124 Kay Dr

Living on Bull's Run

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:30:00 +0000

In 1802, Bull’s Run served as one of Middletown’s original boundaries. Named for the cattle-grazing land it meandered through more than 200 years ago, Bull’s Run now lends its name to an 11-acre nature sanctuary and arboretum just a few miles from 124 Kay.

Living on the banks of Bull’s Run has been a joy for us – and is probably what we will miss most of all when we move back to Chicago. The creek transforms the back yard into a combination nature lab and relaxing getaway.

In the spring, daffodils we planted across the creek are among the first blooms of the season. We also planted a half dozen red buds and two magnolias in the back yard. The magnolias have grown tall enough that you can see the blooms peaking over the deck from the master bedroom window. By early summer, when all the foliage across the creek has filled in, the deck is perfect for quiet, private relaxation. Fall brings a blaze of color and in winter, the trees covered in fresh snow and decorated with bright red cardinals are a picture just waiting for a camera.

Bull’s Run makes its babbling brook sounds almost all the time – even on warm winter days. Little waterfalls come and go depending on the configuration of rocks on the creek bed. We’ve even built a few ourselves just for fun. When it rains and the creek rises, the water moves amazingly fast. (Don’t worry, no floods! The bank on the opposite side is lower.) And when things are quiet again, there will be new little waterfalls, eddies and pools.

In the spring, you might see a pair of mallards leisurely floating down the creek. You’ll hear the frogs singing at night and even the call of an occasional screech owl. The feeders attract birds all year long, and in the summer, the creek is teaming with fish – from little minnows to schools of darters. (They like to eat leftover bread.)

Living on Bull’s Run has taught us so much about the natural world and the peaceful coexistence of flora and fauna. And then there’s us – and soon, perhaps, you – just two more beings living on Bull’s Run.

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:48:00 +0000

How Many Do You Recognize?

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:27:00 +0000

ANSWERS BELOW

ANSWERS

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:26:00 +0000

Fall Crocus Welcomes the New Season

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:20:00 +0000

Anemones in Bloom

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 04:46:00 +0000

This is the best year ever for my Japanese anemones -- probably because I removed the gigantic leopard grass that has been shading them for the better part of 15 years. They are so graceful -- seem to be floating on their stems.

St. Joseph Goes Underground

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:48:00 +0000

Did Someone Say ‘Renaissance’?

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:37:00 +0000

Mona and Leonardo (that would be da Vinci not DiCaprio) would be so proud. 124 Kay Dr. is located about 3 miles from the heart of Middletown’s East End/Renaissance Area, anchored by Atrium Medical Center.

This impressive investment in community development is far more than a new hospital. It’s Dayton Children’s Medical Center, the YMCA, Miami University Middletown, Sinclair Community College, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College – not to mention new roads, an improved interstate exchange, new medical and commercial office space and new shopping areas.

At 124 Kay Dr., you are perfectly positioned to drive over to the Y for a morning swim, stop for a Starbucks at the new Kroger Marketplace on your way to work, and check out Michelangelo’s statue of David –– okay, I got carried away with the Renaissance idea for a minute there.

Summer's First Day Lily

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:34:00 +0000

I bought this day lily several years ago from a grower near Oxford, Ohio.

Five Things I Like about My House

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:25:00 +0000

1. The cathedral ceiling and hand-hewn beams in the foyer and living/dining room and the stone fireplace make the space feel like a chapel. I have altar bells on the hearth.

2. The sound of the creek in the back yard is different every day.

3. The two redbuds and daffodils in the front yard are breathtaking in the spring. I grew the smaller redbud from a seed.

4. The sitting room next to the kitchen is like a four-season tree house.

5. Birds and squirrels and butterflies . . . oh my!

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Meet our new realtor, Kathy McFarland, with Real Living

Realty Services.

High on the Hog

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:18:00 +0000

When we first moved to Middletown, we saw this historical marker along the side of one of the main roads about a mile from our house and thought “famous Civil War battle.” Then one day, we stopped the car, walked through the gulley and up a small hill to look. No Civil War battle. Not even close.

The marker commemorates the origin of the Poland China pig, first bred in 1816 on a nearby farm, which is now a mall. Known as the Big China, this breed boosted the swine industry in southwestern Ohio for the next 20 years. (I am not going to say it “brought home the bacon.”) Today, the big-framed, long-bodied, lean and muscular Poland China hog leads U.S. pork production in pounds of hog per sow per year. I think this story is a lot more fun than a Civil War battle.

A Blog About a House Redux

noreply@blogger.com (Jane Grant Tougas) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:37:00 +0000

Okay, let's try this again: Welcome to 124 Kay Drive, Middletown, Ohio. My name is Jane Grant Tougas. My husband Lee and I bought this house about 15 years ago from the people who built it in the late 1970s. We are selling it now because we are downsizing and moving back to Chicago, where I grew up and where most of my family lives.

I am a writer/editor and I work at home for clients around the country. Lee is a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial. He splits his time between Cincinnati and Chicago.

But enough about us. This blog is about the house, the landscape and the neighborhood. That’s Blanche in the picture. She has been hanging around the neighborhood for a few years. We see her only in the spring and summer. She must go south for winter . . .

Earlier this week, we listed the house with Real Living. My brief attempt at "for sale by owner" was just that – brief. We are thrilled with our realtor, Kathy McFarland. More on Kathy later.

Thank you, Rita Finn, graphic designer extraordinaire, for helping me make this blog happen.