The View from Here

Last Day of June

It rained yesterday! Such a pleasant surprise since we have had so little rainfall this summer. And I understand it has been one of the warmest Junes on record. Lovely. I hope we can’t say the same at the end of July!

I enjoyed my walk yesterday before the rain began. (I carried a plastic bag for the camera- just in case.) And while I was walking a memory came to me that made me smile.  I have been wondering lately, and a couple of people have asked, about my sudden penchant for insect photography. However, yesterday I remembered walking in the woods with my brother and searching for insects for my “bug collection”. It was a science project for school. I don’t remember how old I was, but I do remember putting the bugs into little jars, and later pinning them to a display board. So I guess my interest in insects is really nothing new. Yesterday I photographed a damselfly. It is different from a dragonfly- it carries its wings along its body. This one was very, very tiny.

I was happy to see that one of my Vitex is indeed purple!! Yeah!! My father brought the trees when we moved out here. They are all descendants of my great-grandmother’s trees, grown from seed. However, there are two colors- pale pink and purple. Purple is my favorite, and also a stronger tree for some reason, so of course out of the six trees that Dad brought me, only ONE is purple! Lol I will baby it along until it produces seeds for me.

We ate fresh squash from the garden yesterday! I sautéed it in a little olive oil and threw in some onion slices. Can’t wait for the okra to produce.

 

I spent yesterday at the genealogy library, researching a murder and looking for some relatives for out of state folks. I met a woman from California who was researching while on vacation, so I guess I’m not as strange as you might think. Truth be told, if we had any ancestors from Vermont I probably would have insisted on a library stop up there! Hey, researching our family history might be a good excuse for a trip to Kentucky next summer. J

 

 

Gary is off today and I have no idea what we will end up doing. I hope you have a great day!

Life is Good

I realized while on vacation how much my life has changed over the years. I commented on Facebook that I was going down the New York Thruway and thought “Here I am, a poor farm girl who used to put cardboard in her shoes to cover the holes in them, and I’m speeding down the Thruway in a new car, with matching luggage in the trunk, on my way to watch my grandchild graduate from high school.” Amazing!

When I was much younger I often went through times when I just thought my life was the pits and wasn’t going to get any better. I hated being poor and ugly and restrained by my mother’s stupid rules. (I never said I was a good child!) I was such a drama queen. My diary entries from some of those years read like a soap opera script. When my cat died it was the end of the world. When my boyfriend traded me for another girl it was the end of the world. When we moved to Oklahoma it was the end of the world.

My mother often tried to convince me that life changes and that things would get better. We’d move to some dump and she’d hang curtains and plant flowers and make the best of it. I thought she was blind sometimes or naive, but she was just a positive person who had learned to make the best of any situation. I was a slow learner.

I don’t think I really got my act together until I moved in with my grandmother after my divorce. Grandma Bea was a “no nonsense” person who had lived through some of life’s harshest times- her father’s early death, the Depression, miscarriages, her husband’s drinking, her son’s incarceration, poverty- and managed to change her life and circumstances dramatically through hard work and determination.  She made it clear that there would not be any drama in her house! I could follow in her footsteps and change my life, or I could get my butt busted. Her favorite saying was “I’ll take you over my checkered apron”, although I can’t ever remember anyone actually being whipped by her. Even though the threat of physical punishment was an idle one, the thought of disappointing her was somehow worse. I shaped up quickly.

My path to the good life has not always been easy. And some would say that I have totally missed the mark. I still live in a rented house. (We’ve owned two in the past.) I still lack a lot of the amenities that many people think are necessities. I still have family problems and health problems and money problems. But who doesn’t? I learned that lesson from my four years as a housekeeper for wealthy doctors and stock brokers and CEOs. Their homes and cars and clothes were things to envy, but their lives were truly no different than mine. One woman had a painful neurological problem the best doctors couldn’t seem to solve; another had a drinking, cheating husband; another had bratty, uncontrollable children; another was obsessed with proving to everyone that she was worthy of her wealth. My years cleaning houses opened my eyes to the limitations of money. Money might make misery more comfortable, but it doesn’t really buy happiness.

So…today I consider myself living the good life. I have faith in God’s plan for me. I have a home that is comfortable and peaceful. I have a husband who is my best friend. I have children who are intelligent, creative, and hard-working. I have grandchildren who are sweet and intelligent and healthy. I have a job I love. I have friends who are understanding and supportive. I am healthy and happy. But more important- I have the will and the faith and the power to endure whatever comes my way. That is the real heart of the “good life”: the understanding that the circumstances of life may not be perfect or permanent, but as long as I am alive, I can appreciate and enjoy my blessings. I can work hard to change the things I don’t like. I can solve problems.

My life is good. I hope you feel the same way about yours.

(The sunset last night was spectacular! Gary and I both took photos of it.)

 

  

 

Failure?

I realized this morning that it has been six months since I started my quest to improve my health.

If I measured success by pounds lost I would have to admit to total failure. As of today I have lost seventeen pounds. Pitiful.

However, since my goal was improved health I have to give myself some points for permanent changes in our diet. I’m still reading labels and being mindful of what goes in my mouth. I’m still making little changes in what I cook, and how I cook it. There are many food items that will never return to my cupboards.

I think the best thing that has happened is that my attitude toward my diet has changed. I don’t think of this as punishment or sacrifice. I don’t think about what I’m giving up. I think about how great I feel when I eat healthy food.

And, other than my feet, I do feel great. I have not had a cold or the flu or anything else since December. I haven’t even had a headache except for a few related to my allergies.

My goal going forward is to continue to work on portion control and to move. I woke up this morning with swollen feet and a stiff ankle. But I’m still going to mow the lawn in a few minutes. I’m still going to walk down the hill. I’m still going to work in my garden. I’m going to do what I can each day to keep moving. Even if I do it slowly.

Perhaps in six more months I’ll have lost another ten pounds. But even if I haven’t, I hope I will still be eating healthy food and going for a walk each day.

Have a great day!

P.S. I thought you might enjoy these photos of the babies chowing down last night! They are so fun to watch.

Cow Art

These beautiful bovines are part of a street art exhibit in Burlington, Vermont. They will be auctioned in October and part of the proceeds will go to charity. You can read more about them on the Burlington  website. There is a similar display of horses in Durant .

  
   

The View from the Road

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t take vacation photos from the front seat of a car that is speeding down the New York Thruway at 70mph. Believe me, it can be done!!  I took most of the photos posted here from the car- through the windows. Why not? It is a rule of vacation that most of what you want to see will be alongside the road and nowhere near a rest stop or turn out. Why not try a few shots?

  

The NY Thruway is wonderful. I just wish our own toll road was in such great shape and had such wonderful service plazas. I’ve never seen such clean restrooms anywhere! Of course I think most of the people I know would be totally surprised to see how rugged and rural New York State is and I think they would love to take a vacation there. I love the vineyards and farms and orchards.

One thing that I found amusing was the “deer crossing” signs. I think NY should just put up a big billboard at the state line and say “Caution- deer everywhere!” The deer signs gave mileage and I saw everything from ¼ mile to 65 miles!! I kept wondering how they determined the crossing areas and why on earth they would post a sign that said ¼ mile! Are their deer trained?? Do they know they are supposed to use that crossing area? I saw seven deer during the day and they weren’t anywhere near a posted crossing. J Even saw a little spotted one out with its mom.

I love to see how other people live. While I was a passenger I got to see lots of houses and farms. I still find it strange to see big new housing developments without fences. I guess I will always be a Californian at heart- houses should have fences. They don’t seem to agree with me in Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio. Lots of vast expanses of green lawn obviously mowed on the same day. Must take some cooperation.

I do NOT love to see how other people drive! Let me just tell you that there are idiots in every state who do not read speed limit signs or merge signs or construction zone signs. They do not drive in predictable ways and they are NOT paying attention to trucks, road debris, or potholes. They just suddenly react to whatever happens!! And they annoy the *&%^ out of me when they do it!!

My vote for the best road sign- in front of a fireworks store: “Fireworks, pepper spray, stun guns, sugar-free fudge.” Truly one-stop shopping for your holiday!!

Microtel  gets my vote for best new idea. Well, I haven’t traveled in a while, so maybe they have been doing it for years- they no longer put bedspreads on the beds! Yeah! Always the first thing I remove and throw in the corner because I assume it hasn’t been washed. Microtel puts a sheet on top of the bed and then a cute strip of fabric, like a table runner, for color and decoration.  And yes, I remembered to sanitize the remote before using it! I travel with wipes!!!

We ate at several restaurants along the way and for the most part had some good food and service. I didn’t always stay on my diet or worry about sodium like I should have. I tell you that so I can freely admit that we had lunch at Fazoli's one day! If you haven’t eaten there, I recommend it as a pleasant change from burgers or tacos. They serve quick Italian food on real plates with real forks! Their prices are reasonable and the food is delicious. There are some in Texas and Oklahoma, but not in Durant! :(

Gas prices varied from $2.46 to $2.99. Not bad when you travel 3,600 miles. I actually expected them to be a little higher in the east and was pleasantly surprised.

Before I close, I have to say that my husband is the best traveling companion ever. He knows how to drive in all the major cities. He never gets lost. He doesn’t speed. He doesn’t try to drive 18 hours a day. He makes frequent stops so I don’t have to ask to “rest”. He understands my phobia about driving in the city and always arranges to trade places with me. (Traffic does not bother me, but I hate figuring out exits, and I fear getting lost.) He keeps his driving suggestions to a minimum. He doesn’t get upset very often by other drivers. He doesn’t mind stopping to see something interesting. He loves to talk or just let me doze. I would travel with him anywhere, anytime!

Tomorrow I will post some cow art!  Have a great day!

The View from Vermont

Note to self for next vacation: buy a laptop six months in advance and learn to use it! Trying to work on Katrina’s laptop was like trying to learn Greek in a weekend. I’m too old to suddenly use a different keyboard and navigate without a mouse. I’m definitely NOT part of the “touch screen” generation. LOL  So that is my excuse for not posting while I was gone. However, it was probably just as well, because we were so busy that I wouldn’t have posted much anyway!

We had a great time and I’m so glad that I got to see my first grandchild graduate from high school. We also met some of her friends and visited the job site where she will be spending most of her summer before leaving for college. She is going to be one busy girl this summer!

 

Austin and I managed to squeeze in a little quality time and he is definitely related to his Nana. The boy was barefooted most of the weekend, even on his skateboard.  J Smart, good-looking, and a great sense of humor.  Yep! Nana genes.

Of course Katrina cooked for us and about fifty other people over the weekend.  I think Gary will be hinting that I try a few of her recipes! I’m not about to start making my own pasta, but she did make a couple of things I think I could manage to duplicate. Rob was gracious enough to get up early with me and make coffee. I don’t know why people think it is strange to get up at 5am on vacation!

Even though our main focus was just visiting with family we did squeeze in a couple of “tourist” things. We toured the Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory, and now I will be able to tell my class why their Easter bunnies are hollow! We also went to downtown Burlington and saw the cows they have on display. Gary really got a kick out one of them. I think you can guess which one by the photos! We also spent some time on the waterfront.

I didn’t take any graduation photos because Katrina had that handled. She took some wonderful photos and I will try to borrow or link some. I really liked the way they handled their graduation. The awards ceremony was the night before graduation, so that made the graduation night flow smoothly and quickly. Very important with a large class.

Tomorrow I will post some of our “road photos”. I think most people will be surprised by the beauty of New York state.

I won’t confess to everything I ate while on the road, but I lost three pounds. Driving must use a lot of energy!

Always fun to visit a different area of the country, but I was happy to get home to my little hill. I don’t miss traffic, crowds, or chaos. I left all that behind in the city years ago. Good to get home to peace and quiet. It would be perfect if I could just get all of my children to move home to Caddo. J Of course then I wouldn’t have such great road trips!

Plattsburg, NY

Having a great time on our trip! We will take the ferry across to VT in the morning. All is well. More later.

One last walk in the garden...

before I go on vacation. I took these shots during the last three days. It has been very entertaining in our yard since I learned to look at something besides my flowers! Of course my housework is even more neglected, but who really cares? This is much more fun!  Oh, the pink crape myrtle is downtown. It is one of the best little trees I’ve ever seen.

 

  

Look at that!!

(Note: no dieting advice today- I’m filled with thoughts of adventure! And delayed for hours by a passing storm.)

I think it must be Epke Banta who is responsible for my streak of wanderlust. In February of 1659 he packed up his wife and five young sons (9 mos., 2, 3, 4, and 6 years) and set sail for America on a ship called the De Trouw. I have often wondered if the long voyage from Harlengen, Friesland (Holland) to Flushing, Long Island, was an exciting adventure or a long ordeal filled with pleas of “are we there yet?” I wonder how his wife felt about leaving her family and going to a new land. I wonder, too, how she managed all those young boys on a ship!! And I wonder if his two oldest sons were eager to see what adventures would unfold across the sea.

Epke must have been a farmer with dreams and plans because after he settled in American he became a successful innkeeper, associated with the Mayor of New York, and owned a corn mill and five acres surrounding it. He later moved to New Jersey where he and his sons owned several properties and became prominent members of the Bergen, and then Hackensack communities.

I won’t drag you through all of the subsequent migrations of the Bantas, but it is interesting to note a few in order to understand how we ended up in Oklahoma. In 1768, Epke’s son, Hendrick Banta and his wife Anna, and his thirteen children, three married with their own families, moved by wagon train with one thousand other travelers to Conewago, Pennsylvania, where Hendrick had purchased three-hundred and seventeen acres of land which he named “Loss and Gain”. In 1780, inspired by the travels of Daniel Boone and Sam Duryea, Hendrick’s family- now numbering 38 children and grandchildren, sixteen of them under twelve years old- moved to Kentucky. From Kentucky it was only a few generations and moves before someone set foot in Texas and then Oklahoma. I have previously posted my great aunt’s account of their wagon trip from Texas to Oklahoma.

There are several books and chapters of history books devoted to the adventures of the Bantas. Their travels and tragedies in Kentucky are especially interesting to me. Later the Banta family was quite prominent in Hunt County, TX.

That rambling introduction to my mother’s family is just my way of explaining why I love a road trip. And yes, my father also loves to travel. Part of his family is from Kentucky and although I don’t have the privilege of reading detailed accounts of them, I gather from bits and pieces that they were also wanderers.

I suppose most of the appeal of travel is just the “wow” factor. When I was a kid I think my favorite travel phrase was “look at that!” I just couldn’t get over how different the desert was from our carefully tilled valley, or how tall the mountains were as we struggled over the Rockies. And the endless size of Texas actually frightened me. I thought we were lost! There was always something around the next corner that I hadn’t seen before- the Petrified Forest, copper mines, Navajo houses, long horns, buffalo, canyons, and huge lakes. No matter how many times we traveled from CA to OK or back, I always saw something I’d never seen before.

 

Since those days of childhood I have traveled by car, train, truck, and motorhome through much of the United States, but I know there are many more adventures awaiting me. I still have not visited Oregon or Maine or the Dakotas or Alaska or Hawaii… I have to complete my list of all 50! This week’s trip to Vermont will not change my list of states, but I’m sure I’ll be able to say “look at that!” at least a few times.

The other reason I love car travel is because it gives me some quality time with my husband. We talk, really talk, when we are in the car traveling down the road. We talk about our childhood, our children, our life together, our hopes and dreams and plans. And sometimes we sit silently for miles, just enjoying the road and each other’s company. Gary is the best traveling companion I’ve ever had because we share so many interests and experiences.

Travel also makes me appreciate our home and community. Be it ever so humble…I know when I return from vacation I will be happy to see my own house and garden, and even little Caddo. The farms of Indiana are bountiful, but I wouldn’t want to work on them. Ohio and Pennsylvania are beautiful, but I couldn’t take the weather. The cities of the East are fascinating, but I wouldn’t want to live there.  Absence, and comparison, makes the heart grow fonder for home!

This year I have also discovered a new peace about leaving home. In the past I have been somewhat torn between my eagerness for travel and a reluctance to abandon my pets and garden. We always have someone caring for things in our absence, but my husband and children will tell you that many times I have spent the first few return hours crying over some plant the died or pet that was sick in our absence.  And the house is always dirty and dusty. Something usually breaks. This year I have a better attitude. I guess I finally have enough experience or age behind me to just think “so what”. I’m still here and my dryer is broken, Buddy got into a fight with another cat and has a scratch on his face, one of my plants is dying and I can’t figure out why, and my house is dusty and dirty! I’m not in control when I’m here, so I might as well go off to Vermont without worrying about this place surviving without me! J 

I’m not sure how often I will post during the next two weeks, but I will try to say “hi” as often as I can. I still don’t have a laptop! On my list, but it is about #6.

Be good. Be careful. Be grateful. Be blessed.

 

Six! Oh, my goodness! SIX!!!!

Last night was Gary’s last opportunity to view the baby raccoons. For the next two nights he will work the late shift and then Tuesday morning we leave on vacation. At least that’s the way I had it all figured out. However, as we’ve learned in the past, Mrs. Maurer often doesn’t know a thing about anything, especially not about critters!

First of all, I was a little concerned because the mom hadn’t come to eat on Friday night. For a week she has been coming between 8:00-8:30pm to eat dinner, so I wondered, as I always do, if she had become road kill. My daughter called me Saturday morning and as we chatted I strolled over to the sliding glass door and looked out at the pond. Then I noticed movement as the mama raccoon came into view and ambled across the patio and checked out the leavings at one of my bird feeders. She proceeded to make her way to her usual feeding station and ate a hearty breakfast before returning to the woods. At least that was a relief.

Last night she showed up at 8:15, sans babies. I was disappointed for Gary, but thankful she was unharmed. I’ve grown fond of the little varmint! Interesting side note: I glanced out later and noticed that the opossum was waiting patiently a mere three feet away, for her to finish eating. She didn’t seem to pay him any attention and as soon as she finished and returned to the woods, the opossum ate whatever she had overlooked, got a drink, and went off to the pasture as well.

 

Well, I awoke at 3:45, restless and a little annoyed that once again I’d been unable to sleep until at least five. I started coffee and as I went to the laundry room to feed Babe, I glanced out at the yard. I saw the opossum at the water tub again and silently congratulated myself on that idea. Even the squirrels use it! Anyway, I noticed some movement across the lawn and I had to really focus for a minute before I realized what was coming out of the long grass at the edge of the fence- the mama raccoon and six, count them, 1-2-3-4-5-6-BABIES!!!

I debated for all of 30 seconds before I woke Gary up and grabbed the camera! I’m so very grateful that he is a light sleeper and a nature fan! He gladly gave up a few minutes of sleep to watch the show, and it turned into a grand performance! This morning I so longed for better lighting, better skill, and a video camera!

First of all there was the usual running and tumbling and playfulness. Then mom and the kids seemed to “graze” along the lawn for several minutes like cows. I couldn’t figure out what they were doing at first and then I remembered my own walk across there last night. I think they were eating baby grasshoppers! I noticed literally hundreds of them last night as I walked around and I was worried about my garden.

 

Then the opossum decided to investigate and the babies apparently don’t have the same tolerance for him that mom does, because they made a mad dash for the security light pole! Up they all went, as high as possible, while mom stood guard at the bottom for a few minutes. All of a sudden she noticed ME and I realized that for once I was clearly visible in the light of the laundry room. I don’t turn it on at night when I plan to take pictures. She froze for a minute and then got distracted by the opossum, who ambled over to the fence and squeezed through to check out a watermelon rind I had left for him. She left her post to check out the nearest bird feeder and the babies came down and resumed playing. They formed a tight group and moved as a group, closer and closer to the window. Just as I was changing the focus on the camera and trying to figure out a better setting, mom rushed up from around the corner of the house and stood up right in front of me!! I was completely startled and she did it four times before I got a clear shot of her. I don’t know if she was curious, saying thanks for the food, or giving me the evil eye for bothering them, but it was just too funny! I felt like I was in the zoo on the wrong side of the fence! LOL

 

After a minute more of posing and gawking, she gathered her babies and went home. I managed to get a shot of her leaving, although I had to Photoshop a strange light setting in order to see it.

 

I realize that most of these photos are very bad, but it was 4am! And I am not that skilled at night photography. I simply wanted you to get an idea of what went on at the Maurer Wildlife Sanctuary this morning. Never a dull moment around here!!

Have an eventful day!

P.S. Now I understand why mom doesn’t bring her babies for dinner every night. Poor critter needs a break from them now and then! I’m going to put out extra food for her tonight!