HudsonValleyGoodStuff

Aimee Mann performing at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on January 21st!

 

Aimee Mann (formerly of Til Tuesday) will be performing at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on Saturday, January 21st. Doors open at 8pm. Show starts at 9pm. I loved her hit "Voices Carry" in 1986. I just went online to find this video and other videos with the lyrics to that song, and I came to an embarrasing revelation. For 25 years now, I thought the chorus was "Hush, hush, even downtown voices carry" when in fact it is "hush, hush, keep it down now, voices carry." Aimee Mann will be playing songs from her most recent album "@#%&_! Smilers" and I don't think the crowd will let her out of there without "Voices Carry"--Should be a great show!

Easy Pumpkin Picking at Sunfrost Farms--Woodstock, NY

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 I stopped by Sunfrost over the weekend for a snack, and I noticed a few well-dressed weekenders out in front comparing pumpkins. If you don't feel like schlepping through a pumpkin patch to find your perfect pumpkin, then Sunfrost is a great no-mess alternative.  You won't ruin your manicure here and the pumpkins are beautiful!   I also took a photo of the wheatgrass which is equally beautiful. I tried the wheatgrass here last summer for the first time, and won't be trying it again even though I know it's supposedly very healthy for me. The taste is too gritty and grassy for me. I blogged about Sunfrost's sandwiches and smoothies earlier in the year here on April 17th. Sunfrost Farms, 217 Tinker Street (Route 212), Woodstock, NY 12498 (845) 679-6690.  
If you are starting to think about spending Halloween in the Hudson Valley, be sure stop by the village of Woodstock on Halloween afternoon for their annual parade and festivities. I think the parents have as much fun putting their costumes together than the kids of Woodstock do!  I'm hoping to find time to do some get-your-hands-dirty-pumpkin picking in these next two weeks, and I'll report my findings here.

Amma "Divine Mother" Sri Karunamayi blessings in Woodstock

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Peace Walk with Amma Sri Karuanamayi on the beautiful grounds of the Bearsville Theater

To celebrate not being called in for Jury Duty yesterday I went to Bearsville Theater in Woodstock because I knew that Amma was offering individual blessings there from 9am-1pm.  I arrived there around 10 am and received an index card with the letter "H" scribbled on it and brochures with instructions/protocol for receiving her blessing.  An usher escorted me to the balcony. Amma hadn't arrived yet, but the theater was filling up quickly. It was a cozy spiritual Indian atmosphere--flower garlands, incense, a bright red over-sized throne for Amma, photos of Indian gods, a large TV screen showing clips of Amma and her work in India.  Soon a young man came to the podium and announced that Amma would be here shortly to "nuke" the place with her energy. He also spoke a little bit about what to expect during the blessing. We were told that everyone with a card would probably have to wait 1-2 hours, but we would receive a blessing. Group "A" would be the first group and they wouldn't have to wait as long.  At 10:20 am we were notified that Amma was on the grounds and that she requested that everyone go for a Peace Walk with her in the garden so we dutifully hobbled outside, barefoot on the pebbles until we reached the soft grass. Everyone followed her, and many tried to vie for a closer look at her. It was a quite a Woodstock scene. 

Once everyone returned to the hall, Amma gave a short lecture on chakras and the benefits of being selfless. She thanked us for joining her on her Peace Walk. Soon she got down to the business of individual blessings, with the volunteer ushers making sure everything went smoothly. Some people brought personal items to be blessed by her. (Ushers place these trinkets on trays so that the items only go to Amma).  I felt very relaxed in this atmosphere, but I was starting to realize that there was no way my letter would come up before I had to leave at 1pn to get on with my day.  A volunteer told me that Amma would be taking a break at 1pm. "For how long?" asked a fellow H group member. "That's up to Amma!" quipped the volunteer.

Well, I figured an individual blessing was not in the cards for me this year, and left to meet my husband. Around 3pm, family in tow, I joked that if we returned to Bearsville Theater with our daughters, we'd move to the front of the line. My husband isn't a yogi/ meditation kind of guy, but he is always up for a new adventure. He called my bluff and we all headed back to Amma.  When we arrived there the crowds had really thinned out. She was taking another break, but we only had to wait about 15 minutes for her to return, and seeing my restless (but happy) children, the volunteer said that we could go right after a set of babies went.  We were up! With my 5 year old in my arms, I clumsly gave Amma my blessing card with my right hand as instructed.  I moved my little one up to the platform so she could bless her. Amma put her hand on her head while my daughter played with her bangles. Amma blessed my forehead with "ashes" and did the same to my husband. My 7 year old was more compliant and received the dot as well. No words were exchanged. ("Silence is the language of God") She just smiled knowingly at us when we left.  The girls got Hershey kisses and Amma cards. Afterwards we went to the garden to relax and drove home. For the rest of the afternoon my cynical husband kept on saying, "Wow, I feel so relaxed!"  He rarely feels relaxed!  I have to say that the whole family was feeling quite groovy for the rest of the day. I even slept for 9 hours, which rarely happens. To see if your city will be part of Amma's 2009 World Tour, go here http://www.karunamayi.org/tour/Tour-Schedule.html  (Note: photography isn't allowed during the blessings. The photo of Amma blessing the woman is from her website. I posted it to add a visual here). Have you ever received an individual blessing from Amma? Were your experiences similar to mine?

By the way, Amma will be back in Woodstock for July 4th weekend in 2010.

Alert: Don't feed the Black Bears!

If you walk around the town of Woodstock, and in certain neighborhoods in the area, you will see Black Bear signs with alert levels.  The town of Woodstock is in the "High" bear traffic zone.  Still, bear sightings are rare. I have had 3 bear sightings in the Hudson Valley. One bear sighting happened in Phoenicia in 1996 while I was on writer's retreat. I told a local that I really wanted to see a bear. He told me all I had to do was be near the garbage dumpster at the right time in the early morning, and my wish would be granted. So I went on an early morning walk past the dumpster, and and there he was, foraging for his human breakfast food!  Seeing a bear is a surreal moment. I was weak in the knees. The other 2 sightings were both along route 375 which leads into the town of Woodstock from Route 28. (This road is also very popular with deer and I hit one here once. Be careful on this windy road!). Once a family of three bears (sans Goldilocks) crossed in front of the car ahead of me. The other time, my husband and I spotted a cub crawling around what used to be the Bear Cafe (now an Optomotrist office) across from the Hurley Ridge Market place on Route 375. Today the Daily Freeman reported that officers in Hunter were ordered to shoot down three Black Bears that were breaking into homes in the area. The paper reported there was a family that fed the bears in the neighborhood and this is what prompted the bears to start breaking and entering. Read the comments at the end the article though. Most people, even hunters do not agree with the way the shooting was handled, saying that more humane alternative would have been to put the bears to sleep, and then transfer them back to the woods. All this to say, if you are lucky enough to see a bear outside your room, meditate, hold your breath, call your mom, just don't feed it! The NY State Department of Environmental Conservation has lots of great Black Bear facts and advice on how to discourage them from setting up camp in your backyard. http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6960.html Have you ever had a close encounter with a bear in the Hudson Valley or elsewhere?

Amma Sri Karunamay "The Divine Mother" is coming to Woodstock!

The bulletin board outside Bliss Yoga is always chock full of yoga events.  Amma, "the Divine Mother" is stopping by Woodstock on her tour of North America. She will be here from June 1-3.  A lecture and blessing time will be open to the public. She will also host a full-day Meditation Retreat on Wed., June 3rd. (You must pre-register for this. $85. Discounts for seniors and students).  For more info, go to http://www.karunamayi.org/tour/2009Woodstock.html