wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

This past week I took care of my neighbor's dogs during the day. Her two sweet, senior Labs, Nuggz and Hatter, are typical Labs, friendly and affectionate, and despite their advanced ages are quite playful.

Mother’s Day weekend in Chicago brought beautiful weather and a memorable skyline view. The Illinois Department of Transportation offered a timely reminder on a digital sign: “Wear a seat belt and drive safely. Love, Mom.” It was the perfect touch for the holiday weekend, and I managed to capture it with the skyline framed nicely in the background 😊

On Saturday morning, my daughters, my little grandson, and I visited the Lincoln Park Farmers Market. The morning was gorgeous, and the market was packed with people enjoying the sunshine and the lively atmosphere. AJ was determined to escape his stroller and run right into the excitement. Aunt Sari came to the rescue with a bag of cotton candy, his very first taste. He approached it cautiously at first, but after one bite, he was completely hooked.

After the farmers market, Lauren took AJ home for his nap while Sara and I headed to her neighborhood. She wanted to show me a new mural in Bucktown and she was disappointed to see that someone had tagged it. Sara explained that within the graffiti art community, there is an unspoken code of respect: true artists don't paint over another artist’s work. To her, the tag wasn't art but vandalism splashed across someone else’s creation.

Before heading home on Monday morning, we stopped by the Merchandise Mart so we could see where our daughter works. The historic building has recently undergone a beautiful remodel, blending modern design with its classic character. She currently works on a hybrid schedule and commutes into the office three days a week.

It's time to get the garden going. First round to go into the ground are herbs and a couple flats of marigolds (more to come), and some petunias to go into a planter where the hummingbird feeder will be over the summer.

monday's mulling: google doodles

A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google’s homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. Some more of the more recent Doodles include:

April 30, 2026, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Historic Route 66.

May 5, 2026 - Teacher Appreciation Day

May 10, 2026 - Mother's Day

Scroll down on the Google Doodles page to "When Is Your Birthday?" Enter your birthdate and you will find Doodles from years past that fall on your day. My birthday falls on Mexican Independence Day and many of the Doodles reflect that theme as well as recognizing other famous peoples' birthdays. Enjoy your doodling!

happy mother's day 🌸

To all the incredible women who are mothers - whether by blood, by choice, or by heart - wishing you a day filled with the exact love and joy you pour into others.

keeping time

I bought a new watch. The "old-fashioned" kind. 

My Garmin step counter died and I went without a watch on my wrist for about a week to see if I could manage by keeping my phone with me, like many people do. It didn't work for me.

I like my analog watch with its minute, hour, and second hands...a throw back to the past.

And now we're in Chicago, in Central Standard Time, an hour behind Ohio's time. I'm not going to switch my watch to CST for the four days that we're going to be here. 

the friday feed: playing with food

What does it mean to play with your food? I think the answer depends on the stage of life you’re in.

I’ve watched my children feed my grandchildren. For the littlest one, food is placed on a tray or plate and explored with small hands. Sometimes it makes its way straight to the mouth. Other times it squishes through his/her fingers or lands dramatically on the floor, followed by a glance toward Mom or Dad to see what reaction it causes. At that age, playing with food is part curiosity, part entertainment, and part discovery.

As a child myself, I remember “playing” with food in a different way. I pushed vegetables I disliked around my plate, rearranging them to make it appear that I had eaten more than I actually had. I also remember chewing bites and spitting them into a napkin when no one was looking. Childhood can turn the dinner table into a stage for negotiation and strategy.

These days, playing with food has taken on a more creative meaning. Since Todd and I are heading to Chicago this weekend, I’ve spent the past week using what was already in the refrigerator rather than buying more groceries that could spoil while we’re away. A leftover chicken breast and a bunch of veggies became a stir-fry. Fruit was cut up for fruit salad or else stirred into overnight oats. By the end of the week, both the fruit and vegetable bins were empty, which was a relief. Mission accomplished.

Photography can be another form of playing with food. A couple of weeks ago, Todd and I toured the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood, where the Wright brothers grew up and where poet Paul Laurence Dunbar once lived. On the way home, we stopped for dinner at a restaurant with patio seating. When the server brought my glass of wine, I immediately noticed the reflections, refractions, and the way the light shined through the glass. Before long, I was taking photographs instead of sipping wine.

As chef Emeril Lagasse once said, “It’s OK to play with your food.” Cooking, eating, arranging, photographing, and even improvising with leftovers can all be acts of creativity and joy. Food nourishes us, but it also invites us to explore, experiment, and sometimes just have a little fun.

the next life

I've been cleaning out my garden beds and came across this leaf, once vital but now a delicate skeleton. It’s strange how something can lose so much and still remain unmistakably itself. The outline persists, the design intact, a memory that refuses to fade even when all its colors have drained away.

It's a quiet kind of survival.

 

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

Well, here it is… reality at the pump. Most gas stations were charging $4.99 a gallon, while Costco offered one of the lowest prices in town at $4.19. I had stopped there earlier in the day, but the lines at the pumps were incredibly long. With 35 miles still showing on my gas gauge, I decided to wait until evening to fill up. By 8:00 p.m., the station was nearly empty. The open pumps spared me the frustration of waiting in line, but the $70 total was still a jolt.

 

Earlier in the week, our son called to ask if we could come to Cleveland to help with his busy little ones while his wife was out of town. “The kids would love to see Didi and Grandpa,” he said. Our grandson Owen is currently fascinated with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who live underground in the sewer. On one of our walks, he proudly showed me several manhole covers, stopping at each one to chat with the Turtles.

An afternoon at the park with Miss Hallie. Life is good in a swing while munching on a cracker.

Sunday morning, while everyone was still in their pajamas, Hallie said it: “Didi!” It was the sweetest, most heartwarming way to begin the day. And at this early age of one year, the girl sure does love her shoes!

Lilies of the Valley are blooming and their scent perfumes the air. Such an aroma of spring. Many years ago my grandma taught me this song: White coral bells upon a slender stalk/ Lilies of the valley deck my garden walk/ Oh how I wish that I might  hear them ring/ That will happen only when the fairies sing.

The state of Ohio is in the process of upgrading its highway rest stops. Many now feature dog trails, rocking chairs, and Storybook Trails designed to create a welcoming, family-friendly experience. Music from Ohio musicians drifts through outdoor speakers, and gardens filled with native flowers brighten the grounds. Expanded truck parking areas accommodate the growing freight traffic moving through the state. In partnership, the Ohio Department of Transportation and TourismOhio have designed these rest stops to both welcome and inform travelers.