John Harrsons Tomatoes

The late John Harrison had a condo on the 2nd floor across from my building The late Ron La Count lived on the first floor of Johns building.

Ron and I had brown thumbs- we could not grow a thing.
Once- my friend Grace- knowing of my brown thumb bought be a cactus-there was no way I could kill it.

I put it out on the balcony in the sun- two days later it collapsed on itself and died- .

John  Harrison, was a miracle grower- surely he had two green thumbs.
Every summer John would plant tomatoes- and they were some mighty fine tomatoes-

I complimented John how good his tomatoes looked , hoping he would  offer me a couple- but he did not fall for my plan- there must be another way.

One day. I was sitting on Ron patio and we got to talking about how good homegrown tomatoes were.
There is nothing as good as a homegrown tomato sandwich on white bread with mayo, a dash of salt and a smidgen of black pepper.

  Pretty soon all this talk got us hungry-. I suggested that we ask John for a tomato or two- Ron said that John was visiting his son.

Hmmmm- I thought to myself- I have an idea.

Pretty soon Ron had a towel and I had a broom.
Looking around very carefully-I stood below Johns balcony and poked a tomato- it fell off and landed in Rons towel-By the time we were done-we had about 5 tomatos.- Dinner was going to be good tonight.

And it was>

Later on that evening, I went out for a walk and saw John sitting on his balcony listening to the blues- I gave him a wave- he nodded- stood up and said to be-"Those damn squirrels are eating my tomatoes-if I get my hand on them, I am going to make some squirrel and tomato stew."
 I laughed and hollered back at him-" You make the stew, I'll bring the wine".

Board of Directors Election

Americana Finnmark is once again having its annual election for Board members.
There are a lot of issues facing this community including some lingering projects (changes in the by-laws, issues with the replacement reserves, issues with the size of the Board are just  some of them)
Perhaps the biggest problem with the election is the total lack of interest that is demonstrated by the community.  There is seldom a quorum for the first round-  the result- the election results are postponed and no business can be done at that meeting.

The following month a quorum is not needed and a resident can be elected to the Board with just one or two votes.

So if you do not vote- do not complain when the Board does something you may not agree with.

The position of director takes up little of ones time-it is not a difficult job, and it offers one an inside view of the going on in the community.
On a personal note- I served on the Board for over ten years- I was, Director, Treasurer, Vice President and President-I had some good times and some strange times- but I did enjoy the time served.

So mail in your ballots and get involved.

Life is Worth Living

I am terminally ill with a lung disorder.  I am on oxygen 24 hours a day. Due to doctors orders I am not allowed to drive.  I need to use a wheel chair to get from my condo to the parking lot when I get picked up by my sister or brother to go to the doctors. I have been in and out of hospitals at least ten times in the past years.
Sometimes I wonder why God keeps me alive.

And then Spring arrives.
The trees bloom, the bushes flower, birds return and the beauty that is Americana Finnmark shines through.
I stand on my balcony and  look over the vast lush greenery that is Finnmark. I feel like a wealthy landowner standing on his plantation balcony- the air smells sweet, the cool breeze makes my breathing less labored- it is indeed a beautiful sight.

But there is one more magical  thing- baseball- I am a Baltimore Oriole and New York Yankee fan- I have many fond memories of Memorial Stadium-I have never  been to a Yankee game- but there is something about them I love- but nothing compares to the magic that is Orioles Magic.

They may have one of the worst records in baseball, but when they play there is magic- and it give me one more reason to be grateful that I am still alive.

The Blue Door

The other day there  was a package at my door.
No return address-I opened it and found a very beautiful calendar of  doors and stairs. It was from Lorenzo Wilkins, a resident of Americana Finnmark and an excellent photographer.

As I flipped through the months, the photo from September entitled "The Blue Door",caught my eye.

I do not know why it caught my eye , but as I stared at it, I could hear music coming from behind the door.
It was a woman's voice- I could have sworn it was Sara Gonzalez, and the band could have been Irakere, the solo trumpet was Arturo Sandoval.

I walked up to the door and the smell of  cooking hit me- was it ropa vieja maybe a boliche- whatever it was it smelled good and it was making me hungry.

I knocked and the door was slowly opened by an elderly woman.
She looked at me , then she glanced  up and down the street and invited me in.

On the stage was Sara Gonzalez, Arturo Sandoval on trumpet, backed by Irakere.
The room was smoky, there were a few tables occupied by some older Cubans, standing around were younger Cubans- the all had drinks, some were smoking cigars.
As I looked around, I noticed a table laden with a variety of Cuban food-ropa vieja, boliche, pescado,croquetas, fried plantains, flan and assorted fruits.

I was offered a chair, and a drink- it was like another world- people were dancing, singing and laughing- have a good time.
After the third drink I was getting dizzy- and needed to lie down- I stood up and everything stopped.
I looked around and found myself in my condo- in Silver Spring-
It was three hours later from the time I started  looking at the calendar= where did the time go?

Christmas Catalog

I  remember growing up how my siblings and I would eagerly wait for the arrival of the Montgomery Ward's  Christmas catalog.
It was heavy, glossy, smelled good, and full of colorful and exciting new  toys and games.

We  would take turns reading it, dogear some of the pages, make our list from the catalog and mail it to Santa  Claus.
We  knew that the arrival of the catalog meant that Mom would start her  Christmas baking- there  would be fondant, fudge, shortbread, and of  course the ever popular  Toll  House chocolate chip cookies.
My  mother would assign us chores during the baking, so we all learned how to make the various cookies, and it gave us a chance to lick the bowls and eat raw cookie dough- and we never got sick from the ordeal.
During this time  my grandfather-Mizzi- would get his Spanish Christmas recipes out and make mantecados- an almond cookie and some kind of a cupcake- He would make a big production out of it- but they were good.

On the weekend, my father, me and my brothers and sister , would pick up a live Christmas tree- no fake tree for us- and we would carry it home- my father did not drive and in our early years we did not have a car- so we would drag the tree about a mile to our apartment.
The tree was still intact when we got home.  My father would trim the bottom and set up in the stand..  my mother would make hot chocolate bring out the cookies and we would spends hours decorating.
One of the most prize possession of my mothers was an  ornament that she had made during WWII- it consisted of blue and silver foil
it was not the most prettiest but it meant a lot to her.
I miss those days of Family get togethers- the aroma of fresh baked
cookies, the aroma of a fresh pine tree,  the lights in the window and most of all  my parents.
There was a magical feeling then- some people may say it is corny and those days  were  from another  era-- it may be true- but it was a time of happiness that one never forgets- if I am grateful for one thing during  Christmas it would be for my memories and if I had to choose a second thing it would be my Family and friends today.

Merry  Christmas  to all of you.

Herman Cain

Unfortunately for the United  States  Herman  Cain  will not be the President.
Due to baseless claims of sexual harrassment  and the continued barrage of negative reports by the media over some of his comments  on foreign   events he had to withdraw from the race.
The media was relentless in their attacks on his errors and or lack of certain foreign countries or the name of certain  leaders.
The  media acted the same toward Sarah  Palin.

It is sad.
Where is the media when the President refers to the  57 states of the United States, cannot pronounce corpseman,  doesn't  know what a pun is, doesn't know what language they speak in Austria, insults  our allies, and  for twenty  years   was a member of a church in which the pastor cursed  and  condemned  the  United  States.
I guess I am too naive to think that the media is fair and balanced- oh well what are we to do it is the way it is- I guess the old adage is true-"Don't  believe everything you read:.

Herman Cain

I am a registered Democrat.
Lately  I have been very disappointed   with the Democrats.
For the past three years  the government has been run by a bunch of mini- dictators who bringing this country to ruin.
In the next election we have a chance to  make a change for the better.
There is only candidate running who can beat Obama and restore this country to the greatness that we  once were.

That man is Herman Cain.He is proud of this country, makes no apolgies for this country.  He speaks his  mind and he has a great  plan that will restore this country to prosperity, lower unemployment, taxes and restore  the shining light that use to shine so brightly on the hill.
I will have more on Mr. Cain  in the  next blog.