Monthly Archives: April 2020

Quilt Barns

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Once upon a time, I was the Marketing Director for my community. Of the many hats I wore at that job, one involved rallying volunteers to help paint quilt blocks which were hung on barns and a few landmark buildings around the community.

The above quilt block was painted at our local airport by people who attended an event there. It hangs on the side of a shelter house at the airport and it’s one of my favorites.

Another of my favorites is this one on an old barn at a local horse farm.

The lady who owned this farm is now deceased but I’ll never forget how her eyes lit up when I asked permission to use her barn. She was a kind lady and one of many nice people I got to work with on this project.

We did several of these quilt barns in a short period of time and there’s a special story behind every single one of them. It’s fun to look around my community and see tangible ways that my hard work made a difference.

You Never Know

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This image appeared in Life Magazine on this day in 1945. Photographer Ed Clark drove all night from his Nashville home to Warm Springs, Georgia where President Franklin D. Roosevelt had died. Clark wanted to be there when Roosevelt’s casket was escorted out of the home, bound for the railroad station and a long journey back to Washington.

Unfortunately, Clark found himself corralled behind barriers with scores of other reporters. Disappointed, he wondered how he would ever capture an image that would be different than everyone else’s.

And then he heard music. It was this man, Chief Petty Officer Graham Jackson, who often played for Presidential parties.

Clark took just one small 35 mm camera with him when he slipped away from the press pool, hoping for others not to notice the scene unfolding behind them. He took just a couple of quick shots, capturing this emotional scene and freezing in time a moment when a sailor mourned his President.

This is one of my favorite images. It’s also a gentle reminder to turn around and look at what’s behind you. If everyone has their camera trained in the same direction, they will all have the same shot. Aim in a different direction and capture the thing that no one else sees.

You never know what you might capture.

Earth Day and the Health of Nature

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Columbus day 2019 vacation old barn

This barn has been nearly lost to time and swallowed up by nature.

Give Mother Nature the chance and she will reclaim what is hers. We are seeing it time and again, the world over right now as people are sent home, pollution is slowed and progress stalled.

I read a story last week about sea turtles – 70,000 of them – seen nesting along the beach in eastern India. It’s one of the largest nesting places for this particular species of sea turtle but they didn’t nest here last year. COVID 19 is credited with emptying the beaches and allowing these creatures to nest peacefully and without human interference.

The Canals in Venice are so crystal clear you can actually see fish in them and deer are wandering through city streets in Japan. Bears are thriving in our national parks because we are not there to interfere with their well being.

While we all excitedly click on these stories and share them on social media, I’m sure most people are not prepared to adjust and accommodate the natural world. The canals will again be polluted and wildlife will recede when people resume normal life.

But it doesn’t hurt to dream of what the world might look like if we were more inclined to acknowledge that these creatures have as much right to be here as we have and that clean water and air are in everyone’s best interest.

Today is the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day. Enjoy this day, friends.

Dream Cup

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If you ever find yourself on the National Road in Springfield, Ohio be sure to look for this old coffee shop. Someone out there probably knows a story about the place. All I know is the building is awesome and the sign is fabulous.

Whatever happened to fun signs and interesting rooflines on buildings? This building looks like something from the Jetson’s!

A Spring Hike

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The sky was a glorious blue with big puffy white clouds on Saturday. It was cool but not cold, making it the perfect day for a hike and drive.

The hike was only about three miles at a local state park but went through forest and along the lake shore, eventually reaching a place where the only noises came from birds, frogs and the wind through the trees.

The trillium were starting to bloom.

These geese very loudly protested when I came too close to their nest.

There were people out in boats and kayaks. A brief conversation with a couple of fisherman in a boat near the shore revealed the fish were not biting and they didn’t care. They weren’t home with the wives….

It was wonderful to breath fresh air and to move freely through the woods. I have got to find a way to do this more often.

Gratitude and Venturing Into Public

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Yesterday was a big day. I made a store run,

The stores weren’t busy, likely because it was early and cold and people aren’t in any hurry to go anywhere right now. Both stores I visited had someone sanitizing carts and monitoring traffic flow at the door. Plexiglass at the cash registers offer the cashiers some protection while marks on the floor remind shoppers to stay back. I appreciate their taking these extra steps.

People seemed to be conscious of maintaining at least six feet. Personally, I worked hard to avoid coming near anyone that I didn’t have to be near. Some people wore masks. I ordered a mask from Etsy but it isn’t here yet so I fashioned one out of a bandana. If I had to do this, I at least wanted to look like I was about to rob a train! Ha ha.

It’s hard being vegetarian in a time when popping into the store for produce is so complicated. Consequently, I am thrilled when I do have fresh food.

Spinach keeps well if you keep it dry so I just put a paper towel in the bag. But other things like berries and cucumbers are harder to maintain so I was over the moon to find some big, sweet smelling berries.

How lucky are we to live in a country where we have access to fresh, beautiful produce year round?

While I’m always polite to employees in stores, I made a point to thank everyone who helped me- the cashiers, the bagger, the kid cleaning the carts, and even the person stocking my eggplant.

None of these people want to be out in public with all us germy shoppers but they don’t have a choice. You can’t stock produce from home and none of us would be eating if these folks didn’t come to work every day.

We like to talk about when things get back to normal. Personally, I hope that when this is over I continue to feel such profound gratitude for these people and things. People are happier when they’re thankful and I personally have much to be thankful for these days.

Another change I hope we hold onto is this wonderful concept we call social distancing. If everyone could always stay six feet back I would be most happy!

Let’s keep flattening that curve, friends. Stay home if you can and stay well!