O-H-I-O

The Heart of It All.  Beautiful Ohio.  Birthplace of Aviation, and all the other license plate slogans.  I love Ohio! (Not OSU, the actual state!)  This blog is for all of you who don't have the pleasure of living in Ohio or for those of you, not to name names Cecilie and Lindsay, who have deserted our fine state. 

This is not actually my photo.  Just for the record, I did not take pictures while driving with my two small children in the car!

I drove back out to the apple orchard today to get some apples for Ellie's class (they're doing a taste-test of different varieties of apples) and some more cider for us.  This time I had two sleeping kids in the car and the sun shining and I was able to enjoy the drive much more that the last time when it was raining and I was listening to Yogi Bear for the millionth time.  I didn't really have time today to drive out to Paris to get those apples.  I had gym class with Vince this morning and the painters were here to paint the girls' room.  I had a hectic day yesterday, scrubbing wallpaper paste, swimming lessons and trying to keep the house from falling down around me.  But I offered to get the apples and I wanted to get them to the teacher ASAP since I wasn't sure when she needed them and I didn't want to send them late.  So I woke up sleeping Vince and loaded Olivia in the car and off we went.  And it was beautiful.  The trees are all turning.  People have hay bales, gourds and pumpkins, corn stalks and of course, Halloween decorations on their lawns.  I drove past pastures of cows and barns and corn fields with corn drying on the stalk.  The orange, yellow and red leaves rained down on me as I drove along.  It's as far out in the country as I like to go.  It only took me about 20 minutes to get there from my house, but it was like being very far from home.  (I love that about Stark county.  I can be at the mall in 15 minutes or drive in the opposite direction and be on a farm in the same amount of time.  Today I much preferred the country to the red lights on the way to take the kids to the doctor for their flu shots.)    So today, as I drove down the country road (which is actually a state route, but that doesn't really sound as quaint) I was thankful that I live in Ohio, where I have the seasons that change so beautifully.  I was thankful that I could hop in the car and actually drive to an apple orchard to get my fresh apples and cider, instead of riding the subway to get a market that was selling apples from miles away.  I love that my kids are growing up in a place where they can see cows and crops as easily as they can see factories and commerce. I love Ohio.  Especially in the fall.  Don't ask me how I feel mid-February when I haven't seen the sun in months, the snow is slushy and grey and I'm ready to see anything green.  Then I might not love it so much, but right now, I'm proud to be an Ohioan. 

My fondest fall memories.