I got up early this morning and finished my book, Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt. I have been reading it since early January at night before bed, reading as much as I could before I could no longer hold my eyes open. Last night, when I got home from the dance, I wanted to finish it, but I was exhausted and spent from a long week and read only a few pages before falling asleep. I woke in the middle of the night and went downstairs to read – to go back to sleep. I read a bit on the couch before dozing off with the light on and the dog at my feet, I woke up to a bark and dog who needed to go out. I made pot of coffee and covered up on the couch and finished the book. Overnight, we got a dusting of snow and the dreary cloudy days of Thursday and Friday were erased by a clear, bright sunny Saturday morning. Continue reading Embarrassed, seriously.
Category Archives: food
Running
Yesterday morning, I roused the kids for a run. A group of kids had organized a ‘cottage running club’ and they wanted to go along. Up here, at the cottage, they probably don’t need it with all of the activity packed into their day; swimming, skiing, boating, and just being outside playing. They are far more active here than at home. Nevertheless, I got them up and thirty or so minutes after they left, they tracked back in from their run. They had plenty of time and physical activity ahead in their day. Continue reading Running
Queen of the Bluegill
Short of sounding like a crank, it has been busy! Even being at the lake can be tiring and regular household chores can quickly fall by the wayside piling up until such a point where I have to stop and catch up. Today is that day. It is a perfect day to catch up, or at least make a valiant attempt. It was windy and cloudy this morning as I watched clouds forming in South Bay come across the lake and sprinkle the lawn. Rain is in the forecast off and on all day and it is just the right weather for a day of catching up. Continue reading Queen of the Bluegill
Summer foods
I am really blessed. Growing up, summer vacation meant staying at home and maybe a trip, but mostly it was time spent at home swimming in the lake, boating with the neighborhood kids, or at the swimming at the country club my parents belonged. Thirty-six years later, I have a place to go for the summer – the cottage in Michigan. It’s not mine, but it belongs to Beth’s family and has been in her family since the fifties. Continue reading Summer foods
President’s Day Weekend Recap
It is Tuesday morning, and normally, I would be wrapping up teaching my first section of Language Arts block and heading off to duties, meetings, and lunch. However, today’s schedule includes evening, leaving me a few moments to re-think and review the President’s weekend. Continue reading President’s Day Weekend Recap
Day 82: Chicago, Wrigley Field, the Cubs, and Hello Kitty
Wednesday was a day of anticipation. It was the day I had been dreading all summer – the final day of summer vacation and my last day of ‘freedom’ until next year’s summer vacation begins. The kids had been waiting for the day since I told them about my planned trip to the city and the Cubs game, and Beth had been looking forward to it as it meant my ‘home invasion’ was over! Nevertheless, it was here and it was gonna be a great day, a million and six time better than the day before. Continue reading Day 82: Chicago, Wrigley Field, the Cubs, and Hello Kitty
Day 67: Fishing, part two.
The Browns had arrived the Monday and Grandma and Grandpa were arriving Tuesday in late afternoon. It was quiet in the house when I woke up, Ivy and I came downstairs and we practiced our ritual; start the coffee then Ivy gets a short walk, followed by Ivy going back to sleep and I get to write. We had to be especially quiet as John was sleeping on the couch. Continue reading Day 67: Fishing, part two.
Day 63: The sign said “Cook out – 6:30”
Today was the day – Olivia was supposed to get her stitches out. From that perspective, it could have been a disappointing day but as it turned out it was possibly the best day ever.
It all started Thursday, when I arrived at the beach with Ely boat. Beth and Anna were talking about the guard camp and I remembered reading in the Crawford County Avalanche that Friday was the annual Michigan National Guard Review at Camp Grayling and the public was invited. I mentioned this because Anna’s boys, Nick and Kris, love to play army with William and Olivia. In fact, this is what they were doing when Olivia injured herself last week. Continue reading Day 63: The sign said “Cook out – 6:30”
Day 34: Flags
Daily life at camp has its rituals and routines. At the troop level, each day starts by rising, cleaning, dressing, and in general getting around. Sometimes we rise alone, other times we are greeted by others and we talk about the day before and the day ahead of us. Some mornings it is time to look out over the lake and enjoy the peacefulness of nature. Thursday morning was cool, but warmer than Wednesday morning, it had been a late night for our scouts. The Order of the Arrow ceremony and the fellowship afterwards had our scouts walking back into camp close to ten and lights out soon after. The activities of the week had tired our scouts and they were content to sleep. In camp, the next group to wake is usually the SPL or other scouts who get up and shower, clean up, or just get ready for the day. At seven the SPL begins to wake the scouts, there is a little grousing but, most scouts simply wake and are excited about a new day. The hoppers are the first to leave for the dining hall because they need to set up tables before breakfast. By 7:35 to 7:45, the rest of the troop begins to walk or cycle down to the dining hall and form up at the flagpole for the flag ceremony. Troops can sign up to lead the flag ceremony in the morning or evening, but we did not sign up this year. The camp staff assembles on the steps above the flagpole and the officer of the day calls attention and orders the color guard to advance and post the colors. The color guard marches the flag toward the flagpole attaches the flags to the halyard and awaits further instructions from the officer of the day. The OD orders the scouts to attention and to salute the flag or hold their hands over the hearts as the color guard raises the flag while the bugler plays reveille. Then the OD leads us in the Pledge of Allegiance:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all. Source: Section 4 US Flag Code.
The scouts release their salute and can stand at ease while the color guard retreats. Once the color guard retreats, the OD dismisses the color guard, staff, and scouts all walk over to the dining hall. This is how we start; it is routine, and a great way to begin each day. We will form up at the flagpole for evening flags later, but we have much to do in between and we will start all over the next morning. Continue reading Day 34: Flags
Day 22: Return to normal, or whatever that is…
I wrapped up the day with a trip into the backyard while Ivy took care of her business and looked upward into the heavens. It was a beautiful starlit night and I could see the Big Dipper plain as day. I never would have been out here at 10:30 at night if it were not for Ivy. It was an incredible sight and reminded me of how small we are relative to the larger parts of our world. I try to do the right thing but sometimes I simply get in the way. It is difficult being human. Tomorrow is Father’s day. We will go to church and celebrate somehow; it will be a family day. Continue reading Day 22: Return to normal, or whatever that is…