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Three bricks:
Ken & Vi Wakeman Family 1946,

K. Wolverton Family, 1962, and

Lockwoods - Timothy, Marion, Angela, Timothy Jr, Sabrina.

More next month.

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Even branches can't cover up these bricks:

Three bricks:

Jim and Charlotte Roberts,

Harless Family 1998, and

Tyler.

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More --
Three bricks:

In loving memory of Bonnie L. Gow,

Bruce BeVier Family, and

Kolz, Rolfe, Abbott, Karnes, Pearson, Andersen.

Squint Shot 072809

Just two bricks this time.

Two bricks:

First National Bank, and

Thompsons 1976-2001, Ken II, Bob, Chris, Jason, Rebekah, Catherine.

More tomorrow . . .

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Many of these bricks serve as a celebration of a life lived.
Three bricks:

Randy & Pat Showerman Family,

In memory Kathy Ryan 1949-1998, and

In memory of Jenny Kessler 1964-1983.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Squint Shot 072609

More bricks!

Three bricks:

George Carl Spagnuolo 1898-1989,

Ron & Donna Cooper, and

Susan M. DeForest in loving memory of Grand H. DeForest.

Snack-urday 126

Condiments . . . have you ever wondered about them? Well, from one of my favorite reference sites, comes . . .

Condiments are food substances used to heighten the natural flavors of foods, stimulate the appetite, aid digestion, or preserve certain foods; the word comes from Latin condire "to preserve."

The custom of using condiments is as ancient as cookery itself, the first ones being mainly of vegetable origin and used as a means of preserving. In the U.S., large quantities of bottled sauces and condiments are used to accompany salads, meats, vegetables, etc.

So, there you have it. Compliment away.

Squint Shot 072509

Are you going down memory lane yet? I know I am, especially when I look at the third brick. Big Boy is no longer in business and it used to be a great place for lunch.

Three bricks:

Cody, Caleb and Kevin Short,

Eggleston Family 1943, and

Fowlerville Big Boy 1984 The Vogels Mike & Suzanne, John and Karren.

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Three more bricks:
In memory George and Thelma Finlan,

Kim & Scott & Marjie Bea Niblack, and

Jeff, Cathy, Rusty, Joshua, and Cody Elliiott 1978.

I Joined the Circus

Well, not really (joining the circus, that is), but I did go spend a couple hours, wandering around . . .
Looking upward at the ferris wheel . . .
And the carousel ride . . .
After I checked out the mobster house . . .
And hurried by the pirate . . .

To enjoy a few more stars . . .

Before considering the whirly-gig . . .
-

But, then Mr. B's, of Doug Burnie fame, came into view, and I decided a corn dog on a stick sounded like so much more fun. You know, he's been feeding fairgoers and quenching thirsts at fairs around the state for the last five seasons, all the while being a part of Fowlerville Hardware store. Always nice to see a smiling face . . .But then it was time to move on to the agricultural part of the fair . . .Such concentration . . .

And displays of healthy growth . . .

But, oh some of these mad faces . . .

And, some are even a bit shy, like Flash the horse . . .

But those cows . . . how they do know how to relax . . .

While the roosters feed away.Well, even though I thoroughly enjoyed my couple of hours at the fair, I decided there's no place like home . . . and that is exactly where I ended up next.

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Three bricks:

Jach and Andy Marr,

Charron Family 1996, and

Donald, Cathy, Justin, Adam, Lucas Grill.

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Two more bricks:
Fowlerville Decorating Center, and

Joe, Jean, Jennifer, Jessica, Jackie Raica 1981.

Growing Up Part 4

Whew . . . here we are at the conclusion of some fun memories. Scroll back through The Ville and you will be able to read parts 1, 2, and 3. Hope you have enjoyed Cheryl Poch's wonderful contribution to our giggles and remembrances.

One of my favorite Christmas movies is The Christmas Story. It is set WAY back in the 50s I’m guessing. A little boy wants a BB gun for Christmas – imagine that – a real BB gun! He is told – “you’ll shoot our eye out!”

Well, back then we were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes! We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. IMAGINE THAT!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. I and (I hope) YOU are one of them – if so, then CONGRATULATIONS!

Cheryl L. Poch, Director
Fowlerville District Library
131 Mill St.
P.O. Box 313
Fowlerville, MI 48836
517-223-9089
c.poch@fowlervillelibrary.org

Thanks, Cheryl!

Squint Shot 072109

If you check yesterday's Squint Shot 072009, you can get more information why you are looking at three bricks with names etched into them.
Three bricks:

Stirling & John & Jerry Douglass and John & Jackie Mackey Families,

Mary Giegler & Cam Lewis, and

The Robert Lynn Family.

Squint Shot 072009

Walking in Centennial Park is pleasant, invigorating, and full of things to look at.

On about my third turn around the park, I became curious about the names in the bricks that surround the beautiful pine tree at the northwest corner of the park. Being a Rotarian myself, I have been involved in organizing and ordering the second batch which unfortunately was destroyed a couple years ago by vandals (those bricks have been ordered and will soon be replaced at the foot of the Rotary rock at the south side of the park). But I was not involved in getting the original set in place when the park was dedicated.

So, with my trusty camera in hand, I circled the cement "pot" and took pictures of the bricks. This is the first set, and each day until we get back to the beginning, there will be a squint shot showing the commitment and dedication of Fowlerville residents that helped make Centennial Park the nice place it truly is.
Three bricks:

Lucasvarity,

Marcmaryanne Elizabeth Chrisstankov, and

In memory of Rick Gascon 1946-1994.

I am hoping this will also serve as a way to document these bricks for the future.

Happy Sunday

From this funny farm photo site . . .
-

A good moo-rning to you!

So, rise and shine,

And, oink away for some breakfast,

Then, head outside and do a little horsing around!

Enjoy your Sunday.

Squint Shot 071909

When I started The Ville, squints shots became a daily occurrence, right away. My very first shot can be found here. Look familiar, but different?
Just thought you might enjoying two different seasons at a glance.

Snack-urday 125

Oh, summertime . . . and a cool, refreshing drink. Enjoy this one from Jean Sanders (both the recipe and the artwork).

Strawberry Basil Daiquiri
Makes 2 Drinks

2 cups strawberries
4 shots rum
2 shots simple syrup
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Water as needed
Ice

In a blender, add ice, strawberries, rum, simple syrup and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Add water as needed to get a pourable consistency. Garnish with a strawberry and a sprig of fresh basil.

Oh my . . .

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The Zizka-Grand-Lockwood Agency is housed in what appears to be a fairly modern building -- especially by Fowlerville's standards. But then when you look up, there is the name and date etched into stone. 1947. It has been around awhile.

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There used to be a spinner located in Fowlerville and evidence of her existence is still on the awning. She was an interesting person -- her hair looked like spun yarn and she walked with a bit of a stoop as if she had spent one too many hours spinning away at the huge wooden wheels. Now, our local Fowlerville News and Views occupies that spot and spins out their paper week after week.

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It may be old and a bit worn out, but this garage still serves its purpose. That's what makes things interesting around the Fowlerville area. If I'm not mistaken, this garage might even have a basement -- can you spot the window?

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There are so many beautiful styles of houses in the Fowlerville area, including this tudor-style tucked behind large pine trees. From a different direction, you can spot an unusual chimney just left of the front door. Take a minute to look around at all that Fowlerville has to offer -- from the flowers, to the houses, to the old buildings -- there are so many bits of eye-candy we pass by everyday.

Growing Up Part 3

For Parts 1 and 2, click here and here.

Did you ever leave home in the morning and play all day? You remember . . . when you were young and carefree. I remember leaving home in the morning, playing all day in the big city of Detroit and as long as I was back when the streetlights came on I was good to go for another day.

And guess what? No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were okay.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround sound, or CD’s, no CELL PHONES, no personal computers, no INTERNET and NO CHAT ROOMS.

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. Better yet, we ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever!

Oh yeah . . . what a life back then, eh? It is amazing we live to tell our children these things – think they believe us?

Cheryl L. Poch, Director
Fowlerville District Library
131 Mill St.
P.O. Box 313
Fowlerville, MI 48836
517-223-9089
c.poch@fowlervillelibrary.org

Next Tuesday will be the final installment of this trip down memory lane, and how we ever survived.

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Summertime brings loads of fun to the Fowlerville area. Every Thursday evening, old cars and cars their owners want to show off are lined up in the extra parking lot of St. Agnes Catholic Church. You can go and gawk, enjoy a hot dog or two by Whenever Weinnies, and take a walk on a warm summer evening. Could it get any better?

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It has served its purpose -- now it decorates a front yard.

More Milk Notes

More examples of milkman notes left in milk bottles -- check out last Sunday's post for more laughs.

~~My daughter says she wants a milkshake. Do you do it before you deliver or do I have to shake the bottle?

~~Please send me a form for cheap milk, for I have a baby two months old and did not know about it until a neighbour told me.

~~From now on please leave two pints every other day and one pint on the days in between, except Wednesdays and Saturdays when I don't want any milk.

~~Cancel one pint after the day after today.

~~My back door is open. Please put milk in 'fridge, get money out of cup in drawer and leave change on kitchen table in pence, because we want to play bingo tonight.

~~Please leave no milk today. When I say today, I mean tomorrow, for I wrote this note yesterday.

~~When you leave the milk please put the coal on the boiler, let dog out and put newspaper inside the screen door. P.S. Don't leave any milk.

~~No milk. Please do not leave milk at No. 14 either as he is dead until further notice.

Oh my!

Squint Shot 071209

While in the parking lot for squint shots showcased the last couple of days, this weary, sad sign caught my attention. It's tucked into the grass, barely standing upright. A casualty of a beginner driver?

Snack-urday 124

Last Saturday's Snack-urday was an easy sausage recipe found at Easy Recipes. Well, I couldn't resist heading back to the website, and I especially couldn't resist offering up this dip recipe.

Honey Peanutty Dip (created by Zoee, age 12)

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
2/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cashews

Mix together peanut butter, honey, and milk in a large mixing bowl. Stir until smooth, then add cinnamon. Place in serving bowl. Crush cashews and sprinkle over dip. Serve with bananas, apples, or pretzels.

Mouth watering yet? Mine is.

Squint Shot 071109

Yesterday's squint shot was of Ohana's sign above their front entrance. As I panned over with my camera, I spotted another sign. The Masonic Temple sign firmly planted in the ground.
But what intrigued me even more was the sign attached to the corner of the building. How old are these two pill-looking signs? If there is a Mason out there reading this blog, I would love to hear from you on the history of these signs.

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Signs are very important -- it helps us figure out where we are going, confirms to us we've made it to the right location, and they sometimes can even give us a giggle or two. As I zeroed in on the mon symbol for Ohana, it made me think "roar" like a muscle man flexing his arms and chanting. Isn't that a little bit of what they do anyhow? Help us flex our muscles, defend ourselves, be fit.

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Do you ever stop to wonder what an engineer on a train sees as he or she travels into and out of Fowlerville? This picture is looking to the east just be coming upon the tall "silos" at Rhetech.

And this picture is looking to the west, heading toward Webberville.

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A lesser traveled road just east of Fowlerville is Potts Road -- oh, there are some very nice homes and farms and spacious fields, but it dead-ends at I-96. So I don't imagine too many have checked out this farm slowly being swallowed up by bushes, trees, and weeds. At one time, it must have been bustling with farm animals, equipment being operated by the owners, kids and pets, noise and fun. But for now it sits quietly.

Growing Up Part 2

Click here for Part 1 of Growing Up.

Here it is – where we left off with surviving our life as we know it today.

Back in the day (or my day) we drank from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends from one bottle and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren’t overweight.

Why?

Because we were always outside playing . . that’s why! Go figure.

What do we do today that is so different? We sit in front of the TV, play on our Nintendo and text our thumbs and fingers off. We talk on our cell phones from sun-up to sun-down. We drive everywhere and circle the parking lot to find the closest place to the front entrance to our shopping madness. Whew! Now that takes a lot of energy.

Next time – let’s find out what happened when we ‘left home.’ Could be a scary thought!

Cheryl L. Poch, Director
Fowlerville District Library
131 Mill St. P.O.
Box 313
Fowlerville, MI 48836
517-223-9089
c.poch@fowlervillelibrary.org

Part 3 next Tuesday, July 15.

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Another look upward and what do my eyes behold? I'm not exactly sure. There are columns worked into the brickwork of the Harmon Real Estate building. At the top of each column is what looks like a very weather-worn carving.

They are puzzling to me and so I took a shot of each one. The first is very worn away, as were all the other ones. Except for this corner shot. This second one shows there may have been a leaf or yet another fleur de lis. Anyone have any ideas what these carvings may have been at one time?