the friday feed: a perfect 10

The Spinning J is a fun and funky corner restaurant/bakery in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood. Its narrow dining room has a limited seating capacity and is on a first come, first served basis. The menu is small and everything is delicious. The last time we were there, we were fortunate to get a seat. Perfect timing! This was a cause for a celebration, a latte with salted caramel. It arrived with a beautiful smile from the server, a wonky, frothy heart, and in such a pretty cup. A perfect start to the day.

Freshly made latte

an attempt to make a heart

a hug in a mug

frozen feet challenge

I enjoy my daily walks and as an incentive to get outside during these winter months I signed up for The Frozen Feet Challenge offered by a local running store. The challenge was to walk, hike, or run one mile (or more) every day OUTSIDE for 6 weeks (January 13 - February 25). I completed the challenge, through rainy and snowy days, single digit temperatures made even colder with the wind chill factor, and slippery streets. That's the bad stuff. There were lovely days, too, with blue skies and not-so-bad temps. And lucky me, the last week of the Frozen Feet Challenge, was spent in the Sunshine State. 

We stayed with friends who live in Cape Coral 7 and every morning took we took a walk around their neighborhood . Being around water, residents add fun and decorative touches to their homes. One day, the dolphin mailboxes caught my eye. You don't see those in Ohio! What a fun way to celebrate ocean, actually Gulf of Mexico, living.

 

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

A week ago last Tuesday had us up early and moving to make a 7:00 a.m. flight. Destination: RSW - the Fort Myers airport. We left Ohio's cloudy gray sky, 18°, snow and wind behind, and traded it in 2.5 hours later to eight days filled with the Florida sunshine, blue sky, and temps in the 70s. 

We had a mini reunion with college friends - two who are Florida residents and one who spends January and February away from northern Ohio. Our first few days were in Punta Gorda with the remaining days in Cape Coral and it was just what we needed to chase away the winter blues. Waking up to coffee on the patio, ordering fresh fish when we went to dinner, wearing bright colors, not bundling up to go outside, taking walks in the sunshine and boat rides on the Caloosahatchee River is such a splendid way to send off February. 

One night after dinner in Ft. Myers, we strolled through town and passed a group of men sitting outside a cigar store, enjoying their cigars and the lovely evening. The smell of cigars always brings back memories of my grandpa. Grandpa loved his cigars and I sure loved him. We went into the store to check out the humidor and ended up staying there for an hour, talking to a very knowledgeable young man who shared so much information and so many stories about the cigars that he sells.

The one cloudy day that we had, Todd and I took a drive to Ochopee in the Everglades to find the smallest post office in the United States. We found it, had a marvelous conversation with the post master, and bought some post cards to send to the grandsons from this tiny spot on Alligator Alley. 

After a laid back, no rush vacation, we are on our way home today and will be there for a week. Next stop, Cleveland, where we will welcome our granddaughter, the next little ray of sunshine to warm our hearts and brighten our family.

 

monday's mulling: ukraine

On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which had started in 2014. The invasion, the largest and deadliest conflict in Europe since WWII has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties. As of 2025, Russian troops occupy about 20% of Ukraine. From a population of 41 million, about 8 million Ukrainians had been internally displaced and more than 8.2 million had fled the country by April 2023, creating Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. 

In March 2022, just a couple weeks after the invasion, Todd and I drove to Washington DC to watch the Dayton Flyers play in the A10 men's basketball tournament. Our hotel was in Georgetown, very close to the Ukrainian Embassy. People had placed sunflowers and other items of support in front of the embassy the pile of items grew. To see these items accumulate day by day during our visit was eye opening and inspiring. People cared.

We also discovered another memorial dedicated to Ukraine, the Holodmor Memorial, which honors the victims of the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933.

Holodomor comes from the combination of the Ukrainian words holod (hunger) and mor (to exterminate or eliminate).

Under Josef Stalin's regime, the Soviet Union engineered a famine that killed between 7 and 10 million Ukrainian citizens. The Holodomor famine was part of an attempt by the Soviet regime to not only destroy individual peasants, but also the Ukrainian culture. The Soviet state believed that the Ukrainian peasantry was counterrevolutionary, and their distinct culture and nationalism provoked the Kremlin leadership.

Again, people from far away cared about what was going on thousands of miles away. Little guy vs. the bully. A way of showing support from across the world. Three years have passed and my heart breaks for the Ukrainians who live with this every single day. 

snow drops

Snowdrops poke through our latest snowfall. They're one of the year's first flowers and symbolize new beginnings and the ability to overcome challenges. A little sign filled with big hopes for any way you want to look at it.

parade of planets

Look up at the night ky! 

Right now for me it's the Florida sky, away from city light pollution. The stars and planets are brilliant against the dark heavens. The last couple of nights, I go outside and open the NightSky app, pointing it skyward and marveling at the planet alignment. Every single one is there. A moment of wonder and awe.

 

the friday feed: birthday cookies

My daughter put a lot of planning into her son's space-themed, first trip around the sun birthday party. Quite a few young children came to the party and she figured that cookies would be a much better option than pieces of cake on plates. Little kids like to move, cookies are portable and a friendly size for small hands. These were perfect - eye catching and tasty - and they were gone by the end of the party. Adults liked them, too!

 Sweet bites from heaven

Your first trip around the sun

Sugar cookie love

one more month

The countdown is on. In 29 days (March 20), we will say hello to the first day of Spring! 

Thank you to Catalyst at Oddball Observations for the contribution.

 

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

This past week started off with a trip to the dentist for my six month check up and cleaning. Rather than scraping and picking with all the different sized scalers, the hygienist cleaned my teeth with pressurized water - much faster and more comfortable that those metal scrapers. I've been going to my dental practice for a long time. My kids grew up with this practice. Just down the street from the dental office is a bakery that has been around forever so the incentive for my kids' good behavior at the dentist was that we would stop at My Favorite Muffin for an after visit treat. Counterproductive, yes, but good behavior was an even bigger yes. The tradition continued after this past visit. I called Todd and asked him if he wanted anything from My Favorite Muffin, knowing that he would say, "Bring home a few cherry cheesecake mini muffins." 

We headed back to Chicago for our grandson's first birthday party. As travelers cross into Indiana, the sign from Governor Mike Dewine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted invite travelers to come back to Ohio, "The Heart of It All." With Husted filling JD Vance's  Senator seat, Ohio's new Lt. Governor, Jim Tressel, will fill that empty spot.

And THE reason for taking a second trip to Chicago in two weeks...Our grandson's first birthday. We celebrated AJ's first trip around the sun and all the joy and love that he has brought to our lives. It was also a celebration for our daughter and son-in-law for making it through their monumental first year as parents - balancing their son's heart surgery, their careers, sleepless nights, those moments when it's hard to comfort a sick baby, but also their joy of watching their son grow and thrive. 

today's grammar lesson

A collective noun is a noun that refers to some sort of group or collective—of people, animals, things, etc. Collective nouns are normally not treated as plural, even though they refer to a group of something.

Are collective nouns singular or plural?

Collective nouns are most commonly treated as singular (i.e., used with singular verb forms like “is”), but usage varies between US and UK English:

In US English, it’s standard to always treat collective nouns as singular.

In UK English, either way is acceptable, and usage tends to vary depending on the context.

A few more to add to the list...Do you have any others to add?

A colony of ants

A kindle of kittens

A litter of puppies

A bed of clams

A shiver of sharks

A horde of hamsters

monday's mulling: moon, stars, and sun

“A work of art is above all an adventure of the mind.”

~ Eugene Ionesco

I don’t know if you would call this a work of art, but it became an adventure of the mind. 

My little grandson turned one year old last week, the theme for his birthday party was his first trip around the sun, and I wanted to make a card for him. With the space theme, my first thoughts went to the popular phrases “I love you to the moon and stars,” or “I love you more than all the stars in the sky,” or “I love you to the moon and sun and back.” Those are sweet sentiments, the sayings are heavily marketed, and although I love that little boy to the moon and back and more than all the stars in the sky, these words didn’t cut it for me. 

Put on your thinking cap, Di.

Lots of ideas tossed around and the end result was a zine (pronounced “zeen”). It’s a little 8 page book. I dug out scraps of paper, stamp pads and rubber stamps, tissue paper, markers - stuff I hadn’t used in ages - and had so much fun filling the pages with song lyrics from my growing up days, telling my little fellow how much I love him.

breaking boredom

Somewhere in Indiana heading back to Ohio along I-70...

When you're a little bored on the trip, looking out the window at the gray winter scenery, and the sunset's reflection in the sideview mirror brings a orange tinge to the car and the contrast between the sunset and the monotone landscape just gives you one of those "Wow! This is such a pretty picture moments."

Looking again and studying the picture, there really is a lot going on.

 

there are those days...

This has been a theme the last few weeks in the digital world. Yes, there are those days!

Many thanks to Travel Penguin for his contribution

the friday feed: the super bowl

 Pigs in a blanket

Skyline chili dip, bean dip

Super Bowl staples

Usually Super Bowl Sunday means going to a party, taking a dish to share, and choosing a team to cheer on.

We were in Cleveland on Super Bowl Sunday, having finished painting our granddaughter's nursery. Andrew and Jen were invited to a party that was 45 minutes away and they weren't in the mood for a 1 1/2 hour round trip drive. Andrew made some traditional Super Bowl nibbles. They were perfect to graze on during the game: a couple pigs in a blanket here, a scoop of dip there, there were chicken wings, and a cookie dough dip for a sweet treat. 

Skyline Chili is a Cincinnati delicacy. So many people love it but I don't like the spices in it: Paprika, allspice, and cinnamon. No thank you. When we were going to Chicago, my daughter asked me to bring her some Skyline. I took four cans to her. Now Graeter's ice cream, a Columbus business, has created a Skyline chili ice cream. Hmmmm. It's flavored with the spices and tastes like gingerbread and has the oyster crackers in it for crunch with a little bit of the sweet/salty essence. It's getting rave reviews.

Well, that was a little diversion from the Super Bowl. 

We cheered for the Eagles for our Philly family and friends, got our little grandson to spell E-A-G-L-E-S, and had our thoughts about Kendrick Lamar's Halftime Show. Even though I couldn't understand what Lamar was saying, his rapping was so fast, watching the performance - the dancers, Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam, Serena Williams' appearance - he was making a statement, one that I respected, especially after reading about it the next day, while nibbling on some Super Bowl snack leftovers.

isn't it ironic, don't you think?

One side of the yoga room...

The other side of the room.

I so enjoy going to yoga. It gets me out of the house and once the practice starts, gives time for my mind to let go of my to-do lists, what's for dinner, and whatever else is out there that occupies mind space. The practice focuses on breathing: Inhale - let, Exhale - go, which promotes relaxation and reduces stress levels.

Our society is so attached to gadgets. An hour long yoga class allows a person to unplug from devices and their screens and focus on the mind, body, and spirit. Then you go into the studio and there's a line of opportunity to plug in. Too ironic.

To be fair, the studio took over this space and all these plugs were already in place.

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

Happy, happy birthday to our sweet AJ...one year old today! Didi and Grandpa love you to the sun and moon and more than all the stars in the sky.

Last Wednesday night, freezing rain came through the area and by midnight the trees, grass, and the roads had a layer of ice on them. The ice was short-lived and by morning temperatures rose enough to where the ice melted and fog was the only hindrance to driving. 

I was feeling cabin-feverish, wanted to get away from the house so I drove to Hills & Dales MetroPark to take a hike. The trails were wet and I thought I'd end up going home with a muddy behind. I took my time, enjoyed being outdoors, and stayed upright. 

 

We went to Cleveland on Saturday to paint our granddaughter's nursery. It was also Super Bowl weekend and ODOT used some football humor for safety awareness. 

While in Cleveland this sweet little bookworm got his very own library card. He brought home an armful of books and was so excited to read them. Over the weekend, I think those books were read at least 10 times. He love, love, LOVES his books! And Didi loves, love, LOVES reading to him, no matter how many times he asks.

 

full moon

This past weekend we were in Cleveland to paint the nursery for our granddaughter who will make her entrance to this world on March 7.

Early Monday morning (5:00 a.m.), the call to the bathroom woke me up and as I walked back to bed, a light was shining from the nursery window into the hallway. It was the moon, lighting up the sky and the snow-covered yards. It was such a pretty and peaceful sight and I just stood there in the blessings of the moonbeams, thinking about this new little life who will bring so much love and joy to our family.

Last night, I went outside to look at the moon and used the Night Sky app to identify stars and planets. So much going on in the February sky! I have a lovely mental picture of the moon and planets and stars but that's it. No Dayton, Ohio night sky photo. Here's something much, much better. My artist friend in Sedona, Arizona captured a gorgeous view as she walked out of her studio last night.

Just WOW! Many thanks to Patricia Saxton for sharing her moon over the Red Rocks photo.

monday's mulling: denali

Last Thursday, Neil from Yorkshire Pudding wrote about the highest mountains on each continent. Denali, formerly known as Mt. McKinley, is the tallest mountain in North America and is located in Alaska.

Many years ago, my aunt, uncle, and cousins drove to Alaska from Illinois to visit my aunt's sister. They packed up the family station wagon and made the trek to the 49th state. Thinking about it, I believe they went in the late 1960s and at that time, Alaska would have been a state for no more than 10 years. Anyway, we got a postcard from them showing Mt. McKinley. How cool was that?

I remember in 6th grade Social Studies over the school year we studied all the continents, the countries and their capitals, major rivers and landforms, including the tallest mountain on each continent. Mom let me take the Mt. McKinley postcard to show to my class.

Mount McKinley got its name from a late 19th century prospector, William Dickey, who went to Alaska and the Yukon Territory in search of gold. He saw the mountain and was captivated by its geography and size. William McKinley (from Ohio) was the recent Republican presidential nominee and Dickey named the mountain Mount McKinley in an article he published in the "New York Sun." The name stuck and became official in 1917.

For generations, Native people lived in and around the mountain. Different tribes had a variety of names for it, but they all largely meant the same thing: “the great one” or “the high one.” In 1975, the state of Alaska officially requested that the mountain be recognized as Denali. The name honors and preserves the mountain’s Native American history. For many years, the members of the Congressional delegation from Ohio blocked this change action because William McKinley was from Ohio. In 2015, nearly a century later, the Obama administration officially renamed the peak Denali, a name that had originated from Alaska's Athabascan people. 

In 2024, President-elect Trump stated that he would change Denali's name back to McKinley. On the first day of his presidency, Trump signed an executive order directing that action be taken and on January 23, 2025, the Department of the Interior changed the mountain's name back to Mount McKinley. Denali is a native name, one that holds a place in Alaska's history, and is more appropriate than being named after a midwestern president who never visited the territory and was president 62 years before Alaska became the 49th state.

what do you see?

As a child I loved to pick up things and put them in my pockets. As an adult, I still do. The other day Todd and I took a walk and on a cul-de-sac by the golf course, I looked down and saw some little white shells. Shells on a road in Ohio? I had to pick them up and put them in my pocket. What to do with them? I don't know. It's the joy of the find.

Late last fall, after the walnuts had fallen and the squirrels had cleared out all the goodies, a half walnut shell caught my eye. When I saw it on the road, it looked like a heart so into my pocket it went. I like to find heart shapes in nature. It sat on my kitchen windowsill for a while along with some other knick-knacks. 

The other day I picked it up and looked at one side of the shell and then the other. Look and see what your imagination brings to mind. My thoughts are below.

✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻

On the left, I see an owl's face - on the right, a skeleton's face.

snow 🌨

When we left for Chicago, our yard and patio were covered with snow. When we got home, the only evidence of the big snowfall was a pile that was slowly melting on the patio. Monday's 60° F (15.5° C) melted every last bit of the white stuff.

The last winter when every state received snow was 15 years ago in February 2010.

The January 20–22, 2025 Gulf Coast blizzard brought snowfall to regions of the Gulf Coast that rarely receive wintry precipitation. This was the first recorded blizzard on the Gulf Coast and the most significant winter storm in the region since 1895. The Gulf Blizzard of 2025 will go down in history as one of the most unusual and impactful winter storms the Southeast has ever seen. It caused major disruptions, canceled flights, and closed schools. But it also gifted Southerners with an unforgettable taste of deep-south powder—proving that Mother Nature is still the one in charge.