Home and Away

Ah, Christmas.  It evokes memories of home, and visions of traveling there, perhaps in equal measure.  For "home" is a concept that shifts as the proverbial sands at the seaside.  I type this from our log home, and yet I will write in a moment about returning home to Ohio, my birthplace.  Numerous posts about the UK, my second home, populate this blog.  In the final analysis, home is where your heart takes flight!  I am grateful for all of my homes, past, present and future.  

This week, I am linking up with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color.  She has nurtured a fine group of bloggers who will make you feel at home with their I Like Thursday posts.  Check it out!

Christmas brings me such bonhomie that my "likes" could approach War and Peace dimensions.  That might reduce your enjoyment, so I will resist that temptation!  Without question, the arrival of winter and the "white stuff" holds a prominent position on my happy list at the moment.

Snowshoe rabbits are on my "naughty" list in the summer, but it is hard to get irritated with them when they are scrabbling for food through the winter.  

AND, while I don't have a picture, Spousal Unit spotted an Ermine outside the house this week, and for just a few moments, we giggled while watching it pop in and out of the snow.  I found this video on YouTube and this will give you an idea!

Some of my likes are not from this week, but they are just too good not to share!  In November, I flew to Ohio with the main purpose to join #1 Daughter, her bridal party, her future mother-in-law and my sister for wedding dress shopping.  I mean, who doesn't like being pampered and trying on a bazillion dresses that make you feel like a princess?  I can't share the dress with you, but trust me that it is BE-YOO-TI-FUL on her.  She wears the dress rather than it wearing her ... October 14, 2023 will be one special day!  My sister will design the flowers, and during my visit, the two of them sat down for some planning - I was a third wheel!

We visited the gravesites of my parents, and Wyoming Florist (previously owned by my sister and now passed on to the next generation - her daughter-in-law and her son) generously provided these simple bouquets.  If you look closely, you will notice that both of them were born in December - I think of them often in the run-up to Christmas each year.

No trip to Ohio is complete without Skyline Chili, so I made sure to enjoy some before I returned to Montana!  (This picture greets you at the airport, near the baggage claim, and tempts you when you depart!!!)

On the plane, I began reading "The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World" by Laura Imai Messina.  I wasn't sold by the style at first, but it pulled me in and I highly recommend it, especially for anyone dealing with fresh grief.  On December 6, we were devastated by the loss of Spousal Unit's only aunt.  

"Later, Yui realized that she had learned another thing ... that silencing a man was equivalent to erasing him forever.  And so it was important to tell stories, to talk to people, to talk about people.  To listen to people talking about other people.  Even to speak with the dead, if it helped."

We soldiered on and harvested our Christmas tree from our own property.  Who knew a tree could be so heavy?  Normally we have kids here to help with this process!  We recruited a neighbor to hold the tree upright while I judged its position and Spousal Unit locked it into position.  So grateful for our generous neighbors!

"A famous citation from the American psychotherapist Virginia Satir (1916 - 1988) reads: We need 4 hugs a day for survival.  We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance.  And we need 12 hugs a day for growth."

Our kids have trees of their own this year, and they were proud to send us pictures of them.  It didn't take long for fur-baby Ruby to hide within the tree branches at #1 Son's apartment - carrying on the fine tradition of Maggie and Josie!

With our closest neighbors, we had a progressive Christmas gathering last week.  So many delectable dishes and drinks!

The moon was bright and we didn't even need flashlights to walk from house to house.

And I saved the best for last - a mighty shout out to Spousal Unit - AKA Head Chef and Man with Hat.  He can now add another pseudonym to the list - Man with Wings - he completed his check ride this week and obtained his private pilot's license!!!!  He studied hard and persisted despite many obstacles.  I am so proud!  

"(Yui) told her about the frame man at the shelter ... (explaining) that the whole world was cut up into frames: big windows, small windows, keyholes ...  Hana, already lying in bed, lifted the frame to her face and carefully observed her bedroom ceiling, where there were hundreds of stars twinkling from the projector her father had given her earlier that evening.  Then she brought it down to examine Yui's face.  "Even the most enormous things can be cut up into tiny parts," Yui whispered.  "Even the biggest problems.  You can fit anything into a frame."

**********

Linking to Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday #118: Another Revolution Around the Sun

Hello, my dear readers.  I am grateful to report that this week I have celebrated another revolution around the sun.  No, no need to know how many that makes!!!  (And those of who you do know, no need to share my secret in the comments!!!)

Once again, greetings from far and wide have blessed me - don't we all need at least one day a year to be in the spotlight and to be spoiled?  Family, former work colleagues, former and current neighbors - each wish for a happy birthday was a little ray of sunshine, adding up to a whole lot of warmth!  And these days, salutations come in so many forms - e-cards, FaceBook comments, email, texts and even cards that come via the US Postal Service!!!

It's even better when the celebration extends either side of the day itself.  Why limit the fun to just one 24-hour period, when it can last a week or two?  Cards began arriving a week before my birthday, and my Dear Neighbor Friend showered me with gifts four days early.   She gave me enough cinnamon rolls to feed an army; a wise move given that #1 Son and Spousal Unit have access!  You might recognize the moose bar of soap - it was in my 1/24/2021 post.  So thoughtful to get it for me - she knows I ADORE moose!  The slim box with "Thank You" on the front contains printable card stock and envelopes - perfect for the card-making I love to do!  And the Nature Valley granola bars are "payback, with interest" on one that I gave her a while back.  We had a good laugh over that one!!!

Around the time of my birthday, I can also be fairly expansive in my definition of "gifts".  A couple of days before my special day, a deer began to pass through the "back yard", pausing under the birdfeeders to snack on fallen sunflower seeds.  Yep, that display is just for me!!!

I can ski for hours in cold temperatures, but when we get home, there is no substitute for a fire and a warming cocktail for me/a bourbon for Spousal Unit!

We've had quite a bit of snow lately (good news around these parts) and that "gift" meant I needed to pull out my snowshoes for the first time this winter.  The 'shoes have special meaning for me since they were one of my retirement surprises from my team four years ago.  What a joy to climb the hills, to gain a new vantage point, to see pure white snow broken only by my tracks.

My birthday began as it should, with breakfast in bed!  Later, I moved to the great room and alternated between stitching and gazing out the window.  Spousal Unit and #1 Son indulged me by joining in a snowshoeing venture around the back forty.  (In the collage below, Spousal Unit and I are standing on the ice in front of the beaver lodge.)

When we returned to the house, I stopped to fill up the birdfeeders, and asked Spousal Unit to snap some shots while I fed a few by hand.  The mountain chickadees are fearless, and the black-capped chickadees are starting to get into the game.  The nuthatches wait patiently among the aspens.  Here I am with a black-capped chickadee.

By the time I got inside, the boys had placed cards and gifts around my spot at the table, and lit the candles on my cake.  I had to puff a couple of times to get all the candles out!  Oh, that carrot cake sure hit the spot after our walk in the woods.

Not pictured below is a certificate for a massage, and a new trail cam that is on back order.  I am quite thrilled about this trail cam, which will allow me to retrieve photos remotely!  I will have so many more options for placement of the camera - watch this space for (more) exciting wildlife photos!  Oh, and we decided to call the latest addition to my moose collection "Lord Mountbatten".

We played a few rounds of Rummikub, and then we ate a home-made version of Skyline Chili, my requested birthday meal.  Can you say food coma?

I could go on and on through time, counting my many gifts, but even I have to close this birthday chapter, for now.  What better way than to come full circle to my DNF, and our cross-country skiing excursion, the day after my birthday?

***     ***     ***     ***     ***     ***     ***     ***     ***

While I have been busy celebrating another year of life, many others have not been so blessed.  As of the date of this post, 496,208 US residents have died from COVID, and the world has lost more than 2.3 million souls to the pandemic.    Closer to home, I recently became aware of the suicide of a 24-year-old man who was the brother of an Olympian from Whitefish, Montana.  Back in November, a 27-year-old woman attempted suicide by crashing her car at a high rate of speed into the train depot in Whitefish.  Unfortunately, I could go on.  According to the CDC, in 2018, suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34 in the US; there were more than 2.5 times the number of suicides as homicides.   Stay close to those you love; if you think someone is in crisis, or you need to talk to someone, in the US you can call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK(2855), 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time). 

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog. 

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back. 

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by. 

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully. 

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #86: The Icing on the Cake

Postcard for my brother in Utah

In my last two posts (June 14 and June 21), I wrote about my trip to Ohio to visit my Mom.  At the end of my time there, I strategically planned to see my children; if there was any COVID to be transmitted, it wouldn't be to my Mom!  It had been over 5 months since I had seen the kids in person(Christmas in Montana), and I was over the moon with anticipation.  It was all I hoped it would be!

After leaving my Mom, I drove to Columbus; #1 Son is a newly minted graduate of The Ohio State University!  (Do you know what an odd time this is to look for a job?  As a former HR professional, I have been assisting with his job search, and responses are S-L-O-W on the 30+ active applications that he has in process.)  We chose to focus on fun during our visit, starting with outdoor activity.  He located a gorgeous site for a hike, the Natural Bridge Loop Trail near Hocking Hills.  As we pulled into the narrow country lane, it was obvious many others had the same idea - it was lined with parked cars.  And yet, once we entered the trail, it was easy to find solitude.  I was entranced with the honeysuckle that inserted its wandering vines into every available crevice, from barbed wire fences to the abundant trees.

Soon enough, we arrived at the Natural Bridge, which is more than 100 feet long and 10 to 20 feet wide.  Gracefully arching 50 feet across a ravine, it is considered the largest natural bridge in the state of Ohio.  It originated millions of years ago, when Ohio lay under a warm inland sea.  You can read more about its origin here.  I did feel a little nervous standing in the middle of it - my wild imagination surmises that one day it will collapse, the result of ongoing wind and water erosion!

As you might expect, there are other rock features in the area, created by the same forces that sculpted the Bridge.  The Rock Shelter, shown below, is another hallmark of erosion through softer stone, revealing the strata of harder stone beneath.

As we returned to the parking lot, #1 Son remarked on the beauty of the meadow to the right of the trail.  The pictures don't do it justice - you'll have to trust us that wildflowers of all varieties waved in the soft wind, vying for the sun and the rain that threatened to fall from the gathering clouds.

Having worked up an appetite, we treated ourselves to a Southern Ohio favorite and institution, Skyline Chili.

And the goodies just kept coming.  #1 Son escorted me to the Columbus Park of Roses.  Yes, he knows me well - a park, flowers - heaven!  After we had thoroughly explored the flower beds, we amused ourselves with a few hands of Touring, the card game that I described in my May 3 post.  It was the first time he played it, and like me, he loves it!!  I could not have asked for a more fulfilling day!

The Park of Roses opened to the public in June 1953.  

The next day, having driven back to Cincinnati the night before, I savored a breakfast at the Half Day Café with my sister, #1 Daughter and her boyfriend.  From there, I traveled south with #1D to help her move from one apartment to another.  It is so joyful to lend a hand in a concrete way!

The quaint, leafy Mount Lookout area takes its name from the landmark 1800s Cincinnati Observatory, which offers tours and stargazing nights.  It is a significant improvement over her former neighborhood in Cincinnati.  Within walking distance is Mount Lookout Square, with restaurants, taverns, a coffee shop, ice cream parlor and the art deco theater The Redmoor, which hosts live jazz and soul.

We climbed from the square to Ault Park, which features elaborate gardens, picnic shelters and nature trails.  Along the way, we passed many historic homes, and entertained ourselves by discussing our preferred architectural styles.  Clearly, this is a hot topic, since we saw many signs promoting Mount Lookout.

Upper right: the Heekin Overlook was dedicated in 1998 in memory

of James and Mary Molloy Heekin and their 13 children, whose farm

is now part of Ault Park.

One of the benefits of hanging out with "locals" is knowing where to eat, such as Eli's BBQ, our next destination.  A low-key BBQ joint, it features outside seating, a valuable feature in these days of social distancing.  And the BBQ is pretty tasty, too.

A short distance away is Alms Park, known for dramatic views over the Little Miami and Ohio Rivers.

The three of us returned to the apartment and played games, including Touring (notice a theme?)  (The Boyfriend fits well in our family since he shares our love of games.)  Later, it was so delightful to stroll up the street and get ice cream. It was the cherry on top, the icing on the cake to my visit to Ohio.

I could almost pretend that it was the good old days, when the kids were small.  A Mom's heart never forgets, now matter how tall or mature they may get!!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Monday (U.S. Mountain time).
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #11 - Our Trip to the Heartland

Mom also has the nickname "GG" since she has

20 great-grandchildren and one more on the way!

1928.  Calvin Coolidge was the U.S. President.  Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.  Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.  Mickey Mouse appeared in Steamboat Willie.  And in December, my Mother was born.  We've come a long way in 90 years, and it's a milestone worth celebrating in style.  Off we went to Centerville, Ohio, where my Mom and Dad raised 7 children.  How appropriate we should come full circle for her birthday bash!

We began with a Friday-night dinner at Bravo, organized by my oldest brother.  Our private room was the perfect venue for the kids to play and the adults to visit, circulating around the room to catch up with family that had traveled from Mexico, Texas, Utah, Missouri and Montana.  Inevitably, a conversation with 'seasoned' adults leads to health discussions; my Mother and one of my sisters and I compared hands, and notes on joint pain.

The next day, 35 family members gathered to fete our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.  The private room at her senior living community had been decorated with a silver and red theme, red being one of her favorite colors.  My oldest sister, the florist, created the centerpieces and a corsage for the guest of honor.  As a special touch, she included cardinals (my Mom's favorite bird) in the arrangements.  One of my nephews brought balloons for the cake/gift table, which quickly filled up with packages and gift bags.  The afternoon flew past with visiting time, the brunch buffet, group photos, and opening gifts.

The entire family contributed pictures that I compiled into a book covering the last 10 years (one of my nieces had previously created a book for Mom for her 80th birthday).  In addition to presenting the book to her, I also prepared a slide show that replicated the book.  I don't think there was a dry eye in the house as we watched the show, accompanied by songs such as "Mother" by Sugarland and "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.  While Centerville may be a scant 50 miles from where my Mother was born, in her lifetime she has traveled to Hong Kong and Guam, Germany and the UK, and many states throughout the US.  Yes, GG is Still on the Go.

But no family gathering with my Mom is complete without euchre, a card game for 4 that is played with a partner.  This day, we conducted a tournament, which meant players moved tables and changed partners after 8 hands.  It was an ideal way to mix with each other, with lots of laughter along the way.  (Ironically, our daughter won the tournament, and the next highest score was obtained by her boyfriend, a rookie euchre player.  Beginner's luck?)  The day began to wind down as we enjoyed the chocolate cake with a ganache filling and coconut frosting (Mom's requested cake).  And we began to talk about where to hold her 95th party - I have no doubt we'll be having one!

A bar of Huckleberry chocolate was first prize

The next day, Spousal Unit and I went to Mass with my Mom, my younger brother and his wife, and then we drove to Columbus to visit #1 Son.  He had planned a couple of activities for us; the first stop was North Market.  An indoor public market, it is home to "butchers, bakers and candy makers; fishmongers, greengrocers and restaurateurs". Presented with endless photo opportunities, I had to rein myself in so that we could focus on choosing lunch items from the diverse ethnic options.  All three of us selected items at the Polish counter, and the servings were massive.

Fortunately, our next destination was the Columbus Museum of Art; strolling the exhibits staved off the inevitable food coma that sets in after a big meal.  Being Sunday, admission was free, and I was delighted to see so many people in the facility, especially with families.  Many of the exhibits had areas set aside with activities for kids and adults - what an engaging way to involve everyone in art!  And the museum encourages you to take pictures - how refreshing - I did not have to be asked twice.  I can't remember the last time I was in an art museum with our kids; viewing the art with our son as a young adult was quite intriguing as we exchanged opinions on the various art forms.

This is for all my crochet buddies out there - a whole room was

decorated in this manner, and had textile-based activities

Artist: Dale Chihuly  Work: Isola di San Giacomo in Palude

We concluded the day at a Buffalo Wild Wings, strategically chosen as the venue to watch the Cleveland Browns- Baltimore Ravens football game.  Unfortunately, the Browns lost, but they wrapped the season with their best record in over a decade, 7 wins, 8 losses and 1 tie!!!

On Monday morning, we returned to Centerville for lunch with my Mom (you just can't resist her sauerkraut soup with home-made bread), and a few rounds of Kings in the Corner.  

Back on the road, we motored south to Cincinnati in time to check in at our hotel, catch 40 winks and get dressed up for the 1920's-themed New Year's Eve party hosted by our daughter's employer, a theater in downtown.  It felt like an authentic speakeasy; a three-piece band played lounge music downstairs by the bar, and upstairs the crowd was fully vested in gambling with "Monopoly" money.  Roulette, blackjack, a money wheel … your winnings could be used to "purchase" raffle tickets - I couldn't believe it when we won a bottle of wine in both drawings!

On New Year's Day, we toured Krohn Conservatory, a Cincinnati favorite at the holidays due to the extensive displays arranged just for the season.  The 2018 Holiday Show included fragrant holiday florals, model trains and miniature Cincinnati buildings constructed of natural materials.  Applied Imagination, the creative force behind the buildings, also erected small replicas of key American monuments such as The Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore.  Mind-boggling creativity and attention to detail.  

Of course, a US holiday is not complete without some sporting event; we took in the first half of the Rose Bowl, featuring the Ohio State Buckeyes (#1 son is currently attending the school) versus the Washington Huskies.  But I needed some shuteye (not as young as I used to be).  My oldest sister hosted us for the next two nights, and she didn't bat an eye when we showed up at her house and I practically went straight to bed!  (OSU won 28 to 23.)

We had a slow start the next morning since my sister had some business to conduct, and then we had lunch at a Cincinnati institution - Skyline Chili.  Driving south into Cincinnati proper, we arrived at Union Terminal, only recently re-opened.  The soaring Art Deco masterpiece and a National Historic Landmark, the building is also a museum and cultural center.  

We bought Discovery Passes, which offered entry to all the exhibits other than three, special limited engagement displays (IMAX tickets are also sold separately).  Dinosaurs, model trains, Legoland and more!  The "Public Landing" section re-creates Cincinnati's river heritage as it might have looked in the mid-century.  You can walk through historic shops and a steamboat, and learn stories about real-life Cincinnatians.  I was transported!

Union Terminal is known for its intricate mosaics, which dominate the main hall

That evening, we chilled out at my sister's house, stitching (that is, my sister and I were stitching) and watching movies.  It was a relaxing conclusion to a few days of back-to-back action.  An opportunity to ponder and chat about all that had happened since our arrival a few days before.  And a chance to gaze forward, to the places, people and events that will be woven into the fabric of 2019.  
       

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Monday (U.S. Mountain time).
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us.  

An InLinkz Link-up