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Archive for March, 2012

Would I Really Want to Win the Lottery?

This is an impromptu post… after noticing on Facebook that everyone was talking about their dreams of winning the lottery last night. So much buzz! Me; I wasn’t so sure.

I did buy four Mega Millions tickets the other day — and then I was kind of mad at myself. I’ll tell you why in a minute. First, I should find out if I’ve won anything… got my tickets right here and I’m Googling the numbers:

Nope. Nothing! Phew!

“Phew” because one year ago I was standing at the kitchen counter, quickly rifling through the mail. I opened this letter:

“May God bless you on your winning the lottery. I am writing because I recently lost my wife, I have four kids and no job. Please help me financially so I can take care of my family ’til I get a job. Thank you. Yours Sincerely…”

The envelope, I then saw, was addressed to the woman who used to own our house. We bought it from her and her husband nine years ago; a for-sale-by-owner. Nice, regular people.

This was how I learned that she was one of the “Albany Lucky Seven” — a group of coworkers who each won 19.1 million dollars last year, after taxes. The situation was described on the news; a group of state workers with a regular lotto pool won because the colleague who bought the ticket had paused to buy a Snickers. As he did so, someone cut in line and their fates were reversed. There was also talk about the five colleagues who weren’t part of that week’s pool because they either didn’t have $2 handy, or were absent from work. People were weighing in on whether those five should be included. It sounded stressful and complicated.

Opening this letter gave me a whole new perspective on the idea of winning the lottery. For a brief moment I was in the winner’s shoes — opening my daily mail and feeling so badly for this man; if, he was actually legitimate. Sympathetic, but unable to trust. I could imagine that if its author had found a nine year old address for the winner, there would be heaps of letters just like it at her current address {which I did not have} — not to mention the phone calls and media vans parked outside. I hoped that she was finding ways to manage the situation, and that she would help some people in a meaningful and safe way with her winnings.

And then, I felt a rush of thanks for my “normal” life. Fortunately, my “normal” is a world where we can pay our bills and have some choices. We are lucky. We have enough. Some more money would be helpful, for sure. But would I trade it for everything to turn everything upside down in an instant? No way. I folded the letter and put it in a basket on the top of the refrigerator. That’s where I found it just now {and yes, this means that I haven’t cleaned out this basket in a year!}.

I thought that my takeaway, given these feelings, was not to buy any lottery tickets. But, Ella and I were buying ice cream last week there was a big bowl filled with quick pick tickets at the checkout. Without even thinking I thought “sure,” we could buy a few. I chose them carefully, and tucked them into my wallet. Then I wondered why I did that, given my reaction to the letter? But it all seemed so exciting! So filled with potential. I imagined for a moment that I would stay anonymous long enough to give all but a million or two away. I would be smart and philanthropic. After all, there are some success stories…

Funny creatures, we are; learning lessons and then learning them all over again. Would I love to own a lake house? Absolutely! Are there other things that would be fun to buy? Oh yeah. But I was relieved when I didn’t win. I’ve got my eyes back on the prize: our precious, imperfect, normal life. Can’t put a price on that.

Quick! Grab the Camera! {Before it’s too late}

I’ve been in a sentimental state of mind lately. So… here’s a story. Which leads to a suggestion.

A story:

On a recent Wednesday night, Hudson {age 13} was home on his own. He decided that he was in the mood for big time change in the form of a spontaneous room shakeup. When I returned, he had singlehandedly dismantled his entire desk and bunk bed and hauled them right out of there. He had rearranged and purged. Done. Fini. The bedroom of his younger days was gone. In its place was a mattress on the floor in the corner and big plans for a multilevel desk from Staples and a recording studio. He was so psyched. Me… not so much.

After discussing a safety concern about solo furniture movement, my next thought was Oh no! I didn’t get a picture! I had redone his room as a surprise when he was 9, and I never had snapped a picture. And, any pictures I have of his early days are on real live film, before digital. To include them, I’d have to A) find them, in the basement and B) figure out how to scan them. Maybe later. When he’s in college. Besides, I thought I would be the one to say when we’d move on to the next phase {Sniff}!

A suggestion:

If you have kids and have not taken a picture of their room, sieze the day! It’s a fun thing to do, and you never know when you might miss the chance.

{Part Two — The Evolution of Ella’s Room}

I do have pictures of Ella’s room in its two distinct preschool and tween phases {since hers are digital}, and the situation with Hudson reminded me to look back — and to quickly take a few more. If you care to join me on a nostalgic mama’s photo journey, read on.

We started out with a four year old who knew exactly what she wanted: ” I wish I had two pink walls and two purple walls and big blue flowers and pink polkadots and two lady bugs named Polly.” And that’s what she got, painted by our friend Jennifer Sattler.

The most unique part of Ella’s room was the house-shaped bookshelf and desk made by her Grandpa {aka “Tappa”}. He has made something special for each of his four grandkids’ rooms. Once built, our family friend and Master Carver Floyd Scholz surprised us by going out to the wood shop and perching a hand carved bird on the top of Ella’s birdhouse. A little girl’s dream was complete!

She named him “Koo Koo.”

Four years later, when Ella was eight, her taste did an about-face and she begged for a new color scheme of lime green and chocolate brown for her birthday. I tried to convince her otherwise, because I really loved her room as it was. But she was ready to move on. So we snapped a “before” picture in pinklandia.

And she went to work. Seeing the first few strokes of brown paint was agonizing for me. Thrilling for her!

And we were off — to the tween years.

So…. It’s been three years since Ella’s room makeover. After the unexpected changes in her brother’s room, we had a photo shoot on a recent Saturday. This was after she had cleaned her room — although a completely trashed room has photographic interest too! Might even be better.

We had updated Ella’s bookshelf and desk with brown and turquoise paint — and we painted around the sunshine in the corner. Sadly, Ella has outgrown this piece now {physically and mentally} — and we’re in talks about a bigger desk in its place. She has visions of passing it along to one of her kids someday.

An important part of a photo shoot… zooming in on treasures and details:

And what’s a room without a kid? We had so much fun — a whole bunch of jumping off the bed, trying to get her in the frame…

And then there’s Pablo. Ella couldn’t let me give you a tour of her room without introducing her buddy, Pablo. He’s part of what makes her room a happy place. He looks skeptical here, but he really is a fun guy.

See?

I’ve really loved helping my kids make their rooms their own.

In whatever form it takes, it’s their habitat; their zone. A space to be remembered.

The Guys: Steppin’ Out

Big doings here this past weekend…. the 8th grade semi-formal. Hudson {below right} and his longtime friend, Luke, met up for a carpool and photo shoot. They have given me the “OK” to share a few pics here — which I can’t resist, because they look so handsome!

Hudson and Luke have been fast friends for eight years already.

How did we go from this:

To this?

I just love these guys. I’d better not blink, or it’ll be time for prom.

A Collection of Wow: Books

Oh my Gosh; this week is flying by — a blur! This afternoon I decided to just sit in one place and surf for art and general happy coolness. A favorite site that transports me to the land of unusual things: Colossal Art & Design. After enjoying a break for some eye candy — and some actual candy {Cadbury mini eggs!}, I was rejuvenated.

A few things that caught my eye pertained to books. Since I love them so — and since I am hosting book club tomorrow night {it’s our 9th anniversary!}. So here’s a small collection of “wow!” of the bookish variety.

Fictional Landscapes – artfully carved from books {let’s hope they were books in need of a new “life”}. More oh-so-cool examples are here in the full Colossal post.

Have you seen this incredible video?: What Happens in Bookstores at Night {click here for Colossal’s back story on its creation}:

And look at this! A tower containing over 15,000 unique books, each one about Abraham Lincoln. I had no idea… Read all about it here, also on Colossal.

I am so looking forward to gathering with my book club tomorrow to discuss and celebrate our nine years of shared book love! With wishes for a fascinating and literary kind of day.

- BOP

Watching: KONY 2012

I did not know a thing about KONY 2012 until Thursday morning; when it’s viral nature reached me — with thanks to my friend Becky, an email from Saratoga Soup, and others on Facebook. Hudson also said that kids were talking about it at middle school, and he had Facebook invitations waiting for KONY 2012 events. Suddenly, it was something to pay attention to. We set aside a half hour and took a look:

I am compelled to share this, for the information it provides about Kony’s unseen and horrific crimes against children, and also because of the connection filmmaker Jason Russell made in talking about parenting {of his adorable son} and the bigger global picture. It was riveting. Compelling. Well done. An incredible example of the power of creativity, compassion, and determination. And brilliant film editing.

There is some backlash in the media and on YouTube, questioning the validity and approach of this film. Critics have said that the analysis is overly simplistic, that the finances don’t add up, that the situation in Uganda is no longer critical {that it has largely passed and there are other more dire situations to be tended to}; and some believe that Kony is no longer in Uganda at all. It’s hard to know what to think, and I’m not qualified to say what’s right — or real. So I’ll go with a leap of faith and I will gladly contribute to the effort, in hopes that it helps end the crisis for children in Uganda — and in celebration of the power of global citizens to make change. KONY 2012 offers hope that we might possibly, as humans in the information age, be able to make the world a better place. What a deeply comforting thought.

Today I think of children all over the world — in Uganda, in the United States, and elsewhere — who do not have the safety and comforts that my children do. They are, indeed, invisible. That perspective is most important of all to me; to keep our eyes and heart open to helping those we cannot see. This is a strange new technological age that we’re living in. Sometimes I get nostalgic and wish we could go back in time. But today is not one of those days. KONY 2012 shows us the silver lining of how our ever-growing connectedness can light up the world. Today the future does indeed, look brighter.

So what do you think? Will people in your house be making Joseph Kony famous?

Maple Sugaring Time: A Rite of Spring

This beautiful sunny March day is happily reminding me that it’s Maple Sugaring time here in the Northeast. It sneaks up on us every year, and I’m always so glad when we get organized and get ourselves to a sugar shack. What’s better than experiencing the sweet, cozy, steamy, old fashioned phenomenon of sap becoming syrup?

Last year we visited the New York State Maple website and sugar shack locator {type your zip code into the box that says “find a producer near you”} and found Maple Valley Farm in Corinth, NY. We had a glorious day there. A few pics to get us all in the spirit for this year’s sugaring season:

Ella and Grandpa followed the signs to the sugar shack’s plumes of smoke and steam.

Tractor rides were also offered by Maple Valley’s friendly staff.

Once inside, Ella and I savored the sound and smell of the sap boiling down. A family owned business, there were several of friendly folks on hand to tell about the process {and to offer samples}.

An aside: You’ll see that I’ve got my magic hat on… the one that has been my favorite for years. This hat once spent an entire day in a mud puddle at a ski area and was run over by the car. I noticed it — black with mud — out of the corner of my eye as we were leaving. After a wash it’s still going strong! It’s one of my “favorite things.”