monday's mulling: listening

“The art of conversation lies in listening.” Malcolm Forbes

We've been in our current home for almost 2 1/2 years. When we moved in we had a lot of boxes but not enough room to put our "stuff" where we wanted. We stored our surplus in the large room where there was a filled-in indoor swimming pool. A year later, a construction crew came in for the remodel and part of that project was a designated storage room for the overflow. We are going through boxes and now cookbooks have found a home on new shelves, books have been sorted for keeping or donation, and little knick knacks are taking their places for display.

I have always liked this little cup. It reminds me of my dad. A year or so after Dad died, my siblings and spouses were all together and my sister-in-law posed the question, "What is a memory you have about Dad?" My answer was that aside from giving us kids silly names like Snicklefritz, he used the expression "Ears open, mouth shut."

As a kid, that usually went in one ear and out the other, but as I got older, I understood what he meant: listening is more important than speaking. "Talk less, listen more" is a communication technique that involves actively listening to others instead of talking. It helps you build relationships, learn new things, and become a better conversationalist. Listening allows you to focus on what the other person is saying and try to understand their perspective. Rather than dominating a conversation by talking too much; listening shows respect and allows for deeper understanding. 

The following quotes emphasize the importance of actively listening to others. Many important people have shared their thoughts about listening. These are all good, but I'm going to stick with what I grew up with:

"Ears open, mouth shut." ~ Dad 

✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻

“If you make listening and observation your occupation, you will gain much more than you can by talk.” Robert Baden-Powell

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”

Ernest Hemingway

“Most of the successful people I've known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” Bernard Barugh

“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” Bryant H. McGill

“The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard.” William Hazlitt

february 1

This certainly was January. No flu for me, just a big ole cold that hung on for longer than it should have. Here's to a February that's kinder than last month.

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day. Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow and bring six more weeks of winter? Whatever...this marks winter's midpoint. We're halfway to spring!

 

the friday feed: pink, pink, pink!

Last Saturday I attended a brunch to celebrate the upcoming birth of my granddaughter and also my daughter-in-law, Jennifer. Going back to last September, Jennifer and Andrew went to a doctor's appointment for a routine check up and to possibly find out the baby's gender. We got a call from Andrew, expecting him to tell us that the baby was a boy or a girl. Instead, he was choking up as he told us that there were some indications that the baby might not make it to term. Joy turned to heartbreak in a matter of seconds. Over the course of the next couple months, Jennifer went through a lot of tests, some rather uncomfortable, to track the baby's growth. After a lot of uncertainty, but always filled with hope, her last barrage of tests showed that the baby was strong and healthy. We could finally celebrate and this brunch filled with so much pink overflowed with joy to welcome this little girl and to recognize a mother's love and strength.

Sugar cookies made from great-grandma's recipe.

with each sweet pink bite

love, happiness, best wishes ~

welcome baby girl.

old habits are hard to break

Using two spaces after a period or other end punctuation used to be a thing but nowadays the double space after a period has become irrelevant and is no longer used. When typewriters were created, the spacing between letters horizontally was uniform so that every letter had the same amount of space between them. FYI, this is called monospacing. Because of this, it was confusing to tell whether there was a space after a period, so two spaces were put after an end punctuation. And so, people were taught to type on typewriters and two-spacing became the norm.

When the 20th century arrived with computer keyboards, double spacing remained standard because it had been for so long.

But why the shift to just one space? A computer’s word processing software was able to adjust to proportionate space for each letter, so the double space after each period wasn’t required anymore.

So much for the history of spacing.

I learned to type on my mom’s little manual Smith Corona, first using my right index finger to push one key at a time and then adding the left index finger to gain speed. I learned how to type correctly in high school and for my high school graduation my parents gave an electric typewriter to me take to college. That little machine and I cranked out so many papers. And then came along the computer - no changing a typewriter ribbon, no feeding paper into the paper table and turning the platen knob to get a one inch top margin, no white out to fix typos, and a choice of fonts. What I would give to have that little manual typewriter! During all the typewriter transitions, I did the double spacing. That practice came to an end when I worked on my Masters. One of my professors who was a stickler in the APA format said that there was to be one space at the end of a sentence and she had an eagle eye to spot that spacing. She would be the one to review my final paper. No more double spacing for me. And now when I see double spaces, they look out of place.

wednesdsay's words and wanderings and wonderings

The bitter cold that enveloped Ohio last week froze the suet that I put out for the birds. They pecked and pecked at those frozen lumps and barely made a dent. Hope they didn't hurt their little beaks. I made a stop at Wild Birds Unlimited to find another option to feed the feathered friends. The young man recommended a cylinder feeder and shortly after this new food was hanging up, the birds came to feed. I love watching them on the feeder, especially the cardinals. There are a couple young cardinals who feed and the mom and dad are close by watching them from the hedge that's around the patio.

Last Thursday was euchre night at my house. It's just four girls and I fixed chicken- vegetable-brown rice soup and loaded Greek hummus. I bought the hummus, pita bread, feta cheese, mini cucumbers, and olive mixture from the Halal store. Ohmygosh. That pita bread is the real deal and puts the stuff you buy at Kroger to shame. Anyway, it was a big hit and it will be a repeat recipe. Todd doesn't really care for all that Mediterranean food so I'll make a small batch just for me.

Saturday I was in Cleveland to attend a "sprinkle" for my granddaughter who will arrive in March. My little grandson was there for Mommy's party and he so desperately wanted a cupcake. The bribe was that he had to take his nap first and then when his nap was over, he could have a cupcake. He napped while the guests ate lunch and visited and two hours later he came downstairs..."Where's my cupcake?" 

After the shower, destination Chicago for our other grandson's dedication (similar to a baptism). We stopped In Elkhart, Indiana to spend the night. It was 8:00 p.m. and we were hungry. Right down the road from the hotel was a restaurant called the Chubby Trout. I was a little leery of a fish restaurant in Elkhart, Indiana (the RV capital of the world) but I figured we'd find something there that would work. Much to our surprise, we stumbled into a real gem and had a delicious dinner. We both ordered sushi and it was astounding. Good sushi in Elkhart, Indiana...who would have figured?

Sunday morning we arrived at the church for the baby dedication. Five babies were dedicated that day and the ceremony was very laid back and personal for each family. We went to my son-in-law's aunt's house for an after party and then arrived back in the city around 5:00. The sky was gray but the sun was peeking out and lit up Chicago's skyscrapers with a very eye-catching light. 

The last couple of mornings, I have heard a rooster crowing. My daughter told me that the rooster is next to the mural that is down the street from them. I took a stroll to see if I could find the rooster but he is a morning guy and my walk was an afternoon walk. I'm on a mission now to see him! The mural has a lot of interesting pieces to it and I want to figure out what some of the things mean. I did find two very relevant Chicago items: Michael Jordan's Air Jordan basketball shoe and the Chicago hot dog.

meet in the middle

 

monday's mulling: books

I have a Facebook page but I'm not as active on it as I used to be. Some big changes in my life took away the zest for sharing photos and thoughts about whatever crossed my mind (not politics...that's a can of worms not to be opened) but I do occasionally like to get on FB to see what's going on in friends' lives. The other day a friend posted a quote about books and it really hit home. It brought back memories of my mom's books. She was a book lover and avid reader and had shelves and shelves and more shelves filled with books. My family moved a lot because of my dad's job and he always fussed that half of the moving expense was due to the weight of Mom's many books.

I love books, too. When we downsized, I looked at my shelves of books (not as many as mom's) and decided that it was time for some to find a new home. It was a tug-at-the-heart undertaking but now that time has passed the angst of letting those books go has passed.

Now back to the quote my friend posted...

Umberto Eco*, who owned 50,000 books, had this to say about home libraries:

“It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read. It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones.”

“There are things in life that we need to always have plenty of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion.”

“If, for example, we consider books as medicine, we understand that it is good to have many at home rather than a few: when you want to feel better, you go to the ‘medicine closet’ and choose a book. Not a random one, but the right book for that moment. That’s why you should always have a nutrition choice!”

“Those who buy only one book, read only that one and then get rid of it. They simply apply the consumer mentality to books, that is, they consider them a consumer product, a good Those who love books know that a book is anything but a commodity.”

This is my collection of Dayton and Ohio books. I've read a few but not all. I'm not sure if I'll get to all of them but I love the idea of owning books I've not read. Maybe one day they'll provide diversity to my literary “nutrition,” and when I am old and have more time to sit still, they will enlighten and comfort me.

* Umberto Eco was an Italian philosopher, essayist, and semiotician** who turned to novel writing with his 1980 work, The Name of the Rose. Eco subsequently wrote several more novels, some of which, including The Prague Cemetery, became international best sellers.

**Semiotician: semiotician - an expert or student of semiotics***.

***Semiotics: semiotics -the study of the use of symbolic communication. Semiotics can include signs, logos, gestures and other linguistic and nonlinguistic communication methods. As a word, semiotics derives from the Greek sēmeiōtikós, which describes the action of interpreting signs.

flapping hawk

Friday night we went to the University of Dayton vs. St. Joseph's University basketball game. St. Joseph's didn't win the game but it has one of the most famous mascots in college sports - the St. Joseph's Hawk. The Hawk represents the University’s motto, “The Hawk Will Never Die,” by flapping its wings non-stop (even during halftime) throughout every basketball game and has done so since 1958.

Since 1992, the Saint Joseph's University  "Hawk" mascot position is considered a scholarship position, meaning the student selected to be the mascot receives a scholarship as part of the role. The chosen student is considered a full member of the basketball team and receives an endowed scholarship.

Can you imagine wearing this costume and flapping your wings non-stop for 2 1/2+ hours? Hope the scholarship includes a weekly shoulder massage!

hard copy

I keep a physical address book. This is from back in the day when digital address weren't a thing and I keep it for sentimental reasons. This shows years and years of contacts in my handwriting. It follows friends' moves from new home to new home to new home. My kids' first addresses after each one moved out on his or her own are in this book. Friends from Todd's work who lost their jobs and moved away after PNC bought out the mortgage company are in there. It tells a story.

At Christmas I was getting ready to send a few Christmas cards and oh no! I could not find the address book. I looked everywhere but no luck. I put it in one of those places where I would never forget where it was when the house remodel started. A little while ago Todd was looking around for something and guess what he found? Yep...the good ole trusty address book. Friends' Christmas cards turned into Happy New Year cards. 

I am still keeping my address book but am working on transferring addresses into the Contacts on my computer. It's the best of both worlds.

the friday feed: anchovies

The other day late in the afternoon, I hit a brick wall and couldn't think of anything that sounded good to fix for dinner. Todd suggested a few things - chili, tacos, hamburgers - but those weren't doing it for me. He mentioned taco salad, too, but no. Then he asked, "Do you want me to grill steaks? I wasn't in the mood for just steak but the taco salad got me thinking and so "What do you think about a steak salad?" It would have the steak he wanted and the salad element I wanted and Voila! The idea had been born.

What kind of dressing to put on the salad? Something to complement the steak but not overwhelm the lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes. And for whatever reason, I thought about my mom's Green Goddess dressing recipe. It's an old recipe and as a kid, I loved it. Its taste is bold, seasoned with garlic, Worcestershire, and anchovy paste, but the sour cream and mayonnaise tone down those flavors. It would be perfect for our steak salad dinner.

Anchovies. From that moment Mom put a little anchovy paste on my finger to let me taste it, I was hooked. I think she thought she would get a "Ewwww. Yuck!" reaction. Nope. I loved it.

When Todd and I celebrated our 30th anniversary, we took a trip to Italy. One of our stops was in Lerici, a lovely town on the Gulf of Poets. For our first dinner we ordered an appetizer plate with a variety of nibbles, one of them being fresh anchovies straight from Lerici's fishing docks. Ohmygosh. Heaven. You've heard of farm to table. This was sea to table. One day we hiked in the Cinque Terre, stopped for lunch, and I ordered pasta with anchovies. I was hooked! When we got home, I went to the local fish store, Foremost Seafood, and asked if they could get fresh anchovies. Yes, they could but it would be very expensive. I don't eat anchovies that often, but every time I do, that taste takes me back to those lovely seaside villages.

Despised by many,

Belov'd by a select few

Anchovy, you're mine.

red!

Over the Christmas holiday we received a gift of Andes Peppermint Crunch wafers. I was so excited because many, many years ago my dad used to buy peppermint crunch wafers from Fannie May Candy based out out Chicago. They were so pretty - a little pink rectangle with peppermint crunch bits - and so delicious. It was a very special Christmas treat. On a trip to Chicago to visit our daughters, Todd and I went to Fannie May with the plan of buying the Mint Meltaways and Peppermint Crunch to have at our house for Christmas. The nice lady behind the counter gave us the bad news. No more Peppermint Crunch. It had been discontinued. We bought the Mint Meltaways but the picture wasn't complete.

Fast forward to this past Christmas. A friend gave us a box of Andes Peppermint Crunch. I was so excited. A new replacement for my beloved Fannie May! When I opened the box the top was the beautiful light pink with crunchy bits but the bottom was a layer of bright red. All I could think of the news about discontinuing the use of Red No. 3 dye in foods. Was this Red No. 3? No, it's Red No. 40 which can cause inflammation of the colon. The taste is reminiscent of Fannie May but the visual and the health concerns are disappointing. Too many UPFs (ultra-processed foods) in the American diet.

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

This past week has been all about the cold...the bitter, polar vortex cold that chills you to your core. In the mornings when I wake up, I get out of bed and am ready to start the day. All this super wintry weather makes me want to stay cuddled under my down comforter and yep, that's where I stay for a little extra time. That's so not me!

After hunkering down, all these walls start to get to me so quick errands get me out of the house for a change of scenery, as does the Frozen Feet Challenge. Those daily walks do a world of good and when you bundle up, you've conquered the cold. Getting out the door is the hardest part of the challenge.

Cincinnati is a 45 minute drive from us. One day while scrolling through my email, I opened one from Rookwood Pottery, admired - alright salivated at - all their gorgeous pottery, Amidst all this beauty, there was an offering to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the factory. Yes, please! Point, click, pay $30,  and we were on the list to see the factory. No photos were allowed in the factory due to many custom pieces being created.

Rookwood Pottery is in Cincinnati's Over the Rhine neighborhood, a very old community settled by Germans. It has gone from thriving to blighted now on its way to thriving. The Findlay Market is a fixture, as is the pottery factory, some breweries, and now the FC Cincinnati soccer stadium. We strolled through Findlay Market, walked around the neighborhood, and found a spot for lunch. 

For Christmas, my daughter and son-in-law gave us tickets to a candlelight concert held at the Dayton Masonic Center, a huge, beautiful building overlooking the Great Miami River and on the edge of a historic Dayton neighborhood. We took at old elevator to the 3rd floor, one that needed the operator to close the gate, push the buttons at the right time, and then open the gate to exit. We followed the candle-lit path to the auditorium, where the only lighting was by candlelight. Therefore the name, Candlelight Concert. We listened for one hour of 80s music performed by a string quartet and what a delightful hour it was. 

And so goes a quiet, bitterly cold week in Dayton, Ohio. Today's high temp will be 17°F but is inching toward the 30s this weekend. Hello, "warm" weather!

happy birthday, sari!

On a bitterly cold January 21, much like today, this little girl came into Todd's and my lives. Our first daughter, our second child. Small but mighty. Happy Birthday, Sara Catherine! I love you for the little girl you were, for the amazing woman you are today, and for the wonderful daughter you will always be! 

"She makes the day brighter. She leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes." 

~ Kate Spade

monday's mulling: the polar vortex

Bone-chilling temperatures have made their way across the US and will be around for a few days. Yesterday around dinnertime I checked the weather app and starting at 10:00 p.m., there was an hour-by-hour countdown to bitter cold. I made a big pot of chili...that's kind of ironic, isn't it? Today begins the second week of The Frozen Feet Challenge where participants walk a minimum of one mile per day until February 23. Right now, the name sure does fit the bill. 

Here's a little tidbit: In the first two weeks of February 1899, bitter cold and snow covered most of the United States. Every state fell below 0 degrees but at that time there were only 45 states.

do you see what i see?

Dave Thomas was an American businessman, philanthropist, and fast-food tycoon who was the founder and CEO of Wendy’s, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in hamburgers. In 1969, he opened his first Wendy's restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. He named the restaurant Wendy's, after his daughter, Melinda Lou, whose nickname is Wendy. This playful, red-headed girl with two pigtails became part of the company's logo.

Look closely at the collar on the girl’s dress design. Do you see anything -  perhaps a word? 

I see the word “Mom.” 

While bearing in mind the history of the Thomas family-focused franchise, you might be tempted to believe that the new logo's designers managed to sneak the word "mom" into the young girl's dress redesign. I sure think they did, but the company says it didn’t. Even though the company associates its food with Mom’s homecoming, the designers say “mom” in Wendy’s collar is unintentional - it's nothing more than a happy accident.

not that it will do any good...

Yes, it's winter in Ohio but the bitter cold has come earlier than usual and it's going to be around for a while longer. Life continues as it should but the cold takes away motivation to get things done. I just want to sit on my couch under my cozy UGG blanket and not do anything except stay warm. I have read more than usual so that's something. 

the friday feed: carrots

In Roman mythology, Janus is the god of beginnings, endings, transitions, and doorways. He's often depicted with two faces, one looking forward and one looking back. During the month of January people look back at the past year and think about what they'd like to change for the new year. Cleaning up eating habits is a big one for many. Overall, my eating habits are very healthy but after coming off all the food from Thanksgiving through the Christmas holiday, I'm adding more vegetables to my diet and being more aware of snacking. I just love crackers and cheese dips. Such an easy, tasty nibble. I'm being mindful about keeping a bag of cut up veggies in the vegetable bin: carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers, cauliflower to stay on the healthy side of snacking. Yes, every so often a few of those vegetables will find their way to the cheese dip or...

Crunch crunch crunch. Sometimes

I like them with ranch dressing.

(Don't tell anyone)

 

finding balance

"We come into this world head first and go out feet first; in between, it is all a matter of balance." ~ Paul Boese

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

It's been a quiet week. Bitterly cold, lots of snow, but in between the gray and snow, there's been clear skies and sunshine. The nighttime sky has put on quite a show. The first full moon of the year shined brightly on Monday night the and the planets lined up nicely, too. The January full moon is known as the Wolf Moon and is derived from Native American culture, in which during this time wolf packs could be heard howling on the outskirts of villages. Sunsets have been lovely, too. I stand in my front yard and watch the sun go down, sometimes quietly, sometimes in a blaze of glory.

The full Wolf Moon with Mars in the lower right corner. 

Photo by Ann Schuermann 📷

In the lower left corner, the blob shining above the middle tree is Jupiter.

Lots of snow and in some places nowhere to put it. The snow plowers for the Kroger parking cut the parking lot in half with this big pile of snow. So many people turned down the barricaded rows in hopes of finding a parking spot on the "right side." It turned into a boondoggle when they wanted to back out and another car wanted to find a close spot.

Little errands: go to Office Depot to get a blank ink cartridge for my printer. While there, I found a birthday card for my daughter. Crossed two errands off in one place. Love when that happens.

Up and Running, an athletic apparel store that specializes in running shoes, has put out its Frozen Feet Challenge. Those who participate have to walk a minimum of one mile outside everyday from January 13 to February 23, six weeks of daily winter walking. It's a fun way of getting out and walking during these winter days.

I've getting back into my yoga 3-4 times per week routine . From Thanksgiving on, I didn't get much yoga in and the first time back it was quite obvious that I hadn't been moving and stretching much for the last seven weeks. It's so important to keep moving.

While cleaning out a drawer, I found a pair of socks that my dad wore probably as a teenager. If he were alive, he would have celebrated his 91st birthday on January 9. These are some old socks but so warm.