Archive for the ‘London/Madison County’ Category

Gorgeous Victorian home lovingly restored and pampered with all the room you’ll need for your family or your lifetime treasures. One of London’s grande dames in a prominent neighborhood, this spacious two-story has loads of updates since 2007 (kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel, new wetbar, siding and foam insulation, insulated windows, master bathroom remodel, ceiling fans throughout). Decorating scheme recalls the grandeur of a century ago blended with all the amenities expected by modern-day homeowners. Distinctive leaded glass windows, inviting front entrance with beveled glass and sidelights, four beautiful fireplaces, tons of woodwork, working pocket doors, window seat in huge bay window, second bay window in dining room, beautiful burrelled oak built-in china cabinet in dining room, butler’s pantry, wine cellar, and great “man cave,” mother-in-law suite or college student room. You’ll love all the closet space, expansive front porch, loads of storage in full attic and basement, fenced yard and detached two-car garage. Unparalleled curb appeal, beautifully landscaped lot and super neighbors! AND THE PRICE HAS BEEN REDUCED AGAIN!!!

For your personal showing of this beautiful home, call Lisa Jackman at (614) 619-9295 or (740) 852-6446.
www.BuckeyeRealtyGroup.com

THE FACTS: Two-story Victorian, built in 1895, 3,384 square feet, central heat & A/C, lot size: 66 x 165, 4-5 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, 3 living areas, formal dining room, dining in kitchen, large inviting foyer, 4 original fireplaces, working pocket doors, window coverings, chandeliers

For more photos of this wonderful home, click on this link: Read the rest of this entry »

London Imagery, 7½ S. Main Street in historic downtown London, is offering free sittings for holiday pictures of children of all ages with Santa Claus. The professional photography session will be from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, at the London Imagery studios.

Photographer Trent Bever has provided a festive set with a fireplace, Christmas tree and a special visit from Kris Kringle. Following the free photo shoot, you’ll have the opportunity to order photos of the special occasion for family and friends.

London Imagery is the official portrait photographer for the entire staff at Our Community.

So dress the kids in their favorite Christmas clothes and visit London Imagery for a free photo session just in time for Christmas.

Wiggles Blue Heeler shed his worn-out blue heeler earthly trappings December 5, and he was truly ready, thanking me and the two young vets who helped him, by giving us kisses. I thought I’d lose him two days earlier, but he gifted me with 48 more precious hours, giving even as his life was ebbing, showering me with affectionate, consoling kisses.

It is not that I am less, now that he has shed this life, but rather that I am far more because Wiggles lived!

Looking around, there are reminders of him everywhere (as though I needed reminding!), but now I see and am consoled by the things he no longer needs, corners he needn’t fear bumping, and all those places he once trod at a light and lightning-swift pace — as a child’s book says, “Slow down, dingo dog; you are moving too fast!”

Wiggles taught me patience, unconditional love, gravity-defying exuberant joy at the smallest of things, how to see without the use of physical vision — because he always saw the world and everything in it, with his heart — and how to forgive crabbiness, because his person was afflicted with occasional bouts of frustration. I pray to grow in love — because of his teaching by example, every minute of his life — and make him proud of what his life created in me.

All the terms of endearment encircle me, just as his presence is so near and so warm, swaddling his mommy in comfort on this vividly blue-sky day in December. LittleFoot … Many Kisses … Punky Brewster … Dear, Sweet Heart … Punkin Munkin … PooCheeser … The Sweetest One … Wigglety Woo … My Little Wommie (his first name was Wiggles Wombat) … and so many, many more.

Thank you for your prayers for us, which have uplifted us and taken any sadness away. Silly me, thinking I’d be lonely without him. He’s still here, in a form that no longer suffers.

Blessings bestowed upon me and countless others by Wiggles Blue Heeler are replete with joyful events and now, rejoicing memories. When next we meet, I’m certain that we will know one another instantly, because we each carry the other in our hearts and souls!

Thank God that He chose me to be Wiggles’ person and chose Wiggles to be my dog of a lifetime. This is the best day of my life: Wiggles is no longer blind or sick. In fact, his incredibly warm and loving presence is in every nook and cranny of my heart and soul!

Garage sales often turn out to be a treasure trove – both in terms of must-have items as well as the diverse shoppers who patronize such outdoor bazaars.

Lynn Adams

I held a three-day sale recently in an attempt to clear out antiques, knick-knacks, household items and collectibles left over when Brenda closed her three consignment booths around Madison County. The good news: I got rid of a lot of the stuff. The bad news: There were still leftovers which I ended up donating to the thrift store.

Of those who visited my sale, there were some I knew, some who knew me, some who asked about Brenda, some who knew me but I had no idea who they were, some who struck up a lengthy conversation as if they knew me, some who wanted to weigh in about how much they miss Our Community, one who thought we got “a raw deal” [his words] during our four years in London, some who lamented our upcoming move, some who envy the warmer climate awaiting us in Texas, some who complimented the items for sale but left empty-handed, some who claimed my price was too low on certain items but who also left without buying anything, many who wondered if the big pile of rocks was for sale (they weren’t), many who wondered if the antique stove and antique wash tub were for sale (not them either), some who recalled living in our house 50-55 years ago when it was a triplex and many who were happy to have a warm weekend for the year’s final garage sale.

One of those who cashed in on the last day’s “Make Me An Offer” clearance pricing was Drew, who works for Tom Raper RVs at its headquarters in Richmond, Ind. After he filled up his car with treasures, I mentioned that Brenda and I had lived in Richmond for a time in 1999, so we were familiar with Tom Raper even before a location opened in London. Drew told me that it was about 10 years ago that Tom Raper, the person, turned over management of Tom Raper, the dealership, to the general manager who then purchased the franchise. Drew said that Tom and his wife, Suzanne, never had children, so – seriously, I’m not making this up – “the business was his child.”

Although the sun was shining, I ducked in wide-eyed anticipation of a lighting bolt headed Drew’s way for having the audacity to compare a business to a child. [See the Nov. 5 response on this website to the ludicrous uproar that arose from the “Our child died today” eulogy to our business in the final issue of Our Community, Oct. 9.] Of course, there was no lightning strike, no earthquake swallowing up poor Drew, no swarm of locust attacked him and Drew wasn’t leapt upon by the whiners who assume the responsibility for determining what is and what isn’t appropriate when one grieves.

Then, later that afternoon as I was watching the Oklahoma-Texas Tech football game, something was said about a woman being a football widow. I wondered if the announcers and the network would receive nasty letters from appalled women whose husbands had died, accusing the announcers of being insensitive for daring to link the term “widow” with something as frivolous as football. Okay, taking exception to something like that would obviously be ridiculous – just like getting bent out of shape about someone comparing a business to a child.

Garage sales are sure a good way to get rid of extra stuff and to discover that there are those who, unsolicited, are able to look at things the way we do. Thanks, Drew.

IF IT WAS SO DIFFICULT, WHY DID WE DO IT? WE DID IT BECAUSE WE LOVE GOOD NEWS, AND MADISON COUNTY DESERVED A NEWSPAPER THAT WAS THE QUALITY OF OUR COMMUNITY. WE PAID A STIFF PRICE FOR OUR DREAMS, AND WE’RE PROUD OF WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS. WE APPRECIATE THOSE WHO SHARED OUR LOSS WITH US.

EDITOR’S NOTE: When our final issue was distributed on Oct. 9, there were those who objected to our eulogy of the newspaper that was, quite simply, our child. This small handful of biased individuals chose to take the story out of context, demanding a public apology. This same minority charged that we were insensitive to those who have lost children. This response provides a perspective some did not realize we have.

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. In 1963, he shared his dream with more than 200,000 people gathered on the National Mall in Washington D.C. His dream still lives today.

We had a dream. We dreamed of living in a friendly, historic community like London. We dreamed of publishing our own newspaper. We shared our dream with our 40,000 Madison County neighbors through Our Community. Both our dreams came true. And both ended far too quickly.

Lynn and Brenda Adams

It’s been a little more than 10 years since we lost Madison, our only daughter from our then-four-year marriage. We were both blessed with children in our first marriages, but we dreamed of completing our love and our marriage with a child from our blessed union. From time to time, we still look back with sadness that Madison is not with us. Parents don’t forget a child they’ve lost, they just learn to live with the emptiness. They cherish their memories, and occasionally see their child in the smile of another. They recall quiet moments that warm their heart and cute mannerisms that bring a smile to their face. They don’t keep count, believing their loss to be worse than any other parent’s tragedy. There’s a bond that draws parents into a common brotherhood for those who’ve endured the loss of a child.

Without Madison, and with our late forties becoming our early fifties and now our mid-fifties, we resigned ourselves to the reality that our opportunity for another child had passed. It’s not that our lives and our marriage could not be complete, just childless. So in September 2008 when we were afforded the chance to add to our family, we embraced Our Community exactly the way a parent embraces and nurtures a child. Our every waking moment was spent doting on the latest addition to our family. There was not a second of any day that the needs of Our Community were not foremost on our minds. We lived, breathed, ate and slept Our Community. We nurtured it, we sacrificed for it, we placed its welfare above our own, we dreamed of its success as it grew, we dreamed of its bright future, we took it with us wherever we went, we talked about it – and to it – constantly, we bragged about it to our family and friends, we beamed with pride when it was showered with compliments, we did without so it wouldn’t have to. Our dream was fulfilled, and so we devoted our lives to our child.

But after two years of knowing nothing other than Our Community, after two years of 24/7 living to serve Our Community and our community, our child died.

There have been those who have taken umbrage – some who have been downright beside themselves – because we dared refer to our dream, our life, our existence, our future as our child. They have looked down their our-loss-is-far-greater-than-your-loss noses at us, insisting on an apology they will never receive. And we have noticed how quickly those who previously praised our efforts when they appeared on the pages of Our Community encouraged the line to form behind them when it came time to voice their outrage at our expression of our loss.

 Thankfully, there have also been those who took our eulogy to our child in the way it was intended, recognizing and appreciating the two years that seemed like 20 that we parented Our Community. We’re glad there are still those who value not only an honest day’s work, but also a job well done, and did not jump off the “We Love Our Community” bandwagon as a knee-jerk reaction to an imagined affront.

To be sure, there are those who may never have had a dream. They may have reconciled themselves long ago to a life languishing in mediocrity, shackled to an unfulfilled job, hoping to just make it though each day. If you are one of those, you have our sympathies.

There may also be those who have known nothing other than the typical 8-to-5 workweek with weekends free to do what they please, Happy Hour with acquaintances a few times a week, two weeks of vacation to which they look forward, paid company benefits and the ability to leave the cares of the day at the office as they’re the first one out of the parking lot.

There are also those who dream. Some dream big, some dream smaller. They may dream of a better life. They may dream of a bright future. They may dream of being their own boss. They may dream of making a difference. They may dream of just being able to share their abilities with others, to share their appreciation for their community with others and encourage others to realize the incredible quality of life before them.

When we launched Our Community after more than 30 years in the world of daily newspaper, we initially thought, “Wow! This ought to be a piece of cake! We’ll have most of the week off!” Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Because we lived for our newspaper and for bringing you the best of Madison County each week, we found ourselves working harder than we’ve ever worked in our lives.

And we’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

But it did not come without a cost.

130-hour workweeks for each of us were not uncommon – that’s 18-hour days seven days a week. All-nighters for Lynn weren’t unusual. Our commitment to Our Community meant no life other than working on the newspaper. No weekends off, no Happy Hours, no vacations, no family time, no time to socialize with friends, no “me” time, no “us” time. Just newspaper, all the time. Thankfully, we both love newspaper, so we were happy to let it consume us.

Being our own boss meant saying good-bye to 35 years of financial stability “working for The Man.” We were dependent upon selling enough ads each week to not only pay for the printing and distribution, but also the home mortgage, utilities, food, car payments, gasoline for the 700 miles we’d drive each week, office supplies and other job-related expenses while hoping (in vain) for a little left over when all the bills were paid. We held our breath that there would be no unexpected expenses. And if our advertisers were slow in paying or (heaven forbid) didn’t pay at all, our financial situation didn’t get any better.

Our commitment took its toll on our health. As small-business owners with every penny spoken for, we had no health insurance, which meant no preventive doctor’s visits, prescription medication which went unfilled and crossing our fingers each day that there would be no catastrophic medical emergency. But that’s exactly what happened before Our Community celebrated its first anniversary. Four pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lungs) sent Lynn to the emergency room in both London and Columbus, an event we didn’t realize at the time could have been fatal and bills we’re still paying (and will be for the next year).

In newspaper, editorial types and advertising types often simply co-exist. Editorial types know their efforts are why people pick up the newspaper. Those selling advertising are quick to point out that without them, there would be no money to produce that newspaper. When those two types are husband and wife with no time away from each other, conflict is inevitable. We found ourselves at odds more than we’d ever thought possible. Our love for our child took its toll on our love for each other and on our marriage. The age-old “we’re staying together for the welfare of the child” was a contradiction since our conflicts were because of the child.

Living for Our Community took its toll on what so many take for granted: family time and vacations. While there were isolated instances where we were able to steal a week for an annual family reunion, such time off wasn’t possible without a grueling schedule two weeks before leaving of even longer hours, even more all-nighters, even more conflict in order to still publish a newspaper during the week we were away from Madison County. Unlike the corporate world, there’s no one else to take up the slack. There’s no cruise control. There’s no money coming in without us on the job. What’s sacrificed? Lynn has seen his only son, who lives in Oklahoma City, four days since August 2007; he hasn’t seen his daughter and his oldest granddaughter, who live in Virginia Beach, at all during that same period; and he’s never seen his youngest granddaughter, who celebrates her second birthday this Thanksgiving.

And what of our other dream: Living in London? Just like the mailman, Brenda was out and about each day completing her appointed rounds selling advertising and working on behalf of our community, while Lynn was either in front of a computer screen or seeing life through the viewfinder of a camera. While others were leisurely enjoying the festivities of an Old Fashion Christmas, the Ox Roast Festival, the Rib & Jazz Fest, the London Strawberry Festival and Christmas Under the Clock, we made a cameo appearance, snapped a few photos and then it was on to another event or back to the computer.

So why are we going to miss all this?

There’s life and there’s existing. In our eyes, being all we can be is life, while every day looking like every other day is simply existing. That’s not to say that those who prefer existing are bad people or are lesser folks, it’s just a choice they’ve made. It’s just like our grieving over the loss of our two dreams – living in London and publishing our own newspaper – isn’t worse than or more important than anybody else’s grief, it’s just different.

What isn’t different for those who can’t fathom why we considered Our Community our child, is that our devotion, our love was just as pervasive as that of any other parent. And for those so “appalled” by what they have determined to be our inappropriate expression of grief, when you speak of the child you lost, do you recall fondly the love of your life? Although saddened by your loss, are you still warmed by the memories of your child? We’re hoping to get to that point someday in dealing with our loss. When we speak of our loss, it’s amid tears and with a debilitating emptiness for the beautiful home we’re leaving, the charming community we’ll no longer be able to call home and the newspaper for which we cared as we would have cared for a child.

It was like when we lost Madison.

By Mike Hensel

In today’s economic times, it’s no surprise that everyone is looking for ways to cut costs and to make their dollars stretch even further. From cutting coupons, shopping for less expensive brands, traveling fewer miles and spending less overall, households are doing what they can to afford the necessities of life. As a London Public Library cardholder for more than 12 years, I can honestly say that my family has saved thousands of dollars over that time just by using the library’s materials and services.

Every day the library offers community members a wide variety of options that can make a huge difference in their daily lives, as well as help them in these tough economic times.

This year alone the London Public Library has served thousands of community members through its public computers, giving them access to software for preparing resumes and cover letters, as well as connectivity to the Internet to assist in job searches and applying for unemployment benefits.

The library’s computers also offer community members the opportunity to communicate and socialize with coworkers, family members and friends through various online tools such as e-mail and popular websites like Facebook and Twitter.

Of course, one of the best benefits of having a library card is the ability to check out materials. Today, the library has nearly 50,000 items for community members to use and enjoy.

With cost cutting at every corner, entertainment expenses are typically the first things to get cut in household budgets, but with a library card you can still find many entertainment options for the whole family.

Just imagine that you want to read John Grisham’s latest book, “The Confession” but it has a list price of $28.95 and you’re short on cash this month. The library is just the place to turn to because it gets the latest best sellers every month, which also include titles for teens and children. The library card not a credit card keeps everyone reading their favorite authors and genres without impacting the wallet or purse.

Staying in touch with the latest news, entertainment and sports is easy and free since the library has a large selection of magazines and periodicals. For example, maybe you had to stop your subscription to “Popular Science” to save money. Just visit the library and check out our copy; you won’t miss an article or spend a dollar or more.

Let’s not forget about DVD movies. The library has more than 5,000 titles for movies goers of all ages to enjoy. From new release movies, including the library’s two-day rental of poplar titles (Quickies), to its  expansive collection of TV shows past and present; the library can be a movie source destination.

The good thing is those movies are checked out for free; you supply the popcorn and the pop.

The library is also a great place to fulfill your gaming needs. There are more than 200 video games for community members to check out, which include Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 formats. Checking out video games is an ideal way to enjoy gaming without spending a dime.

The staff at the London Public Library is proud of London’s library and what it offers its community members, especially in these difficult times.

Having a library card at the London Public Library is a ticket to both information, entertainment, and enlightenment as well as Internet connectivity. And what’s more, those items and services are free, just for having a library card.

The London Public Library is located at 20 E. First St., in London and online at www.mylondonlibrary.org.

 Mike Hensel is the interim library director and can be reached at (740) 852-9543 or by e-mail at henselmi@oplin.org.

Lynn Adams

Are we blessed or what?

Is there anytime better than autumn? I don’t know what it would be.

During the past couple of weeks, we’ve been presented with an explosion of nature’s beauty. The red and orange, yellow and brown, butterscotch and cranberry, umber and amber, gold and ocher seem to have made the everyday worries of the world a little more bearable.

As I’ve immersed myself in the beauty that is all around us, I’ve been in awe of the grandeur that is the annual foliage festival offered up for our appreciation.

Yet, with the hustle and bustle of our lives, do we pause long enough to appreciate the beauty? Has the burst of color become just another season? Do we think more about having to rake the leaves than the breath-taking splendor of the exciting canvas that makes us the envy of leaf-lookers?

It’s been generously said that autumn is “what we get for being good all year.” But as I marvel at the colors with a giddiness of anticipation for what lies around the next curve or over the next hill or down the next street, I wonder how we could have been good enough to deserve all this.

It was last year at this time of the year that my youngest brother made the observation that most of us have about 85 autumns available to us during our time on this earth.

About 85 autumns in our lifetime. I had not thought of autumn (or any of the other seasons) in terms of our life span. Knowing that the seasons come around each year, I had taken for granted that after this autumn, another autumn is on the horizon next year. I thought of my own mortality and how there will be a time when autumn will occur without me.

About 85 autumns. I started thinking about the autumns that stood out in my mind. Unfortunately, there weren’t too many. Fortunately, four of the best ones have been in Madison County.

Having spent most of my life in Oklahoma where hardwoods and deciduous trees are not as plentiful, especially in the western two-thirds of the state, I came to realize just how many autumns I missed out on. As an adult, I always longed to be able to be part of a foliage tour to New England. The breath-taking colors which are often the backdrops for numerous movies and TV shows tug at my heart strings.

It was 15 years ago when Brenda and I took our first trip together that we both gained a new appreciation for autumn’s splendor. We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway from North Carolina to northern Virginia, then, as we headed home to Oklahoma, we discovered why West Virginia trumpets its tourism opportunities as wild and wonderful. The color of that October was amazing.

Driving through a colorful state, however, is only temporary. It wasn’t until we moved to Madison County that we truly gained a proper appreciation for the autumns we both missed out on most of our lives.

But it just might be that my appreciation for the blessings of an Ohio autumn has come because of the Octobers and Novembers I spent in central Oklahoma, which is beautiful in its own right, and my short stint at the gateway to west Texas where year-round color seems to be brown and browner.

Sadly enough, some trees have already lost their leaves, but we are rewarded with others which have delayed putting on their autumn coat of colors, giving us a few more weeks to appreciate autumn.

Realizing that most of the autumns allotted to me are gone forever, I now have an even greater appreciation for my favorite season, and I’m ashamed I squandered so many opportunities to revel in the color. I am also deeply saddened that this will be last autumn in Ohio.

Don’t let autumn pass you by.