Let's compare the BLM summer of 2020 protests with the January 6 protest

For 120 days in summer 2020, violent protesters destroyed some $2 billion in property and injured 1,500 police officers in riots that led to over 35 deaths. Let's compare that to January 6. I for one want some justice and equity.

https://amgreatness.com/2022/07/03/who-are-the-real-insurrectionists-2/

More tragedy for Afghanistan

 A 5.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 22. The earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border, killing more than 1,000 people and wounding many more. I wonder what else can happen to those poor people, many of whom thought the U.S. would stand by them after years of war and not abandon them. But they didn't know about Biden. Neither did American voters.

At least 1,000 killed after strong earthquake jolts Afghanistan | News | Al Jazeera

Afghan earthquake: At least 1,000 people killed and 1,500 injured - BBC News

Washing Dishes

 

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.

When Donald Trump spoke to the Catholic Bishops

I missed this story in April 2020. As you'll recall, the white liberal church threw itself into the George Floyd tragedy a month later, eager to move the blame to Trump and all white people for the failings of the Minneapolis Democrat run city and police department. To do this, Democrats/liberals/progressives/socialists had to lionize an ex-con who really hadn't contributed in a positive way to black culture until BLM took up the banner. Anyway, President Donald Trump identified himself as the “best [president] in the history of the Catholic Church” in a conference call for Catholic leaders and educators in late April 2020 where he warned that issues at stake in the upcoming presidential election, particularly on abortion and religious liberty, “have never been more important for the Church.” 

Catholic liberals were spitting fire, and conservative Evangelical Christians were probably shocked and chagrined to see a Protestant president say something good about Catholicism (in an indirect way he was pointing out that Catholics have always had the weakest, poorest, and "least of these" close to the heart of the church).

Looking at the fury from the left since the first leak and then the final decision on Dobbs, we have to say, once again, President Trump was/is right. He's the best President ever in terms of life, religious liberty, and was a gift to the poor and minorities in their climb out of despair and poverty.

We don't even have to wait for history to confirm the President's call (although it was far more shocking than the one they impeached him for). Just go back and read recent government archives, research, documents, newspapers and websites. Just look how quickly the green-goes, border-free advocates, racialist rioters and fossil fuel furies are working to destroy our nation. Listen to them demonize patriots, people of success and merit, love for country and respect for the constitution. It's all there.

You were right again, Mr. President.

Seventeen years ago, and things haven't changed much

17 years ago a fellow library blogger. Walt, referred to me as a "right wing librarian." I responded at my blog (somewhat in shock):

"Because I remember those days when I was a liberal humanist, I know why and how this designation happened. When you are a liberal or a Democrat, you see yourself as just “us.” When you are a liberal, the antonym of “liberal” isn’t “conservative,” but right-wing. Everyone to the right of you is wrong headed, a threat to your personal space and freedoms, and “them.”

When you are a liberal you can’t see the bias of the major news media outlets because they reflect your own views and opinions; you don’t notice there are no Republican voices on the faculty of your institution or among the speakers invited to the campus; you don’t even notice when 70% of the campus never says anything out of fear for their jobs; you don’t see that there are almost no conservative books on the new book shelves of your public library and just assume they must all be awful because surely librarians wouldn’t tolerate bias in book selection; you believe that money will solve all social problems; and arriving at a goal or target is never enough--you must gird the loins of your cause with more tax money.

I’m far more liberal, in the true sense of the word, than many of the Democrats I know. I believe the “least of these” have value, therefore I’m against killing babies in the womb because they have physical anomalies or it's not a good time in mommy's career. I believe poor and minority children need a good education to succeed in a complex society and shouldn’t be left behind just because their parents can’t provide it. I believe there should be art and music in the schools--libraries are less critical.

I believe that Jesus Christ suffered and died so that every single person can be welcomed into the kingdom of God, but also believe those for whom he died have the right to say "no thanks" if they so desire. I believe that men and women are equal but not the same--in some areas women are superior. I believe in ordaining women and letting their skills and abilities and your needs determine if they should be in your pulpit.

I believe in meritocracy in the work place and don’t support quotas and affirmative action--they are demeaning to all we fought for. I do not support the death penalty. I was a strong pacifist through the end of the Vietnam war when our “anti-war movement” condemned millions of Vietnamese to death by pressuring our government to run out on them. The most shameful page in our history. I think the United Nations is a waste of time and money since it wasn’t able to save Rwandans or the Sudanese and it stole and scammed food from the Iraqis. It would still be investigating the cause of the tsunami and forming study groups if the US hadn't taken the lead. These lives mattered too.

I believe Israel is the only democracy in the Middle-East, the government/country with which we have the most in common. Anti-Israel fervor is veiled anti-Semitism, in my opinion, and just a new version of "let's blame the Jews for all our problems." I believe we should stop propping up third world monarchies and feudal kingdoms. I think the war in Iraq will look like child’s play compared to the one coming--with China.

I support strong environmental laws that benefit everyone, not just a few disappearing rat and bird species. In fact, I believe our earth is God-created, organized and run. Therefore we should take care of it. I am a 6 day creationist and think it’s a waste of time to try to squeeze “intelligent design” into our theology or public school classrooms. ID doesn’t say much of anything. But evolution often looks Unintelligent too, and children need to be exposed to more than one view as the liberals used to believe.

Many of the librarian blogs I link to are “liberal”--but only if they are well-written, logical and informative. Walt has actually supplied the names of some I’ve never seen. But I’ve never seen mine linked on liberal blogs (some of that is ageism, not politics). A liberal today has severe torticollis and can turn only one direction--left."

I'd forgotten Walt in the last 17 years so I looked him up and found his twitter account. Yup, an apologist for Biden.

Wrong from the start--Roe v. Wade

"Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives."

10 key quotes from Justice Alito's opinion overturning Roe v. Wade | Fox News

Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision: Read the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health ruling | Fox News

The SCOTUS Abortion protests

I think we will see bad behavior on all sides, but only pro-lifers and conservatives will be punished. Biden made his views very clear. It will be like 2020--riots for months but the J-6 protest for a few hours. Only one side is punished.

"Antifa-linked pro-abortion group Jane's Revenge vowed to undertake a "night of rage" after the Supreme Court's ruling on allowing states to make the final call about abortion. Black bloc protesters wielding umbrellas marched through the streets of Washington, D.C.

The group chanted slogans such as, "If abortion ain’t safe, neither are you," "If we don’t get it, burn it down," "Every city, every town, burn the precinct to the ground," and "F*** the church, f*** the state, we won't let them decide our fate." The protesters burned American flags." Video of abortion protests across US cities over Roe v Wade - TheBlaze

A new podcast for me to explore

I've been enjoying podcasts by some of my favorite conservative speakers, thinkers, politicians and webcasters. Found this today, "10 blocks," by City Journal 10 Blocks Podcast | City Journal (city-journal.org)  and here's a snippet of the transcript:

"Now, [Friedrich] Hayek was best known during his lifetime as a lonely critic of socialism and central planning. In the 1940s, when his fellow economists were enthusiastically nationalizing industries and expecting the Soviet Union to soon overtake the West economically, he published an unlikely bestseller titled The Road to Serfdom. In that, he predicted that the central planners were doomed to fail because of overconfidence in their own knowledge, in their own expertise. He called this the fatal conceit. It was the title of a later book, too. Now, this idea was not very popular among Western intellectuals, but his ideas were an enduring inspiration to reformers trapped behind the iron curtain, until communism finally collapsed in 1989.

By then Hayek was 90 years old and he didn't issue any public statements. But his son reported that as the family sat at home watching television, watching the fall of the Berlin Wall on TV, Hayek could not resist smiling and saying, "I told you so." Now, during those heady years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, many of us, and myself included, expected freedom to keep spreading around the world. There was talk of the end of history now that liberal democracy and free markets and enlightenment values had prevailed. For a while, freedom did spread. But lately, as we've seen, it's in retreat. Both abroad, most obviously in China and Russia, but also here at home. Young Americans are suddenly embracing socialism. Academics and journalists are demanding censorship. Both political parties have turned protectionist. Public officials have claimed unprecedented powers to suspend fundamental liberties. And that traditional guarantee of equal justice for all is giving way to something called social justice."

Zoning Out Growth: 10 Blocks podcast | City Journal (city-journal.org)

A History of Homelessness: 10 Blocks podcast | City Journal (city-journal.org)

Not since the reconstruction years have Democrats behaved so badly

"Shootings, while still up dramatically, 47%, compared to two years ago, are down 11% versus the same time last year."

So what happened 2 years ago? George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis policeman. This set off riots by BLM, Antifa, and neighborhood thugs in many cities. Self righteous white liberals put signs in their yards with black power fists to show solidarity and their own virtue. Preachers drove people from their churches with their finger wagging. It was OK to riot, but not to go to school or the gym. Non-covid deaths soared. It also put in place the Democrats' rallying cry of "defund the police," including our own now v.p. Harris and the Democrat squad leaders and out of control prosecutors. It also messed up the 2020 election with Trump being blamed with the bad management of Democrat cities. Never since the post-Civil War years have Democrats acted so badly.

No one will march for this young man, who was hoping for a career in the NBA. No one will remember his name. Darius Lee.

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2022/06/nine-people-shot-1-fatally-at-harlem-barbecue/

College basketball star killed, eight wounded, in Harlem BBQ shooting (nydailynews.com)

PICTURED: College basketball player, 21, who killed in Harlem shooting at Juneteenth 'gathering' | Daily Mail Online

What an exciting day!

What an exciting day I had.. My purse was stolen at Wal-Mart near Port Clinton, so I had some interesting experiences, working with the staff, the sheriff's office, our bank, finding someone to help me to get ahold of Bob , lots of worry and anxiety. However. Good outcome. By 6 p.m. the policeman was on our porch with my purse. Don't ever try to steal anything at Wal-Mart. It was all on camera--the woman's face, her method, her credit card, the license plate on her car. They must have cameras everywhere. But. It was all with good intentions. The "thief" saw my purse and took it home intending to call me. She contacted the police and she tried to call me (we weren't home, but she's on the answering machine). As soon as her call came in to the Ottawa Co. sheriff, our man knew what it was and went to her home and got the purse and drove all the way to our place and handed it to me. Everything was there, including my cash, credit cards, endorsed checks, Covid vaxx record, and identity (the DL was going to be the worst to replace--I don't carry my birth certificate or passport with me). I think he gave her a lecture that probably scared her to death, and I doubt she'll do it again. Always turn lost items in to the service desk and let them do the good neighbor thing.

But I did find a special angel from Lakeside who saw me about an hour into the ordeal and offered to call the Lakeside administration, got Bob's phone number, then called him and then paid for my groceries still in the cart and stayed with me until the police came. Bless her dear, sweet soul. Another neighbor drove him to the Wal-Mart (with his key to our car) and together we went to the branch of our Columbus bank which was near-by and reported our problems. Whew. All resolved in 3 hours. I had a lot to write in my gratitude journal.

Luke Witte at Lakeside

We went to Orchestra Hall today to hear Luke Witte, from the OSU basketball fame. Then to the Patio for perch sandwiches. Here's a summary from a publication about what we heard; Witte is now a Methodist pastor and gives talks on reconciliation.

"Back in 1972, The University of Minnesota was hosting Ohio State, and on that day, the young Musselman had predictably worked his players into a frenzy prior to the game. Observers noted he was encouraging extra-physical play. At the end of the first half, OSU missed a shot, and Gopher Bobby Nix raised a fist in celebration. Luke Witte shoved Nix’s arm out of his way on his way off the court, and hit Nix’s face in the process. In the final minute of the game, with the Buckeyes wrapping up the win, Witte attempted a layup and was slugged in the face by Clyde Turner. Gopher Corky Taylor offered his hand to Witte, and when Witte took it, Taylor kneed him in the groin and punched him in the head. While back down on the floor, Minnesota player Ron Behagen approached, and kicked and stomped Witte. When Buckeye Dave Merchant came to Witte’s aid, Jim Brewer approached and was pushed out of the way. Buckeye Mark Wagar was approached from behind by Winfield, who punched Wagar in the face five times. The incident, easily obtainable on YouTube, carried racial overtones, since all of the Minnesota attackers were black and all of the Ohio State victims were white. A Sports Illustrated photo sequence recorded the disgusting violence.

Luke Witte was beat up the worst. After the referees forfeited the game to the Buckeyes, Witte was carried off the court while Minnesota fans booed and hurled debris. Witte and two other Buckeyes spent time in the hospital; Witte was in intensive care for a time, his eye injuries impaired him long-term. When one revisits the 1972 brawl, emotions of anger arise1.

For his part, Witte remembers nothing, from half-time of that game to the next morning. He has recalled his mental state in the years immediately following the Minnesota game. He often felt fine- as if nothing had happened. Other times, he would allow the lingering physical effects (such as the limitations in his eyesight) to cause hostility to fester inside of himself. His hatred focused on Behagen, Turner, Taylor, and Musselman.

He allows he’d lost the passion for the game after the fight. This included his three seasons with the Cavaliers. Over time, during a life journey that spanned decades and included seminary study and becoming an ordained pastor, Luke Witte came to a conclusion:

He needed to forgive those who were involved in the attack back in 1972.

It sounds easy enough: give up your anger and your desire for revenge, and move on. It can be extremely difficult, in practice. Truly forgiving is probably the most important skill of happiness. It takes strength to overcome our own vengeful heart. It is within our power to do so, however. The gesture liberates the victim and allows him to shed his bitterness.

In 1982, ten years after the brawl, Corky Miller reached out to Luke Witte by mail. Witte agonized over how, or whether, to respond- until his wife convinced him to call. They initially didn’t say much, but began to occasionally write each other. When the age of email dawned, they wrote more often. Strong emotional and spiritual bonds formed.

Eventually, Corky Miller invited Luke Witte to visit him and his family in Minnesota. Their relationship had become that of brothers, as they discussed basketball, race relations, and the nature of forgiveness.

While Witte was visiting Miller, he was surprised by a visit by Clyde Turner. The three of them later watched a tape of the attack on the court. They were silent, yet with a dozen questions that would later be discussed.

In the meantime, the three men reconciled. They became liberated."

https://waitingfornextyear.com/2015/01/luke-witte-jim-brewer-ohio-state-cavs/

Summer School of Faith, Part 1, 2022

Each year I try to watch Charles Craigmile's Summer School of Faith. This year the topic is, Vatican II, 60 Years Later. This is the 10th year, although they probably didn't meet in 2020. https://youtu.be/Zb19B8uHOTU . I enjoy his style, humor, and excellent sources. He is not a Catholic priest, he's a business man, but he did go to seminary. The first part is Dei Verbum (Persons and Propositions). Because we're Lutherans, whenever I hear history or culture or arts and entertainment discussed by Craigmile, I'm again reminded of the librarian's phrase, "to the victor belong the archives." Everything in our culture is taught and told and discussed from a Protestant viewpoint. The statistics he presents applies to all our lives and he points out that the changes of the 60s were already in place and not a result of Vatican II. The huge drop in religious orders, in attendance and in respect had already begun by the 60s. He says from a demonic view, if you're going to destroy and army, you start with the infantry. Baptisms and marriages have both dropped over 50% in the last 60 years. Interestingly the stats he gives for clergy abuse for the 1970s show those men (mostly homosexuals) had been ordained to the church much earlier than the 1970s--the 50s, so Vatican II standards weren't to blame. When Craigmile uses the word "church" he means of course, the Roman Catholic Church, however, if you've been attending any Christian church for the last 60 years, you'll recognize the cultural tsunami of changes he discusses many of which are societal, and affecting us all.

Class 1: Dei Verbum – Dogmatic Constitution On Revelation (Persons and Propositions)

 Class 2: Lumen Gentium – Dogmatic Constitution On the Church (True and False Reform) 

Class 3: Sacrosanctum Concilium – Constitution On the Liturgy (Active Participation) 

Class 4: Gaudium et Spes – Pastoral Constitution on The Church in the Modern World (Nature and Grace) 

Class 5: Other Topics from the Council Theological themes – interpretation and development of doctrine Ecumenism Religious Liberty

 

Recommended Bibliography: 

The Documents of Vatican II, Walter Abbott, SJ, 1966 

An Introduction to Vatican II, Matthew Levering, 2017 (Excellent!) 

Vatican II Collection, Word on Fire, Bishop Barron, 2021

 Reclaiming Vatican II, Father Blake Britton, 2021 

The Disputed Teachings of Vatican II, Thomas G. Guarino, 2018 

The Rhine Flows into the Tiber, Father Ralph Wiltgen, SVD, 1966 

Introduction to Christianity, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, 1968

Girl named Tom has to be postponed

 We were really looking forward to seeing "Girl named Tom" this Friday evening. The Ohio group won "The Voice" contest last year. They played at Lakeside last summer and were really appreciated. 

Here is the message from the band:

Dear friends,

COVID finally caught us. We feel terrible. The symptoms are kicking our little behinds, yes, but that’s not the only reason we’re feeling terrible — we cannot play this week’s run of shows. We knew Covid would catch us at some point, but WHY THIS WEEK? We have been looking forward to coming home for so long. Please know we are heartbroken and sorry for all the trouble this causes. We hope you understand, and we will do everything we can to reschedule the shows for a later date. We want you to know how much you mean to us. Once again, we thank you for all the support, love and kindness you’ve showered on these siblings.

Love & Peace,
GNT

From Wikipedia: "Girl Named Tom is an American folk trio from Pettisville, Ohio, consisting of siblings Caleb, Joshua, and Bekah Liechty. They are the winners of season 21 of the American talent competition The Voice, with the distinction of being the first trio to win The Voice. They competed on the team coached by Kelly Clarkson, giving Clarkson her fourth victory as a coach. Their audition was the first audition, as well as the first four-chair turn, of season 21."

OUR STORY | Girl Named Tom

There are worse things than AC quitting in 95 degree weather

From a blogging friend (now a Facebook friend)

"So……my dryer quit working and the repairman came today to fix it. Can’t be fixed. Wanna know why??? Well, a SNAKE crawled into the vent from outside and got caught in the fan!!! Chopped to pieces! The smell was horrible and so the dryer is now outside and a new dryer will be delivered tomorrow!!!!! This was a first!"

The Sandlot, fun movie for families

Last night at Lakeside the free movie was "The Sandlot," made in 1993 about the summer of 1962 and a young boy making new friends in a new neighborhood after his mother remarries. The clip I show (which won't load) has the main character standing in the background, unsure, inept and wanting new friends. The boys become good friends, make mistakes, take risks, and act goofy. A great movie for adults and kids to watch together and discuss. It's a feel good, no violence, with nothing we'd call bad language in this day and age.

I was reading a review, and saw a comment by a "victim." A woman complained that she watched it as a kid and was offended and threatened by the slur, "You throw like a girl." Oh lady, get over it. We've watched incredible female softball champs practice right here in our neighborhood, but this kid definitely threw a ball the way I did when I was 13 (even worse now). Such whiners! I hope the movie doesn't get pulled because some hyper feminist who never grew up got offended over a funny line.

Our dear pediatrician, Dr. Batterson, has died

There was a time when Dr. Batterson was the second most important man in my life.  With our children just one year and 3 days apart, we saw a lot of him for about 6 or 7 years, as they would alternate or pass along childhood diseases, and then occasionally until they went to high school. Then in recent years after he retired and his wife died, he attended Upper Arlington Lutheran Church and I'd see him at study groups or worship.  He always seemed to know me, and had a funny quip or jest to pass along.

Robert Batterson, MD Obituary - Columbus, OH (dignitymemorial.com)

Robert E. “Doctor Bob” Batterson, SEPTEMBER 26, 1927 – JUNE 12, 2022, received his long-awaited “new back and new brain” on Sunday, June 12, 2022. Calling hours will be 5-7 p.m. Thursday, June 30 and a celebration of his life will be held 1 p.m. July 1 at Schoedinger Funeral Home’s Northwest Chapel (1740 Zollinger Rd, Columbus, OH 43221).

He was born on Sept. 26, 1927, at Grant Hospital. During his 94 years, Dr. Batterson held many titles. His most cherished was Child of God, but he was also a beloved husband, a wonderful father, grandfather, and great grandfather, a physician, teacher, student, and World War II veteran.

Dr. Batterson was predeceased by his parents, Paul and Edith Batterson, wives Audrey (11 years) and Marjorie (45 years) and many friends and family. He is survived by his three children, Fran (Brad) Booth, Jane (Steve) Mockler, and Paul (Nancy) Batterson; grandchildren Samantha Hunt and Nick Mockler, and Alicia (Tom) Millerson and Grant Batterson; and great-grandchildren, Isbelle, Parkus, and Paisley as well as many friends and family.

Dr. Batterson grew up in Clintonville, Ohio. He was a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He graduated from Columbus North High School, attended the University of Kentucky, graduated from Capital University, and THE Ohio State University Medical School.

During his medical career, he interned at Mount Carmel Hospital, and completed his pediatric residency at Nationwide/Columbus Children's Hospital. Dr. Batterson was a trusted pediatrician for 37 years in Upper Arlington and Columbus. He was a past president of Nationwide/Children’s Hospital, and served on the medical staffs of Mt. Carmel, White Cross/Riverside Hospital, St. Ann’s, Grant, and Ohio State hospitals. He was the interim medical director at Ohio State Services for Crippled Children.

Dr. B enjoyed supporting his family, participating in many church activities, playing guitar, swimming, fishing, wood working, bird watching, doing ceramics with Marge, pursuing post graduate education, and watching Ohio State beat Michigan. He liked to joke that he was “born terrible,” but those who knew him will say he didn’t end up that way.

What's that fishy smell? Salmon

We had salmon for lunch. I came in from a walk to the store, and thought Yikes, it still smells fishy in here, so I got out an air freshener and now it smells really strange. But that brought back a memory of our son Phil who died in April 2020. We had let him and a group of buddies use the cottage for a few days here at Lakeside. While we were driving back we called about an hour out and told him when we'd arrive, hoping to catch a few minutes with him. When we got to the cottage, the young men were gone. And there was a very odd but familiar perfumy smell in the house. And there were strange spots on the walls. It took me a while, but I figured out that Phil had put the guys in high gear to get everything cleaned up before we arrived, and although they knew our rule was no smoking in the house, they did. Someone had grabbed a can of furniture polish thinking it was air freshener. . . and thus the odd smell and drips on the walls. In the file folder of memories of Phil, not sure where to put that one.

Public service announcement: lots of air fresheners and room deodorizers (and probably scented candles) contain chemicals not good for our lungs, so I rarely use them. Also not good for your pets.

                                    Phil's selfie of his feet and Lake Erie

Juneteenth, our latest holiday

 Juneteenth