Old Burying Ground in Southold

The Old Burying Ground in Southold is the oldest English cemetery in New York State. I am just one of the volunteers helping to restore the headstones.

Long Island in the summer

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Bleached sandy beaches, temperate salt water and breezes cooling us during backyard barbecues under blue skies are all the reasons I love Long Island. (pub in 50 +Lifestyles August 2016 issue)

This prose poem does express my feelings on this beautiful place that I call home. These are only a few of the reasons I like living here. Today is the first day of fall and I am still going to the beach every day this month. So calm and serene. I love the feel of sand under my feet and the salt water lapping up my legs as I stand in the bay. The quiet draws me in each time even if it is a few hours.

Max Wheat
I was privileged to be in Max’s Taproot classes @ Syosset Library for a few years. He was the best writing teacher I ever had. He never criticized, rather, he would say read this line over again. Do you need this word? What do you think?
I learned so much about writing poetry and writing in general. I loved listening to him read his poetry, as well He certainly had a gift and he loved sharing it with others who were open to it.
I loved the story he told us about the first Halloween he told the children who came to the door that they had to listen to his poem first. They were taken aback. He said the next year the same children were asking for the poems!
Max was one of a kind and he will be missed. His words will be with us for a long time.
He inspired my confidence in becoming an author and I will be forever grateful.

He was a newspaperman who became a poet in his later years. "Everyone has a story", was his favorite line. He was the first unofficial poet laureat of Nassau County.
Max passed away recently and he will be sorely missed.

101 Glimpses of the North Fork and Islands
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I wrote a story about being inspired about a special and beautiful place and it was on the website above: "Thank You Saint Anthony."   It is already in one of my blogs.

 

Mothers' Day

I am in the middle of reading Life Lessons From my Grandmothers by Adriana Tragiani.

Apropos to this upcoming date, it was a great reminder of how beautiful and important a legacy can be. In the end it is not goods that we crave from our loved ones who have gone before us but their wisdom and life examples.
My two grandmothers were very different from each other, just like the author's but their untiring love for us wasn't. I do think that people who emigrated from Italy and other countries a hundred years ago showed much courage and knew that they had to work hard to achieve their goals. 
Both of my grandmothers, like others, worked in factories under difficult conditions. They didn't complain; they accepted that this was a means to an end. In order to survive that had to work hard and work long hours.
My mother's mother, Lucia, moved to Sea Cliff, in the 1920's away from her family who stayed in the enclave in Brooklyn, close to people who were like minded. My grandfather bought an ice business and had to live among people who were not so welcoming. They were successful because of their strong work ethic. Eventually, they bought a home and even an apartment building. We lived in the apartment building for a while and then close by. We saw our grandmother every day. She always had an apron on and was cooking or preparing to cook.
As her first grandchild. I spent time in her large, warm kitchen while she cooked. She took me to the beach and we went visiting our large extended family who lived nearby. 

My father's mother, my namesake Rosina, lived through the Depression, barely. She was a smart businesswoman. With my grandfather out of work, she tried her hand at owning a grocery store and making do with food given to the family by the government. My young shoe shine father brought home nickels every week so that they could buy some sorely needed food. As his sister, my aunt put it, "Sammy saved us many weeks so we didn't starve".
When my grandmother became a widow, in the '40's, she had apartments made in her brownstone, to provide her with an income. She was an independent lady. The weekly Sunday meals that we attended were legend. Nana served homemade ravioli and other pastas, along with roasts, salads and desserts. Each week was actually an event. We would walk into her home and see a table beautifully set for our extended family. We cousins loved being able to play with each other in the postage stamp back yard and fight over the two double swing there.
When I think back at what they accomplished; I am awed. They were smart. They didn't have much of an education, but they were good at business and learning another language, without having the advantage of a formal education.

101 Glimpses of the North Fork and Islands
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You have to be a boomer to enjoy this!!

I call it the open car door/rear end in the air syndrome.

While I was chauffeuring my granddaughters for four days, I kept seeing car doors open and fannies in the air. I couldn't figure out why at first---a phenomenon! Then I realized that I was doing the same thing every time I had to remove  the three-year-old out of the car seat and harness. The adult has to physically stand in the back seat and lock and/or unlock the harness from the child while bending over. It takes time and for me it actually hurts my arthritic hands to do this. I saw open card doors with fannies up in the air all four days to and from school at at various places like stores, dance and religion class.  It was amazing. No wonder people tend to leave children in the car if they can!
There is some good news here. The older children can actually get in and out of the seats themselves. Thank goodness. A few times I had to sit in between two seats and try and find the catch for the seat belt to fit into because the child couldn't do it! At least I was sitting down.

This past fall I happened to be sightseeing in Sicily, Italy and I noticed there were no car seats in sight nor did the young children sit in the back seat of these small cars. Very different approach.
So next time you are in a parking lot or school, take notice and be thankful that we are boomers and didn't have to do this. I do think that safety is important for our children but I am glad to say that I like getting in and out of my car fairly quickly and easily.


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2016 A Campaign to Remember

2016  A Campaign to Remember
Whatever your political inclinations, this is one unusual campaign. So many debates---too many if you ask me. Not much substance but a lot of drama on both sides.
A complete outsider on the Republican side is winning delegates like crazy. Is he a republican? Is it a true protest against the Washington establishment? On the other side we have another Clinton and an avowed socialist. Wow. I don't have the answers but I have seen the pundits on both sides shake their heads and come up for a loss for words. What a shock!

I don't have a crystal ball nor do I know who will have my vote but it is not boring. I suppose we just have to wait and see how it plays out. It should be interesting. I am always interested in politics but this race is riveting on many levels.
The United States needs a strong, responsible leader to deal with all of the complicated issues facing us as a nation: the economy, security, foreign policy, the military, upgrading our infrastructure, education, race relations to just name a few.  It is not an easy job, nor is it easily handled by one person. We certainly need someone who can work with others in a collaborative way for the benefit of all of us. May the best person win for the sake of all Americans.
We need an outstanding leader especially in these times.

Our nation has been mired in difficult times before, during wars, the question of slavery, to name a few, and we were headed by strong leaders who showed strength, fortitude and courage. That's what we need now.

101 Glimpses of the North Fork and Islands
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