Summer Vacation, Day 18 (Belated): Trevvy

Trevor turned four yesterday at the campground. Usually he wakes up hard, but yesterday, he was rarin’ to go! As we made our way from the cabin to the restroom, I pointed to the sign that said MEN and asked, “Trevvy, that says men … are you a man now?”

“Yup,” he said. “I’m a man, big and strong!”

Later I was telling a friend about this, and Trevor heard me. “And tough, even!” he added.

“So you’re big and strong and even tough?” I asked.

“Yup!” he said.

“How tough are you?” I asked.

“Bet I could beat you up!” he said, grinning ear to ear.

So it begins. Happy Birthday, little man!

Summer Vacation, Day 17: Travelin’

Today we embark on the first trip of the summer, a quick jog to the north for a weekend in a lakeside campground. We’ll have a cabin, and we’ll be surrounded by families from our church, which has rented the entire campground. They even feed us! Very nice. (Of course, this means I’ll be posting for both Saturday and Sunday later on Sunday …)

This will be the warm-up to our summerly South Dakota adventure the following week. First, the Polo All-School Reunion in Jodi’s tiny hometown. Then, a beef, beer and guitar fiesta at Jinglebob’s (Remember the other nickname I had for you, JB? Our discussions during the Colorado trip have made me self-conscious about using it.), with Hubba and Deacon Tyler in attendance, among others. Then we’ll kick around the hills, stay in the lap of luxury at Jodi’s folks’ place and enjoying the Piedmont Fourth of July Parade. With any luck, the riding steer and spray-painted goat will both make an appearance.

Of course, neither of these trip compare to a couple of friends of mine: one of our student workers headed to Peru, and a former colleague from the University of Minnesota Crookston is moving to China to teach English and spread the Word. Wow. Safe travels!

Summer Vacation, Day 16: Vonnegut

Alright, here goes – a quick review. I should really read this one again, I think.

Three Things To Love about Slaughterhouse-Five:

  1. The Man: Our hero, such as he is, is not heroic. He’s an average, even funny-looking, man who is no one’s idea of a soldier. He has problems headed into the war, and perhaps more coming out. Indeed, none of the characters in this book are larger than life. And some are considerably smaller.
  2. The Message: Three words – So it goes. I’ve said that for years, without ever knowing where it came from. Certainly if this book didn’t coin the phrase, it elevated it to a new level. From the natural passing of the family dog, to the deaths of fleas and lice as the POWs are decontaminated, to the leveling of Dresden, everyone is dying, all the time. Sometimes we hurry it along. Sometimes we don’t remember. Sometimes we don’t even notice. So it goes.
  3. The Method: Here’s another audaciously told story. The timeline’s a jumble, but instead of creating clever devices to signal shifts in time, Vonnegut simply tells you. Hell, he tells you how the story begins and how it ends before he introduces the main character. He repeats “so it goes” to the point of ridiculousness (which, I guess, is the point). He almost dares you not to read his story. I couldn’t put it down.

Given the numbers of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and breaking down, it’s interesting that this book is by a WWII vet and paints a similarly bleak picture of life after devastation. Some deal with it better than others. I’m not sure where Billy Pilgrim falls.

Summer Vacation, Day 15: Dead Frog Walkin’

Blogger’s Note: I’m postponing my musings on Slaughterhouse-Five in favor of a “cute kid” story from tonight. And it’s not even about one of my kids!

I’m lying in the lush green grass beside the soccer fields, soaking up the abundant sunshine and watching Emma’s team (the Flames!) warm up, when a little boy and his dad pass behind me.

Says the boy: “Dad, you wanna know how I know God is real?”

“How’s that?” asks his dad.

“Because one time I saw a dead frog in the yard,” says the boy, “and the next day, it was gone!”

They kept walking, so I didn’t hear Dad’s response. I wonder, did the boy assume resurrection, assumption, or both?

Summer Vacation, Day 14: Love’s Lamp

Blogger’s Note: Here’s some sappiness I wrote in summer of 1996, just prior to marrying Jodi. In case you’re wondering, yes, I wrote it for her.

Love’s Lamp
When day breaks red o’er eastern shores
And east-bound clouds hang low and black,
Dark waters swell and Zephyr roars,
And we, too far now to turn back,
Must set our sails and forward go
With storm above and flood below.

Soon all is one grey water-world;
Rains drowns the air ’tween sea and sky.
November’s witch, her wrath unfurled,
With thunder drowns my frightened cries.
Brief lightning grins on my distress;
The gale now blows directionless.

At times like this, when hope is gone,
When ship is battered, spun and tossed –
When light from stars, or moon, or sun,
Cannot be found, so path is lost –
The witch spews forth with earthly might;
You guide me with more heav’nly light.

On far horizon thru the storm
You beckon me to harbor sweet.
Light of the earth, yet heaven-born,
Thru wind and rain my eyes doth greet.
Toward you I turn for strength and aid
And forward press, my fears allayed.

Angelic beacon, guiding light,
Send forth thy beams to me embrace
Like lover’s arms in dark of night!
Smile softly on my weary face
And draw me near, that I may sleep
Dream-free from visions of the deep.

The sun has sunk beneath the sea;
The sky glows scarlet to the west.
The witch had fled, and as for me,
I’ve found safe harbor, food, and rest.
You’ve led me home, to my delight,
I’ll sleep in peace near you tonight.

J. Thorp