As I recall there were three flavors that I tasted at the market, but my favorite just has Bingo Granola as its title.  I talked a bit with the owner and she’s done her research into how it meets many people’s eating requirements.  She’ s very savvy.  I was drawn to it because my day is good when I start with as much protein as possible.  A 1/3 cup serving of this granola has 8 grams – yes – 8 grams of protein.  Add that to my yogurt and I’m a happy protein eater in the mornings.  The owner/creator did tell me that the fat content is “scary” to some folks — that 1/3 cup has 9 grams of fat (no trans fat).  But I adhere to the belief that we need a bit of fat and I have a diet not high in fat otherwise (I eat mostly olive oil and very little butter, lean meat when I do eat meat, etc).

The bag does list a website: www.bingogranola.com, but it’s a holding site and so the company may still be building its web access.  So for now, you’ll have to email the owner (also on the package  – lk@sover.net) if you want to procure yourself some and don’t live near Brattleboro VT).

I’m a adolescent of the 60s.  My first years of marriage were part of the first “whole earth” eat good, grow your own California days.  I’ve made different types of granola, tried many kinds bagged and sold in bulk.  This is the best – bar none!  Here’s the ingredients of my favorite the company sells:  (organic by the way) oats, raisins, almonds (I love this because you’ll find whole almonds as well as chopped and slivered), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, coconut flakes (and I don’t favor coconut usually), golden flax, soy oil, maple syrup (see told you I really didn’t need this extra!), honey, apple cider, lemon juice and vanilla extract.

Have I convinced you it’s amazing yet?  Try to get your hands on a bag and let me know!   (By the way, I just bought a bag to have as a snack on the plane to CA tomorrow.)

I spent a couple of hours a week volunteering this school year at a local Head Start classroom (missing more hours than I wanted to due to meetings).  I had a few reasons for the added commitment to my work week, although it never did get me out of those meetings!   Most of all, one day I realized that my campus certainly wasn’t requiring the resident English professors to teach without ever reading a book!  Why on earth was I teaching pre-service teachers, students wondering if teaching was their choice, students interested in working with young children somehow:  why was I teaching them without ever spending time with young children?  (Unfortunately my grandbaby doesn’t count — time with her is a treasure; but as yet it hasn’t been quite the same as being in the room with 17 children – although her mother might say give her time!).

And, so I spent a fascinating few hours a week: getting to hold hands and talk about worries, getting to sing songs with someone jostling in my lap, getting to sit patiently while a brain and a hand tried to manipulate a puzzle in the right direction, hearing what’s new on television and what’s stupid, and remembering what skills I have to work with young children.  And, what skills I don’t have any longer and needed to work on.

Most of all, it reminded me that I don’t always mean what I understand.

Hubby and I are attending the Shaker Spring Forum this weekend being hosted by Enfield Shaker Museum.  If you’ve read my blog previously, you know that this is a scholarly hobby we share.  We attend a few events every year; and never fail to learn something of interest about these very interesting people.

The weekend began last night with a guided tour of their current exhibit, "Shaker Yokefellows: Enfield Shakers from Vermont."  For Robert Frost enthusiasts, you’ll be able to figure out where the title of the exhibit is derived.   Then a fabulous dinner!

Today was six presentations: very high quality scholarship and presentations.  The topics covered were gendered landscape, Canterbury leadership, the relationship between Shaker women and the girls they cared for, cooperage at Enfield, the story of Eunice Chapman and her child, and wonderful Shaker music.  (Tomorrow when I get home, I’ll post some photos:  I forgot the cable to upload them (of course!)). For a more detailed description, go to the Enfield website and you’ll find a pdf with the details.

The evening ended with another fabulous Shaker dinner with a story teller – Rebecca Rule -  regaling us with stories of New Hampshire — creatively, with some success, related to the lives and times of the Shakers.   Both dinners come from Eldress Bertha: my favorite, no surprise, being desert tonight:  chocolate zucchini cake a la mode.  A recipe I’ve used several times at home.

There’s a presentation and tour tomorrow morning and lunch before we head home.  It’s a bit tiring but a wonderful way to spend a weekend away.

I am aware that I am woefully behind with posting to my blog.  Most of it has had to do with wondering what to write about, and who the hell cares anyway?  My trusty hubbie and daughter tell me often after I’ve expressed an opinion or told a story:  you should write about that.  I compose it in my head — get exhausted from tons of other responsibilities (by the way, I think we 50 somethings work much longer hours than ever!), and then forget the wonderful piece anyways.

I was really excited to write today; because I thought it would be totally cool to be blogging from a conference called:  “Innovation lab:  The College Ready New England Annual Conference hosted by the New England Board of Higher Education.  The key note speaker was Steve Hargadon, who had invited several others to join him virtually.  And, apparently, at the last minute he couldn’t get to the conference, so the whole thing was virtual — it was really quite cool.  (Even if connections were lost, mics didn’t work, etc. at times).   The second half of the keynote was done by Brian A. Reich — really fascinating — apparently he’d been twittering the whole time he was actually speaking aloud to us!

But could I blog?  NO!  Frustrating….

So am I ahead of this technology curve with my iPod and my blog?  Or just behind really understanding what was wrong with the wifi (the campus guest wifi kept making me sign-in; thus if I took more than 30 seconds to type something; I had to sign in again and thus my saving even got lost….)  Do I compose nicely before posting?  Or just say anything coming to mind?

Ahead, behind, or what?  (For now, I’m tired and going to go get between the sheets — I’ll put some links in here tomorrow:)!

The last time we were all together was last summer at the Cape in a rental house for a few more days than two. I always say I’ll take something over nothing; and yet I always wish for more.

As any mother I love my children very deeply. Since they have left home in the early to mid-90s, I’ve learned to accept my sadness at their daily absence from my life. And along with that sadness, comes the overwhelming pride at the adults they have become. I think of them often during a day, seeing and hearing something I know they would like to hear, a moment with their father, or a new food I’ve cooked and I think they’d like to try. But the missing is different. When they reappear in person, I must feel deeper. My excitement is palpable, and when they leave my sadness exhausting.

I sometimes wonder if my parents were this sad when I grew up. I don’t know. In their way, they loved me, but when I was kicked out and left at 18, it was really quite permanent. When I moved closer to them at different points, I visited as often as I could and enjoyed their company (and still do – my mother is 82 and on the opposite coast). But they did not ever parent me again. I have enjoyed the deep pleasure of continuing to be my children’s parent. Of course it isn’t the same as parenting that two year or eleven year old; yet they have left space for me in their lives. This, I think, is the joy and the sorrow.

Late tomorrow for two short days I get to be in the presence of some amazing people. I think I will be 25 again: I get to cook, clean up after them, play games, laugh and fill my heart with their presence. On Monday afternoon, I’ll be 54 again soon enough.

And some local color for our loved ones who don’t live in New England:

It was breathtaking and awe inspiring. I always find joy in music and especially in the skill and beauty of young people performing. Four students individually played their protest songs. In between these shared songs were small groups of other students who held posters of Gandhi’s writings and teachings while they read quotes and explained his life and his work. The only thing I wished for was personal reflections (but then that’s always of interest to me – I like to hear how people reflect and weave into their own lives the lives and works of others.)

As we were waiting for the event to begin, I was reflecting with the two people beside me what was our favorite Gandhi quote. I came home to find mine:

“I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?
Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away.”

– One of the last notes left behind by Gandhi in 1948, expressing his deepest social thought.

Source: Mahatma Gandhi [Last Phase, Vol. II (1958), P. 65]

As we face a most historic and important Presidential vote in our country (no matter which candidate wins, there is history in the making), what can Gandhi give to our lives to inform both our vote and our response to the results on the next day? How will these students use this experience to inform their lives as they go forward on their journey – or will they?

Gandhi, my grandmother, these students and so many others in my life have given me the opportunity to understand and be reminded that peace is possible. It is with me each day in small and large ways. These students carry forward the work necessary to ensure all peoples around the world have what they need; in their small and valuable piece of the world Gandhi’s work continues. This is a hard and challenging task in the face of the cost of filling our gas tasks, our home fuel tanks, and our refrigerators.

I thank these students for their reminder that it is in everyone of us to create peace. I thank these students for filling my heart today.

Yesterday morning we enjoyed a beautiful drive across Western Mass down to Stockbridge where we visited Naumkeag. This is one of the famous “cottages” that dot the southern Hudson River valley. The famous staircase that I’ve been looking forward to seeing for several years is actually much smaller than I had imagined! But stunning none the less. The gardens are beautiful; especially the “Chinese” garden; most striking is that the gardens are green — there is not a huge assortment of color from flowers; the gardens are trees, shrubs, evergreens, ferns, hostas and such — quite striking.

Afterwards, we also visited the Mission House – an interesting stop on the Mohawk Native American history tour.

We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast in Claverack, NY – near Hudson NY – both towns we explored this morning.

Today we started our day with Olana, another so called cottage! By the way, Naumkeag built in the late 1890s cost about $45,000 (in today’s dollars) to build – and Olana built in 1860s cost $75,000. Having just come from exposure to a good deal of Moorish art, etc in Spain and Morocco, we thought the home fascinating but it certainly took a few liberties:)

One of the stencils used around the doorways of one of the rooms looks to be written in Arabic (research shows it says nothing). But the house was beautiful with an amazing view of the river.

We then crossed the Hudson River via the Rip Van Winkle bridge and drove to Cooperstown, where we are staying tonight in a lovely Inn and have just returned from a nice evening in town eating dinner and catching a concert in the park.

Tomorrow we’ll go to the Fenimore Cooper Art Museum, and then drive to Hamilton College to begin our seminar.

Oh — what about the cats and dogs? Public art! Hudson had the dogs, and Catskill had the cats! Here’s a few pictures! (The dog picture is chosen for the grandbaby – who loves beads:)!)