Master Chef

She has a new cooktop, at enormous expense;
The latest Jenn-Air model, with electronic controls.
Does everything but put the dishes on the table;
Makes the kitchen look truly professional, which it is.

One of the joys of my second marriage
Is consuming the culinary creations of a master chef.
A fabulous recipe is often our evening plat du jour.
Even the familiar dishes receive an unusual touch.

I function as sous chef and scullery maid.
When the pace is fast, I jump to obey barked orders
To hunt, fetch, hold, stir, whatever is needed;
Often to find exotic items stored in obscure places.

For we have a large pantry, a full length cupboard,
Cabinets and drawers, a side by side fridge,
A deep, deep freezer, all containing enough
Items to carry us through natural disasters.

To the outsider, this might seem odd.
Who needs over one hundred spices?
But you have to understand the philosophy
Of my queen of the kitchen.

She thinks and acts like a professional chef.
When she sees an attractive recipe, she expects
To have all or most of the ingredients on hand.
We shop at food markets only about twice a month.

Lately, we have been sampling Julia Child's
"Mastering the Art of French Cooking," and
Ginette Mathiot's "I Know How to Cook,"
The French counterpart of "The Joy of Cooking."

When the cooking results in a lot of pots and pans,
I do not mind cleaning up afterward.
We are in culinary paradise;
The chef takes a well-earned toes-up on the couch!

Cruisin' in 2010

We have been considering for some time
A cruise in the Adriatic from Venice.
Norwegian Cruise Lines is the only large
Operator of same with frequent departures.

So I've been flirting with what they offer
Until we decided to get serious.
Our original idea was to spend a few days
Exploring Venice before the cruise.

So that would involve booking air travel,
Hotel in Venice, and the the cruise.
Not a difficult project, but time-consuming
As it was on our trip to Tuscany in 2009.

Just idling around the internet,
I happened to hit the Grand Circle Travel
Website, which I had used before,
And what do you suppose I found?!

GCT has framed the NCL cruises in the Adriatic
With brief stays in Venice and Rome.
At a significantly attractive price
Including air travel and transfers.

That solved all the booking problems
And puts us in a managed group,
Which is a significant help to people
Of a certain age like us.

The trip is still not inexpensive,
But it fulfils the dictum of my offspring:
"Do it while you can, Dad,
Spend your money on yourselves!"

We will be leaving May 19th,
And returning June 9th, three weeks in all.
More on the itinerary later,
As we do research on the destinations.

Met HD Opera Telecasts

This new production was widely panned;
Particularly for the stark brick set instead
Of the opulence of old Rome.
Tosca was a poor role for Mattila.
She lacked the passion and the fire,
And kept her head down, looking away.
Too bad, because she has a powerful
Presence in Salome, and was full of
Gritty determination in Fidelio.


We missed Aida; that was the weekend of the
Tenafly high school reunion.
Barbara had never seen Aida, and was sorry
To miss it; so I bought her a DVD with
Pavarotti singing Radames, in San Francisco.
Aida is static, almost an oratorio; but the SF
Version was spiced up with dances, including
The perky little ballerinas in sheer tops.




Turandot is static, too, that is the characters
Simply move around a little and sing.
The star of the show was the fabulous setting
By Franco Zeffirelli, thus making a clear
Contrast with the new, and less expensive,
Settings of the old warhorses.
We miss the former, but we must get used to
Contemporary ways of looking at things.



For example, the new production of
Les Contes D'Hoffman envisions all the action
Taking place inside Hoffman's head, while
He regales the crowd at Luther's with his stories.
If you were informed of this beforehand,
You might be able to fathom the goings-on.
Otherwise, the scenes seem like a hopeless
Jumble of sets from one scene to another.
A new star arose in the role of Nicklausse
And the muse: Kate Lindsey.

Everyone and everything about
Der Rosenkavalier was superb.
All the singers have performed these roles
Over and over again.
They inhabited their characters.
The trio of the three sopranos at the climax
Was breathtaking.
One wonders what it would be like if a
Countertenor sang the role of Octavian.


Barbara and I agreed that this was the
Best performance of Carmen
That we had ever seen.
Besides displaying a remarkable voice, Garanca
Acted the part, danced the flamenco,
Wrestled with Alagna in the final scene.
Critics were unanimous in praise of them,
And all the other performers.

This ends our subscription series, but we may
See one or more of the remaining operas in
Sunday encore broadcasts.

Art Exhibitions

Barbara's retrospective at the
Cape Cod Museum of Art
Was a smash hit!
Many people told us that
They saw it, and were impressed.

Few seemed to know
That she could paint so well,
Including the museum director.
The curator, who hung the paintings,
Remarked on her ability to use
Different media in a variety of styles.

The Cape Cod Cultural Center
Asked her to contribute two works
To their first annual exhibition.
Barbara's was the only figure painting
Among eighty or so on display.













The Cape Cod Arts Foundation
Sent two visitors to select
A single painting for a
Comprehensive showing by
Professional artists on Cape Cod.

Their mounting included a
Description of the genesis of
"Clothesline," which we
Noticed was carefully inspected
By the artsy crowd in attendance.




As Barbara's agent and business manager,
I am open to expressions of interest
In the paintings hanging or stored in our house.
The total was sixty when last we counted.

My Cardiologist was Sacked

Cardiology is a big business on Cape Cod
Where the demographics are skewed to medicare patients.
Two big groups of heart care specialists
Vie for the business of senior citizens.

A letter from the head of my service arrived recently
Announcing the departure of my latest, and third cardiologist.
The first two departed to Boston and more prestigious posts.
The latest has no known destination, according to the letter.

This is strange from an additional viewpoint:
When a physician leaves a stable of patients,
He/she usually writes a personal letter to them
With assurances that they will be well cared for by someone else.

I can only conclude that he was sacked.
What for, remains a mystery.
He was (is) an odd duck, looking and dressed like
A software programmer from Silicon Valley.

During the first visit, he asked for my forecast of the stock market,
Offering no particular comments on my heart condition.
In the second, he bristled at my questions on the safety of statins,
Asking me if I wanted to die of clogged arteries.

Now someone else "will be chosen for me."
Who can be exchanged for a physician of my choice.
Does it really make any difference?
Nothing more of significance can be done for me.

Christmas 2009

Did Christmas come too early this year?
Perhaps we need a little Christmas
To forget for just a few weeks
War, pestilence, unemployment, foreclosures, etc.

The food pantries are running low.
Needy funds ask for more.
Service at stores and restaurants is super,
From our young neighbors who really need the job.

Yet for some old people, blessings abound.
Marry me, I asked; she said yes, and she did,
On February 14th, on St. Valentine’s day.
Honeymooned two weeks in March in Palm Beach,

We were featured in the chronicle of significant events
Announced at the 60th reunion of my class at West Point:
Pat Kimball married Barbara Rockefeller,
Bringing a silent cheer in the chapel from my classmates.



We drove to NYC again in May, after the reunion.
Saw South Pacific and the American Ballet Theater,
Visited the Metropolitan Museum at leisure,
And strolled Central Park on a delightful day.

Two weeks in Tuscany in August, in a rented villa
With three families, including four teenagers.
The group dynamics were difficult, and lack of
Our own transportation limited our reach.



But Barbara finally got to the Uffizi in Florence.
We spent full days in Arezzo and Siena,
Where I had been to on earlier trips
And made some short visits to neighboring sights.

Fortunately, we secured the penthouse,
Which shielded us from late night hoohah.
The swimming pool was a nice treat
At the end of some very hot days.


Two more reunions in October: A gathering of former
Members of St. James the Less in Scarsdale, including
Cocktail parties, banquets, an elaborate service
And a day at the Westchester Mall.



A reunion of 40s classes from Tenafly High School;
Four of the original 903 girls in attendance.
On the way home from both, we sought shelter with
Sue and Frank Millard in Old Greenwich.






I suggested to the director of the Cape Cod Museum of Art
That a retrospective of Barbara's work would be
A fitting tribute for her 80th birthday,
And her years of voluntary service as registrar of paintings.



St. David's is now mainly a social club for old folks like us.
Theological controversies never rise to the surface.
Barbara goes off the vestry, as a new rector arrives.
And I lead a book discussion group of The Reason for God.

Work on the house in Yarmouthport is mostly complete.
The general contractor decided that since we are now both
In our eighties, we have no business cleaning house,
So we hired some hard-working Brasileiras to do so.

Hiking and biking much slower, but getting out regularly.
I have a wonderful companion for local walks.
Tippy is a border collie who begs me to take her out,
Then simultaneously protects me and herds me along.



May God be with you, for Christmas and the New Year!






Barbara and Patrick

Surprised by Joy

A year ago May, I bought a single ticket to the Cape Cod Symphony.
I wanted to hear the young pianist written about in the papers.
Amy in the box office said she would sell me a ticket to the left,
So that I could see his hands during the performance.

So up in the nosebleed section of the Barnstable Performing Arts Center,
I was seated next to a regal looking woman of imposing stature.
Naturally, I did not speak to her as we were not properly introduced.
Until an usher came along to tell both of us that we were sitting in the wrong row.

Thereafter, a desultory conversation ensued.
Obviously, she knew more about classical music than I did.
She promoted Philip Glass; I plumped for John Adams.
I was stuck on the composer of an encore; she said it was by Chopin.

Sometime in the exchange, I said that I had seen her before, not exactly an original line.
She replied that it was probably at the Cape Cod Museum of Art.
We traded names, and departed separately.
I remembered her name well enough to look her up in the phone book.

Not having her email address, I sent her a letter by snail mail,
Inviting her to join me for the following year at a symphony subscription.
I was just hoping to save gas by car pooling, nothing else.
I did write that I was eighty and utterly harmless (I lied).

She replied by email, suggesting that we meet for coffee to talk about it.
I called and asked her to have lunch with me at Jack's Outback in Yarmouthport.
The subscription was agreed upon, adding a third seat for her friend.
Fine with me, I said, and was later invited to her home for dinner
So that the friend would have an opportunity to check me out.

Well, I guess I passed muster with both
Because a lot of dating followed during the summer.
In October, I put my house on the market and moved into her house.
And on February fourteenth, we married.

We have been to three reunions this year.
All comprising people our age, many with varying degrees
Of illness and unhappiness.
We are the smiling couple whom everyone admires.
Because we radiate how surprised we are by joy.
God sometimes smiles on older people.