Saturday, October 18, 2008

Fall is certainly in the air today, beginning with wet dew on an  early morning chill. Mike is off early to help with the harvesting of corn and soybeans out on the farm, and I have the luxury of sleeping in late, reading the newspaper over a good cup of coffee and then deciding what to do with my day. Ah, such a joyous luxury with infinite amounts of choices, some more enticing than others. I could, for example, clean out a closet or rake some leaves in the yard, or make some soups to freeze, or continue the good book I am reading, or go shopping to begin the never-ending search for just the right present for Christmas that doesn't cost too much. Or I could do the load of laundry that is sitting in my laundry room, or call a friend and chat.....or get out my second novel to continue work on the next chapter, or make some of my cards which I love to do. So many possibilities, so little time. What I will certainly have to do is make a good dinner for tonight for my weary husband who will be sitting on a tractor or combine all day going back and forth through the fields. The least I can do! But in the meantime, I will snail through this day at my leisure, trying to enjoy every minute...it may not come again! 

October 9, 2008

Today was a day for doctor checkups, and a flu shot. I feel so fortunate that I can go and get these things, and that I have good reliable doctors. How many people in this country do not have this luxury, I am wondering, and also hearing about. So many things I take for granted; things that I just expect to be there for me, or just show up in my life. At times, I do question how I got to be so fortunate. I was part of a class at the college where I work the other day where students were deciding on goals, and three people struck me over the head with the goals they had vs. goals that I would have. One wanted a car just to get around, and get to school and work; another person wanted to find a person to date that was not on drugs, or had been in jail, and also one who had a valid drivers licence altho, given the other two, she was willing to forgo this one. The third one wanted the means to move out of his mama's house which he could notimagine being possible in the near future. Just how far out of touch am I from what so many Americans are faceing these days, I wonder. I am trying to stay grounded and in touch. 

October 6, 2008

I am sitting at my desk wondering what I might write about this morning  as I hear the honking geese flying overhead out my open window. Several entries ago, I talked about the geese flying south when the frost was on the pumpkin and cool air was in the wind,  and wondered why I could not also, just up and fly south. This poem came to me as I sat here wondering.  

ESCAPE by Gretta Barclay

The geese are gathering

Out my office window

This morning

Honking and hollering

As they fly overhead

Across the cool autumn sky

Summer is over, they scream

to their V lined mates

And I want to scream too

Cold weather is coming

The seem to say,

And we must be gone

To a warmer place

When winter comes

"Can I fly along?"

I cry

"Yes you can

If you can fly..."

Oh my

Why them

And why not I ?

*******************************************************

I was also thinking about my mother this morning who would have just celebrated a birthday if she were still alive. How important mothers are in their children's lives, I think, as I watch my daughter Kerri, and daughter Michelle struggle to be the best moms they can be to their children, and for Michelle, the children of her significant other. It is such a 24-7 kind of committment to be available to them even if you work out of the home. They are always number one, and always on their mother's minds. I often wonder how Sara Palin is able to travel so much in pursuit of the vice-presidency with the nations troubles having to come first for her right now, and how hard that must be for her as a mother especially having an infant with special needs at home. Years ago I wrote a poem in honor of my mother who stayed home and raised seven children pretty damn well, if I must say so. O.K. I did just say so, and now for the poem....

MY MOTHER, MARY HELEN

I remember my mother

In the basement

In front of the washing machine

With loads of wash

Darks, whites, and in-betweens

For seven children

And one very meticulous father

Who wanted everything very clean

I remember my mother

Behind the ironing board

Pressing Peter Pan blouses

For brown school uniforms

And sewing on lost buttons

And oh, what she couldn't do

With left-overs

And mystery stew

I remember my mother

Behind the wheel of our ol station-wagon

Seven kids packed in tight

Day and night

Off to art museums, skating rinks,

horse-back riding and tennis lessons

Doing it all

At her suggestion and direction

But mostly,

I rember my mother 

Telling a story

And laughing heartily at her own joke

My mother loved a party

And any reason to celebrate

She seemed always to be happy

No matter the weather

Or problems of the day

She would always say,

"Life is what you make it

It's really up to you...."

What a legacy she left

For all of us alive today.

October 5, 2008

Today, Mike and I helped to move our daughter and significant other to a new home in St. Joseph, Illinois, a small midwest town 20 minutes from the  home of the University of Illinois. As I was driving there with my car packed to the roof, I was wondering about the name of the town...St. Joseph. Having grown up Catholic, I do not remember a Saint Joseph, so I was curious about the name of this town. Of course, I knew that Joseph was the father of Jesus so I guess, St. Joseph fits. But when I looked this up on the Internet, I was also surprised to find that statues of St. Joseph sell like hot-cakes when you are trying to sell your house. As the legend goes, since the 1970ies, burying a St. Joseph statue upside down in your back yard while trying to sell you home, works like, well like magic. So as my husband and I slid home after moving day with aching muscles and limbs, we felt happy that if my daughter and her beau want to sell their home in St. Joe...well, they just might have a "leg up." And we also agreed that we were going to be out of town on the day of the next move!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

A picture perfect day here in Central Illinois where I have already been out to gather our ripe tomatoes that my husband and I will "put up" and perserve for the coming winter. There is nothing like the fresh taste of tomatoes in chili, speghetti, and other tomato dishes throughout the cold winter months. The frost is not yet on the pumpkin, but it is getting closer as I enjoy cool crisp mornings. The geese are flying, already feeling the chill of early frost, and the coming winter. I am always a little envious of these flying geese, and wonder why I too cannot just up and fly to a warmer climate. I guess in the overall plan of nature, we did not get everything, did we!!! In the meantime, we will remain here in the midwest, perhaps to live and survive on our farm out in the country if the economy continues to "go south" with the birds. We are already envisioning a very large garden, and wood enough to keep us warm. It has a nice nastalgic ring to it, but then again... 

Sunday, September 6, 2008

This is the Sunday to begin our year-long "slug fest" on the porch. Every Sunday, friends come over with The New York Times, and we sit around on our screened porch, drinking coffee, and reading the newspaper. We usually fight over the book review section, and avoid all things sports. We are more interested in the latest writer than words from the newest politicians, and love to see artists of any hue written about for us to savor. Today, along with the Tanzanian coffee that my brother sent to me, I will serve waffles with fruit. The weather is 70 plus degrees beautiful with a slight breeze. Could heaven be any more wonderful? We certainly can find these heavenly spots here on earth, can't we.

September 4, 2008

On Tuesday, the day after Labor Day, reality hit home with a hammer as we maneuvered our way south from Michigan, through Gary, Indiana, the home of the worst traffic in all the U.S. As we were just exiting Michigan (of course), we were stopped dead in a three mile one lane line of cars, trucks and semi's inching their way along. Mike and I had a good "book-on-tape" and also our stash of candy that we only allow ourselves in these situations, so it was not too bad. Ninty plus degree heat hit us along with one hundred percent humidity when we walked into our house, and the dream and image of the cool, breezy porch in the woods at Portage Lake was just a memory for another year. Darn! But, packing up and going north again next year is what often keeps us going day to day here, so we carry this image in our minds like the Irish poet William Butler Yeats in his poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" when he writes the famous lines,

"I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear the water lapping with low sounds by the shore
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray
I hear it in the deep heart's core." (1892)

I too hear the waters of Portage Lake and Lake Michigan lapping gently along the shore, and knowing that I can return again is what keeps me happy all year long.

August 30 and 31st., 2008

August 30th.....Today we decided to wind our way north from Frankford, Michigan, up past Sleepy Bear Dunes making a loop that took us back south to Traverse City, and then back to Onekema and our cottage in the woods, Breezy Point.
On our picture perfect, blue-sky day, we passed large and small Michigan lakes evidencing every kind of water activity from sailing to surfing, small quaint Michigan towns with artisans everywhere displaying their crafts for sale, outdoor eateries in cafes and decks overlooking the water, deep awning woods and forests with narrow roads in and out, that we were tempted to take time and time again (the roads less traveled), colored barns in abundance from reds to rusty browns, farmer's markets with fresh farm produce...tomatoes, sweet corn, Michigan peaches and blueberries, and colorful wildflowers that dotted the hills and valleys.
The Sleepy Bear Dunes we admired from a distance as we watched people (who looked as small as sand crabs without speed) scale the heights one slow step at a time. Two steps up, three steps sliding back down in the sand). Mike and I watched as we sat at a roadside picnic table next to a clear blue lake reading our books enjoying a cool breeze that created small ripples across the water. At one point I had to retrieve my sweater from the car. A very fine moment, indeed.
Coming back we saw trees beginning to turn to the spirit of Autumn with yellow and orange summac dotting patches on the ground, and the foliage already beginning to turn its leaves to the reds and oranges of Fall, creating the bitter-sweet moment I feel at the first sensation of changing seasons.
So often, we have been here in Michigan in late August where we get a first taste of the coming season and are always relieved to return back home for a little more summer before Fall rushes in to be followed all too quickly by the snows of winter.
August 31st......Today we will take advantage of both the Lake Michigan beech and Portage Lake, the former to test the water for warmth and perhaps go swimming (just to say we did it), and if not swimming, to watch the large sail boats gliding across the lake, and the freighters snailing their way along on the horizon. Portage Lake in front of the cottage will be guaranteed swimming this afternoon and kayaking, something I have loved doing this summer.
Last evening we watched an awesome sunset over Lake Michigan from my sister's cottage and sat on her deck on the dunes while sipping wine and catching up on family news. For me, there is no more beautiful spot on earth.

August 27, 2008

Michigan continues to be magnificant....we wake up to cool mornings and wait for the sun to wind its way through the woods to warm us on these chilly days. By noon, we can head to the beach, and enjoy the water and sand with blue skies overhead. Yesterday there was not a cloud in the sky. I had the most tranquil hour kyaking across Portage Lake, the gentle waves bobbing me up and down as a I paddled my little vessel backwards and forwards. A truly lovely moment in time. We have a big wide, screened front porch that wraps itself around the front of our cottage, and dinner is always here as we drink a glass of wine, feel the evening breeze, and watch the last sail boats coming in off the lake. It is hard to imagine while I am here, that school has started for most students around the country, and that summer is coming to an end. As always,summer has gone all too fast. Today, the weather is, once again, Michigan marvalous and this afternoon we will be heading back to the beach.

Michigan, August 25, 2008

Michigan never disappoints! We are here in 70 degree weather with beautiful blue skies, sunshine and just enough breeze russtlling through the trees to make you think that, yes, there really is a little bit of heaven on earth. Ah, a week to read, think, sevor, and enjoy the quiet of the woods, the sand on the beach, and my favorite little bookstore in Frankfort, Michigan. As always, I will not want to come back, but then, the leaving is what makes it so delicious to come back to every year! I am continuing my reading of Lin Yutang's book, "The Importance of Living" (and the noble art of leaving things undone) and have just started the section on Tea and Friendship. Now, isn't that a lovely thought! Until tomorrow...

Going to Michigan

August 23, 2008
Heading to Onekema, Michigan today where my family has had a summer home for over 60 years. "Going Up North" we have always said, and it is the most tranquil spot sitting in the woods overlooking Portage Lake, and only a stone's throw from the shores of Lake Michigan. It has a wide screened front porch where I can look through the trees and see the boats gliding across the water in full sail. I often do my best writing and thinking in this place, and when our time there is over, I lament coming back to the responsibilities of my life in the city. Years ago, I wrote a poem about leaving ........

Another Summer Season

The fog sits low on the lake
In mid-August
Something not visible
In June and July
Cold temperatures
Greet us each morning now
And signal the coming change
Of seasons from summer to fall
A melancholy time to say good-bye
To our cottage here
Until next year

But I want to linger
Like the fog on the lake
And hide in her elusive, mysterious arms
And not go back
To the noisy, clamoring responsibilities
Of the city

And I see
That the fog is moving on
Like me
Slowly, reluctant to leave
Moving over the water, above the trees
And hills beyond
That there is no hiding place here
And like the fog
I must be gone………………