Christmas Past

Christmas Past

By Sharon Brunner 

Music emanating softly

on a late snowy eve.

Scented candles glowing brightly,

dear souls from Christmas past,

dig through the deep soot. 

Lush loofa sponges peak,

at the ruddy gays.

Sameness, rears its ugly head,

said elves preparing their gear,

on ratted rugs strewn randomly. 

Were we suppose to bring gifts?

Puzzled looks cross rosy faces.

A squeal sears through the air,

a sleigh and eight reindeer,

St. Nicolas brings great blessings.

 Note:  This poem was written due to a writing challenge.  Word Up was played and the words below are what we, meaning my spouse, stepdaughter and I, came up with.  I presented these words to the Creative Endeavors group. to challenge them to come up with a poem or short story.  Are you up to the challenge?  

Words:

Deep                     peak

Lush                       gays

Sear                       dig

Said                        dear

Snow                     rat

Rug                        same

Soot                       scent

Rear                       Eve

Were                     music

Loofa

 

The Joy of Pets

Many people in this country have either a cat or a dog as pets, or both.  These pets bring a lot of joy to many households.   In our household, we are guardians to six cats and two dogs.  They all want our attention and all need to be cared for.  Pets need more than making sure they are fed and their areas in which they live are maintained.  They need to be reminded often how much you care about them.  These pets need to be petted, held if small enough to be held, and nurtured.  Cats as well as dogs love it when you talk sweet to them.  Watch a cat and how that cat responds to being talked to nicely.   They will roll around and be really cute.  We say hi to our cats and say their names when they enter a room and they say hi back to us.  It is really cute.

A multitude of pet guardians find meaning in their lives by volunteering to help those who need them including animals without homes.   Pets have been known to provide a whole host of benefits for their guardians.  For example, owning and caring for pets have helped people who are struggling with high blood pressure in lots of ways from getting more exercise by walking their dogs to playing with their animals.  Spending time with animals can help people feel less depressed and it opens them up to be more involved with other people.  In our community we have a dog park.  People meet other people at this dog park because of a common interest, their dogs. 

Pets have been used to help those who have a medical condition or who have been in an accident.  Doctors refer to this as animal assisted therapy.  Dogs have been known to detect illnesses in people before they knew they had an illness.  Cats have been known to lie next to a person who was terminally ill to bring that person joy before walking to the other side. These cats act as if they are serving a purpose of providing comfort. It has been discovered that children who grow up in homes with cats and dogs have fewer allergies and skin conditions such as eczema.  Having a dog or a cat helps children stay healthier, with fewer colds and stomach problems.

Children who have pets in the home also learn responsibility.  Chores such as feeding, walking and cleaning up after a pet help children understand what taking care of someone besides themselves is like.  It is also responsible to care for ourselves as much as we care for our pets and we can do so by:

1.        Wash your hands after each time you feed or pet your animals.

2.       As cold winter weather approaches, remember to keep you and your pets warm.

3.       Make sure you pets see a veterinarian regularly.

4.       Research the type of plants you have and make sure they are safe for your pets.

5.       Approach a pet you don’t know carefully.

We love our pets and they give us love in return.  Rescue an animal from your local animal shelter and give this cat or dog a good home, you will not regret this decision.  We haven’t.  When I was volunteering at our local animal shelter, another volunteer said they know you are here when I walked into a room with a lot of cats in cages.  My response was “trust me, they do more for me than I can ever do for them.” He smiled and said he knew what I meant.  At the very least, go and walk dogs at your local animal shelter or talk and pet a cat.  They would love to get attention from you. 

Genealogy 101

On November 7, 2012 I attended a session provided by the Lake Superior Elders at Lake Superior State University.  Steve Gordon gave the presentation.

He said these were mistakes to avoid:

1.        Don’t put off talking to relatives.

2.       Don’t forget to document what you learn from relatives and others about your own history.

3.       Don’t assume that everything you find is true.

4.       Don’t accept family legends without question.  However, keep these stories.

5.       Don’t limit yourself to current spelling of surnames.

6.       Beware of generic family history

7.       Don’t misspell the word genealogy.

Where to start you genealogy search:

1.       Start with yourself and go down the line from your parents to your grandparents, etc.

2.       Go to these sites:

http://www.mymcpl.org/genealogy/family-history-forms

http://www.familytreemagazine.com/FREEFORMS

http://www.chippewacountymi.gov/clerk/html

3.       Check out your local libraries.

The Bayliss library in Sault Ste. Marie (the Bayliss library pays for the Heritage Quest for member to use)

4.       Search Census Information

5.       Michigan State Archives

6.       Register of Deeds

7.       University Libraries

8.       Transcription Project – www.stevemorse.org

9.       http://www.1940census.net (the 1940 census is now available to the public)

10.   The Ontario Genealogical Society at http://www.orgs.org

11.   Use forms such as the Pedigree Chart and Family Group Sheet located from the site mentioned above.

12.   When you are doing your search ask for vital records such as birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses.

13.   The Social Security Death Index is another place to do your search.

14.   Be aware of name changes, when your relatives went through Ellis Island, names were changed.

This was a very informative presentation and I think I will explore the 1940 census data information. Have you completed a family tree yet?

 

 

Stereotypes

I attended a presentation put on by Northern Michigan University entitled Community Partnering: Collaborative Strategies for Family-Centered Services to Children.  I was interested in this topic and I need to earn continuing education units to maintain my social work license.  Patti Beekman, the presenter, came with a great background from having books published on similar topics to managing child welfare services in Ohio for many years.  I found the presenter to be very informative and I enjoyed her approach to providing the attendees with a wide array of information. 

We addressed the strengths and challenges of child protection services in the Upper Peninsula for the first part of the day, then we covered strategies to strengthen the services continuum, very interesting. Ms. Beekman provided information about why collaborations succeed which included: shared values and missions; procedures for collaboration are clearly delineated; shared trust and respect; commitment; and cross training.  I am going to seek grants from federal and state resources and I found a lot of the information presented during the workshops to be very useful for my future endeavors.

 After a wonderful lunch was provided by the university, the workshops were resumed and we were provided information about Strengths Based, Family Centered Services to Protect Families and Preserve Families.  The presenter did a good job at establishing interaction between all the attendees to keep things interesting. During this presentation we were asked to meet in small groups and discuss stereotypes.  We were given a list of characters and small groups were requested to put down the first thing that came to mind. The first one was homeless people and our group came up with lazy, scary, mental health issues, and dirty. Another one was a single mother with lots of kids and the first thing that was said was slut (we were all women at our table), indecisive, and greedy were other terms we came up with. When a single father was discussed these words came to mind: wuss, doormat, and then widower.  Gay people were on this list and we used these words because we didn’t seem to have an issue with them: good dressers and good shoppers.

And then we discussed absent fathers, and fathers who don’t pay child support: selfish was the main theme for these topics and some of the people at our table did not have anything nice to say about foster parents.  I found that discouraging and disheartening.  I feel that they are a god send; but others thought they were just in it for the money.  The last topic was white women which threw everybody for a loop.  White women have stereotypes. In fact when we came to that topic we asked the participants at another table what they were saying about that area.  They were stumped also.  Then the adjectives started flowing: controlling; shoppers; gold diggers; snobs; etc.  Why do you think the presenter put white women as the last topic? I found that very interesting and thought provoking.  This was a great exercise and proved a lot about the stereotypes that we have all been exposed to. 

One of the women at our table stated that she finds it amazing that she turned out as good as she did.  She was raised by a mother who was a drug addict.  Her and her siblings had free rein.  They had to cook for themselves and look out for each other.  She said her mother slept with all her father's friends and she learned from her mother how to steal from her grandmother and shoplift.  This woman is currently a protective services worker.  I have to hand it to her that she did  turn out quite well considering.

The presenter covered information about the impact of trauma on children of various ages.  Ms. Beekman stated that she would send me the slides to this presentation.  She had to go over this quickly because there was a lot to cover.  It was very interesting and is definitely associated with my research.

One of the last activities we were involved in consisted of us picking a side that was invoked when we read a scenario.  We either had to dislike or disagree with the topic.  One of the questions was: Abuse and Neglect are less emotionally traumatizing to a child than separation from his or her family and placement in foster care.  What side would you take?

I am very glad that I chose to take these workshops.  It was well worth my time, money, and driving in very snowy conditions.  I look forward to driving to Marquette, MI next Thursday to attend the presentations on Pain Management and Ethics given by Northern Michigan University.  I also look forward to eating at Red Lobster and doing more shopping.  I think the weather is going to be better.  Keep your fingers crossed for me. 

The Rituals of Our Lives

Robert Fulfhum summed it up so well in his book entitled “From Beginning to End: The Rituals of Our Lives” when he described some of the dilemmas we encounter. Some of the dilemmas may include facing various barriers concerning our own productivity. I have faced a road block with the writing of my second book.  He stated in this book that is you are facing a barrier with accomplishing specific goals to stop what you are doing and organize a drawer. I was having difficulty locating resources amongst the extensive amount of materials I managed to collect throughout the years.  I believe that people with similar interests would drool if they viewed my entire collection.  Sometimes I wish I could be cloned into five of me so I could read all my books, write, participate in all the other things I enjoy doing, and get what I need to get accomplished, done.  You get the point.  I think a lot of women feel the way I do, especially the women who are creative, intelligent and ambitious. 

So as a result of the road block I was facing, I took on the very tedious task of moving all of the resources I used to complete my first book to a set of book shelves in another part of our home.  These resources were being stored primarily on a large set of book shelves and a hutch in a haphazard manner in the dining room area of our home.  I wanted to move the resources to my office in the basement.  I felt that I needed to organize these resources in a specific order depending on the topic such as all resources pertaining to historical information associated with Native Americans, self help books and books relating to religious and spiritual information.  What a daunting task to say the least. 

While conducting research for my second book, I came across a book that was associated with simplifying your life.  So to make this intimidating task even more difficult I also went through all my books, papers from college, etc. to get rid of what I considered unnecessary clutter. I have at least 12 sets of book shelves loaded with resources and books.  I am a self-proclaimed bibliophile, a very committed one.  I absolutely love the written word.  I love writing and reading it.  So I begin my journey with this difficult but hopefully satisfying venture.  I told my husband that if he didn’t see me in a couple of days to come looking for me. 

While I was going through all my resources in my office and dining room area, I discovered a whole host of treasures; but at the same time I managed to get rid of two stacks of books that were at least a couple feet tall each.  I also achieved getting rid of a stack of paperwork at least four feet high.  I was so happy with myself and feel as if I can get past my road block.  I am over half way done with the second book, with the writing of it that is.  I still have a couple of other daunting tasks to complete.  Don’t tell my husband; but he is going to be involved in these endeavors also; but I am on my way to feeling more content with how things are organized. I feel as if I can finish writing my second book and tackle so much more.  Clutter and disorganization can deter anyone from completing their goals. 

Keeping Submarines Quiet

I had the good fortune of attending a Lake Superior Elders presentation given by Dr. David Baumann covering naval warfare.  He’s a professor at Lake Superior State University.  This topic was extremely interesting and the presentation was informative.  I was given a lot food for thought.  Dr. Baumann started the presentation with discussing the 50 anniversary of the Cold War between the U.S. and Russia.  The following questions were answered:

1.        What is sound?  Sound is referred to as a series of compressions and rare factions which are air particles moving through the air at approximately 345 meters per second, several football fields. Sounds are either in high pressure or low pressure areas and it is amazing according to Dr. Baumann that pressure is very small. 

2.       What is noise cancellation? This is adding “Anti-Noise” which can actually make sounds worse in other areas.  If there is no vibration, there is no sound.  The goal is to get rid of the vibration.  There was a picture shown of two amplifiers one emanating one sound and the other emanating an opposite sound. That concept was a little confusing to me.  What is an example of an opposite sound?

3.       What is sound in water?  Sound travels faster in water at 1500 meters per second.  The greater the pressure the deeper you are in the ocean.  When we were singing songs on the beach while camping, people who we could barely see in a fishing boat told us that we sounded good.  Does sound travel over water faster also?

4.       How do submarines make noise?  There is machinery noise from pumps, reduction gears, and power plants.  There is a flow noise, higher speeds cause more noise.  Cavitation noise is referred to as the sound caused by air bubbles made by the propellers.  Having an uneven number of propellers creates less sound, 3, 5 and 7 are the common number of propeller blades that are used.  They don’t use 4, 6, or 8 blades.  Every submarine has a “signature.”  By listening to the engine moving and timing the seconds a submarine creates a noise the navy can determine what submarine it is.  The formula is if the engine is moving: 5x’s/ seconds at 5 perks.  I think I got that right when I was taking notes.  The process involves locating submarines and learning what their vulnerabilities are.

5.       How are submarines detected? According to Dr. Baumann, sound is referred to as SONAR by the navy or Sound Navigation Ranging which involves just listening with hydrophones. Sound is bouncing sound signals off the ocean floor to scan the ocean floor and then they can find what direction another submarine is in.  A description was shown of sound waves being sent directly to the ocean floor in a diagonal pattern and then bouncing off the ocean floor and deflecting against another submarine under the surface of the ocean. 

6.       How do we keep submarines quiet? This is top secret.  All submarines contain nuclear weapons. Congress is speculating why it is so important to keep so much secret from Russia, there isn’t a Soviet Union anymore.  There are better ways in which to spend $2 Billion.  The U.S. has more countries after us than Russia does.  There was a discussion about the SOFAR channel which also involved a waveguide. A channel in which Russia had to travel to get to the U.S. had a tracking system set up in various locations to detect where Russian submarines were.  Russia figured where these locations were.  SOSUS, which was referred to as Sound Surveillance System, was used to detect submarines.  This program was started in the early 1960s and was put into place to monitor Soviet attack submarines.  Now this system is used for research and is used to monitor whales. The scientists discovered using this system the mating calls of whales.  The system was declassified so the knowledge of this system is open to the public. 

The presentation was ended by discussing a recent incident involving a Soviet Submarine and how the crew parished on the submarine because they couldn’t be rescued.  The location of the submarine could not be given away. 

 

The Unrest in Syria

Anybody who knows me, knows I like to get to the bottom of things and that’s just what I did when I met with Mr. X.  During a meeting with Mr. X and my husband, Don, this past week, I learned about what is going on in Syria from marriage customs to political unrest. Mr. X works in this country; however his home is in Syria.  His mother died a few years ago.  His father is still living and he calls his father every day when he is working in the U.S.  Family is very important to him.  Other topics also carry a lot of significance for him.

Mr. X brought up those living in poverty.  His mother was a nurse and his father was a physician.  They did not have to be concerned about money growing up and he didn’t have to work until he was in his late 20s. According to Mr. X, college courses are free in Syria.  Unlike what we have to be concerned about in this country, college costs are through the roof.  You either have to be poor and rely on Pell grants or you have to sell your soul to the student loan companies.  Most families cannot afford to pay for their children’s college expenses without making serious sacrifices.  Why does it cost so much to get an education?  Someone is benefitting and it is not the general population.

Let’s get back to Syria.  Mr. X’s family employs a housekeeper and she is only paid $4.00 a day for her services.  Mr. X was wondering why she is not being paid at least $30. a day, an amount she needs in order to cover all her expenses and not live like a pig.  He referred to people living in abject poverty as living like pigs.  He has complained to his father; but he also made mention that he also likes that his family lives comfortably. Don mentioned that there has always been poor people and those with great wealth.  Mr. X responded by saying, “why can’t it be more equitable.”  

According to a source entitled “Factsheet: Political Unrest in Syria, 2011,” the country faces economic anguish and drought induced food shortages and poverty.  There have been five consecutive famines which have caused 800,000 Syrians into deep poverty.  32% of Syrians are living on approximately $2.00 a day. This is driving a multitude into the cities.  The draughts have caused food prices to soar. 

Some of Mr. X’s nephews are sneaking around and giving donations to the poor families.  His nephews meet with these families and ask what the family needs.  The families provide shopping lists and the nephews purchase the supplies listed on these lists for the families. They have to do these good deeds in private otherwise there can be harsh punishments. These families don’t make enough to survive and it is against the law to help them.

According to Wikipedia, the country has an autocratic form of governance and Bashar Hafez al-Assad is the current president of Syria.  He succeeded his father’s reign in office after his father’s death.  Bashar is unlike his siblings, he dislikes politics.  His older brother died in a car crash so Bashar was next in line for the presidency according to the selection process.  The selection process sounds a little suspect to me. 

I wonder sometimes what is worse, being in a country that makes reference to being a democracy when 1% of the country decides what we watch on television concerning the news, etc. and have the majority of the resources.  Only the rich can afford to run for office and on top of things the candidates are given a huge amount of support in the name of campaign contributions.  You can’t tell me that there aren’t strings attached to this financial support.  I read an article a couple of years ago that referred to the Democratic and Republican parties as the Microsoft Word and AT&T parties. 

Our country is supporting Egypt’s reign of terror as a way of buying an ally.  This was another topic of conversation.  I will have to explore this further. However, it is food for thought.

The political unrest that started January 2011 was related to civil rights.  According to the factsheet, there have been approximately 60 Syrian security agents killed during the protests, but most protestors were unarmed.  Initially the protestors wanted political reform; however, they also wanted to end the 47 year state of emergency and to address anti-corruption issues.  After the government’s concentrated effort in late April of 2011, some of the protestors were asking for Bashar’s resignation and to put some of the regime’s figure heads on trial for corruption.  On the positive note, on February 27, 2012 Syria claimed a referendum on a revision to the nation’s constitution that received 90% support.  The referendum included a 14 year cumulative term limit for the president of Syria.  However, July 2012 can be memorable as a the time in which the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Cresent had officially declared Syria to be in a state of civil war as the nationwide death toll for all sides was reported to have almost reached 20,000. 

Things seem pretty grim concerning the state of unrest in Syria.  The country has been at this state of unrest since the 1960s and has been considered in a state of emergency since then.  Many of this country’s inhabitants are residing in poverty which in and of itself can create a war zone.  On top of the instability of the economic structure, there is a form of government that seems to leave little to be desired.  However, I do believe that for the most part we are awarded more safety and financial security in this country; but at the same time there are some similarities to what we are subjected to if we look close enough. 

Soo Eagles Hockey Team

On October 10, 2012, I attended a Lake Superior Elders’ presentation given by three members of the Soo Eagles Hockey Team.  They introduced themselves and stated that they were from Howell, MI; Toledo, OH; and Chicago, IL.  They ended up in Sault Ste. Marie for the sole purpose of playing for a Junior League Hockey team.  They have aspirations of playing hockey for universities and possibly move onto professional hockey leagues.  Two of the players are also college bound with plans on pursuing careers in physical therapy and television and/or radio broadcasting.  They said taking the two years off from attending college from the time they were 18 until they turned 20 helped prepare them for college.  They know what they want to do and they didn’t waste two years of college partying. The youngest of the three wants to play hockey at this point and works nights at Taco Bell to pay for staying at his host home in the Sault Ste. Marie which costs $350. per month.

His parents stated that when he turned 18, he was responsible for his expenses. His parents did make major sacrifices the previous year and spent approximately $22,000. to cover travel and other hockey expenses so that he could play for the junior hockey league.

They explained that they are superstitious and dress the same way when they prepare for practicing and playing games.  The youngest reported that they rely on luck so they prepare for each game and practice by practicing specific rituals and this was demonstrated. He put on his gear in the order in which he does every time.  First of all he donned hischin guards after the chin guards he put on his pants, then he put on his shoulder, chest and back pads, and then his elbow pads.  His shirt, gloves and helmet were next.  He puts on his left chin pad, left glove and left elbow pad first.  He has always dressed that way.  I found it interesting that they are superstitious and rely on luck and not their skill.  They must be very skilled at playing hockey since all three played hockey since they were young boys attending elementary school.

One of elders asked if they got hurt and one replied that he had to have a metal plate put in his cheek and another reported that he broke his wrist a couple of times. 

The team has sponsors who pay for their jerseys, pucks, ice time, sticks, etc.  The parents usually pay for their skates which can cost approximately $900.  Since they come from all over the United States to play hockey, their parents can watch them play on-line for $8.  The website is sooeagles.net.  You can also listen to the games on the channel 1400 radio station. 

Another interesting point they told us about is that it is not recommended that they play high school hockey because this level is not enough of a challenge for them.  So in high school they move away from home to play junior hockey.  They said it makes them grow up faster because they are away from their parents and living with other families.  There are five high school students playing for the Soo Eagles.

The three young men demonstrated that they are very proud of what they do, playing hockey for the Soo Eagles and they love playing hockey, absolutely love it.  They appeared to be nice and enjoyed providing the elders with this presentation.  They welcomed all questions and addressed the group with genuine sincerity.  I look forward to watching them play on Friday night.

 

 

Releasing Ceremony

One of my fears is running out of gas in a lonely place and having to walk for miles to the nearest gas station, alone on a deserted road.  I threw an oily rag in the trash after checking the oil when I gassed up on my way to the mountain.  My dad use to say to me when I first started driving to always have a full tank of gas.  I was anticipating my trip to the river near Search Mont in Canada.

The rays of sun cascaded through the tall pine trees onto the smooth rock surfaces.  I stared at the river as I planned to rid myself of many of the problems that arose during the past year.  One of my fall rituals involve a releasing ceremony.  My list wasn’t as long as it was the year before.  It has been a great year with many happy memories. I grasped the rail as I recited all the things I wanted to release to the power of the river.  Water is very powerful. The mountain air was crisp and refreshing.  I looked far into the distance at a large spruce tree, swaying majestically in the wind.  This was the only spruce tree I could see surrounded by tall red pine trees.  I thought that unusual.

My feet were planted firmly on the rocky soil as I stared with awe at my own face in the water.  I looked ten years younger.  I usually look younger when I perform this ritual.  I feel as if there was a ton of weight released from my shoulders. 

I drank pure mountain river water from my canteen.  To the rear of me I heard rustling.  I saw a rabbit hopping off when I looked towards the sound.  My husband Don decided to let me go to the river by myself this year with good reason.  We discussed our year together and decided to renegotiate our marriage contract.  We have been together for almost two decades.  It’s amazing that we are more in love than ever before.  Don wanted to hold his own private ritual to give thanks for our relationship and all the other blessings in our lives.  I am often reminded that I am an us on so many occasions.

Dusk was quickly approaching, the time was six o’clock and I decided to go back to my car and head for home. I have to get back to my family and friends and join the real world soon.  I took a couple of weeks off to gather my thoughts about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.  I just finished writing my first book and started working on my second manuscript.  I was trying to decide if I should take a break from writing and explore the world of grants and proposals to seek financial support for my ventures. I am marketing the first book and writing the second. I teach a class at a local college to earn some spending money and I volunteer at a local animal shelter. What can I say, I love animals of all shapes and sizes. Spending time with them is one way I fill my tank. These last two weeks have been a blessing. Sometimes I need to take a break from all of life’s choices. 

Note:  A challenge to all writers to play a Scrabble game or an Upwords gams with friends and family and the words you come up with use in a short story or poem.  The words in bold print were the words I came up with in a Scrabble game.  It's fun.  See what you can come up with, I dare you.

 

My Adventures at Boyne Mountain

I was off to Boyne Mountain for a fun time with family, shopping, and a writing retreat on Friday, Sept. 28, 2012.  It was a nice day, warmer than usual.  My sister, Shelley, was joining me for some fun at the mountain.  We checked in and went into Boyne City for dinner.  I decided to take Shelley to a restaurant that was a part of an old movie theater. The owners did some major renovations. My daughter and I love the bathrooms at this restaurant.  You will have to check out this restaurant.  It appears that all the staff love their jobs at this restaurant, you can tell.  I mowed our grass at home and walked my mom’s dog so I was famished.  I went to the right spot.  The restaurant’s name is now “The Thirsty Goat,” which is humorous because my sister raises goats.  The restaurant has had several names over the past few years.  The food is elegantly served and delicious. I had the perch dinner which I highly recommend.

I was contacted by one of the owners, her name is Robin, from the Freshwater Studio and she requested that I drop off more books to sell in their store so since we were parked in front of the store I thought I would have Shelley tag along while I drop off the books.  Another owner of the Freshwater Studio store is Tony, he was busy meeting with people concerning the purchase of a guitar for his daughter.  Both owners are husband and wife and they are both musicians.  My husband and I have listened to Robin perform and I have purchased several of her CD’s.  Tony wasn’t sure what to do concerning my books; but my sister asked if he would like for her to do a feature article in the Gaylord News covering their store. Tony asked if she could do a write up on the concert series they provide to the community at Freshwater Studio.

Shelley overheard the discussions about guitars and added that her husband has a 1963 Gibson Guitar that’s not for sale.  While walking around the store, Shelley spied a large base and inquired about the base.  It has been a dream of Shelley’s to play the base.  She stood up the base and began plucking the strings.  There was a conversation about bases and Shelley told him about the wash tub base that her and her husband play.  To my surprise, Tony told her that wash tub bases are more difficult to play because it is more difficult to find an A for example and he demonstrated how to play an A chord on the base. I was a little surprised to find out that the base was for sale for $1800.  Whew!! It is a beautiful instrument.  Shelley and Tony discussed the article again and Tony gave her two tickets for next week’s Ragbirds concert so she could conduct her research for the article. Before we left the Freshwater Studio, Tony yelled out to Shelley,”Bring in the Gibson.” She laughed.

We proceeded to the coffee shop/book store to partake in delicious coffee, Shelley had an almond joy flavored coffee and I had my usual with pumpkin pie spice, yum.  We reviewed some of the books and Shelley enjoyed looking at the magnets and greeting cards. 

I brought Shelley to the Inspired Living Store and had her sign up to get discounts and gift certificates on her birthday.  I love the smells of the candles and incense; however my sister is allergic to a lot of these fragrances.  I bought my favorite tea and another item and we were off to go to the wine store so I could use my birthday coupon.  I purchased Asiago cheese, which I love, and I also a package of water processed decaf coffee.  The water processed coffee is one of the best coffees to drink, the process for preparing this coffee is pure and natural, water is used. 

We headed back to the condo to unpack and then we took a leisurely walk over to the outdoor hot tub.  At one point, this hot tub was the largest outdoor hot tub in Michigan; but I think Boyne Highlands has a bigger one now.  There were people of all ages hanging out in the heated pool and the hot tub.  It was a nice evening and the water was just right.  We looked up at the stars, the sky was clear.  It was such a nice night.  We walked back to the condo, snacked and talked and finally went to sleep. 

Like all adult women we usually end up talking about the frustrating things our mothers do and talk about other family members.  My daughters talk about me a lot too.  Why is that?  I would like to meet the perfect mother and see what I am missing if there is such a thing. 

Shelley departed around lunch time the next day after being fed a large breakfast complete with cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, oranges, fried potatoes with onions, and cranberry juice.  I was full until dinner time and so was my sister she reported during a later phone conversation.  I hung out at the condo, walked to the outdoor hot tub and then worked on my second book.  I can see that I am making real progress with that book.

The next day, the plan was to meet with my youngest daughter, Mandy, and her fiancée, Darren, at Sam’s club.  Darren has a membership to Sam’s club.  When I was on Airport Drive, I looked behind me and there was Darren and Mandy right behind.  You know how busy Traverse City is, the chances of that happening is almost nil.  I laughed.  When I arrived at Sam’s Club, I discovered that my oldest daughter, Erica, was behind their car, our three silver gray cars were traveling together. How weird is that?

My goal was to purchase Nathan hot dogs; but to my chagrin there were no cases available for purchase.  I was a little disappointed; but have a plan to pick up some hot dogs when I am in Traverse City for my daughter’s wedding in a couple of weeks.  After Sam’s club I did some major shopping and then I headed back to Boyne.  I was elated when I found shoes to wear at my daughter’s wedding and I didn’t pay an arm and a leg.  Yes!!!

The next day, I had a plan of climbing Avalanche Mountain, and I did it.  I climbed the 400 plus steps to the top and viewed beautiful scenery that included Lake Charlevoix and the valley below. The fall colors were in full bloom.  One woman pointed to the other side of the lake where the town of Charlevoix is.  I met several wonderful people while on my hike, most were walking their dogs up and down the mountain.  I highly suggest climbing the mountain and taking in the wonderful view from on top of the mountain.

An older man explained the game of Frisbee golf to me.  There are 18 metal contraptions that are located in various locations on the mountain.  Chains on these apparatus’ catch the Frisbees.  Green posts mark where the players are to stand when they throw their Frisbees towards the targets.  They have to throw the Frisbees from 150 to almost 300 feet from the target. Trees and corners serve as barriers.  It looks almost impossible to hit the targets.  I observed a young man trying to hit the target and he wasn’t standing near one of the starting points, he tried to hit the target while standing on a path directly in front of the target.  I observed two young men and a young woman who were throwing a Frisbee from an appointed location and they almost made it to the target, amazing. 

While on my walk, I observed a blue jay and a lot of Savannah Sparrows. I have seen a lot of Savannah Sparrows this year. The ground was covered with fallen leaves.  The sun was beaming down through the trees.  I thoroughly enjoyed this hike and was very proud of myself for climbing the mountain.  I plan on visiting the indoor hot tub early this evening and then I will head back to my wonderful husband and a house full of pets the following day. I may stop by and visit with a friend who adopted four cats from the Chippewa County Animal Shelter.  I have food for the cats. What a perfect way to end my visit to Boyne Mountain. 

 

The Lowdown Hoedown

Gertrude winked at Harry from across the hall.  She was enamored by him and wished he felt the same way about her.  Harry was sporting a coon hat with a long tail.  An end of a leek was protruding from his full lips. 

The clock struck 8:00 o’clock and the tables were moved from the dance area after the pie eating contest. It was one hour before the dancing began. Gertrude’s sister Hannah took first place again much to some of the fellas’ chagrin.  Gertrude could still taste the sourness from the cherry pies she ingested. Her front tooth was stained from the blueberry pie she ate quite often, blueberry was her favorite. She knows they serve cherry pie for the contest because it not one of the favorites of the contestants.  The berries were not sitting too well with the contestants and you could hear toots as they walked across the floor.  The air was made fug by the odorous smells in the barn.  The air smelled of horses and their manure mixed in with the rank smell of damp hay.  Most folks from around these parts took those smells as a way of life and nature’s perfume. The dance hall was actually Bernie’s horse barn.  Bernie moved the horses outside to the corral and swept the main floor to prepare for the night’s hoedown

Fishing rods were lined up on one of the walls of the dancing hall.  Trapper reeled in the biggest catfish that morning and won the fishing contest. Poor Jethro lost his fishing pole when his fish hook got snagged on a log in the river. 

A tub was placed in the center of the room that contained water and apples for the apple diving expedition.  Gertrude nudged her sister Maybelle in the ribs and said, “let’s show up those other gals over there and get the most apples this year.” Maybelle and Gertrude squatted on the floor on two sides of the tub and started diving for apples. Maybelle being as competitive as her sister said, “I got to get me as many of those darn apples as I can get.”  Jeers were emanating from the audience.

Just then Sally Joe walked through the door, one of Maybelle’s arch enemies.  She was standing with her feet shoulder width apart and her hands on her hips.  She reached for something out of the pocket of her patchwork skirt.  Maybelle tensed up and stood to face her opponent.  Sally Joe pulled a quail feather pen out of her pocket with a piece of paper. 

“You know the pen is mightier than the sword. I am going to run you out of town on a rail Maybelle,”said Sally Joe as she pointed her nubby finger at Maybelle.  Sally Joe’s finger got caught in one of the gears of her tractor last year during harvest time. 

Maybelle was thrown off balance by the force of Sally Joe’s voice.  Sally Joe challenged Maybelle to a game of tic tac toe.  Maybelle was trembling as she drew the first x.  She always went for the center; but that was not a sure way to win the game.  Sally Joe was known around these parts to be the best tic tac toe player in the county.  A bead of sweat was rolling down Maybelle’s face. Sally Joe drew a circle on one of the corners.  Before Maybelle realized what Sally Joe’s strategy was, Sally Joe had a circle on two corners.  Maybelle lost the game and walked with a slouch to one of the corners of the dance hall.

Sally Joe turned towards Gertrude and Gertrude shrunk away from her.  Putting a hand up signaling that she did not want to play a part in trying to beat Sally Joe.  Sally Joe smiled smugly and walked over to Harry.  She put her arm around Harry.  He smiled like the cat who swallowed the canary.  He began to pick his teeth with the tine of a fork. 

“There’s no ifs, ands, or buts Sally Joe, you are the best tic tac toe player in the county,” said Harry proudly. 

Dusk was falling on this warm sunny night.  Children were still playing tag outside.  The children looked up at the sky marveling at the full moon. Two loons swam past the onlookers as they were gazing at the moon.

The soup was simmering in a large kettle.  Mary Sue put the lid back on the pot after she stirred in some spices. 

“Do you mind if I have a cup of that soup?  I haven’t eaten since noon,” said Billy when he opened the lid to smell the savory aroma of the soup.

“Yes, go right ahead,” replied Mary Sue as she handed him a metal cup.

“Mum told me that there was hail the other day when Uncle Willy set sail to fill their freezer for winter.  He was going to bring home a mess of catfish,” exclaimed Billy.

“When I got the mail the other day, my second cousin Henrietta told me they were hit with a bout of hail two weeks ago.”

Mary Sue added some soy sauce to the soup.  Her mum told her that soy sauce gives things just the right amount of kick. 

“Sprinkle some of that magic sauce on my cup of soup, will ya,” demanded Billy.

“Did you hear those bears rummaging through our garbage last night?” asked Mary Sue.

“Yes, I did.  I paid old man McCoy $5.00 for this bear repellant stuff and it didn’t work.  I am going to bring that tube back to McCoy’s store and demand my money back.”

“I swear on the holy grail that I covered my garbage cans with bricks and when I woke up the bricks were gone,” said Mary Sue with a look of frustration. 

While Mary Sue and Billy were having this conversation, Gertrude stared at who she thought was her soul mate from across the room.  She thought to herself, I am so mad at that con artist Sally Joe.  She has been after my man for months now.  If I had a ton of bricks right now I would set them up so they would fall on her and get rid of her once and for all.  Gertrude dotted her face with a handkerchief as her mood became more and more pied.

Jethro began playing the fiddle while Henry played the washtub base.  People started tapping their feet to the music. 

Gertrude worked up her courage, walked over to Harry, took him by the hand and pulled him onto the dance floor.  A look of surprise crossed everyone’s face. 

Gertrude said gruffly, “I have been pining for you since I saw you take first place during that outhouse race last fall.  It’s about time you started paying attention to me.”

Harry replied, “It’s about time you admitted your feelings for me darling.” They ended up dancing the night away. 

Note:  This short story was developed by using words that my friends and I came up with during the playing of an UpWords Game.  The words that are in bold print are from the game.  I challenge my readers to do the same.  I find it challenging and fun to write something either a short story or poem using specific words that I may not usually use.  This also expands my vocabulary.  Have fun. 

 

 

 

 

The End of the Road

Last evening (Sept. 13, 2012), I attended a presentation given by Helen Shackleberry about fracking in Pennsylvania and other areas closer to me in Michigan. I could not use her real name to protect her from retribution. This presentation was definitely an eye opener for me and others who attended this event.  I conducted some research to explore further after this presentation because I was made aware that fracking is occurring in Cheboygan county in Michigan where my adult daughter and her family including my two grandchildren live. It’s not that I don’t care about the people in Pennsylvania, however this is hitting too close to home. 

Let’s go into what is involved in fracking.  First of all a hole is drilled 10,000 feet into a 40 foot layer of rock referred to as Utica/Collingwood formation in Cheboygan county which encompasses underground 20 northern Michigan counties. A protective lining is inserted for the first part of the drilled hole closest to the opening. It does not always prevent its intended purpose of preventing toxic leakage. Then approximately five million gallons of water from our Great Lakes, rivers, etc. is pumped into the hole with great force along with toxic chemicals such as arsenic and HCL.  Earthquakes have been associated with the fracking in Oklahoma and other states.  It only makes sense that earthquakes could be the devastating result of fracking. 

After this process is completed and natural gas is located, it is sucked out of the hole by using a vacuum process.  The polluted water is burned off into the air until what is coming from the hole is pure natural gas.  The fire was reported as being at least 200 feet high.  Elizabeth could see the fire from her home which was separated by very large hills and her home.  The large conglomerate from Canada called Encana Corporation is behind the fracking operation in Cheboygan County. 

This is a reality folks in Michigan.  According to a report prepared by Michigan State University entitled Michigan oil and gas development: A mid-year update, drilling in Michigan was down 22% for the first half of 2012.  A total of 66 wells were drilled between the dates of January 1st to June 30^th compared to the higher numbers in 2011. Jackson and Lenawee Counties were the previous focal points for the majority of the drilling activity.  There were 19 well completions in these areas.  However, 14 applications are still pending for new wells and just two of the 28 permitted well drillings are reported to date as producing in the Kalkaska and Cheboygan counties. What lies in the future for these counties concerning the air quality, water quality, and peace and tranquility of these areas?

Helen reported that her health and the health of many others in the area in the rural area of Pennsylvania she resided in suffered greatly.  She knows of people who died due to life threatening illnesses.  People who were healthy the year before, then became very ill and were met with an untimely death shortly after they were diagnosed with a host of possible ailments . Helen, who was an avid outdoor person, was reduced to staying indoors or limiting where she went hiking and walking to where the air didn’t make her sick.  The dirt roads to her home and the area were always under continuous repair because of all the truck traffic.  She was run off the road by the large trucks during the winter months and the roads were impassable most of the time due to the heavy truck traffic.  Her quiet beautiful serene home became a loud polluted industrial zone. 

Before the fracking began in her area she paid for an independent study that was approved by Penn State concerning her water supply as a safety measure.  According to Helen, because of the proposed fracking, the water study involved the measure of chemicals that would not usually be included in other water studies to test for purity such as the level of arsenic that may be in the water. Upon reading research I discovered that arsenic can be a problem that many areas experience concerning their water supplies.  It was explained in the State of Michigan’s Triennial Report that organic arsenic is not lethal, it is the inorganic form of arsenic that can be lethal.

Back to the water study, Helen didn’t report a follow up water study that was conducted after the fracking began or perhaps she did and I missed that part of her report.  She told me at a later date that they were still fracking so a follow up report could not be conducted. I would be curious to see what those results would be.  She was asked if the air quality was tested before and after the fracking and she said it was not.  Helen moved to northern Michigan and had to take precautions concerning her health such as limiting the stress in her life. 

According to Special Report: Modern gas rush stirs controversy in Michigan officials at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, they reported that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality provides the regulation of oil and gas exploration and also generates fees on the industry. This report also included that increasing national demand for natural gas would increase more drilling in the Utica/Collingwood formation.  I reviewed the 2011triennial report prepared by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and there was only one section addressing the capping of abandoned gas and oil drilling sites.  I did not see in the report information about the managing and monitoring of the fracking process in Michigan.  The Air Toxics Chemical Release Inventory is usually self reported by citizens.  Only facilities that exceed activity thresholds for manufacturing, processing, or otherwise use of chemicals on the registry are required to report. There were no reports provided by oil and gas companies regarding their contributions to air or water pollution in Michigan so it is my understanding that their emissions of toxic waste into the water and air aren’t being monitored or at the very least not a part of this report. 

In conclusion, I was made aware of a process that is occurring in Michigan, North Dakota, Colorado, and extensively in Pennsylvania that is causing many warranted concerns from early deaths to earth quakes.  A dollar amount is placed on our freedom to breathe fresh air and drink water that is safe.  Penn State University reported that the drilling in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania where I understand Helen is from added $3.9 million to Pennsylvania’s coffers in 2009 and created 48,000 jobs.  According to Helen, many of the local people from her area had to quit these jobs because it went against their values. The corporate leaders from Canada are even more removed from taking any ownership for their actions. She made a point that needs our consideration that the company that caused the oil spill in the Gulf were permitted to earn a profit before they cleaned up the spill.  Michigan State University is warning Michigan citizens to be wary of leasing their land to the oil and gas conglomerates and suggest seeking advice from an oil and gas attorney before signing a lease. Leases of land are being actively sought in Michigan by oil and gas companies. What comes to mind with fracking and the mining of uranium in the area where the Navajo Indian people reside in, is let’s sacrifice a few people  for many people and last but certainly not least let’s earn a huge profit while doing so.   The people who are suffering from the aftereffects of fracking are not getting rich.  Helen reported that her checks averaged almost $5.00 for her royalties from the natural gas company who fracked near where she lived.