What I’ve Seen the Past Few Days

A red fox - Yes! Directly in front of our Kamp on the Lake.

A coconut curry potato crepe at the Skinny Pancake, not only seen, but
savored.

A Dunder Miflin bright blue t-shirt. A & J, you know I’d like one.

Archer Mayor AND Joyce Carole Oates, in person - what a literary treat!

My checkbook and a load of laundry at 4AM. (Me, needing to catch up on
household chores.)

A Bit of Trivia

Question: How did the Skinny Pancake get it’s name?
Answer: Seems that the restaurant was originally a Church St. pushcart business selling crepes. This was around the time of the start of the war in Iraq when the French were not very popular with Americans. French fries became the politically correct “freedom fries,” and the French crepe became the “skinny pancake.” When the restaurant opened at College and Lake, it was named the Skinny Pancake. And now you know...

Vacation Days

Nice having time off. Tues, however, Geo needed oral surgery - he is recovering slowly and hopefully he'll be back to his ol’ self by next week.
I've been driving Addie back and forth from work - good spending time together that we would not otherwise have.
Yesterday was Kamp time. Phil came up for the day and put wheels on our foot valve (all you lake campers know what that means). Also did some painting (where are ya, Jenn, when I need ya?) and Phil rebuilt the pump cover. Super improvements. After driving him home, I returned to Kamp for an overnite.
Swimming was the best, water like velvet. After sundown I spent time with Benedict XVI’s book on Jesus. More about that later.
On Saturday the hours went by so quickly. I was determined to finish the book (I did), and delighted in the warm breeze off the Lake while relaxing on the deck. I still believe that Sept is the best laketime. As Mrs. Murphy would say, “The tourists are gone.”

Labor Day at the Museum

Addie has a new job at the Shelburne Museum, and she loves it. One of the perks with her first paycheck was the benefit of free passes to the museum for her guests. So she invited the ‘rents. Very generous of her to spend her first day off at her place of work.

It was an absolutely delightful day. The weather was sunny, in the 70's and low 80's, with a light breeze. It had been some time since we had enjoyed the museum, but today it was even better, because we could see it with her enthusiasm. She planned an easy pace for us with her favorite highlights.

I was blown away with the colorful chandelier exhibit along with quilts in the main entrance. Next was the Shaker furniture exhibit. We not only viewed the furniture, but we also learned more of Shaker culture. (Inspired me to pare down and clear out the clutter!) Apparently their furniture was of very high quality and made to last, because eternity is forever, and the Shakers wished to express that during their lifetime. I loved the intricate Shaker “gift” drawings based on Scriptural prophecy; “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above...” Just to see this alone would have been more than enough, but there was more...

We went on to see the period houses, the Monets and Degas paintings, the dolls and miniature doll houses, and - of course - the 50's house. Not only were the exhibits so wonderfully presented, but we enjoyed the gardens, the views, and the hospitality of the staff. Addie truly has a fabulous place to work with many areas and collections to explore, to research, and to share with all the Museum visitors. Thank you, Addie!

In the Puddle

Mom called the other nite. She had a great story. Seems she went grocery shopping with $26 in her purse. She had planned to stop at Wendy’s for a $1 shake on the way home. However, when she was at the check-out, she was disappointed to discover that her groceries came to just over $25, not enough money left over for that shake. She went to her car to load the groceries. She noticed that in front of her car was a puddle. Floating in the puddle was what looked like a dollar bill. Must be play money, she thought. She bent over to pick it up, but - sure enough - it was a real dollar bill. She looked across the parking lot and saw that there were no other puddles anywhere. The one puddle was directly in front of her car, and this was the puddle with the dollar bill. “It was a miracle,” she said. She now had enough cash to enjoy that shake before she returned home. I love this story because it tells me what a joyful woman of faith my mother is. Miracles can be found even in the nearest rain puddle.