I learned a new word this week. People who work in a business of choosing and rearranging words for a living sometimes get excited about such things.

Locovore: Defined as someone who eats locally produced foods.

In the green revolution, we used to hear mostly about organic foods, those grown without weed and bug killing chemicals. While organic can be a good thing, ask yourself this– Is it really good to buy organic foods that have to be shipped long distances around the globe? In addition to using fuel for transportation, that food isn’t so fresh anymore after all of that time and sitting around.

So that thinking has many people making more of an effort to eat what’s grown on local farms. The added benefit there being economic. You’re helping the local tax base and supporting your own neighbors as they try to make a living. At the same time you are rewarded with fresh, seasonal food that often tastes much different (better) than the average fare at local supermarkets.

Even the supermarkets are catching on to this trend. Lately I’ve been noticing more signs in Giant Eagle, Kroger and Monette’s pointing out that items are at least grown in Ohio or Michigan.

Sure, we’re busy. Sure, we don’t always have time to gather groceries at the farmers’ market AND the mega-mart, but if you’re out for a drive on the weekend and cruise past a farm stand, I urge you to take five or ten minutes. Stop. Look at what they have. Maybe grab a bag of apples and a vegetable you’ve never tried. You can find recipes for just about anything online. It’ll make you feel good. I promise.

Check out this story by Barrett:
http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpp/news/local/wupw_Fine_tuning_mass_casualty_training_ba_110509

I got a chance to participate in this panel discussion about how to deal with a mass casualty situation. It is rare that people think to include the media in things like this, but it was nice to give my input.
Media members respond to mass situations like this all the time, although our role is certainly different than those who put their lives on the line.
But a question was asked about whether or not the media would get involved in the situation. Like for example is someone needed pressure applied to a wound, and a camera guy was standing there, would that camera guy get involved.
My answer was “maybe”. So why is the answer not an emphatic “yes”? Part of the answer is that the media is not supposed to be apart of the story, we just report it.
There could also be liability issues because few in the media are trained in proper techniques, so people may not feel comfortable getting involved.
I am not pretending I have the right answer or even an answer about what I would do. But it’s always good to step back and examine what you do for a living and how it fits into the big picture.

As a reporter, I’ve covered it all. But tonight I covered one of my favorites – a heart warming story. I had the privilege of traveling to Fostoria to witness a hero’s homecoming. And, boy was it worth it.

Army Sergeant Shane Parsons was severely injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq three years ago. Now he is a double amputee – with a great attitude. I was there when he came home to a totally remolded home (thanks to Hope for the Warriors.) The home is now wheelchair accessible and he has a home gym which will let him continue with his therapy.

However, the remodel is now what struck me the most. It was Shane’s attitude. Here is a 24 year-old man who lost both of his legs, but is not letting it get him down. Shane now participates in marathons. He swims and plays basketball. He is even on a traveling hockey team. But, get this; he didn’t do any of it until after he was injured!

Now, I can’t even imagine playing ice hockey. There is no way I could balance on the ice and attempt to hit a puck into a net. It would be total disaster. But here is a man who actually died twice in the hospital who lost both of his legs and he is competing on a regular basis. Amazing.

I have to admit. As much as I love my job and all of the stories I do, this one really was it. I loved meeting this man and telling his story. I’m sure he has more stories in him, too. I expect great things from Sgt. Shane Parsons. So, stay tuned. I can almost guarantee this isn’t the last time he’ll be on TV.

I live in a fun neighborhood.  Our house was actually the first one built in the subdivision and we were the first to live there.  So as the neighborhood slowly grew we really got to know our neighbors well and now are close friends. 

We try to plan get together often.  This weekend is our annual Kaleidoscope party.  Every couple is assigned a color.  That couple has to dress in that color, and make a food and drink that is the same color.  The party moves from house to house throughout the evening. 

This year my husband and I are the color yellow.  So I will be serving a pineapple slushy drink, deviled eggs, and a lemon cake.  It’s kind of a weird combonation of food and drinks but they are all yellow!

Ok, so I love the holidays like the rest of us. There is nothing more exciting to me than spending time with loved ones and friends. Also, it’s fun to buy presents for people, decorate, etc.

Even more important– I believe that Christmas is such an important holiday to celebrate because of what it means…

On the flip side..

I hate the fact that I turned on the TV the day after Halloween and saw a store commercial for Christmas gifts. And no, it wasn’t the K-Mart one about layaway.

I’m not saying that I can’t handle this or anything, but it just seems unreasonable that this promotion starts so early. Just saying…   It seems that every year, this gets earlier and earlier.

For me personally, I love Thanksgiving, and I hate to see such a great day of eating get passed over.

On that note, I will go home tonight after work and rake leaves… and enjoy the fall weather.. while it still lasts.

Since it is almost Game 6 of the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees, I think it is appropriate for me to say a few things. First of all, if you have been following me on Twitter, you probably know that I am a Phillies fan, and I’d like to say sorry to anyone I have annoyed with my excessive tweets (especially if you are a Yankees fan). With that, I have to tell you why this Series is so exciting to me.

I guess I should start by explaining why I am such a big Phillies fan. The Phillies have been a part of my life, well, forever. When I was really little I remember watching the games on TV with my Grandpop while he told me stories of all of the different players. When I got a little bit older I went to my first Phillies game in the rain and I’ll never forget the blue ponchos that we wore, the peanuts that we ate, the peanut shells that we had throwing contests with, and my first ice cream in that awesome plastic red hat cup (that I still have).

Read the rest of this entry »

Some in Toledo who think they know authentic Chinese food might get offended by what I’m about to blog, but hey man, I just tell it the way I see it when I’m talking about food.

And I tell you what, the best Toledo Chinese restaurant is only a couple of weeks away from making a comeback. Read the rest of this entry »

Last Friday I had the pleasure of presenting the Fox Toledo Stormtracker Weather Live from the Fleitz pumpkin farm in Oregon.

This was an awesome experience!  Oregon is such a pleasant community.  I drove over from Toledo on Starr Avenue which is full of Fall color and foliage.  It was 74 degrees and “Indian Summer” was in full effect.  Attached are a few of the photos from our visit.

The Fleitz Pumpkin farm offered a variety of pumpkins and gourds…  There was also a Corn Maze, a petting zoo, hay rides, warm apple cider and donuts.  What else could a person want.

By the way, while I was there I purchased a couple of pumpkins that were advertised as having delicious seeds.  They were quite tasty! I cut the two small pumpkins open this morning and baked the seeds at 350 for 20 minutes.  The seeds popped in the over sort of like popcorn.  I dashed some salt on them and they were pretty much ready to eat right out of the oven.

If you would like to learn more about this family friendly pumpkin patch click here.  I would greatly encourage you to visit next year.

I hope you’re going to vote. I plan to before heading to the gym and then to work.

It’s going to be interesting to watch Issue 3, Toledo’s race for mayor and Oregon’s too. Toledo City Council offers plenty of competitive drama, as do a long list of school levies, other taxes, school board races and contests for township trustee.

I was personally robo-called six times today and several more over the weekend. Elections are always stressful in a newsroom, so we’ll all be glad when the numbers and totaled and the results are history.

If you still have questions about who’s running for Toledo Municipal Judge or City Council or what Issue 2 (agriculture) or 4 (care of the elderly) are all about, you can watch FOX Toledo’s “You Decide 2009 Election Preview Special”, posted on our website among the top stories.

Maybe I’ll see you at the polls. Wear your ‘I Voted Today’ sticker with pride.