Miss Ann Says | thoughts from everyday life | Page 10

- Being a tourist in my own city – Merchant’s House
  
  Posted at 12:51 pm by missannsays, on February 25, 2015
  
  A few weeks ago friends and I visited The Merchant’s House Museum located at 29 East Fourth Street in Manhattan http://merchantshouse.org/ . I wasn’t that familiar with the neighborhood and didn’t know what to expect so I ended up standing on the street corner glaring at my iPhone looking more like a tourist than I like to. Trying to act like I knew where I was going even though I had actually spun around in a circle I finally walked back the way I had come and found the house. I guess I was expecting a big sign or something but it looked quite ordinary on the outside but the inside was worth the trip.
  
  The members of the Tredwell family lived in the house for almost 100 years. The house was built in 1832 “on spec” and sold to SeburyTredwell in 1840, a family member lived there until 1933 and in 1936 it became a museum. The home still houses most of the original furniture, many personal items as well as other period pieces. According to the website, “In New York City, it has been awarded landmark status not only for its 1832 late-Federal brick exterior but also for its Greek revival interior rooms.” Our tour started in the basement and proceeded through the main floor entertaining space and ended in the servant’s quarters on the third floor. Being a Downton Abbey fan, it was interesting to see the American merchant class version of life with servants complete with a bell system, separate entrance and back stairs. The other think about the tour that I found very interesting was to ponder all the events and advancements that occurred in the 100 years the family owned the house.
  
  The Merchant House is currently endangered due to the proposed construction of a hotel next door. To read about the issues surrounding the merchant house visit http://merchantshouse.org/endangered. I would suggest adding Merchant House to your NYC sightseeing list. It won’t be the flashiest thing or the newest or even the oldest but it will be worth the trip.
  
  Merchants House
  
  fireplace in family room
  
  kitchen with bell system
  
  fireplace, oven
  
  bell system
  
  main floor
  
  family
  
  servants quarters
  
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Downton Abbey, Merchant's House, NYC, travel
- random
  
  Posted at 3:09 pm by missannsays, on February 13, 2015
  
  According to Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, the word random when used as a noun means: a haphazard course: without definite aim, direction, rule or method. When used as an adjective, it means: lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern. I decided to brush up on the definition because it seems whenever I fly I am the person who gets the “let’s see if you have touched explosives swab test.”
  
  Thankfully I am TSA pre approved so I don’t take off my shoes or remove my 3-1-1 liquids from my personal carry on or even take my laptop out of my bag. I usually travel using my passport as my form of identification. My boarding pass is a hard copy as well as on my iPhone. I think I look like a seasoned traveler or at least someone who has done this security line thing before. I say hello or good morning or good afternoon and smile as I proceed through the line. I do what I am told. However more often than not a TSA agent will ask me to step to the side so he/she can swab my hands. And every time the TSA person comments “it’s random.”
  
  I thought I must be confused by the true definition of random because this happens to me all the time thus why I reread the definition. Seriously at least one leg of every flight I have been on involves me being randomly picked for additional screening. I don’t remember much about probability from high school math but I don’t think it is possible for it to randomly be me that many times.
  
  Don’t get me wrong I am grateful we have security screening but this whole random thing confuses me. By definition random makes it seem like there isn’t a plan and I would hope there is a plan. 🙂
  
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged randomness, travel thoughts
- time & treasures
  
  Posted at 5:08 pm by missannsays, on January 27, 2015
  Due to recent weather events in my part of the world, my original plans for the past few days have been canceled – no district wide children’s Bible quiz on Saturday, no tours for the 9/11 Tribute Center or ladies small group on Monday and no teaching ballet this afternoon. I see that type of change in plans as having extra time. Laundry, cleaning, answering emails, finishing books for book club all fit into my regular schedule. So when extra time presents itself I try to think of something I don’t think I have time to do and get it done or I fall into the “binge watching” trap.
  
  On Saturday I organized paperwork I will need for my 2014 taxes. I shredded stuff I don’t need and filed the rest. With a sense of accomplishment I then binge watched most of the first season of Parenthood. Sunday was a regular day. On Monday I organized my address book which consisted of very old addresses of family and friends and lots of little return address labels that I had stored in the book. I tossed out most of the written pages and simply taped the labels in the book. Yes, I do have contacts on my phone and computer but I don’t need to carry all of those people around with me. 🙂 Then I watched a couple more episodes of Parenthood finishing season one and starting season two.
  
  On Monday evening I decided I should accomplish something else as I had extra time due to no ladies group. So I decided to clean out the small drawer in the cabinet that sits next to my favorite chair and has become the catch-all for this and that. Since it is a small drawer I always assume what I place in there well be safe because it won’t be swallowed up as it could be in a big drawer. I wasn’t surprised to see post-it notes, small pads of paper, rubber bands, paperclips, cleaning cloths for my computer, my amazon credit card and my checkbook. I was surprised by a few treasures:
  - a box of rose petals – a friend had collected the petals from the yellow rose that was placed in Bruce’s name by the National September 11 Memorial on Veterans’ Day. Friendship is an amazing treasure.
  - a small metal kazoo – “a dad gift”. After September 11, my daughters and I purchased a gift for each other that would have been something Dad would have bought or something that reminded you of Dad. We continued that tradition for 10 Christmases and then decided to make it an optional Christmas tradition. Meghan had purchased the kazoos for Emily and I in 2013. Many years ago while on a long road trip from NY to KS a stop at Cracker Barrel had resulted in Bruce (Dad) buying kazoos for the girls. Thankfully it took a few miles for them to get the hang of it. Family and memories are treasures.
  - business card from Dith Pran – In 2005 (?) I had a telephone interview with a New York Times reporter and that reporter asked if a photographer could come to my home. A few days later a gentleman arrived at my home and began to take photos. In the course of the photo shoot, I realized that the photographer was Dith Pran, the man whose life the movie the Killing Fields is based on. We spoke of his passion to tell the next generation the story of the Killing Fields because one time was too many. It was a totally surreal experience. There is a You tube video of his last words. Passion and purpose are another treasure.
  Extra time and random treasures have been a blessing the last few days. Tomorrow is back to real life if Mother Nature allows. 🙂
  
  I have to be honest I watched a few more episodes of Parenthood. Not sure why I never saw the show in real time. 🙂
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Christmas, friendship, little things, randomness, respect, September 11, television, telling the next generation
- Label makers
  
  Posted at 11:30 am by missannsays, on January 23, 2015
  
  I think when you buy a house the seller or someone should walk you through the house and show you what every “switch” does or at least give you a diagram or something to know what powers what. Yesterday I finally solved the mystery of the lower toggle switch by the front door. This was big excitement because I have been trying to figure it out since I purchased the Cabin in December. FYI: it controls the outlet across the room and until I plugged a lamp into that outlet I had no clue. Now the count is 3. Three switches that I have no clue what they do. The biggest mystery however is the light at the end of the driveway. No clue how to turn it on. It has all new bulbs whether it needed them or not. The previous owner did label a couple of outlets that would be the ones in the garage and they are labeled with duct tape and a black Sharpe but no mention of end of the driveway light.
  
  Trying to be a little classier than duct tape I enlisted my daughter’s label maker and my son in law’s help to label switches and remote controls. The Cabin came with many remote controls for ceiling fans, fireplaces and heat sources. The Cabin also has many switches, dimmers, toggles, etc…
  
  Labeling makes it easier to navigate and organize my home but when labeling is applied to people it limits my ability to see the person and his place in the world. 🙂
  
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments
- Christmas – packed up and put away!
  
  Posted at 12:44 pm by missannsays, on January 13, 2015
  
  There are still a few signs of Christmas hanging in my home. My gifts haven’t been put away in their proper spots, photo cards from family and friends are still displayed and the bin of wrapping paper is readily available even though no longer needed. Slowly the everyday items are replacing the Christmas items.Traditionally I would take down my Christmas decorations and put away my Christmas dishes around January 6 – Epiphany or the twelve day of Christmas. This year my daughter and son-in-law were arriving for “Christmas” on January 10 so everything stayed in place awaiting their arrival.
  
  To be honest with the busyness of buying a house in December I didn’t decorate as much as usual. There was even a moment I thought I won’t decorate at all but I love Christmas so I decided to “do a little” decorating. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving I pulled out a couple of items. At first I didn’t put any Christmas dishes out but for some reason hot chocolate didn’t taste as good in an everyday mug so I pulled out a few Christmas mugs. As the days passed I pulled out a thing or two this day and then a thing or two the next day. My Christmas decorations didn’t seem complete without Nana’s tissue box cover, or the ceramic Santa, or the Nativity snow globe. Slowly the decorations found their usual spots or a new spot and I was pleased.
  
  And now it is time to put it all away. Unfortunately since I pulled a little from this box and little from that box finding where I pulled items from is slightly challenging. I had a wonderful Christmas season. It was different from past years and that is okay. I was perplexed by one thing over this holiday season though. Do people really give cars as gifts? And why were children asking for cars? I couldn’t believe how many automobile commercials there were. I found it totally bizarre even stranger than chia pets!! 🙂
  
  I will leave you with this thought:
  
  “When the song of the angels is stilled,
  when the star in the sky is gone,
  when the kings and princes are home,
  when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
  then the work of Christmas begins:…
  to find the lost,
  to heal those broken in spirit,
  to feed the hungry,
  to release the oppressed,
  to rebuild the nations,
  to bring peace among all peoples,
  to make a little music with the heart…
  And to radiate the Light of Christ,
  every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say.
  Then the work of Christmas begins.” Howard Thurman
  
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Christmas, family, little things, randomness
- Posted at 11:50 am by missannsays, on January 13, 2015
  
  There are still a few signs of Christmas hanging in my home. My gifts haven’t been put away in their proper spots, photo cards from family and friends are still displayed and the bin of wrapping paper is readily available even though no longer needed. Slowly the everyday items are replacing the Christmas items.Traditionally I would take down my Christmas decorations and put away my Christmas dishes around January 6 – Epiphany or the twelve day of Christmas. This year my daughter and son-in-law were arriving for “Christmas” on January 10 so everything stayed in place awaiting their arrival.
  
  To be honest with the busyness of buying a house in December I didn’t decorate as much as usual. There was even a moment I thought I won’t decorate at all but I love Christmas so I decided to “do a little” decorating. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving I pulled out a couple of items. At first I didn’t put any Christmas dishes out but for some reason hot chocolate didn’t taste as good in an everyday mug so I pulled out a few Christmas mugs. As the days passed I pulled out a thing or two this day and then a thing or two the next day. My Christmas decorations didn’t seem complete without Nana’s tissue box cover, or the ceramic Santa, or the Nativity snow globe. Slowly the decorations found their usual spots or a new spot and I was pleased.
  
  And now it is time to put it all away. Unfortunately since I pulled a little from this box and little from that box finding where I pulled items from is slightly challenging. I had a wonderful Christmas season. It was different from past years and that is okay. I was perplexed by one thing over this holiday season though. Do people really give cars as gifts? And why were children asking for cars? I couldn’t believe how many automobile commercials there were. I found it totally bizarre even stranger than chia pets!! 🙂
  
  I will leave you with this thought:
  
  “When the song of the angels is stilled,
  when the star in the sky is gone,
  when the kings and princes are home,
  when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
  then the work of Christmas begins:…
  to find the lost,
  to heal those broken in spirit,
  to feed the hungry,
  to release the oppressed,
  to rebuild the nations,
  to bring peace among all peoples,
  to make a little music with the heart…
  And to radiate the Light of Christ,
  every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say.
  Then the work of Christmas begins.” Howard Thurman
  
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments Read On →
- My year in review. The ABCs of 2014.
  
  Posted at 11:01 am by missannsays, on December 31, 2014
  
  A is for arabesque. I taught one ballet class a week.
  
  B is for book clubs. I belonged to two.
  
  C is for children’s camp. I directed with the best team ever.
  
  D is for Dunkin Donuts. I drank a lot of coffee.
  
  E is for East of Eden. I enjoyed reading this John Steinbeck classic.
  
  F is for family and friends. Fun, food and fantastic stories.❤
  
  G is God. He is good.
  
  H is for home. I accomplished a few items on the “to do list”.
  
  I is for ice cream. Always a yummy treat.😋
  
  J is for Japan. Amazing second visit.
  
  K is for Kansas. Time spent with family.
  
  L is for library. My daughter completed her masters in library information science.
  
  M is for Minnesota. I spent ten days caring for my grand-nieces and nephews.
  
  N is for National September 11 Museum. It opened in May.
  
  O is for opportunities. I am blessed with many.
  
  P is for PA. My new secondary residence.
  
  Q is for quizzing. I teach in my local church and direct on the district.
  
  S is for speaking. I spoke at 4 events including one all-day conference with my daughter.
  
  T is for tea with Miss Carol. Always a treat.
  
  U is for United. The airline I usually use. Flew to San Antonio, Seattle and Minneapolis.
  
  V is for volunteering at Tribute Center. Lead and supported tours, spoke to school groups.
  
  W is for writing. I took a writing course and now I need to get busy!
  
  X is for eXcerise. I need to be more disciplined.😐
  
  Y is for year. Hard to believe another year has come and gone.
  
  Z is for zero. The number of regrets I have.
  
  In 2015- my goals are to read and write more, watch television less, enjoy simple times with family and friends and relish in being a grandma in the near future.😊
  
  Posted in books, daily life, memories | 2 Comments | Tagged Dunkin Donuts, family, friendship, little things, randomness, September 11, television, travel
- snowy with a chance of frozen meatballs
  
  Posted at 7:43 pm by missannsays, on November 26, 2014
  
  With the weather forecast for a snow storm, I decided to travel to the Barn (my secondary residence) a little earlier than originally planned. As I loaded the car this morning the rain started to include a few frozen droplets. The roads were clear and travel was uneventful. I drove through Dunkin Donuts purchased a cup of coffee and continued traveling west thinking I am going to beat this storm. I still had grocery shopping to accomplish so I stopped in Shop Rite. Wow, when I came out of Shop Rite there was snow everywhere. Oh, no that is what I forgot a snowbrush. wait, CD case is a good substitute. Car cleared off and as I pulled out of the parking lot I realized I forgot two items my daughter had asked me to pick up. How did I do that? Duh!! Should I go back in Shop Rite or wait and go in the little grocery store in town? Ugh, I don’t want to get out of the car maybe I will call my daughter and tell her to pick it up herself.
  
  The highway now snow-covered resembled a slip and slide. A big truck stopped right in the middle of a lane. Not good! Praying “Lord, please keep the idiot drivers away from me.” Oops! “Forgive me, Lord for calling them idiots but please keep them away” Felt bad for the truck drivers – “Lord, help them to get their destination and home to their families”. Safely in town, I decided to run in Pecks and get the two missing items – frozen meatballs and grape jelly. “Hi, Ann. You made it.” It was my across the street neighbors. Greetings are exchanged and I left the store.
  
  It is 3 miles from the start of my road to the Barn and most of it is up hill. It is truly uphill both ways. This isn’t the city or the burbs. This is wide open spaces, trees, a few houses and very little traffic unless you count the wildlife – deer and bears. I stay in the middle of the road and proceed very slowly. And then it happens, the tires are spinning and the car isn’t traveling forward. It is sliding backwards. Car stops. Not sure what to do. I turn on the flashers and sit a moment. A car coming the other way slows down, rolls down their windows and ask if I need help. “I can’t make it up the hill and I don’t know what to do?” the older gentlemen suggests backing down the road and pulling off by the power line gate until the snow plow comes down. “we are going into town. We will tell them to send the plow truck.” I make it safely to the side of the road remembering that my neighbor will be coming by at some point. I sip my coffee and decide to check my email and settle in to wait for my neighbor or the plow truck. Within five minutes there are my neighbors. They gave me a ride. A few hours later, my neighbor and I ventured back to the car and I was able to get further up the road but still can’t get up the last big hill. I gathered more items from my car and came back to the Barn. Car is safely in a driveway of a house that is empty and for sale. Tomorrow is another day. And I can’t complain I am inside, warm, have food, water and I was truly blessed today. Not just by the kindness of my neighbors but by the timing of seeing them in the grocery store. That was a God moment. To think God used frozen meatballs and grape jelly. 🙂
  
  Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged Dunkin Donuts, friendship, frozen meatballs, little things, randomness, Shop Rite, travel
- Travel Tuesdays – S2E4 – USA
  
  Posted at 1:30 am by missannsays, on November 18, 2014
  One of the current quizzes on Facebook is “which states have you visited?” I have visited 44 states. It is easier to list those I haven’t visited opposed to listing those I have. I haven’t visited Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, North Dakota, Idaho or Hawaii. So a visit to the Deep South, the far North and Hawaii are in order to be able to say I have visited all 50 states.
  
  Each area of the USA has amazing sights to see, regional food to taste and interesting people to meet. Many times while traveling I have marveled at the very size of the USA. Let alone the diversity. To me it is amazing the concept of the United States of America works at all. Some would argue it doesn’t work but it does work on some level.
  
  Some of my favorite spots are:
  
  Grand Tetons
  
  Black Hills
  
  Outer Banks
  
  New York City
  
  Washington DC
  
  Seattle*
  
  San Diego
  
  Lancaster County, PA*
  
  Alaska
  
  *where my girls and their guys live 🙂
  
  Personally I think the best:
  1. way to see the USA is by car or train (on my bucket list)
  2. places to eat are where the locals eat and the local cuisine (within reason)
  3. places to stay are with family or friends
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Facebook, little things, travel, travel thoughts
- Oh, this is random but…
  
  Posted at 8:07 pm by missannsays, on November 3, 2014
  
  1. The other day was my mum’s quarterly care meeting. She resides in an excellent long-term care facility near my sister. Last Tuesday wasn’t a day that I could travel in that direction, so I was conferenced called in on the meeting. Everything is status quo – mum’s health is stable, she is participating in some activities, she is a delight, so cooperative. All I could think of was the Bill Crosby skit about “this is not the woman I grew up with”. Towards the end of the meeting a staff member mentioned there was a little confusion recently. Oh! It seems that they kept trying to get my mum to fill out the absentee ballot to vote. She kept insisting she couldn’t vote. She finally informed them she isn’t a citizen. Or as my brother always said “she is an alien.” If you are a citizen, please don’t forget to vote tomorrow.
  
  2. Today I spoke to a group of high school juniors and seniors from Connecticut at the Tribute Center. I actually spoke to two groups because it was 56 students and their chaperones so the group was divided in two. The interesting thing that happens when I or any of the docents speak to groups in gallery 5 is that other visitors to the Tribute Center stand around and listen. After my first presentation as we were switching groups and I was instructing the students to sit on the floor (I was already sitting on the floor), something fell on the ground in front of me. It was a little pin that said Danish Firefighter. I glanced up and a man said “for you”. I said to him “thank you for what you do everyday.” He nodded and left.
  
  3. After the second group, a woman came over to me and said “may I give you a hug”. She hugged me and then she said “I lost my son this year. Thank you for your words.” I looked at her and said “can I give you a hug.” We hugged. 🙂
  
  4. As far as fall television – I like “Madam Secretary” and “The Mysteries of Laura”. Scandal is getting on my nerves and I gave up on “How To Get Away With Murder”. I may subscribe to HBO for the month of November to watch “The Newsroom.”
  
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged little things, random thoughts, randomness, television, telling the next generation
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