Sita Sings the Blues

Click on the post title. It will get you to the site where you can watch this very cool animation/cartoon/life story. Scroll down a bit when you get to Nina Paley's site and the video is there to watch for free.

More Henry Fest Pix

AOE Reunion 08-02-2009

AOE-Palooza/Henry-Fest

What a GREAT time together! Thanks for showing up everyone!! We're thinking of perhaps a Fall Foliage get-together...stay tuned for a date to put on your calendar and make sure you can join us for the next one!!

Skateboarding - Jared

Check out our friend and skateboarder, Jared Heiligmann...
...he's good...real good...
...could use a BIG skateboarding sponsor
...besides his employer - ACE Painting....
BTW - he's a great painter too...
...maybe he'll compete in some events this summer...
...skateboarding, not painting...

: )

Stay tuned: http://www.jaredheiligmann.com/

Patriots Day

So, chances are....weather permitting....
we'll be in Concord Center next Monday...
Patriot's Day Parade day....It's always a great small town parade..but, with much more resonance...in one of the towns where it all started...fifes and drums, flags and ceremony,

cannons booming, etc....


About 10-11 AM you'll find us hanging outside of the Colonial Inn....beer in hand....



come join us!!


: )

Spring Peepers

Friday night we heard the first peepers of the season! The ponds still have some ice on them as we've hardly had much for warm days, but like clockwork they were out in full chorus!

These tiny creatures hardly grow to one inch in size and most have a little tell-tale X-mark on their backside. It's the males who are calling out this mating call and they are tricky to catch a glimpse of. They seem to sense your intentions. As soon as you start to quietly creep up on them, they immediately grow silent!

Just in case you don't have them outside your window right now...listen here:

http://www.naturesound.com/frogs/pages/peeper.html

Ahhhh, now that's the sound of Spring arriving!

Spring is Coming...?

Spring is coming...

Isn't it...?!

I haven't seen any crocus popping up yet...

hopefully soon.

Cabin Fever Get-Together

a nice winter tepee somewhere...

obviously not one of ours!

I'd have to say the highlight of my February vacation week was meeting up with everyone at the Inn on Thursday night!

So instead of, "Oh, guess who we ran into last night at the Inn..." and going there cold and not running into anyone, I did send out email invites to some local camp folks. We've all shared some good history together, inevitably life and all of our choices as we've gotten older has caused us to drift a part some. So, given no winter tepee to hang out in around the campfire as in the days of old ... February cabin-fever seemed the perfect time to break out of our cocoons and share a few stories and laughs!

Thanks for coming out everyone!

Rumor has it we'll be doing it again soon sometime!
Another rumor has it that we're going to be on the cover, or at least photographed, for the April edition of Boston Magazine, who was there that night to cover "Pub-life" at the Inn in their "Restaurant Haunts" section...HA!! Funny, after all the time and dollars we've spent down there over the many years...we go "away" for almost a year, come back for that one night, and Boston Magazine is there shooting (I mean specifically us?!..."Could you just continue what you're doing, drinking that beer, laughing and telling stories, acting natural...while I stick this camera in your face and shoot about 700 pictures?!")

The drinking beer, telling stories and laughing was natural...the camera in our faces was not!!

In the end they'll probably use a picture of the fireplace!

It was a nice get-together everyone...thanks!!

And, as always, thanks for tunes, Fitz!
.
BTW, does anyone have any Survival pix...or AOE for that matter? I know I don't...all those years of my life not recorded in photos.....hmmmm, that could be a good thing, actually!
.
...this is all of us after winter camping for 4 days...check out the campfire, little sleep smiles!
...this is Patte after a swamp walk with 20 kids...check out the happy, muddy smiles!
...this is Ace after "Late Night Duty"...ka-boom! phew! got-out-alive smile!
...this is Charlie stepping into the morning tepee no whistles...check out the smile
...this is Jen leading "The Princess Pat" song...check out the Dining Room full of smiles
...this is Harv heading down the "Goat Path"...check out the smiles
...this is Nancy Mac after a run down the camp road...satisfied smile
...this is Myk sharing the Wisdom of the Universe with us all...ah, the smiles of the Universe
...this is John and Michael playing guitar around the campfire...nodding campfire smiles
...this is Ken making Zoomers the Golden Griddle Treat....all smiles and laughs
...this is Wally leading a Star Show...heads up enjoying the show smiles
...this is Karen with her shorts inside out...check out the smiles
...this is Larry with his darter's Fait Accompli smile
...this is Marianne making announcements with Jackson in a backpack on her back..."Look at me, I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree..." smile
...this is Jimmy Mac dressed up and doing the Funk-Down....look at all the smiles
...this is me swarmed with blackflies..."One blackfly, two blackfly..." black flies in my teeth smile

...this is Henry leading a square dance in the Dining Hall..."Rebel Yell!" loud smiles
...this is Mary making her Loon call faking out Nan H....check out the laughs
...this is Frenchie chasing and hooting with owls in the woods...RIP Frenchie...sad smiles
...this is Don, smiling at Frenchie's stories at Survival... RIP Don...sad smiles


...I'm enjoying all these pictures that are floating through my mind now...who needs the real ones!!


: )

R. Crumb Exhibit

Mass College of Art

Stephen D. Paine Gallery

'til March 7, 2009

Janis Joplin

A nice (and free) take to help break up the mid-winter cabin fever...

About 100 pieces on display of R. Crumb's somewhat irreverant, warped and twisted humor of work from the 1960's through to 1996. The exhibit includes a short film made in 1970 of he and his friends at work hand-assembling an issue of ZAP Comix.

.

You'll recognize and remember - Fritz the Cat, Mr. Natural, Crumb's mini-skirted big-thighed women, Janis Joplin album cover...and lots more! Some fun stuff that brings you back to the day...if you were around in the warped era of the dawning of the Age of Aquarius!

.

Great comment by friend Mary who we joined for the show -

"So, it made me realize that these early comic geeks, were the fore-runners of "Dungeon and Dragons" geeks, who were the forerunners of today's computer game geeks. I guess these kind of people are always around doing these geeky things!"

.

Of course, R. Crumb's "geeky" things are laced with warped realities, bad LSD trips, pot-smoking, and rather vivid carnal views of life! And, showed America a "new view" of what a comic book could be...move over Captain Marvel and fellow super-heroes!

(*and absolutely no offense to any kind of geeks out there!)

R. Crumb spool characters done (front and backsides) in pen and ink with some color...very fun!

Born Again American

Sharing the Day!

Ellen DeGeneres

1/26/58Lucinda Williams
1/26/53

The Season...

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?

It came without ribbons.
It came without tags.
It came without packages, boxes or bags.

And he puzzled and puzzled
’till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store?
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?

* Dr. Seuss From “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”

Gotta love Dr. Seuss for covering just about every

important topic there is in Life...
and, saying it just so!

Enjoy the Season!

'Tis the Season

Mid-December is here and we're into the holiday season.

Here in New England we had a major ice storm 5 nights ago that nailed more than a few towns around the area. We were fortunate in that all we got here was rain....but a mere 15 minutes away at our friends little place, "The Teapot Cafe" .... ice storm, trees down, no electricity...still...5 days later....right before the holiday season. (Dang! We were hoping to sell lots of gift shop goodies!!)

Lots of people still without electricity...living in the school gymnasiums; or maybe their own home...just no electricity, heat, cooking, showers, etc. That's gotta be tough.

But, I've never shared this one with you. My sister lives in Texas, outside of Galveston Bay area which got hit, big time, by a hurricane back in early September. She's lived there for over 30 years now, and yes, she's been hit with some hurricanes during that time, but apparently nothing like this past one....Hurricane Ike.

Knowing how to live in "hurricane country" for years now, sister Jo knows when these severe weather warnings come just how to elevate certain pieces of furniture; pack and store other household items; and, when the weather reports indicate that her area is up for a "Big One!" she's learned how to quickly pack-and-go.

And, that's just what happened during those early September days when the annual hurricane report was issued.....she packed and stored everything up high and away just before she fled the town for more inland areas at her son's home outside of Houston.

Well, Ike hit, and the days past...and continue to pass...the Galveston Bay area got wiped out during that storm...and, Joey, who lives inland from that area by quite a ways, hasn't been able to return to her house since then. Four feet of water...and, all the damage that that incurred...it took almost 2 months for someone to come by and declare her place "totalled." And, that's where she learned that having a "totalled house" takes a whole lot longer to take care of than other. Right from the start she's filed her living situation with FEMA, but every step along the way seems to take an extremely long chunk of time.

Apparently, over 400 households of people in her town have just up and moved out due to the ravages of this storm.

Joey is fortunate that she lived across the street from some folks who she didn't really know at all, but have a small over-the-garage apartment, and after spending almost 2 weeks at her son's place outside of Houston (which didn't have electricity during that time either!)...she moved into her neighbor's apartment.

We talk about once a week...and, as my every day life goes on and I hear of the assorted hardships due to ice storms or mundane life problems going on in people around me, I always have in the front of my mind what my sister must be going through....

that's gotta be tough.....

We've all had a snowstorm where we got socked in for a day or two.... but, at this point, she's looking at 3 months of not living in her own "home sweet home"....having to deal with FEMA regarding rebuilding it...and, realizing that she doesn't make much/any money back on her 30-plus year property ownership, if she doesn't put the money into rebuilding!

So, now she's dealing with architects and contractors to see if they can rebuild her place...and, hopefully make it "hurricane-proof" for a price that she hopes she can afford on her recently earned retirement pension.

Take a deep breath and as you let it out realize that your life is okay....perhaps even better than a whole lot of people. Be grateful for the roof over your head and the loving people in your life.

'Tis the season.....

Wisdom - Andrew Zuckerman

"Inspired by the idea that one of the greatest gifts one generation can pass to another is the wisdom it has gained from its experience, The Wisdom Project, produced in cooperation with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, seeks to create a record of a multicultural group of people who have all made their mark on the world. Presented against the same white space, all of the subjects are removed from their context, which not only democratizes them, but also allows for a clear dialogue to exist between them. In an attempt to create a more profound, honest and truly revealing portrait of these luminaries, the project encompasses their voices, their physcial presence and the written word. This comprehensive portrayel of such a profound and global group is an index of extraordinary perspectives."

Stand By Me - Playing for Change

This video clip is from the recent documentary -

"Playing For Change - Peace Through Music"

"a multi-media movement created to inspire,

connect, and bring peace to the world through music."

Seems like a good thing...

http://www.playingforchange.com/

Ace Painting

Ace working with one of his clients..

Be the paint, Charlie....Be the paint...

BTW...need a job...?!

How's that tongue working for ya...?

Loving the tie-dye...!!!

A Splash of Mermaids Fall '08

Sweet Champagne Cork Holder Craftsmanship by Meg!

Sweet treats from Pam...!

Yum, Sweet Cakes!

Sweet stories to follow...

Rays

I just love this photo, so I'm placing it here.
Apparently somewhere off the Yucatan Peninsula.

Rainbow Mums

Stumpy's about to get some company!!

This week I stopped in at this wonderful perennial garden farm in Carlisle, MA - Rainbow Mums and I know that I'll be going back there soon!

The owners, Kathy and Mark showed me all around and took all kinds of time with me to share ideas about what kinds of perennials might work well together and in what conditions....and just shared with me their deep love and tremendous beauty of their place!

Their main premise is to provide people with their own home-grown specialty perennials -especially concentrating on fall blooms. The "selling point" that got me was the large size of their plants and the most reasonable prices they sell them at! I don't have to wait 3 years for these perennials to fill in...they're ready to POP!, fill in garden space, and just beautifully catch your eye! They have acres and acres of gardens and plants to show you and love to share all kinds of good info and tid-bits about each individual plant.

The plants that I bought from them are just gorgeous and hearty/hardy (is there a difference between these two words?!), and are ready to up-grade my garden look and fullness in a minute (well, maybe a few hours...after all this heavy rain, I still have to put them in the ground!!)

Check out their website...better yet, take a field trip there and enjoy the beautiful grounds that they've created. They've got beautiful Hostas (yes, I've finally started to admit that Hostas are beautiful!); gorgeous Ornamental Grasses; Black-eyed Susans; Echinacea; Asters, Ferns, Mums, ground covers and so much more!


http://rainbowmums.com/index.html

I'll add some pictures from our place once they're all planted!

Stumpy

When we first moved here over 5 years ago there was a broken down chain link fence that surrounded the house. Along with taking care of almost everything else that we did on the inside of the house to make it more habitable (the toilet that didn't work; the shower that was only dribble-force for over a year; the paneling and endless layers of wallpaper that covered the bare plywood walls; and the list could go on and on...!), one raw March day Ace attacked the outside fence. With wire snips and a Saws-All, he got the unsightly chain link fence into smaller sizes, rolled those pieces up and stacked them on the side of the garage. He then took the Saws-All and went at the fence poles and their cement footings that held them into the ground. It was quite a chore.

When spring and summer finally rolled around I eyeballed the yard and thought about what to do with it. After years of putting in pretty nice sized gardens in the couple of places that we'd rented, I just shook my head and realized that any thoughts of gardening were going to have to be delayed until some major cleaning up took place.

And, that's just what I did the first three summers...I didn't put a plant in the ground. All I did was hack away at the side yard beside the garage where I had friend, Rob chainsaw dead tree after dead tree down, and even a few live ones. It was thick with brush and weeds and most of all trash...bottles, plastic bags, broken toys....just piles and piles of trash!

Whenever anyone asked me how my gardening was going, I'd always shake my head and say, "I haven't gotten to "creative mode" yet, I feel like I'm still in clean-up crew/destructo mode!" Even though I was cleaning up alot of the stuff, I still wasn't feeling the urge to plant anything or create anything new. Once enough of the rubble was removed I could slowly feel the vision for what was next.

The first step was to get some mulch dropped off....I mean a major truck load! I called Jack and Debbie and Jack had it piled up in that side yard the next day. It was a big pile! Everyone who drove by asked if I intended to cover our whole yard with mulch! Oh no, I had another idea...and soon, actually after another truck load and two summers of working it, I spread it all out in the area next to the garage. Once that was done and a few yard brush fires later to clean up the remaining brush, I could finally start to look to the front yard. Three years! (It was pointed out to me that in my zealous efforts to clear things out that I actually cut down my neighbor's dead trees and cleared brush in about ten-by-sixty feet of his yard! Ah well, he got some free property improvements!)

When I finally put my attention to the front yard I saw the real "Stumpy" for first time. That was the nickname that I chose to call this 4-foot tall and 2-foot wide stump that was left in our front yard. For some reason, whoever chose to cut it down left a sizable amount of it still standing. It looked awkward and out of place and I just couldn't focus on what my next step would be to spruce up our front yard until I dealt with Stumpy.

I thought about cutting it down, but that seemed an unnecessary expense at that time. As I continued to dwell on Stumpy's fate, it dawned on me that perhaps the best, most fertile soil anywhere in my yard was inside of Stumpy. One day I went out with my little gardening tools and just kept hacking away at the inside of this stump and, indeed, the soil was very peaty and once chopped up, somewhat light and workable.

As if in a trance, I added some potting mix to this peaty mixture and planted some seeds in it, just to see what would happen. Soon, my snow peas were coming up and as I excitedly tended them I decided to splurge on a couple more plants. Stumpy soon had a light green fluffy top of Artemesia (Wormwood), to which I added another more spikey blue-green ornamental grass...with all of the shelf fungus and other "things" that were starting to grow at the base of the stump as well as on the bark itself, Stumpy's "personality" was starting to take shape!! A sort of whimsical, quirky and goofy look, but much more presentable than being just a drab stump with nothing to do!

One day I found his face and decided to place it on him. All year round now, Stumpy has a different look to "his" personality. In the spring I eagerly await the new growth from last year to pop up out of the top of Stumpy. And, every summer now I place in some new and different plants to add to his seasonal look. In the fall he gets more of a harvest/autumnal look often with Chrysanthemums crowning him. And, in the winter, Stumpy bears through the elements, often covered with mounds of snow, but still managing to peek through and give passer-bys a smile! My eight year old neighbor, Virginia, loves to come by and check out what latest things are growing in or on Stumpy. She's even taken to calling him, Stumpy, too!

Slowly, but surely, the front yard will develop its own look, and Stumpy, if still able to stand (his bark is rapidly peeling off this summer?!), will be a part of that look. Whimsical, quirky, and goofy...but, certainly not your ordinary, drab-looking stump with nothing to do!