Follow Me & My Canon Hudson River, Cloverdale Farm, Lake Carnegie

Views of the Hudson River

Nyack, New York

March 29, 2012

Rock Hudson

Get the Hook
Hook Mountain State Park

Tapin' Z Bridge

Lightn' Up
Tarrytown Lighthouse

Tote That Barge

Climbing to the Top

Views of Cloverdale Farm

County Park

March 26, 2012

This Way ---->

<--------No I Mean That Way

Bowlegged Giant

Ready or Not Here I come

Brightest of the Bunch

Ten-HUT!

Views of Crew Racing
on
 Lake Carnegie
Princeton, NJ
Navy vs Yale
March 31, 2012

Team Navy
Taking it Litely

Navy
vs
Yale
And the Winner is...

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.

I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.

Here are yesterday's and today's entries from Anna's Diary:

Sat. March 30, 1929

Rained all day.  Cold dreary.  Met Jean downtown to buy Junior's Easter basket and bunnies.  Then brought flowers to Cemetery.   Fixed grave.  Very lovely.  Slim drove me over.

Easter Sunday March 31, 1929

Dinner at 360.  Beautiful day out.  Cleared up fine.  All in yard at 360 playing tennis and jumping rope.  Felt rather downhearted and lonesome all day. 

Our Visit to The Rockland Bakery in Nanuet New York

   Yesterday we visited a remarkable bakery which is located in Nanuet, New York.  The enticing aroma of baking bread guided us to the front door of the Rockland Bakery.

It is a wholesale bakery which allow customers to enter the "factory" and pick fresh out of the oven baked goods almost right off the conveyor belts.  We picked up our large brown paper bags and plastic gloves on the way in.   

[If you are having trouble viewing this video click here]

Here come the bagels.
Mmmm don't they smell good?

Cranberry raisin bread and loaves of Kalamata Olive made into our bag.

Pretzels to eat on the way home.

A Beautiful Old Woman With Wispy White Hair

      Today, I met a woman who is 98 years old.    I don't know her name because her son introduced her simply by saying,  "This is my mother."
     She had been in another room when we first walked into the house.
     Nick called out to let her know he was home and that he had brought company with him.
     She was slightly bent over as she gingerly walked into the room.  Holding onto to the walls for support, she proudly proclaimed that she didn't need her cane.
     Her stature was tiny and her skin papery thin.  White wisps escaped the coil of long hair she wore on top of her head. Her clothes hung loosely.  She fussed with her sweater, pulling it back up, as it kept sliding off her bony shoulders.  She wore white socks and only one slipper.
     She had been a fixture for many years, working behind the counter at Koblin's pharmacy in the town where Ross grew up.
     Even though she has known Ross since he was a little boy, she didn't recognize him right away.
     "Ma, it's Ross. You remember him, don't you?"
     Her face lit up, "Ross, oh my. I am so happy to see you."
     Ross and Nick had been skyping with each other several months ago.  She pointed to the MacBook Air laptop that was sitting on the counter.
     "I saw you in there last time," she said.
      Nick told her my name.  Her hand felt soft, but strong in mine as we greeted each other.  She told me that Ross "was always such a nice boy."
     As she eased herself into her chair with the blue foam rubber cushion, we could tell that she was preparing for a long visit.
     Ross told her that we could stay for just a few minutes because we had a long drive home.
     She seemed disappointed.  She walked us to the door, without her cane, and made us promise that next time we would stay longer.
     As we drove away, Ross told me that he remembered how beautiful Nick's mother was when she was a young woman.
     I didn't know Nick's mother as a young woman.  I will always know her as a beautiful old woman with white wispy hair who told me that Ross was such a nice boy.

Main Street
Nyack, Ny
Ross and Nick's Home Town

The House Where That Nice Boy Ross Grew Up

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.

I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.

Here is today's entry from Anna's Diary:
Good Friday March 29 1929
Spent quiet afternoon visiting Helen Carr.  Slim using car.  Cold for me and made a short visit to church with Jean.  Picked up Junior at 360.  Home early and bed early.

Knitting Marigold Socks - From the Toe Up

     Knitting.   It kept me sane in the insane world of cancer.
     I could get lost for hours in the hypnotic rhythm of the repetition of a stockinette stitch.  Laying out a complex lace pattern on a spreadsheet would challenge me to the point of complete distraction.
     I never went anywhere without my project pouch.   I would knit in the car (of course I wasn't driving, silly). I'd knit in doctor's offices and chemo waiting rooms.  I wrote about that here.  I would knit while sitting by my mother's bed and my son's chair.  I would knit at bowling and told about that here.
     I would always be on the lookout for a new yarn store.  I would get suckered in every time I walked into a new LYS, and I wrote about it here.  I bought lots of yarn and then bought some more.
    There is a wing in my closet, (okay maybe a corner) devoted to yarn.  Big plastic containers with sheep and alpaca yarn for scarves and sweaters.  Sock yarn, for mainly socks but sometimes shawls.  Baby yarn for baby things. Acrylic yarn for afghans.  Book shelves for books on, yep knitting.
     I rearranged my living room so that I could have a knitting corner.  Find that story here.  When that wasn't enough, I renovated our only spare bedroom and turned it into a knitting room.
     When my mother passed away, I kept knitting.  I knit christmas stocking hats for all of the kids and scarves for the big kids.
     I was a proud one of now 2 million members of Ravelry.
    But then my son passed away and I started to lose interest in knitting.  I  no longer had an uncontrollable desire to ogle the purples and reds or squish the yarn puffs in Woolbearers.  My obsession was waning.  I tried to cheer myself up by knitting a marigold scarf.  But I was too sad.
     I feared that knitting could not keep me sane in the insane world of grief.
     As I sat in my knitting corner of my living room today, crying and not knitting,  I realized how much I missed the feel of the needles in my hands and the yarn passing through my fingers.
     So I wiped the tears from my eyes,  blew my nose, and ventured into the knitting wing corner of my closet where I found some left over marigold yarn.
     I figured I needed something more challenging than a garter stitch scarf.  I had knitted socks but never learned the toe up method.  I googled and found Very Pink.  I bought a sock pattern from her web site which comes complete with tutorial videos.  And I found myself lost in the challenge of this new technique.

Here is my progress so far:

This is the start of what is known as a provisional cast on method

You have to use a scrap yarn of a different color than the sock.

Shaping of the Toe

Trying it on for size

I have quite a ways to go before I can wear my marigold sock.   And then I have to make another one just like it.

I'm still sad, but I forgot for a little while as I knit in the round, around and around.

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.

I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.

Here is today's entry from Anna's Diary:
Holy Thurs. March 28, 1929
Slim home from college.  Drove me to bank on business.  Brought baby to see live bunnies and chicks in Kresge Dep. Store and Bambs.  Supper at 360.  home early and bed.

[I believe Slim is her brother]

Inside My Place

Dedicated to all of my children 

 I have gathered to me.

A Mother's Place 

Inside my place

my arms are wide open

to hug you tightly

and gather you to me.

Inside my place

my smile is inviting

to welcome you warmly

and gather you to me.

Inside my place

my touch is light

to stroke your head gently

and gather you to me.

Inside my place

my hands are in your hands

to guide you strongly

and gather you to me.

Inside my place

my tears are yours

to share with you only

and gather you to me.

Inside my place

my only intent is

to comfort you tenderly

and gather you to me.

Inside my place

my heart is open

to love you deeply

and gather you to me.

Inside my place

my memory will linger

to nurture you soulfully

and gather you to me.

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.

I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.

Here is today's entry from Anna's Diary:

Wed. March 27, 1929

Went to N.Y. with Edythe.  She bought three dresses.  I brought one home for Rosalie who was taking care of baby.  Nothing for myself.  Very tired and early to bed.

Love At Second, Third or Fourth Sight?

     My cousin Gin called me yesterday.  She and her husband, Cul will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in May.
     I asked her to tell me the story of their romance.
     She met her husband when she was 12 years old and Cul was 16.  He spotted her on the playground and would talk to her through the fence.  My aunt and mostly my uncle would not allow Gin to "see" Cul until she was 14.  Then Cul was allowed to come to the house, but was not allowed inside.  So, it was mostly conversations on the front steps.
     When Gin was 16, Cul was finally invited into the house and Gin was allowed to go to a movie with him.   Uncle had stringent rules about that, too.  If the movie ended at 10:30, Gin had to be home by 10:00.  I'm not sure I see the logic in that.  Perhaps Uncle thought that style of curfew would "curb their enthusiasm".
     When Gin turned 18, she and Cul became engaged.  They were married a year later.
     Interestingly enough, Gin and Cul's daughter, had a similar romance with her husband.  They met when they were young teenagers.  They are still together after 20 plus years of marriage.
     Gin and Cul's son, same thing.  Their marriage was not planned, but necessary, if you know what I mean.  He was 17, she was 16.  Yep, still together.
     I believe all three couples have good and happy marriages.
     In my large family of sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins, divorce is not uncommon.  Many members of the family are on their second, third and even fourth marriages.  (Present company included.)
     What was it about the relationships of my cousin's family that made their marriages last?   How did they know that the partners they chose, at such early ages, would be their lifelong partners?  After all none of them had other experiences with which to compare theirs to.
     Was it a matter of religious beliefs?  They are practicing and devout Catholics, which means divorce is not an option.
     Gin's grandmother and grandfather and her mother and father were married til death parted them.
     Why did they respect the commitments they made to their marriages and each other, when so many other couples can't seem to?
     Perhaps for Gin and Cul it was simply a matter of long lasting love, even if it was at first sight.
     Do you know that couple?  They went to the prom together.  They hold hands like teenagers and dance the slow dances just like they did in high school.  When he starts to tell that same story again, she teases him, with a "oh, not that one again" and then giggles at the end as if she is hearing it for the first time.
She calls him Babe and he calls her Gorgeous.  Her mom moved in with them when she was too ill to take care of herself and she couldn't have done it without him.  He held her hand through each and every chemo treatment.   And after 50 years they renewed their vows of loving respecting and cherishing one another.
     Some have found a love like that more than once, but some (of us) have had to try on a few others before they (we) finally found the (our) perfect fit.

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.

I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.

Here is today entry from Anna's Diary:
Tues. March 26 1929
Junior invited to Gloria Casales party who was four years old.  Quite a bunch there.  At night the Belleville club met here for first time since my Ridge St. residence.

Follow Me and My Canon

Me and My Canon

Pile Graveyard

Dock Art

Painting With The Camera

Retired Chairman  

Walking the BIG Dogs

Panning for Atlantic Gold

Playground Art

Taking On The Shape of Things

Throwing Sand in the Air

Make It Work

Reedy Art

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.

I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.

Here is today's entry from Anna's Diary:
Monday March 25 1929
Brought Junior to party given by Peggy Lou S. in arlington.   They had flash light picture taken and he looked very sweet in his party suit.  Home about 6:30 and bed early.

As Long As I Still Have My Biggest Fan

So, yes I am attempting to write a three minute fiction for submission to NPR's contest.
Funny, I ask Ross to read it, critique it, and give me his honest opinion.  Then when he does, I get all pissy about it.  "Whadda mean, you don't get it?" "Give me that red pen."
Rewrite number three.
"Okay, read it again."
I can see him hesitating.
"No, no.  I mean it.  I want the truth.  Be brutal.  If you dare (said under my breath.)
He says, "Why don't you sleep on it.  Let it rest over night."
I agree, that's what I should do.

A Lesson Learned
I have had an embarrassing blogging "moment".   About a month ago, my blogger stats suddenly shot up to nearly triple what they had been.  Of course even at triple, it was still not a big number, but three times more is three times more.
Boy, I thought, I guess my blogging has gotten three times better.
Then a few days ago, the numbers  dropped to lower than they were before they had tripled.
I wondered what I had done wrong.  Was it that piece about Dancing With The Stars?  I knew I shouldn't have done that piece.
But after my initial reaction, I felt kind of happy with my new, lower than my old, stats.   I felt that my blog was back to being mine again.
Out of curiosity, though,  I googled: "why have my blogger stats fluctuated so dramatically?"
The answer is something called "referrer spam".
When I saw my stats spiking, I had noticed an unfamiliar link in the traffic source.
Wanting to know what the link was I clicked on it.
After reading the article on "referrer spam, clicking on an unfamiliar link is apparently a big no-no. It's what the referrer spammer is hoping for.   I am not even going to mention the site here, for fear of encouraging more of the referrer spam.
So at first I was happy that there were others, besides my biggest fan, Ross, who read my blog.  Then I got carried away with myself and my new stats.  After the stats went back down, I was disappointed and felt a sense of failure or maybe I should say non-success.  And finally I am back to being happy with my little blog and those who read it besides my biggest fan, Ross. :)

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.

I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.

Here is today's entry from Anna's diary:
Sunday March 24 1929
Palm Sunday
Went to Grandma M. for dinner.  Mary, Tom & children there.  Grandma nor Grandpa did not come home. [I think she refers to her son's grandmother as Grandma M.  In the last sentence I believe she is talking about her grandparents.] With Edythe in country.  Back to 360 where Jewel was being engaged with big dinner.
[Jewel is Anna's sister]

And The Winner Is...

     I heard some chatter about NPR's Three Minute Fiction Contest and decided to check it out.  Basically this is a challenge from NPR's "All Things Considered" to its listeners to submit a piece of original fiction which can be read in three minutes or less. The word count is limited to 600 or less.  This is the eighth round of this contest.  The deadline for this one is midnight Eastern Time on March 25 (Sunday).
     I considered it, briefly, but not seriously.  I told Ross about it and he said I should give it a try.
     I humbly replied, "Who me?  Gollly, I couldn't do that.  Why I am merely a blogger,  a recorder of feelings and events not a writer of fiction."
     Ross reminded me that I am the author of two children's books.  And then I had to remind him that distribution of those two books was limited to a handful of people, mainly our five grandchildren.
     "Besides I feel that I don't know enough about anything?  I mean I've never been to the desert like Chris Westerberg the winner of round 7." (Little Housein)
     "For example," I told him, "as soon as I saw the mandatory beginning sentence my imagination started to work and I immediately had the start of a story in mind.  But when I got to the part where the protagonist has to take a certain action, I had no specific knowledge of what the details of the of that particular action should be."
     "So, google it." he said.
     "It just wouldn't translate the same way as actually having first hand knowledge and experience," I said.
     "You never had a conversation with a cat before and you wrote a story about that." he said.
     "Okay, now this conversation is starting to sound as ridiculous as a talking cat," I said.
     He continued to point out, though, that there are a lot of famous authors who, for example, never actually had to sew a dress using window drapes.
     Now he was starting to make me think that maybe I could do this.  I have the rest of the night, all day tomorrow and Sunday.  Maybe, he was right.  Maybe I should give it a try.
     But then, he said this: "It's not like you expect to win, right?"  You're doing it for the experience, right?"
     Ahh, Ross, after all of these years, it's like ye hardly know me.

     "Oh my gosh. I won?  How could that be? Why I am merely a blogger,  a recorder of feelings and events not a writer of fiction. What you want me to come into the studio to read my piece?  Let me check my schedule.  How about that.  I am free that day.  I would be delighted."

For my mom, Petronella Marion Pugliese Ciafarone, who was born on March 23, 1923 and would have been 89 years old today, I need to say that I miss her very much.  

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.

I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.

Here is today's entry from Anna's diary:
Sat. March 23 1929
Home all morning.  Met Edythe at Broad to see Fay Bainter in "Jealousy". Very depressing but superbly acted by both characters.  Home. Jean went to Peg's.  Baby in bed.  All alone very depressed.

Perhaps Hair Extensions Are The Answer

     My hair is driving me crazy.  So it must be time for a haircut.
     Every time I get my hair cut, the stylist will comment about how lucky I am to have such nice thick hair.  I hate my thick hair and I don't think it's so nice to have. Besides it's also wavy and I want it to be straight. The other thing every stylist mentions to me is my cowlick.  (I looked up the origin of the word cowlick and found out that it comes from a cow's habit of licking its young, which results in a swirling pattern in the hair.) Anyway, I think each and every stylist that has ever cut my hair uses those comments about my thick wavy hair and "let's not forget that cowlick", as an excuse to discourage me away from the hairdo that I really want.  You know, the one in the photo that I took the time to cut out from a magazine or the one I printed from some random hairstyle website.
     So because I trust that the hair stylist is an expert on, well hair,  I usually wind up agreeing that they are probably right, my hair would never look like the picture.  So, then I usually give in and ask what they would suggest.  And then they usually say "I think the best thing for me to do is take a little off the sides, a little off the back, you know just neaten it up a bit."
     Okay, so then I usually go home with my hair looking not much different from the way it looked before I got it cut, excuse me trimmed.
     So then, what always happens is that a few days later, I go to another salon and say, "cut it short, really short."  By the way, the stylist's love when I say that.  They get that look in their eye.  It's so obvious to me what they are thinking.  "Yes, yes, finally I get to do what I was trained to do, cut hair, really cut hair."
     So as a result, for 80% of my life, I have worn my hair very short.
     Actually, when I stop and think about it, I realize that my obsession has resulted in a ridiculous pattern of paying double for my haircuts.
     My obsession also means that I have am a frequenter of many different salons and a loyal patron of none.
     What prompted my compulsion to get my hair cut today was this photo that Ross took of me this morning at the breakfast shop.

Look At That Hair

So when we got home, I began my hunt for a new hairdo.  I found a bunch of hairdos on this website: There were 924 photos to look through.  Surprisingly I narrowed it down to these two:

Milla Jovovich with a Bob

Jessica Stroup sporting a short straight cut. 

     I checked to make sure that the person who cut my hair last time was not scheduled to be in today.  I called and made an appointment with a stylist who has never cut my hair.  I know, pretty soon I am going to run out of people who have never cut my hair.  When I walked into the salon, I was introduced to Jackie, my new stylist. She asked me what I was looking to do.  Before I even had a chance to show my pictures, she said, "I guess you just want me to neaten it up a bit, right?"  

"Well," I said, "I have a couple of pictures."

Jackie looked at the pictures and said, "No, no, your hair would never look like that.  Your hair is too short.  

You need to let it grow a lot before you can wear your hair like that. "

"Oh okay."  "Then just, do what you think is best."

So, I walked out of the salon looking like this:

     Well that isn't what I really look like.  I took the liberty of using the "antique" look on the photo.  It's a little more flattering. 

     Then when I can't blow dry my hair to make it look like Jackie did, I will  have to go to the new salon that just opened and ask one of the stylists to cut my hair short, really short. 

My Usual Do

But I really want to look like this:

Courtney Cox Long Strait Cut

Maybe if I took my glasses off?  Yea, that's it.  It's the glasses.  Geez!

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.

I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.

Here is today's entry from Anna's diary:

Friday March 22 1929

Drove Elsie down to her seashore home.  It was beautiful out and very warm.  Home about seven.  Junior stayed overnight at 360.   Mrs. Hewit, Mrs. Carr, Rae and I went to bridge.  Stuck for gas coming home.

Gambling and Partying Together

We have been receiving offers to stay at the Borgada Casino for a free night. Ross has been asking me if I want to go. It is not my favorite past time but Ross thought a change of scenery might do us a world of good. So I finally agreed to go tonight.
We got here at about 5:30. By the time we checked into our room, it was about 6:00.
After dropping our overnights we headed downstairs.
The casino was pretty much empty. We lost our budgeted gambling dollars within 15 minutes, which did not do much to lift my spirits. In fact it had the opposite effect.
The Borgada has several restaurants. We figured a nice meal would make up for our "big gambling losses". We selected Fornelletto. We had quite a an unusual experience there.
Since there is no wifi in our room, I am trying to write this post using my iPad. I think the story of our dining experience deserves all of the options available with the full blown version of Blogger. So, I'll save the details for another post.
While we were walking around the Casino after dinner (not gambling by the way),Ross got a Face Time request from our grandsons, Kenny and Ty. It was so good to see them. It's been too long and I miss them so much. That was the pick-me-up I needed.
So, here we are. It's 9:45. Ross is playing on his iPhone and I am writing my blog. American Idol is on the big screen TV but it is just really background noise. Not exactly whoopin' and hollerin' party people, but we're here together.
It's supposed to be over 70 degrees tomorrow. I think a morning walk on the old Atlantic City boardwalk will be refreshing and the real change of scenery.
Here is today's entry from Anna's diary:
Thurs. March 21 1929
Charlotte here to wash. Took Baby down to grandma M. For awhile. Ted invited boys from Upsala College and Corinne and Marge for supper. Everything fine. I went to see "Arizona" a talkie after supper.

Mementos - Deciding Which To Keep

     A yellowed and creased birth certificate, a first grade class picture showing signs of neglect.  Falling apart scrap books from teenage years, greeting cards from various love interests and"Spring Fling" photos. Half filled journals detailing the days of a young life.  A laminated engagement announcement, bridal shower favors, and a bride and groom cake topper all fill an old file box.
     Cigar boxes filled with plastic hospital name bracelets, new born photos, instructions for "taking baby home" and first haircut curly locks in an old envelope.
     Folders containing grade school artwork, A B C practices on wide lined papers,  report cards, progress reports, elementary school class pictures and cap and gown photos.
     An accumulation of fiftieth birthday cards, dusty, dried brittle roses from mother of the bride corsages and reminders of a life's sharp left turn take up their own private space.
    Atop of great aunt Marie's old gate leg table, sit photos of daughter and sons on their wedding day next to photos of a Cape May wedding day.
     "I love you Grandma & Pop-Pop" hand made items hang on the fridge and precious moments from sleepovers are captured on video.
     Boxes of memories handed down from fathers, mothers, and a sister now share a corner in a spare closet.
     Hard to part with broken jewelry, mom's mother's ring, dad's ruby stick pin and sister's expensive gold watch are found in an old green leatherette jewelry box.
     Max's collar and chain jingle each time the everything drawer is opened.
     Rarely used china and crystal are displayed in a mirrored breakfront.  Sterling silver pieces nestled in soft felt pockets are hidden away in a wooden box. A collection of menorahs sit atop a hallway shelf.
    Book cases house first edition literary books, cook books, history books, how to books, and what not to do books.
     Cardboard boxes are filled with magazines from every issue of Food & Wine ever printed to Consumer Reports from the past five years.   Files with tax returns from 1990 til now sit on a shelf in an overstuffed garage.
      I remember the days we helped my mom clean out the home she lived in for 34 years and then later the clean out of the little apartment that she lived in for 10 years.  I remember the days we spent cleaning out Ross' sister's apartment after she suddenly passed away.  I remember the many estate sales  and auctions we have attended over the years where people haggled over other people's memories. I sit with a diary of a woman I didn't know.

The question of the day is:
What is something you made a decision about?

     I have decided that I don't want to burden my children with the painful task of an estate clean out.  So little by little I have started to pare down and eliminate.
     I wonder, though, if a great great grandchild of mine might someday like to look at a picture of great great grandma in the powder blue dress that she wore to her spring fling.

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.

I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.

Here is today's entry from Anna's diary:
Wed. March 20 1929
Kearny Club met here.  Elsie and Minnie came over also. Played Michigan [rummy, I assume?] Supper at 360.  On way stopped to inquire about Lena.  Louise quite upset about her.  Gland trouble Also stopped at Meg.

Doesn't Dancing With The Stars Need A Fourth Judge?

Tonight, just for kicks, I decided to be the fourth judge on Dancing With The Stars.  It might make the show more interesting for me.

As always Brook Burke looks gorgeous in a beautiful blue dress. I love her huge outrageous  sparkly ring.

First the introductions of the cast:
Maria Menounos & Derek Hough  -  I don't know Maria -  She is an entertainment reporter.
Jack Wagner & Anna Trebunskaya - I don't know Jack -  He is an actor.
Donald Driver &  Peta Murgatroyd  - I don't know Donald - He plays football for the GreenBay Packers.
Gavin DeGraw and Karina Smirnoff - I don't know Gavin - He is a musician, singer and songwriter.
Roshon Fegan & Chlesie Hightower - I don't know Roshon - He is an actor on the Disney Channel.
Sherri Shepherd &  Val Chmerkovskiy -  I know Sherri - I watch her everyday on the View.
Melissa Gilbert & Maks Chmerkovskiy - I know Melissa -  Actress who was on Little House on the Prairie
William Levy &  Cheryl Burke - I don't know William - Cuban American Actor.
Martina Navratilova &  Tony Dovolani - I know Martina as a famous tennis player.
Katherine Jenkins & Mark Ballas - I don't know Katherine - She is a famous classical singer from Wales.
Gladys Knight &  Tristan MacManus - Of course I know Gladys Knight - and the Pips.
Jaleel White & Kym Johnson - I know Jaleel as Steve Erkel from the tv show Family Matters.

Even though I have never voted on one of these shows, tonight for the first time (unless she is is awful), I will show my support and vote for Sherri Shepherd.

 I put in my score before the judges "revealed their scores".  
The judges are Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli.

Here are the dancers in order of their appearance along with the my scores and the other judges scores:
1. Maria & Derek
Cha Cha Cha
Lynda 6
Carri Ann  7
Len 7
Bruno 7

2. Jack & Anna
Foxtrot
Lynda 6
Carrie Ann 8
Len 8
Bruno 7

3. Donald & Peta
Cha Cha Cha
Lynda 7
Carrie Ann 7
Len 7
Bruno 7

4. Gavin & Karina
Fox Trot
Lynda 6
Carrie Ann 7
Len 6
Bruno 7

5. Roshon & Chelsie
Cha Cha Cha
Lynda 7
Carrie Ann 8
 Len 7
 Bruno 8

6. Sherri & Val 1-800-868-3406
Fox Trot                
Lynda 8
Carrie Ann 8
Len 7
Bruno 8

7. Melissa & Maks
Cha Cha Cha
Lynda 6
Carrie Ann 7
Len 6
Bruno 7

8. William & Cheryl
Cha Cha Cha
Lynda 8
Carrie Ann 8
Len 8
Bruno 8

9. Martina & Tony
Fox Trot
Lynda 7
Carri Ann 7
Len 6
Bruno 7

10. Katherine & Mark
Fox Trot
Lynda 8
Carri Ann 9
Len 8
Bruno 9

11. Gladys & Tristan
Cha Cha Cha
Lynda 7
Carri Ann 8
Len 7
Bruno 8

12. Jaleel & Kym 1800-868-3412
Fox Trot
Lynda 9
Carri Ann 9
Len 8
Bruno 9

I guess I was a tough judge.
The show was okay.  Actually I found it to be a little more entertaining than American Idol. I am pretty bored with Idol.
My top couple was Jaeel and Kym.  He was outstanding.
I voted for Sherri Shepherd, and Jaeel White.  I got through to vote for Sherri right away.  It took about 15 minutes of dialing to get through to vote for Jaeel.
Next Monday evening the dancers will get a second chance to dance.  The scores from both shows will be combined.  Tuesday one couple will be eliminated.
No predications from me yet as to who I think will leave first.  I'll wait until after next week's show.

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.

I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.

Here is today's entry from Anna's diary:
Tues. March 19 1929
Went for lunch at Jean I. with Junior.  Rode out to shop for awhile.  Stayed there for supper. Jean came from work also.  Baby took a late nap and awoke cross so came home early.