Snoodle

First Holy Communion

At the beginning of this school year, when asked about what she was most looking forward to, her answer was receiving communion.  So excited, in fact, that I agreed to teach the second grade religious education class at our church.  So excited that even though she is being taught the same material at her school, she came to class with me every Sunday so that she could make her First Communion in the same parish that I made mine.  She was glowing with that excitement on Sunday... and maybe just a little nervous.

She had the honor of reading the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

We are all so grateful that our large family and many friends were able to celebrate this day with us including grandparents, Godparents and even Monsignor who gave her the blessed sacrament.

The cousin away at college even remembered to call.

Grandma, of course, made a lovely cake topped with one of the two cake toppers that was on my sisters' cake.   Being twins, however, no one was quite sure which twin it belonged to!   I was pretty sure I had one of these toppers as well.

It gives me such joy that Eleanor truly understands what it is to receive the Holy Eucharist.  She radiated the light of that special moment throughout the entire day.

Remembering Rachel

Rachel Bissex and Emma Goldberg

    Rachel Bissex had been a staple of the Burlington folk scene since before I was aware there was a Burlington folk scene.  My big sister used to take me to Rachel's shows at Trinity College where she was booking gigs for her dorm.  Knowing with certainty that anything she liked was sure to be cool, I became a fan.  My love for folk music was born which was a good thing because my friends were listening to a lot of New Kids on the Block and Tiffany at the time.  I discovered how much I love live music, and folk music was really accessible, and Rachel’s was the best.
    Rachel had an active philosophy of being completely attentive to the person she was with.  She took time to talk after her shows, and I grew to love her personality as much as her music.  I became babysitter to her daughter, Emma, often when Rachel was touring.  Emma tirelessly listened to the Aladdin soundtrack and eventually brought home a violin and would play Hot Cross Buns which I politely listened to...over and over and over.  I remember Rachel's joy that her daughter was developing her own passion for music.
    Eventually, Rachel took to driving me along to some of her instate gigs.  I’d play the chicken-shake and sing along to her songs while she warmed up on the way there, and she’d ask me about her stage presence on the way back.  What the heck did I know about stage presence?!  But she was attentive; treating me as an equal at a time when I was to so many others “just a kid”.  This attitude led me to believe that I could have an opinion not just on folk music, but so much more.  I became empowered in her passenger seat.
    It was in that seat that she told me about an exciting camp that had just started for families called Camp Common Ground.  She suggested that I might be a good fit for the children’s morning program.  She sold the idea by dreamily describing late-night campfire singalongs along with details about the camp’s workshops from sailing, to singing, to massage.  I worked at that camp for a few summers during a time when I needed to explore a different world.  It was a great opportunity to try out pottery, sunrise yoga, reiki, pastel drawing at night, and kayaking.  She was right, though.  Singing along at the late-night campfires was my favorite part.
    David and I often went to Rachel’s shows at local coffee shops or in the park.  After the CD release concert of Don’t Look Down, we went to David’s apartment where he proposed.  I don’t know what the date was.  I only remember it from this event.  Was it really 1995?  I guess we were engaged for a long time!
    I was pregnant with Nora when I found out that Rachel had breast cancer.  Wrapped up in new-motherhood, I didn’t get much of a chance to see her.  The last time I did was at the Champlain Valley Folk Festival where she passionatly sang new songs from her latest album In White Light.  She sang that album's title song; one for her son who she knew she may soon leave and her signature song, Dancing With My Mother, which tells of the generational love that mother's have for their daughters.  Each song, new and old, continued to convey the love that Rachel showed for family, friends, and music.

 

     Seven years have passed since we lost Rachel.  Her daughter, Emma, is now a beautiful woman teaching violin in Brooklyn (I can only hope it’s Hot Cross Buns).  Knowing the struggles and joys of the life of an artist, she continues to radiate Rachel’s light in her passion and adventure with her own musical projects.  Gathering those artists touched by Rachel, Emma organized a tribute concert to benefit cancer victims called Dancing with Rachel Saturday night. 
    Some of the artists, including the 2011 recipient of the White Light Fund scholarship, Giovanina Bucci, never met Rachel.  However, listening to her sing one of Rachel’s songs made it clear that her music lives on. 

 

Carol Abair

    The most emotional performance for me was Carol Abair’s Whistle Me Dixie.  This song, poplularized by Rachel's recording, was written by the imensely talented Abair.  The beauty with which she sang it brought forth the love that Carol has for Rachel.  Sitting next to my sweet daughter, who I used to rock to sleep singing that song, made clear the strength that music has in connecting those touched by it.

 

Linda Bassick and Emma Sky

    Linda Bassick showed the passion that Rachel had for music by singing Rachel's Passion.  That's Linda, on guitar, who I met as a collegue and was Nora's Infant teacher. She is passionate about everything from quality early education to music.  She showed her range by skipping the children's music to sing Passion.  The f-bomb is tossed in there, and I remember one of those drives with Rachel when she was wondering what to call the un-named album that included this track.  She was talking about how her older stuff was so sweet, and that "she used to be nice."  I stopped her and said that that would be a great title for her CD.

 

Mitch Barron, Rik Palieri, Rebecca Padula, and Emma Sky

    I was thrilled to hear my friend, Rebecca Padula, sing one of my favorite Bissex tunes, Eve of Construction, a witty song about spring driving in Vermont.  It reminded me of all the miles I traveled with Rachel.  Rebecca’s own Campfire Light with Rik Palieri’s banjo, Mitch Barron’s bass, and of course, Emma Sky’s violin was exactly the kind of moment that would have had Rachel harmonizing along. 

Oh Yes, the Blog.

Some people are daily bloggers.  I imagine them waking up, brewing some coffee or tea, feeding the cat, and settling into a husband-made wooden chair to muse on life by the glow of the rising sun and the computer screen before the children wake and their day is filled with serene knitting, joyful trips to explore ferns and mushrooms, and cooking something gluten-free.  They're out there, but I'm not one of them.  I would love to be a daily blogger, a stay-at-home mother, a master seamstress, someone who knows what to do with a spatula.  But I'm not.  I'm not a daily blogger, or a weekly blogger, and as I look at the date of my last post,  I don't even know if I'm a monthly blogger.  But I'm willing to do better.  I'm not sure if I could be any worse! 

While I have not posted any evidence since the seasons have turned, we have indeed been having a fabulous summer.  For the fourteenth year, we cooked for the Millbrook Bonsai Society's Bonsai BBQ.  The weather was perfect.  It was a Spring of record rain, and it remained dry for the whole event, but it wasn't too hot behind the grill.  Nora used her camera to take pictures of nature: coy and bonsai trees... not your Vermont flora and fauna, but she also made careful notes in her nature journal about the lilies and the snake we discovered by the hoses near the greenhouse.

We also took a trip to visit with my nephew who was on leave.  It was a great opportunity to see the goats and the new little goatlings!  ...and the rabbits, the chickens, the quail, the horses, sheep, and the labrador.

We celebrated Father's Day by stating the obvious...

from the Bold Banana on Etsy

Of course, we also went to the Vermont Quilt Festival.  Nora's favorite was the horse quilt (who would have guessed?!) called "Summer Dreams" it was quilted by Angela Miller of Williston, VT.  

Another mutual favorite, which Nora dubbed the "confetti quilt," was crafted by Philea A. Spear of Waitsfield, VT in 1909 when she was eighty-four years old.  She recorded (thank you, Philea!) that it took 12, 976 pieces of material.  Those are some teeny pieces!  The quilt was donated to the Vermont Historical Society by Lettie Belding Palmer.

We celebrated an exceptional graduation.  My sister-in-law, Wenda, while growing the farm as seen above, working as a dental hygienist, mothering 3 children,  caring for her own mother, interning at a vineyard, and remaining pretty much awesome, maintained a rigorous university schedule and graduated in plant and soil science.  Yea!  She chose not to walk with her class, so the family surprised her at the annual Fourth of July celebration with a graduation!  She was, indeed, surprised.  Eleanor was thrilled to be the "flower girl" and present her with a bouquet.  We couldn't be more proud of this accomplishment... and are quite pleased that she will continue working at the vineyard!

My other sister-in-law, from New York, brought big ol' rocks from a quarry where she has been regularly been digging for fossils.  All of the children got a chance to carefully tap into the layers to find fossils.  There were many to be found, and Nora came home with a box of 'em.  Yup, that's what this house needs:  More rocks!  Nora has been especially interested in the trilobites and has them proudly displayed throughout the house.  David is abundantly happy that she shares his love for archeology.

Being Independence Day and considering that it's been years (yes, plural) that I've been on the sailboat, I finally got my chance!  Unfortunately, before we even got out of the mooring, David untied a sail, hit me in the face with it, and my sunglasses sailed in the air and landed in the water.  For a moment of insanity, he considered diving in for them.  But alas, they are gone.  I like to imagine that there is some sturgeon under there who is now wearing them and can more easily see her fishy world as they were, of course, prescription.  But it was one of those moments when it's quickly clear that there's nothing to be done (with the exception of a bit of squinting) and it was far too beautiful a day to complain.  It was a glorious sail!

My favorite part of Independence Day (besides the freedoms that we still enjoy) is the fireworks!  We saw a glorious display at the Burlington waterfront which curiously happens on the third.  That allowed us to see more on the fourth from my parents' back deck.  Sadly, they lost a large tree in the yard last year, but it really opened the sky to view.  The fireworks were set off in the neighboring town, and I was still able to capture some great images.

We took yet another trip to the Shelburne Museum.  Nora wanted to visit Nora, the blacksmith, who we've seen the past couple of years.  She wasn't working, but the blacksmith who was shared copious information about horseshoes...and bees!  It turns out that he is a well-known beekeeper and after reflecting on it, we realized that we had seen him before at the Fair parading with a bee smoker.  He was easy to remember as he's a long-gray-bearded-blacksmith-looking-guy: everything you want in a beekeeper!  He talked about his teaching style -who knew there were different beekeeping teaching styles?!  I totally want to take a workshop with him.  He warned me that I'd have to learn quickly and keep up.  Oh yeah, I like this guy!  Seriously, I do want to keep bees.  I think it would be smart to take a year to study the subject and start the bees when we're settled into a more permanent house.  (we're getting there!)

There is a new exhibit at the museum called Lock, Stock, and Barrel.  There were some beautiful firearms.  I especially liked the concealed guns including carriage rifles and a cane gun likely used by poachers!  The furniture was lovely, and Nora must have been looking very carefully as she spotted a little patch box on the side of a rifle with a rabbit on it!  I didn't mention that it was most likely a hunting rifle.

Did I mention that this man likes naps?!! 

Castleton jail built 1890

By far, my very favorite exhibit was In Fashion: High Style: 1690-2011.  Click on the link and check out the gallery.  There was an actual dress by Christian Siriano of Project Runway! Fierce!  I loved seeing so much history in the gallery.  I played at determining when each dress was created.  My big "oops" was the Oscar de la Renta dress.  I thought it was old.  It wasn't! 

Eleanor was enchanted by this velvet Emile Pingat and in a voice similar to Veruca Salt informed me that she wants one for Christmas!  Hmmm.  I'm not sure if that's in the budget this year, dear.   Though, like a crazy person, I did look at the sewing patterns at Joann's: maybe if I use a pirate costume here and that steampunk pattern there...  Maybe by Christmas.

 So far, it has been a great summer especially because these are the only leeches that we've seen so far.

Okay, till tomorrow or some time in Autumn... we'll see.

Paper Highway

When you think "urban planning", you probably don't think "art."  However, Bren Alverez did and went on to create a satirical monument to... beurocracy.  While a suitable medium for this sculpture could have been a whole lot of red tape,  Bren used filing cabinets.  Lots and lots of filing cabinets. The result is that we have a 40 foot tall filing cabinet in our neighborhood.  It's the world's tallest.  

The placement of this sculpture is the key to its satire.  It sits on the centerline of the Southern Connector a.k.a. Champlain Highway... or Parkway.  Though, I'm still not sure what a Parkway is.  The idea of this highway which would ease traffic in our city, especialy truck traffic, was conceived in 1965, but to date there is more paperwork than roadwork.

(All photos by Jeremy Fortin)

The lengthy process also inspired Marylen Grigas to write a one act farce about what is in all of those files:  the neighborhood improvement advocate, the business leader, the homeowner who must listen to the roaring trucks, the homeowner losing her house to eminent domain, the EPA agent, and even the paperboy... and the paper boy's son.  Seriously, it's taking generations to get this thing done.  And according to Marylen's story, it probably won't be done even in the year 2552 which is when my character, Patricia: CNN NowNews reporter, is from.  I was in the original 2002 performance as the neighborhood improvement advocate which is such a fun role.  But I had a great time as Patricia working with old friends and new.  I wonder if the play will be performed again in another eight years... or if we'll actually have a highway.

"It's filled with ancient manilla folders!   Wow.  June 3, 1965. That's over 550 years ago!"

"We must stand behind this proposal and make sure the study goes through immediately!  Are you with me, boys?!"

"Southern Connector Hotline.  Hello.  How can I help you?"

"My Home!  My Home!  I won't leave.  There are 21 families and we won't go!"

"Your routing the highway through the Barge Canal cannot be allowed as it would stir up all the contaminants."

"I can't hear you!  The belching trucks! The belching trucks!  What we need is a highway!"

"Let's beautify!

Please drive carefully in our neighborhood!"

"I think it's only a metaphor.  It's more like... Plato's Hydra."

"More delays on Southern Connector.  Highway may have reached a dead end."

"The boys in archeology are going to kick up a fuss over this."

Ten Years

Ten years ago, I married my best friend.

I do not have a mansion, and I haven't any land,
  Not even one dollar to crinkle in my hand.
But I can show you morning on a thousand hills,
  And kiss you and give you seven daffodils.

I do not have a fortune to buy you pretty things,
  But I can weave you moonbeams for necklaces and rings,
And I can show you morning on a thousand hills,
  And kiss you and give you seven daffodils.

Seven golden daffodils, all shining in the sun,
  They light the way of evening, when our day is done.
And I can give you music, and a crust of bread,
     A pillow of piney boughs to rest your head.

St. Joseph School 1863-2010

All of us experience change in our lives.

There are changes that we look forward to and changes that we fear.

When a life change occurs, we have two choices in how to respond.

We can despair that a change has come and assume that things will be worse,

or we can look with excitement at the new possibilities that the change presents.

.

 

Our beloved St. Joseph School closed it's doors for the last time on Friday.  In the morning, the students were given a yearbook and they spent time signing them for each other.  The parish priest gave them bookmarks with a photo of the school.  The lunch cook/ secretary who has been working various jobs for over 20 years presented each child with a marigold.  They also came home with a cross made from the old pews left after the 2001 renovation of the school's parish.  While I know that Eleanor will cherish these mementos for years to come, right now, she is holding on to the memory of playing a school-wide game of"steal the sticks."  The connections that she made with the students, especially the eighth graders, is something that I cherish as uniquely special about this school.  For myself, I'm cherishing my own memories... and a lovely oak teacher's chair from the school.  I wonder what year it's from.  I wonder which Sisters sat in it.  I wonder if it is the one that I used when I taught there.

 

Thank you, St. Joseph School, for teaching my grandmother, my mother, my daughter, and me.  Thank you for teaching me not to end that last sentence with "I".  Thank you for teaching me to write in cursive, to do long division, and to read.  Thank you for introducing me to friends who would shape my life.  Thank you for offering my first opportunity to be in a play.  Thank you for tomato soup with elbow macaroni and no-bake cookies.  Thank you for instilling in me the values that I will continue to share with my daughter.  You joyfully saw my beginnings.  I am sorry to see your end.

All Aboard the MealTrain!

My neighbors are an eclectic mix. We've got a professional photographer, massage therapist, home schoolers, a folk music radio host, a landscaper, a math teacher, bakers, bikers, and a smattering of lawyers, dishwashers, and actors. A little of everything. They're an incredibly generous group of people who are active in many areas of the community. This is the 'hood where The Front Porch Forum started. It keeps us informed about events  going on in the neighborhood - from garage sales to school plays. We get updates from police and firefighters about how to keep our homes safe as well as anything else that might be specifically important to our area of town.  The forum helped me pass on my old quilting magazines to a new quilter, and it helped me to get many copies of the local newspaper when Nora was in it last December. There is some serious genius coming from this neighborhood (I hope it wafts over to my side of the street) because recently, my neighbor, Michael, came up with another great idea: the much needed MealTrain website.  It takes all the organizing, calling, and stress out of creating meals to give to family or friends in need of casseroles (or something perhaps more appetizing). In fact, the person launching the MealTrain can list the kinds of foods that the family enjoys along with any allergies or other notes.  I'm predicting this *free* website will soon be seen on many shower invitations. What a great site to help families with a new baby, a family member serving in the military, illness, a lost loved one, or new to the neighborhood.  The site is extremely well thought-out. It even includes points of etiquette reminding you to label your containers, include cooking directions, and how long to stay at drop-off! If you're on facebook, it would be easy to round up a lot of folks to start cooking. You can learn a little more about MealTrain there, too.   So, spread the word and make someone's life just a little easier.

Epiphany

Eleanor reprised her role as an angel in our Church's Epiphany pageant this morning.  We're afraid that she may get typecast in this role, but the fact that an hour later she was begging and whining for candy canes showed us that she has the potential to branch out.  After Mass, we went to the annual Epiphany party at the lovely home of a couple of parishioners who have been hosting the party for over twenty years.  She has a museum of magi.  Eleanor counted more than 100 sets including statuettes, pillows, ornaments, boxes, paintings, quilts, and embroidery.  I think her count was low... seriously, there were even decorations in the bathroom.  Who knew there were so many objects with this trio?!   I wish I had taken photos, but I was busy being in awe of everything.   At least I can share this little joke I saw, done in calligraphy, set among a wall of Medieval and Renaissance-style paintings:

---

If it had been three Wise Women 

Instead of three Wise Men,

They would have asked directions, 

Arrived on time, 

Helped deliver the baby, 

Cleaned the stable, 

Made a casserole, 

And brought practical gifts.

 

As the Christmas season draws to a close, may you keep the spirit of love, hope, peace, and joy with you throughout the year.

Happy Epiphany!

 

Leaving the Nest

While August has just begun, yesterday we officially celebrated our farewell to the Preschoolers who are on their way to Kindergarten.  Eleanor has been at the center since she was only weeks old along side many of these graduates... and me.  When she started at the center at only a couple of months old, I was one of the Preschool teachers.  It has been a delight to be so close to her while working.  I've been available to nurse when she needed, kiss any necessary injuries, play while we're outside, receive still wet art projects.  There have been times when I've had to ignore tantrums that I've heard coming from her classroom or make sure that she tells one of her teachers if she's going to play in my classroom.  It's certainly a different way of parenting.  Balancing.  Letting go.  I'm so grateful to all of her teachers with their different personalities and interests for helping to nurture my daughter while appreciating my own parenting style. 

Wow, that's, um, some cake!  Yes, it does read "Congratulations Kindergartiners" with an i.  You may not be able to see because it's crawling over the edge piping.  I'm not sure if it's Cake Wreck worthy, but it made the grown-ups laugh.  Fortunately, none of the 'Kindergartiners' can read yet.

They were also too busy pelting each other with water balloons.

We wanted to give a little gift to the Preschool that would be useful and remind them of Eleanor.  So, we had to go with the sheep theme.  I made 'three bags full' of wool using this tutorial.  Before I sewed on the lining, I appliqued the sheep using lite steam-a-seam 2 and zig-zagged around the edges.  I was stuffing the wool: black, white, and colorful (hence the different colors of sheep) while we were heading out the door to go to the party.  So, I didn't get a chance to take a great photo.  Though, I think this is enough to give you an idea of what the bags look like.

We also gifted a copy of Pelle's New Suit, one of our very favorites.  If you look closely, you can see that Eleanor is sopping wet while sitting on her teacher's lap.  Now, that is the kind of devotion that I hope every young child has the opportunity to feel.

Swabbing the Deck

Actually, we swabbed the hull... and sanded... and buffed... and polished.

In order for us to earn our keep for this year's sailing season, our friends invited us over to their beautiful home for a delicious dinner (complete with asparagus from their garden) and a work day in the morning.  Their home is one of my favorites.  It's so cozy, and there is an antique, collection, or something beautiful to see at every turn.  The garden is lovingly kept, and Nora was looking longingly at the blueberry house.  Luckily, we didn't have to wait until August.  There was coffee cake with last year's berries in the morning, and we were sent home with a jar of blueberry and blackberry jam.  Oh, and we had so much fun playing with the cutest little dogs ever, Gracie and Hickory.  Ted, you're cute, too.

We'll see you in the water, Lilly!