From Skilled Hands

So here we are in March. Cold again today, and the winds make it seem even colder. The sun is peeking through the clouds, giving the impression that it is warmer than it is. Anyone who has been here before knows that it has been a long hard winter in my neck of the woods.

For the next couple of weekends, March 6-8, and March 13-15, 3 communities in this area will be hosting a Cabin Fever Tour. This is an opportunity to get out of the house and visit the Western Reserve. There are opportunities to eat (always good), purchase locally made products, tour parks and historical societies and see what folks like us have to offer.

Come and see us at our gallery, Elements Gallery. In addition to new work of our own, we will be displaying work for Cups of Kindness, a benefit to support the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank. All work has been donated by local artists; and the proceeds from the sale of the work will benefit the Foodbank, where each dollar raised provides 7 nutritious meals. (The website, with new work added, will return in April.) I toured the Foodbank again last week. It is an amazing place, serving 8 Ohio counties, providing a most basic need.

Get yourself a cup of something good and take a relaxing look at spring wildflowers in NE Ohio. It won’t be long before the Village of Peninsula, population 602, will be like this.

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You can find the Main My Town Monday Marauder, Travis Erwin, and links to other MTM sites here. Check it out. Join us if you’d like. Share tales of your town. We’d love to visit.

photo of Dream, by Tammy Jo Fuller, by Kari Radney

My friend Kari Radney sent me some photos that she took at the Cups of Kindness opening celebration.This is a collection of photos of pieces that were donated to the benefit as well as pieces by artists we represent at our Gallery.

I asked her if she would be my guest blogger for My Town Monday. Here are her impressions of My Town, the Village of Peninsula, population 602.

Welcome to Peninsula! Come and stay a while,
the places you see are sure to make you smile.

As the train comes in (and it’s hard not to hear it)
it shakes the ground of those who are near it.

Elements Gallery is a place filled with art,
pottery and paintings and work from the heart.

Fishers Pub, is a fun place to eat,
their food is delicious and such a great treat!

The Emporium has lots of antiques
each one has a story and is very unique.

The Winking lizard is a popular spot,
every dish that they serve is fresh, tasty & hot.

Yellow Creek Trading is colorful and fun,
with cute things to buy for everyone.

Kilted Yak, the snow gear shop,
is a place that you should stop

The Towpath is where everyone hikes,
walking or running or riding on bikes.

The Art Academy is another must see,
This place is just filled with creativity.

The Peninsula Library, with tons of books,
all waiting inside, for you to come look.

Century Cycles, the local bike store,
has monthly night rides and bicycles galore.

Love and Love, by Gwen Waight, photo by Kari Radney

These pieces were donated by students and faculty of the Kent State University Ceramics Department, photo by Kari Radney

The Giving Cup, by Nicki Lanzi, photo by Kari Radney

Suncatcher, by Merrily Sprague, photo by Kari Radney

Fused Glass by David Norton, photo by Kari Radney

Fused Glass by David Norton, photo by Kari Radney

Blown Glass Calla Lily by Sue Berry, photo by Kari Radney

Looking up at Blown Glass Plant Rooters by Michael Mikula, photo by Kari Radney

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I am so grateful to many hands and hearts that have participated in our show and sale to benefit the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. If you are so inclined, please visit our website.

Friends and neighbors helping each other.

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My Town Monday, the brainchild of Travis Erwin, is a wonderful way to explore the world through other bloggers’ eyes.
Travis is taking a break for until January. Junosmom, over at Lifetime Learning, and Chris, at e-Cuniform Scratchings, are the keepers of the Marauders in his stead. Follow the links posted at their blogs and you’ll find stories of places all over this fine blue planet.

Many hands have worked to help Cups of Kindness. There is still incredibly beautiful art available: luminous paintings, sensitive photography, glass and pottery that “sing,” lovely jewelry, fiber, wood and other media that will make your spirit soar.

Last year, my friend, artist, writer and blogger Cat Bennett and I asked, Why Buy Art

-To lift your spirit

-To expand your spirit

-To meet your spirit

-To brighten your day

-To brighten your home

-To brighten your life

-To honor an artist

-To declare your value

-To have fun

-To know yourself

-To inspire yourself

-To inspire others

-To share your wealth

-To laugh

So many reasons.

Art feeds the spirit and soul; it brings light and life to being. Art can make your heart sing and your spirit soar. Something that comes from the heart through the hands. It is no accident that there is art in heART.

When you support an artist, you affirm the creative spirit. You have the opportunity to see the world in a different way, as the artist’s vision is manifested in the piece he or she has made.

This year, we can add, to help our friends and neighbors in a time of need.
Please remember that every dollar that we raise for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank will purchase 7 nutritious meals.

These are some of the amazing pieces that the hearts and hands of some of Northeast Ohio’s talented and generous artists have donated. These pieces and many others, are available on the Cups of Kindness website, and at the Peninsula Art Academy and Elements Gallery in the Village of Peninsula.

Necklace by Carol James

Earrings by Elena Juodisius

Loving Kindness by Dottie Goebel

Batiked Napkins by Wendy Mahon


Soli Deo Gloria by Shannon Casey

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Friends and neighbors helping each other.

“Light One Candle.” Olive, boxwood, bloodwood. Hand turned by George Raeder.

“It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” Chinese Proverb

I have always had faith in the goodness and generosity of us all. Cups of Kindness has been a testament to this; a testament to the Power if One.

So far, we the people have raised almost $1300 for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. That means that we have purchased almost 9100 meals. Many hands and hearts are working together to make this happen.

Please join us as we raise a Cup of Kindness. Remember that each dollar raised provides 7 nutritious meals. When you purchase an item from the website or from our galleries as a gift, you are giving many times.

And if you’re in our neck of the woods, stop by the Village of Peninsula, have a cup of coffee (you can even purchase your own cup), and explore our beautiful Cuyahoga Valley. Ride the train, see Santa and the lights as the Polar Express rolls into town. We’d love to visit with you.

Friends and neighbors helping each other.

I had fully intended to write about Cups of Kindness and Christmas in Peninsula. And my Wordless Wednesday was just that: wordless.

We’ve been working hard preparing for Cups of Kindness. I am very excited about it—-when I’m not terrified. I have envisioned this for a very long time, and seeing it to fruition when the need is so great is an amazing thing. Kindness is all around us—we just need to take the time to open our hearts to receive it.

The generosity of our community is a wonderful thing. The cyber-community has opened its hearts and spread the word. Amy at Knit Think sent a lovely donation of a cup, some hot chocolate and 2 beautiful cloths with a cup in the middle of each that she knitted. (I apologize for the quality of the photo.)

Judy Merrill Larsen emailed me and offered to send a a couple of signed copies of her beautiful book, All the Numbers. My incredible community of bloggers has helped spread the word. I was trying to list everyone and link to their blogs, but I am too tired—-you know who you are and you have my gratitude and my love.

We now have 74 artists who have donated 164 pieces of artwork to benefit the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

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Yesterday, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad ran a special train of their popular Polar Express. Their passengers were kids with a variety of special needs. Volunteers elves and others came to greet the train and wave to the children as they entered the North Pole.

We constantly prove the Power of One. Keep your eyes open. You’ll see it all around you. And you can pass it forward.

Remember: every dollar raised provides 7 nutritious meals.


Friends and neighbors helping each other.

This week’s My Town Monday has two parts, so scroll down to the next after you have read this one.

MTM: Part the First: The Week that Was

It’s been quite a week in my town, the Village of Peninsula, population 602. We had our first real winter storm, complete with the ever-popular wintry mix and white out conditions. The Village is located in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley. That means the only way in is down, and the only way out is up. Not so much fun on icy roads.

Folks are gearing up for the holidays in my town. Judy, from Terry Lumber and Supply, orders greenery and bows. The Garden Club decorates the bridge and the Village Hall, and merchants decorate their buildings. I’ll show you photos of this year’s Christmas in Peninsula next week.

Here is a look at a Christmas in Peninsula in another time.

The Village of Peninsula, Ohio, gently resisting change since 1837.

MTM: Part the Second: the Spirit of Thanks
This is Thanksgiving week, a time, for me, at least, of reflection. Our lives are comprised of a series of “moments,” that, in the blink of an eye, can change our experience in ways we could never have imagined.

Blessings come in all sorts of packages, some quite clear and others shrouded in confusion and mystery. It’s been a year of change, of challenge, of transition for all of us. One thing is clear: we are all one. We all live together in our towns on this beautiful blue planet, in this Universe.

I give thanks. I am grateful for the incredible beauty of this amazing planet, for the warmth of family and friends, and for the wisdom of the experiences of those whose lives have touched mine.

**Post a comment and I’ll enter you in another high tech drawing (where I draw a name from a hat) for some Peninsula goodies.

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And, once again, if you are so inclined, please visit Cups of Kindness, our art show and sale to benefit the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. Over 50 artists have joined us in lending a hand to our neighbors and friends in a time of need..
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As always, My Town Monday comes to us via Travis Erwin, who understands what is important in life. Check out his site, read what he has to say, and follow links to other writers all over this fine planet.

We all really do live in the same town; it is called Planet Earth. We share the same air, drink the same water and look at the same blue sky. All of us gaze up at the same stars and are amazed by the same full moon.

We the people can solve problems that governments have caused; we the people can share our resources with our friends and neighbors—even those whom we do not know. We the people.

In this time where CHANGE is the buzzword of the day, we the people live it and do it. We are the change we wish to see in the world. Quietly, without the acrimony of politics. In our everyday life. One cup at a time.

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My Town Monday is the product of Amarillo’s own Travis Erwin’s fine mind. Take a trip over to his site and check out the links to the other bloggers who live in our town.

Hunger does not discriminate; it affects people without regard to background or social status. In our land of plenty, people are hungry every day; they have to decide between paying rent or eating, between medication or food, between staying warm and buying groceries. Of this I am certain: having enough to eat is a right rather than a privilege.

The mission of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is simple: Ending Hunger.

We believe that no one should have to go hungry in our “land of plenty.” Children shouldn’t have to go to bed hungry; families shouldn’t have to decide between buying food and paying rent; and seniors shouldn’t have to choose between paying for medication and having a warm meal to eat.

Ending hunger is more than just our mission; it’s something we strive to do everyday. It’s a pledge we have made to our community to end hunger in Summit, Stark, Portage, Medina, Wayne, Holmes, Tuscarawas and Carroll counties. In 1982, based on a commitment by community leaders to help the increasing number of families requesting food assistance, the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank was formed. In 2007, the Foodbank distributed over 12 million pounds of food and provided meals for over 163,000 people in need in Northeast Ohio.

The Foodbank uses its resources well: each dollar that is donated purchases 7 nutritious meals. Meals that provide sustenance to people who are already stressed. No questions asked. When I recently toured the facility, I was amazed by the quantity of food that was ready to distribute to agencies large and small. The facility was immaculate; the people, both volunteers and paid staff, passionate about their purpose.

We are reaching out to others by giving hope. There is, I think, joy and intrinsic satisfaction in helping people who will never know who we are. As members of a world community, we have a moral and ethical responsibility to share our resources and to preserve dignity.

Cups of Kindness has been on my mind for a long time. This year, we are pleased to join with the Peninsula Art Academy, the Peninsula Area Chamber of Commerce, local. regional and national artists and a group of dedicated volunteers to support the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

This show and sale of small scale art will showcase artists’ interpretations of a Cup of Kindness, and will include both 2 and 3 dimensional artwork. All proceeds from the show will benefit the Foodbank. For information about this event, please go to http://www.cupsofkindness.net. If you would like to donate directly to the Akron- Canton Regional Foodbank, please click here.

A few weeks ago, one of my hens, one of the original flock (which makes her a senior citizen), started having trouble walking. The other hens began picking on her mercilessly. She would cower and hide her head under one of the nesting boxes. The others wouldn’t let her eat or drink, so I began closing them out of the coop while she’d drink. This went on for over 2 weeks.

Farm folks would say that this is Nature’s way of culling the flock, and I suppose there is truth to this. However, I decided that she should at least have some comfort for her last few days. So I put bedding in a crate, and put her in, protected. That was 2 weeks ago. This chicken won’t drink, but eats watermelon and grapes. She gets around in the crate by scooting. Each day I expect to find her motionless, but she is not ready yet.

Patience can be taught in many ways, I think. And creatures great and small can show us the way, if we stop to look.

This week’s My Town Monday post is on the road most traveled—–you know, the one that is paved with good intentions.

I had intended to write about our trip to beautiful Blue Mountain Lake, NY, where we visited the Adirondack Museum, climbed mountains, and played in the clear water of the lake. We met some wonderful people and went to a talent show at Prospect Point Cottages. Ice cream played an important part of our week, and we dutifully tasted a wide variety of flavors and brands. When I was looking for links to post, I came across the Blue Mountain Center, a working community of writers, artists, activists and musicians. Take a look at their website—interesting food for thought.

View Larger Map

Then, LIFE HAPPENED: we had an out of town guest, my niece got married on Saturday (it was beautiful), I had to work at the 4-H Dog Agility Show on Sunday evening.

I will plan on posting photos and more stories from our trip next week. Scroll down to my last post here, add a comment and you could win a Little Blue Santa.
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As always, My Town Monday is brought to you by the incomparable Travis Erwin. Take a trip on over to his site for a look at Taos, New Mexico, and links to others in the My Town Monday crew. You’ll read some great writing, see some great photos, and learn a lot.