Return of the Nutwoodians

We are back!

I will have more to write about our adventures, especially our super cool Big Zombie Tour (3!), but I am very happy to be home. No matter where we roam, there is no place like right here. I could even make a rhyme and say “there is no place like home,” but I think that’s been done before.

I love exploring and visiting other places, but I really do love our place. It has been my sanctuary for almost 15 years and it is still my favorite place to be.

But there are times when it is a bit of a struggle and this is one of those times. Right before we left for Florida, we started seeing a major increase in the mosquito population here due to our massive rain and extensive flooding in the area. They began to swarm and Shane and Matt (who so kindly took care of Mr. Sheeba while we were gone!) said that it was almost a plague. It is still absolutely insane and they swarm around the car and around anyone who dares to venture out!

I didn’t get one single mosquito bite in Florida, but I got one within five minutes of being in the house!

The Zika virus hasn’t been found this far north so far, but we do have shitty things like West Nile virus. I’m reasonably certain that I will die of some sort of mosquito-borne illness. Malaria or Yellow Fever or something like that.

It infuriates me that Congress is so derelict in their duties that they refuse to fund Zika virus research. Glad you got to take your summer break, Congress. Sure hope none of your family members got bitten by mosquitoes—especially if those family members happen to be pregnant. In the meantime, while you were vacationing, there are over 200 pregnant women in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with Zika. I cannot imagine how scared those women are.

What really infuriates me is that there was a bill to fund emergency Zika research and immediate action, but the Republicans added a provision to defund Planned Parenthood, and of course, the Democrats refused to be extorted. (I support their refusal to fund that bill.)

Really? You are going to attach your partisan politics to a bill that will help PREGNANT WOMEN who might contract a virus that damages fetuses? Do you even understand what you are doing? Do you even care about these women and the children they will bear who might be severely deformed and will cost millions of dollars to support?

UGH. Get your shit together and start addressing public health, whether it’s Zika virus or antibiotic resistance or gun violence! It is all a matter of public health!

Even when you go on vacation, the real world intrudes, doesn’t it?

The Next Leg

Well, that week sure went by fast!

Ken and I were talking today about how when we first get here, it’s like the week stretches out in front of us and it feels like forever. Once we hit Wednesday, it just zooms by. Next thing you know, we’re packing up to leave!

It was a fun but very low-key week. Our biggest activity was going to the Speakeasy on Monday and the rest of the time was total vegecation. Even though I don’t work anymore, I told Ken that it was still a true vacation for me because I didn’t have to do laundry or cook meals or take care of any of those little tasks that consume a day. I got to sit out on the balcony and get some serious reading in. Very enjoyable!

Our activities were curtailed a bit by Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hermine. Although it hit on the Gulf Coast (we’re on the Atlantic Coast), we still got the outer edges with some heavy rain and even a tornado warning! The lights in the condo flickered a few times but we never lost power. I was saddened to hear that one person died due to the storm.

We got to hit our very favorite places, including the Sea Shack, Norwood’s, Oceans Seafood, The Breakers (my favorite burger ever!), Toni and Joe’s, Bethune Park to see the manatees, and JB’s Fish Camp. Ken also got to golf one morning and I got to drive the cart, and I had two new bird sightings on the course: a roseate spoonbill and a wood stork! Yay!

It was no surprise that today, the day before we leave, we had the nicest afternoon we had all week. There was actual sunshine and even a beautiful rainbow over the ocean, very close to shore. Hard to believe that just yesterday we were under a tornado warning!

Our next stop will be Newnan, Georgia followed by some activities in Senoia, Georgia on Sunday. Some of you might know the significance of that! I will post more about it soon. I am very excited!

Let the Music Play

Stay with the music

Let it play a little longer

You don’t need anybody

All you need is now

~~ “All You Need Is Now” by Duran Duran

I think this is the first time I’ve ever spent my birthday on vacation and it was truly a special one!

For one thing, I got many wonderful wishes from family and friends on Facebook, including some fun memes ranging from this one to Donald Sutherland from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” to a picture of Simon and his tight white pants. (So many others were hilarious, but I can’t list them all!) All the wishes made me smile and I enjoyed them very much, so thanks to everyone!

Second, we got invited to a party in Orlando! To make a long story short, we saw one of our favorite entertainers from New Orleans, Gypsy Elise and her husband Ryan on Sunday. They moved to Orlando about a year ago and play gigs in the area. They were at one of our favorite new places in New Smyrna Beach, the Treehouse Bar at Norwood’s restaurant (a great, old-school place with amazing food). Gypsy and Ryan used to have monthly speakeasies in NOLA, where Gypsy cooked up a feast for everyone and those with artistic and creative talent would perform a song or two. We never made it to one in NOLA but happily, Gypsy and Ryan are continuing the Speakeasy in Orlando and were kind enough to invite us!

We made our way to Orlando (about an hour away, a little longer with traffic) and we had an absolutely wonderful time! We got to meet their son, JR, who is adorable and seemed to have fun playing soccer with me in his room. Gypsy gave me a super cute crossbody purse and had filled it with 54 packets of taco sauce for each of my 54 years. Ha! Another guest, John, brought me a container of 54 tea lights (with one to grow on). Almost everyone was a stranger to me but I felt welcome and at ease, and for an introvert like me, that is NOT easy!

Gypsy had put out an amazing spread of beef bourguignon, potato salad, regular salad, a fruit and cheese platter, some other things I think I’m forgetting, and for dessert, a pear upside down cake. Everything was delicious! After everyone had gotten their fill, the music started.

A London-trained pianist named Julian played ragtime, Chopin, and a rendition of “Rhapsody In Blue” that gave me chills. He also played some impromptu duets with Ryan (who is also an amazing player) including a funked-up version of “Heart and Soul.” Ryan played other songs on his own like “St. Louis Blues” and a fun snippet of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” at my request, one that we all joined in singing. There was a lovely duet with Nathan who played the saxophone. Julian’s girlfriend (I’m sorry I didn’t catch her name!) sang “My Funny Valentine” and “Over the Rainbow” with Julian’s accompaniment. A very nice woman named Shondra read her poem and it was excellent. A guy named Swami (not his given name, haha) read his short ode to jazz. And of course, Gypsy herself sang a medley of songs, including the New Orleans classic “Iko Iko.” Gypsy and Ryan broke out the tambourines for us all and it was fun to play along even when you don’t have a whole helluva lot of talent! (Note to self: I need to buy a tambourine.)

It was a lovely evening, and I am always blown away by the talent that is out there. There is nothing more wonderful than sharing the joy of music with others. Unless it’s sharing the joy of food with others. Put ‘em both together, and it’s magic! Something that struck me as I watched these talented people (and something I’ve seen in many other talented artists) is the way the music transports them. The smiles, the concentration, the joy. I may not have that talent, but I feel that sometimes when I play the piano, and I certainly feel it when I see others playing so beautifully.

Thanks again to Gypsy and Ryan for their hospitality, and thanks to everyone for such a fun night. It was an unexpected treat and made my day feel special!

It is to laugh

We got problems right here in Central City,

We have problems on the North, South, East and West,

New York City, Saint Louis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles,

Detroit, Chicago,

Everybody has problems,

And personally, I don't care

~~ “Elected” by Alice Cooper

Ohhhh, lawd. Lawdy lawd.

You know, I’m to the point where my only recourse when dealing with the Vulgar Talking Yam is to laugh.

I mean, really. He is just absurd. I am laughing at you, Yam!

His latest weird waffling about the immigration thing is playing right into Hillary’s hands. It’s impossible to know what his policies are. Hell, I don’t think HE knows what his policies are. It seems to me that a couple of months away from the election, you should have figured that out by now. “Unpredictable” is not a desirable trait when choosing the most powerful leader in the world.

I think the majority of people are starting to figure that out now. I’m still taking nothing for granted, but we’re onto you, Yam. The American people have your number, as does Hillary. The upcoming debates are going to be delightful! Hillary’s got your stamina right here, pal. HA!

But it’s time to leave this all behind as we hit the road for our annual vegecation in New Smyrna Beach! I’m looking forward to some beach time and relaxation and some time away from politics.

Oh, I’m totally kidding! I’ll still be reading my usual political feeds but more importantly, the TV market (Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne) where we’ll be is the #1 political ad buy in the country for both campaigns at the moment. NUMBER ONE. We’ve been down there in election season before but this time it’s going to be insane. We don’t plan on having the TV on a lot—we like to just sit outside and read if we’re not out and about or on the beach—but I’m sure we’ll get plenty of exposure to politics gone wild.

We also have a special visit planned on the drive back when we stop in the Atlanta area. More to follow, but if you know me, you might be able to guess what we’ll be doing!

Lake Nutwood

I could write an entry about Trump whitesplaining to African-Americans in front of a white audience in Michigan, but I find that I’m just feeling too mellow to get riled up about him today. It’s just so absurd and laughable that I can’t quite find the words. Maybe tomorrow.

So instead I’ll leave politics behind and write about Lake Nutwood!

On Monday, it started raining. It rained and rained. And rained. I think it rained for about 18 hours straight, and some of it was definitely a downpour.

South Bend ended up getting a record rainfall for the day, around 8 inches at the official location at the airport. Our place, however, was in the “hot spot” for rainfall and we got around 11 inches. We went from the driest August on record up to that point to the wettest August on record, in less than one day.

Crazy!

When I got up Tuesday morning, I looked out back and couldn’t believe my eyes. Half of our backyard was underwater! We’ve been here almost 15 years and we have never seen so much water in our yard. I joked to Ken that I always thought a lake house would be nice but I’d rather WE went to the lake instead of the other way around!

I find myself looking at it constantly. It is just odd to look out there and see all that water. It’s kind of pretty...I like seeing the reflection of the trees on its still surface. It has held fairly steady since Monday but I’m finally starting to see that it is receding back to the pond. The ground is obviously saturated and we may not see it recede completely for a few weeks.

I’m including a video that I took Tuesday morning and as I say in the video, we were very fortunate. We had no water in our basement (it’s a walk-out basement) and no damage. A lot of people weren’t so lucky and ended up with a lot of damage. A couple of families lost their homes. Our flood wasn’t nearly as bad as what is happening in Louisiana, of course. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this in South Bend, as well as in Louisiana, and we are proud to be long-time supporters of the American Red Cross.

I’m certain that what saved us was Kengineer. Shortly after we moved here, we noticed standing water in the yard after a heavy rain. If I recall correctly, the previous owners had mentioned a couple of times when they got water in the basement. So Ken rented a Grasshopper and dug a couple of trenches in the yard and installed PVC pipe, then put in drains up by the house to carry any water out to the small back pond. We never saw standing water like that again, at least not by the house. Everything flowed back to the pond and the wetlands and when the pond overflowed this week, the water stayed away from the house.

Well done, Kengineer!

That’s why I’ll do it again

I hear you’re lonely, don’t monkey with my business

You pay the profits to justify the reasons

I heard your promise but I don’t believe it

That’s why I’ll do it again

~~ “Notorious” by Duran Duran

I find it...interesting...when people decide what should and shouldn’t be posted on social media. Why are so many people posting about this? Why aren’t people posting about that? I don’t want to read this and I don’t like that and people should listen to me and do what I want!

Well, who made you hall monitor?

Here’s the deal. We all see things we don’t like on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. That doesn’t mean you get to decide what others should or should not post! I’ve been writing this blog for ten years (although admittedly sporadically lately) and I can remember people sending me suggestions in the past on things to write about. “You should write about this.” Really? If you want to read something about that topic, how about you start your own blog and write it yourself instead of playing editor with me? I don’t take requests!

A lot of people don’t care about politics. I get it. (Although why the hell not, I DON’T get.) A lot of people just don’t want the constant barrage of stories about it. I get that, too. Sometimes I have to step away for a bit. I try to balance my fascination with politics with my other passions, like music and books. I’m not all Woodward and Bernstein up in here, okay?

But you know what’s really cool about electronic things like TVs and computers? They have an Off button! Isn’t that amazing? You don’t have to watch and you don’t have to read. You know what’s cool about social media sites? You have the power to control what you read. Here are some options.

If someone consistently posts things you don’t want to read on Facebook, you can unfollow them. None of their posts will show up on your feed, but you can still go to their page and see their posts if you want to. I have even suggested this to my friends on Facebook if they get tired of my political posts. I won’t be offended. I know that not everyone is as into it as I am.

If someone posts things that you find deeply offensive, just unfriend them on Facebook or stop following them on Twitter, or whatever options other sites offer. If you honestly don’t like the person and what they post, why are you following them, anyway? I don’t care if it’s a coworker or a family member. Life is too short to put up with assholes, no matter the work or family relationship.

Or hey, here’s an idea. If you don’t like a post and it’s something you don’t want to see...maybe you could just scroll on by and understand that everyone has the right to post what they want! (As long as it’s not hate speech.) What a concept, right? Yes, you can just move along, nothing to see here, and no harm is done.

Here is what you don’t get to do: You don’t get to decide what others should or should not post, and you don’t get to decide what are or are not appropriate topics. Social media means different things to different people. My friends and I discuss all kinds of things, and yes, we have some lively discussions about politics. We are exchanging ideas and opinions and we are contributing to the dialogue. I happen to feel passionate about what is happening in our country and about what road we are taking. I feel fortunate to have this blog and social media where I can voice my opinion. Many in this world do not have such freedoms.

I was very moved by the lecture we attended last week about the suffragist movement. Women didn’t get the vote by staying silent. I have no intention of staying silent about this election or future elections.

I don’t take umbrage with people who express frustration with all the political posts. That’s fine, because you have the right to say that! I support your right to feel that way and to post about it!

But don’t chide me for my posts. I’m not going to stop.

That’s why I’ll do it again.

Beth’s Books: Look Who’s Back

I rode a tank

Held a general’s rank

When the Blitzkrieg raged

And the bodies stank

Please to meet you

Hope you guessed my name

~~ “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones

Written by Timur Vermes, translated from German by Jamie Bulloch

Ausgezeichnet!

This book was excellent and amazing. Published in Germany in 2015, it tells the story of Adolf Hitler—yes, the real one—waking up in 2011 Berlin. No explanation is given as to why he survived his suicide and burning with Eva Braun, but none is needed. That is not the point of the book.

As the Führer learns that he has awakened 60 years after his last memory, he attempts to navigate the modern world. He is mistaken for a comedian and actor/impersonator, soon attracts the attention of the networks, and gets a segment on a comedy show. He is a hit with many viewers (although some do not find him amusing at all) and seen as a master satirist. He never breaks character to anyone because he is, of course, the actual Hitler. He delivers speeches he gave decades ago and they begin to resonate with a certain segment of the population. He becomes so popular that he is given his own show.

This is one of the best dark humor books I’ve ever read. It manages to take one of the most abhorrent figures in world history and make him somewhat sympathetic. Of course, just as you’re going along and thinking, “Well, it was kind of nice what he said to her,” he then thinks about how it was necessary to eliminate as many Jews as possible and that his efforts were not in vain. I often felt a combination of horror and hilarity. It can’t be an easy thing to evoke such opposing feelings in a reader, but Vermes does it perfectly. (Credit to the translator, as well. It is not easy to translate German and retain the humor.)

There were parts that made me laugh out loud, such as when Hitler wonders at the absence of candles in the hospital due to concerns about fire:

I cannot recall large numbers of buildings having been damaged during my time in government, despite the generous use of candles. But I do concede that, from 1943 onward, the statistics become rather less meaningful given the increasing absence of buildings.

Then there is Hitler’s visit to Oktoberfest, where he strikes up a conversation with a woman. She speculates on his operations, meaning plastic surgery in order to look more like the real Hitler, but he takes it as literal military operations and mentions Sea Lion, Barbarossa, and Cerberus. She says she hasn’t heard of them, thinking that he is talking about plastic surgeons.

She scrutinized me. “I don’t see any scars,” she said with the air of a professional.

“I’m not going to complain,” I said. “The deepest wounds are those that Fate inflicts upon our hearts.”

“You’re right there,” she said with a smile, holding her beer toward me.

This is an absolutely brilliant indictment of celebrity worship, social media, politics, and the cult of personality. How is it possible that a somewhat charismatic, completely narcissistic blowhard with delusions of grandeur could rise to a position of political power while spouting racist, xenophobic, sexist rhetoric?

Heyyyy, wait a minute…!





Look Who's Back