She's Back!

Look how the cat dragged in! She's back!

She came mewing at the front door about an hour ago. Rick heard her. Hungry and home. Thanks for all the comments on THIS POST. I'm graateful for your ideas, good thoughts, and prayers. Thank you, thank you.

 

 

 

Lizzie Is Missing

A quick post to alert you to something very sad that has happened -- and right before we leave on Wednesday for England.

My sweet Lizzie has disappeared. Vanished. Put on the cloak of invisibility. And I am frantic and bereft.

You Asked, I Answer!

Sometimes blog friends ask questions -- and I try to respond personally if I have an email for them, but otherwise, they sometimes end up in the ether! And lately, I've been negligent in responding to anyone (that will only get worse in October when I'll be on blog break!)

So, I thought I'd answer a few of them!

Here and There

The time leading up to our departure has been hectic. Loads of doc appointments, trips to the lake, time with family and friends. Here's a brief update.

Oops. Deleted Comments!

Oops. 

I accidentally deleted all my comments from September 1 on when I was deleting a bunch of spam messages (I'm hurrying too fast.) Sorry about that! They won't be reinstated (I have no idea how to find deleted comments) but they are appreciated and each was read!

UGH. I've got to slow down.  (My post on "Surprises at the Ditch" is below -- or next! Deer and egrets and herons -- oh my!)

Back Home -- Surprises at the Ditch

A gorgeous September day. Not too hot, not too cold. Goldilocks would love it. And, it was a perfect day to visit the ditch.

 

I didn't know what to expect but I was certainly surprised at seeing a pair of deer -- I think mother and young'un, in the distance. I never see deer during the day there, or very rarely. 

The Books of August

I was hoping to read a bit more in August but it just wasn't happening! Add to it that one book was close to 600 pages and I've come to the conclusion I shouldn't beat myself up about that! This month's books included a two historic fiction books (one based in biography, the other loosely on a factual incident) and a mystery by an author who surprised me.

 

Postcards from the Lake: Road Trip to Petoskey

Labor Day -- our last full day up north before we returned home for a bit. We started the day with a walk down to the public beach.

On the way back, Rick joined up with the fellows who own Bennethum's, the restaurant where we had enjoyed our birthday happy hour the night before. Of course, they talked wine!

Postcards From the Lake -- Hello, September

So, here we are. Early September. Time to start packing up. Summer is over, and though we will return to the cottage two or three more times, we have to admit, summer is over. 

Postcards From the Lake -- Summer is Ending

Summer may not officially end until mid-September but for me, Labor Day has always felt like the end of the season. Like so many, I used to judge time on when school started or classes began at the university, along with the cooler nights and shorter days. Those school days are long past -- the cooler nights and shorter days are still here (and getting cooler and shorter!) You can tell when out walking too -- the goldenrod is now out in glorious abundance!

Postcards from the Lake: Vintage Views

I've been writing Postcards from the Lake for a number of years, but long before I started, others were writing postcards, too.

I've been collecting postcards of the area around our cottage for years. While many of the spots wouldn't be recognizable now, some are very close! It's fun to try to figure out whose cottage was which!

Lake Break -- Some Family Time but Someone was Missing

We had a wonderful time during our trip to Minneapolis, but someone was missing from our family gathering. Rick's aunt Beth, the woman we were going to honor and remember, died earlier this summer. It was our time to remember her, to celebrate the joys of being with family and to cherish every moment spent together. Beth would have loved it.

Lake Break -- Home and Away

We left the lake knowing we had a quick, two-day turnaround at home before leaving for a memorial celebration of life in Minneapolis. Rick was playing guitar for a garden club luncheon and I had another set of birthday plans. My Cork Popper friend Barb invited friend Kate and me to lunch at her home. Barb is probably one of the best cooks I know, if not THE best. And she always does things so beautifully. It was no exception this day when she met us with a lovely wine served, as she said, in "Nick and Nora" glasses. (You probably recognize those names from "The Thin Man" movies. 

Postcards From the Lake -- Calm, Quiet, Lovely

Before we took a lake break and after the kids left, we still had time for some fun at the lake. C'mon in!

The day the kids left, we rapidly picked up the house and that evening welcomed friends Dick and Judy Winter for dinner as they journeyed home from a getaway.

Postcards From the Lake: Indoors and Out!

So, what do you plan when a six and a seven-year-old (along with their beautiful mom) descend on you? Well, when you're at the lake, there are no shortage of options! And no double-trouble!

Molly brought the boys up for a couple of days and fortunately, the sun was shining and the weather was warm! On the first afternoon, Rick took each of them out in the kayaks. It was their second time and the journeys weren't far!

Lake Break: Happy Belated Birthday to Rick!

I returned from art camp, excited to see Rick and hear how is bike hike went. (It was good!) Finally we would be able to celebrate his belated birthday! (Thanks to those who wished me one -- it's actually in mid-August but Kate and I celebrated early!)

The Books of July

July's book reading was pretty much non-existent but those I read were diverse and for the most part, worth the time.

 

Postcards From the Lake: Art Camp -- It All Comes to an End

Our two-person art camp wrapped up on a lovely day -- the kind that makes it hard to leave the lake. It was a productive thirteen days -- and a fun one!

Postcards from the Lake -- More Visitors, More Art!

We had our first no-art day (or at least, as I write this, the one day when neither of us did art). But there was a good reason. Absolutely grim porch weather (and that's where we work) kept us inside. That's changing as our temps return to normal and the rain and gloom is a thing of the past. 

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That doesn't mean we haven't been productive or having fun at our two-person art camp! The past few days have been very productive -- and also fun!

Postcards from the Lake: Art Camp's Special Visitor!

My friend Kate and I began our annual "art camp" holiday at the lake this week. For those who aren't familiar, there is no scheduled program. It's just the two of us, creating our own art, sometimes sharing a technique or video, and spending the rest of the time walking, reading, watching a video, maybe (if the weather is right) swimming. 

We kicked it off by getting some provisions at the farmer's market -- cherries, peaches and blueberries are hitting their stride and fabulous!

Postcards from the Lake: Walking Sights

Join me on a little walk around the cottage! It's a mix of things in the wild and those carefully cultivated by happy cottage owners.

One of the first things I see when I leave the house is a patch of tiger lilies in the woods. I don't know if anyone planted them there long ago or if they somehow migrated from someone's lawn. But they are lovely.

Postcards from the Lake: Lake Life

So, what is life like at the lake in the summer? In a word, wonderful.

There are too many adjectives from which to choose -- fun, relaxing, delicious, joyful, mesmerizing, calming. Life at the lake comes with its own soundtrack, one that combines the sound of waves on the water or wind through the pines, with the mellow sounds of classical guitar and the sounds of birds, both in the water and in the trees. There is definitely an abundance of critters.

Postcards from the Lake: Fireworks and Festivities

Our recent Saturday began with Rick's bike ride. He's having a lot of problems with his bike and waiting for a new part to arrive. That means rides are shorter and closer to home. (We still don't know about his upcoming Canadian trip yet.) 

But he took off in good form, happy to be in motion!

Postcards from the Lake -- North for the Fourth

June 29 was a cold, wet, rainy summer day. As soon as I was up and dressed, I fed Lizzie, picked her up from her bowl and tossed her into the cat cage for the ride north. She wasn't amused but it was a good grab and we were on our way. Several hours later we arrived -- still cold, west and drizzly but at our destination!

Lake life started on a cooler note, though due to pick up in the week to follow. Meanwhile it is good to get the car unpacked and settle in. The first thing I noticed when I drove in was the the fellow doing the yard had actually done it! Hooray!

The June Book Report

June wasn't the banner reading month I'd hoped but I was pretty satisfied with those I read. The list includes two memoirs, three good mysteries and one I wish had been better than it was.

 

Postcards From the Lake -- A Short First Visit

Well, I'd been living in the "heat dome" (along with many of you) for over a week and finally had a window to get to the cottage to bring up a load of stuff for the summer. I eagerly awaited the cooler temperatures, the nearness of the water, just getting back north and living in that sublime state called "Lake Time."

And then it started to rain up there. Day after day of raindrops (often at high percentages) decorated the weather pages and so I postponed my five day weekend to a four day, then to a three day. I can't say that the arrival was dry, but it wasn't pouring and I decided to take that as a win.

Lessons Learned in the Basement

My aunt Iris and her husband moved more times that I can remember and it seemed like every time they packed and moved, fewer things went along to the next place. Yes, they might be replaced -- or maybe not. I was thinking about Iris as I put my basement back together after the mold removal. I was an only child raised with parents who "collected," and I think doing so must be in my gene pool. 

With my aunt Iris, several years before she died.

As I was putting things back together, I began to wonder if that was a good gene to have!

Fun with My Favorite Small People

Last post I mentioned that we were kid sitting with our two favorite small people, while their parents celebrated their tenth anniversary. (One is seven, the other almost six.) There wasn't a lot of sitting!

Early Summer Fun

It has been a full, fun couple of weeks, by and large. We are on the threshold of summer (although our weather is so erratic it is sometimes hard to tell!). But that hasn't stopped some walks, theatre, basement work, painting and more. 

Cork Poppers Taste Whites and Rose

After too long a break, our Cork Poppers wine tasting group gathered for yet another sampling of wines. Those of you who have followed our tastings for a long while may recall that most in our group are fans of red. But Cheryl and Meredith (to a lesser extent), are all for the whites! So when Cheryl and Dick hosted, it came as no surprise that our theme was "White and Rose." And even for us red fans, it was a surprisingly tasty tasting!

As you might guess by now (if you've not followed us forever), our Corkies are just real-life people who like wine. Some know a little more than others technically but the main thing is we enjoy trying new things and more or less getting away from the shelf at the grocery store and most of the "name brand" wines and seeing what an array of wines are available at different price points. (And yes, we also have enjoyed wines you get at the grocery store that are available pretty much anywhere.) We don't take ourselves too seriously but we always depart having had a lot of fun and usually adding another potential wine or two to our personal favorites list.