Watching, Waiting and Whacked

LIAM LOOKING FOR SANDY

Much buildup.  Many news conferences. Prepping. Waiting. Anxiety. Eating. Anxiety. Drinking-then it happened.  The wind came with a little rain.  Liam watched for Sandy.

LIAM WATCHING HIS FAVORITE MAPLE

Liam's maple in previous photo fell on Monday, October 29th, hours before Sandy made landfall. 

LIAM'S MAPLE DOWN -CONED AND WRAPPED

The wind, the maple's tenuous hold on the soggy sandy soil and above ground roots combined to pull it up and down. The sidewalk went with it.  I never heard it. Our neighbors did and gave us the play by play. A slow crackling and a gentle fall with a grace befitting its old age. No power loss, no one hurt. Power lines remain intact within its branches. All power went hours later around 5:45 PM. Hundreds of towers flashed one another with lightning like signals and most of Long Island lost power within the next few hours. It was all power, even cell, no 2G. 3G, 4G. WiFi, heat, light. Cut off.

LIAM IN THE DARK IN THUNDERSHIRT

The wind was so loud I took my hearing aids out.
Liam listened. Heard too much.

LIAM IN HIS SAFE POSITION

Took his position between the pillow and back of the couch
In the dark, waiting for the morning light

Words and phrases exchanged this week

Be safe

No power

R u ok?  

Stay safe

No cell

I have wine

Generator  

Tree down

R u ok?

We r fine
ThankYou

 Be safe, Stay safe

Woof, Woof

Bye Baby

LIAM IN HIS BUNTING OR IS HE THE BUNTING?

Liam ended up under my shawl, head on pillow.  Pooch on Pillow is Liam's doing.  Shawl on slumbering dog is his Daddy's doing.  I looked and a rhyme popped in my head shaken loose by a glass of Cabernet.  I recited  the first verse of a poem that I had not thought of since childhood.

Bye, baby Bunting,

Daddy's gone-a hunting,

Gone to get a rabbit skin

To wrap the baby Bunting in

Liam all bunched up released it from my brain. I'm thinking "the shawl is Bunting" and Daddy is hunting for more.  I remember it as being haunting, pretty and a little scary.  No one's father I knew went hunting for skins to wrap their kids in. And it sure was not comforting the way my mother presented it- a sort of angry indictment and tale of abandonment - I think now that the verse as she used it was a euphemism for "your father is drinking beer in Woodside, he'll be gone for hours since the chances of skinning a rabbit from the bar stool are slim to none." This way she got her anger out and also credit for doing a motherly bedtime story.
Click to listen-only a minute

Here is more history provided by all the wikis out there
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bye,_baby_Bunting

The meaning of baby Bunting seems to have perturbed others. The original meaning is not what I had thought it was.  Bunting is Scottish-an affectionate term for a plump baby-particularly its bottom or "bunt"  Liam-is the bunting and my shawl is the rabbit skin.

I personally think he would love this to be the truth since chasing bunnies is part of the joy of his nightly walk. The following link explains

http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2010/04/1697.html
The same night Liam was wrapped in his "bunting I was reading Joan Didion's memoir "Blue Nights" of grief and regret about her deceased daughter.  I was astonished to find several references to this nursery rhyme in her book. The version of this song as she sang it to her daughter was Bye Baby Bunny, not Bye baby Bunting.  Guess as a writer she knew "the Bunting" was the baby and modernized Bunting to Bunny so her daughter would understand. Its use in Ms. Didion's memoir is poignant and sort of a goodbye.

Probably the rhyme can be whatever one wants it to be. 

Liam is wrapped in his bunting 

No one is going hunting. 

If I have some wine

I may write the last line

Woof, Woof

NYCWFF

LIAM THINKING OF WINE AND NYCWFF

I worked for the Government and we thrived on acronyms. They usually formed real words.  Like SALT and PEPPER which were abbreviations of computer programs. NYCWFF, though not a cutesy word, is an acronym for the New York City Wine and Food Festival where much salt, pepper and other spices are present.  My Virgo pal and I attended three TimesTalks with four Chefs, who are also Food Network stars, Top Chef Masters, TV personalities, hosts, authors, event speakers, restauranteurs- some even have been tagged "their own brand"

LIAM'S FOOD FESTIVAL

1- Bobby Flay and Giada.  Videos : New York Times Events
They were in a two person interview format.  Giada took the mic from the moderator, Julia Moskin, and really never let it go to Bobby which was cute and the source of good natured teasing among the three. We were not permitted to take pix or videos and unlike a Springsteen concert they mean it.  I was able find a clip up top on the TimesTalks website. Worth a few minutes. Bobby and Giada play off one another well. They have a talk show planned for fall 2013 and Bobby envisions it to be like a "Regis and Kelly" Not another "The Chew" which is talking while cooking and chewing, theirs more talking and then cooking and chewing.
a choice of links follow-each a little different
http://nytimes.whsites.net/timestalks/videos/
http://nytimes.whsites.net/timestalks/

THIS IS IT FOR LIAM

2- Paula Deen, dog Lulu, hubby Michael in the audience.
Lulu was a fine guest with an orange bow to match the Times Talk decor. She joined Michael in the audience when the talk got serious.

LIAM AT HOME- NO TV APPEARANCE

Paula was a revelation to me. The buzz in the theater before she came out was palpable and wow, is she loved!  I have been critical of her pushing butter, her hiding her diabetes and representing a drug company. She explained it all and I believe her. She is loyal, funny, spontaneous and irreverent. Many folks in the audience seemed to have met her and others had been inspired by her. Paula referred to Twitter as Twatter, and a tweet as a twat until the moderator, Kim Severson, affectionately cautioned her.  She left the stage to a standing ovation and a convert in me. Here she is from earlier this year.

3-Marcus Samuelsson 
Marcus was the intense fire of the day-like the Ethiopian spice-berbere-shown on the book jacket  http://www.ethiopianspices.com/html/products.asp
Interviewer, Sam Sifton, was warm and engaging in their exchanges-a mutual like and respect evident.
Marcus wore a red vest, red sneakers and a cap (and more)  He talked of his life story.  Marcus has a new memoir. Yes, Chef.

LIAM PROMOTING MARCUS

Riveting.  His energy is so strong and he projects it like a laser at the audience. I had two personal encounters after the lecture. He invited me to ride the elevator with him, I was rooted to the spot, could not move and the doors shut in my face. Then later he emerged from the men's room and there I was and again I could not approach. That's okay. He addressed me, smiled at me, offered me a ride.  Note to self- if Marcus Samuelsson offers you a spot in his elevator the answer is " Yes, Chef."  Here he is, reading from his book.

and then Butter-the restaurant of Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.. I will remember that soup and those scallops forever.  I have a clip of Alex. She is sitting right where I was when I waited for the rest room.
http://www.butterrestaurant.com/

and Liam stayed hope with Daddy. Their bromance continues. Glad I have women friends.
I was gone many hours- more than a half day.
Liam was waiting at home- had some wine waiting to hear my stories so we could start the blog.

Woof, Woof

I will Follow her

LIAM WAITING FOR THE DAY'S PLAY

There is a lot of following going on in the world of Social Media.  Twitter.  Blogs.  FB page subscriptions. If you follow you may be followed back. A courtesy connection. Then a possible relationship. You receive feedback, updates, photos.  I follow people on Twitter, they follow me.  I have blog followers and I follow back. In the non-virtual world I have a follower.  He lives in our house.  He waits to play, toy ready.

I would say he is a stalker but that implies malice. My follower is Liam.  He is everywhere I am.  As I type this story (his blog) he is sitting next to me, occasionally looking up, sometimes staring, licking latte foam.

If I leave this room he will follow, leaping from his window couch perch.

If I pause and do not come downstairs immediately, Liam will wait at the foot of the staircase- looking up at me.

LIAM AT THE FOOT OF THE STAIRS

 Or he is gazing upon me with a question-Are we going out now?
There is a song recorded years ago that echoes in my mind and fits this situation with a little gender adjustment "I Will Follow Him" sung by Peggy March. My version is Liam howling "I Will Follow Her"
Yes, Peggy is alive and well and singing - Her hit "I Will Follow Him" was recorded in 1963 when she was 14. It came out right after she turned 15 and she became the youngest female artist with a number one hit.
More about her
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggy_March

and here she is -click for a listen



Conversely, outside of our home, "I Will Follow Him" is my anthem as Liam turns the tables and runs for squirrels, rabbits, birds...There is never a chance that he will follow me when wildlife and nature surround him-add in tossed pizza crusts, candy bar wrappers and other food rejects that have missed the garbage can and I am the follower.

FOLLOW ME

You follow me

I follow back. 

A connection. 

A relationship.

Woof, Woof

Woman Cave

LIAM IN THE WOMAN CAVE

You may have heard of the term "man cave" a room, basement, garage, shed, den, where the man hangs out and may invite friends to join in- a sanctuary where he has all his "man" comfort and special interest treasures. Here is a definition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_cave

there is a website for man caves pix, take a look
http://www.oddee.com/item_97008.aspx

I have a woman cave. It evolved slowly. I needed a place to sleep. I have restless leg, sleep apnea, nightmares, anxiety attacks, body temperature changes-all wrapped up in a neat package and all or some of the above present each night.  I had to find a space for myself to thrash about.

NEED A PLACE TO SLEEP

My cave is the den which is really the smaller of two back rooms in our house. Over time-several years- I have included my books, my devices, journals, my schedules. The books that inspire, remind and please me are on display on the back rim of the couch.  See next photo. I do rotate them occasionally. Liam likes the cave. He sometimes sleeps in it which makes for a very crowded couch.  Our two parakeets also live in their apartment within the cave.

PARAKEETS KAYSAR AND KRISTIN LEFT

I am never alone in there. Liam comes and goes but the birds are always in residence. Oh and yes, that TV is very old, has that big back-works fine though

LIAM WITH LIAM NEESON ON TV

 
Unlike the "man caves" shown up top the woman cave is really only mine for sleeping. It is the den in the day. And a office. It has the land-line on which we still receive messages; mostly doctor appointment reminders and hang-ups. The desk is there-that is where Paul does the bills. The den is used to watch DVR'd shows. 


Liam only uses the woman cave/den/office if  I am in it or Paul is or both of us are. Or when his namesake Liam Neeson is on Kelly and Michael.  Otherwise Liam will wait for my return as he does in the photo below. I think he knows that if my wine is there I will be back.

LIAM WAITS FOR ME

I can stay up late reading until my klonopin kicks in or wine or cumulative sleeplessness. I guess the woman cave is really a multitasker, serves several functions, not a place apart. It is only a woman cave at night, so it is part time.

Let me restate.
I have a part time woman cave. Night Time, not full time. After all most of the other rooms are mine also.  Liam's too. 

Woof, Woof

Mitzvah Marathon

I CAN HELP

I am offered the opportunity to do a favor and I accept. The day is Tuesday-it is Yom Kippur at sundown; I am thinking the favor is a Mitzvah - as in a good deed, a kindness .My good deed is to pick up my grandniece Kiera after her dance class at 1:45pm.

Concerns
I do not have a car seat.  Grandniece is three and a half (almost)
I have not picked her up before. Will I be allowed to take her?
Will Kiera go with me?
Where is the studio?
Is there parking?

LIAM LOOKING, PARKING, STUDIO?

Fixes
My sister will lend me her car with a car-seat. It is fused into her car so I must take the car with the car-seat.
I do a preliminary test run to the dance studio.
There is street parking, Meters, need quarters. have them.

WORRIED

Unresolved and worrisome
Driving an unfamiliar car
Toddler who may not want me
May not be released to me
Finding parking

Before the favor, I have two activities-the daily health club session and my weekly manicure/pedicure appointment.

NO NEED FOR GYM, RUNNING OUTSIDE

Twin Parks Health Club (gym) I arrive at the gym, turn to the back seat to grab my bag and it is not there. I have left my gym bag home. Seems my future mitzvah is causing a subconscious preoccupation. I have no time to get it. I am on a fixed schedule today. This means that I do not have sneakers. a lock, my workout gloves, or water. Rules state that one must wear sneakers, not street shoes, and lock up one's belongings, no piling items on the floor. I take the most important items out of my handbag put them in my pockets and stash my bag in a locker, unlocked. I am wearing crocs-not the ideal workout shoe-I try to pick out obscure machines to go unnoticed, while watching the door to catch anyone stealing my handbag. I make it to my finishing time without incident, but with stress, anxiety and thirst.  My unlocked handbag is still there, I pack it up again. Whew.

KEEP GOING FIXED SCHEDULE

Next stop
Lavender Nail Salon for my weekly appointment.  I transfer quarters to my pocket so that after the manicure I will not mess my lacquered nails by digging through my bag. I am done by 12:45PM.  I stand and my quarters fall through my pocket and roll under couches and equipment. Packing my pockets with my handbag contents at the gym has caused the pocket material to give way, a hole to form and my quarters to escape. They are under the nail dryers and the couch. I lay on my stomach trying to reach one. Not retrievable without heavy lifting and several people helping. I leave with only one.


I drive to my sister's house, park, get in her car, keys are in the ignition. I notice there are 4 drive gears. Four!  I pick #1. I drive down the block. This cannot be right-sounds like a jet plane. I pull over; call my sister, no answer. I start again. This time I pick #2, not better but I continue my drive. I arrive on the dance studio block and pull into a spot near the studio front door. The meter has 23 minutes-no quarter necessary-my only quarter saved. I am early. I look for clues as to how to drive this car. I find the booklet. Oh, D4 is the correct gear; I was only up to #2. I enter the studio at 1:41 to see a room full of unsmiling folks. What a grim group!  I find the only remaining seat. I ask, "How do we know when they are ready?" A reply, "they will bring them out." Just then I hear from inside  "Kiera, over here" I say "she's mine," no one looks up. I fear they think I am a kidnapper, so I take on their serious demeanor. and do not make eye contact.  Do they all know each other? The teacher brings out the children calling out for their drivers, "anyone here for Amy? anyone here for ....?  Then I see Kiera. "Come with me" I say. 

SHOULD I COME?

I am not sure she recognizes me but she comes-


Then someone calls after us- "Kiera may have brought a bag."  Oh no, is that a test? They bring out a little suitcase. I grab it and we leave. As we are walking I here metal scrapping the concrete. Oh no. Kiera has on her dance shoes. They have metal plates on them. Riverdance in the street. Guess I was supposed to open that little suitcase and put on her street shoes before we left.  I just want to get us in the car before anyone sees. Fastening the car seat belt is a challenge; at least she climbs into the seat.
I was told she would do the seat-belt herself. Not today, not with me.


We drive away.  I am in the right gear. I have the right child.

LIAM HAS HIS STUFFED BABY

She accepts me as her driver. It is done.

I put my only quarter in the meter for the next person "Pay It Forward" another mitzvah in the making.

Woof, Woof

Pooch on Pillows

LIAM HEAD ON PILLOW

How does Liam know that putting his head on a pillow will be very comfy? Does he see us do it?  I know many dogs do this. I understand that sitting on a pillow wrapped in a thundershirt is more comfortable than being shirtless on the ground. I also get that sitting on the couch beats the floor, even a carpeted one.

 PILLOWS AND KONG BONE-HEAVEN

But Liam putting his head on a pillow seems so human. I had to Google to see if others have asked or wondered about this poochie pillow penchant.  And yes, there are many questions, comments and shared stories out there on the Internet. I did find a FB page about dogs and pillows.

see link
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dogs-Using-Pillows/217938864192
as well as a blog link
http://pittiesincity.blogspot.com/2011/01/schwang-manor-allure-of-pillows.html

In case you may think these photos are posed, they are not. We do not arrange the pillows for Liam. He finds his own pillow. Manipulates it, moves it and drapes his body over, under or into it. Liam likes all size pillows.  He has his own, in his main chair bed which has been often shown here and was illustrated in last week's RACK CANCER blog story-see link for refresher
http://liamlicks.blogspot.com/2012_09_09_archive.html
Liam uses a pillow as a prop for his head. and in a cozy corner of the couch
Maybe we humans saw dogs create a pillow of twigs and leaves for their heads thousands of years ago in the wilderness. Or did we humans invite a dog to join the pack around the campfire to rest its head on a rolled up jacket or was it a dog offering to share a pile of leaves to tired lonely travelers? We all seem to have ended up needing and loving the pillows. Pack pillow behavior?

BETTER THAN A PILE OF LEAVES

Woof, Woof