Hey Connie! I started to write a long post expressing the great but insufficiently expressed regard I always had for both of you, and my regret at never getting to know both of you better, and all the reasons for that. But I decided that ultimately, it would have come across as boring at best and self-serving at worst. So let me just say thank you to you and Sherrod for making my life richer. And even though you’ll never remember it, thanks for introducing me to meditation!
I saved this for a quiet moment. And it’s taken me six days to return to read it. It was worth the wait. I now feel calm despite the horribles that persist around us. And thank you for sharing your tender memories.
I wondered if we would survive it, but we did. One foot in front of the other, searching for joy and good neighbors along the way. Hugs to you, Connie.
Thank you Connie for this message today. You covered so many of my thoughts. Your remembering the night of your "lockout" made me laugh, and your comment about the president's horrendous exclamations made in public makes me wonder how can this get even worse for our nation!
Your thoughts on leaving your home last year reminds me of our moving to Sunbury two years ago from Northwest Ohio to follow our daughter and grandchildren's families. Leaving our lovely home and several flowering trees we planted there. Relocating is tough, but being closer to family is so good!
I so enjoy your articles and look forward to reading each of them. Enjoy a lovely springtime, and we look forward to a better future for our nation, especially after Sherrod is back in the Senate!
I'm not sure how you do it, but you made me cry. I truly love your stories because they are filled with the beauty of nature, the beauty of human-kind, children and a dog or two and the amazement that Spring and our earth has to offer. We had, which seemed to be, a heavy snow fall this morning. The sun is out and brightly shining and now the white that covered our earth has disappeared in a matter of an hour or two. We had two pairs of blue birds at the last of our suet offerings (bears are out so no more bird seed in the feeders). I guess I just want you to know, your stories are just a blessing of what is really important in this life and as always, they are filled with so much love and gratitude. It's a very sweet blessing to have the simple privilege of being able to read what you offer. My spirits are lifted again. Thank you
Thank you for this story today, Connie. Though I am closer to the lake, in Ashtabula, and it's 32 degrees and muddy everywhere, you have set a fire under me to get out in the yard as soon as it gets above 40 again, and start cleaning up my many flower beds I planted when I was young and had energy. After I turned 70, the best thing I did to minimize the chaos in my days was to install a keyless entry lock with a 4 digit code on our front door. Happy Spring!
Thank you for this beautiful piece. It touched so many emotions in me. Wishing you and your family a blooming and hopeful Spring from a former Ohioan (Elyria).
Connie, I’m so with you in the joy of spring— in the dirt, and in the planting. Thank you for sharing your life with us, and for the inspiration you always are.
Connie, it's good to have you back. I find comfort and community in reading your posts, as well as the comments from your followers. Your messaging voices what many of us are feeling.
I guess I am actually commenting on your post from April 3rd, "Let's Go Find the Joy". I too have been in a "relentless state of rage" but keeping it internalized for the most part. That is getting harder and harder to do with this so-called war against Iran. I just don't sense that my fellow Americans care what is happening in their name. This is not a war so much as an unprovoked assault at the behest of an immoral Israeli government. Attacks with guided missiles, drones, and bombers are acts of cowardice, not war. Our deranged leaders think it's fun "blowing things up" and openly joking about it. But these are real people they are killing and maiming. And as with all wars, it's mostly the innocent who pay the price. Believe me, the people of Iran will never forget the cruelty that's killing their children, their parents, their friends. How would any of us feel if our child was blown to bits by the American terror from the sky? We should not accept what the United States is and has been doing. First our military began murdering supposed smugglers on the high seas. Then we attacked Venezuela, murdering who knows who there, for god knows what purpose. It's bad enough that our country stood by while Israel committed war crimes with their "community punishment" of the people of Gaza. (Looking at you Democrats). But this pointless assault on Iran is just unforgivable. Regime change? I know where I'd like to see regime change, and it's a lot closer than Tehran.
But Connie, what can I do, or any of us do? I fear that the Republicans will actively rig the upcoming midterm elections. (And almost certainly the 2028 elections). So what then? Nothing good I suspect.
Hi Connie (and Connie's readers) --- because this online community is mostly about HOPE, I feel like sharing this quotation from the organization Grateful Living (Grateful.org):
"Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence."
Lin Yutang
May we all take it as a small bit of inspiration to keep hoping.
Connie: do you have any idea how frustrating the system is here to post a comment? You have to be sent a code which takes forever to arrive so you go do something else and when it finally shows up in your in box, it's only good for 10 minutes and by then has expired. ALL of that to go through and I just wanted to say, I enjoyed the essay, and while I am not sure how they'd feel about it, our fire dept here in Lyndhurst has or had Knox Boxes to loan out for a small fee. They even come out to install it. They are relatively small boxes attached near an entrance to the house and only the fire dept has a key to it, and inside you lock a set of house keys, so in an emergency they can get in without busting a door or window. I don't know if they'd do it simply for being locked out...but they are a good thing especially for those who are older and also have emergency buttons. The neighbor plan is good, but of course you have to connect with the neighbor and they have to be home:-)
Enjoy the Groovy Plant Ranch…you will love it!!!! Thanks for another wonderful article!! 💙💙🇺🇸
Hey Connie! I started to write a long post expressing the great but insufficiently expressed regard I always had for both of you, and my regret at never getting to know both of you better, and all the reasons for that. But I decided that ultimately, it would have come across as boring at best and self-serving at worst. So let me just say thank you to you and Sherrod for making my life richer. And even though you’ll never remember it, thanks for introducing me to meditation!
I saved this for a quiet moment. And it’s taken me six days to return to read it. It was worth the wait. I now feel calm despite the horribles that persist around us. And thank you for sharing your tender memories.
Thank you for such a lovely essay on life and the changes it brings.
I wondered if we would survive it, but we did. One foot in front of the other, searching for joy and good neighbors along the way. Hugs to you, Connie.
Oh my, you bring me so much joy with your reflections!
Thank you!
Thank you Connie for this message today. You covered so many of my thoughts. Your remembering the night of your "lockout" made me laugh, and your comment about the president's horrendous exclamations made in public makes me wonder how can this get even worse for our nation!
Your thoughts on leaving your home last year reminds me of our moving to Sunbury two years ago from Northwest Ohio to follow our daughter and grandchildren's families. Leaving our lovely home and several flowering trees we planted there. Relocating is tough, but being closer to family is so good!
I so enjoy your articles and look forward to reading each of them. Enjoy a lovely springtime, and we look forward to a better future for our nation, especially after Sherrod is back in the Senate!
I'm not sure how you do it, but you made me cry. I truly love your stories because they are filled with the beauty of nature, the beauty of human-kind, children and a dog or two and the amazement that Spring and our earth has to offer. We had, which seemed to be, a heavy snow fall this morning. The sun is out and brightly shining and now the white that covered our earth has disappeared in a matter of an hour or two. We had two pairs of blue birds at the last of our suet offerings (bears are out so no more bird seed in the feeders). I guess I just want you to know, your stories are just a blessing of what is really important in this life and as always, they are filled with so much love and gratitude. It's a very sweet blessing to have the simple privilege of being able to read what you offer. My spirits are lifted again. Thank you
Thank you for this story today, Connie. Though I am closer to the lake, in Ashtabula, and it's 32 degrees and muddy everywhere, you have set a fire under me to get out in the yard as soon as it gets above 40 again, and start cleaning up my many flower beds I planted when I was young and had energy. After I turned 70, the best thing I did to minimize the chaos in my days was to install a keyless entry lock with a 4 digit code on our front door. Happy Spring!
Joanne, that lakefront is full of so many cherished memories for me.
I bought that entry lock earlier this week!
Thank you for this beautiful piece. It touched so many emotions in me. Wishing you and your family a blooming and hopeful Spring from a former Ohioan (Elyria).
Connie, I’m so with you in the joy of spring— in the dirt, and in the planting. Thank you for sharing your life with us, and for the inspiration you always are.
Connie, it's good to have you back. I find comfort and community in reading your posts, as well as the comments from your followers. Your messaging voices what many of us are feeling.
I guess I am actually commenting on your post from April 3rd, "Let's Go Find the Joy". I too have been in a "relentless state of rage" but keeping it internalized for the most part. That is getting harder and harder to do with this so-called war against Iran. I just don't sense that my fellow Americans care what is happening in their name. This is not a war so much as an unprovoked assault at the behest of an immoral Israeli government. Attacks with guided missiles, drones, and bombers are acts of cowardice, not war. Our deranged leaders think it's fun "blowing things up" and openly joking about it. But these are real people they are killing and maiming. And as with all wars, it's mostly the innocent who pay the price. Believe me, the people of Iran will never forget the cruelty that's killing their children, their parents, their friends. How would any of us feel if our child was blown to bits by the American terror from the sky? We should not accept what the United States is and has been doing. First our military began murdering supposed smugglers on the high seas. Then we attacked Venezuela, murdering who knows who there, for god knows what purpose. It's bad enough that our country stood by while Israel committed war crimes with their "community punishment" of the people of Gaza. (Looking at you Democrats). But this pointless assault on Iran is just unforgivable. Regime change? I know where I'd like to see regime change, and it's a lot closer than Tehran.
But Connie, what can I do, or any of us do? I fear that the Republicans will actively rig the upcoming midterm elections. (And almost certainly the 2028 elections). So what then? Nothing good I suspect.
Hi Connie (and Connie's readers) --- because this online community is mostly about HOPE, I feel like sharing this quotation from the organization Grateful Living (Grateful.org):
"Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence."
Lin Yutang
May we all take it as a small bit of inspiration to keep hoping.
Beautiful, Connie.
(Here's hoping the skunks don't visit you or the dogs again in Bexley.)
Connie: do you have any idea how frustrating the system is here to post a comment? You have to be sent a code which takes forever to arrive so you go do something else and when it finally shows up in your in box, it's only good for 10 minutes and by then has expired. ALL of that to go through and I just wanted to say, I enjoyed the essay, and while I am not sure how they'd feel about it, our fire dept here in Lyndhurst has or had Knox Boxes to loan out for a small fee. They even come out to install it. They are relatively small boxes attached near an entrance to the house and only the fire dept has a key to it, and inside you lock a set of house keys, so in an emergency they can get in without busting a door or window. I don't know if they'd do it simply for being locked out...but they are a good thing especially for those who are older and also have emergency buttons. The neighbor plan is good, but of course you have to connect with the neighbor and they have to be home:-)
Love to read your stories. Every day lives of wonderful people. Thanks.