The pile of squares that will soon be headed down south:

Flowers are so easy! They're beauty just sits there waiting for my camera's shutter to open. The fresh-cut flowers available at the local farmer's market have come to be one of my favorite Saturday morning purchases.

Going to Chicago for the weekend! Yeah!

Here's a little something that's pretty funny.

Another dog picture. I couldn't resist. This is such an *ellie* picture - she'll charm you with cuteness then jump up and kiss you!

Ellie has really good eye contact.

I have a pile of emails to answer and I'm not likely to get to them anytime soon! I'm swamped in the upcoming two weeks and may not be online very often. Don't worry, though. I will get back in touch!

very neat...

Here's a great idea which encompasses the "eat local" theme for August - Drink Local. The objective being to drink wine from the closest local winery. I think I will redefine this as a wine from the closest local vineyard. The idea of getting a bottle of wine from the local "make your own wine" shop isn't quite as attractive as finding the closest actual vineyard.

When I was in New York, I picked up a couple of bottles of Riesling from a Finger Lakes winery - that one is also an option! It was local to me while I was on vacation.

There is a little story about the booth where I purchased this wine. It was quiet and relatively empty when I entered, but was soon filled with an exuberant crowd of Raspberry Rose devotees. The owner must have sold six to eight bottles in just about that many minutes while I tried to decide which Riesling I preferred. Perhaps the Raspberry Rose would have been a more authentic local variety, given it's popularity!

August also brings the wine event Vintage Ohio. I've never attended, but it looks like fun - and Lake Farmpark is a beautiful place to visit.

Some local wines I may have to try for this challenge:
Honey Wine from bees in Valley City, 20 miles away.
The Winery at Wolf Creek a vineyard in Norton, 26 miles away.
Laleure Vineyards in Parkman, 40 miles away (Ok, so here's another story. As I checked out this vineyard's web page, I realized - Hey, that farm looks familiar! It's a property that my ex-fiance and I looked at when it was on the market - it's a gorgeous farm, which unfortunately was not at the very top of the hill - and that's another story that you won't ever read about on this blog - but notice the "ex" before the word fiance. The house on this property had been beautifully restored...)
Troutman Vineyards in Wooster, 50 miles away.