As Promised...

Ok, here it is, photo #1; this week's theme is flowers!

ok, so I lost the pictures on my computer! I Hate when that happens!!!! Tomorrow is another day!

365 Photos

So this morning I committed to taking a photo everyday for the year; its 10:46 and I haven't taken a photo yet! I thought because we had some snow today I had the perfect start to my project; obviously not. So I'm going to take a meaningful picture right now so I can stay true to my commitments! Be right back!

Quote of the Day

Today I was listening to Garrison Keeler and his two minute blurb having to do with writing, poems, etc. I think it might be know as his literary moment! He was talking about Maureen Dowd, columnist for the NY Times. He had many interesting things to say about her and mentioned some of her quotes. I was taken by this one: "The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for." I totally get this; its like letting the standard drop and before you know it the standard is less than you agreed to...where does it stop! I like the idea of not settling, why should we?

New Year New Post

Not bad its only the 10th of January...a good day to get back to blogging! This is my year for technology! Last October we lead another Mission to Israel, we came back in early November and I proceeded to load my 500 best pictures on my computer so I could make a photo book. Well that adventure ended when several days later the computer died! Choice: get a new computer or a new hard drive for the existing one...for those of you who know me you know the answer was to get a new one! This time, through the encouragement of my children, I bought a Mac. Now I think this was a good decision, however, until I take a few classes I am in LaLa land. I don't know how to cut and paste; I've spent hours trying to load a video on Facebook and I feel totally lost! I know this will get better but it reminds me of when I first started working with a computer. I wanted to get a short note out to a client and couldn't figure out how to do it; I read an article that said its almost like buying a pair of shoes but first you have to tan the leather, then cut our the pattern, sew the shoe, etc. Yup that's what its like ok! Anyway, I'm going back to the video problem. If is works I'll post it here!

On no! I can't believe it...

as my friends at Car Talk would say..."you've wasted another hour...". I can't believe the last time I wrote a post was May 31st! Where does the time go. Well, let me catch you up on a fun thing going on in my life...given the stress after my father passed (I always say died but I've learned it is more acceptable to say "passed on" or "passed away" or just plain "passed"). I have started a Digital Camera Club at the JCC. What fun. We have had two shoots, my favorite being the second. We were all give blue and white beach balls which had to be the subject of every picture. I got so totally attached to this ball; at the end of the evening I tucked the little critter into one of the spare beds. I think he's kind of cute. Here's a picture of him!

Final Day of Clown Training

This was the last weekend of clown training...what an amazing experience. Yesterday we made up skits, jokes, whatever by using props supplied by the experienced clowns..very fun! Then we did role playing by pretending we were going into someones room to do our shtick! Today we arrived in full costume and had our id pictures taken. Oh my! Then we did some actual visits to rooms with real patients in them! That was the very most fun. There were approx 10 rooms with people in them, out of that 10 8 invited us in for a friendly visit. The people loved us! We did a magic trick, sang songs and had a wonderful time. We also brought candy and stickers for the staff. Graduation is next Sunday, unfortunately I'll not be there. Hope they don't dock my pay!

Spring Has Arrived, I Hope

Well, its Memorial Day weekend and the rain has stopped for the moment! Today is the ideal day; the sky is blue with an occasional cloud floating by; the temperature is in the low 70's and the breeze is strong enough to move the chimes...that melodic sound is definitely Spring to me!!! Today was my first visit to the New Canaan Farmer's Market with my friend Diane. We met at a muffin shop and had coffee/tea and did not give in to the scrumptious aroma of the freshly made muffins (there was cinnamon wafting in the air). After much conversation, advice, laughs and camaraderie we left and went to the Farmer's Market. Not too much product this time of year, however, there was a table from a bakery in the Bronx that was giving samples of pesto with fresh made mozzarella on newly baked whole grain bread...to die for! Most of the vendors were selling plants; one had succulents in beautiful arrangements with white stones around each plant; very lovely. The other interesting thing they did was to take large planters and put cannas in the middle with flowing flowers around the edges; very beautiful! After buying plants I succumbed to the bakery table that was selling blueberry, cranberry, banana or chocolate chip muffins; I made sure not to buy the chocolate chip...that would have been my all time downfall! So, on to a lovely day and thoughts of what to buy at the Market next week!

Clown Pictures

So here are the pictures from the first day; more to come when they are available! I am happy to say the second day was better than the first! As you can see there were even some changes made the first day...got rid of the white around my mouth and now my cheeks are heavy blush rather than the paint shown here! Now I have to work on my costume!

Clown Training

This is the most well planned and thought out training program I have been a part of for a long time! The men and women involved with the HaHa Clown Program at Stamford Hospital are extremely professional and dedicated to the program. The first day there was lots of role playing; community building and overall bonding. At the end of the day we spent some time putting on make up. What a fun activity that was. Most of us did not have experience with the clown style of make up and listened intently while the experienced clowns told us what to do and how to do it. Before we left for the evening we were given homework to work on our costume, name and how we wanted our make up to look.

Today was day 2 of the program. We watched a make up demo and then went to work on our own make up. Interesting how the second day went faster than the first and the fine tuning started to take place! Still some internal pressure going on since I don't have a name and haven't decided what I want to look like.

Here's me in my make up first day with the bright red circles on my cheeks and second day with freckles! Which do you like best??? You can also see how on the first day I started with the white around my mouth and decided I didn't like it. So, the evaluation continues!

Some technical problems with the pictures. Perhaps tomorrow?

So how do you blog on a regular basis?

I find that I have all these good intentions and then life gets in the way! Here's a brief rundown on what I've been up to...David is very involved with the UJF bike ride so I've been posting email addresses so that we can get his dollars raised up...you'd be surprised how much $18 can help! Then we're involved with a Mission to Israel from October 24th to November 2nd...more letters to send out. Maybe I'm just not up on the latest technology; I know how to do a mail merge for Word but can't figure out how to do that for email...thoughts? Anyway, by cutting, pasting and copying I sent out 90 letter...talk about time consuming! Then I have thank you notes to finish up from the Federation Campaign. The good news is I'll be done with this responsibility very soon (next couple of weeks) the bad news is I should be through with the notes by the time I am replaced! Family wise, Mom and I were honored by the JCC at their annual Gala! What a lovely evening standing there with my mom...she is amazing and would you believe spoke and thanked everyone for coming without a note in her hand! My friend Candace would be proud! Any excuse to have the family come to town works for me! Tomorrow I start my training as a clown for Stamford Hospital. I am so totally psyched! Can't wait to see where this new adventure leads me. I'll keep you up on things via this site!

Oh my, so much has happened!

Well, here's the good news! David and I have become grandparents! Who would have thought, who could have imagined how great this would be! The parents are Matt and Rachel and, their baby is Sam! I would say their little one, however, this is not a little baby! He weighed in at 9 pounds 10 ounces and is just the cutest guy every! As you can imagine, MD is now our favoritest place to visit! Matt and Rachel are an amazing parental team and Sam is the one who is benefiting from their tender loving care. Here's a picture of Sam at 10 days!

Reflections on the Inauguration

Well, considering it is just shy of a month since the Inauguration it makes sense that I should tell of some on our experiences. The day was amazing; we had some amazing luck and considering we were purple ticket holders it is a miracle that we actually got onto the mall! Our day started at 6:15 when we went to the metro only to have the door stuck and the train not able to move. We decided to get on another train going in the opposite direction and go to the end of the line...later we found out how lucky we were to do that. People who showed up at the metro a half hour later had to stand in line around the block for several hours because of the crowds in the station!

As we proceeded on the train there were announcements of stops that were not being made because of the crush of people! We finally got off and walked to the area of the mall. The closer we got to the purple gate the thicker the crowds! It was impossible to move, however, the good news was the sea of people blocked the wind so we really weren't that cold! We stood on a side street with 2 and a half blocks of solid humanity for over 2 hours barely moving! Finally we decided we were never going to get in so we left the area. In order to do this we moved to the left and as we did that David looked toward the Mall and there was a big sign that said Purple Ticket Gate and there were no people (or very few) waiting! So, we did get in and because so many of the "Purple People" didn't get in it was fairly comfortable standing and experiencing the excitement and being with the people! One minor inconvenience was the tree that was blocking the jumbo tron but you can't have everything!

Watching the people was worth every minute of waiting! more details to come! People had their head bowed as Obama spoke; men and women held hands and cried when he was sworn in! The other event that is memorable was when Bush left; we all cheered as the helicopter took off. Actually it became quite comical to me; I was certain that Bush thought we were cheering in support of him when actually we were so happy he was gone!

We stayed and watched the motorcade. The crowd was so excited...unfortunately we did not see the President when he got out of the car and walked. If we had thought about it we would have stood further down the route; we were too close to the Capitol!

The parade was endless and because it started late it went on forever! And, talk about cold! By this time most of the people were gone; they were smart, probably eating something hot!

Picking up Guys

OK, here's what I've learned...First, you learn Picking Up Guys from your mother (more on this point in a minute); Second, you can practice the technique anywhere!!!

Yesterday my mother wanted to go to the yarn store to pick up some Fun Fur, a soft, shaggy yarn. I had another errand to run so I told Mom to go do what she had to and we would meet in the yarn store. I finished my errand, went to the wool store and there she was, huddled in a corner having not gone up to the store at all. It seems the elevator was broken and she was concerned about riding the escalator on her own (thank goodness she didn't go up alone!). so, her plan was I would go first on the escalator so when she was ready to get off I could hold her hand and make sure she didn't loose her balance. So, that's what we did...when we got half way up the escalator, so it was too late to get off, it occurred to me, how was I going to get her back down???? Well, we got into the store and I secured a cart for her and sent her off on her shopping expedition while I tried for figure out how to get her back down. I went over to the manager of the store to see if perhaps the elevator was only going down...no such luck, it was totally not working. In the meantime there was Mom, shopping to her heart's content! Well, we finished picking out what we wanted to buy and now we were standing in line at the cash registers. I looked to my left and there was a strong looking, young, high school boy. No problem I was certain he would help me get Mom down on the escalator (which I should mention has a very large immediate drop and continues in a very sharp incline). Well, it seems that he wasn't leaving right away, was on his way to another store so he was sorry but he couldn't help! Now my heart was thumping big time...what do do! We paid for our purchases and went into the hallway and approached the roller coaster style escalator and what did I see coming up the escalator but a very good looking man! He was definitely the hero type, over 6 feet tall, broad shoulders, good looking...definitely worth a try to see if he would help. I asked and he was only too happy to help. He took Mom around the waist, held her hand with his big strong hands and away they went. Oh yes, I continued down the escalator as well! As we all road down Mom told him of her concern of loosing her balance and how grateful she was for his help. I told him that was baloney, she did this trick all day long picking up men! He smiled and said his English wasn't so good but he did understand my joke! Believe me when I tell you I was relieved to get into the car and drive home!!!

Pet Peeve

So, you know what its like to be exhausted...you were up late the night before and its 6:00 in the evening and, if you had your way, you'd be cozy in your bed with a good book! Well, just how I felt last night...maybe too much of the clicking on the Mah Jongg tiles (NEVER!)...I'm feeling like I can sleep for a week, look at my calendar and see I have a JCC Board Meeting. Ok, not a bad thing; the meetings are over early, so off I go! A light supper is always served! Tonight it is vegetarian chili and a big tossed salad, great! Dessert: assorted cookies! The topic of the meeting is the annual audit (just the meeting to go to tired!) and I've already heard the presentation at the finance meeting, double glazed over eyes! So, I zoned out on a double chocolate meringue cookie with choc fudge in the middle, OMG, delicious! Enter my pet peeve...I am sure there was coffee in that chocolate...I WAS UP ALL NIGHT! Well, not really up just never getting into that ram sleep! I can't believe it! Now I think I'm more tired than when I went to bed last night! Ok, napping is in my future for this afternoon!

Mah Jongg Mania

Monday night we had another of our Mah Jongg Marathons...it is the best! We all have commented on the wonderful sisterhood we have developed! The food is the best; this time Roberta made a split pea soup with flanken in it...YUMMY! She served in it bowls that looked like vegetable bowls! Perfect! you could be a glutten without looking like one because everyone had the same bowl! The Mah Jongg was relaxed! No crazy people in this game; just fun. We play for $6 each day and you make money; loose money, whatever! So, can't wait for the next one!

Beautiful Weather In Conencticut...NOT!!!

Well, it is January so having, snow, sleet, rain and whatever else should be expected...doesn't mean I have to like it! Last night I had an interesting adventure...I left a meeting at the JCC at 10:00 with freezing rain steadily falling. The parking lot was a sheet of very thin ice, however, negotiable (thanks to a friend for giving me a ride to my car!). There was not a city truck in site so, of course, those of you who know Quarry Road will know I was getting concerned about getting up the hill. Well, Newfield Avenue wasn't bad...a few slippery spots but not bad, first part ok! When I turned onto Quarry I thought this doesn't seem so bad, made it up the first hill fine! Second part ok! Then I started up the second part of the hill...seemed to be doing ok...hmm, what was that car parked on the left side of the road, with its lights on, just sitting there...poor things, they must be afraid to go down the hill, not me, I'm just zooming up the hill...UNTIL my car started to go sideways and then slowly started sliding down the hill. Good news, I did not hit the car on the left (I found out later they had done a 360 on the hill!). Well, now that I had my foot almost through the floor boards on the brake, I had to figure out what to do...I'm across the road and what do I see but a car deciding to come up the hill!!! I put down my window, waved my arms, blew my horn to get the person to stop but they kept coming, UNTIL they were about 3 feet further up the hill than I was and then, they stopped! (well, truthfully, it made me feel better they couldn't get up...I thought it might have been just me!). So, I called 911 and told them of my problem, they asked if I had been in an accident, I said not yet! So, they said they would be coming...not sure when so I sat there waiting. Eventually (you know it felt like hours!) two young guys came; pushed my car around and watched as I slided to the bottom of the hill and was able to get the car into Blue Rock! Now the challenge was to walk home...David, had come down to meet me by this time, however he was on the other side of the street and getting across the street was impossible! Somehow David made it over to me and we slid, he was going to go home for his ice skates! Well, walking on the snow on the grass worked and, eventually two city trucks came. One didn't have chains and could barely make it up the hill...that made me feel much better! After the road was salted one of the young guys came and drove us home! What an adventure. The good news is, nobody was hurt! That in itself was a miracle! So, how many days until Spring????

History DOES Repeat Itself

Ok, I get it, history does repeat itself! Many of you know that my friend Ellen and I used to have this wonderful routine when we were teens; both our families had cabins on a lake where we would spend the summer. Our favorite summertime activity would be to take her small, motored, row boat into the middle of the lake, turn off the motor, claim it was broken, and pick up boys to tow us home! My mother couldn't believe how many times she would see us being towed up and down the lake! What fun...I definitely recommend it for summer fun! Well, yesterday my mom (now 91) and I tried to make it home in the middle of the snowstorm...the snow was coming down heavily and I couldn't get the car up the hill. Well, someone "up there" must have know my background because who showed up but an off duty fireman with a jeep and, yes, you guessed it...he towed us up the hill! Oh my, what a life saver he was because quite frankly, I was not sure how I was going to get mom home! The good news is, we're safe and warm in the house and the streets have still NOT been plowed! Interesting considering the storm started 24 hours ago and ended around midnight! The day has the possibility of a true Shabbat! Welcome to Connecticut in the winter! Actually it is still quite beautiful since the streets are snow covered and everything is still and quiet!

Yoga and Meditation Shabbat

Today was a very special Shabbat/Saturday for me. I'm not a regular synagogue goer; for some reason I can't seem to connect there. For the past few years, Temple Beth El, the conservative Temple in Stamford, has been running a Synaplex every few months. This is a totally different experience. I have attended a few of them. What I especially like is the yoga practice and the Meditation Service. Yoga starts at 8:45am; there is Hebrew chanting; Hebrew music and basic yoga postures. Very lovely and extremely spiritual for me. Yoga runs until 10:00 and then we go upstairs to the library where there is a Mediation Service. This service is totally amazing; no books, some songs, an opportunity to share, if you want and then some activity to connect us to the Torah reading of the week. This week the Torah portion had to do with Jacob wrestling with the angel (some interpret this angel to be God). When Jacob comes out of the encounter unhurt he is told by the angel that his name is no longer Jacob but rather Israel. So, Daveed, our leader asked us what we imagine would have happened to us if we had wrestled with the angel, would our name have been changed at the end, and, what would the name be and why? My reaction was that I would have won the encounter and my name would be Bella because I would have been happy that God was pleased with me and what I am doing with my life. Another portion of the service, the silent devotion, is done by finding a quiet place, by yourself, in the room. Once you find that spot the suggestion is to have a conversation with God...what a very powerful experience. Today I had one of the most powerful Shabbat experiences I ever had!

Chain of Generations Center

There are always new things to see in Israel. This visit we went the Chain of Generations Center. There were many displays made out of glass with names written in them. It is our tradition to name people after someone who has died; so we are a chain of names from one generation to another. I thought the artwork was so very beautiful. In the middle of the Center was a mikvah (ritual bath) that had been built over with glass so you were actually standing over it. Ok unless you have issues with heights as I do!

We're back!

View of some of the bridges from the canal.

It was a wet, cold day in Amsterdam!

Our first authentic windmill!

Well, back from our jaunt to Amsterdam, Israel and Morocco! What fun! Let's start with Amsterdam; we spent approximately 8 hours in Amsterdam. We were on a layover on our way to Israel. Through some investigation we found a company called stopover Holland. After many emails we arranged to have them meet us at the airport, take us into the city and arrange for tickets to the Anne Frank House as well as the Fysk Museum. One of the best decisions we could have made. I t would have been impossible for us to make all the connections on our own to say nothing of the stress level! We also went on a boat ride through one of the canals. Definitely wetted my appetite for a return visit. The Anne Frank House was quite an emotional experience. Actually being in her house after having read about it so many years ago, I highly recommend a visit.