Season's Greetings.

It's that week between Christmas and New Year's Day when many people travel or ski or visit relatives. Not so for me this year. Christmas is over. The fridge needs cleaning out. The last bit of Turkey soup must go out to the compost pile and the recycling to the recycling center. I am regretting all the cookies, beer and cheese that tasted so good during high times of stress. Robin is back in Tokyo and I have a lot of work I should be doing. I had big plans for a productive day today, but instead have been wasting my time, puttering around the house, watching Daily Show clips and thinking a lot about this next year. Looking forward to it and anxious about it at the same time. That's why time I put in this week will go a long way to reduce my anxiety.

Our new windows are installed upstairs and what a difference they make. The insulation in the attic along with the windows make for cozy bedrooms now. All the heat from downstairs whooshes up and is captured up there. Downstairs away from the coal stove? Chilly! Starting in January, our downstairs windows will be replaced and I sincerely hope we will see a decrease in our oil consumption and an increase in comfort.

We had an unfortunate set back with our new roof the week before Christmas. Buckets of water were pouring through Chris' bedroom ceiling. Apparently there wasn't enough adequate flashing around the chimney where it meets the roof and boy, did it get in during the 3 days of rain we had! I happened to hear the drip, drip, dripping one evening while heading to bed and by that time, his rug was soaked. A few more inches in one direction and his mattress would have been toast! (soggy toast) Since then the chimney has been uber-flashed, as have portions of the back roof over Nathan's room. I am happy it's too cold to rain, for the next time we get a really good soaking, it will be a moment of truth around here. Only a little bit stressful. Chris' room has a tiny bit of lingering funk that I notice when I leave the door closed. Guess I'll leave it open for now.

In spite of the minor blips (water damage, a minor car accident, and some sinus infections) we experienced leading up to the holidays, we had a lovely Christmas. It is great when we can all get together and enjoy each others' company. How many more years will we all be together? It is good to be thankful for the present.

Favorites of the season:
Favorite Gift: Matt's gift to Nathan: a 72-serving sized can of baked beans. Meant to remind him of the time in Tokyo he ate "Too many beans" and couldn't stand up straight.

Favorite Moments: listening to my boys laughing, joking and goofing around, and their delight in one another after being apart.

Playing "Scrabble" with a box if lettered petit fours on Christmas night.

Watching my husband play tuba and hearing him sing on Christmas Eve. What an astonishingly talented man he is.

Slurping really delicious Japanese miso soup with udon noodles on Christmas night with my boys.

I wish you the joy of simple pleasures in 2010.

Giving Thanks

Last year


This year

I just realized that this year will be the first Thanksgiving at home in the US in 2 years. One year ago, Robin and I were hiking with friends on a very foggy Mount Takao outside of Tokyo, and then going to dinner at the beautiful Ukai-Toriyama, which is tucked into the valley beneath the mountain. Dinner 2 years ago was in Tokyo in our new home there, with just the 4 of us. Thanksgiving dinner had never tasted better. That was the year I spent 50 dollars on the turkey! Yikes.

This year as I prepare for dinner, I hear drilling, grinding and banging on my roof. Huge pieces are being thrown down from above, falling past my windows and landing with loud bangs that startle me over and over. Every time a big piece falls, I think it's some BODY falling off my roof and landing in my yard with a plop. The yard is a mess, the porch in the back is covered with debris. I have 12 people coming for dinner tomorrow, and things are really not pretty here. I will just pretend it's a kind of still-life art exhibit made of trash, twisted metal and rotten wood, and try to ignore it all.

On the plus side, ALL my boys will be home and we will all be together for the first time since July. We are all busy doing what we should be doing. Working, going to school, following our passions. We are healthy, have the best friends on the entire planet, (all over the planet!) and loving families. There is much to be thankful for.

Vote for Radio the Ape

Please vote every day. Use every email address you have to register. They have moved up from 6th place to 5th place. Find them in the Northeast Region. Lets keep those votes coming!



http://namm.promo.eprize.com/schooljamusa/create_profile

The Kendall- my new favorite hotel.

The Kendall is a hotel in Cambridge, right near the MIT campus. It was built in 1894 to house the horses and fire wagons of the Cambridge Fire Company no. 7. The fire house served all of the surrounding Kendall area. The men who worked there considered themselves to be the black sheep of the Boston Fire Department. I'm not sure why, but that's the lore. There is now a restaurant in the lobby of the hotel called "The Black Sheep" in homage to these men. Matt and I ate breakfast there, right in front of one of the large doors that opened to the street. The rest of the hotel is decorated in period antiques and displays of antiques. Late Friday evening, at the end of our long drive, I walked in an immediately loved the place. There is parking outside and under the hotel, and the people there were completely friendly and accommodating. They were completely cool with me checking out on Saturday, but keeping my car parked for the day while we visited Emerson College. Plus- Hurricane Ida rained on us all day, and they loaned us an umbrella. If Matt ends up at Emerson, I've got a home away from home only 3 train stops away from campus. Where else could I find brightly colored cotton patchwork quilts on a King sized bed?

The Kendall is listed in a registry of Historic Hotels. Just a delightful accidental find in Boston.

Renewable Energy in Trumansburg

My friends are getting their windmill fixed today. It's a pretty big ordeal. The tower is 100 feet high, it requires replacement parts, a crane, a fork lift and many hands on deck. Luckily for everyone, today was a fairly still, clear, sunny day. There was wind, but it wasn't too bad. Anne had her coffee friends over (and included me!) so that we could eat, drink coffee and watch the work being done.

My green-minded friends put the wind turbine up to help off-set the electricity requirements to have a farm with animals throughout the year. Originally, Farmer Bill had thrilled at the prospect of popping open a beer and watching his energy meter run backwards on windy days! Whatever extra energy the windmill generated would go back on the grid, and NYSEG would pay them for it. What a sweet deal! It took them several years from the conception of their idea to actually building the tower and operating the system, so they were pretty disheartened when it broke down some time early this year. It had only been up and running for a relatively short time, when the equipment that was supposed to turn the fan blades out of very high winds didn't work, and the engine burned out. Apparently very strong gusts are bad for the turbine and the whole thing is supposed to turn parallel with the wind instead of directly into it. It can only stand so much mph.

Today the crew arrived with the new engine and tail pieces and set about taking the old parts down. It was fun to watch, the company was entertaining, the dogs were adorable, the scenery gorgeous and the weather lovely. We left before the job was done, but I expect that Farmer Bill will be dancing a jig one of these days as he again pops open his beer and sees that ol' meter spinning backwards. We should all be taking a page from farmer Bill's Book.

There are giant wind turbines up on the Tug Hill region of NYS. They are an awesome and beautiful sight. My eyes see clean, green renewable energy, the elegance of modern technology, sleek futuristic design and a brighter future for our children. For those folks who say, "Not in MY backyard" to wind generated energy, I say, it's just a matter of time. Hopefully soon our generation will aggressively knock down the obstacles to renewable energy and openly embrace the beauty of going green.

National Battle of the Bands

Radio the Ape

Radio the Ape entered a competition sponsored by an organization that supports music education. NAMM is the acronym, and I believe they sell music equipment and support active music making. NAMM chose 10 high school rock bands from each region of the US to "battle it out" on-line. Out of all the entries, RTA and nine other bands made the top 10 in the Northeast! Now there is a frenzy of daily voting going on, where anyone can go to the web site and support the band of her choice. The band with the most votes in each region will compete in Anaheim California face to face early in 2010. They will also receive money for their local school music department. A pretty good deal for everyone.

http://www.wannaplaymusic.com/programs/schooljam-usa

We just found out that Radio the Ape is ranked 6th out of 10 in the voting. Sadly, I suspected as much. Most of the other bands are from large metropolitan areas, have more friends, a bigger fan base, more votes on their side. So if you can cut and paste the above address into your search window, enter in some basic information (email) you can then vote everyday for our boys. Once every 24 hours.

If nothing else, it's pretty interesting to go to the web site and listen to the great variety of original music coming from some very talented teens from across our great land!

Feast or Famine

My youngest son Matt was in the One-Act plays this past weekend at our High School and was truly hilarious. Many of the kids were brilliantly funny, and it was a highly entertaining evening.


So things have been pretty quiet in my blog world. School has been keeping me busy. I am happy to report that there were a total of 30 kids out 5-8 today. The swine flu has apparently peaked and is waning. Good! This weekend was Area All State, the High School one-act comedies, the cast party, a visit with my friend with new baby twins, dinner with Mom and Dad and brother and a Taiko concert at Cornell. I guess there are only 2 settings for me: boring or frenetic.

Exercise has gone out the window as work takes over my life. Tonight I had Community Chorus. I think it went pretty well. I wish I had more time for friends, but I am considering joining a Taiko class up near Cornell. I have a friend who likes to say, "I'll sleep when I'm DEAD!" Meaning, of course that life is meant to be full and busy and rewarding and slightly frenetic. We only get this chance once. Live it to the fullest I say.

I am looking forward to tomorrow- after school I only have to meet with my general contractor to make some decisions concerning roof, windows and doors for our up-coming project. Then Wednesday! Ah Veteran's Day! No School! I need to take my car in for an oil change and then will go to my friend's house to watch their new wind turbine go up. If you know enough interesting people, there's always something fascinating going on.

H1N1- in my face.

What do Snow Monkeys have to do with Swine Flu? Look carefully at their expressions.



I found out at our faculty meeting today that our district, and more specifically our building is the hardest hit by the Swine Flu in the County. I really didn't need to be told though. My classes sound like a TB ward. My hands are raw and chapped from hand washing. Every time a student coughs out on all of us, I go insane and rant about the correct way to cough. (My personal opinion is the only correct way to cough is in your own home, and into your pillow) Our preferred method at school is into one's own elbow. So what do the munchkins do? Lamely cough in the direction of their elbow. Then I really go nuts, and make everyone in my class jam their elbows onto their faces and feel their arms pressing firmly over their mouths. I am losing patience- both with the kids and the administration. (I was secretly wishing the Super could sit in my room today and listen to the kids.) Sadly, many of these kids who are recovering from Swine Flu are coming back to school too soon after being sick. Last Friday, we had 65 students absent. Monday we had 128. Today and yesterday it was about 105. This is 1/4 of our student population.

Parents cannot afford to miss work, so they desperately try to send their kids back- only to get a call from the school nurse by 9:00 that their child needs to go home. I understand there was some talk about managing the pandemic by encouraging employers to be flexible with their employees, allowing them to miss work to be able to care for their children at home when they get sick. So far, we haven't seen any of that. I am feeling a bit annoyed, having to go into this bio hazard work zone every morning. And just yesterday, our nurse told us that she had gotten a phone call from a concerned parent who was told by her son that kids were coughing on each other on purpose. Welcome to middle school. Welcome to germ hell.

I am teaching ukulele to 6th graders. It's pretty fun. But now every time I move a student's finger onto the correct position, I cringe, I shudder, I quell. I asked a child today to cut his nails and wash his hands before tomorrow. I think I embarrassed him. He tried to hide his hands from me after that. Too bad. There was a time when I would have felt really sorry for making a kid ashamed like that. Now I am indignantly and unabashedly protecting my own health and safety. Teachers have become more like parents than ever. For some kids, we are their only decent role models for behavior and hygiene. If this were Japan, BTW (y'all know what I'm about to say, dontcha?) everyone would be wearing masks. Not just to protect themselves, but to protect others.

I'll step down off my soap box now. That reminds me. Time to wash my hands again.

Treman Lake, along the trail at Buttermilk State Park

This picture was taken early Sunday morning on the trail that starts up on Comfort road. Apparently no one knows about this beautiful hiking tail through the woods, because we see no one when we are there. Please don't go and hike it. There are bridges, flowing streams, hills, unspoiled woods, gorgeous fall colors and still waters...you will ruin it for me!!

Fall is in the air

Varsity Girls huddle before the meet


Varsity Boys er um...get ready






Cross country meets, the smell of wet grass and decomposing leaves, the need to put on layers of long sleeves, putting an extra blanket on the bed...these things all portend the coming winter. My son Matt is running with the high school cross country team this fall. I am so incredibly proud of him. He is not fast, he usually comes in last on the team, but he persists, he doesn't stop, he maintains his speed, he doesn't give up. Running for him is more for fitness and fun, and I believe a personal challenge that he is enjoying. The benefits of his running are evident. He's feeling fit, looking in shape and loving the time he spends with his friends on the team. They all support him and cheer him on. I missed the meet where they all ran with him for the last bit, cheering him on, but I heard about it.

There are many life lessons to learn from cross country teams, not the least of which is that the joy is simply in doing. Keith Olberman mentioned during his broadcast last week, a group of female cross country runners from Ithaca who all got lost in the woods and decided to exit and finish in the order they entered and got lost in the first place. Those girls were our girls! His point was that true sportsmanship is not dead.

Something's come over me.

Yesterday dawned sunny, cool and blue. In the afternoon I managed to fiddle with the mower tires yet again, and get most of the lawn mowed by 6:00. By then it was chilly, windy and overcast. There was a definite change in the weather, and the geese have been honking loudly and flapping around, preparing to travel South (if they even do that anymore). It was a quiet day of house chores, and visits by dear friends who knew I was in a funk. In the evening I dozed on the couch while watching "Finding Nemo," and waited for Matt to call for a ride. This is the first weekend in a month that I've been home. Matt slept 14 hours last night. We were pooped.

Today dawned rainy and grey. The rain has been falling steadily all day and I have been a woman consumed with cooking and baking. I slipped out this morning early between the raindrops to run the dogs through the back fields. They got the best part of the day. After shopping for groceries, I have been in the kitchen all day and have made cinnamon rolls, breakfast sausages and eggs for the boys, meatloaf, apple crisp and foccacia bread (which is now rising before it gets poked, oiled, seasoned and baked). The Sunday line-up of NRP has been keeping me company as the boys occasionally wander in and out of the kitchen in their pjs. Great folk music is playing on A Prairie Home Companion.

This is what I missed when I was in Tokyo. The sights, sounds and smells of home. Green grass decorated by the falling colored leaves, raindrops splattering in the puddles in the drive, geese loudly honking behind the hedgerow, the sense that winter is finally not so far away, dogs who lie strewn about my feet and the warm smells of baking filling the house. Almost perfect.

Roots and Shoots- Day of Peace.

What a great day! We had a few "near misses," such as temporarily misplacing the kick drum shaft and beater while carrying the drums up to the stage, temporarily losing power on one of the amps between songs, and opening up the bass case and discovering a broken string (after a lengthy discussion as to whether to change the strings or carry extras...) But we found the beater (Uncle John found the beater), Matt managed to think on his feet during the dead air time and tell a couple of jokes, and we borrowed Voodoo Fix's bass. They were a really nice bunch of guys and played well as the opening band.

The guys didn't let these things rattle them, they kept their heads, and really played well. The sound guy was excellent. He made everyone sound fabulous. It was so nice to hear a live performance that really sounded like it was supposed to...but I guess in LA, you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a sound techhie. They sounded good. They drew a crowd. The other performers were complimentary, and someone from EMI records asked about them. Vicky (probably their biggest fan) promptly whipped out a CD to give the EMI representative.

After they played, Vicky told us to tell the guys to stay around the VIP tent, as Pierce Brosnan (James Bond) was due to arrive around 1:00. One of my favorite pictures of the weekend (see above- first picture) is them standing in front of the media banner, at the moment when they first spotted him walking through the crowd. Their faces are priceless. Matt is beaming, Jacob looks beside himself, Trevor is smiling and Art is pointing. Just a fun moment to have captured.

After our boys figured out that the VIP tent was the pllace to hob nob with celebrities, that's where they stayed for a while. They posed with Pierce Brosnan, they chatted with Ricky Lake (who is an Ithaca College grad) and met Wesley (Dread Pirate Roberts) from the Princess Bride. Mary Lou Henner spoke at length at one point about the Jane Goodall foundation, they got a photo with some blonde Disney girl and then posed with Dominick Scott, the latest kid star to be signed by Disney. We all did a lot of giggling and grinning all afternoon. Dominick Scott's back up band was his Dad on drums and members of the Commodores. Remember them?? It was a hoot and a half to be there, and to watch our boys run with some of the "Big Dogs." I am very proud of all of them. I am so grateful that Debbie and Alan Scheer joined us on this adventure, as did Robin. Chris performed admirably as their "Mr. Manager." Rob found us a beasty Ford Van that seated 8 (nine in a pinch) and carried most of the equipment. And then HE DROVE it. Everywhere we needed to go. LA freeway driving can be a little hairy at times. He handled it with superb grace and skill under pressure- all the way up and down the 405. Art's Uncle John used his pick up truck to carry the drum set and some other stuff and was a great help. We spent time with the very lovely Sullivan family, got to see some of LA, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica, and then Long Beach on Monday. We ate at "In and Out" Burger, went to the Aquarium of the Pacific, and just generally did an awful lot of laughing. The flight back last night was a little rough, and I know the boys are tired. Additionally they had to give up their only home cross country meet this evening, but I know they have no regrets. This was a weekend that none of us will ever forget.

Long day in LA

Last night we arrived in LA about an hour earlier than scheduled after an uneventful trip. We landed at 11:00 LA time (2:00 a.m. NY time) and didn't get to bed until after 2:00 a.m. (5:00 a.m.) So it was quite like pulling an all-nighter, and when I finally got to bed was not sleepy at all. This morning started early, with a phone call, a text from a hungry son and the pounding on the door by house keeping.

Today was a day of waiting and preparing. We waited to hear about equipment, times, and drum set. We took the boys out for breakfast where they ate their weight in eggs and hash browns. Then it was back to the bizzaro California Sullivan Family Home to wait. (John Sullivan looks just like Pat Sullivan, Aiden looks like Genevieve, and there is a little bit of similarity between Anne-Marie and Mary!)But one thing holds true on both sides of the country- the Sullivans are a very nice bunch! The boys played ping pong and played in the pool while Chris contacted music rental places, the organizers of the DAY OF PEACE festival and tried to figure out our equipment needs for tomorrow.

When we signed up to follow through with this gig, we had been made several promises that have since been broken. The boys were promised the use of a drum set and amps. They were promised a set length of 30-40 minutes. In the last few days we've had to scramble to borrow a drum set, amplifiers, and today when we saw the final schedule, discovered that they had been alloted 20 minutes. Chris called the woman we've been dealing with and got the okay for our guys to play their entire set. Anne-Marie Sullivan called in some favors for us and found a fabulous Remo drum set from a friend and a guitar amp from a neighbor. (Who happened to have an Emmy sitting on a table in his living room.) We found a musical equipment rental place on Sunset Blvd. and got another amp and some cords. The disappointing thing is that our boys are playing tomorrow along with other youth bands, and none of the bands were willing to share any equipment with our guys. At the DAY OF PEACE Festival. It's okay now, but initially it was frustrating. Trevor made the comment that if the tables had been turned, that just about anyone we know in NY would have been happy to share equipment with a group of young people from out of town. No matter, our guys now have Fender amps and a really fabu drum kit to play. Nice stuff. At one point during our waiting game today Robin took Art's guitar apart and fixed a connection with John's soldering tools. After a practice of the set, they finally packed up the equipment and at 4:00 p.m. we set out for some sight seeing.

Robin managed to get us a very large white Ford 150 van. He is our driver and is familiar with this car, as it is exactly the size he used to drive all over when he was a chimney sweep! (Ancient History!) We keep referring to it as the terrorist van. It seats 8 and has cargo room. The boys are taking turns sitting in the back, because there are 9 in our party. The repartee is lively and fun as we travel the LA freeway. We first picked up the amp and cords, then headed to Hollywood Blvd to see some sidewalk stars. After a dinner of Mexican food, we cruised into Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive before taking the boys back to Anne-Marie's for the night.

Robin and I are staying right next to the VanNyes airport. This is the airport where the tarmac scene in Casablanca was filmed. Our Tburg boys are high spirited and sound ready for tomorrow. What a delightful time it is for all of us! It will be another sunny 85 degree day! And now, my computer is telling me that it's 1:14 a.m. and the clock on the table tells me it's 10:16. Either way...time for bed!!

California, get ready...

This summer, Art (at the tiller) sent a music video of himself playing in a band to his cousins in California. This home-grown band is called Radio the Ape. They are a local group of high school boys who have been playing together and writing music for about 3 years now. Last year, they won the local "Battle of the Bands." They were psyched. Their music is pretty catchy. The lyrics are good and they play pretty well. I particularly love the singer. (He's my youngest son!) I wrote in a previous blog about how great they sounded at a graduation party. Well. Their music video made the rounds out there in California. Art's Aunt sent it to her friends and they sent it on to their friends. It finally made it to Pierce Brosnan's personal assistant, who CALLED our hometown boys and invited them to play at the Jane Goodall Foundation's Day of Peace Festival, on the Santa Monica pier. I was in the house the night she called when they all gathered around the phone in Matt's room at the top of the stairs. The excitement was palpable. The boys were shaking they were so excited. I wouldn't have been surprised if one of them had burst into flames that night. They appointed Chris (my oldest) their "manager," since he had produced their sound recordings and knew a little about the biz.

We had a parent meeting the next week to discuss the possibility of actually making it happen. I was almost as excited as they were, and immediately volunteered to accompany the boys on their trip. We got the confirmation letter from the organizers -finally! The trip was ON. Robin and I used all our frequent flyer miles to purchase round trip tickets to LAX for 105.00 each. And we leave this FRIDAY.

I am excited for the boys, but secretly excited for me. I hope to meet Mr. Brosnan and get a photo taken with him. I know I will have a VIP pass as I will be "with the band."

This is one of those internet chance hook-ups. Four boys from small town Upstate get air time in California via the web because their Aunt knows somebody who knows somebody who took a second look and invited them to play gig at a Peace Festival in Santa Monica. My head is spinning. I guess I need to do laundry and pick out my outfit in which I will meet and greet celebrities who dig peace.

To view the video that got this all started:


And check this out: they are on the web page!
http://www.dayofpeaceca.org/htlm/music.html

What's wrong with these pictures?

When looking at these pictures in the waiting room, I was reduced to a pile of giggles and couldn't even fill out the heath history forms. There is something WRONG with these. I think if I had been really scared or nervous about seeing the chiropractor, this brochure would have sent me running, screaming into the street.

"Now just lie still, Mrs. Ploss. We are going to take care of that crick in your neck...EXECUTION STYLE!!"

(And BTW, Leon, you might just be right...)

A Sign of the Times

You know you live in a small town when your neighbor gives everyone she knows large bags of freshly picked peaches and tomatillos, and because of this, the local grocery store is cleaned out of cilantro before you can get there yourself. Parsley? lots. Cilantro? It looked like the coriander buzzards had swooped through.

This Old House

I live in a house that was built in the 1890's by a local baptist Minister named McLallen. It was a grand old place and was very modern for its' day, as the 3-hole latrine they used was actually attached to the back of the house. (No traipsing through the snow in the middle of the night) The holes have been covered over, shelves have been added and now we use it for storage. We fondly refer to this closet as "the 3-holer." The 3-holer provides great cold storage for food and drinks at Christmastime when the fridge gets full. I can only imagine what it must have been like to sit in there to use the facilities in the winter of 1897! Robin has suggested knocking this part of the house off, but I couldn't bear to demolish such a quirky piece of history. We had to rescue a sick cat out from one of the old holes once. She got in through the crawl space, got injured and we had to pry the seat covers off. There's still a bit of funk under that shelf after all these years.

At one point this old house was a nursing home. They were probably able to house 5 or 6 people here, and I am guessing that is the era when they laid down institutional asbestos tiling over the old wood floors. We have 2 bedrooms that still have it on the floors, and have covered a lot of the rest of it. There are 2 stairways in this house, a front stairway and a narrow back stair. It reminds me of my grandmother's house. She always referred to the back stair as the servant's stairway. Could be. Our floors are NOT level, we have cracked window panes, missing storm windows and creaky floors. But I like this house. It has character. There are some really cool wooden details in this house that are hard to find in new homes- like pocket doors, matching doors throughout, wide trim and large tall windows. Plus, this place has good karma. Happy people have lived here, and still do. I've had more than several people tell me this- people who have visited and people who have lived here while I've been in Japan. I think perhaps houses have auras, depending on their history. Ours has a happy one, at least.

I will tell you that one day shortly after we moved into this house, Nathan came down stairs from his room and told me he'd seen someone reflected in the mirror behind him. Nate was getting dressed in front of the mirror and saw a little old man in a wheel chair just looking at him. When Nate turned around to look in his room, nothing was there. I asked him if he felt afraid. Nope, it was just an old dude. He wasn't frightened he explained very matter-of-factly, as if he were telling me his light bulb needed changing. We've never had any experiences like that since. I'm sure all the drumming and electric guitar, all the loud singing and piano playing has been enough to clear the air of any lingering spirits.

We are planning on doing a few things to increase the energy efficiency of this old drafty place, so we started with an energy audit. This really nice guy named Blake (who lives in town here) came by to check things out. He checked for insulation, took pictures of every room, checked our appliances, our crawl spaces, our basement, our attic. The very coolest thing he did was to close up all the windows and doors and seal a very powerful fan blowing out into one of our doors. Then he and his assistant went around to find leaks. They went in search of blowing air. When it was all said and done, he congratulated me on having the windiest house he had ever audited. Wow! I feigned excitement, "What do I win??"

They will send me their report with prioritized suggestions for improvement in a couple of weeks. I guess we'll go from there.

I highly recommend it.

Robin and I are winding up our Honeymoon week in Maui. It's been great, other than a few minor inconveniences such as a chronically clogged toilet in our suite (not our fault!) and a sunburn rash on Robin's shins sooo bad, it looked like he waded through a fry cooker. Luckily, the sunburn didn't hurt, nor did it spread to all points of his exposed skin like it did on our Thailand trip. We have been very careful about the sun. Did you know that they make a spray-on 85 SPF? And I've heard there's even a 100, but I haven't seen it anywhere. I marvel at the people who seem to be able to lie about in the sun and just bake like roasted potatoes, turning a golden brown. Me, I turn crispy pink, sweat profusely and get bored, or too hot to breathe or even read. I am much more into adventure. Call me Action Alice.

We rented a jeep and have had it out on a couple of days with the top off, listening to reggae island music and visiting some of the local restaurants and art galleries. I think it was Sunday night when we wandered into a few galleries and talked with some of the owners. One man saw me point at a painting and get really excited about it. It was a beautiful seascape at sunset. The water breaking over the rocks and the colors and light dancing off the wave crests were wonderful. He pulled the painting off the wall and took it into a room with different lighting to show us how it changed with changing light. We talked politely about the painting, and then he told us to make him an offer. I chuckled and said I didn't think we were really in the market for a new painting and he told us that he'd make us a deal. Turns out the painting was ONLY 15 grand. I tried to keep a straight face and not laugh out loud. Turns out we chatted a little more and discovered that we all had teenagers and so chatted some more and parted like old friends. As we walked out of the gallery I leaned into Robin and said, "We're not in Kansas anymore!" Another gallery had a wonderful painting of a wooden boat, floating in a calm orange sunrise or sunset that also completely charmed me. I went and asked the woman in the gallery how much that one was...only 23 thousand. Sheesh.

On Monday we went para sailing. As soon as I saw it on Sunday, I decided it something I had to do. People in tandem and alone were being pulled behind speedboats, flown under parachutes, way above the beautiful blue water up in the beautiful blue sky. What could be more thrilling? Para sailing is the perfect metaphor for 25 years of marriage. Initially, it's a little scary. Are we sure we want to do this? Can we keep the parachute aloft? The lift off is scary, thrilling, extremely fun. Once in the air, I could relax and enjoy. We took pictures! We hooted and hollered! Then uh oh. The boat slowed and we dipped slowly down, near the water, fearing a dunking...and then full throttle up again! Up and down we went, mostly flying high, but with a couple of dips along the way. But there we were, right next to each other. Whatever happened to me was going to happen to Robin. Near the end of our ride, the pilot of our boat gave us a nice dunking and we dragged along for a few moments, getting soaked followed by a final soar above Maui, and the nearby islands. Sometimes you are up and sometimes down, but you're in it together, and in marriage, you're not necessarily harnessed together...but you get the idea.

Tuesday, which was our Anniversary was a full day. We took an early morning kayak trip to go snorkel with the sea turtles. The wind was in our faces as we paddled North to a protected cove. The turtles put on a good show and there were more varieties of fish species there than at our hotel beach near Black Rock. Our paddle back was much easier, the wind had come up and we tried to surf a couple of the bigger swells. Our boats were NOT sea kayaks. After lunch, we enjoyed massages. Then in the evening we took a sail on a huge catamaran. The wind was over 20 knots and the captain reefed the sails as we headed into the wind, but on the return reach, he let them out and did we fly! It was a gas and a half. We were going 8-10 knots and more when the wind gusted. Loved it.

On Wednesday, we putzed around in town. Had some errands to run, some paperwork to attend to and generally had a quieter day. We drove up North and found some windblown stretches of more rugged and less developed country, beautiful views and lots of people looking for the quiet beaches.

Yesterday we got up at 3:30 (ugh. and again I said ugh.) to catch a flight to The Big Island to go view the active volcano. This was a full day trip, and quite interesting. Hawaiians don't have municipal water, they have no mail delivery service and some have no cell service or electricity service. The side of the Big Island that we saw looked pretty depressed, the houses were not big, and yet the average cost of a one bedroom house is 400 thousand dollars. Most of the people here work low paying jobs and live pretty simply. Our bus driver/tour guide/singer-hula performer kept reiterating that point. Simple, laid back life style. On our tour we visited a waterfall (not as high as Taughannock) and walked through a lava tunnel. We viewed the steaming crater atop the volcano while eating lunch. We went to Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory, and an orchid green house. The very best part of the day was visiting the newly formed land area of the island. Since March of 2008, the Big Island has gained 500 acres of new land. It's a barren, black, gritty wasteland of lava rock as far as the eye can see. There are the coolest formations in the lava, twists and ripples, waves and folds, frozen in time as the lava rolled down the mountain and cooled. We walked this black wasteland out the the ocean where there is a black sand beach. The area where the lava is still rolling into the sea was far away. There is no easy way to walk out there. But we could see the steam rising up where the hot lava meets the water's edge.

A memorable moment came when a family was standing at the cliff's edge and got completely soaked by a crashing wave. The bus driver had warned us about this before we had gotten off the bus. The young boy, who looked to me to be a punk in maybe 7th or 8th grade (isn't that when they are all punks?) immediately whined loudly in his unchanged voice, "Oh no! My phone!" Every now and then when I see how completely dependent our kids are on their instant gratification electronic gadgets, I think that if we are ever faced with the apocalypse, I am going to move in with the Amish.

Today we had to ship a couple of boxes home filled with shirts for the boys, Macadamia nuts and Kona coffee. We took a picnic and sat by the waters edge at a covered picnic table at a municipal park. While eating, I noticed sea turtles a little ways out, coming up to breathe and hang out on the surface. We watched for a long time, and saw 8 or so. A couple of them were in close, feeding off the shallow reef right off shore. What a fabulous sight, to see the HUGE old turtles, coming up for air, being tossed about in the waves and hanging out near the shore just for us.

Couch-potato to 5K in 9 weeks

I've never thought of myself as a runner. I hated basketball in high school because it involved so much running! I am however a huge fan of walking and have walked great sturdy distances in the past for fund raising, fun, and just to get around. I longed for a pedometer in Tokyo. I would have been completely pleased with the daily results.

In May, when Matt and I were on opposite sides of the globe and he was sending me his birthday list, I struck a deal with him that went like this: "I get you what you want for your birthday, and you do the couch-potato to 5K training program with me this summer!" Surprisingly, my youngest (who by the way would be an gold-medal champion if putting butt dents in armchair cushions was an Olympic event) didn't bat an eye and agreed. We both agreed that we'd be there to motivate each other and that we both needed something to get us in shape.

I am here to report that we are in week FOUR and going strong! I am jogging for 5 and 3 minute intervals now and am able to recover relatively quickly between jogs. I was mostly worried about pain and injury (I am no spring chicken after all) and have been pleasantly surprised at how well paced this program is. It's off a cool-running web site.


In the first week, Matt and I set out from the house together and warmed up on a 5 minute brisk walk. I am a fast walker, and could blow way ahead of him. But then, as we started the jog, he would delight in blowing right past ME, allowing me to effectively "eat his dust," as it were. During the walking intervals, I would catch up and sometimes pass him, giving him the opportunity to enjoy passing me multiple times on each run. Were we sucking wind? You betcha!
We worked out together for the first 2 weeks, and then started going out separately, but still sticking to the training schedule. This morning, I got up early and went out with Chris. I simply can't do this in the heat. Matt slept in and ended up running around the block (it's a country block- about 2.29 miles) in the rain. I am proud of him. He's been talking about joining the cross country team this fall. I would be delighted. The coach is a fantastic guy and his friends are all on the team.

I guess my point is that if I can do this, anyone in reasonable shape can do this. Even if you think you are not a runner. I'm not sure I'll keep it up for the long term, but whatever. I'm getting in shape, losing some of the good-food flubber I accumulated in Tokyo recently, and challenging myself to persevere through the nine or ten weeks it takes me to complete the program. Who would have thought? Not me, not in a million years.

Repatriation vs. Rematriation

When you prepare to return home after some time overseas, there is much warning of the difficulties of repatriation. There are people who tell you stories about their friends who were really miserable to be back or had a hard time with such a thing or whatnot. If repatriation means being able to make phone calls with confidence again, enjoying the ease of grocery shopping by being able to know EXACTLY what you are buying, or coming back to a small town community that has an abundance of heart and care for its' students and each other, then I say: Bring it ON!

My difficulty falls more under the category of "rematriation." Today is graduation day in our town. I attended the ceremony because there are several to many kids who are very special to me and happen to be the children of colleagues and dear friends. I reminded Matt during the ceremony that next year it would be him. But then I realized that NEXT YEAR IT WOULD BE HIM.

We chose to give him the freedom to stay home last year while I lived in Japan, and it was really difficult at first. I had random panic attacks at odd moments, I would wake up in the middle of the night worried, or have bad dreams. I cried at anything on TV that had to do with young men (Everwood was especially devastating). Intellectually, I knew Matt was in a really wonderful loving home, with dear friends, and that this was his choice, and he was really happy but to my mother's heart it just felt wrong. The year before, when Matt was in Japan, we spent a lot of time together, hanging out, watching TV, playing games, talking, cracking each other up. Because he didn't really engage with his peers much, I think we really focused on each other. We had a lot of family time. Then I cut him loose for a year.

And oh my, what a year it must have been! I just attended a graduation party where he and his band performed. I was stunned. This kid confidently and competently played piano (when did he get so good?), acoustic guitar, bass, and he sang. He performed a song he wrote for his girlfriend, and handily covered several Ben Folds songs. Wow.

I think when I got back I initially expected perhaps subconsciously that we would be near that old place in our relationship. I was completely wrong. Since I've been back we've actually yelled at each other which had never happened before. Today what was really evident is that he's come into his own. No longer does he need his Mom, at least the way he used to, and for that I am really happy! All parents want to see their children grow to be independent and strong.

So why do I feel so sad on this beautiful summer evening? I realize that I am mourning the somewhat sudden (for me) loss of his boyhood, and the year I missed. So much growth happened, and I missed it. It's almost like a let down, and all the emotion from last year is pouring out at once. And I can't find a frickin' tissue box in the house. Shoot. Darn.

So instead of looking back and feeling sorry for myself, it's time to look ahead, and be grateful that I've got one more year to be Matt's in-the-same-country Mom. Nate and Chris won't be so far away either. But they were already on their way...

Here's to new beginnings.

Car Purgatory

Last evening, I had a friend explain the difference between purgatory and hell. I don't know how it came up, but apparently purgatory is more like a very unpleasant limbo. Neither moving up or down, but being able to see in both directions. Down into the pits of eternal torment, and up the skirts of angels, I guess.

I have been thinking about cars a lot this past week. I have had to need them, drive them, fill them with gas, park them, fill them with stuff, borrow them and now repair them. I am the "owner" of 2 diesel VW New Beetles. They are twins. One good and one evil. The good twin, I'll call him "Lil Green," was bought new by my husband and has been well maintained. It has a reputation around here for being reliable, getting great gas mileage, and almost always is filled to the gills with a drum set. (it even fits an acoustic double bass!)Chris drives it mostly all the time now. It has over 140 thousand miles on it and is still going strong. It gets over 40 mpg on the highway. We love Lil' Green.

Let me introduce you to "Lil' Red." This adorable New Beetle is a newcomer to the family and is shiny, bright red and has a standard transition. It's fun to drive, but deep down, it is evil. This mischievous pretty girl managed to rack up thousands of dollars on her road trip across country this April and May. She broke down in nearly every state she traveled through. I give Nathan a lot of credit for keeping his cool, and not pushing her over a cliff in Death Valley. (Are there cliffs IN Death Valley?) Or abandoning it in Tonopah. They were stuck there for about a week, waiting for parts. There probably aren't a lot of Beetle drivers in the wild west of Nevada State. No parts in stock. I picture a lot of Ram Pickup drivers out there.

Last night, Lil' Red had yet another hissy fit and split and broke a belt in the parking garage of Ithaca. Nate called AAA and had it towed to the local VW Dealer. They won't be able to look at it until Monday. Lil' Green had an appointment in a repair shop in Corning today. We had to borrow a car to get it down there. So both "my cars" are gone this weekend.

Nathan has a job tomorrow driving (the son of one of my Japanese friends) from Ithaca to Massachusetts. I woke up to the reality that we would not actually have a car for him to drive this boy late last night. Uh Oh. Grandparents to the rescue! Nate can now complete his job. Then Uh Oh again. If he takes their car...no car for me. Which is okay, except Chris will need a ride to his job in the morning. So: Joel to the rescue! (Matt's other Mom) So as I type this I am looking out into my driveway and see 2 alien cars out there.

Not long ago about 2 weeks to be exact, I did not have a car, I did not need a car, I was actually happy not to have to deal with a car. If I really needed a ride in a car, I hailed a cab. I walked to the station, I took the train, I carried my groceries home on my bike. There were times I wished for a car, like on rainy days, or days when I needed to do a lot of shopping, but over all we got along without one just fine. We were feeling all smug, green, and superior. We lived in the biggest city in the world. Everything was conveniently located on the public transportation system. It is a different world in metropolitan Japan.

Now I can't wait to get my own ride. In the area that is my property here in NY, the Japanese would probably fit 5,000 people easily into living spaces in the city. I'm thinking high rise apartments in Tokyo. Now I have wide open spaces of not a hell of a lot to cover every day. The bugs are too small. I can't carry groceries or flowers in hanging baskets or laundry baskets or my dog, or (my goodness!) musical instruments enough in them to suit me. I need to haul stuff. That's what I do. I test drove a Passat Wagon at the Import Place in Corning this morning and fell head over heels in love. It's irrational I know, but I felt my body go into a full-blown limbic response. My heart beat a little faster as I settled in and started the car. I was all giggly when Nathan figured out how to open the sun roof and change the way the top opens. He and I ooohed and ahhhhed over the cargo room and the ease in which the back seats folded down. I was dreaming of all the stuff I could haul. Conga drums! Taiko drums! Keyboards! Flower pots! Bags of mulch! Porch umbrellas! Macy, my dog! It was love at first drive.

I had the idea that I would bike more when I got back, but my bike is not here yet, it has been raining all but 2 or 3 days since I got back and I've had to do some serious shopping. I have good intentions, I am just frustrated right at the moment.

Yippee to Matt who rode his bike into town today to go to band practice. However, on his way in, his bike tire exploded and when they were done practicing several hours later, it was raining hard, his bike was broken and he needed a ride. It's been that kind of 24 hours. Stuck in purgatory.

Jet lag at the frat house

I have discovered the quick cure for jet lag! The trick is this: come home to a house that is so dirty and messy that you spend the entire day and evening, (from sun-up to sun-down and beyond) scrubbing, sweeping, picking up, doing laundry, unpacking, dumping bad food, moving furniture and rugs, emptying the garbage and generally being active all day. It was like coming home to a frat house at the end of exam week. The boys insisted that they had been cleaning for a week. Egads, I'm glad I didn't surprise them by coming home early. I slept like a dead person last night, and for 7 hours straight. Today I have a light-headed feeling and occasionally find myself staring off into space with nothing on my mind. And a slight head ache. That's the jet lag. I guess it's still there.

I think my boys are happy to have me home. They are slightly less easy to read than my dog Macy, who is absolutely delighted to have me home. She follows me everywhere and plops at my feet whenever I sit. Such a sweet, calm and wonderful animal. She is a good watch dog. I feel very safe here with her always by my side.

Some friends just called me and asked what my dinner plans were. Now they are bringing over stuff and we will have an impromptu pot-luck. I really missed that kind of relaxed hanging with friends in Tokyo. I had just found a friend like that right before I left. Gotta go make a pasta salad and bake a pie!

Look at the time!

It's Friday the 12th. Missed an awesome school concert back home. Found out Robin won't be coming home with me Tuesday after all. What I thought could be a sea freight load now does indeed have to be an air freight load. Am putting stuff away again. Have been alone all week. Time is grinding along like sandpaper on a sidewalk.

Time for a melt down.

Day, in outline form...

Here are the highlights of my interesting and emotion packed day.

I. Created banana bread for gift.
1. It was one of the most delicious batches ever made.
2. Wrapped all pretty!

II. Found designated meeting place in Shinjuku
1. While waiting, saw young, cute Japanese celebrity work a crowd
of squealing teen girlie girls.
2. Met Moko
3. Rode on scooter through the streets of Tokyo!

III. Met Sato-san, the Taiko drum store owner and fabulously kind man.
1. With Moko's help, shopped for and bought a flat drum and rope drum.
2. Discussed packing, shipping, customs, etc.
3. Was given 3 pairs of sticks.
4. Sato-san will kindly deliver drums and stands Monday.

IV. Hiroko-san's house for lunch.
1. My first invitation to a Japanese person's house for a meal.
2. Rode scooter again!
3. Presented banana bread. (still warm)
4. Wonderful meal, carefully prepared, and totemo oyshii.
5. After lunch, retired to basement and played marimbas one more time!
6. Goodbye to Hiroko-san.

V. Rode Scooter again!
1. Said goodbye to Moko. *Snif*

VI. Gave voice lesson, said another goodbye.

VII. Collected stuff from rehearsal space
1. Goodbye to Jack.
2. Patty McManus, goddess of laughter.

VIII. Read book till sleep...y....nm;o'[zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sayonaras and favorite lines

A few of the more difficult Goodbyes

Yoyogi Park in all its' Rose Blooming Glory!



My dear friend Charlie and his cute little dog, Max



Friends from the American Club Women's Group



The wonderful Chiba International Singers

HERE'S THE SET UP FOR MY FAVORITE LINE FROM Oliver!:

So there's a moment in the show where Bill Sikes has nabbed Oliver after he had been sent out with books for Mr. Brownlowe...Bill grabs him and tells him,

"Say goodbye to your fancy living!"

Well, it's been ringing in my head, for that's what I am preparing to do. It all started LAST week at a Women's Group Sayonara party for me and 3 other gals who are leaving Tokyo. This week, I am sorting through closets, shelves and other hiding places and trying to weed out the clutter of 2 years in Tokyo. It's at these times I wish I were not such an unorganized slob.

There is a possibility that Robin will be able to move into a smaller apartment (hopefully with a cool view) for the remainder of the time he will be here. (14 months, BTW) So I am trying to be a good wife and clean out before that might happen. Besides, it's mostly MY clutter.

One of the interesting things involving moving and packing is the prioritizing of stuff. What stuff is important? What needs to come back this summer? What can wait a year? What am I attached to? What will continue to make this feel like home after we all leave and Robin is here alone? He says he doesn't care if he has bare walls, but I would care if he had bare walls. So it's a dance, but one that should be restricted to 500 pounds. That's our "weight limit." Not going to make it under, I suspect. And then there's that moment when the moving company representative looks you in the eye and says, "And we'll need a total replacement cost estimate, in case the air shipment goes down and everything is lost." Ummmm...How can I possibly figure that out? Most of my clothes are older than 5 years. (Is that something I should be freely admitting, here?) Actually, it would be a little upsetting, but really, it wouldn't matter. It's just stuff. Replaceable stuff. Stuff I can do without. Stuff I'd probably be better off without, really. The last 2 summers of packing, unpacking, moving into the house, moving out of the house, making friends, and leaving friends has taught me that stuff doesn't matter. People matter.

I said some goodbyes last night at a place called "The Pink Cow." I went to hear The Sunshine Prophets, a group that includes 2 friends from Oliver! They sang songs from the 60's like "Monday, Monday," "Feelin' Groovy," and "I've got You Babe." It was nice to hear them, and it gave me an opportunity to say goodbye to some folks. This past weekend was to be the weekend of goodbyes, but 2 parties were canceled and I spent it mostly in solitude. This week Robin is on a trip. So now I am looking forward, not backward. I am getting antsy to be back. My boys are all home, my pets await re-claiming, my yard needs mowing, my gardens need attention, my friends who have been so wonderful to my family need thanking...

I will be leaving some serious quiet and plunging head first back into my life of mother to three wonderful young men. It will be a fun, noisy, busy, dog-hair and music-filled summer in my 120 year old farm house. I'll take that over fancy living ANY DAY.

Insanely non-sensical English

So today I was sitting on the train on the way to one of my last Taiko classes and I saw something absurd.
There was a guy, standing near me on the train with a huge buttoned pocket across the seat of his pants. I've only ever seen trap door type bottoms on long johns. (long underwear) But across the big butt pocket were 3 lines of English. I admit I was staring at this man's tush. I couldn't help it. I was trying desperately to figure out what it said, and then concentrated equally hard on what it MEANT.
It went like this:

"NAUGHTY BUY" (At first I though it was boy, butt after much staring, it clearly said BUY)

"let's play with me" (okay, so this guy likes to buy naughty and wants to be played with...)

"GRASS HITHER" (??)

Grass Hither? Grass hither?
grass hit her? gr ass hither?
This is something I've never heard of before. I just did a google search for "Grass Hither" expecting not to find anything, but LO AND BEHOLD, a web site in Japanese popped up. They sell clothing items. Go figure. It caused me great amusement, and by the time I stepped off the train (he stepped off in front of me) I was practically laughing out loud. There goes that crazy gaijin lady again!

A question...

So...help me understand this please. The people who felt compelled to shoot and kill Dr. George Tiller as he was entering his place of worship are "Pro Life?" This is insane.

There are too many souls on this planet- already born who are suffering from the ravages of war, disease and hunger. If only the people who are fixated on the un-born would commit their energies to solving the troubles of those already here, the world would be a better place.

I wish for peace and comfort for Dr. Tiller's grieving family and friends. I hope justice is swift and appropriate.