, as if nothing had ever happened.
Please visit #SkywatchFriday for more photos of the sky from all over the world.
You'll be glad you did.
So we can all hope, here in upstate New York, for an early spring.
Yesterday, while the nation's groundhogs were trying to predict if we were going to have six more weeks of winter or an early spring, we had lake effect snow squalls. Here are a couple of shots.
These squalls, incidentally, come quickly and can sometimes cause near whiteout conditions in mere seconds. In other parts of upstate New York, they can dump several inches of snow in a matter of inches.
This one was bit more sedate.
During the squall.
Right after the squall. Several minutes after this picture, the sky was blue, as if nothing had ever happened.
Please visit #SkywatchFriday for more photos of the sky from all over the world.
You'll be glad you did.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Groundhog Day 2017
Today is Groundhog Day in the United States, where we pull a groundhog out of the ground to
predict the weather. It's purely scientific, of course, and this is
how it works:
If the groundhog sees its shadow, we have six more weeks of winter. If the groundhog doesn't see its shadow, we get an early spring.
The groundhog usually sees his shadow. As I write this, it is still too soon to tell, but people seem to be having a good time.
In 2015, one of our harshest Northeast winters in many years, the ground hog saw its shadow, despite the fact that it was overcast, and a rain/snow mix was moving in. Somehow, that ground hog almost always sees its shadow. In 2013, it didn't see its shadow and we still got six more weeks of winter.
The groundhog almost got the death penalty for that one.
In 2016, it was unseasonably warm for us. This year? It got up to 42F (5.5 Celsius) at our house yesterday. This post from 2014 shows a more typical February day.
This morning, I woke up to snow. There's a 90% chance of more snow today.Perhaps February is here, after all.
There are multiple predicting groundhogs in the United States, and they even compete with each other. Yes, we take our silly customs seriously here in the good ol' U S of A.
For those of my readers who don't live in the United States, here's a history of Groundhog Day, in case you are wondering why people in the United States still depend on a groundhog seeing his shadow (or not) to predict if winter will be over soon.
And here's what happened when a Wisconsin town's groundhog decided that weather predicting wasn't the right career choice for him.
Remember the movie Groundhog Day? Could any other country have produced this movie?
Do you celebrate Groundhog Day? Or do you have another equally silly holiday where you live?
If the groundhog sees its shadow, we have six more weeks of winter. If the groundhog doesn't see its shadow, we get an early spring.
The groundhog usually sees his shadow. As I write this, it is still too soon to tell, but people seem to be having a good time.
In 2015, one of our harshest Northeast winters in many years, the ground hog saw its shadow, despite the fact that it was overcast, and a rain/snow mix was moving in. Somehow, that ground hog almost always sees its shadow. In 2013, it didn't see its shadow and we still got six more weeks of winter.
The groundhog almost got the death penalty for that one.
In 2016, it was unseasonably warm for us. This year? It got up to 42F (5.5 Celsius) at our house yesterday. This post from 2014 shows a more typical February day.
This morning, I woke up to snow. There's a 90% chance of more snow today.Perhaps February is here, after all.
There are multiple predicting groundhogs in the United States, and they even compete with each other. Yes, we take our silly customs seriously here in the good ol' U S of A.
For those of my readers who don't live in the United States, here's a history of Groundhog Day, in case you are wondering why people in the United States still depend on a groundhog seeing his shadow (or not) to predict if winter will be over soon.
And here's what happened when a Wisconsin town's groundhog decided that weather predicting wasn't the right career choice for him.
Remember the movie Groundhog Day? Could any other country have produced this movie?
Do you celebrate Groundhog Day? Or do you have another equally silly holiday where you live?
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Winter Wonders - A Warmish February?
It's February 1. It's time for the weather to get serious.
I live in upstate New York, on the edge of what we casually call "The Snowbelt". At our airport, it isn't unusual to get 80 inches or more in a season. (For my metric friends, that is 203 cm of snow). You can track a friendly competition between five upstate New York cities at the GoldenSnowball website.
Right now we are at nearly 69 inches (175 cm) but the ground seems to have been bare quite enough throughout January. And, as I blog this, it is above freezing, and it is still dark.
For your Wednesday viewing pleasure , here is some snow from yesterday. If you are one of those people who doesn't live where it snows, let me assure you that you are not missing out on anything. Even if it is pretty from afar.
At my house (notice lighting; sun had just set.)
At the mall.
Rhododendrons.
Evergreens.
Happy February, and wishing ourselves, for once, a nice February.
I live in upstate New York, on the edge of what we casually call "The Snowbelt". At our airport, it isn't unusual to get 80 inches or more in a season. (For my metric friends, that is 203 cm of snow). You can track a friendly competition between five upstate New York cities at the GoldenSnowball website.
Right now we are at nearly 69 inches (175 cm) but the ground seems to have been bare quite enough throughout January. And, as I blog this, it is above freezing, and it is still dark.
For your Wednesday viewing pleasure , here is some snow from yesterday. If you are one of those people who doesn't live where it snows, let me assure you that you are not missing out on anything. Even if it is pretty from afar.
At the mall.
Rhododendrons.
Evergreens.
Happy February, and wishing ourselves, for once, a nice February.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Six Things I've Learned in Eight Years of Blogging
It is the final day of #blogboost The Ultimate Blog Challenge. What have I learned during my almost eight years of blogging? What tips would I give to new bloggers?
First, I would say, APPRECIATE YOUR READERS. There are millions of blogs out there (I've seen a figure of 152 million). You've come to my blog. You've gotten to the second paragraph. Thank you!
I've published some of these observations before, but good advice never gets old. Here are six things I learned (expressed as wishes) from all my years of blogging.
1. I wish I knew there was such a thing as blogging challenges when I started. If you want to grow your readership (and who doesn't want followers, for either personal or business reasons?), this is one of the fastest ways to increase your readership. In turn, by reading the blogs of those in your challenge, you will quickly learn what works - and what doesn't.
I blogged for over two years not knowing about challenges, and I would not be blogging today if I hadn't been told (by a friend who is a writer) about them.
2. I wish I knew that consistent posting is key. I highly recommend daily posting, at least for the first month or two of your blog. Once you establish yourself, what becomes necessary is not daily posting, but, rather, consistent posting. If you don't want to post daily - and many bloggers don't want to, or can't - then it helps your readers to know that you have a schedule. Then stick to it.
3. I wish I knew there is no such thing as a perfect blog post. Perfection is not necessary. Passion IS necessary. If you don't like what you write, your readers won't, either.
If you love something, work that into your blog posts. If you couldn't care less about that topic, don't bother. Blog about something you love. I can't emphasize this enough. That dislike/boredom/lack of passion will show right through your writing.
4. But, you must know what your readers want. A blog is not all about you. It is about your readers, too. My readers seem to love pictures of snow (in the winter) and flowers (the rest of the year). I've been a bit distracted recently, but if you stick around until tomorrow, I promise you some snow.
5. I wish I knew how important blogging comments are. Those comments are more valuable to a blogger than breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even good chocolate. For example, a couple of years ago I wrote a post about fall. Where I live, fall is a big deal - it is our premier season. A couple of my readers gently reminded me that much of the world does not experience quite the same fall as upstate New York (where I live). My sin? I had taken my readers for granted.
Even now, when things get busy in my life, I forget to respond to my commenters - not a good practice.
If you do disagree, which is fine, please, please, please, be respectful. There is a person, a living, breathing human being with feelings, on the other end of that blog post you like or dislike. If you lurk, please comment on some other blog posts today!
6. Be real. Be you. It's not as easy as you think, but it is worth the effort.
Did you enjoy this challenge? Will you do another one?
Day 31 (the final day!) of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
First, I would say, APPRECIATE YOUR READERS. There are millions of blogs out there (I've seen a figure of 152 million). You've come to my blog. You've gotten to the second paragraph. Thank you!
I've published some of these observations before, but good advice never gets old. Here are six things I learned (expressed as wishes) from all my years of blogging.
1. I wish I knew there was such a thing as blogging challenges when I started. If you want to grow your readership (and who doesn't want followers, for either personal or business reasons?), this is one of the fastest ways to increase your readership. In turn, by reading the blogs of those in your challenge, you will quickly learn what works - and what doesn't.
I blogged for over two years not knowing about challenges, and I would not be blogging today if I hadn't been told (by a friend who is a writer) about them.
2. I wish I knew that consistent posting is key. I highly recommend daily posting, at least for the first month or two of your blog. Once you establish yourself, what becomes necessary is not daily posting, but, rather, consistent posting. If you don't want to post daily - and many bloggers don't want to, or can't - then it helps your readers to know that you have a schedule. Then stick to it.
3. I wish I knew there is no such thing as a perfect blog post. Perfection is not necessary. Passion IS necessary. If you don't like what you write, your readers won't, either.
If you love something, work that into your blog posts. If you couldn't care less about that topic, don't bother. Blog about something you love. I can't emphasize this enough. That dislike/boredom/lack of passion will show right through your writing.
4. But, you must know what your readers want. A blog is not all about you. It is about your readers, too. My readers seem to love pictures of snow (in the winter) and flowers (the rest of the year). I've been a bit distracted recently, but if you stick around until tomorrow, I promise you some snow.
5. I wish I knew how important blogging comments are. Those comments are more valuable to a blogger than breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even good chocolate. For example, a couple of years ago I wrote a post about fall. Where I live, fall is a big deal - it is our premier season. A couple of my readers gently reminded me that much of the world does not experience quite the same fall as upstate New York (where I live). My sin? I had taken my readers for granted.
Even now, when things get busy in my life, I forget to respond to my commenters - not a good practice.
If you do disagree, which is fine, please, please, please, be respectful. There is a person, a living, breathing human being with feelings, on the other end of that blog post you like or dislike. If you lurk, please comment on some other blog posts today!
6. Be real. Be you. It's not as easy as you think, but it is worth the effort.
Did you enjoy this challenge? Will you do another one?
 |
| Some flowers for you, my readers |
Monday, January 30, 2017
Music Monday - Their Generation (And Mine)
This past week has been another week of loss in the rock world.
Allman Brothers founding member and drummer Butch Trucks dead at the age of 69, a result of suicide. Here, the band performs "Whipping Post" live in 1970.
Geoff Nicholls, formerly of Black Sabbath, dead at 68 from lung cancer. When I was trying to find clips of Heaven and Hell, an epic album that Geoff Nicholls performed in, I kept seeing tributes to the late Ronnie James Dio, who grew up in Cortland, New York (about 40 miles from where I live). I will have to leave finding videos of Nicholls playing to more knowledgeable music bloggers.
In pondering these deaths, another thought occurred to me, and I want to share that with you.
Will 2017 be another bad year for music icons? Based on the aging of rock stars, I think it will be. It's so easy to think of ourselves as aging, but, at the same time, everyone else is frozen in time. (If you've ever gone to a high school reunion, you know what I mean). So, we baby boomers may think of the music stars of our youth as still being in their 20's, but, in reality, they've aged along with us.
Here's a sample.
Chuck Berry is 85.
Little Richard is 79.
Jerry Lee Lewis is 76.
Paul McCartney is 74.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are both 73.
Pete Townshend is 71.
Yes, it's only a matter of time. As it is for us all.
One more song, with a famous line.
Day 30 of #blogboost The Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Allman Brothers founding member and drummer Butch Trucks dead at the age of 69, a result of suicide. Here, the band performs "Whipping Post" live in 1970.
Geoff Nicholls, formerly of Black Sabbath, dead at 68 from lung cancer. When I was trying to find clips of Heaven and Hell, an epic album that Geoff Nicholls performed in, I kept seeing tributes to the late Ronnie James Dio, who grew up in Cortland, New York (about 40 miles from where I live). I will have to leave finding videos of Nicholls playing to more knowledgeable music bloggers.
In pondering these deaths, another thought occurred to me, and I want to share that with you.
Will 2017 be another bad year for music icons? Based on the aging of rock stars, I think it will be. It's so easy to think of ourselves as aging, but, at the same time, everyone else is frozen in time. (If you've ever gone to a high school reunion, you know what I mean). So, we baby boomers may think of the music stars of our youth as still being in their 20's, but, in reality, they've aged along with us.
Here's a sample.
Chuck Berry is 85.
Little Richard is 79.
Jerry Lee Lewis is 76.
Paul McCartney is 74.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are both 73.
Pete Townshend is 71.
Yes, it's only a matter of time. As it is for us all.
One more song, with a famous line.
Day 30 of #blogboost The Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Doubleplusungood
In July of 2009 (the first year of my blog) I blogged about an incident where Amazon.com "disappeared" Kindle copies of the book 1984 by George Orwell. This book, written in 1949 by the late George Orwell, was a warning against totalitarianism and the ability of governments to manipulate information.
In the world of 1984, there was no Internet. But there were telescreens in each home that had to stay on constantly and they were two way - you watched them but Big Brother (yes, that was where that name came from) watched you, in turn. There was constant emotional manipulation in a daily ceremony called the Two Minute Hate, where Party members had to watch a film about the Party's enemies and scream out their hate in a period of two minutes.
Constant surveillance. Information manipulation. Sound familiar?
Now, 1984 has climbed to the top of the best seller charts once again. Yes, this has happened before, notably in the early 1980's, and again in 2013. This isn't a brand new phenomenon.
Think about our modern world for a minute. Websites and their contents can disappear or change in a minute. We ponder these questions: Are our virtual assistants, Siri and Alexa (among others) secretly listening to our conversations? Recording our questions? (The answer to this last one, incidentally, is "yes" for both Siri and Alexa.) Is there tracking software that can follow what we say on Facebook or Twitter, ready for the future use of a totalitarian leader?
There was the incident late last year where an Amazon Echo in the state of Arkansas may have been a digital witness to a murder.
What does privacy mean anymore?
Here's my post from 2009:
This is not new news. For all that I love buying from amazon.com, this gives me a bit of that Big Brother feeling.
For all of you lucky enough to study the book "1984" in high school back in the 1960's, there are certain things in this book that stuck with you forever. The present generation would not be impressed but this book was absolutely chilling in its depiction of a world where a dictatorship totally controlled all sources of information, complete with a Ministry of Truth whose bureaucrats labored to continuously revise all written records to reflect the current Party line. To control thought, a new language called Newspeak was introduced. Words and thought were so short in Newspeak that one could spit sentences out without giving a thought to what one was actually saying.
Of course, nowadays we manipulate photos with ease via programs such as Photoshop and can manipulate electronic records with just as much ease.
And, apparently, we can buy an electronic book and download into our Kindle, and Bi...I mean, Amazon.com, can take it back for whatever reason.
When's the last time your local bookstore knocked down your door to grab back a book you legally paid for?
How ironic (not that this is exactly not my original thought) that the book they "vanished" was....1984. (Along with another Orwell classic, "Animal Farm".)
For the record:
1. This was due to a copyright infringement issue, not censorship and
2. Amazon.com duly refunded monies paid to the customers affected.
However, when they sent emails with the refund notices, some customers claimed Amazon never bothered to explain what was going on. (Disclosure: I do not own a Kindle and was not affected by this.).
But still. This gives me a very big sense of unease especially as I've been thinking about getting a Kindle. Not any more. Who would have thought of a Kindle as a two-way device quite like this? If you buy anything via Kindle, is it really yours? Can amazon.com take stuff back whenever they want? Maybe we should just stick to the old fashioned books that clutter up the house?
If not Big-Brotherish, it is certainly creepy.
Day 29 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
In the world of 1984, there was no Internet. But there were telescreens in each home that had to stay on constantly and they were two way - you watched them but Big Brother (yes, that was where that name came from) watched you, in turn. There was constant emotional manipulation in a daily ceremony called the Two Minute Hate, where Party members had to watch a film about the Party's enemies and scream out their hate in a period of two minutes.
Constant surveillance. Information manipulation. Sound familiar?
Now, 1984 has climbed to the top of the best seller charts once again. Yes, this has happened before, notably in the early 1980's, and again in 2013. This isn't a brand new phenomenon.
Think about our modern world for a minute. Websites and their contents can disappear or change in a minute. We ponder these questions: Are our virtual assistants, Siri and Alexa (among others) secretly listening to our conversations? Recording our questions? (The answer to this last one, incidentally, is "yes" for both Siri and Alexa.) Is there tracking software that can follow what we say on Facebook or Twitter, ready for the future use of a totalitarian leader?
There was the incident late last year where an Amazon Echo in the state of Arkansas may have been a digital witness to a murder.
What does privacy mean anymore?
Here's my post from 2009:
Doubleplusungood, dudes
For all of you lucky enough to study the book "1984" in high school back in the 1960's, there are certain things in this book that stuck with you forever. The present generation would not be impressed but this book was absolutely chilling in its depiction of a world where a dictatorship totally controlled all sources of information, complete with a Ministry of Truth whose bureaucrats labored to continuously revise all written records to reflect the current Party line. To control thought, a new language called Newspeak was introduced. Words and thought were so short in Newspeak that one could spit sentences out without giving a thought to what one was actually saying.
Of course, nowadays we manipulate photos with ease via programs such as Photoshop and can manipulate electronic records with just as much ease.
And, apparently, we can buy an electronic book and download into our Kindle, and Bi...I mean, Amazon.com, can take it back for whatever reason.
When's the last time your local bookstore knocked down your door to grab back a book you legally paid for?
How ironic (not that this is exactly not my original thought) that the book they "vanished" was....1984. (Along with another Orwell classic, "Animal Farm".)
For the record:
1. This was due to a copyright infringement issue, not censorship and
2. Amazon.com duly refunded monies paid to the customers affected.
However, when they sent emails with the refund notices, some customers claimed Amazon never bothered to explain what was going on. (Disclosure: I do not own a Kindle and was not affected by this.).
But still. This gives me a very big sense of unease especially as I've been thinking about getting a Kindle. Not any more. Who would have thought of a Kindle as a two-way device quite like this? If you buy anything via Kindle, is it really yours? Can amazon.com take stuff back whenever they want? Maybe we should just stick to the old fashioned books that clutter up the house?
If not Big-Brotherish, it is certainly creepy.
Day 29 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Local Saturday - Loving, Remembering and Escaping
Fake news has struck again. Or at least, bent-into-a-pretzel news. Both left and right, I find that I am thinking once again of abandoning Facebook. But, instead, I thought about what I did know to be true. I decided to become serious for a few minutes today.
But first, a picture. Such a simple word. Too bad it is in such short supply in our world, as we seem to veer closer and closer to war.
Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day. Our country remembered it by...oh, I am coming too close to becoming a political blog. But someone on Twitter did not forget.
What happens when the last of the Holocaust survivors die, I wonder?
Today is the 31st anniversary of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.
With two astronauts dying in the last month, wonder if we in America will ever walk on the Moon, Mars, or anywhere else.
So, I decided, with news overload to turn to other matters. Perhaps it was a mistake.
Originally, I was going to blog today about the 81st birthday of actor Alan Alda, who, like me, is from the Bronx. He is a good topic for a "Local Saturday", just one of many famous people from the Bronx.
M*A*S*H , a TV series Alda starred in, is considered one of the greatest shows of all time.
Here is a list of some of its best episodes.
But it is his after-M*A*S*H work he should be more noted for, and be continued to be noted for.
But then, yesterday, two actors died: Mike Conners of Mannix fame, which was one of my spouse's favorite shows.
And, Barbara Hale, perhaps most noted for playing the secretary of attorney Perry Mason, dead at 94. Along with Mary Tyler Moore and Noel Neill, Barbara Hale's Della Street character was a role model for me.
And then, this afternoon, I heard of the death, at age 77, of actor John Hurt.
So there is only one place where I can escape to. My blog, which, in turn, leads me to a decision.
I am so close to becoming more political. But I've resisted so far (well, mostly resisted - it gets harder and harder) because these times demand that we all speak out. So, I may do just that, on one scheduled day of the week (perhaps Sunday). I haven't made up my mind yet.
But, we also need a place to escape to. And I believe, for many of my readers, my blog has become a few-minutes-of-the-day refuge. We need that, too, just as much as we need those who speak out and put themselves on the line.
Which is why I've decided, for now, to keep trying to find the beauty in our world, and (mostly) stay away from politics. I will try to concentrate on love, hoping that it will, in the end, trump hate. I hope you will continue to join me, as my blog would not exist without you, my readers.
Thank you, every one.
Day 28 of #blogboost the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
 |
| Virginia Welcome Center, I-81 |
Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day. Our country remembered it by...oh, I am coming too close to becoming a political blog. But someone on Twitter did not forget.
What happens when the last of the Holocaust survivors die, I wonder?
Today is the 31st anniversary of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.
With two astronauts dying in the last month, wonder if we in America will ever walk on the Moon, Mars, or anywhere else.
So, I decided, with news overload to turn to other matters. Perhaps it was a mistake.
Originally, I was going to blog today about the 81st birthday of actor Alan Alda, who, like me, is from the Bronx. He is a good topic for a "Local Saturday", just one of many famous people from the Bronx.
Here is a list of some of its best episodes.
But it is his after-M*A*S*H work he should be more noted for, and be continued to be noted for.
But then, yesterday, two actors died: Mike Conners of Mannix fame, which was one of my spouse's favorite shows.
And, Barbara Hale, perhaps most noted for playing the secretary of attorney Perry Mason, dead at 94. Along with Mary Tyler Moore and Noel Neill, Barbara Hale's Della Street character was a role model for me.
And then, this afternoon, I heard of the death, at age 77, of actor John Hurt.
So there is only one place where I can escape to. My blog, which, in turn, leads me to a decision.
I am so close to becoming more political. But I've resisted so far (well, mostly resisted - it gets harder and harder) because these times demand that we all speak out. So, I may do just that, on one scheduled day of the week (perhaps Sunday). I haven't made up my mind yet.
But, we also need a place to escape to. And I believe, for many of my readers, my blog has become a few-minutes-of-the-day refuge. We need that, too, just as much as we need those who speak out and put themselves on the line.
Which is why I've decided, for now, to keep trying to find the beauty in our world, and (mostly) stay away from politics. I will try to concentrate on love, hoping that it will, in the end, trump hate. I hope you will continue to join me, as my blog would not exist without you, my readers.
Thank you, every one.
Day 28 of #blogboost the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Friday, January 27, 2017
Skywatch Friday - Mountain Clouds
The first part of this week was foggy and then rainy, and I despaired of every seeing blue sky where I was visiting. But finally, the clouds started to break up.
First, this.
Then, the mountains appeared.
Still later, a golden sunset reflects against a "Gold's Gym".
Finally, Thursday, I said goodbye to Central Virginia and returned to my home in upstate New York.
Back to the gloom.
Thank you to #SkywatchFriday for hosting this weekly meme. Please visit others posting their pictures of the sky.
Day 27 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.#Blogboost
Thursday, January 26, 2017
We're Going to Make It After All
Since late yesterday afternoon, I've been thinking of this song.
Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
Well it's you girl, and you should know it
With each glance and every little movement you show it
Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have the town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all...
source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/marytylermooreshowlyrics.html
Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
Well it's you girl, and you should know it
With each glance and every little movement you show it
Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have the town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all...
source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/marytylermooreshowlyrics.html
Mary Tyler Moore is dead at age 80. I found it interesting that her death was the lead news item on the NBC Nightly News last night (one of our major networks), crowding out the latest activities of our new President.
She went on to TV fame in several series. The one I remember the most (because I was already grown) was the Mary Tyler Moore show of the 1970's, a pioneering show where Moore played a young, single career woman trying to make it in Minneapolis. Moore was an inspiring woman, fighting to be paid equally, and fighting to be treated with equal respect by her male peers.
She was also so funny. Here is a clip from one of the funnier moments of the series.
(If you have the 25 minutes to watch the entire episode, here it is).
Here's an article explaining the importance of The Mary Tyler Moore show.
Mary Tyler Moore took the world on with great courage. In real life, she suffered most of her life from Type 1 diabetes, and struggled with a drinking problem. But, despite all that,she made a difference in a lot of lives, inspiring us to bigger and greater things.
Now, it's our turn. And you know what? We may just make it after all.
Thank you, Mary Tyler Moore.
Day 26 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Winter Wednesday - Majesty
Winter.
What is more majestic than a huge tree on a winter morning. This historic tree dates from the time of James Madison, possibly dating from the 1820's.
Although we didn't walk through them due to weather, the forests on this property are a National Natural Landmark.
Day 25 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge
 |
| Cedar of Lebanon, Montpelier (Virginia) January 2017 |
What is more majestic than a huge tree on a winter morning. This historic tree dates from the time of James Madison, possibly dating from the 1820's.
Although we didn't walk through them due to weather, the forests on this property are a National Natural Landmark.
Day 25 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Tourist Vs. Resident
I had started to write this blog post last year, so the Carnegie Deli I write about below is strictly a mail order operation now. But other than that, I totally agree with what I wrote about, and left in my drafts.
I have a sister in law who can not believe that, after growing up in New York City, I would rather not live there. And, in fact, I haven't lived there in over 42 years. And I try to explain to her, each time we talk about this, that visiting a place is not the same as living there. Hence:
The Carnegie Deli, the deli in midtown Manhattan famed for its thick pastrami sandwiches, has announced it will close at the end of the year. Several of my co-workers, aware that I grew up in New York City, asked how many times I had eaten there. My answer: zero times.
You see, there is a big difference between living in a big city and visiting a big city. If I wanted a pastrami sandwich, I went to the local deli in my Bronx neighborhood. Why would I travel 40 minutes on the subway just to have a pastrami sandwich?
Similarly, I never went to visit the Empire State Building until I was 16, and that was only because I decided, one day, to be a tourist in my home city. I might have visited the Statue of Liberty on a school field trip (I know they made me go to the same museum each and every year, and it got boring after a while.
Yes, boring, in the City of Awesome Museums. I've never been to Ellis Island, either, although I would love to go.
I only visited the World Trade Center (this was back in 1973, before it officially opened) because the bank near my summer job on West Broadway had a branch in there, and that was back in the days before Direct Deposit was invented. Imagine that, walking to the bank to deposit your paycheck. That should be a post for another time.
Macy's in Herald Square was a place where my Dad and I went to people-watch during holiday shopping season.
I think you get the point.
When you live in a city you are commuting back and forth to and from work (or school). You have to buy food, prepare food, shop, and do all those things that take up time. Trust me: most New Yorkers aren't making daily visits to any tourist attraction.
We are just trying to live our lives.
This isn't to say that residents never go to Broadway shows, or visit a museum, or eat in a famous restaurant. But, even as an adult, if I went to "the City" I was there to visit friends or family. If I ate out, it was most likely in an affordable restaurant or in a diner. Or, I ate takeout from the local Chinese restaurant - something I did a lot with my late best friend from childhood and her spouse.
So, if you go to New York City, and I am there, you will sooner see me at the local diner than at the Carnegie Deli. You'll see me walking on the street and not in a carriage ride near Central Park.
And that is the greatest part of visiting a big city - when you can visit it with the knowledge of someone who lives there, and go to where the locals go. Those are the luckiest tourists of all.
That beats the biggest pastrami sandwich that a person can build.
Have you ever lived in a place that was a major tourist attraction? Did you live like a tourist?
Day 24 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
I have a sister in law who can not believe that, after growing up in New York City, I would rather not live there. And, in fact, I haven't lived there in over 42 years. And I try to explain to her, each time we talk about this, that visiting a place is not the same as living there. Hence:
The Carnegie Deli, the deli in midtown Manhattan famed for its thick pastrami sandwiches, has announced it will close at the end of the year. Several of my co-workers, aware that I grew up in New York City, asked how many times I had eaten there. My answer: zero times.
You see, there is a big difference between living in a big city and visiting a big city. If I wanted a pastrami sandwich, I went to the local deli in my Bronx neighborhood. Why would I travel 40 minutes on the subway just to have a pastrami sandwich?
Similarly, I never went to visit the Empire State Building until I was 16, and that was only because I decided, one day, to be a tourist in my home city. I might have visited the Statue of Liberty on a school field trip (I know they made me go to the same museum each and every year, and it got boring after a while.
Yes, boring, in the City of Awesome Museums. I've never been to Ellis Island, either, although I would love to go.
I only visited the World Trade Center (this was back in 1973, before it officially opened) because the bank near my summer job on West Broadway had a branch in there, and that was back in the days before Direct Deposit was invented. Imagine that, walking to the bank to deposit your paycheck. That should be a post for another time.
Macy's in Herald Square was a place where my Dad and I went to people-watch during holiday shopping season.
I think you get the point.
When you live in a city you are commuting back and forth to and from work (or school). You have to buy food, prepare food, shop, and do all those things that take up time. Trust me: most New Yorkers aren't making daily visits to any tourist attraction.
We are just trying to live our lives.
This isn't to say that residents never go to Broadway shows, or visit a museum, or eat in a famous restaurant. But, even as an adult, if I went to "the City" I was there to visit friends or family. If I ate out, it was most likely in an affordable restaurant or in a diner. Or, I ate takeout from the local Chinese restaurant - something I did a lot with my late best friend from childhood and her spouse.
So, if you go to New York City, and I am there, you will sooner see me at the local diner than at the Carnegie Deli. You'll see me walking on the street and not in a carriage ride near Central Park.
And that is the greatest part of visiting a big city - when you can visit it with the knowledge of someone who lives there, and go to where the locals go. Those are the luckiest tourists of all.
That beats the biggest pastrami sandwich that a person can build.
Have you ever lived in a place that was a major tourist attraction? Did you live like a tourist?
Day 24 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Music Monday - Songs Of a Turbulent Time
Today, a post with some songs for our times.
Respect - Aretha Franklin. This is something we need a whole lot more of.
This is a song I blogged about last year: "You Don't Own Me" as sung by Leslie Gore.
Janis Ian "At Seventeen".
And, a song from the 1960's, that in a way, seems just as relevant today.
The more things change....which is why I leave you with this song. It has lyrics thousands of years old, but, again, is still relevant today.
Day 23 of The Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Respect - Aretha Franklin. This is something we need a whole lot more of.
This is a song I blogged about last year: "You Don't Own Me" as sung by Leslie Gore.
Janis Ian "At Seventeen".
And, a song from the 1960's, that in a way, seems just as relevant today.
The more things change....which is why I leave you with this song. It has lyrics thousands of years old, but, again, is still relevant today.
Day 23 of The Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
A Tale of Two Cousins
Today, a tale of two cousins. Both are teachers and both live in Florida. One is my first cousin, and the other is my spouse's first cousin. One is a native of Florida. One grew up in New Jersey. One lives in the Orlando area and the other is near Ft. Lauderdale. One teaches elementary school and the other teaches high school.
One voted for Trump and proudly declared her support of Trump on Inauguration Day.
For the other cousin, she does not declare her political views on Facebook, but made it clear, after Trump's inaugural speech, that she was not pleased at his remarks about children and education. She is a devoted teacher. In fact, many, many years ago, when she first started to teach, I helped her set up her classroom one year, during a visit.
Two cousins.
Two backgrounds.
Two opinions.
But there are things these two cousins have in common. They were able to get an education, and pursue a career. They were able to choose whether to have children or not have children. They both had the right to vote (although one of them had to wait until she was 21 to get that right. The other received that right at 18).
Now, consider this. When the buildings you see in this picture (not the columns in the front, but the buildings you see on either side, designed by founding father Thomas Jefferson) were built, slavery was legal and even the wives of faculty members were barely tolerated. This university was not fully co educational (i.e. women did not have an equal ability to go to this college) until the year 1970.
That was also the year I enrolled in a college. It's sobering.
Back then, women attending college were still called "co-eds". Now, they are called "people".
It was a way different world back then. I, personally, do not want to go back, as appealing as nostalgia can sometimes be.
We have a lot of work ahead of us to make sure that never happens.
Day 22 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
One voted for Trump and proudly declared her support of Trump on Inauguration Day.
For the other cousin, she does not declare her political views on Facebook, but made it clear, after Trump's inaugural speech, that she was not pleased at his remarks about children and education. She is a devoted teacher. In fact, many, many years ago, when she first started to teach, I helped her set up her classroom one year, during a visit.
Two cousins.
Two backgrounds.
Two opinions.
But there are things these two cousins have in common. They were able to get an education, and pursue a career. They were able to choose whether to have children or not have children. They both had the right to vote (although one of them had to wait until she was 21 to get that right. The other received that right at 18).
 |
| The "Lawn" at the University of Virginia, January 2017 |
That was also the year I enrolled in a college. It's sobering.
Back then, women attending college were still called "co-eds". Now, they are called "people".
It was a way different world back then. I, personally, do not want to go back, as appealing as nostalgia can sometimes be.
We have a lot of work ahead of us to make sure that never happens.
Day 22 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Local Saturday - Human Wormholes
The woman pictured below was born five years before women got the right to vote, in 1917. What better woman to write about, on this special day in the United States?
This post was originally written in 2014. What I didn't know, at the time, is that someone had written a detailed article about the woman in this picture, who turns 105 this month.
This post was originally written in 2014. What I didn't know, at the time, is that someone had written a detailed article about the woman in this picture, who turns 105 this month.
Yes...105. And her life has been a most fascinating one.
She is also my spouse's aunt.
She is also my spouse's aunt.
Many things have changed since my original post. Later in 2014, after this post was written, this 102 year old woman fell, broke her hip, and underwent a partial hip replacement. Although she survived the surgery, and she remains mentally sharp, her health never totally recovered. She rarely leaves the house now. I wish I could give you, my readers, a happier report but, as they say, "it is what it is".
Won't you comment below, and wish my spouse's aunt a Happy 105th Birthday?
Come, now, to happier days when I blogged about "Human Wormholes".
Yes, I know she looks like a woman of a certain age. To be exact, she's 102 years old. But she's so much more. She's a treasured relative in my spouse's family.
She is a link to the past. She may be physically frail, but her mind is as sharp as the day she was born. Maybe even sharper.
She's a living link to the past, the past that, for all but a handful of us, exists only in textbooks. When I touch her, when I talk to her, I am touching history.
She was alive when the Titanic made its maiden voyage (1912).
She was alive when our country enacted a constitutional amendment permitting the income tax (1913).
She was alive during the post World War I flu epidemic (1918-1919) and vaguely remembers wagons traveling from house to house where needed to pick up the dead (what a childhood memory).
We are fascinated by human wormholes. I've blogged about some of them myself, from the living grandson of a U.S. President who served from 1841 to 1845 to a man who witnessed Lincoln's 1865 assassination and lived to tell the story on a late night game show in 1956.
One story has an interesting twist. It is said that Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, who fought in the Civil War, shook hands with both former President John Quincy Adams (born in 1767) and a young/future President John J Kennedy (whose life was cut short by assassination in 1963). I can not find any firm evidence for this having actually happened (there is a fascinating discussion online about whether it might have been possible, though). However, Holmes did have a link to more than just the Civil War, where it is said he once saved Lincoln's life.
Holmes, who lived from 1841 to 1937, had fond memories of his grandmother, who could remember red coated English troops marching through the streets of Boston at the beginning of our Revolutionary War. When she was five. In 1776.
If I live long enough, I might be a human wormhole, too. I don't know if that makes me happy - or scares me a little.
Do you know anyone who would qualify as a human wormhole?
Day 21 of #blogboost The Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)