Lakeside Reflections

Weight and Diet

2012-02-08T19:37:00.000-05:00

Can you tell it's winter even without looking outside or at a calendar? I can. My weight is starting to creep up where it shouldn't go. It seems that every winter I put on two, three, or more pounds. Last winter was the worst; I weighed more a year ago than I did when I was nine months pregnant! At least, I took off a few pounds this last spring and summer, so I feel better. I was even, for a short time, down below my pregnant weight.

But that was last year and this is now. The weight is starting to get out of hand again. I know I have no will power; I especially love cookies. And chocolate, of course. And I like to bake. Last week I made a batch of meringue cookies (they can't be bad for you; they're mostly air) and some monkey bread. And I ate them, with help. This week, Den made hot butterscotch sauce and poured it over vanilla ice cream. He didn't put any whipped cream on top, and it was delicious; but just think how good it would have been with whipped cream!

We have also been indulging in mac and cheese, tomato cheese soup, and clam chowder; all home made. Don't laugh, but one of my favorite meals is a guacamole burger from Steak and Shake. I can't imagine there would be many calories in that. Then there is the nisu at the coffee shop at the Finnish Heritage Museum. How can we go there and not have nisu?

I'm sure you know where this is going. Too much food, too many treats, not enough exercise; it's diet time again. I had better get back on The 17 Day Diet, and fast. Now where did I put that book?

Time for Reading

2012-01-20T15:33:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else have stacks of unread magazines? And shelves of unread books? Yesterday, I actually had the urge to sweep the magazines off the dresser where they are stacked and just get rid of all of them. When that thought went through my head, I panicked. I had never before wanted to get rid of any reading material, especially if I hadn't read it. Don't get me wrong; when I finish a magazine, it usually goes in the recycle pile, unless I know someone else would like to look at it.

Books, that's different. It's only lately that I've been able to pass on books to others, or to give them to the library or even the Salvation Army. Books have been my reason for being, or, at the least, very important to me. But now, when I look around the house and see the hundreds of books and dozens of magazines, I see clutter. I have been able to curb the urge to buy a lot of books because the library makes them so available. If Mentor Public Library doesn't have the book I want, chances are I can find it through Search Ohio. Only if I cannot find it there do I consider looking on the internet to buy. That way, I tell myself, I am at least not adding to the book clutter that has taken over my house.

Back to the magazines. I know the solution is easy - just don't renew them. Then I stop to think; I have to renew The Week, it's great for keeping me up to date on what's going on in the country and the world (if only I were up to date on reading it). And what about the Atlantic, Alfred Hitchcock Magazine, and a few others? Don't I legitimately need them to study what kind of stories they publish? Then there are a couple of dog magazines that I can't quit because, well, because they're about dogs. And the writing magazines, their content is about writing! I do think that I won't renew The New York Review of Books, because I have no trouble finding books to read. So there is at least one magazine gone, I think.

Ohio Politics

2011-12-18T13:42:00.000-05:00

Ohio House Bill 136 would increase the giving of vouchers for students to attend private schools. I believe this is counter productive, and discriminatory. We should be putting any extra dollars for education into the public schools. What a shame it is that we no longer have the best education system in the world. Could the interference of the legislators have made this happen? Don't our kids deserve at least as good an education as we were fortunate enough to receive? Granted, I wouldn't want to attend school today - too much "new" history, technology, science, and everything else has come about since I graduated. But our generation enabled all these new developments to happen, and the majority of us went to public schools. Let's put public money back to work.

Contact your state senator and/or representative and urge them to vote against this bill as a start.

Family Day

2011-12-12T12:06:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was nisu baking day! For those of you who don't know what nisu is, it is a traditional Finnish sweet biscuit that takes a long time and a lot of muscle to make. I started baking this delicious biscuit when I was about 16 years old. My aunt gave me a copy of my mumma's (grandmother to those non-Finns out there) recipe. My mother, a non-Finn herself, had never made this traditional biscuit, but encouraged me to try, because my father, and the rest of my family, loved it. And so a tradition was born.

I know there are people out there who bake nisu (also called pulla) on a regular basis, maybe even as much as once a week; but that is not in my nature. For one thing, it is hard to make; and if I made it all the time, it wouldn't seem as special. Besides, I can go to the Finnish Heritage Museum on any Saturday and get a cup of coffee and a slice of nisu for $2. Or buy a biscuit at the Finnish Treasures gift shop, also in Fairport Harbor. But back to yesterday.

My daughter-in-law and granddaughter came over yesterday morning (not too early; they know my habits), and we started right in. Someone had to watch my two great-grandsons, so I just gave directions and played with the boys while Beth and Heather did all the work. How special is that? While the dough was rising near the wood burner, the girls even decorated the Christmas tree that Den had put up the night before, and got out all the Christmas objects, articles, artifacts, or whatever you want to call them, and decorated the house.

Just as the first hot biscuits were coming out of the oven, my son, grandson, and grandson's girlfriend showed up at the door for coffee and nisu. So now you can see how special yesterday was. I hope you all have a day like that in your Christmas season.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to anyone who may read this post. I hope your day was wonderful, filled with friends and family and good food.

We spent the day at my nephew's house; he and his wife put on quite a dinner. Turkey, ham (Dan's secret recipe), stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, corn, rolls, and appetizers, too. Then came coffee and dessert for those who could still manage a bite or two. But the best part was spending the day with people we don't get to see as often as we would like. It's a time to catch up, to talk about our kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids; to find out what's new in their world.

After clearing off the table, the younger, more energetic family members spread out several newspapers on the smooth surface and plan their attack on Black Friday. We older family members, just shake our heads, get another piece of pie, and continue our catching up. We are much too worldly-wise to go out to the stores on Black Friday. Or maybe we're just getting too old.

Politics as Usual

2011-11-14T13:14:00.001-05:00

Too many people are passing on emails that have very misleading and downright untrue contents. We are all upset with what is going on politically in this country, and everyone thinks they have the answer, including me. But when false, or even semi-false, emails make the rounds, it hurts everyone and only contributes to the hatred one group may have for another.

The American people have been criticizing our government from the day it was formally established. Before that, there were arguments as to what kind of government we should have. I, for one, think the founding fathers did a heck of a good job; after all, we are still one nation 200+ years later. Just think of all the advancements, inventions, changes in the world that have happened since we first became the United States of America until now. What foresight those men had. Of course, if women had been involved 230 years ago, it would probably have been an even better place to live. But that's not the point of this blog. All the current, untrue, or semi-true emails that are making the rounds are.

Too many people think they know what is true because they saw it on the internet. And if you dig deep enough, the truth is probably out there. The problem is, not many people care about the truth. This country, and the rest of the world, are in a deep economic hurt, and we want to blame someone. Because some right wingers now have the loudest voices, we overlook what has happened in the past and listen to the rhetoric of hatred. I am very disheartened by what I hear and see going on all around me; I just want to step back and close my eyes and ears to what is going on.

Why can't we see that we have to be generous and kind to all people, not just the ones who think like us? Why do we spew the rhetoric of hate? And who do we hate? Evidently not the Wall Street fat cats and bankers, but the little guy trying to make a living, even if he has to step over a line in the sand to do it. We all need to take a step back and look at our priorities, look at our emotions and see if they are getting in the way of what is right. We need to start caring about people, and not about the almighty dollar. Maybe the OWS movement shows that we are slowly starting to care again.

"There's not a single example on our planet, not one, where an anti-government strategy has produced a vibrant economy with strong and broad-based growth and prosperity." - Bill Clinton

"What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents." -Robert F. Kennedy

Winter Clothes

2011-10-15T17:35:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again, when I reluctantly put my summer clothes away for the winter and bring out the turtlenecks and long underwear. Every year, I know I am going to get rid of a whole stack of clothes that I haven't worn for months, or even years. And every year, I don't. I know all the magazines say that if you haven't worn something in a year, you should pitch it. So why can't I do that? I haven't the foggiest. Maybe because I was raised a dark Lutheran? Maybe because my parents lived during the Great Depression? Because I didn't have a lot of money growing up?

Whatever the reason, I started out with high hopes this year. I actually got rid of a pair of sandals when I went through my shoes. Oh, this was going to be a good year! Then, I added a pair of jeans to the "pile!" Can you believe it? And I hadn't even started on the dresser or the closet.

Well, I've gone through them now, and all I managed to add was a top that I bought five years ago. At one point, I had chosen two dresses to give to the Salvation Army, but then had second thoughts and put them back in the closet. No matter that I hadn't worn them since I retired (six years ago); I might need them someday.

I think I will let my "pile" of rejects sit in plain sight for a day or two. Who knows—I may just decide to add more, maybe even a dress or two.

Depressing Day

2011-10-03T15:48:00.000-04:00

This is one of those days that are depressing and heavy. Please don't ask me why, I couldn't give you an answer. I thought I just wanted to go back to bed and sleep, but even that is too hard right now. Instead, I swept the floors, did some laundry, cleaned out the kitchen sink, did dishes, and now I am going to iron.

Yes, you saw that right—I am going to iron. I know several women who do not even own an iron, much less use one. But I iron. I iron shirts, slacks, shorts, blouses, tablecloths, napkins, and anything else that could possibly need to be ironed. My usual time to iron is Monday evening, after dinner, while listening to WCSB (a college radio station) play the blues. There is no way you can remain down in the dumps while listening to the blues. Most of the music has such an upbeat tempo that you just want to move your feet, and your body. Think John Hammond or John Lee Hooker. But that's neither here nor there right now.

Right now I am just going to iron and feel sorry for myself. I know the weather here (cold, rainy, gray, windy) has a lot to do with the mood I'm in, but it doesn't matter. I can't talk myself up, so I may just as well iron. At least I'll accomplish something.

The Race (?) to the Presidency

2011-09-08T14:27:00.000-04:00

And the Presidential race is on! How stupid is it that the potential Presidential candidates are already holding televised debates, challenging each other, and hoping to make the other candidates look stupid. I think they all look stupid, for a couple of reasons.

First, there are several current officeholders in the race - governors, congressmen, etc. If they have to campaign nonstop for the next 14 months, who is doing their job? They can't possibly do justice to what they were elected to do—govern. I think campaigning has become a full time, year-round job. Who cares about passing laws, or governing the country, all they have to do is campaign from the time they are first elected until they finally die. Job description—no governing needed.

Second, with today's technology, a candidate could announce his or her candidacy a month before the election and still become well known enough to get elected. In fact, that might not be a bad idea. By that time, all the candidates who started campaigning early would be nothing but noise. We would have heard their ideas, or lack of ideas, a million times, and have gotten so bored with their rhetoric that most of the electorate would have shut their ears and eyes to them. Someone who comes in just before election day would get noticed a lot, especially if they had at least one new idea.

Where has common sense gone? And what is wrong with the American people that we put up with such idiocy?

Public Education

2011-09-01T22:58:00.000-04:00

We can all lament how public education isn't what it used to be—it isn't. We can say that the parents need to be more involved with the schools; that the teachers need to use more discipline; and that the schools need more money to keep up with the latest technology. But no matter how many times, or how many ways, we say it, it isn't going to happen.

A lot of parents who care about their children's education are using vouchers to send their kids to private schools. This takes dollars away from the public schools, leaving poor schools for poor kids. A lot of kids, and not just the poorer ones, come from families who don't care whether or not their children get qualified instruction, and this is not going to change just because they are told they must take a greater interest in the child's education.

The United States no longer ranks first, or even second or third, in the quality of the education provided to its students. China is ranked tops in reading, math, and science; and Finland, South Korea, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, and New Zealand all rank better than the U.S. I don't know the answer to make our system better, and I certainly can't suggest how to make it the best in the world.

I do know that we need to look at innovative ideas for keeping kids in school, for keeping them interested in learning, so that we may once more become a country who emphasizes education. I believe that the answer does not involve throwing more money at the problem, or reducing Thomas Jefferson's contribution to the founding of this nation to a footnote. We need to look at how teachers are trained, how effective they are in teaching (and not just in "teaching to a test"), the hours students spend in school, maybe even year-round classes. Making our schools better will not be an easy sell to people in the U.S., but not making our schools better will have an even worse outcome. Jobs will continue to move overseas as companies want to hire the best and brightest; and we will have increasing numbers of people on welfare roles as these jobs are lost. What should we do? I don't know. But I think a good start would be to vow to make our public school system once more the best in the world, and to look for people who can help do this.

Respect or Disrespect?

2011-07-31T17:34:00.000-04:00

How can you not return the call of the President of the United States? Evidently, if you are the Speaker of the House, you are allowed to snub the President in this manner. Does John Boehner think he is above the President? The last I looked, the President holds the highest elective office in the country; the Speaker is, well, the Speaker of the House of Representatives. As a friend of mine would say, this is just rude. That last word should be heard in as scathing a tone as you can imagine. The President is owed respect by virtue of the office he holds, not by the party he belongs to or the color of his skin.

I believe that a lot of the problem has been created by the newest elected representatives, who feel they have been given a mandate to do whatever they want. Look where that has gotten us. We need people in Congress who can work with the President and with members of the other political party, or parties. We need people who know the meaning of the word compromise. We need people who know history and what has happened in the past. We need people who will make the best decisions for the country, the citizens, not the best decisions for bankers and big business.

Another Book Review

2011-07-02T14:38:00.001-04:00

Too many people out of work; the people who do have jobs have to work overtime to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the insurance companies, oil companies, and financial institutions are making record profits and paying their executives huge bonuses on top of prodigious salaries. Does all this sound familiar? It should; it's what's happening in our country today.

I just finished reading Invisible Hands; The Making of the Conservative Movement from the New Deal to Reagan by Kim Phillips-Fein. As the name of the book implies, the author follows the big companies, the big power brokers and the top company executives as they made, and continue to make, the decisions on how this country should be run.

These relatively few people have somehow convinced the rest of us, including the people who represent us in our government, that they know what is best for the U.S., and should be allowed to do as they please. I think our government representatives have fallen for this line of thinking because they have been dazzled by being chosen to have lunch with, or play golf with, or fly on private jets with, these very wealthy narcissists. These so-called captains of industry are the ideological descendants of the long-ago bosses who opposed doing away with the child labor laws, who opposed limiting the work week to 40 hours, who thought they had a right to pollute the air and water and earth because they could make a few extra dollars doing it. Today, they oppose health care for everyone (only those who can afford it should have it), social security as an entitlement (which it is not; we have all paid for it through our payroll deductions), and any type of a safety net for a person who has had his or her job pulled out from under him or her, among other things.

It is very hard for me to believe that we have been boondoggled by these high-flying thugs for so long, when they are only interested in what makes them money. Why not hire more people at decent wages so each one doesn't have to work 60 hours a week? Families would have more time to spend together. Isn't this what we want? Or do we just want to lament the demise of the American family? Why not support the unions who are fighting for decent wages for all workers? These are just a few of the questions we should be asking.

Isn't it time we woke up? This is our country, and our world; shouldn't we take it back? And by this, I don't mean getting rid of President Obama; he's doing better under the circumstances than expected. I do mean getting rid of, or at least taking a hard look at the senators and congressmen (all right—I mean mostly Republicans) who spout business theories handed to them by big business, and actually believe those things work, or at least pretend to believe. Our country—and our world—is too populous for us to revert back to the good ol' days of the early twentieth century. We need to think about conserving our natural resources so that future generations will be able to live at least as well as we have. We need to consider legislation that would give support to all citizens, no matter their circumstances. We are, or at least were, a very wealthy country, and some of that wealth should be returned as services to the ordinary citizens, in the form of government services, well-kept infrastructure, health care, and especially education. We should not be dictated to by the vandals and villains who seem to own Congress.

My Son's Birthday/

2011-06-09T13:01:00.000-04:00

You do not know how much love your heart can hold until you have a child.

Today is my son's birthday; he is 44 years old. The time has gone by so quickly; and time has proven what I have known all along. Adam is a very special person.

Oh, sure, he has broken my heart a few times. The first time I can remember was when he was five years old and refused to sing in the Cherub Choir at church. That was when I realized he was his own person, and would not always want to do what I wanted him to do. Another time, when he told me he wasn't going to a traditional college, I cried for two days. It took me that long to realize that I couldn't plan his life and make it perfect according to mom. He had his own thoughts and dreams, and he would live his life the way he wanted to live it, not how I thought was best.

But I could not have asked for anyone better than the man he has turned out to be—loving, compassionate, sympathetic, hard working, and a wonderful son, husband, father, and now grandfather.

Happy birthday, Adam! I hope all your dreams for the future come true. You have fulfilled my life more than you will ever know.

Kobo Reader

2011-05-14T18:02:00.000-04:00

For Mother's Day, my kids and grandkids bought me a kobo reader. Most people have heard of Kindles, Amazon.com's reader, or Barnes and Noble's Nook reader. I have not yet downloaded anything to my reader, but I am using it. It came with 100 or so books already loaded in it, and since I have never read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I thought I would start there, just to see how convenient it was to use. And it is convenient. It is lighter than a book (except for maybe a small paperback), and I can adjust the size of the font so it's in larger print (getting old happens). Then I started thinking, which is always a dangerous thing.

At first, I thought that something like this would never work for children's picture books. How could they reproduce the colorful pictures that make the story for the child? But of course, it will soon come out in color. And the pictures may eventually evolve into 3D, so the child can really see what something looks like. And could these readers become interactive? Not sure how that would help a child's reading skills, though, and a computer can already do that. Also, how would you fit both the picture and the words to be read on one of these small screens?

We have so many technological advances in the past few years, I have no doubt that these kinds of questions will all be answered, and soon. If they haven't been already.

Good Quote

2011-04-30T13:02:00.000-04:00

This quote was taken from The Week magazine of March 11, 2011. It says a lot.

"How about starting today, Republicans and conservatives accept the following two propositions: Barack Obama was born in the United States and he's a Christian. He may be wrong on a vast array of public policy issues, as I believe he is. But he is not an alien, nor is he a muslim, nor can his views be explained by Kenyan anti-colonialism. To argue otherwise, or even to hint otherwise, is irresponsible. The reason is obvious: Our nation depends on its citizens accepting the legitimacy of democratic outcomes, including ones that don't go our way. If we get to the point where we assume that our political differences can be explained only by some deeper, hidden evil in our opponents, then self-government itself is in trouble." Peter Wehner in CommentaryMagazine.com

You probably can't get much more conservative than Peter Wehner, who served in both the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, yet I find myself agreeing with the main premise of the quote.

Rain, Rain Go Away

2011-04-25T18:31:00.001-04:00

Is anyone else as sick and tired of this rain as I am? It seems as if it has rained every day but two for the whole month of April. So dark and dreary, it is hard to get out of bed in the morning; hard to go out of the house. And, according to the meteorologists, there is no relief in sight until Friday (today's Monday, by the way).

And it's cold. I don't know what the temperature for the end of April is supposed to be, but it can't be the 30's, or even 40's, like some days have been.

The grass needs cutting, the weeds need pulling, and the garden seeds need planting; but nothing can be done because of this awful weather.

I just hope the house doesn't slide into the lake.

Budget Disagreements

2011-04-08T12:51:00.001-04:00

The Democrats and the Republicans can't seem to agree on a budget, so the Federal Government could shut down at midnight tonight. What's the hang-up?

The Dems say it's women's health issues. My first question is: what does that have to do with the budget? Shouldn't the budget have a set amount for health care, be it women's health, Medicaid, Medicare, children's health, or men's health? Why separate out women's health? (As if I didn't know the answer to that one.)

The GOP says the hang up is over the size of the spending reduction. Is this another way of saying "we won't fund women's health issues;" i.e. abortions? Who are these idiots?

From my point of view, it looks like each representative, from whatever party, is more concerned with grandstanding and showing the voters how great he/she is individually, rather than finding common ground to make this country work. Have they never heard the word compromise?

Crisis

2011-03-22T12:28:00.000-04:00

In the midst of a crisis, it is harder to be a non-believer than a believer. When the crisis is over, it is much easier to decide which you are. It depends on the outcome of the crisis.

More Fighting

2011-03-21T12:31:00.000-04:00

Are we trying to kill Moammar Gadhafi? Or are we trying to liberate the Libyan people? I don't know. I do know that I think it is completely senseless to be bombing Libya. We are already involved in two wars which are unwinnable; do we really need a third one? We cannot fix our roads, we are short of police and firemen, our education system is falling short, our healthcare costs are spiraling out of control; but we can spend billions, or trillions, on fighting wars that we have no chance of winning. How stupid is that?

We should, of course, help the people of other countries that are worse off than we are, but war is not the definition of help. We could teach them to farm or make things or use their natural resources. We could help set up schools, purify the water, and raise their standards of living. We should not think that bombing their buildings, or trying to oust their leaders by force will help the individual person in any one of these countries. There has to be a better way.

New TV Shows

2011-02-25T14:56:00.001-05:00

Has anyone else noticed that at least two of the newer TV programs seem to be pandering to the religious right? Blue Bloods centers on an Irish Catholic family, who are very committed to their religion. The other show is a brand new one, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behvior.

I have watched every episode of Blue Bloods, even though I noticed the religious overtones at about the second episode (slow learner that I am). Tom Selleck is in it, after all, so it has to be a must watch program, right? And I admit that I like the idea of a close-knit family working together to rid the NYC of crime, and still remaining a close-knit family. My question is, do they need religion to do this?

There have only been two episodes of Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, and I watched both of them. I will probably not watch another episode. Forest Whittaker is too dramatic for me, and the subject matter of the program, while more than likely realistic, is too graphic for my taste. Also, this program seems to be forcing us to acknowledge that the good guys are good only because they are so religious, and that they could not get through a case without that backing. This is not necessarily a bad thing. We all have to have something or someone to rely on to help us through the bad times. But I get the feeling that whoever is producing or writing this show, has put religion in there just to pacify the conservative Tea Partyiers. It seems to have been added as an afterthought, and has nothing to do with the story being told.

Again, this is just my take on these two programs, one of which I will continue to watch and one that I won't.

The weather here today is not good—snowing, blowing, and cold. The wind is from the northeast and we have about 8 or 10 inches of new snow on the ground.

Another Book Review

2011-02-08T13:04:00.000-05:00

The Writing Class by Jincy Willett was a much better book than her The Winner of the National Book Award, which was written five years earlier. The Writing Class is about an older woman who had once been a successful writer. Having been married twice, Amy Gallup now lives by herself, except for the Bassett hound who barely tolerates her, and teaches one writing class a semester. She teaches only because she needs the money to live; not because she enjoys it. At least, that is what she tells herself. Nothing of hers has been published for years. Maybe she no longer writes, except vicariously through her students.

This writing class is different. Oh, sure, all the same types of students are in it, the jock, the jokester, the one person who really knows how to write, etc. But one of the "usual" students is a killer; and Amy must find out who before she herself becomes a victim.

This is a good book, easy to read, but one that will make you look twice at the people around you in your writing class.

Cross Country Skiing Again

2011-01-17T16:15:00.000-05:00

Lake Erie from my front yard.

Today is another beautiful winter day. The temperature is right around 20 degrees, the sun is shining, and the snow is glistening. This morning (yes you read right -- morning) Den and I went to the south entrance of the Girdled Road Reservation of Lake Metroparks. It was the third time we have been skiing in the park in the last week, and it was perfect again. The woods are very quiet, just a few birds chirping and trees creaking in the breeze, unless you count the swish and crunch of the skis as they slip over the snow. Den is encouraged to go on ahead of me, but usually says he doesn't mind staying back and skiing at my pace. I try to make him work to keep up, but that only lasts a few minutes before my breath gives out and I have to slow down.

Someone at the park does an excellent job of grooming the trails and setting the track, and for that I thank them. Most of the track follows fairly level ground, with only a few slight downs and ups, not enough to do much snowplowing, but just enough to keep me in practice. But there is one fairly large hill, at least large for me. The down part gives me plenty of snowplowing experience, and sometimes I even manage to stay upright on the skis. The track runs down the hill, turning left then right to go across a bridge over the creek. Once down at the bottom, you have to ski up the other side. That is the really hard part. You also have to watch to make sure no one is coming down the hill from that side. If they are, you somehow have to move to the side of the trail and let the downhill skier go by. Supposedly, it's easier for the person climbing up the hill to move over than it is for the person going down. That is the really hard part for me. When I am climbing up a steep slope with long skinny skis on my feet, I tend to put my head down and try to keep a steady pace. It's a good thing Den is usually up above me to warn me if someone is coming down.

Anyway, no matter how tough it sounds, or how cold, or slippery, nothing can compare with cross country skiing in the woods on a fairly level track and a beautiful, sunny winter day. Every time we go out, I silently thank Ginny that she was persistent enough to make me go skiing, and to teach me how.

By the way, the picture accompanying this blog is the view from our front yard just at sunset last night. If we looked to the west, there was really no sun as it was cloudy. But right out front was this streak of pink between the gray clouds over the partially frozen Lake Erie. Beautiful.

Book Reviews

2011-01-10T14:30:00.000-05:00

In the last few weeks, I have read several noteworthy books. The latest was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by the Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. It was a very good story, and not hard to read. I understand there are two more books in the series, but I am in no hurry to read them. I want to spread them out a little. Maybe this is because Mr. Larsson died after he finished writing the three novels, or maybe because the writing was somewhat intense and I need a break before I can continue with my vicarious look into the lives of these characters who live so much more intensely than I do, or even want to. Whichever it is, it will be a while before I read the next book in the series.

Another book I read recently was The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Mr. Dawkins makes a very compelling case for there not being a god, even in the introduction to the book where he points out that there would have been no Crusades, no Spanish Inquisition, no 9/11, and a whole bunch of other wars, attacks, killings, and imprisonments if there were no belief in a god by anyone. Science would also have seen more discoveries and been able to answer more questions if religious beliefs hadn't gotten in the way. A very disturbing and enlightening book, but very commonsensical.

Before that, I read a novel called Still Missing by Chevy Stevens. The main character's story of abduction was told through her sessions with her psychoanalyst, each chapter being a new session. Even though we know at the beginning of the book that the main character was saved, there is still a surprise ending. Very good entertainment.

The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham by Selina Hastings shows us the richness of the author's life and his unquenchable thirst for writing, whether it be books, stories, or screenplays. In spite or, or maybe because of, his bisexuality, his zest for travel, and his friendship with world leaders (think Winston Churchill), Maugham was a prolific writer who never failed to write for three hours every day after breakfast. This book was very well written and really good.

New Textbooks?

2010-12-06T14:23:00.000-05:00

The October 1, 2010, edition of "The Week" magazine has an interesting and disturbing article about new textbooks. (Now you know how far behind I am in my reading.) It appears that conservatives (you know who you are) and liberals are disagreeing about what should go into the new textbooks. It appears that the conservatives have won the battle in Texas.

The new textbooks, scheduled to arrive in classrooms in 2013, want the texts to establish that the U.S. is a "Christian land governed by Cristian principles." Thomas Jefferson will be dropped from the list of main founders of the country, and will be listed as a minor figure because he was the main proponent of the separation of church and state. Sen. Ted Kennedy and labor leader Cesar Chavez would not be mentioned at all in the new books, but Ronald Reagon would be looked on as a national hero and leader of the "conservative resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s." Slavery would be described as "'the Atlantic triangular trade' -- a relic of British colonialism that America struggled to cast off."

Is it any wonder liberals are outraged? I realize that the history books especially have always left a lot to be desired -- where are the women and black heroes and innovators ? -- but now these people are messing with the very beginning of the nation. Is this what we do in the United States? I grew up believing we were the best country in the world, everyone who lived here had an equal chance at success, we valued truth and honesty above all. Now our textbooks will tell our children that evolution is only a theory, and that Thomas Jefferson was not a major player in this country's history. What will be next? Will the math books soon say that 2+2 doesn't equal 4? How shockingly bad is this? More to the point -- how can we as Americans put up with this dishonesty? And it is dishonest, not just bending the facts a little. I hope you all are as angry as I am.

The Recent Election

2010-11-07T20:28:00.000-05:00

This election was especially disappointing since Ohio's Governor Strickland did not get reelected and since Rep. LaTourette did. Under Strickland, Ohio had become one of the top ten states in terms of the economic recovery, but it seems this doesn't matter. And LaTourette won by landslide, as he always does. I was glad to see Jerry Brown win in California, I think. He has to be better than Whitman would have been.

I believe that a lot of the backlash to President Obama's policies stem from racial prejudice, only no one can admit this, even to themselves. People of my generation (older than the baby boomers, younger than the war babies) have to keep fighting to not be prejudiced. We were raised in an era that treated people differently, depending on the color of their skin. We have to work every day to overcome this upbringing. Maybe the best we can hope for is that our children are better than we are.

Will health care reform be repealed? I hope not. It is a national shame that the population of the United States does not have the best health care in the world, and that our leaders are undermining any reform. Of course, they are being influenced by the insurance companies, who have obscene amounts of money with which to persuade the politicians. I guess it goes to prove that you can fool all (or most) of the people some of the time.

Books

2010-10-12T21:30:00.000-04:00

Books. Books are keeping me from having a real life. Or maybe books are real life. Either way, I like to read. I mean, I really like to read. I never, repeat, never, go anywhere without a book. Oh, you may see me in a friend's house without a book in my hand, but you can bet it's out in the car. Even if we go to get an ice cream cone, I take a book. It is my security blanket.

Sometime I think my reading so much keeps me from thinking about things -- things such as the state of education in our country, ditto for health insurance, politics, the economy, religion, just about anything that is disturbing. In other words, reading is my panacea; it keeps me sane.

What started me on this track was one of the funniest books I have ever read -- A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. I just finished rereading it, and I very seldom read a book twice. For thirty years, I have been telling anyone who asks what my favorite book is, about this one. I decided I should read it again to see if I think it is still as good as it was way back when. It is. The story takes place in New Orleans sometime in the 1960s, but I couldn't help but notice how relevant some of the themes were for today.

The main character is Ignatius O'Reilly, a 30ish boy/man who still lives with his mother. His jottings on everything are one day going to let the world see what a brilliant mind lives in his bloated body. For now, though, he must get a job to help pay some debts, even though he is sure his mother could do something so that he would not have to lower himself to work.

That's as much as I'm going to say here about Ignatius. He is a brilliant, ignorant, arrogant egotist, who discovers life in New Orleans. The author, John Kennedy Toole, never wrote another book. Soon after he finished this one, he committed suicide.

Anniversary

2010-09-11T14:35:00.000-04:00

Nine years ago today, the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked by terrorists. How much hatred and so-called retribution has been generated since then. How can people hate others so much that they would attack buildings full of humans? Why can't we, or they, live our lives allowing and respecting each other's beliefs. Why do we hate them, and they us, for these beliefs? Or maybe they don't really hate us for our beliefs; but are just using that as an excuse. Maybe they hate us for what we have. Is that what we're all afraid of?

Now even this country is lowering itself to the standards (if malevolence can be called a standard) of others, spawning groups that hate those who are somehow different. We are told to hate the Muslims, the Mexicans; the blacks and the gays. Americans are the most ethnically diverse people on earth, but we still seem to hate those who are perceived as unlike us. Most Americans call themselves Christians. Wouldn't Christ, who welcomed everyone, be proud.

Dad

2010-09-02T14:50:00.000-04:00

It's finally time. After two decades of trying to accept my father's death, I think I can do it. I believe my sisters and I have idolized our father too much. We have compared him with Mom, and he always seems to have been the perfect, caring parent. But if I am honest with myself, I can see that he had faults and was maybe not as perfect as I would like to believe. I'm sure you noticed that I said maybe.

Dad was very good at aggravating Mom. He knew just what to say to get her going, and would say it at least once every day. She would always fall for it, and get mad at him. Dad would just smile and, if one of us were in the area, give us a wink. He knew exactly what he was doing and he was enjoying it, while Mom was working up to getting madder at him.

In the past, I've looked at Dad's behavior as somehow my mother's fault. She was too demanding; she ran his life; they always had to do what she wanted. He seemed to be just going along. Now I wonder if that's at all true. Maybe Mom had to take charge, or her life would have been much emptier. Maybe if she didn't make plans, no plans were ever made.

Today I wonder at the dynamics between my parents, and the impression they had on me. Both my sisters and I have grown to adulthood thinking that Mom was the bad guy and Dad was the good. The truth is probably not nearly so black and white. As I go through the rest of my life, I will try to remember that both my parents were only human after all.

Sounding Off, Again

2010-08-23T16:25:00.000-04:00

As if it weren't enough that we are fighting an unwinnable war in Afghanistan, now we are virtually declaring war on Muslims in this country. All they are trying to do is to build a mosque in NYC. It is not on ground zero, as claimed, but on the spot once occupied by a Burlington Factory coat store. And it is not even a mosque, but a cultural center. And why is there no indignation that Muslims are praying at the Pentagon, which was also attacked on 9/11?

There should never have been such a discussion as this. Some kind of memorial to the many world citizens who lost their lives in the World Trade Center attack should have been dedicated years ago. It is shame on someone that this has not happened. This is what the outcry should be about.

My church, in the little town where I grew up, has a cultural center. It is called Luther Center. No one, as far as I know, even blinked an eye when it was built as a gathering place and education center for the Lutherans. Probably everyone in the town, and then some, has been inside that cultural center -- to play basketball, shop at a holiday bazaar or bake sale, or any number of other events that take place there. I bring this up to remind us that cultural centers are not places of evil.

Frank Rich, an Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times, makes a case that the virulent opposition to a mosque on this site in NYC will only hurt our chances of getting the citizens of Afghanistan to see that we are right in our fight against terrorism in their country. Of course, he's right.

And what about this thing called the United States Constitution? Doesn't the First Amendment guarantee something called freedom of religion?

Marcia Ball at the Beachland

2010-08-21T14:28:00.001-04:00

If you ever get a chance to see Marcia Ball live in concert, go. She plays the piano with such fun and authority, all while bouncing her knee, singing, and working her back up players. We were lucky enough to see Ms. Ball and her band at the Beachland Ballroom in the Collinwood area of Cleveland on Thursday, and it was wonderful. I don't think she stopped playing for longer than 30 seconds, and she performed for two hours. The musicians behind her are excellent, proving that to be the best you have to surround yourself with the best. All four members of her group seemed to be having a great time, as did Marcia herself.

This was the second time in as many years that we were in attendance ("attendance" is definitely the right word) to see her perform. Her music is a blend of blues, rock, and cajon, as near as I can tell. Listening to her latest album, "Peace. Love and BBQ," it is easy to see why she has been nominated four times for an Emmy, but hard to understand shy she hasn't won.

As you can see, I am putting a link on this site to Marcia Ball's blog, Ball Bearings. I hope you check it out.

Book of conversations between Andrew Young and his godson

2010-08-12T18:20:00.000-04:00

I have just finished reading the book Walk in my Shoes: Conversations Between a Civil Right Legend and His Godson on the Journey Ahead by Andrew Young and Kabir Sehgal. It was very easy to read, but deceptively hard to understand. One piece of advice that Mr. Young repeatedly gives to his godson is to be a contrarian. Also, that you can always learn something from anyone, even if you disagree with him. I am going to try to keep these two thoughts in mind.

Facebook

2010-08-12T15:02:00.000-04:00

To all my Facebook friends, I apologize. It is absolutely necessary that I close my Facebook account. You see, I spend too much time just reading all the posts everyone puts up; even spending time only once a week, it takes at least two or three hours to catch up with everyone. This is time that I have decided could be better spent elsewhere.

This is in no way a criticism of those who use and love Facebook. It is simply a comment, and a sad one at that, on my inability to stay focused on one task -- my writing. When I sit at the computer, I find myself doing everything else except what I should be doing. I surf, I email, I look at my Facebook page, and I shop. But I need to write, so I am trying to cut out these other distractions. Believe me, it is a hard thing to do.

I don't want to lose touch with everyone, or anyone, again; but I think you all have my email address, or can get it or my phone number easily. Please stay in touch.

Cleveland Sports Fan

2010-08-02T15:53:00.000-04:00

It is difficult to be a sports fan in Cleveland. If you want the home team to win, you will be disappointed more often than not. If you like the Yankees or the Steelers or another out of town team, you will be harassed by everyone you know, and then some.

First, a word about the Cavaliers and LeBron James: I hated to see LeBron leave Cleveland, and I think he did it in a repugnant and presumptuous way. But I cannot blame him entirely. If the Cavs owners and coaches, who had the luxury of having arguably the best player in basketball today on their team, could not put together a championship team, then shame on them. That is not LeBron's fault. And I for one cannot blame him for wanting to go where he has a chance of winning it all.

The Browns: I will reserve any comment I have on them until the season gets underway. Right now I am in the optimistic mood that usually precedes a losing season; but I can always hope.

Again this year, the Indians have broken my heart. I have been an Indians fan as long as I can remember, even getting straight As in grade school so I could win tickets to games. When the Indians were still playing at Municipal Stadium and were not very good, Den and I would frequently decide at the last minute to go to a game. Once we got to the stadium, we had adequate parking and our choice of almost any seat in the place. We knew they probably were going to lose, but what the heck. They were our Indians.

Now, it seems to me, the head honchos of the Indians have made a conscious decision to dismantle the team, put them in last place in their division (and maybe in all of baseball), and see what happens. Is this a real life "Major League"? Little by little, they have traded away the best pitchers in baseball -- two Cy Young Award winners in two years -- Sabathia and Lee -- and now Jake Westbrook. When I heard about this last trade, my heart sank and I didn't think I wanted to listen to or see an Indians game ever again. Not that Westbrook was going to win the Cy Young this year, but he was a good pitcher, the best on the team this year, unless you count Mitch Talbot. And he was a team leader. I have come to believe my reaction was to the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, me being the camel.

For two days, I couldn't listen the the games, and I didn't care much who won. But in the end, I am an Indians fan and always will be. I know I will listen to the game tonight, and root for my team. And even if they lose, there's always next year.

How Vacations have Changed

2010-07-20T22:56:00.000-04:00

We just returned from a short, six-day vacation. Years ago, well, not really that long ago, the success of a vacation was measured by how many books I was able to read. How times have changed. This last trip saw not even one book finished, and we were gone from Thursday to Tuesday. Why the difference? Was the book I was reading so boring that I just couldn't get through it?

Not at all. It was a very good book, interesting and not hard to read. What has changed is me. For one thing, my eyes are not what they should be, or used to be. I cannot stare at a page of words for hours on end anymore; I need a break every 30 or 40 minutes. Also, I have decided that Den needs me to talk to him to keep him alert as he drives; though, if you ask him, he will say it is not at all necessary.

Maybe the most important difference is that I have finally developed the ability to just let my mind go. I can enjoy the scenery passing by the car's windows; or I can close my eyes, just for a few seconds. When I do those things, it is amazing what happens in my head. Sometimes, my thoughts go nowhere, or I may not even think coherently. Other times, the wonderful world outside the car makes questions and observations just appear; things that I can share with Den. But the biggest change of all is that I don't have to always be doing something, even if that something is reading.

Reunion

2010-06-08T16:31:00.000-04:00

One of my high school classmates is coming into town in June to visit. He has said that he would like to get together with as many classmates as can be rounded up in one place and at one time, so we are having a luncheon for him. I know that I will end up going, although I will be uncomfortable. It will be the same thing as high school -- everyone else will be so self assured and confident of doing the right things, of acting the right way, of saying the right words. Then there will be me. I never knew exactly what to say or how to act when we were in school a hundred years ago, and I know I will revert to that person all these years later. Or maybe I still am that person. I am afraid that I will sit by myself and not say much at all, and everyone will realize that I am as dull as ever.

I also know it is important to keep in touch with people from your youth, but I'm not sure why. Maybe because they know you best -- scary thought. Or maybe it's because they don't know you at all, and you want to prove that you have actually been successful in life, even if no one thought it would be possible. Wouldn't that be the puzzle: how could I, who is so dull and boring, have been fairly successful in my career? How could I have had a career at all?

But I am going, and that is that. I will get to see two or three people that I haven't seen for years; I hope I recognize them. And, against all odds, I could even end up having a nice time.

Spring into Summer

2010-05-28T13:54:00.000-04:00

Although technically this is still spring, it feels more like summer. The last few days have been truly hot, in the mid-80s -- and Lake Erie has been warm enough to wade in, if not to swim. The cottage is almost ready to use, but there is still some work to be done outside down on the beach. The flowers have been planted, most of the lawn furniture has been cleaned and taken outside, the grass has been mowed several times, and the patio cleared of all of winter's debris. However, the cottage windows need washing and the curtains put back up, the floors need to be washed, the porch needs cleaning, the steps need to be scrubbed with clorox,and the picnic table needs sanding and a coat of paint. Every spring there seems like a lot to do, but every year it somehow gets done. It helps that as we get older, so do the grandchildren and they help with the chores.

I'm not sure why we still need to do this every year, as we don't really stay at the cottage. Our house is right on the lake, on the bluff above the cottage. But every year we need this spring ritual. When we walk down the steps to the beach, we seem to go from the hurly burly of every day living to another world. Time stands still; there are no freeways, no malls, no traffic jams, no crowded stores; just us, the trees and the lake. Of course, each year there are more and bigger boats going by, and more jet skis pretending they are mosquitos; but there are also ducks and geese that swim by daily, kingfishers that dive in front of us, blue heron seemingly floating by on air, myriad seagulls, and every once in a while a bald eagle or two.

This is truly a place to forget your troubles; they will most certainly work themselves out while you sit on the beach with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and just dream.

Voting in an "Off" Election

2010-05-04T20:03:00.000-04:00

Den and I voted today. We went to our polling place right at 3:00 PM, which was a mistake. Our polling place is in an elementary school, which evidently lets out right after three o'clock in the afternoon. At first we thought we would have to stand in line to vote, and I was surprised that so many people had turned out for a primary election. Then I realized that all these people were here to pick their kids up from school. This realization was both a relief and a disappointment. A relief that we wouldn't have to stand in line; a disappointment that a lot of these people didn't care enough to vote.

While we were signing in, a poll worker from across the room asked one of "our" poll workers how many people had voted on that side of the room. According to the answer, we were numbers 49 and 50. This after 8½ hours of being open! Granted, there were no high profile races being contested, but there were enough campaign phone calls and newspaper coverage that most people should have been aware that today was the day to vote. And there were a few important issues to vote on, though why we need a constitutional amendment to move a gambling casino from one location in Columbus to another is a mystery to me.

Anyway, what I am trying to say, is how disappointed I am that more people don't take the time to vote, even in the primary elections. I once had a political science professor who adamantly believed that a person could influence how this country was governed more by paying attention to the local issues and voting in local elections than sticking strictly to the "big" elections. Today, we were choosing the Democrats and Republicans who would line up to fight for our votes in November. If you didn't vote, how can you criticize who actually goes to Columbus and Washington? Even if you chose to be a independent, there were still some taxing issues on the ballot that deserved your consideration.

Tally

2010-04-24T12:11:00.001-04:00

If you know me at all, you know that I am a dog person. My parents raised and showed dogs as far back as I can remember. I have already written about Terry, our Airedale and the first dog I can remember, who taught me how to read. Then there was Jack, our Dalmation, and a lot of Miniature Schnauzers. The first Miniature Schnauzer puppy we purchased, when I was five, attached herself to me and thus became mine. I'm sure it was because, the first night we had her at home, I somehow made her cry. Everyone else in the family yelled at me, and I felt like the world had ended. I ran up to my room and didn't come down until the next day. From that time on, that dog rarely left my side. I even showed her to her CD title!

This blog was not supposed to be about me as a kid, but about Tally, a Pekingese who now lives with Den and me. Tally was a rescue Pekingese, and we adopted her because Tater (the other Pekingese) was such a cute and funny little guy. Tally had a bad eye when we got her, and had to make several trips to the vet's office for treatment and watching. A week ago Tally's good eye went bad. It just seemed like it imploded. Emergency trip to the vet's. This time, they said we had to take her to a dog ophthalmologist if we wanted to save her eye.

Here we are a week later. She has had surgery on her eye and is now trying to see through part of a pig's intestine. The ophthalmologist said she put everything in the eye back together -- the cornea, iris, and whatever else is there -- and sewed a patch made from pig intestine over the top to hold it all in place until it heals. It looks horrible! But she can actually see a little, so it's worth it.

Now comes the hard part for us. We have to keep Tally calm and quiet for the next two or three weeks so she doesn't tear loose any of the stitches. She can't play with Tater or her toys; no walks through the neighborhood, no glimpses of the neighbor dogs. She can only go out into the back yard on a leash for short periods. She has to wear an e-collar, and has so many medicines that I had to make a chart on a spreadsheet to know when to give her what.

I think that we were meant to be Tally's family. She was a throwaway dog that had five different homes before she was a year old. Her right eye had ruptured and had become infected before anyone could or would take care of it. Now we have her, and we have her for life. She is such a sweet little dog, and she deserves to have a forever home. With a little luck, she will be able to see a bit and enjoy life.

Perfection or Failure

2010-04-15T12:10:00.000-04:00

One of the numerous problems I have, and have always had, is that I expect everything I do to be perfect. If it isn't, then, by definition, I have failed. I know I am not perfect, not even close, but I cannot get it out of my head that the things I try to do have to be absolutely right.

The latest example of this is knitting. I am attempting to learn how to knit and crochet, and right now I am working on a knitted vest. It goes without saying that I have made a lot of errors while knitting the back of the vest, but my sister has helped me to make it come out right. Now I am working on the front. The left front actually came out well, but the right front -- not so much. I know I can do it, but I know there will be mistakes and that I will have to live with them.

This may seem trivial to someone else, but it is just an extension of how I have always felt. I have always been competitive, but it has been just recently that I have realized it. How could I have not seen this before? Looking back, I now realize that this competitiveness drove me to make a lot of the choices I made as far back as high school, and maybe even before that.

On the other hand, being competitive, and having to be correct, may have helped in making me as successful as I was in my career. This late in life, however, I don't care about being the best at something, and I'm trying not to get too upset if what I do isn't perfect, I just want to enjoy life. Maybe I'll even finish the quilt my grandmother started 70 years ago.

HealthCare III

2010-03-30T13:29:00.000-04:00

There has been a lot of discussion and disagreement with the health care bill; which, by the way, I hope is just a first step in the process of nationalizing it. A lot of people disagree with me and think I am either crazy or stupid. I have to admit that most of the people who have spoken to me about this and feel this way are family. Others are probably too polite to criticize so harshly.

We all know that the cost of health care for Americans is inching, no galloping, higher. And along with the rising cost of health care goes the cost of insurance to help pay for health care. Many lower and middle income people are being squeezed out from being able to afford medical care of any type. I believe we, as a country, cannot afford to let any segment of our population fall through the health care cracks. We need to take care of our own.

We cannot leave this care in the hands of big business and the insurance companies; they don't exactly have a history of helping the underdog, or compassion for anything but the bottom line.

The United States has made tremendous changes over the last 234 years. Our founding fathers intentionally made the Constitution a bit vague. They knew the country would grow; but they had no idea how much, or what changes in technology would evolve. When this country declared its independence, the population was small. Families helped each other out; everyone knew his neighbor and offered what help they could when times were hard. The citizens took care of friends and neighbors. Today, very few of us even know who are neighbors are. It is a dog-eat-dog world and every man and woman must care for him or herself.

Yet we still live in the United States, the most blessed nation in the world (at least most of its citizens think so). We must take care of our own. If we individually don't know our neighbors and don't help to take care of them, we have no choice but to appoint the government as caretaker.

I am not ignorant of the fact that our government seems to make a muddle of a lot of programs it is responsible for, but I think it is up to us, the people of the US, to elect the right people and make our voices known that we think the government should and will be held accountable. We deserve the best government possible, but we also have to be the best overseers we can be. This does not mean listening to talk show hosts who try to tear the government down without offering suggestions for making it better. This is not condoning violent protest. We need to know what our representative is doing, and he or she needs to know we are watching.

Could the nationalization of health care be the beginning of the citizens actually overseeing what the government does so that it will do it right? After all, we have a government of the people and for the people.

Health Care II

2010-03-26T13:46:00.000-04:00

Health care should be the same for everyone, rich or poor, connected or not. We finally have a health care bill, and politicians are getting threats, and worse, for voting yea or nay. What kind of country is this, that people are so full of hate they have to hurt someone for trying to do something right? I do agree that this bill is not as good as it should be, but at least we can now see how change does or doesn't affect our lives. I hope this is the first reform of many. But the reaction of some is very scary; and very stupid and hateful on their part.

It seems to me that health care should be taken out of the realm of for profit insurance companies. After all, these companies are in business to make a profit, to support themselves and their employees. If the are unable to do so, they will simply close their doors; and then there will be less competition for each citizen's dollar. Granted, I do not like insurance companies and think they make obscene amounts of profit, but I think their public images would immediately improve if they got out of the health care business.

Because health care is a people intensive occupation, and huge amounts of money are needed for research and development, and because there are endless tests, procedures, and more tests now available, I believe it should be taken out of the private sector and administered by the government. At this point, I am not sure how the drug companies would fit in here; my inclination right now is that they should continue as they are, but with more impartiality in the testing they do. I realize the government has a not-so-stellar reputation when it comes to running programs, but it can't do any worse than the insurance companies have done. And when I say that everyone should have the same health care, I mean everyone, from the President of the United States, our congress people on down to the poorest of citizens. I don't know if this would work in practice, but I am sure it can't be any worse, or any more expensive, than what we have now.

Mothers and Daughters

2010-03-11T20:06:00.000-05:00

For most of my life, I thought that my relationship with my mother was unique, an aberration from the norm, and have felt very guilty because of it. I was sure it was my fault. Everyone I knew seemed to have such a perfect mother-daughter relationship. Their mothers were often their best friends. Mine never was.

Then I read the book Mean Mothers by Peg Streep. I now realize that I am not the only person who had a less than perfect relationship with her mother. I also realize that I did not have as awful a relationship as I had once thought. It is true that she never told me she loved me, and that I never had enough nerve to ask if she did, but I now believe that was just how she was. The family she grew up in was not very demonstrative, and I don't think it was unique, especially during the first half of the the 20th century. It was just that everyone was very private. I never even knew that my mother had a half brother until just a few years ago. I probably wouldn't have known then if Mom hadn't let it slip out. I can't even remember what we were talking about, probably because my thoughts stopped when she mentioned her half brother. I still don't know what his name was, or where he lived, or if I have any unknown cousins; and I will probably never know.

I had always envied some of my friends because they were really close with their moms, and could tell them everything. My conversations with my mother were usually limited to how well I did in school, or where I might be going that night. When I turned down a scholarship to get married, I never knew if she was disappointed in me or glad that I would be out of the house.

Now I realize that she kept things inside that bothered her or even that might have made her happy. I now know where I get the tendency to keep my thoughts to myself, and why it is so hard for me to open up to friends, even if I know those friends want only what's best for me. It has been a long struggle, but I think that I am finally coming to terms with who she was and our less than perfect relationship. And, yes, I finally realize that she was not one of the mean mothers in the book of the same name.

Favorite Month -- February

2010-02-22T15:32:00.000-05:00

After a lot of thought, I have decided that February is at least my second favorite month and possibly the first. July has always been tops as my favorite time of year because it has lots of warm weather and sunshine. Beach weather. Now that I am old, beach weather is not so important. In fact, it gets harder and harder to sunbathe; it feels much too warm, especially when a hot flash hits.

So February has at least moved into a tie for first place as my favorite month. The days are getting longer, the sun is out a lot, and there is usually still snow on the ground. This means that I can go cross country skiing a few times during February. I was not able to ski two years ago when I broke my wrist, and last year didn't work out well. But this year, February has been so gorgeous that I've had to go to the south side of the Girdled Road metroparks to ski. There is usually a track set, even though people and dogs walk through it. There are not very many people in the woods on these cold, snowy days and it is absolutely beautiful with the sun shining.

It's true that the older I get, the less fast I am able to go (and less steady, too), but that doesn't seem to matter. I do believe the hills get bigger and steeper the older I get; but I still love the feeling, however slow, of effortlessly (almost) gliding through the woods. Thank you, Ginny.

Evolution

2010-02-11T19:23:00.000-05:00

Ever notice how young people rarely talk on the phone anymore? They almost always text, or at least the ones I am around, do. Cell phones seem to be less for talking to one another than for sending text messages, taking and sending photos, surfing the web, and playing games. Do young people ever write letters, or even send emails? Not the ones I know. They tweet, or comment on their friends' Facebook pages, or text using their cells.

Is this a giant leap forward in the evolution of humankind? Are humans adapting to keep up with technology? Is the attention span of a young person shortened so he or she doesn't get left behind as technology moves ahead by leaps and bounds? Which came first -- technology or the evolving brain?

Also, people don't seem to be as social as they once were. If we have jobs, we are usually on call 24/7. Not many have an actual 9 to 5 job anymore. Technology never lets us turn off. Even if we are on a beach in the Caribbean, we can still be involved in decisions at the job. This naturally gives us less time get to know one another; so here, too, decisions must be made quickly.

Today's young people have to be able to keep up with what can be lightening fast changes, not only in the world of work, but also socially. I think they are missing out on some of the best parts of being human -- the slow development of a relationship; the time it takes to really get to know another person.

Arrogant Americans

2010-01-30T16:16:00.000-05:00

What gives Americans the right to feel so superior to people in other parts of the world? Why are we better than anyone else? Because we had the good sense to be born in the USA? Not a reason.

I am reading a book called Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner. It was recommended by a friend, and is pretty scary. It exposes how inept the CIA has been since the day it was founded, and highlights how ignorant we have been of conditions and traditions in other countries. A few men have been allowed to virtually ignore all the rules of civilization because only they knew what was best for this country, and by extrapolation, the world. In reality, they have done so much harm, ranging from sending agents to certain death, to assassinations of heads of state, to overthrowing governments and installing puppet regimes, no matter how brutal the consequences. All of this has been done without the knowledge of the people who are elected to run this country. Elected officials, right on up to and including Presidents, have been kept in the dark about what the CIA actually does.

Granted, the USA is probably not the only country doing all these horrible things, but I had always believed that we, as a country, held to the highest moral standards; that we were truly the country that the rest of the world should look up to, to provide the ultimate example of morality. This book makes me realize just how naive I am. The people who are making these high level decisions, or at least those who have in the past, are so arrogant and ignorant, heartless and immoral, that it makes me afraid. I am only halfway through this book, up to the point of JFK's assassination, and maybe what follows will not be as horrifying as what went on from the end of WWII into the early 1960s; but I really don't expect it to get much better.

One of the main conclusions I am taking away from this book is that we, as Americans, think we are so superior to others that we have the right to actually tell everyone how to live and to use other countries to further our so-called best interests; and that the other countries must agree with us. What gives us this right? Isn't it time we start to recognize that we are no more important than anyone else? And how much longer will the rest of the world put up with our arrogance?

Stupid Computer

2010-01-24T16:19:00.000-05:00

Don't talk to me. Don't ask me anything. Don't even say hi to me. I cannot tell you what is wrong with me, except that I feel absolutely, totally stupid. I cannot get my computer to do what I want it to do. My husband and son are telling me how to do it, but they might as well be speaking Chinese, for all I can understand them. I don't want to know how the computer works, I just want it to do what I need it to do! Guess it is time to put the doggone thing to sleep and come back tomorrow. Maybe I'll be in a better mood then. Me, moody? Never. I just feel dumb, and that makes me frustrated and mad. I think I'll go read a book.

A New Year

2009-12-31T16:47:00.003-05:00

It's the time of year when we traditionally make a list of resolutions, vowing to be better, do more and be more understanding in the coming year. These resolutions, although always made with good intentions, seem to last all of about 10 minutes into the new year. I'm not sure why they disappear so fast, maybe due to short term memory loss.

Today, instead of listing all my new and well-meaning resolutions, I decided to take a page from one of my former partners' books and give thanks for a wonderful 2009. In no particular order, I am grateful for the following:

A husband who loves me unconditionally after 46 years, a comfortable home, a priceless view out the front windows, a son and daughter-in-law who always make me proud, wonderful and healthy grandkids, a great new great-grandson, my beautiful and caring sisters, a cancer-free checkup for one of them, a nephew almost completely recovered from the stroke he suffered, a new job for another nephew, an all-around wonderful family (to whom I wish many happy, healthy and wealthy years to come), amazing friends, good books, good health, and a perfect companion dog.

I also vow to remember that all I have is all I need.

A Happy and Healthy New Year to all of you. Remember to make the best choices you can, then move forward. Don't spend time regretting the past choices; they can't be changed. And if you do make some new resolutions this year, remember that you are the only person who can change your life.

(The picture above was taken by my friend, Deb S. on Christmas day)

Merry Christmas

2009-12-21T18:45:00.000-05:00

It is time to take a moment out of this busiest time of year to wish everyone Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, or simply Happy Holidays. May every good wish come true, and may you prosper is the New Year. I refuse to mention that you should be careful what you wish for because you might get it. If you want it, go for it!

Take a few moments to take a deep breath and recoup your sense of wonder. Go for a run or a walk, or even a swim. Let your mind wander and see where it ends up. Your body may want to follow.

Tomorrow, the daylight will start to last longer, and the darkness will slowly be rolled back to where it is manageable again. It is a time for renewal of both body and mind. So I will say, have a Very Merry Christmas and and Happy, Healthy New Year.

President Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize

2009-12-16T20:39:00.000-05:00

Have you read President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech? I hope you have. His speech left me feeling glad to be an American, glad that we were smart enough to elect Barack Obama as President. He understands that, even though he is labeled a liberal and a leftist, he knows the value of being able to defend our country.

Belief in God

2009-12-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

Is there a God? There are lots of gods, but is there a God? I want to believe; I was brought up to believe; but it is hard when I look at what is happening in the world, or even in this country.

I was raised a Lutheran; I have been a member of the same church all my life; my church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Now it seems that my church is going to consider going against the ELCA because of its belief in the way gays are being treated. My church does not want to accept gays as clergy. The reasoning behind this is that the Bible says being gay is a sin, and the Bible is the direct word of God. The Bible, in Numbers, also says that anyone who works on the sabbath should be put to death. This must also be the direct word of God; yet we have grown beyond this.

The Bible was written hundreds, or even thousand, of years ago. It was written by humans, who lived in a time that was very different from today. I believe they interpreted God's teachings based on the world as they knew it. That world has changed immeasurably. Pork is no longer dangerous to eat. Some people need to work on the sabbath so that the world as we know it will keep running. Medical science has discovered that gays are born gay, that they have no choice in the matter. So how can I stay in a church that refuses to accept people as God has made them?

If there is a God. It is hard to believe when there are parents killing children, children and their families starving to death or dying of AIDs, when deserts are increasingly encroaching on more fertile land. But it is harder not to believe. If there is no God, why bother with developing new medicines, a better way to grow crops so we can feed more people. Why bother educating our children, trying to instill in them the sense of humanness we all need? Why go out of your way to help the homeless, the hungry, or even your neighbor. There must be a God. In spite of all the inequities and injustices in the world, we, as sons and daughters of a higher power, must keep striving to make this world a better place for all. There has to be a God. We do not strive in vain.

Death Penalty

2009-12-05T16:40:00.000-05:00

Cleveland prosecutors have decided to ask for the death penalty for alleged serial killer Anthony Sowul. Remains of 11 women have been found buried in the yard and inside the house where he was living. This is one sick dude, who should never be allowed back on the street, maybe never see the light of day again.

These crimes were unimaginably horrible, the more so because no one seemed to care that these women had gone missing. That fact alone says a lot about the society we have become. People no longer look out for their neighbors. We don't want to know what is happening in the neighborhood because we might have to somehow get involved. This attitude is not hard to understand. We are all so busy going about our daily lives, trying to make a living, keeping up with the kids' schoolwork and other activities, worrying about whether we will have jobs for much longer; we don't have time to get to know our neighbors. What a shame.

But I have gotten off track. This case has made me think about the death penalty. I have always been against it; but I have also always felt that I don't know how I would feel if someone harmed a person close to me. Maybe I would want revenge, or expect closure if the guilty person were executed. After thinking about this for several days, I have decided I am still against the death penalty. Two wrongs have never made a right, and to take someone's life is simply wrong.

Don't misunderstand me, the guilty person should be punished, and punished severely. Life in prison with no opportunity of parole would be my choice; and not a country club prison either. A cell with bars, in a row with other cells with bars, would be appropriate. Or maybe even solitary confinement. It costs more to put a prisoner to death than it does to keep him or her in prison for life. There is also the chance, however slight, that the convicted person did not actually commit the crime. Putting that person to death would eliminate any chance of atonement if he or she is later found not to have committed the crime.

Most of the countries in the world have already outlawed the death penalty, including Canada, Mexico and most of Europe. What do they know that we don't? Why do we still insist on capital punishment? The death penalty is wrong. We need to abolish it.

Writing -- Is It Over?

2009-11-29T12:38:00.000-05:00

It has been several weeks since I wrote anything and wrote for any length of time. Yesterday I had a very scary thought: What if I never want to write again? I have been making excuse after excuse -- first getting the rental house ready, then knitting, working out, walking the dog, cooking, baking -- about all the things I need to do (getting ready for Christmas has moved to the top of the list) that there hasn't been any time to write. Are all these excuses just cop outs? Was I ever really meant to write? Maybe someone or something is telling me that I am not a very good writer and should just quit trying. There are a lot more fun things to do than sit at the computer for hours, trying to put words on the screen that will tell a story, and tell it well enough that other people would enjoy reading it.

I will, and have been, thinking and praying about this a lot lately. What should I do? I have always wanted to be a writer, ever since our Airedale, Terry, taught me to read when I was in the first grade. Or has it been that, because I like reading, that I thought I wanted to be a writer? I know what I should say -- I AM A WRITER! That is probably how I should think, too, I am a writer. I will sit at the computer and put words on the screen and create a story that will entertain others. I may not become rich, or even make a decent living doing this, but my stories will get published, as will my books eventually. I will do it; and I can do it.

Was that last paragraph the answer to my prayers? I'm not sure where else it would have come from; the words just seemed to pour out of me and onto the screen.

Friends, and Other Ruminations about Dogs

2009-11-20T17:00:00.001-05:00

It has been quite a while since my last blog. There has been too much to do, too many commitments, and never enough time. Today, I have taken a different outlook. There is still too much to do, but I expect the time to expand to accommodate everything that needs to be done. This also means I can't lollygag around, but need to keep doing.

Because I have been having a hard time coming up with something to write about, I thought I would write about one of my favorite subjects -- dogs. Recently, I happened to catch the tail end of an interview with a Ph.D. who specialized in dog behavior, and it made me start to really think about these wonderful creatures.

Those who know me, know that I have always been a dog person. I like cats, too, and most, if not all, other animals, but dogs will always hold the top spot in my heart. It is amazing what dogs can do: they love us unconditionally, live in the moment, and never tire of seeing us, or being around us. There is so much we don't know about them; while they seem to know everything about us. I believe we have only scratched the surface with our knowledge and understanding of dogs and their abilities. Dogs help people to see, to hear and to get around. They protect us, herd our cattle and sheep, guard our livestock, teach us to read, sniff out drugs and cancer, predict seizures, pull our sleds and save us from drowning. They will be our constant companions, listen patiently to all our complaints and woes and even learn stupid pet tricks if we ask them.

Of course, along with all the benefits of dogs comes the responsibilities. This is where we have let these wonderful creatures down. A lot of us refuse to teach dogs manners so that they are good company. Some humans train them to kill, whether it be other dogs or even humans. Other people turn a dog out when they no longer want it or can care for it. They need to know that there are groups willing to help them with these unwanted or unmanageable dogs. Other dog owners will relieve their frustrations by beating their dog.

Then there are the people who run puppy mills. This is the worst kind of abuse a human can inflict on a dog. If we would stop buying that cute little puppy in the pet store window, we could cut down on the cruelty of puppy mills. We need to look to reputable breeders for our puppies, or to rescue organizations like Best Friends' Dogtown. I think I read that over 3 million dogs are intentionally destroyed each year. Puppy mills are a big cause of this horrible statistic. And don't get me started on designer dogs -- we could be here all night. A so-called designer dog is just a mixed breed that costs a lot of money, as opposed to getting a mixed breed from a rescue organization.

By now, you are probably convinced that I am a dog person. But if you aren't, and happen to see me out and about, you may be lucky enough to meet Tater. He will surely convince you.

Communism Redux?

2009-11-01T15:33:00.000-05:00

Remember the Red Scare? The Cold War? Communism? How we were taught to hide under our desks in case of a nuclear attack? It seems that communism is making a comeback, at least in the minds of many Obama detractors. But communism is not returning; it doesn't work. The destruction of the Berlin Wall and what is happening in China today prove that. So why are some people so sure that President Obama wants to turn the U.S. into a communist nation? Could this be simply a scare tactic by certain right wing reactionaries?

Communism has only ever worked in small doses and among small groups of people who all agree with the concept. Think hippie communes, or even some religious groups (Shakers come to mind). It can't and won't work among most of the world's populations, and certainly won't work in the U.S. Very few people want to give up or lose what they have worked so hard to attain. This is only human nature, and is a real incentive to work hard and get ahead.

But I do believe that most people would like to give others a chance to get ahead, especially if they are willing to work hard to do it. If these others need a helping hand, we Americans have always been willing to provide the help. I believe that is what the President is trying to do.

Positive Thinking

2009-10-30T20:57:00.000-04:00

Recently in my reading, there have been several references to the power of positive thinking. The consensus is that this is a very real and powerful tool. If you believe it will happen, it (whatever "it" is) will. Just thinking and expecting something to happen, or to come to you, will make it happen, or will bring it to you.

I have to believe that this does work. Worrying gets you nowhere -- it can't change anything. However, to expect something to happen -- something good -- is the first step in making that good thing really happen. The mind seeks out ways to help it to happen. Then the body will folow the mind's thoughts and energies. Before you know it, you are making the good thing happen. And it all starts with thinking good thoughts -- thinking about what you want.

An example: You hate your job. Instead of just thinking how much you hate it, you start to think how you can change it. You really are the only person who can change your life. You daydream about your ideal job; could be an attorney, or a medical technician, or some other profession that seems totally out of reach. Whatever this ideal job is, ask yourself how you can get there. If you want to be an attorney, you can start at the local community college and just keep moving forward. If your first reaction is, "but I'll be 45 years old (or 50 or ?) by the time I'm done with school," remember you're going to be 45 or 50 anyway -- why not have something to show for it?

It can be done; it has been done. It all starts with thinking you can. That's the power of positive thinking. On that note, I know that sooner or later I will sell my writing.

Ready for New Renters -- Scary

2009-10-19T20:35:00.004-04:00

What a frustrating and seemingly endless job it is to get a house ready to rent, not to mention expensive. I still can't believe all the work that had to be done after the last renters left so we could rent it out again. The outside had to be neatened up and a walkway put in. New grass had to be planted. We never did get to work on the landscaping, which desperately needs weeding and pruning. It has been rainy and cold for the last several weeks, so the work has moved to the inside of the house.

The biggest job was putting in a new boiler and a ventilation system. I am continually amazed at what Den can do when he puts his mind to it. He did all the work on these two improvements, with help from son and grandson; and the house is now warm and cozy. I am sure it will be cool in the summer, with the ventilation system picking up the lake breezes. Then we needed to scrub and paint walls, clean cupboards and closets, repair door knobs and screens, wash windows and ceiling fans and make lists of missing door stops and light pulls.

Our son and daughter-in-law came over yesterday and painted and cleaned. I was amazed at how fast they worked and how slow I moved in comparison. Our grandson and his girlfriend painted one of the bedrooms and did a beautiful job. How fortunate we are to have such a wonderful family. Every night when we quit working, I think that we will make the November 1st deadline for the new tenants. Then, when I go over to the house the next day, I panic, and think that there is still so much to do before it will be livable.

We have a family ready to move in. They seem to be reliable and friendly, but, of course, we really won't know until they have lived in the house for a while. They also will not know how they will like living right next door to us until they have experienced it for a few months. That is the scary part -- we just don't know.

Music

2009-09-25T13:28:00.004-04:00

It is a beautiful, if breezy, day, about 70 degrees outside. I am listening to Elvis Presley at his "Romantic Best" as I try to get the house straightened and some chores done. Listening to these old songs, I can't help but think how lucky we were to have grown up when we did. Remember Teen Club? Every Wednesday we danced and socialized, flirted and just had a good time with our friends. I do believe that the music was simply the best.

At that time, I had never heard of the blues; now I know this was the basis for rock and roll (also jazz). What great music! Listening to it can't help but bring a smile to your face, or at least to mine. If you've never heard Roy Buchanen, John Lee Hooker, or John Hammond (wow!), I urge you to give them a listen. Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, and even the Beatles all had their roots in this early juke joint music. Cleveland's own Robert Jr. Lockwood (died last year at age 90+) was stepson to the great Robert Johnson of Crossroads fame. Lockwood sure knew how to play the 12-string guitar, taught by Robert Johnson. We were fortunate enough to hear him live several times, and even bought him a drink or two. So if you've never listened to this music, please give it a try. It can really play to and on your moods.

How did I get from being a teen and teen club to the blues? I'm not sure -- just followed my thoughts. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that, growing up, we sure did have some good music which created some good times even while we were trying to go from awkward teens to sophisticated adults.

Fall is Here

2009-09-21T20:24:00.002-04:00

Den went to Home Depot and here I sit, listening to a Peter, Paul and Mary tribute on college radio and feeling sorry for myself. This time of year is always hard for me, but this year seems worse than usual, and that aggravates me no end. There are so many things that need doing, and I have no energy or desire to "do." Then the guilt sets in.

How many things could I have gotten done today if I had really tried? Plants need repotting, kitchen cupboards need cleaning, windows need to be washed. I could have written, either finished a story that's almost done, or worked on my book. My grandmother's quilt needs to be finished, there's the sweater waiting for me to finish knitting, and the baby bag to finish crocheting. So what did I do all day? Slept, walked the dog, dusted the pool room and watered the plants. Did I mention that I took a nap or two? I never take naps!

So what is wrong with me? Why do I feel so depressed and discontented? Can't be the weather -- it was 75 degrees outside today, with only a bit of rain this morning. It's so bad that, when I was looking through the Eddie Bauer catalog, I was wishing that I had the life the model was portraying. That's pretty sad. All I can say is, I hope this feeling goes away soon. I know I won't feel so bad when it gets colder outside, even though the days will be shorter -- go figure. But until then, I think I will go sit in the living room, listen to the blues on the radio and feel sorry for myself. I might even have a good cry.

PerchFest

2009-09-11T12:51:00.004-04:00

Today is the start of the annual Lake County PerchFest held on the beach in Fairport Harbor. This year, Den was commissioned to carve a four foot perch for the festival. It turned out to be an absolute masterpiece! We are going there tonight to have a perch dinner and to check out where his carving is being displayed. This is the first carving he has done that did not tell me its name, and I feel bad about that. Of course, the names I gave to his other carvings usually got changed by the buyer of the piece so it probably doesn't matter. Still, it was a disappointment not to be able to come up with a name. Any suggestions?

Sister Discussion

2009-09-03T12:06:00.004-04:00

My sister and I are having our usual, passionate, disagreement about politics. It is all by email since we live in different states. This morning, I was thinking about what we would say to each other if we were in the same room, and came to the conclusion that it is better that we have to email each other. If we were in the same room, we would both try to talk at the same time, overriding the point the other one was trying to make. Tempers would flare (of course, only one of us has a temper and it surely isn't me), and we would most likely end up in a shouting match, with one or both of us storming off in frustration because we couldn't get the other to see the light.

When we have to communicate by email, each can take as much time as we need to read the point the other is trying to make, and think through our responses; no one is shouting anyone else down and we are able to remain calm and rational. I don't believe that either one of us will change the other one's mind, but at least we are able to read the other's thoughts carefully and fully instead of going off half-cocked, thinking the other one is a total idiot. I do worry that this discussion may be pushing one of us further to the right and the other further left, but if that's the result, so be it. I also believe it is bringing us closer together as sisters, and, to me, that's the most important thing.

Sign of Fall

2009-08-30T13:13:00.005-04:00

It must be fall. I know the calendar still says it's August, which means it is technically still summer. But the spiders around here either can't read a calendar or don't care what the actual date is. They are starting to invade the house big time, which means it is fall on the north coast of the US. However, the spiders that have been intruding into the house this year are different from the normal fall intruders. This year's interlopers are dark brown or black with rather long legs (I don't believe they are daddy long legs), instead of the yellow invaders I am used to from past years. What happened to all my yellow friends? They at least seemed able to stay in the upper corners of the rooms and keep mostly out of sight. These new invaders are all over everything. It seems that anytime I go from place to place in the house, I am being surprised by a spider web. They are strung between lamps and tables, down (or up) window frames, between the computers, across bookshelves, even in the shower if it is left unguarded for half a day.

I have always prided myself on being fairly tolerant, with a live and let live attitude. This was never a problem with the yellow spiders of the past years. (I almost started to write little yellow spiders, but they weren't very little by my definition of a spider.) But I draw the line at having to constantly brush away spider webs, especially around my head. I have tried to relocate the spiders outside, but this doesn't seem to work. Either they make it back in before I can close the door, or they know some secret entrance of which I am unaware. Maybe they are breeding in the attic! Whatever it is, they had better be on their guard, because it's no more Ms. Nice Gal. I may even get out the vacuum. I hate spider webs in my hair and face!

Writing

2009-08-27T15:51:00.003-04:00

Just finished mopping floors and moving furniture around. I think I did this because I'm having a hard time right now with my writing. I know all I have to do is sit down, open a word file and start writing. The words will come. But I just feel so unproductive right now, like maybe I'm not meant to write. I am truly amassing a large collection of rejection slips; should I keep on writing?

Of course I should. My stories are outlets for my feelings, thoughts and observations. I will continue to struggle with trying to get my thoughts down onto paper, or rather, in the computer. I even have this nifty little keyboard with a tiny screen called an NEO by AlphaSmart. I can take this keyboard out by the lake or in the backyard or on vacation and work on my stories on it. When I get back home, I just download what I have written into the computer and go from there. Is technology great, or what?

So there it is -- I have to write. One of these days, the magic news will come -- someone, somewhere will like a story of mine so much that they will publish it, and maybe even pay me for it!

For all his faults, Senator Ted Kennedy was a true patriot and an outspoken liberal Democrat, always working for the good of the country, A friend of mine, Bob Van Der Velde, had the best comment on a sad day via @jenhouse @dannyfriedman @azchela: "In Lieu of flowers, please pass health care reform".

Best Thing

2009-08-24T16:45:00.003-04:00

I just finished up a wonderful swim in our Endless Pool. Before the swim, my sister and I had been having a very spirited discussion about health care; and I just couldn't see why she was being so dense (hope she doesn't see this!). We are definitely at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to health care and almost anything else about the Obama presidency. I am sure neither of us is going to change the other's opinions, so we have agreed to disagree.

Anyway, after my swim, our differences don't seem so important anymore. I would call my feeling right now a runner's high, only because that is the term most people are familiar with. I have to admit, I seldom reached this pleasurable height when I ran, but I feel so wonderfully mellow when I'm done swimming. I think I will now go have cup of tea and read out on the swing overlooking the lake.

Rules for Living

2009-08-21T13:50:00.003-04:00

Think positive thoughts

Expect great things

Live for the joy

Give thanks continuously

No Frustration

2009-08-16T12:09:00.003-04:00

For several days, we have had little or no water. It is almost impossible to take a shower. Doing the dishes is an hour-long event. Yesterday we called the water company (for the second or third time this summer, to say nothing of the times a representative has been out here due to someone else in the neighborhood calling). We were told that too many people were watering their lawns and the company's pumps couldn't keep up with the demand. Does that sound plausible to you? I didn't think so.

This same water company has spent the last several months putting in new water lines in parts of the Headlands area; now we have trouble getting water. At one point, we were told that our house and several of the neighbors' had no water because another neighbor was filling his pool. Another time, the shortage was blamed on a neighbor who said her water was brown when she tried to wash clothes. The water company's solution? To open a pipe and let water run down the bank onto the beach, which they called flushing the lines. This was done several times over the course of the last three months. Did it help? I think the only thing it did was to help make the lake bank more unstable than it already is, and keep the neighborhood from having water.

I probably sound like a whiner, and I admit I feel like one right now (Den says I need the practice). I know that millions of people the world over have never had clean, running water; but we have had it and we do expect it, so it is frustrating not to have it now. I wonder, is it possible that the new lines the company put in are now too big for the pumps that are being used to pump out the water? Maybe they just can"t pump it hard enough to create any pressure in the lines. Would they tell us if that were the case? Or maybe they just don't care about us because only six or eight houses are affected since we live on a dead end street off a dead end street. They wouldn't feel like that, would they?

Too Much To Do

2009-08-11T13:41:00.004-04:00

There's always so much to do -- most of it work. I just finished washing the hardwood floors in the bedroom and the office. As I sit here writing, I can look around and see an unlimited amount of more work waiting for me. I need to bring boxes down from the attic and shred old papers (tax returns from my mother and mother-in-law); fill the boxes back up with the papers I have pulled from the files down here (more recent tax returns, etc.), and return the boxes to the attic. The office needs a good going through, windows and curtains washed, cabinets cleaned out, to say nothing of the computers. I know I need to back up some information and delete some I no longer use. I don't know what Den has on his computer, but it's a safe bet he has stuff there that also needs cleaning out.

See what I mean about there always being work that needs doing? And we haven't even gotten out of the office! Kitchen cabinets need reorganizing; bookshelves need cleaned and organized; the refrigerator needs cleaning out, the windows need washing -- the list seems endless and I get tired just thinking about it. Then there's the outside -- flower beds and vegetable gardens need weeding (always!); roses need deadheading; grass needs mowing; and I want to rearrange the back garden with less patio blocks and more green. We need to finish painting the house, fix the roof and clean out the garage. (The word "we" in the last sentence means Den.) I never did get the picnic table and swing stained this year, something I should have done in May.

These are the things that need doing, but what about the things I want to do? I have to admit, I probably did more of them this summer than I should have, thus leading to all the things that didn't get done (see above). I took walks, swam, read (a lot), visited with friends and relatives (both in person and through the computer), went dancing, worked on my writing, drawing, knitting, crocheting and quilting.

But all the time I was enjoying myself, I was also feeling guilty. Was this because of some inner makeup, or the way I was raised or a combination of both? The big question I have is -- Do men feel this way, too?

Finnish Heritage Museum

2009-08-01T15:47:00.006-04:00

Earlier this afternoon, my sister and I went to Fairport Harbor to check out the Finnish Heritage Museum. We watched a wall hanging being woven on a 100+ year-old loom that was in pieces when it was given to the museum. The loom was huge -- taller than me and about 5 feet wide. It looked really complicated to use. How could someone design something like that so many years ago? How did they know that if they put this wheel here and ran that thread there, they could weave a beautiful picture of a church with trees around it?

Along that same line, who discovered that you could twist a strand of yarn around a hook, or pull it through itself with a pair of needles, and it would make something warm and beautiful? Who discovered all the intricate needle movements that would make the stitches we use today? Who discovered that you could use hair from animals to make yarn in the first place? I'm sure someone has the answers to these questions, but I won't try to research them. It is more fun to wonder.

Oh, and yes, the Finnish Heritage Museum is well worth the visit. You can even buy a cup of coffee and a slice of home made nisu after you browse the exhibits. If you can't make the trip to the museum in person, the website is: www.finnishheritagemuseum.org.

Balloon Release

2009-07-26T12:42:00.004-04:00

There was an article in the newspaper about a local funeral home releasing hundreds of balloons into the air to remember those who have died, seemingly a great idea. However, I cannot believe they thought this ceremony through very carefully. I'm sure they didn't think of the environmental consequences of what will happen when all those balloons come back down to earth. They have to land somewhere, and a lot of them will fall into Lake Erie.

The fish and birds that depend on Lake Erie will come across these balloons and could either get tangled in the strings attached or try to eat them. Either way, the consequences will be deadly. I'm not sure how far out we could extrapolate this outcome, but I sit here wondering if the kingfishers we enjoy watching will be effected, or even the eagle that appears to have made its home along the south shore of the lake.

I do believe that there are fewer of these balloon releases as more people realize what damage they can do in the long run. Can bubbles released into the air be a substitute? I don't know if there are any long term dangerous or harmful results from this practice, but I'm sure someone out there could tell me.

Health Care

2009-07-19T12:23:00.002-04:00

The big issue today is health care. Should we have universal health care? If so, how do we do that? How do we pay for it? Do we want a system that is like Canada, Great Britain, or any of the other nations that have a socialized medical care system? How do we know what is best? Perhaps most important of all, who will pay for it, and how?

I, for one, would like to see a side-by-side comparison of the way different health systems work. Maybe compare our system with Finland's, Canada's and Switzerland's, or pick any three modern nations. All we hear is that we will not get the same quality of care if we change, that we will have to wait a long time for the care we do get, and that someone other than ourselves will be in charge of the care we receive. We are already putting up with these things -- when was the last time you had to visit an emergency room?

These claims leave me feeling pretty skeptical, especially when most of them are coming from insurance companies who are making obscene amounts of money off the system as it now exists. I don't believe we have a monopoly on good doctors, or researchers, or medicines. I do think that our infant mortality rate is too high (higher than several other western nations), and we do not live as long, on average, as citizens of some other countries. Maybe health care should be the responsibility of localities, like education once was. I don't claim to know how to fix the system that we now have, or even if we should fix it. Maybe we should discard it and start all over. I do know that too many people don't have health care, and that too many people are paying too much for the health care they do receive. In a country as great as ours, this is intolerable.

Scarlett and Rhett

2009-07-08T21:02:00.005-04:00

Rhett and Scarlett are at it again. These are two mourning doves who have made themselves at home in our back yard. Only an hour or so after Den moved our Norfolk Island Pine tree from the house to right outside the back door ( and I mean right outside -- hardly a foot away), two mourning doves were busy making a nest. This was back in May. Within a few weeks we had two baby mourning doves trying to get up enough courage to fly from that nest. For two or three days, our back yard was their world and we would have to watch when we let the dog outside so he wouldn't catch any little birds. We also didn't want him to be dive bombed by Rhett or Scarlett if they thought their babies were in jeopardy.

Within two days of the time the first set of babies went out on their own, Scarlett was again sitting on the nest. To give him his due, Rhett did change places with her every morning, so she could exercise her wings. By the end of June, this second set of babies had flown the nest, and our back yard. After doing some research, we thought that would be the end of Rhett and Scarlett as such close neighbors. But no, Scarlett is back on the nest, quietly waiting for Rhett to relieve her every once in a while. I am sure there are two more eggs in that nest, although I haven't actually seen them yet.

These birds don't seem at all afraid of us as we come and go through the back door. The nest is so close to the door, I could reach up and touch it as I come outside. I do hope this is the last family Scarlett and Rhett have this year. I would like to get my back yard-- fence, chairs, bench, fire pit -- cleaned up so that it stays clean for a while. In the meantime it has been interesting to have such different and well-mannered (mostly) neighbors.

American Wind Symphony Orchestra

2009-06-28T20:10:00.002-04:00

Yesterday evening Den and I went to listen to the American Wind Symphony Orchestra in Fairport Harbor, and what a treat it was. The orchestra played from a barge moored in the Grand River, at the stone docks at the end of Second Street, just down from the lighthouse. The side of the barge opened into what looked like a very sophisticated sound stage, with enough room for the 40 or so professional musicians. I would have liked to have seen what the inside of the barge was like.

Most of the music that was played, had been written specifically for this orchestra, by composers all over the world. The Music Director, Robert Austin Boudreau, gave a brief history of each piece and of the orchestra itself.

The American Wind Symphony Orchestra has been in existence for over 50 years, and has played in many parts of the world. It is based on the barge Point Counterpoint II, out of Pittsburgh; and most of the musicians are new every year, either music majors in college or having just graduated. Many of the AWSO musicians have gone on to play with major orchestras all over the world. The Fairport Harding High band members got to meet with and learn from the musicians on a one to one basis, and were invited to join in on the next to the last number played by the AWSO. Who knows how this opportunity will affect these young musicians, but I'm sure they will never forget it.

So how did this wonderful orchestra come to play in Fairport Harbor? I'm not exactly sure who started the ball rolling, but Pat Spivak and the Finnish Heritage Museum were involved from the beginning. They got a grant from the Lake County Visitor's Bureau to bring the barge here, Lake Metroparks volunteers helped with the traffic and tickets, and the Village administration (especially Tom Hilston and Jim Cardina) assisted in bringing the whole thing together. In recognition of the Finnish Heritage Museum, the AWSO even played "Finlandia" by Sibelius. If you ever get a chance to hear and see this unique orchestra, please take it.

The Importance of Libraries

2009-06-24T12:23:00.008-04:00

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has proposed to cut library funding in Ohio by 50% as of July 1, 2009. What a tragedy that would be! If this proposal is enacted, our public libraries will be devastated. For an infinite number of reasons, I believe that there should be NO cut in the libraries' funding.

Ohio libraries today are operating on the same amount of funding from the state that they received in 1996. That means there has been no increase in help from the state for 13 years. Historically, in difficult economic times, the library's use and importance to the community has increased. This is true today.

People turn to the library especially for education and entertainment, socializing and networking. Libraries provide computer classes, free use of computers, and internet searches to help find a job. They provide free entertainment for the whole family. For kids there is the legendary storytime, craft sessions, fun ways to learn about anything (the community, the space program, our country's history and much more). One of the best programs provided is the Paws to Read program, where children who may be too shy or embarrassed, or may not have the best reading skills, read to dogs who come in to the library and are happy to listen without criticizing. I know this program works -- I was taught to read by our Airedale Terry too many years ago to remember.

For teens, libraries provide reading clubs, writing clubs, and a place for tutoring for those who need help in school, in addition to crafts and other activities. A librarian can recommend a good read for the beach, or a movie the whole family can enjoy. And then there are all the programs for adults -- computer classes, book clubs, knitting classes, informative lectures, even meet the author nights. You can even check out a book or two or borrow a movie for free. And libraries provide meeting rooms for scouts, blood drives, senior citizens and many other groups who need a place to assemble.

In view of all of these services of the libraries, it would seem to me that the funding for these institutions should be at least maintained at present levels, not cut in half. Maybe the Governor thinks he can propose this 50% cut now, get everyone all upset about it, then say he is bending to the will of the people and only making a 20% cut in library funding. He wouldn't do that, would he?

The following quote is from the State of Ohio's internet page called "Ohio's Future":

"Free libraries maintained by the people are cradles of democracy, and their spread can never fail to extend and

strengthen the democratic idea, the equality of the citizen and the royalty of man. They are emphatically fruits of

the true American ideal.” -Andrew Carnegie at the 1903 dedication of the Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C.

Summer Solstice

2009-06-22T15:47:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was the summer solstice -- the longest day of the year, the first day of summer. It was also Father's Day. What a wonderful day -- so many excuses to celebrate. I know that a lot of people look at Father's Day as just another gimmick promoted by the card industry. And I also know that summer in northeast Ohio is unpredictable, as are spring, winter and fall. But it is still a time to celebrate. Daylight hung around until 9:30 PM or so, affording us the opportunity to have dinner in the back yard, then to roast marshmallows in the fire pit. We would have had evening coffee by the lake except the wind was out of the northeast and it was a bit too cool to be comfortable. In fact, it was downright cold by the lake, so the backyard it was.

But there is a sad feeling to the summer solstice, too. It is the longest day of the year. From here until December 21st or so, each day will get shorter and shorter. We will lose a small fraction of the daylight that is so precious; and the sun, if it shines, will be lower and lower in the sky. However, I intend to make the most of the daylight we do have every day (well OK, maybe not the early morning hours) even if it's only to sit on the swing by the lake and read a book. I don't want to waste a minute (see previous parenthesis); because there are only so many minutes alloted in a day. Once they're gone, they can never be recaptured. It is up to each of us to enjoy them.

Wildlife in the City

2009-06-19T20:44:00.004-04:00

The deer have won! Earlier in the spring, we had been able to keep the deer from eating the tulips, but I never dreamed that they like roses so much. Every single rose bush in the front yard had all the new buds neatly chomped off right where the bud meets the stem. I just hope we get more buds on the plants this year so I can enjoy the roses, too.

Although we live in the city, we have a lot of wildlife in our neighborhood. Just this morning, right outside the kitchen window, there was a doe and her two tiny fawns, grazing in the neighbor's yard. (Maybe she was the one that ate my roses; if so, that's OK. She has to take care of her babies.) There are at least two bucks in the immediate neighborhood, one of which is a really big boy with a very large rack, maybe 10 points. Last fall, I was walking through the back yard and he was out by the lake bank with several does. He turned, looked at me, put his head down and pawed at the ground. Guess who went the other way.

On the day in May that we moved the Norfolk Island pine from inside the house to outside in the back yard, two mourning doves (Scarlet and Rhett) set up housekeeping in the next to the top branch of this tree. So far this spring, they have had two sets of twins; the latest of which has just hatched. There is also a robin's nest on the house next door sheltering a growing family.

Last fall, while walking the dog, I saw a fox on the other end of the block. He was there for well over an hour and didn't seem at all intimidated by people. Of course, there are the skunks, raccoons, squirrels, ground hogs, opossums and rabbits in addition to all the different birds. It is exciting to see a bald eagle fly along the lake bank, and even more so to spot an osprey. But I also like the blue herons and the flittery kingfisher.

And did I mention the coyote?

Good Read; Good Movie

2009-06-12T17:06:00.008-04:00

Although I am an avid reader of mysteries (the traditional who-dun-its, not thrillers as such), I feel I have to write about a novel I just read that doesn't even come close to this genre. The name of this book is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows. The story takes place in 1946, in post-war England, and is told via letters between and among a young writer, her best friend, her agent and several residents of Guernsey. Slowly, you begin to realize that you are learning what all these people are like and, even more important, what kind of people they are. The story itself is wonderful, one I think women especially would really enjoy.

Then there is the movie "Secondhand Lions" with Robert Duvall and Michael Caine. I can't believe I had never heard of this movie until a friend told me about it. It really is entertaining, yet thought-provoking. (What a cliche, but I can't think of a better description right at the moment.) If you haven't been fortunate enough to see this movie, you might want to look at your local library for a copy to take out.

I also want to recommend a website called shrewdbravado.com. This site belongs to my nephew, Joe. Right now, Joe is in Beijing, China, on a research grant through Georgia Tech. He is a person who will definitely make a difference in our world.

Who am I?

2009-06-04T16:39:00.006-04:00

Who, or what. do I want to be when I grow up? I think I finally know the answer to that question -- I want to be me. I think I am leading an almost perfect life. I can go to bed when I'm tired. I can get up when, or if, I feel like it. I can walk to the library and the grocery store (what else do I need except books and food?). I have a husband who loves me unconditionally, and whom I love more than anyone or anything ( this after almost 46 years of being together). Our dog, Tater, is not quite perfect, but he's close and he's adorable.

Outside my front door is the whole expanse of Lake Erie with its ever changing waves, multi-colored clouds and glorious sunsets. Outside my back door is a cozy, private yard, with a gurgling fish pond and lots of colorful flowers. I have everything I need and most of the things I want.

Of course, I still need to lose weight, I wish there were more hours in the day, and I wish I could sell my stories. But we all need something to look forward to.

I would also like to be more of a people person. Instead of hiding out in the country of North Mentor, I should be out having lunch with friends, discussing politics over coffee in one of the local coffee shops, or shopping for things I may or may not need with the people in my life who like to do that sort of thing.

As I am thinking about it, if I would do all those things, I wouldn't be me. There would be even less hours in the day to write, garden, read, take the dog for a walk -- all those solitary things I really enjoy. So I really don't want to be more of a people person. I must be a fairly private person; most of my pursuits are solitary ones, and I like to be alone with Den, even if we don't talk much. I do have friends that I enjoy; but they seem to understand and respect my need for privacy. We don't have to see each other every day, or talk every day; but I know that if I need them, they will be there for me.

I am constantly thankful for this life that I am leading. I am the most fortunate of women.

Favorite Day

2009-05-31T14:14:00.006-04:00

After much thought (at least three minutes), I have decided that Friday is my favorite day of the week. Friday is the gateway to the weekend, and weekends are so important. Even though Den and I have moved on to the next phase of life where we aren't required to go to a job every day, I still look forward to the weekend. The atmosphere everywhere is more relaxed, there are more people on the streets and there is less rush, rush, rush. At least this seems true on Saturday.

Saturday is the almost perfect day. It's a day off from work. And you don't have to worry that you haven't gotten everything done at home that you meant to do before you have to go back to work on Monday. After all, you still have Sunday to do all that. Saturday is a day full of possibilities -- to stay out late; to get up early or to sleep in, your choice; to go looking for bargains and treasures at yard sales; to curl up in a chair either inside or out (depending on the weather) and read a trashy novel or a classic piece of literature; to meet a friend for breakfast or lunch; to take a drive in the country; to paint a picture. Saturday can be anything you want it to be.

Maybe that's why I like Friday -- it is always followed by Saturday, with its infinite possibilities.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T12:23:00.011-04:00

Memorial Day -- it's sunny and cool outside; a would-be perfect day if the wind weren'tt blowing so hard from the northeast. At 3PM, all across America, we are asked to stop what we are doing and to spend a moment in silence to honor our military men and women. Many have given their lives and all have given their time (a definite part of their lives) to protect and serve our country.

Why do they do it? I'm not sure I understand, but I believe I would also volunteer to serve. Could some do it to make a living, or to learn a skill? to travel? for adventure? to test oneself? All of these things probably contribute in some way, but the most important may be to protect our country's freedoms. I also believe that this feeling of patriotism and volunteerism carries over into our every day lives. It is why people in this country volunteer in all sorts of ways, with all sorts of organizations. But today we concentrate on the military.

I can only hope and pray that there are enough young people who feel this way every generation. I hope they don't all wait, like I and others of my generation did, to realize and appreciate what we have here. No matter what our country of origin, or our grandparents' country of origin, we are all, right this moment, Americans. Maybe we should all reread the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. It couldn't hurt.

Having said all of that, have a great Memorial Day!

Today's Big Question -- Michael Vick

2009-05-21T21:34:00.008-04:00

The big question today seems to be whether Michael Vick should be allowed to play football in the NFL again. Of course he should, if he's good enough to make a team. He served his time, took his punishment, now he should be given a chance to make good at his chosen profession, just like anyone else. I can't help but feel that there would be no questions asked if he were a ditch digger or a farmer or even a banker. He would be allowed to get on with his life and try to make it as good a life as possible.

I do feel that he should never be voted in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, even if he were the best quarterback in the history of the sport. Maybe the Hall of Fame already has a rule about accepting no one if they are a convicted felon; if not they should have one, as should the Baseball Hall of Fame, etc.

Just for the record, I am very much a dog person, having grown up at dog shows and having dogs share my home for most of my life. And Dog Town (where Vick's dogs were rehabilitated) seems to be a wonderful organization. Just don't get me started on pet store puppies or designer dogs!

In the Swim

2009-05-17T19:55:00.004-04:00

Last night as I was getting ready for bed, thoughts that really impressed me kept flying into my head; I knew exactly what I would write in my blog today. This morning, I couldn't remember a single thing that I had thought was so important last night. Why does this happen? Am I the only person it happens to? Most important, do you think, that in the future, I will write down these bedtime thoughts so I don't lose them? Time will tell (sounds like a Gary Morris song title).

My goal for this blog is to write at least once every week. The weekend seems as good a time as any since I do a lot of my fiction writing during the week. I figure the more I train myself to write, no matter what the subject is, the better writer I will become. At least, that is my goal. I feel that today was very productive for me in terms of my writing. Not that I actually wrote anything, because I didn't, but that, while I was swimming, I had some good insights into the stories that I have been trying to write. And yes, I wrote down some notes after I was done swimming.

Why Am I Doing This?

2009-05-10T17:34:00.003-04:00

Now that I have decided to start a blog, I don't know what to write. Makes sense to me. At least, I finally set up a blog. It took me a long time to decide if this was the right thing to do, or if it is simply a waste of time. I decided I'd never know for sure unless I tried it.

Sometimes things happen in my life that seem to cry out for comment or questions, so this is where I will respond. Sometimes there are things in the news that just beg to be talked about, whether they are important, interesting, funny or just plain idiotic. These things will also be commented on here. Sometimes I just have to write what I feel; I think it has something to do with my age. As I get older, I find that I am less able to tolerate the silliness of others. As I get older, I also realize that I will not be able to change the world like I once thought I could. Maybe I am really writing this for me -- to allow me to organize my thoughts and try to make sense of the world, or at least my tiny section of the world. This blog will also help to remind me how much I have to be grateful for, and how many people have been important to me. I don't expect too many others to be interested, but I need to do this for me.