Summer's End

As the hot, humid days of summer subside, I wanted to share some photos of the food vendors at the Art Show in Westerville. I've never seen such elaborate food carts!

Farmer's Market

The Harvest is in full swing at the Worthington Farmer's Market. Corn, Heirloom Tomatoes, Pumpkins and squashes. Mmmmmmm

Cue the "Wicked Witch of the West" Theme Song

Tonight I experienced my first Tornado Warning.

There is a BIG difference between a Watch and a Warning

When there's a warning, you see some lightning ( a LOT of lightning ) and you hear the atonal crashing sounds of thunder ( as if it were uprooting trees and your roof ) .

Tonight I could see a big storm brewing in the sky- dark clouds beyond the rooftops, screaming across the sky-and I was quite looking forward to it.

But the winds kicked in and trees began bowing down, the sky was instantly dark and there was no sign of life, not a bird, a squirrel or rabbit in the yard.

The lightning became more intense and numerous when we sat down to dinner.

Chai was becoming a bit agitated, so I went up to give her some reassurance, when I heard it...off in the distance, the lonely hollow sirens. It was a Tornado Warning.

It was time to take the dogs to the basement, along with the last of my supper, and as I was shoving the unwieldy Pomeranian into the bright yellow Southwest dog satchel, it started to feel very surreal, the air was hot, lightning was bursting and illuminating the room in a white hot glow, rain pounded against the window panes and I felt my knees start to shake.

It's not much that scares me. Not to that extent. But I was actually afraid.

This is not like an earthquake, where you look up suddenly when things start to shake, and think- "Door Jam!"

No.

This is much more intense. It's like a slow moving freight train about to hit you, and you just can't get...off...the ...tracks.

I polished off my taco salad while watching the local news channel, and saw that the main event for our county, was past.

Phew.

ok, so this goes on for how long?

Memorial Day in the Nation's Heartland

This weekend "The Moving Wall"- a smaller touring version of the Vietnam War Memorial, is here in Westerville, Ohio. The Rotary Club has also set up rows and rows of full sized American flags and it is called, "The Field of Heroes". Anyone can purchase a flag in memory of a loved one who has served this country. The flags have blue hang tags with inscriptions from family members. The memorial has bright lights that shine on it 24/7. On Friday night the Boy Scouts were protecting the area. It was one of the top stories on the news.

What I find fascinating is that this sort of thing seems to create a strong sense of community. It just seems so natural to people that there is a memorial that fills a huge field, that it is a place of reverence and that everyone just respects that, without question. There are no airs of indifference to the situation. No one is protesting the mere presence of such a place.

I find this surprisingly pleasing and calming.

At the grocery store on Saturday, all manner of people were wearing red, white and blue shirts, often with garish graphic art of Eagles and flags, and these shirts ore openly admired by passersby.

It's a basic love of country. It's new to me.

Worthington, Ohio Farmer's Market

I am a big fan of the town of Worthington. Bucolic splendor, amidst a little village built in the 1840's. Large park where there will be an ice cream social in two weeks. Ohio may be a Culture Shock for a jaded Californian, but the charm and beauty of the place and the friendly denizens are making me a believer. I know, I know...the SNOW!! well, in May, this place is like magic on a lush green blanket.