Last Sunday I was sick. So sick in fact, I stayed home from Church. I returned to this week, opened the door to nursery, and was met with…

“Sister Rowley!!! You were sick last week! You couldn’t sing with us! I prayed for you!”

Kate’s mother informed me later, during Relief Society, that Kate came home Sunday night and prayed for me to get better during their family prayer.

My neighbor on my left, informed me that I am certainly a rock star amongst the under-three crowd. Everyone’s got to have their fan base, so what if mine barely reach my knees? They don’t care that I can’t sing in key or remember all the words to “Popcorn Popping.” They love me regardless, because I am a true rock star. I was even a rock star back when I was six and sick with chicken pox. Who thinks you’re a rock star?

Lonica Stuff | 6 Comments »

For weeks now I’ve had a date with Fall. Only I keep putting him off, penciling him in for sometime next week.

The corn stalks and pumpkins adorning neighboring houses, remind me of my date, but I look instead at the still blooming blossoms.

The threatening clouds promising rain and rolling in over the horizon, remind me of my date, but I look instead towards the setting sun and still blue skies dotted with white, fluffy clouds.

The squash and gourds welcoming me at every local grocery, remind me of my date, but I search out the last remaining watermelon and fork over the money for its overpriced purchase.

The yellowing and reddening leaves, remind me of my date, but I focus instead the green grass and green bushes.

See, although Fall has always been my first love, Summer has won me over. Seduced me in a way I never thought possible. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever met Summer before. Sure, I’ve met Sumer’s evil twin—commonly known as Phoenix—but I’ve never met the real thing before.

The Summer who lets you walk to the mailbox barefooted. Read a book under a tree to a cool gentle breeze. Enjoy a picnic out-of-doors. Watch nature grow, bloom, and produce, rather than dry, shrivel, and deaden. Ride your bike and actually enjoy it. Open the windows and sleep to the breeze.

Despite the fact that Summer has moved on, found a new hemisphere to please, I keep holding on. Ignoring the dates on the calendar that tell me Summer has broken up with me and Fall is here to stay, I continue to hope. Like a broken-hearted teenager, reliving my first break-up through sappy love songs, I keep pulling on my shorts and watering my tomatoes.

Until Friday. I decided it was time to move on, reestablish my previously pleasant relationship with Fall. Overcast clouds and ever-increasing fall foliage helped to woo my heart. Not entirely convinced, I decorated my home, willing Fall to once again re-enter my heart. Summer sure was good, though.

Proof of the Existence of Four Seasons | 4 Comments »

Saturday dawned cloudy and windy with a hint of sprinkles—perfect fall weather for a football game. Bundling up (a bit) we headed with all the other 105,000 fans, to the Shoe for the game.

Crossing the river, we caught our first glimpse of fanatical tailgaters. We craned our necks and peered, but we never quite able to figure out how they actually got more than static-y fuzz on their TV screens.

Reaching the edge of the stadium, I was amazed at the moving mass of red-shirted fans. We hurried to make it in time to see this:

At which the sun came out at full-blast to redden our Ohio-acclimated white skin and make our extra layers useless.

We were serenaded by the Best Damn Band in the Land (as any Ohioan would claim) and cheered along with O-H-I-O.

As if we weren’t spirited enough, the cheerleaders came up to rile up the crowd.

I practiced my “FIRST DOWN!” hand signal (which I can replicate with a prompting nudge from Scott—I wasn’t always sure when it was appropriate) so I could be almost as cool as this guy, who didn’t need the cheerleaders to egg him on. He did his best to over-enthuse the most enthusiastic fan.

All in all, we had a great time watching little red spots and little white spots, hit a barely discernable ball around a big green square.

Obviously, I’m a football guru. I must admit the crowds, pomp, and cheer entice me more than the red spots, invisible ball, referee hand gestures or scoreboards. Although, I know enough to cheer when the numbers on our side go up and we beat Minnesota.

Life in OH-IO | 2 Comments »

Check it out here. Thanks Kayla for the good time.

Apparently, MARC, AACR2R, OCLC, and ONIX aren’t nearly as exciting after four hours of class as my teacher thinks they are. I’m currently looking at the computer screen in front of me, which reads “LET US GO!!!” in big letters. The self-declared, modern prophet, like Moses, has declared to the royalty of the land to “Let my People Go!” I second the motion.

My astute readers will notice that I am publishing this post 14 hours after 9:08 pm. That’s because the teacher finally let us go mid sentence. I wasn’t about to stick around and complete my rant. I had The Office waiting patiently for me at home. I had to snuggle down in my bed with cold toes because my personal heater seems to have gone missing. Scott’s off interviewing in Pittsburg this weekend. The fact that I was enconsed in a bed so wide I couldn’t reach either edge with my fingertips, and thoroughly stacked with pillows on either side did help the matter somewhat, though.

My Dewey Decimal Degree | 2 Comments »

Okay, so I don’t regularly schedule the garden updates—obviously it’s been awhile. I figure it’s time, since summer is starting to wind down.

Our tomatoes were looking a little sad before, but they’ve been producing a ton of new growth in really random areas, and we have a whole new batch of tomatoes growing. I hope they have time to mature and ripen before the first frost kills them off. I have to admit that I’ve become something of a tomato snob this summer. Once you’ve tasted, fresh, juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes upon demand, the over-priced ones from the grocery store just don’t seem to cut it anymore.

The bell peppers have finally started to ripen and turn red. Did you know that red bell peppers come from the same plants as green ones? You simply just let them ripen until they turn red. I have to say though, it takes a long time for them to ripen though; much longer than I anticipated.

The broccoli have really started to get a bit out of control. Broccoli is really the flower of the plant; you pick it before it starts to blossom. I decided to just let it bloom (since the florets didn’t look too appealing) and apparently it just keeps growing and growing! Both the broccoli and the bell peppers got a little windblown in Hurricane Ike and look a little worse for the wear now.

As I mentioned before, our zuchinni are now more. I’m afraid to admit that the cucumbers have gone the same way—on their own initiative. The plant pretty much just shriveled up and died.

These plants, on the other hand, are new to our backyard and are doing really well. I purchased these small sprouts at the garden store for about a dollar and have spent time cutting and rooting new growth so they get bigger and bigger. They are doing really well and I’m rather proud of them…

As the days grow shorter and our backyard looses light daily, I have to mourn the future loss of our garden oasis. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching everything take off and grow. There really is something so satisfying about growing everything from scratch and just walking out the back door to retrieve needed produce.

Our growing garden | 1 Comment »