monday's mulling: change {august 21, 2023}

While taking little grandson on a stroll, we walked past this open garage and the Miami Redskins signs caught my eye. That's a blast from the past. Before becoming the Redhawks in 1997, the Miami University of Ohio mascot was the Redskins. In 1996 the Miami tribe of Oklahoma sent a resolution that said “the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma can no longer support the use of the nickname Redskins and suggest that the Board of Trustees discontinue the use of the Redskins and other Indian related names…” There was a lot of fuss from the alums who threatened pulling their donations but the switch was made and now 26 years later, the former nickname has faded away. The red hawk is native to this area of Ohio and hawks are a powerful animal in the lore of the Miami tribe. It was an easy and logical path to the new mascot.

Another more recent change in mascot names has been the Cleveland Indians baseball team switching its name to the Cleveland Guardians. The Cleveland Indians removed the Chief Wahoo logo from their uniforms and stadium signs following the 2018 season. Chief Wahoo had been in use by the Indians since 1947. Protest of both the logo and name started in the 1970s and moved quickly toward the retirement of Chief Wahoo when the 2016 World Series drew international attention to the team. In December 2020, the Cleveland Indians decided to drop its team name — and in July 2021 announced they’d be called the Cleveland Guardians. Again, protests regarding the name change were noisy, people today still call the Guardians the Indians, but the name is coming around. 

The Cleveland Guardians' name was inspired by the large art deco landmark stone edifices - referred to as the guardians of traffic - that flank both ends of the Hope Memorial Bridge. This bridge crosses the Cuyahoga River and begins or ends, depending on which way you're traveling, close to Progressive Field. William Henry "Harry" Hope, a local stonemason helped build the Guardians of Traffic sculptures, and the father of comedian and former Cleveland resident, entertainer Bob Hope. A lot of thought was put into this new name for the Cleveland baseball team. This moniker shows pride of place, legacy, nostalgia, stewardship, and strength, all wrapped up in one rough, tough, beautiful, powerful word: Guardians.

Change is the only constant in life. It's a phrase we’ve heard time and again, and for good reason. It captures the essence of human existence, where every moment is transient, every situation impermanent. Change can be exhilarating, intimidating, challenging, or liberating, depending on our perspective and readiness to embrace it. From personal growth to societal progress, change is the driving force that propels us forward. Sometimes we fight for change — and other times we just focus on accepting change. 

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

— Albert Einstein 

artsy fartsy {august 20, 2023}

An energetic graffiti artist with a limited vocabulary.

photo credit: Dayton at Work and Play

 

cook! {augsut 19, 2023}

The kitchen is one of my happy places and it has been for a long time. My grandma who lived on a farm outside of Bloomington, Illinois, spent time with me in her kitchen, teaching me the beauty of cooking with fresh vegetables when canned vegetables were a popular grocery store item. She taught me how to use her flour sifter and then how to gently scoop the flour into the measuring cup. My mom spent time with me in the kitchens when we moved every 2-3 years for my dad's job. She taught me measurements, how to double recipes (a recipe for 4 didn't feed our family of 6), cooking terms, the importance of cleaning as you cook as a time saver, the joy of cooking for family and friends. She let me look through her recipe books to find new recipes that I thought the family would like. Mom taught me that there was a big world of food out there and it was mine to discover. My kids are all good cooks. We spent a lot of time in our kitchen and now that they're out on their own, I smile as they cook for their families. They send recipes that they've discovered and want to share with me. The cooking lessons pass along through the generations.

I have a big collection of cookbooks. Although it is easy to type ingredients on a Google search to bring up a list of recipes, I still enjoy sitting at the table turning the pages of my cookbooks. 

I am following Julia's advice: still learning how to cook, trying new recipes, learning from my mistakes, being fearless, and having fun. I just love my kitchen playground!

the friday feed: chinese red noodle beans {august 18, 2023}

At the farm, produce is rather typical: zucchini and squash, corn, tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, okra, all kinds of peppers, half-runner and stringless beans, cucumbers, cabbage. One of the owner’s sisters-in-law grows some off-the-beaten path veggies at her home garden and brings them to the farm to sell. A new one this year is the Chinese red noodle bean.

The Chinese red noodle bean is a unique variety that’s gaining popularity because it’s easy to cook with and grow and has such an unusual appearance.

This bean is exactly what it sounds like: imagine a string bean, but much longer and with a striking deep red or burgundy color. The bean pods can grow to be 16 to 22 inches long and they contain medium-sized red beans. Red noodle beans are sweet when eaten whole and have a very similar flavor to green beans. Some people say that the actual beans themselves have a nuttier taste and will take on other flavors well.

Well, I just had to try these beans. They look like a very thick pasta noodle and I had a bunch of this and that left over in the veggie bin so why not make a tomato based primavera sauce with all those remnant veggies. I used a few canned tomatoes and their juice for a saucy sauce then added Roma tomatoes, zucchini, corn, onion, shishito peppers, fresh basil, anchovy paste (which gave an amazing depth of flavor), and Parmesan cheese.

That’s what I love about summer veggies: you can throw a mish mash together and make something pretty darn good.

out of the corner of my eye {august 17, 2023}

I take a walk nearly every day. The routes are familiar and at times I either zone out or get lost in thought and just don't take time to notice until something out of the ordinary catches my eye. Yesterday this handmade felt flower attached to the brush fluttered in the wind and invited me back to the present moment. Who put it there? Maybe a mom or dad keeping their kids busy this last week before school starts. But whatever the reason, it was one of those little things that brought a big smile.

wordy wednesday...skiplagging {august 16, 2023}

Skiplagging is buying a ticket for a connecting flight, with a layover in the city that’s the real destination for the traveler. Flyers disembark after the first leg and simply fail to board the second. Often the fare is cheaper than if they’d actually bought a direct flight to their desired destination. Savings on popular routes can be upwards of 60%, but it could get you in trouble with your airline. Though it is not illegal, the practice is strictly prohibited by airlines in their contracts of carriage. Airlines have threatened passengers who skiplag with lifetime bans and loss of frequent flyer miles.

It's up to the traveler if he or she wants to takes the chance on skiplagging. Me, I'd rather not. But if it means ending up on a beach in Key West...

inchworm {august 15, 2023}

The little inchworm on this cantaloupe took me back to my childhood watching the movie "Hans Christian Andersen" and I vividly remember Danny Kaye singing the "Inchworm" song. The melody was very gentle and a bit haunting. I also remember "Copenhagen" and "Thumbelina." Good movie...I'll see if it's streaming somewhere.

The inchworm likes to measure the marigolds. The lyrics suggest that he is good with arithmetic and will probably go far. The song encourages people to stop and appreciate the beauty of the marigolds. Carpe diem.

Inchworm

Two and two are four
Four and four are eight
Eight and eight are sixteen
Sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two

Inchworm, inchworm (two and two are four)
Measuring the marigolds (four and four are eight)
You and your arithmetic (eight and eight are sixteen)
You'll probably go far (sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two)

Inchworm, inchworm (two and two are four)
Measuring the marigolds (four and four are eight)
Seems to me, you'd stop and see (eight and eight are sixteen)
How beautiful they are (sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two)

Inchworm, inchworm
Measuring the marigolds
You and your arithmetic
You'll probably go far

Inchworm, inchworm (two and two are four)
Measuring the marigolds (four and four are eight)
Seems to me, you'd stop and see (eight and eight are sixteen)
How beautiful they are (sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two)

Two and two are four
Four and four are eight
Seems to me, you'd stop and see (eight and eight are sixteen)
How beautiful they are (sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two)

Seems to me, you'd stop and see (eight and eight are sixteen)
How beautiful they are (sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two)