monday's mulling: first cup of coffee

The first cup of morning coffee always tastes so good, especially after a long weekend.

It was a weekend full of fun and reminiscing and laughter and lots of food. For the third year we went to Coldwater Lake for a mini college friends' reunion. All the guys are fraternity brothers. Three of the wives went to the same university. This circle of friendship has lasted almost 50 years, from our university days to getting our first jobs to getting married to becoming parents to taking care of our parents to becoming grandparents to now talking about some health issues and aches and pains. Golden friendships.

Last night all the planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune, aligned in a cosmic parade. The best time to see them was after twilight and I missed that window. With my Night Sky app, I found Neptune and Pluto at 10:30 pm (22:30) and then early this morning around 6:30 (06:30) I went outside and found Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus with the Night Sky app. Jupiter was visible to the naked eye. A couple morning walkers were taking their stroll in the early morning peace and a couple cars passed by on their way to their Monday morning destinations. 

When we left for the lake my bird feeders still had some food on them. This morning, while looking out the window as the coffee brewed, I saw that they had polished off the last remnants. The birds are now in their molting season, replacing their old feathers with new ones. It happens after their breeding season and before migration and is energetically demanding. As I put water in the bird bath and new seed on the feeders, a cardinal chirped, "It's about time!"

critters at the farm

"Nature is the dream, and I am her wanderer." ~ Angie Weiland Crosby

At the farm we share the space with lots of little creatures. Living in harmony with nature...it's one of the beauties of life. Magic can be found in the simplest of things, both large and small—clouds sailing, a blade of sunlit grass, a flower budding, birds chirping, and even pesky raccoons. And we are wanderers amid the enchantment.

Little barn swallow gathers a sprig of grass for its nest.

Raccoon says, "High five!"

Some kind of a moth...it's pretty!

The pesky raccoons sure do enjoy snacking on the cantaloupes!

Hello, little grasshopper.

 Red Spotted Purple butterfly

Mockingbird. There are two nests in the trees and we've been feeding them blueberries. I love listening to their always-changing song.

oh...ok...or...

"O" the little things that catch my eye...I notice license plates. It stems from the days of family vacations when my parents gave their four children the challenge to see who could find the most license plates from the 50 states as we drove along the interstates.

As I drove around town last week I saw Oregon and Oklahoma license plates. Fun! Three states start with the letter O so why not make a collage?

Ohio plates are everywhere. Oklahoma and Oregon are the oddities - those cars are far from their homes.

the friday feed: onions

My parents had a vegetable garden at every house we lived in. They always grew green bell peppers, tomatoes, green beans, and onions - those were the staples. My dad loved his onions. He would plant them to border three sides of the garden. He especially loved the little green onions. What a thrill to go to the garden, gently pull a few from the dirt, and see that little white bulb at the end of the green stem. That's where the thrill ended. Dad took them into the kitchen, washed them off, cut off the little hairy end, sprinkled them with salt, and ate it. Ew. As a little kid, onions were icky.

My parents also grew yellow onions for cooking and to slice for hamburgers and other sandwiches. My dad liked a butter and onion sandwich. I remember chopping onions for soups and chili and all at once my eyes watering, sometimes to the point of crying if it was a really strong onion. Amazing how something that looks so innocent can bring about a such a teary reaction.

At the farm we sell candy onions. These are a hybrid of the common onion and a sweet onion. They're a great option for those who want something between a sweet and more sulfuric classic onion. At the end of the season, one of our customers orders a big bag of candy onions to take him through the winter. He just loves these. I love them for their flavor and for the fact that they don't cause eyes to water.

Chopping onions: stem

on one end, hairy on the

other, tears inside.

 

original art

Right before my high school reunion a friend who is a very talented  artist and who also went to high school with me posted a pair of earrings that she made. She lives in Aiken, South Carolina so I messaged her to ask if she would bring them with her and that I would love to wear them to the reunion. Well, she was already in town visiting her sister but she said her husband would mail them. While we were in Cleveland, a notice from the USPS came through that a package had been delivered. It's always fun to come home to something other than a pile of junk mail in the postbox.

Look at that little cloth bag the earrings were packaged in. Such a nice touch and fun to take out the earrings to see them for the first time.

Kim is multi-talented. First, she is an oil and watercolor artist; making jewelry is another outlet for her creativity. What a treat to have an original pair of earrings!

 

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

What a week. Does it seem like time is flying by? We've passed the midpoint of August and are in the dog days of summer but signs of fall are creeping in. The monarch butterfly migration is underway, the grocery stores are marketing corn chips that look like leaves and are in fall colors - gold, orange, purple - and at the farm the peaches are now coming in from Michigan instead of South Carolina and we now have some early season apples and butternut squash. 

Speaking of the farm, the sky doesn't look like it but a quick 20 minute downpour came through and gave the land a much-needed watering. Of course there were puddles in the parking lot and around the stand but what tickled me is that when customers came up to pay for their produce, they looked around and asked, "Oh, did you get some rain here?" 

We exchange dinner dates with a dear friend. She takes us to her country club and we take her to her favorite steak house. She loves dessert and even though we were full at the end of our lovely meals, she insisted on one of each. Twist my arm! (Top to bottom: lemon chiffon cake, peanut butter creme brulee, hot fudge nutball)

A drive up I-71 to Cleveland for the weekend to spend time with our son, daughter-in-law, and two of our precious littles. The only time our 3-year old grandson is not moving is when he's having his quiet time and gets to watch TV or when he's asleep. He is a clone of his dad. Exhausting but fills the heart with so much joy, just like his dad did (and still does). Our 5 month old granddaughter is on the move. She rolls over to her tummy but hasn't mastered rolling back to her back. She let us know when she wanted to be back on her back, and then only to repeat the whole process. 

"Our" shower in Cleveland is in the kids' bathroom. Shove all the toys to the back and scrub away. These two little people sure do keep the young-at-heart feeling alive.

This just made me laugh. Been there, done that. 

monday's mulling: writer's block

Back in the days of teaching Language Arts (Reading and Writing) one of the exercises I would have my students do is a free write. They could write about anything they wanted for 10 minutes, topic of their choice, their pen had to stay on the paper, and the pen had to keep moving. Blank stares and panic moments. "I don't what to write about. I can't write for 10 minutes straight." This was typically how we began our Mondays. I asked them about their weekends...what did they do, who did they see, any yummy foods or desserts, did they listen to any good music...to prompt some thoughts. To keep writing, to keep the pen moving when there was a writer's block, they made loops. This was a way of relaxing the brain and letting the thought energy flow. It took time and it worked and yes, a few of the little angels pushed this to the limit and we had chats.

I have writer's block right now so this later-in-the-day post is me typing away...keeping the fingers moving. This post will probably be all over the place but it's going to happen. While I was filling this page full of loops, lots of thoughts came to mind. It really does work.

Yesterday, my granddaughter was baptized. She wore her mother's baptismal gown and looked so sweet. The gospel reading was really weird...talking about the division of families due to differences in their views on faith. It didn't seem right for a baptismal celebration, welcoming a new member into the church, and what really irritated me, it mentioned a daughter-in-law turning against her mother-in-law. I guess mother-in-law jokes started back in biblical times. But whatever...it was a beautiful day for both sides of the family.

On our way home from Cleveland, my boss sent out this week's work schedule. We texted a bit and she mentioned that she was exhausted because her son who helps run the farm and the business is on vacation with his wife's family (the daughter-in-law/mother-in-law thing again 😁) and how much she appreciates all that he does. I have a bunch of veggies leftover from the salad I made for the lunch to celebrate the baptism so I've put together a salad to take to her. This morning Todd mentioned having chicken and salad for dinner tonight so I got out a package of chicken thighs and thawed them. He asked me why I was thawing chicken. "For dinner." "It's already taken care of." So now I'm making chicken and noodles to take to my boss. I don't have any wide egg noodles so I'm using the spaetzle that we bought in Frankenmuth, Michigan, last December that has been sitting in the pantry all this time. I'm a big proponent of "use what you got." This lady is such a kind person, hard worker, and does so much to help others. I just want to help her catch a breath.

David from The Adventures of Travel Penguin has traveled to all 50 states and since January has made a weekly post in alphabetical order about a state. In a couple weeks he is going to share his adventures in Ohio. I am looking forward to what he has to say about the Buckeye State.

And now I need to work on the rest of this week's posts. We're having a "Big Chill" weekend with college friends and there won't be time to write but there will be time to gather stories!

to hallie

Our granddaughter receives the sacrament of baptism today. Our wish for you, sweet Hallie, is to grow in grace, wisdom, and happiness. You've already made the world a better place.

 

just a matter of months

From May...

To August.

Beginning and ending.

Beauty in both of its blooms.

"Everything comes full circle. It’s the beauty of living." ~ author unknown

 

the friday feed: going bananas

The other day as Todd was rushing out the house to go to an appointment, he had lots of things on his mind, he pointed at the fruit bowl and said, "Three overripe bananas. You need to make your smoothies."  

(How did he even notice those bananas?)

"Gotcha." 

For me those bananas were past the smoothie point. So while he was at his appointment, I threw together a loaf of banana bread. With chocolate chips. Todd noticed the baked bread smell when he walked into the house. 

"Where's the banana bread?"

"It's going to Cleveland this weekend."

"Not even a little slice?"

"Nope."

But, but, but..."

"Don't touch it!"

(The end).

Sweet brown spots appear 

Mashed and mixed, a fragrant loaf

Warm slice, pure delight.

 

celestial events

This past week the August nights have offered a captivating celestial show with meteor showers, planetary alignments, and a full moon. The Perseids meteor shower, is a dazzling annual display and peaked around August 12-13. The six-planet alignment, with Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, has been visible using binoculars or a telescope in the early morning hours. I haven’t stepped outside to look but it’s cool knowing that they’re there. Additionally, the Sturgeon Moon, the eighth full moon of the year, illuminated the night sky on August 9.

Last Saturday, the last night of my class reunion, a friend and I were talking in the event space, standing by a wall of tall glass windows. It was dark outside and all at once we saw an orange arc rising above the tree line. The full moon was rising. We went outside to the patio and watched the big orange ball make its way into its full glory. What a sight! Karen talked about how she loved the sky - the sunrises and sunsets, clouds, stormy skies - and how her camera roll was filled with sky photographs. I told her that we are kindred spirits. My camera is filled with the same subjects, too, and then we laughed about the conversations our kids will have when they look at our camera rolls after we pass. “Mom took so many pictures of the sky! What are we going to do with them?” Maybe it will give them an understanding of something that brought us joy and they will look at the sky with wonder and awe.  

I tried to take a photo of the moon but an iPhone with the lights shining around the patio and grounds just couldn't handle it. I leave you with this one. Miss Liberty and the moon complement one another in a wow fashion.

(Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

                                                                   

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

Last Thursday was the first of the three day 50th high school reunion celebration. I worked at the farm from 2:00 until 7:00 (14:00 - 19:00) and then went to the casual attire opening party in my work clothes. FYI, I did change my shirt and put on some cute white tennis shoes. Friday afternoon those who wanted took a tour of the high school. It sure has changed in 50 years and it has had some big improvements since my children started attending 25 years ago. 

Back in the day the high school had three different units - East, West, and Central. I was assigned to Central and that tile that is on the walls is original to the "old" building, the lockers are still there, now painted blue instead of purple, and the units themselves have not changed. What has changed are the opportunities offered to the students. 50 years ago the curriculum was college prep. That course of study is still offered along with Honors and International Baccalaureate classes. However, there are many students who do not want to go the college route and the high school has focused on those needs by adding a Career Technology Center offering classes in Automotive, Allied Health, Construction, Cosmetology, Digital Design, Fire Science, and Medical Assisting. Students receive skills before graduation and don't have to spend money or as much money for college or trade school preparation after they graduate.

My little granddaughter is 5 months old! She is rolling over, mimicking sounds when people talk to her, cooing and chitter-chattering (her voice will be heard!), and has the sweetest laughs. We will be in Cleveland this weekend for her baptism.

It's that time of year when thoughts lead to pumpkin spice and Halloween. For heaven's sake, these are the dog days of SUMMER!

The other day at the grocery store, this basket caught my eye. At first it looked like a basket full of bugs but it's fresh turmeric. Turmeric is in the ginger family.

And last...fun in the kitchen. Sesame Chicken Salad with a miso dressing, banana bread (had to do something with the three overripe bananas), a use-up-the-veggie torte, and salmon on the grill. This seasoning is so tasty and  versatile. St. Elmo's is a well-known steak house in Indianapolis. If you ever go there, get the shrimp cocktail. Fresh horseradish is grated into the shrimp sauce and it will clear any trouble you have with your sinuses!

monday's mulling: 80 years ago

August 11, 1945...my parents-in-law's first day as Mr. and Mrs. 

Dad served in the Pacific Theater during World War II and almost missed his wedding day. The troop train taking him from California back to Ohio had many delays and he arrived in Toledo on August 10. But he made it and he and his love would never be separated for that length of time again

August 20, 2020...75 years (27,394 days) as Mr. and Mrs. 

We planned a 75th anniversary celebration for Mom and Dad but COVID restrictions were in place for nursing homes. No gatherings. We invited friends and family to drive by, honk their horns, wave, and drop off cards for the anniversary couple. It wasn't the celebration we intended but their friends, family, and staff at their care facility put together a party that was one for the books. The staff members turned the other way when Todd and his sister stood behind their parents for this photo. Bah humbug on the social distancing. This was the last anniversary they celebrated together.

Dad died in 2020, a couple months after this celebration. Mom died a couple years later on August 12, 2022, the day after their anniversary. I think Dad was telling his girl that it was time to be together again.

 

bloom where you are planted

“There is a part of blooming which I did not understand, you see. You can be a flower all your life but still not understand it. Blooming is one thing; but blooming where you are planted is another. It's so easy to say, "I will bloom when I am there", but you need to be saying, "I will bloom right here, where I was planted." ~ C. JoyBell C.
 

My cosmos are blooming in full force! I do love these colorful, wispy flowers but my big reason for planting them where they are was to cover the window. That's one of the windows on our remodel and it needs a window cover. The new blinds should arrive in a couple weeks 🤞 

The bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love these flowers. I don't know if I will plant cosmos in this spot next year and if not, there will be a spot for them somewhere in the yard.

senior moments

As I celebrate my 50th high school reunion this weekend, the 2025-2026 school year is gearing up to start next week. School bus drivers are driving through the neighborhoods to familiarize their routes, community requests for school supply donations have been ongoing since the beginning of the month, the Ohio sales tax holiday is in effect until the 14th to give parents a break with the back-to-school purchases, and for the high school seniors who drive to school, if they so choose, they can paint their parking spot. 

Senior year is the most unique of all high school years. While seniors are technically still adolescents, they are in the midst of preparing for adulthood and college life. This year is full of the past, the present, and preparing for the future for these young people.

As I celebrate my memories of my senior year, these 18-year olds are beginning theirs with creativity, humor, and splashes of color.

A favorite football team - the Cleveland Browns

Love the creativity with the next two...they're side by side in the parking lot.

the friday feed: field corn

Treadway Gardens started out as a roadside stand on a two-lane country road. A few years later a housing development came in so Mr. Treadway moved the stand to the other side of the road. A few years later another housing development came to the other side of the road and Mr. Treadway bought a farm right around the corner so his farmer's market would never have to move again. 

Centerville and Washington Township used to be all farmland but now builders are buying the farms and putting up houses. Farmland is still interspersed between developments but they are becoming few and far between. Field corn is planted on all these remaining farms. Each acre typically has around 35,000 stalks of corn on it, opposed to 24,000 stalks for sweet corn. 

I remember running through the corn fields at my grandparents' farm and Grandpa telling us not to go too far in because we might get lost. Not a lot of light gets in when the stalks are packed that tight and it's easy to lose your bearings. Those stalks are impressive - they have to be at least 8 feet tall (2.4 meters). And of course as little kids we made up monster stories about the fields and as it got dark the fields took on an eerie vibe. 

When I was close to this field to take pictures, I thought about walking among the stalks, but looking down the rows it got dark in there pretty quick and I thought, "Nope," and I could hear Grandpa saying, "It's a jungle in there!" 

beware the tall stalks

for the field has countless ears

always listening

 

50th high school reunion

Holy blink of an eye. My 50th high school reunion starts today. The opening night reception will be at a restaurant/bar owned by a classmate's family. 

I'm excited and a little nervous about this event. My family moved to Kettering from Springfield, Ohio (a 45 minute drive) during my junior year in high school. I was new to this big Kettering school - 650 people in this class - and I missed my friends in Springfield. I made friends at my new school but I also spent a lot of weekends with friends at my old school. I was in a no man's land...didn't belong here and didn't belong there. College was 1 1/2 years away. 

Over the years of living here, I have connected with high school acquaintances so I won't be walking into a room full of strangers. For me, these are present connections but my friends have long-time connections from living here for all of their lives. Six of us are going to sit together at the dinner at the country club...we made these plans a few months ago. That's a relief. I remember those first few days sitting in the lunch room by myself, surrounded by a noisy mass of humanity. I have my people now!

But still...50 years. 

What was fun is that my kids attended my high school. Kettering used to have two high schools but with declining enrollment numbers the schools consolidated into one building in 1983. A new wing was added to accommodate more classrooms (freshmen were included in the student population), a new gymnasium was built to take the place of the old gym with the wooden bleachers on both sides, but the basic layout of the school was the same from my time there. When it was time to pick up their freshman schedules, each child was nervous about being the newbie in a new place with 1600 students. I walked them through their schedules until they felt comfortable, telling them stories of my high school days (daze?). And walking through the halls brought back memories that hadn't come to mind for so many years. I even found my old locker!

Cheers to 50 years!

wednesday's words and wandering and wonderings

The weekend...wow!

What a fun, busy weekend with Andrew, Owen, and Hallie! Jennifer was at a bachelorette party so Andrew road tripped with the kids to hang out with Didi and Grandpa.

We met Andrew in Columbus at Krispie Kreme Donuts and what good luck to get there when the "Hot Light" was on. Glazed donuts traveled along the conveyor belt and with our purchase we received a few donuts fresh off the line. Owen was very happy with his donut "lunch" and intently watched the donuts as they went through the various stages of production.

"That's a lot of donuts!" ~ Owen

The splash pad at RiverScape was a big hit. The squeals of surprise and joy as Owen ran through the spurts made us feel like kids again.

Many thanks to Andrew's friend Taylor who brought the tractor to the farm stand on our visit to Treadway Gardens. What's the first thing Owen found when he climbed onto the tractor? The horn. It's in good working order.

Then there was Baconfest at the Fraze, visits from Uncle P-House and Aunt Kelsey, friends Brad and Maverick, running through Grandpa's sprinkler, finding the toys that Andrew and his sibs played with when they were little, reading so, so many books. Andrew and the kiddos left on Sunday and Monday morning the house was TOO QUIET! Our 45th anniversary fell amidst all this happiness and exuberance and hurry-flurry activity. We are blessed.