strong wind, buckets of rain, and damage

Last night around 8:30 p.m., a doozy of a storm came through the area and it was very scary. I almost went to the tornado "safe spot" to ride it out. Luckily it was a fast moving storm but a frightening 30 minutes. At the time of writing this (September 21, 6:30 p.m.), we have been without power for 21 hours.

We drove around a little today to see the storm damage. Lots of big limbs down and uprooted trees. This is one time I'm glad we don't have large trees in our yard.

My son does have large trees...

To be continued...

autumnal equinox

 

monday's mulling: you know what day it is!

Released in November 1978, this song became a lasting global anthem of pure joy, nostalgia, and celebration. 

Do you remember the 21st night of September?

Love was changing the minds of pretenders

While chasing the clouds away

Our hearts were ringing

In the key that our souls were singing

As we danced in the night

Remember how the stars stole the night away

Hey hey hey

Ba de ya, say do you remember?

Ba de ya, dancing in September...

Get up and dance...or at least boogie a little in your chair! 

blue willow china

Last May, Todd and I were in New York City and while he was doing his “conference thing,” one of the days I was exploring the DUMBO neighborhood, just across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan. I found a really cool store there called Fishs Eddy, known for its quirky vintage dishware, glassware, and home accessories.

I wandered around the store, and when I reached the back, there it was, a HUGE display of Blue Willow dishes.

Boy, oh boy, did that bring back memories.

My grandma had a set of Blue Willow dishes, and when she died my mom brought them home with her. Mom loved pretty china and collected quite a few sets over the years, most of them purchased at estate sales. When Mom left this earth, she had nine complete sets of fine china. One of those sets was the Blue Willow that had belonged to her mother.

I was the one who had the job of finding new homes for all those beautiful sets of china. My sister took one set, my two sisters-in-law each chose a set, and my two daughters each said they would like one as well. (By the way, those dishes are still in my storage room). No one wanted the Blue Willow. I advertised the dishes, someone inquired about them, and I took them up on their offer. It was sad to let the set go, but I found comfort in knowing that someone would appreciate and use them, and in some small way Mom’s love of beautiful dishes would live on.

Standing there in Fishs Eddy and looking at that huge display of Blue Willow, I realized how much more than dishes they had been. They were pieces of my family’s story - my grandma’s, my mom’s, and mine, and have become part of someone else's story.

I stood there for a bit, smiled at the Blue Willow china display and walked away with a reminder that sometimes the things we inherit aren’t meant to stay with us forever. Sometimes their purpose is simply to connect us to the people we love and bring back precious memories.

happy birthday to my #4 child

Happy Birthday, sweet child of mine! (This was our song for the mother/son dance at his wedding). He always makes me laugh....even when he was in trouble he could make me laugh and charm his way out of being grounded for life. He always gives me a big hug...even when it wasn't cool to hug your mom he would hug me in front of his friends...and he still does. I've watched you grow from a little rascal to a remarkable young man and now to the best husband and dad. I love this kid. Wishing my fun and forever boisterous boy a happy, happy birthday!

the friday feed: sweet corn

A true taste of summer is now a memory. Sweet corn season has officially come to an end - the last ears were sold on Sunday.

People have been stopping by the stand, asking (and hoping) to find a bin full of corn, but nope. Those days are behind us for another year.

Sweet corn is such a special seasonal treasure. My favorite way to enjoy it? Right on the cob with butter and salt. Simple and perfect.

 

20 points

20 points here! 

Yesterday was my birthday, so I guess, according to this chart, I’m showing my age… but I’m not going to share 😊

Here’s a clue: I’m a Baby Boomer—the only generation in human history to have experienced a fully analog childhood and a fully digital adulthood.

We grew up without the internet, smartphones, or social media, and then watched the world transform into one where those things became part of everyday life. No other generation will ever cross that particular bridge again.

• The first time I used a fax machine was during my first real job after college.
• Rotary phones…the first phone number I remember was when we lived in Owensboro, Kentucky. 683-0669 or MU (Murray) 3-0669.
• I still use my AOL address. 
• I have a film camera but haven't used it for a long time. 
• I send postcards to my grandchildren and friends when traveling. 
• When I was pregnant with our first child, Todd and I had gone to my parents' house for Sunday dinner and I didn't feel well. I laid on my brother's waterbed while they enjoyed a nice steak dinner. We went home and about seven hours later our son was born.
• The car dealers still put a paper mat on the front seat floors when I take my car in for a service. Restaurants also used paper mats.
• I still enjoying flipping through a dictionary.
• VCRs...I think we got one in the early '90s when we had a house full of kids. My girls wore out their Beauty and the Beast video cassette.
• I wish I still had my typewriter. They're making a comeback.
• I use a checkbook on occasion. To show you how much we use it, our current checkbook register dates back to 2020. 
• I still write in cursive but print a lot, too. Schools stopped teaching cursive around 2010. I disagree with the powers that be who made that decision but hey, it's a digital world now so I guess I'm one of those cranky ladies just showing my age.

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

There's that quote..."Not all who wander are lost," and that's me. There are those times, though...

Alex the farm's bug-ologist, is a very talented young man. He taught himself to crochet and this is his current project. It's going to be a cover for his bed.

The sunflowers are slowly dying so I'm taking photos everytime I'm at the farm.  I love the flecks of yellow in the center of the flower and in the second, of course the bee and then the sun illuminating the furry stem.

The City of Kettering has started a food compost drop-off. I keep a little 1.3 gallon compost bucket by the kitchen sink and it fills up quickly! I do keep a larger bucket in the garage to maintain a once-a-week drop-off.

Another sign of fall...the arrival of pumpkins at the farm. These are the "Instagram" pumpkins; the everyday orange pumpkins will arrive soon.

Last Friday was Dayton's Greek Festival and we got our fill of gyros, dolmades, spanakopita, and loukoumades. We took a tour of the beautiful church. I wasn't in the best spot to take a photo of the main dome, thus the decapitation of Christ the Pantocrator.

And lastly, this guy and his watchful eye stand at a major intersection in town. I wish he could ticket all the red light runners!

more farm insects

I've posted a lot of photos of the bees and butterflies on the zinnias and sunflowers at the farm. They're so pretty. There are other insects, too...spiders!

This vertical line in the orb web is a "trashline" created by a trashline orb-weaver spider. These spiders build a vertical line of discarded prey remains, molt skins, and plant bits through the center of their web. The clustered, lumpy pieces along the string also frequently include the spider's own egg sacs. The line helps hide the spider from predators by breaking up its silhouette or making it look like a piece of drifting trash.

Well, hello! No itsy-bitsy spider here!

The other day, Alex, our resident bug-ologist, said, “Hey! Come over and look at this. Wanna see a wolf spider?”

“Ummmmm…sure. Why not?”

This guy was camping out in one of the tomato trays. Sure glad I wasn’t the one emptying that tray!

As creepy as they may look, wolf spiders are actually good to have around. They eat roaches, crickets, flies, ants, and plenty of other insects. Wolf spiders hunt on the ground rather than spinning webs and are wonderful OUTDOOR neighbors!

monday's mulling: clash of the seasons and other thoughts

Welp… it’s already happening. It’s the second week of September, and here comes Christmas!

I needed some wrapping paper for a shower gift, and this is what greeted me at the Hallmark store: a mingling of Christmas and Halloween. Red and green mixing with orange, black, and gold. Quite the color combination. And FYI, Christmas is only 103 days away.

The Halloween/Christmas combo was the first thing that caught my eye. Then I headed to the wrapping paper section in search of something suitable for a bridal shower. Wrapping paper and ribbon used to cover a good portion of the walls, but that’s no longer the case. I wasn’t impressed with the wedding paper selections, so I chose a fun, colorful design instead.

The ribbon selection was even more scarce, but I managed to find a combination that would work. This was a bridal shower and ribbons are needed for the practice bouquet at the wedding rehearsal - and to keep up with the superstition of breaking ribbons while opening gifts to predict how many children will be in the couple’s future. (She broke three and one of them was my sabotaged ribbon 😁).

 

simple, yet profound

Twenty-five years ago, my friend Patricia Saxton created this digital illustration, NINE, in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

I love how her minimalist depiction of the World Trade Center Twin Towers transforms them  into the number 11 - a simple yet powerful visual connection to that day and all that it came to represent. At the base of the Towers, a blooming lotus flower offers a gentle, delicate contrast to the devastation: a symbol of peace, remembrance, resilience, and renewal.

Art has a unique way of helping us hold what words sometimes cannot. It gives shape to grief, creates space for reflection, and allows us to remember while also imagining hope. In moments of profound loss, creating and experiencing art can be a form of healing - a way to honor what was lost, process what we carry, and find beauty and meaning even in the aftermath of tragedy.

From darkness, something can still bloom.

 

busy bumblebees

I watched a bumblebee flit around the pot of petunias, searching for the last bits of pollen. It took a deep dive into one of the trumpet-shaped blooms, then wiggled its way back out and flew on to the next flower. It was a peaceful few minutes watching its flight from bloom to bloom.

 

The bee is an insect admired for its industriousness, its economy and its way of working for the common good.  ~ Charles Darwin

the friday feed: 9/11...25 years ago

“Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?” It's one of those moments in time that I will not forget.

And how does this “Friday Feed” post have anything to do with food?

On September 11, 2001, I was a couple of weeks into my student teaching - the final requirement for completing my Master’s in Education. My teaching mentor and I had left the classroom for our lunch break and had just sat down in the teachers’ lunchroom when another teacher wheeled a television into the room and said, “You all have to watch this.”

We watched in disbelief as the news showed the two hijacked airplanes crash into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center.

There we were, gathered around a television in the teachers’ lunchroom, witnessing a horrific attack on American soil. We talked with one another about whether we should tell our students what was happening or continue with the school day as if nothing had happened. We ultimately decided not to tell them immediately. The teachers agreed that we should maintain the daily routine and leave it to the parents to explain the attack to their children in words they felt were appropriate.

When we returned to the classroom, we followed our normal routine as best we could. Before long, parents began arriving at the school to take their children home. By the end of the day, only a few students remained in the classroom. At that point, we told them what had happened and explained that, when they got home, their parents would talk with them about it in their own way.

Looking back on that day, that teachers’ lunchroom became more than a place to eat. It became a place where we could pause, process the unimaginable, and lean on one another. Before we could help our students, we needed those few moments together to understand what was happening and decide how best to protect their sense of safety and normalcy.

And perhaps that is where the food connection comes in. Food is often about more than what is on the plate. A meal brings people together, creates a place for conversation, provides comfort, and gives us a moment to pause when life feels overwhelming.

On that September day, there wasn’t much eating happening in the teachers’ lunchroom. But there was something just as important: people gathered around a table, trying to make sense of a world that had suddenly changed.

Twenty-five years later, I still remember exactly where I was.

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

It was a quiet week, a re-centering week. I was in charge of the pace of my days.

This is Bear. He is one of the three farm dogs. Last week had a few cooler days so Bear got to hang out with us as we worked and the customers got a few pets in with this sweet boy.

We’re lucky to live close to the Holiday at Home parade route, so Monday morning we walked to the festivities. After the parade, we wandered through the classic car show, and wow...there were some beauties! 

The owner of this pink car clearly has a sense of humor. A car seat cover informed its viewers, “NO...It’s NOT a Mary Kay car.”

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Mary Kay, it’s a major American beauty brand that sells skincare and cosmetics through independent beauty consultants using a multi-level marketing model. One of the big incentives for top independent sales directors is the opportunity to earn the use of a pink Cadillac through high sales and team building.

Now THIS is what you call an 8-cylinder engine!

Here we are mid-post so time to talk about another dog...

After walking from home and then around the park festivities, we were hungry. One of the food trucks was advertising authentic Chicago-style hot dogs. A Chicago dog in Dayton, Ohio...hmmm. I had to check it out.

An authentic Chicago dog is an all-beef frankfurter served on a steamed poppy seed bun and “dragged through the garden” with yellow mustard, bright green relish, chopped onions, tomato wedges, a dill pickle spear, sport peppers, and celery salt.

Other than the steamed poppy seed bun, this dog was authentic. And it sure hit the spot!

Back to the farm...this sunflower is taking its last bow for the season. It's been  beautiful in all of its stages.

And last...I started this post with a dog photo and will end it with another one. This pup is living its best life!

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September 10: Having some technical difficulties...can't load photos. Hope to be back up and running by Friday 🤞🤞🤞🤞

what do you see?

When we take walks around  big cities, we usually have loose itineraries of where to go and what to see. Todd is more the "where to go" guy, and I’m the "what to see" girl. And my what to see includes so much more than what’s on the list, like this photo.

What did I see?

As we crossed one of the drawbridges over the Chicago River, the first thing I noticed were the rivets. They caught my eye, and then my gaze followed their line toward the skyscrapers. I snapped the photo. Todd asked what I had taken a picture of, and I told him, “the city view.”

But it was much more than the city view.

I saw the gritty urban texture: the round rivets, the peeling paint, and the reddish-brown rust spreading across the metal. The bridge's earthy tones complemented the surface that looked tactile, rough, and weathered.

Then there were the skyscrapers: rectangular blocks divided into grids by the tiny rectangular windows. The buildings' colors were softer: beige, cream, and tan.

And then came the pops of color. Above everything was a clear blue sky. Near the street level, tiny dots of red from brake lights and stop lights brightened the sea of neutral tones.

And all those contrasts created the picture: The heavy, weathered metal of the bridge against the stone and concrete of the buildings. The rough, industrial textures against the smooth geometry of the skyscrapers. The earthy tones and neutrals interrupted by blue sky and tiny flashes of red.

Todd saw the big city.

I saw the details that made the city interesting.

monday's mulling: signs of fall

Today is September 7. The first week of September is complete, and it is also Labor Day.

Labor Day, created in the late 19th century to honor working men and women, has taken on another role over the years. It has become the unofficial farewell to summer. At the farm, apples now appear alongside peaches (but right now the peaches are in the cooler because the bees just love to get some fresh peach nectar). Acorn and butternut squashes sit beside the bell peppers. The sunflowers and zinnias are seeing fewer butterflies and bees as the days grow shorter and the season begins its quiet transition.

Here in Kettering, there is another sure sign that summer is winding down: Friday night football, changing leaves, and the hustle and bustle of preparing for the Holiday at Home Parade. Holiday at Home is a weekend celebration featuring an auto show, arts and craft show, entertainment, food, and other activities at Lincoln Park Commons. It is an event with something for all ages, and for many in the community, it is a familiar tradition that marks the changing of the season.

The large American flag at one of the city's major intersections signals that the weekend's festivities are near. It is a fitting sight for Labor Day weekend, a reminder of community, tradition, and the people who make this place their home.

But for now, let's enjoy that in-between time, when summer still lingers while fall waits just around the corner.