During our working years a big part of our identity is defined by our employment. When meeting new people, often the conversation gravitates to the line of work we are in. And then comes retirement and for some a loss of identity, trying to figure out what's next, where do I fit in? Retirement is not the end of our career but hopefully the continuation of our “true” work. It's our time to figure out how to spend this phase of life.
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| Photo: Five Rivers MetroParks |
As August wraps up, a rare super blue moon will shine in tonight's sky.
August 1 already featured a supermoon, but tonight's moon is the second full supermoon of the month which also makes it a blue moon. Tonight's supermoon is the third of four consecutive supermoons in 2023. The fourth will be the Harvest Moon on September 28.
Anyway, so much for astronomy.
Today my daughter celebrates her birthday! She is pregnant with her first child and a little while ago she asked me if I thought she was going to have a boy or a girl. I had just read about this super blue moon happening on her birthday, so my prediction was boy. She and her husband found out a couple weeks ago that their baby is a boy. I'm over-the-moon excited for them and already love this little guy to the moon and back!
Yep. This one hit the nail right smack dab on the head. You can also add butterflies, sunrises and sunsets, and clouds to the photo collection.
They call us ”The Elderly”
We were born in the 40-50-60’s.
We grew up in the 50-60-70's.
We studied in the 60-70-80's.
We were dating in the 70-80-90's.
We got married and discovered the world in the 70-80-90's.
We venture into the 80-90’s.
We stabilize in the 2000’s.
We got wiser in the 2010’s.
And we are going firmly through and beyond 2020.
Turns out we've lived through EIGHT different decades...
TWO different centuries...
TWO different millennia...
We have gone from the telephone with an operator for long-distance calls to video calls to anywhere in the world.
We have gone from slides to YouTube, from vinyl records to online music, from handwritten letters to email and Whats App.
From live matches on the radio, to black and white TV, colour TV and then to 3D HD TV.
We went to the Video store and now we watch Netflix.
We got to know the first computers, punch cards, floppy disks and now we have gigabytes and megabytes on our smartphones.
We wore shorts throughout our childhood and then long trousers, Oxfords, flares, shell suits & blue jeans.
We dodged infantile paralysis, meningitis, polio, tuberculosis, swine flu and now COVID-19.
We rode skates, tricycles, bicycles, mopeds, petrol or diesel cars and now we drive hybrids or electric.
Yes, we've been through a lot but what a great life we've had!
They could describe us as “exennials”; people who were born in that world of the fifties, who had an analog childhood and a digital adulthood.
We've kind of “Seen-It-All”!
Our generation has literally lived through and witnessed more than any other in every dimension of life.
It is our generation that has literally adapted to “CHANGE”.
A big round of applause to all the members of a very special generation, which will be UNIQUE.
-Author unknown
~ Sandra Cisneros
There’s a little cooler at the end of the check out lanes at my favorite grocery store, Dorothy Lane Market. It is filled with limited edition flavors of Jenis’s Splendid Ice Cream, one of them being Everything Bagel. At first I thought, “No way. Never.” The last time I was in the store, curiosity got the best of me and I bought a pint.
Once I got over the notion that everything bagel seasoning belongs only on a bagel, I thought maybe, just maybe, the combination of flavors might make sense in an ice cream. Jeni’s uses a mix called “Everything Bagel Gravel,” a slightly modified form of Everything Bagel seasoning, to blend better with dessert. It’s a buttery streusel seasoned with onions, garlic, cayenne, sesame, and poppy seeds to flavor the cream cheese ice cream base.
The buttery streusel is delicious, the sesame and poppy seeds add a nutty flavor, and I didn’t notice the cayenne. As for the garlic and onion, they're definitely there, and I think those flavors are a little too bold.
I didn’t dislike this ice cream, but I won’t buy it again. If you’re a fan of bold flavors, this might just be for you. I'm glad I tried it but next time, I’ll try that butterscotch popcorn flavor.
“It’s TUESDAY! And since it's CHOOSEDAY: choose to smile, choose to be happy, choose to love, choose to bless, choose to be a blessing, choose to be humble, choose to be patient, choose to be kind…HAPPY TUESDAY!” – Unknown
Another more recent change in mascot names has been the Cleveland Indians baseball team switching its name to the Cleveland Guardians. The Cleveland Indians removed the Chief Wahoo logo from their uniforms and stadium signs following the 2018 season. Chief Wahoo had been in use by the Indians since 1947. Protest of both the logo and name started in the 1970s and moved quickly toward the retirement of Chief Wahoo when the 2016 World Series drew international attention to the team. In December 2020, the Cleveland Indians decided to drop its team name — and in July 2021 announced they’d be called the Cleveland Guardians. Again, protests regarding the name change were noisy, people today still call the Guardians the Indians, but the name is coming around.
The Cleveland Guardians' name was inspired by the large art deco landmark stone edifices - referred to as the guardians of traffic - that flank both ends of the Hope Memorial Bridge. This bridge crosses the Cuyahoga River and begins or ends, depending on which way you're traveling, close to Progressive Field. William Henry "Harry" Hope, a local stonemason helped build the Guardians of Traffic sculptures, and the father of comedian and former Cleveland resident, entertainer Bob Hope. A lot of thought was put into this new name for the Cleveland baseball team. This moniker shows pride of place, legacy, nostalgia, stewardship, and strength, all wrapped up in one rough, tough, beautiful, powerful word: Guardians.
Change is the only constant in life. It's a phrase we’ve heard time and again, and for good reason. It captures the essence of human existence, where every moment is transient, every situation impermanent. Change can be exhilarating, intimidating, challenging, or liberating, depending on our perspective and readiness to embrace it. From personal growth to societal progress, change is the driving force that propels us forward. Sometimes we fight for change — and other times we just focus on accepting change.
“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
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| photo credit: Dayton at Work and Play |
I have a big collection of cookbooks. Although it is easy to type ingredients on a Google search to bring up a list of recipes, I still enjoy sitting at the table turning the pages of my cookbooks.
I am following Julia's advice: still learning how to cook, trying new recipes, learning from my mistakes, being fearless, and having fun. I just love my kitchen playground!
At the farm, produce is rather typical: zucchini and squash, corn, tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, okra, all kinds of peppers, half-runner and stringless beans, cucumbers, cabbage. One of the owner’s sisters-in-law grows some off-the-beaten path veggies at her home garden and brings them to the farm to sell. A new one this year is the Chinese red noodle bean.
The Chinese red noodle bean is a unique variety that’s gaining popularity because it’s easy to cook with and grow and has such an unusual appearance.
This bean is exactly what it sounds like: imagine a string bean, but much longer and with a striking deep red or burgundy color. The bean pods can grow to be 16 to 22 inches long and they contain medium-sized red beans. Red noodle beans are sweet when eaten whole and have a very similar flavor to green beans. Some people say that the actual beans themselves have a nuttier taste and will take on other flavors well.
Well, I just had to try these beans. They look like a very thick pasta noodle and I had a bunch of this and that left over in the veggie bin so why not make a tomato based primavera sauce with all those remnant veggies. I used a few canned tomatoes and their juice for a saucy sauce then added Roma tomatoes, zucchini, corn, onion, shishito peppers, fresh basil, anchovy paste (which gave an amazing depth of flavor), and Parmesan cheese.
That’s what I love about summer veggies: you can throw a mish mash together and make something pretty darn good.
It's up to the traveler if he or she wants to takes the chance on skiplagging. Me, I'd rather not. But if it means ending up on a beach in Key West...
The little inchworm on this cantaloupe took me back to my childhood watching the movie "Hans Christian Andersen" and I vividly remember Danny Kaye singing the "Inchworm" song. The melody was very gentle and a bit haunting. I also remember "Copenhagen" and "Thumbelina." Good movie...I'll see if it's streaming somewhere.
The inchworm likes to measure the marigolds. The lyrics suggest that he is good with arithmetic and will probably go far. The song encourages people to stop and appreciate the beauty of the marigolds. Carpe diem.
Here it is, over halfway through summer, and life at the farm, just like any place, goes through its cycles.
We've gone through strawberry season but people still ask if we have strawberries. Blueberries and blackberries are slowing down. All the berries have been so delicious and juicy in their seasons. I bought a pint of blackberries and ate a good portion of them on the drive home.
A lot of swallowtails are feeding on the zinnias right now. Soon we will see more monarchs as they migrate south.
As with any outdoor venue, we get our share of insects flying around and checking on the produce. The bees are starting to burrow into the peaches for the delicious, sweet juice. One of the younger workers was delighted to see an inchworm on a cantaloupe. She named him Fernando.
Fernando's namer is starting her junior year in high school. Talk about a 16-year old who has it together. She is proficient in playing five instruments, is in the marching band, scored at 32 on her ACT, and is such a delight to be around. She is excited about her ACT score because 1. she scored higher than her boyfriend and 2. it means that she gets a preferred parking spot in the high school lot.
Another cool young person who works at the farm is a mechanical engineering major who, with a group of other engineering majors, designed an airplane to fly in the Red Bull Flugtag competition. His girlfriend was the pilot who steered the flying machine off the platform and into the Ohio River. He and his girlfriend are planning to move to Columbus when they graduate.
After a delayed start and the customers asking daily, "When are you going to get sweet corn?" it finally came in. One sweet older man comes in a couple times a week to get his usual 4-5 ears at a time. He shared with me that he is going to eat an ear of corn or two every day until the end of August. He has cancer, the non-invasive treatment didn't work and he has to have surgery to have a permanent colostomy put in. After that surgery he wont' be able to eat corn so until that day, he will eat and savor every precious bite. Carpe diem.
We have the option of calculating purchases in various ways. There's an iPad to calculate and it also takes the credit card purchases. We have calculators. We have pencil and paper. Me, being one of the senior members, prefers the old school way of adding on paper. The younger kids look at this skill as if it is foreign. Generational differences. Neither one is better than the other.
One day one of my totals came to $11.11. The customer mentioned that eleven-eleven is a lucky number. That took me back to a memory from walking in New York City a few years ago. I stopped to look at a clock in a window and it was 11:11. A woman passing by told me that 11:11 is a magic number. Connections from a 10-acre farm to the largest city in the US.
And finally, what would farm life be without a litter of puppies? Steph wanted her dog to have puppies this winter or spring but her male dog couldn't wait that long and now she has 7 puppies almost a week old. The miracle of life.
A simple act of kindness might change someone’s day and may even change his or her life, so why not be kind? Holding a door for someone, saying thank you, offering a helping hand or comforting smile can make a huge difference in the life of another.
It's an impossible task to help everyone who crosses our path. It's the way we respond to others that makes a difference. Kindness is contagious. The more you offer it, the more it radiates and spreading kindness is a good thing.
"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile." ~ Mother Theresa
The neighborhood water main project is nearing completion. All the orange cones, dirt and pebble piles, the big digging machines, street saws, asphalt trucks, and port-a-potties are gone. The fire hydrant graveyard was the last of the old to go. Rather than weaving around all the obstructions, we are now back to an unimpeded two lane road. A return to the usual. All that’s left is for grass seed to be put down where the yards were dug up and new pipes put in. It was good summer entertainment.
Dew you like hotdogs? Dew you think you’d eat these?
Not me. I dewn’t eat meat that is radioactive green.
I remember back in the day Heinz made different colored ketchups. The first was “Blastin’ Green,” in honor of the movie Shrek. My kids were all about the green ketchup so I bought a bottle. I couldn’t stomach it. It reminded me of a bodily secretion from a kid. Nasty.
Green is a good color for things that are supposed to be green. When meat is green, that is a go signal to pitch it.
Now, the only question remaining is how many of these bad boys do we think Joey Chestnut could put away in 10 minutes?
First came LOL, Laugh Out Loud.
Along came ROFL (Rolling On the Floor Laughing) and LMAO (Laughing My Ass Off).
Don’t forget the smiling emojis 😁 😃 😄 😅 😆 😊 🙂 😏
Now the internet wants to revitalize laughing online with a new term: IJBOL.
IJBOL (pronounced eej-bowl) may sound like a Korean word or a boy band but it stands for “I Just Burst Our Laughing,” as in a full-on LOL belly laugh.
Move over LMAO.
LOL is out.
IJBOL is in.
Happy Tuesday, friends!
