memory from november 30, 2012 {november 30, 2021}

This was one of those moments that took my breath away. My dad's name was Howard, he loved Christmas, he was a lifelong employee at Sears, he died in 2002. This was a serendipitous moment. I felt the love.

new things {november 29, 2021}

New thing #1: The peculiar term for the cardboard sleeve around a coffee cup.

New thing #2: The walking trail along the Scioto River at Griggs Reserve.

sunday goodness {november 28, 2021}

Sunday dinner with P. With all the Thanksgiving leftovers we’ve eaten in the last few days, tonight is steak night. P requested a corn casserole like Grandma used to make. Corn casserole was always on the Thanksgiving table when my mom was alive but it didn’t get served this year. Also sautéed some shallots and garlic and stirred them into green beans. Quick, easy, tasty.

Earlier in the day, I hiked on the Nature Trail while P and T watched sports. 

It was a good day for some of the teams we follow.

• Dayton Flyers won the ESPN Events Invitational Tournament defeating Belmont 63-61.

• The Cincinnati Bengals THUMPED the Pittsburgh Steelers 41-10
• The Cleveland Browns came close to beating the Baltimore Ravens, 10-16.

2 outta 3 ain’t bad.

good wine/bad football {november 27, 2021}

Due to weather events and supply chain isues, Beaujolais Nouveau has been elusive this year. I have been on a treasure hint for this once-a-year wine and I finally found my X marks the spot store. In years past, displays have overflowed with this wine. This year, just a few cases made up the almost unnoticeable presentation. The brightly colored boxes and bottles caught my eye and like a kid in the candy store with glee in my heart, hurried over to the display to celebrate the find and put a few bottles in my cart.

Today is the day for one of the biggest rivalries in college football, Ohio State v. University of Michigan. The Wolverines broke their 8-game losing streak by beating the Buckeyes 42-17. Ouch. 

black friday {november 26, 2021}

Even though stores have been offering Black Friday deals for the entire month of November, today is the day after Thanksgiving, THE official Black Friday. My inbox is flooded with Black Friday specials, my pile of USPS mail is filled with Black Friday flyers. One other BLACK mark on this day is a new coronavirus variant, Omicron, which the World Health Organization has identified as a variant “of concern.” Ugh.

But…there’s always something to make one’s spirits bright. Black Friday is the day I put up the Christmas tree. I love to spend the day taking ornaments out of their boxes, reminiscing about the stories that come with them.

Another bright spot is the University of Dayton Flyers men’s basketball team. The Flyers are playing in the ESPN Events Invitational Tournament in Orlando. Today they played the Kansas Jayhawks, ranked #4 in the country, and beat them on a last second buzzer beater! Flyer Faithful everywhere were cheering LOWD and ProUD!

happy thanksgiving {november 25, 2021}

A Short Lesson on Gratitude

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. 

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words.

He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. 

... 

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. 

That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" 

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: 

"Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it." 

Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective? 

Moral of the story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile!

https://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/short-lesson-gratitude/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We celebrate Thanksgiving with my brother and his family in Cincinnati. It's damp and a bit foggy but visibility is good for the drive through rural Ohio. Grateful for this day with family.

old family cranberry bread recipe {november 24, 2021}

The day before Thanksgiving, I dig out my old, old family recipes for cranberry bread and pumpkin bread. I remember my grandma and my mom making these breads. I make these breads and my girls have made these breads. A tradition that’s lasted for four generations.

Cranberry bread in front. My kids made the potholders many years ago
and those are still my favorite ones!

countdowns {november 23, 2021}

It’s two days before Thanksgiving and the morning starts quietly.

T’s been in La Vegas for a few days and got back in the wee hours of the morning. He’s sleeping in.

Reluctantly I head to the Giant Eagle for some last minute Thanksgiving groceries. I dread shopping right before Thanksgiving as it turns all kinds of nice people into their evil twin brothers or sisters. Thankfully, I get out early enough to avoid the crowded aisles and the parking lot craziness. One of the items on my list was carrots. There were no whole carrots to be found. None in packages, none of the fresh ones that can be purchased individually. More supply chain issues?

It’s a beautiful day and after the grocery store I took a 4.2 mile run/walk around the neighborhood. I ran the nature trail…much easier on the knees than the streets. My trail run was interrupted by a few photo moments.

Last but not least, today is T’s birthday and we celebrated with a delightful dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant.

bye-bye b {november 22 ,2021}

After a 10-day visit, it’s time for Bernie to go back home to Cleveland. We take one last walk around the ‘hood before our 2.5 hour drive.

The drive to Cleveland was uneventful. A quick visit with the lovely J and then it’s time to head back to Columbus…but not before a stop at Edgewater park to look at the Cleveland skyline and Lake Erie. Didn’t stay too long. It was cold and very windy.

life from the end of a leash {november 21, 2021}

Taking a closer look at what's close to home...

It's been raining all day, it's finally stopped. Time to take Bernie for a walk. Time to take notice of what's going on around me as this sniffy little dog and I walk around the neighborhood. When I taught 8th grade Language Arts, every so often the students' writing assignment was to use their senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch) and list 25 things they noticed from the time they got home after school to the time they went to bed. The next day, upon their return to the classroom, they chose one of their examples and elaborated on it. At first it was agonizing for them (and for me as well) but this exercise was to help them understand how they perceived the world around them and ultimately understand themselves a little better.

B's walk...what do I notice?

• Traffic noises...cars, trucks, emergency vehicle siren
• Raindrops hanging from red berries on the hawthorn trees
• Squirrels chattering
• Bernie's toenails tapping on the sidewalk
• The damp smell from the rain
• Big piles of leaves raked to the street
• A boxer barks at B; B doesn't acknowledge the noisy pup
• The cloud-filled gray sky and hearing an airplane but not seeing it
• The muddy path on the nature trail
• Wet leaves on the nature trail that make it slippery in spots
• Birds chirping
• Lots of people walking their dogs
• Taking deep breaths of the cold, crisp air...it's invigorating
• The bright red burning bushes that dot the neighborhood yards...the last blast of color from fall

If I were to write about one of the above bullet points, I would choose the raindrops on the red hawthorn berries and touch on the contrast of the bright red on a gray day, how if you get close enough to the raindrop, it acts like a prism, how the berries feed the birds, how if it were a few degrees colder, the berries would be ice-covered. 

tree of light {november 20, 2010}

 The Deeds Carillon is now transformed into the Carillon Tree of Light during the holiday season. 

The breathtaking Tree of Light - an unmistakable symbol of Christmas in the Miami Valley - signals the return of Carillon Historical Park’s month-long holiday celebration: A Carillon Christmas.

A Carillon Christmas transforms Carillon Historical Park into a winter wonderland of sparkle, magic, and holiday cheer. Towering 200 feet, the breathtaking Carillon Tree of Light—Ohio’s largest musical tree of light—is not only the centerpiece of A Carillon Christmas but also an undeniable symbol of Christmas in the Miami Valley.

The beautiful display features 20,000 lights, with 96 wires leading to the ground. This beacon of the holiday season, will be illuminated Tuesday, November 23 and will shine until December 30.

sky show {november 19, 2021}

 From sunrise to moonrise, the sky put on quite a show.

A salmon pink sunrise greeted the day followed by a bright blue November sky filled with fluffy white clouds, ending with a red full Beaver Moon rising in the night sky.

Good morning ~ 

Hey there, Mr. Blue
We're so pleased to be with you
Look around, see what you do
Everybody smiles at you
~ Electric Light Orchestra

Photo doesn't do the moonrise justice...
Walking the dog, back lighting, and an iPhone camera.

beaujolais nouveau est arrivé! {november 18, 2021}

Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!

Every year on the third Thursday of November, at exactly 12:01 a.m., in accordance with French law, the French release their celebrated first wine of the harvest, the crisp and fruity Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais Nouveau signals the end of the harvest and a celebration of the bounty of autumn. It’s a young wine (released 6-8 weeks after harvest), a festive and fun wine; what the French call “vin de soif,” that is thirst-quenching and easy to drink.

The wine takes its name from the historical Province of Beaujolais, which is located north of the city of Lyon with the rest of Burgundy to the north and the Rhône wine region to the south. Beaujolais is part of the world famous wine region of Burgundy, but the wine has enough individuality and personality to be considered apart from Burgundy and Rhône. Beaujolais wine is appreciated and loved around the world for its vibrant and fruity personality. It is made from handpicked Gamay grapes. The region is best known for its light red wines, which offer a great refreshing flavor.

This year, Americans woke up to a Beaujolais Nouveau market hampered by supply chain problems that have become all-too-common in today’s economy, particularly driver shortages and other shipping issues. The market was already at a disadvantage due to climate problems. Beaujolais Nouveau production was down nearly 50% this year because of spring frost and hail, followed by a drought.

After driving to a few stores with no luck finding Beaujolais Nouveau and then making a few calls to save driving all over creation, I found this joyous and exuberant wine. Everything about Beaujolais Nouveau is a celebration.

national take a hike day {november 17, 2021}

This past October my niece completed her quest of hiking all 48 peaks in New Hampshire's White Mountains. How amazing and inspiring! So very proud of her.

Back in Ohio, my practice is to take a daily walk either around my neighborhood or around town or in one of the area MetroParks. My son's dog is with us for a week and he gets a walk a couple times a day. He likes to walk on the nature trail in the neighborhood; lots of fascinating scents to investigate.

So today, November 17, Bernie and I celebrate National Hiking Day, logging 2 miles in 45 minutes. This is his walk. I don't mind letting him take all the time he wants to sniff and pee on every other tree.

Bernie takes a hike 😁

100th anniversary: cheez-it {november 16, 2021}

Created in the spring of 1921, in Dayton, Ohio, the crunchiest, munchiest, and  cheesiest snack the world has ever known was born – Cheez-It. Even back then, this small but mighty treat defied all expectations of a typical cracker. With its vibrant, orange color, its distinctive taste that's just the right balance of tangy, sweet, and salty, and its crunchy texture, Cheez-It proved to be a true original. A century later, this uniquely satisfying cracker continues to be a snack-time staple for cheese heads of all ages. Over the years, Cheez-It has introduced new flavors, sizes, and formats of Cheez-It to the world, while remaining committed to making Cheez-It crackers with 100% real cheese.

My favorite...Cheez-It Extra Toasty. Cheese cracker nirvana.

https://www.dayton.com/what-to-know/happy-birthday-cheez-it-the-crispy-crackers-were-invented-in-dayton-100-years-ago/37NH5YMDH5FP3EBMQPAQUU2IF4/

lemons {november 15, 2021}

Variations on a theme 🍋