Where The Weather is Wacky and the Forecasts Don't Matter

Yes, Comedian/Host Drew Carey knows what's up with Ohio weather

I've been in the Midwest long enough to get the joke about Ohio (and other surrounding states) having eleven or twelve seasons rather than the traditional four.

This year proved to be no different, starting off with a (way) early Spring in early January, which was quickly displaced by brief spell of Polar Vortex, and then followed by an elongated period of the "Big Snow coming - psych!" season, where seeming promising big snow days were turned into groan-inducing "mixed precipitation" slushfests.

Winter hung around like a drunken sailor late March well into May, never allowing Spring to gain a solid foothold and keeping the soils exceedingly soggy - I recall I didn't get a chance to mow the well overgrown back yard until just before Memorial Day.

Visions of Noah and his ark came to many in June, when deluge-type rains threatened to drastically cut into the state's prized corn crop and overwhelmed quite a few basements.  Then, a not overly hot but often humid summer season took over, drying things to the point where some parts of the state reside in mild drought status. Despite a few head fakes from the Autumn season, this has remained the status quo into October, so much so that some folks are wishing Summer completely away. If all the forecasts are correct, those cooler vibes will have arrived to this region the same day this blog post was published.

Surprise, Surprise! A City Tries To Shed The "S" Word

If you watched the "Heartland" episode of "Anthony Bourdain's
No Reservations" when it was first broadcast in 2010, you would've
thought Ohio's capital was a desolate wasteland for credible eats

"It's hard to believe we're in Columbus. Columbus, Ohio!"..."This is not the world you know!"..."This is Applebee's country!"

Famously, or perhaps infamously for Columbus natives, these lines were uttered roughly nine years ago in 2009 by food author/entrepreneur/Cleveland native Michael Ruhlman during the filming of the "Heartland" segment of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" show for the Travel Channel. The two men seemed incredulous that the delicious creations of Chef Ryuki "Mike" Kimura of Kihachi could actually be found within what seemed to be portrayed as a culinary desert.

As it turns out, this particular way of thinking, as exemplified by the "S" (as in Surprised) word, where this area actually has quality eats within its borders, has been more or less the prevailing narrative for years, but lately the winds have been trending a different direction.