Apple Valley Christmas

My Uncle Mel and his wife Lynetta (along with others in my family) have moved north of Columbus to the surrounding suburbs. Mel and Lynetta did live in Gahanna, a relatively close suburb, but sold their house (even in the bad real estate market) and bought a house north of Mount Vernon. This year they hosted the family Christmas party that we only sometimes make, depending on where we live.

Since we wouldn't be there for the actual Christmas Eve and Christmas open house/gift opening at Grandma's house, I brought Grandma's gift to her. I had bought her a table runner made in Guatemala while I was in Guatemala. I bought a matching one for our church also. I also gave Grandma some Guatemalan coffee I had brought back. I know she will appreciate it.

I have cousins that are pretty close to my age. Jeff (pictured above) is only months younger than me. I have lots of memories of Jeff, Joe, and me playing at Grandma's house up in Powell (see Powell, Ohio and a bell). He drove up from his nursery business in North Carolina.

Uncle David (pictured below) loves to tease and heckle people. In this picture Perry seems to have caught him mid-laugh teasing his grandson Cameron, who wasn't feeling so well.

My cousin Joey (pictured below) used to babysit Vincent when he was little. I blame Joey for Vincent's like of Mortal Kombat, which Joey took him to see when he was little. It was great to see everyone even if it was a rotating door with people coming and going.

Uncle Mel (pictured below) is very fond of his dog, Whiskey. Whiskey is much better behaved than Frisco. Since Frisco doesn't always get along with other dogs, especially ones bigger than him, we took him to Pet Smart and had him groomed (to act as doggy daycare) while we were at the party. This allowed us to relax a little more and not have to worry about dog fights.

My cousin Jessica (pictured below with son Sean), who also babysat Vincent when I was taking classes at Ohio State University drove up from South Carolina. When I first moved to Florida her house was one of the last stops I made before going on to Tallahassee (Perry and I got seperated while caravanning and caused lots of worry for everyone, including Martha, Perry's mom soon after this stop).

The two main reasons to come up to the party this year are in the below picture. I finally got to hold my cousin Julie's little girl, Macy. She is a doll baby and was good the whole time of the party, which I can't say for other offspring...mine. The other reason was to see my cousins Nancy Ann and Amy. I haven't seen them in almost twenty years. They finally got back in touch with Uncle Mel this past year. They are now both living in Chicago, which might mean road trips this summer.

--- Stephanie

Congratulations, Seminoles!

For just the third time this year, we joined our Kentucky Seminole Club compatriots at Pizza by the Guy in Lyndon to watch a Florida State University football game - this against Big 10 stalwart Wisconsin, in the Champs Sports Bowl - this past Saturday - from Orlando - apparently in the old Tangerine Bowl, where I saw the Stones in 1982. We got to Lyndon towards the end of the first half, with FSU just up 10-3. Another game - it appeared to be - with tough FSU defense and not a lot of Seminole offensive firepower. What we had missed was stunning FSU special teams play, with FSU punter/kicker Graham Gano (pictured below after one of the punts) kicking three punts that pinned the Badger offense within their 3-yard line. So Wisconsin had some yards but few points.

FSU's offense rolled after we arrived - starting with a great late-first half touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Christian Ponder to veteran receiver Greg Carr now #2 on the FSU receiver list for touchdowns. It was a great day also for the defense. Rumor had it that longtime FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews (below on the right), a bad cop to Head Coach Bobby Bowden's good cop - might be retiring after this game. But a second call to friends in Tallahassee yielded the word that Andrews ought to be back for another season, one in which FSU might again contend at least for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

We also got the news that the penalty money due to FSU Offensive Coordinator Jimbo Phillips (and coach in waiting) is up to $5 million if Bowden doesn't step down within two years.

With a 42-13 FSU victory, Bowden notched another win in his amazing bowl game victory column (21!) and - with Penn State's subsequent loss to Southern Cal in Thursday's Rose Bowl - got back within a victory or two behind rival/friend and Penn State coach Joe Paterno. I figure that my Mother (just a few years younger than Bowden) might retire after Bowden does. FSU will have to have two great seasons for Bowden to re-take the total career victory runner-up status (behind major college leader and long-time Alabama coach, the late "Bear" Bryant) from Paterno, should they both retire in a couple of years. Good work, Bobby!

-- Perry

Recount

In fall 2000 I volunteered a bit for the Democratic Party in critical Sarasota County, a Rockefeller Republican county that was just off the ground zero I-4 corridor. A number of my students at New College were Green Party activists who somehow got Ralph Nader 3,000 votes in Sarasota County - 3,000 votes which - it turns out - had some of them gone to Vice President Al Gore - would have made it much more difficult for the Republicans to steal the 2000 presidential election ("I hope you're happy now" - yelled some of my Democratic-leaning students to their Green Party classmates election night). The center of attention shifted from the I-4 corridor to West Palm Beach, Miami, and Tallahassee throught the rest of the month. In Tallahassee a series of court hearings and protests headlined the election imbroglio. News trucks took over the town, and I attended a protest with Stephanie, Vincent, and Frisco that landed Vincent (standing behind Gore lawyer David Boies) on CNN. My chants - like "We love Barbara! We love Laura! But that George W. - he's a horror!" - entertained even Republican activists there. And the statewide recount continued in the third floor of the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library - which Stephanie and Vincent often visited - until that awful day when the 5-4 Republican majority on the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the recount.

At the time it was hard to imagine that subsequent events - like 9/11, Katrina, the 2004 Ohio primary, and the 2008 election - would block these events out of our memory. It's also hard to remember how unfair we thought the outcome was and how frustrated and horrified we were (after an emotional rollar coaster that included Dan Rather at 2 a.m. Election Night putting Florida back in the un-called column with a string of Texas-isms). Perhaps only some recent films - the beginning of "Fahrenheit 9/11," a short vignette in "An Inconvenient Truth" (with the Gore understatement "that was disappointing" or something like that), and - implicitly - in "W." - have captured that feeling.

We re-lived all of this on film again - at home - (plus learned some insider information) this past November - eight years later - on TV - as we rented a movie for the first time in a year and half: the cable TV movie "Recount," which excellently replays the events of November 2000. Excellent are Tom Wilkinson (formerly of "Full Monty" and "Michael Clayton") as former U.S. Secretary of State Jim Baker and Laura Dern (formerly of "Citizen Ruth") as Florida Secretary of State Katharine Harris (at whom Stephanie at a Bradenton FL parade four years later yelled "Go back home," when she was in fact from neighboring Sarasota and represented both in Congress (until her U.S. Senate campaign got derailed). But the moral center of the movie was two Democratic operatives, Ron Klain and Michael Whoulley (played great by Kevin Spacey formerly of "The Usual Suspects" and "American Beauty" and Denis Leary of "Rescue Me"). We subscribe to neither HBO nor Cinemax nor Showtime, and so these kinds of movie we can't watch when they come out - we have to rent them. This one was definitely worth watching.

-- Perry

Washington Avenue

I feel like part of my family's history is tied to Washington Avenue United Methodist Church, even if no one still lives in the neighborhood surrounding it, or even attends on a regular basis. My grandparents were married in the church in a triple wedding by Reverend Rife. My parents were married in the church by Reverend Jenne. Even my now deceased uncle and his wife were married in this Church. I was baptized both as a child and as a youth (the full body baptismal pool is under the choir loft pictured above) there as well. Both Grandma and Grandpa's final services were here. Needless to say, lots of memories are tied to this church and many stories.

Whenever we are in Ohio and it is feasible (sometimes even when it isn't) we manage to get back to my home church. This time was no exception, even if we were late and Perry left early and returned late. Washington Avenue has two student pastors right now, but they had a great service (and very nontraditional and funny). It took me a minute to realize that Nathan's point WAS the disruption Jeremy was making.

It always nice to go back and not just see the building and how it has changed but also the people that make it Washington Avenue. Some of these faces I remember from my youth when Grandma and I would walk to church one block through the alley. Some of the faces like Jean, below, I remember from activities that Grandma was involved in also.

When I was little you never wanted Boyer (pictured below) to have to take you out for misbehavior. Now as an adult who deals with Children's Fellowship at our own church on Wednesday nights I can appreciate the job he had. Peg (also pictured below) has been my own Sunday school teacher off and on for years.

Evelyn (pictured below) used to sit in the pew just behind Grandma and Grandpa. She and Rodger often used to recount stories of my escaping from Babyland. I climbed the stairs up toward the sanctuary where I knew Grandma was. On each step I called out "Grandma?" As I neared the sanctuary (Grandma sitting on the far side by the front door), all the heads were turned as Grandma picked me up. Evelyn also keeps Perry and I informed about the goings on at Washington Avenue and the surrounding area.

Hettie and Ray (pictured with me below) are what help me on Wednesday nights. Ray led Junior Church when I was little (you had to be five to start going and I didn't want to without my friend, Andrea, who was too young, so I waited). I still have the white bible I brought every Sunday to church. I even have the sticker on it that said I brought a friend to church. The bible I received when I graduated from high school is on the living room shelf. But, it is still usually that old white bible Dad got me for my fifth birthday and for the start of Junior Church, that gets pulled down if it needs to be read.

It was great catching up with everyone while we were in Ohio. I wish it could be more regularly, but life moves us on.

--- Stephanie

One person's junk...

My Dad owns rental property. His properties aren't exactly Beverly Hills mansions or Miami Beach condos. They are situated in Columbus where the real estate market and economy has plummeted over the last year. Most of his rental property was already in areas on the decline before the real estate slump.

When renters leave (usually in a hurry from not paying rent and not wanting to be evicted) they sometimes leave things behind. Usually they leave behind trash, old clothes, and generally things they feel aren't worth the time to pack. Dad has a tendency to go through all this "stuff" and cherry pick what he thinks might be worth something. I tend to think he keeps WAY TOO MUCH of all this, but I try not to argue with him.

At Thanksgiving when we met to drive down to Deer Lodge, Tennessee to see my cousins, Dad brought along some "stuff" he thought I might like. He said it needed elbow grease but would look nice when it was cleaned up. He handed me two black encrusted metal objects vaguely resembling a candy dish and a teapot. Vincent and Perry raised some eyebrows as I threw it in the trunk of the car and said thank you.

After Thanksgiving we returned home and I made a stop at Target. I bought some silver cleaner, some red candles, and some small red and silver round ornaments. With a LOT of elbow grease I was able to clean up the candy dish/candle holder and make a nice centerpiece for Christmas dinner. After Christmas dinner it resides on the mantle. I even was able to mostly clean up the teapot, even though it still has a few tarnish spots and is missing the very top piece of the lid. I haven't figured where this will go, but it surprised me that it turned out as nicely as it did.

While I don't always believe one person's junk is another person's treasure, both these pieces surprised me. Although Dad might have been right this time, I don't think he's going to convince me on a lot of his other projects/treasures.


--- Stephanie

They don't speak!

Every since I can remember my Dad has taken me every Christmas season to see the Nutcracker. I would dress up in my best (black patten leathers and all) and march with my Dad to the Ohio Theater on the seasonally renamed Nutcracker Boulevard. As the years went on the dresses got fancier but we still went. (I even took ballet lessons for a short while dreaming of being Clara.)

As I got older I shared this tradition with others, first Vincent, then Ra'ed, and eventually Perry. Each person had different responses. Vincent was dismayed that they didn't speak. Ra'ed kept wanting to call it an opera when describing it to friends. Perry helped negotiate a Tallahassee Nutcracker trip that could have been potentially disastrous. But the Nutcracker made its way into our hearts and memories.

While in Columbus, we purchased Vincent a nutcracker Christmas ornament after one viewing. This led to Vincent's now growing collection of nutcrackers.




Slowly his collection has grown. We listen to the Nutcracker music as we decorate the tree. Nutcracker ornaments and free standing nutcrackers come out at Christmas. Some of his collection is much more traditional than others, like his Rat King (pictured above).

I bought him the Lincoln with the Gettysburg address (pictured above) at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Illinois the year it opened. That was the second year I taught for the summer in Macomb.

Amazingly all of Vincent's nutcrackers do actually have opening and shutting mouths, even Lincoln. He now has a collection of not so traditional nutcrackers. Yoda, the Mexican, the vampire, and the pirate are pictured below. Vincent was a little disappointed he wasn't able to get a storm trooper nutcracker this year. Well, there is always next year.

--- Stephanie

Ribbons for Christmas

When I was little, getting ready for Christmas always included hanging the wreath on the door, putting together without directions the fake Christmas tree, listening to stories of how I ate/chewed my first Christmas ornament (I got one each year until...well, maybe the past few years), setting orange electric candles in the windows, getting out the large plastic nativity scene with the football shaped Jesus, and placing the box of ribbon candy on the coffee table in the living room. Each Christmas there was some variation. Maybe we would get white bulbs for the electric candles, or find the funny looking electric Santa face to put in the window, or God forbid find the directions for how to put the fake tree together (or even more life shattering...buy a real tree), but there was always a constant at Grandma and Grandpa's house...ribbon candy on the coffee table.

After Grandpa died my Dad carried on the tradition of finding and buying the ribbon candy, but it slowly got harder and harder to find. When Grandma died and Dad and I moved the tradition sort of faded away. Vincent never got a chance to try ribbon candy given he was too young to eat hard candy.

You can imagine my surprise and joy this season when visiting my Mom and Bob they offered Vincent, Perry, and me candy from a box and not the chocolate kind. Vincent was skeptical until he broke off a piece following all of our examples and tasted what I remember as part of Christmas, ribbon candy. I think Vincent has become a convert to what I hope becomes a revived tradition, ribbon candy and visiting with family.




--- Stephanie