Walking with Lola: Photo and Poetry Edition

I've been taking several photos but haven't posted them in months.

Now's the time. Here's an old photo of Heroes Rock on the Norwalk River Valley Trail between Sharp Hill Road and Skunk Lane.

Here's another old picture with the "seating area" next to Heroes Rock.

A new addition that looks like a pillow.

I feel the same way.

All you need:

Snowy images from our walks: footprints at Oyster Shell Park. 

Sherwood Island in early March:

It's the end of National Poetry Month. I didn't make it to three Norwalk poetry events, didn't write a poem, haven't posted any since the 1st. 

Here's a poem I wrote on a January walk with Lola at Oyster Shell: 

A shroud of fog hangs over the harbor

As traffic roars by

Lola sniffs among the reeds searching for answers to questions I will never understand

A raindrop beads my eyeglasses

My exhalations--wisps of pale smoke

Still Lola sniffs and searches

As I ponder questions of my own.

Here's another poem inspired by an Oyster Shell walk:

striated shell shard

of sienna and oystershell

pocketed for study

Book Seven: Shell Game

I finished this V.I. Warshawski book by Sara Paretsky on Tuesday night. As always--I've read all the V.I. books--I enjoyed the story. V.I. is smart, resourceful, brave, tenacious, loyal, and a strong feminist. I like that Paretsky used the current political environment of Trump's hatred of immigration and the transgressions of ICE agents (I really want to use the term run-amuckness.) What the hell, this is my blog--the run-amuckness of ICE agents.

One thing I particularly liked was when V.I. was discussing the reaction of her neighbor/friend Mr. Contreras when she spent the night with an archaeologist.

Mr. Contreras has never liked any man I've been involved with. I don't know if it was jealousy, or if he had an unacknowledged fear that I might marry and leave him in the lurch. I couldn't really imagine marrying again, but whether I did, I would never abandon him.

Could this be a hint of a new development?

I seem to remember that Mr. Contreras started off as more of an adversary. I think Peppy--the golden retriever who first appears in Bitter Medicine--the fourth book in the V.I. series--brought them together. V.I. and Mr. Contreras share Peppy and her son Mitch.

My only quibble with the series is that the bad guys are always wealthy, upper crust men. I'd like to see a poor bad guy every once in a while. 

Happy Anniversary Lola!

Tonight was the third anniversary of our time with Lola. I can't call her a confident dog, but she has grown much more confident over the past few years. Hey she started here.

I defrosted some skirt steak and found a good marinade recipe (for Jeff and me, not for Lola--she got unmarinated steak and salmon.) Lola and I visited Winslow Park for about 45 minutes before it started to rain hard. 

Tonight Jeff told me that it's also National Beagle Day. How appropriate. I'll gladly celebrate it. 

Reading List

So far this year, I've read:

1. The Devil in the White City
2. Why Baseball Matters
3. Game Change
4. The Witches
5. The Wheel of Darkness
6. Cemetery Dance

I started Daphne but quickly abandoned it. I finished Cemetery Dance on March 21, and just started Shell Game by Sara Paretsky on Thursday. I borrowed it from the library. I also requested  The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold. I learned about the book on Jezebel, but can't find the post now. I'm looking forward to reading that next.

Between Cemetery Dance and Shell Game, I've been trying to catch up on the magazines that have piled up. I learned that my April calendar has nothing in common with Martha Stewart's. I read a horror story of a Central American's immigration to the US. I've barely made a dent in the pile of magazines. Maybe I'll get more read now that I've returned to the gym--two times this week.

Finally--back to the gym

Yesterday was my first visit in two months--my second in the year. That's pitiful. I have excuses, but no legitimate reasons for such a long layoff.

My butt/quads were already sore yesterday. I thought I'd be in worse pain today, but feel pretty good. I'll return tomorrow.

Yesterday I realized that I never posted goals for this year; I just recycled last year's. My gym goal is 150 visits--only 148 to go.

Game of Thrones is Back

I looked forward to this season premiere more than any since Season Two. Maybe because it's the last season, and it's been about two years since the last season. Overall I loved it.

The new opening credits were awesome. I loved the young boy running through streams, crowds, etc. to get a glimpse of the royal procession, mirroring both Bran and Arya of Season One. I loved that the music of both processions was the same. For the most part, the reunions were good; I would have liked more hugging and a bit more emotion. Missed seeing Lyanna and Jorah Mormont (though honestly not at the time, only after I read someone's comment.) I'm sure she'll be stern, but happy he's now fighting the dead (but not because he's loyal to Daenerys.)

The one thing I didn't like: Jon and Dany's dragon flight. I guess it was meant as a light, romantic interlude. It annoyed me; we have too much story to get through. Plus I just don't buy their great love, and the waterfall/cave with Ygritte parallel.

The final scene with Jaime and Bran was everything.

What a Week

OK, eight days since my last post. 

I finished tutoring for several students this week. A few took the Connecticut school SAT; some took today's ACT; some poor folks took both.

I finished my writing course, Hidden Stories. I really enjoyed it. I may start another course next week with the same instructor. That would be my third  course with her. She's very supportive; she doesn't critique. I think that's appropriate for this kind of class. There were times when I would mentally edit others' pieces--minor changes--the stories were all good. The class was talented. 

The big thing this week--today--was a celebration of my mother's life. She died in January and was cremated. I didn't want to have an event in January because of potential snow/ice issues for family members traveling to Connecticut from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Another reason I picked today was because it's an ACT test day. I knew I could take the day off without any problems.

Our celebration ran from 12 to 3 this afternoon. Last night I got nervous. Was the room big enough? Would there be too many other guests in our area? How many people would come?

All went well. We had 21-23 people (I keep re-counting; I'm not sure.) Several people told me I did a good job. The room was just large enough; the food was good. We started with some appetizers and then asked everyone to order off the menu.

We all discussed that we shouldn't wait until a death to get in contact. We committed to be in closer touch but I know it will be hard. Hopefully, we'll all work on this.  

It was a tough weekend for Lola. We were out last night, this afternoon, and again this evening. That's unusual for us. We took her out to Mathews and Oyster Shell Parks this morning for a 45 minute walk. This afternoon before we went out to dinner with my stepbrother and his wife we took Lola for a long walk around the neighborhood--probably our longest. 

Good-bye Mom. I hope you're happy with what we did today.

Happy Birthday Bette Davis!

In honor of Bette's birthday, we watched The Working Man starring Bette in her second pairing with George Arliss.

Jeff had never seen it, and I hadn't seen it in years.

It's not a great movie, but it's a lot of fun and farce.

Shoe manufacturer Reeves (Arliss) accidentally runs into the children (Davis and Theodore Newton) of his recently deceased rival. Annoyed at his own nephew (Hardie Albright who's running his company) and concerned about his rival's children, Reeves works with them to make their company a success. Meanwhile Davis works for the  Reeves company to learn the shoe business and falls in love with Albright.

All ends well when the firms merge.

National Poetry Month

Today is the first day of National Poetry Month. Here are some ideas of ways to celebrate.

I'd like to write a poem every day this month, but I'm  not sure that's realistic.

Here's a poem I wrote a few years ago.

Looking for Jesus, I found Ganesh

atop the dashboard

as I peered through the window of the Ford parked in front of my condo

a sign of my neigborhood’s cultural diversity