Lakeside 2008 What’s going on in Week 10

We’re in the final week. June was rainy in northern Ohio--but we were in Italy. July and August have been fabulous, actually close to perfect, with perhaps the named storm Fay paying us a little visit on Thursday. I went to the Antique Show on Saturday with my neighbor Angela and saw something I liked the minute we walked in the door. She tucked it under the table while I browsed the other booths buying some little things, like a serving piece that matched my Community silver plate (wedding pattern), and two little pudding dishes to use for feeding our dainty, 7 lb. cat. I didn’t even haggle, although I know I should have. It might have been gone if I’d waited ‘til late afternoon when most of the dealers repack their trucks and vans and go home.


So I’m calling this our 48th wedding anniversary present--from me--and I think I’ll leave it here at the lake house, for lemonade or iced tea on the deck. It's frosted with hand painted flowers. The wicker tray is now holding the things that I removed to make room for it behind the glass doors so I could show it off. I asked the Michigan woman from whom I bought the set if she knew Mike and Judy Balluff (Michigan antique dealer and a h.s. friend) and she thought she knew the name.

Today was the final farmer’s market. I wasn’t able to get any beet tops this week, but did give in and buy a jar of homemade peach sugar-free jam. I resisted the white chocolate cranberry squares, and the iced scones that were at the same booth. Isn’t that the biggest pepper you’ve ever seen? I just can’t get over how different they taste fresh picked. And I’m not even particularly fond of peppers, but have managed to finish what I’ve bought the other weeks. Still only $14.75--red potatoes, green beans, bell pepper, corn, qt of peaches (the jam was a bit of a splurge I hadn't counted on.)

Yesterday I took a silk painting class at the Rhein Center. Scary, but fun. And not nearly as easy as the instructor said, especially if you’ve done other types of art, and this defies what you knew about materials and methods. Also, I’m really poor at doing craft type things. My fingers don’t work right and this required fastening a very delicate silk scarf to a frame in 20 places. I made two huge mistakes (beside wearing one of my better shirts to the class--had to switch to a smock). I haven’t seen the final product yet because the instructor was going to take all the projects home, wash and iron them, and then we pick them up today. I woke up at 3 a.m. and worked out in my mind how I could have done it differently. The class will be offered again on Wednesday and Friday, so maybe I’ll re-up.

The programming this week (called 22nd Annual Senior Venture) is only half interesting to me. Monday through Wednesday (6 lectures) is about the removal of native peoples (aka Indians) from Ohio. After hearing so much about the Confederacy last week, I wasn’t ready for more self-flagellation and guilt (is it fall out over the Iraq War?) over something I didn’t do and which has transpired since the beginning of human kind in the Garden of Eden. However, Thursday and Friday has some seminars I hope to attend--local history. There will be lectures on both Camp Perry, now 101 years old and which trained millions of national guardsmen, and the Marblehead Quarry (we have cracks in our plaster from their blasting limestone). Also on Thursday is a book review about "Great Lakes water wars." This is an issue critical to Ohio and the 10 other states and provinces touched by the Great Lakes, 1/5 of our planet’s fresh water. On Friday there is a tour of the quarry. This means Thursday is waaay over scheduled since my son and his girlfriend plan to visit that day.

Pastor Jennings has an interesting Bible study on Revelation this week, but I would have missed 2 of the 4 classes, plus it is offered during my regular nap time and I might doze off! We’ve really enjoyed his dockside services on Sunday.


Evening programming this week is a little less upscale and more local, and is at the bandstand in the park instead of Hoover Auditorium. I did go Sunday evening to hear an Ohio ELCA pastor perform his modern Christian lyrics to swing era popular songs, “Sentimental Journey,” using a lot of Glenn Miller. He even had Easter songs for Christmas caroles. Wednesday looks good--TOPS Swing Band from Cleveland (Tough Old Pros). The barbershoppers will be here Saturday night, from the Johnny Appleseed District. Sunday night will be the closing with fireworks over the lake. Then it is pack up the car and head for Columbus, assuming we don't leave after church on Sunday.