Friday, September 11, 2009
Summer toil
The garage is virtually empty after a great tag sale last week end. A few last minute touches (paint the interior of the doors and windows, install the garage door opener, wash down the work benches), and we have our garage back. It was quite a summer. I learned a little about how insurance works (don't be shy about claims), about cleansers (some actually do clean soot better than others), about craigslist.com (you can really sell things there, but there will be a lot of junk mail beginning with "I too was down and out and had to sell things, and now I have some advice for you at www----"), about tag sales (no way to make a living, but a great opportunity to meet the neighbors). Soon, I will finish my original summer project- painting the house. I have an area the size of a coffee table to do. Where will I go on vacation?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Mower burns in my Garage
What a mess! I thought I had only lost a mower, but that was only a small part of it. The garage had to be emptied, power washed, sprayed with shellac. Much of the contents had to be tossed. It is a labor of love, and it has ocupied my life for the last two weeks, and probably the next two. More on this later... I am going out to the garage.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Easter Time,present and past
Yesterday, we drove through the Hoosick Street area of Troy to get to Schaghticoke where Jean and Bill now live. Our purpose was to deliver Bucellate, a traditional Easter bread that members of our family have made for the past one hundred years or so. The recipe changes with time. It came from my Italian grandmother who measured everything in handfuls, and pinches, and small amount, or a little bit, un poco. My mother sat at a table in her mother-in-law's kitchen and wrote down the recipe as it was being made.
Mom became the expert and we became addicted to the process and the tradition. We saw lots of eggs, flour, sugar, yeast ending up in a huge amount of batter that mom pounded and kneaded and tossed in our faces as we lined up along the edge of the kitchen table where she worked. The eggs were blown out, and the intact shells were colored to add to the array of hard boiled Easter eggs. The bread was distributed to relatives and friends, and lots of it was eaten by us.
Mary and Jean still make the bread using the time honored recipe, with a few tweaks. I, on the other hand, make the bread using a recipe that I found in a bread book. As I was growing up, I could not figure out how to spell the name of the bread. It always came out as "oogellah". None of my Italian studies permitted me see this combination of letters. Did it start with an "o" or a "u", or both. One Sunday afternoon, when Mom and Dad were visiting us at our home in Austerlitz, NY, we were showing off our new bread book. Dad leapt from his chair as were were riffling through the pages and cried out "Buccelad!", and there it was. The mysteries were solved: how to spell it and how to make it!
Driving up Hoosick Street further jogged my memory. When we were little, probably up to age ten or so, often on Sunday afternoon, Dad, George and I would walk from our house on River Street to Grandma Palladino's house on Sixteenth Street. It was up a hill, over a railroad bridge, past Clay Mountain, and a few more blocks to the house. We were always welcomed there. A pot of sauce was always on the stove. Dad's brothers and sisters were around. They always offered us ginger ale that tickled our nose, and they made much of us. But one thing about those visits that sticks in my mind was the way we dressed, always in our best, always handsomely, and at Easter time, we wore Fedora hats with a feather. We were so cool!
Happy Easter!
Mom became the expert and we became addicted to the process and the tradition. We saw lots of eggs, flour, sugar, yeast ending up in a huge amount of batter that mom pounded and kneaded and tossed in our faces as we lined up along the edge of the kitchen table where she worked. The eggs were blown out, and the intact shells were colored to add to the array of hard boiled Easter eggs. The bread was distributed to relatives and friends, and lots of it was eaten by us.
Mary and Jean still make the bread using the time honored recipe, with a few tweaks. I, on the other hand, make the bread using a recipe that I found in a bread book. As I was growing up, I could not figure out how to spell the name of the bread. It always came out as "oogellah". None of my Italian studies permitted me see this combination of letters. Did it start with an "o" or a "u", or both. One Sunday afternoon, when Mom and Dad were visiting us at our home in Austerlitz, NY, we were showing off our new bread book. Dad leapt from his chair as were were riffling through the pages and cried out "Buccelad!", and there it was. The mysteries were solved: how to spell it and how to make it!
Driving up Hoosick Street further jogged my memory. When we were little, probably up to age ten or so, often on Sunday afternoon, Dad, George and I would walk from our house on River Street to Grandma Palladino's house on Sixteenth Street. It was up a hill, over a railroad bridge, past Clay Mountain, and a few more blocks to the house. We were always welcomed there. A pot of sauce was always on the stove. Dad's brothers and sisters were around. They always offered us ginger ale that tickled our nose, and they made much of us. But one thing about those visits that sticks in my mind was the way we dressed, always in our best, always handsomely, and at Easter time, we wore Fedora hats with a feather. We were so cool!
Happy Easter!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
April Fool's
Crocus in bloom- the brave soldiers of spring...Our house birthday corresponds with April Fool's Day. Thirty five years ago on this date, we closed on this handy man's special. The Twiss family had moved out that day; we checked constantly to make sure they were gone, and about 4:00 pm, we brought some blankets, clothes, baby crib, and our son Dan into our new c.1780-1800 house, lit a fire in the fireplace and declared we were home.
The neighbors on the hill almost called the fire company when they saw the smoke encircling the house, but thought better of it when they realized the plume was coming from the chimney.
Dan and Meg knew this as their home and playground until college claimed them. The fields were lush with grass, the meadows burgeoning with tall tansy, goldenrod, and sapling spruce trees. A hike through the forest to the big rock was a thrilling summer or fall afternoon. A ride down the toboggan slope in winter followed by hot chocolate kept us alive and joyful even in the bleak winter days. Summer gardens provided a plethora of fresh flowers and tomatoes. Tasty homemade pies came from the Northern Spy apple tree, the elderberry bushes, and the rhubarb patch. Red and black raspberries were consumed at picking when we were able to beat the birds to the snack.
We have enjoyed these years hosting dozens of family reunions at Christmas and the Fourth of July, neighbor parties, friends old and new. There were teachers who celebrated monumental moments of retirement or moving on to better jobs, and some who came to our screen house to plan educational revolution at Chatham High School.
And now we are warm in our house, content with where we have been. We continue our journey in life. Soon we will be the longest occupants of the house since the day it was built. Today we will plant the tomato seeds indoors. Tomorrow, we will till part of the garden and hope for some spring turnips, peas, and kale; and of course a few rhubarb pies.
We are April's fools.
The neighbors on the hill almost called the fire company when they saw the smoke encircling the house, but thought better of it when they realized the plume was coming from the chimney.
Dan and Meg knew this as their home and playground until college claimed them. The fields were lush with grass, the meadows burgeoning with tall tansy, goldenrod, and sapling spruce trees. A hike through the forest to the big rock was a thrilling summer or fall afternoon. A ride down the toboggan slope in winter followed by hot chocolate kept us alive and joyful even in the bleak winter days. Summer gardens provided a plethora of fresh flowers and tomatoes. Tasty homemade pies came from the Northern Spy apple tree, the elderberry bushes, and the rhubarb patch. Red and black raspberries were consumed at picking when we were able to beat the birds to the snack.
We have enjoyed these years hosting dozens of family reunions at Christmas and the Fourth of July, neighbor parties, friends old and new. There were teachers who celebrated monumental moments of retirement or moving on to better jobs, and some who came to our screen house to plan educational revolution at Chatham High School.
And now we are warm in our house, content with where we have been. We continue our journey in life. Soon we will be the longest occupants of the house since the day it was built. Today we will plant the tomato seeds indoors. Tomorrow, we will till part of the garden and hope for some spring turnips, peas, and kale; and of course a few rhubarb pies.
We are April's fools.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
St. Patrick's Revisited
"Hibernia's champion saint all hail, this day your, glory sounds;
The offspring of your ardent zeal, this day your praise shall sound.
Great and glorious St. Patrick, pray for thy dear country.
Great and glorious St. Patrick, hearken to the prayers of your children."
We sang this with such gusto as we celebrated his day as children at St. Patrick's School in Troy. The Saint's likeness was and still is portrayed in stained glass above the altar of the church, and a larger than life sized statue graced the hall way at the entrance to the school auditorium.
Why did we really celebrate? St. Patrick was a hero for the many children of Ireland, and the millions who had come to America. We held him in high esteem as the greatest person ever from our heritage, a personal symbol of power, faith, and resurrection for a poor and down- trodden people.
Proudly, we embraced him and we celebrated his legendary accomplishments, and hoped for continued miracles in our day. I don't think we have been disappointed, but he (we) still has a lot of work to do.
And this is the first year that the songs will not be sung in St. Patrick's. The church was closed last June. It still was the place of worship for many, old and young. But the needs of the large suburban areas overcame the exigencies of the Catholic Church's presence in the inner city, and the parish was closed along with the others in the city. We are left with memories, a heritage, and the songs will be sung in places far and wide because of the universal presence of our favorite St. Patrick.
The offspring of your ardent zeal, this day your praise shall sound.
Great and glorious St. Patrick, pray for thy dear country.
Great and glorious St. Patrick, hearken to the prayers of your children."
We sang this with such gusto as we celebrated his day as children at St. Patrick's School in Troy. The Saint's likeness was and still is portrayed in stained glass above the altar of the church, and a larger than life sized statue graced the hall way at the entrance to the school auditorium.
Why did we really celebrate? St. Patrick was a hero for the many children of Ireland, and the millions who had come to America. We held him in high esteem as the greatest person ever from our heritage, a personal symbol of power, faith, and resurrection for a poor and down- trodden people.
Proudly, we embraced him and we celebrated his legendary accomplishments, and hoped for continued miracles in our day. I don't think we have been disappointed, but he (we) still has a lot of work to do.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Hang in there!
If a bank re-values a mortgage because it is upside down (the value of the house is less than the principal), should the bank re-value the mortgage when the principal is less than the value of the house? If a person bought a house, it is only worth less if an owner must sell for less.
If a person pays the mortgage on time, and the equity starts to build because of improvements, or better home values in an improved market, then the owner will be happy.
There is something wrong headed about re-valuing mortgages.
I bought a house twenty years ago at top dollar, $73,000. Because of the city it was in, and the possible progression of urban decay, it was later valued by the bank at about $50,000. I was trying to get out of an adjustable rate mortgage into a fixed rate at the time. I had to, and was able to come up with several thousand additional dollars to make it worthwhile for the bank to do this change. At no time was the bank ready to forgive any of the principal.
Some constraints required me to hang on to that property through a severe downturn in the home market. Eighteen years later, the market had turned around-property in that section of the city had become desirable; a few improvements had been made; and the house sold for $95,000. I had excellent use of the property through those years, had a tax and interest deduction on my income tax throughout, made some people happy, and in the end made a small profit.
So, the moral is, hang in, hang on, and relax. Tough times usually yield to better times.
If a person pays the mortgage on time, and the equity starts to build because of improvements, or better home values in an improved market, then the owner will be happy.
There is something wrong headed about re-valuing mortgages.
I bought a house twenty years ago at top dollar, $73,000. Because of the city it was in, and the possible progression of urban decay, it was later valued by the bank at about $50,000. I was trying to get out of an adjustable rate mortgage into a fixed rate at the time. I had to, and was able to come up with several thousand additional dollars to make it worthwhile for the bank to do this change. At no time was the bank ready to forgive any of the principal.
Some constraints required me to hang on to that property through a severe downturn in the home market. Eighteen years later, the market had turned around-property in that section of the city had become desirable; a few improvements had been made; and the house sold for $95,000. I had excellent use of the property through those years, had a tax and interest deduction on my income tax throughout, made some people happy, and in the end made a small profit.
So, the moral is, hang in, hang on, and relax. Tough times usually yield to better times.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Tom, Tim, Taxes
The tax problems of Tom Daschle and Timothy Geithner are being treated as curable issues that do not interfere with their credentials to hold positions of trust in the Obama administration. They paid their back taxes, yet I wonder about all of it.
Consider this the tip of the iceberg. These two fine, scrupulous men tried to get away with about a quarter million dollars between them. They probably would not have been caught if they had not been nominated to such high offices. Most likely, there were others who have been vetted along the way who had similar tax difficulties. There are still others who withdrew early from the running because they had issues that they did not want to come to light. We are not talking Bernie Madoffs here, just outstanding public servants who love to serve their country and uncounted others across the spectrum of American life. Tom and Tim may be peerless in their expertise, and therefore the very best persons to fill the positions for which they have been selected.
How many more scrupulous, dedicated, American, public and private servants have failed to pay their required taxes because of "honest" mistakes? (Apparently, their accountants- which most Americans do not have- are either very unscrupulous or very bad.) How much tax revenue has the federal treasury lost because of the "honest" mistakes of "decent" "law-abiding" people like Tom and Tim?
Please note that we are not talking tax loopholes that should be plugged. We are not talking about the potentially thousands of unscrupulous entrepreneurs who are deliberately ripping off the federal government with many devious schemes ranging from creative tax computation to overcharging the government for everything from nuts and bolts to airplanes and toilets.
Tom and Tim represent the responsible citizens whom President Obama has called upon to bear their share of responsibility to get America back on the right track.
How can Tom create a health care program with congress after he is confirmed when practically every vote for his confirmation is cast by a senator to whom he would then be beholden.
I would love to see a tax holiday where those who owe big like these two saintly men could pay the share they owe for say the past ten years (yes, this is beyond the IRS statute of limitations), without further penalty, or a greatly reduced penalty, or even a ten percent reduction of what is owed. I think this would help out our treasury, our deficit, our debt. It would also provide us with a list of people to watch out for so they are not nominated to positions of authority without serious rehabilitation. And then have the IRS under the direction of Tim, who knows the mistakes that people make, go after the unscrupulous characters who have truly screwed our country in many ways.
Consider this the tip of the iceberg. These two fine, scrupulous men tried to get away with about a quarter million dollars between them. They probably would not have been caught if they had not been nominated to such high offices. Most likely, there were others who have been vetted along the way who had similar tax difficulties. There are still others who withdrew early from the running because they had issues that they did not want to come to light. We are not talking Bernie Madoffs here, just outstanding public servants who love to serve their country and uncounted others across the spectrum of American life. Tom and Tim may be peerless in their expertise, and therefore the very best persons to fill the positions for which they have been selected.
How many more scrupulous, dedicated, American, public and private servants have failed to pay their required taxes because of "honest" mistakes? (Apparently, their accountants- which most Americans do not have- are either very unscrupulous or very bad.) How much tax revenue has the federal treasury lost because of the "honest" mistakes of "decent" "law-abiding" people like Tom and Tim?
Please note that we are not talking tax loopholes that should be plugged. We are not talking about the potentially thousands of unscrupulous entrepreneurs who are deliberately ripping off the federal government with many devious schemes ranging from creative tax computation to overcharging the government for everything from nuts and bolts to airplanes and toilets.
Tom and Tim represent the responsible citizens whom President Obama has called upon to bear their share of responsibility to get America back on the right track.
How can Tom create a health care program with congress after he is confirmed when practically every vote for his confirmation is cast by a senator to whom he would then be beholden.
I would love to see a tax holiday where those who owe big like these two saintly men could pay the share they owe for say the past ten years (yes, this is beyond the IRS statute of limitations), without further penalty, or a greatly reduced penalty, or even a ten percent reduction of what is owed. I think this would help out our treasury, our deficit, our debt. It would also provide us with a list of people to watch out for so they are not nominated to positions of authority without serious rehabilitation. And then have the IRS under the direction of Tim, who knows the mistakes that people make, go after the unscrupulous characters who have truly screwed our country in many ways.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration-Yes!
It is wonderful to see Barack Obama as he ascends to the presidency to serve as our president. It is only a part of the dream. Getting the country really together is the real thing which I hope will happen in the next few years.
As I look at the sea of people attending this inauguration, the security, preparations, etc. reminds me of the inauguration of President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. I happened to be in D.C. at the time, in the seminary at Catholic University. We were able to take a city bus to down town, walk the mall freely. We were able to stand within eye sight and hearing range of the inaugural proceedings, and after that, we walked the two miles to a grandstand seat near the reviewing stand (someone had given a bundle of tickets to the seminary rector). It was thrilling, it was simple, and fun.
But it wasn't that memorable. LBJ was voted in by a landslide. He was an incumbent president, who succeeded the popular JFK upon his assassination. (JFK seemed to achieve popularity after he assumed the presidency winning by a handful of votes that swung Illinois into his column in 1960.) Barry Goldwater with his conservative ideas and agenda did not impress the American electorate, and was badly trounced by LBJ. But Lyndon Johnson did not really capture the minds, hearts, and imaginations of the people. It was not a change time, but a time for when the people wanted stability and security.
We probably got more from Johnson than we ever could have hoped for: civil rights legislation, medicare and medicaid, and the unfortunate deeper involvement in the Vietnam. By the end of his four years, civil rights protests morphed into marches and demonstrations against the war, violent government reactions, and the assassinations of Martin Luther king, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
We greet Barack Obama with tremendous enthusiasm, and a prayer for the great change that we anticipate. Yes!
As I look at the sea of people attending this inauguration, the security, preparations, etc. reminds me of the inauguration of President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. I happened to be in D.C. at the time, in the seminary at Catholic University. We were able to take a city bus to down town, walk the mall freely. We were able to stand within eye sight and hearing range of the inaugural proceedings, and after that, we walked the two miles to a grandstand seat near the reviewing stand (someone had given a bundle of tickets to the seminary rector). It was thrilling, it was simple, and fun.
But it wasn't that memorable. LBJ was voted in by a landslide. He was an incumbent president, who succeeded the popular JFK upon his assassination. (JFK seemed to achieve popularity after he assumed the presidency winning by a handful of votes that swung Illinois into his column in 1960.) Barry Goldwater with his conservative ideas and agenda did not impress the American electorate, and was badly trounced by LBJ. But Lyndon Johnson did not really capture the minds, hearts, and imaginations of the people. It was not a change time, but a time for when the people wanted stability and security.
We probably got more from Johnson than we ever could have hoped for: civil rights legislation, medicare and medicaid, and the unfortunate deeper involvement in the Vietnam. By the end of his four years, civil rights protests morphed into marches and demonstrations against the war, violent government reactions, and the assassinations of Martin Luther king, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
We greet Barack Obama with tremendous enthusiasm, and a prayer for the great change that we anticipate. Yes!
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Happy New Year
The official New Year began a few days ago, with little fanfare. One resolution I have made is to use all the flour, yeast, and other ingredients that have been laying around here unused for the past year. Out with the old, in with something fresh!
Maybe the world, the country, and all of us ought to think in this mode. Out with the old clothes, in with the new. Out with the old ideas, in with some fresh ideas. Out with the old prejudices, in with some openness to other viewpoints.
It's amazing how freeing it is to let go, start over, refreshed and ready. It is not giving up the roots, or the memories, or practices. These are important to maintain our identity. Rather it is adding something to ourselves, growing to be stronger, more open, to the sky above, and the earth below.
Out with the old, in with the new! Happy New Year!
Maybe the world, the country, and all of us ought to think in this mode. Out with the old clothes, in with the new. Out with the old ideas, in with some fresh ideas. Out with the old prejudices, in with some openness to other viewpoints.
It's amazing how freeing it is to let go, start over, refreshed and ready. It is not giving up the roots, or the memories, or practices. These are important to maintain our identity. Rather it is adding something to ourselves, growing to be stronger, more open, to the sky above, and the earth below.
Out with the old, in with the new! Happy New Year!
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