US Open

We had tickets to the US Open for Monday, but because of all the damage and anxiety caused by Hurricane Irene,  I didn't think there was even a remote chance that it would be ready to start on Monday.  After all,  the mass transit had been shut down;  there were downed trees and power lines and flooding all over the area.   But unbelievably, they opened on Monday, as scheduled.  Of course, that meant that many staff persons had to spend the night at the center on Saturday night in order to spend all day Sunday cleaning up debris and water caused by the storm and rain.  Based on the projections and predictions over Friday and Saturday, I thought there was no chance the Center would we operating.  What a surprise!

This year, we got a day pass, which meant we had access to all the courts, and stadiums, except not the really huge one, Arthur Ashe Stadium.  We had already had that experience and did not want to go there anyway.  The day pass allowed us to roam around freely, and see a variety of games, which was much to our liking.

Some of the smaller courts were very intimate, with just a few bleachers, and you could see 'all the action'.  I particularly enjoyed getting the full picture of what goes on on each court.  There are six ballboys/girls;  then there are about ten linesmen, a referee, two players, cameramen, etc.  I counted at least twenty people, not counting the two players, per court.  I had no idea it required so many officials.  The actions and interactions of the players with the ballboys was fascinating. I also learned that the ballboys and the linesmen have to try out, in order to be selected, and go through extensive training.

It was clear that the officials come from all over the world.  In fact, we sat at a lunch table with a lineswoman who came for the Open from South Carolina.  Most of the referees, who announced the game, had strong accents and were obviously from other countries.  I counted in the program well over fifty nations represented with competitors.

There are twenty courts and smaller stadiums, not counting Ashe, which holds 20,000.  I found the question of scheduling all those people intriguing.  It is clearly an operation that takes an entire year to produce!

In previous years, we have attended the semi-finals, in Ashe Stadium.   I learned so much more, and enjoyed this so much more than focusing all one's attention just on the "big name" players.  Those on the outlying courts were fun to watch as well.

I was really impressed by everything I saw relative to NY City and its ability to "weather a storm" and recover quickly!  No doubt that is one advantage of having so many people---a huge work force!

Irene

The best laid plans of women and men
oft go awry
Especially when  face to face with the
hurricane's eye.

Hurricane Irene is messing up our weekend plans.  Of course, I should not complain, as we are not directly in the path and needing to evacuate.

We had our weekend on Long Island all carefully planned with outdoor activities.   First some good, fun tennis outside,  then walking the Brooklyn Bridge, and then on Monday, a day at the U.S. Open.  At the moment, I'm not sure we will get to do any of those things, when we go and visit daughter and son- in- law for the weekend.

When I told this to daughter Priscilla, she said,  "What is it with you and hurricanes?"   She was recalling, of course, the time I flew south right into the path of Hurricane Katrina.  I had my (non-refundable) plane reservations, and was headed to Mississippi to visit my mother. (Alzheimer's, didn't know I was there)   I was confident that I would far enough north in Tupelo so that I would not be affected at all, and went anyway.  That turned out not to be entirely true.

In the hotel where I was staying,  every other room was taken by people who had evacuated New Orleans.  The first night,  I buried my head under the pillows so I would not to hear the terror of the seventy mile per hour winds outside my door.   Thankfully,  we did not lose power,  but many nearby places did.

My family back in New York was worried about me.  Cell phone traffic was so overloaded, that it was almost impossible to get a call through.  I did manage to briefly, so they knew I was not in mortal danger.

I never was really in danger, but the most terrifying part for me was the fear of not being able to get back home!  Suddenly, there were long long lines at every gasoline pump.  Although I had a rented car,  and a plane ticket out of Memphis,  I feared there might not be gasoline for getting home.  I would have driven if I had to.  I was so grateful that the plane left Memphis as planned, a few days later.

It took a few days for the worse of the Hurricane Katrina to come to light;  for the levees to break, and the stadium to fill with desperate people.

I was one of the lucky ones.  I got home safely, no worse for wear.   Having a trip planned, driving right into the path of a Hurricane does bring back all those very scary memories.

Hopefully we won't have to evacuate Long Island!

Hair

I am struggling with the issue of hair.  Hair is driving me absolutely crazy.  Since mine has grown out a bit,  my whole lifestyle has had to change to accommodate it!  I envisioned a new hairstyle, only you can't get to that point from a pixie cut, so one has to first grow their hair in order to really have a new lovely salon haircut.

  

My hair is currently in between.  It is no longer a pixie.  It is not entirely short.  It is not yet a bob.  It is not really long.  It is sadly somewhere in between the land of  lovely and obscene.

It is unbearable to me, unless I roll it.   [I have to roll it because I cannot stand it flat!!  I need to poof it up!] Therefore, I spend an incredible amount of time doing just that,  but how that turns out is completely unpredictable.  It depends on a number of hair factors, like if I blow it dry, or let it dry naturally,  if I use conditioner or not, etc.  The whole rolled hair result is a roll of the dice!
If I don't have much time in the morning,  I'll take a shower the night before, so I have time for the rolling detail!  Hair is ruling my life completely!  It is clearly more trouble than it is worth!

I imagined ending up with a bob, rather than a pixie.  I've had a pixie for most of the past forty years or so, with a couple of rare occasions of letting it grow for a while before cutting it again.  I've been cutting my own hair since I was nineteen.  So, honestly, the whole matter of going to a salon for a style is a foreign concept for me.  I wonder if I will ever actually do that?

My history has been that one day I wake up and simply cannot stand it for another minute, and get out my scissors and do my thing.   At the moment, I'm not sure exactly what my thing is, or is going to be.  I'm in between things.

I have just completed an on-line a study of 'hairstyles for older women'.  The styles are all over the place, so that was no help at all. Pixies, bobs, short, long, mid-length, curly, straight, edgy, curly, chopped.

Maybe I'll get through just one more day with hair.  I am feeling just a wee bit attached to it.

Opposite Evolutions

I had a delightful lunch with an old and dear friend today.  Let's just call her "Pat".   Pat is from out of town now, having moved south a few years ago, after living in New York for the first sixty years of her life.   She is staying with a high school friend, visiting relatives and leaving soon to spend time with her daughter and grandchildren in Rochester.  She came without her husband this time.  He had some health concerns that prohibit him from traveling, at the moment.  This is the longest she has ever been away from him, being away almost three weeks, I think.

I could not help but marvel at Pat's developmental curve, and how different hers is from mine.  What I mean is, her large adventures and 'branching out' seem to be taking place in her more mature years.  Last year she and a  girlfriend took a trip to Los Angeles, rented a car, visited relatives, etc.  She used to be terrified of water and could not even bear to be near it.   Now she can even ride in a boat.   She no longer waits on her husband as much,  and is much more independent and adventurous.

My own more mature inclinations are just the opposite.  I spent much of my adult life being outrageously  independent,  having all kinds of adventures,  traveling to a great variety of places,  moving dozens and dozens of times  Pat and hubby lived in the same house for forty years, until recently.  I'm not sure I could even count all the places I've lived.   Now, my inclination is to enjoy the community in which I live,  to enjoy our home;   I'm not terribly interested in any far away, exciting trips.   I'm enjoying being domestic now, though that has certainly not always been the case. I'm a homebody.

I want a mellow life, settled, rooted, routine.

It is rather fascinating how our life paths take us along different curves and arcs and inclinations.

Like fingerprints and snowflakes, no two are the same.

Plants

Today I am vigorously removing a huge batch of day lilies which have completely overtaken my flower bed.  I've decided that I want something 'creeping' rather than towering.  What a task!  I realize now, that even though I can dig up huge root balls, and remove all the green parts,  there are literally thousands and thousands of the tiny bulb-lets in the ground beneath where I dug up.  I probably just cut off the top parts. I'm sure they will be back next year!

 Anyway, it was an arduous task.  I plan to save a bunch of the bulbs and try to give them away.  The color is a lovely peach color.   In the process,  I discovered some "volunteer" corn.  I knew I had volunteer tomatoes  (from last year's fallen fruit) in the vegetable garden, but was surprised to find the corn.  Then I realized that it had to be a gift from a bird, left behind.  I had my bird feeder in that exact spot.  Isn't nature wonderful?  Powerful.

I also admired the lovely blossom on the dahlia plant.  This is the first time I have ever grown a dahlia, and find the flower exquisite.  Its petals are not flat, like a daisy, but round like an apple.

Quite lovely!

I think perhaps one of the reasons why I enjoy plants so much, and nature in general is because it contains within itself that circle of life that I have internalized as my faith.

Birth to life to death to resurrection!








Christmas to Easter.

Checking In

Life has been full and interesting lately, though I haven't found much in the way of 'inspirational blog topics'.  We enjoyed a family picnic on Sunday, because V&M were here for the weekend.  When they travel up from Long Island,  the rest of the family comes over for a get-together and a meal.  This was the first family meal in a long time intended to be outside (picnic) and with disposable tableware. We did manage to get most of our meal eaten before it rained and we were driven inside.  Thankfully, we have been blessed with several good rains to replenish the earth!  And shortly thereafter, the grass needed to be cut, for the first time in weeks.

I usually take pictures of the grandchildren, or of my children, or their families, or of Gerry.  This time, I was inspired to ask if I could take a picture of my sons-in-law.  It is so interesting to me how similar they are.  All of them are approximately the same height, with the same build, and the same color hair. (very similar to Gerry, actually).  When he still had his hair, it was the same color as theirs. He also is close in height and build. I wonder if there was something subconscious going on there???

Since I do not have permission to "publish" this, I won't assign names, or indicate their spouses,  but I must say I have very fine "sons".  I couldn't be more proud!

Sweet Rain

I can't recall how long ago it was that we had rain.  Weeks and weeks, at least.  The grass is brown, the plants are thirsty.  Today was the first good soaking rain we have had in quite some time.  I notice first of all the smell of a good rain.  I got one deep breath full and loved it.  This evening it is quite cool, in the sixties!  It is pure bliss.

Sadly, I hear on the news that the southern part of the country is suffering from 110 and above dangerous temperatures.  My heart goes out to them.  I also see that there is a serious drought in many areas,  which has devasted the plants, animals, and earth!   Of particular interest,  the news commentator mentioned the dangers for athletes, and how coaches have never dealt with temperatures this bad before. How will they decide to cancel the practice?  As a parent, I think I would make that decision on my children's behalf.

Whatever the causes,  we are clearly in a time of extreme weather patterns, from hurricanes to droughts, from blizzards to extreme heat to wildfires.

Some would rush to say it is because of global warming;  others would propose that God's judgment is near.

I do not know the reasons or the explanations or the meaning.  I don't have those answers.  I do find comfort in knowing the one in whom I believe, and confidence in the life I anticipate ahead.

Zoo Trip

This week's "day trip" outing was to the Syracuse zoo. We have not been in probably twenty years.  They have created lovely environments, or ecosystems for the various creatures.   Odd as it sounds,  I was most enthralled by the sea coral exhibition.  The colors were vividly out of this world, and everything was moving.

 Every piece that I would have expected to be stationary, was swaying, reaching, dancing, seeking.   It reminded me that my great "fantasy adventure" would be a deep sea scuba diving experience.   One would need extensive training for such an event,  but I'd much rather do that than jump out of a plane, or fly to the moon!

 Of course, there were also many more traditional zoo creatures to enjoy, from elephants to snakes to birds.  The only ones that really repulsed me were the naked moles!  Yuk!  They were more disgusting that I had even imagined!  Even the pythons seemed beautiful by comparison.

The weather could not have been more perfect, with a sunny sky, no humidity, and a slight breeze.  Lots of families and kids were around.

Here are a couple of pictures of interesting animals who were out and about at the zoo today.

God's creation is more than awesome.  It is colorful, funny, delightful, entertaining and infinitely varied.

Mostly, I suppose the same could be said for the human mammals wandering about, who came in all sizes and shapes, colors and languages,  groupings and apparel.

I didn't think to take any pictures of the people, though.