November Ramblings

It's been kind of lonesome around here of late. Rick's been north, doing his annual retreat at the cottage, which culminates with his closing it up for the year. Once the temps drop and the leaves have fallen, I'd rather be home! He's home now, but it felt like a long time! This was our first Halloween where I didn't make chili while he handed out the treats. That was a bit weird! (It was also weird that we only had 15 goblins come to the door and now I have to unload 45 packets of Oreos to someone who isn't watching their sugar!) The photo is just SOME of the leftovers.

The October Book Report

October was a surprisingly good reading month for me. Or maybe not all that surprising. About a week of that was spent up north with a foot that prevented a lot of things I would have otherwise done, so there was more time for reading. That continued, even when I got home.

 

The results? Three very different memoirs, four mysteries and another holiday selection, this time essays.  

Tis the Season for Fall Decor -- and Apple Bread!

It hardly seems possible that we are in the last week of October. What on earth happened to summer? It seemed winter went on and on and now we're looking toward it again. 

 

Life has been rather routine these days. I had a wonderful time with blogger Anno who came up to Lansing for lunch, enjoyed dinner with friends, went to a farewell dinner for a friend and had our WKAR retiree lunch. That, and an appointment with the Secretary of State's office to get my handicap permit and a long delayed skin check with the dermatologist (all is well), got me out of the house! Inside? I put up a few decorations (really cutting back this year) and have been prepping inventory for my upcoming sale.

Finding Old Photos: Netherlands Edition

Given that life is rather dull these days, let me take you on another "Finding Old Photos" journey, this time to the Netherlands. Alas, no dazzling fall colors, as in the last post. We visited in the spring. But color? Oh yes -- there was color!

Our trip to the Netherlands in 2018 was a first for both me and Rick and it was a memorable time in a lovely country. We were only there for about four days but crammed a good deal into that time -- a concert at Concertgebouw; a stop at the wonderful Rijksmuseum where we were lucky enough to see "The Night Watch" before it went out for restoration; Anne Frank's house; a visit to the UNESCO heritage sight Kinderdijk (on a gloomy day, alas); Delft; several small towns, and we were lucky to be there in Amsterdam during "Queen's Day."

Postcards From the Lake: That's All Folks!

Well, lake time is over for this kid. It was especially hard to leave this time. Rick and I had a wonderful ten days there, excellent weather, and even though I couldn't do much of what I'd hoped because of my foot, I still reveled in being at the lake and seeing fall emerge.

 

Above is the cottage from the road and below, looking from the back door toward the road and garage. The color soared in the past few days. 

Postcards from the Lake: Winding Down

It's been both lovely and challenging, these final days at the lake. And for the most part, it has been simply beautiful.

 

Our color is very late this year. You see a great tree here, then another there, but no big swaths of color that are typical for this time of year. I'm suspecting it is late and when Rick returns in another week or so to close up, he'll have a much more colorful season. But when you see something lovely, you go for it!

Postcards From the Lake -- Sigh

October has arrived in all her glory! It may not be peak yet but it's still lovely!

 

After we dropped Rick's mom off at the airport, we continued to the lake for what will be my last visit of the season. (Rick will return for a final close in another week or so.) It was a terrific ride up, though for the most part the skies were more gray than blue.

A New Week

Last week was a mixed bag. I've felt very frustrated, very at sea. And then when I start to think globally, even nationally, I remind myself that life is full of "stuff," good and bad, and compared to war, insurance plans being eliminated (as has happened to friends with the recent changes in Medicare), American cities being invaded by National Guard troops they don't want, and compared to the current personal situations of many friends, my issues are nothing. '

September Books

Well, you can't say my reading has been anything less than diverse this month! Yes, there were mysteries (one a short story collection), novels, memoirs, and travel. Quite the combination!

There were some hits and misses here for me, but who knows? They might be your cuppa tea! 

Cork Poppers Go Italian!

The September gathering of our Cork Poppers wine tasting group featured a delicious array of Italian wines -- and some pretty tasty food to go along with it! Meeting at friends Anne and Clayton's home (about 90 minutes away), we were in for a tasty tasting afternoon! 

Our hostess, Anne

Ambling through Old Photo Files: Autumn Images

Among the things I did to amuse myself during my (very cold) few days at the lake in early September while Rick was still on his cycling journey, was go through old photos on my computer and take a look at some I'd forgotten. I wanted to finish this post during my most recent visit -- but with no computer, it had to wait. But now, the first of several collections to pop up here in the future -- "Fall Favorites."

Near Charlevoix, Michigan

Postcards From the Lake: September Flies!

What happened to September? It's like a magician's trick -- Now you see it, now you don't! Well, we still have some time but boy, it's flying by!

 

I headed to the lake to welcome my new refrigerator. I suspected Rick might want to sit this trip out, having been away from his own home for so long. The new fridge is lovely and the delivery couldn't have been better. Right on time, two very strong guys managed to get it in without having to remove my heavy wooden door!

Good Things

It's been a busy week since I've been home, with doc appointments almost every day. And the rest of the time? Bringing my house up to "code" -- it's amazing how many spiders start webbing when you aren't there for a huge chunk of time! And, a groundhog has dug two holes under the house. Now looking for a compassionate way to get him to leave!

 

Postcards From the Lake: Art Camp Ends, Rick Continues!

Sigh. We wrapped up art camp last weekend, after 18 days of friendship and creativity. And a good 18 days it was, filled with lots of painting, walks, good summer food and some good nature sightings. And, I might add, some pretty nippy weather. Even Lizzie hunkered down by the heater!

 

Our weather turned cool (no, cold!) and we found painting on the porch was no longer a possibility -- well, at least till the last day or two. It didn't stop us but it's not nearly so much fun! Here's some of the stuff I did. These are some cards.

The Books of August

Given that it's summer, I probably should have gone through more than six books -- but I was doing a lot of painting! Still, the ones I read were very enjoyable. Again, mostly mysteries, but two good novels were part of the mix, too. 

Postcards from the Lake: Art, Cold Days (and Rick Update)

Art camp usually brings warm sunny days and it certainly started out that way. Painting on the porch was a joy -- the sounds of the lake punctuating our foray into color, pattern and image.

 

More than once we've seen Harry North, our resident heron, stalk the beach for his early morning or twilight meals. And, we had another sighting of Eddie the Eagle, perched high in one of our pines. 

Postcards from the Lake: A Quick Catch-up

I'm enjoying my blog break at art camp and am popping in with a bit of a post to update you on things, before I disappear again. And I also have an update on Rick's bike ride. Being north, with very little media/computer involvement has been a very good thing for me. I've missed visiting (though on occasion I've lurked a bit in the morning before we get going!)

Postcards From the Lake -- Energetic Guests!

The morning after my ear procedure (thanks for the good wishes, too!), Rick and I headed to the lake to await the arrival of our guests later in the day. And arrive they did, with ten times the energy I had! One seven year old, one eight year old, and their lovely mom! 

 

It was a steamy hot weekend and that meant plenty of time for beach play! The lake water was warm and I enjoyed swimming with the boys (though, keeping my head out of the water, I was actually on my floatie!) Then there was a lot of construction going on!

Postcards From (Mostly) the Lake -- Art, Eagles, Harry and Tomatoes!

It has been quite a week! The day after Rick's baseball birthday gig, I took off for the lake solo, to spend a few days in the north before my ear procedure. It is, as always, lovely -- but also very smoky and hazy from the Canadian wildfires. It was a little hard on the eyes, the sinuses and the lungs with air quality falling well into the high yellow and sometimes red zone. We had our share of foggy mornings, too. 

 

So, there were times I was inside when I would have preferred to be out! I suspect many are feeling this here in the US. But certainly our Canadian friends and neighbors are having it much worse -- the smoke, the haze and the damage.

The Books of July

Gee, I love a good summer for catching up on reading! At the lake there are fewer distractions and for whatever reason, I don't feel overly guilty if I read during the day! Not surprisingly, mysteries make for good lake-reading fare but I also enjoyed a couple of memoirs and revisited a childhood favorite. 

 

This is a long one (ten books), but if you enjoy reading, onward!

At Home: Let the Merriment Continue

I can't say coming home for a few days was great -- it was beastly hot for much of the time (like so many other spots here in the US) and without air, I relied on fans in the evening, the car for quick air-con cool downs and ice beanbags to take to bed. Fortunately, a rain came through with a bit of a cool down -- relief at last! Rick stayed at the lake, cycling home just in time for some fun. But a broken bike had me on stand-by for a pick-up, just in case the repair made didn't hold. 

The high point of being home was seeing that my front yard no longer looked so bleak. The Black-eyed Susans and Sweet peas (above) came out and still look lovely. (The rest, not so much.) And the Annabelle hydrangeas have passed their white stage and are already turning green, which I actually prefer.

Postcards From the Lake: Roadside Blooms

Our days have been relatively temperate this summer. Sunny, warm (on occasion stifling hot after a few dances with the heat dome sweeping the country) and for the most part, lovely. We've seen a lot of haze from the Canadian wildfires so the sky hasn't been terribly blue and we've had a couple of rain storms but overall, a good time to be north. 

 

I have two or three walking loops, basically around the same area. There is a basic one-mile circle, another that is 1.8 miles (round trip), and another that is 2 miles even. (Back and forth to the cousin cottage is about a half mile each direction.) Every year I pay attention to the roadside blooms.

Postcards From the Lake: Rick -- 70 Years and Counting

Rick has not been looking forward to turning 70. I can relate -- I remember feeling somewhat the same. What is it about those zero (and to a lesser degree, the "five") year birthdays that can get us in a funk? At any rate, I was determined it would be a good time.

That said, how do you have a good time at the lake when all your friends and most of your family is elsewhere at the moment? Well, you extend the merriment!

Postcards From the Lake: Fortune Smiles

Every day in summer is a gift -- at least, it is for me. It's my favorite season -- or rather, it is when I'm at the lake. Apart from a couple of rainy days, the weather has been lovely. Warm, but for the most part, not too hot. Sunny, but even the cloudy days are comfortable. 

 

We've had a couple of major temperature drops, which was actually refreshing. And it gave us the opportunity to have a fire in the fireplace. First of the season.

Postcards From the Lake: Road Trip -- Leelanau Peninsula

Our road trip continued as we left Strings by Mail and headed to the Leelanau peninsula, which juts out from Traverse City and is bordered on the west by Lake Michigan. We were off to have an afternoon with our friends Mark and Jan, who have returned for several years to a resort called Jolli Lodge. It was a beautiful spot and I could instantly see why they returned.

 

Postcards From the Lake: Road Trip -- Strings by Mail

What looked to be a rainy day at the lake turned out to be a beautiful one when we did a road trip to Traverse City and later to the Leelanau peninsula. This post is about our first stop to Strings by Mail, an international mail order business in Traverse City for what has to be the largest collection of strings for all kinds of instruments including (not surprisingly) the classical guitar! Naturally, Rick had to stop!

Postcards From the Lake: Summer Days

If all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, does mostly play and not much work make Jack (or Jeanie) more interesting? Or just mellow? Or just plain happy?

 

Yes, there has been some work -- the earlier mentioned beach is a project! But here's how it's looking so far.

Postcards From the Lake: "Same" Can Be Wonderful

Truth of the matter is, life at the lake isn't particularly exciting. There are rarely dramatic moments, major crises. It's just good. And very much the same as it has been in years past. Quiet. Unscheduled. Productive. Lazy. Relaxing. Fun. And sorely needed.

 

When we were kids spending our summers at the lake, every day was full of fun and full of play. We'd be up and out of the house -- maybe enjoying the beach and most likely enjoying the water. We were back and forth between my house and my cousins, a half mile away, singing show tunes at the top of our lungs as we walked the same stretch of roads I walk now. Whenever the sun was out and the water reasonably calm, we were in the boat and on water skis.

Postcards From the Lake: Guests, Grands and the Fourth

We have settled into the lake and kicked off the summer with house guests and a "grand" birthday celebration -- not to mention the July 4 holiday. 

Postcards From the Lake: Arrival, Eventually!

We've finally arrived at the lake to stay for a bit (end of July; then I'll be back while Rick does a bike hike to Canada, down to New England).  

 

We took off on the same day -- I was about 20 minutes behind Rick and it was a good thing I was! He called me from a road on my route and said he'd had a flat. He does carry a small pump but I had the big one and using that would be faster. So, I stopped for a quick rescue! All was well.

The Books of June

June wasn't a bad reading month. (When it's really hot, that's about all you can get the energy to do!) Again, mysteries took center stage, but I also managed to include some fiction and a series of somewhat twisted short stories that I found oddly delightful. (Don't judge me.) 

 

At Home: Strawberry Season

Those last days before heading north for the summer are always busy ones. This year, they were also the hottest days of the year and it sure wasn't fun doing much but reading and essentials! My life included doc appointments, lots of reading, catching up on blogs, seeing a friend's play, popping corks with Cork Poppers and time with other friends, too. In the morning I would water plants and pull some weeds, bemoaning my strawberry crop.

 

That was it. (Well, there were about four more that birds and a squirrel got to -- I saw him, sitting out there, a little red berry in his paws and munching away as happily as could be!

At Home: Cork Poppers Sample Wines of Summer

It was the hottest day of the year (to date!) -- and a perfect time for Cork Poppers to check out some wines to enjoy in the summer!

  

We gathered at Barb and Mike's house to celebrate the Summer Solstice and sample a variety of mostly whites. 

Postcards from the Lake: The First Visit

Well, I finally made it to the cottage. As you may remember, Rick came up in May and oversaw work on the ice storm damage and installation of a more reliable electrical system. He was without power and water for about six days! But now we have it and I am back.

 

That first visit always comes with ups and downs. Rick did a lot of the heavy lifting on the house but I needed to do a lot of the heavy lifting IN the house. That includes setting up the porch (which sounds like no big deal) but it takes a surprisingly long time to clean it up, work around the furniture, replace the heavy rug solo and get all the furniture back into place.

At Home: Sketchbook Revival

For the past few years, I've taken part in an online series of art workshops called Sketchbook Revival. A variety of artists covering watercolor, mixed media, drawing, journaling and more do free online workshops. The event ran over two weeks in June. (This post is heavy on the art, so be prepared!) 

 

This year instead of having all new workshops, coordinator Karen Abend pulled together the vault of five different years and participants could do any of those sessions. Some I'd never seen, some I'd never done before and some I wanted to do again! 

When Friends Leave

There were always five or six of us in the car as we drove through Michigan's frigid upper peninsula in the depths of winter, astounded by the banks of snow piled high on the side of the road, far taller than our car. We were crammed onto the bench seats of the vehicle, often singing, always laughing, as we passed through tiny villages en route to public schools in towns only slightly larger than the ones we had passed through. (For the younger readers of this blog, there was a time not all that long ago when three adults fit comfortably in the front seat!)

Patty, Andy and Jerry loading the cars on our theatre tour.

We were one car in a group of several, a band of happy actors studying theatre at Michigan State, and on the road, taking two shows to towns in the north starved for live theatre. One was a musical, "Carnival," the other, "The Pied Piper," a delightful musical for children.

At Home: No Kings! (Well, Charles is OK)

On June 14, between millions of people across the United States participated in what was called the "No Kings" rallies, expressing their displeasure in how the government, specifically by President Trump and his cronies in the cabinet and Congress, was being run. Sources vary between five and twelve million with "over five million US" being the most reported, but there were international demonstrations in 20 countries as well. (Personally, I think the event was badly named. Kings aren't necessarily bad but dictators are.) You can pretty much get the idea of what was happening here by the creative signs many displayed! Most rallies were peaceful, but some in larger cities had some elements of violence. 

At Home: The Ditch After the Storm and a Surprise!

With trees that had fallen during the tornado finally removed, I was able to walk around the ditch, eager to check out the storm damage. It really took quite a hit, being the most westerly part of our neighborhood and the first to bear the brunt of the winds. I was pleased to see a good deal of progress had been made.  Many of the fence slats (some already weather-worn) had fallen apart. They've repaired most of them. It will take some time for them to achieve the weathered patina of their still-standing mates, but they are strong.

 

There were many trees down and their removal, along with much of the other debris that went with them, has changed the landscape. This area once was thick with trees and small-branch foliage. You could never see through the the park bench. Now you can.

At Home: The Beauty of Irises

Many of you know that it is no secret that irises are one of my favorite spring flowers (and I have many favorites!). They are showy, lovely, colorful.

 

And most of all, as some of you also know, they remind me of my Aunt Iris.

At Home: Friends, Fun, and Farewell Tree!

Our spring has been so erratic -- sometimes very cold, occasionally warm. And now things are blooming big-time and it's looking lovely!

 

It wasn't so lovely at the cemetery when we went to plant geraniums for Memorial Day at my family's gravesite. As we rounded the corner to park in front of the site, we were confronted by a tree blocking the road  and yellow tape. We parked nearby and walked over to the site -- or what you could see of it.

At Home: The May Books

After a wimpy April for reading, May proved more productive and more diverse. This month we have a two memoirs, a fantasy, a novel set in the late 1800s, two British mysteries and a collection of essays. 

At Home: A House Concert!

A couple of years ago, Rick decided he would like to host a house concert, featuring a classical guitarist friend. He put out an alert on Facebook and emailed some others. About 30 people came and a tradition was born! Last month he hosted his fourth house concert and again, it was great success. 

This time, the "act" was the Grand Rapids Guitar Duo, who performed mostly classical guitar selections along with a jazz arrangement and some original pieces. The members were Brian Morris and Jonathan Marshall. 

At Home: April Books

After a bit of catch-up of at home activities, I thought it was FINALLY time to share the April book list. April was a tough month for me and when it's tough I go for comfort food. In this case, as you might expect, my reading was heavy (again) on the mysteries! I surrounded myself with some of my favorite characters by some of my favorite authors -- along with  introduction to a new one.

 

I confess, I was about four pages out of a fourth book -- one of what I call my "Bathroom and Waiting Room" books. (These are books with short bits that you can read, put down, and return to  whenever you choose!) I guess it's only fair to put that on in the May books! Onward!

At Home: Books, Birds, Buddies and Grandboys!

I'm having a hard time getting my brain around the season. It's almost June and summer will be here before we know it and yet spring seems oddly erratic -- cold or rainy one day (or two or three), then a short burst of warm, and back to cold. Stormier than usual. The sun was out today and we tried to plant flowers at the cemetery but so many trees were down, we couldn't get to the grave. That's a story for another day. On a cheerier note, things have greened-up a lot! I'm sure you all delight when you have the chance after winter to see what is my favorite color combo come to life -- chartreuse against a blue sky! And now, there is more green!

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Still catching up on pre-storm activities and there were some good times. One such day was celebrating friend Kate's birthday with a road trip to IKEA and a stop at my favorite Italian grocery in Livonia/Northville for lunch.

At Home: Cyclists, Lizzie and Springtime at the Ditch

The trees are past their peak, and by the as I post this, storm damage is being cleaned up and our world is  covered in beautiful, deep green foliage. I've already seen new goose families. But I'm taking a look back as I catch up on "real life."

A couple weeks before the storm, Rick and his buddy Nino took off for a tandem bike hike into Ohio -- about 350 miles of riding on (mostly) lovely (albeit windy) spring days. 

At Home and Beyond: Stormy Weather, Ice and Tornadoes

It has been quite a ride these past couple of months. The classic song "Stormy Weather" could be our theme song for spring in Michigan. Sunny days are the exception, rather than the rule and while it's not raining daily, the sky hasn't been all that blue. With storms comes clean-up. And that is never fun.

I mentioned the first storm back about a month ago. It was at the lake in early April. Our ice storm made national headlines. The cottage got hit pretty hard (though it could have been harder -- no structural damage, apart from a couple of broken windows in the garage; some neighbors had it worse). Rick finally got up to see what it looked  like.

This England: Looking Back -- Some Thoughts on Travel

First, I want to thank everyone who has hung in here with my many posts on our England trip. I've loved your comments and hope I have answered some of your questions. This post might answer a few more. I wanted to wrap up with a few thoughts about travel in general (and maybe England in particular.)

All good things come to an end. We boarded our plane home from England, tired and happy -- ready to get back to Lizzie and not ready to leave!