Miss Ann Says

Category: Uncategorized

• let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

  Posted at 2:36 pm by missannsays, on January 2, 2014

  I enjoy a good snow storm. Let me clarify that! I enjoy a good snow storm when I don’t have to go anywhere and when those I love don’t have to go anywhere. Also I enjoy it when the neighborhood kids are willing to shovel my deck and driveway. And my car is in the garage. So basically I enjoy a good snow storm when I am an observer. Think about it when you are inside warm, feed and cozy what is there not to like. When the decision of whether this or that is happening or not happening is made for you, that is great. The should I venture out or not venture out is not good but take the decision out of my hands and I am delighted.

  Of course when my daughters were little and I owned my studio the whole “possible” snow storm scenario was not a welcome thing. “How much snow and when is it starting? “Is it going to be bad by me but good in NJ?” “Is there school?” The whole thing was crazy. Mostly because I lived 26 miles and at least one mountain away from my studio and my daughter’s school. So basically what was happening at my house may have had (and many times did have) no bearing on where I needn’t to be. It was stressful. If there was a storm forecast, I usually wanted a giant storm over the entire Metro New York area so no one could question or comment on the decision not to have classes. I mean a big storm starting preferably at midnight and continuing all day but please don’t happen on the same day as the last storm. There have been winters when it snows on the same day of the week. One year Tuesdays kept misses classes.

  When Emily was in third or fourth grade there was so many snow days that it snowed on the scheduled vacation day that was a make up snow day. A matter of fact, I remember telling Emily “if you ever get to go to school, bring home all your books.” 🙂

  Today there is a snow storm heading my way. It is a named storm which is just wrong. Could we stop naming snow storms? I don’t get it. Anyway I am safely at the Barn aka my weekend house. There is supposed to be a Ladies Time Out @ the Barn Friday evening until Saturday but we will see. In preparing to spend a few days here, I let my neighbors at my primary residence know I will be away and asked if someone could please shovel. I also suggested that my neighbor park one of their cars in my garage because why let a garage sit empty. I am toasty warm and have supplies. I may fill the bath tub with water if it gets windy because I have a well at the Barn and no electricity could be problematic. The wood burning stove is supplying heat so I am hunkered down. When it is time to leave, I do know I will have to shovel my car out because there is no garage at the Barn. 😦 But I am thinking maybe the weather will get warm and the snow will melt before I decide to leave 🙂

  Posted in daily life, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged little things, randomness

• Christmas stories

  Posted at 8:30 pm by missannsays, on December 17, 2013

  The one of the many things I enjoy about decorating for Christmas is unwrapping and displaying the different items and remembering the stories associated with them.

  1. Some have funny stories like my handmade wooden reindeer, a gift from a student, that has burnt antlers because years ago Bruce accidentally threw the antlers into the fireplace. I walked in the room and said “what happened to his antlers” and there was a strange look, a fireproof glove and a hand reaching into the fire to retrieve it. Or there is the slightly gnawed on wooden tree, a gift my brother-in-law had made, that the dog decided to eat. Others have sentimental stories like the adorable clothes pin nativity scene Emily made in elementary school. Yes, mommies save and cherish those projects.

  
  

  2. Some have travel/adventure stories like my travel ornaments. I personally think that ornaments are the best kind of souvenirs so my Christmas tree is decorated with a fuzzy bear from Alaska, a buffalo from Mount Rushmore, a pretty hand painted ball ornament with a scuba diver from St Thomas and an official Plaza Hotel ornament.
  

  

  

  3. My daughters learned early on that books were the one thing mom would buy them so we have many books and many Christmas books full of wonderful stories. Golden books, pop up books, classics, poetry and gift books – A Cup of Christmas Tree, God with Us, The legend of the Christmas Prayer, What does Christmas Sound Like?, A Family Christmas, and The Legend of The Three Trees to name a few. A few years ago I didn’t put the little kid books out and Meghan commented “what happened to the kiddie books? I still like to look through them.” Thus why the kiddie Christmas books are still displayed.

  4. By far the best Christmas decorations are those made with paper, glue and a photo of those you love. For those decorations come with a lifetime of stories.
  

  Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged Christmas, family, kid stuff, little things, randomness, travel

• two identicial nutcrackers

  Posted at 10:37 am by missannsays, on December 13, 2013

  

  Why? Why have two identical nutcrackers? Because as I was cleaning out my parents home I discovered that my Dad had bought my mum and I the exact same nutcracker. My mum had said to divide up the decorations thus two nutcrackers. Through the years my mum bought most Christmas gifts that I received from my parents but on occasion my Dad would sneak a special one in. I realized something this morning as I thought about my two matching nutcrackers. My dad started buying me a special Christmas gift each year after Bruce died. Thanks, Daddy. 🙂

  My Dad loved decorating for Christmas. What made that so funny was that my Dad was a very well read, logical thinker, he was an electrical engineer by profession but he delighted in the wonder of Christmas. He had his Dickens village that was historically correct in the placement of the buildings. No really, it was. He always hanging stuff from the ceiling especially geometric shaped ornaments. He had wildlife ornaments hanging from every indoor plant. He would take a break from decorating to scatter wild bird seed in the backyard for his bird friends. There was a nativity on the mantle. Byer’s carolers on the end table. A carousel of musical animals on top of the hutch. He was never done. To quote my daughter “it looks like Christmas threw up at Nanny and Poppy’s house”. The Christmases of my childhood were full of wonder due to my Dad decorating and decorating some more. And when he was done he would build a fire, sit on the couch with my mum and enjoy a snifter of brandy.

  Thanks Daddy for instilling in me the wonder of life, the power of knowledge and the love of family.

  Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged Christmas, family, kid stuff, little things

• the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker

  Posted at 8:29 am by missannsays, on November 28, 2013

  I had an “aha” moment this morning. I was thinking about what I need to do before I head to PA via Toms River. I need to stop and pick up the raspberry tart I ordered. Wait!!! I said I won’t shop on Thanksgiving. And then the “aha” moment. Some stores were always open on Thanksgiving – the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker. Modern equivalent – the convenience store, the bakery and the gas station. With a little planning, you could always get things you needed on Thanksgiving – milk, bread, fuel. Maybe you had to drive to the next town or go first thing in the morning because the bakery closed at 11 but you could get what you needed. And somewhere through the years the mindset changed and now you can get what you want on Thanksgiving. You may not need it but you want it. And you want it today! I don’t know who is to blame if there even is someone or something to blame but won’t it be great if our wants and needs were the same thing (at least for one day)

  I pray that our very basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, education, health, peace of mind and friendship will be met. And I also pray that I will have eyes to see, ears to hear, a heart that cares and hands to help. Happy Thanksgiving. 🙂

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged friendship, little things, randomness, telling the next generation

• Travel Tuesdays – S1E28 – Home for the Holidays

  Posted at 7:10 pm by missannsays, on November 26, 2013

  The holidays are upon us. Thanksgiving is “late” and Hanukkah seems early. Thanksgiving is Thursday and Hanukkah starts tomorrow and before you know it Christmas will be here with New Year’s Eve following close behind. The commercials on the television, the internet and radio talk about “being home for the holidays”. I have been pondering that concept. I grew up with very little extended family around. The holidays were always in my home with my mom, dad, brother and two sisters. My grandparents were in Oklahoma and England so we didn’t see them on the holidays. When I was very young we lived in Oklahoma but I have no memories of grandparents. We then lived in Utah and Arizona before moving to New Jersey when I was in the third grade. My mother’s brother and his family would eventually move to New Jersey from England via Canada and the holidays would then involve extended family and I have very fond memories of those times.

  When Bruce and I married we started the every other year tradition at Thanksgiving – one year (even) was my family and the next year (odd) was his family. We started that because when we were dating we ate two meals each thanksgiving and that is ridiculous. I still do every other year and for that reason I have never cooked a turkey. 🙂 I have hosted Thanksgiving on an even year either at home or the Barn but I am grateful that my brother-in-law cooks the turkey. This Thanksgiving I will share lunch with my 95-year-old mother in law in her new assisted living residence. Then travel to PA to have Thanksgiving with Meghan, Kyle and Kyle’s parents. Not two full meals but a light lunch (hopefully) and then the main meal. Yummy!

  As far as Christmas celebrations that we tweaked through the years. Van Hine celebrations usually were Christmas Eve and Clark were more Christmas Day & Boxing Day. Christmas mornings however were always just the two of us at home and then the three of us when Emily was born and then the four of us when Meghan was born. Last year was the first time in my entire life that I didn’t sleep in my own bed on Christmas Eve and it was delightful to be with my sister and her family. This year like last year Christmas will take place in a new way and that is okay.

  I love the holidays. I love everything about the holidays. I love traditions but I am also open to new traditions and new ways of celebrating. I want the holidays to be filled with the people I love, great conversations, yummy food, a little laughter, lots of hugs and hopefully at least one board game. So in thinking on this “home for the holidays” concept and I think home is more about the people you are with than the place you are in and the holidays is more about time spent with those people than a date on the calendar.

  Be safe as you travel this holiday season and don’t forget to enjoy the journey!!

  On a totally different note, do people really buy cars as gifts for Christmas? There seem to be a lot of car commercials.

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged friendship, little things, travel

• randomness X 3

  Posted at 8:10 pm by missannsays, on November 23, 2013

  1. On Friday morning as I was preparing to travel into the National September 11 Memorial to lead a tour for a daughter’s friend, I dropped an earring down the bathroom sink. You know that feeling when you watch and think it isn’t going to go down, it is too big, it can’t possibly fit under that little space. And then the earring is gone, just gone. It seems impossible. The stopper wasn’t even open all the way. So in a moment of “no worries, I can fix this problem” I proceed to remove all the towels and stuff from under the sink and unscrew that “little thing” and now my lack of any knowledge of plumbing has caught up with me. I place all the little pieces on the bathroom counter, tidy up the pile of towels, leave my side door unlocked and head to NYC. I call my plumber from my cell phone and leave him message. And when I get home the bill ($75) with the following tip was on my bathroom counter “always close drain when putting on jewelry”. This morning my plumber called. He wanted to share a story that happened yesterday afternoon after he had taken care of my issue. His 8-year-old daughter recently had her ears pierced and yesterday she was changing her earrings for the first time. He walks into the bathroom to make sure she has closed the drain. He comments “make sure you close the drain”. She comments “Dad, everyone knows to do that.” well, maybe not everyone 🙂

  2. This past week on the radio they were announcing that President Obama and First Lady, Michelle Obama, would be laying a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery in remembrance of the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy. They also announced that the Obamas would be joined by former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Rodman Clinton. I just found it weird that Hilary Clinton who has been an US Senator and the Secretary of State was only referred to as “Bill’s wife” not even former First Lady. Really???

  3. A recent visitor to the memorial commented “I am glad the survivor tree isn’t perfect. It is okay there aren’t branches on the one side because everything changed that day. I am glad it is thriving but it is good to remember that it was changed” Something to ponder.

  Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged little things, randomness, respect, September 11

• Before smart phones

  Posted at 3:46 pm by missannsays, on November 15, 2013

  Yesterday I received a Facebook message from my daughter stating “my phone has died.” This morning she called to share the story of trying to replace her phone. Between contracts, pricey new phones and a general lack of customer service in the walk-in mall store, she was totally frustrated. After the unsuccessful store visit, she went online and “chatted” with a customer service person who acknowledged that the situation must be very frustrating. Thank you for that! A telephone call to a second store supplied her with some useable information and a suggestion on what to do to temporarily correct the situation – aha!! customer service. So this morning she set out to try (after calling me) to “get a phone.”

  My phone would ring again with a request to find an address and my daughter would comment “what did we do before smart phones?” I commented “we planned where we were going and looked at real maps.” I have been thinking about what we did before smart phones or even cell phones and I came up with the following:

  1. We called someone’s home, spoke with whoever answered the phone, waited for them to get to the phone and either spoke to the intended person or left a message. Growing up I had to answer the phone “Clark’s residence. Ann speaking. Who is this, please?”

  2. We formulated a plan – meet here at such and such time.

  3. Checked the newspaper for movie schedules.

  4. We wrote down addresses and directions on pieces of paper or the back of an envelope after we found a pencil or pen.

  5. We made reservations for dinner.

  6. We fretted about why the person was late to said appointment.

  7. We had a paper map in the car and probably “mad money” in our pockets.

  Anyway that is what I remember and to be honest I still look at a map (Google maps) ahead of time, and write down addresses on paper or print the email with the address. I keep a paper calendar as well as my iPhone calendar. I try to back everything up on my computer. And just in case the power goes out or my phone dies, I have my daughters’ and sister’s phone number written on a piece of paper. I can tell you my best friend’s parent’s telephone number that I have probably known for 40 years because I had to dial it. However, I don’t know my own daughters’ and sister’s without looking because most times I press a button. 🙂

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged little things

• Travel Tuesdays S1E27

  Posted at 11:29 am by missannsays, on November 10, 2013

  Years ago when I was scheduled to fly home from CA on the “red eye” my dad commented “everyone should fly the red eye at least once.” “Why?” “So you know never to do it again!” Well, I have flown the red eye a few times through the years and it is “interesting experience.” Today I choose “the red eye” so I would have entire day with my daughter and her hubby. And as long as I can go home and sleep for a couple of hours, it will definitely be worth it. I have my good book, my snacks, my music and my headphones – I am good to go.

  I came across the following article on airplane etiquette. Worth reading. Hope I don’t have a shoeless, sock less, armrest hogging person next to me. 🙂

  http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CAwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2013%2F11%2F03%2Ftravel%2Fwhose-feet-are-those-negotiating-air-travel-etiquette.html&ei=8-6CUtSTOOakiQLFz4DoCQ&usg=AFQjCNF9iPL8JwTEb0rKk8Bjhkky5s9jsw

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged little things, travel

• Journey of 3,000 miles

  Posted at 8:00 am by missannsays, on November 9, 2013

  My journey of 3,000 miles begins at Newark airport with a pleasant surprise. I am TSA Prechecked! I guess flying multiple times over the last 11 months has given me the privilege of not having to remove my shoes and a shorter line. I did chuckle when the TSA agent announced “you have been randomly selected for further screening.” To which I replied, “I am always randomly selected.” Seriously every time I fly they randomly screen me. So if it is every time either my timing is impeccable or it isn’t that random.

  Usually when I am “randomly screened”, I want to make a rude comment or two about the lack of proper screening on September 11, 2001. Each time the Lord instantly checks my attitude so I haven’t.
  But today my attitude was different. I was aware that a TSA agent was killed this week and that gave me pause and made me a little more pleasant and patient. They are just doing their job, a job that on any given day probably includes verbal abuse from a lot of haggard or inpatient or confused people but they shouldn’t have to worry about being killed. Actually they shouldn’t be subject to abuse either. 🙂

  “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged travel

• Travel Tuesdays S1E26 -Travel poem by John O’Donohue

  Posted at 9:15 pm by missannsays, on November 5, 2013

  I came across this poem. Thought I would share it. The more I read it, the more I like it.

  Every time you leave home,
  Another road takes you
  Into a world you were never in.
  New strangers on other paths await.
  New places that have never seen you
  Will startle a little at your entry.
  Old places that know you well
  Will pretend nothing
  Changed since your last visit.
  When you travel, you find yourself
  Alone in a different way,
  More attentive now
  To the self you bring along,
  Your more subtle eye watching
  You abroad; and how what meets you
  Touches that part of the heart
  That lies low at home:
  How you unexpectedly attune
  To the timbre in some voice,
  Opening in conversation
  You want to take in
  To where your longing
  Has pressed hard enough
  Inward, on some unsaid dark,
  To create a crystal of insight
  You could not have known
  You needed
  To illuminate
  Your way.
  When you travel,
  A new silence
  Goes with you,
  And if you listen,
  You will hear
  What your heart would
  Love to say.
  A journey can become a sacred thing:
  Make sure, before you go,
  To take the time
  To bless your going forth,
  To free your heart of ballast
  So that the compass of your soul
  Might direct you toward
  The territories of spirit
  Where you will discover
  More of your hidden life,
  And the urgencies
  That deserve to claim you.
  May you travel in an awakened way,
  Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
  That you may not waste the invitations
  Which wait along the way to transform you.
  May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
  And live your time away to its fullest;
  Return home more enriched, and free
  To balance the gift of days which call you.
  ~ John O’Donohue ~

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments

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