Postcards from the Woods

Centennial Celebrations & School Closures

2010-06-13T18:37:00.008-04:00

Talk about highs & lows. This week, the Arlington School Board voted to close an elementary school to reduce the budget. The school is La Grange Elementary, where my children went. So many good memories at that school. My kids loved that school and all the teachers and great friends they made there. They can't believe it's happening. Neither can their friends.

They both went from kindergarten through 5th grade there. Learned their alphabets and numbers and how to play nice in the sandbox. They grew from wee little kids, singing songs and skipping rope, into these mature, confident, smart, young adults ready for middle school and beyond.

I'd spent a lot of time there as a volunteer, reading with kids and helping out with parties. I created my daughter's 5th grade yearbook when she graduated. It was, as it turns out, the second to last graduating class from La Grange.

Then, over in Fishkill, my old elementary school celebrated its 100th anniversary this weekend. One hundred years of teaching children! That's an incredible achievement. They had a big parade through the village ending at the school, and despite the rainy weather, everyone enjoyed the festivities. I got to see some old elementary school friends and toured the old 5th & 6th grade wing of the school. For Fishkill Froggers, this will be important - I very nearly rang the graduation bell but was foiled by the bell police! I bounded up those steps to the third floor where the 6th grade classes were and was amazed how many great memories came back to me.

I met up with my former 5th grade teachers, Mr. Powers, Mrs. Renza, 6th grade's Mr. Foley, and Fran the Librarian. It was like Mr. Rogers neighborhood but like...real.

It's sad that my kids won't have this experience when they're older. Where will they go to have an elementary school reunion? Will they rip the playground down? The murals on the walls? The plans are to change the classrooms to offices. It won't ever look the same.

I suppose, for my kids, the elementary school staff and teachers did what good schools do - teach children and get them ready for the rest of their school careers. I know more kids would've benefited from the inspiring teachers at LaGrange. I hope they all land on their feet somewhere.

The second budget vote is on Tuesday. I hope they pass it, for the kids.

Around the Garden

2010-06-10T11:17:00.003-04:00

Giant elm tree removed because of disease which means the perennial bed is almost full sun.
Added another 4 x 10' edge to the front perennial bed.
Moved variegated hosta and sedum to the front of the bed, mulched.
Rock wall being built at rear of garden to replace rotten railroad ties.Two rose bushes added to bed near the dogwood (orange/red) and pool bed (pink).
Veg garden planted with:
tomatoes, swiss chard, romaine, asparagus, hot peppers, red peppers, eggplant, pumpkin.
Deck planted with annuals and a variety of herbs including a ton of basil, mint (started from roots from store bought) and cilantro (which reseeded from last year).Might plant more pumpkin seeds in front near mailbox or in corner of perennial bed or pool bed.

Happy Birthday, Viggo!

2008-10-20T20:33:00.003-04:00

Happy 50th Birthday to Viggo Mortensen!

He rocks. Art. Poetry. Publishing. Writing. Photography. Acting. 'Nuff said.

Many (Silly) Faces

2008-02-29T13:22:00.002-05:00

It's been too long since I took photos of the kids and not birds on the deck. Honestly, I think the kids are moving faster than the birds.

2008-02-04T07:31:00.001-05:00

2008-02-04T07:27:00.001-05:00

Super Bowl Snacks

2008-02-01T19:49:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my favorite halftime snacks...these are the ones that people ask for over and over because they're fast and easy. Enjoy.

Superbowl Giants Wings

Wing portions, fried crispy
¾ cup Red Hot sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
¼ cup bottled bbq sauce
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsp. butter
Black pepper & Tabasco to taste
1/4 cup minced canned pineapple (optional)

Mix together in large bowl with lid and microwave one minute or until butter melts.

Toss fried wing sections with sauce in bowl with lid. Serve on platter with celery, carrots and blue cheese dressing.

Halftime Quesadillas

1 large onion, sliced thin
2 large sweet red peppers, sliced thin
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ tsp oregano
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
3 pinches of cumin
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp. olive oil
(2 cups shredded cooked well-seasoned chicken, optional)

8 large flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped jarred jalapenos (optional)

In large nonstick sauté pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Remove to platter. Add 1 Tbsp.olive oil to same pan then add mushrooms. Saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for one minute more. Add peppers/onions back to the pan and add remaining ingredients (except tortillas, cheese, jalapenos). Taste to check seasonings. Cook for 2 minutes more.

Assemble quesadillas: Place one tortilla on work surface, add ¼ cup cheese, top with nearly ½ cup peppers/onions mixture, sprinkle with jalapenos, then ¼ cup more cheese. Top with another tortilla. Repeat for remaining ingredients. (If using shredded chicken, add some to each.)

Quesadillas may be wrapped tightly and refrigerated overnight at this point.
To heat quesadillas: Heat nonstick pan with 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Carefully place assembled quesadilla to pan. Heat 3 minutes per side or until lightly brown. Flip and repeat until cheese melts. Cut into triangles and serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Chicken Satay

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut in 1" x 1/4" x 3" long pieces

Marinade:
6 Tbsp soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 inch-piece ginger

Sauce:
4 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 cup water

Cut pieces into cubes, mix marinade ingredients and refrigerate 2-6 hours.

After marinating chicken, put peanut butter with water in small saucepan. Strain and reserve chicken marinade. Add reserved marinade to the peanut butter mixture. Cook over medium until sauce is glossy, about 5-8 minutes.

Grill skewered or pan-fry chicken until brown and cooked through. Serve with sauce.

Scene from Central Park

2008-01-28T07:07:00.000-05:00

The Gates, Central Park, February 2005

How Quickly They Grow

2008-01-19T20:44:00.001-05:00

We visited the in-laws this weekend. It's great to catch up with everyone and see how the nephews are growing up and changing.

My nephew is a videographer on Long Island. He went to School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Now he has his own business doing wedding and party videos. He's got all this modern equipment, etc. I remember when he was just a little kid running around playing ball in the backyard...*sniffle* They grow so fast...

Anyway, here's his site..check it out if you ever need a videographer in the New York City, Long Island or tri-state region.

Jeffrey Thomas Video

Snow Day Tomorrow?

2008-01-13T21:55:00.000-05:00

Lots of snow in the forecast for tomorrow. I'm ready. There's a sled with my name on it and I'm not afraid to use it!

Here's a shot from last year's snow fun. One of my favorite shots of my girlie-girl

Noxon Road Farm

2008-01-12T22:35:00.000-05:00

Not nearly enough snowy shots this winter, so here's an old one. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a few new ones to share. If you look to the upper left of the wagon, you can see Mt. Beacon in the distance. That's like 15 miles as the crow flies. Nice view.

Let It Snow Already

2008-01-11T20:19:00.000-05:00

I love winter but it's really the snow I like. This brown earth, grey sky stuff I could do without. Here's a few shots of last year's sledding fun in the snow.

Hudson Valley Leaf Cam

2007-10-19T13:15:00.000-04:00

Here's a few minutes of leaf cam from Lagrangeville, New York. Turn up the volume and you can hear the crunchy leaves!

Leaf cam one

Leaf cam two

Apples, Apples Everywhere

2007-10-15T12:10:00.000-04:00

Apple cider donuts, apples & cider from Barton Orchards farm stand

on Noxon Road, LaGrangeville.

Sweet Harvest

2007-09-19T20:02:00.000-04:00

Honey, Meadowbrook Farms, Wappingers Falls

Last Harvest

2007-09-16T19:42:00.000-04:00

The last tomato harvest from this year's garden with a few peppers and zucchini, too. Not bad for complete neglect!

Purple Coneflower Inn

2007-09-05T21:40:00.000-04:00

Just a quick photo post...I love how this purple coneflower has spread throughout the garden. Definitely moving some this fall to the other beds.

Look at all the visitors it gets! Not only good for butterflies, but a variety of bees, too.

I'm allergic to bees, but I just stood really still and shot these. The butterflies were more disturbed by me than the bees. Happily.

Slideshow is here.

End of Summer Blues...and Reds

2007-08-31T21:30:00.000-04:00

Just a few days left before school starts. It's the end of the summer. This is usually a tolerable week for me. I try to lay low, commitment-wise (although I have four story deadlines this week...managing it...kind of) and coast into that first week of school.

This week is usually great in the garden. All my late summer flowers are blooming, roses give another shot at being spectacular, and they are (even my white roses which have been dinner for deer all year), and the veggie garden is usually giving me more tomatoes than I know what to do with.

This year, my veggie garden is full of weeds. I weeded three times all summer. I normally put straw down to mulch - I didn't. I usually lay down soaker-hoses - nope. I usually tie my tomatoes up on the stakes every few days - try once a month. There's a canopy of overgrowth around the garden, too. The wild roses around the garden took steroids, apparently. As did the poision ivy, the weeds and some burr-bushes.

Amazingly, with all the neglect, I got a pretty good crop of tomatoes. I didn't think I'd have any...so some is good. I didn't water, didn't feed, the tomatoes fell over and wilted and I still have fruit.

It's a garden I used to have time for. Somehow (see also: four deadlines this week), my time was directed elsewhere. The two days I'm home from work, I spend doing other things..catching up in the house.

I did keep up with the front flower bed and the one by the pool. Everything needs work. With my son moving into middle school, I'll be up earlier. Hopefully I can use that extra half hour in the gardens - at the very least to look at them. I miss the soil in my hands. It's always a peaceful time in the garden.

Work less, garden more. Just found my new motto.

Summer Camp...Respite and Retreat

2007-07-27T10:02:00.000-04:00

I'm typing this on the deck...it's 85 degrees at 9:30am but breezy. It's the last day of summer camp for the kiddies. Today they'll make candles and homemade bread. They're having a great time...and...so am I! I thought I'd be bored...lonely...miss them...NOT! lol.

I feel like that lady in the Staples commercial who is frolicking through the back-to-school aisles while her kids, sullen, drag slowly behind. I used to hate that commercial when my kids were little and quiet...and entertained. Now they're older, whinier, argumentative, combative with each other (oh! A hummingbird just buzzed by!) and bored. This week they came home so tired, they didn't have the energy for fighting or whining. This is the first time I've had the house to myself in....I don't remember when. With hubbie working from home a few days a week, I'm hardly ever alone.

I did stuff I never do this week. Read magazines. Floated in the pool. Did laps. Drank a beer and had a sub. (I eat fancy food at work for lunch...a sub is a treat for me!) I put a bikini on (with many towels on the deck railings shielding me from neighbors) and tanned. I got sunburned. I bought a new book. I read a page then remembered that I still had housework to do even though it seemed like I was on a tropical vacation somewhere.

I have to go back to work next week. This three weeks off makes me seriously consider becoming a teacher. Yes, yes, I love kids and like developing young minds, but c'mon...summers OFF! Snow days OFF! Holidays OFF! It's gotta be worth all the headaches and noise, noise, noise from kids and flack from their parents. Right??

Anyway...a few more hours of quiet. I'll have lunch with a friend today at a new place on the river. Maybe we'll have a cocktail. I don't think they give out crayons at the door. I'm happy about that.

I'll look forward to the kiddies coming home. They'll save me a bite of bread and in two weeks, their herbed vinegar will be ready. (My daughter asked me if bread lasted two weeks so she could dip her homemade bread in the homemade vinegar...I told her we'd make more bread. If a mom who works at the Culinary can't make bread...what good is that?!) We've done more stuff together this week at night than we usually do when they're home all the time. We played games in the pool. Watched TV. Hung out and talked. It's been good. For them and me.

Renaissance Artistry Rediscovered

2007-07-20T10:45:00.000-04:00

My latest "Young Entrepreneur" story in the Poughkeepsie Journal is up today. I enjoyed interviewing venetian plaster artist Martin Ahlf and his wife about his work, which I'd never heard of before. Now I think I could work in the plaster supplier showroom as a salesperson!

Anyway, here it is. His wife took the story photo of his very cool Venetian plaster work in the New Orleans Ritz Carlton.

* * * * *

Unrelated, but I love this feature on the BBC site...A Day in Pictures. I found it last year when I was searching their site for something. I read a story there and emailed a comment and they emailed me asking to be on their radio show which is broadcast online. I think it was about politics, I can't remember. Anyway, I talked to the BBC program manager and he told me when they'd be calling. I waited around for them to call me for the entire show, then near the end, they called to say that the other guy, a very interesting non-profit director, took up all the time. Oh well. There went my 15 minutes.

Still a very cool site...with or without me yammerin on it.

Cool Cover Photo

2007-07-10T19:43:00.000-04:00

Got the cover photo on Cuisine of the Hudson Valley magazine for the Poughkeepsie Journal this month. (Thanks, Barbara!)

This photo accompanies my story on cool summer foods. I collected a few recipes from chefs, a local restauranteur, Luis Pinto, and submitted a few of my own.

The photo was a challenge. I took a few at the restaurant but the light wasn't optimal (and my good camera's battery died, so I was left with the backup..long story short, I need a backup battery) and the dish needed to be arranged better for the closeup.

He gave me the dish to take home and I cleaned everything off and re-plated it, made a new sauce for the shrimp and shot photos like a mad-woman before the sun set outside. The photo at right is one of many, many, many shots.

I like being able to shoot my own photos for stories. It's not always an option, or convenient, but I enjoy it.

Food writing is great fun for me. I get to incorporate two of my favorite things...food and writing. I've also been doing the monthly food features at work for the Culinary. This month's is on brownies...not quite food porn like the tempura piece, but it's a good recipe.

Also had my story about adult kickball in the sports section. I think I've written for every section now except for local news. Any breaking news to share? Let me know...I'll ask someone else to write it...I'm too busy!!!
= )

Are you reading this....

2007-06-12T10:24:00.000-04:00

If not, why not?

Home Fires

An excerpt from today's column by Jeffrey D. Barnett.

...If you listen to some people in the media you might believe we’re mostly uneducated felons. That certainly wasn’t true during my experience. I worked with numerous enlisted marines that had both undergraduate and graduate degrees. The most prominent example was a sergeant (E-5) in my battalion that had a master’s degree. He was over 30 years old, and had obviously signed up to serve in the face of numerous opportunities, not due to the lack of them...

I love he how just slaps you in the face with his writing...all of them do. Like a big wet fish, slap! It's about time...there's much more fine writing in that column by five Iraq War Vets.

Write on, Home Fires columnists.

Quality Time

2007-06-09T21:44:00.001-04:00

I was interviewing some co-ed softball players for a possible summer story and I saw this mom and daughter walking along sharing some quality, quiet time.

I miss taking those small steps with my kids. Small feet, small legs taking small steps. A tiny hand in mine. Some days you wish they would hurry up and grow. Now, of course, you wish you could squish them in a little box to keep them small.

Happily, I had a lot of these types of moments as a stay-at-home mom. Lots of picnics in parks, day-trips to the quiet lake. Nothing to do but enjoy the day and play. The best kind of quality time.

Home Fires: Veterans Write on their Lives Post-War

2007-06-07T13:10:00.000-04:00

Some good writing and tough stories in the Times latest guest Op-Ed columns on the war. Five Iraq War Vets write on their return to life back home. Not sure I agree with the TimesSelect wall being up on these. These stories need to be heard, not just by folks who'll shell out the dough to read them...even though, yes, I know, there's a free trial. But it's the principle of the thing.

The latest entry is a column by Lee Kelley, who mil-blogged for the Times last year from Iraq. A fine writer who, as he reported in his column, now has a literary agent! Go Lee! His blog also highlights some of his writing. I recommend May 2006, "Just Drop Me Off When This Thing Is Over."

He is also featured in Time's Person of the Year Dec. 2006 Issue, Citizens of the New Digital Democracy piece. (Time's Person of the Year was YOU, in case you missed it. You and you and you. All of us, apparently. I knew I'd have my 15 minutes eventually!)

Best of luck, Lee and enjoy the fishing with the kids.

Memorial Day

2007-05-27T22:47:00.000-04:00

From a chain email I received...for Memorial Day...

In September of 2005, a social studies schoolteacher from Arkansas did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with permission of the school superintendent, the principal, and the building supervisor, she took all of the desks out of the classroom.

The kids came into first period, they walked in; there were no desks. They obviously looked around and said, "Where's our desks?" The teacher said, "You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn them." They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades."

"No," she said. "Maybe it's our behavior."

And she told them, "No, it's not even your behavior."

And so they came and went in the first period, still no desks in the classroom. Second period, same thing. Third period. By early afternoon television news crews had gathered in the class to find out about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of the classroom.

The last period of the day, the instructor gathered her class. They were at this time sitting on the floor around the sides of the room. She said, "Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the desks that sit in this classroom ordinarily. Now I'm going to tell you."

She went over to the door of her classroom and opened it, and as she did 27 U.S. veterans, wearing their uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. And they placed those school desks in rows, and then they stood along the wall. By the time they had finished placing the desks, those kids for the first time I think perhaps in their lives understood how they earned those desks.

Their teacher said, "You don't have to earn those desks. These guys did it for you. They put them out there for you, but it's up to you to sit here responsibly, to learn, to be good students and good citizens, because they paid a price for you to have that desk, and don't ever forget it.

New story

2007-05-25T13:44:00.000-04:00

New story on the business page today...the first of a continuing monthly series on young entrepreneurs...read it here. Many thanks to Rick Palermo for taking my calls on the job, often in the middle of the job, and being patient with my numerous questions. And thanks to his mom for telling the story from her side. And for being a mom.

Memorial Day...Remembering the Fallen

2007-05-22T23:22:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of meeting a group of Marines recently who were taking classes where I work. They were sent here from all over the globe to learn how to become better chefs. One from a Marine base in Japan, one from Hawaii, the Pentagon, Texas and other bases.

My grandfather was a cook in the Army in WWII. Because of his cooking experience prior to the war, he was assigned to be a cook at Fort Dix Army Training Center in New Jersey. He was frustrated to be "only a cook" and not a fighting soldier, but as the war went on, he realized that his meals might be the last bit of home-cooking that soldiers ate before going off to battle, or ever.

He took his responsibilities seriously and made the best meals he could with what he had. If he needed better ingredients, he'd find a way to get them. Soldiers would ask for his "special" bread pudding or roast potatoes. I cooked with him at religious retreats for West Point cadets and his food was prepared with the same love and attention and received with equal parts of love and thankfulness.

I remember one retreat, we, the cooking volunteers, were hungry in the kitchen after preparing and serving the meals but we wouldn't eat until the cadets had had enough. If they wanted seconds, he encouraged us to give them our portions - with love. It was a lesson he drilled into me - cooking a meal for someone is sharing part of you with them...it's a labor of love.

These Marines had similar attitudes about preparing meals for their fellow soldiers. They spent five weeks with us and learned, we hope, a great deal. We did, too but not about cooking.

I learned these Marines know how to follow a recipe. It was harder to teach them to break the rules of the recipe and make it their own, but they did eventually. I learned they are serious about studying and learning but they like to have fun, too. They want to live while they're alive - a simple concept perhaps, but something that takes on different meaning when you're a soldier.

They are brothers and fathers and husbands and sons. One was a daughter and she had a beautiful smile, although she said that Marines don't smile for photos. I caught her smiling for a moment and got one anyway, but that smile was just too wonderful...Marine or not.

I learned about where they came from and, perhaps more important, where they've been. These were Marines ages 19-40. Some had been to Iraq already. Some had been a few times. They shared video and photos from Iraq. Some lighter moments, but most were not.

Today, I saw similar photos in the NY Times. A very moving article (by Damien Cave with a photographic series by Michael Kamber) of a group of soldiers who had just been injured by a hidden off-road bomb. They were searching for the three soldiers who were kidnapped last week and were themselves injured during the search. One fatality, three others injured. The photographer and reporter were with the troop at the time of the explosion and were able to describe and document the scene in great detail.

The one fatality, the one dead soldier in this troop, on this day had a name. His name was Sgt. Justin D. Wisniewski. He was 22 years old.

If you Google his name, it comes up about 360 times. If you asked ten people on the street who he is, chances are no one will know who he is.

If you ask ten people on the street who the newest American Idol is, chances are many will know. Google an American Idol finalist and you'll find over 2 million listings.

This bothers me. It bothers me more now, I suppose, because for the past five weeks, I have put names to faces of soldiers. Of Marines. Marines who have fought and lived through this war. Marines who have yet to go over to Iraq. Marines who will likely return there again for their second or third tours. Marines who I hope will all make it back. I didn't know any soldiers personally before these five weeks. None of my friends are soldiers. No one from work is. No one in my family is. Now I know a few and I will remember their names and their faces and their smiles.

In Sgt. Wisniewski's hometown in Standish, Michigan, people will likely know his name. They would likely want you to know and remember his name. He is their American Idol. A photo of him in uniform was posted at his high school on Monday. He was remembered there with a moment of silence.

There are 3,452 names from this Iraq War that need remembering. A list of their names and photos is here.

I'll remember one here today.

Sgt. Justin D. Wisniewski.

Related stories:

"I Will Always Be Your Soldier" by Ryan J. Stanton, Bay City Times

In the Times on Sunday entitled "Coming Home" about Iraq War Veterans' lives after the war.

"An Invisible War" by NY Times Op-Ed columnist Bob Herbert, May 3, 2007

Celiac Disease article

2007-05-21T15:44:00.000-04:00

My story on Celiac Disease is up on the Poughkeepsie Journal's site....read it here.

CIA You-Tube

2007-05-19T21:09:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day cupcake video from our chefs...

Hummingbird's New Home

2007-05-10T21:54:00.000-04:00

I transported "Ruby" the hummingbird to his (or her...I forgot to find out!) new home at the Trevor Zoo in Millbrook. Everything I read online said I couldn't keep a hummingbird in captivity, so we found him a new home with some animal friends at the zoo.

He sat in his shoebox on a twig with his sugar water dispenser in front of him. I left the box lid open halfway so he could see what was going on. The ride didn't seem to phase him and he had a drink here and there when he wanted.

The director and assistant director were impressed by his calm nature. He doesn't peck at you if you reach for him and he'll sit on your finger and perch. He drinks out of a container and doesn't appear to be sickly...except for the damaged right wing.

They didn't think his wing would heal properly because it's been a week and it was still hung up a bit. He flaps and gets a few inches off the ground but he's not going anywhere. They'll probably show him to the students and groups there - he'd be a great classroom addition.

They're going to put him in the bird area and have the students make him a "highway" of sticks for him to perch on. He doesn't walk around and without flight, he's pretty immobile. I called it the hummingbird superhighway. I can't wait to see what they rigged.

I miss the little guy. It was nice to come home from work and sit with him on the deck. He'd just drink his little sugar water and look around and listen to the other birds. Who knew such a tiny thing would grab such a big piece of my heart?

I'm going to call early next week to see how it's all going...I hope he likes it there.

Hummingbird Hospital

2007-05-07T10:59:00.001-04:00

Well, Ruby the hummingbird is still with us three days after we found her injured on the driveway. She is self-feeding now from a little Harry Potter magic seed terrarium I found in the kids room. It's just the right size.

I put some sticks in with her and removed her from the box to a towel on the table outside. She sat out there for a half hour in the sun and she seemed to perk up. She listened to the birds all around us and seemed more alert to her surroundings. A shoe box is no place for a hummingbird.

Unfortunately, she still can't fly. She was making many attempts but couldn't get any air. I read online that hummingbirds can't walk, so that explains a lot. The sticks I gave her worked well and she side-stepped along them to the sugar-water feeder. I had to cover her with an old wicker outdoor table...as soon as she saw it coming she flapped to escape. Poor her.

I have a call into an animal hospital to see if they'll care for her. The Trevor Zoo in Millbrook can look at her on Thursday. I hope she can make it until then feeding on just sugar water. She needs a protein source like squished bugs or small fruit flies. I finally evicted fruit flies from my kitchen last month and now, it turns outt, I need them.

See more photos and video here.

Hummingbird Rescue

2007-05-04T17:56:00.000-04:00

Today, I fed a hummingbird. My husband and the kids found a ruby-throated hummingbird last night on the driveway. They put him in a shoebox with some sugar-water on a plastic spoon and left him for the night. We're not sure if his wing is broken or if he's concussed or what is wrong with him.

I put a washcloth in with him and a stick for perching and a supply of sugar water. He looked pretty out of it this morning, wobbling and falling down. As the day progressed, though, he seemed to chipper up a bit. He's trying to flap and his wings are flapping pretty well but not fast enough for takeoff. I held the spoon for him and his little tongue is forked like a snake.

I called the Millbrook School's Trevor Zoo to ask if they did hummingbird rescue. I talked to Allan, the Assistant Director, and asked what to do. He said he might be concussed but it's hard to tell without seeing him. The concussion might affect his flapping, etc. He said to wait until morning to see if he makes it. If he had a concussion, he could die...or the stress of all of this could kill him.

I took some video and photos of him. The kids are calling him "Ruby." I hope he makes it!

Last Frost Date in New York

2007-04-30T22:28:00.000-04:00

Every year since I've had this blog, I get hits for "last frost date" for springtime planting. I wrote a blog about how I planted my entire annual and vegetable garden before that date one year. Of course, right after planting, I heard that frost was on the way. My choices: losing my whole crop if I left them, covering the whole lot of it or digging them out before nightfall.

I dug. It was not fun. I placed all my little plants in a wheelbarrow loaded with potting soil. I watered them in and wheeled it all in the garage overnight. Never again.

My neighbors thought I was nuts...plant them in, take them out, plant them in. Come to think of it, she still thinks I'm nuts, but that's a blog entry for another day...

So here it is, for all you beginner Hudson Valley gardeners, according to the Cornell Coop. Extension, last spring frost date or planting date, in Dutchess County is........*regal trumpeting*

April 30 - May 10th.

I'd wait a bit...or, if you feel lucky, g'head. You'll have tomatoes a week before me. Maybe. (Tomatoes like warm dirt to grow...you're not gaining much by planting early!)

Impatiens really hate frost. Don't plant those even if you do feel lucky. They look so pathetic dead and shriveled. If you care anything about impatiens, leave them at the garden center for another week. Or buy them, let them sun in the day and bring them in at night if you have room.

Of course, go ahead and plant your perennial herbs, hardy perennials, rose bushes, spring flowering trees, shrubs, and even some lettuces and peas. Divide your rootbound perennials and those hostas which seem to grow like they're on steroids. So back away from the tender annuals. There are plenty of other things to keep you busy in the garden this week.

Hudson Valley Gourmet

2007-04-30T10:15:00.000-04:00

Hey, I just found this site when I was looking for biscotti online. Hudson Valley Gourmet's site features a wide variety of Hudson Valley-based food products including Bella's Famous Biscotti (love it, love it - try the vanilla!).

It would be great if they could get a more eastern location (like...by me) for sales to the slews of weekenders traveling the Taconic from the city to weekend homes here.

Coming soon...my best picks for food in the Hudson Valley...when? I dunno...soon. I'm busy!

Hoops Kids

2007-04-29T15:50:00.000-04:00

A shot of my son's basketball game. What form! What grace! Where's my Windex - that backboard needs a cleaning!

Happy Anniversary, Maya Cafe & Cantina!

2007-04-23T10:44:00.000-04:00

This past Thursday was the two-year anniversary of the opening of Maya Cafe & Cantina on Route 9 in Fishkill. I didn't get to attend the festivities but I heard the party was memorable. The empty tequila bottles on the bar shelves spoke volumes. Best wishes for many more years of prosperity, Luis!

Luis Pinto has been busy during these two years and opened yet another restaurant at 294 Main Street in Beacon. They're still awaiting the liquor license as of this writing (4/23/07), so BYO.

Cafe Maya 294 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508 845-838-4901
Maya Cafe & Cantina, Route 9, Fishkill, 845-896-4042
Cafe Maya, Route 9 Cold Spring, 845-265-4636

Garden Visits

2007-04-22T10:23:00.000-04:00

If you haven't been to the NY Botanical Gardens, now would be a good time. Like, right now. Spring is in full bloom there and the weather is supposed to be great for a few days. If our daffodils are just starting to bloom here, that means they're in full bloom one hour south in the Bronx. So are the dogwoods, Bradford pears and other flowering trees I haven't put a name to yet.

Here are some photos of a trip I took there two years ago when I had time to visit. Worth the trip if you can sneak out of work. Take a short side trip to Arthur Avenue, just a few blocks away.

Spring Is Here

2007-04-21T10:04:00.000-04:00

Well, after a week of witnessing nature's fury with the Nor'easter and subsequent flooding, there's a calm in the weather and a fireball in the sky. I do believe it's called "the sun." It's apparently going to be up there for a few days in a row this week. Imagine that.

Random garden notes:

The deer ate the crocus but the daffodils, of course, were spared. Now, if they could just create daffodils that look like tulips, we'd have it all.

The glory of the snow flowers are up all over the yard. Makes me feel guilty for not raking out the woods since there are so many in there peeking up from under the brown leaves. Let's see...I've correctly identified the sneaky weed that took over my flower garden last year...haha! You're not a flower, not a flower! It shall be evicted forthwith.

I got dirty in the gardens this weekend, digging up raspberry bushes (again) that still want to live in my veggie garden. I chopped down some thicket and burr-bushes near the road and planted what should be a lovely berry hedge...for the deer to nibble on. Sigh.

Got half the veggie garden turned over...planted pansies by the mailbox, added mulch to that (OK, it was only a square yard of mulch, but it's inspiration to mulch the 100 or so square yards in the other gardens).

I think two of the three baby birch trees my friend gave us last fall will make it. One is destined for kindling.

My Recipes

2007-04-19T11:06:00.001-04:00

I've been remiss in gathering the recipes I've shared here on PftW. Here's a clickable list of some of my recipes...more to come! Happy cooking!

Zucchini Bread
End of Summer Pasta
Scones
Turkey Stuffing

Helpful cooking sites:

Produce Pete - taking the mystery out of produce
Recipe/measurement converter - good for changing quantities in recipes
Cook It Simply converter - helpful with recipes in non-US measurements

Some favorite food/recipe sites:

Pinoy Cook - Filipino recipes - just like my mom used to make
Good Home Cookbook Blog - homestyle recipes
Chow - all things food and foodie

Coming soon...my top ten local food/restaurant picks in Dutchess County!

LaGrange Flooding

2007-04-16T21:03:00.000-04:00

That big Nor-Easter came through with a wollop today. Flooding everywhere. Every road that accessed my daughter's school from the south, where we are, was flooded. After trying three different routes, I ended up driving through a shallow washout over the road. Today of all days, I offered to drive her to school.

Some more photos here.

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T21:02:00.000-04:00

How chocolate bunnies came to be associated with the risen Christ is beyond me, but OK. At least I like chocolate...and bunnies. Apparently, it's of German origin...

Look! You can take a quiz to find out what kind of person you are based on which part of the bunny you eat first! I'm an ear-lover, myself.

Happy Easter!

Spring...Indoors Anyway

2007-04-06T21:11:00.000-04:00

Spring bulbs, Adams Farm Market Flower Show

It is so cold...I'm wondering if Al Gore had a typo in his reports...not global warming...global freezing. Brrr...it snowed in Virginia...in April. The Mets game in Atlanta tonight looks like they're playing in Toronto...in November! It's all my fault...I packed my sweaters away last week. Apologies, northeast.

My daffodils are still closed tight. They're not stupid. I fear my crocus will die before they ever open. Their little purple buds are up but slammed shut. The hyacinth that poked up in last December's heat spell are finally blooming, albeit shorter than normal and the tips are yellowed from exposure to January/February's snowfalls.

I wonder what will happen to all those forsythias that bloomed in December...will they bloom again? Second chance spring? Wacky weather. Spring is hopeful but completely confused this year.

Random Thursday Thoughts

2007-03-29T22:46:00.000-04:00

There's no sense in looking at my NCAA picks anymore. I'm in last place, 48th/49, well, except for the 49th person in the pool who didn't actually submit any picks. Thank you, sir, for that. I like this ranking better: 259,609 of 314,209 in all of FoxSports NCAA picks. Not as bad as I thought.

I am last in the NCAA picks and the Mets are in last place in the NL East in spring training. Now, anyone who knows Mets baseball, or any baseball, will tell you that March baseball is meaningless. It's spring and it's training. It's not April and it's certainly not October and, therefore, there's no need to worry. The grass is still brown. Worry when the grass is green. Don't worry now.

Even though we still don't have pitching. Even though we are losing what pitching we do have by the hour. Even though the remaining pitching is, well, old and subject to injury by virtue of their oldness.

Bah, I can't worry about that now. I had my son's middle school orientation tonight. Talk about oldness. Nothing makes you feel old like a middle school orientation. It was just for the parents and now I know why. Because the Principal tried to make us cry and he didn't want the kids to see it.

OK, maybe he didn't really want to make us cry. But some parents almost did. The biggest gasp came when he announced the school start time: 7:32AM. For the record, I am in bed until 7:41AM on school days now and can still wake the troops, feed them, pack lunchboxes and send them out the door for the 8:11AM bus. I am not confident this routine will work an hour earlier. For my son or me.

The second loudest gasp came when the Principal said the first of four lunch periods was at 9:45AM. Lunch at 9:45AM. Now, I like this new Principal. He's affable and down to earth and he talks fast like I do. But perhaps he doesn't understand what "lunch" is or where on the clock the lunch hour usually falls. Maybe he's still on the old daylight savings time, plus or minus an hour. Maybe it's like that "new math" that I don't understand. I won't worry too much that my baby will be starving by 1pm every day!!! My baby!!! Someone feed my poor baby!!! Ahem.

Third group gasp: they'll be home by 2:15. Ooops...I guess I should figure out that afternoon bus arrival thing before September, huh? Also, intramurals and after-school buses don't stop at your usual bus stop. Moms all over the room looked shocked.

The biggest, and perhaps only sigh of relief came when he said that the sixth graders have their own hall and don't oft intermingle with the (evil-mature) 8th graders. He did note that lunch was intermingled. What bad evil-mature events could occur at a 9:45AM lunch, am I right?

An astute parent noted the ridiculousness of one school counselor per 350 students. Perhaps they have a conveyor belt set up for this. "What's your problem? NEXT! What's your problem? NEXT!"

Parents left the cafetorium in a daze. More shocking than the early start time and myriad of middle school logistics, parents realized their babies are growing up.

They'll be no more cupcakes for classroom birthday parties. No more Mother's Day poems. No handmade Father's Day crafts. No special pizza parties before holidays. No Thanksgiving feasts. No paper superhero Valentines to buy and tape lollipops to. No more room moms.

His last Powerpoint slide said, "Parents: Don't disengage!"

Hey, let us bring cupcakes once in awhile and we'll stay engaged all you want.

I told a mom it was like weaning from breast feeding all over again. It aches to let them go.

I arrived home, armed with knowledge of a 6th-grader's life and a bit melancholy about the arrival of September. I arrived and there was my son, God bless him, sitting on the couch, watching cartoons, wearing a lion mask on the top of his head and eating potato chips from a red, plastic Clifford the Big Red Dog bowl. A little boy, still.

I shared with him all the info I gathered and he, too, breathed a sigh of relief when he found out that the evil-big 8th graders wouldn't be in his wing.

And then he hugged me.

Excuse me while I go staple the calendar shut to prevent the pages from turning.

Sunset Over LaGrange

2007-03-26T21:04:00.000-04:00

Sunset from Bruzgul Road

Marist Women's Basketball Team in Dayton! Sweet!

2007-03-25T11:15:00.000-04:00

Check out the Marist College women's basketball team today on ESPN at noon when they play Tennessee in the NCAA regional semis in Dayton, Ohio.

Lots of blog coverage by local writers including Sean McMann at the Pok. Journal and Ken McMillan at the Times Herald Record.

I'll try to get some blogging going on my sportsblog at FoxSports. (I still cannot believe Fox didn't ask me to go cover Marist in Ohio...their loss!)

I had this great idea for an interactive map for folks driving to Dayton for the game. Alas, the html for it was way over my head. Was able to find some fun stuff to do along the way, though. Read about it here and please, if you go to Esther Price chocolates, grab me a box of coconut chocolates. Thanks.

The Road to Dayton

2007-03-25T11:00:00.000-04:00

I had a great idea for an interactive map for those traveling to Dayton for the Marist game on Sunday. Alas, it turns out I really stink at html. So here are the fun things to do on the way...if you get to Esther Price candies, please get me a box any chocolate with coconut in it, thanks.

Dayton:

The Birthplace of Aviation http://www.daytoncvb.com/TODO_00.html
Ester Price Candies http://www.estherprice.com/ Fine chocolates and confections...must have: chocolate covered potato chips!
Nation Museum of the US Air Force http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

Columbus: http://www.experiencecolumbus.com/

http://www.europeanpapers.com/
The shop has a large selection of handmade & decorative papers; collage & bookbinding materials, embellishments and more. Workshops are offered in paper arts, bookbinding, collage, calligraphy, jewelry & altered books.

Columbus Zoo & Aquarium http://www.columbuszoo.org/ Over 6,000 animals representing over 700 species, this zoo was made world famous by its ambassador, “Jungle” Jack Hanna.

Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum: The Museum is more than just a wide range of motorcycles on display, its goal is to tell the stories and history of motorcycling. http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/

Akron, Ohio: Pro Football Hall of Fame http://www.profootballhof.com/

Cleveland, Ohio: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame http://www.rockhall.com/

Punxsutawney, PA: Just 20 miles south of Brookville on Rt. 36, home of the beloved seasonal-prognosticating groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. http://www.groundhog.org/

Dan Leader, South African Whole Grain Bread Project

2007-03-04T14:26:00.000-05:00

My new article is up on the Poughkeepsie Journal site about Boiceville baker Dan Leader and the South African Whole Grain Bread Project. He's developed a great program to help HIV/AIDS victims in South Africa.

Baker Doing His Part to Feed the World
Poughkeepsie Journal, Sunday, March 4, 2007
By Carolyn Torella

Ask 10 people what makes a "good loaf of bread" and you'll get 10 different answers. Ask a baker and he'll tell you it depends, of course, on what type of bread you're talking about.
Ask HIV/AIDS advocate Gail Johnson in Johannesburg, South Africa, and she'll likely tell you good bread is any bread made by Dan Leader, of Bread Alone Bakery.

At first glance, Leader's work as a baker might seem simple enough. Get to work early, combine wholesome ingredients, add love and patience, then sell your day's work; simple loaves of bread.

But very soon, Leader's work will take him far from the flour-dusted floors of his Boiceville bakery, to South Africa, on a journey that is anything but simple.

In early April, he will set up a bakery in Johannesburg through the South African Whole Grain Bread Project, or SAWGBP, a project conceived by Leader and his partners, retired physician Neil Ratner and his wife, Leann, of Woodstock. (read more...)

Hudson River Ice

2007-02-12T21:40:00.000-05:00

Counting Crows in Poughkeepsie

2007-02-01T07:26:00.000-05:00

No, not the band...actual crows! Except you can't count them...there are far too many. Check out this video I took last night on the way home from work. Zillions of them.

Here are a few articles on them...one from a bird club and one from the environmental editor, Dan Shapley at the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Crows at sunset near the Mid-Hudson Bridge.
View from the Hungarian Reformed Church, Grove Street, Poughkeepsie

Crows
by the Gothic Archies

It gets dark around here early
Because of all the crows
What they want and where they came from
No one really knows
Crows are sour and surly
With reason, I suppose

There are crows, crows, crows in the trees
Saying crows things, doing as they please
There are crows, crows, crows everywhere
But when I think of you, dear, I don't care

There are crows, crows, crows in the trees
Saying crows things, doing as they please
There are crows, crows, crows everywhere
But when I think of you, dear, I don't care

It gets light around slowly
Because of how it goes
Every day we hear the same dumb list of those crows’ woes
Thinking they're so holy while leaving mementos

There are crows, crows, crows in the trees
Saying crow things, doing as they please
There are crows, crows, crows everywhere
But when I think of you, dear, I don't care

I don't care because I know you love me
Unlike all crows lurking above me…

A Crazy Thing...Runner Up in New York Times Contest

2007-01-21T00:40:00.000-05:00

Hey, here's a crazy thing I thought I’d share with you. I won 2nd place in a writing contest! Well, not an ordinary one. I won...but no prizes. You kinda don't want one for this topic. It was a contest to tell, in your own words, something about the Darfur situation...It was posted on Nicholas Kristof's blog on the NY Times, called "Your Turn." You could review the photos, columns & news pieces about Darfur and then write essays, news features, poems, letters, etc. So I wrote a poem after I looked at the columnist's photos.

I sent it in around December and I was just reading his column today and bam! There it was! No email notification...so it was a shocker to see my name there. I do believe I gasped.

I won runner-up. Kinda cool. Not sure what to make of it. Of course, I read it now and still want to tweak it...lol And every poem I write ends up sounding like I'm channeling Dr. Suess...

The winner wrote a letter to an aid worker from the point of view of a woman there who suffered and was about to die. Really poignant, painfully raw, and probably true somewhere in Darfur. The winner also happened to be an actress, Melissa Fitzgerald, who used to be on West Wing.

You have to be a TimesSelect subscriber to read the column and do read her letter, but here's my poem with the column mention, if you care to read something depressing....

"The runner-up in this contest is a poem by Carolyn Torella of Lagrangeville, N.Y., entitled “We Are Missing.”

"And here’s the runner-up from Carolyn Torella who added this note with her entry: “I looked at the photos you took there and my first reaction was, wow, that blue sky could be our blue sky here today. Those mountains look like the mountains I see every day in the Hudson Valley. They have farmers…mothers…children…so do we. But of course, we live in different worlds.”

“We Are Missing”

Those blue skies look familiar
Vapor clouds feathered white
Trees bend with the wind there
Darkness comes with night

Our mountains look the same here
Shaped by passing time
Brown slopes gently curve here
Young feet attempt the climb

Fathers worked the land there
Fed the hungry night and day
Mothers’ voices singing
Children, go out and play!

Now something there is missing
Joy has left the land
Darkness comes by day now
By janjaweed's evil hand

Fathers stand and fight there
Death comes anyway
Mothers raped at daybreak
Babies cry all day

The graves are getting deeper
The sky unfurling black
Tears upon the dry land
Flesh burns on broken back

Something there is missing
The compassionate outstretched hand
Whole choirs of voices singing
Help them, take a stand!

What is missing?
WE are missing.
The We who say we care
The We who have the power
To help you over there.

Hire Me to Write!

2007-01-10T19:45:00.000-05:00

Experienced freelance writer and occasional humorist available for articles, features, short or long-term projects for print, Web and magazines. Reader-friendly, often lyrically written and always well-researched copy on life, family, food, health, business, travel and sports. Food writer for the Associated Press monthly culinary feature stories.

I wrote a book on love and baseball in one month. It needs work. Obviously.

Cover-quality photographic skills available as well, all in one friendly, agreeable, low-maintenance package.

As a FoxSports.com blogger, I was a featured guest on ESPN Radio in eastern PA. Mike and Mike in the Morning haven't called yet.

Hudson Valley-based but willing to travel. Extremely available for color/fan experience/sidelines World Series and/or Super Bowl Coverage.

Pets as Holiday Gifts

2006-12-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

My freelance piece on giving pets as holiday gifts was in the Poughkeepsie Journal today. Read it here if only to see the cutest picture of a dog you have ever seen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-19T20:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

My first "column" is up on the Poughkeepsie Journal today. Read it here.

On Stuffing and Holiday Gatherings

2006-11-19T14:11:00.000-05:00

My column is up on the PoJo today. Read it here.

Falling Leaves

2006-10-30T01:12:00.000-05:00

Frost and a Pumpkin

2006-10-27T10:30:00.000-04:00

Frost and a Pumpkin

Lagrangeville, NY

It's peak leaf season here in the Hudson Valley, or at least Dutchess County. The rains have held off long enough to let the trees hang on to their colorful foliage for another week. Here's a slideshow of some foliage and the obligatory pumpkin avec frost.

Body Image

2006-10-22T10:50:00.000-04:00

My freelance piece on teenagers and body image is up today on the Poughkeepsie Journal's web site. Read it here.

For Mark James Milano

2006-10-09T19:30:00.000-04:00

September Harvest

2006-09-16T19:06:00.000-04:00

Renegades Baseball

2006-08-21T16:26:00.000-04:00

Dutchess Stadium

Renegades Baseball

See the slideshow here.

There is something magical about a baseball field. The way the grass, an emerald green, is trimmed low and mowed in those impressive patterns. The way the sky looks over it, infinite and flawless, a precious fresco painted by the hands of a master. Whisps of clouds, just a few, and blue skies arching high between the baselines and beyond the outfield fence. Empty seats waiting under a canopy of the heavens.

There’s a promise in it. Out there. Between the dusty chalk lines and the warning track, there’s a guarantee that soon, very soon, before the first pitch even, something magical is going to happen.

There, an outfielder hopping over the first base line, making his way out to left field. Just three outs and he’ll come home again. Down there, the catcher smoothing the dirt with his glove, waiting for the next warm up pitch. An umpire checks the sky. The announcer tests the microphone, and the crowd.

Kids eye snacks and ready gloves for a chance at that one fly ball, theirs. Moms keep drinks from spilling and monitor the pile of jackets and toys and gloves and baseball cards that seem to have made their way into the stadium with the kids. Dads are now waiters, taking food orders and desperately trying to watch the game between the towering trays of hot dogs and sodas.
And right out there, not twenty yards away, a teenager is becoming a ball player.

It happens in minor league stadiums around the country on steamy weeknights and weekends every summer. Surrounded by outfield fence ads, cheering fans, and sometimes cornfields, young men are learning to become big leaguers.

We took the kids to see the Hudson Valley Renegades (Class A, Devil Rays Farm System, NY-Penn League) last night with some friends. Dutchess Stadium is set between the Hudson River to the west and I-84, a major east-west corridor through NY. Beyond the first base line and the interstate, there’s a magnificent view of Fishkill Ridge, part of the Hudson Highlands Mountain Range.

This evening, the view proved even more beautiful after the brief rain delay, as the sunset reflected on the passing storm clouds. The stadium announcer, Rick Zolzer, spotted a rainbow beyond the left field fence and it was ooohed and aaahed at more than any of the plays on the field that night.

The rain wasn’t a complete wash out, though. For those of us who suffered the dampness and the puddles, we were treated to another pre-game warmup but this time with much more approachable players.

The visiting team, the Aberdeen Ironbirds, warmed-up along the third base line, near where we moved down to after the rains emptied the stadium. The kids were looking at fish in a koi pond near there and when they turned around, there were the players, bigger than they seemed from our bleacher seats, soft tossing and playing pepper. I’d never been so close to the field before, nor had the kids, and I’m not sure who was more excited.

They came over and signed the kids’ hats and tickets and talked with them between tosses. They seemed to have shed their game-faces, perhaps washed away by the early evening rains. Boys once more, goofing around on a ball field.

The tarp was removed and the game resumed, now a night game, played in front of a few hardcore, albeit soggier, fans. There were some grounders, some high fly balls tracked down through a mushy outfield and baseball was played once more.

After two outs in the rain delayed inning, the kids (and some parents) were tired. But we’d experienced all there was to experience at the game and maybe a little more. All for the price of a ticket.

Fun Field Trips

2006-08-13T08:58:00.000-04:00

My freelance piece for the Poughkeepsie Journal is up today. It's a not-quite-back-to-school piece on local places to take the kids before school starts. It's got a few of my photos in it and my daughter's photo (below) is on the front page top banner.

Read it here.

Batter Up!

2006-08-12T23:00:00.000-04:00

My daughter at the batting cages on her eighth birthday.

(click to enlarge)

Different

2006-08-01T12:23:00.000-04:00

Pigeons of a feather (and one of white feathers) flock together.

Hopewell Junction, NY

Announcing the Birth of...

2006-07-27T16:38:00.000-04:00

My first ear of corn! Wow, that's exciting, I know, try to control yourselves. Eh, it's my first attempt at corn. Eight plants in the ground, seven survived the onslaught of the deer (don't ask about the tomatoes) and eight ears, minus this one, on the stalks still growing. With mostly neglect, I got a cute little crop. I'll plow under the front 40 next year and do a whole field. Or maybe a dozen plants. Something.

Here are the baby pics!

Knee Deep in Zucchini

2006-07-24T13:33:00.000-04:00

I leave on vacation and return to zucchini on steroids! Here's a great recipe for all those extra zucchini. Really tasty loaf, moist, freezes well.

A note about the sinking in the middle zucchini bread: This happens all the time with this recipe. I don't mind it, but I found a good article about why it happens and how to prevent it.

Zucchini Bread

This recipe makes TWO loaves.

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup oil
3 tsp. vanilla

Combine (sift) these dry ingredients in separate bowl and set aside:
3 cups flour
2 Tbl baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups grated zucchini (about 1 large)
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts), optional (tossed in 1 Tbl. flour, to keep from sinking in batter)

Grease and flour TWO loaf pans. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325F.
To large stand mixer, add sugar and oil. Beat well until sugar is creamed, on medium-low.
Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.
Add the combined dry ingredients in three batches.
Add the zucchini and nuts, mix well.

Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 1 hour at 325F.
Test for doneness with toothpick inserted into center of loaf.
Cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove. Continue cooling on rack.
When cooled, loaves may be wrapped well in plastic wrap, then foil and frozen.

Recipe from Lisa at the American Cancer Society. Thanks, Lisa!

Vacation!

2006-07-20T16:41:00.000-04:00

On a break from the blogging. No sand in the keyboard!

Writings

2006-07-16T21:50:00.000-04:00

Slacking on the blogging duties lately...like butter scraped over too much bread...that, and I finally got a freelance article in my local paper. Hopefully it's the first of many to come. Enjoyed writing this one. Well, actually, I enjoyed researching this one. The writing was a bit more challenging than I thought. It's a piece on stay-at-home moms. Here it is.

Balloon Fest: Sprout Creek

2006-07-08T08:38:00.000-04:00

Annual Balloon Fest launch at Sprout Creek Farm, Lagrangeville.

Happy Independence Day

2006-07-03T23:35:00.000-04:00

Around the Garden: Late June

2006-06-29T18:09:00.000-04:00

Well, the only thing that's got me out taking pictures lately is my garden. Small blessings.

Here's what's around the garden this week. This wet, wet, wet week. My tomatoes are rotting. My zucchini is thriving. My hair is frizzy, but by golly if the garden doesn't look green!

Feed Me, Seymour

2006-06-16T20:00:00.000-04:00

Feeding time at the zoo

Bengal Tiger

Bronx Zoo, NY

Postcards from NYC

2006-06-14T11:21:00.000-04:00

New York Harbor

Statue of Liberty & Skyline

I chaperoned back-to-back field trips to the Bronx Zoo and Ellis Island this week. All I can say is, "God bless teachers." Gorgeous weather for both trips, the kids were good (no one vanished) and everyone had a great time.

Ellis Island

Immigrant Wall of Honor

Listening to History
The Registry Room

A View of the Skyline from Ellis Island Main Floor

Lunch with a View

Immigrant Ancestor and NYC Skyline

Lady Liberty

Bronx Zoo Butterfly

2006-06-12T18:04:00.000-04:00

Julia

Butterfly Garden

Bronx Zoo

The best thing at the Bronx Zoo is most likely the smallest thing at the Bronx Zoo. The Butterfly Garden has metamorphisized since its inception as a temporary spring exhibit into the most intriguing and gasp-inducing 100-foot exhibit there. Now in its permanent home up the hill from the popular Congo Gorilla exhibit, the Butterfly Garden houses over 1,000 butterflies from nearly 55 species of butterflies.

The butterflies seem to be at home in the exhibit, and with the visitors, occasionally landing on kids' hats and shirts. Kids can check off their sightings on the butterfly chart supplied by the zoo. We spotted 17 out of 45 on the chart, including this Zebra Longwing.

Inside and outside the exhibit are actual butterfly gardens with native NY plantings that attract butterflies. I have a few in my own garden. Purple coneflowers, bee balm, hydrangeas, coreopsis, lilacs, daisies, butterfly bush, rosemary, hibiscus (until it died this spring) and verbana. I managed to attract a Swallowtail recently and that was before everything was blooming. Hoping I get a lot more winged visitors and the time to relax and watch them enjoy my garden.

Swimming Lessons

2006-06-03T17:36:00.000-04:00

There was enough room for everyone at the pond on a recent Sunday in Lagrange. Canadian geese gave swimming lessons to their young not far from where we were fishing with the kids. Red-winged blackbirds perched on cattails in the boggy edges of the pond. The sun was shining and the fish were biting wherever we cast. Small-mouth bass, blue-gills, sunnies. All thrown back, of course, but their brief company was appreciated.

Calling Monet

2006-06-01T10:57:00.000-04:00

Waterlilies

Taghkanic State Park

The Question of Soler

2006-05-27T10:49:00.000-04:00

Here's a crossover post from a sportsblog I started over on FoxSports.com. They recently held a contest to seek "The Next Great Sportswriter." I didn't win. I wasn't surprised.

I did, however, find an audience for my sports-related thoughts, as "out there" as they might be. Like this one on a rookie's debut at Shea...

The Question of Soler.

One for the Nature Lovers

2006-05-24T13:40:00.000-04:00

Swallowtail

Today in the garden...

The allium I got for a buck last fall!

Sage...and friend...

Perfect Wave

2006-05-17T09:07:00.000-04:00

Waiting for the perfect wave

Misquamicut Beach

Rhode Island

They'll be waiting a long time for the "perfect wave" on the east coast, but it's all relative. When you're four feet tall, a three foot wave is just about perfect. Misquamicut Beach is just across the Connecticut border into Rhode Island. A short drive from the central Mystic tourist center, this popular family beach has a wide and extremely long beach with lighthouses on either end. It's just beyond the tip of Long Island, so the waves are decent, even better on stormy days.

There is a long boardwalk near the concessions and a very environmentally friendly (and odorous) restroom facility. The concessions lines are tortuously long, so byo-food. The kids loved the playground and outdoor cold showers. Coin-op showers are also available.

In Memory of Mom

2006-05-16T17:34:00.000-04:00

Mom's birthday today. She's been gone for ten years, but she's still with me. = )

She loved Elvis, gardenias, roses, dancing and the Mets. And us. She taught me how to cook, well, laugh and enjoy the little things in life. Apparently, I was a needy baby, thus, the attachment to mom's hip. I also liked to be rocked to sleep, so they rigged a temporary hammock across the archway in the living room. Mini-me reminds me of my daughter. From birth until two and a half, she was my appendage, which at times, I'll admit, was exhausting. But I wouldn't have traded a moment of that cutie-pie spending quality time with me. And I bet my Mom would've said the same thing.

Me and Mom

Peekskill, NY

1967

Postcards from...D.C.

2006-05-13T19:41:00.000-04:00

Jefferson Memorial & Cherry Blossoms

Photo courtesy of my sister

Morning

2006-05-11T09:12:00.000-04:00

Morning Light

Hyde Park, NY

Silhouette Sunset

2006-05-10T09:55:00.000-04:00

Boston Skyline Sunset

To plant or not to plant

2006-05-09T18:21:00.000-04:00

That is the question. Every year, in early May, I toy with the idea of planting my tender annuals and vegetable starter plants before the frost date has passed. Dutchess County planting time usually coincides with Mother's Day. I remember because plants were our standard Mother's Day gift for my mom. That's all she ever wanted. Plants, flowers, roses vegetables and some soft, rich soil to plant them in. We got her the plants. We dug the holes. That was our Mother's Day. That and a meal made by the kids or dad, or takeout, if we actually wanted to enjoy what we were eating. It made her happy.

My Mother's Days are just about the same. All I want is my family and garden stuff. Plants, flowering shrubs, bird baths and a little, weedless stone path through my 10 x 10 perennial garden. I want my lilacs to bloom (Mother's Day gift 2004). My azaleas finally did (2003). I want the deer to find their own Mother's Day brunch to nibble from. Little things.

So, here I am, with a few moments to plant and I'm torn. Last year, I planted early and a hard frost hit that night. I've never been a weather hound. I had to dig out most of the vegetable garden I had planted (with the neighbors looking on in confusion) and loaded it all into a pile of soil in my wheelbarrow. There it sat, parked in my garage, waiting for sunshine and warmer temps.

This week's forecasted lows are mid-40's. No frost there. I think I'm safe to plant. But now I've spent the time typing instead of planting. They'll wait one more day in their tidy flats. And I'll just have to dream of sweet lilacs (maybe next year) and the sweet corn I'll have in August (my first attempt at corn).

I Am A Cloudspotter

2006-05-09T00:53:00.000-04:00

Hello, my name is Carolyn and I am a Cloudspotter. Officially, I mean.

My good friend, Kathleen pointed me to a site that has interesting cloud photos featured. She suggested I send this one in:

"
(click to enlarge)

I took it on Election Day in 2004. I thought it looked like a giant peace dove, descending from the heavens, holding an olive branch. Ah, me. Ever the optimist. Well, the election didn't turn out the way I wanted (cleansing breath) but the photo made it into the Cloudspotter's Guide.

From their official site:

A humorous and instructive tour of the sky, the book introduces each of the different characters in the cloud family in turn. It tells of clouds being used to predict earthquakes and of one in Australia that glider pilots surf like a wave. It also settles such pressing questions as which variety of mackerel is it that lends its name to the ‘mackerel skies’ of the cirrocumulus stratiformis undulatus? And, more hypothetically, who would win in a fight between a cumulonimbus and a nimbostratus?

Besides numerous diagrams and illustrations, the book also includes over fifty photographs, kindly contributed by the fantastic cloud photographers swelling the ranks of The Cloud Appreciation Society. It also has a colour ‘Cloudspotting Diploma’ section in the middle, with which you can test your new-found understanding of the skies.

I got my courtesy contributor copy last week. Kind of neat to see my photo in there. It's a crazy, funny book. And, let's face it, it's nice to spend some time looking up.

Far cooler clouds than mine spotted on their website.

Paint High

2006-05-08T08:55:00.000-04:00

Paint High

Main Street

Poughkeepsie, NY

Soccer Saturday

2006-05-07T22:23:00.000-04:00

A day at the fields

Lagrange Soccer Fields

Jackpot of a Story

2006-05-06T09:49:00.000-04:00

Running around being kiddie chauffeur today, plus we've got a communion, a birthday party and something else that, at the moment, has escaped me. I'm sure it's written in tiny, cryptic lettering on the calendar. I'll decipher it soon. But for now, check out this piece by Dan Barry, "About New York" columnist from the New York Times. It's an ace.

Swimmingly

2006-05-05T14:50:00.000-04:00

(click photo to enlarge)

Three ducks

Lagrangeville, NY

These little guys scared the heck out of me, if you can imagine ducks having that effect. They were hiding in the thick brush in the (cropped) foreground while I was trying to frame a shot of the pond. Out they came, quacking, so I refocused and snapped them quickly before they went on their way. These are shy ducks. Not the kind that come to you if you feed them. They want nothing to do with humans. I have to admit, I don't blame them.

Looking Up

2006-05-03T10:40:00.000-04:00

Ice cream shoppe

Route 17

somewhere on the way to Binghampton, NY

Joanne's Orchids

2006-04-30T20:34:00.000-04:00

These are my older sister, Joanne's Orchids. She's an orchid pro. I am an orchid killer, or in the Latin, Orchidous Murderous. Orchids have complicated system of nomenclature. Genus, species, I get. But then it gets into varieties, cultivator varieties, hybridized varieties, capital letter Orchids, names in quotations, even Royally registered orchids. That's a lot of name for such a simple and beautiful flower. An orchid, by any other incredibly complicated name, is still an orchid.

Found this site for growing tips and variety names.

Moms Gone Wild

2006-04-30T14:53:00.000-04:00

I'm an absolute crazy person! I got a tattoo today! My son and I have matching pirate skull & crossbones ones!

OK, I admit it...they're temporary ones from the McDonald's Pirates of the Caribbean Happy Meal. I'm afraid of needles...what can I tell ya. Wimp!

Who knows, maybe I'll try henna next time. A henna Johnny Depp... ;-)

Check it out!

New York Botanical Gardens

2006-04-28T11:37:00.000-04:00

Greenhouse domes

NY Botanical Gardens

Bronx, NY

Visted the NY Botanical Gardens last spring on a day much like today. Blue, cloudless skies, just a slight chill in the air when the wind blows. Perfect for a visit to the garden. Not so much for taking pictures, but well worth the drive and the guilt from avoiding house chores.

Their site has a "what's on now" page that tells you what's in bloom when. Today's beauties are flowering cherries, tulips and lilacs. There's also an iris show in the Conservatory. Iris in the Conservatory with a garden shovel!!

The cafe there has lots of healthy choices and a shady outside seating area with a view of, what else, flowering gardens.

This slideshow is from last year, but I suspect they're in full spring bloom down there right now.

Pecking Order

2006-04-25T21:15:00.000-04:00

New York Aquarium

Visited the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn recently with the family. The light drizzle for most of the day didn't dampen the fun and the small crowds actually made for quite an intimate experience.

The NY Aquarium, for its size, packs in a lot of wildlife in a little space. My husband quipped, "They're like real New Yorkers: crowded." As it should be, I guess, located just a short drive (in miles, not time in traffic) from downtown NYC. The animals didn't seem to mind the crowding or the crowds.

Harbor seals smooched with kids at poolside, walruses went eye to eye with squealing toddlers through the glass beneath their sea homes, and one energetic harbor seal entertained a bunch of us whirling and twirling while a boy spun his yellow jacket on the viewing glass. He spun it to the right, the seal spun to the right. He dragged it up and down, the sea lion's head followed it up and down. Great interactive event and it was all unchoreographed.

I am told by a rep from the Aquarium via email that the baby harbor seal in the video is named "Finnius" and he's on loan from the Bronx Zoo while his exhibit is refurbished. She said his old home at the Zoo doesn't have a viewing tank, so it's all still new to him. He seemed to like the kids, though.

See it here http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v303/Carolynvb/?action=view&current=spinning.flv

It's oriented sideways, unfortunately. If you can figure out how to make it upright, give me a holler in comments. = )

Morse House Trails

2006-04-23T21:58:00.000-04:00

Shed Tulips, in my shade

Hiked the trails of the Morse Estate in Poughkeepsie, NY today. Cloudless, sunny skies at noontime. Perfect recipe for over-exposed, brassy photos. ;-) It was a good hike anyway. Here's a few things I saw on the way. Didn't see much of the Hudson River from my trail, one of eleven trails covering three miles of the estate.

Much of my trail was heavily forested with a few handmade bridges crossing trickling runoff streams. Saw lots of low-growing flora, baby ferns, swamp weeds and wildlife. Snapped a shot of a cardinal and saw many squirrels. Something creeped into the nook of a rotting log. I didn't investigate.

Ran out of lunch time, so I didn't make it the whole loop. The return walk uphill was good enough exercise though. And a walk in the woods, however brief, is always a good thing.

Tree Roots

ground flora

Handmade bench with a view

Field trip

Pet cemetery

Lecture in Wine Country

2006-04-22T09:49:00.000-04:00

Ok, it's not really wine country. It's a lecture hall in upstate New York. Another shot from around the CIA campus in Hyde Park. This is the Danny Kaye Theatre (yes, that Danny Kaye).

Obviously, the thought of wine country distracted me, but not these chef students (and one chef, note the banded collar). While I was getting lost in the one-dimensional vineyard, they were listening to a visiting Chef from Louisiana. I paid attention to his lecture, I swear. Particularly when they passed samples of his gumbo. I have a challenging job, I know.

Waterworks

2006-04-20T20:39:00.000-04:00

Anton Plaza

Culinary Institute of America

Hyde Park, NY

Pretty In Pink

2006-04-19T20:42:00.000-04:00

Pretty In Pink

Having trouble staying inside on these lovely spring days. Hard to adjust to the cubicle life after ten years as a free roaming stay-at-home mom. The paycheck helps. Ok, so does the free lunch.

Lots of visitors to the Culinary Institute of America come the warmer weather. This little girl was happy with her drink and a close view of the fountains on the plaza.

Lines & Light

2006-04-18T16:48:00.000-04:00

Anton Plaza
Culinary Institute of America

On A Clear Day...

2006-04-16T22:16:00.000-04:00

You can see a hell of a lot...if you're on top of the Empire State Building, that is.

Looking northeast from the observation deck on the Empire State Building. My first time up there.

When people tell you, "It's windy," what they really mean is, "It's so windy, you think you'll get launched off the building!" Wicked winds. The kind that makes all your pictures blurry because you've never taken pictures in hurricane force winds before. The kind that makes your hair fling in your face so you're blurry in the photos and you resemble Cousin It.

Well worth the hour+ wait and serpentine lines (and crazy photo sales-guys) to get up there. Can't believe I never did it before.

Go. Bring a camera and an anchor and stay awhile on top of the city.

Happy Easter!

2006-04-12T09:50:00.000-04:00

Modern Eggs

Taking a mini-vacation this week. Back on Easter Sunday. Happy Easter and Passover!