My tried and true approach to all problems with technology: Turn it off and turn it back on. Nine times out of ten, the problem is mysteriously fixed.
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Scammed!

I thought I was pretty smart but the scammers out there are even smarter!

A few years ago I got a call telling me my Verizon bill was overdue and my cell phone service would soon be discontinued.

I thought I’d paid that bill and could easily have checked,  or  I could have hung up and called Verizon directly – but for some stupid reason  I did neither.  Apparently the thought of losing my cell phone service was so daunting I inexplicably did what the practiced voice on the phone told me to do –  I very stupidly Zelled $1400 (!!!) to a number I was given to supposedly cover what was due on my Verizon account PLUS several months of advanced payment to insure that I wouldn’t fall behind again and risk having my service interrupted.

But as soon as I hit the send button the horrible realization washed over me that I’d been horribly  scammed!  I called my bank,  I called Zelle,  and I even called the police all to no avail.

Then I remembered that at the suggestion of our computer tech we’d recently gotten a LifeLock insurance policy.  So I called our Lifelock agent.   who explained that I was covered for identity theft and other dire contingencies.  but not for stupidity.

And so I learned a very valuable although rather costly lesson,  and the next time someone tries to scam me,  or sell me a bridge,  I‘ll tell them to fuhgeddaboudit!

– Dana Susan Lehrman 

Junior Girls Cabin 10, 1964

I used to love the evening cookouts or sleeping under the stars that we did lakeside throughout my summers as a camper at the National Music Camp (now Interlochen Arts Camp) in Interlochen, MI from 1964-1969. The girl’s side was by Lake Wabakanetta (Duck Lake) and we had a large expanse of sand with a building which housed fireplaces and equipment for fun in the sun. Here we were not competitors, vying for the best chairs in the orchestra, leads in the plays or operettas, or solos in the dance recitals; we were friends in the cabins, just kids enjoying ourselves. We built safe campfires for cookouts, then, as the sun set over the lake, sang songs, roasted marshmallows, ate s’mores. If we were sleeping out, we might tell scary stories, do “finger lifting” (“you are as light as a feather”), sing folk songs, but always end the evening with this favorite (which I just learned while writing this story is known as “Canadian Taps”; we learned slightly different lyrics):

Each campfire lights anew…
The flame of friendship true.
The joy we had in knowing you
Will last a whole life through.

And as the embers die away,
We wish that we might always stay.
But since we cannot have our way,
We’ll meet again, some other day.

This would be followed by a hushed version of Taps (Day is done, gone the sun…) as we snuggled in our sleeping bags and drifted to sleep while gazing at the stars.

The counselors ensured that the campfire was safely extinguished, trash disposed of, and all was right in our corner of the world. Camp was built (in 1928) on the edge of a pine forest, now a state park; the air was pure and delicious. Sacred memories.

A segment of Intermediate Girls Cabin 5, 1965

Martha’s Vineyard is predominantly a resort community, particularly in the summer. We go to the beach, exercise in some form, ride bikes, hike the beautiful trails, socialize with friends. So when it rains, everyone comes into town, looking to shop, go to the movies or find something else to do.

We happen to live right in town, a block from the shopping district, so we just stroll around the busy area. Years ago there was a marvelous bookstore, Bickerton and Ripley, right around the corner from us. They had a great selection of books (this was before Amazon became the behemoth it is today) and a wonderful children’s nook, full of delightful titles for readers of all ages with a little cushioned bench, inviting children to pull out a book and linger. My children visited often.

The store was owned by two women who lived on my street. In fact, Marilyn gave David his first job there the summer he turned 14. He stocked books for them. She interviewed my shy son over Memorial Day Weekend, told him he had to stand straight and make eye contact with her. He learned to work hard for her. It was a summer that one of the Harry Potter books came out and the owners opened late that night, dressed as sorcerers to sell the books to the line of eager children. David had spent the day unboxing those precious books and scarfed one up for his grateful younger sibling.

But years earlier, the owners had offered me a great idea. My kids were always bugging me to buy books, but I was not always with them when they came into the store. Marilyn suggested I set up a house account for them with my credit card. “But how will I limit their purchases?”, I inquired. I knew they had no bounds when it came to Calvin and Hobbs, books about outerspace and the like. “Not to worry”, she responded. “There will be a $20 spending limit per child”. That was satisfactory and I gave her my credit card to set up the account.

The movie “Chicken Run” had come out earlier in the year. My kids loved everything from the Aardman Studios and just adored this movie. One rainy night, I was home alone with them. This was in the year 2000. Dan still worked and was not home. I couldn’t find them anywhere. I searched the entire house. Finally, I noticed the door to Jeffrey’s room was closed. I knocked lightly and went in. They were huddled together on his twin bed, pouring over the “Chicken Run” book, purchased earlier that day. The door was closed to keep the cat in the room. I looked at the price of the book – $38! How did they manage to buy that (it was a beautiful coffee table book on the making of the movie, as seen in the Featured photo). My clever children had pooled their resources – each used their $20 quota – to purchase this wonderful book, which now rests on my coffee table in Newton! It occupied their entire rainy evening.

My kids on the Vineyard at that age