Virtual Leaf Peeping

We can’t always get to where we want to be. That’s life. Time being what it is and us very short on it, I thought it would be funny to check out “virtual leaf peeping” on the internet in lieu of the actual seasonal trek. To my surprise, there is such a thing. Granted, it’s not the same as being there, but you have to admit it’s quite the novelty. Technically it’s a webcam for different regions, but they all have beautiful views when under ideal circumstances. We’ll start with New Hampshire as it’s where Patty lives. “Hi Patty!” If you squint, maybe you’ll see her atop Mt. Washington! You can also click on all the rest, Boston, Blue Hills, Acadia, etc.

http://gonewengland.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=gonewengland&cdn=travel&tm=132&f=10&su=p284.12.336.ip_p531.54.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//hazecam.net/burlington.html

Please review the local channel for foliage trip reviews.

Local Info:

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/search/form.html?la=en&stories=on&client=pub-8682976704480862&forid=1&channel=7750337108&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&hl=en&cof=GALT%3A%23000000%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%23336699%3BVLC%3A000000%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLBGC%3A336699%3BALC%3A0000FF%3BLC%3A0000FF%3BT%3A000000%3BGFNT%3A000000%3BGIMP%3A000000%3BFORID%3A11&qt=fall+foliage+2011&sitesearch=thebostonchannel.com&mkt=&heading=&x=0&y=0

Fall Pics by locals on U-local:

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/ulocal/20669051/detail.html

Happy Leaf peeping!

Cathy

Canticle of the Creatures

Today, Oct. 4^th is the feast day of St. Francis, lover of all creation and her creatures great and small.

It is a day honored still at many churches and parishes with the ‘Blessing of the Pets’. We (SMFs) have pets. We have stories and emails about pets. They are a part of our lives and our histories. They are our family. They feel our pain, endure our sadness and smile when we smile.  We learn of unconditional love through them. We grieve them when they’re gone. Can we have a greater gift other than family? We welcome them into our homes and they give back more than we ever expected.

St. Francis knew this and has taught it to us. His legacy lives on through his teachings. May we honor him by honoring our relationship with our pets and acknowledge the goodness brought to our world by all God’s creatures.

I didn’t know of the Canticle of Creatures by St. Francis until now. It is beautiful. Please see the following websites for reference.

http://www.americancatholic.org/features/francis/blessing.asp

http://www.appleseeds.org/canticle.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canticle_of_the_Sun

Cathy

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,

all praise is yours, all glory, all honor,

and all blessing.

To you, alone, Most High, do they belong.

No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through all you have made,

and first my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day;

and through whom you give us light.

How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor;

Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

All Praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon

and the stars; in the heavens you have made them,

bright, and precious, and fair.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through Brothers wind and air, and fair and stormy,

all the weather's moods,

by which you cherish all that you have made.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,

so useful, humble, precious and pure.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,

through whom you brighten up the night.

How beautiful is he, how cheerful!

Full of power and strength.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through our Sister

Mother Earth, who sustains us and governs us,

and produces various fruits with colored flowers

and herbs.

All praise be yours, my Lord,

through those who grant pardon for love of you;

through those who endure sickness and trial.

Happy are those who endure in peace,

By You, Most High, they will be crowned.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death,

From whose embrace no mortal can escape.

Woe to those who die in mortal sin!

Happy those she finds doing your will!

The second death can do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks

And serve him with great humility.

It’s the Great Pumpkin!

That’s right, the great pumpkin, right here in our own back yard. The weight is 1668.5 pounds for the largest pumpkin at the Topsfield Fair this year. Imagine!

We never thought as children, as we spied pumpkins for the carving of a jack-o-lantern, that one day someone would need a flatbed truck to get a pumpkin about town.  Happy pumpkin hunting to you!

Cathy

http://www.wickedlocal.com/middleton/features/x748717018/Most-aesthetically-challenged-pumpkin-wins-giant-pumpkin-contest#axzz1Zd83WTz0

Julie’s Garden

As the summer wanes I find myself missing it more each day. The weather has been warm, humid and rainy, but the sun is hanging lower in the sky every day. The stores are loaded with Halloween goodies and all I want to do is take the parting shots of the summer flowers. These flowers are from a neighbor’s garden. Please enjoy.

Cathy

North Shore

I don’t know if any of you are following The Sing-Off on Monday night, NBC,8 pm,(opposite Dancing With the Stars) but there’s a Boston group on the show. They’re named “North Shore”.  Here’s the web address on Hulu. They were really fun to watch; a seasoned Doo-Wop Quintet.

Enjoy!

Cathy

http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/tv/The-Sing-off/104010/2145406546/Week-2%3A-North-Shore-Sings-%22Runaround-Sue%22/videos

Stranger Than Fiction

I saw this on TV last night.

What did you see?

Cathy

http://www.insideedition.com/news/6952/man-turns-dumpster-into-chic-home.aspx

Made In America.

One of the consistent topics in our get-togethers this year has been ‘products made in America’. There have been recent articles on TV lately addressing this topic. I have also found some websites listing manufacturers stateside.

Happy shopping! Go USA, USA, USA!!!

Cathy

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/MadeInAmerica/made-america-back-school/story?id=14428881&page=2

http://www.madeinusa.org/

http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/

http://www.americansworking.com/

http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/

Haiku: Coloring

Searching for the Goldie-Oldies

As I settle in to bake a cake today, I turn on the radio for some mood music. I hit my favorite oldies station only to discover I didn't recognize the song. It’s too new. Not in my oldies category. I switch to another station. I still didn't recognize the song, but I’m holding out for my classics.

I proceed with the mixing of the cake…not from scratch today…mix, eggs, water, oil and continue to the goal of a finished cake. The oven is pre-heating. Finally a good mood song, Moondance by Van Morrison. NOW we’re cooking! Time to dance in the kitchen!

The batter goes into the greased pans. Pop in the oven. Set timer. I lick the beaters. Time to tidy up in the kitchen. YES!!! It’s Bruce with Glory Days. A great song for washing the dishes! I let the dog out. It starts to rain. We come back in. We’re enjoying the music together.

Recently I was on public transportation, tapping my foot to Yellow Submarine and asked the driver what station he was listening to. W _ _ _ was his answer. Really? I thought that went out years ago. Maybe there was a change in management. Expecting another classic oldie on the station, I was immediately disappointed to depart from the Beatles. The next song, a classic from my parents’ generation, sounded like it was dragging across a phonograph playing at 78 rpm. I date myself…I only read about them! (Ahem!?) I think the singer was once a photo in my wallet! The next song was from the big band era. I actually like this sound until I had this unsettling feeling in my stomach. The semi-quasi state of nausea was from the realization that the Beatles & my classic oldies were now lumped into the previous generation’s music. This radio station which shall remain nameless was one I (we?) made fun of in our teens. All these years later, this station is still thriving on the oldies…a lot like me.

The timer goes off. Out come the cakes. Flip onto the racks. Cakes are cooling. I make the pudding. I didn’t tell you but I’m actually making a trifle, not a cake. YUM!

Back to the music. The irony is that they have now mixed two complete generations into one. It’s the same with my other classic oldies stations….my generation’s classics with today’s classics. If I switch from station to station I’m covering at least three generations of music. Add in the other classical music station and we have many generations melding together through music.

The cake is cooled and it’s time to cut it up and assemble the trifle.

Some time ago I went to a concert and there was a request for a particular song. The artist replied, “I’m not doing that song tonight, but I have another with a lot of the same notes!” I found it clever and in keeping with the artist’s personality and good humor. The same notes can create quite the variety. That and music is timeless. What’s good for one generation is good for another. It may just take some getting used to.

Now, food is also timeless. It’s time to trifle with the trifle. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Excuse me while I crank up the music.

Cathy

PS: Perhaps the music and food should both be lumped together as they both feed the mind, heart and soul. My cake became a trifle. Some may say ‘let them eat cake’. I say let them eat both and that variety is the spice of life. One birthday trifle coming right up….and yes, it was very good, even if I do say so myself!

Haiku: Renew

Space Junk: Duck & Cover

It seems we have made it through the falling satellite episode safe and sound; BUT…are we really safe? Good Question. The U.S. Satellite System Network is currently tracking 8,000 satellites. Since Sputnik was launched there have been over 26,000 objects tracked. 


To make a long story short, there are 7, 999 more to go! Be forewarned!

Space vessels and debris are not new to today’s culture. I’m only mentioning this now because I feel you should be prepared for all possible occurrences in this genre what with the remaining satellites, meteors, UFOs and aging commercial passenger planes.

Let’s take a look at our recent past for inspiration. Remember when Ray Walston became “My Favorite Martian” by crashing on this planet? And let’s not forget Mork from Ork crashing in Boulder, CO from Mork & Mindy fame. There’s also the huggable crash-landed friends from E.T. and ALF.

Independence Day and Flight of the Navigator gave us another reason to look towards the skies more carefully. Yes, more crashed aircraft. Don’t get me started about ‘Area 51’. It seems Henny Penny isn’t the only one noticing the sky is falling.

Now there are ways of going about protecting one’s self from this space junk. The most popular idea seems to be the metal headgear approach ranging from colanders to foil caps. These are not for the heaviest falling objects from space, but protection from the approach of any possible mind controlling devices that are still active while entering our atmosphere. Technically speaking, we should probably be wearing them now while the other 7,999 satellites are still working properly! Let’s review some of the most popular styles of headgear.

First, please refer to the 1950’s style rounded, see-through helmet with side sound enhancers and antennae as worn by Ed Norton on the  Honeymooners. Ralph seems to have mixed emotions. Research does not indicate a breathing chamber. I’ll keep you posted. Next we have the more updated version modeled after the ‘Keymaster’ headgear from Ghostbusters. These two styles meet minimum safety requirements for a medium-to-heavy metal impact by space junk.

We shall now review the secondary style of the popular foil cap as seen in the movie Signs. Due to the flexible nature of the material, it will adjust to any size head. The pointed top will adjust the electro- magnetic force field around your head’s cranial vortex. With a little initiative, you can change direction (north, south, east and west) to redirect any unwanted energy. It is theorized that spinning in place will increase the energy field around you. This is just a theory as those who have volunteered their efforts got quite dizzy and fell down. Please use your best judgment when putting this theory to a test. Depending on your expertise in the electrical field, you may add a row of lights around the bottom perimeter for better night vision. If this technical talent eludes you, please carry a flashlight at night. Laugh if you will, but there are actually instructions on ‘ehow.com’ for constructing a foil hat.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2049858_make-tinfoil-hat.html

If you are seriously concerned about falling debris, there should be a secondary protocol in place. Please take a practical approach to your personal welfare. Have a plan in advance. Practice when you can. You must note that there are no Emergency Broadcasting System notices being flashed on our TVs or radios, therefore you must rely on your own initiative. In the past, ducking under a table or desk was recommended. It seems to be the mainstay of the ‘Duck-N-Cover-Method’ of self-preservation.

If you still have concerns, ask for directions to a shelter. Our own Major Mudd was a man of vision as seen in this photo. He knew about space and stuff; a leader to be admired from our childhood years…an out-of-this-world kind of guy! Don’t forget…IBBY…”I’ll Be Blasting You!” Now THAT was a motto!

I don’t want to be a harbinger of misfortune, but when we do not heed the warnings, graver events can happen. All I have to say about this is…War of the Worlds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Day the Earth Stood Still

Please note, not all crashes have a negative impact. There was a very historical crash long, long ago and this has created for us a hero and symbol of truth, justice and the American way. He also looks good in tights! This is a good thing. J

If this is overwhelming, please don’t panic. Do what the cool guys do….. wear sunglasses. That’s right, get a pair of shades for every and all emergencies. It worked for K and J in MIB. It’ll work for you too.

Thanks for listening,

Cathy

PS: Another source says there are 13,000 satellites positioned over earth. Here’s the website. You do the homework!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydbbd-4oEds

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http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/nasa-satellite-uars-entry-predicted-friday-afternoon-north/story?id=14579881

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite

http://ask.yahoo.com/20010116.html

Rainy Day Recess

As this school year progresses my mind reflects our days in school. The rainy day indoor recess keeps popping into my mind. The rain pelted the windows with enough fog on the inside for each child to write their name. As a gloomy morning goes by, we have a fairly quiet lunch. Lunch concludes with the folding of our place mats and their placement inside our desks. Immediately following we would have our exercise with song.

First, one of the boys who had the ‘charge of the long pole’ for the opening of the upper section of window would get up & open all the top window sections. Don’t ask me why the boys were always put in charge of this, but they were. Each was chosen for the duration of a week. I’m trying to remember if a girl ever opened a window. I don’t remember it happening in all eight years….maybe once. Anyway…back to recess. A boy would open the windows top & bottom to let in the fresh air, rain or not.

We stand and get to have guilt free wiggle time. Arms up, to the sides, twist side to side, bend and reach for the toes. Actually touching the toes was optional, reaching a goal! This policy I still hold fast to today!  Ready, set…the pitch pipe played and we marched in place. Our knees up high and our arms swinging to and fro, we proceeded to sing and parade around the room. A classic song was “Old Folks at Home”. We sang… “Way down upon the Swanee River, far, far from home. That’s where my heart is turning ever, …” I can still hear it in my head today as we phonetically changed the words ‘turning ever’ to ‘turning liver’! Oh brother! I remember coming home from school and performing this at home with a friend (SMF of course!)  We were so proud to sing a new song with the hands and feet moving with the music. My parents had all they could do to stifle a laugh! Could you please repeat those words? A sure sign something was amiss! We still remember it today. God, we were cute!

The rainy day recess was over after the march. Fresh air in our lungs!  Twitching, wiggles and giggles out of our system to resume the afternoon studies at hand. The ‘window-pole-boy-of-the-week’ went about his business due diligently. Windows were shut as we opened our desk for the book needed for our next lesson.

Rain or shine, the day went on as planned.

Cathy

http://www.musicanet.org/robokopp/usa/waydownu.htm

Haiku: Autumnal Equinox

Happy Birthday Ellie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ632nmSZSY