Life In The 'Hood: A View From My Front Porch

(If you are new to the 'Creek, I hope will check out the index by topic in the upper right corner for an eclectic mix of stories.  Enjoy! --GW-T)

I sat on my porch today for the first time this year.  I had forgotten it can be a "window to the world."  Since my beloved rocking chair broke, I've been going out back to my swing to visit with the dogs or hens.  Now the swing is broken (author's note--Mark just fixed it for good I think---thank you!) so out front I go. 

Usually, my 'hood is fairly quiet in the afternoon.  The birds, bugs and breeze can sound like a relaxation tape only occasionally interrupted by planes, trains and automobiles/motorcycles.  When the lilac blooms it smells heavenly.  I've done a lot of reading, knitting, cross stitching and convalescing on this little porch.  If it could talk it would tell you lots of unusual things have happened.  

But since it can't, I will.  For instance, my next-door neighbor used to take off and land his ultralight craft in our front yard until he crashed in the field across the road (directly in front of the porch), fortunately walking away with only some cracked ribs, but "totalling" the ultralight.

This is a view from my front porch looking across the road at a double rainbow!

Whenever the winds are right during the All-Ohio Balloon Festival, we hear the familiar hissing of hot air balloons and the eventual landing of them all around us.  One year two landed on either side of us in the front yard.   Today they went over my house in the morning and landed a few doors down this evening.

Last weekend balloons flew over the house twice in one day!  The is taken on the front porch...the center of the universe it seems!

Our county also hosts an aerobatic show weekend. The airport is near and on clear days you can sit on the porch and watch them for free. The one drawback is the somewhat irritating noise of the constant climbing, stalling and diving, then pulling out.

During football season, you can sit on the porch and listen to the bands play.  Our little road happens to be a short cut on the Union County Covered Bridge Trail.  It's not uncommon to watch dozens of motorcycles stream by the house or even bicyclists.  But it is uncommon to watch probably 100 Model Ts go by taking the bridge tour during one of their conventions.  That was cool!  Unfortunately, I've also seen several funeral processions.

Lots of planes go over us because we are on the flight path from Columbus to Chicago.  But sometimes we are treated to large Air Force formations heading to and from Wright Pat AFB in Dayton.  At least once we heard the surreal droning of a B-17 going overhead because it was giving rides for $300 a seat at area airports.

During Summer we've watched fireworks, incoming storms, Taylor and the neighbor boy hitting golf balls or throwing baseballs, the kids playing ball with the dogs and watch fireflies in the evening or find the big dipper...a gal down the road would ride her Clydesdale by and there seems to always be something going on at the neighbor's across the road.  They watch our house from their porch and we watch theirs LOL!

Taylor and Ivy playing in the front yard many years ago.  We would sit on the porch and watch her greet Mark near the end of the driveway, then "race" him back to the garage or porch...cutting corners of course so she would "win."

In the Spring and Fall there is a constant parade of farm equipment traveling our road.  I love to sit and stare at the colorful trees in the woods across the road when we have a good October.  Folks like to watch Mark drive his antique tractors, steam engines and trucks up and down the drive.  A fellow from church said, "Your house is just like Disneyland!"  I replied, "Yep, a lot of goofy people live here!"

The newest occupants of the front porch.  These baby doves have a flighty mama, so I could never get a photo of her sitting in this hanging fern.  Lucky for them, I forget to water the porch stuff, so I didn't drown them!  Did you know that Doves always lay two eggs?  My mom told me that a few weeks ago!

Then there is the life on the porch, well-known for its "Howdy, Now Git!" sign that we love.  We have had nests of finches, robins and others, not to mention frequent visits by hummingbirds when the right plants are in bloom (I gave up feeding them, but several neighbors do.)   I've even witnessed hummingbird fights.  Some bold mommas would nest right in the window boxes which are pretty low.  There are always birds in the ferns, bushes and trees.  Lynard Skynard ("our" mockingbird) sits atop the weeping cherry and sings away.   You can hear the babies cheep when they are getting dinner.  Before a house was built next door we had lots of bluebirds.  Once I opened the front door looking for Taylor's bus and saw a nearly leafless tree FULL of them.  I ran for my camera, but of course they split in the meantime.

So the next time you are looking entertainment that takes zero gas or travel time, grab a drink and sit on your porch.  You never know what could happen!

Enjoy the weather while you can!

Gale

Good Karma...Bad Karma!

I was sitting in my swing this morning while Karma was rolling around and chomping on a corn cob when I realized she will be 14 years old in a few weeks.  Like the rest of the Jack Russell pack, she appeared one day without warning (OK a couple of the others I had a tiny bit of warning.)  Mark firmly believed in the "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission" way of life.  When he brought Karma home though, it was "She'll only be here a few days until we can find the right spot for her.  She's extremely valuable and everyone is trying to get something from this litter..."  That was nearly 14 years ago, but who's counting????  Me.

"Karma"

Everybody that shows dogs winds up with at least one Karma.  She's the one you keep for lack of a good enough reason to place her.  She is a bit of a clown and you can't stay mad at her even though you really want to.  She doesn't hold grudges either as that would require thought and she doesn't spend much time thinking.  Well, come to think of it, we did have several reasons she stayed--she couldn't live with cats or any other housepet you wanted to live another day; though a  JRTCA Bronze Medallion dog who liked to hunt, she wasn't that good at it and her chest blew too big to be able to get in holes (also ending conformation successes); she has horrible sun and grass allergies (perfect for a working dog...) and once spayed she had no breeding value to anyone else.  Which was fine.

She acts the same as she did as a puppy, without a doubt the most athletic dog I've ever lived with.  She can jump on a grooming table flat footed.  She still runs, but in no particular direction because she can't see anything but shadows.  She's happy that way and at this point why put her through cataract surgery?  Seeing for her wouldn't change a thing.   She sleeps 23 hours a day anyway.

Audra and Karma with one of their many blue ribbons!

Her only real asset (besides being one giant muscle) is that she was the best "show pony" you could ask for.  You could stick a toddler on the end of the lead and she would show like a million bucks.   We know, because we did.  She really wants to please people.  A credible theory in this house is that if you want a great show dog, they have to be dumb.  They are always "happy, happy, happy" and wagging their tails.  We had several super smart dogs that hated showing because they saw no point in it.  Her other asset is she very clean and if you let her out enough, you don't have to clean up her pen.  Often, that is my incentive for getting up in the morning!

Now for the "Bad Karma." Although she doesn't get the title of "dumbest dog ever" because that went to her full sister Credit (who we did manage to part with!) she runs totally on adrenaline.  I once figured out through all the terrier fights over the years we always blamed the other bitch and got rid of them.  She was involved with the barn cat killing and was a perpetual "me too" dog when they took off or whatever.  For a funny story, see "A Hunting We Will Go" listed in the index.

I remember someone coming over to look at her several month old puppies and wanting to see her. While normally decently behaved in the house, she proceeds to grab a pillow off the sofa and destroy it right in front of us.  That went over well...

Over the years she has developed a tolerance for my toy dogs.  Carrie thinks it's fun to bounce off her and I am always amazed at the restraint Karma shows.  Of course, I never leave them loose together!  She was a good mother and an easy whelper!  We loaned her to her breeder for a litter (who is a vet) and unbeknownst to her and her hubby, Karma was whelping while chasing tennis balls.  She would get the tennis ball, run to the whelping box, spit out puppy (but I doubt the ball,) hid the pup under newspapers and then took the ball back for another run.  She had two puppies before they realized what was happening!  Karm was staying at another friend's house and went briefly missing.  She was found with her head sticking up through some perfectly manicured bushes she appeared to be sitting in.  Inexplicable how she got there...

So for better or worse, Karma is here to stay and likely for a long time.  So Happy Birthday Karm!

Until next time,

Gale

"A Fair" To Remember

...and one of the best jobs ever!

Whether I like it or not, the Ohio State Fair has woven itself through my life.  I'm not what you call an avid fairgoer and that's why it's so weird.  I've been to a few other state fairs and they aren't the same.  I would like to try a Texas one, because in the past that's the only other state that rivals us in attendance and attractions.  We Buckeyes do football and fairs with gusto.

In typical Ohio weather style, it either rains and is humid or we're in a drought and it's in the upper 90s.  This year, the one I likely will miss, the weather is a perfect 72 degrees with sun and a breeze!  It figures.

My parents would take us to the fair as an all day event starting the hour drive early and getting home really late.  We would have our plastic bag full of the pamphlets and "treasures" collected along the way.  The amount of junk food we ate made us half sick, but it never stopped us from pigging out.  I liked hanging out at the horse show (still do) in friend's dressed up stalls, helping where I could and watching classes.

As luck would have it, the first job I took when I moved home from Los Angeles was as an advertising account executive at an agency with my main client being the Ohio State Fair.  It paid pretty well at the time, but the perks were great!  Bad thing was it spoiled me for going as a regular citizen.  Before the fair it was the usual print, radio/tv, press release sort of thing, but once there it was mostly maintenance, odd jobs, helping the PR staff and running around on a golf cart deciding what to eat next.

Probably the best perk (aside for onsite parking) was full access to all of the concerts.  The concert line-up included George Strait, Belinda Carlisle, Oak Ridge Boys, Beach Boys, Sandy Patty and others.  On Sandy Patty day, we were in charge of security to give the junior fair board a day off.  Surprisingly enough, this Christian singer's crowds were rowdier than the rest and we had to hold people back from rushing the stage.

One of my favorite photos ever!  My arm around Sir George!  On the left is Lisa Hill from the fair PR staff.  I wish I could remember the other gal's name (also from the fair staff.)  Lisa introduced me to future husband Mark, which also lead to more fair involvement through reining horses.

For all the concerts we had great seats if we wanted them, but for George Strait, the governor was unavailable, so darn it, I had to sit in the governor's front row seat both concerts!  Somebody had to take one for the team!

Mark and Audra warming up in the make-up pen on Ohio State Fair Superstakes winner  "Coronas Zingo."  Zingo would let Audra brush his legs and he never took a step when she was nearby.  

So the next few years I would go to horse shows and through my dog life, wound up in the "dog house" doing demos with "Windi" my golden retriever.  I loved riding Zingo around to exercise him, but wish someone would come up with ride-thru windows for grabbing a drink or snack!

Then it was the kid's turn to participate.  For the last 7 years their high school band marched in the fair parade on the fairgrounds that is done every afternoon.  Sometimes I chaperoned.  Of course, those days were 95 degrees in the shade and unbearable humidity!  Nothing else changes much:  I still ate junk food and regretted it!

Taylor and sousa section preparing to start fair parade.  This is in the division of wildlife area.  They had to divert the parade from previous routes because the drumline noise killed many bunnies from heart attacks.  (Not our band... though we have a "killer"  drumline!)

The Ohio State Fair is over tomorrow, August 4th.  If you want to get there, you'd better get going!  If you've never been, it's something everyone ought to do once.

Until next time!

Gale