Well, I'm home from a whirlwind visit to Florida and returned to work on April 17. The trip home was pretty good, but as regular readers of Beacon Bits know, I've had some continuing problems of pain, now primarily centered in my left knee. I had specifically asked for a wheelchair to get through Atlanta airport on the return trip and that did NOT happen. This was not good news!
There were 8 or 10 people sitting, waiting for wheelchairs when I got into the terminal. With less than an hour before the next departure, I decided I had to "walk it" - and that was a very unpleasant experience. But then the departure was late by more than an hour, anyway, so maybe I could have waited for the chair. Who knows what is best to do in a situation like that?
Aboard the plane there was intensely cold air blowing around under the seats. Goodness. I'm glad it's a short hop from Atlanta to Toledo. And the visibility was great on that leg of the flight. I got a really good view of what I believe to have been the Ohio River. And then, as we came north, it was apparent that vegetation on the grounds had greened-up significantly while I was away.
I do want to mention a wonderful thing I saw on the flight from Melbourne to Atlanta. We were above the clouds. It was morning so the sun was in the east and my window looked out to the west. There was a huge totally round, wonderful rainbow on the top of the clouds. I imagine it was really a parhelion but I'm not sure about that. Anyway, it was beautiful.
My sister and her husband were driving home from Florida on that day and the next. They saw lots of flowers and shrubs in bloom along the way - some were azaleas, wisteria, daffodils and forsythia. And now, since I've been back home, I've seen the forsythia bursting into bloom in our area, too. The grass is green; the sun is warming things up, and spring must truly be on the horizon now.
And (this is amazing) I actually saw two women with their children in bathing suits down at Port Clinton City Beach last Friday afternoon as I was returning to work after attending a meeting. Zowie! My guess is that the water is still plenty cold, even for the shallow wading they were doing.
I've also seen robins (four of them) and on the weekend saw lots of daffodils in bloom with lots of azaleas nearly ready to burst into flowers. Some azaleas, in garden centers, are already flowering. No wonder folks love this time of year. It's lovely, isn't it?
Otterbein North Shore Retirement Community has re-located its gift shop. Ruth Freeh, formerly of Port Clinton, has been busy finding new and interesting items to sell. The gift shop is open 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. each day. And the Auxiliary members are seeking volunteers to staff it. Call 419-798-8203 and ask for Barbara or Linda if you have some time to help. Training will be provided for volunteers.
This is a time of numerous Mortgage foreclosures all across the nation. It's a sign of economic insecurity in the country; Ohio is one of the "leaders" among the states; we have very high numbers of mortgage foreclosures. In Ottawa County a task force meets regularly to help people prevent foreclosure on their homes. A brochure developed by the task force is available in all the libraries. If you don't find that, just call 2-1-1 if you're having trouble making your payments. Perhaps a trained counselor can help you work the problem through to a solution.
At our last foreclosure prevention task force meeting there was lots of discussion about helping to teach young people techniques of good money management. Starting as early as elementary school and then continuing for high school and college, the younger generation needs to understand good money concepts, especially that money isn't "free" and that you have to pay back what you borrow for very small or very large items.
With the national economy at a low ebb, and being fueled daily by the problems in the real estate industry, attention has been focused onto money management. There could be no better time for folks to take some classes in money handling (or just get a book and read about it) and then pass the information along to their children and grandchildren.
Times of heightened awareness present great opportunities for learning. So let's all get involved in disseminating information about helping people save their homes. It is of critical importance not only to families but also to the nation.
One of the down-sides to taking a vacation is returning home to find masses of mail (most of it junk) and numerous messages on the answering machines at work and at home. The answering machine's messages usually contain important items of information. However, something happened to my home answering machine while I was away and all but the last two of the messages had been erased. So...if you left a message for me and are waiting for me to return a call, you'd better make contact again.
There is so much going on in our area. Indeed, there is something for everyone to participate in. Here are a few you may want to know about:
- RUMMAGE: Catawba Island's annual rummage sale (to raise funds for their branch of the Holiday Bureau) takes place this weekend Saturday, April 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Catawba Community Hall, N.W. Catawba Road. Donations will be accepted at the community hall between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday and Friday, April 24 and 25. Call Helen Frye at 797-4642 if you have questions.
- ART: Mozinart at 113 Madison Street is hosting a sale now through April 26. Saving 10-50% on jewelry, artwork, home decorative items and more. Times are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- BBQ PORK CHOPS: Dinner is served 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the 31st annual open-pit barbecue at Bay Township Hall. Firefighters and other volunteers will cook the meal this Sunday, April 27. Both dine-in and carry-out service is available. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door and the meal is a real bargain at $7 or $8. See you there!
- FREE DINNER: The Gathering invites singles and families to St. John Lutheran Church Parish Hall on Thursday, April 24, 4:30 - 6 p.m. Free blood pressure checks will be provided.
- MORE ART: On Display this Saturday and Sunday 1 - 4 p.m. at the Oak Harbor High School. Art from students in five counties will be displayed. Judging takes place and prizes are awarded.
- JUNK: Get rid of your junk appliances this Saturday from 9 - Noon at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds, Route 163, rural Oak Harbor. Any household item primarily made of steel may be disposed of - even furnaces! Other items to be accepted include washers, dryers, stoves, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, grills, lawn mowers, propane tanks and more. This is a great opportunity to start your spring clean-up but don't take televisions, computers or electronic items.
- CAR SHOW: Antique cars gather at Otterbein North Shore Retirement Community just outside the west gate of Lakeside. Time is May 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Kim Jones of Port Clinton is the new Business Office Manager at Otterbein North Shore. She began work there on March 31. And Becky Kurtz began a new job as Deputy Recorder at the courthouse on that same day. Congratulations to these two gals in their new positions.
Thought for this week: Dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one were listening and live each day as if it were your last.
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