Throwback Tuesday - Mel Brooks, New Jersey, and Me

I grew up in New York City.  I still have relatives living there.

Today brings me a day of various memories.

Like this one.

In the early 1960's I went to a summer camp in New Jersey called Camp Sussex. It was a place of refuge for some, an introduction to rural life for others.

It was for the not-so-rich kids growing up in New York City - I was one of them.   It has been closed for years, and is in ruins, thanks to vandals.

But, to many people, some famous, this camp holds a lot of memories.  I would normally post Throwback Thursday on Tuesday, but Thursday is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  So you get this a couple of days early.

A post from 2013.Sadly, it doesn't appear it has any future.

Mel Brooks, New Jersey, and Me

Well, not exactly Mel Brooks, New Jersey, and me.  It's more like Mel Brooks, 60,000. other people, New Jersey and me.  And something else, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Mel Brooks?  If you are a young person, you may know him as the father of Max Brooks, the famous author of various zombie oriented books, including one of my favorites, World War Z.

If you are my age, you know Mel Brooks as a comedic genius, director, actor and about half a dozen other things, and his movies, including the classic (and flatulent) Blazing Saddles.

But Mel Brooks (and me) were young once.  Young enough to go to sleep away camp.  Not just any sleepaway camp (and certainly not at the same time-Mel Brooks is 86 and I'm not).  And this camp is in deep, deep trouble.

Its name is Camp Sussex and it is (well, what is left of it is), located in Vernon Township, in Sussex County, New Jersey, on the shores of Lake Glenwood.  I didn't know this as a child, but Camp Sussex has an amazing history, a history that started with a Czech boy by the name of Hugo Piesen - who made a fortune with a game called Skee ball.  Hugo Piesen took that fortune, and made good on a childhood pledge born out of pain.  He helped to create a free summer camp, a "fresh air" camp, for New York City area underprivileged youth.  Although he was Jewish, the camp would be open to both Jewish and Gentile youth.

That camp, which opened in 1924, was Camp Sussex.  About 60,000. youth, including me, and including Mel Brooks, were beneficiaries of that camp, from what I can find online.  I went to Camp Sussex for four summers - the first three years, a three week session.  In fact, I attended the first session that allowed teenagers.

And like Mel Brooks, I was always the last to be picked for any sports team.

I don't exaggerate when I say that Camp Sussex helped to make me who I am.  It gave me my first exposure to the country.  I hiked in the woods. I boated in the lake (the first time I had ever been in a rowboat.).  I loved the nature hikes, was scared by the thunderstorms. and sometimes enjoyed fresh Sussex County corn.  We sang a lot.  There was a camp show every year.  And, color wars.  I didn't enjoy all the activities, but what I did enjoy has stayed with me ever since.

Now that I am aiming to start writing a memoir during Camp NaNoWriMo, you would think I would be flooded with happy memories.  But that isn't the case, because Camp Sussex is abandoned, and in ruins.  Its last season was 2005.  Derek Jeter was briefly involved in a move to reopen the camp as some kind of sports camp but that didn't last too long.

At this point in time, it would take millions to rehabilitate the property. There are tax liens, environmental laws, and other concerns that would scare away any potential buyer.

My home neighborhood in the Bronx is a slum (the revival of the Bronx has, so far, passed it by).  And my childhood sleep away camp is in ruins.

Figures, I guess.

Did you go to Camp Sussex or know anyone else who did?

Music Monday - Sailing

Today, in the United States, it is Columbus Day.  It isn't a day of celebration for everyone - especially anyone of Native American descent.  Still, it is a national and state holiday for us living in New York State.

In Binghamton, there will be a parade in the morning - a battle of the high school bands, playing as they march.  Then, after the parade, the band members gather for a large street celebration.

In school, back in the late 1950's and early 1960's, we had to memorize a poem called 1492 -  it could be sung, too.  (Reading it today makes me wince.) No, that song will not be part of today's Music Monday.

Instead, I wanted to choose some songs about water travel and sailing.  There are so many, and I am not including some well loved ones.

How about the song Sailing, sung by an artist by the name of Christopher Cross?  This song relaxes me so much.

Ride, Captain, Ride, was a 1970 hit by The Blues Image - a Tampa, Florida based group. (four years later, I would move to Tampa and live there for a couple of years.)  This was their only hit.

Jimmy Buffet's Changes In Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes.  I'm ready for an attitude change.  Are you?

One more sailing song - The Beach Boys' Sloop John B.

Do you have any favorites to add?

A Life or Death Decision

(Civil War Sunday is on a hopefully temporary hiatus).

I've never had to make a life or death decision concerning my health, but I know one day, that day will probably come.

For a friend of my mother in law's, that day has come.

Years ago, when my mother in law was more mobile, she used to go mall walking with a group of friends.  Afterwards, they went to a bagel shop for breakfast.

We lived some 150 miles away from my mother in law and her mall walking friends, but were able to meet these friends for bagels and coffee several times over the years.

Even after my mother in law could no longer walk with them, she kept in touch. 

One of her walking friends, "M", owned a beautiful classic car.  He had a great sense of humor.  He was also a man with a heart condition.  Over the years, his condition worsened.  His heart was operating at a fraction of its capacity.  He eventually needed a heart transplant, but due to his age and other issues, he was rejected.

So, instead, he lives on oxygen and medical devices.  It isn't easy.

Now, he's decided that he doesn't want to live like that anymore.  What this means is that he is probably going to die soon.

My mother in law's best friend, one of the mall walkers, called my mother in law with this news several days ago. 

Tomorrow, he is going to have the device he depends on for life removed.

The friend is heartbroken.  My mother in law, who has different heart issues, hasn't shared her thoughts.

Statistically, "M" will probably die within the week.

Non statistically - He could be like the late humorist Art Buchwald, who took himself off of kidney dialysis.  He checked into a hospice.  But he did not die.  Well, not for another 11 months.

Buchwald, whose column I enjoyed from time to time, wrote an amazing book during the last year of his life.  He also recorded a living obituary.

I can not judge "M's decision.  What I hope he gets is the death with dignity he wants, like Art Buchwald did, be it this week or months from now.

We all hope to be courageous when our time comes. We all hope to die with dignity, with no pain, with family surrounding us. I already have the example of family and friends who have gone before me, who made differing decisions. Some chose hospice.  Others chose to fight to the last drop.

"M" has made the choice that is right for him.  This much I have learned over the years.

Have you or a loved one ever been in this situation?

Local Saturday - Pieces of Fall

This is one of those true "why didn't I think of this" moments.  Perhaps everyone in the Northeast United States is thinking that right now.

A tree turning in Binghamton, New York October 5

A man in the New England part of the United States is selling autumn leaves.

But not just any autumn leaves, mind you.  These are high quality autumn leaves, gathered on hikes this gentleman takes during his off-work hours. Each leaf is hand selected, devoid of holes or other imperfections. 

$19.99 U.S. will buy you three autumn leaves - one red, one yellow, one green or mixed.  A special solution is applied to the leaves, first, to preserve them, and they are shipped with a hand written note.

Would these catalpa leaves make the grade?

There, apparently, is so much to the mystique of New England leaves that some of his customers are from New York.  The same New York, apparently, that I and millions of others live in, blowing or raking leaves off our lawns while muttering obscenities, just a few hours drive from said New England.

Just think of the fortunes we have raked or blown away.   The chances of being on television - I've run into interviews of this man several times in the last couple of days.

Seriously, though, I remember, growing up in New York City and (in early elementary school) being assigned to pick up colored leaves and bring them to school.  Later, when my son was young, we used to take walks and gather the colored leaves.

We would press them between sheets of waxed paper, putting books on top.   We didn't quite use these methods, though.

Why are people so attracted to autumn leaves that they would pay this kind of money? This blog post may give us a clue.

Do you have fall color where you live?  Or would you consider owning some New England leaves?

Throwback Friday- Heirloom Apple Crisp

Today, I am rerunning a post from about a year ago.  It's hard to believe that yesterday was the 45th anniversary of the day that I met my then-future spouse (we've now been married 41 years).   So today, I'd like to rerun a post about - food, one of the things that brought us together.

(Falling Friday will return next Friday).

It's early fall in upstate New York.  As I blogged about yesterday, it's apple harvest season.  And now, my post - on Heirloom Apple Crisp, one that I promised for yesterday but life had other plans).

Enjoy this post from October 2014.

Many things say "fall" upstate.  For example, trees turning color.  We've had our first flush of color. The second will come now that many areas have had their first frost.

More early fall color for you.

Frost.  We haven't received one yet where I live near Johnson City, New York, but the outlying areas have received their frosts, and the trees will be bare all too soon.

For me, the best part of fall is the food.  So today's topic will be:  apples.

We are in apple growing country, and some of the apples grown here are heirloom varieties.

There is a farm near Ithaca, New York, that specializes in heirloom apples.  At least once a year, we visit their booth at the Ithaca Farmers Market to pick up some unusual varieties. 

But even in our local apple stores in the Binghamton area, we can purchase heirlooms such as 20 Ounce , a native NY variety from the 1800's.

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

Be sure, also, that you buy the right apple.  You must ask yourself:  How do you intend to use your apple?
Fresh eating? (my favorites are Honey Crisp, Autumn Crisp, and some of the eating heirlooms, especially the russets.)
Baking? (my favorite is Northern Spy, but they are just starting to come in, so I didn't have any on hand yesterday.)  You can also try Rome and Cortland.  And, Honey Crisps can be used in baking.
Tart Eating?  Empire is your pick. It used to be my favorite apple.

I, personally, am not a fan of Red Delicious or MacIntosh, but they have their fans.

At one you pick place in this area, here is today's schedule.
"Saturday 11th - 9 am to 4 pm Empire, Cortland, Red & Golden Delicious, Ida Red, Jonagold, Northern Spy"

Which brings me to one of my favorite desserts, apple crisp.  Last fall, I blogged about a Weight Watchers apple crisp recipe I was using.  This year, I am experimenting with a different Weight Watchers recipe.

Doesn't this look yummy?

I decided to experiment with adding frozen blueberries (which I picked from a U Pick farm in August).  At times, I've also put pears and/or blackberries into my apple crisps.  Yesterday, I decided to make an apple crisp with what I had on hand - 20 ounce apples, and frozen blueberries.

Sorry for my friends outside the United States - you'll have to do your own conversions into metric, oven temperatures, etc.

20 ounce apple and leaves from my yard

Fruit Crisp (9 inch square pan, serves 9)

2 pounds baking apples (I used 20 Ounce)

4 tbsp brown sugar (you can also use 1 tbsp sucralose as an alternative)

2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup frozen blueberries (I didn't thaw them)

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


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

Topping

1 cup quick oats
4 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp light butter
1/2 tsp freshly ground allspice (since I, amazingly, didn't have cinnamon on hand)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix topping together and top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until the apple slices are the consistency you want.  Let cool, unless you can't wait to eat it.

How did it do? The blueberries dyed the apples nearby purple, but it tasted good.  The topping was "OK" (I'm still experimenting with getting these lower calorie toppings moist.) But next time, I may use Northern Spy apples.  The 20 ounce holds its shape well, but I would prefer a moister apple.


Do you like apple crisp?

Identity Theft?

Yesterday, I went to the local Verizon store to upgrade my phone. (Verizon is one of several major cell phone carriers in the United States.)

I had my phone over 3 years so I should have been eligible for a new phone.  But wait, not so fast.

 "No", I was told, "someone called on September 11, 2015 using your account, gave the correct last four of your account owner's (my spouse's) social security number and and upgraded to an iPhone 6S; you can't upgrade until 2017".

In the United States, we don't have national ID's but our social security numbers, a number given out by the Federal government shortly after a citizen is born (well, not when I was young but that's another story) act almost like a universal ID number.  All sorts of companies use them.  If your number is stolen, you are in trouble.

I had to call Customer Service, which contacted Verizon's fraud unit, and it is straightened out now- well, at least I can upgrade. The fraudulent call came from a neighborhood in NYC, almost 200 miles from where I live.  I knew this when the rep named the neighborhood because I grew up in New York City.

I asked if this means my spouse has had his identity stolen. "Not necessarily" we were told.  But this comes on the heels of us receiving a letter from our health insurer telling us they had been hacked. Still, if someone did get my spouse's social security number, how was it associated with his cell phone number? (my spouse only gives that number out to family).

Besides this being past creepy, I'm still trying to figure out what had happened. And, why weren't we notified by email? I was too stunned to think, but the fraudster must have changed my  address.  But we got a communication in the mail from Verizon about 10 days ago.  Something just doesn't make sense.


Has this happened to any of you?

Fall Fancies - Applesauce!

 It's been a while since I've posted any recipes.  Now, you will get a recipe two days in a row.

At this time of year, the possibility of frost sharpens our enjoyment of outdoor plants.  The nighttime temperatures are starting to dip into the 30's (1 - 2 degrees Celsius).  That means...

...it's apple time.

I live in apple growing country in upstate New York.  So when it s apple time, it's local apple time.  This year we've had a bountiful harvest.  Various you pick and they-pick operations feature overflowing bushel baskets full of apples, ready to be processed for apple pie, apple crisp, and apple sauce.

A "20 oz" apple - hey, it was only 12.80 oz!

Apples will get me into the kitchen, a place which rarely feels my footsteps.

On a cool fall day, what better thing is there than to make applesauce.  Or apple crisp, which I will feature tomorrow.

AM's Lazy Applesauce

You need several pounds of cooking apples.  But they don't have to be cooking apples.  In the back of my fridge I found six old Gala apples.  To accompany them, I purchased a 20 oz apple.  

Just use some of your favorite apples, OK?   But be aware, some apples will produce a grainy applesauce.  Macouns and MacIntosh will make a nice, smooth sauce.  I like mine a little chunky.  20 oz are great for that, as are Cortlands and Pippins.  The harder the apple flesh, the grainier.  Tartness is a personal preference.

Core the apples.  Cut into pieces, perhaps 8 pieces per apple.  Peeling is optional.  Put them in a pot.  Add about 3/4 of a cup of water, or, if you have it, apple juice or apple cider.  If you want sugar, use brown sugar. 

Cook the apples under medium low heat  until they are ready to be mashed with an apple masher, perhaps 25 minutes.  Add cinnamon or cloves to taste.  Let the aroma float through your house.  Savor the aroma.  It's time for comfort food.  Puree it if you like.  I don't.  I'm lazy.

Some people add butter.  I do not.

My Mom used to make applesauce with cinnamon candies, which dyed the sauce red.  It's a wonderful memory for me.  In turn, I made applesauce with my young son, years ago. He's graduated to peppery hot sauce now. He even grows his own jalapeños for it.

Serve your applesauce, fragrant with the scents of autumn, warm.  Or cold.  Serve with potato pancakes (as spouse did tonight).  Or, just eat it as is.

Here's another take on applesauce.

Do you like applesauce?  How do you make it?

Flood Deja Vu

Columbia, South Carolina.

I was there with my spouse in March.

Now, on TV, we watch the horror of the Columbia flooding, roads we had driven on under water or washed out. Houses we had passed now uninhabitable. Some areas of the state got 27 inches of rain in two days.

That brown water everywhere.  I know the look of flood.  I know the smell of flood.  I know what it is like to witness schools relocated.  I witnessed houses and businesses abandoned. I saw sights I never have blogged about. (If I ever write a memoir, I may put some of those scenes in there.)


It sounds too familiar.  "Our neighborhood isn't flood prone."  We said that, too, disbelieving.  We weren't even in a flood zone. 

They never thought they would be facing a flood, either.

It's (to quote the late Yogi Berra) like deja vu all over again.  Historic weather, but this time not a 500 year flood like we had, but a 1000 year flood.  Some residents say the flood was of biblical proportions.  So many floods, it seems, all over the world.  The random finger of fate, this time, landed on the Carolinas.

I want to show you a little bit of Columbia, so it isn't just a place on a weather report to you.

Columbia calls itself the Soda City.  They may be drinking a lot of soda there, and bottled water, in the coming days.  Some of it will be handed out by the Red Cross and other similar organizations.  The drinking water is contaminated.  The hospitals struggled to stay open because of lack of clean water.  As I write this, tens of thousands of people in South Carolina are without drinking water.


This historic building, making flour for over 100 years, is located on what is called the Congaree Vista.  Now, the Congaree River occupies Columbia.  I hope the flour mill survived.

Now a supermarket, once a Confederate printing plant

Downtown, the Soda City has a wonderful farmer's market.

Columbia is the capital of South Carolina.  It has a beautiful state house on whose grounds, until recently, the Confederate flag flew.  South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union, in 1860. and the state where the United States Civil War started.

Columbia, as a state capital, has some fine museums.  One is a Confederate museum.  My spouse and I, both interested in Civil War history, visited.

We were looking at a display devoted to the 150th anniversary of the burning of Columbia.  Some of the burning was done by Union troops, but Confederates were responsible for other parts of the burning.   At any event, part of the city burned. 

But Columbia rebuilt.  It was a long process, painful, but they recovered.

So, 150 years later, Columbia faces another disaster.


It makes me wonder how many of the people I interacted with lost their homes.  If they did, I've seen a little of what they, and their families, will go through.  I didn't go through most of it myself - I was a fortunate one in a neighborhood not as fortunate.  But I saw some of my neighbors having to rely on the Salvation Army and the Red Cross and other help.  Many citizens of Columbia may well have to apply to FEMA, a government agency, for help. I do know something of what that is like, too.

But I am confident that, based on what I saw in March, Columbia will rebuild.

Have you been affected in recent years by the weather?

Music Mondays - October 5, 1965

For those of us who love nostalgia, I found an interesting website - takemeback.to.


Takemeback.to allows us to pick a date.  We can see the top five pop songs (both for the U.S. and the U.K.), the top movies, the top books, and more.

Just out of curiosity, I decided to go back to October 5, 1965.  I was just 12 years old then, on the cusp of becoming a teenager. I realize that many of my readers weren't yet born, but you may still recognize some of the music of my generation.

The #1 song in the United States was Yesterday, by the Beatles.  That song became an expression of teenage uncertainly - I listened to it over and over.

The #2 song - Hang on Sloopy, by the McCoys.  Upbeat, it dispelled some of the gloom starting to descend on my life.

And the #3 song - a perfect song for a soon-to-be-teenager - Eve of Destruction.

In a way, some things never change.  If this song was introduced today, some would call it fresh and new if they didn't know the song was 50 years old.

What is it about nostalgia that attracts us to it so much?  Memories of the past aren't always good memories.  Yet, nostalgia, the "good old days", beckon.

I am thinking of having a music Monday feature for at least the month of October, a month that many rock stations call "Rocktober".  We'll see what the rest of the month brings.

What are songs that bring back memories of being on the edge of becoming a teenager for you?

Civil War Sunday - A Well Educated Citizenry

The Civil War Trust (an organization devoted to preserving Civil War battlefields and other items of heritage) has produced a 27 minute long video summarizing the United States Civil War.  This video includes never before seen footage, some recreations, and a lot of historical photos and cartoons.

I started out writing this post a few days ago wanting to blog about a wonderful introduction for anyone interested in history, even if you don't follow war.  The photos alone are worth the watching.  Gaze into the eyes of those who lived this story, and you will be humbled.

It is well worth your time to watch.

(If you are a resident of another country, which many of my blog readers are, feel free to watch anyway.  Some of the lessons of this video are universal.)

What I loved was the animated maps. They show how the war spread to every corner of our country (smaller then than it is now), even to parts of our country that most people don't realize were involved. In ways small or large, this war affected everyone in our country.

In my Civil War studies, I've learned so much that I never learned in school.  Once we are adults, it is up to us to continue to educate ourselves.

But this 27 minutes of history reminded me of something which is as current as the latest tragic headlines in our country.

People can debate the "why" of the Civil War even today but one thing is clear:  back in the first half of the 19th century, our nation faced problems that seemed to have no solution.  Whatever we tried as a "solution" didn't seem to work. We talked and talked and talked, and never faced these problems head on in the way that they had to be faced.  Finally, our ancestors' half actions almost tore our nation apart.  We fought a war between ourselves from 1861 to 1865, a war that I, and others, maintain has never quite ended.  We ended the shooting part of that war with a death toll in the hundreds of thousands. 


Now, our country faces other internal crises.  We wonder if we have lost our national will, if we can come to resolutions, or if the damage we are doing to ourselves will continue.

But, discouragingly, so many of us look to rumors, to statistics (which can be easily manipulated), to cute Facebook pictures with simplistic slogans, to form our opinions and shape how we think.

Perhaps, in a way, it is good to look back and reflect on the fact that we have survived much worse. There have been other times in history when we felt we lost our way.  This isn't our first crisis, and there will be more in the future.  That can be said for any country - it's a universal message.

(That is one reason why battlefields and other relics of history must be preserved, a topic I have blogged about before.  We must learn from history, and certain terrorists and despots destroy history, knowing this well.)

We should also reflect on the fact that we do need to solve the problems we face now instead of trying half measures.  They aren't easy problems, but progress does not come easily or without pain. And part of this pain is to educate ourselves - truly educate ourselves - and, perhaps, preparing to change some of our opinions.  Ouch.  The solutions will be painful, if they are true solutions.

But I am so tired of seeing, on my Facebook wall, simplistic slogans and rumors in response to a national tragedy.  I check these out the vast majority of times.  If the search shows the information is only on websites with a certain bias, I discard the information.  Anyone can do the same searches.

It's too bad that our Constitution does not have a clause requiring a well educated citizenry.  I strive towards that ideal.  I don't always succeed.  But I do know one thing.

History has a way of solving problems for us that we do not solve ourselves, and watching this video will help remind us of that fact.  We must be educated in order to start the solving process.

And, just like the Civil War, we will not like the solution history chooses for us if we don't choose good solutions as a people while we still have the power.  And soon, before we inflict any more damage on ourselves, or lose that ability as we are swept into the whirlpool born by inaction.

Our survival as a nation of the free depends on it.

Local Saturday - Heroism

I did not start out to blog about a shooting tragedy, but it is ironic, in a way, that I planned this post before the news of the shooting tragedy earlier this week at Oregon's Umpqua Community College.

We in Binghamton, NY, a small city of about 47,000. in upstate New York near the Pennsylvania border, suffered our own adult classroom shooting tragedy on April 3, 2009:  13 dead, plus the shooter.  Sadly, there have been a good number of mass shootings since that day.

A hero of the Umpqua shooting was a 30 year old military veteran, Chris Mintz, who had a chance to escape. But, instead, he ran towards the gunman and barricaded a door trying to deny entry to the gunman.  Mintz was shot many times by the shooter (whose name I refuse to mention). 

Both of Mintz's legs were broken, and rods had to be inserted.  He was shot in the hands and abdomen.  He was hit in the back and he will carry a bullet in his hip for the rest of his life.  He will have to learn to walk again.

Mintz was attending classes at the college to become a physical therapist, to help others.

The day of the shooting was his son's sixth birthday.  His son is developmentally disabled with autism and is non verbal.  By all accounts, Mintz is a loving, hands on father.  As the paramedics attended to Mintz, he kept telling them it was his son's birthday.

It will be a long road to recovery for Mintz, and, at the same time we all mourn the nine innocent who died. 

We had acts of heroism in our shooting, too.

One of the dead in the Binghamton shooting was a 72 year old teacher, Bobbie King.  Besides her work at the American Civic Association, where the shooting took place, she put in countless hours of volunteer work at Hanukkah House, the Binghamton museum I have been blogging about the past few days.

Every year, portions of her collections of dolls and dollhouses would go on display at Hanukkah House for the enjoyment of the community. There is nothing said in the descriptive material about Mrs. King, but her doll collection was a legend in this community.

Since Ms. King's untimely death, her family has graciously continued the tradition of displaying some of her dolls and dollhouses.  When I view these dolls each year, I can almost imagine them crying over the tragedy that took their owner's life.  We like to say that good comes from bad, though, and I like to think that these dolls are celebrating Bobbie King's life and all the people whose lives she touched in her 72 years on Earth.

Looking into Mrs. King's dollhouse, you see a world in miniature.  If you didn't know better, you might think this was a room in a mansion taken from above.  The detail is incredible.

Here, you see a set table with a miniature tea service.

And here, a bedroom complete with crocheted coverlet.

Sadly, once again, we have a situation where innocent lives were again taken by....who?  why?  The purpose of this blog is not for me to have a platform for my personal opinion. But, once again, I ask, will we in the United States have the will to find a way out of this?

Falling Friday - The Walk

It's been a dream of mine, these last few months, to improve my balance so that I will never fall again.

I do exercises - four every day of the week to increase balance, and four more three times a week, to increase strength.  This is part of a program started years ago in Australia called Stepping On.

One of the daily exercises is to walk an imaginary tightrope. 

This has gotten me fascinated by actual tightrope walkers - the people who risk their lives, and sometimes lose them - such as Karl Wallenda of the famous Wallenda family, who fell to his death at age 73.

And then there is the true story of Philippe Petit, who (illegally) walked a wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center, the same towers that so tragically were destroyed by terrorists on September 11, 2001.  I warn anyone who is still disturbed by images of the towers not to watch the following video.

Our world is so different now, in those 41 years since this walk happened.

Since I started the exercise program in May, I've walked that imaginary tightrope daily.  In my kitchen.  At work, during lunch.  At my mother in law's house.  Outside.  I can walk that imaginery tightrope now without holding onto something - but not for long.

I was warned, it would be a long road.

Now I read Philippe Petit's story, and marvel - he is older than I am.

Where did I go wrong?  Will I ever be able to walk a straight line? (I don't think I would ever dare a true tightrope.)

In the meantime, every day, I dream of better balance.

Throwback Thursday - Food Forests Revisited

Food Forests.  A concept out of an urban fairy tale?

Come with me, this first day of October,  to my neighborhood near Johnson City, New York, and revisit a post from 2012.

But first, an update.

The building I blogged about below is finally going to be demolished over the next year or so.  It was ruined in a flood that occurred a little more than four years ago.  The preliminary work to start the demolishing process has already started.

In a way, it's nice to see people at the site, officially called Air Force Plant 59, again.  At the time of the flood, on September 8, 2011, some 1300 people worked there. The demolishing will be a long process, taking almost a year. I will blog more about that eventually.

I still haven't heard about the final outcome for the property.  Several ideas have been considered.

What a shame the food forest was not considered.   A food forest by my home would have been something special. I still think this is a great idea but it won't be the fate of this property.

In a way, it makes me sad.

And now, the post:

  * * *

The people of Seattle may have thought they were living a fairy tale when the Food Forest idea was first proposed.  It is no fairy tale, and is taking shape even now.  And it may be the answer to some of the devastation our area of upstate NY, and other areas hit by massive flooding in the last couple of years, have been looking for.

What is a food forest?  Quoting from Take Part, an urban project new to our country is unfolding in Seattle:

"A seven-acre plot of land in the city’s Beacon Hill neighborhood will be planted with hundreds of different kinds of edibles: walnut and chestnut trees; blueberry and raspberry bushes; fruit trees, including apples and pears; exotics like pineapple, yuzu citrus, guava, persimmons, honeyberries, and lingonberries; herbs; and more. All will be available for public plucking to anyone who wanders into the city’s first food forest."

Now let's cut to one of the casualties of our flood here in Westover, an area just to the west of Binghamton, NY.  A flood-ruined 600,000 square foot building lies waiting for the wrecking ball.  11 months ago today, the flood came and almost swept 1300 jobs away from Westover.  (The jobs, belonging to a manufacturer called BAE,  relocated in a nearby village.  This relocation may only be temporary.)

The best our local officials can come up with is to use the land, once the building (one of the largest wood framed structures in the United States) is demolished, as a park.

Well, let's take this a step further.  What about a food forest?  True, the soil may be polluted from one of the parting gifts of the flood - a spill of oil and we-don't-want-to-know what other chemicals.  But you wouldn't want that soil in a park where our children would be playing either, would we? 

A city bus stops directly in front of the building.  There is already a parking lot.  The land and building consists of approximately 30 acres.

What if we had apples, blueberries, raspberries, herbs and other edibles growing on that land?  What if it was free for the picking?  What if we also had lovely blooming plants in the spring?  True, we don't have Seattle's climate, but this is a major apple growing area.  Many herbs thrive here, too.

We already have a local botanical garden in Binghamton in a flood prone area. When it floods, volunteers put it back together. That area is much more flood prone than the BAE property.  So we should not be afraid of the "What if" question.

We would have to find volunteers but I think it would be possible.

So how would we campaign for something like this?  A fellow blogger, Food That Sings, wrote me from Australia:

" And that's where it starts...perhaps you could write a letter about your idea; send copies to the council, the local newspaper;  radio station, even post a copy on the school bulletin board, community shopping centre etc. etc. You could plant the seed; start the growth (ha ha pardon the pun)...how awesome is that"

We in the Triple Cities need to be on the map for some other reason than a mass killing of 13 in 2009 and this 2011 flood - wouldn't it be great if we could turn this flood into an opportunity for renewal.

Does your area have a food forest?  Have you ever visited one?  Do they work?

Fall - Flowers, Fear and Floods

It's the season for mums, pumpkins, corn stalks and turning leaves here in upstate New York.  But, on this last day of September, what we are getting instead is rain.

And, perhaps, more rain.

For me, living in a neighborhood damaged by a flood four years ago this September, it causes anxiety. (Interested? Read my posts from around September 10, 2011, forward.) I've blogged before about how the sound of rain, once a source of pleasure, no longer is.

We are under a flood watch, as is much of the East Coast of the United States, not from this storm, but from Tropical Storm Joaquin, still way off shore. But, despite that, fall marches on.

My yard, this year, has a lot of fall interest. Fall is such a beautiful time of year here - too bad it also makes me realize what is coming next.

Let's not think of that (the "s" word), shall we?  Instead lets think of these, on this last day of September, using photos taken several days ago.

My cultivated Northeast Asters (Michaelmas Daisies) glow towards sunset.

Sedum.

Hardy mums (not mums purchased at the store just for the season.

More hardy mums.

And one more sunset view, this time from last week - Japanese anemones.

All we on the East Coast can do now is wait for whatever is in store for us.  In the meantime, I'd like to thank everyone who commented on my post yesterday.  I haven't responded to all the comments, but I will.

What is fall like, where you live?  Do you live in a four season climate?  Or, is it spring where you live?
 

Eight Things I Wish I Knew When I Started To Blog

 What do I wish I knew when I started to blog?

As part of being DIFFERENT in 2015 (my "word" for this year), I wanted to share some blogging comments and tips I have gathered through the years.

I've had this post in my drafts since January (January!).  And now it is almost October.

This year has been a different year than any year in my life. My spouse and I, as a team, have faced new challenges, and my blogging has suffered for it.

As a result, I decided, a couple of months, not to enter any more blogging challenges (something I've done almost continuously since 2011).  Yet, I feel I do need to give something back to the blogging community.  I am not a blogging expert, but I have been blogging since 2009.  I am continuously learning, and hope that, if you are new, some of these tips may be of value to you.


1.  I wish I knew there was such a thing as blogging challenges when I started.  If you want to grow your readership (and who doesn't want followers, for either personal or business reasons?), this is one of the fastest ways to increase your readership.  By reading the blogs of those in your challenge, you will quickly learn what works - and what doesn't.

2.  I wish I knew that consistent posting is key.  I highly recommend daily posting, at least for the first month or two of your blog.   Once you establish yourself, what becomes necessary is not daily posting, but, rather, consistent posting.  If you don't want to post daily - and many bloggers don't want to, or can't - then it helps your readers to know that you have a schedule. Then stick to it.

3.  I wish I knew there is no such thing as a perfect blog post.  Perfection is not necessary.  Passion IS necessary.  If you don't like what you write, your readers won't, either.

4.  But, you must know what your readers want.  A blog is not all about you.  It is about your readers. My readers seem to love pictures of snow (in the winter) and flowers (the rest of the year),

5. You must read your readers' comments.  You must!  Those comments are more valuable to a blogger than breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even good chocolate.  For example, last week I wrote a blog about fall, which turned out to be a bit self centered.  A couple of my readers gently reminded me that much of the world does not experience quite the same fall as upstate New York (where I live).  My sin?  I had taken my readers for granted.

6.  Related to #5, I wish I knew how important it was to comment on, not just read, other blogs.  Yes, don't be shy.  Comment!  And if you do disagree, which is fine, please, please, please, be respectful. There is a person, a living, breathing human being with feelings, on the other end of that blog post you like or dislike. 

7.  Realize you are an expert - on something.  Then go for it. On the other hand, don't blog about something just because an "expert" tells you to.

Experts have good advice, but only you are the expert on you. (Say that fast, three times!)

 If you love something, work that into your blog posts.  If you couldn't care less about that topic, don't bother.  Blog about something you love.  I can't emphasize this enough.  That dislike/boredom/lack of passion will show right through your writing.

Be real. Be you.  It's not as easy as you think, but it is worth the effort.

8.  Finally: appreciate your readers.  Let them know often.  I don't do that enough.

If you had advice to new bloggers, what advice would you give?

Not Forgetting to Remember

It was still another message on the phone, asking my spouse and me to do something related to the care my spouse and I help to provide for both an elderly and a disabled relative, and my mind wanted to go "pop".  So, I forced myself to step back.

Sometimes, there are just not enough hours in the day for most of us.  But then, there are also flashes of seeing another side of life, a side where we who give care depend on the kindness or effort of others, and sometimes we just don't pay them enough thanks.

Sometimes, we are so harried and forgetful, and we forget to see past ourselves, our own problems, and realize what we have been granted - friendship, support, and kindness.

Today, I want to say "thank you" to some of the people in our lives we could not have made it through the past months without:

The cousin who, seeing how we were struggling with a last minute deadline, switched with someone else at his job, and came by at 7:30 the next morning, with his patient and strong son in tow, to help us out.  We never could have met a deadline without this act of kindness.

My mother in law's neighbor, who has been more of a help than we can ever thank her.

My son.  Your grandmother appreciates everything you did.

The co-workers who gave me support, and listened to a rant or two (or three, or....I'm not saying how many.)

A couple of in laws and their spouses or significant others, and other relatives, for what they did to help us.  It's too long a list to publish.

My spouse, who puts up with my impatient and emotional nature.

A geriatric care manager, who gave us more support than she will ever know.


Staff of a certain ARC chapter, for their years of service to my brother in law "B", who has autism.

Various medical people.  The nurses who do the work and tend to be forgotten, especially.

I know I have missed people in this list.  If I missed you,know that I still appreciated you.

And finally, you, my readers, during this time of me not commenting on their comments, not reading their blogs, being somewhat self-centered at times.  They forgive me for rerunning posts of the past from time to time (to time).  This situation will probably exist for at a while longer, and I appreciate your patience.

Have you ever depended on the support of others?

Throwback Civil War Sunday - Civil War Penmanship

This past week, a Facebook post went viral.  It was a picture of a young schoolgirl's homework with a warning that she shouldn't be writing her name in cursive, and that she has been warned before.

I am not going to comment about the post - I have a feeling there is a lot more to this than the post mentioned, and this is not the place to interject my educational opinions.  However, the debate about teaching cursive will obviously heat up because of this post going viral.

This boils down to:  should cursive writing be taught in school?

Many parents and teachers do believe that cursive writing should be taught in school.  I am one of them.  Not teaching cursive (and how to read cursive) shuts the student off from many historical documents.  Further, the overall art of penmanship should be taught.  If you look at handwritten documents from United States history, I am amazed at the quality of penmanship.

Recently, I was amazed by the handwriting of my mother in law's new doctor.  This doctor was educated in Pakistan.  Her cursive writing is a thing of beauty.  I wish I could post it online, but it has personal information on it.


Seeing that doctor's list reminded me of a Civil War post from 2012 , which I would like to share with you again.

Civil War Sunday - Civil War Penmanship and Dr. Charles Leale

 (Matthew Brady photograph of Abraham Lincoln in the basement of the Tioga County Historical Society, Owego, NY November, 2011, salvaged from the September 2011 flood..  Photographed, not too skillfully, by me.)

This past week, some exciting news was announced - the report of the first doctor to reach Abraham Lincoln after he was shot was found.  The doctor was Dr. Charles Leale,a doctor who had seen Lincoln speak several days before.  For some reason, Lincoln's face fascinated him and he decided to go to Ford Theatre that fateful night of April 14, 1865, to study Lincoln further.  Accounts say he was only about 40 feet away from Mr. Lincoln when he witnessed the assassination.

Of course, it is always exciting for historians to have a source document found.  But, to me, what is more exciting is the availability online of the document itself.

For example, doctors have wondered if Lincoln's life could have been saved by modern medicine. As of 2007, the answer would have been "yes but with a lot of brain damage".  Now, we have an exact account of the medical measures taken.

From my point of view, though, what fascinated me the most was the document itself.  If you look at it, you will see it is beautifully written.  Not only is the writing that of an educated man, but the quality of penmanship is breathtaking to the modern reader.  For example, I would never win an award for my penmanship.

I had to do some research.

Handwriting was a main form of communication during the Civil War.  Those fortunate enough to be schooled spent countless hours practicing penmanship.  There were no typewriters commercially available (to the best of my knowledge) until right after the Civil War, although they had been invented.  Many documents were handwritten.   Part of judging how educated a person was consisted of judging penmanship.

Each side, Federal and Confederate, wrote countless letters, battle orders, and the like. Some kept diaries. Most all of these were handwritten.

What I found is that there were two main styles of writing during the Civil War era, "Copperplate script" and "Spencerian script."  I am not a graphic designer, but it seems from the small amount of research I did that both scripts, in one form or another, are still quite alive and well.

Even the instructions provided for Spencerian script sing to me.

With penmanship an instinctive skill, the writer was free to express his thoughts - and I could imagine the thoughts of Dr. Charles Leale flowing as he wrote about the fateful night of April 14 and morning of April 15, 1865. He did not talk about that night, the night he spent holding the dying President's hand, for years.  He  made his observations public in 1909, the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, in a speech called "Lincoln's Last Hours".

Dr. Charles Leale died in 1932, one of the last living witnesses to the assassination.

Have you learned calligraphy?  Do you mourn the removal of cursive handwriting from elementary school curriculums?

Local Saturday - Grapes Ready for Harvest

In late summer, we made a brief visit to the Finger Lakes of upstate New York, about 1 1/2 hours from where we live in the Southern Tier of upstate New York.  The bounty of late summer was evident in the markets and wineries we visited.

The best part, though, was seeing grapes growing, and ready for harvest, at some Finger Lakes wineries.

These are Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. I have to admit that I am a white wine drinker, so wine made from these grapes would not be my first choice.  But this wine is popular in the United States.

Chardonnay grapes.  If you like sparkling wines, you are no doubt familiar with these grapes.

This is a trellis with concord grapes, although none of them is visible.  I love eating Concord grapes.  Growing up, the only wine I experienced (and yes, I was permitted tiny sips of wine at a certain annual religious dinner) was super-sweet Concord grape wine.  I am far from an educated wine drinker, but I have moved far behind that super sweet concord wine.

Finally, at a local farm market, a combination tray of grapes.

There is nothing as good as a good grape - yes, grape - pie.

There are so many types of grapes being grown throughout the world - what a pity that supermarkets in the United States only feature a few.

Falling Friday - It Ain't Over Until It Is

"He'd fall in a sewer and come up with a gold watch", his manager once said of him.

Earlier this week, famed baseball catcher Yogi Berra died at the age of 90.  His death has been mourned by millions of Americans.

You don't need to be a fan of baseball, or even know what baseball is, to mourn the death of an elderly athlete who did so much for a sport and for disadvantaged youth.  But he was even better known for his sayings, full of mangled logic, that somehow made perfect sense.

Many believe the cartoon character Yogi Bear was named after Yogi Berra.

Sadly, another aspect of his old age was just like deja vu all over again.   .

Falling.

Over and over again - death due to complications of falling.  In fact, my spouse's 103 year old aunt was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago, fighting an infection that was related to a fall she too last year, which resulted in a partial hip replacement.  She's in rehab now.

But, speaking of Yogi....

Some five years ago, this athlete, one of the greatest baseball players of all time in his youth, fell and hurt himself.  More recently, he had to be moved into assisted living.

He isn't the only mighty athlete who has ended up in assisted living.  I read this inspirational story about howYogi would visit Phil Rizzuto, one of his teammates, when the elderly Mr. Rizzuto was moved into assisted living. 

I don't know if Phil Rizzuto had fallen once he was elderly, but I wonder if Yogi Berra's fall somehow, eventually, contributed to the "natural causes" he died from.

Even the mighty athletes among us fall, it would seem.  And if they fall, than what of us, the non-athletes?

You can observe a lot by watching.

I've watched, and I decided to lower my chances of falling again - I've fallen several times already in the past five years.

I've blogged about the falls prevention class I took earlier this year.  Yes, I still do the exercises.  Yes, it has made me feel more stable.  But I have a ways to go to regain the steadiness of my youth.

I still fear falling, and rightly so.  I sometimes wonder why old age brings the trials I dread, as I enter that part of my life.

But Yogi Berra knew why.

He once said "If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be."

Throwback Thursday - The Last True Days of Fall

I was intrigued by a comment by someone who lives in a climate where they never truly have an autumn.

On the other hand, in upstate New York, where I live, we are blessed (normally) with beautiful falls.

For my readers who don't have "fall", I am bringing you a taste of it today from 2013.

It is a bittersweet time, as the beauty of fall means the coming of winter.  But now, from the comfort of your computer chair, you can enjoy some coming attractions of our fall season, which is just starting.

Fall Fancies - The Last True Days of Fall

Fall, to us in upstate New York, is a fleeting thing.

It is the short season of trees turning color - of red, yellow, and brown - before the snow starts to fall.

Monday, it was mild, hitting 60 degrees.  Yesterday started out mild, before the cold came in, with a taste of bitter wind.  A little after 4:30 I took my exercise walk with my spouse, as the sun shone in our eyes.  The sun gets lower every day.

Tonight, we will be getting our killing frost.  And, we may also be getting our first snow flurries, if you believe the National Weather Service.

But for now, red, yellow, and brown rule the land.

Mushroom and burning bush, West Side of Binghamton.

Otsiningo Park, near Binghamton, New York.

Knotwood, an invasive plant, turns yellow in Otsiningo Park.

Tree on the West Side of Binghamton.

Soon, we will have the last of our fall color.

A burning bush glows.  In just a few days these leaves will be a distant memory.

Fall will last until December 21 on the calendar but, for us in upstate New York, it will be gone by the end of the month.  Let's enjoy it while it lasts.