Sunday, September 13, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Anemones in Bloom
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Did Someone Say ‘Renaissance’?
Mona and Leonardo (that would be da Vinci not DiCaprio) would be so proud. 124 Kay Dr. is located about 3 miles from the heart of Middletown’s East End/Renaissance Area, anchored by Atrium Medical Center.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Five Things I Like about My House
1. The cathedral ceiling and hand-hewn beams in the foyer and living/dining room and the stone fireplace make the space feel like a chapel. I have altar bells on the hearth.
2. The sound of the creek in the back yard is different every day.
3. The two redbuds and daffodils in the front yard are breathtaking in the spring. I grew the smaller redbud from a seed.
4. The sitting room next to the kitchen is like a four-season tree house.
5. Birds and squirrels and butterflies . . . oh my!
Friday, June 5, 2009
High on the Hog
When we first moved to Middletown, we saw this historical marker along the side of one of the main roads about a mile from our house and thought “famous Civil War battle.” Then one day, we stopped the car, walked through the gulley and up a small hill to look. No Civil War battle. Not even close.
The marker commemorates the origin of the Poland China pig, first bred in 1816 on a nearby farm, which is now a mall. Known as the Big China, this breed boosted the swine industry in southwestern Ohio for the next 20 years. (I am not going to say it “brought home the bacon.”) Today, the big-framed, long-bodied, lean and muscular Poland China hog leads U.S. pork production in pounds of hog per sow per year. I think this story is a lot more fun than a Civil War battle.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
A Blog About a House Redux
Okay, let's try this again: Welcome to 124 Kay Drive, Middletown, Ohio. My name is Jane Grant Tougas. My husband Lee and I bought this house about 15 years ago from the people who built it in the late 1970s. We are selling it now because we are downsizing and moving back to Chicago, where I grew up and where most of my family lives.
Earlier this week, we listed the house with Real Living. My brief attempt at "for sale by owner" was just that – brief. We are thrilled with our realtor, Kathy McFarland. More on Kathy later.