wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion on January 28, 1986. Among they crew members killed was Judith Resnik of Akron, Ohio. She joins a long line of space pioneers from the Buckeye State. Ohio has a remarkable legacy as the Birthplace of Aviation with over 25 NASA astronauts. The well-known, iconic Ohio natives include John Glenn (first American to orbit the Earth and later the oldest person in space), Neil Armstrong (first man to walk on the Moon), and Judith Resnik (second American woman in space and first Jewish woman in space). 

Do you remember where you were when the Challenger exploded? I do. I was at home with my 16-month old son, watching in awe of the space shuttle talking off, the powerful rocket boosters launching it into space. And then, just a little over a minute into its ascent, the Challenger exploded. The awe turned into horror and disbelief. 

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On our drive to Cleveland, it was the same ole, same ole drive, a little snow on the ground as we headed north. It was a beautiful, sunny, cold day with no indication of the snow that was to come. An IIK Transport truck caught my eye with its Russian writing on it. I wondered if IIK Transport was a Russian company doing business in the US so to pass the time on the drive, I did a little research. Just so you know, IIK Transport is an American trucking company headquartered in Bridgeview, Illinois, and utilizes a diverse, immigrant-heavy workforce, just as many other trucking companies do. The presence of Russian text on their trucks likely reflects that their drivers, owners, or operators are from Eastern Europe or Russia, and serve a multi-lingual driver base. The things you learn while passing time on a 3-hour drive.

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Snow storm Fern was the looming topic for this past week. It came, it dumped, and now we are moving on with 20" of snow blanketing the area. Grocery store shelves have been restocked from the panic buying, the city snow plowers putting in heroic hours and effort to get the roads cleared for people to be out and about safely, the sun shines deceptively bright, not indicative of the below zero temperatures. The schools are still closed and I know parents are anxiously awaiting those doors to open again.

While in Cleveland, I did manage to get my Frozen Feet Challenge walks in. Dress warm enough and you stay warm. While trudging along, this mailbox made me do a double-take and gave me a little chuckle. What a contrast. A beach scene surrounded by snow. Only in Ohio. I took my gloves off, fumbled around in my pocket to get my phone out, dropped the phone and my fingers got colder. Anything for a photo to tell a story.

monday's mulling: snowmageddon

48 years ago, January 24 - 26, 1978, I was a junior in college, living and loving the university life, and The Great Blizzard of 1978 pummeled Ohio, dropping 30+ inches, that shut down everything down. This winter storm, also known as the Cleveland Superbomb, is often cited as one of the most severe blizzards in the history of the US.

The same thing happened this past weekend. A huge winter storm pummeled central and southern Ohio with two feet of snow. We weren't at home when this happened; we were called for babysitting duty in Cleveland. Friday we were on the road to see the grandbabies, early Saturday the snow started to come down and it snowed until Sunday morning. Cleveland, surprisingly, got half the snow that southern Ohio did. Our plan was to head back home on Monday but a Level 3 snow emergency has kept us off the roads for another day.  

The snow and dangerous road conditions kept everyone at home but once the snow lightened up, people were out shoveling or using snowblowers to clear driveways and sidewalks, pulling their kids in sleds, walking up and down the street to check out this big snow dump. The city sent the snowplows out to take care of the streets and the driver assigned to this particular neighborhood was on a mission to get done as quickly as possible. He and his big truck traveled at warp speed, taking out a few mailboxes while barreling up and down the streets. 

My little grandson was over-the-moon excited to see so much snow on the ground. What was a major inconvenience for so many, the twelve inches of snow was magical for a 3 1/2 year old little boy. While Grandpa and Dada were shoveling, Owen and Didi bundled up and played "let's find the ball in the snow." We also made snow angels. Such joy from a winter storm.

postage stamps

Postage stamps...I enjoy seeing what the new releases are and then buying a couple sheets for mailing cards and letters to add a special touch to the personal communication to family and friends. 

At the most recent visit to the post office, the line was moving slowly, and that gave me a chance to look at the poster of the newest stamps. The Good Night Moon stamps immediately caught my eye. I read that book to my children and now to my grandchildren. It brought back memories of bedtimes with us sitting on a couch or a bed or snuggled under a blanket reading this quiet, relaxing book.

"In the great green room, there is a telephone and a red balloon, and a picture of

The cow jumping over the moon

And there were three little bears sitting on chairs

And two little kittens and a pair of mittens

And a little toyhouse and a toy mouse

And a comb and a brush and bowl full of mush

And a quitet old lady who was whispering 'hush...'"

Valentines Day is coming up and the stamps with hearts are perfect to send Valentine cards. Doves delivering a letter and the Keith Haring Love Stamps add an extra touch of love to the sentiment inside the envelope. I don't know if the recipients will notice the stamp but it's fun to match the card to the occasion with the postage stamp.

 

the polar vortex winter storm

Today is THE day of the BIG snowstorm. The snow will start tonight and will fall all day Sunday. The weather forecasters have been talking about this all week long and I'm still not sure how much snow we're supposed to get. Todd was supposed have been in Nashville today but that trip was cancelled. At the beginning of the week Nashville was predicted to have 12 inches of snow which would have shut the city down. Now the predictions is 1-3 inches and it will still be shut down. Southern cities typically don't get snow and when they do, it's a disaster. They're not equipped with the snow removal and salt trucks that the Northern cities have at the ready whenever there's a mention of winter weather.

Back in Ohio, the prediction is that we're going to get a lot of snow but how much changes hourly. I just hope the power stays on. The snowfall will be accompanied by bitterly cold temperatures. 

the friday feed: dry january

For Dry January my friend and I took a little field trip to a fun wine shop to check out the selection of non-alcoholic wines. Back in the day she had been a wine rep for this store. We talked to the owner, told him what we were doing, and he recommended either of the wines on the ends of the display. 

Just to have fun during Dry January, I've made a few mocktails to replace the ritual of having a glass of wine with dinner. Even though they're just a way to make this alcohol-free challenge more enjoyable, I'm not a big juice drinker, especially with dinner, and that's what the mocktails are - basically a fruit juice blend with a splash of club soda.  For me, water or flavored sparkling water is preferable to these these fruit-based drinks. I bought a couple bottles of the non-alcoholic wines and they taste like white grape juice - tasty - and definitely more expensive. 

Am I counting the days until February 1? Nope. This has been something new and fun to do with a friend. 

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.