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!