Lost and Found Christmas

So it was a warm and wonderful Christmas, with both girls home for a few days. Now they're back in Boston, and George and I are holed up during Winter Storm Euclid -- when did they start naming the winter storms? A perfect time to reflect on more than one minor miracle at the close of 2012.

Drew on Church Street Christmas Eve

First lost item: Christmas Eve the four of us enjoyed a lovely 8:00 candlelight service at the Unitarian church, the visual landmark at the top of Church St. in Burlington. City lights were all aglow to match our mood leaving the church.  By the time we arrived home, I realized my favorite hat didn't make it back with me. I also couldn't find my cell phone, but it was buried in my purse and found in the morning. With the busy-ness of Christmas Day, dinner at George's sister's house, and staying up for the opening night showing of Les Mis at 9:30, the lost hat slipped from my mind.

Second lost item: A few weeks ago I snagged the last three tickets to West Side Story at the Flynn for Dec. 26th. Midway through Christmas Day it became clear I had absolutely no idea where I had stashed the  envelope of tickets - for safe keeping - amid the holiday hubbub. So like any good Protestant, I prayed to St. Anthony (patron saint of lost items). Being married to a guy who survived 17 straight years of Catholic schooling, I have come to appreciate how handy and powerful those saints can be. But saints work in their own time...

Wednesday morning I woke early, enjoyed a leisurely cup of tea before beginning a methodical search through the piles of mail, magazines, holiday cards, gift wrap, storage unit boxes in our dining room -- the last place the tickets were seen. I was fully prepared to print out my email receipt and make a trip to the Flynn box office, plead my case, and hopefully get three replacement tickets. After 40 minutes of no luck, I breathed deep and started working my way through the 8-drawer sideboard. There,  way at the back of drawer #6, was the elusive envelope. Crisis averted, and the show did go on!

Church Street lights are magical

Meeting a friend for supper before the show last night, I remembered the hat. Was sad to think it was really gone, since it was hand-knit by my dear sister-in-law Marie Ramey (Mountain Medicine Hats). I thought I might put an ad in the paper or online offering a small reward, for the sentimental value only. On a whim I decided to park in the same spot on Pearl St. where we parked on Christmas Eve. The UU church was closed, but I looked all along the sidewalk and gutter beside the parked cars, and retraced our steps to and from the church two days earlier. No go.

Mother & daughter before the hat was lost

At 10:30 PM, again aglow from the moving and balletic West Side Story, George walked me to my car. We had driven separately to the show. I was lamenting my lost hat as I slid into the driver's seat. George said, "Is this your hat?" lifting the sweet little maroon cap off the parking meter. I swear it wasn't there at 6:00, but maybe I was looking down instead of up. Best day after Christmas gift ever. Gratitude to St. Anthony, my eagle-eyed husband, and the invisible hands of the Universe who keep us safe, sound and when temporarily lost, found!

Shake and Bake

Shake: If you keep your eyes open for creativity, it jumps out to greet you! I was at an offsite meeting last week - strategic business planning. As if to balance the powerpoint information overload, there hanging in the hotel stairway on our way out were abstract paintings by VT artist Donna Stafford. This one called "Let's Shake" was vibrant with color, energy and 3-D ribbons wriggling throughout.

"Let's Shake" by Donna Stafford $450

Bake - At Shaw's a weekend ago I bought salmon & grabbed one of those recipe cards near the Seafood case. A few nights later at 8pm, I realized I had to cook it -- now or never. Too dark outside for grilling, so out came the card. To my surprise, we had every ingredient! (ok I subbed in kale for the spinach, and had to stretch one little lemon into grated lemon peel and juice and wedges). It turned out perfectly, and at 9:30 on a week-night, we dined fashionably late  on Spice-Crusted Salmon and Lemon Spinach/Kale.

Shaw's recipe card

Voila!

Comfort - or lack thereof

I just finished an amazing, searing and thought-provoking novel: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. nytimes book review 2006  It's a post-apocalyptic tale, not bedtime reading, but beautifully wrought. There is so much discomfort for the characters, it's got me thinking about our comfortable American lives. Mine anyway. Seems we're often in pursuit of greater physical comfort -- plush mattresses, heated leather seats in our cars, 2000 thread Egyptian cotton sheets, monthly pedicures or massages, winter vacations on tropical islands. On the flip side, the Patagonia catalog came in the mail today, with photos of (mostly) guys doing extreme mountain climbing in Peru, Patagonia, Mt. Everest, etc. One photo shows a tiny tent,  aka "bivy" set into a snow bowl on the side of a 12,000' peak. With our mostly sedentary jobs, and a good measure of comfort at home and work, we then need to challenge our bodies with physical tests. How many people do you know training for a half or full marathon? I'm not complaining. Just observing. For most educated Westerners, survival no longer depends on physical strength, hunting skills, orienteering through deep woods, or sailing the high seas. But if it did, how well would we do? As a personal experiment, I'm going toughen myself up a bit by consciously seeking out discomfort. Rainy and cold outside? I'll go for a walk. Heck, I might even do a mid-October penguin plunge in Lake Champlain tomorrow.  The water and air temp should both be a slightly uncomfortable 58F. I'll let you know how it goes. Ciao.

Patagonia mountain climber

Bloom Where You Smell the Roses

This week is a mash-up of two sayings: "Bloom Where You're Planted," and "Stop and Smell the Roses." I spend many hours at my office in Waterbury VT. Work is  rewarding, but as the weather turns toward away from summer, I start to complain more about the commute, small town lunch options, and uninspired office design. So in an effort to find beauty in the everyday, here are a few recent sights and sounds that brighten my world:

1. Hobbes the Parking Lot Cat - Last month we spied a collar-wearing, orange and white cat hanging around our office parking lot. His tags say "Hobbes" and it turns out he lives near GMCR with a family who loves him. But he's a people-kitty, who comes around at different times during our workday looking for attention. Recently I saw Hobbes curled up next to the front wheel of a silver sedan, sleeping. Add car-savvy to Hobbes' list of talents. (Here's a photo of Hobbes stuck out in the rain last week -- he just needs an employee badge so he can swipe in.)
2. Tina Fey's "Bossypants" on CD - laugh out loud funny, and perfect for driving 60-miles/day in cloudy October. Her tale of "Hiking Old Rag (at night)" is priceless.  I actually hiked Old Rag in Virginia back in my twenties, but in the daylight with spectacular views. The only nighttime drama being some random bear noises in the campground.
3. Fall flowers - When the girls were little, they gave me a wonderful little Tea Rose bush for Mother's Day. It thrived on neglect, so 12 yrs later we transplanted it when we moved to Burlington in 2010. This week it's covered in aromatic blooms, perfect for a little Japanese zen bowl arrangement. Then the hydrangeas in our Lakeside yard are turning dusky rose and purple, and will not fade all winter in a bouquet.

Tea Roses

Hydrangea Flower- Power

All In The Family

Mother-Daughter blogging - 10 years ago, who could have predicted that I would be blogging alongside Jamie about the same event? Extra Jam Please At the risk of duplication, here are my notes and pix from our Boston family weekend. Friday night home-cooked meal a la Chef Drew. Saturday a.m. George and I wandered into the Sugar Bowl cafe for breakfast on Dorcester Ave. near our hotel, and cycled the 'hood in South Boston. Drank in the salt water smells and sights at foggy Carson Beach. Wondered about designated "Master Diggers" parking spots, which evoked a nice memory of my childhood summers, clam-digging at low tide in Long Island Sound. Does anyone remember wearing clam-diggers (now re-branded as capris)? Met the girls back in JP for lunch at the busy Lebanese restaurant Cafe Beirut JP. Art immersion at the JP Open Studio tour. Bought a delicious stack of books at the JP Library booth behind Sam Adams Brewery. One-minute walk back to the apartment to drop off our haul, then off to Eliot Street School and lots of fun other studios. George picked out darn-cute "bread plates" for our morning English muffins. Discovered my favorite artist of the day in a 3rd floor walk-up: Amanda Barrow. Her paintings:  Chakra Monotypes Hot sun by 4:00, so siesta time for everyone. Rode the T to Back Bay for a meatarian dinner at the trendy Salty Pig. Sunday dawned crystal clear for the Hub Ride. After a slow start sitting at the end of the pack of 6,000 cyclists, the 35-mile route was awesome. Drew rode her trusty Pugeot to meet us at mile 12 - after her 16-mile training run. Just needed a swimming leg to create her own half-triathlon!  Rewarded by spectacular views at mile 30 -- along tip of the Harbor Walk, the impressive Kennedy Library overlooking late September sailboats cruising Dorcester Bay, JFK's little sloop on display. All in all, a perfect weekend, quality time with our delightful daughters, and with no kitchens or 12' ceilings to paint!

High on Peaks

Is there a hiking hangover pill? Still feeling the burn in my quads after a weekend hiking in the Adirondack Mts. 18 miles in, up, down, up-down again, and back out of the High Peaks near Lake Placid, NY. While we certainly have great hikes here in the Green Mountains of Vermont, there’s something almost mystical about the ADKs, as we call them. There are 46 High Peaks 4,000’ or higher, and I crossed #46 off my life list in August 2011 - yay! So now I hike just for the fun of it - accompanying others who are trying to finish, or just starting on their quest. This summer I climbed seven peaks on Round 2 - like getting re-acquainted with long-lost relatives: Phelps, Algonquin, Sawteeth, Gothics, Armstrong, Upper Wolf Jaw, Haystack. I’ve become a charter member of my sister and brother-in-law's hiking group in Western Mass - Pioneer Valley Hiking Club, joining them on two weekends this summer. This past weekend 20 of us convened at the John’s Brook Lodge, a rustic hiker’s lodge 3.5 miles up the trail from a remote parking area in Keene Valley, NY. Great company, amazing Sat. night dinner, bright stars at night, doe and her fawn munching in the yard Sunday morning. The young caretaker, Brandon, and his black lab Khyber helped us settle in and use their industrial kitchen. Of course I brought Green Mtn Coffee, which tasted amazing brewed in old-fashioned percolators! Running cold water and gas-powered lights/stove, but otherwise no frills (as in showers). In addition to tending the lodge almost year-round, Brandon is working toward his PhD studying climate change in northern Ontario. Impressive. Anyway, here are a few pix of our JBL gang and some views from the top of Haystack Mountain (also posted on FB).

My Favorite Things (this week)

My favorite things lately, in no particular order (and no relation to "raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens"): Monarch butterflies - can you find 3 in the zinnias? Inukshuks - common in Ontario, Canada and now popping up all over the Burlington waterfront. In-laws - So glad I married into the Thabault clan. They're fun, talented, colorful and generous beyond belief. Breakfast at the Spot had 5 of the 7 siblings at one boisterous table! Fresh spring rolls - so easy to make and almost anything works as filler. My first batch was carrots, mango, mint, cabbage, bean sprouts, scallions, baby shrimp. Art Hop - one of Burlington's best events. Coming up this Fri-Sat. Keith Jarrett Koln Concert - A perfect hour of jazz piano, recorded live in 1975.

NVR2L8

One of my favorite sights these days is a little white 2-door sedan parked every day at my office, license plate NVR2L8. The car's owner is a year older than me, almost to the day. We agree that age is a matter of the mind: if you don't mind, it doesn't matter! This car is my inspiration that (with my family's longevity) I still have decades of adventure ahead! One of my fun goals for this year is to re-learn how to do handstands and cartwheels. As a girl, I was upside down much of the time. Gymnastics in the house and yard, underwater acrobatics and diving at the neighborhood beach, tree climbing and dangling. Throwing my body into space was as natural as breathing. When I went hiking recently, our favorite 20-something cousin Colin (in photo above) celebrated each summit with a handstand. Bravo for a guy who is 6'4" atop a 4,500' peak! (second photo: Summit of Gothics, Adirondack High Peaks). So with all this inspiration, off I go. Being not only older but wiser, I do plan to work up to upside down-ness with more yoga and strength training. As for this blog, I'll be posting now and again, sharing notable turns in the cartwheel of my life!