SO THIS IS THE LIVING ROOM

I'm writing this from a place in the house that has seen very little use over the years - one of the recliner sections on the big white couch.  This imposing monster has been a hulking presence in our living room for over thirty years.  In fact, it's one of the reasons we had to move from the ranch on Expert Lane; there was too much furniture for that small space (plus Cynthia wanted an upstairs bedroom).

In any event, since we had few visitors, it has sat in glorious isolation as the centerpiece of her formal living room - more of an exhibition piece than furniture, really.  By the way, although I'm relaxing in it today (after a strenuous visit to NY over Friday and Saturday), there are no snacks or sodas.  I might be rebellious, but I'm not stupid.  If I had to clean one section, I'd have to do them all.

I'm hoping to not have the opportunity to express myself this way much longer; I've listed it on Craigslist.

By the way, for those of you that didn't catch the reference, the title paraphrases a commercial from some years ago where the tag line is 'so this is the dining room', another little-used room in many American houses.  Oddly enough, when I googled for the reference, all the items returned pointed to commercials for a play called 'The Dining Room'.  If anyone remembers what was actually being advertised in the original commercial, please share.

THANKSGIVING

I'm thankful it's stopped raining, and that the windstorm didn't cause me any damage.

I'm thankful to be in reasonably good health, all things considered, and that I have my faculties (although my memory largely resides in my computer these days).

I'm thankful for my friends and family, near and far.

I'm thankful for the genius on the TV show Castle who decided to have someone actually write the Nikki Heat novels.

I'm thankful I don't have to eat turkey, but that I was able over the past couple of days to help the Neighborhood Center provide over four hundred Camden families with the opportunity.

And finally, I'm thankful for the thirty-seven years Cynthia and I had together, and I hope her Heaven has a big flower garden.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER - CAMDEN

Last Thanksgiving, casting about for something to do with myself, I decided I should do a volunteer stint.  Not belonging to any church or service organization, I wasn't sure where to go, so I asked my trusty Google, and noticed this place in Camden serving meals. 

I imagine there may be similar places closer to home, but Camden is really the neediest spot in south Jersey.  Anyway, it appears there were others who shared my urge, and they had more of us volunteers than they really needed.  I guess everyone figures that Thanksgiving is the day to show up, but this place's mission is broader than the one day. 

So this year, I'm working the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving in their 'grocery store'.

Some food banks pre-package the shopping bags for folks, but the Neighborhood Center sets up more like a real store and allows folks to pick and choose in various categories.  Families have to sign up in advance, so they know how many will be expected (around 450 this year) and can group stuff so everyone gets a pretty even chance at the kind of meal they want.  Shoppers even have their choice of turkey or ham.  It's more work for us, but there's a little more dignity involved for the patrons.

By the way, it irks me that people seem to use a giving opportunity like this just to clean out their cupboards with no thought as to what might actually be needed.  I mean, who eats sauerkraut for Thanksgiving?  Oh, well.  Anything for a tax deduction.  And you can tell that most of the givers are not from the community - there was no okra, for example.  But the generosity was otherwise heartwarming. 

There was an orientation and lunch for volunteers on Saturday, and a student jazz group from the Center's after-school program provided some very good entertainment.

The Neighborhood Center is a hundred-year-old community organization that provides nutrition support, daycare services, a safe after-school location, and a preschool.  It's not a church, but is supported in one way or another by local churches.  The main building even looks something like a church, but it was purpose-built in 1925.

Here's the link to their website.

http://www.ncicamden.org/about-us/mission-and-history/

Give 'em a little cash, if you feel the urge.

IT'S ONLY THE WIND

During the wind storm I alluded to the other night, I heard a loud thump from the back of the house.  I was afraid the wind had ripped off some of the plastic roof panels from the back porch, as had happened in Sandy.  But when I checked, they were all secure.  The next morning, however, the source of the noise was revealed.  The wind had managed to blow my canoe off its resting place on the end of my deck.  This beast is all aluminum and weighs 85 pounds, so this was quite a feat.  Since smaller items had not been blown away, I surmise that the wind got under the canoe and lifted it off.  I'll have to come up with a way to tie it down, I suppose.  Here are before & after pictures.

WINTER - FINALLY

It has been an unusually long time in coming, but Mother Nature has finally brought winter to the East coast.  The temperatures which once hovered in the 60's have fled, and we're down to much more seasonal 40's for daytime highs.  And we've finally started dipping below freezing at night.

Outside tonight the wind is howling, and the ground is white, although with some mini-hail or sleet, not snow.

This is my kind of weather, and I've been able to break out the heavy coat at last.  In the summer I just look fat, but bundled up in my winter duds I am a much more imposing figure.

Still, as I sit here listening to the wind, I must admit it is the sort of night where I'm glad I'm tucked indoors with my Jamison-laced decaf.

NEW GUILTY PLEASURE - NIKKI HEAT

I've been a fan of the TV show Castle for some time now, and I've finally broken down and bought my first Nikki Heat novel.  For those of you who are not fans, here's a guide.  'Castle' is about a writer who gets a gig following a female NYC homicide detective around to gather material for a series of novels he will base on her.  The series is as much about the evolving dynamic between Rick Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) as it is about the murders they solve.  New episodes air on ABC on Monday night, with reruns on TNT.  In any event, the fake writer (or the show's writer(s), anyway) has now written five real novels starring Detective Heat, and I have just finished my first - 'Heat Wave'  (It was also my first e-book, by the way.) 

One thing I'm puzzling over is whether the book would be as much fun without the images of the characters from the TV show.  It appears to be pretty well written, but I'm hardly a literary critic.  I would expect good writing, of course, from a show that features guest appearances by James Patterson and the late Stephen J. Cannell as Castle's poker buddies.  But the book was a hoot.

One of the images I had to choose in my head was who to visualize as Nikki Heat.  Let me explain.  In season 3 it develops that Hollywood is going to make Heat Wave into a movie, and the precinct is visited by the actress who will play Nikki, Natalie Rhodes (Laura Prepon).  During the course of the episode, Natalie gets progressively further into the character of Nikki, and into Beckett's head as well.  Here is a shot of the two of them.  That's Natalie as Nikki on the left, and Det. Beckett on the right.  Now as much as I love Beckett's character, I try to see Natalie when reading the book.

 
Did I say this was a hoot!

Plus the both of them are seriously hot!

AUCTIONS ARE ODD

I've always known that the business of buying and selling what I call 'stuff'', whether it be antiques, collectibles, or everyday junk, is subject to the whims of buyers and sellers.  I remember a Tiffany lamp I had one time that dozens of people told me was over-priced, until the day someone bought it and thanked me for giving him such a bargain. 

Today at an estate auction in Freehold I got another couple of samples.  They sold a very nice small fiberglass sailboat, about 16-18 feet, in excellent condition, with a trailer, for $275!!!  The trailer's worth that much.  This thing was pristine, having obviously been kept under cover in a barn.  It was all I could do not to bid on it at that ridiculous price, but I'm an indifferent sailor, and my canoe is perfectly capable of dunking me, thank you very much.

On the other end of the scale, they sold a polished rectangular block of some heavy wood, about 12"x6"x3", obviously a doorstop, for $45!!!

All day long, things went for too much or too little.  I got a couple of box lots for $15 each, on the too little end of the scale.  What a business.