One Year Anniversary

   On the 21st of March it was my birthday. It was a week long celebration.  Family, friends, and neighbors were so kind. It is one year since I bought my Sonata, and one year since I started this blog.  I thought I would change the name but 64 and counting still applies in a way even though I am now sixty-five.

              My neighbors brought me such a beautiful arrangement:

 I love flowers, birds, and being outdoors.  I just scanned this one of me enjoying my mother's petunias.  Even at that age I might have grown them myself.  I remember saving the seeds of the petunias, marigolds, four o'clocks, salvia and the zinnias for planting the following year.   I was very good at identifying seeds and seedlings. 

The celebration week started on the 17th on St. Patty's Day.  Well, it wasn't my special day but it was our special day.  It was a class reunion which normally comes at five year intervals but since we missed one reunion in 2010, we had one titled "The Class of  '65 turns 65.  So I was still 64 on the big event.   Even though I was on the planning committee, I was a half hour late and I missed the photo session and I couldn't find a seat at first. Our class took a photo surrounding a vintage Cadillac. So from that low point things turned around.   It turned to be an enjoyable affair.  I wound up eating out 3 more times that week and my daughter and the four grandchildren called with a Happy Birthday serenade.  I decided to post another tadpole update.  All the eggs have hatched:

Recently scanned this one of me during spring break probably 1971.  I guess it was bike week at Daytona Beach, Florida:

I know this posting has no real theme.  This is a group photo of a hunting club from Germania, NJ.  I think they called themselves the Red Bones.  Larry Schwenger is kneeling at the extreme right.  My husband, Roy, is the second to last in the row of men standing.  For many years we had venison cutlets breaded in Italian bread crumbs at least once a week.  Also in this photo, John Vaccaro, Dick Filling and Louis Stadtmueller.

Chain Restaurants: A Trifecta

  One week----a trifecta of good chain restaurants:   Red Robin, Cracker Barrel and Maggianos!  Ok, this happened back in February and I started the post then but almost stopped my blogging forever because I couldn't find my Red Robin photos that I thought I had downloaded to my computer.   I can't find the photos on any of my 10 memory cards and can't find them on my two computers either.  So I will re-post a couple of photos that I found on- line.  The Red Robin that I went to in Hamilton, New Jersey had a statue on their iconic robin but I could not find any postings of it. Red Robin is known for good hamburgers, Cracker Barrel for inexpensive southern comfort food including breakfast all day long, and Maggiano's for traditional Italian favorites.  I would have to say it would be hard to pick my favorite of the bunch but Maggiano's had a special going. Two could share an appetizer or pick two ceasar salads as we did, your pasta entre, your shared desert (tiramisu--excellent) and then  a take home additional pasta entre!  Not bad for twenty bucks each! I went there for my son's birthday.  Previously we had been to the one in Philadelphia and it was wonderful.  Always a special excitement to eat in a large city.  Especially fun in Philadelphia where I always imagine that I am tracing streets that were once walked on by none other than Benjamin Franklin, one of my favorites from history.

  My friend Peggy took me to Cracker Barrel's. We had to drive through historic Mount Holly, New Jersey to get to there.  I am always fond of that because of the history there and my father's roots as he went to Mount Holly High School.  I am sure that George Washington stayed at a hotel or two in that area.  People can make fun of us here in New Jersey all they want but we have it all:  history including that of our founding fathers, culture, great restaurants, great cities nearby, ocean, mountains, farm lands and the diversity of people that makes life interesting.  Because I wasn't driving it freed me up to click away right through the window of the car and I got some great shots.  They look like I must have taken a walking tour but I didn't.

At Maggiano's:

Mount Holly is the county seat of Burlington County and is about 20 miles south of the state capital of Trenton. Mount Holly played an important part in the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776. Colonel Samuel Griffin marched into Mount Holly on December 24, 1776.  The Hessian forces battled with the Continental Army until they left at night.

Driving Through Historic Mount Holly:

Old Firehouse  1752-1892

Oldest Firehouse in USA

 

Sitting on the Porch at Cracker Barrel Restaurant

Another Historic Place 1807

Loved this town but--the wires??  What is this?
 Reminds me of a picture I once saw of the wiring in India.

Yummy Sweet Potato Pancakes!

                                               Ok, my mom had a wringer washer

when I was little but it had a white enameled tub. 

Monitoring the Development of the Tadpoles

I could not wait to go back to the pond to note the progress that was made in the development of the tadpoles.  Sure enough the change was visible.  Where as each center had been like a round lttle ball in the middle of the jelly, the centers had now elongated.  You could definitely see a tail and where the head would be. Since it had been warm for three days, it was also obvious that that this part of the pond had alot of evaporation.  So much so,  that there was one mass of eggs that was now laying on dry ground.  In all probability these eggs are doomed unless we get a major rainfall that may help all the smaller sections join into one large one pond.  The biggest and deepest one had no eggs that I could see. You would think nature would know better.  I am trying to think why would there be several masses of eggs in the very small section and none in the much larger part.....?

It is not quite spring yet but the daffodils in my yard are in full bloom:

Here's a wreath that I made:

Pretty but not rare enough to stop the development:

Rehabilitation of the Pinelands?

Here in southern New Jersey I am battling our town's decision to develop a large piece of pristine woodlands. It probably is a futile effort but my friends and I are trying to put a stop to this new housing that we do not need.  New Jersey has a regulatory group known as the NJ Pinelands Commission. Here is a passage from that commission:

The Pinelands National Reserve (PNR) was created by Congress under the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978. The PNR is the first National Reserve in the nation. The PNR encompasses approximately 1.1 million acres covering portions of seven counties and all or parts of 56 municipalities.

This internationally important ecological region is 1.1 million acres in size and occupies 22% of New Jersey's land area. It is the largest body of open space on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard between Richmond and Boston and is underlain by aquifers containing 17 trillion gallons of some of the purest water in the land.

In 1979, our state formed a partnership with the federal government to preserve, protect and enhance the natural and cultural resources of this special place.

Our town entered into a unique agreement with a designated developer.  The planning board met recently to give the final approval. Before all permits were finalized some clear-cutting began in our area. The initial project was labeled as an area in need of  “rehabilitation”.   We have a town that lines an important corridor between Philadelphia and Atlantic City.  As you drive along this highway you will see a few eye sores including an abandoned supermarket and a couple of adult bookstores.  These are not the focus of the rehabilitation.  The focus is the once protected beloved pinelands.  In addition to this plan they put into place a 5-year gradual tax abatement plan. The first year new home buyers will pay no property tax. This puts an unfair burden on the citizens of town that already pay the highest property taxes in southern New Jersey. Also, if anyone decides to sell their house they will have a difficult time doing so because the buyers of other houses in town will not receive any abatement.  So:   “life is unfair” as someone was heard to say.  So I went to view the clear-cutting that was done and I visited a vernal pond. Thankfully I found the pond intact.  I continue to monitor and pray that the laws will continue to protect at least this little treasure of a pond.

Clear-cutting of the Pines 

Getting Ready to Make Mulch

A vernal pond that has been my special little treasure for years.

A Mass of Jelly-Like Frog Eggs

Close-up! Soon to be tadpoles.

 Still Waters

 Part of an Old Enameled Bowl

Of course someone is concerned about our safety.

A machine that collects trees as they zip them off.

  In a matter of one minute you can have 6 trees felled.

A Tribute to my Father who passed away at age 89

   This blog was started as a journal of the "light" side of my life. My intent was to keep my personal life out of it for the most part but sometimes I depart from that self-imposed guideline. I was prompted to do so after a memoriam condolence letter was posted about my father who recently passed away.   My father lived about 15 years with a traumatic brain injury after a fall. Like I mentioned before in another blog, my father, while working for RCA, installed the first television network in Haddon Hall, now Resorts International Casino.  Even with his injury there were a few stories that he often repeated like the one where he skipped a grade in elementary school because he was such a good student, always related the story about the historical flight of Emilio Carranza and the subsequent crash not far from his home, and his time working at Haddon Hall. As the oldest daughter of five, no brothers, I remember these early days. He car pooled daily to Pleasantville, NJ with fellow workers that lived in Hammonton, NJ. So I was very proud to see this letter of condolence from a man that I would assume is older than 89 because he was my father's boss or at least his equal:

Lewis Tassone 1922-2012

    My condolences to the family. So sorry to hear of Lew's passing. I had the rare privilege to work with Lew during his years with RCA television. He was the BEST electronics technician I ever met during my years at RCA 1958 to 1993. In addition he was really a very honorable gentleman and a man of principle. Lew and I worked on a major project in early 1959 when he ENGINEERED the wiring of a TV antenna system at the old Haddon Hall Hotel in Atlantic City (now Resorts International Casino). Lew engineered that job for an 1100 TV set antenna system long before RCA ever had an engineering division for commercial TV installations. Also, I remember the other RCA techs from Hammonton, Fred Fitchett and Frank Piperata. They all used to ride together to our RCA branch in Pleasantville in those days. I am glad that Lew had such a long life and a family he can certainly be proud of. One cannot ask for more of life. Again my condolences, Monty Holt, Master Technician, RCA retired.

     Eventually he left RCA and joined Sam Morris and Jim Leeds in starting an appliance store called C&H on High Street in Millville. It was a successful business because the sales were backed up with a strong service department which included my father. I knew when my father started this venture it would have been a challenge for him to be a "sales person" but when you are selling good appliances and service, there is not much need to be a slick salesman with a good "pitch". He did take a Dale Carnegie course to help him to be more of a "people person" but I doubt that it was necessary. Promotions were offered by the RCA Corporation. When they met sale goals, they were rewarded with free vacations. This allowed my parents to travel to Europe, Mexico and California. They always stayed at the best hotels and my mother was always charmed by some engaging tour guide that spoke English. One of their favorite vacations was at the Villa d'Este situated on Lake Como near where George Clooney now has his estate :

Robins in January



   I know that in southern New Jersey, American Robins are year round residents but they do retreat to the woods and swampy areas in the winter. But today it was definitely a sign of spring when big flocks filled the yard. I find it strange though, that in the past few years the flocks of robins seem to hang with the flocks of European starlings. Just kind of funny how they stay in the trees and they gradually fly in to start their rummaging.  Dried oak leaves are flicked over to find tidbits of food.  Can't imagine that they find much nourishment.  Usually the robins will hit the holly tree and gobble up the red berries but today they left the holly alone. Can you see the robin hanging with the starlings in this tree?

Took a picture of the deer tracks at the side of my yard.  It is sort of like a deer highway.  There are herds of deer that live near the grassy fields of the high school near me.  There is a little patch of woods across from my house so they cross the street in front of my house.

It's a New Year, 2012!

      Temperatures were around 56 degrees on this first day of 2012.  With the economy in the tank I would guess that there are many out there thankful that heating oil isn't $5 a gallon and that we haven't had really cold temperatures so far.  Although we are facing the two coldest months I always try to remember that each day after the first day of winter we get a minute or so more of daylight.  My plants show an immediate response. I have begonias, impatiens and hibiscus blooming in my home. But I am not staying home today. When I get a chance to go to Atlantic City I go.
    With this weather one would have to take a walk on the boardwalk.  First we ran into two ladies from Binghamton, New York.  They had a roll from the casino buffet and started feeding the pigeons.  I like all kinds of birds but I do not know if I am as brave as this woman.  Check out the photos:

   

We met a lady from Yonkers, New York that had just walked in the ocean:

A man from Philadelphia that comes to feed the feral cats.  A good man I am sure but he didn't feel the draft on his behind:

   Then we saw a couple on the beach and the woman had a brilliant pink sari on. I took the picture from a distance but she was so pretty that I wanted to take a close-up. I asked permission and they both declined:

My hibiscus is blooming.