Month: October 2012

  • Shore Thoughts

    Well, my heart is heavy after watching countless reports of the devastation that Sandy caused back in New Jersey and New York. Thankfully, it seems that all of our friends and family in the storm’s path are ok — trees were lost, power is out, streets are flooded — but everyone seems to be safe and sound. I suspect many of them haven’t even begun to realize the scope of the damage, since they are isolated by the power loss and poor road conditions. I wish they had better news to look forward to, but that’s not likely to be the case.

    I grew up on the Jersey Shore, as I have mentioned many times. Clearly, the impact there was enormous and unprecedented. I keep thinking of various landmarks, some of which are known to many, and some of which are mostly only known to me and mine – and wondering if they still exist.

    It’s impossible to see the shots of lower Manhattan without thinking back to 9/11. That’s never a good feeling.

    The Mr. and I have been watching the reports, and taking turns expressing our disbelief at what we are seeing. We have had some laughs, though, because there’s nothing like a NY/NJ attitude in the face of trouble. We saw a young woman being interviewed tonight talking about how the storm, “just flat out kicked our ass!” Yup, that sounds like home. And we heard mention of how one thing New Yorkers need now is something they are often in short supply of — patience. Uh, yes. That’s a true statement. winky

    I’m glad the kids and I spent some time “down the shore” this past summer. I took them to the boardwalk in Point Pleasant, where I used to hang out with my two closest friends in high school. This is a picture of all of our children (at a reunion a few years back) taking in the shore line from a ride on the boardwalk.  It’s a keeper.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Are you worried about me?

    Don’t be. The only injury I have sustained while sheltering in place for Hurricane Sandy is a scrape on my thumb from the cheese grater. I got a little too aggressive with the parmegiano reggiano.

    For our area, this storm has been a waiting game. We thought it was going to hit us Saturday, then Sunday. It was slightly breezy and grey both days, but that was about it. We awoke this morning to rain and some wind – but it sure doesn’t look like a hurricane out there. The schools are all closed anyway, and I suspect they may stay closed tomorrow.

    The storm is certainly a big one, and is having a major impact on areas closer to the coast. The bullseye is headed straight for the part of NJ where I grew up, so I’m switching channels frantically and monitoring Facebook posts constantly, trying to get a true picture of what’s going on up there. It’s either that or feed the kids AGAIN…..so.

    The kids are happy to watch coverage on The Weather Channel, because they remember seeing some naked streakers running behind a reporter in VA Beach during the last hurricane. You never know what education live TV will provide!

    I just reminded our daughter of some of the things she needs to accomplish today (practicing piano, working on a book report), and she was horrified at the thought of getting off the couch. It’s kind of a sloth like atmosphere around here.

    We’re working on Halloween costumes, too, and hoping that the rain/wind will be gone before trick-or-treating. I’ll probably get them carving pumpkins this afternoon – if we can stay off the couch long enough to get it done.

  • Preparations

    If the “Frankenstorm” hits, we will be well stocked. I bought bread and milk and batteries. Because you can’t go to a grocery store in the days prior to a major weather event and NOT get those things. And I got baking supplies, because there is an upcoming family birthday and an upcoming school bake sale, and if we are going to be trapped in doors during a storm, we may as well be productively baking, right?

    It’s kind of ominous outside already. There is so much information about the coming storm that it is sort of canceling itself out….leaving me feeling clueless. I can’t sort out whether it will come on shore in VA/MD or in NJ/NY, or which scenario would be worse. What I really want to know is whether school will be canceled and whether it will interfere with our Halloween plans. Can anyone tell me that? No. So, really, all I can do is get bread and wait.

    I didn’t sleep well last night. I had dinner out with friends and when I got back, my mind was churning on a whole bunch of things. I was wide awake, so I got up to read on my iPad, my preferred middle of the night reading device. (No lights required.) The problem is that I am reading “Unbroken,” (Laura Hillenbrand) and it is not a great bedtime story. I am reading about the horrors of a WWII Japanese POW camp, so it didn’t really quiet the mind, you know?

    Despite the lack of sleep, I managed to get my lazy butt out of the house for a 6 mile run this morning. I figured I may as well be outdoors now, because it really does sound like we have days and days of creepy weather ahead. So, I did it, though I just as easily could have gotten back in bed and slept for a few hours. I ran past the kids’ school twice. The first time, I was actively missing a pep rally to which the parents are invited. I just wasn’t into it today. The second time, I was intrigued by a group of kids outside and a fire truck parked in front of the school. Intrigued, but not worried.

    Just as I turned back into the neighborhood and slowed to a walk, my cell phone rang. (Of course I had it strapped to my body, being the extremely high maintenance runner that I am.) It was the school nurse, reporting our son’s latest head-on collision – this time with the back of another kid’s head. The nurse asked me to come in to comfort him and evaluate his tooth for a chip. Really? I went. What a sucker. He was fine, but it was nice to be able to comfort him and walk him back to class. I also suggested that maybe he could suck/chew on some ice, and the nurse acted as horrified as if I had suggested we strap him down and try shock therapy. Weird.

    Well, folks. The bus doth approach.

  •  

    Is my gourd making you uncomfortable?
    It has been quite the conversation starter in the Turningreen household since arriving from the farm. As you might imagine.
    We have some new neighbors. They have been moving in for over a week now. What do I mean by that? I mean that they have been actively unloading moving trucks for longer than 7 days. First it was a mid-sized DIY type truck, which showed up chock full no less than 3 times. Now it is day 2 of gigantic commercial moving truck, complete with movers. Wow. That’s a lot of stuff.
    The Mr. and I both requested car swag from the Obama campaign months ago. Well, requested and replied to multiple text pleas for cash support — semantics, folks. Anyway, the stickers finally came and have now been properly affixed. A family member who lives locally received a nasty note on his windshield in response to his Obama sticker. The Bubble can be oh-so-intolerant. I put mine on today, on the very day that Mr. Obama is heading into town to speak to the masses in this here swing state. I drove downtown to the Food Bank to volunteer, and saw swarms of people queuing up to ride shuttles to hear him speak. In the parking lot, there was some confusion between me and another volunteer as we tried to back our cars into the loading dock. She seemed to be (albeit unintentionally) stealing my spot, but then caught on just in time and let me through. As I stepped out of my car, she approached to say, “I couldn’t take your spot since you have the ‘right’ sticker on your car!” See? All you have to do to find tolerance around here is look for a lady in a Prius at the Food Bank.
    On my drive to deliver the food, I turned a corner to find a fairly well dressed man crossing the street in a pretty shady neighborhood. He didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the crowd. But upon closer inspection, I noticed that, along with his dress clothes, he was wearing a Burger King crown and seemed to be gesticulating to members of his kingdom. Oh, ok. That makes more sense. I liked the way he seemed to be having more fun than the other folks waiting for the bus. I mean, you’ve gotta give a member of the 47% props for trying to emulate the more affluent types in this world, don’t you?
    And is it really such a long trip from posting gourd photos on the Internet to crowning oneself King of the ‘hood?
  • I am in 3rd grade book report hell. That is all. Just thought you should know.

  • Autumnal Afternoon

    It smells so good in my house right now. 

    Last week, our farm share didn’t include apples — which, at this time of year, was downright rude and unexpected. In response, I picked up a bag of organic apples at Kroger that just weren’t that tasty. So when I was at Whole Foods later in the week and saw some big, juicy organic apples on sale – I had to get some. They did not disappoint.

    This week, the farm sent apples. Needless to say, we are now flush with apples. So, I decided to use the bland Kroger apples to make applesauce with cinnamon and brown sugar. It’s been stewing in the crockpot all afternoon, hence the good smell.

    This morning, the kids and I awoke to another Sunday without the Mr., who is in the midst of a busy travel season for work. I made a “magic pancake,” which is a large oven pancake that puffs as it cooks, along with some apples cooked with maple syrup. (The apple theme continues.)

    Next, we went out to get a few pumpkins for the porch, which was partially decorated yesterday, but lacking gourds. That situation has been righted.

    I also planted a few pansies out front for the cold weather. Around here, they last through the winter – but I usually wait too long to plant them as my summer flowers last well into the fall. This year I’m phasing out the old and replacing with the new, in a somewhat uncharacteristic showing of garden organization.

    Our daughter is devouring a novel next to me. Soon I will interrupt her so we can watch the latest “Project Runway” together. It’s one of our female bonding activities each week.

    Our son is into his 4th hour of playing with his best friend. Football, football, football, PS3, football.

    I roasted two squash this afternoon, too. I read that you can pop them in the oven whole, as long as you pierce them a few times with a knife. It was disturbingly satisfying to stab away at two firm squash on a Sunday afternoon.

    Tomorrow is picture day, so I probably have at least one item to iron. I also have to decide if I want to pay for retouching of what remains of the boy’s black eye, or keep the bruises in the picture to officially document the crisis at the beginning of his third grade year.

    What do you think? Retouch or leave it alone?

  • Small World

    Last night, I took our daughter to visit a middle school in our district. She is going to apply to a specialty center there, though at this point she claims to be adamantly against going, even if she gets accepted. As I told her – we’ll cross that bridge if and when we get to it. But it was an open house to allow the 5th graders and parents to check it out and see what all the fuss is about.

    So there we were, with many other families from around the area, wandering in and out of classrooms staffed with enthusiastic teachers and smart, but horribly awkward, middle school students showing off their classrooms. As we shoved in to a science lab to watch an experiment that promised to include “blowing stuff up,” I spotted a familiar face – the mom of another girl on our daughter’s soccer team. And next to her….who is that? I know that woman. Why do I know her?

    She is the woman who interviewed me for the job I applied for last year — and did not get.

    As the kids say, “AWKWAAAAARD!”

    I am cursed with what a report on 60 Minutes referred to as “super recognizer” skills. I never forget a face and I almost always remember the connection that makes the face familiar. This leads to lots of situations where I remember someone and they do not remember me. Add to that the fact that she was the only person to interview me in 10 years, but she has likely interviewed many folks over that same time period…..and I’m pretty sure she had no clue who I was.

    Weird. Small world.

    Oh, and here’s another story about being a super recognizer. About 2 years ago, I was in line at Whole Foods one morning, patiently waiting for my turn to check out. The woman in front of me was having a conversation with the cashier about where else she goes grocery shopping and commenting on the quality of food at the various local stores. I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation and perhaps even chimed in a bit. The woman was unique looking, in that she had a gorgeous head of tightly curled black hair.

    That same afternoon, I was at the public library with my kids, and there she was with hers. We crossed paths and smiled. I assumed it was a mutual recognition of our Whole Foods encounter, but I think she was really just being polite.

    The very next day, I was at the mall in “Claire’s,” the store where little girls eyes pop out of their heads because of all the cheap, shiny accessories. I was there alone, picking up a birthday gift for one of our daughter’s friends. Who walks into the store, but Curly Hair Lady? She walked up to the counter and started asking for help in choosing accessories for her daughter’s upcoming stint as a flower girl. I was the only other person in the store, and she ended up asking me to help her decide between two headbands.

    OK, now I have to say something. And so I did.

    “You know, you were in line ahead of me at Whole Foods yesterday, and then I saw you at the library, too! And now we’re both here!”

    As soon as I said it, I thought — OMG, I sound like a crazy stalker. She paused for a second, and then just kind of laughed and made a comment about how we all seem to know each other in the Bubble. We chatted a bit about our kids and what school they go to (different ones) and I eventually left the store.

    Next, I went into the Gap. There she was, looking for tights for the flower girl.

    “So, Turningreen,” she said, “Where are we going tomorrow?”

    Ah, we had a good laugh. And then I didn’t see her again for a very long time. But she was there last night, along with me and my interview lady.

    You’ll be happy to know that I didn’t approach her to remind her of all my past stalking. I felt like that would be weird, no? laughing

     

  • 3, 2, 1

    Three day weekend, two straight days of rain, one parent out of town….and it ain’t me. Blaaaaaaah.

    Despite the fact that it ended up being just me and our daughter for dinner last night, I ended up making a big meal of braised kale and sausage pasta. It was sub-par. It’s usually one of our favorite meals, but something was off — which was extra annoying, after having gone to all that trouble to feed just two people. Oh well. Tonight’s pressure cooker split pea soup was easier and infinitely tastier. So that’s good.

    Exciting start, huh? Aren’t you glad you tuned in to this channel?

    You know what’s exhausting? Being the source of information for other people all the time. An example – I received the same flyer via the same email as several of my friends, yet it seems that no one else knows the details of the event outlined in said flyer. They are emailing me with question after question, and acting all appreciative of me giving them the “heads up” about the information, when all I’m doing is reading the freaking flyer. This happens all the time. (I know I already mentioned that. The repeat is intentional, because it is so annoying. Italics worthy, even. Twice.)

    In the middle of dinner tonight, our daughter announced, quite randomly, “I think the Disney Channel has too many shows.” Well, alright then. Thanks for pointing that out. She elaborated to say that she thinks they have just really started to add shows that are horrible. Apparently, the latest is something called, “Dog with a Blog,” and it’s about a talking dog with a blog. Though, I guess if the dog blogs it must do more than just talk – like type and read and such. Is that stupid? Yes – yes, I think it is. Our daughter has a good head on her shoulders, and makes a good point. I asked if this means that even the family dogs on Disney are now smarter than the parents, and she said, “Sadly – yes.” But – hello! I have a blog! Psssh.  I’m smarter than a dog.

    A horrible crash just came from the room above me, where the kids are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is getting into bed. Perhaps this is because it is very early, and they haven’t done much of anything for the last two days. Excess energy, boredom, and early bedtime don’t work for kids. BUT, they work for mom and I think we all know that’s what really matters. No screams, so all must be well. Our ceilings are so thin that often it sounds like someone is banging on the floor with a jackhammer – but when you go up to investigate, it’s someone tapping their foot lightly on carpeting.

    The kids and I watched a bit of “A Knight’s Tale,” starring Heath Ledger, yesterday. I always enjoy that movie, and I love me some Heath Ledger. The kids are always wary of an “old” movie, but were willing to give it a chance. Before the first jousting scene, the crowd erupts into a round of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” which is quite fun, don’t you think? I said as much to our daughter, and commented on how it was funny how the movie has a modern soundtrack.

    “MODERN????” she said laughingly, as she whipped her head in my direction.

    “You know, modern as compared to medieval times. They didn’t have rock music or electric guitars in medieval times.”

    I got an eye roll and a cackle at this, because OBVIOUSLY, MOM.

    But then I clicked the “info” button on the remote to see when the movie came out and LA DEE DAH, it came out the year our dear, sweet, sarcastic daughter was born. SOOOOOO, how do you like them apples, girly? She seemed a little uncomfortable with this fact, because she had declared this to be, “probably some old ’90s movie” when she saw it on our DVR list.

    HA! 2001, baby. Not so old and irrelevant now, huh?

    I’m not sure if she’s old enough yet to be mesmerized by Heath’s dreaminess, so for now I’m pushing the soundtrack. Seeing as how it’s so modern, and all.

    OK, time to head upstairs and see what awaits. There are reports of a foot injury, but I suspect the facts have been greatly exaggerated. There is also a missing remote control, and I intend to make all children – maimed or otherwise – participate in the recovery of the remote before bed. And then I just might install a LoJack on it. They keep losing DVR remotes, or burning up the batteries in the remotes, and then stealing the one from my bedroom or the guest room. Grrrrr. Hands off, kiddies!!!

     

  • Sing us a SOOOOONG!!!!

    Today, I was the only one home and I belted out ”Piano Man,” along with Billy Joel like my life depended on it. Somewhere back in 1980, my 8 year old self is cringing and freaking out that I am now old enough to enjoy singing that lame song. Lots of my friends loved Billy Joel, but I just never did. In my mind, his music belonged to my parents’ generation and I found it dorky and corny.

    I guess you know what that makes 2012 me, huh?

    Another singer that I had a similar aversion to, back in the day, was Bruce Springsteen. Yes, I am a girl from Jersey who cannot stand The Boss. To this day. Ugh, he just makes my skin crawl.

    Anyway, there’s my “I’m getting old” story for the day. Hope you enjoyed it.

    The Billy Joel tune came on Pandora. I love me some Pandora — my go to channel is U2 (unless I’m running, in which case it’s Black Eyed Peas), but I’ve been trying to branch out. Mumford & Sons seem to be all the rage with the middle aged and twenty-somethings alike, so I’ve been listening lately. Most of it I really like – including, somewhat embarrassingly to my younger self, Billy Joel.

    Nothing challenges my patience more than waiting for meat to be sliced in the grocery store deli. This is not an old age thing – it’s always been the case. And I find it very annoying and somewhat stressful when you place your order and they ask, “How would you like that sliced?” What is the proper answer to that question? I always mumble something along the lines of, “Not TOO thin!” and hope for the best. It’s even worse when they slice one piece and ask you, “Is this ok?” and you have to try to size up that dangling piece of meat from across the counter – trying to figure out if it’s worth having them go back and try a different thickness. And if it is — that is the absolute worst, because they just keep asking you after each slice, and by then they’ve forgotten how much of the meat you want and it is just far, far too complicated for a bunch of sandwiches.

    This is why I like the deli order station at our local grocery store. I place my order when I get there, have no questions to answer, and stop by to pick up my completed order when it’s done. More things in life should have an order station. Like homework – that would be nice. I’ll have one science project, done by that 3rd grader — neatly — and finished three days prior to the due date. If only.

    Actually, we haven’t had any home projects assigned yet this year. The details are still vague, but it seems that our school was among a handful granted a waiver by the state regarding standardized testing. We will learn more later this month, but my observation is that more involved projects are getting done at school, and the assignments are more creative and flexible. This is how I remember it being when I was in elementary school, so I love what I’m seeing so far.

  • Eye Trouble

    Yesterday, our son had a run in with the pavement, and the pavement won.

    He was riding his bike with his friend – something they do nearly every day. The pavement was a little slick, due to a bit of rain and a return to nasty humidity despite the fact that the calendar tells us it is FALL now. The boys got too close to one another, the tires bumped, and one boy flew over his handle bars. That boy would be ours.

    Thankfully, I was not here when it happened. I’m sure I would have totally freaked had I witnessed this event, but I was out with our daughter and he was under the care of a good friend, who has three sons and is therefore infinitely qualified to handle this sort of thing.

    He was wearing his helmet, and I’m pretty relieved that we had spent some time readjusting straps on it recently, since it had gotten loose and had been sort of dangling off the side of his head. The helmet protected his head, but not his eye. He got the instant goose egg above the eye, and nearly 12 hours later it has become more of a mound of scraped, purplish flesh that is creeping into a puffy eyelid that has a smoky eyeshadow look to it. We kept him home from school, because when he got up this morning he couldn’t even open the damaged eye. It’s looking a bit better now, after lots of ice, but he still looks quite creepy. Too bad it didn’t happen later in October — instant Halloween costume.

    Ice for a few more hours, then we switch to warm compresses.

    He was complaining about the ice last night, so I told him people used to use raw steak for that purpose. “Do we have any steak?” he asked, hopefully. Thankfully, we did not have steak in the house. I’m not sure I could stomach watching my maimed boy sit around with raw meat on his face.

    Boys. Never a dull moment!