The Buck Stops Here

This morning, as I'm having my coffee, I looked out into our backyard, and lo and behold: a buck. By my count, he was a 6-pointer.

When he saw my camera, he paused to look over at me casually.

From you're somethin' else

I guess he was here to eat my weeds. If you're interested in this all-natural weed control solution, let me know. I would probably rent him to you for... wait for it... a buck. (groan)

From you're somethin' else

Later, I took Phoebe out to the backyards and she actually chased him and his buddy away. That's right, there were actually two bucks!

Parking Meters in Sweaters

Every parking meter in the Cedar Lee retail district is now dressed in a knit sweater as a part of a Heights Arts public art project.
Makes you want to feed it more quarters, doesn't it?

Over the Rhine at Cain Park

This weekend, we got to see our favorite band, Over the Rhine in concert at Cain Park. You can read all about Over the Rhine on the web site and listen to some of their music. For those of you who attended our wedding, you may recall that Starla walked down the aisle to "Rapsodie" by none other than Over the Rhine.

Cain Park's Evans Amphitheater

We've probably seen them in various venues about a dozen times over the past several years, and it's always been a thrilling and wonderful musical experience. They're on tour now, so if you happen to be near one of their venues, I highly recommend checking them out. You won't be disappointed!

One big difference with this particular concert was that because we won tickets through a local radio station who cosponsored the concert, we got to meet a member of the band -- Linford Detweiler, who writes most of their poetic lyrics. For my Menno-buds, note that he's a Detweiler.

In person, Linford is the same person we see on stage and in his email newsletters -- very mellow. In contrast, I'm embarrassed to say that I was a bit starstruck when we met him and was barely able to stammer out a few words and ask for a photo with him.

Us and Linford Detweiler of Over the Rhine

Maybe at their next concert, we'll get to meet Linford's wife and lead vocalist for Over the Rhine, Karin Berquist. For now, I'll revel in my happy star moment.

The weekly farmer's market report

So what's at the farmer's market today? I bought some:

• curly red lettuce
• bok choy
• tatsoi
• yellow squash
• red raspberries
• green and yellow beans
• green pepper

Also available were:

• zucchini
• black raspberries
• a variety of tomatoes, large and small, yellow to red
• corn!
• honey in little bear bottles

What's in store for us today?

From the Farmer's Market at the office, I got some fresh strawberries, tomatoes, snow peas that looks much better than the flabby stuff at the grocery stores, red and green leaf lettuce, zucchini and yellow squash, cilantro - Starla's mom's favorite herb, and asparagus, which unfortunately, I will not be sharing with Starla.

LOL

This made us laugh out loud.

In a recent NPR story about China, reporter Louisa Lim interviewed a young Chinese author, Guo Jingming, stating that "in person, Guo is a 5-foot-1 androgynous sprite." Ha! (This is what she says in the audio report. The written script differs slightly in wording.)

If you watch Chinese television, especially the reality competition shows akin to American Idol, you'll see that Guo is representative of most young Chinese pop stars.

A farmer's market right in your cubicle

All right, not actually in my cubicle, but pretty close.

Starting this week, my company is bringing a local farm, Rainbow Farms of Madison, Ohio, on site during lunch hours, offering their fresh produce of the season to employees.

Rainbow Farms had set up a tent and tables right outside our building on the grass. And today, the weather was sunny and just beautiful - a perfect day to enjoy fresh produce. The only problem with this was that everyone going to the produce stand had to be careful not to step on the goose droppings all over the grass and walkways. I was careful and came back unblemished.

I went down during my lunch hour and picked up some kohlrabi, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, and fresh strawberries. Prices are comparable to other farmer's markets. I was then able to call Starla to tell her what I bought so she wouldn't need to get these items when she goes grocery shopping later.

The farmer's market will be on site every week through fall, so now I have my lunch hour planned until then as well. Between this and the veges that I'm growing at home (at least those that will bear fruit), we'll be eating very well this year. Speaking of which, I'll post some photos of my garden at a later time.