Life is what you make it.
Dementia is cruel joke that is played on those who suffer from it. For those who watch it happening it is sad and confusing. My mother's memory fades in and out so quickly that it is difficult to know what world she is living in at any moment in time. You can’t predict or prevent… Continue reading Dealing With Dementia and a Return Visit to Wetzel County
My friends would tell you that I have a beautiful garden. I also have deer, rabbits, raccoons, field mice, skunks, squirrels, chipmunks, fox, possum, coyotes, mink, feral cats, birds, moles, voles, turkey, and dogs that a thoughtless neighbor turns loose each night before retiring to his bed. I started a garden as soon as I… Continue reading Coexisting with Critters In the Garden
Photo by Edwin Hooper on Unsplash I was surprised to realize it has been more than 18 months since my last Parkinson’s update. Where did the time go? It wasn't that I couldn't have written a blog post. With the pandemic keeping us at home for more than a year, I can't claim that I… Continue reading Parkinson’s During Days of Covid
Last week, I discovered that we have a feral cat living in our yard. When we moved here, 23 years ago, we had lots of feral cats. Often a half dozen or more would squeeze beneath the door and take shelter inside our barn each winter. We haven’t had one for a couple of years.… Continue reading Keeping Cats
Modern conveniences make busy lives easier. But when it comes to hot chocolate, modern conveniences have let us down. Today’s “just add hot water and stir” hot chocolate mixes do not taste nearly as good as the steaming cups of rich deliciousness that Grandma served to us after an afternoon of sledding or making angels… Continue reading Grandma’s Best Hot Chocolate
I guess it was only natural that my collecting of Christmas tree ornaments would expand into collecting other kinds of Christmas items. That, at least, is what other collectors have told me. A love of Christmas doesn't stop at the tree and I have gone on to collect other kinds of Christmas decor. Nothing I… Continue reading Collecting Vintage Christmas
When I was 10 years old, my mom put my 4 year-old sister and me into the car and drove us to the machine shop where my Dad worked. It was lunchtime on Christmas Eve. The employees, about a half dozen in all, had stopped work for the day and were gathered around the lunchroom… Continue reading Collecting Christmas
Built in 1798, the Unionville Tavern in Ohio's Western Reserve, became a rest stop where weary 19th century passengers traveling by wagon or stagecoach could find a hot meal and a warm bed. The Unionville Tavern Two hundred plus years later, the Old Tavern holds special memories for me. It was the place my… Continue reading A 200 Year-Old Secret Recipe: Unionville Old Tavern’s Corn Fritters
