Extreme Weather And A Great Blue Herring In A Great Blue Pool

It seems I can't escape the severe weather where ever I go! It's the end of March and Central New York is hunkering in for another Nor-Eastern and here I sit in a Florida spanish stucco, under turbulent rolling thunderheads with tornado warnings gliding by in the bottom half of the tv news screen. The night before, the southern wind blew so hard it tipped over 40 planes at a nearby airport, ripped off many roofs and caused over 150 automobile accidents. Bill and I use his father's sun porch as our guest room when ever we come. I wouldn't trade this room in for nothing. It's my Florida camp ground enclosed in glass, overlooking the peaceful, therapeutic Banana River. I camp there with my trusty electric inflatable mattress. There's a small table and chairs for my laptop overlooking the Banana and the shimmering, swimming pool. Exotic to me birds singing in the swaying palms overhead and a landscaper man dead heading below. Even my Taylor guitar has a look of contentment! I'm reading the classic, Jane Eyre on the ole ipad. Happy hour starts at five, I'm panko breading some tilopia for dinner. Freshly wrapped sushi for hors-de-voirs... Oh God this all just makes me so freaking happy! I did talk with me mumsie this morning and it turns out the Nor-Eastern was only a dusting. This also makes me happy as I couldn't wish another foot load of snow on anybody after this cruel winter. I also think some of the CNY weather men need to go back to weather man school. Their hype gets to be a little much.
The first night in Cocoa the storm blew in, I was close to packing up heading for the couch in the living room. Sleeping out in a closed in glass porch during a tornado warning wouldn't be the smartest thing I've ever done. Luckily, the only thing that blew away on the condo was a screen which is in the very window at my head where I sleep. I'm glad it's gone and my Banana river view is clear and unhindered! This March's Florida storm is now on its way somewhere over the Atlantic and gratefully nothing like previous devastating storms of the past. Which brings to mind the bitch Katrina. Bill and I know all about that, escaping her by a mere day on our New Orleans adventure those years ago. Another story I can't go into as after two days of on vacation gray, this morning's sky is blue and the Banana River sparkles by, gifting me with curling dolphins, snorting manatee's and soaring jurassic park like prehistoric birds, quite humbling my little scrapper of a dog if I may add. It's a beautiful day! Time to leash him up and get out in it!

The Spirit House

Above photo is by Roger DeMuth ~ Eight Photos stitched together.
For years. I have been attracted to this lovely old gem in Georgetown NY. I discovered it in my early 20's on my way to play at the Georgetown Inn. This was before the house was considered a historic land mark. I didn't know anything of early architect's back then, but knew standing before this house one summer day that it was special.
Now, the house stands gutted and is for sale. A fellow by the name of Madis Senner is working non-stop to put together a society to preserve the Spirit House and already has a gotten great press and a good following of local historians and other people drawn to its wedding cake magic allure.
Here is a link to the blog of the tour Bill and I took last Saturday.
http://spirithousesocietypictures.blogspot.com/
www.spirithousesociety.org

Stillwater In March

Mother Marian with Rascal and Lou
Practicing some road patience
The ten mile dirt road to Stillwater
Eighteen years ago on St. Patrick's Day, I had my first date with Billiam. It was after the big snow storm of 93. I was bar tending at the Colgate Inn. Bill met me after my shift and we went to the Back Bacon Beer parlor in Hamilton to par take in the festivities. For some reason what sticks out in my head is the taunting I got from one of my first husbands buddies for being out with an older man. I can't remember this guys name now so it's really not important. I do know tho he still lives in a little house on one of the back roads that open up to Lake Morraine and he's still unmarried. I wouldn't trade the eighteen years with Bill for eighteen years of single life for nothing! I've raised my kids in a lovely home and have had a fine time entertaining, remodeling recording, gardening and everything else I do...I have a fine, if not simple life and am quite blessed.
Thursday, I packed up for an overnight in Old Forge, just to get away and celebrate a little. Wouldn't you know it, Lou is turning out to be a traveler dog just like my old dog Ed used to be! When ever we went anywhere, Ed would hop up into the car or van while no one was looking and actually hide inside only to reveal himself with a smile on his face ten miles or so down the road! Ed got to go many place's he shouldn't have using his stow away tactics. Lou, hasn't learned the stow away technique yet but boldly sits on the storage compartment in between the front seats that seems to have been made especially for him.
So north we went. Didn't do anything really special. To me it's just special being in those mountains. We had late lunch at Tony Harpers, bought a new book for our Adirondack book collection called Adirondack Ice by Caperton Tissot, and went a movie. Bill remembered to bring an old antique slide show projector thats been kicking around the house forever. Bill ended up with this old set from when he used to teach at Richfield Springs. Bill decided to donate this almost ancient device to the funky hippy dude that runs the Old Forge Movie Theater and has a vast collection of old cameras and projectors all over the entry way and hall ways to the different theaters. Its quite a remarkable collection! Bill's projector in its musty old leather case went to old audio heaven! A good home of old soul camera's and projectors. If they could only talk! That would be a Disney Movie!
The Old Forge Movie theater is also known for the old overweight but oh so friendly siberian husky that roams the isles in search for popcorn hand outs. How cool and down home is that!
The next day turned out to be a fine blue sky day. We leashed up Lou, who by the way is doing much better leashed and walked the town. After running into Mother Marian and running an errand of purchasing wasabi coated almonds from DiOrioles we then trekked over the river and though the woods (over frost heaved, dirt roads that made me think I might need a chiropractor at the end) we went. I can't imagine how uncomfortable it must of been for women in the days of horse and buggy and corduroy roads, wearing the girdles and long dresses.
It was a short visit with Marian and Joe but much needed..As we said our good byes I mentioned to Marian that it was eighteen years ago yesterday (St. Patricks Day) that Bill and I had our first date. Marian just stood there with her beautiful smile and shining eyes and said...Joey and I had our first date 18 years ago yesterday too. Amazing! These little coincidences in life.

Random March Shots

Digging out my deck...There is a picnic table in there!


~ Buster Brown ~


I came to a decision while taking a brisk March walk this morning that I'm gonna have a vegetable garden this summer Adam AND Eve would be jealous of. I love how hard all the locals round here work
~Lovely Lila May~ providing us with their fresh, organic produce. Its just ridiculously expensive. I spent 7 dollars on a loaf of bread from Alambria Farm's booth at the Poolville Community Center and then $5.50 for a 4 oz block of goat cheese. Crazy! I shouldn't complain about the goat cheese as I don't see myself raising goats any time soon but the bread.. Come On! I can bake a loaf of bread for crying out loud. I just needed to get out of the house so off to the market I went. Bill bought 2 pounds of ground beef from a local organic farmer and after getting it home I read the package and the beef wasn't even from her farm!
After this mornings walk I spent a good hour picking up the cyclone of sticks shed from my aging seven maple trees that shade my house in the summer. I got a whole garden tractor wagon load. I'm so looking forward to that first spring camp fire!
After unloading the wagon load of sticks next to the outdoor fire pit, I found my self a shovel and decided to help spring along and began shoveling out my deck...there's still much shoveling to do.
So here are some random shots...

Sherburne Under Water

How much more can this poor earth take. Japan leaves me speechless and my own small town of Sherburne has made the news being flooded by the Chenango and other streams that feed it from all the snow melt and rain. Sherburne's main street is a cold, wet, muddy mess. I'm so grateful I live on hill. Yet even on this hill the sump pump is going. Yesterday, Bill, Nick, his buddy Jake and I spent the afternoon down in Mom's basement with two wet vac's sucking up flood water. She had a good two inches of water seep in. It's now under control.
I'm in desperate need of some Banana River therapy on my next trip to Cocoa. It will be nice to see some color!

Buried March 7th 2011

Hell, March is stomping in like a whole pride of lions! Last storm like this I remember was the blizzard of '92 right around this time. Ninety Two. The year I started dating Bill...I'm really getting tired of the word hunker. Its almost 7:30, most of Central New York is closed. The plow just went by leaving a four foot bank in our driveway and I just want to stress that the Lobster risotto from Michaels is awesome. Hmmm. What to cook today. I keep telling myself, Cocoa Beach is coming! Cocoa Beach is coming! I definitely need a little Banana River therapy.

Thank God For The Barge

Honestly...this winter has been relentless. White out's, snow banks half way up the door, below freezing temps, roof avalanches.
All I have to say is if the barge weren't here in town to escape to...I'd be crazy. Theres nothing better than to grab a table, set up office with a steaming pot of tea and listen to Colgate students talking about their classes and everything that Colgate students talk about. And to be able blog even if its about nothing.Takes me away from the drama of Nick and Aurora trying to make it in this f--ked up world of which I refuse to write about as it too upsetting. What I don't do for my kids with a tiny limited income. Life has NOT been easy being basically both mother and father to my children. Today's Nick drama is he doesn't have a bed. Him and his girlfriend broke up so he's back from Ithaca and living with a bunch of high school buddies renting a house that Stephen Joyce own's across from Price Chopper in Hamilton. I gave him a futon a while back and that disappeared as most everything I give him does. I'll pay his rent before I'll let him come home. And luckily rent is only 160.00 a month thank god! At least he's here in Hamilton where I can at least drop off food and keep him fed. He's so thin. All I want in life is for my children to be productive and happy. Aurora is employed. Nick has a hard time with everything. No jobs. Can't drive as he's had two accidents and can't afford insurance. It's tough to say the least.
So the barge is my official winter venting pad! There is a great art exhibit with quirky, whimsical paintings of different structures from around Hamilton hung. They almost look like a set design from Disney land or better yet a Dr. Zuess book painted by an artist by the name of Jon Iannitti. Wish I had a camera. Great stuff. Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams will be performing here this Saturday night. I'll be at Michaels watering down Waterville. Can hardly wait.