Saturday, February 12, 2011

It all falls apart, and a moment of clarity

On Wednesday, our oven range called it quits. According to my darling husband, this happened in rather dramatic fashion as he was trying to warm up a burrito for lunch. 

There are several ways in which I could have reacted to this event, the natural reaction being one of frustration as the water heater just had to be replaced 10 days ago.  But, another convergence of events has taken place and I have learned that it does no good to get stressed out about such mundane things like water heaters and ovens.  We are really doing okay.  We are put on this Earth for a tiny blip in time and need not concern ourselves too much with such minor annoyances.  We simply had to get creative in the kitchen, using our wood stove to cook ham and eggs, and to bring out the electric griddle for pancakes (breakfast for dinner is the best!). We may have the new oven hooked up by Monday.

Where is this new calmness coming from?  I think I can largely thank some acupuncture treatments for this current moment of clarity, as well as some significant changes that have occurred at work.  One of our team member's lost her job due to budget cuts, and the entire school faces some major restructuring.  I think that sudden slap in the face provided me with the impetus to reevaluate and figure out how to pursue a dream I've had for the past ten years, which is to become a midwife.  I enjoy teaching, but I'm not passionate about it.  When I first considered midwifery I was in my third year of college, and the idea of five more years of school was too daunting (it would have been easier if I had decided to go into nursing right after high school, but hindsight is 20-20).  I will still have to go to school for at least three years full time to take the most accepted education route to become a midwife.  But, with my darling husband's blessing, the process doesn't seem as daunting as it did 10 years ago, even if it requires me to move to the City for a year (yikes!). 

I think we all have a Truth inside us that sometimes we ignore, or sometimes we fight against.  Some find that Truth more easily than others.  My path thus far has certainly been long and winding, but I suppose it's all part of the journey of life.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Yarn...in the middle of nowhere

This past Friday night, my darling husband and I took a drive down Route 20 (this is the same Route 20 that goes from Boston, MA to Newport, Oregon) to arrive in a small town just east of Cazenovia, known as Nelson.  Allegedly, there was a small (tiny?) music hall in this small (tiny?) hamlet that was bringing in some rather significant Americana acts.  Yarn was playing on Friday, an alternative country/Americana band out of Brooklyn that we had heard once before in Saratoga Springs.

The problem with going on a date in the middle of nowhere is that there are very few dining establishments around.  When our first attempt failed (the restaurant was apparently closed for the winter) we ended up in Cazenovia, a small college town.  One would think a few dining establishments catering to locavores, would exist, but we couldn't find them.  However, we did find the quintessential upstate New York steakhouse that was hopping. This was a no-frills establishment which reminded me of a basement rec room growing up complete with the industrial carpet and the cheap vinyl seats.  The food was very respectable as was the beer.  We learned from our server that the place had been owned by the same person for 50 years and it was closing its doors on Sunday for good (hence the crowds).

Back to Yarn.  As we were trying to find our way along the highway, looking for roadsigns peeking up above the snow, I was reminded of another musical haunt in the Berkshires, The Dream Away Lodge.  Also in the middle of nowhere, this establisment was at least made famous by the likes of Guthrie and Dylan.   The Nelson Odeon is not an old farmhouse (nor a former brothel) like the Dream Away, but a converted grange building.   The property was bought and renovated by a couple who apparently had a vision of bringing musical performances to the fine folks of Nelson.   Whatever marketing they have done seems to have worked as the place was filled  to capacity  (was all of Nelson there?).  What was advertised as two 45 minute sets ended up as four hours of country rock including some fabulous electric mandolin jams (who knew?).  If you can, check out the track, Abilene, by far my favorite.  Before long, this motley crew of Upstaters was dancing in the aisle, beer in hand, singing (relatively on-key) with the band.  Homemade desserts and freshly roasted coffee were sold at the break, and while waiting to use the one bathroom available (although the guys thought the row of pine trees made fine stalls even in subzero weather), we were able to mingle with the owners of the establisment as well as with some of the bandmembers.

We made it home shortly before 1am to two dogs and a couple cats who were a bit confused as to why we were out so late.  The evening was another reminder to me of the hidden cultural gems that lie in our midst for those who wish to seek them out.