Just Hanging On.....

One of my typical walks with Fenway is out to the lakefront path and around behind the bandshell. I like to look at the water and Fen likes to sniff all the fun-dog-scents along the way. There are lots of trees and bushes for him to claim.

As we round the corner and head along the bluff toward Lake Street I always notice this one birch tree that seems to be leaning farther and farther toward the south. It's bending more and more. The roots are on the hillside and seem to be slowly giving away. I have to wonder just how much longer it can "hang on"?

I have to admit that Fen and I walk a little more quickly until we've passed under this birch....and I won't be surprised to round the corner some day to find it lying across the road. "Determination" can only go so far......

A Unique Celebration......

October is birthday month in our family. Dave's is the 28th,  our third grandson celebrates on the 30th and our oldest grandson celebrates on the 31st. We can't get to Washington State to help #1 blow out his 22 candles, but our "local" grandson lives in West Bend so he and his family got to join us on Sunday for lunch.

It was a casual gathering with a Halloween theme birthday cake from the grocery store. Before I went  to buy it Dave reminded me to get candles. I stated that there was no way I could put 73 candles on a cake plus we were sharing it with a grandson about to turn 17. If I added all those the cake would melt before I got them all lit!

His answer, "Get the ones that are numbers....a one, a three and a seven." So I did. And Dave put them on the cake....the one next to the seven followed by the three.

A specific birthday and this idea worked. I did the math for next year, when Evan will be 18....but that's no good because Dave won't be 84!!! So maybe this only happens once and this was the year??? I won't go back through the calendar to check, but it was fun to watch them try to cooperate as they made wishes and blew out the flames. Dave told Evan to blow out the "one" and he would do the "three" and they'd both aim for the "seven".

Not sure if that really happened....but it was fun to catch the moment! Happy Birthday to two of my special "boys".

So Change Comes.....

Walking Fenway one morning this week I noticed the sky. The clouds were cutting northeast and the line created in the blue was very distinct. I watched it as the front moved quickly and it, once again, reminded me of just how much we monitored the weather while living on Connemara. "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning!" We would have watched this cloud formation and then gone to our radio to check forecasts. Change was coming.

And this morning I opened my Facebook page to be greeted by the smiling face of a friend I left behind in Delaware. But not for a good reason. I was taken aback to realize I was reading her obituary.....and, even though we hadn't seen each other in years, and only kept in touch via comments on Facebook, I felt so sad. I felt the loss and remembered her and the time we spent together.

Quilting brought us our friendship. Dave and I lived in Old New Castle and she lived in Newark. We both belonged to the same guild that met in Newark and a smaller group that gathered once a month or so to make "ugly quilts" for the homeless. She had a great smile, a wonderful laugh and was a warm and caring woman. I can only imagine how much she will be missed by her husband, daughter, family, friends. and community. And me.....from afar.

She was born in 1944 so was only two years older than I am. That fact also hit me.....time passing and changes coming. Inevitable.

My condolence card will go in the mail tomorrow. It's not much but it will remind her loved ones that her reach went much farther than the small state of Delaware. A toast to my friend Sara Jane.....you made an impression and a difference.

Shades......

I've spent a lot of time driving around our area over the past few days....errands and a meeting and other stuff that put me behind the wheel. And it's obvious that fall is here in Wisconsin. We may not have the dramatic jaw-dropping scenes we find when we travel west and we don't have the drop-dead beauty of the hilly areas in New England as their trees boast a change in palette. But Wisconsin has it's own quiet catch-your-eye scenes.

I've finding new colors at every turn....and enjoying them while they are here. Our reds, oranges, golds and browns combine to make the neighborhood look different and sort of "new".

Vines on a wall....leaves on the sidewalk.

Single trees shouting "Look at ME!" It's a lovely time of year....color before the grey and white that we see for the winter months. I wish this colorful calendar would last a bit longer.

             

Nothing.....

I enjoy my little blog...I've always enjoyed writing. I started with a daily diary and kept that up through college. I wrote letters to my family and friends for years....in the old days before email and text and all the new technology.

And I really do enjoy pondering about things as I move through my day and putting random thoughts to "paper" to do this blog. But I've been "dry" for days now. Just nothing coming together in my brain as I walk Fenway, or drive around town, or listen to the radio or TV. Nothing....at least nothing that I really want to think about or organize or share.

So I'll just trust that my little muse will show up again.....before too long....

So If I Don't "Love" It.....

Sadly America's recent past has been filled with disturbing images of people shouting and sneering and yelling at fellow citizens. The news shares obsessive chants and ugly rhetoric.....coming from "on high". Our fearless (fearful) leader seem to encourage the hate....and then, as usual, backs off with some weird statement that doesn't make much sense. At a recent rally in Minneapolis I saw the crowd sitting on the stands framing 45 as he went on his disorganized rant. It really disturbed me to see children cheering and pumping their fists at each of 45's "point the finger and blame the other guy" statements. Children.....pre-teens.....

It's the love-it-or-leave-it crowd at its worst.....at least to my way of thinking. And there was another person ejected from a rally the other day because he was wearing a t-shirt in support of Colin Kaepernick. Get out.....no freedom of speech allowed at a 45 rally.

So I began thinking, again, about words and their meanings. I think about the individuals who scream "Love it or leave it!" In other words, if you don't "love" the USA, get out. Or rather, if you disagree with what they think....get out. So I began to wonder, do I love the USA?

Off to the dictionary to check some definitions. What does the word "country" mean? According to the dictionary it is a noun used to describe "a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory." So it's a physical place.  The word "love" is a noun. According to the dictionary it means "an intense feeling of deep affection". I associate the word with people...and very close, personal connections. I don't associate "love" with Country. And then what about the word "proud"....am I proud to be an American?? To live in America??  Off to google again and the on-line dictionary. I find that "proud" is an adjective meaning "a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired." Somewhat confusing, but again I guess I associate the word "proud" with personal achievements....for me it's people oriented.

So I don't use the words "love" and "proud" with America....or my commitment to my Country. I realize I do feel very fortunate to be an American and lucky to have been born here and lived my 72+ years in comfort. I've taken my citizenship for granted....not spending much time thinking about our Constitution and the freedoms it provides me.

I'm not doing that so much any more.....the man currently occupying the oval office basically makes me cringe every time he opens his mouth and utters some strange sentence. He frightens me. He makes me worry about America's place in the world....and where we will be in the future. I think he is completely unqualified for his position and has not gathered knowledgable people to help him with his decisions.

So if I can't say I love America....does that mean I should pack up and leave?? According to many people, probably yes. But guess what....I'm staying. America's not perfect and there are many, many areas that need improvement/attention/change. My vote will be my voice....and I'll hope that, in the future, I will be able to say I am very proud of my Country. At this very moment in time.....not so much.

I Make A Prediction.....

I expect to hear it any day now...."I hardly knew the man. I only saw him a few times."

So the drum beat continues.

Here Comes the Sun.....

Our weather is changing and fall is fast approaching. Still, this morning was lovely....calm, warm-ish and beautiful. Fenway and I have been waking up a bit early, so we were out the door at 6:30 and in time to turn toward Lake Michigan and enjoy a beautiful sunrise.

We walked fast because I wanted to get to the shoreline and the view changes by the second.

The sun was hiding somewhere just below the horizon and then just behind the cloud cover....but she still painted a beautiful picture.  I was distracted for a moment by two deer grazing at the edge of the parking lot.

Got a "fuzzy" cell phone shot before they bolted up the hillside....white tails flagging an alarm. And then I glanced back to the lake to see this....

I can understand how many earlier cultures and civilizations looked to the sun as god....she brings light and warmth in the morning....and beauty as well.

Ribbons.....

After an RV trip west we are back to central time and it's getting dark earlier and earlier every night. Also early morning walks offer a new view.....of "our" Lake Michigan. Fenway and I headed out about 6:45 this morning for his first morning "business"...the quick walk before breakfast.

It was cool enough that I needed a jacket, so I grabbed my mom's lightweight coat from the closet. The grey/green one with a hood that I took from her closet after she died. Every time I put it on it's like a "hug"....even though it's been years since our final goodbye. Fen and I did a quick walk toward the lake and then back home. The low ridge of clouds across the lake showed pink where the sun was starting to peek up. No camera or phone with me....no photo.

But coming home later in the day I noticed that the wind off the water gave me ribbons of color stretching from the horizon to the shore. White caps and blues and greens and even browns. The shallow area just off the beach is bottom sand kicking up and turning the water into an unappealing brown.....but just look....the colors of the water change every day. Some days are just more complex than others.

I so appreciate living near water....this big body of water....it is different every time I see it.