The last signs of Autumn....

Pearson Park.....the smell was of dried leaves, and I went every couple of days to capture the difference in the color....the above picture was taken on my last visit....such a peaceful place to take a walk, and to think it's a free place to go....I know we pay taxes, but what a price for such beauty....

This little guy was at Maumee State Park.....it was almost dark, and my friend and I was walking on the boardwalk.....I was snapping pictures, when I heard a noise....and there he was....I just heard on the news today, that the city of Ottawa Hills is trying to hire sharp shooters for gaming, to kill off some of the deer population....it makes me sad to think of that....I know they can be menacing but I think of those deer like the one above.....with those big brown eyes....OK, so mine has white eyes....because of the flash....but I did help him out with my photoshop.....but this is before I did.....

Again at Maumee State Park, another free beautiful spot to visit....I just love nature....maybe it was growing up in this spot, along the water, and all the beautiful trees....and as a young person my mine was in another world......well even as an old person my mind is in another world...LOL

Well I'm going to go visit one of my bloggers now.....I have to read one a day, to catch up....so who knows it may be you today.....if not it will be tomorrow, or the next......and then finishing up my herbal heat packs for the sale Sat.....and if possible I'm going to rake some of those beautiful dried leaves, that don't have the same appeal in my yard...... see Ya...................

Who scared Who?

The beauty of Autumn....

Above are the steps at Side Cut Park....

Above is a cluster of crab apples.....they look just like regular apples, but they are tiny.

A couple of colorful trees.....at Side Cut Park

This is the most beautiful grass I have ever seen....they look like a red bronze, and it is the first time I ever saw grass like that...they almost sparkle.....this picture and the one below was taken at Maumee State Park, just as you enter the boardwalk....

I hope the color lasts into next week, for it's suppose to be warmer....right now I'm sitting inside because it is raining and cold.... I made Note Cards with these photos and added quotes on the photo....

I'm getting ready for my craft show, and I'm trying to complete each craft that I'm taking... I'm selling my framed and matted photo's, Christmas Cards with metal bookmarks, another kind of bookmark, pack of 8 Note Cards and magnetic bookmarks....along with beaded bracelets, and last but not least, my herbal heat packs....boy flax seed went up so much in price....but I like the texture and the softness of flaxseed....everything is ready except for my herbal packs so I've got to get back to sewing now, catch ya later, and thanks for stopping by....judy

Those Autumn Leaves....

I love Autumn....it is my favorite time of the year....all the beautiful colors....it's a perfect time for camera's and paint brushes....these pictures were taken a couple years ago in Michigan....time for some new shots.....

Life sure has changed.....because of some....

How many of you have snapped a picture of your baby or young child naked? In the tub, or running around in just a hat, so innocent....I know i have.....it was so cute seeing them sitting in the bathtub full of bubbles and their hair curled in a peak on top of their head....never thought a thing of it....but because of those perverted freaks out there that snap pictures of innocent children and posting them on line, we have lost our freedom of an innocent cute snapshot....I just saw on the news that last year this young couple took pictures of their young children in the bathtub naked.....had them printed at Walmart, and they reported them to the police....the lady lost her job in a school....and they were reported as sex offenders....they have been going through hell.....the judge threw the case out.....but this will follow them forever.....it just kills me the thought of all our freedoms that we have lost, because of some......

How funny, brings back memories....

Oh this really brings back memories....I can remember mom saying these things to me....back in the 40's and 50's .... if moms say this now, someone I'm sure would call it abuse....I don't know who wrote this, for I got it in a traveling email.....but I want to say thank you, for making me laugh....

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.

'2. My mother taught me RELIGION.'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'

3.. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'

4. My mother taught me LOGIC..'Because I said so, that's why.'

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'

7. My mother taught me IRONY.'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'

13 My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out. '

14.My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.'Stop acting like your father!'

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.'Just wait until we get home.'

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.'You are going to get it when you get home!'

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way..'

19. My mother taught me ESP.'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT..'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'

22.My mother taught me GENETICS.'You're just like your father.'

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'

25. And my all time favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE. 'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.'

Watching the baby

Zola is almost 6 months old....and don't like strangers....this evening after sitting in the hot sun watching Christophers football game, I went home and Zola came over....her mommy and daddy went out to eat with Zola 's mommies sister and her hubby.....while I was sitting there with her, she was playing with her toys....being a very good little girl, and then my two daughter and their hubbys came back from Washington DC to pick up Coco, Lori's baby dog....and when Lori took her, she wasn't sure if it was ok, and then Lisa took her, and she screamed......so Craig, grandpa scary took her, and she screamed....until they left.....then she played again, until I walked out on the deck...the neighbors Geri and Ron walked over to see her....and yep she screamed......once I went back in she was good until about the last half hour before her mommy and daddy came home....nothing seemed to please her, she didn't want her bottle....and usually when I sing and walk with her she quiets down....but not today....my back was killing me....I'm old, and not use to walking with a baby back and forth.....I started to do the shhhh shhhh shhhh shhhh as I walked and she shut up and went to sleep.....well it dawned on me that that is what her daddy does when he walks her....so it must of made her feel comfortable.....I'm so happy because my son got a promotion, a raise and is now on days.....hallelujah

I just finished a half a glass of cranberry wine.....and now I'm going to bed....catch ya tomorrow...

The Birthday Princess.....named Megan

My granddaughter Megan is celebrating her 24th birthday today....I think she's 24 Lordy, where has the time gone....I have never seen anyone look forward to her birthday as much as megan. She counts it down all month.....and today the Birthday Girls day is finally here....10 days before her birthday I started sending her a birthday card....the first one was with a picture of her as a baby....and I slipped $1.00 in the card.....then the second she was a little older and with a $1. and each day she grew older on the pictures.....and then today she should have rec'd her birthday card with an updated picture of her, and a few more bucks.....that was fun.....she likes surprises.... I wish I could have seen her face when she rec'd the dollar in the first card....LOL

She always had a spirit about her....as a little girl and still.....I remember when she was about 4 or 5 we were sitting on my deck and she kept leaning back on a deck chair, and I told her not to do that, because she would fall.....she just looked at me with that look.....and kept it up, so I grabbed her and gave her a wack on the butt.....just to show her I meant business.....she looked at me, got up and walked into the house with out a wimper, until she was in the kitchen....then she really let loose....daddy, daddy (her dad was in the front room watching tv) grandma hit me....she was crying like I beat her up.....it's something I will always remember....and her daddy was on my side.....LOL.....Now it's time outs.....do they really work.....usually the kids read, or play, while there in a time out.....no I still believe in a wack on the butt....now and then.....

But Megan is a beauty, and can charm anyone.....so to you Megan, I wish you a blessed, joyful life....and I sure wish you lived closer....I hope you find a pot of gold.....but no matter what, enjoy what you do.....I'm so happy your working in the theatre......I love artsy people.....and I'm still waiting for that quilt you made me.....LOL

The tea party......

Lola, Ginny and I had a tea party at Lola's house for 10 church ladies....and Bob, Lola's hubby and Les, Ginny's hubby served us....Bob was known as Jieves, and Les was known as Perciful, or Percy.....we ate for hours....thurs us three girls baked, then on fri. Bob and Lola made chicken salad and other sandwiches....and then Sat morning they put everything together....we had three different kinds of tea, Jasmine, Ginger Peach, and Orange OuLong.....sp?......we had little bells at the 3 tables, which we would ring when we wanted more tea....the guys were great sports.....and let me tell you we really had them working....Thank You Lola and Bob for lending us your house for our tea party....the church ladies really enjoyed it.....how could they not.....

Well gotta go watch Big Brother now....I know it's really beneath me to watch such trash, but I can't stop.....LOL

American Idol tour concert

This is Allison....she is another one of my favorites....well I only have two...Adam and Allison... I don't have a picture of Adam on stage, my camera just wouldn't take a good picture....it was my little Nikon coolpix.....so today I went out with the money I made from my cards and pictures that are hung at the coffeeshop, and bought me a new Sony....10mg & 10X....I love it....well I will love it, I have to go pick it up tomorrow, for it was on the truck....but the sample was awesome... and with alittle money added to the money I made I figured it would be a great birthday gift to me.....Friday I will turn 69 and I'm going to the German American Festival to celebrate.... I do love my other big camera the Nikon D50 but it is just to big to carry in my purse....

The place was packed.....the programs cost $25.00....and NO I did not buy one....but I saw one woman walking around with 2 or 3 of them....can you believe that? I might have spent $5.00, now I say might have....but no more.....there was young little grade school kids through little old grannies like me and my friends....

Jean waiting to board the bus after our dinner....I'm really not into buffet....but....

Me (judy), Jean, Nancy, and MaryEllen....
*****************************
We hopped the bus for Cleveland....ate at Country Buffet... and made it to the American Idol tour concert... I haven't been to a concert in ages, and probably won't go again unless Adam comes to town. I knew it would be loud and thats ok but it distorted the sound....and the singers you couldn't even understand them, because they were screaming so... but Adam had a standing ovation from the time he walked on stage, until he walked off...he being the runner up, was second from last to sing....Kris was last... I kind of felt sorry for Kris, because no standing ovation, and people around me were starting to leave... Adam was the star....and I say that honestly....as a granny groupy...

The Night walk and the Screech Owl....

Friday evening my friend Diane and I went out to Maumee State Park....we had a perch dinner at the Waters Edge Restaurant , and then went for a walk on the boardwalk.....took about an hour, and when we got by the Nature Center a young lady ask us to come back for the night screech owl walk.....so we did.....this is Odis a 1 lb screech owl....he was in the Nature Center.....then we went for thee walk....no flashlights were aloud.....no talking was aloud.....it got darker and darker, and the young lady named Dana lead the pack....see those two screech owl up in the tree?....see the tree laying down, well they are to the right on the bottom branch.....great....it was black out, how did she expect us to see them.....they wouldn't even screech for us.....then the tour continued.....on the right is peppermint...on the left is poison ivy.....on the right is.....and it continued.....she was very knowledgeable, but it was pitch black out....the man in front of us whispered to us "I think she is pulling our leg"....I know it was a night walk, but what good is it if you can't see a thing.....oh yeah there were the same fawns and mama deer that Diane and I passed on our first walk......so I walked about 6 miles Fri. night......and 3 of those miles were in the dark.....It was an experience to add to my adventures.....and Diane owes me big time.....I went for her.....LOL

Max and Chloe.....Sweethearts....

Every time Maxie goes outside he looks to the left and then wanders over by the fence.....because every time Chloe is usually waiting for him.....they always kiss....every time.... and then Max had enough kisses and wanders the back yard....while Chloe watches and hopes for his return.... Chloe is a Silkie, and the cutest most loveable dog......I always get a kiss too... but it makes me think, dogs must have feeling too.....because why would Maxie head over to the fence and look for Chloe, every time he goes out....Tiny little Chloe is very young, and Maxie is very old....so it shows age doen't count....friendship is for the young and the old, no matter if your a dog, or a human....

Grandma T's nightgowns....

My kids great grandma Tallhammer......every year for Christmas she would make all the girls their flannel nightgowns.....in the picture on the top is Susie, left top is Lori and grandma T and Krissy, and on the bottom left is Becky and Lisa.......My granddaughter Anna who is Lisa's daughter thought it would be nice if I made all my granddaughters nightgowns....I love her dearly but it would cost me a fortune, since most of the girls are grown up....and I found out last Christmas that I am not a seamstress like Grandma T or my mom, for I went out and bought all kinds of flannel for I was going to sew up som PJ bottoms.....like all the kids wear that looked pretty simple....straight line, and feed in elastic, right?....the first ones I cut out and sewed up, I think I could fit all my grandkids in.....so now I have to figure out something to do with all my excess flannel....I might do some quilting....that is straight sewing...LOL....Traditions are something that means alot to my kids, at least the girls....yep they sure did look forward to getting new nightgowns that always were the same....so they looked like 5 peas in a pod.....

When living on Plymouth St. we had this huge swimming pool LOL....Lori seemed to enjoy it....that is Lisa standing by the chair....I use to get in the pool with the kids.....to cool off of course....also in the backyard was a large play house that my dad built for the girls....it sure did keep them busy... the place on Plymouth st. was a duplex.....so we rented out the top first to my classmate Carlene and her hubby Leon....they had two girls Susan and Jeanne at that time.....so my girls always had someone to play with, or fight with, what ever the case might be....and then they built a home in Oregon and we rented it to Bob (Jim's best friend and our best man) and his wife Rhoda.....they had a couple of girls while living there.... sometimes we would all go out and weed the yard together....not many times though.....but what was great was we use to get together when the kids were sleeping and play cards.....back then we had a phone that you could dial a number and when the person picked up the phone we would both lay the phone down right outside the bedroom of the kids and it acted like a walky talky....so we could play cards and still keep our kids safe....it seemed like it was a good idea back them....I can think of all kind of reasons not to do that now.....LOL

Growing up with me....

I always did have a head of hair, and wow, that is a huge du.....I was always busy on Plymouth St....we bought a duplex when Lori was a baby, and lived there until Lori was in the 2nd grade. I think...I always cut the girls hair....and both of them usually had short cuts....and I sewed...I made all kinds of those simple dresses....poor kids, wouldn't put up with it now....and they always matched....what was wrong with me, didn't i think they had a life of their own....or did I run into a huge sale of material....when you look through the screen you can see we had orange walls....I don't know what that mark is of tan.....

I thought there was no other neighborhood as wonderful as the one we lived in on Plymouth St. We had wonderful neighbors, who always got together evening to have a cup of coffee, or a cold pop.....we really never got into the beer or mixed drink evenings....until we played cards...then we make malt like drinks....pink squirrels, grasshoppers....always with plenty of ice cream and booze.....that only happened like once a month.....thank God....

Tornado warnings and off we would go to my neighbors basement, with our bird and the kids.... it make the warning more fun, for we played pool, danced and soon the warnings would be up...

Well I'm off to the movies right now, so I gotta go, but I thought it was time for some memories of when my kids were young....it's not always all about me.....LOL

The Joys of getting old....

My friend Linda sent me this, and it's to good not to share with you....

..........................................................................

". The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.
2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.
3. If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.
4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.
5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.
6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?
7. Business conventions are important because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.
8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?
9. Scratch a cat and you will have a permanent job.
10. No one has more driving ambition than the boy who wants to buy a car.
11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.
12. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4 AM. - Like this: It could be a right number.
13. No one ever says 'It's only a game.' when their team is winning.
14. I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap..
15. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way you're going to like it.
16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.
17. Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos?(And rap music will be the Golden Oldies!)
18. Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Corvette than in a Yugo.
19. After 60, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you are probably dead!"

Waite Classmates Luncheon

Click on photo to make it larger

It was so nice to get together again with my classmates....51 years ago we all graduated together. Memories, what great memories....as one gets older, we think alot about the good old days....and getting together with the old classmates, there is always someone who brings up a memory that I forgot....it brings alot of laughter....we went back out to Maumee State Park at the Water's Edge restaurant....they were super nice to us, and gave us the loft....we do get a bit noisy... Planning on more get togethers....every 3 months or so.....I think every one looks dam good for 69 years old....

Picasa 3 and me....

With the help of Picasa 3 I put all my flowers in a collage on one page.....and also the showing how different the sky can look....these are all pictures that I have taken.....I was so happy to find Picasa 3 from google....it is free and you can fine tune your photo's, crop, and store...plus create beautiful collages......blog, email, and many other things.....and did I mention it's FREE...

A lesson to be learned....

A lesson to be learned.....see all those black bags setting out at the curb, well they are filled with weeping willow switches....and dried grape vines.....everytime I go to cut my grass, I would rake the switches on the side....and I had a huge pile....also when I trimmed my grape vines, I threw them on that pile....it sat all winter, with a few more from this spring.....knowing since early spring that I had to clean that mess up, I finally tackled it.....6 bags.....yesterday was a perfect day.... I still have a bit more clearing to do.....

Thinking back to when my girls were growing up, I remember putting folded clothes on the steps going up to their bedroom.....they would walk by everytime, even though I told them a million times to take it upstairs......but eventually they had to.....things that they left laying around, if they only would pick it up when they walked by....it saved alot of time.....and eventually they had to....see where I'm going with this....eventually I had to....and if I would have put those switches in a bag at the time, my back wouldn't be killing me now....

This morning while snapping the picture of my trash, which I'm sure you enjoyed looking at, I saw this beautiful red cardinal in my back yard....

Some people just are organized.....

I am cheating.....my daughter Lori wrote this back in Oct. of 2008, and I want to share it with you....she was so much like her daddy.....why didn't her and her dads organizational skills rub off on me....i grew up as a kid being organized because mom made me, so I guess now without my hubby, and it's just me, I'm rebelling......LOL



My best friend in 8th grade, had a grandmother who strung a velvet rope (like the ones in movie theatres) across the entrance to her living room in order to protect her stark white carpet and sofa-- from people. I thought she was nuts. I bring this up, because there was a time when the tracks the sweeper made in the living room carpet had to be straight and free of footprints or I couldn’t relax. If little feet dared to trample over it, out came the sweeper and a lecture. I wonder why it never occurred to me that I was nuts.

In addition, my cereal boxes were aligned by height and my spices were arranged in alphabetical order. Laundry was done on Mondays, toys were picked up before bed and when I canned jelly in sweet little jars with handmade flowered labels—it bothered me when someone removed one from the shelf to actually use.

I inherited these things from my father, who often smelled more of Comet and Pine Sol than Old Spice. Knick-knacks on our dressers were kept to a minimum and you didn’t do anything in the kitchen without first putting a paper down on the counter (it really did provide much easier clean-up). Although, I always cringed when I heard dad coming up the steps to check on our cleaning progress, I always felt a greater sense of calm when everything was in its place.

I thought about these things the other day when I finally rounded up all of our DVDs, which number well over a hundred and put them in a single cabinet where I arranged them alphabetically-- by category. I had to say—it felt good.

Organizing my environment and having it clean and neatly arranged, was how I garnered control in my life. This, combined with my first-born perfectionism, allowed me to look at Martha Stewart and believe that gold-leafing the ‘powder-room’ trash can was both normal and highly desirable.

Then one day, all of the control I thought I had, flew out the window. I was put in my place and I quickly realized that alphabetizing your spice drawer was no protection against chaos; it was just a way to find Cream of Tartar in a hurry. In those days, I was lucky to have had the forethought to purchase cereal—let alone make sure the boxes were in descending order. For two years in a row, my Christmas trees were up until nearly February—and the scary thing is they were live trees (well, until mid-January anyway).

Four moves in three years did not help either. Each time I unpack there are fewer and fewer things. I managed to keep track of ten boxes of books, however, I still have no idea where Grandma’s waffle iron went, but I sure would like to have it back.

I have absolutely no money to my name and I still sleep at night. Where once that would have sent me into apoplexy, I find that I have become quite at home living on the edge. For a while, I thought that the edge was a better place to be—after all, lower expectations saves you from bigger disappointment and sheets wrapped in bundles and tied with ribbon will never be your saving grace.

But, now, after coming to the conclusion that I have developed deep-seeded commitment issues, I realize that desiring too little control in your life is just as counterproductive as an overabundance of it. It’s like daring life to catch you, so you continue to run away from what feels good because you know how quickly it can all turn bad. Numbing yourself is not an answer, it’s just a less obvious way to try and grasp some control.

It is a long process, trying to ease yourself off of the edge and tiptoe past the guilt that comes from carrying on. No one gives you a formula because it is different for everyone. I am still working things out, but I will confess to you the following:

I have been looking at antique engagement rings and picking out paint colors. I once again feel much better about life when the house smells of Murphy’s Oil Soap and cranberry candles. I like the blankets neatly folded and I refuse to believe that it is a character flaw to find contentment in a well thought out DVD cabinet or by the smell a pie baking in the oven. Unfortunately, this has not yet filtered down to an alphabetized spice drawer or a gold-leafed trash can, but who knows what the future holds.

We are all irrational in some way—it is how we cope with a scary world. Some of us put ropes around our living room and some of us put ropes around our hearts.

by Lori Schuster Cloud

A message from Ben Stein....

My friend sent this to me....I'm not much for all the junk that is passed around, but something pulled me to read this.....Ben Stein is usually so formal, and I feel this did him proud, because when you think about it, his words are so true.....




Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - Ben Stein

I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late ! !



The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events.... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.



My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

Little old ladies and policemen

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While driving down Wheeling St. today I saw the flashing lights up ahead.....ah awh... as I passed I couldn't help looking over to see who got pulled over.....Lordy, it was a little old lady....I didn't mean to laugh, but it reminded me of a couple of incidents....once while driving over to my daughter Lisa's, I was going down front street.....minding my own business, and getting my nerve up to drive on the the expressway.....I stopped at the corner, ready to turn, and on comes the flashing lights, behind me....so I pulled over.....my heart was beating so hard, I forgot all about driving on that darn expressway.....all the people going around me, looking at me, and wondering why that little old lady was pulled over.....well Mr. Policeman came up to my window and ask for my drivers licence.....I gave it to him and then he ask for my registration....didn't have it in the car.....well the problem was (he said) that my license plate expired,.....I said no it didn't I put one on in July....(my birthday is in Aug.).....he argued with me.....he said the little square 07 was off.....computers were down, so he couldn't get proof from headquarters.....so I got a warning.....here someone must of took off the little 07 tag that I attached to my plate.....I did go down and get a dup. and it cost me $2.00.....the point of this story is that I can feel how red that little old lady's face was.....nerves and blood pressure running high.....*****another funny little old lady and policeman story was my mother in law.....she was a back road driver and when living in Blissfield, she decided to come back to Toledo for a visit.....she was going down one of the back roads when she drove by a policeman parked in a parking lot, just waiting for a little old lady to go speeding down the street.....he waved at her, so she waved back at him....in the little town of Blissfield, everyone waved at everyone.....all of a sudden the policeman came after her with lights a flashing...."Lady, your going 40 in a 35 mile zone"....Yikes! mom was speeding.....she didn't realize that a wave didn't always mean HI!

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The End of the Cottage

The End.....the storm hit about 40 years ago....and took everything....all the added on rooms were jerked off the foundation....after the first storm the cottage was moved off the foundation but it was possible to move it back onto it...then came the second storm which was a stronger north eastern and moved it a whole cottage away....after growing up summers at this cottage I was sad for my dad....he loved that place....I was two when they bought it...and they rented the land....for only $50 a year.....no taxes.....they just owned the building....no more weeding the sand, no more fish fries, no more parties.....no more fishing in our 14 ft lyman boat...but I can and do walk across the same creek on the bridge, which Maumee State Park has provided...I look down the creek, no more fishing boats, only memories.... I had a great childhood....with the best mom and dad in the world....they left me lots of pictures which helps to trigger my memory....

It was great to have family around....

The second cottage going left was my aunt Elvera and uncle Willy's cottage.....they were sitting right about in the same spot as the Maumee State Park Lodge is now....it was nice to have family around.... This is my aunt Elvera, me, my dad Fritz and of course Trixie my dog...

This is little cousin Jeffrey....he is about 8 years younger than me, which makes him around 60... in fact I think I just missed his birthday....June 5th....I'm in trouble now....I think he just turned 61....now I can't remember how old my kids are, how can anyone expect me to remember my cousins....if it wasn't for our church book, I wouldn't even know his.....

Trixie, Dad and Aunt Elvera.....

in the 14 ft. Lyman Boat is uncle Willy, me peeking behind, my Auntie, Jeffrey and my Grandpa Mux....with daddy pushing out the boat...I don't have many pictures of my grandpa Mux....(my dad's father)
Jeffrey and me....in the water that was so clear you could see the bottom? don't look like it in that picture....since we bathed in that water, I hope it wasn't my imagination on the clarity of it.

This is my dad taking a break....where he is sitting is amongst a bunch of willow trees...not weeping willows of course....down farther it was thicker, and he cleared out the center and put a picnic bench in....it sounds like mosquito heaven, but I don't remember them back them....do you think they were invented when I got old, or just because I was a kid, I didn't notice them...now I noticed the spiders back then....

to be continued...................

Another days adventures......

The cottages down the line that I would visit....

The farm house Katie lived in....across the creek

Mom standing and me and Katie sitting....on the bridge that dad built...

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When there were no other children around, I would find myself over to Katie Mominee's house...Katie lived across the creek from me in an old farm house...she was in her late teens or early 20's...I never ask...she was a person that would talk to me...LOL...Now Katie's mom was pretty cool...she first of all was old...(probably not) and had hair that trailed way down beyond her butt...and she always wore it pulled back in a bun...I would watch Katie brush it...Mrs. Mominee was a real farm lady that made her own butter...so cool...one time she ask me if I wanted to churn it...I did and why I thought that it was so much fun, I'll never know...perhaps another boring day...We always bought the butter from her...I will always remember that taste...and I am still looking for it...do you think that it's all in my mind?..or did it really taste that good...and where oh where can I find it again...and will it be cholesterol free?

Another place I would wander down to was Walter Rittenberger's cottage...I remember Mrs. Rittenberger would let me iron...I think it was something like dish towels, or pillow cases...I remember they were flat...it must have been another boring day...why is it that when children are young they love doing what someone else's parents do...but not their parents...

And then when my aunt Elvera and uncle Willy moved in, I would bug them...Jeff my cousin was little at the time...and I would go see Mrs. Belpash...I think her name was Ruth...they had no children, so she wasn't as acceptable as the rest of the neighbors...I was pretty gabby, so I'm sure I worked on her last nerve...I remember her as having bright red hair.... to be continued...

Imagination...isn't it grand...

The get away car.....My week end friend.....
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Imagination…..isn’t it grand….

Back when I mentioned playing elevator with the rolling door, and I mean one with wheels that rolled back into the wall….that in itself was an imagination….but I pretended it was an elevator….now, all you do is press the buttons on the elevator yourself, but back when I was a child they paid a man to run the elevator….he would sound out “GOING UP”….and people would get on the elevator, that had this beautiful music playing…..and then when you got to your floor, he would call out what floor we were on…I got to experience this when my grandma, or mom, and I would go shopping…

Now when my imagination really kicked into gear, I would drive the car down to the carry out or the laundry mat…..and I was only about 8 or 9 years old….but remember I was an only child with only, week end friends to play with….and not that many, for the younger kids were mostly boys, and I didn’t really appreciate them when I was 8 or 9... I would look for a cattail, not a real cats tail, but the weed, and I would break it off…get into the car, and pretend to light the cattail, pretend to start the car, and pretend to drive away….and I would sing, since no music in the car….in my imagination I really was driving…to the corner….turn right….go down a ways to the carry out….puff on the cattail….and since my dad always bought me a magazine and a chocolate cow, which was chocolate pop, that’s what I would do in my mine…..and then off to the laundry mat….and I would fold the clothes…now I don’t remember washing them in my imagination, but folding them…LOL….(mom would use the laundry mat on rare occasions ) …

On other days to pass away time I would walk the beach….maybe I was about 10 or 11 and really bored out of my mind….so on my walk, my mind would kick into a gymnast… We had large old trees that fell into the water, with big roots on the end….I would jump on the tree, and hold my arms out and walk back and forth, singing again…pretending I was this lovely gymnast…..bored after a few times, so on my way back to the cottage, I would find wild flowers….well it was only one kind, they were purple, and everywhere… so for mom I would pick her a bouquet….

I tried not to get bored to often, well lets just say, not let mom know I’m bored, for she would have me out weeding the sand….yep you heard it, she weeded, as the case might be me, weeded the sand on the beach….Our cottage had the creek in front, and the lake on the left side…and a beach that had beautiful sand, sometimes dead fish, but it was weedless….you would think that my mom and my hubby were mother and son, for never a weed to be seen in my yard when he was alive either…to think that now I grow weeds, and think they are beautiful….or….am I using my imagination again….?…LOL.... to be continued........

A fun and festive place to be...

Dad at the grill he built....

Louise, Irene and my mom showing that the grill can be more than a cooking devise....

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Big Catch...time for a fish fry...my dad built the brick grill outside where he would fry the fish...we would have our perch and the people who were coming to the fish fry would bring down their perch and soon it was a party.....the grill was also used for our hot dogs and hamburgers...what ever dad or mom cooked you can bet it came from Kilgus Meat Market....dads friend Bill Kilgus always kept us in meat...I remember the hot veal loaf...oh it was to die for....but anyway back to the cottage....

I remember mom and dad inviting all the neighbors from down the line, and a few out side friends to our Luau...mom took a fish net and hung it on the side of the cottage...mom and I took a day making tissue flowers...and then we hung them on the net with some other stuff..it was fun...the place was real festive...she even found some music for the theme...it was probably Don Ho...she loved him....

We would have volley ball games in the sand...before it was even popular...played horseshoe...went swimming and for boat rides...once we went across in the boat to a little island...and I was going to try my hand in skiing...I was a young married lady then and it was the first time in all the years of living summers at the cottage that I tried skiing...and it was the last...because I had on a two piece bathing suit, and every time I started to to up on the skis, my bathing suit would come down...either a cheap suit, or a skinny body...LOL

I never really realized how much work my mom had with the cottage...with always someone there, means food for all, cleaning up the sand that they dragged in after swimming...she really never complained, but now when I think about it, she did look pretty tired... to be continued....

A Fish Tail...or is it Tale....

The creek in front of the cottage with little fishing boats....

Coming back with the big catch......

See the one right in the middle, the biggest one, I think that is the big one I caught...

Daddy cleaning the fish....I never could be found at that moment.....when dad cleaned the fish, he always left the tail on.....and it fried along with the beer breaded fish, and was delicious...crispy like a potato chip....don't knock it until you tried it......
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Early to bed, early to rise, makes a little girl tired, but ready to go fishing....We had a creek in front of our cottage, with boats docked on both sides...I would hear them take off early in the morning, and smell that gasoline smell...it was wonderful...funny what a comforting smell gasoline was to me...LOL...and the soothing sound of the motor boats passing by...and then came the dad yelling for me to get up...time to go...our boat was docked right in front of our cottage...and the wind blowing against my face woke me up, and ready to fish...

I loved to fish...and I was good at it too...my dad and I would go out in Lake Erie in his 14 foot Lyman boat, with the 25 horsepower Mercury engine...and he would throw out the anchor...I would bait my hook, let the line down into the water, and wrap the line around my toe...then lay back on the cushion, enjoying the sun, until a fish would bite, and I would feel the tug on my toe...I had it made...I remember I would catch the biggest sheep head, and back when i was young, I didn't care what kind of fish it was, just so I caught one...and the bigger the better...now sheep head was OK because my dad would smoke them...sheep head and cat fish, because they weren't dried out after smoking them...see I learned something from my dad...it was always fun getting ready the night before, because I was also a great worm catcher...I know, I hate to be such a bragger, but I was fast, those worms didn't have a chance...LOL...Laying back waiting for the next fish to bite, and the boat started to rock...on no, a storm is coming...daddy never hesitated to head back home...he seemed to know exactly when to leave...and thank God, for I aways got sea sick...no pills back the, at least I never got any...I guess he knew by the wind change...it's a north eastern....I really didn't know what that meant, except I knew what was coming...and the smell of the raging water...now I won't call that comforting... But we made it back safely with our big catch, my suntan, and the few worms we had left...To be continued.....

The Grandmas visit the Cottage....

Grandma Lena in her pants suit and her catch.....

Grandma Bertha waiting to see the big catch.....

And the catch is in...and the closest to catching fish was holding the catch....and look at those meany eyes....she would much rather eat them....I' m sure....

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Two Grandma's so very different....Grandma Bertha was my dads mother...born in Germany...and moved to Fremont Ohio when my dad was 18...every year she would come down to the cottage for a week or two...she loved sitting out front on the glider, crocheting and watching the boats come and go in the creek...her and I always butted heads...why?...probably because we were more alike than we knew....LOL...she never fished, but she sure did love eating those fish....

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Grandma Lena was my mom's mother...I know she was born German, but I really don't know where...this Grandma loved to travel...she was always going on Senior trips, and she would buy me storybook dolls, or salt and pepper shakers for my collection...that's a strange thing to collect, but I had over 100 sets...from all over...now this grandma loved to fish...when she went fishing she would wear a pant suit...back then you never saw women in pants suits...but grandma wore them proud...grandma lived with us when I was a teenager...I guess I must have sassed her now and then, for I remember her words "I hope you get a daughter that sasses you, like you do to me"...HUH! Grandma I was a kid, and mom wasn't there at the time of the sassing...LOL...and for the record....my kids NEVER sassed me....Right?... coming up....a fish story....to be continued....