Out and about again...

 Remember a week or so ago (time is so mixed up these days!!) I showed you the back of a house with several nice balconies...well, I finally drove around to the front...which looks very different, don't you think?

 Here's the back...yes, I swear it's the same house!~

 And here's the remainder of the sunflowers...at least the zinnias are still blooming.

 Then I noticed the roofs of new homes...and drove where I could see them...but not where there was access to them.  They look really big compared to many of the existing homes in this area.

 This road didn't really connect to the one that their approach is on. I'm glad because this little road has a 90 degree turn in it already, as well as a steep hill next to the sunflowers fence....it doesn't need any more traffic than the 3 houses already on it.

Today is the anniversary of my granddaughter, Cayenne's birth. Happy Birthday to a gifted young woman!

Today's quote:

We feel like separate water droplets but we are also ocean.

JANE HIRSHFIELD

Playing with trains

Ah, trains...some memories I've already shared about my family's connections with trains. Today let's remember playing with them.

Our train that ran under the Christmas tree in 1953 looked somewhat like this.

A Lionel train, which ran around in a circle over and over again, under the Christmas tree of course. It was fun for maybe the first 10 minutes to "drive the train." But then it would usually hop off the tracks and had to be returned to a special part of track (coupling?) which my father added, where the wheels would be easily corrected onto the tracks.

Fast forward to when my sons were very young, probably about 5 and 8. We turned the garage into a train table, which had a mountain in the middle where a child could easily stand, and the train was an HO gauge, rather than the bigger O gauge of the Lionel train set. We didn't have these buildings as are shown on the above layout. And it was only played with for a few months until the next interesting toys came along.

My great grandfather, Charles Herman Miller (who I never knew) was a conductor for the railroad that ran through San Antonio, TX. Here's a post about him (and the family) from a few years ago. (And here's another post about his coming from Germany to Texas.)  Since some of his daughters were born in other towns, it's likely he worked in those areas for some of the time. I find it interesting that his eldest daughter (my grandmother) wouldn't ever ride trains, but chose to fly instead in the 40s and 50s.

On the other hand, my mother, sister and I would go to San Antonio from St. Louis MO in the summertime...on a nice clean train with an observation car. I liked sitting up there all night, while my sis and mom took uncomfortable naps in their seats down below. I may have slept some of the time also. I think it was a 16 hour ride. And I don't remember anything about the trip coming home. That's the way this young person would be excited about arrivals, and disinterested in returning home.

Sepia Saturday this week has a big engine...one of those old steam locomotives.

Did my great grandfather perform his duties as a conductor on one of these in early Texas? I'm guessing yes. 

 

American Pie and New World imagining

Last week Ronnie Bennett shared on her Saturday "Interesting Stuff" post, this video about the meaning of "American Pie." I have heard it many years, and sang along to it...but the meaning was just that it was a tribute to the Buddy Holly plane crash...not as deep as this video shows.

Sorry, I can't get the link to show you the YouTube video but it is there above. Enjoy Don McLean and a trip back to the 60s.

And here's another YouTube show, JewelSong gave us a wonderful service last Sunday...Laboring to Birth a New World - Jewelsong, a UU service held virtually for Black Mountain NC.

Yes, lots of people are thinking about how we want the world to look after the COVID-19 virus is under control, when people can walk around the streets, meet friends and hug them, and have a cup of coffee without anyone in a mask.  Haven't you been thinking about it too?

I jumped as far ahead as 2023, and imagined a Utopia. There will be world peace. Nobody wants to waste our precious resources on war, weapons, or killing each other's children. And education will be so much better, with children asking questions that they want to learn about....and many more teachers for the ratio. 

Food will be plentiful, and distributed more locally than it is now, where shipments go all over the world. Jobs will be available for those who wish to do whatever they are interested in, and training will be offered, as well as adequate compensation.

You got it, nobody goes hungry, nobody is unemployed, nobody is uneducated. The arts (in all their forms) are supported by communities, and music and dance and fine art and craft are highly respected.

Everyone will be recycling, and there will be a great reduction in use of things that can't be repurposed or recycled. Baically people will get off the consumerism train, no longer wishing for more, more expensive, more in style, more whatever is advertised.

Politics will still offer opposite views, but there will be term limits in all offices, as well as limited campaign expenditures, and a limit to how long campaigns run before elections. The electoral college will be defunct, and "one person one vote" will finally give equal representation in legislatures.

Healthcare will no longer be managed by insurance companies...and everyone will have access to the care they need.

You may have noticed that my first wish was the most important, one that I've sincerely put on my Christmas Cards for years...peace on earth. Why not?

Art in the neighborhood

 After some of the underbrush was trimmed back last week, I can see how tall some of these trees are as I climb the hill of Walker Rd. (yes I thought it was a street, but it's just a Rd.)

 In front of the A-Frame house are a couple of sculptural elements. (view going up hill)

View coming down hill. Both this home and the cottage further down the hill have lots of trees shrouding them.

On the right (going uphill) are a lot of garden features, but I heard a fountain...so I  peeked over the hedge to see...

Yes, over by the porch, right above the head of this little angel in this picture...a stream of water flows from a bowl. You probably have to be there and hear it to find it. The yard has many little attractive garden features. More photo opportunities, I think!

I love reading a blog by Ronni Bennett, who has several terminal conditions, and is sharing her own thoughts and feelings with her readers. She approaches death by talking about her own sense of it, and sharing other's writings. The comments on her blog are often full of supportive and caring people's thoughts as well...and there are usually a lot of them.  Yesterday she shared a video of a children's book about death...and I got a lot out of it, so am giving the link here.  Cry Heart, But Never Break by Danish children's author, Glenn Ringtved, illustrated by Danish artist, Charlotte Pardi.

Today's quote:

We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Breakfast and health news

My favorite breakfast...those lumps are pears, granola, mixed in with yogurt (non-fat plain.) There's a cup of coffee over on the side somewhere, with Almond Milk to give a bit of different flavor.  The poppy bowl is one of the many that I made last year...and decided that I'd keep to enjoy in my own home. I'm no longer making any pottery, nor decorating with glazes. If I don't have organic pears ready to eat, I have blueberries.

The following is what an email said which I sent to another blogger...somehow we were talking about health, and I just have been telling anyone who will listen!

I just had some amazing news...saw the cardiologist after having a new ultrasound of my heart. It has improved in the last 4 months - I'm at "low-normal" now. He doesn't think it will get much better. But he also showed me a picture of my heart with the artery 100% blocked, and then after the stent was put in. Major difference...no blood flow and then little veins going off into the heart.

And the description was that my heart had been functioning at only half it's normal capacity...which never caused me any pain. I finally got tired of not sleeping because my shoulders and neck hurt so much...and went to ER. When I said my chest also felt tight, they checked my heart right away. They said the EKG was indicating a heart problem, but the blood work didn't show it. It took a couple more tests of the blood work before they concluded I'd had a heart attack, and they told me!

The cardiologist showed me a picture of the artery which feeds the heart muscle, and it looked like a dead-end, just stopped completely. Then after the stent was put in there were little veins going off of it across the heart. These pictures were taken at the time of the procedure, so my blocked artery started giving blood to my heart and they could take a picture of it.  I did have over a month following the procedure before I could walk any distance without being out of breath easily...but still...

And last year, with a half-working heart, I drove by myself to Florida twice, then to Ohio, and then with a friend to New Mexico and Colorado, from my home in North Carolina.  Isn't that amazing? I think so! Of course the blockage of that artery might not have been total until May...but it was beginning to cause problems that I attributed to my chronic lung condition, where I cough more when I'm tired.

I'm not going to just be satisfied with a "low-normal" rating. For once in my life (according to Russ, my son) I'm wanting to be totally normal.

And I'm feeling very grateful today.

Walker St. walk

 The stop sign where our driveway hits Walker St.

 Across Swannanoa Valley to the ridge where Big Windy captures some clouds.

But I turn up the hill and walk up into a small community of homes on Walker St.

On the left I pass this little cottage in the woods.

And another cabin, which actually has an A-frame behind all the trees.
I'll be sharing more photos along my way, as I like this walk up and down hills.

Today's quote:

There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and its endurance.

ST. PAUL

Ornish based recipes, a la Barbara

The diet recommended by Dr. Ornish is very low fat and totally plant-based. With the goal of not just recovery from heart disease, but reversal of it, I'm following it as best I can.

Trying to thicken the vegetable stock which had been used to cook the mushrooms and beans. Then I added the rest of the Teriyaki sauce and finally the tofu, which had been oven roasted after being marinated 30 minutes in the Teriyaki sauce.

Voila! Instead of onions and broccoli, as the recipe calls for, I had green beans and extra garlic...but the fresh ginger was already part of the recipe. I had the first of 6 servings, served over brown rice. The rest of each are in small containers in the fridge.

The whole meal had no oil or fats of any kind. And using corn starch to thicken the sauce gave a lovely thick gravy. Since I didn't have Sake or Mirin wines, I used a commercial Teriyaki sauce (diluted with vegetable stock) which met the Ornish guidelines...and the whole dish was delicious.

My version of the recipe says  this:
INGREDIENTS: (serves 6)

1 c. Teriyaki sauce
3/4 c. water
1/3 c. reduced-salt tamari sauce
1 T fresh gineger root peeled and finely chopped
1 T fresh garlic pressed or minced
1-1/2 lbs. extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 c vegetable stock
1 lb. green beans, cut into 1 inch lengthes
4 c. fresh crimini mushrooms, quartered
3 T cornstarch
1/4 c. water
3 c cooked brown rice, for serving

Cube tofu and marinate in Teriyaki sauce mixed with water, tamari sauce, ginger and garlic for at least 30 min or overnight. Turning tofu to coate. Strain and reserve the marinade.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread tofu cubes evenly over baking sheet. Bake until tofu is lightly browned, about 25 min.

In large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, bring beans and mushrooms, vegetable stock and 3/4 c. of remaining marinade to a simmer. Simmer, stiring frequently until beans are still slightly crisp about 7-10 minutes.

Add remaining marinade, bring to a simmer and cook 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch with 1/4 c. water until smooth. Mix into mushrooms and beans and cook until glossy and thickened, 1-2 minutes. Add tofu.

Serve over brown rice.

I've got lots of left-overs, since there aren't 6 people that came to dinner!

Today's Quote:
Friday I tasted life. 
It was a vast morsel.  

A Circus passed the house —- 
still I feel the red in my mind though the drums are out. 

The Lawn is full of south and the odors tangle, 
and I hear to-day for the first time 
the river in the tree.

—Emily Dickinson

Walking

I like how the photographers among bloggers only post one or two very lovely shots each posting. I'm not that good, so I usually give you a few to look at. A kind of album of whatever I've seen lately. And it's not much.

The two story building has a "club house" sign, but really it's only the office these days on the ground floor. Upstairs are the only two 2-bedroom apartments, and I think only one is rented right now. Oops, I lied about having parking only on one side of the drive...at the bottom of the hill are more parking spaces.

 Visitor spots are available at the top of the hill, and the bottom of the hill. Not all that easy a walk if you live (like me) in the middle. There are 3 tall buildings with three floors each, where the apartments open into a hallway in the middle of the buildings. The layout is somewhat different from mine.

Going down the last of the apartment's driveway.

Today's quote:
During our journey, we can become very serious - it's important to remember to have fun along the way. Daily Om

Oh those Guggenheims

I know that name because of the wonderful museum in New York. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is in a building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Here's a link to the museum's on-line site.

And the good news is that it will again be open to the public as of Oct. 3, 2020. In the meantime, there are a lot of virtual tours available.

And another beautiful piece of architecture houses the Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa, Spain. Designed by Frank Gehry.

Here's a link to some of the art at the Bilboa Guggenheim Museum.

Oh dear, there's still one in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Guadalajara, Mexico!

And Wikipedia tells of

• The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy – originally the private collection of Peggy Guggenheim (1951–present)
• The Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin, Germany (funded by Deutsche Bank; 1997–2013)
• The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, a planned museum in the United Arab Emirates (under construction)^[9

I enjoyed reading the genealogy of the Guggenheim family over on Wikipedia HERE.   Basically

Meyer Guggenheim, a Swiss citizen of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, arrived in the United States in 1847. His surname was derived from the Alsatian village of Gougenheim. He married Barbara Meyer, whom he met in the United States.

They had 11 children. If you're interested, go look at this family tree! Mr. Guggenheim made his fortune with mining.

I became interested in this topic through Sepia Saturday.

This week's prompt is...

"S. R. Guggenheim and Daughter. On a ship, c. 1920."
That would be Solomon R. And "daughter" would be...
one of three daughters:

• Eleanor Mary Guggenheim (1896–1992), m. Arthur Stuart, 7th Earl Castle Stewart in 1920
• Gertrude R. Guggenheim (1898–1966) (no marriage)
• Barbara Josephine Guggenheim (1904–1985), married John Lawson-Johnston

I think the youngest is who I'd guess is depicted in the 1920 photo. Her son, Peter Lawson-Johnston, is now the President of the Guggenheim Museum, and founder of Guggenheim Partners.

Did you know S. R. Guggenheim's younger brother, 

"Benjamin Guggenheim (1865–1912), died in the Titanic disaster..."

Benjamin  was the father of Peggy Guggenheim, who  "...founded the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice."

Sinking of the Titanic by Willy Stower

And now Sepia Saturday has given the description of their photo ...

"Our theme photo features the American businessman and art collector, Solomon Guggenheim and his daughter, Barbara Josephine Guggenheim."

I was right!! Yay for my genealogical mind!

Tai's birthday!

Happy birthday dear son...and there's Zora the grand-dog. I love you forever!

Kendra and Tai showing the love!

Fond memories of Mesa Verde National Park last fall. Tai and Mom.

Today's quote:
If we don't change what isn't working in our lives, we will continually have the same day over and over again. Daily Om

Connected or Isolated?

I'm posting an article I wrote for our Tidings newsletter. Since I'm the editor, sometimes I step up and say what is going on in my mind....

While a lot of us feel more isolated from our community of our church (and our friends and families as well) we also have an invisible creature binding us more together than we did a year ago. COVID-19. 

OK, it's perhaps not a creature, but it's a monster, and I think maybe imagining a dragon would not even be a stretch. The little virus picture with lots of spikes on the outside of a sphere isn't nearly as threatening as I think it should be. Sure it's invisible to the naked eye...needing microscopes to see it in reality. But it's definitely a powerful foe to all humankind, and even dogs and cats apparently.

Twice I've been tested for COVID-19, and each time I was pretty certain I didn't have the virus which would possibly end my life. But there was enough concern due to my ever present immunocompromised system, that I updated my living will and my DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) forms...and called my sons to let them know my decisions. And both the May 16 test and the August 20 tests were negative. In August I did have something else which gave me a temperature, and antibiotics knocked it out. 

We are more connected not only in knowing that my breath can infect other people (complete strangers often) but also that sitting within 6 feet of a stranger may mean we become infected. How about passing in the grocery aisles if we (or they) go the wrong direction?  And how about all those people not wearing masks?

I've taken the attitude which keeps me from being angry toward maskless deniers of having compassion towards them as if they were dying. And they may well be because of their negligence, or perhaps their elderly susceptible relatives at home will die from COVID-19. I have difficulty sometimes in feeling this compassion, when I think of how many hospital caregivers will be required to spend their time and energy on these deniers. Having been in a hospital bed in ICU at the same time as some COVID-19 patients, I directly know how much effort is given to each patient, and I'm eternally grateful for my portion of that care.

We are especially connected to the earth and nature, now that we have less contact with each other. As a pagan, I've always seen each element, each tiny aspect of nature as a holy object, including the processes of climate through our weather. It's not always how us humans would like to have things be, but it's where we humans don't have total control over it. And that's perhaps a good thing. Humanity is just one of the many thousands of creatures on this earth, though we've certainly overstepped our place in the scheme of things. I still have hope that corrections can be made to the many environmental degradations we've foisted on nature.

And I'm also grateful for our wonderful technological connectedness. It's not as good as a hug during coffee hour after the church service. But having virtual contact is still a kind of connection to other people.

The Ornish Cardiac Rehab program puts heart monitors on us as we exercise. Here I was taking a break!

 Dining room, where we watch a video or have a presentation while we eat lunch each day. When the tables are removed, later we have our yoga/stress management/meditation here, with the lights dimmed.

 The kitchen side of the dining area.

We just had a talk from Dr. Asbill, on left, our Ornish Medical Director, about plant-based diets. On right is Tamara, our nurse program coordinator.

The 'hood

 Across the street (Blue Ridge Rd) are some single family homes.

While at the entrance to my apartment complex are sidewalks on which I walk almost daily.

I think this must be the back side of this home...and one of these days I'll drive around to see what the front looks like. One cannot walk on the two-lane Blue Ridge Rd, which has no shoulders, just ditches on each side.

There are parking places only on one side of the drive that goes through the Blue Ridge Apartments.

I walk up and down this driveway! We seniors don't go out all that often, so when I walked at 10:30 on Sunday morning I was happy to see folks leaving to go to church. My church holds virtual services...nobody in person due to COVID. So I was back home and on the laptop by 11.

And here' the follow-up to the bear's enjoying our trash. (see this post)..the management put up some signs where a person in a wheel chair could see them.

Today's quote:
We forget how powerful our words are and when we make promises, it is up to us to make sure we keep our words sacred. Daily Om

Beginnings and endings

A bit of nostalgia, and anxiety, and maybe some hope.

First to say (as it happened first in the morning). Before I opened my eyes on a rainy day, I imagined hearing my mother saying my name to wake me up for school. It must have happened millions of times. Did my father ever say my name? I tried to remember his voice. Somehow it is lost in my memories. I then opened my eyes and saw where I now live. But between the first thoughts and reality, I remembered our basement "playroom" where as a teenager I had parties with friends, including a few slumber parties with girlfriends. A big jolt back to my own apartment today.

Spend a few minutes with this wonderful video of interviews with 3 elders over 100 years old each. HERE.

It's the first of the month of September, 2020. A new month. But I'm full of sorrow. Not that those centenarians have probably died since that video was recorded in 2016 or so. But that there are so many people dying right now. Of all causes. If you worked in life insurance, you'd know how many people die each minute. I couldn't work in that field. It's hard enough knowing that we are so fragile.

Do you remember the last memorial service you attended? A celebration of someone's life? They may have been quite young and died in an accident or by disease. Or they may have been quite old, and had many experiences behind them. But they had left this life behind.

Of course most of us choose to believe in an after-life. Or perhaps a re-birth into another life. And there are some who believe this is our only experience of life, from birth to death and that's all there is.

And here's another video, about a new life, Mei Xiang and her cub at the National Zoo. 

Thanks to fellow blogger, Ronni Bennett who shared these two videos Here.

I used to belong to a group that met weekly to chant and meditate. The facilitator would say, "To all those beings coming into this life, and all those beings leaving this life, we offer love."

My beginning this month is like a new year. No big resolutions, and many of the same good efforts in the direction of health and well being. I guess, just as I avoid making resolutions at new years, I'm just going to do what I can, doing the best I can. Toward peace, prosperity, love, and simple steps, or baby steps, to ensure I'll continue a few more days. I did a bit of meditation to try to see what I wanted the year 2023 to bring. It's interesting and practically utopia.

Right now I just sat back down at the laptop after one of those round the house completion of tasks. I fed the fish, took off the cover and netted out the dead one, which I carried ceremoniously to flush away. And then put the net down and ran some water in the basin to wash my recently worn underwear, then hung it up to drip in the shower...then back to the aquarium to hang the net on the side, then to the kitchen with my lunch plate which I rinsed off, then picked up an empty gallon jug and filled it with water, then treated it and poured it into the aquarium to top it up. I counted the fish. One is still missing. I wonder where it is...perhaps it managed to get entangled in the fake plants before it met its demise. I'm pretty sure it was there last week.

Endings? Well, I've only a few more weeks in the Ornish Cardiac Rehab program. I will miss it terribly...having so much support from the professional staff to work on my recovery and hopefully reversal of heart problems. Every time I think of cheating, eating the wrong things...I think of how dedicated that staff is to seeing me succeed. If only I could be that dedicated!!


I have hope. Summer is ending, and as always I'm looking forward to fall.

Today's quote:

You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.

THOMAS MERTON