It’s been a while since I’ve posted about life at Little Blue. I’ve been working on a larger writing project but it’s time to post again here.

Fall is here for another year and the lake life is quiet again. It’s been a warmer fall than most so I still enjoy sitting lakeside and enjoying that last of the summer swans, geese and the last few boats being taken out.

It will only be weeks before winter steps onto the lake. I know, though, that life must move on just as the water continues to move even under ice and snow.

Tonight I am sitting by the lake watching the clouds try to form a small storm. The willow trees are dancing and their wispy branches seem to be waving at the lone seagull flying away. It also brings in the delicious smell of a distant neighbor’s barbecue. It’s been a humid summer day but the little breeze coming up makes it such a perfect evening. I’m so grateful that my days start and end here.

Today my niece and my friend came for our annual sunrise and coffee at the lake morning. Last week I saw a beautiful sunrise, but today was cloudy and gray. However, the Sun tried to pop out a little while we enjoyed our coffee and friendship. Life doesn’t always have to be beautiful to be enjoyable, as long as you have people in your life that want to be with you! Getting up very early on their day off just to drive over and spend a couple hours with me meant more than they will ever know.

Fall has ascended upon Little Blue. The massive catalpa leaves cover the yard, the grill is covered, the dock has been parked in the yard and the boat is in storage. It’s sad to see summer slip into another year but there’s also memories made that can never be taken away.

There’s also beauty in the fall crispness. The swans will come close to the shore to grab a bite to eat, the geese call out their goodbyes while flying majestically to the south and above all else, the lake view is unobstructed because boats and lifts are gone. The quiet is welcome. The serenity has been craved and the peacefulness that surrounds the lake is a place for meditation and strength .

Memories of 2022

From fishing for the first time, driving the boat for

Some people are woken by the screaming of an alarm clock but at Little Blue I’m usually lulled out of sleep by the sunrise. Today the sun was shouting her colors across the open sky and the sea gulls cries were begging me to wake up. It was not to be missed!

There were thunderstorms last night. The dark sky lit up with cracks of bright lightning and the thunder followed closely behind, but this morning it scene changed to a beautiful sun trying to hedge its way through the clouds building up to another storm. It’s always beautiful during a storm but it’s gorgeous today between the storms.

Little Blue is just the place to go to have fun times but Little Blue is also a great place to go to heal. whether it is a personal hurt the needs a calm place to be thought through or a physical hurt that needs a quiet place to heal, Little Blue provides both. Today and the next few days will be a quiet place to heal a physical hurt. Today started with a beautiful sunrise but will end watching the ducks resting on our shore, the swans swimming, the fisherman trying their luck, and perhaps a lightning show tonight. These will be just the type of distractions needed to help my guy heal from a heart procedure he had this morning. Soon enough he will be back on the boat trying his luck at catching some fish again!

This is Memorial Day weekend. For most of the people at the lake it’s time to open the cottage, grill out, have boat rides and other festive start-of-summer activities. I love to put out flags on the shoreline and see others do it too. It dresses up Little Blue but it also serves to remind us that “Freedom is not Free”. Remember to live and enjoy this great country, but remember those who died to give you that freedom.

I bought a sign that has this saying and hung it above the window looking out into the lake. It’s such a true statement! Some years you don’t start the summer off knowing what the story will be exactly and some summers the story has began even before the summer has. This summer is starting off with what I call the summer of renewal. I purchased a new dock and it is already in place. the old wooden dock gave Little Blue some of her charm but it was getting too old and somewhat dangerous. Even though we kept it in the best shape we could, the wood was wearing and giving off slivers, the posts had sharp edges that couldn’t be covered and it was just getting weak. It was heavy and getting harder and harder to put in and take out of the water. The new dock is aluminum and will roll right in making light work of it. Also, this year, Little Blue will lose some charm with new windows being installed. I tried so hard to refurbish the original wood ones that give her so much character but they were just too far gone. The new ones will last my lifetime and will actually give a better view to the lake because they will have no panes. It makes me realize that as I age and lose most of my beauty and strength, so does Blue. I also realize that things have to change to become better and last longer. I want my children and my family and friends to be able to enjoy Little Blue for a long time to come, even when I’m gone, so I will stop grieving the loss and celebrate this summers story.