This weekend was a good one spent primary with Jerry’s family sharing a meal, prayer and great company.
On Sunday some of us met at the local coffee house to discuss our garden plans for the summer and to order seeds. This is a step up for us. We usually have a small garden of some type in our yard, just a few tomato and pepper plants, etc. Last summer we had a bumper crop of strawberries. The kids next door came over and saw how strawberries looked before they appeared on the store shelf in plastic containers. They enjoyed picking them and taking some home to the family. More often than not though by mid-summer the weeds have taken over and we end up just harvesting what we can.
However yesterday was a power meeting of what our garden could look like.
Spring fever set in and we began ordering seeds. Brother-in-law Jack was the experienced one. While Dave and I have done a little gardening for many years, Jack has done mega-gardening, at least by our family standards. Our true inspiration comes from sister Judy who has worked on Genesis Farm in NJ for over 23 years. She is the one with the ‘know how’ and the experience. She is the one who answers all our questions and offers advice. She is ‘the one’!
So a couple of hours later we were thinking green and tasting wonderful veggies in our heads. Over $100. worth of seeds to be shares 3 or 4 ways. Not too bad for a summer worth of vegetables. Oh, and don’t forget the flowers! Judy says that you must plant flowers in order to feed the soul as well as veggies to feed our bodies. I like that kind of thinking. So some of the flowers we ordered are edible.
So that was a fork in the road for me – to get serious about gardening and eating locally grown. How much more local can you get that your own back yard. Perhaps we’re taking the road less traveled but I think there are a lot of people beginning to walk down that path.
But wait, there was another fork in the road that we responded to yesterday. We attended two fundraisers on Sunday. Two different local high schools, two different causes, both worth our time and money. Besides you can’t beat $8 for breakfast and $6 for dinner.
As I was thinking about dinner I had an epiphany that I decided to act on. Jerry graciously went along with the idea or at least put up with it and decided to humor me once again. Instead of using the plastic knives and forks we took our own forks (didn’t really need knives) from home and our own napkins also.
When we refuse the paper napkin wrapped plastic ware the lady looked at us kind of strange but eventually said ‘that’s an interesting idea’. I’m not sure she meant it but I hope the idea got talked about later.
At the table we were sitting with some of the family. They either didn’t notice that we were using real forks and napkins or decided to ignore it as to not embarrass us – not that it would have. I would have liked to have had the chance to say, ‘yea, we did it on purpose’.
So another literal fork in the road has been taken. Hopefully we will continue down this path also. A friend of our daughter for some time now has taken his own container with him when he east out so as to eliminate the need for a ‘doggie bag’. I like that idea. Hopefully I’ll someday remember to do that also.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
To Elk or not to Elk...
...that is the question.
The past couple of weeks/months have been long ones. The temps, the snow, the lack of sun, the arm ( I know I haven’t address that element but perhaps sometime in the near future.) So when the opportunity came for a short mental health get-a-way I took advantage of the situation. Called my BFF, managed to get reservations and headed to Jenny Wiley State Park for a night and for an early morning elk sighting tour.
After we made the reservations I found out that the tour was on land that had been the victim of mountain top removal. I became aware of a knot in my stomach. I do not remember reading that the tour was on land that was still an active surface mine and was not aware of that fact until the presentation began at 5:30 m. Saturday morning. The knot in my stomach was growing larger. Surface mine, mountain top removal, strip mining (I was told that is a dirty word and not used anymore.)…..the knot began to grow even more.
There were about 28 people on the tour, three vans, three employees of the park system.
The good thing was the ground was frozen - so there was no mud to get stuck in. The bad thing was that the frozen ground was covered in spots with snow and ice.
Our van driver who fit the description of a ‘good old boy’ to the T – really nice guy, said he was just ‘Dukin’ ‘ it. (took only a second to get his reference to the Dukes of Hazard-after all that is the country we were in.)
Well, that wasn’t the extent of the good and bad of the morning trip. That was the easy part to handle.
The driver sang the praises of Mountain Top Removal every chance he got – the wonderful economic boost that it brought to the area touched all the people, the jobs it created, the cheap energy source, the great landscapes it created for things like recreational activities, golf courses, sports complexes, ATV trails, hmmm, elk viewing – sponsored by the state park system ( How can that be?). All kinds of stomach churning examples.
I hesitate to say too much here since I haven’t done a lot of homework on the subject but I know what I heard in the past. So I invite you to goggle Mountain Top Removal. Check out some of the videos. Listen to the people from the area and their opinion of MTR. The people who are not on the payroll of the mining companies. The people who love the mountains.
So the knot is the stomach is still festering, still growing. What have I contributed to?!
Sure it was great to see elk. But I think next time I’ll head over to western KY to the Land Between the Lakes area where there are no mountainsto be harmed. Or better yet out west somewhere where the mountains have not become victims of MTR!
Or maybe just stay home!
BTW this very weekend a group of concerned citizens of KY occupied the office of the governor to protest Mountain Top Removal.
Read more at…
http://www.kftc.org/our-work/canary-project/campaigns/mtr/MTR-generalinfo
The past couple of weeks/months have been long ones. The temps, the snow, the lack of sun, the arm ( I know I haven’t address that element but perhaps sometime in the near future.) So when the opportunity came for a short mental health get-a-way I took advantage of the situation. Called my BFF, managed to get reservations and headed to Jenny Wiley State Park for a night and for an early morning elk sighting tour.
After we made the reservations I found out that the tour was on land that had been the victim of mountain top removal. I became aware of a knot in my stomach. I do not remember reading that the tour was on land that was still an active surface mine and was not aware of that fact until the presentation began at 5:30 m. Saturday morning. The knot in my stomach was growing larger. Surface mine, mountain top removal, strip mining (I was told that is a dirty word and not used anymore.)…..the knot began to grow even more.
There were about 28 people on the tour, three vans, three employees of the park system.
The good thing was the ground was frozen - so there was no mud to get stuck in. The bad thing was that the frozen ground was covered in spots with snow and ice.
Our van driver who fit the description of a ‘good old boy’ to the T – really nice guy, said he was just ‘Dukin’ ‘ it. (took only a second to get his reference to the Dukes of Hazard-after all that is the country we were in.)
Well, that wasn’t the extent of the good and bad of the morning trip. That was the easy part to handle.
The driver sang the praises of Mountain Top Removal every chance he got – the wonderful economic boost that it brought to the area touched all the people, the jobs it created, the cheap energy source, the great landscapes it created for things like recreational activities, golf courses, sports complexes, ATV trails, hmmm, elk viewing – sponsored by the state park system ( How can that be?). All kinds of stomach churning examples.
I hesitate to say too much here since I haven’t done a lot of homework on the subject but I know what I heard in the past. So I invite you to goggle Mountain Top Removal. Check out some of the videos. Listen to the people from the area and their opinion of MTR. The people who are not on the payroll of the mining companies. The people who love the mountains.
So the knot is the stomach is still festering, still growing. What have I contributed to?!
Sure it was great to see elk. But I think next time I’ll head over to western KY to the Land Between the Lakes area where there are no mountainsto be harmed. Or better yet out west somewhere where the mountains have not become victims of MTR!
Or maybe just stay home!
BTW this very weekend a group of concerned citizens of KY occupied the office of the governor to protest Mountain Top Removal.
Read more at…
http://www.kftc.org/our-work/canary-project/campaigns/mtr/MTR-generalinfo
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The trouble with snow is....
…that you can’t hear it falling. Sitting in bed at the moment listening to the rain hitting the terrific little roof window that my husband installed many years go in our bedroom. It’s a great portal to the wonderful outdoors. Sometimes when the sky is clear we can see a few faithful stars that whisper good night to us and then continue their dance across the sky. At times the moon light serves as a natural nightlight to let us know that all is well with the natural world (well, at least mostly). On nights like these it is somewhat of a temperature indicator. It’s late December and it is warm enough for rain not the snow we would normally have this time of year. During a summer storm the lightning is intensified as it shoots through our window and reflects in the dresser mirror brightening up the room beyond normal. Our little roof window is one of my favorite things about this old house.
But sometimes when it is snowing you can hear the heaviness upon the window. You can hear the coldness in the air. And if you listen close enough you can hear the woods calling, “Come walk with me. Things are quiet and peaceful here. You can hear the crunch of the snow beneath your feet [I wonder what it might be like to go barefoot in the snow] you might even hear your breath or better yet that little voice within.”
The great thing about snow is its silence.
But sometimes when it is snowing you can hear the heaviness upon the window. You can hear the coldness in the air. And if you listen close enough you can hear the woods calling, “Come walk with me. Things are quiet and peaceful here. You can hear the crunch of the snow beneath your feet [I wonder what it might be like to go barefoot in the snow] you might even hear your breath or better yet that little voice within.”
The great thing about snow is its silence.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
So Christmas came....
…..and went
Clair came home from Antarctica, by way of South America on the 20th of December. The flight was right on time. It was good to see her. Wait, she has a tan. No actually she is sunburned. Its mid December and our temps have been in the 20s for highs and she has the nerve to walk off the plane lookin’ good – not pasty like the rest of us.
It is good to have her home. Our ‘no permanent address, car-less’ daughter arrived for Christmas. Bethlehem has nothing on us. WooHoo!
It was a fine couple of days. Family, Friends, Frigid weather. And there was snow, good food gifts and did I mention Family and Friends? Our alternative tree, the Christmas branch, gave way to an artificial tree this year due to the fact that the family lumberjack, a.k.a. Jerry, only had the use of one arm and besides there will be no trail blazing for him for some time. Of course, it’s my allergies that prevent us from having a normal real tree anyway. So it was a good couple of days but I tend to get a little grumpy when I get tired and I’ve been tired a lot lately. My apologies to those around me.
Tonight…, more family! Jerry will be showing some of his AT pictures to his family after yet another shared meal. That means we’ll be expected to stay awake until probably after ..…8:00. We’ll do our best….
Clair came home from Antarctica, by way of South America on the 20th of December. The flight was right on time. It was good to see her. Wait, she has a tan. No actually she is sunburned. Its mid December and our temps have been in the 20s for highs and she has the nerve to walk off the plane lookin’ good – not pasty like the rest of us.
It is good to have her home. Our ‘no permanent address, car-less’ daughter arrived for Christmas. Bethlehem has nothing on us. WooHoo!
It was a fine couple of days. Family, Friends, Frigid weather. And there was snow, good food gifts and did I mention Family and Friends? Our alternative tree, the Christmas branch, gave way to an artificial tree this year due to the fact that the family lumberjack, a.k.a. Jerry, only had the use of one arm and besides there will be no trail blazing for him for some time. Of course, it’s my allergies that prevent us from having a normal real tree anyway. So it was a good couple of days but I tend to get a little grumpy when I get tired and I’ve been tired a lot lately. My apologies to those around me.
Tonight…, more family! Jerry will be showing some of his AT pictures to his family after yet another shared meal. That means we’ll be expected to stay awake until probably after ..…8:00. We’ll do our best….
Monday, December 27, 2010
So it is not quite the new year just yet...
...but I feel a resolution coming on…. I feel a need to continue writing and updating my blog. I think it just may be the therapy that I need and if there is no one out there reading it, well, that is okay too.
It had been an interesting journey lately. At I mentioned much earlier, Jerry was hurting when he managed to summit Katahdin. The xrays taken in Maine showed no apparent injury to his arm or leg. Fast forward to the middle/end of November when he visited our internal medicine doctor. After another xray of his still hurting arm, which again showed nothing, an MRI was ordered. Ah, ha the cause of the pain showed itself. A torn tendon which connects the tricept to the elbow.
We visited an orthopedic man and surgery was scheduled. It went well until an infection reared its nasty little head a few days later. A round of antibodies did not do the trick so the doctor wanted to go back in and irrigate the wound. Okay, fine. However the morning before the second surgery Jerry missed the bottom step and landed in the ER. The incision was torn open but once the blood was cleared up things looked okay. So on to PT. The doctor stopped in and said everything looked okay. Not so. When they went in to clean out the wound the next day they found that the tendon had once again snapped. A 20 minute procedure turned in to a 2 ½ hour surgery. The doctor was not pleased he had to use the ‘old fashion’ technique to secure the tendon. Needless to say when Jerry woke up and realized 4 hours has passed he knew what had happened.
So now he is in a splint. Looking at a follow-up appointment with the doctor tomorrow. The next part of the adventure will be some long hard months of PT. The journey continues…..
It had been an interesting journey lately. At I mentioned much earlier, Jerry was hurting when he managed to summit Katahdin. The xrays taken in Maine showed no apparent injury to his arm or leg. Fast forward to the middle/end of November when he visited our internal medicine doctor. After another xray of his still hurting arm, which again showed nothing, an MRI was ordered. Ah, ha the cause of the pain showed itself. A torn tendon which connects the tricept to the elbow.
We visited an orthopedic man and surgery was scheduled. It went well until an infection reared its nasty little head a few days later. A round of antibodies did not do the trick so the doctor wanted to go back in and irrigate the wound. Okay, fine. However the morning before the second surgery Jerry missed the bottom step and landed in the ER. The incision was torn open but once the blood was cleared up things looked okay. So on to PT. The doctor stopped in and said everything looked okay. Not so. When they went in to clean out the wound the next day they found that the tendon had once again snapped. A 20 minute procedure turned in to a 2 ½ hour surgery. The doctor was not pleased he had to use the ‘old fashion’ technique to secure the tendon. Needless to say when Jerry woke up and realized 4 hours has passed he knew what had happened.
So now he is in a splint. Looking at a follow-up appointment with the doctor tomorrow. The next part of the adventure will be some long hard months of PT. The journey continues…..
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Anchor Grill Revisited
Earlier this past week Jerry and I decided to walk to the Kenton County Library, about 1 ½ miles one way.
We had a book to return and we had decided to have a ‘movie night’ one night a week. Last week Jerry brought home ‘Ground Hog Day’. Thank goodness it was my turn to choose this week. My choice was a nature show about the Galapagos. More about that at a later date.
Anyway I filled my string backpack with a few books and the DVD. On the way home we both thought that perhaps we could stop and have lunch along the way. Any of you who have walked this trail – opps, path know that the pickin’s are pretty slim in Covington. But wait, The Anchor Grill was not too far out of the way.
You have to understand that 36 years ago when we were young and had just met Jerry picked me up from work and took me to The Anchor Grill for our first dinner out together. I had never been there before and though I was tired from working a 3-11, I was also hungry. And I trusted Jerry. That was 36 years ago!
There is still a sign in the window that I’m convinced has been there since the beginning of eternity, “We may doze but we never close." There is a new sign now this one on each table. "Anyone ordering between 1:00-4:00 a.m. must pay for the meal when the food arrives." This is apparently due to the large number of ‘walk outs’.
There is still a little mechanical band up in the corner of one of the room. When you put money in the juke box the curtain in front of the band parts and the little guys move as the music plays. However, alas, the coin slot at each of the tables had been taped over. How sad! The band has been silenced!
Not much else has changed in the last 36 years. Except now the dust is a little thicker.
We had a book to return and we had decided to have a ‘movie night’ one night a week. Last week Jerry brought home ‘Ground Hog Day’. Thank goodness it was my turn to choose this week. My choice was a nature show about the Galapagos. More about that at a later date.
Anyway I filled my string backpack with a few books and the DVD. On the way home we both thought that perhaps we could stop and have lunch along the way. Any of you who have walked this trail – opps, path know that the pickin’s are pretty slim in Covington. But wait, The Anchor Grill was not too far out of the way.
You have to understand that 36 years ago when we were young and had just met Jerry picked me up from work and took me to The Anchor Grill for our first dinner out together. I had never been there before and though I was tired from working a 3-11, I was also hungry. And I trusted Jerry. That was 36 years ago!
There is still a sign in the window that I’m convinced has been there since the beginning of eternity, “We may doze but we never close." There is a new sign now this one on each table. "Anyone ordering between 1:00-4:00 a.m. must pay for the meal when the food arrives." This is apparently due to the large number of ‘walk outs’.
There is still a little mechanical band up in the corner of one of the room. When you put money in the juke box the curtain in front of the band parts and the little guys move as the music plays. However, alas, the coin slot at each of the tables had been taped over. How sad! The band has been silenced!
Not much else has changed in the last 36 years. Except now the dust is a little thicker.
Friday, October 29, 2010
The Journey Continues
This past week I turned 62. WooHoo, I’m 62. Well, now what? That’s THE
question at the moment.
Since arriving back home I feel that I’ve settled in to the same old same old.
I really don’t like that feeling. Yea, I know its okay to sit still for a while
and listen for the next step but I certainly don’t want to sit still too long.
So for my 62nd birthday I wanted to visit a National Park so that I could
purchase my very own Life Time National Park Pass for only $10. I feel that I
have arrived! Thanks to an overnight trip to Mammoth Cave I now have in my
possession that special pass that honors me for being old. I’ve had an AARP
card for some time now. Not the same. The National Park pass gets me outdoors.
When we visited Acadia a few weeks ago (really, only a few weeks ago?) it cost
us $20. to ride though the park. The Shenandoah visit was $15. Now I have this
nifty little park pass that gets me in any National Park FREE. Not only that,
three (3) other adults can get in FREE with me, regardless of their age. How
great is that! Now I can listen to my favorite wind chime – the rustle of the
leaves in the treetops or as they are falling, dancing on the wind, we can
wonder at the spring wildflowers and try to remember their names, go sled riding
and make snow angels on the golf course near the cabins, play games on the
screened in cabin porch to escape the summer heat, walk through the woods
kicking the fallen leaves, kayak on the lake, search for the woodpecker that we
can hear but so seldom see and so much more.
I have this nifty little pass…. Anyone want to come along?
question at the moment.
Since arriving back home I feel that I’ve settled in to the same old same old.
I really don’t like that feeling. Yea, I know its okay to sit still for a while
and listen for the next step but I certainly don’t want to sit still too long.
So for my 62nd birthday I wanted to visit a National Park so that I could
purchase my very own Life Time National Park Pass for only $10. I feel that I
have arrived! Thanks to an overnight trip to Mammoth Cave I now have in my
possession that special pass that honors me for being old. I’ve had an AARP
card for some time now. Not the same. The National Park pass gets me outdoors.
When we visited Acadia a few weeks ago (really, only a few weeks ago?) it cost
us $20. to ride though the park. The Shenandoah visit was $15. Now I have this
nifty little park pass that gets me in any National Park FREE. Not only that,
three (3) other adults can get in FREE with me, regardless of their age. How
great is that! Now I can listen to my favorite wind chime – the rustle of the
leaves in the treetops or as they are falling, dancing on the wind, we can
wonder at the spring wildflowers and try to remember their names, go sled riding
and make snow angels on the golf course near the cabins, play games on the
screened in cabin porch to escape the summer heat, walk through the woods
kicking the fallen leaves, kayak on the lake, search for the woodpecker that we
can hear but so seldom see and so much more.
I have this nifty little pass…. Anyone want to come along?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)