2026-Winter in Sandusky

 Snow! Growing up in Erie, Pa. I was used to "lake effect" snow storms that often resulted in accumulations of 10 inches or more-and I loved it! Sandusky, however, rarely gets more than one or two inches. Last winter we didn't even get to use our snowblower! And so far this year, except for some stronger than usual wind, we are again getting one or two inches per storm. 

Oliver, tiny as he is, wades through the snow that covers his belly and dashes around before discovering that his tiny feet cannot withstand the cold at all. Well, he is from Temecula, Ca by way of Las Vegas, so, I guess that explains that. So, today, Ron got the snowblower going for the two inches of snow so that Ollie would have an easier time of it.

RIP, Kate (4/15/2011-4/2/2025)

 At almost 14, Kate leaves a family bereft. Her furry family- Oliver, rescue Maltese, age 10,  who moved here from California in 2022 with my mom,  and 

Chance, rescue Standard Poodle, age 3, who joined the pack in 2023 and 

and favorite rescue cat, AllieCat who was adopted in 2014

 are puzzled by her abrupt departure from home base. 

However, after years of kidney issues (4 stones removed) and frequent pancreatitis, both Miniature Schnauzer diseases, her system could no longer recover as in years past. Beginning in 2012, she joined the family of Jack and Marilyn, both Standard Poodles and inserted herself as top dog! In 2019, she graciously accepted Dewey, a rambunctious Standard Poodle who joined the family after Jack passed away at age 13. 

Readers may not recall that Kate was the impetus for this blog, as was started in 2012 and can be read in the post, Kate's birthday. You might wonder why the Kateandlulubell blog was paused in October 2017. My volunteer capital campaign responsibilities for the Humane Society of Erie County were taking up any spare time until the fall of 2019 when I proudly announced total donations of $500,000 and the shelter was doubled in size. I then launched into a 5 year volunteer commitment as a state officer for Ohio's P.E.O. Sisterhood!

 Ending in June, 2024, as state president, I made a few more changes!  I sold our destination trailer, began spending more time with my mom, now living nearby, and resumed some of my fiber interests more fully, and even did a bit of traveling! I'll keep Kate's spirit as my guiding force and attempt to resume blogging!

Summer at Riverview

The campground where Ron and I spent some of our time this summer is a friendly place!  There are over 200 "seasonals" and I'm pretty sure 99% of the campers are NOT retired, so, the weekend is their prime time. The 1% of us who are retired can choose any day of the week and we have the 60 acres of riverfront all to ourselves.

 There are as many kinds of trailers as there are kinds of people at RiverView RV Park and Marina. Some are here to be outside as much as possible and have a small abode.

The birkenstock clad couple of this tiny trailer have a sweet dashound-the perfect size pet for their home away from home.

A few even choose "glamping" as evidenced by the three tents featured above!

Riverview offers fishing access, directly from the marina into Vermilion River which then empties into Lake Erie. For you skeptics, there is plenty of perch, walleye, trout, and catfish, not to mention some snapping turtles and such. If you own a boat you can have your trailer site along the marina.

Only one ultra cool vintage Airstream is here-yeah, my BFF, Paulette, and her husband, Bob, are parked adjacent to our "park model" trailer. Everyone stops to gaze at this refinished beauty. In fact, if someone inquired what site we have, I just say we are next to the shiny bullet and they know exactly where we "live."

Very sophisticated decor abounds. Having a deck and getting to landscape around it is one of the many wonderful extras here. Paulette and I take a walk at least twice a day to admire the joyful displays.

One couple runs a farm during the week and we all get to enjoy the proceeds-this weekend we bought homemade banana bread, sweet relish, peach jam, and picked up some fresh eggs. Talk about a camp store-what could possibly be better???

Every other week, there is a competitive BINGO game in the pavilion. We're talking serious money, prizes, and potluck. I joined the group this weekend.  My brain was mush after 3 hours  concentrating  on the diamond, four corners, straight bingo, double bingo, and so on. I'm not kidding, I stumbled back to our trailer and slept a record 14 hours! I think you have to build up slowly to play with this group!

This is our view of the river. It is where we sit and watch the waterfowl glide by. Or, the boaters.

The park closes early, by Ohio fall weather standards, and so, we have returned to our back porch in Sandusky to watch the leaves change colors.

Lulubell and Kate Redux

Hello again! Legions of fans of my blog have begged me to resume writing-well, actually four of you-and one was my mother! So, after an 8 month hiatus, I've decided to send a few more posts out into the cloud-or fog-as Ron describes it.

For the past few months, I've been working on our new summer abode-at a campground on the banks of the Vermilion River in Vermilion, Ohio-just 20 minutes from our house in Sandusky.
Instead of  hearing seagulls flying overhead (Lake Erie is a mecca for them) we hear the hoarse cry of egrets and the quacking of ducks, and the honking of geese. It's pretty noisy around here! What we don't hear are fire trucks, ambulances, gun shots (really, I'm not kidding) lawn mowers, screeching tires, and the same incessant tune from the ice cream truck- of of which make up the city sounds near our home in Sandusky.

You might say I got carried away with the project of turning a trailer into a cottage! It was great fun to plan the blue and white theme for "willow" and have the outside landscaped with a big deck and the inside painted, etc, etc.We sold our Class C "Nina" and admitted that we were not the explorers we thought we were and settled into a permanent spot.  Next up was fun with the "new" camper that Paulette bought and parked beside ours!

Another deck,  more landscaping, and  completely redecorating a vintage Airstream dominated our days during most  of July! All of this "nesting" as our friend, Kathleen, describes it, put the booth at the antique mall on the back burner, and, in fact, we decided to take a break for awhile and stop the decluttering projects.

But, hey, if you see anything you like in the photo above, we brought it all back to our garage,(at least we didn't haul it back up into the attic) until we get  a one day sale organized. Whew. Actually, almost everything in the trailer is from our attic, so, maybe you could say I was sort of decluttering, if you stretched the definition a tad.

Kate is still the center of attention. Now six years of age, she has not exactly mellowed. Just a few days ago, she chewed a leather glass case (with glasses enclosed), pooped on the new floor in the trailer,  escaped our backyard and ran around to the front porch, got her ears boxed by AlleyCat for getting too close, and bit the vet-and she was just along for the ride-it was really Jack's turn at the vet's office and I brought Kate in with us. She loves her new Thundershirt (the gunshots and firecrackers really freak her out) and is way overdue for time with the groomer. It was my fault-I forgot the appointment.

Jack, on the other hand, is slowing down. He is now 12 and the leash is slack in my hand when we go for a brief walk. Sigh. He sleeps more often and more soundly, is losing weight and muscle tone, and doesn't chase the cats at all anymore. He has, however, taken Marilyn's place of wanting  to be where I am-at all times. He and I have come full circle. When first scanning the litter of pups from which to select, Jack followed my every step and would not let me take any other pup home.  One of the best things about retirement is being able to spend more time with Jack and Kate. Well, with  Ron, of course, but, really, the dogs are the best part. Which brings me to my latest endeavor-the Humane Society of Erie County. Yes, I've gone to the dogs....and cats!As a new board member, I am helping to raise $400,000 for the last two phases of an expansion and renovation of the shelter.

Don't wait for me to ask you-just send a check directly to the Humane Society of Erie County, 1911 Superior Street, Sandusky, OH 44870. I promise not to tell you any shocking sad stories, so, let's just say your money is needed for a really good cause.

The photo above is one my brother, David Carlson, sent when I asked for some of his photos to use in a brochure for the HSEC. I'd like to say that I'm responsible for his excellent photographs, but, to be honest about it,  I just gave him the idea when he was 8 and I was 15 and  he saw my darkroom in the basement of our home in Erie. He became a professional newspaper photographer after college and now teaches digital photography in a high school in California. His dalmatians were named Nikon and Canon, to give you an idea about his equipment,  but, I think he mostly uses his iPhone now! Just kidding.

So, welcome back, dear devoted readers, I'll be writing again soon. Janet and I are heading out on another most excellent adventure-this time to Cape Cod, and I have no doubt we'll get into enough trouble to fill a blogpost upon our return.

Seasonal musings

Last year I was all about pale minty green and I'm really happy with our kitchen. However, I am

ready to Go Blue! (and I am not making any college football references here) either.

We had a bumper crop of grapes this fall (they look more blue than purple here) and Paulette helped me make a small batch of grape jam. She made grape pies with the rest of the crop-yum!

I spotted some fabulous clay pots a few days ago and plan to use these next summer. I don't think they even need any flowers, but, I could put in some white geraniums that will stand upright and not cover up any part of the lovely pot.

My first set of dishes, Calico, are still the ones I use every day. Cobalt or indigo, with white, is my all time favorite combination for sheets, decor, china, you name it.

Since I am still working through the Joy/decluttering phase, I decided to gather up everything blue and white in the house (attic, basement, etc) since it still brings me joy, I can keep those items and more easily see what is left that can be removed from the house! Of course, I really like pink very, very much.... and of course, red during the holidays is so....festive....and black items are considered very important within a room......oh oh. I see some problems ahead. But, back to blue and white. I MUST FOCUS.

I don't have a Blue Dog poster as of yet, but, I think the image above is pretty nice.

And so, on to the festive holidays!

On Tuesday, My mom turns 89-and being a great traveler, she is headed to Sandusky for New Year's Eve!

I think this little guy was the best present of the year for her. Dior, a 10 year old shelter dog, is happily adjusted to his new surroundings. He even sits on Mom's lap while she is at the dentist-true dedication, I would say-even I would not sit with my Mom while  she is visiting the dentist!

 I made four visits to California this year, and my Mom will have made two to Sandusky by year end. My visits were all initiated by family requests for help-Ron even broke his no fly resolution and came out to help with Kacey. I am  happy to note that it is only a 4 hour trip from coast to coast. My trip in November, however, took 12 hours door to door. Mostly because the driver service forgot to pick me up at the airport in San Diego......Further, the replacement service came with a surly driver and 2 unhappy passengers. Fresh off the Election, I defended my female traveling companion and, together, we made plans to report the driver to the agency he worked for. I was proud of my boldness, until I realized  that, as the final passenger, I was about to ride an hour alone with the angry dude. Hmm. Not so smart, right?  One to my next action of solidarity-

The Women's March on Washington D.C. is happening January 21, 2017! The Pussyhat Project launched Thanksgiving weekend! As of now, we have 43 days to knit, crochet, and sew 1.17 million pink pussyhats. My knitting sisters and I are busy making our contributions in so much as we cannot attend, our hats will be there instead! Out of the hundreds of skeins of yarn that I have in my stash, I could only find ONE skein of pink yarn! How weird is that!!!! After my handmade Christmas presents are completed, I'll head to the store to stock up on pink, pink, and more pink yarn!

Thanksgiving was spent with new friends, Sharon and Paul Buterbaugh. Sharon, an antique dealer of primitives for over 30 years, has become a much appreciated mentor in our antique selling venture. Formerly Bed and Breakfast owners of a log cabin in Charlottesville, Va, we were in loving hands. We played Pictionary after dinner-my turn required drawing Brooklyn Bridge-I eventually drew the entire NYC skyline-Empire State Building, Twin Towers, Central Park, and even Donald Trump himself, but, alas, my skillful drawing was not enough elicit an accurate response!

Ron's 70th birthday was the next seasonal celebration. Born on December 8, 1946, he wanted a low key day. So, Bob, Paulette, and I agreed that pizza and a movie would be just the ticket-we streamed SULLY, with Tom Hanks, directed by Clint Eastwood. All agreed that it was a great movie and a fun evening.

Next up was Christmas decorating for our house and then Paulie's house.

I set the table for 8, just for fun. We don't really know eight people, so, I was thinking I should offer to provide the settings for others-they would have to bring their own food, too, as I don't really cook much...ever. I actually have enough tables and table settings for up to 20, so, just let me know if you want to have Christmas dinner for your group here!

Like many, I have found this to be a good year and also a very tough year. I have lost much-my sense of humor disappeared in August and I still haven't found it.

 My sense of hope disappeared on November 8 and I haven't recovered that either. I lost 4/5 of my family in September and that has taken a toll. I'm not sure I'll write any more blogs, so, I wanted to say thanks and adieu to my faithful readers-all 90 of you. May 2017 and beyond be years of civility, love, and, maybe even something more extraordinary than that for all of you.

Yours, lulubell (me) and Kate ( our super Schnauzer, still doing fine, in spite of kidney and liver problems at age 5.)

Porch Sitting 101

Kate rests on fabric originally $198/yard

Kate and I recently passed a Porch 101 course (see directions below) and it took lots of practice throughout the summer to get it done correctly.

It started with Kate testing the durability of the linen fabric I purchased a few weeks ago. If she lets me, I'm going to have new cushions made for two vintage Haywood Wakefield bamboo chairs that I have been storing in the basement for the past 30 years!  The seating arrangement will be next to a daybed that I purchased recently from World Market.

This will look better, I promise, when the new fabric is applied to the 1950's cushions

And, this will be all be installed in....our new summer cottage! Well, not a cottage exactly, more like a tiny house. Well, not actually a tiny house either. Ok, it is a "park" trailer. Try to focus on the keyword-PARK, not  trailer......Except, that does describe it perfectly. It is a "trailer" that is sort of temporarily parked in a permanent location. It has 640 square feet of living space. After one adds decks, railings, landscaping, and a golf cart, what you have is..... a "home" in a "park." Sigh. I'll show you later.

Nina is on the market :(

Nina tries not to take it personally that she is being sold to the highest bidder

 We just had to admit that we're not rolling stones, or even rolling pebbles. Heck, I have a long history of not moving at all! Same house, same town,  for 29 years. Same favorite vacation destination for more than 50 years (Kennebunkport, Me) and I have to confess, I really am not the adventureous gal you think I am. No, it's true. I'd rather read about the national parks than visit them. I'd rather sit on our newly screened in back porch (see porch course below) than drive a mile down the way to the lake.

back porch

One and only one evening by the bay

Therefore, the Brooks household is going to a summer getaway instead driving a recreational vehicle/motorhome around and we'll see if that fits us better!

This is not to say that it hasn't been an active summer  around here.  In June and July,  I did some library consulting work for the Huron Public Library and enjoyed dipping back into library lingo for awhile.

Dior explores the pet store goodies

I spent a fun week in California with family and got to meet, Dior, mom's new companion,

before heading back to Ohio with Mom for a short stay. In fact, one really cool thing we did was attend a LP record event. That doesn't sound quite right. What we did was go to a studio and sit with a group of 100 people to listen to both sides of the Beatle's Revolver 1966 album. Yep. On a turntable. So cool.

My mom, reading a book on dog training!

My decluttering project took a huge leap forward when I signed up for a booth in addition to a showcase at the Medina Antique Mall in August.

If you see anything you need,  just let me know....

This is not to indicate, in any way, that there aren't still a few things in the basement and attic, and two garages.....After all, I pride myself in writing an honest blog!

Eight ladder back chairs I saved while dumpster diving in 1977

A few weeks ago, Kate had another stay at Medvet when the kidney pills she is on caused a liver infection to surface. This was one day shy of her stay last September for the first of two kidney stone operations in the past 12 months.  Not to worry, tho, even as I am writing this post, Kate is growling and barking at two butterflies in the garden from the comfortable surrounding of the porch.

Kate eyes a butterfly

Jack is doing fine, too, although slowing down due to a bum knee. He is 11 and we discovered he can no longer hear us. I don't mind, Ron somehow doesn't hear me either! Jack, too, enjoys a good porch sit.

Jack is patient and shares with others

Ron passes the front porch course

Ron, never much of a porch sitter, has practiced each morning with a cup of coffee and iPad near at hand! I'm so proud of him.

In mid August,  I headed out to California again. My nephew, Kacey, a Marine in Okinawa, Japan was very ill and I  was summoned to look after my niece, Kelsey, while my brother, David, and his wife headed overseas.

Kelsey and I both love L.A.

With no prior experience as a soccer mom, or any mom at all, for that matter, I valiantly drove my 9th grader to and from school and to and from basketball practice each day. And I provided wholesome meals from around the world.... McDonalds, Starbucks, Maxx's Pizza House, a Cuban restaurant, Rubio's (Mexican restaurant), and Pick Up Sticks (a Chinese restaurant) to name a few of our dinner stops. Breakfast consisted of a quick cup of coffee and her lunch was usually leftovers from the prior evening's repast.

LCpl  Kacey Walker Carlson

I'm happy to report that Kacey and family are now stateside and Ron (who joined me in Ca) and I are both back in Ohio.  Recovery from acute meningitis is a long and difficult path and I have no doubt that my nephew will pursue recovery in Marine fashion.

With only 51 days until Election Day, Paulie and I will soon hit the bricks again for door-to-door canvassing, starting with registering to vote forms, and culminating with driving voters to the polls on November 8.  Here are my campaign promises: I promise not to use Paulie as a human shield from a rottweiler lunging at us from a screen door this time. I promise not to get a speeding ticket on Election Night when driving to the voting sites. I promise not to interrupt drug dealers to tell them all about the importance of showing up to vote and I promise not to go into apartment buildings with posted no solicitation signs. I also promise not to discuss the issues with my family (except for Kate, Jack, AllieCat, Lucy, and, of course,  Emma).

Cat naps are the best!

 I hope you can spend some time on a porch this fall. Kate and I highly recommend it! If possible, bring along a book you have been meaning to start, or finish. Your favorite beverage should be within reach, too. If you have a hammock, feel free to take a little nap. Do not, under any circumstances, do any work of any kind. Failure to observe this dictum will result in flunking our Porch 101 course.