2017 in Review
August marked our second year in Milan, Ohio. To borrow one of my mother’s chipper expressions, we are “right as rain” in this curious place.
Cliff has become a gentleman farmer, planting tomatoes, asparagus, strawberries, and squash. (Read my post Ohio Gothic for clarification and pertinent picture.) He scouted for a volunteer opportunity and chose Meals on Wheels. In short order, they asked him to become a part-time paid substitute in the county. Driving peaceful back roads is his idea of a grand adventure. More than food, he delivers goodwill to folks who are mostly alone. Inspired by his fine example, I volunteer for another of their outreach programs, visiting housebound people who register to receive company. Cliff and I are determined to pay it forward.
Because I know his travels interest many, I add that he attended two Massachusetts music festivals and several in Ohio. We visited Michigan’s Greenfield Village with NYC friends and recently returned from a Kansas trip to see cousins. Unfortunately when Cliff was in Oklahoma this fall, his sister Kathy died unexpectedly. He spoke about her at the funeral, but no words ever put such loss to rest. In March, our family traveled to Ireland. Once we reached the countryside, I realized I had never fully seen the wonders of green. We drove past meadows still dotted with stone walls and watch towers, centuries old. We lived among scenes from every single fairy tale, with this perfect rainbow emerging in the distance.
Maggie, president of her campus Planned Parenthood chapter, marched in DC in January with group members. She’d text Cliff her location as we watched the televised coverage. Because she does not surrender easily, she finally managed to engage our state PP president to participate in a campus panel discussion by chewing miles of red tape to make this happen. Mission accomplished, Maggie promptly resigned, stamping Lesson Learned on her skill set. (Education is more than academics.) This past summer she worked in Campus Access and lived in the dorm. Not exactly high adventure, but she’s on a first-name basis with the Security Force. A good ace to hold.
I did an author event at the Milan Public Library in November, National Adoption Month. (Cliff said I was enchanting, cementing his place in my heart.) I continue to write, realizing my youthful dream of being a newspaper columnist has come true through Margin Notes, the new addition to my website, re-designed by Maggie.
As I roam our town, I’m always amazed by this small place, especially the wonders of nature. We had a snowy owl in our attic for three days. A mother duck nested successfully near our garage. Countless butterflies swept through our garden. Ladybugs covered us this fall. On a walk with our dog Maria past the Thomas Edison Birthplace, we encountered a peacock. As his story has emerged, it turns out he escaped less than ideal circumstances on a farm, followed the river to Milan, and staked his claim at the museum. A coalition of neighbors keeps him fed and watered, although he freely grazes the woods nearby. Folks worried when the weather turned cold, but he refused to sleep in the shed despite their enticing efforts. Instead, he discovered a place by himself. He roosts at the northern-most house on the old canal. Each evening he flies to the first branch of the tallest tree and hops to the top.
And I hope that place for you, too, whatever has come to pass in your life. Find your own river and seek a better place.
Branch by branch.
Be a peacock.
