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Let me set the scene:
It’s a breezy, crisp day in the fall of 2006.    Shane’s outside putting on his green and I’m inside probably very busy doing menial chores of some-sort that I don’t like doing.   The phone rings.  The voice on the other end whispers verrrry quietly.

“Sheila…get the camera!”

“Where are you and why the hell are you whispering?”

“I’m on the putting green.  Get the camera and come to the window!  ((gets quieter)) A hawk just attacked a pigeon right in front of me!”

I grab the camera and run to the window.  Shane is standing there still like a stone statue.   I shot this sequence before the hawk took off with his lunch in his talons.

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I’m in a fog today. So I’m posting a link to one of my first posts…Titled: Tattoo.

1 one minute clip of Dublin and his new water bowl. (yes, my life is interesting) This is one of those bowls where you fill the big jug and then it automatically releases water as the bowl empties. When it refills itself, it creates a big loud bubble which Dublin is afraid of of.

So after 3 days of having to stand by his side and pet his back while he got a drink….(I KNOW, OMG!)…we finally put a towel over the part that holds the water reserve so he cannot see the big bubble. Crazy beast.

This meme requires posting a picture that is powerful, that expresses emotion, and speaks volumes to me.

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So, most of you know my oldest daughter is in college.   She sent me a text this morning with this photo.   Their RA had covered all the mirrors in the bathroom with newspaper and on the paper stuck post-it’s everywhere with positive sayings about body image on each piece of brightly colored paper.

Now how cool is that?  It made an impact on my daughter and me as well.   I think it’s wonderful for women to support women.    What a beautiful idea!

Some of the slogans:

What Is Spread the Word to End the Word?

Spread the Word to End the Word is a campaign created by youth, in an ongoing effort with Special Olympics and Best Buddies International, to engage schools, organizations and communities by raising the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word “retard(ed)” and encouraging everyone to stop using the R-word.

On March 3, 2010, youth are leading the second annual day of awareness to Spread the Word to End the Word by encouraging people to rally and pledge their support at www.r-word.org with the goal of reaching 100,000 pledges.

My Middle Child cracks me up.   The other day she got some college literature in the mail.  It was from Deree College in GREECE.  The photos on the mailing were stunning.  In fact, I might want to go back to school.   There.   Anyhoooo….she looked at it and said…”I wanna go HERE!”   Doesn’t care what courses they offer…..or, if they even offer her major.  But she wants in.   That’s my girl.
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MC also came home very proud that she had volunteered and was accepted to work at the school blood drive.   Her job would be to sit and chat with (calm down) those students who are donating blood.

But…the night before….she began to think about it.  A little too much I think.  She brought up painful repressed memories of a ‘bad stick’ that she suffered through a couple years ago.  She had a ‘phlebotomist in training’ who stuck her in the arm 7 (yes, SEVEN) times before handing her off to his supervisor.    Poor kid.

Anyhow, she spent a couple hours thinking about it and then it began to make her sick to her stomach.   She wasn’t sure if she could do it anymore.   I told her she’d be fine and to stop being dramatic.   Next morning, she texts me….”I couldn’t do it.  They had to give me another job”.    That afternoon I got the full story….When the nurse stuck the needle into her friends arm….MC (just watching) started to get very warm….her hearing got muffled and everything went black, white and tingly.    So the supervisor had her switch jobs and handle the passing out of juice and cookies.

I remember last year when my older daughter volunteered, one of the kids passed out and fell SMACK into the floor face down.  Busted his chin and had to get stitches.  Yuck.
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I’ve been asked to represent my hometown over at Blogtrotting today!  So, as your host *opens door and smiles*, “Please, come in…and welcome to Northeast Ohio!”

I’m actually from a suburb outside of Cleveland, Ohio…oh, about 8 minutes from the heart of the city.   But my town is relatively small and the only thing happening here lately is that my Mayor wrote a book.   Which wouldn’t be very interesting except for he included a chapter on the size of his genitalia.   But we don’t want to discuss that here.  Yuckie-Bleh-*spitting*

So today I’ll be presenting the big picture and giving you some insight into the larger area in which I call home.    Many a joke has been made about the City of Cleveland.   And lately it seems like we’ve been hit with a number of unfavorable outcomes in ‘polls’…such as the Most Miserable and ranking on lists of the worst place to live, fattest and worst weather.   I say, bull poopie.   I’d really like to know who actually VOTES in these things.   Northeast Ohio is a wonderful place to raise a family…yeah, it’s cold in the winter but duh, it’s Northeast Ohio!

Summertime in Cleveland is beautiful.  We have bazillions of festivals and street fairs, tons of unique restaurants (like MELT!) and taverns and Downtown Cleveland is clean and beautiful.   The beautiful breeze coming off Lake Erie on a scorching hot summer day is relaxing and welcome.   There are so many sights to see Downtown and in and of itself it’s a great vacation destination!

Summertime – Tall Ships come to the Lakefront
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Labor Day Weekend, Air Show
In the pics above you can see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Science Center, Browns Stadium and the beautiful lakefront.   Every summer Cleveland is host to the Gravity Games, Rib Festivals, Weekend Outdoor Summer Concerts and more.  There is always something happening in the City.

We have the Cleveland Zoo which includes a huge wolf exhibit, a Rainforest, an Australian Outback exhibit and lots of bird shows and demonstrations.   Oh!  And the stingrays that you can touch.

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Our fall season is spectacular with colors so vibrant it will knock your socks off.

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We even have a couple ski resorts very close to home (Brandywine and Boston Mills)

Like spooky and scary stuff?    Haunted Cleveland during Halloween time will take you on a tour of haunted places!  Or, visit the Mansfield Reformatory a little further south of Cleveland.  Or, a little bit East, check out  Gravity Hill (on the Kirtland Mentor border.  Put your car in neutral and it will go uphill.  Whoooooo.)

We also have a HUGE National Park System with so many different trails to blaze and things to do that I couldn’t possibly list them all here.   If you are a hiker, biker, nature lover, explorer….our Cuyahoga Valley National Park System is worth checking into!  You can even explore it by train!  We hike local trails all the time, but haven’t touched more than 5% of them yet!

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No matter where you go there is something to do. Whatever your interest, you’ll surely find it in Northeast Ohio! From our Children’s Museum, to the USS Cod, Put-In-Bay (a mega resort area….There’s many places to visit on the Islands including many wineries), Cedar Point and the nearby drive thru African Safari, one of our many museums including the Natural History Museum and world renown Cleveland Museum of Art….you’ll find it here!

To all those pollsters who give Cleveland a bad name? I bet they have never even been here!

Fun facts about Cleveland:
*The original spelling was CLEAVELAND (after it’s founder, Moses Cleaveland) but the ‘a’ was dropped to fit into the newspapers’ masthead.
*Euclid Avenue was once called Millionaire’s Row. John D. Rockafeller resided there.
*Playhouse Square is the nations 2nd largest performing arts center!
*We had the first traffic light, by local inventor Garret Morgan.

And last but not least….if you have not visited Blogtrott yet…what are you waiting for?  Trot on over there right now!