Rustbelt

So glad to have Scott and my girls here! Dad keeps hugging the gals and saying, "You're Grandpa's girl!" Scott is just ... my man. I tease him and nag too much but he knows I could never do without him. (Yes, he's still training for the marathon!)

Dad's tired today. He's had quite a few visitors but also tried to do too much -- fiddling with this or that around the house. Glad Scott is here to help with big tasks. I'm tired and feel like I'm catching a cold. Figures. Plus, it's a bit depressing around here. Yesterday Dad and I drove past the Ford plant, shut down a few years ago, that was full of 1,000s of overstocked Hondas. I think unemployment is 8.9 percent in the Cleveland area. Dad said the marina has about 20 percent of their slips empty this season. Even folks at the grocery store and around town seem a bit downtrodden. We're insulated in Madison with state gov and university (she notes as her own job teeters on the chopping block). It's sad to see how the economy is affecting my hometown...

We did manage to enjoy each other today. The girls rode bikes all over Dad's big driveway, then we hit the rails-to-trails path in Kipton. Also stopped at the neighbors' garage sale, where dad bought Anna a purple big-girl bike and MJ some pastel legos. The neighbors have beautiful, award-winning show horses. We peeked in the barns at champions Larry, Lenny, Gloria and the pony Sally O'Malley.

Dad needs to rest, but his spirits are higher when he's around people. A lot of spirits around here could use some boosting.