farewell 2022 {december 31, 2022}

 

good bye to you, 2022

hop away like a kangaroo

adieu, adieu, adieu, adieu

it’s time for 2023’s debut!

May you all have an incredibly happy, healthy, and joyous 2023. May your troubles fade, your joys multiply, and may your aspirations become reality. May you conquer your struggles, receive and share kindness, and may your dreams grow closer to reality. May you laugh more, cry less, find beauty in each day, and treat and be treated in the manner that you desire. May your schedule include “you time” each day so that you can be the best you, for you and then others. May your blessings be plentiful! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

sowing seeds {december 30, 2022}

During this cold, wet, gray winter one of my favorite activities is to...page through seed catalogs.

Yep, I like to read about vegetables. And fruit. And flowers. But it's mostly about the vegetables.

The arrival of a seed catalog is like seeing the top of a crocus poke through the ground. It's a sign that, yes, winter turns into spring.

Paging through a seed catalog is a virtual walk through the verdant and ripe shades of spring and summer. There's a certain calm, meditative quality about this act. Open the catalog. Flip through some pages. Study the differences in the varieties of green beans. Take a sip of tea. Flip a few more pages. Imagine the sweet acidity of all those juicy tomatoes. Flip a few more pages. Gawk at all the sunflowers. Flip. Study. Flip. Sip. Flip. Study.

Picking through these varied options is mind expanding. Who knew there were so many types of carrots? And there are yellow cucumbers! And a rainbow of peppers, hot and sweet! And the tomatoes. The tomatoes. You could spend days studying all the varieties of tomatoes, the different colors, shapes, uses, names, origins, and backstories.

On some fundamental level what seed catalogs are really selling is a chance to be optimistic. I can order these seeds from some far away place, put them in the ground in my backyard, grow the plants, and then eat the produce. A bunch of things have to work out for that tomato to end up on my plate. Taking the chance on it is an act of optimism.

And that's one of the things I've really come to appreciate about gardening. It forces you to plan ahead, nurture something outside yourself, to have hope for the future. The world could use more of all those practices.

It could also use more backyard tomatoes -- whatever the type. Because knowing you grew that tomato yourself will make it taste even sweeter.

Sow seeds wherever you go.

waxing crescent moon {december 29, 2022}

A sunset walk, the crescent moon, the Tree of Lights.

These are a few of my favorite things. 

wordy wednesday...ambedo {december 28, 2022}

The week between Christmas and New Years, kind of a no man's land, a nothing time in which nobody expects that much of you and nothing you do matters that much. 

It's been bitterly cold and I've spent more time in the house more than usual. That trance mentioned above - I've been there this past week. Snow flying in the howling winds, that first taste of hot morning coffee with a splash of milk and in the evening that first taste of chilled Sancerre, the homey smell of frying bacon, staring at the Christmas tree lights and soaking in the quiet but happy memories of Christmas 2022, looking out the window at the outdoor Christmas lights illuminating the snow that covers some of them, watching T methodically go back and forth, back and forth as he shovels the driveway in perfectly straight lines, catching a beautiful sunrise after all the last week's gray.

Photo: Annette Schwab

Ambedo for these cold gray days of coffee cup and tree gazing and sunrise watching. Enjoy the moments.

cheese and olives {december 27, 2022}

One of my favorite times at dinners with family and friends is the pre-meal social time, as in  drinks and appetizers. As the main meal is comes together, having some nibbles and sips takes the pressure off the host/hostess and brings about conversation with the others around you.

My brother and sister-in-law hosted Christmas dinner with afternoon apps beginning at 3:00. So many great conversations that were all over the place. Football talk centered around Baker Mayfield, the former Cleveland Browns quarterback who got screwed by the Browns owners, now playing for the Los Angeles Rams, and he had fantastic game. My nephew works for GM and his current project is the Cadillac EV, the Celestiq. His wife and I agreed that we didn’t like the pronunciation, sel-EST-ik. For a price starting at $300K, we think it should be pronounced sel-es-TIQUE. We told him that an automobile at that price shouldn’t have an ending syllable that sounds like “ick.” My niece’s grandma was a cheerleader for the basketball team that the movie “Hoosiers” was based upon. My brother and I went to high school with Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson. 

Back to the appetizers. My sister-in-law made a charcuterie board and a couple other apps but she asked me to bring a couple more. One was a simple go-to that goes back a long way, kielbasa in honey mustard. The new recipe was one my daughter made at Thanksgiving, whipped goat cheese with marinated olives. Wow! If you like olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese, this was amazing. Quick, delicious, herby, garlicky, tangy. I assembled this on Christmas Eve and it was lick-the-plate-clean finished on Christmas Day!

Photo: Half-Baked Harvest

Honey Whipped Goat Cheese with Marinated Olives

Recipe from Half-Baked Harvest

Marinated Olives

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. fig preserves (optional)

2 cloves garlic

1 shallot, chopped

1 T. lemon zest

1/4 c. basil chopped

2 T. chopped thyme

chili flakes

1/2 c. oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced

Honey Whipped Goat Cheese

1 log (10 oz) goat cheese at room temperature

4 oz cream cheese at room temperature

2-3 T honey

sea salt

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fig preserves, garlic, shallots, lemon zest, basil, thyme, and chili flakes. Add the olives, then add the sun-dried tomatoes with oil and toss to combine. Let sit 30 minutes or up to 5 days in the fridge.

Combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, honey, and pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy. The goat cheese mix can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, but bring to room temp before serving.

Spoon the goat cheese into a serving bowl, then top with olives and marinating oil. Serve with fresh herbs, bread or crackers.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕

Two olives are sitting at a bar, one falls off and the other one says "Ahhh, are you ok?" And the one that fell is like "Yeah, olive."

oldie but goodie {december 26, 2022}

When we lived in Owensboro, KY, Mom and Dad packed up their four kids, ages 2, 3, 5, and 7, into the family station wagon and took us on a 36 mile trip to Santa Claus, IN to visit Santa. I remember lots of people standing in line to talk to talk to the big guy, clamming up when Santa asked me what I wanted for Christmas (I'm the oldest and believed in Santa for a long time), and just being in awe of a place that was named after Santa Claus.

So my mind wandered to/wondered about other towns with a Christmas connection. Here's what I found:

North Pole, New York

North Pole, Alaska

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem, North Carolina

Santa Claus, Indiana

Santa Claus, Georgia

Santa Claus, Arizona

Santa, Idaho

Donner Lake, California

Christmas Cove, Maine

Christmas Valley, Oregon

Christmas, Florida

Christmas, Michigan

Nazareth, Pennsylvania

Rudolph, Wisconsin

Snowflake, Arizona

Mistletoe, Kentucky

Noel, Missouri

Garland, Texas

It would be fun to send Christmas cards from one of these towns to get the cancellation stamp on the envelope. A little more spirit of Christmas!

 

speakin' o' christmas {december 25, 2022}

Speakin’ O’ Christmas

Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1872 - 1906

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Breezes blowin’ middlin’ brisk,

Snow-flakes thro’ the air a-whisk,
Fallin’ kind o’ soft an’ light,
Not enough to make things white,
But jest sorter siftin’ down
So ’s to cover up the brown
Of the dark world’s rugged ways
’N’ make things look like holidays.
Not smoothed over, but jest specked,
Sorter strainin’ fur effect,
An’ not quite a-gittin’ through
What it started in to do.
Mercy sakes! it does seem queer
Christmas day is ’most nigh here.
Somehow it don’t seem to me
Christmas like it used to be,—
Christmas with its ice an’ snow,
Christmas of the long ago.
You could feel its stir an’ hum
Weeks an’ weeks before it come;
Somethin’ in the atmosphere
Told you when the day was near,
Did n’t need no almanacs;
That was one o’ Nature’s fac’s.
Every cottage decked out gay—
Cedar wreaths an’ holly spray—
An’ the stores, how they were drest,
Tinsel tell you could n’t rest;
Every winder fixed up pat,
Candy canes, an’ things like that;
Noah’s arks, an’ guns, an’ dolls,
An’ all kinds o’ fol-de-rols.
Then with frosty bells a-chime,
Slidin’ down the hills o’ time,
Right amidst the fun an’ din
Christmas come a-bustlin’ in,
Raised his cheery voice to call
Out a welcome to us all;
Hale and hearty, strong an’ bluff,
That was Christmas, sure enough.
Snow knee-deep an’ coastin’ fine,
Frozen mill-ponds all ashine,
Seemin’ jest to lay in wait,
Beggin’ you to come an’ skate.
An’ you’d git your gal an’ go
Stumpin’ cheerily thro’ the snow,
Feelin’ pleased an’ skeert an’ warm
’Cause she had a-holt yore arm.
Why, when Christmas come in, we
Spent the whole glad day in glee,
Havin’ fun an’ feastin’ high
An’ some courtin’ on the sly.
Burstin’ in some neighbor’s door
An’ then suddenly, before
He could give his voice a lift,
Yellin’ at him, “Christmas gift.”
Now sich things are never heard,
“Merry Christmas” is the word.
But it’s only change o’ name,
An’ means givin’ jest the same.
There’s too many new-styled ways
Now about the holidays.
I’d jest like once more to see
Christmas like it used to be!

This poem appeared in The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar (Dodd, Mead and Company, 1922). 

 

Paul Laurence Dunbar, born in 1872 and the author of numerous collections of poetry and prose, was one of the first African American poets to gain national recognition. He is one of Dayton's famous sons.

'twas the night before christmas {december 24, 2022}

 May your Christmas Eve shine bright with peace, hope, and light.

brrrrrrrrrr {december 23, 2022}

Yesterday, the second day of winter roared in like a lion. A perilous brew of winds, snow and ice, and plunging temperatures swept across the United States. On its own, an Arctic blast is not unusual, but this year it has combined with a “bomb cyclone," a rapidly intensifying storm. Forecasters have said that individually, the winds, snow and subzero temperatures from Winter Storm Elliott are not all that troubling but with the bomb cyclone, they have coalesced into something ferocious. 

I went to the grocery store to do some shopping for my contributions to the Christmas meal at my brother and sister-in-law's house. The parking lot was packed and no carts were available when I walked into the store. Luckily, my list wasn't long and I had my market basket and a couple shopping bags with me. Carrying my groceries made navigating the the store much easier to weave around those who had shopping carts. The lines to the registers snaked down the grocery aisles but people were patient and we chatted during our hour wait to check out. Extra store personnel were stationed at the check out lanes to maintain order, thanked the patrons for their patience, and gave everyone Happy Holidays and stay safe wishes.

The winds started picking up around 9:00 p.m. and at 10:45 we lost power, but just for half an hour. It gave us a chance to try out our new LED lanterns that we had purchased for an instance like this. I'm going to buy some for the kids to start their home emergency kit. 

Fixing the morning coffee was a little more special this morning. Grateful to the linemen who restored our power so quickly so that we didn't have to leave the house to buy a cup of coffee. That first sip tasted extra good. The constant howling wind is done, just gusts here and there. Today I'm wrapping gifts to take to Cincinnati on Sunday, finishing my new son-in-law's Christmas stocking, and working on my Christmas/New Year's letter to post in next week's mail. Perfect for this -6° day.

🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 

Another heart-warming family moment...my daughter and son-in-law have been married 8 months today. 

a walk in the park {december 22, 2022}

Brrrrrrr-mageddon is supposed to roar in tonight so for the past few days I've taken advantage of the mid-30s temps to enjoy some outdoor walking. Fingers crossed to get one more walk in today.

I love walking, especially in the area metroparks. I'm away from the house, in a calm and quiet environment that takes me away from everyday "stuff" for an hour or so. I love walking on the trails. I was one of those kids who stuffed "treasures" into my pockets and that continues to this day. One thing I like to come across are rocks that are shaped like hearts. I don't consciously look for them; they show up unexpectedly. My heart rocks are in a little jar on my desk. Anyway, on my last walk, I found a heart rock lodged under a root. The sun was on its way down and I was determined to take it home with me. I found a stick to loosen the dirt to pull it out and its new home will be in a pollinator garden that I'll plant this spring.

Going to the parks gets people away from the concrete that's everywhere and from the screens that we seem to live by. When I hike, I have my phone with me but it's on silent. I use it to take pictures, no talking or texting. We miss a lot when the phone's on your ear or your eyes are on the screen.

I would love to know the story behind this cairn made from the old southeastern Ohio paving bricks that line some of the ditches in the park.

I was inside, looking outside...

A reflective time ~ 

wordy wednesday...solstice {december 21, 2022}

The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is marked by the winter solstice, which occurs today, Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 4:48 P.M. EST.

The solstice (combining the Latin words sol for “sun” and sistere for “to stand still”) is the point where the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest point in the sky for the year and thus ancient astronomers came to know the day as one where the Sun appeared to stand still.

For the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs annually on December 21 or 22. (For the Southern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs on June 20 or 21.) The winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight in the whole year, making it the “shortest day” of the year. Thankfully, after we reach the winter solstice, the days begin to once again grow longer and longer until we reach the summer solstice - the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.

Think of it this way: Although the winter solstice means the start of winter, it also means the return of more sunlight. It only gets brighter from here!

                            Caught the end of the beautiful Winter Solstice sunset

"Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

The days will get longer starting tomorrow!

sidewalk wisdom {december 20, 2022}

The last week before Christmas...coming down the homestretch.  

It's also the next shortest day of the year and the last day of Fall 2022.

priceless {december 18, 2022}

A Christmas treasure.

Just a few years ago (I’m not going to tell you what a few is), my dad was in the Army and stationed in Germany. I was born there. My parents bought this hand-carved creche in Oberammergau for 39.50 Deutsche Marks. I was curious as to what this would cost in today’s US dollars and the conversion came to just a little under $22.00. I can only imagine what it cost those “few” years ago. It is priceless to me.

wright brothers day {december 17, 2022}

119 years ago, at 10:35 AM, two brothers, bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio, lifted from the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina to achieve the first manned, heavier-than-air flight. I love living in Dayton, Ohio and feeling as though I am a part of the Wright Brothers’ history.

Dedicated to the Immortal Spirit of Daytonians Orville and Wilbur Wright

christmas tree {december 16, 2022}

When my kids were born, every year at Christmas my parents bought ornaments for them. When Dad died in 2002, Mom backed off the buying ornaments and instead downsized her Christmas ornaments by giving her grandchildren the majority of them, keeping a special few for her small tree. I picked up the yearly ornament buying tradition and by the time each child graduated from college and moved out of the house, he or she had a nice collection of ornaments to put on the tree.

I like to look at Old World Christmas for ornaments. Large assortment, nice quality, reliable and prompt  service. The other day an Old World Christmas ad popped up, giving advice on how to decorate a Christmas tree. 1) Group similar ornaments together. 2) Choose a theme. 3) Focus on cohesion. Hmmmm. I don't do any of those.

My tree tells my family's story. It's a walk down memory lane. 

Christmas tree 2022. The tree topper is a nice warm mitten that belonged to my dad when he was a young boy living in Chicago.

T had an old sweater that he liked to wear to get our daughters fired up. "Dad, that sweater is so old. Throw it away." After it wore out, I made ornaments out of it and gave one to each of the kids for their trees. It has a place of honor at the top of one of the daughter's tree.

One of the ornaments T and I bought before we were married. I was at his family's house after Christmas and his mom mentioned that DeHaven's, a very nice garden center, was having its after Christmas sale. We went there and bought a few ornaments in anticipation of our first Christmas tree.

f

A very special ornament for 2022 😊

My dad collected Waterford ornaments. Each year it is such a treat to take them out of their boxes. And then there's my little Dayton alligator. Quite a juxtaposition to the elegant Waterford egg.

In 1985, I had a curious 14 month old. My brother made some ornaments out of wood, I painted them, and put the ornaments on the lower branches for inquisitive little fingers.

My parents purchased this when they lived in Germany for a short while. Not many left from this collection.

To mark the turn into the new millennium. 

orange {december 15, 2022}

Driving back from Chicago, the GPS routed us through Indianapolis versus taking the construction-laden I-465 beltway. The sky was gray, a little bit of drizzle going on, and my butt was getting numb from sitting. I was fidgeting. An hour and a half 'til we got home. I looked out my passenger side window and a little sliver of orange sun peeked through the clouds. As we got closer to Indy, the clouds lifted from the horizon and a full fledged, great ball of orange fire sunset lit up the sky, and reflected off all the western facing windows. Quite the light show.

My fidgety mind started thinking about orange. 

Where can we find the meaning of the color orange? 

In the bright orange from the crackling campfire or in the muted orange from the fall foliage.

We can find it in a soothing sunset or in this case, a very vibrant one.

It’s associated with danger and warning, as in the orange construction barrels or road signage.

It’s a color of change, movement, and transformation, as seen in nature, sunsets, vegetables, and fire.

The color orange is strongly associated with tropical landscapes and summer, yet it is the color of harvest and fall.

It is the color of Halloween, pumpkins, and cozy weather.

Orange is more than a color, it is a fruit. And because of that, it conveys health and vitality too. Orange is associated with the refreshing taste of citrus, Vitamin C, and healthy eating. 

People also commonly describe the color orange as bright, happy, and joyful. 

Orange, the second color in the rainbow, is sandwiched in between red and yellow. Orange is happy, joyful, and enthusiastic like yellow, but it also is a physically stimulating color full of energy like red.

An hour on I-70 quickly passed with these orange centric thoughts and now it's time to share. "Orange" you glad? 

wordy wednesdsay...jolabokaflod {december 14, 2022}

In many ways, books are the quintessential Christmas gift. They offer infinite variety, they are easily wrapped, and can be tailored to the recipients.

In Iceland holiday book buying is very popular. It is called the jolabokaflod, or “Christmas book flood.”

Jolabokaflod started during World War II, when paper was one of the few things not rationed in Iceland. Because of this, Icelanders gave books as gifts while other commodities were in short supply, turning them into a country of bookaholics to this day. Ever since 1944, the Icelandic book trade has sent out a book bulletin to each household in the middle of November when the Reykjavik Book Fair happens. People use this catalogue to order books to give to their friends and family on Christmas Eve, the main gift-giving day in Iceland. After all the presents are open, everyone grabs a cup of hot chocolate and cozies up to spend the rest of the evening reading their books. 

English Icelandic

Christmas jólin

Book bók

Flood flóð

Merry Christmas Gleðileg jól

When my kids were young I bought Christmas books, wrapped each one, and put them in a basket. Starting December 1, one child picked a book, unwrapped it, and I read it to them. We did that every night until December 24. I didn't need to keep track of who had chosen and unwrapped the book. They handled that. And fortunately, I had four kids, there were 24 books, and the math worked out perfectly. (Kids not arguing about who got shorted was my Christmas gift 😊🎄)

guardians of michigan avenue {december 13, 2022}

Iconic guardians of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Lions have stood at the Michigan Avenue entrance since the building's inaugural year. The site became the museum's permanent home at the conclusion of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, where the new structure had hosted lectures and other events for fairgoers.

I’ve looked for the lions’ names but haven’t found a given name for either. (As an aside, Fiorello LaGuardia named the lions at the New York Public Library Patience and Fortitude). The sculptor Edward Kemeys gave them unofficial names, with the north lion poised as “On the Prowl.” and the south lion standing “In An Attitude of Defiance.”

Just down the street from the Art Museum, the Mounted Patrol Unit conducts daily patrols in several areas of downtown Chicago, including the lakefront, the Museum Campus, Lincoln and Grant Parks, and the shopping areas of North Michigan Avenue and State Street, as well as at special events that occur around the city all year long. The horses in the Chicago Police Mounted Unit are named after fallen CPD officers to honor the memory of the men and women who died in the line of duty.