September 2 2013

It's been a mostly rainy, humid day as our wonderful neighbors at Blue Cliff Monastery finish packing up and straightening out from the six day retreat just completed, led by Master on his North American tour. It was incredible how so many people, cars, tents, and accoutrements could come in for almost a week with virtually no impact on the quiet, or anything else. Missing all this time was Three Leg, the doe I first spotted months ago with her fawns and husband/friend/visiting buck. But today, with most of the equipment and people gone, she was out by herself at one of her usual haunts, the forest abutting the monastery's compost pile. Too bad I didn't have my camera, it's so surprising to see Three with a front leg missing from the shoulder down, hopping carefully and otherwise looking perfectly healthy. And while I'm not sure of the status of the very handsome buck that accompanies her and the fawns sometimes, he certainly is a good looking guy - also completely unafraid of humans. Must be that they think we are all as gentle and understanding and respectful as the brothers and sisters.

We had a really nice visit from the Dotson clan this weekend, took them over to the play area at Blue Cliff where Hyla and Ayro tried everything that was there, and made us all smile with their antics. Pretty soon Baby Calder will join them, I'm sure - just as soon as that walking thing kicks in. Right now she mostly scoots around in froggie mode - very quickly!

Then Hyla and Ayro spent some quality computer time with me looking at - what else - dancing dog videos. I think I find this a bit more riveting than they do, but they indulged me. And surprisingly, when Hyla asked me to search for both "dancing sharks" and "dancing bricks", of course we found stuff. The internet is infinite...

Before dinner (which Hyla helped Brian make) we got a few things from the garden. As for the garden, there is not much to report thus far. Things are very late this year, on September 1 I picked my first and possibly only big sweet chili. We've gotten a few of the cherry tomatoes the girls picked, a handful of cucumbers, some peas and quite a few beans, plus a decent batch of basil leaves. But the full sized tomatoes are still a work in progress. I think the very hot July and cooler August confused them (it certainly did me).

On the other hand, the sunflowers and pumpkins are growing apace. For some reason, my photos of the attack of the giant pumpkin vines on the back porch door, where tendrils had wound themselves around the door handle and were about to pull it over, completely disappeared from both camera and computer. I guess they were camera shy, as I've shot them several different times and never seem to be able to retrieve the shots. Never having grown pumpkins before, I made the tactical error of threading the vines through the fence mesh - and have learned that lesson. I've put a sling under one of the errant pumpkins, but am not sure it will work. At least the first, biggest one had the sense to touch the ground early on.

And here's a selection of sunflowers for your viewing pleasure...

So that's the wrap up this Labor Day night. And as Rosh HaShonah and Yom Kippur rapidly approach for some of us, here's one of Brian's latest paintings that is right on subject.

July 26 2013

Time for another update, this one with more people news than most. Although our first news item is a people/dog combination, as our friends Daniel and Tim visited us a while ago with Ruby, our long-time Brittany pal and their newest family edition, Rosie the King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. As you can see, all four are really cute (Brian too) - and Rosie is so attached to her daddy Tim that when he dared to go to the bathroom (and worse, closed the door!) she stood right outside and barked until she could see him again.

I'd forgotten how cute KCs are, and how convenient it is to have a dog you can pick up with one arm. It was, as always, lovely seeing them. They are among the good friends we have made through American Brittany Rescue, and Daniel was our very first "face" as he helped with our very first foster, Carmen, getting her halfway to us from the airport.

A few weeks later Brian and I went out to the Chicago suburbs to see Mom and also attend an 80th birthday party for my cousin Mickey, married to my cousin Micki (known forever in the family as Boy Mickey and Girl Mickey). It was a little strange for me staying at a hotel, but nice that it was only two short blocks from Mom, so no car necessary. Also nice to see cousins I really like, even after all these years, and see Mom having such a good time at the party.

As you can see, I'm among the few (two) women in the family that still doesn't wear makeup. It was a lovely party, and the best part was seeing Mom have such a good time, and seeing how very much she's loved by the family.

Pre-party, the birthday boy and Girl Micki came to Mom's apartment for a private visit, where I gave Boy Mickey the present I chose for him. It was a Dorothy Parker quote that I thought so appropriate: Guns aren't lawful, Nooses give, Gas smells awful, You might as well live. Parker fans applaud now!

I guess it shows how old the quote is in the very first line, as guns are now not only lawful but in Florida and Texas at least almost mandatory.










Mom was really glad to see Brian, too, as it's been four years since we made this trip together. The biggest difference was the height differential - as obvious here!

But Mom's spirit is still the same, still younger than I in so many ways. Always good to spend time with her and check in with my Gidwitz buddies.









And now for the garden round-up. The ground cover has taken over the upper terraces, covering some of the stairs and aiming for the driveway.

The hanging baskets and hydrangea are beautiful,

and the baby pumpkins from a short while ago have now taken over the former dog run completely, crawled through the chain link fence, and are making valient efforts to climb up the walls of the house, out over the walkway and down to the lower terracing. I couldn't get a photo because they are so BIG there's nowhere inside the fence to show them, and outside the fence is just fencing and tendrils. You'll have to take my word for it. And I will photograph the pumpkins assuming they arrive. The leaves are about three times the size of my hand - and I have large hands.

That's about it for now. As always, hoping all goes well with all of you, and sending love. LK

June 16 2013

Finally the rain has stopped long enough to check on my little green buddies - but not before all the beautiful blue Japanese iris came and went. You'll just have to take my word for it, they were particularly lush this year, as was the yellow Siberian iris I got from a calligraphy student a few years ago. But the bearded iris, usually the queens of the garden, barely set any blossoms at all. I'm not sure if it was the cold snap or just how things go ... gardening is always a bit of a mystery.

We've added an extra little wing to our garden cage, just for Brian to grow potatoes and strawberries. We've been warned that strawberries are invasive and will take over, but the idea of too many strawberries doesn't seem to upset Brian. We can always do giant smoothies!

We did have really impressive rhododendrons this year; here's a shot with me next to one of our larger bushes just to give you an idea of what can happen when one doesn't trim things regularly, at least around here!

We also had our yearly get-together for Brian's birthday. Unfortunately multiple health problems made attendance much less than last year, but it was a quality (not quantity) gathering and we all had a really good time. Especially me, as our friend Jerry brings this "special" beer from Rochester, which much to my surprise I actually like, so usually drink my yearly quota of one while people are around in case I need help navigating. Here are some party shots:

We also went to our first "Bark in the Park" event this past weekend. I never could go with Sadie, who as you may all remember REALLY REALLY didn't like to be around other dogs, and always felt too guilty to leave her home and go without her. So this year I finally got there. Not quite as many dogs as I hoped (never too many for me) but here are some shots of dogs attending. I guess I just have to get some dog shots into everything, even if I don't know the dogs!

This last little girl had a front leg that was so much like dear departed Liza, the Great Dane, that I stopped and chatted with her people. She has the sweetest face, and they reported proudly she is so smart, dosen't even realize there's anything amiss and just is having such a great life. It did my heart good to see dogs with people that really love them. And yes, all those sweet puppies got homes that day - seems like they always do!

And now I'll close with one of my favorite shots of me and Sadie - gone but never ever forgotten.

That's it for now. Soon we should have something more visible of our just-planted pumpkins, now only a few inches high. But I have great hopes for a pumpkin patch in the former dog run. I have never tried pumpkins before so this will definitely be an adventure! More anon...

NEWS FLASH!!! Our neighbor kitty Irish, who has adopted me since Sadie's been gone, just went after an enormous "whistle pig" (groundhog) out in our triangle! I wish I could have gotten a photo, but it went so fast! I noticed another cat sitting at the top of our stairs looking north, so went to a north facing window to see what she was watching. I saw Irish's tail in the tall flower stems, and thought she was just after another bird/chipmunk/vole as she's a dedicated hunter. But then I saw another very big brown blob in there, and before I could even figure it out, she ran right at it and scared it back under the art shed where it apparently wants to take up residence. It was three or possibly four times her size! This was a big fat male (she's a very small kitty), and yet she didn't hesitate for a second. And then once it disappeared under the shed, I called her over to praise and pet her, and she came running right back to me. My hero!

April 26 2013

It's a very yellow season here at this time of year, with forsythia blooming everywhere and daffodils as well. Here's our hearty forsythia, the same bushes that were crunched to the ground beneath the fencing after Hurricane Sandy - so resilient, and always beautiful.

Also a delight to the eye, our various daffodils and jonquils - here's a sampling, including some that surprise me every year because I forget about the double ruffles, that show up later than the standards.

And speaking of surprises, I already found one in the garden cage: volunteer kale, which is really odd because I know I never planted seeds or seedlings, and don't even remember buying kale in the grocery store to cook. For me it's a bit like chard, I'll eat it if I grow it, but otherwise why bother?

Brian is extending the garden cage to enclose his carefully planted potatoes, as we thought they wouldn't tempt the deer because some sprouted in our compost bin last fall and were completely ignored. But our neighbor said when he planted them, the deer did indeed eat them to the ground - and below! So we'll soon have an extra wing complete with chicken wire.

And now, for a bit of non-garden news. My two remaining, loyal calligraphy students just recently completed their second Hebrew alphabet. Here they are with their final projects, looking (I hope) pound and happy. I know I am certainly proud of them!

That's it for now. Soon the lilacs and lily of the valley will open, and they really do smell heavenly. Then the irises, followed by peonies, and everyone else. Right now the war on weeds is at least a good holding action, as the cold nights are keeping weeds from overcoming our carefully planted stuff. But I know by mid-summer the forest will reclaim at least part of the lower terracing. We'll just dig it back out next year! Hope all goes well with all of you.

March 29 2013

Spring in Pine Bush.. our neighbors at the monastery not only built this igloo, but actually slept in it! And this was of course in the first week of (alleged) Spring, so those of you complaining about the West Coast cold should just imagine this as a taste of real winter. The folks had planned to sleep there longer, but one night was enough to prove the outbuildings of the monastery were much better, even if the heating there was minimal. And today, the igloo is standing still, though it looks like the top has collapsed in as we now have temperatures about 50 and there's very little snow on the ground (but still a bit!). And in a semi-related item, have you read about the indictment of Phil, the lying groundhog who predicted an early spring? While I was glad to know that I wasn't the only one to be annoyed at the lying rodent, the death penalty seems a bit extreme; and of course returns us once again to the issue of our governmental employees apparently not having enough to do so that in their spare time they file formal indictments against other species.

Just hours before another big snowstorm last week, I went out and cut some forsythia stems to force, so I could see something besides the monochromatic landscape of winter. Before I could even get them in vases, the snow began, and continued for another twenty-four hours. Really, this is no place for seniors like me!

But eventually they did what I wanted, and have lasted until just today, when I am going to replace them with new stems (unless I'm snowed out!). It's one of the advantages of life here, the ability to pick rather large amounts of blooming things and bring them inside with only a bit of time and trimming.

We had a particularly meaningful Seder this year, as our friends the Lunenfelds were able to join us once again. Ellie has been fighting cancer for over a year now, so we were especially grateful she was well enough to come along with her husband and two grown children. And they brought most of the meal - none of them are vegetarians and both Brian and Sadie were delighted at the chance to eat some poultry.



On another unrelated topic, did you know that delivery of USPS packages is at the discretion of the driver? I surely didn't until I got a slip in our mailbox informing us we could pick up a package at the local P.O. twelve miles round trip from us. After about two hours discussion with the local Postmaster, the USPS customer service (insert your own insulting joke here) and various irate emails to the Postmaster General, Governor Cuomo, both my Federal senators and anyone else whose email or web site I could find, we apparently will not ever be getting packages delivered here. I was told that it's always been the USPS policy that drivers don't have to leave their vehicles to deliver anything, and now that policy is being enforced by telling them that they can only deliver to addresses having complete turn-around driveways. They can't back up their vehicles! And if they do, and hit anything, they will be fired! To his credit, the local postmaster shared my dismay and anger. Our local P.O. is quite small and already overrun with packages they have no place to store, and people even more irate than I (yes, I guess it is possible though it seems unlikely as I do "irate" so well). I've included in my emails that it seems to me the USPS is not only determined to cause it's own demise, but is also perpetrating a fraud, as they sell packages larger than any mailbox I've ever seen with no caveat that purchasing them, and paying for postage, will only assure the package gets to the nearest P.O. to the delivery address. Anyone know of a stupider policy? Heres the Postmaster General's email if you'd like to comment: ppmgceo@usps.gov - and I hope you will! Imagine what will happen around Christmas/Hanuka time.. And why would anyone use the USPS when both FedEx and UPS seem to have no problem actually delivering the packages they are paid to deliver?

One last note, and a happier one. In April our sweet Sadie will celebrate her Bark Mitzvah! Yes, it's true, she will be twelve (or approximately so) but we are not doing a lavish party, just a small but sincere happy birthday to the girl that chose us to be her forever folks long before I figured it out. She is not even on the web site any more, has been declared a long-term foster, and so will stay with us as long as she lives. Such a good girl!

She now "sings" to us whenever either or both of us leave the house, whether for five minutes or hours, and is also currently enjoying large amounts of cottage cheese in with her kibble. Apparently after years of the same meal, she's gotten a bit bored, and as she must take her daily medication with dinner, this seems the easiest way for both of us. I've gotten a bit too old and cranky to spend a half hour on the floor feeding her kibble bite by bite.

That's the very complete update from here. Wishing you all a happy Passover/Easter/Spring and looking forward to what I hope will be a delightful summer. Send us your news!

February 12 2013

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's several thousand words' worth of our place after Nemo. We were, gratefully, not as hard hit as other places, but I still cringe listening to the nightly news when they speak of the many without power - it's been really cold!

In other news, last month Hyla and Ayro celebrated their fifth and third birthdays, while youngest sprout Caly observed. Also on hand for the celebrations, Aunt Cara and her middle son Dash, so Brian had the pleasure of both daughters and four grandkids.

And as for Sadie, she continues to be our happy wagger, not at all concerned with her "foster" status (about which she never says anything) and brings a smile to my face every day. And I hope yours, too...