Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

For those of you who won't have a white Christmas this year, I'd like to share a piece of mine. You see, this is Central New York, affectionately know as "Lake Effect Country." The snow you see in these photos has all fallen since Friday. That's right - in four days we've accumulated at least 3 FEET of snow. The official total is something over 30" with a season total of 65" to date. Here in Cicero, although we are about five miles from the airport where they take the official measurement, we have even more. Our total for yesterday alone was nearly 2 feet. Anyway, here is my Christmas gift to you. Whether you are relieved that you don't live here, or wish that you were skiing here, sit back and enjoy the view.

Christmas is...

....a Christian observance? a Pagan celebration? a commercial holiday? the most stressful season? We could argue from now 'til New Year's about who "owns" Christmas and what it's all about, but that's not my story for today. My story is a personal experience and it defines what Christmas means to me.

1961 - yeah it was a long time ago. I was 8 that winter and in second grade. I grew up in a farming community. We weren't rich by any stretch of the imagination - some might say we were poor - but it was the life I knew and it felt comfortable to me. Our area was home to lots of migrants in the summer and early fall, mostly Puerto Ricans, who helped with the harvests.

Anyway, this particular year a family of migrants did not leave with the autumn frost. They enrolled their three daughters in school - none of whom spoke English. There was no ESL (English as a Second language) support in those days, but my teacher, Miss Carmella Socci, spoke Spanish. Our classroom became home to those three little girls while they got accustomed to school. The morning messages on the board were bilingual. We all learned a little Spanish. Today is Friday. Hoy es el Viernes... or something like that. The girls rode my bus and we became friends.

As Christmas approached my dad called the family together with a question, "Would you like to help Santa this year?" Of course we would! Dad explained that some families didn't always have a very good Christmas and he knew of one that we could help out - our Puerto Rican friends from school. Dad asked us to find things that we would be willing to give this family so their Christmas might be as nice as ours. I remember going through my few toys, finding a doll and some other items to give to the girls. We also found clothing, shoes, coats, hats, mittens for the children and their parents. My mom packed in some food.

Christmas Eve was on a Sunday that year and after church we all piled into our station wagon and drove to Floridaville where the migrant family lived. No one was home and we quickly filled their front porch with the boxes packed full of our Christmas offering. My dad attached a note from Santa wishing the family a very Merry Christmas. As we drove away I think we all felt that this was a special Christmas indeed.

On the first day back to school in early January, the bus picked up the girls at their house. As they got on the bus the youngest was carrying my doll - the doll I had added to the Christmas box. She was so excited, showing me her doll that Santa had brought. And I felt so good watching her play with her doll, keeping the secret of our work as Santa's helpers.

It was a small thing that we did. But it was a big thing for me. Something that has stayed with me, as clearly as if it were yesterday. And it is my best ever Christmas memory.

Yessir, that's my baby! (and his baby)

Where is your safe place?

A few years ago I saw a therapist to help me cope with some issues in life. One day we were discussing a particularly intense topic. I was scared - no, I was terrified. And the therapist said to me, "Barb, you need a safe place where you can't be hurt. Where is a place where you can feel safe?"

I couldn't think of anything. At that moment there was nowhere I could imagine being safe from the danger I was feeling. Where could I feel safe? Maybe in the arms of a big, protecting tree. You know, in that place where the trunk splits out into branches. The place where I could sit - hide - and be protected by the strong branch-arms, hidden by the blanket of leaves. In my mind I put myself in that tree...but it was not safe.

My panic grew. "There is no safe place!" I pleaded. "Nothing can keep me safe!"

As I struggled to calm myself an image came to me: A young child. Me. Sitting in my grandfather's lap. Grampa lived with us from the time I was about 6 and we kids used to fight over who got to sit on his lap. When I sat in his lap - in his arms, it felt as if nothing in the world could ever be bad. My grandpa's lap was the safest, warmest, most comforting place I knew.

Where is your safe place?

Must See TV

Life On Mars
Episode 7: The Man Who Sold The World
ABC-TV http://abc.go.com/primetime/lifeonmars)

The last thing you remember is rushing to answer the phone in your car across the street. The year is 2008. But here you are, lying in the street and it isn’t 2008 any more, it’s 1973. Suddenly you’ve been thrust back 25 years to a New York City you haven’t see since you were 4 years old. And you have no idea how or why. Are you dead? Insane? Is this a dream? Or is this reality and 2008 is the dream?

That’s where Detective Sam Tyler finds himself at the beginning of the series, Life on Mars. Based on a popular British series by the same name, Life on Mars puts a 21st century cop in the hippie era, anti-war, racially charged culture of 1970s New York. There are no computers, no DNA testing, no cell phones. Sam’s new coworkers at the 125th precinct are tough, no-nonsense cops who don’t let ethics – and sometimes justice – get in their way.

Sam can’t reconcile his 2008 memories with his 1973 presence. He feels as if he has been sent back 25 years for a reason. He receives “messages” from 2008 by way of radio, television, phone calls, and occasional interaction with the 70s version of a person in his 2008 life. The only person he confides in is Annie. Referred to by her co-workers as No-Nuts Norris, Annie is the token female on the force. With a previous degree in psychology she is a sympathetic ear for Sam, often encouraging him to seek psychological help for what she imagines can only be delusions.

This week’s episode finds Sam face-to-face with his father, Vic, who disappeared in the middle of Sam’s fourth birthday party, which happens to be taking place on the upcoming Saturday in Sam’s 1973 world. Vic has been arrested for kidnapping infant Andrew Kreshpane, but claims he is only a messenger for the up-and-coming Pignato family mob. Eager to vindicate his father, Sam convinces Vic to help the police rescue the baby. What follows is the interaction between an adult Sam and his father, with Sam trying to unravel the mystery of his father’s disappearance and discover the meaning behind a recurring vision of a woman in a red dress whom Sam believes is his mother, Rose, being attacked in the woods beyond the park where Sam’s birthday party takes place.

Episode 7 is the mid-season cliff-hanger so you won’t be surprised to know that the ending leaves us in suspense when Sam finds himself in an empty house, answering the phone and hearing an unknown voice direct him to the basement. Is this the way back to 2008? Is it a Pignato family trap? You’ll have to wait until January 28th when the show moves to Wednesdays after Lost to find out. In the meantime you can catch up on previous episodes online. You won’t regret it.

If I don't come back alive...

When you were a kid (can you remember that long ago?) what was your favorite pasttime with your sibs? Ours was playing on the swing. It hung in a giant sugar maple tree in our front yard. We lived in the boonies and our front yard was pretty big. The "swing tree" was at the edge of the yard, next to an old, no longer in use, cow pasture. My sisters and I played in that swing daily and our favorite game was pretending that the swing was a rocket ship that would take us to a far off world. One of us would man the "cockpit" while another provided the rocket "thrust" by pushing the swing higher and higher. This was before real outer space travel and after the days of the Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon movies so our imaginations were free to roam.

Apparently we traveled light for these excursions to unknown places. The only thing we carried was crackers. Don't ask me why - I simply don't remember. To let the crackers go stale or soft was the worst thing that could happen on our trek. Without those crackers to sustain us we would surely perish in the astronomical unknown. And as we swung higher and higher, we recited these words: "If I don't come back alive, you'll know why. S-o-o-o-g-g-y crackers!"

Autumn's Last Gasp

A short trip down Lakeshore Road today to see what was moving on the lake. Nothing but geese and gulls on this crisp and sunny day. Got a couple of interesting photos but it seems as if most of the usual inhabitants have flown off in search of warmer climes.

Montezuma's Last Stand...at least for this year

Saturday Max and I made one last trip to Montezuma, encouraged by a newspaper article and photos showing flocks of snow geese and great egrets. Much to our dismay we saw none of those. Much to our pleasure we saw seven bald eagles. There were lots and lots - and lots - of geese. The light was great and the colors were stunning.

Experiments with light and shadow

I never really learned artistic technique in school. Art class was not my forte. So now I'm trying to learn some of the basics. Here are a few photos where I tried to take advantage of natural light and shadows.

Understanding the wooly bear

I spotted this wooly bear trying to cross the highway on my way to Indian Lake on Sunday. Tell me - what do his stripes tell you? I've heard three versions:

--- When I was growing up, I always learned that the lighter the brown band, the milder the winter. Ergo, this little fella is telling us we'll have a nice mild winter.

---A few years ago someone told me that the stripes indicated the length of the winter as well so this wooly would be telling us that we'd have harsh weather for the first part of the season, followed by a long mild stretch and ending in another short stretch of bad weather before spring. (FYI - this guy's head is on the right).

---Just last week a second grade teacher insisted that the three bands indicated three seasons, hence, according to Mr. Wooly Bear, we will have an average-length fall, a long winter, and a short spring.

Which one is it?

What is this?

Click on the picture to open it in a separate window so you can get a really good look. Then tell me what you think.

Autumn in the Adirondacks

I left home early Sunday morning headed for what will likely be my last visit to the Adirondacks this year. The weather promised to be sunny but it sure didn't look that way at 7:30 am. Along the way I saw this red tailed hawk sitting in the top of a tree and admiring the fall scenery while he scanned the bushes for lunch.

By 11:30 I already had made several stops, taken lots of pictures, and arrived at the cabin Max was renting for the weekend in Indian Lake. We stopped to get a sub and sodas then headed north towards Tupper Lake via Blue Mountain and Long Lakes. The wind was cold and the sky was overcast but eventually the sun came out In Long Lake we saw this loon enjoying the brisk afternoon weather. He seemed to be having a good time and once even looked to be on his back preening his belly feathers. There was an eagle soaring not too far overhead - probably a bald eagle though we couldn't get a good enough look to be sure.

On the way home it was bright so I got a few good pictures of the fall colors. Somewhere near Poland I came upon this buck standing in someone's front yard. He seemed not to mind my attention, even doing me a great favor by striking a pose before he wandered on his way. I'm not sure where he came by the yellow "necklace" or whether he was wild or tame, but in Old Forge the deer are extremely tame, and I wasn't that far from Old Forge. It was a great day.

Celebrating Life

I attended my father-in-law's funeral this past week and saw several aunts, uncles, cousins, and other family that I hadn't seen in ages. "This is insane," I thought. "First it was weddings, baby showers, graduations, and now we only see our families at wakes and funerals." That was to be the subject of this post.
But as the idea simmered in my head I realized that these are exactly the times that we need our families and, yes, it would be great to see them at other times, but the reality is that we all have full plates, we are geographically scattered, and life gets by us faster than we might like.
So here is my new perspective: weddings, baby showers, graduations, wakes, funerals....these are our life celebrations. Yes, even wakes and funerals. At my father-in-law's funeral, we shared stories of the man we would always remember and the memories he left behind. When better to gather our families close and celebrate life?

They're playing where???

In my e-mail inbox this morning was this auto dealership promo:

Win A trip for 4 to see the Buffalo Bills play the New England Patriots in a Limo!
Now, I don't know about you, but I'd LOVE to see Tom Brady and his pals scrunched into a stretch limo with the Bills.....talk about your personal foul!

Rudy, Rudy, Rudy...

...I used to respect you. I used to think you'd be a darned good candidate for President. After last night I want to be rid of you and the rest of your Republican cronies. I happened to be driving home and heard your convention speech on NPR. Less than 5 minutes in you were dissing Obama. Snide, catty remarks to which the crowd responded in supportive laughter and boos aimed at the Democratic nominee. That's when I turned off the radio.

The fact that Obama was a "community organizer" seems to be a big joke among the RNC - Sarah Palin mentioned it again when she compared her experience as a small town mayor to Obama's stint as a community organizer. Again laughter and taunts came from the crowd. It reminded me of a room full of adolescent boys or a bunch of redneck cowboys.

The Republicans seem to be taking great joy in Obama-bashing. Obama, on the other hand, has taken the high road for the most part. When asked about Palin's pregnant daughter "scandal" he firmly replied that a candidate's family - and especially her children - were off limits. As they should be.

Now I'm not saying that the Dems have not slung a little dirt. I'll be honest and tell you that I didn't hear the speeches from the Democratic Convention. I don't know if they acted as rudely as the Republicans. I do know this. If for no other reason than his unwillingness to take personal pot shots at the opposition, I'm voting for Obama.

All's Fair/Adieu Mon Ami

Days 9-10: Wednesday August 27-Thursday, August 28

Wednesday I took GT to the Great New York State Fair for another taste of an American tradition. We toured all the buildings and visited the Indian Village where we watched some Native American dancing and GT bought a dream catcher for his mum. We were home by 4 and enjoyed a relaxing evening watching old tv shows.

On Thursday we made one last visit to William Park and then drove to Brewerton for lunch and wandered around Oneida Shores Park, stopping to chat with a fellow from Ontario and his dog, Evander. And then, all too soon, it was time to take GT to the airport. We had a great 10 days as always - enough time to enjoy each others' company but not enough time to get tired of one another.

Next time it's my turn to travel. I'm hoping to see Scotland and more of Wales. Guess I'd better start saving my pennies.

Happy (Wine) Trails

Day 8: Tuesday, August 26

We ate a hearty breakfast with Sistah Kate this morning at the local diner in Hall, NY and set out for Route 14 and Seneca Lake. We were a little early for the wineries but did stop at Heron Hill and bought a great dessert wine and some wine glasses. GT will be the taster today - Susannah is driving. On down the lake shore until we get to Watkins Glen. What a gorgeous day it is! We see several wading birds including a solitary sandpiper (below) and two pectoral sandpipers - lifers for both of us. From Watkins Glen we head up Route 414 along the east side of the lake, stopping at Hector Falls to enjoy the view.

Did you know there's a National Forest in New York? Indeed there is - Finger Lakes National Forest, near Hector. We stopped at the Ranger Station for maps of the hiking trails and drove the back roads to the trail head. Although we saw nothing new in the way of birds it was a nice hike and we're pretty sure we heard a bald eagle but couldn't see it. (BTW - the bug is a female American Pelicinid wasp (thanks, Dave)

From FLNF we grabbed a cheeseburger at McDonald's and stopped in at Goose Watch Winery for some of my favorite wines: Snow Goose and Red Fox. Then a quick stop at Montezuma where I got a not-so-great photo of a green heron. By the time we got home we were ready for a light supper and a glass of wine. Another great day!

On the Road Again

Day 7: Monday, August 25

Monday morning we're off early after consulting the map and deciding to see Chimney Bluffs near Sodus Bay (Lake Ontario). It's a place I have visited often as a child but it's been a good 35 years since I've been there. The bluffs have eroded a lot in the past 3 decades but they are still an amazing sight. We walk along the lakeshore and then climb up to the trail that rises above the bluffs. We see lots of birds and some interesting flowers. I need to get a wildflower identification book!

After the bluffs we stop at a winery to sample and purchase a couple of bottles. Then we have lunch at a little restaurant at the mouth of Sodus Bay. From there it's down to the other end of the bay where we see several mute swans and a black tern.

We arrive at Sistah Kate's house late afternoon bearing fresh fruit from one of the local orchards. Tomorrow will be our last travel day.

Gimme a Break!

Days 4-6: Friday, August 22-Sunday, August 24

Funny how 4 hours of hiking and 3 hours of driving will wear you out...Friday all I want to do is sleep but I don't want to disappoint my guest so we stay local, deciding to visit Pratt's Falls and then lunch at William Park down the street from me on Oneida Lake. We manage to see several kinds of gulls and terns including Bonaparte's and ring-billed gulls and common and gull-billed terns. An afternoon nap perks me up a bit and we dine at home then watch some westerns -- GT's favorites.

On Saturday it's a family cookout at my brother's house. We treat GT to a typical central New York picnic: Hoffmann's dogs, burgers, salt potatoes, baked beans, and sweet corn. A little swim, a little hike and we're good to go.

Sunday since rain threatens we decide to postpone our trip west for a day, instead strolling the Creek Walk at the Inner Harbor in Syracuse where we see a greater black-backed gull and a double-crested cromorant, and then heading to Brewerton for a lunch on the river.

Okay.....'nuf slouching! Tomorrow we're off again!