Monthly Archives: April 2024

After The Storm

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We had a series of thunderstorms Wednesday night that caused flash flooding in my community. The next morning I awoke to a bright, crisp sunrise. On this morning after the storm, raindrops were collected on the leaves and flower petals of plants beaten down with relentless force. Don’t worry. These plants will recover.

The storms came in waves Wednesday, each one stronger than the one before. It was a hot 87 degree day, significantly warmer than Ohio ought to be in mid April. Before it began, strong winds blew open a shed door. After we secured the shed, the wind suddenly slowed and gave us a moment to explore new developments around my yard before large raindrops began to fall. The old dogwood had bloomed and a nearby rhododendron is now loaded with large buds.

It was almost magical when Adam and I simultaneously spotted blooms on the lilac bush. This was special because it was a start that my dad retrieved for me from an enormous lilac in my grandparents’ old yard. One of Grandma’s lilac blooms now occupies the center of my kitchen table, giving off a spectacular fragrance. 

On this morning, puddles of water reflected a radiant rising sun. Things seemed cleaner and greener. The proverbial fresh start promised each year by this season we call Spring has finally been delivered. The birds know it too and they pass the word. Through the open windows of my house on the hill, whistles and chickadee dee dees came from all around. A distant mourning dove quietly reminded me that there will be another storm to weather on another day.

In that moment, I rejoiced in the light and air and the sights, sounds and textures of Spring. She had arrived bearing gifts but her stay will be brief as the unforgivingly humid and volatile Summer will soon move in, leaving these sweet, cool mornings a mere memory. 

After waxing poetic over the beauty of my morning, I heard from Adam whose night and day had been marred by flash flooding damage. Sadly, lots of people woke up yesterday morning to flood damage and clean up projects that will keep them busy for a long time. Spring can be just as temperamental and volatile as any other season, particularly where water is concerned. 

This just goes to show that what is an inspiring fresh start for me on the ridge can be a discouraging event for those who live in the valley.

As humans, we are created equally. Unfortunately, our events and our lives are not all the same. We don’t have the same experiences and we don’t all start from the same place. That’s easy to forget but important to remember. Let’s try doing that.

Monday Reminder – Life Is Short

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Hello and good morning, friends. I always marvel when Monday morning rolls around so quickly as it has done this week.

Weekends are never long enough to pack in the things that need done and what we want to do. This weekend seemed especially short. It was spent close to home and was a nice balance of fun, relaxation and work around the house.

Mondays always remind me that life is short. We have a finite number of hours in this world and it’s important to use them wisely.

Do your job and do it well. If you aren’t happy, go find something you like better. Take pride in your work and in the things you do for yourself and your home.

Just remember not to get so caught up in what has to be done that you have no time to accomplish what you want to do and what makes your heart happy.

Scout didn’t wait for permission to commandeer this shelf. He seized the day and moved in the minute an opportunity presented itself. He knew what would make him happy and he took it!

Obligations are just that. You may be obliged to do them but don’t allow yourself to live such a life of servitude to other people and to the things you own that you have no time for yourself.

Go forth. Work hard. Play harder. Be the master of your own life and never stop searching for what will make your journey fun.

Taggart’s Ice Cream

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Taggart’s Ice Cream is a Canton, Ohio landmark and a really cool old place. You know I had to track it down when in the area last year.

Located on a busy street in mostly residential neighborhood, it feels like a step back in time. Blue and white tile floors, antique maple booths and giant servings of ice cream specialities lend to the character of this place.

I had the fish and chips basket with an ice cold Diet Coke followed by an unexpectedly generous chocolate sundae. The fish was tasty and the hand dipped ice cream was amazing. The service was good too and, I have to say, the customers were pretty great.

The young man pictured here bussing tables looked about twelve years old and doing his darndest to keep up with a busy Saturday lunch crowd when something went wrong. Terribly wrong. Some things hit the floor, melted ice cream splattered, stuff rolled away. He was embarrassed because he was young and everything is embarrassing at that age.

But a customer came to help and then another employee came with a mop and the mess was cleaned up. As he tried to scurry off to the kitchen, customers at several tables stopped him to offer an encouraging word. It was lovely and made me feel a little better about people.

Taggart’s Ice Cream. It’s a great place for lunch and for dessert. Find their menu here and be sure to stop by if you’re in town for other things like the Pro Football Hall of Fame, First Ladies National Historic Site or the McKinley Presidential Library. It’s worth the stop!

Brief Sanctuary In Chapel Cave

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Churches are a common theme here on this blog but I have never shown you anything quite like this. Welcome to Chapel Cave, a recess cave with a chapel shape opening in Ohio’s Hocking State Forest. It’s one of the more off the beaten path destinations for hikers in that area and is located just off a bridle trail.

We hiked, of course. Part of the hike was beautiful. Most of it wasn’t much to talk about but we did have a pretty day to enjoy the hike last fall. 

Horse people call it Twenty One Horses Cave because it’s supposed to be large enough to hold that many horses. I don’t know if that’s true but there was a guided group that came through before us and they all got a kick out of riding inside.

Once they emptied out, we had about a minute before a noisy family clamored into the opening for a looksee. For one shining moment in that brief quiet I realized that it really does feel like a chapel. Sacred and solemnly grounded, this place provided a beautiful moment and a breathtaking view.

This is why we explore. These special places and moments are the very best reason to keep searching and to keep looking for more.

Eclipsing Regrets

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I live less than two hours from the much talked about path of totality of the eclipse here in Ohio. People who are in the know about eclipses will tell you that witnessing a total eclipse is a life changing experience. It sounds amazing for a nature lover and it will be two decades before our country sees another one like it.

And guess what? 

I did not go see it.

This would have required taking the day off work, choosing a place to go, maybe fighting some traffic and possibly doing all that only to stand beneath a cloud or a street light that would come on at totality. Plus, I really needed to stay and work.

I didn’t have it in me to figure it out. And then when I came up with a plan, it still sounded like too much to deal with. 

So I worked from home and saved my lunch break to experience 97 percent totality from the quiet of my own back yard.

First, I watched CBS news coverage of totality moving through Texas where day turned to night and a hush fell over the world. It was pretty cool.

In my yard, the warm, sunny day became overcast and cool. Rather than become quiet, the birds became louder as the moon moved into the sun’s path.   

When I came back in, totality was hitting Niagara Falls and the correspondent on tv was in tears. I listened as she described this dazzling, awe inspiring experience. In that moment, she and many others were living their very best lives. 

And I was at home watching it on tv.

It was then that I remembered that it’s not always possible to live our very best life and that being sad about that truth isn’t something I want to do. 

I will always regret the adventures I don’t take. The road not taken, the next room in the museum, the bend in the trail, the eclipse not seen. Unfortunately, regrets will take us nowhere. Instead, it’s probably best to use those regrets to fuel the next adventure, the one after that and the one after that.

The good news is that I’m starting to put some adventures on the 2024 calendar and that this unused PTO day will help me go somewhere else. And when you think about it like that, the promise of another day eclipses what was lost on Monday.

Exploration

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My two favorite things in this world are going to places I have never been and repeatedly visiting places in nature that are familiar. That sounds contradictory but it helps me stay sane when I can’t travel.

When you find a place that’s close and that you enjoy, it’s a good idea to study it at different times of day and in different conditions. In nature, the appearance of a single tree can change with the seasons, with the weather and in varying light. It’s obviously different with the new buds of spring, the thick foliage of summer, the brilliant hues of fall and the stark bareness of winter.

The light and shadows make a place different too. The presence of people give a place much different energy as well. 

There’s something comforting in this knowledge that while a place can change with conditions, it remains the same in its core. One of my favorite things to do is to revisit a couple of local trails I know well. To watch with quiet anticipation the first blooms of spring, to watch for the turtles on a log where they return each year, to stop and admire the first wildflowers on the forest floor – this all is pure magic.

And then there’s exploration. I firmly believe that you should go somewhere you’ve never been every chance you get. Whether it’s a far away city, a museum exhibit close by or a forest near your home, find a place you haven’t seen and go there. It is good for the mind to see new things because you often will learn something. You may meet someone who changes your worldview. You may find a new passion or realize that old habits and thoughts do not serve you well.

I am dying to hit the open road and to stop and look at things that catch my eye. A road trip will hopefully be in my near future and I can hardly wait. If you haven’t been somewhere new in a while, it’s time to do something about that. Life should be more than a constant parade of work, chores, doctor appointments, errands, kid’s sports and other obligations. 

There has to be more to life than that. You get one life. Run wild and free or be quiet and introspective. Explore somewhere. Study it and learn. I have never once regretted an adventure day.