Maroons Online Vol. 1… No. 88 November 12, 2021
Acta non verba
Observer: Who Is Prepared For Now?
Macky’s New York: November Classic
William Peay: Tales From The Wood…
RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame: 2020 Inductees Dinner Photos & Banquet Book.
Paul Cortellesi: Raviolis
M + A NYC: Black Soapstone Keyhole Vase
James Stroker: Obstacle or ? Opportunity? ***The Hidden Gift***
Jim Schoneman: Rock Hound
Elizabeth Hawes: Wenches With Wrenches
Observer
Who Is Prepared For Now?
I keep watching & waiting for my favorite organizations to change. Call it a sentimental indulgence. The way they have done things for years was good enough, but not any more.
I want them to do well. For instance, I follow a non-profit with a huge agenda of good intentions. Unfortunately, good intentions are often promises made and then not kept. Good intentions are what your volunteers come to the table with. They often leave when a combination of disorganization and committee group-think becomes apparent to them and makes them believe otherwise. From my vantage point it doesn’t always have to end up so sadly.
Our world, in case you hadn’t realized, runs on software. Some well written, some badly. Basic software proficiency is expected these days from all organizations large & small, for-profit & not-for-profit. This is not the last century where we tolerated bugs and waited for manufacturers to update their products. Nobody is buying these sort of lame excuses anymore, and they shouldn’t have to.
We have written enough software to run most every type of organization. Upon first acquiring it, an initial configuration is required, and then the task becomes one of making it look like your own, rather than straight off the shelf.
Then all these organizations need to do is apply a singular vision. This usually comes from a CEO or the president of a non-profit. This person is able to explain to newcomers as well as the old guard, the meaning of the different parts of their common venture. These same people can enumerate a certain order so that progress can be measured and the good news spread far and wide.
You don’t prosper and expand by committee. One person, whether they be in the Arts, Sciences, or some combination of the two, needs the courage to make the prevailing idea sound believable and worth working towards. The courageous among us know that by simply mentioning an uncommon idea that they will be shown contempt & impatience by their competitors, and even teammates. Though if these valiant souls articulate what their goal is to enough people, enough times, then they stand a chance against the inertia and vested interests which keep laudable changes from occurring. The progress of the group depends upon the determination of its most enlightened & eloquent members to hold on tight to their vision of how the world could be.
Macky’s New York
Matthew Cortellesi Photography
November 9, 2021 - Central Park
November Classic
I was hoping to take a photo of the Gapstow bridge this morning but the ducks were have a bar fight under the arch and the water was too choppy for what I was looking to capture and so as I made my way out of the park to head downtown to open the cheese shop...I shot this as the morning sun eased over the building behind me.
Pure reflection looking south west with Central Park South, the Essex House and twigs.
Time 9am
#mackysnewyork
William Peay
Tales From The Wood…
I was walking a different route home and when I saw this it just about broke my heart...
The lighter green oval area at the bottom of the stairs used to be a man made pond that was fed by the adjacent stream.. I used to catch frogs and tadpoles in there when I was a kid...
Melrose Place....
RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame
2020 Inductees Dinner Photos
RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame Nomination Form
Visit The RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame & Download The 2020 Banquet Book
L to R Damian Ross, Jeff Yearing, Tom Thurston, Patricia Ross & Phil Ross Jr.
Paul Cortellesi
Raviolis
There is an old world skill behind bringing raviolis to the table. While the outside is rather standard, the innards can vary with some exciting opportunities.
Tonight we worked two into the rotation. Pumpkin and a second that was spinach.
Match the sauce with the profile of the raviolis. For the pumpkin (a bit of sweetness ) we used a brown butter and fresh sage sauce. For the spinach, we made a house marinara.
One style usually suffices, but with the parents returning after a week in the south, we released the stops.
M + A NYC
Black Soapstone Keyhole Vase
Smooth, rich soapstone; normally a grey veined, non-porous stone (that means it's water-tight), ours has been hand carved by master artisans in Agra, dyed as black as night and polished with a high shine. Feels good in your hands and looks stunning by itself or holding a few blooms. The base is weighted with solid stone. Natural variations and veining are evident in each unique piece.
Designed by M+A NYC
Made in Agra, India
Dyed, polished and sealed
Approximately 6”h x 3.25”d, .875” at mouth opening
Care: Wash with a mild detergent and dry with a soft cloth.
James Stroker
Obstacle or ? Opportunity? **The Hidden Gift
Jim Schoneman
Rock Hound
Found this nice little coral fossil on the south shore of Lake Superior a few weeks ago. This little guy probably grew up on a coral reef somewhere near present day Michigan, back when Michigan and much of the surrounding area was covered by a tropical ocean. That was almost half a billion years ago! What a difference a day makes.
Elizabeth Hawes
Bolger Heritage Center, Ridgewood Public Library
The best part of being an archivist-librarian? Books, of course! And here at the Bolger Heritage Center we're celebrating by dusting off our amazing copy of Why Women Cry--or Wenches with Wrenches by Elizabeth Hawes (1943). Just another twist to what you can find in the archives.
Hawes was a fashion designer, businessperson, cultural critic, union activist, writer, and feminist. Born in 1903 Ridgewood to Henrietta Houston and John Hawes, Elizabeth was making clothes for herself and her friends by the age of 12. She graduated from Ridgewood High School, where she was editor-in-chief of the Arrow.
Hawes broke new ground as the first American designer to exhibit in Paris and met with extraordinary success in the industry as an entrepreneur in her twenties and early thirties. In 1938, she published a scathing ethnographic study of the industry--Fashion Is Spinach--and, deeply impacted by World War II, sold her business and began working the midnight shift at the Wright Aeronautical plant in Paterson, where she joined the United Auto Workers. Later, she would move to Detroit and become the first woman to lead the union's Education Department.
From this experience came her writing of Why Women Cry or Wenches with Wrenches, which opens with:
"This book is addressed to all women who have ever felt that if, without a vacation of some sort, they must wash that dish, iron that shirt, cook that meal, see that child, kiss that husband again, they would go mad. It is also addressed to all the women who fear they will go mad if ever they have to wash the dishes, iron their husband's shirts, do all the cooking, and take full care of their children every day.
This book is for those women. And for all the men who are thinking about marrying, or are married to such women.
Maybe the book is even a little more for those men than for the women. Because a great many men have never thought about these homely matters--and if they don't start thinking soon, they may very well be overtaken by a major revolt on the part of their wives and prospective wives."
Peace