The Hake’s three-year-old, well-designed 900 sq ft cabin is the perfect destination point for two couples who want to get lost in nature, play games and to get to know, to really get to know, each other better. The cabin is located in a pristine forest of ancient Ponderosa Pine on the edge of a fertile 260 ft canyon wall. While we couldn’t confirm it, Ken claims that a meandering stream teeming with native brown and rainbow trout awaits anyone who ventures a long slide down the steep canyon walls. The official mailbox is Long Pine, NE, but to access their forest home, one must drive ten miles on a dirt road north off Highway 20.

If you were blindfolded and airlifted into the cabin, it would be easy to believe that you were in the mountains of Colorado. It’s a very special place with a plethora of both whitetail and mule deer, giant turkeys, porcupines, blue birds, pine martins, rattlesnakes, bobcats and more. At night, the stars come to visit and put on a spectacular display of lights. The sunrises from our bedroom are what I would love to see when I wake up in the morning every day for the rest of my life.

Ken and Maureen brought in food supplies and wine for the three days and two nights we spent with them. Once you get to this special secluded spot, you want to stay put and enjoy some of the best that Mother Nature has to offer. The Hake’s knew this in advance and planned accordingly.

We knew that Ken would be passionate about winning any and all games that we played. I think it has something to do what with him being raised in a small rural town, Leigh, Nebraska. Perhaps it was the water or it could have been the DDT he brushed his teeth with as a child. But little did we know the passion; I mean THE PASSION that he has for everything he decides to do.

Ken and Maureen own the 200 acres of land that surround the cabin. And when Ken walks his property, he truly becomes THE ERADICATOR. If he sees a weed he doesn’t like, he destroys it with a passion; and “Not in a shy way!” as Frank Sinatra croons in one of his songs. Ken’s ultimate passion, perhaps hatred is the better word, is reserved for the dastardly, invasive red cedar that populate his land. He becomes a pyromaniac if need be and much more when it comes to these scum bags. And I must say, he makes a very convincing argument for why these bastards need to die, and to die now, before they destroy his sanctuary.

I guess in two words, Ken does everything “His Way.” Most people eat almonds. Not Ken. He prefers to scarf almonds. Many people are quite competitive and will at times beat up on their opponents. Not Ken. He prefers to fleece them. If he loses two times in a row, he will attempt to enlist Maureen’s support with, “Now, let’s fleece the Kelly’s.” However, Maureen does not always take Ken seriously and often refers to him as The Fabricator.

In spite of Ken’s unique personality, one of his most redeeming features is his passion of 47 years for his wife, Maureen. It is a joy to be around a man that radiates his love, admiration, and friendship for his best friend, his life-long companion, Maureen Foley Hake—the Eradicator’s sweet thang.

P.S. Oh, I must not forget. When you stay with the Hake’s at their cabin in paradise for two days, you will be required to participate with them in one of their most sacred of rituals. At 4:30 PM, Monday thru Friday, the best wine and cheese is served and the television is turned on for thirty minutes. Get comfortable because it’s time to watch Jeopardy. And the best entertainment is watching Maureen, not Ken or the three contestants on the large flat-screen television, come up with the correct answers first. Man, she is good! But then, life is good with the Hake’s.

P.S.S. If you’re curious, we played Qwerkle, Euchre, Mexican Train, Thirty-One and nine rounds of Golf, a game of cards. And yes, the Hake’s fleeced the Kelly’s. Ken says the next time we play for money or mortgages, whichever is more solvent.

I saw it first on a Facebook post by one of my granddaughters. “Hannah Claire Kelly is going to get a dog!!! SO HAPPY, life is good.” Could it be really be? I thought any chance of that was kyboshed many years ago. But as I read the FB comments to her post, I realized it wasn’t a done deal; at least not yet.

Hannah has been an avid girl scout for the last nine years. She also has a very special connection with dogs. If it had been up to her, there would have been a family dog for all of the fifteen years of her life. But after Mandy—a pet golden retriever who died when Hannah was seven—her parents said, “No more dogs.”

Hannah could have lived with that decision. That is until she read the story about a young lady who had trained a guide dog. It was the featured story in The Golden Link, a monthly magazine published by the Girl Scouts. The Texas teenager provided a foster home for a nine-week-old puppy; raising him until he was sixteen months old. During that time, she taught the dog 40+ commands and exposed him to many types of social situations. For this community service, she received The Gold Award—the highest honor you can receive as a Girl Scout.

Hannah had worked hard for her bronze and silver award. Now she knew how to get the gold. But the biggest hurdle to getting a dog (a golden retriever or a lab) would be her dad. Determined to make it a reality, she put together a 22-slide PowerPoint Presentation, which took her two-and-a-half weeks. Her goal: To convince her dad that she should be a “puppy raiser.” (See attached copy.) He was impressed with her creativity and due diligence. However, this would be a major commitment for the family. So he said that he would have to think on it.

Four days later, he told Hannah that the jury had made their final decision. Was she ready for it? Her hopes hit rock bottom, when she saw his deadpanned expression. Then he announced his verdict, “I know you will have many obstacles ahead of you. But I won’t be one of them. You have my approval to send in your application to be a foster mother for a potential “dog of service.”

Hannah’s Power Point Presentation

Our meeting started promptly at 4:00 pm at Applebees near the Tucson Mall. Rose Mary introduced me to the group, telling me that I should tell a bit of my story. It took only a few minutes, before it was non-stop questions and interesting observations. Liz Leggett wanted to know how my negative experience with religion as a child had impacted my view of religion today and asked how she could get a copy of the book. Mary Letts was curious about why the Club believes only 144,000 will go to heaven. Jan Graunke grew up in Grand Island, Nebraska, which ironically was the city my sister, Mary Lyn, was living in when she was murdered. Sophie Katz and Betty Griffis shared their thoughts about organized religion and both purchased copies of my book. Prudy Cain mentioned that alot of people claim to be agnostics but on their death bed, most of them are praying to a Higher Power. She also commented that she was looking forward to reading my book.

All in all, it was fun to be the center of attention for an afternoon and I look forward to getting feedback on my book from the ladies in “Books with Rose Mary.”

The first leg of our semi-annual migration took us 1,275 miles to Houston, Texas, where our son, Keith, lives. This is always a treat because we not only enjoy visiting with him,  we get to spend time with his wife Amy and our eleven-year-old granddaughters, (and twins) Hannah and Katrina. Some of the highlights of our visit with them were hearing the twins sing with a group from their middle school, watching climbers scale the Matterhorn at an IMAX theatre showing, a tour of the traveling 125,000-year-old Lucy exhibit and her Ethiopian birthplace, and being treated to one of the best movies that I have seen in awhile, Michael Clayton.

The last leg of our journey took us 1,100 miles to our Tucson home. And as we neared our high desert home in the Catalina Mountains, we were most grateful for books on tape. We had listened to and thoroughly enjoyed two unabridged books, His Excellency: George Washington, by Joseph Ellis and Wild Swans, by Jung Chang. Both books were well written and narrated stories about how a single man can and did make a significant difference to the history of his country, the USA and China. One was very good and the other was a disaster.

When we arrived back in Tucson there was much that needed to be done to make our house a home. And we had only a week to prepare for houseguests. Visiting with us for five days would be someone I hadn’t seen in almost fifty years. John Hoyle and I were only kids when we last spent quality time together. Ironically, my parents were instrumental into bringing his parents into ”the truth.” Oops. There I go again. I mean the Club. That happened in February of 1952 and we last played together in the fall of 1958. John made contact with me via the Internet in July when he heard about my book, Growing Up In Mama’s Club.

To make a long story short, we had a delightful time with John, his wife Sharon, and their adorable, less than a year old Maltese puppy, Lilly. While they were here, we explored nearby Sabino Canyon, drove to the top of 9,200-feet Mount Lemmon, and just talked and talked and laughed and reminisced.

Now it’s back to writing full time. And I’ve made a decision (gulp!) to dramatically improve the third printing of Mama’s Club, which I expect to have ready by January 2008. What changes do I plan to make? I will report that in subsequent blogs.

Thank heavens for pleasant diversions. And I have two of them. I try to walk at least four miles a day and I play bridge on Wednesday and Thursday while I’m in Grand Rapids.  While the bidding and play of the cards can be challenging, one of the best parts of the experience is the neat people you meet. What an interesting dichotomy of retired teachers, lawyers, accountants, bankers, housewives, etc. One of those special persons is Annette Vogelsang. She was an excellent school teacher in her previous life, or at least that’s what I’ve been told, and brings that “I’m in charge!” attitude when she directs or makes chit chat before and after playing bridge with her. While some members may be intimidated, I like her a lot. She is a caring person who tries her best to make the bridge experience something positive for new players and folks like me who need a healthy diversion. And Annette loves to read. Her eyes light up and her face sparkles when she starts talking about a good book she’s just read. As an author, I love seeing and feeling her positive energy. In fact, it’s Annette’s animated, enthusiastic demeanor that I visualize when I’m hard at work marketing and promoting Mama’s Club. Annette is my “poster child image” for how I want people to react after reading my book. Good visualization of a happy reader is a must for any new author who believes they can write well and tell compelling stories.