Happy Birthday

Happy birthday Paul. Alec told me today that he wants to watch The Holy Grail this weekend with me. Python films will always remind me of you, and the fun times we had watching them, quoting them, and sometimes..... LIVING THEM. I'll have a bowl of no-sugar-added Moose Tracks in your honor while we watch. Now, off to find a shrubbery.

The Quilt

Jill is making a quilt to be raffled off at the Relay this year, and needs your assistance. First off, we need fabric donations, as this can run into a lot of dollars. With Marti's assistance, we have picked a general type and color of fabric. This picture is an example of what we are looking for.

This doesn't mean you need to buy EXACTLY these pieces, but something similar would be fine. If you need assistance, or would like to donate fabric, please contact Marti through Facebook, or at SMLeete(at)Gmail(dot)com, or Jill through Facebook, or at Jill(at)ThreadsByJill(dot)com, or email the event at Relay2011(at)PaulGoldstein(dot)org.

Rice Salad Again!

The Relay is coming again on May 21. For those of you who do not know the story behind the name "Rice Salad" here's the story:

Paul had requested that we have a get-together after he was gone, to remember him, and to make it an up-beat event, not a sad one. With everyone's help, we managed to put it all together in a great space donated by Bard College for the occasion. There was food, and music, and a slide show, and more food, and great guests, and, oh... MORE FOOD.

The famous rice salad was a crazy coincidence of the evening. My mother used to make a cold salad with rice and peas years ago. I actually never ate much of it, due to my dislike of peas (ick!) but everyone else seemed to love it. The only ingredients I could remember were rice, peas, and mayonnaise. Alice had mentioned that we should have it because it was something Paul liked to make for parties, but didn't know the recipe. I explained to her that it was something that my mother made when we were kids, and Paul must have continued the tradition. Marti then informed me that she had been looking for a rice salad recipe without even knowing any of the tradition! Neither Stephanie, nor my mother knew the recipe, and at mom's suggestion I called around the family and found that no one else had it either. So much for that one. We decided that we could try to re-create it from research, until the Thursday before the get-together when I got an email form Paul's friend Sue. Sue listed several things that she was bringing including Paul's Famous Rice Salad. Somebody wanted us to have that salad!

A Poem in Remembrance of Paul Goldstein 2010 by Sue

A Poem in Remembrance of Paul Goldstein 2010

by Sue

A Penny Found on the Ground dated 1975

The year I met you on the phone,

When, ‘MODENT’ was new and alive.

I Found an Invoice, in a Jar of Dreams You sent to me in Maine

It says to write down all my Dreams

And keep them in my Heart,

I’ll keep it there in the Jar,

Or, perhaps I’ll put it in a frame

It matters not what I do

For without you life has not been the same

The recipe for Rice Salad

Remains in lettered Red

Because that was the only pen

I had as I copied what you said

A Penny found on the Ground dated 2007

The year you left the Earth for Heaven

To Join the Songs of Angels

Dear Paul...

Dear Paul,

Things are a bit hectic this year. Moving again, although this time a bit unexpected. I think you'd like the new place. Reminds me a little of Salt Point, without the crazy landlord though we hope. Mom is still in Latham, and doing OK. We had a big Thanksgiving get-together at the Desmond with her, although I think you already know that. The heart-shaped potato on her plate was a nice touch. You must be so proud of Stephanie. The rest of the kids are doing well. All the girls are all either in, or finished with college, and I'm sure Alec will end up there too. Say hi to Dad, the grandparents, and everyone else. I think maybe tonight we'll whip up a batch of coffee-pot mac-n-cheese, some pudding, and watch Murder By Death. I'll leave a chair for you.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to my brother Paul, who is 52 today. I think, now that I've mastered the art of low-carb cake baking, I will make a small one tonight in his honor. Enjoy!

Welcome Home Mom!

This past Thursday Lee and I flew out to Carlsbad, CA to get Mom ready for the journey home to New York, which occurred Saturday night. She is now back in New York, and seemed to make the journey OK. Some strange happenings on the way there got me thinking about Paul again.

Lee booked the flights for us. Since I was bringing mom home on the red-eye Saturday night, he booked a non stop for me from Newark, and a one way for her sitting next to me on the return trip. His fight didn't need to be non stop, and he would usually rather leave from Stewart or Albany for convenience sake. Here, now is a list of some rather amazing coincidences that followed:

--Lee's flight from Stewart ended up changing planes in Newark, onto the SAME FLIGHT I was on.

--I knew when we booked the separate flights that Lee was sitting a few rows away from me, but didn't remember exactly where. We were both stuck in middle seats too, as that was all that was left at booking time. I checked in online the night before, and quickly grabbed an aisle seat that wasn't available when we booked. It ended up being the seat NEXT TO LEE.

--The flight was full. They even announced that, so that people knew to conserve space in the overheads. When the plane finally finished boarding there was one empty seat from a no-show: THE WINDOW SEAT NEXT TO LEE.

Once again, I'm not usually much for spirits and the like, but I would like to believe that he was either there with us, or somehow made sure that we had a more comfortable ride than we would have. Thank you Paul, either way, and although I'm sure if you're capable of watching us you already know this: Mom is home, and safe with the rest of us. Say hi to dad, and could we manage an "accidental" first-class upgrade the next time we travel?