Monday and Tuesday were much the same: I stayed home and worked in the basement and walked Ivy occasionally. It was too warm and muggy to want to be outside, though I did sit outside and read Monday afternoon. I had Ivy on the tether and she was barking so, I went outside and sat down and she stopped. She was content to lie beneath the chair while I read. Otherwise, my sole outdoor activity was simply walking Ivy. Continue reading Days 73 and 74: The Doghouse in the Nile→
I slept late in fact I overslept. Ivy and I were the only ones up for a long while. Finally, Olivia came down stairs. The party on Friday night had been fun and the kids had gotten to bed much later than normal so sleeping was not a bad thing. That is why I slept so late. It was icky outside; cool and damp with light rain, the kind of weather that can descend on upper Lower Michigan at this time of the year. I have spent many of summer morning curled up on the couch, planted in a chair reading, or watching the lake through the windows. Continue reading Day 64: Saturday, a lazy day→
The colors pass the main viewing area in the Ausable River Festival parade.
The frenetic pace of leisure finally caught up with me and I had a very lazy morning. Friday’s events had worn everyone out and Beth and the kids slept late, or so I thought they would. Despite the excitement of Friday afternoon, Olivia was up ready to go at eight. William and Beth woke up later. It was cloudy and sprinkling, it did not look good for the afternoon’s parade or the evening’s canoe race. Continue reading Day 57: The Parade and the Race→
I slept until ten and awoke in a panic. I went down the stairs to find Ivy waiting patiently for me. I took her outside and noticed Mr. Weaver’s truck was gone; and I had seen Beth and Olivia were up and out of their room when I got up. I assumed they had gone to town and let William and me sleep. I was worried Ivy had had no one let her out all morning long. Ivy did not seem stressed and after she finished, we went back inside, Olivia and Mrs. Weaver appeared, and reported Grandpa and Beth had gone to town grocery shopping. I got coffee and began to wake up. Ivy settled in on the floor and chewed on her bone. I was about to serve breakfast when Grandpa and Beth came home and we all enjoyed a ham and egg scramble. It filled everyone up.
The forecast for Monday was rain and I need to catch up on home stuff – bills and balancing the checkbook, but not in that order. Grandpa was working on his egg cards so we sat at the table and worked together. William and Olivia were in and out and Beth baked in the kitchen – rhubarb bread. I finally finished the balancing and needed to go to town to get a fast internet connection at the library. We can use the dial up service at the cottage but it is slow and long distance charges apply. I had updated the blog at the cottage; it took much longer for uploads and I needed a quicker connection. Continue reading Day 38: Livy ski skims for the first time→
Independence Day, July the Fourth means is an important day for Americans. Since moving to the Midwest in ’91 Beth and I have spent many Fourth of July’s at the cottage on Lake Margrethe. I have missed only a few.
The Fourth in Grayling is much like anywhere else in America. They have a parade at eleven and fireworks when it gets dark, usually around ten. This year the parade and fireworks were on July 3, a Saturday, probably because the Fourth fell on a Sunday. I do not know why and it is not important. I do know that Grayling was not alone as William and I travelled from camp to Michigan we saw at least two parades and detoured around them.
Sunday, the fourth was like any other day at the cottage, quiet and peaceful with coffee to share with Grandma Weaver as we looked out across the lake. There is no view better. I have seen that view many times summer, fall, winter, and spring. Each is different. Sometimes it is foggy and the hills are barely visible, sometimes it is clear and that water is like glass, regardless of the time, there is no view that is the same. Sometimes the coffee is strong but the conversation is always good no matter how strong or weak the coffee. Morning is a special time at the cottage sometimes William will come down the stairs and sit with Grandma, though he is getting too big to share the chair with her. Continue reading Day 37: Independence Day→
The kids were in VBS for the remainder of the week and William at scout camp next week; I was somewhat in limbo. I had errands and other activities, but nothing compared with last week’s adventures or what next week and beyond brings. I think sailors would have called today the doldrums or a place where the wind does not blow. The doldrums are close to the equator where Earth’s spin does not provide enough of a force for constant winds to blow, hence the name – the doldrums. Continue reading Day 27: Coyote Moon: The Legend of Ivy→
Weather has been a topic this week in my writing. I have always been interested in weather going back to fourth grade I remember reading the book about hurricanes many times. Living in the Chicagoland area provides many opportunities to learn and experience weather. We have a humid continental climate with four seasons, short, hot, humid summers and long, cold, snowy winters. As a geography teacher, I want my kids to remember the type of climate we have and that it is similar to the climate experienced in north central Europe and stretches across north central Asia. Chicago and other American cities such as Detroit, Buffalo, Minneapolis, and Boston have such a climate. Worldwide such cities as Moscow, Helsinki, and Beijing experience the same climate as Chicago. The Midwest is affected by a weather phenomenon, we know as severe thunderstorms, which are influenced by the Gulf Coast moisture and cool dry air from Canada that only occurs in North America. It is also one of the few places in the world that experience tornadoes. In an effort to help students remember basic weather information and be able to compare and contrast weather to other places around the globe I use a 40-40 rule. The 40-40 rule explains the amount of annual precipitation and snowfall that Chicago receives. The actual average is 36.27” of precipitation (includes snow) and 38.0” of snowfall annually. Pretty close and it is easy to remember. Continue reading Day 26: The Storm→
Every other day, every other day,
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
You can find me cryin’ all of the time Source
In the 1960s, the group The Mamas and Papas recorded a song that really fits today: Monday, Monday. The days are counting and melting away like a Popsicle on a hot summer day. The flavor does not matter, the days are just moving quickly. 58 days remain. Continue reading Day 24: Monday, Monday→
I did not finish yesterday’s post. What I mean is there is another part to the Homeward Bound and that is Julie getting home. I last saw her disappearing into the Terminal 2 security checkpoint at O’Hare and headed home. I had checked the weather Thursday night before going to bed that the forecast Friday for Chicago was thunderstorms and I checked when we landed and the National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm watch, as the conditions were good for bad storms. It was hot, 90° F, humid, and it made it being outside, no fun. The storms were forecast to hit the Chicago area in early afternoon. I was concerned Julie’s scheduled flight home to Memphis would be affected. Continue reading Day 21: Homeward Bound – part 2→
Wednesday, June 9th: originally, this post was to be a daily post – but the events of the day were over shadowed with worry about Ivy, our Brittany.
Ivy's the one! We had four puppies from Ivy's litter to choose from and Olivia and William look them over in the back of the car.
We had gotten Ivy when she was almost eight-weeks old on somewhat of a lark. In early April, on our return trip home from the cottage in Michigan, we had made a detour to shop and in the parking lot, there were local dog breeders selling puppies. Does this sound suspicious or odd? It did not at the time but when I retell it I feel, well, rather silly. I bought a dog on the side of the road from someone I did not know and drove home with a puppy the day before Easter. There was no planning, nor did we have an idea what we had in store for our family. Yet, this misadventure has turned into a something wonderful for our family.