Friday, December 14, 2012

The Newtown, CT Murders

If we continue to do nothing about access to guns, does that not make us all complicit in every death past, present and in the future? 


Here is my Facebook post about this horrible mass shooting today:

I keep seeing posts and hearing on the news that this most recent mass shooting is so much worse because children were killed. No it's not. It's exactly the same. Every horrible incident where innocent people are killed by someone with a gun is equally as bad as the next. Or more precisely, the last, as we continue to learn nothing and do nothing about access to guns.


This kind of thinking reminds me of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis a few years back. Someone was quoted as saying something like God must have been looking down on those children in that bus as it hung precariously on the ledge; they all survived, if I remember correctly. Yeah. And those people who perished, falling to their deaths? My takeaway, based on the ignorant Christian who said this, is that apparently God could give a shit about those who did die.

Now, let's go back to today's events. Are the children who survived looked upon by God differently than the children who died? We as a society - of all faiths and no faiths - need to think before we speak. And way more important than that, we need to act on guns and gun violence and stop being stupid, or more likely disgustingly and knowingly disingenuous, about the difference between hunters having a right to their guns and citizens thinking they need guns for protection - which are two very different things - and that that alleged right is more important than the safety of the populace as a whole. My president, who I love, is just as wrong and chicken shit about this issue as every other person has been willingly complicit in perpetrating the lie of exactly what the second amendment to the constitution really means.

Twenty-seven people are dead (last count). Are we really going to sit back and as a society no nothing once more? What the fuck? I know people in the Newtown/Danbury area of Connecticut. Some of these dead could be people I know, or children of people I know. How can we do nothing to stop this from happening again? My heart aches for every person who has died in one of these mass killings, and my heart knows that we need to restrict guns in order to stop this kind of killing. We are always going to have crazy people in our society, there is nothing we can really do about that. And there is no way for us to know when a previously sane person is going to go off the deep end. But there is something we can do to keep guns from people. Is it severe to do it? Yes. Have severe restrictions been successful in lowering the deaths at the hands of gunmen in other countries? Absolutely. What is wrong with this country that we can't take the same brave steps that others have taken?

Maybe it's just not important enough.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Some Photos of my New Digs

It's nice here in Santa Fe, and the house is coming along nicely as well.  We are having a bit of chilly weather right now, so the weekend was spent doing more stuff inside where it is comfortable.  It's a windy day; glad we got one of the big windchimes hung.  Sounds great.

First, here is the living room:
This above shot is from the kitchen looking toward the front door.  This next one is from the hallway.  I love how great my stuff looks in this house:


The next photos are of my kitchen, quite a bit larger than what I had gotten used to in Willsboro.  Biggest adjustment, of course, is the gas range.  It has been MANY years since I had gas in the kitchen.  Not THAT kind of gas!


This next room is nice to have: an actual office.  We'll call it an office/library.




The bathrooms are nice.  The master needs to have the carpet taken out at some point.  I HATE carpet in the bathroom, but it is what it is.  It does have a separate water closet, which is tiled.  The main bath has a nicely tiled shower; we have ordered curtains from JC Penney that will be beautiful in the room.  My curtains from my last bath are perfect for the master.



The yard needs some work.  It has plenty of spaces for the boys to play and do their business, but no grass.  I'll be putting sod in on the side of the house this spring, and probably a patch of grass beside the garage.  We have to clean out behind the garage as there are some grass burrs, which hurt the Beagle boys' pads!  But the mulch we put down on the side of the house for the winter will be moved to behind the garage.  And I'll have to figure out what I want to do about this large raised bed.  Dana and I were thinking maybe putting grass in the center and only using the four corners for actually gardening.  The boys like jumping up there.  But I'd have to figure out how to keep that grass from making its way into the herbs, vegetables and flowers.  More pondering is required.  It is actually larger than it looks in this photo!


The boys are adjusting nicely to their house, as you can see.  Atticus even fell asleep in the middle of playing.  How cute!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

I HAVE MOVED!!!

Well, upstate New York didn't turn out how I thought it would.  Too wet.  Too conservative, or is it provincial that is the better descriptive?  More on that later.  Just wanted to let all y'all know that Santa Fe weather, for the less than a month that I have been here, has been ridiculously beautiful.  Really, really nice.   But like I said, more later on all of this.  Fred, Homer and Atticus are adapting well to their new house and yard.  They love the weather, too.

It's election day.  An Obama win would put the icing on the cake of my life right now.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Owls. Yikes!

A story from the weekend: My house butts up against Nature Conservancy land, so we are used to seeing wildlife - deer, fox, raccoons, hawks and other fowl - but mostly we hear the birds. The woodpeckers whacking like crazy on the trees and loads of different birdsound. It's very nice. And we see the woodpeckers a lot when we have the suet feeder filled (note to self: fill suet feeder). Humming...birds abound when the hummingbird feeder is filled (note to my sister Dana: fill hummingbird feeder).

Well, the other night I took Fred, Homer and Atticus out for their last walk of the night. This walk is usually around 11pm, could be earlier, could be a little later. When we went out, there was the sound of an owl. These owls are Snowy owls, the big, impressive white ones. When I purchased my house, the sellers gave me a photo of a Snowy owl sitting on one of the posts on the railing on the front porch of the house. I haven't managed a photo of my own, but it's pretty cool to see them up in a tree.

The noise was crazy and unusual. We had heard them once before, but the dogs were already inside and ready to get in their beds. But that noise while outside got the dogs going but good. I looked up - there was a full moon - and I saw the big owl on a tree branch, way up high. The dogs kept barking because the owl kept hooting, and then another owl on the other side of the property started in. And then the first owl flew over toward that owl. And then it REALLY got crazy because I heard at least four owls going at it. I wonder if it's mating season? It was disconcerting, especially when the sound started moving all around the trees behind and on the sides of the house. My house really is tucked back, completely surrounded by trees, so it was like these predator birds were getting ready to, um, do something. And the Beagles were freaking out. At 11 at night. And though my neighbors aren't real close, there is NO WAY my neighbors didn't hear this. And I am quite sure that my dogs would not have, finally, after MUCH effort, come inside if they, too, weren't feeling a little nervous about the goings-on in their back yard. I shiver just thinking about it. They've been quiet since, probably found a more private section of the woods for their business (wink). It's a good thing my sister Deb's dogs weren't with us; if these owls get hungry after they, you know, do it, little Mikey and Choli could easily have ended up a snack!
 
Choli and Mike, aka owl vittles:

Friday, January 13, 2012

Au Fond du Temple Saint

I first developed a love of opera in 9th grade, when I took my first Italian class at Vineland Senior High School. My 9th grade teacher of Italian was John Mazzotta, but the person who nurtured my love of opera was my teacher from 10th through 12th grades, Cesarina DeCesero. I adored my Italian classes. And I learned to love opera. Italian opera was my favorite, needless to say. And with the Italian Club, I saw my first opera, though my love of it, and the greatest operatic tenor ever - Luciano Pavarotti - continued long after I graduated high school. I saw Pavarotti in concert and in operas many, many times. We were so lucky that he chose Philadelphia as the base for his vocal competition and spent so much time there.

For a long time, I thought all the best operas were in Italian, and some of my absolute favorites still are. Seriously, who doesn't love "La Boheme"? "Che gelida manina, se la lasci riscaldar. Cercar che giova? Al buio non si trova." So many of these lyrics I remember to this day, having learned them singing along to Luciano on album, then cassette, and now CD. I don't listen to as much opera as I used to, and I haven't seen a live opera in many years. But I still love it.

But good opera, and operetta, isn't only in Italian. I have grown to appreciate the power of German, and romance of French. Even opera in English.

So, for the last hour or so I have spent time over at You Tube trying to find a performance of the aria "Au fond du temple saint" from Georges Bizet's opera "The Pearl Fishers" (Les pêcheurs de perles) that is better than the one that I already know to be the best: Placido Domingo and Sherrill Milnes. It is so beautiful. I recognize that these men sang together a lot, their amazing tenor and baritone voices perfectly suited for duets, so maybe it was too much to ask that there might be a better version out there. There isn't, at least not in my opinion. Here it is, for your enjoyment, the #1 Au fond du temple saint:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhG4dPN2Nhs

There are others worth your time. The very close second, for me, is the late, great Jerry Hadley and Thomas Hampson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-6aQ6mxvnM

And my third favorite is this enjoyable performance from Roberto Alagna and Bryn Terfel, which includes the recorded live video at You Tube. I am not a huge fan of Alagna ... he does okay here, but he is no Domingo, Hadley, and he's certainly no Pavarotti:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLrPVkfCIQ


For me, this is one of the most beautiful areas ever written - and it's not in Italian!

There is one more version that is really enjoyable, for two reasons: my first real exposure to Rolando Villazon, who is quite stunning, and Placido Domingo ... singing the baritone part:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orbh8MHEhgA

And to show you that German has some great stuff, there's this version of "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" from the operetta "Das Land des Lächelns" (The Land of Smiles) by Franz Lehar, Fritz Lohner-Beda and Ludwig Herzer. This link below is the great Placido Domingo once again, from the first Three Tenors concert. This version just gives me goose bumps. I love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gSqZRC2dTE

Did I ever mention that I was at the Three Tenors concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. It was an experience of a lifetime.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Scones: Yum Scrum Double Bubble Gum

Yes, I figured a friend from England's favorite saying seemed appropriate in today's discussion of scones. I just made a batch. Let me tell you about them.

The base of today's scones is this many-times-tested and wonderfully perfect recipe for scones with lemon and ginger. I have used this recipe many, many times. It's easy-peasy, just a little bit of elbow grease needed when blending the butter into the flour mixture - in other words, no need to pull out any kitchen appliances:

http://joyofbaking.com/printpages/SconesLemonGingerprint.html

I don't usually put the sugar on and broil them at the end, as per the recipe (I also don't use cream to brush on them before baking - fat free milk is fine). But today, I added a half a cup of fresh cranberries to the batter(I cut each cranberry in half in order for the heat to get to them and soften them up) and figured it wouldn't hurt to add a little bit of sugar. But you don't have to wait until after they've baked. I just sprinkled a very little bit of regular sugar after I brushed the milk on them and baked them for the recommended time. They are exquisitely scrumptious.

Also, this recipe calls for buttermilk. I don't keep fresh (hee!) buttermilk in the fridge because I just don't use enough of it before it goes bad. Of course, if I followed Dana's philosophy on scones and made a batch a week, this would not be a problem. But, since that has not happened and may never be my scone schedule, I have found a perfectly fine substitute: Saco Cultured Buttermilk Blend. It is a powder, made from sweet cream and churned buttermilk. I am convinced this is a major reason why these scones are as great as they are. Everybody loves these scones.

You should try to make them. It really is easy and so, so satisfying!

It's Still Decorated for Christmas Around Here

Yeah, maybe I'll take the decorations down next weekend. But I'm glad that I still have them up. They are beautiful and they make me happy. And I get to snap a shot like this:


Homer just was mesmerized by Scooby Doo singing Christmas songs, but I think he was especially taken with how Scooby danced to the music. You can see Scooby in motion as everything else is in focus. Homer is a curious and very happy dog.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Santorum? Really?

Really? Seriously, it is a sad, sad state of affairs when a man like this can be in competition for the presidential nomination. This man believes that women should no longer have access to birth control. And he said this:

"In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing. And when you destroy that you have a dramatic impact on the quality ... "

No need to hear the rest of the quote since the first part is so ripe with ridiculousness.

He later went on to clarify that he did not intend to equate homosexuality with incest (the child reference) or beastiality (man on dog reference), when, of course, that was exactly what he intended. What's more important is that he does not believe that the right to privacy as noted in the Supreme Court ruling Griwold vs. Connecticut prevents the government from regulating consensual acts among adults. He wants to make homosexuals head straight back to the closet and he wants women to have babies. We know where he stands on these social issues, and he will be a fervent advocate for getting legislation passed that would attempt to obliterate the gains women and homosexuals have gained over these many years.

I'm voting for Obama no matter what offering comes our way from the Republicans. But I just find it unbelievable that there is any significant portion of the populace that would be willing to push back advances for these groups.

Guns

http://news.yahoo.com/police-body-found-us-park-gunman-224005459.html

You see, this guy should never have been able to keep his guns. Apparently a whole lot of people knew he was unstable. But because so many stupid people in this country don't get that the 2nd amendment to the constitution - including the idiots on the Supreme Court - was intended to allow freedom to bear arms for a 'militia' (that's a group, not an individual...in other words, the police or mili...tary), and not this guy, he was able to shoot people earlier in the day, and kill this, by all reports, lovely person. I know the paranoid in this country think they have to own a gun to be safe, but this is a complete fallacy. This woman was armed, but she wasn't given a chance because this crazy man was running wild with high-powered weaponry. The citizens of this country, and that includes former members of the military, do not need nor should they have weapons that have only one intent: to kill people. You need a rifle to go hunting and, in a nominally sporting way, shoot a deer, fine. But you don't need fifteen varieties of that weapon...one will do. Or do what my dad did: use a bow and arrow, which is far more sporting. This country needs to start acting like a civilized country and pass laws that will prevent innocents from being victims.

Oh, and I really could give two shits that this guy is a veteran. He should never have been allowed near weapons, and I will eat my nice black cowboy hat if we don't hear right quick about all the failures in the system that allowed this nutjob to become a menace to society. It really is a shame that his delusions didn't just result in his suicide. I have nothing but compassion for the men and women who have suffered in battle and come back changed by what they saw. But the Veterans Administration has excellent resources to help these people, and there is little doubt that the vast majority of them who are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder manage to get enough help that they don't go off and start shooting people.

I refuse to show this asshole's picture. Rather, I leave you with a photo of Margaret Anderson, his victim. Someone who loved her husband and her children and the beauty of this country in her intense love of her job as a national park service employee. Such a shame.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

A New Year's Eve Tale

So Darryl, Deb's boyfriend, has a granddaughter. She is a lovely little girl. And he has a new photo of her in the house. It is a head shot ... and it is a life-size head shot. It's wonderful, and really brings out the essence of Winnie. It's beautiful, and it makes you feel like she's right there in the room.

Well, apparently it was just too life-like for Homer and Fred. Fred, Homer and Atticus joined Dana and me at Dutch (that's Darryl's nickname) and Deb's place for New Year's Eve. Good food, good drink, good fun all around. However, we were sitting in the living room having some appetizers and champagne when we noticed Homer was just standing behind the sofa. When we looked closer, it turned out he wasn't just standing behind the sofa for no good reason. His head was pointed up, his huge brown eyes locked on that photo of Winnie. He stared and stared and stared at that picture. Man, it was so cute. He seemed completely convinced that she was going to greet him, so he just stood there, waiting anxiously. Homer is very in tune with his behavior around little kids (translation: he is much calmer than he is when meeting adults, intuitively understanding that he must be accomodating to their smaller and sometimes delicate nature), so I believe he was just being a good little boy and waiting for her to come make the first move. It was just a wonderful moment.

Later, I think it was after dinner and once we'd gotten into the game playing part of the evening (Dutch was on quite a roll with Quiddler last night ... harumph), we stopped to enjoy a performance by Fred. He was standing on the back of the sofa. He'd finally gotten a look at that life-sized photo of Winnie ... and had a low grade growl going, heading into something a bit more menacing. Keep in mind that he would never have hurt Winnie if she were really there. I think he just didn't like that she was standing outside the window, staring back at him like that! So funny.

The final act of the evening belonged to Atticus, who didn't seem bothered by Winnie; I'm not sure he even noticed her. But he did step toward the sliding glass door after it had gotten dark. We don't have anything like that at home, nothing to allow him to see his reflection. But see his reflection he did. He started barking like a crazy man intent on protecting his brothers and his human peeps, too. He would probably be pleased to know that mommy thought him to be a very brave and impressive boy, even when it was obvious he was just being a silly git. Homer caught his own image in the 'mirror', but he just seemed happy to spot such a handsome man out the door!

Happy New Year!