Ron resting his eyes

This is Ron taking a Sunday afternoon nap a.k.a resting his eyes.  That's his treasured E-reader lying on his chest waiting to be powered up again.  To be fair we were all eager for a snooze after an afternoon of yard work the day before helping a friend tame his overgrown garden.  We kill a bunch of birds with one stone when we help out since any company is appreciated.  As we pulled away from Farshad's house after several hours of clipping, weeding and pruning Troy said "Well that was fun".  Ron and I looked at each other in surprise both hoping the same thing.  Our son is beginning to derive pleasure from serving others.  What a wonderful thing.  It's almost to good to be true.  And it was.  Turns out it was the pizza that was fun.  Oh well.  He did help willingly and cheerfully.

potpourri

I had good intentions of posting regularly but the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.  My sincere apologies.  September of course, is the start of the school year here in the northern hemisphere and so all our activities and routines are well and truly under way. 

I spent a couple of evenings cleaning out my cabinets and re-configuring the storage of my dry goods due to an infestation of weevils/moths/caterpillars.  I didn't think you wanted an up close shot of the rogues who  had partially munched through cashews, almonds, chickpeas, northern beans, the list goes on.  The rascals even emerged from a sealed bag of flour when we opened it.  Fortuitously, Mr Pest Man, who comes quarterly to spray the property, was there the morning after I had cleaned out my cabinets.  "Get your super duper caterpillar killer spray right this way without delay and blast those little blighters" I said.  Which he did.  Well, to be honest, by this stage, the blighters were nowhere to be seen as the cupboards were all clean but I bet they are lurking somewhere.  I'll keep you posted. 

Today was the first cold blast - 11C this evening - cold only in comparison to the temperatures we have been experiencing.  The weekend is supposed to be fine again.

I have a busy piano teaching schedule this year.  Among others, I have one very mature pupil who is not a beginner but who I am very proud of for resuming lessons after many many years.  I haveseveral new students in addition to most of last year's students. 

I had quite the vacation from Latin over the summer since my teacher was away biking for several weeks.  Alas, I am paying for it, struggling to recall things as quickly as I might.  At the beginning of the summer we had launched in to indirect statements.  Thus far, it's the most complicated part of Latin that I have experienced.  It's all blood, sweat, and tears.  The internet is no help since no website can adequately instantaneously translate a sentence or phrase.  Speaking of Latin, since I have class tomorrow night and I still have plenty of homework to get done, I had better get on to it.  Love to all.

Labour Weekend 2011

The official end of summer in the U.S is marked by Labour Day each year.  This holiday weekend Ron and Troy went camping with Peter Tomassi and his boys and a bunch of his school friends and children.  The location was Lake George in NY state about 4 hrs drive away.  We've camped in picturesque places but Ron claims this to be the most beautiful campsite to date and one we must return to as a family.  It is an island, so what you don't put into the boat, you have to do without; insect repellent for eg. although apparently the bugs weren't too bad.  If you can tolerate being without a hot shower, or flush toilet, then this is the place for you. 

Meanwhile, I was back in Brookfield holding the fort.  All was quiet on the western front - we do actually live in western CT - very quiet, with just Tammy and me.  She must have been enormously relieved when she saw all the bags being packed that all three of us weren't abandoning her.  As she gets older she becomes quite forlorn when it becomes apparent we'll be away for some time. 

On this particular weekend I thought I would break with tradition and lock the front door since I was home alone.   After all, variety is the spice of life.  Friday afternoon after painting the deck a good part of the day I was ready to wash up the brush and roller, grab some leftovers and head off to my Latin class.  The way I had painted the deck was down the stairs and away from the back door so that I could make my way around the house, back inside through the front.  You probably already guessed the inevitable.  The front door was locked, the back stairs were freshly painted.   Thankfully, the ladder reached a piece of railing which I could maneuver myself onto and prise the back door open without stepping onto the wet paint.  Phew.    

You guessed it, still at the Cloisters

 Troy in silhouette flanked by some pillars.  That's my open handbag with contents partly spilling out.  'Nuff said. 

 Notice an irony in the window?  Troy did and so he took this picture.

I could wax lyrical about the abstract artistic qualities of this shot; actually it's illicitly taken, with a flash and because I did it with a guilty conscience while the guard's back was turned and therefore in a hurry, the camera moved.  It gives you an idea of one of the inside rooms though.  And here endeth the photo essay of our wonderful visit to the Cloisters Musuem in NYC recently, a treasure trove of ancient art and sculptures.

We're still at the Cloisters

 Hi I'm Ron and I love having my photo taken. 

 Remember how Troy had run out of juice? 

 It could be Rome.  We can thank John D Rockefeller for all his greenbacks.

This museum has about three courtyard gardens.  So I'd have one for coffee, one for afternoon tea and one for lunch.  I guess I'd have to double up if I wanted to have dinner outside. 

 Metal trash cans almost sully the ambience of the medieval atmosphere. 

 This would make good sleeping quarters for the Waltons with all those upstairs bedrooms.  I can't figure out  the significance behind the opaque window though.  Maybe it's where misbehaving monks go for time out.

 This is a herb/medicinal garden overlooking the Hudson River with a monastery feel to it.

 Another aspect of the herb garden; surprisingly some of the plants were poisonous.

 This is the sort of courtyard I wouldn't mind having to drink my coffee in each morning.

How about the other side for afternoon tea.

Visit to the Cloisters Museum in NYC

Just don't look too closely and it's a really nice picture.  Troy looks as if he's run out of juice.