Pittsburgh Gray
| September 14, 2005 | Filled under Pittsburgh, Poetry, Upper Valley |
I’ve enjoyed Jim Daniel’s poetry for some time now. One of his poems, Pittsburgh Gray, is remarkably in telling about the climate that makes up the Ohio Valley in Western PA. Being a librarian, I checked into the average annual number of clear days for Pittsburgh PA. It’s something like 58 days a year, and even then the sky is not BLUE. Read Jim’s poem below for a perspective on Pittsburgh, and why I am just so happy most days to look up at the sky in the Upper Valley and see blue.
Pittsburgh Gray
I spell gray with an A
to try and cheer things up.
Fat chance, skinny chance, any
chance at all.
Yesterday was the shortest day
of the year. Today’s supposed to be
longer. We’ll see.
The sensor on my flood lights
says it’s still dark
though it’s noon.
I’m starting my night-time brood
a little early today. I didn’t shave
to give me five more minutes.
Oh, make no mistake, I love it
here. The sky’s the color
of my whites circling in the dryer.
I charitably call them ‘’whites’’
to make them feel better.
I wear them outside as camouflage.
If I was naming crayons
I’d call one Pittsburgh Gray.
I’d press on it hard.
I’d make a set of twelve,
one for each month:
the Pittsburgh Gray set.
July would be almost blue.
Jim Daniels (posted with permission)
King Arthur Flour Baker Wins 2005 Golden Baguette Award
| September 12, 2005 | Filled under Food, Pittsburgh, Vermont |
The Valley News repoorts “Norwich — Jeffrey Hamelman, bakery director and a certified master baker at King Arthur Flour Co., will receive this year’s Golden Baguette Award from the Bread Bakers Guild of America in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of artisan baking.”
You can buy King Arthur Flour at the Pittsburgh area Giant Eagles.
March of the Penguins
| August 29, 2005 | Filled under Entertainment, Upper Valley |
This film is a must see. I actually started thinking about how we as humans are still a bit like wild animals. Not that you or I haven’t thought of this before, but seeing the film brought it up again. That we build these ways of living that keep us alive and healthier and certainly living much easier than what the penguins have to go through. But we can and do get picked off by predators, or illness, or severe weather (on my mind now that I’m in New England). So it’s just another reminder for me to be mindful and live in the moment.
10 Great Towns That Will Keep You Feeling Young
| August 18, 2005 | Filled under Dartmouth College, Upper Valley |
National Geographic Traveler describes Hanover New Hampshire as an independent hinterland hideaway. This article includes Hanover along with other great college towns such as Berkeley, Boulder, Madison and Chapel Hill.
Titled ‘10 great places to enjoy a textbook getaway’, USA Today prints a free though abbreviated online version.
Rumi
| August 14, 2005 | Filled under Poetry, Upper Valley |
Some have remarked on my choosing to make this transition to a new life having so many roots in other places. Along the way I received encouragement and inspiration from family, friends, co-workers and other sources, including the ecstatic poet Rumi. The following poem was especially helpful to me in accepting the little kick out of the nest I was offered by circumstance.
“Work In the Invisible”
The prophets have wondered to themselves, “How long
should we keep pounding
this cold iron? How long do we have to whisper into an
empty cage?” Every motion
of created beings comes from the creator. The first soul
pushes, And your second
soul responds, beginning, so don’t be timid. Load the ship
and set out. No one knows
for certain whether the vessel will sink or reach the harbor.
Cautious people say “I’ll
do nothing until I can be sure. “Merchants know better
If you do nothing you lose.
Don’t be one of those merchants who won’t risk the oceans
This is much more important
than losing or making money! This is your connection to God!
You must set fire to have
light. Trust means you’re ready to risk what you currently
have. Think of the fear and
hope that you have about your livelihood. They make you go to
work diligently everyday. Now
consider what the prophets have done. Abraham wore fire
for an anklet. Moses spoke
to the sea. David moulded iron. Solomon rode the wind.
Work in the invisible world
at least as hard as you do in the visible. Be a companion
with the prophets, even though
no one here will know that you are, not even the helpers of
the qutb, the abdals. You
can’t imagine what profit will come! When one of those
generous ones invites you
into his fire, go quickly! Don’t say, “But will it burn
me? Will it hurt?”
– Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks)