FAREWELL TO THE OLD AND WELCOME TO THE NEW!

That says it all as far as I’m concerned. The only thing that keeps me going during these difficult times, with war and misery everywhere, is incurable optimism and the knowledge that there are lots of others in this world a helluva lot worse off, so instead of complaining, look around and do something constructive. Ever hear that? My eldest daughter, Cary, returned from a month in India and was held up by last week’s snowstorm. Grounded in Newark, she had to stay at Martha’s through Christmas. How wonderful for the family! She brought with her news of our Tibetan friends and some of the six to eight-year-old children who are still making their way across the plains and mountains of Tibet, seeking refuge in Dharamsala, India. Several more friends have volunteered to sponsor these children, so the work of compassion and support continues. That’s something to be thankful for, as they join so many others who give their time and money, unheralded, throughout the year, to care for others.

I’m trying to get over making New Years Resolutions, because, to my horror, they’re almost the same as those I wrote in college. It definitely is time for a change!  But then comes that wonderful day…January one…when I walk up and down the streets of Maplewood and think all things are possible and, yes, I have it in my power to turn over a new leaf. So what always goes wrong? Why, even though I have blessings coming out my ears, is there still a restlessness about “what to do next” that I can’t shake. So I say to myself—maybe writing a funny book about the family would put things in perspective. But four of my children are still around and might just send me to one of those death squads that the tea party people warn me is just around the corner. Perhaps a good resolution to keep me upbeat would be to stop reading the paper and listening to so much in-depth analysis on PBS, and stick to Masterpiece Theater, New Yorker cartoons, and Jon Stewart. But, alas, they just couch the bad news in humor. Still, it sure beats the NY Times at breakfast. And is good for your digestion. Tune in next time. I still have many more travel rules, and they just get better and better the more you use them.

Behold, my new poinsettias. For all of you who love this symbol of Christmas, I must tell you that I have learned one big lesson…taught to me by my horticulturally-advanced son, Tom. You do NOT, repeat NOT, over-water them and, after you have, put them on a radiator, hoping they will dry out and revive. Now you have steamed them to death. In years past, I treated my poinsettias to benign neglect and kept them for months. This year, however, I became over-zealous, and below you can see the result. Let this be a warning to all. I’ll tell you in a few months how the above plants fared.

A final word to theater buffs. I did get to enjoy an uproarious off-Broadway comedy, The Toxic Avenger, with my like-minded grandson, Thomas Bixler, and we’ll be seeing the new musical, Memphis, next Sunday. This will be my second time. It’s that good.

The Plainfield Symphony is taking a break after its wonderful family Christmas concert, but will be back with Shostakovich’s 5th symphony in February. In the meantime,

HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR ONE AND ALL…and keep warm!

GET READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS! HERE COME THE GINGERBREAD HOUSES….

It’s a Peterson tradition, started by Cary so many years ago that I can’t even remember, and now Martha, in Cary’s absence, is carrying on “with a little help from her friends.” This year’s party coincided with our first big snowstorm, which really didn’t hurt it at all. In fact, with a roaring fire and good fellowship, it actually enhanced the gathering. Of course, it meant that any evening parties in New York were impossible, which meant that I missed a big one at Don Harley’s. But it’s a good thing I stayed close to home. By 9 P.M. the car was buried and a pair of cross country skiis was the transportation of choice. Ain’t winter grand?

This will give you a taste of the talent gathered around the table a week ago. Jenny Vitello, hot off the plane from three months doing an internship in Africa, still retained her lead as artist extraordinaire, but there were dozens of other houses too numerous to show. Here are two views of Jenny’s house.

Here are two views of Jimmy Siuty’s masterpiece, which now rests on my dining room table. Am I lucky, or wot? It all fits so well with the Christmas tree, decorated with trinkets and treasures collected over the years, and like the faded Santas and wooden elves adorning the mantelpiece, keep Christmas tradition alive and well in the Peterson family. Hope you and yours had a merry one.

‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY, AND, INSTEAD, I’M BURIED UNDER A TUTORIAL FOR MY NEW “EASY-TO-USE” I MAC COMPUTER. EASY FOR WHOM?

Sound familiar?  Hey, I’m all for challenging the old brain, but why did I pick the busiest time of the year to do it? Blame the Black Friday sales and my children, who are dedicated Mac users and are tired of my PC complaints. End of story.  Be prepared, dear readers, for a wealth of new photos, once I learn the I Photo system and 900 other details necessary to make it all work. As I said, I’m up for challenges!

I finally raked all of my leaves, with the help of Adam, my youngest grandchild, and now I’m waiting for that big snowstorm that is promised, just in time to guarantee a white Christmas.

You can't rake without an iPod

And a blower makes it even easier!

This year it was quite a gala Thanksgiving celebration, with Martha’s family and two other close families down the streets, the Galantes and the Vitellos. Daughter Cary is still roaming around northern India and Nepal and I’ll have a report on her as soon as she returns on December 20^th.

Cheryl Galante, MP, and Gary Shippy

The end

Last week I treated myself to a two-day visit with Judy Wyman-Kelly and her family in West Hartford, CT, very near Hartford, where I spent four years of my early childhood.  The occasion was Leah Kelly’s Christmas concert. She did double duty playing the trumpet in the school orchestra and singing in the choir. I never thought I would voluntarily take myself to an elementary school concert, but let me tell you that they have improved, vastly, since my children were in the early grades, when the only way you could survive was wearing earplugs.  It was a delight and very much appreciated by this surrogate Grandma.

An opera update includes the dress rehearsal of the magnificent production of Richard Strauss’ Electra with the stunning Deborah Voight, and an unusual, very dark rendition of Janacek’s From The House of the Dead at the Metropolitan. Concerts include Peter Serkin and the Shanghai Quartet at Montclair State’s beautiful new auditorium, and plays include Sarah Ruhl’s unusual In the Next Room (the vibrator play), the delightful The Marvelous Wonderettes, and the mediocre (in my opinion) Burn the Floor.

Just to see if you’re keeping up, here is my Rule #5 for efficient travel. It may seem self-evident to young people, but there was a time when we did NOT have ziplock bags. How we survived is anyone’s guess. These wonderful plastic containers can be found in every possible size, including huge ones that I’ve used to line my duffel bag when trekking in the mountains. I pack everything in them, which allows me to organize my belongings for quick reference: sweaters in one,  underwear in another, toiletries and medicines separate. You can even label them with permanent ink so you can find them (using your headlamp, of course) in the middle of the night. I’ve even used them to cover my pack on rainy days. I don’t bother with an umbrella, by the way, since I wear a rainproof jacket and my hair is drip dry, so why bother? I’m not vying for Miss America.