Neighbors in life; neighbors in death

My grandfather and his first wife are buried in the nicest cemetery in Ann Arbor, near the Arb with lots of trees and hills. He bought a marker for his second wife, which is on the same plot, but she chose to be buried in Quebec. I did not remove the marker.

Recently his former neighbor, whose husband is buried in a nearby plot, noticed that the second wife's date of death is not engraved on the marker and apparently thinks it should be even though the plot has no body. She has my address and has contacted me on other occasions but not this time. She instead, contacted the executor of the estate, who in turn told me that I should do this. I control and pay for these plots. What I will do with them, I am not sure.

But I am annoyed at the nosy neighbor.

Saving a snapping turtle

She isn't very old judged by the size of her shell but with all the cracks in it, she's had a hard life

Every year in May, the female snapping turtle crawls out of her pond, finds some gravel or mud to dig a hole in, lays her eggs, and crawls back to her pond. Usually this happens earlier in the month but with our long winter, turtle day has been later. The baby painted turtles though, have long since hatched I see.

Just as I was finishing up an early morning bike ride, I found this turtle with  a concerned lady  hovering over it. The city recently installed new crossing stations along the street behind my house. Some cars treat this street as an entrance ramp to the nearby freeway. Meanwhile many kids have to cross it at their peril, more so since they have limited busing. Grass was ripped out during the installations. Then they reseeded covering the seeds with a hay mulch and covering the hay much with nylon netting without considering the turtle.This poor turtle is stuck in the netting. It frantically dug a hole trying to free herself.

This lady was about to pick it up by its shell.
If you do that, she'll snap your fingers off.

How do you know its a she? I was asked.

Only females leave the pond to lay eggs.

In her country, which I assume is India, they don't have biting turtles. The only safe way to move a snapping turtle is to grab its thick tail, which makes it extra mad, snapping and hissing. While I did this, she attempted to break the netting with a stick. The turtle snapped away at the stick.  Finally she was free but headed across the sidewalk to another area of netting. I tried to corral her into a safe zone, being hissed at and snapped at for my efforts but eventually she was headed towards her pond.

My co-rescuer walks a lot and had seen several other turtles that day, which were not in peril. She had no idea that they were snapping turtles, alligator snapping turtles I added.

I can bike but I can barely walk. Some how I sprained some muscle around my hip running the other day. It does feel better now but I will bike until I feel no pain. Today would not be a good day to run anyway. Already hot and humid. And already Josh has a full line of errands for us...
Later edit
The safest (for the turtle at least) way to rescue a turtle in harm's way is NOT to drag it by its tail I read later as it could injure the tail. You are supposed to lift it right under the tail by its PLASTRON (undershell). Now this would be tricky as a) when stressed the turtle emits musk from glands near there b) its long neck can reach its hind paws and it isn't afraid to snap at you. This method might be fine for a small turtle but if you have a 30 pound plus turtle, balancing it might be difficult.

Shunned! and then, maybe not

About 27 years ago, I was fairly good friends with the mother of Shanna's then best friend. We lead a Brownie troop together, along with another woman who I still see sometimes, I'd watch her newborn daughter (who I see just got married, they do grow up) and we'd go out for fun sometimes. After 3 years, she moved overseas (where coincidentally she met Josh's ex-mother-in-law). We wrote to each other occasionally. By the time she moved back briefly, I had Naomi and our daughters never renewed their friendship. I do remember running into her at a coffeeshop and she told me that she had Graves' Disease. I immediately blurted something about doesn't that make you lose weight? (she always has been heavy) Not in her case, she said.

Graves' Disease is an autoimmune disease in which antibodies attack the thyroid. Unlike Hashimoto's, which is also an autoimmune disease targeting the thyroid (which it seems almost all of my friends have), it stimulates the thyroid to overproduce. These same antibodies attack the eyes in 50% of cases causing swelling so severe, one can not close ones eyes. In another 20% of cases, it causes a skin condition that results in severe itching. She had the rare skin manifestation and very little attack of her thyroid. The ironic thing was while talking to her, I had rampant undiagnosed Grave's Disease. For 3 years, it came and went leaving me puzzled. Then I had 'thyroid storm' and it seems that my heart was going crazy. I ended up in the ER though the heart symptoms conveniently disappeared while there. Their diagnosis? Menopause. They were about ten years off on that one. I left disappointed in the medical establishment.

I did go to a follow-up visit in which the doctor took one look at me and said I had Graves'.  How do they train those ER doctors? His evidence: the air conditioning in the office had gone haywire freezing almost everyone. He had on a heavy sweater. Yet here I was in a thin cotton gown sweating. (telling the ER I was hot all the time led them falsely to the menopause dx). He also noticed the swollen thyroid.

When I ran into this friend sometime later when she back in Ann Arbor between various overseas assignments, I told her I had Graves' too. She called me a few years later to ask me to call a mutual acquaintance who also was diagnosed with it to provide moral support. I never did as this acquaintance used me to try to peddle various pyramid scheme products.

I did know she was back in town and that she had a friendship with Josh's then mother-in-law until the latter left for The East (leaving me to provide for her daughter). From 2 other friends that we have in common, I knew she was working where I take Maya for therapy. But when I ran into there, despite saying her name, she looked right through me as if she didn't know me. Or worse, she did know me but believed I should be shunned.

Why couldn't she be troubled to say Hello? Is she that mad at me? My feelings were hurt. Did this former mother-in-law say something awful about me? This was before the marriage broke up. I know I let these things bother me way too much. I ran into her a few more times but I made no attempt to contact her. Once burned, twice shy.

Until the other day. Through Facebook, she sent a friend request and I accepted. Yeah I  know, being Facebook friends is kinda weak. My new theory: she just couldn't recognize me in my new fat suit (I was always fairly thin when we had previously had contact). She has also walked right by Shanna without acknowledging her but I guess that could be excused as adults rarely look like they did as an 8 year old. Or maybe she just has a really bad memory for faces yet she remembered my name as we do have a Facebook friend in common.

Today Steve and Naomi have their stitches removed from their minor surgeries.

We have been having strange weather. Yesterday, I had a narrow time slot to run but it was filled with lightning and thunder. I waited until late in the day (when I have absolutely no desire to run). One moment it is sunny, then it pours. I waited even longer. By this time, it was hot and humid. I could sense instability. I never went more than a mile from home as anything could happen. The tornado sirens started just as I finished up. I immediately checked the radar to see what was going on. The sirens go on if any part of the county gets hit though it looked like the path was north of us. Josh's new house was right in its path though no sirens for him even though the town 4 miles due west of him (in a different county) had the sirens going. Did they think the tornado would just stop at the county line? The tornado dissipated.

He is nervous about tornados as he seemed to be in the path of one about a year ago. It was swirling on top of him. He chose to out drive it rather than huddle in the basement. The houses less than a half mile from him, including one he almost bought, were smashed to smithereens. Fortunately no one was even injured even though they were in the house (we have basements..why didn't that school in OK have a storm cellar for the kids?)

Grandbaby girls

Who rocks this outfit best?

Our living room looks like a toddler playground with the slide, dual rocker and assorted toys. Cost of the rocker? zero along with another slide which I am keeping outside. Too cold and rainy for the girls to play outside. Miss Tess's parents were in Canada for a wedding. The boys were with their other grandma. Miss Maya came over only for  2 hours. In 4 months, we will have another baby girl.

Fortunately it wasn't raining this morning for my run. A small herd of deer jumped in my path.

The lawyer sent us a huge packet setting up trusts,  our will and medical powers of attorney. Just don't have the heart to go through it. Under what  conditions do I want to have the plug pulled ? How to fairly divide the money assuming some is left.  Do we recognize the grandchildren and to what degree?  Steve keeps nagging for me to deal with this. A chore that needs to be done.

Side Zoomers vs Line Uppers

This is the situation: You are on a busy 2 lane going one way expressway. There is a sign saying due to construction, the right lane will disappear in a mile. What do you do? Immediately merge into the left lane or wait until the last possible moment to merge when the lane disappears? Or if you were in the left lane to begin with, zip into the emptying right lane and zoom ahead of those lineuppers in the left lane and then merge at the last possible second.

Now expressways move the most efficiently if all possible lanes are utilized giving some justification for the side zoomers. But lineuppers in general view the side zoomers as narcissistic assholes. If the side zoomers weren't in the relative anonymity of a car, would they barge ahead with their shopping carts in front of a line of twelve waiting shoppers? Steve said in New York, they would. He frequently found fights in the lines and in the narrow aisles of the local Waldbaum's, something he never witnessed in placid Michigan. And in general, being polite in New York would never get you across town.

As for myself, once I have decided to merge, I sometimes block the path of sidezoomers forcing them to merge BEHIND me.

Oh my reading in the middle of the night. Why can't I sleep?

It is nice out. I went for my longest yet for this season bicycle ride made easier by little wind and a comfortable temperature. I will be in shape. My Pennsylvania ride is in just a few weeks.

We have Ms. Tess with us for a day and a half. Of all the grandbabies, she is by far the easiest. She is very interested in new surroundings, content just to look around, will eat about anything we put in front of her, smiles constantly, and is very cute. We have had bits of Maya over the weekend too.

Josh and Julie visited us in between their many tasks. They still haven't closed on Josh's old house.

We took Tess shopping. Our best find? A gyro bowl as seen on TV but for a fraction of the cost. seehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPgvauRzQFI) Kids allegedly can't spill anything from it even if they tip it upside down. We'll see how it holds up to the boys.

Mushroom houses and other northern experiences

View from our balcony on our second night

Fireplace in common area where we stayed the first night-an Earl Young creation

Pan of Bay Harbor

Sculpture in front of Charlevoix library

One of the mushroom houses that actually looks like a mushroom

Charlevoix lighthouse

Bay Harbor mansion

another one

Cool sconces in our second place

Lobby of second place

Residents getting ready for Operation Petunia. Every spring, Charlevoix residents line 5 miles of streets with these. It was supposed to happen today.

mushroom house

My favorite mushroom house

another one

Small office behind larger mushroom house

This one was for sale. 1.1 million for 2000 sq feet

What to do with used skis

Even the walls are interesting

miles and miles of trillium

We are back from our two night northern adventure. We stayed the first night in Charlevoix, which is surrounded by water, Lake Michigan, the Pine River and Round Lake which leads into Lake Charlevoix. When I was a kid, we'd stay at the nearby Camp Michigania for UM alums. My father and his friend would often visit Charlevoix to look at the yachts. I thought at the time, the town was called Charlie Boy. Aside from the beaches, marinas and rich people's guest cottages, the town is full of 'mushroom' houses aka Gnome homes aka Hobbit Houses built by a self-taught architect Earl Young who wanted to use all natural material for his structures. His favorite material was Onaway rock (we had stayed there on our first night on last year's bike ride). There are about 30 of these homes, if not more, scattered around the town. Even parts of our hotel was built by him. Anyway, they were fun to look at. We were able to walk to quite a few of them from our hotel and then found a whole bunch more the next day by driving around. We had a nice walk along the beach just as the fog was rolling in. Alas I found no Petoskey stones for my rock garden.

We visited Petoskey in the evening, a cute town full of restaurants and shops.
Our room featured a deck that overlooked Lake Michigan, if you craned your neck. It also had a fireplace, a jacuzzi, pillowtop mattress so we were comfy.

The forecast called for rain the whole time we were going to be away but it didn't come in until late the first night and didn't return until 2 or so the next day so we had some rain free time. However, this morning when I wanted to run, it was 34, pouring rain with a stiff 30 mph wind. I stayed in. At least I got a nice long run in Charlevoix  It did clear up by noon but still was cold.

We stopped in Bay Harbor which is reclaimed land I believe from a cement factory. Unbelieveable houses, some pictured above that have been recently built.  One is going for $6 million. Where did all this money come from? The houses are all gated up but are visible from the marina which we took a walk on.

We had stayed at the lodge in Alanson before last fall. I really like it even though we were kept inside by the rain. Our balcony was covered though so we sat outside watching the beautiful world huddled under a blanket. The room came with champagne and a jacuzzi (and a kitchen..didn't need that).
The rain finally stopped this morning right when we were going to leave. I did have time to feed the fish they keep in a pond. They were hungry. We drove through the Tunnel of Trees which are much prettier in the fall. I will be riding my bike through this in less than 2 months. The woods were filled with trillium and forget-me-nots. Very pretty. We ate at the Legs Inn. Unfortunately it was too early for their gardens to be at their full beauty.

Irises, Columbine, and Snow in Summer

I have several patches of irises and I just planted 90 dwarf ones. I have several colors of columbine spread out all over. Unfortunately the fancy ones over the years seed themselves to become just blue.

Snow in Summer plant that has invaded my rock garden. It is not completely in full flower. Each year, I pull most of it out but it comes back with a vengeance. Right now it is pretty.