Do not be afraid

Sorry about the intense closeup here, but I'm so tickled that I had to share with the world, or the three people who look at this blog (hi, mom!), that I got a pair of prescription sunglasses.

This is my first pair of real sunglasses ever. I've had regular glasses since the eighth grade, but never sunglasses. At first, I didn't think I needed them, then, as I got older and realized I needed them, I couldn't afford them. Now, Jayne's insurance covered almost the entire cost, so I got a pair.

I got them mainly to bike ride. I've noticed the last year or so that when I ride, I squint a lot and come back with one of those upper-forehead headaches. The light coming in from the corners of my eyes was annoying as well. I have a visor on my helmet that helps, but only a little.

The sunglasses take care of the problem. I rode with them this weekend and, wow, what a difference. I could hold my head up through all those open cornfields and even heading east into the rising sun.

Now, a major drawback to these sunglasses is what the above picture shows -- I look like a NASCAR-watchin', "Larry the Cable Guy"-laughin', George Bush-lovin' hick. I may be a hick, but I'm one of those Tour de France-watchin', "Family Guy"-laughin', Karl Marx-lovin' kinda hicks.

Oh, well. I'm not much on style and a lot on function. They work. They filter the sun, they stop the headaches. Insurance covered them.

Thought: Who is that man behind those Foster Grants?

Memorial Day

Above is Alyssa with her friend Kirsten at the Saugatuck Memorial Day parade. The Brownies in my wife's group got to ride in the back of a vintage Ford puckup for the parade. They had a blast.

Elspeth walked with her Scout friends, tossing candy to the spectators.

After the Saugatuck parade (it started at 9 a.m.), the entire parade, including Scouts, bands and flag carriers, headed across the Kalamazoo River to Douglas to repeat the entire event. I call it a quaint local tradition.

It was great day -- in the 70s, a gentle breeze. We couldn't have asked for better weather.

If you look closely at Alyssa's picture, she has a yellow tint about her. Don't worry. It's not jaundice. It's my bicycle jersey glowing in the morning sun. The shirt is flourescent yellow so motorists can better see me and run me down on their first try and not waste gas on a second run. Hey, with gas at $3.50 a gallon, I want to help them out.

I rode my bike to the parade while Jayne drove the kids. I rode back down 66th Street and the Pioneer Monument, then east on 122nd Avenue by the vineyards and Hutchins Lake. The lake was already full of boats and waterskiers by 11 a.m.

Now, I'm taking a break after spending part of the afternoon at the playground with the kids. I'm toast. I just hope they'll fall asleep early tonight.

Thought: Sweet dreams.

Short readings

I'm still a reader in search of a book, but, as usual, I'm picking a few short things to pass the time until I settle on a longer book.

I just reread "Infantry Aces of the Reich" by Gordon Williamson. It's a collection of vignettes about infantry soldiers (regular army and SS) who won the Iron Cross in World War II.

It's a little dry. More fact than flair, really.

I have it in my collection because I find the study of survival, guilt and gallantry among the "losers" of war to be fascinating. The men in Williamson's book were on the losing side of the war, and some of them served in brutal units, but the objective level of their accomplishments and heroics rise above nations.

I again recommend Guy Sajer's "The Forgotten Soldier" as a powerful look at this situation and, of course, "All Quiet on the Western Front." I also enjoyed "The Kaiser's Pirates," stories about World War I merchant raisers.

More reading

Also, I've been passing time reading more of Shakespeare's sonnets.

I found Sonnet 121, which seemed relevant to me with what is going on in my professional life, that having people think ill of me when it is not true is truly hurtful, more so than if I was actually evil:

1. 'Tis better to be vile than vile esteemed,

2. When not to be receives reproach of being;

3. And the just pleasure lost, which is so deemed

4. Not by our feeling, but by others' seeing:

5. For why should others' false adulterate eyes

6. Give salutation to my sportive blood?

7. Or on my frailties why are frailer spies,

8. Which in their wills count bad what I think good?

9. No, I am that I am, and they that level

10. At my abuses reckon up their own:

11. I may be straight though they themselves be bevel;

12. By their rank thoughts, my deeds must not be shown;

13. Unless this general evil they maintain,

14. All men are bad and in their badness reign.

Thought: Who can follow Shakespeare?

Good dinner

Jayne and I did get out for an anniversary dinner Sunday. It was a well-deserved break for my wife who had spent the weekend surrounded by children at Girl Scout camp.

We went to Boatwerks in Holland. I was a bit concerned about the prices, but found them to be lower than I thought. They were much lower than Marro's in Saugatuck, our favorite place for dinner.

We had a nice seat right by the window overlooking Lake Macatawa and we could watch the people fishing off Kollen Park. The above picture is of the deck, but it was too cold for outdoor eating Sunday.

I had the veggie burger with onion rings (the rings were huge!). I liked that the waitress didn't just refill my coffee. She brought me a new cup each time. Now that's class.

The dinner was under $30, so we went for ice cream in Saugatuck afterward. Mmm. Rum raisin.

More gobbles

I worked off the ice cream this morning on a bike ride. I was out in the country again and came across chickens in the road. Now that's something I haven't had to dodge much before.

Among the clucking were two wild turkeys. As I went by them (they were on the shoulder of the road), they took to flight and almost smacked me in the face.

Thought: Is it Thanksgiving yet?

It's been 17 years

Seventeen years ago, it was a Friday like today. Kind of sunny but windy. Still a nice day for a wedding. A nice day for one of the best things to happen in my life.

Jayne and I exchanged our vows in front of family and friends at the Meijer banquet facility in Grand Rapids. I refused to get married in a church (I still carry my distrust of regimented Christianity), so we chose a spot where our family and friends could enjoy the ceremony and not drive all over West Michigan to enjoy the party afterward.

We did have a minister -- the Rev. Dave Persons. I grew up with Pastor Dave as my spiritual guide as well as my bicycle tour leader. He always understood my questioning personality and fostered in me a spirituality that is my own. Also, Pastor Dave went to seminary in Grand Rapids so he had a chance to visit his old stomping grounds.

What I remember most of the wedding day is Jayne singing the Bread song "If" as her friend strummed the guitar. Jayne has a beautiful voice and there wasn't a dry eye in the house! I dedicated the John Lennon song "Woman" to her. Lucky for the crowd, I stuck with the studio recording and didn't try to sing myself.

Thanks

Every May 18, I thank Jayne for taking me into her life and sharing her love with me despite my many shortcomings (she wanted to wed a journalist for the easy life of luxury); I thank friends and family for guiding me (often kicking and screaming) through life; I thank Pastor Dave for his gentle hand and solid laughter (I know the pureness of Christ's laughter is in his honesty!); and I thank the three friends who came from all over the country to stand with me as witnesses to love (thanks Peter Lee, Jeff Rachlinski and best man Doug Brooks) and who slept in a three room apartment with at least seven other people, lots of beer and snoring, one tiny bathroom and confused little kitty.

Thought: Thanks!

Couching words and others

Recital weekend has come and gone. Another one down -- I think this is the sixth one.

Both my daughters had dance recital on Friday and Saturday. I went to Friday's event but, because it's Tulip Time, I didn't take off work Saturday. More daddy guilt to come.

The girls did great in their ballet, tap, hip-hop and jazz numbers. I had actually gone to one practice for the Daddy-Daughter dance, but the girls just didn't want to be seen on stage with me and my lumbering motions trying to pass as dance. Maybe next year.

This year's recital was at Hamilton High School, a first. The new high school auditorium didn't wow me, but the seats were comfortable. In the past, it's been held at Fennville High School (comfortable seats there and only 30 seconds away!) and Saugatuck High School (bleacher seats and demanding on the back).

Farewell to furniture

Jayne got tired of our old couch so she purchased a "new" one. Well, it's really a used one (we can't afford new furniture) from a place in Holland on Waverly Road that sells old hotel castaways. It's a nice sectional with a pullout bed. A shot of it above shows the cat enjoying his new perch.

This meant getting rid of our old couch which we had purchased from a friend of a friend at a garage sale. I liked this couch because it was long enough for me to stretch out on. I'm a little more than 6-feet tall, so this couch was like reclining with the gods on Mt. Olympus.

This old couch, though, had seen better days. It was ripped up by our dogs, soiled by our cats, its framwoek had long ago lost its firmness and it creaked each time you moved. Hey! It sounds like me! So, like me, it's out on the curb waiting to be hauled away to the dump.

Thought: Garbage truck comes Tuesday. Not sure when I'm getting picked up.

The Sounds of Music

Early May around our house is recital time. For the past six years or so, it's meant dance recital -- costumes, flowers, tickets. We added a new recital this past weekend -- piano.

Elspeth was part of her first music event Sunday. She has been tickling the ivories since the fall and got to join about 20 other youth at Douglas Community Church to show off what they've learned. A photo of her is above.

All the kids did great. There's some real talent there. And I love the sound of the piano. It's up there in the top with the guitar and sitar as sounds that make me feel good when I hear them.

Elspeth's friend, Maggie, came also, bringing a flower and a congratulations balloon. Very nice. Elspeth was just giddy to see her friend in the audience.

We were also joined by Jayne's mom's sister and her husband. They came down from Grand Rapids. That was very nice of them to come down and join us afterward for the social time in the church cafeteria.

We all headed to a nice late lunch in Grand Rapids before getting home again.

Thought: Dance recital is this coming weekend. Wish us luck.

Ezra Pound. Who wants to read Ezra Pound?

I did. Or, at least I thought I did, a week or so back. I heard a voice inside me command me to read Ezra Pound.

Why hadn't I read Ezra Pound for almost 20 years? Well, I opened up a few Ezra Pound poems (say that 10 times fast -- Ezra Pound poems) and realized why I hadn't read Ezra Pound almost 20 years. I don't get it.

So, I meandered about my anthologies for an escape (I popped in on William Carlos Williams as if everything depended on him) and heard another voice calling me -- Alfred Tennyson.

Ah, a booming voice. The voice of "Locksley Hall," "The Lady of Shalott," "The Lotos-Eaters," "Ulysses," "In Memoriam." Tennyson is one of my first loves of poetry, along with Matthew Arnold, Robert Frost, Robert Browning, William Butler Yeats.

I shuffled off to the Fennville library and grabbed the first collection I found -- "Idylls of the King." It seemed thin to me for the collection, but I was in a hurry. Upon arriving home, I found it only had three: "Gareth and Lynette," "Lancelot and Elaine" and "The Passing of Arthur." Still good for me.

I love the Arthurian legends and was happy this collection was small (less than 200 pages) and the pages themselves weren't made of that tissue-paper stuff my old college anthologies are. With those 3,000-page college texts, I feel I'm going to rip a page out and blow my nose after I sneeze or, since I often read in the bathroom. ...

By the way, I do have a collection of Tennyson that dates back to 1878. I'm almost afraid to open it.

Thought: King Arthur -- I get it. Blank verse -- I do get this. Ezra Pound -- still don't get it.