Celebrating Kevin’s 20th Birthday

Twenty years ago, on September 2, our youngest child was born. To celebrate, our whole family came for an outdoor supper. We are now a total of 31. Son-in-law Dustin broasted chicken and made french fries in his double-basket deep fryer. We set up tables in the yard by our walk-out basement and ate out there. We had a campfire going, which felt really good when the sun went down. The children enjoyed gathering sticks and anything they could so they could throw them into the fire. We caught a few using extra napkins just so they could throw it in the fire and watch it burn. Haha! Most of them stayed here for the night, except Daniel Ray and Verena, who left after supper to go to his parents’ for the night. They had plans to gather at Daniel Ray’s uncle and aunt’s on Monday. Joseph and Grace stayed later but then left for home. Of course, Dustin, Daniel, and Lovina are just across the road so that they could go home to their own beds. Denzel and Byron stayed here for the night and slept with Joe and me. Denzel wanted to sleep beside Grandpa. Byron was always moving around, so I moved to the recliner, and he slept much better when he had my space, too. Haha! I’m having pain in my left shoulder and lower back, so the recliner actually feels better after a while. I have an appointment on Friday, and hopefully I can get relief then. I baked a cake for Kevin and it must’ve tasted better than it looked because it was all ate up. I tried my skills at decorating, which I’m not good at.

Ohio SNAP-Ed classes end Oct. 1, raising food budget concerns

Ohio’s SNAP-Ed program, the free nutrition-education arm pairing with the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, will shut down Oct. 1 under the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” ending school lessons, pantry demos and grocery-on-a-budget classes many low-income families rely on.

When I learned comic art could be ART

New Mutants #18, from 1984, introduced a new artist to the mutant books: Bill Sienkiewicz. He’d made his mark on Moon Knight and a few other books. This was a real turn, as Marvel’s style was far from artsy, and the comics industry was still recovering from the heavy influence of Neal Adams. Sienkiewicz developed an art style based on illustration techniques. It was evident in page layouts that set the stage for the modern age, featuring irregular panel shapes, overlapping images, and borderless panels.

Union Bank Company launches USpend teen checking account

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Union Bank Company today announced the launch of USpend, a new teen checking account for individuals ages 13 to 18. Available now, USpend gives teens the tools to build financial independence through hands-on banking experience and financial literacy resources.

Four weeks, no roots causes compaction

Due to a lack of rain, the soil is getting hard. When soil gets dry and lacks adequate soil organic matter (SOM), clay particles set up like cement. Most farmers do a fall tillage, which will increase water infiltration short-term, but long-term the soil just gets denser as the soil compaction gets worse.