Review: Doiron’s latest in his highly acclaimed
Maine Game Warden, Mike Bowditch series…is a bit flat. Though the characters remain
vivid and the setting of remote Maine is still sharp and continues to develop,
the story seems more farfetched than his usual and rambled on a bit. This one focuses
on a long forgotten murder and its long hidden survivors and is set in the
rugged areas along the Canadian border. Doiron is a lifelong Mainer and it shows.
He’s also quite the naturalist. I probably would not highly recommend this as a
standalone book, but it’s a rich continuation of this fine series, which I do highly
recommend.
“The simplest questions are the hardest to answer”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………. Northrop Frye
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers”
…………………………………………………………………………………………………Anne of Green Gables
“I’m a big environmentalist.”……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………The Donald
The leaves are coming down in earnest in the mountains…. stick season approaches……the culmination of a beautiful autumn season……things are s-l-o-w-i-n-g at the mount…. what is next?
My FIVE metaphysical questions for this week:
Is this our LAST 17 days of absolute chaos?
Does any sane person really believe that wearing a mask and social distancing is a political issue?
Is there something in life more beautiful than fall foliage?
What could be better than watching postseason baseball on a chilly fall night with the fire going?
What is the effect of an exploded use of dining take out containers on the environment? (The Queen requires me to ask this)
Cider Daze Lost– this past (Columbus Day) weekend is traditionally the apex of the year in our neck of the woods. Here it culminates in our local Belmont festival, Cider Daze, a gathering of 2000 of the Jersey-type Tribe on our tiny town green……which was a no show this year. It turned out to be picture perfect weekend, and sadly…… nobody came. The 200-year-old Cider Press will sit empty and rusting for another year…. the detritus of The Plague. Where have all the flowers gone?
Dentistry in the mountains- after nine months of being debilitated by the thought of having dental types breathing down on me, I put on my big boy pants and found a dentist here. No small order…I had to spend a week getting referrals from the locals and then called nine before finding someone who would take a new patient. But, last Monday, I bit the bullet and took my very dirty mouth to the receptive practice in the equally dirty town of Springfield. Horrified,that it was actually in a shopping center (the dental equivalent of eating at a buffet) …I slipped into my HazMat suit and braved the entrance. They had some massive air filtration system from Willy Wonka going and it all seemed to be pretty ok (though Vermont does not allow dentists to pass out toothpaste samples, which was a bitter disappointment). Got home feeling satisfied with my adventure and pleased that I could now put this back in my imaginary closet for at least six more months…and promptly cracked a tooth the very next day……I’m going to need a bigger HazMat suit……
Winds of Change- The flowers are almost all gone, THE POND is drifting towards obsolescence, that ground is littered with leaves……days in the 40s, nights in the 20s…. every time the rains come and the wind blows……it takes a piece of my heart….
Vermont Does Have Islands……..Really!……….Well, it’s not the Caribbean, but we made our annual trek this week up past Burlington to the Champlain Islands for three days…….stayed at the Cozy Cottages (real name) for our 14th straight year…….three days (two nights, four beds) on the mystic of Lake Chaplain (largest body of water in the US outside of the Great Lakes)……a little behind from the Lake effect than we are here, so leaves still sparkling……two 60 degree plus days and NO Tourists this time of year…..drove in circles around the usual haunts, walked the usual trails, sat on the deck with the usual sunsets …..made our dinners in our cottage….a trip to the exotic local market and one to the you-can never-find –it- twice smokehouse for their infamous chicken pot pies (feeds two for two day) and smoked ribs……and basically hunkered down to listen to the gentle lapping of the lake outside our abode…..second of our traditional three weeks of “Fall outings”…this coming week is a planned jaunt over to the Maine coast…..but it is looking kind of RED there on the COVID map, so waiting to see ….we are like vacation refugees……
Lucy Meets the Goat- our fearsome canine is a master chipmunk/squirrel/deer/wild turkey chaser….who perseveres though she has never yet caught anything…….but this Saturday, while vising The Dumpmaster, she met he match …and revealed her true self……as I was busy dumping, I heard a barking frenzy, and looked over to see her snarling and drooling at our local wandering goat (big ass horns and all), who was thoroughly unperturbed by her outrage and seemed to want to do a little smooching…..The goat pursued her in endless circles around the car until Lucy made for safety, and jumped in the backseat and then the Goat followed her in……where they proceeded to have a forced peace summit….not quite the badass she thinks she is………………………….
And our little Bebe…. was Two on Friday……and that is a WOW…….
Staying or Going-grappling with when and if we return to the heartland………while the majority of the country is going haywire with cases, we had a robust seven statewide last week, which virtually caused a panic…. Here: safety, social responsibility and beauty abound……………………………. There: kids, grandkids and Chinese delivery……………………….
And, so it goes……off this afternoon for what could be the last dinner-on-the-ground of the season……. windy and barely 50, but will wrap on our blankets and go break bread with the Erstwhile Russian Spy and the The Worlds Most Beloved School Marm…. what next?
Be well, stay safe, wear your HazMat……and VOTE……sent in my absentee this week-which was an enormous sex-like satisfaction to fill in the little hole on the ballot…….
Review: Award winning novelist’s eighth
novel takes on three generations of a broken family covering a period of fifty
years. Set outside Philadelphia in an ornate mansion that becomes the obsessive
focal point of the family’s life, it is a beautifully told story of loyalty, surrender,
rediscovery and complete angst. The characters are vivid, the relationships heart
wrenching, the prose top notch and has a wonderful evocation of time and place.
A memorable read thanks to my most erudite referral sources, Feel and Maux.
“Do anything, but let it produce JOY” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Walt Whitman
“Autumn
mornings: sunshine and crisp air, birds and calmness, year’s end and day’s
beginnings.” …………………………………………………Terri
Guillemets
“If you’re walking down the right path, and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress” ………………………………………Barack Obama
Jess Dooit
I am so tired of this, how about you?
I don’t want to be The Lone Ranger anymore.
I want to see your face.
Can we please hug?
Can we shake hands?
Who likes elbows anyway?
I want to go out to eat with my honey.
I want to go to the gym and sit in the steam room.
I want to have people in my house.
I long to go to a diner and languish over the sports page, over lunch.
Take me to the Movies, please…………….
And some music at a Club.
And some music with My Boys,
Yes, I am sure tired of this…all of it…. all of it….
But I am a grownup, a father, an uncle, a brother and friend, a lover……………….
I am a citizen of this country.
I have social responsibilities…not just rights.
Do The Right Thing,
Stand up, speak out against injustice.
Vote………………
Wash your hands,
Stay at home when you can,
Stay ten feet away…maybe twenty,
Wear the Damned Mask………………………………Jess Dooit………….
A slow catch-up week sandwiched by two splendid events:
Bronx Redux- The Boys of Childhood (and their sweeties) gathered by Zoom…. Boomers out of their element……Sunday gathering……the Masters of the Stoop, the Sultans of Stickball, the Scions of the Street……six of the ten original Sedgwick Stinkies……still laughing after nigh sixty years…still holding the Secrets of Teen Angst……still standing…. maybe strange, maybe ecstatic……but PRICELESS……
Adventure Dinner…………………for The Queen’s birthday………driving up the elegance of Route 100- Vermont’s showcase road….through the mountain passes…through the remnants of Autumn Glory…….a mountaintop barn, circa 1909….the culinary stations of the cross…..twinkling barn lights, smells of organic butter being churned, strangers in Masks, four courses of gastronomical delight, matched cocktails of the heart, the wind howls at the ancient windows overlooking the Maple valleys, musical tones sway softly in the background……how privileged, we are……an adventure only in Vermont…..
Weekly Word Association
Leaves………………………Falling
Heat…………………………Dropping
The Pond…………………. Dwindling
Daylight……………………Fading
Autumn……………………Sliding
Granddaughters……… Sprouting
Stick Season……………. Coming
The Donald……………. Bronzing
Uncle Joe………………. Masking
The Streets………………Exploding
Justice……………………. Hovering
Lunatics…………………. Raging
Cases………………………Spiraling
Love…………………………Hiding
What more is there to possibly say?………………………………Sunday, Sunday………………………………………off to The Islands this week for Leaf Chasing Number Two………………
Review: A huge dynamic book that many will
be familiar with from the TV series, though I’ve never seen it and did not make
the connection until I got the book (after reading Carr’s most recent work, “Surrender,
New York”). Carr likes historical fiction with very real characters and is thorough
is his research; think Teddy Roosevelt, John Pierrepoint Morgan, William James).
Alienists were the precursors to today’s criminal profilers and reviled as
dingbats and heretics during the 19th century. This book takes place
in turn of the century New York-a very different place than it is now, and it
is a wonderful picture of the time and place. The pursuit of a “whore-boy” serial
killer is fascinating and well-grounded in both the theories of the time and what
we now know. Hard to put down for most of the book though the end was little shadowy.
Good one to hunker down with.
“I know it was wonderful, but I still don’t know
how I did it” ……………………………………………………………………Lawrence Olivier
“Do you suddenly ever find it strange to be yourself?”
……………………………………………………………………………. Clarice Linspector
“In every change, in every failing leaf…there is
some pain, some beauty….” ………………………………………………AC Holder
I should probably just let the accompanying photos
(way, way too many again, I know, but……) tell the story of Autumn in the
mountains……but a few words are de rigueur, no?
(I must apologize, but there are too many photos
-89- to attach in the traditional one stop viewing manner in this e-mail, so,
you can either got to the website to see them with the link at the top of the e-mail
OR go to a Shutterfly album by linking to: https://photos.shutterfly.com/album/1679631080096740
Quickies (not what you think that might be!)
Dinner on the ground last Sunday with
TJPF and his Empress of Death Bride was an event- classic Indigenous People
(read: Indian) Summer afternoon, leaves beginning to peak, warm late afternoon autumn
sun, and the masterpiece ribs you would expect from TJPF……………….
The Queen is getting out the Vote……mailing
out 1342 postcards to malingerers in mostly southern states (can you say Hercules,
Arkansas?) …………
Feel and Maux left us with LOVE LANGUAGE
concept after their visit last week…. things like “you look lovely today, my
dear”, and “how lucky we are to have each other” …. I have found my LOVE
LANGUAGE to be….” Can you please make the dessert?”, after a night of
in-da-couch…… (as opposed to Sativa) ………………
Does Chris Wallace deserve man of the year
after semi- moderating that shit storm of a debate?
The Dumpmaster was beyond aggrieved when
I saw him yesterday, after TQ was unable to meet him to explore hacking in to
the up- the- hill spring (to fill the dwindling POND) since we had to postpone our
fall outing for a day this week…. he demanded to know what I was doing screwing
around with his alone time with TQ…………………………………
Granddaughter number two turns two next
week…. oh my…a brood of toddlers…
So-we left it all behind for most of the week….
the sturm and drang of Plagues, Race, Elections, Taxes, Socialists (you’re kidding
me, right?), Climate Deniers, Debates, Scary political ads…and all the talking heads….and
headed out for our first Fall Outing of the year in this, our 26th
year of such events in the Greens.
Honestly, the pictures say more than this meager scribe can hope to convey…. but suffice it to say we went to all the Golden Places of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Stayed in a quaint airbnb cottage on beautiful Lake Willoughby in Vermont’s remote and endearing land of few people and much moose (where we almost decided to live…but much better place to visit)…and spent days driving and strolling the bejeweled landscape, coming over and around each mountain pass to catch the full scope of nature’s uber-magnificent glory…..wow, who made this?….Barton, Island Pond, Newport, Derby, Coventry…magic places on a beautiful fall day….little hikes, breakfast sandwiches by serene deserted lakes, Martha’s world famous fried chicken, cemeteries on hilltops to be closer to God, looking done over the towns of those lying there, walks in the woods and on our unparalleled dirt roads….every hairpin turn an opportunity for new breathtaking views…rain, sun. clouds, mist, fog……. all to good to be true (guess This is my love language?) …………
Tonight’s the night……Virtual reunion with my
childhood posse from the Bronx- assuming a bunch of seniors can negotiate the
Zoom thing……
And that is it…. enjoy the pix, enjoy the day,
enjoy your time and ach other……take a break……wear your masks…try to love one another
right now…right now…
Notable People: Kevin
Costner, Cole Hauser, Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Created by: Taylor Sheridan
Title: Yellowstone
Review: Guilty Pleasure……the writing and acting is moderately
well done (at best), the plots sometimes a bit farfetched and Costner is a surreal
archetype…..BUT……I love this show. The ensemble –family cast is quite good together,
all the actors seem genuinely western, the cinematography is way beyond most
TV, there are occasional clear lines between good and evil and Hauser’s performance
as Rip, the ranch foreman with a rod way up his ass, is worth the price of admission….
not to mention the way out of control Reilly as hard- as- nails daughter, Beth.
And then there is the scenery……Wow…. let’s all move to Montana. The third
season was actually more captivating than the fist two, and the ending was
quite the shocker. Coming back for number four. If you can still stand watching
commercials, this is worth the effort.
“I go; thou stayest: two autumns”…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…Basho
“If we don’t change the direction we are headed,
we will end up where we are going” …………………………………………………………. Chinese Proverb
“You have to come to the shore. There are no instructions” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Denise Levertov
Well, it’s been a robust semi-recovery week here
in the Greens……the kids left, friends came, leaves turned……A LOT……and we had
Indigenous Peoples summer (trying to improve my political correctness)……..I was
mulling the sensibility of doing the usual blog, when there is so much else going
on of import at the moment……..but The Queen advises that, though Bloggish may indeed
seem trite at the moment, we all need distractions…….so, I’m torn…..and will
meet myself halfway….some blog…and some social commentary….which I’m also sure
we’ve all had just about enough of these days……but, then….who asked?
We celebrated Jenn’s fifty something birthday last
Sunday after the hub bub died down, and the kids went back to the heartland……picked
up dinner from the reopened, legendary Harry’s Café just down 103…..pricey but worth
it……and the ten-minute drive to get it a fading dusk, with leaves shimmering
and brisk autumn air/ late day light delight……priceless……We are doing an “Adventure
Dinner” in early October for the birthday, somewhere in the mountains, locale top
secret…….blindfolded and taken to the chuck wagon for wandering chef inspired autumn
cuisine and paired cocktails…..I’m not making this shit up….
Not sure why now, but Papi had a daunting amount
of work projects this week…. of a dizzying variety……which interferes mightily
with daily leave drop watching…and TQ is now holding court with nightly gatherings
of The Association around our fire pit- flames rising against the advancing
chill, masks on, Ouija board out……it’s a sight to behold…. but socially distanced…
Have you opened an investment account and bought
Zoom yet…who knew?
My great pal, Feel, and his wife Maux, arrived
on Thursday for a few nights on their way to a Maine getaway…having gotten tested
in the wilds of Jersey, and declared pure…and we had two magical nights together……lots
of cooking, drinking, stories of days gone by…….got in a nice hike on Friday over
Bomoseen way on a 75 degree day, glowing drive there and back and a reward trip
to Roxy’s Famous Fries…..our hiking discussion mainly centered around the works
of Aristotle, Plato and Tom Waits (I shit you not) ….as Phil says….”what’s a
hike without ancient Greek Philosophy?”……it’s good when young friends grow old together,
no?…………
Sent them on their way yesterday morning, and
after clean-up, Dumpmaster visit and naps, found a primo dirt road up in
Shrewsbury for perfect 78 degree late afternoon walk……and then the Saturday obligatory
trip to Rutland for dinner on the ground at the deserted chiropractic complex……this
time from the local Bavarian house serving up special Oktoberfest fare…………Schnitzel
is now KING……
Talking about ageing… Jen got Facebooked by a young
man she had on probation at the court in the 90s……who is now retired!!!….
uggh……where have all the flowers gone?
And that’s the week as it was……off this afternoon
to outdoor ribs diner at the Jewish Pig Farmer and the Empress of Death’s house…….
more leaf watching to come…
On to sermonizing……. promise to keep it brief…maybe
get a snack right about now?
I know I regularly drop in subliminal political
jabs during these missives, which you may or may not roll your eyes at……but a serious
few words today……Not going to argue politics here…. I’m a liberal and a
progressive, but I find that mostly irrelevant at the moment. We can disagree
about ideology…. that’s what democracy is……Extreme partisanship, on both
sides, has really dragged us down, and getting worse right now with the SCOTUS
issues……I certainly have a position on this and how it is being handled and
strong feelings as well…. but this is not a political rag, so lets’ just say we
all have differing views on what democracy means….
So-putting democrat/republican, conservative/liberal,
pro this/con that aside……. I do want to think about our children and especially
our grandchildren…and the kind of place they will grow up and live in……Who are
we? Are we a people with leaders and citizens who call each other names and speak
the dialect of hate, intolerance, closed- mindedness and disdain for difference?
I care less about party and ideology at the moment than I do about dignity, integrity,
human care and concern, charity and respect………principles of all religions I might
add……let’s get back to a reasonable discourse on ideological differences, not a
platform based on hate and distrust….
I don’t think the discussion right now is about Democrat/Republican
or conservative/ progressive ideologies. It’s more about humanity in my mind….and
it seems we are bombarded with a daily dose of lost humanity………that……. has
got to change…….
That is, all I got…. Be safe, wear your mask,
WWJD?………Speak out and VOTE………
Be willing to be a beginner every single morning…….
Review: this is the ninth in Dunbar’s Tubby Dubonnet series. Tubby is a N’Awlins lawyer trying to live the good life, but nagged by conscience to do the right thing. Complimented by a splendid cast of characters and Dunbar’s (a local attorney) amazing sense of the city, the books are quality diversions. This one went a little overboard with Tubby becoming haunted with a murder he witnessed when first coming to The Easy in 1970……which leads to the usual mayhem…. how many car bombings can go off unnoticed in one day? The story lost momentum in the last third, and had poor resolve, but a very quick and entertaining read, nonetheless. If so inclined, you could follow Dunbar’s food and drink descriptions for a memorable tour of the city.
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear”
…………………………………………………………………………………Baba Ram Das
“Big-heartedness is the most essential virtue on
the spiritual journey” …………………………………………………. Matthew Fox
“Spreading a straw mat on the field, I sat and
gazed… At the plum blossoms” …………………………………………Buson
THIS will be brief…. promise……Sunday morning,
kids just left after six-day visit…. Nanna and Poppy cleaning and recovering……Every
picture tells a story, story……so that’s mostly what we have this edition….and
Way TOO Many…
Sunday lunch on the ground with the French Chef
and his wannabe Francophile bride…. check out the flaming of the grand Crème Brule…
Laves, Leaves, Leaves……………………………
Le Grand tomato plant covering contraption………
Virtual training this week with Anguilla in the
Carib………sunlight, sand and beach out the training room window…. longing in my heart……
Ruth Bader Ginsberg……oh my…. giant loss of a
woman of great substance……. Can we just export Mitch McConnell to China?
A thousand new cases a day in Ohio…. three last
week in the state of Vermont- what is wrong with this picture?
Color is up, temps are down, POND is fading………………………………….
Had six days with three year old Quin-Lily and seven
month old Baby Harper(and their parents Ry and Lauren)…..Nanna and Papi heaven…..had
only spent snippets twice before with Harper thanks to The Plague…so bonding it
was……long time since we had rug rats, and no one in our house since June…..exhausting,
exhilarating……absolute mayhem for a week, which we would not trade for anything….Priceless….Apple
picking, corn-hole tournament, chasing frogs
in The POND…..one sunny 72 degree day with floaties out and Quinn swimming between
N/P floats in quite chilly water….kite flying…..kid/dogs walk up the trail…..the
magic floating bridge on The Appalachian Trail, The Queen preparing wonderful meals
to compensate for our Quarantining family…..more drinking than we do in a month….big-ass
Bonfire with S’mores……kids, kids, kids….what a wonder…..
Celebrated Jenn’s 57th birthday during
visit along with Ryan Lauren’s twin birthdays…. sent them packing with cooler
of Mr. Smith’s pure bred Vermont meats……and now……it is VERY quite……
I said brief …and brief it shall be…..In the interests
of non-favoritism, check out link below to see our other treasure, Bebe Sloane video
of morning serenade……worth the price of admission…..
Quotes of the week: “the scientist don’t really
know about climate change”, “I don’t really care about all this Black Lives Matter
stuff”, “The Virus will be gone very, very soon”…………Enchanting……..
