Sweet 17!

I'll fully admit to being a bandwagon fan (I prefer hockey, baseball and football), but congrats to the Celtics for their 17th championship!

Support your local CSA

Tom has signed us up for two CSAs this spring and summer, one for vegetables at Stone Soup Farm in Belchertown, MA and a second for meat at Chestnut Farms in Hardwick, MA.

What is a CSA, you ask? Community Sustained Agriculture. Basically we have bought shares in the farm and get regular (weekly for the veggies, monthly for the meat) local deliveries of a somewhat random assortment of food. Our veggie CSA started today, and Tom came home with kale, summer squash, garlic scapes, a mixed bag of arugula, scallions and a small basil plant. Awesome selection and quality!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

To the man who taught me enough electronics to build my own doorbell, how to use a level to hang my pictures properly, how to hook-up computers, TVs and other appliances on my own, and other tricks of the trade that a father would typically teach a son, not a daughter, yet still comes to my rescue when a household project has gone terribly wrong. To the man who taught me how to drive, but made me get AAA for fear I would stubbornly change my tire on the highway. To the man who told me to get into the best school I could and that he'd find a way to send me there, even at a difficult time for our family financially. To the man who would listen to a problem, give me food for thought, but never quite tell me what to do-- yet I always felt he'd stop me if I was going over the cliff! Thank you always!

More on Tim Russert. I've been catching up on news online and watching some of the videos from the coverage the past two days. One has really struck me: a voice-over that Russert did a few years ago for Father's Day, talking about the birth of his son, Luke, how it changed his life, and how he hopes his son will live by his grandfather's ideals: "to live a good and decent and honorable life."

On this Father's Day, I think of my own grandfather, Ralph, who died my senior year in college. He was the second-most important man in my life growing up, and had he lived, I would have asked him to join my father in walking me down the aisle. One of my great disappointments is that Tom never got a chance to meet him. He was a simple man, self-made, of many principles. I always think of a plaque he had in his house which quoted Abraham Lincoln:

“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.”

Happy father's day.....live well and be proud of all that you have taught the rest of us!

Remembering Tim Russert

Tom is known for his phone calls, text messages or emails when someone famous passes away, always beginning with "Put the eggs and bacon away, so-and-so isn't coming down to breakfast." I got down to Plymouth yesterday and he calls. "Put the eggs and bacon away, you're not going to believe me." Tim Russert at age 58? Unbelievable.

While I wouldn't describe myself as a faithful "Meet the Press" watcher (sleeping in on Sunday mornings IS a favorite pastime), when I was jolted to reality by Tom or the dog, we usually ended up putting it on and watching Russert poke holes in the latest presidential candidate's platform. What we both enjoyed was that A) he kept it clean and B) he was remarkably bipartisan in his approach, unlike other political shows which demonstrated clear biases. You could also count on Russert for his average-working-man's take on Washington, a refreshing change.

His book about growing up with "Big Russ" is actually one that I've heard wonderful things about, but haven't yet read. Devoted family man who never forgets his roots. There's a great video at BC that Russert did with his son that shows how much he enjoyed life.

A big hole in the world of journalism and politics - he will be greatly missed.

Packing, packing and more packing

Our tenants move in this weekend, so Tom and I are frantically trying to get the house in order. Our space in Somerville is less than half of that in Plymouth, and storage even less so. So furniture needs to be sorted, books need to be boxed, concessions need to be made about what we need versus what we'd like to have our hands on. Although we both grew up in homes in which we were the third or fourth generation in the family to live there, I've moved nearly a dozen times since college and have far more patience than Tom in the what stays-what goes debate. But we're both feeling good about the decision to rent the house, rather than sell at a loss, and become first-time landlords. Wish us well!

Happy 40th anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Today marks my parents' 40th anniversary. They met in elementary school in Dover, MA, then stayed in touch throughout middle and high school when my father left Dover public schools for Phillips Academy. They married one week and one day respectively after their college graduations on the auspicious date of 6-8-68 (always made it an easy one for my sister and me to remember!). In an age where the divorce rate is quoted at nearly 50%, I'm proud to share that childhood sweethearts can indeed go all the way!

Congratulations, Mom and Dad!

Presenting Chris and Kristine Shatas

My cousin, Kristine, married her boyfriend, Chris, yesterday down at White Cliffs in Plymouth, just down the road from our house. I was able to get the one photo that escaped me at my own wedding five years ago -- the whole family photo. So, without further ado, may I present my grandmother, Lorraine Morse, her three daughters and their families (Kispert, Chandler and Delano), her son and his family (more Morse lineage), Tom and I as the Hagerty's, and our newest additions, the Shatas'.