Frost On The Pumpkin

Well we finally got the freezing frost this week. The temperature has plummeted pretty quickly. It was 28 degrees outside my door this morning and I had to scrape the ice off the car windows and use the defroster-heater.

The first signs of frost mean its time to take in all the late vegetables from the garden. Even though there may be some warm days in the 50’s, the cold nights below 32 will certainly kill most plants.

As I checked my garden, I could see the frost glistening on the tops of all the melon heads (watermelon, pumpkin and squash). Although the crop wasn’t spectacular I got my share for a small garden. Out of 3 pumpkin plants I got 17 small pumpkins. Two were hybrid crosses with squash which most people call SQUMPKINS. I also got some early fall vegetables like broccoli, carrots, egg plant and giant sunflowers.

My biggest squmpkin was 15 inches across and weighed 50 pounds. You can see photos of my pumpkins at the link below … http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/PumpkinBlog101309

You can also see an article and some photos of the giant pumpkins at the Topsfield Fair. The winner this year weighed 1471 pounds. See the link at …. http://multimedia.boston.com/m/26704718/giant-pumpkin-winner.htm?q=giant+pumpkin&index=1&seek=3.879

The world’s largest pumpkin was recorded at 1725 pounds by a woman in Ohio. See the story at the link below …. http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/dpgo_Ohio_Woman_Grows_Worlds_Largest_Pumpkin_mb_20091006_3900624

I grew the pumpkins from seed and then transplanted them to an area adjacent to my neighbor’s yard. We now call this the community garden. I normally use the area for a compost pile but lately it has overgrown with an invasive plant called American Bamboo. I prepared the area by cutting out all the bamboo trees and removing as many bamboo roots as possible. One tiny piece of root will propagate to a full bamboo tree. I then roto tiled the area and planted 8 tomato plants, 3 cucumber, 3 squash, 3 watermelon and 3 pumpkin.

The plants grew like wildfire in the composted soil and quickly choked out the bamboo. Everything was going great until the tomato blight attacked. Most of the tomato plants had 2 inch green tomatoes until the leaves turned black and shriveled up. Shortly after, the tomatoes all rotted on the vine. Needless to say, I didn’t get any good tomatoes from this garden area but did get some cherry tomatoes from another garden area about 100 feet away.

At the end of the garden season I generally pull out most plants and then mulch them with a lawn mower and after compost everything with the roto tiller. However, this year I pulled out the black tomato plants separately and put them in the trash. Maybe this will get rid of some of the tomato blight and maybe I will find a cure for this garden disease before next season.

Although the garden pests, bugs, rodents, mildew and blights certainly decrease the garden harvest, it becomes a challenge to plan a counter attack and reap some rewards. The battle with Mother Nature has always been one of man’s biggest obstacles but maybe the battle will be a little easier next year.

Comments are always welcome. Send email to markryan82@comcast.net

Romeo Fishing Trip

Some of the Romeo gang (Retired Old Men Eating Out) decided to go deep sea fishing a few weeks ago and asked Paul Girard to find some possible fishing charters out of Gloucester, MA. Paul has had great success planning other trips and suggested the Sandy B Fishing Charters. You can see the web site at the link …… http://www.captbluefin.com/index.htm Paul emailed the info and five Romeos signed up to take the trip: Paul Girard, Jim Terlizzi, Joe Pignatiello, Joe Lapiana and Mark Ryan.

We booked the trip for September 15, 2009 and we all met at Solomon Dock in Gloucester. This would be a 4 hour trip from 8 AM to Noon. We all had high hopes of catching a ton of fish and I brought a cooler and some bags to “lug” home the heavy load.
If you have ever been fishing, you know that there are good and bad days where you catch more than you can use or nothing at all. With great anticipation, I told some of my family and neighbors about the trip and even promised them some. After, we would have a big “Fish Fry”. You can see photos of the trip at the link ….
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/FishTrip91509#

It was a beautiful day with blue skies and a few wispy clouds. We met the boat near the Heritage Maritime Museum and Solomon Dock at 7:45AM and were soon on our way out of Gloucester Harbor. There was already activity in the harbor with fishing boats, a rowing team and the Coast Guard moving out. Along the way we observed the shore line with all the beautiful homes, some hotels and Hammond Castle. We also saw the Twin Lighthouses, lobster buoys, sea gulls and cormorants.

We first stopped about a ¼ mile off of Hammond Castle around a small rocky island and cast our lines with herring bait near the rocks. After 30 minutes and no bites we moved on to deeper water. The captain navigated out between the buoys to an area about 80 feet deep. Although there was no sign of fish on the electronic fish finder, we again cast out our baited lines. With no bites we moved to another location and dropped anchor. The boat swung around into the current as the anchor grabbed the bottom. Again we had no luck and decided to pull up anchor and try some trolling as the bout moved along at about 5 mph.

The mate, Paul Gaddis, changed rods and attached big lures to the fishing lines to get ready for trolling. Only two fishing rigs could be used at a time while we trolled, so there would be no tangling of lines and less confusion. As we trolled the lines out, we threw out some chum over the stern to attract any fish in our wake. Chum is just a soupy mix of chopped up fish bait.

At about 11 AM one pole bent over and Joe Lapiana started to work the catch by pulling up and then reeling in. At the same time the other rod caught another fish and Mark Ryan worked that rod. Within a few minutes we had both caught a Blue Fish. The captain helped net the fish and brought them on board. The mate unhooked the Blues and put them both in a catch box. Both fish measured about 10 pounds and about 30 inch in length. At least we caught something. There are good days and bad days. Although fishing does take experience and boat captain know how, the fish are not always in the spots that you are looking.

Although we continued trolling, we got no further bites and decided to head in. On the way in, the mate Paul put on rubber pants and filleted the fish. Like an expert, he cut off the head and tail and sliced some fillets off each side of the fish. He also removed some of the dark red arteries that ran down along the fish sides. Paul then put a few fillets in several plastic bags so we could all take some home.

We tied up at the dock about 12:15 PM and said good bye and thanked the captain and mate for a relatively good day. Being hungry, we decided to stop for lunch at the Causeway Restaurant on Rte. 133. The food was great, the placed packed and the company terrific. Life Is Good!

The Ghost of the Black Widow - On George's Island

Recently I bought a book dealing with the Boston Harbor Islands. The book described the history of this small group of islands over the last 200 years. It caught my eye since I did some exploring out on the islands as a young boy. The title of the book is “The Boston Harbor Islands” by David Kales. You can see it at Amazon.com at the link …. http://www.amazon.com/Boston-Harbor-Islands-History-Wilderness/dp/1596292903/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237309384&sr=1-3

In the 1800s there were hotels and mansions built on some of the islands for the wealthier Bostonians. Later public parks were established with beaches available by ferry boat. During the civil war, forts were built to protect Boston from enemy ships. Civil War prisoners were also kept on the island. It was more of a summer retreat than a prison where prisoners would walk the island shores and even meet their wives and family during Sunday visits.

Early in the 1900s gambling establishments were built with alcohol and opium dens available. Illegal boxing and prize fights were also a big attraction. Local baseball teams would have Sunday games out on the islands, since the Massachusetts Blue Laws prohibited baseball on Sunday. During World War I and II, war prisoners were kept as well as sick and quarantined immigrants.

When I was in high school in the 1960s, my Uncle Joe would pick me up along with my friend Joey on most Saturday mornings during the summer, for a day exploring the Boston Harbor Islands. Uncle Joe had old green and beige Desoto Sedan with push button drive. On those hot summer days we would drive from where I lived in Chelsea to Hull, MA and meet one of Uncle Joe’s friends Dan who lived in a house on the point near Hull High school. Dan had a small row boat beached near his house and we would row out to his bigger 45 ft. workboat moored off shore.

Dan was a caretaker for the Harbor Islands and worked for the MDC (Metropolitan District Commission). In the 1960’s, the MDC had responsibility to patrol the islands before they were developed and made a State Park. Dan would patrol around most of the islands in his boat and make sure there were no trespassers or vandals. One time we found a few young kids in a power boat trying to take some copper wire from Little Brewster Island.

After making our morning rounds, we would stop at Georges Island and Fort Warren where they had just finished a new dock. The dock was built to allow access to the island after it was declared a State Park. Ferries and small boats would be able to tie up at the dock and visitors could explore the island for a picnic or swimming off the rocky shores. Since we were Dan’s guests, we had free excess to the island and explored the old Fort Warren and all its rooms, halls and dungeons without seeing another person. That was before Uncle Joe told us the story about the Ghost of the Black Widow. After hearing the story, we were sure that the sounds of the wind or the waves were really the whispers of all the ghosts that still haunted the island and protected its secrets.
As I recall the Black Widow story, a civil war solder was imprisoned on the island in the 1800’s. His wife would visit periodically by public boat. Wanting to free her husband, she rowed over at night and met her husband on the beach but was caught by a guard. Accidently, she drew her pistol and aimed at the guard but accidently shot her husband. She was tried and convicted to be hanged on the island. Her last wish was to have a robe and hood made from the black drapes in the fort dining hall. After her hanging, guards and prisoners have sworn that she haunts the island and especially the dungeon hallways where she is seen wearing the black robe.

There are many other stories that are told by park guides if you wish to visit the islands. You can also read many of the books written by Edward Rowe Snow. A list is found at Amazon.com at the link …..
http://www.amazon.com/Edward-Rowe-Snow/e/B001H9R6U0/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_T1_0
You can also take a ferry to the islands. See the link below to learn more …. http://www.bostonislands.com/

On one of our trips to Fort Warren in the 1960’s, Dan wondered if a water pipe in one of the dungeon rooms emptied out at the shore line. He asked Joey and I to go down into the lowest dungeon and yell loud to see if Uncle Joe and he could hear us at the shoreline drainage pipe. Joey said that he could even make a louder sound with an old civil war pistol that he brought to show Dan.

We loaded the pistol with gun powder only, without the bullets, and walked down several flights of stairs to a tunnel that led to the dungeon at the end. The floor was flooded with 6 inches of water and had a wood plank to walk on. I carried a flash light while Joey carried the pistol. When we got to the end of a long tunnel, we saw the hole and pipe.

Joey aimed the pistol into the hole and pressed the trigger. It made the loudest sound I ever heard which bounced and vibrated off the walls. We started to run along the wood plank and get out as fast as possible. Unfortunately, my foot slipped off the wood and I dropped the flash light which went out and was lost in the muddy water. It was now pitch dark and we had to feel our way out along the slimy walls and the long tunnel.

All I could think about was the ghost of the Black Widow chasing me from behind who would grab my ankles any second. Luckily, we reached the opening and ran out and down to the shore to tell Uncle Joe and Dan what happened. Uncle Joe said, “you look like you just saw a ghost” and laughed. He also said that he didn’t hear any sound. Well that was a waste of time but certainly got my heart pumping and a great story to remember.

We had a lot of other great days on the islands but that one was the most memorable. Now that my grand children are old enough, I think a trip to Fort Warren might be our next adventure.

Comments are always welcome. Send email to: markryan82@comcast.net

Bikes for the Grandkids

This summer we left our camper trailer at a campground in Littleton, NH called Crazy Horse. We decided to leave it in one place rather than travel to different locations. Now we can come and go as we please without having to pull the trailer and be bothered with the trailer setup. You can see the campground web site at the link …. http://www.ucampnh.com/crazyhorse/default.asp

We also bring our grandkids to the campground as often as we can and they really enjoy all the camp attractions. There is a swimming pool, playground, game room, camp store and fishing pond. In addition, most of the other children at camp have bicycles that they ride all around the camp roads and trails.

Although our grandkids have bikes at home we wanted to have other bikes that we could leave at the campsite. Consequently, we started looking online and in stores to purchase some inexpensive but rugged bikes that they could use. We needed 3 BMX type mountain bikes with 20 inch wheel size and found that the prices ranged from $70 to several hundred. You can see a sample bike at the web link ….. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=888103

We also decided to look at the local Salvation Army Thrift Store for some used bikes since we frequently donate used clothes and other items and have seen bikes there. On our first visit we purchased one bike that needed a little clean up and paid only $10.00. After a few more visits, we had the 3 bikes that I repaired with new tire tubes or nuts and bolts or chain links. I still make weekly visits to the store to find other bikes that I can fix and have given them to other kids at camp that had none. You can locate the nearest thrift store to you at the following web link ….. http://www.use.salvationarmy.org/use/www_use_mas.nsf/vw-sublinks/C0EC25AA664045D1852574DC005FF44E?openDocument

With a few common tools you can make most bike repairs and there are online web sites that show you how. A few of these web sites are at the following links ….. (Bike Encyclopedia) http://www.sheldonbrown.com/ and (Bike Repair Videos) http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4GGLJ_enUS228US228&q=Bike+Tire+Repair&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=FCh4SuPHGpCNtgfZps2WCQ&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4

You can also see some photos of the bikes that I have purchased and repaired at the following web link ………… http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/BikeRepair73009


Please send comments and suggestions to markryan82@comcast.net

Zucchini & Meat Casserole and Other Tall Tails

I got the first couple of zucchini from my garden last week. A beautiful green fruit about 14 inches long and 5 inches wide. My God, “Its Bigger than Both of Us” as Imogene Coca would say on “The Sid Caesar - 1950’s TV Show”. Most people like these zucchinis about half that size for cooking in casseroles or boiled and served with butter. Although the zucchini was almost picking size four days earlier, I had gone away for a few days and it tripled in size when I got back. It was like the pod people in the movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”.
See photos at the link …. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/ZucCasserole72609

Zucchini plants are so prolific. They continue to flower and produce fruits all summer - (More Pod People). I usually will pick the first few and give them to my wife to cook in various ways. She has a ton of recipes which are all delicious. However, I know she has reached her cooking limit when I see the zucchini green color to her eyes as she imitates “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” and slaps me on the head with her giant green tail. At that point, I give away the rest of the “pod” crop to family and friends to spread the wealth and propagate the “alien” species.

I decided to grow most of my vegetable garden from seed this year and involved the grandchildren. Once the seedlings reached about 4 inches in height, I could plant them in the garden. You need to time this so you can plant them in the garden after Memorial Day and the last signs of frost. However, like most plans and several delays, I eventually planted the seeds in late April in the house and waited for them to grow to maturity. I hoped Bernie Madoff didn’t help produce these seeds.

I gave a bunch of seeds and seedlings to my grand daughter to put in a garden at her house. I also gave her some plastic fencing to put around the plants and keep them safe from “Space” invaders. She put up the fence her self and delicately put all the plants in the ground. She watered and weeded the garden and took special care of the little seedlings. However, “Alien Creatures From Outer Space” in the form of a ground hog ate most of the plants and the garden fell apart.

To make sure that I had a viable garden this year, I also bought some already grown plants at the garden center. They were duplicates of the ones that I was also growing from seed. I was now growing both seedlings and plants of zucchini, squash, tomato, carrot, lettuce, broccoli, pepper, egg plant, cucumber and a bunch of herbs. Nothing like “hedge hogging” your bets. I also moved the plants from the house to a cold frame outside in May.

After Memorial Day, I planted all the garden center plants in my regular garden and almost ran out of space. A few weeks later, the seedlings which I had growing in a cold frame were now ready to plant in the garden. Since I had no more space to put them in the regular garden, I cleared a spot near the compost pile and made another garden. My neighbor also provided some space on an adjoining compost area. We now have a “Farm Coop”. Maybe we should apply for Federal Stimulus Money.

Unfortunately, the area was also home to an invasive bamboo plant that grows like wild fire and is competing for the same space as the seedlings. This reminds me of the movie “War of the Worlds” where the space creatures try to take over the Earth. Will the alien “Bamboo Creatures” win? Stay tune for the exciting conclusion next month. Although I dig out and snip off most of the bamboo sprouts every other day, there deep roots continue to produce more and more alien creatures.

Although my garden is fenced in, I noticed that some of the plants were still being eaten, especially the Strawberry plants and Lettuce and Corn. To help protect the plants, I made a few screened boxes. After using the boxes on the Strawberries which only produce fruit in June, I moved the boxes over the other tender plants (corn, carrots, and lettuce) to protect them. So far they are doing fine.

Yesterday, my wife tried a new recipe for “Zucchini Casserole” with ground hamburg and served it for dinner. It was truly delicious and outstanding. After some pleading, she shared with me her secret recipe which I have described below. However, like Mr. Phelps says from “Mission Impossible” you must destroy the secret in 30 seconds to prevent a world wide zucchini epidemic.

Zucchini & Meat Casserole (Secret Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 zucchini (1/4” slices), 2-3 eggs, bread crumbs, 1 pkg mozzarella cheese (shredded), 1 lb. Hamburg (see meatball cooking instructions below), marinara sauce (make your own).

Directions:
Meatballs (crumbled after cooking) - mix together 1 lb. Hamburg, 1 egg, 5 slices Italian Bread, (wet with water and shredded), Romano cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Make meatballs and broil. After, cool and crumble.

Casserole - Dip zucchini slices in egg batter, bread crumbs and place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil and bake at 425 until tops crusty. Then layer zucchini slices in casserole dish with other ingredients in following order: 1. sauce, 2. zucchini, 3. ground meat. 4. grated cheese. 5. Mozzarella cheese. 6, sauce. Repeat layering to fill dish. Bake at 350 for one hour.

Remember: “Don’t Tell Bernie”. - Recipe Will Self Destruct In 30 Seconds

Garden “Signs”

Signs can be interpreted as either ones that you paint or clues that indicate something. When planting a garden you need both. The painted signs are used to identify plants and the other signs will signal when its time to plant the seed, or thin the seedlings, or transfer the seedlings, or water, or protect from frost. A successful gardener has to constantly be vigilant for “SIGNS”. You can see some photos of my “Signs” at the link below …..
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenProgress62309?authkey=Gv1sRgCPyltYz3pariHQ

This year I started some plants from seed. In early May, I had my grandchildren help me with putting the seeds in Peat Pots and trays. I then put the trays in a cold frame that protected the plants from cold weather outside while the seeds germinated to seedlings.

The cold frame had a wood skeleton which was covered with clear plastic. On warm days I would open the cold frame for air circulation and at night close it to protect the plants from possible “signs” of frost.

During the next month the seeds germinated to seedlings and grew to 6 inches tall. This was a “sign” which indicated they needed to be transferred to larger individual pots and then eventually planted in the garden.

Later, I painted some “signs” to help identify the plant sections mostly for garden neighbors and visitors that would stop by to chat. I put the painted signs on wood dowels at different places in the garden.

I watered the plants frequently so that the soil never dried out while the plants were in the cold frame. I used water that I collected from a roof and rain barrel system that I built. After putting the plants in the garden, I watered as needed with a watering can. Most plants only need a cup of water a week to survive. However, I didn’t hand water much since it has rained most of the month of June.

Since I started the seeds late, I don’t expect a harvest until late July or August. Most plants produce fruits in 75 to 90 days. The development of flowers is a “sign” that pollination and fertilization will take place. After fertilization, the bottom of flowers will generally develop into the fruits.

As you patiently wait for “signs” of harvest time, you keep busy tending the plants, and watching for “signs” to weed, water, tie and support plants, and treat for pests and fungus. Harvest time lasts about a month and will produce about a bucket full of vegetables every other day in a small 20x30 foot garden. . Although I try to use most of the harvest, I give a lot away to family and friends.

Comments are always welcome. Send email to markryan82@comcast.net .

Strawberries

I planted some strawberry plants a few years ago and they have spread by runners to cover a larger area (3x8 feet). However, my harvest has been limited by the eating habits of local rabbits. Just when the berries were ripe enough I would find a bite out of the sides of most of them. You can see some info about protecting you plants from rabbits and other garden pests at the link ….. http://www.gardenguides.com/pests/tips/rabbits.asp

This year I decided to protect the plants by covering them with netting. However, my wife suggested using some cheese cloth she had. I took the cheese cloth and tried to cover most of the plants and it worked for a while but when wet with rain the cloth squished the plants.

My only other solution was to build some box frames with plastic or wire screening. I had a few pieces of chicken wire and plastic screen leftovers and made myself two boxes (1’H x 2’W x 3’L) to cover the strawberry bushes. After covering them, I got a pretty good first harvest and the berries were nice a sweet and plump. Even those that were still a little white or green, ripened to red in a few days in a bowl at the window sill. See the photos at the link below ……………. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Strawberries6509

Strawberries are easy to grow and produce some delicious fruits. There are several varieties that have been cultivated for the grocery shelf which are either June Bearing (one crop in June) or Ever Bearing (several crops throughout season). They are also categories by the flowers into 3 types; short day, long day and day neutral. The day neutral plants flower all the time and produce fruits all season. You can see more info about strawberries at the links below …… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry
or http://gardening.about.com/od/fruitsberriesnuts/a/Strawberries.htm


Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Send email to markryan82@comcast.net

A Camping - "Staycation"

Getting away on vacation has always been a way to relax and have a change of pace from one’s daily life. Whether it be a short trip to a friend’s house in the next town or across the country or around the world, looking at new surroundings and talking to new people rejuvenates the soul. However, with the economy in a recession people have less money to spend and are re-thinking the distance they travel and are vacationing closer to home. These closer to home vacations have been dubbed staycations.

With the price of gas now half what it cost last year, most vacationers are hopping in the family car and driving a few hours to their vacation destination rather than taking a more costly airplane trip. You can reduce the cost even more by taking a camping trip which can vary from sleeping in a tent to staying in a luxury motor home. You can either use your own trailer or rent one at the campground to try it out first.

When I retired in 2003, I bought a camper trailer and used it to travel around New England during the summer months. My wife and I would stay at various campgrounds for a week and then come home for a week before heading out again. This allowed us to vacation and also take care of things around the house. Our favorite places were Wells, Maine, Sandwich, MA and North Woodstock, NH. However, two years ago I traded in the old camper and got a bigger one which can sleep up to eight. We can now take the grandkids with us without being over crowded.

This year we found a campground in northern NH where we can leave the trailer for the entire summer season. The great thing about leaving the trailer at one campground for the summer is that you can come and go as you please. No making reservations, no packing and unpacking and no pulling the trailer back and forth. Our campground is called Crazy Horse and has all the amenities that we need and is close to area attractions that we might like to visit. You can rent a trailer campsite for about $40 per night, $250 per week or $1700 for the 5 month season (May 15 to Oct 15). Rental fees are much higher at campgrounds with more amenities or those near the ocean. You can visit the Crazy Horse web site and see what they offer at the link below …… http://www.ucampnh.com/crazyhorse/default.asp

Another great thing about a trailer camper is that you have a home away from home. You drive the trailer into the camp site, unhitch the trailer and now have the car to use for short trips nearby. You can sleep in your own bed, make your own meals and have most of the amenities you would have at home. In our trailer there is a queen size bed, a sofa couch with a pull out bed, a fold down dining table bed and two bunk beds. In addition, the trailer has a slide out where the side wall slides out making the trailer 4 feet wider which increases the living space to 12 feet x 30 feet. There is also a kitchen area with double sink, gas stove, microwave oven, refrigerator and central AC or Heat. There is a full bathroom with vanity, sink, toilet and shower-tub. There is a dining table, sofa couch and entertainment center with flat screen TV, DVD, radio. In addition, there are plenty of storage cabinets for clothes, games, toys, pots and pans, towels and toiletries.

Most campgrounds offer full hookups for the trailer which means you can connect to water, sewer, electricity, cable TV and WiFi. Although you have all these conveniences, your trailer is in a wooded setting with a pond or stream nearby where you can enjoy mother-nature right at your doorstep.

You can cook meals inside the trailer in a modern kitchen or outside over the rustic campfire or gas grill. We general will eat breakfast inside and other meals on a picnic table outside. At night, we sit around the campfire and toast marshmallows on sticks and tell stories. During the day we can swim at the camp pool or local pond. A large lake is nearby where we can go fishing or boating. The time seems to drift by slowly while you relax and watch the clouds drift by.

You can also visit nearby attractions like Franconia Notch, Echo Lake, the Flume or Cannon Mountain. There is also a shopping center nearby for buying groceries or other forgotten items. For longer stays, you can visit local shops or historical attractions or covered bridges in downtown Littleton, Bethlehem, Franconia, Sugar Hill, North Woodstock or Lincoln. For the more adventurous there is Kayaking, Biking, Hiking, Mountain Climbing or Fishing and Boating.

On a recent week we met my brother-in-law and his wife and spent the day sightseeing the local back roads. As we drove along the scenic routes, we saw majestic mountains in the distance and nearby rolling farm lands with cows and horses. We stopped at Cabot Creamery in Cabot, Vt.; we ate at Anthony’s Diner in St. Johnsbury, Vt., and had pastry at the Rainbow Café in Danville, Vt. On another day we visited the Old Grist Mill and Covered Bridge in Littleton, NH. and walked along the downtown streets and visited the local shops.

In the evening we went back to the campground and walked to the camp office. As we approached, Barbara and Joe, the camp owners, were sitting on the front porch talking to other campers and invited us to join them. Later, they had a “Make Your Own Sundae” activity at the Pavilion for all the campers. The ice cream party gave us the opportunity to meet some of the other campers and share some conversation and laughs.

This is certainly my kind of staycation. A quiet day at your own pace. Do what you want when you want. No long lines, now traffic, no airport delays. “Life Is Good”.

Time To Get The Vegetable Garden Ready

Normally I start planning my vegetable garden about March and then put the plants in the garden after Memorial Day. I try to decide what plants I should buy and which ones to grow from seed. I start looking in the department stores and garden centers at the plant displays and mentally making lists of what I need. However, I also keep seeds from last year’s plants too. To do this, I remove the seeds from the fresh vegetable, dry them out on newspaper, store them in paper envelopes and then label them with name and date and special comments.

In addition, I also buy some full size plants in six pack flats or individual quart size containers. Checking around at the different garden centers the prices have increased this year for the quart size plant containers with a full grown plant. The average price is about $3.49 per container but you do get a full grown healthy plant about one foot tall.

The price of a package of seeds varies from one store to another. I like Burpee Seeds sold at Walmart’s for $ 1.00 per pack. Marketbasket had packs for $0.69 and Christmas Tree Shop had packs for $1.99. I finally decided to buy 15 different seed packs from Walmart, some potting soil mix (with vermiculite), some (2x5) peat pots, some (4x9) planting trays, and some craft sticks to label each peat pot.

I invited my grandchildren over the house at the end of April to help me plant some of the seeds and let them each pick a variety to plants from the 15 choices. I gave them a Seed Info Chart that I had made from the information on the back of the seed packs. See chart at the link ......
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/SeedInfo5409?authkey=Gv1sRgCNOghL__gKCMpQE#5332153768917807394

I then set out a card table in the basement and covered it with newspaper. I put the supplies nearby and explained to the children how to plant the seeds. The kids quickly chose their seeds, loaded the peat pots with soil mix, made the seed holes with a pencil, dropped in the seeds and covered them with soil. See photos at the link …….
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenBlogPics5409


We then carried the peat pots outside to a cold frame that I made with wood strapping and clear plastic. I told them that the clear plastic would allow the sunlight through most of the day to keep the seedlings warm. We then watered the peat pots and closed the top of the cold frame to keep the heat in overnight and protect the plants from any frost.

In Wilmington, MA where I live, you generally have to wait until after Memorial Day to be safe from cold nights and frost before you can take seedlings from the cold frame and plant them in the garden. The seeds take about two weeks to germinate to tiny seedlings with two little leaves. I told the grandchildren that I would water them each day and send them pictures by email to see how the plants develop over the next few weeks. However, they would have to help me plant them in the garden at the end of May.

I got the garden ready last week by tilling the soil with my gas powered Honda Mini Tiller. This is a great tool which has four circular blades with tines that dig into the soil and turn it over. The next step is to decide where to put each vegetable plant and how far to space them from each other. I generally make a chart of my garden area which is 10 x 20 feet and pencil in the approximate location of each plant with a designated number. Some of the plants can be placed along the garden fence about one foot apart and some of the others are placed two or three feet apart. See the chart at the link .....

http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenPlotDesign5409#5332151825200309666

That’s it for now. I’ll let you know how the garden develops during the summer. If you have any suggestions, questions or comments, send email to markryan82@comcast.net.

Getting The Yard Ready (Spring Is Here !)

Spring is a beautiful time of year. The birds start singing, trees flower and the days are warmer. To help mother nature, we cleanup the yard, rake the leaves and twigs, till the garden and flower beds and rejuvenate the lawn. To help the flower beds requires cutting new edges and putting down fresh bark mulch. To help the lawn requires dethatching the dead grass and raking up the debris. Afterwards you fertilize with weed control and hope it rains enough to keep the grass healthy. Where I live in Wilmington, MA there are water restrictions with only hand held watering hoses before 9AM and after 5PM.

Before using the lawn tractor to dethatch the lawn, I took it out of the shed and put back the battery which I take out for winter storage. I then changed the oil, oil filter, gas filter and spark plug. This year, I also had to replace the spark plug wire clip that rusted and broke off. See photos at the link below……
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Lawnmower141609

I also changed the oil on two lawnmowers and a snow blower while I had the time. You can get rid of the old oil by returning it to a recycle center or wait for your town to have a recycling day. See the web link below to find places that are near you …… http://earth911.com/

Next, I hooked up the utility trailer to get some bark mulch at the garden center. After hooking it up with a trailer hitch, I noticed the tail lights didn’t work. Could it be just a new bulb or were there wiring problems. After replacing a bulb the lights still didn’t work. I then used a wire tester at different places to see if there was a break in the wiring. You can also use a multimeter. It turned out that the wire connector from the trailer to the car was defective. One of the connecting plugs rusted and broke off. I bought a 4-Wire replacement kit at Walmart but found the original trailer wiring had 5 wires going into a 4-wire plug. I looked up the wire diagram online and saw that the brown wire went to both the right and left running lights of the trailer. This is why 5 wires went into a 4-wire connector (1 yellow, 1 green, 1 white and 2 connected brown). See wire diagram at the link below …..
http://www.accessconnect.com/trailer_wiring_diagram.htm

You can also see photos of the trailer wire replacement at the link below ….
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/TrailerLights42409

I’m glad that Spring only comes once a year !

Send comments to: markryan82@comcast.net

Libraries – The Last Treasure

Library of Alexandria (300BC)
One of the last places that provide free entertainment, services and materials to borrow is the local public library. This is certainly a treasure to take advantage of in today’s economy. Check it out – This is Library Week across America (April 12 -18, 2009).

Besides books, there are discount passes to area museums, speaker programs for all ages, film nights, how to seminars, and free internet access. You can borrow books, music CDs and movie DVDs. The research librarian will assist you with finding all kinds of information.

The online catalog allows you to locate materials available at the local library or at the area library consortium. Books and materials can be ordered from other libraries and shipped to the local library within days. When they arrive you will be notified by phone or email when to pick them up. I access my local library at the web link … http://www.wilmlibrary.org/ Here you can see what new programs are offered and find information from online catalogs. You can also subscribe to the library newsletter which is sent to you by email.

I visit the library at least once a week to pickup books that I have ordered or look for new ones. At the library you can browse the shelves to see what titles or authors may pique your interest. New books are displayed upfront dealing with a current public interest such as Heart Month, Black History Month, President’s Week or even Travelogues to other countries.

I recently picked up some books on piano music from the 1920’s. Another time I saw a book on signal flags used on ships and the how to recognize a ship from their silhouette. After reading an article in the local newspaper about pirates in Wilmington, I got some books about Captain Kid and his exploits along the New England coast which I shared with my grandson.

A few years ago I was doing genealogy research and trying to construct a family tree. I was able to get a few books at the library that provided information on available resources and online genealogy data bases only available at the library. In addition, I was able to attend a special Genealogy Night offered at the Andover Public Library. I have also borrowed audio books for my next door neighbor who is partially blind. Another time, I attended an evening lecture on gardening tips and how to deal with garden insects.

Next door to the Wilmington Public Library is a small house called The Bookstore Next Door. See the link …. http://friendsbookstorenextdoor.blogspot.com/
This bookstore is run by the Friends of the Library and has a large collection of used books, CDs, DVDs for adults and children. Paperbacks are fifty cents and hard cover books are two dollars. This is quite a bargain from the original cost. I usually browse the shelves every few weeks for new items. While I am there, local residents drop off their used books for others to buy. After a few minutes I have found a couple of suspense novels for me and also some children’s books for the grand kids.

If I am looking for special books not available at the library, I try Amazon.com at the link … http://www.amazon.com/ . At this web site you can look up books by title, author and genre with a synopsis or book review. You can select the book to purchase as new or used and have it shipped to your home for a shipping charge of about $3.00. The used books are like new and sometimes cost less than a dollar.

I find reading to be an active endeavor, instead of passive, like watching TV. When you read you have to formulate the words on the page into thoughts, ideas and pictures. You use your own experiences and imagination to construct the scene and the action.

Sometimes the books that you are reading become relevant to current events. I am now reading the book “The Edge of Battle”, By Dale Brown. See Ammazon.com for a review … http://www.amazon.com/Edge-Battle-Dale-Brown/dp/0060753080/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239072320&sr=8-1
The book is about smugglers of drugs and people on the Mexican Border. About immigration, border security and international terrorism. The book describes currents weapons used as well as the politics between local, state and national governments.

Recently I saw another book that piqued my interest while reading the Boston Globe book reviews. See the link … http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2009/03/31/pearl_returns_to_boston_with_dickens/
It is entitled “The Dante Club” By Matthew Pearl. The author lives in Cambridge and has written several Mystery Novels about the local area. The Dante Club is a murder mystery which takes place in Boston in 1865 and involves Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Oliver Wendell Holmes. They discover the local pastor of the Old North Church murdered in an under ground church crypt. The Globe recently had an article about a local archeologist finding historical evidence in the crypt at the Old North Church. See the link … http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/06/resurrecting_a_storied_past/

I looked up some information about Libraries online and found that the three largest libraries are here in the US. The name of the libraries and the number of volumes they hold are: (Library Congress - 29,550,914), (Harvard University – 15,181,349) and the (Boston Public – 14,933,349).

In ancient times the largest library was the Royal Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt. This was built by King Ptolemy II about 300 BC. Carl Sagan in his TV Series “Cosmos” estimated that Alexandria had over a million volumes. The first books were papyrus scrolls. After the library burned during the rule of Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony supposedly gave to Cleopatra 200,000 scrolls taken from the Library of Pergamum for the Library in Alexandria, as a wedding gift. See the link …. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria

To prevent future catastrophes from destroying great books, statues, buildings and works of art, a digital library has been established called the Perseus Digital Library. See the link …. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/

I recently saw a movie on TV, The Time Machine (2002). The time machine inventor is hurtled 800,000 years into the future where earth has been destroyed along with all books and technology and people must start over again as hunter gatherers. The only thing that survives from the past is a Hologram of a Man that has the entire knowledge of mankind in his digital memory http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1807432839/details

However, back in the year 2009 and I still have my tangible books that I can hold in my hand, which allow me to imagine the past, present and future from the comfort of my non-digital easy chair.

All comments appreciated. email to : markryan82@comcast.net

Learning Life Skills Through Science Fair Projects

I always enjoy attending science fairs and talking with the student participants as they enthusiastically explain there projects. Filled with excitement, they describe step by step the intricacies of their experiments and the startling revelations that they may have discovered.

However, there is a range of projects that span student capabilities from simple to very complex. Some projects are simple and done at home or in school with some teacher guidance. Other projects are done in conjunction with a mentor from the local university or industrial lab. Judging these projects from opposite extremes takes some practice and keeping them on a level playing field.

I especially love the home made projects involving simple ideas with a new twist. The ones where students have made their own instruments to measure the changes in simple variables. I saw one such project last week where a student was measuring the lift on airplane wings of different shapes. She first created the wind power with a leaf blower. Then she constructed a metal stand to support her different wings by soldering short pieces of wire together creating a 15 inch tall structure. A paper measuring scale was the fixed to the back of the structure where a spring supported the wing piece. As the simulated wind from the leaf blower blew across the wing, it stretched the spring by a small increment which could be measured on the paper scale. In addition, changes in static and dynamic air pressure were measured on two homemade water manometers. She then measured the changes in lift and pressure for all her wing designs and graphed all the results. She also kept accurate records of her experiments in a log book and wrote a detailed report of her investigation, literature search, experimental findings with mathematical calculations and graphs. When speaking with her, she was able to explain clearly what she did and made conclusions based on her original work.

On the other hand, there are projects that seem at first glance to be beyond the capabilities of a normal high school student. These are the ones which involve a mentor from the local university or biotech laboratory. Schools are now partnering with local colleges and labs to find mentors to work with their students on science fair projects. The projects that students select are usually a side investigation suggested by the mentor related to current research in which the mentor is now engaged. The student meets with the mentor for a few days a week over several months at the mentor’s lab. The mentor shows the student how to use sophisticated lab equipment and research techniques. The student then performs various experiments and learns to describe the results using cutting edge terminology. Although the projects maybe more sophisticated than the home grown ones, they are judged on the same criteria which involve the following questions: Are there any signs of originality and creativity? Can the student explain the results in simple terms? Were there repeated trials? Did the student keep accurate records in a log book and write a detailed report? Science fair judges need to be careful when scoring these projects and keeping them on a level playing field with all other projects. Although project complexity may range from simple to sophisticated, they need to use the same criteria and not be blown away by the sophisticated cutting edge ideas or lab techniques used by mentored student.

This passed Saturday, March 21, 2009; I attended the Regional IV Science held at Somerville High School in Somerville, MA. See the link at … http://shsscience.org/regionIV/ . You can see some photos of the fair at the link … http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/RegScFair32109
The regional event is where science fair winners from over 40 high schools north of Boston, MA exhibit their original projects and compete for prizes and spots to enter the State Science Fair, to be held April 30-May2, 2009 at MIT in Cambridge, MA. See link at … http://www.scifair.com/ . The state fair has over 200 participants from high schools around the state and the 6 regional science fairs.

I have been associated with the science fair for over 40 years, first as a high school teacher at Medford High School, in Medford, MA, sending students to the local, regional and state fairs and then participating as a Science Fair Judge. Although I have been retired from public education for several years, I still enjoy volunteering as a Science Fair Judge for local high school fairs and the regional fair.

As a judge, I have had the opportunity to discuss with the student participants their projects in depth. Although I have to limit my individual conversation to about 10 minutes per project so I can judge several projects in the time allowed, I get a good idea of the quality of work that the student has performed. To guide the judging process, there is a score card that addresses five areas of performance: 1. Scientific Approach, 2.Original Notebook, 3. Thoroughness, 4. Ingenuity and Creativity, and 5. Advancement in Science. All projects are judged on this same criteria.

When students decide to participate in their local fair and go on to the regional and state, their individual high school teacher carefully guides them through the process of selecting an interesting topic, keeping accurate records, doing repeated experimental trials and basing their conclusions on what they actually observed in their experiments.

Before enter a fair, students need to practice their public speaking abilities and have self confidence when exhibiting their projects. Not only are they asked questions by the judges but also the general public. They must learn to exude enthusiasm in their project and what they have accomplished. They have to be knowledgeable about their subject area and be able to express their knowledge to a range of audiences.

Students who have participated in a science fair program acquire life skills that get them ready for adult lives. Working individually or as a team, students learn how to tackle problems and make appropriate plans to find solutions. They learn communication skills in both public speaking and comprehensive writing. They learn how to make keen observations and keep accurate records. They learn mathematical and graphic skills to calculate and illustrate there findings. Participating in a science fair program prepares young students for the 21st Century, ready to pursue a range of meaningful careers.

Sailing the Ocean Blue

Recently I saw a book at the public library on how to tell different ships apart from their silhouette. The book is titled “What Ship Is That? - A Field Guide to Boats and Ships” by Bobby Basnight. The book also shows the different colored flags flown by ships to let other ships know about their cargo, origin or other information. You can see some of the ship silhouettes and flags at the link …… http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Ships31009
Can you decipher the flag message above?

I also saw an announcement for the Tall Ships coming back to Boston on July 8, 2009. You can see the info at the link ….. http://www.sailboston.com/home.html

Reading the book and seeing the Tall Ships notice, reminded me of my sailing days as a boy and the unforgettable ocean voyage I experienced. You can read the story below.

Sailing the Ocean Blue
A few years after high school, my friend Jack bought a used sail boat that had been damaged in a storm. He was sure that he could repair most of the damage with a little help from his friends. It was a twenty one foot sloop with one mast that went through a small enclosed cabin space and an open cockpit with a stick tiller and a permanent keel. The repair job took the three of us (Jack, Joe and Me) about a year to fix the giant hole in the hull, get a new mast, rigging, sails and other needed accessories.

Whenever we had the time and a few extra dollars, we would buy needed supplies and make the trip from the inner city to the north shore. We lived in Chelsea, MA in the early 1960’s and kept the boat at Graves Boat Yard, in Marblehead, MA. It was about an hour drive, one way, after work or on weekends.

We finally got the boat in the water by the spring of 1964. We moored it out in Marblehead harbor and used the water taxi to get to the mooring. Although we would take the boat out for short trips to Gloucester or Manchester, we would mostly sail around just outside the harbor or remained at the mooring doing some light chores, cleaning, painting or fixing the rigging.

On sailing days, we shared the duties of raising the sails, manning the tiller or hanging over the gunwales in a hard tack to the wind. As Jack sailed on a long tack with no foresail and just the mainsail, I enjoyed sitting on the fore deck with my back pressed firmly against the mast as the wind and the waves splashed against the bow. Sometimes we would raise the spinnaker and watch it billow out into a giant pillow. The wind blowing against your face was so exhilarating.

Although our short day trips were just great, we decided to take a longer trip to a more distant harbor. Since both Jack and I had attended Maine Maritime Academy, we decided to take a trip to Castine, Maine. The distance by car is about 235 miles and a five hour drive. The distance by boat is also about 200 miles and could take about 20-30 hours with a good 10 mph tail wind.

We made plans for our week long ocean voyage, bought food and provisions and a few changes of clothes. Using current sea charts, we plotted our course along the coast and tried to stay less than 10 miles from land and free of any rocks or sand bars or shipping lanes. We also had a binacle compass mounted near the tiller so we could track our course and bearing.

Although we did not have a communications radio, I used a portable radio with a bar antenna to help with navigation. By rotating the radio, you could null out the radio signal and find its compass direction to the radio station. Using triangulation, I could plot my location on the charts from two or three AM- radio stations that were along the coast from Marblehead to Castine. Sounds crude but it did work

We stored some food in a cooler with ice and the rest in some boxes. We bought frozen TV dinners for a week and planned to cook them in a collapsible oven mounted on a propane stove. The stove was fastened to the mast inside the galley cabin so it was protected from the wind. The enclosed galley had small windows on both sides and only about four foot head room. It also had about six feet of floor space for two people to sleep in sleeping bags while the third could sleep out in the open cockpit.

On the morning of our departure, we checked the weather report which forecasted light winds and some morning fog. We left the harbor in the fog and hoped that it would clear shortly. Although the visibility was only about 5 miles in fog, we made good time out of the harbor and tracked a course slightly NNE. However, the wind died after about 5 hours sailing and we pulled down the sails and switched to an outboard motor that pushed us along slowly at about 5 mph. That was fine for a few hours until we came upon a large area of floating sargasso seaweed. This went on for miles and kept getting caught in the outboard propeller. Luckily the wind picked up again, so we raised the sails and pulled out the outboard motor.

It was now time to cook some dinner so I popped a few TV dinners into the oven inside the cabin and lit the propane burner. While dinner was cooking in the cabin, I went out into the cockpit to enjoy the view with the other two. After a few minutes, there was a giant explosion and a ball of fire wooshed out of the cabin at the three of us sitting at the stern of the open cockpit. Joe quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher and pointed it inside the cabin and was able to put out the fire in just a few seconds.

Luckily, the only thing that burned was the propane gas that had filled the cabin. There must have been a leak in the stove which allowed the propane gas to fill the cabin. The fire ball and the force of the explosion just went directly out the open cabin door without causing any permanent damage. We all looked at each other in astonishment and counted our blessing that nothing else burned and we were still alive. With the excitement over, we had bologna sandwiches and water for dinner and continued sailing. No turning back now.

The wind picked up again and we sailed through night. Since we could only see a few miles ahead, we used the compass to stay on course. The helmsman would scan the red lighted compass, keep the sails full and maintain the tiller. We took four hour shifts, two out in the cockpit sailing and keeping watch for floating debris while the third slept inside the cabin.

The next morning the fog rolled in again and cut the visibility to only a few miles. Although we were maintaining a good compass course, we had no idea how much we were drifting sideways since we couldn’t see any land to orient ourselves. However, a ship appeared way off to the port side about 5 miles away. It looked like a fishing trawler, so we decided to hail it and get directions by lighting a distress flare and honking a load air horn. As the boat got closer, we realize it was hundred foot oil tanker rather than a small fishing boat. Too late now.

The tanker finally stopped about two miles off to our starboard and we headed for it. As we approached, a crewman on the tanker was rapidly taking pictures. He probably thought that we had sailed across the ocean in our small boat.

As we got closer, the ten foot swells caused our small sail boat to bounce up and down along side the tanker so we tossed over some bumpers to protect the boat sides. Seeing our outboard, the oil tanker crew man asked if we needed gas. We said yes but also needed directions and that we were on our way to Castine, Maine. He invited us up to the bridge to help us with the navigation. Since the swells were still tossing the boat around, I stayed onboard to keep it away from scrapping the tanker sides.

However, Joe and Jack went on board and up to the tanker bridge. The captain used his Loran Navigation equipment to fix our present location and plotted a course for us to Boothbay Harbor which was only about 10 miles to our west. He said that the fog was still very thick and it would be safer for us to wait it out in Boothbay. You can see our original and secondary course on the map link ….. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/CastineMap31009

Using our compass and the charted course given us, we sailed through the fog to the first harbor buoy and then directly to Boothbay Yacht Club. Evidently, the tanker called ahead and some yacht club members were waiting for us and let us tie up right at their dock. They also let us use the club facilities where we showered and shaved. We also called home to let our families know we were Ok.

After getting cleaned up, we walked around the harbor area and found a small pizza shop and had something to eat. We also arranged with the pizza shop owner to use his oven to cook the rest of our fifteen TV dinners so we could eat for a few days. Since the fog was predicted to continue for a few more days, we decide to sail back to Marblehead and try again with better weather conditions. We left early the next morning and sailed back to Marblehead in about ten hours. Although we didn’t reach our planned destination, we certainly had a sea story to tell our future children.

Comments are welcome. Send email to markryan82@comcast.net

Homemade Escarole Soup (ZUPPA DI SCAROLA)

Adding a hearty soup to your diet is quite filling, has plenty of nutrients from the meat and vegetables and is only about 100 calories per cup/serving. Although low calorie canned soups are quick and easy to make, their salt content is still high (about 400-800 mg of sodium) per serving compared to homemade soups where you add salt to taste.

To help me with my diet, my wife makes a batch (8 qt. pot) of homemade escarole soup about once every two weeks which we then store in the freezer in serving size plastic containers. You can then take them out of the freezer as needed and heat them in the microwave for about 15 minutes before serving.

Escarole soup (Italian Wedding Soup or Zuppa Di Scarola) has a variety of names and recipes. Although escarole is the main ingredient, you can substitute with spinach and add other vegetables like beans, lentils, carrots, onions, and celery. Also, after adding chicken (whole or pieces) as the main meat you can add tiny meatballs (beef or veal), sausage, prosciutto, sopresssato or pepperoni.

My wife learned how to make her escarole soup from my Italian mother which was passed along from her family. I’m sure that with the availability and source of foods (open market, corner store, or super market), the recipe has changed a little over the years. My mother would sometimes shop in the North End of Boston at the open market and later at the corner grocery. Quite often (in the 1940-50s) she would also buy her vegetables from the street vendor who circulated the neighborhood in horse and wagon with all his fresh produce.

You can see the recipe below and some photos of how my wife makes her soup at the link …. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/EscaroleSoup21809

You can also see some other online recipes and a variety of names for escarole soup at the link ……. http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,italian_escarole_soup,FF.html

Recipe (Escarole Soup)
Ingredients : 1 pound ground beef , 4 slices wet Italian bread, 3 chicken quarters, 4 eggs, 1 cup barley, 4 tablespoons grated Romano cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon gravy master, 1 tomato, 2 cups chopped celery and carrots, 1 large onion, 2 heads escarole (wash thoroughly) and chopped.

Preparation: 1. Mix the ground beef by hand with 2 eggs, 2 tbsp Romano cheese, pepper, salt, garlic, parsley, small shredded pieces wet bread (squeeze out extra water). Make tiny, marble size meatballs and put in refrigerator till needed.

2. Mix a slurry with 2 eggs and 2 tbsp grated Romano cheese in a glass and store in refrigerator till needed.


3. Fill an 8 qt. pot to about ¾ with water and start heating on stove. Add chicken and vegetables (onion, celery, carrots). Add seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, parsley and gravy master). Add barley and bring to boil. Stir frequently to mix the barley. Simmer for about 2 hours. Add the washed escarole, the meatballs and the glass of egg slurry. Simmer for another hour. Let cool and scoop into serving size plastic bowls. Store in freezer .

Comments welcome. Send email to markryan82@comcast.net

Snow Job?

Is this a snow job? Is it spring yet? Have you had enough snow and cold? I heard on the news today that they had snow in London and no plows to clean the streets. The last time it snowed in London was 20 years ago. Extreme weather seems to be occurring all over the globe (ice, snow, rain, floods, mud slides, beach erosion).

From December 2008 through February 2009, we have had 10 days of plow-able snow in Wilmington, MA. That’s the number of times I have had to take out the shovels and snow blower to clean off the front stairs, walkways and driveway around my house. In addition, I also do the sidewalk leading to my neighbors (100 feet left and right) and most of the time, do another neighbor’s driveway. It normally takes me about three hours to clean the snow after a storm. It seems like there has been snow every week this winter.

You can see the past record of weather conditions and snow accumulation for your area at your local TV station web link or at Accuweather.com See the link at …… http://www.accuweather.com/
Just type in your zip code. You get the current weather and forecast. Go to bottom of page and select past month. (You can get data for the past two months). You can also get monthly averages (charts and graphs) in the Boston Globe printed at the beginning of the next month. The total amount so far for Wilmington, MA is 44.7 inches (December 25.3 and January 19.4).

Since I live in a suburban area near a school, we have the luxury (or curse) of having a sidewalk plow clean away the deep snow on the sidewalk. However, they normally plow the sidewalk the day after the storm and generally leave lumps of snow behind the plow as it goes by. Most of the time, I have cleaned the sidewalk before the plow and then need to clean it again after the plow.

Another chore is to shovel out the mailbox which is on a post at the edge of the sidewalk. The mail is delivered by mail truck that pulls up close to the mailbox to deposit the mail. If the snow or ice blocks the mailbox, you get no mail. Sometimes the street plows will drive in tandem to clean off the street and push the snow up onto the sidewalk, knocking off the mailbox from its post. I had mine knocked down several times. Ah, the joys of living in the burbs.

Living in the city is no better, since they plow the snow to either the even or odd side of the street which reduces the spaces available for parking. To solve the problem, neighbors shovel out their spots on the street and place a “decorative marker”, like a barrel of lawn chair, in the shoveled out area to claim the spot for their personal use. Many a fight has occurred protecting one’s “turf”.

After you have cleared the snow off the sidewalk or driveway, you need to check the house roof. Is the snow piling up too high? Will the roof support the extra weight? Do you have a roof with the proper pitch so the snow slides off naturally? Will the sun melt most of the snow before the next snow storm? Some flat roofs on businesses, schools and shopping centers have collapsed from the extra weight of snow.

If you are concerned with any of these problems, you probably have purchased a roof shovel. This tool has a shovel blade that is bent 90 degrees from the handle and allows you to pull the snow off the roof. These shovels also have long handles that can be extended to about 20 feet. If you have a ranch house with only one level, you can reach some of the roof snow from standing on the ground. If you have a two story or plus house, you need to use a ladder. This can be dangerous and may need professional help. Most roof areas cover 1000 + square feet on each side. That is a lot of snow to pull off the roof. You can see some photos of me clean snow after the 2-4-09 snow storm at the link …....
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Snow2409#

Another problem with leaving snow pile up on the roof is getting ice dams which I have explained in a previous BLOG. If the snow melts and latter refreezes, some ice may back up under the shingles and then melt on interior ceilings.

By this time of year, most people are getting a cabin fever as we remember how great it is to be outside in warmer weather. However, we only have a few more days to wait for the first day of spring on March 20th, which is about “40+” days away. Can you wait that long? To make matters worse, the ground hog saw his shadow, which means 6 more weeks of winter. Can you handle it? Are we getting SNOWED or what?

Shipwrecks – Boston's North Shore

During my high school years in the late 1950s, I became interested in all things related to the ocean (fishing, boating, sailing and scuba diving). Sharing this interest with several friends, we enrolled in a scuba course given at the local YMCA and learned a lot about this intriguing sport at the Y (indoor pool). After several weeks of lessons, we were ready for our first real ocean dive on the rocky coast of Nahant, MA.

On that special day, we used the buddy system where we would swim with another diver in case we needed help. Including the instructor, there would be three sets of buddies or six divers. With less than one hour of air in our scuba tanks, the group planned to enter the water on the beach at “Forty Steps”, Nahant, MA and swim around the rocks for a while then head in. As we approached the rock cliffs, we saw a beautiful under water world with large kelp swaying with the tide, various fish and sea anemones attached to the rocks. Walking across a sandy bottom, I stepped on a large skate fish under the sand that startled me and quickly swam away. With the air running out, we swam to shore and called it a day. What a great day.

Our instructor Jack had just started a scuba store in Chelsea, MA on Washington St. that was open on weekends and some evenings. Most evenings we would hangout at the store and help fill orders or wait on customers. At the store we also made custom fitted wet suits and lead weights for ballast belts. Although we didn’t get paid, we had free use of the equipment for future diving adventures.

We made the custom wet suit from ¼ inch neoprene rubber sheets. After taking the customers measurements, we drew an outline on a paper pattern for the pants, shirt and head piece. To make the pants, we placed the paper pattern on the rubber sheet and cut out two pant halves. We then glued the edges of the pant halves together and let dry. After dry we turned them inside out for custom fitted pants. We did the same for the shirt and head piece.

Several weeks later we made plans to dive off Manchester, MA, near Graves Island. Jack said that there was a sunken ship there that we could explore and maybe find some old artifacts. Unfortunately, I broke my ankle and had on a small cast but went along for the ride anyway. After getting to the rocky beach in Manchester, Joe and Jack put on their wet suits and I rowed the eight man rubber raft out to the dive site off Graves Island. I wore a life jacket and also had one wrapped around my cast. You do crazy things when you’re young and foolish.

The bottom was only about 30 feet deep off the south-west side of the island as the two divers went down to look. After a few minutes Jack came up with a piece of wood and a spike that he gave me to put in the raft. Later, both divers came up and were excited that they had found the edge of a metal object buried in the sand. It could be an anchor.

Since we needed a boat with a heavy wench to pull it up, we would have to come back another time. In the meantime, they tied a short piece of rope with a wood float to the metal object so we could find it again. Unfortunately, someone else could also find it.



When we got back to land we cleaned off the spike that we found. We saw the initials PR stamped on the side and thought that it might stand for Paul Revere who made all kinds of metal attachments for wooden ships. However, we learned later that many other spikes had been found with the PR label from other sunken ships which reduced the value to less than $20. Later, we just put it on display in Jack’s scuba shop.

A week went by and we didn’t have any luck with getting a boat. We also didn’t have any money to hire someone. However, that weekend we returned to Graves Island to check on the site. When we got to the beach we saw a dive boat near the island and our find. Joe and Jack rowed out to the dive boat which was called the Adventure III, as I watched from land. When they got there, the boat was pulling up an anchor and the divers said it was from the sunken ship, USS New Hampshire. As an additional surprise, one of the recreational divers on the boat was Rex Trailer, the local TV Cowboy from the kids show called Boom Town on WBZ. You can see info about Rex Trailer at the link … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Trailer

Recalling our historic dive in 1963, I recently drew a map of the location including (lat/long) with the computer program called Street Atlas. There are two sites on the map. Site #1 is our dive site in 1963 and site #2 is the location given in the historical record of the ship sinking in 1922. Sometimes storms will change the under water location of objects over time. See the link …… http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GravesIsland1963

Before 1973, ocean salvage was run on the principle of finders – keepers. Since the dive boat got there first in 1963, they had first salvage rights to the anchor before we did. Today, the State Department of Marine Archeology has strict rules for salvage that require a permit process. Most ocean finds off Massachusetts are the property of the State and have historical value. You can see some of the rules and restrictions at the two
links … http://www.mass.gov/czm/buar/buarregs.pdf and http://www.mass.gov/czm/buar/index.htm

You can also see some information about the USS New Hampshire at the link ….
USS New Hampshire
http://www.mass.gov/czm/buar/shipwrecks/ua-hampshire.htm

However, the State leaves certain dive sites open to recreational scuba divers who can keep small artifacts as long as they do not permanently alter the site. Graves Island is now an open dive site since most historical artifacts have been previously salvaged. You can see a list of open dive sites at the following link …. Shipwreck Sites Open to Divers
http://www.mass.gov/czm/buar/buares.htm

Recently, I got a book from the library that describes several of the boats that have been lost off our coast. Hundreds of ships have sunk off the coast of Boston & Salem in bad weather by swamping, capsizing or hitting submerged rocks. You can see some photos and the map location of these ships and a list of their names at the link …. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/ShipwrecksNorthOfBoston

If you are interested in taking scuba diving lessons, I recommend Undersea Divers in Beverly, MA. I have periodically used this shop since 1963 to fill tanks, buy accessories and just get general info. For more info, see the link …. http://www.underseadivers.com/

Although we didn’t make a great salvage recovery in 1963, we still have the great memories of a great experience.

Pirate Treasure Buried In Wilmington

Recently I read a story in the town newspaper (Wilmington Town Crier) about Pirate Treasure Buried in Wilmington. It certainly caught my eye as I read it with excitement. I am always ready for adventure, whether actual or fictional. You can read the article at the online link …. Buried Treasure in Wilmington
http://homenewshere.com/articles/2009/01/24/wilmington_town_crier/news/doc494fadd1a4ff5916803228.txt

The article described how some children living at the Harnden House in 1699, now the town museum, saw a man driving an ox cart carrying a heavy load and a black slave, heading north on old Andover Road. Later that day, the man was again seen driving the ox cart south but now without the heavy load or the slave. As rumor circulated it was assumed that this was the infamous Captain Kidd who had just arrived by ship in Boston Harbor and maybe buried some of his treasure north of Boston.

Captain William Kidd was initially a trusted merchant ship captain who made his living carrying goods by ship from England to the Americas. He was later hired as a Privateer by wealthy merchants in Boston to protect their merchant ships from Pirates along the coast of North America. Even Lord Bellamont (Governor of Masachusetts, New Hampshire and New York) invested in the venture. As a privateer, Kidd was legally able to attack enemy ships (Pirates, and Foreign Nations other than England) and keep the captured loot and share the profits with his men as well as his investors.

One foreign ship that he captured in the West Indies was the Quedah Merchant which had a valuable cargo of silk goods and gold. Before sailing to Boston, he sailed into New York and buried a treasure worth 20,000 pounds on Gardiner’s Island, near Long Island. Besides burying the treasure, he also stashed other valuables along the way (maybe in Wilmington). Three days after arriving in Boston he was arrested as a pirate by Lord Bellamont, who then sent for the buried treasure on Gardiner’s Island which was mostly recovered.

After reading the story, I was curious about the treasure and if any was ever found in Wilmington. I researched historical information from the local library and the internet about the Harnden House and Captain Kidd and found that the treasure was supposedly buried a half mile north of the Harden House in a rock cave called Devil’s Den. Using a mapping program called Street Atlas I marked the location on a map with GPS latitude / longitude. You can see the map at the link …. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/TreasureHillRd

I was surprised to see that the name of the street that leads to Devil’s Den is Treasure Hill Rd.. Evidently, many a treasure hunter has searched the area with metal detectors and treasure maps looking for the allusive Captain Kidd’s treasure chest.

Although we read about pirates today along the coast of Madagascar, there were hundreds of pirates that traveled the North Atlantic coast from the 1500s to the 1700s. These pirates not only plundered ships at sea but also in ports and sea coast villages. Along with Captain Kidd were Blackbeard, Edward Teach, Anne Bonny, Mary Reid, Calico Jack Rackham and Arrabella Drummond. Although these pirates were mostly men, there were also some notorious women. A treasure trove about pirate info can be seen at the link …..
http://www.vleonica.com/pirates.htm

After reading several books on Captain Kidd and other pirates, I also found one in the children’s department of the Wilmington Library, called Piratology. This book contained some interesting photos and treasure maps that I shared with my 8 year old grandson. You can see some photos at the link ….. Piratology http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Piratology11209

Additional information can also by found on the internet by doing a Google Search with key words like (pirate treasure, treasure maps, gold doubloons, pieces of eight, jolly roger, etc.) . Maybe one of the best treasure finds that I made is just using GOOGLE.

Teeth Whitening (Less than $ 1.00)

As people age, that bright and white youthful smile begins to fade and the yellow begins to show through. The change in teeth color is due to the warring away of enamel and the staining of teeth caused by dark colored foods.

Teeth have an inner dentin which is naturally yellow and pink covered with protective white enamel. As the enamel ages it wares away, its surface cracks and is filled with food debris and acidic fluids like tea, coffee and carbonated beverages. Smoking, chewing tobacco and dark wines also contribute to the staining process.

Keeping teeth clean with frequent brushing and flossing is the best method to help teeth maintain their natural whiteness. Dental hygiene and periodic dental checkups are the best medicine. However, some cosmetic assistance can also brighten that smile. This can be accomplished with tooth pastes, creams and take home kits from the drug store or treatments done at the dentist’s office.

The following is a list of approximate costs - tooth paste ($3), take home kits ($30 +) and in office treatments ($300 +). You can see a full description of these different methods at the following online links … Webmd.com
http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/teeth-whitening?page=4
and Yourdentistryguide.com
http://www.yourdentistryguide.com/teeth-whitening/

After doing some research on this subject, I found that the active ingredient for all these treatments was hydrogen peroxide with the concentration higher in the dentist’s office than at home. If you have dentures, a lot of fillings or severe gum problems, it is best to have whitening treatments done in the dentist’s office.

Since I wanted to see if this method would work with me, I purchased a small 1 pt. bottle of hydrogen peroxide (3% Solution) at the super market for ($ 0.89). This product is used as a topical solution for a first aid antiseptic and oral debriding agent. Read the directions carefully before using.

After brushing and flossing, I swished the hydrogen peroxide around in my mouth for a minute and then spit it out. This is not to be swallowed. I later rinsed with antiseptic mouthwash to get rid of the taste. After just a few days I noticed my teeth getting whiter.
Although I don’t expect that movie star or million dollar smile, at least I have got rid of some yellow stains.

Remember, read the label before you try this and consult your dentist if you are not sure.

Chicken Soup & The Common Cold

My mom always gave me chicken soup when I had a cold. It was hot and soothing and made me feel much better. The neighbors called it Jewish Penicillin and have prescribed it for generations. WebMd.com also lists a recipe for chicken soup that will help with cold relief. http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/chicken_soup_and_recipes_for_cold
In addition, a homemade recipe is listed below.

New medical research has shown that hot soup doesn’t cure the common cold but helps open sinus passages and loosens mucus which allows you to breathe better and eases coughing, sneezing, sore throat, runny nose, chills and fatigue. “The fact is, there is no cure for the common cold, and for the most part it's not considered a dangerous condition. Caused by more than 200 different viruses, most notably rhinoviruses, the cold makes you a sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy-headed and feverish patient, but it passes in a week or two.” http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/10/30/news/local/news05.txt

Doctors now advise parents to lay off the sweet tasting cold medicines and antibiotics and instead prescribe rest, hot soup and plenty of fluids. Last year parents spent $500 million on over 95 million bottles of child cold medicines.

Besides making you feel better and help ease cold symptoms, soups are also a good choice for a healthy diet. Most can soups sold today are tasty, contain meat and vegetables, minerals and vitamins and have low calories and low salt. A look at the soup counter at the local grocery store reveals lots of choices. You can see some photos at the link … http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Soup1809


Although there are many different brands, I prefer Progresso Soups. They sell a variety of can soup choices that have 60 calories per serving and 45% less sodium. Most can soups contain two servings, so you have to double the calorie and sodium figures.

A bowl of hot soup is now part of my daily diet. I have found that a diet of 1000 calorie per day allows me to lose weight although 2000 calories a day is recommended for a normal diet. To maintain this weight loss goal, I try to stick to the following diet menu: Breakfast – Cereal (300 cal), Lunch – Salad w/ Chicken (400 cal), Dinner – Soup (300 cal). In addition, I add plenty of fruits and vegetables.

A quick variation to homemade soup is to add a small package of frozen mixed vegetables to a can of chicken stock like College Inn. Bring to a boil and simmer a few minutes. Each can of chicken stock will make two servings. Fresh vegetables can also be used instead of frozen. Season to taste.

I also try to vary the choices of soup by periodically switching from can soup to the home made variety. Homemade soups are better in the long run since you can season to taste and use less salt. Although I help, my wife is the chief cook. She has learned all those time honored recipes from my mother and her family. The secret to a good soup is the amount of seasonings and that only comes from experience.

Although she has used many family soup recipes, I recently asked her to make a “15 Bean Soup” that I saw at the grocery store on a package of dried beans. You can see the recipe in the photo link above or the simple description below.

Pour the package of dried beans in a pan of water and let soak over night. This swells and softens the beans and breaks the skin to allow the flavors out when you cook the soup. Discard the soak water and add about 3 quarts new water with the following ingredients (small smoked ham shoulder, carrots, celery, onion, 6 cloves garlic, small can of diced stewed tomatoes, chili powder, pepper, 2 large handfuls of barley). No additional salt is needed since some comes out of the ham shoulder. Cook and stir occasionally for 2 hours.

Comments are always welcome. Do you have any soup recipes?