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Hometown Hoedown – Jill Kemerer

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Howdy! I’d love to share that my hometown is in Wyoming or Montana, but we’ll all have to settle for my hometown in the Midwest! All joking aside, I love my hometown. I didn’t grow up here, but it’s been my home for the past thirteen years. We lived here for a few years when we were first married, and we’ve been within driving distance of it for the better part of thirty years. Can you guess where I live?

Toledo, Ohio!

You might not get glamorous vibes when you hear Toledo, but it sure has a lot going for it. There are so many fun things to do in Toledo!

One of Toledo’s features that I’ve raved about for years is its Metroparks system. Toledo Metroparks  has nineteen parks with 200 miles of trails. Their ecosystems vary. Some, like Oak Openings Preserve, have multiple natural habitats, including forests, dunes, ponds, rivers, and pollinator meadows. Others have man-made structures like dams and wildlife viewing areas. We even have a few located downtown on the Maumee river. All of the parks are an outdoor lover’s dream! My husband and I enjoy visiting them, and the Toledo Botanical Garden is one of our favorites.

 

green forest with deer walking through in Toledo Metroparks
A deer in Oak Openings Preserves

 

Another Toledo must-see is the Toledo Zoo. A beautifully manicured property with all the must-see animals, the Toledo Zoo is beloved in this area! My favorite exhibits are the elephants, polar bears, otters, tigers, and the aquarium. Such a wonderful zoo! The Lights Before Christmas always puts me in the Christmas spirit.

 

Grizzly bear at Toledo Zoo
Grizzly bear at Toledo Zoo

 

I can’t get enough of the Toledo Art Museum. A stunning classical building houses over 30,000 pieces, including Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and ancient Mediterranean art. I personally love the art-deco details in the entrance to the main museum, and I find strolling through the various exhibits to be relaxing. I visit at least twice a year, and I always find something new to surprise me. On campus is a glass museum, and the structure itself is made of glass. Breathtaking!

 

Gallery at Toledo Art Museum. Parquet floors, tall columns leading to next gallery.
A gallery in the Toledo Art Museum

 

If you enjoy sports, Toledo is home to the Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A baseball), Toledo Walleye (hockey), and has several universities nearby–University of Toledo, Bowling Green State University, and others.

I also enjoy going to the many coffee shops and the cute towns that make up the suburbs.

Have you been to Toledo, Ohio? If not, what attraction appeals the most to you?

Thanks for joining me today!

Winter Delight – Snow!

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Snow-covered trees against a pale pink and blue sky. Text, "Winter Delight Snow! Petticoats & Pistols"

One winter delight I look forward to every year is snow. There’s something relaxing about sitting on the couch with a hot mug of coffee as snow falls down outside. I especially enjoy the large, intricate snow flakes. They tend to dance down from the sky. Now, the little pellets of snow are not my favorite. They usually come with a storm, and they make the roads slippery. Yuck.

The best is when I wake up and our backyard is covered in a white blanket and snow drips like frosting from the trees. So pretty!

Several years ago, we had a major winter storm. It was one where more snow accumulated each day. We’d shovel the drive. Then the county snow plow would leave a foot of snow and chunks of ice at the end of the drive. We’d shovel again. And repeat the process. I did NOT enjoy that snow experience. It lasted over a week. Here’s a picture of our mailbox from that storm.

Several feet of snow piled around a mailbox

Yes, too much snow can be a problem, but for the most part, I love the white stuff. I don’t even mind shoveling the driveway as long as it’s not too deep.

Winter Delight – Snow!

I recently read an article in the Cowboy State Daily, “What the Heck…Are Those Giant Snowballs that Seem to Roll Themselves?” by Greg Johnson (apologies for the slang in the article’s title). Intrigued, I checked out the photos (click on the above link to see them). Some of those snowballs look like rolled bales of hay. Apparently, the conditions have to be just right for them to form.

  • The surface must be wet, loose and relatively thin.
  • The layer below must be dry snow or ice that will detach easily from the top layer.
  • The wind has to be strong enough to move the roller, but not so strong to break it up.
  • It helps to be on a slope so the roller can be moved along by momentum.
Source ~ “What the Heck…Are Those Giant Snowballs that Seem to Roll Themselves?” by Greg Johnson via Cowboy State Daily

Have you ever seen a giant snowball that seemed to roll itself? I haven’t!

I always chuckle when a movie or commercial features people making snowmen, and it’s obvious these people have never made one in real life. When someone’s casually carrying a massive snowball like it weighs less than a pizza, I shake my head. Large snowballs are heavy–really heavy. It takes muscles to pick one up and plant it on another snowball to form a snowman. And they’re rarely perfectly round. Sometimes they have a little grass or dirt stuck in them. All part of the charm.

Before I wrap this up, I thought you’d like this picture. We had an ice storm years ago, and this tree bore the brunt of it in our backyard. We were blessed the ice didn’t break any of the branches. You can see how overcast and gray the sky was, too. Typical January day in Northwest Ohio.

Ice covered tree branch

I try to enjoy winter as much as possible. By March, though, I’m pretty much over it. I just want to burn my winter coat and feel the warmth of the sun on my bare arms. But for now? I’ll revel in the winter delight of snow.

Do you have snow where you live? Do you like snow? Why or why not?

Enjoy your day!

Petticoats & Pistols