There's a huge market, isn't there, for the "everything was horrible but I/my city/my country overcame, and now everything is hunky-dory" story.
Except, sometimes it just isn't so.
Actually, I think a lot of times it just isn't so. I hate to be a Debbie Downer here, but the blind don't always see, the amputees don't always become Paralympic champions, and people who have struggled with the terrible impact of natural disasters don't always get back to where they were before the fire/flood/tornado hit. And, sadly, that third thing sometimes isn't because of the disaster - but because of scum masquerading as fellow citizens.
I do know a little something about the third topic. I've gotten to the point where I can talk about well meaning people (and the not-well meaning people and the harm (or the non-help, at best) they sometimes provide. What I am about to say may not be popular but it is what I have learned out of the truths of what my neighborhood, my town, my area, went through during a natural disaster last September.
We have been conditioned to think that it is so easy to help those in need. Just text '12345' (or whatever) and presto, you have helped!
Not exactly.
But, dear reader, there are other ways you CAN help. I compiled this list not that long after the flood that hit my area of upstate New York last September. I don't want to presume, but I have a feeling this may be of help to others who truly want to help, but don't know how. They feel they have to do SOMETHING.
5. Don't come out to see us. No, really, don't. First, we aren't animals in a zoo, to be stared at. Please, give us space. At first we are in shock but then that shock wears off - and really, we don't want you to see our tears, or some of the things we do that may seem bizarre to some, but actually make sense in context. If you aren't an emergency worker or with a charity that knows what it is doing, STAY HOME.
4. Don't take pictures of us. We aren't one of those commercials where charities use pictures of sad, beaten dogs or starving children to get your sympathy and your dollars. I got so upset at a cousin (at a family event, no less) a couple of months ago when he told me how he wasn't impacted by the flood but he had gone around and taken pictures where his city did flood. No Kodak moments, please. Not unless you are a journalist or a historian.
3. Don't send clothes. Well, sometimes we do need clothes but not the clothes that get sent so many times - clothes full of stains, holes, and rips. If you wouldn't wear it, don't send it.
So many people sent clothes after the flood, and charities were overwhelmed with them.
2. Don't trash our neighborhood. We aren't your garbage dump, either. If you carry in cigarettes, coffee, and sandwiches, please take out what they came in. Respect us.
1. Don't call us victims. We are not victims! And while I am on the topic of victimization, I hope there is a special place in hell for those who went to charities for help that they didn't need (and literally took food out of the mouths of those who needed it). Or the "contractors" who showed up, but were really scam artists.
10 months ago, the people in my neighborhood were very grateful to the volunteer firefighters, who came on 9/11 to pump out basements, the Salvation Army, who served meals, and the many people who did really help: who showed up out of nowhere and started to help with the filthiest of chores or to set up tents and serve meals. More times than you would think they had been impacted themselves. Or, they found their workplace closed and just decided to see where nearby the need was greatest.
THAT was true help. It will not be forgotten. For many, the road back is long, and as I pointed out before, they may never be in the same place as they were before.
Just don't exploit us in our hour, day, or year of need. I suspect that is what someone impacted by any disaster would say.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
The Valley of Sickness
Yesterday and today were the 10 month anniversary of our flooding due to Tropical Storm Lee (aided by Tropical Storm Irene mere weeks before plus a wetter than normal summer to begin with.)
We are approaching drought conditions here with almost record low river levels, which is a pretty big irony given that on September 9, 2011 the river was about 8 feet from the back of our house. Blocks from where we live, buildings were drowned in over 8 feet of water.
We had almost no snow this past winter - great for walking, not so great for nature. At the airport (on a high hilltop) we got 43.5 inches and came in third in the annual Golden Snowball competition. At our river valley house, I think it was more like 20 inches. Syracuse, about 70 miles north of here, had about 50 inches - winter before last, they got that much in one storm!
I was afraid of the "unintended consequences" of the flood and then our mild winter - and sure enough, our Susquehanna River Valley has turned into a valley of sickness.
A relative, who lives on a hill in the Town of Owego (a town very hard hit by the flood, as I've blogged previously) was sick a lot of the winter, thanks to asthma and other issues.
My spouse is so plagued by allergies and sinus, we had to cancel a trip to New Jersey to see a relative visiting from Texas because he was sick. Every time the weather turns hot, he suffers, and I am so grateful we weren't one of the millions of people who lost power in that heatwave after the derecho of June 29.
Many people here have just been plain sick.
Then there were the outbreaks of hives. I understand, from Internet research, that this is not uncommon after floods. I'm sure stress in general didn't help, either.
When we moved here in the mid 1980's we were told that the Native Americans living here called our valley the "Valley of Sickness". Apparently, thanks in part to a climate change and in part to a flood, we are once again a Valley of Sickness.
Have allergies been severe where you live this summer?
We are approaching drought conditions here with almost record low river levels, which is a pretty big irony given that on September 9, 2011 the river was about 8 feet from the back of our house. Blocks from where we live, buildings were drowned in over 8 feet of water.
We had almost no snow this past winter - great for walking, not so great for nature. At the airport (on a high hilltop) we got 43.5 inches and came in third in the annual Golden Snowball competition. At our river valley house, I think it was more like 20 inches. Syracuse, about 70 miles north of here, had about 50 inches - winter before last, they got that much in one storm!
I was afraid of the "unintended consequences" of the flood and then our mild winter - and sure enough, our Susquehanna River Valley has turned into a valley of sickness.
A relative, who lives on a hill in the Town of Owego (a town very hard hit by the flood, as I've blogged previously) was sick a lot of the winter, thanks to asthma and other issues.
My spouse is so plagued by allergies and sinus, we had to cancel a trip to New Jersey to see a relative visiting from Texas because he was sick. Every time the weather turns hot, he suffers, and I am so grateful we weren't one of the millions of people who lost power in that heatwave after the derecho of June 29.
Many people here have just been plain sick.
Then there were the outbreaks of hives. I understand, from Internet research, that this is not uncommon after floods. I'm sure stress in general didn't help, either.
When we moved here in the mid 1980's we were told that the Native Americans living here called our valley the "Valley of Sickness". Apparently, thanks in part to a climate change and in part to a flood, we are once again a Valley of Sickness.
Have allergies been severe where you live this summer?
Sunday, July 8, 2012
The War Dead of Mt. Airy, NC
It's been less than a week since Andy Griffith, a beloved actor here in the United States, passed away.
As I blogged about earlier this week, I visited his native Mt. Airy, NC four times, most recently in March. It's a good stopping point for when we drive from upstate New York into points South. It lies in beautiful Surry County, just a few miles from the Virginia birthplace of General J.E.B. Stuart - a story for another day.
On this March 2012 trip, I decided to investigate Mt. Airy past the tourist areas to see if I could find any Civil War monuments. I was going to feature whatever I found in a blog post, but had never quite gotten around to it. Now is as a good a time as any, because my search for Civil War information led me to a little mystery I wondered about and perhaps now would be a good time to ask if any of my readers have the answer.
But first, some background.
On the same street, but a few blocks from where the Andy and Opie statute in Mt. Airy, NC has become a temporary shrine for fans of Mr. Griffith to pay tribute, is a war memorial that pays tribute to all the war dead of Mt. Airy. The war dead are listed, by war, from the Revolutionary War forward, so this is technically not a Civil War monument. (There is also a historical Civil War marker in Mt. Airy, again a story for another day.)
The Civil War dead section was several columns wide. Sadly, no surprise there. But first, a little about the monument itself.
The monument from a distance. A lot of this monument consists of lists of war dead. For a town the size of Mt. Airy, it looks to be a rather large list.
Here's a closeup of the fountain.
Here is the beginning of the list of names. You'll note the war memorial calls the war the Civil War. This is not the preferred name of the war to a lot of Southerners. But North Carolina had a complicated role in the Civil War. North Carolinians fought on both sides. North Carolina and its neighboring state, Tennessee, were the last two states to secede.
Look at the third name on this panel. I immediately thought, "was this an ancestor of Andy Griffith?"
I do not know, and might not know, without extensive research. Geneological research, however, is not my specialty.
I did a very quick Internet search, and I find several mentions of a Samuel Griffith in Mt. Airy - one born (Samuel W) about 1869, another, Samuel T., born about 1873, but obviously neither one of these men would have fought in the Civil War. I also tried Family Search (the Mormon database) but came up empty. (There was a Samuel Griffiths, with a "s", a Union soldier, who died in 1865, but appeared to be from Maine.)
Another site, Census Diggins, is only up to "Go" surnames, has not cataloged the "Gr" soldiers yet.
If anyone has information regarding any of these Samuel Griffiths and if any were related to the late Andy Griffith, I would love to know about it.
As I blogged about earlier this week, I visited his native Mt. Airy, NC four times, most recently in March. It's a good stopping point for when we drive from upstate New York into points South. It lies in beautiful Surry County, just a few miles from the Virginia birthplace of General J.E.B. Stuart - a story for another day.
On this March 2012 trip, I decided to investigate Mt. Airy past the tourist areas to see if I could find any Civil War monuments. I was going to feature whatever I found in a blog post, but had never quite gotten around to it. Now is as a good a time as any, because my search for Civil War information led me to a little mystery I wondered about and perhaps now would be a good time to ask if any of my readers have the answer.
But first, some background.
On the same street, but a few blocks from where the Andy and Opie statute in Mt. Airy, NC has become a temporary shrine for fans of Mr. Griffith to pay tribute, is a war memorial that pays tribute to all the war dead of Mt. Airy. The war dead are listed, by war, from the Revolutionary War forward, so this is technically not a Civil War monument. (There is also a historical Civil War marker in Mt. Airy, again a story for another day.)
The Civil War dead section was several columns wide. Sadly, no surprise there. But first, a little about the monument itself.
The monument from a distance. A lot of this monument consists of lists of war dead. For a town the size of Mt. Airy, it looks to be a rather large list.
Here is the beginning of the list of names. You'll note the war memorial calls the war the Civil War. This is not the preferred name of the war to a lot of Southerners. But North Carolina had a complicated role in the Civil War. North Carolinians fought on both sides. North Carolina and its neighboring state, Tennessee, were the last two states to secede.
Look at the third name on this panel. I immediately thought, "was this an ancestor of Andy Griffith?"
I did a very quick Internet search, and I find several mentions of a Samuel Griffith in Mt. Airy - one born (Samuel W) about 1869, another, Samuel T., born about 1873, but obviously neither one of these men would have fought in the Civil War. I also tried Family Search (the Mormon database) but came up empty. (There was a Samuel Griffiths, with a "s", a Union soldier, who died in 1865, but appeared to be from Maine.)
Another site, Census Diggins, is only up to "Go" surnames, has not cataloged the "Gr" soldiers yet.
If anyone has information regarding any of these Samuel Griffiths and if any were related to the late Andy Griffith, I would love to know about it.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Sustainable Saturday - Dinosaur at the Community Garden
Have you ever seen a community garden? Allow me to give you a brief tour of the one my spouse gardens at. It is located at Otsiningo Park, a county park near Binghamton, New York.
People can rent 20 x 25 plots for $20/year. The annual rent includes a spring plowing and water. We rent two, because we have a small home plot and and a lot of shade. Next year, we may cut it down to one plot.
The first several photos are of our plot, taken on July 4. The first picture is of Lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan or "dinosaur" kale. Looks unusual, doesn't it? Not all supermarkets (or farmers markets) sell this but it is a very good tasting variety.
Next, a patch of Jade bush green beans. You'll note from both pictures that our community garden ground is quite rocky. The soil is far from the best, although we have tried to work organic matter into it over the years. (We can keep our plots from previous years.) This September, the garden will be closed down around the 16th and a one-time cover crop will be planted. The governing organization has never done this before and it is hoped it will help to improve our soil.
We have various other crops growing, including carrots, summer squashes, pole beans (which animals have been picnicking on), tomatoes and peppers. (The weeds are doing great, too, thank you.) For the pole beans (which we usually don't grow) we are growing Fortex, Kentucky Wonder Wax, and a Romano type. We have very good luck with onions and usually grow three varieties.
Our favorite bean, Sequoia, has been a total bust this year, with constant animal attacks.
We use the raised bed method and have for many years now.
Our community garden always had a problem with unrented plots going to weed. For the first time, it seems like almost all of the plots have been rented (or, at least, donated).
One of our neighbors uses plastic mulches extensively. It makes for a very neat garden but, unfortunately, our garden is going to ban the practice in the next year or so. I plan to blog about that as the gardening season progresses.
This is another garden plot, featuring both vegetables and flowers.
We haven't planted sunflowers in years, as they reseed. (these are the Mammoth sunflowers, grown for seed, but we have so many we use them for bouquets, too). We are very close to having sunflowers. I can't wait!
Is our community garden organic? Not yet, but this is another change coming, And I wonder how some of our neighbors will adjust. I will blog about that in the near future, too.
Community gardens can be found in many settings. Does your city/town have one?
People can rent 20 x 25 plots for $20/year. The annual rent includes a spring plowing and water. We rent two, because we have a small home plot and and a lot of shade. Next year, we may cut it down to one plot.
The first several photos are of our plot, taken on July 4. The first picture is of Lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan or "dinosaur" kale. Looks unusual, doesn't it? Not all supermarkets (or farmers markets) sell this but it is a very good tasting variety.
Next, a patch of Jade bush green beans. You'll note from both pictures that our community garden ground is quite rocky. The soil is far from the best, although we have tried to work organic matter into it over the years. (We can keep our plots from previous years.) This September, the garden will be closed down around the 16th and a one-time cover crop will be planted. The governing organization has never done this before and it is hoped it will help to improve our soil.
Our favorite bean, Sequoia, has been a total bust this year, with constant animal attacks.
We use the raised bed method and have for many years now.
Our community garden always had a problem with unrented plots going to weed. For the first time, it seems like almost all of the plots have been rented (or, at least, donated).
Is our community garden organic? Not yet, but this is another change coming, And I wonder how some of our neighbors will adjust. I will blog about that in the near future, too.
Community gardens can be found in many settings. Does your city/town have one?
Friday, July 6, 2012
I'll Be the Roundabout
Yesterday, the cry of a peregrine falcon echoed through downtown Binghamton, New York.
Ignoring the stilled machinery, the dug up streets, the detoured traffic, the falcon patrolled the skies above its home, the Security Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York building.
Below him (or her), the Roundabout slowly takes shape.
It's the talk of all Binghamton, New York. And not in a nice way. Everyone who works downtown, or shops downtown, or just passes through downtown, has an opinion. Many times, that opinion is unprintable.
Will The Roundabout, aka the Court Street Gateway Project, save our burnt out industrial city of some 47,000 citizens? Or will it help to destroy it? And why should you, dear reader who probably doesn't live in Binghamton, care?
Because a roundabout may be coming to an intersection near you, that's why.
This is the latest flavor of Urban Renewal. It's the answer to our traffic prayers. Of course, there have been other flavors of urban renewal served to Binghamton with disastrous results. For example, the downtown pedestrian mall that almost killed our fair city when it became a hangout for undesirables. The street was eventually reopened to traffic, several million dollars later.
This roundabout is so controversial, the City of Binghamton has devoted part of its website to trying to justify it, trying to reassure its citizens that our downtown will be all the better for it.
There is even a video that allows us to "drive" through the roundabout. And a FAQ page. We are told that we may oppose it now, but we'll love it once we've driven on it several times.
As a pedestrian, I'm concerned too. Especially after someone lost control of their vehicle about two weeks ago, went up on the sidewalk, hit a pedestrian and ended up partially inside a convenience store which (if you know where it is) is visible in the first picture above. No, it wasn't the fault of the construction but it still makes me wonder how drivable that roundabout will be.
Since March we working downtown have endured constant drilling, dust, detours, and worse. I feel bad for the office workers working directly in front of the construction. Right now the jackhammers are stilled because this weekend is Binghamton's July Fest. So I was able to hear the cry of peregrine falcons for the first time in months.
But Monday the drilling will resume.
Has your town or city built one of the new-style roundabouts? If so, do you like it? Or not?
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Knowing Just Enough to be Dangerous
Each month, I pick up a local free magazine at my local library. It sometimes has articles that interest me. This month, there was an article on a topic I wanted to know more about.
I started to read the article.
Then, something happened that had never happened before.
I looked again at the first paragraph. "Too long", I thought to myself. "Why did she use that word to describe that person?" I asked myself.
My reaction to the next paragraph surprised me even more. "That's one long paragraph!" I started to count the sentences. I got to 30 sentences and then I stopped. The paragraph was continuing, stretching out into the distance like one of those rolling written descriptions at the beginning of certain movies.
What was I doing? Wasn't I supposed to be reading this article for pleasure? Why was I trying to edit it?
That 30 plus sentence paragraph totally distracted me. Only with a burst of willpower was I able to return to the article and finish it.
This is not a literary magazine I am blogging about. This magazine contains articles written by certain business owners in a certain category of business, hoping they will attract business by describing their services.
I have arrived somewhere new. Where I am, I don't know. There was this Author Blog Challenge I participated in last month. There was so much to read, and I haven't been able to catch up. But on a subconscious level, I must have absorbed something.
And now I know just enough to be dangerous.
I don't have enough knowledge for this new place. I've forgotten some of the parts of speech. I can't remember what a participle is. Last month, my sister in law had to explain to me what a gerund is. (I've since forgotten and now will have to look it up.) I wonder if I am putting my periods in all the wrong places. I tap dance around "lay" vs. "lie".. I dread the day when the Grammar Police visit my blog, and close it down.
So what am I doing mentally editing someone else's article?
Is this how it begins? Will I lose my love of reading as I become aware of every flaw in someone's writing? Will I have to take the next step of (gulp) having someone criticize and edit my work?
Do I want this?
Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.
I started to read the article.
Then, something happened that had never happened before.
I looked again at the first paragraph. "Too long", I thought to myself. "Why did she use that word to describe that person?" I asked myself.
My reaction to the next paragraph surprised me even more. "That's one long paragraph!" I started to count the sentences. I got to 30 sentences and then I stopped. The paragraph was continuing, stretching out into the distance like one of those rolling written descriptions at the beginning of certain movies.
What was I doing? Wasn't I supposed to be reading this article for pleasure? Why was I trying to edit it?
That 30 plus sentence paragraph totally distracted me. Only with a burst of willpower was I able to return to the article and finish it.
This is not a literary magazine I am blogging about. This magazine contains articles written by certain business owners in a certain category of business, hoping they will attract business by describing their services.
I have arrived somewhere new. Where I am, I don't know. There was this Author Blog Challenge I participated in last month. There was so much to read, and I haven't been able to catch up. But on a subconscious level, I must have absorbed something.
And now I know just enough to be dangerous.
I don't have enough knowledge for this new place. I've forgotten some of the parts of speech. I can't remember what a participle is. Last month, my sister in law had to explain to me what a gerund is. (I've since forgotten and now will have to look it up.) I wonder if I am putting my periods in all the wrong places. I tap dance around "lay" vs. "lie".. I dread the day when the Grammar Police visit my blog, and close it down.
So what am I doing mentally editing someone else's article?
Is this how it begins? Will I lose my love of reading as I become aware of every flaw in someone's writing? Will I have to take the next step of (gulp) having someone criticize and edit my work?
Do I want this?
Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Wednesday Blooms - Red, White and Blue
Today, July 4, in the United States, it is our Independence Day.
One of the many things people do on the 4th of July is fly the American flag.
Back in early June, I was exercising walking in Otsiningo Park, a county park where I live in upstate New York. someone had decorated this tree, I assume for Memorial Day. (In our country, that originated as a holiday to decorate the graves of those who died in our Civil War, 1861-1865. It is now an overall day to honor war dead and - sadly - to shop.) I think this picture is fitting for our Independence Day, too.
Since this is my Wednesday bloom days, I will decorate my blog with patriotic flowers.
Red roses., taken on a walk through the West Side of Binghamton, New York.
White. Yes, these are white marigolds, and gardeners know this is an unusual color for marigolds. I've been on a mission for years to grow these. For some reason, marigolds just don't like my garden. I grew them nicely when I lived in Kansas and in Arkansas, but they have boycotted my upstate NY garden with a couple of exceptions. This is one of my few marigold success years. The variety (bought locally from plants, which I can't do every year either) is called Vanilla.
And blue. I noticed this cornflower in my front yard last night. I have no idea how it got there because we didn't plant it. Thank you - I needed a blue flower! (I would have used chicory, which is blooming abundantly all over, right now.)
We will have a BBQ later - hamburgers, sausage and peppers.
A part of me is thinking of the people all over our country who are suffering from weather gone wild. So many to list: the wonderful people of Colorado Springs, CO (it's been some 35 years since I've been there last!) whose houses are ash, the many people suffering from heat and still without electricity from the deracho of earlier this week, the people of Duluth, MN recently flooded (their online paper reminds me so much of our paper 10 months ago - just the names have changed), the people of Florida who have suffered through Tropical Storm Debbie, and even the people of West Virginia, some of whom are running short on food.
Our country is experiencing some hard times - but it has happened before, and we have always been stronger at the end of it. May it be the same this time.
To my readers in the United States, may you have a wonderful 4th of July.
One of the many things people do on the 4th of July is fly the American flag.
Since this is my Wednesday bloom days, I will decorate my blog with patriotic flowers.
A part of me is thinking of the people all over our country who are suffering from weather gone wild. So many to list: the wonderful people of Colorado Springs, CO (it's been some 35 years since I've been there last!) whose houses are ash, the many people suffering from heat and still without electricity from the deracho of earlier this week, the people of Duluth, MN recently flooded (their online paper reminds me so much of our paper 10 months ago - just the names have changed), the people of Florida who have suffered through Tropical Storm Debbie, and even the people of West Virginia, some of whom are running short on food.
Our country is experiencing some hard times - but it has happened before, and we have always been stronger at the end of it. May it be the same this time.
To my readers in the United States, may you have a wonderful 4th of July.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Andy Griffith's Mt Airy, NC
Millions of Americans mourn the passing of actor Andy Griffith at the age of 86.
To many of them, Andy Griffith was Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry, NC on the Andy Griffith Show, which ran during the 1960's and has been in reruns since. Mayb....I mean Mt. Airy, North Carolina, is a real place and thousands of tourists visit there each year.
In reality, Andy Griffith was born, and grew up, in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. I have visited Mt. Airy several times, most recently this past March. I wanted to share some of those memories of my most recent visit with you. No, I'm not going to post a picture of the famous Andy and Opie statue (yes, I have a picture of it - of course I do! Why do you ask?) but rather, some different views of the town.
Mt. Airy is a mixture of Andy Griffith tourist memorabilia, Mayberry, and a modern North Carolina town.
One of their older downtown buildings.
The Snappy Lunch of the Andy Griffith show is a real restaurant, open for breakfast and lunch. We had breakfast there. It is nothing fancy - basically a hometown small town restaurant where everyone knows each other. Meals are served on paper plates. But it was cheap, and it was good.
Floyd Lawson (Mayberry's barber) may be a fictional character who did business at Floyd's Barber Shop but in real life, Mt. Airy has Floyd's City Barber Shop.
Owner Russell Hiatt is in his 80's, and yes, you can get a cut there at a reasonable price. I tried to goad my spouse into getting his hair cut there, but he had had his hair cut recently, so on we walked.
This is the inside of the barber shop and yes, that is a wall of photographs.
Finally, a display of old pop (soda) bottles in a Mt. Airy store.
Andy Griffith, incidentally, may have surprised you as a person. And Mt. Airy is a lot more than Andy Griffith. If enough of my readers are interested, I'll be happy to post some more photos later this month.
Every year, Mt. Airy holds "Mayberry Days" in September. This year, George Lindsey's son, and Don Knotts' daughter, had been scheduled to attend. Of course, George Lindsey (Goober) passed away earlier this year.
What memories do you have of the Andy Griffith Show? Or, did you enjoy Andy Griffith in some of his other TV shows, or programs he appeared in?
To many of them, Andy Griffith was Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry, NC on the Andy Griffith Show, which ran during the 1960's and has been in reruns since. Mayb....I mean Mt. Airy, North Carolina, is a real place and thousands of tourists visit there each year.
In reality, Andy Griffith was born, and grew up, in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. I have visited Mt. Airy several times, most recently this past March. I wanted to share some of those memories of my most recent visit with you. No, I'm not going to post a picture of the famous Andy and Opie statue (yes, I have a picture of it - of course I do! Why do you ask?) but rather, some different views of the town.
Owner Russell Hiatt is in his 80's, and yes, you can get a cut there at a reasonable price. I tried to goad my spouse into getting his hair cut there, but he had had his hair cut recently, so on we walked.
Finally, a display of old pop (soda) bottles in a Mt. Airy store.
Andy Griffith, incidentally, may have surprised you as a person. And Mt. Airy is a lot more than Andy Griffith. If enough of my readers are interested, I'll be happy to post some more photos later this month.
Every year, Mt. Airy holds "Mayberry Days" in September. This year, George Lindsey's son, and Don Knotts' daughter, had been scheduled to attend. Of course, George Lindsey (Goober) passed away earlier this year.
What memories do you have of the Andy Griffith Show? Or, did you enjoy Andy Griffith in some of his other TV shows, or programs he appeared in?
Monday, July 2, 2012
Civil War Monday (Special Edition) Ignorance Was Bliss
How many Civil War generals became President of the United States? And which one, by his assassination, changed the entire course of medicine as practiced in the United States?
I won't give you the answer to the "how many generals" question (the answer can be found online) but a CBS news story had a wonderful take on the Civil War general turned President who was assassinated - but killed by his doctors, with the assistance of Alexander Graham Bell and a metal detector he invented.
The man was James Garfield.
If you've never heard of him you are not alone. He wasn't President for too long.
The story of Garfield, the last "log cabin President", is quite fascinating. It is a wonderful picture of just how corrupt politics had become in this country by 1881. James Garfield, in his few short months in office, had started to fight that corruption, when a man who thought he was ordered by the Allmighty to kill Garfield came along.
On July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot while waiting for a train by a frustrated office seeker. In modern times, the wound wouldn't have been serious enough to hospitalize him for more than 3 or 4 days. But in 1881, aided by a heaping dose of medical ignorance, Garfield lingered for 81 days before passing away.
In those days, many doctors in the United States did not believe in the theory of germs - medical theory stated that something called miasma (bad air) caused illness. So, at the scene, Garfield was placed on the dirty floor of the train station. His wound was probed by a number of doctors, none of whom had taken the elementary step of washing their hands. But they couldn't find the bullet.
And, in a twist you can not make up, Garfield's chief attending physician, who was considered an expert in ballistic trauma, was.....Bliss. (his first name was Doctor. No, you can't make this stuff up.)
Apparently, medicine had not progressed too much since the battlefield medical horrors of the Civil War. This would change with the assassination of Garfield. Germ theory was eventually accepted.
But in the meantime, it was too late for former Civil War General James Garfield.
I won't give you the answer to the "how many generals" question (the answer can be found online) but a CBS news story had a wonderful take on the Civil War general turned President who was assassinated - but killed by his doctors, with the assistance of Alexander Graham Bell and a metal detector he invented.
The man was James Garfield.
If you've never heard of him you are not alone. He wasn't President for too long.
The story of Garfield, the last "log cabin President", is quite fascinating. It is a wonderful picture of just how corrupt politics had become in this country by 1881. James Garfield, in his few short months in office, had started to fight that corruption, when a man who thought he was ordered by the Allmighty to kill Garfield came along.
On July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot while waiting for a train by a frustrated office seeker. In modern times, the wound wouldn't have been serious enough to hospitalize him for more than 3 or 4 days. But in 1881, aided by a heaping dose of medical ignorance, Garfield lingered for 81 days before passing away.
In those days, many doctors in the United States did not believe in the theory of germs - medical theory stated that something called miasma (bad air) caused illness. So, at the scene, Garfield was placed on the dirty floor of the train station. His wound was probed by a number of doctors, none of whom had taken the elementary step of washing their hands. But they couldn't find the bullet.
And, in a twist you can not make up, Garfield's chief attending physician, who was considered an expert in ballistic trauma, was.....Bliss. (his first name was Doctor. No, you can't make this stuff up.)
Apparently, medicine had not progressed too much since the battlefield medical horrors of the Civil War. This would change with the assassination of Garfield. Germ theory was eventually accepted.
But in the meantime, it was too late for former Civil War General James Garfield.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Civil War Sunday-A CBS Game Show and The Old Man
Welcome, participants in the Ultimate Blog Challenge! Today is my Civil War Sunday feature.
Recently, I blogged about the penmanship of the first doctor by the side of the shot President Lincoln on the fateful night in April, 1865. He was in the theater, witnessed the assassination, and held Lincoln's hand so that the blinded Lincoln would know he was not alone as he lay dying.
I got to thinking: when did the last eyewitness to Lincoln's assassination die? The answer surprised me.
The last living eyewitness to Lincoln's assassination was born in 1860 and died in April of 1956, 3 days short of the anniversary of Lincoln's death. Two months before his death, on February 9, 1956 he appeared on a CBS nighttime game show called I've Got a Secret. His name was Samuel Seymour.
I am fortunate that I grew up when some witnesses to the Civil War were still alive. The last verified Union veteran died several months after Seymour, in August 1956, at the age of 109. For Confederates, the records are murkier, for a number of reasons. I remember the centennial of the Civil War. I realize that, for many of my readers, all of this is "old history". In my opinion, though, survivors are our link to history.
Consider the older man in the video above. He was born on March 26, 1860, a little over a year before the United States Civil War started. Slavery was legal when he was born. People traveled by horse. No antibiotics were known, and battlefield doctors commonly used amputation to save lives. No commercial power stations, no electric appliances to make lives easier. Communication was still slow. Photography existed but in a primitive state.
Mr Seymour is a bridge to the past. From Ford's Theatre his life eventually took him onto network TV. Now, we can see his testimony over the Internet on You Tube. His story also appears in a book called "We Saw Lincoln Shot: One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts" published in 1995.
Now, as a famous radio broadcaster used to say - time for The Rest of the Story.
At the beginning of the video, host Gary Moore reveals that Mr. Seymour had fallen down in his New York hotel but decided to appear on the show anyway. Mr. Seymour had made a trip from his home in Arlington, Virginia to appear on the show. Ironically, the fall may have hastened his death (according to sources I read online).
We bloggers would do well to heed Paul Harvey, who made "The Rest of the Story" famous. Our blogs must always be interesting - and we would do well to approach a story from different angles.
Finally (in case you were wondering), the first questioner of Mr. Seymour is not Matt Damon, but rather a 50's and 60's game show staple by the name of Bill Cullen. But if you put glasses on Mr. Damon, wouldn't he look just like a young Bill Cullen?
Do you have a friend or relative who was (or were you) an eyewitness to an event that changed history?
Happy Canada Day!
Welcome Ultimate Blog Challengers- Let's Celebrate with Some Cake!
I live in upstate New York, about a 3 1/2 hour drive south of the Canadian border, about an hour south of Syracuse, NY, near the NY/Pennsylvania border. I've been blogging every day for some 14 months straight, and hope this Challenge will allow me to extend that streak.
This is a "miscellaneous" blog, by way of a short introduction. On Wednesdays I blog about flowers or something else related to the reason. On Sundays I blog about the American Civil War. Saturday is my "sustainable" feature - farmers' markets or something related to sustainable living. On any other day, I blog about anything that strikes my fancy. For instance today I am going to blog about....cake. And not just any cake.
Today is Canada Day, the day Canadians celebrate the July 1, 1867 enactment of the Constitution Act.
I have visited Canada several times, and have always had a lovely time.
One thing I've never done, though, is to be in Canada on Canada Day. One time, though, I was in Canada on the 4th of July, my country's Independence Day, because...well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. On that 4th of July visit, a bit homesick, I watched postponed Canada Day fireworks in Saint John, New Brunswick. It's really strange watching another country celebrate its birthday. It's also a learning experience.
It's too bad I wasn't there on Canada Day itself, because I probably missed a slice of birthday cake.
Birthday cake? Yes. In the United States we do many things on our Independence Day. We have parades. We listen to patriotic speeches. We have picnics. We have municipal celebrations. We enjoy fireworks. We drink beer. We go to baseball games. But we don't have municipal birthday cake. Not in any place I've lived in anyway, and I've lived in New York, Florida, Kansas, Arkansas and Iowa.
Canadians know that a birthday celebration should include cake. And that includes your country's birthday.
I learned that 4th of July about Canada Day Cake. A white cake with whipped cream frosting, topped with strawberries, is one way the Canadians celebrate their national birthday. The strawberries should be arranged in a maple leaf pattern on the cake. This may be served at a large outdoor festival. Coffee served might be Tim Horton's.
We Americans make flag cake for the 4th of July, but it isn't institutionalized in the same way. It's more of a novelty, something to serve to family and friends. Ours, also, is topped with something white. The cake is normally decorated with blueberries for the field of stars and strawberries for the stripes. However, I've never seen an actual Independence Day birthday cake served at a festival.
How does the country you live in celebrate its Independence Day, if it has one?
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Sustainable Saturday-Mystery at the Farmers Market
Saturday. Otsiningo Park Farmers market day, near Binghamton, New York.
The first of the garlic is coming in. We couldn't resist.
One vendor was selling these white currants, and also had black raspberries for sale. We've been noticing wild raspberries are ripening, and hopefully will be U-picking domestic red raspberries later in the week.
And then, there was the mystery.
My spouse and I struck up a conversation with a vendor called Gimme Cookie, who makes wonderful English muffins and cookies. (Read her bio on her website, and you'll see why.) We bought three of her chocolate cookies, which are studded with nuts and raisins. Yum.
She doesn't make every flavor every week, but if you ask, she will add a particular flavor to her weekly baking schedule. In chatting, she told us that she also sells at the "farmers market at Highland Park in Endwell." (Endwell is part of our "triple cities" here in the Binghamton, NY area.)
That was really interesting because I had no idea there was a farmers market in Endwell.
That was the problem, she explained. She goes there Tuesdays, when the market is held (4:30 to 6:30 she said). Hardly anyone seems to know about the market, either, which is a shame. It is about time our area had a weekday evening farmers market. What is more puzzling is that this is a popular park. Highland Park has a (free) carousel and a swimming pool. Is the market covered by an invisibility cloak?
And then there was last Sunday. Driving past our neighborhood's Home Depot, we saw someone waving a sign at oncoming traffic. "Farmers Market in the Home Depot Parking Lot" the sign announced.
News to us. We entered the parking lot, and found - one lone booth. We had to be somewhere, and didn't stop to check it out. I had no idea who it was. I'm familiar with a number of the vendors in this area, as I attend three local farmers markets (at least one, and sometimes two, each week).
For that matter, there is a twice weekly farmers market at the Y in my neighborhood. It is in easy walking distance of my house (pity - I can't attend it because its hours coincide with my work hours) but somehow you never seem to hear of it although it has been in operation for two years now.
But the email I got the other day "did it" for me.
Somehow, I've become subscribed to a weekly email from NY Governor Cuomo. Each week he has done something great for the citizens of New York. I hope I am not coming across as too sarcastic but politics is not the happiest subject for me lately. But I was please to see this week's email, which said, in part (I hope he doesn't mind me quoting from it):
"Dear Fellow New Yorker: Summer means a fresh new season of new York produce. Governor Cuomo's FreshConnect program is increasing access to affordable, fresh New York-grown produce for all New Yorkers, while also supporting our local farmers....Click here to find a market near you and for more information on current projects. In additionl to the Fresh Connect project, New Yorkers can view a full list of farmers' markets in New York State by clicking here."
So, I should be able to find all farmers' markets in my county by clicking through to the linked website?
Um, no. I clicked on the "full list of farmers' markets in New York State." There were only four listed for the ENTIRE COUNTY I live in, and two of them are actually the same market - the winter Binghamton farmers market (indoors) and the summer one (outside). That makes three farmers' markets in all of Broome County?
NOT!
So what is the mystery? The mystery is how farmers markets can operate, with people not knowing about them, and with an official New York State agency not knowing about them!? Something just doesn't seem right.
Could someone at least let ME know about them? I'll be happy to give them some publicity, not that I have that many local readers.
Support your local farmer....if you can find him or her, that is.
Do you have any "mystery" farmers markets in your area?
And then, there was the mystery.
My spouse and I struck up a conversation with a vendor called Gimme Cookie, who makes wonderful English muffins and cookies. (Read her bio on her website, and you'll see why.) We bought three of her chocolate cookies, which are studded with nuts and raisins. Yum.
She doesn't make every flavor every week, but if you ask, she will add a particular flavor to her weekly baking schedule. In chatting, she told us that she also sells at the "farmers market at Highland Park in Endwell." (Endwell is part of our "triple cities" here in the Binghamton, NY area.)
That was really interesting because I had no idea there was a farmers market in Endwell.
That was the problem, she explained. She goes there Tuesdays, when the market is held (4:30 to 6:30 she said). Hardly anyone seems to know about the market, either, which is a shame. It is about time our area had a weekday evening farmers market. What is more puzzling is that this is a popular park. Highland Park has a (free) carousel and a swimming pool. Is the market covered by an invisibility cloak?
And then there was last Sunday. Driving past our neighborhood's Home Depot, we saw someone waving a sign at oncoming traffic. "Farmers Market in the Home Depot Parking Lot" the sign announced.
News to us. We entered the parking lot, and found - one lone booth. We had to be somewhere, and didn't stop to check it out. I had no idea who it was. I'm familiar with a number of the vendors in this area, as I attend three local farmers markets (at least one, and sometimes two, each week).
For that matter, there is a twice weekly farmers market at the Y in my neighborhood. It is in easy walking distance of my house (pity - I can't attend it because its hours coincide with my work hours) but somehow you never seem to hear of it although it has been in operation for two years now.
But the email I got the other day "did it" for me.
Somehow, I've become subscribed to a weekly email from NY Governor Cuomo. Each week he has done something great for the citizens of New York. I hope I am not coming across as too sarcastic but politics is not the happiest subject for me lately. But I was please to see this week's email, which said, in part (I hope he doesn't mind me quoting from it):
"Dear Fellow New Yorker: Summer means a fresh new season of new York produce. Governor Cuomo's FreshConnect program is increasing access to affordable, fresh New York-grown produce for all New Yorkers, while also supporting our local farmers....Click here to find a market near you and for more information on current projects. In additionl to the Fresh Connect project, New Yorkers can view a full list of farmers' markets in New York State by clicking here."
So, I should be able to find all farmers' markets in my county by clicking through to the linked website?
Um, no. I clicked on the "full list of farmers' markets in New York State." There were only four listed for the ENTIRE COUNTY I live in, and two of them are actually the same market - the winter Binghamton farmers market (indoors) and the summer one (outside). That makes three farmers' markets in all of Broome County?
NOT!
So what is the mystery? The mystery is how farmers markets can operate, with people not knowing about them, and with an official New York State agency not knowing about them!? Something just doesn't seem right.
Could someone at least let ME know about them? I'll be happy to give them some publicity, not that I have that many local readers.
Support your local farmer....if you can find him or her, that is.
Do you have any "mystery" farmers markets in your area?
Friday, June 29, 2012
It's the Finish Line!
Yesterday evening, I walked a predicted mile race (one where you guess your time, and the person who comes closest to their guess wins.) The race was sponsored by the local YMCA. It's called a "Corporate Challenge" because employees of participating businesses run or walk various races, and the entry fees go to charity.
I've done this race for 5 or 6 years (I forget); I've raced in 95 degree weather and in pouring down rain. Tonight it was in the 80's but humid - we are at the start of a heat wave so we are lucky the race wasn't today. Last year, I did well, but it is very hard to win this race. Needless to say, no one can race with a cell phone or a watch.
On top of it, I've been having internet problems for almost a week. Sometimes it is on. Sometimes it is off. Sometimes it is on but really anemic. Fortunately I've been able to make all of my posts. My 14 month daily posting streak continues.
Perseverance is the name of the game. This brings me to today's post. This is the last day of the Author Blog Challenge. Today's post is "What are you going to do to keep the blogging momentum going? What plans do you have to continue your connection with other Author Blog Challenge participants?"
Good question.
I've been in several other month long challenges, and when the month is over, most of the participants scatter. A few will keep in touch. I already knew (cyberknew, anyway) a couple of the people on this challenge. I've read several blogs that I want to continue with, and I have subscribed to those who gave a subscription option.
I will continue to read those blogs I've subscribed to. I will occasionally check into the Author Blog Challenge Facebook page. I may "see" some of you at the Ultimate Blog Challenge (which I will probably join since I'm blogging every day anyway.)
In other words - I am going to be one of those who scatters. Scatters, and regroups. I don't know if I will participate in the next challenge in December but I have a lot of thinking to do and a lot of learning to absorb. Depending on the path I want to take, I may or may not take this challenge again in December.
Thank you for the opportunity to take this challenge. I've enjoyed meeting you all.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
AM the Author?
Today's prompt in the Author Blog Challenge is: "What has been the best part of participating in the Author Blog Challenge? What are your suggestions for improving the next Author Blog Challenge?"
I have been bobbing and weaving around Internet problems the last four or five days, trying to continue my 14 month daily blogging streak I thought (after a call to the Internet Service provider yesterday-thank you dear spouse) our problem was solved. I spoke too soon. So right now, I am crawling towards the finish line with chains attached to my ankles. I suspect I need a new modem.
The best part of the Challenge - learning about new blogs. Writing alongside of published authors. Reading their blogs (less than I would have linked). To use a cliche, participating in this challenge, like others I have participated in, is like drinking from a fire hose. It was frustrating, in this case, because this is the first challenge I've participated in that involves an actual theme, instead of just posting for x number of days straight.
I could have printed everything out but it would have been like printing out a book.
Yet, if it stays up on Facebook, I will be able to draw from it once I have my own plans consolidated.
Will there be blogs I will continue to read after the challenge? Yes. More of that tomorrow (Internet provider willing.)
What are my suggestions for improving the Challenge?
Well....I wouldn't hold the next one in December. Sadly, the holidays have become too much a source of stress for too many people with too much to do. I would ask that it be moved. I will leave other suggestions to the actual authors in this Challenge. I will mention though, that although some of the prompts didn't have immediate significance, they did make me think. I didn't mind having prompts I couldn't respond to - this time. Maybe next time I will be able to respond. I could make that a goal.
Because I don't have a book started, and still don't have a book started, was it a failure? NO. It made me think. It helped me learn.
My challenge will now be to continue to think. Possibly becoming a published author is hard, but I now have a blueprint to consider. I won't be going into it unprepared.
Wish me luck.
I have been bobbing and weaving around Internet problems the last four or five days, trying to continue my 14 month daily blogging streak I thought (after a call to the Internet Service provider yesterday-thank you dear spouse) our problem was solved. I spoke too soon. So right now, I am crawling towards the finish line with chains attached to my ankles. I suspect I need a new modem.
The best part of the Challenge - learning about new blogs. Writing alongside of published authors. Reading their blogs (less than I would have linked). To use a cliche, participating in this challenge, like others I have participated in, is like drinking from a fire hose. It was frustrating, in this case, because this is the first challenge I've participated in that involves an actual theme, instead of just posting for x number of days straight.
I could have printed everything out but it would have been like printing out a book.
Yet, if it stays up on Facebook, I will be able to draw from it once I have my own plans consolidated.
Will there be blogs I will continue to read after the challenge? Yes. More of that tomorrow (Internet provider willing.)
What are my suggestions for improving the Challenge?
Well....I wouldn't hold the next one in December. Sadly, the holidays have become too much a source of stress for too many people with too much to do. I would ask that it be moved. I will leave other suggestions to the actual authors in this Challenge. I will mention though, that although some of the prompts didn't have immediate significance, they did make me think. I didn't mind having prompts I couldn't respond to - this time. Maybe next time I will be able to respond. I could make that a goal.
Because I don't have a book started, and still don't have a book started, was it a failure? NO. It made me think. It helped me learn.
My challenge will now be to continue to think. Possibly becoming a published author is hard, but I now have a blueprint to consider. I won't be going into it unprepared.
Wish me luck.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Wednesday Flowers - Cutler Roses
On June 16, I visited our local Binghamton, New York botanical gardens - Cutler Botanic Gardens. They have a very nice display of heirloom and modern roses. I wanted to share some of these roses with you.
It's a pity I can't share the fragrances with you. Which - brings me to the Author Blog Challenge I am participating in. Only 3 more days to go! (I think - I'm a bit math challenged.)
Today's prompt for the Author Blog Challenge is: "What is/will be the subject of your next book?" That is a good question because I don't know the subject of my first book yet.
It won't be horticultural - I have a feeling that market is quite saturated. I'm not sure I bring anything new to the genre.
I daydreamed, a couple of days ago, about writing a book with photographs, to show the beauty of upstate New York. Wild and domestic flowers would be part of that effort if I really did something like that. My love of photography began with my first camera, a box camera with two settings - "black and white" and "color". We are talking early 60's here. It took flash bulbs and size 127 film. (Anyone under the age of 40 is probably saying "huh?" just about now.)
I would need to take some courses in photography. I am a point and click person. I don't know how to use photo editing software. My photographs, a lot of times, really don't reflect the beauty, the colors, of what I see. I want to be able to do that. To me, it is an expansion of painting with words. Not a substitute but a visual aid, so to speak.
But in the meantime, my blog is an outlet for my present skills.
I don't know the names of these roses. I'm never organized enough to bring a notebook and pen with me and second, because of our floods of last September, a lot of the tags are missing. (A shout out to everyone who worked hard to get this botanic garden back in shape for this spring - it did flood badly.)
A mysterious purple rose
This may be what is called a "cabbage rose". It certainly put out a huge cluster of lovely, fragrant, pink roses.
Isn't this a perfect yellow flower?
Another pink rose.
Finally, a cluster of beautiful white blooms.
There is such variety in roses. I gave up growing roses years ago - it is not easy to do organically, at least with the types I tried, and my roses basically became a lunch counter for the local Japanese beetles. (speaking of which, they should be arriving just about now.) I admire those who can do it organically. These roses, I am sure, are not organic. But they are a feast for the soul.
What is your favorite rose?
It's a pity I can't share the fragrances with you. Which - brings me to the Author Blog Challenge I am participating in. Only 3 more days to go! (I think - I'm a bit math challenged.)
Today's prompt for the Author Blog Challenge is: "What is/will be the subject of your next book?" That is a good question because I don't know the subject of my first book yet.
It won't be horticultural - I have a feeling that market is quite saturated. I'm not sure I bring anything new to the genre.
I daydreamed, a couple of days ago, about writing a book with photographs, to show the beauty of upstate New York. Wild and domestic flowers would be part of that effort if I really did something like that. My love of photography began with my first camera, a box camera with two settings - "black and white" and "color". We are talking early 60's here. It took flash bulbs and size 127 film. (Anyone under the age of 40 is probably saying "huh?" just about now.)
I would need to take some courses in photography. I am a point and click person. I don't know how to use photo editing software. My photographs, a lot of times, really don't reflect the beauty, the colors, of what I see. I want to be able to do that. To me, it is an expansion of painting with words. Not a substitute but a visual aid, so to speak.
But in the meantime, my blog is an outlet for my present skills.
I don't know the names of these roses. I'm never organized enough to bring a notebook and pen with me and second, because of our floods of last September, a lot of the tags are missing. (A shout out to everyone who worked hard to get this botanic garden back in shape for this spring - it did flood badly.)
Finally, a cluster of beautiful white blooms.
There is such variety in roses. I gave up growing roses years ago - it is not easy to do organically, at least with the types I tried, and my roses basically became a lunch counter for the local Japanese beetles. (speaking of which, they should be arriving just about now.) I admire those who can do it organically. These roses, I am sure, are not organic. But they are a feast for the soul.
What is your favorite rose?
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The Envelope, Please
The envelope, please.
Time for another daydream. I have been voted Upstate New York Blogger of the Year 2012. The vote was a landslide!
I'm floating on a cloud. I can't believe it. I'm pinching myself.
Since this is a daydream, I have no fear of public speaking. The ceremony is at the New Floridian Diner in Brooklyn. (Who needs stuffy hotel conference rooms? Why not one of my favorite restaurants in Brooklyn? This is my daydream, after all.) Instead, I remember the 25th prompt of the Author Blog Challenge: "Time for some shout-outs. This may mimic your acknowledgement page, but whom would you like to publically thank for their help in creating your book or completing it to the point where it is presently?"
Where my book is presently is a twinkle in my eye. (That was one of my Dad's favorite expressions describing a time when I did not yet exist.). So, instead, in this speech, I would like to thank the following people who, no doubt, would help make my book possible.
1. My friend, who was my very first follower. She has been my occasional guest photographer. Her sister has helped me with some wildflower identifications. She's given me support for many, many years while caretaking her late husband through two major strokes, many minor strokes and three battles with cancer.
2. Another friend, my childhood friend living in Brooklyn. We've known each other nearly 50 years. I've blogged about her several times recently, and have shown you some of her backyard garden. I would be remiss if I didn't mention her husband of 40 years. He has sent me some photos of flowers blooming in Brooklyn, too. I'd love more to share with my readers.
3. My sister in law, another early fan. She is a former blogger herself. If I ever wrote a book, I may call on her for some editing - who knows?
4. My neighbor across the street, and occasional commenter on my blog. A very different man, in a good way. Keep those comments coming.
5. Several fellow bloggers. Some I've met in this Challenge. Some I've met in previous challenges I've participated in. Because I've been having a lot of internet problems in the last day or so, I am going to save the complete list for another day and try to post this while I have Internet. I named some of them in a post towards the beginning of this challenge (or maybe it was late May).
Next to last: my long suffering spouse, who puts up with my wild ideas, my stopping in mid-exercise walk to take pictures, and my love of macaroni and ketchup. Well no, he won't let me eat macaroni and ketchup in his presence. But I love him anyway.
And finally, a shout out to my blog readers. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't ever think about writing a book.
Because of my internet problems, I am posting this without looking at it in preview. I hope I haven't made a fool of myself in this speech. Of course, since it is a daydream the speech is perfect.
Now back to the hard work of deciding if I truly want to be an author.
Time for another daydream. I have been voted Upstate New York Blogger of the Year 2012. The vote was a landslide!
I'm floating on a cloud. I can't believe it. I'm pinching myself.
Since this is a daydream, I have no fear of public speaking. The ceremony is at the New Floridian Diner in Brooklyn. (Who needs stuffy hotel conference rooms? Why not one of my favorite restaurants in Brooklyn? This is my daydream, after all.) Instead, I remember the 25th prompt of the Author Blog Challenge: "Time for some shout-outs. This may mimic your acknowledgement page, but whom would you like to publically thank for their help in creating your book or completing it to the point where it is presently?"
Where my book is presently is a twinkle in my eye. (That was one of my Dad's favorite expressions describing a time when I did not yet exist.). So, instead, in this speech, I would like to thank the following people who, no doubt, would help make my book possible.
1. My friend, who was my very first follower. She has been my occasional guest photographer. Her sister has helped me with some wildflower identifications. She's given me support for many, many years while caretaking her late husband through two major strokes, many minor strokes and three battles with cancer.
2. Another friend, my childhood friend living in Brooklyn. We've known each other nearly 50 years. I've blogged about her several times recently, and have shown you some of her backyard garden. I would be remiss if I didn't mention her husband of 40 years. He has sent me some photos of flowers blooming in Brooklyn, too. I'd love more to share with my readers.
3. My sister in law, another early fan. She is a former blogger herself. If I ever wrote a book, I may call on her for some editing - who knows?
4. My neighbor across the street, and occasional commenter on my blog. A very different man, in a good way. Keep those comments coming.
5. Several fellow bloggers. Some I've met in this Challenge. Some I've met in previous challenges I've participated in. Because I've been having a lot of internet problems in the last day or so, I am going to save the complete list for another day and try to post this while I have Internet. I named some of them in a post towards the beginning of this challenge (or maybe it was late May).
Next to last: my long suffering spouse, who puts up with my wild ideas, my stopping in mid-exercise walk to take pictures, and my love of macaroni and ketchup. Well no, he won't let me eat macaroni and ketchup in his presence. But I love him anyway.
And finally, a shout out to my blog readers. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't ever think about writing a book.
Because of my internet problems, I am posting this without looking at it in preview. I hope I haven't made a fool of myself in this speech. Of course, since it is a daydream the speech is perfect.
Now back to the hard work of deciding if I truly want to be an author.
Monday, June 25, 2012
The Greatest Daydream of All
It's been many years since I have daydreamed - truly daydreamed.
I didn't realize it until just the other day. During all these years of adulthood (in my case, some 40 years of adulthood depending on if you count from 18, or 21) I forgot how to daydream. There are various reasons. But, come to think of it, these are excuses, not reasons.
What happened to the child me? What happened to the girl who dreamed of being Lois Lane during the end of recess when we lined up for what it seemed hours? What happened to the girl who was going to change the world for the btter one day?
Was the girl buried under life? Well, I've been digging these past few days, trying to find my way to the surface. Even if I can't break that surface, I will try to poke a hole in whatever buried me, and breathe in the fresh air of Anything Can Happen.
I've missed a couple of prompts (admission: more than a few) in the Author Blog Challenge I have not been participating in that much. I wish I could tell you it was because I was undergoing a Great Crisis of Belief. In a way, that is true. But in a bigger way, it is still another excuse.
My voice is not fully formed. It tries to be heard, but cracks whenever I try to write, and keep up with the other participants. Like a boy who is reaching puberty, I am beset with doubts. Everyone is staring at me. (Or worse, not reading me at all.) Everyone knows how inferior I am. Why am I even here?
The Blog Challenge to the rescue.
A recent prompt was: "Describe your first book signing. Real or imagined." The next day's prompt was "If a Hollywood agent were to come knocking on your door with an offer to turn your book into a movie and told you that you could call all the shots, who would you have direct and star in it? Write the first paragraph of Rober Ebert's review of your film."
Funny how you should ask, Author Challengers, because a couple of the most terrifying things I can think of are
a. Being forced to interact with mobs of people at a book signing, even if they all love me. I'm an introvert. I love quiet. I like people, but a few at a time, thank you very much.
b. Thinking about Hollywood. I think back to the day we were asked to write a composition in class. I think it was in junior high - what is now called middle school here in the United States. Normally I enjoyed those writing assignments. This time, the topic had something to do with the movies and our favorite actress or actor. I froze. I handed in a blank page. It was humiliating.
You see, I rarely watch movies and I pay very little attention to the actors and actresses. I will not go to a movie just because it has Tom Hanks, or Helen Mirrin, or the latest good looking hunk.
But here, in my daydream, I Am Different. I am energetic, I am not overweight, I do not have a bad back and an arthritic knee. I smile at my admirers. I have no desire to hide under the table until they leave. I am signing copies of my book "The Beauty of Upstate New York As Seen Through My Photographs". People mob me, praising my usage of light, wondering at the ways I captured a bumblebee in flight, marveling at how I captured the essences of sunsets, the redness of a male cardinal in flight, the juicy crunch of an upstate New York Empire apple. And then, the mobs part.
It is Mel Brooks!
Mel makes his way over to me. "What are you doing here, Mel?" I gasp. "This book isn't a comedy! There is no social satire in this book!" "No, there isn't", says Mel. "But I was totally overcome by the beauty of the flowers in Rod Serling's boyhood neighborhood on the West Side of Binghamton. I wanted to bite into an apple fresh from one of the farmer's markets you talk about. I just had to visit Otsiningo Park and walk the Vestal Rail Trail. I even had to see how your area was recovering from last year's floods. Your book is sheer genius. I want to make a movie out of it!. How about Jon Steward plays your long-suffering spouse? And if you want, I can line up Helen Mirrin to play you. What about it?"
As Roger Ebert starts to write his glowing review, my long suffering spouse asks me when I am going to straighten out the pile of papers on the sofa next to me.
Gotta go.
I didn't realize it until just the other day. During all these years of adulthood (in my case, some 40 years of adulthood depending on if you count from 18, or 21) I forgot how to daydream. There are various reasons. But, come to think of it, these are excuses, not reasons.
What happened to the child me? What happened to the girl who dreamed of being Lois Lane during the end of recess when we lined up for what it seemed hours? What happened to the girl who was going to change the world for the btter one day?
Was the girl buried under life? Well, I've been digging these past few days, trying to find my way to the surface. Even if I can't break that surface, I will try to poke a hole in whatever buried me, and breathe in the fresh air of Anything Can Happen.
I've missed a couple of prompts (admission: more than a few) in the Author Blog Challenge I have not been participating in that much. I wish I could tell you it was because I was undergoing a Great Crisis of Belief. In a way, that is true. But in a bigger way, it is still another excuse.
My voice is not fully formed. It tries to be heard, but cracks whenever I try to write, and keep up with the other participants. Like a boy who is reaching puberty, I am beset with doubts. Everyone is staring at me. (Or worse, not reading me at all.) Everyone knows how inferior I am. Why am I even here?
The Blog Challenge to the rescue.
A recent prompt was: "Describe your first book signing. Real or imagined." The next day's prompt was "If a Hollywood agent were to come knocking on your door with an offer to turn your book into a movie and told you that you could call all the shots, who would you have direct and star in it? Write the first paragraph of Rober Ebert's review of your film."
Funny how you should ask, Author Challengers, because a couple of the most terrifying things I can think of are
a. Being forced to interact with mobs of people at a book signing, even if they all love me. I'm an introvert. I love quiet. I like people, but a few at a time, thank you very much.
b. Thinking about Hollywood. I think back to the day we were asked to write a composition in class. I think it was in junior high - what is now called middle school here in the United States. Normally I enjoyed those writing assignments. This time, the topic had something to do with the movies and our favorite actress or actor. I froze. I handed in a blank page. It was humiliating.
You see, I rarely watch movies and I pay very little attention to the actors and actresses. I will not go to a movie just because it has Tom Hanks, or Helen Mirrin, or the latest good looking hunk.
But here, in my daydream, I Am Different. I am energetic, I am not overweight, I do not have a bad back and an arthritic knee. I smile at my admirers. I have no desire to hide under the table until they leave. I am signing copies of my book "The Beauty of Upstate New York As Seen Through My Photographs". People mob me, praising my usage of light, wondering at the ways I captured a bumblebee in flight, marveling at how I captured the essences of sunsets, the redness of a male cardinal in flight, the juicy crunch of an upstate New York Empire apple. And then, the mobs part.
It is Mel Brooks!
Mel makes his way over to me. "What are you doing here, Mel?" I gasp. "This book isn't a comedy! There is no social satire in this book!" "No, there isn't", says Mel. "But I was totally overcome by the beauty of the flowers in Rod Serling's boyhood neighborhood on the West Side of Binghamton. I wanted to bite into an apple fresh from one of the farmer's markets you talk about. I just had to visit Otsiningo Park and walk the Vestal Rail Trail. I even had to see how your area was recovering from last year's floods. Your book is sheer genius. I want to make a movie out of it!. How about Jon Steward plays your long-suffering spouse? And if you want, I can line up Helen Mirrin to play you. What about it?"
As Roger Ebert starts to write his glowing review, my long suffering spouse asks me when I am going to straighten out the pile of papers on the sofa next to me.
Gotta go.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Civil War Sunday - The Unsung, The Unknown and the Complex
One of the reasons I became interested in study of the United States Civil War (1861-1865) was to learn about the people who were swept up in it.
Acres of trees have been cleared to provide paper to write about Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and many more of the main people who influenced the war. But there are many more people out there that not much has been written about. If I wanted to, I could dedicate the rest of my life to combing through university libraries and attics to uncover the lives of some of the many unknown of the Civil War.
Many of these unknown are slaves. Others are people, both white and freeborn black, who never had the spotlight of history sweep their way to light up their existence.
Here are some of the resources I was able to find spending just a few minutes online today.
1.In the 1930's, a Depression project to put writers to work allowed some of those stories to be uncovered, and told, while a number of these people were still alive. It was called the Federal Writers Project and some of their work in telling the lives of the unknown of the Civil War is online.
To quote from the Born in Slavery website:
"Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and assembled and microfilmed in 1941 as the seventeen-volume Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves."
2. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library also has extensive online resources to research the story of slavery (and the stories of African-Americans after the war was over).
Speaking of North Carolina (a former Confederate state) I also found this little tidbit: slavery was outlawed in North Carolina until 1790.
Contrast this with my native state of New York (a state that did not secede and stayed with the Union): slavery there was legal from the 1600's to 1827.
Whether we live in the North, the South, or somewhere else entirely - there are gaps in our education, and this 150th anniversary of the War is a good time to fill in some of those gaps.
That is why I love history. Not only is it the story of "We the Unsung", but it never ceases to amaze, and there is always something new just around the corner.
Acres of trees have been cleared to provide paper to write about Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and many more of the main people who influenced the war. But there are many more people out there that not much has been written about. If I wanted to, I could dedicate the rest of my life to combing through university libraries and attics to uncover the lives of some of the many unknown of the Civil War.
Many of these unknown are slaves. Others are people, both white and freeborn black, who never had the spotlight of history sweep their way to light up their existence.
Here are some of the resources I was able to find spending just a few minutes online today.
1.In the 1930's, a Depression project to put writers to work allowed some of those stories to be uncovered, and told, while a number of these people were still alive. It was called the Federal Writers Project and some of their work in telling the lives of the unknown of the Civil War is online.
To quote from the Born in Slavery website:
"Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and assembled and microfilmed in 1941 as the seventeen-volume Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves."
2. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library also has extensive online resources to research the story of slavery (and the stories of African-Americans after the war was over).
Speaking of North Carolina (a former Confederate state) I also found this little tidbit: slavery was outlawed in North Carolina until 1790.
Contrast this with my native state of New York (a state that did not secede and stayed with the Union): slavery there was legal from the 1600's to 1827.
Whether we live in the North, the South, or somewhere else entirely - there are gaps in our education, and this 150th anniversary of the War is a good time to fill in some of those gaps.
That is why I love history. Not only is it the story of "We the Unsung", but it never ceases to amaze, and there is always something new just around the corner.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Sustainable Saturday - Monkeys Typing At a Farmers Market
Have you ever seen monkeys typing at a farmer's market? If not - more on that later.
I work in downtown Binghamton, a city of about 47,000 people in upstate New York. It saw its prime years ago, and is struggling to regain some of its former glory.
Every year, for the past several years, there has been a small farmer's market in downtown Binghamton, twice a week between mid-June and October - Tuesdays and Fridays.
The farmers market, in the summer, is a source for good, fresh, local produce. You see a wide selection of people shopping at the market, including people living in the immediate area of downtown, students, the elderly and office workers.
This week, offerings included the last of the local strawberries:
Greenhouse tomatoes: These look soooooooo tempting, don't they. (I resisted).
English peas, and the first of the summer squash:
More peas, and the first of the yellow squash crop. The lawn you see beyong the produce is that of our county courthouse.
Garlic scapes, and lettuce:
Another booth featured homemade breads and pastries. There was a seller of bagged herbs, and someone selling frozen meat.
I bet, though, that you are waiting for me to tell you about the typing monkeys. No, it has nothing to do Shakespeare (an idea. though. Shakespeare at the farmers market. How about it?) Instead, on Fridays, from the start of the market in mid-June through the last Friday of August, the market brings us free musical entertainment from 12 to 1 Fridays. The artists are local, there is a good variety of musical styles, and some of the musicians are quite good.
Yesterday, the market featured: a local group called Monkeys Typing. Their music is in the style of the Grateful Dead. I am far from a Deadhead, but I enjoy their once a year appearances at the market. One thing that makes me feel a bit old - most of the people who sat on the folding chairs provided by the city were elderly. A part of me still thinks of that type of music as being only for young people.
There was a lot of toe-tapping.
As they played, it started to rain. A cold front was coming through, bringing relief after two days of 90 plus degree temperatures with pea soup humidity.
The group thanked us for staying through the rain, joking that rain was good, but not for people playing electric guitars.
"It's good for the vegetables!" a member of the audience joked back.
Yes, it is.
Support your local farmers. Support your local musicians. Have fun.
What events are happening at your local farmer's market?
I work in downtown Binghamton, a city of about 47,000 people in upstate New York. It saw its prime years ago, and is struggling to regain some of its former glory.
Every year, for the past several years, there has been a small farmer's market in downtown Binghamton, twice a week between mid-June and October - Tuesdays and Fridays.
The farmers market, in the summer, is a source for good, fresh, local produce. You see a wide selection of people shopping at the market, including people living in the immediate area of downtown, students, the elderly and office workers.
This week, offerings included the last of the local strawberries:
Greenhouse tomatoes: These look soooooooo tempting, don't they. (I resisted).
,
More peas, and the first of the yellow squash crop. The lawn you see beyong the produce is that of our county courthouse.
Another booth featured homemade breads and pastries. There was a seller of bagged herbs, and someone selling frozen meat.
I bet, though, that you are waiting for me to tell you about the typing monkeys. No, it has nothing to do Shakespeare (an idea. though. Shakespeare at the farmers market. How about it?) Instead, on Fridays, from the start of the market in mid-June through the last Friday of August, the market brings us free musical entertainment from 12 to 1 Fridays. The artists are local, there is a good variety of musical styles, and some of the musicians are quite good.
Yesterday, the market featured: a local group called Monkeys Typing. Their music is in the style of the Grateful Dead. I am far from a Deadhead, but I enjoy their once a year appearances at the market. One thing that makes me feel a bit old - most of the people who sat on the folding chairs provided by the city were elderly. A part of me still thinks of that type of music as being only for young people.
There was a lot of toe-tapping.
As they played, it started to rain. A cold front was coming through, bringing relief after two days of 90 plus degree temperatures with pea soup humidity.
"It's good for the vegetables!" a member of the audience joked back.
Yes, it is.
Support your local farmers. Support your local musicians. Have fun.
What events are happening at your local farmer's market?
Friday, June 22, 2012
In a Reblooming Kalanchoe Is There Hope?
In a reblooming kalanchoe, is there hope?
Today's prompt in the Author Blog Challenge is "What is the single best piece of advice you've ever received about the publishing process and/or what advice would you offer to a first-time author?"
That single piece of advice I learned from this challenge was "never give up hope."
Hope of what? Hope of achieving your goals. Sometimes, just not giving up hope of survival. I knew, before the Challenge, that becoming a published author was hard. Now I have a better idea of just how hard and grueling it can be. In the midst of the struggle, a beginning author must believe in him or herself, and never give up hope that it will get better, that the goals will be achieved, that the hard work will pay off.
And then there is the story of the kalanchoe.
I have a neighbor who is seriously ill and probably will stay that way for the rest of his life. Sometimes, he sits outside in the sunshine, enjoying the small garden he and his wife have planted next to their rental house. I hope he enjoys the view of my front yard, with the flowers, the sometimes untidy herb bed, and my "flood angel".
Some months ago, before he was diagnosed with this illness, he was in the hospital for another reason. Someone gave him a kalanchoe as a get-well gift. A kalanchoe, for the uninitiated, is a succulent plant with small blooms, which come in a variety of colors. They can be quite pretty.
Ah, those hospital gift plants. You get them from people who know that flowers may not be the ideal gift. Flowers die after a few days, and if your recipient is allergic, those flowers are the gift that brings misery. Now, a flowering plant, that's slightly different. There's a hope of keeping the plant alive after it finishes blooming. A foliage plant? Even better.
My neighbor, after a period of enjoying the kalanchoe, offered it to me. I hesitated for a minute before accepting the plant. I take flowering plants seriously. I have two poinsettias in my upstate NY yard right now, along with two amaryllis. Any flowering plant I receive will get the best care I know how to give. I can't bear to have one die on me, although I have blogged about my less than stellar track record with orchids.
I hesitated because a few years ago, I got a kalanchoe as a gift. I kept it alive on my windowsill for a couple of years. It never rebloomed and eventually it succumbed to white flies.
I kept this one alive all winter on my living room table. Come late spring, it went outside, where I figured it would have a better chance of escaping white flies.
Last night, I went out to water my back yard potted plants, and this sight awaited me.
Could it be?
Yes, it could.
My neighbor's kalanchoe is starting to rebloom.
There's a moral here somewhere.
Today's prompt in the Author Blog Challenge is "What is the single best piece of advice you've ever received about the publishing process and/or what advice would you offer to a first-time author?"
That single piece of advice I learned from this challenge was "never give up hope."
Hope of what? Hope of achieving your goals. Sometimes, just not giving up hope of survival. I knew, before the Challenge, that becoming a published author was hard. Now I have a better idea of just how hard and grueling it can be. In the midst of the struggle, a beginning author must believe in him or herself, and never give up hope that it will get better, that the goals will be achieved, that the hard work will pay off.
And then there is the story of the kalanchoe.
I have a neighbor who is seriously ill and probably will stay that way for the rest of his life. Sometimes, he sits outside in the sunshine, enjoying the small garden he and his wife have planted next to their rental house. I hope he enjoys the view of my front yard, with the flowers, the sometimes untidy herb bed, and my "flood angel".
Some months ago, before he was diagnosed with this illness, he was in the hospital for another reason. Someone gave him a kalanchoe as a get-well gift. A kalanchoe, for the uninitiated, is a succulent plant with small blooms, which come in a variety of colors. They can be quite pretty.
Ah, those hospital gift plants. You get them from people who know that flowers may not be the ideal gift. Flowers die after a few days, and if your recipient is allergic, those flowers are the gift that brings misery. Now, a flowering plant, that's slightly different. There's a hope of keeping the plant alive after it finishes blooming. A foliage plant? Even better.
My neighbor, after a period of enjoying the kalanchoe, offered it to me. I hesitated for a minute before accepting the plant. I take flowering plants seriously. I have two poinsettias in my upstate NY yard right now, along with two amaryllis. Any flowering plant I receive will get the best care I know how to give. I can't bear to have one die on me, although I have blogged about my less than stellar track record with orchids.
I hesitated because a few years ago, I got a kalanchoe as a gift. I kept it alive on my windowsill for a couple of years. It never rebloomed and eventually it succumbed to white flies.
I kept this one alive all winter on my living room table. Come late spring, it went outside, where I figured it would have a better chance of escaping white flies.
Last night, I went out to water my back yard potted plants, and this sight awaited me.
My neighbor's kalanchoe is starting to rebloom.
There's a moral here somewhere.
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