Sunday, July 26, 2015



Friday July 24, 2015
Today Andrew and I went to see the movie, “Mr. Holmes” at one of our local cinemas (the one with recliners where you have to reserve ahead). We made a last minute reservation and were in the second row, and our seats didn’t recline (broken?), but in spite of that we still enjoyed the movie. It’s a bit odd because it’s a story about a fictitious character (Sherlock Holmes) who is writing a story himself, even though he, himself has been somewhat fictionalized by Mr. Watson in his books about the infamous Sherlock Holmes. It’s kind of a story within a story and none of it is real, which kind of does your head in, at least in Andrew’s opinion.

Sir Ian McKellan is excellent as the elderly Mr. Holmes and Laura Linney, as always, is fantastic as his housekeeper, Mrs. Munro. Milo Parker, as Mrs. Munro’s son and Mr. Holmes’ young protégé is fantastic as well and I predict we’ll be seeing a lot more of him as he grows up.

If for no other reason, I recommend the movie because it offers a glimpse of the very beautiful Kent/East Sussex countryside where the movie was filmed, and the white cliffs of Dover make an appearance several times.

Although it does look like the movie could end tragically, without wishing to give anything away, it does end happily for all concerned.

Saturday July 25, 2015
Today I went to a couple garage sales this morning. Amongst other things I acquired a new round card table. To call it new is an exaggeration. It’s only new to me, but is definitely quite vintage. Not sure they even make them round anymore. We were in the market for a new card table anyway since our other one has seen better days after having been used (and abused!) for many family gatherings with children. I also bought a set of wall sconces that I’m not quite sure where we will hang them. Andrew groaned imagining the difficulty of what I naively thought would be an easy job to install. At any rate, they have been set aside for the moment as other projects take priority.



Speaking of projects, I managed to finally finish a couple that I had started earlier and not gotten around to finishing. One was the drawer of an antique trunk I bought at a neighbor’s moving sale last summer. It smelled of mothballs, so I doused it with baking powder and let it sit for about a year. It no longer smells, so over the Fourth of July I glued antique-looking wrapping paper all over it. However, since I used so much rubber cement, parts of it are still sticky, so I decided to cover those parts with clear drawer lining paper, which seems to have done the trick. Either way, it will sit in a trunk, so it’s good enough.
The other project involved sewing under the rough edges of a piece of brown chenille(?) material I bought last fall at Garden Ridge. Though I’m not in need of any more blankets, I thought it would be a good test of my sewing skills to try and sew seams around all four sides of the blanket. It took almost the entire weekend (two afternoons anyway) to do it, but I am satisfied that fraying shouldn’t occur. I may or may not sew anything else (like scraps of old t-shirts) on top of it later, but for now, it will get stored with my other blankets.
Sunday July 26, 2015
Today we went to the Kraft House No.5 in Powell for brunch. Andrew saw that they did a Sunday morning “waffle flight.” I was curious, so that’s what I ordered. When delivered it was tasty, and filling enough I suppose, but I definitely could have eaten more. One triangle of the waffle was served with a strawberry cut up on top and plain syrup. The other three quarters were:  A) Bacon & Banana with Rosemary Maple Syrup (the bacon kind of took over; couldn’t really distinguish the other flavors; B) Dried Cherries, Bourbon Cherry Maple Syrup – not sure I could really distinguish the different flavors here either, though it wasn’t bad; C) Fresh Blueberries, Spiced Vodka Maple Syrup. Yes, you could definitely tell it was spiced vodka maple syrup. I would definitely order this one again, and perhaps the one with dried cherries.


We lucked out that it just happened to be the weekend for the quarterly street fair. Since we arrived downtown quite early (around 9:45am), we found parking in the nearby municipal parking lot. As I was still quite sleepy (perhaps from donating like a pint of blood to the mosquitoes the night before), and only had $5 in my wallet, I was a little bummed and not really in the mood to spend much money (as I am still decluttering at home). Andrew seemed up for maybe coming back in September, when I will definitely remember to bring more cash. We did, however, sample a tiny spoonful of a couple very delicious cakes. We noticed a lot of jam for sale, but as we probably have half a dozen jars in our pantry, we’re set for awhile. Besides food and arts and crafts, the rest was antiques and brick-a-brack. It’s definitely a bigger deal than Hilliard’s little street art festival that we have in September. Downtown Powell, though not huge, definitely has its charms and is much more interesting than Hilliard. Definitely worth checking out further…
Have a good week everyone!
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Sunday, July 19, 2015

another busy weekend...



Friday July 17, 2015
Tonight my husband and I went downtown for the annual showing of a silent film as part of the CAPA summer movie series. The films shown were Charlie Chaplin’s “The Immigrant” and “The Kid.” Originally they were only scheduled to show, “The Kid,” but as it’s only about 70 minutes, it was decided to add on another short to round out the program. Also, the organist told us we were going to see the dvd version of “The Kid” because when they opened the cases containing the reels, they discovered they were one short, and 12 minutes is a lot to miss in a film that’s only just over an hour long, so they had to get the dvd instead. It made no difference to us and definitely preferred to see the movie in its entirety.

As per usual there were antique cars parked outside the theatre to lend the night a sense of authenticity since they were showing a classic film. Also, we happened to notice two men dressed in period costume. They were kind enough to pose for a photo afterwards. Thanks Christopher and Rick!
Also, as per custom, there was a lengthy introduction about the Wurlitzer organ and the organist, Clark Wilson. Although I can appreciate the bragging rights, but for those of us who come every year, it does get a bit redundant. Both Andrew and I were tired and would have preferred if they had just cut to the chase and showed the film. At any rate, both movies were fantastic and we were glad we came out (and also glad the rain held off).

Saturday July 18, 2015
Tonight my sister and I went downtown (second time for me) to the LC Pavilion to see “The Gin Blossoms” perform. They’re a band from Tempe, Arizona whom I first heard perform sometime in the early 90s while I was a student at Kent State University. They’re very bit as good today as they were back then.

We were also treated to not one, but two opening bands – Go Analog, a local band whose music I later purchased off their website (with a minimum donation of $4, but I threw in an extra $1), and Fastball, a group my sister, Karen, had heard of, but I hadn’t. I may have heard their songs on the radio previously, but not sure. I also purchased some of their music (two inexpensive CDs).

For the $15 each I paid for our tickets (using a Groupon, so I got $10 off per ticket), I feel we more than got our money’s worth for the three bands and nearly four hours of music we heard (though that was certainly a lot of standing and our feet definitely hurt by the end of the evening!). This was also a birthday present for Karen. Happy birthday kiddo! Here’s a couple photos from the evening and a copy of the card I made her.

Sunday July 19, 2015
Today is National Ice Cream day, so to celebrate, we decided to patronize one of our favorite local establishments, one which hasn’t had the most brilliant summer (having to close twice because of Listeria), that being Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. There were only about a dozen flavors to choose from, but it was split between regular flavors (chocolate, vanilla, salty caramel, etc.) and sorbet, so something to please everyone. I got a waffle cone of the Darkest Chocolate and Salty Caramel while Andrew got a cup of the Raspberry Sorbet. Sadly, there were only about three other customers in there with us. We chalk this up to lack of people in downtown Dublin and parents afraid to take their kids there – especially when there’s a place across the street that sells frozen yogurt (although only about a dozen different flavors to choose from there as well). Also, we arrived between storms, and the one that hit when we got home was a full scale monsoon, so that might have kept people at home as well. Either way, unless business picks up, things don’t bode well for Jeni. If you’re reading this and not afraid to take a chance, go visit your local Jeni’s (in Northeast Ohio there’s one in Chagrin Falls, otherwise most of the rest are here in Columbus). We’re pulling for you Jeni!

Have a good week everyone!





Monday, July 13, 2015



Friday July 10, 2015
Today was the first day of the annual Arthritis Foundation Classic Auto Show & Cruise-in. I’ve probably attended four or five times previously, though it’s starting to get a bit redundant since it seems to be mostly the same cars every year. The last couple years I’ve only attended because it’s free since I work down the road from where it’s held. This year I was excited because there was a 1936 Stainless Steel Ford Toudor Deluxe Touring Sedan Model 68-700. Apparently it’s only one of six, and I’m pretty sure one of its assembly-line siblings is at the Crawford Auto Museum (which I visited last month). This one is owned by a couple from Harrisburg, South Dakota.

An old guy sitting under the tent near the Ford was encouraging everyone to take selfies with the car, so I did.

While taking pictures I overheard someone talk about White Castle. Since trying one of their sliders was on my Bucket List, I wandered over and handed my $1 up to the employee in the big burger-covered truck and she handed me a small brown bag with their square bun goodness. Even though it was plain with just a pickle, it was pretty good and I look forward to having another one again someday.

Later that evening after work I attended Hilliard Art Council’s annual summer production at Darby H.S. This year they were doing “Music Man,” which was every bit as professional a play as their previous efforts. Jess Hanks as Harold Hill and Christen Joyce as Marian Paroo were both the shining stars with Broadway caliber talent. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the rest of the cast which included dozens upon dozens of cute kids and talented adults wearing fancy costumes purchased by a grant from the Hilliard City Council. I very much look forward to seeing “Urinetown” next summer.


Have a good week everyone!

Monday, July 6, 2015

Fourth of July weekend



Thursday July 2, 2015
Today was a partly sunny/cloudy day with a few rain drops. CNA, as per what has become the custom in the last year or so, bought half a dozen pizzas to feed the office during lunch. Still had best part of two pizzas left at the end of the day, so a coworker and I split the leftovers and Andrew and I had Saturday lunch with enough left over for one more meal. 

After dinner Andrew and I went to the Grandview Theatre to see, “Inside Out,” and actually had to wait in a short queue to get our tickets and snack (I bought M & Ms and water and Andy got a beer). Prior to that I had popped in to “Pure Imagination Chocolatiers” (just a few doors down) and was pleased to see it was still open, so I bought a box of 9 truffles. Next time I plan to try their ice cream. Among the flavors I got were: PB & J, Raspberry, Cheesecake, Tiramisu, Blueberry Gouda and something that started with ‘M’ from the movie, “Chocolat.” 

We, along with the rest of the audience, really enjoyed, “Inside Out,” another masterpiece from Pixar. It’s funny, sad and so, so clever! I find myself still thinking of the movie several days later whenever my moods change[is fear in charge or maybe sadness? Where's Joy? I want her to be in charge!] 
When we got home (it was early, so still light out) Andrew was the first to notice a deer in our backyard and directed my attention to the back window. I grabbed my camera and cautiously watched from inside until the deer moved next door to our neighbor’s (Joe & Sue's) yard, so I went outside and watched it as it moved from yard to yard. I ended up going over to Joe & Sue’s once Joe came outside. Sue also said hello from the window.  
Eventually the doe met up with her fawn and the doe pawed anxiously at the ground a few times warning us to keep away from her baby. Andrew came outside, so I went back over to our side and we chatted with Joe until it got a bit dark.

Friday July 3, 2015
Today I got up and had a run around the neighborhood first thing, and while jogging down Darbyshire noticed a garage sale, so made a mental note to come back later after I had showered and had breakfast, so I did. They were selling mostly kids’ stuff, so I passed on most of the merchandise, but did pick up a few dvds and a framed print of a line of doorways. Not sure yet where to hang it, but got it for $1, so not too concerned if it never finds a home. 
After much deliberation, I decided to finally tackle some long overdue projects – like gluing my collage from Amy’s last art class unto heavy cardboard, and gluing wrapping paper onto the trunk tray I bought last summer from our neighbor’s moving sale. I quickly ran out of spray adhesive, so used another kind of spray adhesive, then switched to rubber cement. It’s still sticky three days later, so perhaps rubber cement wasn’t the best choice. 

Next I decided to finally sand the wine bottles I had scored and separated last year so I could give Karen the glasses I promised her. First I used pliers to break off jagged bits of bottle before turning them in circles on sandpaper under water. They’re a bit bumpy, but not razor sharp anymore, so they’re good enough to drink out of if that’s what Karen opts to do with them (or perhaps put a tea light in them or a little plant?). On Sunday I scored a few bottles I had soaked and removed the labels from in case Karen wants to try and break a few to make some more glasses (she said she’d do that if I’d scored them first). 
It rained for most of the afternoon, but cleared up by evening, so we decided to drive to Delaware for their First Friday night out event. http://www.mainstreetdelaware.com/first-fridays.html I don’t remember if it was my coworker Heidi, or coworker Connie, who first told me about it, but it sounded like fun and seemed to be in the same spirit as the Gallery Hops in Short North and Grandview. 

We took the country roads to Delaware, rather than Route 23 to Sawmill like when we came back that way from vacation last July. All the curves and gentle hills (and several farms) reminded me a lot of Northeast Ohio, which surprised me though, but not sure why. Still, it was nice because it kind of reminded me of home. 
Downtown Delaware reminded me very much of Geneva and impressed me far more than tiny downtown Hilliard. It’s a lot of probably century-old (or at least decades old) red brick buildings and Victorian homes. Heidi and Connie were right that parking can be difficult, but if you persevere, you’ll eventually find a spot somewhere, which we did (on a side street). 
As the downtown isn’t huge, it doesn’t take too long to walk the streets to get the lay of the land. We quickly spied a sign for Pierogis, so we walked around the block to where Sophie’s Gourmet Pierogies food truck was parked. We each ordered four, but selected different sauces. I chose the mustard one and couldn’t have been more pleased. The flavor reminded me a little of the secret sauce McDonalds uses on their Big Macs (which reminds me a little of Russian salad dressing). We ate our pierogies while listening to a string quintet playing in front of the local Methodist church. They were quite good and I could have stood there all night, but wanted to pop into some of the shops. 

After we finished, Andrew said he was thirsty (not sure if the Pierogie truck sold beverages), and while we were getting a bottle of water, why not get some ice cream? Thus it was that we ended up in a short (10 or fewer people) queue outside Ollie’s Fine Ice Cream. We could have gone to Handel’s, but I prefer to support the small, independent businesses. Once we got inside I saw a sign advertising alcoholic ice cream you could only buy in pints (but had to be 21 to purchase) which were all sold out, unfortunately, not that we could have kept a pint of ice cream cold while we walked around. There were two flavors – Bailey’s and Chocolate Merlot. I will definitely have to make a return visit for a couple pints of those!
As we were walking around I saw my young coworker, Heidi, who said she often attends the First Friday, so I wasn’t surprised to see her there. I told her I’d try to attend at least once, so she probably wasn’t surprised to see me either. Introductions were quickly made and then a brief chat before we went our separate ways. 
Among other places we stopped at was an art gallery displaying prints made using highly pixelated 1980s computer graphics. Customers were allowed to take one art book each, so I selected Two or Three Lines from Sketch Books of Chen Chi which has some cool drawings and text and a gold box with writing on the cover. There was another sketchbook I liked too with drawings from the West Coast. I should have told Andrew to pick up that one. 

Near the art gallery was The Strand movie theatre, which had three films listed on their marquee. It’s probably bigger than the Grandview Theatre and I wonder what it looks like inside? Perhaps a future visit is in order! 
Prior to the art gallery we stopped in at Endangered Species record store (which actually sells LPs and 45s) that seemed a bit too small for its vast square footage, but maybe rent is cheap? I browsed the discount CD rack while Andrew checked out the rest of the stock. He chose a CD and I got a couple .99 ones – one with Irish music (including a song supposedly dedicated to the owner of the store, according to what he told me when he added up our bill) and another with Marine marching band music. Also got some cool swag (bumper sticker and a couple buttons). Yes, I know we missed the whole point of shopping in a record store when we didn't actually purchase any records. However, until the belt arrives to fix my vintage record player, I'm holding off on anymore purchases for the moment. 
Our last stop was a rather large antiques store packed with shelf upon shelf of every manner of antiques from salt ‘n pepper shakers to stuffed animals. The items I was most intrigued by included a tiny hand cranked razor sharpener. Not sure why I was so taken by it, probably because it was small and shiny. I also saw an antique from my lifetime – a Mansfield Reporter 8mm Viewer. If space weren’t an issue, I might have bought it just for the novelty value, but I’m not running a museum. I ended up purchasing a black cat salt shaker and a couple vintage post card albums that I may or may not use for storing our own vintage postcards. 

After we got home I decided to make up a play list in case I was ever in charge of coming up with the music to accompany a fireworks show. Andrew was outside burning our stack of sticks that had been accumulating from various storms over the last several months. He came in just about when Red, White and Boom was starting, so good timing on his part. Andrew commented that the music drowns out the sound of the fireworks (when watching them on TV), whereas when you go see them in Hilliard, it’s the other way around, depending on where you stand at least. 

Saturday July 4, 2015
Went for another run first thing. Showered, had breakfast and then went to the mall for my 10am hair appointment. However, I quickly noticed that my stylist wasn't there. Apparently her schedule had changed and she called my work number on Friday to notify me, but since I wasn’t there I obviously didn’t get the message, so I just rescheduled for the following Saturday. 
Earlier in the morning, before leaving for the mall, I saw our resident deer (doe?) in the back yard, which was a bit of a surprise since we hardly ever see deer, let alone two days out of three. I wonder if it was hungry, which is why it was risking a daytime visit. 
After I got home, I asked Andrew if he wanted to go shopping for something to plant around our pergola, so we headed for Oakland Nursery having to go the scenic route since I forgot some of the local roads were closed because of the upcoming Fourth of July parade. After some deliberation, we decided on two different creepers/vines – two (orange) Radicans Trumpet Vine and one (purple) Amethyst Falls American Wisteria. 

We left for the Hilliard fireworks at just after 9pm and parked at Karen’s (thanks!). As we’ve done in previous years, we walked all the way to the rec center from there, which is at least a mile, maybe two. Andrew figures we probably just about burned off our dessert (two scoops each of United Dairy Farmers ice cream). I was cold at first, but by the time we got to the rec centre I was sufficiently warmed up. We both thought it was a pretty good show and were glad not to be stuck in too much traffic since we knew which way to leave the Weston Trails estate (exit on Davidson so we could go straight across at the traffic light). When we got home I saw a strange glowing red object in the sky that Andrew said was some sort of a balloon lit from below that obviously floats for quite awhile. It kind of reminded me of an experiment James May once did when he tried to send a balloon into space (and I believe he was successful). 

Sunday July 5, 2015
Doe a deer, a female deer…

Our resident doe was back for another late morning/early afternoon visit in our back garden before heading next door to Joe and Sue’s where it sat down and chilled out for perhaps half an hour to an hour. Andrew thinks it somehow got separated from its group, which is kind of sad. I hope they meet back up again. I hate to think of a lonely, scared deer away from its herd. 
I spent the rest of the day doing a little yard work, a little house work, and even took some time out to sit under the pergola and read and later watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Kudos to the USA women's soccer team!!!

Have a good week everyone!