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some of my favorite posts

medical model collection

by Kaylah Stroup July 28, 2016

A few weeks ago I shared photos of my globe collection and talked about wanting to share more of my collections. Today I’m bringing you one of my favorites, my collection of medical models. I wish I had a better reason to share as to why I started but I’ve got nothing. I really just like how they look. If you haven’t noticed my apartment has a whole doctors office / middle school vibe going on.

It’s not all that large of a collection yet but I’m certainly
working on it. Just like globes, and well, everything else, I try to be
thrifty in my purchase. I rarely shell out large chunks of money on a
piece. The piece I paid the most for (one hundred dollars) is the life sized torso I purchased from Jerry’s Junk. Considering it’s one of my very favorite possessions I’d say it was a solid purchase! Honestly, when I think of my visit to Jerry’s Junk I regret not buying more from that guy!
My medical dude, who I somehow never named which seems like a very
Kaylah thing to do, is missing some pieces, that I hope whoever owns
them treasures as much as I treasure the piece I have.

Because I don’t like to shell out lots of money finding new items is like a treasure hunt. I regularly scour ebay, as well as etsy. I’m often unlucky and spot lots of amazing things that are simply overpriced. I’ve had the most luck at estate sales though. Well, one estate sale in particular. Back in 2014 I went to the estate sale of my dreams. It was one of a doctor’s residence. I’ve been to many doctor’s estate sales. Most of the time they’re in massive houses, and these folks have collected super normal things that aren’t of interest to me. This sale though, normal size home packed to the brim with medical goodies. Creepy vintage tools, medical models, and even a few articulated skeletons. My kinda dude! I shared some photos of my finds from that sale in this post, aptly titled “the BEST estate sale.” I still have yet to get as lucky as I did those two days.

“Mom, you know I hate the tripod! Why would you call me in here?”

Here are a handful of photos of everything laid out on my coffee table. I thought this would be a more epic shot when I set it up but really it turned out to be a mish mash of body parts. Still, it shows a few things that weren’t so easy to see in the photos of the items in their place, like the model of the baby in utero – which is what I’d consider to be one of the strangest items in this collection. Although to most people all of this is probably very weird…

xoxo

Workman Cemetery

by Kaylah Stroup July 25, 2016

Last weekend Jeff and I took a little trip to visit a waterfall that was around two hours away. The drive was fairly uneventful. Ohio is a wonderful state, there’s lots to see here but there is no denying that sometimes the drive from one area to the next is boooring. At least for someone who grew up on this side of the US.* Rolling fields surrounded us, and apart from gorgeous old farmhouses every so often there wasn’t much to look at. Shortly before the waterfall we passed a beautiful cemetery. I spotted a few old stones from the road but didn’t think too much of it.

After having so much fun hiking around the waterfall, we weren’t quite ready for our little adventure to be over yet. Jeff asked if there was anything else I wanted to do while we were out and I suggested swinging by the cemetery we had seen earlier. I figured there would at least be a geocache there (there totally is!) and that maybe, just maybe, I could snag a few photos.

I hopped out of the car, examined my surroundings, and apologized to Jeff. “I’m going to be a while. I just need to shoot this, and this, and this! Oh and that!” The cemetery was a lot older than what it appeared to be from the road. While it was no Mount Moriah, it was even slightly overgrown in spots. I was in love!

We wandered around the cemetery for a while, going our separate ways then joining up again to excitedly point out interesting headstone to each other. This beautiful, old cemetery seemed so randomly placed. Surrounded by fields, it was like none I had ever visited before. I did a little research when I got home but could find no extra information or anything out of the ordinary on this place. (I was hoping for ghost stories, obviously!)

There were a lot of instances in this cemetery where I was super excited about this or that but I think that finding the face above took the cake. Jeff and I were admiring two large headstones, both doing the mean lean. They were meticulously carved with beautiful detail but I didn’t even notice the face until Jeff pointed it out. While it’s no skull and cross bones (number one on my to find wishlist!) it’s incredibly awesome!

Every time I think to myself that I’ve already visited all the interesting cemeteries in my surrounding area I’m proven wrong.
xoxo

*Last year when we visited Phoenix the guy at the rental car place asked where we were from and upon hearing Ohio exclaimed how green and beautiful it was here. He was amazed by all the trees! We, on the other hand, were completely enthralled with Phoenix and it’s desert landscape!

Klaus’ pup-iversary

by Kaylah Stroup July 20, 2016

a few days after adopting Klaus. July 2013.

Three years ago today I went to a tiny shelter I had driven past a million times before to look at some puppies I had seen photos of on Craigslist. After spending the fourth of July weekend at my parents I had fallen even more deeply in love with their dog, and decided I needed one of my own. After that weekend but before this trip to the shelter I had met with one other dog who within the first few minutes home proved that maybe she wasn’t really as “cat friendly” as her foster mom had said. It broke my heart to take her back but it’s a decision I still feel confident in today. She clearly wasn’t the one. My cats were my biggest priority, they came first. I had to make sure they were safe so I decided the only route to go was to get a puppy.

The shelter was advertising a litter of puppies who were only recently old enough to be without their momma. Beautiful, tiny, brindle babies all with names starting with the letter “D”. I fell in love the second I saw him. Dylan. He was the sweetest little sleeping angel, all curled up in the corner of the crate while his siblings crawled on around and on top of him. I held him, and I was officially done for. I was his. He was coming home with me! He obviously needed a new name, one I stole from The Life Aquatic, but otherwise he was perfect. Three years later this big puppy still makes me smile about fifty billion times per day.

Klaus. What to say about Klaus? Well, he’s a baby. A giant baby. He has a sensitive stomach which has sent us to the vet more than once, he sneezes at nearly every smell (sunscreen, hairspray, spicy food, etc), and sometimes even gets little rashes from laying in the grass too long. He’s also a giant baby in sense that there is no place he’d rather be than snuggled up to his humans. Errr, I mean, between his humans. He loves being held, and if you sit down around him he’s probably going to try to wiggle his way into your lap.

Klaus looooves squeaky tennis balls, not quite as much as he loves Jeff, but very close. He’s recently started sleeping in the bedroom with me at night. If I’m alone he sleeps in bed, but if Jeff is there he has to sleep on the floor because he is totally bed hog and there simply isn’t enough room. We need a California King! When he’s not allowed on the bed he’ll just stand at end of it with his chin resting on the edge, giving you puppy dog eyes, until he’s invited up. He definitely knows how to work his cuteness – no doubt about it! He thinks showing his belly is the answer to anything I say no to or anytime I ask him to go to his crate. Sometimes it totally is the answer. I love petting that belly.

Sometimes he drives me crazy, like by barking at strangers, and I start to think “maybe I am just a cat lady…” but I can’t imagine life without Klaus. The company he provides me is immeasurable. I don’t know if I would have been able to handle the last two years of living alone without him by my side. I treasure our walks around the neighborhood together, and I feel safe with him.* He always seems to know exactly when I need him.

still loves sitting on Grandma’s lap!

Here’s to many more years with my smelly bed hog of a puppy! Sometimes you drive me nuts but I love you dearly.
xoxo

*Can I tell you my favorite story about feeling safe with Klaus? Okay, so, I’m walking him in my own backyard which should be safe but my neighbors always have strange folks coming and going all day long. A dude pulls up, gets out of his car and starts “Eyyyy baby! You look fine. I like them tats!” I force a strained smile and says “Thanks!” Klaus is just watching him. The guy follows with “You got a man?” Before I can even say a word Klaus loses it. He might be a big baby but that boy has a BARK. Visibly frightened by my big scary pup (hah!) the dude apologized and left. I don’t necessarily feel like I was in danger but dang it, I hate when dudes ask if I “have a man”. Klaus told him!

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Lake Erie cairns

by Kaylah Stroup July 18, 2016

Are you guys familiar with cairns? A cairn is literally just a human made pile of rocks. Sometimes they’re used to mark trails, or signify someone has died in a certain spot. In certain areas they’re used as a hunting implement to direct animals toward a game jump. Other times, and in this case, they’re made just because they look really awesome. Basically there are tons of reasons one might build a cairn, and tons of places you might find one!

I remember the first time I saw cairns. I was on a camping trip, and we were kayaking down the river. We rounded a corner and, to the left, the rocky shoreline was covered in these stacks of rocks. There were TONS of them, and some were taller than me. I didn’t know what they were, or why they were there but I instantly loved them. I excitedly took a few photos. It was another year before I saw another one which I shared a photo of here! Four more years passed, and finally last week I spotted another while walking on the beach. It was only three rocks high, so hardly a cairn at all but it inspired me.

Before I knew it I had built a whole bunch of them. Our beaches here in Cleveland aren’t very rocky, at least not the ones I frequent but we do seem to have an abundance of bricks. I used a combination of rocks, bricks, logs, driftwood, styrofoam, and even trash to make mine.

They’re just piles of rocks but I can’t get over how awesome my little creation looked. I built them on a section of the beach that sometimes completely disappears when the tide comes in. I doubt my structures lasted more than a day or two but I hope someone spotted them before they washed back into the water.

Don’t be surprised to see if you see more of these popping up on the blog later this summer. I’m hooked! I’m excited to go back and see what I can do with a little bit more time, and on a day when there are more large pieces of…well, whatever waiting for me! Building things on the beach is easily one of my favorite hobbies.
xoxo

Check out my found on the beach tag for more interesting beach related posts!

vintage globe collection

by Kaylah Stroup July 12, 2016

If you’ve been around these parts for any amount of time, you probably know that I’m a collector. You might even say I collect collections. It’s in my DNA, I swear! Although his aren’t as precise as mine and organized, my dad definitely has a few collections. My nephew too! Basically, when I like something I just want lots and lots of that thing. As much as I’d love to be a minimalist, I enjoy my possessions too much. They’re a huge part of what makes home feel like home to me.

A few years ago I had a little series here on The Dainty Squid where I shared photos of my collections. Since the start of that series many things have changed. Uh, well it’s been five whole years. My life is completely different. Some of those collections came with me, like the teeth, but others I’ve outgrown, like the cuckoo clocks. When I look back through my old posts I see peeks at my old life, and it’s super fun to see how even though things are completely different some things never change. I’d like to start the series over now, share new photos of what my collections are like, and just document what it’s like in my home at this time of my life. Isn’t that really what this blog is all about? To start with I have some photos of my globe collection for you!

My globes have all come from estate sales, garage sales, and auctions. A few have been received as a gift as well. I’m very thrifty when it comes to my collections, and this one is no exception. Much to my disappointment, in the last few years the price of globes has sky rocketed. I guess that’s what happens when things become super popular. When I first started collecting it was easy to find them for five bucks or less but anymore, especially online, you’re going to be paying A LOT more which is a huge bummer.

I’ve been collecting globes for probably around five years now. Just like anything else, there is an ebb and flow to my obsession. Sometimes I’m actively hunting every chance I get, but most of the time I just let them come to me. I’ve actually slowed down a lot recently due to space issues. Twenty one seems to be enough for now. It’s also at the point where I don’t see any point in spending great sums of money for something I already have more than a few of. Not to say that if I happened to find the *perfect* one there wouldn’t be space for it but until I see the next one I just can’t live without, I don’t need anymore.

Actually, I take that back. I’m slowing down on globes of the planet Earth. Did you even know they made globes of other things?! The moon! Mars! They’re generally A LOT more expensive though. I’ve managed to get my paws on three moon globes in the last few years, seen above, but Mars globes continue to elude me. They’re fairly abundant online but the prices keep me away. Maybe someday I’ll find a lucky Mars globe in an auction box for dirt cheap. Fingers crossed!

Below is a size comparison between my largest and smallest globes. The tiny one is actually a pencil sharper that was a gift from a penpal. The largest I picked up at a garage sale a few years ago. The person selling it requested I take really good care of it because she had a lot of fond memories of playing with it as a child. I paid a whopping three dollars for it. Score of the century if you ask me! It’s lived in three houses with me but in each has yet to find the perfect place to be displayed simply because it’s so large.

Do you collect globes? If you didn’t already, I’m sorry if you start because of me! When I started this post I was trying to think of when I started what my motivation was since it seemed like an important part of the story but I was drawing a complete blank. I figured it was just one of those things that kind of happened, like I bought one, then another, and then it just became a thing. When I typed the words “do you collect globes?” though it triggered a memory of a photo I saw on flickr many moons ago. I guess that’s where it all started for me. I saw a photo of someone’s collection, maybe just five globes or so, but I loved how they all looked together. All these years later I still love the colors and how a grouping of globes looks!
xoxo

Six years with Professor

by Kaylah Stroup July 6, 2016

I heart cats pin from Moorea Seal

Two nights ago I was laying in bed sharing a pillow with Professor, who was licking coconut oil out of my hair, when it occurred to me “I think our anniversary is coming up.” I wrote down a reminder to check in the morning and drifted off to sleep. It was the first thing I thought of when I woke up. A quick search on the blog and I found that July 6th, the next day, marked six whole years with Professor. Six years on the sixth – it’s a special one! I’ve really been slacking off with my animal posts these last few years, which I regret. I’m definitely trying to get back into the swing of it and what better excuse to do so than an anniversary?!

If you haven’t been around since he first showed up (which wow! hi! crazy if you have!) here’s a little bit of a recap for you. My parents live in the middle of nowhere, and one evening my mom spotted the tiniest little Siamese kitty walking in the driveaway. Knowing that was my dream cat, she scooped him up and brought him over to my house so I could say hi and take some pictures before taking him to her boss at the time who had a cat rescue. Basically everyone in my family knows that if you see a cute animal, you better tell Kaylah because she’ll want to take pictures of it.

I was falling in love from the second I saw him but had no intention of bringing another cat into my life. After hanging out with him for a day it was time to take him up to where my mom worked to give him to her boss. After getting there I texted my mom to see where she was. She responded she had the day off and to just go find her boss. I think this might have been the only time in my life when being sickeningly shy actually worked in my favor. I decided to take him home with me because there was noooo way I was going to talk to her boss all alone. On the way home I stopped off at my parents to chat with my mom and it was there I made the decision to keep him. Clearly it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

All these years later and he’s still the same goofy kitten I fell in love with. I call him my perma-kitten because despite his age he still acts like a kitten. He has unlimited energy and is often seen (and heard) darting from one side of the house to the other for no apparent reason. He’s also an all star cuddler! Literally the most cuddly thing in existence. Sometimes he just cannot be close enough. His hobbies include chasing flashes of light (like reflections from your phone), lounging in the sun for hours, never shutting up, and ripping open bags of treats. He’s a little devil but could absolutely turn the biggest cat hater into a fan.

His latest obsessions are coconut oil, and drinking water from a glass. He can hear me opening the coconut oil jar from the other side of the house and will immediately coming running. He would love it if I let him dip his face in but is more than happy to have me wipe some on his nose or to lick it off my legs. Such a little weirdo! And the drinking water out of a cup thing? No idea why he started but he went from not paying an ounce of attention to my glass to not being able to resist. It’s impossible to keep him away!

The only thing that’s really changed is the color of his fur! Seriously, check out his fur in the photo below from 2012! I thought he was sooo dark then but he just continue to change. I’m starting to think in another few years I’ll have two black cats instead of one. My little guy went from being a toasted marshmallow to a burnt one.

summoning a demon with Squid + Klaus. I mean, I’m not sure why else they’d lay in this weird configuration.

I could type for hours and still never properly express how much Professor means to me. The world would seriously be a better place if everyone had a fuzzy little kitten like this in their life. Here’s to many more years with this little creep!
xoxo

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Independence Day 2016

by Kaylah Stroup July 5, 2016

Every year for the fourth of July my parents throw a big party. It always easily one of the best weekends of the summer outside of any roadtrip I happen to take. Food, family, fireworks! This year was a little different than normal with the fourth falling on a Monday instead of the weekend. Jeff, Klaus, and I went out to my parents Saturday morning, and left rather abruptly Sunday evening due to illness. You’ll have that I guess… It was still an absolute blast of a weekend even if it got cut short.

Jeff pointed out one of the best things about get togethers at my parents house is that everyone kind of does their own thing, and I totally agree! It’s not this forced, everyone sit around and make awkward small talk thing. People play croquet, there might be a few in the pool, the kids might be looking for frogs in the pond. There are four wheelers to ride, and there’s always something to snack on. As much as I love the city it is always SO nice to escape back to the country. My parent’s have the most relaxing property!

I spent the majority of my weekend in my hammock… and it was basically heaven! Last year I slept in my hammock for the very first time. I was skeptical but literally had the best sleep ever. Needless to say, I’ve been counting down the days until it was time to camp at my parent’s house again. Jeff recently bought me a new hammock because my other one was a little bit too small so I gave old one to my nephew. We set them up one on top of each other, like bunk beds. I called top bunk! I was hesitant at first but actually found it beyond relaxing to be that high up. I could have stayed there forever. (Seriously, buy a hammock. They’re SO COZY.)

Highlights of this weekend included;
▴ Hammocking, of course!
▴ Truly bonding with my nieces.
▴ Watching my brother struggle to get out of the highest hammock. (pictured above)
▴ Having Jeff’s sister + her baby come out for a few hours. First time any parts of our family met each other!!!
▴ Being treated to one of the prettiest sunsets I’ve ever seen at my parent’s house.
▴ Starting new traditions. Annual family cannon building? Yep. This year it shot marbles…
▴ Fireworks that end up looking like flowers in photos. You totally caught that above, right?!

Hope all my American pals had an excellent holiday weekend, and those elsewhere, not celebrating, still got to enjoy some sparklers anyway…because sparklers are always appropriate!
xoxo

Lagoon Deer Park

by Kaylah Stroup June 21, 2016

Last week I took my annual trip to Lagoon Deer Park. It’s a deer petting zoo located in Sandusky, OH – and if you’ve never been to one please make it a priority! The set up is basically one massive pen that you’re allowed to walk in. Along the edges of that pen are a bunch of other pens with deer, llamas, goats, emu, etc. In the large part that you walk in there are usually twenty to thirty deer, maybe even more, that are free to roam. They’ll approach you, and you can feed them peanuts. It is magical. You feel like Snow White, just absolutely surrounded by deer who are so very interested in what you have for them! One of my favorite parts of this park is that it’s almost always empty. There has never been more than one other group of people there at the same time is me. Since 2013, I’ve been visiting this place and it’s still not losing it’s appeal… I mean, how could it?!

I normally head out in there in the fall but this year I wanted to visit a little bit earlier in the season in hopes of seeing some babies. As I walked around I was joined by a man who worked there. He gave me some grass to feed whatever animal wanted it (no one wanted it except a donkey who bit my finger!) and walked around with me for a bit pointing out different highlights. Normally I enjoy just being alone with my thoughts, and of course the deer here but it was like getting my own personal tour which was rad. He directed my attention to two barely one day old fawns that had been born the previous night. In the rocks they were easily looked over since with their spots they basically blended in. If you aren’t looking for them, you aren’t going to see them. I was disappointed they were in the cage where I couldn’t get close but excited to just be able to see them. I watched for a while as one little guy stood and took a few shaky steps and eventually laid back down. Those loooong legs are just too cute.

As as I walked out of the pen and back into the building to leave a man who works there, who I’ve seen every year, started up a conversation. “You’re back! Did you see the newborns?” I responded that I had been shown the ones in the back pen and that they were soooo cute. He said “Yeah, and the one right out there?” Whaaat? We walked back outside together and he pointed out a tiny fawn that I had apparently looked right over. I bolted over to it’s side and took a handful of photos that I’m just smitten with.

The babies were very very cute, obviously, but the little guy on the right hand side of the photo below was my absolute favorite of the day. He was apparently born last fall…and I think he might be one of the silliest looking little critters I have ever seen. I like that he’s really furry. He didn’t look like any of the other deer there. He had these scrawny little legs with knobby knees and oversized feet. I was reminded of Dr. Seuss. Don’t you just want to eat him up!?

Lagoon Deer Park, Ohio, Sandusky, Petting Zoo

The photo below was originally hanging out in the middle of this post but it definitely seemed a little out of place but I couldn’t not share it…because emu are terrifying. I guess I’ve never really paid all that much attention to them but I stood there and stared at these beasts for so long just trying to take them all in. They’re like dinosaurs but they also look like handpuppets? I don’t know! Definitely one of those animals that you’re like of like “how is it real? kinda of seems made up…” Giraffes also fall into that category.

As always, if you live ANYWHERE near Sandusky, Ohio – you have to visit Lagoon Deer Park.
xoxo

17-year cicadas – Brood V

by Kaylah Stroup June 14, 2016

More cicadas today! Woo! A few weeks back I shared photos of my first encounter with the 17-year cicadas that recently emerged in my little corner of Ohio. See here. I hadn’t seen any more since but really wanted to find some. Mickey pointed out on instagram a few days ago that the next time these guys will be around she’d be in her forties. At first I was like “Nuh-uhhhh!” (Our birthdays are only a few days apart.) Then I realized, yep, in seventeen years we’ll both be forty two. While it may not be entirely accurate that we won’t see them again until then since sometimes there are stragglers that will appear up to four years early, I definitely won’t be seeing these guys with this great of numbers again for a long time… even then, will I still be living in this part of US at forty two!? Either way, this is a seriously awesome event to experience.

Last week Jeff and I went on a hike with his sister, and her son. She mentioned that she wanted to see some cicadas and had seen a post on instagram by the Nature Realm that were were a lot of them emerging along their trails. So after lunch (and making the baby cry in the photobooth) we headed over to the trails to get our sweat on. My love / hate relationship with summer is going strong!

As soon as we got out of the car you could hear the cicadas! We followed the trail in a direction where the sound seemed to get louder with every step. There was a girl taking photos with iPhone of something on a leaf but as soon as we got close she scurried away and that was when we started noticing them…everywhere!

When I found all the cidadas at the cemetery there were a lot, definitely more than I’ve ever seen with any annual emergence, but this was different. At the cemetery it was kind of like I showed up late to the party. There weren’t many adults remaining. They’d already flown off to find mates or had been eaten by predators. At the park there were just tons and tons of adults. I guess there was no sense in leaving since the area was ripe with potential mates and trees perfect for laying their eggs in.

I found myself wanting to photograph individuals because they’re just sooo cool looking but really wanted to capture photos that showed how many there were! I don’t know how well I’m really portraying with my words how many cicadas there are out right now but hope that my photos can help emphasize the sheer madness of it all. They were everywhere. It was so noisy. It’s something similar to sirens off in the distance, except lots and lots of sirens, and very close. They were flying around every which way you looked, landing on any and every thing. I highly doubt there was a person in the park that day that didn’t at some point have at least one on them.

If you’re in the area, I can’t recommend getting out to one of our beautiful metroparks enough. Even if you don’t particularly like bugs, you have to admit their life cycle is pretty neat. If you’re interested in reading more about these guys, Cicada Mania
is a great resource! There is a ton of information. Finally, if you’re curious
when the periodical cicadas will be emerging in your area, this site has an easy to read chart.
xoxo

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