wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

Happy Birthday to my January girl, born a little tiny baby who shines a big bright light to all who know and love her. Here we are a few years ago, sitting on The Ledge at the Willis Tower (FKA the Sears Tower), hearts pounding, on a 1.5 inch thick piece of super strong glass, suspended exactly 1,353 feet (103 stories) above the Chicago sidewalks. She gets her adventurous spirit (and fear of heights) from me and her uncanny sense of direction from her dad. She's the second child/first daughter in the line up of the Gang of 4.

For the past few years Up and Running, an athletic apparel store, holds an event, The Frozen Feet Challenge. This year's event began on January 12 and the challenge is to walk, hike, or run OUTSIDE everyday for six weeks. To be accountable, the participants log their miles on the registration sight. It's an incentive to help people stick to their New Year's exercise resolution and it gets people outside to fill those lungs with cold, fresh air. The hardest part of this challenge is walking out the door from a toasty warm house. Bundle up appropriately and the rest falls into place. Miles to date: 32.8.

Many of my walks are around the neighborhood and the same old, same old sights get monotonous. One day I walked to the post office, a six mile round trip. My favorite close hiking spot is Hills and Dales MetroPark, so weekly photos will most likely pop up from there. I have some future blog post ideas that will take my walks to downtown Dayton to get some photos...looking forward to those sojourns.

My little Chicago grandson will be two in February. Last year I hand made a zine (a little book) based on the theme for his birthday party. I want to do the same for his second birthday so a couple days ago I asked my daughter if she had decided on the theme for AJ's birthday party. "I'm 99% sure it's going to be Eric Carle." AJ just loves Brown Bear and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. So I got busy brainstorming ideas for this 8-page little zine, went through my boxes of craft "stuff" and found some supplies that could work for this card from Didi. I was so excited to get this project going! Wouldn't you know, the very next day, my daughter sent the official invitation...with a Sesame Street theme! Darn...I love my Eric Carle idea. So now, since he will celebrate his 2nd birthday, AJ will get two cards from Didi. This is the title page mock up for the first zine with the Very Hungry Caterpillar in the shape of a 2.

And in case you're not familiar with Eric Carle's art, introducing to you a couple of his most well-loved characters, the Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear.

graupel

It's not snow. It's not hail. And it's not sleet. 

It's graupel: small pellets of ice created when super-cooled water droplets coat a snowflake. The pellets are cloudy white, not clear like sleet, and often mistaken for hail. It's also known as soft hail, hominy snow, or snow pellets, and has about the same texture as Dippin' Dots ice cream. 

A couple days ago I was out on a walk and all at once white dots were all over the street. It crunched as I walked. On Sunday graupel lined the paver bricks.

It is just really cool stuff. 

 

monday's mulling: sterling newsome

Last week on a sunny, breezy, winter day, Todd and I took a drive to the Dayton National Cemetery located on the grounds of the Veterans' Administration. I wanted to go for a couple reasons: to see the wreaths on the grave markers and to see where a soldier named Sterling Newsome was recently buried. 

More than 70 years after he died in an air crash while serving in the U.S. Air Force, Airman 1st Class Sterling E. Newsome Jr. was laid to rest by his family at the Dayton National Cemetery. His grave is located in a new burial section with no grass around the markers and it was muddy - slippery muddy - where we wanted to pay our respect to this soldier. This is a story of years of dedication to bring these fallen soldiers home.

Sterling Newsome, at the time 30 years old, was among 52 service members who lost their lives on November 22, 1952, when the C-124 Globemaster military transport aircraft they were traveling aboard crashed into a mountain in Mount Gannett, Alaska, during severe weather conditions.

Due to its remote location, the crash site would not be discovered until six decades later, when an Alaska National Guard crew conducting routine training in 2012 spotted aircraft wreckage, frozen in ice, on Colony Glacier.

Recovery operations confirmed it was debris from the Air Force C-124 that crashed six decades earlier with 42 airmen, eight soldiers, one Marine and one sailor on board. Since that time, annual recovery missions, named Operation Colony Glacier, have been conducted by the U.S. military with the goal to locate and return the remains of all who perished. The actions of these men to return these lost soldiers home is beyond heroic.

In 2021, a shirt belonging to Newsome was recovered and presented to his family in Dayton. More recently, additional remains were identified, transported to Dayton, and presented to his extended family. Last November a memorial service celebrating Newsome's life, his service, and his return home was held and now, 74 years, later this veteran was buried with full military honors.

On January 7, 2026, the military announced that the remains of all 52 service members who lost their lives at Colony Glacier have been identified. 

here's a little secret...

Paraphrased from Lewis Carrolls Alice in Wonderland. 

Celebrate your eccentricity, creativity, and the idea that being different is a strength rather than a flaw. 

power of the mind

I don't know if I'm in love with this quote but it sure offers some food for thought.

The mind is powerful. It can rehearse disaster or it can rehearse success. 

You can overthink the worst because your brain is wired for survival. But what if that same energy went toward imagining things working out? Toward picturing ease instead of struggle. Toward assuming good intent, good timing, good outcomes. If we’re honest, the worst-case scenario isn’t more likely than the best. It’s just louder.

Practicing this line of thinking can be hard. Catching yourself mid-spiral and asking, "What’s the best version of this story? What if it goes right?"

There are no guarantees. Maybe overthinking doesn’t have to be the enemy. Maybe it just needs a new direction.

the friday feed: tea

Back in October on our return trip from our 18-day European adventure, the first leg of our flight was on Virgin Atlantic, taking us from London Heathrow to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson. Virgin Atlantic is a British airline and for our last snack on the 9.5 hour flight, the flight attendants served each passenger a cup of tea and handed us a red box containing scones with clotted cream and jam. Tea in the clouds...what a perfect way to finish a trip from the UK. 

Back to Dayton, Ohio. A couple miles down the road from me is a charming little tearoom, Central Perc, owned and run by an English couple. There is nothing like a pot of tea and one of their scones with jam and clotted cream to make a day special. On April 15 of this year, Central Perc will celebrate its 30th year of business. Starbucks is right across the street but Central Perc is always just as busy as this national chain. This little place is my cup of tea!

 

just three months ago

There are times when winter feels like it plods along but so far it's moving along rather quickly. At least for me it is. It's already mid-January!

I was looking through photos of our October trip to Europe, having a wonderful time reminiscing about all the places we visited, the sights, the food, talking with people, the different modes of transportation. Travel sure opens your eyes to a new way of seeing and understanding. 

Oops...got a little off track. Right after our return home, I went back to work at the farm. Two more weeks until we closed for the season. The fall colors popped against the October blue sky and the transition toward the quiet, gray winter was slowly happening. A few monarchs hung back to gather pollen as they migrated south, the sunflower tower still stood tall in its realm, while others hid among the leaves. Memories of what was three months ago and visions of what will be in three or so months. It's the endless faith in tomorrow.

 

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

What have I been up to in the kitchen? Six bones from the Christmas standing rib roast had been sitting in the refrigerator and it would be a crime for them to go to waste. They became the inspiration for beef bone broth. Celery, carrots, parsley, a nub of ginger, onions, a head of garlic, turmeric, peppercorns, apple cider vinegar, the rib bones and oxtails simmered for 12 hours in the orange Le Creuset pot that belonged to my mom. After straining the broth, it went into the refrigerator to chill so the fat would rise and solidify. 

Bone Broth is a nutrient-dense and collagen-rich liquid made from simmering marrow-rich animal bones in water for an extended period of time. Once cooled, it turns into a jelly-like consistency from the collagen extracted from the low, slow cooking. It has more flavor than regular broth due to the longer cooking time, too.

After all was said and done, this yielded seven cups of bone broth. The containers are now in the freezer waiting to be used for beef and noodles or perhaps a beef and barley soup. 

We went out for a bite to eat and ended up sitting at the bar to eat our meals. The wait for a table was 30 minutes but a couple bar seats opened up and we took them. Todd asked, "Since you're doing Dry January, do you mind sitting at the bar?" "No, not at all..." until the bartender served him this filled-to-the-brim glass of wine! Boy was it tempting. I stuck to my resolution.

We had an appointment with our attorney to see if our will and trust needed any updating. No updates needed but it was good to check in with a face-to-face visit. He was my son's high school soccer coach and we laughed at the passage of time from the time Andrew was in high school to now being a father of two. During the soccer years, our attorney and his wife became first time parents and now they are doing college visits with their son. 

After the attorney's visit, we stopped at Bunny's Hasty Tasty for lunch, or breakfast if we wanted. Bunny's has been in that same spot since 1952 and it's a good ole diner. Breakfast is your typical eggs, bacon/sausage, pancakes, omelets, endless cups of coffee - no turkey bacon, no foo-foo coffee drinks, no yogurt parfaits, no avocado toast on the menu. Lunch is a hamburger of some sort and fries. It's basic good food served by waitresses who have been there a long time.

On a sunny day, we took a drive to the Dayton National Cemetery. The cemetery is keeping the wreaths on the grave markers until January 24 and I wanted to see them. Military cemeteries are so peaceful, and so beautiful in their precise placement of the gravestones. Such reverence to the men and women who are here at their final resting place.

On our way home from the cemetery, Todd took a different way home and went through parts of the city that I hadn't seen in ages. This is the Germantown hill and it's one of the highest points in the city. It gives a good view of downtown Dayton from a new perspective.

Yesterday morning, another beautiful sunrise. It was a lovely surprise to look up and see the waning crescent moon in the colorful sky. And that pink, orange, purple, yellow sky...just wow!

My yoga studio is close to Historic Woodland Cemetery, the final resting place of some of Dayton's most distinguished residents. After a slow, stretching class, I walked a couple blocks down the street to Woodland and hiked around the cemetery in the 45° weather. It was windy and the flags at the Wright Brothers' family plot flapped noisily in the the breeze. It was a peaceful walk. The only other people in the cemetery at that time were the workers buzzing around in their compact utility vehicles. Life always goes on - even in a cemetery.

Woodland Cemetery has the highest point in the city, Lookout Point, offering a bird's-eye view of Downtown Dayton. During the warm weather months, the leaf-covered trees partially block the city vista. Woodland is 185 years old. How this view has changed over the many years!

keep on dancing

This quote captures the spirit of resilience. It's about turning your missteps into movement, not letting them stop you. Instead of hiding the stumble, you own it, adapt to it, to make your story more meaningful.

In life we all stumble. We face setbacks, make mistakes, and experience rejection. We are not meant to stop when we stumble - we are meant to keep moving and let that stumble become part of our rhythm. It's about embracing imperfection, trusting the process, and believing that every detour has a destination. 

In real life, we often think that we have failed when things don't go according to plan. Sometimes those imperfections are the ones that lead us to our most authentic self. Life doesn't require perfection. It requires movement and courage and the ability to make art out of chaos.

monday's mulling: desiderata

Last week's temps hovered around 50° (10°C) but have now returned to the numbers typical for January in Ohio, ranging from freezing on down. I'm washing a load of sheets, finally cleaning the bedding from the Christmas holiday when every bed in the house had people sleeping in them. While the sheets wash, I sit at my dining room table, watching the birds peck away at the seed in the bird feeders. The number of birds at the feeders makes me realize how many birds are out there looking for food. The ground is frozen, leaves and berries are off the bushes. More birds show up at the feeders in the winter than in the summer. 

As I sit here watching this avian feasting moment, my friend sends a text. "Do you remember the Desiderata from back in the '70s?" Wow. That sure came out of nowhere but what a throwback. So on the heels of yesterday's advice from the Beatles post, I'm sharing this brilliant poem by Max Ehrmann. I was given a print of this for my high school graduation in 1975 (I wish I kept it) and it hung in my room at home and by the desk in my dorm room. It always calmed my heart when I was sad, lonely, or overwhelmed by college life.

It helped many of us during the turbulent 60’s and 70’s; maybe now is a good time to resurrect it!

"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence...."

advice from the beatles

I don't make New Year's resolutions but I make some goals for the upcoming year. I don't care for Facebook but the main reason I keep it is to see the stories my kids post about the grandbabies. There are so many ads, so much political ugliness, and so, so much misinformation that people believe because it's there which then gets passed along to perpetuate even more stupidity. It's not the social media it used to be. Get me off my soapbox. I do enjoy passing along happy birthday messages.

This popped up in one of the recent memories and it's a good one to share.

The Beatles' work is timeless. They sang to millions of people around the world but they managed to connect to us individually. That's what great musicians, poets, philosophers, and artists do. The Beatles had so many songs to reach a mood or feeling at any given time. And then some creative person put together a Venn Diagram depicting some of their gems with how we are feeling.

I don't know who created this and have found tweaks where others have changed the diagram. But whoever did, thank you. Have a good day, sunshine.

 

the first gardening catalog!

'Twas the week after Christmas, and all through the mail,

The catalogs started arriving, on schedule, without fail...

We're only a couple weeks into winter but look what's here...the first gardening catalog! There's so much joy flipping through the glossy pages, knowing that spring will return after the long, cold winter. I love sitting on the couch with my fuzzy UGG blanket planning the next gardening season, making lists, choosing plants and seeds for the upcoming growing season. It's such a good diversion from winter's cold and gray, offering hope and anticipation for the upcoming months. Suddenly they don't seem so far away.

 

the friday feed: mocktail #1

Last weekend while hanging out with my girlfriend of a long, long time, all at once she said, "I want to do dry January. Will you do it with me...help keep me accountable?"

"Sure...why not? It'll be fun to have a challenge," and Dry January started on Saturday.

So far, six days into this, it's been easy. I love water. If I want something other than plain water, I'll brighten my water intake with flavored sparkling water.

Right now mocktails are a thing, especially since it's Dry January. And just for fun, I looked up some mocktail recipes. Many are fruit based. You make a syrup, typically with berries, add sparkling water, and freshly squeezed citrus juice. Garnish it with mint or a slice of citrus or some other ornamentation.

I've been cleaning out my refrigerator and from the family being here for the Christmas holiday I had a lot of leftover blueberries. My little grandsons love blueberries so I purchased a carton for their meals and then my daughter and daughter-in-law brought some from their homes. We had a lot of blueberries and when it was time for people to leave, the kids left them here. Todd and I can eat only so many blueberries, I hate to waste food, so time to make a mocktail. With blueberries.

The recipe called for making a syrup with blueberries, honey and water. Put a couple Tablespoons in a glass, fill it with ice, add some sparkling water and fresh squeezed lime juice. It was tasty, refreshing, I had to figure out the balance between the syrup and lime juice. The first taste was too tart so a touch more blueberry syrup fixed that.

Todd took a taste. He said it was good...but it would be better with vodka!

🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂  🎂

Today is my dad's birthday, he would have been 92, and to celebrate he would have made a martini. His martinis were gin and vermouth with three olives and a couple ice cubes, and he measured his 'tinis very precisely using a glass baby bottle.

"A man must defend his home, his wife, his children, and his martini." 

~ Jackie Gleason

Dad liked Jackie Gleason, too.

Cheers, Dad. 

sunrise @ 7:42

This morning while sipping on the first cup of coffee, the blinds had a pink tinge to them. "Oh yes, here comes a glorious sunrise!" I still had my jammies on but what the heck...slip on Todd's shoes over my slippers, grab my phone, and get to the front porch to snap some photos of this bold and dazzling opening to today. 

 

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

Well, oops...I scheduled this post to hit cyberspace at noon instead of midnight. That's what happens for putting this together late night and a little bit sleepy.

I like to listen to XM Channel 25 (Classic Rewind) on my car radio. Lots of now oldies but still goodies from the late '70s and '80s that are reminiscent of college days, the early years of marriage, and having three kids (#4 was born in 1990) - a fun and exciting time of life. One day while out and about, Journey's "Be Good to Yourself" came on and I was in the mood to crank up the volume and sing loud. This could be my anthem for 2026. We all need to be good to ourselves.

In the vein of "Be Good to Yourself," I attended a yoga class under the rotunda at the historic Dayton Arcade which was built in 1904. Over the years the Arcade has undergone three renovations, with the most recent being completed in 2021. I worked in downtown Dayton in the early 1980s, when the Arcade was a vibrant fixture in the downtown scene. It's good to see it in use once again and refurbished to its original beauty. (That's my pink mat).

January in Ohio is typically gray and cloudy but we have had some beautiful sunsets. After a gray day on January 2, the sun said, "Enough!" and set the sky ablaze at the end of the day. Our son was sick with Flu B and asked us if we would mind if his dog came to stay with us until he felt better. The next morning at 6:00 a.m. I took the dog out for an early morning walk, grumbling because it was cold and I was still sleepy. The sky was clear and when we turned the corner, January's Super Moon (the Wolf Moon) was descending in the western sky. Ohmygosh...it was beautiful...and the sight of it took the grumpies away. I tried to take a photo but my old phone is showing its age and getting a good photo of this gorgeous sight didn't happen.

In 2025 we welcomed two new family members, our granddaughter Hallie and daughter-in-law Kelsey. Keeping with tradition, I made Christmas stockings for them but  didn't want to post them before they got the first looks. So without further ado...ta-daaa...here they are! Hallie is 9 months old for her first Christmas. Kelsey's favorite holiday is Halloween so her stocking is Christmas with some touches of Halloween.

Two of the grandbabes live in Cleveland and northern Ohio got a lot of snow over the Christmas holiday. Andrew and Jen bundled their littles up for some sledding fun and then spent 10 minutes outside before taking them back in from the bitter cold. Owen's 3 1/2 year old face shows the joy of being pulled around in the sled and Hallie's thinking, "I'll have more fun next year!"

We have season tickets to University of Dayton basketball games and last night UD played George Washington University. Dayton's two big guys are both injured, GW has a lot of big guys and in the first half GW was in charge of the game. Second half Dayton figured out what they needed to do, did it, and won the game. Both teams played well. George Washington University's nickname used to be the Colonials but due to concerns about the connotations "colonial" brought about, they changed their name to the Revolutionaries. The explanation for this change: A desire for a more unifying name that better reflected the university's values. I don't know if Revolutionaries is any better than Colonials but as they say, "Not my circus, not my monkeys." There's plenty of other things to think about.

 

a winter walk

After a week of bitter cold weather, then spending seven hours in the car driving to and from a funeral visitation, and yesterday getting the last of the Christmas decorations put away, cabin fever set in and I was ready for some fresh air. The day had started out at 31° (-0.55 C) but after putting the last of the Christmas ornaments away, the temperature had risen to 45° (7.2° C), the sun was shining, and I hopped in my car to take a hike a Hills and Dales MetroPark.

It was later in the afternoon and the park was empty; my car was the only one in the parking lot. The park was peaceful but it wasn't quiet. In the distance I could hear the traffic noise from I-75 and right above me geese honked as they flew in their Flying V formation. The park borders on a golf course and a foursome of golfers teed off and either complimented or chided one another for their good or not-so good shots. As I walked along the path, I heard some crunching in the leaves and there was a buck, and then another, and another, and another! Four bucks walking on the hillside. Hellos were shared with dog walkers. One man had a chocolate Lab that reminded me of one of my Labs and I got to give him some ear scritches. A road with a speed limit of 25 mph goes thorough the park and today a very loud car sped down Patterson Road. Nothing like a noisy car to disturb nature's peace. Since I arrived at the park a little after 4:00 (16:00), the sun was starting to decend toward the horizon as I headed back to the car. It was going to be a pretty sunset and I picked up the pace to get back to the car before it got too dark.

Fresh air, sunshine, tranquility. Nature calms the chaos.

monday's mulling: heart(attack)breaking events

We've had a couple of bad news events in the last few weeks. On December 18, I was supposed to go see my girl Robin for a haircut and some color for those insistent gray highlights that keep showing up. At 4:00 a.m. my text message noise sounded (I usually turn the sound off when I go to bed but I didn't that night), woke me up, and then I was wide awake. Her 42-year old daughter had a heart attack and was in the hospital in a medically induced coma. This event left her daughter with catastrophic brain damage and she died yesterday afternoon. A parent losing a child...I can't  imagine.

Yesterday we drove to Norwalk, Ohio to attend the visitation of a friend's older brother who died a couple days ago from a massive heart attack as he drove home from visiting his mother who is dying of cancer. Her time on this earth isn't much longer and the family will be planning another funeral within the week. Talk about a double gut punch. Wow. Our friend's brother was a husband, father, grandpa, a well-loved high school basketball coach and the neighborhood grandpa - an all around good guy. The funeral home's parking lot was packed and overflow parking went across the street to the Masonic Center. The amount of people at this visitation was a testament to how well-loved this man was.

These two sudden and unexpected events show the fragility and unexpected turns life takes. 

"Yesterday is history,

Tomorrow is a mystery,

Today is a gift.

That’s why we call it the present."

Unwrap each daily gift with gratitude.

pretty things

My mom loved pretty things and she loved to collect them. When her dementia forced the decision to move her into assisted living, my siblings and I spent almost two years going through her collections, figuring out who would take what, what we could sell, and what we could donate before we had to sell her home.

My parents loved Waterford crystal and had a lovely collection that sat in a big china cabinet. It was pretty to look at and that's where it stayed. It wasn't used that much, just for special occasions, because it might get chipped or broken with everyday use. 

Over the past few years, I have been using the pretty things that belonged to my mom and the things that I have collected - the silver, the embroidered cloth napkins, quilts, pottery, and the Waterford crystal - and not just for special occasions. These items are meant to be enjoyed and loved and will serve their purpose as they were intended to do. There is a joy and satisfaction in using what's in the cupboards, bringing back memories as well as making them.

 

the quiet after

It's time to put the holiday decorations away.

"Cherish the memories, for they are the true gifts of Christmas."

Cheers to Christmas 2025 and hello 2026.

the friday feed: hoppin' john

Growing up, I don't remember having pork and sauerkraut or other good luck foods for the New Year's Day meal. In college, where Todd and I met, he talked about pork and sauerkraut for New Year's and how he liked to mix the sauerkraut in his mashed potatoes. When we got married, I started our New Year's meal tradition and it was the same as his family's: pork, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes. Back in those days, I subscribed to a magazine, Southern Living, and one year, an article discussed a traditional Southern New Year's meal. That meal included Hoppin' John. 

What a fun name! I was curious and laughed upon discovering one of the ingredients was black-eyed peas. 

My family moved a lot. One of the places I lived was Owensboro, Kentucky, and once a week school lunches included black-eyed peas. I had never seen black-eyed peas but all my classmates were eating them so they must be good...right? I took a bite. Ew. They tasted like dirt. There was a squirt bottle filled with ketchup on the table and someone said, "Put ketchup on them. They'll taste better." I took the bottle, gave it a squeeze, and pfffftttt. It was empty. I quickly learned that on black-eyed pea day, sit as close to the ketchup bottle as possible. Doused with ketchup they didn't taste too bad. Fast forward to today, Hoppin' John has been part of our January 1 celebration for many years.

Traditionally paired with collard greens and cornbread, black-eyed peas are a staple New Year’s good luck food. The peas symbolize coins. Cooked with rice and pork, black-eyed peas become Hoppin’ John, a popular way to consume this New Year’s Day good luck food. According to history.com, "the moniker "Hoppin' John" likely comes from English speakers' mispronunciation of the French dish pois pigeons. Pois pigeons (French for pigeon peas) are a type of legume used in many cuisines. "Pois" (peas) is pronounced like "pwa", while "pigeon" (the bird) is pronounced in French as “pee-zhon." Use your best French accent and say it! It does resemble Hoppin' John.

New to today's meal is spicy vinegar. A couple months ago while at the retired teachers' lunch, one of the ladies ordered Hoppin' John and she asked for the spicy vinegar. The server brought it out in a cute little bottle with a slice of jalapeno pepper in it. How cool! Right before my farmer's market closed, I went out to the field and picked a bunch of hot peppers, brought them home, and infused them into white wine vinegar. I poured a little over my Hoppin' John and it added a nice little zip to it. 

Just a little fun in the kitchen on a cold first day of 2026.