OK, here's my story. My dead ex-husband (not in that order) and I
were married in Bismarck, ND on June 2 of 1973. The plan was that we
were going to get married, stay in the hotel that night, have brunch
in the morning with all the out of towners and drive to Minneapolis
and then on to Ohio. My father in law to be, however, had a heart
attack in the pool at the Holiday Inn and ended up in the ICU three
hours before the ceremony. (Which went along as planned.)

We ended up not going to Cleveland to see the rest of John's family
until August. Did summer theatre at a teeny tiny little theater on
this side of the Canadian border near Bottineau, ND. ( I directed John
in Moliere's "Imaginary Invalid" and we played Adam and Eve in "The
Apple Tree".) By the time we got to Cleveland, John's dad had a
pacemaker and was much better. The marriage lasted almost 14 years.

During this period several significant things happened. President Ford
signed the papers which created the Cuyahoga National Recreation area
on land which borders John's family home in Brecksville on three
sides. In-laws signed papers deeding said property to the park (after
the parents deaths). We adopted our daughter in 1982 and in the early
spring of 1986 when she was 4, her Grandpa died.

Being a most practical man with a most practical wife, they had
decided to sprinkle his ashes down the side of the hill at the edge
of their property (park land). When they did that (in the fall) MIL
decided to put his ashes in a big basket with 100+ daffodil bulbs.
The MIL, John, his twin sister Jane, their younger sister Sally and
brother Fred and three grandkids (ours and two of Sal's) sprinkled
the ashes and the bulbs all down the hillside with the stand of 200
year old oak trees planted by Moses Cleveland (you remember him -
Grover's daddy.) They buried the bulbs. The next spring the whole
hillside came up daffodils. (Eat your heart out Wordsworth.)

John's twin sister died in 1992 and they sprinkled her ashes there
too. Then in 1995 John died. (We had been divorced for several years
but had continued to co-parent and spend time together with Carolyn
and we never stopped performing with each other.

The last thing John did was to direct "Our Town" and the kid and I
were both in it. We were supposed to perform it in Manitoba six weeks
after we closed for a little community theater festival. During the
week before we were to go, John died - in the middle of 'pick up'
rehearsals. His mom and his sister and brother came from Ohio. We had
his funeral in the theater - on the stage with the ladders from "Our
Town". It was the funniest funeral I've ever seen and I only hope
people laugh half as much at my funeral. I wish we'd taped it. They
sprinkled John's ashes down the hillside too.

Now I am almost 60. People in my family don't live to be very old. By
the time my mother was my age, she'd been dead for two years! Carolyn
has promised that when I die, she will take my ashes to Ohio, sneak
out to the oak trees (Grammy's still living there!) and sprinkle my
ashes with her dad's. Then that SOB will have to put up with my
presence throughout eternity! It ain't over till the fat lady sings
and I will get the last laugh.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Lynn from Fargo

"Lynn from Fargo" > wrote in message
...
> OK, here's my story. My dead ex-husband (not in that order) and I
> were married in Bismarck, ND on June 2 of 1973. The plan was that we
> were going to get married, stay in the hotel that night, have brunch
> in the morning with all the out of towners and drive to Minneapolis
> and then on to Ohio. My father in law to be, however, had a heart
> attack in the pool at the Holiday Inn and ended up in the ICU three
> hours before the ceremony. (Which went along as planned.)
>
> We ended up not going to Cleveland to see the rest of John's family
> until August. Did summer theatre at a teeny tiny little theater on
> this side of the Canadian border near Bottineau, ND. ( I directed John
> in Moliere's "Imaginary Invalid" and we played Adam and Eve in "The
> Apple Tree".) By the time we got to Cleveland, John's dad had a
> pacemaker and was much better. The marriage lasted almost 14 years.
>
> During this period several significant things happened. President Ford
> signed the papers which created the Cuyahoga National Recreation area
> on land which borders John's family home in Brecksville on three
> sides. In-laws signed papers deeding said property to the park (after
> the parents deaths). We adopted our daughter in 1982 and in the early
> spring of 1986 when she was 4, her Grandpa died.
>
> Being a most practical man with a most practical wife, they had
> decided to sprinkle his ashes down the side of the hill at the edge
> of their property (park land). When they did that (in the fall) MIL
> decided to put his ashes in a big basket with 100+ daffodil bulbs.
> The MIL, John, his twin sister Jane, their younger sister Sally and
> brother Fred and three grandkids (ours and two of Sal's) sprinkled
> the ashes and the bulbs all down the hillside with the stand of 200
> year old oak trees planted by Moses Cleveland (you remember him -
> Grover's daddy.) They buried the bulbs. The next spring the whole
> hillside came up daffodils. (Eat your heart out Wordsworth.)
>
> John's twin sister died in 1992 and they sprinkled her ashes there
> too. Then in 1995 John died. (We had been divorced for several years
> but had continued to co-parent and spend time together with Carolyn
> and we never stopped performing with each other.
>
> The last thing John did was to direct "Our Town" and the kid and I
> were both in it. We were supposed to perform it in Manitoba six weeks
> after we closed for a little community theater festival. During the
> week before we were to go, John died - in the middle of 'pick up'
> rehearsals. His mom and his sister and brother came from Ohio. We had
> his funeral in the theater - on the stage with the ladders from "Our
> Town". It was the funniest funeral I've ever seen and I only hope
> people laugh half as much at my funeral. I wish we'd taped it. They
> sprinkled John's ashes down the hillside too.
>
> Now I am almost 60. People in my family don't live to be very old. By
> the time my mother was my age, she'd been dead for two years! Carolyn
> has promised that when I die, she will take my ashes to Ohio, sneak
> out to the oak trees (Grammy's still living there!) and sprinkle my
> ashes with her dad's. Then that SOB will have to put up with my
> presence throughout eternity! It ain't over till the fat lady sings
> and I will get the last laugh.
>
> That's my story and I'm sticking to it!


Death is just nature's way of telling you to slow down.

Paul

Lynn from Fargo > wrote in news:aa1f36a3-cb85-4747-
:

> OK, here's my story.



An excellent story too :-)


>
> During this period several significant things happened. President Ford
> signed the papers which created the Cuyahoga National Recreation area
> on land which borders John's family home in Brecksville on three
> sides.
>


Is their home north or south of the 82?

And east or west of the 21??

GEIMF :-)

(Google Earth Is My Friend)


There's a nice looking golf course just near the intersection of Valley
Parkway and the 21.


>
> The last thing John did was to direct "Our Town" and the kid and I
> were both in it.


LOL!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Town

The eventual product was banned in the Soviet Union in 1947, together
with The Skin of Our Teeth, for making family life "too attractive."




> Now I am almost 60. People in my family don't live to be very old. By
> the time my mother was my age, she'd been dead for two years! Carolyn
> has promised that when I die, she will take my ashes to Ohio, sneak
> out to the oak trees (Grammy's still living there!) and sprinkle my
> ashes with her dad's. Then that SOB will have to put up with my
> presence throughout eternity! It ain't over till the fat lady sings
> and I will get the last laugh.
>


Hopefully you'll last quite a deal longer and when you do get there,
you'll have really *old* cranky ashes for your ex to deal with :-)



--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


If we are not meant to eat animals,
why are they made of meat?

On Sep 21, 10:27*pm, PeterLucas > wrote:
> Lynn from Fargo > wrote in news:aa1f36a3-cb85-4747-
> :
>
> > OK, here's my story. *
>
> An excellent story too :-)
>
>
>
> > During this period several significant things happened. President Ford
> > signed the papers which created the Cuyahoga National Recreation area
> > on land which borders John's family home in Brecksville on three
> > sides.
>
> Is their home north or south of the 82?
>
> And east or west of the 21??
>
> GEIMF :-)
>
> (Google Earth Is My Friend)
>
> There's a nice looking golf course just near the intersection of Valley
> Parkway and the 21.
>
>
>
> > The last thing John did was to direct "Our Town" and the kid and I
> > were both in it.
>
> LOL!!!
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Town
>
> The eventual product was banned in the Soviet Union in 1947, together
> with The Skin of Our Teeth, for making family life "too attractive."
>
> > Now I am almost 60. People in my family don't live to be very old. *By
> > the time my mother was my age, she'd been dead for two years! *Carolyn
> > has promised that when I die, she will take my ashes to Ohio, sneak
> > out to the oak trees (Grammy's still living there!) and sprinkle my
> > ashes with her dad's. Then *that SOB will have to put up with my
> > presence throughout eternity! *It ain't over till the fat lady sings
> > and I will get the last laugh.
>
> Hopefully you'll last quite a deal longer and when you do get there,
> you'll have really *old* cranky ashes for your ex to deal with :-)
>
> --
> Peter Lucas * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> Brisbane * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> Australia * * *
>
> If we are not meant to eat animals,
> why are they made of meat?

================================================== =======
I'm not very good with highway numbers. Their home is right on the
Summit County line. Right by the big bridge that spans the Cuyahoga
River on Chippewa Road. It's part of what they call the Brecksville
Reservation.
Lynn

Lynn from Fargo > wrote in
:

> On Sep 21, 10:27*pm, PeterLucas > wrote:
>> Lynn from Fargo > wrote in news:aa1f36a3-cb85-4747-
>> :
>>
>> > OK, here's my story. *
>>
>> An excellent story too :-)
>>
>>
>>
>> > During this period several significant things happened. President
>> > Ford signed the papers which created the Cuyahoga National
>> > Recreation area on land which borders John's family home in
>> > Brecksville on three sides.
>>
>> Is their home north or south of the 82?
>>
>> And east or west of the 21??
>>
>> GEIMF :-)
>>
>> (Google Earth Is My Friend)
>>
>> There's a nice looking golf course just near the intersection of
>> Valley Parkway and the 21.
>>
>>
>>
>> > The last thing John did was to direct "Our Town" and the kid and I
>> > were both in it.
>>
>> LOL!!!
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Town
>>
>> The eventual product was banned in the Soviet Union in 1947, together
>> with The Skin of Our Teeth, for making family life "too attractive."
>>
>> > Now I am almost 60. People in my family don't live to be very old.
>> > *B
> y
>> > the time my mother was my age, she'd been dead for two years!
>> > *Caroly
> n
>> > has promised that when I die, she will take my ashes to Ohio, sneak
>> > out to the oak trees (Grammy's still living there!) and sprinkle my
>> > ashes with her dad's. Then *that SOB will have to put up with my
>> > presence throughout eternity! *It ain't over till the fat lady
>> > sings and I will get the last laugh.
>>
>> Hopefully you'll last quite a deal longer and when you do get there,
>> you'll have really *old* cranky ashes for your ex to deal with :-)

>
> ================================================== ======I'm not very
> good with highway numbers.


Chippewa Road is the 82.



> Their home is right on the Summit County
> line. Right by the big bridge that spans the Cuyahoga River on
> Chippewa Road. It's part of what they call the Brecksville
> Reservation. Lynn


Not right next door to Dante's Tap House and Restaurant??
Mmmmmmmmmmm........ beer and pizza right next door...... I'd live
there!!


If the house is in that area bordered by the river/railway line, the 82
and Riverview Road, it looks rather bleak compared to Brecksville
township. But then you get a closer look and there's a definite
deliniation between the lush green of the trees and the area that looks
like a forest fire has just gone thru!!
Seems Google Earth has taken two pics of that area, one in spring, and
one in winter.

West of Cinnabar Drive (straight off Chippewa) is the 'fire zone'
looking area, east of Cinnabar is the lush green :-)



--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


If we are not meant to eat animals,
why are they made of meat?

[posted and mailed]

On Sun 21 Sep 2008 06:11:06p, Lynn from Fargo told us...

> OK, here's my story.

I'm guessing my email didn't reach you, or you just decided to go ahead and
post it instead. No matter.

This was a *great* story. I had no idea that you had such a truly dramatic
background. Wonderful! A lot of tragic moments, too. I'm sorry. That
was wonderful about the ashes down the hill, and the daffodils.

I spent nearly 17 years working in Brecksville at the Ohio Bell Data Center
on Brecksville Road. I often took the roads through the park going home
rather than the turnpike, so I know the area fairly well. It's really
beautiful there.

John and his twin sister must have both died fairly young. Divorced or
not, that's still a very sad loss. But you have found beauty and humor in
the end of life that many do not.

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Sunday, 09(IX)/21(XXI)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
7wks 1dys 2hrs 19mins
*******************************************
PALINDROME spelled backwards is EMORDNILAP.
*******************************************

Lynn from Fargo wrote:

> Now I am almost 60. People in my family don't live to be very old. By
> the time my mother was my age, she'd been dead for two years! Carolyn
> has promised that when I die, she will take my ashes to Ohio, sneak
> out to the oak trees (Grammy's still living there!) and sprinkle my
> ashes with her dad's. Then that SOB will have to put up with my
> presence throughout eternity! It ain't over till the fat lady sings
> and I will get the last laugh.
>
> That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
>
> Lynn from Fargo


Loved it!

Becca

Ob Food: For dinner we are having Shoepeg Corn & Baby Pea Salad, Dirty
Rice and French Bread.

"Lynn from Fargo" > wrote in message
...
>
<snip>
>
> Now I am almost 60. People in my family don't live to be very old. By
> the time my mother was my age, she'd been dead for two years! Carolyn
> has promised that when I die, she will take my ashes to Ohio, sneak
> out to the oak trees (Grammy's still living there!) and sprinkle my
> ashes with her dad's. Then that SOB will have to put up with my
> presence throughout eternity! It ain't over till the fat lady sings
> and I will get the last laugh.
>
> That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
>
> Lynn from Fargo


There is a natural cycle to our exposure to death.

Usually when we too young to understand our grandparents pass on. Then our
parents pass and finally our peers and friends start to go. It at this point
we begin to understand we are not immortal and our time is coming.

Several years ago a 22 year old second cousin passed from a rare blood
disorder PNH. Her parents were understandably beside themselves and did not
have a comfort zone with death. In an remain I explained there were 2
possibilities. First there is no God, if that is the case - her suffering
is over and she is simply gone. The second possibility is that there is a
God and if that is the case then their daughter is in Gods hands and being
cared for much better than she was in her short life here on earth.
Surprisingly, this simple email and a de-facto hug seemed to put their minds
at rest.

Life is in fact a terminal disease.

I like your SPUNK, as Lou Grant would say. Keep up the good attitude.

Dimitri

On Sep 21, 9:11*pm, Lynn from Fargo > wrote:

> That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
>
> Lynn from Fargo

You tell a good story! Do you write as well as act and direct?

maxine in ri

On Sep 22, 1:25*pm, maxine in ri > wrote:
> On Sep 21, 9:11*pm, Lynn from Fargo > wrote:
>
> > That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
>
> > Lynn from Fargo
>
> You tell a good story! *Do you write as well as act and direct?
>
> maxine in ri
================================================== =========
Yes, as a matter of fact, I do write. I started out in advertising -
many years ago, If you can write that, you can write anything! I had
the pleasure of writing a food column for a couple of years. It paid
practically nothing, but it was great fun. I have a standing offer to
write restaurant reviews for a weekly arts/politics paper here too.
They have practically no money - at least not enough for an expense
account and I can't afford to eat out in the same restaurant enough
times to write a fair review. I think I will write some short, funny
pieces on spec to see if the editor (old friend) likes them.
Lynn in Fargo