Christmas memories 2

During my walk, I saw a good number of Christmas trees that had been set at the curb.
Wow, for sure, Christmas is over. It's just a memory now. But a good one. I went to church, and I was able to sing. That meant a lot to me because, just two weeks earlier, I couldn't even talk. My doctor said that I would be able to sing by Christmas, and she was right.
I didn't believe her at first. I wasn't sure that I would live to see Christmas, much less sing.
I am grateful to have survived the pneumonia.
But, when my head was fogged up by fever, I was able to think about what kind of country I live in...
not a very compassionate one... We now have 50 million people without any health insurance at all. We have many more with inadequate health insurance. I have some coverage, which is good, but it's not enough.
I wondered... would I be sent to a hospital? How would I pay the deductible? I'm a free-lancer. If I don't work, I don't get paid.
Apparently, the U.S. government has plenty of money for war, but no money to make sure that all Americans have adequate health coverage for both routine care, serious illness, and long-term care.
Lots of money for killing...
Not much left for healing...
So... it's really up to people to try to maintain their health as best as possible. Of course, it's hard to avoid all of the viruses and bacteria and germs that float around and get passed from person to person. There is also little that one can do about genetic conditions. But... it is possible to make healthy lifestyle choices... exercising, eating a healthy diet, not smoking... These could make a difference.
So... recently, we had a January thaw, and I managed to take walks on both days that the temperature was over 55 degrees F (12.75 C). Actually, it got quite warm, nearly 65F (18.33 C), and, for a short time, the sun even came out. That was one heck of a bonus in Western New York.
So... back to the Christmas trees... tossed out... in the past tense...
But this one was the funniest... with the toilet next to it.
Oh, I had to take a picture. I couldn't resist.
Out with the old???

Jamie

This is my nephew, Jamie. He is a freshman at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He likes boats, a lot.
I have two nephews and they both like boats, a lot.
There is something about the water that must attract people. I know that I like the water and I like boats... but, for me, the seasick remedy must come before I get onto the boat!!!
Jamie is a rower. He's a member of the freshman lightweight men's crew team at Cornell University. Recently, he spent a lot of time with his team, at crew camp in Florida.
When he's not rowing, he can be found on his bicycle, going up and down those steep Ithaca hills. Perhaps the Tour de France is in his future???
Could I be a bit biased.
What??? His aunt, biased????
Naaaah.

Devin

This is my nephew Devin. He lives in San Diego, and he is an engineer. He likes sailing boats a lot. He has this giant boat that he has been working on rehabilitating. One of these days, he is going to live on the boat. I am looking forward to seeing this boat.
Devin came home for Christmas and the new year. None of the family had seen his beard and mustache before he came for this visit.
When my dad saw Devin's new look, he said, "What's that?"
Devin said, "Hair."
They then debated on whether Devin's facial hair qualified as a "goatee" or as a "Van Dyke."
Apparently, a "Van Dyke" ends with a point, so the beard is probably a "goatee."
I won't comment about the lack of point because I don't want to make... um... pointless comments...
Never mind.
Devin's girlfriend also came to visit, but she arrived after Christmas. Her name is Kathleen, or Kat for short. She lives in Los Angeles, and is a student in a physical therapy program. Unfortunately, I failed to take her picture so that means that she has to visit again!!! She and Devin are the same height (far taller than me!) and kind of look alike.

Christmas memories 1

It has now been nearly a month since Christmas, and more than two months since I last posted in this blog.
Much has happened during that time. I embarked on a nightmarish journey through the world of illness, and I nearly found myself on the other side of the River Styx. Perhaps I dipped my toes into the River Styx. I don't know. My head was light and woozy from fever and my world shrank until all that was left was inner space... the world of imagination, dreams, and fuzzy, undefined images. One night, I had this dream:
I dreamed that I was standing at a parking lot, near a big body of water. I did not know where I was. I saw my father sitting in the car. He was reading a newspaper. He asked me when I was going to use my boat. I said, now. I thought that it was kind of late, but I didn’t say anything about it. I took a boat from the trunk of the car. It was deflated, sort of like a raft. I knew that I had to re-inflate the boat, but I didn’t think that I could because I didn’t have enough air.
I sort of woke up and started coughing. When I stopped coughing, I was in the boat, which somehow had gotten inflated, but I didn’t know how. So I started paddling in the boat. I saw other people in other boats and I saw houses and places that looked familiar. The lights from the houses and places shone in the water, and I paddled toward them. I could hear meows and voices. But the harder I paddled, the more distant those things became. I knew that either they were real or I was real, but I wasn’t sure which was which. They disappeared and I sort of woke up and started coughing.
When I stopped coughing, I realized that I was still in the boat and that I had done nothing but paddle around in circles in a very tiny area. I came back to shore and my dad saw me pulling the boat behind me. He said, you can go out again. Why don’t you ride in your boat. I looked at my watch. It was nearly midnight. I said that it was nearly midnight. He said, oh, it’s too late. The boat got deflated and ended up in the trunk of the car, but I am not sure how that happened. I didn’t doubt that it did happen because I knew that sequential time was not a factor in Feverland. So my dad drove away, and I started coughing again, and was never sure whether I was in the car with him or not because, when I returned to my dream, I was back in prison.
A correctional officer told me that I had to go to my room right away and get ready for the count. I thought that something was wrong with this and that the prison was not real. The CO told me that I’d better hurry up and get to my room or I would get handcuffed and taken to the SHU. I said that I couldn’t do that until I found my boat again. And then, the prison and the CO disappeared and I was back in the boat. I was not surprised because I knew that the prison was not real in this Feverland. This time, the waters were very choppy, and I nearly capsized. I went back to shore and my dad told me to go back out in the boat. I said, no, the water was too choppy, and all vanished, and I woke up, coughing.
During the time of my illness, my mind took my back and forth in time... back to prison, and forward to the fuzzy, unreal future.
The second antibiotic did the trick, and I recovered... slowly... and, a month later, I am still recuperating.
When I felt better, my parents took me to the mall, where I saw kids on a carousel and large teddy bears, all dressed up and moving. I took pictures of the bears, and they are depicted here.

Planting Trees in Grand Island

November 10 was tree planting day in Grand Island. The town had received grant money to purchase the trees, and the town's Conservation Commission had spent a good amount of time discussing what kind of trees should be planted and where the trees should go. The main stipulation that was given was that the trees had to be planted on public property. One of the members of the Conservation Commission, Rochelle Smith, had recommended that the town use the "bare root" method in planting trees. Rochelle knows a good deal about this because she is an expert in planting trees. She teaches horticulture at Finger Lakes Community College and she is a certified arborist.
The bare root method is a technique of planting trees that anyone can use. You don't need to have heavy machinery to dig up and lift gigantic root balls. You don't need to have crews of city employees to use the heavy machinery. All that you need are a bunch of enthusiastic volunteers and someone, such as Rochelle, who is an expert, to give instructions.
For more information about the bare root method, take a look at http://www.hort.cornell.edu/UHI/outreach/pdfs/bareroot.pdf
This is a big, eighteen-page document that tells you everything that you might want to know about the bare root method of planting a tree.
In a nutshell, here is the abridged version. The young tree is dug up and all of the dirt is shaken off of the roots. Then the roots are soaked in a gel-like substance, called a hydrogel dip. This helps the roots stay moist, which is essential to keeping the tree alive. The tree must be planted in the ground within seven to ten days of being dug up and its roots soaked in the hydrogel dip. This is the main disadvantage of the bare root method. If the weather turns frightening or if something happens that prevents the planting from occurring, the trees could die. But this method definitely has its advantages. The tree is light enough for small people to carry, unlike trees that are transplanted by the "ball and burlap" method. This is the traditional method of transplanting trees. A machine, called a tree spade, is used to dig up the tree. Unfortunately, this often results in damage to the young root system. With the bare root method, there is much less damage to the roots when the tree is dug. Once the tree spade digs up the tree, the root ball is wrapped in burlap. There is a good deal of dirt around the root system, which results in the tree weighing anywhere from 100 to 300 pounds!
Well, that's a good deal of weight! I was looking forward to fun tree planting, not to weight training with excessive weights! But, generally, the "ball and burlap" method can be used only by city crews with heavy machinery and lots of equipment. But, because these roots are sitting in a lot of dirt, they can sit around for long periods of time if untoward weather conditions occur.
Fortunately, no unpleasant weather conditions occurred on November 10, when the tree planting was scheduled.
In all, sixty trees were planted in Grand Island. These included crab apple trees, Japanese Tree Lilacs, white oaks, and others. They were chosen because they could survive in Grand Island's clay soil. The white oaks were chosen because of Grand Island's history of white oak trees. In the nineteenth century, Grand Island was a heavily wooded area, with many white oak trees. Unfortunately, by the end of the nineteenth century, the white oak trees had all been cut down. Much of the lumber was sold to ship builders, who built clipper ships, some of the lumber was used to make wine barrels. The Whitehaven Road Sawmill was where the wine barrels were made. These wine barrels went all over the world.
It was Mary Cooke, the town board liaison to the Conservation Commission, who told me about the clipper ships and Nicole Gerber, a volunteer at the tree planting event, who told me about the wine barrels. I wonder if any of the wine barrels or clipper ships are still around because it would be interesting to see them.
Mary Cooke and Rochelle Smith told me that they were very happy with how the day's tree planting went and that they are looking forward to future tree plantings. The next tree planting should be held early in the spring, while the trees are still dormant. Rochelle told me that trees have to be planted while they are dormant, which means when the leaves are off them. That way, you get the best results. And the best results are important to Mary, who told me that Grand Island planted 150 trees during its sesquicentennial five years ago, but that forty of them died. She said that, this time, she is hoping that the trees "survive and thrive, as opposed to hang out and die."

tree planting demonstration

Pictured above: Boy Scouts clearing dirt from a hole in front of the public library and Rochelle Smith instructing volunteers on the how to plant a happy, healthy tree.

Before any of the volunteers got started in their activities, Rochelle Smith demonstrated the proper technique of planting a tree. Everyone crowded around her, and she asked for Boy Scouts to help her. The young men were very eager to volunteer and it wasn't long before Rochelle was surrounded by enthusiastic Boy Scouts with shovels.
She repeated the demonstration twice so that people at each of the two sites (Town Commons Park and Veterans Park) could get the benefit of the instruction.
Rochelle and a group of Boy Scouts started the demonstration by showing a hole in the ground that town employees using a stump grinder had dug in advance of the event. Besides the hole, there was nothing in the spot but a small white flag. That little flag was used to match with a little tag on the tree. That ensured that the right tree was planted in the spot. Rochelle explained that each of the sixty trees that were to be planted “were chosen because they met the site requirements. They were the right size and shape. They were chosen because they could withstand the soil and, if they were close to the road, they could withstand the salt” used on the road during the winter.
During training sessions that were held in town hall in advance of the tree plantings, Rochelle said that trees had to be carefully chosen for the places where they were to be planted. Things such as location and soil conditions were very important considerations. If a tree that tended to drop a lot of fruit were planted close to the road, that might not be a good thing. People generally do not tend to appreciate their cars getting bonked with over ripe fruit while they are out for a drive. Pedestrians also do not appreciate getting beaned by over ripe fruit while out for leisurely stroll. There is something about an attack tree that does not encourage relaxation and leisure. I for one do not car to have the experience that Dorothy did in The Wizard of Oz when her picking apples caused the apple tree to yell at her and her three companions and to start throwing apples at them. But, I digress (my best skill!). Anyway, in Grand Island, the condition of the soil is also something that has to be considered in choosing trees. Grand Island's soil contains a large amount of heavy clay. Some hardy tree species do well in this type of soil. Other trees need a different type of top soil.
There is a definite technique to planting a small tree that will grow up to be a big, strong, and happy tree, able to give shade and to replace the oxygen that we use just by breathing. Rochelle mentioned several things that tree planters needed to look for to make sure the tree that they planted had a good start in life. One was to check that the hole was the right size so that the tree would fit comfortably without damage to its roots. That could be done by laying the shovel over the top of the hole, with the tree standing in it. If the "root flare" (The widest part of the trunk that is closest to the root system) is standing above the hole, then the hole is too shallow. If the root flare is lost in the hole, then the hole is too deep and some of the dirt needs to be put back into the hole. If the root flare is even with the shovel handle, then the tree is in the right position to be planted. The second thing to check is to make sure that no part of the root system is left bare. If the root is not in direct contact with the soil, it gets no water, and the tree could die. Rochelle emphasized that volunteers make sure that the tree is straight. After all, we don't want any trees to resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa! “We want this tree to stand up by itself,” she said.
Rochelle also emphasized that it is necessary to consider the tree’s appearance from the viewer’s perspective. “Some trees aren’t going to have branches all of the way around. You want the pretty side to be toward the viewer. So look at your space.” Once the tree is planted and the pretty side is facing the street or the walking path, stakes are placed in the ground, and the young tree is tied to the stakes. Those stakes stay in the ground for two winters, until the tree has grown strong enough to stand on its own.
With that, the volunteers were turned loose to plant their own trees!!

crab apple and white oak

Nicole, Caitlin, and I planted two trees on November 10. One of our trees was in front of the fire hall. Above, you can see Caitlin clearing dirt away from the hole that was made for the tree that would go into that spot. That tree was a crab apple tree. Crab apple trees are good trees to plant in public places because they have beautiful white blossoms in the spring. The fruit that they produce is small and somewhat tart and good for applesauce or apple crumb cake or eating or other cooking and baking purposes. I like to walk through parks and pick and eat the crab apples in the autumn. I'm always happy to help myself to a treat when I'm out for a walk!
Caitlin was a very energetic tree planter. She is a fifth grader who says that she likes to play softball and that her favorite position is short stop. She also likes to read and she says that she loves her teacher. She said, “I’ve planted plants with my grandmother. This is my second time planting a tree. The other time, I only had one small tree that I planted. This is more fun because it’s a nice tall tree. The other time, all I did was put some seeds in.”
Nicole is Caitlin's aunt. She works as a fund raiser at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. When she's not working, she likes to plant trees. She helped plant trees on April 27 in downtown Buffalo , with the Re-Tree WNY effort.
Re-Tree WNY was started in November 2006 by a group of 40 individuals who wanted to replace the approximately 30,000 trees that were lost in Western New York during the "October Surprise" storm of 2006. That organization has encouraged communities with matching grants to hold tree plantings. A number of suburban communities, including Grand Island, held its tree planting on November 10. Nicole said that her family has lived on Grand Island for generations and that she wanted to help give back to the town that has been a home to her family for all of these years.
Once we were finished planting the crab apple tree, we went to Town Commons Park, in front of town hall and planted a white oak tree. By this time, we were experienced tree planters and it took us less time to plant that nice tall tree. Its pretty side, of course, faces the street. Above, you can see the three of us posing with our white oak.
For more information about white oak trees, take a look at http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=35

Beaver Island State Park

On the first of November, I decided to take a walking tour to Beaver Island State Park. Well, actually, my mother suggested it. I had been spending a lot of time at my Big Media Job. I've been writing the police blotter for both the Island Dispatch and the Niagara-Wheatfield Tribune, which is always very entertaining. Cops get called for the goofiest things: hit and run drivers vs. mailboxes, drunk guys in parking lots flinging shoes at vehicles, drunk guys pushing cars down the road (if you push the car, you don't get arrested for drunk driving), huge deer being spotted near the road (and then mysteriously vanishing), stray dogs who are obviously "in love" trotting down the bike path, spackling in the road (which the cop moved, leaving the cop car a mess that couldn't be cleaned), and more. I also had been busy on the politician beat... interviewing candidates for county legislature, attending and writing about the debate between the county legislature candidates and the town supervisor candidates. So, it had been a busy time, and my mom and I agreed that a good long walk would be the best way for me to relax.
November 1 was a beautiful autumn day, and I headed down the bike path toward Beaver Island State Park. Of course, as always, I had my trusty digital camera with me. I purchased that camera one year ago, and I am glad that I did. I have enjoyed taking pictures where ever I go, as a reminder of my adventures. The photographs tell a story, even without the accompanying words. When I was in prison, I truly missed that camera.
I walked all of the way through Beaver Island State Park, past the beach, the golf course, and the boat launches. I walked past River Lea, the summer home for President Grover Cleveland. That was a good place to take pictures, and they are below.
I am hoping for a few more good days, before the snow flies, when I can go out and take long walks and have some more adventures.
Until next time, here's Beaver Island State Park.

Storm Damage at Beaver Island State Park

The damage that the October 2006 snowstorm wreaked is still apparent in the trees of Beaver Island State Park. It has been thirteen months since that storm, but I will never forget the startling sight of tree limbs, overburdened by the weight of 24 inches of heavy snow, crashing to the street, onto telephone and electrical wires, onto cars and houses, and anywhere else that gravity took those tree limbs. Many trees had to be cut down after the storm because the damage was too great. Some of the damaged trees survived, although limbs were cut off from them. Those empty spots tell the story of that disastrous snow storm that occurred in autumn, well before the leaves would have changed color and fallen off the trees on their own.

original gate to River Lea

This was the original gate to River Lea. It was restored to Beaver Island State Park and is now the entrance to the trail that leads from River Lea to East River Road.

entrance to River Lea

bench at River Lea

This bench was placed directly outside of River Lea.

Grover Cleveland

President Grover Cleveland had the unusual distinction of being the only president who served two non-consecutive terms. He was elected for the first time in 1884. He was also a bachelor when he was elected but he remedied that situation by marrying 21-year-old Frances Folsom. That was another unusual distinction for President Cleveland. Very few presidents get married in the White House. I would suggest, however, that the White House would be a great place for a wedding because, not only can the couple enjoy the actual marriage ceremony in the rose garden, there is plenty of space inside (or outside) for a wedding reception... complete with the best chefs. And then, the happy couple can get on Air Force One and go someplace tropical and private (a south sea island, perhaps?) for a romantic honeymoon.
But I digress. Anyway, back to Grover Cleveland. He had spent much of his life in Buffalo, first as an attorney and then in various public offices, including mayor. Prior to being elected president, he was governor of New York State. It appears that President Cleveland suffered from the Al Gore syndrome in the 1888 election. He won more popular votes than did his opponent, Benjamin Harrison, but he received fewer electoral votes. There is no indication, however, that dead people in cemeteries voted for President Harrison, who was the grandson of President William Henry Harrison. President William Henry Harrison had the dubious distinction of serving as president for the briefest amount of time of anyone. He was president for something like a month before he died of pneumonia. He was replaced by Zachary Taylor, who had a long military record and was called "Old Rough and Ready."
So... Grover Cleveland... he was elected again in 1892, after a forced hiatus of four years.
He probably spent some of his time in his summer home, called River Lea, which is now located in Beaver Island State Park at the southern tip of Grand Island.
I took a walk to Beaver Island State Park and had a good time taking photographs of some aspects of that house. The Grand Island Historical Society now has its headquarters at that house, and I look forward to visiting one of their open houses and, of course, taking pictures.