hi,
many, many years ago I used to sing in our synagogue professional choir. I started as a kid of 12 and did it for almost 18 years. Every Wednesday night for rehearsal, every Saturday service, many Friday night events, holidays, weddings, bar mitzvahs... I saw them all from the front of the shule on the bimah (alter), staring out at the sea of congregants of which there were 100's and sometimes 1,000's. God can really fill in seats. The Rabbi, Irwin Shields, was a fabulous man. He was everything I thought a Rabbi should be: pious, straight forward, witty and a fabulous people person. He never forgot a face or a name or who was related to whom. Every Shabbat he would read off the names of members, or their family members, who had passed away. In Hebrew you say the "Kaddish" prayer and a "dru'ah sh'lay ma" to remember them by.
I'm no Rabbi, but I would like to say a "dru'ah sh'lay ma" for Amy McCurdy. Amy died in a car crash yesterday in Fort Wayne, Indiana at 12pm while driving home from day care. Amy was Russ McCurdys' wife and best friend, mother of 5 young children, church activist and a total sweetheart. She would have been a great Rabbi. Russ is who I took all my flight instruction from and my favorite fire fighter in the Fort Wayne Fire Department. I know he must be devastated by his loss right now. He also has his 5 children to care for and guide through this trial of his strength. I can't imagine his pain and I feel helpless being so far away.
Amy was often at the airport with kids in tow, bringing Russ lunch or dinner. I spoke with her regularly about swimming lessons for Katie or how the baby Joe was growing so fast. She had great energy and held the fort down while Russ worked two jobs, fire fighting and flight instructor. In the year it took me to learn to fly I think I saw her husband more than she did, but she never complained. I can't believe she is gone.
Remembrance is tantamount in most religions, therefore I would like to honor Amy with my remembrance of her: a wonderful wife, mother, giver and shining light that will never go out.... and to this we say "amen".
xox
m
Day Lily!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
are you listening?
Hi,
it's a Winnie-the-Pooh day, rainy and blustery out. The power has cut out twice this morning and I'm sure there are a multitude of leaves, branches and even trees that have come down over the night. The arborists make a small fortune in this neighbourhood with all the old, huge trees. They are beautiful and majestic until they topple on your house, then they become your worst nightmare. Just keeping up with the leaves in the fall is a full time job here. Last year the borough was planning to cut off leaf pick up on the street (budget constraints) and there was a stampede of tax payers at the township meeting threatening revolt if the leaf pick up program was dropped. We in Yardley love our trees but hate the clean up in the fall. At least I hate it, it's never ending on our property. So the season begins....
Speaking of yard duty. I spent a good portion of yesterday in ours. The two weeks I was away wreaked havoc here. There were weeds and dead plants everywhere. I have learned not to try and tackle it all at once. That is a death sentence and sore muscles for a week. I worked about 4 hours, filled a garbage bag full of weeds... and that was just the bed in the front yard. Then there is the pond. Yuck! I've finally learned how to keep it clear but it's a weekly routine of scrubbing and scooping out algae, leaves and other detritus. The fish don't seem to care but I can't stand it looking like the Black Lagoon, therefore, I don my heavy duty rubber gloves and prepare my attack. I may not win every battle but I think I'm winning the war.
I was also busy making tomato relish and coleslaw. The kitchen got a work out. Friends and neighbours pawned off produce from their gardens. Everyone plants with good intentions but when they get to the harvest stage, suddenly there is an abundance of inventory that they just weren't counting on. How many green tomatoes am I able to can? All of them! Bring it on, I can take it all and turn it into fabulous relish. I have the knowledge and the canning jars. You don't scare me. Take THAT Mother Nature! Please note, any one who wants some fresh, home made tomato relish is welcome to drop by for a jar. I only ask that you return the empties to me so that I can refill next year. It's my version of recycling.
xox
m
it's a Winnie-the-Pooh day, rainy and blustery out. The power has cut out twice this morning and I'm sure there are a multitude of leaves, branches and even trees that have come down over the night. The arborists make a small fortune in this neighbourhood with all the old, huge trees. They are beautiful and majestic until they topple on your house, then they become your worst nightmare. Just keeping up with the leaves in the fall is a full time job here. Last year the borough was planning to cut off leaf pick up on the street (budget constraints) and there was a stampede of tax payers at the township meeting threatening revolt if the leaf pick up program was dropped. We in Yardley love our trees but hate the clean up in the fall. At least I hate it, it's never ending on our property. So the season begins....
Speaking of yard duty. I spent a good portion of yesterday in ours. The two weeks I was away wreaked havoc here. There were weeds and dead plants everywhere. I have learned not to try and tackle it all at once. That is a death sentence and sore muscles for a week. I worked about 4 hours, filled a garbage bag full of weeds... and that was just the bed in the front yard. Then there is the pond. Yuck! I've finally learned how to keep it clear but it's a weekly routine of scrubbing and scooping out algae, leaves and other detritus. The fish don't seem to care but I can't stand it looking like the Black Lagoon, therefore, I don my heavy duty rubber gloves and prepare my attack. I may not win every battle but I think I'm winning the war.
I was also busy making tomato relish and coleslaw. The kitchen got a work out. Friends and neighbours pawned off produce from their gardens. Everyone plants with good intentions but when they get to the harvest stage, suddenly there is an abundance of inventory that they just weren't counting on. How many green tomatoes am I able to can? All of them! Bring it on, I can take it all and turn it into fabulous relish. I have the knowledge and the canning jars. You don't scare me. Take THAT Mother Nature! Please note, any one who wants some fresh, home made tomato relish is welcome to drop by for a jar. I only ask that you return the empties to me so that I can refill next year. It's my version of recycling.
xox
m
Sunday, September 19, 2010
off again
hi,
my man is off again. Not "off" as in "the milk is turned", but "gone" as in "flew the coop". Marshall is on another around the world trip in 8 days. Yes, he's busy racking up the air mile points for me. What a guy! Last night he left for Singapore and then he hits India, back home next Sunday. The poor man had barely enough time to get his body clock turned around from our recent excursion to Asia and now he's going to have to flip himself over again. This isn't easy. I really feel sorry for him having to do this much travel, back-to-back. I do know that he gets to stay in lovely hotels (most of the time) and eat great food so it's not total torture, but he misses his own bed and his big screen TV.... and I like to think he misses me a little too but I think I take second place to the TV.
I have my work cut out here as well. Swimming lessons are back in full swing. My dance card is full and that keeps me out of trouble. The garden and pond fill up the rest of my time. It's time to start pulling out dead stuff from the beds... and since I was away for 2 weeks, there is a ton of dead stuff to deal with. I have gardened myself out this year but the season seems to go on until the end of November in this state. It's a much longer season than I'm used to. Toronto's growing lasts from June to September, here it's from April to November. Those extra 3 months make it feel like I've been weeding for an eternity. Why do the weeds do better than my plants? Why can't they make a whole airplane out the the same material as the black box that survives the crashes.... things that I wonder about late at night.
Yesterday I went with our neighbours, Kim & Jean, to a dog agility course competition up in New Jersey. It was a riot watching the people and their pets run these obstacle courses. I'm not sure which was funnier: the dogs having the time of their life, or the frustrated owners trying to get a blue ribbon. These people take this agility training very seriously but someone has neglected to explain to the dogs that it is life or death if they don't make it through those weave poles or over the rails without knocking them down. The dogs are woofing & wagging, the owners are sweating & swearing..... who's the stupid mammal in this pack? The dogs are a full gamut of breeds and sizes. The American Kennel Club has also opened up the competition to the new breed of "All American ", better known as your classic "mutt". Jean has an All American named Bella. She's part Whippet, Mexican Hairless, Labrador, Pointer and God only knows what, but she's smart and has a great personality. Bella was completely non-phased by the other dogs or all the hoopla going on, a true professional. Jean was a nervous wreck preparing for their run of the course, Bella didn't even look to size up the competition. Dog & owner did great on the course, no ribbon but they didn't get disqualified or do anything totally silly. Bella got a handful of treats and Jeans blood pressure went back to normal. Kim & I were there for moral support, cheering section and water bottle holding. Who knew that an afternoon of watching dogs perform could make one so thirsty? I think they need to set up a martini bar so the owners can chill out. They do have blow-up swimming pools for the dogs to cool down in after their runs, fair is fair.
Today I'm going to my Yoga class then for a bike ride with my neighbour, Kim. Gardening will have to wait until tomorrow.... the weeds aren't going anywhere and it's too beautiful out to do chores. I'm off....
xox
m
my man is off again. Not "off" as in "the milk is turned", but "gone" as in "flew the coop". Marshall is on another around the world trip in 8 days. Yes, he's busy racking up the air mile points for me. What a guy! Last night he left for Singapore and then he hits India, back home next Sunday. The poor man had barely enough time to get his body clock turned around from our recent excursion to Asia and now he's going to have to flip himself over again. This isn't easy. I really feel sorry for him having to do this much travel, back-to-back. I do know that he gets to stay in lovely hotels (most of the time) and eat great food so it's not total torture, but he misses his own bed and his big screen TV.... and I like to think he misses me a little too but I think I take second place to the TV.
I have my work cut out here as well. Swimming lessons are back in full swing. My dance card is full and that keeps me out of trouble. The garden and pond fill up the rest of my time. It's time to start pulling out dead stuff from the beds... and since I was away for 2 weeks, there is a ton of dead stuff to deal with. I have gardened myself out this year but the season seems to go on until the end of November in this state. It's a much longer season than I'm used to. Toronto's growing lasts from June to September, here it's from April to November. Those extra 3 months make it feel like I've been weeding for an eternity. Why do the weeds do better than my plants? Why can't they make a whole airplane out the the same material as the black box that survives the crashes.... things that I wonder about late at night.
Yesterday I went with our neighbours, Kim & Jean, to a dog agility course competition up in New Jersey. It was a riot watching the people and their pets run these obstacle courses. I'm not sure which was funnier: the dogs having the time of their life, or the frustrated owners trying to get a blue ribbon. These people take this agility training very seriously but someone has neglected to explain to the dogs that it is life or death if they don't make it through those weave poles or over the rails without knocking them down. The dogs are woofing & wagging, the owners are sweating & swearing..... who's the stupid mammal in this pack? The dogs are a full gamut of breeds and sizes. The American Kennel Club has also opened up the competition to the new breed of "All American ", better known as your classic "mutt". Jean has an All American named Bella. She's part Whippet, Mexican Hairless, Labrador, Pointer and God only knows what, but she's smart and has a great personality. Bella was completely non-phased by the other dogs or all the hoopla going on, a true professional. Jean was a nervous wreck preparing for their run of the course, Bella didn't even look to size up the competition. Dog & owner did great on the course, no ribbon but they didn't get disqualified or do anything totally silly. Bella got a handful of treats and Jeans blood pressure went back to normal. Kim & I were there for moral support, cheering section and water bottle holding. Who knew that an afternoon of watching dogs perform could make one so thirsty? I think they need to set up a martini bar so the owners can chill out. They do have blow-up swimming pools for the dogs to cool down in after their runs, fair is fair.
Today I'm going to my Yoga class then for a bike ride with my neighbour, Kim. Gardening will have to wait until tomorrow.... the weeds aren't going anywhere and it's too beautiful out to do chores. I'm off....
xox
m
Friday, September 10, 2010
around the world
Hi,
I'm back home.
Unfortunately I was unable to post to my blog from Asia. Too many 'spy filters' made it inaccessible... who says Big Brother isn't watching?
The trip was amazing. I ate my way from Beijing to Tokyo, relishing every bite. Fancy dinners, street food, hotel breakfasts... I was in gastronomic heaven. The only thing I am not missing right now is all the MSG & salt that Asian cooking gets drowned in. I have shed 4 lbs. in 48 hours just because I have stopped eating all the water-retention loaded items you get there. I was so bloated by the time I got home I couldn't get my wedding ring off my finger. I don't cook with salt or MSG so my poor little body ballooned up, but all is well and back to normal now. I am missing my congee breakfast, hargow snacks and 24 hour sushi access but at least I'm no longer busting out of my jeans.
Highlights of our trip, for me, were the Great Wall in China, getting around Cheng Du on the city bus system, back alley DVD shopping, dancing in the park in Shanghai, swimming in the Intercontinental outdoor pool in Tokyo, eating excellent food everywhere and being with my husband. He may hate all this travel, but I love it. Every corner I turned had something new and fascinating to see, do, or eat. Did I mention I loved the food?
I have fun pictures of it all, too many to post, but contact me if you want autographed copies.
Life is back to the regular scheduled program. Swimming lessons start up again next week, the laundry is all done and there is food in the fridge.... I made sure to get tofu so that I could remind myself of the last two weeks on a daily food basis.
xox
m
I'm back home.
Unfortunately I was unable to post to my blog from Asia. Too many 'spy filters' made it inaccessible... who says Big Brother isn't watching?
The trip was amazing. I ate my way from Beijing to Tokyo, relishing every bite. Fancy dinners, street food, hotel breakfasts... I was in gastronomic heaven. The only thing I am not missing right now is all the MSG & salt that Asian cooking gets drowned in. I have shed 4 lbs. in 48 hours just because I have stopped eating all the water-retention loaded items you get there. I was so bloated by the time I got home I couldn't get my wedding ring off my finger. I don't cook with salt or MSG so my poor little body ballooned up, but all is well and back to normal now. I am missing my congee breakfast, hargow snacks and 24 hour sushi access but at least I'm no longer busting out of my jeans.
Highlights of our trip, for me, were the Great Wall in China, getting around Cheng Du on the city bus system, back alley DVD shopping, dancing in the park in Shanghai, swimming in the Intercontinental outdoor pool in Tokyo, eating excellent food everywhere and being with my husband. He may hate all this travel, but I love it. Every corner I turned had something new and fascinating to see, do, or eat. Did I mention I loved the food?
I have fun pictures of it all, too many to post, but contact me if you want autographed copies.
Life is back to the regular scheduled program. Swimming lessons start up again next week, the laundry is all done and there is food in the fridge.... I made sure to get tofu so that I could remind myself of the last two weeks on a daily food basis.
xox
m
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