An Old Library Tour

 A question for my readers (and not just in the United States):  do you have a Carnegie library in your town?

You well may.  Funded by industrialist Andrew Carnegie, a total of 2,509 were built between 1883 and 1929.  Many were built in the United States, but some were built overseas.

South Carolina Carnegie Libraries

I remember two of them.  The first, in Fairfield, Iowa was a library I spent hours in during the brief time I lived in Fairfield.  It was built in 1892 and is a museum today.

The other is the former library in Binghamton, New York, built in 1903 and abandoned in October of 2000.  

It languishes, vacant, like so many other historic properties in the Southern Tier of Upstate New York.  (You can see it, just to the right of the tall building, partially blocked by a lamp post).

Recently, a local media outlet took a tour of old Bing public library which I would like to share with you. 

A sign promising development ages, in front of the building, along with the building itself.   Its steps are used by smokers from nearby offices, although they are roped off.

Viburnum, Broome County Public Library, May 16

The new library is much bigger and it has a pretty garden.   The garden is especially beautiful in spring.  But I miss the character of the old Carnegie library.  Even the children's library, which could only hold 12 people at a time due to safety concerns.

In some ways, the old saying is true:  "They don't build them the way they used to."

Music Monday - The Winter of My Life

Greetings, and welcome to another beautiful spring day.  We are under a freeze warning right now, and yesterday I saw some snow flurries.  My spouse, who is interested in the weather, saw streamers of snow in the sky.

Winter tried to return for a day, but failed this time.  But it reminded me (of course) of a song.

One of my favorite groups of childhood was the New York duo Simon and Garfunkel.  The other day, on Facebook, someone posted this video.

The Simon and Garfunkel song "Hazy Shade of Winter" was released in 1966, long before some of my blog readers were born.  But its theme is eternal.

In the song, the singer first declares:

" Look around
The grass is high
The fields are ripe
It's the springtime of my life..."

May 2016 My House

But, dreams unrealized, he laments, later in the song:

"I look around
Leaves are brown, now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter...
There's a patch of snow on the ground"

January 2016 Weedsport, New York

At least we missed the patch of snow this morning.

I wonder how the singer feels, now that he (in real life) is heading towards the winter of his life.

As I am, too.

How was your weather yesterday?

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - May 2016

Today, the 15th of May, has dawned cold, sunny, and windy here in the Johnson City area of upstate New York.  We are under a freeze watch for tonight.  But the world around me is in bloom, and that is all that matters this morning.

It's time for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens, named because an Indiana blogger dreams of "the days of May, when the sun is warm, the sky is blue, the grass is green and the garden is all new again."  Well, three out of four isn't bad at all.

Fortunately, we held off and didn't plant any of our tomatoes or coleus.

So, this morning, I ran around my yard taking pictures, refusing to wear a jacket.

My favorite, perhaps, this basket of begonias.  The plants are my Mother's Day gift and I put the basket together.

The last, late, jonquils 

The last of the tulips brighten the front yard.  (they have hung on so long, thanks to cool weather).

Also in the front yard, Euphorbia.

One of our many hanging baskets.

In the back yard,  our phlox is just starting.

Three bleeding hearts.  Pink.

White.

Yellow.

Our lilac. This year the buds are so far up, I couldn't get a good shot.

Inside, a Mother's Day gift last year - this moth orchid has rebloomed and has been in bloom since January.  I don't think I will ever do as well with an orchid ever again.  Some of the flowers (I had 13 at one point) are starting to die.

A Thanksgiving cactus.

An African Violet starting to rebloom.

And finally, my Mother's Day gift to myself this year.  I took this orchid (can you tell I like pink?) outdoors for its photo.

Now that it's May, I can enjoy what remains of spring and look forward to our vegetable garden.  And, now that you have looked at my flowers, please go to May Dreams Gardens and link to flower gardens from all over the world.

Local Saturday - Should Disabled People Vote?

I was going to write a post devoted to spring until I saw this op-ed in the Chicago Tribune, written by the mother of a son with autism called "Why my autistic son must vote."

This is a partisan post (the author supports one particular candidate) but this post is well worth reading.

Why?

Because I have a brother in law with autism.  In my blog I call him "B".

To the best of my knowledge, "B" never voted until a handful of years ago.  He was registered where he lived, finally, and voted.

Now that my spouse, his brother, is "B"'s guardian, he made sure "B" was registered to vote.  Last fall, "B" moved to the county where we live.  This spring, "B" registered as a member of the party of his choice.

This spring, in the New York presidential primary, my spouse took "B" to the voting place, and "B" voted.  "B" didn't have any trouble voting.

Some may think that "B" has intellectual disabilities.  However, he watches TV a lot, and made up his mind who he would vote for.  If that process was influenced by the news channel he watches a lot (maybe because his mother does) - well, aren't we all influenced by someone?

Is he less able to vote than a neurotypical voter?

Should his vote count for less?


To both, I say "no".  He did vote - which is more than a lot of us do. 

Some people would say, he does not have intellectual capability to fully understand the issues. Perhaps he did not totally understand the issues - but how many of us vote for logical reasons?  Think about it.

But, to our shame, people with disabilities still find it difficult to vote in the United States.

Thank heavens "B" was able to register without difficulties in our home state of New York.  Shameful that so many with disabilities, who want to vote, find themselves disenfranchised.

It's a national disgrace.  I am proud, meantime of my brother in law, for doing his civic duty.

Can we, the neurotypical, do any less?

Falling Friday - Did My Falls Prevention Class Work?

Falls remain a killer, especially to the senior population.

A little more than a year ago, I took a falls prevention class - a program started up in Australia back in the 1980's. We were taught exercises, heard guest speakers, were taught techniques to get up after a fall by two physical therapists, learned how to walk on uneven surfaces, and listened to each other's falling stories. So, a year later, this is a good time to ask - did the program work?

I don't know the statistics for my fellow attendees, all of whom were older, and many of whom suffered from eye issues such as macular degeneration.

For me, though:

I have continued to do the exercises, although I haven't progressed in them the way I should have (i.e. I am doing fewer reps than I should be doing now.  And, I am not using the weights I purchased for two of the exercises.  Shame on me).  I do wonder at the percentage of people who keep at the exercises.  As they say, "use it or lose it". It's true.

Knock on wood, I have not fallen in the past year, and I think those exercises helped.  Being able to "tightrope walk" is a matter of strength in the lower legs and that has improved.

Because of our mild winter, I don't know if the increase in balance helped with walking with snow and ice on the ground.

I am not testing myself monthly for macular degeneration (now, where is that special refrigerator magnet?  Shame on me again, it takes just seconds a month to test.)

And, I remain fortunate to live in an upstate New York community with a robust set of programs for (although a definite lack of good senior housing) the benefit of its seniors.

I may never walk a real tightrope.

But growing old is an experience in so much, including balance.   I may eventually explore other options for exercise besides my walking, such as yoga.  But for now, I am satisfied that the Stepping On program made a difference in my life.

I would highly recommend a falls prevention program to anyone who has fallen, or has balance issues.

Do you want to see "Falling Friday" start up again?

Remaining Young

Our Binghamton, New York community garden has been plowed and staked.  It is ready for planting.  This year, possibly for the last time, we have two plots.

Our mail order onion plants are ready.

But are we?

For someone whose Twitter handle is "@RamblinGarden", I don't blog a whole lot about gardening, do I?

In recent years, I've not been gardening that much.  My spouse has taken up the main responsibilities for various reasons.  But now, we are torn in several directions and I am not sure either one of us is going to have the energy to make two garden plots successful.  Last year, due to unexpected responsibilities, we never even got much of our garden planted.

No matter what they say about age being a number, that number weighs heavy on each of us. Which is why it is more important than ever to remain young.

Over thirty years ago, we homesteaded in rural Arkansas.  After a 40 hour paid-labor work week and a one hour (each way) commute to my city job, my spouse and I could stay up some nights to midnight and can, freeze, weed, or whatever.  Or do some of the many chores our little homestead demanded.   And somehow, we found the energy.  (Of course, there was no Internet, and no social media.  Coincidence?)

Perhaps, if we had kept up this lifestyle, we still would have had all that energy.  But now, at the end of a workday, I don't want to can or freeze.  I do some flower gardening at home. I blog. I take pictures.  I feel so tired by 7pm.  And my spouse feels the tiredness, too.

But we know we have to keep doing what we like to do.  "Use it or lose it" is truth.

So today, those onion plants are going to go in (today, spouse prepared the ground).  Soon, we will be out there sowing seeds.  If you are traveling north on I-81, just north of Binghamton, and see gardeners located in a park, wave and say "hi".

We'll wave back at'cha.

What do you do to "stay young"?

Spring Things - A Day Told in Flowers

I woke up in the golden sun yesterday,
In the merry, merry month of May.

The tulips were glowing.

Near historic First Congregational Church, Main and Front Sts

At lunch, I went, with my guest photographer, for a walk on the edges of downtown Binghamton, New York. (You'll see some of those pictures later this month.)

We walked along the Chenango River.

Front Street, Binghamton, New York

We passed lilacs on a block where historic houses are being slowly restored.

A dogwood beckoned.

After work, a walk on the West Side.

Westover, near Johnson City, New York

Towards sundown, one last picture of crab apples.

How was your day yesterday?

Willie the Sparrow

Through the imagination of a child, a Hungarian story teller has found a wonderful way to allow us to experience another culture.  Children are children, no matter where they live.

Last month, I participated in a blogging challenge that encouraged participants to publish reflections posts.  One blogger (Angels Bark) posted a list of blogs she had enjoyed during the challenge, including one called MopDog.  MopDog's theme for the challenge was a person from Hungary who blogged about various Hungarian cartoons.

One was a cartoon called Vil (Willie)the Sparrow.  You can see an animated version, with English subtitles, on You Tube, below.

I love birds.  I enjoy learning about other cultures.  This, for me, was a natural to watch.

It seems strange for the first few minutes (the English subtitles are not in the best English) but stick with it, and an amazing thing happens.

You enter the world of a 10 year old boy living in Budapest.  His sister torments the family cat.  The boy  imagines himself quite the hunter but, from his apartment building window, he fires his BB gun at innocent feeding sparrows.  An old woman witnesses the incident.

That woman is actually The Sparrow Fairy, who comes to his room to teach him a lesson.  They argue and he dares her to turn him into an animal. She turns him into a crocodile and then a mouse.  Finally, she turns him into a sparrow.  She tries to undo her spell but her magic spray bottle malfunctions.  Willie, who is now stuck as a sparrow, is at the mercy of that tormented cat and....

You'll just have to see the cartoon, as Willie enters the streets of his native city as a wild sparrow as the Sparrow Fairy leaves to get her spray bottle fixed.  I've read that if you are familiar with Budapest, you will recognize parts of this cartoon.  I've not watched the entire cartoon yet, but I look forward to it.  Vili is a most intriguing boy.

Will he survive his new, sparrow life? (I still have to watch it all the way through, so I don't know, either.)

Are any of you familiar with the Vili stories?

Do you have a favorite cartoon of another culture?

Music Monday - Mothers Day Plus One

Today, a short post, as I rest after Mother's Day. It was a nice family day, spent with my brother in laws, sister in law,  mother in law, spouse, and son.  It was nice that my sister in law was able to travel to see us.  Everything came together well except that we forgot to serve the chocolate covered strawberries (sorry!) my spouse made.

But Mother's Day is always a bittersweet time for me.  My mother passed away over 50 years ago, weeks before I officially became a teenager.  That event has colored the rest of my life.  And now, seeing the mothers of acquaintances and co workers nearing the ends of their lives, it has become even more bittersweet.

Violets - Best year for them I've ever seen

Winter is approaching for our mothers, and its chill makes us, their adult children and caregivers, shiver in the knowledge that we are looking at our future selves.

Here's to mothers everywhere and for their children.

A wish by a mother for her child.  "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts

Beautiful, except I have no idea who sings it.

Now, more in my favorite musical styles:  First, a message no mother ever wants to hear, in one of my favorite songs ever.   "Bohemiam Rhapsody" by Queen.

"Mama, I'm Coming Home" - Ozzy Osbourne.

And now, onward to a new week.

Sunday Surprises - Happy Mothers Day

No surprise to regular readers of my blog.  I, with the help of my guest photographer, are about to post some beautiful flower pictures for you.  Enjoy, whether you are a mother, were born of a mother, or care for children, or teach them.

My mother loved to grow things on her Bronx windowsill, including beautiful geraniums.  I dedicate this post.  This will be my 51st Mother's Day without her.

Crabapple tree.

Jonquils.  These smell so nice.

West Side Binghamton, New York

Crabapples.

Broome County Public Library, Binghamton, NY

I'm told these are black cherries.  They smell like honey.

My back yard

Brunneria.

Rural railroad tracks Broome County, NY

Flowering plum.

Last, but not least, dogwood.

Now that you have enjoyed, go out and make a mother (you, or someone else) happy.

#Ato Z Challenge Reflections

April showers, here in upstate New York, have brought....May showers.  But, despite the gloom, the flowers are coming out.  Could our last frost date be far behind?

Here's a hanging basket I made for you, my readers. I love you all!  (Really, I do.  From the bottom of my spring-besotted heart.  Do you mind if I hang it in front of my house?  It will be for all of us, but I'll take care of it for you.  How's that?)

Normally, on Saturdays, I have a Local Saturdays feature.  Not today.  I am going to do some reflecting on the past month.

I completed my second annual Blogging for A to Z Challenge.  It's a once a year challenge - on April first, your blog post must be about something beginning with "A".  On the second day, "B", and so forth, excluding Sundays, which are an "off" day.  Thank you, whoever kept the English alphabet to 26 letters. 

My theme was Days of Our Lives, and I managed to keep the theme for almost every day of the challenge. Considering that I have blogged daily for over five years now (my 5th year daily blogaversary came during the Challenge, in fact), doing this A to Z is a challenge I relish.  I'm already starting to plan for next April.

The staff and minions of A to Z work hard to police the challenge, making sure that only people serious about the challenge post their links on the website, and making sure that people who signed up are really participating.  If they aren't, they are ejected.  This makes it so much easier for us who are seriously trying to participate.  NOT, mind you, compete.  I love the vibes of this Challenge.

Reading the stories of those who completed the challenge is even better.

Especially after you read posts like this one: bloggers like Mary, who go on despite hard challenges, are what blogging (and life) are all about. 

My A to Z experience was a little bit more common.  I was gone from home for most of the first two weeks. I managed to work some of my experiences into a couple of the posts, such as the one for "Z".  

For three days, I had no Internet access, staying at a cousin's house who has no WiFi, during a weather event that gave a nasty surprise to parts of the Northeast United States.  For another three nights I was in a motel in Virginia whose Internet wasn't the best. 

So I found myself unable to do what the Challenge is all about - reading new blogs, commenting, building relationships - during the first few days, the peak times when the majority of bloggers are active.  After that, people drop out, people find favorites.  Or just get overwhelmed.  If I had one complaint about A to Z, it is that it has gotten too big.  Trying to participate is like drinking from a fire hose, as we say here in the States.

Ah well.  Life goes on, and I can tell you that Charlottesville, Virginia, has the most beautiful dogwoods you will ever see. 

My favorite?  This one on, of all topics, a cemetery in Brooklyn.

Despite my Internet woes, I found some blogs I am reading now, even after the challenge has ended.    Such as this one, Mumbai on a High.  And this one, Cresting the Hill.

And if I'm hungry, I will read a food blog.  Tina participated with two blogs.  It was hard enough with one, and Tina completed the challenge with two blogs. 

This challenge has staying power.  I still read a couple of blogs I found last year, and read them regularly.  Laws of Gravity, a teacher in California and a fellow crocheter.  CollectIn Texas Gal, who has quite a varied list of topics.  And, My Life in Retirement, who has completed several of these challenges. There are other blogs, too, which I didn't mention.

In that respect, the Challenge was a success.

And for that I thank you, my readers.

Throwback Friday - When is A Fall Not a Fall?

This post, with some minor edits, was first published in my blog in May of 2015.  Since then, I know one senior who died from a fall, one whose health is failing from a fall, and (I don't know this senior personally, but I know her daughter) still another senior, once a strong, vibrant woman, now is something quite the opposite.

I took a falls prevention class last May and June, and am still practicing the exercises I learned.  I was thinking of starting up this Friday feature again.  But first, some background:

When Is A Fall Not A Fall?

When is a fall not a fall?

Last week, I blogged about how I had signed up for a falling prevention course because - well, I've fallen several times in the past four years.  I am only 62 years old and I know what this can mean down the road.

My spouse had a relative who died from complications of a fall. My brother in law's mother in law has been hospitalized or in rehab since March after a fall in her bathtub resulted in a head injury.  Even my spouse's aunt, who is 103, has not escaped falling.  A fall when she was 102 (it wasn't her first fall, either) led to a partial hip replacement.  She will never be independent again, although (for now) she still lives at home.

Falling, for a senior, can be a death sentence at worst.  At best, it can result in broken bones, a trip to the Emergency Room, and/or the loss of independence.  So, if you are reading this post, and haven't fallen, you may still have elderly relatives to think about. Or, your taxes may be paying the medical bills of those who have fallen.  This is a problem that impacts all of us.

So, that's how I found myself sitting last Wednesday in a circle with six other women, and one man, and two facilitators.  The facilitators, both women, were retired RN's.  And, both had fallen.  We were all in good company.

We went around the circle, introducing ourselves, and telling our falling stories. So many of them seemed to involve walking dogs and uneven ground or gopher holes but there were some pretty nasty in-home falls, too.

Then the facilitators asked how many in the group had had joint replacements.  Almost everyone had had at least one, if not more.  In other words, I was sitting in a group of Bionic Seniors.

The program I am taking is evidence based and was developed in Australia.


Next, two physical therapists joined the class to teach us exercises we would do to build up our balance and strength, to prevent future falls.  Four exercises for balance, to be done daily.  Four exercises for strength, to be done three times a week.

I didn't feel out of place at all.  Certainly no one was giving me funny looks or wondering why a young senior was sitting in the class.

I talked to one of the RN's after class and she told me a person at risk of falling, no matter what their age, could take the class.
 
The youngest person to take this class locally was in her mid 40's.  The oldest was 103 - she is 106 now.  So, it is never too early (if you have the need), or too late.  As we were told, age is an attitude.  There are people in their 90's who think more youthfully than people in their 60's.  I want to be one of those people.


As for the question "when is a fall not a fall?"  One of the RN's explained that when someone calls to register, she always asks, "have you fallen?" Many times, her question is met with several moments of silence, as the person on the other end of thephone thinks about it.  Was their fall a fall? 

Too many people think, the RN explained, a fall doesn't "count" if it doesn't result in a trip to the ER or a broken bone.  But, the RN went on, "it's like being a little bit pregnant.  You did or you didn't. You either fell or you didn't."

Throwback Thursday - A Homemade Healthy Super Bowl

Today is the Cinco de Mayo (May 5), celebrated in many in the United States as an eating and drinking holiday.

Today is NOT  Mexican Independence Day (that comes in September), but rather, today commemorates a 1862 battle where Mexicans defeated a French army despite being outnumbered.  Eventually, the Mexicans won the war and ousted the French.  And, during our United States Civil War, this holiday and what it stood for started to gain popularity in the United States.  Now, it is actually more celebrated in the United States than in Mexico.

For today, I am repeating a Super Bowl post from 2015. Whether or not you are trying to lose or maintain weight, I am hoping  you may get some inspiration from this for your Cinco de Mayo celebration. And if you don't celebrate - why not have some of this food, anyway?

A Homemade Healthy Super Bowl

This is my third Super Bowl on Weight Watchers, which creates quite a challenge.

For those of my readers not in the United States, a brief explanation.  Super Bowl Sunday (tomorrow) is the final, championship game of our football (meaning American football, not football meaning soccer -oh, never mind) season. People gather to drink lots of beer, eat lots of snacks, gorge on mass quantities of fried chicken wings with caloric sauces, and watch commercials that cost millions of dollars.  And, somewhere in there, there is a sports match and a half time show featuring a celebrity singer.  This year, it's Katy Perry.

"Healthy" and "Super Bowl" normally do not go together. And, if you aren't careful, "delicious" and "healthy" variations of high fat items do not go together, either.

The first time we tried to make healthy snacks, it was New Years Eve, 2012, I was new to Weight Watchers and much of the food my spouse made was inedible.  Dry. Tasteless  Ugh. We decided that, in the future, we would not try to do "healthy" makeovers of fatty food, but rather, forge our own trail.

So, we have (no pun intended) lightened up a bit.  It's a splurge day.

We will have guacamole, although we won't make it in this device.  It is so simple - peel ripe avocadoes, mash (we like ours a little chunky), add chopped sweet pepper (orange, yellow, red), garlic, scallions, a little salt, a touch of homemade ground chili pepper (my spouse's own secret mix, so I can't tell you) and a touch of lime juice. Just don't eat too much.  Easier said than done.

We serve with chips - these happen to be local chips made about an hour away from us.  Or, make your own baked ones - take fresh corn tortillas, cut into triangles (pizza cutter works great for this), spread on cookie sheet, bake at 400 degrees F until they start to turn light brown.  (Celsius folks, you are on your own-sorry.)

Salsa makes a wonderful dip - and fat free salsa has no Weight Watchers points. It's so easy to make, too, if you have good fresh tomatoes available. If not, use canned dice tomatoes (preferably fire roasted diced tomatoes).  Simply chop up ripe fresh tomatoes or use the canned ones, combine with chopped pepper and onions, season with cilantro, lime juice, salt to taste, jalapenos if you like it spicy.  Or, buy it pre made in the refrigerated section of your market.

We'll be serving fresh fruit although, at this time of year, there is little local fresh fruit to be had here in upstate New York.  This is the time of year we are grateful to Florida, California and Chile.

We don't bother with low fat versions of high fat dips - we are not fans of fat free mayonnaise or fat free sour cream.  You can substitute fat free Greek yogurt with a touch of lime juice (for zing) for sour cream, too.  An easy dip can be made with the fat free yogurt, a can of black beans, some cilantro, salsa, just blending it to consistency.  Add jalapenos for spice.

And last, instead of those chicken wings, how about some Thai Chicken Skewers?  We haven't tried this recipe yet but I am a big fan of powdered peanut butter.  We have used a product called PB2 but decided to use "Just Great Stuff" which we found locally.  It is organic, and uses organic coconut sugar, sustainably harvested and low glycemic.  I know some people shy away from this type of product, but I don't have a peanut allergy, and this is a good alternative for me.

Do you make your own snacks?

Throwback Wednesday - The Ugly Stepsister of Cancer

Today should have been my Wednesday Spring Things feature, but something else is on my mind. 

A former New York State Senator from our area passed away yesterday afternoon from prostate cancer.  He was 63.  He represented our area for years and was in the news for years.  A county official, meantime, has been battling lung cancer for several years.

In mid-April a former co worker passed away, from breast cancer.

This post is originally from May of 2014. And if I was to update it, it would contain even more sad news.

Since I blogged this, the person whose news caused her friend to break a lunch date with me passed away, as did the friend I gave the "Ugly Stepsister of Cancer" essay link to.  The person who broke the lunch date got her own cancer diagnosis in late 2014 (in remission). And now, a family member of my former walking companion is, in turn, taking that walk with cancer.

When will it ever end?

The Ugly Stepsister of Cancer

While I would love to blog about spring today, there is something going on that I need to blog about.

White Hyacinth in my Front Yard 2014

But first, a picture for my blog readers to enjoy.  In the language of flowers, hyacinth can mean consistency.  Or, it can mean "I'm sorry, please forgive me."


Last week, I got an email from someone I had a lunch date with.  She had been in communication with a woman she knew.  That person had "a cold that wouldn't quit." Finally, the person sought medical help.

It wasn't a cold.  It was lung cancer.  And before that woman could blink twice, she was being put into hospice care.  Her family called my friend and told her the woman was asking for her.

It was, needless to say, overwhelming. What do you do when you go to the doctor and find out you have something you never expected?  Well, my friend broke her date with me (good for her!) and went to her other friend - one who is suddenly making the acquaintance of the Ugly Stepsister of Cancer.

I decided to go to the library, now that I was without a lunch date. I found a wonderful book there, written by a local (well, from Ithaca, but Ithaca is only an hour from where I live in upstate New York) breast cancer survivor, called "When Your Life is Touched by Cancer". The author is Bob Riter. 

Yes, the author is male and is a breast cancer survivor.  Yes, men get breast cancer.  And, in fact, my spouse is at risk due to his family history.

There is one cancer that Bob Riter, who has worked with cancer patients as the executive director of The Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes, calls "The Ugly Stepsister of Cancer".  It is lung cancer.

Lung cancer patients bear a burden no other cancer patients bear.  They find themselves required to explain their cancer, over and over.  "Do you smoke?"  "Did you smoke?" they are asked when they tell others of their cancer.

If no (which is the case of someone I know who has been battling lung cancer for over two years),  the patient has to explain that yes, some 15% of people who get lung cancer never smoked.

If yes - well, it's your fault.  No support for you!

Why, ever, would we EVER want to blame someone who has cancer for their cancer?  But my friend has been through this, and now my friend's friend will have go to through this, too.

Also, last Tuesday, I gave four trees to a work friend who lives out in the country to plant in honor of a late neighbor,who died while I was on vacation in April.  I can still remember the day he told me, matter of factly, that he had cancer, and how he was trying to make his peace with it.  (And no, I won't describe "his battle", because that's another thing Bob Riter talks about.)

Finally, last Tuesday, my mother in law found out that her cancerous tumor is dead, but she still needs testing to make sure the cancer didn't spread.  And, meanwhile, she has bills coming in.  She's elderly, she does not have boundless energy, and she asked us to help investigate some of the bills.  She seems to be falling through the cracks of help. Wrong cancer. Wrong place of residence.  Wrong wrong wrong.

Cancer has been on my mind a lot lately.  So what I did was....email Bob Riter.

And he emailed me back!

What a marvelous person, and the people of Ithaca, New York are so lucky to have him in their lives.

He gave me some starting points with which to help my mother in law.  And, he recommended that I give my friend with lung cancer a copy of the "Ugly Stepsister of Cancer" essay. He's generously posted it online for any of us to read. (To my friend,  I'm sending her the essay.)

If you have cancer, or have a loved one or friend with cancer, I highly recommend this book.  It is a treasure.  It covers so much, in simple language and in easy to read bites.  Bob Riter has thought of everything.  Well, everything but the line of Hallmark cards I'd REALLY like to see, but that's a blog post for another time.

And now, I hope I don't have to talk about cancer again for a long, long time. But, sadly, I know that is not going to happen.

Spring Memories

Strange, what brings back memories.
Here in Binghamton, New York, nature is gearing up. 

My Mom loved lilacs.  Their fragrance reminds me of her.  She died in her 40's.  I've been able to see so many more springs than she did.

When lilacs bloom, dogwoods (a native to our country) are not far behind.  This tree will be stunning in a few days (especially if the sun ever shows its face again).  Meanwhile, this spring, we visited Charlottesville, VA not long after their dogwood festival - what beauty.

Sorry about the blur

Teaming with lilacs for a perfect trifecta, an Eastern Redbud (also a native tree).  Again, this is just a taste of what the tree will look like in a few days.

One of my aunts, who passed away years ago, loved redbuds so much.   The streets of where she lived, Iowa City, Iowa, were lined with these beautiful trees.

There are other flowering trees in Binghamton right now, but their pictures will have to wait for tomorrow.  Because today, I think of my loved ones who were once part of my life, and who no longer are.  They live again each spring, as sleeping trees and bulbs come to life.  Before they leaf out, they remind us that beauty is fleeting.  They remind us that life is meant to be enjoyed, one day at a time.  But don't take too long - if you wait until it's too late, you may never get another chance.

Thank you, spring.

Since 1898, incidentally, thousands of people have visited Rochester, New York (about 2 1/2 hours from us) for its annual Highland Park lilac festival. Over 500,000 people are expected to visit during the 10 day festival this year, which starts on Friday.  And, in another memory, there

But for me, the festival of spring starts right here, at home.

What does spring mean to you?  Beauty? Allergies? 

Music Monday - One Hit Wonders

In honor of the month of May, I will continue my Music Monday feature cut short by the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (except for May 9, which is a "reflections" day on that challenge).  I am hoping it doesn't turn into a musical obituary, which had seriously had me thinking of discontinuing the feature. 

Yesterday, listening to a solid gold music station on a satellite music service called Sirius XM, I heard an announcement of a new, temporary, radio channel called Onederland.  It's purpose - to play only One Hit Wonders - artists who only had one hit (I am assuming, defined as only one hit that broke the Billboard Top 40).

This definition is, by definition, somewhat fluid.  Some artists have one hit in one country, and many, in another. (I suspect that Onederland is using United States one-hit wonders). Or, you can have artists crossing over from another genre where they were more popular, or even from another field altogether, such as Richard Harris.

Note, I am not a "music blogger": if you are, and you disagree with any of these, I welcome your comments (or additions of your favorites).

Do you have any favorite one hit wonders?  I have a number.  And, if you need help remembering, here is one of the many lists available on the Internet.

My all-time favorite One Hit Wonder - MacArthur Park, as sung by actor Richard Harris. (I also loved the version by Donna Summer. I just love this song. Period.).  I played the 45 I had of this song almost to death (and it was probably amazing my father didn't commit homicide, either - he must have heard each rendition in our small apartment).

King Tut, sung by comedian Steve Martin.

The instrumental "Telstar" by The Tornados.  It's one of my favorite instrumentals, along with this one:

Chariots of Fire Theme - Vangelis.

All Right Now - Free.

Reflecting a one hit wonder crossover by a group that had a number of hits on the R&B charts, this was their only top 40 on the pop charts: O-o-h Child by the Five Stairsteps.

Finally - bringing back memories of my childhood in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, two come to mind:

Gun Hill Road - Back When My Hair Was Short.  This was released in 1972, when I still lived in the Bronx, off of -yes, Gun Hill Road.

White Plains - My Baby Loves Loving (because I also lived just off of White Plains Road).

Do you have any favorite One Hit Wonders?  Please feel free to share.

Small Spring Miracles

Perhaps, here in upstate New York on a dreary May Day, we should be depressed.

I'm not, though.

Granted, spring did not start out the way it usually does. 

Trees started blooming weeks before they should have.    Then, an arctic blast of air came through, dumping up to four inches of snow in rural areas around Binghamton.  At my son's house, it got to -6F.

The early spring became the Dawn of the Dead (blossoms). 

We despaired at seeing the dead magnolia blossoms, the forsythias that never bloomed, the dead cherry blossoms so majestic a day or so before, and, most of all the apple trees (we are in a major apple growing area). Those trees just stood there.  Nothing happened.

But below the surface of those seemingly dead trees, something was happening.

Second spring.

So now, I bring you....Second Spring. A small spring miracle.  Perhaps "miracle" is too strong a word, but, to me, it isn't.

A new day has dawned.

Not too many apple blossoms (perhaps we'll get a sparse crop, if anything), but the trees are blooming.

County courthouse, downtown Binghamton NY, April 27

Spring has returned.  You know those dead magnolia blossoms?  Live blooms are opening, almost a month later, next to the dead ones.

...and they are blooming.

A handful of forsythia blossoms, as the plants leaf out.

Spring has returned.  And you'll forgive me, dear reader if, full of spring, I blog about it for the next few days.

There is nothing like a small spring miracle.

Zaidman #AtoZChallenge

So, what is a Zaidman, and why am I writing about it?

It's not a thing - it's a person.  It's Z time - time for the letter Z, and the end of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Today's post is a tribute to eyesight.  We take it for granted, but not everyone is granted eyesight.

Some of you may have seen the video of a baby in Seattle with a rare eye condition.  A video camera catches the minute little Leo, being treated by an eye specialist in Los Angeles, has special glasses put on his head and his first experience with seeing clearly.

It's not the first time I've seen glasses like that, though.

Earlier this month, my spouse and I sat with my mother in law in the office of Dr. Gerald Zaidman, an eye specialist in Westchester County, a suburb of New York City.

As we waited (and waited) for my mother in law to be seen by Dr. Zaidman, we saw a number of patients called in ahead of us.

One of them, a toddler, had been playing a game on a tablet before she was called. She was holding it right up to her nose. Her mother (I assume it was her mother) sat with her patiently.

Another little girl, perhaps a preschooler, announced to the entire waiting room "I love all of you!" as the staff smiled.  One offered her a lollypop.

One of the patients was a baby, and he was wearing glasses that looked like the glasses little baby Leo was wearing.  I could only imagine what that baby, and his parents (both accompanied him), had already been through.  I overheard the mother tell the person sitting next to them that their baby would have his next cataract surgery in three weeks.

As for that long wait - Dr. Zaidman had handled one emergency already, and was being called away to another one.  He is obviously in great demand.

Too many of us take our sight for granted.  I have poor uncorrected vision (I have been legally blind without corrective lenses since around age seven or eight) and used to go annually to an eye specialist at Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital in Manhattan until I was a teenager.  But I am fortunate - my vision has always been correctable.  And perhaps it always will be.  For me, my poor vision only lasts until I can reach my glasses.  But, as I sat there in Dr. Zaidman's waiting room, I thought about my childhood vision for the first time in years- what if I had been one of those children in that waiting room, back 60 plus years ago?

Other bloggers I have read have much greater challenges with vision than I have, and face their challenges with great courage (and, for many, faith in a higher power that helps them to find that courage).  These bloggers, such as blogger Amy Bovaird, are well worth reading.

I hope that the efforts and vision of doctors like Dr. Zaidman and others will eventually make vision challenges a thing of the past.

Thank you for reading my blog during the A to Z Blogging Challenge.   Tomorrow, I return to my normal blogging schedule.