3944

This 'n That 'n Those

If you are a regular, you may have noticed that my e-mail address has changed to prontomail from medscape. It seems to be moving nicely and medscape will be forwarding for some time. I'd never heard of this mail service before. I was hoping to lose the spam, but it was forwarded, too. I finally got my OSU mailbox cleaned out--had about 1000 spam. Doesn't give me much faith in OSU's OIT.

I'm loving being back to my regular coffee spot, Coffee and Cream, here at Lakeside. But while in Oregon I did visit Mudd Puddles (great lunches there too if you're tired of the Macedonian restaurants in the area) and Casey's. Last night I got the munchies and walked "downtown" to a little shop to get a bag of pretzels and heard someone call my name. Donna and Bob from Columbus were at the coffee shop having an ice cream. Donna and I had met in the park at home one day and I told her about Lakeside. They brought the grandchildren up, and they've had a fabulous week.

I've heard from a few classmates about my class reunion blog--still waiting for some more photos to post.

Since I use a different computer at Lakeside, I'm not sure what I'll post for Family Friday--maybe something from last week. I thought I had a great photo of my brother and me, then realized it is on my niece's camera. She's getting some photos from cousin Margaret to scan and send to me while she's in Illinois.

The auditorium was packed last night for illusionists, The Spencers. I only stopped by for a few moments, but it must have been one of the most popular programs of the summer.

Temperatures are supposed to get into the 90s today, so I walked early along the lakefront. Still listening to Guitar; and American Life by Tim Brookes. I see it is over 105 in Montana. My friend Carol may want to extend her stay in Illinois where it will only be in the mid-90s until it cools down out there.

3943

Conservatives and Talk Radio

Liberals can't walk the talk on freedom of speech. Particularly when it is talk radio. Liberals don't do well in competing for listeners in talk radio--can't get the advertisers (they are anti-business) and they are boring (haven't had a new idea since the Johnson administration). So they want to reinstate the "fairness doctrine" which would so tie up the radio stations in regulations and law suits that they would drop that format. Imagine if every time you spoke about marriage between a man and woman you had to give equal time to gay couples, or polygamists, or man-boy-love groups. Or if you interviewed a veteran of WWII you had to also interview a Nazi veteran, or an anti-war Mennonite or if you did that you had to also give the same number of minutes to the fanatical types who blow up little children in government buildings in Oklahoma. What if the host of the show was pro-choice--he'd have to give equal time to pro-life groups; or what if the host didn't like President Bush and had to give equal time to Cheney or Rove? No, the programmers and producers and owners would just throw their hands up and we'd go back to dead air, endless NPR type programming or musak 24/7. And the people who want something other than what the MSM spew and spit at us on TV would find another way to get information from Gallager, O'Reilly, Malkin, Hannity, Ingraham, Beck, Medved, etc. Read Adam Theirer's article on The Media Cornucopia.

"That leftist media critics start sounding so authoritarian is no surprise. In a media cornucopia, freedom of choice inevitably yields media inequality. "In systems where many people are free to choose between many options, a small subset of the whole will get a disproportionate amount of traffic (or attention, or income), even if no members of the system actively work towards such an outcome,” writes Clay Shirky of New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program. Overcoming that inequality would require a completely regulated media." "

Democrats and talk radio.

Top 100 talkers.

Thursday Thirteen about our trip

1) Last Thursday we left Lakeside, OH for Oregon, IL around 7 a.m. arriving about 2:30 at my sister's home, returning to Ohio on Tuesday.
2) We had fabulous weather the entire time, 5 days--cool mornings, sunny days. They needed rain, but it held off until we were gone.
3) On Friday I walked with my high school friend Lynne, about 4 miles, past the home where I lived and out into the country. A lovely day for a long walk.
4) Also on Friday my sister and I visited the new veterans' memorial in Forreston, where we lived when we were children.
5) We found our father's name, and talked about all the surnames we recognized, even from the Civil War era (we're really not that old, but recognized the names).
6) Touched base with my high school friend Tina (California) and her sister Valerie (Florida) at a restaurant and made plans.

7) Went to a restaurant for dinner and surprised my great niece, a college sophomore, who was working there.

8) Attended the annual Ladies' Breakfast of my high school class at the White Pines State Park.
9) Visited with neighbors of my sister who had been our neighbors in Mt. Morris.
10) Attended Saturday services at Trinity Lutheran Church in Mt. Morris where my sister is the organist and choir director. We had communion and enjoyed the service and Pastor Erickson.
11) Enjoyed a family dinner at my sister's home with aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, great-nieces and nephew, siblings, and in-laws on Sunday afternoon. Slipped away for an hour to attend the memorial service at the cemetery for Tina and Valerie's mother.
12) Visited the site on Monday where my cousin is building a new home in the woods, getting a nice tour and update, and visited with my uncle and his wife who is in the nursing home in Mt. Morris. Had lunch at my sister's home with Tina and Jack, enjoying Sunday's left-overs on their lovely deck.
13 Attended on Monday evening a very fine 50th class reunion at the White Pines State Park.

Progressive and radical librarians

aren't very different from any progressive and radical fill-in-the-blank folk. They are political first, second and third, and librarianship, if it exists in their thought process, ranks somewhere below. I don't know how many of the PARL are out there on the fringes of the profession, but their noise level is high because so many in the profession are liberals and Democrats, sort of the first cousins of the Progressives. However, like those food/drug reform groups (Center for the something of the something) or church committees (Council of the whatever for the thingamajig) they make a lot of noise and put out tons of announcements and pack their party faithful on the faculties of our tax supported institutions.

They are joining us with the United States Social Forum. They are against "value-neutral" libraries, whatever that is, because they sure want to see their values well represented on the shelves, like the 16 copies of a popular anti-Bush title, or 25+ titles of everything Michael Moore ever produced on film or in print at my public library, or fighting community groups trying to keep pornography out of the hands of children using libraries.

PARL never asks what can be done for the working librarians, the profession or the library user, only how can they mold the library culture into meeting their social reform goals. Annoyed Librarian has renamed them the Regressive Librarians, and it does beg reflection on just what the word "PROGRESSIVE" means when used by any American political group. Progressive does not mean better benefits or unionization of retail employees of very large companies, because they really want the company destroyed; progressive doesn't mean a safer and healthier environment if that means the US economy could survive; nor raising the income of the bottom quintile but bringing everyone else down to their level, and if that isn't successful, import more poor people (illegal immigration); a progressive value is not saving wild animals or habitat, but valuing animals above humans. It's not about cooperation among religious groups, but destroying any faiths and putting Marxist principles first. Their plans, methods and goals have brought misery in every country that tried them, but they are so progressive they are desperate for it to work here in the U.S. Now, what's so progressive about these folks' tired, failed ideas? Nothing that I can see?

Celebrate our Freedom and Independence!

Happy July 4. I posted this photo of my neighbor and her dog last July 4, but I think it is so cute, here it is again.



Lakeside, Ohio

3939

We're back in Lakeside

We had a peaceful trip back arriving about 2:30 p.m. Traffic was light and there weren't too many construction slow downs. Weather was terrific. I've been updating the class reunion blog. My husband was able to get in an hour or two of sailing and tonight we're going to Hoover Auditorium to hear the Brass Band of Columbus. "The band’s instrumentation is brass and percussion only, following the tradition of British brass bands. Membership of this 45-piece ensemble includes over thirty active or retired music educators and a wide range of other professions."

We're off again

We're heading for Illinois to visit family (brother, sister, aunts and uncles, a few cousins, nieces and nephews) and to attend my high school reunion here. The worst part of the trip is getting around Chicago. We'll be back at the Lake in time for the Fourth celebrations. Bev will stay in our cottage and keep the kitty company. See you all when I get back.

3937

We're haters and xenophobes

According to today's WaPo:

"Under attack from talk radio, unions, xenophobes and others, the White House and reform-minded Republicans have maneuvered to salvage legislation that would address the core problems of tightening enforcement of existing laws and providing a legal future for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country."

One of the core problems is our legislators haven't even read the bill. They have no idea what is in it. One "prominent" Republican hung up on a radio interview when asked if he'd read it. I've read some of the suggested admendments (haven't seen the bill, but neither have my senators), and if the bill is as bizarre as they are, we're in deep doo doo. The 1986 IRCA is a mess, always has been; now we're trying to make it even worse. Can Ted Kennedy get anything right?

"The enemies of immigration reform remain unable to articulate a realistic alternative to the Senate legislation that would address the plight of the 12 million undocumented immigrants. They seem to imagine that by ignoring them, or harassing them, they will simply fade from view. They won't. If it's not resolved in this congressional session, the problem will come back again and again. Better to fix it now."

Americans who want our employment laws enforced, our borders secure from drug dealers and terrorists, are now "enemies" in the marxist-think of the MSM. At least WaPo acknowledges the 12,000,000 illegals--usually the liberal press overlooks that. Well, how do the august, so-smart editors think they got here? IRCA. Don't fix it. Dump it and start over.

3936

If you're a parent

of one of the 600 teenagers from the Methodist Lima District (now called something else), I must say these are some of the nicest, well-behaved kids I've seen in years. Maybe ever. Certainly better behaved than my generation. We were in the Hoover Auditorium when they came in last night for the program, and when the lights went down, you could have heard a pin drop, they were so quiet. Earlier in the day we had talked to a group of them on the dock who were on a scavenger hunt. One of them recognized us at the program and stopped to chat. This is the 80th year that this district has sent its youth to Lakeside. That could mean some of the these kids' great-grandparents might have done the same. Wow.

3935

Memorial Dinner

I fixed Bob Evans bratwurst, potato salad and tossed salad with a dish of fresh blueberries/raspberries and a peanut butter/ chocolate dessert. Ohioan Bob Evans died last week. Thanks for the memories. And I was wearing Liz Claiborne khaki jeans. She died Tuesday at 78.

3934

No dog in this fight

There's a discussion going on at BeliefNet's blog by Kuo on whether Apple users are "religious" about their Macs and devotion to Steve Jobs. David Kuo writes as an "Appleist." One commenter writes that they do have cult like behavior:

"They all tend to be the edgy, artsy, wanna-be SEEN as mad-genius types who want power over others so that they can 'teach' that person how to live / eat / dress / what to smoke and what not to smoke / etc. Ergo, an overwhelming portion of liberals (not classical liberals, mind you) use Macs and worship its creator.

Of course you can't convince them of this. Have you ever had a conversation with a cultist of any stripe? No matter what ground you are standing on, persecution is to be expected and re-inforces their identity with the group. You are a labeled an outsider who does not have their special knowledege of salvation. Likewise, when they have a problem with their religion/cult, it is instinctively their own problem and not due to anything on Apple's behalf."

I guess everyone I know is just a stodgy, frumpy ol' PC user. I do resent the Apple ads, but insulting your competition is old stuff in advertising. I'll stay out of this one, but if you're using a Mac and causing me problems, now I know why.

3933

Vacation Bible School

Our church (UALC in Upper Arlington, Hilliard and Columbus, OH) always has a huge Vacation Bible School--about 2500 kids, and this is the first year since 1994 that my husband hasn't participated as a teacher. I'm always surprised by the number of families who visit their Columbus relatives that week so their kids can go to Bible School. They come from all over the country.

But apparently we aren't unique. Fat Doctor tells about an inner city Church of the Brethren congregation that provides this opportunity too, only it is the staff who travels there, and one with an unusual past. She says her mother was Church of the Brethren and her father Catholic--they became Presbyterian, socially liberal enough for her mom and enough guilt for her dad.

I grew up in that denomination (CoB) and would have left a comment at her blog, except she requires registration. She's got a great blog.

Excuse my appearance!

Today's temps are predicted for the mid-90s, which next to a large body of water like Lake Erie means way-too-high humidity, so I walked along the lakefront early (ca. 8 a.m.). Two miles with my Guitar audiobook. I'm wearning my stretchy what-evers pants, and my t-shirt that says, "Try to keep up, I'm walking." There's something in small print too, but when I look down, it's upside down and I'm wearing tri-focals, so it makes me dizzy. My sister gave me this years ago along with a walking tape. Jenny Craig possibly. It's from the days when huge t-shirts were popular and you weren't expected to wear skinny midriff thingies with your muffin top lopping over topped with the icing of cleavage. This could fit a woman 8-mo pregnant or an Amish woman with plenty of fabric leftover for the bonnet.
Purple Martin house at the end of our street. It is designed to look like our movie theater, Orchestra Hall.
I think this is "Wellness Week," and there are Yoginess classes in the Upper Room. I can't figure out the 9 a.m. lecture which is supposed to provide "tools and strategies to enhance and enrich lives." I've got a lifetime bushel basket of new leaves I've turned over, so I think I'll skip whatever this psychologist from Canton is offering. There's an herb garden lecture this afternoon, but I have a brown thumb, and won't even attempt this one. The closest I get to an herb is a can of black pepper on the stove. At 10:30 there's a seminar on WWII. This afternoon the Women's Club is going to have someone portraying Amelia Earhart, but I'm not a member. The Wooden Boat Society is having classes and restoring a 1952 13' Lyman, so I'll probably pass on that too. I see Lakeside has an Environmental Stewardship Society that is selling compact flourescent bulbs, but I'll pass on that until someone determines the unintended consequences of outsourcing all our energy needs to China and how to dispose of the mercury both we and the Chinese factories are going to be putting out.

3931

Monday Memories--A day on the island

"A quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem" is a saying you see on the souvenir t-shirts of South Bass Island, or Put-in-Bay. And if you are intent on pub crawling on the week-ends, that might have some truth, but visiting on a glorious Monday is another story. A story of beautiful blue skies, pleasant breezes, beautiful gravel country roads through green wooded areas and vineyards, and old cemeteries. We had a wonderful time visiting Joyce and Bill at their cottage, and they gave us the insider's tour, including the Historical Society and the back roads.

We caught the Miller Ferry at Catawba which runs every 1/2 hour, except after 7 p.m. it's on the hour. It's a pleasant 18 minute ride. It is $12 round trip. When you get to the island you can catch a bus to town for $2.50 or hire a golf cart for $10/hour or $55 for the day. Or, if you are meeting friends, they pick you up in an old car, which all the residents keep on the island. The Jet Express leaves from Port Clinton and it is $24 round trip. When we made this trip about 20 years ago, we brought our bikes over.

Bill's grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles and cousins have all owned property on the island, but they bought this cottage some years ago, and are now renovating it so they can enjoy more time there during retirement. The view from this glassed area is sort of northwest over the water and is just delightful.

This view from their front yard is "Green Island" which is a wildlife sanctuary owned by the state. If you turn your head a little to the right, then you see Rattlesnake Island, which I think is privately owned. It was a little hazy, but I suppose on a clear day you might see a Canadian island.

The housing on the island includes everything from wonderful 19th century mansions to little fishing trailers with a canopy built over it. Real estate and renovating is a bit higher than the mainland because everything, including the workers, are brought over from the mainland.


There are wonderful places to eat in Put-in-Bay, and this area was new last year--a "boardwalk" with lots of shops and restaurant with a great view of the water and monument. We all had perch sandwiches and enjoyed a stroll through town.

Because so many people leave their cars on the mainland, you see a lot of golf carts.

Put-in-Bay has a wonderful historical society with an introductory film and many exhibits about the schools, businesses, wine makers, and various boat services.

Perry's Monument (War of 1812 with England) is closed for repairs, but there is a new visitors' center which has wonderful exhibits. We watched a film about the war and learned a lot. War is never pleasant and there are always the families left to grieve on both sides.


We enjoyed dinner at the cottage overlooking the lake as the sun settled lower. A lovely day.

3930

Put-in-Bay

We're off today to visit our friends Bill and Joyce at their summer place on Put-in-Bay (island in Lake Erie). Hope to have some good photos when we get back. It always depends on my connectivity here. Also, I hope for calm water. I tend to motion sickness.

3929

Miss Potter

Last night we went to Orchestra Hall (the movie theater) to see "Miss Potter," with Renée Zellweger. It was really delightful; even my husband enjoyed it. It is a film for adults, not children, however. At the end with the rest of her life scrolling across the screen, the audience applauded. Someone who apparently worked on the movie (don't know who) kept at two month blog--wish more had been written.

"Pleasant and unadventurous, MISS POTTER offers a fictionalized life of famous Peter Rabbit creator Beatrix Potter. In an unusual life path for her time (the early 1900s) she pursues a career as a children's book author and illustrator, her affection for her creations indicated on screen by her interactions with their animated forms. As ducks in bonnets and bunnies in brass buttons wiggle their tails at her or scamper about their pages, they represent Beatrix's own feelings -- most often mild defiance or frustration at her parents' hopes that she'll "settle down" by marrying a man within their class." reviewed at Common Sense Media

Lakeside has the only movie theater in the county. Movies at a theater are much more entertaining than in the living room on DVD.

You Are 89% Real

There's hardly a person on this earth more real than you are. You have no problem showing people who you are, flaws and all. For you, there couldn't be any other way. Because it's way too stressful to live an inauthentic life. You're very comfortable with yourself. And because of this, you're able to live an exciting, interesting, and challenging life.

How Real Are You?

HT 2nd cup of coffee

3927

Silver pony tails and hot cars

As we walked down to the artists' shop today to take in some more prints, I noticed something . . . seemed to be some. . . non-lakeside types in town. Loud shirts. Silver pony tails. "I'll bet the program tonight is Phil Dirt and the Dozers," I whispered. I picked up the weekly Lakesider, and sure enough--they are the opening act. They do vintage rock and have been performing for 20 years.

Also, Lakeside is having its 2nd Classic and Antique Car Show. Great fun to see these old cars.



This 1940 Ford looks a lot like the one my mother drove to California with 4 little ones in the back, although I think ours was a 1939. What an adventure we had.

3926

Real estate in Lakeside

The WSJ on Thursday featured real estate vacation homes. The taxes were breath-taking. Supposedly these places were "kid-friendly," but you don't know what that means until you visit Lakeside, OH, a Chautauqua gated community with no alcohol sold on the grounds (i.e., no drunken sailors wandering the streets like some other Lake Erie hot spots). WSJ reports that sales of vacation homes rose 4.7% to a record 107 million in 2006. However, if it is convenience, accessibility, great entertainment, educational opportunities, supervised playgrounds, an arts center and family recreation and activities you're looking for, consider Lakeside.

It's not usually this peaceful--but it was before 6 a.m. and most of the kids were still asleep while parents slipped out for a cup of coffee

Isn't this little "doll house" sweet? But $209,000? That's California prices!

Two families selling their vacation homes. The 2-story is a new one designed to look like a 19th c. home. I walked around it--has some great features.

If you buy this one 3 blocks from the lake, you'll have terrific neighbors (red house) next door and also across the street.

Children under 10 get in free at Lakeside. Now that's kid-friendly.

It's back!

The immigration bill is back with a new number, S. 1639. Time to e-mail, call or write snail mail the earmarkers, tax spenders, and border wimp-outs we elected. Sigh. No amnesty for illegals. Remember, IRCA (1986) was written by Ted Kennedy. It never worked; fixing a flat on a 4-wheel truck with only 2 wheels driven by a drunk still won't get you anywhere.

Email the offices of both of your senators asking them to vote NO on cloture for S. 1639. Web pages for all of the senators with email contact forms are listed here.

Email the White House. Let the President know you aren't happy with this give-away of our country. He may think Texas is part of Mexico like La Raza, but the rest of us don't.