Shooting stars are a gift to the soul!

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night: to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring …these are some of the rewards of the simple life.     ~ John Burroughs, Naturalist (1837-1921) ~

Take a couple of six-year-olds to the drive-in movies to see commando guinea pigs saving the world and there are bound to be a lot of laughs in between popcorn breaks. Drive-in movies, a memorable part of my childhood, are vanishing. Kids are wired up to daily movies and special effects on television, computers, video games and everywhere. It’s pretty hard to top some of the things they’ve seen.

Toward the end of the movies the Perseids made their way across the sky, tossing an occasional ball of fire into the inky heavens. It was enough to draw their attention away from the Aliens in the Attic for a bit, but there was still too much sensory overload and ambient light to see the meteors.

On the drive home at 1 a.m., I took a detour to the back of town park, where there are no lights except for the starlight and a waning moon over the ball fields of our rural community. Logan and Darian had no idea why we shook them awake, wrapped them in blankets and had them lie on the metal bleachers. “Just lie on your back and stare straight up!” It takes patience to just let go and wait for things to happen in their own time. There are no fast-forward or rewind buttons. You either see them or you don’t. Impatience turned to wide-eyed wonder as they saw the delicate arcs of meteor tails flash across the sky. “Did see that one?!!” If your eyes were on another part of the celestial ceiling, you may have missed that one, but others would follow. We tried hard to all watch the same area of the sky for the shared effect. When they came two or three in the same instant the kids were wishing hard on every shooting star.  Every time they slowed a bit and we prepared to leave, more would come and we were again caught up in the challenge. On this glorious summer night in August, the Perseid Metoer Showers were imprinted in their memories. I knew they would take root and send a reminder every August that it was nearly time to see the sky show. I don’t know what they wished for (I think Darian has her eye on a pony) but I know what my own ‘first star’ wish was. I wished them a lifetime of memorable moments that were inspired by the awesome wonder of nature. I wished with all my heart that they would learn to savor, to respect and to appreciate the beauty all around them. So many things in life are fleeting, popular and ‘in’ for a while and then extinct as we move on to new things. It is in nature that we find the only true and constant things in our lives.

No matter what life throws at me, I am sure that the sun will rise. The moon goes through her many moods, but she is predictable, after all. I eagerly await the return of Orion the Hunter, my favorite constellation, in the autumn and winter sky and rejoice when we get clear skies around August 12th every year to watch those Perseid showers. Oh, Mother Nature can be cruel and the unexpected fury unleashed takes us all by surprise. Still, after the darkness, comes the dawn. Rather simplistic, I know, but it is true in every struggle of our lives.

Before there was man to clear the land, build the cities and try to tame her, Mother Nature took care of herself. Fires in forests took away the old growth to make way for new beginnings. Floods and drought changed landscape and animals and plant life adapted. We came and put our houses and concrete right in the middle of things and we struggle to keep nature and natural disaster at bay. I sometimes wonder what the state of the earth would be if no one ever mowed another lawn or tried to tame a raging river. That would be the ultimate “back to nature” experience.

I thought of the John Burroughs quote while star gazing from the bleachers the other night. I thought about how rich I was in so many ways, to be able to share this heavenly moment (pardon the pun) with my great niece and nephew. Right now they are excited about going into the first grade next month and they still live in a world dominated by razzle-dazzle, but I’m making a prediction. Some twenty or so years from now, they’ll be telling their own children about the meteors, and maybe grandchildren too. It is how it has always been and will always be, if we are smart enough to share the timeless wonders of life with them. These moments are the ones that last. How rich I am… and how thankful!

Are you sleeping yet? Apnea study, cont’d.

Okay, I am now wired up from head to toe, in a strange bed, with a little red light on my fingertip… and I’m supposed to fall asleep. First of all, I’m used to sleeping on my side, curled up, and being flat on my back is strange. Secondly, I somehow managed to get in bed very near the edge (although it was a nice big double bed) and I had the strange feeling that I might fall out of bed. Just go to sleep!

I tried mental games (“My name is Annie, my husband’s name is Al, we live in Alabama and we sell apples…) but it seemed that it was a long time before I could sleep. Each time I was concious of being awake again, I told myself sternly to go back to dreamland. I remember seeing the full moon in the transom over the window, and wishing I could nod off again. I stayed in that spot, flat on my back with the strange mask and hose connecting me to the control room like an umbilical cord. When Mark boomed a hearty “Good Morning” at 5:30 a.m.  I  just rolled my eyes. I had made it through the night without the complications of a bathroom trip, the worst was over and I was sure it was just my usual sleepness night- with no serious breathing problems. It felt good to get the mask off and even better to get the wires and leads off, but I wanted to crawl back under the covers and go to sleep! One more short set of questions and I was set free. I was sure I would not have to keep the second appointment!

The first thing I did when I got to the car on that really foggy Saturday morning was to drink a whole bottle of water. Then I opened the car windows, cranked up the car stereo, put some minty gum in my morning mouth and headed home. I will admit it seemed like a long drive as I wearily made my back to my house. After trudging up the stairs, to be greeted by my cat companion with yowls of “Where have you been all night,” I made my way through the house to my bed. Forget the gobs of glue in my hair and red sticky circles on my extremities…I needed sleep! The phone rang two hours later and I was still longing for more sleep. What a slug!

When the Sleep Center gal called to tell me I needed to keep my second appointment, I was really surprised. She gave me some scary numbers that got my attention. It seems that it had taken me 44 minutes to fall asleep that night, and when I did I didn’t sleep soundly. She told me I had stopped breathing in light sleep an average of 22 times an hour, and in REM sleep it jumped to 43 times an hour! My blood oxygen was below 90% for a considerable time and it dropped as low as 79% at one point! The optimal oxygen saturation level is 95-100. No wonder I was so absolutely tired!!! As bad as that sounds, it’s considered “Moderate” Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It can be much, much worse.

It’s very scary to be told you stop breathing at night, and I let myself become very anxious about it until my return appointment. I never thought I had a problem, but now it was official and I was in a hurry to return. Yep, the wires, glue and ET finger suddenly seemed worth it. The wait was hard.

To be continued…

“Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night”

August 8^th was the official holiday, established by Pennsylvanian Tom Roy, this day encourages sharing. “Due to the overzealous planting of zucchini, citizens are asked to drop off baskets of the squash on neighbors’ doorsteps.” Inspired by the “Submit an Entry” form in a copy of Chase’s Calendar of Events, Roy and his wife, Ruth, have launched several creative holidays.

A few suggestions from Tom Roy’s “Top 20 List for successful sneaking of Zucchini or otherwise ridding yourself of unwanted surplus summer squash:”

• Look for out-of-the-way places which have signs posted, “Clean Fill Wanted.”
• Under light of full moon, either stark naked or wearing full army camouflage, carrying a machete or any garden implement, run amuck in your zucchini patch, cutting and slashing. Be sure to thank Mother Nature for her bounty before and after this cathartic experience.
• Buy a large roll of freezer paper–the kind that sub shops use. Then proceed to wrap each zucchini that has managed to grow to a foot or more in length. Next time your child has a fundraiser, send him or her out supplied with these phony subs. Tell child to drop them off with neighbors or relatives and leave quickly. It’s advisable that a responsible adult hover nearby in a get-away car.
• Gather all available plastic containers and freezer bags. Drink a vat of your favorite caffeinated beverage, in preparation for staying up ’round the clock to purée large quantities of zucchini. This can then be packaged neatly and artistically labeled: “For Zucchini Nut Bread Recipe.” These packages can be freely given, along with copies of recipe, to anyone on your Christmas list.

********************************************************************************

Here are a couple of ways to disguise your zucchini crop!

 

Zucchini Fritters- like potato pancakes without potato

1 lb of zucchini (about 2 medium sized), coarsely grated
Salt
Ground black pepper
1 large egg
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)
Sour cream

Method

1 Salt the zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt (more or less to taste). Try to remove the excess moisture from the zucchini by either squeezing the liquid out with a potato ricer, or by squeezing with paper towels. (The original recipe calls for putting the zucchini in a colander set in the sink to let it drain for 10 minutes after salting it. I think it works much better to use a potato ricer.)

2 Whisk egg in a large bowl; add the zucchini, flour, scallions, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix to combine well.

3 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook fritters in two batches. Drop six mounds of batter (2 Tbsp each) into the skillet. Flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, until browned, 4-6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve immediately, with sour cream (or plain yogurt) on the side.

 

 

 

Best Zucchini Disguise Ever!

 

I have radar when it comes to zucchini, no matter how many ways you try to disguise it. I just don’t care for it. At a church luncheon one day, I was thoroughly enjoying some apple crisp made by one of the Wagner girls (top cooks all!) when the clan burst into laughter. They got me! Not only had the yummy dessert never even seen an apple, it was made with…zucchini! Well, of course I had to get some more and I poked and prodded, looking for tell-tale green things, but it was so cleverly disguised that there was only one thing more to do…I ate some more. If this recipe doesn’t get the veggies in your kids, nothing will! Thanks to Kathy Schumacher and Nancy Liuzzi (Wagners) for the recipe.                                                                                                                             Julie

Zucchini Pie

Disguised as Apple Crisp

 

Crust/crisp:

4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

½ tsp. salt

3 sticks of butter

Filling:

8 to 10 cups peeled, sliced zucchini (seeds removed) (use more if you like!)

2/3 cup lemon juice

      1 cup sugar

      ½ tsp. nutmeg

      1 tsp. cinnamon

 

        Mix dry crust ingredients. Cut in butter until crumbly. Pat half the mixture into a 13X9 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Take ½ cup of mixture from the second half and use in filling.

         Cook zucchini in lemon juice until tender.

Add sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Simmer 4 minutes. Add the ½ cup of crust mix to thicken.

Pour filling over baked crust.

Add 1 tsp. cinnamon to the rest of the crumb mixture and sprinkle it over the zucchini filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until bubbly.

 

Zucchini Pickles

2 pounds zucchini or summer squash, sliced, about 7 cups

2 medium onions, halved and sliced, about 2 cups

1/4 cup salt

2 cups white vinegar

1 to 2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons mustard seed

      Place squash and onions in a large non-reactive pot; add the salt and enough water to cover. Let stand for 2 hours; drain well. In a 2-quart saucepan, bring remaining ingredients to a boil; pour over the squash and onions. Let stand for 2 hours. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes; pack in hot sterilized jars and seal; process according to jar manufacturer’s directions or process pints or quarts for 10 minutes from 1 to 1,000 feet, 15 minutes from 1,001 to 6,000 feet, or 20 minutes above 6,000 feet in altitude.

May we have your bra? “Hooking up” to fight cancer!

Part of the Bra-Line hung out in the rain at the Relay For Life in Lockport

The braline first showed up at the Barker Farmer's Market, alongside a raffle to raise money for the Relay For Life.

Yes, those zany Soda Jerks have come up with yet another clever fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, and it involves talking women out of their bras! Here is an excerpt from my Friday Spotlight column in the US&J with the details. I’ve also added a “Mammary Mile” category so you can click on it for updates as we expand the line!

 

            Some people will do anything to get noticed or to draw attention to their favorite cause. This week’s Spotlight shines on Carol Ander and Thee Barker Soda Jerks, who have added a new project to their successful fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society.

            If you stop by Thee Barker Store on Main Street in the little Village of Barker, you’ll find some of the friendliest folks you ever want to meet. Manager Carol Ander and clerks Lori Jenks, Darleen Platt and Nancy Liuzzi will help you find anything you need and then, chances are, they’ll ask you for your bra. The latest cancer awareness project by The Barker Soda Jerks Relay For Life team is the making of “The Mammary Mile.” The group is “hooking up to fight cancer” by connecting bras and the goal is to reach one mile by next May.

            Each contributor donates $5 to the American Cancer Society, along with a bra that is signed by the donor. Some are dedicated in honor of someone who has battled breast cancer or cancer of any kind. The bras are hooked end to end and it is estimated that it will take 2,500 bras to make the mile and beyond. If the project is successful, they will have raised  $12,500 for cancer research, education, patient programs and advocacy but the bigger goal is to draw attention to the continuing fight against cancer.

            The team chose the Mother’s Day Breast Cancer Canal Walk in Lockport as the target unveiling of the Mammary Mile, stretched out along the bank of the Erie Canal. Both the Canal Walk and the Relay For Life are annual events that mobilize the community to celebrate survivorship and join in the fight against cancer. Rebecca Kelly Florio and husband Jack of Micro Graphics are helping to design a huge vinyl banner that will be displayed at various venues as the bra drive continues, and will be the focal point of the unveiling. After the Canal Walk, the Mammary Mile will make its way to the 10^th annual Relay for Life in Lockport, where participants walk many miles overnight in support of the cause.

While some people are a bit shy of baring their unmentionables in public, many have embraced the challenge. Team member Sue Tesch has already had bras mailed to her from out-of-town relatives and there is a collection box at the store. Ander is so enthusiastic and persuasive that she has actually had customers remove their bra in the store’s restroom to donate. “We can’t be embarrassed about doing whatever it takes to draw attention to the cause,” said Ander. “We should be embarrassed about the number of people in this country who don’t have access to cancer screenings for early detection and the number of people without health care.”

The bra-line has made an appearance at the Barker Farmer’s Market and was strung up in the rain at the Relay For Life. From sturdy white cotton to frilly bright colors, each bra represents the heart of a person who has been touched by cancer; men, women and children alike. “People can donate one of their own bras or pick one up at a sale somewhere if it’s less intimidating,” said Jenks. “What matters is that one more person has signed on to join the fight against cancer.” The gals expect people to get creative as the entries continue to come in, but warn that the bra-line will be hung out in any kind of weather, so any writing needs to be done in fabric paint, stitching or permanent marker. Signatures and messages are left up to the donor but anything not family-friendly will be politely rejected.

Coming up on August 20 is Cruise’n Music Night on Main Street in Barker, in conjunction with the weekly Farmer’s Market. The Soda Jerks will be there with their bra-line, ready to collect and add more feet of elastic and lace to the line they hope will be 5,280 feet long by May 2010. Other displays are being planned and the progress will be charted at www.juliechatterbox.wordpress.com. Bras may be dropped off at the store or mailed to 8671 Main St. PO Box 465, Barker NY 14012 with the $5 donation. Make checks payable to the American Cancer Society. You can also send a $10 check and the team will purchase a bra and sign it for you. Please enclose your desired signature/message with the check.

The Soda Jerks have been a part of the Relay since it began in Barker in 2001 and have raised money in a lot of clever ways. They are hoping this mammoth project will garner support from people beyond the local community. “We don’t have 2,500 hundred women in our town but the Relay family reaches far and wide and we know there are thousands of people out there who have been touched by cancer. We’re sure they will hook up with us to make this statement. We will never give up the fight,” said Ander. 

************************************

So, what are you waiting for? Get your unmentionables sent to us and then join us next year (or sooner) when we can all walk the mile and read the many hundreds of tributes and supporter’s names!

Stay tuned for our “Cele BRA ties” Challenge!

Barker Community Band in the gazebo TONIGHT!

The sun is out for tonight’s Barker Farmer’s Market, which runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The Barker Community Band plays tonight so bring a chair and don’t miss it!!

The Relay For Life is ON in Lockport!

    WE DO IT IN THE RAIN!!!! The Relay will go on depite the weather! Some events may be curtailed but the worst of the weather will pass by mid-day, leaving us 16 hours to get across the message that we are here to FIGHT CANCER and we won’t give up when the going gets tough (or wet)! The registration tent opens at noon and we encourage everyoen to grab a poncho, umbrella or Hefty Bag  and to come out to the Relay at Emmet Belknap School Track. Registration, Survivors, the giant basket auction, a food spot and others are all under main tents. Many teams have already set up their tents/canopies.

Don’t let the rain stop you!!

As a safety measure, In the unlikely event of lightning activity, the field will be cleared to the school cafeteria until it is okay to go back. Your safety is a major concern!

We hope you will come out to support us and join in the fight against cancer. The full schedule is in the previous post; we may be flexible with some schedule activities early on, but the Opening Ceremonies will be at 6 and the Luminaria ceremony at 10.

BE THERE!

STRIKE AGAINST CANCER-Wii Tournament in Lockport

Strike Against Cancer Wii Tournament is set for April 13 and ‘Jennifer’s Angels” team needs your help!

 Empire PC and Repair is proud to host the first Wii Bowling Tournament in Lockport, to benefit the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. Participants can register now for the event to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 13 at 5887 Transit Road in Lockport. Steve Popovich, captain of the Jennifer’s Angels Relay team, promises fun for participants and spectators as well. ‘”The controller is easy to use and you don’t even have to rent ugly bowling shoes,” said Popovich. The registration fee is $6 for three games and must be made by April 6. Registration forms can be found at www.EmpirePCRepair.com. The business is also the drop-off site for donations of old cell phones and empty ink or toner cartridges. in addition to helping our environment, the money raised from the recycling of these items will go to the Relay For Life. Call 433-0366 for more details on items accepted for recycling.

Making maple syrup

Schumacher Farmhouse

It was a fun trip to the Schumacher’s farm to glimpse the annual rite of spring called maple Weekend. Their farm straddles the county line, with the sugar bush in Niagara County and the farm and syrup operations in Orleans County, but we claim them as Barker folk! You’ll find them at our Farmer’s market in the village park during  harvest season. On Saturday, the familiar  hoses on the trees were draining the sweet sap into buckets and the billowing clouds of steam from the sugar shack carried the scent of wood smoke and sweet maple. The old-fashioned wood-evaporator in the shack takes lots of wood to keep the fire burning and the sap boiling. If you have never seen the process, it is indeed fascinating for those of us used to getting our syrup off a supermarket shelf.

It takes forty gallons of sap and lots of wood and patience to make one gallon of pure maple syrup and once you’ve tasted the real deal, you’ll know it’s all worth it! Kathy and Bob have a web presence now (linked to the left) and you can even listen to them talk about farm life in their podcasts. It is truly an amazing thing to be able to sample nature’s best (okay, I admit I got a pancake-wrapped-sausage-on-a-stick to dunk into the syrup). Sandy Harvey was there with her uniquely crafted birdhouses and wood work (and her popcorn machine), and Cindy Chapman had her homemade goat milk soaps for sale. I left with a dozen fresh-from-the-henhouse eggs and the assorted nieces and nephews got to visit the big turkey, the rabbit, the chickens, some goats, ducks, a baby cow and Elijah the horse. It was a chilly day, perfect for syrup, but the blue-sky was a reminder that spring will soon behere to stay.

Bob in the sugar shack's steamy cloud

 On the way home I thought of people who never get to spend a day in the country and I said a silent prayer of thanks for the privilege!

Gratitude Watch

For some time now I’ve been enjoying the work of Daniel Brenton and his “Gratitude Watch” at “The Meaning of Existence and all that” I finally got around to adding the link in the sidebar so you can visit there as well. It’s the perfect place to visit if you are one of those people who believes in the inherent goodness of mankind, personal responsibility and the idea that we should really be grateful for the many blessings in our life. Daniel takes the time to gather the best offerings from cyberspace in one place and you’ll enjoy it! Visit now at http://www.danielbrenton.com/

and I am most grateful, Daniel, for your efforts to promote the goodness in life!

Don’t say Thank You

Please. Thank you. You’re welcome. How are you? Have a nice day.

We have a whole section of automatic responses keyed into our brains, so automatic that sometimes we aren’t even aware we’ve responded. When it comes to “thank you” it’s not so much the words that are important; it’s knowing that whatever we did that elicited the response was somehow notable, appreciated or just plain noticed!

If I do something thoughtful or nice, or aid you in any way, it isn’t the ‘thank you’  that makes me happy. It’s the smile on your face, the hug or the childlike glee you show. It’s just knowing that we shared a moment and that what I had to give was what you needed to receive. It’s important to know that we each have something worthwhile to give! Your smile of appreciation validates my existence and my place in the overall design of life. Every act of kindness  a new thread in the tapestry.

I hope that when you show me kindness or share a moment with me, that you know how I treasure those moments of paths crossed and life shared, even if only as briefly-passing strangers. We are, each of us, an endless vessel of giving and the sheer joy it lends to the giver is thanks enough. But, just so you know… you warm my heart.