Susan Boyle - the whole world now knows your voice!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Gotta sing!
I know this is a video that's going around fast, but as someone who simply loves to sing, seeing this woman stand in front of a disbelieving crowd & then completely blow them away, well, I just had to tip my hat to her.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
ER
Tonight is the last night of ER. I've watched every single episode since its beginning. And its beginning happens to coincide with an important beginning for me.
The very first episode of ER, the pilot called "24 Hours", aired on Monday, September 19, 1994. Later that week, on Thursday, the day of the week that would be the show's home for the rest of its first-run life, Episode 2, "Day One" aired. That same night, September 22, 1994, was the night that I became a Mom. Kimberly was born in Booth Memorial Hospital, NYC.
I missed that episode that night.
But I saw the 3rd, & the 4th, & the 5th - week by week my new favorite TV show broadcast the stories of Mark Greene, Susan Lewis, Carol Hathaway, Doug Ross, Peter Benton & John Carter at County General. Over the years each of these "people" left, replaced by new characters who kept me coming back each year. After 15 seasons, ER sometimes shows its age, but then again, so do I! Even more obvious is Kimi's development from a newborn to a toddler to a young child to the amazing 14 year old person she is today.
Something interesting happened to us last spring. Kimi found ER on TNT in the mornings. It was Episode 2, the one that was "born" on her own birth day. She decided that she would watch more of them to see what the old ERs were like. She quickly became hooked & fell in love with the original cast. Thanks to Tivo & Blockbuster, we were able to see them all, even if we were away on vacations.
A few weeks ago we caught up. She has seen the span of her life expressed through the life story of ER. She knows all the old stories, saw the long-timers when they were just Baby Docs & shares with me a love of the show.
Tonight, their story concludes. And we will watch it, live. And we will laugh & cry & be grateful for all the joy this show has brought to us.
Goodbye, ER. We will miss you.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Stone Walls
I was reading Yankee magazine & found an article by Jim Collins about New England's stone walls. It was an interview with Robert Thorson, a geologist at the University of Connecticut, who has written books about these ominipresent structures, such as Stone by Stone & Good Fences: A Pictorial History of New England's Stone Walls. He also coordinates an educational organization called the Stone Wall Initiative.
In the article, he describes how the New England landscape is so similar to the "Old England" landscape - those good ol' glaciers did their thing on both sides of the pond. Although stone walls can be found all over, he says, "only in New England are they a part of the landscape".
Our property is outlined by very old stone walls. Going up our street, most of the properties are. My grandparents owned about a hundred acres of land in north-central MA. Stone walls delineated each of the fields, followed along the roads & marked off the private way through the woods to the pond & wet lands on the property.
I've always known stone walls to be very visible part of the landscape. It never occurred to me that it wasn't that way in most of the country. Turns out, according to the article, people pay good money to have authentic NE fieldstones, all weathered & lichen-covered, brought to their homes to give their landscape an aged look.
I'm grateful I don't need to manufacture the history of my land. I know who owned it before us (they live just up the street!) & I know that the meadow was filled with old apple & black walnut trees, thorn bushes & poison ivy. I know this because we were out there clearing it, uncovering the walls that had been buried by time.
Stone by stone...
In the article, he describes how the New England landscape is so similar to the "Old England" landscape - those good ol' glaciers did their thing on both sides of the pond. Although stone walls can be found all over, he says, "only in New England are they a part of the landscape".
Our property is outlined by very old stone walls. Going up our street, most of the properties are. My grandparents owned about a hundred acres of land in north-central MA. Stone walls delineated each of the fields, followed along the roads & marked off the private way through the woods to the pond & wet lands on the property.
I've always known stone walls to be very visible part of the landscape. It never occurred to me that it wasn't that way in most of the country. Turns out, according to the article, people pay good money to have authentic NE fieldstones, all weathered & lichen-covered, brought to their homes to give their landscape an aged look.
I'm grateful I don't need to manufacture the history of my land. I know who owned it before us (they live just up the street!) & I know that the meadow was filled with old apple & black walnut trees, thorn bushes & poison ivy. I know this because we were out there clearing it, uncovering the walls that had been buried by time.
Stone by stone...
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Spring! Glorious Spring!
My goodness, it's a beautiful day!
We woke up to gray skies (& a forecast of rain later) but then the clouds burned off, the skies were blue & sunny & all seemed right in the world.
Last night, for the first time, I could hear the Peepers at night. What a great sound. The birds were chirping first thing in the morning & during breakfast, Phil & I watched a Coopers hawk hunt the little critters around the stone wall on the east side of the property.
After breakfast we walked around the yard, planning what to do with the wood we will gather from the downed trees, felled by the December ice storm. When we got back 'round the front yard area I made an unexpected discovery: my strawberry plants, planted last year in my Square Foot garden, were absolutely thriving! I pulled off the protective netting & accumulated leaves & found robust green leaves. In fact, there were some sneaky little strawberry plants growing outside the garden - growing where some of the berries must have fallen last year.
I cleaned up the box, pulling one by one the blades of grass that were also thriving! To my utter joy, I found many plump earthworms squirming their way throughout the rich soil. Happy, happy! Phil & I decided to let the entire box become the Strawberry Patch. We'll build some new boxes for which ever veggies we finally decide to commit to this year.
This afternoon, the kids attended a Manga & Candy Sushi event at the library. Phil & decided to take a long walk during their 2 hours there, then walked them back home. It was perfect walking weather. We could smell the smoke of several burn piles as families tried to rid their yards of their downed brush & limbs. It smelled like camp - ahh!
What a delight a Spring Day can be!
We woke up to gray skies (& a forecast of rain later) but then the clouds burned off, the skies were blue & sunny & all seemed right in the world.
Last night, for the first time, I could hear the Peepers at night. What a great sound. The birds were chirping first thing in the morning & during breakfast, Phil & I watched a Coopers hawk hunt the little critters around the stone wall on the east side of the property.
After breakfast we walked around the yard, planning what to do with the wood we will gather from the downed trees, felled by the December ice storm. When we got back 'round the front yard area I made an unexpected discovery: my strawberry plants, planted last year in my Square Foot garden, were absolutely thriving! I pulled off the protective netting & accumulated leaves & found robust green leaves. In fact, there were some sneaky little strawberry plants growing outside the garden - growing where some of the berries must have fallen last year.
I cleaned up the box, pulling one by one the blades of grass that were also thriving! To my utter joy, I found many plump earthworms squirming their way throughout the rich soil. Happy, happy! Phil & I decided to let the entire box become the Strawberry Patch. We'll build some new boxes for which ever veggies we finally decide to commit to this year.
This afternoon, the kids attended a Manga & Candy Sushi event at the library. Phil & decided to take a long walk during their 2 hours there, then walked them back home. It was perfect walking weather. We could smell the smoke of several burn piles as families tried to rid their yards of their downed brush & limbs. It smelled like camp - ahh!
What a delight a Spring Day can be!
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