One word out of me . . .

Daddy would always joke to his friends about his prowess as a parent:  "One word out of me . . . and they do as they please!"  In reality, not a word, but one steely look at us would stop us kids in our tracks!

Dylan Marie with her First Official Hair Cut!

                                            Dylan Marie with her First Official Hair Cut!

Marash Girl still remembers with some sweet sadness the first "official" hair cuts of Nisha and Lorig on the shores of the Connecticut River at Mt. Tom Greenhouse in Holyoke, Massachusetts!

Parsley and the Armenian

Well, there's plenty to say about parsley and the Armenians . . . they love it, they use it as often as they can, both fresh and in dishes . . .  Uncle George grew parsley in his flower beds! Marash Girl's dad even made smoothies with parsley (his own home-grown) in orange juice!  . . . But what Marash Girl wants to tell you about today is the Armenian lady that she met at Stop & Shop's vegetable counter.  Marash Girl was sorting through the parsley and finally settled on a bunch that looked pretty good when she felt a hand on her arm.  When she looked around, she saw an old lady, (as it turns out, an old Armenian lady), who scolded her in accented English:  "Why are you taking that parsley from the front?.  Don't you know that they put the freshest bunches in the back?" 

Of course . . . what a dolt Marash Girl was!  So, under the watchful gaze of the old Armenian lady, Marash Girl girl placed the bunch of parsley she had had in her hand back onto the front of the counter, and reached way back to get the freshest bunch there was.

"Aferim, aghchig!" said my newfound Armenian advisor . . .

Protect Yo Heart

The sidewalks of New York City abounded with the message,  "Protect Yo' Heart", a message meant for all of us on many levels -- the physical, emotional, and spiritual, to name a few -- particularly meaningful for the Armenian Community as "Protect Yo Heart" Day occurs on the day before April 24th.

Welcome Mark to a Wonderful World

Join Marash Girl in welcoming Mark (born yesterday) to a wonderful world!

Congratulations to Irene and Paul!

Smile?

Why is it that when you smile, even when you have nothing to smile about, it makes you feel happier?  Try it out and let Marash Girl and her readers know by commenting below.  And thanks!

Celebrating Together

Father and son pose at wedding reception in New Jersey for Aram Demirjian and his bride Caraline!

Six words?

Yesterday, while Marash Girl was playing catchup with her book orders, she tuned in to National Public Radio where they were discussing Not Quite What I Was Planning, a collection of six-word memoirs by famous and not-so-famous writers, artists and musicians. 

Marash Girl thought about that . . . six words . . . . hmmm . . . . a fun game . . . it would certainly save her readers time, but for Marash Girl?  It would break her heart.  Six words may get to the heart of the matter, but the joy of the matter is the human being to which the heart gives life.

A photo of Aintab from the old days . . .

Did Marash Girl's Grandma Esther Bosnian Vartanian and Grandpa Garabed Vartanian, newly married, walk under these arches, hand in hand, planning their escape to a  life free of fear?

From	Cesar Jacques Chekijian August 19 at 5:33pm 's post on Facebook.
An archway in Aintab called "Karpuzatan" on the way to the ancient Zeugma ruins. Karpuz-Atan translates to "Watermelon Thrower"... people who lived above the archway must have been known to throw down watermelon?! The shape of the archway looks Arabic to me. An archway in Aintab called "Karpuzatan" on the way to the ancient Zeugma ruins. Karpuz-Atan transla...

How Time Flies!

Can't believe that it's August 22nd already and Marash Girl hasn't written a word for ten days!  I guess time flies when you're havin' fun! (See post below on August 11.)  Let's see if Marash Girl ever does catch up on those missed entries.  If not, feel confident that she was having the time of her life!

Pirate's Cove

Pirate's Cove, Route 28, Yarmouth, is the best mini-golf in the Commonwealth, according to the kids attending -- 

Which one is scarier?

                     Kids (and their parents) even learn the history and lore of well-known pirates.

Time Flies!

               Philosophy on the Blackboard of Chatham's Schoolhouse Ice Cream

                               "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."
AND above the blackboard  . . .

"If you want to teach your children about taxes, 

take a big bite out of the ice-cream in their ice cream cone!"

Something there is that doesn't love a wall . . .

                                                              Robert Frost said it all!

That boy is looking at me!

Marash Martha -- She was 4 years old, almost 5 . . . she  looked like Shirley Temple -- Armenian, albeit blonde and blue eyed growing up  in a dark-haired, dark-eyed Armenian community . . . but no matter what community she was in, she was noticed.  Her first day of kindergarten, upon entering the classroom, she cried out, terrified, "That boy is looking at me!"

Just to note here that the boys have never stopped looking at her!

Are you Mexican?

"Are you Mexican?"  Thus were Marash Girl and her daughter greeted as they sauntered into the Hyannis (Massachusetts) Democratic Headquarters . . .  Go figure!

Sharks at the Chatham Public Library

Celebrating a birthday AND an anniversary?

Couldn't find a prettier place to do that than Chatham, (Cape Cod), Massachusetts!

Thank you, Peter Metz!

Child-Proof Bottles?

Medzmama was living with Marash Girl and Marash Boy when she was well into her late eighties.  At the time, she was required to take medicine (in the form of pills) daily.  The only problem was that her pills were all in childproof bottles, bottles the covers of which she could not open.  No problem.  She called her young grandchildren over and asked them for their help  . . . and you guessed it!  The child-proof bottles were no problem for the young grandchildren.  They opened the bottles in a jiffy, much to Medzmama's relief . . . and Marash Girl's dismay!

Farmer's Market, Chatham, Massachusetts

Local farmers gather every Tuesday summer and fall  in Chatham, Massachusetts

Marash Boy tries the "home made" ginger beer at the Farmers' Market; Marash Girl renegged, fearing for her sobriety.

"My mother chooses my leg of lamb . . ."

Many years ago, at a meeting of the Harvard Armenian Club --  (it hadn't, as yet, become the Harvard-Radcliffe Armenian Club -- did it ever become that. . .? not that it matters as Radcliffe is now a misty memory from the past . . . ) -- young Armenian undergraduate women were fluttering around a young Armenian Harvard graduate student when, grinning, he commented, "My mother chooses my leg of lamb; my mother will choose my wife!"  

Happy Birthday, Marash Boy!

               You are the LION of Marash Girl's life (even though you don't read her blog!)

    "Do I have to read a blog to find out what my wife thinks?" asked Marash Boy not so long ago.

Before the tornado took all:   Marash Boy adds wood to the fire in the ancient fireplace
that once graced the back of the cottage in Wilbraham.

The Sign Points The Way

Marash Girl's friend, Lorig Gelenian, just informed here that the California State Assembly passed a bill directing the Department of Transportation to place informational signs on the 60 freeway directing motorists to the "Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument" at Bicknell Park, Montebello, California . . . no small achievement!!!