What a great Horse Show!

Well, the 14th Annual Medina County Board of Realtors Horse Show is "in the can". Another successful show was held on a beautiful sunny weekend at the Medina Fairgrounds.

Everything went off without a hitch....almost.

The highlight for me was seeing my grandson, Daniel Vas show in his first class. Leadline with his dad, Kevin holding the lead.

Daniel sat there waiting to come into the ring and said "I'm scared". His Dad replied, "it's okay to be scared, but I won't let anything happen to you and you will get into the ring and have a good time". Well, he did.

Sitting in the lineup he turned to the boy next to him and said "you don't have to be scared".

The boy replied. "I'm not scared this isn't my first time".

Daniel placed third out of eight.

What else was so special to me about this class? Daniel was riding in the saddle that we bought for Sarah's pony when Sarah was five.

It was a good day!

Okay, it's time!

Dear President Obama:

You are at the helm.

How about taking the wheel!

To my friends

1. When you are sad,
I will jump on the person
Who made you sad
Like a spider monkey
Jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!

2. When you are blue,
I will try to dislodge
Whatever is choking you..

3. When you smile,
I will know you are
Plotting something
That I must be involved in.

4. When you're scared,
We will high tail it out of here.

5. When you are worried,
I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse
It could be until you
Quit whining, ya big baby!!!!

6.. When you are confused,
I will use little words.

7. When you are sick,
Stay away from me
Until you are well again.
I don't want whatever you have....

8. When you fall,
I'll pick you up
And dust you off--
After I laugh my rear off!!

9.. This is my oath.....
I pledge it to the end.
'Why?' you may ask;
-- because you are my FRIEND!
Friendship is like peeing your pants,
Everyone can see it,
But only YOU
Can feel the
True warmth....
**********************

A Special Neighbor

KEPKE JULIA ANN KEPKE (nee Zadzilka), 89, of Medina and Valley City, passed away June 11, 2010. Julia was born Feb. 10, 1921 in Salamanca, NY., to the late Vincent and Antina Zadzilka. She worked for Eaton Corp. during WWII making parts for tanks. Julia is survived by her son, Wayne R. Kepke and her daughter, Gail (William) Morris, all of Medina; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Howard; parents; sisters and brothers. Mass of Christian Burial 11 a.m. Monday at St. Martin of Tours Chapel, 1800 Station Rd., Valley City 44280. VISITATION WILL BE SUNDAY FROM 2-5 P.M. AT WAITE & SON FUNERAL HOMES, 765 N. COURT ST., MEDINA 44256. Contributions may be made to St. Martin at the address above.

I was a fairly new bride when I moved into our first house at 7035 Center Road, Valley City, Ohio in late summer of 1967. There was an alfalfa field separating our house from the nearest neighbor to the west. Right after Tim and I made the move someone from my office begged us to take their collie. The dog had bitten a child (the dog was in his fenced yard when a group of school kids taunted him with sticks through the fence, you get the picture). We took "Butch" and didn't quite know what to do with his on that first day as we had to both go to work. We closed him up in the barn with a barrier across the aisle but left the barn door open. I got a call from my sister in law, Pat Von Duyke who lived in Brunswick. She said the "Sheriff" called her (Von Duyke listed in the phone book) and said our dog was barking and disturbing the peace.

I left the office right away and drove home to the farm. I got the dog out of the barn, and took him into the house. I walked over to the edge of the neighbor's property to apologize for the dog disturbing anyone and the neighbors' door opened on the side porch. "Hi, I'm Judy Von Duyke, we just moved in yesterday and I'm sorry my dog barked". The neighbor, Mrs. Julia Kepke replied, "the dog was barking all day but I didn't call the Sheriff"! Hmmmm. We overcame that introduction and spent 18 years with Howard and Julia as our good neighbors.

I remember one time when our pony "Tiger" got loose and ran over to Julia's house. She happened to be in the kids swimming pool at the time, cooling off on a very hot August day.
Tiger jumped into the pool, and Julia jumped out!

She taught me to iron clothes. Shirts are ironed the same way she taught me many, many years ago. When Nathan was born, you would have thought he was the Baby Jesus the way Julia gushed over him. She loved that little boy like a grandchild. Many many stories flooded through our brains on the way from the funeral home on Sunday. But none are more pleasant to remember than that wonderful woman of Polish descent who had her own versions of words in the dictionary. She scrubbed the floors with pneumonia! Her husband was a homebody that worked as a fireman at NASA, and his only social life was at the local VFW. When Howard died, Julie like Willie Nelson went "On the Road Again." She traveled all over this country on Howards' retirement stash! She made up for all of the years she had to stay home. Cruises and casinos became quarterly adventures. She was a long time volumteer at Medina Hospital.

Her children were devoted to her and she remained independent until just a year ago after the first stroke. She was a good woman. She taught me a lot. I think of her often.

I was one of three people who attended her funeral beside her two children and their spouses.

She was laid to rest next to Howard at St. Martin of Tours cemetery yesterday.

She has moved on to the next travel adventure. Perhaps there will even be gamling there!

Jennifer Malloy is one of Sarah's long time riding students, and a sweeter girl can not be found.

Jennifer is shown exhibiting/riding Maggie Schlund's 1/2 Arabian gelding "Jake" (just his barn name, not his registered name) at the first show of the year yesterday. Jennifer is showing Jake for the first time this year as she has always showed her Walking Horse "Rosie" up to now.

But she rides Jake at Sarah's for lessons, and this year riding in the Western Discipline is a first.

Jake hasn't been in the ring in a couple of years, just puttering around at Sarah's barn with an occasional student. They are quite the handsome pair as you can see in this photo above left.

The photo below is taken when Jennifer and Jake are on the other side of the ring.

Notice anything unusual?

Look closely, at Jennifer's leg. There is only a part of one. She was born with a congential defect and she wears a full length prosthesis. However, riding Jake in the Western, discipline, she sheds the leg and stays perfectly in the saddle exhibiting enviable form.

Hurray for Jen and for her patience, courage and spunk. She is one of the most talented riders, straight "A" student, will be a senior in High School in September and is driving back and forth to the barn in her own car.

Jen's positive attitude, winning smile, caring and courteous manners and around all American Girl are a blessing to us.

She complains not.

A lesson I need to learn!

College Roomates!

Those four years of college seem so very long ago, yet they seem just like yesterday! Sarah's Ohio University College Roomate was Jullie Summers of Fairport N.Y., outside Rochester.

It was too far for Julie to go all the way to New York on short college weekends home, so she came to our house. I remember one Thanksgiving when we invited Julie's parents to join us for a Holiday weekend, since they were 6 or 7 hours away, and could come part way to Valley City to meet up with their daughter. Sarah told Julie to invite her parents to stay at our house "Out of the question, they will never stay at your house, they will stay at a motel"! said Julie. "Bet you $100 they will stay" said Sarah. "No Way" said Julie.

Well they stayed, and they came back many, many times and stayed. Holidays and short breaks

were wonderful with our "second daughter" and her folks, Jim and Sandra Summers, all one big family. I remember also a time when the girls came here and friends from school joined them. They were all going up to Cedar Point, so I got up early and fixed breakfast for them. Pancakes, French Toast, Bacon, Sausage, Biscuits and Gravy, fresh fruit, juice, scrambled eggs, etc. The table was filled with breakfast foods, both hot and cold. A big spread for 8 or 9 people. Two of the boys were from Guam. (I think) Their parents were both heart surgeons, and both boys attended OU together. When they came into the kitchen they looked at the buffet and said "No Rice?" (I didn't know it was a joke, so I said "You want rice? I'll fix rice"! Duh.

One such holiday (I think it was Easter or Thanksgiving) I asked Julie to get the good napkins out and help set the table. She stopped for a second, went to get the napkins and came into the kitchen and said "I don't even know where the good napkins are kept at home"! That has become a family joke. The same weekend she was overheard as saying "I'll be happy when all these people go home" We love her to death!

Julie married Steve Johnson, and has lived in Downers Grove, outside Chicago for quite a while now, and has son Alex (to be six in August) daughter Holly (to be for in April) and Sarah and Kevin have Daniel who will be six in February.

We miss them coming for holidays and breaks. It kept us feeling and acting young.

Julie and Steve and the kids stopped for three hours on their way home from visiting family in Rochester. She left me a voicemail on my cell phone that said "Hi, we'll be home in about 45 minutes"!

That says it all.....except she never paid up the $100 bet she lost!

Pomp and Circumstance!

I have to tell you, it was a tear jerking moment!


Daniel's preschool, "Robin's Nest", (Owned and directed by "Miss Robin Weber") held graduation ceremonies on Tuesday evening at the former Liverpool Elemtary School Cafeteria.
The graduating class, (those who will be starting Kindergarden in the fall) marched in to the strains of "Pomp and Circumstance". They looked liked miniature High School graduates.
Pint sized blue caps and gowns adorned the heads and bodies, but the kicker was that they all were wearing some sort of outrageous sunglasses. We might have expected Daniel to be wearing the most outrageous of all! His "guitar" shades were totally awesome!

What made this special in one way besides the obvious pride and joy etc. was that this was the same school his mother Sarah and Uncle Nathan graduated from many years ago. They both attended Liverpool School from Kindergarden to the sixth grade. De Ja Vuuuuu!

I could not help wondering as I drove on to a meeting after the ceremony concluded (which included the graduates replete with sunglasses singing a song about Mr. Sun!, cake from Buehlers' (the best) and assorted fruit, veggies, crackers etc.) how many more graduations I will be privileged to see.

Sigh!

A bicycle built for one

Last week, my "sister in law" (she and Uncle Don Murray never actually had a formal ceremony) came out for Memorial Day "burgers". I went to pick her up since her car died in early February and Uncle Don's car which she has been paying on for almost 3 full years now is tied up in probate. So Monica is "wheel less"!

While we were driving I asked if she had a bike "I used to have one, but not anymore" she said.
Monica is a very independent woman and she now has been forced to ask for a ride to work in Olmsted Falls or she walks to work at the Dry Cleaners in Berea from her apartment.

Yesterday I was out in our barn looking at the progress that Tim had made adding styrafoam insulation to the walls when my eye caught sight of "the bike".

I had clients who moved from Valley City several years ago. They were very active physically (John has sinced passed) and they rode bikes all over. When they moved, they gave their bikes to Tim and me. We have never used them however, and I saw an opportunity leaning up against the barn wall. "Hmmm, I wonder if Monica would like this bike?"
Well, yes in fact she would like it. So, I dusted it off a bit, picked up the helmet that was given with it, and tucked it into the back of the truck and took off for Berea. I still was wearing barn clothes and I did not plan to stay, just drop off the bike. When I got there Monica was sitting outside the building on a stone ledge waiting.

I pulled the bike from the rear of the truck and stopped for a moment. The red bike was carrying it's brand name front and center, I had not noticed before, but it is a "Murray"!
I pointed that out to Monica and she did not say anything at first. After a brief pause, she looked up at me and smiled saying "then it should be a good one"!

I showed her the in's and out's of the bike, handed her the helmet, asked if she had a secure place to keep it etc. She replied that she would keep it in the apartment, and that she would go to the hardware store today and buy a lock.

As I got back into the truck I stopped to look out the sideview mirror and sure enough.....there she went, helmet in place and riding off into the sunset!

What a nice feeling!

On the wings of a....

Last evening I spoke with my daughter in law, Traci. Last week was terribly stressful for her. Monday of last week she saw her best friend buried. A sad and tragic loss for Traci and for Kristin's family.

An amazing thing happened at the graveside service. Kristin was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery. As the priest was ready to begin the service, something amazing occured. In the time it takes to take a breath, a butterfly appeared from nowhere, landed gently on the casket, were it remained for a few seconds, then fluttered it's wings and flew over to the the arm of the oldest daughter, Morgan, and gently landed. Morgan started to cry. Everyone who saw it was totally moved by this soft gesture.

It was as if Kristin was saying, "It's okay, I'm alright"!