Just six months till our "cuz reunion"!

My regular readers know that my spring time reunion with my cousins down South is a big deal to me. In 2012, we will have it in April, as opposed to March as we have done the last few years.

So what is the big deal about getting together with cousins once a year and at a place out in the middle of no where? Well, there are a lot of reasons. I grew up with these "kids" (okay, so we aren't exactly kids anymore, the youngest of us is is pushing 50). We spent many good times together in our growing up years. But then I moved to New York in 1974. I was busy raising two sons and didn't get back down South much over 30 or so years. My dad died in 2003. It was sudden and I had to make a lot of arrangements quickly. I contacted Rita, my second cousin in Alabama. She took care of letting the rest of the family know.

In that blurred frenzy of flying down to Pensacola, Florida - my hometown and where my Dad lived - making arrangements and seeing cousins that I hadn't seen in years. . . I realized what I had missed for so many years. Amazingly, we picked up right where we left off. I said to my cousin, Kenny, "Boy, the last time I saw you, you were a skinny little shy kid." Without skipping a beat, Kenny replied, "Yea, well the last time I saw you, you weren't an old woman!"

After the funeral and we all scattered in every direction again, we did manage to keep in touch. Then I came up with the idea of getting together on our "ancestral" land. I sent out e-mails and made phone calls. None of them turned me down and in 2009, we got together for a day on the old homestead where our grandparents raised their children - our parents. This is land that has been in the Morgan family since it was deeded from the government way back in the 1800s. My grandfather was a cotton farmer on this land. In the 1960s, my father and his siblings built a pond there from two natural springs.

2012 will be our fourth consecutive year getting together and each year is more fun than the last. Some of us are avid gun enthusiasts and we bring our guns and enjoy target shooting on the property. We have a big meal and just enjoy walking the land and being together again.

This past year has brought major challenges and conflicts my way but I survived that storm and now I'm really, really looking forward to our time together again in the Spring. Onward!!!

Times that make the heart sing!

You just never know, in the midst of this hectic, stress filled life we live, when things will happen that make you smile. . . a real genuine, from the heart smile.

I pulled in my driveway today, stopping to get the mail. The young mother across the street was in her yard with her two young children. Opening my mailbox to the usual pile of catalogs, I commented to her, "You know, if I had a dollar for every catalog I get, I wouldn't have to work."

She laughed, shaking her head as if she totally understood. "I tell her [pointing to 4 year old Ariele] that this is mail for her!"

I laughed. "Ariele," I began, "looks like the mail man put mail in my box that has your name on it." Her eyes widened and a smile came over her face. "Look here," I said. "These two have your name on it. Do you want them?"

She quickly grabbed them from my hands and ran to her mother exclaiming, "Mom, they put it in the wrong mailbox!" And then she laughed a laugh of total, genuine excitement.

There I stood, in the middle of our street, totally oblivious to everything else in the world at that moment. I was awed by the thrill this young girl got at thinking there really was mail for her in my mailbox. If only the rest of us could find joy in the little, spontaneous happy moments in life.

Happy Birthday, Kevin

My oldest grandson, Kevin, is 11 years old today! Has it really been 11 years since I raced up I-390 in the pre-dawn hours to get to Genesee Hospital before he was born?

Kevin is an avid golfer and triathlete. He is also a Boy Scout.

Have a great day, Kevin. Gramma is very proud of the young man you have become.

As the weather cools down. . .

I was in Wegmans today (for those outside of Wegmansland, that is the best grocery store in the whole world!!!). I didn't have a real game plan for what I was going to buy. . . I buy meat and eggs from a grass-fed farm so I use Wegmans for fresh produce and staples. . . but as I was wandering through the aisles, the thought of homemade chili came to mind. . . my crockpot chili.

One of life's simple pleasures is coming home from work to the smell of a good meal simmering in the crockpot. Tonight I will brown the ground beef and put all the ingredients into the crockpot and put it in my refrigerator until morning. It's a no-brainer with wonderful results.

Speaking of the grass-fed farm, I'd like to put in a good word for them. I shop at Autumn's Harvest Farm, over near Romulus, NY. It is about an hour's drive from Rochester and a scenic drive through the countryside. You can find them by doing a google search. All their beef, pork and chickens are raised on grass. Do another google search for the benefits of grass fed beef and you'll understand the difference. On the last Friday of each month, they come to Rochester so I don't have to drive over there every time I need to resupply. Grass-fed animals produce meat that is much healthier and far better tasting than the large corporate farms, where most of the meat you buy comes from. Wegmans actually wanted this farm to be one of their vendors. But he isn't big enough to meet their needs.

There are grass-fed farms all over the country and I'm sure there is one near you. Do another google search!

A perfect day to make soup

It is cold, windy, and raining outside and the forecast is for this to last all day.

Before I went to bed last night, I put a package of Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Soup Mix in a big bowl of water to allow the beans to soak.

In a little while, I will put these beans and a big ham hock in a large pot and let it simmer for hours. Later I will add a couple of cans of tomatoes, some seasonings, maybe elbow pasta. . . I'm not a "strict, stick to the recipe cook!" The house smells so good when my bean soup is simmering on the stove.

Then, while I am watching football on TV - don't miss the Alabama-Florida game tonight at 8:00 pm, folks, it's going to be a good one! - I will have a bowl of soup. There will be plenty to freeze for later.

Happy Birthday, Jake!

Today my grandson, Jake, is nine years old.

Jake plays baseball and soccer and loves to run. He's got his father's gift of gab and can sway anyone to his way of thinking.

Downtown Rochester the way it used to be

Allow an old woman to relive yesteryear.

My daughter-in-law started it. She posted a picture on facebook taken from her office window. Midtown, as it was called, used to be the hub of a thriving downtown Rochester. It was the first indoor mall in the country, I am told.

Now it is being torn down. . . for what??? First, Paetec, a local company, had signed a contract to build their headquarters there. Only thing is, the damn contract was not binding. Recently, the Paetec owner sold the company to an out of town firm. What will become of the space where Midtown once stood is anyone's guess.

In my day. . . downtown Rochester was a destination. I thought nothing of going down there, even by myself, to shop. Or at night to go to the Rochester Philharmonic at the Eastman Theater, or further down Main Street was the Auditorium Theater where off Broadway plays came. . . Annie. . . The Phantom of the Opera. . . There was the Changing Scene restaurant on a revolving foundation high above the Rochester landscape. And the Top of the Plaza, a restaurant and night club. Great food, great entertainment, and great views of the surrounding area.

Then the climate of downtown changed. A different element inhabited the area. Midtown Plaza became home to rif-raf, hanging out at Midtown Plaza. People turned away. The nicer stores and shops closed. Midtown died a slow, pathetic death.

The downtown Sibleys and McCurdy's stores - both originally owned by well off Rochester families - were a delightful place to shop. The quality and variety of merchandise were much better than the suburban stores. The Christmas decorations in the windows and inside were just fantastic.

The City is trying to revive downtown but, in my opinion, they don't have the vision or the money to do it right.

As I was writing this, I went back and read Marisa's facebook post. How can a thirty-something person truly appreciate what Rochester used to be???

Ten years later. . .

I will never forget where I was and the feelings I had on that horrific day ten years ago.

I was a realtor at the time. I was home that morning waiting for the Time Warner guy to come and connect my computer to the internet. I had showered and dressed and was cleaning up in the kitchen when the doorbell rang.

I walked through the living room and opened the door, smiling at the technician. But it was the look on his face that gave me a strange feeling and took away my smile. "Ma'am, do you have your TV on?," he asked. Before I could answer, he walked past me at the front door and turned on my TV. "A plane hit the World Trade Center," he told me.

That didn't sink in. When the shock of his words wore off, my mind rationalized that it was an accident, although I couldn't figure out how. As the screen opened up and I saw the smoke coming out of the Tower, my mind just went blank. I saw the smoke but I wasn't able to process any reasonable thinking.

He sat down on my couch. Although I don't remember, at some point I found myself sitting on the love seat with my eyes glued to the screen. He said some things that I heard as a voice but not words.

Still in a state of shock, my eyes saw the next plane hit the Tower. I had no emotion at that point. It is hard to describe. You see what is happening, but your mind and body can't process it.

Like most people, I had trouble coming to grips with those events and for months afterward I was in a state of depression that over time wore off.

Now ten years later, I still have lingering feelings and emotions of that day. But one thing I can see today that I didn't see then, the United States has survived and will survive, no matter what. We will not be broken.

How about you? Please share your own story. Where were you that day? What were your feelings and how did you get past this terrible day?

A fine example of true sportsmanship

I am glad to see the news media cover something good for a change.

Many of you know I am a diehard Alabama Crimson Tide football fan, have been all my life. From as far back as I can remember, I thought everyone was a rabid football fan. That is what growing up in the South will do to you.

In April of this year a disastrous tornado hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the University of Alabama is located. Numerous people were killed and dozens more lost everything they owned.

Fast forward to this past week. Yesterday was the first game of the season for Bama. Their opponent, Kent State University, not exactly known for its football superiority, came several days early to work beside the Crimson Tide team in tornado relief.

I think everyone agrees, that was a very nice thing to do. Both CNN and Fox News featured this story.

This is the kind of news reporting we could use a lot more of these days.

Garden fresh tomatoes!

I'm dog-sitting this weekend for a neighbor. We share dog-sitting duty when one of us is away.

Yesterday I came home from work - I had walked to work, a mile, and it was a hot and humid day - and went over to take care of Casey. To my surprise, there was a pile of fresh tomatoes with a note, "Sherry, please take all you want." Suddenly I forgot about being tired and covered in sweat!

You don't have to beg me to take fresh vegetables right off the plant! I could make a meal off sliced tomatoes covered in salt!