All posts by johncohn

Wednesday late night – train station

Long story.. but too tired to tell it right now. Had a great day.. I attended
an all day meeting with about 120 friends.. and it was face to face.. the way it
should be. We had soem great speakers… got to socialize..  really enjoyed it
Around 7 I drove down to have dinner in Brookklyn with Max and his roomates.. It was
so great seeing him !… I was goign to spend the night.. but my complicated plan for tomorrow morning (more on that tomorrow) .. made staying there too tough.. so instead, I drove back up to Beacon NY.. am now sleeping (>) in the parking lot of the train station.. As I said.. I’t s a long .. but so far really fun story. I  have pictures.. but given that it’s very late.. I’ll have to upload them later.

   One thing I do want to do tonight is announce our Halloween party. This is a long standing semi-tradition. We’ve had this party on an doff for years.. we’ve not wanted to feel forced to do it every year.. but it has brought the community together. Given that this would have been Sam’s Senior year in high school (it is so strange typing a sentence like that ). We wanted to have the party for his friends.. before they go off to college.. I think that will be good for Sam’s friends and for us.. So…..announcing:

Saturday, October 24, 2009

7:00 PM

 
Dance Party with DJ Sum1

Come in Costume !

(zombie theme always works)



Kids and Parents welcome

Please bring spooky food,

non-alcoholic drink

and food bank donation


The Mariano-Cohn Family

Old Jonesville Schoolhouse

20 Duxbury Rd, Jonesville, VT


Carpool if you can, limited parking


Info:  434-3576 / diane@gmavt.net

Setting up the house for the party and cleaning up is  big deal.. so this year we’re also asking for help..   We’re having several workpartys

Halloween Work parties. Thank you, in advance, for any help you can provide   Here is a general list as to what and when we could use some help.  Please consider coming by and helping, even if it is just for a short bit. 
 
This party could not happen without all of your energy.  Let us know when you can help
                    
Saturday 10/17 – Time:  10:00-2:00
 
–       Major furniture moving
–       Lights
–       Cobwebs  (real ones down, fake ones up)
 
Friday 10/23 – Time:  10:00-2:00
 
–       Final furniture arranging
–       Set-up & decorate barn music space
–       Clear out non-essential house stuff
–       Take down trampoline
–       Set-up outside stuff
–       Pumpkin carving
 
Saturday 10/24 – Time:  10:00-2:00
 
–       Clear house for party
–       Final walk-through of all areas (safety, lighting)
–       Set-up food area (tables, paper products, drinks)
–       Music all set to go (barn & house)
 
Sunday 10/25 – Time:  10:00-2:00
 
–       Clean up (floors, barn, yard & neighbors)
–       Put furniture back together
–       Put yoga space back together


Again thanks in advance for your help in making this years party memorable.. Ya’ll come.. and please come and help !

OK.. time to sleep.. more adventure tomorrow.. Nite all. Nite Sam
-mc

Monday night – (IBM) I've Been Moved

There was a day when the initials ‘IBM’ were said to stand for “I’ve Been Moved”.. but those days are gone.. everyoen works virtually somewhere in cybersace. I still cling to the ancient habit of having an office ina  a building with real.. or at least mostly  real.. people also work .. Today I was evicted from my current office and made to make the exodus across the river to the main site I didn’t do anything wrong.. it’s just that IBM will be leasing the building I’ve been in for the last 17 years. .. come to think of it.. my office has been within a few yards of this spot since 1982… that’s (gulp) 27 years !.   Believe it or not.. my current job is the only job I’ve ever had.. or even applied for as an adult..  how’s that for another outmoded custom..

Anyway.. you can sure collect a ton of stuff in that amount of time.. Two offices worth actually. and today I had to box all of it up and label it for shipping a quarter of a mile away in essex.   First came the relatively easy part of dismantling my office.That took less than an hour..  Noting too fancy there.. the only interesting things are a 1 ton chunk of granite which I use as my desk and a really cool hand painted Adirondack chair which Max made.  


Here’s another tidbit.. my name has never appeared on my door while working at IBM.. I always pt word magnets on the door so folks can find me.

Next came the huge challenge of packign up my spare ‘office’ .. it’s the place I keep my science equipment.. there’s literally tos of stuff in there in addition to the equipment there are all my old textbooks, graduate notes. posters, knicknacks. etc.. I did a thorough cleaning of that today.. through out a whole bunch of stuff. 

It was hard throwing some of this stuff away.. but what can I or anyone I know do with any of this.. I thanked it all for its service to me and all the kids I’ve worked with then tossed it in the garbage..

I found the box with my other diploma in it , too !

I als found lots of pictures of and by my kids…
Again.. no day goes by with out a few moments of feeling that painful pull on my heartstrings.. surrendering to what now is…

Here’s a great picture of Sam and Gabe.. (where’s the picture of Max ? Somewhere in that same  box I hope !)

Packing took another 2 hours.. but I managed to stay busy  as I did it.. so not much time lost..

Around 6 I headed over to the haunted forest to see abotu getting the pumpkin guy up and running. The Haunted forest is running a little slow this year.. We’re going to have to get this guy up and running by this Friday if they’re going to be able to great the haunted forest goes next Thursday !

Everything looks miraculously clean and in order !

Hey big guy.. good to see you again. can’t wait to see you thrash !

How all your pneumatics are still working.. we’ll see on Friday !

Well.. my pneumatics are slowing donw now.. time for sleep.. More tomorrow.. Nite folks !.. Love you Sam !
-me

Sunday night – dark glass

What an incredibly beautiful day !  Though it

started rainy, the day blossomed into one of those days that makes your

heart stand still.. Beautiful blue skies, brilliant leaves, clear

air… I only need one day like this a year to remember why I live

here. It filled me up.

    Diane and I decided to make the

most of the day and head up to Richford to See our friends Lucy and

Victor.. and friend Beckett who’s up visiting from… (where ? .. Ct ?)

Lucy, Beckett and Diane are old yoga buddies.. all limber and grounded

people.. So we did what grounded and limber people do when they

congregate.. we took a hike… !.

Lucy

and Victor live in a beautiful place in Richford right on the Canadian

border.. by right on.. I mean that you can walk out their back door and

into Canada.. If you don’t get caught by one of the patrol

helicopters..  

As illustration, the pond is in the US.. the trees behind are mostly in Canada..

Our

hike took us down a sunny road past some ponys that had recently moved

in with Lucy’s neighbors. (n-n-n-n-neigh-bors !) Their previous owner

was very ill.. and had not been able to care for these guys.. as a

result their mains were now in dreadlocks.. a cool look for them !

We

squished through some wet fields to a VAST snowmobile trail.. then out

into some brilliant pastures.. it could not have been more beautiful..

of course… it’s hard to capture on a small camera that is covered by

dust from the crud in your pocket.. but here’s my attempt.

Here’s victor, diane, becket and Lucy ..

 I found this sign pretty funny..  

I

enjoyed looking down as much as I enjoyed looking up.. we went through

patches of mostly brown leaf litter.. then mixed red, orange and

yellow.. then mostly yellow.. .. the soun and smell is uniquely fall.

I put a samstone in a tree with a nice leaf backdrop.. Being in the woods always makes us feel closer to Sam..

We lost the trail, bu tcame upon and abandoned orchard.. Great sweet apples.. just watch out for the works !

I picked up some Styrofoam litter on the ground .. Diane said I looked like mosis coming down from the mount.

Whadaya think ?

I mentioned that we were right on the boarder.. so

close, that I couldn’t resist the ourge to cross it.. several times.. I

think you can get arrested for doing that.. but.. 

Diane suggested it would be a good place to put a samstone.. in the no-man’s zone between the two countries..

Here it is.. my left foot is in canada.. my right in the US.. now.. how do I put that on my map ?

We headed home around 4… here’s camels hump as we began the drop into Richmond where we live..   What a great day…

We had a wonderful surprise waiting for us when we

came home. Our friend Peter had sent us a song he’d written as part of

his song writing camp this summer. It’s about Sam’s passing.. It’s a

really beautiful piece…  It means so much to me that he’d write this

for Sam.. and for us.. it’s called.. Dark Glass…

Dark Glass by Peter B.

(for John)

All the Things that

men & angels said

Crowding up

inside of my head

Since that day when charity failed

Your life it

passed before mine

You flew

right out of time,

left a lonely nest in my heart

What I know now,

I really didn’t know then

I’m looking through

A dark, dark glass

You’re the one who

played so fast

no idea,

How long life could last

Are there no more wise words to say?

Put away,

Those child things cause I

Can’t believe

In angel wings.

why’s it hard to see your face?

Or say it all

With one embrace?

What I know now

I really didn’t know then

I’m looking through

A dark, dark glass

Your old pictures

All in a blur

Like a game

where it’s always your turn

All the things that must be said …

http://samstones.org/music/darkglass.mp3

Thanks you Peter !  Our friends are just so wonderful…

OK.. time for bed..  
Nite everyone.. hope you’re enjoying this beutiful fall !..
Nite Sam
-me

Saturday night – Attics of my life

Today was all about the attic. Diane and I were up at seven ready to attack the attic.. we finally gave up at 8:30 this evening.. not defeated.. but still far to go.  Our house makes cleaning up there an adventure.. If you haven’t seen our home.. it’s 4 floors tall. the Attic is on the third.. about 40 steep steps from the first.   I gave up counting how many trips up and down I made today.. Luckily we had great helpers in Gable. Dylan. Joe, Kevin and Devon. // Many hands make light(er) work to be sure..


 I’ve been looking forward to and dreading this day for a along time. We haven’t really cleaned the attic since Sam died.. That’s not surprising.. we don’t clean it often.. it’s huge.. so it can take a long time to mess it up.. but mess it up we did..    Lately it’s been hard to walk from one end to the other because of all the memories crammed up there.. It’s a great metaphor for our own hearts and minds… Lots of clutter…   with some useful bits sprinkled in. Occasionally a surprise.. either pleasant or heartbreaking..


Here are all the red bull cans that Sam and I had been saving to make something out of. I got an idea today about what to do with them.. Watch this space.

Signs of Sam and our life before are in every corner. My heart was in my throat all day.. but I have to say.. it felt good and clearing to be doing this.Everything I handled was like a prayer… a letting go.. It was natures course.   In fact I didn’t cry at all.. until… …….. just now…   Oh…… hang on….

The day did have its bright moments..  wish you could have all been here watching us convince this old couch to go downstairs… straight out of three stooges…

Another funny story.. I had put a box of books out to be given away.. Diane noticed one of her school yearbooks in it.. so I took another look.. Good thing.. In addition to Diane’s year books.. there was my thesis, my dad’s thesis, two books I’d written and my  diploma…   I looked at it .. and realized I probably haven’t seen it in 18 years..since I got my degree    it’s been buried in this box ever since … pretty funny.

I also found two film cameras.. one was one of the kids.. We’re going to have the film processed.. who knows what story those pictures might tell…

Well.. I’m worn out for the day.. I’m going to bed.. I’m going to try and get this song out of my head.. it’s been there all day…. one of my favorite songs but.. around the 100th time I need a break..


Grateful Dead – Attics of My Life

In the attics of my life, full of cloudy dreams unreal.

Full of tastes no tongue can know, and lights no eyes can see.

When there was no ear to hear, you sang to me.

I have spent my life seeking all that’s still unsung.

Bent my ear to hear the tune, and closed my eyes to see.

When there was no strings to play, you played to me.

In the book of love’s own dream, where all the print is blood.

Where all the pages are my days, and all the lights grow old.

When I had no wings to fly, you flew to me, you flew to me.

In the secret space of dreams, where I dreaming lay amazed.

When the secrets all are told, and the petals all unfold.

When there was no dream of mine, you dreamed of me.

Nite everyone.. Nite Sam.. thanks for helpign with the cleaning…
-me

ps. Just got this fab picture of sister mary and john’s kids Ellery, Jake and Theo.. Cute.. no ?