ARC Girl in Boston

Took the Supervision in Disaster class this weekend from the Mass Bay chapter at their Quincy office. It was great! Even though it meant alot of driving etc. (Don actually did that!) But I would have..it is so valuable to get out of the chapter and State for that matter to see the Red Cross in the bigger world. My instructors were in a word AWESOME. Everyone in the class, who has probably had the advantage of many great instructors in that area agreed it was one of the best classes they had taken. For me it was wonderful as one of the instructors was one of those as we call them "warhorse" nurses who was trained way better than my generation. She was from the Hartford chapter and is at the
Administrator level (top of the food chain!) on National disasters. B.J. Crown. I got her card and email and know I will keep in touch with questions for her.

Don and Tyler went along for the ride which was great because I could not have driven all that way home last night. I was on info overload. They went into Boston and got a tour of Fenway park that sounded like a hoot. Some old Boston Irish comedian who knew every little nuiance of Fenway park. They walked around the Kenmore area, then went to Faneuil Hall and had lunch at an outdoor cafe on Newbury st some where. A grand day. Don talked to the concierge desk about dinner in the area as Deedee couldn't meet us in town. The woman was less than helpful.
The Red Cross office was on the t hird floor of a building that had a nice restaurant on the ground level and in hindsite that is where we should have gone. Instead we ended up in this
restaurant that was a throw back to the sixties... and the customers were the same except 30 years older which made them 90!!!!! I am not kidding. No one, I mean no one, in that place was under the age of 82!! They obviously had been coming there on Sat night for years. and years and ;years......you know the ladys with the tweed skirt and jacket ...same one they wore in 1965,
Having their Saturday night manhattan on the rocks. It was a hoot after we decided we were stuck and there wasn't going to be any way out of it. Tyler was not as amused. The other thing about a place like that is the food is good, consistently good but there is way too much. First you get the basket with the little individual wrapped crackers and the homemade cheesespread..
then there is hot bread. Salad comes with your meal as well as vegetable potatoe and entree.
Of course it was a seafood place and we all had a cup of chowder...so we had already done ourselves in. The Hostess..age 75, waitresses at least 55 and up. It was all very deja vu for Don and I as we compared it to places like the old Jed Proutys in Bucksport or Pilots Grill in Bangor or places we used to dress up and take my Marblehead grand mother to lunch The Commodore or Dills on the North Shore. We left without dessert too full!

Well off to the County tommorow and Wednesday and then I have another class this weekend in Rockland..its just a little busy right now. Not to mention what is piling up around here but I am making end roads. Lets see how this week shakes out.

Travels

ok I need a break...so blog! I have been sorting thru mailing lists trying to merge the ones I have and making labels for those I don't have so I can get these news letters out. When I had enough of address entry, I started to fold and staple the darn things...where is that volunteer I am supposed to get when I need her! (next week Ginny said)

My allergies are driving me nuts, they are giving me headaches which are giving me shoulder pains and back and forth and all the allergie meds give me a morning headache. The only thing I can take is benadryl, which makes me yawn all day! I know stop whining!

So I am going to Boston tommorow, not going to be much more than class for me though.
9-5 both Sat and Sun. I hope its at least interesting. Don't know what the guys will do but I am sure they can entertain themselves or with the Kartsteins. Get home late Sunday and I have to teach Monday night and then to: get this sibs, off to "the County" for Tuesday and Wed.
Shelter surveys in Houlton Presque Isle Caribou and Ft. Fairfield are on the agenda! Should be a big time!! I have not been north of Houlton in maybe 40 some odd years! At least that I can remember.

Other than that not much else is going on..I have been searching out costume stuff for Tylers
upcoming performance of Mick Jagger singing" Satisfaction" I think. Found a purple paisley shirt in a thrift store in Ellsworth its pretty cool. Plus some button fly jeans. This should definitely be interesting. He has to have a slide show going on behind his performance of events that occured the year that the song came out- 1965. He asked last night if anyone was born that year...meaning family and Don said SOMEONE in Mom's family must have been and I said yup, just let me figure that one out...I jotted all the years down...1965..Andrew! So Andrew gets his picture in the slide show..sorry sib 2 and3! Better luck next time.

Next weekend we don't go anywhere then the following Friday we hit the road again for CT and then DC the following day. Trying to break up that awful drive. I can't even imagine what we will be loading the car with. Then drive back Monday the 14th and see how far we get! She has a final that day so I don't know when we will will hit the road but we will pack her up Sat and Sun.

So thats it from the ARC office here in sunny Ellsworth, back to work! Gretchen

The best laid plans of...

Mice and men..you know that old saying how they never work the way there supposed to.
I think that's my week so far! Yesterday I planned to go into the office get the newsletter done, out the door, finish some stuff for the "red book" and pretty much finish it up. Then get ready for a class I was teaching...Nope! Ginny and Hillary were there to greet me! We had to change around the whole Presque Isle institute..and then change it again after lunch ....so there went the day. Left the office drove as far as Blue Hill and realized I had not transferred the phones to Bangor..which meant Rockland and Ellsworth phones were going unanswered GREAT! Drove home changed told Ty he was on his own and drove back all in 45 minutes. Didn't have to teach until 6:00!

I am supposed to go to Boston this weekend to a 2 day course on Supervision in Disaster.
I had mentioned it to the guys a couple weeks ago and Don said no, they didn't want to go down.
Even though they could hang with the cousins and Deed and Howard. (And I would get a chauffeur!) So, fine I had it in my little head I was going alone..emailed my sis to meet me Saturday night for dinner , got my driving directions on line and we are sitting at dinner tonight and hubby says so what kind of room do you have..I'm thinking why do you care? which I think I verbalize and he says
something about going down with me...Huh??? Now when you have something in your head one way, or at least when "I" have something in" my head" I tend to move in that direction and
this is totally throwing me off. Not that I mind, they will be off seeing relatives etc., Don will do the driving for me, and I have classes all day..but you know when you plan to be alone and then you're not... all of a sudden?
So I need an attitude adjustment... because they, both Don and Tyler said they discussed this with me on the way home from Montreal..I thought I was discussing "my" dinner date with my sister. Best laid plans...

So the other thing I wanted to blog about is...did you ever come up behind a car and you want to pass it because it's going soooo slow and realize it's your mother!! Now that is the dilemma of the day!! First I wasn't sure it was her but it was a black subaru wagon with one of those yellow ribbon magnets and couldn't really see anyones head above the head rest..bad sign! Then there was the debate..should I? Will she know its me? Could be any Honda van...with a George Washington Univ Label in the back window! yep. So I hang back until the road divides into two lanes and I know she will move into the slow lane and then I zip by with a quick sideways glance..yup its her! Oh well I pretend I"m not looking just driving legally in the passing lane.

And its only Tuesday...what more delights are ahead for the rest of the week.?

Fresh Air

You know when you uncover plants and get all the dead leaves off all of a sudden there is this wonderful smell of new earth and new plants that are coming up! I just love that!! We cleared 4 flower beds today and leaves brush etc. I got some of the beds early enough this year that I wasn't disturbing too many perennials like I did last year...I feel really good about what I got done today! Even moved a few clothes around...the sad state of an old house with tiny closets you have to switch out with the seasons.

Let the cat out for the first time today did he love that! Stayed in the yard but definitely enjoyed the spring warm air. Came in for a nap this afternoon and of course for dinner. Ty went to a movie with a slew of kids from Blue Hill, so he had a good day too.

Just read Ginny's blog, forgot she had to go to a strategic planning meeting for the day...eewww!
Sorry Ginny..hope we are strategically planned for. Take Monday off...whatever 8:30-2;30 is, it must be something that can be changed! Besides Monday is supposed to be just gorgeous!

Tried to call the Diva daughter..no such luck..I am sure the warm breezes are taking care of her today though until curtain call tonight.
Yes there is nothing like fresh air...we sure needed it here in Maine! Happy Spring everyone!

The Sun came out..

Friday..the end of a long or maybe it was short or maybe it was two weeks..week! Monday seems like a month ago. A Northeaster was still battering us with rain when we left Tuesday am for Canada. Saw alot of washed out roads and stuff but nothing too bad until we hit Kingfield then we were in another world...FEET of heavy wet snow on trees power lines and snowing hard!! No one was plowing there was six inches on the road thru the mountains. Stopped in Stratton at a store where a DOT plow was and Don asked them how it was to the border.."not good the guy said but if you go real slow" great! I would not have done it..but Don can handle it so he did and about 10 miles beyond that we hit wet roads again.

Montreal was fun..the first night we went to a french restaurant and they lost their power as we were going in so we had to go to another place..nearby that was a steak house good but not what we had chosen. Shopped in the underground city the next day and saw the John Mayer Concert that night..that was excellent! Just enough of a light show and alot of great guitar for Tyler!
(I was a little worried it might be too mellow for him...nothing doing!) He's awfully cute too...I know he could be my son..and who wouldn't want him for a son!!!!

Caroline meanwhile kept us informed on the VT stuff in Washington. Her campus had a candlelight on Tuesday and they all had ribbons to wear. President Trachtenberg wrote an article in the Washington Post which was sent to us. Along with emails everyday about what the Univ. was doing...We got an email by 2pm the day of the incident with details of campus security, mental health procedures etc. Their parent assoc. is truly on the ball.

Caroline had opening night for her musical the New Brain. I so wish I could see this one but the air fare this week is just awful because of spring break. I can get down there but I can't get back. Oh well. She said its going well..She also has voice recital this weekend..grrr. Guess I can't be everywhere.

Back to work today..new hours for awhile anyways..10-3 almost got pulled over too! Some old guy decided to drive 30 in a 55 so I passed him and of course I was going about 68 and the State trooper passed me..saw him put on his lights I thought great..late, here's a great start to the day! Guess He decide against me though. Can't believe all the other chapters in NE dealing with such huge cleanups and mass care and incoming disaster volunteers..
we are doing nothing..surreal! I suppose the shoe will be on the other foot one of these days...just when I wished it wasn't. I still have so much to learn when I listen to what other chapters are doing right now .. everyone talks in form #s and acronyms and it seems so confusing. I think you just have to be in the middle of it all to really get it! But for now the
Sun came out...have a good weekend everyone.

The view from Benjamin Cove today...

Well, its5:20pm, we still have power, it is just about low tide and the wind is not too bad at this end of the Benjamin. I have been on ARC call all day but have not had to go in. The storm has taken down trees, minor flooding and road washes etc. several areas around us with power outages but nothing major. Ty and I went driving at High tide..the Sedgwick Brooklin bridge was even with the tide..I am sure it will be under tonite. Center Harbor docks were dipping into the water and the walkway to Don's old office was being lapped by the water. Apparently my boss Ginny had to open a shelter in Rockland because of a road closures, and evacuations. Hopefully all will remain quiet in Hancock county so I can go off to Canadian soil tommorow.

Unfortunately the calm of the storm was ruined as I did start flipping thru the channels to check on the Boston Marathon around lunch time and hit CNN..breaking news at Virginia Tech..a campus shooter. What started as one dead, turned into twenty, and by later in the afternoon had become 32, with several in hospital operating rooms etc. I was sick..at first I thought it was the school next to Jessica Buckinghams school but that is VMI. Not V.T. I did call Nancy though to find out where they were( they were heading to VA at some point this week) and where Jess was. They had not heard the news yet and Jess was on a trip with the track team..Her school Washington and Lee is about an hour from V.T. I finnally got Caroline on the phone she had heard bits and pieces thru the day and had no idea of the death toll. She knew there would be something on campus within a short time about it though. I told her I loved her and thats all I could say...I can not imagine being a parent now of a student on that campus. So many are unidentified, even those in surgery. It is incomprehensible to deal with, when I look at it from this perspective, you can only say a prayer for those who lost their child today. I just know I am shaken to my core.

These events seem to happen at this time of year too. Its only 4 days off from Columbine and there are several other March/April school shootings. Why?

I know the coming days will answer some questions about this tragedy..but for any parent and those of us who send our kids off to college in Virginia, Or DC, or elsewhere..it will never be enough to know ...

So thats the view from Benjamin Cove today, Patriots Day, April 16, the Noreaster.. and the overwhelming grief of a college parent for others suffering so much more today. Gretchen

Just "waitin for the wind"..

So its Saturday..I feel about as good as I did last Saturday but with different symptoms. This is not how I like to spend my weekends..on the couch! I did make it to work yesterday but actually layed down on the floor twice I was so dizzy in my chair. MEMA the Maine edition of FEMA is all stirred up about another storm of the century headed our way, flooding high winds
"change in the look of the coastline" yep! I think they are even prediciting the end of Long Island to fall off. Deer Isle is apparently of concern so I looked to see where the nearest shelter on mainland is and found out its not where it should be. Apparently someone thought that the fire dept in Sedgwick which I might add is on a back road is a better shelter than the 10 year old elementary school..one of the nicest schools on the peninsula. I made a few phone calls and will move to certify the school, and talk to the fire chief some time soon. Hopefully we don't open shelters this week..I am not ready for that scene.

Corinna's last day was yesterday I bought her a collage frame for her new office. It will be really quiet in mine until they hire someone! I guess people will be coming down to work there more often.

Montreal trip is Tuesday if we haven't blown off the earth by then or floated out into the Atlantic. We are watching two other neighbors houses for flooding, and then there is always the tides, but
we are set up on a hill overlooking it so unless there is a Tsunami the house will still be here.
So I guess I won't worry until I have to...just get the water and candles ready.

Back to the couch...all I am capable of ..maybe its bird flu! Gretchen

Spring "fever"

I wasn't sick all winter..very rare for this girl with asthma! Probably because Caroline wasn't around spreading her germs. But today..ugh! Woke up with it all: sore throat, headache, body aches and general yuck! Thank you to whomever gave me this lovely spring cold! Work is insane and that is making staying put worse but I know if I went in today I would turn around and go home so I decided to stay put. I told Rockland and Bangor to call me if necessary.

The other part timer in my office is leaving on Friday so my hours will change to 10-3 which is fine...in a way if I can get done what I need to without doing alot of extra stuff for health and safety classes. I have put my position down and been assured that would be the case. I really like what I do, and feel there is a huge amount of stuff that could be done if time allowed..but we have some pressing deadlines right now and lots of classes etc. so time is at a premium.

Thats it I can't think clearly right now I need to go lay down..I will post when I feel better. G.

Its Monday again...

Hope everyone had a nice Easter. Even though the snow covered the ground we had a nice day.
St. Francis was beautiful, the nicest flowers I have ever seen there for an Easter service. Someone had made a garland of Ivy and flowers for the alter that draped around the front of it, it was truly beautiful. Each window had baskets with forsythia and spring blooms tied to the sills with white bows in white baskets. We have a new Priest who is coming this week to look for housing..in the snow!
We then went to Anne and Steve's for a great luncheon. Everyone had a wonderful time. Steve had even taken the dye from the Easter eggs and written Happy Easter in the snow with it!
Got a hold of Caroline late last night but she was stressfully working on a paper that she said was going to take her into the night. She called me back today and said it was done. She went to
a service in Georgetown at ST. Pauls Episcopal it apparently was an anglican Rite I service with incense.
She said it was lovely though. The Processional went around the church several times with the
congregation turning with it. And Lots of incense she said!! "smells and bells" we call those services for those non anglicans reading this! Very very traditional services that date back to
the formation of the church.

Got an email from Aisha in Africa wanting to call and talk this week sometime. It will be good to hear her voice. Said she wanted to talk to the "outside world" hope she is ok!

Just put another date on my calendar, Health services nursing class in May. I don't think there are many days left in April and May with nothing on them!

Augusta tommorow for a conference. Gotta clean up this desk! Have a good day! G.

End of the week..

Well...Had I known that we would get 15 inches of snow on Wed. night I would have bothered to get up until Friday! Everyone kept talking about some storm everywhere I went but when I would turn the radio on it would say snow turning to rain..no big deal. So then my boss sends out this email about possible shelter openings and I am thinking what is this..? So it starts to snow and I go to bed thinking yeah what ever..school is cancelled and then I finnally get up and take a shower and phone rings, I assume its Red Cross which it is, about a military loan I did the day before, so I go downstairs to call Washington DC and actually look out the window. GOOD GOD! There are FEET of snow on my deck! AND its still coming down. Don calls and says I hope you don't plan on going anywhere the town has decided not to plow rte.172 due to frost heaves. Well thats nice...15 inches how do they get away with that? He said he plowed thru it with his 4 wheel drive but that getting out of Blue Hill on the other side was a joke, cars off everywhere! Great. Then Corinna calls, the office in Ellsworth is plowed in, apparently they dumped they entire mall's worth of snow in the back parking lot..ours! She said you could not even see the entrance the banks were as high as a one story building. NOne of this is amusing me at all. I make an attempt later to drive but the roads are terrible and I just bag it. The snow doesnt let up until after two but by that time it would mean being in the office 1 hour for about 1and1/2 hours worth of driving. NOt worth it. Watched UMO hockey get beat..as I said Not worth it.

Friday I go in early to see what the snow plow left us. They had cleared away the snow to the ramp and then there was two feet on the ramp. The post man had made it up it to deliver the mail so I went up in his tracks unlocked the door and got the shovel and started working from the top. It must have been a sight! Took about 20 minutes but working from the top down was the way to go!
Then since I was being handy woman for the day I went out and got nails for the new mail box and hung that up and got ready for the disaster meeting. We are all so busy its ridiculous. But we definitely work well together as a team. Everyone complements each others personality so much its alot of fun.

Today is the day before Easter and I feel like crap..yep headache, cramps yuck. Have to do some errands was planning on going to a step dancing workshop but I just don't know ...
Why can't we have sunshine warm weather you know flowers green grass that stuff...
I am depressed today..this just doesnt do it for me! Mud melting snow ugh! Winter hangover!
And I am cold too! I had to put on a heavy sweater! Ok so I am whining. Maybe I should have doubled the prozac..supposed to help the headaches..yeah right...suppose I could go sit on the yellow flowered couch for the day and watch the Masters golf tournament where the weather is warm and there are azaleas growing...G.

Lent and my living room..

Yes we are still on this Lent thing because now Sib 2 and sib 3 are unclear. Sib #3 , you, being the good little anglican , are correct, it does end on Easter, actually the night before but the 40 days does not include Sundays, something those Catholics thought up, that they neglected to tell the anglicans when we broke off to spite us! (Not that I really know that!) So yes dear sibs we have been fasting for well over the 40 day mark. Then the "Roman" catholics decide to end their fast on Maundy Thursday, this of course after taking every Sunday off. (Or Quote "not counting Sundays"...what exactly does that mean...I have to check cathechism here. ) Sib #2 I have no idea what your daughter did with the chocolate thing but since Passover was Monday her diet must be totally messed up! So moral of the story...don't eat what you aren't supposed to until Sunday as in EASTER Sunday unless you didn't take Sundays off in which case you fasted 40 days, and can somehow justify it to yourself or you want to claim pre-Henry the 8th
status (if Episcopal/anglican) and become Roman Catholic and then you can stop on Thursday at Sundown. If you are a member of the Karstein family well Passover and Holy week are the same week this year you all figure it out!

On to my living room. The couch of course is in place and today the two queen anne end chairs I had recovered with my bargain fabric..50% off! I think I paid less than 4.00 a yard for it,Navy brocade. They are the end chairs in my dining room but one is kept in the living room.
They came out gorgeous. Now there is still one chair left to cover but that is not going to happen soon. The fabric I had for that is not going to work with the new fabrics ..but it will work in the Sunroom so I guess I will make cushions for the wicker chairs and a valance with it. For the living room I bought a piece of coral fabric with a brocade design at the fabric store in DC. I am going to cover two pillows for the couch, it will really make the couch colors "pop", then two other throw pillows to spread the wealth and then I think I will make tie backs for the plain drapes with it to tie everything together. I am also thinking of making arm chair covers for the left over chair in it. We shall see how that would work. So I can't wait to sew! Looks like the weather will be miserable for the rest of the week anyways. I am going to have to save and save to do the other chair since now I am down to NO fabrics from my stash for that piece. Buying decorator fabrics is very expensive and hardly ever find exactly what you want at discount. Not that I won't look!

The guy that reupholstered the chairs is very interesting and he says he loves to take chairs "down" to see the layers and the construction and eventually find the manufacturer and dates.
He can tell by the fillings and stuff how well made or how old they might be. He said my chairs were made in 1974 and he had the exact date, by a furniture maker in Brockton who he said was a very very high end furniture maker. I am not surprised considering whom I bought them from. They had horse hair filling and he said were exceptionally well made. Just like watching
Antiques Road show.. that guy! Who knew a chair could tell you so much!
Have a good one everyone! G.

Adjustment to that Lent issue..

Lent ends on Sunday if you are anglican or protestant or catholic, and you don't count Sundays during lent. Lent ends on Palm Sunday if you are Eastern Orthodox. Lent ends on Maundy Thursday if you are Roman Catholic at Sundown. There I am glad to clear that up..not that its any clearer. Gretchen

Lent is over..Winter is not!

I counted for those who disagree, Lent is 40 days and that 40 days starts on Ash Wednesday and counting forward the 4oth day is Palm Sunday! The beginning of Holy Week. Why am I discussing this..well Caroline who always has to give up something tough gave up all Caffeine for 40 days. This is the Starbucks queen. She lives for Carmel Macchiatos, a cup of tea after class,
cocoa at night and dark chocolate. She likes her lattes and cappucinos, she has learned to take them skim to keep that figure but she does have to have them and her drink of choice at a restaurant is ice tea. It has been a long 40 days! I told her it would not be good for her health (headaches) and I wasn't sure she could survive but she did. She called me yesterday to confirm the date and I said I believed I was right but wasn't totally sure, the colors for lent being purple and the altar cloth for Palm Sunday is always changed to Red. In the Episcopal church that indicates a change of season. She of course was going to just blame me and ordered an Ice tea anyways.

She is also enjoying Cherry blossoms, sunshine, flowers, and 70's, I asked if she had sandals on and she said she would have but they aren't allowed when they give campus tours. Oh too bad!
Its snowing here. Yesterday the office was so cold I turned the heat on and couldn't hear the phone when she called.(to see if she could have ice tea!)

There is just nothing else going on except work and I keep picking away at a couple of projects.
Nothing is completed, but getting there. Motivation would be nice. I am sure I will find it under the snow! ARC girl

Living the life of Reilly

Yep thats the name of the cat ... Reilly! Ty and I wanted an Irish name and we were not agreeing. Don thought that the shelter name of "max" was fine..not!! Well some one said something about living the life of Reilly and that was it. He was pretty nervous on the way home in the cat carrier had a little accident and we all had to open the windows!! But he has not stopped purring since. He looks like Teva and Heather. Mostly Teva. He acts just like him too.
Just very comfortable with us. In Don's lap for Tv. playing with Tyler thru the stair way banister rails, pretty cool. We won't let him out for while, maybe May, just want him to get used to this as his house.

Had a big PTF affair at the school last night to benefit the after school programs. I had the GSA Jazz combo and a blues band called the Bad Daddies who will perform at the Rockland Blues Festival t here and the parent turnout was abysmal! I am not a happy camper!! 70 out of 96 kids are in that programming you would think they could support this. 6 families! Kid you not.
The rest were community people many who I had emailed. And people wonder why I send my kids to EHS?!? I was embarassed for the bands. I apologized profusely and they were very gracious. Told someone who called this morning I am seceeding from the town. Taking my toys and leaving! Just going to draw a little line around the property and float off into the bay. I will become my own Island.

Speaking of islands there was a sign in Bucksport friday that said "Old bridge sold, moving to Deer Isle on Monday" ha ha. Actually they start resurfacing the bridge on Monday should be a long summer for bridge traffic. I don't know if Care plans to do any Stonington Opera house theater stuff or not. I will never forget trying to find her at a cast party in a thunder storm with no power. Stoninington was very dark and the bridge with lightening that is just about terrifying.

Lightening would be better than snow..what is this Kim I didn't hear snow. I guess I will go watch the weather. How depressing if its true.
G.