The Northern Lights

~ MaryG ~ 36 Comments

I think a lot of people in the Northeast (including me!) checked off “See the Northern Lights” from their buckets lists last night. This was especially rewarding for those of us who missed seeing them in May. Who knew our once-in-a-lifetime chance would come twice in one year?

The Northern Lights from my very own neighborhood last night around 7:15pm. I was on my way to choir practice and happened to look up.

This feels like a lot of things.

Remembrance

The lights and colors in the sky last night reminded me of my close friend from college, Carla, who died in 2022. She had brain cancer. She really wanted to see the Northern Lights before she died, but was too sick to travel, so her friends and family found a way to project them onto the ceiling in her bedroom in Santa Fe. It was beautiful.

A Sign

I know I’m not alone in feeling a lot of anxiety about the state of the country and the way it feels like we’re never going to go back to “normal” — no matter who wins the election. I’ve never in my life been afraid of a US election, but I’m afraid of this one.

Similarly, I never once saw the Northern Lights as a kid growing up in Massachusetts, but this year, many New Englanders saw them twice! A little girl standing near me last night said, “this is God.” Maybe so. Or maybe it’s a sign of transition to a new era—an era where completely new things happen.

Unknown new things are scary and I have a strong urge to “circle the wagons” and try to protect the ones I love. (I think to myself, “please stay in Massachusetts where you’ll maybe be a bit safer from gun violence, flooding, dangerous reproductive care, crappy public schools, etc.)

But I know that’s not really possible.

My new granddaughter will hopefully live into the next century. She will live out most of her life in this new era, whatever it may be. I want her to feel free, adventurous, and safe to explore the world beyond her home state.

Living in the transitional time

An activist friend of mine left for New Zealand yesterday. She’s staying until the end of the month. She said she just needed to get out of the country for these last few weeks before the election. I can relate. In some ways, it’s all just too much.

Maybe seeing the aurora borealis is the reminder some of us needed to center ourselves and live in the moment. Humans have been around a long time and have accomplished many great things and many terrible things. Even though it sometimes feels like end times are upon us, there’s a decent chance that something great is just around the corner too.

Final thought: just breathe

Related post:

Northern Lights II

Budapest 1987

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments

I’ve posted a couple times about my trip to the Soviet Union in college. I was with a group of students and history professors. It was a big deal to go “behind the iron curtain” back then, so we prepped for this trip for many months—studying Russian history and learning how to behave in a communist country. (They didn’t want any of us to end up in a Siberian prison camp.)

In addition to stopping in Helsinki (Finland) on the way into the USSR, we stopped in Budapest (Hungary) on the way out. Back then, Hungary was firmly part of the Soviet-aligned Eastern Bloc. And we happened to be there in the immediate aftermath of an epic snowstorm. Other than the extreme cold and total paralysis of transportation on the streets, I remember kind people and one particularly delicious hot meal in a restaurant with some young musicians who gave us a cassette tape of their rock band.

In light of the recent good news that Hungarians dumped their far-right leader Viktor Orbán (a buddy of both Trump and Putin) on Sunday, I dug out my Budapest pics. Google describes Budapest in 1987 like this:

Budapest in 1987 was a city in late-communist Hungary characterized by economic scarcity, socialist architecture, and a quiet, daily struggle, yet it was on the cusp of major political change. The city experienced a historic, paralyzing snowstorm in January 1987 and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site that same year.

I’m not in any of these photos, but I took all of them. None are particularly good, but as a group, they give you the vibe.

Fun fact: Budapest is actually two cities—Buda and Pest. In this pic, I’m standing in Buda looking over the frozen Danube River towards Pest. The large domed building on the far side is the Hungarian Parliament in Pest. (Pronounced PESHT)
The famous Fisherman’s Bastion is a fairytale-like, Neo-Romanesque lookout built between 1895 and 1902.
An Aeroflot route map in a Budapest window. (We flew sketchy Aeroflot into Russia.)
My friend Lincoln standing in an alcove in Budapest.
My friend Rob playing a balalaika at the Budapest airport.
Walking was the only option for seeing anything at all while we were there! The city was paralyzed with snow and the authorities really couldn’t deal with it.
Two of the professors at the Budapest airport. The one on the right, Dr. James West, taught Russian history and was one of the best teachers I ever had. He’s one of the reasons I majored in History.

Speaking of wonderful history professors, be sure to listen to Dr. Heather Cox Richardson’s letter from Tuesday that explains the connections between Viktor Orbán and the American right: https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/restore-america-to-its-own-people?r=j2aww&utm_medium=ios

Sign of Spring

~ MaryG ~ 8 Comments

Spring is springing here in Greater Boston. Hallelujah!

I took a shot at drawing and painting these purple crocuses in my neighborhood.
I tried a bunch of different techniques and colors. Some worked. Some didn’t.

I’m realizing now you really just have to paint a lot to truly improve. Watercolors require a great deal of trial and error. And now that good weather has returned, I’m not sure how much I’ll keep painting outside of the class I’m taking.

Honestly, I’m still not sure what my life is actually going to look like longterm in retirement. We are still in a transitional period. My husband’s knee surgeries have been such a huge feature of the past year. We don’t know how much he’ll continue to work once he’s fully recovered.

I feel like my retirement travel budget is not going to be as significant as I had hoped (thanks Trump) but who knows…maybe we’ll become road trip people.

I’m trying to focus on Good Things today:

  1. It’s 73 degrees F and sunny here 😎
  2. I have a screen porch, which I just cleaned.
  3. Hungary dumped Trump & Putin’s buddy Viktor Orbán.
  4. I get to see my cutie 🥰 tomorrow.
  5. Dessert – last night I had the genius idea to sprinkle flaked coconut on two Salted Caramel Mochi from Trader Joe’s. So good.

Sunshine Blogger

~ MaryG ~ 16 Comments

Thank you to my blogging friend MyGenXerLife for nominating me for this fun challenge:

mygenxerlife.com/2026/04/12/sunshine-blogger-award/

He really goes the extra mile for his readers. Not only does he share a thoughtful post, but he ties it into a good song that he then adds to a Spotify playlist, which you can listen to anytime. He has reminded me of many great tunes of my 70s and 80s youth and introduced me to some 90s (and later) music that I missed while I was busy changing diapers.

Here are my answers to his questions:

1. What inspired you to start blogging?

Turning 50

2. How did you meet your best friend?

At my local library’s story time for toddlers (our daughters are the same age)

3. What is one thing on your bucket list?

Visiting Greece

4. Which household chore do you love and which one do you hate?

I love getting rid of stuff we no longer use. I hate shoveling snow.

5. What are you most proud of?

My kids are both responsible, hardworking, independent, thoughtful, tax-paying adults. Also, my daughter is an awesome mom to my granddaughter, who is THE SINGLE CUTEST TODDLER in the world.

6. If you could be a master painter, writer or musician, which would you choose?

I’d have to go musician. I like to paint (and write) but I’d actually LOVE to be able to plunk down on any old piano bench and entertain a crowd.

7. Did you ever lose something that had personal value to you?

I left my favorite earrings–gold “huggy” hoops–on the side of a swimming pool a few years ago and they disappeared. I didn’t know how much I liked them until they were gone. (Link provided for husband, who will probably never read this post.)

8. What was the best advice you ever received?

Live in the moment

9. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Massachusetts April – December, then someplace warm and awesome January – March.

10. Who is your hero?

I admire great women of the 20th century who tried to make things fairer: Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Gloria Steinem.

11. What are you looking forward to?

Trump’s removal from office

Technically, as part of this challenge, I’m supposed to come up with 11 new questions and tag 11 other bloggers (chain letter style), but I’m lazy and I like these questions. Therefore, I’m going to tag a few folks I enjoy to see if they want to join in (no pressure!) by answering the questions above.

I’d be curious to read your answers:

Thoughts About Leadership, History and More

Taking Each Day Free

AndreaZ

Notes from the Hinterland

Adventures from Elle

The Happy Quitter

Brizzy May

Red’s Wrap

River’s World

Annie Asks You

Project Hail Mary

~ MaryG ~ 22 Comments

We went out! For the first time since total knee replacement #2 on March 16, we went to a movie. Thanks to reclining theater seats, my husband was able to elevate his leg enough to make it through a 2+ hour film. He did have to take an oxy about halfway through, but still…he made it…and mostly enjoyed it.

For those who haven’t heard, Project Hail Mary is a blockbuster, feel good, space odyssey, based on the book by Andy Weir, which I have not read.

Here are a few thoughts:

The theater was full of people, including many families. This made the movie going experience more fun. We happened to go to a Saturday matinee the day after the Artemis 2 crew returned safely to earth. The poignancy of the film’s main message (nobody wants to be alone) was enhanced by the good vibes that our stellar astronauts evoked. As eloquent Artemis astronaut Christina Koch told the world upon her return: Planet Earth: You. Are. A. Crew.

Ryan Gosling is charming! We knew this already from Barbie, LaLa Land and other films. But this is his most charming role yet. He’s cute, he’s humble, he’s funny, he’s adorable. Give me Ryan Gosling any day of the week over Matthew McConaughey, Mark Wahlberg or any of the Chrises.

At 2 hours and 36 minutes, the film is a bit too long. I had to leave once to pee during the film and I had already left to pee during the final preview. (I should’ve been able to make it through the whole film.) The boys next to me also had to leave to pee once. But honestly, all films seem too long to me these days. Filmmakers need to edit better. If your average 60-year old woman and 10-year old boy can’t make it through the whole film without peeing, cut some stuff.

But all in all, I give it a thumbs up. It’s a good way to build on the warm vibes the astronauts gave us. Goodness knows, we need all the positivity we can get in light of the total shit show in the White House.

Was this a great crew or what?

Watercolor Journey Update

~ MaryG ~ 13 Comments

Warning: This is likely going to be a boring post to anyone but me.

Also, don’t you hate it when people say they’re on a “journey” of any kind? My husband and I were joking that I’d much rather be on a “watercolor journey“ than a “knee replacement journey.” His journey is so much more painful than mine!

As I mentioned, I decided not to continue with another session of the paint-a-long class with Diane because it felt too prescriptive. Still, I wanted to continue learning in a class setting, so I ended up enrolling in another session of “Loosen Up With Watercolors” with Sandra (my first teacher) at the fancier, more expensive community arts center. The classrooms are much nicer there—real art studios with big tables, lots of light, and sinks.

The only problem is that Sandra gives practically no formal instruction. She considers herself your “coach” rather than your teacher, so you have to come up with your subjects yourself. She circles the room giving each person individual guidance. This is honestly hard on the total beginners. They have no idea where to start.

I spent a lot of the first class of this term struggling with my materials. I had purchased tube paints for the paint-a-long class and they’re a different brand from my old pan paints. I decided I liked working from the pan better, so tried to match up the tube colors to refill my half empty pans. Some of the colors had different names for the exact same shade.

I trashed the actual painting I worked on in favor of color identification. I think I have a better idea of what I’ve got now.

I don’t actually have “Opera Rose” in either of my sets. Sandra gave me some of hers. (That’s a color I might want to buy.)

Sandra made a big deal about investing in professional-level paints (this is new—last time she emphasized good paper), which I have not as yet done. I have two “student/hobbyist” level paint sets: Winsor & Newton Cotman pan set ($65) and Royal & Langnickel Essentials tube set ($25). I’m worried that the Royal & Langnickel paints are low quality, but whatever…I’m no Winslow Homer. I’m going to keep using them for now.

I did buy one little tube of professional-level Winsor & Newton Payne’s Grey ($15) and refilled my pan with it. It’s definitely a stronger pigment. A tiny bit goes a long way. Also, the consistency is different. It’s more like honey or syrup and takes longer to harden in your pan. Maybe my strategy will be to replace my current colors with professional-level colors, as needed.

Oh, and thank you to everyone who weighed in on my Artistic Dilemma. I decided to leave the police/ICE officers unpainted, mainly because I kind of liked them unpainted and didn’t trust myself to paint them monochromatically in a way that I liked better. (And once you’ve painted something, it’s hard to undo it.) So here’s what I submitted to the “Art for Democracy” contest:

I’m calling it “Woman in the Teal Bathrobe, Minneapolis 2026”

OK, now I have go back and get my husband at the Physical Terrorist Therapist office. He still can’t drive himself anywhere.

Human v AI artwork

~ MaryG ~ 23 Comments

I needed a mantra for a situation I’m currently being exposed to by my family of origin, which could pull me under, if I let it.

I asked AI to create an image of the mantra phrase with some instructions about colors and animals that I like.

Definitely tacky, but still…pretty good. I could see using this as a screensaver temporarily.

In a way, it reminds me of the hand-painted sign I made for my husband after his surgery a couple weeks ago:

I know I’m supposed to think and say that all AI-generated art is a bad thing, but I’m wondering if maybe it has its place.

What do you think?

Petty suburban drama

~ MaryG ~ 16 Comments

This story on Instagram about a tax-payer funded Army helicopter hovering at very low altitude outside Kid Rock’s home in Tennessee (presumably to entertain him) reminded me of something my across-the-street neighbor did about ten years ago.

My neighbor Eric, a large and pompous French-speaking Canadian, somehow convinced a helicopter pilot to “drop in” to our neighborhood so Eric could wave to his kids from the sky. We had absolutely no warning that this was going to happen. I was just sitting in my family room one day when the sound of a helicopter became alarmingly loud. I looked out my kitchen window and there was a freaking helicopter hovering just above a tree in our side yard. It scared the shit out of me. I ran to the basement because I guess it seemed safer there. My husband and son ran to the front window and saw Eric’s long-suffering Parisian wife and their two little kids waving to “Papa” from their driveway.

I was so mad. That helicopter scared me half to death. I could not imagine what was happening. You really don’t understand how loud those things are until one is hovering just above your head. What if it had clipped a tree and crashed? How stupid!

I called the police non-emergency line and told them what had happened. They said they had no jurisdiction over the skies, but that it sounded “not right.” They sent over a squad car and some cop had a chat with know-it-all Eric. I don’t know if the pilot ever got into any kind of trouble. (He should have.)

Eric never apologized for scaring me so badly and that was effectively the end of our relationship with The Frenchies across the street. I never spoke to either of them again and only wave if absolutely necessary. We watch from afar as they continue to make questionable “improvements” to their home, including bricking over the entire back half of their property, which we now refer to as Versailles.

That sure is some petty, suburban drama, right?

Oh, and a few years later, when Eric emailed us about putting a basketball hoop in the turnaround (which is public property abutting our yard), my husband was inclined to not object but I told Eric to put his hoop in his own driveway like everyone else. The nerve of that guy!

MAGA “musician” Kid Rock getting a special visit at his home from a US Army helicopter. Our tax dollars at work. 😡

NO KINGS 3: Proof of Attendance

~ MaryG ~ 13 Comments

Even though I was very cold and took no pictures, evidence of my attendance at NoKings3 has emerged. The best part is that my poster received very prominent placement when I accidentally left it right in front of the speakers’ podium.

My state representative, a moderate Democrat, finally decided to show up at an anti-Trump protest. My district has a good amount of Republicans, so Jim’s been searching for his balls for quite awhile, but he gave a good and rousing speech in front of my very ANTI-Trump poster on Saturday. I consider this a win.

My poster was there during all the speeches, so it’s in a lot of pictures on Facebook.

“Sing as loud as you can” was the instruction from the music organizer.
This is my minister sitting in the chair with a brace on her leg. She is GenX and she is awesome. The world would be a better place if everyone had a minister like her.
It actually is a pretty good poster—one of my best. I just wish I didn’t have to keep making them.