Blog Posts

I like to build things. I like using power tools. I like precision measurement and swinging a hammer. And who doesn’t like helping those less fortunate get a leg up? This suggestion was perfect for me! For months and months I perused the Habitat for Humanity website. I registered to receive emails. I was alerted every time there was a walk-on volunteer opportunity near me. I just couldn’t seem to pull the trigger. Yes, there are things even I don’t want to do alone.

Fast forward to a fun Memorial Day party at Suzanne and Rob’s this year, dinner conversation with their friend Dave turned to retirement and building stuff. You know, as it does. Dave has volunteered for HFH and with a bit of wine-induced courage I told him I was all in the next time he volunteered. A few days later I learned Dave would be working on a house in Patchogue and I couldn’t sign up fast enough.

On the day of the “build” I arrived at 8:45, met the site foreman, and was outfitted with a bright pink hardhat, gloves and eye protection. Did you know that three people a day lose their eyesight on a construction site? Neither did I. I put those glasses on.

With Zoe and Dave

My first job was to help dry vac a small basement flood with the site supervisor – lovely 23 year old Zoe who kicked serious ass. I installed roof baffles, basement insulation, moved flooring materials, organized pieces of siding, wielded a screw gun to construct and install window covers and generally tidied up. None of it was glamorous, all of it was rewarding.

And for those as interested in the homeowner’s responsibility as I was, here’s the deal: the single mother of four who will receive the house is financially vetted, takes on a $100k interest free mortgage and is required to put in “sweat equity” by working on the house herself.

Suggested by MaryEllen Brandt
Completed 6/4/19

This may not seem like a major accomplishment. In fact it wasn’t even on my list until the night June and I went to meet Rick and Trish and their friends at Nisen for happy hour. Now I don’t eat fish. ANY fish. No, not even shrimp or lobster. If it comes from the sea, it does not enter my mouth. Ok, tuna. Which I am convinced is caught in cans with giant magnets.

I digress. I’ve never been to Nisen Sushi, basically because…well, why? However, I was pleasantly surprised at how awesome their happy hour is, and what a cool vibe this hidden gem in a strip mall sandwiched between Cabo Fresh and TJ Maxx truly is. So, the drinks were flowing, some appetizers were ordered and I thoroughly enjoyed the Kobe Sliders and Meatballs. Then came the sushi. Then came the dare. I told Trish that if she added it to my list, I would have no choice but to eat it. She did and I immediately regretted it.

So there I was, chopsticks in hand, directions received (dip in soy sauce, shove the whole piece of sushi in my mouth, eat a piece of ginger) facing a Volcano Roll – Chopped Tuna, Caviar (!!!), Spicy Cream Aioli, and Sliced Avocado. I took a deep breath, mustered up an amount of courage that shouldn’t be necessary to eat sushi, and popped it in my mouth. Verdict – it was DELICIOUS. Oh my God, do I like sushi? Who am I?

Suggested by Trish Carpenter
Completed 4/19/19

One beautiful summer day last year enjoying time around the pool, my longtime friend LeeAnn chimed in to add to my growing 60 x 60 list: “How ‘bout a polar bear plunge? I’ll do it with you!” (This from a woman who carries a sweater in August in the event the temperature dips below 90.) Still, I believed her.

In January 2019 I began to research upcoming plunges. I decided on the Town of Oyster Bay Polar Plunge because it benefits the Special Olympics, an organization dear to my heart. I have a beautiful nephew with Downs Syndrome who is a Special Olympic athlete. I also volunteered years ago at our high school for a day of competition and I was blown away by the excitement, focus and pride of the athletes.

So having found my plunge, I informed LeeAnn of the date and told her to register online to join me on team WBLI. Surprisingly she balked, but I was in. I did my due diligence and hit up all my friends and family for money. Thanks to the wonderful people in my life, I raised over $1700 – the second highest amount for my team behind captain and WBLI DJ Andrew Sykora (Syke on Air). So that was awesome. I did such a good thing. I felt so proud. But there was one thing left…

On the morning of March 16th with June and Craig in tow and wearing a bathing suit under layers of clothes, we headed down the neverending Ocean Parkway en route to Tobay Beach. Suddenly I was regretting this with every ounce of my being. With the temperature in the mid 40’s and the windchill way below that, I signed in, learned they weren’t aware of anyone actually dying during the plunge (weren’t AWARE!) and went to meet my team captain. Syke was wonderful. He applauded my fundraising, took some photos and convinced me I wasn’t going to die AND I got a great big surprise when I saw my friends Jill and Jeanne come to support me!

Then came the actual plunge. Stripping out of my toasty clothes I donned a bright pink tutu and sparkly mask (of course) and trotted my sorry butt into the frigid Great South Bay. As luck would have it, the tide was WAY low and the plunge was more of a splash, but I wasn’t complaining. I did the “old lady” splash, got myself sufficiently wet and exited quickly. Done!

Suggested by LeeAnn Tocci
Completed 3/16/19

I used to draw. I remember an art class in junior high where I learned the secret of drawing perspective and found the key to a magical room where I could create something incredible out of nothing but paper and graphite. In high school I took a bunch of art classes. Photography where I fell in love with the darkroom, ceramics where I learned how hard it is to successfully throw a pot, and a number of classes where I realized that I may be able to draw, but I couldn’t paint to save my life.

In the years since high school I’ve taken a crack at a collection of other arts – crochet, knitting, jewelry making, sewing, scrapbooking, purse making, woodworking, acting, improv – anything I could find to express my creativity. But somewhere along the way, I gave up drawing and never again attempted painting. Time to change that. Time to see if I still had any actual fine art skills left in me. So I put my intimidation and fear of failure behind me, bought myself some new art supplies and enrolled in a watercolor class at The Art League of Long Island. It didn’t take long before I learned two valuable lessons: I totally need to sharpen my drawing ability and I still can’t paint to save my life. Of course I was fully expecting to have a gallery showing by the third week, so I may need to slightly adjust my expectations.

But I’m not giving up! I mean I have all those new art supplies. So I’ll continue to try my hand at watercolor in the comfort of my kitchen and I promise to let you know the minute my one-woman show opens.

Suggested by me
Completed 2/19/19

This one was tough. I think we can all agree that the 9/11 memorial is poignant, important and necessary. I wasn’t sure, however, if I could experience it. I didn’t lose anyone close to me in the 9/11 attack, but like everyone else, I was deeply affected by the events of that day. We all can pinpoint where we were when we learned of the assault on our country and can immediately recall the collective pits in our stomach and pain in our hearts.

When I initially heard about the opening of the museum I wondered if we needed this. What purpose does it serve to see artifacts from the crumbling towers in which thousands of people lost their lives? Do we need to recall those horrific events in excruciating detail? The simple answer is “yes, yes we do.”

The memorial is beautiful and moving. We hear the names of the victims every year, but seeing the magnitude of names carved into the bronze surrounding the twin memorial pools is especially impactful. So many names. So much loss.

I tentatively walked into the museum. For me, museums are supposed to be a positive experience. I love spending time leisurely meandering through gallery after gallery pondering and appreciating art installations. I’ve been to the Holocaust Museum in DC and that was inarguably difficult, but this is different. This is modern day history. Our history. The exhibits are beautifully done, tremendously thought provoking and completely heart wrenching. Yes, it’s very difficult and yes, it’s extremely important.

Suggested by me
Completed 2/2/19

So a couple Kentucky Derbys (or is it Derbies?) ago I thought it would be clever to make Mint Juleps for June and I and our Derby guests Rick and Trish. I had no idea what was in a Julep and was quite surprised to learn it was made with bourbon – a liquor I had never tasted and was certain I would hate. The first sip was rough, but bourbon seems to be one of those things that gets better with practice. By the third (a process which took way longer than the horse race) both Rick and I were bourbon converts. June and Trish – not so much.

Fast forward a couple of years and I have sampled a number of bourbons – from the pedestrian Maker’s Mark to the exquisite Blanton’s. One of my go-tos has been Widow Jane and it was a pleasant surprise to learn from Trish that their distillery is located in Red Hook, Brooklyn. After a delightful visit with Allison, Josh and the kids to the Escher exhibit in Industry City, we took the quick ride ro Red Hook. It was a long day so we didn’t take the tour, but my fellow bourbon aficionado Allison and I did do a tasting of their Heirloom flight, consisting of their younger, less aged bourbons. Not bad, although I did leave with a bottle of their traditional, small batch bourbon, it was lovely to see where the magic happens.

Suggested by Trish Carpenter
Completed 1/19/19

I thought this would be fun to do, but I decided I needed to take the SAME photo every day. Of course, with travel plans and just life, I knew the chances of being in the same place to take a photo of the same thing for 365 days would be impossible. So what would be with me EVERY DAY for a year? Me!

I’ve recently read that “selfies” are called that because “narcissistics” was too hard to say. So at the risk of sounding narcissistic, I decided a selfie a day would be the only way to have a consistent subject. My rule was the first photo I took was the one I had to use. Lots of no makeup days, a bout with the flu, and more costume changes than Cher on a farewell tour. If you have a minute to spare (and literally, it’s 365 days of me in less than a minute), I invite you to take a peek at a year in my life. Please keep the applause to a minimum. Oh, and I should say up front that my iMovie skills are about the most stunning you will ever see.

Suggested by me
Completed 12/31/18

My dear friend Dana has always been a NOLA fan and for years has suggested I visit for their awesome Jazz Festival. Well, while that didn’t happen (I mean those kinda crowds just don’t do it for me), I did go for a visit, and I have to say…it did not disappoint!

On my continued quest to visit all 50 states, Louisiana was on my list so along with my partner in crime, Suzanne, off we went. Now we never bring the spouses on our crazy trips, but try to tell your loved ones that you’re going to New Orleans without them. Yeah, not so much. So June and Rob joined us on this one with pretty much no idea of the itinerary we’d planned.

We booked a lovely Airbnb on BurGUNDdy (yeah, that’s how it’s pronounced) Street in the heart of the French Quarter and spent the next five days having the time of our lives. We ate Muffulettas, did a City of the Dead walking tour visiting the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, drank Hurricanes at Pat O’Brien’s on Bourbon Street, had gumbo at K-Paul’s, took a swamp tour in an airboat where we saw a 10 foot alligator (!), danced in the street to a dixieland band, saw a wedding parade, drank liquor out of a shared bottle on the street (the smallpox test is pending), listened to great music on Frenchman Street, celebrated my birthday with an oyster shooter (blech!), wore ginormous beads and carried a sign on Bourbon, ate po boys and fried alligator, toured two plantations and enjoyed beignets at Cafe Du Monde.

As if that wasn’t enough, we rented a car and visited the USS Alabama in Mobile, and spent a couple hours playing blackjack at the Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. Bam! Two more states just like that!

It was a thrilling way to celebrate my birthday and the wonderful friendship we share with Suzanne and Rob.

Suggested by Dana Lee and Claudia Hyacinthe
Completed 11/5/18

June and I stayed overnight in New York in August 2018 to see Hamilton and then spent the following day traipsing throughout lower Manhattan to do our own little walking tour of Alexander Hamilton hot spots. Yes, that’s a thing. We visited the graveyard at Trinity Church where he and his wife are buried, took a walk over to Federal Hall on Wall Street and had lunch at Fraunces Tavern. While there, it was just a quick hop to the Seaglass Carousel in Battery Park.

I first learned about the carousel while watching one of my favorite guilty pleasure TV shows – “Younger” where two of the characters went there on an evening date. While the ambiance was probably better at night, the experience was still fun. It’s absolutely beautiful and for a mere $5 you get a 3 ½ minute ride on iridescent fish surrounded by lovely psychedelic lights and delightful music. If you’re ever in the area, don’t miss it.

Suggested by me
Completed 8/19/18

When I was a little girl, my grandma had a wonderful home garden. I remember cucumbers growing on the vine, picking string beans that climbed up tall lengths of string and of course lots and lots of plump tomatoes. Back then vegetables were something I enjoyed picking and admiring, but very few passed my lips. Thankfully that has changed and today I can’t get enough of homegrown harvests.

I have fond memories of grandma’s little jars of homemade strawberry preserves covered with a paraffin wax that you had to dig out before you could enjoy that scrumptious taste of summer. Years later I bought my grandma’s house, and though it was literally the same soil, I never had the success she did in the garden. And the closet under the stairs in the basement that held her jars of canned delights became storage for Christmas decorations.

Flash forward fifty some-odd years, and I thought it would be fun to recapture some of those memories by trying my hand at canning. My vegetable garden is a pathetic little attempt at homesteading and my tomato plants have been less that robust, so I went to my local farmstand and purchased 25 pounds of roma tomatoes and left with optimism and a little fear of what lie ahead.

I spent the better part of the day painstakingly washing, blanching and peeling 114 tomatoes (yes, I counted) and as I did, the memories flooded in. I took the task outside and I was suddenly back in my grandma’s yard snapping the ends off of string beans while grandma placed juicy tomatoes fresh off the plants into her gathered apron. The smell of summer oozed out of each tomato as I released them from their skins, and I smiled. I was ethereally connecting to my German farmer roots and I couldn’t be happier.

Using grandma’s old wooden potato masher, I stuffed each jar with fresh tomatoes. Though it took me into the wee hours, I processed all 114 of those delicious orbs. Hopefully I did it correctly and we will be enjoying summer throughout the year. If not…does anyone know the first signs of botulism?

Suggested by Me
Completed 8/23/18