Still Crazy--After All These Years

De-decorating

2010-01-13T04:30:00.000-08:00

Mike and I spent Sunday packing up the Christmas decorations. Mike took care of the tree and the ornaments and I managed the rest. My part was not necessarily an easy task given that we have at least 5 nativity sets and some decorations in almost every room of the house. The large mantel over the fireplace holds a collection of Santas (some fragile, some not), and I’m always worried that the stuff won’t fit in the available boxes. (Good news. It all fits!) I still have the outdoor lights and the mini-tree in the kitchen to pack up, but that should be no problem.

Instead of carrying everything in the attic, we store the decorations in a large closet in the garage. We keep the wrapping paper there, too. It is pretty convenient, but sometimes I wish that I had that closet for the gardening stuff as I try to find spaces for the terra cotta pots in the fall.

I also managed to send out the Christmas note on the back of the card that we sent. This year it was a photo of all of us in Maine where we spent our late summer vacation. (Check an earlier blog entry for more detail.) The text of the message is copied below.

I hope you are all well. Sometimes it seems like a lot has changed sometime it seems that nothing has changed.

As you can see from the picture the family spent a week in Maine together. It was a relaxing week together. Many thanks to Libby and Allen Harville for their hospitality.
Mike is still at St Francis at the Heart Hospital on the south side of Indianapolis. The commute is farther than he would like, but the work is engaging. It is great to be part of building an organization.

I’ve been working at Eli Lilly for 8 years and last year began working as a training project manager. I work on a variety of training development projects with a number of different departments.

Mollie and Joel live in Chicago. Mollie works for the Feds at the Government Accountability Office as a senior health analyst. Joel works as an environmental engineer for a consulting company. They have a two bedroom condo in Lincoln Park that is a little crowded since Nolan was born. The baby was born in November of 2008 and is now a toddler. Everything is new for him. He’s a cheerful little guy. He laughs and we all laugh along.

Dan spent a couple of years in retail and decided it wasn’t for him. So he is now working for a catering company as a bartender. His passion is travel. This spring when his tax refund arrived, he traveled to Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti.

Nora is working as an office manager for the modern language department at Florida State University in Tallahassee. She gets to take two graduate classes a semester free of charge. Plans are to move back to the Midwest when Ben, her boyfriend, finishes graduate school.
Please let us know if you travel through Indianapolis. We’d love to have you stop by.
Happy New Year! Jody and Mike

For me, the most exciting thing about sending the card is that it went out before Easter. There are so many ways to stay in touch, I’m very grateful for those friends who still send out Christmas cards.

My favorite gift...

That's a LOT of Pizza

2009-12-31T19:09:00.000-08:00

My brother Joe says that his family has a joke. After they share a huge home-cooked meal, someone will push themselves back from the table, look around and say, “Well, should we order a pizza?”

Nora and her friend Ben and their dog, Finnegan, were the first to arrive. I had some meals planned including Pumpkin Lasagna, roasted chicken and homemade rosemary stuffing, as well as beef tenderloin on Christmas Eve. Pizza take-out seemed like a good idea for one evening. We needed a night out because we were not as ready for Christmas as we had hoped, there was still a lot of shopping and wrapping to do. So, we ordered pizza from Bazbeau’s one evening. The kids were happy to drive down and pick it up. The Bazbeau’s in Broadripple is a favorite haunt of theirs. When I first went to Bazbeaus for pizza, we were new to Indianapolis. The restaurant was in a converted house…including the garage with the door that opened up to the back yard in the summer. My first introduction to a bucket of beer, Amstdel Light, and barbeque chicken pizza. They moved into a fancier building, but the pizza is still good.

We also had pizza on Christmas day. Can you believe it? We spent the day eating at the Hertel’s beginning with variety of appetizers and continuing on to a dinner that included. Barbeque pork, roast beef, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken salad, chicken and noodles, warm rolls and fresh bread…(and salads that I’m not even going to begin to list). Dessert also included Christmas cookies, and candy with everybody contributing their favorites. By the time we got home from Batesville, Mollie, Joel and the other kids decided that they were hungry again. No pizzerias open! After calling around, the men went out and came back with Red Baron frozen pizzas. Joel spent about 10 minutes prying the pepperoni and sausage off of one half of a pizza so that Mollie, the resident vegetarian, could eat it. It wasn’t home made, but it was what they needed.

I didn’t expect to eat pizza again until 2010, but a trip to Milwaukee early in the week found us in Balistreri’s an Italian restaurant across the street from our old house. We arrived early enough that we could go there for dinner. Mike and I shared a half order of their deep fried eggplant strips (served with marinara sauce). We also ordered one of the popular thin-crust pizzas that we enjoyed so much when we lived in Milwaukee. We looked around the restaurant expecting to see someone we knew, no luck there, but Mike and I shared some special memories. We parked across the street from the old house and looked at it wondering how we ever managed to park two cars in that driveway?

Thought that was that…but our visit to Mike’s uncle Chuck and aunt Ellie in Watertown Wisconsin found them carrying the Papa Murphy’s pizza in the house as we pulled into their driveway.

Well, so, tonight, (New Year’s Eve) should we order a pizza?

Don't Mess With Thanksgiving

2009-11-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

I don’t mess with our basic Thanksgiving menu. You will NOT find roasted parsnips and other root vegetables in places of the mashed potatoes, NOR will you find butternut squash tossed with olive oil and rosemary in place of the baked sweet potatoes. You will NOT find unfamiliar vegetables on the table…no brussel sprouts or swiss chard at this meal. You will not find any dishes made with fresh herbs unless there are twigs in the refrigerator left over from a dish made the previous week.

Thanksgiving dinner at my table focuses on the traditional seasonings (salt and pepper) and fresh vegetables prepared with a minimum of messing. The meal also focuses on making the meal ahead so that maximum time can be spent talking with relatives and friends.

What can be done early is done early (and you’d be amazed at what can be done ahead).

After years of popping the turkey out of the oven and recruiting Brother Joe to carve…minutes before serving and then slaving over the juices to prepare the gravy at the last minute, I changed my strategy. The turkey is made the weekend before Thanksgiving sliced and frozen in light gravy and thawed and reheated. The potatoes are mashed they day before mixed with plenty of butter, sour cream, and cream cheese and plopped into a casserole for warming the next day. The only dishes actually prepared on top of the stove on Thanksgiving are the cooked vegetables, this year, corn and green beans.

The menu for the Gifford-Hertel Thanksgiving—

Appetizers (Noon)
Crudites with dip
Spreads, cheeses and crackers
Chex Mix (Jackie's special contribution...a favorite of all of us)

Dinner – Served buffet style (2:00 pm)
Turkey and bread stuffing with pecans
Honey Baked Ham
Mashed Potatoes
Baked sweet potatoes with butter
Fresh whole green beans with garlic
White corn in butter sauce
Broccoli Salad with Cranberries
Pina Colada molded salad with cranberry sauce
Freshly baked rolls with butter

Coffee and Dessert (4:00 pm)
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Slices (ala mode)
Ginger Cream Cookies

The meal has many contributors. I don’t want you to think that I produce this by myself. I am always grateful for the contributions that come--and all the guest who share a smile, a laugh, recent stories, and past memories.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Maine-ee-acs

2009-11-17T05:42:00.001-08:00

We got an email from Libby. She’s beginning to work on Christmas wreaths. Greenery isn’t cut for those wreaths until after there have been three hard frosts. They have had their first snowfall too (4 inches). Interesting how the weather changes across the country. This weekend in Indianapolis we will be enjoying 60-70 degrees. Dan says his friends on the river are planning on putting the boat in one last time.

We were in Maine close to 8 weeks ago. In early September the evenings were cool and the days a very comfortable 75-80. It rained the first day we were there, but it was virtually cloud free every day. This was our first trip with the whole family (as adults…so to speak).

We rented a “cabin” with pond (Great Pond) access—quite a large inland lake (in Indiana speak). Mollie, Joel and the baby had the upstairs room. Dan and Nora shared the loft, Mike and I had the bedroom on the main floor and Harry had a room in the lower level. We made do with one bathroom pretty well. Our dinners alternated between Lilly and Allan’s and our place.

We flew into Portland and drove to our Great Pond location in the Belgrade Lakes area. Unpacked cooked a meal and planned our tourist strategy. We had decided on spending one night in Bar Harbor so that we could see the sights on Mt. Desert Island and go hiking at Acadia National Park.

The coast was as beautiful as I remembered it. The sky was unbelievably blue and the water clear and a shade darker. We took an easy-moderate trail and then walked along the water. Near Devil’s Punchbowl and Sand Beach. It was hard to believe that the week before 7 people were washed into the water from one spot because of hurricane weather.

Our remaining days were spent with our Maine friends, swimming, canoeing and short shopping trips. Oh, and evening games of Uno. I thought that there would be a dust-up when one evening a two hour game was called at midnight with no winner.

Probably a week that we'll remember and talk about later with pleasure. They don't happen often enough, do they?

One Year Later

2009-11-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

Typing on a laptop in the car is difficult. Bumpy riding doesn’t make for a great experience. And then, on this sunny Saturday, it is difficult to see the screen. So here I am almost typing blind.

On my way to Nolan’s first birthday party and remembering his birth day—November 12, 2008.

Mike and I decided that we wouldn’t be there for the baby’s birth, but leave a day or two after so we wouldn’t need to hang around the hospital. Yah, right. We got the word in the early morning that Mollie was in the hospital and that the baby was coming and we were in the car on our way to the hospital by 11:00.

Chicago is on Central time which means that they are one hour behind us. Plenty of time right…not when you consider the traffic. We arrived just as Mollie was ready to go into the operating room. The baby’s head was too big to deliver so it was a c-section.

Joel was in the delivery room and about 7 pm the Nolan was delivered to the grandparents for inspection—Mike, and I, and Joel’s father, Harry. There is nothing like a new baby to remind you of what is important.

So we join family and friends for the birthday party. Aunt Nora and Uncle Dan will be there as will the same grandparents that arrived for his birth one year ago. Now Nolan is almost walking, exploring on his own and beginning to make sounds, pointing, smiling, and just being adorable.

Being a grandparent is so much fun.
More fun than toys is the ribbon and wrapping paper.

Uncle Dan and Aunt Nora guarantee a good time!

Gifts

2009-07-09T11:12:00.001-07:00

An old friend reminded me that I promised to post at least one article per month…so much for New Year’s resolutions. Let’s try it again.

Some things have been happening to me lately that I have come to think of as gifts.
Coming home from running an errand on Saturday morning, thinking that I really should start to clean up the front flower bed, the leaves rustle beside the stairs leading to the front door. I look down thinking that I might get a glimpse of a chipmunk. Not so. What I see is a tiny painted turtle as big as the tip of my thumb. The bottom part of his shell was deep gold with a red diamond right in the center. The top of its grey-green shell has small red dots in along the edge. Perfect. Tiny flippers. What a miracle. I kept it in a plastic dish long enough to share it with Mike and then released it by the lake.

For much of the early spring we chased a pair of Canada Geese off our driveway. I like watching them on the water, but don’t care much for what they leave on the pavement. Anyway, the two dogs think of goose feces as some sort of special hors d’ouvres. Yuck. I was happy, though, to see six adult geese near our dock with escorting nine downy goslings.

This winter Jackie saw a fox trotting across our frozen lake. I had a short sighting myself at dusk—a vision with pointed black ears and four black feet. Just a glimpse.

So many birds! The morning overflows with song. I can tell the cardinals from the robins. Mike does even better. The blue heron has a harsh call, they hate being disturbed, but it is always a joy to watch them take to the air.

Even cherry tree on the court, old and full of cherries, a limb gives way and we spend a gentle evening picking…not even having to reach very far. Bright scarlet. We quickly filled up a half a large bucket. With three of us it only took about forty minutes to pit and bag four quarts. In the freezer now, perhaps a pie soon. That’s a gift.

These are all gifts. Gifts of the place we live. Sights that requiring us to slow down and observe in order to appreciate. Yep, gifts.

A New House on a Lake

2009-01-31T13:45:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I blogged.

I sit at my computer on a snowy day, looking out of the window and enjoy a view of trees and docks and animal tracks across a frozen lake. I have an urge to record the story of how after 20 years in one house, we end up the next year in a new house on a lake.

How it Began
It started with Mike's random comment, sometime in the late summer or early autumn of 2007, that he would like to live on a lake--a random thought, nothing more.

We have friends in Maine who don't live on a lake, but live close to a "pond," Flying Pond, and we have enjoyed visiting them and canoeing in the slow evenings. Mollie and Joel tell a story of visiting one summer and taking the canoe across Flying Pond in the evening...getting toward dusk and being deviled by some kind of biting insect. They neared the middle of the pond and suddenly a crowd of bats surrounded them like a cloud eating the insects and leaving them suddenly after they finished their meal.

Back to my story...Several weeks later, at work, I share a meal with some colleagues only half attending to the conversation. My attention becomes more focused when I realize that one has been talking for several minutes about readying her house for sale...yes, her house is on a lake. Sounds good, so I tell her to let me know before she puts it on the market because Mike and I are interested. (Mike more than me.) Just after Thanksgiving (2007) she invites us to visit and see the house. It was beautiful. We went back several times and inspected, but couldn't agree on the price given the appraisal.

Back to the Drawing Board
Now, I was on a mission. I looked at lakes in the city. (Mike and I agreed that Indianapolis would remain our home.) We visited friends who had just bought a condo on a lake. Took Sunday drives and wrote down telephone numbers and called. We even got a realtor to help us look. No luck.
Then in March of 2008, I checked the Internet and a condo, price reduced, turned up. I took my sister and we looked and then dragged Mike over. He wasn't enthusiastic until he realized that he knew some residents of the community and checked the place out with them. (Apparently, many here only want to leave to be buried.)

So it happened. Not without a lot of work. We lived in the same place for 20 years. A house with a large yard, a shed, a basement, and a large attic crawl space. We move to a condo, no yard, no shed, no basement, smaller attic. We got rid of a lot of stuff and hauled a lot to Goodwill. Lighter we are, and happy.

Mike bought a kayak, probably we will follow the lead of our neighbors and buy a pontoon boat. We share a dock with a neighbor and the kids have been swimming in the lake. The house is designed for entertaining and we have--twenty-three here for Thanksgiving 2008, and a nice crowd to bring in the new year, but that's another story.

Three Times a Charm

2007-11-21T05:16:00.001-08:00

Well, they say that deaths come in threes. This week they did. From the suicide of a co-worker's brother to two deaths in my church family, this has been a time of funerals. A funeral to commemorate the long life of Milton, a person of varied interests and a thoughtful man, who made himself comfortable in a Sunday School class made up of younger folk. A funeral to celebrate the shorter life of a fellow church worker-bee who fought a good but short battle against pancreatic cancer.

What I realized was that I knew only a small portion of these people. Even though I had spent much time with Brad, I knew little about him. Now I envy those who knew him better.

Habit perhaps drives me to poetry to express how I feel at these times. Mary Oliver is a great poet and usually has written something that speaks to me. I hope that you enjoy it.

When Death Comes
by Mary Oliver

When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse

to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measle-pox

when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,

and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,
tending, as all music does, toward silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.

When it's over, I want to say all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it's over, I don't want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.

I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.

I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.

Only 10 Years Behind

2007-11-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

We bought our first camera the year before Mollie was born and Mike vowed that he would be conscientious about photographing all our children--not like other families who have mostly pictures of the first children...and them only in the early years.

The picture (above) was taken by Mike on a vacation in Glacier National Park. Pretty isn't it?

Mike also developed a liking and a talent for photography. He took some classes read some books and then practiced, practiced, practiced. He has entered one or two local competitions and received honorable mentions so we can document that his skills have increased beyond just being recognized by the appreciation and gratitude of family and friends.

Unfortunately this hobby/passion has had implications for me. He truly been our family photographer and he has been there at all occasions large and small and he has taken hundreds of pictures. For many years I faithfully loaded them into photo albums, but around 1990 I was interrupted and the interruption lasted for about 18 years! I got back into it this month and am now happy to report that I am only 10 years behind. With some new photo albums from Costco I have made a dent in my backlog. 8 years worth of photos in 6 albums (approximately 600 photos to an album). Whew!

I have been spending my evenings either sliding (shoving) photographs into the appropriate slots or sliding photograph negatives into sleeves for storage. I'll be so glad when I reach the years that Mike switched over to a digital camera.

It is disconcerting to see my children visibly age as I shuffle through several years worth of pictures. Nephews and nieces fly from infancy to primary school in a week.

I'll be happy to complete this project and move on to the bags and boxes of letters that I have collected over the years. (That will take me all winter...at least.)

Here is a picture of Mike (not taken by him for once) at Glacier National Park.

I Used to Be a Morning Person

2007-11-05T06:51:00.000-08:00

I used to be a morning person. That is, I woke up early and was instantly alert and ready for the day’s activities.

As a child I would get up and watch my father cook and eat his breakfast. (He had a long commute and would get up before the rest of the family.) I remember that a bone in his jaw would make a faint sound as he chewed, in the quiet morning I heard it, dinner time was too noisy to hear the faint click.

After I learned to read, I’d get up early so that I could snatch a chapter or two of my favorite book.

Even as an adult I recognized that I do my best work in the morning and would get to work early because I could accomplish so much more that the afternoon.
I don’t know what has happened to me in the last couple years, but it has been harder and harder to get out of my nice warm bed in the morning.

I have, however, recently found something to get up for—the Tuesday Morning Prayer Group. The group meets in the AH church library at 6:30 on Tuesday mornings. (If you are on our e-mail prayer chain, you will see the compiled results of their care in your Inbox on Wednesday.

The group has really helped me understand the transforming power of prayer. There is a quiet discussion about prayer concerns and those we know who are in need followed by a shared prayer with contributions by each member of the group.

It sets the spiritual tone for my week. For me, this has been a change in my life worth making.

The Jonathan Apple

2007-10-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

I bought a bag of Jonathans on Sunday and have had a couple to eat in the past few days. Jonathans were my mother's favorite apple. She loved them in pies and just to eat. They are best at this time of year so I always buy a bag in the fall and think of her as I eat.

She always said that the autumn was a time of year that made her "blue." She remarked that she always cried when she sent us back to school. (Different from me. I always rejoiced. It seems like the kids got tired of the summer schedule, too.)

She also said that (regarding food) she liked everything. As kids we would try to come up with something that she didn't enjoy eating. Too bad we didn't know about anchovies, I'm sure that would be the one thing that she hated.

She recalled the wonderful sleepovers that she enjoyed with her best-friend Doris as they were growing up--especially sneaking my grandmother's mustard pickles (?) and eating the whole jar. They also talked about Mom's banana diet. (That's a new one on me.)

She was a lovely woman and I remember that she was cheerful and loved to share in conversation. After I married Mike, she always greeted us eagerly and sat with us to find out about our lives. (I'm hoping to have a picture of her scanned and posted so that you can see what she looked like.)

Last Day on the Road with Miscellaneous Photos

2007-10-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday, we drive from Zanesville, OH to Batesville. Only 200 miles--only. Will go on home to Indianapolis this evening after we attend Mike's grade school reunion (St. Louis school where he attended from K through the 8th grade). First a church service then drinks, dinner, and conversation at the Eagles.

One the road. I forget how pretty the Midwest is. Just the view along the highways is often spectacular. When we were on the Pennsylvania Turnpike even the sky was beautiful with cloud formations that we don't often see on the flat land. So I'm going to place some extra photos here that Mike took on the road. Enjoy!These are sunsets seen from the car window.

Thanks to Mike for all the great photos.

Another 400-Mile Day

2007-10-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

On the way home. I thought that I needed a car day where I rested, but still have low energy. The barometer is changing. We woke up this morning and it was no longer warm and dry, but warm and very humid. That probably is why I'm out of sorts.

Took the morning to tour Valley Forge, PA. A beautiful park in the middle of a bustling area on the edge of greater Philadelphia. Great visitor center--we watched a little film about life at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary war. The arch on the left (located on the park grounds) commemorates the sacrifices of the soldiers at Valley Forge.

Below is a picture of a farm house on the park grounds. It was a farm house at the time Washington used the site to house his troops.
As you can see, it's still a pretty spot.

The next shot is Washington's headquarters. You can see that at this time of year we miss the crush of families but run into the occasional school field trip.The last shot is a picture of the guard huts near the headquarters. Each hut held 12 men. 4 sets of bunks--3 beds to a set. We hope that people really were smaller then.

Fall is upon us. The colors were out this morning and all the way to Zanesville, Ohio.
Drove through some heavy rain and still the mountains were beautiful.

Too Much Driving

2007-10-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

Thursday. One more ambitious project...Monticello.

Drove south into Virginia (about 2 hours) to view Jefferson's home. What an impressive place--and an impressive man. It's the first historic home I've seen that I can understand the why of some of the architectural features. They've tried to make it much as when Jefferson lived there right down to the display of stuff from Lewis and Clark.

Jefferson had a clock in every room and even outside. Many chimed while we were on our half-hour tour of the house. The tour guide spoke of Jefferson in the present tense--as if still alive.

Beautiful gardens (at the end of their bloom), a walk through the grounds and on past Jefferson's grave.

The walk below is on top of the working part of the house. It is in a "U" shape. Jefferson put a series of gutters in that fed 4-4000 gallon cisterns for dry periods. The keepers still plant the gardens...even the vegetable garden.And they harvest and sell the seeds. From his letters they know that Jefferson often swapped seeds with friends.
Decided to drive back north on the through Shenandoah National Park/Skyline Drive. We got our first real taste of fall with the beautiful colors--all sorts of reds, yellows and oranges.
But it was a long drive and we needed to drive north to Philadelphia or near Philadelphia for the night.

We'll stop at Valley Forge in the morning then head to Ohio.

BTW--at Mollie's request I've added some photos of the FDR memorial in a previous post.

Somebody Got Serious about Food at the Smithsonian

2007-10-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

At 11:05 I was sitting in front of the National Museum of the American Indian listening to water fall from one of the outside fountains and listening to amplifiers from the West lawn of the Capitol. The President will be bestowing a special honor on the Dali Lama this afternoon. Ironic that THE President most unable to understand the concepts promoted by the Dali Lama is presenting the award.

We split up this morning. Mike went to the Holocaust Museum and I went to the American Indian. We'll meet for lunch at the Cascade Cafe.

Before beginning my tour, I decide to have a snack at the restaurant at the museum, which made me say--SOMEONE GOT SERIOUS ABOUT FOOD AT THE SMITHSONIAN. My memory of food in the Smithsonian 15 years ago was of rubber sandwiches and boring snacks. Let me tell you about the cafeteria at the American Indian museum. It's divided into sections based on areas of the country. Northwest Forest and Great Plains, etc. and the food falls into those categories Including Elk Loin stuffed with corn, mushrooms, and blueberries; Buffalo burgers; roasted turkey; salmon; tamales; duck soup and pumpkin cookies. All the food we've eaten at the museums has been great.

The exhibits are beautifully done and describe the world of tribes I have never heard of. The neat thing is that each tribe has curators (local experts) who make sure that the exhibits are accurate.

The afternoon was spent at the Corcoran Art Gallery at the Ansel Adams and the Annie Liebowitz exhibits. Photography is Mike's passion. Dinner in Old Alexandria. Back at the hotel packing for the next leg of the trip.

Goodbye DC.

We Take a Trolley Ride

2007-10-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 3rd full day in DC. Mike was up at 5 this morning for an early photo shoot on the mall. He met his friend Dennis and they had a great couple of hours taking pictures of the sun rise.

We met later (at a reasonable hour for me) at the Smithsonian. Today will be a riding day so we proceeded to OldTime Trolley. This is the company I used when I went to San Diego. You can get on an off as often as you wish. They have 3 separate lines that cover the sites in Washington. We took the green line first--got off a Dupont Circle and walked a bit. Found a great bookstore, Kramerbooks & Afterwords. Browsed a bit and stayed for lunch.

Hopped back on and off again at the National Cathedral. The second largest Cathedral in the U.S. and the 6th largest in the world. They were getting ready for a peace concert (JacksonBrown, Graham Nash, David Crosby, and others). While we were there Jackson Brown was rehearsing. Mike was advocating for a trip back at 6 pm. But it was not to be.

When we got back our starting point we hopped the orange line to the monuments. Got off at the Jefferson Memorial and walked along the Tidal Basin to the FDR memorial. Just two pictures of the FDR memorial to give an idea of the space it covers. Each term of office has an area...

Impressive.
Then Walked across the street to the Korean and Vietnam (and the Vietnam Nurses Memorial) and then a long walk to the Metro. The monuments are a far walk to the Metro stations. Dinner before going home.
For a riding day I still did a lot of walking. 16, 930 steps (per my pedometer). At home during the week I go about 4,000. No wonder I hurt.

Capitol Hill IS a Hill

2007-10-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

Monday, 2nd full day. D and V shared some info about short-term exhibits at the National Gallery ofArt which we visited on Sunday--so knowing we wanted to see more we decided to return to see the Turner exhibition in the West Gallery and the Hopper exhibition in the east.

A short walk through the outdoor National Gallery sculpture garden saw this sculpture that we both got a kick out of. You are really old if you know what this is.

The works of both of these artists are amazing. Turner is an English painter (oil and watercolor) who was the youngest artist to be admitted into the Royal Academy of Art. If you saw his work you'd know you'd seen some of it before (perhaps his portrait of Napoleon or ships at sea.) If there was a drawback to this show it was that there was too much of Turner--I mean it was room after room after room...Smaller selection wouldn't be so numbing.

Hopper is an American artist that you'd recognize. His life spanned both world wars and he died in the 60s. See if you recognize his work from this mural.

The Hopper exhitibit was in the East Gallery dedicated to modern works. A light and airy space.
Lunch in Cascade Cafe under the street between the East and West buildings of the National Gallery of Art. The cafeteria had excellent food and all went well until I went back and got stuck in a Gelato line behind 12 pre-teens who consumed five samples each before ordering. Look at the picture carefully--you'll see why it's called the Cascade Cafe. There is a fountain cascading from the street level into the lower level. These is a window in front.
We walked UP Capitol Hill. There is a reflecting pool in front, but it had been drained. I never remember how massive the Capitol building is. The National Arboretum is right on the grounds. It is compact, but interesting with sections on medicinal plants, jungle setting, orchid room, and dessert.

Walked to the rear of the building. I had it in mind to see the Library of Congress--they have a great website with Today in History that I check almost every morning. It's only a short visit because the reading room is restricted. But the interior is lovely.
Anyway after the LOC we walked passed the Supreme Court and were surprised as we crossed the street to see "The Methodist Building." Mike took a picture since we were puzzled. It's a clean looking building that seems narrower in the front than the back and (I checked it is still in use by the Methodists.
By now, pretty tired we walked north to Union Station watched a movie in the basement theatre (Michael Clayton), had dinner and rode the metro back to the hotel.

Home via the metro

Galleries Inside and Out

2007-10-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday, First Full Day DC. Taking the metro in--our first destination is "The Castle"--the Smithsonian Welcome Center. It faces a dry, dry mall. (The weather here has been so dry that even the crab grass on the mall is dead.) Still the plantings and the gardens have been watered. Every backpack and bag carried into a building is checked by security. Mike worries about the two bottles of wine he is packing--gifts for high-school friend Dennis and his wife Vera who have invited us to dinner this evening.

The Haupt gardens in the rear of The Castle frame the entrances to the Sackler and the African American Gallery. They are both underground and connected at one of the lower levels. We're on our way to the National Gallery of Art, but take an hour (at least) to see the Asian art in the Sackler. When we leave I can tell you the difference between earthenware and stoneware, describe some Indian statuary, and some beautiful Japanese ceramics. On the way to the National Gallery of Art we toddle around the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. I remember on our last trip to this outdoor experience with the kids over 15 years ago. Daniel had a laugh over the naked women statues. You know that little boy giggle. Great memory. What a treasure is the National Gallery of Art. Renoir, Manet, Monet, Degas, and more. We know many of these images as reproductions...but it is really something to see them and to see them in actual scale. It's Sunday so we enjoy the buffet in the cafe in the West building. Mike was wishing that they left the menu so we would know what we were eating. I did recognize the winter squash, the smoked salmon and the bean soup...hey, they said it was their harvest menu. Mike said that the price was worth the roasted pears and whipped cream that we ate for dessert.

We had to leave before we saw all that we wanted. Dinner at D and V's means a trip to the end of the Blue Line Metro for a pickup and a car trip to our destination. Good food and great conversation. A lot of catching up. Mike makes a date for a early morning photoshoot some day this week.

All in all a great day.

On the Road Again

2007-10-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

I am so glad that we decided to drive to DC rather than fly. I often forget how beautiful Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland are. Rolling hills, tidy farms and lots of trees are we saw on our trek on I70 and I68. No color yet--may be more on the way home.

We stopped at Olglebay Resort in WV to stretch our legs on Friday evening. We stopped there with the kids on a trip East years ago. It was a summer retreat/farm for the Olglebay family in the 1900. It's now home to a resort and some of the grounds have been turned into a Municiple Park (Wheeling, WV). Lovely.

Two days on the road and we made it D.C. We're staying in Alexandria and after checking in took the Metro to see some monuments. (Lincoln, Korean War, IIWW, and Vietnam) by night. It was all very moving.

The World War II monument is something to see. Pillars with the states and territories names on them (56). Garlands and wreaths and fountains. It is a magnificent monument to a magnificent sacrifice. It is also very noisy. It was full dark when we got there. The fountains were lit up. I was standing in front of a wall and the sound of the water sounded like applause. Maybe a thankyou or a thanksgiving.
As great as it was, I found that the Korean and Lincoln monuments moved me more profoundly. I felt that there was a greater feeling of context--for sure with the Lincoln memorial because two of his famous speeches were carved in the wall. The silence prompts emotions that sound doesn't. You have to be more with yourself--introspective. Even from a distance you can get a feel for Lincoln's character.

At night, the monument to the Korean War is just spooky with lifesized statues of men on patrol. Accurate down to the last detai--rifles and radios. There is a wall at this monument too. A wall of faces instead of names--sacrifices to "the forgotten war."

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today

2007-10-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

Sargeant Pepper brought his band to play... Always going back to those songs again.

The unseasonably warm temperatures this week brought to mind the Halloween weekend we came to the area to check out the job situation for Mike. With both my parents gone, we wanted to be closer to the grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins. (I admit that part of it was not having to drive through Chicago for a visit.)

Anyway that weekend we bundled the kids in the car. (Mollie was 8 in 2nd grade, Dan was 5 and in Kindergarten and Nora was 2.) Mike had his job interview in Indy on Friday and we went on the the hometown. The kids went trick or treat on that 70+ Halloween.

The job panned out and Mike moved in April of the next year while we followed in July. So we've lived in Indianapolis for 19 years. WOW!

Dog Romp

2007-09-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

It seems like everyone that I work with has a dog or is a dog lover. A casual remark generated the idea that we get our dogs together. We were sure that they would get along...all the dogs are dog dogs.

We have a large yard so I offered our yard for the first dog romp.

What a great activity for a Sunday afternoon--two hours outside in the beautiful fall weather with work friends. It seemed to make theweekend last longer. Have a look at the pictures.

We had three doodles, a poodle, our chow/border collie mix, and a shih tzu puppy (Astro). Astro was not intimidated by the larger dogs but he did seek shelter once in a while under a patio chair.

Wriggly and Webster, Golden Doodles, enjoyed sniffing around the back yard.

Max, a labrador doodle mix, was the gentle giant. (Isn't he cute!) He was by far the largest of the group. He'd run after Josie when she caught a frisby but she'd drop it when she saw him coming to sniff.

New friends Marley and Josie. A black standard poodle, Marley is aptly named after Bob Marley. Marley adopted play poses...Josie just went right to the play part.

Taking a break...It looks like they've all got smiles on their faces.

California Here I Come!

2007-04-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

San Diego--Day 1

My first day in San Diego, I sat outside in the breeze and try to forgive my forbearers on the Gifford and the Andrews sides for stopping in Tennessee and Wisconsin (respectively) and not forging further west to this very South and West spot.

I have never been in SD before. Thanks to my employers who gave me the opportunity to teach a class and provided the time to take two additional days to see the sights.

Just getting here was an adventure. My original flight was scheduled to leave on Wednesday at 9:30 from Indianapolis and transfer through Chicago was cancelled (snow in Chicago and mechanical problems with the plane). Eventually I was reticketed (2 hours standing in line) through Detroit which finally allowed me to leave Indy at 3:30. Got into San Diego at 9:30 pm the three hour time difference gave me some of my day back. Just in time for a walk on the beach (by starlight) and a beer.

DAY 2
The class on Thursday went well. Great people. In the evening, I was able to make a quick trip to Old Town San Diego and the Old Town State Park. Great Mexican food including the Margaritas. Took a lot of pictures of the blooming flowers. Many more farther ahead than Indianapolis. There are a lot of shops here—with an underlying smell of sassafrass. Makes we yearn for a Root Beer.

Old Town is a recreation of the original settlement of San Diego. Some of the buildings are pretty old and an attempt at authenticity has been attempted. Here in Indy you don’t see many (or any) urban State Parks. At any rate it is a pleasant walk.

Flowing Dusty Miller with yellow blooms, Geraniums, California Poppy, Bird of Paradise and Impatience blooming in the folds of a Palm Tree.

DAY 3

Last night was very windy the sound of the wind was strong. It was chilly as I walked through the Old Town section of SD. There is a mix of the hacienda style adobe buildings with tile roofs and wood clapboard frame homes (still very attractive). The flowers growing here arelovely.

Today I check out of the Hilton Resort where the company training session was held and move to something cheaper. Still I want to take advantage of the morning here. I had a good breakfast, an invigorating walk along the water, and a half hour lounging by the pool before the noon checkout time. I saw something on my walk that I’ve never seen before, a dog stroller. A woman with two chihauhas had them in a special stroller with a small screened platform on which the dogs ride. She wanted a good walk and her two little dogs just couldn’t keep up.

Bought a two day ticket on the SD tour trolly. A ride around the city, nine stops and you can get out at each for as long as you like. I got out at the marina for a walk on the waterfront and saw cruise ships, sailing vessels and tour boats; I got out at the gas lamp district for a view of some of historic buildings; and I got out on Coronado Island for the smell of the surf…and money. Beautiful weather, the clean smell of the ocean and the aroma of the many flowers. Learned some things too—Petco stadium, the home of the Padres, holds over 42,000 people; the convention center is unbelievable, it is the third largest on the west coast and the 21st largest in the country. The front is curved glass and steel to imitate the rolling waves of the Pacific.

DAY 4

Will spend this day at the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park. The zoo is not a flat walk. It seems to be built in a valley. It was a beautiful day to see a hippopotamus swim and two pandas chew on bamboo. There were three giant aviaries to walk through.

Welcome to the Zoo!

Hippos Do Swim!

Mr. Panda Enjoying Lunch

I gather that the original topography of San Diego is scrub and low bushes. The city owes much of its present beauty to the first female graduate of the U of California who wanted to start a nursery (trees) but had no land. The city agreed to give her the land (or let her use it) as long as she planted 100 trees a year and donated 100 trees a year to the city.

Balboa Park is home to many museums and the Botanical Gardens. The two hours I spent were not enought to see everything. I want to come back and spend the day.

Botanical Garden--Like a big bird cage for plants.

A Sample of Balboa Park Architecture

DAY 5 HOME AGAIN
Up at 4:15. My flight is at 6:20. It almost leaves on time and I'm 4 hours in the air. Layover in Chicago and a 30 minute delay gets me home at 6:30 pm--about 11 hours travel time. But I made it and would do it again...after a rest.

The Neighbor's Forsythia is On Fire

2007-04-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it has been so long since I've posted. We've been through winter holidays, the new year and now it is spring.

The Forsythia bushes all over the city are beautiful this year. Our neighbor's bush is huge and when the morning sun hits it--it does look like it's its own source of light.

I've been working on a matching grant proposal for my church...to fund new computers and a website. Believe me, I was working way beyond my comfort level, but I got it done and we got the money. You may check out the new website at www.abundantharvestumc.org. I'm pretty proud of it. I'm happy to hear your comments.

Cold again this Easter weekend, but that won't last long.

The Rest of the Rabbit Story and the Tale of a Poet

2006-11-06T13:02:00.000-08:00

After Mike read the story of Josie and the rabbit, he told me that I left out the best part. Since I wasn’t there I didn’t write it up. I suggested that he do it, but since that isn't likely, I will finish the story.

When Josie and I came in I told Mike about Josie catching that Rabbit. I asked him to bury the rabbit for me. It was still dark outside and he told me that he would take care of it after it got light out. When he finally did go out in the backyard he found a large hawk eyeing the dead rabbit. He says that he would have left it for the hawk, if he could be sure the hawk would carry it off and eat it somewhere else. Since he wasn’t sure, he decided to bury it. The hawk must have been hungry because he stayed close. He flew into the garden and wouldn’t fly away until Mike charged.

Living mostly in the city as we do, it’s always an occasion to see the “wild” up close. Of course, the birds at our feeder are wild and so was that poor rabbit, but they are sort of everyday a part of nature that we take for granted. Hawks are seen from far away or as a surprise sitting on a fence post. Seeing a bird like that up close really is special--like meeting a celebrity. Something you talk about all day--an event that you want to share.

Mary Oliver is a poet that Mike and I admire. We were able to see her last Thursday at Cloewes Hall on the Butler University campus. She’s a small woman. It was just possible to see her face over the sturdy podium that was rolled to the middle of the stage. She read one poem after another, leafing through the books that she carried out with her to find the poems that she wanted to read out loud. She offered little other commentary although the sound system was so good that you could hear her muttering the page numbers under her breath.

She reminded me very much of my great-aunts. My father’s sisters (6 of them) were quite independent women. Well educated, most of them college graduates—unusual at that time. Ms. Oliver resembles Mildred who was a librarian. She worked for years for the Department of the Navy in Santa Barbara, California. Of course, she was a voracious reader. She was an indoor woman hating the wind in her face and the feel of dust on her feet. She always preferred to walk on the pavement.

So in addition to the enjoyment that listening brought, thinking of my aunts added depth to the rest of the evening. The poetry of Mary Oliver is extraordinary.

Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me of despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offeres itself to your imagination,
calls you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—
over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

One of Josie's Favorite Poses

2006-11-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

I stuck a dog treat to the inside of this toy with peanut butter. I thought that it would slow her down.

She's found a way to loosen the treat and get to it--attacking the peanut butter later.

A Dog's Life

2006-10-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

Normally my early morning routine is pretty quiet and serene. After I've gotten ready for work, I go downstairs and let the dog out of her crate and let her outside. I breathe in the morning air, test the temperature, and wait for her to finish. Then we go inside and I give her fresh water and her morning portion of food.

Ever since we adopted her from the humane society we have followed this morning routine. She seems to think that I MUST be out there with her. She won't stay unless I do. She pretends she's super dog protecting her turf.

Several weeks ago my serenity was challenged when Josie flushed a rabbit. Streaking back and forth across the dark backyard (I get up early). I could barely see them, but I could hear them. I really believed the rabbit would make it. (Josie is a Chow/Border Collie mix and doesn't do much weaving or cutting back and forth.) In the dark, perhaps the rabbit panicked and couldn't find a way under the cyclone fence. Anyway, she chased it behind the shed and I heard it squeak. I called Josie and she came out with the dead rabbit in her mouth. I called her in the house, she abondoned the rabbit to come in and eat. I convinced Mike to go out later and bury it.

He said she looked for it when he finally let her out. And I'm sure that if it ever happens again she'll make sure to eat the before I can distract her. I was worried that since she's a dry dog food eater the rabbit would make her sick (or worse, gassy).

She's fun. Her priorities are catching frisbies, playing with other dogs, and greeting people. She likes us a lot too. Mollie and Nora work with her when they are home and she'll run beside them on a short leash. She has her quirks. I've never seen a dog that likes to chew on her back. She can really manipulate her toys with her front feet.

Enjoy the pictures. It's been awhile since I posted...lost my username AND password.

Views from a Spring Garden

2006-09-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

It is not spring. I am picking tomatoes (good ones). Though Josie, the dog, will occasionally pluck a green one and carry it around the yard thinking, I'm sure, that tennis balls grow on trees. She never breaks the skin although there are indentations (faint tooth marks) in the soft fruit.

Anyway, by August I'm tired of the heat and the weeds and the Japanese Beetles. I'm sharing this picture that Mike took in June, because I need to remember what I loved.

My garden doesn't look that bad now, because interspersed with the spring blooming flowers, I have planted annuals that are going strong. What I really regret is not paying more attention to my mother and her gardening tips. I know she loved gardening--and loved to share.

In my next post I'll provide pictures of the summer garden. Eventually, I hope that Mike will add his comments to this blog. He is a great writer. So far he has only provided pictures--a great addition, too.

Forgot the Camera

2006-08-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, Nora and I did just get back from visiting Mollie in See-attle. If you want the scoop on the visit check out her blog (click on the link). I forgot the camera, but Mollie took lots of pix.

It was a wonderful visit. My favorite was Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park (west of Seattle). When you travel, you want to be in a different place than you left. The ridge was alpine meadow with wonderful views of the mountains. So perfect it looks like they were sculpted.

The other notable part of the visit was our discussion about why Jane Austen's Pride and Predjudice is so good. I used it as a refuge when I was having problems at work, Nora says it always makes her feel good, and (I think) Mollie uses it to make it through Joel separation. Why? My theory is that it is the humor and the common understandable themes of family, embarrasing mothers, and love. What do you think?

Jody

Better Than Yours Oatmeal Cookies

2006-08-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

I've had some unfortunate interactions with some commercial and home made Oatmeal Cookies lately. While some of them might have been made with love, they left me ultimately unsatisfied. So my thoughts turned to my mother's Oatmeal Cookie recipe. I haven't been baking much lately--it really hasn't been much fun since being empty nesters. But, Nora is home for the summer and Mike is an appreciative eater, so I gave it a try. I left out the raisins (seeing the raisins in the Raisin Brand cereal lined up on the edge of Nora's bowl in the morning gave me a clue about how she felt) and used pecans in the recipe...great eating.

I got a new stove and oven just before Thanksgiving last year--what a difference. It has two sensors and bakes everything without burning. I've got some rhubarb ready in the garden and I'm thinking of baking either a pie or a rhubarb crisp (again, Mom's recipe).

Oatmeal Drop Cookies

2 cups sifted flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup shortening (part butter)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
2 cups rolled oats

Sift flour once, measure. Add salt, baking powders and soda. Sift again. In separate bowl, cream shortening with sugars until light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each additional. Add vanilla and blend.

Add dry ingredients gradually mixing well. Fold in coconut, nuts and oats.
Drop from a teaspoon onto a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container. [end of recipe]

I don’t know when my mother wrote this recipe out for me. The recipe card is in her handwriting and I feel very tender when I read the recipe and its last two words. Love, Mother.

I have definite memories of helping her bake these cookies and never thought them remarkable until I took them to a church social and a women who I had great respect for complemented them by saying that they were the best she ever tasted. I guess we never really appreciate what we've got until we see the value through other's eyes.

What's with this?

2006-08-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

Mollie started a blog when she went to Seattle this summer. Hers looks so great and is so much fun to read that I thought that Mike and I should have one. Every other year or so we send out a holiday letter ( I call it a holiday letter because we begin it at Thanksgiving and usually get it out by Easter), but I thought that a blog would allow us to post more current news and let Mike publish some of his excellent photographs. In fact, I started with a picture taken at Andy's house (Mike's brother) a weekend or so ago. It was a beautiful day!

Jody

Sunflower Image Test

2006-08-22T08:27:00.000-07:00