Waking up to happy news

Most mornings, NPR wakes me up with the early news. Most mornings it is bad news. Most mornings it is about car bombs. But this morning was different. This morning I heard that Barack Obama , our president was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. I was elated! I have great hope for him and what he can do for our country. I recognize that he is having a tough time of it now and that his detractors and even some of his supporters are not pleased with this event.

About the best his detractors can say is that it is too soon or that he was nominated right after he took office. Some think the prize should be awarded on the basis of accomplishments and not intentions.

I'd like to point out a few facts about the Prize itself and shed a little more light on the subject.
I wanted a photo of Obama but I can't steal the photos of others and I've never been close enough to him for a closeup. So, I am repeating a photo I took at a rally for him last November.
Look closely. That's him at the mike.

The Nobel Peace prize is dedicated to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses". It's clear that he hasn't done the "most" in this area, but former Finnish President, Martti Ahtisaari, who was last year's Peace Prize laureate, said it was clear that the committee wanted to encourage Obama on the issues he has been discussing on the world stage. This award has only been made to two former U.S. Presidents and no incumbent president has received the award in the past 90 years.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 96 times to individuals and 23 times to organizations.
Three striking examples of people who did NOT receive the Prize are Adolf Hitler, Mahatma Gandi and Joseph Stalin. Stalin was nominated in 1945 and 1948 for his efforts to end WWII. Unbelievably, Hitler was nominated in 1939 , but the man who nominated him, a member of the Swedish parliament, withdrew the nomination . And Mahatma Gandhi, the strongest possible symbol of non-violence in the 20th century, was nominated five times but was never awarded the prize. The prize cannot be awarded posthumously.

So you see, it is a mixed bag. All the other Nobel prizes are presented in Sweden in December in the City hall . A friend of mine is fortunate enough to attend each year, as an active member of Amnesty International in Stockholm . The Nobel Peace Prize is presented in Oslo, Norway.

I hope that this recognition will make it possible for people from around the world to once more respect and honor our American president.

A sunny day in Stockholm

I visit Stockholm often , because I have a son who lives there. Of all the places to sightsee, my favorite is Kolonistugor, the allotment gardens established as early as 1904. Back then, city dwellers lived in small apartments that barely offered room for a family. The inside courtyard might have some dirt or trees, but mostly they were concrete. A small window box was the best one could do to grow herbs or flowers.

The pictures are ones I took in Kolonistugor, on the island of Södermalm, on the south banks. Facing a lake, the gardens are made up of small parcels of land separated by narrow lanes and picket fences. Families wait many years for a plot to become available. Once they get one, they are likely to keep it for life. Families then can go out there on warm summer days, plant trees, bushes, flowers, and vegetables. The community provides public toilets. There is no electricity and small cottages hold only room for supplies and , perhaps, a table and chairs.
An outside water tap provides water for drinking and plants.
In 1904, an upper-class woman named Anna Lindhagen, a social-democratic leader , visited the allotment gardens of Copenhagen and determined to start them in Stockholm . The Swedish Federation of Leisure Gardening represents the more than 26,000 allotment and leisure gardeners in Sweden. The land is usually rented from local authorities.
It is my joy to roam idly through the gardens and along the paths, trying to learn a whole new set of birds and recognizing some delightful plants which grow in W.Va. (my native state) but not in Florida.
Rhododendron in many colors delight the eye. Poppies burst forth like Georgia O'Keefe paintings, Roses cover large bushes as abundantly as the gardenias do in Florida . Lilacs hang down where , standing on tiptoes, one can inhale their intoxicating fragrance. All sorts of fruit and flowering trees line the paths.
At the bottom of the hill, a wider path traces the banks of the lake and bikers, walkers, runners, mothers pushing strollers: all inhabit this wonderful world of color in the heart of town.

Kolonistugor means "weekend cottages".

A good omen

A good luck omen


One of the advantages of living on a lake is the proximity of wildlife, mostly birds. I had been told you should never have your desk in your bedroom. However, my bedroom has such a beautiful view and it just seemed natural to keep my desk in front of the window, where I could look out over my computer and see what is going on out there. I can hear the cry of the Kingfisher just in time to look up and see him dive from the limbs of a weeping bottle brush tree. Or I can hear the call of an Osprey and know to look up high and see him perched on a branch , fish in his claws, and watch him devour his meal for the next several hours. And in the early evening or early morning, at certain times of the year, I can hear the call of the owl and I know the owl has returned.

The next day, I will go out at dusk and sit quietly on the bank until I hear the call. By following the sound, I can usually determine which tree he is in. From there it is a matter of forcing my eyes to look for the carefully camouflaged animal hiding from me there.

Once I looked up and saw a very large horned owl , nestled so tightly against the trunk of a pine tree, that it was a long while before I really saw him. I would guess him to be about 20 inches high. He looked something like a cat nestled there and I found that they are sometimes called “cat birds”. Needless to say, he had seen me before I ever moved off my stalking spot.
He was glaring down at me with such a fierce look that I was frightened that he would swoop down and pick me up in his talons, fly over the lake,and drop me off!

You can see from this photo, taken from a website called “Everystockphoto.com” that they are really well protected by their coloration.

I then went back to sitting quietly and , eventually, heard the call again. Being patient, I then heard an answer. I began to slowly walk along the lake and up the path, stopping and listening along the way. Ultimately. I determined where the reply had come from. Across the pond, in a large tree, I saw another large owl and a smaller one. The smaller one, still quite bulky, was fluffy with new feathers. The cries continued back and forth across the lake as the parents tried to encourage the baby to fly. I watched for almost an hour and the baby did finally fly to another branch.

What a thrill! I have never heard this, but I think owls must be good luck omens. I was once having some serious surgery done and the morning of my appointment, I was awakened with the cry of an owl. I took it to be a good sign.

Living in Florida, I would imagine these big birds are migratory. We usually see them in the fall and don’t see them any more after spring .Since growth and development are gradually taking over most of Florida’s natural habitat, I expect they are becoming scarce. His competition in our particular lake is the alligator, so I’m not sure how hard it is to feed.

To quote Wikipedia:These birds hunt at night by waiting on a high perch and swooping down on prey. Prey is varied. Predominantly small to medium-sized mammals such as hares, rabbits, racoons, rats, squirrels, mice, moles, voles, marmots, shrews, bats, armadillos, weasels and gerbils. It's even a natural predator of porcupines and skunks (like most birds it has poor sense of smell). Birds also comprise a large portion of a Great Horned Owl's diet, ranging in size from kinglets to Great Blue Herons. Waterbirds, especially coots and ducks, are hunted; even raptors, up to the size of Snowy Owls, are sometimes taken. The owls sometimes eat farmers chickens and small to medium and largish dogs. But reptiles, amphibians, fish, crustaceans and even insects only count for occasional prey. Cannibalism has been recorded.

When I was teaching elementary school, one of our science activities was to dissect an owl pellet. Owls cannot digest bones and feathers , so they regurgitate them in a little ball, once a day. These pellets are sterilized and sold by science equipment companies to schools. By dissecting a pellet and using the bones to re-construct the animals, or simply by counting skulls, you can determine how many animals a day are needed by one owl. Owls are territorial, so it can be a good lesson for budding minds in understanding the food chain.

Finally, to teach you a new word: Crepuscular: animals which appear at night.

Getting a Tune Up

Vintage model…high mileage….runs smoothly if treated with respect. My body.

The odometer says the mileage is building up.None of the little red lights are on so I suppose all the fluid levels are ok. The little light that says the tires are out of balance is blinking , so I suppose something is out of whack. Better get it checked out. Our bodies are very much like cars. If you start out with a really good one, you have a better chance of it lasting a long time. Some of us get bodies that seem to endure and take all the hard knocks without showing many dings and scratches. Others are like the Ride 'em cars at the carnival, getting banged around with nicks and bumps everywhere.

We are all allotted only one of these marvelous creations in our lives and it's up to us how we take care of them. Right now, mine is getting its annual tune-up and some things need attention. Like an old tire with a big bubble on the side, this one has a toe with a big bubble on the side and it needs fixin'. I decided to quit hobbling around painfully and get a hammertoe repaired. One has to be quite at wit's end to make this kind of decision.
First, I asked everyone I knew if they had ever had foot surgery. Almost everyone who has had something done to a foot had a horror story to tell. But I learned a lot and was better prepared to make a decision.

Next, I asked my old friend , Google , what it could tell me about hammertoes.
It did a nice job of answering and it didn't sound too fearsome, so I decided to have it done.
They removed the bony protuberance on the little toe, and also the hard callous which had formed on top of it. Every time this nasty little node hit my shoe, it sent me a a sharp pain.
The whole thing was done under general anesthesia in an outpatient clinic and I was able to walk on it to get out and into a car. It is , of course, heavily bandaged and I am wearing a special "boot" over the bandage for two weeks. No driving, either!

But…lucky me! I'm not having any pain. And, for two weeks, I get to lie down, prop up my feet and read wonderful books and watch great movies. If I had any on hand, I would eat bon bons!

The best part of all this minor ordeal is that great friends and generous gestures keep popping into my life. People call me, offer me rides, bring in my paper and mail, share home made spaghetti sauce and brownies with me, loan me good books and DVDs and just plain call and let me know they care. Wonderful !

Whadayaknow? the Sailor Stays!

I was misinformed and , therefore, so were you! Todays' edition of the Sarasota Herald Tribune carries a story on the front page titled , "Here's one kiss that's sure to linger." I quote from the article, "The city that guards its bayfront against ugly bridges and homeless boaters made way for a gigantic smooching sailor on Tuesday night. After a spicy two-hour public hearing, commissioners voted 3-2 to accept a WWII veteran's donation of the ...statue."

The deal is, Jack Curran, the man who wanted to remain anonymous but caved into pressure to reveal himself, buys the statue and loans it to the city for ten years. It then becomes the property of the city.

Today I shall write to Carl Muscarello and send him all the clippings. The old vet will be pleased.
If you are ever in Plantation, Florida , look him up and shake his hand. He is a fine man.

A memorial of his time

This is the last chapter in my blog about the "sailor' statue in Sarasota. The statue was leased to the city as part of the city's sculpture project. The issue that has surrounded this icon for the last year was whether the city should add the statue to its Public Art Collection, or return it to its owner, Seward Johnson. A story in the Sarasota Herald Tribune ( Sept. 8, 2009 written by Robert Eckhart, tells about a local gentleman who came forth anonymously some months ago and offered the city half a million dollars if they would keep the statue in place. Jack Curran, 88 years old , is a veteran. He says , in the Tribune, that he wanted to buy the 26 -foot tall statue "for all the other guys out there like him, who were raised in the Great Depression and served their county in World War II and came home to their sweethearts."

Today, by a vote of 5-0, the Committee approved a motion to deny the lease and eventual donation to the City of the "Unconditional Surrender" sculpture for inclusion in the City's Public Art Collection.
When the time comes that the statue goes somewhere else, there might be another chapter
to the story of "Unconditional Surrender"

Keep the Sailor: Part II

The story of the Kiss continues. The photo in this article was taken from a page in the website:
/www.travelogged.com
Here in Sarasota,Florida, we have an art event called Season of Sculpture, whereby the local Arts Council mounts a show of sculptures a long the bayfront. We have had a variety of scuptures over the years, some as shocking as a giant tooth or a group of crashed cars in a pile . The most popular one by far has been a bronze statue called "Unconditional Surrender" created by an artist named Seward Johnson and inspired by the Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph mentioned in my previous blog.

Anyone older than 60 is entertained, inspired, and often brought to laughter or tears by the statue.
Rarely does a man or woman who served in the war and took part in VJ day, see the statue, without getting out of the car and having a photo taken next to it. It's presence on the waterfront has created a controversy that won't quit.

it is precisely because of the statue that I happened to meet Carl Muscarello.
When I showed my autographed photo to people, a young woman named Amy asked me to get one for her and I did. Now, as it happened, Amy has a friend named Rich Swier who is a mover and shaker in Sarasota. (read more about Rich at://www.richswier.com/

Rich is a veteran and he initiated a campaign to convince the city of Sarasota to keep the statue here. His campaign was called, "Keep the Sailor"
On the anniversary of VJ day this year, 2009, he organized a rally and they all met at the statue to
honor veterans and show their support for keeping the statue here.

Now, to backtrack, Amy , via me, helped put Rich in touch with Carl. The local group paid Carl and his wife to come over and attend the rally.

So. My chance encounter caused a ripple effect.

There is a Part III, so tune in again!

Chance Meeting with a Handsome Stranger

Sometime last spring, I made one of my regular visits to Plantation, Florida. I planned to meet a friend for breakfast. Sitting on a park bench, I struck up a conversation with a handsome man who was buying flowers for his wife. When he learned I was from Sarasota, he asked me if I had seen the controversial statue, "Unconditional Surrender". That led him to reveal to me that he was Carl Muscarello, the sailor kissing the nurse in the original photo on the cover of LIFE magazine , taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt and seen around the world. (Check him out on Wikipedia)

Carl told me his fascinating and truly believable story about the day and the events that transpired on VJ Day anniversary, August 14, 1995. At that time , he and Edith Shain, the nurse he grabbed and kissed, met in NY and recreated the event. The photo of Carl and Edith was taken from the story published by the Daily Mail of London. You may read the whole story at the following web address:

: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-474893/Mystery-sailor-famed-VJ-day-kiss-New-Yorks-Times-Square-identified.html#ixzz0QYFaxxGp

Carl sent me the autographed picture of himself, which I treasure and I showed it to friend.

Now, I must tell you what transpired after that. However, that is another story, for another BLOG

Keep tuned in.

Five month hiatus

Bromeliads in my garden

Gosh! Not only haven't I posted anything in a while, I haven't even looked at my blog. It's been five months. I guess I have just been busy. It's wonderful to have the time, energy and wherewithal
to do whatever strikes your fancy. In April, I visited an old , dear friend in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. I had never spent time on the N.C. shore and it is a beautiful area, near Wilmington.
Elsie was my roommate in college for one year, back at U. of F , in the 50's.

Somehow, over fifty years passed and we lost touch. However, I found out where she lived and we started emailing. Hence , our visit. She shares a house with her son and his dog, Chloe and her darling cat , Retta. All four of them welcomed me warmly and made me feel right at home. We visited Airlie Gardens which were beautiful and a great way to spend a day with an old friend. We were enchanted by the bottle garden, pictured above. The photo was taken from the garden website where you can read about the bottle garden and other parts of the gardens.

The high point of the trip was a boat ride out to the outer banks . So private and beautiful.Sitting on a sand dune, watching Don and Chloe cavort in the waves was pure delight.

I took many pictures while there and they are hiding out on my computer. If they reveal themselves, I'll add them to my blog.

Out the back window

I am so fortunate. First of all, I live in Florida, where most days one can have the windows open.
Secondly, I live on a little lake and have a glorious view out my window. Thirdly, when I am working on the computer, I can see water birds of all sorts in a constantly changing panorama.
Recently, I have been privileged to see a flock of white ibis in the large, droopy oak tree hanging over the lake in front of me. At times, there are as many as two dozen of these lovely birds in the tree at once. When I went out to take pictures, I spooked a large osprey and his flight in turn, set the ibis in motion. What a lovely sight, with their white wings soaring away in a ballet of
swirling and swooping, until they all came to light again in the tree or on the banks.

The osprey sits in a very tall pine tree, eating a large fish which he has caught in our lake. From time to tiime, he gets scared off and drops his fish. At this point, the ugly turkey buzzards come to spoil the beauty of my view. I am,however, respectful of these birds. They clean up the smelly
"road kill" of life and keep our environment clean. At a bird sanctuary, a nature lecturer showed me their wings and feathers from behind and they are really quite graceful birds, despite their ugly ald heads.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF EVVY PECK, MY NEIGHBOR AND VERY TALENTED ARTIST .

Inauguration Day, 2009 U.S.A.

Today is one of the most exciting days of my life.
It is Jan. 20, 2009, the day Barack Obama was inaugurated
as President of the United States. The news media are carrying wonderful stories
of people determined to be there in spite of cold weather, no place to stay,
scarcity of bathrooms, and just general crowding. There will be thousands of law enforcement officers there, and they have to sleep on cots in a crowded hall.
Businesses all over the city are allowing their employees to spend the night at work, so that they might be on hand for the celebration.

Charley Gibson carried a news story tonight about a woman from Texas who drove to D.C. with her six children. She had been made homeless by Katrina. Her youngest was 6 months. Somehow, through the internet, she had found a family willing to house them in exchange for her doing all the cooking. She had no tickets to anything, but she just wanted to be there..to take part in this historic day.

I can't think of another event in my lifetime, other than the millennium celebration, or perhaps the Olympics, where Americans meet with such great joy and hope in mind. There is literally dancing in the streets. It is heartwarming to see our country joyful again.

Let the whole world watch and see how we have been relieved of a great weight, a burden of worry that has pervaded our lives for eight years.

In spite of 1.4 million people crowding the streets of Washington, D.C. , and in the face of 12 degree weather (wind chill -14!) there were not incidents, no fights, everyone was cooperative and helpful, and the general ebullience was contagious. The cameras panned over faces, red with cold, but still smiling and crying with happiness. Other networks carried scenes from Indonesia, Kenya, Hawaii and other parts of the world, as their people watched in awe and shared our hope for a better futures.

May be return to the days when all were proud to stand and sing the National Anthem with pride!

Inauguration Day, 2009 U.S.A.

An Attractive Woman

I started the first day of the new year right. I slept late. Then I went to the gym . Not many people there so we all felt a little virtuous. Not only was I rewarded for my exercise, but I had  a little experience that brightened my day and set me thinking.

I  can't speak for what men find attractive in women. But I have my own ideas of what sets woman apart when I first meet them. It's a woman with a   friendly smile. Nothing improves a person's looks like a big , sincere smile. There was a woman working out and as she passed me she was humming to the music.  We both exchanged  "Happy New Year" greetings. She was  rather petite,  wearing a crisp , white, long sleeved blouse and what we used to call pedal pushers. The music was rather lively and I felt my body start to feel the beat and want to move to the music.

  She got off one resistance machine and started dancing across the carpet. She was very lithe, and her steps made her look like someone who had a lot of dancing experience. A teacher, perhaps. As the music continued , she moved from machine to machine, doing her dance steps in between  and really enjoying the music.  I wanted so much to get up and follow her around, conga like, trying to emulate her moves. Another woman said something to me about  it and  I allowed as how I'd like to have the nerve to do that. She laughed and said , "Not me! I have two left feet!"

  The dancing woman continued her moves until she spotted a friend and they began an intense conversation that lasted quite a while. As I prepared to leave, I passed them and she stopped her conversation, called out to me, and said, " You and I greeted each other and I think we should meet. I'm Angela and this is my friend, Joanne."

I told her how her dancing had affected me and she revealed that her husband really doesn't like to dance and she misses the opportunity to enjoy it.

We chatted for a while and I thought how pleasant it was to have met someone so bright , so 

joyful and so eager to meet others. Now that's an attractive woman!

What a  positive way to start the new year...meeting a new friend or two.