Rolling On the French River

I had a fabulous time at Crane’s Lochaven Lodge in Canada. The road trip, however, was brutal.  We left at midnight and drove straight through the night.  I tried, but failed, to sleep in the car.  My father and brother, on the other hand, did fall asleep, but it was while they were driving. That was pretty scary.

Sue and Ed, the owners of the lodge, are wonderful hosts.  My father and brothers have been going for several years now, so our family is pretty well known there.  I was very moved to see this tribute to Mark hanging on a wall in the dining hall.

I was also moved by the beauty of the French River.

The weather could have been better (it was cold and wet), but we weren’t there to sunbathe.  We were there to catch fish.  And catch fish we did – small mouth bass, large mouth bass, rock bass, perch, catfish (which we gave to the owners for the Friday fish fry), sunnies, walleye and pike.  I was ecstatic when I caught this pike, even though it was too small to keep.

Then I caught this one - the “Trophy fish” of the season - an astounding 41 and 1/4 inch, 16 pound Northern pike.

Ed’s son demonstrated the proper way to hold a large fish for photographs.  You get a better idea of the pike’s size this way.

What a thrill!  Never in my wildest imaginings did I think I would catch a fish like that - on a worm, no less.  My father and brother were casting with heavy poles and expensive lures, and, after I caught the big pike, the guide suggested that they might want to see if they could get their money back for the lures.  Heh.

I had no interest in having the fish mounted, and was told that pike aren’t good eating (apparently, they’re gamey tasting).  I wish I had released the pike, but I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time.  I was in shock.

Anyway, Ed wanted it for advertising purposes, and offered to give me other fish fillets to bring home in exchange, so I let him keep it.  However, he neglected to follow through with his part of the bargain.  When I questioned him about it as we were leaving the island, he said he forgot, and promised to  make it up to me.  My father and brother are going back next month, so they’re going to remind him of his promise.

We visited the place where Mark’s ashes were scattered.  It was his favorite fishing spot.  After shedding some tears, I dropped my line and silently asked Mark to help me out.  Believe it or not, that’s when I caught the monster pike.

We had a guide for three of the days we were out on the river, and, most of the time, Jerry called my brother, Mike (Mark’s identical twin brother), by his correct name, but every once in a while, he called him Mark.  It was weird, especially considering that he knew nothing about our family.

Speaking of Jerry, he makes a mean “shore lunch.” A fire is built and the freshly caught fish are cooked up along with potatoes, baked beans and coffee made in a can.  Everything was delicious.

After Friday’s fish fry on the deck of the lodge, it has become a tradition for whichever guests and staff members feel so inclined to jump off the railing into the river.  There was no way in hell I was going to do that, despite everyone urging me to do so since I had caught the biggest fish, so one of my nephews volunteered to do it for me. He enjoyed it so much he did it again, and got one of his cousins to take the plunge with him.  We had so much fun.

Tomorrow morning, I leave for Rhode Island. I sure have spent a lot of time on the road this summer.   It’s been great.

I have loads of stuff to do, so I’ll catch you on the flip side.

Song of the Day: Proud Mary by Tina Turner

Bring Out Your Dead

I finally saw Spamalot!  A local community college offered a bus trip to NYC yesterday for the unbelievably low price of $11.  (The train costs $30.)  I went with my mother, my aunt, my cousin, Kathy, and her friend, Bob.  When we got to the city, we split up.  My mother, aunt and cousin had already seen Spamalot, so they went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Bob and I headed for the TKTS Discount booth, and, fortunately, Spamalot was among the listed shows.

Before the performance, we had lunch at Bistecca Fiorentina.  It was the best meal I’ve had in a long time. For an appetizer, Bob ordered grilled octopus and squid.  I had a mixed plate of roasted polenta with Gorgonzola cheese, a stuffed mushroom, zucchini with béchamel sauce, eggplant Parmesan, and a roasted, stuffed red pepper.  It was way too much food for me, so I shared with Bob.  Still, I barely had room for my lobster ravioli entrée.  Even with Bob’s help, I couldn’t finish it.

After we ate, we headed over to the Shubert Theatre.  I was very excited.  The play certainly lived up to my expectations.   It was so much fun!  This was my favorite number.  Hilarious!

At present, Stephen Collins (the father on 7th Heaven) is playing King Arthur, and Drew Lachey (former member of 98 Degrees, along with his brother, Nick, who was married to Jessica Simpson.  Drew was also a “Dancing With the Stars” winner.) plays Patsy.  Marin Mazzie is the Lady of the Lake.   What a voice!  I had such a good time.

The only downside was the physical pain.  I’m really hurting.  Sunshyn and Texas Peach are right.  I most definitely should not have done all that backbreaking gardening, and, yes, I am crazy.  The pain is worse than it was when I was out on disability.  I keep hoping it will get better, but it hasn’t.  I don’t know what I’m going to do…

To add insult to injury, I’m not sure the garden will flourish.  The layers of compost, etc., aren’t as deep as they should be, but it’s the best I could do.  Please keep your fingers crossed.  It would be devastating for the garden to fail after all the hard work I put into it.

Song of the Day:  Not Yet Dead from Monty Python’s Spamalot

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

First, the good stuff.  The Asian lilies I planted in the fall are blooming. This is noteworthy for someone like me who does not have a green thumb.

Sunday was my grandmother’s birthday, and she was so happy.  She said she hopes she lives to see 100.  I hope so, too.  Anyone who makes it to 97 deserves to  hit the big One Oh Oh.

Now for the sad news.  The ex called a little while ago to let me know that he made arrangements to have our dog, Bowie, put to sleep on Thursday.  We got him as a puppy almost 15 years ago.  That’s a long life for a big dog.   Unfortunately, the quality of his life has been declining.  He’s having trouble standing, and is in pain.  It’s time to put an end to his suffering.

This hurts.  A lot.  He was such a good boy, and I love him so much.

My heart is breaking.

Song of the Day:  Dog’s Life by Gentle Giant

Spinelli Salutations

I’m really down because of the return of the scary headaches (and, yes, Michael, I did think they were gone forever). However, my spirits were lifted a bit this morning thanks to an email from my Bradford buddy, Allison. She went to a meet and greet at the Manchester Animal Shelter in New Hampshire yesterday. Much to my surprise, Bradford asked about me, by name. I wasn’t expecting that at all. He is such a sweetheart.

There’s going to be another fan event in NYC next month, but, unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend because that’s the day I’ll be coming home from a vacation at the Jersey shore. Actually, I don’t know how much of a “vacation” that’s going to be. My daughter, Leigh, begged me to go because the presence of an adult is required for many of the rentals. Against my better judgment, I said yes. There will be five young people… and me. This should be interesting.

My aching head wants to bury itself into a pillow, so I think I’ll go back to bed for a while before I have to go visit my father.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

Song of the Day: Father Figure by George Michael

Friday the 13th

Yesterday lived up to the hype and turned out to be a bad luck day, indeed.  The scary headaches are back after 9 or 10 months of blissful freedom from this particular pain.  These headaches are truly the bane of my existence.  They make my life an absolute misery.  They make me want to roll over and die.

To top things off, yesterday was my brothers’ birthday.

Enough wallowing in the mire.  If I’m going to get anything done today (and there’s lots to do), I need to start now.  It’s going to be slow going with this crippling headache.

Song of the Day:  Friday the 13th by Wardance

A Room of One’s Own

I haven’t had time to post entries lately, so I thought I’d squeeze one in this morning. Last week’s activities included two birthday celebrations – Daniel on Wednesday, and my aunt on Saturday. The celebration for Daniel’s birthday was intimate. We went to dinner with Rebecca and her boyfriend.

There was a big party for my aunt, who turned 75. It was nice to hang out with cousins (and an uncle from Miami) I don’t get to see very often. The highlight of the party (for me, at any rate) was the carrot cake my cousin’s wife made. She’s a pastry chef, and this cake is to die for. It was beautiful, as well as delicious. I took a picture, but left my camera behind when we left the party. I’ll get the camera back on Friday, so I’ll post the photo at a later date.

Yesterday, I had an appointment with the orthopedic guy to go over the results of my last MRI. It seems that I have quite a bit of arthritis in my cervical spine, along with nerve entrapment. This could be causing the pain in my shoulder blade. Dr. Bones referred me to pain management, and an appointment was scheduled for Monday.

There’s not much else to write about, but I did want to mention today’s Simple Abundance essay. The essay is titled, “Your Bedroom: Cradle of Civilization.” It starts with this quote from Mrs. Winston Guest: All one really needs is a divinely attractive bed.

Interestingly enough, I just changed the bed ensemble yesterday – bedskirt, sheets, pillow shams and quilt/comforter. The ensemble I removed was bringing me down. It was too big and heavy. I tripped over the edges of the comforter whenever I walked around the bed to make it. Consequently, I stopped making it, even though I hate an unmade bed.

Making the bed is among the quickest and easiest of chores, and it makes such a difference. Getting into an unmade bed is not only unappealing, but it also causes me physical pain when I have to wrench the sheets, blanket and comforter back into a position where they will cover me.

Sarah Ban Breathnach writes, “ Your bedding should be as inviting to look at as it is comfortable to lie on. I am convinced that a woman should love her bedcovers with a passion. This isn’t just aesthetics; it encourages you to keep your bedroom tidy because the bed looks so pretty when it’s all made up… You can see this leads to Sublime Order, at least in one room of your home.”

Sublime Order is sadly lacking in other rooms of my house (especially the kitchen) because I succumb to pain and fatigue by the time I get home from work, and it’s all I can do to make dinner. But a bedroom should be a sanctuary – a place where you can go to get away from the chaos of life. The new bedding has restored my bedroom to the oasis it should be. I’ll post a picture (along with the carrot cake) when I get my camera back.

Song of the Day: Midnight at the Oasis by Maria Muldaur

A Jolly Holiday

First things first. I’m thrilled to report that I got the ink stain out of my jeans! The rubbing alcohol got rid of most of it, and hairspray took out the rest. Thanks for the great suggestions!

In other news, I’ve been having a really good Memorial Day weekend. It started on Friday with a trip to a thrift store with my cousin, Kathy. I got two pairs of paints, an L.L. Bean denim-colored linen jacket, an Eddie Bauer top, a hardcover book and the game, Pictionary (in like-new condition) all for the grand total of $11.50. Kathy and I topped the day off with a meal at a Middle Eastern restaurant.

The next evening, Daniel and I were invited to a lasagna dinner at my aunt’s house. (My mother cooked the lasagna, but her place is too small to host a gathering.) Somehow, the conversation turned to the Little Rascals, and then to Eddie Murphy’s SNL impersonation of Buckwheat. Too funny.

Yesterday, Kathy and I went to Rhinebeck to see the movie, Alexandra. We had lunch at our favorite Indian restaurant. Everything on the buffet is a gastronomical delight.

Today, we’re having a barbecue. Only a few people have been invited, and the food offerings will be simple – hamburgers, hot dogs, and my renowned potato salad. Tomorrow (I’ll be off work again, thanks to a give-back snow day), I’m hoping to relax. I’m also looking forward to a break from the itching, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon, even though the prednisone prescription runs out tomorrow.

Oh, I wanted to show you my new glasses. (They’re pretty similar to my old ones except that the new frames are black instead of brown.) This pic was taken on Friday, and I got my hair chopped off on Saturday (same style, but shorter in the back and on the sides), but I haven’t had a chance to take another photo, so this one will have to do for now.

I’d better get a move on. There’s a pile of mulch in my driveway that needs to be spread.

Song of the Day: Jolly Holiday from Mary Poppins

A Mother of a Week

Boy, was I glad to bid a not so fond adieu to this past week from hell. Getting smacked in the face by a rake handle set the bad karma ball rolling, and it was all downhill after that. One bad experience involved shopping for eyeglasses to replace the ones that broke in the rake incident.

I have a really hard time finding glasses that look halfway decent on me. Consequently, I tried on just about every pair of frames in the place I do business with. (Naturally, the style I broke has been discontinued.) It was very discouraging. Everything I looked at was extremely expensive (plus, I wear Transitional/Progressives, which jacks the price up even more). To add insult to injury, none of the frames were the least bit flattering.

Still, I had to get something. The spare pair I’m using distorts my depth perception. Finally, I settled on a Banana Republic frame. I’ll probably be even more dissatisfied when they come in than I was when I tried them on because the prescription lenses will allow me to see more clearly just how bad they look. (It’s difficult to accurately judge how glasses look when you need glasses to see with!)

I’ve also been dealing with some work-related crap, but I don’t want to talk about that. I’m trying to not give the petty nonsense that goes on in that place too much power over me.

Yesterday, there was a big get-together at my sister’s house to celebrate my nephew’s 16th birthday. I made the mistake of telling my family about the rake incident. For the rest of the day I had to endure wisecracks from my father, brother-in-law and nephews about how “stupid” I am.

It might have been stupid if I had noticed that the rake tines were facing forward when I was walking over to turn the hose faucet on, but I didn’t. It was an accident, not something I did intentionally. To call me stupid repeatedly, and to make jokes all day long about something that caused me physical pain and financial hardship (i.e. the expensive replacement eyeglasses) was cruel and hurtful.

Still, I should have known better. Certain members of my family make a sport out of calling people stupid. Personally, I think they are the stupid ones.

To lighten things up, I’d like to share a few photos with you. Two years ago, my daughters gave me a small lilac tree for Mother’s Day. Much to my delight, it bloomed this year. Hurray!

I keep this next picture propped up on my desk at work. It amuses me, especially when students say things like: “You met Flavor Flav??” I kid you not. Quite a few students have asked that question, despite the fact that Flavor Flav’s side is in black and white while mine is in color.

Speaking of Flavor Flav, this student borrowed my gansta clock for a school play she appeared in Friday evening. She was adorable.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

Song of the Day: Mother by Pink Floyd

Name Dropping Part II

Thank you to everyone who shared experiences in the comments section of my last entry (or via email). I really enjoyed reading about your celebrity sightings. LA mentioned seeing Armand Assante, and that reminded me that I did, too. He was at a Bob Dylan concert at our Civic Center several years ago. I spent almost as much time watching him as I did watching Dylan. He (Assante, not Dylan!) sure is easy to look at.

There are a few others I forgot to include. When I was 13 years old, my grandmother took me to California. During a tour of the 20th Century Fox studios, one of the men who played the Lost in Space robot (Warning! Danger, Will Robinson!) got on the tour bus and talked to us. For a kid who was a big fan of that show, this was pretty exciting.

That was my second “celebrity” experience. The first was when I was quite a bit younger, and got the autograph of a pro-football player during a family vacation in Florida. (This was at a training camp, so perhaps it was a Miami Dolphin?)

A few years ago, I had dinner with author Da Chen. He was the guest speaker at a library conference at a local restaurant. After he spoke, Mr. Chen sat at my table, and was a charming dinner companion.

I saw Todd Rundgren at our county fair. I ran into Ric Ocasek (lead singer of The Cars) and his wife, Paulina Porizkova, at a rest stop on the Taconic State Parkway. (They live in the area, as does Liam Neeson, who once waved to my mother as she drove by while he was on horseback. Robert DeNiro is another Hudson Valley resident. My brother has been in his house to service the fire extinguishers.)

Back to Ric Ocasek… My daughter, Leigh, was very young at the time, and we had stopped because of a bathroom emergency. Mr. Ocasek and his wife were exiting the building as we were trying to enter. He heard the rest stop employee turn us away because the place was closing. We stressed that it was an emergency, but the employee still wouldn’t let us in. Mr. Ocasek turned back and spoke to the guy. He urged him to “let the little girl use the facilities.” The employee relented, and Leigh was able to use the bathroom, thanks to Ric Ocasek. We expressed our gratitude, and he and Paulina gave us big smiles and waved as they left.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

In other news, I took a personal day on Friday to visit a SUNY college campus with Leigh. It went very well (no bathroom emergencies!). I’m really hoping that Leigh will follow through and attend this college in the fall. It’s very difficult for her to move outside her comfort zone, but she knows this is a necessary step towards accomplishing her goals. Positive thoughts would be much appreciated.

Reading:  No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

Song of the Day: Let’s Go by The Cars

Give Me A Break

I am now officially on spring break, although I use the term “break” very loosely. The truth is that things are going to be pretty hectic. First of all, I have dinner guests arriving later this afternoon. My aunt, my cousin, Kathy, and her friend, Bob, have had us over for dinner for a couple of weeks in a row, so I feel the need to reciprocate. My mother will also be joining us.

The menu: sauerbraten with gingersnap gravy, potato pancakes, red cabbage and raisin pumpernickel bread. Bob is making spaetzle, and my mother is bringing a homemade Black Forest cake.

Here’s a shot of the sauerbraten in its marinade.

Tomorrow, I have a wake to attend. The grandmother of my best friend in high school died on Wednesday, at the astonishing age of 104. Everyone called her Ya Ya (which is Greek for grandma). I have many fond memories of Ya Ya, especially when she would talk about her deceased husband, who, according to her, was “deelishus.” The funeral, which I will also be attending, is on Monday.

We had news of another death this past week. Uncle Joe (my mother’s brother) died in Florida on Tuesday. He was cremated, and his ashes will be sent here for burial in the family plot. The memorial service will take place at the convenience of the family.

Uncle Joe was a real character. My memories of him include affectionate pats on my “honey-blonde” head, and a pair of shoes he spray-painted electric blue. Joe was pretty much a loner, and carried on lengthy conversations with himself (usually within earshot of others). He was a voracious reader, and had a keen sense of adventure. He was always setting off on road trips, visiting new places and seeing new sights. Happy trails, Uncle Joe.

Tuesday will find me at the office of the pain management doctor. On Wednesday, I’m scheduled for a two hour appointment at the dentist’s office. (The first hour is for root planing and scaling, and the second is to have silver fillings replaced with white ones.) Friday is reserved for my weekly appointment with the chiropractor, and on Saturday I am having my hair highlighted and my body massaged.

I was hoping to squeeze in a trip to NYC during my week “off”… Maybe I can do that on Thursday… Then again, maybe not. I really need a day just to relax and recuperate… We’ll see how it goes.

Enough lollygagging. I have to address the fact that my house is in no condition for guests, so I’d better get a move on. If anyone has any energy to spare, please send it my way.

Song of the Day: Spring Break by Army of Freshmen