Ohio was the major producer of corn in the US for many years, which calls for a giant, concrete corn planted in a field in Dublin, OH.
And not just one giant ear of concrete corn - there are 109 of them.
It isn't in some far, out-of-the-way field; this awesome art installation is right next to an office park.
You are just driving through Dublin and there it is in all of its corny glory;
Rea took me here for my birthday a couple of years ago knowing that i love both corn and giant objects. Two for one joy!
Plus another 101 item.
You can read her account of the adventure at the Cackleberry Hollow blog here
In case you don't forsee a trip to central Ohio in your future, enjoy some video of that gorgeous May day (2015) surrounded by an overwhelming amount of concrete corn.
You're welcome.
HELLOOOOOOOO NIKIVERSE!
Oh my gosh, how much i have missed being here.
The last week has been all about NikCo: a card set update on Etsy, first show of the season, May/June class list.
Busy with work is ALWAYS good, but it doesn't leave much time for hanging out at the library to share completely random things,
like this tortoise yard art
that for a moment,
from a distance,
i thought was real.
Until i remembered i wasn't in the Galapagos.
BTW, since i mentioned it, be sure to have a gander at the new card sets on Etsy here; they are an eclectic mish-mosh of useful, but interesting, much like me.
Happy May to you all!
It is indeed my birthday month so every day is a reason to celebrate here in the Nikiverse.
Yesterday was Star Wars Day, today is Cinqo de Mayo and tomorrow is International No Diet Day. [no, i did not make that up]
Enjoy every day of May, people.
And now for a random beauty break:
April tulips, with Great Gma Weber looking on
One wee bad thing about May is that it marks the end of National Grilled Cheese Month.
We all know that i love grilled cheese.
And that i love the Grilled Cheese & Co.
At the end of last year i was able to introduce my friend Suzanne to the wonders of the GCC:
capturing her first bite; can i tell you how PLEASED Suzanne is that this is her first photo in The Nikiverse?
Her first experience was my go-to fave, the Blue Ox, while i tried the holiday special, The Gobbler:
mmmmmmmm... roasted turkey, gouda, apple butter, potato pancakes, and arugula on pumpernickle...
Thanksgiving dinner in a sandwich, except hold the arugula because yuck.
Speaking of specials, the most recent special at GCC was the Mac Daddy.
I will give you a moment to just behold its majesty.
Yes friends, that is a grilled cheese filled with mac-n-cheese and pot roast.
A MONI CHEESE GRILLED CHEESE, PEOPLE.
Words can not capture even a portion of its awesomeness.
Unfortunately, the Mac Daddy's time has passed, but we are at least back to one of my favorites, the Santorini.
Last week i walked into the living room to the sight of my salt shaker on the floor, balanced perfectly on its top.
When did it fall?
How did it land exactly on its top?
What is it even doing in the living room?
Most importantly, how am i gonna pick it up without salt pouring out all over the floor?
Not only is it bad luck to knock over salt, it is impossible to sweep up.
After much strategizing, i went with flipping it over as fast as possible with the hope that centrifugal force [yes, i know it isn't really a force so much as an effect of inertia, but force is the common word used, so...] would push the salt against the walls of the shaker.
Nope.
Nope, it sure didn't work that way.
Yes, salt went flying everywhere in a lovely arc.
So much for strategy.
Finally, a popNikiquiz:
What is Niki's favorite string instrument?
Go ahead and call it out!
Did someone just say dobro?
Wow, that is a wild-a** guess; though points for originality.
There are some things from your childhood that just make you smile.
Passing a house recently, i was stopped dead in my tracks:
Are those hand-cut wood California Raisins?!?
Why yes, yes they are.
How have i not noticed them before; i have been past that house before.
Maybe there are new owners who just put them out?
Why would they have just put them out?
Have they been around since 1986? Cause if so, they are in good condition (except the guy all the way on the end who is missing his face).
Anytime i see a California Raisin, A Claymation Christmas Celebration comes to mind.
I remember watching it with my parents.
It was certainly different from the other Christmas offerings at the time; i think it might have even won an Emmy.
It had the best version of We Three Kings ever.
There were jazzy singing camels.
In sneakers.
How can that not make you smile?
You know, i think i might have a VHS of that special taped off the tv in 1987 in my closet. Gotta go look...
This morning i briefly woke up between dreams, barely opened my eyes and saw a sweet black kitty curled up just a few inches from my head sleeping that really deep sleep that only cats, ferrets and teen-aged boys seem to know.
Flooded with affection i rubbed my forehead on the top of its head and drifted back to sleep.
Except that it occurred to me that i don't own a cat.
Opened my eyes: sleeping black cat.
Closed my eyes really confused, Did i get a cat?Am i dreaming?
Opened my eyes and turned my head to a different angle: crumpley pillow in a dark flannel pillowcase. A-ha.
Speaking of being in my bed, i love my bed.
I mean, i really love my bed: the cool iron headboard, the perfect mattress, my heated mattress pad, my pillow that i've slept with for 40 years, my fuzzy warm blankets. Ahhhhhh... my bed.
Sometimes when it is time for my afternoon nap i don't even sleep. I just lie in my bed reveling in its awesomeness.
How much do i love my bed?
Rea sent me this video because in her words, As soon as i saw it, i thought of you and your bed.
[though i would like to point out that i generally don't go to bed with my cheek pouches full] Bikke the Chip morning stretch
If you are wondering how i can possibly have the time to lollygag about in my bed, it is because i am self-employed. I am more creative at night so it makes sense for me to nap in the afternoon so that i can stay up.
Self- motivating is not my greatest strength so my BFF -who is also self-employed- and I talk once, twice, three times a lady... i mean once or twice a day to help each other map out goals, check progress, celebrate accomplishments and goad each other on.
A few mornings ago i was sitting at the dining room table talking to her and realized that i was drinking yummy Earl Grey tea directly from the pot. The spout kept everything neat like a straw and i didn't have to wait to go get a cup. I wonder if i have a caffeine problem...
Spring means spring festivals for NikCo.
May 2nd and May 9th are already booked and i am deciding which Strawberry Festival i want to do.
Since a lot of festivals are harvest themed i have been looking for fruity beads for Quirkees and finally decided on these polymer ones:
Excited to sort them and start making earrings and bracelets, I got right to it after taking this picture and realized quickly that my idea of fruit and the maker's idea of fruit are a bit different.
There were the obvious ones, thank goodness.
Apple, pear, watermelon, strawberry and kiwi.
Orange, lemon, lime.
I am even okay with the pink apples and strawberries; even though they are not 100% realistic, it is obvious what they are and who doesn't love some pink?
Then there were these dotted ones that i had to stare at for a while before i decided that the top ones were longitudinal cross-sections of apple, and pear and the bottom ones are pomegranates, maybe.
And then there these random babies:
Obviously they are supposed to be citrus sections, but pink peel/pink flesh, lime peel/teal flesh, yellow peel/bright green flesh and dark bluey-green peel and flesh? Where does this bead artist go shopping?
Finally there are the three beads that i cannot figure out for the life of me.
I have never seen a dog chase its tail in real life.
I always assumed that it was one of those things used in cartoons and comics that doesn't actually happen.
This morning i was enlightened and delighted.
BTW, the title of this post comes from my all-time favorite Garfield comic strip. (i think somewhere i still have the original that i clipped out of the paper when it was first published in the early/mid-80s)
I mentioned that while i was in Ohio visiting Rea we made jelly because i had never canned anything before.
The violet jelly was beautiful and tasted good, but the dandelion jelly was INCREDIBLE!
How can anything made from a bitter weed be delicious?
Like the violets, you make an infusion from the flower petals that is the base of the jelly.
It tastes honey-er than honey; it has the bright sweetness, but not the aftertaste.
I was in charge of lidding the jars as i got to use the fun magnetic wand. To see the whole process and get the recipe for the BEST JELLY you have ever eaten, click on Rea's link.
One of cool surprises for me about making jelly was that while the jars cool and you wait for the blessed PING that indicates it has vacuum-sealed, watching the bubbles blubbing through the amber liquid was mesmerizing.
i just noticed that if you embiggen the video
you can see my lovely BFF reflected in the upper left-hand corner
A friend inquired if I find it hard to housesit in places where there are animals since I don't have any pets of my own.
It is a mixed bag to be certain.
I like animals and miss owning my own; it is great to borrow someone else's.
Plus, who doesn't love cuddling with adorable balls of fur while watching Netflix until the wee hours of the morning?
The flip side is that I have been high on antihistamines for almost 10 days. I'm not allergic to fur on a day-to-day basis, but if there is a critter sleeping on the bed with me (or, you know, four of them) I have to take Claritin to be able to breathe when I wake up.
And litter boxes... enough said, right?
But even when a dog goes missing -he's under the bed pretending that he can't hear you- or a cat steals a sub roll from your plate -this is a different cat than the poptart cat; did they not get the memo about being carnivores- or the sister dogs refuse to go out to pee without each other and one of them doesn't want to go out right this second or a cat wants to play poof fetch for an hour -yes, one of the cats plays fetch like a dog- it doesn't really bother me when I remind myself of this:
Imagine fifteen hundred miles of that.
If that didn't send me over the edge, I doubt anything that happens in the ordinary course of a week of housesitting is going to break me.
Ever wonder what music geeks do when they hang out?
Ron had just acquired a bunch of new lighting features and wanted to test them.
Just plugging them in would have been oh so boring so he positioned about eight of them around the electronic drum kit in his basement and proceeded to "amuse me" (read: amuse himself). [video is just over 2 minutes of various styles and beats with much stick twirling; the post title comes from the very end of it; the lighting was much cooler live]
Okay... i'll admit it: he amused me, too.
He's a dork, but i love him.
I am not a big fan of electronic drum kits in general.
There are songs that totally benefit from their sound, but live i much, much, much prefer acoustic. Plus, when i met Ron approximately 900 years ago he always had his acoustic kit set up; it was the kit that i used to roadie for him during the Rare Forum/Letterbox days.
Combine those facts and you'll understand why i am generally whiny about the electronic kit being set up instead of the acoustic.
He is constantly trying to convince me that as technology gets better the electronic sound gets better, electronic kits can mimic acoustic kits, but not vice versa, these disturb the neighbors less because you cab plug in headphones and that all of the different sound settings and modules creates incredible diversity within one instrument... blah blah blah...
Forthwith after the previous video he once again started campaigning for me to come to the electronic drum kit side by hitting buttons and trying combinations to showcase its amazing versatility; I swear you'd think he was trying to sell me one.
Here are some video snippets:
37 seconds of an open steel sorta sound
36 seconds of a more jazzy/ standard sound morphing into a roundish Rush sound
34 seconds of some crazy sounds, which was my favorite (i also love in the middle when he just shrugs his shoulders like i don't really know what this is but i guess that i'm gonna go with it)
26 seconds of an interesting delay that he figured out and wanted to try to recreate later so he asked me to record it (it is really fascinating to watch his stick hits and compare them to the sound so that you can see and anticipate the delay period... sorry, have i used the phrase music geek yet in this post?)
We were at it for a goodly portion of the night and i drew several conclusions:
1. all of my friends are characters; i mean, Ron is one of my most normal friends
2. sparkley lights make me happy
3. i want light effect features in my house
4. drums really, really, really are my favorite
5. electronic drums can be cool, but they are better when they are set to play interesting and unusual percussive sounds instead of trying to sound like acoustic drums
6. if you want the sound of acoustic drums, just play acoustic drums
7. private performances are the best
8. especially if they include lights that change with the music
9. i still wish he had the acoustic kit set up
10. he didn't need that other stick
Mayhaps you've heard that i have an affinity for music and many of you know that since starting my life of self-employment i've developed a bit of a youTube problem.
I have tried so hard not to send a jillion video links to people or put them up here, but i've just seen a song that is too fabulous for a music lover like me to not share. It is the Axis of Awesome performing pieces of 40 songs based on the same four chords and it is frankly amazing:
[be warned if you are at work or hanging with kids, they do drop the f-bomb once at 5:21]
Even more scary than the commonality of the songs involved is the commonality of how many of them i own in one musical form or another. (and the fact that i recognize all of the video references as well)
There is an all day blues festival in Baltimore at the beginning of every August (as one might gathered from the post title) and i've wanted to go for years. The problem was that i didn't have any blues-loving friends to go with me. But this year, this was the year that i was going to Hot August Blues, dagnabit, even if i had to go by myself because this year Trombone Shorty was playing.
Mayhaps you remember me falling in love with Trombone Shorty in the Spring.
Imagine my surprise and delight when Will and Jami suggested going to HAB to see him together!
I'd been to Oregon Ridge years ago to hear the symphony, but this is the first time i've attended a concert there as an adult and, believe it or not, my first all day music festival. The sound in the park is amazing; the stage is at the bottom of a hill so the sound is nicely reflected.
We staked out our seats, listened to a few bands (not that they weren't good, but i don't really remember much about them as i was kinda just biding my time for Mr. Shorty), looked at the vendors (Jami got a great hat) and indulged in crazy fair food (the corn on the cob was the best and i tried deep fried Snickers because... well, why not?)
Finally, it was Trombone Shorty time.
Even from our seats where he appeared to be about 12 inches tall, the sound was great. I love, love that he carried out his own trombone and trumpet instead of having a roadie set them up on the stage ahead of time.
Oh, did i not mention that he plays trumpet as well as trombone?
And sings?
And leads the band?
And dances? I had to get closer.
[i wanted to see better, but it might have had something to do with a chatty guy who i finally realized was hitting on me (i assume people are just friendly) when i caught Will's expression of supressed laughter mixed with the do-you-need-me-to-get-rid-of-him look after he said, I'm Skid, by the way; Skid Row.]
Rude, awful people elbow their way to the front past folks who have been legitamitely standing there for hours which makes me so mad, but you can get there by being watchful and polite. It also helps when you are short so people don't mind if you slide into a hole in front of them cause they can still see.
[don't even get me started on tall people who step directly in front of others ignoring the fact thay they are blocking everyone - selfish, self-centered jerks; but i digress]
Slowly, but surely i worked my way to the front row stage right, next to the press section, affording me this unobstructed view:
The whole band -Orleans Avenue- was crazy tight and clearly enjoying themselves; here is a wee snippet for ya:
Let's zoom in a bit, shall we?
Several times Shorty left the stage and came down into the grass to be closer to the crowd who ate him up like warm pecan pie.
Security had their hands full shooing people back behind the ropes as rampant dancing had broken out and folks were hopping into the open grass for more room.
Near the end of his set Warren Haynes from Gov't Mule -the last band of the night- came out and played with them. The energy was amazing and finished of what was easily the best set of the entire day.
After Trombone Shorty left the stage, Jami found me -she and Will hadn't come all the way to the front wuth me, but had kept an eye on my location to make sure i was Skid Row-free - and waited with me for him to come out to meet and greet.
People started out in a line acting like civilized human beings, but it quickly dissolved into a free for all. I didn't get to hear Jami yell at one guy for jumping line as i was too busy trying to ascertain if the older lady with glasses actually knew Shorty as she hung onto him as he talked to various people.
Once again, taking advantage of tiny openings while being patient and polite does pay off. Trombone Shorty -or my friend Troy, as i call him now- was very nice and appreciative as he signed my CD booklet and posed for pics. My camera chose that moment to have a breakdown and he didn't move away, but asked if i had my phone with me to take pics or if someone in the crowd could take a pic with their phone and mail it to me. Like i said, super nice and cool.
Do not hesitate if you ever have the chance to see Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue perform.
It will be a show to remember.
It's easy to get caught up in all the icky crap of the world, easy to be jaded and think that its all going to hell in a handbasket.
But if you keep your eyes open and actively look for the good, joy is right there in front of you.
Do you remember in the Spring when that video about the kid who made an entire arcade out of cardboard was going around? Well, there is an amazing follow-up; i dare you not to be moved by the earnestness of these kids and excited by the well-spring of creativity.
So let's all play on October 6th. This would make a great homeschool lesson or museum activity.
The only time i got to the North Shore of Oahu when i was in Hawaii was at the end of the day. All the famous shrimp trucks were packed up for the day so i wasn't going to stop, but after a long day of touristing a break for the sunset seemed like a good idea.
There are plenty of beaches and parks along the road by the ocean, but i wanted something a bit more secluded so i pulled over at a break in the guardrail where some surfers were packing up.
It was a wee hike down the break and then some careful scrabbling over the rocks, (why do i always seem to decide to do these things when i'm wearing a dress?) but the view was totally worth it:
hello Pacific
unobstructed view to the west
the breakers between me and the car
With the sun still well above the horizon there was plenty of time to do some writing and watch the surfers. Even as the temperature started to dip, some of those guys showed no signs of stopping.
The sound of the surf was so relaxing that i didn't notice the rising tide until it was almost too late.
I jumped to a higher rock before i was totally soaked
and watched the tidal wild life come out to scavenge.
There are little crabs all over the rocks in this picture
but you can't really see them because they were the same black as the rocks. There were also black water bugs and even little black fish swimming between the rocks. By the time i gave up trying to get a picture of the tiny creatures, the sun was sinking towards the sea.
sigh... so lovely... so peaceful...
Here's a bit of peace for us all. Have a great weekend.
Adventuring is much more fun when shared with loyal friends.
Whether climbing to the top
or sliding to the bottom,
you want your best buddy close at hand.
Sometimes you might need to split up briefly to aid in the exploration,
(hoods are good for that)
but everything's okay as long as you know where to find them.
fTM Felicia put together an excursion to a local biergarten for Oktoberfest. When she sent the original email it included the phrases ...it can't quite shake the Moose Lodge feel... and ...like attending the wedding reception of a relative you don't know... both of which made it imperative that i went. Let me tell you, she was not kidding, people. It was amazingly corny. There was paneling, grown men in lederhosen, people playing their own accordions; i wish i could truly convey how awesomely ridiculous the whole extravaganza was. I, of course, pinned up maiden braids across my head to get in a festive mood.
Here we are, Felicia's boyfriend Danny, Felicia, Abby, Lt Com. Laura, Laura's husband Kris, coworker Brian, former coworker and Jami's boyfriend Will, coworker Jami and me:
The food and service were terrible; i mean, horrifically bad. We never saw a waitress and they ran out of food. Perhaps it was just an off night, but if you go, be sure to eat ahead of time.
However, the entertainment more than made up for it. Polka Family was the band that night and the lead singer made sure that we were fully aware that they had been nominated four times for a Grammy Award; i didn't know there was a Grammy for polka, but okay. They were really good and did a great job of mixing traditional polkas with oom-pahed versions of popular songs. Did i mention that they had groupies? White haired groupies who brought their own cow bells and washboards to play along? I couldn't make this stuff up.
In between sets, there was a local German dance group that shared traditional dances and a bit of cultural background.
It seems that the guys do a lot of the fancy footwork while the girls spin, and i mean they spin and spin and spin - i don't understand how they didn't fall down. It was mesmerizing.
The group's leader, in a fabulous thick accent, talked about the genesis of each dance, including this one The Blacksmith's Dance:
Wait, did you just ask if there was a Maypole at any point?
Oh, you bet your bippy they broke out a maypole:
I had no idea that there are all sorts of intricate weavings, having only ever seen/done the traditional over/under steps. It was so cool to be watching the dancers and then see the patterns emerge in the ribbons.
Being out where people are dancing is one of the few times that i really mind being single; i love, love, love to dance. Anyone who has ever seen me dance can attest to the fact that i am, in fact, a horrendously bad dancer, but i do it with a lot of gusto. Well into the evening they were doing a second or third round of audience participation dances and i was vibrating a little in my seat when Kris shouted Let's GO! from the other end of the table. Lt. Com. Laura wanted absolutely nothing to do with dancing so i went out onto the floor with her husband.
We did this fun dance where you circle and switch partners. When i was with someone besides Kris i did a passable polka/fast waltz, but when Kris and I were partnered he said Go Crazy so we did. Here, because i can take the teasing, is a video of the resulting carnage - the laughter in the foreground is Laura and Jami:
Speaking of Jami, she had no idea how to polka or even waltz so i spent a goodly portion of the evening explaining and pointing out different steps. Finally, she and Will were feeling brave enough to go out and try it. The picture is a bit fuzzy, which is how Will described feeling after doing the polka; in fact, he had to sit down to keep from falling down. Amateurs. :-)
Finally, i'll leave you with this video. The dancers brought out cow and sheep bells to play songs. What? you say. I was just as puzzled, but it was fabulous; in fact, i apologize if i was singing along in the video. You gotta watch to the end to see the oldster throw his hat:
