Posts filed under ‘Meaningful’
Columbia U. Graduation, Part II: Commencement
Columbia’s university-wide Commencement ceremony brought together the 5,667 undergraduates of Columbia College, SEAS and Barnard College as well as those receiving advanced degrees. It was a sea of blue!
Can you see Daniel? (image from columbia.edu)
The weather initially threatened a sea of rain like the day before, but instead opted for a menu of muggy which was only intensified in the crush of 30,000 attendees all jostling for space. Welcome to New York!
Angie and Chris joined us and Taylor came up from WDC for the briefest of visits. Thanks for braving the crowds and the humidity, guys!
Our cheering section! Taylor, Angie, Chris and the CE
After an impressive array of awards and honorary degrees were presented, the business agenda of the Commencement ceremony called for the Deans of the respective departments to “beg” the college president to confer diplomas upon the graduation candidates. This was done with much humor and bravado, thankfully, because it takes a very long time to hear eighteen different supplicants plead the cause of their students.
The Columbia U. MBA candidates help plead their cause at Commencement
In his keynote address, University President Lee C. Bollinger gave the graduates one particularly stirring bit of advice, which was to say “If you ever feel disconnected from a higher purpose, you must have the courage to change your life”.
CU president Lee C. Bollinger in 2010 (image from article.wn.com)
Looking back over Daniel’s childhood, there are so many people who have strived to keep him connected to a higher purpose, and I am grateful to all of them. He has always been uplifted by his family – his grandmother, who keeps him well-supplied with sweet rolls; his brother who has served, often without knowing it, as a role model; his sisters, who have doted upon him from near and afar; aunts and uncle whose encouragement is present even when they can’t be.
Brothers!
Then there are the friends who have been Daniel’s extended family – Dave, Pamela, Kirk and almost-sisters, Alexandra and Victoria. There are the angels who helped us with the day-to-day and cheered Daniel along from elementary school through high school: Jessica, Holly, Carly, Liz, Julia and Teri. And the mentors along the way: Mrs. Morgan and the teachers at El Montecito Early School; swim coach Ira Klein; and Laguna Blanca teachers like Dr. Schmidt and Magistra, who shaped Daniel’s love of literature and the Classics. And Daniel’s legions of friends, who are too numerous to list, but long-time pals Hannah, Christian, Michele, Valerie, Giulie and Cory come to mind as do Columbia friends Chris, Jeff, Peter, Mary, Christina, Fan, Tiffany…the list goes on and on.
Daniel’s graduation lunch: Tiffany, Fan, Daniel, Chris, Mary and Giulie
Of course, Daniel’s list might be different from mine, and the danger of listing anyone is to forget someone, but I know all these people - and more – have cared for Daniel through the years and helped make him the focused, grounded, impressive young man that he is today.
My wish for him as he leaves the classroom and enters the “real” world is to arm himself with the knowledge he has gained at CU; the encouragement of his teachers and mentors; the well-wishes of his family and friends; the unconditional love of his parents and the wisdom of Matthew 22:36-40. Look out world, here he comes!
Proud dad and the graduate
“…If I can make it there,
You know I’m gonna make it just about anywhere
Come on, come through
New York, New York…”
Columbia U. Graduation, Part One: Class Day
Milestone. Transition. Endings. Beginnings.
And lots of tears! I think they were all mine.
I foolishly told someone a few weeks ago that I didn’t think graduations were such a big deal. I was temporarily insane.
Because when your baby graduates from college, it’s a Big Deal. For him and for us.
Daniel arrived on the scene almost twenty-two years ago and has delighted and astounded us from the beginning. Big brown eyes, blonde curls and those trademark eyelashes that he and his brother share. Our Sweet Bookie was the family caboose; the candle on the cake. You never quite expect the baby of the family to grow up, I guess, but as of this week he is a graduate of Columbia University and heading out into the world.
Well, for the moment, at least, heading from Broadway and 114th to Columbus Circle, where he will hold court for a few weeks before a trip to Europe with friends Christian and Peter. In August, he will start working for an ad agency in the city where he interned during his senior year.
Hail, Columbia grad!
The tears started as soon as I saw him in his cap and gown at Class Day on Tuesday morning. I’m not normally a big crier, but as he strode toward us, two decades of memories rushed forth and the waterworks came on in a big way. I remembered Daniel as a baby, so yummy you just wanted to eat him up. Daniel as a toddler, alternately clinging to my skirt and chasing after his big brother. Daniel, the student, always willing himself to do his best yet always modest about his accomplishments. Daniel the soccer player, gymnast, swimmer; surrounded at every turn by friends and more friends. Daniel the pianist, practicing for hours, weeks and months to perfect a Beethoven concerto. And now, Daniel the graduate, who quietly shared that oh, by the way, he earned straight A’s last semester and an A on his senior thesis.
Can this be the same little guy who said psoon for spoon and psider for spider? The same one who regaled family and friends with jokes like this one: Q: “Why did the cat climb the tree?” A: “Because he felt climb-y”. (You notice he hasn’t chosen a career in stand-up comedy…)
Daniel’s happy to be done with school; the CE is happy to be done with tuition!
Between my tears and the pouring rain, Tuesday’s Class Day was a soggy one. Luckily, we were mostly under tents: the graduates in one in front of the stage and the families relegated to the side tents where they watched the ceremony on screens. You’re there but you aren’t there, yet I did manage to get this digital record of Daniel getting his graduation handshake:
It’s official!
All 1,024 graduates’ names were called, all the speakers had their say, and everyone was completely soaked by the time we had wandered in the rain to find our students. No one cared. These kids all worked incredibly hard to earn a place at Columbia and then they worked incredibly hard for the next four years for the privilege of wearing the blue caps and gowns with the crown insignia recalling Columbia’s origins as Kings College, founded in 1754.
Wet but worth it!
Devastatingly dynamic duo: Daniel and his roommate, Jeff
BFFS: Liza, Jake, Jeff and Daniel
We’re so proud of Daniel!
At Columbia U., one day of tears is not enough Next up: Commencement Day…
No more homework – ever!
Wrap up a chicken for Christmas this year.
One of the perks of writing a chicken blog is that I get to be a magnet for all things poultry. I get chicken-subject-lined emails almost every day, which might not be just everyone’s cup of chicken soup but it makes my world go round.
Yesterday I got one of those emails from Polloplayer correspondent Tina. She sent me a link for an organization called the International Rescue Committee, which serves refugees and war-affected populations. For just $30, you can donate a flock of chickens to a family struggling to rebuild in a country torn apart by strife or natural disaster. To donate or learn more about the organization, which gets a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, go to http://gifts.rescue.org/product/rebuilding/flock-chickens
The International Rescue Committee was formed in 1933 at the suggestion of Albert Einstein (image from rescue.org)
You can also donate chickens – and goats – through World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization serving children in impoverished countries through individual sponsorship. For $100 you can donate a goat and two chickens, providing desperately-needed nutrition to families on the edge of survival in the poorest areas of the world. To donate livestock, clean water or a micro-loan through World Vision (also rated four stars by Charity Navigator), you can access their gift catalog here: http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/ibeCZzpHome.jsp?a=b
Melaka and her family in Zimbabwe raise eleven chickens they received through World Vision (image from WorldVision.org)
Heifer International is a third organization that matches families in crisis with livestock to provide food and income. Founded in 1944 by a Church of the Brethern relief worker, Heifer International’s mission is to “end hunger and poverty and care for the earth”. Through their catalog, you can donate a veritable Noah’s Ark of animals: camels, llamas, pigs, rabbits, chickens and even water buffalo: https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog/?msource=kw2792&gclid=CMHy8KLc6awCFewaQgodPmzmIg. Heifer receives three stars from Charity Navigator.
Heifer International's approach helps people obtain a sustainable source of food and income. (image from heifer.org)
One thing I like about these gifting options is that it allows us to make a big difference for, well, pretty much the cost of chicken feed. Yet for the families served by these organizations, a flock of chickens can signify hope, or even survival. Just more proof that all around the world, chickens = happiness.
"Let's just be clear that we are not the chickens being donated, right?"
Happy holidays!
Thinking about These Three on the Fourth.
Freedom has been ringing in our ears more than two hundred years and it seems that for some, the sweet music has been reduced to a ho hum. Fourth of July parades have been declared “Right Wing” by no less esteemed an institution than Harvard University, our elected officials are disrobing in alarming numbers (I solemnly swear that @Hopecutechick will not be tweeting photos of herself in her skivvies!) and public service seems to have been replaced by gobbling at the public trough.
"I know! Let's raise taxes!" (photo from neptunematters.wordpress.com)
Contrast that with the risks our Founding Fathers took to gain our independence: but for a few miraculous meteorological advantages here and there, the sacrifices of George Washington, John Adams and a host of other patriots, and a little self-serving help from the French in the nick of time, the signers of our Declaration of Independence would have been summarily hung and we might all be eating black pudding and pig trotters.
Would you trade apple pie for this? (photo from inpraiseofsardines, flicker.com)
Just in case freedom isn’t ringing your bell this holiday weekend, you might turn your thoughts to three folks who would probably give anything right now to be in our sweet land of liberty. My thoughts and prayers today are with them.
PFC Bowe Bergdahl has been held by the Taliban in Afghanistan since June, 2009 (image from conservativetreehouse.wordpress.com)
PFC Bergdahl was captured on July 18, 2009. and is the only known U.S. soldier to be in captivity in Afghanistan. The circumstances of his capture raise the possibility that he was in the process of deserting his unit when he was taken. The next day, a Fox News military analyst suggested that Bergdahl was “no hero”. Nonetheless, he remains in captivity. The Taliban has issued a number of videos in which Bergdahl appears, most recently in May, 2011. For more information on PFC Bergdahl, go to http://supportbowebergdahl.blogspot.com/. How to help free him? The only suggestion I could find was a recommendation to write your Congressmen/women and Senators to advocate for his release.
Manal al Sherif just wants to drive a car (photo from saudiwoman.wordpress.com)
Manal al Sherif encouraged Saudi women to defy the country’s unspoken ban that prohibits women from driving and was arrested behind the wheel in May. Her Facebook page entitled “Teach me how to drive so I can protect myself” was removed and al-Sherif was detained by the Saudi government. According to news accounts, she was released on May 30, having signed an agreement that silenced her from making public statements. An insightful article on the subject can be found here: http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Editorial-Board-Blog/2011/0606/Honk-if-you-support-Saudi-women-drivers. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced her support for Saudi women on June 21st. There is an online petition calling for the State Department to condemn the arrests of Saudi women who drive at http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-the-state-department-to-condemn-the-detention-of-women-drivers. Another interesting resource for commentary on women in Saudi Arabia can be found here: http://saudiwoman.wordpress.com/
Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei was imprisoned for three months by the Chinese government (photo from Wikipedia)
Artist Ai Weiwei is just one of many who have been detained for speaking out against the Chinese government. Activists, Christians and children represent the broad spectrum of targets of human rights abuses that run rampant in China. Weiwei was released on June 22, saying that he “is forbidden to say too much to reporters.
This fact sheet from the Robert F. Kennedy Mermorial Center for Human Rights provides a sobering score sheet on abuses by the Chinese government: http://www.christusrex.org/www1/sdc/hr_facts.html. How to help? Amnesty International is one option: http://www.amnesty.org/en
I am grateful this holiday weekend to live in a country where I can vote, own property and drive a car, unlike women in Saudi Arabia. I am grateful that I can speak out against my government without being tossed in jail. And I am very, very grateful to all the servicemen and women of the United States military, who risk their lives and their freedom so that I can enjoy my own…and not take it for granted.
(image from vetfriends.com)
A list of charities that support U.S. troops can be found at http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=531
“There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government outght to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.” – John Adams
The most wonderful time of the year.
Taking a break from cooking
Taylor and Victoria made a lovely dinner for us last night and Granny joined us. We hung a few more ornaments on the tree – very handy to have 6’4″+ Taylor to reach the tall branches! And Granny enjoyed visiting the coop and seeing the chickens’ Christmas decorations.
Autumn is Granny's favorite, too
There are many things to love about this time of year. One of my favorites is the “year-end giving” lunch the CE and I will have today where we write a few annual checks to support organizations that touch our hearts. If you’re doing the same thing this week, you may want to check out Charity Navigator. I have found it to be a helpful resource for making decisions about charitable giving.
Charity Navigator calls itself “America’s premier independent charity evaluator” and ”works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,400 of America’s largest charities.” If you go to their web site at http://www.charitynavigator.org/ you will find information on top-rated charities and guides to choosing charities. Best of all, their “star” system rates charities according to how much or little of your donation bypasses administrative overhead and goes directly to the services you are helping provide.
For example, I got an email the other day notifying me that Angie and Bobby have made a donation of two chickens in my name through WorldVision http://www.worldvision.org/ - what a great gift for me and for the family that will receive the chickens
" Fresh eggs raise the levels of protein and other nutrients in a family’s diet, and the sale of extra eggs provides money for other household needs."
If you go to Charity Navigator and look up WorldVision, you will find that it is a 4-star charity, which is a rating of “Exceptional: exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its cause.” Good to know, and what a great gift to give and to receive!
With so many worthy causes out there, Charity Navigator is a nice way to survey the options. As the saying goes, we can’t help everyone, but we can all help someone. Happy giving to you and yours!
Gobble Gobble
On Tuesday we will head back to the West Coast and Still Life With Chickens, but for now we remain revved up in NYC – those of you seeking Chicken News will have to settle for Turkey Day snapshots for the moment. Here they are:
As good as we could make at home!
Evie, Uncle Daniel and Buster
Ang and Viv
John with James and Vivienne
James and Bobby dig in to TGiving dinner
Daniel and the CE
Guest Kevin guards dessert against an onslaught from Jamesy
Our four fave boys: Thomas, Taylor, Jamesy and Daniel
Why we can't eat at a restaurant: the evening devolved into a pillow fight between Thomas, Tymon and Kevin
Keeping it civilized: Tina and Viv
Viv close-up
Grandpa and James - YAY for Thanksgiving!!!
Would you like that scrambled or fried?
Our first egg!
WE GOT OUR FIRST EGG!!!!!! Woot! Woot! Yippee! Dancing! Turning cartwheels! Well, hardly, but I would if I could.
Hope, our chicken of the moment!
I came home after dark yesterday, which means anytime after 4:30 these days. The CE had already closed up the coop, but I said I wanted to go over and say goodnight to the chickens. Okay, I may have used the actual words “tuck them in”, but still, the snickers I heard on the way out the door were uncalled for.
The girls were already settled on their roosts, all fluffed out and starting to doze off, but they happily roused themselves for a few handfuls of scratch, which is so aptly called “chicken crack”. I freshened up their food and water and said goodnight to them. No, I did NOT kiss them (but I have been known to…)
As I turned to walk out the door, I saw SOMETHING on the nesting box counter. Not in one of the nesting boxes, but next to them. It was light brown. It was oval-shaped. It was OUR FIRST EGG!!!!
My first thought: “I’ve been pranked.” No, I don’t have trust issues, but this egg was so perfect I thought someone had lifted one from the refrigerator and set it in the coop as a joke. Many chickenkeepers report that their first eggs are tiny, misshapen or even shell-less, so this egg seemed too good to be true.
First eggs are commonly shell-less like this one
But sometimes things just ARE that good. Sometimes you DO get a free lunch – or breakfast, at least. The CE remembered seeing Hope on that counter by herself late in the afternoon while the other chickens were outside the coop, so we know it was sweet Hope who gave us the egg, just as we had expected. And she laid it on her 6-month birthday, no less!
The CE holding our $6,000 egg...
First eggs tend to be small-ish, and this one is smaller than our store-bought eggs, but not by a lot. The perfect shell on it indicates that the chickens are getting the right amount of calcium. Just this week I purchased some oyster shell at the feed store, which I put out in the coop for them free-choice, along with grit.
Smaller than a store-bought egg, but not by too much!
This egg is 100% organic from a truly free-ranged chicken. Not sure I can even bear to crack it open, but you can bet I’ll take pictures of it if and when I do!
We put a sticker on it so we know it's Hope's - she gets a gold star for her good work!
Re-wind to Yesterday.
Now that we’re retired and empty nesting, the days tend to blur a bit. This is mostly a good thing, but does occasionally make me feel like the village idiot. Yesterday was Veterans Day, a day of which I was mostly aware because I noticed that the neighborhood kids weren’t in school and wondered momentarily if the CE’s birthday had been declared a national holiday. That kind of insouciance in someone my age could only be possible in this country, where our freedom has been so assured for so long that it feels like a birthright.
If not for last week’s shootings at Ft. Hood, that momentary flash of awareness would probably have been my only thought of the day’s significance. But those events caused even me to realize just how fragile our freedom and our safety are, and to realize that hundreds of thousands of men and women in our armed services put their lives on the line every day so that people like me can carry on cluelessly. I did a quick search and found the following resource: http://www.forthoodausa.org/ . It is the web site for the Ft. Hood Association of the United States Army, where they have already raised in excess of $125,000 in funds to assist the soldiers and families affected by the shootings. They accept contributions via credit card or PayPal online, or via checks sent to: The Central Texas- Fort Hood Chapter, Association of the US Army, Attn:Community Response to 11/5, PO Box 10700, Killeen, TX 76547-0700 (write Community Response to 11/5 on the memo line of your check) One hundred per cent of funds donated will go directly to meet the needs of the affected soldiers and their families.
There are many ways to support our troops and, of course, this is just one of them, but I thought I’d pass it along.
Also – just found these:
Fort Hood Chaplain’s Fund
Checks can be mailed to:
Chaplain’s Fund Office
Bldg 44, 761st Tank Battalion Avenue
Fort Hood, TX 76544-5000
Checks should be made payable to “CTOF” (Chapel’s Tithes and Offerings Fund) with a note on the memo line stating “Nov. 5 Tragedy.”
Fort Hood Fisher House
Fisher House <>
Bldg 36015
Fisher Lane
Ft Hood Texas 76544
Call (254) 286-7927 or (254)286-7929 for more information.
Local Chapter – American Red Cross
Killeen Red Cross
208 W. Ave. A,
Killeen, Texas 76541
Phone (254) 200-4400 or visit their website: www.waco.redcross.org <> here <> .
USO Fort Hood
USO Fort Hood
Building # 1871, 50th St.
Fort Hood, Texas, 76544
Phone: (254) 768-2771 or visit their website
Mother hen moment.
Summer is winding down – not that we’ve had much summer here. You should have seen the chickens’ faces when it actually started raining this morning! They are most definitely not ducks, that’s for sure. They stood stock still for a few minutes and then exited stage left for the coop in a big feathered hurry.
Yummy bugs after the rain
This is probably the last summer we’ll have both, or either of the boys at home: Daniel will leave to go back to college week after next, and Taylor is counting down the weeks or months before he heads off to a new job – he’s just wondering which one as a surprise new offer came in the other day.
It doesn’t take Freud to figure out that getting chickens was most likely a heart-jerk reflex to an empty nest. And hey, it’s not all bad- we learned to mostly enjoy having the house to ourselves when Daniel left last fall. It helps to have ninety pounds of Chloe underfoot all the time.
But there’s a niggling emptiness that surges up now and then. Now because I finally logged in to www.pandora.com to try it out and the third song on my playlist (I typed in Joni Mitchell) was James Taylor’s “You Can Close Your Eyes”. This was a major part of my “playlist” when the boys were small and I sang them to sleep every night. So just when I didn’t expect it, here’s that song out of the blue and I’ve got a big lump in my throat.
It’s not sadness, exactly. More of that “passage of time” thing that the Chicken Emperor and I prize certain authors (Willa Cather, especially) for their ability to weave into their stories. A sense that a door has closed to a room I can never re-enter. Was I a good enough mom? Did I leave anything undone? Will they ever talk to me again? Are they ready for the real world? Will they ever learn to make their beds and open the drapes?
My handsome guys
Just a moment, and it has passed now, because we’re on to Paul Simon and “Graceland”, which is most definitely nothing I would associate with Joni Mitchell. I’ll never have to worry about preparing the chickens for their future, since I’ve already promised them immunity from the stew pot. No SAT prep. No waiting up late at night for missed curfew. And the only way I can really disappoint them is to walk in the coop without meal worms, a failure that is easily remedied. But there’s nothing like tucking in a three-year-old just after his bath, hair all slicked down and favorite blankie in hand. Can’t go back, but I guess I can still sing to my chickens.
Well the sun is slowly sinking down
But the moon is slowly rising
So this old world must still be spinning round
And I still love you
So close your eyes
You can close your eyes, it’s all right
I don’t know no love songs
And I can’t sing the blues anymore
But I can sing this song
And you can sing this song
When I’m gone.
Sweet Bookie way back when
Such a great weekend!
Julia and her attendants arrive Saturday morning
Hair and make-up. The guys got ready down in the pool house.
The dogs got lots of attention!
Lots of work to be done before the ceremony
Dave came over early to help
And, of course, to spend some quality time with the animals
All ready for the big event
Taylor and Victoria helped out
Victoria "dressed" the powder room rabbit!
Daniel and Amber helped, too
Look at the poor, neglected dogs!
Wedding cupcakes
Soho dressed for her "ringbearer" role
Soho was accompanied by the flower girl, who was encouraged by Julia's friend, Jenny
Julia just before the ceremony
Waiting for the ceremony to start
Ready to go
Julia and her dad
Soho watches the ceremony
"You may now kiss the bride"
After the ceremony
It's official!
Julia's mom
Soho makes a friend
She made a lot of friends
The happy couple!
Grant’s father is a pastor and he performed the ceremony, which was so special, and Julia’s grandfather, also a pastor, gave the dinner blessing. Julia’s father spoke touchingly of his relationship with her and the joy of newfound fellowship with Grant’s family. All who spoke gently reminded the young couple that “things won’t always be easy” (who knows, Grant, your wife may decide she wants chickens someday!) and that the way to have a marriage made in heaven is to call on the Lord for guidance, in good times and bad. Good advice for all of us!
Dinner was lovely and then there was dancing on the upper courtyard – Julia’s dedication song to Grant was Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” – so fitting. It was truly a joyous occasion. Chloe made 150 new best friends as she circulated through the crowd all evening, and there were several tours of the chicken coop. Autumn even made a brief appearance on the dance floor!
We felt so blessed to have the boys and their friends there, and Granny, too, and for ALL the help we had – Cathy and Kirstie frou-froued the dogs within an inch of their lives, Bernadette managed – well, pretty much everybody – Dave, cheerful as always, did hours of manual labor, Paz postponed her vacation just so she could come and help, Taylor cleaned and raked himself into a Zen state, Victoria spent her entire day helping out, and Daniel and Amber took on the job of overseeing parking for 150 people. It was a day that reminded me how precious all our relationships are and how grateful I am for all these people in my life.
And just when it seemed things couldn’t get better, Teri visited us yesterday! Teri took over Julia’s job, and, while she was only with us for a school year, she, too, has become part of the family. She recently moved up to the Bay area, and was in town this weekend with her boyfriend, Derek, who clearly loves her, as he took time out of their quick trip to come over and talk poultry and schmooze with Chloe.
Teri and Chloe are reunited
All roads lead to the chicken coop...
Hope, 10 weeks old
The sun came out for the wedding, but now we're back to fog and cold. The girls cuddle up to stay warm.
