Storm moving out

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I took this photo as Neil and I headed out of the city last night. We saw some of the most beautiful clouds and several rainbows. It was definitely the calm before the storm. While we were watching Pi, a windstorm battered our house and sent debris flying down the street.

Turn, turn

Last weekend, we visited the Cincinnati Nature Center in Milford, where we were married. We had a heavy snow the week before, and then ice covered everything. On Saturday, the temperature rose, the sun came out and winter hinted at spring for a few hours.

It was a bright day and the snow was almost blinding. The sun glinted off the branches of all the trees, which looked like delicate glass. We had to be careful of huge drips from the treetops.

I was fascinated by the buds encased in ice. It's really so beautiful and symbolic it doesn't even need to be explained.

We walked out to the cabin in the middle of a field, where we saw snow shoe prints and the tracks of everyone, man and beast, who came before us.

Inside, small bird prints were scattered on the light snow that had drifted inside on the rough floor.

It was nice to visit in weather the complete opposite of what we had on our wedding day, which was hot and sticky but quite lovely when it cooled down in the evening. I love to see the seasons change, especially in the woods surrounding Krippendorf Lodge (pictured), on whose steps we said our vows.

Seasons change, so do we. We've gone through so much in three years, in fact, that it's almost hard to believe that's us standing on the steps in the early summer sun.

Ride Home From Work

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That evening, things were no better. This is a view on the way home--that's all ice. We slipped all the way home. It took about two hours.

The Ride to Work

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I used my iPhone to take a photo of the road conditions so coworkers could judge for themselves if they wanted to chance it.

It took me two hours on this particular day.

Oh, and my husband was driving, not me.

Mystery Rabbit

© All rights reserved. Used with permission by Flickr user Green Pligrim.

The stenciled image above was spotted by Green Pilgrim in Portsmouth, Ohio. I was looking through his photostream for photos of my alma mater when I came across this. He has been searching for it's meaning, and I am now sucked in as well.

The only thing close to looking like a clue is this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miho_stories/2395040245/

I also found an associated site, but it's in French.

There's a definite Alice in Wonderland vibe, but I can't read too much more into it. Ideas? Clues? Anyone?

Stranger's Photo

We found this photo in an antique shop in Portsmouth when we visited in December.

I love collecting the photos of strangers who have long since passed.

In this one, the boy is holding a toy gun and wearing what appears to be some sort of jester outfit with a fez.

I love trying to decipher what purpose such props had. Often I find symbols that have long since lost their meaning in our society.

-13

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Today it feels like -13 degrees in Cincinnati. I nearly froze walking the short distance from my car to my office building. I was the first one in and saw the sun rise over the river. The orange light spilled through the quiet office. It was a warm-looking, gorgeous sunrise, though outside it felt like there was no sun at all.

No!

No!

No shoes with wheels. Good, I hate those things.

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Appreciation

This house is where my husband lived for three years; I moved in during my senior year of college. I always tell him to consider himself lucky because no other girl would have moved in there.

It all started when my husband (then my boyfriend) was looking for a place to move off-campus after our freshman year at Shawnee State University. He and his friend Cory found a nice rental property near campus and planned to live with several other guys. However, on move-in day, three of the others backed out, leaving Neil and Cory to split a $900 rent. They both worked on campus for $5.15 an hour. Obviously it wasn't going to work. They were stuck in a bad position since the quarter was about to begin and most apartments and rental houses had already been claimed by other students.

Neil and I headed back to Cincinnati to his parents' house to regroup and try to figure out his living arrangements. We had just settled in when Cory called. He'd found a place, he said, and the rent was less than $200. Surely this must be some sort of mistake, we thought.

I clearly recall arriving back in Portsmouth that night to see the place Cory had discovered. The previous tenants had already moved out, he said, but the landlord didn't know that yet. The guys said we could just walk right in because they left the door unlocked.

Immediately upon entering, I noticed a huge piece of furniture blocking our way. We reached to flip the switches, but the electricity had been shut off. In total darkness, we made our way through the foyer with its chipped and missing tiles, then up a rickety staircase. With flashlights, we peeked into each room. One had a dirty mattress on the bare floor and a floor model television. The bathtub was black with mold. The fridge drawer was filled with...(warning!) maggots and rotting food. I looked at Cory and asked him if he was kidding. He wasn't.

Out of options, they talked to the landlord the next day and moved in. I helped clean and paint and pretty soon it was livable. Not up to standards most people would accept, but it was what it was.

Eventually, Cory moved out and his friend from Australia, BJ, moved in. Lastly, during my senior year, BJ was gone and it was my turn to experience life in what was affectionately called "The Rat's Nest." Over the years when I both stayed and lived there, we experienced an ice storm, when we had no electricity for a week and the toilet was frozen, a bat crawling in through a hole in the ceiling and more bar fights in the alley behind the house than I care to admit to watching.

We were poor. We both attended school full time and worked when we could get hours at the library or communication office. Every dime went to simply living. The only saving grace in those days was that the house was directly across the street from campus.

The photos above are from the day before we moved out (top) and what the house looks like now that it has been renovated and rented out again (bottom). It's a lot cleaner and safer these days.

Today, we're back in Cincinnati living in a comfortable ranch home. We were married a year after college graduation. We've been through master's programs, first jobs and are settling into careers. For all of life's blessings, we are not quick to forget where we lived on Third Street in Portsmouth. We keep a framed photo of the house on a shelf as a symbol to remind us that we once lived far below our present lifestyle and we survived. When money is tight or we hear someone complain that they can't afford life's luxuries, we simply smile and know that we are safe if we ever have to live like that again. We made it.


This is a poem I wrote in jest when leaving and moving back to Cincinnati:

Sonnet for 927 ½ 3^rd Street

Shall I weep to part from thee, you old house?

Your leaky ceiling and windows rattling

with each passing Portsmouth wind that doth rouse?

O! This landlord’s lease we seem to be battling!

Sometimes, this house in summer a hot hell,

and often, in dread winter, as cold as ice.

Why? Tell me, why here of all places dwell?

Is there no fairer place, for better price?

It has seen the flood, and often students

who paid the paltry sum destroyed its halls

Undergraduates, oft less than prudent,

kicked in doors, ripped up tiles and scratched the walls.

As long as I breath, shall always recall

Complaining, but surviving, after all.

Guerilla Knitting

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Though I find it to be interesting, most cities and towns would call traditional graffiti a nuisance and eyesore. I think you would be hard-pressed to find someone who objects to the growing trend of guerilla knitting!

That's right. Instead of cans of spray paint, these artists knit cozies around fence posts, on signs, and even on bench slats. From what I've seen, some actually knit on the spot, but most knit pieces at home and then stitch them to whatever needs a little color and fun!

I spotted these examples in one of my favorite towns. Yellow Springs, Ohio is always a pleasure to visit since the people are generally kind, laid back and creative.

These particular examples are by the Jafagirls:

http://jafagirlart.blogspot.com

A big thank you to the artists who brightened up my day! I was in Yellow Springs with my husband to research for a book chapter and this was a pleasant surprise, especially since I had not been to the town in some time.