Here's a local connection to Oprah Winfrey that's worth a blog. Not because it's Oprah, but because of the story. Sufiy Davis has been using the movie The Pursuit of Happyness to promote happiness. Actually, the real intention, I think, is to promote hope, possibility and drive in people who are homeless. Sufiy's been taking homeless men and women from Faith Mission operated by Lutheran Social Services in Columbus to the Drexel Theatre. And not just a couple of people, as many as she can afford to take. The Drexel has also helped offset the cost.

Sufiy let The Oprah Winfrey Show folks know what she was up to as a "Pay it Forward Challenge." Being that Oprah's show knows a photo op when they see one, Sufiy was hooked up as a guest. Her TV time on Oprah was on Friday, January 26. From what I heard, the crew went to the movies with Sufiy and the gang . Plus, interviews with residents and Sheila Gaston, the shelter manager were included in the broadcast. Here is the link to The Oprah Winfrey Show broadcast that highlights Sufiy's story with text and pictures.

I like this story for a couple of reasons. It's such a simple concept to take folks to the movies. One person had this idea, followed through with it, and it actually was recognized as being marvelous. There are folks all over Ohio who are making a difference. I can think of a couple of school classrooms for one. It's neat, though, that at least one Ohioan got a trip to see Oprah. To the rest of you out there, keep doing good. You know who you are.

Have you ever thought your house or apartment was a bit blah? Most people have. It doesn't have to be that way, though. You might try adding a piece of architectural salvage.

Every year, old buildings are torn down. A lot of them have beautiful woodwork, stained glass windows, stone carvings, or even just a nice brass doorknob. All that isn't usually hauled off to a dumpster. It's usually salvaged and made available for people who think their home needs that something extra.

Believe it or not, one of the USA's most well-known purveyor of items like these is located right in Downtown Toledo. It's called Architectural Artifacts and you'd be amazed by their store, at 20 South Ontario. It's packed. The first floor has the real gems. There's everything from wooden mantels to life-size marble statues. Upstairs, you'll find doors, stair rails, hardware, and everything you could possibly use to decorate a building. Other interesting antiques aren't neglected, either. Be sure to say hello to the two very friendly resident cats. If you're a cat person, I am, they might supervise your tour themselves.

Can't make it to Toledo? Try the website at the link below. Architectural Artifacts does a lot of e-business. One more thing. If you need something they don't have, which is hard to believe once you've seen the place, just let them know. You never know. It might just turn up the next day.

My mother-in-law is wild about quilting and, luckily for us, she shares what she makes. When she emails me about a neat quilt store she's found, I know it's great. Here is her tip for anyone looking for a place that will give you some inspiration and goods if you're in the mood to buy. She also really likes the owner. Since Thymbles is located in Smithville at the edge of Amish country, this would be a fun jaunt for a day trip.

Thymble's website is still being added to but there are class offerings and special events. Last weekend, for example, there was a quilting retreat. If you're looking for what else there is to do in Smithville and the surrounding area, it's in Wayne County with plenty of places to poke around. Be sure to eat at The Barn Restaurant in Smithville. This was one of the restaurants that a lot of Ohio Magazine readers wrote in about as one of the best destination restaurants. It's no wonder. There's an electric train that goes around the lobby (you can hear it on the website). You can also feed ducks, smash a penny, play checkers and more. On the restaurant's website you can also hear bees and the tractor that kids can pretend to ride.

The quilt in the photo was made by Jane Hardy Miller and was used as the design for the quilt retreat. The pattern in called French Braid.

Chair is Art. According to Renee Kropat, head of Gallery 202 in Westerville, almost anything can become art--maybe everything. Last year for Passages V, a conceptual art experience that culminated into an art show of women' expressions of some aspect of life, mailboxes were turned into art. The brilliance of the Passages series is in the collective expression. Each person for the last Passages, for example, was given the same prompt, the same type of mailbox, and told to convey the idea of how do we stay connected. No one mailbox turned out the same. Some mailboxes didn't even look like mailboxes anymore which was fine by Renee. Only a piece of the original mailbox had to be used. This year's Passage's theme has not been decided. When it is, I'm in.

"Chair is Art," another Kropat brainchild, is not just for women--or for adults. This show is open to anyone. I participated two years ago and got two friends of mine to also participate. All you do is pay a $10 entry fee if, you are an adult, or $5 if you're a kid, and bring your artistic expression of a chair to Gallery 202 by the due date, March 7, 2007. You can downnload the entry form from the Gallery 202 website. Either turn a chair into an art piece, or make a chair (for example, a school art class made paper mache chairs) or photograph a chair. This year you can even make a wall hanging, but somehow, a chair has to be represented. The Gallery 202 website also has the past Chair is Art chairs posted to give an overview of what is possible.

Besides the forays in to community art that includes murals in downtown Westerville, Gallery 202 also features local artist's work, has art supplies for sale and is a venue for at classes. Gallery 202 is a terrific resource and art world gem that pulls me to Westerville several times a year. It sure is fun to be an artist once in a while-even if I'm not all that good, Renee makes me feel like I'm an artistic genius-or something.

Just after I apparently revealed my massive ignorance by not knowing that Columbus already had a soccer team, I luckily found it that it doesn't matter. As much as I do love soccer, which I do, I love another rough-and-tumble sport more. Hockey!

Not just hockey, but hockey being played in Cleveland! A hockey team called the Lake Erie Monsters! Yes! The Lake Erie Monsters are part of the American Hockey League franchise, and will be playing the 2007-2008 season at Quicken Loans Arena. The Monsters are actually owned by some of the same people that own the Cleveland Cavaliers, so we're keeping all Cleveland teams close together. The team will be playing as the affiliate team for the Colorado Avalanche, and they just don't know how lucky they're going to be.

Apparently, a ton of market research was done to decide upon the name the Lake Erie Monsters, a name chosen for its fun, its aggressiveness, and its obvious ties to the region. The logo is a very spiky M with a glaring eye monster eye - ha ha ha, for an actual monster! Like we have in Lake Erie! Team colors will be wine, yellow, blue and black, which to my mind is an odd combination of colors, but maybe I'll be surprised. I'm just happy they didn't try to tie in orange and brown for the Browns. Who cares, though, because hockey is back, and it'll be here this October! Yay!

Northwest Ohio has a good variety of small to mid-size businesses. One of the best, and certainly the easiest on the nose, is Swan Creek Candles. I've been to their store in Toledo's Warehouse District, right across from Fifth Third Field, so I can vouch for the fact that the company's promises about fragrance aren't exaggerated at all. Their candles are long burning, too.

Swan Creek Candles has been in business for twenty years and, considering their expansion to six outlet stores, seems to be doing well. What's their secret? Their products aren't the usual cheap paraffin candles. They're made from a blend of American soybean wax and natural botanical waxes. This makes the candles lead free and cleaner burning than most. I know people who swear by them.

Another good point about Swan Creek Candle outlet stores, they have a really nice assortment of candle holders and gift items. This is in addition to all shapes and sizes of candles, in more than fifty scents. You'll find trendy smells like kiwi watermelon and crisp cotton, as well as old favorite like lavender, lilac, and patchouli. Hey, what can I say? I survived the sixties. Patchouli is an old favorite of mine.

If you'd like more of an introduction before visiting a store, check out their website at the link, below. There are stores in Toledo, Swanton, Vermilion, and three in Michigan. If you can't resist candles, you'll love them all.

Writing can be soul work. There is no where I've found in Ohio where this is truer than at Women Writing for (a) Change. This is an organization, a writing center of sorts, in Cincinnati. I met its founder, Mary Pierce Brosmer a few years ago upon the recommendation of a friend. Since then, I attended last year's spring writing retreat for women across the Ohio River in northern Kentucky. I'm signing up for this year's too. It's terrific to have time to develop my craft while nurturing my spirit and connecting to others.

Women Writing for (a )Change was initially started with the idea that, through writing and sharing their work, women might make systemic changes in their lives, and thus, the world. Over the past 15 plus years, it's grown beyond that. There are writing workshops for families and men as well. In the summer, there are writing camps for girls. The biggest focus remains women.

My only beef is that this terrific place is in Cincinnati. That's no one's fault. That's life. I'd love to sign up for a semester class or two. In the meantime, I'll keep telling people about it and look forward to that retreat weekend.

By the way, you don't have to see yourself as a writer to go to classes or on a retreat. The point is that you are interested in writing. A love of words is a bonus. If you don't have this love now, afterwards, you will. You will most certainly find yourself enjoying how you are in the company of women.

Women Writing for a Changes's motto says it best:

Bringing women to words and the words of women to the world.

When my friend Charlene Fix, poet and author of Flowering Bruno, a book I have blogged about in the past, told me about a certain poet in her writing group, my interest was piqued. Jacquelin Smith communicates with animals. She's been doing it for years.

The communication is not the Dr. Doolittle variety, but a matter of honing into the things animals tell her through telepathy. Jacquelin's had tremendous success and gets referrals from people who also are tuned into animals. She has helped people locate missing animals, for example, and has helped people figure out what's up with the animals they live with. Often, it's not the animal at fault but the people. Some animal types and people types are not the best fit. A person who loves sitting on the couch doesn't need to a dog who needs a good run for exercise. A good deal of Jacquelin's work involves helping people deal with deciding when to put an animal to sleep and the feelings of grief this brings up.

For those interested in being more in tune with animals, Jacquelin's book, Animal Communication: Our Sacred Connection is part how-to and part anecdotal. Those who want to figure out just what's up with the dog who won't stop chewing, or the cat who won't use a liter box, or the household animals that just won't get along with each other, can contact Jacquelin for help. Besides information about work, her book and her workshops, Jacquelin's website has testimonials from people, some who I have talked with myself.

There is something about Ohio after it's snowed and the sun has not appeared for a few days, particularly after road dirt has had some time to get splashed around. Today, I was explaining to non-native English speakers the term, "winter blues." Actually, since the snow has just come, it's still a bit of a novelty, but still, the flower section of a grocery store looks mighty good about now.

In some Ohioans' houses, the grocery store is trumped when it comes to plants. Sharon Holtzman has 2,000 African violets growing in her basement. Holtzman is a hybridizer who comes up with new African violet types by cross breeding. She sells plants, leaves and growing mixtures of soil and nutrients. I know this because in January I dabbled in the world of African violet growers for an article I wrote. There are many people across Ohio like Sharon who are wild about violets. They are stellar folks--truly delightful and most belong to a society. Columbus has an African violet society. So does about every major city in the state. Members share growing tips with each other, gear up for their society's show (most are in the late spring or early fall), head to national conventions and basically use African violets as a way to forge great friendships.

When I was a guest at the Columbus African Violet Society meeting at the Franklin Park Conservatory, members passed around birthday cards for people to sign, played leaf bingo, welcomed guests and created a sense of group belonging. Being part of a group helps people stay healthy, both mentally and physically. It was hard not to join up myself. I did leave with an African violet leaf to propagate and some growing tips. One tip to pass along. Although the grocery store varieties are pretty, unless the violet has a name, and not like Sally or Lucy or Elvira-but a species name, you can't enter it in a society show. Only officially named violets are contenders. Sharon's all have her town, Newtown, worked in. The one in the photo is Newtown Happenstance.

For a great African violet resource, check out African Violet Magazine. The website also has a link to the African violet societies around the world, including Ohio. Scroll down until you get to Ohio's socities.

A lot of people who are concerned about Downtown Toledo are breathing a sigh of relief. Fifth Third Bank has announced that it will move its regional headquarters to One SeaGate, Toledo's tallest semi-vacant building.

One SeaGate was built in 1981, as the headquarters of glass producer Owens-Illinois. O-I, however, moved to a new campus in Perrysburg last year, leaving the 32-story skyscraper on the banks of the Maumee almost completely empty. It's not exactly the best public relations move to have the tallest building in town standing vacant.

I'll admit this is a case of "musical buildings", but it's a welcome announcement. Fifth Third currently occupies the old Nicholas Building on Madison, which was built in 1906.

Let's hope having One SeaGate occupied will get the ball rolling for the rest of Downtown Toledo.

While most people who head somewhere on Ohio's highways rush by the clusters of reed-like trees that dot the landscape, Rick Pratt is on the lookout for them. His livelihood depends on them. The patches look a bit like mushroom clouds in the distance. Once you know what you're looking for, you too, can know a willow patch when you see one.

Rick follows the growth of about 50 patches, mostly in the northern part of the state, to keep track of which ones have grown to what sizes. Larger ones get used for table legs. Thin ones may be made into picture frames or bent into baskets.

Along with his wife, Denise, Rick has been at this for years. While he does a lot of the grunt work, which means heading out at the crack of dawn on some days (like at 4:30ish, I know because I dragged myself out of bed for a ride-along)--and he makes most of the furniture and the accessories that are snapped up at high-end craft fairs across the United States, Denise is the main designer.

Their offerings through their company, "Around the Bend, " in Wooster, are quality fare that range from the classic to the contemporary. You can even have them make you a one-of-a-kind design. Some folks have ordered custom made corner cabinets and headboards, for example. Check out the Around the Bend website where you can see a sample of what they sell and order on-line.

Here is a link to an article about Rick and Denise that I wrote for Ohio Magazine.

Oscar season is here and I have a job to do. Last year I was one of the winners of the Columbus Dispatch's Columbus Academy of Motion Pictures Pickers (CAMPP) contest. As a winner, I promised to see all the movies nominated in the major categories. Some movies I rented; some I saw for a bargain, and the rest I saw at a matinee price. I just received an email to see if I am interested in being part of CAMPP this year. You bet! I am lining up my strategy to figure out where to see the movies I haven't seen yet in time for my deadline.

Considering one reason I was picked for this contest is that I'm a movie fiend, if it's one thing I know , it's Columbus's theaters. Here are my favorites, but not necessarily in this order. Depending on my mood, depends on where I'll head.

Studio 35 Cinema and Draft House. I recently saw "The Queen" and "The Departed" here. Great movie going because you can order beer, wine and stellar pizza from Clintonville Pizza next door. I also like this place because it's a local business and it has a certain personality that can't possibly be matched by a commercial venture.

Carriage Place Movies 12 and also, The Screens at the Continent. - What can I say? They're cheap and the quality is not any less because they are movies for a bargain. The last movie I saw at The Continent was "Flushed Away" (not an award nominee). The last movie at Carriage Place was "Pirates of the Caribbean- Dead Man's Chest."

The Drexel Grandview or Drexel East. Who cares? The movies at either are usually high caliber and interesting. The last movie at the Drexel East? "The Oh in Ohio." In Bexley? I can't remember.

The Arena Grande- A winner for its easy to get to location, great seats, easy and cheap parking and the fact it helps pull folks downtown. There is a sense of importance about the place. Last year I went to the Academy Awards night here. The Academy Awards are broadcast live on a big screen, plus there's food, raffles and a contest to see who names the most winners. Proceeds go to charity.

With so many great movies out there to see, don't stay home. Head to a silver screen. If you go to a Drexel Theatres Group theater, pick up a free Movie Lovers Pass to earn points for free goods.

My very dear friend decided to join the Brown Aveda Institute, and I was more than happy to be the beneficiary of it. I don't know if you've ever been to either of the two Brown Aveda Institutes in Ohio (Rocky River and Mentor), but if you haven't and you can, you should go! But let me give you some advice:

1) Don't forget that these are students! Now these students are brilliant (I've been twice now and I've never seen anyone walk away with a bad hair cut or style), but here's something about students - they're nervous. When people are nervous, they tend to work more slowly. I love my stylist friend, but it took her four hours to cut my hair and three hours to dye it. Bless her heart, it looks phenomenal, but these kids aren't fast. Don't forget that! But the time is worth it. Plus, they'll bring you water, tea, coffee, magazines, and all sorts of other goodies.

2) Because the kids are students, and they don't know what kind of salon they will end up with, you will get treated to a lot of great services. Hair cut, style, shampoo, conditioner, hand and arm massages, facials, make up (if you're a woman, and I guess if you ask, for a guy) and purifying skin treatments. That's all if you go for a hair cut. JUST a hair cut! I mean, good land! When I went for a hair dye, I got all that too, plus a scalp massage! And all of these are by the book. So your makeup isn't just whatever you or your stylist think looks good - oh, no. They calculate your skin tone, eye color, what you're planning on doing, your hair color and what kind of skin you even have that day. Now, granted, you have to listen to your stylist tell you about what kind of products they've put on your head.

3) Brown Aveda does not accept tips. They just don't. I asked my friend and her explanation (which she was repeating from her classes, but since they're all Brown Aveda, I'm going with it) was that it changes the valuation of the stylist's work. Which makes sense, when you think about it - what if one week you have $10, so you tip $10. But next week, you only have a $20, and you feel too embarrassed to ask for change, so you don't tip at all. It's a nice point, and one which I think is true. Who would want to go having their value changed every time they do their job?

Now I know you want to see a picture of my fabulous new hair, but that's just not really going to happen. Ok. Fine. But because I'm putting up a photo of my new hair, I think you should go to the Brown Aveda people. They're quite lovely. You'll be lovely too.

I am so sorry, Blogging Ohio, but I have been involved with just a whirlwind of activity lately! This is what happens when you're a demi-wedding planner-assistant.

This past weekend, I accompanied my aunt on yet another bridal journey, this time, to Pat Catan's. Or, should I say, to Catan Fashions, the bridal gown, prom dress, special occasion dress, and mother of the bride outfit store that used to be part of Pat Catan's! Since we live near the Strongsville location, that's the one we went to, and it is enormous. The store used to be the entire Pat Catan's craft store, and now it is nothing but dresses. It is a sight to be seen! And we saw it all.

And I'm sad to say, this is the first time that I will deliver a slightly-less-than-glowing review. I have to got to say, the organization at Catan Fashions is not all it could be. Now, it was a Saturday, so we expected some busyness, but this was crazy. My aunt, my mom and I waited for almost an hour before a very pleasant young lady managed to help us. But because my aunt, my mom and I are ingenious individuals, we went about this a different way. Instead of waiting for the little bridal dress person to help us - we helped ourselves. We grabbed whatever dresses looked good to us, and tried them on! Quite a few wedding gowns, as well as some white prom dresses. Now, I don't want to diss Catan's too much, because they were quite helpful, and they had a huge selection. But, I've got to say, we were less than thrilled with the wait, and also less than thrilled with finding out that for an April wedding, we could get almost no dresses! Did you know that? Most wedding dresses take well over three months to be ordered. Terrible. But we muddled through, and Catan Fashions was a help.