New Throne - Day Two

If you haven't ready Day 1, I'd suggest reading that first so you get the whole story.

After a well deserved rest at the hotel Saturday night, and a hearty hotel breakfast we headed back to the house on Pickerel Pond to continue our rehabilitation of our bathroom.

Step fifteen: Replace floor. We bought the replacement vinyl tiles years ago for the other (non-working - a story for another day) bathroom in our house. Early this year they made their way to the yard sale pile. They didn't sell so when we decided to replace the floor and toilet it made sense to put them to use.

The entire floor contains 20 tiles. I took probably 25 to get them in. First error I started in the corner nearest the door (bottom right of photo). The problem with this was that the tiles at the end fit further under the threshold and baseboard than the third tile on the wall with the door. Despite numerous vacuum passes the tiles picked up fuzz and other debris so were unusable again. With that problem solved the job went quickly until it came time to start cutting tiles.

Seven of the tiles required cutting - 2 around the drain, and 5 along the tub. Cutting the tiles for the drain went smoothly. I got a little bit cocky at that point, thinking I had this job nailed. It took probably 30 minutes and 2 tile to get the cuts scribed and cut correctly for the piece next to the tub at the upper right of the picture. A few more missteps and the floor was done. The only problem with the new floor - it's really slick. Imagine, if you will, a dog on a newly waxed floor. That's pretty much what I looked like trying to stand up.

Step sixteen: Caulk edge of tub. Nothing major to report here, other than that the directions on how to open the tube need to be larger. Once I located a nail large enough to pierce seal inside the spout the job went without incident.

Step seventeen: Cleanup. Because of the small space all of the tools I'd used needed to be collected before the toilet install could begin.

Step eighteen: Toilet install, part 1. We unpacked the new toilet. For anyone planning this in the future - cut the box away from the toilet. This method worked great for us. Then we cut portions of the box to use to cushion the toilet while we got it ready for install. First we installed the closet bolts in the flange, then squished the wax ring onto the bottom of the toilet. At some point during this (don't remember exactly when but it was before the wax ring was attached to the fixture) Dad called. Brief conversation and promise to call back.

To paint a picture of the next maneuver in your head - imagine if you will one large, heavy toilet with really sticky wax blob on the bottom, and two rather large women in a 4' X 5' space. The toilet needs to be lifted and dropped into place over two small bolts without dropping or even setting down the toilet, without hitting the supply line, and without injuring either of the women. Amazingly Amy and I managed to get the toilet upright and into place without incident. Wish I had pictures, but there was no one left to take them not that they would have been able to take a decent one.

Step nineteen: plumbing connections. (Insert screeching tire sound here). After wiggling my way under the toilet, I discovered that the new supply line didn't fit - the helpful sales person at the big box store had provided me with the wrong size.

Step twenty: Trip to big box store for correct size supply line. More helpful sales people - why is it that even when I know what I'm looking for and where it is the sales people in the Plumbing department can't leave me alone. With the correct supply line in hand (receipt #4) I headed back home.

Step twenty-one: Final installation. Attach supply line. Hack saw bolts. Add caps. Turn on water - no leaks YEA! With Amy in the basement to check for leaks I flush - no leaks there either. Added a bead of caulk between the toilet and floor.

Here's the new throne in place. It's quiet, flushes and refills quickly and doesn't run!

Step twenty-two: Reattach door.

The evening concluded with lots of cleanup - tools back to the basement, vacuuming in the basement (debris had made it's way between the boards that make up layer one of our subfloor), more tools away, cutting up the cardboard for recycling, and packing up all the trash.

Cleanup was followed by dinner and celebratory cupcakes. Life is good in the house on Pickerel Pond.

A New Throne - Day One

The women on Pickerel Pond have a new throne. While Amy tackled the government required paperwork, I took on the bathroom. A leaky, wobbly toilet prompted a replacement of both the toilet, part of the sub floor, and the floor covering.

Here's the before:

That's not dirt but broken and peeling vinyl tiles.

Step one: List - we did that together Friday night.

Step two: With list in hand head to Sporting Goods store for temporary substitute (did I mention that this is our only working bathroom).

Step three: Off to the big box store for toilet, plywood (including some for woodworking projects), caulk, flexible supply line, and several other items (and no the router bit wasn't for this project).

Step four: After selecting the new throne, I negotiate a hour or so rental of one of the big box stores small trucks. Pay for and load up the throne with help. Head back inside for the plywood. (Note to self: when transporting very heavy items, and 8 foot sheets of plywood in truck with 8 foot long bed - procure and load the plywood first!) Load the plywood, with help from another customer (thanks buddy) who came upon me trying to determine if I could load the sheets by myself. I was doing this while waiting for more help from the store staff. With the sheets in the truck I then struggled to get them under the toilet's box which was already in the truck. A little assistance from a store employee got the boards under the box enough that the truck bed would close.

Step five: With help from Amy, unload the toilet and carry into the house, and the plywood to the garage.

Step six: Return truck, and purchase a couple of items missed on the first trip. (For those keeping track this is cash register receipt #3.)

Step seven: Remove towels, bathmat, and basket from the bathroom. Tie up shower curtain. Oh yes, and the door - this is a small bathroom.

Step eight: Empty the water, disconnect and remove old toilet. The floor space in this bathroom is about 4' X 5'. Getting to the connections required contortions. The blob on the floor is me - my feet are in the hall. (A note about the shirt. It's tie-dyed. I really like tie-dyed shirts, and bought this from a catalog without thinking carefully about what a red tie-dyed shirt would look like. I'd wanted a purple one, but they were out. I don't wear this in public, since it looks like I've just come from the scene of a massacre.)

Step nine: Clean - floor, flange - the remains of the wax ring were sticky and fairly disgusting.

Step ten: Cut the perimeter of the floor section to be removed - due to rot. I'm not sure what the pros use for this. I did my best impression of a hapless home owner at this point. I cut the perimeter with my circular saw. This did a fine job except for the fact that it couldn't get close to the wall, or the tub. As a result I had to finish up with a chisel.

Step eleven: Measure for replacement floor. Cut plywood. Measure for drain opening, scribe to tub. Cut. Test fit. Consult with Amy about how to wiggle into place. Cut again (same piece, smaller segment). Cut new strip for next to tub. Test fit. Trim all, cut new strip for next to tub. Lather, rinse, repeat (oh wait that's something else).

Step twelve: Screw down plywood.

Step thirteen: Strip up remaining old vinyl tiles. Discover that some of the tiles are still stuck to the floor, really stuck. Call in reinforcements. Discover just how sharp the edges of the tiles are. Acquire band-aid. After a lot of scraping all remnants of the tiles are gone - from the floor at least.

Step fourteen: Pack up a change of clothes, pajamas and swim suit and head for local hotel. Enjoy room service, a swim and a soak in the hot tub before collapsing into bed.

Poetry Thursday: Together

We didn't see it coming,
We hadn't planned for it,
It wasn't part of our wildest dreams,
But then,
quiet and trusting you slipped into my heart.

I tried to shake you loose,
To find again the path,
I thought was mine,
But then,
stubborn and demanding you slipped into my arms.

We talked deep into the night,
We held each other close,
We promised to protect each other,
And
soft and tender you slipped into my soul.

Together we face each day,
Together we face each challenge,
Together we build a life,
Quiet, trusting, stubborn, demanding, soft and tender
Together.

This is my contribution to this week's Poetry Thursday. The challenge this week was to take a line contributed by another poet (thanks! patti) and build a poem around it. Patti's line was "soft and tender you slipped into my soul".

Thursday Challenge: Circle

More: Thursday Challenge

Bridge Haiku

under the stone bridge
paddle draws kayak toward
adventure beyond

In response to this week's prompt at One Deep Breath
and with thanks to Shelley for the peer pressure she didn't know she was exerting.

Sunday Scribblings: In The News

When I was in high school I managed the girls basketball team. One of my responsibilities was to call scores in to the local newspapers and tv stations. This was back in the early seventies when the coverage of high school sports was limited to the boys teams, and then only to the big three - football, basketball and baseball. Where I grew up high schools didn't have hockey teams, if they had then boys hockey would have gotten a share of the coverage.

Getting coverage for girls basketball was a challenge. If we were lucky the score would get into the papers. Forget the tv stations. But after each game I called. And I had an advantage that most other high school students didn't have. I knew the sports reporters for most of the local tv stations. I didn't know them well, but I'd met them and in a few cases served them coffee.

The reason was that my father was often a subject of sports news. He coached college football at a local college and a minor league (what most people call semi-pro) football team. He never made an obscene amount of money to coach or won a national title, but he and his teams were still news.

I didn't always like that he was in the news. When I was in elementary school it was just another bit of ammunition in the arsenal my classmates used to tease me about. But in high school it was useful. When I was brushed aside by the flunky answering phones at the local tv stations, I could simply ask to speak to the reporter by name. This sometimes required a second call. When the person on the other end asked who was calling my name, or more correctly my father's name would get the call through.

Slowly but surely the coverage of girls high school sports increased. It didn't just benefit my school, it benefited all the schools in the area. I'm proud that I had a part of that. My father who was a big supporter of equal opportunity in sports, not just for his own girls, but for all girls. I don't know if he realizes that he had a part in increasing the coverage of girls sports in the area where I grew up, but he did and I'm proud of that too.

More Sunday Scribblings.

Homerun Hitter

Kara Wong '08 hit the first ever homerun out of the Wellesley Softball field during game 2 of yesterday's double-header versus Springfield College. Unfortunately, Wellesley lost the game 8 inning game 4-2.

Shutterday: Miss

A strike during game 1 of the Wellesley College softball teams double-header versus Springfield College yesterday. Wellesley won 2-1 in the bottom of the 7th.
Note: the black oval on the 3rd baseman's face is a mouth guard not a spot on the lens.

Larger version here.

More Shutterday.

Makes Me Smile

Among my many identities my favorite is aunt. I've held onto this gift label for more than a month because every time I look at it I smile. The little guy is getting bigger and this is clear evidence of it.

Thursday Challenge: Colorful

Leaning in as if sharing a secret,
these flowers which will soon
grace my garden with color.
Do they whisper of the nursery,
or tell tales of other flowers,
or simply share the pleasure that is a warm spring day.

Note: This photo is from last spring. With a smattering of snow on the ground this morning it's still too cold for planting.

More: Thursday Challenge

Passover Haiku

Charoset, matzo
horseradish and Grandma's plates,
time for the seder.

Charoset is a concoction of fruit, nuts and wine that is a traditional Passover dish. The ingredients are ground and mixed to resemble mortar. Amy makes three types - a traditional (Ashkenazi) mix of apples, walnuts and red wine; one with apples, apricots, almonds and sometimes dates; and a third with pistachios, walnuts, almonds, figs, dates, prunes, and apricots. All are yummy.

Sunday Scribblings: Deepest, Darkest

I'm a woodworker.

Now you know my deepest, darkest secret.

What? You already knew? Oh, right almost everyone who knows me knows that, and those who don't know me or don't know that can follow the link to my workshop and figure it out.

What you probably don't know is that I've gone over to the dark side, wood wise.

I haven't developed a jones for ebony, yet, but while at one of my favorite suppliers on Thursday I was drawn to a gorgeous slab of wenge. It was the deepest, darkest piece of lumber I've ever wanted to get my tools on. Many kinds of wood have found their way into my shop - pine (not so much lately), maple, birch, aspen, cherry, mahogany, walnut, and even zebrawood and purpleheart. I've been pretty much a light to medium wood kind of girl. Wenge isn't the right texture for the project I'm working on, and it costs more than I was ready to spend, but boy was it attractive.

The wenge didn't come home with me, this time. But now I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate a small amount into the next project.

P.S. This picture I just added (Sunday night) is an ornament I made for family and friends for Christmas 2005. I've made an ornament (different designs) almost every year since 1999. I've missed two years both because of work obligations. There are pictures of a few other creations in my flickr account (link to the right).

More: Sunday Scribblings

Thursday Challenge: Spring

More: Thursday Challenge

Waiting for Snowflake

Our pals, Sunshine and Snowman, are expecting their first child, Snowflake, in a couple of months. It couldn't happen to a better couple. The parents to be are kind, gentle, generous and fun-loving. And judging from the crowd at last Sunday's baby shower (Thanks Domino for organizing it!) the little one has a lot of honorary aunts to provide even more love.

I can't wait to meet this new person.

Morning Swim - for D and N

This is my entry in Buried in the Slushpile's contest. The challenge was to write a story of 75 words or less using words from the Dolce word list. I found out about this a the last minute and submitted my story less than 10 minutes before the deadline. Thanks to Shelley for bringing this to my attention.

Sun comes up
I jump out of bed
put on my best blue shirt
and my red shorts.

Where is my aunt?

Each day she jumps out of bed,
and walks past green trees
to jump in the big blue lake


I run past the green trees
and call to my aunt

Pretty please can I jump in too?

Sunday Scribblings: In the Kitchen

In the kitchen daisies dance on a field of yellow,
In the kitchen cereal is stored between the wall studs,
In the kitchen pudding is stirred from a foot stool,
In the kitchen cast iron radiator foot rest,
In the kitchen popcorn fire ceiling stain,
In the kitchen tricycle zooms from laundry room to living room,
In the kitchen cookies cool,
In the kitchen girl scouts learn to cook,

The kitchen,
now only a memory,
the house long ago sold,
and not quite so long ago fallen prey to gravity.

More: Sunday Scribblings.

Thursday Challenge: Green

green.

Detail from Niki de Saint Phalle's Nikigator outside the Mingei International Museum in San Diego.

A picture of the whole gator is here.

More Thursday Challenge.

Grey Friday

This afternoon's fog fascinated me. Usually this sort of weather depresses me, but the fog rolling off the river as I headed home and off the pond when I got there drew me to it. It was intriguing enough that I even made the trek down the hill to the pond.

The pictures here are (clockwise) the Charles River looking west from the Cambridge side, the base of the dogwood tree in our front yard, Pickerel Pond near our house, and the hill from the pond to the road.

Anniversary Celebration

Another shot from today's anniversary kick-off at work. The poem is inspired by my pal Shelley.

cold
grey
rainy
gloomy day
made bright by cannons
of purple and green confetti

Thursday Challenge: Entrance

A day late...

The kick-off for the 25th anniversary of my workplace was today. The day was rainy, but the event started out outdoors as planned. The highlight was the cannon release of many bucket fulls of confetti - the speckles above the banner are bits of confetti caught in the netting over the upper windows of the entry. Click the picture for a better view.

For more go to Thursday Challenge.

Kitchen Renovation

We're planning a major renovation of our house, so haven't done much about many of the things we dislike in the house. Our anniversary was two weekends ago. Many years we've spent the weekend away somewhere, but for a variety of reasons we didn't plan anything for this year. Instead we decided to do whatever we felt like.

So Saturday morning we were sitting on the couch watching tv. The view from the couch frames the pendant in the kitchen. I've never really liked the pendant. It's not that I don't like stained glass, it's just that this particular rendition doesn't appeal to me. While ignoring a commercial I looked over at the light and turning to Amy innocently asked "If we were going to replace the light in the kitchen, what would you want?"

Amy thought for a minute or two and replied "I don't know, should we go look at lights?"

So began our minor kitchen renovation. I don't remember why we decided to remove the pendant before going shopping, but remove it we did. As it turned out the wiring for this light went through the fake beam into the ceiling's drywall. So down came the beam, which turned out to be a whole lot easier than we expected. The beams are another item on the list of things we don't like in the kitchen. Since that beam was so easy to remove we decided to remove the other 6. About an hour later all that remained of the beams was a pile of wood in the living room, stripes in the paint on the ceiling, holes in the framing above the cabinets and patches of bright orange paint and orange striped wallpaper on the other side of the room.

Off we went to look for new light fixtures. After two circuits through a nearby lighting store we identified a ceiling fixture (to replace the square fixture pictured here) and a sconce (to replace the pendant). The sconce was going to require a 4-6 week wait, but the ceiling fixture was in stock, so we left the store with just the ceiling fixture and headed for the large orange big box store to look for something to replace the pendant. We located a pendant we liked at the big orange store, picked up some additional supplies and headed home with our purchases.

It was getting late, but excited about the new fixtures we decided to replace the ceiling fixture. With a worklight from my shop providing ample light we removed the ceiling fixture and installed the new light. Once I got the right combination of wire nut and electrical tape on the connections we had a beautiful new light. Tired, hungry and getting grouchy we decided to finish up the work on Sunday.

On Sunday we turned our attention to replacing the pendant. The wiring from the old light disappeared through a 1 inch diameter hole in the ceiling so out came the keyhole saw to enlarge the hole. Once the hole was big enough I discovered that the junction box for this light was about 2 inches above the drywall and the wiring wasn't actually in the box. This didn't really surprise me but did make me shake my head. We'd acquired a new junction box so I fed the wiring into it, and secured it to the studs (acquiring a lovely blood blister on my thumb in the process. I whacked it with the hammer I was using to persuade the box into the hole.) With the new box in the correct location even with the drywall, we assembled the light, secured it, wired it up and turned the power back on.

After a little cleanup - nails out of the old beams, lumber to the garage for later disposal, fixture remains into the trash, floor swept and mopped our spur of the moment renovation was complete. We are very happy with the changes and I'm still wondering what took us so long.

Icy Tree

We've had a mostly snow free winter, at least until today - yucky snow /sleet /rain /ice storm. A couple of weeks ago we got about 1/2 inch and the dogwood in our front yard ended up coated with ice. I love the way trees look when iced over, although I know that it's really bad for the trees.

Thursday Challenge - Cute

My nephew clowning for the camera. I thought he looked like a frog, but he said he was a dog.
See more at Thursday Challenge.

Concentration & Pride

When I visited New Jersey in December D and I worked on a project together. This is the second year that we have done this. When D was 3 I worked on a project (shelves for the downstairs bathroom) but he didn't help much.

Last year I milled the parts for a wooden tray, and D painted the bottom and helped assemble it. I posted one picture at the time since D couldn't wait to surprise his parents.

D is a little older now and more able to do more of the work on the projects and to keep secrets. So, this year's project remained a secret until Christmas (at least as far as I know). Which is why it's taken until now to post these pictures.

This year we created mosaic pictures within store bought frames sized to either be pictures or to be used as coasters. I'd like to have made the frames but all the travel I did this fall prevented that. In the shot above D is masking off the edges of the frame so the adhesive and grout wouldn't get on it. With the confidence of age I didn't mask all of the frame I filled, you can see it to D's right in the picture. I ended up getting grout on it and D was able to tell me that I should have done it like he did.

Here is D with the finished result (no pictures of the one I made). He's also holding the "god's eye" he made in First Day school that Sunday. I love this picture for the almost bashful pride he's showing.

Out with the Old

This is the before, outside and inside views. We finally reached the last straw when the mechanism to open the door from the outside broke several months ago. The door was hard to open - the method for opening it from the inside was by pulling on a chain, and squeaked when raised or lowered.

So we decided to replace it. After many trips to the local big box store - order placed, order revised (the original order wouldn't work with our _very_ low ceilinged garage), paperwork they forgot to have us sign...)- the door was delivered a couple of weeks ago.

Over the last couple of weekends, and a few weeknights we varnished the door sections. It's kept me out of the workshop, but it sure does look nice.

In With The New

The installers arrived this morning, and quickly got to work removing the old door. Soon all that remained was a pile of debris in the driveway.

After trimming the door, and lowering the header, the door started taking shape. Several hours we had ourselves a brand spanking new garage door, complete with an electric opener.

The blue in the after pictures is masking tape put on to keep the varnish off the glass. It's coming off first thing tomorrow.


Now we just need to decide what color to paint the trim. Any suggestions?

New Socks

Amy went clothes shopping today. I don't know if she found what she wanted but she did buy me a bunch of new pairs of socks, including the patterned and striped ones pictured here. I also got a few pairs of solid colors, but they really aren't photo worthy.

I don't know why I like brightly colored socks, but I do. And there's nothing better than a bagful of new socks. Thanks Amy!

A New View

I spend a fair amount of my free time masquerading as a woodworker. I've set up a new blog so that you can have a peek at that part of my life, if you're interested. There isn't much there yet, just my project list, but I promise to add to it soon.

A Kiss

Two sets of lips
lightly brush,
Is it a kiss?
Hours pass,
the lips meet again
long slow kisses.
Life shifts.
Love grown over
months of late night
long talks,
friends become lovers.

Twenty one years,
societal shift
a wedding kiss,
made sweet
by the wait.

The fearful,
claiming faith,
can't erase the love,
the legacy of that
first kiss.

Thanks to Shelley and Sunday Scribblings for the inspiration.

My New Nickname or Gravity Always Wins

I'm a very careful woodworker and I have all ten fingers to prove it. I get splinters regularly, I have gotten cuts from the edges of chisels, I've even sanded off skin (not recommended), but I have never had a major woodworking injury. I know how to use my tools, I think about how I'm going to accomplish the task at hand, and I stop working when I'm tired.

My workshop is cluttered (like much of my house). One of the home improvement projects on my list is organizing the shop - it'll happen one day soon, really it will. There are parts for numerous projects, bins of cutoffs, tool containers, and of course saw dust covering most surfaces. While this isn't the best way to work, I do make sure I clear off the space where I'm currently working. This frequently means that I make use of a work mate (small folding workbench) in addition to the workbench top. I sit on a counter height stool most of the time while working in my shop.

So Monday night I was working on the latest project - cutting dadoes with a router fitted with the plunge base using a homemade jig. The work piece and the jig were clamped to the work mate, which was sitting perpendicular to the work bench, and when not being used the router was placed on the work bench. After making a pass with the router I decided that the bottom of the dado wasn't even enough. So I turned to the bench picked up the router (plugged in but off) and turned 90 degrees to my left to position it on the jig. That's when gravity took over.

In turning I became unbalanced and tumbled off the stool toward the concrete floor (and the tool bags sitting on it). There wasn't time to catch my balance (my left foot was probably on the rung of the stool rather than on the floor. Because the router was in my left hand I didn't try to catch myself with my hand - which was for the best since that's a quick route to a broken wrist.

Amy heard the noise - the stool crashed to the floor shortly after I did - and came down to investigate, and helped me shut off lights, unplug the router. We left the sweatpants I had been wearing next to the washer. The sawdust they'd picked up while I was working had been supplemented by most of the sawdust from the floor - they looked like we'd dusted with them.

I ended up with a dime sized scrape on my elbow, an impressive bruise just above my elbow, and a very swollen knee which also has a couple of small cuts - I landed on it. The injuries are too gruesome for pictures! The good news is that the swelling is going down thanks to regular icing. The bad news is that the bruises have only just begun the inevitable journey through the spectrum. It's a really good thing that it's winter so I'm not tempted to wear shorts.

Amy overheard a couple of the guys at work talking about calling me Crash from now on (just what I need another nickname). The moral of the story - I need to organize the shop, including adding more rubber pads to the floor (I've got a few and they are very nice to stand on. While I don't plan to take any more dives I expect that they might have cushioned the impact a bit.); I need to pay more attention to my position when moving in the shop and remember _gravity always wins_. In the words of Beakman - "gravity - it's the law".

Christmas Carol Tag

My sister-out-law, Shelley, tagged me weeks ago. I've been thinking about how to respond since, but haven't taken the time to put this down.

I really enjoy Christmas music. There's very little I don't like, so finding 5 favorites is difficult, but here's the top 5 (at least tonight).

5). Anything from Peggy Lee's Christmas Carousel album, but especially Don't Forget to Feed the Reindeer. This album was an integral part of Christmas in our house when I was a child. One of my favorite memories is my mother singing "The Tree" ("We're going to get a Christmas tree" is the first line) as we headed out to get our tree.
4). Do You Hear What I Hear - I think this was one my elementary school music teacher's favorites since we sang it every year.
3). Away in the Manger - the alternate version with tune by William J. Kilpatrick.
2). God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Bare Naked Ladies and Sarah MacLachlan
1). Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - but only the version by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians (otherwise this song is trite and overdone). What sets apart this version are the sound effects. As a kid I worked really hard at duplicating those sounds, and when I think of favorite Christmas songs this is the first that comes to mind.

Favorite Hanukkah Songs - Hanukkah Blessings by Bare Naked Ladies, and Light One Candle by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary.

Little Drummer Boy makes my least favorite list, although I do get a smile when I remember that my alma mater gets a portion of the royalties - one of the authors was an alum.

A note about the picture above - this house is near the grocery store we shop at most often. There aren't many people who go all out in their decorating near us. Lights in the bushes in front of the house, greenery and wreathes, and a few with those blow up characters, but very few people go all out with their decorations. When we first bought our house the people whose yard is pictured above decorated the "gum drop" bushes just visible at the back of the photo. In the years since the display has grown. This year they have 5 or 6 animated items, as well as blinking lights in the "gum drop bushes" and, as I discovered when I stopped to take a picture earlier tonight, speakers playing Christmas music.

Kitchen Dance

I don't write much poetry, and haven't written a haiku since it was required in school. This jumped into my head tonight while I was finishing dessert and making cranberry sauce, and Amy was chopping veggies for the stuffing. I couldn't resist sharing it. Dessert tomorrow will be the bittersweet chocolate cake pictured here.

two cooks small kitchen
holiday preparations
dance without touching

A Favorite Book Remembered

I've always been fascinated by the courage and tenacity of people who defy the laws of the land, and the expectations of those around them to help other people - whether it's those who rescued Jews from the Nazis, or who helped escaped slaves in the pre-Civil War US. I've been reading a book titled Bound for Canaan, which is a history of the Underground Railroad. This morning it brought to mind a book I haven't thought of in quite a while.

The book is Thee, Hannah by Marguerite de Angeli. It's the story of a Quaker girl in Philadelphia shortly before the Civil War. Hannah longs for material things she doesn't have and that her family doesn't believe are needed - frilly dresses, and fancy bonnets. The book came to mind because the section of Bound for Canaan I was reading was about Isaac Hopper, who was not born Quaker but who joined the Society of Friends later in life - adopting the modes of dress common to Quakers of the time including wearing a "broad-brimmed Quaker-style hat". That phrase, brought to mind this much loved book of my youth, and now I can't get it out of my head.

I remember the story of Hannah's desire for fancy clothes and I remember being fascinated by the language. The thees and thous which the family used seemed both quaint and fascinating. A childhood friend was Quaker, and I remember being surprised that her family didn't use thee and thou in their speech. Although they made up for that by calling their father "Father" instead of "Daddy" or "Dad".

I remember that the edition we had a hardcover which was covered in dark blue cloth. Inside were the most exquisite pictures (the picture above came from amazon.com - the book is still in print). What I don't remember is the part of the story that deals with Hannah's family helping an escaped slave. I'm going to have to dig through the box of children's books I have at home and see if this book is there, so I can read it again. And then I will, probably have to share it with my nephews.

Goodbye Pumpkin

In a moment of optimism early in October I bought a pumpkin. I had gone apple picking with my college roommate, and having heard that pumpkins were going to be scarce this year, leapt at the opportunity to pick up a beauty at the orchard (not sure whether the folks who run the orchard grew them or if they came from some nearby farm).

Life being what it's been this fall (busy, busy, busy) I never did get around to turning that beautiful pumpkin into an eerie jack-o-lantern. The pumpkin sat in the garage for about a month, then took up residence in an empty spot in the perennial bed just outside the garage door. And there it sat while I was off traveling - first to Minnesota, then the roadtrip to Arkansas, and finally to New Jersey. I was quite startled to return home and find it still intact. Not a spec of rot, no tooth marks, nothing - just one happy little pumpkin sitting in the flower bed nestled up against the lavender. I'd expected the critters who inhabit the wet lands behind our house to make quick work of the pumpkin, but for almost a month they ignored it.


Until this weekend that is. Over the weekend the critters apparently discovered the appetizer in the flower bed. When I left to head into work Saturday morning (yes work on a Saturday) I noticed a fairly sizeable bite had been taken out of the pumpkin. After making a mental note to dispose of it I headed off to work. Sunday when I headed out to corral some of the leaves still littering the yard, I discovered that some messy eater had been at the pumpkin. Most of the pumpkin was still intact, but the bite near the top was considerably larger than it had been the day before. And even more startling the stem was gone. I may yet find the stem tucked under the lavender.

Given that we really don't want to attract critters to our house and yard (anyone know a foolproof way to discourage skunks?) it was time for the pumpkin to go. Since most of it was still intact, and I was dressed for yard work, I picked it up, carried it to the edge of the yard (small cliff into the wetlands) and gave a heave. The pumpkin sailed quite gracefully through the air before bounding down the hill. It split partway down leaving a trail as it continued to roll until it landed at the base of a small tree.

I haven't looked to see if it's still there, but I hope the critters enjoy it.

Auntie Time

While on the extended road trip I got to spend time with my youngest two nephews. N and I spent a morning together including a trip to the playground near my parents house. He was most interested in the sand box. He tested almost all of the toys - even trying to fix a couple of broken ones, and buried a couple.

He wasn't too interested in interacting with the other children who were there. He much preferred those spots which were empty. We had a great time, and Grammy provided pancakes for lunch - what could be better!




During the weekend between the two training classes in New Jersey, I spent the now traditional weekend at my sister's keeping D entertained while his Mom worked on the many batches of biscotti she makes for Christmas, and his Tama was busy in her office. I started doing this 3 years ago and it has become a favorite part of my year.

Because I was already in New Jersey I got to stop by and see S at work before heading toward their house. I joined D and S for a trip to the library and bakery Friday night. Saturday morning I ran errands while D was at wrestling practice. After he showed off his moves we headed out for lunch. Back at the house we worked on this year's secret project. The first trip I built shelves for the downstairs bathroom. Last year we made a serving tray - I precut the parts, D painted the bottom and we worked together to glue it together and coat it all with varnish. This year's project is well a secret - all wrapped up for Christmas. What I can say is that D pronounced this the "best project ever".

After our project work we headed to the hotel so D could show off his newly acquired swimming skills. We even incorporated a wrestling move he'd learned that morning (making yourself big) into swimming - allowing D to add floating to his swimming skills.

We finished up the weekend with a viewing of "Happy Feet" which D thoroughly enjoyed.

A great time was had by all.

Road Trip

Amy and I drove to Arkansas for Thanksgiving (yes Arkansas). We had a lovely visit with her Mom, and her sister and brother-in-law who are traveling the country in a pick-up and 5th wheeler (RV). Luckily the weather was mild during our trip - no snow, and only minor rain.

On the way we dropped off an early Christmas present at my parent's house (a replacement for the ancient computer they were using). We set up the new computer when we returned. Then Amy headed home while I headed to New Jersey for work related training.

It was hard being away from home for so long (nearly 3 weeks in all). Driving across the mid-west is, for the most part, boring although we got great gas mileage. We clocked just over 3200 miles on Amy's car, and another 500 on mine. I slept in 5 different hotels in 3 different states and 2 family homes during the trip, and spent time in 9 different states - New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, New Jersey and Connecticut in addition to Massachusetts.

Being home is great. I've got a really busy couple of weeks coming up, but at least I get to sleep in my own bed.

Great Day for a Paddle

There have been a lot of great paddling days this summer. I've spent a lot of time kayaking this summer - on the Charles, Sudbury, Concord and Mohawk rivers; on Lake Cochituate; on Rainbow Lake in the Adirondacks; and in the ocean off Cape Cod. Today I explored the Nashua River in Harvard. This section of the river runs between the Ox Bow National Wildlife Refuge and what used to be Fort Devens.

The launch site has a nice parking area, with a ramp to the water (although quite steep). The water was quite cold, but with the air temperature in the mid 70s it was quite pleasant.

This section of the river is winding with lots of overhanging trees. I didn't see much wildlife, probably because I was out midday. I did see a fair amount of evidence of beaver activity, though. For the first mile or so I had company - other kayakers, and a couple of canoes. For the next couple of miles I had the river to myself.

I don't know how many more kayaking days are left this year - we've gotten close to overnight frost, and have had quite a few chilly days. I hope to get a few more trips in, but it all depends on the weather. I'm off to Albany next week - may try to take the kayak for another trip on the Mohawk but that'll depend on when I head that direction and the weather.

A Golden Couple

50 years. 50 years of hope, joy, sorrow, and laughter, but most importantly 50 years of love. On June 9, 1956 my parents were married full of hope, love, and anticipation for a life together. Life has not always been easy for them. There where times when money was tight, when sick children caused them worry, when work kept them apart for too many hours. Through it all the love and commitment to each other and the family they created never waivered.

I always knew that my parents loved each other. Passing in a hallway was always an occasion for a hug, and if any of their children got within reach the hug became a family hug. What a gift it was to grow up knowing that my parents loved each other, and me.

We celebrated my parents golden anniversary as a family last weekend - no speeches, no champagne toasts, just a family enjoying each other's company and celebrating a momentous occasion.

But now I offer a toast - raise a glass to a couple who have shown us that true love exists, and that love can endure and prosper. And to my parents a huge thank you for sharing that love with not only me, but with my wife. I hope that we will be lucky enough to celebrate our own 50th anniversary.

You Know You Have a Problem..

It’s March, granted it’s late March but it’s still March. I live in New England. It hasn’t been much of a winter but it has been cold. Water doesn’t change temperature as quickly as the air does. And yet, I find myself obsessing about putting my boat into the water. I’m craving the feel of floating down a river, or across a lake under my own power (and I'm not quite nuts enough to want to go swimming, yet). Logically I know this isn’t going to happen anytime soon, but that hasn’t stopped me from thinking about it.

Maybe it’s the relatively warm weather, or the predictions of near 70 degree weather on Friday, or the longer sunlight, or the finally finishing the kayak rack (photos soon) or the crew shells which now dot the Charles River morning and night. Or maybe I’m just nuts.

Of course I’m not as nuts as Brommer Bill who was out on the Charles in January – yes January! Bill has an advantage, though, he actually owns the necessary gear for cold weather paddling – wet suit, insulated booties, house near the river, full skirt… I don’t. This picture was taken by Bill, and yes that's snow on the front of the kayak.

So, I’ll have to content myself with dreaming about the first trip – likely nearly a month away and with dreaming about kayaking. On my list for dream support is acquiring the Northern Forest Canoe Trail maps. The NFCT is a link of waterways in New York, Quebec and northern New England. The organization has mapped the routes, including campsites and other local information.

And today I found myself checking out the details of the Run of the Charles. There’s a 6 mile race included in the offerings. I can paddle 6 miles – I’ve done almost that distance before, on that stretch of the Charles chasing after my nephew. What I don’t know is whether I could do it in under 2 hours (the slowest time listed in last year’s results is 1:54 minutes). I’d really, really hate to be last, and I’d really, really, really hate to be last by more than a couple of minutes.

Incidentally, the picture at the top is not me. It’s Kristen the KSC kayaker in last year’s Friends of Tuckerman Inferno pentathalon. Brommer (see above more nuts than I am note) will be doing the kayak leg in this year’s inferno. Since the race conflicts with NEFFA we are unlikely to be there to cheer him on, although we will be cheering from afar.

Music That Moves Me

Tracy tagged me more than a month ago to respond to a musical meme.

The challenge: List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

I haven't responded because I'm having a really hard time figuring out which seven songs - 7, one less than 8 - that's just not enough. As my Dad commented the last time he was in my house, I own a lot of cds. While I don't listen to music at home much, I do listen to music almost constantly at work and a good portion of time in the car, especially if I'm driving by myself. I spend nearly 2 hours a day in the car during the week, and lately a lot of that time has been solo. Music runs through my head frequently. The workday playlist usually starts with me scrolling through ITunes and stopping when something catches my eye. Some days I start at the top, some at the bottom, and every once in the while I scroll to the middle. I've got several days worth of music in there.

The other problem I've been having with this is that there are so many songs and artists worthy of mention. Most of the artists I listen to regularly aren't mainstream, so I feel an obligation to give them credit for touching my life, and also figure that mentioning them may prompt interest and improve the likelihood that they'll be able to put out more cds.

So, here I sit a month later still trying to figure out which songs artists to include. The music I enjoy tends toward the mellow. When Amy and I were putting together the play list for our wedding celebration we discovered that we owned almost no dance music. The music I love is primarily women's folk music, although I do have a soft spot for Billy Joel, James and Livingston Taylor, Bare Naked Ladies, and even a song or two from Jethro Tull. I also still enjoy John Denver. (I have recently realized what torture it must have been for my older brother to put up with my listening to John Denver albums over and over and over until I memorized all the lyrics. Sorry Brad!)

Without further ado here's my top 10 (I just couldn't keep it to 7) in no particular order.
1 - The One's Who Aren't Here written by John Calvi, sung by Meg Christian. It's a bitter sweet look at coming out and of all the forces which work against gays and lesbians being able to be themselves without fear. (This one's been playing in my head cause I only have it on LP, not CD.)
2 - We Are One by Emma's Revolution.
A song of peace, I always want more verses of this song.
3 - Northern Star by Ann Reed.
This song makes me think of Amy who is "my east, my south & west".
4 - Ordinary Town written by Dave Carter, sung by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
My wonderful sister-out-law, Shelley, introduced me to Tracy Grammer (yes, we did go to the concert at TCAN and, despite the fact that Amy had a concert of her own earlier that day, it was great and I'm hooked). This song first grabbed me with it's tune.
5 - Little Road - Cheryl Wheeler
This song is all about reconciling the good things in life, with all the horrible things happening in the world.
6 - We the People - Cris Williamson
This is another song of peace, from the perspective of our nation's reaction to the terror attacks of September 11th.
7 - I Heard an Owl - Carrie Newcomer
The chorus sums this song up well:

Don't tell me hate is ever right or God's will
These are the wheels we set in motion ourselves
the whole world weeps and is weeping still
Though shaken I still believe
the best of what we all can be
The only peace this world will know
Can only come from love

8 - Travelin' Soldier - Dixie Chicks
I never listened to the Dixie Chicks until they were lambasted for making comments against President Bush. I like a lot of their songs. This one made me cry the first time I really paid attention to the words.
9 - Raisin Pie - Diane Taraz
I discovered Diane Taraz last year at NEFFA. Much of her music, including this song, pay homage to her French Canadian ancestry. This one always makes me smile.
Other NEFFA discoveries include the Short Sisters, Taproot, and the Johnson Girls.
10 - I don'thttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif know the name of this last song. It's one I learned from Amy and it's been in my head because Purim was last week. It's a children's song, complete with hand motions. The English words (there's also a Hebrew version) are

My hat it has three corners
three corners has my hat
and if it did not have three corners
it would not be my hat.

That's the list for tonight. I wish I could have included songs by Tret Fure, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tracy Chapman, Ferron, and many more.

I'm supposed to tag a bunch of other people, but the only other bloggers I know besides , who should consider herself tagged, are Tracy, who tagged me, and Shelley, who was also tagged by Tracy.

Snow, No Snow

Last weekend the Eastern seaboard got blasted with snow. We didn't get as much as NYC and New Jersey, but we did get a respectable 18 inches. Unfortunately, I picked up a nasty cold (congestion, low grade fever, no energy) the week before. Consequently I spent last weekend swigging water, filling tissues, and sleeping. What I did not do was get out into the snow to play. I did do a little shoveling, which pretty much wiped me out despite the fact that this was light fluffy snow. I finally broke down on Monday and went to the doctor. The doctor told me I had a cold and that it could be as much as another week before I got better. Not really what I wanted to hear.

The only good thing about being sick was that I had an excuse for spending hours glued to the Olympic coverage on the tv. Favorite events - women's hockey, snowboard cross (Amy looked at me like I'd lost my mind when I suggested that they should add snowboard cross relays.), alpine skiing, speed skating (both kinds) and curling. I watch the figure skating but it's really not my thing. I was very disappointed when the American women lost on Friday, but it was a great game and the Swedish goaltender was outstanding.

I was finally feeling more like myself by Friday, but by then the snow was all gone. I'm hoping that the cold which blew in yesterday will give the Weston Ski track an opportunity to make snow. And if the cold hangs around I might manage to get out onto it in the not to distant future.

Where's the Snowshoeing??

We haven't made it out into the snow this year. Why? you may ask. Or perhaps you're just assuming that the lack of snow cover in the Boston area is at fault.

Well, part of the reason is the lack of snow cover nearby. It would be a lot easier to get out if it didn't require several hours of driving!

We've also been spending most recent weekends (not last weekend which was our anniversary) on "spring cleaning". Yes, I know it's not spring but our weather doesn't know that. No pile, closet, or desk is safe. The list doesn't seem to be getting shorter, but it will eventually. And when it does we will be much closer to being able to get the renovations started.

I can hear you all now - renovations? oh that. Do you really think they're actually going to do those renovations?

In answer to your doubts I refer you to the post titled "Terri's Desk" in my archives. It took much longer than it should have but it did get done and so will the renovations. But first I need to call the carpenter to see what's holding up the fascia repair (we lost a section to a wind storm). Stay tuned....

North Bennet Street School

In the shadow of Old North Church in the North End of Boston sits the North Bennet Street School. NBSS is the place to learn trade skills in New England. They offer programs in Jewelry, Locksmithing, Piano Tuning, Violin Making, Construction, Preservation Carpentry and Woodworking. I've know about NBSS for years. Several of the woodworking classes I've taken have been taught by NBSS grads, and it's been written about in woodworking magazines.

This winter I decided to take the plunge and enroll in one of the workshop classes offered by the school. After much deliberation I signed up for the Fundamentals of Fine Woodworking workshop. The workshop meets two nights a week. So far we've sharpened tools - chisels, plane irons, marking gauges; flattened a board; worked on a "practice block" and begun work on a sharpening stone box.

The chisel sharpening has been the most difficult part of the class for me. To start with the 1 inch chisel I started working with had bad steel and wouldn't hold an edge. After working on it for 3 classes the problem was diagnosed and the chisel replaced. That put me behind and I'm still working on catching up. The other part of sharpening I'm having difficulty mastering is using the grinder to set the angle on the chisel. I'm still stuggling a little with this.

Once the plane iron was sharp we learned how to create a board with flat parallel faces, and edges which were square to the faces and ends.

On the practice block we used the 1 inch chisel (now that it was sharp) to create 45 degree chamfers on the end and part way up each side with one ending in a sharp shoulder and the other curving up to the edge, the other end and sides were rounded over, with one edge ending in a sharp shoulder and the other curved out. When I finish it I'll post a picture.

The sharpening stone box is being created out of a single piece of wood. We started by marking two sides and one end with the newly sharpened marking gauge. Then using the stone marked the other two edges with a utility knife. Once the edges were marked we began clearing out the bulk of the interior with a chisel. Once that's done the center will be cleaned out with a router plane, and the edges cleaned up with chisels.

So far the class has been great - except for the frustration in getting the chisel sharpened. The instructor, Judith Hanson, and assistant, Jamie, are knowledgeable, encouraging, and friendly. I'm definitely gaining skills I didn't have before.

Picture Book Art

On Sunday we ventured to Amherst to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. This picture is from a post card I bought - it's titled Eric Carle and his catepillar. The museum is absolutely fabulous! The exhibits were one comparing Eric Carle's picture book art with that of Leo Lionni, one on Alice and Martin Provenson, and a smaller exhibit on Jerry Pinkney.

The exhibits easily held our attention - who knew that the art of Eric Carle and Leo Lionni was so similar. There are gallery activities for children - clipboards with a list of things to find in the pictures, and each room includes a bench with box of books related to the exhibit. Each of the exhibits shows not only the art but also explains the process the artist uses to create the pictures.

The Jerry Pinkney exhibit was complete with a warning sign that the subject matter was inappropriate for children under 8. The book featured, The Old African, is about the enslavement of Africans, and the related horrors.

The museum also features a small library - hours of picture books to read; a cafe, an auditorium and an activity room. The activity room is available for everyone, adult and children, and features materials to try some of the processes used by the featured artists.

The museum shop is another treasure trove of picture books - I could have spent hours there and lots and lots of money!

Even the bathrooms impressed me. They feature tiles of Eric Carle's characters and child sized fixtures in addition to the adult sized fixtures.

The museum is definitely worth a visit - I know I'll go back - can't wait till Nick is old enough to survive the road trip to Amherst!

For info on the museum check out www.picturebookart.org.

Weekend in Springfield

We spent last weekend in Springfield, exploring, and relaxing. Saturday morning we walked from our hotel to the Quadrangle , site of the Dr. Suess National Memorial. The memorial consists of a number of statues of Suess characters, and Dr. Suess himself in the Quadrangle. Horton from Horton, Thing One, Thing Two, the narrator, Sally and the Cat, Yertle the Turtle and friends, the Grinch and Max, and a couple which I am sorry to say I didn't recognize - guess I'm going to have to brush up on my Dr. Suess!

Around the edges of the Quadrangle are several museums (Science, Art, and Connecticut Valley History), and the Springfield Public Libary. We didn't venture into any of the Musueums but did enjoy checking out the architectural details of each of the buildings.