Post 24/2024 Goshen Indiana. Early mornings last week were a gift. Cool. Fresh. A walkable start in waking up to days of long light. The troubling part is the forecast of sustained higher temperatures this week. When is heat too hot to handle? Mind you, we’ll be minding the thermometer and limiting our time out in full sun.

My posts of late have been sketchier, shorter, with less comment on the pressing matters that affect people, communities and nations. I follow the news, read fiction and nonfiction, try to make some sense out of what’s transpiring in the world, and along with the chaotic state of affairs find much to be grateful for.

Down the road I aim to collect my thoughts and reflect on the bigger picture. In the meantime, I offer a brief record mostly in photos (and some Goshen Historical Society videos) of things close to home.

Out and about

The Yellow Cat Café is one of our favorite places for breakfast or lunch when we’re in South Bend. Here’s the story about the name: “Yellow Cat Café is named for our longtime family farm cat. He showed up, sickly and small, so we hesitated to name him right away in case the worst happened. He quickly became a fixture alongside my younger son, Max, and began to answer to: ‘Yellow Cat.’

“The two were inseparable for years and Yellow Cat grew to be a tough old indoor-outdoor farm cat, mostly doing what he pleased, whenever it pleased him. He lived nearly 20 years, passing peacefully about a year after we opened the café.

“Here at Yellow Cat, we like to do what we want, when and how we want, a lot like Yellow Cat. We hope you enjoy the ride with us.”

We do.

Pleasant walk at Oxbow early in the week, after we picked up our car, exhaust system repaired. Saw new restrooms under construction and, as always,, checked out the fairy tree. Sadly, nobody home.

Pumpkinvine Nature Trail

I had the good fortune to attend the celebration dinner for the completion of the 17 mile trail. It took more than three decades to plan and complete the trail entirely off-road. John D. Yoder reflected on the gifts people brought to the task of in the face of the many hurdles, including widespread early opposition.

An oral video history interview with John was commissioned by the Goshen Historical Society, titled Oral History of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. See it on YouTube where you can search for Goshen Historical Society.

Also on YouTube look up three other videos: Oral History: Bob Cripe Lightning Protection Industry; Oral History: Olympia Candy Kitchen; and the most recent, The History of the Historical Society and Museum. I had the privilege to conduct these four interviews, produced by students of Five Core Media of Goshen College.

Wrap

Aha, the second Stone on Stone piece has stayed put. Will rework the first. Food pictured is what I had for lunch on Sunday at Goshen Brewing: Whitefish Toast. Lovely.

Be cool.

-John