Author: boomingbanter

The pink palace of last weekend turned out to be a big disappointment once we got inside. It was in a truly sorry state.

So we have continued to explore the region looking for a property to renovate and have been into areas we normally would never visit.

This month of exploration has been a real eye opener.

The good side of all this is to see that parts of the inner cities are starting to transform and are on the up and up.

Yet, even in these areas of hope for ever home that has been flipped there are still three or four others that are wretched looking.

Had it not been for this idea of finding a flipper it is true and sad to say that we might never have known about the state of our state.

Of course we know there is poverty and of course we know there is a crisis with opioids but the extent of this was way beyond our understanding.

Yesterday we hit on a very interesting little place in the city of Marion Ohio. It was built in 1860 and is just across the street from the family home of President Harding.

The Harding place itself is under refurbishment and a new historical center in honor of President Harding is being built.

So my mind is now running riot and my imagination is in overdrive. Wouldn’t this be the ideal spot to transform into a little boutique hotel? Just think of all those tourists who might need a coffee or an ice cream or a cocktail after their visit to the museum!

We haven’t seen more than inside a window yet as the agent canceled on us this afternoon but we will go next Saturday instead.

Not an issue! Gives plenty of time to learn about what would fit with the period and get worked up into a flipping frenzy! Exterior paint selection has been made! Absolutely must be daffodil yellow!

Blessing # 259 – A Week to Dream

 

 

Just outside our garage there are three lovely crab apple trees.

We see them every day as we drive out, walk Dibley or go to the mail box.

They give vibrant deep pink blossoms in the spring time and then rosy little apples in summer. These then stick around to give a rich burgundy color even in the depths of winter. A wonderful constrast with snow.

This year when the leaves fell we noticed we had a birdsnest in one of these trees. From every angle this little homestead is rounded to perfection.

Just this week there was some activity happening with about six or seven little chirpers buzzing around the nest.

Can’t  be sure, because they flew off when we disturbed them, but they had the chubby rounded shape of gold finches but did not have the bright yellow color.

Someone may know if it is normal that there would be so many birds around one nest. Do they compete for the prime real estate made by another? With all those little apples around it must be a home with easy pickings at hand.

We’re hoping one of the prospectors has laid an egg or two and we’ll have a little family there soon.

Blessing #258 – Anticipating an Arrival

A few nights ago WOSU our public broadcasting service was showing the last episode of Pride and Prejudice.

All men in the house were silence as I snuggled down in anticipation of Mr Darcy’s return to Longborne.

I snuggled so well that I fell asleep even before Bingley had the chance to pop the question and woke to the closing music.

Even though I’ve seen this series many time I was livid. Still stewing about this the next morning and in desperation to see if it was being screened again I searched the listings.

No luck it was only on WOSU PLUS! We have never been able to pick up PLUS but our cable now has thousands of channels So was there a chance we might now have it.

Bingo according to the cable provider on channel 994 we have plus. Bells might as well have been ringing all over the city. Not only could I gaze again on the beauty of Mr Darcy and he in the eyes of  Lissie Bennet there was now the chance to catch so many new programs as well as the good ones I’d missed.

Now here is the irony in all this.

We are planning a Kairos Ministry fundraiser on Saint Patrick’s Day and are serving Irish Stew and Soda Bread and yours truly is meant to supply the recipes.

Well, when I tuned into 994 what was showing?

Not the Bennets, scheduled for much later in the day, but an Asian chef making of all things Irish Stew ans Soda Bread!

Blessing #257 – Beauty Sleep

 

It’s shameful to admit to the amount of things we have that we have never used. Some have been buried away in storage for years and are now being uncovered.

One such item is a Romertopf pot that was used for the first time yesterday. It was in its original package.

We had to put on detectives dress and dig deep to uncover where and when we bought it.

With the languages on the box it had to have been purchased in Switzerland.

A price tag from a store called Jumbo confirmed the suspicion and a makers mark on the bottom showed it was made in Germany in 1989.

The box also had a sticker on it that showed it had been shipped with our things from China.

So putting all the traces together the pot started life in Germany in 1989, was purchased by us sometime thereafter, moved with us to USA in 1995, moved to China in 2001, moved back to Switzerland in 2004, went  into storage in 2010, returned to the USA in 2018 and FINALLY was used on February 20 2019! Almost thirty years after it was made.

Has a piece of brick ever had such a journey? Poor thing waited nearly as long as the Terracotta Soldiers to see the light of day.

It did a good job too in roasting a piece of pork and now it’s out of the box is set to tandoori some chicken soon!

Blessing # 256 – Buried Treasures

There has to be a first for everything and early this morning we experienced one.

School had just called at 5:15 am to inform us that we had a snow day. Always a treat when it is midweek and especially good when it is exam day. A certain person breathed a deep sigh of relief!

Dibley took a quick pit stop and dipped his paws in four inches of the fresh white stuff and then we snuggled in for a good lie in.

Just  as we were dosing off there was a massive boom.

It shook the windows and we thought something massive must have crashed or exploded. Was it a train or was it a plane or did a gas line blow. It was a one off and it was powerful.

Later we discovered, when we saw posts from friends, that what we experienced was THUNDERSNOW!

The weird thing about this was that the furry one, who usually goes berserk at the tiniest sign of a storm was as quiet as a lamb.

No way to capture this event in photo so instead a few pics of this seasons snow days.

Blessing # 255 – Freaky First

Today as Krishna and I were driving into Columbus he was mentioning how much he loves the heated seats in our car. We fondly refer to them as the bum warmers.

The first car we ever had with this feature was a Subaru way back in the 1990s. Since then it has been a key consideration in selecting any vehicle.

The heat comes on fast, much faster than the air fan and especially on really cold days it wraps around you like an electric blanket.

Growing up my Mum was always too worried we’d set the house on fire with electric blankets so we stuck to hot water bottles, or as we called them « jars », instead.

We had a whole ritual around « putting in the jars ». It would start during the commercial break before the nine o’clock news. The kettle would be boiled and the jars filled and put in bed. Mum and Dad had one each but I had two because I was spoiled rotten.

We’d wrap our night clothes around them and then go to watch the news. By the time that was over and we’d have our last cup of tea the beds were nice and toasty.

With today’s central heating jars have become almost obsolete but we still have a few on reserve just in case the power goes out.

We also have the furball who is a good wee heater too but a bit more fidgety than a jar.  Wonder is this one of the reasons cave men took to wolves so well?

Blessing #254 – Creature Comforts

We’re signed up to provide the snacks tomorrow at our Tuesday Morning Group. All the talk yesterday on the Ulster Oreo made me think it’s about time our friends at the group had a deeper immersion into Ulster delights.

They will be spared the buttered Marie but are going to have one of my Mother’s best, her boiled cake!

Only the Lord knows when she wrote the recipe down and who she got it from. My hunch tells me it was my Auntie Nora but I’m not sure.

Out came the recipe today in all its stained glory. It was lovely to see Mummy’s writing so familiar and enduring. It was also great to think of all the people who got a thick slice of this cake which was, in good Ulste style, smothered in butter.

Not knowing how well this would slip down with the Ohio palette or, if truth be told, how mine would pop out of the cake time, little boiled bits were made instead.

Krishna who was a connaisseur of Moms special said the popper versions were “not bad at all”

Let’s see what the TMGers think!

Blessing # 253 – New Twists on Old Turns

A few days ago a friend posted a reminder of a Northern Irish delicacy that few of you may know.

It’s the Ulster Oreo also known as a buttered Marie biscuit. Digestives also work but are not as “light”.

This should never be confused with a buttered scone. That would be way too normal for us! Biscuits are cookies not scones!

Now this delicacy is not the type of delight that you’d serve the Rector but every family eats them.

They are a little salty and a little sweet and very bland so they’re especially good when you haven’t been feeling well and can’t face much.

They are also particularly helpful  to alleviate stress. You can squeeze the butter through the little holes in the biscuit making little butter worms to lick up one by one. Great for students doing revision. So good to help concentration.

All cultures I’m sure have quirky little things they love. What would yours be? Post a pic too if you can.

Blessing #252 – Funny Foods

Today is my birthday and it has been a really good day so far.

The alarm clock was left unset so when I woke up it was already 7:45. Just enough time to jump in the shower and speed to Zumba!

On the way back I got us all big jelly donuts and we tucked into them before Aaron left for work.

Krishna and I then went with Dibley for a long ride in the country all the way to Urbana. This was to quench my urge to find a big old house to flip.

Urbana is a lovely city with many wide tree lined streets and mansions. This morning, fueled with the donuts and much too much coffee I found what looked like the home of my dreams.

So being my birthday the boys had to accommodate my urge to see it. From the real estate listing the house looked like something from Gone With The Wind. When we go there let’s say it was the Tara that Scarlett found after the war!

However, just a few doors up from  « Tara » we found another house.

This one looks more like a tropical colonial that you might find on the Malabar Hills of Bombay.

It will be auctioned next Saturday at 10:00 am and there is an open house tomorrow so we’ll be taking another ride through the country.

All this to say that when I was prowling around the Pink Palace who should I encounter but a great big black cat. This reminded me of my bestie Carols childhood cat Bimbo. Just like Bimbo this big guy stared deep into my eyes questioning why I was in his yard!

Some would say this is a bad omen and turn on their heals and run. We Brits and Irish though love the black cat. Nothing could be luckier.

So let’s see what happens next weekend! Oh and one last thing the house number is 216! Now isn’t that something for a girl born February 16?

Blessing # 251 – Urbana Legend!

Aarons passport will expire next month and I was dreading having to go through all the bells and whistles of getting the new one.

Getting a passport anywhere always means some paperwork but when you live outside the country of your citizenship it can be fraught with additional hurdles. Getting photos right and witnessed by someone of your nationality as well as bankers drafts for payment are just some things that we anticipated.

Therefore it is with amazement and much gratitude that we found the British Government have up their game to a point of EXCELLENCE.

The photos can be taken with a cell phone and the payment can be made by card. Everything was done on line in wait for this fifteen little Minutes. This included a quality control of the photo which resulted in Aaron having to drag himself away from the Xbox to have a second one taken.

The whole experience was super!

Blessing # 250 The Joy of Simplicity