“Reserved” seating…
Having now attended many of the season’s offerings of drama, music, sport, church , community activities of various sorts, I’m again noticing how we–many of us–seem to have “our” seats that we tend to gravitate to whatever it is that’s going on. Same for parking places at the mall; if you always go in at the Dillard’s entrance ,...
And to think…
…that winter–meteorological/astronomical/calendar-wise–is all of three weeks away (December 21, 2024) and about that long ago we were all marveling at how unseasonably warm it had been for, how long? And speaking of the Winter Solstice (December 21, 2024)--the shortest day of the year–before it even gets here, we get to experience the Full Cold Moon on the fifteenth. Bet...
Walk On!
Yes, indeed. Another Christmas Walk has come and not yet gone. You’ve got time to finish it off in fine style if you hit the second weekend (November 15, 16, 17). Pray for the kind of weather the first weekend had…not counting Sunday, which was a tad damp, but three out of four days is a pretty good average....
Ho Ho Ho… How Much?
I have got to get out more. That’s going to be my approach to being gob-smacked by the prices of all sorts of things. Shop more, get more accustomed to seeing items of dubious value ( and I do mean dubious–possibly not long-lasting enough to survive the trip in the cart and through the check-out) placed on shelves and in...
All Fired Up!
And I’m not talking about the fall colors and all that… though they are quite lovely, as usual. My pawpaw patch is a brilliant yellow—no fruit though. The maples are a pretty red (syrup isn’t all they’re good for). It’s autumn in Ohio for sure, but this is just the preface for all that’s coming down the pike, so...
Be Careful!
As in, “Be careful what you ask for, you may get it.” Having passed the astronomical beginning of Fall (the Autumnal Equinox, September 22)( interesting note from the OFA–”As the wind and weather at the equinoxes, so will they be for the next 3 months”...think about that.)with a continued appearance of Summer (temps in the mid-to-upper 80’s, sunshine all day,...
Coming… Going… Gone!
Our local United Methodist churches–Garrettsville, Nelson, Windham– are joining up on September 29 for a joint potluck dinner/brunch following a combined worship service at 10:00 a.m. in the Garrettsville sanctuary. Everyone (with a dish) is invited; plates, napkins, tableware, beverages will be provided; there’ll be cake too. How can you lose? The whole extravaganza is about recognizing Rev. Fred...
Shine on !
Does it seem that we’ve had more than our share of “moon events” lately?There was the total solar eclipse back on April 8 (Still finding eclipse glasses around the house are we?), where the moon passed in front of the sun and just left us slightly in the dark, and the birds very confused (They did not have glasses,...
Instead of Red or Blue, Why Not Purple?
As the election signs pop up in yards in local communities around the nation, the election season begins to heat up. Instead of focusing on whether preferred candidates are red or blue, one local faith community is choosing to direct their attention on where the two groups intersect. They prefer to focus on the purple, or where both groups...
First Down—Rubber Duckies!
WOWZAH! That ball game on Friday had folks in the crowd looking for animals proceeding, two-by-two, toward the exits somewhere out by the end zones. Whooee ! Haven’t seen a ballgame that wet in SOME time. There was no rainbow, but we were certainly going to survive–eventually. Dark as the inside of a goat (old Groucho Marx joke : ”Books...
Two down, one to go!
Fairs, that is, bumpkins. I have now hit the Lorain County Wellington Fair and the Portage County Randolph Fair and am seriously planning (requires working around volleyball games, choir practice, football games, historical society meetings, doctor’s appointments and the bloodmobile, for starters) to hie myself off to catch the Great Geauga County Fair up in Burton. Notice that the first...
Cancel “the Carlson Thing!”
Thanks to an amazing turn-out of care and concern (including the arrival of “the Squad” at the conclusion of the early service at Garrettsville United Methodist Church, manned in part by a former student behaving in a most professional manner as he stuck sensors of various sorts on portions of my bod that I’m sure he never thought he’d...
The Name Game
“Who dat?”“Who dat say ‘Who dat?’“Who dat say ’Who dat?’ say “Who dat?”Back in the Dark Ages of vaudeville entertainment this was a routine which could have ‘em rollin’ in the aisles We will not even get into the particulars of the ethnicity of the speakers involved–not acceptable by current standards, but the question remains :”Who?”Remember that when you...
Mostly Miscellany
I hope that the various vendors, wandering wine-tasters and customers of all descriptions will have judged the recent “Sip & Shop on Main” event to have been a success and make it a point to return next year–if, indeed, it does return. It was a fine day for being out in town and seeing something new to do. For...
A Perfect Day: Opening of the Dorothy and Corbett Walker Memorial Bike & Hike Trail
Pretty darned great day all through, if I do say so myself. July 20, 2024 saw the ribbon-cutting for the opening of the Dorothy and Corbett Walker Memorial Bike & Hike Trail, connecting Findley State Park (on St. Rte. 58) and the Wellington Reservation of the Lorain County Metroparks System(on Jones Rd.)--old stomping grounds for some of us and...
“Over My Dead Body”
Or words to that effect....the topic of a recent program presented at the Freedom Historical Society on July 19, 2024 at their lovingly-restored Drakesburg School #2...all about cemeteries and, specifically, headstones, their features and care.The topics covered included cemetery law in Ohio (The states are all different, even the counties and townships have their own regulations for their facilities.),...
The hinges of where now?!
H-E-double toothpicks, you say? Wowzah! I guess so. My car temperature reading was 92. My house all-purpose thermometer (date, time, indoor/outdoor air pressure, humidity) showed that I was escaping from 93 degrees outside and lolling about in just 77 measly degrees–the air conditioning was set at the recommended 78 degrees to avoid overtaxing the cooling system and costing me beaucoup bucks...
Y? Y not!
Why not ? We are in real danger of losing the operation of the Garrettsville Family YMCA. This is NOT because of lack of activity at the operation, contrariwise, it is more because of the many and varied activities going on there that are, increasingly, more than staffing can support. One person, basically, is being asked to handle, manage,...
Head’s Up Bikers!
Naw, not you leatherjacket, totally-tattooed, scoff-law tough guys (and gals) who go roaring through wide spots in the road, hell-bent on scaring the beejeesus out of rural observers; you can just disregard this message. I’m talking here to the more sedate–slow, even–three-speed, ten-speed, fifteen-speed on a good day, peddlers that populate bike paths ‘round and about this neighborhood and...
On Memorial Day
Can we talk HEROES ?...the ones we honor here today, who gave what Abraham Lincoln called their “last full measure of devotion” , the ones who–as we sing in “America the Beautiful”–“more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life,” as well as those whose heroism has been of a quieter, less tragic but equally significant nature...
It’s All Relative!
Relatives , that is. Relatives and friends and neighbors and classmates and teachers and stray passers-by…we’re talkin’ OPEN here. Bud. It is officially Open House Season. Graduation is coming right up over the horizon, invitations are going out–informal/verbal or online or accompanying graduation announcements or in full-page ads in the public prints, for all I know. Catering establishments are being...
A Century Old Legacy: Celebrating the Ravenna Thursday Literary Club
There are birthdays…and there are BIRTHDAYS (Notice the capital B, et al.) Recently, at the Reed Memorial Library, in the Haymaker Room downstairs, the Thursday Literary Club of Ravenna met to celebrate its 100th year of exploring society through books, discussing timely topics and contributing to community at all levels, beginning with a simple invitation from a friend to meet...
Catastasis
Heck of a word, eh? Followed closely by catastrophe, catastrophism, catatonia and cat-a-wampus( next column in my Webster’s New World College Dictionary has catchpoll, catechesis and catechin–totally unrelated). Amazing what words are out there, just waiting to be used, if only we had some idea what they meant. In any case, all of this came up when I thought that...
Wet enough for ya?
Well, the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers. “ Right?That being so, my yard and everybody else’s for that matter, should be resembling the Amazon rainforest. Of course, the late-season plunge down to frost warnings may have put the kibosh on that scenario, at least temporarily. All of this “El Nino” weather fluctuation may have confused some of...
Aaaaand we’re off !
It’s that time of year again. That time when Spring has–sorta–come but Winter makes occasional encore appearances, indoor sports are, basically, over and everybody heads outside–where the rain is, and athletic directors everywhere are living on their communication devices–scheduling, scheduling, re-scheduling, re-scheduling, contemplating cancellations. Bus drivers are stuck waiting to see whether they’re off for a trip or not or...
Democracy, Disney and other March Madness
Anybody else remember that sort of current events/comedy show from back in the Dark Ages? “That Was The Week That Was”? Well, I just had one of those that was about ten days long. What a ride…literally! Not even including the regular third Monday of the James A. Garfield Historical Society, though not including it would mean skipping over the...
Citizens Awaken!
It’s that time again – Ohio’s primary voting is scheduled for March 19 this year, so mark your calendars. Ensure your driver’s license is valid, as state-issued identification is now a requirement; electric bills or bank statements won’t suffice. Speaking of state-issued documents, a friendly policeman in Streetsboro alerted me to the expiration of my license plates by approximately...
Okay, how do I add a title?
One of the great mysteries of the digital age, as far as I am concerned. Actually, it is a question followed by another : What do I do to send it off, if it has no title? I went to the very informative session at the PCDL—there are more to come, I hope—with a class or two from the...
Once more into the breach, dear friends…
Well, here we go again. Off to the races. From here on in (or out, depending on the weather) we’re racing onward toward the ending of this or the beginning of that. Practices have begun for the Spring musical, “Beauty and the Beast”, I believe. Wrestlers are also having a good year–kudos to Coach Andel, for having all the weight...
Feathers, Fowl, and Finances: The Increasing Toll of Yuletide Celebrations
In a surprising turn of events, it appears that the cost of procuring the items featured in the classic holiday tune, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," has experienced a notable increase of approximately 4.8%. At the forefront of this upward trend are the turtle doves, ostensibly due to their relative rarity. When was the last time one encountered such...
