World Series

We don't usually pay much attention to any Pro sports, but this year K&S invited us to come down  and watch game 3,  and we got sort of hooked. That was the game that went 18 innings! We watched 13 and decided to go home (it was 1:30a.m.!). We heard the rest on the radio. Games 4 and 5 we've watched with Eliza and Clif Bergh. Right now, the Sox are leading 4/1 in game 5, top of the eighth; looks like they're going to win the Series. But it isn't over  'til it's over. 

          J. D. Martinez just got a home run for the Sox. 

Clif Bergh was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan as a boy before the Dodgers moved to LA in 1957. He showed us a baseball he has, signed by the team back then. I think his mother's friend's friend babysat Don Snider or something like that and had an in with the team. However, he's researched the ball and there is some reason to think the signatures were  actually made by the batboy, not the actual team members.  I guess the batboy was a really good forger of signatures and the team had to sign a lot balls, so they were glad to let him do it. But Clif still treasures it. 

            The Dodgers ball

Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie

We have been dealing with mice. I think they got the impression that the house was theirs since we've been gone so much. Ellen has been finding droppings in various drawers, cupboard shelves, etc., places that there seems to be no particular thing that would attract a mouse. So I got out the have-a-heart traps. We have two kinds. One is sort of delicate - the bait has to be placed just right so that the trap entrance is flush to the floor and when the mouse enters, it tilts back and that causes the door to drop down, trapping the mouse inside. I haven't caught anything with that one yet. The other one is more boxy, and has two entrances, each with a ramp that is spring activated - so when the mouse enters the ramp, attracted by the smell of the bait, the ramp easily gives way but then when the mouse steps off inside the box, it springs up, barring exit. I've caught two so far.  When I catch a mouse, I take it across the river to a place in West Dummerston and release it. The problem is that I can hear it rummaging around in the trap in the middle of the night, and that wakes me up.  There is always the chance the mouse can find its way out of the trap - it is not 100% foolproof. So in the past I've actually gotten up and driven it to W. Dummerston at, e.g., 4 a.m. But now we have a new system - I get up and put the trap in a sealed box which is escape-proof, and then take it to W. Dummerston in the morning. But this may be stressful for the mouse (thus the quote from Robert Burns):

Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a pannic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!

I'm truly sorry man's dominion,
Has broken nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An' fellow-mortal!

I doubt na, whiles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
'S a sma' request;
I'll get a blessin wi' the lave,
An' never miss't!

Thy wee bit housie, too, in ruin!
It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An' naething, now, to big a new ane,
O' foggage green!
An' bleak December's winds ensuin,
Baith snell an' keen!

Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste,
An' weary winter comin fast,
An' cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell-
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro' thy cell.

Thy wee bit heap o' leaves an' stibble,
Has cost thee mony a weary nibble!
Now thou's turn'd out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the winter's sleety dribble,
An' cranreuch cauld!

But, Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Still thou art blest, compar'd wi' me
The present only toucheth thee:
But, Och! I backward cast my e'e.
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!

<sup>+++++++++++

I actually wonder if a trap that kills instantly might be more humane than the so-called "have-a-heart" trap. But if Burns is right, the mouse lives entirely in the present and may not be that unhappy sitting in the trap - it does have food (the bait), which had been completely consumed when I released it. But I also don't know what I've separated it from by removing it from the house (like babies maybe?), or what I'm introducing it to in its new home in West Dummerston (new predators?). Anyway, it has the possibility of a new life. Good luck, mousie!</sup>

Mousie coming out of the have-a-heart trap.

 

Back in the swim of things

This evening I did something I have not done for months - I put in a full non-stop hour of mild exercise at the pool - twenty minutes on the exercise machines (bicycle and elliptical), twenty minutes of exercises in the hot tub and twenty minutes of aerobics in the pool. And I'm still alive! I dropped Ellen off at the Latchis Theater at 6:15pm - she is taking in First Man,  the film about Neil Armstrong. Then I came here, did my thing,  and now it's 8:30pm, and I''ll go back pretty soon and pick her up at the Latchis. Nancy Tierra may have met her there for the movie. When we get home, we'll probably watch the 10pm showing of the PBS Newshour - if I can stay awake!

I'm in the waiting area of the pool - you can see the pool behind the doors.

Sunday we sang in the choir in Dummerston and then had a quiet afternoon doing the Spelling Bee puzzle and enjoying reading the NYTimes and listening to the radio. Earlier today we had our Osher Lecture on the Arctic - another very interesting lecture, this time by Prof. Jean Kayira who is from Malawi and has made a special study of what is called "De-Colonization" - a work that is being done by indigenous peoples in many formerly colonial societies, attempting to re-affirm their social, cultural, spiritual and even geographic heritage, undo at least some of the negative effects of colonialization (which usually involved suppression of their identity in every way) and nuture a new relationship which affirms that identity. The focus of today's lecture was the Innu Nation of Labrador. We saw several vidoes of the Innu Nation peoples and their efforts - fascinating. This includes, by the way, a whole new set of guidelines for doing research among indigenous peoples. So - an interesting day and a good one for body and soul. 

A slide from our Osher lecture listing the names of three indigenous peoples in Labrador and the meanings of those names. The background is of Northern Lights. 

Nice day!

Ellen remarked this evening "What a nice day." We slept late, had tea and toast/muffin in bed and then got up and made breakfast. And then we watched a movie! Eighth Grade, which was "excruciatingly realistic" (Elllen's phrase) and a sweet movie, if painful to watch because it so accurately portrayed the awkwardness of 13-year-olds. In the afternoon, Ellen cooked and stacked wood while I digitized my dad's sermons from the 1950s, and brought back a bunch of memories to boot. Then we had supper at Panda with John & Cynthia- all very nice!

Tomorrow should be nice too!

Concert Choir

Last evening was Concert choir rehearsal. We are enjoying our new director, Jonathan Harvey, who is clear and precise in his conducting and communication, demanding and encouraging. Here he is, during a break:

                Jonathan Harvey

Tonight? Our monthly Hallowell rehearsal. Calvin Farwell is coming here at 5:45 to carpool with us. 

Today we voted! We'll be on the road to Santa Fe on Election Day, so we voted early. 

I also cut up a bunch of kindling today. Bit by bit things get done. 

A work in progress

So, it is that time of year again. A year ago I wondered if we would even be here this time of year in 2018, but here we are. And it looks like will be here much of the winter. Except of course for our trip to Wyoming which we always take in January and February. So, we have to get our wood supply in. We had about a cord and a half to 2 cords of dry wood left over from last year, so now we've moved all that dry wood into position just outside the front door where it will be easily accessible in the months immediately ahead. Then behind that we will stack in the wood we just purchased this fall which is all green. Then at the other side of the deck we will stack a row or so of the green wood that was dumped  there to keep the snow from coming in under the deck. We're approximately halfway through the job.

Dry wood mostly stacked - a bit under the tarp still to do. 

       The second pile of green wood

Brattleboro Literary Festival

This is the weekend of the Brattleboro Literary Festival. Yesterday we sang at a funeral and then a graveside service which took up all morning and half the afternoon, so we missed pretty much all the events Saturday. Today, Ellen got to hear Anne Fadiman, daughter of Clifton Fadiman, who was a radio celebrity of the mid-20th century, talk about a memoir about her father. Now we are at a venue called  "118 Elliot" which used to be a laundromat (!) waiting for two novelists to appear.

Waiting at 118 Elliot

We went to church in Guilford this morning, a wonderful service in which one of our senior members, Al Franklin, 83 years old, testified as to "Why I Am Alive," despite multiple injuries, disabilities and illnesses. I got to read scripture: a passage from Job and a "contemporary" reading ( a regular feature of our service), which this morning was Rudyard Kipling's poem, "If." A very apt poem for our time!

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream- -and not make dreams your master;
If you can think- -and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on! '

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings- -nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And- -which is more- -you'll be a Man, my son! 

Al's text from Job was
Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?""

Ah, Anne Christensen has arrived, author of the novel Last Cruise.

      Anne Christensen, reading

Happy Birthday, Ray

On Sunday, Ellen and I drove to Darien, CT to Ray Feinland's 90th birthday party. It was quite a party - upwards of 70 people were there - in a banquet room at the same restaurant where we attended a Seder Meal last spring. All the Feinlands were there, of course: Ray and his wife, Doris, their four children, Laura, Robin, Gary and Jerry, all their spouses and children, siblings, cousins, and lots of friends, most of whom we didn't know.    Tamar and Max both performed on instruments, as did some other grandchildren, and Ellen and I were invited to sing in a choral tribute to Ray, lyrics by Robin, set to the tune "Mame," accompanied by Jacob (Gary's son) on cello. Ray himself proved to be a stand-up comic with great timing as he rehearsed what it's like to be 90. There was dancing - Josh (another grandson) had collected a virtual history of pop tunes spanning Ray's life - and there was also an annotated slide show of his life. So it was quite the shindig! I don't expect to be around for my 90th, but who knows? It was fun to be at Ray's.

       Max on flute . . . 

       . . . and Tamar on piano.

       Ray and Doris dancing. 

Then on Monday, after our Osher Arctic lecture, we turned around and drove to Monterey, MA to the Bidwell House Museum, where we met Katie and Savanna, and their friends, Pam and Nikki. Montery is in Western Massachusetts not far from the New York border. The Museum had been the 18th C. home of Congregational minister, Adonijah Bidwell. Two NYC artists had owned it in the mid-20th C., and had sunk their talent and many $$$ into a gorgeous restoration not only of the house but all Rev. Bidwell's possessions, which had been itemized at his death. Which is why it is now a museum. It was very interesting and a treat to the eyes, and with an informative docent as well. Afterward, we had a snack at a nice place in Gt. Barrington, MA, nearby. Then Ellen and I drove home via Bennington, where we visited Mary Anderson, whose husband, John Nissen, a dear friend, died five years ago this weekend. A full, special day. 

     The Bidwell House Museum

      The dining room

 A collection of "redware" everyday china

Today we took it easy! 

Another week has passed!

Time flies when you are having fun! Here it is a week after my last post! An intense week it was! Ellen picked me up at Princeton Theological Seminary on Friday morning and we made it back to Brattleboro with just a few minutes to spare before we picked up Katie at the Amtrak station. We had a great visit with Katie which included a trip on Sunday to Sunnapee NH to a lunch that included Maggie, Jerry, Daniel and Suzie who had driven out from Bartlett/Elgin, IL to attend a funeral of Maggie's cousin, Bob Nilsson. John went with us, so it was a rare gathering of cousins, which Katie loved. The amazing Aunt Hazel was there too - Bob was her son. Aunt Hazel is 110 years old!

The rest of the weekend, which went through Monday, we talked a lot and Katie worked on a jigsaw puzzle - a 1000-piece puzzle of a complex Frank Lloyd Wright rug from the Empire Hotel in Tokyo. She is a good puzzle person! She actually got it done.

Saturday afternoon, Katie went to John and Cynthia's while Ellen and I had rehearsals. Monday morning, E&I went to an Osher lecture on "The Arctic" while Katie used the internet at the Brattleboro Coop.

Tuesday, Ellen and I had a Hallowell sing at the Rockingham Meeting House at 1:00 so we dropped Katie off at John's so he could take her to the train to go back to NYC. Despite all these trips and activities, we had a lot of time to talk and it was a full and good visit.

Rockingham Meeting House

The Pulpit at the Meeting House - the sermon is central to theology of this architecture!

Tuesday eve, we had River Singers rehearsal, and last night we had a Concert Choir rehearsal. We rehearsed at Center Church and sang the Allegri Miserere spread out around the balcony, which was really fun.

Today, Ellen is making pie crusts for the Guilford Pie Sale. Never a dull moment!

And a piece of great news: Savanna got permission to walk on her injured ankle. She has a much smaller foot brace now and can use the walker without hopping. It makes getting around, and in and out of the house, so much easier! Yay, Savanna!

Suzie talking with Aunt Hazel at lunch

Katie and Ellen working on the puzzle

The completed puzzle!

A map of the arctic from our Osher lecture series showing the biomoes (e.g., Artic Tundra, Boreal Forest, etc.). Canada is on the left, Russia on the right. Alaska is upper left of center. Scandanavia is bottom center. Not a perspective we are used to seeing!

A reindeer herder in the Arctic. Astounding fact - 4 MILLION (!) people live inside the Arctic Circle!