wordless wednesday

Food Show

We’re in that in between season. It’s not snowing yet, but the leaves are gone (except for giant piles in my neighbors' tree lawns) and the last flower bloomed a while back. I suppose I should get my OSU sweater on and start yelling O-H-I-O in front of the TV, but I’m an adoptive son of the buckeye state, not a native son. Besides, God didn't give me a football gene.

It’s time to go to the Fabulous Food Show and get a fix for my other hobby, eating. The timing of the show was perfect. We got our fall yard work done last week. This is a great reward, a billion square feet of food samples and a wine and beer sampling area. Throw in Michael Symon and a bunch of other Food Network stars and all was well with the world for at least one day.

Pat worked the beer sampling area Friday. She got a free ticket for it. That had humorous consequences later when we saw Michael Symon do his stand up routine. Since I paid for my ticket, I got an assigned seat. Pat had to fight it out with the masses for a seat. I showed my solidarity with her and stood in her line until they let the reserved seats in. I waved her a kiss and said: “see ya.”

Wouldn't it be nice if gourd vines were this nice and neat, short too. But alas, I know how long and big they get. It's not going to stop us. we plan to plant all our decrative gourds and pumpkins.

As we were walking by the garden, Pat wondered out loud whether I had seen the Sweet Peet sign. Seen the sweet peet sign? I never miss a chance to give that most wonderful of Ohio products a shout out. Seen the sign? I'm putting it in my post.

Well ya know, he was tall. Is that prairie grass growing on Old Abe's head?

We made sure that we stopped by every local vendor.

The Ohio Apple Growers Association conducted apple tastings. We were rewarded with bottles of Ohio apple cider. We went back twice.

The Iron Chef waxes eloquently about his favorite food, Ohio-raised pork.

Beer, beer and more beer.

My Dad

buttoning up the back yard

There is something soothing about autumn cleanup. It’s like getting a palette ready for the next masterpiece. The flowers and ligularia have gone to seed for the birds. The lancifolia hosta are still hanging on, defiant till the first killing frost. I don’t think anything can kill the vinca which went native. Luckily, it hasn’t gotten invasive yet, but that is what weed whackers are for.

This year we lucked out with a perfect autumn day. The sun was out and the temps were in the low 50s. It rained for the last three days so the back yard was a wet. Everywhere off the paths, the ground was muddy. Well, we mowed anyway. Leaves mulched into the yard are better than leaves on the curb. The leaves on the paths went to the compost pile. The containers are all nicely stacked. The tools are all in the garage and the bunnies are stored away. Now let’s plan for next year. I've got a list of garden shows somewhere.

not so big, not so blue

I can be in denial no longer, cold weather is coming. Someplace in the great white north (that’s Minnesota, my Canadian friends) winter is getting ready to pounce.

Our hostas are a hard frost away from mush. Soon the only thing standing will be grasses and ligularia stalks. About the only gardening left is leaf mowing and shredding. We try to wait till most of the leaves have fallen. It normally is a race with the first snow. If the snow arrives before we get to the leaves, our yard work changes to raking soggy leaves into the compost pile.

wordless wednesday

you never know

Last Wednesday Pat received an email from CSU asking for volunteers for the President’s visit to the Wolstein Center. All they asked was that we wear CSU garb and have no political paraphernalia. What a hoot we thought. It made me think of the heady days of our youth when we were idealistic and thinner. In exchange for a day helping out with giving directions (like I'm sorry ma'am, the closest washroom is 8 blocks away and no ma'am, I can't promise to save your place in line) we were promised a seat close enough to get a picture of the President and Vice-President. The Social Studies teacher in me thought how cool that would be. I have never seen a President and Vice-President together. I thought "classroom artifact."

Well, Pat and I were getting instructions from a high level volunteer who got her instructions from some higher entity when a young man asked me if I had ever taught at a this local high school. I introduced myself and told him that I had. His words floored me. He told us that I was the reason he got involved in politics and went to college and is going for his masters next year. WOW! If I wasn’t so jaded, it might have brought a tear to my eye. Instead I figured it was allergies.

I got a bunch of pics of the President and Vice-President and some will make their way to my class room, but the picture that is already there is this one.

a golden glow

The Great Lakes States have been buffeted by high winds all week. It seems the weather system was centered over Minnesota. Maybe it’s revenge for the movie Fargo. I admit I found it a laugh riot. I’ve always liked Bemidji in that Northern Minnesota, middle of nowhere, 10 months of winter, 2 months of poor sledding kind of way. Once again I’m wandering. None the less, it has been windy.

The wind brought some funny surprises. The leaves that all those happy families raked to the curb last week-end are back where they started, in the yard. So while Pat and I are emptying 60 containers this weekend, the leaf blower brigades will be hard at work.

The hostas have turned a golden color. Some are still hanging on, but it’s the end of the line for our hosta till next year. The fading hosta made it easier for me to dig up ligularia to give away. Ligularia seeds itself so well that we have a couple dozen plants to give away.

While the weather lasts, the yard is really bright and pretty.