Mass shooting around the 4th

Some sources say four shootings some twelve.

That term gets sort of loose these days. Shootings at neighborhood parties or festivals (Baltimore, Philadelphia, Ft. Worth, Highland Park) are called "mass" but I didn't see that term used for a Korean American, her unborn baby and husband, two weeks ago in Seattle and the shooter is known.

 
I suspect race sensitivities have something to do with how shootings are reported. Reporters want to keep their jobs. White on black gets huge national coverage and nation's repentance and reparations are demanded; non-binary or trans shooter (I think there has been 5 recently) will slam shut any reporting on medical care/mental illness or manifesto from the shooter; black on black, ho-hum; black on Asian, silence.

Happy July 4th!

"America is essentially a dream. It is a dream of a land where men of all races, of all nationalities, and of all creeds, can live together as brothers. The substance of the dream is expressed in these sublime words, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'

"Now, we notice in the very beginning that at the center of this dream is an amazing universalism. It does not say some men, but it says all men. It does not say all white men, but it says all men, which includes black men…

"It says that each individual has certain inherent rights that are neither derived from or conferred by the state. They are gifts from the hands of the almighty God. Very seldom, if ever, in the history of the world has a socio-political document expressed in such profound, eloquent, and unequivocal language, the dignity and the worth of human personality."

July 4, 1965 Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happy Birthday America (July 4, 2022)

I saw this on her Facebook page. I think she's from Brazil.

By Sybele Capezzutti

Happy Birthday America!
When I came to America 36 years ago a few things caught my attention….
The streets were clean and well paved
There was a sense of order
There weren’t any beggars on the street corners
People didn’t lock their doors during the day or lock their cars
Americans could criticize anyone and anything freely
Americans could open a small business and make a decent living
Cops were respected
Each State was different with different laws that served its population
Voting wasn’t mandatory but Americans took it serious
Americans were proud, a good proud!

I was travelling by bus from St. Louis, MO to Peoria, IL listening to my walkman (you can laugh now!) in total awe with the beautiful road, and as we crossed the Mississippi River I saw a group of bikers, there were twenty or so, they all had jackets with the American Flag on it and the leader had a big Flag flying from his bike….it gave me chills!
I cried, I was in America! The land of the Free!
I knew then I wanted to be part of it, I wanted to be Free also.
It wasn’t the kind of freedom that removes physical chains, it was freedom of the soul.
The visa process was a lengthy and expensive one, but to me it was so worthy! I was glad that this wonderful Country was so demanding and scrutinized its immigrants, after all, the reason it was so wonderful was because of its citizenry and the pride they carry in their hearts, the love they had for this land.

Becoming a US Citizen in those days was a privilege, one that I was very grateful for.
To all of you that were blessed with being born in this amazing Country….
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being selective about who you are willing to accept into your family, that’s called self preservation.

Read the beginning of this post again and ask yourself why have things changed so much in 36 years.
As we celebrate America’s 246th Birthday let’s remember that this Nation was made by immigrants who embraced it, loved it, fought for it, and died for it….and not by immigrants who refused to assimilate.
I wish all of you could feel what I felt that day when I crossed the Mississippi River….

“Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people” ~ Ronald Reagan.
"The price of liberty is eternal vigilance" - Thomas Jefferson

Sadly, we haven't been vigilant, but I'll always hold dear to my heart the memories of a country that made me who I am today.

 
Happy Birthday America! And thank you for having me.

Happy July 4, 2019

Lakeside is a family place. Some cottages are filled with 4 generations this week. We're alone. In fact, I'm alone because Bob is walking in the parade with the Guys Club "drill" team. (They carry hand drills). I'm wearing red, white and blue and my festive hat and I'll be in a blue chair on 2nd street in front of Barbie Moore's house. Wave if you see me.  Updated later with photos of parade.

 

 

 

 

Lakeside 2019, Week 3

I loved our cute hydrangeas that Loretta planted for us last summer, but they didn't make it through the winter.  She said she had something that would work better, but it was such a cold and rainy spring, they didn't get planted.  Well, the first day of summer came, it was getting hot so I took things into my own hands, which have 2 brown thumbs, and I fixed those hydrangeas with $5 blooms from Wal-Mart.  I'm also wearing my $5 hat from Wal-Mart to shade me on my walks and protect me from dive-bombing mother birds that attack.  However, about 3 hours later, Loretta showed up with two new bushes (I have no idea what they are), so I've already had to transplant my fake flowers to the back of the house.

2019  

 

2018

The rest of the plants are doing so-so, but since July is almost here, I was hoping for more oomph.

 

 

Tonight's program is Michael Stanley and band, a Cleveland group from the 80s which our daughter has heard of but we haven't.  Last night was "Six Appeal" an a cappella group from Minnesota. This is the week of July 4 and this year we won't have anyone with us.  Bob is thinking of marching in the parade with the Guys' Club.  It's a long walk. And not much fun to watch alone.

The programming for the lecture series is on Artificial Intelligence with David Staley, Director of the Humanities Institute, OSU and something on capitalism by same speaker.  We'll be gone Tuesday for a quick trip back to Columbus.  Chef Stacy will be back on Friday for another cooking lecture. 

David Staley giving a Ted Talk about Columbus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=SXYh3F4-_ko

Meaning of the Fourth, by David Keck guest blogger

“As we celebrate "The Fourth of July," let us remember that here, in the United States, it is just the fourth day in a summer month except that it is Independence Day. After all, Senegal has a fourth of July; but it is not their Independence Day. As we picnic and firework, let us remember those men who publicly put their names on this document that immediately with a signature branded them as traitors and made them marked men. And all of them had much to lose financially, and many did, as a result of of their public pronouncement and commitment. When our Constitution went into effect 13 years later, we are the only country in the world with an elected head of state. Sad as the world is now, how many dozens of countries have elected heads of state, all because those men, and those at home and in the field, who took a chance when it was not at all a sure thing, winning the peace and the right to pursue a republican form of government. The United States, with all its faults (which country criticizing us is without them?), has from the start, even before the Declaration, been that "Shining City on the Hill." We didn't get that way being like everyone else.”

Declaration of Independence

If the American Revolution had produced nothing but the Declaration of Independence, it would have been worthwhile.... The beauty and cogency of the preamble, reaching back to remotest antiquity and forward to an infinite future, having lifted the hearts of millions of men and will continue to do.... These words are more revolutionary than anything written by Robespierre, Marx, or Lenin, more explosive than the atom, a continual challenge to ourselves as well as an inspiration to the oppressed of all the world."
-- Samuel Eliot Morison
(1887-1976) Rear Admiral USNR, Naval historian

Least patriotic states

Wallet Hub’s survey.  “In looking at such factors as the percentage of resident volunteers, voters, veterans, and enlistees, the site’s annual study—just in time for the Fourth of July—named Massachusetts America’s least patriotic state (New Jersey and Rhode Island follow close behind; Virginia tops the list [as most patriotic]). As a Bay Stater, this makes me sad. As an American, it makes me sad, too. The American Revolution started here. We celebrate Patriots Day. We root for the UMass Minutemen and the New England Patriots. We make tourism dollars off the Freedom Trail and Boston Tea Party reenactments. Unfortunately, all that history is just that—history. Past isn’t prologue.”

Ohio ranks 32nd in patriotism.

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-patriotic-states/13680/

Wallet Hub has many “best” and “worst” articles.  Some facts about July 4 and the various celebrations https://wallethub.com/blog/4th-of-july-facts/22075/

Blaming Trump?

On Facebook a friend was complaining about unusual helicopter activity in his Cleveland Tremond neighborhood—he was sure someone was after illegal immigrants and that was all Trump’s fault.  Now I see that the FBI has arrested a possible terrorist who was planning to target the July 4 activities which brings out thousands in Cleveland.  Don’t know if that was the activity, but it might be worth it to say thanks to the FBI for stopping another Boston bombing, Jim.

Update:  Muslim. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/07/02/terror-suspect-arrest-cleveland/750294002/

http://abc7chicago.com/suspect-accused-of-plotting-cleveland-terrorist-attack-on-4th-of-july-arrested-abc-news-reports/3691045/
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2018/07/02/cleveland-july-4-attack-fbi-makes-arrest-alleged-terror-plan-cleveland/750345002/
https://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/crime--law/cleveland-terror-plot-fbi-makes-arrest-says-attack-was-planned-for-fourth-july/r97ODUG3ynjERr5gAAdtTO/

Happy July 4

Ready to set our chairs up for the July 4 parade.  Thank you, neighbors, for the nice backdrop.

 

 

 

A great story by a guy I don't know about another guy I don't know

This story by David Lester (don't know him) appeared on Facebook about the clean up in West Virginia after the recent flooding.

"On Thursday I was up to my ankles in every imaginable kind of waste helping a 70 some year old lady throw away every single one of her belongings. Then I look and another truck pulls in and this guy jumps out and says in a deep British accent "My name is Anthony...how can I help?"

That day we tackled every job that required no brains and lots of brawn and also strong stomachs. Came to find out Anthony heard about the flood devastation through friends in WV and international medi coverage and decided to fly in from London and help. He flew into Charlotte, rented a truck, loaded up with supplies and drove to Clendenin. I invited him to stay with us and he agreed. We shared military stories and he was a great guest. He returned every day back to the floods.

On Sunday (July 3) I didn't accompany him and he wound up putting a displaced elderly woman up in the Motel 8 in Dunbar for two nights on his dime. On this day of celebrating our Independence Day (which he calls traitor day😜) I wanted to give a shout out to this great guy that my family adores. Thanks Anthony for your kind heart and British wit!! And he doesn't do Facebook but I thought his efforts should not go unnoticed."

A wonderful July 4 story, don't you agree?

Looking for links I see a socialist web site is blaming funding cuts for disasters.  Really? For some people always look for political advantage.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/25/us/west-virginia-flooding-deaths/index.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/06/30/west-virginia-faces-new-reality-after-deadly-flood/86555454/

Happy July 4th from the Bruces

In the shade of a 150 year old Oak tree on 2nd Street, we enjoyed the Lakeside parade with about 10,000 kids on bicycles and lots of adults acting crazy.Beautiful weather, high 70s, sunshine.

Watching the parade on 2nd across from Central Park

Couple on Lynn walking their decorated dogs

Guys Club cordless drill team

Peach Avenue Walleye gold cart

 

Kazoo Band

My kind of car—1955 Thunderbird

Neighbor Steve Bemiller and the Heritage Society popcorn machine

Lunch of bbq ribs, potato salad and baked beans on the lawn of Hotel Lakeside. Messy, but yummy.

Happy July 1 from Lakeside, Ohio

I had a 2 mile walk this morning, east on Third and then back west along the lake. Now sitting on a ice pack.  Right leg bursa not too bad, but thought I’d nip any inflammation in the bud—or in the bursa. I’ve now walked or cycled 1038 miles since Dec. 26.  Coolish today, but they are predicting a nice day, zero rain. Big storm last night about 10 p.m. but it seems to have moved over the lake.  Is there anything as useless as a diary/blog that discusses weather?  I have a calendar/garden diary of my mother’s from the 1970s.  It’s almost funny.

The Lakeside grounds crew is here cutting up the limbs from storm damage Friday and Saturday.  Our tree is on the easement, which means they clean it up.  Our neighbors’ Hackberry which fell over is on their property, so they have to pay.  If it had damaged their cottage, insurance would cover it, but it didn’t.  It actually looks like it’s on their neighbor’s property, except back in the day when people weren’t too sure, that driveway is 4’ over the line.

I bought a new microwave (smaller) in May, but it doesn’t seem to be heating all that great, which was the problem with the 20 year old it replaced.  The old one has been given away, and I don’t think I have the receipt here because everything seemed fine a month ago.

I left after the first 2 numbers of last night’s program, Hey Mavis.  It was sort of jazz, sort of blue grass, and mostly original material.  I usually wait until intermission.  It wasn’t bad, but just not what I felt like listening to, so I walked home and stopped to chat with a neighbor.  We had a nice chat with the young couple sitting in front of us at Hoover, but they left before I did.  They were staying in a B&B which must be tough with small children (one a baby), but she had fallen in love with Lakeside.

This year my husband joined “The guy’s club.”  I think it was originally a spoof on The Women’s Club which has been around for about 90 years, and they had no agenda and no programs. Their dues support various Lakeside projects. But they do march with their drill team (carry power drills and wear matching t-shirts) in the July 4 parade, and go to lunch.  So today he’s going to lunch with them.  He knows most of them from sailing, but has never joined.

  

Exercising with Eric

Today the YouTube I found for my exercise routine was our own Pastor Eric Waters in an "reenactment" of his July 4, 2010 sermon of several years ago. We're not usually here in the summer, but I did attend this meeting. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AseCsgLcrvw

If you Google Eric Waters, you’ll have to wade through all the ones about an athlete by that name.

Have a great holiday and remember what it celebrates

Monday Memories--Looking like an aging July 4th queen

That’s sort of an odd compliment, but that’s what a high school friend wrote when I sent her this photo, my husband and son in the front and me in the back of a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 convertible in the July 4 parade at Lakeside, Ohio.

Actually, I never went in for that queen stuff.  When I was growing up our town had a July 4 queen, the county had a Pork Queen, Forreston had a Sauerkraut Queen, I think 4-H had a queen and king, our high school had a homecoming queen and court.  Not me.  Never entered any of them.  Was I a snob about queen contests, or was I insecure.  Probably both, but I wasn’t about to have a panel (usually of men) judge me!  Until.  Once I did—in 1959.  The Arnold Air Society was having a “contest” for college women to be in their auxiliary. So I read the rules, and showed up.  I didn’t get in.  I had the brains but not the legs.  However, one young cadet noticed me and called me for a date for St. Patrick’s Ball.  On our first date he told me would marry me, and he did.

Guest blogger Murray tours the home town—Mt. Morris, Illinois

Our favorite home town hasn’t changed much. On my first bike trip around the town after winter in Florida I did take note of the fact that the residents do a damn good job of keeping their homes up. Thank goodness for vinyl siding. There are some in a state of disrepair or abandoned, but considering the situation the town looks pretty neat. Whitmer, who farms the field back of our house, usually alternates between corn and soybeans but has elected to go for the ethanol crop again this year. The land around the airport outside of the village that had 5 acre lots for sale has utilized the land for an ethanol crop also while waiting for lot sales to pick up. We now have a new Dollar General Store located just before you get to the trailer court on Rt. 64. This was badly needed as the little discount store located in the old Brass Rail closed down after a year or so of opening although there is a sign painted on the window glass, "New Business Coming."  I stopped by on my bike trip and was able to talk to the owners. They are going to modify the store with a lunch counter and gift shop. They are aiming to reopen during the 4th so drop in. They are located in the old Brass Rail. Unfortunately, we lost the remaining ( Hough) hardware store that has been one of the town's mainstays. That store building plus the old Hough house is for sale. Probably the best news is the Kable Printing Company's building has been sold by Quad Graphics to a business out in California. It's my understanding this business does not operate any type of business of their own. They buy property, renovate it and rent or resell it to others. Part of the selling contract allows for Quad to use it for storage for 3 years. After that, hopefully Mt. Morris will see a new business startup. Here's the story: http://www.oglecountynews.com/2013/04/26/quad-graphics-plant-in-mt-morris-purchased-by-california-company-few-details-available/asa5iy0/

Our golf course is doing well and is in great shape so if you visit bring your clubs and call me cause I'm still whacking the ball around. Right now they are busy getting ready for the 32nd annual Old Home Week Golf Tournament. They are calling it the 32nd but I remember playing in it back in the 60's and 70's. Click here for tournament info: http://sunsetgolfmm.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2013-Old-Home-Week-Entry-Form.pdf. The group from the Rockford Country Club did not sign up this year therefore leaving the tournament a few teams short. Some of the area courses aren't doing as well as Sunset. Oregon Country Club has been sold and is currently closed. The new owner is trying to resell it as a golf course. Good luck with that one. Silver Ridge closed last fall but has a new owner this spring and is open for play. Sterling Country Club closed and was sold. It is now farmland. Looks like more ethanol on line. As of now I don't know what's holding the Polo course together. Dixon and Lost Nation are still going along with Prairie View in Byron.

In spite of the fact that small town America is disappearing, Mt. Morris refuses to give up on it's traditions and way of life. They held their memorial day festivities as usual with a good turnout at the Band shell and Memorial fountain. The Band shell has been renovated complete with a cement pad to hold the new park benches out front. The Kable Band has given concerts for the last 117 years. Click here: http://www.mtmorrisil.net/Blank.html Somebody needs to call Guinness on this....could be a record! And of course, as many of the natives count on, our annual 4th of July celebration will draw people back home from all over the country. I'll be at my usual spot out in front of the old Brass Rail hopefully along with the usual old friends that annually check each other out during the parade. If you come bring a few tall tales to add to the ones you'll be hearing from the "old regulars" They have a million of them that get better each year!

The Blackhawk statue is soliciting for donations for badly needed renovations. You can help. Go here for information about the restoration: http://www.rrstar.com/news/x1503808519/Summer-2014-repair-expected-for-Black-Hawk-statue-in-Oregon#axzz2WO4dE7M4

Pinecrest Manor continues to expand it's facilities. Everybody's little buddy Jimmy "Lil' Pete" Smith from the class of '55 is now a resident. Besides the facilities to house the elderly requiring assistance, they now have a small village of their own called Pinecrest Grove. The plans call for 42 duplex homes with 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms. They already have 10 built with 4 of them sold. They really look nice and the prices range from $50,000 to $167,000 depending on the type of "plan" you subscribe to. Click here to have a peek. http://www.pinecrestcommunity.org/lifestyle/pinecrest-grove

The biggest bummer is our main drag. Starting at the corner of Wesley & Center going north there are 10 store fronts in the first block with 3 empty. Not too bad. But, the next block that includes Felkers Drug is completely void of any businesses. The final block shows Zickuhr's Corner Drug empty and with just a tavern plus gas station. (Dewey's old place) The recent closing of the  old hardware store renders that side of the block empty now . So the heart of the town is pretty quiet most days.

Here are other websites that will provide you with just about anything you want to know about your favorite hometown:

http://www.mtmorrisil.net/Tourism.html

http://www.mtmorrisil.net/Mt_Morris_Updated_Businesses_6-25-12.pdf

Lakeside is flag ready for the Fourth of July!

If you click to enlarge you can see 3 or 4 neighborhood cats having breakfast.

The Popcorn Palace always looks dressed in her finest floral best.

Every home on Lynn between 2nd and 3rd was flying a flag this morning.

July 5 clean up

On my morning walk today--about 6 a.m.--the sun was barely visible. A thick haze. I saw about 20 Canada geese newly arrived and honking. And although the lakefront didn't look like the Washington Mall after the Obama inauguration, it was pretty sad. I don't think most Lakesiders litter like this, but there were hundreds of guests and many, many children spreading blankets, setting up chairs, and bringing along food and drink for the long, long wait of an hour or so. [sarcasm]

I know the groundskeepers will be out to do the clean up soon, but I picked up things as I went along: plastic cups with lids, spoons, forks; plastic water bottles--some never opened; empty boxes of sparklers and exploding rocks; soft drink cans; napkins and tissues; paper coffee cups; blankets, towels, folding camp chairs; dog leash; broken fixture for in-ground watering system; battery operated something with a strap; pair of white socks. But I didn't disturb the biker in a sleeping bad at the east end or the plastic bag of dog poop at the west end.

What may be the most time consuming for the grounds staff and which is the fault of Lakesiders are the hundreds of softball size+ rocks that people bring from the lakefront to anchor their blankets in case it gets windy. Each one of these will have to be picked up by hand and thrown back into the rip-rap in order not to damage the mowing equipment. Bad, bad on the people who don't pick up and remove their rocks when they take their blankets back to the cottage.

Lakeside provides at least 4 styles of trash cans, which may be part of the problem. Some people don't know whether the container is for certain plastics, or just cans, or for paper trash, so they just leave the mess on the park benches.

The above photo is actually from July 2008--haze is haze on any days.

Adams and Jefferson died on July 4

Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration in committee with John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.