The farm on Daysville Road

 In May we sold our summer home in Lakeside, Ohio, after owning it for 34 years. Part of the sale contract was we would stay until Labor Day, so we did get to enjoy one last summer. That's just a little longer than we owned our home on Abington Road where we raised our family. We bought it in 1988 and I still was suffering from a bad case of "empty nest." I remember how much fun it was to decorate it--we were starting from scratch because everything needed to be refreshed, remodeled, or replaced. In May 1989 Bob and his friend Ron changed the paint color from white to mauve, which it remained through summer 2022, our last year.  Some knick knacks and mementos made the trip from Columbus to Lake Erie, although I didn't want it to look like our home in Columbus.  I shopped in Sandusky for things like sheets and towels, and I believe the wall paper (all the rage then) in cream, mauve, rose and blue, came from a Columbus store. 

One of my own paintings seem to fit the theme of the master bedroom--sort of rural and folksy with maple furniture from the 1940s, so it made the trip to the summer home and stayed for 34 years.  This is an acrylic painting I'd done around 1978 from a photo I'd taken in around 1974 of the field of soybeans and neighboring farm at my mother's family farm near Franklin Grove.  I believe at the time I was told that was the --------- place, and it may have even been a distant relative, but I've forgotten the name. If I had the Lee County History book, I could perhaps look it up.  

I doubt that I painted the buildings accurately because it was the sky, particularly the clouds, that caught my eye that hot day. The sun was high in the sky and the fluffy clouds created a shadow on the fields.  The farm land in that part of Lee County is very flat, so when you're outside, you have a feeling that it's all sky--maybe like Montana which is called "big sky." A story that was told to me, I think by my father, is that this area was all marsh in the 1800s when the white settlers arrived. It was near Inlet Swamp.  I'd heard from my grandmother that her father had tiled the land to drain the water. He got the land very cheap, maybe $1.00 an acre because it was swampy and wet--considered worthless for farming.  If I could see what's west of that farm on Daysville Road in the painting I think it would be Old Mill Road and Franklin Creek Park.  

 So this painting hung in the Lakeside house for 34 years, and is now in the bathroom off my office.

Baby names

Today I was going through papers from my desk at our Lakeside house (sold) that I brought back to Columbus. Some warranties, notes from Mrs. Thompson (previous owner) on names of plants, and old bills. Like removal of 4 skunks, $60, about 30 years ago. I'd never paid attention to his name before, but it was Ulice. The first thing I thought of was that Mama didn't know how to spell Ulysses. But I looked it up. Yes, it is an American male name, though very rare. Then I learned it was first recorded in 1886 as a birth name. Ulysses S. Grant was president from 1869-1877. I'm going with my first guess.

Speaking of skunks last week we reported a huge wasp nest in the tree in front of our house, and I looked out just now and saw a guy with a big ladder wearing a haz-mat suit and big hat. Not an easy job, I'm sure. I will observe from inside and won't ask him his name.

There are so many workers out there who at the end of the day can say they've accomplished more than our Congress and President.

Reminders of Lakeside

Yesterday I bought some long stem sunflowers at Kroger, but when I looked in our cabinets, I didn't like the choices of vases. Instead I cut the stems and selected a small blue bowl made by our Lakeside friend, Ed Day, who died in 2020. I think Ed and Happy had a sale when they moved from Dayton to Lakeside after retirement. That's probably how I happened to have it. It's inscribed on the bottom with his name and date. Then I added some lovely hand painted Blue Ridge China (Mountain Ivy pattern) from the Southern Potteries company (1916-1957) Erwin, TN. I bought these from the Lakeside Archives in 2020 when they had a little store (for just one season) of donated items where the Archives is now located on Walnut St.

  

  

Tracking down an artist, Julia Crainer

We brought all our artwork to Columbus on Saturday from our recently sold Lakeside home.  One I had always enjoyed, but didn't have the provenance, had defeated my internet searches. From the signature on the original painting of hot peppers I bought at Cottage Accessories, a little resale store in Lakeside in 2008, I was looking for Julia Grawer. I did find other paintings by that signature, at an Minnesota auction site of radishes, garlic and lettuce.  It had been sold but it did have an enlargement feature for the signature.  When I clicked on that, I could see that the name was Crainer, not Grawer.  The i and the n looked like a w without enlargement.  So I kept looking, and finally found an auction site where someone had left a comment about her:

"Julia Crainer is a lovely artist from Texas who has taught at Coastal Bend College and Concan Porcelain Art School. I have been lucky enough to take a watercolor class with her 3 times. Loved EVERY minute of learning from her. She painted this watercolor of corn which she either grew or bought at the market. Her signature style in some of her prints... is to watercolor...and when finished....add fine ball point pen marks on top in black ink." :D

Once I'd tracked her to Texas I looked for an obituary that mentioned "art teacher," and I found one, very lovingly written by a son. She died November 19, 2015 at 90.

"Julia was born in Bay City, Texas to MacMillan and Gladys Ballard Arrington on November 29, 1924. In Passing, She was undoubtedly greeted after hugging her Soulmate husband Everett, by many of the family, friends, and students that she loved, taught, mentored and inspired in her long, productive, and inspiring life that crossed over previously.

Julia’s life was centered on family and art. When at three she was given paints, her natural gift for art was discovered and encouraged by her gifted parents. Later her talent was recognized by several artists who mentored her. A short autobiography written for a 2010 gallery display of Crainer’s multi-media artwork states,

“…. My life has been too long and full for me to include everyone who has been significant in my life and career, but I must mention Everett Mac and Jim, my dear sons who, along with my Everett, have been the center of my adult life. I thank my family, teachers, students, and friends for all they have done to enrich my life.

I also want to thank God for giving me my gift and a family that encouraged me to use it. As a two time cancer survivor, I also thank God for restoring my health. I believe God gives each one of us gifts that he expects us to use for others and for Him. I was put here to have two sons. As a teacher, I try to help others develop their gifts as many helped me develop mine. I hope to teach as long as God grants me health and life.”

The Lord gave mom over 70 years as a Teacher, 56 Yrs as a wife, 70 yrs as a Loving Mother and almost 92 years of living Life making so many new loving friends along the way.

Crainer’s joy was creating special Art works for her family, but her Artwork is known far beyond her family, friends, and state. Many of her paintings reside in foreign countries and other states. 

More here.  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/202953990/julia-ballard-crainer

She makes a great pork tenderloin

 So I asked her.  How do you do this?  She told me, but I was on my walk at Lakeside, and had stopped by her house (she was sitting outside reading), so then she texted  me.

Salt, pepper, olive oil, bacon grease/ however you choose to season

> Braise to brown on stovetop
> 400* oven, do not cover
> 20-25 min.
> Done when 145* internal temp./I use a meat thermometer
> Let rest 5-10 min. before slicing.
> Serve & enjoy!

She's a vegan.  But remembers when she wasn't, so she still does a great dinner party. She had put bacon in the coleslaw, so that's how she happened to have the bacon grease. It was yummy too.

The Purple Martin, Robin and Hummingbird

On my morning walk today I was thinking about some of the common birds I see--the purple martin, the robin, and the hummingbird. In central Ohio, the robin sticks around, but here near Lake Erie they migrate to get away from our bitter winters. The purple martins come in the spring and are gone by August 1--they eat thousands of mosquitoes while they are here and then fly 5,000 miles to South America. The hummingbirds are around for about 3 seasons, but they also migrate. They also eat a lot of bugs, but too many people try to "help" with sugary mixes to attract them--sort of like welfare, good intentions but bad results. Robins are omnivores--bugs and berries, but they are also a food source for predator birds.

So what if there were a government program for equity among the birds. What would that do to diversity if there were a D.I.E. department that tried to force the robins to fly the wind currents of the swallow family (purple martins are swallows) to South America.

 
Or what if Biden passed an executive order that purple martins had to sacrifice their lake habitat to become a food source for the hawks in my back yard in Columbus?

 
What if the hummingbirds had to be inclusive and share that bottle of sugary mix with the robins who then would stop eating bugs because the goo tastes better?

 
And what if the robins decided they needed the longer wings of the swallow so they could eat on the fly instead of toiling to dig the worms out of the ground? Would we have surgery clinics for bird wings?

 
How hard could it be to convince a female purple martin she'd look more sexy and be more successful if she only had longer wing feathers of the male purple martin? Maybe the female purple martin could apply to the government for the longer feathers transplant of the male (a sexual attractions feature).

 
Silly you say. So are the equity demands being foisted on us in the laws and regulations of a power hungry government--federal, state, local, and the lily livered, go along to get along woke corporations, non-profits and churches.

Climate change narrative of Big Tech

 Facebook wants to tell me how climate is changing in my area each time I post research that goes against its power agenda. It sends a message about temperatures in my geographic area even though temperature isn't climate. Every morning I walk where there use to be a glacier retreating to what is now Canada as the Great Lakes were being formed. I think I know the climate has changed. Now, go and harass elsewhere Oh mighty Meta (Facebook's new name).

Surprise visitors today

 I heard some commotion outside and heard voices.  It turns out our good friends Tom and Natalie, their daughters and sons-in-law, and three grandchildren were renting a cottage just a few doors away.  A good reunion. Tom helped us in 1989 when we had carpet installed, and he and Bob's Cursillo group came up here during the winter one year.

Wednesday night picnic August 24

 The last family picnic of the season--we're sitting at a picnic table with Bob and Pat Borean in the foreground and a few others enjoying hot dogs, baked beans, macaroni salad, chips, watermelon, cookies and lemon-ade. You can see us in the second photo too, Bob in the navy shirt on the white chair.  Games for the kids, always fun to watch.

  

Sunrise, August 15 at Lakeside

 

Can you see the Naked Ladies?  That's the name for the pink lilies that pop up about the first week in August with no leaves to cover their beauty.  We have a few in our yard, with some on the table right now that had fallen down.  You can also see in the photo in the distance a freighter that has arrived in Marblehead to load up oar from the quarry.  Yesterday I saw three of them, one in dock, one near by, and a third one further out.  I've heard it's the largest quarry in the country.  Our friend Tony who a member of a geologist/rock club was inside the mine this past week collecting beautiful rocks with gem stones (don't recall what they are called), and he gave us one with purple and blue stones in it.  He says the pieces are so sharp (broken up and left by large equipment} that glove, shoes and pants can be ruined in just one trip into the mines.

Lunch on August 12

 I went to the farmer's market this morning and bought beets with leaves, Swiss chard in 2 colors, tomatoes, peaches and some bakery treats.  I already had spinach, onions, etc. on hand.  So here's a photo of lunch, which we ate on the deck because the weather was wonderful--chicken tetrazzini, fresh cooked beets, steamed spinach, and a raspberry scone.  All very yummy.  But in the middle of the afternoon, I remembered I hadn't taken my Xarelto (blood thinner), which I remembered I put on the plate so I wouldn't forget it. Apparently, I ate it with the chicken.  To be sure, I enlarged the photo, and see it sitting there trying to look like part of the rust colored flower on the plate. So, I'm trusting I ate it.

Environmental sustainability at Lakeside

According to one of our speakers this week at Lakeside, "Nearly half of the 300 million tons of plastics produced each year are only used a few short minutes before they are tossed away into our lakes, oceans and landfills to sit for hundreds of years."

Every person can see to it if they use plastic, it doesn't end up in the public spaces or water sources. I'm guessing 30 years of working with people to be aware of pollution was lost in the 2 years of the lockdown and forced masking. I've never seen as much trash in the environment as I've seen since March 2020. The cartons used for carry out must be uncountable. For awhile we couldn't even take reusable shopping bags into the stores. But the bigger problem is that those who are the richest among us, who have 2 or 3 homes, or drive electric cars or install solar panels on their houses--they are urging and voting for policies that really hurt those not so affluent in the name of saving something they don't know what.

 
Pick up after yourself and use less. Just like mom told you. Humans need water to live, but they survived for eons without carrying it in plastic bottles. And don't vote for people or policies that will destroy the pensions of retirees or agriculture in other countries.

Wednesday night Picnic

 On Wednesday evening we head for Perry Park, weather permitting, to eat a hot dog, macaroni salad, baked beans, watermelon and chips.  This is a happy time, with a lot of laughter.  We bring a long our chairs because there aren't enough picnic tables to hold the crowd. In the second photo are Bob and me and Pat and Bob with whom we were sitting, and then some photos of the volunteers who help with the food. It was extremely hot last night, but the breeze from the lake was wonderful. 

The big lie--the U.S. was founded on slavery

In a Q & A session this past week I heard a fellow Christian, a Lutheran, piously repeat one of the biggest lies of our era: that our country was founded on slavery--it's based on the 1619 New York Times misbegotten, misinformation, vanity award of several years ago. No respectable historian ever accepted it, but liberals eager for self-flagellation willingly drink those polluted waters. The wealthy middle class matrons seem to love the topic for their book clubs and tea.

"The 1619 Project is not history; it is ignorance. It claims that the American Revolution was staged to protect slavery, though it never once occurs to the Project to ask, in that case, why the British West Indies (which had a far larger and infinitely more malignant slave system than the 13 American colonies) never joined us in that revolution. It claims that the Constitution’s three-fifths clause was designed by the Founders as the keystone that would keep the slave states in power, though the 1619 Project seems not to have noticed that at the time of the Constitutional Convention, all of the states were slave states (save only Massachusetts), so that the three-fifths clause could not have been intended to confer such a mysterious power on slavery unless the Founders had come to the Convention equipped with crystal balls. It behaves as though the Civil War never happened, that the slaves somehow freed themselves, and that a white president never put weapons into the hands of black men and bid them kill rebels who had taken up arms in defense of bondage. The 1619 Project forgets, in other words, that there was an 1863 Project, and that its name was emancipation.

Finally: the 1619 Project is not history; it is evangelism."

So for Christians especially it is chasing false gods to worship. Sigh. Our country has many flaws--it is after all full of sinners like you and me in need of a Savior and was founded by sinners who wanted worldly rewards. How could it be perfect? But this 1619 drivel is beyond any conspiracy theory the right wing ever imagined. The ignorance, the self-satisfaction, the smugness--it's like trying to escape through a California wild fire with someone using up the oxygen that's left.

https://www.city-journal.org/1619-project-conspiracy-theory

The 1619 Project: Sloppy scholarship and distorted history under consideration for Washington schools » Publications » Washington Policy Center

Down the 1619 Project’s Memory Hole (quillette.com)

The 1619 Project: Believe Your Lying Eyes by Seth Forman | NAS

Flowers at the cottage

 Although we've sold our cottage at Lakeside, this year the flowers have been doing beautifully.  So Bob took a photo, and because of the reflections in the porch window, we also have a photo of our neighbors.

Andrew Forrest, preacher of the week at Lakeside

Our pastor this week has been Andrew Forrest. Outstanding. He's beginning a new position in Tulsa, Oklahoma, leaving Dallas, TX, but made the move via Lakeside, Ohio. He was just the best, and left us all in tears Thursday morning. His theme for the week was the Prologue of the Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-11 (Creation to Babel).  It will be interesting to see if someone this good can remain in the United Methodist denomination.  It's a boiling pot ready to spill over.

About — Andrew Forrest

From Lakeside website:

"Lakeside Chautauqua welcomes Rev. Andrew Forrest as Preacher of the Week July 24-28. He will lead the 10:30 a.m. Chautauqua Community Worship Service on Sunday, July 24 in Hoover Auditorium. This week’s service will be live streamed. Visit lakesideohio.com/streaming to watch on the day of the service. This week’s preacher is supported by Dr. James & Betty Jane Young.

Forrest’s Sunday sermon is “Genesis: The Beginning of Wisdom,” and the scripture is Genesis 1:1-2:3. He will also lead Vespers by the Lake at the Steele Memorial Bandstand. Note: Vespers will take place Monday at 7:30 p.m. instead of Tuesday.

Forrest is a husband, father and pastor. Raised in West Africa and Virginia, he has an undergraduate degree from Columbia University in New York and a graduate degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. As a third generation Methodist minister, he was the pastor of Munger Place United Methodist Church in Dallas since it was planted in 2010 by nearby Highland Park United Methodist Church. After 12 years at Munger Place, Forrest became the Senior Pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma on July 1, 2022. His first Sunday at Asbury will be Aug. 7.

Forrest wants to engage culture, teach the Bible, and most importantly, make weekly worship the foundation of everything. He believes the purpose of a pastor is to prepare people to live faith-fully in the world. Forrest blogs at andrewforrest.org."

Symphony begins tonight

All of Lakeside looks forward to this.  In 2020, we only had small groups playing at the bandstand in the park, and 2021 had a very limited season.  Now this announcement:

"Under the direction of Music Director & Conductor Daniel Meyer, the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra (LSO) will open its 59th summer residency in Lakeside at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 26 in Hoover Auditorium.

The LSO, established in 1963, is a celebrated tradition at Lakeside and a key component of our arts programming. More than 80 musicians from across the country are members of the symphony, many of whom have devoted years of service to Lakeside.

This summer brings a series of LSO performances for all ages, seven to be exact, with extraordinarily talented guest artists and new opportunities for audiences to share the love of music and the symphony. There will also be an LSO Brass Quintet Family Concert on Thursday, Aug. 4 and four Pre-Concert Lectures on July 29, Aug. 2, 9 and 12."

 BIOGRAPHY | danielmeyerblack (danielmeyermusic.com)

Lakeside Chautauqua names Daniel Meyer new symphony conductor - cleveland.com

Peter Noone, Herman's Hermits at Lakeside

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg-ChNN8yso

We enjoyed Herman's Hermits--Peter Noone--and it was a great evening, Saturday June 16.  All the baby boomers in the audience at Hoover Auditorium were jamming.  Our neighbors (about 73-74) brought their 10 year old granddaughter, but she was playing games on her phone. It's happy music, with a lot of audience participation. Since this video is just a few months old, I think it represents him well.

Losing our Linden (Basswood or Tilia Americana)

The linden, in the fervors of July,
Hums with a louder concert. When the wind
Sweeps the broad forest in its summer prime,
As when some master-hand exulting sweeps
The keys of some great organ, ye give forth
The music of the woodland depths, a hymn
Of gladness and of thanks.

William Cullen Bryant

It has been providing shade here for 90 to 100 years, our neighbor Bill Dudrow says.  About 20 years ago a large section fell on the deck, but after having it trimmed (actually major surgery) we were told it was healthy although somewhat deformed.  Then this summer we noticed a large area of decay developing.  The tree  man came out yesterday and told us the old damaged trunk was splitting and that was the cause of the decay at the bottom.  It will have to come down.  Sigh.

  

The Linden range extends from New Brunswick south to Georgia, and west to Nebraska and Texas.  It is a soft wood, and I hear it's good for carving and cabinets. It has heart shaped leaves and early in the summer develops clusters of blossom-buds in greenish-yellow, which bees love, and the deck requires constant sweeping.

Information from "Our Trees: How to know them" by Arthur I. Emerson. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 5th ed., 1936.  

Nap study mentioned by John Ed Mathison, Got a Minute

 Association of napping with incident cardiovascular events in a prospective cohort study - PubMed (nih.gov)

This study was mentioned in John Ed Mathison's "Got a Minute," 325 daily meditations. He's a retired Methodist pastor who was at Lakeside in 2021, and I attended his morning sermons. I bought this little book and have been using it for the opening meditations at the Lakeside Women's Club which meets at 1:30 on Tuesday.  I try to pick something that's appropriate for the day's program.  Any program about Lakeside would good for a study on napping.  I see a lot of it-- on the hotel porch, on park benches, on towels in the sun and I have a nap almost every day.  

John Ed says on p. 326, "a brief nap is healthy in releasing stress.  The Bible teaches about stress, anxiety, and good health.  I challenge you to put a 5 minute nap together with a reflection on what the Bible teaches.  It might be off the chart how much healthier you could be!"

John Ed usually doesn't give complete citations--after all, these meditations are on phone apps or radio announcements, and I like to think they are reaching people that churches don't, or someone who maybe has a church family but needs a little boost.  That's what librarians are for--we are finders so you can be keepers. That's why I give you the link to the research. And a copy of a painting I did years ago of a napper on the porch of Hotel Lakeside.