I Can't Be old- I went to Woodstock!

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48653798667083516912011-07-29T04:37:29.747-04:00I Can't Be old- I went to Woodstock!In which I do this blogging thing because it seems like fun.crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.comBlogger1111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-88173826122343206172011-03-05T15:25:00.002-05:002011-03-05T15:28:00.234-05:00The space where politics and science fiction meet..

In other words, the place in which I live.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-188178186792596372010-06-18T21:30:00.000-04:002010-06-18T21:31:16.649-04:00Quote

Life is too important to be taken seriously. Oscar Wilde

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-13177580973439858722010-05-05T23:30:00.002-04:002010-05-05T23:37:38.853-04:00One Year Left

So I have slightly more than one year to figure out how to be sixty. This seems formidable. I come from a culture that creates good and bad ways to do things. We obsess about roles, about looking the "part". We create fictions of our lives so that we will fit in. I look at myself, jeans, t-shirt, messy, scatter brained and think, " I look like a tomboy slob. I can't be sixty". I must get my act

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-14115185360840705082010-05-05T21:03:00.005-04:002010-05-05T23:42:10.162-04:00Not a casserole illness

There is a facebook group for people over 40 who have handled bipolar illness for at least ten years. Small group, some nice folks there Someone on the group talked about how mental illness is not an illness that folks respond to by bringing casseroles and sending get-well cards. No community rallying around, no flowers.Not a casserole illness. I have had one hospitalization for depression .That

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-21352407485600885382010-05-04T14:12:00.002-04:002010-05-04T14:17:48.832-04:00So, I've been busy.

Ok, so now it is spring time in NJ. Much has happened and yet not much at all. It was a good winter, there was quite a lot of snow which I enjoy much more than I enjoy endless days of grey and cold. Snow is exciting and we have swell neighbors who are sharing a snow blower with us so that makes the inches much more palatable. That entire sentence sounds dirty. I spent the winter hanging out with

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-56160959331072688862009-10-14T18:50:00.002-04:002009-10-14T18:51:24.942-04:00Autumn in NJ

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-68094911467896480882009-09-28T10:08:00.002-04:002009-09-28T10:17:09.448-04:00Random stuff

This is a worthy link. This is a TV show very much worth watching. Am now all caught up on back seasons and am constantly amazed at the intelligence and craft displayed by the writers. It is the most gorgeous early fall day out there and it beckons to me and the furry critters.Here are the furry critters napping last night....I am off to exercise all three of us.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-75980495561632552862009-09-25T07:54:00.005-04:002009-09-25T08:38:44.812-04:00Swimming on the Moon

It appears there is water on the moon....Read why this is amazing and important here.The universe constantly surprises me.In news of a more personal nature...I had a health scare this summer, which after a couple of nasty invasive tests, turned out to be nothing. My daughter took me to one of the tests as I would not be able to drive home afterwards. I said to her : "this is weird, I should be

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-14143372146261567542009-09-24T15:35:00.008-04:002009-09-25T07:49:50.511-04:00I've been away

Trying to find some balance......Which is never an easy thing to do. In the meantime, I visited with some good friends with whom I went to a very weird little High School in NYC some 40 years ago:Saw the younger kid move into her lovely new room at school in the big apple:Explored new worlds and boldly went with the elder kid and her dad: And somehow in the midst of all this and more, summer

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-7086168076703166152009-08-26T22:14:00.003-04:002009-08-26T22:33:01.843-04:00Well

I have been ignoring this thing and have left it up in an unreadable state ( to all except me ) for quite some time. I am not sure I am going to keep it open for long. But I thought I would open it for a bit because I just read some of my posts and found them amusing and wondered why I should keep the world from the brilliance that is me. Not. So. Much.Anyhow, I wish to recommend something

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-35522043129415384792009-06-19T15:40:00.003-04:002009-06-19T15:49:06.624-04:00And this is incredibly cool as well....

My dear friend Beastie brought this to my attention...Seems some pre Stonehenge ruins have been discovered. I got to go to Stonehenge in 1973 before they put the fence around it. I was able to touch the stones. It was spectacular. This latest ruin was discovered underground merely 25 miles from Stonehenge. The earth reveals her secrets constantly. Can't wait to find out what this will have to

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-70541450163735081272009-06-19T09:49:00.002-04:002009-06-19T09:55:47.365-04:00This is so cool.

These sorts of things make me unreasonably happy:In short there is evidence for an ancient lake on Mars. This means that the possibility for life there is even more... well... possible. If it turns out that life existed on Mars would your view of reality change? And in what way?

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-74949058394202565332009-06-18T16:12:00.003-04:002009-06-18T16:37:03.099-04:00I am going to kvetch now:

1) It is raining too fraking much.2) My dog peed on the rug again. Several times. 3) I have been revisited by some menopause symptoms that I thought were long gone. 4) It's still raining.5) I have been fighting off the old venal depression which usually goes away in the summer but ain't going anywhere because...6) did I mention that it is raining too much?Lincoln used to say that his "melancholy"

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-80729449551154764872009-06-17T13:45:00.001-04:002009-06-17T13:47:04.545-04:00Here's the thing...

I was gonna turn this into one of those invitation only bloggies so that I could occasionally write things of a more personal nature but- I decided to start another one ( to which I will invite loyal readers) for that purpose and to keep this one as it is. It's already here. It's easier that way.So that is why it was locked up for a bit. And now it is not.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-22418804241898762212009-06-11T16:18:00.001-04:002009-06-11T16:19:55.395-04:00quote

"The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference" Elie Wiesel

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-51924225323775431972009-06-10T11:32:00.003-04:002009-06-10T12:06:55.567-04:00Random stuff

If it doesn't stop raining soon I am packing and moving to the desert. I am growing gills. The dogs are becoming moldy. I need sun.So I entertain myself by getting overly involved in reading stuff on the computer machiny thingy .Here is a guy who is reviewing Star Trek one minute at a time. He's hilarious, but doesn't love the movie. I love the movie. Here is a picture representing a design

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-36623757891985195232009-06-09T10:44:00.005-04:002009-06-09T10:52:53.871-04:00Summer...

is arriving in little fits and starts- a heat wave in April, a cold rainy May and so far June is getting mixed reviews from this hot weather lover. This morning I attempted to sleep late but was awaken by very loud thunder and terrified doggies and more rain. Lots more rain. I need sun. Massive amounts of sun.However the other evening this was the view from my porch: The husband's brother and

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-22700734671333186672009-06-04T11:39:00.001-04:002009-06-04T11:40:28.025-04:00Ok... so I have...

not been here in a bit- lots going on, mostly good, more later.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-23135048186388549932009-05-14T14:32:00.005-04:002009-05-14T16:11:17.382-04:00God

So tomorrow night I am going to see this man and his friends: I figure if he can still play for two and a half hours at his age, then I can go and watch him at my age. After all I am a full two years younger than he is. I wasn't always in love with Bruce Springsteen. In fact I resisted very strongly when he first appeared on the scene. I had given up on rock n' roll because it had become so

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-54643673394588929942009-05-11T14:55:00.003-04:002009-05-11T15:14:56.700-04:00Stuff

Huh- I just typed sturr rather than stuff up there. I wonder what sturr is- sounds kind of like a Vulcan name but I promise I am not going to be all trekky geeky in this post. Except I just was , wasn't I? Tough.There is an excellent article on Chronic Depression by Essayist Daphne Merkin in the Sunday NY Times Magazine this week. It made me start looking at blogs about Depression and by

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-78180627644405265432009-05-10T17:35:00.002-04:002009-05-10T17:38:21.928-04:00Mother's Day

Mothers' Day Proclamation: Julia Ward Howe, Boston, 1870Mother's Day was originally started after the Civil War, as a protest to the carnage of that war, by women who had lost theirsons. Here is the original Mother's Day Proclamation from 1870: ......................................Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts,whether our baptism be that of water or of

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-46488327380301675832009-05-07T22:35:00.004-04:002009-05-07T22:50:51.556-04:00Live long and...

I am a proud Trekkie and have been since the first episode aired in 1966 when I was 15 years old. My crush on Leonard Nimoy's Spock was epic. I had friends make fun of me for my silly obsession- friends who were obsessing over shows like "Peyton Place" instead. "Peyton Place", anyone remember that? I didn't think so.Forty years later and my little obsession has become part of the mythology of a

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-70017256128048647012009-04-27T14:58:00.008-04:002009-04-27T15:49:05.911-04:00Is this heaven?

Nope, just New Jersey in the spring. And we are having a heat wave, which is, by far, my favorite kind of weather. I become energetic when others are melting. I also hibernate all winter. Anyhow this weekend it got hot and wonderful and we went to the New Jersey Folk Festival and the Rutgers Day festivities ( AKA Rutgerspalooza) and were vastly entertained by one of my long time idols- the

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-66829835485635655732009-04-22T11:35:00.002-04:002009-04-22T11:37:50.294-04:00So I changed my mind....

And here I am - first I was going to dump this entire thing,then I thought I would keep it just for me, and then today I thought- oh what the hell. Here it is. I am trying to spend less time on line and more time in the real world . I am not sure why- The real world is terrifying. Anyhow . This is back up. Don't expect anything major out of it.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-50598203430309437252009-04-13T20:57:00.005-04:002009-04-13T21:13:20.237-04:00The Coolest Thing I Have Recently Discovered...

on the interwebbynets is this:One of my all time favorite books, filmed by the brilliant Spike Jonze and the trailer is using one of my favorite songs of the recent past. And today at the White House Easter Egg Roll our new president read from this very same book to a group of kids on the White House Lawn and it was good.I actually discovered Maurice Sendak's wonderful books after taking a

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-42256909307199096722009-04-10T18:10:00.007-04:002009-04-10T22:25:04.296-04:00Oh hell, I may as well come out...

I found myself commenting on a blog post about faith recently by stating that I have none. No religious faith, at any rate. I have faith, more or less, that the sun will rise tomorrow , that my husband most likely won't cheat on me, and total faith that my kids are perfect. Although that latter one strikes me more as fact than something I need to believe in. It's just true- obviously. I have

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-8547944516974642852009-04-08T20:14:00.004-04:002009-04-09T09:24:08.490-04:00Shameless Bragging About Offspring Continues

So... not only did The Eldest Kid defend her thesis to a bunch of professors who were evaluating it today, she got highest honors . And... The Youngest Kid and her lovely friend from art school are going to organize and sponsor a free market in our little town this spring.I am ridiculously proud of my smart, funny , gorgeous, and kind daughters. The spouse and I now know what it feels like to

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-81213555253078824272009-04-06T10:48:00.007-04:002009-04-07T11:43:00.839-04:00More random stuff

Well.. I had every intention of putting up a picture of the eldest kid presenting her honors thesis but I cannot find the cord to the camera which is not in the handy box where it is supposed to be put after being used. I am blaming the spouse because he's not here and I can- however, it is just as likely that I dumped it somewhere that I thought was logical and easy to remember after I used it

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-26198494020001585412009-03-22T23:03:00.003-04:002009-03-22T23:07:01.838-04:00Advice

Mountain Dew mixed with vodka is *not* a particularly good beverage choice. Even if you are serving it at your BSG finale party. And also, I have discovered, some people really hate spinach- even in a yummy dip form. The octagonal crackers went over ok though.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-45519382544408806802009-03-20T14:09:00.005-04:002009-09-25T08:14:30.423-04:00Random stuff

My hand is still messed up but somewhat better.I am still a geek( always and forever) and in true geek fashion obsessed with what may be the best Science Fiction TV series of all time which ends tonight. Here is an article about why it is so damned good. Here is where you can find the special presentation at the United Nations that the cast and creators of the show participated in. Look in

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-41460365234014192262009-03-17T18:56:00.002-04:002009-03-17T19:03:58.172-04:00Why I haven't been keeping up the bloggy thingy...

I hurt my hand in a tragic skeeball accident and therefore cannot type.Ok- I hurt my hand but, sadly, skeeball was not involved. I am actually not sure what I did to my right hand - I suspect that it was a combination of weight lifting ( incorrectly) and typing and arthritis. One day it got all hot and weird and I spent a couple of days icing it and resting it and now it's somewhat better

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-79973351768865912662009-03-02T19:37:00.004-05:002009-03-02T20:00:40.555-05:00Random Stuff

I have had a nasty ( or as John Lennon used to say " narsty) headache off and on this past week. Not conducive to the blogosphere or much of anything . It's ok, if I am lying down, but comes back immediately if I stand up. And I, sadly , do not own a laptop. Sigh. Anyhow.. It let up enough yesterday so that we were able to see "Coraline" in 3- d. What a delightful, scary , gorgeous , elegant

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-47016840997445745752009-02-24T14:14:00.005-05:002009-02-24T20:22:58.618-05:00How did I get here?

I just finished reading an article in the New Yorker about second wave feminism and the 1970s womens'separatist movement- I knew one of the women referenced in the article. Women who just said fuck it all and took off and made art of their lives. And here I am, once so tempted by all that, being as boring as one can be. I am straight,and my desire for children made me choose the road more taken.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-38348943949055905522009-02-20T10:28:00.005-05:002009-02-20T10:56:30.994-05:00Spring is coming....

...or so they tell me. And once again I ponder having a vegetable garden. I ponder it every spring. Sometimes I have pondered it for nearly two days in a row. I actually did have a vegetable garden once. It was fairly amusing. We ended up with many giant zucchinis that no one really wanted after August even though they grew as large as some sort of plant from this ancient TV show that only I

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-78124528975071847822009-02-19T18:26:00.004-05:002009-02-19T18:31:33.739-05:00Yogi....

....started out life in our bathroom closet. Then he grew up to be a frightening thing. We grant his every wish for fear that he will eat us. He likes to climb trees.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-62317571217288389702009-02-19T12:07:00.003-05:002009-02-21T21:27:17.739-05:00Random Stuff

I generally slow waaay down in the winter but this is ridiculous. No energy at all. Anyhow, I was reading some old journals and was reminded of these things:The youngest daughter at about age three, after being told that, "THERE IS NO HITTING ALLOWED" ( I believe she had slugged a little friend):" But what is hitting for?" Reasonable question, I thought. Indeed, why does such a thing exist if we

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-26156397145401220422009-02-12T09:59:00.004-05:002009-02-13T18:51:03.237-05:00I suppose I should do this in September ( wordless)

Me and the spouse on the observation deck of the NY World Trade Center Towers 1987.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-53090363571793319952009-02-09T11:04:00.002-05:002009-02-09T11:10:58.500-05:00this is hysterical

You know those "memes" that travel blogs and facebook posts? Here is a really old one. One can find it here posted by the author- but I am putting it here too- just because I can. February 5, 2009 - Thursday Wm. Shakespeare's Five and Twenty Random Things Abovt MeThe meme is older than anyone guessed! Here it is, something I just dug up at the library: the First Folio edition of... Wm.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-18968136687398887412009-02-06T09:54:00.008-05:002009-02-06T21:43:29.464-05:00Fairy Music

Reya over at The Gold Puppy recently wrote about fairy tales and how they carry our cultural voices throughout the ages and change and grow with the perspective of the times. Mythology is something I know far too little about and is something that fascinates me. I do know a little bit about songs, though,and many of those myths and tales that roll down the centuries do so in the form of song.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-42869595866593609452009-02-05T20:54:00.006-05:002009-02-05T22:10:50.336-05:00Synchronicity

A very smart , sensitive, and gorgeous woman I know has been discussing the concept of synchronicity with several other very smart bloggy women and it got me thinking about stuff I don't think about much any more. Synchronicity or "meaningful coincidence" is a concept that used to fascinate me. Over the years I have become quite skeptical but it is something that still resonates for me -

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-52421838379720962252009-01-31T11:51:00.005-05:002009-02-21T16:21:43.054-05:00Because I am , in fact, a bit of a geek....

..and major science fiction fan since I first saw the original Day The Earth Stood Still on TV when I was about eight, I have to comment, at this juncture, THAT......last night's episode of Battlestar Galactica had me screaming at the television set - in a good way. Good adult science fiction that does what good SF should do- comment on universal themes whilst blowing one's mind with

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-70266390884552074942009-01-29T13:48:00.006-05:002009-02-04T19:26:36.503-05:00Random stuff

After the inauguration the lovely husband took me to the new Air and Space museum in Virginia which is where they apparently put stuff that doesn't fit into the old Air and Space museum in DC. There we saw the *real* Enterprise- The space shuttle which was named Enterprise due to a campaign of Star Trek Geeks long ago. That was fairly cool and yes, there was a tourist dressed in a Star Trek

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-15858630209493657252009-01-22T09:55:00.022-05:002009-05-14T18:09:59.407-04:00In Which We Go To The Inauguration.

I would say that I have no words............but some of you actually know me and know that I *always* have words- frequently too many of them. I Actually Kind Of Like Long Lines We got to the inauguration very early- we found the purple ticket gate line at 5:00 A.M. and met a lovely bunch of folks who were already there waiting. We traded the usual "hi, how are yous",and the "where are you

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-56398249949761782712009-01-15T08:30:00.009-05:002009-01-16T09:18:06.828-05:00Star Magic

It was time when my summer world smelled of pine trees and lake water. I was about seven years old and our family was living at the New Jersey Camp For Blind Children where my dad was the camp director. My teenage sisters worked there as well. My mother helped the cook and the camp nurse on their days off. We lived in a stone and wood lodge with a hearth and a staircase that had the best

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-75998177675802383302009-01-14T13:57:00.005-05:002009-02-13T18:50:26.539-05:00wait a minute.... we never win anything...

..so how is it that our congressperson's eager young assistant just called to tell us that we have two tickets for the inauguration? No seriously, we won the ticket lottery. I can't believe it. We pick up the tickets tomorrow. We are a little bit excited. I think I may have to play that mega- millions type lottery that I never play and always complain about not winning this week. Oh my goodness.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-2867936597622990592009-01-11T18:08:00.005-05:002009-01-11T18:26:11.762-05:00Bill Cosby was on...

.....Meet The Press and David Gregory asked him what it was like for him personally voting for Obama. Cos said that he brought pictures of his deceased parents and brother into the booth with him, set them up and said " and now we vote". He said it was wonderful. I took a picture of my vote. Anyone else out there do anything interesting? Keep it clean. I think a collection of such stories

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-53206446651714148772009-01-06T09:15:00.011-05:002009-01-06T11:53:09.924-05:00Christmas 2008

Santa Claus has been bringing each of my daughters one ornament a year since they were born. We tag them with the name and year when we put them away. Some day, when the kids establish their own homes, they will take them away. Then, I guess, we will have to buy all new ornaments for ourselves or have a naked tree. And yes, we are the last people on earth who still hang tinsel of the "rain"

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-11579363816036119162009-01-04T16:27:00.004-05:002009-01-04T16:47:03.509-05:00I am completely and utterly shallow...

because THIS is what I am currently most excited about. Oh, and I am also shallow because of the comment I just wrote on Only A Movie's top person of the year choice. Oh, and because...well...just because. The husband just finished taking down the tree. I will post lovely Xmas Pics with my lovely new camera ( from the lovely old husband) when I get some more time. Meantime there are THESE to

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-30640309938637684712008-12-27T20:02:00.009-05:002008-12-27T20:46:52.678-05:00Christmas Morning 5:00 AM

Every Christmas Morning some hardy souls in this town gather at a firehouse and spread out in small groups to sing Christmas Carols in front of every house with a porch light left on. This is a ninety eight year old tradition. It is one of the reasons we live "in town " rather than in the surrounding township (the other reasons involve finances and a desire to occasionally have some place to walk

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-69289733872741894622008-12-23T19:26:00.004-05:002008-12-23T20:01:34.429-05:00Christmas Eve eve...

Tomorrow used to be my favorite day of the year. I am not sure it still holds that honor but it will be fun,and busy. I wanted to share my favorite Christmas poem right now , because right now is probably the only time I will have until Christmas day...So .. with loving wishes for the best holiday season ever...( Poem by Sofia Lyon Fahs)For so the children comeAnd so they have been coming.Always

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-90355192434630002382008-12-21T11:14:00.001-05:002008-12-21T16:28:51.792-05:00Poem

The Shortest DayBy Susan CooperAnd so the Shortest Day came and the year diedAnd everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white worldCame people singing, dancing,To drive the dark away.They lighted candles in the winter trees;They hung their homes with evergreen;They burned beseeching fires all night longTo keep the year alive.And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awakeThey shouted,

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-60700309219928832112008-12-18T12:00:00.007-05:002009-02-04T20:04:41.590-05:00Smoke is coming out of my ears..

...because of Rick Warren's inclusion in the Obama inauguration. Read why it sucks here.I understand that Obama wants to be inclusive, to be everyone's president, but I don't believe bigotry is something that should be included anywhere. Warren wants to deny rights to a minority population. Isn't that bigotry? Isn't that a human rights issue? I am severely disappointed. We went to see the movie

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-34475997731804159982008-12-16T19:49:00.005-05:002008-12-16T20:54:57.197-05:00Fun With Earthquakes!

I have been in twenty earthquakes. My husband, the native San Franciscan, thinks it is hilarious that I know exactly how many earthquakes I've felt. He says I collect them. I do. They were the oddest thing about living in San Francisco- except for all the other odd things about living in San Francisco. After a few years of feeling none at all, and feeling somewhat geologically neglected, I felt

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-40073811942367555152008-12-16T13:51:00.006-05:002008-12-16T14:41:26.019-05:00One year ago yesterday....

....we brought home a nine week old new puppy. I had started wanting a puppy shortly after our eldest dog, Julie, died. We already had a one year old Pup (Reggie) but I started wanting another. I seem to have this need to have two of everything (I hide the other husband in the attic). We did have two dogs for many years but they hated each other (as would the two husbands were they to meet) and

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-43254510188654537712008-12-15T19:30:00.001-05:002008-12-15T19:34:54.034-05:00The Quote Below Makes Me Happy

"My administration will value science, we will make decisions based on facts." President Elect Barack Obama

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-79152021509644281122008-12-14T17:52:00.001-05:002008-12-14T17:54:15.851-05:00Introducing.....

The kid.http://beccagb.blogspot.com/

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-8803379223556660562008-12-11T16:59:00.007-05:002008-12-12T09:17:34.370-05:00Thumb Banter

I have been in one form of conversation or another with my friend Gary for thirty odd ( exceptionally odd, really) years now. When we lived across the San Francisco Bay from each other we used to watch TV "together" on the phone, commenting on the show and being thankful that SF to Oakland was not a toll call. Now that we live across the Hudson river from each other we chat via text message.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-11332333104760795882008-12-09T13:31:00.008-05:002008-12-09T14:42:40.208-05:00Visiting An Old Friend

Recently my daughter sent me a text message saying- " David Axelrod can't work for Obama, he'll burn the White House down!" I was puzzled until I remembered that Obama's campaign cheif bore the same name as the protagonist of one of my favorite books, Endless Love, by Scott Spencer. Endless Love is one of the many books that I visit regularly since the first time I read it many years ago. My

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-56732339510909061582008-12-08T20:39:00.004-05:002008-12-08T21:06:41.658-05:00Ten best of everything

I totally and completely love Best Of The Year lists. I love lists in general, actually. When I was a kid my friend Nancy and I used to keep lists of everything including, my favorite; The List Of Things We Will Never Understand No Matter How Often Someone Explains Them To Us. That list included things like:1) Television ( pictures and sound travel through the air-right)2) Tunnels that are

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-33012588364063215522008-12-05T10:09:00.005-05:002009-04-22T12:37:29.800-04:00I used to use chocolate.....

Found myself feeling a bit down in the proverbial dumps last night- I have been hearing about a lot of old friends dying lately- and I cheered up by watching videos very much like the one below. One month has passed and it still hasn't gotten old. Ask me again in a year when I am yelling and screaming about "that jerk in the White House", as I am prone to do, and I might not feel as warm and

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-26776719626091647022008-12-03T11:57:00.003-05:002008-12-03T13:30:19.862-05:00Protests of the tuneful variety!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-19600941982407434302008-12-03T08:57:00.003-05:002008-12-03T09:04:51.449-05:00Kid gave me a Thanksgiving Present...

The art student daughter gave me a really spectacular cold for Thanksgiving. It's the kind where you sound scarier than you feel. My dogs keep giving me these odd looks when I speak in front of them, wondering when their human had been replaced by Lauren Bacall. Speaking of sexy humans(Ms. Bacall, not me)- I very much suggest that all you lovely folks who find British men sexy hop on over here to

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-87046340786229149292008-11-30T17:25:00.002-05:002008-11-30T17:56:54.318-05:00World AIDS Day

In the late 1970s- early 1980s I lived in the Castro District in San Francisco. I don't remember exactly when I started seeing the notices about " Gay Cancer" in the window of the Star Pharmacy on Castro at 18th street, but I do remember the cold feeling that this was something that was going to be very big and very bad. In those old days in SF an apocalyptic feeling permeated my beautiful

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-11241708233845622072008-11-27T11:48:00.004-05:002008-11-27T11:53:43.732-05:00Arlo and Xmen

The patron saint of Thanksgiving ( at least at our house) here posing with a member of the Xmen in a picture taken by my daughter for her "Action Figure In Odd Poses and Odder Places" photographic project of yore.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-15517124084477572212008-11-24T10:53:00.003-05:002008-11-24T11:11:10.470-05:00Savant Math Skills

Nate Silver at this place here has projected that Al Franken will win the Senate race recount in Minnesota by 27 votes. I recommend a trip to his site to see how he does this. It is completely incomprehensible to one such as myself. If he is accurate ( and so far his projections have been somewhat frighteningly on the money) , I plan to start worshipping him because he is obviously some sort of

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-65263329404947213952008-11-20T15:27:00.001-05:002008-11-20T15:31:36.545-05:00Speaking of God and Coal Mining

Found this on Neil Gaiman's blog (worthy reading)and was reminded of the fact that Peter Cook was the funniest man that ever lived.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-37677833762321065082008-11-19T11:42:00.003-05:002008-11-19T11:50:31.503-05:00Speaking of Spaceships and New Wave Era Singers...

I bring you the best thing ever. William Shatner, Joe Jackson and the Ben Folds FiveWilliam Shatner sings Pulp "Common People"Uploaded by fab2609

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-39225506673838808172008-11-19T09:47:00.009-05:002009-02-21T16:20:51.963-05:00Twilight

I read Twilight last weekend and I would like to say that I am immune to its charms but, in fact, I read it straight through , stopping only for bathroom breaks and the Ricky Gervais Special on HBO. My husband, the middle school teacher, tells me that every girl in his class is carrying around a copy. It's not as good as Harry Potter, but it is fun and I liked that the author references some

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-3611972052054519582008-11-17T13:20:00.002-05:002008-11-17T13:21:48.847-05:00We have too much free time

so we torture our dogs by placing them on the Stools Of Terror.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-5282914145783356772008-11-13T11:42:00.004-05:002008-11-14T11:21:23.689-05:00Random trivial things that annoy me and questions about same.

1) Stinkbugs. Why in the name of all that's holy is there a kind of bug that releases an incredibly foul odor when you crush it? And why does it like to eat clothing? 2) Why is it that, although I have recently dropped from a size 16 pants to a size 12, the size 16 ones are not falling off of me? Is someone messing with the size thing to make me feel better?3) Just when do young dogs stop eating

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-13995262069606304112008-11-13T10:57:00.000-05:002008-11-13T10:57:21.635-05:00" to be a little less alone in the world"

I'm going the Wrong way!: Please take a moment to listen...love to you all:-)Go there . I am having trouble embedding the actual video. Please take some time to watch and listen.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-1034962544346012382008-11-13T09:20:00.006-05:002009-09-25T08:22:48.429-04:00

One more teensy election day note. I began election day by blasting "Signed Sealed and Delivered" by Stevie Wonder. This song was played at every Obama rally and at the Democratic convention and playing it on the morning we all went to vote seemed like a good idea to bring good luck. I may play it every day that someone needs some good luck -apparently it works. Send your "Signed Sealed and

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-87945217678611246582008-11-10T20:00:00.004-05:002008-11-10T20:01:47.887-05:00one more comment

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-38283664159599992262008-11-10T19:41:00.004-05:002008-11-10T19:44:12.345-05:00Why , I do believe that...

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-3208074364554301852008-11-10T19:37:00.000-05:002008-11-10T19:37:00.948-05:00100 things about me

I have seen this list going around the blogosphere...seems like an interesting exercise. Plus, it is completely self indulgent and I love that.1) I have a bachelors degree in psychology2) I have an expired psych tech license which in California allowed me to do everything an LPN can do here. Here , I am fairly useless.3) I traveled to the then Soviet Union in 1973 when I was 22 and it was the

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-44982918672877419682008-11-05T01:23:00.000-05:002008-11-05T01:24:19.668-05:00Champagne is good.

Signed. Sealed. Delivered.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-22603294425748602412008-11-04T17:57:00.004-05:002008-11-04T18:06:13.665-05:00Wordless election day

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-81247847978305175772008-11-02T22:57:00.006-05:002008-11-03T08:00:44.686-05:00This Train

This is absurd. I don't believe I have ever felt quite like this. I am way too old and cynical and I have been disappointed too many times to be sitting here reading election polling with tears of joy running down my face. The first time I was moved like this was when I was twelve years old. I was sitting in front of the television watching Rev. Martin Luther King Jr's," I Have a Dream "

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-20814773103257786302008-11-01T12:18:00.000-04:002008-11-01T12:19:53.081-04:00Halloween Audio Visual Aid

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-55841298050946222822008-11-01T11:37:00.002-04:002008-11-01T11:38:52.640-04:00Halloween Visual Aid

Three Days to go ( the husband's artwork).

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-90012411268705781602008-10-30T10:47:00.008-04:002009-09-25T08:19:14.234-04:00Drat

...drat drat and double drat....There I go and develop a school girl crush on the star of "Dr. Who" and he up and quits the show. He has been the star for three years but still- I feel I am somehow to blame. Was it my wildly inappropriate crush on this guy who is twenty years younger than I am? At least he is doing four more "special episodes- and he is playing Hamlet with the RSC and

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-77614449719602330372008-10-29T17:05:00.002-04:002008-10-29T17:06:51.208-04:00This is just wrong

and bad and bad and wrong and stuff. It is snowing outside. Again. Snowed all day yesterday. It is not Halloween yet. I do not accept this. It is not really happening. Make it go away.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-73759433370487501452008-10-29T13:08:00.005-04:002008-10-29T14:44:46.247-04:00Put Away

A few years back I worked for our local Community Mental Health Center as a Transitional Services Counselor. We outreached folks who lived in the Licensed Psychiatric Boarding Homes in the area. Most of these homes housed people with mental illness who did not need locked facilities but needed assistance in living. Some of the clients were folks who had been institutionalized for many years

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-71325425930474180012008-10-22T10:16:00.003-04:002008-10-22T10:23:32.260-04:00dog walking....

...just me and the bigger ( but younger) 0f the two the other day.... Mal is such a good dog. He is great off lead. He'll wander on ahead a bit on the trail but then will turn around to make sure his human is watching and safe. My cell phone ( to which I am a but a servant) took this picture. That's the Delaware River with Pennsylvania on the other side. The fact that you can see one state across

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-91984938105725526392008-10-21T13:39:00.009-04:002009-02-13T18:48:15.663-05:00Sacred Stories

I've been re-reading Barack Obama's memoir of his childhood and his early days as a community organizer: Dreams from My Father. It is a remarkable book. In a chapter describing community building in inner city Chicago he writes about holding a meeting where folks just started talking about their lives, telling tales of their own childhoods, sharing the challenges they still face every

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-8560704527153274522008-10-17T14:35:00.000-04:002008-10-17T14:36:00.157-04:00Damn....

.....it is gorgeous outside.I have nothing more to add.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-5282038445068875722008-10-15T19:02:00.006-04:002009-09-25T08:46:00.635-04:00bleeeechhhh- bwahhahhahhahha

I hate this. I have a weird immune system and get little illnesses frequently- especially when I forget that I am indeed ancient and run around for three days on little sleep, less food, and lots of enthusiasm. After Baracking the vote all weekend and managing to work in some hiking as well, I collapsed in a heap on the couch and slept most of yesterday. Today I feel a bit more human but I

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-38345691138777770742008-10-13T23:16:00.003-04:002008-10-13T23:20:32.684-04:00Happy Birthday Mr Fubbles

Yes, I am apparently one of those people who announce that it is the dog's birthday. Malcolm Fubbles is one year old today. This is what he looked like when he was nine weeks old.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-27895463692190548622008-10-13T11:15:00.002-04:002008-10-13T11:17:58.663-04:00with apologies to Bill Maher..

Ruth's Rules.1) Hurricanes should not be named Norbert.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-42571092403924637752008-10-12T23:12:00.013-04:002009-03-04T16:42:34.744-05:00No, I am not making it up...

.. I really did go to Woodstock. I had a perfectly awful time there. I didn't have actual tickets, but had heard that it was a free concert and an amazing *scene*, and because 10 hour long traffic jams were, and are, my idea of a good time, I jumped into a car with a bunch of other 18 year old freaks and headed for Bethel NY. which was fairly close to my sister's town, a fact which calmed my

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-27300214912951985202008-10-12T16:56:00.002-04:002008-10-12T17:03:07.728-04:00another deeply cool thing in Philly

....The Magic Garden . There are several actually but we spent a lot of time going through the biggest one on South Street. Beautiful areas decorated with mosaic and "found object" art. Once again, the cell phone camera doesn't do it justice. However.. I think you can find more here.

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-31317558346255366022008-10-11T17:02:00.008-04:002008-10-11T17:34:54.912-04:00not a good day to forget the good camera..

when one ends up being 15 feet away from the Next President of The United States at a rally in Philadelphia. This will have to do... Again, and as usual, the cell phone takes the pictures. I am a servant of the cell phone.We left for the rally that started at 8:15 at 5:00 AM. Stood on line for an hour or so with the nicest people in the world and ended up a lot closer to the stage that we had

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-69772992925232238682008-10-10T12:35:00.006-04:002008-10-10T16:25:09.423-04:00I don't sleep well.....

.....or at all , occasionally, but when I do I have incredibly vivid dreams, frequently containing casts of thousands and often not featuring me. They are usually resemble wonderful movies from which I awake grinning. Then there are the other kind. I used to have them more often but in my old age I seem to have them about once a year. I dream that I am the worse person in the world and that

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-27406750274973831132008-10-06T15:10:00.002-04:002008-10-06T15:21:49.971-04:00

Here is David at the Philly Obama rally last Saturday. The previous picture is a close up of his volunteer badge. Yesterday ( Sunday) I registered 17 voters on the NJ/PA border. Several of them were folks who had never voted before....college students, some folks who felt disenfranchised by the system until now, one very pregnant 18 year old who said she kept meaning to register but had " other

crone51http://www.blogger.com/profile/06831571973211180467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865379866708351691.post-50573861055524172652008-10-05T15:47:00.004-04:002009-02-21T16:19:59.541-05:00How about Wordless Sunday as well?