A Rainy, Unseasonably Warm Sunday In Connecticut

Rami and Beth, Ready to Party

It's 7:30, I have been up since 7:00 and still no one else is up, just me and Cody, the pooch.  It's gray outside, wet, still a few piles of snow left but they all should be gone by the end of the day as it's going to be in the 60's, not quite Christmas weather.  Just as I started this, Rami came down, got his coffee and we sat talking until 8:30 when both Evie and Marisa got up.  Time to get moving,  I guess.

Yesterday started with a drive to the local bagel shop to pick up a dozen of my favorite bagels; they seem to be the only bakery that coats both sides of an everything bagel, making it scrumptious.  When I got home, Evie was frying up the pea meal bacon that we brought from the Lighthouse Grocery in Chautauqua, a family favorite.  Because the boys were still sleeping, she made two breakfast, one for the oldsters and Marisa, then later one for the boys.  Nothing like a good breakfast to start the day, bagels, fried eggs, and pea meal bacon.

Marisa Loves Her 'New Well Ordered Closet'

We spent the rest of the day hanging out with Marisa, mostly, taking Cody for a couple of walks and mid afternoon, taking Marisa and Mitch to Panera's for lunch.  They like the macaroni and cheese there.  It was very busy like every where at this time of the year, parking lots full, streets jammed with shoppers in a hurry to get to their destinations.  I would just as soon stayed home.  Beth and Rami, unfortunately, spent a good part of the afternoon shopping in Westport.  And Tyler left early afternoon to play his guitar with friends and we never saw him the rest of the day, as he was out till at least 11:00 with friends.  Beth and Rami got home from shopping around 4:30, then Beth put together an appetizer to take to a party they were going to that evening at her good friend Nancy's house.  And Mitch, too, went out with buddies in the evening, missing dinner.  So it was just Evie , Marisa, and me with leftover chicken in tomatillo sauce, and we watched School of Rock with Marisa, the fourth or fifth time for us. It's still fun.

A Pensive Mitchell

Marisa went to bed around 8:30, tired from her day, and I watched Ohio State beat Notre Dame in the last minute in baskethball, an amazing comeback.  Then both Evie and I stayed up to watch the NCAA Women's Volleyball championship game between Penn State and Wisconsin.  Evie went to bed mid way but I stayed up to watch Penn State win in four games, their sixth championship.  Both teams were amazing to watch, as volleyball has really become a big sport.  I got in bed around 11:30, just as Tyler was getting home and Beth and Rami did not get home till 1:00.

Today looks like a Costco day and Rami's sister Letty is coming to stay through Christmas from NYC with her two dogs, making it a full house, especially with three dogs.

THE LOWLAND: JHUMPHA LAHIRI

This, the third book by Lahiri I have read, deals with characters with roots in India, but have immigrated to the United States for a better life.  As is always the case, things do not always turn out as planned.  Her first book, INTERPRETER OF MALADIES, a series of short stories about immigrants new to the States remains my favorite, in fact, one of my favorite short story collections of all time, having taught it to numerous classes.

This novel revolves around two brothers, Subhash, who immigrates to the States and his brother, Udayan, a Marxist committed to the struggles of the poor who stays behind in Calcutta,.  Udayan marries, Gauri, a philosophy major, against the wishes of his family.  Subhash, in contrast, lives the rest of his life in the US, getting his PhD, settling down in Rhode Island.  But it's much different from what the previous sentences suggests, an easy life.  In the second year of Udayan's marriage, Udayan, he becomes an active member of a terrorist, involves his wife Gauri to an extent in his activities but is soon arrested by the police, in front of his parents and wife, taken out in to a field, shot, and then his body is taken away, never to be seen again.

When Subhash finds out about his brother's death, he flies home to give succor to his family only to find them inconsolable and snubbing Udayan's young wife, Gauri, ignoring her, treating her like a pariah.  Subhash takes pity on her, falls in love, and proposes that they marry and go off together to the States.  Things are also complicated because she is carrying Udayan's child.  Nevertheless, she agrees, mostly to just get away, and they marry and immigrate to the States, hoping love will develop. It does not and a good part of the novel involves Gauri's guilt, a result of her actions in Calcultta,  inability to love her new husband, Subhash, also her own child, Bella.  She simply cannot forgive herself for her past and eventually leaves Subhash with her daughter, with out a word, only a note.  She goes to California and ends get PHD in philosophy and ends up teaching at a university.  Subhash raises Bella on his own and she, like her father and mother, is independent, refusing to follow the typical path and ends up getting a degree but working on various organic farms, helping people to live their life in a more sustainable way.

And it's not until Bella is in her thirties that Subhash finally confesses to her that he is not her real father but an uncle, that his brother, the long dead Udayan, is her father.  After hearing this, Bella leaves in anger but eventually forgives her father, comes back and lives with him, mostly because she is pregnant with a child, with no father to speak of.  The novel ends with some happiness, as Subhash marries again at seventy, a widowed Portuguese woman from his neighborhood.  Bella and her daughter, Meghna, live with them. The only dark note is Gauri's attempts to see the daughter, Bella, whom she abandoned.  It does not go well, obviously, and she then impetuously boards a plane, returns to Calcutta for the first time since leaving and seems finally reconciled to her past after  returning to her house, reliving the terrible death of his husband.  Lives have there ups and downs, good and bad patches, and much of the bad could be avoided if anger was replaced with generosity, fear with forgiveness, easier said then done.

Warming Up In Darien, CT

Granny with her Grandson, Tyler, a College Freshmen

Up at 7:00, to a quiet house but not for long as the entire gang's here for at least part of the day.  It's colder here in Darien 42º then Chautauqua, 50º.  Rain forecast for the next couple of days but no snow as it's warming up to the 60's tomorrow.

Yesterday was not a typical day in Darien, except for the morning, when we went shopping into Norwalk.  Beth needed to pick up some art supplies at Jerry's, an amazing art supply store which has just about anything an amateur or professional artist might want.  We then stopped at Bob's, a huge clothing store in a strip mall, a bit like a Dick's, but we did not buy anything as our real reason for being there was to visit the wine store, Total Wines, the largest, most diversified amount of alcohol I have ever seen in a single building.  We needed a map to find the labels we wanted; it was crowded with customers, with at least 10 to 15 sales persons walking around on a Friday morning, helping to pick out the wine/booze/beer. We ended up with a case,which should take care of us for the rest of the week.

Mitch and Marisa came home from school about 1:00, as they had only a half day.  The rest of the afternoon was spent making dinner, a chicken dish, baked and drenched in a green tomatillo sauce. Beth also made two different kinds of cookies, and Evie made one, so we are set for the rest of the week.  We saw little of the boys, which is so different from our usual visits as they are becoming much more social.  Tyler worked out at the gym for quite awhile, then went over to a buddies house, spent the afternoon and evening.  No more hanging out watching films with Mitch and him like the good old days.  The same with Mitch, who was hanging out with friends during the afternoon, went out to dinner with them, and did not get home till 10:00.  So we were stuck with only one grandchild, Marisa, who loved it,  I suppose, the full attention of both grandparents for a good part of the afternoon!  She helped with the cookies and our only respite was an excursion to the library, where she returned at least eight books, picked out four or five more to read.  She has become an avid reader, like our other granddaughters which is great to see.

The Good Old Day of December,  2012

There were only four of us for dinner, so we had the chicken thighs with rice in the Sun Room and watched Chopped, then Diners, Drive Ins and Dives till Marisa went to bed around 9:00. Rami did not get home until  8:30, watched some of the shows with us, ate his dinner, till he picked up Mitch from a friend's house around 10:00.  We went to bed around 10:30, and Tyler was still not home.  We remember those days, waiting up for your kids to come home till you were so tired you just said the heck with it and went to sleep.  Ah youth.

Darien Daze

Marisa, Our Squeaky Prodigy

Awakened at 6:45 by my grandson, Mitchell, taking a shower, getting ready for school.  I am, however, the first one downstairs, coffee's made, settled in for a few minutes till Beth, then Marisa, then Rami, and finally Mitchell comes down.  Around 7:20, Beth drops Rami off for the 7:30 train into the city and Mitch at the bus stop.  Evie' arises in time to have breakfast with Marisa, who does not leave for school until 8:00. This seems to be the morning routine.  Only Tyler, our eldest grandson, a freshmen in college, sleeps in for now.

We picked the perfect day to drive East, as it was sunny most of the way, in fact, I had to wear my sun glasses it was so bright.  Snow covered fields, hills, then mountains when we got in the Catskills accompanied us most of the way.  Little traffic really until we got into Danbury, on RT 7, heading to Norwalk, then Darien.  We arrived about 2:45, just about seven hours after we left the lake.  Still quite a bit of snow in Darien though it won't last long as it's warming up each day, with a high in the 60's on Sunday.

We were greeted by the Tyler, Beth, and Mitch and, of course, an excited Cody, who knows us well, mostly because I take him for walks when I am here.  Marisa came home from school around 3:15, so the whole gang was there for the rest of the afternoon, wondering why Evie did not make chocolate chip cookies for them (my fault).  We hung out until dinner, Marisa and I breaking for a walk with Cody at dusk.  We sat down to dinner around 6:30, with out Rami, who was still in the city.  The boys loved the baked ziti, but especially the sinful dessert, chocolate, peanut butter cheese cake Evie made for them in Chautauqua.

We relaxed in the evening, finally getting Marisa to go to bed because she has school today.  Mitch went soon after as he, too, has school while Evie, Tyler and I stayed up and watched the first episode of Boardwalk Empire on HBO, a fairly violent series that Evie did not like much but both Tyler and I did. We were all in bed by 10:30 except for Rami who still had not gotten back from the city, a long day for him.

The kids have only a half day, so both Mitch and Marisa should be home by 1:00.  Beth, Evie and I are going off shopping this morning somewhere near Norwalk, picking up some presents for the kids and wine for us.  Salud!

Another Road Trip, Christmas in Connecticut

7:05

Chautauqua, One Year Ago,12/18/2012

Up at my usual time, 5:35.  Looked outside and was shocked---it looked like the snow had melted, as there appeared to be bare spots on the lawn.  I went outside and discovered it was just shadows from the full moon, playing tricks on me. It's 6:30 now, we are both up, ready to take a quick shower, pack our things in the car, and head off to CT, to spend Christmas with our daughter Beth Albarran and family.

Yesterday, like most days before taking off on a trip, was filled with the little jobs that you have failed to get done the previous three days, like canceling the paper, making sure you have all your electronic devices and power cables to charge them.  And for those of us who are retired, don't forget the small, plastic box with seven openings, for your daily pills, just like your parents who you used to laugh at. Not so funny now.  On trips to our grandchildren, Evie always makes lots of goodies, this time baked ziti, lots of cookies, and some bags of pre mixed cookies, to make with the grandchildren who enjoy baking with her,  like Mrs. Snavely's coffee cake, a family favorite for eons.  I did my part, by volunteering to drive to the Lighthouse to pick up a chicken, so Evie would not have to cook dinner, just make a salad.  I did shovel the parking area, two to three inches of snow, but heavier as it's getting warmer outside.  When I drove to the Lighthouse yesterday at 3:30, it was 30º out, by far the warmest day in ten days.

The afternoon was relaxing, doing some packing, getting our ducks in order, thinking about packing the car tonight before we go to bed.  My interest and joy in my book, The Lowland, increases at each section as things might turn out better than expected.  We can only hope that Lahiri does not throw a wrench into the mix before ending the book, which is her style.  For some reason, I feel more confident in a happy ending for her, probably because much of the book is not filled with baskets of happiness, mostly 'quiet desperation' though that may be too strong.  Nothing like sitting on my couch, a cup of Turkish tea on my coffee table, a light snow filling the air, Terry Gross on NPR, and a good book, a computer at arms length in case I want to look up something like who are the Naxalites, a Marxist/Leninist group in India in the early 1970's.  No waiting to go to a library to look it up in an encyclopedia...just type it in Wikepedia and go.  Time to get ready for our departure.

SOUL CIRCUS: GEORGE PELECANOS

This is the third or fourth novel I have read by Pelecanos, a writer for the HBO series Treme as well.  His novels, at least the ones I have read, are set in the gritty, urban world of D.C., with mostly black characters and in this case, a black PI named Derek Strange. He used to be a cop, like most PI's, is now in his fifties, and has married for the first time late in life.  He knows the world of the urban youth, their options (none), their hopes and dreams (drugs and money and power) and their end (usually either prison or being shot).  And all of this proves true in SOUL CIRCUS, though Derek Strange does all he can to avoid these results.  He works with youths, tries to steer them on to the right path, even if, in this case, the villain he works for is a drug dealer, responsible for numerous killings.  Strange does not like him much but he likes the idea of the death penalty even less, thus his willingness to work for the drug king pin and his lawyer.

He has a buddy who works with him, Terry Quinn, who must live with guilty after having accidentally shot a fellow cop though he is later exonerated.  Strange finds himself in the middle of two gangs, both run by notorious drug dealers who will stop at nothing to keep their power and control. Like the TV show THE WIRE, this book describes the lives of these dealers, how they train the young uns, first as look outs on their bikes, later as runners in their teens, finally if they are still living, they become dealers, with cars and guns.  Needless to say, neither one of the gangs has much luck dealing with Strange, and four young runners end up shooting each other for no reason, and the chiefs also end up killing each other for a slight. Much ado about nothing. Strange has little luck with his client, the suggestion being that the system is rigged from the start for the black man; he has little hope of avoiding the path of drugs and death, yet Strange does his best to save lives one boy at a time.

The novel ends with him driving to Virginia, to a gun dealer store, who sells to anyone, in this case, this is the way most guns get in to DC where selling guns is illegal.  Derek brings a couple of gallons of gas with him, empties it on the gun shop at night, sets it on fire, and heads home to DC...one less place for the black youths to get their lethal weapons.  I was not into this book at first, not knowing much about Strange but I liked him more and more as the novel progressed, especially his understanding of intercity black culture.  I can see why he works with David Simon, creator of The Wire.  Both fill their works with the black man, black culture, good and bad.

Four More Inches of Snow, Packing For Our Trip East

Winter I

Winter II

Winter III

Slept in till 6:45, hallelujah, and it's warmer outside, 23º,  and warming up a bit over the next few days. Our car is covered with snow, another day of shoveling.  And I noticed what looks like deer tracks leading up to our back porch, either that or some animal came to visit.

Yesterday was a quiet day, as neither of us had much energy, so we just hung out in the house, reading and watching TV during the day, something we rarely do. After Evie's doctor's appointment, she made the sauce for a baked ziti to take to Beth's while I sat reading Jhumpa Lahiri's well regarded second novel, THE LOWLANDS which I am enjoying, set both in the US and Calcutta, 'the city of dreadful night,' which I spent a couple days in back in 1975, a memorable sojourn, as the underclass slept on sidewalks, lived in streets, the poverty and density of the population overpowering.  I was glad to leave, to take a train to Puri, a town on the Indian Ocean, where I stayed in Ambassador John Galbraith's room (he was 6' 7") or so I was told, in the Great Eastern Railroad Hotel.  For some reason, I still remember the name, the vast beach, the little brown skinned men in bathing suits, hoping to be hired as your life guard if you swam.

Late afternoon, I had to get outside, so I took a walk around the campground, eerily empty except for a couple of workers digging holes with a back hoe and planting twelve foot trees, a strange time of year to be doing it.  I noticed a few snowmobile tracks in the campground, none on the lake yet though I expect some daredevil to be out there this weekend if it does not warm up.  Right now, the lake is a vast, white tundra, with an illusion of safety. I have not heard how thick the ice is yet.  Near the edges, however, it breaks if walked on.

Tree Planting at Camp Chautauqua

For dinner, I had a unhealthy hankering for a chili dog, so Evie got out a couple of Sahleen hot dogs, and we had some chili left from last week and within ten minutes, I had two hot dogs, smothered in chili, with a salad; Evie just had hot dog with a salad.  Comfort food of a sort.  We watched a fairly new film on Netflix, Frances Ha, a quirky but likable comedy, in black and white, about a somewhat awkward twenty seven year olds attempt to make it as a dancer (she's a dancer apprentice) in New York City.  We follow her dance performances (more amusing than aesthetic), moves to different apartments(none her own), loves (unrequited), jobs (boring), travels (less than satisfying), and what seems like her eventual happiness at settling for something less than what she had hoped  for, as  part time choreographer and dance studio secretary. Fragmented, like a series of montages, not everyone will like this film but we found it entertaining and fun.  We also watched an hour of the two hour finale of The Voice before going to bed, tired from having done very little.