There is a young woman in a small village next to us. She is an attractive blonde with three adorable young children and a very handsome, ruggled husband who is a full-time welder and a volunteer firefighter. She is a leader in the "Embers", the volunteer fire department's women's group who help with the annual breakfast fundraiser, the booth at the village festival and all the other activities. 

She is very sweet and nice and popular and everything I just said about her and her life is important.  

It is important because that is how to help you afford healthcare in this country.  

Megan has cancer. And the fire department is rallying to make sure she can afford treatments. 

Last Sunday the fire department sponsored a Chicken BBQ.  Every business and family in the village volunteered to help.

Firemen barbequed the chicken and roasted the corn. There were cups of cole slaw and homemade baked beans. A local candy maker donated chocolate covered pretzels as a dessert. 

There were over 100 raffle baskets donated for drawings.  There was a second raffle for more expensive tickets that included a freezer and a 1/4 beef donated by a local beef producer.  

We were smart to get there early because they sold out of the 400 dinners in 45 minutes. And because it was the week after the village festival, they still had some boxes of hamburgers in the freezer and were able to start frying burgers for those who missed out on chicken.  

I have not heard the total amount raised, but it will be substantial.  

Megan's family is lucky that they have life long ties to the village, that they are well known and, to be honest, they are an attractive and sympathetic family in photos. Because that is the formula to raise money for health emergencies.  

Rose O'Sharon

I've shared this story before. My sister in-law Peggy had Rose O'Sharons planted around her house.  She was splitting them and gave me three baby plants. 

When she was 33 years old she got up, got dressed and went to her eight year-old son's soccer game. She was standing with my brother and her 5 year-old daughter when she suffered a massive heart incident and dropped to the ground.

Despite numerous doctors in the crowd, nothing could be done. She was dead as she fell.  

This was over 31 years ago and it seems like yesterday to me.  And my Rose O'Sharons are a memory of her. 

For most of the summer my gardener (Mr Merry) has been at war with Japanese Beetles. 

The Japanese Beetles can devour every blossom on a bush in a few hours.  

Mr Merry is winning the war! 

More. And More. And More.

 

This morning. 

We Did It

I started at Christmas. I wanted a date during the summer that we could schedule a family portrait.  This is no easy feat with a family of twenty-two.  We needed to work around school schedules, job schedules, vacation schedules, child custody schedules, and anything else they threw in.  By mid-January I was able to call the photographer, pay the deposit and schedule the photo session.

Then I had my heart incident. As soon as I could catch my breath in the ER, I made my husband promise to have this portrait done whether I was there or not.  I might have been a little crazy. 

We were scheduled for sunrise on Sunday August 2 which worked around teens with summer jobs and sports.  Then my daughter's best friend scheduled a wedding the night before and we had to move to evening. With lots of recontering we managed to move 22 schedules to make it work, even with the out-of-towners. And the photographer's schedule so I guess 23 people's schedules. 

The day dawned and the photographer started texting. We did not have a venue large enough to put all of us indoors. The sun was shining too brightly during the day with storms forecast in the evening.  We ended up moving the session up by one hour and did have heavy winds. 

Luckily my photographer is magic and not only was able to get 22 people looking at the camera at the same moment with their eyes open, but they all had a pleasant expression on their faces too.  She actually provided 61 finished proofs of this menagerie, but I only needed this one. She gave us separate family groups, girls vs boys, grandkids, the OGs, and more.  

There was a Mexican restaurant across the road and I treated them all to dinner for being such good boys and girls. 

We did make reservations, you can't just show up with 22 people.  

I am so grateful that everyone was able to show up and they all looked so nice.  My anxiety was through the roof (for no reason, I get like that) and this will probably be the last time I will be able to gather them all in the same spot at one time.  There are two college students in the bunch, two more rapidly approaching college and it is just getting more and more tricky to sync these schedules. 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Prolifically.

Unfortunately my tomatoes are tiny and barely red. We picked them because if we leave them they split and get blossom end rot.  This is not a banner year at the Merry House for tomatoes. 

It is the banner year for cucumbers. I just can't do any more pickles (as much as we love them). I am now begging people to take cucumbers. 

I am still dicing and freezing the yellow squash.  I will need the freezer space in October for a 1/4 beef steer with my name on it. We have a lot of squash to eat before then. 

Peppers. We don't even really like peppers. I am not sure why we plant so many peppers! I do slice them into strips and freeze small bags to put under the broiler with brats or burgers. I am also begging people to come get a pepper. 

I am grateful I do have fresh produce with all the issues this summer. I am not trusting the grocery store or wholesalers inspections; the USDA seems to have given up with so many employee cuts. I really don't even trust the Amish farm stands. I am not sure what is true about these parasites and other issues. I guess we will just keep eating cucumber salads and cooking all the others. 

More Pickles

With all the posts about our 49 3/4 Anniversary Trip, I don't want you to think I forgot about my freezer pickles project. One morning I woke up to this on my kitchen counter.

Farmer Merry had been in the garden early.  I posted the photo on Facebook and said "The peppers are trying to edge out the cucumbers."  

That evening he returned with this. I posted "The cucumbers saw what I posted about the peppers and said, Hold My Beer".  

Luckily my youngest granddaughter was here to help. 

We sliced and diced and sprinkled with salt to put in the refrigerator for 90 minutes. I rinsed them, made the pickle syrup and they sat in the refrigerator covered overnight. 

And now I have another 11 pints in the freezer bringing our total to 34 pints. I usually don't get so many pints in a batch. I think I am out of containers and I promised myself I would not buy more. 

Thanks for all the nice comments on the trip. My next bucket list item is a family photo session and then we are going out to a fancy schmancy dinner on the actual date.  I am hoping to talk him into wearing the tux I bought him for our anniversary photos but I think the chance is slim to none. 

49 3/4 Anniversary Trip: Night Four The Concert

My husband had never been to this concert venue. I used to go to the venue with a group of friends when I was in high school and I knew what kind of terrain we were getting into.  I also did a lot of online research and recommendations. When I am going somewhere for the first time in a long time, I like to get the lay of the land. 

It is a beautiful location but access has not changed since I was there over fifty years ago.  Luckily my husband did not ask too many questions before we started our journey because he doesn't like to wait in lines and there are a lot of lines. 

First we took the fifteenth spot on the highway at the driveway to the venue at 5:00. Mr.  Merry knew something was up.  We waited about 25 minutes before the first gate opened. I spared no expense for this trip and purchased premier parking. We drove approximately 1.5 -2 miles to get to the premier lot. Since I made sure we were early, we got the third spot from the gate. 

We had almost an hour before the security gate opened.  We waited in our air conditioned car and watched people for the first 30 minutes. Then we stood under a tree for shade until the line started to form.  I would like to give a special shout out to a group of girl friends who had shirts made that said "The We Fight Authority Fan Club" in different colors. 

I would like to go on record that the people at this concert were the same age as my husband and I. And that age is "old enough to know better". We were a little shocked at the amount of alcohol being consumed in the parking lot. 

Finally the security gate opened. I did not bring a bag so all we had to do was pass through metal detectors. Then we followed the crowd down a path that was about .5 mile to the next gate passing all kinds of booths and pop-up tents selling food, merchandise of all kinds, renting lawn chairs for those sitting on the lawn. But mostly they were selling different alcohol beverages. At this point it is 1 1/2 hours before the concert starts. 

Look at the beautiful blue sky. 

We get to the next gate which will let us into the concert venue. We are at the front. We are standing with other adults our age. Again, old enough to know better. We were chatting with different people. The woman in front of me was drinking a 16 oz White Claw. Her husband left the line to get another beer and she turned. In the crook of her other arm she had a full White Claw and another empty can.  She gave him the two empties and told him to bring her another drink, this time with ice.  I want to mention that the canned drinks were $23-$25 at the stands. She was $100 at least into drinking 1 hour prior to the concert. And she wasn't the only one. 

Those gates open and we went 90 mph across the field and down a steep incline into the pavilion. I had purchased really good seats (in case we sat in them) and then access passes to the sky lounge which includes a bar with seats, couches to "lounge" , a bartender and table service. As the second couple in the lounge, we scored one of the couches!  This meant we were under the roof - higher than the inclined seats, ensconced in a very comfy couch with an end table, and had the most adorable bubbly server at our beck and call. We had special bracelets which we helped our first time bartender learn how to fasten to our wrists. All the workers were so sweet and so young. 

Again, look at the sky!

We were sitting on our couch people watching and about 3/4 of the ticket holders had arrived. And the skies decided to open! Everyone on the lawn and on their way to seats in the pavilion were drenched.  The walkways became slippery and many of the walkers were intoxicated. People were falling all over the place and some needed medical help with golf carts EMTs. 

Now look at the sky. 

I'm not sure if you can make out behind the couch next to us (the bars were behind the couches) but the whole hill of people were scrambling as the rain was just pouring at this point. 

So that was fun. 

We ordered drinks.  I had a $28 strawberry lemonade with vodka. (I am not against alcohol. I am against paying lots of money for concert tickets and getting blotto before a concert even starts!) and Mr Merry ordered a $10 coke.  

You can see the raindrops on the glass. 

After the rain we ordered this $28 chacuterie tray to share and waited for the concert to begin.  IT WAS FABULOUS.  

John was so friendly and had such a great rapport with the crowd. 

He sang all his old songs and newer songs, songs we all knew the words to. 

The sound system was outstanding. You felt like you were in a room with him.  The musicians were excellent. 

He shared lots of personal stories and it was like having a conversation with him. And the sound system was so good - we could hear and understand every word.

A lot of the crowd was in constant movement - to the vendors for drinks and to the restrooms. 

There was an intermission and everyone was headed to the concessions. Here are some more shenanigans in front of us.

He was a few songs into the the second set when people started to leave to get to the parking lots and avoid the traffic.  I do not understand paying all that money for tickets to leave early! 

John does not do encores and announced he would do two more songs. And more people left.

We remained in our comfy couch until almost everyone left the pavilion and made our way at the back of the crowd to our car.  I had packed a smaller cooler with crackers and cheese for the wait.  These pictures are directly in front of our vehicle, taken through the windshield.  I did not take photos of others being sick in the parking lot. 

We had a wonderful time! The concert itself was every thing we hoped it would be. We were so pampered on the deck. We left huge tips because those girls work so hard. It was worth every penny for all the upgrades.  

And we both decided that it was a wonderful experience and we don't need to do it again. 

49 3/4 Anniversary Trip: Day Four - the Day

Day four did not start with the best news. Although the forecast did say the weather would clear for the concert. This was a lie, but more on that later. 

We tried to go to a quirky breakfast restaurant but the line was outside the door. There were 12,000 people at the concert later that night and I think some had already arrived. 

We ended up at Bob Evans, a chain popular in my state and known in my family as "Uncle Bob's" 

My husband's scrambled eggs, hash browns and sausage were part of his breakfast special along with the three pancakes I took off his hands.  I did order a fruit cup and he ordered some toast to go with the breakfast special. It was a lot of food! The check was only $14ish with a decaf coffee and a tea. 

It started to rain again so we just went back to the hotel. 

We did end up going out for a late lunch at an Irish Pub near the hotel.  They did not have a burger on the menu. 

I can't believe I didn't take pictures, but Mr Merry had a Rueben sandwich he is still raving about. I had a cup of soup (of course).  This time, clam chowder. Here is a picture of someone else's Rueben that I stole from the internet. 

We then went back to the hotel to get ready. 

I ordered my dress from Temu. My concern was that it would run small.  I did slip it on when it arrived and it was big enough. I should have explored further. 

The buttons on the dress were about six inches apart and ended above the top of the ruffle at the bottom. Luckily I had three large safety pins in my makeup bag and doctored the dress closed. I have ordered some large snaps to sew in-between the buttons and down the front of the bottom. 

The humidity was causing my hair to balloon and I finally had to give up trying to tame it.  But we were ready to go!!! 

And before you ask, I am in love with my pink cowboy boots. I did get several compliments at the concert and I don't even care if they might have been snickering behind my back. Our server even said she had seen the boots coming down the trail to the venue and wondered who was wearing them.  They are a very bright pink.  To the horror of my family (who is kidding who, they know me) I think they will even look better with jeans this fall.  

Part one of the concert adventure tomorrow. And that is my favorite NIGHT of the trip!  

49 3/4 Anniversary Trip: Day Three Unexpected

Another day with sunshine! We started with breakfast at a cute little diner where most customers ordered "the usual".  I had one of the nicest fruit cups I have ever had. Many varieties of fruit included. 

Mr Merry's breakfast, not a burger.

And lots of decaf coffee. 

Our next stop was an Autozone for new windshield wipers.  Mr Merry is very good at car repair but could not install the ones they sold him. 

The man from the parts counter then installed the correct wipers for us (they had sold him the wrong ones at first).

Our original plans for the day were to walk a hiking trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, visit a vintage flea market shop and then go to a comedy club in the evening. 

It was too humid for a hike. My husband who did not assist in the planning of this trip, looked up the address of the vintage shop and said he was not parking his vehicle in that neighborhood and we already knew the comedy club closed it's doors a month ago. 

Our next stop was an outlet mall that includes a New Balance factory store. We each got a new pair of shoes! 

To pacify me, we went to a nearby village with a book store. It was very nice. 

But when I go to bookstores, I am looking for well-loved books, dusty and piled on shelves and whispering to me. This book store was new shiny books.  BUT . . . 

This was next to our vehicle in the parking lot! We went level by level all the way down to the falls!

It was just beautiful and so peaceful. 

We found a park across the street with a walking trail! 

Adorable shops. 

The funniest hardware store.

It has been in the same family for generations. 

They sold EVERYTHING.  

We started to get hungry for a late lunch and I had my eye on this building across the river. We walked over and unbelievably the table right with the arrow was available. The corner window!

Here was my view. 

I ordered a "spirit free" Peary Happy with pear juice, lychee, ginger beer, and fresh lime. I felt very sophisticated at our table with a real tablecloth and cloth napkins. 

The table beside us was filled with what I will call the Real Housewives of the village. They seemed like high school classmates having a get together, women in their 40's maybe? They had been "lunching" with cocktails for a while and let's just say the conversation was interesting. Personal gossip about those not present, intimate relationship details, and bragging about belongings and vacations. I felt like I was listening to an R rated episode.  

The most delicious lobster bisque I have every tasted.  It was divine.  And we will be traveling back here (with reservations because we can't get this lucky twice) just so I can have this soup again. 

It really seemed like the kind of restaurant that would wash their lettuce and I was craving a salad. This is the chopped side salad.  Again it was unbelievably good. 

And Mr Merry ordered a burger. 

The restaurant was really classy and I am so glad we chose to go there. I did spot wicker chairs outside when we were across the river, but by the time we walked there it was getting humid and our indoor table was perfect. 

We were too full for a custard, but I had to take a picture of the sign.  We returned to the hotel and watched some tv. We weren't even hungry for crackers for supper. 

This was my favorite DAY of vacation. It was such a surprise to discover this village and we will be back another day - perhaps in the fall.