He's Back

I was kinda hoping he wasn't going to visit this year...

Just when I thought we might get to skate through the winter without any major snow events, it looks as if my fantasy winter forecast may just have a rude awakening. In case you missed it, the weather experts are saying Old Man Winter is about to rear his ugly head and dump what's touted as "historic" amounts of snow on the North East in the next few days. This in and of itself enough to make me want to grab the Mister., the furkids, and flip flops and head south for the winter. Add this onto the muckery of late and you have a full blown chaos factory. What kind of chaos?...

Well it all started like this. My Yaya went to be with the Lord recently. So we traveled a few hours north to attend the memorial service and visit family. Sad yes because she will be missed by everyone, but also happy because she was such an inspiring and kind woman who touched so many people in her ninety years on this earth. She immigrated from Greece as a young girl of twenty two years of age and lived what really was the American Dream. She waited in line, went to school and learned to read and write English and then passed her exam to become an American citizen. She married her true love, raised three wonderful children, worked hard, never demanded anything from this country, and never took a penny she did not earn. As my uncle Chris so eloquently stated... a sharp contrast to whats going on in our country today.

Spending time with family to reflect and honor such a wonderful woman was enough. Grief as many have experienced can be hard. I found happiness though the day of the memorial, the morning was cold and snowy. When we came out of the luncheon at the church the skies we bright blue with blazing sunshine. The neatest part of this was my Papoo had passed just over a year earlier and he was obsessed with the weather. He was always talking about the weather and it was almost like they were giving everyone the sign that they were together and happy with Jesus.

So Saturday rolls around and it's time to pack up the car and go home. We stopped for a hot cup of magic a la Dunkins for the road and off we went. We get not thirty miles from town when all of the sudden while driving down the highway the cruise control shuts off and this yellow coil looking do-dad light comes on in the dash. The car starts to slow down and acts as if it is not getting any power from the accelerator. I'm thinking "What in the heck in the world is happening on with our 2013 German tank aka VW Passat TDI"? Normally I'm gushing to everyone about the 40+ mpg we get, how we just love love love our TDI, and how we can get from NY to FL on two tanks of diesel. Saturday night however, I was singing a different song.

After much sputtering, shaking, the coil light going off never to go back on, then the  engine light coming on, and a terrible wind whistle noise coming from the engine which eventually led to a burning smell, and three calls to roadside assistance, turning the car off and doing everything they told us... We found ourselves stranded in the middle of rural upstate NY on a cold dark side road with not one, not two, but five furkids in the car with us. Thankfully we were only thirty miles from family who came to rescue us and our belongings while the tow truck took Paul Passat off to the nearest VW dealer. Where it will sit until Monday morning when the dealer opens. After getting to safety lo and behold we discovered we are not the only ones this has happened to. The internet is full of people who had the exact same thing happen. The cruise control turns off while driving and end up just like we did. It turns out, in many of these cases it is the turbo blown and engine as well.

You can bet your bottom dollar that this Greek girl is going to be on the phone with VW ASAP. Especially since our car has only 25,000 miles on it, is under warranty, is also a certified preowned, and worst of all it has been into several service departments for a "hesitation issue" with the acellerator. Where we described to them that it felt like it was not getting power when pushing gas pedal and a sputtering at times. Only to be told it was "nothing to worry about", that they did a computer update on the transmission that should take care of it. According to what we found on the internet there has been a known issue going on with the TDI's in this model year and we were never made aware.

So on top of sorting out trying to get our car fixed we will be trying to get home just in time to get a wallop from old man winter as he makes his 2015 debut. Frustrating yes, but at the same time all fixable. At the end of the day it's all a matter of perspective. I can complain because we got stuck on the highway at night, or I can be happy that we have a newer car that actually is under a warranty. I can be annoyed that there is a major snowstorm on it's way or I can be happy I'm still here to complain about it... No matter what is going on, the most important thing is that we live every day to it's fullest. Something that my Yaya did.

Times might not always be perfect, and yes they may even be hard. Every day there is something to learn and a new chance to plant seeds in the lives of those around us. So grab that shovel and get ready to welcome Old Man Winter back for what hopefully is a short stay.

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

Summer Fun

Okay so since Ferris Bueller, I mean Obama is out playing golf while Iraq is burning, and since I don't want to get audited by the IRS, and my Veteran husband can't get a doctor's appointment at the VA for another 6 months I figured I would focus on what I can do to "enjoy" this summer.

Now if you are like me and the rest of those living up here in the Northeast, you may have not noticed that summer has officially kicked off.  I literally didn't even realize it until I heard it on the news.  Well, I obviously didn't get the memo and since my flip-flops have barely seen the light of day since my trip to see family in Florida for Christmas, it was a bit of a shocker.  So I'm finally getting geared up for my Top-10 things I am looking forward to doing this summer.

10. Have dinner at the 76 house in Tappan NY with a couple of good friends.  Legend claims it is the oldest tavern in the US.  Just for those who are wondering... it is one of the places George Washington met and planned his strategy during the Revolutionary War.

9. Find a Jersey Beach to actually go to.  Yes I have lived here most my entire life and no I have never been to the Jersey Shore.  So this summer that too will change.  Oh and I will of course have a iced-cup-o-happinss a-la Dunkin Donut's in my clutches.

8. Now, this one is a stretch considering when I go outside I break out from poison ivy.  But I would love to actually go for a proper hike through Harriman State Park here in NY. Don't worry, I will make sure to bring some Twinkies just in case I run into a bear on the trail.

7. Then I want to take a guided tour of the Bannerman Castle aka "the Crumbling Castle on the Hudson River".  It is something I have wanted to do for a long time.  I love to explore and this just seems to be such a cool thing to see before it is completely gone.

6. Take a day-trip with my favorite person in the whole world and visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  No, I have never been.  Since I am the daughter of an immigrant this is a very important trip to me.  Then finish the day off off at the Southstreet Seaport or Little Italy in NYC eating junk food.  (Hey Stan Appling, I can hear you snickering).

5.  Jingle-Jingle-Jingle!  That's the sound of the slot machines I love to play.  Now, I don't do it often and I only do it for fun.  But when I do it I make sure to play it safe.  So, I will be headed to either Yonker's Raceway, Monticello or maybe even Foxwoods.  I am not sure but it will be fun... I guarantee it.

4. Finish my book. No... not summer reading, but summer writing.  What?  You didn't know I am writing a book?  That's right.  I am working on a 40 Day Inspirational Devotional that will go along with "Operation Mustard Seed" the crowdfunding campaign done for my new music, which I am currently working on.

3.  That brings me to the next thing.  Get in the studio.  Yep, this Greek Girl has been working on a whole bunch of songs.  Now, it's getting close to that time.  Time to make some tracks.  So that is one main thing to do... Get back in the studio ASAP.

2. I fully support the 2nd Amendment.  So that means I want to finally go to Gander Mountain and buy me that 12-gauage Mossberg 500A Tactical shotgun and lay down some lead.  No, not at animals of course, but I am not opposed to a little target practice (just in case I ever have to defend myself or my furkids).

1. Take a special road trip.  I love road trips and nothing beats going to a city or town you haven't been to in a long time or someplace new.  In the past I've gone to Niagara, DC, Philly, Outer Banks and others.  This year it will be either Boston or Historic Williamsburg. Of course if time permits we might make it to both...  We shall see.

Either way, no matter what I do this summer I am going to make sure to have fun, lots of it.  Oh and of course I will be wearing my flip-flops and keeping cool with my Iced Cups of Happiness a la Dunkins.  So what are you doing this summer?  Hope you have fun and keep it safe and stay cool!

Blessings, Love & Music~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

Aunt Iris and Ted Williams' Head

Ted Williams Frozen Head

It's hard writing a blog when you are also wiping away the tears as you try to type. I hope the water from all of my tears don't trickle down into the electronics of the laptop and cause some sort of muckery that would short-circuit everything. That wouldn't be good for the Greek girl.

As I mentioned yesterday, we are traveling by car down to Florida with my 87-year old Great Aunt, Iris. What a doll. My eyes are leaking.  They are mostly happy tears from all of the non-stop laughs Aunt Iris has provided. However, I also still have some residual eye puffiness and tears from the allergic reaction I had to her cat. I was so doped up I had to take so many sudafed and benadryls that I kinda felt like Barry Bonds. Good thing I wasn't driving and had some else to drive us.

Aunt Iris is my mom's favorite Auntie, and I can see why. She is a hoot. I haven't laughed this much since that time I watched Mr. Bricks try to fit into a size medium T-shirt. Yesterday we were going into our 15th hour of driving and out of the blue Aunt Iris blurted out, Ted Williams Head. So naturally when an 87-year old woman says a random statement like that the first thing you think of is OK time to pull over and find a hotel, someone needs their medication or someone's getting loopy. But that wasn't the case here.

Turns out, Iris knew exactly what she was talking about, I was the one who in baseball terms was out in left field. I had no idea that Boston Red Sox's  Hall of Famer,  Ted Williams had a secret pact with his family that they would all be frozen after they die. Ted wanted this done because he believed in science and felt that some day perhaps they all would "be able to be together in the future, even if it is only a chance." What ever the odds were he was willing to try cryonics if it held the possibility of reuniting the family. The amazing thing about this story about Ted Wiliams' Head is the fact that Iris was totally up to speed and I wasn't.  I was in awe of the constant stream of information that came out of her noggin. That is why I love being around older people, they are a wealth of knowledge and inspiration.

After Williams died in 2002, his body was taken by private jet to a company in Scottsdale, Ariz. There, Williams' body was separated from his head in a procedure called neuroseparation. Let me just say that if in the off-chance my Living Will ever turns up missing and someone in my family gets the wild idea to pull a Ted Williams on me and pickles my noggin, you better believe I want it also going by private jet to its final destination, or heads are gonna roll.....oops, did I really just say that?

According to a 2003 Sports Illustrated article, Ted Williams was decapitated by surgeons at the cryonics company where his body was suspended in liquid nitrogen and several samples of his DNA went missing. Ok, lets stop right here. I want my entire big Greek family put on notice that this blonde girl doesn't want anyone mucking around with my Greek noggin after I die. I think I have a good head on my shoulders and that is where I want it to stay. I don't want it hacked off of my body and put into some pickle jar on display. No, I don't roll like that and neither does my noggin.

 Ava Aston and her Great Aunt Iris

Blessings,

Ava

xox

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