Tivo

I got a Tivo box just before my first daughter was born over three years ago. I'm such a huge fan that friends and co-workers got tired of hearing me talk about it. Now they have Comcast DVRs and understand my passion. I just found a blog on the topic and thought I'd share.

RSS Feeds

I've been playing around with RSS feeds at work recently and came across a neat tool that converts any xml feed into javascript. For a non-techie like me it was a real find.

The Fish Story

This is a photo of my great grandmother and her 2nd husband on the shore of Lake Champlain. My aunt just sent along the text from a letter she found from my great grandmother to my grandfather recounting the events leading up to this picture. It's an interesting tale and gives insight into the life and times in the late 1940's in rural Vermont. Enjoy!
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St. Albans, VT R.F.D. 3
Sunday Aug 28,1949

Hi Dick,
Now don’t get excited for it’s just your Mother-in-law by marriage, that’s taken pencil in hand to write you a few lines-(couldn’t take pen because there’s no ink).

Well I have a long story to tell you and you will no doubt tire out before you get through it, but you can let your wife take over if you do. When I tell you it’s a fish story you will be interested I am sure.

We thought we would go out fishing Monday morning. After sitting all the forenoon most I got - about five small perch, and my bus driver pal got a couple, just as we were coming in we met the McGreggs who are camping around the point in Dr. Howard’s camp for their three week vacation. (Ed’s son-in-law) They came over here and brought their fish to dress them. The oldest girl had caught 3 nice bull pout and they had a dozen nice perch, had only been out a couple of hours.

We decided to go out again that night. I got 9 better perch and Ed 5. So you see I beat him all day. It was getting quite dark so we decided to come in; I started reeling in one line and the other pole started across the boat. It was just going out the back of the boat when I grabbed it and threw the one I was reeling in down in the back.

I had some time trying to get the line up where I could start pulling it in. As soon as I had enough line in my possession so I could, I gave the pole a fling and it seems I threw it out in the lake on the other side, I could not reel what ever I had in. It felt like I had hooked into a bag of grain, didn’t give any fight at all. I pulled and pulled. Ed sat there with his eyes bulging out. He says you better let me take over a while. So he pulled a while. He was standing up in the boat and I expected the line would break and he would go nar in the lake. I got the net ready which we happened to take with us that time. Finally the thing came up and dove into the net headfirst. Ed grabbed it with both hands and pulled it over board. He and the thing were both tired out. It was so dark it was hard to see what it was. I kept it wrapped up in the net and both feet on it, so how could it move? But it gave a couple of lunges.

When we got to shore they were having a card party at Jarvis’. Ed says Vick, come out here and see what kind of an animal we have got here. They flocked out by the dozens to see it. We brought it up on the front walk and turned on the light out side. About 25 came by and stopped that night and they all decided it was a catfish. It weighed 25 lbs. and measured 9 inches across the front of the head and was 36 inches long. Ed hitched a long rope to it and tied it to the dock. It lived 3 days out there.

Well that news traveled like a forest fire. People came by carloads from far and near to see it. Ed kept his boots on for 2 days bringing it in to show it. He said he had it well halter broken. As soon as Ruben, that’s the fish, heard him coming in the water, it would start swimming to shore, to have it’s picture taken and be looked up on.

A newspaperman and his wife came down. She with pad and pencil, he with a camera, wanted a picture out of water. I said just a minute, I’ll ask the boys at the next camp to come over and hold it up. He said No we want your picture with it. I didn’t like that very well you know. I said I guess this man will have to help me hold it. So here we are.

We buried Ruben out in the pasture with Golden rod and weeds, people say they are very good eating – he looks ? was enough for me. Now I will let you go and take a couple of aspirins and a rest,- and if you have any better fish stories lets hear them. Love Ma

Dear Evelyn- will add just a line I heard this morning they had found Clara Parker dead in her home. She was 80 years old I believe, this is all I heard. Madeline is camping a couple days a few camps over. So I went over and told her this morning. She had not heard.

Your spoon came this week I will try and get a box packed and sent next week The sacks and furniture polish and spoon and have a few more cupons too.

Some friends drove me up to Enosburg a couple weeks ago. When we arrived the steps were full of kids. Fern and Edith and June and her baby were there, it seems Fern was having a party for Peter’s Birthday and had come down after the Coynes and June came along and held them up so I arrived in time to get loaded in too. In 5 min. more they would be gone and I would have missed out on it. Ray came up and got us so I stayed a couple days and made her a batch of Mustard Pickles. Mike and Brian stayed on the farm a couple days. Ed came up after me and stayed for supper. We brought Shelia Rae home with us on Wed. and she stayed till Sat. It was cold and windy so she could not go in bathing but she played with the Mc Gregg’s kids. I had them over to lunch one day and we took them all up to Fielding’s for groceries. Ed got them some bubble gum, candy and grapes. Then she went over to their camp and they took them all up street and got some more candy. I hope she had a good time but I don’t know as she did. Probably will hear.

Well I must close and go to bed. Ed has gone out after night crawlers. We have had a beautiful rain this evening. Hope every one is well and not parched with the heat. Be sure and wash all vegetables and fruit to help prevent Polio, Dr Howard says. Love to Ruth and Kalc and all the Clarks. Ma

Bees Knees

My grandmother took a tumble last week and landed in a hospital in northern Vermont. My brother David and I drove up early on Sunday morning to spend some time with her. We arrived in Stowe at ~8:00 am and soon after began the drive to Morrisville and the hospital.

It's never easy seeing a loved one in a hospital bed, but it was nice to see and talk with her. She seemed in good spirits and soon nodded off to catch up on much needed sleep.

It was after noon and we were starting to get hungry, so we followed my sister Amy (a local) to a place she'd heard about but hadn't yet tried out. It's called Bees Knees and it's located right in the heart of Morrisville.

We couldn't have been happier with her choice. It's an inviting oasis in the middle of nowhere (ok, maybe not nowhere, but a picture of Morrisville can be found in the dictionary next to the phrase "sleepy Vermont town").

We had a great lunch and then sank into their comfy chairs, listening to eclectic music softly wafting from the rafters. To the delight of the owners I'm sure, both David and I found ourselves nodding off (no doubt from a combination of food coma and sleep deprivation).

The bottom line? If you're ever in the area give them a look. It felt like a home away from home.

We watched the end of a Red Sox pre-season game with my grandmother and then made the long trip back to Massachusetts. She's since had a pin put in her hip and is on the long road to recovery. If you read this send some good karma her way... she could use it right now.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

I was giving my two daughters a bath tonight when the one-year old begins checking out her belly button. The three-year old starts doing the same. It doesn't take long for them to ask to see mine.

[Sidebar: I've lost 20 pounds over the last eight months and though no one would call me "skinny", I have a lot less there than I used to. ]

Well, I pulled up my tshirt to give them a look. After they each took a look and stuck a finger in there, my three year old came up with this gem...

"Echo... echo..."

She completely deadpanned the comment and then burst out in a long string of belly laughs. Gotta love it.

Ginger Dressing

My wife is a huge fan of the ginger dressing you get on green salads at Japanese restaurants, so I took it as a personal challenge to either duplicate it in the kitchen or find it on a store shelf. My cousin Alexandra brewed a good batch last year, but she doesn't seem to be keeping up with demand. I found an import from Japen that scores an "8" on a scale of 1-10.

Last week, during a seemingly innocuous trip to Stop & Shop for milk, eggs, etc., I struck gold! Makoto Ginger Dressing is the real deal. Full of real onions and ginger and just the right amount of soy. If you thought you were lost in your quest for the real ginger dressing, look no further.

Enjoy!