More Musings
As I contemplate my life here at Kendal I can’t help thinking how lucky I am to live in such a rich environment - rich that is in terms of diversity. All sorts of diversity abound here. Our recent celebration of International Day quickly revealed our diversity of national heritages as we put pins in a world map to show the land of our family origins. At the end of the day we had pins in almost every European Country and even some in far off Australia. At that same festival people brought foods representing their native lands. There was an abundance of wonderful tasty delights spread out on our table.
The residents here have many talents. Our Gallery Committee just hung a new art show made up entirely of paintings by artists who live here. These paintings represent the work of artists who have been painting for years, artists who are now engaged in teaching others, and those who have learned to paint in the art studio here. Subject matter ranges from abstracts to pets and wild animals to landscapes to still lifes and more.
Our glass display cabinet also arranged by our Gallery Committee is currently filled by bits and pieces on loan by residents. Items drawing ooh’s and aah’s and compliments include a set of sculptured glass jade animals from China copied from those of the Ming Dynasty; selections from a collection of hand blown glass paper weights from various parts of the United States and Scotland; china boxes including Wedgewood and Spode from England, cloisonné from Japan and earthenware from Ohio; pieces of antique vaseline glassware going back three generations; several Cat’s Meow collectibles from Granville; and figures of Confucius with students from China. All exemplify the rich diversity of interests of those who live here.
Not only do we have a variety of international heritages here but we also enjoy the richness that comes from the fact that many of us have lived in many different states of the United States. So it is that dinner conversations often elicit memories of homes in other states. Although I’ve lived here since the opening five years ago I’m still discovering new facets of the lives of those who live here. For example just last week I discovered that someone I had talked with frequently had spent a part of her life in the same part of Pennsylvania wheremy great grandparentsonce lived. My great grandmother had written a poem about the beauty of the Alleghany Mountains, a place this friend remembered also with fondness for its beauty.
My life in general has been enhanced by my contacts with diverse new friends including among others one who came from Australia with her American GI husband and another who tells us what it was like to live in England during WW II. I also had the good fortune to get to know a woman who served in the Navy in the northwestern US and broke Japanese codes in WWII.
Once I discovered that the couple I was eating with had lived in the same community in northwest Ohio where I lived when I was in nursing school and after I was married. The wife turned out to be the graduate of another school of nursing there. We quickly found out that we knew many of the same people. Then I just happened to ask if she went to a particular high school where my husband’s cousin was the principal. It turned out that she knew him well but had lost touch over the years as they moved about. She was delighted to know that he and his wife were still alive and well. So I shared some of our last correspondence. That’s diversity plus - making new friends here and finding out that it’s a small world we live in after all.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tomatoes
Well, I pulled up my tomato plants today. Sort of sad, but the lovely “Golden October” weather we are having makes up for it. Before my wife and I moved to Kendal, I had been an anti-gardener. Many years ago, my father introduced me to gardening which he loved, but I didn’t. I do remember working in our “Victory Garden” during the war that I was just too young to be in. (Korea caught me though.) But for 40 years we lived in Granville with so many trees that gardens were pretty much ruled out. At least I told myself that. A few Impatiens in the spring was all I tried for. When we moved into Kendal, I gave my son most of my gardening tools. After all, the grounds are taken care of and the lawns are mowed.
Then I discovered I had a nice sunny spot in back of our cottage, where my efforts were not easily seen by fellow residents. So this is my fifth summer of having a garden which I call “Danny’s First Garden.” Mostly this consists of marigolds, zinnias and an experiment each year. Once it was huge sunflowers, then equally huge hollyhocks. And this summer three tomato plants.
They grew great. I have done enough “amending” to provide a pretty good bed;. And, although a bit late, we had great big tomatoes. With luck the little animals that come down from the woods left them alone. After trying tomato frames, I found 6 foot stakes from the lumber yard held them up. I probably could have gotten tomatoes from Granville’s excellent farmer’s market as cheaply, but it would have been no fun. We even took some to dinner a couple of times and shared with table mates.
The basic rule here is that residents have a “yard” literally around their cottages/villas to plant. (I mean a yard as in 3 feet.) Most cottages have been planted of course so it is strictly voluntary. But when I take my walks around the “campus” I see a fascinating variety of flowers, tomatoes and even one cottage with strawberries.
Then I discovered I had a nice sunny spot in back of our cottage, where my efforts were not easily seen by fellow residents. So this is my fifth summer of having a garden which I call “Danny’s First Garden.” Mostly this consists of marigolds, zinnias and an experiment each year. Once it was huge sunflowers, then equally huge hollyhocks. And this summer three tomato plants.
They grew great. I have done enough “amending” to provide a pretty good bed;. And, although a bit late, we had great big tomatoes. With luck the little animals that come down from the woods left them alone. After trying tomato frames, I found 6 foot stakes from the lumber yard held them up. I probably could have gotten tomatoes from Granville’s excellent farmer’s market as cheaply, but it would have been no fun. We even took some to dinner a couple of times and shared with table mates.
The basic rule here is that residents have a “yard” literally around their cottages/villas to plant. (I mean a yard as in 3 feet.) Most cottages have been planted of course so it is strictly voluntary. But when I take my walks around the “campus” I see a fascinating variety of flowers, tomatoes and even one cottage with strawberries.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Our Book Group
I just love our book group! Once a month an assortment of men and women from different backgrounds with different tastes get together to discuss a book which has been chosen by the group. We choose a book by consensus which is the Kendal way. I said the members are varied but so are the books. We have read bestsellers, classics, biographies, and history.
One of our first choices in 2006 was "Team of Rivals". In 2007 we read several old classics such as "Painted Veil" by Somerset Maugham and"Madame Bovary" by Flaubert. One of our favorites was "Huckleberry Finn". Larry remembered that her daughter had written a paper years ago about this book in which she said that the river was a metaphor for good and the land was a metaphor for evil. Good things happened on the river and bad things happened on the land.
Last month we discussed a current bestseller, "The Help". We had a little "help" with this book from Susan Richardson, a retired English Professor at Denison. Most people enjoyed the book but several of us had reservations, including me. One of Susan's interesting questions was whether we thought the book was about the writer of the story or about the maids.
We have an ambitious project for December. We are reading "Anna Karenina" by Tolstoy, a 900 page beautiful and sad story. Most of us have read this book in our younger years, but as with "Huckleberry Finn", we will bring our added years of experience, knowledge, and mature insights, so that it is almost like reading it for the first time. We will have help again this time. Betty's daughter, Carol, is a Professor of Russian Literature at Duke University, and she will lead our discussion.
Usually we do not have a reviewer or a leader. One of us just moderates the discussion. There are two rules: Only one person at a time may speak (no side conversations), and we have to pretty much stay on topic. I can usually tell beforehand which books will have a lively discussion because of the chatter I hear in the dining room. I have already heard lots of chatter about "Anna" and am really looking forward to our December meeting.
One of our first choices in 2006 was "Team of Rivals". In 2007 we read several old classics such as "Painted Veil" by Somerset Maugham and"Madame Bovary" by Flaubert. One of our favorites was "Huckleberry Finn". Larry remembered that her daughter had written a paper years ago about this book in which she said that the river was a metaphor for good and the land was a metaphor for evil. Good things happened on the river and bad things happened on the land.
Last month we discussed a current bestseller, "The Help". We had a little "help" with this book from Susan Richardson, a retired English Professor at Denison. Most people enjoyed the book but several of us had reservations, including me. One of Susan's interesting questions was whether we thought the book was about the writer of the story or about the maids.
We have an ambitious project for December. We are reading "Anna Karenina" by Tolstoy, a 900 page beautiful and sad story. Most of us have read this book in our younger years, but as with "Huckleberry Finn", we will bring our added years of experience, knowledge, and mature insights, so that it is almost like reading it for the first time. We will have help again this time. Betty's daughter, Carol, is a Professor of Russian Literature at Duke University, and she will lead our discussion.
Usually we do not have a reviewer or a leader. One of us just moderates the discussion. There are two rules: Only one person at a time may speak (no side conversations), and we have to pretty much stay on topic. I can usually tell beforehand which books will have a lively discussion because of the chatter I hear in the dining room. I have already heard lots of chatter about "Anna" and am really looking forward to our December meeting.
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