Forced Hiatus....and the End.

So we left on September 5th for a three week RV trip out to North and South Dakota and stuff in between. I was looking forward to doing a few postings during the adventure but "fate" interfered. Either no internet or I couldn't access Blogspot! Oh well....we saw lots of bison, a coyote, hundreds of prairie dogs, wild turkeys and wild horses. Had good weather and no real "difficulties" except for the big stone a truck kicked up that left a lovely "dent" in the RV's windshield (to be fixed) and the fact that I hit a turkey as it awkwardly tried to fly across the road in front of me. 

We returned at the end of the month and somehow life kept getting in the way and I never sat down to just write my blog. Then I began to think about it. I wrote a weekly newspaper column for the small New Castle Delaware Weekly for at least five years....same kind of "my musings" type of format. Then took a two year break while we lived aboard Connemara where I just wrote my ship's log.

Once back in the real world of work, home ownership, family and community involvement I began my little on-line blog. It's been a real source of enjoyment for me since about 2011.

But I think I've run out of "steam" and just don't find the energy or inspiration to continue to share my "musings from Milwaukee." All these years I've had fun putting thoughts to paper maybe 5 - 10 times a month and so enjoyed the comments from my "loyal followers". 

Who knows.....maybe at some point I'll start up again, but for now I say goodbye! Thanks for being "out there"!

Fondly,

Linn

:-)

So Troubling.....

After his book club discussion Dave suggested I read A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan. The book has been on my bedside table for weeks but I decided to start it yesterday. The subtitle on the front cover states the book is about "The Ku Klux Klan's plot to take over America, and the woman who stopped them."

Right now I am on page 105 and this part of our history is really difficult to stomach. The description of how the Klan was re-founded and then began to grow by leaps and bounds in 1920's America is sickening. And several times as I've read a paragraph I've thought "Sadly this sounds like someone we recognize in our United States 2024."

"As the names spread around the state, Stephenson (one of the founders spreading the Klan across Indiana and surrounding states) raged against traitors and spies inside his realm. He threw things against the wall, stubbed his cigar on the floor, screamed at subordinates until he was out of breath. Even when he wasn't drinking, his anger storms could overturn a room. He moved swiftly into federal court, seeking an injunction to stop Tolerance (a newspaper exposing who belonged to the Klan) from further publication."

And a few pages later, "A trick of his was to grab a girl's breast and fondle it in front of others. The shock effect gave him power, and revealed to him at a young age that he could get away with things that others could not - simply because he dared to cross a line."

Ugh.....I will keep reading just to learn about the woman who "stopped them" but know that the KKK and other white supremacist hate groups are still lurking just below the surface. This group was filmed training in Florida and the tape was leaked to a local news program. Two days ago a group marched in downtown Tallahassee.

These guys just look so stupid to me.....except that what they stand for and believe in is what I consider to be completely anti-American. Hiding in the woods to practice....they should at least be "brave" enough to do this in their neighborhood in their own back yard. Some parasites die when exposed to the light.

A Small Effort.....

I watched most of the DNC last week and frankly was pumped up by the speakers and the enthusiasm in the audience. So....that's over and now we'll just have to wait until November to see the results.

Last Thursday I followed Michelle Obama's command to "do something" and drove over to the Milwaukee County Democratic Office hoping to get a bumper sticker and a button to wear. They didn't have any road signs yet (which we can't post at our apartment building anyway) or buttons with the Harris/Walz ticket. I did get a Kamala button and the name of the website where I ordered postcards to mail. The smallest order was for 500 so I will be handing bunches out to friends and neighbors eager to help.

Then I saw an idea on Facebook so I am also preparing to share these whenever I am out and use a public bathroom at a store or restaurant or wherever:

I got my pad of post-it notes and started writing. They will "live" in my purse until needed. I plan to stick one at eye-level inside the bathroom stall so the next person in the "space" will sit and see! No name so no one can get annoyed with me, and I expect most will be taken down quickly and go into the trash. On the other hand my little note may bring a smile and a reminder to someone else of just how important it is to DO something and then VOTE!

Feeling encouraged......

Looking Up....

For some reason this past week I've been looking up. Walking along the sidewalk, driving down the road (as a passenger), sitting at one of our outdoor summer concerts. The midwest blue sky with assortment of puffy white clouds framed with sky blue has been just hypnotic to me and the changing light can change each image within minutes. I can remember lying on the front lawn with a friend while in grade school. Like many other children we would be seeing pictures in the clouds above. Mother Nature giving us a beautiful display.

Spend some time looking up.....use your imagination.....what do you see?

....And The Excitement Continues

So our VP, Kamala Harris, chose a running mate and the internet is going wild. The headlines state the excitement as non-MAGAs learn about him and consider the team as a whole. The GOP is going crazy and getting more and more "wierd" by the day! Such fun to listen to 45 and or his VP pick or the pundits who are already just posting nasty comments, stirring the pot of false facts and watching his lead shrink.  This will be an interesting November.

I hear some people saying he's too liberal but while living next door to Minnesota while he was Governor we heard some pretty good things about what was happening in his state. As described in Heather Cox Richardson's letter this morning: "Strong tax revenues and spending cuts gave the state a $17.6 billion surplus, and the Democrats under Walz used the money not to cut taxes, as Republicans wanted, but to invest in education, fund free breakfast and lunch for schoolchildren, make tuition free at the state's public colleges for students whose families earned less than $80,000 a year, and invest in paid family and medical leave and health insurance coverage regardless of immigration status." So if this is too "liberal"....bring it on.

(I was interested to read something the other day that Wisconsin is following suit wiaiving tuition and fees for the 11 Wisconsin universities beginning in the fall of 2025. Even my alma mater (small, private Ripon College) is waving tuition for students whose parents earn less than $75,000 a year.....maybe other states will continue the trend.)

Somewhere along the line the word "liberal" became a four-letter-word for the GOP....they better check with Miriam Webster.

Will the level of excitement last? I don't know, but here's a picture of the line of cars full of people heading to the Harris/Walz rally in Eau Claire today:

(I can already hear 45 whining about the size of HIS crowd at HIS next rally and how it was SO much bigger than theirs. )

Personally I find Kamala's  qualifications, attitude, smile, optimism and thoughtful remarks so refreshing.  You go girl! Laugh your way into the Oval Office!!

My Wish....

Well hasn't the Presidential race suddenly become much more interesting? Watching 45 "deflate" even just a little is so satisfying. And seeing people "discover" what his VP choice represents is almost comical.

My first wish is that there are going to be debates between 45 and the most likely Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Just fingers crossed because I would LOVE to see him try to dominate the stage and throw lie after lie toward her.....not a chance that she would not be able to cut him off quickly.

But my almost as high on my Wish List is to see Kamala Harris on stage behind her podium and when the camera pans to the other side we see a podium and blank space emtpyness  behind it. Or maybe a cardboard cutout of 45 with blue suit, red tie and orange hair.....fist in the air.

Come on 45....go ahead and step on stage. Or, if he won't, PLEASE ABC show the one-sided debate so the public can watch the democratic candidate answer the questions from the moderator. And when she finished each answer, with no interruptions, please ask her to turn and stare at the empty podium for about 30 seconds.

And at the very end watch the Democratic candidate look to the empty podium one last time, drop the mic and walk off the stage.

Dry Beauty....

A few weeks ago I got a lovely bouquet of flowers from my son....Mother's Day I think! I enjoyed the beautiful arrangement for many days, taking out the dying flowers as needed. I cut off the yellow roses and let them dry out

I now have a lovely glass bowl of forever roses. They make me smile every time I walk past the coffee table in the living room.

:-)

Bleak(er) Future???

So....reading Heather Cox Richardson's long letter this morning a section really jumped out at me:

"Tonight, speaking to Christians at the Turning Point Action Believers’ Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump made his plans to become a strongman clear: “Get out and vote. Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what: it’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians…. Get out, you’ve got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.”"

Really.....so what does that forecast for the 2028 election? Many of us think 45 is just really "losing it"....brain wise and his choice for VP is in lockstep with him. A frightening (for me) view into what 45 sees as a future for America.

He wins....we don't have to vote in four years.

Just what the signers of the Constitution intended.

My Humble Opinion....

Just a few words in a Saturday post turned America upside down. In the middle of a Presidential campaign the current candidate for the Democratic Party stepped back and handed the torch to a younger generation. The talking heads have been on television constantly ever since. What will happen? How will this work? Are the democrats in a complete and fatal state of confusion??  

Ii have been listening/watching some of this but keep coming back to my feeling that we are watching democracy in action and I feel very hopeful about the end result in November. 

And I look at this man as an amazing patriot....he made what must have been an extremely difficult personal decision and he did it for America.

This is the picture of a successful President. An American who loves his Country. His fist is not in the air.....but in my book he is a winner and leave a legacy of which he can be proud.

Thank you Mr. President. Thank you.

Once Again.....

 I wrote this one back in 2018....but it resonates for me today so I am re-sharing.

A Single Root...

I spent a quick few days reading another Lee Child book featuring Jack Reacher. We've read a lot of this series.....they are quick and I like the main character. And about half way through this one I realized "I've read this before!"....but I couldn't remember the ending so I just kept on.

There was one paragraph, early on, that made me stop and re-read it several times....and made me wonder. "Fourteen miles. Aspen groves blazed like flares on the slopes. Whole copses of hundreds of separate trees, but all joined together underground by a single root" An aspen wood was all one organism. The largest living thing on earth." Really??? How did I now know this??? How is this possible??

It made me start thinking about inter-connectedness....and how one tree supports the next and the copse just keeps growing. I found a drawing on the internet.....and began remembering our trips west and all of the aspen trees we've seen. Never knowing that they were so closely related.

And then my imagination spun off from there....and I looked at the drawing and thought about family. My little family....spread out all over the country but connected by heart strings and in spirit. And the larger family of man. Wishing the world population could see it self as an aspen grove.....individuals but connected. By blood lines, heritage, culture.....and if you trace history back far enough, we all came from one small "aspen grove".....and spread from continent to continent.

Wondering why it is so hard for us to see the similarities....instead we focus on the differences and let those drive us apart. An aspen wood = all one organism, but not the largest living thing on earth....that would be man. So shake hands with a neighbor, smile at a stranger as you walk down the street, contribute some school supplies to a child who needs them.....we're connected....just below the surface....

Elbow Grease and Damp Eyes....

When my mom and dad got married her brother gave them a desk for a wedding gift. It was a prized possession where my dad studied for his college degree after coming home from serving in WWII. After they moved from their Chicago apartment to the first house in Park Ridge the desk came along....I was in kindergarten so don't know where it sat, but probably the living room. Then it migrated to a larger home across town and finally, after my dad left and they divorced, into the small home where Mom lived until she died. At that point the desk was in the semi-finished basement room and didn't get much use at all.

When we got back from our sailing adventure and prepared to live "on dirt" we needed furniture. Mom said we could take the desk so it has been in our apartments/home/condo where we've used it almost every day.

I realized awhile back that the leather inserts on the top were drying out and fading and the wood along the top edges was also discolored. Resting our hands on the edge to use the computer keyboard took a toll. 

An antique dealer recommended a special leather "refresher" and a polish so I bought them both and added DESK to Dave's to-do list. The task remained on the list until yesterday. While I was out he took the supplies, a few rags and the time to little by little wipe, clean,  polish, refurbish the desk.

I walked in to print a meeting agenda early this morning and a brand new "old" friend greeted me. I sat down and was surprised that my eyes got wet and my chest felt "full". Why this reaction to something we've had since 2002.....just sitting at our new desk made me think back to my mom and what this first good piece of furniture meant to her.

It's hard to see the difference in my poor photograph, but the leather is soft and happy and the wood gleams. She would be so happy and even as I write this I have that huge lump in my throat. Thanks mom and thanks to Uncle Marty for providing a young couple with this so many years ago. We'll take better care of it now.

Just Another Good Read....

Books have always been a big part of my life....at least since I learned to read! I can remember turning the pages of a book from as far back as fourth grade.  It was probably Nancy Drew or Charlotte's Web or Stuart Little. As I got a bit older my taste in book changed but way back in the 50's and 60's when I was growing up it was still the memory of Robinson Crusoe or Huckleberry Finn that stick with me. I know my parents always got me a special book as a Christmas gift.  Freshman year of high school I remember waiting until my parent's car left the driveway before racing to the book shelf to grab Peyton Place and read (over and over) the "racy parts". One of the reasons I didn't mind "baby siting" my younger sister was that I could read this book! 

I've belonged to a book club wherever we've lived and I always enjoy the fact that these groups "forced" me to read book I otherwise would have left at the library. Book clubs broadened my horizons. 

I just finished another really good read that I found here at Eastcastle's library. Michelle Obama's second book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, was just so well written. So many sentences and paragraphs made me stop and re-read them. The introduction on the front cover says "In an inspiring follow-up to her critically acclaimed, #1 bestselling memoir Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama shares a practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today's highly uncertain world."

Maybe it was the tone of this book and the down-to-earth comments and suggestions that I needed right now. This whole Country and world seem to be in a worrisome state of flux and the future so uncertain. Her concept of "despites" keeps ringing through my mind. (You'll have to read the book!)

In the chapter titled "My Kitchen Table" (you'll have to read the book!) there were memories of her childhood growing up on Chicago's South Side that echoed my privileged white childhood/neighborhood in the suburb of Park Ridge. "....Most folks of my generation grew up in communities that felt a little more like the Wild West, where children were left to find their own friends, forge their own alliances, settle their own conflicts, and earn their own victories. All this without clear rules. All this without adults overseeing and influencing their interactions, and without anybody handing you a trophy just for showing up. This environment can get messy sometimes, yes, but it's also where learning happens. The experiences aren't always comfortable or rewarding - not the way karate or piano lessons might be - but I think it's part of what we've forgotten: Discomfort is a teacher. Lack of reward is a teacher."

Just so much to think about....learning by doing....learning by losing....figuring it out with help when and if needed. Mine is the last generation to ever grow up/live without social media. Hmmmm.....maybe it was a bit like the Wild West, but it was good.

Those Midwest Skies....

We've had a busy June and I haven't spent much time in front of the computer but my little blog is always circling around in my brain! We spent last week exploring some of Wisconsin in our little RV. We were very fortunate as the heat dome covering much of the US stayed just below us on the map. Our campsites were shaded and just north of Milwaukee at Point Beach State Park we enjoyed temperatures in the low 70's.....my kind of summer!

As I often do I would look up and notice the blue skies and cloud formations. The white against the bright blue paints a new picture every day. Driving along I loved this one....

And then there was the "table top" cloud that became a focal point all on it's own.

Back home and unpacked with the laundry done and everything put away. This was a nice one-week "semi-adventure" and the beautiful skies added to our memory book.

I Am Old Guard....

I know most people now use social media sites other than Facebook.....and I do follow a few people on Instagram. However I am not interested in connecting in other ways so I just post on Facebook and keep up with some friends and family around the country that way. A few years ago Facebook would make a special offer at the end of the calendar year so that you could  purchase a book with that year's "moments" from you page. It wasn't very expensive and I ordered a few. It was just a nice way (for me) to look back at pictures and posts from what had happened during the previous 12 months. Yesterday I took the 2022 book out of a basket in the corner, dusted it off and turned through the pages. I had to smile at some of the memories but these posts were a sad reminder that we haven't come very far in the past two years, and if anything we've slid farther down into the rabbit hole.

Did you happen to see any of MTG at yesterdays "hearing" with Dr. Anthony Fauci? Pick a torch America....Pick A Torch.

Dave's Book Club....

Dave is reading an interesting book for his meeting this month. The Tyranny of Merit by Michael J. Sandel, who teaches political philosophy at Harvard. He read the following passage to me right before he turned off the light last night.

"Over the past four decades, meritocratic elites have not governed very well. The elites who governed the United States from 1940 to 1980 were far more successful. They won World War II, helped rebuilt Europe and Japan, strengthened the welfare state, dismantled segregation, and presided over four decades of economic growth that flowed to rich and poor alike. By contrast, the elites who have governed since have brought us four decades of stagnant wages for most workers, inequalities of income and wealth not seen since the 1920's, the Iraq War, a nineteen-year inconclusive war in Afghanistan, financial deregulation, the financial crisis of 2008, a decaying infrastructure, the highest incarceration rate in the world, and a system of campaign finance and gerrymandering congressional districts that makes a mockery of democracy.....What passes for political argument these days consists either of narrow, managerial, technocratic talk, which inspires no one; or else shouting matches, in which partisans talk past one another, without really listening."

Read above paragraph again. Ponder.

I read and follow Professor Heather Cox Richardson and I cannot tell you how many times she has criticized "trickle down" economics and traced our current situation back to Ronald Reagan (1981-1989. Reading even this small section of Sandel's current book echoes what she states....that "more at the top = more for the bottom" does NOT work.

Once again Dave and I comment that we were SO fortunate to have been born where we were and to the parents we had.....we worked hard to achieve what we have now, but so much was based on luck. From that very first moment when we emerged white and to middle-class, upper middle-class parents. We followed the path laid out for us, doors opened, we followed opporutnities and had a good life. I can only hope our adult children and young adult grandsons find the same....but somehow I doubt it.

May 30, 2024......A Day To Remember.....

Another step down his road.....this was one of the most amazing screen shots I've ever grabbed with my phone.

A Goof and Bunny Spotting.....

An absolutely beautiful Saturday morning in Milwaukee.....taking advantage of it because the rest of the Memorial Day weekend looks kind of "damp". Sunny, blue skies, temperatures in the upper 60's. For me it's perfect. So I decided to walk over to the library because my reserved book was waiting. Checked on the internet and yes, the library was open.

Grabbed my tote bag and put on my jeans jacket and took off. I was crossing the parking lot when my phone rang so I answered and then went to put it back in my pocket. Ooops....mistakenly hit the camera app and took a picture. Me!

Continuing on my way I crossed Prospect and was walking along the sidewalk when I saw a slight motion in the grass. A baby bunny happily munching on the very green grass. He made me think of Fewnay and how quick he was to spot his "prey".....but never successful in grabbing anythng!

I enjoy these little wildlife moments in the neighborhood, nothing too exotic but still fun to see that people presence hasn't scared everything away....as bunny runs for safety under the nearby bush.

Got to the library only to find it closed for Memorial Day weekend. I guess I didn't check the fine print on their website. Oh well, nice day for a walk.

Lasting Beauty....

I was away for a few days at a gathering of my friends from college. We'd been gettiing together almost once a year since 1994 but COVID put the breaks on and we hadn't seen each other since 2018. So being together was really special this time.  I drove home on Sunday, May 12th to find a special Mother's Day gift from my son who lives near Seattle.

Then ten days later I pulled out the flowers that were dead and made a smaller bouquet. Still beautiful!

Then this morning, two full weeks after the flowers arrived I had to toss most of them....except the four dried roses. These I will keep as a beautiful reminder of Todd's special gift. Look at the color!

I'm sure our first-born sent the original bouquet because it looked so beautiful on-line, and it was. I don't think he imagined that it would bring such long-term pleasure to his far-away-mom!

Why?

Sunday morning before brunch I set off on a quick run to a nearby Walmart. This is not my favorite shopping destination but it is the closest place where I can find thread and some fabric. I wanted plain white flannel to cover a quilting design wall in ECP's Creativity Center.....none.  I wanted some fusible bonding web to start on a new idea for another quilt.....none.  I found strawberries, blueberries and red pepper hummus and then headed to the pharmacy area. I needed some deodorant.

Much to my surprise the whole deodorant section is now locked behind glass.

I stood there for a minute wondering "Why?" I looked around for any sales staff but didn't see anyone and didn't feel like waiting. Why would deodorant now be "behind bars"? Has someone figured out how to boil it down to make some new kind of street drug? Is it just targeting by shoplifters too often??

I don't know. I really did walk away sort of shaking my head and puzzled. 2024, what a world.  I will walk the three blocks to CVS after brunch.....in the meantime, don't get too close!

Busy.......

I walked up to CVS and Boswell Book Store this morning.....it was after 11:00 and I wanted to get up there and back before the forecast of rain came true. I turned the corner and noticed motion down to my right. A big bumblebee was sitting atop of one of the yard's dandelions.

I grabbed my phone and quickly opened the camera app hoping to catch it before it flew away....success! The fat little guy/girl buzzed off just after I snapped his picture. It just made me smile...being in the right place at the right time.

This is a good reason to remind people that bright yellow dandelions provide a wonderful bee-attraction. Don't mow them down or pull them out! This was one busy little bee.