Wednesday, March 20, 2013

My Letter Home - March 20



Rambo the Rooster
I am a day late, but I do have a lot to share with my friends back home. This week was all a about getting to know new people (and critters), discover new places and find new ways to use my time wisely.
I just wanted to take them all home.
I went on a couple visits with Paul this week and shared time with some people from the church. One of the highlights was our Friday date night. This is usually the time Paul and I spend alone, but this week we went to a meet and greet with goats. Holly, and her son are championship dairy goat farmers and she has about 20 adult goats, but this is a precious time since she has tons of babies jumping and playing everywhere.
I haven't had this much fun since playing with Fiona's puppies!
The babies were so friendly as Paul and I sat in the stalls and let them romp all over us. Paul even tried his hand at milking one of the mamas and he was a natural. It was one of the best date nights we have ever had.

On the people side, I had a great day out on Monday with Julia, one of the ladies from church as she took me exploring the small town of Urbana (bigger than West Liberty, but still a small town). We went to lunch at Teabaggers, a quaint cafĂ© on Main Street. This is such a great place to eat. The husband is the chef in the back and his wife is the waitress, hostess, barista and all-round-nice lady in the front. I had the special of French Onion Soup and half a Reuben sandwich. It was spectacular. The soup wasn’t too salty, like French onion can sometimes be and the Reuben had slices of banana peppers on it which really brought all of the flavors together. Afterward, we shared a slice of chocolate chip cheesecake that was divine, and I don’t really care for cheesecake. I am adding this to my list of favorites from now on.
This was so delicious and rich, I had to save half of it for the next day. 
We perused some of the antique and country stores on the block and then Julia took me to the old train depot to show me where we can pick up the bike trail to Simon Kenton bike trail. I don’t know much about Simon Kenton at this writing, but this is the trail that is supposed to go through West Liberty in the fall. There are so many bike trails around here that I am looking forward to warmer weather when we can get out for a ride. For now we will drive to Urbana, get a coffee at the Depot Coffeehouse and get moving.

Knitted Graffiti!
Paul and I ventured to a little town called Yellow Springs about 45 minutes away. Called “Hippie Town” by the locals do to its proximity to Antioch College and the liberal lifestyle of its inhabitants, Yellow Springs has a lot of cute stores with local goods, great places to eat, their own brewery (set to open next month) and the best book store I have seen in a while. Think of Dunedin and Safety Harbor together, with Haslam’s thrown in. That’s Yellow Springs.
Art can go anywhere
Of course, I was intrigued with the crocheted and knitted graffiti throughout the town to add color to the leafless trees. And I also loved the Yellow Springs Irish Stout they served at the Ye Olde Trail Tavern, the second oldest restaurant in Ohio.

All of this playing and exploring kept me busy, but I still feel like I have to do more. My freelance gig is up today and I am trying to not feel useless. Going to last week’s Ladies’ Missionary Aid meeting helped. This is a group of ladies at our church who get together every month to discuss the needs of the church and community, what they can do to help, spend time in fellowship learning about different women of the Bible and have a lunch together before they go out and get working.

This month’s focus was on revamping Angels to the Rescue, where folks volunteer their time to cook, clean, do yard work and run errands for people in need within the congregation. I signed up to deliver meals this week and it’s a very fulfilling task. As you all know, I love to cook and I like meeting with the people I deliver to as they tell me stories about themselves and their town. Another focus is on finding ways that we can use our crafts to help those in need. At next month’s meeting we will put some charities on the table and see who wants to do what. I already have a list and have started on projects.

I am still adapting to the weather and the new lifestyle, and finding my place, but it all feels right. I miss so many of you and ask you to keep in touch and let me know what’s going on.

Love,
Patricia

What I Miss Most About Home: Going for Saturday morning bike rides (or any time I want to ride my bike)
What I Like Most About Here: Seeing new life all around me and the appreciation of it. 

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