st. vincent, the patron saint of wine

There's a "holiday" or a reason to celebrate something for every day of the year. Today, among many others, is National Blonde Brownie Day (yum!), Come in from the Cold Day (very appropriate), and National Grandpa Day (Happy NGD, Todd!) It's also one sacred to the wine industry - St. Vincent's Day - and one for me to start the countdown to the end of Dry January!

Saint Vincent, the official patron saint of winemakers, is celebrated every year on January 22nd. This date is timely for winegrowers because it symbolizes a mid-point in the vine’s growing cycle - the period situated in between pruning and when the vines begin to bud break and flower. Saint Vincent’s Day is a time for winemakers to reflect on the past year while preparing for the next year. According to legend, celebrating Saint Vincent’s Day brings good luck to the upcoming grape crop and harvest.

Many different legends abound about how Saint Vincent became “the patron saint of winemaking".

One includes the French pronunciation of his name, “Vin-sang” which translates into “wine blood.” And yes, wine blood (also known as vine blood) occurs during pruning. 

Another legend involves Saint Vincent and his donkey. While wandering through a vineyard, Saint Vincent’s donkey nibbled on nearby vines as Saint Vincent chatted with the workers. During that year’s harvest, the workers noticed that the vines “pruned” by the donkey produced a better crop than the “unpruned” vines. Thus, Saint Vincent and his donkey discovered the art of pruning grape vines.

During the week of January 22nd, winemaking regions in Europe celebrate Saint Vincent and the end of pruning with various ceremonies and festivals (all involving wine, of course!) This could be a fun trip to plan!

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

Happy Birthday to my January girl, born a little tiny baby who shines a big bright light to all who know and love her. Here we are a few years ago, sitting on The Ledge at the Willis Tower (FKA the Sears Tower), hearts pounding, on a 1.5 inch thick piece of super strong glass, suspended exactly 1,353 feet (103 stories) above the Chicago sidewalks. She gets her adventurous spirit (and fear of heights) from me and her uncanny sense of direction from her dad. She's the second child/first daughter in the line up of the Gang of 4.

For the past few years Up and Running, an athletic apparel store, holds an event, The Frozen Feet Challenge. This year's event began on January 12 and the challenge is to walk, hike, or run OUTSIDE everyday for six weeks. To be accountable, the participants log their miles on the registration sight. It's an incentive to help people stick to their New Year's exercise resolution and it gets people outside to fill those lungs with cold, fresh air. The hardest part of this challenge is walking out the door from a toasty warm house. Bundle up appropriately and the rest falls into place. Miles to date: 32.8.

Many of my walks are around the neighborhood and the same old, same old sights get monotonous. One day I walked to the post office, a six mile round trip. My favorite close hiking spot is Hills and Dales MetroPark, so weekly photos will most likely pop up from there. I have some future blog post ideas that will take my walks to downtown Dayton to get some photos...looking forward to those sojourns.

My little Chicago grandson will be two in February. Last year I hand made a zine (a little book) based on the theme for his birthday party. I want to do the same for his second birthday so a couple days ago I asked my daughter if she had decided on the theme for AJ's birthday party. "I'm 99% sure it's going to be Eric Carle." AJ just loves Brown Bear and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. So I got busy brainstorming ideas for this 8-page little zine, went through my boxes of craft "stuff" and found some supplies that could work for this card from Didi. I was so excited to get this project going! Wouldn't you know, the very next day, my daughter sent the official invitation...with a Sesame Street theme! Darn...I love my Eric Carle idea. So now, since he will celebrate his 2nd birthday, AJ will get two cards from Didi. This is the title page mock up for the first zine with the Very Hungry Caterpillar in the shape of a 2.

And in case you're not familiar with Eric Carle's art, introducing to you a couple of his most well-loved characters, the Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear.

graupel

It's not snow. It's not hail. And it's not sleet. 

It's graupel: small pellets of ice created when super-cooled water droplets coat a snowflake. The pellets are cloudy white, not clear like sleet, and often mistaken for hail. It's also known as soft hail, hominy snow, or snow pellets, and has about the same texture as Dippin' Dots ice cream. 

A couple days ago I was out on a walk and all at once white dots were all over the street. It crunched as I walked. On Sunday graupel lined the paver bricks.

It is just really cool stuff. 

 

monday's mulling: sterling newsome

Last week on a sunny, breezy, winter day, Todd and I took a drive to the Dayton National Cemetery located on the grounds of the Veterans' Administration. I wanted to go for a couple reasons: to see the wreaths on the grave markers and to see where a soldier named Sterling Newsome was recently buried. 

More than 70 years after he died in an air crash while serving in the U.S. Air Force, Airman 1st Class Sterling E. Newsome Jr. was laid to rest by his family at the Dayton National Cemetery. His grave is located in a new burial section with no grass around the markers and it was muddy - slippery muddy - where we wanted to pay our respect to this soldier. This is a story of years of dedication to bring these fallen soldiers home.

Sterling Newsome, at the time 30 years old, was among 52 service members who lost their lives on November 22, 1952, when the C-124 Globemaster military transport aircraft they were traveling aboard crashed into a mountain in Mount Gannett, Alaska, during severe weather conditions.

Due to its remote location, the crash site would not be discovered until six decades later, when an Alaska National Guard crew conducting routine training in 2012 spotted aircraft wreckage, frozen in ice, on Colony Glacier.

Recovery operations confirmed it was debris from the Air Force C-124 that crashed six decades earlier with 42 airmen, eight soldiers, one Marine and one sailor on board. Since that time, annual recovery missions, named Operation Colony Glacier, have been conducted by the U.S. military with the goal to locate and return the remains of all who perished. The actions of these men to return these lost soldiers home is beyond heroic.

In 2021, a shirt belonging to Newsome was recovered and presented to his family in Dayton. More recently, additional remains were identified, transported to Dayton, and presented to his extended family. Last November a memorial service celebrating Newsome's life, his service, and his return home was held and now, 74 years, later this veteran was buried with full military honors.

On January 7, 2026, the military announced that the remains of all 52 service members who lost their lives at Colony Glacier have been identified. 

here's a little secret...

Paraphrased from Lewis Carrolls Alice in Wonderland. 

Celebrate your eccentricity, creativity, and the idea that being different is a strength rather than a flaw. 

power of the mind

I don't know if I'm in love with this quote but it sure offers some food for thought.

The mind is powerful. It can rehearse disaster or it can rehearse success. 

You can overthink the worst because your brain is wired for survival. But what if that same energy went toward imagining things working out? Toward picturing ease instead of struggle. Toward assuming good intent, good timing, good outcomes. If we’re honest, the worst-case scenario isn’t more likely than the best. It’s just louder.

Practicing this line of thinking can be hard. Catching yourself mid-spiral and asking, "What’s the best version of this story? What if it goes right?"

There are no guarantees. Maybe overthinking doesn’t have to be the enemy. Maybe it just needs a new direction.

the friday feed: tea

Back in October on our return trip from our 18-day European adventure, the first leg of our flight was on Virgin Atlantic, taking us from London Heathrow to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson. Virgin Atlantic is a British airline and for our last snack on the 9.5 hour flight, the flight attendants served each passenger a cup of tea and handed us a red box containing scones with clotted cream and jam. Tea in the clouds...what a perfect way to finish a trip from the UK. 

Back to Dayton, Ohio. A couple miles down the road from me is a charming little tearoom, Central Perc, owned and run by an English couple. There is nothing like a pot of tea and one of their scones with jam and clotted cream to make a day special. On April 15 of this year, Central Perc will celebrate its 30th year of business. Starbucks is right across the street but Central Perc is always just as busy as this national chain. This little place is my cup of tea!