Living Today July 2014

LIVING
Today
Fre
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ke
A
Co
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py
July 2014
Northwest Ohio's Premier Magazine for Women
Shop the
of Defian9ce
See pg.
Enc
ah nted Gardens
Your Enchanted Garden
Fairy Houses and
Gardens
Hooters Gone Wild II!
Hailey Biddix,
Wood County
Hooters Gone Wild!
Ollie’s Sequel
by
Deb Weaks
I believe
Ollie in this
regard is a
“feathered
friend” and
is surely an
amazing
creature…
he just
needs to
stay out
of my
backyard!
A
while back, I wrote a story about
a Great Horned Owl, whom I
had named Ollie. It wasn’t long
before his territorial greed grew, moving
his powerful nightly hooting rituals
directly outside my bedroom window.
His boisterous hooting had unleashed
an anxiety of frustrated rage, creating
many sleepless nights, triggering a
cantankerous-whipped attitude. I even
went so far as to vocalize bellowing
shrieks, as my worn-out looking face
peered through an opened bedroom
window, prompting him to take flight
in hopes of relocating to some distant
woods, never to return…but what
occurred was just the contrary!
He must have thought the demented
human practices were bizarre and worth
seeing; because inevitably, he had to
invite his lady friend to witness it. Ollie
hooting his low-toned baritone song
while his friend hooted a softer higher
pitch, each taking turns not to ruin each
other’s repertoire. What a ruckus! It was
like an owl’s episode of “Hooters Gone
Wild.” But I outsmarted them by keeping
my cool, by grabbing the TV remote,
and by forcefully pressing the increase
volume button!
After a couple of days of thinking
about what had happened, I began to
realize that they weren’t trying to drive
me crazy. They were wooing each other.
Yes! They were “hot” for each other! But
why did they choose my backyard?
Unresolved interest in Ollie rapidly
grew, since my minuscule knowledge
about Great Horned Owls was minimal
(probably as much as could
fill a thimble), meaning I was
totally illiterate! So I decided
to understand him better by
learning more about him and
then possibly, just possibly, I
could begin to appreciate him
again.
LIVING TODAY2
I found out Ollie is quite the unique
nocturnal creature displaying facial
features of daunting, spherical eyes,
a parakeet-shaped beak, and tufts of
feathers on each side of his head or horns
in appearance, thus giving the name
Great Horned Owl. Surely, a face only a
mother could love. But God has given
him an astounding gift of rotating his
head 180 degrees in both directions. How
awesome is that!
He is rarely seen during the day
and is definitely hard to spot in the
darkness of night. His beautiful earthtoned feathers blend well with his
environment, creating an incredible
camouflage. Believe me, a person has
to have quite a lucky streak and a high
voltage search light in hopes of spotting
him.
His ravenous appetite is not that
of a picky eater. Once dinner is tracked
down, he silently swoops from the night
sky with direct precision, clutching his
victim with strong, sharp talons. His diet
includes many small mammals, even
cats, dogs, and stinky skunks. Can you
imagine eating a skunk? Sometimes,
he swallows his prey whole and then
regurgitates it as pellets of fur, bones
and other animal parts which are hard
to digest. I am convinced I stumbled
upon a mound of regurgitation last
summer. I even went so far as to poke
it once with a stick. Oh! I can’t tell a fib,
I poked it many times…over and over
again. It was gross! But then again, I
suppose his gluttonous cravings benefit
the environment by fertilizing the grass
and keeping small mammal populations
down, which can’t be all bad.
I believe Ollie in this regard is a
“feathered friend” and is surely an
amazing creature…he just needs to stay
out of my backyard!
To share your thoughts on this article,
email [email protected].
www.frontporchpublishing.com
LIVING
Today
Contents
July 2014
Northwest Ohio’s Premier Magazine for Women
CIRCULATION
More than 12,500 copies per issue of Living Today are distributed throughout
Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Williams, and Wood
counties. Our FREE MONTHLY publication is available at 750+ locations.
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief:
Amy Murphy, M.Ed.
Contributing Writers (this issue): Janet Hitchcock, Georgia Kohart, Kim
Krieger, Pat Strout, Deb Weaks & Brenda Young.
All articles are copyrighted 2014. Articles may not be reproduced without
permission. Nothing contained in this magazine is or should be considered
a substitute for medical, financial or legal practice. We advise all readers to
seek the advice of professionals for their personal issues. Advertising does not
constitute as an endorsement from the publisher, and the publisher reserves
the right to refuse any advertisement. We reserve the right to print all or part
of emails received.
PRODUCTION
Designer:
Creative Art Director:
MelissaFaull
Georgia Kohart
PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING/SALES 419-630-6240
Michael Nix
[email protected]
Reader’s Response
May 2014 Issue
Morning Musings
Cleaning House…Ugh!
Janet,
I just wanted to tell you how much I can relate to
your column on books. I have always loved reading
and collecting books. They mean a lot to me. Doug has
made many book shelves for me. I just can’t seem to
get rid of any. These are not paperbacks either. It is so
nice to get absorbed in all the stories around us. Thank
you much for the memories.
God bless you,
Jane (Leonard) Tadsen
“Come on in for home cooking.”
Featuring—
Enchanted Gardens
4 Lord, Give Me Patience!
6 Front Porch Recipes
7 Making Your Own Fairy House
and Garden
10 NWO July Calendar
12 Designing Your Enchanted Garden
14 Morning Musings
On our cover:
The mischievous little garden sprite on our cover is Hailey Biddix,
six-year-old daughter of Jackie and Eric Biddix. They have recently
relocated to Wood County.
Photo Credit: Georgia Kohart
Hi Jane,
Thanks for your kind
words about my library
column. Books are a treasure,
aren’t they? Thank you, too,
for reading Front Porch
Publishing magazines. We
have a wonderful staff of
writers. Keep reading and
keep Doug busy building
things for you!
Sincerely,
Janet Hitchock
Great Food
in the Middle of
Ohio Amish County!
121 E. High, Hicksville
419-487-2205
Be sure to try our
homemade pies!
LIVING TODAY3
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Lord, Give Me Patience,
An Apple Orchard, Apron & a Tub of Potatoes!
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tell me how crazy my life would
for her and she saw you coming, she would
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throw her apron up over her face, and you
(Probably because they knew I wouldn’t listen
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3103 Executive Pkwy
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~ Toledo,
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3103 Executive Pkwy Suite 208 ~ Toledo, OH 43606
I locked them out. I should have built an
They never drive Gramma crazy.
(419)
578-4698
outhouse. We had one when I was a kid, and
To share(419)
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thoughts on this article, email
we never had to beg mom to come inside to go [email protected].
to the bathroom!
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LIVING
TODAY4
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Front Porch Recipes
Traditional Recipes of Days-Gone-By
Summer is S
a great time
to try a new
recipe!
ummer is a great time to try a new
recipe! Whether you’re looking for
something different to make for a
summer get-together, need a new recipe
for all the vegetables in your garden, or
just want to prepare a unique meal from
the past…consider trying some of these
traditional recipes from Historic Sauder
Village.
Ground Cherry Pie
9-inch pie crust, 1 c. ground cherrieshusked, washed & dried, 2 eggs, 1/8 t. salt,
2/3 c. sugar, 1 T. flour, 1 c. milk, 1 t. vanilla
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line
a 9-inch pie plate with unbaked pie
pastry. Place cherries into pie crust. Beat
eggs with salt, sugar, and flour. Add the
milk and vanilla and stir well. Pour over
cherries (You may want to pour filling
into the crust after you have placed it
on the oven rack, as it is very liquid and
Photos by Sauder Village.
Enjoy giving these historic
recipes a try in your own
home this summer! For more
information about planning a
visit to Sauder Village, log onto
saudervillage.org or call
1-800-590-9755.
hard to move without spilling before
it is baked.). Bake at 425 degrees for 10
minutes, then turn the oven down to
350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until
the blade of a knife inserted into the
middle of the pie comes out clean. Cool
thoroughly and keep leftovers in the
refrigerator.
Great with
ice cream!
DEFIANCE
NAPOLEON
517 W 2nd Street
1225 Scott Street
Defiance, Ohio 43512 Napoleon, Ohio 43545
Computer Sales and Repair
419.782.2983
Homemade Ice Cream
1 gal. whole milk, 3 c. sugar, ¾ c. flour,
½ t. salt, 8 eggs-separated, 3 T. pure vanilla
extract, 1 qt. heavy whipping cream
Scald 6 c. of milk in a large pan. Set
aside. Separate egg yolks into one bowl
and the egg whites into another bowl.
Beat egg yolks.
Refrigerate egg
whites until
ready to use.
Mix sugar, salt,
and flour in
another bowl.
Slowly, add 2
c. cold milk to
dry ingredients
while stirring constantly. Return scalded
milk to burner. Slowly, add flour/sugar
mixture, and then egg yolks while
stirring constantly. Cook until thick.
Cool. When ready to put in ice cream
freezer, add vanilla, cream, and beaten
egg whites. Pour into metal freezer
tub, and add milk to fill line (about ¾
full). Put lid on freezer tub and place
into wooden1 ½ gallon freezer. Put in a
layer of ice and then sprinkle with ½ c.
coarse salt. Repeat layering ice and salt
until you have 3-4 layers. When you
reach the top of the tub, place some ice
on top of the lid. Pour water over ice
until water runs out of the drain below.
Start cranking immediately. You may
need to add more ice and salt as you
crank (The more salt you add, the faster
it will freeze). Keep cranking until you
can barely move the crank. Open the
metal container, and remove the paddle.
Replace lid and cover with ice and a
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frozen until ready to serve.
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LIVING TODAY6
by Kim Krieger
www.frontporchpublishing.com
Making Your Own
Fairy Garden & House
There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!
They often have a dance on summer nights;
by
The butterflies and bees make a lovely little breeze,
Georgia Kohart
And the rabbits stand about and hold the lights.
Did you know that they could sit upon the moonbeams
And pick a little star to make a fan,
And dance away up there in the middle of the air?
Well, they can.
Fairy Crossing Sign at Four All -Rose Fyleman’s There are Fairies at the Bottom of Our Garden
Seasons in Defiance
F
airies–tiny, mystical creatures–
have been a part of human
folklore for thousands of years.
Every culture passes down stories
about wee folk, some good, some full
of mischief. Fairies were a source of
fascination during the Victorian and
Edwardian eras and fairy sculptures and
framed prints adorned many parlors.
Elaborate hoaxes were even created
using photography in an effort to prove
that fairies did exist.
Perhaps, it’s a natural response to
our overly technological lives, but fairies
are experiencing renewed popularity.
It’s not just children who enjoy tales of
wee folk; adults love them, too. Fairy
houses, made completely of natural
materials and left for others to discover,
have become a phenomenon in many
areas of the United States. A long list of
new books has recently been published
on the topics of fairy lore, houses and
gardens.
For a fun, creative family project,
build your own fairy house! According
to legend, the fairies will appreciate
your efforts. When my sister helped her
daughters build a fairy house, it turned
into a summer-long project. They used
found objects such as driftwood, fallen
branches, bark, moss, leaves, seed pods,
tree cones, pebbles and rocks. By the
For a fun,
creative
family
project,
build your
own fairy
house!
time the lofty creation was finished,
it had several floors and a working
elevator crafted from a coconut shell.
Imagine a tiny tea set, fabricated from
acorn caps, or a warm quilt of moss.
Little bits and pieces of daily human
life are easily adapted for fairy use.
Toothpaste caps, bottle tops, small cans
and cartons, plus buttons and sparkly
bits of broken jewelry, can be modified
for fairies.
Get boys involved, too. They will
enjoy making gnome or toad houses.
Dad may even want to help when it’s
time to put up walls and attach a roof.
Connie Gruenhagen, owner of
Four All Seasons in
Defiance, knows about
the popularity of fairy
gardens. She hosts fairy
garden workshops for
participants of all ages.
“Fairies have definitely
made a comeback in
the past few years,”
she said. “It’s magical
fun for adults and
children. It’s a family
affair type thing.
Grandmothers bring
their granddaughters;
A Fairy Garden for a Fairy Gardener
mothers bring their daughters.”
(Photos by Georgia Kohart)
Continues on pg. 8
LIVING TODAY7
www.frontporchpublishing.com
Continued from pg. 7
There is no right or wrong
way to make a fairy garden,
according to Connie. “What’s
neat about these miniature
gardens is that there is no
certain way they have to be
done. You put whatever you
want into them, whatever
matches your personality.”
What is the allure behind
creating a fairy garden? “It’s
something that people make
for themselves. It’s fun to
watch the tiny plants grow,”
she said. “I even had a mother come back
and tell me her daughter tore it apart and
put it back together.”
While Connie carries a selection of
miniature fairy housewares, she encourages
people to look through cupboards and the
garage for the best ccontainers–items that
are worn by time. Baskets with handles
lined with plastic or burlap are good for
creating fairy gardens. “I also suggest old
enamelware wash basins or even roasters,
because they have handles, making them
easier to carry. I went to a flea market and
purchased a bunch of pans that used to be
used for developing film.”
To share your thoughts on this article or
your own experiences with fairy gardens, email
[email protected].
LIVING TODAY8
www.frontporchpublishing.com
Are there fairies
behind this tiny door
nestled among the roots of
a maple tree?
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523 Wes
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505 W. Seco
Defiance
1
419-782-910
Northwest Ohio
July Calendar of Events
July
Sponsored by
1, 8, 15, 22 & 29—Wauseon Cruise-In in the
downtown from 5-8 p.m. with the Motorcycle
Night on July 1 & Super Cruise-In on July 15—
[email protected].
• Open Mic Night at Pontiac Park Gazebo with
rain locations at Biggby Coffee or Compass in
Defiance at 6 p.m.—419-956-2025.
Enjoy our
monthly
list of local
activities,
festivals,
concerts,
art shows &
exhibits.
2—River City Rodders Classic Car Cruise In
in downtown Napoleon from 6-8 p.m.—
rivercityrodders.org.
2, 9, 16, 23 & 30—Downtown Bowling Green
Farmers Market from 4-7 p.m.
3—4th of July Picnic & Grilling on the Patio at the
Paulding County Senior Center at 11:30 a.m.—
419-399-3650.
• Defiance Fireworks at Kingsbury Park at dusk
with food, rides, and vendors—visitdefianceohio.
com.
• Bowling Green Community Fireworks
at BGSU’s Intramural Fields at 10 p.m. and
Community Band at Mileti Alumni Center at 8
p.m.—bgsu.edu.
3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26 & 31—Defiance Farmers
Market at Northtowne Mall in Defiance from
12-4 p.m. on Thursdays and 8 a.m.-12 p.m. on
Saturdays.
7, 14, 21 & 28—Bowling Green Cruise Night in
downtown from 5-8 p.m.
9—Paulding County Hospital Foundation’s Dr.
Mark Teets Memorial Golf Tournament at
Auglaize Golf Club—419-399-1138.
11—Annual Defiance Area Chamber Golf Outing
at the Auglaize Golf Club from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
• Red, White & the Blues Summer Concert at
Herb Monroe Community Park in Paulding at 7
p.m.—419-399-5215.
12—Summer on the Farm at Sauder Village
in Archbold from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. with the
Fiddle Contest in Founder’s Hall at 1 p.m.—
saudervillage.org.
• 13th Annual Classics on Main Car Show in
downtown Bowling Green from noon-4 p.m.
• Big Boys Toys Car Show in Antwerp from 3-8
p.m.—419-258-2727.
• 4th Annual Optimist Triathlon & 5K Reservoir
Run in Defiance—defianceoptimist.org.
13, 20 & 27—Concerts in the Park Series on Needle
Hall Stage in Bowling Green’s City Park with Joe
Baker Band, Johnny Knorr Orchestra & Price of
Toledo Chorus & Voices Harmony at 7 p.m.—
bgohio.org.
17—Harleys & Hot Rods at Napoleon Harley-
3, 10, 17, 24 & 31— Bryan Weekly Cruise-In on the
Square from 6-8 p.m.
4—Old Fashioned 4th of July at Sauder Village in
Archbold with homemade ice cream and games
from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.—saudervillage.org.
• First Friday’s Northtowne Cruise-In in old
K-Mart lot in Defiance from 6-8 p.m. with the
Maumee Valley Car Club—Jason at 419-576-0348.
• YMCA 5K River Run at Kingsbury Park in
Defiance—419-784-4747.
5—Motorama at Auglaize Village in Defiance with
antique cars, customs, rods & cycles from 10 a.m.3 p.m.—auglaizevillage.com.
• Napoleon Triathlon Challenge at
Glenwood Park for individuals and teams—
napoleontriathlon.com.
5, 12, 19 & 26—Wauseon Farmers Market
in downtown from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.—
wauseondowntownassociation.org.
• Henry County Farmers Market in downtown
from 8:30-11:30 a.m.—419-592-1786.
LIVING TODAY10
Stringing green beans into “leather britches” at Sauder
Village in Archbold
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Visit a Northwest Ohio Farmers’ Market near you!
Davidson from 5-9 p.m.—h-dsales.com.
18—Napoleon Elks Rally in the Alley from 6-11 p.m.—elks929.com.
18-19—The Ball Summer Fest at the Defiance County Fairgrounds in
Hicksville—theballsummerfest.org.
19—2014 Bean Days 5K Run/Walk & 1 Mile Kids Fun Run at the
Montpelier School beginning at 7:15 a.m. with parade and balloon
festival following—montpelieroh.net.
• Explore the Crafts at Sauder Village in Archbold with
demonstrations of pottery, woodworking, blacksmithing,
tinsmithing, weaving, and more from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.—
saudervillage.org
• Annual Summer Celebration at Liberty Center’s Fireman’s
Park—libertycentervillage.com.
• Dr. Mor B.S. Scared Stiff Down by the River free movie at
Defiance’s Pontiac Park at dusk.
20—National Ice Cream Day Celebration at Four Corners Heritage
Center in Grelton from noon-5 p.m.—419-592-4568.
24—Paulding County Township Association Fish & Chicken Fry at
County Extension Building from 5-7 p.m.
• Music in the Park Series at Defiance’s Triangle Park with Harpeth
Rising at 7:30 p.m.
25-27—46th Annual Hamler Summer Fest with German food, beer,
and polka bands—hamlersummerfest.com.
26—Tigertown 5000 Road Race at Liberty Center High School at 9
a.m.—tigertown5000.com.
• Vintage Baseball Tournament at Sauder Village in Archbold
from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.—saudervillage.org.
• 1st Annual Williams County Rib Fest at the Williams County
Fairgrounds in Montpelier from 4:30-11 p.m.—wcofair.com.
28-August 4—Wood County Fair in Bowling Green from 8 a.m.-11
p.m.—woodcounty-fair.com.
31-August 3—2014 Fort Defiance Players Dinner Theatre at DC’s
Serrick Center with Forever Plaid directed by Andrew Schultz—
fortdefianceplayers.org.
LIVING TODAY11
www.frontporchpublishing.com
Designing Your Own
Enchanted Garden
by
Pat Strout
Heard
nowhere
else, the
music of
a garden,
subtly and
peacefully
lightens our
hearts.
C
lose your eyes for a few seconds, and
let your mind wander through a quiet
garden, where the magic of nature
makes you feel like you’ve visited an enchanted
world. What does it look like? Can you imagine
it? You can build this enchanted kingdom with
a little planning.
Start by selecting a piece of land with
established plantings such as trees and bushes;
and then lay out a general shape around them.
Think larger, more irregular space, and fewer
plants than you originally estimate you’ll need;
so that both the plants and your notions of
what to include have ample room to grow.
Unpredictability—Aim for a freedom
of plant placement that invites the eye, and
therefore, the feet to move from area to area.
Think about adding a bench, bird feeder, or
water feature in your garden, stepping stones
and gravel to make an informal path, and a
variety of ground cover to draw your attention
forward. Choose plants that bloom at different
times of the year to enjoy the ever-changing
colors, and herald the coming of each new
season.
Seasonal Scents—Your
enchanted garden can begin with
the scent of tulips, hyacinth, and
daffodils in the spring, lilacs in
May, and the rich, deep perfume
of cabbage or English roses and
oriental lilies in the summer.
Color & Shape—Include a
rich variety of color combinations
in different parts of your garden.
Serving Northwest Ohio
Counties
since 1960
Serving Northwest
Ohio
Counties since 1960
Defiance
Defiance Williams
Williams
Henry
Henry
Fulton
Fulton
maumeevalleyguidancecenter.org
www.maumeevalleyguidancecenter.org
Experiment with annuals to keep the cost low,
and then gradually add perennials to anchor
certain colors, paying attention to sun/shade
tolerance as listed on the containers. Opposites
such as purple and yellow, orange and blue, or
red and green add zing; quieter combinations
of blues and purples, soft yellows and oranges
will visually calm an area.
Sound—Heard nowhere else, the music
of a garden, subtly and peacefully lightens
our hearts. Draw songbirds to the bird feeder
with their favorite seed, and consider adding
a trumpet vine, if space permits, to draw
hummingbirds. Add a babbling water feature
or small wind chimes and more naturally, some
grasses or pod plants that rattle in the fall wind.
Touch—The success of an enchanted
garden may be measured by the number of
times you stoop to touch the plants. It’s hard
to walk by lamb’s ears and not touch them, or
touch the parchment of a poppy or walk over
moss in bare feet and not delight in the softness.
Taste—You can include edible plants
as part of your garden design—strawberries,
rhubarb, as well as berry bushes and small fruit
trees. Happy Gardening!
Offering...

Enhancing the quality of
life for those we serve
211 Biede Avenue
Defiance, OH 43512
800-569-3980
LIVING TODAY12
Offering…

✔ Counseling
Services- Services Counseling
Individual-Marriage-Group-Family
Individual-Marriage-Group-Family
✔ Psychiatric
Services-Adults
& Children
 Psychiatric
Services✔ Medication Adults
Management
Services
& Children
✔ Case 
Management
ServicesAdults & Youth
Medication
Management
Services
✔ Clubhouse
Program
 Case
Management Services✔Alcohol & Drug
Addiction
Services
Adults
& Youth
✔Veterans
Supportive Services
 Clubhouse
Program
Alcohol &
Drug Addiction Services
✔ SeniorPrevention
Program
✔ Integrated Health Care
Funded in part by: Four Co ADAMhs
Funded
in part
by: of Defiance Co.
Board and
United
Way
Four Co ADAMhs Board and United Way
www.frontporchpublishing.com
OPENING FALL 2014!
Living Life
At The Meadows of Ottawa, we believe
in living life with no boundaries or
limitations! Experience life to its fullest at
our new health campus filled with friendly
smiles and a dedicated staff. We offer a
variety of assisted living, skilled nursing,
memory care, and short-term rehab
options. We provide our residents with
activities, a fun-filled environment, chefprepared meals, community involvement
and personalized service. And, if you
make a reservation to move in now you’ll
receive special discounts and many other
nice extras. Come see just how good life
can be at The Meadows of Ottawa – call to
schedule a personal tour.
Begin Living Life Today!
Call 419-302-5243 to learn about
our Founders Club specials today!
419-302-5243
147 Putnam Parkway
Ottawa, OH 45875
LIVING TODAY13
www.frontporchpublishing.com
Morning Musings
Fetch, Sparky. Bark, Bark, Bark!
by
Janet Hitchcock
Just as it is
a joy to be
invited into
a five-yearold’s world.
My prayer
is that I may
have the
wisdom to
take time
to run with
Sparky, toss
him a stick
now and
then, and
join him in
the bark.
S
ome days, writing is easy. Some
days, it is not. Today is one of
those not days, and today is my
deadline. It is not going well. See, I’ve
spent two days baking, preparing for
Farmers Market; and I am tired. I should
have done this sooner, but I didn’t.
Nothing is inspiring me, so I am going
for a walk to see what comes…
I’m back from my walk and
chuckling–inspiration? Hmmm…
I sneaked out the front door, hoping
no one would notice; so I could take
a quiet walk. I had just cleared the
sidewalk and stepped into the yard
when I heard, “Aunt Jan, Aunt Jan,
where are you?” I picked up my pace
and quickly rounded the house into the
side yard.
“Bark, bark…bark, bark, bark…
bark, bark, bark, bark, bark!” Our fiveyear-old came running around the
corner barking like a dog and waving a
stick in her hand. She stopped when she
was beside me.
“Whatcha doin?”
“Taking a walk.”
“Why?”
“I need to write something, and I
don’t know what to write about. What
are you doing?”
“I’m taking my dog for a walk.”
She does not have a dog. She threw the
stick and commanded, “Fetch, Sparky!”
She ran to the stick, barking all the way,
picked it up, ran back to me, and said,
“Good boy.”
I kept walking.
“Sparky isn’t a real dog. Can he go
to Farmers Market with us tomorrow?”
“Will he bark?”
“No, he’ll be good.”
“Okay, he can go with us.” And we
continued to walk.
LIVING TODAY14
Pretty soon, a chicken joined us
and followed until we got to the chicken
yard. Apparently, Sparky likes the
chickens, because he didn’t bark. The
poor chicken just wanted back inside
the fence and ran back and forth on
the outside of the fence as her friend
on the inside followed her. As I leaned
down to pick her up and toss her in, she
flapped up to the top of the chicken wire
and jumped in on her own. Our walk
continued.
Sparky’s stick went flying into the
raspberry patch, and we never heard
from Sparky again.
“Honey, there’s another chicken
over there, coming to join us.”
“Those darn Rhode Island Reds,”
“I’m taking my dog for a walk.” She does
not have a dog. She threw the stick and
commanded, “Fetch, Sparky!” She ran to the
stick, barking all the way, picked it up, ran
back to me, and said, “Good boy.”
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Pretty soon, a chicken joined us and followed until we got
to the chicken yard. Apparently, Sparky likes the chickens,
because he didn’t bark. The poor chicken just wanted back
inside the fence and ran back and forth on the outside of the
fence as her friend on the inside followed her.
the little one said, “we just need to eat
them. So did you think of anything yet?”
“Nope.”
“Want a strawberry? There are red
ones,” she asked as her mother joined us.
We stopped to pick a bouquet of flowers
before returning to the house. So much for
a quiet time to reflect and come up with
something inspirational to write.
So, here I sit, still uninspired. I can’t
think of any great wisdom to pass on to
you. Or even some strange thing that has
happened at the farm. Hubby is listening
to gospel music on the TV, little one and
her mama have gone to their house to get
ready for bed, and I’m 200 words away
from finishing my baking for Farmers
Market tomorrow.
And I am pleased as punch that my
life is full of all these wonderful people. I
am delighted to have spent half an hour
walking with Sparky but don’t have to
take him in the house to feed or bathe
him. Tomorrow, “Sparky”
might be a dinosaur or a
mermaid–who knows?
One thing I do know for
sure, tomorrow, we’ll have
another imaginary adventure
somewhere in the midst of the reality of
the day.
Why do we lose that wonderful spirit
of imagined adventure? When did we
stop climbing trees and chasing rainbows?
What has happened to our Sparkys?
One of my jobs is editing romance
novels. These authors have rediscovered
their Sparky. They still climb trees and
chase rainbows of one kind or another
(Mostly another). It is a joy to help them
with their craft. Just as it is a joy to be
invited into a five-year-old’s world. My
prayer is that I may have the wisdom to
take time to run with Sparky, toss him a
stick now and then, and join him in the
bark.
Fetch, Sparky. Bark, bark, bark!
The End (Little one told me to write
this because the story was done.).
To share your thoughts on this column,
email [email protected].
LIVING TODAY15
www.frontporchpublishing.com
“Want a
strawberry?
There are
red ones,”
she asked as
her mother
joined us.
We stopped
to pick a
bouquet
of flowers
before
returning to
the house.
So much for
a quiet time
to reflect and
come up with
something
inspirational
to write.
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