Snow Day Knitting - Custom Order WIP

 Good morning,

Yes, we're snowed in here in Cincinnati under a Snow Emergency which means we aren't supposed to be out driving around.  I have no desire to go out and ride around in this snow anyway! 

 I put down the blue and white lap blanket I've been working on to make a custom order gray wool basket weave hat.   I'll get back to the lap blanket when this is finished.

Are you stuck at home during this terrible weather in the USA?  Are you enjoying some time to relax at home?

Stay warm!

Lois

Wendy in the Snow

 Good morning,

Kjell took this image early yesterday morning.  Look carefully to see Wendy on the upper level of our back yard.

Yes, the snow was still falling....

 Stay warm!

Lois

Snow in the Forecast

 Good morning,

We've had very cold weather again this week and now snow is forecast for the weekend.

I've brought in some firewood, but I just can't carry very much any more because of my back.  I appreciate it greatly when family members bring in firewood for me.

It's a funny thing about my back.  It seems we can order anything on God's green earth from Amazon except a new spine....

OK, I know....

Lois

Let It Snow!

 Good morning,

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here!

I took this image yesterday morning through a window and screen from my bedroom window.  

Appointments were cancelled for the day giving us a little extra time to do other things.

Enjoy!

Lois

University of Cincinnati Hospital Helicopter Incoming!

Good morning,

I took this image through my car window (I wasn't driving) while we were on our way to an appointment at UC Health.

If you look carefully at the center of the image, you can see a helicopter landing on the roof of University Hospital.  

We are so glad we live within minutes of one of the premier health facilities in the country.  

We pray the patient recovers quickly.

All the best,

Lois

Jungle Jim's

 Good morning,

Does that look like an amusement park up ahead?  Well, you're close if that's what you thought.

That yellow vehicle was once at an amusement park, but is now at the front of Jungle Jim's International Market. 

When I was a child, Jungle Jim's was a highway fruit stand.  My goodness, how times have changed! 

 Kjell and I enjoy trips here to pick up food from Norway and beyond.  If you crave something from somewhere else, this is the place to find it.

 Of course, you may have to sell some stock to shop here....

 We stocked up on brown cheese and cod roe.  Both are yummy treats from Kjell's childhood.

We were in line to purchase some fresh fish, but it was way too long to wait for our number to be called so we passed.

There is so much to see and buy here!  Check out the Jungle Jim's Website.  Be sure to click around the site to see it all.

Yum!

Lois

Downtown Cincinnati

 Good morning,

Kjell took today's images when we had an appointment in downtown Cincinnati.  We were on the 19th floor of the First Financial Building.

The image above is of Procter & Gamble World Headquarters.  Behind the towers is Mount Adams.  The church on the right side of the picture is Holy Cross - Immaculata.  We've attended wedding in this pretty old church.  The modern building in the center is Highland Towers Apartments;  what a gorgeous view they have!  The famous Rookwood Pottery is also atop Mt. Adams.  We are happy to have a Rookwood fireplace in our 100 + year old home.

 This is a view of the Ohio River.  You can see why the bridge is locally known as the Big Mac Bridge.  We are in Ohio;  that is Northern Kentucky on the other side of the river.

Here is a wider view of the Ohio River.

Lovely, isn't it!  We are having beautiful weather for a few days.  That certainly makes up for the horrible snow and cold we have had for the past three weeks!

All the best,

Lois

Fifth and Sycamore

 Good morning,

I snapped this image of the World Headquarters of Procter & Gamble at the corner of Fifth and Sycamore in downtown Cincinnati.

We were waiting for Catherine to pick us up after an appointment.  Catherine was kind enough to give us valet service so that we wouldn't have to walk far from parking to our appointment.  

 Thank you so much, Catherine.

All the best,

Lois

I-75 Bridge Going North Crossing the Mighty Ohio River

 Good morning,

I was lucky to get an image between the steel of the I-75 Bridge as we traveled North from Kentucky after lunch with friends recently.

To the left you can see a portion of the Cincinnati skyline.

What a gorgeous day!

All the best,

Lois

 

 

 

Cincinnati Sports Venues

 Good morning,

I snapped this series of images as we crossed the Ohio River, then moved across Fort Washington Way in Cincinnati. 

 Fort Washington Way is a divider between the buildings that make up the Cincinnati skyline and our sports venues.

 The dividing "line" is quite distinct, isn't it....

 Downtown Cincinnati used to be the center of business and commerce, but all of that has changed during the past 50 years.

The sports venues and the many restaurants and shops that come with them are a great source of revenue to the City.  The business offices and retail stores have largely moved to the suburbs. 

So, there is change through my lifetime and there will be surely more change after I am gone.

Cincinnati is a beautiful city and a wonderful place to raise children.  In addition to this expanse of "temples of sport" on the river, we have a world class Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, are leaders in Medical Research and Treatment, have outstanding colleges and universities, and have one of the oldest and best Zoos in the country, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens.  Of course, there is other history here where we have produced US Presidents and leaders in industry.

The very best attribute Cincinnati has is its people who are known to be kind and generous.

We have traveled the world, but I am always glad to come home to Cincinnati.

All the best,

Lois

Roebling Bridge

 Good morning,

Some folks will look at this image and think they are seeing the Brooklyn Bridge repainted, however that is not the case at all.

This is the Roebling Suspension Bridge across the Ohio River between Ohio and Kentucky at Cincinnati.  John Roebling built this one before he built the famous Brooklyn Bridge.

When I was a child, we called this one the "singing bridge" because of the sound the tires made as we drove across it.

More to come of our trip to Kentucky....

Lois

Downtown Cincinnati - P&G Towers

 Good morning,

I shot this image through the windshield of our car as we were on our way out to lunch with friends.

Here we are approaching downtown Cincinnati on I-71.  Those twin towers are the International Headquarters of Procter and Gamble.  

More images to come from this outing....

 Stay tuned,

Lois

UC Health

 Good morning,

We are so very glad that we have UC (University of Cincinnati) Health near us.  Not only is the main facility only eight minutes driving time from home, it is one of the premier medical facilities in the country.  

Kjell had an appointment at the main hospital for a routine test yesterday.  There is construction going on in the main garage and the weather is very cold so we opted for the valet parking.

 You cannot go wrong with this!  Only $6 to park (and we tip another $5 when the car is returned to us) and you are steps away from the front door of the hospital.  Valet service is fast and the people are friendly and wonderful.

When we decide to park in the garage ourselves, parking is free as long as we remember to have our parking ticket validated.  It would be hard to forget since almost everyone with whom we interact asks, "do you need a parking validation sticker?"

 Back in the 1980's (goodness, that's a long time ago!) I taught accounting at the University of Cincinnati.  My Dad came to Cincinnati to attend UC, circa 1927 then met my Mom here.  UC is very special to us.

So, thanks, UC, we're so glad you're nearby and a part of our lives for all of these years!

Lois

A New Low

 Good morning,

Well, look at that, won't ya....  Gas less than $3.00 per gallon.  Go figure.

I hope it's not too bad where you are....

Lois

Church of the Immaculata

 Good morning,

I took today's image as we were crossing the Ohio River from Kentucky to Ohio.  High atop Mount Adams is the Church of the Immaculata.

This gorgeous Roman Catholic Church has been a landmark in Cincinnati since 1859.  There is wonderful information about it here as well as images of the inside of the church.

The interior of the church is spectacular.  I've attended weddings here and must say it is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

Happy Weekend!

All the best,

Lois

Lunch With Friends

 Good morning,

We had lunch with friends Tor and Teresa at the Buckhead Mountain Grille yesterday.  It was a rainy/overcast day - definitely a bad hair day!

 These two guys can get very large ships from one port to another safely.  In fact, they did it together for many years.

Eating at a restaurant overlooking water is always fun for us.  This is the Mighty Ohio River at Cincinnati beneath an overcast sky. 

Photo credit for the first image goes to Tor.

We have to do this again soon!

:),

Lois

UC Health

  

Good morning,

I have to give a shout out to UC Health.  Those are the University of Cincinnati Health Providers and University Hospital Level I Trauma Center that took such good care of Damar Hamlin last week after he suffered cardiac arrest during a football game here in Cincinnati.  Damar has recovered, has been released, and is now home in Buffalo, New York.  While reading a news report about Damar's treatment at UC, I recognized a doctor's name.  It was the same doctor who preformed an emergency appendectomy on me in 2018.  Small world.

My Honey and I are so very lucky to live here in Cincinnati and also benefit from the services of UC Health Physicians and University Hospital.  We have each had health issues that have been handled quickly and professionally.

We are grateful every day that we live in an age and an area where such excellent care is available.

We have other ties to the University of Cincinnati, too.  My Dad came to Cincinnati in the 1920's to attend UC because they were the first in the nation with a co-op program.  He graduated, met my mom, got married, got a job with P&G, and spent his entire career there.  Without UC, he would never have met and married my Mom.  Small world.

 In the 1980's I was an Adjunct Professor of Accounting at UC.  I mentioned to my Dad that I was teaching a class in McMicken Hall and he asked what classroom I was using.  I told him only to discover it was the same classroom where he attended his first accounting class in the 1920's.  Full Circle. Small world.  

All the best from Cincinnati,

Lois

End of Year Sunrise

 Good morning,

I took this image through my dining room window this week.  We were having sub freezing temperatures and had had a blizzard the night before.  

Although beautiful, it was deadly cold out there.

It took quite a bit of coaxing to get the pups to go outside in the back yard to do what they needed to do.  Of course, they weren't out there very long.  

The fireplace has been keeping us comfy this week!

As the New Year approaches, the temps are rising and the snow should be gone by January 1.  

Stay Warm!  Stay Safe!  Happy New Year!

Lois

Client Gift Assembly

 Good morning,

Each year Catherine gets very creative with Christmas gifts for her CPA firm business clients.  It's always a different theme each year.

This year it is an insulated lunch bag.

 Inside the one in the image above are only a few of the items she includes.  In addition to the iced tea and healthy snacks, she includes a freezer cube to keep it all cold, an apple, and cheese and sausage snacks.  It's quite a beautiful gift!  She does all the shopping for this each year and then puts them together.

My job is the fancy bows on the top.  I have a few made ahead in the box in this image.  As soon as Catherine puts the gifts together, I "install" the bow.  ;)

What fun!  

Merry Christmas!

Lois

Cincinnati's University Hospital Christmas Tree

 Good morning,

This pretty Christmas Tree is in the lobby of Cincinnati's University Hospital.

It's wonderful to see the beautiful decorations!

Enjoy,

Lois