Poem

After thinking of Robert Frost from my hike this Sunday, I went in search of more poems by the good man. I had forgotten how wonderfully New England he is. This one resonated with me this morning.

Nothing Gold Can Stay
by: Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Sunday in New England

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And it has made all the difference." - Robert Frost, A Road Not Taken

Yesterday I had the joy to take a good autumn hike with my friend, D. Weeks ago when I knew I would be without the kids this particular Sunday we set it up. I have been making a serious endeavor to get outside more and be more active and D has been helping me see this through and inspiring me with his own tales of outdoor adventure. So I figured not only is he good company, but he is experienced and I have less chance of getting lost or maimed or attacked by a serial killer.

We decided on the Ward Hill Reservation in Andover, MA. Originally I suggested Wachussett Mt. but D, in his sage foresight, thought a less mountain like hike would be better for the day. Though I have dropped about 2 sizes (booyah!) I am still far from 'in shape'. And D is getting old :P So Ward Hill it was! I got up, had some breakfast, watched an episode of Fringe on my DVR (Love this show btw! Early Xfiles feel), put on my new hiking boots and gear with much excitement. I want take this moment to booyah! again at my putting on my new hiking gear. My boots are great, my socks are comfy but I also came upon the sales rack at EMS and had new pants and a vest. What is so booyah! about this you ask? Well, though I have always liked the styles and clothes and EMS I have always been too big to fit into them. EMS does not have a 'plus size' rack for the ladies. But my loyal readers - this time things fit!!! It's nice to have such a positive shot in the arm to see that my new lifestyle choices are paying off. My blood pressure is lower too so all is good! And I looked cute, if I do say so myself. Mental note: go back to EMS and talk more with sales guy Brian...

Sorry, back to the hike...

Left the house, got some coffee at DDs where the drive-through guy told me how pretty I am. I was very flattered, but he is kind of creepy. But! I was gracious and will take that with a smile. D & I met at 9:30 in Lowell and made the rest of the way up in his truck. The skies were looking cloudy, but rain was not in the forecast so I had no fear.

D printed out a map of the trails. And thank God he did, let me tell you. Without that map we would have been lost several times double backing on trails and cursing the marking gods. Oh wait! We were doing that WITH the map! I had to laugh several times that D was there to make sure I was on trail and safe and...well, he was getting us lost. To his credit though, the map was a little confusing and the orange trail, though elusive, it does exist...eventually. Luckily he remembered his whistle/compass/thermometer in his pack and we were able to get ourselves on track. Note: it was about 70 degrees in D's fanny pack. The things you find out about your friend's bums when on a hike :P

The hike was spectacular with just enough strenuous parts to make us feel like we earned it. The views from the hills were nice of Boston and the county. In a week or two autumn will be in full bloom and it should be even prettier. I am hoping to take the kids back at that time. We hiked for about 4 hours and must have covered 3-5 miles. It felt great physically, emotionally, spiritually. The smells of the wood, the details of the habitat and the sounds of nature around us (minus the hum of I-93 in the background at the edges of the reservation) were inspiring. My quote of the day is inspired by a fork in the path we came upon early. D and I both immediately thought of Robert Frost. Humorously enough, that was fork #2 that we chose the wrong path...but we got back on track in good course. And as always it was good to spend time with D. We laugh easily together and have good conversations about deep life issues like choices and paths - to the mundane and ribald like proper fart etiquette on hike or climb. Good times!

Here are some pictures of the hike and what we encountered.

Some beaver work! You could see little teeth marks!

There were a lot of mushrooms long the path. Maybe from last week's rains? But this bunch stood out! The orange is vibrant in the photo, but it was almost dayglo in real life and the shapes and curves were near perfect. Amazing what nature does all on its own.

I always look up at the trees to see the sky through their canopy. And it never disappoints.

Another choice. But here there is at least a sign with some directions! Did you know men do not like to read direction in the woods either?


The walk bridge across the swamp. It was mucky! But we did catch a couple of frogs poking their heads up through the slime. Also found a beaver dam and lodge nearby.



I love the reflection in the water here. This was the pond/lake waiting for us at the end of the bog walkway. Just imagine it in a few weeks with golds and reds making the water look as if it is on fire! I may have to go back just to get a picture to re-post.


Some hot babe we encountered on the trails. She was clever too - she liked to read signs and maps along the way.

At one of the summits is a landmark - Elephant Rock on Boston Hill. Now...I see an elephant lying on his side, his trunk outstretched to the right. D insists he sees no elephant. What do you think? We took a little break here and an elderly couple with two gorgeous golden retrievers passed us by. The couple were wearing matching blue baseball hats. They were so cute. One day I hope to have someone to wear corny blue matching hats with when I have white hair.

At the second summit, Holt Hill, there is a pretty Solstice Circle and you can see the Boston skyline. We were greeted by two young men jamming on their guitars. It was a nice serenade for our lunch.

The music attracted a deer to the circle. It felt a bit magical.


Some of the trails are very close to residences and cuts through what appears to be a functioning farm with some hay fields. This was the classic New England scene that greeted us as we ended our day. It's shots like this that remind me, I could never leave New England for very long.

So what does a girl do with the rest of her Sunday after some good time with a friend in the bounty of Mother Nature? Stop at the mall, watch the Pats win, flip between the Sox game and a chick flick (Must Love Dogs) and make an apple pie of course! I should have sorted all the clothes from summer to winter between I and the kids that are piling up in my bedroom - but I chose the path that led to my couch, and today, it has made all the difference.

Happy Birthday

"Making the decision to have a child-it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." -Elizabeth Stone

Today is my son Mo's 8th birthday! On this day at 1:04am EST my beautiful baby boy entered into this world after about 2 1/2 hours of non-epidural relieving pushing. (Bless his little soul and big head!) My life has been transformed in oh so many ways since that day and one day, when he can understand the magnitude, I will thank him.

Mo and I had a nice hour to ourselves this morning while Pickle was at gymnastics with her dad. connecting with him one-to-one is very important to me and he relishes the time as well. Then the grandparents arrived and off to baseball we went. Them from there home for quick lunch and off to his Olympic themed party. He had a great time running around the field playing games with his friends. His dad did a nice job on the 5 ring cake (literally - there were 5 cakes joined as the olympic rings) and organizing the games. Mo also made out like a bandit with a plethora of Star Wars toys to keep him busy for quite some time. All the kids seemed to have fun. I did too. It was nice to have my family around me.

Then this evening I celebrated my sister's 40th birthday, which is next week - dinner with her, her husband and my folks. As much as some things about my sister really bug me (like all siblings I am sure) I love her and am so very proud of her. It was a nice meal and we laughed. I love laughing with my family.

It was one of those days when you look around and thank God for your blessings and all the other things that make life muddled melt away. I miss the kids tonight, especially as it is Mo's birthday as they are with their father. But I will get by with some time in front of my lover...the DVR.

Happy Birthday Mo & Missy! Love you!

Election of our lives

"I'm not going to quit. Why should I quit? This country is worth fighting for." - Hillary Rodham Clinton, April 7, 2008

I won't deny I was a huge Hillary supporter. I thought she would be the one to fix this country. Needless to say, she is not a choice. So I have been considering my two options very carefully - Barack Obama & John McCain. 8 years ago I would have loved McCain. So I wanted to see what he had to show me. Then he chose Palin as a running mate. Hmmm....Maybe I am missing something? Well, the VP debate was not one I was going to miss - for my own education but also for the high entertainment value.

Palin represented herself well, but the fact that she admitted that she may not answer the questions the moderator or audience wanted her to I knew - this woman cannot be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Good try on her part trying to make herself look like me - you know, middle class, same challenges, same beliefs, "six pack joe and the hockey moms". I do not relate to either of those. What about the thousands of mid-thirties women like me? Working in a good job, kids, married or divorced, raised with the belief that my generation would break the glass ceiling for women and change this world forever so do not settle, pretty well educated, strong and independent. As much as she wants to relate to me - there is a gap that I admittedly cannot eloquently or intellectually describe. It is a visceral emotional response. But I trust my instincts. This is not the woman for our country - hence, McCain is not the man.

Biden's experience impresses me. His admittance to not always making the right decision, but he has the willingness to change as circumstances dictate. He was good at throwing back at Palin his roots and his challenge. Take that sexism - men have feelings and struggles too!! He had pretty straight answers, defined his role, hit the remark on Cheney on the head and has my vote.

God bless this nation as we endeavor to be a better people and citizen of the world.

Timing may just be everything

"I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love." - Mother Teresa

Dream a Little Dream

"They say dreams are the windows of the soul -- take a peek and you can see the inner workings, the nuts and bolts." - Henry Bromel, Northern Exposure, The Big Kiss, 1991

If this is indeed true, I think I need some serious professional help. My dreams as of late have been all over the board and real feeling and leaving me tired when I wake up after a solid 8 hours. Last night was no different. You would have thought that after a fantastic massage from J that I would drift off into la-la land peaceful and full of dreamy bliss. Well, me too! Perhaps if I stayed on the table and did not have to get in the car and drive home 40 minutes it would have stuck.

Last night's dream had me at a seaside camp area with some friends and people I did not know. The kids were not with me, and thank god, as Hurricane Ike came through and I was suddenly thrown off the boat my a wave (not sure how I got on the boat, but dreams being what they are I appeared on a boat). Waves upon waves kept slamming down on me until I found a stray kayak of sorts and held onto that and floated to safety, which was a church hall that was holding a rummage sale. Once I found my way back to my friends I panicked, not knowing where the kids were. At this point I found myself sitting straight up in bed, somewhat awake, the clock reading 4:18am. I laid back down and in my dream was assured that they were safe at their Nana's by their Aunt E who was suddenly in the dream. And so this was just part of my night...

A few nights ago I had a dream that I was trapped in a haunted house. Not a Halloween set like haunted house for amusement - a 'real' one. These dreams terrify me and stay with me for days.

*shiver* I think I have to start drinking some warm milk before bedtime. Or stop watching my DVR'ed shows like Heroes and Fringe before bed because obviously my imagination is in high gear.

What I Did For Love

"Gone, Love is never gone.
As we travel on, Love's what we'll remember." - 'What I Did For Love', A Chorus Line

Last night I had the pleasure of attending A Chorus Line at the Boston Opera House with A. The show was very well done and I enjoyed myself tremendously. As always, it was a fantastic girls night out with A. She really is the best date ever.

We were able to get into Boston a little early to enjoy some dessert at Felt. Felt would not be my first choice for enjoying dessert when in Boston, Finale would be (oh my!). But Felt was convenient and they had chocolate lava cake and fried cheesecake on the menu - neither particularly memorable, but I was there for the company which made it delicious!

After enjoying sweets we walked next door to the Opera House. The Opera House is a beautiful theatre and they did a masterful job in rejuvenating it to match its original splendor. It is big, but more intimate than the Wang. Not a big crowd on a Tuesday night so our seats were moved closer to row C from our original I in the mezzanine. For a show with a lot of choreography I enjoy being a little above the stage to see the formations. And this did not disappoint.

None of the individual performances stood out to me. A good ensemble cast. Morales was my favorite, always has been my favorite character and I was happy that the understudy delivered. Cassie I found to be the weakest, which disappointed me a little. With her solo Music & the Mirror when she is convincing the director, her ex, to put her back in the chorus line, I did not see any fire. All I saw was the reason why she did not make it in Hollywood when she tried. But...it did not ruin it for me.

All the songs were like old friends. I cannot remember what I ate during any given day, but the lyrics and emotions of these songs came to my mind so readily, as if they have been waiting there for the chance to visit again for years.

My favorite part, that still moves me, was the use of the back wall of mirrors. If you focus, as A did, on the performers you do not notice it. But if you direct your attention to the back wall - it is a different show and a perspective, I think, the director captured perfectly. As I watched some of the scenes from this perspective I felt a butterfly within me fluttering. I could feel what those actors were possible feeling being on the stage, looking out over the audience, the shared energy, the give and take and the thrill to be blessed with giving a performance. I miss it. I miss it a lot. And I hope to God one day I can experience it again. Theatre is a part of my soul that I buried a little and every once in a while I am reminded of what a big part of what makes me so me it is. It feels like a past life long buried, as none of my present day friends have ever seen me on stage or involved in a production. The memory lives with just me. Gosh, the things they might learn - like how I tend to sleep walk a lot during dress rehearsal weeks. oy! Surprisingly, all of these renewed memories and feelings do not make me sad. On the contrary, I feel a bit revived remembering more of who I am.

So last night's performance was grand and I truly enjoyed it. As stated, no blow out performances but a solid ensemble production that reminds us all of what and why we do things for love.

Bravo!

Now...come November 23rd - Spamelot!