LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMPOut: It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like... August |
by Fay Jacobs |
Procrastinating, me? Absolutely. I'm sure editor Steve is sitting in the Camp office, even as I type away at the computer, impatiently tapping his foot and waiting for this tardy column to arrive via e-mail. It's just that I've been too busy cramming an entire summer into the dog days of August. For those of you following the saga of Fay and Bonnie's not-excellent adventure with Bonnie's hospital stay and Fay's forced introduction to lawn implements, here's the latest: Bonnie's feeling much better and for the last several weeks angelic friends have saved Fay from an embarrassing and dangerous display of weed whacker ignorance. Two incidents illustrate the above sentence. First, Bonnie is feeling so well that she begged for and received permission to drive. This has been a relief for me, as my driving has always been a source of irritation, if not actual horror, for my spouse, and she is not stoic about it. In fact, all the expensive medical tests in the world revealed less about Bonnie's condition than her initial willingness to let me drive while she sat, quietly and gratefully in the front seat. Yes, her room reservation in the critical care unit was warranted. But, as her health returned, so did her uncontrollable urge to comment on my ability to drive and, what's worse, assist me by faux-braking and color commentary. Talk about a passenger side air bag. This girl was ready to regain control. To wit, the first day she drove herself to physical therapy in Georgetown she returned with a souvenir Uniform Traffic Complaint and Summons ( 74 in a 55 mile per hour zone). The cop wasn't dumb enough to fall for her claim that the leg brace made her lead footed. Neither was I. She's baaaack!! As for my own reprieve from lawn maintenance 101, our house was the scene of a "barn raising" two weeks ago. A hearty band of women with tool belts and men with hamburger rolls and condiments descended on a Friday evening and got down to business. The girls put the finishing touches on Bonnie's deck, pulled nine weeks' worth of weeds, mowed, mulched and weed-whacked themselves into a frenzy. Meanwhile a small but creative band of royalty (that would be the queens and princesses) took refuge in the kitchen and whipped up a feast. By the time we were all outside working and feasting it looked like a scene from an Amish barn raising (minus Kelly McGillis, drat) or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (or would that be seven brides for seven brides and....oh never mind). I must report that one of our male workerbees stayed out of the kitchen and mowed almost our entire half acre by himself. (That thumb blister isn't on your editing hand, is it?) Two sweaty hours into the task he was seen trying to flag down a passing lawn service truck. Meanwhile, Bonnie reclined on a chaise on the deck, field marshalling the troops and being very, very grateful for the work party. Actually, we both feel way beyond grateful and blessed by the help and all manner of assistance by our friends and their friends during our summer of adversity. If our quest for a CAMP Rehoboth Community Center (with or without walls) is true to its vision as the heart of the community, then my backyard included the left ventricle of that heart on Friday night....(oy, somebody stop her from getting mushy.) Along with our quest to put our neglected home back together, we've been trying to make up for lost summertime fun, too. We saw the Henlopen Theater Project productions of Another American Asking and Telling and Ancestral Voices. The first was powerful beyond words about the pain caused by the military ban on gays serving openly and the second was a gentle remembrance of family relationships acted by a marvelous Broadway troupe. The shows, performed in the intimate setting of The Little Theater at Cape Henlopen High School truly brought Broadway to the beach. I hope the support for HTP continues to grow so we will have many more seasons to come. So with yard work, theatre-going and grabbing a few days at the beach between monsoons, we're catching up with a summer we almost missed. On some days, while I'm at work, friends have been accompanying our convalescent to the beach. Those handicapped-accessible beach wheel chairs have been great for her. And after several days in the sun, people are telling Bonnie how happy they are to see her looking so great. Then they look at me and say "Of course you're looking a little haggard." Nice. Perhaps it was the time I spent in front of the TV checking out the bait-and-switch fest that was the Republican Convention. I wouldn't say that their party is talking out of both sides of Dubya's mouth, but there they were, spotlighting a speech by an openly gay Republican congressman and half of Dubya's own Texas delegation was down on their knees praying for his sodomizing soul. Meanwhile, the Republican-backing American Family Council, was calling for Rep. Kolbe's arrest for that same sodomy thing. Whaaaat's Uuuuup? And there was lesbian daughter Mary Cheney bravely grinning and applauding her Dad's nomination for veep. Does she know what the party platform says about gays? And where was her long-time girlfriend stashed? It's going to be interesting to watch how the party deals with the Cheney daughter that Jerry Falwell just called "errant." Hmmm. Let's see if blood really is thicker than orientation. Now, on the cusp of the Democratic Convention, there's even more remarkable news. In a historic first, Senator Leiberman's on the ticket. I'm curious to see the electorate's reaction. Personally, if a member of the tribe can be on the national ticket, I feel compelled to take a stand locally. I'm going fishing tomorrownot a typically Jewish hobby. But then it's been a week of historic firsts. And my girl and I are determined to make up for the summer days we've missed. I'll let you know if I catch anything besides hell for letting you know about that speeding ticket. See you on the bay or at the beach! Fay Jacobs, a Vice Versa award winning columnist, is a regular contributor to Letters from CAMP Rehoboth. You can find more of her CAMPOut columns at www.camprehoboth.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 11, Aug. 11, 2000. |