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Mission 2022 September

In 2022, I’m combining lessons from the heart with some –cough cough – goals.

But I don’t like the word goals, so it’s a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined.

Let’s start by reviewing last month. How was August?

August’s Tarot Card

I did a tarot spread for the full year and the August card was Unexpected Visitors. This card asked me to expect the unexpected and the synchronicity that that can bring. There’s a reminder to adapt to shifting conditions by flowing, not forcing.

Whelp, that was definitely the theme of August – especially the very last week of August! I swear it was like the heavens aligned or something. I’m so grateful that I got over my reluctance to admit, indulge, and celebrate my teenage boy band: the Bay City Rollers. Attending the Bay City Roller Day celebration seemed to have unlocked a whole new level of excitement in my life, but more about that in the months to come.

August had me canning food, too – something I’ve never done on my own. I’ve canned carrot relish and a carrot cake jam so far. Beets and more carrots are next!

August had the first phase of a multi-phase change in my back yard, too. That’s made a huge difference when it rains: water collects in rain barrels that I can then use to water plants. And I worked in the back yard several times, too. More of that to come in September and October… Hint: because this work is done I can plant more stuff!

August also found me finishing up the first draft of the novel, which frees me up to work on other projects. So August was endings and beginnings…

September’s card is Metamorphosis – some loss but with the loss I will love who I become. To put it another way, even with temporary discomfort beauty is revealed. I wonder what this month holds?

Write 250 Words A Day, 5 Days A Week

This goal is happening thanks to Big Secret Goal #1: write the first draft of a novel. It already has tapered off because I’m not actively working on the book. But it will ramp back up again when cold weather sets in and I start on the second draft.

Revamp WordStorm Casserole Poetry Book

Not happening.

Post Twice A Month On This Website

Nailed this in August. There’s the August Mission Update, a post that revealed backyard changes, and a post all about the Bay City Rollers Day celebration.

DeGoogle, deApple, deMicrosoft – embrace Linux!

Why? Because Google, Apple, and Microsoft all track your every move online and that’s wrong.

In August used my Linux machine most of the time for personal use: checking personal email, watching YouTube videos, checking social media.

Have Fun

Looking at the calendar, most of August wasn’t that different from any other month. I got a couple massages, went to the dentist, meditated with friends. But the BCR Day Celebration was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Go read the blog post and learn why.

Big Secret Goal #1: Finish the first draft of a novel

I turned in the first draft of my novel to The Write Practice over Labor Day weekend! Yeah me! And as a reward I get to go on a weekend writing retreat in October.

Big Secret Goal #2: Backyard Landscaping

This goal is done and dusted! Check out the big secret goal reveal that goes into a lot more detail about what was completed in the back yard this year.

What I’m Reading

On GoodReads, I have a 2022 Reading Challenge goal of at least 50 books. I snuck a couple of books in during August:

The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal. This is the third in the Lady Astronaut series and I could gobble more up on a regular basis.
Don’t Stop The Music: The Bay City Rollers on Record by Hannes A. Jonsson. Finally a compendium of all of the recordings of the group and various offshoots. There’s far more to this group that S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y. Night! I do wish the author had added a table of contents and index; a slightly different organization would helped, too, but I’m so happy to see this!

How About You?

How was your August? What was the best part of your summer?

Bay City Roller Day Celebration – Update 2

This past weekend I attended the 45th Anniversary celebration of the day that Scottish pop-rock band Bay City Rollers appeared in their namesake city of Bay City, Michigan.

This poster from 16 Magazine graced the walls of many young girls. But I was at the event, sitting/standing/shouting to the right of Eric (he’s the guy on the right.)

This weekend was filled with meeting new friends, Roller games, and so much more; this is a long post with a lot of pictures, so get comfy.

Bay City Roller Day Celebration Back In The Day

I was there on August 24, 1977 when the Rollers signed the mural, put their hands in cement, and were awarded the key to the city.

At the time it was an absolutely momentous occasion: I’d never seen any of my teen idols in person and here they were all the way from Scotland and practically in my own back yard.

Bay City is about an hour from where I grew up and, although bands definitely came to the area, it’s mostly rural with farms and fields within easy reach of any town.

Bay City Rollers at the mural in Bay City, Michigan – August 1977 (Photographer unknown)

So I was there with my friend, Gena, and her mom and little brother. We sat outside in front of city hall all day waiting for the Rollers.

We were there with an estimated 3.000+ fans and the band was at the height of their US popularity. The song “You Made Me Believe In Magic” was running up the charts.

Fans chanted “B-A-Y-B-A-Y-B-A-Y-C-I-T-Y with an R-O-double L-E-R-S, Bay City Rollers are the best” and “S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT,” “We want the Rollers,” and more.

Then, after what seemed like forever, they were in front of us, live, almost so close you could touch them. Or, could try to touch them – they were on a raised platform and security was very tight.

I don’t remember much of what actually happened that day. To be honest, sitting in the hot sun with a crowd of people is one of my least enjoyable activities ever. We did see the newly signed and painted mural on the way home.

The mural tagged by fans back in the day. The building the mural was on was eventually torn down. 🙁

A couple days later, my parents took Gena and I to see the Rollers at the State Fair in Detroit. And, after that, I went home to that tiny town and blue bedroom, and kept writing letters to Roller fans around the world.

The Rollers quickly dropped from the charts and from most people’s minds. And, to be honest, they were out of my thoughts for a long time, too. Definitely by the end of college I’d found other musical interests and the pen pals had dwindled.

Still, that time being in love with the boy band from Scotland has never left my tartan heart. And this weekend at the Bay City Roller Day Celebration, it all came roaring back.

BCR Fan Events

I learned about this weekend because I follow the most excellent BCR Fan Events. This group offers “internationally fan-driven, fan-funded, and fan-produced events that celebrate the Bay City Rollers and the lifelong friendships that have resulted and endured for nearly fifty years.” Here is their Facebook group.

The group also is behind the podcast, “Dedication – Fans Remember The Bay City Rollers.” Hosted by Suz and Laura, the podcast has featured original Rollers Derek Longmuir and Nobby Clark, other key people in the history of the Rollers, and (oh my!)- fan stories.

This Bay City Roller Day celebration weekend was not hosted or sponsored by BCR Fan Events. However, without that group, I wouldn’t have learned about this weekend.

Rebel, Dawn, Cathy, Becky & Jan

This weekend organized and hosted by the amazing

Rebel D’Elia,
Dawn Scroggins,
Cathy Rice,
Becky Hall, and
Jan Zalewski.

The weekend was held at the Comfort Inn, Bay City, which is right by the events of the Bay City Rollers day in 1977. That also makes it just a short walk from downtown Bay City with shopping, food, and more.

Walking into the hotel I was greeting almost immediately by (I think) Jan who said, “You must be here for the Roller event.”

How could she tell? Any Roller fan could because I had on a tartan shirt, was carrying a tartan purse, and was wearing a t-shirt from Bay City Roller Fan Events that says, “Girls Gone Plaid.”

Right away, this introvert felt welcomed and appreciated; those awesome feels kept coming all weekend.

Those tartans are for the “classic five” line-up of Eric, Alan, Derek, Woody, and Les!

Bay City Roller Day Celebration – The First Day

I checked into my room, unpacked and made myself comfortable. Then I scooted downstairs for the first (non-Roller related) event: a walking tour of Bay City’s historic “Hell’s Half Mile.” A good size group of Roller fans participated in this walking tour.

The history of the Saginaw valley is rife with stories from the lumbering era. Lumber was big business back in the 1850s-1890s and this area boomed because of the vast expanse of old growth forest.

Rugged men spent winters chopping trees in tea-totaling camps and then, come the first spring rush, delivered the felled timber to sawmills that lined the Saginaw river. Then, as it were, they’d party like it’s 1999 – or maybe 1899.

The Historical Museum of Bay County; the city hall is in the background.

Seriously, though, they’d whoop it up like something you probably can’t imagine. Bay County Historical Museum educational coordinator Sam Fitzpatrick gave us an absolutely fascinating peek into that raucous history. Just think notorious, dirty, robberies, fights, stabbings, and vile wickedness and you’re about halfway there.

Sam kicking the tour off on the steps of the museum.

The Bay City Antique Market is in the old Campbell building – one of the oldest buildings in the city.

We stopped across the street from St. Laurent Brothers to learn more about Hell’s Half Mile. In lumber times, this was one of the most notorious locations even known as the toughest place on the Saginaw River.

Several streets in downtown Bay City are blocked off for the summer and designated pedestrian zones.

The tour led us through alley ways and boy, the back of the buildings are just as interesting as the front.

The tour ended in downtown Bay City at the corner of Saginaw and Center streets.

The Hell’s Half Mile refers to an area of downtown Bay City that run along Water and Saginaw Streets. These days it’s a lovely area for shopping and dining.

There was plenty of free time this weekend, and I spent more than my fair share at the superb My Secret Garden and clothing store Uptown Girl. Of course I bought a fluffy tartan shirt for winter.

Dinner the first night was at Tavern 101 where more Roller fans joined, and then we all went back to the hotel for fun and games.

Bay City Roller Day Celebration Party

So imagine your teenage bedroom filled with all sorts of Bay City Roller stuff: pins, shirts, tote bags, albums, fan magazines, pictures, and posters – oh, the posters. Now turn the volume up and that’s what walking into the party room at the Comfort Inn resembled.

(You might need a Bay City Roller musical background to accompany the next part. Go find them on Spotify or here’s my playlist on YouTube. I’ll wait…)

Here’s a quick video of the room as it was being readied for the party. It starts with a BCR shower curtain (yes – shower curtain) that was auctioned off later in the night.

There’s another shower curtain (don’t you just love these men in kilts?)
Then you see a prize table,
a participants table,
some yummy snacks,
some of the organizers,
the auction table,
one of the posters we all had in our rooms,
and a memorial table for Alan, Ian, and Les.

Cupcakes!

Sally of Hope and Help for Sal’s Tribe and Bay City Rollers Memorabilia Auction (and a former pen pal of mine) organized an amazing auction. Look, if you were a Roller fan, you’d be drooling at all that was on offer!

I won a tartan tote bag and, while playing a game, won a Eucalyptus candle. Other goodies that all attendees received:

And this t-shirt!

Bay City Roller Day Celebration Games

You had to be quite the Roller fan to play any of these games, let me tell you. And I was so busy talking, laughing, and eating a cupcake (and turning my mouth blue) that I wasn’t playing to win. I don’t think anyone really was: this weekend was all about comradery.

I mean, how could it not be about fun and friendship if both Woody and Eric knew we were gathering in Bay City? Woody posted a picture of his key to the city and wondered what the key opened. Eric wrote a note on a post-it that said,

Hi, Hope that everyone heading to Bay City, Michigan this weekend has a great time – well done Rebel, Becky, and all the organisers. As I’ve got the key to the city and if you are locked in – I’m your man.”

So those games I mentioned… there was:

Roller bingo,
name that song based on a super short music clip, guess the BCR song based on lyrics,
a word search,
and even a “Spot The Errors” copied from 16 Magazine back in the day.

Another game was “What’s in your phone” where each participant received points for things like

a Bay City Roller lock or home screen,
a contact named Alan, Derek, Leslie, Woody or Eric,
a photo of the Rollers or a Roller,
a Scottish recipe, a selfie in Roller gear,
a Roller Pinterest site,
and for every contact beginning with a B, C. and R.

Here’s a glance at the prize table and some of the games. I found that last word in the word search (Arista -as in Arista Records-) just after I snapped the picture.

There were FOUR PAGES of “Guess The Song!”

Bay City Rollers Celebration Day Two – City Hall!

Day two of the celebration weekend we gathered on the steps of the City Hall of Bay City. That’s where the Rollers put their handprints into cement and where they were granted the key to the city (and that’s where I was that day in 1977.)

Just look at the inside…and imagine the Rollers walking through here in 1977.

We took several group shots then moved over to the historical museum to tour the Michigan Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exhibit. Founder of the hall of fame Gary Johnson gave us a brief introduction to how the exhibit came to be at the Bay City museum and talked a bit about some of the things we were about to see.

I spied a pencil drawing and postcard of the City Hall nearby.

This is the front elevation of the city hall in Bay City.

And then we climbed these steep stairs…

And turned to the right.

Bay City Roller Day Celebration – The Handprints

For years, Rebel d’Elia had been working to get the handprints on display somewhere in Bay City. The handprints were on display years ago, then disappeared, then historical society members just didn’t respond…the usual drama.

But through the years, Rebel has persistently called and finally – finally! The handprints are on display!

When you turn to the right at the top of the stairs there is a blue hallway. And along the right side of that blue hallway is the Rollers.

There is an autographed photo, an album cover, Derek Longmuir’s key to the city, the official proclamation, and the poster from 16 Magazine.

Below that black and white photo are the handprints. You’d better believe many a Bay City Day celebrant held her hands up to her favorite Roller’s hands – and yes, they sure would fit together nicely.

Left to right the handprints are Les, Derek, Woody, and Eric.

Woody’s handprints. He also wrote “Woody was here.” That symbol above his name means Keep On Rollin!

We were all in awe.

After spending time looking at other exhibits we had plenty of free time. Some of us went to have lunch. My new friend Jan and I went to Gatsby’s (and ended up seeing other Roller friends there, too.)

Later that day some people went to a Rick Springfield concert while others hung around the hotel or went to eat. I had a delicious dinner and conversation at Old City Hall. There was also tiramisu, too.

Bay City Roller Day Celebration – Goodbyes

All too soon it was Sunday morning and we said goodbyes over breakfast in the hotel lobby. On the way home I reflected on the weekend.

I spent so many years trying to forget that I’d ever been a fan of the Rollers – being cool and liking cool bands was more important. And it’s a shame, really, because the women I met this weekend were incredible. Some of them have been friends since waaaay back in the day. And the stories?

Oh my! The stories they could (and did) tell. Some had met the Rollers multiple times, Many had never seen the Rollers in concert. Some were pulled into the phenomena of Rollermania by friends and others, like me, saw them on Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell and were smitten. Lord knows it was a bad show, but the Rollers were on twice and I was glue to the TV both times.

Pen Pals

The other very cool thing about liking the Rollers was having pen pals. And I mentioned that Sally (at the time going by “Sunshine”) was a pen pal of mine…but I had pen pals from around the world. Here are some of them:

Pen pals opened the world for me. I’d get a letter from Japan, one from Germany, and another from California on the same day. A week could bring twenty or more letters.

We shared news from our lives and -of course- the Rollers. We shared cassette tape recordings of the radio, clippings from teen magazines, photos, photo negatives – so much.

At this Roller event, I took a big book of letters that I’d saved. And several people sat down and looked through those letters and look at the names. Those names brought up memories and sure enough, I was reconnected with THREE of old pen pals. That’s just amazing after 45 years!

This was such a fun weekend and everyone – and I mean everyone – was so warm and welcoming. I’d love to come to other events in the future.

Maybe someone will bow out of the Tartan Day event next year so I, too, can march up Sixth Avenue in NYC with a whole slew of other Roller fans. I’d have to be sporting both Wallace and Leslie tartans, mind you.

Your Turn

Did you have pen pals? Were you infatuated with a boy band?

P.S.

The main character in the novel I’m working on loves the Bay City Rollers!

Update 1

After this post was out in the world, I was contacted by one of the organizers of the event. I quite literally did not realize that the event hadn’t been sponsored by Bay City Rollers Fan Events, and have changed the post to reflect my new understanding. My apologies for the confusion.

Update 2

A spot opened up on the Tartan Day walk, and I will now be going to New York City in April! I’m so excited about this and already starting to think about how to represent Clan Wallace and Leslie. I may even throw in something for Cameron as that’s my great-great grandmother’s Clan on the paternal side of the family.

BCR Fan Events had their original Facebook group taken down for copyright infringement; in what sounds like a personal vendetta, one of the organizers also had their personal page and more removed from Facebook. This is wrong. I’ve updated this blog to show the NEW link for the new and renamed group and I fully support BCR Fan Events.

Big Secret Goal Reveal: Backyard Landscaping

As I wrote back in June, I’m not a natural born gardener. I learned about gardening in my 30s and then got a 72-hour permaculture certificate through the Women’s Permaculture Guild in my 50s. Having just migrated into my 60s, this summer was the time to really start in earnest on applying permaculture to the small yard.

And the first step in any ‘renovation’ if you will is always demolition, so that’s what happened. The demolition was for the majority of the back yard: there were so many weeds, volunteer trees, and other stuff that it really had to be pulled back to the basics. And that happened. What was a virtual Midwestern jungle in this small town lot is now pretty empty.

Implementation Phase I

I’m not big on hard timelines and clearly defined goals and dates. Instead I developed “phases” that allow for fluidity and flexibility which ultimately makes the process of transforming the yard a whole lot more fun.

In Phase 1 of this transformation, the focus is all about the back yard. I figure I’ll concentrate here and then eventually get around to working on the more public front yard. That way I can make a complete mess in the backyard so that the front will look prettier and I’ll know more what I’m doing. Fingers crossed.

Phase 1 really started last year with a soil test (mineral/sandy loam with pH of 7.3 and lacking in potassium and needs nitrogen,) relocating the compost bin, and installing the patio with permeable concrete. This summer there were two focuses: 1) cleaning up all the plants that don’t need to be here and 2) redirecting water.

One of the existing downspouts in the backyard shuttled water off to the neighbor’s property. The other shot the water straight into the backyard where it did nothing but sink and then dry up. For this design, the downspout that sent water into the neighbor’s property was moved so that it points straight down and the water flows into a rain barrel. The other downspout got similar treatment.

Rain Barrels and Tile

What are rain barrels? As the name implies, rain barrels collect rain. There’s a water spicket near the bottom, so you can use the stored water in drier times. I will probably add soaker hoses or something similar to run through the future beds, too.

When the rain barrel is nearly full, the excess water is channeled into tile that runs into the back yard.

Rain barrel awaiting that black tube to be attached. The tube leads to the tile which is underground. And can you see how the rain from downspouts is directed into the barrel?

So when it rains, water coming from the sky and falling onto my roof now moves through the rain gutters, into the rain barrels, and then into the property. That tile is laid out in four distinct “arms” reaching into an existing bed and the almost to the very back of the yard.

With the tile in place, I now know about where my pathways will be located. I can start double digging beds and transplanting. And I can order fruit trees: mulberry and pears are on my wish list for this fall. (I already have peach, apple, crabapple, and plum.)

Ordering fruit trees makes me want to order or go find a whole lot of other plants, too, but I’ve got to curtail myself. It’s super easy to buy all the plants and then realize that this beautiful, capable, yet aging body say, “Err, nope” to more digging in the dirt. Slow and steady is definitely winning for me when it comes to gardening.

Before

Look at that lushness! Unfortunately, there were also a bunch of weeds (err, unwanted plants) in there – and an unwanted tree.

To the left is crunchy grass that never gets enough water in the summer. To the right is a lush “jungle” and the back of the property.

The phlox run 🙂 I adore phlox, even when they’re falling over. But there are a ton of weeds and way too much grass growing in between the plants.

This narrow walkway runs from the front to back yard. It’s totally overgrown with unwanted weeds. And you can see the white downspout pointing off into the neighbor’s yard, too.

The lushness of the far back yard. Lots of weeds and volunteer trees and Rose of Sharon.

After

Sure, I loved the lushness. I was happy to have extra Rose of Sharon and copious amounts of weeds I hadn’t bothered to identify (well, at least not all of them.) But now? They’re all gone.

I will miss the Queen Anne’s Lace that volunteered; I’m hoping some shows up again sometime… Yes, I know it’s a “weed” but it’s really pretty weed and it’s edible.

That narrow walkway that runs from front to back? All the weeds are gone. You can see the downspout more clearly here shooting off into the neighbor’s yard. That now goes straight into a rain barrel (there are two in the back yard.)

Rain barrel all set up and awaiting rain.

That lush bed is now almost barren. Sigh. See why I want to buy plants?

See the two “arms” of soil? That’s where the tile was laid. Overflow from one rain barrel will traverse this tile.

The far back yard “jungle” was tamed. The “volunteer” Rose of Sharon’s were spread out along the fence to act as a green screen.

The phlox wall is still mostly intact. But what’s all that dirt? More tile! And can you see how the downspout has been rotated to fact the yard? The other rain barrel is located right at that spot.

One of the tile lines ends at this very sad bed. I swear there was a heavy mulch in there at one point. The Nanking Cherry, Echinacea, and Plum survived the aggressive culling. So did the comfrey, lemon balm, and chives.

Here’s another view of that same bed with a special guest star, Princess Leia, visiting from a neighboring house – not a galaxy far, far away.

Princess Leia (and at least one other neighborhood cat) used to nap in the weeds in this area, so I’m sure she’s sad all the overgrown weeds are gone. Meow 🙁

Another look at where the tile was laid along the West side of the back yard. Apple tree straight in front, peach by the patio. And under the patio? That’s the ultimate goal: total diversity with chives, comfrey, lemon thyme, clover, daylily, and more.

Like I said at the top of this post, there was a lot of deconstruction. And then a lot of very hard physical labor to get that tile laid. The fun part comes next: finding plants. Then it’s more hard work.

Neat And Green

Thank goodness James at Neat And Green in Mount Pleasant, Michigan is open to trying new stuff; I shared my entire 40+ page permaculture plan with him and he embraced a different way of working with a yard. The crew was here 2 1/2 days and did an amazing job; I’ll have them come back again next year for more work I’m sure.

Ultimately, I’m shooting to have a relatively work-free back yard. It will have lots of pretty flowers and plenty of edible things, too. I don’t have kids or grandkids so having grass is an absolute nope for me; I don’t want to mow it and I don’t want to pay somebody to mow it, either. I want to wander into my back yard and stroll along small paths, or rest in a chair in a quiet, secluded spot.

Adding in tons of biodiversity will make the local wildlife population happy, too. I mean, how many peaches will the squirrels eat this year? Answer: most of them because your “not a gardener” girl didn’t get out there and bag those peaches up. So it’s been fun watching the squirrels climb the little tree and then gnaw through the small peaches. There’s always next year for bagging up peaches to freeze!

What’s Growing In The Garden Of Your Life?

So what are you digging and planting and growing? It doesn’t have to be flowers and plants – so many things in our lives are tended and need nurturing. What’s growing in the garden of your life right now?

Mission 2022 August

In 2022, I’m combining lessons from the heart with some –cough cough – goals. But I don’t like the word goals, so it’s a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined. So how was July?

July’s Tarot Card

I did a tarot spread for the full year and July’s card was Gentle Gardner which admonished me to believe in limitless possibility, and reminded me that forgiveness is my most powerful restorative tool.

Speaking quite literally, I did some gentle gardening by pruning and plucking in July. And speaking even more literally, see Big Secret Goal #2 reveal below; there was nothing gentle about that gardening though. It was more digging and pulling and more digging.

I suppose I gentle gardened by giving away a few more things on the Buy Nothing app. That’s a hyper local app where you can offer “gifts” for people in your area. Someone claims the “gift” and they usually come to your house to retrieve the item/items. It’s a nice way to share abundance and meet people.

Limitless possibility appears every time I sit down to write. I think I don’t have anything more to add. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and ask the main character to tell me what happened next. It’s amazing how just that little pause before writing keeps me going.

P.S. August’s card is Unexpected Visitors – it’s all about expecting the unexpected and synchronicities that that can bring. I wonder what’s going to happen in August?

Write 250 Words A Day, 5 Days A Week

This goal is definitely being met thanks to Big Secret Goal #1 – I’m writing a novel. The deadlines imposed by the course at The Write Practice are just enough to keep me moving forward.

Revamp WordStorm Casserole Poetry Book

Not happening. Big Secret Goal #1 is the priority.

Itty bitty visitor to the bright lily after a rain.

Post Twice A Month On This Website

Did this in July! There was the July Mission Update and Artsy Weekend In Grand Rapids.

DeGoogle, deApple, deMicrosoft – embrace Linux!

Why? Because Google, Apple, and Microsoft all track your every move online and that’s wrong.

No much change with this in July. I’m still using my Linux machine most of the time for personal use: checking personal email, watching YouTube videos, checking social media.

Have Fun

After all the activity in June, there was no way I could have so much fun in July. I caught up with some out-of-state friends in a Zoom session, had a couple of massages, and oh yeah – had my hair died teal, deep blue, and purple. I love the jewel tones mixed with my natural grey and darker hair.

Big Secret Goal #1: Finish the first draft of a novel

Moving right along with this. In July I hit 50,000+ words, which puts me more than two-thirds of the way towards meeting my goal of 70,000 words. As I’m getting this blog post ready on August 7 I’m sitting firmly above 57,000 and set to cross the 60,000 word mark sometime this week. Hurrah!

Big Secret Goal #2: Backyard Landscaping!

Finally I can reveal this goal! I definitely had to hire pros because several areas in my backyard resembled a Midwestern jungle of weeds, unwanted trees, and other miscellaneous green stuff that had decided to live in my yard. As I said above, there’s nothing gentle about the process of essentially demolishing to begin building again.

This is the first of several phases that will happen over a number of years, too, and I’m delighted to have it underway. All the work the pros did in removing and then relocating existing plants has me enthusiastic for the next phases. More information and lots of pictures later this month!

What I’m Reading

On GoodReads, I have a 2022 Reading Challenge goal of at least 50 books. Since the last update I’ve only read one book!

I’ve been so concentrated on writing that the only book I’ve managed to get through this month has been How To Tell A Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling From The Moth.
I suspect August will be relatively book-read-less too because writing a book and working full time is taking up a lot of mental space.
I do have The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal on deck; it’s the third in the Lady Astronaut series and man, I read those so fast and loved them that I may not be able to hold myself back. The other book I’m looking forward to is The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie; I loved her Ancillary Justice series and this is a brand new series for her. There’s also a new book coming from psychologist Sharon Blackie – Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life; it’s out in October and I already have it on pre-order. Her book If Women Rose Rooted explored Celtic mythology and the Heroine’s journey as a way to find authenticity; good stuff if you’re interested in personal development and spirituality.

How About You?

How was your July? What big dreams and projects are you working on for this year?

Artsy Weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Not long ago I escaped to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a weekend of art, theater, food, and shopping – some of my favorite things!

Work has been horrendous and I’m writing a novel which means more time at the computer in the evenings. I needed a break, and I needed one NOW.

So I escaped over to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the weekend. It’s a little under two hours from my small town of Mount Pleasant, Michigan, so it’s a super easy drive. I lived and worked in Grand Rapids years ago, so it’s also a way to revisit some favorite places and spaces.

Shop Til You Drop

My first stop is often Georgie’s Consignment in a Grand Rapids suburb called Ada. This is an upscale consignment store with exceptional service and selection. I snagged a pair of light grey NAOT sandals at about half off retail that made my feet and wallet very happy. The store is one of the oldest buildings in the small town, and is directly opposite the covered wooden bridge.

I stayed at the Hilton Homewood Suites on 28th Street. This was my first time staying in a Homewood Suites and I really enjoyed the larger sized room and convenient location. The room had a decent size kitchen/sitting area plus bedroom. Breakfast was included, too!

And, thinking ahead, I brought along some of those funky ice pack things from HelloFresh. I planned to stop into Trader Joe’s for unique grocery items I can’t get here in Mount Pleasant. Those ice packs stayed icy cold in the large fridge in the hotel room while I roamed and roamed.

The 28th Street location is a quick drive away from Woodland Mall, where I had to stop for an Olga’s meal for dinner. It’s not a fancy-schmancy dinner, but because I rarely get anywhere that has an Olga’s Kitchen, I almost always have one when I can: seasoned and broiled meat, tomatoes, onions, Olgasauce, and that divine bread.

I managed a shoe store just across East Beltline years ago. I didn’t much like the job at Gussini Shoes and ended up being fired, which set me on my way to Athens, Georgia and some interesting adventures.

That mall the shoe store was in got “reimagined into a hybrid mall/shopping center and it’s now known as “The Shops at Centerpoint.” I always stop at the Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, World Market, and other stores that my little town doesn’t have.

And it wouldn’t be shopping if I didn’t manage to do damage in the thrift stores along 29th Street. There are three that are a must for me every time: Goodwill, New2You, and Mel Trotter Ministries. After the thrift stores, I almost always hit up the independent Schuler Books on 28th Street, too; their café has scrumptious light lunches and refreshing drinks. And books, I bought books.

Beyond Van Gogh

The purpose of the weekend was to attend the Beyond Van Gogh exhibit downtown at Devos Place. This traveling art show was a thrill to see; it reminded me in some ways of the Van Gogh Museum that I’d visited even many more years ago in Amsterdam.

I loved how they told the story of the Van Gogh brothers, and of Vincent’s love of painting. Did you know that Don McLean wrote Starry Starry Night about Vincent Van Gogh? It played as part of the final section of the exhibit and brought tears to my eyes.

The exhibit was laid out in three darkened sections or “rooms.” Walls were formed by black curtains. Only the pictures and meticulous lighting illuminated your way.

The first room told the story; the second featured a waterfall effect with self-portraits, and the final had a 37-minute audio/video presentation. You could stay in each ‘room’ as long as you wanted.

The first room explored Vincent’s relationship with his brother, Theo, using letter excerpts.

The second room was smaller and showed a video ‘waterfall’ effect with accompanying music. I posted a video on Facebook and got a slap on the hand for copyright, so won’t share that video here.

The third room was the showstopper. Here’s a good idea of the size:

The paintings came to life and changed before your eyes, like this – a longer clip featuring the same visuals.

As I said, this room had a 37-minute loop, and it was fascinating to watch. Pictures were displayed on the floor, and on the wall. Music accompanied the entire thing.

Here are a couple of panoramic views of that third room.

Another panoramic photo showing self-portraits.

The rooms were all dark. In fact, the walkway from the final room to the gift shop was dark and illuminated only by green light. I played with the light and it reminded me so much of that classic Queen photo that I had to add add myself right into the picture (sorry not sorry John Deacon.)

Amway Grand Plaza Hotel

In between Van Gogh and Mean Girls I had an hour or so to kill, so I went over to the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel to savor the opulence. I also had a sandwich (and then returned later for pizza.) It’s an easy (and totally inside) walk from DeVos to the Amway.

One of the cool things about downtown Grand Rapids is that there is a skywalk system that connects several buildings. No need to go outside when moving from one building to the other – a real help in the heat of summer or depths of winter. It’s a quick five minute walk via skyway from DeVos to the Amway.

Mean Girls

I have to admit I was not familiar with the Mean Girls movie at all. But then I was looking for other things to do and Mean Girls was happening the same day as Beyond Van Gogh in the same building downtown so, why not. I watched the movie, and loved the high school theme – it was good ‘research’ for my novel in progress.

This musical was high energy and filled with lots of typical high school antics arranged around a book that “mean girls” put together about everyone else. Here’s the stage before the performance began.

I enjoyed being in a theater again; it’s my first since the darned pandemic put a stop to so much. I’m really glad that I saw the Mean Girls movie on Amazon Prime before seeing the play, though. This musical moved very fast and I might have been a little lost if I wasn’t kind of familiar with the movie.

Costco Saves The Day

After I got out of Mean Girls and had dinner, I went into the underground parking to my car and -uh oh- the check tire pressure gauge was on. I drove back to the hotel area, hit up TJ Maxx, and the noticed that the tire looked low. I stopped into a tire place, added air to the tire, then crossed my fingers it would hold overnight.

It was Saturday night. The tire place I stopped at was closed on Sunday, as was every other place I googled. Fortunately, Costco was nearby and had a tire center…but I didn’t have a Costco membership.

Sunday morning I scrambled to Costco, got a membership, and had my tire examined. Sure enough, there was a nail in that rear left tire, and the Costco tire crew took care of it for about $15. It took them more than an hour to take care of it, though, so –whoops– more shopping.

You’d better believe I stocked up on a few things at Costco, then headed over to Trader Joe’s for more yummy things to take home. There’s not a Trader Joe’s near me, either, so I loaded my car up with all sorts of goodies like Ube Spread, Lemon Curd, three different kinds of gnocchi, and more. Those frozen packs from Hello Fresh kept everything frozen truly frozen all the way home.

Find The Beautiful

In one of the photos above, I included a quote from an 1874 letter from artist Vincent to his brother, an art dealer, Theo. Vincent asks his brother to “”…find things beautiful as much as you can, most people find too little beautiful.”

The weekend getaway to Grand Rapids was perfect for me and filled with the things I love. It was beautiful. Where do you find beauty?