If you are a Christian who voted for Biden, remember he doesn't use the words safeguard, protect, promote or support when it comes to children in the womb. He doesn't now and never has asked for swift and coordinated action at the border to keep drugs away from your children. When has he ever established an "interagency" gender policy to protect children from the misinformation and lies about their sexuality? Where is the EO for protection of crisis pregnancy centers now under attack by abortion terrorists?
Monday, July 18, 2022
The nightmare is not over
"The nightmare is over. In his masterful opinion for the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Justice Samuel Alito consigned the constitutional right of abortion to the ash heap of history. Alito’s criticisms of Justice Harry Blackmun’s opinion in Roe v. Wade are deep and cutting — and entirely justified. Roe was, Alito wrote, “egregiously wrong from the start.” It was “on a collision course with the Constitution from the day it was decided.” " National Catholic Register, June 24.
Most of this is true, and I agree, except the nightmare IS NOT OVER; it's just begun no matter where you are on the pro-life continuum. From conception to dementia and physical collapse in old age, people will need to be thinking through what they believe about God, natural rights, the Constitution, state laws, the minority opinions, investments in corporations supporting abortion for employees, medical and obstetric training for doctors and nurses in states that criminalize abortions, financial and emotional support for women who struggle with a decision, talking to neighbors, relatives and friends about touchy topics, what our children are taught about sex and biology in school and what will be preached and taught in our churches. Jesus' command to love our neighbors is being challenged by society at so many levels. Are we prepared?
In New York, there's nothing to stop an abortion/killing up to the moment of birth, and ground work is in place to allow infanticide for some years after birth. That's very different than Ohio's heartbeat law, or Mississippi's law which bans abortions based on the sex, race, or genetic abnormality of the fetus. And then there's all the issues about language with people being unable to identify a woman, or which words to use about "life" and your employer vested with the power to destroy your career if you can't subscribe to the thought control of management or the university administration.
The nightmare is not over.
Most of this is true, and I agree, except the nightmare IS NOT OVER; it's just begun no matter where you are on the pro-life continuum. From conception to dementia and physical collapse in old age, people will need to be thinking through what they believe about God, natural rights, the Constitution, state laws, the minority opinions, investments in corporations supporting abortion for employees, medical and obstetric training for doctors and nurses in states that criminalize abortions, financial and emotional support for women who struggle with a decision, talking to neighbors, relatives and friends about touchy topics, what our children are taught about sex and biology in school and what will be preached and taught in our churches. Jesus' command to love our neighbors is being challenged by society at so many levels. Are we prepared?
In New York, there's nothing to stop an abortion/killing up to the moment of birth, and ground work is in place to allow infanticide for some years after birth. That's very different than Ohio's heartbeat law, or Mississippi's law which bans abortions based on the sex, race, or genetic abnormality of the fetus. And then there's all the issues about language with people being unable to identify a woman, or which words to use about "life" and your employer vested with the power to destroy your career if you can't subscribe to the thought control of management or the university administration.
The nightmare is not over.
Saturday, July 16, 2022
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.
Women on a bus in 1957
"On a recent trip to visit family, I found myself frequently travelling alone on public transportation. As a female, out of my usual surroundings, I always looked for the safest place to sit. Where might I be safe on this subway, in this train, on this bus? Is there anywhere safe anymore?
Over and again, I found myself seeking out the nearest mother with a child in a stroller in order to seat myself near them. Did that mother have a special forcefield around her? Why did I gravitate to the mother with the child as the safest haven? Because I realized that this mother had made a conscious decision to stand on the front lines." https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2022/07/16/we-are-the-front-lines/?
That's a quote from an article about how Christians are on the front lines in the culture wars. However, for me, I recall an exact incident like this in June 1957 that happened to me. My parents had taken me to the bus stop in Dixon, Illinois, to begin a very long trip by myself at 17 to Fresno, California for a summer term in Brethren Volunteer Service. I've written about it at this blog with photos. https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/search/label/Fresno I certainly didn't have experience at 17 of traveling alone, but I looked for the first adult woman with children (she had 3) I spotted on the bus and sat with her. She couldn't have been more than 20 herself and had an Appalachian accent. I ended up being her babysitter half way across the country, sitting with the little girl and telling her stories while I combed her wispy hair, stories my mother had told me to keep me quiet about critters who snarl the hair of little girls. I think I also used my own money to buy her snacks because her mother didn't get off the bus when we took meal breaks. I felt safer, and the mother was certainly trusting, as I took the little daughter into the rest room, helped her with the toilet and cleaned her up while mommy tended to the boys (the children all had the strong odor of unwashed clothing and bodies).
Maybe it's instinct for women to seek each other for safety. With the culture wars of today, who can you trust?
Over and again, I found myself seeking out the nearest mother with a child in a stroller in order to seat myself near them. Did that mother have a special forcefield around her? Why did I gravitate to the mother with the child as the safest haven? Because I realized that this mother had made a conscious decision to stand on the front lines." https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2022/07/16/we-are-the-front-lines/?
That's a quote from an article about how Christians are on the front lines in the culture wars. However, for me, I recall an exact incident like this in June 1957 that happened to me. My parents had taken me to the bus stop in Dixon, Illinois, to begin a very long trip by myself at 17 to Fresno, California for a summer term in Brethren Volunteer Service. I've written about it at this blog with photos. https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/search/label/Fresno I certainly didn't have experience at 17 of traveling alone, but I looked for the first adult woman with children (she had 3) I spotted on the bus and sat with her. She couldn't have been more than 20 herself and had an Appalachian accent. I ended up being her babysitter half way across the country, sitting with the little girl and telling her stories while I combed her wispy hair, stories my mother had told me to keep me quiet about critters who snarl the hair of little girls. I think I also used my own money to buy her snacks because her mother didn't get off the bus when we took meal breaks. I felt safer, and the mother was certainly trusting, as I took the little daughter into the rest room, helped her with the toilet and cleaned her up while mommy tended to the boys (the children all had the strong odor of unwashed clothing and bodies).
Maybe it's instinct for women to seek each other for safety. With the culture wars of today, who can you trust?
Friday, July 15, 2022
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
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
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.
Thursday, July 14, 2022
More from the archives--love stories
I used to write short, short love stories about people in the coffee shop. Reread a few today. It was fun. I stopped going out for coffee in 2015. Saved a lot of money.
I never intended to be a writer, but have been doing it since I was a child. In college I "majored" in other things, although nothing that pays well, like library science. In a blog in 2008 I was writing about two of my favorite topics--food and money.
That said, if I thought my kids needed baked snacks (they were deprived and got raw sliced veggies and fruits) that weren't full of chemicals, sugar and salt, I'd keep an eye on this lady. Food Babe. She's very pretty and Hawaiian. Homemade Goldfish Crackers With Organic Ingredients (foodbabe.com) She must be OK because there are other web sites set up to attack her.
"In the early 1980s I was writing about food budgets, coupons, sweepstakes, and other ways to play with your food, just as I do today in my blog, but using an electric typewriter, a bottle of white-out, research in the OSU Agriculture Library, and a photocopy machine to issue my own newsletter, "No Free Lunch." I was interviewed on a local TV talk show, spoke to women's book clubs, a faculty lunch group at OSU, and I was featured in the local suburban newspaper. However, because my theme was in some ways anti-business and chiding the consumer for poor planning, I was not in great demand as a speaker or writer. You can't tell business that their methods are suspect and consumers that they are not behaving rationally and expect to be popular!
I was just as opinionated then as a liberal Democrat as I am today as a conservative Republican. I wrote a lot about how government and food conglomerates worked together to confuse or hurt the consumer and put the local food companies at a disadvantage (and I hadn't heard of a Wal-Mart). I was really hard on "food writers" in the magazines who always encouraged coupons and prepared foods. Actually, I still feel that way, but now wonder why Democrats continue to lull voters into thinking even more government control of their lives and wallets is beneficial. And I see how increased regulation of business hurts the little guy, and especially the poor."
Based on Biden's fuel policies, we'll probably be lucky to have food on the shelves to buy, but if you're concerned about inflation, you can still save a bundle by contributing your own labor, just as I wrote in 1981. These days, you'd also save a lot by discontinuing take-outs or eating out with your family. Even for us as a couple eliminating our Friday night date as we did during the Covid lockdowns saved us about $200 a month.
That said, if I thought my kids needed baked snacks (they were deprived and got raw sliced veggies and fruits) that weren't full of chemicals, sugar and salt, I'd keep an eye on this lady. Food Babe. She's very pretty and Hawaiian. Homemade Goldfish Crackers With Organic Ingredients (foodbabe.com) She must be OK because there are other web sites set up to attack her.
St. Ignatius of Loyola -- Pray as you go
https://pray-as-you-go.org/player/2022-07-14
Open any website or book or scripture for the Christian, and you'll find something about poverty, environment, sex discrimination, wealth gap and race. Since that's also the constant drum beat of the secular media, academic research and pagans, it falls flat--it is so mundane and nagging. Our sins most flagrant yet important to address according to Jesus are those closest, like members of our family or church or workplace. It's the commandment from both the Old and New Testaments--love neighbor as self. That said, there are so many sources to remind us of the horizontal dimensions of the cross. This link is to Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises. He lived in the 16th century and developed a plan to help focus on the gospel. Others carry on his work. This is just one of the first I came across in an internet search.
"Pray as you can, not as you can't." Additional links at this site on the left of your screen, some with soothing music and voices. Some with "examen" prayer opportunities for beginning of day, end of day, end of week,
And if you carry a phone with you (I don't, but tried it after downloading the app), there's a link for walking with meditation. https://pray-as-you-go.org/series/20-walking-with-god with either male or female voice. About 40 minutes. I haven't tried this--I'd be so distracted by a squirrel or fairy garden or piece of trash carelessly thrown from a passing car. I used the original meditation noted at the beginning here, rather than the walking one.
Ignatius on gratitude
Is there a distinctly Ignatian understanding of gratitude?In the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius Loyola, gratitude is not just beneficial to us, it is the only logical response to the grace of God.
There is a logic of gratitude that grows through the Exercises, a dynamic of grace building upon grace. Ignatius does not begin the Exercises with his great call to trait gratitude, the Contemplation to Attain Love – he ends with it. First, we need to see clearly and in true perspective. We begin by seeing ourselves in the context of creation, of the Fall, and of the decision by the Trinity to enter into our ensnared world and set it free. We then walk with Jesus step by step, through birth, life, agony, death and resurrection. The daily drip-feeding of state gratitude with the Examen culminates in the trait gratitude of the Contemplation to Attain Love. So gratitude is the fruit of all that we have experienced. We do not create it; it is brought to birth through our encounter with Jesus. We also do not force it. Ignatius urges us throughout the Exercises to be honest about our desires and our responses. He notes that we do not always desire the best, and that sometimes we need to pray for the desire for the desire. Tell the truth, and then pray for the grace you need: this is the process. Gratitude is perspective. When I see myself contextualised in the whole of salvation history, my response will be ‘the cry of wonder’. There is a natural welling-up of gratitude and love, which is intended to last, to make us people of gratitude at a deeper level.
For all Christians, there is a distinctive quality to their gratitude: belief in God as the giver. In a secular worldview, gratitude may be a response to a series of gifts from random ‘others’. For Christians, our lens is our ongoing relationship with God, the architect of salvation. Our root gratitude is to the One who has given, who gives now, and who can be utterly trusted to keep on giving. As Michael Ivens SJ explains, ‘Gratitude for the past… leads to trust for the future.’[14] Ignatius structures the Contemplation to Attain Love to reflect this past, present and future engagement with grace in my life and in the whole world, coming personally and intentionally from God.
There is broad agreement that gratitude is good for you, and that it’s linked to happiness. But where the science of gratitude seeks to understand gratitude, Ignatius wants us to orient ourselves through it. Where positive psychology notes that ‘gratitude has good outcomes’, for Ignatius it is much stronger than that: more like, ‘if you see God’s world and your life as they really are, gratitude will well up in you’. All agree that ‘if you want to be happy, be grateful’, but for Ignatius it’s fundamental: gratitude is the only disposition that makes sense.
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Fauci has reappeared
For a long time I didn't know anyone who had Covid. Then as more lockdowns, more masking, more vaccines and more boosters just about everyone I know has had it or now has it. Most recently, 2 women in my Bible study group--and we meet on Zoom! And almost all of them did everything they were told to do by the Biden administration and their state governments (our governor nagged us for 2 years). Have you had that experience? And now Fauci's back on the news again. Hasn't he had it at least twice? Must be time for the mid-terms?
Money can't fix everything
We sold our home of 34 years in 2001 and the new owners installed a professional kitchen, spending ca. $50,000 ($80,000 in today's dollars), and then got a divorce. The three signs of a marriage in trouble are 1) a new sports car for the husband, 2) an expensive get-away vacation, and/or 3) a ridiculous remodeling project for the wife. Or, maybe money just doesn't fix what's wrong.
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
They never learn
Countries that have tried (by force or election) socialism, have failed.
Countries that have tried (by force or persuasion) Green Energy have failed.
Biden promised, and will we become Sri Lanka, Ghana, the Netherlands or France? He's pushing the USA into third world territory, and he's lying about the shortages. 9,000 permits means nothing if you've blocked every avenue to produce it. We could be producing enough fuel and food for the whole world, but Biden and his Green-goes are ghouls.
Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Promises Resignation After Protestors Stormed Capital |
Will ESG Reform Capitalism—or Destroy It? - Foundation for Economic Education (fee.org)
‘This is life and death’: AOC re-introduces Green New Deal with Ed Markey (yahoo.com)
How have we let this bartender who does make up videos control the future of the country?
The other Biden Bloopers
With compliments like these, who needs insults? Jill Biden described Latino diversity “as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio.” And she mispronounced bodegas according to the gossip I heard. Oh my.
Tuesday is Farmer's Market at Lakeside.
Drove our golf cart to the Farmer's Market this morning. It used to be just 2 blocks from our house on the "main street," but moved to the old school house a few years ago, about a mile away. I bought a rhubarb pie, some buckeye candy (on sale because the cooks had Covid and lost their sense of taste so couldn't guarantee the quality), a bag of homemade breakfast cookies, a pound of peaches, a half pound of green beans, one ear of corn (Bob hates corn), a bunch of beets with the greens, 2 bananas, and some strawberry jam; now I'm anticipating a great lunch. Every thing was much higher than I expected, but we have to pay for Biden's war on fossil fuel and common sense.
Monday, July 11, 2022
The 10 year old rape victim who had to go to Indiana to get an abortion
Looks like this is going to turn out to be bogus. Ohio has no 6 week law--it's a heart beat law; no rape was ever reported in any district; the abortion doctor in Indiana is required by law to report it for investigation; Ohio has no such report; the Indiana doctor is also an abortion activist who likes to be on TV; Ohio AG is investigating her story.
Update July 13, 2022: "COLUMBUS, Ohio— Today, Ohio Right to Life released a statement in response to the arrest of the alleged rapist in the case of the ten-year-old victim in Ohio. According to court records, Columbus police were notified of the victim’s abuse and pregnancy on June 22nd through a referral from Franklin County Children Services. The perpetrator was officially charged with first degree rape after making a confession. Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Cynthia Ebner has set bail at two million dollars and he is being held in the Franklin County jail."
The news release was dated June 29, the police notified June 22. Ohio Right to Life notice dated July 13. No information on date of rape. Somewhere I read the Indiana abortionist was reprimanded for HIPAA violation telling the Indianapolis Star about a patient.
I think the pro-aborts will have egg all over their faces and the President on down to all the media who reported it will look foolish for doing no investigation of a child rape report and accepting one abortionist's report.
This is a terrible crime if it happened, and someone needs to be in jail. Let's hope the investigation turns up no child and no crime--and the media were again engaging in misinformation for political gain. And I hope there is punishment for the abortionist if she made up this story for her own fame.
This is a terrible crime if it happened, and someone needs to be in jail. Let's hope the investigation turns up no child and no crime--and the media were again engaging in misinformation for political gain. And I hope there is punishment for the abortionist if she made up this story for her own fame.
The news release was dated June 29, the police notified June 22. Ohio Right to Life notice dated July 13. No information on date of rape. Somewhere I read the Indiana abortionist was reprimanded for HIPAA violation telling the Indianapolis Star about a patient.
Tearing Us Apart by Ryan T. Anderson and Alexandra DeSanctis
New book on abortion. I probably won't read it, but it does present a moral argument and history for the mess we're in. For those who haven't made up their minds, and those who need to clarify their points when encountering (arguing?) with the pro-abortion group: "Abortion harms everything and solves nothing."
We love killing babies--from summer of rage protestors
I was shocked to see on Facebook a woman I'd just taken communion from the week before write "abort the Supreme Court" on her page. She'd also been in DC 5 years ago wearing a pink hat to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump in January 2017 (before he's had a day in office) to cheer on that riot (which caused more damage than J-6). Although I'm sure she didn't mean kill them, that's how many in her camp will read it, and some are launching racist and violent attacks on our Supreme Court against Thomas and Kavanaugh. Will there be hearings? Of course not. Democrats are in charge. A retired 3 star general has been suspended by the Army for making a sarcastic remark about Jill Biden's abortion views. Now THAT's totalitarianism. These same duplicitous gangs who march for killing are rejoicing in the fake hearings on J-6 so they can breathe some more life into their hate Trump campaigns for media ratings. It makes me wonder what anger and hate bubble up and infect her other wise pleasant demeanor and smile on Sunday morning. Her rights and mine come from God and not the state.
'We Love Killing Babies': What I Saw at Women's March Protest (dailysignal.com)
'We Love Killing Babies': What I Saw at Women's March Protest (dailysignal.com)
Friday, July 08, 2022
Lakeside nostalgia--guest blogger Jennifer Mathews-Santulli
We have sold our cottage in Lakeside, but are leasing it for the final summer. The air conditioning died 2 weeks ago, and is being installed today ( for new owners, of course). It feels different, of course, especially since several in our neighborhood haven't returned due to illness, or busy schedules "back home" (usually doctors' appointments and grandchildren's activities). I noticed this very nice nostalgia piece on Jennifer's Facebook post today. I knew her mother--and perhaps I knew Jennifer when she was a little girl playing in Perry Park which was near her parents' house and the first cottage we rented back in 1974. She gave permission to repost it here, so enjoy a peek back.
In my opinion, this is some sort of surreal little pocket of heaven which I have been so lucky to be a part of all these years of my life. Again, unlike the new trend of leveling the older cottages and rebuilding up newer versions of themselves, our place is almost still original, save the shower updates in which my mother had the beloved Victorian tubs hauled away… and kitchen updates years ago… but the memories we have made in this place echo in my heart and mind all thru these years. I had first loves in this place, and brought my fresh faced new fiancé here. I nursed and rocked my babies under the moonlight rocking on vintage white wickers… until they snoozed back in bed. I taught my 3 girls how to ride their bikes or paint rocks or sing Bible school songs here. We experimented with food options and became instant chefs for only our people here. I walked dogs by the beloved great Erie lake shore here in the day and nighttime, being leery of running into midnight “friends” of the skunks or raccoons. I have stood face to face with a deer or coyote in the predawn’s light going down to the lake front. What a thrill… I had late night boat rides with old boyfriends… watching the bobbing lights on the nearby Islands… that feeling of being so young and free… and alive. I am still friends with many of these people still today… it doesn’t matter how different our lives are or have taken us… we all share that “Lakeside Bond” that does not seem to break. That’s what is so great about old friends and most especially up here.
I have met celebrities while being a young waitress across from the concert venue… serving them food and having the opportunity to chat awhile. And experiencing the MAGIC of hearing them play in that great and unique auditorium.. something so intimate and “back in the day” that never goes away. Magical nights when the wind turns during a program and gusts welcomed breezes to the performers.. sometimes bringing them to change their intended set list to something more intimate. Including the audience because they feel Lakeside’s spell, too.
Conversely, I have nursed my dying mother here in this cottage… watching her great light fade away slowly while secretly begging God for a miracle so she could stay awhile longer in this place… my 3 girls spread around her holding her hands and whispering gratefulness for what she had brought to us in this place… a second mother to them really… after my sad divorce. What memories we share singing and reading and taking walks and telling stories. . . playing cards games or “chicken foot” dominoes with their Nana.
And now I am caring for my elderly Pop. He’s still kicking it but very frail. Still hanging on. We go back and forth some . . . he’s much grumpier than my mom ever was but still . . . he’s my dad and I love him. He took me fishing off his wooden Lyman boat.. we caught two at a time on perch double hooks. I got many a suntan on that boat . . . while my dad and my brother fished. We drove to Canada to Pelee island and bought our English tea cups and woolen wear counting our Canadian coin change.
So many memories . . . such a different life than my other 10 months of teaching in a Title One school in an Atlanta suburb. I love Lakeside for all it has given to me and my family. It always goes by too fast…
And I will never forget it.
"It was very hot and humid all day yesterday. Portable A/C units blasting all day… for the relief of it in a few rooms in the cottage. It is nothing fancy but we love it that way… it’s like going back in time to Mayberry… you don’t have to lock up your bikes in the park… chances are, if you forgot it last night… it will still be there in the morning. Right where you left it. Unless some kid took it on a late night joy ride… and it will be discovered 4 blocks away discarded after the fun. Some neighbor will recognize it from a lost bike sign and you’ll go pick it up. Last night, I listened as I heard the American flag start to flap… after dropping heavy and low thru the heat of yesterday. It’s a welcome change and you snuggle in tight with a smile. You know that the northeast winds have blown in and will chase the thick humidity away leaving a crisp chilliness. Great sleeping weather. Perfect for reading on the porch.. or taking a nap. Everybody is out riding bikes and golf carts… kids racing, cousins reunited, birds and squirrels chirping and scurrying for seeds and bugs. Rushing to or from summer jobs up here… or out to pick up some forgotten BBQ or picnic supplies.
In my opinion, this is some sort of surreal little pocket of heaven which I have been so lucky to be a part of all these years of my life. Again, unlike the new trend of leveling the older cottages and rebuilding up newer versions of themselves, our place is almost still original, save the shower updates in which my mother had the beloved Victorian tubs hauled away… and kitchen updates years ago… but the memories we have made in this place echo in my heart and mind all thru these years. I had first loves in this place, and brought my fresh faced new fiancé here. I nursed and rocked my babies under the moonlight rocking on vintage white wickers… until they snoozed back in bed. I taught my 3 girls how to ride their bikes or paint rocks or sing Bible school songs here. We experimented with food options and became instant chefs for only our people here. I walked dogs by the beloved great Erie lake shore here in the day and nighttime, being leery of running into midnight “friends” of the skunks or raccoons. I have stood face to face with a deer or coyote in the predawn’s light going down to the lake front. What a thrill… I had late night boat rides with old boyfriends… watching the bobbing lights on the nearby Islands… that feeling of being so young and free… and alive. I am still friends with many of these people still today… it doesn’t matter how different our lives are or have taken us… we all share that “Lakeside Bond” that does not seem to break. That’s what is so great about old friends and most especially up here.
I have met celebrities while being a young waitress across from the concert venue… serving them food and having the opportunity to chat awhile. And experiencing the MAGIC of hearing them play in that great and unique auditorium.. something so intimate and “back in the day” that never goes away. Magical nights when the wind turns during a program and gusts welcomed breezes to the performers.. sometimes bringing them to change their intended set list to something more intimate. Including the audience because they feel Lakeside’s spell, too.
Conversely, I have nursed my dying mother here in this cottage… watching her great light fade away slowly while secretly begging God for a miracle so she could stay awhile longer in this place… my 3 girls spread around her holding her hands and whispering gratefulness for what she had brought to us in this place… a second mother to them really… after my sad divorce. What memories we share singing and reading and taking walks and telling stories. . . playing cards games or “chicken foot” dominoes with their Nana.
And now I am caring for my elderly Pop. He’s still kicking it but very frail. Still hanging on. We go back and forth some . . . he’s much grumpier than my mom ever was but still . . . he’s my dad and I love him. He took me fishing off his wooden Lyman boat.. we caught two at a time on perch double hooks. I got many a suntan on that boat . . . while my dad and my brother fished. We drove to Canada to Pelee island and bought our English tea cups and woolen wear counting our Canadian coin change.
So many memories . . . such a different life than my other 10 months of teaching in a Title One school in an Atlanta suburb. I love Lakeside for all it has given to me and my family. It always goes by too fast…
And I will never forget it.
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