Author Archives: Sandi LoConti

And It Makes Me Wonder

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Doesn’t it make you wonder when you come across something like this carved into a tree?  Around the bend, in a bit from the road, someone many years ago thought it was important to memorialize their…what?  Their being there together, their love, the date?

Doesn’t it make you wonder what ever happened to Angel and Francie?  Are they still together, do they ever come back here, does anyone else (besides nosey me) know about this?

Doesn’t it ever make you wonder what the story is?  Would you consider making one up?  Would you consider ever trying to find them, do you think someone else is trying to find them?

I’ve taken to walking again and while I find walking in nature therapeutic I really found this interesting.  I spent the good portion of an hour thinking about Angel and Francie and where they might be today. Are they happy?  Did they make it? Or did they change the road they were on?

And it makes me wonder…

Yes there are two paths you can go by but in the long run..

There’s still time to change the road you’re on.

And then that song took over (you’re welcome) and Angel and Francie were gone for a while. But I came back to them because if someone is going to take the time to carve something into a tree it should be worth the wonder.

 

Spending the Day

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There are days, no matter how hard you try to avoid them will remind you that life is short.  Those days are usually wrapped up in anniversaries that are so incredibly painful that you drag yourself from bed kicking and screaming only to return to it two or three times.  It takes a few tries to see through the veil of tears to get your face washed and your teeth brushed, make up is not an option.

There are rituals involved and as comforting as they may be sometimes only the ordinary can ease you through.

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Turkey and Swiss on a toasted bagel and a tiny bag of chips.  The smell of toast is nostalgic but comforting in a school-day-breakfast sort of way.

Not running out of gas, animated conversation, good parking karma and an excursion to the hardware store to gather paint chips.

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Buying mums and pumpkins and gourds oh my.  The kids at the petting zoo, you at the petting zoo. The beauty of the day and the time of year.  The crisp air and the warm sun. It’s the “change” time of year with nature giving you permission to let go as it is letting go too.

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spending-the-day003The wave of kids, dozens and dozens of them piling out of school.  The laughing, the yelling, the kinetics, the colors and the music.  All vaguely familiar from long ago.

A fresh cider doughnut and more conversation.

A glass of red and dinner in the merriment of the local pub.  You’re still reminded but the ordinary life around you becomes a salve. An exhale, the day is over and the ordinary has done its job getting you from beginning to end. That and the love of friends, and family and dogs and life.

Carnivale of the Dogs 2016

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carnivale-2016012Toti Nonna was officially crowned Queen of the Carnivale 2016 by Companion Animal Advocates again this year.  The weather decided to hold out, as it has for the last several years, and the festivities were in full force.  She was her most regal self once again, nose to nose with any number of friends both canine and human.  She was interviewed by several publications and had her picture taken by the paparazzi and passers by alike.  She was truly the belle of the ball…

Some of the highlights from Queen Toti’s regal perspective:

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She was in the mix, mingling and making nice.  But now she’s glad to be home and out of the public and camera view, almost. A good time was had by all.

carnivale-2016002To all of you that donated to this amazing organization we thank you.  Especially our corporate sponsors who have been with us since the very beginning in 2009, you can’t begin to know how grateful we are or the enormous amount of good you are doing. Thank you from all of us.

Ordinary Legacy Moment: Eagle Scout Project

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curiousCuriosity leads to ordinary legacy moments, make no mistake about it.  When something catches my eye, even in the midst of garage sale goings-on, I’ve got to take a look.

What a moment I stumbled upon.  Picture this, it’s 86 degrees around noon on the day of my cousin’s garage sale.  We are scrambling to put up a tent for cover from the sun and I see this van stop up at the corner.  Some kids jump out, and get to work?  On what?  By the time the tent is up, I’ve missed it.

But looking down the other side of the street there they are again.  Ok, I’m curious (otherwise known as nosey, I get it) because they are all crouched down on the screaming hot pavement painting a Maltese cross on the black top.  Did I mention it’s 86 degrees?  Probably 155 on the street…ok I exaggerate but it was damn hot.

Can I ask what you’re doing?  Sure, says Daniel Buda, it’s my Eagle Scout Project.  We’re painting a Maltese cross on the pavement in front of every fire hydrant in Dumont (NJ) so that in inclement weather our fire fighters can recognize the hydrant location.  If a hydrant isn’t shoveled out in winter, chances are the cross on the pavement will be seen after the snow’s been plowed.

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And there you have it, Daniel Buda of Scout Troop 1345 (Dumont/Bergenfield NJ) and his friends Sean Adomilli, Naomi Castaneda, Kendra Chaiken, Kyle Villareal and Eric D’Anna were going from hydrant to hydrant on one of the hottest summer days to insure that the firefighters of their town could do their job most efficiently…say what you want about the youth of today, these are the kids who are already ordinary legacies in the making. They were off again in a matter of minutes, on to the next location, being led by Daniel and shuttled by two wonderful gentlemen volunteers, I regret I didn’t get their names.

Later in the day when I was done with my garage sale shift I met the man who’s house was behind the hydrant, he hadn’t been home when the kids did their thing.  We had a great conversation about how cool it was and he told me that he’s lived in this house his whole life, I estimate his age at around 85, and his father was once the Fire Chief in town.  What a moment, what a good bunch of kids.

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Made my day then, even more coincidentally I couldn’t help noticing all the Maltese crosses I passed on my way to Gramma’s today.  That is an ordinary legacy moment relived.  Thank you Daniel and company for a job well done. Let us know when you make Eagle Scout.

 

Sing Every Day

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“He who sings scares away his woes.” ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

It’s no secret I like to poke around the community gardens at the senior housing building where my mother lives.  It’s rich in soil, produce and wisdom.  This is Amalia (not sure of the spelling), who I met enjoying the day in the gardens several months ago.

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Can I take your picture? Instead of saying yes she got up and posed near one of the planted areas.  It’s such a reflection of that generation that having one’s picture taken means posing near just the right spot.  I have dozens of them, mostly black and white that look just like this.

Even with our language barrier we had a wonderful conversation about my mother and the lifestyles of the elders living in the building. Her advice to my mother was simple, sing every day.  Singing she said does something healthy to the brain.  She motioned that the energy travels up from your voice to your brain and fills it with something wonderful that travels back down and through your whole body.

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It can’t help but make you happy every day.  Her song was delightful, though I didn’t know a word of it, and I could indeed feel it travel from her voice to my brain and through my whole body.  I smiled all day. Thank you for that good advice, which I passed along to my mother and now to you.

“And all meet in singing, which braids together the different knowings into a wide and subtle music, the music of living. ” ― Alison Croggon,

Sing

Every

Day