Good Times

I just finished a book called Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan.  It basically a story about three generations of women and their interactions that takes place in their summer home in Maine.  The house was purchased by the patriarch when Alice and he were first married.  They spent many a summer there and after he died she summered there by herself.  The story takes place mainly during one particular summer while she is there and then the other characters come in.  First she is visited by her granddaughter and then her daughter-in-law and then her daughter.  It is a very good story with some twists and turns that you would not expect.

Once of the reasons I loved the story so much is that it reminded me of the house my late stepfather had in the Poconos.  His parents bought it in the 1930s and when his father died my stepfather was given the property as he was the only male heir.  He and his mother summered there until she passed and then he would go up all summer and my mother would go up occasionally (they had a strange relationship).  The house was situated on the lake with 200 feet of lakefront property which my stepfather had acquired over time.  It was a beautiful place and I loved going up there.  When my stepfather passed, the house was sold as my mother didn’t really want to continue to go up.  It was a very emotional time for me the last time we went up to get my stepfather’s car, which he had left for my son.  We had gone up in the winter and the house was cold and damp.  Even though there was furniture still there, the soul of the places seemed to have passed on as well as the person.

The house, like the house in the story, represented something that was associated with so many memories of friends of my stepfather’s, my family members, and friends that my husband and I were allowed to bring up when we were given the house for a weekend or so.  The times we spent there are a family were memorable but probably special more because of the house than because of my family.  The house kind of represented a third party in the cohesiveness that our family shared there.  After my stepfather died, like when the patriarch of the family in the book died, things began to fall apart.  It seems as if in both cases the person who died acted as a peace keeper of sorts with the house acting as the foundation for everything.  That seemed as if it was a lifetime ago and many things have changed since then.  Funny how a house can be all that.

Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

I just threw this together and my husband raved. So I thought i would share 

1 tsp hot sesame oil
1 tbl EEVO
1 medium yellow onion chopped
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch chunks
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1 sweet red pepper, sliced
Fresh ground black pepper (optional)

Put the oils in a skillet and heat on medium high heat. Throw the onions and garlic in and cook until soft. Add the chicken and the potatoes and cook until the meat is browned. Add the red wine, lower the heat a bit and cover until the potatoes are soft - about 5-10 minutes. Add the red pepper and take off the lid, turn up the heat and cook until the wine is reduced to almost nothing. Serve with a grinding of black pepper, if desired.

Texting while Driving

I just wanted to post a letter that my husband sent into the paper last year.  I was going through my files and came across this and thought you all would enjoy it.  I think it says it all.  The Senate Bill this letter is talking about has moved to the House (SB 314) but has not become law.  The House has their own version of the bill. Here is a link to more information about the legislation.

Dear Editor:

I have been reading with interest the debate on the texting-while-driving issue.  As a professional truck driver, I was shocked to hear that the Pennsylvania Senate made texting while driving a secondary offense. 

I see the most unbelievable things during my working day, from drivers talking on their cell phones to people attempting to drive and put on makeup, shave, perform self-sexual gratification, even get dressed.  People just don’t seem to understand that a car can cause massive damage to both themselves and others if they get distracted.  I guess they expect their vehicle to just drive itself while they are typing away on their laptop (yes, I witnessed that just the other day).   Volvo and Mercedes must have invented the self braking system for people out there who drive while stupid.

While cell phones are supposed to provide the ultimate in communication convenience, when used behind the wheel it can also provide the ultimate in death.  How can a call be that pressing that you have to make it while speeding down the road in the passing lane and preventing others from passing you.  I, myself have missed exits in the past before deciding that voice mail is also a wonderful invention.  I am not sounding sexist here, but 90% of women I pass on the road have their cell phones sitting in their laps, just waiting for that next call.  Why?

Please call your Representative and demand they re-work the changes the Senate has put into place and pass a strong texting while driving bill that makes it a primary offense with all the penalties that come with it.  In addition, please consider that when you are behind the wheel, you are no longer a doctor, a lawyer, a nurse or any other profession; you are a driver – act like one.  We truck drivers who have to deal with drivers who are paying more attention to their cell phone, themselves, and their laptops instead of what their vehicle is doing, will greatly appreciate it.

Be Part of the Solution

I read a comment in the 2 cents column of the Times Herald by a guy named Jerry who was complaining about the trash behind the Bandshell at the Elmwood Park.  His last comment whined about why no one is doing anything about it.  I felt like calling I a rebuttal for that comment like “well Jerry instead of complaining about having someone else do it, why don’t you do it?”  I didn't frankly because I kept forgetting to call, but it really annoys me that people think like that.

Jerry should be part of the solution.  If he is tired of the trash in that area, maybe he should bend over and pick it up.  Or maybe he should grab a group of his friends and schedule a clean-up of the area.  Who does he expect to clean it up anyway?  He is the same kind of person who probably has trash lying around the front of his property and won’t pick it up because he didn’t put it there.  This kind of thinking is pervasive in this town.  Everyone is expecting someone else to do the work and they just sit around an complain about it. As a result nothing gets done.

So be part of the solution.  If you see something wrong then fix it or get a group of people together to help you fix it.  Enlist the help of the administration to point you in the right direction if you don’t know how to do it.  There are plenty of community groups in the town that work on stuff like that and would be more than glad to have another helping hand in the work they do.  People are too quick to just point their finger and place the blame and the solution on someone else.  It has caused a downgrade in our community.

Placing Blame

I was distressed to hear about the poor girl who was shot and killed on Green and Basin the other night and have been following the several articles in the news as the investigation continues.  I was reading through the comments from one of the articles on the Times Herald website for that article, and was a  little taken back by one of comments which refered that Council was not doing their job because of the recent spate of crime going on in the municipality. 

My question to that sentiment is how and what can be done by Council to thwart crime?  Council makes the laws in the town and there are fairly stringent laws already on the books about crime both on the local level and the federal level.  No matter how many laws are created, there is frankly nothing that can be done if the law cannot be enforced.  Council can’t find the perpetrator of the crime against Dominique Devlin or anyone else for that matter.  That’s the police job, and they are doing the best they can.  The same people who are arguing about Council not doing their job are probably not talking about the crime if they know anything to help the police find the shooter.  What are new laws going to do? What do these people expect Council to do?

I am sure that there is extreme frustration out there because of the crime and people are frightened.  But more laws on the books are not going to fix the problem.  Council has the power to create the laws, but they don’t have the power to stop those who are breaking the laws.  They have the power to request the police to enforce the laws, but the police can’t enforce them if they can’t find the person or persons who commit the crimes.  Let’s blame the crime on the people who are responsible for the crime, not the governmental body who write the laws.

People Watching

I love to watch people.  It’s just a thing I do and have done for a long time.  I was sitting in an office with a window out to the train station the other day and it was fun watching the people getting on and off the train.  It was hard to concentrate on what I was supposed to do because of the view. 

I try not to stare but sometimes people come up with some outlandish outfits.  Take this one woman I saw.  It was a really hot summer day and a rather thin woman had on a long sleeve top and a long full length skirt.  Both were white and it looked quite nice against her tanned skin, but I thought she must be broiling in it with the long sleeves.  I don’t know what kind of material it was, and I guess she was coming home from work so maybe it wasn’t too hot if she was in air conditioning all day and then going to an air conditioned car.  

Another woman, a young woman, had tattoos all over.  She was wearing a short skirt and a loose fitting top with ¾ sleeves and on each exposed limb there was a tattoo.  I still don’t get it.  Is she really going to be happy when she is 60 and has those all over her body?  I can see one or two peeking out of a shirt sleeve, but multiple ones still kind of have me scratching my head. 

Then there are the kids wearing the torn t-shirts and jeans with the holes in them.  I guess they have no one to impress.  I actually prefer those to the kids walking around with their shorts showing.  I find that really disgusting.  I really don’t want to have to see someone’s rear end walking down the street.  I find it offensive.  But they don’t care and I guess it is a fashion of some sort kind of like when I was young and we wore bell bottoms and peasant blouses. 

Yes, I guess I am an old fashioned woman when it comes to dress.  

Some Sort of Chili

Made this up when we got home from bike riding one night. My husband loved it. 

approx 1 tsp EVOO 
1 large white onion, chopped 
2 carrots, peeled and shredded 
1 lb ground beef 
1 large tomato, chopped 
approx 2 tsp chilli powder 
approx 1 tsp cayenne pepper 
approx 1 tsp cumin 
1 can of black beans, rinsed 
shedded cheddar cheese, if desired 
Hot sauce, if desired 

Pour the EVOO in a skillet and heat. Add the onion and the carrot and cook until soft. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add tomato and cook until soft. Season to taste. Rinse the beans and add. Serve with cheese and hot sauce if you like it hot. You can serve with rice if you wish or maybe hunks of a great bread or tortillas. I recommend Tapatio brand hot sauce.

Interesting Toys

Yesterday I was surfing the net and I came across a toy that helps little girls simulate breast feeding.  Check out this link.  In the article they have a news clip on the coverage and interview several people about their feelings on the doll.  Personally I take a very dim view pushing kids into adulthood.  I understand that breastfeeding is a natural part of life.  But I think no matter how natural it is, having a child simulate the act when they are little I think is too much.

Kids need to be kids.  They need to play and jump and do all the imaginary things they can do when they can do it.  Simulating adult behavior with something like breastfeeding isn’t necessary.  They will be adults soon enough.  Children are starting earlier and earlier to have sex.  I suppose if we lived more openly, as they do in other countries, children would see mothers breastfeeding children and it would be totally natural when they had children themselves to think that is the way to feed their own child.  But I think this doll is too much.

What do you think?  You are welcome to comment.

Codes

The other day I was speaking to a resident about who is running for election this cycle. She said that she would only vote for someone who would do something about illegal immigration.  I am sure her complaint was primarily racially motivated, but moreover it was uneducated as the people running for election this cycle cannot really do anything about immigration. It is a federal law and local municipalities can’t do anything about it.

What local municipalities can do is strengthen their codes and look more closely on the violation trends for the properties.  Falling down homes and broken windows, while very obvious are not the only things that cause community problems.  Too many people living in an apartment or mounds of trash on the street – which is not always caused by immigrants – are not-so-clear signs that there are issues going on in that property and something needs to be done about it.  All of these things affect the quality of life for everyone in the block and degrades the town.

If the codes department is on top of things many kinds of things would get violations which would hurt the landlords that are allowing this kind of behavior go on.  Attack negligent property owners in the community by citing them every time they violate the law and they will eventually close up shop and that problem property will abate itself.  It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.  Once the word gets out that the municipality is not going to accept this kind of property owner and things will slowly turn around.

Mother Nature's Revenge

The weather is in the news again.  I guess that means we can talk about it and not be accused of having nothing to say.   Anyway, we are in the middle of a heat wave so pervasive that it is all across the country.  The other day I saw a news clip about a story that said they were going to say why we are having all this terrible weather.  But the segment was really lame.  It just talked about the heat and the fact that we have not had this kind of heat since the 1800s.  No mention as to why we are having it.  So just maybe, just maybe Al Gore was right?

Opponents of the Al Gore Inconvenient Truth say that this weather is just a cyclical situation and the earth has had It before.  They say that if you go back in time far enough, you will have the same temperatures as you are having now.  Maybe, but we have not had the same pollution we have had now which is evidenced by the ice core samples they have taken from the Arctic.  There has to be some kind of effect that all these chemicals in our air is causing.  More kids are getting asthma, there have been more drastic swings of temperature, and the quality of the air is not the same.  You can actually see the haze over the low lying areas.

 We have to be kind to Mother Nature.  This is the only planet we have and we have to keep it clean or we will all suffer.  We actually live in a bubble, so keeping that in mind It might be easier to understand that pollution to our air and water is not something that is healthy for us or for the planet.  Whether or not Al Gore is right, the facts are that our earth is getting dirtier and dirtier and if we don’t put a stop to what we are doing then we are just killing ourselves.  Let’s make Earth Day, every day.

Getting Away with Murder

I have to admit that I have not been following the Casey Anthony story except for what I get tweets about.  This morning I see that a woman who looks like her was attacked and the other day I saw that a man who had the same name has been getting death threats.  After looking into a little further into the case I understand why.  How can a person, especially a mother, not report her child missing for a month and not have killed her.  Yes, the evidence was sketchy and yes it created doubt in the jury’s mind, but come on.  If I ever get in trouble, I want that lawyer.

When my son was little I was constantly looking out for him.  I remember one time we went to the mall and he disappeared into a rack of clothes.  The fear that went through me was indescribable.  I know most parents have gone through that.  Fortunately I found him quickly, but from then on, I had him on a leash.  Literally.  I got one of those harness things and whenever we went out in public he was on it and I had a firm grasp of the other end.  People would look at me strangely, but my son was the type to run off suddenly and he was very quick and with God knows who out there he could have been snatched up in a flash.  If anyone said anything to me I just said that I loved my son and wanted to keep him safe.  I would have reported him missing if he had been gone an hour – get that Amber Alert going!

So how in anyone’s right mind can anyone think that this woman was not at fault when her child, especially a child as adorable as her little girl, go missing and she doesn’t do anything to find her?  I think that woman is sick in the head and needs treatment.  So now she is going scott-free and will probably have another child and I shudder to think about that child’s safety.  

Babies, Babies

My refrigerator has magnets on it; lots of magnets.  It is one of those French Door models and on the left side are magnets from places I have been on vacations and what not.  On the right side are pictures of all my friend’s babies who have sent pictures to me in Christmas cards.  I never seem to take any of them down or change out the more recent ones so there are several years of pictures from several kids, most notably my son of course.  I was looking at those pictures while I ate dinner tonight and thought to myself that if anyone came into my house when I'm not there, they might thing think that I was some sort of child pervert.  Or not. I don’t know if others have that many pictures up on their ‘fridge like that, but as usual with some things that I do, it’s a little excessive.

All of the pictures that I have up there are old and all of the kids are grown now, or at least in college.  But they still stay there because like any red blooded woman, I love babies.  They fascinate me.  Their little hands and feet are so cute and cuddly.  I don’t mind their crying either – well if they don’t cry too much.  I can’t wait until I have a grandchild and can “have” another baby, but with my luck I will be too old to enjoy it though.  My son is nowhere near having a kid yet.  So in the meantime I have to settle with other people’s babies and hear them bragging about their grandchildren and wait.  I am not going to pressure him because the last thing I want is to end up having to care for the kid 24/7 because he does something irresponsible.  No, I want to be able to give the kid back when it gets to be too much for me!   Afterall. that’s the beauty of having grandchildren.

The Effect of Change

Change is good.  Well you make it what you are going to make it.  Take for instance my schedule.  With this new job I get in later than I was getting in with my old job.  So since I get in later, I get home later and there really is no time for bike riding.  So I have been riding first thing in the morning at 6am.  It’s a welcome change, although I don’t really have the time to do a long ride.  But the weather is great.  It’s before the sun has had a chance to beat down on the earth and the temperatures are less humid, less fugly.  There is much less traffic both off the trail and on, and there are more birds singing.  On the negative side I am riding by myself so I miss riding with my husband and our riding buddy.  My husband serves as our mechanic so if I get in trouble on the trail I won’t have the expertise he brings to fix things quickly.  I shudder to think what’s going to happen then.

The difference in time exhibits itself also with the look of the trail.  The first morning’s light is so tranquil to me.  There are a few wisps of clouds hanging low over the ground as the earth begins to awaken.  The rays of the sun gently dry off the dew from the grass and flowers, and the air feels a little fresher.  Yes, I think the morning is an ideal time for a ride.  I like this quiet time.

My Car

I like it when I don’t drive my car.  Don’t get me wrong, I really like my car, and I consider myself a skilled driver, but when I don’t drive my car it makes me feel like I have reduced my carbon footprint significantly.  For the last two days I have been sick with a cold and I stayed inside.  My car stayed outside its parking space and sat. 

I should say I mostly like my car.  The air conditioning broke and I have kind of resigned myself to the fact that I won’t have it this year.  Trying to get air conditioning fixed in the summer is kind of like getting your heating fixed in the winter; they charge you an arm and a leg because other people are demanding and the parts are scarce.  That is regular people.  My husband is not a regular person and doesn’t like to spend money so until the price is right – which is near free for him – it won’t get fixed any time soon.  So I am driving around with the windows down, sweating against the leather seats, and having my hair blown around like nobody’s business.  For now I don’t really care about my hair but I really hate feeling it against my face.

My car is what they consider a performance car.  It has turbo and it’s geared and I do enjoy driving it when I am on a road that demands skill.  I don’t really drive on those roads that often any more.  Driving to work and to the grocery store is pretty much all I do these days.  But sometimes I will take the back roads so that I can get a little twisty-turny road time in and get my Parnelli Jones on a bit.

Not driving makes me feel free, though.  I kind of thinking that whatever the pollution caused by all the cars is not caused by me and for a moment I feel a little superior to the rest.  Then I get in my car and all is forgotten.

Walking

Caught this on a blog this morning: 

Here’s a passage from the book, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, that caught my attention: “Now here’s a thought to consider. Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of all trips outside the home, for whatever distance or whatever purpose, Americans now get in a car. On average the total walking of an American these days —- that’s walking of all types: from car to office, from office to car, around the supermarket and shopping malls — adds up to 1.4 miles a week, barely 350 yards a day. That’s ridiculous.”

Wow!  That is ridiculous.  When you consider that just a decade ago, our national health was in better shape.  Look at the statistic on obesity along which shows that in the United States, obesity prevalence doubled among adults between 1980 and 2004.  If people would walk more that could go down.  Now I am not the world’s fittest individual, but I try.  If there is a situation where I can walk instead of drive I will do that.  I try to ride my bike everyday at least 20 miles if I have the time.  That helps keep my weight down – still have some more to go.  I work to reduce the amount of processed foods that I consume.  I am sure there are other things that I can do.

Changing one’s lifestyle is hard.  I live in a community where driving or not is an option for the most part.  The nearest grocery store is about 5 miles away, which is doable without a car if you are not buying much.  I live 17 miles from work which is not doable when you are rushing to get there in under an hour and the roads on which to get there are very busy, so walking or biking to work is not really doable.    I guess because of my recreational riding I feel as though I kind of deserve to drive because I do a little more that the average person.  But reading the above item makes me realize that there is much more I could do, much more that we all could do.  

Mean People Suck

Have you seen the bumper sticker that says “Mean People Suck”?  Well they do.  Big time.  And I hate that I have to be nice to them when I am calling on behalf of someone else.  The other day I called a woman who answered the phone using her title.  I didn’t know that the person on the list was the person who answered the phone – like really how would I?  Anyway, she got all offended because I called her by her first name and not Dr. so and so.  I mean really.  Get off your high horse.  Just because you probably had much more schooling than I did and probably make a ton of money more than me, get over yourself.

Why can’t people be nicer?  It doesn’t take that much of an effort to be pleasant does it? But I suppose it does.  But being uppity and snooty does not ingratiate you to anyone.  It just makes people talk about you behind your back and laugh about you.  Everyone who has ever dealt with people on the phone as part of a job has stories about people who were mean, demanding, exasperating, and ugly.  It does not get you anywhere in life.  I want to ask these people if they have ever heard of the saying that you catch more flies with sugar than you do with vinegar, but that would not be very polite of me to stoop to their level, and it would not be good for my employer.  So I just have to deal with it. 

I suppose I have to take my own words back to some extent because I have been known to be not so nice to some of the people who are calling my home for various reasons.  Most of the time I just don’t answer the phone, which solves it.  Then again after an experience like yesterday, it reminds me that when I talk to random people calling that they are only doing their job and I need to be nicer because it could be me on the other end. 

Something New

I started a new job today.  Well it’s a temporary job.  I am working on a political campaign while taking a leave of absence from my regular job, which the company that I work for graciously granted.  The campaign is just getting into the swing of things and gearing up the various offices.

It is interesting to work with a bunch of young people.  There is a distinct difference in the attitudes of the younger.  Their skill set is so beyond mine in terms of technology and they seem to understand more about the little features on the phones and computers.  These things seem to come to them easier.  I heard it once said that if you are having trouble programming your VCR you need to ask a 10-year old and for a majority of things, that is so true.  The preschools are teaching the kids computers as soon as they can sit up.  Mothers are handing over their smart phones to toddlers as a way to placate them while in the car.  In fact the biggest growing market in the phone apps are children’s games.

In one respect it is refreshing to be with young people.  They have such vigor and enthusiasm and a genuine zest for learning.  On the other hand, it’s exhausting because they have such energy and their memories are still sharp.  I hope that I can keep up with them!

Happy 4th of July!

Today marks the anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence when several brave men drafted and wrote a document, thought to be quite treasonous, basically telling England to go shove it.   The opening paragraph begins to tell the story.

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

It’s kind of like a teen leaving home and establishing their adulthood for anyone to hear.  Like an adolescent, this county had been suffering some growing pains since the colonization of the original thirteen colonies.  Thomas Jefferson was the one asked to write this document.  Jefferson was an inventive man, and had met several times with the committee of five who discussed this idea.  He did not make claim to the fact that these were his ideas, the idea of a government based on consent was an old idea.  However, the idea of a government “of the people for the people” was new.  But as he had written his own draft for the constitution of Virginia, it was thought he could use that as a basis.  So the document was written, revised with several suggestions from people like Franklin, Adams and many others who ended up signing the document.  In addition, not all that he wrote ultimately made it into the final copy.  It is said that Congress deleted a whole section because they didn’t believe in some of the words and ideas he had expressed.  All in all it was a declaration drafted by many and eventually ratified by all in power at the time.

History goes on from there to say that this document set the stage for the final removal of the original colonies from England.  There were several other documents penned and ratified that ended up to form what we know now as the United States of America, and whose birthday we celebrate today.  As Americans, both those born on this soil and those naturalized, we should know our history and should understand the sacrifices that all who have participated in its creation have made.  Much blood has been shed for the things that many of us take for granted.  This country with all its faults is the greatest in the world.  I, for one, and proud to be an American.

Happy birthday, America.  May you live long and free!

Jumping Through Hoops

In every business there exists some red tape. Sometimes when you go to ask for something in a company or at a municipality, what you think will take a moment or two to complete will take days because of the amount of red tape you may need to go through. It can be frustrating and exasperating and often you have to hold your  tongue because your request can easily be refused flat out.

According to Wikipedia,

"Red tape" is a term for excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making. It is usually applied to governments, corporations and other large organizations.

The origins of the term are somewhat obscure, but it is first noted in historical records in the 16th century, when Henry VIII besieged Pope Clement VII with around eighty or so petitions for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Each one sealed and bound with the obligatory red tape, as was the custom.

The tradition continued through to the 17th and 18th century. Although Charles Dickens is believed to have used the phrase before Thomas Carlyle,[4] the English practice of binding documents and official papers with red tape…

It seems as if all too many times approval after approval is needed to do the simplest things, or what you consider to be the simplest of things. For example if you are setting up a business in Norristown there are certain things that are needed. If you talk to some people you get the impression there is a lot of red tape to navigate, but if you talk to those in charge one to get the other side of the story, you are told that the people who complain the loudest are the ones who are trying to cut corners.  If you are trying to cut corners you will experience problems. If you follow the steps you won’t. I suppose that’s about right sometimes.  When you think about why steps to a procedure exist and you find out why those steps are there, you can generally understand why things have to be done a particular way.

But finding out those whys and wherefores are not easy and generally a clerk at an office will not tell you why because they don’t know. All they know is that it is done this way and that’s that. Getting to that person who made the decision could be more of a problem than just following the rules, so sometimes it is best to bite the bullet and do what you are asked to do. It is a lesson in patience.