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Chronicles of an Urban Dweller

Sun, 08 Nov 2015 00:44:02 +0100

After 10 years of pleasure and struggIe, I am chronicling the many stories I have lived, witnessed and created as an urban dweller. I moved into downtown Cincinnati in the spring of 2005, taking on the adventure of becoming an on-site landlady. I’ve been likened to Mrs.Madrigal, the character from Armistead Maupin’s series of books Tales of the City , Mrs Madrigal was landlady to a group of young San Francisco’ins in her own version of what I call Artful Habitats.

My urban dwelling is shabby and charming and magical all at once, and I have had the good fortune of finding tenants who have become friends to one another and to me. We are a community within a community, located in the Historic Neighborhood known as Prospect Hill.

In my early years, I housed many short term roommates, to help me pay the bills. They included a woman who had climbed Everest with a team of MIT scientists, a massage therapist for Cirque du Soleil, one of the Jersey Boys, and my all-time favorite, a guy I am pretty sure was a spy with the CIA. He’s probably reading this as I type. Hi Sam.

Adventures have included saving a life, gunshots galore, a midnight fugitive who scaled my fence and leapt into the surprise of our pool, a tenant whose parrot mimicked my unique dog call, thus summoning my dogs to his window daily, and a backyard wedding (my own) where the tenants gave up their apartments for four days so that our family and friends could stay with us.

We’ve been snowed in, lived without a furnace for a winter-y weekend, grown some of our own food. We’ve endured car break-ins, plant thievery, an elderly neighbor who hired prostitutes, and a basement break in where all of my laundry detergent was stolen and large footprints left in the slippery soapy spillage.

I’ve managed the renovation of 2 apartments, the rebuilding of 2 collapsed retaining walls, the tuckpointing of 150 year old brick. There has been re-roofing, reinforcing, re-building. It seems like we’ve hardly scratched the surface.

Unlike Anna Madrigal, I do not welcome my tenants with a carefully rolled joint of home-grown, but have been known to share wine and food, especially in the summer months. I hope these stories will give a sense of the joy and exquisiteness I have experienced in this, the happiest chapters of my life. So far.

Time Travel: Spring 2014

Thu, 20 Mar 2014 00:05:22 +0100

Today is the eve of Spring 2014. As a nod to the shift, I am wearing a combination of winter and spring garb...black corduroys and spring-pink socks; a wintery vest and a summery turquoise scarf. This winter harkened back to my childhood growing up in the snowbelt of Northeastern Ohio. I have loved winter in my life, but I am ready for this one to be done.

I last wrote in this web log 28 months ago: you would not believe the changes in my life since then. I wouldn't have belived it if you had told me what was going to happen. Life turns on a dime, and I learned a long time ago to never say never. I can say this: I am relatively happy, content, engaged, and using many of my talents.

What I am not doing is painting or drawing very much. I still teach art in my studio once a week, and I paint or sketch then...but it's not quite the same and I have felt myself to be in a creative desert. Man, I miss it.

November Slide

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:50:34 +0100

How can it be that 2/3 of November has slid by, that this week is Thanksgiving? On this overcast (read:glum) Sunday I find myself feeling behind and with low motivation to move forward into food and travel preparation. I have cleaned a little, done some laundry, checked my email often seeking distraction.

Today is my oldest niece's 35th birthday: Happy Birthday Emily Gorka McGee! It also strikes me that I cannot have niece that is so close in age to me (because I keep thinking I'm 42) even though I have a 53rd birthday at the end of this week. The November slide.

Daffy

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:24:49 +0100

This is the most recent incarnation of my husband. Jeff's not such a bad duck: sometimes his feathers get a all in a ruffle, like when I pester him too much about house tasks. But mostly he is easy going, helps me with my varied projects, and gives insightful feedback. My best friend.

Facing Facebook

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:47:14 +0100

Face it. I am not a regular Facebook user. I am one of the lowly who occasionally log on to see what my friends have been up to. And my husband. I rarely think of anything to add to the conversation, and after about 7 minutes I sense that I am being sucked into a huge vortex and about to lose a few hours of my life. So I panic and get out.

Today I logged in, went to my home page, and was startled to notice that I am married to Daffy Duck. Oh, great. It was enough to make me laugh out loud, and prompt me to make a blog entry. Thanks, Daffy.

Ah, my much neglected blogging life. I have missed you. Much has happened since my last entry. (Sounds eerily like confessional-speak) My last blog entry was in May. Forgive me. Penance?

This blog & website has been a-hemming for my attention, and I'm ready to bite. Time to update. Stay tuned.

Where Have You Been?

Fri, 27 May 2011 22:25:34 +0100

This month has slipped by, and it seems as though we only recently returned from Sicily while my calendar indicates 29 days have lapsed. I don't have much to show for it, other than some classes taken(6) and classes taught (8), several books read, pool opened, a one year wedding anniversary thoroughly celebrated, and the mystery of the cat-pee-smell resolved. I have made a few paintings and several drawings.

The blues that accompanied our return home have left (hurray!) but my inner critic is working overtime. Man, she can be harsh. "Too slow, not enough, too much, ugly, stupid, fat..." on and on she goes about this and that. Give it a rest and let the good angel have a turn, please?

I found this cool website today about a young couple choosing the small & simple solutions:
http://tinyrevolution.us/about/. This kind of story inspires, intrigues, appeals, draws me in. I'm not sure what that would look like for us...Artful Habitats is a way of life of its own. A. H. is not luxurious by any means (except maybe having a pool), but it does create complexity and a layer of responsibility. I continue to believe in the concept though: it is paying for itself and putting a roof over our heads. The debt doesn't hurt so much this way: we don't have to keep our jobs to keep our house.

At least in theory.

Jet lagged

Sun, 01 May 2011 15:47:04 +0100

I didn't expect jet lag, because when we went to Sicily last year I didn't experience it in either direction. Fortunately it didn't hit me at all while we were there, but I've got a case of it now. Dizziness, nausea, achiness, a general malaise. Bleh. I'm grateful at least to be sleeping through the night, and also to be waking around 6 am. I read it can take up to as many days as time zones crossed to recover: that means I might still be queezy through Tuesday. Ah, well.

Cincinnati is green upon green, and my irises grew about a foot while we were gone. No blooms yet. The trees have leafed out quite a bit, and all of the hostas that disappeared over the winter are in full presence. I suppose the 9 out of 11 days of rain while we were gone helped to make this happen, and so glad we missed the downpours. Both of our basements flooded, but no damage to speak of.

Yesterday was a fine day and I joined the plein air group at Devou Park in Covington. I attempted a watercolor, as this was my travel medium and therefore very handy, and also because I'm not very good at these and want to improve.

Ciao, Sicilia

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:48:15 +0100

This is our last day here, with an early flight tomorrow morning. We are heading into Catania to walk and shop and see the sights. Canolli at a special patisserie that Maryl knows is the only planned event on our agenda.

That is much the way we travel together, and it suits all three of us. We are wanderers and not in much of a hurry. I especially love to sit in one place so I can sketch or start paintings. I know for a fact that our travel style would drive many people nuts (as theirs would drive me nuts!), and I am grateful that we are so companionable in this way.

Tuesday it rained so hard that Jeff & I stayed in while Maryl worked the afternoon/ evening shift. Our only venture out was for lunch at a gas station (!) near the base, that Maryl frequents, where they make fresh panini and cater somewhat to the Sigonella crowd. It was delicious and inexpensive.

On the way back home, Jeff and I stopped in Motta S. Anastasia to explore the older part of town where there is a Norman Castle. It wasn't open of course (all of Sicilia closes between 1 & 4 or so), but we enjoyed the walk around between the raindrops. This is the view from the castle.

Maryl is teaching me to knit in the round...I don't quite have the hang of it yet. This shows us in her cozy Belpasso living room.

Here is a picture of Jeff & Maryl from Agrigento: the man behind the camera and most of the photos I've shared.

See you back in Cincinnati! Ciao!

Lost & Found in Siracusa

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 10:01:19 +0100

A day-trip to Siracusa on Easter Monday was most enjoyable in the company of Maryl's good friend Christi Guard. A wrong turn on the way there made the trip about twice as long, and we comically kept seeing the autostrada, even passing underneath it but no way to get on. Alors, we eventually made it and spent a windswept afternoon in Ortygia, the old part of the city. I most loved the walk along the sea wall with the strong sea smell and waves crashing.

Maryl asking for directions

Me taking a picture of the two beautiful young women!

Christi & me at the sea wall. (Above)

Below is the Ear of Dionisis, at the archeological park in Siracusa.

Above, Maryl in her Easter outfit, but sporting Jeff's cap.

Returning home in the evening, I took this picture of the dramatic storms from Maryl's balcony.

Easter Sunday

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:46:42 +0100

At last sunshine & warmth! It has been pleasant enough all week, no rain, but cool and hazy, and we've been glad for long sleeves and jackets. Today we took a laid back long walk around town, sat in the parks, watched the Easter revelers. Last evening booming fireworks about launched us out of bed after 11...Maryl tells us Sicilians like fireworks and use them at every occasion. Happy Easter: Boom!

I have been sketching often and also making watercolors at every chance. The best view of Mount Etna is actually at the end of Maryl's street. Today I sat for about 90 minutes making the beginnings of a watercolor.

The last two evenings Jeff & I have ventured to nearby Nicolosi, watching the evening strollers and people gathering around the center of town. In front of every patisserie, and in every town park, there are typically four to five men standing around talking over who-knows-what (my guess is politics). Tonight we saw the same group of men in Nicolosi as last night: tonight they had on neckties for Easter.

Below is the town park of Belpasso: we enjoy people watching there as well.