21charlesstreet

Then There Were Two...

2007-09-16T19:44:00.000-05:00

I was playing around on the computer this morning as I waited for the rain to stop and quite unintentionally I opened up my blog site. I couldn't believe that it had been four months since I posted a blog. Then I looked at my last post. May 18th was such a great day; such hope and joy. I can still hear Elizabeth's voice on the phone as we made plans to get together at the camp in Maine this summer. A few weeks later the word 'metastasize' would turn our worlds inside out and upside down. I was at the camp in Maine in August when I got the call that Elizabeth had passed away. As the sun rose over the lake that morning there was such a beautiful, rolling fog lifting off of the water. It felt like being wrapped in a blanket of silence and peacefulness. I remember thinking that Elizabeth did make it to camp that morning - it just wasn't the way we originally planned.

When I was a kid I hated subtraction. As an adult I still don't like it very much. This picture was taken about a year ago. Four sisters. Minus two...

WE HAVE OUR OWN LANCE ARMSTRONG

2007-05-18T14:47:00.000-05:00

I just got off the phone with my sister Elizabeth who has gone through several months of intensive chemotherapy for a very aggressive and rare type of pancreatic cancer. Today her scan results showed that she is 'cancer free'. That tumor hit the road jack - not feeling the love in her body - it's gone; kaput, out of here. To me, who has seen her determination, her strength, her focus on doing anything necessary to fight this C word, she is my hero, my Lance Armstrong. I just want to share with the blog world that HOPE is such a great word!

The picture I have attached is of Elizabeth and I at a recent Stowe, VT Weekend of Hope event that is held every year for cancer survivors. For anyone who knows someone currently dealing with cancer or having survived cancer we highly recommend that they check out www.stowehope.com as this yearly weekend event was one of the most moving, life-altering experiences that we have ever had.

And... thanks for the help Barb. We miss you!

LONGING FOR SUMMER

2007-04-05T12:34:00.000-05:00

This is where I want to be today. I took this shot on the Isle of Shoals off of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

THIS ONE IS FOR THE BIRDERS

2007-04-05T12:28:00.000-05:00

As I was out taking pictures after the storm today, I spotted dozens of Common Mergansers who had stopped at our nearby pond to gather during the storm. They'll be off in a few days heading for the spring/summer migration destination. The male (the one with white on the sides) is almost as big as a loon and it's silouette is very loon like. There appears to be four males with about a dozen females. Not bad odds!

APRIL SHOWERS?

2007-04-05T12:20:00.000-05:00

Maine has a different definition of April showers. Here are a few shots I took this morning at #1 Pond in my town. (yes, it really is called #1 pond - we like to keep it simply here in Maine) he.he.he.

WHEN MAMA AIN'T HAPPY!

2007-04-05T12:15:00.000-05:00

Remember that old saying? When mama ain't happy, ain't nobody gonna be happy! Well, I ain't happy. I had put away the shovels and had the gardening tools all lined up for the weekend. This is what I woke up to...

MT WASHINGTON

2007-03-14T18:52:00.000-05:00

This one is for Lisa who requested pictures of New Hampshire. This is taken from the cross country ski trails at Bretton Woods. Ok - so now I'm ready for green grass and flowers!

THEY'RE BACK

2007-03-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

This is another reason I love Maine. Last year my school received news that there was a live web site recording the birth of baby eagles. My seven little rug rats and I would watch day after day as the eggs hatched, the baby eagle chicks appeared, as mom and dad brought daily meals for them to eat, as they matured and then one day left the nest - then we had months and months of the empty nest syndrome.

March 5th the eagles started their next brood. Mom and dad can be seen exchanging incubation duties. This morning I watched and listened as a rival crow and seagull were chased away by one of the parents.

This is the second year for the Eagle Cam site and it has become news across the nation. Today alone, there were 3.5 million hits. They ask that we respect the two minute limit so that all may enjoy - and believe me it is so hard to limit yourself time wise as this is just fascinating to watch. As an alternative I leave the web page up where I get a refresher shot every 15 seconds.

The site is: http://www.briloon.org/ed/eagle

Welcome to Maine - The Way Life Should Be

CURE FOR MENOPAUSE - Part III

2007-02-25T17:25:00.000-05:00

I'm not kidding. This is, without a doubt, an absolute cure for menopause. It will make you forget there ever was such a thing as a hot flash. On a warm summer night, driving along back roads, the stars above so large and bright, the smell of scented bushes and flowers, the warm breeze gently caressing your skin - that's what I'm talking about. Years ago my first cure for menopausal symptoms was to get a 'red' motor scooter - 45cc. I traded that in for a 650 'red' motorcycle. I traded that in for the 'red' Miata pictured above. I highly recommend it for non menopausal, perimenopausal, and menopausal women!

ZOOM - ZOOM - ZOOM

CUSTOMER'S FACE REVEALED

2007-02-14T12:35:00.002-05:00

Customer's face is being revealed to protect the innocence, virtue, intelligence, and overall goodness, of Pat and Elizabeth!

ANOTHER WAY TO DEFROCK

2007-02-14T12:17:00.000-05:00

Couldn't resist the opportunity to show a little peak at little known truth #2

IT!

2007-02-14T12:09:00.001-05:00

I think I have about 2, 342 things not known about me but I'll keep it to 5 - this time :) I also don't have five other bloggers to tag so I guess this will have to stop with me. Snap, what ashame.

Five things you don't know about me...

1. I once was Editor and Co-Publisher for an alternative lifestyle travel magazine. I traveled all over the country reviewing places to stay but the highlight was interviewing Kate Clinton.

2. I (and my sister Elizabeth, and friend Leslie) sent a male stripper, dressed as a priest, to my sister Barbara's hospital room as it was a very Catholic hospital. A highlight was 'said priest' dancing on her bed and the nurses standing guard at the door to intercept the 'real priest'.

3. I love smoking cigars with my brothers, my son, and my son-in-law.

4. I have a motorcycle license

5. I taught my brother Jim the fine art of mooning. One of my best/worst mooning attempts was when I stood on coastal Rte 1 in Florida, late at night, expecting the next car to be my mother and sister Jody, I bent over, I mooned, and it wasn't the right car. I do remember hearing someone from that car yell, "there is a Santa Clause".

The end!

I Take Umbrage...

2007-02-10T13:04:00.000-05:00

I mean really! Who do they think they are calling us 'old' everytime we sign in - huh!

THIS OLD HOUSE...

2007-02-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

Ok boys and girls, todays lesson is: doorknobs and doorlocks. Pay close attention to the top thingamahwhatsus and if you look real close you will see the other half of what was once a whole key inside the @#%$! thingahmawhatsus. Please note the lower doorknob, believed to be over a hundred years old. Now boys and girls, we all know that when things get that old they don't @#$%$# work that well. Right boys and girls? Right. And when things don't work that well, what do we do boys and girls? First we take a crow bar to open the door anywhich way we can(hence deep grooves on the other side of the door), next we loosen everything and remove the old !#$%^ parts so we can replace them with new parts. All should be going well boys and girls up until you want to remove the 'old' doorknob, (remember when we talked about things that are old don't work that well any more?) This is one of those occasions boys and girls. The lower doorknob will not, I repeat - WILL NOT - come apart.

Boys and girls, when things in THIS OLD HOUSE do not come apart as they are supposed to - the 'fixer' gets herself another cup of coffee, takes some pictures of said @#$%# door, and then blogs, blogs, blogs.

Ya'll have a nice day now ya'hear!

Bless Me Father...

2007-02-10T12:48:00.000-05:00

Bless me Father for I have strayed... it's been about an hour and a half since my last blog. While waiting for an epiphany on how to solve the doorknob, doorlock drama I got bored and started another project. This one involves two rather thick layers of paint on top of two layers of old wall paper. Upon close inspection Father, one can see that this wallpaper is also about one hundred years old. During my last blog Father - we learned that 'old' things just don't work or come off that well... for this and for my previous @#@$@ language - I do confess (but to tell the truth, I'm not all that @#@$@ sorry).

Spilling A Little Bit Of My Soul

2007-01-27T17:23:00.000-05:00

Today I was going to do a blog on the new bulletin I made with my students this week but events, like life, come at us - slapping us upside the head - when we least expect it. When I got the news last night that another sister had a life threatening illness, coming on the heels of losing our sister Barbara so recently, I felt so many things it's hard to put it in words. After the initial shock, the numbness, the anger, I found myself digging in the spare bedroom closet, obsessed with finding my 'Team Chandler' hat. As you can see I found it - I've been wearing it nonstop all day today. Team Chandler was formed to ride the PMC (Pan Massachusetts Challenge) bike trek this past August; the ultimate goal was to raise money for cancer research but we all knew it was a mission of love for our sister who was dieing of cancer.. Those that rode included my youngest sister and her fiance - it is for her that we metophorically hop back on those bikes.

Over the past months I learned that the human body, and spirit is capable of surpassing all limitations when caring for those we love. One can hurdle over the challenges of all that we thought we could never do - we become somewhat invincible.

So why the scotch tape? Good question. Today I felt the fissures of emotion, albiet the cracks in the damn, get a little bigger. For the past several months I've kept them at bay with what I pictured as glue but today it seems that all I can come up with - is tape.

Crisp Sheets

2007-01-24T18:33:00.000-05:00

I'm wondering if anyone uses this expression: crisp sheets. When my children were little (some thirty something years ago) I would tell them that one of my favorite things was 'crisp sheets'; sheets that had been hung out on the line. My children grew up in crisp sheets. Whenever they visit I make sure there are crisp sheets on the bed. Personally, I can't get enough of the smell and feeling of crisp sheets.

Of course the colder the weather, the crispier the sheets became. As I perused my clothesline situation today I came to the conclusion that there may be such a thing as sheets that are too crispy. See what I'm saying?

BLACK CAPPED-CHICKADEE

2007-01-18T17:44:00.000-05:00

Hey, it's not easy being the state bird of Maine. See what I'm saying? Sure, it's fine for three seasons. Lots of lush green forest, 352 miles of coastline, friendly people, with funny accents, buying us birdseed, nuts, and suet. Yessiree Bob, next winter me and the Mrs. are packing up and going any place warmer.

My People

2007-01-15T12:45:00.000-05:00

It has taken a bunch of years but I'm beginning to see a pattern here... and I think I get it now!

I just finished my family picture wall. Afterwards it felt so good, like a welcomed hug. I remember having this feeling, about a dozen years ago, after finishing my first family picture wall - right after my father died. What I get now is how comforting it is to have 'my people' around me - generation after generation - it softens grief.

What the... ?

2007-01-13T15:51:00.000-05:00

I found this interesting piece of equipment, nestled in a fine black, leather carrying case, amongst Barbara's things. I think it may have belonged to my father. Can anyone enlighten me on what the heck it is and what it is used for? Huh? Huh?

For Train Lovers

2007-01-12T16:37:00.000-05:00

This shot is actually for my brother Michael as he has never seen a photo of the train set up my father had built in the cellar of one of the first houses he owned. This photo goes back about 55 years ago and shows Dad at the control center. This train set up took up one half of the cellar and was constructed on waist high platforms. There were openings one could use by crawling under the platforms and poke up in several areas of this fantastic village. The buildings were handmade replicas of places in the small town of Hampton, New Hampshire. The roof of each building came off allowing a miniature view of the interior of each business. One of the buildings was a replica of our 'step' grandfather's caboose restaurant in the middle of town. What magic to lift off the roof and there was the lunch counter, the stools, the kitchen out back, and the booths with some of the local town characters portrayed in detail. At any given moment there could be several trains running; some going through tunnels, some delivering passengers at the station, many going about their routes over bridges, through woods and around lakes.

My brother Bobby and I, being the first children practically grew up on trains. I remember riding in the locamotive engine area, allowed to pretend that I was driving the train. What excitement to see the open track ahead as we sped up and to blow the whistle as we slowed down at crossings. Our Uncle Mike was a conductor for the Boston and Maine railroad so he would arrange for lots of special 'train' rides. I also remember my brother and I being able to ride in one of the pull-carts as my father's friend Joe was a repair foreman for the railroad. But the best memories for me were going from station to station in New Hampshire and Vermont with my father who was a traveling auditor for the Boston and Maine railroad. We would go for overnight visits to stations and during the day the train station in that town would be our playground. If I close my eyes and go back to those memories I can actually smell the woodwork and hear the wall clock pendulums ticking sound as they swung back and forth.

As train service began to die out in New England, stations would be on the list of closings and my father would buy or bargain services to get the old pendulum wall clocks. I believe that today all of the brothers and sisters have either a wall clock or piece of train memorabilia, including a fabulous, multi-drawer, wooden cabinet that had special sliding inserts for coins, tickets, and paperwork.

What a special treat it is for me to see my grandsons so in love with anything to do with trains. We love playing 'Polar Express' and shouting out - ALL ABOARD!!!!!! TICKETS PLEASE!!!!!! Passenger train service has been restored in my part of New England. There are several area towns that have newly renovated train stations allowing us to travel from Maine to Boston in the best of style. First thing I do when I get on the train is close my eyes and let the memories flood in...

Friendship

2007-01-08T22:10:00.000-05:00

This weekend I had the opportunity to enjoy the company of my mother, my sister Jody, and my Sister Barbara's friend Jeff. I first met Jeff about a year ago as he and I relieved one another in the priviledge of taking care of Barbara during her chemotherapy and then afterwards in the last stages of her cancer. The more time I spent with my sister Barbara the more I began to realize the depth and the magnitude of her friendship with Jeff. Recently I have come to understand that even after death, they will continue to share a remarkable bond, this thing called friendship.

As I drove home this weekend I couldn't help reflecting on how important it is to have friends, to share friendship, to have that one special friend that you can tell anything, the person that travels through all the ups and downs with you and is always there for you. Thanks Leslie. Thanks Jeff.

More Maine Musings

2007-01-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

And while we're on the subject - here's my favorite thing to watch while paddling my kayak along the lakes of Maine. They are such a magnificent bird. It seems that everytime I go out in this one particular lake I am surrounded by loons.

MOOSE CROSSING

2007-01-06T12:11:00.000-05:00

When traveling in Maine, if you see signs along the roadways that say 'Danger, Moose Crossing' - BELIEVE IT! I was able to get this closeup shot of this one as he was meandering along the side of the road near the Rangeley Mountain area. Several years ago I saw my first moose very, very, up close and personal. He ran into our van and all I remember is that his face was so large it filled the entire windshield. The next day we picked hairs out of the sideview mirror all day. Happy ending though - he walked away unhurt - I can't say that the van was that lucky.

The Library

2007-01-05T20:24:00.000-05:00

Hey Jim, think I should do anything more on redecorating my new library?

New Supply

2007-01-01T18:47:00.000-05:00

This is why I'm called Gramma Dots! Bergen and Finley - Grammy has a new supply and I'll be sending some your way this week. Be looking in the mail.

Cool Chairs

2007-01-01T16:24:00.000-05:00

I got these Jetson's type chairs from a client who no longer wanted them. The thing is my furniture is not this 'modern' in design but I couldn't resist. They're comfortable, they swivel. Be still my heart!

Now That's An Outlet

2007-01-01T16:06:00.000-05:00

Cost to repair this outlet:

Small paint brush $1.90

Paint $1.02

Labor $4.50

Look on Jim's face: Priceless

Now I Really Miss My Gardens

2006-12-31T11:51:00.000-05:00

Remember my first blog posting - the 'I Miss My Gardens' - well here is that exact same shot of one of my gardens only it is months later. Yes, indeed, as the signs say when entering this wonderful state of mine - 'Maine, The Way Life Should Be' - brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Bah Humbug

2006-12-31T11:33:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, - I live in Maine, what else would one expect right... Bah humbug! I consider myself the type of person who always believes the glass is half full. It's another matter when it comes to shovels. I prefer them empty. At all times! I actually don't mind the first snowfall. But that's it. No more, please...

As I write this, my friend Leslie is boarding a plane for Florida where she will stay for the next month, walking along warm sandy beaches, watching dolphins play along the shore, sipping god knows what as the balmy breezes caress her tanned skin - bitch!

GAME ON CHARLIE BROWN

2006-12-23T09:52:00.000-05:00

That's right, this tree beats anything Charlie Brown can come up with... and then some! This little ole tree has quite a history to say the least.

Everyone seemed to think that I would have a hard time celebrating Christmas this year but I had other ideas. I looked forward to finding the perfect little 'real' tree to put in my new digs. Thanksgiving weekend I began my search - but there were no places to be found that sold real trees. The following weekend I set out once again on my search - still no place to be found that was selling trees yet. The next, and third weekend in a row, I set out once again. This was becoming the greatest 'Charlie Brown' Christmas tree search ever! After driving hither and yon (who the hell makes up those sayings anyway) I finally spied a place that was selling real trees, up ahead on the left. I put my blinker on, waiting for the traffic flow to break so that I could pull into the nursery. Traffic became lighter and I had plenty of opportunity to make my left hand turn, time and again I had plenty of time to make my turn. But I just couldn't make that left hand turn. As a matter of fact I never did make that left hand turn. I returned home in sort of a funk.

The next day I awoke with a mission on my mind. Find the little fake tree that I had stored in no less than a dozen places during the past two years. Originally it had been a cute little 'fake' tree given to me by a former client. It collapsed into two pieces and had wire limbs. Now picture those cute little wire limbs being crushed under a kayak; next being placed on an overhead shelf in the garage where dog crates were thrown on top for another year; then being placed in a storage space under the garage where it rested safely for about two days before a huge load of kindling was unceremoniously thrown on top of it. After visiting all the above mentioned spots where I believed the little tree to be - I soon realized the challenge of my undertaking but it was now more than a mission, it was becoming an obsession!

I did find the tree eventually. But what a pathetic little tree it was. Every limb had been crushed, and twisted every which way but I didn't care. From the very beginning I knew this tree would be the best in many ways. I spent a lot of time choreographing each limb and then began my search for ornaments. I had no problem finding Christmas decorating boxes in my newly organized attic. I brought down one of my boxes and some things that had belonged to Barbara. The first one I pulled from Barbara's stuff was a beautiful gold metal star ornament with the letter 'HOPE' on the front. So I'm thinking you can all guess what I did for the next half hour.

I've never had a 'fake' Christmas tree but this one is perfect, for this time, this place, this Christmas. No other place but this place, no other time but this time... enjoy!

POTATO CANDY

2006-12-22T18:36:00.001-05:00

Stayed home sick today and of course like any good Chandler I used some of my morning time to make potato candy. Then afterwards I took a three hour nap. Those dang germ infested rug rats keep giving me these flus. Now, back to the potato candy. I love watching the face of someone who has never tasted this delight before. Afterwards there is always the question, what's in this? Potato you meathead! As I was making this batch I couldn't help but think where it originally came from - the people that came to our great-grandmother's bakery in Bradford must have really looked forward to Christmas and the opportunity to have 'Potato Candy'.

I Miss My Boys

2006-12-17T22:12:00.000-05:00

Thanks Bergen and Finley, for checking out Grammy Dot's blog site and sending me notes about the garden picture. We sure had fun this summer creating your gardens for the elk to eat. I'm so happy to hear that you want to visit in the warm weather. I'll love having your help in my gardens and in finding the sand dollars at the beach, and the lobster, and feeding the birds, and, and, and, - gosh maybe we should start counting sleeps. I miss and love you both.

Grammy Dots

KITCHEN TABLE

2006-12-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

I just read brother Jim's last blog postings and it so reminded me of a book I just started reading, Kitchen Table Wisdom, by Rachel Remen. This book serves as a powerful reminder that we are the stories that we tell. The best stories used to be told around the kitchen table. How many of us, as children, sat and listened to Aunts, Uncles, neighbors, and parents tell stories of their recent day, or embellishing a story of the past. I am learning that each story defines who we are, not what we have acquired or achieved.

During the past week I have needed the wisdom of this book to help with my grief, my sadness, and my sense of missing Barbara. It has helped me to see that the night Barbara died, her bedside became the 'Kitchen Table' - while she was still with us we all sat around her and told story after story. Sometimes she would join in and other times she would just smile or laugh out loud. After she was gone, we couldn't leave that 'kitchen table' - we all remained for hours around the bed and told story, after story, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing. I look back now and realize what a precious time that will always be for me. It's amazing how the ordinary events of our lives, told over and over again at the kitchen table, become the wisdom for defining us to the next generation.

How I wish we were all living in houses in a row - like at Angel Cove Cottages for our reunion years ago. I could stoll down the lane and visit each house - sit for awhile at each kitchen table and talk story as they say in Hawaii. I feel an emmense need to share stories of Barbara, that this will somehow ease the sadness of missing her - a sadness that Elizabeth so aptly described this morning as "a big hole".

Barbara's last words to me were "I love you too Sis" - I guess that just about says it all for right now.

It's All About The Tools Isn't It...

2006-12-13T17:44:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of, feeling a little full of myself about the first renovated room, I thought I would post the second room I finished. The bedroom. This room was, by far, the worst looking. Very depressing dark woodwork, stained walls, cigarette burns on the floor (which are still there) - it never ceases to amaze me how a coat or two of paint can cure most everything. I so love this room which I've tried to keep in a very simple motif and as is my philosophy; the bedroom should always be a place of intimacy and harmony - no tv! Not... no way, never. Anyway - this is it so far. I have two rooms and a foyer left to do, maybe after Christmas. Now if I had Jim's talents the rooms would have crown molding, new wood flooring from some European rare tree source, new airtight windows, and handmade cabinetry. Hey Jim, maybe the twins need a Maine roadtrip for their geography lesson... :)

Tomorrow - I'll share my school with you - as soon as I find a picture of three teachers holding down four different students.

Renovations 101

2006-12-11T17:12:00.000-05:00

While I don't claim to be any way, shape, or form, in a league with my brother (s) - I can shape up a pretty fine looking room when I have to. When I started on the livingroom I found that it had five layers of wallpaper - had never been sized or primed - in other words an impossible task to strip all the layers without gouging out the horsehair plaster wall. Oh, did I forget to mention that this house is over a hundred years old.

I actually got three layers of paper off and found a textured layer of wallpaper that was pretty intact - so I left that layer, sanded, repaired, primed and painted the walls, repaired all the woodwork (after 5 years of tenants who didn't care what they banged into it) and actually was able to repair tons of cracks in the original, swirl, ceiling - repainting it and having it come out like new. Some furniture, pictures, and voila - Sparkey has a new livingroom.

I'm not crazy about the color - that may be changed somewhere down the line. Thanks to all the wonderful things from Barbara - I think it looks kinda nice.

Missing My Garden

2006-12-09T09:05:00.000-05:00

Living in Maine teaches valuable life lessons; the first of which is that there are three seasons that are loved, the fourth is too cold to even mention. We are definitely in the midst of the fourth as I type this. Which brings me back to the title - I really, really miss my gardens. As a new blogg site setterupper I hope that my attempt to add a picture of my garden to this site has worked. As I said - being new to this - well, let's hope.

After reading my brother's blogg site posting I've found that I look forward to seeing what his day was like. There are always funny mussings, pictures, thought provoking writing. This morning was no exception, I got on his site and was having a wonderful time reading it when bingo - there it was in front of me, a pop up note that said I, too, could create my own little blog. Praise the Lord and pass the peanuts. Who would have thunk. So here I am - freezing my whatsis off on 21 Charles Street writing my first blog. And by the way, this blog stuff seems a lot like that old fashioned daily journal stuff writing I used to do. Yep, a modern version of a diary.