UNDERSTANDING WOMEN

Have men ever really understood women or know what they like? A lot of men say they have never understood us and probably never will. I know there are things I like a man to do and generally speaking some guys may not have a clue what I am talking about.

Now, some women may find a guy who really understands them and knows their needs, so this column is in no way meant for them. To those I say, “Great and thank you in your quest to understand the female.”

By Bill Sherry

Get out of jail free

During a heated game of Monopoly is the only place someone should be granted a get out of jail free card. Would you agree? But pay careful attention because that is just what is happening in part of northwest Ohio. Check out the headlines and partial story from Indiana’s News Center 33 written by Maureen Mespell and broadcast Aug. 14, 2012:

Northwest Ohio corrections center fighting overcrowding

“(Indiana's NewsCenter) – The Correction Center of Northwest Ohio is bursting at the seams and is asking judges in Williams, Defiance, Henry and Fulton counties to help reduce its prison population. None of those four counties have jails of their own and have turned to the correction center to house inmates.”

By Kylee Baumle

I’ve talked about the monarch butterflies a few other times in this column, so regular readers know that I’m one of their biggest fans. It won’t be long before we’ll be seeing them in our gardens again. The hummingbirds have returned from their wintering grounds and the monarchs aren’t far behind, having been sighted as far north as Kentucky.

Our recent cold weather may slow them down a bit, because they can’t fly at temperatures below 50°F, but an even bigger factor is the presence of milkweed. The caterpillars of the monarch butterfly feed exclusively on plants in the Asclepias genus.

The thought of growing milkweed in your gardens might not appeal to you, but the monarchs are in trouble and they depend on milkweed for their survival. Their habitat is dwindling due to spraying and while I understand why farmers don’t want it in their fields, roadside mowing, among other factors, is also contributing to the lack of food sources.

By Kylee Baumle

The long-awaited truly spring weather arrived last week and with it a venue for releasing some of our pent-up energy. The garden began waking up long before we could detect it, even though it seemed like overnight it turned green and burst into bloom.

The problem, of course, is that we try to expend that energy all at once and weary bodies and sore muscles are the consequences of our winter inactivity.

Last year’s drought, among other things, prevented us from doing some intended major redesigning of the main gardens here at Our Little Acre. So this spring has us scrambling to get most of it done before a garden club visits at the beginning of June.

By Jim Langham

As recently as this weekend, I visited a friend from our congregation in a local hospital. During the course of our visit and subsequent prayer, a nurse came into the room, at first was going to dismiss herself until our visit was over, but stayed and shared in the conversation by our invitation.

During her visit, he was gently questioned about his pain level, administered the meds that he needed and was given the opportunity to express any other needs at the time. But, what really impressed me was the friendly effort she made to connect with his concerns and interests and how effectively she was able to do that.

This week is suggested by area hospitals as, “National Nurses Week.” The thought of that immediately gripped my heart as I thought of all of the “compassionate nurse moments” I have witnessed over the years.

By Nancy Whitaker

WHAT’S IN MY SOUP?

Eating is supposed to be one of the nice, pleasant things in life. We all like to partake of food that tastes and looks good. There is nothing better than sitting down to a home cooked meal and enjoying it with your family or loved one.

Dining out is also a special experience as a lot of events are celebrated in a restaurant with a good meal.

Naturally, when you prepare food or eat out, you want your food to look, smell and taste good. But, strange things can happen if you eat at home or dine out.

By Nancy Whitaker

‘The Bodys’

There were four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job.

Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody for what Anybody could have done.

By Amber McManus

Simple pleasures

Ever since having children, I realized how much I took for granted the simple pleasures I had in life pre-kids. I’m not talking about anything extravagant like the purchase or a new car or a winter vacation to Florida, I talking basic enjoyment such as watching an entire movie in complete silence. I’m talking of an uninterrupted Sunday afternoon nap. I’m talking about a warm meal on a cold and rainy evening. I’m talking about the feeling of the warmth of the sun hitting my face on a summer’s day, a ride in the country with the windows down, the smell of wildflowers, simple and beautiful pleasures of life.

By Jim Langham

Those of us who are still stuck in 1970’s popular music have no problem capturing the tune of the hit, “Fly Like an Eagle,” in our minds with the mere power of suggestion.

Saturday, April 27, that song became reality under the most unique circumstances. I was attending the dedication ceremonies at the Limberlost State Historic Site in Geneva, Ind., the home of famed author, Gene Stratton-Porter, famous for such children’s books as, “The Song of the Cardinal,” “Freckles,” “The Harvester,” and “Girl of the Limberlost.”

In her books, Porter built heartwarming stories on the countryside of the late 1890’s and early 1900’s, based on birds, critters and wild flowers in a large swamp area known as, “The Limberlost,” a sister swamp across the border very similar to the Great Black Swamp of our area in northwest Ohio.

By Kylee Baumle

Petunias, marigolds, ditch lilies, red salvia, Ageratum, Portulaca, geraniums. What do these flowers have in common? Your grandmother probably grew them. Maybe your mother, too.

When you walk into a garden center, do you stop and ooh and ahh over them? Or do you do like I do and give them a cursory glance and walk right past them on your way to the “more interesting” plants and the new introductions?

Somewhere along the way, petunias and marigolds became boring. Ditch lilies got taken for granted. Red Salvia and purple Ageratum became cliché. Portulaca, or moss rose, perhaps bears too much resemblance to its cousin, that persistent weed, purslane. (Although purslane is a delicious salad edible!) Geraniums, which aren't really geraniums at all, but pelargoniums, have just graced one too many window boxes and garden borders.