20 June 2014: Friday ... A Gorgeous Day ... Sherry subbed for Pamela ... Home Depot for Draino & kitchen bags ... Skeesha's arrival ... dinner at the Farmhouse

The Farmhouse Restaurant at Loch Nairn, a favorite haunt of ours on an irregular basis. Bruno, the waiter, was there (I'd forgotten his name, unfortunately) but did not serve us. Lisa served us, our waitress and at the end of our wonderful meal I'd promised to share some of my Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake but did not. I owe her. It was absolutely fantastically decadent (which was the name of Doug's chocolate dessert).


Reading-glasses positioned prior to dinner. 


Showing off pics from home in Georgia.


Group selfie after dinner. 

22 February 2014: Saturday ... I found Maude Carey or she found me at the Y at the coffee station ("Rudy Nyhoff?") ... dinner at the Farmhouse with Gail tonight ... bowtie bought for annual event starting tomorrow (courtesy Gordon Roth) ...

FROM THE ANNALS OF ADVERSITY: I saw it coming and could do nothing to stop the spillage of many of the pills from mom's 7-day, 4-chamber pill case, all over the floor of my bedroom closet. Oh, the feelings of anger and the words but it was cleaned up easily, especially when the small flashlight, held in my mouth, illuminated corners where a few Vicodin hid, but from this adversity, this pain-in-the-butt accident in the morning led to me finding a nice sweater, something lacking in my wardrobe. From an irritant to a delight, one must see through the anger of the moment and see what light might be revealed by moving forward and taking care of business. 

I was accosted, not really, by a woman, who I did not recognize initially, who queried ... "Rudy Nyhoff?" ... at the coffee/tea station in the main hallway of the Western "Y". When I took a closer look, she said her name, ***MAUDE CAREY***. What a revelation this morning and such a joy. 

She has been married since just after graduation from U of D to another graduate, Buddy Niedzielski (5 years her senior), and they have lived in the same home in Montclare, just behind Dickinson High School, ever since. The have one daughter, Anastasia, who is a 3rd year med student at the University of Michigan. Her husband is recently retired attorney from the Justice Department, a graduate of Widener, before the era of Professor Hayman. Maude is also a law graduate but did not pursue it. She is in the insurance industry.
                        WHAT A JOY TO SEE HER AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!!!!

I hold within me hatreds that can come to the surface and it is so difficult to look within and evaluate oneself honestly. I cannot separate from myself, stand away and look back at my actions and determine whether my path is correct. Judgmental is a state that is common in my being and tonight at dinner I displayed it in earnest. Our dear friend spoke of her experience in Australia in a godforsaken town (Oodnadatta, in the Australian state of South Australia) far out in the Outback with a couple hundred residents, far from civilization. I felt she disrespected the Aborigines by calling them "Abos" (sic). What right did I have to play the role of judge and jury. They say you should stand up to injustice and racism, but what do I know of her true intentions. Why do I have to judge? 

On the drive home it is so easy to say things that are hurtful but at the time of their utterance, feel so right. Why do we have to feel as though we are so in the right that our own declarations salve our needs but pour lemon on the open wound we have created in our loved one. It is passing fast this life of ours and like the African-American woman minister spoke, so eloquently, last Sunday -- compassion is love's companion, it's most critical and vital one. May it be so.  

22 May 2010: - Flyers, Farmhouse, Gail, asparagus, a Fall ...

The Flyers are up 3-1 over the Montreal Canadiens with an impressive 3-0 win, Michael Leighton's third shutout in this Eastern Final series (next round for the Stanley Cup). We had dinner at the Farmhouse (expensive @ over $260 w/tip for the French waiter - 8 years w/the restaurant - Bruno from Normandy, France) at the Loch Nairn Golf Course w/Gail Emerson, who looks older and appeared a little inebriated. She brought asparagus in her F250 Ford truck, a monster, with her Trixie-look-a-like Maggie in it.

The dog later beat a quick entrance into the Greathouse foyer and the ongoing dance for the wedding taking place there. The place was quite busy. Later, when we got home dad took a fall coming into the house and knocked over the lamp and plant and was upset/frustrated and uncomprehending as to how it happened (he had two martinis over the dinner).