Spring, birthday, Tuskegee Airmen

Spring in Ohio is unpredictable. We've had lots of rain (perhaps record-setting, according to the newspaper). Farmers cannot plant their corn and soybeans, since the fields are muddy and the low places are flooded. Rain does not necessarily mean it's cold out. It can be cold and rainy, like California. Or, it can be 70 degrees and suddenly the plan to wear a fleece jacket under the rain gear does not seem like such a good idea.

On Saturday, we went to WACO air field here in Troy for a presentation on the Tuskegee Airmen. Representatives of the Ohio Memorial Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen gave the talk and answered questions. We were fortunate to have an actual Tuskegee airman, Mr. Malcolm McCoy, come down from Lima, OH, for the event. He's very old and uses a walker, but he proudly shared his memories. What an honor to shake his hand! The Ohio Memorial Chapter is so busy giving presentations during African American History Month in February that they don't have time for everyone, and must play catch-up all spring.

Bob's birthday was April 22. He got two bird feeders from me and the cats - a suet feeder and a nyjer feeder. The cats enjoy watching the birds come to the feeders (for cats, this is "bird TV"). We had a red-bellied woodpecker come to the suet feeder this morning. Cool.

I can't believe it's May 1st next Sunday. On the 29th of April, we'll have been here a month. I hope the rainy pattern changes soon. It will be nice to have warm and dry weather.

Bunny in the cooler

We were at Kroger on Sunday. The “Easter Bunny” was available for portraits with small children. However, inside the bunny costume, it’s very hot. So, in between pictures with wee ones, the bunny takes off for the big florist cooler in the store and hangs out with the cut flowers for a bit. Bob asked the bunny how it was in the cooler and got a big thumbs up – which right away tells you it’s not a real bunny, because of the whole opposable thumb thing.

We also went to Brukner Nature Center. The wildflowers that come out before the tree canopy are in full bloom. We saw white and red trilliums, three different violets, spring beauties, rue anemones, trout lilies, Virginia bluebells, jacks in the pulpit (or is that jack in the pulpits?), toothworts, Dutchman’s breeches, what looked like an eastern version of buttercups (don’t know what they call them), and some big yellow things that definitely look like they’re in the poppy family. I need an eastern wildflower guide!

There are bird watching places at Brukner, too, where we saw American goldfinches, purple finches, house finches, chickadees (don’t know which one), red-bellied woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, tufted titmice, mourning doves, downy woodpeckers, and the ever-present starlings. It was at Brukner a few summers ago that we saw an indigo bunting. Absolutely the bluest bird I ever saw.

Rain is predicted for the next few days, so it was good we got to hike around Brukner on a nice day. The eastern redbuds are just about to pop – the same trees we saw in Oklahoma, where they were already in bloom. Very pretty. If we get a decent day soon, we’ll take pictures of the Ohio version.

Inspection, spices, wildflowers

Hello from Ohio. It was a lovely spring day yesterday. We arrived at the new home at 9:00 a.m. to meet the inspector, Kelly Perrault, who was born and raised in Alberta, Canada, and has a textbook Canadian accent. He evaluated the outside and then took us around to tell us what he’d found; then he did the inside and we got the inspector-eye view on that as well. Basically, the house is in very good shape. Kelly found a couple of issues with flashing on the roof, the front steps, the wax ring under one of the toilets, and one of the bathroom fans. We won’t know the results of the radon test until tomorrow. Some homes we looked at in Troy do have radon mitigation in place – our house doesn’t. Either that means earlier radon tests were low or we need to have radon mitigation.

After the inspection, Penny and I went to West Milton, a small town nearby. There’s a business there called the Spice Rack – all kinds of spices packaged in 4 ounce containers (some in 8 oz. or larger), plus bulk foods like oatmeal, sesame seeds, and sliced almonds in bags. Great store and absolutely wonderful prices! Wait till I get my mom out there.

Bob went out to Charleston Falls while Pen and I were in West Milton. When I last saw the falls in October, they were barely dribbling. Bob’s pictures show a lot more water coming over – which makes sense with the recent rains. Spring wildflowers are out, too. Not the same as California, of course. Species like violets, lilies, and hepatica are common – not a lupine or a buttercup in the bunch. Bob found a snake while photographing flowers. I had to include the picture.

Insurance

Insurance is cheaper in Ohio! We're getting quotes on the new house + car + motor scooter. Totals for all 3 are coming in around $1100-1200/year. We paid $1000/yr just to insure the mobile home in SLO! I'm loving this.
We are setting up service for electric (DP&L = Dayton Power and Light), gas (Vectren), and sewer/water/garbage. After we get in, we'll deal with internet, TV, and a land line for my mom (she doesn't like dealing with cell phones).
It's a beautiful spring day here. Bright and sunny, temps in the 60s. The flowering trees on Main Street are just gorgeous (Bradford pears, I think). My mom reports that spring wildflowers in SLO Co. (out by Shell Creek) are amazing. Makes sense with all the rain. Too bad we can't be there to see all the lupines, owl's clover, tidy tips, etc.

Lawn mowing

We mowed the lawn at the rental house yesterday. It was a dry day, but humid (and the temps were in the 80s!). Bob and I were really sweating - we used a reel lawn mower. Better than a gym work-out! We figured the grass wasn't getting any shorter, and with rain predicted for today (and yes, it is raining), we'd better strike while the iron was hot - or the mower was sharp, as the case may be. We still need to do edging, but we don't have an edger or a weed whacker. Yet another purchase ....

Flowering trees are putting on a display here. Bradford pears, magnolias, weeping cherry trees, etc. are all in bloom. Spring bulbs - hyacinths, daffodils, and tulips - are blooming, too. Very pretty. We get 2 springs this year.

We have a mortgage! We bought it down to a rate of 4.875% and we'll pay biweekly, so it turns out to be a 24 year mortgage, not a 30 year. We just have to come up with the down payment (not to worry) and we're in business ... well, for the next 24 years, anyway. I'll be 83 when we pay it off. It might happen!

Offer accepted

The sellers accepted our offer, so now we're in escrow! We close May 13. Celebrated today by buying a dryer and a refrigerator. Next is a lawn mower and then I think we're done with the major purchases.
I got to ride my bike yesterday. Tooled around town and had a good time. It rained last night, but cleared by mid-morning.
We're meeting with a mortgage guy on Monday. After that, we'll choose the best deal and sign up for a mortgage. On Thursday, we're having a home inspector look at the new house. That will take about 2.5 hours.
More soon!

Appliance shopping

We bought a washer yesterday! They won't deliver it for a while (we have no place to put it right now). Now, we have to look for a dryer, and probably a refrigerator. We put an offer on another house yesterday evening. Haven't heard anything yet. If we reach an agreement with the sellers, we will need a refrigerator. Oh, and a lawn mower (not a riding mower - not that much lawn). Spending money like we've got it!
We went to the public library this morning. It's a great library. It's clear this town supports its library. We used Bob's sister Penny's card to check out books - we have no permanent address right now and so we'll wait to get our own cards.
Penny and Jack left this morning for North Carolina to visit kids and grandkids. We're using their washer, dryer, and internet connection while they're gone. Thanks, Penny and Jack, for your generosity.

More from Ohio

Well, we knew the weather would be different in Ohio. We’ve been here a week and we’ve had snow, balmy temperatures in the low 70s, and a very rainy Monday, with lightning and thunder. We were in Lowe’s on Monday and it rained so hard that we thought the store roof might give way. We kept looking up, waiting for the lake of water to come in on our heads. But Sunday was even weirder … started out with a chilly wind, temperatures in the 40s. Then a new air mass moved in and suddenly it was quite warm out. It was still in the low 70s at 8:30 p.m. Loved it! Weather is more changeable when there’s no Pacific Ocean to be “master and commander.”

We’re gradually learning our way around. We generally know which direction to go, even if we don’t do it in the most efficient manner. We’ll just get good at routes and directions and then the city will close the Adams Street bridge for much needed reconstruction. It’s scheduled to close in June, after the annual Strawberry Festival. That will leave only one bridge across the Great Miami River in the downtown area. Could be interesting....

We actually put an offer on a house, but were countered at what we think is too high a price. Our realtor thinks the owners will stick, and anyway, the house is really too big. So, we think we're walking away. There are more fish in the pond!

Obvious differences between Ohio and Calif. (other than the weather):

1. They say "pop," not "soda." For example, a coupon from a bowling alley: Medium pizza and a liter of pop, $12.00.

2. Riding lawn mowers - huge displays at Lowe's and Home Depot.

3. Road salt: bags and bags, still on display.

4. Stop lights are yellow, not black.

I'll keep my eyes open for other interesting Ohio factoids. Hi to all.

Saturday in Ohio

Well, it isn't as hot as California - cold wind, temps in the high 40s. But, no snow and the daffodils are out. A few hardy trees are beginning to leaf out, but most look quite wintery. Robins everywhere - even in Wednesday's snow, they were out looking for food. Down by the river, there are lots of Canada geese. Bob has seen a cardinal; I haven't.

We're tapping into Night Sky Cafe's internet. It's a nice coffee shop and cafe. It's downtown, not far from the traffic circle and fountain (no water in the fountain in the winter).

It's a bit cold for bicycling, but there are lots of bike trails to use once it warms up a bit. The trail is being extended and will end up by a really good Mexican restaurant. What a win-win for the restaurant: go biking, stop for a tostada.

Our rental house is right across from an elementary school. The cats are having fun looking out the front window at kids playing baseball on the ball field. Edward probably wonders what happened to his SLO cat friends and the wild turkeys that walked down our street. There are lots of tree squirrels here, though - and they're very entertaining. Bob and I saw a woodchuck yesterday, rummaging around in the corn stubble in a farmer's field.

No more news right now. Updates will follow, I promise.

House hunting

We looked at quite a few houses today. A couple really stand out. We're going to get pre-approved for a loan, because that makes negotiations much easier.

It warmed up quite a bit. Around 50 degrees today (I know, I know - it was really hot in California). All our snow from a couple of days ago is gone. It looked like "winter wonderland" for a few hours on Weds.

We returned the rental truck on Thursday. Yay. No more diesel hog. And we got the Honda washed and had its oil changed. Happiness reigns supreme.

More from Ohio later. Hi to everyone.