Monkeys and Wrenches and Things That Go Bump in the Night

Life is nothing if it is not interesting.
It's what caused the original thought that Life is a Classroom, I'm quite sure.
Some think - tho' how they can retain the thought - that Life is a straight road...cradle to grave.
But my observation leads me to believe that Life is actually a sightseeing tour. It doesn't go straight anywhere except, perhaps when it is during the last couple of weeks of school, in a hot, airless classroom in the subject you like least. That's a straight road, as I recall...straight, boring, nightmarishly mundane and mind numbing.
The rest of it is up steep mountains, on the edge of a cliff with no barriers, then down pits sometimes with no brakes. It goes through places of beauty that take your breath away. It continues into the darkest night, no lights, no guides that you can see...only taken on Faith.
And Change. Oh my, there are changes, sudden S-curves with no idea what lies ahead and no idea what might be coming at you from the other side.
I think the only constant is the assurance of the Love of God. He stays right there, in the seat beside you, He has the map, He has the charge card for more "gas", He's been there before and whispers encouragement and direction.
You can just hold on to the wheel, keep an eye focused upon the point of light ahead, even if you have to pretend to see it, one step, one inch, one mile at a time
and the next thing you know,
you've lived a life!
We are in a state of changes now, we are both in some upheaval, and it is weighing heavy on our hearts. He is about to retire. I am about to be married to someone retired. My place of work is something like a smelting furnace right now. Souls and minds and hearts are being tried. I am mostly a silent observer, but the sparks and danger threaten me, so I walk carefully, love as best I can and come home spent.
Thank you God, for Your place in the seat next to me. I'll always try to feel your arm, thrown, like a mother's, across me when the big turns, stops and starts occur. And know that I am loved, and I am Living Life.

Stuff Happens

Life happens when you are busy planning something else.
Friday morning I had just got settled at my desk, was getting computer started, sorting some paperwork and my phone, set on vibrate, went off.
I generally get one phone call, at lunchtime, from hubby. No more, usually. No less.
I checked.
A text message.
I read it.
“Hey Beautiful hope ur having great week.”
Middle son.
I wasn’t planning on floating on air.
But it happened.

We've Reached the Core of the Apple

Saturday dawned cool and sunny. Although we had a paid pass for the tour bus again, Lar was most excited about the upcoming Tartan Day Parade. He’d brought along his tartan vest and trousers and was set to be on hand for the festivities. After another EuropaCafe breakfast, we chatted with a NYC cop who filled us in on where to be and when to be there and then we strolled a bit, enjoying the sun.
We crossed the street to Rockefeller Center, headed for the “Top of the Rock.” While on the top, with the incredible view, we met a number of folks from around the world, including one gentleman now from Australia, but upon hearing him speak, we knew that was not his homeland. He confessed to being from Scotland and his last name is Davidson – no doubt a relative! He hadn’t known about the parade, and when Lar told him about it, he and his children were really excited to attend. It was so clear, we could not have had a better day for this visit to the Rock.
After all that fresh air, we toured the interior of the building until 2 PM which we’d been advised to be on hand for the parade at 6th Ave.

The parade was such fun. We were standing curbside when a lady approached us with a Scottish flag, commented on how great Lar looked in his tartan and gave him the flag for us to hold over the police barrier. We were honored to do so. All of New York was Scottish for a couple of hours that day…. every tartan you could think of was represented, Scotties, pipers, drummers – and lots of cheering. Finally we saw the MacKays represented…one lone lady…when we shouted “Clan MacKay!” she waved – I think she was a bit taken back and pleased that we pronounced it correctly!
At the end of the parade, following three women on horseback were representatives of the NYC Department of Sanitation. They were just quietly walking along and it struck me how important their job is yet no one was paying them any mind. I began to applaud and call out and at once, Lar and then others picked it up and you could hear them being hailed as they proceeded down the blocks. They were smiling and bowing and feeling pretty good about themselves. I loved it! “Guid fur them.”
After the parade we walked up 6th Street to 52nd Street and walked about a block and one half to Gallagher’s for an early dinner. Again, a recommendation by our dear friend Bill, Gallagher’s is an old-timey steak place….if there should be any doubt, check out their entrance….front window and as you walk into the restaurant….meat, meat, meat…hanging inside a windowed refrigeration room….very unusual. Bill’s Grandfather’s picture hangs along with what must be thousands throughout the restaurant, and since we’d no idea where to look, we probably didn’t see him! Lar loved all the old baseball players’ pictures around him….perfect table for the man. We had a very leisurely meal, savoring every bite.
We enjoyed our stroll back, and lingered around the skating rink, soaking up the atmosphere, hoping to have it last a while once we’d gone home the next day.
In the morning we had a buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant and took a bit of extra time to enjoy the view…stepped out onto the open air area to snap a few photos…and then the sad task of packing up to leave.
We were advised to go up to 5th Ave to get a cab, which we did. We got one immediately, and our driver was a young man who, we were surprised to learn has only been on the job one month – he was expert at NYC traffic!-and he is in this country going to school. And so we were summarily dropped at Penn Station where shock set in. We’ve sent a few guests off on the train, with directions on going to Penn Station for the return trip, but we never had any idea what we’d sent them to! The place is just chock-a-block with people, very little in the way of signage…we felt like we might never figure it all out. A kind stranger almost immediately noticed and on the run directed us to the ticket seller we needed. But then after we had the tickets, we found the muffled announcements impossible to understand, and none of the posted departures looked like the one we wanted. Again, from out of the blue, a lady next to us said – on the run – “follow me, that’s where I am going!” I don’t know where we’d be – so often – without that famous kindness of strangers. And so we got onto the train, were lulled almost to sleep and before we knew it, were back at our car and on the way home.
Lovely trip.
Can’t wait to go again.
It has become almost cliché to hear of the indifference of New Yorkers. You hear that too about the Scots and the English. Lar and I have yet to be convinced of this….we’ve had total strangers come out of crowds like emissaries, bent upon assistance to us, and while we know the personality of crowds can take on a mindless sense of purpose – getting where they are going, focused on some distant point, those same crowds are made up of mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles….people who actually care, people who have a heart. They are good and decent and we don’t ever forget each and every one of them who have leant a hand, a kind word, a thoughtful gesture. You know who you are, out there, and we love you!

A Tough Nut to Swallow

I have finally finished reading the book to which I referred some time ago, given by a friend. The title of the book is A Change of Allegiance and it was written by Dean Taylor. Quoting from the back cover: "Dean..and his wife were both in the U. S. Army when they realized that, as committed Christians, they had to come to grip with the questions What should a Christian do with Jesus' words "love your enemies? Is it all right for a Christian to go to war? and Doesn't a Christian have an obligation to defend his country? In a new and sincere quest for truth, they were determined to follow Jesus Christ under the banner "no Compromise." As they began to search the Scriptures and church history, they came to the startling discovery that the Christian Church originally was uniformly opposed to Christians going to war or joining the military."
I have always been conflicted about this theme. Knowing in my heart that I believe we should not inflict harm on one another. Knowing that war in any form is wrong. Knowing that hatred between us is wrong. Yet, coming from a family of people who have proudly, obediently and bravely gone to war to protect our nation and our freedom. My father beached on Normandy. My Uncle holds a Purple Heart. My brothers were in Viet Nam, one of them, too, holds a Purple Heart. Knowing that on 9-11 my heart and mind raged against the "enemy" and I would have done anything at all asked of me by my country on that day.
Deeply held beliefs on both side of the coin.
I have a few of these...and I lightly dabble from time to time in thinking about it, chasing my tail, so to speak....this, no that, no this.....and coming up with no way to come down definitively on either side.
That's why I simply hated beginning to read this book. I knew it might make me decide. And I knew that wasn't going to be easy.
The book is actually a good read. It's the journey on which it takes you that is difficult.
Have I come up with an answer for myself?
Yes.
I have made up my mind that the type of Conscientious Objector to which Mr. Taylor refers is absolutely the right thing.
I have made up my mind that few people (I believe) can ever be exactly that kind of Christian.
I believe that those who can are truly blessed.
I believe that if, tomorrow, everyone reached that state, our civilization would be gone. In fact, no doubt, "most" civilization would be gone. And we would have to be "okay with that."
Because after all, we would have reached our allegiance with God. We would have saved our souls.
But as I don't think that will ever happen.....then I believe there must be no hope at all for the rest of us.
Am I sorry I read the book? No, not at all. It stretched my mind and my heart. It got me thinking hard about the questions he raises, and the questions he caused me to raise. I'd recommend anyone read the book. But be prepared to come face to face with hopelessness. Futility. It's all or nothing at all. Christianity is not for the faint of heart, dear ones. Not at all.

Long Story of a Big Apple

I realize our trip to the Big Apple is taking up a lot of words, it's a long read....but I won't apologize...you see at the end of the year we decided to have my blog to that date printed into a book. Turned out to be a nice thing, we think, to put aside for maybe a grandchild or two to read some time in the future. So I figure I might just as well include lengthy thoughts on our experiences, which you are free to read, skip or skim. Enjoy our pictures, or just wait for a shorter post.....meantime, hang on....here's more of wonderful New York City.

Back on the bus, we had a new guide, a gentleman about our age, funny and much more informative. When he found out where we are from, he talked a lot about the way it used to be here, lot of the clubs and restaurants he once visited. He is a history buff, partial to Teddy Roosevelt, and told us he once played the part of of that great man in a History Channel movie. He really looks the part!
When we asked about making it to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, he advised against trying it that day, it would be pressing to try to make the last ferry, and would give very little time to really seeing it all. So we opted to leave that for another day.
One of the first sites that was significant to me was Carnegie Hall where my distant cousin and piano teacher, Olive Cox had one time played. A bit later, we saw Madison Square Garden, and childhood memories flooded back of my Grandmother, Mary Davis taking me on the bus to see the circus, the Greatest Show on Earth there, sometime in the 50’s. As we passed along, the guide told us of the impending closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital. He appeared to have some strong emotions about the closing, talking about the hospital’s history up to and including the many who had been taken there after September 11. He pointed out the memorial of tiles at Greenwich and Seventh Ave. South which is said by some to be New York City’s last remaining spontaneous 9/11 memorial. There are hopes that these tiles will some day soon have a permanent home – safer and more secure than a chain link fence.
The tour took us past Chelsea, through the West Village, I believe that is where we saw the restaurant The Garage, recommended by our friend Bill for live jazz, (we hope to make it there next time), onto Bleecker Street, through Soho, Tribeca and we got off at the site of the World Trade Center in order to pay our respects.
On the way to the site, we passed a small jewelry store obviously having a sale. As we neared the door, a man stepped out the door and our eyes met. He walked over to us and said, “this is my store. I am liquidating.” We both tensed, preparing ourselves for the sales spiel, and ready to bolt. But that was not what he had on his mind. He proceeded to tell us he was originally from Nigeria (at least that is what we recall) and that he had married a woman from Georgia some twenty years ago. He had just read about a couple who were estranged, decided to try to work it out, and the husband ended up strangling his wife. He had picked us out of the crowd to discuss the state of affairs when one believes the best option is to kill, rather than just walk away. After a few minutes he asked me how long we had been married. When I replied 47 years, he gulped in surprise, and said there wasn’t much he could tell us. Then he gave Larry a business card, shook both our hands and we were off. I’d say “only in New York” but the truth is, we have had the strangest encounters in at least 5 countries. So maybe it’s “only on this planet” – but I doubt it.
I’d never seen the Twin Towers, but Lar had, in fact he had attended meetings in them. We joined many others who were walking around the area trying to get a sense of the scope of the tragedy, but there is little to see, as there are great barriers up surrounding the work area. But it seemed that we were not the only ones there simply wishing to pay homage to all of those innocents who lost their lives that terrible September day.
It was beginning to sprinkle, so we decided to get back to the tour bus stop and perhaps get an inside seat below. As we turned the corner, one of our busses was waiting and Lar approached the driver’s door to ask about inside seats. “Go back!” Extent of conversation. We were sitting up top, like it or not. Turned out it didn’t rain much, and while it was chilly, we were comfortable. One lady getting off at a stop said to me, “you are so smart! I am freezing!.” Glad again for the winter coat.
We drove through the financial district, along the seaport past China Town, Little Italy – the East Village, the United Nations – I’d hoped to get Lar there, too….got to be more trips to New York! … and finally we disembarked at Rockefeller Center, just about a block from the hotel. We stopped in a wine store for a bottle of wine for the evening and then went back to our room to freshen up.
That morning we had seen Heartland Brewery on the way to Time Square and had already determined that was where we would eat dinner. Just a short walk from the hotel, it turned out to be a great choice. I had veggie casadias, and Lar had a burger. He also ordered a “Round the World” beer sampler. I had one of their ales. Good beer. So good, in fact, that Lar asked about buying some to take back to the hotel. Only came in ½ gallon bottles…..hmmmm….no problem! We got one. Our server could not have been more gracious nor more attentive, food was good, ambiance fun….absolutely worth a visit.
On the walk back to the hotel, we discovered that one of the giant buildings now stands in the spot where Toots Shore’s once stood. We were there many, many years ago when that was a real “happening” place….brought back memories….Lar had been in the city on business, my Mom had come to take care of the two older boys and I caught a bus to go up too. Since the room, Lar’s meals, etc., were paid for, it was a good way for two pretty broke people could take the trip. We saw Fiddler on Broadway, and ate at Toot’s. Very cool.
Back in our room, Lar was carrying the ½ gallon of beer and said, “look, Pat might have a new baby, but I have one too!” I had to catch a picture of that! Also sent it to our kids!

More Bites from the Big Apple

Friday morning dawned an entirely different kind of day. While Thursday had been really almost too warm, Friday was cool and overcast - occasional sprinkles keeping you guessing.

I was so happy to have had to cart my winter coat around on the train and getting to NY because on Friday I really needed it! We set out to find breakfast and maybe just a block away we went into EuropaCafe. What a great choice! The employees are very accomodating, if they have it, they'll make it, however you want it. I opted for yummy, crunchy whole grain toast with two scrambled eggs, Lar had a delicious omelet with smoked turkey, mushrooms and American cheddar cheese and some of his own whole grain toast.

When I went to sit down, I discovered someone had left their pocketbook by the chair....one of the young men working there immediately remembered who was sitting there, ran out onto the street and located her - returning her property. So much for all the nasty stories one hears about the city. There are still beautiful human beings living among us....just don't get the press.

After a really good breakfast was under our belts we set out to get our tickets for our New York 2 day bus passes. Continuing up 51st street to 7th we walked to Planet Hollywood near Times Square. While waiting in line, I received a text from our middle son, Mike, and we chatted about the new baby...he had sent a congratulatory text to his brother but wasn't sure he'd gotten it. I forwarded that message to Pat, and got to thinking about how much things have changed in the past few years....everything....or many things...have become so immediate...no wonder we hate lines....we are becoming beings who expect everything to be in the moment...and those waiting times are often the times when so many other, lovely things happen. "Slow down....you're going too fast......"

Once on the tour bus and in our upper, outdoor seats, I really started to feel the city....I was seeing so much that I have actually hungered to see for years. As I child, I don't really know how many times I had the opportunity to come to New York on school trips. One of my fondest memories was when our bus was driving through maybe Brooklyn and making its way through a very poor section of run down homes, the yards were nothing but dirt and litter and there, in the middle of all that was a little yard with one little rose bush, blooming with just two white roses. Even at that age that yard was significant to me....I saw the tender care that rose bush was receiving....I saw the beauty in the midst of dispair, and I wished with all my heart I could meet the person who was still hopeful. That moment has stuck with me for something like 55 years.

Our first guide, Derrick, was a young man with a terrific sense of humor, an amazing memory, but he was only slightly informative. Another bus passed us and he shouted hello to a gentleman on board, remembering his name, his city of origin, and noticed that his young son was there too, but on an inside seat. That impressed me, figuring how many people he sees in a day!

It was a fairly short ride, through the Garment District, past Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, Macy's block long store and Herald Square when we got off the bus near 5th Avenue to walk around the corner to the Empire State Building.

At this point, I must confess that I had a sinister (well, maybe not sinister, but certainly ulterior) motive behind my actions on this trip. While I have had a deep love of the city, my dearest life-partner has not. He has been reticent to be in the city and it was my goal to make him fall in love with it. I wanted to have him see the things I knew, to feel the pulse of the city, to know its history...I know him....I felt that he would want to come back if I got him "caught up." So while there were things I wanted to do on this trip, I was perfectly happy to make it about him this time. That way, I felt, we'd be back. So up the Empire State we went....me smiling because I knew this was the surest way to hubby's heart. It was so much fun watching him at each level walk around and see the city from above. He was pointing out buildings and areas he knew and lighting up with the experience.

We took lots of time, just enjoying the air, the views, chatting with people until we were ready to go inside. We then bought tickets for something we were both looking forward to, the NY Skyride....Lar had read it is something like "Soarin'" in Disney. Not. While it has a few moments of fun, it is absolutely not worth the $36 each....I'd pay $10 tops.....just a herky jerky silliness...got some good views....eh....not what we expected. After a nice little lunch in another EuropaCafe - really - highly recommend those little cafes for very reasonable, very good meals (lunch and/or breakfast) we went back to the bus stop with hopes of making it to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Dear Maddie, Part Two

So we made our way, meandering, back to the hotel, stopped in our room for a bit and then made our way back up to the Terrace. Pop Pop had a beer, but I opted for some ice water and we just chilled for a while in the easy chairs set about in front of a fireplace and TV. When the bartender came by, I asked him, "would you guess we are just having a grandbaby?"

He was so nice! He asked all kinds of questions, including what your name would be. I told him the Madelyn part, but as of that time, we didn't know your middle name. It was so nice to be able to share our news with someone who, despite not knowing us, seemed to care.

Back in our room later, our phones began to buzz wildly, and there...in all your beautifulness, was a picture of our newest grandbaby. We fell in love immediately, Maddie....and we will love you forever.