John Farrell
A Spangler family treasure
This is a picture of the light fixture moved from the Spangler home in Nazareth, PA to the Farrell home in Reisterstown, MD. Donna’s mother’s sister, Aunt Lucy, tells us this was a wedding present given to their mother by their father in 1916. It is believed to be an original Tiffany lamp but we have not figured out how to validate that, yet.
In the contract to sell the house, we named the light fixture as an item that would not stay with the house; nonetheless, the first offer made for the house stipulated the light fixture was an item to remain in the house. The offer was withdrawn before we could counter that the light fixture was not negotiable. Before this happens again, we replaced the light with the brass fixture from our dining room. Now that the light has a new home, Donna and Sarah have decided the dining room needs to be repainted to match the colors. Hope that doesn’t snowball…
The lighting fixture in the lamp had to be repaired before it was energized. The wires inside the fixture had frayed to expose the copper wires and start burning the insulation, which is not a good thing. I need to replace the wiring, which is at least 60 years old, but it will work for now. We also had to replace 4 of the 5 lamp bulbs because the glass and bases had come apart. I’m not sure how the light was working without starting a fire but it didn’t for which we are very thankful.
Alicia Farrell
2009 Mid-year Review
We are halfway through 2009, what a great time to assess how we are doing with goals set for the year, or set new ones for the next six months.
For my personal life I didn’t set measurable goals, more thought of changes to make.
Things I’m proud of so far include:
- Organizing a craft space & office
- Exercising more
- Learning about setting healthy boundaries in relationships
- Finding creative & meaningful ways to socialize with women I admire (Grilled Cheese & Champagne dinners & Mrs. Farrell’s Ruckus)
Things I’d like to improve over the next 6 months:
- Rely on my day planner like its a religious text
- Practice yoga most days than not
- Practice creative writing everyday
- Program the coffee pot I received for Christmas from my mom
- Blog more frequently
I’m also doing a similar review about my freelance copywriting business at More Than Words.
Like what you read? Bookmark it or share it with others.
Alicia Farrell
Roanoke Times Article about the Jarrett Lane Memorial Golf Tournament
Today the Roanoke Times published an article about the Jarrett Lane Memorial Fund, and the upcoming golf tournament that will support the fund. It’s a great article that touches on how we want to use the memorial fund to better the lives of youth in Giles County.
Golf event to raise money for Jarrett Lee Lane Memorial Fund
Saturday sees the first Jarrett Lane Memorial Golf Tournament held in honor of the student from Narrows.
When her children were little, Tracey Lane had to work overtime so she could afford to send them to 4-H camp and out-of-town sports and leadership programs. The single mom was determined to give her children a window into the world beyond their small Narrows town.
So when it came time to design the Jarrett Lee Lane Memorial Fund in honor of her son, killed in the April 16, 2007, shootings at Virginia Tech, she and her daughters decided to help other parents of needy but promising area youths to do the same.
The inaugural Jarrett Lane Memorial Golf Tournament will be held Saturday at Castle Rock Golf & Recreation in Pembroke to raise money for the fund.
Summer camps, sports and Boys State leadership programs played a huge role in shaping Jarrett Lane’s character. “I remember 4-H Camp especially, that was a key thing in the beginning that opened Jarrett’s eyes to the possibilities of life outside of our small town,” his sister Alicia Lane-Farrell said.
Lane, the valedictorian of his Narrows High School class, was less than a month away from earning his engineering degree when he and 31 other students and faculty members were killed.
He was known for his fun-loving and generous spirit, his intellectual curiosity and his willingness to play pick-up sports — any sport — any time, any place. He kept a variety of balls in the trunk of his car just in case an opportunity arose and, as a child, once dug holes in his mom’s back yard to practice golf putting. When she complained, he blamed the holes on the dog.
While two other scholarships have been established in his name — one by his Narrows class, the other by his Governor’s School class — the Jarrett Lee Lane Memorial Fund is operated by his family.
Lane’s friends from Narrows and Virginia Tech are expected to attend the event, along with his family. Nongolfers are encouraged to participate by playing Captain’s Choice style, allowing all team members to play off the best team shot.
Lane-Farrell views the event not only as a conduit for remembering her younger brother but also as a continuation of his legacy. “He only got to the 22-year mark, and now our goal is to keep his story alive so we can continue his legacy by helping others,” she said.
The registration fee for teams of four is $300 per team, and teams can register by calling the golf course before Friday at 626-7276. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winning team, and a cookout is expected to take place after the tournament about 1 p.m.
For more information on the memorial fund, e-mail Lane-Farrell at alicia@aliciafarrell .com or go to JarrettLane.us
Contributions to the fund may be mailed to: Jarrett Lane Memorial Fund, c/o Celco Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 361, Narrows, VA 24124.
(Thanks to Beth Macy at the Roanoke Times who has done a wonderful job at sharing Jarrett’s story.)
Alicia Farrell
15 Books
I saw a friend post this on Facebook and thought it sounded like fun.
Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First 15 you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
- The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
- The Awakening by Kate Chopin
- Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Guernesy Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
- Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
- Plan B by Anne Lamot
- Ariel by Sylvia Plath
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
- Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
- The Journals of Sylvia Plath
- The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
- Self Reliance by Emerson
It’s funny to Anne Lamott & Sylvia Plath keep repeating. They’ve been my favorites over the past few years. Now it’s your turn. Leave your list in the comments, or a link to your blog.
Like what you read? Bookmark it or share it with others.
John Farrell
Reisterstown Wildlife Habitat News June 7
Here is the eagerly awaited Reisterstown Wildlife Habitat News update:
The major focus the past two weeks has been on the Bluebirds and the Baltimore Orioles. We can see the Orioles in the tree tops but still haven’t had too much success attracting them to the backyard habitat. We’ve tried everything: nectar water, oranges, orange marmalade, grape jelly, and orange suet. All the sure fire attractors haven’t worked. There must be something better in the neighborhood. I suspect they like the horse barn and fields across the street.
We did see where they have have built a nest in the top of a tree in our neighbors yard, which must be 50 feet from the ground. It’s hard to see the basket nest they build but here is the best picture I can get with a zoom lens. We keep trying. I even created a feeder with orange pieces in a nectar bath with grape jelly as the center piece. Come on, now, it can’t get any better than that, can it!?
For the past two weeks or so, the male and female bluebirds have worked tirelessly to feed the nestlings. Here is a video recording the female at work. You can hear the chirping of the little ones crying for food. When the female leaves the box, she has something white in her beak - she must be taking out the trash, which there must be a lot of with 5 baby birds in that small box.
Mother Bluebird feeding her nestlings! from John Farrell on Vimeo.
This goes on continuously throughout the day, rain or shine. This morning, the male bluebird was stuffing himself with mealworms to feed the nest, which he did several times. A short while later, we heard the Sparrows making a lot of noise at the nest. A quick check revealed the nestlings were gone. Now the Sparrows want to take over the box. I’ll clean the house out - hopefully the parents will build a new nest and repeat the cycle of life. Two years ago, they did that 4 times.
Donna’s Dad built another birdhouse this past week. It is sized for Chickadees, Nuthatches, etc. No birds have found it yet. The Wrens have several nests. They are building one in the small house over the arbor at the side entrance to the house, which is easy and fun to watch.
We’ve had so much rain and cool weather that the butterflies have been few and far between. The same can be said for the Hummingbirds. We expect the warmer Summer weather and blooming flowers will bring them out in great numbers. The trumpet vine is loaded with buds, which is a great attractor.
Alicia Farrell
Family Time (WARNING: CUTE PICS!!)
I traded big city buildings for big rolling mountains last week and went to visit my family in Narrows. Sometimes life gets a bit confusing and a girl just needs to go home and be with the people that have known her the longest.
It was a good trip full of family fun, gardening, writing and enjoying the beauty of mountains.
It rained nearly every day I was there, but we had one beautiful summery day and spent it playing in the pool with my nephew and nieces. Of course, this means you are about to be overwhelmed by their cuteness with a few pictures I took.
Kennedy
Kaydance
Landon
Kennedy
Kaydance
Fawntane and the girls
Fawntane & Kennedy
Kaydance
The girls watering flowers I planted
Landon asking me not to take his picture
Daniel Farrell
Growing up
As someone who struggled a bit to bite the bullet and grow up during my early 20s this post was interesting to me:
It’s a bit harsh at points but it’s an interesting statement on what our society thinks grownup means. It means being responsible and independence according to the article. I’m in complete agreement with the responsible part. The independence part not entirely if it means not depending on your friends for things and instead paying professionals. To me part of being friends to be be there for my friends. It’s okay to me that people depend on me. Here are some thoughts I had while reading:
- You are completely fine to never send me a thank you note and save a tree.
- Feel free to assume you can crash here if you need a place to stay when coming through town.
- I will absolutely help you move. ASK ME. I kind of like it and I think it’s stupid to pay for movers.
- You can tell me about your crazy dreams.
John Farrell
Wildlife Habitat News Friday, May 22
There is a lot that happened in our wildlife habitat this week:
The Bluebirds eggs must be hatching as the parents are busy going in and out.
I will try to get a picture of the nest later today.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have moved on to where ever they go from MD.
The Chickadee nest is empty so the eggs must have hatched while we were visiting Nazareth last week.
The Wrens and Sparrows are battling for nest space. The Sparrows tore apart a Wren nest in the pottery house near the side entrance to our home so the Wren took over a Sparrow nest in the bluebird house in the front yard. Go figure!
I moved a bluebird house from behind the back yard to the side of the house near Jack’s Magnolia tree. There is a Sparrow nest with eggs in it but they appear to have been scared away, unlike the Chickadees when we moved the house in which they had their nest.
The Baltimore Orioles are in the area - we can see them flying around in the trees around our house. Donna has put out jellies and sugar water to attract them into the yard. So far, the only attraction they have shown is to the colored yarns for nesting material.
We have adult and young (so tiny) hummingbirds visiting the nectar feeders.
With the warm weather, we should start seeing more butterflies again.
Alicia Farrell
Overcoming Brain Fog
Yesterday I heard the end of All Things Considered, just in time to catch the You Must Read This segment. Author Jeffery Eugenides shared one of his writing secrets: how to overcome fog brain. I don’t know if you struggle with fog brain, but I battle it most days. And most days I give up and take a nap.
I found Eugenides words to be very inspiring, and wanted to share them here. (Or if you would prefer to listen to the segment, visit You Must Read This.)
There’s a little thing I do when I can’t write: When I’m feeling sleepy, when my head is in a fog, I reach across my desk, digging under the piles of unanswered mail, to unearth my copy of Herzog by Saul Bellow. And then I open the book ? anywhere? and read a paragraph.
It always works. Right away I’m restored to full alertness and clarity. Style, in literature, has gone out of style. People think it’s just ornament. But it’s not: The work that goes into a writer’s style, the choices that are taken, the cliches that are chucked, represent a refining of thought and feeling into their purest, most intelligent, most moral form.
Of course, there is a danger, with a great stylist, that the sentences will outclass what the sentences are about. Not with Bellow. Bellow gets the mix between form and content about as right as possible. His sentences pack maximum sensual, emotional and intellectual information into minimum space ? all the while generating an involving, deeply moving story.
Published in 1964, Herzog is about a middle-aged college professor, in the midst of an emotional crisis, who begins writing letters: “He had fallen under a spell,” Bellow writes, “and was writing letters to everyone under the sun. . . . Hidden in the country, he wrote endlessly, fanatically, to the newspapers, to people in public, to friends and relatives and at last to the dead, his own obscure dead, and finally the famous dead.” The book zooms off from there. Herzog goes from New York, to Martha’s Vineyard, to Chicago, to the Berkshires, penning his funny, serious, brilliant, self-lacerating, accusatory letters, each one acting like a new screen in a hypertext novel that opens an entirely different piece of his life: his immigrant childhood in Montreal; his indomitable ex-wife Madeleine; his numerous lady friends; his free-falling career, his pain at losing his daughter in divorce. Bellow, the supreme realist, discovered in Herzog a new form ? the self-reflexive epistolary novel ? without any of the obscurantism or self-preening of so-called “experimental” novels.
Herzog worried that his frantic letter-writing meant he was “out of [his] mind.” But, in the last 45 years, his predicament has become universal. Herzog’s life resembles the way we live now, where we’re forever sending off e-mail and texts, fielding cell phone calls: where we’re no longer any one place but everywhere ? and nowhere ? at once. Our life in shards, randomly returning.
The mark of a truly original work of art is that is gets truer the older it is.
The impulse here is to quote. Every single page of Herzog teems with jokes, apercus, deep-thinker riffs ? little genius moves every other sentence. The impulse is to read the entire book out loud. But I’ve only got a minute here, time to make the pitch but not go nine innings.
So let me say this: If you’re in the market for a safe neuro-enhancer, something to break you out of your foggy-headedness, a pill more powerful than Adderall or Provigil, with no side effects other than pleasure, then pick up Herzog and open it ? anywhere ? and read.
Sylvia Plath has been my safe neuro-enhancer over the past few years. It never fails that when I’m feeling fog brained and lose sight of why I want to write I can pick up Ariel or her unabridged journals and instantly feel renewed.
Who or what gets you through those moments when you feel exhausted with everything in life?
Like what you read? Bookmark it or share it with others.
John Farrell
Baltimore Orioles have arrived!
We saw our first male Baltimore Oriole (birds, not baseball) on Mother’s Day. This weekend, we saw both the male and female but it was hard to tell what they were doing. This morning (Monday), while doing some yard work, I saw them taking yarn from the nesting material Donna put out for them. The female came to the material several times and flew away with big pieces of yarn for her nest. The male watched over her from a close tree, as if guarding her.
Hopefully, they will return for water and food once their nest is built. We’ve tried for several years to attract them to the habitat with oranges and sugar water but didn’t try the yarn until this year.
