Hi Friends,
Welcome Autumn!
I like summer, but I love autumn and especially early autumn when there is still hope of warm summer-like days along with that crunchy crispy feel to the air that tells us it's fall. I just couldn't wait to "get into" autumn so it was a weekend filled with autumn activities. Yesterday we headed to a "Scarecrow Stomp" where you actually made a scarecrow decoration for your front lawn. We stuffed a raggedy shirt and pair of pants from home with leaves, twigs and lawn clippings and bought a burlap bag for stuffing the head. My child had the honor of drawing our scarecrow's face. He also named him "Max." Don't ask me why...I couldn't tell you, but Max it is. Since I won't put him (Max) out on the lawn until we buy a straw hat for him (must complete the ensemble) I've got what looks like a lifeless "body" in my car right now. I probably should hide Max in my trunk. Let's just say, either way, I pray I don't get stopped by any State Trooper on the way to work this week...
On Saturday my little family went apple picking. We got eating apples and pie apples, some late peaches and plums and Asian pears. I don't buy pumpkins in September. I always get them late in the fall so I can steam them ready for holiday pie baking. Also, I've got a "thing" against decorating the house with fresh pumpkins (or any real food)---I can't stand the waste of food when there are so many hungry people in this world. I believe "faux" still gets the autumnal message across. Anyway, I'm looking forward to an industrious week ahead that includes making apple pies Monday, peach and plum jams and preserves Tuesday, fresh Asian pear salad Wednesday, apple sauce and cider Thursday. Friday is back to jellies, preserves and jams because I'm a bit behind on my yearly "canning." BTW: my preserves don't get canned. They get glass jarred.
Anyway...Welcome Autumn!
Welcome the start of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's 2009-10 season. The Gala Opening Night is Wednesday the 23rd. WCRB begins broadcast of the BSO's Saturday night concerts with your host Mark Edwards this Saturday the 26th. Has it been awhile or maybe have you never been? Treat yourself or someone you love and buy tickets at 888-266-1200. Like the Swan Boats in spring the BSO season is important to the autumn and our shared Boston experience. And count on us here at WCRB to bring you the rest of the BSO and Boston Pops season Saturdays at 8:30.
'Til next time,
Laura
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Lesson Learned
Hi Friends,
Had to share this little exchange with you.
My "7 and 3/4s" year old son and I were having one of our chats about "life stuff" a few days ago and he mentioned playing that day at recess with a classmate we can call "Albert." "You played with Albert?" I said, surprised. "I thought he wasn't your friend any more after what he had said to you last year." You see, right at the start of the new school year last year Albert told my son that "Since Tommy, (another classmate), is going to another school next year I don't want to be your friend this year, I just want to be Tommy's." Albert proceeded to ignore my child pretty much all school year long and purposely excluded my child in many activities. In fact, Albert made it a point so loud and so obvious it was actually embarrassing more than a few times. The whole business cut my boy to the quick---he had done nothing wrong and couldn't understand Albert's choice to handle the situation this way. Anyway, my son went on to meet and play with other kids in their class and discovered there was life and happiness even after such treatment Now, a year later, I was hearing that he and Albert were playing together at recess. "Of course he's my friend," my child insisted. Hmmm. Older and "wiser" mother, full of motherly protective instincts and hoping to impress on the son that one should stick up for oneself said... "Oh. Now that Tommy has gone he wants to be friends with you again. Don't you think if you ignored Albert it would be a good idea so you could really teach him a lesson?" My son, head cocked to the side, eyes meeting mine, didn't skip a beat. "I am teaching him a lesson, Mama, I am teaching him how to be a friend." Lesson learned. By me.
I still have so much to learn. Thank you for showing me the way, Little Man.
I think I'll be spending many hours with gorgeous music ....so I can just think about things. Join me. Check out our Composer Marathon Weekend, starting Friday afternoon at 4 and going right through Sunday.
'Til next time,
Laura
Had to share this little exchange with you.
My "7 and 3/4s" year old son and I were having one of our chats about "life stuff" a few days ago and he mentioned playing that day at recess with a classmate we can call "Albert." "You played with Albert?" I said, surprised. "I thought he wasn't your friend any more after what he had said to you last year." You see, right at the start of the new school year last year Albert told my son that "Since Tommy, (another classmate), is going to another school next year I don't want to be your friend this year, I just want to be Tommy's." Albert proceeded to ignore my child pretty much all school year long and purposely excluded my child in many activities. In fact, Albert made it a point so loud and so obvious it was actually embarrassing more than a few times. The whole business cut my boy to the quick---he had done nothing wrong and couldn't understand Albert's choice to handle the situation this way. Anyway, my son went on to meet and play with other kids in their class and discovered there was life and happiness even after such treatment Now, a year later, I was hearing that he and Albert were playing together at recess. "Of course he's my friend," my child insisted. Hmmm. Older and "wiser" mother, full of motherly protective instincts and hoping to impress on the son that one should stick up for oneself said... "Oh. Now that Tommy has gone he wants to be friends with you again. Don't you think if you ignored Albert it would be a good idea so you could really teach him a lesson?" My son, head cocked to the side, eyes meeting mine, didn't skip a beat. "I am teaching him a lesson, Mama, I am teaching him how to be a friend." Lesson learned. By me.
I still have so much to learn. Thank you for showing me the way, Little Man.
I think I'll be spending many hours with gorgeous music ....so I can just think about things. Join me. Check out our Composer Marathon Weekend, starting Friday afternoon at 4 and going right through Sunday.
'Til next time,
Laura
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor Day 2009
Hi Friends, We had an awful lot of fun seeing what you voted for in the WCRB Labor Day 500 countdown. We were overwhelmed, frankly, that thousands of you took the time to do this, especially since voting took place in the last couple of weeks before Labor Day and so many people just aren't around. Thanks so much for voting and being a part of this. Some pieces were "naturals" (yes, of course we expected Beethoven's 9th, Pachelbel's Canon, Vivaldi's Four Seasons) and then there were some things you voted for that took us by surprise. It made for a really interesting countdown, really interesting listening, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Other than checking back with WCRB for your favorite pieces, how did you spend the rest of your holiday weekend? WCRB's countdown accompanied us all weekend. We got some chores done on Saturday (but never the whole list--who are we kidding?), and did a family day trip Sunday, not far, just an hour from home, but we went someplace we had never been, and on Monday we had a wonderful cookout with my parents (yay, Grandma and Papa are here!) courtesy of Mother Nature's good mood. The weather was glorious and even though the food was so simple (most of it from our gardens) it was a day of... riches. As glamorous as, say, jetting off to Paris for the weekend sounds, I'm OK with letting that be for others. At this point in my life I preferred my day which included having my little one show his grandparents his just-bloomed sunflowers and his newly-decorated baseball room, of seeing three generations at our kitchen table, of catching up on the doings of family and friends, of serving Italian food complete with my homemade pear crostada (rustic pear tart) made with recently picked pears from Papa's pear tree, on this holiday honoring labor, honest work, with family members who have labored honorably their whole lives. Who knows, dahling, someday I may jet off to Paris for the weekend... but for now, for me, Labor Day 2009.... was a day of riches just as it was. It will go down as my favorite Labor Day so far.
Until next time,
Laura
Monday, August 3, 2009
Alaska or Bust
Hello,
I had this really long checklist, started a year ago when I learned that I'd be representing WCRB on a listener cruise to Alaska, that I felt sure would get done, considering the lead time. Not only did I not lose 50 pounds, memorize the history of Alaska, and learn absolutely everything there is to learn about dog sledding (I can assure you the list was about 4 pages long, single spaced) I have been scrambling right up until this afternoon to get everything done that needs to be done---taking care of (not in any particular order) my parents, passport renewals, securing home, tomato plants, window boxes, U.S. mail, shopping (I feel that my family alone has stimulated the economy into absolute giddiness---who would have thought we had to pack for summer and winter in the same vacation?), WCRB production work, bills, prescriptions, mailing out birthday cards so we don't miss special dates, cleaning out the fridge of potential "science projects," well, you get the idea. Hubs, child and I are so exhausted from all the "to do's" getting done on the list. There is still some left-over packing to finish...and then...look out Alaska, here we come. We won't be the most rested travelers Alaska has ever hosted...but we're certainly going to be among the most enthusiastic. The WCRB listeners who signed up for this trip are already there...having started last week on a luxury coach tour through the NorthWest. We'll all meet up on the ship and if I can figure out how to do it I'll try to remember to send photos for our station Facebook page. I can't wait to meet my "Inaugural WCRB Travel Club" members (that's what I'm calling this venture---I want to do a trip a year... hint, hint, Boss) and explore the 49th state. I can't wait to see and do it all....and then I'll share it with you, right here, in about a week. I'll miss all of you and your warm voice mails, snail mails and e-mails...but I'll come back on August 17th with stories to share. Please say a prayer we (all) have a safe trip--I'd appreciate that.
'Til next time,
Laura
I had this really long checklist, started a year ago when I learned that I'd be representing WCRB on a listener cruise to Alaska, that I felt sure would get done, considering the lead time. Not only did I not lose 50 pounds, memorize the history of Alaska, and learn absolutely everything there is to learn about dog sledding (I can assure you the list was about 4 pages long, single spaced) I have been scrambling right up until this afternoon to get everything done that needs to be done---taking care of (not in any particular order) my parents, passport renewals, securing home, tomato plants, window boxes, U.S. mail, shopping (I feel that my family alone has stimulated the economy into absolute giddiness---who would have thought we had to pack for summer and winter in the same vacation?), WCRB production work, bills, prescriptions, mailing out birthday cards so we don't miss special dates, cleaning out the fridge of potential "science projects," well, you get the idea. Hubs, child and I are so exhausted from all the "to do's" getting done on the list. There is still some left-over packing to finish...and then...look out Alaska, here we come. We won't be the most rested travelers Alaska has ever hosted...but we're certainly going to be among the most enthusiastic. The WCRB listeners who signed up for this trip are already there...having started last week on a luxury coach tour through the NorthWest. We'll all meet up on the ship and if I can figure out how to do it I'll try to remember to send photos for our station Facebook page. I can't wait to meet my "Inaugural WCRB Travel Club" members (that's what I'm calling this venture---I want to do a trip a year... hint, hint, Boss) and explore the 49th state. I can't wait to see and do it all....and then I'll share it with you, right here, in about a week. I'll miss all of you and your warm voice mails, snail mails and e-mails...but I'll come back on August 17th with stories to share. Please say a prayer we (all) have a safe trip--I'd appreciate that.
'Til next time,
Laura
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Summer cold, simple abundance
Hello My Friend,
So here I am, day 4 of nursing a nasty summer cold. Eyes, nose, throat, sore all over, yes, all my parts are involved. My sympathetic co-workers and friends have all said "Summer colds are the worst!" I don't even know what that means---duration? severity?--- but I've agreed anyway. When I got home yesterday all I wanted to do was crawl under the covers and sleep the germies away. That wasn't to be, however---I had a little boy waiting for me who had caught Mama's cold and was feeling miserable, laundry to get to and dinner to prepare for the one meal we can eat as a family. My wonderful husband had taken care of so many other things that needed doing before I got home, and trust me, I am no martyr, but these things needed getting done, too. I prayed for strength and just got to it. On the other side of these activities, I thought how lucky I was. I had a little boy to snuggle with and share a box of tissues with as WCRB played in the background, I had my own washing machine and clothing to care for, I could come up with a pretty easy but homemade dinner to keep us nourished. From time to time I day dream of being left millions by a long-lost relative but honestly, I was just so happy last evening, nasty summer cold and all, just comforted by this simple abundance. I wish you that comfort, too.
How is this for simple abundance---all the free concerts we can take advantage of in the Greater Boston area?! Remember, the Landmarks Festival is a free, outdoor classical music concert series at the Hatch Shell on the beautiful Charles River Esplanade every Wednesday evening at 7. WCRB's Mark Edwards is your host. Tomorrow night's theme is "Viennese Masters" featuring the music of Haydn and Beethoven. The rain location is Church of the Covenant at the corner of Newbury and Berkley Streets. Sign up for WCRB Mobile and we'll text you if the weather is moving the concert indoors (check out our website for details).
'Til next time,
Laura
So here I am, day 4 of nursing a nasty summer cold. Eyes, nose, throat, sore all over, yes, all my parts are involved. My sympathetic co-workers and friends have all said "Summer colds are the worst!" I don't even know what that means---duration? severity?--- but I've agreed anyway. When I got home yesterday all I wanted to do was crawl under the covers and sleep the germies away. That wasn't to be, however---I had a little boy waiting for me who had caught Mama's cold and was feeling miserable, laundry to get to and dinner to prepare for the one meal we can eat as a family. My wonderful husband had taken care of so many other things that needed doing before I got home, and trust me, I am no martyr, but these things needed getting done, too. I prayed for strength and just got to it. On the other side of these activities, I thought how lucky I was. I had a little boy to snuggle with and share a box of tissues with as WCRB played in the background, I had my own washing machine and clothing to care for, I could come up with a pretty easy but homemade dinner to keep us nourished. From time to time I day dream of being left millions by a long-lost relative but honestly, I was just so happy last evening, nasty summer cold and all, just comforted by this simple abundance. I wish you that comfort, too.
How is this for simple abundance---all the free concerts we can take advantage of in the Greater Boston area?! Remember, the Landmarks Festival is a free, outdoor classical music concert series at the Hatch Shell on the beautiful Charles River Esplanade every Wednesday evening at 7. WCRB's Mark Edwards is your host. Tomorrow night's theme is "Viennese Masters" featuring the music of Haydn and Beethoven. The rain location is Church of the Covenant at the corner of Newbury and Berkley Streets. Sign up for WCRB Mobile and we'll text you if the weather is moving the concert indoors (check out our website for details).
'Til next time,
Laura
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Southern Girl (New England Style)
Hi Friends,
I hope you're wishing for as gorgeous a weekend ahead as we had last weekend for the 4th of July holiday. I know I am---my family and I are so excited to be heading down to glorious Newport, Rhode Island for two wonderful events. The 41st annual Newport Music Festival opens this Friday, July 10th, and I've been invited to welcome concertgoers at an opening weekend concert. I picked the Saturday, July 11th, 2 PM concert under the tent at the magnificent mansion, The Elms. The concert will feature sextets by Tchaikovsky and others. We often hear on the radio or see on concert programs duets, trios, quartets, even quintets with greater frequency---but sextets? Not so much. It will be great to hear out-of-the-usual music. The wonderful Malkovich's have prepared another outstanding festival with so many concerts you'll consider "must sees" that you'll just want to pitch a tent in Newport so you won't miss any. You can see what I'm talking about by visiting www.newportfestival.org. Then we'll neighboring Portsmouth, RI, for the Newport International Polo's playing fields. It's such a fun, family-oriented sporting event. Kids (of all ages) are mesmerized by the athleticism of the players---as man (sometimes woman) becomes one with horse. Although recognized as "the Sport of Kings" Newport Polo has done an outstanding job making the game "accessible" to everyone (tailgaters welcome, children under 12 admitted free, etc). Check out their website at www.glenfarm.com. Visiting points south this weekend---please come join me! Everything is better when friends join in!
I hope you're wishing for as gorgeous a weekend ahead as we had last weekend for the 4th of July holiday. I know I am---my family and I are so excited to be heading down to glorious Newport, Rhode Island for two wonderful events. The 41st annual Newport Music Festival opens this Friday, July 10th, and I've been invited to welcome concertgoers at an opening weekend concert. I picked the Saturday, July 11th, 2 PM concert under the tent at the magnificent mansion, The Elms. The concert will feature sextets by Tchaikovsky and others. We often hear on the radio or see on concert programs duets, trios, quartets, even quintets with greater frequency---but sextets? Not so much. It will be great to hear out-of-the-usual music. The wonderful Malkovich's have prepared another outstanding festival with so many concerts you'll consider "must sees" that you'll just want to pitch a tent in Newport so you won't miss any. You can see what I'm talking about by visiting www.newportfestival.org. Then we'll neighboring Portsmouth, RI, for the Newport International Polo's playing fields. It's such a fun, family-oriented sporting event. Kids (of all ages) are mesmerized by the athleticism of the players---as man (sometimes woman) becomes one with horse. Although recognized as "the Sport of Kings" Newport Polo has done an outstanding job making the game "accessible" to everyone (tailgaters welcome, children under 12 admitted free, etc). Check out their website at www.glenfarm.com. Visiting points south this weekend---please come join me! Everything is better when friends join in!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Hello Friends,
I love the 4th of July holiday---and everything about it---the significance, the history lessons, the modern day fireworks, concerts, parades, and trying desperately to come up with a clever red-white-blue dessert every year for the family get-together. I love it all. I also love being down at the Boston Pops concert on the beautiful Charles River Esplanade for all the fireworks---of both the musical and gun powder types. WCRB continues its tradition and will be broadcasting "live" from the Esplanade beginning at noon on Saturday...right through the evening concert-extravaganza. Please plan to join all your WCRB friends so you don't miss an exciting moment. Mark Edwards and I will co-host the evening concert starting at 8. Our friend and WCRB morning show contributor, conductor Keith Lockhart, will lead the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra in a most patriotic show and then welcomes special guest star Neil Diamond to the Hatch Shell stage. Whether you plan to be on the lawn in front of the Shell, or visiting with friends and family, remember to take along a radio Saturday and keep it tuned to 99.5 WCRB!
Oh...and if you have a really clever red-white and blue dessert recipe---please e-mail it to me. The sheet cake flag with strawberries and blueberries has gotten "old...."
Cheers,
Laura
I love the 4th of July holiday---and everything about it---the significance, the history lessons, the modern day fireworks, concerts, parades, and trying desperately to come up with a clever red-white-blue dessert every year for the family get-together. I love it all. I also love being down at the Boston Pops concert on the beautiful Charles River Esplanade for all the fireworks---of both the musical and gun powder types. WCRB continues its tradition and will be broadcasting "live" from the Esplanade beginning at noon on Saturday...right through the evening concert-extravaganza. Please plan to join all your WCRB friends so you don't miss an exciting moment. Mark Edwards and I will co-host the evening concert starting at 8. Our friend and WCRB morning show contributor, conductor Keith Lockhart, will lead the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra in a most patriotic show and then welcomes special guest star Neil Diamond to the Hatch Shell stage. Whether you plan to be on the lawn in front of the Shell, or visiting with friends and family, remember to take along a radio Saturday and keep it tuned to 99.5 WCRB!
Oh...and if you have a really clever red-white and blue dessert recipe---please e-mail it to me. The sheet cake flag with strawberries and blueberries has gotten "old...."
Cheers,
Laura
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