The weather finally broke, the humidity dissipated and the outdoors no longer hurts my skin or lungs. It has felt a little like fall for the last couple of days and this break has been a tremendous relief.
We hiked yesterday for the first time since June. Plus, we picked up food truck food and had a picnic at the lake. Last night was nice and cool so we went on the porch and enjoyed the sounds of evening in the country.
It was awfully nice and I wish it would last. Unfortunately, the heat will return soon and we’ll be sweating again and I’ll be complaining about it again.
All the same, it’s a lovely reminder of what is to come as summer will eventually shift into fall and I couldn’t be more excited.
I wouldn’t hate summer so much if it always felt like fall!
The word coddiwomple is said to mean “to travel in a purposeful manner toward a vague destination.”
This is one of the very most rewarding ways to spend an adventure day and my recommendation is that you give it a whirl. All you have to do is know that there’s some random place you want to maybe see. Maybe it’s a great downtown district or a diner.
Have that place in mind?
Good! Now set off in that direction. Go with purpose but remember to enjoy what’s along the way – travel the backroads, go around the block for a closer look at something random, shop the cute shops, stop for ice cream, read the historic markers, talk to strangers, and go completely off script.
Hopefully you’ll eventually make it to that original destination. Maybe you won’t. Who cares? After all, you are coddlewompling and that’s great fun!
When planning a trip, I always look up libraries around my destination. If there’s a Carnegie library or some other interesting building, it automatically makes the list of must sees. Sometimes I stop in anyway because libraries say a lot about the place. In these four walls, it is possible to simply exist. There’s no admission, there’s interesting stuff to see, and the library staff is typically knowledgeable about their community. Plus, there’s a free and clean public restroom!
The main library in downtown Cleveland has been on my list for a while and there just hasn’t been a good opportunity to go in. That is, until last week! Adam and I revisited the gorgeous Arcade where an important scene was filmed for the new Superman movie. From there, the library was just across the street.
Park once, visit two things. This is helpful when parking garages cost $15 a pop.
This library did not disappoint. My friends, the security guard may have momentarily thought us crazy until he realized we’re just nerds. He handed us a guided walking tour and sent us on our way. But first, I had to admire this light!!
Look! The shade is a globe! Where can I get one of these for my house?
The downtown library consists of the original building and the Louis Stokes Wing which is accessible via an underground tunnel. We explored the new building some but thought the real show stopper was the main library which opened just over a century ago in May 1925.
The building features a number of architectural styles. Inside, Italian marble, vaulted ceilings and grand staircases are only upstaged by the paintings of historical and mythological figures.. It’s five stories and cost about $5 million to build in those glorious years of prosperity we call the Roaring Twenties.
I read somewhere that times were tough for the library during the Depression just as they were for everyone else. President Roosevelt’s Public Works programs sent employees to clean, paint, make building repairs and perform other chores for a while. During that time, some federally funded art was given to the library via paintings and murals that remain today. Can we pause for a moment and recognize the value of funding art for public buildings? Putting to work starving artists while preserving art of the period and improving public spaces is a real gift.
We visited the Arcade last year and strolled through the beautiful reading garden but didn’t make it inside. Incidentally, the reading garden is named for Linda Anne Eastman who was the first woman to head a major U.S. city library system and she was a pioneer in modern libraries who was once President of the American Library Association. When did she do that? She was the head librarian of the Cleveland library system from 1918 to 1938. She raised money to build this library and oversaw its construction.
What. A. Rock. Star.
And honestly, I could write an entire story about her accomplishments. But I digress.
The library has an enormous collection of books as well as all manner of electronic items, programs for all ages, gallery space, a place for technology education and an impressive makerspace complete with 3D printers, laser fabrication and music and video production tools.
They have done a magnificent job keeping up with the times. Plus, the library system has 27 branches as well as the Ohio Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled.
Sit tight and come back. I still have to tell you about their collection of Superman memorabilia and artifacts. He’s from Cleveland, you know!
I took a few days off this week and headed north for a little adventure in Cleveland. We chose this destination because a favorite author was speaking and I was dying to go hear her.
We had a nice time but I am a self proclaimed country mouse and the concrete, noise and pollution of that city are hard to tolerate. There are benefits like bookstores, restaurants, museums and other cultural features that are hard to come by where I live. I love parking the car and wandering around a city’s downtown even though I didn’t get to do that this time.
But the sirens, construction sounds, and challenging traffic situations make it hard for me to relax. Plus, it feels like there is no good way to get anywhere and it’s all incredibly spread out so that’s an annoyance.
Once we left Cleveland and were headed south on less populated interstate followed by state routes through the countryside, and then backroads home, I noticed I was breathing better with each passing mile.
As dusk turned to dark, the thick forests which line our rural roads began to crowd in, as though reaching toward the car in a warm embrace.
We rolled down the windows and breathed in the cool air. It was about 74 degrees and the humidity had broken while we were away.
Not only did it feel soft and pleasant, it smelled clean. We realized we hadn’t breathed clean air in days.
And our country air didn’t disappoint.
It smelled of pine, of earth, and sometimes of campfire smoke.
It was eerie in places where rain had preceded us and left behind a light misty fog that clung to the pine trees..
Two small deer grazed by the road as fireflies danced around them. We didn’t see fireflies in the city. We also didn’t hear locusts, tree frogs or bull frogs where we were.
We did spend some time at Lakeview Cemetery and were delighted at all the life that is found among the deceased including swans, ducks, fish, turtles and all manner of birds.
As country people we are told that our life is backward. People might call it quaint or old fashioned. They make fun of us for being so far from civilization and call us hillbillies. They think we aren’t smart enough to know better and to want more for our lives like they have.
But you know something? A ten minute drive into my county seat gets me to work and to a grocery store, pharmacy and hardware with most of what I need. A thirty minute country drive gets me to a larger town on a road where I’m not in a wall of traffic that’s either sitting still or driving 80 mph.
Plus, I have nature and clean air.
I’ll take my country home, far from the noise of traffic, where I’m immersed in the goodness of what the Earth offers over the steel and concrete misery that our nation’s cities have to offer.
It’s nice to visit. The bookstores, shopping options and museums feel like a destination and a treat that way. Meanwhile, you’ll find me tooling around in my “backward” country life.
If only those who criticize knew they are actually the ones who have it backward!
Go breathe some fresh air, friends. If you’re lucky enough to live with it, don’t take it for granted. If you’re not lucky like me, your lungs, mind and spirit need a break.
Back in 2003, the State of Ohio issued a license plate to commemorate the state’s bicentennial. The red, white and blue design featured the Bicentennial Commission’s logo and included the phrase “Birthplace of Aviation.”
I bought a car that year and got one of these license plates. And I have transferred it, year after year, car after car, for all these years. I eventually grew attached to the number but could never manage to get replacements ordered in a timely fashion.
Some might call it procrastination but that sounds like a harsh word. Ha! The fact it went on annually for well over a decade makes it sound even worse.
When I bought White Lightning last year, it was well past shabby and moving into junky but I wasn’t about to buy new plates when I had literally just renewed my registration.
This year was different as I jumped on my registration reminder as soon as it arrived, logged into their website, and with the two clicks it took to make a purchase with my mobile wallet, I had ordered new plates with my old plate number. The shiny new one just arrived and is now on my car! It features sunrise in Ohio with the Wright Flyer headed toward the sun.
This is a silly story, isn’t it?
Those old plates have been on a few cars and have traveled many miles through ten or eleven states and the District of Columbia. They’ve seen me down quiet country roads, busy highways and some treacherous situations but they’ve always brought me safely home.
My hometown suffered a devastating loss yesterday. The Hotel McArthur which began operating as a hotel back in the stagecoach days caught fire and suffered severe damage. Situated at the intersection of state routes 50 and 93, this old building has seen a lot over the years and has been a landmark for generations of locals and travelers alike.
While it hasn’t operated as a hotel for many years, plans were underway by a local nonprofit to renovate the building and to create a beautiful place to support the county’s growing tourism industry.
Many of us stood by, helpless and with tears in our eyes as we saw billowing smoke rise high above the village and flames dance through the hotel’s rooftop. We worried for the restaurant next door which suffered water damage.
Our community is blessed to have an amazing network of volunteer fire departments who all responded. And then came the cavalry from neighboring counties. All told, thirteen departments responded to this fire. Without our volunteer firefighters and assistance from our neighbors, the community’s losses could have been much greater.
EMS, ODOT, EMA, the village street department, sheriff’s office and village police all coordinated to keep everyone safe and traffic moving away from the danger.
For much of the day, I could hear from my office the sounds of newly arriving fire trucks, the urgent sirens blaring as tankers left to refill. No sooner would one leave, another would return. It was an intense day and a worrisome one as we all were conscious of the heat and the danger to firefighters who battled the blaze in heavy turnout gear.
There were also people and businesses who showed up. They brought cold drinks and food for the first responders. The bank where I work contributed too. Austin Powder sent a giant tanker full of water. People gathered to watch as this mighty piece of our history was claimed by flames and water. They shook their heads in sorrow, told stories about the past, and some wept at the loss. We all felt a sincere sense of loss for what was and for what might have been with the renovations planned for this building.
This is why small towns are the best. THIS is why I ignore those who criticize places like my small rural community. Our critics simply haven’t stuck around long enough to see what happens when the chips are down. No one struggles alone. We look out for each other. We fuss over the firefighters and worry for their safety. We mourn a collective loss and together we overcome.
This is what small towns do.
I talked to so many people yesterday and we all agreed that we are proud to be part of this community and we are in awe of how many people came from near and far to offer aid. If you are one of those people, please accept my thanks.
