Packing

Packing and preparation for a trip is as much of a project as the trip itself, I think.  At least, for me, it has come in stages.  First I would think about what I want to pack and what we might need.  Then I would make lists of what to pack.  Then I would make piles of what to pack in the suitcase.  This has been going on for weeks.

Then, of course, everything we need won't fit in suitcases, so there are other assorted kinds of bags.

There is a computer bag, a snack bag, a trip bag (maps, etc.), a bathroom bag, a shoe bag, a hanging clothes bag, a tennis bag. (and that's just for me)
These are much smaller, of course.

Gerry won't think or worry about it very much.  He said he will just pack for seven days.  Then we'll do laundry.

Gerry's bag

Of course, I know that the moment will come when he will want or need something, and lo and behold, I'll have it in one of my bags!  (especially sweet snacks!)


I can only hope that all these bags will fit in the car, which doesn't ever really have a trunk, just a hatch-back area.

Of course, then there is the problem of which bags you want to lug into the hotel room every night.

Technically, this is a vacation.   But its really the opposite!  Our lives are a vacation;  this is work!

Granddaughter Graduates

Zandrea, better known as Zanni has now graduated from Newfield High School.  She will be attending Tompkins Cortland Community College in the fall, and hopes to eventually study Nutritional Sciences.

Her mother, my daughter, has been a single parent for most of Zanni's life, and I want to say to her, good job, honey!  Well done! You have been a determined, dedicated,  faithful and devoted mother, even though that was most challenging.

I hope that the next stage of life for both my daughter and my grand-daughter will bring happiness and success and peace.

You both bring me so much joy.  I love you!

Finally In Bloom

This climatis has taken at least four years to grow enough to put out a blossom.  This is a red letter day for this plant!  (or maybe a purple climbing day)

Every year the new baby leaves would get eaten by the woodchucks and I would be crushed with disappointment.

This year I decided that I was no longer going to fight with the woodchuck, and for whatever reason....... the plant has grown, thrived and blossomed. (doesn't eastern wisdom say that acceptance is the way to peace?)

When I went looking, I could not find the deep purple flower that I wanted, but these too are lovely.

Thank you, climatis for putting forth your blooms.  It means so much to me!

Now I am at peace!

Manna

When I woke up, I noticed out the bedroom window some white fluffy stuff on the grass.  My first thought was lint from the dryer hose,  but out that window is a different side of the house from the hose location.  It looked like a lawn mower had chopped up some tissue.   I went out to investigate.  It was moist like some kind of dew, so I figured that was what it was.  I thought it more or less melted in my hand.

Gerry came home from getting the oil changed.  I asked him if he had noticed it.  He had not, so he went out to check on it.  I told him I thought it was manna for my birthday!

He touched it, picked it up, and said,  "It doesn't exactly melt, it is fibrous!  Must come from a tree."

"See, manna with fiber!"

When he left to go to his work, I went out again and walked around the house.  There was manna on all four sides of the house,  both in the shade and in the sunshine, at 10:00 a.m.---a little late for dew, and 70 degrees.   And that is some tree that can deposit on all four sides of the house!

We don't believe in the supernatural in today's world.  We believe in science.  I'm sure there must be some scientific explanation.  But since I do not know what that is,  I chose to believe that I have received manna on my birthday, as a reminder of all my abundant blessings.

Even so, I'm not brave enough to eat it!

Chopped

There is so little on the regular channels, that I often opt for The Cooking Channel.  One of my favorite shows these days is Chopped.  For any who may not have seen it, Chopped is a cooking competition between chefs.  There is a mystery basket of ingredients and the chefs have to prepare an appetizer, entree, and dessert with different, and often very strange ingredients for each one of those rounds.

A panel of judges taste the creations of the chefs and eliminate a chef in each of the three rounds, until they name the winner.

The Judges

In addition to the ingredients in the baskets, the chefs have access to a pantry and refrigerator of other ingredients, and a variety of tools.

It is usually a frantic battle, with the appetizers or entrees or desserts getting on the plate the very last second.

It is not so much the competition that I enjoy, but the creative challenge.  And it occurs to me that is probably why I love to cook.



And I indeed do enjoy cooking.  At this stage of our lives, I am only cooking for two,  but those two very much appreciate good, tasty, healthy food.

Cooking possibilities are infinite.  Never ending list of ingredients.  Countless spices and herbs.  Different cooking techniques--roasting, baking, grilling.  Limitless combinations. You can grow your own veggies, or shop at the farmer's market.  You can find endless ways to recycle leftovers.  Nutritional elements to consider.  Lots of bright colors.  Sauces.

I have finally mastered the cooking challenge of not buying so much produce that I have to throw some away.   The key to that is to under buy produce, and go back to the store to purchase one or two produce items during the week.  In the summer,  I make the trip to the farmer's stand for a lot of fresh corn and peaches!

If I had nothing else to do, I could entertain myself endlessly just cooking for two.  Cooking is a creative art.

Creative Mode

Recently, I have realized what makes me happiest.  (You wouldn't think it would take so long!).   There have been so many events and activities in recent months that had called upon me being in the 'creative mode.'  It is being in that creative mode that makes me the happiest.

I have published a novel and given presentations about that process.  I have written original poetry to share at an arts festival.  I wrote words to an anthem for the choir to sing at worship.  I have written biblical monologues for actors to perform.  So many opportunities, so much gratification!

After five years, since I began writing my blog, I have more readers now, and I am therefore inspired to write more often for that.

 When I think about all this, I remember fantasizing about a newspaper column in my retirement as the dream job.  Newspapers are fading fast. An internet blog is a fine outlet for a writer.

I love writing challenges.  That was always my favorite part of ministry--whether it was for newsletter articles, sermons, a children's message, a skit.  There were endless opportunities.  As a creative type, there were parts of ministry in which I was certainly out of my element--heating and security systems, capital campaigns, endowment funds.   Those were the  'price I paid' to do the things I most loved to do.  (I hope that I did those less creative things adequately, at least).

Whenever I am in creative mode, the hours just speed by in a heartbeat.  But there is even something else beyond that.  What I have discovered this year is that it is infinitely better to be able to share with others the results of being in that creative mode!

That moves me from happiness to joy, and the joy multiplies exponentially!

For the Rest of Us

Recently, an old friend and former parishioner stopped by to say hello.  He also gave me a book he had read and thought I might enjoy reading. Generally I read fiction these days, but started reading this book anyway.  It is by Diana Butler Bass and is entitled Christianity for the Rest of Us.

The 'rest of us' referred to therein are the non-evangelical, non- Pentecostal, non-right-wing,  but are the mainstream, largely invisible denominational Protestants.   This book is extremely well-researched and well-written.  And it is a very hopeful book as well.  The main theme is the transformation of churches.  Bass clearly demonstrates how those mainline denominational churches which have transformed themselves can and do indeed grow and thrive.

My first reaction was to wish from the depths of my heart that I had read the book 15 years ago.  It wasn't published until 2006, so that really would not have been possible.  The reason why I felt that so strongly is that the book clearly describes the vision of church , the kind of community of faith that I always wanted to belong to and help create.  However, I would never have been able to articulate that vision with the clarity and specificity of this book.

I will include here just a couple of quotes, or part of quotes, or paraphrases that describe that vision.

'The primary job of church is to be a spiritual community that forms people in faith.'  (as opposed to a political machine)

....an open, nonjudgmental and intellectually generous community
....takes the Bible seriously but not literally
....about finding home and emphasizing acceptance (as opposed to exclusivity)
....comfortable with ambiguity and resists dogmatism
...searching for meaning and growth without saying it has to be one way or the other
...conversion is a communal event, and we must be "continually converted"
...learning that spirituality requires cultivation by means of habit and shared activity
...Jesus is not the way to get somewhere.  Jesus is the Christian journey itself
....churches should make pilgrims, not members
....the 'practices' always include hospitality and healing
....hospitality is not a recruitment strategy

The conclusion of this writer and researcher and teacher is that mainline Protestantism is not dying at all.  While some are in trouble, all still have the ability to transform themselves.  And that is good news indeed!

Anthem Collaboration

Today in church, I had an experience I never ever expected to have in a million years.   Here is how that came to pass.

Back in April, I participated in an "arts festival"  by contributing and reading a couple of pieces of original poetry written for the occasion.  After that, the organizer of the event, who also happens to be the church organist, asked me if I wanted to collaborate on writing an anthem.   I said I had no idea how that could possibly be.  She said I should just pick a scripture that I liked, and use that as the basis for the text, and she would see if she could write the music.  And so, that is how it started.  We did meet once to make some minor adjustments,  but beyond that, it came together so seamlessly.

I actually chose a favorite scripture of mine, Revelation 21: verses 1-6, the new heaven and the new earth.  God speaks directly to prophet John,  saying, 'I am the beginning and the end' and thus, the title--Alpha and Omega.  They are words that call for great majesty and glory.

The organist worked her magic writing the music to go with the text I wrote.   The choir, an extremely talented bunch, sang their various parts,  sopranos, then tenors,  then all together.  The choir was also accompanied by the chimes. This anthem met its scriptural challenge and  really soared to the heights, lifting up the listeners!

Of course, I was moved deeply.  I cannot even explain how it felt to hear music performed, which originated with one's words (or at least, an arrangement of God's words).

 This experience involved a whole congregation, really---all those who made it happen, and all those who appreciated it.

Thanks Sue and the UPC Choir.  You are all talented beyond measure!   And thanks, Paulette.  You are awesomely gifted!  Thank you!  Thank you!

Nancy and Paulette

Sue and the UPC Choir

Book Club Discussion

Today, I had the honor of meeting with a Book Club in DeWitt to discuss my book,  In Its Time.   It was a very delightful experience. I think there were eight book club members present, about half of whom had at one time been my former parishioners.  They all really loved the book!

After that experience, I know much more about how to give a "book talk" to a small group.  Since this was my first small group experience, I really appreciated the fact that they got to ask questions of me,  the author.  And I also got to ask questions of them, the readers.

They wanted to know about my writing process, as well as about my publishing process.  Those are both topics about which I now know quite a bit!

I learned from that group in particular what a unique and special experience it was for the readers, since the main character in the book, Del Williams, lived in DeWitt.   One reader told me that there is a small house with a long driveway, back in the trees, exactly like the one I described in the book, not very far from the location I named. [The one I described was 100% imaginary.]  Of course, these readers would also have familiarity with other sites mentioned, from Everson Museum, to Green Lakes State Park, to other locations and events characteristic of Syracuse and central New York.

Several club members were especially impressed with the accuracy of the historical details provided in the background information about the characters.  Come to think about it, I did do quite a bit of research and weaving of the details to bring this story to life.

We discussed the questions I had provided at the end of the book, primarily because I had seen numerous other books with that kind of guide at the end.  I could not, at the time of writing, have remotely imagined actually sitting with a group of people who have actually read the book, and discussing those questions.

It was really a thrilling experience.

I cannot wait until tomorrow, when I expect another major life experience to unfold!

Changing Campus

I do not have too many opportunities to return to the Cornell campus any more. I worked there in the late 1970's and 1980's.  Currently, we attend an evening event in December, but it is dark then and the campus is not really visible in all its glory.

Recently, we attended an Alumni Breakfast and I got to see many of the changes that have occurred to the buildings and grounds, as well as some familiar faces.

I've always been amazed by the changing nature of that campus.  In the 35+ years since I first arrived there,  it has been a place of constant renovations, newly emerging buildings, leveling here, building there.  In fact, my 'retirement' from the university coincided with the demolishing of the buildings in which I had worked.  I could no longer return to the beloved and familiar Roberts Hall,  because it would no longer be there!  A new one emerged, but that one is a stranger to me.

I have seen universities where all the buildings look alike, built at the same time.  Not so at Cornell.  In fact, I think it can best be described as an architectural smorgasbord, in a good way.  The new buildings all shaped themselves around and fit into the shape of the hill or the field, or the curve, always mindful of the environment.   All are complementary--the old and the new;  black and white;  brick and stone;  ivy covered; or sleek and glass.

 Maybe a garden is a better analogy for describing the infinite variety of the campus constructions and dwellings.   They are like trees and flowers and shrubs of various colors and shapes.  They are sometimes uprooted and pruned;  new plantings emerge;  old ones are ripped up.  The beauty remains.

I did take some "garden pictures" while I was there.  I remember when it was always filled with tulips.  Of course,  we are past tulip season, so other flowers are now in bloom,  as are other programs, departments, majors, students, faculty.

The changing campus is a metaphor for the vitality of the university itself.

Sunday Afternoons

There are four separate family groups, plus Gerry and me, to try to get together all at once for a "family celebration".   Though most of us live in the area,  it is still not easy to assemble the various parts.

V&M live on Long Island ,  so we do try to have some gatherings when they are here.  Today, we were celebrating Zanni's 18th birthday and high school graduation.

The Long Island family unit has a 5 hour trip back home on Sunday night, so that eliminates Sunday evenings.     One family member/unit works on Saturdays until 7:00 p.m.  That eliminates Saturdays, leaving only Sunday afternoons for family events.

I believe there were thirteen of us there today.  We tried to have a picnic outside, though it was very hot and sunny.  Meat was cooked on the grill and everyone brought something to share.  It was a feast.
We have a new patio umbrella, but it does not produce enough shade to cover all the people sitting on the patio.

Inside we had cake and ice cream, and Zanni opened her presents.


She genuinely seemed thrilled to receive the photo album I had put together for her.  In the middle picture, everyone is trying to get into the act.  Included were pictures from her birth, through much of her childhood, including some of all her relatives----one of four generations of us women  (when my mother was once visiting).   Pictures of all her aunts and cousins.   Pictures of family dinners and of different places she has lived, and we have lived.     For Christmas, I gave personal albums to all four daughters.   She seemed to be waiting to get her own!

There's nothing I like better than Sunday afternoon family times.  I only wish they happened more often.

Literary Club

I belong to a Ladies Literary Club.  Whenever I mention that to someone, they inevitably say,  "Oh, what book are you reading?"   And then I have to explain to them exactly how the literary club actually operates.

We don't read and discuss books at all.  Rather, we research a particular subject which is related to an overall theme, and write and present a ten page research paper.   I might possibly enjoy the club if it was about discussing a book we have read,  but I enjoy it so much more because it involves writing a paper!

Today we enjoyed our end of year celebration at the Benn Conger Inn.  I was last there in 2010, the location of one of my daughters' weddings.  The ceremony was outside, and I officiated.  The reception was inside.  It was a most lovely day.

Our Ladies Lit "President's Day" party was also delightful.  It is the occasion of the 'changing of the guard' from the outgoing officers to the in-coming ones.   We also received our program booklets for the upcoming season, beginning in September, listing the names and titles of all the papers to be delivered for the 2013-2014 year.  I've already started working on my paper and am very excited about it.

Today's program consisted of of a slide show taking us on a journey through some waterways around the St. Lawrence River and the lock system, and various lakes in Canada.  Our overall theme for this past program year was  O Canada.  The variety of papers was most impressive---from provinces, to art, to authors, to musicians, to UNESCO sites to Canadian and United States military alliances and beyond.

This club is well over one hundred years old, and originally provided a forum for well educated women to continually learn and share.

Back then, though educated, most women did not have employment opportunities.  Now the club is made up primarily of women who have had careers, and now in retirement, continue to learn and grow.

 And I really love that!