Tuesday night – blast from the past

I love when unexpected things happen to me..,., an I love how SN tools like Facebook ad Twitter help that sort of thing happened. A couple of weeks ago I reconnected with my friend John H. from High School He’s just retired after a long and distinguished career in the air force. . over the last couple of weeks we’ve been comparing notes on who we’ve kept up with and who we’ve lost track of.. and though that started to reconnect with even more friends from at least 35 years back.. (OMG !) So interesting to learn what people have done with their lives..

Today John surprised me by finding our HS graduation book.. something I certainly haven’t seen since the day I received it in 1977. Amazing how something like this can take you back..

OK.. I have a ton of homework tonight.. so more will have to wait until tomorrow
nite all, nite sam
-me

Monday night – Rosh Hashona 5773

Just back from a quick trip down to Boston to see my folks for Rosh Hashona, The Jewish new year. My aunt and uncle were visiting from ohio so it was a twofer ! It was a good visit. I hadn’t been to shul with my folks since.. hmmmm.. maybe since I was a kid.. We all got dressed up and headed to the synagogue. The place was huge.. so huge in fact that they actually had two sittings for the service. Ours was the later one.. which meant more sleep for me 🙂

 

The service was really nice.. I’m not much into organized religion these days.. but the service felt familiar.. it was weird dragging out my rusty Hebrew. but I found I could keep up fine. One of the bonuses of having80% of the service in a language you can’t really understand is that what you’re saying doesn’t necessarily have to interfere with what you’re thinking. Even so, i managed to keep my mind in a good contemplative place. The music was soothing and familiar and it was good to be there with my folks and my aunt and uncle.

The Rabbi did a good talk on the importance of mindfulness.. he mentioned that about 30 % of professors of Buddhism in this country are actually Jewish (an amazing number since only 2% of Americans are Jewish) . he mentioned the importance of meditation of being  present .. even of yoga.. he himself had just come back from several weeks at Kirpalu.. including 2 weeks of silent practice   His talk was wonderfully ‘out there’ for a upper middle class ,  reform new england congregation . I liked it !

 

After the service there were apples to greet a sweet new year..

then a quick visit to a nearby-ish Turkish restaurant before I got back on the road home

i said goodbye and got on the road about 4 ..it was great seeign my folks and my anunt and uncle..   a good way to start the year.

I worked the entire way home o the phone.. by the time I’d arrived home.. I had received more than 140 emails for the day.. and that’s after i got rid of spam.. ugh. .it hardly pays to take a day off.. I’ve made a dent in them tonight.. but tomorrow I start the day a little spiritually richer.. and a little further behind..

 

we;ll.. actually.. I’d say more than a little spiritually richer.. the day of contemplation really did me good. Hope the peace can make it through the week. We’ll see 🙂

Happy new year everyone.. I hope its a sweet one for you and your families

Shana Tova all, Shana tova sam

-me

 

ps. The Haftorah on this day is always the story of Issac.. The Leonard Cohen song about Issac kept going through my head.. So here it is to get it out of my head and into yours..

Sunday night (late) – Erev Rosh Hashona

Shana Tova everyone. It’ the start of the Jewish New Year.. I’m down at my folks home in Sherborn MA to see my folks and my aunt Sis and uncle Phil and to celebrate the new year.. I’ve never been very religious.. at the same time, i do enjoy the ritual of doing something that my ancestors did. it’s 5773 by our reckoning.. a long time to be celebrating anything..

 

We spent the evening hanging out.. tomorrow we’ll head to shul in the morning.

My mom cooked a really nice meal and we sat around and enjoyed the company..

The meal included 3 kinds of matzo ball soup.. normal with chicken.. for ma, pa and phil

vegi for me

and gluten free for sis.. now that’s service !

we also had gefillte fish.. not exactly the right holiday.. but I’m not complaining.. i like the stuff.. another guilty pleasure

finally we had apples and honey.. the traditional thing you eat on Roh Hashona..  it’s to give you a sweet new year !

it’s a sweet new year for me already. My friend Bruce called tonight to tell me that our friend Jim is now semiconscious and can respond to voice commands like ‘wiggle your toes’ . Its great news that he can hear an respond. It’s also pretty funny because it’s the first time that anyone can remember Jim following orders on anything ! 🙂 Seriously.. its’a great sign that he’s recovering.

after dinner folks took turns telling me how much I looked like my great grandfather (ok.. i sort of do)

and fooling wiht the huge bowl of reading glasses I found

and hanging with the mishpokhe (משפּחה)  which i roughly yiddish for your homies.

i wish you all a sweet and happy new year..

shan tova all..

nite all, nitesam

-me

Saturday night -not quite fall

first thing first. My friend Jim is improving  He’s able to open his eyes. when someone yells his name.. . but is not yet conscious. The docs are more optimistic now..  i’m goign to go down there either this week or next when he wakes up.

Cool and overcast day.. I’m much in need of a quiet day and pretty much got one. Gabe had a Soccer game in Colchester.. .. fun game to walk, but the team had their first loss of the season..  Funny seeing everyone on the sidelines wrapped in coats.. .. it’s that time of year where it can be 80 one day and 50 the next.. I love it.

 

we got hoem to find that Jen had dropped us a fresh batch of fired samstones.. good thing.. we’re getting low, she’s been so wonderful to help us make these things. It’s been an amazing experience putting them out in the world. What a great friend !

 

mid afternoon Diane, the girls and I go out in the woods. Our goal was to find the secret road we’d stumbled on to the other week..

After tromping through the woods following my GPS we came out on the mystery road..

we followed it for a bit.. then it hit me.. it was the other end of one of the logging roads I frequently run.. I felt a little foolsih for not having figured that out sooner.. but the mystery was solved.

it was a beutiful day to be out in the woods.. mystery or no.. The only precaution was that the dogs had on their hunter orange. It’s bear season now and we her gunfire throughout our hike.

we drove back down honey hollow bas our freind Ken W/s place.. it’s always worth a picture.. what a spot..

not everything was picture perfect today.. my shop was looking a  little shopworn..  i spent an hour shoveling it out to get ready for a final assaut on a musical project I’ve had cooking for awhile.

in my email the other night I got another hoop picture.. this was from my friend Rick who took the pic at Westfordpalooza the other night.. he retouched and mirrored it.. quite cool !

Ah.. one last thing tonight. The Champlain Maker Faire is going to be two weeks from today at Shelbourne farms.. I’m concerned we’re not getting the word out for it enough.. Have you seen/heard ads for it ? Please let me know if you have or you haven’t.. It’s going to be fun !.. please help me spread the word !

ok.. that’s it for tonight..more tomorrow

 

nite al, nite sam

-me