Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Anticipating the loss of a very good friend...
This is my cat.
Speckles.
My neighbor had brought a skinny cat home that he had rescued from a building he was rehabbing and after a few meals, that cat started getting really fat. Oops. She was really pregnant.
Speckles was the runt of the litter and I adored her from the moment she was born.
She is now 17 years old.
She's a sweet, shy little creature, whose idea of having company is anyone who comes into my home via the radio or the television.
The closest she likes to get to the outside world is sniffing the dog when the dog comes back from wherever we take her.
By the various looks on her face, I have both amused and bored her as we've lived together through the Clinton, Bush and the first couple of the Obama years, since I'm a politics junkie and have never been completely happy with any of these administrations.
She has sat on my thigh, softly purring, during the typing of almost every word on this blog.
She is the only living thing in this house who has seen the space between the main floor and the basement when as a kitten she got tangled in a paper bag and in an effort to escape ran up a ladder and into small hole in the ceiling that had been put there in my uneducated attempt at trying to keep some pipes from freezing.
She loves watching snow fall, making winter all the more bearable for me!
She for 17 years been the one who runs to greet me when I get home, often before the dog who is much more devoted to my husband.
We've both been lucky in our mutual admiration society.
I like to read, she likes to sit on books.
I like to do crossword puzzles, she likes to push my pen.
I like to cook, she like to taste test and pick up spills.
I get cold feet, she likes to pretend to be a foot warmer.
The list could go on and on.
This past weekend Speckles stopped eating much of anything and her weight is dropping rapidly.
Today the vet came over and saw her and the prognosis isn't good. At all.
She is dying.
It could be days, a week, it could be a month, but it's coming.
As soon as I see she is uncomfortable in her quality of life, and I have to make the decision all pet owner's dread, I will. In the meantime, most everything else is going to take a back seat. I will spend most every moment thanking her for all the love, goodness and joy that she has graced my life with. And, she finally gets to have some Fancy Feast cat food after all these years of IAMS, even if she only wants to eat 1/2 teaspoon at a time. It makes her purr and right now that makes us both happy.
I love her and I will miss her.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
They Don't Write Letters Like This Anymore
March 5
Hotel Caravelle
Saigon
Dearest Ann,
While Ron writes a story, I'll get off a short note. We're on the sixth floor of the Caravelle overlooking part of downtown Saigon and directly overlooking the National Assembly. (which has a patch in its roof from a rocket hit last spring). Despite the news of last week, Saigon seems more secure than I had believed possible. The war seems both near and far. U.N. troops and police are at most intersections, many of which have sandbagged posts. At night, there is a constant overhead rumble of artillery fire. From the roof of the hotel on Monday night at midnight we watched a helicopter gunship send a stream of tracer bullets into the terrain 5 or 10 mines away, and last night we could see artillery shells exploding on the horizon. The sky is lit with flares over suspected VC positions and helicopters are constantly circling at night.
But life goes on here in the city in an unwarlike way. The streets are jammed with shoppers--many of them well dressed-- and the stores are well stocked with merchandise--TV sets, imported clothing from France and Italy etc. The streets are jammed with cars and motorbikes all day-- but after midnight are empty because of a curfew. The daytime noise level from the traffic is horrendous.
The city is quite a lovely place- wide traditional streets and handsome French buildings. We've been eating lunches and dinners at a pleasant little French restaurant up the street--and eating breakfast in a lovely garden courtyard of a hotel across the street from the Caravelle.
A senior military adviser from the province around Saigon drove us out to a hamlet last night on the edge of the city. Members of the popular self defense forces were standing guard on every corner. Most of them were young- 16 or 17-- and armed with carbines (something new since TET, when VC overran the hamlet). Then we drove out to a strategic bridge over the Saigon River where some VC activity was suspected. Another key bridge closer to Saigon had been mortared the night before. I was impressed with the caliber of the UN troops we met- there were 35 on duty, on the approaches, on the bridge, under the bridge and on the shores.One of them dropped an explosive charge into the river for us. They are dropped periodically to discourage the VC swimmers from approaching the bridge. The blast rattled the bridge.
The road to the bridge was lighted- as were most of the homes along the way and I felt about as safe as driving through East Middlebury.
There have been no rockets here since I arrived, though there were some on Monday morning-- one of which hit a hospital a couple of blocks from here. We drove over to another part of town Monday where one had hit a crowded working class neighborhood -- and killed several people.
Today, there was a Buddhist funeral procession past our hotel with seven caskets. But it wasn't much of a demonstration if that's what it was. The boy scouts on Monday were cleaning up the ruins of the blast site while the neighbors just stood around. I took this to be an indication of the nature of Vietnamese society.
More when I get home.
Love to all,
Leonard
Hotel Caravelle
Saigon
Dearest Ann,
While Ron writes a story, I'll get off a short note. We're on the sixth floor of the Caravelle overlooking part of downtown Saigon and directly overlooking the National Assembly. (which has a patch in its roof from a rocket hit last spring). Despite the news of last week, Saigon seems more secure than I had believed possible. The war seems both near and far. U.N. troops and police are at most intersections, many of which have sandbagged posts. At night, there is a constant overhead rumble of artillery fire. From the roof of the hotel on Monday night at midnight we watched a helicopter gunship send a stream of tracer bullets into the terrain 5 or 10 mines away, and last night we could see artillery shells exploding on the horizon. The sky is lit with flares over suspected VC positions and helicopters are constantly circling at night.
But life goes on here in the city in an unwarlike way. The streets are jammed with shoppers--many of them well dressed-- and the stores are well stocked with merchandise--TV sets, imported clothing from France and Italy etc. The streets are jammed with cars and motorbikes all day-- but after midnight are empty because of a curfew. The daytime noise level from the traffic is horrendous.
The city is quite a lovely place- wide traditional streets and handsome French buildings. We've been eating lunches and dinners at a pleasant little French restaurant up the street--and eating breakfast in a lovely garden courtyard of a hotel across the street from the Caravelle.
A senior military adviser from the province around Saigon drove us out to a hamlet last night on the edge of the city. Members of the popular self defense forces were standing guard on every corner. Most of them were young- 16 or 17-- and armed with carbines (something new since TET, when VC overran the hamlet). Then we drove out to a strategic bridge over the Saigon River where some VC activity was suspected. Another key bridge closer to Saigon had been mortared the night before. I was impressed with the caliber of the UN troops we met- there were 35 on duty, on the approaches, on the bridge, under the bridge and on the shores.One of them dropped an explosive charge into the river for us. They are dropped periodically to discourage the VC swimmers from approaching the bridge. The blast rattled the bridge.
The road to the bridge was lighted- as were most of the homes along the way and I felt about as safe as driving through East Middlebury.
There have been no rockets here since I arrived, though there were some on Monday morning-- one of which hit a hospital a couple of blocks from here. We drove over to another part of town Monday where one had hit a crowded working class neighborhood -- and killed several people.
Today, there was a Buddhist funeral procession past our hotel with seven caskets. But it wasn't much of a demonstration if that's what it was. The boy scouts on Monday were cleaning up the ruins of the blast site while the neighbors just stood around. I took this to be an indication of the nature of Vietnamese society.
More when I get home.
Love to all,
Leonard
Thursday, January 20, 2011
When the cold winds blow it's time for soup...
When tonight's wind chill drops to -25 below, I'll be cuddling up to a thick bowl of split pea and ham soup.
This thick, delicious, very filling soup not only will make your kitchen smell irrestistable, it is so easy that it practically makes itself!
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion
2 cloves garlic- minced
2 carrots- diced
2 stalks of celery
1 large potato diced
1 lb. ham diced
8 c chicken stock
1 lb. bag dried split peas
1 bay leaf
pepper
Rinse peas.
While they drain, heat oil in large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
Add onion and cook until just tender.
Stir in garlic and ham and cook for 2 minutes.
Add chicken stock, peas and bay leaf.
Pepper to taste. (I don't add salt because the ham has more than enough in it)
Cook over low-medium heat for 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.
Add the carrots, celery and potato and cook for 45 min more until the veggies are tender.
Remove (and compost) the bay leaf , ladle up and be happy!!
This thick, delicious, very filling soup not only will make your kitchen smell irrestistable, it is so easy that it practically makes itself!
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion
2 cloves garlic- minced
2 carrots- diced
2 stalks of celery
1 large potato diced
1 lb. ham diced
8 c chicken stock
1 lb. bag dried split peas
1 bay leaf
pepper
Rinse peas.
While they drain, heat oil in large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
Add onion and cook until just tender.
Stir in garlic and ham and cook for 2 minutes.
Add chicken stock, peas and bay leaf.
Pepper to taste. (I don't add salt because the ham has more than enough in it)
Cook over low-medium heat for 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.
Add the carrots, celery and potato and cook for 45 min more until the veggies are tender.
Remove (and compost) the bay leaf , ladle up and be happy!!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Learning Channel
Here's a copy of the letter I sent to TLC a few minutes ago.
After many years of enjoying many shows on TLC and a general live and let live attitude about programming that doesn't interest me, yesterday's events in Arizona have driven me to ask that you cancel Sarah Palin's show.
Her (and others) endless violence filled rhetoric and mis-stating of facts, while not solely responsible, has most certainly contributed to a national climate that culminated in the shooting of the congresswoman and killing of many innocent people yesterday.
TLC used to stand for The Learning Channel, (maybe it still does even if people don't refer to it that way much anymore) and it seems to me that this is the perfect opportunity for you to live up to that name and put human decency before profit.
It's probably too late for tonight's episode but until Sarah Palin's show is cancelled, I will not be watching any shows on TLC or any of your affiliated networks, including Animal Planet, any Discovery Channel, The Military Channel and all the rest.
I will block all these channels so no one else in my household can watch them either and I will tell everyone I know exactly what I've done and why and ask them to join me.
Thank you for your consideration.
Now I know that this is only my opinion but if you would like to make your voice heard please feel free to by going to TLC's customer relations at:
http://corporate.discovery.com/contact/viewer-relations/
After many years of enjoying many shows on TLC and a general live and let live attitude about programming that doesn't interest me, yesterday's events in Arizona have driven me to ask that you cancel Sarah Palin's show.
Her (and others) endless violence filled rhetoric and mis-stating of facts, while not solely responsible, has most certainly contributed to a national climate that culminated in the shooting of the congresswoman and killing of many innocent people yesterday.
TLC used to stand for The Learning Channel, (maybe it still does even if people don't refer to it that way much anymore) and it seems to me that this is the perfect opportunity for you to live up to that name and put human decency before profit.
It's probably too late for tonight's episode but until Sarah Palin's show is cancelled, I will not be watching any shows on TLC or any of your affiliated networks, including Animal Planet, any Discovery Channel, The Military Channel and all the rest.
I will block all these channels so no one else in my household can watch them either and I will tell everyone I know exactly what I've done and why and ask them to join me.
Thank you for your consideration.
Now I know that this is only my opinion but if you would like to make your voice heard please feel free to by going to TLC's customer relations at:
http://corporate.discovery.com/contact/viewer-relations/
Thank you.
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