wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

A couple times this past week when I worked the morning shift at the farm, I picked okra. My boss's rule it that it has to be no smaller than your pinkie when it's cut. There are a couple women who tell me that it's too large when we pick it. In their culture they like pieces half that size or smaller. Come to find out, the reason these ladies like their okra smaller is because they don't want to spend the time cutting it. That's a good reason but gotta do what the boss says.

I picked okra on my birthday morning. I like to get out there early because 1. It's cooler; 2. The bees are just starting to make their way to the okra flowers so I don't bother them and they don't bother me; and 3. The customers are excited when they're told the okra was freshly picked that morning. 

The state of Ohio, as well as surrounding states, is in a drought. In the past when I've gone out to pick okra, I've come back with mud on them from the previous night's rain or damp from the rain or dew. This time around, my shoes were dry. Everyone's hoping for some rain soon.

When I was in Chicago, my daughter bought this wine, a blend of sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio. At first I thought, dry pinot grigio and grapefruity sauvignon blanc? Hmmmm. The flavors were balanced and it was a light, refreshing sip after putting the little grandson down for the night. I have a bottle chilling in my refrigerator now.

The Dayton Art Institute had an exhibit with Curtis Barnes' art. He is a Dayton artist who taught in the Dayton Public Schools and also at Sinclair Community College. This exhibit's last day was September 14 and I made it to the DAI to see it on the 12th. Nothing like cutting it close! Along with the Curtis Barnes exhibit, some of Alexander Calder's art was on display in the gallery next door, and a very moving Holocaust exhibit by young artists from the Dayton Public Schools.  It was one of those days where I was in a hurry to cross things off my very long list but these exhibits made me slow down and enjoy. And my list got finished, too.

Across the street from the Art Institute a memorial to Montgomery County law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty is being built.

For my birthday, my brothers and sisters-in-law were in town and we got together for a quiet birthday celebration. There's my margarita, on the rocks, with salt. It was a lovely day to sit on the patio, talk about some family business we're working on, and just to count our blessings.