gentle reminder

Summer has come and almost gone, and I've found myself "doing doing doing" what needs to be done. I don't know about you, but every now and then I believe it's wise to remind ourselves of this!

pet peeve

Who let the dogs out? And why didn’t they pick up?

Oh, people, people, people...this is a load of crap. It's your duty to pick up the doodie. 

You put it in a bag but leave it on the sidewalk or in someone's ground cover. It's a simple courtesy to take care of your dog's business.

This puts a little different spin on my complaining. Thankful that I don't have to deal with this!

the friday feed: roasted red pepper dip

Look at these beauties! They were freshly picked and were begging to be made into something quick and easy. What to do, what to do...hmmmm. How about a simple five ingredient dip? Done!

This is tirokafteri, Greek roasted red pepper dip. It's an uncomplicated recipe combining roasted red peppers, a hot banana pepper, feta cheese, olive oil, and roasted garlic, all mixed in a food processor  to created a small but flavor-packed snack. Ohmygosh, is it good! Eat it with crackers or veggies or use as a sandwich spread.

Tirokafteri

3 red peppers

1 small hot banana pepper

1 - 3 cloves of garlic

200 g. feta (about 7 ounces)

1/2 lemon juiced

1/4 c. olive oil

4-6 pitas

For roasting the peppers, either broil them in the oven or grill them until the skins are charred and bubbly and place in a bowl. Cover with a lid and let steam until they are cool to the touch. The skins should peel off easily. If the peppers haven’t are too hot and haven’t steamed enough, the skin will be difficult to peel.

Add roasted red peppers, feta, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Cut the pitas into triangles and add them to a baking sheet along with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Pop in the oven on broil for 3-5 minutes. The pitas will brown quickly so watch carefully.

Tirokafteri...

Say that quickly five times!

It’s roasted red pepper dip.

harmonies

On August 2, Art in the City brought people to Downtown Dayton. 300 local artists shared their talents with more than 30 hands-on activities and demonstrations, and more than 100 live performances. It was a way to celebrate the local artists, creatives, and art lovers who help keep Dayton's arts community thriving. One of the exhibits that remained downtown was Harmonies, a set of interactive music boxes, placed at various locations around town. These instruments have now moved on to their next destination.

Last week I took my daughter's birthday card to the downtown Dayton post office and then had a nice stroll around town to see the Harmonies music boxes located at Courthouse Square, Levitt Pavilion, the Dayton Convention Center, and the Seed of Life sculpture in the Oregon District. I cranked the music boxes to hear the music, causing people who were around to look up from their phones to see what was going on. I walked a little over a mile going from instrument and took quite a few photos, too. 

 

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

On recent trips to the grocery store, I've seen more people deliberately taking up two parking spots. It's rude, a breach of common decency. But whatever. The other day I took some donations to the Humane Society Thrift Store and a van was parked across two spots. My thoughts immediately jumped to another rude parking job. When I got out of the car, this sign hit me right at eye level. Instead of shaking my head at inconsiderate behavior, I had to shake my head at myself for jumping to conclusions. I've not seen a sign like this before. If a handicap spot isn't available, this is a good alternative.

My friend and I went to Sugarcreek MetroPark to take a hike in this beautiful end of summer weather. On one of the trails is the Osage Orange Tunnel. Back in the 1800s farmers planted these trees to act as a fence for their livestock and now these large arching branches have created a living tunnel for today's hikers to enjoy. 

Look closely and you'll see a big spider web. I saw this early morning at the farm stand, pointed it out to my co-worker, and she just about flipped out. She wanted to knock it down, I asked her not to. By the time I left, the web was gone. Sigh. I wonder how long it took for this spider to weave this. Webs are natural engineering marvels and its shimmering appearance in this sunlight showcased its beautiful precision.

A little fun with tomato faces 🍅

The big high school football game between rivals Kettering and Centerville is coming up on September 12. In the past there was bad blood between the schools so to turn this rivalry into something positive, the schools started a competition to raise money for charities of their choice. The school that raises the most money gets bragging rights for the year but both schools get the satisfaction of helping their communities. One of the fundraisers for Kettering's high school is to sign up for your neighbors to get their yard "flocked" by a bunch of blue flamingoes. One of our neighbors got flocked!

 

one last look

Labor Day 2025.

One last look at the Fountains of Light at sunset. The end of the day, the end of their season, and the views did not disappoint.

A lone paddle boarder enjoying a sunset cruise.

Got a little artsy with this one

Beautiful colors and reflections

The last splash of 2025

monday's mulling: september 1

Wow. It's September 1. Just three more weeks of summer then hello to autumn. Garden centers already have pumpkins, Halloween decorations are filling displays and that darn pumpkin spice latte is being marketed heavily.

All summer long the Fountains of Light have been going off hourly at the confluence of the Great Miami and Mad Rivers. Today (Labor Day) is their last day to grace Dayton's skyline. I'm going to miss my trips downtown to hear the initial "whoosh" as the fountains begin their initial spray and then watch the 10 minute display. 

Today is also my son and daughter-in-law's seventh wedding anniversary. They met at Ohio University, spent a couple years living in different cities because of their jobs, moved to Cleveland and found new jobs, got married, and have blessed Todd and me with two grandchildren. It has been such a joy to watch them grow as a couple, in their careers, and now as parents.