Young Liza
Originally uploaded by woodsrun

We had a grand time with old photographs while we were at Liza's Took pictures of images from a wide span of decades. I have the first picture ever taken of me, but it's not much of an image and you can't really tell it's me.

This is my mother, Elizabeth Firth. She was called Betty then. My father decided to call her Liza. I can see Henry's features in this pictures, maybe a little of me, and of course Jenica.

Favorite SR 8/07

Favorite SR 8/07
Originally uploaded by woodsrun

This is how I remember my father looking. Bowtie, sport coat--I remember that one specifically. I don't remember that his glasses were so geeky, but that was the fashion then. I remember him holding his Camels just that way, and the way he held them as he inhaled. This is Dr. Spaulding Rogers of Rockford College.

HGR hat

HGR hat
Originally uploaded by woodsrun

A really, really favorite picture of Henry. I wish I remembered him looking like this--all my images are based on photographs. My earliest memories of how he looked don't start until he was older, say 13 or so. That would make me 10.

NJ Christmas

NJ Christmas
Originally uploaded by woodsrun

Maplewood, NJ in some year during the early '60s. That was my maternal grandparents' house.

I'm engaged

I'm engaged
Originally uploaded by woodsrun

That's me in the handmade rocking chair my grandfather gave me as a wedding present in, say 1971 when I was engaged the first time. In 1969 Howard and I decided we would get married in 1972. I was 17. But we were really, really in love and very happy. Then I went to college and things changed.

HGR 1974

HGR 1974
Originally uploaded by woodsrun

My brother as a young man.

Cuties

Cuties
Originally uploaded by woodsrun

HenryMollyBetsy. I dare you to find 3 cuter children. We were happy and we were beautiful.

A pair

A pair
Originally uploaded by woodsrun

Yes, I can tell them apart. That's Tess on the left, Chances on the right.

Glued together

On top of 8/07
Originally uploaded by woodsrun

I ask you, are these not the most beautiful dogs you've ever seen?

Happy campers

group RI 8/07
Originally uploaded by woodsrun

Here's the group. We're all smiling because we're happy. This is the Spauling Rogers family, except for Enrico. There's Mark in the background.

Whew!
Back at home, back at work, hopefully pretty much back to normal. A few summer people still here but the crowd will thin by next week. Two dinner invitations on my answering machine when I got home last night.


I've just returned from Utica (central NY), from a conference of public library systems in NY. There are 22 of us systems and there were 115 people at the conference--director from each of the systems, for the first time in many, many years. Usually only about half or 2/3 of them show up so this was pretty cool. The rest of the attendees were consultants, people like me who do various things within the systems. I saw people I haven't seen in a long time and met some new people. Lots of the directors are people I've known for 20 or so years, who used to be Assistant Directors or consultants. Some of the directors are getting ready to retire. Most of the consultants are people I don't know. We had 2 really productive meetings of the Reference Consultants, lasting all morning on Monday. We had 4 excellent speakers who got me all fired up and have left me with a big wad of work to try to do for our little system in our little rural setting with our tiny little population. Marketing, communication, letting the patron's guide us so we'll be serving their needs. Blogs, better websites, letting member libraries and patrons evaluate databases, Facebook and this really cool online course that the IT person from Charlotte & Mecklenberg (NC) has put together. And a great formula to determine how much money's worth of service libraries provide in their communities. Like, in Suffolk County (Long Island) for each $1 spent on libraries there's a $4 return on the investment in terms of jobs created by construction of new buildings and additions, savings in use of free internet connections, free use of materials, etc. Of course, they paid $20,000 to a consultant for the full version--the formulas and abbreviated versions are available free online.


Then there was the tour of the brewery where Saranac beer is brewed. The tour was great, except it was after the brewery was closed so we didn't get to see the bottling part in action. Anyway, they gave us as much beer as we could drink while we had our social hour and waited for the other half of our group to tour (group too big to tour at once), then we each got a free 6-pack of beer or ginger beer or root beer to take home. Pretty cool, huh. I took Pomegranate Wheat, which was really good.

Julie and I roomed together, as we always do. Lots of conversation and laughing. The director told me I would have to drop her off at the airport, where her husband would drop off their car when he flew back to Alaska on Mond. morning. I assumed she meant Burlington, adding 2 hours to my trip home, after the 4 hour drive back to Plattsburgh, making it too late for me to pick up the dogs at the kennel. Half way back to Plattsburgh (during one of the 4 stops we had to make because the staff car kept overheating) I found out it was the Plattsburgh airport, which is on my way home. HOW EMBARRASSING! She couldn't believe I would ever think she would ask me to take her to Burlington. Well, woman, I'm used to a director who orders me around like a Philipino gardener, and if I don't do what she says the Board hears about it. So we laughed a lot about it, but I could tell it upset her that I would think that of her.

Anyway, I was late getting to the kennel as it was, 8:30, which is the latest Joan ever likes to have me pick them up. The dogs were great--when I dropped them off they pulled on their leashes, dragging Joan to the kennel building. Even though it cost $80, I didn't have to worry about whether they were suffering while being boarded--she has 3 fenced in acres and lets them run around with other dogs. Only my yellow Lab Emma (the grumpy one) burrowed under the fence. These girls are perfectly happy to be there.


Everyone's been busy writing about things like dreaming of Henry, which I often do. When I dream about him he's always fine and there's not that feeling that "you're not supposed to be here, you're dead." Molly once told me about a friend who had a dead mother and dreamed he got a phone call from her. He said "I can't talk to you, you're dead," and hung up the phone. Maybe that's a saner approach to dead people, I don't know. I have happy dreams about Henry, which I find comforting and sort of cheering.

Molly writes of memories--we spend a lot of time on reviewing our memories when we're together. My mother often used to say to me "It's too bad you only remember the bad things about your childhood." I guess I did say a lot of negative things, and now I have more pleasant memories I can report. There are plenty of unpleasant things to remember but plenty of good ones too. I remember ballet lessons with my sister when we were very young and how exciting that was, and I remember the horseback riding ranch we went to for a week, where we got to ride every single day and were responsible for saddling & bridling our horses. We reviewed the places we lived when we were all together, and that was a nice exercise. I remember the hours my sister and I spent running around on our stick horses in the parking lot of the funeral home we lived next door to in Urbana, Ill. Gee, I feel as if I should send this to my mother to show her that I know GOOD things happened to me.

I remember a lot of bad things about my marriage (which I WON'T recount here, you can all relax) and seem to have trouble pulling up the good things. Maybe that's a defensive device, who knows. I try not to obsess about it but I still fuss in my mind sometimes. That was a dozen years ago, but it lasted for 10 important years.

I read Dooce's blog about going back to L.A. and her feelings about the city. I have some of the same feelings about Rhode Island: it's where I grew up. I lived with a man for 4 years (and boy did I ever learn stuff from that relationship!). I earned my masters degree in a field I'd never really heard of, and got my first job in that field, discovering a whole world of wonderful work.
I started to define the sort of adult I would be. I watched my father die and mourned his death, dealing pretty unsuccessfully with my mother during that. I have many regrets about the way I handled that. I made some wonderful friends (only 2 of whom I keep in touch with, 20 years later). I got to work in the 2nd largest public library in New England, with 600,000 volumes and used to be an amazing place. I got to spend lots of time in Providence, a really cool city. I got to spend so much time at the ocean that I got sort of sick of it. I got to buy a lobster for $3 and have it for dinner when I was a poor graduate student. I discovered that I can live alone and enjoy it.

And now look where I am! I get to live in an even more wonderful place, I have really wonderful, lifelong friends, I have Ken's guidance and friendship, I have Fred to entertain me, I have this set of dogs for now and I know that when a dog dies you can replace it and survive the loss. I also know that the way I live my life is not dramatic or a big deal, it's just my life. We all life in places that present challenges. Right now my sister is facing a challenge that would be incredibly difficult for me to bear: 100-degree heat. I don't know what I would do in heat like that that lasted so long. I know I'd be cross and miserable. I suppose that's what people think about my -20 degree days, but I sort of enjoy them. They're beautiful and offer a lot to appreciate. Lucky thing we're all different. And have different memories, as hard as that can be.

Why would they want them in the Adirondacks?

Belching moose add to global warming OSLO (AFP) - A grown moose belches out methane gas equivalent to 2,100 kilograms (4,630 pounds) of carbon dioxide a year, contributing to global warming, Norwegian researchers said Wednesday.That is more than twice the amount of CO2 emitted on a round-trip flight across the Atlantic Ocean from Oslo to the Chilean capital Santiago, according to Scandinavian Airlines.

"An adult moose emits about 100 kilograms of methane gas a year. But methane gas is much stronger than carbon dioxide, so to get the equivalent you have to multiply by 21," professor Odd Harstad at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences told AFP.

With an estimated 140,000 moose roaming Norway's forests, that is a total of of 294,000,000 kilograms of CO2 per year.

But Harstad said that was no reason to begin killing off the entire moose population.

"Moose have very important functions in nature. They are ruminants that eat the grass. If we don't have ruminants, we have too much grass and that changes the landscape and has consequences for the flora and fauna," he said.

Harstad said the figure of 100 kilograms of methane gas was a rough estimate based on earlier calculations for beef cows in Norway.

As is the case with cows and other ruminants, methane is produced from the microbes in the moose's stomach which help break down the roughage they eat.

Because methane gas is stronger than carbon dioxide, it is considered even more harmful to the environment. Both methane and carbon dioxide are so-called greenhouses gases, one of the main causes of global warming.

Home again, home again jiggedy jig

I know Jenica and Molly have referred to our recent famliness, but none of us has had the time to go into detail. We had a great time together. I had more than 2 weeks off to spend with Molly, Liza and Anna, and we got to see Jenica for several days during that time. We spent time in RI and at Silver Lake. The weather was good, although it was really uncomfortably hot part of the time in RI. The solution to that is: go to the beach and swim in the ocean.


We spent lots of time at the beach and I swam in the ocean a lot. I like to swim in salt water, but I'm used to swimming in clear, clear water. It's important that I see my feet when I swim. Anna teased me when I talked to her on the phone after I got home and said they'd been to the beach and it was dead calm (just the way I like it) and crystal clear (just the way I like it) and you could see your feet. That girl is pretty funny.

Mark went to the beach with us and so did Liza a couple of times. It was great to have her there. We ate lobster, fish, bivalves and lots of pasta dishes. My poor sister--each year we ask her to cook pasta dishes night after night for dinner. It's such a treat to have wonderful, simple dishes like that, and she's a good Italian cook.

We cohabited in great harmony. I always marvel that we can fit so many people with such varied sleeping habits in the boat house, but it seems to work every year. I don't think it's easy for Jenica and Anna, who would like to sleep later, but they're nice about having us up early, moving around and making coffee. The lake was beautiful, Molly saw and recorded the sunrise each day, we swam a lot, docked a lot, and tolerated the 40 relatives who showed up for our annual meeting.

And now it's back to Hawkeye in August, which is a busy time. Linda and Erdvilas are here for 3 weeks, the Holts were here for a long weekend, my friends the Neels have been here for a month and various others are around. Last night I had dinner with the Holts, the first dinner party in their new house. Had a nice time and they were really proud and pleased. Tonight is Linda's annual Campfire, at which the daughters of a former camper (who was a movie "star" for a while and in her prime dated Christopher Reeve, even bringing him to Silver Lake) put on a show of some sort. Usually a portion of a musical. Last year it was a couple of scenes from Oliver. Not sure they've had time to prepare this year but I suspect they have. Anyway Campfire Night usually attracts a big crowd.

This weekend is Road Clean-Up and the Conservationists' picnic and meeting. yuck. I'm pretty tired of this group but I do think it's important to support a shoreowners' association. I've been secretary for probably 10 years and have edited the newsletter for at least that long. Linda is current president but can't serve another term and is having a really hard time figuring out who will serve next. NO ONE wants to do this.

Sunday I'm off to Utica (armpit of NY) for a conference--public library systems of the state. Always a good conference, used to be an annual thing but has sort of fallen by the wayside in recent years, so it's important to go. Will be back Tues. night, will board dogs for 3 nights, maybe 4. $100 or so. Who's got money for that? Someone else, not me.

Tess is suffering from her annual ragweed allergy attack. Uncontrollable scratching, poor thing. I took them both in for their 2nd anti-Lyme disease boosters last week & picked up prednisone for her but it's taking quite a while to kick in. Starting to see some relief at last. She had quite a social time over the weekend; I had reports from 3 camps that she'd been down to visit them and she was returned to the house by the girls who do the musicals, after going for a run with them (and their golden retriever named Athena).

Friday night was Big City Bingo, this year with a crowd of 40 (about normal). Nice time but it was really cold. The weather has been perfect late Sept. weather--yesterday it was 40 in the morning, didn't check today. Saranac Lake recorded 39 yesterday and was supposedly the coldest spot in the country. Dubious distinction.

And now it's time to wrangle with the Circulation Policy I was supposed to have it ready for the August board meeting (which was last night). I used vacation as an excuse, but now I have none and must proceed. It's hard to start these things from a blank page. Especially when you lack the motivation.

I just picked up some prints I had made--Molly and Liza went through a bunch of slides and family pictures while we were in RI. Some wonderful pictures of my brother as a child. He was really cute (so were Molly and I, but for he was really angelic). Also got some pictures of ancestors from a cousin, always fun to look at.

Can delay the inevitable no longer.

Geez--You'd think he would have been more careful, but he's obviously dedicated to his job

British dwarf's penis gets stuck to hoover

Mon Aug 20, 3:50 PM ET

EDINBURGH (AFP) - A dwarf performer at the Edinburgh fringe festival had to be rushed to hospital after his penis got stuck to a vacuum cleaner during an act that went horribly awry.

Daniel Blackner, or "Captain Dan the Demon Dwarf", was due to perform at the Circus of Horrors at the festival known for its oddball, offbeat performances.

The main part of his act saw him appear on stage with a vacuum cleaner attached to his member through a special attachment.

The attachment broke before the performance and Blackner tried to fix it using extra-strong glue, but unfortunately only let it dry for 20 seconds instead of the 20 minutes required.

He then joined it directly to his organ. The end result? A solid attachment, laughter, mortification and ... hospitalisation.

"It was the most embarrassing moment of my life when I got wheeled into a packed AE with a vacuum attached to me," Blackner said.

"I just wished the ground could swallow me up. Luckily, they saw me quickly so the embarrassment was short-lived."

Well fan me with a brick!

Karl Rove Directed Government Funds For Political Gain

That is the rather shocking revelation that comes out of a fascinating article in today’s Washington Post:

Your Score: Loner - ISFP

40% Extraversion, 40% Intuition, 46% Thinking, 46% Judging

Ahh...the sweet serenity. The utter perfection of all creation. The wondrous beauty of nature. The sweet sparrow singing along in the great orchestra we call life...

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? You're the type of person people always love to mock because they don't believe there's anyone ACTUALLY like you.

Do realise that you ostracise people with your behaviour or is it all subconscious? You're so quiet and reserved it's almost impossible to get to know you well, and when someone finally does, all you want to talk about is grace and beauty and harmony!

Ugh. Sure, you "genuinely care for others" and all that rubbish, but when it boils right down to the basics you take life far too seriously.

Throughout the entire test, I bet you were searching for "further clarification and hidden meaning" so that you might improve your pitiful life. And woe and behold if it betrayed your intense values system!

You need to STOP smelling the daisies. Believe it or not, logic does have a place in this world...imbecile.

*****************

If you want to learn more about your personality type in a slightly less negative way, check out this.

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The other personality types are as follows...

Pushover - Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging
Criminal - Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving
Borefest - Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging
Almost Perfect - Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving
Freak - Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging
Loser - Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving
Crackpot - Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging
Clown - Extraverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving
Sap - Extraverted Sensing Feeling Judging
Commander - Extraverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving
Do Gooder - Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging
Scumbag - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving
Busybody - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging
Prick - Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving
Dictator - Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging

Link: The Brutally Honest Personality Test written by on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

From cat via my sister.
Well, who doesn't know I've turned into a loner. And we all know there's no one like me--just ask ANYONE who's spent a few hours with me. Fred and Ken tell each other there's no one who has a bigger heart than I do, and that I'd give anybody anything they asked for if I had it. This surprised me a bit, but when I thought about it I realized it was true, and I was surprised anyone would conclude that, based on my behavior. Of course, I spend an inordinate amount of time with both of them and am always offering to help or give them something. I would do just about anything for anybody, and certainly I'd be happy to give away pretty much anything I own (except for my dogs)(and maybe my house--because, after all--where would I live?).

And my family has seen me stop to smell the roses many times, on our way to the beach from the car. The best smelling roses--rosa rugosa, wild ones growing by the beach. Plus the rose bush I have at my house, right at the foot of my deck stairs where you can't help but smell it on the way to work each morning when it's in bloom.

And who doesn't know I ostracize people--a great flaw of mine, come by it honestly, since I was trained by a master (my father). No matter how hard I try, it seems impossible for me to stop. "Oh shut up and stop it," I tell myself--and say out loud in the presence of others plenty of times.

OK, here's what's really, really wrong: QUIET AND RESERVED. NOT. Lots of times (though much less than most of my early life) I feel as if people don't know me, but that's certainly not because I'm quiet and reserved!

So did I stare at these questions and try to figure out what they really meant? Not really, except for the one about Who would win a fight, Winnie the Pooh or Elmer Fudd (well, really Winnie would) or Who's better looking, Donald Trump or Bill Gates (you have to admit that would be Bill Gates).

Who's calling please?
OK, I'm back.

News is:

• New manager at convenience store where I get my coffee every morning--I miss David but he's run off to be a corrections officer.

• House is now run by mice. They have established a village on my kitchen counter, complete with houses, garages, tiny automobiles and restaurants. So far score is: Betsy=2, Mice=too numerous to count

• Little Dog's ragweed allergy is going full bore. Cannot start prednisone treatment until tomorrow because she will become retarded or start to sing opera or something similar due to drug interaction with anti-Lyme booster she got on Monday

• Sister and Niece leave country today. Much sadness.

• Oh yeah--wonderful vacation. Film at 11.