Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day everyone!

Yes, finally back online after, what, almost 42 days off? Time flies. Am finally settling back into my routine. Had two great visits with Tony, Jen, Paul and Deb and then Brian, Sally, Julia, and Joshua. Visited the great NYC with both families and ate a lot of good meals, went kayaking, played alot of speed scrabble. It was really wonderful to see them and show them "my world."

So, since then have been playing catch up at work. Work is going well - we had a foster parent appreciation bbq last weekend (where I was officially introduced) and this fall will be full with several trips to corporate headquarters for training (Diversity, Foundations of Supervision, Families for Life) and Team Leader Meetings. I also signed up for an Ethics training, held conveniently on the coast of Maine (nice opportunity to get back there since I haven't been there in a couple of months).

This weekend I'm using today as a catch up work day since the weather is not cooperating. May catch a movie later. My housemate is gone so I've got the house to myself except for the dog walker that is coming over 3x daily to walk the dog. Unfortunately, "scootie" is quite unmanageable for me given his size and strength so I have taken a pass at being responsible for him. But I felt bad when he was howling in his cage last night at 3am, missing his owner. 4 days in a cage except for 3 walks daily seems cruel to me - but given he can't be left alone in the house and won't cooperate enough for me to just take him outside and let him spend some time on his chain, there aren't other good options. (Yes, I know all my "dog-owner friends are appalled - but Scootie is no Jack or Daisy, Whit and Joni). If he is agitated again tonight, I may advise her that it's best for her to find someone to keep him at their house next time she has extended time away.

My housemate has also really wanting a third housemate to help cover costs with winter coming. So we've posted some ads on Craig's list and uvscene.com (Upper Valley Scene) but we'll see what comes of it. Saving money is always great - but for me, it needs to be the right person. I love having time to myself at the house and our current setup has worked great. I woudl prefer to keep the 3rd bedroom as a guest room but I guess, unless I'm willing to pay extra, I should be more understanding of her limited cash flow issues (she makes 1/3 of what I make). But, even if that happens, there still will be room for guests as we have 3 couches and the loft and I would gladly offer up my room (with attached private bath/deck) to any guests who come this way for some fall foliage getaways(hint hint)....

So my plan for tomorrow and Monday is beach beach beach time. I have a small beach about 3 miles from the house which is lovely. I've been reading Gayle Tsukiyama's The Samuri's Garden" which is FABULOUS, so I picked up two more of her books at the discount book store. Bought a ton of fruit at the Farmer's Market, some mojito mix, a few movies, and am going to enjoy the last legs of summer (as the trees here are already starting to turn!).

So hope all is well in your world! Knighten and Kate, I'm thinking of coming to NYC (adjacent to trainings in New Haven, CT) Nov 4-5, 11-12, or November 15-16 so if you two are around those weekends and want to hang out, let me know!


Love,
Marilee

It's been a month!

Sorry gang! I can't believe i haven't written in a month! It's been a whirlwind... Here are the highlights:

-Had a great visit with 2 friends Mary and Gayle who came 2 days after Dad left. They spent weekdays exploring the upper valley (who could imagine you could spend a whole day in Quechee?) and then we went to Maine for the weekend (rainy - but yummy lobster!). Was great fun having friends here, grilling and eating on the deck, showing them my favorite restaurants and places.

-Then my friend Amy came! We spent a day in Quechee and Woodstock, then drove up to Montreal. Had a great time walking around Montreal Vieux (Old town Montreal), doing the bus tour, the "Let there be light show" at Notre Dame Basilica, and shopping the underground shopping mall (20 miles of underground shopping!). We spent her last night in Burlington on Lake Champlain.

So now I am catching up at work, doing laundry, and tending the mundane tasks of life that fall by the wayside when I get busy...

So what have I learned or experienced this last month?

1. I need AAA. I got my Buick LaCrosse stuck in a grassy field after a hard rain last night. $120 for a tow truck to pull it out. I was at the Connecticut Valley Fair recruiting foster parents at our agency's booth from 6-10pm. First, Downpour. Me - in a dress. Two mud-splattered young men tried in vain to push me out. The only plus - I had on appropriate footwear! I now have "vermont shoes" AKA velcro strappy flat ECCO sandals that Amy helped me pick out in Montreal at the sidewalk sale when my feet were killing me from walking around in high heels on cobblestone roads. I refer to them as my "ugly" shoes or "vermont" shoes. So much for a clean car. The car was so muddy - the car wash guy wouldn't let me in. I had to go to self-spray place.

2. Quechee IS a destination for the rich and famous. While daddy was here, First Lady Laura Bush, 3 friends, and 16 secret service men descended on Quechee to lunch at Simon Pearce (a local glass blower's restaurant on the Ottauquechee River). Not while passing through, not while in VT to visit some other high end destination - JUST to come to Quechee. (Amy and I had dinner there while she was here and it really is lovely!) Our second famous visitor last month was Tyra Banks! After Laura Bush came through, Tyra came to Quechee and had dinner at Simon Pearce! Tyra is the host of America's Next Top Model and has her own daytime talk show. So how diverse is that!?!?!

3. Criter Update: Saw a fox. Driving in to work along the river one morning,a small, long, lean brown fox jumped in front of the car and ran across the road. Then, of course, I read an article in the local paper about a young girl who got bit by a rabid fox. They go after small children. I need to stand taller and wear more heels. sigh...

So til next time -

Love,
Marilee

Dad is enroute back to MI

Hey ya'll,

My dad just left. We had a great time. Went to Maine and stayed on the beach. Ate lots of seafood. Explored Kennebunkport, Bailey's Island, lots of interesting areas.

Two other friends arrive Tuesday so I can't chat long but just wanted to let people know I'm alive and doing well.

Love ya,

Marilee

Dad is IN VT!

Hey ya'll,

Daddy has arrived. He drove straight thru on Thurs and got he just before 9pm.Yesterday I took the pm off and we went for a 1.1 mile hike on the Long Trail in the Green Mountains. It's been a long time since I've done any of that. Lesson # 2,465- ralph lauren flip flops are not the best footwear for hiking thru mountainous forest. He, of course, had on proper footwear. Didn't see any bears or mtn lions, but don't see myself just wandering off to do that anytime alone. I got a state park punch card tho so we can get up to 8 more people in for the day this year (unless daddy and I go again, then only 6 people can go).

After our hike, I grilled portabella mushrooms, sweet onion k-bobs, and we had some wine while watching the initial launch of the hot air balloons for the balloon fest. They launch at 6am and pm all weekend long. Only 5 or so went up last night so it wasn't all that gripping- but maybe more will go up today.

Here's a thought- why would a state park list trail durations that take months? Do people really hike for a month? The state park we went to had maps and durations for 5 trails in that section of the Green Mtn Nat'l Forest. One trail took 1.5 months!!! Another took 3-4 months! I was proud I did a 45 minute hike! I have a longggg way to go.

Speaking of which, VT date prospect #3 saw my pic and thought I was out of his league- too sophisticated. That's a new one- all footwear commentary aside, I would never describe myself that way. Sigh. Perhaps for dating in this particular region, I need a grubby, outdoorsy pic so that I don't seem like such a city-chick. Wait a minute, I AM a city chick!! Not a big-city chick, more like a mid-size-town-in-the-midwest-chick. Oh well, I'm just proud I ventured off my deck into the woods (albeit w/ my 6'3" dad) within 90 days of my arrival. I consider that to be substantial progress, even if my favorite flip flops are now encased in mud.

Next weekend daddy and I are going to the Maine shore. Then my friends Mary and Gayle arrive on the 24th1!!

Love ya,
Marilee

From my Blackberry

Not sure if this will work but am trying to post from my BB.

It's been a beautiful steamy weekend in VT. 90 degree days, lots of sunshine.

Saw some folks coming in to QueChee with a hot air balloon basket in the back of their truck. Next weekend is the big festival. My dad is coming in for it - yay!!

We have cable now- so am watching volcano with tommy lee jones for the 15th time. Ah, modern technology. How did I ever live here for 2 months without tv? I read a lot. Really enjoyed it, actually.

Still no bears. Whew! Had another date this week. New guy. We'll see.

Hope all is well in your world!!

Marilee

Size of Bugs and Dating

OK - so it's beena while since I commented on my interface with the critter world here. Several discoveries over the last couple of weeks, 2 of which are noteworthy:

1. Bugs here, like squirrels and roadkill, are substantially larger than I have experienced. Now that the weather is nice, I spend a fair amount of evening time on the deck off of my bedroom reading, surfing the net on my blackberry, or chatting on the phone. The deck is open to the forest on two sides but has a sizable hedge on one side. And that hedge is VERY popular with bees (daytime)and large cinnamon-hued flying beetles that prefer the evening. Would that I had landscaping authority in this rental, I'd be choppin' that hedge down so fast because A. It obscures my view of the valley, yard, etc; and B. Bees LUV to swarm in, around, and through it's branches. Thus far, the bees, which appear to be big fat bumble-bee types, have left me alone but I'm pretty intentional about not wearing yellow when I'm laying out. Now the cinnamon-hued flying beetles are another thing - at dusk, they become quite the distraction because of their sheer size and the volume of their buzzing. So I've taken to crushing them against the screen,f loor, and exterior house wall with my Ralph Lauren flipflops. I need to buy a fly swatter. So, this means if I don't sweep my deck at least once a week, I'm walking across the broken bodies of numerous hardshelled bugs to reach my chaise lounge. Yes, very reminiscent of one of the older Indiana Jones movies where you hear the crunch as they walk across scorpions in some cave. But I'd rather have them underfoot and mangled than intact and disrupting my peace. And, when I'm lying in bed reading late at night - they see the light thru the cracks in the drapes and dive bomb the windows - no kidding. Thwack, thwack, thwack - for HOURS... Not very smart beetles.

2. Critter Comment #2: Old Orchard Beach, ME has dog-free streets most of the day! So last weekend, while tromping around Maine, I couldn't figure out why it "felt" different than Vermont (besides the whole seashore, blueberry, lobster thing). And that's it! Here, people bring their dogs to AA meetings, dogs to work, dogs to the post office. Every time you turn around, someone's unleashed dog is licking my open toed shoe. Isn't it quite the midlife crisis that I, of all people, ended up living in (and loving) a state which has a population smaller than the city of GR (let alone the metropolitan area of GR), has bears, has no Target store or Macys, and is apparently dog-lover capital of the nation? Sigh...

So now for the juicy stuff... (for all of you that rapidly scrolled past the "Critter report" to get down here to the good stuff). Had a date today. We went to the Canoe Club in Hanover for lunch (Equal in status to Cygnus in GR, but more small town-y in atmosphere). And it went ok - but it was a whole lotta work. No sparks, but nothing majorly horrible. Reminded me of why I am not a more active dater. And he was the best of the prospects that I have "perused" thus far. Five to ten years ago, I may have been more tempted or interested in his type (professionally successful and driven, in sales, makes a point of telling me he has a large flat screen HD tv, lets his 10 year old son watch "Gladiator"), but post-30-something - I'm just lookin' for a whole different kind of thing. But in the words of 99% of the single girls in my life, at least I "got out there."

So, work is fine! Spent 2 days in New Haven at Team Leader meetings (a bi-annual event, apparently). Met lots of people. Connected the most with the women of color with the urban areas. Met one colleague I really liked to invited her to come to VT sometime. Oh, and I'm going to be on a community panel re: racism on June 10. My company co-sponsored development of a film/documentary about issues related to race and family in Vermont. So I have my first community speaking gig.

So that's about it! Hope all is well with you. Keep in touch.
Marilee

Hola from Maine!

Last Thursday, I read about some great little inns in the Boston Globe Travel Section - so decided to take a last minute trip to the southern shores of Maine for the holiday weekend. Because of gas prices and the economy, several places were offering deals. The one I utlimately chose is the Sea Cliff Motel, which offered an oceanview, HBO, a year round hot tub, and private balcony all for less than $90.00 a night. So here I am in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, which has 7 miles of sandy beaches, just north of Kennebunkport and just south of Portland.

When I arrived on Friday ngiht, I was alittle skeptical about the resort (and town) at first. My room had the "kitschy" feel - peach sponge painted walls, older-style linens, narrow, rickety outdoor wooden stairs up to it on the side of the building. The town has an amusement park right on the beach, lots of tee-shirt stores and tattoo parlors. But, I thought, sigh, you get what you pay for. So I headed to town in search of a martini and some seafood. Found a great spot on the beach - and had a yummy dinner of scallops and coleslaw. When I got back to my room and settled in a bit - it had grown on me. While small and having the atmosphere of a 3rd floor dormer of a large house, I in fact have a GREAT view of the ocean - which I can see while lying in my bed. There are no other rooms on the top floor so I don't have "neighbors" and kind of have my own private little, oddly shaped nest with a great view of the dune grass, shore, and islands off in a distance. So it's ok now!

Saturday I rose early and took off to explore. Went to Kennebunk port and had breakfast on the water at the mouth of the river at the Breakwater Inn and Spa. Lovely. All the lobster boats were going out, it's a beautiful restaurant, and I was surrounded by several "mature" couples (men dressed for the holiday in blue blazers and khaki pants - on Saturday). I was hoping to eavesdrop on some fabulous political dish - but didn't really hear any. Kennebunkport is nice. I don't know that I like it better than Cape Ann. But it is pretty. So browsing through the little towns all day was fun. Had a lovely broiled haddock (with cracker crumb and dill crust) lunch in Ogunquit - which IS fabulous - lots of little shops, well laid out, oozing charm and character. The day was fairly overcast and off and on rainy so I wasn't in a rush to head back for beach time. Around 3pm it really started rainy and it just so happened I came upon a cinema in Wells, ME so pulled in a had only a 15 minute wait til the new Indiana Jones movie was showing. So caught the show (not bad, not great) and then grabbed groceries and headed back to Old Orchard Beach. Not having figured out the cable/satellite thing at the house yet, we are sans tv except for video rentals. So it was a real treat to lounge around and have 100 channels at my disposal.

This morning I rose at 5:00am in order to see the sunrise (yes, it had already started by 5am). Had a quiet couple of hours drinking coffee on my balcony and watching the sunrise. It's breezy today - but clear skies and supposed to be a high of 75. I think I actually got a little sunburned on my face from a few hours sitting there from 5am-8am! So today will be a beach day and then tomorrow I will grab a few hours in the morning as well before heading back to Vermont.

Hope you all are having a relaxing holiday weekend! Would love to hear from you.
Love,

Marilee