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October 27, 2006

Insect may wipe out many village trees

There may come a time very soon when many trees in the village may have to be cut down.

In fact, Mayor Dan Policastro said the situation "... looks really bad."

The village had an arborist conduct an Ash Tree survey in Mariemont and found the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an insect whose existence is malignant to the Ash Tree.

"There are some streets that are really going to be impacted by this insect," the mayor said.

Once the insect finds its way into the tree, it kills the tree; therefore, according to Ohio law, the tree must be removed along with the insect.

According to the Web site www.emeraldashborer.info, EAB is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. "The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage but cause little damage.

“The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. Emerald ash borer probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia." Since its discovery, EAB has:
● Killed more than 20 million ash trees in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Most of the devastation is in southeastern Michigan.
● Caused regulatory agencies to enforce quarantines ( Ohio, Indiana, Michigan) and fines to prevent potentially infested ash trees, logs or firewood from moving out of areas where EAB occurs.
● Cost municipalities, property owners, nursery operators and forest products industries tens of millions of dollars.

Also according to the law all trees surrounding an infected tree must be removed.

"The arborist is not very optimistic about defeating this parasite. Streets such as Center and the Village Square will be affected in only a matter of time," the mayor said.

There are several types of treatment available but none are proven to kill the insect.

The arborist warned council that they may have to make some "big decisions" in the next couple of years.

Terrace Park is also afflicted with EAB and has decided to remove the trees and start replanting with another species of tree.

Posted by johnston at 12:29 PM

October 26, 2006

A look ahead

Here is a look ahead to some holiday events in Mariemonit.

Beggar’s Night will be Tuesday October 31, 2006 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Annual tree Lighting will be Saturday December 2, 2006 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Rain date will be Sunday December 3, 2006.)

Posted by johnston at 12:05 PM

October 24, 2006

Here's a fitness head's up

Just a head's up for anyone thinking of getting in shape: Have you been sitting around, ruminating on how you aren’t getting any younger and that your body isn’t getting any fitter? Sure, expensive gyms may not be your milieu, zealous trainers may not be your favorite people, and watching fitness DVDs in front of your TV may not be how your want to utilize your living room.

But it is time to challenge yourself and have fun while doing it and The Travel Authority is offering vacation packages that might be the answer.

The Third annual SHAPE and Men’s Fitness “Mind/Body Cruise” aboard Carnival Glory will be weighting anchor Dec. 2nd to the 9th, 2006.

It is an exclusive cruise to the Western Caribbean. Experts from SHAPE and Men’s Fitness Magazine will be on board to conduct complete mind and body programs.

You can sign up alone, as a couple, or with a group of friends, and while learning how to change your life from being out-of0shape to being in great shape, you will experience everything a fun ship cruise has to offer. You will start from Port Canaveral and head to Key West, Belize City and to Costa Maya, Mexico.
It is a seven day cruise starting at $739.

For more information, visit the The Travel Authority/American Express office at 6800 Wooster Pike or call 272-2887, fax 272-4355 or toll free (1-888)853-7448.

You may also visit http://www.TheTravelAuthority.com

Posted by johnston at 08:36 PM

October 17, 2006

Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas?

Well, maybe at this very moment in mid-October it is a little early to be thinking about Dec. 25, but then again many of you have likely started your Christmas shopping already so what's it really matter?

But by mid-November people should really start concentrating on getting together a game plan, an agenda, an itinerary, an outline -- what have you -- for what needs to be done to prepare for Christmas such as who needs gifts and how to decorate the house.

The Shop Around the Corner might be able to help in both areas.

The home decor store located in The Strand in Mariemont will be hosting a Holiday Open House Nov. 10, 11 and 13 between the hours of 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The store will be fraught with holiday gift ideas and decorations and will offer various holiday festivities, special events and refreshments. And people will still find numerous Fall and Halloween decorations available by stopping by the store now.

For more information, call the store at 271-5777.

Posted by johnston at 02:33 PM

Check your daily planner!

Here are a few items that you might want to etch into your schedule.

The Dilly Deli is hosting the Arcadia Brewing Party Wednesday, Oct. 25, with Arcadia President Tim Suprise. Fresh on the heels of Arcadia's Big Beer Series Release Party in Battle Creek the previous weekend, visitors to the village eatery will be the first people in the Ohio with a chance to taste Arcadia's new beers.

"There will be, we're told, a Barleywine, an Old Ale, a Triple Chocolate Stout, and a new release of Hopmouth IPA," the owners said.

And then the Dilly Deli's Annual Holiday Winetasting will be Sunday Dec. 3. "Don't worry, Bengals fans, there's no conflict - the Bengals will have defeated the Ravens the previous Thursday night," jokes the owners. Mark your calendars and book that babysitter now. Details will be forthcoming.

Posted by johnston at 02:22 PM

October 09, 2006

Thanksgiving in 3-D

Thanksgiving is still not until November, but learning how to decorate for the holiday is coming near a close.

The Top Drawer is now accepting sign-ups for people who want to learn needlepoint and create their own 3-D canvass Thanksgiving Pilgrim house that can be displayed anywhere. The class Oct. 21 and only costs $160.

And the good news, according to instructor Dolores Menze, anyone can take the class and succeed.

Dolores has been working at the store for approximately five years and teaches beginner classes once a month and two or three other classes throughout the year. She has been doing needlepoint for about 30 years.

Although to some people it may look like a daunting task, needlepoint is easy to learn, according to Dolores.

“And I can teach you, but you must be patient because it takes patience. I learned from my grandmother in the 1950s when I was 10. I would just watch her and she showed me how to do it. My sister also became interested and now works at a needlepoint store in Washington D.C. It has become a family affair,” she said.

“Because I teach classes, I feel I am good with selecting colors and showing you how to get started. Needlepoint is fun because it is relaxing, it is something you can do while passing time or watching TV or whatever, and when you are done you have a finished product that can be framed, given as a gift, or passed down to your family for ages,” Dolores said.

There are artists all over the country that paint pictures, objects, people, animals, and just about anything you can think of and make it available for people to cross-stitch. It can be anything – from natures scenes to cartoon characters.
She suggests that anyone wanting to plunge into needlepoint take a beginner’s class and get a good book. “And be sure to heed the advice of people in the shop, don’t be afraid to ask questions and as your skill improve take more advanced classes.

The Top Drawer, located 6880 Wooster Pike, specializes in exquisite hand-painted and needlepoint canvasses. The canvasses are then made into pillows, purses, ornaments and various other items.

Whether a novice or a maestro in the craft of needlepoint work, The Top Drawer offers classes for anyone who wants to learn ... or learn more. And it doesn’t matter where you live or how long it takes for you to get to the store - the ladies will teach you.

For more information regarding the store or when classes begin, call 271-6691 or visit www.topdrawer-needlepoint.com

Posted by johnston at 03:35 PM

October 05, 2006

Try this treatment on for size

I went in for a haircut; I walked out feeling baptized.

In fact, I’m hoping to motivate more people to treat themselves – or others – to a couple hours that will make them look good and feel better.

Jennifer Fetchko is the owner of Mariemont’s newest business, Tycoon Harry’s Grooming for Men, located on the Village Square next to Grater’s. It is a salon, but designed for men.

“This is somewhere where men will feel comfortable entering,” Fetchko said, adding she is aware that many men are shy about having their hair cut in a salon and many more men are afraid – even embarrassed – about inquiring on hair removal.

Now, the only hair I needed removed was the shaggy wig blossoming on my head. But that wasn’t all I was going to receive. Jennifer and the women she has on her staff were going to give me the royal treatment.

And royalty is exactly how I felt.

The salon is designed to be as comfortable and undaunting to any male possessing the slightest temerity about visiting a salon. Masculine colors spread with an artist’s touch; fragrant and without that noxious perm odor (what exactly is that smell, anyway?); and the storefront doesn’t scream “Salon! Salon! You are entering a Salon!”

First on the agenda was my scalp. I was shampooed, rinsed, massaged and given a hot-towel treatment. Had I entered Tycoon’s at all sleepy, I would have dozed right then and there in my reclined position.

Jennifer was thorough in querying me on how I wanted my hair styled; I was less than thorough in my response: “Beats me, do whatever you think would look good.”

Enough said. Then entered the friendly Tina Sullivan-Hughes, expert manicure specialist.

Like many guys, my cuticles were less than appealing, my skin was dry, my nails were chipped and ugly.

Tina pushed a small table in front of me filled with bottles and hot water and instruments I’d never seen. Amidst massaging my fingers, applying redolent oils and cutting, smoothing and filing away the ugly exterior of my phalanges, Tina maintained conversation and explained the entire process to me.

This, all the while, Jennifer is cutting my hair and also keeping conversation.

The result: I am getting my hair cut, my hands and fingers beautified, both at the same time and in the perfect solitude of a well-designed room. I felt good, felt comfortable, and I was having fun while two friendly women made me the center of their attention.

“I know how it is to walk into a non-inviting salon, or a place that is more worried about being trendy than it is about being accommodating,” Jennifer said. “So, I want to create a place where men feel at home.”

When my hair was done and my hands were looking their best since exiting the womb I was introduced to another congenial female named Natalee LaVigne (pronounced La-Vin-Yay), the skin specialist, who would be giving me a facial. She had surfaced from downstairs, somewhere beneath the salon. I hadn’t a clue the building had a basement or anything located beneath the ground.

“Oh, you got to see this,” Jennifer said, as she and Natalee lead me down a flight of stairs. It is apparent a good deal of time, thought and effort went into designing the lower floor – I found a clean, near-dusk lit corridor filled with pillows, medium colors and a handful of closed doors. Obviously designed for comfort and future plans for broadening the grooming experience, I was led down the hall and Natalee opened one of the closed doors. Jennifer retired upstairs.

The room was small and narrow and lit exclusively by candles. The majority of the room’s space was filled by a massage table. We both entered. Natalee explained that I am about to receive a holistic facial treatment, which is done using only organic ingredients. The process is designed to make me feel relaxed and to naturally revitalize my skin.

Sure, I was thinking, but I couldn’t help staring at the tissue-paper thin pair of pajama bottoms tightly folded atop the bed.

“I will focus on your face and help treat any abnormalities. Using Aveda products, I will tone your face and there will be a deep pore cleansing to get out impurities. I will hydrate the skin.”

Will there be any cucumbers, I quip.

Organic process, yes, but no food stuffs.

Natalee says she is going to step out of the room for a few minutes; I should get undressed and put those thin pants on and lay on my back on the bed. Burr, I think to myself, it is room temperature in here yet I feel a little chilly; I’m half-naked, getting prepped to have my face improved.

When Natalee re-enters, she begins to wrap me in a sheet upon which I have been laying for a couple minutes; soon I am in a cocoon.

Smooth music is put on, the room is darkened just a tad more and Natalee’s face appears above mine, upside-down, and she tells me directly, “in a few minutes, you are going to be in La-La Land.”

For the next 90 minutes, my face, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, feet and back were seasoned with sweet-smelling lotions and cleansers, all massaged deeply into my skin with well-trained fingers. She was right. To be blunt, I was feeling awesome. “If I hear some snoozing, then that means I am doing my job.”

But I couldn’t snooze, I needed to write a story telling of my experience; I had to fight the urge to succumb to totally relaxation.

I was given a hot-stone therapy treatment, which at first felt almost searing but nothing that a few seconds didn’t render sensational. The heat penetrated deep; at times it didn’t seem hot enough. I could feel the myriad coats of medicinal ointments finding purchase in my skin and muscles, the numerous aromas climbing my nasal passages and forcing my conscious to let go and enjoy everything.

“Relaxation is the priority. I want to put your face and skin back to its own balance,” she tells me.

I am guessing my face and skin were way out of whack, because the process of being put back on level ground with my body felt heavenly. I’m already trying to force my face and skin back out of balance, just so I have to go back.

When the treatment was done, I could hardly move. Or, I didn’t want to move. I just wanted to lay and sleep.

As I wearily walked upstairs and faced the sun for the first time in what seemed three years, I looked at my hair, grinned at my fingers and gave heed to how well I felt.

In what took place in just under three hours, my whole day was transformed for good to great. I was sold on what Jennifer was selling – it’s good to throw your inhibitions away and just let go. The whole experience will have you coming back once you shed the impression that salons are for girls.

Once a male experiences this type of treatment, there may not be any going back to the old way of life.

Posted by johnston at 02:41 PM

October 04, 2006

Nothing comes for free ... except your Internet

Here is some fun information for you: Mariemont's Village Square and The Strand now have wireless Internet connection.

And the best part of it is that the service is free. It doesn't cost the villagers or anyone who wants to use it a penny.

Part of a project called Project LilyPad, the service is meant to "give back" to Cincinnati residents. Wireless locales are being set up all over the Tri-State in what is being classified as population hot spots.

Project Lily Pad, in conjunction with Time Warner Cable, installed two access points – small devices the size of a pizza box with rabbit ear antennas – on top of Graters and the Mariemont Inn. The business owners expressed interest in having the free service, which would serve all village citizens, businesses and Internet users in the area.

The service is free of cost because it is paid for by corporate sponsors solicited and retained by Lily Pad. Also, Lily Pad is responsible for all devices, project and sponsorship maintenance. The service is maintained by volunteers, too.

“The goal is to provide hot spots throughout the Cincinnati,” so that eventually free Internet access will be provided almost everywhere, according to Lily Pad volunteer Dan Barford.

“Using a PC or a PDA, users can access information while sitting on a bench in the park, walking down the street or while dining at a local restaurant. All for free … no strings attached,” according to the Lily Pad Web site, http://lilypadusa.org/index.html

Lily Pad Web sites and signage will promote the area as a free wireless zone and recognize sponsors, enabling them to promote their products to users and inquirers. The tax-deductible sponsorship will cover costs of installation, data access, maintenance, and marketing of the Lily Pad.

Posted by johnston at 12:47 PM