the friday feed: where's the beef?

My husband loves a good deal, and Costco, where everything comes big, is one of his favorite shopping spots.

A couple of months ago, he made a solo trip to Costco and came home with what he considered a real bargain: a 13-pound slab of beef.

Yep. Thirteen pounds.

The beef took up space in our freezer for the next couple of months with me asking periodically, "Have you decided what you're going to do with Elsie?" On Tuesday, my husband took it out to thaw, and by Wednesday, while it was still a bit icy, he was slicing it into steaks.

Four of those steaks traveled with us to Chicago, where our son-in-law fired up his charcoal Weber grill and turned them into dinner. We served them alongside twice-baked potatoes and a fresh salad with my daughter's homemade dressing made with tahini.

And just like that, a Costco bargain that had spent months taking up freezer space became a delicious family meal.

thursday's thought for the day

I have learned that there is more power in a good strong hug than in a thousand meaningful words. ~ Ann Hood

Jenny and I work together at the farm. She's had a rough few months dealing with a cheating husband, an impending divorce, and her father died. One day before we opened for business, she broke down, and it was one of those moments where words wouldn't do, but a hug would. And we hugged until she was ready to let go.

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

My nephew’s wedding was this past weekend, bringing family into town for a few busy days filled with fun and celebration. My little Chicago grandson was here, too, and got to see more of my world, including my giant pumpkin along with a visit to the farm.

Per my sister-in-law's request, I baked 10 dozen caramel cream sandwich cookies for the cookie bar at the wedding reception. They're a family favorite but they're double-sided. Do the math...that's 240 cookies and they still needed to be frosted and sandwiched. My angel sister and came over to help with frosting and by the end of our assembly marathon we used four batches of brown butter icing.

It was a beautiful fall day to celebrate the marriage of two wonderful young people. My nephew is my parents’ youngest grandchild and the last of the cousins to get married. Having all these young adults together was such a joy, and it made the day even more special.

By Sunday afternoon, I was the only one left in the house. The Cleveland kids headed home to relieve Nana and Papa of their babysitting duties, while Todd went to Cleveland to watch the Browns game. The Chicago crew left around 4:00, and just like that, the house was really quiet. 

I’ve made a couple of trips to downtown Dayton this week. I visited the Downtown Library to see a photo exhibit and then stumbled upon some interesting information about the father of a famous Daytonian. Those stories deserve more than a little blurb in this post, so stay tuned…

The sculpture pictured above, The Common Good, stands outside the Dayton Metro Library. It features thirteen quotes from notable figures throughout American history, including John F. Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson, and Muhammad Ali. The design itself is all about connection: the seating on either side faces outward, while an opening through the center invites people to speak with one another. It’s a reminder of the importance of dialogue, even when we see the world from different perspectives.

hyphen

Last week Todd and I took a walk around the University of Dayton campus. We strolled past campus buildings, dormitories, athletic fields, and gardens, taking a couple of shortcuts through parking lots as we made our way back to the car.

As we passed through a small parking area behind a row of student housing, a license plate caught my eye and I just had to take a picture. What could be the story behind it? 

A little research shows that Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology was founded in 1874 by railroad builder Chauncey Rose as the Terre Haute School of Industrial Science. It later became Rose Polytechnic Institute before receiving its current name in 1971, following a major gift from the Hulman family.

The hyphen in Rose-Hulman connects the legacies of two benefactors and forms an essential part of the institution’s identity. Leaving out the hyphen is a pet peeve among members of the Rose-Hulman community. The institute takes its punctuation seriously, preserving the hyphen in its official name and branding. The emphasis even carries over into campus traditions, where students spell it out in chants: “Rose-HYPHEN-Hulman!”

It would be fun to know the story behind this Ohio license plate sitting in the parking lot on the UD campus. Maybe the owner's sibling is a proud Rose-Hulman alumnus and the car has been passed down. The lesson here is that at Rose-Hulman, that little hyphen carries some serious weight.

monday's mulling: first frost

This past weekend, my nephew and his girlfriend of six years were married on a beautiful fall day. The sun shone brightly, and a crisp breeze blew as the couple exchanged their vows. As the day gave way to evening, the autumn chill deepened, and by Sunday morning, the first frost of the season had arrived.

Early Sunday morning, I was up thinning out some of my flowers to give to my sister before she headed back to Philadelphia. The grass was lightly coated with frost and it sparkled in the early morning sun. The sunlight caught the delicate ice crystals clinging to the grass and the edges of some fallen leaves. It was a lovely, fleeting moment.

graffiti art

Graffiti is often defined as writing, drawing, or painting on walls and other public surfaces, frequently using spray paint or markers, without the property owner’s permission. But when that property owner is on board, graffiti can become something truly special: art that transforms a space and tells a story.

That’s what happened at Kettering Fairmont Middle School, where 2003 Fairmont graduate David Uy created a vibrant mural for the Express Zone, the new grab-and-go à la carte area developed by the Food & Nutrition Services Department. His work brings color, energy, and personality to the space, and it has become a favorite among students, staff, and community members. David’s passion for art was encouraged and nurtured in Kettering City Schools. Now, he has come full circle, returning to share his talents with a new generation of Firebirds.

I’ve known David for a long, long time. He and my son played soccer together as young boys and remained friends throughout their school and now adult years. It’s been a real joy to watch his evolution as an artist. His journey has taken him from the school's art classrooms to his days as an urban tagger (yes, the police caught him a couple of times putting his art where it wasn’t supposed to be) to becoming an accomplished artist, a proud father of three adorable boys, and a successful businessman. It’s rewarding to see someone take a passion that began in his youth, develop it into a talent and a career, and ultimately bring it back to the community where it all started.

This mural is more than a splash of color on a wall. It’s a reminder to students that the things they love, the talents they develop, and even the paths they take can lead to incredible places, and sometimes that's right back at home. 

the friday feed: compost

Last year, the city of Kettering launched a food composting drop-off program. I knew nothing about it until a few months ago after reading an article and the city offered an incentive: a big bucket to transport food scraps to the compost bins. Well, sign me up!

Since then, I’ve been collecting my food scraps in a small, one-gallon bucket lined with a BPI-certified compostable bag that sits next to my kitchen sink. When the little bags fill up, I transfer them to the larger bucket. Once that bucket is full, I make a trip to the drop-off site.

This routine has made me much more aware of how much food waste I generate in everyday life - how much of it ends up in the trash and then, in a landfill. It’s surprising how quickly those scraps add up. Composting has been an easy way to make a small change in my daily habits. Instead of treating food scraps as waste, they are now a resource that can be turned into something useful.

I’m glad Kettering made this program available and hope more people discover it.