Happy Halloween!

Sorry.  Marash Girl is out in her witch's attire, celebrating Halloween and advising folks to "Laugh their way through life!"

Farming Mussels in Menemsha

Raking up baby mussels  from the ocean's floor, baby mussels
to  be transported
to the mussel farm for maturing and  future consumption!

Are the birds bidding farewell to the  baby mussels? Or are they grieving a lost opportunity?

Good bye to summer

Halloween Soup

While in Edgartown on the Vineyard, Marash Girl met a gentleman who was preparing soup for his family's supper.  He shared his recipe with her and she's sharing it with you!

1 butternut squash, cooked, peeled and seeded
1 apple, cooked, peeled, and seeded
1 onion, cooked and peeled
Chicken or Vegetable broth (to thin to desired consistency)
Combine above ingredients while still hot in blender until smooth.  Add cream (or milk, if you're on a diet!) Serve hot.

Addition of salt and pepper to taste, and thyme, if desired. Serve hot (with a dollop of sour cream on top

Let's call it Halloween Soup!

"You don't need a book!"

Marash Girl was in the dining room at the Harborside Inn, getting ready to leave, when a new acquaintance -- a little 8 year old boy -- asked her where she was going.

"I'm going to the library," she answered.

"Why are you going to the library?" he asked.

"To get a book to read," was the answer she gave the little boy.

"Why do you want to get a book to read?" he continued.

"When you have a book, you are never alone,"  she answered.

"When you have Jesus, you are never alone!" he replied.

Panoramic View of Zeitoun

Photo of Zeitoun (date unknown)  Courtesy of  Birzamanlar Marash
Source: Khatcherian

The Perfect Gift for a Bookseller

A button that shouts, "Reading may be hazardous to your ignorance!"

Thank you Elina and King Dude!  Should be a bumper sticker as well, right?

On smoking

Whenever he saw a young man smoking, Peter would walk up to him and say, "How old do you think I am?"  The young man would try to guess, and invariably would guess a far younger age than Peter had actually achieved.  (Peter was 90 years old at the time.)   Peter would reply to the smoker, "Do you want to get to be my age?"  and the young man would always answer, "I know, I know!" And put out the cigarette.

Or Peter would try another tack.  "You know that smoking is bad for your health, right?"  And invariably the young man would answer, "Well, we all have to die some time."  "Yes," answered Peter.  "But it's how you die that matters!"

Nature's Art in Underwood Park

                                                  A Child's View Of Autumn                      Photo by Marash Girl

Another photo of Marash from the Olden Days

Unidentified vintage photo from Marash -- One person thinks it's the former Governor's Mansion.  Date unknown.
Courtesy of Birzamanlar Marash

How Do You Feel?

Peter Bilezikian, especially as he got older, was constantly asked the question, "How do you feel?"

He would delight in answering that question:

"With my fingers!  How do you feel?"

Happy Birthday, Jamesy!

So there she was, five years old, awaiting the best birthday present she had ever (and ever would) receive -- a baby brother.  She waited and waited, and finally, on her birthday, with great fanfare, he arrived -- the sweetest, cutest darlingest little boy one could ever hope for.  Blonde, blue eyes, and as alert as could be.

Growing up, grown up, she could not stop bragging about her baby brother (even when he was all grown up) -- how cute he was, how smart he was, how wonderful he was.  He was the best looking, the brightest, the most alert little boy she had ever met -- and she had met many.

All his life, he loved to read, to discuss, to examine ideas and philosophies, to laugh, to befriend those around him.

Today, on his birthday, Marash Girl wishes Jamesy the happiest of birthdays -- hugs, kisses, 
wonderful memories, and a wonderful and happy future.

Drunken Tuna

Whenever she whips up tuna salad for lunch, Marash Martha adds One Tablespoon (maybe more?) of vodka.  She says it kills the fishy odor and, an added bonus?  kills the germs.  Who knew that canned tuna has germs!

"In fact," she says, "I add one tablespoon of vodka to everything I cook!"

Johnny Acorn in Newton, Massachusetts

Apparently there's a man in Newton, Massachusetts, who is going around planting trees on public land,  which (and who knew) is against public policy!  I wonder if his name is Johnny Acorn!

Got a head cold?

With this sudden change in weather from a hot and humid summer to a cool fall, how many of you have a sore throat? A cough? Congestion?

Interesting that a newly arrived Armenian man from Aleppo had the same answer that my dad and mom always had when such afflictions struck:  Boil lemon juice with the whole lemon rind in water.  Drink, drink, drink.  Gargle with salt.

My secret?  Drink non-stop -- gingerale and hot and sour soup. apple juice and water.  Any liquid that you like, but drink, so that you have to pee every half hour.  Yes.  Liquids, rest and exercise . . . exercise, that is, from your bed to the bathroom!

St. James 68th Annual Bazaar Today in Watertown, Massachusetts. Don't miss it!

Bazaar and Cookbook Chairwoman Nancy Kassabian showcases St. James Armenian Church's new 2015 cookbook (St. James Family Table Hrametzek).

Haig Karakashian proudly sports his newly purchased (at the church bazaar)
winter hat and scarf knit in the colors of the Armenian flag.

Haig Karakashian checked the cookbook for his mother's recipes, and finding her cookie recipe, he commented, "My mother put whiskey in the cookies she baked for me?"

"My wife is Irish."

Overheard:

Armenian Man:  I do all the cooking in my house -- dolma, sarma, fasulia pilaf, kufte, cheoreg......

Armenian Woman: Why do you do all the cooking?

Armenian Man:  My wife is Irish.

In Love With Books

Last night, and it was late enough so that it could have been a kind of nightmare, Marash Girl found herself awaiting a meeting of the Newtonville Area Council which was to be held in the basement of the Newton Senior Citizen Center. The place was barren, cut up into smallish rooms, a used plastic table in the center of the meeting room, a table around which stood metal folding chairs, abandoned art supplies on the surrounding shelves.  But this place was once the place of her dreams.  

It was a sad evening for Marash Girl, as she looked around at what once had been her haven, a huge haven, the entire lower level of the building, a room that was holy, a room with low wooden tables surrounded by small wooden chairs,  a room with shelves of books along every wall, the Newton Junior Library, the place Marash Girl first fell in love -- in love with books.

Vokh, Vokh, Vokhtoutioun

Returning one morning from a long walk along Ritchie Avenue, Marash Boy and Marash Girl were greeted by the neighbor's dog with short gruff barks:  "Vokh, Vokh!" to which Marash Boy responded, "Vokh, Vokh, Vokhtoutioun." (Ող, Ող, Ողջություն):  Good health!  Good health!  Good to be alive!

Marash Girl had been unaware that dogs could speak Armenian, or, put in another way, that Marash Boy could understand dogs!

Ողջություն- voghtoutioun- good health / good to be alive 

Salsa on Pasta?

Deciding on pasta for supper, Marash Girl searched the shelves for pasta and pasta sauce.  Yup.  There was the whole wheat pasta.  The kids will like that.  And there 's the all natural spaghetti sauce. Perfect.  And quick.

Fast forward to supper time.

"Ama, why is this spaghetti so hot? We can't eat it!"

"It's not hot, said Marash Girl; it's luke warm!"

"No, Ama, it's burning our tongues!"

"Whoops!" said Marash Girl, who had opened a bottle of salsa (rather than the bottle of spaghetti sauce that was sitting right next to it on the shelf) and poured hot salsa all over the pasta that she was serving to her little grandchildren for supper!

Walking Into Another World

So there they were in Enila's home town, looking for the finishing touches for Enila's Fortune Teller Halloween Costume.  Enila needed a scarf complete her costume for Halloween --  to tie around her "fortune teller" head on that auspicious occasion. Marash Girl and  Enila walked into The Magic Cauldron, and indeed it was full of the magic of the Middle East.  Enila was trying on scarves when the owner came up to her and said, Oh, no, that's not what fortune tellers wear.  This scarf (which, by the way was 75% less expensive than the one Enila had been trying on) is what fortune tellers wear.  Marash Girl was silently wondering how the owner of the shop knew what fortune tellers wear!  The owner started telling Marash Girl and Enila about a man who broke a lamp in her store and who walked out without even reporting the breakage to her.  She started wishing evil on him -- vociferously -- and Marash Girl warned her that she mustn't -- that the evil she wished on the man could be turned right back onto her.  She then started telling Marash Girl about her family in Turkey (she was Turkish) who had been cheated by a tenant;  the owner's sister had shouted at the man, "I hope you die in a car accident" and soon after, the man died a horrible death in, yes, you guessed it . . .  an automobile accident.  

Marash Girl should have left the store right then and there, but she felt obliged to convince the woman that she (the woman) should not be going around wishing evil on people.  Be that as it may, Marash Girl commented (only as an aside) that Enila's grandfather was from Marash.  The shop owner immediately started hugging and kissing Marash Girl and Enila saying, "You're Turkish, you're Turkish! You're family, you're family!"  Enila and Marash Girl didn't have the heart (or the courage?) to correct her.

Good Neighbor on Ritchie Avenue

Skip and the Good Neighbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Photo by Marash Girl

Marash Girl's best friend from high school decided to visit  Marash Girl while she was in Maryland visiting her  grandchildren.   The two became so embroiled in conversation -- recounting tales of J.C. Hall and their AP Chemistry Class, of Marilyn Drewes and their AP biology class, that Skip forgot that he had forgotten to turn his car lights off, and sure as tootin', when Skip finally rose up from the porch chair with the words, "I really have to leave -- I'm going to be late for my next appointment",  walked over to his car, opened the car door, sat on the driver's seat, took out his keys, put the car key into the ignition and turned the key, nothing happened.   Marash Girl knew that Triple A would never get there in time for Skip to make it to his next appointment.  When she looked up, though, she saw, right across the street, a neighbor sitting next to his white pick up truck.  "Need help?" he asked with a grin.  "Sure do," answered Marash Girl, silently praying thanks to God that Good Neighbors still exist on Ritchie Avenue.

Bear on the Loose

From today's Newton Tab:

"A bear is on the loose in Newton, Massachusetts, according to reports."

"According to online alerts, police are searching for a bear in the town of Newton, Massachusetts. According to WHDH-TV Channel 7, environmental police found the bear but left it alone and let it wander."

The above report reminds Marash Girl of the time a neighbor in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, called the police to report a bear eating from the bird feeder in her back yard.  The response from the Wilbraham police?  "So what do you want US to do about it, lady?"

How about a sandwich for lunch?

But there was nothing in the house with which to make sandwiches!  Taking a peek into the freezer, Marash Girl spied the box of ice cream sandwiches she had bought for Enila and King Dude.  Ah, the perfect lunch for a hot September afternoon,  she thought to herself as she polished off all four ice cream sandwiches.

When Enila and King Dude returned from school, they ran to the freezer to look for the ice cream sandwiches, but the freezer was bare.  (Marash Girl writes with a nod to Mother Goose.)  "What happened to those ice cream sandwiches, Ama?", they asked.

"Oh, I was hungry and it was lunchtime, so I was looking around for something to make into a sandwich.  I couldn't find anything, so I checked in the freezer and there was a box that said sandwiches.  So I ate them for lunch.  They were sandwiches, right?"

"That's so lame, Ama!"  they groaned as they grimaced.

The Frisbee That Failed

The Errant Frisbee or, How To Fix a Frisbee That Fails

So there they were on the Cape and Helène wanted to treat King Dude to lunch; she decided to take him to a restaurant that gave a free gift to any kid who ordered a kid's meal.

Predictably,  King Dude ordered Mac 'n' Cheese.   Delicious, he reported.

But where was his gift?  Here it comes!  A red frisbee!

Yay!  Let's take it home and play!

King Dude, throw me the frisbee, said Marash Girl, as soon as they returned to Indian Hill Road.

King Dude threw the frisbee with all his young energy but the frisbee went awry -- in fact, it arched to the right, not up and over to Marash Girl.  Marash Girl figured (wrongly) that King Dude had deliberately thrown the frisbee into the bushes.  She rescued the frisbee, carefully aimed, and threw the frisbee -- you guessed it -- right into the bushes.  Wait a minute . . . she didn't aim the frisbee towards the bushes. . . what was going on here . . .

King Dude said, I'll get it and make a special effort to throw it straight, right to you, Ama.  As hard as he tried, the frisbee had a mind of its own . . . it went right into the bushes.

Now what!  King Dude said, "I'll get it right this time."  He threw the frisbee as hard as he could and this time, although the frisbee went far to the right of Marash Girl, it hit the tar and a hole broke into its side.  Oh, dear, said Marash Girl.   A piece just broke off of the side of your brand new frisbee.  Well, never mind.  Let 's try to keep playing.

And guess what happened next!  The frisbee worked perfectly!  It went straight as an arrow, directly to its destination; Marash Girl and King Dude were able to play frisbee for the rest of the week.

Who can tell us why the frisbee, after a hole broke into its side, worked perfectly?

Another View of Marash from the Olden Days

Another view of Marash - Is that the Fort in the right hand corner?  Courtesy of Bir Zamanlar Marash

A Page from the Past: All Is Vanity

Several years ago, while helping out at a local church fair, Marash Girl had the opportunity to view a framed image entitled, "All Is Vanity".  Framed over 100 years ago, the image is a reminder to all of us.   Do you see the two ladies or the skull?

Overheard on Sunday

Question:  What do folks call the Episcopal Church?

Answer:  Junior Varsity Catholic.

ENILA AT BAT - ORIOLES STADIUM. BALTIMORE, MD

Enila and Iffar proudly hold photo of Enila posing in front of  the Eddie Clarence Murray 
(Steady Eddie) statue at the Orioles Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland.           Photo by Marash Girl

ENILA POSES AT ORIOLES STADIUM IN FRONT OF EDDIE MURRAY STATUE.
EDDIE MURRAY (HOF 2003) FIRST BASEMAN FOR THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES, WELL KNOWN FOR HIS HITTING PROWESS, SIGNS PHOTO (IN SEPTEMBER OF 2015)
OF ENILA  POSING IN FRONT OF HIS (EDDIE MURRAY'S)  STATUE IN 2014.  Photo by Matt Rogers

Marash 1910 - Dimly

Berit Dağı -Maraş 1910 yıllarında Alman araştırmacılar tarafından Göksun yönünden çekilmiş bir resim...(İlk kez yayınlanıyor)  From Facebook's Bir Zamanlar Marash

Reading a Boring Book?

Reading a boring book? Read on!  As Grandpa Peter used to say, if you get one new idea from a book, it was worth the time it took to read it.

Newton Parks & Recreation Gives Away Parkland For Parking

After hours of listening to arguments both pro and con, the Newton Parks & Recreation Commission voted 4/3 to give away (to tar over) a piece of parkland for a school parking lot, despite the fact that the Parks & Recreation Commissioners have taken an oath to preserve parkland.  Marash Girl believes the move was illegal.