Cleaning and weeding

The saga of cleaning our 250+ headstones continues but made a giant step forward this summer. 

Over the last few years I've been trying, somewhat successfully and somewhat not, to clean the "gunk" off of our headstones in Trinity Cemetery, especially the ones that are near trees. I was able to get most of the recent mold and nature stains off of them with a commercial cleaner made just for cemetery stone. But, on the really old ones there was a layer of black "gunk" that covered the marble completely. You could make out the names, but just barely.

This summer our maintenance crew, at my request to TRY anything, used a concrete cleaner and voila the black stuff came off and they are almost totally clear. Above is a photo of the worst one, a gravestone with the names of six sisters from the 1860s. I don't know if their remains are really there or if, because of circumstances of that time, the names are the only commemoration.

Anyway, here they are and it's great to see them. 

PS  Just like dusting and vacuuming are a major part of indoor cleaning, weeding and picking up are a constant job for outdoor areas! I just returned from a short vacation and I'd swear the weeds knew I was away--they just went wild in our gardens! It will take me a couple weeks to get them "back in shape."

Astrid and Raphaelle

 

If your area PBS station has the PBSPassport program this post is an encouragement to you to look into it. From what I read, PBSPassport is offered to donors who give say $60/year ($5/month) to a PBS station, Your "membership" entitles you to various PBS (in)famous extras: mugs, umbrellas, pens...just kidding. But one of the best is this passport site where you are granted access to all the programs that have been on the PBS channels, such as Masterpiece theater, etc.

The one we are watching is "Astrid." It is set in Paris and its two main characters are Astrid, an adult autistic gal, and Raphaelle, a commander with the local police Crime Squad. In a word, it is magnifique! The crimes and mysteries are their usual BBC best, but the characterizations of the main and secondary characters are wonderful. As Harry Potter's world had to deal with the non-wizard "muggles," the autistic adults here have us neuro-typicals to contend with!.

Please give it a try and see what you think.

Spoiler alert: It is is French but the English subtitles are perfect. I'd advise you to keep the volume high enough to hear the French. Even if you never took it in high school, the mannerisms and facial reactions add to the flow. It is not at all distracting and after a surprisingly short amount of time, you'll even catch on to some of the words yourself!  

Shore life

 

One of the many great things about the web is the ability to put local newspapers online so that when you're out of town you can keep up with all that you're missing at home! To that end I read our paper every day. And, of course the continual surprise is that the same things that are going on at home, are going on here! At least in the summer.

Here, for instance, is their local Hereford lighthouse where they have tours, a museum, a gift shop and lovely gardens and surroundings. Every year we come and walk around it and enjoy the atmosphere of a working lighthouse, just like two of our three ones at home. The whole summer tourism "industry" is still in full swing right now as the last weeks before schools open and the weather changes in mid-September come soon.

Here is a view taken from the seawall that protects an area of one small town built right up to the ocean. The view is similar to many lake views we have, but we don't seem to have the need for so many protections, as we have no real tides to speak of nor the storms and water damage that can come in.

Erosion, however, is common all along the Lake Erie shoreline, especially difficult for property owners.

But, there are some very nice differences to enjoy: Jersey tomatoes and corn, white sand, an outstanding 12-mile county walking trail, and very warm days/cool nights. 

Parish visitor

 

I admit to soft feelings toward Madonna and Child statues/paintings/photos. I especially like all the seemingly eternal representations of the Mary/Jesus pairing. Be it from the Middle Ages or the 21st century, there are all sorts of poses, clothing, colors and ethnicities (which is very nice).

It must be a rather common Christian and even non-Christian spiritual symbol because they are very popular---for example, the United State Postal Service chooses a different Madonna every year as one of its special Christmas stamps.

On vacation again at the Jersey shore we are trying a new church that we found in a neighboring shore town last year when we decided that we just couldn't continue with the Mass at the nearby parish. I take full responsibility that I am spoiled from all of our monastic liturgies--Mass, LOH, etc. I have totally forgotten what it's like to be a parishioner. 

At this new church, St. Paul's, I noticed this Madonna and it has a look that caught my eye. It's quite lovely in person. I like the way her mantle drapes around her.

Of course, I will unabashedly name drop and admit that my most favorite of all the 100s I've seen is the actual "Pieta" in Rome. I could have just stood there forever...

New Neighbors?

Along the western side of our property, across Troupe Rd, is a thick, wide, wooded area extending from East Lake Rd. about three-quarters of the way to Iroquois Ave. It seems to have been there since the monastery came onto the east side of Troupe Rd. in 1969. After all these years, it appears that we may be getting neighbors there! 

I honestly haven't heard anything "official" but the chat is that a person has bought the property and their first project is to build an "events' center." Read: a place for wedding receptions, anniversary parties, graduations, whatever one may need for a large event.

My friend Anne and I, being of a surprising adventurous spirit, took it upon ourselves to hike into the new area this week and this is what we found: the picture above is right at the entrance on Troupe Rd and is, as expected, a wide clearing made up of large boulders, muddy tracks from big equipment, and difficult going for foot traffic.

 Undaunted, we took to the woods where the going was much clearer and cleaner and here is where we landed after a short 10-minute walk north, toward East Lake Rd.---a very large clearing, though surrounded by a thick boundary of trees. An events' center?

Stay tuned to this site as I will bring you updates every month or so as our new neighbor grows into whatever it will be.

LLL

 
For the "leisure" part of our LLL Community Days (learning, leisure and legislation) we were able to have a leisure day that included some options that most of us hadn't done since pre-Covid years. One of them was to go putting at our new mini-golf course, right beside the main branch of the library downtown. The sisters report that it is a great "course" and that they had a wonderful time.

Another option was an afternoon cruise on the paddleboat, The Victorian Princess. The day was warm and sunny and the time spent on Presque Isle Bay was so beautiful. Here's Sisters Judith, Anne, Michelle and Rose Ann, with Lucia and Kathy in the second photo.

Finally, another large number attended our Double A, Detroit franchise, Seawolves baseball game. They lost, but are still in first place and the night at the ballpark was full of fans, families and a "take me out to the ball game" atmosphere.

Other events included a music duo in the morning at the monastery, trips to Presque Isle, the Zoo, and visits to our local wineries, as the grape crop this year is on its way to being one of the best ever!

And looking forward to 2024 already, today's local paper ran a long article on the solar eclipse next April 8, as it will be passing right over Erie, in its path across the US. Hotel rooms are already filling up!

Billy Collins finale

 

Snow Day

Today we woke up to a revolution of snow,

its white flag waving over everything,

the landscape vanished,

not a single mouse to punctuate the blankness,

and beyond theses windows

the government buildings smothered,

schools and libraries buried, the post office lost

under the noiseless drift,

the paths of trains softly blocked,

the world fallen under this falling....

I will make a pot of tea

and listen to the plastic radio on the counter,

as glad as anyone to hear the news

that the Kiddie Corner School is closed,

the Ding-Dong School, closed,

the All Aboard Children's School, closed,

the Hi-Ho Nursery School, closed,

along with--some will be delighted to hear--

the Toadstool School, the Little School,

Little Sparrows Nursery School,

Little Stars Pre-School, Peas-and-Carrots Day School

the Tom Thumb Child Center, all closed,

and--clap your hands--the Peanuts Play School.

So this is where the children hide all day,

These are the nests where they letter and draw,

where they put on their bright miniature jackets,

all darting and climbing and sliding...          Billy Collins

Living on the Great Lakes Plain, in a little town that averages nearly 100" snow a season, though it's been much less the last few years (climate change??), this reflection on snow made me smile, first for Collins' wonderful imagery and clever vocabulary, but primarily for remembering a recent snow day here. Part of the snowstorm forecast is listening to the radio or checking alerts on your phone or TV. One evening, on the brink of an incoming blizzard-snow, we were reading the runner under a TV program as it announced all of the next day's closings....schools, of course, and some major events. But the one that sent us into gales of laughter as it passed by, was this one, "The Dining Alone group is cancelled."

What?!