Cupid Knows Wine Is For Sharing

If you are thinking of doing something really special this weekend for Valentine's Day, you should consider taking a nice leisurely ride to Little Compton and visit Sakonnet Vineyards.

It is such an incredibly beautiful place, even in the winter months. The fireplace is always going, the people are friendly and helpful and there is always something to look at or learn about. It is just fascinating that we have such a place here in Rhode Island. What a great opportunity to visit a working vineyard!

Sakonnet Vineyards are having a special Valentine's Day weekend on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am - 5 pm. Featuring red wine for Valentine's Day, you can sample chocolates and special cheeses, warm up by the fire with a glass of mulled wine, or talk to the winemaker and learn about dessert wines.

In fact, it is such a romantic place that several couples every year get married right at Sakonnet Vineyards.

Good Dog

On Christmas Eve, we lost one of our beloved family pets, Rocky.

A big dog with reddish-blond, course hair and a heart as big as the sky, he will always be remembered for his love and devotion to his family.

My daughter and son-in-law, Jen and Luke, adopted Rocky from the New Haven dog pound about 15 years ago when they were just a young and carefree couple, years before they were married. But Rocky made them a family right away. In his later years, he was slow and feeble but in his younger days he was a force to be reckoned with.

On one of his first days home alone, Jen and Luke left him at Luke’s parents’ beach cottage – he tore the curtains off the windows and broke through a screen door and generally tore the place up. He had some adjusting to do.

A few years later, when Jen and Luke wanted a canine companion for Rocky, Luke brought Rocky to the pound with him to make sure that the new dog and Rocky would get along. Luke was checking out the dogs and Rocky actually lifted up his leg and peed on Luke. I think it is easy to figure out what was going on in his little brain. “This is my person, This is my Dad” I know we tend to project human emotions onto pets but, really, something was going on there. Casey came home with them that day and now he is bereft and misses Rocky as much as we do.



In his hay day, Rocky loved his Kong. A red, rubber thing, he would carry it around in his mouth, nudging your hand and head-butting you until you took the slimy thing out of his mouth and tossed it as far away as you could. In two seconds flat, he was back at your side, ready for another round. He never tired of chasing it and with his sweet, brown eyes looking up at you, it was hard to resist obliging him.

Before Jen and Luke had kids and all the kid accessories that literally fill up an entire SUV, Rocky would always come to visit me. He loved Narragansett Beach and would run and swim in the surf, if it was not too cold. He was always welcome at my house.

Rock-Star had a great life. Acres to run around on, with an invisible fence that even extended into a woodsy area, he had the time of his life protecting his family, playing and chasing squirrels and chipmunks. When you saw him barking at a stone wall, you knew some little chipmunk was in there teasing him, just out of reach.

And so although we are heartbroken, we are lifted up by the big love he unfailingly gave us. You are part of our family, Rocky, and always will be.

Good dog, Rocky. Good dog.

An Altered Sense of Time

Some of my neighbors have started to put their holiday decorations up. It started on Thanksgiving – a wreath here, a few lights there, a candy cane decorated maibox – but I’m very conflicted because at my house, I still have pansies blooming.

In my window boxes and in little sunny spots in the gardens, they are still doing fine. Pansies like the cooler weather and so the first thing in my gardens are pansies. The same love of cool temperatures keeps them thriving long after other flowers have withered.

When pumpkins and mums started showing up on front steps, I was not ready for that, either. It seemed like we had only just begun our summer. My gardens were looking good, finally, after weeks of steady rain, and I wanted to keep summer going for
awhile longer. Pumpkins! Chrysanthemums! Forget it! In
hindsight, I was in denial that summer was over.

As the nights are getting colder, I know it is only a matter of days now before the remainder of my gardens is toast, too. And then I can start counting the days until spring. But for now, I think I’ll hold off putting up wreaths and fir roping until my flowers really are ready to go.

A Befitting Honor

Recently, one of my listings was selected to appear in an upcoming issue of Country Living Magazine. Because of the beauty of the grounds, the editors decided it would be better to have the photo shoot in the summer – otherwise, they would have done it right away. All they had to do was look at a couple of photos and they said “Yes, we want this house!”

This is a house that really captures the imagination. I’ve written about it before – the icing on the cake is that it is adjacent to acres of conservation land owned by the South Kingstown Land Trust.

Do you like to wake to the sound of birds?

Waterfront on Perch Cove, which opens up to Potter Pond and open ocean, (it takes 20 minutes via motor boat to get from the house to the open ocean) the 2.7 acres is heavenly. There is a lovely inground pool on the property - Labs are particularly fond of jumping in and swimming around in the pool on a hot summer day.

The basic design was roughed out about 25 years ago by a landscape architect from Harvard who owned the house at that time – designed for low maintenance and sheer beauty. Since then, another architect and now an architect and interior designer own it. Quite a pedigree and little wonder that the house is gorgeous.

Anyone looking for the classic archetype of a New England cottage should take a look at this house. Anyone weary of the mediocrity that we are forced to live with should take a look at this house. It is so beautiful! Please mark your calendar and come to our Open House the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 29, 12 noon - 3 pm.

Chasing James Coburn Through SoHo

I used to regularly visit New York City and somehow, over time, I have stopped doing that. During the 80s, I used to go at least once a month. My friends and I would go mostly to look at art but also for the shopping and the general, hectic and crazy ambience.

Sometimes we would go to one of the museums to see a really good exhibition but mostly we would visit galleries. Not so much the staid and hushed uptown galleries but we always made a beeline for SoHo.

Endlessly appealing and fascinating with its many cast iron buildings, street vendors, and beautiful architecture, there was never a dull moment there for me. The place was noisy, maybe a little dirty, and filled with people of all sorts, young and old. But as opposed to the uptown galleries, the places I loved in SoHo had their doors flung open right at street level and the inside and outside really were meshed. I always felt welcome there. And there was so much to see.

One night, while at Leo Castelli, we spotted James Coburn. He was there with a young and beautiful model on his arm and they only had eyes for each

other. Because we remembered him from our teenage years in those movies Our Man Flint and In Like Flint, James Bond spoofs, we had some sort of connection to him.

Of course, he looked older and grayer, but he was very recognizable. We followed them from gallery to gallery until we tired of it and went for dinner in Chinatown or maybe Little Italy. We never had any intention of speaking to him and there was no point to it. But somehow we had such fun doing absolutely nothing of importance.

I probably would not follow a movie star around now just for fun and knowing that has made me think that I have changed in more than the obvious ways. When did I get so boring? So bored? I think it must be time for an adventure!

Come and Be Inspired

If you have never had the pleasure of an afternoon spent at Blithewold Mansion on Bristol Harbor, you are really missing one of the loveliest places on earth.

Brown University graduate Augustus Van Winckle (there are Van Winckle gates at Brown and Princeton!) built the original mansion for his wife, Bessie. He had apparently given her a 72’ Herreshoff yacht earlier and she needed a place to moor the boat!

The mansion (actually the first one burned down and the one standing today was rebuilt in 1907) is set on 32 acres of westerly-facing waterfront on Bristol Harbor. It is built in the style of a 17th century manor house. The house is filled with beautiful antiques from all over the world. The oldest pieces are oak and leather armchairs dating back to the early 1600s. There are several beautiful Tiffany lamps. Every room but two still has the original wallpaper and all the furnishings are as the original owner, Bessie, had arranged them. This has been verified through photographs.

The third floor of the mansion is filled with personal diaries, garden plans, family letters and correspondence of all kinds. It is a wonderful glimpse into the past.

Set on 32 acres, to say the gardens are inspiring is an understatement. There are 50 varieties of specimen trees including the largest Sequoia east of the Rockies – right in our backyard. The original greenhouse was restored a few years ago and it is magnificent.



The website for Blithewold is wonderful – they will tell you of all the upcoming events including teas, concerts, and garden workshops. I especially love their garden blog.

Keeping a Journal

One of my favorite things to give as a gift is a journal. A book of blank pages for my friends and family to fill up with their handwriting, drawings and anything that makes up the moments of their lives.



I’ve got these beautiful, linen napkins and embroidered on them in gold thread is ‘Consider the empty plate, full of possibilities” – the same can be said for the empty page. As soon as you scribble on it in your own hand, it is transformed and can become anything.

My son keeps his music journal. I have several – one is all about my house, I have one for my art work and ideas, one for my garden and one for writing about the days of my life.



In a paper journal, you can scribble things out, add illustrations, ticket stubs, and dried flowers – all clichés but there is a reason some things become iconographic. They are universal mementos and they have the same effect on all of us.

There are a lot of people who use the web as a personal journal but certainly I am not one of them. They record intimate details of their lives and post it on the web for all the world to see.



I still like the feel and look of the handwritten page. It gets messy and wrinkled up but it seems more real and more connected to real life than anything to do with a blog. I like it because it is personal – no right or wrong, it just is.

I do admire the people who use the web to keep their personal journals but I cannot see myself joining them anytime soon.

Morning Glory in Wickford

One of the loveliest things to do in the morning is take a Yoga class in the Studio at Wickford Cove.

This charming and light-filled yoga studio is located right on Wickford Harbor in the waterfront room of the little shop, The Herb Wyfe.


Teachers Belle, Linda, Gail, Diane, and Christine offer classes for beginners to advanced. One recent morning I was the only one who showed up and I had a private class with Belle. What luxury! This is Belle – she is a wonderful instructor.


You really could easily miss this studio as hidden and tucked away as it is. It is really sweet and perfect. The sun shining off the water reflects the most beautiful patterns on the ceiling.


After the class, stay awhile and enjoy a cup of chai. You’ll feel a little calmer, think a little more clearly and be just a little bit happier. Can you ask for anything more?

A Captivating Lifestyle

One of the liveliest and most recent art groups to form is the Sakonnet Arts Network.

They have a great website and on it you can find all sorts of interesting events and classes for the artist and for the arts patron.





You can participate in Plein Aire painting – I have seen small groups of local artists set up along the Sakonnet and I always want to join them. You can enroll in evening figure workshops, learn how to make paper incorporating flower petals (love that!), meet for Dancing with Sculpture in Little Compton (sounds intriguing)
or maybe drop in for a pilates or belly dancing class with Barbara, the Dancing Spirit (that’s her studio on Main Road near Coastal Roasters – you have to check it out).

South Tiverton is a short ride from Newport and has so much to offer. Whenever I stop in at the town hall, I linger over the current art exhibit. There is always some new and delightful art to look at on the walls of the meeting room.

Congratulations to Tiverton for being such a lively and artistic locale – when you combine that with all the conservation land and open space, it really is a great choice if you are looking for a new place to live.


Call us – we can show you many beautiful homes in Tiverton.

Planning Ahead

It is such a great time to buy a home – low interest rates, plenty of inventory, time to get settled in before the kids start school, just to name a few reasons. I have been working with a lot of buyers lately and had a few thoughts about the process. Having been through this many times with wonderful buyers and their families, I thought I would write down a few of my thoughts on the subject that will make things a little easier on you, the buyer.



First – Select your location. This can be very general or very specific. I suggest that you don’t start looking at the insides of houses until you decide what locale you prefer. It could be a town, or specific part of town, or maybe you like 2 or 3 towns. But try to narrow it down or you will get tired and frustrated doing something that should be enjoyable and fun. Take a few rides with your family and get to know the different towns and villages first. It will pay off in the long run. There is no sense finding the ideal home in a part of town you just can’t abide. You can change a house with remodeling, but you cannot change the location. Do you like the sea, the woods, are you concerned about the school system, do you like to walk to shops and neighbors or do you like deep solitude?



Second – Decide what kind of house you like. This does not have to be a specific style, but more importantly, it is about how you and your family live in the space. How many public rooms do you need to be comfortable? How many bedrooms and baths? Garage space? Do you really need a basement or will it become a storage unit for unwanted possessions? Do you like walk-up attics? Big yards or small? Open floor plans or lots of small rooms or a combination of both? Do you need a guest suite?



Third – Fill in the details. After you have the location narrowed down and have an idea of what kind of living space you like you can fill in the list with details like fireplace, hardwood floors, granite counters, patios, sheds, big windows……in other words, details. You may or may not get all of them in one house but these details are something that can be added later if not currently in an otherwise perfect house.



Fourth – have fun and remember that buying a house is not an event – it’s a process. I hope to see you during your house-hunting adventure.

The Kindness of Strangers

Where I live there are two beaches. One is accessed through two little footpaths and the other has a small, gravel resident parking lot and boat launch.


The area is filled with wild sweet peas and beach roses. The neighbors have set out big pots along the lot edge and planted geraniums, too.



Some people who know the area like to take a detour off Scenic 1-A and drive along Seaview Avenue to take in the view. It is a slightly sloping hill right down to the sea. If you love the bay, it is pretty impressive – you can see from Portsmouth to Jamestown. We also get birders who sit by the roadside with binoculars to watch the herons and egrets.


Recently, my neighbor was plating geraniums in the lot and a woman drove by for a look at the bay. She made a comment about the flowers and my neighbor said that she wished she had more because the few she had did not deter boaters from dropping trash into the flower pots. (I know, hard to believe, but some people are really thoughtless – even boaters) That was it and the woman drove off.


A little while later, the woman returned with a couple of dozen geranium plants! They were donated by Wickford Flowers. It turned out she works there. We don’t know her name but we thank her and Wickford Flowers very much. What a nice thing to do!

A Wonderful Place In A Calming Location

A real center of the community in Wickford is the library.



The statistics say it is one of the busiest in the state and from what I can see, that is very true.


I’m there at least 2 or 3 times a week and the place is always a beehive of activity. Patrons range from toddlers to seniors and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.

Not only do they have any book, movie or music CD you could desire but they have so many wonderful programs and activities for all ages. Art exhibits, French practice, music performances, guest speakers, knitting for kids, walking tours through Wickford by local historian Tim Cranston, poetry reading and discussion and book discussion groups. There is also internet access and a quiet study room.




The setting is wonderful, relaxing and contemplative. Waterfront on Academy Cove, you can sit in the meditation garden or walk down to the footbridge to see what the ducks are up to. I’m sure your local library is just as wonderful (I also LOVE Narragansett Library) but if you would like to explore a bit, try Wickford. Then you can go into town and have a sandwich and do some shopping.

Happy Birthday, Lina

I wanted to wish someone very special an Extra Happy Birthday. It is not everyday that you turn 8 years old.


This is an extraordinary child. She is so great at finding sea ice that she discovered an entire little beach on Wild Goose Point and we are always sure to add to our collection whenever we can. We like to keep it around the house – inside and out. It must be those big, blue eyes.


She also is very, very good at taking care of little dogs. She makes them feel safe, loved and comfy in their little beds. I don’t know what I would do without her help sometimes.


When Halloween rolls around, Lina is sure to come up with a great costume. She usually has 2 or 3 different looks up her sleeve and we never know until the big night which look she will choose. This past year she was an unbelievably convincing Senorita. Don’t you agree?


Lina has an artistic nature and she loves arts and crafts. Who else (besides Mia!) could make a huge, walking puppet of a dwarf hamster (named Daisy) out of an oversized leaf bag? She is also on the cutting edge of sidewalk art. She has a knack.



She is a great soccer player, swimmer, gymnast, fantastic reader and an all around excellent student. She is very hard to beat when we play the memory game. We have 2 – one is of old fashioned French tools and the other is of toys. You would think it is easy but believe me, it is not. She always beats me fair and square.


But most of all, she is my darling and I want to wish her an Extra Happy Birthday!

Captivating the Heir Apparent

There are certain houses that seem to attract just the right buyers. They started out their lives looking beautiful and somehow have remained so and even grown more lovely. They may have been around for a long time and no one has ruined them with well-intentioned but bad remodels.

While I do not know the entire history of this house but hope to find out more, I do know that the past 4 owners have included 2 architects, 1 interior designer and 1 landscape architect. Pretty impressive if you are looking for a house with a pedigree of good taste. It definitely shows with this house where less is more.


The landscape mastermind for these 2.7 acres was a professor at Harvard and designed the land to be beautiful but trouble-free. Very low maintenance. And the man who mows the lawn has been doing so for the past 25 or 30 years. He knows every square inch of the parcel which includes an in ground pool surrounded by hydrangeas and sea grass and fenced garden beds for growing vegetables. There is even room for a proper clothesline.


It is adjacent to South Kingstown Land Trust land and is waterfront on Perch Cove which opens up into Potter Pond - which means there are some wonderful opportunities for bird watching and enjoying the beauty of nature. It is also in the vicinity of Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge (640 acres), Matunuck Management Area (145 acres), Moonstone Beach and more pristine spots conserved for us to enjoy.

I have no doubt that the next owner of this beautiful house will appreciate it for what it is and will bless the day they found this treasure.

Culprit Revealed

Every spring I await the beautiful tulips in my gardens. And for the past few years, something very strange has been going on – someone or something is snapping their pretty little heads off!


It is a precise chop right at the top of the stem. Every morning, very early, I look out to see how they are doing and invariably the morning comes when I see the damage done. A beautiful tulip head just kind of flopped over.


The first year I saw it, of course I blamed my dog, Ollie. At the time, he was an only child so he got all the blame. I just looked at him and shook my head because he can’t help the fact that he tromps all over everything in sight - and if a cat should happen to sit outside the fence and tease him, all hell breaks loose – delicate flowers or not. I lost 3 or 4 tulips that way the first year.


But last year, I was looking out the window and actually saw what was happening. A bird – I think it was a mocking bird – swooped down and with the precision of a fighter jet – sliced the head off the tulip! I couldn't’t believe what I was seeing. I had never heard of this and have only seen it the one time. The bird didn’t even stop to admire his handiwork – he flew right off without a backward glance.


This morning, history is repeating itself. One of my little tulips chopped down in her prime. I wondered if anyone has had this experience and wondered what the heck was going on. Now you know!

My Inheritance

One of my most precious possessions, what I call my inheritance, is a recipe written in my Nana’s own, European handwriting, for a cake with chocolate frosting.



A simple, not too sweet, Swedish cake (the sesame seeds give it away) and the chocolate frosting, homemade and yummy but what would now be deemed gourmet. No mixes or additives to make it big and puffy. Just really good.






Ada Helena (my namesake) and Knute Salem came to the US through Ellis Island with their firstborn child. Eventually they made a life for themselves with five children. All served in the Navy during WWII, even my aunt. She was a Wave. And my father was quoted several times in the book ‘Flyboys’ by James Bradley. I have my father’s Medal of Honor (awarded for personal bravery) and Distinguished Flying Cross (awarded for extraordinary acts of heroism while in flight). If you read the book, he is Robert ‘Swede’ Akerblom.

But look at this. In my Nana’s recipe, one of the directions is to ‘beat while you sing three stanzas of “Seeing Nellie Home”. Not beat 3 minutes or 200 strokes. No MixMaster or Cuisinart, just your own voice and timing and voila! The cake of your dreams. Try it! (I don’t actually know that song, but I keep meaning to look it up)



If that isn’t the sweetest thing ever, I don’t know what is. Jag Alskar Dig, Ada.

Little Known and Liking It

While doing some research recently, I came across this great article in the New York Times Escapes section all about Tiverton.




Tiverton is one of those towns that is easy to miss or dismiss because it is not on the 'island' and often takes a backseat to its neighbor, Little Compton. Yet it has the same rolling meadows, historic stone walls, sparkling salt water beaches and thousands of acres of conserved land like the Pardon Gray Farm,
Ruekers Audubon Preserve, and Weetamoe Woods.




There are only 4 stoplights in all of Tiverton! You can spend a whole day just browsing the shops and art galleries in Four Corners. Then get an ice cream cone at Gray's. You won't be sorry.

Tiverton is less than 30 minutes to both Newport and Providence. And highway access to Boston is right off Main Road and you can be in Boston in an hour or less.



You can find houses in all price ranges. Even if you are not thinking of buying a house, I would recommend you spend a day in Four Corners and see what a treasure it is.

A Rising Tide

One of my favorite truisms is the phrase 'A rising tide raises all boats'.



Just think about it - if your neighbor has good fortune, be happy! because in the great scheme of things,
his good fortune will eventually reflect on you. Did your neighbor sell her house and yours is still on the market, how great! Our economy is getting better! Did your neighbor get a great job, and you are still unemployed, wonderful! Your turn will be up very soon.



There are many examples all around us of positive things happening in the world. Babies are being born, people are getting married,
people are buying houses they love, and life goes on. Spring is coming and if you look under the snow, like in my yard, you will see
the daffodils and tulips already making their way into the world just like they do every spring. How beautiful!






Don't give up - and a rising tide does raise all boats - because we really are all in this together.

Instant Karma

This is just a little story but it is absolutely true. Sometimes things happen in life that reinforce what you already know to be true.

When I was a young woman living on the East Side and putting myself through college, taking classes at RISD and URI, I spent a lot of summer days at the beach. Although I am a Narragansett Beach person through and through, when I lived in Providence I used to go to Horseneck Beach 3 or 4 times a week. At the time, there was a $5 fee - worth it for such a pristine, beautiful spot.



I was living paycheck to paycheck, I had no money saved and was down to my last $5 bill. What to do? Go to the beach and have no money until payday or save the fin and buy food and be responsible.


Back and forth I argued with myself and in the end, I decided one glorious day at the beach meant more to me than 3 or 4 days of mediocrity.

This is the part that always amazes me when I think of it – I got to the beach and waded in to the waves, and I swear to you a five dollar bill came towards me on a wave! My mouth dropped open, I grabbed the fin and KNEW I had made the right decision. Always follow your heart.



This image is always top of mind with me but I was thinking of it in particular because during these somewhat difficult economic times, it is easy to forget that we have to give back to the less fortunate. Don’t forget to feed the birds, donate to the needy and share whatever you can.

I promise, it will all come back to you!

Wine Tasting

A friend of mine, Dave, had a wine tasting at his house this weekend. What fun!

The owner of a small vineyard in Massachusetts, he produces and sells his wine under
the label of Alfalfa Farms. But the wine we tasted at the party is labeled under Wild Goose Point and Unkin and Funkin.



The benefits of wine are well-documented by now and taken in moderation provide all kinds of health benefits. And the plants are so beautiful – he has a couple of vines in his yard and now some of us neighbors want them in our yards, too.



With a son-in-law, Luke, who also produces his own wine, I have plenty of opportunities to taste different wines. Luke and his family have been producing wine for generations but they haven’t labeled theirs yet. Unkin and Funkin will be hard to beat.



Another great thing to do is visit Sakonnet Vineyards in Little Compton, just south of Tiverton, and in 3 seasons you can sit outdoors and enjoy lunch and sample the wines produced there. It is truly special and something I love to do. The atmosphere is wonderful.

You don’t really need an excuse to gather friends and neighbors together but a wine tasting is lots of fun and you get to hear what other people think of various flavors and characteristics.

My favorite? Unkin and Funkin Pinot Noir.

Who Gets To Call IT Art

One thing that most people agree on is that the best art of any era reflects exactly what is going on in society at that time. The best music, paintings, dance and film have a way of always being in the moment and synchronized with each other even when the individual artists are working independently of each other and do not know each other.

Looking back over history, it is easy to reconstruct this phenomonon, even though things do not happen in the exact order of our art history books. There is always overlap and things get a little messy but for the most part, art defines each era precisely right across all art forms. Could you imagine Philip Glass' music being created at any other time other than in the late 20th century? The repetitive nature of his music is just like the repetition in an Andy Warhol print.


I was thinking about where we are these days. Without the benefit of hindsight, it is more difficult to define. But if you look back since the Abstract Expressionists morphed into Pop Art (going from humorless and angst -ridden to downright amusing - think Jackson Pollock to Andy Warhol), what have we done?

TV, in- your- face billboards and neon signs have given us a different persepctive than, say Rembrandt had. Remember Barbara Kruger's biting images superimposed with type? Kind of like an advertisement, but not. Lots of people said, Oh, I could have done that. But the fact is, they didn't do it. She did. No one would deny that she is a great artist.



When the color copier was first introduced, some photographers started to use it to make art. It seemed like a natural progression for them, to use new technology. Now some of those prints can be found in most museums. Certainly, blogging is a way of expressing oneself. But could it be called art? Who gets to say, this is art, this is not? There was a panel discussion among IT users and artists in London. It is very interesting. It is a hot topic among curators and art editors now.

I think we all tend to think the artists of the past were more impressive, more talented, greater somehow than those living in our own times. But I bet there are young artists out there right now, on the cutting edge, who are making art on the internet with words and images and whatever else moves them to create. Art does not necessarily equal pretty. It is an expression of the moment in whatever medium the artist chooses.


Have you heard of Twittering? Well, there is going to be a Twestival on February 12 so you can take part, if you like. It is like blogging only faster, shorter and more immediate. Where the heck will this all lead? What is next? I can't wait to find out.

Star Light, Star Bright

I don't know how long this will last, but the planet Venus is so bright and beautiful in the southwestern sky right now, you have to take a look! It is hovering near the moon.

Last night was clear and icy cold and the sky was absolutley filled with stars - the little dipper and the big dipper, too. But Venus and our moon were really putting on a show. A little sliver of a moon but bright as could be. Tonight I went out for another look not expecting much since it was cloudy but the clouds were moving quickly and Venus and the moon kept coming in and out of sight. It was so pretty and it was very moving.

Maybe because I just finished reading The Elegant Universe by Greene I was especially interested. In my neighborhood, if you walk down by the water on a clear winter night, you can always see a shooting star or two. I know they are always around but in some places it is just too bright to see them. Every once in a while, when the moon is full, it rises over the horizon in the east (right over Jamestown) and appears gigantic. I know it is an optical illusion but what a sight to see. There is a bench on the hill over the water and you can sit there and take photos or just watch the moon rise higher and higher until it makes a reflected path on the bay.


Venus is the second planet from the sun, so is our neighbor, but has no moon of her own. I recently learned that a day on Venus is equal to 243 of our earth days. Talk about a long week at the office. A very slow rotation compared to us and it is very hot there - I think about 900 degrees F. Yikes.

But viewed from my back yard she looks quite beautiful. Please take a look before this phenomonon makes a hasty exit.

Great Back Yard Bird Count

If you love nature and the environment and would enjoy participating in a citizen-type data collection, why not particpate this year in the Great Back Yard Bird Count?

This annual event relies on people across the country to help the Audubon Society and Ornithology Lab at Cornell to count the types and species of birds they see in their back yard. The term 'back yard' can be applied to your neighborhood, nearby park, anyplace you can walk to if you want to go farther afield and see a wider variety of birds. For those of us living near the oceans and wetlands of Rhode Island, this opens up a lot more possibilities for bird watching and reporting.


If you go to the website for the GBBC, you will be walked through the process, provided with a checklist to fill out and submit online, be able to enter a photo contest, and after it is done, you can see the results.

It is a fabulous and fun thing to do with children. There is a special page for kids with games and activities. What a great way to get kids started on a love of nature and the environment!


All 50 states are represented. Why not help Rhode Island get on the Audubon map? You can spend as little as 15 minutes per day or up to as much time as you wish. The dates this year are February 13 - 16. See you at the bird count!


PS Bird watching in Rhode Island is excellent - you can choose a house near the woods or one with lots of trees, shrubs and the salt water estuaries provide herons, swans and egrets to admire, too.

Bite the Bullet - Price Cuts

When selling your home, we set the price together - seller and realtor, as partners.

We realtors will provide you with comparable sales from the past 6 months and this will give you a very realistic idea of what your home will sell for - you can even extrapolate the price per square foot for an even more accurate projection.

But sometimes our sellers want to add a little padding or think their house is a little above average. (who doesn't think that? it is an endearing quality!) And so, in the spirit of partnership and wanting to please our clients, we price the house too high.


And eventually this will lead to the need for a price reduction. At this time, it is far better to make a bold move, bite the bullet and price the house in a way that will get attention in today's crowded marketplace.

Some people are timid and inch their prices down in little increments as if they don't want anyone to notice! One big bite is far more effective than a bunch of little nibbles. Chances are your realtor has already told you the correct price of your house. Be brave!

With beautiful photography to showcase your home to its best advantage, an appropriate price will sell your house. We have many buyers looking but no one is going to overpay by even an iota. Buyers are educated, too, and know what price is appropriate.

No one wants to leave any money on the table and we want to get you the most possible money for your home. But in a few months, after your house has sold, and you gain some perspective, you'll feel a lot better and will be on to the next phase of your life whatever that may be - maybe a condo in Florida or a new house near your family or just downsizing or upsizing. No more stress!

Sweet Pea

Every year, sometime in February, I have a little ritual that keeps me going until spring. I start seeds in my sunroom – always sweet peas to plant on my trellis.

There is something special about placing the little seeds in the peat moss in the cardboard pods that makes me feel like everything is going to be alright.


My sunroom, where the plants spend their beginning days, faces south and is all windows, and the best part is it has a stone floor with radiant heat. So it is a perfect spot for incubating seedlings. Within a few days, they start to sprout and within a couple of weeks the vines grow to several inches long. Amazing. The miracle of life never fails to astonish me - Think of all the DNA and information in that tiny seed.



After a couple of months, the plants get moved outside to a cold frame for a few weeks until they get planted in the ground along the trellis. Being cold weather plants, the sweet peas are among the first plants you can sow outside.

Some day, maybe I will have a proper greenhouse to plant and work in all year but for now, my sunroom and coldframe work just fine.

It is still too early for me to start my seedlings but it is not too early to start thinking about it. Last fall, I took some pods from my neighbor Marie’s plants – she calls hers ‘beach peas’ because they seem to grow wild in her yard. They are more hardy than my hothouse sweet peas but look the same. I am waiting to see if those beach peas come up on their own in my garden this spring. One can only hope!

A Work in Progress

I am one of the lucky people who usually remembers her dreams. Not all, but some – enough to keep me thinking. Very seldom do I have a nightmare, so I am lucky in that sense, too.

A lifelong theme of my dreams has been houses, buildings and rooms in houses. This has been going on since I have been an adult and certainly has nothing to do with the fact that I am a Realtor and very involved in houses of all sorts. I think it is coincidental that I sell houses for a living, but then again, who knows how we really end up on our own life path. It is a mystery. So much of what we do and where we are is a combination of luck, serendipity and purposeful determination.

In my dreams, I discover hidden rooms in houses I have long occupied and think I know inside out. Or, I stumble upon a house half constructed in the woods and it belongs to me! Whatever the particular theme, the feeling I have is one of awe, exhilaration and wonder. Also, the thrill of having additional living space and new rooms to decorate. I also discover antiques and artwork long forgotten but now mine! It is always good and exciting.


Obviously, I am looking for the undiscovered parts of my self. It keeps hitting me over the head, literally, in my dreams while I sleep. It is too easy to get in a comfort zone and discard the need to discover new things.

So, going forward, in this time of New Year’s Resolutions, I promise to seek out and discover these parts of myself I have yet to know. Who knows what I will find out about myself?

Shoe Diplomacy

Politics is not something that a Realtor would be advised to discuss. It is very personal and you never know when and how you will offend someone. So, the best advice is if you are not asked point blank, don’t bring it up.

But I have to comment on the shoe throwing incident. I’m sure everyone has seen it by now – the astonishing sight of an Iraqui reporter, taking off his shoes and throwing them as hard as he could right at the head of President Bush!

I don’t know about you but I was completely blown away. I did not know what to think – there were so many thoughts going through my head at once.

Like –( 1.) Good for that guy! He must really be at the end of his rope to do something like that! (2.) What the heck just happened?? That is the President of the United States! Doesn’t anyone have any dignity anymore? Does anything go? (3.) Where were the Secret Service? (4.) Boy, W. can really move. He was ducking and weaving pretty good. (5.) Thank God, President Bush was not harmed or hurt in any way.



And finally, ( 6.) after 8 years of shaking my head and muttering every time I hear President Bush utter something that leaves me aghast, I could not believe how gracious and laid back he was about the whole thing. He laughed it off! He made a joke about ‘ducking reporters’. I was amazed at his attitude and was in agreement with him for the first time in 8 years.

Gifts from the Sea

Every once in a while, when we have a big storm like we had last night, the waters of Narragansett Bay creep up into my neighborhood. The sea water climbs up the beaches and spills into the streets. We wake up to find seashells littering the lawns. What a treat!



Most of the houses where I live are set high on a 10 or 12 foot bank. So they are not in any danger of flooding. And the lower lying houses, across the street from the beach, have gently sloping lawns. Sometimes the water gets pretty close to those houses.

Bits of seaweed, rocks, sand and shells leave their mark on the streets and lawns. They leave a high water mark that is unmistakable.

On gray days like this, nature has a way of making the sea, the sky, even the trees, all the same tone and the world seems very soft. A silvery gray color.


My neighbor, John, was walking his dog, Zoe, this morning and called to me, “Did you find any quahogs yet?”

I do live in a zany neighborhood. Wild Goose Point just outside of Wickford. I love it there.

Don't Miss This!

I live just outside the Village of Wickford, along the shore. It really has a lot going for it in all seasons. In the summer, we have the art festival, the air show, and fireworks just to name a few things.

But during the holidays, there are also a couple of outstanding events. One is the Festival of Lights. Santa arrives on a sailboat surrounded by kayakers, television crews are there to show the holiday windows and the winner of the best window is announced live on Channel 10, carolers stroll the streets, and you can even get a hay ride and some hot chocolate. Santa arrives Friday evening at 5:30 at the town dock. There are other activities all weekend.



The other thing not to miss, is the annual Little Picture Show at the Wickford Art Association on Beach Street. The members offer their smaller-sized art at very affordable prices. What a great gift! Original art is always appreciated. I make a point of buying myself something there every year along with a couple of gifts. The show runs through December 24.

Fine Feathered Friends

When I started to think about landscaping my yard, the first thing on my list was that it would incorporate elements to attract birds.



So, over the past 5 years I have added bird feeders, trees and shrubs, bird baths, and a small stone pool with a millwheel fountain. It is very small, but the birds are attracted to the running water. And watching them is definitely a calming influence.


In the summer, I like to grow sunflowers because of the goldfinches. They come in flocks to sit on the flowers and hang upside down to eat the seeds. Since they are the exact same colors as the sunflowers, you don’t notice them until they move. These birds that are so brightly –colored in the summer fade to a dull yellowish gray in the winter. They don’t even look like the same birds until you look really closely and see the faint yellow feathers.



I do not attract any exotic birds but that is OK with me. Just the usual regulars. The little wrens and sparrows are by far the most plentiful and they are so sweet. They actually take turns at the feeder. And it amazes me how they actually kick seeds out of the feeder to the ground so that the ground-feeding birds, like the doves, have something to eat, too. Pretty amazing the way nature works so that the qualities and characteristics that are selected to be passed on genetically are those that promote the species.

I love to feed the birds and have always done so. Some of my first memories are of my mother ripping bread into little pieces to throw out onto our snow-covered back yard to feed the birds. As soon as the bread hit the ground, a whole flock of little birds would descend and create a wonderland.

Gadget-Quest

My Mom. Irene Marie, was a woman who loved her family, loved cooking and loved kitchen gadgets. She passed her DNA on to me and my daughter Jennifer, and my granddaughters, Mia and Lina, and I can prove it.

In the 50s and 60s, there were things you could order by mail. Let’s just say, Kellogg’s of Battle Creek. I had those little frog men with the baking soda you put in the feet that made them swim. Sometimes they worked, and sometimes they did not. You had to mail away for them with box tops. That was the primitive beginning. Then came telephone ordering and, finally, internet.

I remember my Mom ordered a Ronco Salad Shooter – this thing sliced and diced carrots, cucumbers, you name it, and literally shot them into a salad bowl. One after another, no waiting, no muss, no fuss. Quick and easy. The whole family sitting around the dinner table, enjoying a big salad together. The only problem was, it was cheap plastic, it clogged, jammed and gummed up like nobodys business and was a complete waste of money and worst of all, made my Mom cry with frustration. I remember Mom flinging it into the trash with a few choice words. And my Mom almost never uttered a cross word.

I have also, over the course of my life, ordered and bought a few ‘must have’ kitchen gadgets and some exercise equipment made for suckers like me. Some have worked out nicely, some have been a bust.

Here are a few of the things I was sure would make my life better – an apple corer and slicer, the Ove Glove so I could handle red hot pans or plunge my hands into boiling water, no problem (what was I thinking?), and the strawberry de-stemmer, so small and tedious it is not worth the effort. I bet you have one of these, too - the exercise ball from TJ Maxx that sat in my closet and took up space until I deflated it and threw it out after a year, the Pilates machine from QVC, the Ped-o-meter from EMS that even they did not know how to use, the blood pressure monitor that declared me dead, and the Pilates rubber bands that seemed like such a sure thing.


And here a some my daughter Jen has fallen victim to – the Pancake puffer “add some pizzazz to every meal!’ (this one even Mia and Lina thought a sure winner – inject the pancake balls full of jam and goodies, except in reality, no one would eat them), the Jesus-face branding iron for toast ( I am not making this up), the onion peeling goggles (these seem to work – they really do reduce the tears, Jen says), the snowman kit ( in retrospect, this was probably not a necessity), the mini shredder for lemon zest and garlic, etc, the café frother and the aero latte. I, too, fell victim to these and have used them one time only.


How about the French fry cutter, the clay garlic baker, the butter keeper, the voice recorder for easy grocery shopping. Bread, milk, eggs. Except that unless you stop it after each word, you are in the same spot of forgetfulness as before. Better to use a written list! Trust me on this one.

I’m sure we all have our list of useless gadgets we have fallen victim to. We are seduced by the idea of a better life, more family time, a warmer and richer life experience. , I guess it does not matter except for a few wasted dollars, and that it endears us to our families, and they to us, for trying to make our lives better and more fun. In the end, we are really all good enough just as we are. No improvements necessary and no money back guarantees. : -)

Veni, Vidi, Vici

I had the luxury of studying Latin for three years. It was a wonderful experience, very
rich and deep. I loved reading and translating the Illyiad and the Odyssey. It lead to discussions about the Roman and Greek gods and mythology. And is still an unparalleled primer for vocabulary.


Bits of Latin knowledge still pop up here and there – I was at the Wickford Town Beach last summer and a Mom said to her tot, “Come on, Romulus, get in the car!” OK. This is great, I thought. Remus was not too far behind, I’m sure. I gave her a wink. She either thought I was a psycho or she knew I was on board with her thought process.
And translating is really fun – All roads lead to Rome, Ecce Homo, all of Oedipus Rex.

Does anyone else ever lament. Wafna! Wafna! That’s the chorus in the Greek tragedy, Carmina Burana. And in Oedipus Rex. Also, a ballet, I think, I saw at PPAC. Where do you go for a support group of Latin groupies like me????

Do kids still study Latin? I know my own children were not offered Latin as an option. If it is not offered in schools, I wonder why not? It is the most wonderful learning tool ever. If I have a say as to what my tax dollars are spent on, let it be more studies of the ancient Romance languages and the antiquities.

Some would say that Latin is a ‘dead’ language. I disagree! All the Romance languages have their roots in those lovely Latin words. And the gods and goddesses who are so well-represented and involved in the literature still have messages and morals for us to take to heart today.


Everything uttered in Latin takes on a serious and somber tone, even pithy sayings and put-downs. Ipso facto. Nullo modo. Raptus regaliter.

It is funny and sad at the same time to me that this well-known Latin phrase (veni, vidi, vici) that Julius Caesar supposedly sent as a message to his Senate about his latest conquest, is now the website for video game aficionados!

And, if there is an adult group of Latin lovers out there, or people who read and discuss mythology, please let me know. I love Latin. And I am not talking about Salsa dancing. (although that is fun, too!)

PS. Buy the books, Silly Latin or Latin for All Occasions by Henry Beard. If you like words and language, you’ll love these books.

Home Sweet Home

The life of a realtor is a busy one. My calendar is filled up with showings, client appointments, meeting appraisers, inspectors, the fire department, pick up a radon test. Office duty. A buyer’s parents are in town, can we show them the house? Can you meet me so I can measure for my furniture? My client would appreciate it if I could meet the furnace maintenance guy. Can I find a landscaper who can come do some work right away? Lots of things you would never even think of.


But every once in awhile, I look at my calendar, and there is a blank day. Open and all mine. This is so very rare. Even though people think the real estate market is quiet right now, it is exactly the opposite for most of us. Every deal takes more time, and people are understandably more anxious, so there are more steps involved to get to the final closing.


Today was one of those open days for me! I could work in the garden, finally, and get it cleaned up and ready for winter. My family is away – some at a lake house in Maine with friends, some in California. My friends have gone off on a weekend junket. I was pleased to have the luxury of an open day, all to myself.


Don’t get me wrong – I am so very grateful for being busy and having opportunities to work and make a living. But we all need some down time and today was going to be my day at home.

Then the phone calls start to come – a buyer who was coming in on Sunday wants to come today. Of course, I said ‘Yes.’ I must! It is my responsibility and I do want to sell this house. Then another – my out of state seller wants to know if I can meet her sister and give her the house keys so she can do some painting. ‘Sure thing’! Then I am blessed to get another offer on another property – go to the office, pick it up, meet with my seller.

All in all, I consider myself very lucky to be so busy, I must say. Thank you very much.

So when my day is finally done, I will come back to my sweet home and maybe read a book after finally getting some time in the garden. And then it will be time to make some snacks for my friends so we can watch the game together.


I sincerely hope that my clients and customers will all find much happiness in their homes, too. That’s what it’s all about!

Historic Preservation?

A couple of years ago, I took a class on Historic Preservation. One of the interesting ideas brought up by the teacher was preserving mid-century modern buildings as they age. As time goes by, those buildings from the 50s and 60s become eligible for historic labels.



It really got me thinking about preservation. While most people understand preserving a Victorian beauty, and appreciate the significance of its architecture chances are the average person scoffs at preserving something more modest and more recent.


There has even been a movement afoot to preserve Quonset Huts! throughout the US, intended to be quick and they are scattered easy shelter for GIs but now they house families, storefronts, churches and even a theater in lovely Carmel, California. There is a debate about tearing it down or preserving it. Quonset Huts do not meet the National Historic Register qualification of ‘integrity of place’ because they were built one place (here in RI!) and moved to other locations. But people throughout the US are trying to get them named to the local historic districts in their areas.

What about preserving the beautiful shimmering glass and steel buildings of the 50s? This photo shows one scheduled to be demolished! Built in the 50s as a Gunner Mate’s School in Great Lakes by renowned architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

Mid century buildings do not always have the readily apparent appeal and striking qualities most agree are worth saving.

These buildings require a whole new set of skills other than what we are familiar with – artisans who work with wood and plaster, the rare person who can fix a slate roof, those who can recreate intricate details in floors and banisters. Who will work on the steel and glass beauties? Will anyone even care?

How about a strip mall? The little ranch house? All have their place in architectural history.

Feng Shui Buddies

Like a lot of other earnest, hard-working people, I hope to maximize my potential both at home in my personal life and at work in my career. Phew! What a mouthful!

So, in an effort to make the most of what we have, my officemate, Kim, and I, put the time-honored and revered practice of feng shui to use in our office.

We are in a difficult position since we have a small (but beautiful!) office with hardwood floors (love them), a big window (love it), a fireplace (love it), and three doors! No blank, plain walls at all.

We think we should not have our backs to a door, or a window so we are in a tough spot. (My former boss from Malaysia and a long practioner of feng shui told me to never, ever have my desk positioned so that my back was toward a window.)


Somehow, we maneuvered our desks so that neither of us have our backs to the doors or window. Now we face each other. We felt better right away! We hung a mirror in our prosperity corner (not sure what it is reflecting but we will check on that!) – also not easy to determine which corner is what but we used the door most often used as our main entrance.

We added a plant for some life (other than Kim and I) because sometimes we are very, very tired so we want to stay on the safe side. We have books, our awards and achievement certificates, modest as they are. Next will come the tiny bells to dispel any lingering bad spirits. Who knows – it might work!


Kim and I threw away lots of stuff we didn’t need any longer to declutter our office and our minds. Ahh, it’s great. Serenity, now!

My other feng shui buddy, Annie, gave me a great book about feng shui for Christmas last year. She thought it was just what I needed and I do refer to it often. It inspired me to clean a few closets and drawers and I felt better immediately. It really does have an effect on you. Clutter never works for the positive.

As for Kim’s and my office, next we hope to paint it a lighter, brighter color. Right now, it is kind of a fiery terra cotta. It is not what I would call ‘soothing.’ In fact, if I were a Shogun warrior preparing to do battle, it would be the perfect color. (Hmmm…..??) We’re both thinking of a sandy gray color infused with light. We’ll do it ourselves as soon as we get the OK from Mel and John.

A Hard Day's Night

When I was not quite 14 years old, in the summer of 1964, a friend’s father produced something that to this day, I still cannot get over. He gave us 4 tickets to see The Beatles, live, in concert, at the Boston Garden for the evening of Saturday, September 12, 1964. I was about a week into my high school career and to say that I loved The Beatles is a huge understatement. Actually, I still love them. But I don’t scream anymore when I see a photo of them. Honestly. Really, I don’t.

Mr. Caron worked for a company named Bessie Fruit Drinks. If you lived in Rhode Island during the 60s, surely you remember that company as it was advertised heavily on the teen stations of WPRO and WICE. Both AM stations, by the way, as FM had not come into existence yet. Holy cow. That is just the way it was.


My freind's name was Linda and it was really funny because we hung out for only that one summer. Other than that, we both went our separate ways. Her dad worked for the company and they were giving away tickets as a radio promotion. I guess he held aside four for his girl and her friends. What a guy. Talk about our hero.

Another friend named Susie, Linda, me (another Susie) and Linda’s cousin whose name escapes me, all went to the Garden to see the loves of our lives. We were driven somewhere and put on a subway (T line) to the Garden with strict instructions on how to get back.

We had good seats, but I want to tell you that the second the Beatles came on stage, struck a cord and started singing, every kid in the place leapt up, started screaming her head off and ran toward the stage as if in a hypnotic frenzy. It was bedlam. I still don’t know how I made it back to the car but needless to say when we got there, we were one kid short.

The other Susie was missing. We waited until the last T arrived and still no Susie. The dad bringing us home was fit to be tied. It wasn’t even his kid that he lost - someone else’s. Not good, not good at all.

Remember, there were no cell phones then. I know it is hard to believe but somehow we survived. I guess more miracles happened back then as we were more needy and God pitied us because all of a sudden Susie materialized, sheepish, but with a back stage story! So who cared! Let the adults threaten to skin us alive – Susie made it backstage at the show. She, of course, was immediately carted off to a holding tank in the back of the stage and missed the whole show but, WOW! She tried to muscle her way onto the stage. You have to admire her guts. She did look a little shell-shocked as she got out of the taxi or, maybe it was even a police car. Kind of the same thing. We were from the tiny little town of Cumberland, at the time very rural and quaint.

That’s my story. Sometimes I mention it to people and they say ‘ The Beatles never toured in Boston’ Oh, yes, they did. But it was early on and easy to miss. Thank God, I got to see my guys. I love them to this day. And my son loves them almost as much as I do! (PS The date of this blog is just an eerie coincidence.)

Of Little Consequence

Sometimes I spend time thinking about things of little consequence but it bugs me a little so I keep thinking about it.

One thing is silly but I notice that some people insist on parking their cars facing our of the driveway - like, they have to back in so the cars are facing out.


I always drive in at night and then when I leave in the morning, I have to back out. I find that most people do this.


But there are those few people who always back in - and in the morning, I guess they save a few precious seconds and can zoom out, face first into the world, while I am slowly backing out, making sure I don't hit my fence, run over the hose or bend my mirrors in (at least not too often). By the way, the guy who invented the fold-in mirrors is a genius. I have bent mine in several times on the narrow streets of Newport. It is a bit of a shock - boing! - what just happened?? Oh, no problem, nothing damaged, my mirror just bent in. Phew! It's not broken and hanging by a wire and I did not hurt anyone else's property. Pop - it's out again.

But back to the driveway thing - I have noticed it is mostly men that do this. At least in my neighborhood. I think it makes them feel nice and orderly and in control. What a fantasy! but like John Lennon said, Whatever gets you through the night....


There are a couple of homes where the cars are all lined up, grills facing out to the street. Is this a used car lot or a home? I don't like the way it looks. The focus is all wrong. For me, it is all about coming home. Maybe for others, it is all about getting the heck out as fast as you can.

I know it is silly for me to worry about it but it got me thinking about why someone would do this. One reason could be that they can't see around a bush or something. But that is the only reason that makes sense to me.

Like I said, inconsequential.

Full Circle

I was born in 1950. I have many memories, as do we all, but some of my most vivid are memories of the civil rights movement in our country, the United States of America.


I was a child, so pictures of other children affected me greatly. Little girls, like me only a different color, killed in church bombings, in what seemed to me like weekly events. I would watch wide-eyed in front of the ever-present tube.


If not church bombings, then missing and presumed dead, civil rights workers. Masses of people on peaceful marches for civil rights, being hosed down by horrid-looking men with fire hoses. Pictures of ridiculous groups in crazy get-ups actually killing other human beings. As my father was a news junkie, I saw it all. Because of my Dad, I saw on live TV, Lee Harvey Oswald being assassinated but Jack Ruby.

As an eighth grader, I was dismissed early from school, because of the assassination of our beloved President Jack Kennedy. Say what you will about him, he was a life changer because he gave people hope. His funeral is also something I will never forget. My family and extended family got together to watch it on TV.


One great thing though, when I was still in high school, when I had just arrived home from a date, at 11 or 12 midnight, and was about to slink off to bed, my father made me watch the men landing on the moon. I was about to retire and he would not hear of it. This is history! he said. Sit down and watch! I did and I will always be grateful to him for making me watch such an historic moment. I still have our copy of the Pawtucket Times with the photos of the historic moon landing. Thanks, Dad.


I loved Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. When I was a senior in high school, both Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated in the spring right before my graduation. I remember files of us high school kids walking somberly through the halls, listening to the intercom announcements. It is accurate to say our spirits were crushed and we were bereft. We were just beginning to hear of kids a year or 2 older being killed in the Viet Nam War. It was really incredible.


Last night, I witnessed another incredible event. I saw the selection of Barack Obama as the presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention. If the nominee had been Hillary Clinton, it would have been just as momentous, in my opinion. After all, I did live through the Women’s Movement. If not as violent as the Civil Right Movement, a lot of lives were changed as a result, nevertheless.

I started to think what a great life I have lived, just by being an observer, and I am only half way through. I haven’t even factored in all the technological breakthroughs from 1950 ‘til now. It really is a mindblower. I’m very lucky to be a witness to such historic events, even if only on TV (unlike Forrest Gump!). Someday I will make a list of all the things I have seen and experienced.

Desiderata

Desiderata

I have this on my desktop, and from time to time, open it and read it all the way through. It makes me feel at peace and although I am sure you are familiar with it, maybe you will enjoy an opportunity to read it, too.

Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
Be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly:
And listen to others,
Even the dull and the ignorant;
They too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
They are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
You may become vain and bitter;
For always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
For the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
Many persons strive for high ideals;
And everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
For in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
It is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
Gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
Be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
No less than the trees and the stars;
You have aright to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
Whatever you conceive Him to be,
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
In the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
It is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

If You're Driving Through Wickford

There is a little intersection in Wickford Village that really throws out-of towners for a loop. You can tell a person is unfamiliar with the road because they stop where there is no stop sign, don’t want to stop where there is a stop sign and aren’t quite sure what to do with the yield sign. Their heads start to swivel back and forth looking from one side to the other with a most bewildered look on the face.

You locals know where this is already, right? At the little bridge where Boston Neck Road, Brown and Phillips Streets all meet in this strange, triangular trap. Making it even more peculiar to the unsuspecting and uninformed driver are the three pedestrian crosswalks smack dab in the triangular intersection.
Brown Street (the street everyone refers to as ‘Main Street”) curves through the village and out over the bridge – there is no yield or stop sign there. The traffic is meant to flow smoothly through so as not to get backed up.

There is a stop sign on Phillips – that means STOP!! It is not fair that those folks have to wait a little bit longer but that is the design, so we live with it. You could actually sit there for quite a while in the summer. Newcomers assume it is like a 3-way stop intersection where everyone takes a turn – but no, not quite. Those people have a look like – Hey! When is it my turn!?? Sorry, you have to wait.

Then there is a yield sign at the end of Boston Neck (right across from Phillips) so you YIELD. If you want to turn right, proceed with caution. If you are trying to cross over to Phillips, TAKE EXTRA CARE. Watch out for the people sick of waiting to turn left onto Brown who could shoot out at you any second, and please, watch out for the pedestrians. They could be coming from literally 6 directions! And they are on vacation so probably a little bon vivant.

With the pedestrians added into the mix, pity the poor guy coming down Brown, uninformed about our quirks, and watch the head swiveling, deer in the headlights thing happen. He’ll stop – Is it my turn? – look around at everyone and then the guy in back of him will hit the horn! Go – you don’t have to stop!

There are actually very few accidents here, as far as I can tell. I think sometimes the unexpected actually makes people more cautious. It is a great little village and we love it just the way it is. Once you learn the rules of our quirky road, it is smooth sailing. And great shopping.

Man Candy Lament

Any woman (or man) who sees this title knows exactly who and what I am talking about. Jim Rome - and the lack of sports radio talk shows that Rhode Island is suddenly left with -
or without.

A month or two ago we who LOVE SPORTS in Rhode Island – Red Sox, Patriots, URI Basketball and perhaps PC basketball, were left in the lurch when our sports radio station one day was GONE. It was unbelievable and shocking. As a woman and sports fan who really loves Jim Rome because he is so intellectual and really funny - and the clones are also some of the wittiest people on earth – I was shocked !!! when the station was pulled all of a sudden. I was amazed to find out that one of my colleagues – Laura – was also a huge fan of the Jungle. We cracked up at the wit and wisdom of Jim Rome. Now he is gone (we know he is on TV in the afternoons but we are working. (That is what what makes talk radio so great – we can listen while driving to appointments)


What the heck happened?? Anyone who can tell Laura and me where we can listen to Jim Rome on the radio, listen to the clones, listen to the Smack Off, please help us!!!! If you do not know what I am talking about – just picture hours of driving around in your car and hearing things that made you laugh out loud they were so topical and funny. Banging on the steering wheel, so funny. We miss our guys.

I really wanted to hear what Jim had to say about Man Ram going to LA. That was his DREAM! My NIGHTMARE! Baby, come back!

Andy, Scott (now on Saturday mornings for a bit), Jim (Man Candy). Boo hoo, Any help for us?

An Extraordinary Gift Amid the Day to Day

There is an annual phenomenon that occurs every year from mid to late summer along Route Scenic -1 A just outside of Wickford Village. The most beautiful water lily pond puts on a show for all the passersby to appreciate.

The natural beauty in an unexpected area literally stops people in their tracks. I can't tell you how many times I have seen cars whip around in a U-turn because the drivers cannot believe what they just saw.

Photographers, painters and people af all ages and types stand there and ooh and ahh over the little pond. Very small, and squeezed in along the side of the road, this sweet pond and its drop-dead gorgeous flowers have been gracing our world at least since the 1970s. How long before that and exactly what is its origin, I do not know but I intend to find out.

No one picks them, trods on them, or disturbs them in any way. It is if we know we are in the presence of something extraordinary and on some very deep level understand that it is a precious gift from nature. For once, we are able to look and not touch or disturb nature.

Don't they look like lotus blossoms? The gifts of the gods to mankind?

Lina is My Darling

The other day I was walking with my daughter, Jennifer, and her three children, Mia, Lina and Agostino.

My little Lina piped up with "Nana, it's going to rain because the leaves are turning inside out!'

I was absolutely thrilled. My daughter had passed on to her kids something I had passed on to her, and my Mom had passed on to me. These simple threads are the ties that bind.

My mother, Irene, told me things when I was a child that I believed. Then when i was a teenager, I scoffed at them. But when I had kids myslef, I was sure to tell them all these important things about our world. Things you might not learn in school. If you are observant, you will see that they are true.

Another one is 'When the cows lay down, it will rain". Check it out. It is true, too. I guess we talked a lot about the weather in my family.

Or how about when you are choking "Lift your arms striaght over your head". It really does work. I think it lifts your diaphragm or something. All I know is I did it, my kids did it, and now Mia, Lina and Gus do it, too. Obviously, I am a person who delights in simple pleasures.

I can't wait for my son to have kids to see if things stuck with him, too.

If you have any family pearls of wisdom, we woud love to hear them.

My friend, Paul

Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?

I don't know what more I could add to this sentiment, also the title of this beautiful painting. I find it comforting that a man who lived from 1848 - 1903 had the same questions that we do today.

Circumstances of life have definitely changed. But whenever I find myself about to become unglued, I remind myself not to sweat the small stuff, and basically, except for a couple of very specific tragedies, it is all small stuff.

As a side note, Paul Gauguin thought this painting his masterpiece and he resolved to commit suicide at its completion. Fortunately, he was unable to accomplish his own demise. Life is really too good to pass up! Enjoy yours. Paul went on to live another 7 years after this painting was completed.

Have another beautiful day in Paradise!

Meadows

While visiting one of my favorite houses recently, I was struck by the sheer beauty of the adjacent meadow, and I realized that it had been awhile since I had seen a true meadow. Unfortunately, they are disappearing.

This house sits on the site of a former farm. Part of the land is still used to gather hay for horses by a neighborhood farmer.

Not simply a field, I have learned that a meadow is a small, flower-rich, grassland that is most likely bordered by stone walls or hedges, remnants from the original farm. Undisturbed areas with grasses, wildflowers, like buttercups and thistle, attracting butterflies and bees, are allowed to grow tall before mowing and baling.

Many meadows have disapppeared over the years and have been replaced with housing developments or if the land is still farmed, with higher yield cash crops. But in Tiverton and Little Compton, you can still come across them. Lots of open space.

If you do happen to be driving about on your busy days, and come across a meadow, please take a moment to appreciate the simple beauty. I did, and I keep thinking about it.

Water, water everywhere.......

Give me a nice, crushed gravel or crushed clam shell driveway any day.

I have always disliked black asphalt driveways. In addition to their being aesthetically very unpleasant, now I have found another reason to dislike them.

When the ground is left in an unpaved state, rainwater seeps into the ground and replenishes the aquifer beneath us. Rainwater running off blacktop and other paved surfaces, runs into the streets and down into storm drains and out to sea.

In addition to diverting water from our aquifer system, this runoff water is the biggest source of pollution to our precious and beloved oceans.

In my town of North Kingstown, diverting even one inch of rainfall and allowing it to seep into the ground would save 52 million gallons during just one rainstorm! Incredible! If your roof gutter downspout flows onto your paved driveway, try using a downspout extender and diverting it to a landscaped area instead. Just keep it at least 4' from your house foundation.

Like every summer, soon we will be on odd/even watering system. So, please, get yourself a

rain barrel to catch some rainwater for watering gardens, maybe even start a rain garden in your yard, and whenever possible - no more blacktop!

Thanks to the North Kingstown Water Department for the info!

I started thinking about all this when, on the news recently, I heard that the next big shortage on earth will be water. A very sobering thought.

Ode to the Bicycle

Something really good is going on here.

A few years ago, I got a new bicycle and rode around the block and down to the sea. I must have looked like I was having fun because the next thing you know, a man in the neighborhood had taken out his old clunker and was touring around, too! Then, another and now it is a regular sight. We don't go far. One man sings cantatas at the top of his lungs. It gives my spirit a little boost whenver he glides by.

Here's what it is not - the 25-mile bike ride with the skid-lid, or ergonomically correct helmet, Italian racing shirt, lycra shorts, hard, bike shoes, toe clips, 2 water bottles, skinny little tires that keep blowing out, and handle bars that are horizontal to the pavement. I did all that stuff years ago and it was great fun but now I am into more leisurely rides where I can take in the scenery.

You can see the looks of recognition peoples' faces - they remember the fun and freedom of riding a bike while the wheels turn on the pavement beneath, occsionally sending little rocks and stones flying out from the tires. Even the sound is wonderful. It is very liberating and really fun. It's being a kid again and just riding for the fun of it. No particular place to go - just the ride itself and living in the moment.

My daughter calls my bike an "old lady bike". Well, OK, maybe it is. But it is not an age thing, it is a state of mind thing. It is not a racing bike. My bicycle has upright handle bars, wide tires for exploring unpaved paths, and a wicker basket for collecting seashells, special rocks I may find along the shore, and maybe a wildflower or two for the vase on the front porch.

Works for me!

Smith's Castle

Talk about a treasure, hidden away and out of sight, and mostly out of mind. You may have seen as small sign along Post Road, on the outskirts of Wickford that reads "Smith's Castle"

Richard Smith built this home, the first so called "English house", in the area at the same time that Roger Williams came ashore and bought a parcel of land from the Narragansetts. A grand and gabled house, heavily fortified, soon enough it earned the nickname "Smith's Castle".

Eventually Smith purchased more land, including the land that Roger Williams originally purchased, and farmed the land as Cocumcussoc Plantation. Burned to the ground during King Philip's War in 1676, Richard Smith rebuilt 2 years later on the original foundation. This is the home, a saltbox, that still stands and is now a museum and open to the public.

Roger Williams preached to the Indians here. One of the first military burial grounds in the country is located here. A mass grave holding 40 colonists killed during the Great Swamp Battle of 1675 is located here. A tragic event of epic proportions, the Great Swamp Battle nearly annihiliated the Narragansetts and ended King Philip's War.

This truly Colonial home is remarkable for its location on the Wickford Cove, its recreated gardens using only plants that were originally grown and native to the area, and the volunteers who recreate life there in authentic, period dress. (Do not call them 'costumes' - I made that mistake once!) It is a wonderful place to take children. They will even show you how to make butter!

On Saturday, June 21 (rain date is Sunday, June 22) the annual Smith's Castle Strawberry Festival will take place from

12 noon - 4 pm.

Why not visit this treasure in your own back yard?

And don't forget the Wickford Art Festival on the weekend of July 12 & 13. I love living here - maybe you would like it, too!

Make a List

I am a list maker - mostly a To Do list maker. Anyone else out there that suffers from this affliction will know exactly what I am talking about.

All these things that have to be done are all bouncing around inside my head! When I write them down in a neat and orderly list, I feel so much better. It is much more manageable.

The best part is crossing off stuff. But I am getting ahead of myself.

I make lists for everything - household chores, shopping trips, work mostly, phone calls, projects, e-mails, you name it. Mostly everything is list-able. But I have to warn you that once you start, it is hard to stop.

There are a couple of rules to my list making, too - I have to write them in pencil ( no reason I just like it better) and it is fair game to write something I already did so I can cross it off right away.

I also have my clients and customers make lists, too - I have the sellers make lists of features in their homes and tradesmen they have used and buyers make lists of things they are looking for in a home, I find that they are happy to do it - everyone likes lists!

I could actually go on and on about this but I think that in this case less is more. All I know is it keeps me organized and alleviates some anxiety. Any other list makers out there? Hello??

Cave Paintings and such

With a degree in Fine Arts, I have had my share of art history classes. They were some of my favorites. One of the subjects that touched me greatly was the study of the cave paintings at Lascaux.

The purposes of these paintings is not known. How could it be? There are no eyewitnesses! However, scholars agree that the paintings were probably for ceremonial purposes; others were religious, and some perhaps were decorative.

Ever since I became a Realtor, I have felt it was an honor and a privilege that people invite buyers and me into the privacy of their homes to have alook around.

I find it fascinating that we all have the same tendencies toward making our homes unique. We try to make them comfortable, put things up on the walls, make little tableaus on tabletops. Some of us add religious icons, ceremonial diplomas, certificates, paintings, photographs of those we love, flowers. Books. People become house-proud and I find it endearing. Did it all start with the cave paintings?

People do have different tastes in decor, but I tend to concentrate on the similarities. There are not too many homes with completely bare and unadorned walls. Fascinating.

By the way, one of my favorite modern artists is Susan Rothenberg. Hmmm........

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

The Bee Whisperer

I am blessed with a delightful child in my life (one of 3 delights) who told me that she has a special talent - she is a bee whisperer! Her name is Mia and she is 8 years old.

Big, fat, fuzzy bumble bees, skinny little yellow jackets. "Don't touch! You'll get stung!" No matter. She goes up to the little bees on the flowers and pets them. You have to see it to appreciate the finesse involved. I guess they know she means them no harm and they return the favor.

A child who loves nature so much is a treasure - so caring and kind to all living creatures. She has learned a lot about life in only 8 years. Here she is with a praying mantis.

We spend a lot of time in the garden. A bee, an ant, a bird, a snake - everything is an experience and a sweet joy to be discovered anew with Mia.

Charming Tiverton

One of the nicest places I've discovered is the southern part of Tiverton which borders Little Compton.

I was so taken with the efforts to preserve the natural beauty that for the past several years I have become a supporter of the Tiverton Land Trust.

If you decide to take a drive to the phenomonal and great shopping area called Tiverton Four Corners, you will pass right by The Pardon Gray Farm, 230 acres of preserved land saved as open space.

This farm is adjacent to the 550 acre Weetamoo Woods. The farm contains many colonial artifacts, the Gray family historic cemetery, and original stone walls.

Pardon Gray provided food and supplies to the 1,500 Revolutionary Army troops that were camped at Fort Barton, just a few miles north, also in Tiverton. Quite an historic place.

And if you are into serene settings and waterfront homes with meadows and stone walls sweeping down to the sea, we have just the house for you.

Rhode Island Waterfront

I live in a place called Wild Goose Point. It is one of several points that extend out into Narragansett Bay, just south of Wickford, and is one of the lesser known points. Not as grand as Poplar Point, nor as well known as Lone Tree Point, but I like to think of it as an up and comer.

It is a little beach community that has grown over the past 60 years or so into a year round neighborhood, filled with a mixed bag of people and characters, old and young, newcomers and those who have lived here for over 60 years.

Besides having access to the ocean, which drew me here, we have some of the tallest, old trees I have ever seen. They fill in and block the view of the ocean in the summer months but the sound of the leaves on hundreds of trees rustling on summer evenings is a fair trade. The wild geese fly right over us in a crisscross pattern and for every flap of their wings they make a honking sound.

One of the greatest, natural walking trails around, to do the mile and a quarter loop brings you right along Narragansett Bay with a view of the bridges, Jamestown and Rome Point. We have several beaches including some on Bissell Cove, which is the best place for kayaking, or paddling, as we like to call it. The loop also brings you around one of the few remaining white cedar swamps left in southern Rhode Island. When was the last time you saw a firefly? We still have them here. And it is always a great day in the season the first time we see the turtles sunning on the fallen log in the swamp. The same place every year.

Gus likes to climb the rocks, Mia likes to look for crabs, and Lina is especially good at finding sea ice. She has named one of our beaches 'Sea Ice Beach'. She got to name it because she discovered it.

House Love

Does everyone have a love affair with her home? I do and I enjoy being part of the process that brings that feeling to others. I'm talking about the feeling you get when you live in a place where you are happy just to be there and to share it with others. Your home is meant to be your retreat and haven, after all.

When someone is delighted with a house, it shows. You can never tell what will capture the imagination - a garden, some small detail like a French door, the clasp on a window, a little nook with a window seat, a stone floor - who knows? For every person it is different. Some people go crazy for outbuildings. When people see that special place or detail, they light up at the sight of it. There is a real connection between person and place. It can be a very soulful experience and I love being involved with that.

You work, you pour through listings, you do comps, you drive around, you make appointments, you look and look and look at houses. And then something magical happens. One of my clients summed up the combination of hard work and practical magic, and shared this with me - You have a dream in which your ancestor appears, and you receive a sign in the form of a cloud, and your horse stamps his foot three times, inexplicably; and there you have it - your new home!

Yeah, it's like that.