Snow Snow Snow! ! ! ! !

This has been a most snowy month...January 2011 will be one to remember with 2-3 storms a week, each dumping 8-14 " of snow. With no melting inbetween, we're buried. Under this snow is a rail fence and a picnic table....we'll find them in April.

Fortunately, we've not had much ice. All of these most recent storms have deposited a very fluffy dry snow, easy to push away...and we have a great neighbor who clears the driveway in exchange for some fresh baked goodies...not a bad trade.

We're cookin' up here

Up north....yeah, sure. New England is cooking in high 90s, maybe even 100 today. Add to that the high humidity that we are accustomed to in the summer, and this is not good. I was ousted from the sewing room by the heat by 9 am today...sewing machine didn't like the heat, either, and was acting-up. So, I shut it down, and am isolated in the one air-conditioned room...a bedroom. This is worse than winter as far as isolation is concerned. Of course, I could get into the air-conditioned car and go to an air-conditioned mall...that just doesn't seem like fun to me....not my "MO". A good book, a tall glass of iced-water, and a comfy chair in the bedroom...that's where you'll find me today.

Beth posted directions for adding a signature to your blog! I jumped on this right away...it's so neat. On My Live Signature, you can choose from dozens of fonts, sizes, and colors to create a snazzy signature to add to your blog or email! Just follow the directions to convert to HTML, and copy the HTML code. Sign into your blog on Blogger, click on Settings, then Formatting. Go to the bottom of the page, and paste the code into the Post Template box. Then Save. That's it. Every time you start a new post, the signature will already be there. Try it!

Garden woes, again :-0

Something is eating our garden...still. Today, when dad went to pick peas (we have 2 long rows of peas, all had been dripping with pods), EVERY single pod had been stripped open and all the peas eaten from them. The pods are still there. We haven't seen any animals around the yard, can't imagine what would open pods and eat only the peas. I reported earlier that all cucumber plants had been eaten when just about 2 inches tall, all the flower seedlings that I had planted from seed had been eaten when they were about 2 inches tall, and all of our carrots, except 1 were eaten. We got one small serving of Swiss Chard...all the rest succumbed to whomever is dining in our yard. We have no tomatoes this year...victim of 'the animal' and blight. What's left? The butternut squash plants are doing well, but I'm worried about the squashes as they begin to develop...they, too, are vulnerable. I'm puzzled. Guess our attempt at reducing the summer grocery bill has been for naught.

Bon Voyage

Giulia is leaving us today...her flight from Boston is at 6 pm, but STS has asked that she be at the terminal at 3. She's packed (jam-packed is the real description) without a single inch of space left. How does anyone pack up a year's worth of memories, gifts, and the stuff she originally came with?
Yesterday afternoon lots of Giulia's friends stopped by to say their final farewells. Of course, tears welled up in everyone's eyes as they promised to stay-in-touch. I kept reminding them how easy it is for them to do so...they really have no idea of the letter-writing days of yore, when you posted a letter that took 2 weeks to reach a European destination, and 2 weeks more for a return letter. Nick had just such communication with friends when he was here 18 years ago. Nick spent every day at the post office sending off more letters, and was on a first name basis with all the PO staff. I don't think Giulia has stepped into the post office even once all year, although I've shown her where it was.
Giulia, Adriana and I went to Boston via train yesterday morning to attend to some official business concerning certifications of her academic records at the Italian Consulate Office. There, Adriana got a small zip-lock bag of shredded currency...at the Federal Bank, where the Consulate Office was located.
On Monday, we 3 went to Southwick's Zoo. We had perfect weather and spent nearly all day there, rode the Skyfari and the Wonderland Express. We saw lots of baby animals, and saw where the zoo is building a large natural habitat for the giraffes (each year they add another natural habitat to the area). Giulia's year in Mendon is now officially complete. She quips that despite our small town size, it took her a full year to explore its entirety.
So, now it's off to Boston and Logan Airport. Thanks for the memories, Giulia. We'll miss you!

Garden woes :-(

We've had a perfectly lovely spring...gardens were planted way earlier than usual, and the weather has continued to cooperate. I planted 4 packets of flower seeds (nasturtium, zinnia, wild-flowers and asters) along the side of the house. The seedlings popped up and were looking sooooo good. I was anticipating a floral blanket for the summer until some varmit chose those little sprouts for dinner this week. Apparently, it's a rather small animal for the spikes of the stems remained standing without a single leaf. I therefore discounted deer, woodchuck or rabbit. Can't imagine what is doing this.
Now, the vegetable garden is doing no better...the critter has eaten ALL the swiss chard, cucumber and carrots. Didn't touch the squash or potatoes. That, along with lettuce, is about all we're getting this year.
Black bears have been sighted in several towns in our area, including Rock Meadow Road (the next street to ours). Articles in the paper keep warning home-owners to take down the bird feeders...the bears love the seeds so pull feeders over and devour the seeds. Also, everyone is warned to keep a tight lid on trash cans. I doubt that will stop them from getting into trash cans...I keep remembering the sights and sounds of the campgrounds when animals visited everyone of the trash cans at the road-ends of the sites after dark. Lids or not, they got in. One part of me wants to see one of these bears, another part of me says 'no thanks'.

Graduation Day yesterday...she did it!

We had a nice family/neighbor gathering in Giulia's honor last evening...the weather cooperated, and while much of rest of NE experienced thunder storms (some pretty violent), we escaped with just cloudy skies. Today she and Domenico's family (host and Venezuelan) have gone to Boston for a day of sight-seeing. They (Domenico and his parents) leave tomorrow for an east-coast trek (NYC, DC, and inbetween). Dad and I expect a down-in-the-dumps teen for the rest of the week...it's hard to let go of so many good friends so suddenly.
With all the highs of this week activities, today is a 'crash'. It's all over. She must now pack up her belongings and a year's worth of memories for a trip home on the 16th. Among those memories are many 'firsts'...first ride on a yellow school-bus, semi-formal dance, proms, limo rides, school cafeteria lunches, NYC, Boston, etc., etc. Schools in Italy have no extra-curricula activities like we do...sports, music, drama, clubs, proms, or even graduation. On the last day of school, they simply go home...no fanfare.
This is a link to Milford Daily News coverage of NRHS graduation. Projections for upcoming classes range from 200-250 over the next 5 years, forcing changes to graduation venue...gym won't be able to accommodate that number of graduates and families anymore. Woe to our small town :-(
I keep reminding Giulia that she is very fortunate to live in the world of instant communication...with video MSN and Skype, she can stay in constant contact, something our former exchange students weren't able to do. One of her NRHS friends is traveling to Rome this summer for a 2-week visit with Giulia. Another friend and her mother are planning to visit Giulia next summer, and Domenico and his brother are planning to spend next summer in Italy (they have relatives in Italy. Domenico's grandfather immigrated from Italy to Venezuela in the 30's, similar era to Tony's arrival). She has those visits to look forward to.