Birds of a Feather: Getting Together with Carol Ann and Kevin
Last Friday, Clif and I drove to Brunswick to have lunch at Wild Oats Bakery & Café with two special people—my blogging friend Carol Ann of Fashioned For Joy and her husband Kevin.
Carol Ann and Kevin live outside Washington, DC, and they had come to Maine for a wedding. A while back, Carol Ann had let me know they would be in Maine in October and asked if we would like to get together.
My answer? Yes, indeed! I love meeting blogging friends, who prove to be just as delightful in person as they are on their blogs. This time was no different, and the four of us immediately fell into an easy conversation as though we had known each other for a long time.
We talked about family—we each have two children—and our jobs. Carol Ann has read my Great Library Series and had kind words to say about Maya, the main character, and the rest of the gang. Thanks so much, Carol Ann.
Carol Ann and Kevin have a Tesla named Natalia, which they drove to Acadia National Park, where they spent a few days before the wedding. Carol Ann noted that at the motel where they stayed, there were two Tesla chargers as well as two chargers for non-Tesla EVs. As Clif has observed, we are reaching a tipping point with EV charging points being pretty much everywhere. With the recent ferocious weather, it’s about darned time. (For those interested in the discouraging history of Evs, Who Killed the Electric Car is an excellent doc.)
Recently, Kevin drove Natalia to Iowa for a class reunion. He made it there and back again without any troubles. Clif and I have been EV enthusiasts for a long time, and it warmed our hearts to hear this. We are very much hoping to get an EV when our Honda Fit is past repairing.
We also spoke about home, for us a rural town in Maine and for them a neighborhood outside DC. Both have advantages—our town is in a region where there are many lovely lakes and ponds. It’s a quiet, down-to-earth community, and there is no keeping up with the Joneses. Their community, just outside DC, has many cultural opportunities, including some of the best art museums on the East Coast. Two hours in the other direction, there are sandy beaches with roaming ponies. (I sure would love to see those ponies.)
For me, the conversation took an especially pleasant turn when Carol Ann quoted from the excellent 1995 BBC television series Pride and Prejudice. I have watched this series many times, and it is one of my favorites. (I’ve also read the book several times.)
When we got home and I mentioned Carol Ann’s and my mutual love of Pride and Prejudice, Clif replied, “You two are birds of a feather.
We certainly are. And here’s a picture of the two of us, both smiling with our eyes closed. And note the similar color of our hair—Carol Ann, on the right, is Italian American, and I, on the left, am Franco-American.
At Wild Oats, we chatted for about three hours, and when we parted, I said “Au revoir” rather than goodbye.
Until we meet again.
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This post is dedicated to our blogging friend Platypus Man of Now I’m 64. He follows both our blogs and wished he could have joined us. Alas, an ocean separates us. You were there in spirit Mr. P, and if ever you and Mrs. P come to the East Coast, Carol Ann and I would be so thrilled to meet you.
Thankful Thursday: My Fall Gardens, Backlisted Podcast, Soup by the Fire
This post is part of a series called Thankful Thursday, where I list some things to feel thankful for. To some extent, focusing on what is wrong appears to come naturally to most people, who often complain, complain, complain when they get together with family and friends. (I’m no exception, that’s for sure.) So focusing on things to feel thankful for seems like good spiritual practice, a way to counterbalance the tendency toward negative thinking.
My Fall Gardens
There are are no two ways about it—my gardens are definitely past their best. There are very few blooms, and many of the hostas, the backbone of the gardens in my front yard, have turned brown and yellow,
But there are still some things that catch my attention.
The red leaves of the evening primroses in combination with the pink sedum,
the spiky red flowers of persicaria against the Tesla’s charger,
a lone yellow daylily, somehow in bloom in October,
and last, but certainly not least, the Japanese grass that my blogging friend Judy, of NewEnglandGardenAndThread, gave me. Fingers and toes and everything else crossed that it comes up next spring.
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Backlisted Podcast
Along with being keen on movies, I am also keen on books, particularly novels written by women in the mid-twentieth century when their roles were undergoing a major change.
A while back, I came across the literary podcast Backlisted, hosted by John Mitchinson and Andy Miller. Backlisted, as the tagline suggests, focuses on older books, often from the 1950s and before. However sometimes they venture into the 1970s and 1980s. (It’s a little sobering to think that a book published in the 1980s might qualify as an old book, but there you are.)
Backlisted started in 2015, and the current episode, which features Her First American by Lore Segal is Episode 222.
Readers, this podcast is like catnip to me, and I listen to it whenever I have a chance. Mitchinson and Miller laugh as much as the Car Talk guys did, and this adds a general note of hilarity to this literary podcast. However, despite the abundant good cheer, Mitchinson and Miller have a flinty side that reflects their many years in publishing. They know what good writing is, and they are confident in their opinions.
What’s astonishing about this podcast is the range of books read and discussed. While there is certainly an emphasis on literary fiction, Backlisted also features mysteries, fantasy, science fiction, children’s books, and even the occasional romance.,
Long live Backlisted!
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Soup by the Fire
One of the pleasures of autumn is sitting around a fire as night comes and the crickets sing and a frog croaks nearby. Add soup, tea, and a couple of rolls, and you have a winning combination.
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Thankful Posts and Simple Pleasures from Other Blogging Friends
Quercus from Quercuscommunity marks the retirement of his wife, Julia. This makes them a retired couple. While this might involve more decluttering, I hope it also involves more trips to tearooms.
Alys from Gardening Nirvana celebrates her 29th anniversary with her husband, Mike. Congrats, congrats!
Tootlepedal from Tootlepedal’s Blog not only shares a photo of his sister’s beautiful nerines but also a photo of his wife’s lovely crochet blanket that just happened to win first prize at a local agricultural fair. Congrats, Mrs. Tootlepedal!
Barbara from Thistles and Kiwis describes the World of Wearable Art show, which features “wearable art, dance, live music, aerialists and great staging.” Sounds like quite a show.
Anne from Something Over Tea notes the many simple pleasures that make her happy. Being a huge fan of simple pleasures, I smiled all the way through this past.
Cimple from A Curious Introvert revels in the glories of October, one of the most beautiful months if you live in a northern state. Plus, she included a picture of her adorable dog.
Pretty in Pink
The End of September and a Mini-vacation: Movies, Movies, Movies
This year, Clif’s birthday fell on a Friday, and our daughter Dee, who lives with us, decided to take it off so that we could have a three-day weekend. A mini-vacation, of sorts.
Longtime readers, knowing that we are all movie buffs, can probably guess what we did on those three days—go to the movies, of course. We each have a Regal Pass ($22 per month) that allows us to see any movie we want at no extra charge. Two movies a month pays for the pass, and we usually see at least four.
Friday, Clif’s birthday, was as fine a September day as anyone could ask for—sunny but not hot. Our movie that day was The Wild Robot, a lovely animated movie about a sentient robot named Roz who is shipwrecked on an island with no people. However, the island is home to many animals, whom Roz eventually learns to communicate with. Equipped with an emergency beacon, Roz’s first impulse is to return home, but then she comes across an orphaned gosling. Reluctantly, Roz decides to stay on the island until the gosling becomes a goose who can migrate south with the other geese.
This heartfelt movie never veers too far into sentimentality. Even so, I cried more than once. If you have young children in your life, take them to see The Wild Robot. If you don’t have young children in your life, go see it yourself. The Wild Robot, beautifully animated, will no doubt be nominated for an Academy Award. And it just might win.
After the movie, it was off the Red Barn for a big order of fried food. There was a misunderstanding at the Red Barn about the order, and we ended up with an extra helping of onion rings, free of charge. While we are enthusiastic eaters, there is a limit, and we brought home enough for another meal.
On Saturday, we picked up our friend Joel and headed to Maine Film Center in Waterville to see Megalopolis, written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Alas, I wish I could praise this movie as highly as I have The Wild Robot. Unfortunately, I cannot. On Rotten Tomatoes, Megalopolis is described as “A Roman Epic set in an imagined Modern America.” Accordingly, the theme of the film is of empires crumbling—with the comparison being between the U.S. and ancient Rome—and what might be done to stop the crumbling to make a good society for everyone.
So far, so good. But Coppola did not tell the story in a compelling way. Instead, he has characters declaim and pontificate. There is far too much telling and not nearly enough showing. The characters are flat and one dimensional, and by the end of this long movie, my only feeling was relief. There was no crying.
Still, as someone who loves movie, I am not sorry I saw it. Francis Ford Coppola is one of the major film directors of our times. But for readers who don’t like movies as much as we do, I would advise a pass on this one.
After the movie, we went to Buen Apetito for Mexican Food and lively movie talk. We were all in agreement about Megalopolis.
Sunday brought us back to Regal Cinema for the animated movie Transformers One, a Transformer origin story. Even though it was loaded with action scenes, Transformers One was moving in its own way as two Transformers struggle with a corrupt society, a leader who lies to them, and the unraveling of their friendship. Surprisingly deep for a Transformers movie.
We capped the evening with drinks in our screen house on the patio. As the darkness came, we listened to crickets sing and barred owls call to each other. The solar lights blinked on, and we all reflected on what a good time we had had.
Thankful Thursday: Tomatoes, Chickpeas, and Music
This post is part of a series called Thankful Thursday, where I list some things to feel thankful for. To some extent, focusing on what is wrong appears to come naturally to most people, who often complain, complain, complain when they get together with family and friends. (I’m no exception, that’s for sure.) So focusing on things to feel thankful for seems like good spiritual practice, a way to counterbalance the tendency toward negative thinking.
Still Life with Tomatoes
In my garden, my four little tomato plants are at the end of their production, and soon I will be pulling them. However, our own Farmer Kev’s tomatoes are still going strong, and this week I got a wonderful selection from our farm-share box. I like the way they look lined up on the kitchen window sill. Also, with this picture you can see how our yard sits on the edge of the woods.
Chickpeas, Chickpeas, Chickpeas
Clif, Dee, and I are huge fans of the the humble chickpea aka garbanzo beans. They are delicious, economical, and good for you. What more can you ask for? I buy them dried, in 16-oz bags, soak them overnight, and then cook them in the morning.
One of the ways I like them best is mashed up in a food processor with thyme, salt, and pepper. Clif uses two cups of chickpeas, 1 tablespoon of dried thyme and salt and pepper to taste. After which he scoops the mash into a bowl and adds a few tablespoons of mayonnaise. I know this comparison is overused, but the chickpea salad really does taste a little like chicken.
This is a wonderfully versatile salad. For those who like a little zing, onion or garlic could be used. Don’t want the Mediterranean flavor? Add curry. Or smoked paprika. Or whatever pleases you.
I scooped some of the chickpea salad onto one of Farmer Kev’s fresh tomatoes. Wicked good as we say in Maine.
Music
From—where else?—NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts—featuring Jenny and the Mexicats. If they don’t pep you up, nothing will.
Thankful Posts and Simple Pleasures from Other Blogging Friends
Derrick of Derrick J. Knight describes how he and his wife Jackie brought garden refuse to a recycling center, came back with some treasures for their garden, which, in turn, will be recycled when their time has passed. Yay, Derrick and Jackie!
Kate from The Cozy Burrow shares her October Reading list. I’ve already requested two of them—Moon Tiger and The Ministry of Time—through my library.
Barbara from Thistles and Kiwis celebrates her twentieth wedding anniversary with her husband Karl. Happy, happy and cheers to twenty years!
Dorothy from The New Vintage Kitchen features a mouth-watering pasta dish using autumn’s bounty. I could have some right now.
Ju-Lyn of Touring My Backyard finds beauty and serenity at Round Pond in Kensington Gardens in London. How lovely to find such a place in a big city.
Cimple from The Curious Introvert praises the world of books and reading. Her own words say it best: “This week I’m grateful for a lifelong love of reading and books. A day doesn’t go by without reading or adding new books to my want to read list.” Hear, hear!
Wordless Wednesday: Little Stars of Autumn
In Which We Rally from a Disappointment, and I Review Margaret Drabble’s The Millstone
Last weekend, our daughter Shannon, her husband Mike, and their dog Holly were supposed to come to our home for the weekend—they live in the Boston area—to celebrate my birthday (September 15) and Clif’s birthday (September 27). Alas, they were having car troubles and couldn’t come.
Disappointing not to have them join us, that’s for sure. Because Shannon and Mike aren’t sure when their car troubles will be resolved, our eldest daughter Dee, who lives with us, decided to carry on with the birthday celebrations. She treated us to Chinese food at the utterly delightful Wei Li in Auburn.
Oh my, the food was good. I could have some of their delicious lo mein and general tofu right now.
Comfortably full, we headed back home for drinks on the patio in the screen house, cake and ice cream, and presents.
Among other things, Dee bought us solar lights for the backyard. Now that we have passed the autumnal equinox, it is dark by 7:00, and it’s a little tricky making our way to the front steps.
Not only do those solar lights have a magical glow, but they also give us enough light for navigation.
This upcoming weekend is Clif’s actual birthday, and there just might be some more simple pleasures planned. (Simple pleasures are Clif’s and my birthday presents to each other. )
More to look forward to.
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Reading: The Millstone by Margaret Drabble
I have a fondness for mid-twentieth century women writers, especially ones who come from the United Kingdom. When I was in my 30s, I started with Rumer Godden, went on to read Barbara Pym, and have continued on with other terrific writers who, with precision and heart, have chronicled the changing roles of women in the twentieth century. And my goodness, there have been changes, mostly for the best.
To my delight, I have found a blog—JacquiWine’s Journal––that often features reviews of women writers from that period, and I have gotten many recommendations from Jacqui.
One of them was the wonderful novel The Millstone by Margaret Drabble. (The link above is to Jacqui’s review of the book.) Set in in the 1960s, The Millstone centers on Rosamund Stacey, a young woman living in London in her parent’s fashionable apartment in Marylebone. Her parents, do-gooders of the highest order, are in Africa trying to do good, which means that Rosamund has a free place to live as she finishes her thesis, not a bad situation for a young woman in the swinging 60s.
The only problem is that Rosamund is so shy and reticent that she has a hard time swinging. She goes out with a couple of men, but doesn’t have sex with either of them, and they, in turn, think she is having sex with the other man.
But then she meets George, whom she thinks could be gay. (Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t. In the case of George, Rosamund might not be a reliable narrator.) They make love once and seem to have real affection for each other, but George, as shy and reticent as Rosamund, is no more able to express himself than she is.
From that one encounter, Rosamund becomes pregnant and after considering abortion, illegal at that time, she decides to keep the baby. Being middle class and college educated, Rosamund feels that she can make it on her own, and although she longs for George, she doesn’t tell him about the pregnancy.
As it turns out, Rosamund can make it on her own. She has the baby, a girl she names Octavia, after the social reformer Octavia Hill. As soon as Rosamund sees Octavia, she falls totally in love with her infant daughter. (I remember feeling the same way when I first looked at my babies.) I found this expression of maternal love to be so moving, and Drabble’s writing, understated but warm, never veers into sentimentality.
This slim novel packs in so much: class, the changing mores of the 1960s, the bond between mother and child, a young woman’s journey into adulthood, and the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, still relatively new when the book was written.
Will Rosamund and George ever get together? No spoilers here. You must read this fine book for yourself to find out.
Thankful Thursday: Lunch with a Blogging Friend
This post is part of a series called Thankful Thursday, where I list some things to feel thankful for. To some extent, focusing on what is wrong appears to come naturally to most people, who often complain, complain, complain when they get together with family and friends. (I’m no exception, that’s for sure.) So focusing on things to feel thankful for seems like good spiritual practice, a way to counterbalance the tendency toward negative thinking.
Lunch with My Blogging Friend Judy
One of the great pleasures of blogging is making friends with different folks, some far, some near. I love getting glimpses into their everyday lives—to see what it looks like where they live, to read about their comings and goings, to see pictures of what they eat, to learn which books they’ve read. And every once in a while, I get to meet a blogging friend in person. This is always a treat.
On Tuesday, I met Judy, of NewEnglandGardenAndThread, for lunch at Stonewall Kitchen in York in southern Maine. This is the second time we have met. Last year we got together at beautiful Bedrock Gardens in New Hampshire, and what a great time we had.
In September, southern Maine is still a busy place, and Stonewall Kitchen is on Route 1, the lovely but clogged-with-traffic corridor that goes along the Maine coast. Knowing this, I suggested getting together early, at 11:00 a.m. (This turned out to be a good plan because around noon the cafè became very busy.) With minimum fuss, we were able to order our food and find a place outside on the veranda to eat our lunch. The dining is extremely casual, which meant we were able to sit on the veranda for about three hours.
I had a delicious salad with apples slivers, candied pecans, and dried cranberries. (Judy had the same thing.)
There might have been a pumpkin scone for dessert.
As we ate, we chatted about family, gardening, and exercise. I mentioned that the exercise bike really helps my creaky knees but that I have a hard time motivating myself to use it. Judy acknowledged that indoor exercise is boring, but she has made it a routine in her life, something she does at the same time every day. (Inspired by her example, I have used the exercise bike for the past two mornings. Before breakfast seems to work for me.)
Judy is a master gardener, and her sharp eyes spotted this tree not far from where we sat.
Neither of us had ever seen such a tree. After taking a picture on her phone, Judy was able to get an identification—a magnolia tree. Those red pods are both unusual and striking.
As if getting together with Judy wasn’t treat enough, she also brought me some plants. More hydrangeas for my shady yard—she gave me some last year, and to my utter delight they have thrived—and some oh so lovely Japanese grass that does well in dry shade. Holy cats, I was thrilled to get these gifts. Next week, they will be planted.
Many, many thanks, Judy, both for your delightful company and for the plants.
Thankful Posts from Other Blogging Friends
A Curious Introvert from Cimple extols the virtues and value of Time. Amen!
Ju-Lyn from Touring My Backyard celebrates her favorite uncle’s imminent return to his home from the hospital.
Barbara from Thistles and Kiwis enjoys two new shirts with snappy designs—one with cats and the other with cassettes.
Eliza from Eliza Waters celebrates zinnias and dahlias from her fall garden.
Xenia from Tranature features a walk with her adorable dog on a beautiful beach. Oh, that dog’s happy face made me smile.
With a friend, Carol Ann of Fashioned for Joy hikes to Assateague Island where there are grazing ponies, salt marshes, and sand dunes. Who could ask for anything more?
Shadows on Wood
Notes From the Hinterland 