Tom & Brenda's Family Journal

Cold Comes to Florida

2012-02-12T09:13:00.003-07:00

We are staying at Lake Bonnet Village in Avon Park, Florida. The park, which includes RV's, park models and modular houses, has around 400 - 500 residents. Lake Bonnet is home to lots of fish, birds and even some alligators. There is a pair of sandhill cranes which are quite tame and come up into the park to eat at bird feeders early every morning. I observed them up close while out on a run this week.

South Florida Community College of Avon Park has begun softball and baseball season. Tom and I have taken in a few games. Nothing better than sitting out in the sun watching a ball game.

We awoke this morning to a chilly 37 degrees. 37 is cold when you are riding on a golf cart to church, however, it is a very short ride and church was warm and welcoming.

Our days are spent with lots of fellowship with friends, family and new friends that we seem to make every day.

Here is Carol, (from MN), Merrilyn, (from Ohio) and Marge from Gaylord, MI. These are dear Christian friends now and we seem to have similar interests. This picture was taken at our neighbor, Irv''s 80th birthday party. That is our RV in the picture.

The Bike Club rides together every Friday morning. The first week I rode with them, we went 9.5 miles. I struggled to keep up with them so we took my bike into the Bike Shop and they found 4 things that were wrong that were making it hard to ride, including a rear brake that was hanging up when I was pedaling. No wonder I had so much trouble. This week we went 10 miles and I had no trouble. Tom and I are the second and third people from the left.

Yesterday was the Resident Appreciation Dinner put on by the park. They served about 450 meals and provided us with great entertainment. Tom's Aunt Phylis and Uncle Wayne Ullery are in this park, so it is so nice to see them daily. Here at Lake Bonnet Village every one is friendly and no one seems to be judged by what they wear, drive or the kind of house they have. We're all here for a fun time and to be good friends.

Our good friends from Alto, Butch and Sheila Nordhof live about 7 miles from us. We met up with them yesterday at the Sebring Art Fair and then drove over to the Corvette Show. It was fun to be looking at really sharp cars with such good friends. Today we went out to lunch with them after church.

Every day we meet with many friends for Happy Hour. Happy Hour is a laid-back social time. It doesn't have to involve alcohol but is always lots of fun. We didn't have Happy Hour today because it is so cold but also because there was an ice cream social and we all met there and shared time together.

So you see our days have lots of socializing, eating and having fun. We are missing our family and home but until then we will enjoy the sunshine and warmth of Florida.

1st Week in Florida

2012-02-01T05:28:00.003-07:00

We've just completed our first week in Florida and we are still working on getting completely settled. Yesterday Tom got our water heater fixed. It had been working on gas but we wanted it use the electric element which had to be replaced. Our cable TV was installed last week but still isn't working well. A technician is supposed to come today. The final straw was yesterday when ESPN stopped working.

Our days haven't been all work-lots of play here. There are activities available morning, noon and night. We have been part of several including an afternoon 'happy hour' every day. A group meets daily at 4 pm and shares the events of the day always with lots of laughs. We have a variety of people which adds to the fun but every one seems to have a positive outlook.

I've also attended Hands of Love, a women's service group. I worked on teddy bears for use at the hospital. Ladies Bible Study is on Monday morning and was a group of about 30 studying the book of John. There was lots of interaction and sharing.

Monday we made a trip to Sarasota which was about 80 miles from here. I wanted to see the Gulf of Mexico. We had a lovely day.

Today is Wednesday so that means euchre tonight. Last week Tom and I attended. We started as partners but each of the following 7 games was spent with new partners depending on whether you won or lost. Winners move to the next table and losers stay put. I thought I was a pretty good euchre player but unfortunately I never moved-lost all 8 games. Tom was highly successfully. I decided that cards were not my 'thing' but Tom has encouraged me to return and see if it was just bad cards. So I'll give it a try tonight. I'll let you know if it was the cards or me!

Sunday is Bonnet Lake Church. The park hires a retired pastor for 6 months of the year. He is a really good speaker and a precious time of fellowship. There were 162 people attending which is great when you consider there are 400 people living here.

One last fun event-the Michigan dinner last night. Each state that has a high representation has their own dinner. There is Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana, and a final-the best of the rest. Our potluck dinner was amazing-retired ladies can really cook. The Ohio people always make an appearance-last night it was buckeye candies at each place. That was funny but they were delicious. In the Michigan trivia game, I won a prize for knowing the date that the Mackinac Bridge opened. Out of the 60+ Michiganders attending the dinner only 2 were UPers.

All in all, things are going well. How can you not love lots of sunshine with temperatures in the 70's and 80's?

Florida-Here We Come

2012-01-25T05:22:00.003-07:00

Essential Bean in Caledonia is always on of our last stops before leaving town for a trip. We think their coffee is the best we've found anywhere. It might be the cozy, friendly atmosphere and all the friends we see there. It is a tradition to take our picture showing the excitement we feel as we are 'on the road again." The new owner, Justin, cheerfully took part in our tradition.

We left a guardian to watch over the farm while we are gone. Graham, our cat, seems to be working hard watching for intruders. Of course, Jennifer and Eric are there to care for Graham.

Our first stop was in Canton, Ohio to stay with Kristen. We did lots of planning for the upcoming wedding. We went out to dinner with Kristen, Chris and his parents, Tom and Sandy Liggett. We also visited the Liggett's home. They have the most wonderful vegetable garden in the summer. It was a wonderful way to start our trip.

These next photos are from our trip in October but will show you where we are living for the next two months.

We have been planning our trip to Florida since last summer. I was able to arrange my work schedule to allow two trips to Florida. We traveled to Florida in October to bring our 5th wheel and get it set up on a lot. So we have safely arrived at 2627 Driftwood Blvd., Avon Park, FL 33825.

Our first few days have been busy getting set up and reacquainted with the friends. Tom's Uncle Wayne and Aunt Phyliss Ullery are in the same park. We are looking forward to many days of exploring Florida and enjoying the sunshine.

Is Winter Here?

2011-12-09T04:56:00.004-07:00

I woke this morning to see the roads covered with snow. Jennifer was apprehensive about driving to work on the white stuff. Her stay in North Carolina has left her out of practice. She made it to school safely in spite of icy roads. I'm cozy in my chair with the heater going. I'm drinking coffee and I actually have time to do an update on this blog. I had to rearrange my schedule at Hopkins Middle School this week because there were special Christmas activities today. I usually work Monday, Wednesday and Friday but I worked Thursday this week so I'm enjoying a Friday off work.

Tom and I spend two weeks in Florida this fall. This picture is from our spot in Lake Bonnet Village. We left our 5th wheel there and we are returning the end of January. Lake Bonnet Village is near Avon Park and it is a 55+ park. The residents are great fun and we are looking forward to getting back there.

Last weekend Tom and I took Anna and Jack, our youngest grandchildren, up to the Soo for the annual Mitchell Christmas Dinner. This picture of Anna was taken just as we drove into Grand Rapids on our return trip. It was the only time she slept in the car the entire weekend. I guess we had finally tired her out. The Mitchell Christmas Dinner has been held for approximately 100 years. You can read my post of last year's dinner at Mitchell Family Christmas Dinner. It was a fun time reconnecting with my Mitchell 'cousins'. Cousins in the Mitchell family is anyone with a common ancestor-David and Margaret Mitchell-my great-grandparents.
We stayed with my parents who are both doing well. We brought our Christmas gifts for them and had a fun time. The grandkids taught us a new card game which lead to lots of laughter as my mom and I struggled to learn the finer points.

Over Thanksgiving we celebrated Kristen and Sherry's birthday. Kristen is now engaged and getting married next June 29. So wedding preparation really is overshadowing everything else.

Memorable Meals Mark the Summer

2011-09-10T04:39:00.002-07:00

We are now moved back to Alto and have left the leisurely days at the Cabin behind. Actually there weren't too many leisurely days at the Cabin with all our projects but every day started out slowly and we savored our morning coffee watching the river.

I've posted some food pictures that I took because they help me remember some of our highlights this summer.

This is the meal at my dad's 65th Sault High School reunion in August. Tom and I attended with him and my mother. It is their last reunion because they have lost so many classmates especially those who did the planning of their annual get-together. There was enough money in the treasury to pay for the classmate's meals. Only guests had to pay. The reunion was at Lake Superior State University. The food service director, for some reason, decided to provide everyone with two meats-even though we had to choose between chicken and steak on our RSVP. It was a good will action. The reunion was touching, fun & a highlight for me to hear stories of my dad and see him interacting with lifelong friends.

Earlier in the summer, Tom and I hosted a dinner for my dad's cousins-several of whom he hadn't seen in years. Again I learned more about him from stories told by the cousins. My mother brought a lemonade cake-she had seen the recipe in a magazine. It took her half a day to make it and she says 'never again' so we enjoyed every bite. It was every bit as delicious as it looks.

In July, my principal and his family from Hopkins Middle School where I have been working the past two years, came to visit along with their Polish exchange student. I experimented with Babka, a Polish coffee cake. Aylssa seemed to like it. But for lunch, we took them to Clyde's Drive-in for a real American meal!

We finished our summer with a wonderful visit from our children, Kristen and her boyfriend Chris and our youngest Eric. I asked for meal suggestions and the only one I heard was cinnamon rolls from Kristen. They turned out great-the second time. The first batch was made in between going out for a run with my sister and somehow I forgot the yeast. That is one of those essential ingredients and I had to start over. But Kristen was very happy so it made it worth all the trouble of starting over.

They raise much better when they have yeast.

We had a great summer with wonderful memories. I'm glad to be home now having a quiet morning looking out over a corn field instead of the St. Marys River. There is beauty & peace here as well.

Moving a Barn

2011-08-04T03:59:00.003-07:00

We have had a small metal barn in the middle of our property here at the cabin. Tom has had plans to move it for a long time so we would have a spot to build a garage. Well this is the week the job was completed. Here are a series of pictures and a video of the process. It was hard to watch Tom and our neighbor Paul work so hard for so many days. They did all the work from emptying the barn until it was all completed. My brother and brother-in-law came by Monday evening for the actual move. The actual move did not go smoothly because of several factors. The first few feet went smoothly. The guys were able to push the building as shown in the picture below and the video.

It took a whole day to empty the bar and another half-day to build the bracing inside to prevent a collapse when moving.

The contents of the barn were put in the trailer and in our yard.

Tim is doing the site work to make a smooth path.

The move was completed yesterday afternoon. My part was keeping the workers hydrated and fed and Tom with clean clothes and dry t-shirts. I was amazed at how much Tom and Paul could accomplish and in the manner they worked. Slowly, methodically with consultation at every step. They talked about every move and listened to each other. What a model team.

July Begins at the Cabin

2011-07-06T07:30:00.002-07:00

July has arrived here at the cabin but are continuing to have warm day-time temperatures and cool nights. It really helps the flowers gardens. They love that kind of weather. This is my backdoor shade garden.

We had a 4th of July picnic at my sister, Susie's, house at Birch Point which is right on Lake Superior. We enjoyed the fellowship and the good food.

After eating, we sat on the deck overlooking the beautiful lake. But the cool breezes sent us all looking for sweaters even though it was afternoon.

My parents and Mary Clark stand with their granddaughter Areka and her finance Travis.

Robbie, our nephew, and Tom share birthdays on the 4th.

We went to two parades-Brimley in the afternoon and the Soo in the evening.

The Bell Family had a float for the Soo parade. There were three generations represented here.
We are having a good time here at the Cabin with lots of visiting, boatwatching and eating good food. I'll post more later.

What Do We Do at the Cabin?

2011-06-30T05:10:00.003-07:00

The US Coast Guard icebreaker Mackinaw heading up the river on Wednesday

Visiting with my Aunt Elsie with my parents

Music in the Park is a weekly concert at the Locks Park. Almost always a great time.

You may wonder what we do while we are at the Cabin. Although I often write about boatwatching, we do have many other activities that fill our days.

Visiting with friends and loved ones seems to be the number one focus of our days. For example, yesterday we started our day with our normal coffee with our neighbor Lodie. After that, we had a visit from my sister Kathy and my brother's grandson. We decided to take them out to lunch because Kathy had never been to Lockview-one of our favorite spots for whitefish. And every trip to Lockview requires a trip to Zak's. Zak's is an ice cream place on Portage Avenue a block from Lockview.

After Kathy and Scottie left, my niece Ashley stopped by. We took her out to Bay Mills to get fireworks for the 4th. We had to make a stop at a favorite coffee shop-Dancing Crane. I got a latte to enjoy with a book while Ashley and Tom shopped. They didn't shop long enough. Great way to spend an afternoon.

In the evening we picked up my parents and took them to Music in the Park. This weekly concert has a variety of music and it lots of fun. After the concert, we returned to my parent's home for coffee and treats. We finished up taking Kathy home and stopping to pick up a pizza. In all the activity, I forgot to make supper. So at 9 PM, Tom was hungry.

All in all, it was a great day. Nothing was accomplished in our yard but that doesn't matter a bit.

Time Flies

2011-06-10T06:32:00.003-07:00

We have been here at the cabin almost two weeks. What have we done in that time? We don't spend all our time relaxing but we enjoy every second we are here.

Boat watching is a favorite activity. Here are two 1,000 footers out front.

Graham, our cat, does spend almost all her time relaxing. She goes from window to window to keep tabs on the goings on in our yard. I have to say that we haven't had any chipmunks in our attic so far so maybe her patrols are helping.

We did get to observe a lamprey release in the St. Marys River last week up close and personal. The sterilized males are released at spawning time to try and control the population. Lampreys are a big problem in the St. Marys River.

We continue to work on the fallen trees and also weeding the flower beds. I am looking for another way to control the weeds in my sea wall flower beds. Every year by the time we get here, the weeds have a big head start and I spend many days cleaning them out. I am thinking of covering a couple of the beds with landscape fabric and putting decorative rocks on top. Any suggestions out there on how to handle the problem?

Here is the flower bed that is half weeded. The grass is so difficult to remove.

Here is the sea wall after I finished weeding. The hostas grow well in the center section but not so well in other sections. The five sections challenge all my gardening knowledge. There are metal barrels buried in each section which makes cultivation difficult.

So please feel free to give me suggestions how to handle my gardening challenges. I certainly can't duplicate the beauty that God creates with the wildflowers.

Trees and more Trees

2011-06-01T14:18:00.005-07:00

We were greeted by tree problems from the moment we drove into the driveway. A freak wind storm during May had left many trees down on our property and also on our neighbor's. In fact, two of our trees landed on our neighbor's roof.

This pine tree lay across the driveway so that became Tom's first project after unloading our belongings.

Tom made fast work of this one since it involved no climbing.

There was another small tree down in the side yard. Tom made that into firewood very quickly.

Our neighbors had taken one of our trees off their roof and left the brush which we cleaned up.
The big project was the tree that lay on Nancy's roof. It was one of two that fell on her house-cracking her picture window and damaging her chimney and putting two holes in her roof. Tom studied the tree and came up with a plan to winch the tree up and have it land on our lawn.

We brought out the lawn chairs for the spectators-all the women-and Tom and Rich set to work putting a chain between the downed tree and a tree on our yard. They winched the tree up and it worked perfectly. This video shows the successful completion.

All Tom then had to was cut up the tree. He took out an additional tree as a preventative measure for any future winds. Actually those future winds came today and we feel snug knowing that all trees that are standing now must be very secure.

Home from Florida

2011-04-09T16:30:00.003-07:00

You may have noticed that I didn't post on this blog too often while we were away. The problem was lack of Internet. Due to some unexpected technical difficulties, I wasn't able to have Internet often. So I will try to make up for it now that we are home. We arrived home on Monday, April 4. We had gotten on the road on February 26 so we missed the entire month of March in Michigan. March in Florida was wonderful. The temperature was in the high 70's most days. Here is a quick recap of what we did since our trip to Disney World.

Car shows-a favorite past-time of retirees and we saw some good ones. Here Tom is enjoying a 1957 Chevrolet with our friend from Alto, Butch Nordhof. Butch and Sheila's place in Avon Park was about 10 miles from us and we had many fun times with them during our time in Florida.

Eric was able to fly down from Minneapolis and spend a weekend with us. Here we are at Highlands Hammock State Park where we walked through a swamp on a boardwalk that wasn't too high above the water. We saw the tail of an alligator as it swam away but we saw several large snakes and some beautiful birds.

Tom and I traveled to St. Petersburg to visit his cousin Nan. We hadn't seen her in over 30 years and it was a happy reunion. Nan and her husband Larry entertained us for the day by feeding us a Cuban meal and touring St. Petersburg. It is a beautiful area.

The 12 Hours of Sebring Race was held near our rental house. I covered the race for Insider Racing News and had a great time attending. It really is a 12 hour road race with entries from all over Europe and the United States.

I was able to be in the pits during the race but had to wear a fire suit. It made me feel like a real racer!

Our rental house was actually a duplex. We had delightful neighbors for the month. Denis and Sabra are from West Midlands, England. Here we are enjoying a lunch on the deck of a Mexican restaurant. A real international group!

Butch, Sheila, Dianne (Tom's cousin), her husband Charlie and Tom and I spend a wonderful day at Lake Placid which we ended with Italian subs at Chef Buddies. Lake Placid is a town where there are murals throughout the town depicting their history. It was great fun to walk the town enjoying the art work.

Lake Okeechobee was one of my favorite spots. We were able to observe 5 alligators at the spot Tom and I are standing here but they were far out in the water.

On the trip home we stopped and visited Tom's cousins in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area. We had a fun dinner with 4 cousins and their families. We spent the night with Denise and Terry shown here. They extended wonderful Southern hospitality.

After a night we Jennifer, we traveled to Ohio and spent our final two nights at Kristen's. We ate at a great German restaurant, shopped and enjoyed the semifinal NCCA basketball games.

Our home was in great shape when we arrived home. Tommy had kept a good eye on it for us. The snow was gone and our flowers are popping out. It is so good to be home.

This Week in Florida

2011-03-13T14:37:00.002-07:00

We are having a great time in Sebring Florida. Our days seem full yet relaxing. On Wednesday, we traveled the 80 miles to Orlando to visit Epcot Center. March is their flower festival and as everything is at Disney, it was overwhelmingly beautiful. We went with Tom's cousin Dianne and her husband Charlie. I think that was the most fun part being with them. We hope to do more things together while we are here.

This is the Canadian exhibit. We wanted to eat in their steakhouse but their reservations were taken for the entire day. We learned that you should make your food reservation first and then start doing the activities.

The topiaries were outstanding. This is from the movie Lady and the Tramp at the Italian exhibit.

Although this looks like an English country garden, this is the Norway exhibit.

This is the week of the 12 Hours of Sebring-an American LeMans Series race that I am covering for Insider Racing News. Should be an exciting week.

Sebring Florida in March

2011-03-07T09:25:00.003-07:00

Tom and I have now settled into our rental unit in Sebring Florida. It is a duplex and the other half is rented to a lovely couple from Manchester England. They are recently retired and just loving the weather and golfing here.

Last weekend we spent time at Sebring International Raceway which is about 7 miles from us. I will be covering the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 19 for Insider Racing News. The race this past weekend was vintage sports cars-a new type of racing but we really liked seeing the old cars and the old drivers. They were very friendly and open to questions.

One thing I've noticed here is Bunny Bread brand is available. That brand was very popular in the Soo when I was growing up but I haven't seen it in years. Do any of you remember Bunny Bread?

A Day to Recuperate

2011-03-02T08:18:00.002-07:00

After two longs days of driving, we spent yesterday getting settled and resting up. Our home here is quite comfortable but we headed out to Walmart to get groceries and a few supplies. The coffee pot provided with the house was a 4 cup model. Definitely not big enough to get us through a morning. We replaced it with a 12 cup model. That fits our style better.

We stocked up on groceries and then stopped and bought new walking shoes for Tom and I. We hope to do lots of walking while we are here.

In the evening, we stopped for a bowl of soup at Panera. Then we headed to Sebring International Raceway. It is the home of the 12 Hours of Sebring- a LeMans race to be held in two weeks. I hope to cover the race for insiderracingnews.com. There is already lots of activity there with the Jaguar team setting up. Maybe today we can get back to watch some testing.

On the way back into town from the track we saw some ball field lights. We followed them to a sports complex where there were 4 games of slow-pitch softball being played. So we watched a while and decided softball looks the same in Florida as it does in Michigan. The only difference is that there is no softball in Michigan in March. It was cool last night with a stiff wind. A man by us said, "Looks like winter has come back." But this isn't winter-only a cool spring night. It was over 60 degrees.

Another difference-Michigan softball fields don't have palm tress behind the backstop!

Sunday in North Carolina

2011-03-01T06:27:00.002-07:00

I love traveling and having all kinds of new experiences. Sunday was one of those days. We are on our way to Florida. Luckily, we have two daughters who live convenient distances and stopping points for travels to Florida. We stopped at Jen's in North Carolina on Saturday which allowed us to recharge our personal batteries before setting out on the road again. We're planning to see Kristen on our return trip.

We attended church with Jen at High Rock Church. The worship service was high energy and we loved the music and the friendly people. Tom talked for a while to the small-group pastor who is also a high school football coach. His son is also a football and baseball player who is starting college this fall. They had lots in common.

Jen has several friends at the church including a teaching colleague. I met her son who is one of Jen's students and got the real scoop on Miss Benedict. It was all good!

Sunday afternoon we visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It is a wonderful place for race fans. The exhibits are very interactive. We got to try our hands at a pit stop using actual equipment. Jen and I did a pit stop for Jimmie Johnson in 23 seconds so I don't think he will be hiring us. A good stop is around 12 - 13 seconds.

We also got to 'drive' in a simulation. Jen drove Tony Stewart's car and I drove the #5 of Mark Martin. You actually got in the car and drove with video. Although I had a great start and led most of the race, Jen passed me on the last lap after she wrecked me. But I must say, I cut in front of her and didn't leave her any other option.

Tom got to see tributes to his favorite driver, Jimmie Johnson, who is the current NASCAR champion. We really can recommend the Hall of Fame for a fun afternoon even if you're not a big NASCAR fan.
Monday we were on to Sebring, Florida. We arrived later Monday night due to closing of the interstate because of smoke from a wildfire. We were exhausted when we arrived. We're using today to learn our way around and get some supplies for our house. We're renting half a duplex for March.

February Happenings

2011-02-21T17:35:00.002-07:00

There hasn't been too much going on around here this month. Snow seems to be the consistent theme of the month. We started out with a blizzard and yesterday received our second big snowfall. Last week our temperatures warmed into the 50's, so we lost all our snow. It seemed wonderful. But yesterday the snow returned. 12 inches of it here in Alto. New snow is beautiful but I believe no snow is even more beautiful.

Early in the month we had a reunion of women who attended Shiloh Church. Our church group was very close but since the church closed in 2009, we have not had a chance to see each other very often. We met at Essential Bean for a wonderful time of sharing and loving each other.

This past weekend we watched our 4 grandchildren. It was a fun time and we made many memories including a visit to the library, baking brownies and cookies, lots of Disney Channel, and playing games.

The boys enjoyed playing basketball with the hoop on the side of the barn. This is the same hoop where their grandfather and their father spent many hours as a youngster. It is wonderful to see the fun times at the farm passed from one generation to the next.

Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-05T05:38:00.002-07:00

This had been a very easy winter up until this week. Tom and I are very happy about that. I drive many miles every day to the schools where I work. So I have really appreciated the good roads. Tom's job is to keep my car on the road and the drive way cleared.

For Christmas gifts this year for each other, we had remote car starters installed on our cars. After 25 years of attached garages, we were struggling getting used to walking out to a cold car across the driveway. We were thankful that we have a garage but the remote starters now mean that we get in a warm car. It has changed my attitude toward winter. Even at work, I simply start my car about 15 minutes before I leave for the day from the warmth of the school. The snow is cleared off when I trudge to the car and off I go warm and happy.

But this week we had a 'blizzard'. It actually worked up to a big storm but it came during the middle of the night and so we missed seeing the fury of God's handiwork. I always enjoy a good storm so I had to get up during the night to see it.

Tom's joy in a snow storm comes from cleaning up the white stuff afterwards with his great snow removal equipment. He did a great job too.

I was up during the night to appreciate the high wind and blowing snow. We received 16" of snow which resulted in two days of school closings.

The next morning, our neighbor came and plowed our driveway. I took warm cinnamon rolls over to them for the family-mom, dad and 7 kids!

Because a high pressure system followed the low pressure of the storm, we had a beautiful sunset.
Snow days have a joy for us with the luxury of not being able to travel anywhere and having to stay home. It feels like a gift to have hours at home but a responsibility to use the time wisely. Snow days come so seldom and I always want to make the best use of the time. So I baked, cleaned and did lots of paperwork for my job. However, I took time to read, nap and spend time with Tom. Great things to do any day whether there is snow or not.

January in Michigan

2011-01-23T05:06:00.003-07:00

We had a logger come in and take some of the largest trees on our 60 acres and there were some amazing trees. It was sad to see them cut down but it is making room for the smaller trees to grow and mature. We also had many ash trees taken out because the emerald ash borer is just starting to ruin trees in this area.

Tom is examining the work of the loggers. We were happy with the way they were careful not to damage our fields or the trees that were left standing.

It was amazing to see the trucks of trees leaving and yet our woods still appear full without bare spots.

Tom and I had planned to head to Florida for the month of January this year but it didn't work out for us. So we are spending our January here in Alto. We are hoping to leave for Florida on February 26 and stay there until the end of March.

We have had an easy winter so far. I haven't had any snow days at school not even a 2 hour delay yet this year. It hasn't been the case for Jennifer in North Carolina. Her school for closed for an entire week from Jan. 10-14. Her school district does not build in snow days to their schedule, so they have to make up the 5 days on Saturdays. Starting yesterday. Jennifer had about 3/4 of her kids actually show up. That impresses me. Jennifer allowed them to bring in food and pop to try and make it a more fun day.

This morning it is -11 below here at the farm. I was just listening to the Sunday morning news and they were giving hints on how to stay warm and avoid frostbite. "Cover your hands and ears." I'm thinking that I don't need a newscaster to tell me to bundle up when going outdoors. This is Michigan and this is winter.

Snow Day for South Rowan-update

2010-12-16T03:20:00.002-07:00

South Rowan High is closed today for students because of icy conditions that are forecast. I had told the students that there would be a two hour delay. However, the National Weather Service updated their forecast last evening and the bad weather looked much more certain.

Enjoy your day off students. Teachers are given the option to report. Will Ms. Benedict report to her classroom? What do you think?

Message for South Rowan High School

2010-12-14T13:03:00.006-07:00

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the Benedict household. I've been busy decorating for Christmas.

Michigan is looking very Christmas-like as well too. This is a picture of our cabin near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. That is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

This weekend we had a snow storm here on the farm. On Friday I predicted a snow day for Monday. The storm wasn't as bad as predicted but there was a snow day on Monday for the district where we live but not the district where I work. Monday was very cold but also sunny. So we dug out from the storm with a shovel and a tractor. I took the day off to stay home and help dig us out.

So now, I'm being asked to determine if South Rowan High School will be having a snow day on Thursday. South Rowan is in the town of China Grove, North Carolina. My daughter, Jennifer, teacher there. I have a snow day shirt that I wear to school if I feel the next day is going to be a snow day. It says, "There is no day like a snow day!" Don't you agree? There is something really fun about getting a day off school when you weren't expecting it. Almost like getting a wonderful Christmas gift.

Now about South Rowan on Thursday. I'm sorry to tell you but I think you'll all be in Ms.

Benedict's class on Thursday. I've consulted all my sources and it looks like the bad weather will hit but not enough freezing to stop school. I am predicting, however, that you will have a 2 hour delay. So do your homework just in case. But check the TV on Thursday morning before leaving for school. Or you could check back here and I'll give you the update. That's http://brendabenedict.com

Enjoy your day whether you're in school or at home and Merry Christmas!

Mitchell Family Christmas Dinner

2010-12-12T18:15:00.002-07:00

Last weekend, Kristen, Tommy and Sherry and the kids and Tom and I headed up to the Soo to help out with the annual Mitchell Family Christmas dinner. This event has been held for over 80 years and probably a lot longer. My grandmother Erickson was one of 11 Mitchell children and the descendants of those 11 siblings still gather the first Saturday of December and carry on the traditions started by Grandma and Grandpa Mitchell.

We were able to visit the cabin to pick up my electronic piano for Christmas caroling at the dinner. The cabin is beautiful in the winter and it made us wish we had more time to spend there in the winter.

Kristen was so happy to visit Grandma and Grandpa Hoath whom she hadn't seen in two years. Grandma taught Kristen how to make plum pudding which is one of the traditions at the Mitchell Dinner.

Plum pudding takes quite a bit of time to make and Mom shared some secrets with Kristen. So I think Kristen should be making plum pudding for us in the future.

When we got to the dinner, Susie made the gravy but not without the close supervision of my mother. It was delicious.

Mom cut the plum pudding for serving to all the Mitchells. The older family members were so excited for this yearly treat.

The entire group gathered for a family shot with a visitor from the North Pole. We had a wonderful time meeting new 'cousins' and catching up on the past year.

We also enjoyed having time with my parents. It is such a blessing to have four generations laughing and having a great time together.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-26T06:21:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving 2010 was spend with lots of cooking and then we were off to Tom's sister's home. We had a wonderful meal with lots of fun and laughter.

We celebrated Sherry's birthday which is on Friday. Our daughter-in-law is high on our list of things we are thankful for. She is a wonderful wife and mother and lots of fun too. She is a dedicated Black Friday shopper and set out at 4:30 AM this morning. I can't wait to hear about all the bargains she will come home with later this afternoon.

After the dishes were washed and the leftover food put away, we started on gingerbread houses. Everyone got into the fun.
Anna made a traditional house but Jay's creation is a football field with gummy football players.

No family gathering in our family is complete without some kind of physical activities. There is no explanation needed for the following picture. But I just can say that the older people still have it!

I have so much to be thankful for. My family, my home and the blessings of so many friends enrich my life every day. The song says, "When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed-Count your many blessings, name them one by one." My list of blessings is so long. This is the year that I turned 60 years old and my blessing multiply by the year.

Projects

2010-11-20T05:45:00.005-07:00

Good morning dear readers. I know I haven't written in ages so I'll try to catch you up on what has been filling our days.

There have been lots of projects here at the farm. There was a huge tree behind one of our out buildings-the milk house-that was in danger of coming down because it was dying. We had a tree service take the tree down. It was a huge job that took them a long time.

Now we have lots of wood to cut up. We hope to donate much of it to a nearby needy family.

We have also installed new windows in the kitchen and bathroom. Next week the rest of the windows in the house are being replaced. Hopefully just in time before the snow arrives on Thanksgiving. We also had the plumbing updated and replaced the bathroom fixtures. Our neighbor, Travis Grummet, has done several projects for us including a new foundation for the garage. We then put a new garage door on. We had sidewalks laid at the back of the house, from the family room to the driveway and around the garage. This work keeps Tom very busy overseeing and making decisions. I just go to work. Every day when I get home there is an improvement and we joke about it but it is true. It has been things like a mercury vapor light repaired or a motion light on the front of the house but everything adds to our comfort and safety here.

We have had several fun get-togethers with friends and family. Here I am with my dear friend Sue Schmidt at her daughter Annie's wedding. It was a fairy tale affair.

In October the Benedict siblings met for a Sunday dinner. It was bittersweet to meet without Mom but her love still influences us daily.

Tom and I traveled to Kristen's and met up with Jennifer too. Kristen is now living in Canton Ohio so she is about half way between North Carolina and Michigan.

Eric and Jess came home for Jess' grandmother's funeral. It was a sad time but we were able to spend some time with them. Eric took time to give Jay a guitar lesson and Jess played with Anna.

We also all attended Jack's "Father and Son Soccer Game". Eric jumped in in the game too and got to relive some of the glory days of Rudy's Esso from life in Canada.

Our farm yielded a great crop of corn. We rent the land to Butch Nordhof but we really enjoy watching the crops growing. They picked the corn on October 20-just in time to get the field ready for deer hunting. We see deer out there daily and they even come right into our yard.

Tom and Tommy have been hunting all week. Both have had a shot at a buck but no venison yet. Maybe this weekend.

I have so much to be thankful for. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving and remember to "Count Your Blessings."

Fall Projects and Fun

2010-10-03T08:55:00.005-07:00

Today is a cool fall day and when the sun is shining everything looks beautiful. Tom and I like to take a ride around the fields often. With the outside rows of corn picked, we have a road to follow and most times our rides are rewarded with lots of deer sightings. Today there were none. Bow season opened in Michigan on Friday so maybe the deer have been scared off.

This is the back view of our new home.
We have about 20 acres in corn by Butch Nordhof, a local farmer and long-time friend of ours. His crop looks great this year. He will be picking it as soon as he gets his soybeans harvested in the area.

There are woods surrounding our fields. We frightened up a large flock of ducks this afternoon who were enjoying the water from all our rain. The woods are 'lovely, dark and deep.'

The beauty of fall seems to be growing every day here on the farm. We're keeping busy every day with work both out in the schools and at the farms. The shot below is our kitchen drywalling which is almost done now. We removed a chimney which went through the kitchen. We were able to do that because now we have a high-efficiency furnace that doesn't need a chimney. This opened up some room in the kitchen.

Tom also has almost finished our garage project. The footings have been replaced and some repairs done. We're just waiting for our new garage door which should be here this week.

Last weekend we made a quick trip to the Soo to help my sister move. We took time to go over to the river and enjoy the crisp clear air.
We drove by the Locks and were lucky enough to see the Frontenac and the Mesabi Miner locking through.

This weekend we got to attend Jack's soccer game. Here he is as the goalie. You can see the intensity of his concentration.
We also celebrated birthdays. It was Jay's 11th and he got a new guitar from Uncle Eric's store. Jay is now learning chords and his goal is to play in their church's praise band.

We gave Anna new outfits for her Bitty Baby Twins-Michael and Maddy. Anna turned 7 on Thursday.
The weather was very cool yesterday morning and we enjoyed our time at Jack's game. Here Tom is with Tommy and Sherry's dad-Al Hackney.

Jay is snuggled under a blanket with his cousin Ryan. Our weekend has been so much fun.

Next weekend there is lots going on. Our church is co-sponsoring a benefit dinner for the Phil Doughtery family. They welcomed a new son, Caleb, in August. Caleb hasn't come home for the hospital yet because of heart problems. The benefit is to assist the family with the mounting medical and associated costs. Caleb is at U of M hospital.

We are also going to enjoy Caledonia's homecoming on Friday.

Because of scheduling, our church is unable to use the Alto School next Sunday, so Faith Bible Church will be meeting at our home next Sunday.

Work & More Work

2010-09-15T14:18:00.004-07:00

Tom and I had a very fun day right before I had to go back to work at the schools. We started by visiting Rowsters Coffee. It was started by Stephen Curtis, the owner of our favorite spot for many years in Caledonia-Essential Bean. Stephen has opened a new coffee spot in Easttown Grand Rapids. We enjoyed our visit and Stephen whipped up great drinks for us.

We then went into Grand Rapids for lunch at San Chez. I know there wasn't much time between morning coffee and lunch but we did walk around down town GR for a while too. The memory of that day will linger with me long into the cold weather.

Since that time we have been working hard. I'm working in three school districts-Hopkins, Caledonia and Byron Center. I've had to set a more predictable schedule so I know where to go. Monday/Wednesday/Friday I'm in Hopkins. I split both Tuesday and Thursday between Caledonia and Byron Center. It depends on which teachers I will work with. Makes the week go by very quickly.

We made a trip up to the Soo for Labor Day. Our trip home was made in a wild wind storm. The trip across the Mackinaw Bridge was scary. We saw many boats losing their covers and several RVs that had their awnings torn off while they drove.

Last Saturday was Middleville Heritage Days. We watched Tommy play softball. Then we watched the parade. It was all in the rain. Here we are waiting for Anna and Madelynn to come with the group from their church who were in Suessical the Musical. Fortunately, they got the bus and let the kids ride.

That's Madelynn waving to us in the rain.

Later, we went to the church for the performace. Of course, our granddaughters were wonderful. This is Anna & Madelynn.
Tom has been working on projects here at the house. This week is a major re-do to the garage. Although the structure is in good shape, the foundation had rotted away causing the walls to bow out. It was just a matter of time before the garage would be done. Travis Grummet, our neighbor, is fixing it. He had to jack up the garage, pour new footings and replace the bottom wall boards. We are very pleased with his work and he should be done this week.

Travis and Tom discussing the project.

Once the walls are strengthened we will be adding a new garage door. I should have a secure place to park during the winter.

Each project brings us joy because we can see the results of our efforts and it makes our new home better. We are really enjoying our move to the farm.

Back at the Cabin

2010-09-04T04:49:00.003-07:00

We are at the cabin now and enjoying it even though it is very wet and cold. The National Weather Service is even giving a wind chill of 41 this morning. We're going to be outside all morning watching the Bells show their horses at the fair. I will be digging a winter coat of out the closet soon.

We traveled up to the Soo on Thursday evening. Our plan was to avoid the heavy traffic of the weekend and it worked well. As we were coming close to Gaylord on Alba Road, we spotted this beautiful rainbow. I wonder if the farmer who works this big farm noticed found the pot of gold that must have been in his field. This is a u-pick strawberry farm that always looks so well-maintained to me. So I guess this field is a pot of gold for the owner.

The weather has been really interesting since we got here. We arrived in a very heavy rainstorm on Thursday night. The rain continued off and on all during the night. Our yard is too wet to mow which it really needs. There is standing water all around.

Yesterday we did get to see some boats. As we headed to town, we saw the Roger Blough getting supplies from the supply boat before heading down the river.

Friday morning was beautiful sunshine but later in the afternoon the rain returned and soaked everything again. Last night we were going to my brother's and saw this beautiful sunset. We were traveling west on 7 Mile Road near Nicolet Road.

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for today calling this the first fall-like storm of the season. That is a very accurate description of what it feels like this morning. The northwest wind is blowing at 15 mph with gusts up in the 40's. This picture below shows how the wind has pushed out the water. Yesterday that small boat was sitting in the water and today it isn't. The temperature is 47 right now.

There haven't been any boats by since last night. It seems most of them are taking shelter and staying out of Superior because of the winds. I learned on Facebook that the power was out in part of the Soo last night but so far we have been fine here. I'm loving the weather because I don't usually get to experience fall storms because after Labor Day I have always had to return home for school. So this year I'm still here.

What are you doing for Labor Day? We will be closing up the cabin for the season. Our fall looks very busy and I don't think we will make it back here for quite a while.

Lots of Fun

2010-08-31T13:29:00.002-07:00

We are back in Alto right now. I've been working a few days at my schools. Right now I'm working at four different middle schools. Hopkins, Byron Center and two in Caledonia. As I did last year, I'm working with teachers investigating ways to increase their students' achievement in reading and writing. But until school gets going in full swing, I'm doing lots of fun things.

When we were up at the cabin two weeks ago, we attended the Boys and Girls Club Ping Pong Tournament with Mom and Dad.
It was a fund raiser for their reading lab which my sister Susie runs through the EUP Learning Center. Here's Susie in the first round. She won her first round and had to face her husband Roger in the second round. I felt sorry for Roger because Susie is extremely competitive. It was a hard fought battle with the 2 of them. Roger won the first game and Susie won the second. The playoff game went to 24 -22 before Roger beat her. She didn't take it well. But it was all in fun and they raised a good share of money.

Last week Tom had to dust off his softball glove and shoes because he was called into service for Tommy's team. They were short a player and Tom stepped in. The grandkids were so excited to see their grandpa play ball because as Jack said, "He's an awesome player." In this photo, Jack is looking on admirably while Grandpa is on deck for his time at bat.

Yesterday, Tom and I went to the Gilmore Car Museum near Kalamazoo. We had a personal tour because I'm writing an article on their History of Stock Car Racing exhibit. We enjoyed our day there. We had lunch in the 1950 style diner. The waitresses wore uniforms just like my uniform from my days of waitressing at Woolworths in the Soo. This is a gas station from that era too.

Today is my last day of play before school starts for teachers at Hopkins tomorrow. We went for coffee at Rowsters which is Stephen Curtis' new coffee venture. Stephen is the owner of Essential Bean, our Caledonia coffee house.

After our coffee, we headed downtown GR for lunch at San Chez. It's one of my all-time favorite restaurants anywhere. Lots of fun times before I head back to work.

Oh yeah, we're heading to the Cabin for the Labor Day weekend. We're returning on Tuesday and then I'll be working everyday for quite a while. I love my jobs so that's OK.

Our Cabin Days

2010-08-21T05:20:00.005-07:00

Since returning to the cabin our days have been fun. Some have been busy and some are simply relaxing.

Thursday we took my mother and dad out to celebrate my dad's 82nd birthday. They are always a fun time.

Yesterday was our time to work in the yard between the rain storms. One benefit of working in the yard of the cabin is that you have a great view while working. Here I took a short break to watch the Paul R. Tregurtha, a 1,000 footer, pass down the river.

You can also see how well my flowers are doing in spite of the little care I give them.

Last night we went to the Bay Mills Boys and Girls Club to attend the Ping Pong Tournament. We didn't play but sponsored some friends in this fundraising event. My sister's EUP Learning Center has put a reading lab there and this event was to raise funds for that.

Susie & Roger both won their first round and ended up playing each other. That was fun because Susie is highly competitive and she hated eventually losing to Roger.

The rains did arrive last night. That was the second heavy rain we've had in that many days. Our yard is absolutely soggy and we won't be able to work in the yard today. There are puddles of standing water scattered all around.

We have to head downstate tomorrow. Although I am retired, I have re-entered the world of education. I am an instructional coach. In this position, I work in schools, directly with the teachers to increase student achievement. In essence, I help teachers find methods that will help the students do better. I am going to be working in two school districts, Hopkins Public Schools and Byron Center Public Schools.

We will be back at the farm on Sunday night. We now have a cat. Jen 'loaned' us her cat Graham to keep at the farm so I'm sure Graham is ready for us to be home. Graham is not a good traveler and gets very sick in the car so it is better to leave her at home. Graham has lived with us before and she fits into our lifestyle.

Travel & the UP State Fair

2010-08-19T05:53:00.004-07:00

We traveled back to the cabin on Monday. We passed through a pretty heavy thunderstorm just south of the Mackinac Bridge. The sky was clearing up as we drove over the Bridge and I took this photo of the sunset. When I looked to the east I saw a beautiful rainbow over Mackinac Island.

Yesterday we drove to Escanaba for the UP State Fair. Our good friends, the Bells, were showing their draft horses and we watched the various events all day. Plus we had time to explore the fair and eat some of the best fair food I have ever had.

This is Owen Bell, Arlen and Lovada's son, driving in the cart class. This Belgium horse did very well.
The Bells who were showing yesterday were Arlen & his brothers Don & Bob. Several of their children and grandchildren also took part. In this competition, there were 5 Bells in the ring at one time.
The State of Michigan is no longer funding fairs so the Michigan State Fair near Detroit is no longer. So the UP State Fair is Michigan's only state fair. We had a great time there spending time with lots of friends.

An SOS

2010-08-15T04:29:00.002-07:00

I had a blood test this week and I was happy with the results. Let me tell you the whole story.

I have always had high cholesterol. It 'runs' in my family. I've been taking Lipitor for several years and that always has controlled it well.

Until this year, that is. In my annual blood test this spring, the numbers had skyrocketed and the doctor wanted to increase my Lipitor dosage. I asked Dr. Davis to give me three months to try and bring it down with diet. And she agreed. I was already eating what I thought was a healthy diet. I tried to be low fat and watched my portions but I needed something new.

I went to Schuler's Book Store in Grand Rapids and starting looking through their food and diet sections. I came across a book called SOS Diet and it caught my attention.

The basic premise is that sugar in foods and also sugar added to food turns into fat immediately. It appealed to me because it made sense and it was simple to implement. I started as soon as I got home and have stuck to it all summer but certainly not perfectly. Eating at my mother's while we are up north has been hard. She insists on desserts and because she worked so hard making them, I always have a very small portion.

So this week, I was retested. The results were very encouraging. My cholesterol was 150-down 129 points. Also the other numbers were good, including HDL, LDL and triglycerides. But the best number for me is that I've lost 15 pounds.

The author, Dr. James Surrell, is a fellow Yooper. I found out that he is our good friend, Paul Williams, doctor. Paul is our neighbor's brother-in-law (at the cabin). Paul and Eileen keep their motorhome at Nancy's and we have a great time with them.

Emma C. Nason Children's Home

2010-08-04T05:22:00.003-07:00

Emma C. Nason Home

A Children's home in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

When I first met Tom and was telling him about my family, I said that I had 22 sisters and brothers. But I went on to explain that I lived with my parents at a children's home where they were the directors.

For our first year there, I lived right in the large bedrooms with the girls-about 10 of them. Then I was given my own bedroom. My parents had an apartment in the building but my sister Susie was the only one who stayed in it with them.

The Emma C. Nason Home has a wonderful history in the Soo. Emma C. Nason was a woman who moved to the Soo in the early 1900's from New York. Her goal was to start a home for wayward sailors. I'm sure there were many of them in the Soo during that time. Nason's vision for this home must have changed over time and she actually established a home for unwed mothers on Ridge Street.

So when the city leaders started a children's home, they named it the Emma C. Nason Home in her honor.

We lived there and have great memories of the children whose lives brought them there. The children at the beginning were mainly orphans or motherless children but over the years as medical care improved, the number of orphans decreased and the main clientele at The Home were children who had been removed from their homes because of neglect or abuse. Most of these cases came from downstate mainly from Saginaw and Calhoun counties.

The Emma C. Nason Home was eventually closed as the trend in social services was to put children in foster homes rather than a large institution. It was torn down in the late 70's and a Pizza Hut now sits on the property.

I have many great memories of the Home although it was also a difficult way to live as you can imagine. I'll probably be sharing more with you as I take this trip down memory lane.

Hydrangea Tree

2010-07-29T09:49:00.003-07:00

Here are some pictures of our flowers at the cabin right now. Some of these flowers, such as the lilies below, were planted by my grandmother and continue to bloom summer after summer with just a little care from me.Other, like these daylilies, were planted by me with help from my girls. These lilies came from a friend of Jennifer's. We went to his home and dug them up. They probably wondered what happened to them to be transplanted into the cold UP winters but they seem to thrive in spite of the cold and love the warm sunshine.

These flower beds are on the sea wall in the front yard and they offer a special challenge. The sea wall is actually metal barrels in the ground so planting can be difficult digging around the barrels. Weeds like to grow up the sides of the barrels which makes them hard to remove. Also not many perennials can survive the winter in this spot. I believe the ground gets colder in the sea wall than surrounding flower beds. I've gotten hosta from Pam Hackney which love the sea wall mostly in the shade side and tolerate this one which is much sunnier. Sherry, my daughter in law, helped me (did most of the work) to plant annuals around the hosta a few weeks ago. I'd also grown mint here in years before which are rather invasive in the long run so that had to be removed.
My hydrangea tree is my favorite of all. It was planted by my grandmother. She called it the hi-der-range instead of our hi drange-a. Several years ago it was broken off at the ground by a tree removal crew. I was heart-broken. But miraculously it regrew the following season and seems to have been helped by the severe 'pruning'. It came back heartier than before. This year it is blooming several weeks earlier than normal so I'm getting to enjoy it. Usually it is blooming just as we return downstate for school to start.

Isn't it gorgeous this year?

Tom versus Canada Geese

2010-07-28T07:10:00.002-07:00

If you have visited us here at the Cabin, you know that Tom has an ongoing battle with the Canada geese. Every year, we watch the geese go through the same cycle of raising their young.

The geese like to bring their young up onto our beach area for feeding. We could probably live with that but if we don't chase them off, they come right up into our yard and all around the cabin. We would be willing to share our lawn with them but they leave disgusting 'calling cards' all over which we don't want to step in. So Tom has found it best to keep them completely away.

Now that the babies are almost full-grown, the geese are also much more bold. They don't leave at the first sight of a human but have to be chased to the water's edge.

I will tell you that no geese are harmed in this battle. And the geese seem to have learned several things. First, come very early in the morning when no one is awake. They come floating down the river and slowly make their way on shore. They typically start around 5 am. Some days one of us is up but often we are not. This is the Cabin where relaxing is treasured. We don't use alarms or have any routines. Every day is different.

Secondly, the geese seem to recognize Tom. As soon as he comes into the front yard, they start to leave. Now they don't do that for me. But Tom uses loud noise makers to frighten them and they don't like it. Also, Tom is relentless. He doesn't give up until the geese are floating out of sight. I don't have the patience or time to spend out there glaring at them.

So if any of you know any methods we could use, please let us know. Once we've conquered that problem, we could move on to the problem of sea gulls that raise their young on a small island out front. Thankfully, they have moved on now but for June and most of July we listen to their squawking 24 hours a day. Thanks.

Tea Parties, A Wedding and New House

2010-07-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

Our life has been a whirlwind through June and July. But we hope it is quieting down now. In that time, we hosted visits from our grandchildren, moved from the condo to the farm, had a family wedding and did many renovations at the farm. It wasn't in that order but there was lots of overlapping of events. I also took a UP trip with Bonnie in the middle of it all. I even missed moving day by 5 hours. When I arrived home, the furniture was at the farm, set up nicely and even my bed was made thanks to Jen and Tom and Big Brothers Moving.

We returned to the cabin last Wednesday and we've been blessed with wonderful weather. Eric and Jess left yesterday after a 5 day visit.

This past week Tom and I hosted a ladies tea party to honor Nancy Lont. She lived in the Soo from 1976-1986 when her husband served as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church. They were back to visit their daughter, grandsons and great-grandson.

We invited ladies who were at the church 20 years ago and some new faces as well.

We enjoyed wonderful treats that were brought in by the ladies especially my mother's cream horns (homemade) and her Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake. If you have read the Mitford series, you will know Esther and her famous cake. It lived up to its reputation as absolutely tender and flavorful. Those treats are on the right side of the table in the above picture.

This is Nancy Lont on the left. Donna Young, Elinor Lawson and Ann Lougheed are in the picture too.

Nancy, her daughter Becky and long-time friend Phyliss Anderson.
In the middle of our move, Tom's niece Britney was married. Our kids all came home and we had a very fun time.
It isn't very often that all 4 kids and spouses are in town at the same time so I really treasure those times.
We discovered right away that patching the roof wasn't going to work so we called our good friend Dave Sefton and his crew went to work quickly and within a week, 4 layers of shingles were removed and our roof was completely replaced.
The house was a beehive of activity for many days. We had workmen from the basement to the upstairs quickly getting things ready for our move.
Painting and new carpet were also in order. I quickly called my niece Karey to come over and lend her expertise in colors and decorating. She was wonderful and we decided on a taupe color for the walls called truffles and a carpet called Fair Fawn. Picking colors really stresses me out so I didn't help. The painter, carpet salesman, Jen and Tom also helped.
We discovered beautiful oak steps when the carpet was pulled up. We had to make a quick decision and we replaced the carpet to keep them safe for the grandkids.
The living room also had hardwood floors with evidence of the fire that gutted the house in about 1959. There were burn marks all around the edge of the room. There had been an area rug and that protected the floor but the areas where the rug didn't reach is blackened from the fire.

All of the pictures aren't in chronological order but you can see how we've kept busy this month. Jennifer did so much and is continuing to hold down the fort at the farm. We're looking forward to getting back there this fall and continuing to work. Please stop in if you are in the area. We want to continue the 'open door' policy that was the hallmark of the farm for years. Tom remembers that it was called the Busy Bee Farm when he was young. We're thinking it should be called the Busy B's Farm now!

Bookstore, Coffee Shop & Waterfall Tour-Day 2

2010-07-13T17:05:00.007-07:00

We started our day by driving from Munising to Marquette. Bonnie had to call on the bookstore at Northern Michigan University and then we went downtown. Marquette has wonderful shops and restaurants. We had lunch at Babycakes Muffin Company. Everything was tasty with a very interesting clientèle. We also returned to Snowbound Books because we enjoyed it so much last year.

On our way from Marquette to Houghton, we stopped at Canyon Falls. It was a great 10 minute hike from the park to the fall but it took us much longer because we kept stopping to enjoy the beauty.
Bonnie and I are going to rename our tour to the Bookstore, Coffee Shop and Waterfall Tour. We are finding the most beautiful waterfalls that are located very close to the highway.

The Sturgeon River flows rapidly through the woods and ends in a canyon. There are flat slate stones on the edges so you could get very close to the water and still feel very safe.

Further up the road was the Bishop Baraga Shrine in L'Anse. It wasn't the nicest drive back to it but it was an impressive statue. I bought a book on Bishop Baraga and I'm reading it tonight. He started 5 Catholic missions-one was in Sault Ste. Marie and another one in Grand Rapids. He was known as the Snowshoe Priest.
We ended our day in Houghton. We ate dinner at The Library Restaurant which actually used to be the library. Our table was overlooking the water and we enjoyed watching the residents boating by. We couldn't help but think that they have such a rough winter to look forward to each year so they must really take advantage of the warm summer evenings.

Upper Peninsula Tour-Day 1

2010-07-12T18:43:00.004-07:00

My friend, Bonnie, and I left today for our second annual trip across the Upper Peninsula. Bonnie is combining this with a trip for her work where she calls on college bookstores. There is so much to do in the UP that although we are going to the same colleges, we are seeing different sights from last year. We left Caledonia around 7 am but made our first stop at Essential Bean, the best spot in Caledonia or West Michigan for coffee. Our next stop was Darrows Restaurant in Mackinaw City for whitefish sandwiches. The coffee shop in the picture above is in Bay Mills where I waited while Bonnie called on clients but it wasn't long before we were back on the road.

There were a couple of new scenic outlooks over Lake Superior and the beauty is breathtaking. The water was warm and we saw lots of kids in swimming.

We then went to Whitefish Point and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. There was a 1,000 foot frieghter out front which we haven't been able to identify yet. The weather was actually quite warm for there.
Our next stop was Taquamenon Falls where we visited both the upper and lower falls. Such a beautiful spot.

We finished our day with a stop at Pickleman's Pantry near Newberry for dinner. Our motel in Munising overlooks Lake Superior and the Pictured Rocks. The overnight temperature is going to be in the 40's so I think we will have to close our slider before long. The air is so clear and humidity-free, that we are really loving it here.

This is the view from our room.

Tommy & Sherry's Visit

2010-06-30T11:11:00.004-07:00

There really isn't much time to blog this week. Tommy and Sherry arrived here on Monday afternoon with Jay & Madelynn. Anna and Jack were already here. We were glad to see them because we were getting worn out trying to keep up with the 6 & 8 year olds.

We took the kids to a playground this morning to help wear them out. They had a ball. My niece Karey joined us with her kids, Kamden and Jack.

Last night my parents had us over for dinner. After dinner we cleared off the table and had a rousing game of bingo. My mom had prepared a slew of great prizes that were all wrapped. The kids had a wonderful time.

Kamden and Madelynn enjoyed the hot dogs and the jello.
The boys played well together.

Jay arrived at the cabin with a wardrobe of hats-one for every day.

Anna keeps things very interesting and fun. She is showing us how to surf on our ironing board. There is never a dull moment when Anna is around.

Over the weekend, Annette Mills Feinberg visited the Soo. She was my friend in high school but moved away with her family after high school. I had not seen her in 40 years and we had a great time reconnecting. We had been corresponding through Facebook but it was so much fun to see her and hear about her life. She lives in Tuscon Arizona now.
I took Anna and Jack to the Boatnerd Picnic-Day 2 which was quite boring for them but they enjoyed seeing the shipping memorabilia.

Swimming in the St. Marys River

2010-06-27T05:23:00.003-07:00

Anna & Jack are here for a special time with Grandpa & Grandma. We are having a great time but the weather hasn't been very nice. Lots of rain and clouds here. Yesterday the sun finally picked out from the clouds and it warmed up quickly. It wasn't long before they were politely asking if there was any chance of being able to go into the water. I told them it would probably be very cold but they were welcome to try.

I went out to test the temperature of the water with them and it was very warm. The water remains shallow for quite a ways out and it was lovely.

They were having great fun in the water when they discovered that it was fun to cover themselves with mud and then run out and rinse off. I have pictures of their dad doing the same thing thirty years ago. Fun never gets old!

This Week at the Cabin

2010-06-17T05:12:00.003-07:00

We have had a whirlwind of activity the past three weeks. So I'll tell you all about it but it may not flow chronologically.

June 11-14 we returned from the cabin to attend the NASCAR race in Brooklyn, MI. I was covering the race for InsiderRacingNews.com. We camped at the Michigan International Speedway campground. It was surprisingly a nice campground. We met some really nice people there and had lots of fun with them. Unbelievably, we camped by them in Branson. Tom had talked with their brother who was traveling with them. We decided that we were really meant to meet them. We hope to spend time with them again.

Writing at the racetrack is really hot, hard work but having Tom there made it better. We could meet often during the day.

We returned to the cabin on Monday with our oldest granddaughter Madelynn. We're having a good week watching boats, doing crafts and enjoying the sights of the Soo.

We are returning home on Saturday. The biggest news in our lives is that Tom and I have purchased the Benedict farm on 60th Street near Alto, Michigan. This is the farm where Tom moved when he was a year old. He lived there until we were married. We are very excited about this but our move date is still up in the air. We're hoping it will be sometime in June or early July. Tom's parent's called it The Busy Bee Farm and we're hoping it will be called that once again.

Last year the barn was voted Prettiest Barn in the Township. It really is a beautiful setting.

I'll keep you informed about our move.

Then and Now

2010-06-08T04:37:00.005-07:00

Tom and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday. We went to church at Calvary Baptist Church. That is where we were married on June 6, 1970. So we had great fun reliving that very special day. We took some then & now photos.

My dad was very teary when he walked me down the aisle.

What a blessing to be able to spend my 40th anniversary with my parents. Here is how we look today.

There is a story about this picture. My train ripped off my dress when we started to walk back down the aisle. I was so happy that it didn't tear my dress.

The front of the church hasn't changed much but those two young kids have!

This special picture is Audrey & Wilson Anderson with my folks and Tom & I. Audrey was my mother's maid of honor in 1947. What a blessing to have friends and family for a lifetime.

Glorious Summer

2010-06-04T03:52:00.002-07:00

We are at our cabin near Sault Ste. Marie and enjoying a wonderful stretch of weather. The weekend is predicted to be rainy but we've had good working weather this week.

Every year when we arrive near the end of May we find the yard and gardens have a big head start on us. The grass grows very fast here because it is damp and needs to be cut more than once a week. The flower gardens are always overrun with weeds. So all week we have been working and trying to get things under control. The yard is coming nicely but the flower beds have a ways to go.

The boats are a delight to us again and we take time to watch and note each one. The ship below is the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Griffon. It passed up bound yesterday. I wonder if they are bringing it to the Soo because the US Coast Guard from here sent a large group of men and boats down to work with the oil spill in the Gulf.

This boat is Federal Miramichi. She is headed down bound probably for Montreal because she sails out of there.
Canada geese are a real problem here every year. Chasing them away seems to be the only method we've found to keep them away. Every morning they arrive noisily very early. This time of year they have babies with them so they are skittish and easy to chase. As the babies get older, the geese become bolder and then refuse to be chased or come right back. If we didn't go out and chase them away, they will come right into our yard and next to the cabin. I hear from the neighbors that the geese had been enjoying our yard until we got here.

If you know any way to keep geese away, please let us know. Our large river front encourages them to come. It is too long to put string out to stop theme. We keep it mowed and it seems to invite the geese to stop here.

May Report-Part 2

2010-05-22T04:55:00.006-07:00

Greetings dear readers, I told you about our early May but Tom and I have had so many activities in our lives that it is hard to keep up with them and it doesn't allow us much time to blog about them.

We are moving up to the cabin next week and I'm hoping things will slow down for a bit. I have two more days to work at Hopkins and then I'll have a couple of weeks off before jumping into my next work.

During the first week of May I celebrated my 60th birthday. It was a very quiet day because my poor husband was suffering with a kidney stone that had first made its presence known while we were in Minneapolis. Thankfully, he successfully passed the stone on May 17th which meant he had it for over 2 weeks. But he is not suffering anymore and gaining his strength back.

He did manage to get me these beautiful roses for my birthday. We're planning to celebrate later once life slows down a bit. We also have our 40th anniversary coming up in June. So much to be thankful for and to celebrate.

On Tuesday I headed out for a huge adventure. I had been chosen to cover the NASCAR All-Star Race for Insider Racing News which is the web site that I write a weekly column for. So I headed out for North Carolina by myself. Tom is still coaching softball and couldn't get away. I chose to drive instead of fly for two reasons. First, I could stop and visit Kristen in Pittsburgh on the way down. Secondly, I hate to fly but it will probably be how I get here next time.

Kristen and I had a precious time together. We walked to a nearby Italian restaurant and then walked home in an unexpected rain shower. Pittsburgh is so lush and green right now and we didn't get very wet because we were walking under a canopy of huge trees.

Pittsburgh is about half way to North Carolina from Caledonia. I finished the trip the next day but I don't think I will ever drive it again. Flying would take 4 hours instead of 14 hours on the road. I arrived safely at Jen's on Wednesday.

On Thursday I visited Jen's classroom at South Rowan High School in China Grove, North Carolina. China Grove is a bit north of Charlotte. Jen teaches biology there and does a very good job working with all students from the very bright to those who struggle. Her classroom and lessons are full of technology because she was awarded a grant called 21st Century teacher last year and they filled her classroom with all kinds of technology.

Yesterday I began my work at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was a long day but lots of fun. I will be returning to the track today to cover the All-Star Race. Unfortunately, Jen can't accompany me to the Media Center so I will be there working.

I will be heading back to Michigan by way of Pittsburgh on Monday. I'll arrive in Caledonia on Tuesday afternoon at least that is the plan. I'll keep you updated about a really big event that is happening in our lives next week but that is a story for another day!

What's Going On in our Life?

2010-05-11T03:59:00.004-07:00

Since we returned from Branson, we returned to normal life. Normal for us is hard to describe. No two days is alike. Tom is coaching JV softball for Caledonia. It is great fun and he has a bunch of nice girls.

Our grandkids are busy this spring and playing lots of sports. We're trying to attend lots of games and we are always appreciated (and hugged) when we do.

Last weekend we loaded up the car again and headed out to Minneapolis. Our daughter-in-law, Jesslyn, was graduating from Augsburg College with a Bachelor of Science in social work. Jess worked very hard for this. We are very proud of her. Here are a few pictures from that day.

Augsburg College has a focus on service to your fellow man. The graduation ceremony was very nice.

Jess with her sisters Dana and Kylie

Jess's parents, with Eric & Jess

Eric & Jess-look how proud Jess' dad looks in the background

The graduation was followed by a party at Jack & Nancy's house. (Tom's brother). This is Jess, Darrell, Del (Jess' aunt) and Dana.

Jess's neice Hazel and Colten Benedict. The three year olds had a great time at the party and added lots of fun.

Jack and Nancy with Eric and Jess. The party was wonderful with great food and lots of fun people.

Deadly Voyage

2010-04-16T15:51:00.003-07:00

Thursday night I drove up to Big Rapids Community Library to hear two men speak. I had not heard of either of them until last week. While on our way home from Branson, I began reading Deadly Voyage. It is an account of the wreck of the Daniel J. Morrel in Lake Huron in 1966. Once I had read the first chapter, I told Tom, "You are going to want to hear this." And so for the rest of the day, I read the book aloud. There were times I had to stop because of tears and we had to take a break to talk about the events before I could go on and finish. But what a story. I emailed the author, Dr. Andrew Kantar, to tell him what an excellent book he had written. He answered me and told me that Thursday he would be speaking in Big Rapids along with the only survivor of the wreck, Dennis Hale.

Andrew Kantar answering questions from the audience.

Dennis Hale with the life jacket he was wearing when he was rescued by the US Coast Guard.

This is what I wrote on my Sault Boat Watcher blog. I'll share more with you in the coming days.

Dennis Hale is a survivor. In fact, he is the sole survivor of a Great Lakes shipwreck that occured in 1966. There were 29 men on the Daniel J. Morrel when she encountered hurricane force conditions in November 1966. The storm caused the Morrel to break into 2 pieces. Hale and three shipmates made it to a life raft after being thrown off the boat but after 38 hours adrift, Hale was the only one still alive when they were found by the Coast Guard. I'll write more of this horrific story in the next few days.

The story has been described in a book by Dr. Andrew Kantar called Deadly Voyage. I heard Hale and Kantar speak last night at the Big Rapids Community Library. They will be speaking again on May 6 & May 8 at other Mecosta County Libraries. It was worth the hour drive for me to meet these men and hear a first hand report of the sinking of the Morrel.

I will write a more detailed review of Deadly Voyage in the next few days but I can say it is an excellent accounting of the wreck and its effect of the families of the seamen. I would recommend Deadly Voyage to anyone interested in reading of this Great Lakes tragedy but also as a story of the resiliency of the human spirit.

Home from Branson

2010-04-14T03:22:00.002-07:00

Sunday morning we left our home away from home in Branson but we actually pulled it behind us. Our trip home went well. I finally decided to learn to drive the truck and 5th wheel. Actually, we saw so many 'old' women driving even bigger rigs, that I thought it was time I learned. It was not difficult to drive but I only did expressway miles and not on small, twisty town streets like Tom had to.

We stopped for the night in Kankakee, Illinois. We had a campground directory with us so when we decided we wanted to stop for the night, I found a campground nearby and gave them a call. So they were all set for us when we pulled in. It was a quiet place so we had a restful night and headed out after breakfast in the morning.

We arrived home around 1 in the afternoon, unloaded the 5th wheel and got back to the condo around 2.

We rested a bit and then headed out to Anna's soccer game and over to Tom and Sherry's to deliver the goodies we brought for them. It was so good to see them again and get a great welcome back.

The most unusual time we did was visit College of the Ozarks to see the Beverly Hillbillies car. I really had fun seeing it.

Vacation Draws to a Close

2010-04-10T05:44:00.004-07:00

I thought I had better post some pictures of our campground. We found it on the internet and we have been very happy with our accommodations. The people who work here are very helpful with all the problems we've had along the way. This is our 'rig' with the truck and 5th wheel. The campground is very quiet and most of the other campers are older than us and returning from spending the winter somewhere south.

This is a shot of the laundry building taken from our site. It was clean and convenient.
America's Best Campground was just getting flowers planted and ready for spring. They had a rough winter here and even had some snow.

Yesterday we attended a show called Cassandre-Voice of an Angel. Cassandre has been singing in this area for years and really has an incredible voice. She was backed up by an orchestra that was really lovely. As with each show here, there was a tribute to veterans and a gospel song. In fact, Cassandre gave a great statement of her faith.

Today's job is to see the last sights we want to see because we are pulling out in the morning. We will try and get ready as much as possible today and then be ready to leave early Sunday. We expect and hope to be home early afternoon on Monday. Can't wait to see our family and friends.

Answer to Prayer

2010-04-09T05:13:00.003-07:00

We have had a share of problems getting into the RV lifestyle. One thing that surprises me is the number of people who are touring the country and living in RVs. We met many people on the trip out here and then every day we have met more RVers. Its fun to hear their stories about where they have been. Lots are on their way home from Arizona.

Our 5th wheel has presented us with challenges as we learn 'the ropes'. One such incident happened yesterday. On Wednesday our kitchen drained stopped working. It stopped abruptly. Didn't slow down gradually-just quit completely and wouldn't even drain slowly. We wracked our brains for answers but couldn't come up with a solution. It didn't act like there was a clog but that was the only thing we could think it might be.

So yesterday, when praying for our day, we asked for help with the drain. After breakfast, we headed out for Wal-Mart and got a plunger and a clog dissolver.

When we arrived back at the campground, there was a truck pulled up to our neighbor's RV. The truck said 'RV Medic'. It was a mobile RV repair service. Tom said, "Should I go over and talk to him?" There was no doubt in my mind that he should do that.

After finishing up the job next door, the repairman came over and within 5 minutes had diagnosed our problem and fixed it. We had a third water holding tank that we didn't know we had. It was for the kitchen sink only and it was full. The solution was to pull the handle and let it drain into our sewer pipe. He charged us $20. An answer to prayer and we're very thankful. We took our supplies back to Wal-Mart so it really didn't even cost us $20.

In the afternoon, we attended Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. Dolly was there in video only. It was a wonderful dinner show and our favorite so far here in Branson.

The show was a 'competition' between the North and the South to settle the question of who was the best. So there was lots of audience participation. The horses and riders were the highlight of the show for us but also the great music and beautiful costumes in several musical production numbers. While the show was on, we were served a great meal but no eating utensils-everything was eaten with our fingers. The meal included bbq pork, roast chicken, potatoes, soup (the bowls had handles for drinking) corn on the cob, cheese biscuits, and apple turnovers. The finished the meal with a hot wet towel to clean up before leaving.

The North (our side) won the competition but the final number was a rousing patriotic number about the unity of our country. We loved the whole show and would love to take our grandchildren to it someday.

Unfortunately, they didn't allow photos to be taken and I followed the rules. But there were lots of people who didn't but I didn't get any pictures to share with you.

More Branson

2010-04-08T05:03:00.002-07:00

Today was beautiful and Tom got our bikes all set up so we set out exploring. Near the campground, there is a business park with wonderful roads-but there is nothing there and the roads aren't open. The downturn in the economy is hitting Branson hard too. A waitress was telling us how tough it has been-not nearly as many visitors as normal. Anyway, these roads were great for bike riding except that everything here involves hills. But it made for a great time of exercise and fun.

We attended the Jim Stafford Show last night. We've been fans of Stafford since the late 60's when he was the head writer and a performer on the Smothers Brothers Show. He went on to work on the Glen Campbell show and then had his own TV show in the early 70's. He is a talented guitar play and a very funny comedian. The show was 2 hours of laughter. Every show we've been to (4 of them now) has had 3 things in common. First, there is always a tribute to veterans and there are lots of veterans in every audience. This involves a song and even having the veterans stand for applause. Second, every show has had at least one Gospel song. The performers may say something like,"Anybody out there like Gospel music?" They get a rousing response from the audience. Third, the performers are very accessible. They are out with the audience before the show, at intermission and after the show. Talking, joking, asking where you're from and posing for pictures. I'm disappointed that I didn't get my picture with Stafford.

Tom always talks to the musicians about what brand of guitar they play. Jim Stafford has a Taylor guitar and a Mason Williams guitar.

Today's schedule includes fixing the kitchen drain which mysteriously quit working yesterday. I'm hoping for another bike ride and then a show late this afternoon.

Branson Attractions

2010-04-06T15:32:00.006-07:00

We have had a fun day and I've uploaded lots of pictures so I hope you aren't bored with them. But we started our day with a 10 AM show which was recommended to us by the people at our campground-ABC which stands for American's Best Campground. That's a story in itself because as we were driving here, I looked them up on my iPhone and found their address which I entered into our GPS. But by mistake, I had clicked on ABC Dolls and we ended up there. We were glad it wasn't our campground because it was right on the 'Strip' here in Branson but it made quite an adventure to get turned around there and then find our campground.

Anyway, the Clay Cooper Show was wonderful with singing, lots of dancing and comedy. Not just a country music show. Clay Cooper is a great entertainer and put on a fantastic, fun show. This is Clay. He came down into the audience during the show and asked lots of questions. He asked Tom about his shirt had the name of Eric's band-Danny Jack Fiasco. Clay asked about the band and where they were and the type of music they play. Tom said look them up on Youtube and he said he would.

The show included a guy who did rope tricks and did gun spinning. It sounds hokey but it really was fun.
The show included many impersonations including President Obama & George W. Bush. Here Clay is impersonating Hank Williams Jr.
The finale was a tribute to the United States and our dependence on God. Each show we've been to has a patriotic and Gospel music part to it. Very family friendly.
After the show we had lunch at a Belgian waffle restaurant run by real Belgiums. (Only in Branson). They were delicious. After lunch, we decided to head out on an adventure and found several interesting locations.

There is a lake here that has a dam and it really looks like a river to me. We stopped at the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery and walked down to the 'lake' where there were several people fishing for trout .
The fish hatchery sits right next to the Table Rock Dam which you can see in the background here. It is a huge dam with the highway running over it.

This is the lake below the dam with the fishermen.
Here we are driving over the dam and this is the lake above the dam.
Here we are on the dam. It is maintained by the Corps of Engineers-the same group who run the Soo Locks. We tried to tell some people we met here about the Soo Locks but it just didn't make sense to them.

The last four pictures are from the College of the Ozarks which is located near Branson. We visited there because I had read about their museum but we didn't know about the Tractor Museum so that was an extra special treat.

This college is tuition-free but all students have to work on campus during the school year and then for a two 40 hour weeks during the year. They have a working farm and use the milk from the dairy cows for the campus food as well as a restaurant and motel they run.
The reason I wanted to go there was to see the car from the Beverly Hillbillies TV show. It was donated to the college by the creator of the Beverly Hillbillies. They had filmed the episodes of the show when they visited back home in Tennessee here in the Ozarks. Only on TV.

Lots of fun today and I lost the final game of yesterday's cribbage match which we had to finish today.

Monday in Branson

2010-04-06T05:29:00.004-07:00

We spent yesterday morning attending the show we had won the tickets for. It was Ricky Boen and the Texas Mud. They are a Texas swing band, an old-fashioned kind of country and western music. While they were all good musicians, I'm not wild about that kind of music. There was lots in the show that kept it interesting though.The female singer also served as Ida Clare, the comedian, and she was truly funny. All the entertainment here so far has been very family friendly. Ida Clare kept us laughing with jokes for the whole family.

They also had Brooke Hale, a 12 year old girl, who could really belt out the country songs. At intermission, all the performers come out and socialize with the audience. Yesterday's audience was very small, only 18 of us, so we got to talk with all of them. I had to ask Brooke how she handled school because they had said she was an all A student who had been performing in Branson for 3 years. She goes to school for an hour in the morning. She attends her classes, gets the assignments for the classes she will miss. Then her aunt picks her up and drives her the half-hour to Branson. On the ride over, she works on school work. She then performs for the two hour show. Her aunt then drives her back to school and she finishes her day there. Quite a bit of dedication for a young person. She had a lovely voice and lots of stage presence.

The rest of our day was spent on errands. We had to get our spare tire for the 5th wheel replaced due to an unfortunate incident on the way out here. So we found a tire place and it will be ready today. We also had to fix the shower drain on the 5th wheel which took the better part of the afternoon.

We finally we able to get to our cribbage game. We try to play every day even though Tom is definitely a better player than I am. But I read a book, How to Win at Cribbage, so I"m getting better. I won the first game yesterday, Tom won the second. Normally that means we have to play a 3rd game, but the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Game was coming on so we will have to settle this cribbage game today. So if any of you has any tips for me in cribbage, I would appreciate them. I already learned from the book that a 4 is the best card to lead with!

Spring Time in Branson

2010-04-04T18:30:00.001-07:00

Branson, Missouri is near the southern border of Missouri. The area is quite a bit ahead of Michigan in spring weather but not as far as I thought it would be. It is nothing like Gulf Shores, Alabama or Florida. It must be because of the high elevation with the Ozark Mountains. The flowering trees are in bloom included hyacinth and the red buds. I'm listening to the spring peepers right now so it really feels like spring.

Yesterday we spent our time getting acclimated to the area. We got things in shape at the campground. Then we took the brochures and the internet and picked out the shows we wanted to see. We could purchase most of the tickets here at the campground but we were given vouchers. We decided to go pick up all our tickets so we would learn where the theatres are, Tom could get an idea of parking for the truck and then we wouldn't have to stand in line at show time. It was great fun and we really learned our way around Branson. The Dixie Stampede is our Thursday show and it is a beautiful building.

I read some history of Branson today and found that it started with a couple of local shows in the 60's. Some episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies were filmed here then too. That has to be one of my all-time favorite tv shows. The car from the show is on display at a local college, College of the Ozarks. I really hope we can find the college to see the Clampett's car.

Today we attended Branson Bible Church. It was like stepping back into the 60's or 70's at that church. We arrived early for the service and were actually just a little late for Sunday School. There was no one to greet us, so we slipped into a class of adults. I think the average age was about 90 years old before we arrived so we felt like young'uns. The people were very friendly and we had a nice time there.

After the service, we found a Starbucks for a snack and then went on to our show for today-Sunday Gospel Jubilee. There were no big names performing but the singers and the band members were very talented and gave us a great show.

We then returned to our RV where we had left Sunday dinner in the crock-pot. We enjoyed our Easter dinner and since then we've been watching the NCAA Women's basketball semi-finals on the Internet since our cable at the campground doesn't get ESPN. Can you believe that? What kind of cable is that? It does have the Weather Channel though so all is not lost.

Tomorrow we are attending the show for which we won the tickets. It is a Texas Swing show which is not big band but it sounds like it will be big band meets country.

RVing 101

2010-04-02T08:01:00.005-07:00

Yesterday we drove around St. Louis and saw the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River. Both impressive sights.

The Mississippi River with a barge and tug.

See the Gateway Arch off in the distance.

When gassing up our truck, we have to go where the big boys go.

We read all the information we could find but we weren't prepared for some things-like where do you gas up the rig. Our outfit is too big to just pull into regular gas pumps so it took us several tries to get a system that works. Here's what we've come up with. If you can give us some hints, we'd love to hear from you. When we first pull into a gas station or travel center, I get out and walk around and then return and tell Tom where to head. It beats driving around and trying to turn the big rig around with semis driving all over. This picture shows what we have to deal with when gassing up.

We had some difficulty getting set up in the campground. We have never had the 5th wheel out before so everything was new to us. But the staff here were very helpful and stayed with the project until we had water and even hot water. There was a check-valve that needed repair. Of course, the project drew a group of men who came to watch and/or give advice. We appreciated it. Here's Tom holding the light so the guys could check some things out.

We were this week's winners of show tickets here at the campground, so hopefully things are going to start looking up.

First Day on the Road

2010-04-01T04:24:00.003-07:00

Last November when we bought our 5th wheel, we knew it would be a long time before we got to use it. Yesterday was that long-awaited day. After days of preparation-mostly on Tom's part- we pulled out the driveway and hit the road. But there were a few glitches in our plan. The end of the story is we stayed in Holiday Inn Express last night and we'll start the RVing life today-hopefully.

To start with. I bought new bedding and opened it and was making up the bed before we left when I realized I had gotten the wrong size mattress pad. I know I had a queen size in my hand but I must have set it down and picked up a full-size. That wasn't a big obstacle but it was irritating. Then I found I had forgotten pillowcases. Both of these could be corrected with a quick stop at Kohl's but we never did find one.

Then, we didn't fill up the water tank before we left because the water is turned off at the farm where the 5th wheel spent the winter. Also we had never lit the furnace or water heater and Tom didn't want to do that when we were beat-tired at the end of a day-like we were last night.

Our trip yesterday was planned to avoid Chicago but it took us through the back roads of Indiana-windy, narrow 2 lane roads which were picturesque but hard driving our big rig. So we got to Crawfordsville, Indiana last night. The expressway is here and we'll jump on it this morning. We hope to be in Branson late this afternoon but we'll see. I can see that RVing life is an adventure and who knows what we'll face today.

After we enjoy the Smart Breakfast here at Holiday Inn Express.

Hoath Girls Weekend 2010

2010-03-26T18:33:00.007-07:00

Every year the women in our family meet to celebrate my mom's birthday. We have met at different locations all around the state. This year was special because Mom turned 80 years old on March 18. We decided to meet in the Soo and celebrate there.

Tom & Sherry and the kids all went north so Tommy and the boys could stay with Grandpa while the girls were off having a ball. So I rode up north with them. I brought along lots of activities for the kids. Lots of school activities which they took very seriously. They said, "This is middle school work." I told them it was but they were so smart they could handle it and they did. We were learning about rivers of Michigan and they worked hard to observe rivers while we drove. Did you know there are over 300 rivers in Michigan? I would like to photograph them all. So if you have any river pictures, I would appreciate copies since I don't think I'll ever get to see all 300.

We arrived in the Soo and were able to spend a couple of hours at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The kids really like their little dog, Zoey.

The first event in Hoath Girls Weekend is always dinner together. This year we went to Mom's favorite restaurant-An-gios. Here is Kathy, Mom, Ashley and Areka, my brother's daughters, and sister-in-law Linda.
This side of the table is Kathy, great-niece Kamden, niece Karey, Kamden's mom, and my granddaughter Anna.
Going around the table left to right-Areka, Linda, Sherry, Madelynn, and my sister Susie.
Kathy & Mom
After dinner we went to a motel room that was very large and celebrated the birthday with opening presents,
and having cake.
Here are the oldest generations!

Our big event is playing bingo. We all bring prizes and the competition is intense for the good stuff. This year the good stuff was vanilla that Susie brought back from Mexico just for our bingo game.

After bingo, the young ones went swimming until almost midnight and the old folks had time for visiting and relaxing.

In the morning after a swim, we all went out for breakfast. We were joined by more Hoath girls. My aunt Linda Hoath Crimin, her granddaughter Jenna and daughter-in-law Brenda

In the afternoon, we got to see my nephew, Robbie who had just returned from checking his trap-lines.

Saturday evening, Tommy and Sherry, the boys and I went down to the river to welcome the first boat of the season. It was going to be the first boat of the season through the Locks on Sunday morning.

Sunday morning, we all got up early and went over to the Locks to watch the boat go through. There were lots of people as crazy as us and it was a memorable occasion. Last summer, Jack had asked if we could be at the Soo to see the first boat lock through and I was so happy that we were able to fulfill his wish.

This picture shows Jack & I on the observation deck on a very cold morning cheering for the Lee A. Tregurtha as she entered the Locks.

Opening Day at the Locks. Jack is right next to the lady holding the flag. It was 16 degrees on this early morning adventure.

It was a wonderful weekend with lifetime memories for all of us. What a blessing to have so much fun across the generations.

Whirlwind Weekend Trip

2010-03-07T06:57:00.003-07:00

Tom and I are packing lots of traveling into a few days but the benefit is that we get to see both our daughters. We left Caledonia on Friday afternoon and arrived at Kristen's about 8:30 PM. She and Chris took us on a sight-seeing trip around Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is very hilly and we went to the highest spot and saw a beautiful panorama of the city. We ate dinner at Primanti Bros and had one of their famous sandwiches which includes homemade bread, meat, cheese, coleslaw and French fries-all on the sandwich. They were delicious.

We left Kristen's Saturday morning and traveled down through West Virginia where we crossed the New River Gorge Bridge. You can see it was a wonderfully clear day. West Virginia is a very mountainous state which makes for wonderful sight-seeing.

We arrived at Jen's in Concord, North Carolina. She wanted her dad's help picking out a new TV (not his wallet just his good eye for detail). We found a last year's model at Best Buy which was one sale. She really upgraded her TV. The one on the left is the one she has had for years and she is standing by the new one.

It is a cold morning here today with the low around 34 but it promises to be warm-into the 60's today. Today is relaxing before we hit the road again tomorrow and reverse our trip.

2010-02-27T06:19:00.004-07:00

Dear Friends, I am sorry to have taken such a break from blogging. Our world was turned upside down on January 18 when our beloved mother passed away unexpectedly. Our family came together in such support and love that helped us each of those very difficult days. Our life now has a huge void in it and we are working to find out what normal will be now. I'm sure many of you know what we are experiencing.

I've kept very busy working. I'm at Hopkins Middle School between 2 and 3 days a week. My work there is primarily with the teachers but I really love the time I get into classes and work with students. This week I even got to help two special education students write book reviews. I'm on the Literacy Committee and one of our projects this year is to start a Book Review Club. The students receive free books in exchange for writing a review that will be published on line. We had funding for 12 students to join and on our first meeting, 80 students showed up. Whow! We didn't know how we would handle it but when it came to turning in their applications, the number reduced to 30. We were able to get more funding from generous parents and we are now getting the club going. A book club! I love it.

Yesterday our 7th graders were working with their 'book buddies'-4th grade students. The 7th graders were showing the 4th graders how to do a PowerPoint book report. The project was great for both groups.

Any blog that I write has to have reports on my grandchildren. They continue to be doing well and a joy to Tom and I. Last night we went to the TK highschool basketball game to see Jack's class sing the National Anthem.

Recently we were visiting and were treated to a show of tricks. Real fun!

But while visiting us here at the condo, the fun has to be a bit quieter. This picture of Jay was taken because it reminded us of what Grandpa does in that same chair. The kids are very computer savvy. I heard Jay ask if he could check ebay. The kids are what is being called 'digital natives' as opposed to 'digital immigrants' which our generation is. It makes a difference in thinking and reading styles and how we approach anything in print. Very interesting for me as a literacy person.

We made two trips in February. We traveled to the Soo on clean and dry roads. Here's a picture of our cabin. Didn't get in there. We stayed with my parents and found them in great health and doing well this winter.

Last weekend we drove to Minneapolis to visit Eric and Jess. Eric's band, Danny Jack Fiasco, was having a CD release party and we loved it.

My ankle is now healed and I'm back to running and walking on my regular schedule. That is a blessing. I'm hoping to be back in the River Bank Run in May and the Sault Race in September.

Christmas Memories

2010-01-03T17:42:00.005-07:00

Happy New Year to all of you!

We had a wonderful two weeks of Christmas festivities. The month started out very snowy and the following pictures are of our early December snow storm. We were at Mom Benedict's trying out a 4 wheel drive car that I was test driving but it couldn't handle the deep snow and Tom had to get the tractor out to pull me out.

On Christmas Day the Benedict family came to our place-actually the community room at our condo for our meal together. It really worked well because there was lots of room for all of us. This is our family with Mom Benedict.

The month has been snowy and cold. I took this picture out front of our condo.

We celebrated with our church family with a potluck meal and lots of games and fun. This was the Saturday before Christmas. We are attending Faith Bible Church of Alto and love the close fellowship and the opportunity to serve there.

On the Sunday before Christmas, our children presented a Nativity scene for us. It set such a wonderful tone for the service.

Our four grandkids were in a wonderful Christmas program at First Baptist Church of Middleville. All four had parts and we enjoyed every minute. Madelynn and Jack had solos and Jay and Anna were in the choir for back-up.

Christmas morning we all went over to Tom and Sherry's for the Benedict breakfast that always included Eggs Benedict. The girls got new outfits for their American Girl dolls from Great-Grandma and Grandpa Hoath.

Last week, we all went to Meijer Gardens to see Christmas Trees from Around the World and then capped it off with ice cream at Culvers.

Kristen and Eric were able to get enough time off work too come home for Christmas. I know it was a lots of traveling for a few days but it made for such a great Christmas for Tom and I. Jen had 2 weeks off school. She returned to North Carolina yesterday. I'm going back to work this week too. I feel so blessed and I'm looking forward to 2010 and the memories we will be creating.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

2009-12-31T15:45:00.005-07:00

I gave copies of Mastering the Art of French Cooking-Vol. I & II to my children for Christmas. I also got a copy for myself and the plan is for us to share what works and doesn't work from this cooking classic by Julia Child. I saw the movie Julie and Julia this summer that is based on someone trying to cook through the book and recording her attempts. So this is similar but I want it to be lots of fun. It wasn't so much fun for the girl in the movie.

I had heard that Julia Child's most famous recipe is boeuf bourguinon so I decided to start there. The English title is Beef Stew in Red Wine with Bacon, Onions and Mushrooms. Child describes it as "one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man." I would have to agree. It has an intense flavor.

It did take all afternoon to prepare. Tom, Jennifer, Kristen and I enjoyed every bite of it. I served it with boiled potatoes like Child suggested. It was even better reheated the next day. This time I served it with egg noodles and I liked that better.

The next recipe I tried was roast chicken. I served it to a dinner party of Tom, Jennifer and Mike, the guy who bought our house. Roast chicken was more labor-intense requiring basting every 10 - 15 minutes but the results were a very moist and flavorful chicken. I served it with roast red skin potatoes, peas and french rolls. We all enjoyed the meal and the time together.

I'd love to hear from you about what you are cooking even if it isn't French cooking. I'll keep you posted on my attempts throughout the year.

Plum Pudding

2009-12-26T14:30:00.005-07:00

I decided to make my plum pudding this week. It took several calls to my mother to ask specifics about the recipe. The recipe came from my Grandma (Ma) Erickson and she wasn't always very exact on her recipes. For example, the ingredients called for 'small cups' of some things, big teaspoons of soda, and enough flour to make it stiff. My mother shared some directions that weren't in the recipe which I am sure were necessary for success.

The first step was to cut up the suet. My mother said she always has the butcher grind it when she buys it, so I will have to remember that for next year. The suet is important because it is the fat or oil in the pudding.
The recipe calls for regular raisins and seeded raisins. We can't find seeded raisins anymore so my mom suggested dates as a substitute. That works well.

The dry ingredients look like this when mixed together.
But you then add molasses for flavor and sweetness. Then you gradually add enough flour to make it still. I measured 3 3/4 cups of flour.

The batter is then put on a floured muslin cloth. My mother mailed me her trusted plum pudding cloth.
You tie the pudding very tightly with a piece of cloth and you're ready to go.
Now we get to the tricky part. You lower the pudding into a pan of boiling water. You can never let the water stop boiling because it will make a soggy pudding. As the water keeps boiling away, you must add boiling water. That means you have two pans of water heating.
Once you cover this, just keep a sharp eye on it for the next 5 hours!
Your pudding expands and becomes very firm but it is done.
The water left in the pan is used to make the sauce for the pudding. You add butter, flour, nutmeg and lots of brown sugar.

This was my completed pudding. It tasted great although, it is an acquired taste. My sister Kathy is coming over tonight to have plum pudding for her birthday. Most people aren't that enthusiastic about it.

Plum pudding isn't something you will make very often but it is a real treat for me.

The Blizzard of 2009

2009-12-10T08:21:00.006-07:00

This is the current view from our balcony (11 AM). It is very cold and windy with snow falling and blowing sideways. But the blizzard of 2009 appears to be a failure as a blizzard and is just a Michigan winter storm. it has resulted in 2 snow days for most of us though. Tom was down in Berrien Springs working as a book buyer at Andrews University for the end of semester buy-back. He came home early because business was so slow and I'm sure the weather impacted the buy-back.

I've been home with 2 snow days and snow days still fun even though I don't work everyday. Yesterday my sister Kathy spent the day here and we did lots of interesting things. I was showing her things on the computer such as how to blog, how to download to iTunes, and burn cd's etc. As with everything on the computer, things don't go easily. But we got through it.

I also have worked on my columns for InsiderRacingNews.com. I've been writing a weekly column for them almost 2 years and I hear back from readers and some of the letters are amusing. People have very strong feelings about their favorite drivers and they don't like me pointing out their problems. This past week I wrote about Jimmie Johnson who is this year's champion. I compared some of his behavior to that of Dale Earnhardt Jr. There are always people who absolutely love Junior and writing about him is always a dangerous proposition. Here's a sample from last week's responses.

This first one is a lovely note that luckily I read before reading the scathing assessment that follows.

Good Morning Brenda,

Absolutely magnificent article, straight to the point, and accurate as it can be.

Am I a JJ fan....You betcha! But he is just one of my favorites, albeit my most favorite.

He may be "cookies and milk", but he sure creates a good image for the sport.

If the naysayers don't get the picture after reading your article they never will.

Thanks and a very merry Christmas to you and your family!!!

Adrian Flores

You are way off base. So much so that you may just be bonkers. Or maybe you don't do much research.

Hard to believe that they both read the same column. But that's what makes writing the column fun. I hear from people all over the country and you never know how they are going to react.

From Dec. to the middle of Feb. there is no NASCAR racing but I need to keep producing the column so it's always a challenge to come up with a topic. Fortunately for me, NASCAR drivers are prone to some behavior that gives me lots of material.

November News & Plum Pudding

2009-12-05T05:37:00.005-07:00

I know I haven't been nearly as faithful writing this blog this fall. I miss sharing and even thinking about what I should share with my blogging friends.

My positions at Hopkins Middle School & MAISA (Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators) have kept me working almost full-time with only an occasional day off. This week I was in Lansing Monday - Wednesday attending two different conferences. Both dealt with using data from student work to improve the teaching. The emphasis in education is changing from the focus on the teaching to a focus on what the students are learning. It is a subtle difference but it makes huge differences in the end product-the achievement of the students. Then Thursday and Friday I was at Hopkins Middle School working with teachers to implement strategies to help students better understand and remember what they read.

Hopkins Middle School is a small school with great kids. I'm enjoying my work there getting to know the teachers and students. My work takes many forms and no two days are alike. I might be researching the latest methods on the Internet, visiting classrooms to observe teachers, meeting with teachers to implement new strategies, meeting with administrators to plan, or analyzing test results to try and pin point where our students' needs are. I also spend some time just socializing with teachers because building trust is a huge part of what I have to do before teachers will feel comfortable working with me.

Last Saturday we celebrated Sherry's birthday which was actually on Thanksgiving. Tom and I took dinner down to their house and we had a great time. Tommy and Sherry's business is going well and it keeps them busy as it grows.

School is going well for the kids. I miss volunteering in their classrooms like I did last year. Hopefully after Christmas, I'll have more time to do that. This is Madelynn's last year in elementary school as a 5th grader. Jay is in 4th grade and says his favorite part of school is library time. That makes this grandma very happy. Jack is in 1st grade and making great leaps in reading. Anna is in Kindergarten and I'm sure she is charming her teacher and class. Anna's class made me a get-well card when I hurt my ankle because many of them remembered me from last year.

Speaking of my ankle-it is healing well. I was able to stop using the crutches this week and it makes my life much easier. I am still wearing an air cast-the boot- but it comes off at night and also allows me to shower normally. It gets sore if I'm on it all day but I'm very pleased with my progress. The next step is to stop wearing the boot and I'm ready for that but it will be a few more weeks before I try that.

Winter arrived Thursday night in West Michigan and it isn't fun. We had to cancel our planned trip to the Soo for the Mitchell Christmas Dinner yesterday. That is the annual family Christmas celebration of Ma Erickson's family-my grandmother. It is held every year for at least 80 years. It was always a highlight when I was growing up. My grandmother came from a family of 11 children and when everyone gets together, there were always so many kids to play with. The Mitchell family has a Christmas tradition-plum pudding for dessert. Plum pudding is a flour based mixture with raisins, lots of sugar, and even suet that is boiled for hours. (No plums) Then it is sliced and topped with a sweet sauce. It is the highlight of the meal. My own family doesn't like it and so I never make it because it involves hours of work. You must keep it slowly boiling while wrapped in a cloth and that means you must be in the kitchen watching it. But I crave it and just writing about it makes me want to try it for my family one more time. I think it must be an acquired taste. If you are interested in trying some, let me know. One writer described plum pudding as "dark, dense and delicious". I agree. Maybe I'll have a plum pudding party for people interested in giving it a try. I found this picture on the web and it really looks like this but when you cover it with a rich butter sauce, it improves the look greatly.

In doing some research on plum pudding, I found the following quote: "Other historians suggest the link to Christmas started with a decree by the medieval Catholic Church that "pudding should be made on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, that it be prepared with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and the 12 apostles, and that every family member stir it in turn from east to west to honour the Magi and their supposed journey in that direction".

I don't know if our recipe has 13 ingredients but it must have at least that. Now our plum pudding has Christian symbolism. I think that is rather a big stretch-all I know is that it is wonderful and a true sign of Christmas for me.

A 'Turn' in My Life

2009-11-20T11:49:00.003-07:00

This week started like every other week. I meet Joyce, my sister-in-law, for running down Kettle Lake Drive. We've been doing that every Monday for years. On Wednesday we run in a different location. We run about 3 miles and we think it is a great way to start our day. But this week, I stepped in a pothole which I didn't see because of the dark. I twisted my ankle. At first, I thought it was just bruised but by Wednesday, the bruising and swelling convinced me to get it checked out. I have a small fracture and am now on crutches and keeping off my feet. This has really crimped my style. I did work yesterday but because I work in a school and visit many classrooms, I put many 'miles' on my crutches. Today I'm so sore that I can barely get around. The soreness is in my arms and shoulders and I'm bruised from the crutches too.

I see an orthopedic doctor on Monday and I hope I can get more mobile then. I am developing a new appreciation for people with mobility issues. It is exhausting to do every day activities and there are many things that I can't even begin to try. Luckily, Tom is home now from deer hunting and he's very willing to wait on me. So now I'm having hot coffee and fresh ice packs-just little things make a big difference.

It just took part of a second for my life to be changed and I'm having lots of trouble adjusting mentally to such limitations. But I'm sure God has some lessons to teach me. My friend, Marcia, told me this week. "Want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans!" Isn't that the truth!

Our New Home

2009-11-14T04:52:00.002-07:00

Here are some pictures of our new condo. You can see that we aren't completely unpacked and there aren't pictures on the wall but we are getting there.

Moving was very stressful but actually everything went smoothly. I learned a valuable lesson during the entire process of selling the house and moving. Don't focus on how much work you have in front of you. Focus on what you have already accomplished. I found that once I started thinking about how much I had to do, it slowed me down, made me nervous and kept me from doing all that I could do.

We are living in a complex called Jasonville Farms which is near Caledonia, Michigan. We only moved 2 miles but went from a 5 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom condo.

Our balcony is enclosed and gives us extra living space. We put an air mattress in there last weekend when Jen visited and it worked well. We call this space our Arizona room because it reminds us of the time we spend at Kristen's in Arizona last winter. Every day we sat on her balcony eating our lunch and playing cribbage. Our Arizona room won't have the warm temps or the blue sky every day but we can hope for that.

We have one large bedroom and one small one, two full bathrooms and a laundry room.
Our living room, dining room and kitchen are an open area and we fit our recliners, my Clavinova (piano) and the TV all into the space.

So far we are loving it here. The first time I vacuumed, I was amazed that I plugged in the vacuum in the hallway and didn't have to stop and move the cord. It reached the entire condo. Cleaning isn't a day long project.

Another perk is that our Grand Rapids Press is delivered to our doorstep. I don't have to go outside to get it. I especially like that on Saturday morning. I get my coffee and open the door and pick up the paper and sit down and enjoy. That's what I'm doing right now!

Everyone Gets New Toys

2009-11-06T05:44:00.004-07:00

This first picture was taken on our moving day. I looked out front and found Madelynn laying on the couch that was ready to leave. She was reading a book she had found and was enjoying herself there.This week has been one of special treats. We got Anna and Madelynn American Girl dolls. The plan was to go to Chicago and pick them out at the store but with the move this fall it became impossible to find a day to do that. We're still planning on a trip soon. So we ordered the dolls and they arrived Monday. It was very exciting.

The boys weren't as excited about the dolls as you can imagine so they have a special treat coming-yet to be decided upon.

Tom and I went up to the Soo over the weekend and returned with our new toy. A 5th wheel camper and a truck to pull it with. We're looking forward to many happy days traveling around with the 5th wheel. We haven't planned any trips yet but will be in the future.

We are newbies to the RV life, so if you have any hints or info, we'd love to hear about it.

Our Move is Complete

2009-10-24T14:21:00.006-07:00

Back in March when we decided to put our house on the market, I never thought we'd be to this point. However, yesterday was our closing and the new owner is moving in today. It was a group effort to get to us moved.

We worked hard to get the house ready for showing. Over the summer, we made many trips home from the Soo to keep the house ready for showing and open houses.

The timing on all the events since the first of September certainly show the Lord's leading. September and October have been so full that I know I'll forget much in the retelling.

When the offer came in on the house, we had no idea where we would be moving. But the Lord lead us each step of the way. We found a condo in Jasonville Farms in Caledonia to rent. The two bedroom condo keeps us near our friends and family here but the condo lifestyle allows us to travel and spend our summers away without worrying about the house.

Many people helped us the task of downsizing from a 5 bedroom house to a much smaller place. We had a huge garage sale to help in downsizing. Many thanks to Tom & Sherry for helping us get ready for the sale and then helping during the sale.

Tommy, Sherry, Eric, and Jack helped out with the move. Jack recruited his other grandfather, Al Hackney, to come an help on move day. Tommy's brothers-in-law also helped out as did Kirk and Sherri Mulder who are now our neighbors. Sherri packed up my entire kitchen and unpacked it at the condo. My kitchen has never been so organized. I promise to keep it that way!

During September I finished my contract with Grand Rapids Public Schools and started working with the Michigan Department of Education and the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators in training for an instructional coach position. But in early October, I was offered a half-time position at Hopkins Middle School as a literacy coach to lead a project to impact student achievement there. I'm loving my work there plus I'm still in training for the State position and may pick up some work later in the year.

We're slowing getting settled in our new home. Our phone is now hooked up and we have the same number. Here's our new address and we'd love to show off the new place so stop by soon.

8634 S. Jasonville Ct. SE

Caledonia, MI 49316

Cabin Close Up and Garage Sale

2009-10-12T03:40:00.003-07:00

The past few weeks have been unbelievably busy but we really feel God's leading in every step. We received an offer on our house that we accepted and things have been moving very fast since then. Our closing is scheduled for Oct. 23 with possession at close which means we have to be out by then.

We had a garage sale that was very successful. Here's our front yard full of stuff from the barn and it almost all sold. Tom's stuff was very popular. We used Craigslist and it worked very well. We are going to use Craigslist to sell the few remaining items.
Unfortunately, my side of the sale wasn't quite as successful but we did sell lots. The rest of the goodies will be donated to Goodwill or Mel Trotter.
This weekend we headed up to the Cabin with a load of furniture we want up there. The colors were beautiful on the way up and at the Soo. Sugar Island, which you see in the picture, was in full glory.
This was our last sight of Scenic Drive as we drove out for the last time this season.

We had hoped to spend the month of Oct. at the cabin for a leisurely fall but it didn't work out that way. Our close-up went well and the cabin is set for another winter without us. It did snow while we were there both Sat. and Sun. The flurries didn't last long but did last on the grass for a while. It was a sign to us that summer was over and it was time to move on.

We will be moving into a condo in Jasonville Farms in Caledonia this Saturday. It will be a big change for us but we are looking forward to this new phase in our life.

I also starting working at Hopkins Middle School as a literacy coach last week. This will be a 2 - 3 day a week position helping teachers implement strategies to improve the student achievement. I'm excited about this new opportunity. I will be meeting the teachers on Wednesday and getting to work right then.

Oh Where Have You Gone?

2009-09-30T03:28:00.005-07:00

Things have been going up-side down in our live lately.

But I'm beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. We're cheering about that!

I know I haven't been posting for the past few weeks because things have been crazy in my life. I'll give you a quick update.

My Job I work in schools as a consultant helping teachers improve their teaching. The current grant I work under expires on Sept. 30 (today) so I have been working every day this month. Not what a retired person wants to do! I'm looking forward to a day off tomorrow but this weekend we are having a garage sale-see next section to see why we are downsizing.

Our House Our house sold recently after having been for sale for months. I was worried that we were going to be homeless but we found a condo to rent down on Monday and will be moving into it the end of October. It should work well because we will be close to our gra

ndkids. We will be in Jasonville Farms at 8634 Jasonville Ct.

Our Family Last week my mother had some medical problems and came down to the hospital here for treatment. She had several issues which they were able to resolve with medication. We took her back home last Friday and got to spend the night at our beloved cabin.

Family Wedding Last weekend our niece, Elizabeth Stanley got married and all our children came home for the festivities. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

This is a tearful reunion when Jen meet the grandkids as they got off the bus last Thursday. Betsie's wedding was beautiful and a wonderful chance to see our loved ones.

We all went to Jay and Jack's games on Saturday. Jay is playing football and Jack loves playing soccer. We spent time just hanging out together at our house. That was great fun with something always going on.

A Day with the Grandkids and the Sault Triathlon

2009-08-30T11:21:00.004-07:00

Anna, our 6 year old grand-daughter, loves to take pictures and does a great job. She has a great eye and sets up the photo very carefully. She took this shot of Madelynn and I and I love it.

Last week we had the grandkids for an afternoon. Tommy & Sherry were very involved at their church with the funeral for Nick Roush, a young man from their church who was killed in Afghanistan. So we picked up the grandkids after they had spent the morning swimming with their cousins. We took them to Gun Lake and they played in the water and sand with some 'cousins' down there. So this is what it looked like in our van on the way back to their house. I'd say it was a successful day. We also took Tom's mom with us and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Yesterday was quite an exciting event here at the Soo. My sister, Kathy, organized a Sault Triathlon. We held it at a local township facility that had a covered picnic area. It was a rainy, windy and cold day as you can see from these pictures. It was only attended by Hoath family members or friends. No one else would have been interested.

The three events were pogo stick, stilts and hula hoop races. Here Tom is trying out the pogo stick; he chose not to race but was our official timekeeper.

Even my dad tried all the events. He is 81 years old now but doesn't act like it.

Dougie is encouraging my dad as he finishes the hula hoop race.

Susie, Kathy and Shawn (Kathy's son) were best on the pogo stick and stilts. Here Susie takes off on the stilts, setting a new record.

Our awards ceremonies.

Kathy, Susie and Shawn for the stilts

The same three-in different order-for the pogo sticks
I won the hula hoop race. Dougie and Shayla, Shawn's daughter's friend, also placed.
Our overall winners. I'll have to practice more to make that group.
After the games, we went out to lunch to celebrate our good time. Susie is in charge of the Sault Triathlon for next year. She gets to pick the events but I hope to hear what they are so I can practice. There are a lot of bragging rights with a win. If you're interested in participating, let us know. We welcome all entries!

We are in our last week here at the cabin because I'm working all of Sept. I actually have two jobs for Sept. One for Grand Rapids Public Schools and one for the State of Michigan. Both are for coaching in schools and they are for the same days. I don't know how I'm going to do that yet, but we will see. So we will be back in Caledonia for that time anyway. October hasn't been planned yet but may include a trip to North Carolina.

In the Sault for a While

2009-08-28T05:34:00.004-07:00

We are back at the Cabin for an end of summer time. This picture below was taken in 1954 here at the cabin. I'm on the left, my sister Kathy is in the high chair and my grandma, Ma Erickson is on the right. So you can see, I have quite a history at this place. My grandparents build the cabin around 1950-the same year I was born. It has been a family favorite spot since then.

The following pictures were taken earlier in August when Tom was hard at work on the septic system. He was able to repair the existing drain field and so we didn't have to install an entirely new system which we feared was going to happen.

The day started with Tom digging to open up the septic tank so we could get it cleaned out. What the problem was much worse than that.

Our neighbor, Paul, was an expert who guided us through the whole process.

Here the man delivering the sand weighs in on the project giving Tom his opinion on how to proceed. Tom sought lots of advice for both this summer and next when we may be doing more renovations.
Tom dug out this stump as long as he had the excavator which he rented for a day.

The project is all done now and we just have to replant the grass on the south yard.

We were in Caledonia for two weeks for several projects there but hope to be here through Labor Day.

More Pictures from MIS

2009-08-15T17:20:00.007-07:00

Here are some pictures from my trip to Michigan International Speedway today. This first one is a driver giving autographs before qualifying for the Nationwide race. I don't know who it is. Anyone able to identify him? He was very cordial and nice.

This is Justin Lofton, the driver I interviewed yesterday, walking with his publicist. Yes, he has a publicist for his first Nationwide race.

Here is the crew getting Justin's car up to the line for qualifying. He qualified well and ended up 16th in the race. Great finish for his first race in Nationwide.
I took a walk through the fan campgrounds. There are no words to describe what I saw. Just look at the pictures.

I had a hot pass which meant I had full access to the garages. This is Michael Waltrip's spot with his crew chief in the wheelchair.

You had to be really careful because the cars don't look out for you. Here Kevin Harvick and I got real close.

The next two pictures were taken from the roof of the tower which is by the grandstands. This first one is the souvenir sales and parking to the rear of the grandstands.

This is the track from the roof of the tower.

The reminder of the pictures were taken from the press box high above the stands. It is the best place ever to watch a race. You can see the whole track, it was air conditioned, they constantly kept bringing me sheets of data about what was happening, there were computer screens with data about every lap. I always knew every car's time on every lap plus there were refreshments available. Will I ever be able to watch a race at home again?

The fly-over was really neat.
This was my seat. Not too many press people went up to the press box.
This is looking into the TV studios where the race coverage was being done.

My First Day at Michigan International Speedway

2009-08-14T15:05:00.004-07:00

Today I attended the NASCAR race festivities at Michigan International Speedway which is south of Jackson. I was there representing InsiderRacingNews.com whom I write a weekly column for. There was no racing today-just press conferences, practice and Cup qualifying.

My pictures aren't in any particular order. It was a very warm day at the track and I spend most of today learning my way around the media center and the garages. The picture below is Mark Martin pulling out of his garage during practice.

Kasey Kahne's crew was changing his engine here.

I attended several press conferences. Here Tony Stewart is answering questions. Stewart is #1 in the points race and was very relaxed while answering questions. I also attended press conferences of Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman & Carl Edwards.

Here is the infield and the Media Center is the brown building straight ahead. Nothing fancy but worked well for a cool place to sit and collect my thoughts.

This is the Nationwide car of Justin Lofton. He is making his first start in Nationwide tomorrow. (Nationwide is a step lower than the Cup race). Justin is 23 years old and just a baby. I interviewed Justin in his hauler (vehicle they carry their carry in and also a kitchen and living room area.

Here are a couple of shots of where I was. This is looking back to the garage area. People everywhere.
This is the motorcoach area for the drivers and their teams.

This is the parking area where my van was. I was a ways out from the media center but I was parked in the infield.
I enjoyed my day, learned lots about getting around the garages (look out for cars!), saw a little of how media works at a race. No signs and no one tells you anything. But they do feed the media lunch which I really appreciated because I forgot to bring any money in from the van and I wasn't looking forward to a long walk back there to get money. I also appreciated the air-conditioned facilities for the press.

If there is anything you would like to see pictures of, put a comment here and I'll try and take those pics tomorrow. It was an overwhelming experience and I was constantly bombarded with noise and people.

Our Kids & Grandkids Visits

2009-08-08T12:57:00.007-07:00

We did so many fun things when our kids and grandkids were here this summer. Tom and Sherry and the kids left last Monday and I've had time to rest up from all the fun times. Here's a few pictures of our activities.

Cupcakes are my new hobby and I got the new Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. Jay wanted to try the peanut butter and jelly cupcakes so we made them together. They were very tasty and a hit with the family.

Our neighbor offered us the use of their paddle boat so it took quite a group to get it down to the water. It was fun but it was a little hard to paddle so the adults had to do it. Sherry got quite a workout.One evening we went to my parent's for dinner. My mother's gardens are lovely. I don't know how she gets such good results but I know she must have a secret ingredient.

As always, Mom cooked a fantastic meal and that included ice cream pies which we all loved.

The kids all got money from Grandpa for helping with the work around the cabin and especially the project to take metal to the scrap dealer. So we made a trip to the new Super Walmart in the Soo. That was quite a chore to spend the $10 that each of them got.

Tommy's birthday was celebrated at his favorite UP restaurant. Wilcox's is famous for their whitefish which they catch daily right out front in Lake Superior. There were 16 of us. Our family, my parents, Sherry's parents and sister, Karolyn, and her family. Wilcox's had a new perk this year-free dinner on your birthday. We go there every summer when Tommy visits. Bonnie and I ate there on our cross-UP trip in June.

After dinner, we all went back to the cabin for a bonfire and fireworks.

The kids love to do crafts and worked right up to the minute they left. Here they are working while their parents were packing the van. They are very creative kids and used materials I had in my recycle bin as well as a box of beads, ribbons, buttons and other craft supplies my sister sent over.
The day before they left, we made a trip to the Locks to watch the boats. Anna got tired and wanted her dad to carry her. He told her to keep walking (she has so much energy). She went running past me up to where Grandpa was walking. I heard her say, "Easy peasy" and then she asked Grandpa to carry her. He quickly picked her up and she looked back at me with a very satisfied look on her face. She has Grandpa right where she wants him-wrapped around her finger.

Madelynn and I were reading the various exhibits in the Locks Park. This is the propeller from the first steam ship on the river-the Independence. There is so much remarkable history that has taken place in this area.