From The Heart Of Ohio

Not So Wild In The Heart

Although we do not normally make any New Year resolutions, we must admit that we did this year, as there are times in life when we tend not to make the best choices, leaving us needing to make some changes.

And such seems to be the case when we chose the name “From the Wilds of Ohio” for our current writings.  Since doing so, we have discovered there is actually a place in Cumberland, Ohio, which is called “The Wilds.”

From their website we learned that “The Wilds is a private, non-profit conservation center located on nearly 10,000 acres of reclaimed mine land in rural southeastern Ohio. It was created as the conservation center of the future by a group of civic leaders, political leaders and zoo professionals who believed that a serious scientific approach was required to find solutions to environmental concerns.”

We understand, from those who have visited The Wilds, that it is well worth the trip.

As a result of what we have learned, we decided, for our New Year resolution, we should choose a different name under which to write.  And we thought perhaps “From the Heart of Ohio” might work.

Unfortunately, that moniker is claimed by Centerburg, a village of 1,773 people located in Knox County, Ohio. It must be noted that Centerburg is the geographical center of Ohio and thus its claim to the heart of the state is most appropriate.

However, given Centerburg’s proximity to Mount Vernon, which is about 20 miles northeast of Centerburg and in the same county, we thought we might be able to make the claim that we are writing if not exactly from the “Heart of Ohio,” at least from very nearby the “Heart of Ohio.”

So, until someone complains, we think we shall plan to continue to do so. We also hasten to note that we have, at a very early date, successfully fulfilled our resolution for the year.

And while we think it is safe to say that we have escaped to what seems to be a somewhat better climate, we have discovered that moving does not eliminate several things which we had hoped to avoid in Ohio.

The first is the onslaught of catalogs and solicitations.  In fact, we honestly think they have gotten worse.  We have received catalogs from companies from which we have never heard before.  And they all seem inclined to inform us that if we don’t order sometime from them, we will not be receiving another such catalog.  However, we suspect we shall not be that fortunate.

As for the solicitations, we find them somewhat easier to ignore for the simple fact that they are easier to recycle. However, that was not true when the Winter 2018 edition of Giving Matters, the Spectrum Health Foundation and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation Magazine, found its way into our mailbox.

And while we readily admit we did make a donation to this organization in memory of a cousin, we certainly did not expect to receive such a weighty tome in return.  However, we are completely clueless as to just how we might stop such unwanted mailings. We were not particularly successful in New York, and we rather doubt we will be any more successful in Ohio.

We have also discovered, much to our horror, that it is not possible to avoid birthdays in Ohio any more than it was possible to do so in New York.  Our natal day seemed to arrive out here without any trouble at all.

And while we did grudgingly mange to celebrate our birthday, we were most delighted that the Ohio Ellsworths were able to find at the Kenyon College Bookstore, which is famous for its selection of greeting cards, one that we thought really said it all. On the front it read “Happy 29th Again,” while inside it said “You’re Welcome.”

For many years now, we have turned 29 again.  And so we were most pleased that in Ohio we received a card which is in keeping with our thinking.  And we hasten to point out that the card will work for years to come.

We must say, as 2018 has drawn to a close, we are somewhat stunned to realize that we have been in Ohio for four months.  It seems like we have just left Cooperstown most recently. But that is not the case.  So, as the time flies by, we find ourselves in Ohio sending best wishes to all for a happy, and healthy, 2019.

PLEASE NOTE:  Mail comments to 125 Colonial Woods Drive, Mt. Vernon, OH 43050, call
740-993-0603 or e-mail cellsworth47@icloud.com.