Review: This book, unfortunately, went quickly
to the giveaway pile, where I found it in the freebies bin at the library. A
shame, since I thought it was a very fine fist novel, by a longtime journalist
and short story writer. A heart doctor and his 17-year-old daughter escape their
meth head wife/mother, and her crazed biker lover, in Berkeley by throwing a dart
on a world map and jabbing Nepal and Katmandu. From there it is a wild ride of self-discovery,
loss, adaptation and survival. The book was nothing like I thought it would be
at the start and totally captivated me. Very well written and insights into a culture
most of us know nothing about. Wonderful character development and you’ll learn
more than you ever expected about the Nepali /Tibetan culture. A real sleeper!
“My life is my practice” …………………………………………………Ram Dass
“When it
snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels.”………………………………………………………………………………Unknown
“The Real Winter is coming.”………………………………………………………………………Ned Stark
“Don’t eat the yellow snow” ………………………………………Frank Zappa
It is the evening of the day:
Well…. there has been good
news and bad news this week on The Mount……we have now had two straight days without
any significant snow (first time in two months) ……but it has not cracked 10 degrees
in last three days, with wind chills of minus 30……. today is going to be like Carnival
as it is snowless, sunny and going up to 20……. nibblin’ on sponge cake, watchin’
the sun bake…
Of course, reprieve is temp……as
this morning received my frequent text message from the state (glad I don’t have
data rates apply shit) ……” A winter storm watch has been issued for your area”
……I imagine some sadist in a mountain hideout on the Canuck border gets some
form of perverted joy from issuing these almost daily……. but…. I, for one….
have had just about enough………
The Snow Queen (formerly The
Queen)……is deep in preparation for the Mt. Holly Olympic Quaathalon Trials……skiing,
snowshoeing, sledding, driveway shoveling……..while yours truly is working on world
class cursing while he slips and slides to the car occasionally (on days he ventures
to leave the solitude of closet and couch)……then spends an hour out cracking ice
off the windshield, with occasional forays to try and get into the snow encased
barn…………even tried getting out to jog this week on route 103…and had to go back
to the house to put chains on my sneakers (I really do have shoe chains….but that
is a later story)……
So…..All of this is to say….it
is TIME…….Vermont winter- check……Snowbound for weeks- check……….not seeing another
human being for days on end- check……no sign of grass or dirt for months- check……So
next week, we head back to the Plaque infested heartland….to shelter at home, whatever
exactly that means…..in some ways, it will
be leaving the sanctity of the mountains with heavy heart…..the simplicity of the
quietude, the countless opportunities for reflection, the natural beauty……on the
other hand……..there will be Chinese delivery…….
But…. alas, the next to last
snowbound week, was not without highlights……. want ‘em or not……
IT’S a Girl–
Tessa and Jake have arranged for granddaughter number four…. due in August……we
will now need two sets of bunk beds ….and more Pond floaties……
COVID silver lining Redux– The prodigal has been guiding me through making on- line music……which has been an unexpected treasure…..even got me to use my gifted and long buried IPhone to record, which is far superior to the laptop method….and he has produced multiple efforts…..attached to the photos section is an MP3 of our version of Roseanne Cash’s take on the ubiquitous folk standard, “500 Miles” …from Max, The Nave and I (if you are reading this on the website, you may not be able to listen…..have to use the e-mail version to open it up)…..how cool is it to make music with your 40ish boy?
Finding the Banana Belt– last Sunday we decided to break out of the ice and
go for our weekly drive, lunch, hike……headed east to Bellows Falls, and then over
to the Live Free or Die State (the total lack of mask wearing seems to support the
mantra) ……left the manse at 10 degrees to find an almost 40 across the border….
luckily had my shorts and flip flops in the car…it’s only 30 miles’ away for Chrissakes….
Channeling Judd Hirsch– if you’ve never seen “Ordinary People”- watch it…….
I did my first counseling sessions in over 35 years this week, with my first
two assigned clients for my on line, virtual “Just Ask Papi” therapy institute….
trying to remember what the words “diagnosis” and “treatment plan” mean…. how weird
is it to Zoom about sexual dysfunction with someone you’ve never met before?
Socializing in COVID/Mountain winter- went over to have one more farewell event with The Erstwhile
Russian Spy and The World’s Most Beloved School Marm…. which amounted to huddling
around a fire pit, ten feet apart, for two and a half hours, in 12-degree weather
(hey, there was bit of sun, though) …. hot tea and baked goodies, a short walk
to the greenhouse….and came away with the gifts of shoe chains (this a thing)
and two pairs of Arctic socks…how could it be any better than this?
Food Gifting in the Mountains– the Jewish Pig Farmer called this week to try and get us over for one more frozen outdoor lunch gathering……. declined for the cold…. but he insisted I come by to get the Indian (dots) delicacies he had been obsessively preparing all week….so stopped over Saturday morning and came home with Kosher infused lentil- something soup and samosas……he was not quite done preparing when I got there, so muddled around the barnyard with the dogs for 20 minutes on the windswept frozen plain…..with the sounds of the pigs blaring out “eat me”, “eat me” in the nearby barn…who says there is no free lunch?
Lunching in the time of COVID– I’ve always been an inveterate luncher-finding places
to sit for an hour or more (usually after the late beloved gym sessions) at
some local joint with my sports page as company. For years, when I worked at the
Court, that meant The Mill Café at Beuhlers (a now defunct Ohio grocery chain)
…when I walked in my usual waitress would prepare my deluxe veggie baguette, side
fruit, pitcher of ice water……..so, in my confinement, I have discovered the re-creation
of this tradition, with frozen ciabatta rolls, horseradish cheddar, assorted green
things and pesto…..eating and trolling the NBA boxcars on the internet…alas this
is a poor substitute….but it is, what it is….and someday……
Marjorie Taylor Greene– are you kidding me?
And that is all she wrote…….
gotta go do some packing…. put on six layers to go for Sunday walk….and contemplate
that Chinese delivery….stay safe, be love, get vaccinated…….
Review: Talk about retro……ran out of
books to read, too cold and snowy to got to the library for a few days…so picked
up an old Maigret randomly, which kept me busy for two days……. If you don’t
know Maigret…. shame on you…. Simenon wrote this series about the thoughtful and
empathetic Lord of Paris detectives from the 1920s through the 1970s…. fifty
years Maigret. Originally serialized in the daily Paris newspapers, the series became
a genre of its own………extraordinarily psychological for its time……with wit
and precision rarely found in any genre…. I happened to pick up “Maigret Has Doubts
“(1959) from the home library…. …but it honestly does not matter- …. read any
one of the hundreds of these books…and you’ll be well satiated…. Simenon was
one of the nine wonders of the world
Review: book five in the fabled Gamache
series. This one a bit more farfetched, but took a host of very strange and
intriguing turns. Lots French Canadian myths throughout and wanders across the continent
to the wild Indian lands of British Columbia. The story lost me at times, but the
writing is so good, and I’m far into all this Inspector Gamache. Mystery genre?
Yes. But these are woks of fine literature as well.
“Don’t look for miracles. You are The Miracle” ………………………Henry Miller
“This is
our historic moment of crisis and challenge. And unity is the way forward” ………………………………………………………………. Joe Biden
“Please don’t bury me, in this cold, cold ground……I’d rather that they cut me and pass me all around” …………………………………John Prine
Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz……. Oh What a Relief it
is:
“Don’t look for miracles. You are The Miracle” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Henry
Miller
“This is
our historic moment of crisis and challenge. And unity is the way forward” ………………………………………………………………. Joe Biden
“Please
don’t bury me, in this cold, cold ground……I’d rather that they cut me and pass
me all around” …………………………………John Prine
Well….the mighty winter sun came out this
morning….which makes ten degrees seem a bit more tolerable……Frankly, I
surrender……May be way too old to fully experience my first Vermont winter…..not
sure we have any global warming here (see I can have a mind melding with The Donald)….ten
straight days of below 20 degrees….and astounding 2-4 inches of snow each day……a
pile across the property of two feet regularly……..no grass or dirt in sight…..THIS
is life in the Snowbelt of Vermont….Heard
a guy this week talking about ice fishing on the radio…and he said you had to
be careful since in some places the ice may not be frozen, due to it being a mild
winter ……..IS HE SHITTING ME?????????……certainly not living in the mountains,
the motley fool…plus, we were not expecting to spend the COVID winter when we came
back this summer….so we have an assortment of layer gaps…..done ok, but then again….I’m
feeling kinship with Eskimos……Now mind you, I am not complaining….well, then again……..Astonishing…….
NEWSFLASH……it snowed again last night………for the 47th straight day………We are blessed……
BIGGER NEWSFLASH……Nana and Papi expecting fourth
granddaughter (gender only predicted/assumed) …. ….in August……Tess and Jake
now catching up with Ry and Lauren on producing progeny……How cool is all that?
So what did we learn about our peeps this week?…………Uncle Joe has a sharp pen…………………Kamala has a staggering array of pants suits………Ol’ Mitch does not like being demoted…………Bernie seems to love mittens…… The Donald does not seem to know the NEW president’s name……Ivanka and Jared are fiercely protective of their toilet……you can apparently bring a concealed weapon to Congress, if you are elected………. Andrew decided it was a good idea to move upstate before declaring to run for Mayor……and The Queen has developed a new passion…laundry machines……………….
Had a zoom this week with all of my recently
unearthed New York cousins……how cool is it to be once again the youngest……good
find….
Despite the cold, ice and snow….got out on Friday
for the drive/lunch/walk weekly…….picked up lunch at the now carry-out only
Java Babas…first time this year, after years of thrice weekly visits….and drove
through the dirt road mounds of fresh snow to the picture perfect hamlet of
Grafton…..at which we discovered a wonderland of dozens of miles of well-groomed
cross country/snowshoes trails…..up and through the foothills of The Greens…with
very few brave souls about…..this was the astounding find of the year……absolutely
Magnifico…
Getting to be time……making plans to return to the
heartland in the next 23- weeks……surrendering……back to new house, vaccine availability,
Door Dash, Grub Hub, next day Amazon delivery, Chinese, Grocery, Mart five minutes
away, streets without snow…and eventually…. kids and grandkids……not without trauma
to leave the mountain cocoon, but feeling like it’s time. Trying to pull off a coup,
and get first dose of the love potion here before leaving……and manage to access
the second dose back in Ohio……safe to say the vaccinators are not set up for
this scenario…. but am willing to bribe……
And then……ruminating on The Year of Plague…………has
it been all bad (good argument for the affirmative) ……but I’ve been
ruminating on THE Gifts of forced exile….and arrived at the following:
Discovering the extraordinary array of streaming……who
is not juggling five shows at a time for binging?
Rediscovering the magic of books……………just finished
my 140th of the last 12 months…. I’ve got 12 libraries on call to find my muses.
Babies………seems like a lot of them coming……why
might this be?
Take out…. who knew you could get so much to eat
without ever coming in contact with another human being…. has some attraction….
Relationships……how may straight days have you spent
in the company of your significant other…. without calling the police…
Refection……what an opportunity this has been to
consider who you really want to be and try it out…. time is on my side, yes it
is
Health…. never around anyone…. never get sick…my
longtime doctor thinks have I’ve passed it’s been so long since I’ve seen him
S-L-O-W-I-N-G
D-O-W-N………. have you gotten off
the train?
Spending…. what is there to spend money on….no
movies, eating out, concerts, gym memberships…. just a little carry out, a few
edibles, a lot of Amazon….
And…waking up each morning…to one more gifted day
on the Plagued Planet……. we shall overcome….
And that, my friends, is one more Sunday Sermon…………………………smile
on your brother….
Notable People: Inbar
Lavi, Rob Heaps, Parker Young, Marianne Rendon, Brian Benben, Katherine LaNasa,
Created by: Adam Brooks and Paul Adelstein
Title: Imposters
Review: Absolutely loved this show. Fantastic ensemble
cast of very likeable characters-which is refreshing from most quality TV dramas
these days. Con woman totally destroys three people she marries, embezzles and
leaves in the lurch; they find each other; set out to find her and get their
money and esteem back; become con artists themselves. Wacky plot across America
with handful of wonderful character actors. Great comic relief. Can’t take your
eyes off the temptress, Lavi. Originally on Bravo, Season three may be in the Netflix
wind.
Review: Extraordinary!.one of ten best books
I’ve read in the last decade, this third novel from Cummins tackles the issue
of Mexican migrants in an unbelievably powerful way. It will change your view
on this subject-regardless of what your view is. The most recent in a long line
culturally sensitive books my daughter lovingly and persistently floats in my
direction….is a story for the eons- lovingly told and beautifully written. Mother
and her eight-year-old son make the trek by freight trains and foot from Acapulco
to El Norte to escape the drug cartels. The many characters they encounter are unforgettable,
the intensity beyond words, and the sense of indomitable will to survive and find
love and peace……. left me speechless. Stephen King, on the cover reviews, dares
anyone to read the first seven pages, and not finish this book. I double the
dare. This is an important work for our times- incredibly relevant and topical without
being overtly political. Viva la migrante……
Notable People: Ramy Youssef,
Hiam Abass, Amr Waked, May Calamawi, Created by: Ramy Youssef
Title: Ramy
Review: Bizarre show chronicling the lives of a traditional
Egyptian family resettled in the North Jersey burbs….in dramedy form. Found this
show barely watchable initially, but it really grew on me. This is a culture
most of us know little about, but Ramy’s take on the subtleties of living in two
worlds in quite the effort. Abass (“Succession”), as his mother, plays a role
for the ages- chain smoking, watching TV game shows all day and driving an
Uber. Alternates between laughing and crying. Very different from most anything
l see on TV. The gifted Mahershala Ali has a brilliant recurring role…. bonus.
“Nothing is often a good thing to do….and always a clever thing to say” ……………………………………………………………………………………Will Durant
“Where are we always going?…….Always home” …………………………………………………………………………………Novalis
“What do I do when my love is away?……..(Does it worry you to be alone?) How do I feel by the end of the day?……(Are you sad because you’re on your own?)” ……………………………………………………………John and Paul
Salutations:
“Nothing is often a good thing to do….and always
a clever thing to say” ………………………………………………………………………………………………. Will Durant
“Where are we always going?…….Always home” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Novalis
“What do I
do when my love is away?……..(Does it worry you to be alone?)
How do I feel by the end of the day?……(Are
you sad because you’re on your own?)” ……………………………………………………………………………. John and
Paul
White is the color of my true
love’s eyes…. when I rise……when I rise……. Have we had enough yet……every
day seems like another 3-6 inches overnight………. seems absurd to bother to even shovel
our front walkway……give me more…. give me more……it’s a freakin’ winter wonderland
…. shouldn’t we all be in The Keys about now, watching a sunset,
sipping margaritas?
Well, it’s Sunday, which is usually the drive
and walk day…. but it’s like a frozen tundra out there……so maybe another
binge on the ol’ Netflix???!!!
After the chaos of last week lookin’ like some assassination
attempt of the Austrio- Hungarian days……we got out of dodge for three days…. up
to the less than tropical islands of Lake Champlain…said lake being frozen
solid despite its massive size – and playing home to hundreds of lunatic ice fisherman…..stayed
at our usual autumnal haunt….a quaint cottage with sunset deck over the lake, sunken
living room (really) and a cozy gas fireplace…..hit all the state parks in nowhere land for trudging snow hikes…and found
our Happy Chicken…..a little organic farm in Isle LaMotte….way off the path of
civilization….for Mrs. Chicken’s house made
behemoth of a smoked chicken pot pie and her maple ribs….so did not have to leave
the confines of home away from home for vittles…..safe to say we barely saw
another human for three days……good place to hide out in the winter of COVID…
We took the recuperating Beast (of course) who
had a run in this past week with a herding dog, when TQ decided she needed a communion
and a walk with the Sovereign of Caravan Gardens- her erstwhile organic
employer…..Lucy came back bleeding prodigiously, missing a chunk of ear and head-wrapped
like “when Johnny comes marching home”…I offered to go gather the offending mutt
and drop her in a hole in The Pond ice, ….but TQ declined the offer….so Lucy
now has 1 ¾ ears…
Aren’t we all hoping (even the republicans secretly?)
that this week is the dawn of a new day……The new bosses may not be a panacea,
but can it possibly get worse…. just a smidgeon of humanity and dignity will seem
like a chicken soup for our wounded souls, no????…. I have personally sent a
note to The Donald offering him the services of my personal family tailor…. Shlomo
and Sons of the Lower East Side….to make him a custom fit orange jumpsuit for
his next assignment……and, did anyone notice the article this week, that
Ivanka and Jarred did not allow their secret service detachment to use the bathrooms
in their house….my sense of irony is going to go cold turkey without these Numchucks
around…
After months of no personal contacts, we got out
for a lunch this week with the Jewish Pig Farmer and the Empress of Death at their
Pine Hollow Farm..…..with a balmy 32 degree day…..the JPF set us up with a fire pit and covered barn way to sit outside
(maskless, mind you) and have his ribs and meatballs…..we spent two hours standing
in a circle outside, hopping from one foot to the other, until we finally finished
up with TQ’s ambitious flourless, sugarless, carb free chocolate cake (why
bother?)….and came home to unthaw….but…human contact?…..Priceless….
The next to latest snowstorm on Friday night
left us with 6-8 inches of snow so heavy
it came down off the trees in potentially crushing 50 pound lumps…so
just getting to the car was like running the gauntlet….but TQ…undeterred…went
to Belmont to spend the last of her 25 hours cleaning the manse of some crazed metaphysical
doctor from New York who specializes in oxygen injections to cure cancer….no
shit…..but they had not been there for two weeks-so seemed safe enough…and apparently
TQ wanted some mad money to spend as she wishes (bedding on the way?)….the roads
were so bad she could not get near the house, so I had to drop off and pickup…from
which she trundled across their moat to attacks their dust mites….all the while
we had no power for four hours…..so I went over to see The Dumpmaster, where they
had power (“tell the little lady, she can come to my house to warm up,” he says,
distraught that he got the wrong partner this week)…….stopped at the Belmont
Mall to pick up a free fryer and sombrero…..just in case……and then The Beast, little
Grace and even the spectral Saffron (formerly Malo and Mahalo) sat huddled around
the raging fireplace…waiting for a sign from G_D….or at least from the Green Mountain
Power….with no landline or cell service, power outages become particularly exciting
here….but then again…..It is winter in Vermont……..
And that, my friend, should be more than enough……stay
safe…. don’t go near a state capitol without body armor…. dream about
injections……spread the love….
Notable People: Brian Cox,
Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieren Culkin, Matthew Macfaden, Nicholas Braun, Created
by: Jesse Armstrong
Title: Succession
Review: This is one ugly show …. I’d call it “Billions”
light…. not quite the potency of characters as the latter, but a lot of the same
themes and set in the hard to believe world of NYC high corporate culture. Cox,
a Shakespearian actor, is a powerhouse as the relentless patriarch of the Roy
clan. The acting is all very good, but there is nary a likeable character in
the bunch. Hard to watch at times foe its sheer malevolence, but captivating at
the same time. Makes you wonder if being rich is all that desirable. These people
are outright nuts
