In Ohio, the summer offers many wonderful foods grown from our gardens! Some of my favorites include strawberries, corn and tomatoes.

Our locally  grown tomatoes can be flavorful, juicy and have a delightful fresh aroma. Plain slices of tomatoes, or even a slice on a grilled cheese  sandwich can be enjoyable. One of my favorite recipes  includes some Ohio tomatoes and is handy for a quick meal or a cookout.

Lindy’s Summer Salad

Cut up Romaine lettuce and place in a large bowl. Chop up those yummy Ohio tomatoes, and add to the bowl. Sprinkle in two cups of grated cheddar cheese. Stir in  one can of drained kidney beans. Just before serving, mix in one bottle of Catalina French dressing.  Finish the dish by adding small Frito corn chips,  that can be crushed if you prefer.

There are so many ways to prepare these delicious summertime foods! What’s one of your favorite recipes?

-Lindy Conley

I’ve visited over a dozen states over the course of my life, and I’ve had the opportunity to travel to more than six other countries around the world. I’ve seen some great places and done some things that many people haven’t. I’ve hiked part of the Appalachian Trail, explored caves in Kentucky and Guatemala, and ridden on the back of an elephant in Thailand. I’ve been blessed with great vacations and awesome mission trips. There are so many cool things for us to see on this planet.

But what if you could vacation, for a week or so, in some fictional land, any fictional land. Where would you choose to go?

L. Frank Baum has been one of my favorite authors for many years. He created a world of characters, creatures, and settings that most minds could never imagine. He created a realm of mystery and excitement, innocence and danger, vivid color and deep darkness. Baum fabricated a place that we’d love to visit, but probably not want to live in. So, if I could vacation in any fictional land of my choosing, I’d choose Oz.

Who wouldn’t want to go “somewhere over the rainbow” to Oz, where we can all “laugh the day away”?

I’d love to follow that Yellow Brick Road through extraordinary villages and counties, forests and fields. It would be quite exciting to visit the Emerald City and chat with the friendly folks of Munchkinland. I’d like to meet a talking lion, discuss politics with a scarecrow, and do some mission work with a kind-hearted man of tin.

Oh, Oz has its fair share of dangers. That’s for sure. It’s not every day that we encounter green-skinned witches, flying monkeys, humbug wizards, or apple-wielding trees. But how do those perils compare to the terrorist attacks, suicide bombers, and natural disasters we face here?

Oz, “where troubles melt like lemon-drops” would be a fun place to spend some vacation time, but I wouldn’t want to live there. Folks in Oz are constantly watching the weather for fear of falling houses. Witches, good and bad, come and go so quickly on broomsticks and in bubbles. And wouldn’t it get tiring breaking into song for every move you make – following a road, leaving the woods, getting a make-over?

Like I said, Oz would make a great vacation destination, but “there’s no place like home.”

Rick Slayman

Custodian