shop with a cop.

Country Inn Mt. Orab
December 19, 2017 ·

Fifty police cars, lights flashing and sirens wailing, filled the parking lot at the Country Inn Restaurant in Mt. Orab early Tuesday morning.
The occasion was the seventh annual Brown County Shop with a Cop event, and the 50 police officers from 13 different law enforcement agencies from Brown and Highland counties were bringing students from around the county to breakfast.
The Shop with a Cop program pairs students from around the county who are in less fortunate circumstances with a local police officer. The police officer and the student, along with a chaperone, spend the day together shopping for Christmas presents and enjoying a variety of activities.
The Brown County Shop with a Cop program was started in 2011 by Mt. Orab police officer Mike Dearing, who was then with the Sardinia Police Department.
Dearing said that when he was nine years old, he was selected to participate in a Shop with a Cop program, and it changed his life.
“From that day forward I knew that I wanted to be in law enforcement,” Dearing said. “I know this program works and can be really beneficial. If it hadn't been for that day when I was nine, I might not be on this side of the badge.”
The students, who were selected to participate in the program by their school administrators, began their day with a procession in police cars from the police department to the Country Inn. After breakfast, the procession continued to the Hillsboro Walmart, where each child received $500 to spend on himself or herself for Christmas.
After shopping, the students were treated to lunch at Dakota Steakhouse and video games and a movie at Star Cinemas in Hillsboro.
The next stop was the Georgetown Church of Christ, where everyone enjoyed a dinner provided by La Rosas, and the police officers and volunteers wrapped the presents, which will be delivered to the children on Christmas.
Kroger donates a Christmas dinner for the families of the participants in the program.
Country Inn manager Amanda Hensley said that the restaurant participates in the program because it is a really great experience for the students.
“Obviously, this is really wonderful for these kids,” Hensley said.
Hensley said that the restaurant donates the food for the breakfast, and that she and the servers donate their time to the event.
This year, the restaurant's servers purchased enough candy and treats to put together gift bags for every children at the breakfast.
Patrolman Dearing said that he has seen the profound effects the program can have on the children.
He said that the program humanizes the police in the eyes of the children, who may have previously only seen them in a negative light.
He said that one year when he went to pick up a boy to go shopping, the boy initially refused to go with him. But when he dropped him back at home at the end of the day, he wanted to know when Dearing would be back to see him again.
In addition to the businesses that directly contributed to the success of the day, many businesses and individuals across the county contribute to the program, and every police department in the county was represented.

Family Christmas 2015

Tammy got me a camera for Christmas! Sadly, the battery pooped out after only three of so pictures, and it was too dark in the house to take decent phone pictures.
Hailey's doll house was overshadowed, for her, by a pink wig and a desktop easel. She also got a magnificent FROZEN drawing set from her Mommy, which rather overwhelmed her. She didn't make much of it, to Mommy's disappointment (Mommy worked hard to get that for her the store almost sold out and we has only seen them in that one store.) But when Mommy wasn't looking, she kept going back and looking at it, and touching the different elements (paints, crayons, stickers) through the package. She knew she wasn't going to be able to thoroughly enjoy it yet, so she sort of set it aside.
Warren's first gift he opened was a truck Hailey got for him, and he pretty much didn't care for those other packages. He had a brand new, rolling, noise making truck! Mommy ended up opening most of his packages for him while he played with his new truck.
He did get momentarily distracted by a set of tools, with a wrench and a drill -- the wrench wasn't big enough to open his sippy cup, though.
He also got one of those things where you put a ball at the top and it rolls down and around and he played with that for a long long time.
He got another truck with a tool kit on the back (boy did all those Santa know what lil boy would like?) that also made noise, and he carried that around for a minute, then parked it in the doll house, which gave all us grown ups a good laugh. Hailey barely glanced at it, and here Warren was turning it onto a parking garage! The joke was on us.
Hailey got a purple cheetah jacket that she fell i n love with and Warren got some building blocks to stack -- Ta Da!-- and they got other stuff but those are the highlights.
Of this morning. And for me; my perspective.
Would like to add that this was only possible with a lot of help from a lot of santas, and this is a way of publicly thanking them. Only they know who some of them are.

This night for you August 17, 2020 (3 months past)

I hear The peepers tonight, and The little green frogs that hide in The grass, and the groggy frogs from The flat topped roofs across The street.
In the trees between The main street houses and the Union St houses I hear many chattering insects. It sounds as if The treetops may be being used as pillows by an invisible giant. While he may not be seen, he can certainly be heard.
He is snoring, and the sound is berated through The treetops.
I don't know if it's different species of cicadas, or different sexes, but one group I'd the murmuring breath in, and then I hear the buzzing exhale until. It finally peters out. The quiet mumble again, and ten The loud breathy buzz.
It may be that there are Other insects - grasshoppers, katydids, mantises - that I no longer Recognise easily.
Bats are zipping and dipping around, as fast as a blink. Black Shadow's against an orange sky. Occasionally two will dance together for a moment before vanishing.
Yes nightfall is a joy to the ears and a discovery for eyes kept too inside by The heat and humidity. It is nice to sit outside and watch The day fade away.
But as the light darkens, the biters are coming out. No wonder the bats are batting around! The biting bugs like me too well, although I've yet to decide if I'm dessert or The main Course! They like me too well, for whatever reason. And I retreat into my refuge and try to share this peace with you.

When My girls get sick 9/4/19 (6 months before)

My goodness what a day!
Hailey is without a doubt her mother's daughter, in the realm of general health.
Hailey has had a sore throat/cold since late Sunday. Last night her jaw and neck started hurting and she hasn't been able to eat.
So Tam made her a Dr appointment, even though she had no fever or anything. We were thinking ear or sinus infection was making the jaw hurt.
She has strep throat and tonsillitis. Her right tonsil is so swollen it was displacing the uvula. The left tonsil is also swollen, not as much, but it is nearly touching the right tonsil.
Pretty well on the way to blocking her airway.
Swelling around the right tonsil Concerned them about an abscess and there was talk of ENT and Children's. Five Mile and Downtown. Tam hadn't been to bed yet after working last night.
They sent us straight to the ER in mt Orab. The Dr there ( Dr Gries) decided there is no abcess at this time and we've been saved, for now, from the longer trip. Hopefully it will not become necessary and the antibiotics will work quickly and effectively.
Just like Tammy, when this child gets sick, she gets SICK.
(AT office they looked at her record and said has it really been she hasn't been here since 2017? Yeah, because she doesn't get sick)
Poor thing is miserable with squeaky little voice and lots of hurting.
Man, she has my respect for not being a whiny ass puling little crybaby.

Ms. Moon man 9/9/19

The other night coming home from the fair I told Warren to look, the moon was smiling down at him.

He looked and exclaimed ," oh it is Mammaw! The moon is smiling a big smile !'

I said he sure is and Hailey is saying " WHAT? WHAT?"

Then Hailey informs us that the moon is a SHE.

Which is, of course, mythologically correct in most cases. So I agreed with her.

But, being somewhat evil, I spelled out my agreement.

The man in the moon is a she.

coat blanket

I have a quilted bedspread.
I got it out last night and covered Warren with it. He fingered the material and said
Mammaw it's a coat blanket

Like a Dragon: May 2013

Hailey saw the letter blocks when it's posted that someone played Words With Friends. She asked what's that, and I said it's a B. Do you know what sound B makes? She looked at me puzzled, and I encouraged her, Come on. Say It, c'mon and say It and you'll know what It says. B-b-b-b-b-B!
She said what's that to the next letter, and I said that's an R. What sound does arrrrr make?
She thought a Moment. R? Arrrrr? Rrrrawrrr, like a dragon!