Saying good-bye to Joe Schappa

We returned to Columbus on Sunday for a memorial gathering in the ballroom at the Southern Hotel for Joe Schappa, who died in Florida in March.  He was my husband's partner when he was an owner at Feinknopf, Maccioce and Schappa.  Bob was with the firm for 18 years and left in 1994 to being his own practice, so we had an opportunity to see many old friends and colleges--and especially enjoyed seeing again Joe's wife Ruth, and his sons Noah and Caleb who were just little boys the last time I saw them. Now we saw them with Joe and Ruth's grandchildren.  What a delight. When enjoyed hearing the memories and eulogies.

I remember when my parents were in their 80s and their social life seemed to revolve around going to funerals and memorials.  There was no spiritual component to this event, but seeing the photos, his friends and family were worth the trip.

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thisweeknews/obituary.aspx?pid=193152836

Lakeside 2019, Week 2

This morning on my 2 mile walk I was counting bicycles—0ne house had 13—all sizes and colors.  That must have been a challenge to load and haul here.  Then I also counted Canada geese—36 in one area, but in 3 groups.  One group of 10 or so was parents (and maybe aunties) with adolescents.  It’s always fun to see them upside down having an underwater snack.

The first two morning lectures (Monday and Tuesday a.m.) are about my nemesis—EMR or EHR. Ever since they were foisted on us during the Obama years with promises of both improving outcomes and reducing costs they have been shown to be neither.  The topics are “Using big data from Electronic health records for clinical discovery” (the primary use of them so we pay so they can mine our health records), and “Personal electronic Health records; advantages and concerns.” Two years ago my husband’s medical records—all on line--in Columbus were hacked—God only knows who now has his social security number, mother’s maiden name and next of kin.

Wednesday and Thursday morning programs are on Lake Erie. Unless you get someone who wants to get spiritual about climate change, these are usually interesting. There are also afternoon programs on Lake Erie—something about Mayflies on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the pavilion.  I crunch those underfoot on my morning walks—they only live a day, but reflect the health of the lake.

Afternoons we have an author visit by Scott Longert, and the women’s club is having a “Here comes the bride” program with Polly Albrecht.  I think it features wedding gowns from 1940-2010. It grieved me to give up the lovely dress Mom made for Joanne in 1955 and I wore in 1960 (and used at our 50th celebration at Phoebe's on a mannequin, but no one in the family wanted it, and Julie who had stored it all these years didn’t want it back.

It looks like the Herb group which I enjoyed for about 10 years has finally folded its tent and put away the gardening tools. We had some fabulous times either down by the lake or at the train station.  In its place there is a gardening program.  That ship has sailed for me.  I was never a gardener, and never will be.  Even flowers started and planted by someone else don’t flourish for me.   And I see there are some Wellness seminars, but I think I know what is needed, “Eat less, Move More,” or ELMM.   Friday there is a seminar I think I can use—“Organizing 101: Simply Our Stuff.” Maybe it will tell us how to say "good-bye" to junk we don't need.

I used to take advantage of the 3 p.m. Friday seminar on World Affairs, but that became a chore with the various problems being discussed on TV and social media.  Families and best friends are taking sides and accusing each other of being racists or communists and anarchists.  It’s just too painful to witness.

Argument with a liberal--Turning Point USA

Lakeside 2019, week 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=22&v=I1ZgaQNp4Is  Gary Lewis and the Playboys was our Friday night program at Lakeside.  This clip is from 2016, and the band looks the same, and he sounds much the same.  He’s just as skinny as he was in his 20s.  He was born in 1945, so he’s up there in years for live performing.  When his career was going strong in the 1960s he was drafted during the Vietnam War, and the career never really recovered, and for the teen market, you can’t let them forget you.  According to several bios I’ve read, singing wasn’t his strength even in the 1960s, and he started performing as a drummer. Most of his performances today are for the nostalgia market.  We noticed a number of boomers really enjoying themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAf3VavcVj4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XXIJx4HmnY

Jerry Lewis, his father who died in 2017, disinherited all his children from his first marriage. Gary mentioned during the show that is mother is still alive and he dedicated a song to her.

Special treatment for illegals with gender dysphoria

Thanks to an Obama policy continued by the Trump administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) gives transgender illegal aliens special treatment, including their own detention center in New Mexico that offers hair and makeup classes, a recreation area, gym, television rooms, a lab and pharmacy. Also free hormone therapy and legal services. Does this sound like a concentration camp? 
https://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2019/06/transgender-illegal-aliens-get-special-treatment-hormone-therapy-under-policy-issued-by-trumps-border-czar/

Lakeside 2019, week one

Yesterday and today's programs in Lakeside are on the Little Free Library movement, begun by Todd Bol and now international. I think there are at least 4-5 in Lakeside, but not sure I've seen any in Upper Arlington. https://littlefreelibrary.org/ On my way to yesterday's lecture by Margaret Bernstein a Channel 3 Cleveland reporter I stopped at one and picked up a Jessica Fletcher mystery and replaced it with an Agatha Christie.

Tuesday’s Lakeside Women’s Club featured Gretchen Curtis on the History of Knitting in Photography, and I was the co-hostess providing and serving refreshments. That evening the Patriots Symphonic Band performed “Sounds of Summer.”  The band members are drawn from more than 25 communities across northeast Ohio, and I think this was their third performance in Lakeside.

Wednesday evening was the opening of the weekly community picnic, and we had a day of glorious weather, which has been in short supply this week.  Same menu as the previous 26 years--hot dogs, baked beans, macaroni salad, potato chips, water melon, and sandwich cookies. This year there are many new picnic tables in the park, so we finally left the lawn chairs in the car.

Janet Whitlatch, Lakeside neighbor

Janet, my neighbor on Oak St., died recently.  I didn’t know her well, having met her maybe in 2017 or 2018.  We walked to some programs together, both belonged to the Lakeside Women’s Club, both attended herb group.  She was 77.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newarkadvocate/obituary.aspx?pid=191305926

Democrats’ tiresome Hitler theme

In my opinion, referring to one's enemies and petty crimes as "Hitler" or "Holocaust" or concentration camps as AOC did recently and Democrats do very often in referring to Trump is a subtle but noticeable form of anti-Semitism. It's a tiresome way to both diminish the pain of European Jewry in the 20th century and to enlarge one's outrage footprint in the 21st.

A very successful animal rights magazine "Animals Agenda" (published for 22 years) died in 2002 after it superimposed a photo of a "final solution" concentration camp with a chicken farm on its cover. But in those days, I suppose it was considered bad taste. Today, if the Left didn't have bad taste it would have nothing in its lunch box of bigotry and hate.

Communism is another terrible evil, one which the Left proudly extols even though that political/economic system killed 100,000,000 of its own citizens in Russia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia in the 20th century and is still making headway in Latin America. AOC and her ilk are silent. Like socialism, its daddy is Karl Marx. Communists had concentration camps, killed Jews, Christians and Muslims, starved people to death, destroyed cultures and economies, and turned churches into government buildings, warehouses or morgues ( Церковь Спаса на Крови), but when do Democrats call an opponent Marx, Stalin or Lenin? It's always their fallback, Hitler.

Oddly, they are obsessed with Vladimir Putin.

American citizens. . .

A lively blind rescue

I've been on two lakefront walks this morning, so I'm 4 miles good for the day. Noticed a lot of toxic white masculinity--roofers, carpenters, heavy equipment operators. Thank God for men doing the jobs women don't want. That wage gap is a total myth--feminists like to whine and compare salaries of part time baby sitters with engineers. Suing is a cottage industry in the grievance groups. Men had to give up private associations, but women didn't.

Also, stopped to talk to a woman walking a cute little white fluff ball dog--not a poodle, but the dust mop style. We stopped to chat and she told me the dog is a rescue. Her husband had died, and then later her dog. Because this adorable little piece of fluff was blind she was considered unadoptable, but the woman's other dog had been blind, so an exception was made. She's very lively--and although blind, she certainly can smell another dog and keeps her new owner on her toes. I think she said the rescue was Safe Harbor  https://islandshas.wixsite.com/ishas/large-grid

Our Lakeside stove

About 5 years ago our 20" electric stove at our lake house, probably 50 years old, went ka-boom and died. We went shopping in Sandusky and bought the cheapest possible model (about $370, and in 2019 it's $450) at ABC Appliances we could find. An odd size appliance like 20”  always costs more than standard and this one was a little like our 1963 Plymouth that had no radio and no AC. We were cheap then too.

So I've been shopping for something like I should have bought then--glass window in the oven door, drawer for storage and oven light. In 2013, I could have had all that for an additional $25, and now I'll shell out close to $600 for a 24" with delivery, cord and installation. Or, if my math is right, about $1,000 to replace my little old stove that came with the cottage in 1988. We went to Lowe's, Home Depot, ABC Appliances, and Frank’s. I finally ordered on-line from Sears.

To forgive myself for my foolish mistakes in money, I always reflect on the time we bought a lot about 30 years ago next to my sister in law when they lived on a lake in Indiana for $10,000 and sold it the next year for $20,000.

I’ll check around here and see if anyone in Lakeside has a small apartment and need a 20” stove, or when our niece and nephew come to visit in July, I’ll see if they want to take it back to Indianapolis.

An Illinois Catholic on the new abortion bill—guest blogger

“Our priest spoke about it numerous times, as did others. . .  The diocesan office encouraged everyone to pray, fast, and act.  For those who were able, many trips were taken to Springfield to protest this hideous legislation.  We were encouraged to spread the word about these bills.  Many wrote letters, many called. . . .  The judicial process allowed us to protest the bills via an online vote. 

It's saddening to realize we have people who do not value life.

In the recent newspaper from our Diocese, a priest has made it known that all legislators who voted for these bills and reside in his deanery will be denied holy communion (I believe it was a priest, might have come from another Bishop) . . .  until that person has made his/her confession.  And interestingly, both Madigan (Speaker of the House) and Culverton (Head of the Senate) are both Catholic.  The denial of holy communion is powerful.”

Robert Royal on freedom

Our notions of freedom come from self-indulgent entertainers, self-interested politicos, self-absorbed academic eccentrics, self-referential media. Yet despite celebrations of identity, individuality, diversity, uniqueness, the result is not a rich and harmonious social fabric and freedom, but obvious chaos and conflict in private and in public, for those with eyes to see." -- Robert Royal

Week 1 in Lakeside, 2019

It's chilly in Lakeside this week, and we brought mostly summer clothes with us. But, I didn't even have to go to a thrift store, and under the bed packed away I found a turtleneck cornflower blue long sleeve t-shirt about 20 years old, and am wearing it under one of my new purchases. I love it when a plan comes together.

The 10:30 lecture today is on F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald: A Literature of Romance and an Age of Jazz with Taylor Hagood, Professor of English and Director of the Study of the Americas Initiative at Florida Atlantic University.  This afternoon at 1:30 he’ll lecture on What makes American literature American.  https://taylorhagood.com/

Here’s a link to the entire summer series. https://www.lakesideohio.com/education/lecture-series
Bob is having breakfast today with the Guys’ Club at the Patio where his paintings for this season are displayed. This is a club whose motto is “We’ll get around to it,” and they have no agenda or plan, they just get together and enjoy each others company.

Tonight is a silent movies organist program by Clark Wilson at Hoover. http://www.clarkwilson.net/.  We might stop in.

This morning on my walk along the lakefront I stopped to look at some of the new improvements finished since we left last Labor Day.  The Steel Memorial Bandstand where so many have been married and where we have some evening concerts and vespers had a complete facelift, thanks to "Giving Tuesday of 2017" which raised about $450,000.  The seating area is no longer gravel, it's been graded and paved with pavers, and has all new "attached" benches, with some open space where I assume people who bring their own lawn chairs, baby strollers or wheel chairs can sit. The bandstand is a memorial to Fritz and Karlyn Steele, Lakesiders who were killed in an auto accident in August 1978, so the memorial is now 40 years old, and needed some renovation.

Then I went over and looked at the new basketball courts--maybe six of them.  Also sand volley ball courts.  This is primarily to serve the teen-agers, although you often see little ones and older adults playing too. The money for this was raised on "Giving Tuesday 2018," so you can see things move very quickly once the money is available.  I needed to take this detour because the main dock is closed again due to high water--even a little wave action and wind stirs up the lake and it has to be closed.  The two side docks, called L dock and I dock (due to shape) are under water even without wind.

I heard from the Barris'  https://www.idlewyldbb.com/ when we visited there last evening, that the pool was being used yesterday despite the cold and wind.  It is heated and has good handicapped access. It opened the summer of 2017, and is getting heavy use.  And we're so fortunate it's there--and I was one of the nay sayers who said, "Why do we need a pool when we have Lake Erie?"  But donors smarter and richer than I knew--in 2017 the swimming area of the lake couldn't be used for a few weeks due to bacteria and algae bloom http://lakeeriealgae.com/, and this year the lake is too high to be safe.

Eating their young in academe

"Researchers, scholars and scientists in multiple countries have offended the arbiters of academic groupthink and suffered censure, social ostracism or expulsion from the ranks." Sir Tim Hunt, Jordan Peterson, Michael Rectenwald, Rachel Fulton Brown, Bret Weinstein, Paul Griffiths, Nicholas and Erika Christakis, Jeffrey Ketland, Rick Mehta, Jeff Muehlbaur, Allen Frantzen, Richard Ted Lebow, Mark Silinsky, Nigel Biggar, Noah Carl, Alessandro Strumia and Rebecca Tuvel." (Michael Rectenwald on Facebook)

So true, and even getting P & T in academe is a struggle because there are so few conservatives in any department, so they have come to prominence quietly, or by converting later and recognizing the evils of Marxism, socialism, and communism, or by simply asking logical questions about dogma. Tuvel is a radical feminist and untenured philosophy professor who simply suggested that transracialism and transgenderism are based on the same theory of biological change. For that heresy published in a peer review journal, the editorial board was threatened (they apologized) and Tuvel's dissertation committee caved. The power of group think. In her case, it was a social media mob -- and you just never know where the bots are.

Of course, it's a shame that Tuvel has worked so hard to even get a job in academe to then have her reputation smeared by nobodies and her career dismantled, but she only had to look around her as she was coming up, doing the research, attending conferences or going out for a drink with colleagues to see that when the confederate statues are knocked down, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would be next, and then some poor anonymous figure representing a pioneer.

The Next Generation Leahy

Last night's program at Hoover in Lakeside was the Next Generation Leahy from Canada--what a talented family. Oldest child performing was 17, 2 boys 14 and 15 who are now taller than their parents, a 12 year old girl, 10 year old boy and 8 year old girl. Wonderful talent, and great stage presence. All play the fiddle, and then each has a special talent--drums, cello, accordion, piano, and all do a very athletic French-Canadian step dance. This family has the longest legs I've ever seen.
Adele – fiddle, piano, cello, step-dance, vocals
Gregory – fiddle, accordion, piano, step-dance, vocals, drums
Angus – fiddle, piano, guitar, step-dance, vocals
Cecilia – fiddle, piano, step-dance, vocals, mandolin
Joseph – fiddle, step-dance, accordion, piano, vocals
Evelyn – fiddle, step-dance, piano, vocals

Imagine trying to get this many kids to practice. And there were 3 more back state--two of whom came out and did a quick step-dance. They also have a YouTube channel which shows them performing together in their home.

We're here at soggy, wet Lakeside

We left Columbus about 10:30 and were unpacked and settled about 2:30.  We're nursing along one of the two potted flowers (impatiens) we brought along, because it apparently hadn't been watered at home! The one we had on the deck looks fine.  Loretta (gardener) has put in some lovely plants along the east side of the cottage, but some of the plants didn't make it through the winter that were put in Spring 2018. We always put impatiens along the street, but this year also turned that over to Loretta. Bob's knees just can't handle it anymore, and besides, ours never looked good until about October.  She brought in a lot of additional soil, but as I look out the window, I think it looks about the same they did for the last 30 years when Bob planted them.

We didn't stop down at the car show on the lakefront--it was just too wet.  In the evening we attended a "Hawaiian" event at Wesley Lodge for donors and heard a nice pep talk by Kevin the president of Lakeside.  Things are moving briskly--the pickle ball courts are finished, the new Lago café across from the pool and exercise gym which opened in 2017, is open, the "front door" of Lakeside has a new fence and all new landscaping, the gazebo in the park, a favorite spot for weddings, has been completely renovated and a concrete base for all the new park benches installed, the park itself was renamed for the donors who supplied the funds and it's getting a face lift with new basketball courts and sand volleyball courts plus more landscaping, and there are unseen things being done to the infrastructure.  The terrible spring storms have held back some of the grass planting, so there's a lot of straw around.  Kevin says the section on the back of the Hoover auditorium needs to be replaced.  It's where all the back stage magic happens, and it was a "temporary" structure--now 91 years old. There is an old school house in south Lakeside, which has been boarded up for years

Even with all the rain, there's no way to be bored in Lakeside.  Kevin says there are over 4,000 distinct programs and activities to do here in the summer, or 6,000 if you add all the classes at the Rhein Center where Bob teaches for 2 weeks.  And you can still do nothing. . . but that's becoming harder all the time.

Illinois is the shame of the nation

I’ve looked over the latest abortion initiative for Illinois and am shocked and horrified. Particularly at the cheering! What has happened to the people? It is now the most radical, the bloodiest, the most dangerous (to women), the most ghoulish, and deeply disturbing abortion legislation in the nation. God have mercy on the people who came up with this evil. https://www.liveaction.org/news/illinois-house-passes-abortion-worse-new-york/

There was a time when only a man called Obama of all the local, state and federal politicians supported (publicly) such radical, anti-human and anti-humane actions. Now it’s half the nation. What a legacy. And what has Illinois given the nation.

On the radio today I heard a broken hearted director of a pro-life pregnancy center in Illinois—they counsel women in bad situations, give them material aid, education and employment opportunities and save their babies—say that she and her husband have moved to another state rather than pay Illinois taxes,* and she is doing her job at a distance, trying to keep a brave face for her staff and volunteers.

* I think your state taxes follow you even if you move to Tennessee but earned it in Illinois, so she’ll probably be looking for work.

FBI Lovebirds premieres today

The forces of censorship have been defeated. "FBI Lovebirds: UnderCovers" is a dramatized stage reading of text messages between Trump-nemesis and senior FBI Agent Peter Strzok and his mistress and fellow FBI operative, Lisa Page, and their subsequent interrogation by a congressional committee. Dean Cain (Gosnell, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) and Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pretty in Pink) are set to play Strzok and Page. It is 100 per cent verbatim - using only the text messages and their congressional testimony to reveal the Truth about the FBI’s investigation into the Trump candidacy and Presidency."

The first venue backed out due to pressure, now it has a new location in Washington DC and will open at the Amphitheater at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 7:00 June 13.

It will be filmed and made available.

Cheering on the next recession

When Trump got the nomination in 2016 the experts (mostly Democrats working in non-profit "think tanks") predicted economic disaster. Since early 2017, the same "experts" have been predicting a recession. Our local news channel took the time out to announce one last night. Since they come around about every 10 years, someone will eventually get this one right. OTH, it seems some in media are pushing for economic failure so Democrats can have a crisis they will resolve by taking over more of the economy. They were doing the same in 2007. Remember the ARRA? The last recession was over (June 2009) before the first dollar to pay off Obama supporters was out the door. Then like the LA homeless, the Democrats relieved themselves on every effort of Americans to rebuild. They particularly enjoy terrorizing the little guy just building her business; after all, they've got the giant corporations on their side, like big tech and big pharma, who have the bucks to finance their campaigns and lobby for more regulation (keeps the up and coming stalled).

Here’s a really safe December 2016 prediction—maybe good, maybe bad.  World economy could suffer if Trump makes America great again. https://www.moneytips.com/what-economists-are-predicting-for-2017-under-president-trump

Predictions from June 2018—things are good now, but look out. http://fortune.com/2018/06/04/recession-2020-trump-trade/

Many forget the recession of 2000. How did President Bush handle that with the 9/11 disaster? Lowered taxes. Quick recovery. Congress enacted tax cuts to families in 2001 and investors in 2003. EGTRRA saved taxpayers $1.35 trillion over a 10-year period. Democrats hated this one. Said it decreased the government's "income." Note the cons in this article. https://www.thebalance.com/economic-growth-and-tax-relief-reconciliation-act-3305764