OPOSSUM IN THE HANDMAIDEN

Edison Estate

I really loved the Edison estate on the caloosahatchi river in Ft.Myers. The place had a 1920's Great Gatsby luxury feel to it. We learned the Thomas Edison didn't just invent light bulbs and gadgets he also did extensive botanical research. Edison planted Royal palm trees all allong McGreggor Blvd in 1910 and they are a beautiful site today. I especially loved the Banyan tree that is about 90 years old (its parent back in India is 1000 years old) one tree looks like an entire forest.

ISLAND HOPPING

Just returned from Florida. We went island hopping from Sanibel to Captiva to Lovers Key. It is of course beautiful there. We stayed with my aunt and uncle in Ft.Myers and it is lovely there. The beaches were not very crowded except for Ft. Myers beach.We went to Bunche Beach at Sunset to try and see the "green Flash" that is rumored to be visible just as the sun sets over the water. We didn't see it.

The Ice Storm

This is a narrative poem that Justin wrote about our experience with the recent Ice storm here in Massachusetts.

Blackout
Listen now and listen well,
For I, today am about to tell,
The story of the fear,
Of the storms and blackouts far and near,
That caused people to camp and flee,
Oh, the dread for you and me!

The cold, biting ice that coated all,
Driven to freeze and snap and fall,
And oh! I heard the trees, swinging with their branches,
Aiming for homes and cars and ranches,
Slipping sliding everywhere,
I couldn’t stop, that ice was glare!

Day 2 not much had gotten better,
No heat (good day to have a sweater),
Few homes had any power,
You couldn’t take a shower,
Day 3 we up and split,
Packed clothes, our dog, and the road we hit,
That night, Huzzah! The power is back!
Never in my life did I see so speedy a pack,
We went back home and saw our lights winking and shining so brightly,
It lit our faces and warmed us slightly,
Back to our old furnace and TV,
Life now seems how we like it: easy

But the blackouts go on,
There’s ice on the lawn,
The 22nd I believe,
Is when the power outs did leave,
What’s the lesson of this story?
Be prepared for anything (it makes life a glory).

Last Day of 2008

No work today , it is way too blizzardy out there. I haven't even seen a plow go by yet. I think it will snow straignt throught the night. I should be cleaning or doing something productive right now but I am already in "January mood" that is what I call the kind of depressed mood I get in every year about this time. I know it is coming but I am never able to avoid it. It has a lot to do with the after Christmas let down and the fact that my birthday is in January, another year older, I hate to even think about it and yet I want a pretty birthday cake, something pink.

I am noticing in this picture of Justin and me how much we look alike, he is actually taller than he looks because he is crouching down. I am also noticing all the clutter on top of the fridge.I will need to attack it later.

Jubilee Roll

At the end of a hectic and stressful week I was doing a mad rush in the grocery store. I had forgotten my list, no surprise, I don't know why I even write one out as I inevitably misplace it. Anyway, without the list I was doing what could be called the grocery store ballet, a lot of pirouetting and running up and down aisles as I remember what I needed was seven rows back, except lacking a ballerina's grace and beauty it was more of a grocery store slam dance. Ramming my cart into "end cap" displays of Little Debbie snacks and bumping into other shoppers(smile and say sorry).

Well, there I was rapidly whirling in the frozen food section when I noticed it: the Friendly's Jubilee Roll. I stopped whirling, stared and stood as frozen as the frozen food and then much to my embarrassment started to cry , I hid it of course by getting very interested in the junk in my cavernous purse. The sight of the box suddenly made me miss my Dad. When I was a kid he would bring a Jubilee Roll home usually before Christmas and it was a treat that I looked forward to so much. I suppose it was not the memory of guilt-free eating of ice cream or the taste of the roll itself that got to me. (I don't even remember if it was very good).It was the memory of my dad and a time when I didn't feel life's pressures like I do now ; like I was feeling that day in the store. It reminded me that it really is the little things in life that touch us the most. It might be a stranger complementing your outfit or your husband pouring you coffee or your dad bringing home an ice cream treat.

Country fairs and Cookies

Country fairs and cookies. Today the weather was beautiful, perfect to be outside with family at a country fair. below is a picture of my niece Adrienne and me acting silly in front of the cookie cottage. Adrienne bought so many cookies she needed a box to transport the delicate beauties. Left is Nick,Adrienne and Kate trying on hats at the craft fair.Above is Justin and our awesome friend Syb on the porch of the cookie cottage.