A Garden State Fall

Tonight the moon is waning. Sukkot, my favorite Jewish holiday, is over. The leaves are accumulating on the lawn and mornings find the car covered with dew. It was just three short months ago that Fern and I took a bunch of kids to Live Earth on July 7, 2007. Boy was it hot. So was the music. That's us in the afternoon sun after several hours outside. I think we were in the seats for 7 hours or something like that. I have great pictures and memories. Not to mention an I-Pod which is getting filled up with more music from artists who participated. It was mind-boggling.

You do know, don't you, that we are certified TREE-HUGGERS, right? We are happy owners of a Toyota Highlander Hybrid which gets up to 28 mpg...and it is QUIET at a stop light. No engine, no noise, no exhaust, no nothing. Sometimes I look for the periscope when we are rigged for silent running. You have to be careful when backing up. People don't know you are moving until it is too late. Toyota ought to put fake engine noise in, or a back up beeper.

Since the last post, the house too has been quiet. There is more silence around here than at any time in the past 22 years. Why? Because daughter Sarah left for Bard College, located in scenic Annandale-on-Hudson almost TWO months ago. They start early at Bard, and Sarah has settled right in. She lives a couple hundred yards from the Fisher Performing Arts Center. It was designed by Frank Gehry. If you have never heard of him - it does not matter. Just look at the picture below.

Sarah told us tonight that she is elated to now have a job at Fisher, three days a week in set design. She can also get reduced price tickets (or maybe freebies backstage) to see the likes of the American Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Leon Botstein - who also happens to be the President of Bard College. Talk about moonlighting. And he is also the conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony too. The man gets around - on a bicycle around campus, we are told.

Sarah is happy at Bard. We have seen her twice since her departure. The drive up and back is easy, and the local produce stands have the most fantastic peaches and fruit. You can ask Fern's mother (Eudice) about the peaches. I think she goes up there just as much for the fruit as to see her granddaughter. We will be back up for parents weekend in three weeks. The colors of the Catskills should be magnificent right about then.

Meanwhile, Josh is up in Providence in his last year of college. He is interviewing and hoping to land a job in food and beverage management in a club or chain. His menus and creations are unusual. The most recent food breakthrough has been filet mignon with crabmeat stuffing. Apparently some of the chef/instructors at Johnson & Wales were impressed.

Fern is back in school - or really, TWO schools. She alternates time between the middle school and a new position at the high school in Pequannock. Now she teaches kids from grades 6 through 12. Wow.

Me - I am keeping the bikes in shape. And the cars, houses, you name it. The garden is due for weed-whacking and tilling soon. Then I put in a fence for NEXT year so that the backyard deer don't get at the tomato plants next summer. This year they ate really well. Next year, I hope to have better luck (and the deer will have to find another pantry to raid).

Recently, a friend sent me pictures of the Great Synagogue in Budapest. Why do I mention this? Because I have been digging into my roots (no, not the garden, silly...I mean the family tree). It is an amazingly beautiful restoration and the synagogue is in regular use. Budapest also has one of five Conservative seminaries in the world. I really want to go and see where we (the Weis family) came from. Aunt Alice Fisher has been giving me baby Hungarian lessons. I now know how to say, "I love you" and "beautiful dear". This will no doubt come in handy for Josh when and if he comes to Budapest and runs into some young sweet things. My next phrase has to be, "Please, where is the nearest toilet?" or whatever else is appropriate for 50ish graybeards.

This coming weekend, Fern and I will be up at our country retreat in the Poconos. Here is a picture of it in the summer. If you are ever around NJ, call us before you come. We will be delighted to drive you up and back. It is close - but far enough to be real country. Four lakes, lots of hiking, and a really nice fireplace (see the chimney in the picture). The porch is nice to sit on t00 (you can't see it, it is in the back of the house). We call it Robin's Nest (Fern's middle name is Robin).



Well, OK, that's the news for early October. If you live with us in the east, get your rakes and bags ready for the leaves. They are coming down now. They rustle underfoot when I walk Goldie. It is a nice time of year.

Well, it won't be long before the dew turns solid and requires scraping (or my favorite trick, pouring hot water over the windshield to melt it away, the lazy way). Except when I do that, I usually get wet in the process; it is not a good way to start out the day. Be well, take care and eat. The phone is ringing. It is our daughter Sarah. She does not call often. I better go. Toodles.