Had a great conversation with Hilary & Dutch at Mt. Tom - They are going to Peru in November! So, I promised to make the Pisco Sour that was the favorite drink in Peru last year when Sarah and I visited Cusco and Machu Pichu and the Sacred Valley. In anticipation of their visit, I sent them this video to share with the students they are taking with them on their trip.

April and Easter

April and Easter are anniversary reminders of John's death and Tom's illness and so are tough in terms of being the start of Springtime and thoughts of new life. This year we wanted to get right to work over at Sarah's house helping her prepare her garden after the extremely difficult winter we all endured this year. It began the day after Christmas wih a blizzard that forced us (Dan, Maia, and I) to hunker down and stay overnight with Sarah. Matt left just before the storm worsened for Providence. We played Scrabble and Monopoly and really enjoyed it as an indoor bonding experience. That storm was followed by more and more snow. Sarah had to use her new snowblower a LOT to get out every morning to work. Most of us had to deal with ice dams and damage from heavy snow on our rooftops. Roof rakes to rid the homes of daggerlike icicles were in demand. Therefore, when we sensed a bit of warmth and after all the snow and ice had melted, Matt came over from Rhode Island and helped - he also ordered a load of manure as a surprise and the weekend of Easter we all went to pick out a new chicken coop so that the new chicks would have a fresh new place to live. All was going well untill people started getting stuck in the mud. After all was said and done, it was quite messy and more than a little frustrating, but it all went down as an unfortunate series of events that we had to just get past and move on. My Memorial Day, the garden and the chickens were all taken care of and the mowing had begun. Between Tom's brother, Rob, and me and Sarah the grass gets mowed regularly. One tractor repair session was all it took from the Sears guy who is a familiar part of the scene now to get the old Craftsman running fine. It should be good for this season and then maybe next year she can consider a new riding mower with a larger cutting span.

"Welcome be thou, fair, fresh May!" and it is so true that this month brings life as it should be back to stay. This will be a season of change as I am leaving my job, facing my age (60 in December) and trying to come up with a plan for aging gracefully. That was easy to say when I was 20. Many of my peers have decided to retire, and the Baby Boomers are all doing it. So, I am in good company and not alone in my stage of life. It's just so surprising that I am here at this juncture. Would love to hear some good advice, but everyone's story is different. It's kind of exciting.

It's been five years...

One year later - today is April 4th, the fifth anniversary of John's death. I am struggling with the idea of what to do to commemorate him in a perfect way. Things were interesting over the past year, with a freakish October snowstorm that left us without power for a week. The rest of the winter was unseasonably warm, which was a break for everyone, and made it possible to get to visit Tom in Cooperstown over New Year's and lowered the heating bills. Sarah did not have so much to contend with in snowblowing her driveway, and I felt relieved in terms of worrying about her too because she had a friend helping her as well. Christmas at her house was a success - it is the perfect place for the holiday open house. Now it is almost Easter, and things are changing for me and for Sarah. Matt and catherine have had a tremendous year with a new greenhouse that was raised in November and is now in full swing.Edible Rhody did a great article on them and they have hired an apprentice. Danny and Maia are enjoying Colorado and being out west; I will spend Easter there while Sarah, Matt and Catherine have dinner in Providence with Gerry and family and Ellen. We have started some new traditions, but it is still a good idea to have some things stay the same. Of course, we are all thinking of John at this time.
Denver was so much fun. Dan and Maia have made a home there in their apartment on Lowell Boulevard, which is cozy and welcoming to visit. I was able to get a feel for the place, ride a rental bike along the Platt and Cherry Rivers, walk around Boulder, hike up to Eagle Mountain, wake up on Easter morning before sunrise to attend a service at Red Rocks and visit the Botanical Gardens. Most of the time we just enjoyed each other's company and got a chance to catch up.

Proud to Be an American

Download this mp3 from Beemp3.com

February birthdays

Jean, the sister who is next in line after me in the family, is turning 56 today, and Matthew, my older son, is 35. We had grandparents on both sides who were also born on this day. Go figure. I spoke to Jean, who has been a widow now for a little over a year, and she says she is amazed at what a difference a year makes. She has lost 30 pounds and is now a size 10. The whole process of grieving and widowhood is something we share. We have gotten closer since our husbands are gone.
Matthew, who was skiing in VT in some recent Facebook photos,was not able to be reached on his cell phone today, but I imagine he and Catherine are celebrating together. They have a happy relationship. It is so good to know they have each other and that they are passionate about the same things. Just smart people who care a lot and it is good knowing this when life can be so hard.
Sarah has started facing the tough realities of being without Tom and has really opened up more emotionally to me. Her tears and her spoken words mean more than she knows. I feel so much empathy for what she is going through though I can never do it for her. Knowing that one just has to go through the mounring of a loss, I am relieved by these signs of sorrow. We are going to Lourdes Shrine to mass now on Sundays. It is somewhat less pressurized there, and the people seem down to earth. We have friends that have re-emerged into view who understand the sorrow more than others who have not had such loss in their lives. Healing takes time, and it is a comfort to have a place like this to go to.

Anne Kelly's piano concert

Anne invited me and Sarah to a benefit piano recital at Trinity Church tonight. It turned out to be such a satisfying visit after the lovely sharing of music with friends from our past life on East Hill. What a sweet bunch of dear souls.I will always love the talking we do and our common bond. Sandy and Bruce were the hosts and served coffee,tea and apple pie. It was just wonderful.So lovely to feel welcome and understood, laughing with the Donohues, Cathy and Jack, the Mason's, Sandy & Bruce, Ed & Ann Kelly and Mrs. Bourne (Cindy?) from our old house. A great night.