Eclectic, quirky, and sometimes edgy…this is how things look from my front porch.




Friday, March 11, 2011

Tsunamis and More Mundane Matters

For a variety of reasons, I couldn't seem to fall asleep last night.  Perhaps it was my caffeinated Starbucks too late in the day.  My writing has been pouring out and I've reached a critical juncture.  Every time I close my eyes, I only see Westchester County, New York and the characters dance around on the movie screen behind my eyes.  There's a relationship on my mind.  Whatever it was, I was still awake with cable news on when the information on Japan and the tsunami headed for the US was broadcast.

My beloved Hawaii.  All I could think of was my friend Snow Jade.  I checked to see if she was on line, and then sent an email with love and prayers.  It was so good to have her email back in a few hours that she is fine in her high rise condo in Waikiki.  Snow Jade and I were Red Cross military caseworkers at Hickam Air Force Base so many years ago.  She was there the day a crazy woman came in and threated to "shoot fire out of her finger tips" at me if I didn't get her on a military flight.  I couldn't think of a reasonable response.  Snow Jade said, "go ahead" and picked up the fire extinguisher, just in case. Taiwanese people are not easily ruffled.

What does this have to do with Norfolk County Seed and Feed?  Nothing.  But this was the blog entry I'd planned before the devastation halfway across the world.   Norfolk County, the county, that is, existed from 1691 to 1963.  Norfolk County used to include the city of Portsmouth until it became its own city and county during the Kennedy administration.  And Norfolk County Feed and Seed was there long before JFK.  It is another thing I love about Portsmouth, with a resident cat called Skittles, wooden floors, and local spuds and eggs for sale.  We worried it might close when Walmart moved in across the street, but it thrives selling indoor and outdoor plants, odd hardware items, and yes...feed as well as seed.

Twelve years ago, a dog who is now in heaven broke the china shade of this antique brass lamp.  The lamp has a key feature to turn it on and off that I really love.  For all these twelve years, I've been looking for a replacement every where from New York to Atlanta.  Where did I find it?  A half mile away at Norfolk County Seed and Feed.