Ten years after... July 1st 2010 - Remembering Leslie Dauterman

So just who was Leslie Dauterman?

Leslie was a driving force in the early years of the Pagan Community Council of Ohio (PCCO). She was the binding force that held PCCO together during the '90's. Leslie came to the Pagan Community Council of Central Ohio with the organizational experience of having served as seneschal, or steward with the local Society for Creative Anachronism group at OSU. Leslie brought this experience to PCCO and established responsibility and accountability during her service as Outreach Chairman and later, as President. On many occasions, she assumed fiscal responsibility personally to assure that events could be held, paying the site reservation fees when our treasury was unable to meet that expense.

Leslie named many of the events that PCCO held during the '90's; events such as Brigid's Fire, Springbourne, Shadowmas, and Winterfire were her creations. Furthermore, the newsletter that was recognized as the best regional pagan newsletter of 1994, "YAPN – Yet Another Pagan Newsletter" was so named by Leslie to bring to an end a hours-long discussion of what to name the newsletter. She also contributed to the development of PCCO events - The Greening and Summerset; making suggestions for main guests and offering workshops that were unique and distinctly Leslie.

Leslie did not drive due to medical conditions; but she did not let that hold her back. Ultimately, these medical conditions contributed to her death in 2000. While she is no longer with us, her proud spirit touched those of us who were lucky enough to have known her.

During the '90's, Leslie served as PCCO's Outreach Chairman and often was the sole representative of PCCO at public functions. She was instrumental in putting together the Anti-Klan rituals held at the Ohio Statehouse before and after the KKK rally in the early '90's. She introduced a food drive “Cans, not Candy” for Mid-Ohio Food Bank during Beggar's Night in Columbus. She promoted a public Samhain ritual, “Take Back the Rite,” which was held at various downtown Columbus locations. Leslie's presence at the PCCO booth for ComFest was almost constant. Her energy and drive was hard to equal, though many of us tried to do so.

Leslie enjoyed these responsibilities, but most of all, she delighted in running the children activities at PCCO events and often paid for the crafting materials without asking for reimbursement. Children at PCCO events recognized her as a friend and confidant; often asking for her while their parents were checking into the event.

Additionally, Leslie was instrumental in running events; the planning and execution of a successful event often hinged upon Leslie calling individuals to assure that necessary actions were accomplished in a timely manner. Working herself ragged during an event was a given; she would often take shifts at registration and security back to back. Leslie helped with site preparation as well; she was something to see wielding a chain saw.

The Greening 2000

The Greening 2000 was held at Camp Wyandot over the Memorial Day weekend. Leslie had taken complete responsibility for this event, which was one of PCCO's most successful events. She personally arraigned much of the event preparations: lining up the guests, hiring the musicians and coordinating whom would lead the Main Ritual. Opening and Closing rituals she chose to lead herself. The Greening 2000 was a warm and open event that reflected Leslie's nature.

Leslie's Death

After The Greening 2000, Leslie returned to her usual work pattern that Tuesday, However on Wednesday, while waiting for her morning bus to work, she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. By the time she was transported to OSU Hospital, she had fallen into a coma from which she never recovered. She remained in that coma for four weeks and on July 1st 2000, life support was removed and she passed to the Summerlands shortly afterward.

Leslie was survived by her her father and her two sisters as well as her cat, Gracie (Burns) and her partner, Stacy B. Bartley. Her memorial service held at the First Unitarian-Universalist Church in Columbus was very well attended with many individuals traveling several hours to show their respect for Leslie.

I consider myself to have been blessed to have known her.

June 26. 2010

Watch out for the multi-tasking driver - saw a fellow tooling around town - talking on a cell phone with his left hand, cigarette in his right alternating with a drink - all the while cruising at 25-30 mph down Livingston Ave.

Just cruising around "blog-land" and I found these - 27 different door mats
http://www.djmick.co.uk/really/funny-rude-bizarre-doormat-pictures/
and this one - 36 different flavors of Pepsi around the world
http://www.djmick.co.uk/really/36-unusual-pepsi-flavours-from-around-the-world/

Apparently not supervising your children at some of these places will result in gaining a pet (plus / minus for the added caffeine or energy drink) or indenture http://www.djmick.co.uk/laughs/amusing-unattended-children-warning-signs/

Cigarette flip box mobile phone - http://www.djmick.co.uk/really/in-pictures-cigarette-box-mobile-phone/ ?????

Bog People - June 24 2010

Just caught the last ten minutes of a Discovery Kids program "Mystery Hunters" - one of the subjects was Bog People (an area I have been interested in for a while) - bodies that have been preserved by the chemistry of the bog and the why and how they got into the bog. Episode title is "Grand Canyon Honeymooners/Bog Body" - (Christina heads to Denmark where human remains are turning up in peat bogs.) The show deals with the subject in a matter-of-fact style that does not sensationalize the "sacrifice to the Gods" aspect that most historians have come to explain on why these bodies are being found in peat bogs. Begin your research at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog_body

Flag Day - June 14th, 2010

One of our holidays that does not get the universal recognition that it should -

From Wikipedia -
"In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.[1]

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress."

Poems of Patriotism - http://www.usflag.org/poetry.html

I can't seem to find it, but I once heard a reading given at my Colonel's retirement service describing a timeline of where the Flag has been sent and fought for since the adoption of the Flag. Very moving!

June 12th, 2010

As some of you may know - I have been rehabbing my kitchen from total disaster.  We (my friend Allen and I) installed the kitchen cabinets over the Memorial Day weekend starting that Thursday.  With that complete, we are now ready to install countertops, tile the backsplash as well as the associated plumbing and electrical work to make this a working kitchen once again. 

My girlfriend and I  just returned from a day-long shopping and investigatory trip.  Signature Cabinets (http://www.signaturecabinetryinc.com/) seems to fit our needs for countertop and Hamilton-Parker (http://www.hamiltonparker.com/index.cfm) turned out to be a most interesting find.  Tiles of almost unimaginable detail are available here; and we found what we needed and then some in the "Blow-out Sale" area.

Fried Squirrel…

I don't drive around looking curbside for animals to be there, honest I don't!!!

Wrote this before the turkey buzzard observation....

Ever watch squirrels “tight-rope walk” across power lines? They never seem to be flustered or concerned even when confronted with another squirrel going in the opposite direction. But this morning, I saw one make a fatal error on the “highway in the sky” – the tree rat must have made a misstep as it reached the pole by completing a circuit and frying itself before dropping to the pavement below – right in front of me.

Sometimes it takes something immediate like this to bring sense to my world. There are times when I want to let myself indulge in self-pity; like when we found water and mold damage to my house last year – (still haven’t completed replacing the kitchen yet.)

Or thinking “ that if not for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all” when coming home on a Friday and the girlfriend announces “We are going to the emergency room!”, after one look at my face which had a very pronounced droop on the right side. Turns out I had a bout of Bell’s Palsy and was allowed to go home Saturday afternoon. (Any overnight stay in the hospital is not on my top ten list of things to do.) - Yes, I do appreciate the medical profession and have spent much time under their loving care, but for something that I anticipated as being nothing much turns out to be nothing much. It tends to be a joy killer.

Furthermore, a month later – coming out of a local Mexican restaurant and finding my driver’s side glass broken out and car stereo stolen. More importantly – the smucks took my girlfriends purse which had no real money in it, but did have several mementos of her sister who has passed over from breast cancer. At the least, she would dearly love to recover any of those items. Doesn’t look like it will happen…

Coincidences

I never see turkey buzzards along the side of the freeway, but tonight I saw two! One just after I got on the freeway and one just before my exit.

Another blog to take up your time

June 8th, 2010 -
Just starting out - who knows where this might take us.

Michael