Squint Shot 043009

The fluted glass may be chipped, but the light still works.So much in Fowlerville is frozen in time and slightly forgotten because it is either too expensive to keep up or there isn't a need for the space. But wandering through many old rooms and floors of the buildings downtown gives me pause to wonder what grand parties or serious meetings or solemn ceremonies used to take place under the shine of lights just like this one. What important decisions were made that affected the village.

Flowers of the Ville

All for your viewing pleasure . . .

Spring is springing up all over in the Ville.

So, take a minute out of your busy day and look around at all the colors popping up.

Who knows how long any of these blossoms and flowers will survive in the strong winds working through the area.

And, be sure to head to local nurseries to add color to your home.

Squint Shot 042909

The sad fact of Michigan's economy is many places are for sale, or for lease, or just sit empty. Fowlerville is fairly lucky to have only a few empty storefronts, but even a few hurts our downtown. Hopefully someone will discover this storefront and fill it up, because no one wants their town to be "for sale."

Squint Shot 042809

So, who was G.A. Newman? This name and archway is centered over the building that houses Shear Image and Fowlerville Eye Care.Here is another instance I would love to have someone comment and give the rest of us a bit of a history lesson -- anyone?

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You hear it everyday at the strike of noon and every evening at 10 pm, but how often do you look up to see where the sound is blaring from?The siren, when silent, serves even another purpose. A rest area for birds?

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From high atop the third floor of Harmon's Real Estate building, there are wavy panes of glass -- hard to see out of, but how the morning sun shines in.The trimwork alone is a masterpiece to check out.

Extinguished

This is dedicated to our very dedicated group of volunteer firefighters in and around the Fowlerville area.

A fire started on some grassland near a farm.

The county fire department was called to put out the fire, but it was soon obvious it was more than they could handle. Someone suggested that a nearby volunteer group be called. Despite some doubt that the volunteer outfit would be of any assistance, the call was made.

The volunteers arrived in a dilapidated old fire truck. They rumbled straight toward the fire, drove right into the middle of the flames and stopped.

The firemen jumped off the truck and frantically started spraying water in all directions. Soon they had snuffed out the center of the fire, breaking the blaze into two easily controlled parts.

After watching all this, the farmer was so impressed with the volunteer fire department's work and was so grateful that his farm had been spared, he presented the volunteers with a check for $1,000. A local news reporter asked the volunteer fire captain what they planned to do with the funds.

"That ought to be obvious," he responded, wiping ashes off his coat. "The first thing we're gonna do is get the brakes fixed on our fire truck!"

Squint Shot 042509

How often do you sit at the tracks as a long train inches its way around the bend? Or a the train's cars fly by so fast, you can hardly focus, and then . . . zip . . . its gone?My favorite game, while waiting, is to check out the graffiti on the cars before the train is out of sight.

Snack-urday 113

Normally I like to come up with a full recipe for Snack-urdays but today you only get frosting. Make your favorite lemon or white cake, whether it be from scratch or a box, and then slather on this lemon frosting.

Talk about refreshing!

Lemon Frosting

4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 stick of butter, softened
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons cream1 pinch of salt

This is what I call a treat.

Squint Shot 042409

This might look like an odd squint shot, but have you ever looked up and noticed how many telephone and electric poles there are in and around Fowlerville? It becomes as much a forest as the actual trees. You know . . . the trees that then have to be trimmed in odd shapes to accommodate the wires. It is an interesting ballet the poles, the wires, and the trees dance.

Squint Shot 042309

There once was an opera house in Fowlerville, along with a movie theater and other forms of entertainment. But formidable costs and modern structures such as cineplexes have helped to hide these delights away. Half of the opera house stage stands over The Decorating Center, while the other half is over Olden Days. Oh the grandeur of ladies and gentlemen dressed for an evening out to the opera -- what a sight that must have been.

Senior Day

The Fowlerville Rotary Club meets every Wednesday at noon at the United Methodist Church on Second Street.

It is always a grand lunch, but this week's meeting and lunch was especially grand. It was Seniors' Day Rotary Lunch. Once a year, the club invites any and all senior citizens that would like to come have lunch, to join the group and let the club say their thanks.

Doug Burnie said it perfectly during the invocation that our seniors are the backbone of this community, wherein lies great knowledge and wonderful work throughout the years. I hope the seniors all heard that, because what would our community be without the building blocks they've provided.

The fun began shortly after noon with Dan Mayhew (Mayhew's Services) and Chelyn Poljan (First National Bank) wandering through the 70+ group selling 50/50 raffle tickets.

Conversations and socializing filled the room while everyone enjoyed the rousing music supplied by the Senior Class Band. This is a group of musicians, retired from their careers and with time to follow their musical talents by playing for groups just like the Rotary Club. With over 600 performances under their belts, their concert seemed to effortlessly move from one song to the next.

Before the group got down to the important business of eating lunch, served by a dedicated group of ladies from the church, introductions were made by each person. Most stood, spoke their name and indicated they were retired. Or, as in the case of the Rotarians present, a place of business was indicated. But the best description was from one of the ladies from the Senior Center, "I'm a housewife, and a housewife doesn't retire, just expires." That brought a round of applause.

Rich Heinrich, Fowlerville School's new superintendent, was introduced by Dawn Horton of the Fowlerville News and Views. He spoke briefly of how excited he is to be on the job, albeit 8 days only at this point, and that he is already looking forward to calling it home. He spoke how the water tower at I-96 says it all when you look at "Home of the Gladiators" displayed so proudly. I think he stole my thoughts! (See my earlier post by clicking here.)

And then, a special presentation.

Ken Tannar, a well-known business owner both in Webberville and Fowlerville, is also the last remaining charter member of the Fowlerville Rotary Club. The club began in 1947, when Ken was a mere 28 years old. He is now 90, having celebrated that milestone on March 24. Well, lo and behold, a flag was flown over the U.S. Senate that very day in his honor and that 5' x 7' flag was presented to him at this luncheon.

The picture shows him holding one side, while Dawn Horton holds up the other end. Ken's wife, Mary Ellen, and his son, Tom, were able to be at the luncheon and be a part of this wonderful celebration.

It was a grand luncheon and celebration all-round at the Fowlerville Rotary Club.

Squint Shot 042209

The blue sky reflects off the downtown street lights in the middle of the day. But come nightfall, these sentinels shine bright at the main four corners and fan out on both Grand and Grand River. With today's rainy skies above us, I thought you might enjoy a bit of blue. The holidays find them decorated with garlands, while other times of the year, banners are displayed from them.

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Guardian angels can be found in many places -- not just churches -- but even hovering over shoppers in Aleta's Flower Shop. This beautiful sculpture stands tall and majestic over flower arrangements and other gifts.How striking against a dark backdrop.

Squint Shot 042009

Back indoors again for another squint shot. This time, there is beauty in an old light fixture, even if the bulbs are broken and jagged.Can you imagine, in the day, how this may have shone and sparkled?

Homework Policy

Some things were never explained to me while my daughters were growing up. Well, more like it was kept a secret. How they ever learned this school homework policy, I'll never know, but they knew it, or maybe they just made it up as they went along.

Here is an explanation of that policy they so closely followed:

Students should not spend more than 90 minutes per night. This time should be budgeted in the following manner:

15 minutes looking for assignment.
11 minutes calling a friend for the assignment.
23 minutes explaining why the teacher is mean and just does not like children.
8 minutes in the bathroom.
10 minutes getting a snack.
7 minutes checking the TV Guide.
6 minutes telling parents that the teacher never explained the assignment.
10 minutes sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Mom or Dad to do the assignment.

Squint Shot 041909

Post #6464 has been around since 1946 -- 63 years! Everything from the chili cook-off to bingo finds its way into the VFW Hall.Attention to my readers -- does anyone have any history of where the VFW Hall presided before its current locale on Veterans Drive? Or has it always been in the same area?

You can leave a post anonymously or let me know who you are so we can all say thank you.

Snack-urday 112

I don't know about you, but I almost always have some leftover chicken (or turkey) tucked away in the freezer. So, in my search for another way to use these leftovers, I headed to Recipezaar and and found this delicious panini.

You say you don't have a panini press though . . . well, never do I. But I love to improvise.

Do you have a cast-iron skillet? If so, it works perfect as the top half of a panini press. Set your prepared sandwiches on a flat griddle, place a piece of tin foil on top, then the cast-iron skillet on top of that. Press. When you flip the sandwiches, place the tin foil on the grilled side along with placing the skillet back on top.

Isn't it great when you can make a cast-iron skillet a dual-tasker? Enjoy the recipe . . . I know I'm going to.

Chicken Salad Panini

Ingredients

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 dash salt
1 dash pepper
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped peeled apple
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
6 slices white bread
4 teaspoons butter, softened

Directions

~~In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients.
~~In another bowl, combine the chicken, cheese, apple and pecans; add dressing and toss to coat.
~~Spread half of the chicken salad on two slices of bread.
~~Top each with another slice of bread, remaining chicken salad and remaining bread. Spread butter on both sides of sandwiches. Cook on a panini maker or indoor grill until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.

Squint Shot 041809

Can we say spring is in the air? When the willows start to show shades of yellow/green, everything is scheduled to blossom and bloom, come up and open up, and green up.Get your rake and your hoe, it is time to get busy.

Squint Shot 041709

Yesterday's squint shot showed the hand-drawn blueprints for this storefront -- Fowlerville Hardware.

When this building was first constructed and opened for business, you could purchase 100 pounds of nails for a whopping $2.70. Now 1 pound will cost you $2.29! How prices have changed, but service never does.Any day of the week, you can walk into the Fowlerville Hardware store and receive personal, friendly, and very helpful service. We are pretty lucky!

Roofing

In December, 2008, we lost a large number of shingles from every plane of our rooflines. I recounted some of this on Meryl's Musings and you can read that post by clicking here.

Well, now we are into the fun stuff of having the roof re-shingled with what we hope to have last for 30 years. And Daniel A. Mayhew Builder, along with his crew, is doing the work.

And what a wonderful job they are doing.

Now this may start to sound like a commercial for Mayhews, but whatever praise I can heap onto them is well worth it. So far, I have not had to do a thing but spectate.

Unbeknownst to me, the shingles were delivered and the next day, the work began in earnest. Weather permitting, this project may only take a couple more days.

By mid-morning of the first day of work, the west side of the garage had been stripped and the re-shingling began. These guys rarely stopped, except maybe long enough to add a bit more fuel to the generator so they could keep working.

Not bad, though, being able to work under such a beautiful blue sky.

Work continued the second day, under that same clear sky, with Dan "supervising" the men -- or maybe more like bending their ears. They knew exactly what needed to be done.

Our house is a cape-cod style, with wonderful corners and roof slants and dormers to work around. But even that didn't seem to slow them down. Maybe it even makes it a bit interesting.

But, probably one of the coolest things of all is their attention to detail and clean-up. At the end of each day, I was impressed with everything being put away safely, someone sweeping the area for wayward nails, and having their equipment prepped and ready for the next day of work. To me, that is the sign of a company that cares about their employees and their work ethics as much as they care of the client's satisfaction.

If you are interested in reading about more about Mayhew's Services, click here and take time to browse around.

Squint Shot 041609

Two squint shots for the price of one. These blueprints were hand-drawn sometime around 1890, with the building going up shortly after that.Tomorrow's squint shot will a photograph taken within a few years of the building being constructed. Any quesses?

Squint Shot 041509

Yesterday's squint shot showed a lock for a door. Today's shows a real curiosity to me of another door on the same floor, in the same building. A large enough peephole to stick your fist through, along with a "paddle" that easily swung from side to side.Now what could this possibly have been used for -- why not just open the door?

Reminder

The taxman cometh . . . are you ready?

If you haven't gotten an extension, be sure your taxes are in the mail by midnight tonight.

Hope this finds you getting a refund!

Squint Shot 041409

Locked doors? Maybe yes, maybe no. Here in Fowlerville, not every door has to be locked -- cars at the main four corners are left alone, back doors are as welcoming as front doors, and we pretty much all know each other -- so why would we need locks?I puzzled over that coming upon this antiqued lock system inside a building, forming a barrier between what appeared to be a ballroom and possibly the cloak room, at one time. Seems an odd place for a lock.

Squint Shot 041309

This elevator system has been around nearly 115 years and still runs as smooth as can be -- maybe more so than some of the most modern elevators.But don't plan on crowding into this elevator with a group of people since it will hold only a couple at a time.

Church Bulletin

For your enjoyment -- believe it or not, the following announcements actually appeared in various church bulletins. There are various websites that actually spend time compiling such information. I, for one, am glad they do. Otherwise, how would we ever get the giggles!

Don't let worry kill you -- let the church help.

Thursday night - Potluck supper. Prayer and medication to follow.

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

The rosebud on the alter this morning is to announce the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev. and Mrs. Julius Belzer.

This afternoon there will be a meeting in the South and North ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends.

Tuesday at 4:00 PM there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk will please come early.

Thursday at 5:00 PM there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All ladies wishing to be "Little Mothers" will meet with the Pastor in his study.

This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the alter.

The service will close with "Little Drops of Water." One of the ladies will start quietly and the rest of the congregation will join in.

Next Sunday a special collection will be taken to defray the cost of the new carpet. All those wishing to do something on the new carpet will come forward and do so.

The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They can be seen in the church basement Saturday.

A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Squint Shot 041209

In an upstair floor, not handicapped accessible, this old, old wheelchair can be found. There seems to be some irony here since, years earlier, before all floors of buildings needed to be made handicapped accessible, there were numerous businesses and offices on the second and third floors of many of the buildings.Now, many have been turned into apartments, but many remain empty of use except as large storage facilities.

Snack-urday 111

Another recipe has come to me from e-mail and this one is just too much fun. You can make your own personal piece of cake in a coffee mug.

Dangerously Wonderful Five-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 T flour
4 T sugar
2 T cocoa
1 egg
3 T milk
3 T oil
3 T chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed. Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. Eat and enjoy -- and if you are feeling slightly generous, it will be enough for 2 people.

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now you are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night.

Squint Shot 041109

Apparatus still exists in one of our storefronts to lift horse-drawn carriages for repair. This technology was put into action over a hundred years ago and remains in place, just waiting for someone interested in a pulley system that could raise carriages as heavy, or heavier, then modern-day cars. An opening in the floor, which has been sealed for many years, shows the footprint of about 12' x 8', large enough for chains to hang down to be secured to the carriage.

Squint Shot 041009

There are so many different pictures to take in Fowlerville, whether you are inside or outside. And for the next squint shots, you will be seeing a few pictures taken inside some of our storefronts. Harmon's Real Estate has a "safe" that survived a fire in 1890, when much of the interior of this brick building was destroyed. The main reason they know it existed? There is an inspection form inside with an original inspection of 1877 listed.
The door and ornate surrounding trim has numerous coats of paint covering it. One has to wonder what it originally looked like. Oh, and by the way, don't worry about anyone getting locked in the safe because there is a safety mechanism provided.

Squint Shot 040909

Can we say "fireball?" Early morning sunrises over the crisp, clean air of Fowlerville can offer up wonderful opportunities for unusual pictures. Oh, and the evening skies can be pretty awesome sometimes.
:)

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You would not have to look very far around the Fowlerville area to find a "Michigan Basement," the walls of one such basement shown in today's squint shot. A Michigan basement, also sometimes called a Long Island basement (guess it depends on where you live), is a basement that has not been finished, usually having a dirt floor and stone, cement, or cinder block walls (or a combination), and is quite often damp with a unique odor of dampness, dirt, and musty mildew.Not necessarily a very pretty description, but a Michigan basement has its own charm and history. This particular wall can be found in the low-slung basement under Shear Image.

Squint Shot 040709

Once again, I have found a door to nowhere! The second floor of the old Ruth's Resale corner store has this beautiful door, with trimwork and a guard railing, but it would be a very big first step if the wrought iron was ever removed.
Is it in preparation for a snow storm of the century?

Snow Pictures

Head to Meryl's Musings for a few pictures of today's snow -- we all know it's not going to last very long.
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Click here to see more pictures on my post for today, Whipped Cream.

Squint Shot 040609

Remember the fleur-de-lis pillar tops guarding over Sweet Sensations (see squint shot 040409)? Well, low and behold I found another one in our village. Guarding the sides of Aleta's Flower Shoppe, you can see brown symbols painted on a khaki background.
Another detail I've missed over the years -- that is, until I started pointing my camera lens upward.

Squint Shot 040509

During the day, these lights beautifully decorate the side of a building . . . but at night, their spotlights shine down as a bright path in a parking lot.How nice to have these stylized lights for all to enjoy.