Virtual Madagascar: Getting there...and what is first...

 Flights to Madagascar are primarily from London Heathrow...to Narobi and over night to Tana.  Alternatively, Paris Air France to the 11 hour Air Madagascar flight.

This is virtual, so a few clicks of the mouse and we are there!

(...and we haven't had to bother with what people refer to as Air Chance...a riff on the name as there is only a CHANCE you will ever see your luggage again...)

 

We start at the capital city of Antananarivo.

 

The first thing we notice is the urban sprawl...something I did not expect. The lake in the center is Lake Anosy.

 

The cluster upon cluster of houses remind me of untidy oysterbeds...pushing upward and out to accommodate the growing masses.  They are literally on top of each other.

But. like most major cities, a constant of civilization is the appearance of   Mahamamina Stadium.

 

 

Tour of Tana

https://youtu.be/2KStfwHGYUU

Independent of France in 1960...Tana has been around since the 17th Century.

Tana being the city's colonial nickname.

 There are historical Royal palaces...the stadium and Tsimbazaza Zoo as well. 

 

Which will be our next "place to explore" on this virtual journey.

Until then...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual Madagascar: Overview

Welcome to our Fall Virtual Adventure.

The 4th Largest Island in the world, Madagascar is filled with animals and plants found nowhere else. 

It is 250 miles off the coast of Africa...but is technically owned by France. 

It covers 228,900 sq. miles and has many peripheral islands surrounding it. 

The languages spoke here are Malagasy and French.

 Most of the religion observed here is a mash up of local tradition, and Christianity.

The geography runs the gamut. Deserts, Tropical Beaches, Mountains, Forests, and Plains. 

They have it all.

The climate is basically the wet/dry season.  Thank goodness, we have chose the Dry Season for our visit. The wet season has torrential monsoons and often flooding.

We set forth on Thursday!

 

 Come Along!!!

 

 

 

 

September's Sisters Day...Shagbark Hickory Syrup and Tea...and The Death of an Icon

 Finally, the construction guys have LEFT...and a return of a bit of peace, quiet and calm.

Not completely because

A. They will be back to rip out the cabinets and install new ones, later.

B. Sofi decided THIS would be a good week (...well, four days...) to go into heat.

"...because I LOVE everybody right now...even you, duffel-bag!"  ~Sofi

Chilly this morning. Definitely hot cocoa and sweater weather. The Colts play The Vikings at 1...and The Patriots play tonight!

Making a small pot of pintos with cornbread...and hot egg custard with nutmeg for afters.

Home smells like a woodstove right now...but more about that later.

Yesterday was September's Sisters Day!

Everything centered around Shagbark Hickory.

Who knew...you can teach an old dog new tricks.

A buddy of mine taught me about looking for Shagbarks (particularly  those with dead tops) to find morels...and yes...this really works...

And I love hickory nuts! 

But I had never realized all the ways they can be utilized.

Luckily our youngest sister, Tina, did.

Well-scrubbed harvested Shagbark...single layered on a baking tray and in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

It smells amazing while baking...and the house smells like you heat by woodstove.

Better than any Yankee Candle!

The baked bark can be then boiled for 30 minutes to make a smoky spicy flavored hot tea...or

Sugar added to form a simple syrup...then boiled to thicken to make a wonderful pancake/waffle syrup...which can be then added to BBQ sauce for meats.

Or you can sweeten the hot tea with it.

Or you can use the tea...add oils and spices as an overnight marinade for pork.

And boiled down without sugar you have Liquid Smoke to add to dishes.

We made waffles, sausages and Mimosas for brunch...trying the hot tea later.

(...we may have made it too strong...)

Lisa's comment

"It tastes like sticking a piece of burned firewood in your mouth."

 

It was kind of like drinking a mug of SMOKE.

(...back to the drawing board...)

 We had a wonderful day together. Learned there was an easier way to shell hickory nuts (boiling water), caught up,  talked politics and kids, men and life, then made our plans for October's Sister's Day.

 

Politics. 

 Friday night, we lost another icon. 

                           Supreme Court Justice: Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Who...for those too young to remember...hasn't always been old.

Because of this woman's activism, as women we were able to have our own credit, our own bank accounts, our own voice in pregnancy, and many other things the next generation of women take for granted. 

Before Ruth, a woman was basically "property" to her husband after marriage.

Imagine.

Yeah...no

Possibly even Hell No.

She will be missed.

James and Nicole and all the kids are sick.

Lennon has been dodging Tropical Storms and Hurricanes.

And when he is not doing classwork, Chris has been fly-fishing.

 

Brenda has nearly beaten Covid...still needs one more negative test...then we are planning a celebratory brunch together and maybe some Fall Shopping.

Loretta's facility is testing EVERYONE next week en masse, so that will be good.

My sister from a different mister, Diane, in West Palm Beach (married to Sal) showed me his new extreme make-over look. From quiet Jewish Guy to Total Badass!

You did good.

I'm loving the whole Breaking Bad vibe.

Still needs a Harley Shirt.

Angie is recuperating from her second sugery...and will be down probably another 4-5 weeks. Sue is minding The Shoppe, and the guys have been helping a lot at home. Che reports "I never knew there was so much you had to do, Mom!"

Diane Y. is still in Orlando, Florida for the foreseeable future...but her Mom beat Covid and has made it out of the hospital...so she will be staying until Mom is stronger.

John (mine) made Guy of the Year last night by sending me a delivery pizza and soda late after my sisters left...and I was wiped out too much to even think about cooking.  But hungry.

Love ya, Guy!

Can't wait for our October Adventure.

Not much longer.

No movie this week...but thoroughly engaged in a re-read of Ken Follett's 

Pillars of the Earth (1989)

which I have not read for years...

And WHY? 

Because Follett is releasing a prequel to the hefty tome called

And I have slept a lot since 1989.

Looking forward to it!

And after seeing this...I now know they have taken the whole pumpkin-spice thing a bit too far.

 

 Going to start the beans and sink into a hot bath while they bubble away!

Have a Great Weekend!

Post-Script:

The Colts beat the Vikings...and are now 1-1

The Chiefs bested the Chargers in OT and are still undefeated!!!

And watching Cam Newton (formerly of the Panthers) who has Tom Brady's place as the QB of New England Patriots, now play the Seahawks.

Still wrapping my brain around the fact 

Cam Newton

Starting QB  for NE Patriots.

Somewhere in penthouse boxes above them...aghast, disbelieving old white men are gasping and clutching their chests.

GOOD...

(...sometime the next day...)

Okay...three games in one day MAY be too much football. 

                                   Just saying.

But the game between the Seahawks and the Patriots was possibly the best edge of your seater, I have seen in a long long time.

Both teams started the night undefeated.

They were well matched and gave no quarter.

In the last 4 seconds of the 4th Quarter with only 2 yards to go...it was still anybodies game!!!

Wow!

The Seahawks won.

Russell Wilson was on fire last night.

And Cam will have NE saying shortly

 

"Tom who???"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Fall's Virtual Adventure: Madgascar

 Ready for Fall's Virtual Adventure?

The island country of  Madagascar is located in the Indian Ocean about 250 miles off the African coastline.

Since next year I am planning to spend the entire year exploring the 54 countries of Africa (virtually )...the island seemed a logical choice.

The itinerary more or less as follows:

 

An overview of the island.

 

Exploring the flora and fauna. Some of which is found nowhere else in the world.

 

Culture/people.

 

Beaches and geography.

 

Local language.

 

Local Cuisine.  

 

And pretty much whatever else captures my attention there between now and the end of November. 

Join me!

More anon...

 

PSTD....A Midweek Mental Health Break...And More

Yeah...

This has been the past 10 days.

And Sofi is now suffering from PTSD...where a knock on the door leaves her scrambling to get beneath the sofa.

Maybe me too...

The good news is...it is nearly over.

The bad news...several days to go.

The entire week filled with knocked out walls, replaced water lines, removed tiles, tub, low water pressure, construction workers...9 of them at one count...loudness, chaos and disarray.

By day 7 of this insanity John whisked me away.

(...thank god...)

My knight in a Black "Godfather Racing" Dodge Charger....lol

A relaxing break in perfectly clean surroundings with piles of fluffy towels and a deep tub.

BUBBLES!

And being able to just lay and soak and wash my filthy hair and unwind.

By the time my bath was over and I was toweled off, he had gone to a local steakhouse and brought back Filet Mignon (for himself) and a huge Prime Rib for me...with all the sides...which we ate...right there in bed.

Slept in a nest of pillows and fresh white sheets...like a rock.

(...except for that 11 PM business...okay???)

Until an hour before checkout.

Feeling so spoiled.

Thank you, love.

You SAVED me.

It made the rest of the week a bit more tolerable.
The mess less "messy"

Feeling a LOT more human.

Of course, the crew was still here when we came back.

They were here from 9 AM until 8:30 PM last night.

Quite frankly, I don't know how people deliberately do remodels and live in their home while they are doing them.
I would die.

But little by little the apartment is coming back together.
Postponed the Fall Decorating until they are finished.
Also Amber.

(...no point...)

Tina and Lisa and I,  have rescheduled our Sisters Day until next Saturday.

By then, it will be done.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The jury is still out on replacing the cabinets...but I now have completely new bathroom  walls,  wall tile and tub...water lines throughout...from my washer and dishwasher ...sink...refrigerator and of course, bathroom.

There are access panel holes (8 or 9) that still need to be closed and repainted...but the new hoses should ensure flood free living for the remainder of my life/years here.

I can't tell you how wonderful that feels!

Anyway, that has been MY week.

Football is back with Mahomes and the KC Chiefs winning their first home game of the season.

The Colts play tomorrow  (The Jaguars...there)

And a neat face off between Brees (Saints) and Brady (Buccaneers) both quarterbacks over 40...Sunday at 4.

Planning on making a round of homemade bread and a pot of chili...and relaxing with football and the cat.

Go Drew!!!!

 (...Monday, they will be back...)

Chris and Tina stopped in last night for a while.

She will be doing the home Colts games with the ambulance crew as an EMT...and has already been doing some work at their training camp.

He is enjoying classes and excited about college and fishing a lot during his downtime...

Teaching himself to fly-fish.

James has been doing a lot of Construction, and unwinding with his guitar.

Nicole and the Grands busy with home life and school.

And Lennon has been working hard, and bought his grandmother a mobility scooter for her 90th birthday, helping her learn to use it!

Settling in for a relaxing rest-of-the-weekend now...

Planning the Fall Virtual Adventure.

"They are gone, Mom...they're finally gone!!!" 
                                                                 ~Sofi

A Cup Full of Politics...or WTAF???

You've probably noticed that I haven't bothered with

"AND NOW WHAT!!!"

anymore.

I had come to terms that

A. Grifters and Cons are gonna grift and con.

B. Most of the GOP in office are complicit...and don't care about us...or much of anything beyond their own stockmarket numbers.

C. 38% of Trump's Base wouldn't change who they are supporting if the man was on the WH lawn stomping baby ducks, kittens, or puppies.

I had taken a deep breath and deemed him stupid and irrelevant, only 53 days from the election.

Soon Biden and Kamala would be taking office...decency would be restored and Trump would fade into obscurity, prison, or a non-extradition country.

That was before yesterday.

https://youtu.be/MFfr3XUltqc

(audio)

To be completely honest...the whole business was jarring.

I am still a bit shocked. 

It seems that Trump gave 18 taped interviews with Bob Woodward.

Yes, THAT Bob Woodward.

Bob "I helped take down fucking Nixon" Woodward.

And the released tapes are shocking.


He KNEW.

I had always given him the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe even believed that
his rhetoric concerning Covid-19 was the result of stupidity. Just not realizing how deadly it was, as he told America it was "the sniffles", "a HOAX" or "Just the flu".

But the son-of-a-bitch knew.

Since February.

And he downplayed it.

Said it would disappear.

Mocked wearing a mask.

And he KNEW.

KNEW it was deadly...more deadly than the strongest flu...airborne...not a hoax or the sniffles.

Over 190,000 Americans dead now.

That he knew all along, somehow, makes it worse.

Yesterday, the audio was on airwaves everywhere. 

It takes something huge to disrupt the earlier news of how he called our Military men and woman "Suckers" and the dead and/or captured "Losers"...but THIS did it.

He fucking knew.

And last night he held one of his rallies just the same...and his maskless, packed like sardines, supporters came.

They came just the same.

A reporter (masked) on the ground asked several why...after the earlier reveal in his own words...his own voice...why wouldn't they at least have masks on???

"Covid is a HOAX...it isn't real."

"If I die...I die..."

"Jesus will take care of me."

"It muffles your voice and makes it hard to hear."

There you have it.

And now I have better understanding why he

"...loves the poorly educated..."


Be smarter than this, people.

Don't die for a conman, who wouldn't cross the street to piss on you, if you were in flames.


(...and if I were a Trump Supporter...I'd be mad as hell at being duped and having my health jeopardized....)

September...Almost Fall...and This Week's Debacles

Outside the yellow of September is creeping in. Summer's plantings torn out to be composted for Spring soil and plans made for mums, straw, vines, sunflowers, gourds and fat orange pumpkins soon.  Bulbs are ordered to be nestled in before winter for the Spring Resurrection.

The fireflies are gone...and the frogs in a nearby pond silent.

The Hummingbirds are packing up their little travel cases and will soon be outta here.

My morning songbirds are gone and crows cawing wildly and Canadian geese overhead have taken their place.

The Summer foods being replaced by soups and stews.

Roasted meats and veggies.

Baking to take the chiily edge off the house (apartment) in the dawn 50 degree temps.

Yes...all is wonderful in my world...

Well...it WAS. Until Tuesday night.

A knock on the door in the evening.

"There is a water leak in the walls between your apartments"

"No...you can't see it but it has been going to for quite some time."

The crux of the matter is that it finally burst through the soggy deteriorating moldy sheet-rock in my next door neighbor's apartment and flooded her bathroom and kitchen.

He and a crew of 5 and our other maintenance man would be back at 9 AM.

OMFG...

At this point he must see the utter shock on my face and crouches down like talking to a traumatized child-

"We will need to tear out all affected walls, tubs, cabinets, wall tile..."

Yeah...I'm hyperventilating.

 No sleep THAT night.

(...but I did have the presence of mind to get a good bath and wash my hair...)

Up EARLY on Wednesday...six cups of coffee later...I'm oscillating and they arrive...

Sofi says

"Fuck THIS..."

and slides like butter beneath the sofa...where she stays until they leave.

If I were smaller, I would join her.

John saves my life, and talks me down, as the dismantling begins.

The workers are like a fireline of ants.

Sawing sections of drywall...to be passed down and dumpstered.

Doing a temporary patch of the pipe (they will remove all the old brittle dark gray pipes and run new flexible line on Tuesday after the holiday).

Carrying the old tub away.

...goodbye old friend...

Poking and prodding at cabinets which will also have to be replaced.

We talk two or three times during the process. Most of it is a blur...I am stressed to beyond the point of being frazzled. I am actually shaking. His voice is soft and soothing like calming an overly skittish horse. There are no words for how much I appreciate his comfort.

Sofi is no help.

"Told ya to get beneath the couch, Mom!"

 By 3 PM they are finished for the day.

Three walls are gone.

All the wall tiling is gone.

The bathtub is gone.

Big blue blowers are drying what is left...and lower cabinet doors are open and drying to see what can be salvaged of them..if anything.

The water pressure has been lowered to a stream as thin as a Number 2 pencil to prevent blowing the patched line.

GrubHub brings dinner.

Sofi re-emerges.

"OMG... Mom....they have stolen the bathroom!!!"

She is wide eyed and exploring the devastation...bewildered.

So am I.

I slowly realize I'm a CAT.

 Not a PROBLEM...just an INCONVENIENCE becomes my Mantra.

To their credit...they are very neat for an entire troupe of construction guys. Everything has been shop-vac'ed and cleaned up. No saws-all crumbs or mess left sitting.

Only the missing walls, bare wall joists and fluffy insulation, hole in the concrete floor and drainpipes and blasting of the blowers, belie the fact that all is NOT well.

On Friday the drywall guy returns bright and early with sheet after sheet of the stuff.

By Friday afternoon I have some semblance of walls again.

Unpainted, untiled, utility gray...but covering the bare joists.

A timeline is established. 

The crew will be back early Tuesday to run the lines...remove the rest of the pipes...install a new tub...then he will be back  later in the week to finish the walls and tile out.

...breathe...

So yeah...that has been my week.

The bright side is new pipes (...the old ones were literally 30+ years old...)
new walls, new tub, new wall tile...probably new cabinets.

Rita, my neighbor, voices much the same.

Right now it is kind of like camping in your house. Spit baths morning and night at the basin.
Tops and Tails.

I may spend next weekend submersed in my new bathtub with bubbles.

Anyway...

Getting excited about Fall Decorating...and have dragged the Autumn boxes out...and ready to stow the Summer stuff.

NPB is now CLOSED for the Season.

Used off my fresh herbs for dinner for the last time this season...I'll cut and dry the rest tomorrow.

How I LOVE cooking with fresh herbs!

Finally,  new movies are released...

This Week's Film:

 And it is delightful. 

Robert Di Nero, Christopher Walken, Cheech Marin (sans Tommy Chong) and it is exactly what I needed after this week.

Wonderful comedy about a boy who declares war on his Grandpa after he is moved into his daughter's house...more specifically into HIS bedroom.

Great cast.

Funny film.

Try it, you'll like it!

Have a great Holiday Weekend!

"But Mom...they've stolen the tub!!!"

                                                      ~Sofi