happy easter

Wishing you the hope and beauty that springtime brings. And always remember—you’re somebunny special!

My almost 2-year old grandson's first picture with the Easter Bunny. He's gone 2-for-2 with holiday pictures. He didn't like Santa, either.

easter visitors

My son, daughter-in-law, and little grandson are visiting this Easter weekend. We have a construction project happening right now and a Bobcat sitting in the driveway. This almost 2-year old little guy is really into big equipment - bulldozers, excavators, dump trucks. 

When he got out of the car, he said in his toddler way, "Bulldozer. Excavator." And then just stood there. He looked at the Easter egg and said, "Boo (blue) egg, "  proceeded to run around the yard, back to the Bobcat, and run some more. Tomorrow, after the excitement of a new place has calmed down, he may show a little more interest in the Bobcat, but until then, I'm on my eighth (and who knows how many more) reading of Where's Spot? while this little sweetheart snuggles in my lap.

the friday feed: camembert

The first time I had Camembert was when my brother, sister-in-law, T and I were on a tour of the beaches in Normandy. Our tour guide picked us up from our Airbnb in Bayeaux, drove us to Arromanches-les-Bains to begin our tour and then along the beaches to show us points of interest.

We stopped at Longues-sur-Mer for a casual lunch. The menu was primarily sandwiches served on  marvelous French baguettes. There were sandwiches with meat but the Camembert avec salade caught my eye. That along with an Orangina to drink, while sitting on the lawn of this little cafe, amidst all the history, made for an unforgettable lunch.

Camembert is produced in the northwestern region of Normandy and is regarded as France's favorite cheese. Recent news reports say that Camembert may be in danger of extinction. The main fungus used in creating Camembert and other cheeses is in sort supply due to the industrial production methods used to keep up with demand.

My favorite grocery store has a wonderful cheese department and that is where I get my Camembert fix. I hope this cheese will not become extinct and until it does, I will keep buying that creamy, pungent, gooey wedge contained in its white rind, cherishing every bite.

cardinals

Yesterday the sky put on a display with white fluffy clouds, stormy gray clouds, and intermittent sunshine. I came home from a quick trip to the grocery store, tired and still a bit emotional from my Chicago trip, so I sat in the car watching the clouds pass and the sun lighting up the flowering trees. All at once a dart of red flew over my house roof, a cardinal perched itself in our one big tree and chirped his song for the world to hear. Soon the female cardinal joined her partner and a lovely red bird duet filled the air. It was one of those fleeting moments that brought a sense of peace.

Not the best light to take photos, but the birds are there in the upper middle branches.

wordy wednesday: boricua

While in Chicago, my daughter and son-in-law went to a brunch with friends. Little grandson and I were hanging around in the house on a windy, sunny day and it was time for some fresh air. On previous trips I had noticed a big metal flag at the intersection of Division and Western and so it was time to bundle the little guy up and go on an adventure.

These nearly 60-foot-tall flags flags were erected in 1995 as a gateway to Humboldt Park’s Puerto Rican community and flank the half-mile stretch of Division Street between California and Western avenues known as Paseo Boricua.

The massive sculptures — each weighing 50 tons and reportedly built to withstand 70 mph winds — have come to define Humboldt Park, which is home to the largest Puerto Rican population in the city and the center of Puerto Rican culture throughout the Midwest.

Boriqua means a Puerto Rican or person of Puerto Rican descent. The word Boricua comes from Borinquen, the name given to the island by the indigenous Tainos who inhabited Puerto Rico for hundreds of years before the Spanish arrived in 1493.

Community leaders point to Paseo Boricua’s towering flags as a powerful symbol of Puerto Rican pride in the face of gentrification, which has driven longtime residents and businesses out of Humboldt Park. In a way the gentrification is a continuation of the Spanish taking over Boriquen many centuries ago.

These flags officially became Chicago landmarks in 2022.

monday's mulling: 6 weeks

My little grandson is 6 weeks old today! I was in Chicago to help my daughter while her husband was out of town. We took some walks, cuddled a lot, and had early chats each morning.

So many people say that he is the spitting image of his dad. He has his dad's dark hair and dark eyes (my daughter is blonde with blue eyes) but I see a lot of my daughter in this little guy. He smiles when people talk to him, kicks his legs and moves his arms when he's excited, looks around more as his world is beginning to get bigger, and is getting strength in his neck. These are big developments for such a tiny person. 

One thing's for sure...Little people bring the biggest joys.

spring cleaning

I love Sharpies and other kinds of markers. I have a shoebox full of Sharpies and some have been in that box for a very long time. I dumped the markers on the table, made a scribble with each one to see if it was dried out or not, put it either in the shoebox or in the waste basket and now there's a shoebox half full of Sharpies. No matter how small the job, it feels good to declutter.

 

pinking shears

My mom was very good at sewing. She made clothes for my sister and me when we were young. I loved looking at all of her sewing supplies - all the different colored threads, buttons, rick rack, thimbles, straight pins with the colorful beads on the ends, pin cushions, tape measures, and her scissors. The pinking shears fascinated me with their zig zag edge.

Mom's sewing notions were always orderly and she knew if anyone had gotten into them. Her big rule was, "Don't touch my scissors." There are two common scissor problems that have plagued families for centuries. One is, "Where are my good scissors when I need them?!" Hands up if your parents left crappy scissors around the house and hid their fabric or embroidery scissors for serious work. My mom did. Number two crops up when someone actually finds the good scissors and wants to cut paper. If that happens, blood pressure rises, it's the end of the world, and tears are cried. Time to call the police.

One time I made a card for a friend. I had pink construction paper, my crayons, glitter, and glue. It was going to be gorgeous. And then I remembered Mom's pinking shears and how a card with a zig zag edge would be even more gorgeous. I went to the sewing chest, got out the pinking shears, and proceeded to cut the edges through the glitter and glue, not thinking to wipe them off, but making sure to put the shears back exactly where they had been. Mom would never know. 

A couple weeks passed before the roof blew off the house. "WHO USED MY PINKING SHEARS?" It was obvious who did. My brothers didn't play with glitter, my sister didn't know how to use scissors, so that left me. Mom gave me some soapy water and a tooth brush and I had to scrub that dried glue and glitter off her pinking shears. As I paid my penance, I thought about making a beautiful card for Mom to apologize...but with no zig zag edge.

 

the friday feed: brown rice, quinoa, and kale salad with feta

Sample day at Costco gets me too many times. A little while ago i tasted the Seeds of Change brown rice and quinoa blend and bought a box with six packets in it. What to do with all those packets of brown rice and quinoa…

One day I was looking at Instagram and ran across a recipe by Smitten Kitchen for Kale and Quinoa salad with Ricotta Salata. The woman who creates the recipes for Smitten Kitchen had eaten a salad at The Smith in New York City, loved it, and recreated the recipe. I’ve eaten at The Smith, didn’t have that salad, but immediately thought of all those packets of brown rice and quinoa, and made a few tweaks to her recipe when I got home.

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Ricotta Salata

Salad
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa or 1 1/2 cups cooked (one packet of Seeds of Change brown rice and quinoa blend)
8 ounces Black Kale, also known as Cavolo Nero, or Lacinato, Dinosaur, or Tuscan Kale
1/2 cup slivered almonds, very well toasted and cooled (pine nuts are good, too)
1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped a bit (1/3 c. dried blueberries0
2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled or finely grated (Feta cheese)
Few gratings of fresh lemon zest

Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon coarse Dijon mustard
Just shy of 1 teaspoon honey (use a little more)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

reminder...

A gentle reminder to some very special people in my life. 

I love you.

wordy wednesday: zentangle

Zentangle is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. These patterns are called tangles and you create tangles with combinations of dots, lines, simple curves, S-curves and orbs. These patterns are drawn on 3” x 3” pieces of paper called tiles.They’re called tiles because they can be assembled into mosaics.

I am taking a six week Zentangle class offered through the University of Dayton Lifelong Learning Institute. For our first class, we created four tangles on a 3 x 3 tile and then the instructor asked us to bring our tiles to the front of the classroom and place them on the floor to create a class mosaic. Each tile has the same elements, but because each person in the class has her own style, the tiles have their own unique look, just like their individual creators. A bigger lesson in humanity.

happy first day of spring!

If any flower trumpets the first day of spring, it's the daffodil. This cheery bright yellow flower brings the promise of sunshine and warmer weather.

Today is also the vernal equinox - equal hours of daylight and darkness - leading to the longest daylight hours in three months.

Spring has been in the air and now it's here!

 

Today is also primary voting day. For the past week my phone has been blowing up with texts from various candidates to "Vote for me, vote for me." I respond to every text with STOP. And today it has.

Happy spring!

point a to point b

Getting from point A to point B describes a journey from one point to another, typically in as direct a way as possible. There are so, so many situations for starting at point A to get to point B. When I made morning coffee the other day, I got the bag of beans out of the cupboard and noticed the cups were a mess. Dust off the shelf and straighten out the cups. Then the tea section looked out of order so it was time to take out the teas, teapots, infusers, candied ginger and do a bit of shelf dusting and reorganizing. Then all the extra cups, the ones that the kids gave us, the ones that were souvenirs from vacations, the ones that were from Mom and Dad's house, got their scrutiny. Dust the shelf, put in a keep or donate pile, and then finally go on with making morning coffee.

When I travel, once I reach my wherever I'm going, walking is my favorite way of discovering a place. I have my list of places to see, sometimes a paper map from the hotel, my GPS fired up, but as I walk, my eyes become my path maker and I see a cool door on a brownstone, a historic marker, a hidden garden, street art. I get the feel of a place. I find so much the destination has to offer between point A and point B. A lot of that is due, too, to my lack of sense of direction. So many times I zig when I should have zagged and that has blessed me with so many memories...and photographs!

st. patrick's day

St. Patrick’s Day observes of the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday has evolved into a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking and a whole lot of green.

I'm not Irish but I do have many friends of Irish heritage. One dear friend, Bob O'Connor, grew up in Hell's Kitchen back in the days when it was a tough neighborhood. His dad was a butcher, had his own shop, and the family of seven lived above the butcher shop. Bob loved New York City and he knew how much I loved NYC. At times when we visited the city, he would take time to give us the personal O'Connor tour. Other times he sent itineraries of places to go. He was proud of his Irish heritage and one of the many suggestions he gave us was to visit the Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in the Nolita (North of Little Italy) neighborhood in Lower Manhattan. One year we were in NYC on St. Patrick's Day so we started out the day watching the St. Patrick's Day parade, found the footprint of the Five Points neighborhood (the Gangs of New York movie was based on this area), went to the old St. Patrick's, the Irish Hunger Memorial, and to the Dead Rabbit Pub for the best Irish coffee in NYC. (The Dead Rabbits were one of the gangs in Gangs of New York). Today is not the anniversary of Bobby O's death but we today celebrate the joy of friendship with him.

A perpetual shamrock in an alley in Columbus, OH

May yor blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go. ~ Irish Blessing

Speak, share and spread your truth. St. Patrick did.

IYKYK (If you know, you know)

skyline artwrap

All around downtown Dayton, ArtWraps enliven utility boxes along the city streets. Local artists create original designs which are then printed on vinyl to transform the eyesore boxes into works of art.

In my quest to find Dayton skyline views from various vantage points, I found a double skyline view with this ArtWrap. The artist created a sunset scene looking at the city from the Dayton Art Institute. 

the friday feed: gourmet rice

Back in the 70s, my mom cut out a recipe from the Dayton Daily News for Gournet Rice. It was quick, easy to double for a family of six, and tasty. The only "yuck or ick" it got was from my brother who didn't (and still doesn't) like mushrooms. Mom told him to pick them out. Easy fix. 

The recipe calls for consomme which at that time Mom took to be synonymous with beef broth. She took it on herself to use chicken bouillion cubes. And it was good.

When T and I were engaged, I bought a couple recipe books, went through Mom's collection of cookbooks, recipe cards, and newspaper clippings so I could have some old favorites to cook for our meals when we got married. Gourmet Rice was one of the first to get hand-written into one of the recipe books.

It's still a favorite. I use chicken broth, sometimes homemade, sometimes from the box, and when neither is available, I'll use the Better Than Bouillon concentrate. I like to toast the rice until it starts to brown to give it a richer, nuttier flavor. 

Hard to believe this recipe has been in the family for almost 50 years!

put on a happy face

Our contractors have a sense of humor! That bright orange smiley face will look over our patio until the new window is installed. 

"A smile is happiness you'll find right under your nose." ~ Tom Wilson

In this case, it's right over our heads.

wordy wednesday: march 11, 2020

March 11, 2020 was a day that transformed the whole world. On that day, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic and it was the beginning of pandemic life as we knew it.

It was the day the NBA canceled the rest of its season. Pretty much every other event that brought together large numbers of people followed suit shortly thereafter. 2020 was the year that the University of Dayton basketball team was ranked 3rd in the nation. The team had traveled to New York City for the A-10 Tournament. No games were played and UD’s dream season came to an abrupt halt.

It was the day then-President Trump imposed a travel ban from Europe. My niece was in Germany to work for three months and her parents worked fast and furiously to get her home.

I've been looking through some drawers and found a few reminders from the early days of the pandemic. My vaccine card, a reminder of the urgency to get the jab.

I made masks and sent them to my kids in Cleveland, Columbus, and Chicago. I also made some for friends. My friend's birthday was in April and we did a drive-by, honk the horns, drop off presents on the sidewalk in front of her house celebration.

While many farmer's markets did not open for business in the summer of 2020, my friend decided to open hers. Her son built plexiglass barriers in front of the cash registers, we wore masks, we marked distances of 6 feet for the customers to stand in line, business was non-stop. We rotated and took quick breaks every hour to take our masks off and get fresh air. People were so grateful to be out of their houses, grateful to talk and wish one another well, grateful for the fresh produce. This roadside market showed the good in people.

T's parents celebrated their 75th anniversary in August 2020. Their nursing home set up decorations for a drive-by celebration. Mom and Dad loved dogs and two of their granddaughters brought their dogs to celebrate this special day. They loved waving at their friends who drove by but petting the dogs brought the biggest smiles.

Last, I spent a lot of time outside working in the gardens around my house. Those crazy times called for garden therapy: fresh air, getting a little dirt underneath the fingernails, and noticing the beauty of a decaying leaf.

little grandsons

It's been one month since the birth of my new little grandson. Before her son was born, my daughter was worried about how bored she was going to be during her maternity leave. I just smiled and told her that she would be surprised at how busy she would be. We had a nice long phone call yesterday and she told me that her days are very full. With your first child, every day is a new learning experience. A lot of time is spent just gazing at this little miracle who came into your life and has filled your heart with so much love.

I am going to Chicago next week to stay with my daughter while her husband is out-of-town for work. In his first month he has already changed so much. My daughter sends pictures but I can't wait to see him and hold him, sing to him, take him for walks, comfort and feed him in the wee hours of the morning.

This weekend, T and I get to look after this little guy while his parents visit some friends. He's closing in on 2 years old and his newest skill is counting to 13. His vocabulary is growing everyday and I can't wait to have conversations with him and listen to his 2-year old wisdom. His dad was in perpetual motion as a little guy and he's following in his dad's footsteps.

"Grandchildren fill a space in your heart you never knew was empty."

monday's mulling: the farewell bow

Many, many, many years ago, back in the 1960s, one of my dad's weekend hobbies was paint-by-numbers art. I remember him painting these because as a 7-year old girl I was going to be a ballerina when I grew up. These hung in my many bedrooms over the years but then high school happened and the ballerinas had no place on my walls. My mom put them into storage in hopes that maybe some future granddaughters would have ballerina dreams and want these pictures that their grandpa painted. That didn't happen. 

Back in 2014, Mom went into into assisted living. In 2015 my brothers, sister, and I began the clean-out process to sell her house. Mom was a saver, a meticulous, organized packer, and there was so much stuff to go through. It was a long, long trip down memory lane. The ballerinas showed up, no one wanted them, and I did not have the heart to let them go. Emotions led the decision. 

T and I have been cleaning our big storage space for our home renovation and guess what showed up? Yep, the ballerina trio. I do believe I'm ready to let them go. A couple of my daughter's friends have daughters who have dreams of being ballerinas. Perhaps one of them will want to hang the pictures in her bedroom. If not, I will find a stage where these lovely ladies will take a bow and find a new stage to grace.

spring forward

Today is the day where the clocks "spring forward," taking away an hour from many sleep schedules. 

Clocks springing forward is not the only indication that spring is coming. Daffodils, with their bright yellow petals, trumpet the beginning of spring. Like spring, daffodils symbolize new birth, new beginnings, hope, joy, and good luck.

The other day while on my way home from yoga, I took the back way and drove past the "Daffodil House." The blooms have started and soon the gently rolling landscape soon will become a sea of yellow, bringing sunshine to all who pass or stop to take in the golden magnificence.

 

surprises

First of all, I am not a disorganized person. Being disorganized causes stress and procrastination, it's hard to focus.

I can go into a disorganized situation and whip it into shape and that's where surprising discoveries happen. You find out about people, their strengths and weaknesses. Go into a messy space to straighten up or declutter and find some sort of treasure. Go somewhere on a whim and find a view, run into a person who has a story to tell, find a way of life different from yours. I am able to go by the seat of my pants and usually have a darn good time because life is about flexibility and enjoying the moment. Be where your feet are.

the friday feed: chocolate

It's that time of year when chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs are filling the shelves. Last month it was Valentine's Day and everything chocolate. January's cold, dark days are comforted with a mug of hot chocolate. Think about it, chocolate is with us year 'round. 

“He showed the words “chocolate cake” to a group of Americans and recorded their word associations. “Guilt” was the top response. If that strikes you as unexceptional, consider the response of French eaters to the same prompt: “celebration.”

― Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

For me, chocolate evokes memories, happy memories. Chocolate brings back childhood memories, particularly of my dad who loved chocolate. He was from Chicago, home of Fannie May, and we always had a box or two of the Mint Meltaways at Christmas. Whenever we traveled, he would check to see if there was a hometown chocolate shop wherever we were. Dayton has its own chocolate company, Esther Price. Dad always had a supply in the house and he was the one who would dole it out. It was a special treat to get a piece of chocolate after dinner. 

My kids grew up appreciating their grandpa's love of chocolate and have fond memories of getting that special piece of "Grandpa's Chocolate" after dinner. They learned the joy of savoring a piece of chocolate instead of eating it one bite. And they loved the Mint Meltaways from Fannie May at Christmas.

Today, I buy the Fannie May and Esther Price candies when the kids are home for the holidays. It creates delightful memories reawakened by the familiar taste of chocolate, and brings about an agreeable feeling of happiness to make the moment something very special.