A RE-POSTING WITH SYMPATHIES TO THOSE SUFFERING HURRICANE HARVEY

Originally posted Sunday, August 28, 2011

Hurricane Harvey: Police Cars, Police Boats, Police Helicopters

There's a hurricane coming, and the police are going through coastal neighborhoods to warn folks to leave their homes while they still can.

A police car approaches a house along the rising waters where a man is sitting and rocking on his porch.  Come with us, said the police.  The waters are rising and your life is in danger.  There's a hurricane coming.

Don't worry, answered the man.  God promises that He will take care of me.

Hours pass, the waters rise, and the man has moved to the second floor of his house where he is sitting in a rocking chair and looking out of the window.

A police boat approaches.  Come with us, said the police.  The waters are rising and your life is in danger.

Don't worry, answered the man.  I'm stayhing right here.  God promises that He will take care of me.

The waters continue rising, and the man is now sitting on his roof, waiting patiently.

A police helicopter hovers over the roof and drops a ladder down to the lonely man.   Come with us, said the police.  Your life is in danger.  The waters are rising and will soon cover your house.

Don't worry, answered the man.  God promises that He will take care of me.

Soon the waters cover the roof of the house, the man drowns and goes to Heaven.

St. Peter comes to the gates.  Yes, what can I do for you?

I want to speak with God, said the man, a bit annoyed.  One moment, said St. Peter.  Come with me.

When the man sees God, he asks, God, what happened?  You promised you would take care of me, and here I am, dead.

God answers, I sent you a police car, a police boat and a police helicopter! What more did you want?

At WBUR's Fundraiser 2016

WBUR's Tom Ashbrook in center of photo

Thanks to Martha McCool for finding the above photo on WBUR's website.

Are you a NIMBY?

Marash Girl had never heard the expression NIMBY before Wednesday night!  In case you haven't heard, the letters mean, NOT IN MY BACK YARD, referring to folks who support subsidized, mixed income housing in the suburbs, but not in their corner of the woods!

Don't Forget the Baking Powder!

What a difference a teaspoon of baking powder makes!  In her rush to make banana bread for Arax's birthday party, Marash Girl forgot to add the baking powder!  The banana bread tasted great, but its texture was more like chewy cardboard.  Sorry, Arax!

Happy Birthday, Arax!

                                                        Pears from the pear trees in Wilbraham.

If you're going shopping with your husband . . .

If you're going shopping with your husband, make sure you stay together.  Marash Boy and Marash Girl made the mistake of splitting up to speed the process up, and guess what happened?  We bought two of everything, of course!

Did you know?

Did you know that if a pedestrian is standing on the corner on the sidewalk, waiting to cross the street at a crosswalk, an automobile may not drive across that cross walk?  Marash Girl was kindly reminded of the fact as she attempted to make her way up Highland Avenue, yesterday, from Walnut Street.  It took her longer than she thought to arrive at the Bablouzian household to offer her condolences for Barkev's passing.  In fact, it was probably Barkev from on high who whispered in the ear of the "arresting officer", the arresting officer who finally agreed to allow Marash Girl to proceed to Barkev's home with only a warning in hand.

"Ask not for whom the bell tolls . . . "

This morning, Marash Boy asked Marash Girl, "What time is your funeral?"

She shouted back, "I don't know what time MY funeral is, but Barkev's funeral services are at 11 o'clock this morning."

Barkev, may God rest your soul.

Cousins at Barkev's Hokjiash, basement of Armenian Memorial Church, Watertown, Massachusetts
  l.to r. Rosemary Gabonlyan Koch, Armen Barooshian, Pauline Bilezikian  Barooshian
Standing In Background: Salpi Bablouzian holding her great grandchild.

Kenar Braving the Total Eclipse of the Sun Yesterday!

Though all of us here in New England were warned not to look directly at the eclipse of the sun without adequate eye protection, few of us bothered to acquire said protection, but Kenar in Oregon sure did!

High Finance!

Marash Girl stopped at the end of a yard sale yesterday and found a jigsaw puzzle which had not yet been attempted, although the box was open and pieces in the box were loose, so she would have been taking a yard sale chance purchasing that particular puzzle, but chance it she would.  Speaking to the woman who was selling the puzzle, she asked if the woman would accept $1 rather than $3 for the puzzle -- after all, it was the end of the day, the puzzle was still sitting there, and the puzzle pieces were loose inside of the opened box.  Incensed, the owner of the puzzle answered, "Forget it.  I'll put the puzzle together myself next time I'm on the Cape!"  which is exactly when Marash Girl was planning to put that puzzle together. . .  

May God welcome you into His kingdom, Cousin Barkev

                                                                                                                                                              Photo by Marash Girl

May the Lord bless you and keep you,  may the Lord make His face to shine upon you and give you peace, dear cousin Barkev Bablouzian.

Photo by Marash Girl taken at a Marashtsi event many years ago.  (Possibly the 100th year commemoration of the Union of Marash Armenians.)  Barkev Bablouzian (his wife Salpi to his right)  pointing to a Marash embroidery that his mother Armenouhi Bilezikjian Bablouzian made.

Steaming Open an Envelope, Nancy Drew Style

While on vacation in Chatham, Marash Girl taught her grandson Raffi how Nancy Drew would have steamed open an envelope that had been sealed and needed to be secretly opened.  Here you see Raffi practicing what Marash Girl preached!

Tell it to the priest!

At a recent yard sale, a woman asked Marash Girl if she could have the candlesticks in question for 50 cents rather than $5.00 because the woman was buying it for her church.  Marash Girl replied, "If it's for the church, you can have it for free."  The woman insisted that she should be 50 cents for the candlesticks.  Marash Girl insisted that if the candlesticks were for the church, she should take them for free.  The woman, looking chagrined, walked away without the candlesticks.

Clearing Out . . .

Today, Marash Girl called the church to find out what they would like to have for donations for their "Attic Treasures" table at their upcoming bazaar.  She was told, "No books. No dish sets."  What's going on?  Would this suggest that folks are no longer reading books (at least not buying them, even at 50 cents each), or that folks are no longer eating out of china/glass dishes (only takeout)?  Or even worse, never entertaining at home?  Yikes. Have times changed!

"Hatred Has No Home Here" - Yesterday at the corner of Walnut and Beacon Streets, Newton, Massachusetts

Photo by unknown sister protestor
Counselor Scott Lennon, candidate for Mayor of Newton, Massachusetts, holds sign with Marash Girl proclaiming that "Hate Has No Home Here!" 

                                                                  

                                                                    "Love, Not Hate, Makes America Great!"               Photo by Marash Girl                             

                                                                                                               "Grandmothers for Peace!"                                   Photo by Marash Girl                                                                    

"No Room For Hate Anywhere!"

Calling Names

Calling names is as old as mankind . . . or at least as old as Marash Girl.  Starting early on, kids in the neighborhood would call each other names, or in other ways "out" them.  How were we taught to respond?  With the simple statement, "Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me."  So sometimes the kids would reply to that by throwing sticks or stones!

Names will never hurt?  Depending on who you are, where you are, and who's calling you what names!

Freedom of Speech

The ongoing discussion about free speech brings to mind a discussion Marash Girl had with her mom and dad when she was nigh high to a grasshopper.

Her question:  "So is it okay if I tell someone that I think that their ugly?"

Camp Haiastan

Dancing to a live Armenian band at Camp Haiastan today brought back memories of the old days, the very old days, when the dance floors at the Armenian picnics would be crowded, young and old dancing to music from their ancient homeland.

The End of a Beautiful Vacation on Cape Cod

Marash Boy and Marash Girl drove Raffi to Liberty State Park where his mom picked him up.  It was the end of their wonderful vacation in Chatham on Old Cape Cod!

Paradise Clouded Over

It's always so much easier to leave paradise when it's clouded over!

At the Rubber Duckie Store, Chatham, Massachusetts

Raffi at the Rubber Ducky Store, Chatham, Massachusetts

"Donald Take Quack America!"

                                                      Believe it or not, Raffi had to struggle his way through the line at Chatham's rubber duckie store, past adults of all sizes and ages.  He survived to tell the tale!

Trouble in Paradise

Upon first arriving in Chatham, on the walkway above Lighthouse Beach,  Marash Girl noticed a plethora of TV cameras, police cars, and local gawkers.

Fearing the worst, Marash Girl tentatively approached one of the TV broadcasters and asked what was going on.  "See that boat over there?  The boat on the front lawn of the lighthouse?"

"Yes.  What about it?"

"They just found a dead body in that boat."

 

   

 And on to Tuesday morning when Marash Girl walked to the local Ocean State Job Lot to buy a cap with a bill to keep the sun out of her eyes on her morning walks -- (MG had forgotten hers at home . . . ), she got to talking with the check out lady about Saturday's occurrence.  Marash Girl asked, "What happened yesterday?"
The woman behind the counter answered.  "He was a friend of my son's. A wonderful boy.  He was married with a little three year old daughter.  But he was bipolar. When he went missing, his family thought he had gone to Puerto Rico, leaving his car here at the beach.  He was a friend of my son -- oh, my son works for the sheriff's department.  They're going to check this out, believe me!  Some say that the Coast Guard is at fault, as once the young man got inside of the boat, the lock system prevented him from any means of escape!"

The next day, Marash Girl met a women -- they were both waiting to see the play at the Monomoy Theatre in Chatham.  Her son was friends with the young man.  All of Chatham is grieving this tragedy.

Troubled In Paradise

Yesterday, Marash Girl came upon evidence of a troubled mind, a troubled mind in paradise.  Attempting to help her grandson find the perfect "skipping" stones for skimming across the surface of the glacial pond, rather than flat stones, Marash Girl found flat pieces of broken glass.  Her grandson barefoot beside her,  Marash Girl became concerned, and ran ahead of him as she gathered the broken glass.  Strange, it had not been there the year before.  It was not sea glass, smoothed by the action of water.  This glass was sharp edged; glass shards.

Where had the glass come from?  Soon she was to find the answer.

A man came walking along the shore, asking Marash Girl what she was seeking along the edge of the pond.  Marash Girl explained.  He answered,  "My wife comes down here every day to clear the pond edge of broken glass.  We don't know where it's coming from."  Commiserating with the gentleman, Marash Girl continued to pocket the small pieces of broken glass.  The gentleman left, but soon a woman arrived, the gentleman's wife.  She repeated the story her husband had told Marash Girl.  

"I come down here every day and, as best I can, clear the edges of the pond of broken glass."  

"Where could this glass be coming from?" Marash Girl queried.

The woman answered.  "I think it's someone with a very sick mind.  S/he must come down here daily with a bag of broken glass and sprinkle it along the edge of the pond."

"But why?"

Readers, if you have the answer, please comment below.

I'm so rich . . .

Three fellows walk out of a bar . . .

Says one:  "I'm so rich, I can burn $10," as he takes out a ten dollar bill and holds a lighted match to it.

Says the second:  "I'm so rich, I can burn $20," as he takes out a twenty dollar bill and holds a lighted match to it.

Says the third: "I'm so rich, I can burn a $100," as he takes out his check book and writes a check for one hundred dollars, and holds a lighted match to it.

Upon telling brother James the above joke, brother James replied, "I'm so rich because I never burn money, ever!"

Bored? Try a jigsaw puzzle!

           
 She was, and she did!  She completed this used once, 300 piece puzzle, the puzzle she had purchased on the first day of their Cape Cod vacation, while Marash Boy took a long summer's nap!  And, guess what?  There were no pieces missing!

Chatham: "All through the year, it's a holiday here!"

This structure was created for the 4th of July parade by artist Craig Phillips of Chatham, Massachusetts.  
Located on the corner of Route 28 and George Ryder Road,
the structure welcomes all to enjoy Chatham throughout the year.

Jigsaw Puzzles Mark Long Lazy Days

The first thing Marash Girl does when she is away on vacation is purchase a jigsaw puzzle -- at a yard sale, if she's lucky, the puzzle missing no pieces, if she's even luckier.  And this past week was no exception.  No sooner had they (Marash Girl and Marash Boy) turned the corner onto Indian Hill Road North but she saw -- yes -- a yard sale on the left, just before they had to take a right -- a yard sale that she would not have seen (and would that have made Marash Boy happy) had the sale occurred on the next block.

A yard sale at the end of the day, you say?

Yes!  When folks are trying to give away all that did not sell . . . and what was sitting there unsold but the making of her favorite vacation pastime (for those late nights, early mornings, or rainy days . . . rainy days on a vacation in New England?  Never (-:) !  You guessed it!  A jigsaw puzzle.  Granted, not a puzzle of the ocean or a lighthouse, but a puzzle of a "Riverfest"!  And as it's looking like rain outside (not inside, of course), Marash Girl just might finish that puzzle today, a week before her vacation ends.  She's wondering if another jigsaw puzzle will present itself before she has to leave for home . . .

110 IN THE SHADE

To celebrate Marash Boy's birthday, Marash Girl invited Marash Boy to the Monomoy Theatre in Chatham to see "110 in the Shade", a musical with Sarah Killough and Gregory Rodriguez in the lead roles and a live orchestra above the stage (NOT in the pit, where orchestra's are usually relegated) . . . Marash Girl's invitation was made with some trepidation, as Marash Boy is not known to "love" musicals; nevertheless, the invitation was made and accepted . . . much to everyone's joy!

The Monomoy Theatre's presentation of "110 in the Shade" is not to be missed.  The acting, the live orchestration, the singing, the cast, the performance as a whole was spectacular.

Granted, Marash Girl had secured front row seats in honor of Marash Boy's birthday, and still there were no flaws to be noted . . . no flaws whatsoever!

Based on the play, THE RAINMAKER, the show never ceased to entertain.

If you're on the Cape or near Chatham, go see THE RAINMAKER!  You won't be sorry!

Happy Birthday, Marash Boy!

                        Celebrating Marash Boy's birthday at Wequassett Resort, Harwich

A curse or a blessing?

Thursday, wandering around Star Market looking for fresh fruit, Marash Girl happened upon a young woman who stood tall.  Something alerted her to speak to the young woman: "You're very beautiful."
Responding to Marash Girl's compliment, the young woman began recounting her struggle (and success) with overcoming an addiction to prescription medicine, prescription medicine that her doctors continued to prescribe.

The encounter reminded Marash Girl of her time in the hospital when the doctors prescribed Morphine to MG.  What it did to MG's head, she cannot describe.  "Can't you just give me aspirin?" she asked.  "No," they assured MG; "the aspirin will make you bleed."
"Well, I'm not taking this morphine.  I'd rather have the pain than deal with the effects that the morphine is causing in my head!" countered Marash Girl!

And we wonder why addiction is becoming so rampant!