GOP Rally at the Delta Plex

Fire in an overhead light!

Several times we were asked "are you fired up"? Just as John James (running for US Senate) was finishing up his speech, an overhead lamp fired up and started dropping bits of flaming debris. A Walker fireman soon put it out with a poof or two from a fire extinguisher.

Yes, J. and I attended our second rally at the Delta Plex. It was a place I could wear my (blue) MAGA hat (purchased at the last rally) without being booed! And it was a very fired up crowd of deplorables. No need to be quiet about being a conservative in this crowd.

Vice President Mike Pence was the final speaker of the three hour event. He said "I keep hearing about this blue wave coming; lets make sure it hits a red wall!

It was a very small rally compared to a Trump event. And Kent County GOP people seem to be a very white crowd. I didn't say old white. We claimed infirmity and were allowed to sit on the bleachers, but half the crowd stood for the entire rally.

The only other thing that surprised me was that the rally opened with a prayer. Frequent mentions of God received loud applause ... which was a good thing!

A Weekend at Lake Palmer

You say, "where the heck is Lake Palmer"? It is near the little village of Colon. Does that help?

Anyway, it was the second annual sibling weekend for the husband and his 4 siblings.

We all brought food, picked a bedroom on one of three levels of the lovely new (or completely renovated) VRBO lakeside home and made ourselves comfortable. The short weekend commenced at 4:00 on Friday and ended at noon Sunday. After everyone packed up their coolers and luggage it took only minutes to get the place back to almost perfect. We would have been charged extra if any of the furniture was moved. For my part, I wiped the main bathroom sinks clean and dry with a washcloth before tossing it on the bathroom floor, as per instruction. It looked perfect. I did not scrub the toilet. We pay a hefty fee for cleaning, after all. I also loaded a last load of dishes and wiped down the refrigerator. Someone swept the leaves up in the entry.

There was a lot of talking, reminiscing and looking at old photos and videos. There will probably be less of that as P. runs out of old photos and movie clips to archive and digitize ... or if memories fade so much that nobody cares!

K. and I managed to stave off a session of old camp songs. We said just let us know, and we will go for a walk. That kind of stifled it, I think. Those old trite, insipid and repetitive songs from the 50's grate on my ears. They must conjure up good memories of family times or car trips or something. I have heard them all. Many times. I am just old enough and grouchy enough now to leave the room when they happen to erupt!

Grandma (from 1988) on video!

I brought some snacks for arrival time, as did others. We had meat and cheese and grapes and olives, but a fancy charcuterie presentation never materialized! Everyone brought cookies, and someone even made rice krispie bars. And adult beverages. It was too much.

But the pizza from Five Star Pizza in Colon was a hit, and not that expensive. Two large and loaded pizzas seemed to satisfy. (That was our offering--so easy that I almost felt guilty). Some had ice cream later--3 flavor choices of Hudsonville. I was going to buy some, but Ruth beat me to it!

A trip of 20 miles or so to an old cottage owned by the parents near Nottawa for three years, back in the day was the only excursion. It looked very much the same. The back porch had been improved with sliders. We knocked and peeked through the windows. A sibling photo was taken by Sand Lake. No one expressed regret for not keeping the tiny cottage in the family.

The husband's older brother gave him an early birthday gift--a framed poster of a challenging golf hole.

We did a re-creation of an old photo from the 50's of the three eldest siblings on the sofa in an oddly posed Sunday-best photo. P. showed old movies and RM showed slides of a recent trip to Amsterdam.

Ruth made a huge Saturday night meal: seven layer salad, beef stroganoff, steamed broccoli, homemade rolls, apple pie and ice cream. And the wine flowed freely.

Also, we roasted marshmallows for s'mores by the fire pit. I enjoyed wine and music rather than more food. P. played "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" for me on his Bose speaker and I requested "The Most Beautiful Girl" by Charlie Rich." P. is into Andrea Bocelli and played his popular duet with Ed Sheeran. Check it out on YouTube!

It was a successful weekend. A little sunshine would have made it more cheery, but we had a (gas) fire going and a fall-scented candle flickering at all times (and plenty of wine). The place has already been booked for next year!

Falling Leaves and Fleeting Time

"There is a season
And a time to every purpose, under heaven"

Time...

So precious. So often squandered.

Today the husband's Mom would have turned 100 years old. She is not so long gone (just 3 years) that the family does not still feel the loss of her presence. The siblings are gathering again this weekend for what is planned to be an annual fall event of fun and remembrances. One of the activities this year will be re-creating an old childhood photo. That should be good for a laugh! (No bathtub scenes, lol.)

We are the elder generation now, and even as time marches on, we are marching onward and forward (sometimes lurching, slouching couching, lazy-boying?) through our last year in our sixties--and after that any claims to youthfulness will deny reality.

(Something very special is already planned between our Big Birthdays next year. But I am not going to let the cat out of the bag just yet.) Hint: dieting and wardrobe shopping must commence now, according to our organizers!

Yesterday and today have been gorgeous, sunny days--a welcome treat after last weekend delivered a variety of unpleasant weather--hail, wind, rain and near-freezing nights. But I didn't notice that any white flakes made it across to our side of the lake. It was good to spend a few hours snuggled in, on the couch, with the current book club selection about the species invasions that have occurred in the Great Lakes since the St. Lawrence Seaway was opened. I almost made it through the book, which evolved (rather, devolved) into a boggy biology course. The detailed description of the ugly sea lamprey's sexual habits was the highlight, lol.

Poets have long been comparing the seasonal changes in the natural world--the dying leaves, the falling white snow, etc. with various aspects of aging. People tend to die in the fall, too. I'm not sure why, but it happens. Both of the husband's parent's died then--latter October and late November.

I am not so inclined to write poetry, even when a perfect fall day speaks to something deep inside me.

My mother (who would have turned 111 this November), often expressed herself in "poetry" of the old-fashioned kind--the effort of someone who ended formal schooling at age 12, in 1919. Are any of those masterpieces buried somewhere in my vast basement archives? They were terrible poems, really--loaded with emotion, tortured pentameter and forced rhymes. But I would actually love to come across one now. Time to start digging.

Time moves too quickly sometimes, and I fall way behind. But the cooler weather and impending winter stimulate a new sense of urgency.

Yesterday I finally managed to write (and fill with a few crisp bills) a graduation card (due last June!). But I also mailed both of our ballots (71 cents each) at the post office. That felt good. No October surprise is going to change my vote or party!

After errands today, I drove through two parks, looking for October clouds and color. The sunshine, blue skies and gorgeous white clouds renewed my spirit. I sensed nothing of impending fall death! And the photos provide something more for this post than my rambling thoughts!

A Big Blue Wave?

A big blue dark and stormy Michigan wave

Will there be a blue wave (or even a tsunami) in November ... or is there a red tide rising? I don't know what color will surface, but if I'm not seeing some red by the end of the night, I will be blue!

Another important election day is just 19 days away. Do we trust the polls? Will we be as surprised (delighted? demoralized?) as we were just two years ago?

Historically, the political party in power loses seats in the midterm.

I will be home watching--whatever the winning color may be ...

Perhaps there will be  a bit of purple on the electoral map.

If Michigan can avoid the blues, I may have my *first US Senator in place, a wonderful West Point grad, vet and business man, with slave cred by the name of John James. Also he would be Michigan's first black senator. Then I can abandon John Thune, whom I have long claimed to represent me from my state of birth.

There will be some red wine available--for celebration (or for drowning my sorrows in a wave of the wrong color.)

Meanwhile, the color white is imminent. My phone today keeps flashing a warning that "sloppy, wet snowflakes are possible in parts of W. Michigan this weekend."

It is still October--but I can handle a few white snowflakes of the sort that fall from the sky ... even if sloppy and wet!

Let's hear it for the red, white and not-blue!

Edit:
*I forgot about Spencer Abraham who was voted into office in the year of the "Gingrich Revolution" (1994), and voted out after voting for the impeachment of Bill Clinton.

Art Prize 10 - And Other Thoughts on a Monday Morning in Michigan

Art Prize finalist - beautiful Michigan "Mitten" at night

I didn't sleep well Saturday night after being out for the evening, even though I usually sleep better than most people that I know who are my age!

I am learning that as one ages, sleep (and staying asleep) becomes a precious commodity. Some of my friends wake up in the wee hours almost every night. And after snoozing through the news, I often get sleepy about the time they are waking up!

So, anyway, after church and a 4-burner meal plus oven (fried hamburger, spaghetti sauce, pasta noodles, steamed broccoli--plus spaghetti squash cooked for an hour in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper and no water--my latest prep method, if there is time) there was a mess of pans in the kitchen and a mess of dirty bowls and leftovers. I cleared the table, ran one load of dishes and then immediately retreated to the couch, happy to have the luxury of an extended nap on a dreary Sunday afternoon.

After getting all my machines "up and running" this morning I am sitting here, waiting for the day to brighten--and it is!

All three of my big trash bins need to be filled and put out on the street later today--which means emptying all the indoor trash, raking up the honey locust pods in the front lawn in order to finish filling the large yard waste container (which costs a $6 tag to empty), and breaking down a few Amazon boxes for the recycling bin (which is a free service). And if that's all I get done today, it's okay!

Incredibly, the highs for the next two days are predicted to be in the 80's--and humid (84 degrees for Tuesday). I am so thankful to have that new AC working efficiently! We have had a few spectacular fall days, but enough already of this hot and humid weather. And the rain. All summer I begged the heavens to rain down on me and lately, it has done almost nothing but rain!

Saturday afternoon I attended the wedding ceremony of young church friends. A hired cellist was the star of the wedding music but a foot-washing ceremony by the new couple (accompanied by an interesting solo from the pastor which featured a new-to-me song that demanded a few high tenor A's) was the most remarkable feature of the wedding. A dessert reception followed, before the invited guests traveled out of town for pasta and dancing at a barn venue.

Everyone I talked with after the wedding was experiencing extra aches and pains. I think the oppressive weather was causing some arthritis spikes. One 70-something man (BVT) admitted that his whole body hurt. But he was still smiling.

Around 6:30 PM I was picked up by J. (and J.) for a night on the town, the last night of Art Prize 10.  It was gloomy and the temperature was at 61 degrees--which suited me just fine. After exploring one indoor church venue, we walked ... along the Grand River to the Grand Rapids Public Museum and through the city streets. Cities and lighted art pieces take on a little night magic!

The winners have all been picked and yesterday was the last day for viewing. Next year, after 10 straight years, Art Prize will take a break. The quality of the art, and the enthusiasm is beginning to wane, I hear.

Wooden "Champions"--Arnold, Ali and more - at the JW Marriott, shipped all the way from New Jersey.

We ended the night at a new (City Built Brewing Co.) brewery, enjoying some good stout and porter samples, an amazing pork belly taco and some other south of the border fare. That's probably why I couldn't sleep--too much good food and drink still in process!

A pretty good weekend, really.

(And yes, there was that Saturday morning vote to confirm a new SCOTUS nominee!)

I still have work to do this fall, including putting the gardens "to bed" for the winter. I went to a fall garden lecture series event last week on the subject and was reminded it is time to get the job done. I am ready this year to pull out all those gorgeous blooming begonias and Sunpatiens ... now! October 25 is the actual date for the church garden pull-out and pizza party, but enough already. The time for all (vegetation) to die is nigh!

I'm sure there will be many perfect fall days yet this October ... crisp mornings (and crisp apples to pick), sunny afternoons, gorgeous leaves, and azure blue skies populated with fluffy white clouds.

An October sky is to die for! Please let the rain stop for a few days!

Quantum Meditation - early evening in front of the Public Museum

A September Day at our Great Lake

A calm late September "wine o'clock" lake

I arrived at the lake in time to leave for dinner at Clementine's in downtown South Haven. I was ready for a casual low maintenance night with the girls (K. and M.) at the cottage, but I threw on a little lipstick and was good to go for a late Monday night in South Haven. I succumbed to my default choice--a burger and a draft beer. It was a little loaded (the burger) and not-so-little delicious:

After returning home, I persuaded the girls to watch the movie Book Club. It is well done, but not nearly as laugh-out-loud funny as I had remembered, having previously seen it in a theater with J.

After the movie, everyone was still sated, and sleepy. It was very quiet at the lake house and we all slept long and well.

In the morning, after scrambled eggs and coffee, we hiked on the beach (which is currently missing sand) to a new public access point and then through the forest back to the cottage. Just to be sure, I washed my ankles with soap upon returning, even though I didn't spot any poison ivy on our trek through the woods.

A flight of  samples at "Three Blondes Brewing"--the  Dutch owner has three blonde daughters!

Then we went back into town. We bought Honey Crisp apples and other goodies at the Dutch Farm Market. I shared a beer flight and an appetizer with K. on the patio of the brand new South Haven Brewery. And then we topped it off with a dip of ice cream at the historic (1916) Sherman's Ice Cream, which I have somehow never before had a chance to enjoy, even though it has always been a favorite stop for those travelling between Grand Rapids and Chicago.

We returned home via the scenic route and settled in for a view of a very placid lake (above and below), abundant sunshine, and a few bottles of wine! I brought along and shared a Joel Gott 2015 Pinot Noir which was left over (gifted to me) from the Tennessee trip. It was smooth and delicious and made me wish I hadn't shared! A review referenced strawberry, cherry jam and herbs with a scent of barnyard (oh no!) but I didn't distinguish all that!

Another shot of lake "placid"

Finally the predicted bad weather rolled over the lake, dampened our fire and forced us indoors for the night. I decided to stay another night and watch another movie. We viewed Something the Lord Made, from 2004, which was compelling. It was based on the true story of the first heart surgeon and his uneducated black assistant who performed a successful, ground-breaking surgery on a "blue" baby at Johns Hopkins in 1944.

In the morning the sun was returning, but the lake was still violent with crashing, angry waves. I took a short movie (which I won't include) just before I left, which captured the sound perfectly.

View from the newly constructed "perch"

It was good to see our Michigan Great Lake again ... both calm and wavy.

Our book club is reading The Death And Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan this month. It is well written so far, with very descriptive language, which I love. If it gets too preachy/environmental I will not be as happy with it, but those 5 Great Lakes are indeed a treasure, holding 20% (I just learned) of all the fresh water in the world!

Morning waves - crashing and violent!

SCOTUS Update

I did not check the schedule for the hearings between accuser Ford and defendant SCOTUS nominee Kavanaugh on Thursday morning, but I did set a recording before leaving the house.

It was church garden morning. Five of us cleared 6 bags of debris from the gardens on a gorgeous, sunny and cool day. J. rode along to the dump (city yard waste facility after we packing about 10 bags total into the Subaru. After dumping we treated ourselves to a light lunch of tacos and salad (and a small draft) on the way home, again enjoying the spectacular fall weather at an outdoor venue.

I did not enjoy the rest of the day...

Without hearing more than a few snippets of the morning testimony on the radio, in which Dr. Ford apparently appeared credible, sympathetic and 100% sure that she had been assaulted by a 17-year-old Brett Kavanaugh 35 (or 36?) years ago (with no old or new corroborating evidence being presented), I turned on the TV just in time to hear Judge Kavanaugh's opening statement. After that I was transfixed ... riveted to the end of this live drama that was unfolding.

Today I hear that Judge Kavanaugh has been voted out of committee, with the questionable vote of retiring Senator Jeff Flake now in the yes column. It appears that the Judge will also still be voted into office by the Senate with another narrow, partisan vote.

I have never heard anything like this!

In these very divided times politically in the nation, there is little consensus and rare compromise. But the borking, the high-tech lynching of past Republican Scotus nominees was nothing compared to this attempt by the democrats on the judiciary committee, along with their media supporters, to completely destroy a good man's character and threaten his family.

I'm sure there have been other equally dramatic moments of conflict at the highest levels of government, but not on live TV. None that I can recall.

Senator Lindsay Graham gave voice to all the pent up frustration, with a blazing indictment of the Senate democrats with their rhetoric and their tactics as well as articulating an impassioned defense of Judge Kavanaugh.

I have never seen anything like it!

Judge Kavanaugh came out swinging--angry and emotional, defending his good name and years of unblemished service, and the honor of his family, who have been smeared and threatened, especially in the last 10 days--by the media and the democrats. He has been called evil by a US senator and a gang rapist by a cable news pundit. He denied it all--with passion, righteous indignation and tears--choking on his words, especially when he referenced his family and the dozens of colleagues, friends and classmates who testified and wrote letters in his defense.

And later they said this angry man was not of a suitable temperament to be a Supreme Court Justice.

This is about destroying a conservative Catholic candidate at any cost.

Central to what many have been led to believe is that his vote on the court might be the one which could overturn Roe v. Wade.

Save abortion at any cost! It is like a sacrament to those on the far left! (Of course, this fight is about much more than just abortion, but the issue, along with birth control, is used in a powerful way in partisan politics.)

So Judge Kavanaugh has been declared guilty until proven innocent!

What a sad and ugly day in the US Senate ... and in the country!

The Check is in the Bank

It is finished. The day before the closing of our student rental house I did a final tidy and inspection. Found a key to the back door and left it there. Moved the trash receptacles and swept underneath. Cleaned some mud off the patio and raked up some sticks. The backyard pile of sticks was reduced, but not eliminated. I just couldn't seem to get to the bottom of it! I thought they could use the old dry sticks in their Chimenea. That's what I told myself! And some said it really didn't matter.The house was sold! On the previous Saturday I did a final weedwacking, swept out the grass from the shed and picked up the nails from the shed door repair, which was demanded after the inspection. I was glad to find the owner's manual for the John Deere lawn tractor (now in our garage) still on the shelf.

But now that we have received and deposited the check, it is finally over. I hope the new owner will care for the house and try to be nice to the (nice) neighbors. And I hope he will give the white star magnolia a drink of water during the next long hot summer. We didn't do much new landscaping during all those years, but the magnolia, I think, was a nice addition to the front yard.

 Spring of 2017

September 11: Remembered

My first photo of One World Trade, taken from the historic St. Paul's Chapel graveyard - April 2015

Since I have been visiting NYC more often and have been learning and observing how the buildings destroyed in those horrific attacks (now 17 years ago!) have slowly been rebuilt, I like to focus on the positive changes that have come to the World Trade Center area since that awful day. Every time I visit lower Manhattan there is some new building, business, bar or botanical feature to marvel at. I observed it all from 101 floors up less than a year ago! And it is all more beautiful than it was before.

It took a long time for the space to be rebuilt--and I read that full occupancy has been slow to be achieved in some of the structures. But in my humble opinion, good things are happening.

But on this day, I took some time to look at some new dramatic photos of "the morning that changed everything," photos taken while I slept through the initial attacks, having arrived home late (on an American airplane) from Orlando the night before. I sat stunned and transfixed in front of the television for the rest of the day. Like the day Kennedy was shot, it is a day that is fixed in my memory.

Remembering the horror changes nothing for me personally. It does nothing to bring anyone back, including those who have died since, from exposure to the toxic fumes.

I have nothing profound to add to all that has been said and memorialized.

On my next visit to lower Manhattan, however, I would very much like to take the time to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

I will never forget...

The End of Summer Is Near

Labor Day has come and gone, and it feels like the end of summer is near. But today's high was 88 degrees and it also feels very much like summer is still with us.

The kids are back in school and the politicians are back in Washington DC.

But my "living in retirement" life continues with very little drama here in West Michigan, where we rarely have tornadoes or earthquakes or fires and have never had a hurricane or tsunami.

Tomorrow a new air-conditioner will be installed here. Today I tidied a path in the backyard to the unit to facilitate access. A new larger system will now hopefully be able to handle these hot and humid summer days, lowering the inside temperature to a chilled 70 degrees--if we  choose!

I have had a few car issues lately. Now a headlight is out on my Subaru Forester! That is problem #3, and better be the last one for awhile! Trouble comes in threes, right?

I scrubbed the bottom (with Fels Naptha) of a voluminous velvet skirt for E., so that she can at least start out clean for the weekend Renaissance Festival. The skirt is long and dramatic--and drags in the dirt.

So in addition to chopping the heads off dead flowers and battling common weeds, my life is filled with common and trivial pursuits--and in fact, speaking of trivia, I am playing (or rather, losing) Jeopardy on my phone lately).

And at night when I am tired I hit the couch to watch FOX NEWS.

And yet, every day there seems to be a new crisis somewhere--or at least some new drama.

Mid-term elections are just around the corner and pundits and primary winners are pontificating about their hopes and fears.

This week, hearings are being held for the second Trump-appointed SCOTUS justice and the Dems are fit to be tied. They can posture and protest all day long, but a new conservative judge will most likely be in place soon. He is young, with a fresh Catholic school boy look (which belies his brilliance) and will serve with "the supremes" for decades, tipping the balance of the court to the conservative side, which is a HUGE win!

Bob Woodward's new book has created a stir for the day and there is a new anonymous "senior" administration member of the "resistance" who has emerged to create drama in the White House. And as always, there are more POTUS tweets to ponder each new day.

Every week seems to bring some new revelation which rocks the political world.

And yet: the economy is roaring. Unemployment is at a record low level. The stock market indices have recently touched all-time highs. Lower tax rates are beginning to be realized. Food stamp usage is down. De-regulation has spurred new business. North Korea seems to be making efforts toward de-nuclearization. The military is getting needed funding to repair and ramp up. Coal is being mined again and the Keystone pipeline is now on target for completion. And so much more

There is a new optimism in many parts of the country.

Like it or not, the times they are a-changin'.

And the investigations (of Russian collusion and whatever else they can find) that were designed to derail this President's agenda or find cause for impeachment have come to nothing so far. There still could be an attempt (if more seats are won in November) to impeach, but Trump would never be convicted by the Senate.

I actually attended the five week (failed) senate impeachment trial of Bill Clinton, watching from the senate balcony for 45 minutes or so while on a road trip with my eldest daughter in January of 1999. I think I have written of this before. It was a rare opportunity! I saved my entry tickets. Hopefully, that will have been the only impeachment trial in my lifetime. My daughter was not that thrilled to be there with me, but I remember that she told a news person that the experience was "surreal."

There is no appetite in the country (or votes in the Senate) for convicting a duly elected POTUS.

And so I follow the new drama each day. Because so much happens in a week, the memory of the events from the previous week quickly fade.

While the media buzzes with excitement at each new sniff of a scandal.

I distract myself, after dinner, with one episode per day of Amazon Prime's Orphan Black. We are near the end of season 4. It is hard to imagine where this crazy human cloning story is going...

September Green!

Finally ... after begging the heavens all summer to release a little more rain, we have recently enjoyed an abundance of showers here in West Michigan--and even some nitrogen-releasing lightning/thunder storms. While leaves are starting to drop, my front lawn is returning to its preferred color. The side yard is actually so lush that I have asked the husband to mow it with the more powerful riding mower, which just came home from the rental on Saturday--our little green machine (John Deere lawn tractor).

So ... Labor Day passed quietly without beach, barbecue or beer. I went with J. to see "The Death of a Nation" in the evening and there was a golf tournament on to entertain the husband.

After a busy weekend with family at the destination wedding, I didn't really need more activity. Time is flying by and many jobs await before I can put away my tools and stay inside (except for the Florida trips) for the winter. I cleared the car a little for its second trip to "the shop"--this time for a new alternator. I was without a car for 4 days, although it took less than 24 hours to repair at a small local garage. The day it came home, I took a load to the yard waste facility, washed and waxed it at the car wash and (finally) vacuumed up all the milorganite fertilizer and sprayed down the liner, before loading it lightly with supplies. Just a few more months now...

However ... I have been freed of watering duties for over a week! Not checking the weather report, I watered some pots in the dark after coming home from Tennessee last week Sunday, only to experience a violent rain soon after. And rain almost every day since!

Consequently ... the Grand River is again flush with water, saving a jumping woman's life, according to the local news today. Flooding is happening in some places, but my only complaint here is the continuing high humidity and temps in the 80's. As I finish this post it is 87 degrees according to the radio, 89 degrees according to my phone.

And ... our AC is struggling to keep up. We have ordered a new unit to be installed before fall--a bigger one that will hopefully not leak fluid from year to year and be ready for a potential April heat wave.

But ... I love the green. The "green, green grass of home."

In the photo below, the invasive variegated porcelain berry vine is covering the rosa glauca and mixing it up with the finally-blooming white mandevilla vine which I overwintered and is now covering the trellis on the deck.

Found this pretty bottle of German bier on opening day at the new Bridge Street Market--a low-alcohol grapefruit drink--not really even a beer (or bier).

A Destination Wedding

"Google enhanced" view from our cabin

We are back from the mountains of Tennessee, where it was almost cold at night, warm and sunny in the afternoon. and perfect weather, really, for everything except sitting in the sun in nice clothes (suits for the men!) for an outdoor (5PM) wedding.

The young girls wore bare dresses with lots of flesh exposed. But someone my age is not comfortable with that! So I was a little warm. The printed wedding program had a handle and served as a fan--a very nifty idea.

We all stayed in spacious log cabins with air-conditioning for the days and hot tubs for the nights. The deck was high above the ground, but an animal of some sort left scat by the hot tub. Yes, there are bears in the Smoky Mountains. And fires were strictly verboten.

We had the best mountain view out of the three cabins occupied by our other family members. We had booked for three nights. Our whole family of 7 was in attendance, as well as all of the husband's siblings. and many from the cousin generation. Son-in-law G. demonstrated his new drone, filming us watching it on our deck.

The husband took relatives touring a bit in Smoky Mountain National Park, including Cade's Cove. I visited a cool pottery shop in Pigeon Forge and joined in some tablet Jeopardy in the cabin. Time dragged on both days, but I was okay with the relaxing. For instance, Friday I was up around 8 and the BBQ was from 6-8, so there were many hours to fill.

Getting ready for the trip had proven tiring and trying--trying to get things done and then having my car stall in the middle of it all. But I managed to work in a haircut at 8 PM the night before.

The wedding activities were all pulled off in great style. The buffet wedding dinner was delayed longer than we old folks could stomach, and then some took the shuttle home early--before the table of donuts (cake donuts?) was brought out and before the Mellow Mushroom pizzas were delivered! The open bar remained open, but I was not much in the mood for drinking.

The flower girl stole the show, with her poufy dress (below), the guitarist played impeccably and the mountain views were spectacular. There was a table loaded with candy to snack on or take home in pretty bags.

So besides being an unforgettable mountain setting for a wedding with many cute touches, what was really different (in my experience) about this wedding? It was filmed professionally by drone!

Also unusual was the fact that I did not get out my camera phone once on the wedding day. Plenty others were taking photos, including this one:

Cuteness!

Summer Food and Folly

Because the summer has dragged on long and hot with few days away or even days for elective fun, I decided to indulge a bit, going out to eat and drink multiple times during restaurant week, even though the week has been rather hit and miss in the past.

I took photos of some of the food and posted them on Facebook. The first night of restaurant week I persuaded the husband to join me and picked a spot where he could be comfortable--Slows BBQ at Downtown Market. We each selected a draft from their list (not a brewery) and ordered a sandwich each, for the 2/25 price that was featured. The deal also included a cheese dip with toast points that was delicious. My Yardbird chicken sandwich was scrumptious, better than the BBQ beef sandwich. We ordered a side of potato salad as well and it was all more than I could finish. We had a lovely young waitress and sat by the window in the uncrowded Wednesday evening venue. Even though it was not a gourmet menu made special for restaurant week, it was satisfying, with reliably palate-pleasing basics.

The week ended up being as much about the brews as the food. My interest in craft beer ebbs and flows, but I went to two new breweries and felt compelled to sample their stuff, even reverting to a flight of four samples, like back in my year of beer!

Flight at Big Boiler Brewery

So at Slows I choose a Left Hand Brewery milk stout on nitro that went down smooth. The husband enjoyed a brown ale from Trailside in Allendale, brewed especially for Slows--Don't Slow Me Down.

Lunch at Rose's with J. and O.

I also went to lunch at Rose's (lunch not included in restaurant week) with friends and was intrigued by the "sunken piano" ale which was featured on the draft list, which falsely claimed it was from Founders, but actually was brewed for "A Taste of East Grand Rapids by Saugatauk Brewing Co. and was featured in 3 or 4 EGR restaurants. I am trying to expand my palate, with gose beer and even some IPA's! I have come to enjoy Founders Green Zebra, a watermelon gose which is great on hot summer nights. I am told that there are some interesting New England IPA's that should be explored.

Is there really a piano at the bottom of Reeds lake??

On Friday afternoon J. and I enjoyed the shaded area of the upper level garden patio deck at Rockwell Republic. downtown. Parking was tricky, but the restaurant gave out vouchers for the parking garage nearby. They also had a good draft list and after several overly-generous samples from our waitress, I choose some kind of stout--I think it was the barrel aged milk route stout--but I have almost no memory of it! (No photo: it didn't happen.)

Then there was a funeral memorial service... I took J. out for a late lunch in Lowell at another new brewery which featured special restaurant week menus for both lunch and dinner.  It was not busy in the middle of the afternoon and the manager and waitress were friendly and accommodating. Also, the food was actually tasty. I had clam chowder and sampled J.'s flash fried risotto balls in a marinara sauce. My main course was a large salad. And I had the flight pictured above.

Melt in my mouth Filet Mignon at Cygnus

Also, we were invited to a retirement dinner on Saturday night for Judge J. It was the first Saturday night of restaurant week, but the menu was pre-selected for the venue. The filet was so tender and the dessert so pretty. But the small room up a floor from Cygnus was hot and crowded and never really cooled down with 35+ bodies in the tower in the sky.

So fancy!

I visited one more new-to-me brewery, with O., on the second Friday night of restaurant week with again, an interesting draft list from a Detroit brewery transplant, Atwater. I had a (slightly) sour and salty What Gosearound that was a refreshing and easy-drinking 4-percenter.  O. tried a Whango (mango) fruit beer but couldn't detect much mango in the Whango! The food was mostly good and the husband enjoyed the leftovers, but it was nothing that special for their high priced restaurant week dinner choices. We stopped at a cone shop for a single dip of Hudsonville ice cream on the way home and that filled all the remaining spaces in our culinarilly-disappointed stomachs for the night.

And so it is time to eat (and drink) less--and simply, at home (for a few days!). Yesterday we had crock pot beef roast with store-made mashed potatoes ... and it made the husband very happy.

A Deathly Smell in the House

Signs of trauma and torture on this trap! I soaked it in baking soda for 3 days to remove all odors!

I think I still have a pretty good nose for smell (but who knows). The kitchen and refrigerator are the worst breeding grounds for bad odors in my house ... rotten veggies, gunk in the disposal, a dish rag that has been wet in the sink too long, or a tomato that has gone bad at the bottom of the bowl.

And I think I have a pretty strong tolerance for smell. I grew up on a farm, after all! The ammonia level in a chicken coop in the wintertime is enough to knock your socks off (or at least make your eyes water)! And of course ... all the pig manure on the farm. My brothers teased me when I was little for going barefoot (always) and occasionally "stepping in it". They called me Pig-manure Rosella! I haven't ever forgotten it. I think they chanted it to torment me.

Who of my sheltered city-raised children has any notion of that level of stink?

And it is I who chose to stand in a long line recently, and then chose to stick my nose over the spathe of the corpse flower at Meijer Gardens, in order to get a good whiff of its deathly odor!

Anyway, for a couple days this week I noticed a smell in the kitchen. I ground a lemon rind in the disposal and removed the rags and sponge from the sink--but it was worse than that, and pervasive.

I eventually discovered it was a mouse--dead in a trap below the sink. I don't ever catch a mouse in the summertime, so it was not expected. And it was ripe! The peanut butter on the trap had been untouched for at least 6 months but I had just left the trap under there.

It was so bad (once disturbed and removed in a bag to the outdoors) that I imagined the smell of it all day long--I couldn't get it out of my nose (or perhaps my imagination).

Another recent odor is that of skunks. I am careful at night in the yard. I have even seen a cute white skunk in the yard. They should not be living in our city neighborhood! Their scent lingers and sometimes drifts in through the dryer vent in the basement. Some people enjoy the scent of skunk. I do not!

The worst smell ever? I have a candidate for that! That time we came home from a family trip to Colorado during the summer after I graduated from college ... and checked on the husband's parents' house in Cicero. The smell was detected (and bad enough) as we opened the front door, but when the husband opened the basement freezer door looking for an ice cream bar, the odor exploded in his face!

What was it it? The freezer had died--for some time. His parents had recently stocked the freezer with beef, including lots of liver! Blood was dripping out onto the basement floor, with maggots developing. The meat was hot and steamy with decay.

We did manage to remove that mess. I will spare you the gory details. It involved a lot of Lysol, improvised nose masks, trash bags and a hockey stick! Needless to say, that freezer was never used again!

(I may have mentioned some of the above before in this blog. But who of you remembers, really?)

A Shower at the Lake

Cuteness from the Lake Michigan beach

A Saturday shower in South Haven by the shore was a smashing success, but sadly the shower was a bridal one, with no rain included!

It was hot--tolerably so--with lake breezes ... while I did nothing but sit, sit, sit. sipping adult summer beverages under the canopy of  trees. I could see the lake but I didn't even go down to check out the beach. I will do that some moderate September day!

The take home gifts (made by K.) were the little rock sculptures above and sea glass candy in a tiny mason jar. I am inspired to make bigger rock sculptures, ones with no glue--just artful balancing!

I'm Going all Chemical Ali!

Taken August 1. Last daylily of the season  ... in my shady backyard.

Last month my friend O. said she was going to war (my word) against her garden weeds with Roundup, a controversial herbicide and possible carcinogen, touted for years by Monsanto to be safe.

 I kidded her that I was going to call her Chemical Ali. She didn't recall the reference.

Ali was the military officer, a cousin of Saddam Hussein, who was responsible ultimately (and eventually hanged) for his role (along with other war crimes) in the gassing of thousands of Kurds in Iraq. He was dubbed Chemical Ali.

Well, lately I have become Chemical Rosie! I just had summer weed control applied by TruGreen on my lawn and the whole place smells like chemicals. I also had the property sprayed for mosquitoes for the first time. I didn't detect any odor from that.

So far at church I have not used Preen (pre-emergent control) or the herbicide Round-Up. I did use Bayer 3-in-1 on the Knockout roses this Spring. I use Milorganite and Osmocote and Miracle Gro fertilizer and spray with putrified egg solids for rabbit and deer deterrence. I throw bleach in the fountain weekly, which assures no children will be infected if they play in the water. In fact, all that stuff is pretty safe ... and nothing has been noticeably nibbled.

I am allowing a few cherry tomatoes to volunteer as weeds in the petunias unchecked. Snapdragons are happily volunteering all over the place in one section of the garden. Volunteers are important in the church, and especially in the garden--with me being the chief volunteer!

At my uncle's property chemicals have been strictly verboten because of the visiting grand dog--until this year. The sweet dog has passed on. So now I am adding algeacide to the pond and I used Roundup the other day on some weeds in the rocks. Charlie, the resident dog, has been exhibiting symptoms of skin cancer for over a year now and is quite old, so I'm not as concerned about him anymore. Also, I think weed control has been used on that lawn this year.

Wasp nest fell out of patio umbrella when brave hubby opened it. He got stung on the elbow! I killed them with Dawn dish soap! I was concerned about the table, so I used a safe insecticide in this case.

In other news, where are the bees? Few bees (except a few bumbles) have been seen on the drumstick allium or the (invasive) variegated porcelain berry vine. The good news is, I have not been stung this year. The bad news, of course ... the loss of the honey bee.

While I prefer not to use any unnecessary chemicals (even taking the time to spread my coffee grounds in the hostas to deter slugs), this year's weed crop (that seems to be flourishing in spite of the drought that is turning the lawn brown!) has driven me to extreme measures against the weeds. And bugs are always unwelcome. I am at war!

But please don't hang me (or even expose me) for my war crimes against the environment!

Dog Days Weather Report

Last night after midnight I went outdoors to add one more bag to the trash can, already set out on the street. I was wearing light pajama wear and felt a chill go through me. Is summer over now, after all my complaining, I pondered?

Ha. I checked the 8-day forecast this morning. Look at Tuesday 8/7. Here we go again, with night temperatures next week cooling all the way to 74 degrees!

All I can say is some of that rain and indication of thunder and lightning had better materialize.

 And I am so thankful to have that new air compressor in my Subaru!

The Rental House is Listed!

As of Friday night, our student rental house went live with photos on the web! Our realtor (JC) went a little nuts as he was given control over the final details. More new carpet. Air-conditioning! A new toilet! All new doorknobs! New smoke detectors replaced. He knows how to make things happen! He even brought soap dispensers and towels and shower curtains for the baths.

But, I was a little behind on my responsibilities for the yard. I was not ready for a Friday listing! I worked all Friday afternoon, but did not finish the weeds in the corners of the backyard. And the mowing (the husband's responsibility) was not done until Saturday, after the first showing.

Now, I'm thinking of a few flowers! Flowers, with no one on site to water were unthinkable in the 90 degree weather of the past weeks. But I have a leftover flat or so of begonias....

I "wasted" part of a day on a kind of birthday bash mid-week. The 7th annual bash did not get to Grand Haven, sadly. We went to a beer and hymn fest at the Knickerbocker. I put a video of that up on Facebook.

Color and chaos!

But the weekend was work, work, work. I worked on all four properties today (soon to be three!). While the weeds are winning on my uncle's property, the front perennial garden (above) looked pretty colorful today. And the church garden is quite spectacular. I had three helpers on Thursday morning and we whipped it into shape, removing all the daylily stems and other spent flowers. The phlox are in their full glory and the annuals are blooming their heads off. I emptied two bottles of spray-on Miracle-Gro on Thursday night to try to keep things going!

Phlox and friends!

While the husband mowed (quickly--with the little riding John Deere tractor), we spent Saturday evening together at the rental, weeding and mowing and even sprinkling the front lawn while we were there. I was thinking that after a hard afternoon's work a retired person should be having a fun Saturday night. We hired all the other stuff done on the house. Why am I pulling weeds under the dying back yard blue spruce on a Saturday night?? Could there be a more menial task??

 I suggested we (me) at least pick up a pizza on the way home. And I had part of a summer shandy in the fridge. And some Perrin Black. So the thought of pizza, Orphan Black (our new series) and a Perrin Black kept me going, pulling weeds (2 contractor bags full!) until 8:00 PM. And then it was finally couch time. And then bath time.

I surely wish my house was as clean as the rental house (but I am not ready to give up everything I own to make that happen). Every surface has been painted, even the basement (walkout level) floor--and every other room except the kitchen has been carpeted or has new linoleum. All the closets are completely empty and freshly painted. What a dream! And with air-conditioning keeping things cool, fresh and de-humidified! I want to move into a perfectly clean home!!

Maybe this house (the one I live in) will one day be vacant and ready for a new owner. Meanwhile this old house was a little chaotic. A new mattress, and a new 65-inch UHD television arrived this week. The empty boxes are still in the entry awaiting recycling. And a new bed frame waiting to be assembled sits in pieces in the living room.

Pardon all the exclamations! Perhaps I am a little overstimulated from all that late-night pizza and beer after a busy afternoon.

A Steak, a Reuben and a Beer

Reeds Lake garden by Rose's

Birthdays come and go with less importance these days. It is enough to be alive and well another year. But I had another birthday last week and managed a little celebrating! The youngest daughter found the time to send an E-card from her company that does paperless cards and invites. She was hosting a party after work that day on her 24th floor deck and probably had no more than that moment to herself. The oldest daughter managed a long evening phone call in which we discussed important things like her dog's possible gender issues--which made us both giggle. I don't want to talk badly about her dog, but she revealed some incidents that involved some irresistible ears ... and some lavender oil!

And my oldest brother who is disabled managed a (rare) phone call. A day early. That was a bit of a surprise. I called him back a few days later on his birthday for a longer chat. Among other things, we discussed cars and the prudence of replacing the compressor on the old Subaru (which I had ordered ($$$$) the day before. He told me the clutch had likely failed. Who knew a compressor had a clutch? Back in the day he probably could have installed it for me.

On birthday evening with our family of three, I ordered the most expensive steak on the menu at the local Houlihans (after we found that the wait would be over an hour on the deck at Rose's). It took too long and was overcooked (still tasty) so they gave it to me for free! Three dinners, 3 diet cokes and a shared dessert for $38. And they didn't even know it was my birthday.

A gooey butter cake topped with salted caramel and ice cream

I was taken out to a lunch downtown for a Reuben by O. and for a happy hour beer on the lake with J. I also treated myself to a large strawberry shake after my weekly dump run. That slid down so well in my hot (un-air-conditioned) Subaru.

Three nice, real paper cards and one new button-up from the hubby filled out the remembrances. Also, a new very large screen television was ordered (delivered tomorrow) for our viewing pleasure.

 Life is good. Hopefully I will be cool for the rest of the summer. I heard it was 106 degrees in Japan. And humid. Whew! It was 100 when I was there back in the day--and I almost died on the trip from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji when the air conditioning failed in my host's car.

Apparently it is going to be even hotter than that in Southwest USA.

But enough about the weather. It has been raining here and the earth and flowers are refreshed. The rain alone would have been enough of a birthday present!

The Weekend: A Cottage, some Coq au vin, a new pair of Capris, Church, and a Chocolate Candy bar from Kazhakstan

The weekend was crowded with lots of good c-words, including a chillin' good time carpooling with friends and conversing with fellow clubbers at a cottage "up north".

It was the annual book club/golf event on Saturday, six couples participating. I have a short tradition of contributing a 7-layer salad to the after-golf cuisine. The salad was assembled the night before with the help of the vegetable-chopping husband. The ratty recipe card dates back to a 70's Thanksgiving dinner but the salad still pleases the palate every time it is consumed.

It was another 90-degree, deadly dew-point day--and I declined to participate in the annual singing of the national anthem at the ballpark on Friday night. Instead I watered the flowers for a full hour at church, shopped for salad ingredients and purchased a much needed pair of cotton capris.

Rising early to get packed and travel north for the 11:00 tee time, I hastily pulled on my new capris, pairing with a favorite top trimmed in black. When I looked down by the light of day in the car the capris were blue, not black! (I think I had my sunglasses on when I shopped.) I was mortified. I do not like mixing navy and black. When I got to the golf club I pulled a full price polo off the rack in a pretty blue color. And paid for it.

Brats on the grill, baked beans, potato salad and fruit salad filled out the food buffet.

But the dessert by Jeri was more unexpected, and I thought, photo-worthy: a chocolate mousse trifle with a delicious brownie base. So I attempted some creative camera shots:

Dessert on Deck

But the best thing about the day (although I should say fellowship with friends) was the deliciously cool lake breezes that wafted up to the deck and into the cottage! It was amazing--so much cooler than parts inland.

On Sunday morning after church we attended the presentation of our young Russian-speaking friend Jeremiah who we support to teach and work in Kazakhstan. He gifted us with some chocolate from Kazakhstan:

Then we enjoyed a Coq au Vin dinner with cousins D & A. Carrots, too. Homemade pies were peach and rhubarb, ending the string of good things starting with c--but served with coffee! Too bad not peach cobbler and rhubarb crumble!

Oh, and all this deliciousness followed the encounter (close and personal) with that crazy corpse plant! One would hope that a whiff of this disgusting plant would have taken away my appetite for a few days, but no such luck!

One more photo of Putricia!

The "Corpse" Plant Blooms

Amorphophallus titanum - (misshapen penis giant!) aka titan arum

When I heard that Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park's titan arum (easier to pronounce and less sexy, lol!) plant was starting to bloom I immediately determined that I just had to see it! I had been following the progress daily on Instagram.

So Wednesday night the resident horticulturalist did a live broadcast after hours, declaring Thursday to be the day to see the plant and "sample" its famous aroma. The spathe was opening and the smell was beginning to emanate. And he was thrilled!

I stood in a long line for almost two hours to see this rare plant, native to Sumatra, on Thursday afternoon.

Was it worth it? I think so. (I also had to pay the senior fee of $11, since I don't have a membership this year).

The spathe was already beginning to close and the smell somewhat diminished when I photographed it around 2:45 PM. A volunteer suggested that if we wanted a proper whiff (she didn't say that) we should stick our nose up close on the left side.

Yup, rotting flesh!

This specimen has been growing from a seedling for 18 years! I have been following the Chicago Botanic Garden and they have had some success and failure, as I recall, with this plant. But now we have one blooming right here in West Michigan!

The 24-36 hour window of inflorescence (bloom), occurring at a convenient time for me was a must-do event. I had to go alone, parked far away in a full lot and stood in a long snaking line just ahead of a friendly woman and her adult son.

I did not know that there were (reportedly 5,200) other folks crazy enough to travel and wait in line for over an hour to see this plant. That's how many people passed by the stinky plant between 9-5 on Thursday! And there were a surprising number of children.

I suppose I should have taken a selfie with Putricia (a perfect name!) but I had hat hair and was hot, so declined the offer from the friends I made in line.

These children made a much cuter pic:

These children give some perspective to the size of this rare specimen.

New Word for this July

I have traded HOT for DRY.

I know there are many things happening in the world and I am paying some attention to things besides the weather...

The World Cup is entering the final games and my guessing game has gone to pot. I have England winning today in the family on-line game.

Trump made his second SCOTUS pick this week. The new justice-to-be seems like a winner out of central casting--brilliant, personable, family man, church man--and still young, with a cherubic altar-boy face. He could serve 30 years! The libs are shuddering that the court could shift to a majority who actually interpret law rather than inventing it.

And the soccer team in Thailand has been rescued by Navy Seals from their flooded cave. We all needed a feel good real life drama!

However, even as the swamp of high dew point heat has drained from West Michigan (if not so much in D.C.) it was replaced with a hot dryness. Things have gone from moist to crisp, drippy to crunchy.

I see thunderstorms in the weekend forecast. I will take the humidity back, if it means a little rain!

I was at the church gardens for an hour last night, until 9:45 PM. It was peaceful and I don't see all the emerging weeds at night!

And I saw a recently opened Oriental lily growing tall through a Kousa dogwood shrub. I watered it profusely--it has some more blooms to produce!

But, yes--the word of the day is DRY!