Debra LaValley's Blog

Today – I put the heat on for the first time this season. It was a bit nippy in the morning and the apartment was about 64 degrees. My sister helped me take the air conditioner out of the window. Fall is Here! I love the fall. It is my favorite season. The leaves are starting to turn and there is a scent of pine needles in the air.

A Facebook friend from Germany – posted that today was the 20th Anniversary of the Re-Unification! I cannot believe that it has been 20 years already! Time certainly has flown! I have a piece of the Berlin wall in a film container that a friend’s brother brought back at the time. I believe he had been there when the wall was first being taken down. It must have been an exciting time. Congratulations to Germany on this 20th Anniversary of them becoming whole again.

Last night about 11:28 pm there was a 3.1 earthquake in NH. The epicenter was in Boscawen – about a mile as the bird flies from my home. It scared the bajeebies out of me. I had just settled into bed and turned off the lights. Molly was sitting on the bottom of my bed and was acting a little strange now that I think of it. She doesn’t stay at the end of the bed when I go to bed. She wouldn’t even come to me for a treat (very strange indeed for her). I ended up bringing the treat to her. When I was almost asleep – all of a sudden I heard a rumbling and my windows rattled big time followed by one of the biggest BANGS that I have ever heard in my life! My heart was pounding big time and Molly jumped off the bed and ran and hid in the living room. I was waiting for more banks – I though it must be a freakish clap of thunder right over the house – but then got out and the sky looked pretty clear. There were some clouds – but not thunder clouds. I was so away that I signed on to the laptop and went to Facebook when I read that it was an earthquake and the epicenter was close to where I live. I did not get back to sleep until 2:00 a.m. 3.1 is about as big as we can get here in NH. The state is abuzz with the news.

Out of the Darkness - Tom's Star

Yesterday was the 2010 Out of the Darkness for Suicide Prevention. It started on Pierce Island in Portsmouth. Ken and Dorothy organized the event this year. Our brother Tom died by suicide six years ago. We miss him and think of him often. This year, Tom’s Team grew to 12 people. Tom’s daughters , Danielle and Melissa, joined us along with Melissa’s boyfriend, Dan. Chuck and my parents also joined the team this year.

The walk is about 3 miles through historic Portsmouth. It was very warm and humid. Chuck and my mom stayed at the registration area to hold the fort. This year’s walk broke records in attendance which was a few hundred and raised over $51,000!

It was a very rewarding day filled with support.

First

It is 10:07 pm as I write this – summer is on its last hour. I believe fall starts at 11:09 pm. It certainly was a strange summer this year. We had some of the warmest weather ever and not much rain. The lakes, brooks, ponds, and rivers are very low. It is very sad to see the water levels so low. The brook by work is pretty much bone dry! I have never seen it so bad. Fall is my favorite season and signs of fall have already popped up. I wish the trees stayed dressed in their fall finery for longer – they come and go so quickly. I don’t know what the weird summer will do for the color – but it appears there are going to be some very good color. Happy Fall everyone! Tomorrow is the Full Harvest Moon!

What a weekend! Yesterday, I went with my brother and his family to Mt. Kearsarge. It was a glorious day – just perfect for going up the mountain. You could see all the way to Boston and Mt. Washington! I also was fortunate to see two bald eagles that morning not too far from where I live. There has been a sub-adult and an immature in the area for a while. They are fabulous birds! I don’t really have much to say today – so I will post a couple photos – they are supposed to be worth a 1,000 words 🙂 Have a great day!

Nana enjoying a day with family

Sorry that the blog sat dormant for a few weeks. Life was a bit hectic. Nana (Alba Mary Mastrioanni Ross) passed away peacefully on the evening of 8/12/2010. She was quite the character and lived a long and pretty healthy life. The last time she went to the hospital before the night of 8/12 was in May of 1947 when she gave birth to my twin uncles. She had a glorious 100th birthday party and was the Queen of the Party. She always loved being with her family. She left us with many great memories and lots of laughs that I am sure that we will continue to share for many years to come. She will be missed – but how fortunate we were to have her in our lives for so long.

During all this my mother was also not feeling well and ended up in the hospital for emergency surgery. She was in the hospital for a week. She is home now and recovering well.

Take care – I will write again soon.

Moose in Dummer, NH (Yes, there is a Dummer.)

My August vacation is almost at an end. I went on a couple drives and snapped some photos. I also caught a cold or the goldenrod got to me – anyway – still forged up into the Great North Woods (Coos County) in New Hampshire on Tuesday (8/3) with my Uncle Ralph. He is a great tour guide. It was a cloudy/rainy/misty day – but it was not HOT and Humid so it was good 🙂 I had not been that far north in many many years. We stopped in Colebrook for lunch at the Wilderness Restaurant on Main Street. I lived in Colebrook for a year – I was 3-4 years old. My dad had his first teaching job up there. I had been back when I was in grammar school to camp – but hadn’t been there since. We then traveled East to visit the Balsams Resort. What a gorgeous location – it looks like you are in Europe.

The Balsams Resort

The moose was seen in Dummer, NH on the side of Route 16. They ares such huge animals. We then went to Berlin, and Uncle Ralph showed me where he used to teach. Then we took Bear Notch Road (closed during the winter) and returned home via “the Kank.” I was hoping to see even more moose or a black bear – but saw a couple loons and some smaller and more abundent creatures. It was a nice day, and we traveled over 300 miles round trip. The new Corolla S got 38.77 mpg (highway/backroads and high elevation)…not bad 🙂

Honolulu Sunset

August already! I am hoping that the August weather that we had in July will not return 🙂 We only had one decent thunderstorm too with all that heat and humidity. A very good thing is that I didn’t have to worry about my dad ruining himself mowing the lawn in the nasty heat – because most of the grass is brown and crunchy! There is always a positive side to things. My new air conditioner has been LOVELY! I don’t even care what the electric bill will be. It will be well worth it!

I am on vacation this week. I am going to do day trips and just relax. I am also going to try and not let the kids from the upstairs apartment and next door irritate me. Most of the time – they are kids just being kids. It has been getting much better. The thing that bothers me the most is the throwing food and candy wrappers etc. all over the walkway and my steps. Maybe it is just me – but I don’t remember just throwing trash on the ground, etc. Maybe, I am just showing my age, and I was a slob too then! LOL! I hear stories from other folks and whether you live in your own house or in an apartment – you can never really choose your neighbors. The other neighbors are nice and quiet, and in the past 22 years – I have had some neighbors who were MUCH worse. So… I at those annoying times, I will yoga breathe and chant “school starts in a few weeks – school starts in a few weeks.” I will let them enjoy their last days of summer and then let the homework be piled on! Whahahahahahahaha! LOL! I am smiling already! 🙂

I saw headlines on line today that said something like “Shark Seen Off Massachusetts.” Now – aren’t sharks in the oceans of the world? Most of the sharks that have been seen lately have been quite a distance off shore. You would think no one has seen a shark before. Maybe folks are just noticing them more – It has been a very warm summer! Stay hydrated! 🙂

Enough with the heat wave already! UGH! I cannot stand the heat and humidity. It feels like Florida in July instead of New Hampshire in July! I really would rather have 30 degree weather instead of this sauna. It feels as if you need a snorkel and a mask to breathe the air! It is TERRIBLE! I haven’t taken my Nikon D90 out to snap shots since the 5th of July! It was a sauna then too – but I was at Northwood Lake – so it was bearable. After about 22 years of living in my own place – I finally caved and purchased an air conditioner. It has been a life saver. It keeps my apartment comfortable! I “can’t” wait to see what my electric bill will be since it has been running almost non-stop since my uncle installed it for me on the 7th. It will be worth the money though! I can actually walk around the house without passing out with heat exhaustion. What makes this weather even worse is that we haven’t really had any rain to speak of and not a decent t-storm either. They keep promising t-storms – but they skirt us. The grass is brown. I am looking outside and it looks so inviting – a nice breeze … sunny … only a few clouds … but it is 90 degrees!

I will be heading out shortly to celebrate a friend’s 50th birthday. I am going with her family to The Rainforest Cafe in the Burlington Mall outside of Boston. It should be fun. At least there will be a t-storm inside the restaurant 🙂 If you have never been to The Rainforest Cafe – I highly recommend going. They have great food and a neat jungle atmosphere.

Try to stay cool and have a safe and enjoyable day! (Queue Linda Rondstatt singing Heat Wave . . .)