From Skilled Hands

It’s been cold and snowy in my town, the Village of Peninsula, population 602.
We were pretty much snowed in from Friday night through Saturday evening, and the snow piled up to about 12″. Dogs couldn’t wait to venture out to their winter playground, but it was so snowy that even they didn’t last too long. Lily the toy poodle who doesn’t know that she weighs 8 pounds, was so caked with snow that she slid across the floor.

Hard to believe that last week, things looked like this:

And today:

More snow and cold weather is on the way, we’re told. This is like the winters of my childhood, where snow blanketed the earth and muffled the sounds of humanity; where the windows became a canvas for Jack Frost, and the cold, crisp air a speaker for the sounds of Nature.

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We the People, who really do live in the same town, have demonstrated the Power of One:

My Town Monday’s chief cook and bottle washer is the amazing Travis Erwin. Travis blogs over at One Word, One Rung, One Day. Last week, Travis and his family lost their home and belongings to a devastating house fire.

Fellow bloggers lost no time in developing this site:

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Cups of Kindness continues online and, for a bit longer, at the Peninsula Art Academy and Elements Gallery in the Village of Peninsula. All proceeds from the sale of artwork benefits the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, where each dollar raised purchases 7 nutritious meals. To date, we have purchased more than 14,000 meals. Pretty amazing stuff, the Power of One.

Friends and neighbors helping each other.

Snow has been falling since yesterday afternoon, the fine wet stuff that accumulates quickly and silently. We’ve had about a foot of snow so far, and my accu-window forecast is, for once, the same as the weather gurus’: it is still snowing.

I seem to have left my camera at the studio yesterday, and since we’ve decided to stay home today, I’m not able to take photos for you.

There is a sweet silence about days like this, and the white that blankets the earth muffles sound. Sounds come from and disappear into silence. I like it like that.

I’ve been out to care for the chickens, working my way to the barn through snow that is nearly up to my knees in places. The chick-a-biddies seemed glad to see me, since I had scraps from last night’s dinner and today’s grazing. They have already presented me with 4 eggs, accompanying the other 7 dozen that are residing in my refrigerator.

Omelets, anyone?

We the People continue to open our hearts as we show that giving is receiving. We the People show how amazing the Power of One is. We have, to date, purchased more than 14,000 meals for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. That is like feeding each of the 602 people in the Village of Peninsula more than 23 times. I’ll post the exact figures when I figure them out.

If you are so inclined, please visit the Cups of Kindness website. There are some lovely pieces that have been donated by some of the 76 artists who have participated in the benefit. There is something special about items that come from the heart through the hands.

Cups Of Kindness continues online and at Elements Gallery and the Peninsula Art Academy.

Friends and neighbors helping each other.

Our friend, Travis Erwin, who is also the originator of My Town Monday, and a stellar human being, lost his home and belongings to a fire this morning.
Everyone is fine; all possessions are gone. If you are so inclined, add Travis and his family to your thoughts and prayers, and pop on over there to let him know you are doing so.

The Village of Peninsula, current population, 602, was quite a place during the day of the Ohio and Erie Canal.
The men who dug the canal worked long and hard, for little pay.

Men, women and children worked to keep things going—-at a rate of 4 mph, and families would often live together on canal boats.

Peninsula was known to be a rough stop on the Ohio and Erie Canal. Some Captains wouldn’t stop there since fights often broke out; they would stop north or south of the Village.

Captain Pearl R. Nye was one of the last canal boat captains when the canals were destroyed by floods in 1913. His songs were recorded and were archived by the Library of Congress.

You can read more about Captain Nye, and listen to some of his songs here

Although time has passed, the stories of those who carved out a life in the Cuyahoga Valley continue. The legacy of their courage and independent spirits are alive and well in the Village of Peninsula, gently resisting change since 1837.

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My Town Monday is a great way to experience life through someone else’s eyes. Travis Erwin, the fearless leader of MTM can sometimes be found here. Lately he’s been elsewhere—I wonder if he wore a hat with ears…..
In his absence, Junosmom, and Chris have been minding the store. Check out their sites, and you’ll have the opportunity to click on links that will take you places you’ve never been…….

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A Cups of Kindness update: we’re nearing 14,000 meals for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.