Aglamesis, Graeters, and United Dairy Farmers...the eternal Cincinnati ice cream war.  If you have to have a job, it ought to be as the ice cream taster in Cincinnati.  These family companies that have brought us all drums of ice cream with every taste imaginable.

Here, it seems as though the fat and calories associated with ice cream is only worth it for special ice cream from either Graeter's or Aglamesis'.  Maybe it's the attention that these Greek families brought to the process of making ice cream...maybe it's only the best of ingredients...maybe we all ought to have a tasting contest.

My favorite spot for ice cream has to be Aglamesis.  It has so much family history caught up in our visits.  While at Withrow High School, my husband worked there as a soda jerk and had the distinction of being the first to get ice cream on their, then new, wallpaper. After our children's school music concerts, it was always tradition to go there for ice cream as a family, often joined by other Mercy Montessori families.

There is something special about the ambiance of that pink-fronted ice cream parlor on Madison Road in Oakley.  The original tin ceiling, the white marble counters, the beautiful pink and green Tiffany lamps, the old-fashioned ice cream tables and chairs, it all adds up an experience not to be missed.  Keeping the atmosphere established in 1914 is only part of the experience.

Of course, the star of the show is ICE CREAM!  If you are visiting, my suggestions would be hard to beat.  Depending upon my mood, I love the chocolate milk shake, the red raspberry ice cream, or the Basin Street.  Don't think you can leave with only ice cream, the chocolates are also made right there in the back room and to die for!

Overall, this is a not-to-be-missed experience.  If you've never been there, add it to the itinerary for a special day in the city.

The Cincinnati Health systems ranked in the top ten nationwide when the Thomson Reuter's group looked at quality and efficiency.  High ranked hospitals are known for providing quality care with fewer deaths and patient complications, plus the adhere to outstanding patient safety standards.  Ranked #2 in the study was the Catholic Health Partners who operate the Mercy Hospitals.  The Health Alliance came in third on the list of top 10.  It's an honor to just be in the top 100, but this is really outstanding news for those of us who may need to use these services!

There's always something fun to do in Cincinnati...aren't we lucky to live in a city with so many cultural and recreation activities!

• November 2 - Full Moon Walk - 7:30pm at Cincinnati Nature Center's Rowe Woods  - 513-200-0991 to register - www.cincynature.org.   Walk approximately 2 miles under the Hunter's Moon and hear seasonal readings for $5.
• November 5-8 - Art in Bloom at Cincinnati Art Museum - 513-639-2995 - www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org.  Celebrate art and flowers and features floral interpretations of nearly one hundred masterpieces in the Art Museum’s permanent collections by amateur and professional designers. Free.
• November 6th-22nd - A Tuna Christmas at Mariemont Players - 513-684-1236 www.mariemontplayers.com.  This hilarious comedy takes place in the third smallest town in Texas with radio station personalities reporting on Yuletide activities and local lawn displays. 
• November 7 - Fourth Annual Pumpkin Chuck at Stanberry Park- 513-233-9111 Get rid of your old rotting pumpkin in a fun way. See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VumXbriRFCU
• Late in November-January - Holiday Toy Trains at Behringer Crawford Museum - 859-491-4003 www.bcmuseum.org (under the Kids tab) Fun train display includes Tommy the Train.  Victorian room with dress up clothes for children. 

Existing home sales are up 3.4 percent over the same time last year, according to a recent report by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Helped by the $8,000 tax credit to first time buyers, existing home sales are on pace to reach 5.1 million units for 2009, up from the 4.93 million units projected in August 2008. 

Mark your calendars for a fun, family time on November 8th from 1-3 pm in Ault Park.  This Amazing Race-style event, sponsored by the Cincinnati Parks, incorporates nature education into the activity right in the middle of the Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout areas.  Specifically designed for the family with 5-12 year olds, everyone can plan to learn a lot on the Park's trails while having a good time together.

You should meet at the fountain and park rangers will send a family out on the trails every five minutes.  For each trip through the woods, you will need to complete certain activities and show those as part of determining winners.  Typical activities might be finding a certain kind of leaf or searching for a fossil in the creek.

Small prizes will be awarded. Not only will you learn about nature, best of all, the event is FREE!

Reservations are required so that the Park has enough staff on hand and prizes for the winners.  Call 513-761-4313 to set it up for your family!

Pending Home Sales on a Record Roll

For the fourth month in a row, the local home sales activity was up from one year ago. Comparing September 2008 to September 2009, 10.55% more homes were sold this year.

The inventory of homes available has shrunk over the past year from 9.74 to 7.4 months of inventory.  The National Association of Realtors says that six months of inventory is a balanced market. 

The graph below shows this year's activity.

On a national basis, contract activity for pending home sales has risen for six straight months, a pattern not seen in the history of the index since it began in 2001, according to the National Association of Realtors®. In the Midwest the index slipped 2.0 percent to 88.1 but is 8.1 percent above a year ago.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carl (see interview at Amazon.com), is the children's book selected for Jumpstart's Read for the Record campaign this year.  Jumpstart is a national organization who raises awareness of the importance of reading to young children.  They focus on at-risk preschool children to build literacy, social and emotional skills, so they will thrive in kindergarten. Many of these children have no books at home. 

Jumpstart works toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Having books in the home and reading to kids prepares them for kindergarten, a focus of Southwestern Ohio's United Way.

This year, once again, the Cincinnati Team raised money to provide children from the East End area, at Riverview East Academy with a book to take home and keep.  Hopefully, they will enjoy reading the book again and again and share it with their siblings!

Have you been wondering where different candidates stand on election issues?  Maybe you aren't even sure what the issues are.  So attached are places you can go to hear about issues on the ballot and size up the candidates for various Cincinnati and Hamilton County positions.

Cincinnati City Council Candidates - Thursday, October 22 - 7 pm - Cincinnati Union Terminal

Cincinnati City Council Candidates - Friday, October 23 - 7 pm - Crossroads Community Church in Oakley

Gambling Forum on Merits of Issue 3- Monday, October 26 - 7 pm - Cintas Center at Xavier University

Mariemont Village Council Candidates- Tuesday, October 27 - 7 pm - Mariemont Elementary School

Indian Hill School Board Candidates - Wednesday, October 28 - 7 pm - Indian Hill Primary School

Cincinnati School Board Candidates - Wednesday, October 28 - 7 pm - Little Flower School, Mt. Airy

We'll be updating this list as we hear about other forums that take place in the next two weeks.

For further information and videos of forums that were held earlier in the month, go to the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area website.  They have a Smart Voter feature that will allow you to plug in your address and receive a sample ballot along with information about the candidates and issues that will be on that ballot.

Don't go to the polls uninformed! 

Kilgour Elementary School is the only school in the Cincinnati Public School District that has received the Excellent with Distinction rating from the State of Ohio Department of Education!  2009 was its second year with that designation.

Long a favorite of families in the Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout areas, the school continues to have the ingredients that make up quality schools...experienced teachers averaging over 15 years on the job with 78% of them having master's degrees, active support from parents and the PTA, and children prepared for learning.

First opened in 1922 as an eight room building, the school was dedicated to John Kilgour because his wife had given the Herschel Avenue land for the school.  Thousands of children have now walked its halls, with many additions over the years.  When I did my student teaching there under John Stevenson, there were temporary buildings set up in the playground, because of the overflowing numbers of children.  Today, the children have the latest of the additions with a total remodel of the entire building.

Children also have an assortment of special activities at their disposal.  Ranging from Intermediate Choir to Keyboarding Club, Spanish Club to Student Council, Scouts to Safety Patrol and Fine Arts Night to Everybody Counts.  The Sports Boosters have also provided an exciting well-run program. Yearly, the major fundraiser is the Kilgour Carnival with the recent addition of a 5K Run/Walk.

You may want to read the State Department of Education's Report Card for the school. For further information, contact principal Angela Cook at 513-363-3000.

After you read about such an outstanding school, is it any wonder that the homes in Kilgour Elementary Schools area are in such demand...there is a proven correlation between school quality and home prices.

Ahhh...a weekend in Adams County, Ohio on the "Edge of Appalachia."  Murphin Ridge Inn is a special treat, a not to miss experience within 1 1/2 hours of Cincinnati.  You'll know you are there when the terrain starts to change.  Featured in the prestigious Select Registry, Distinguished Inns of North America and the National Geographic Traveler as one of the 54 top inns in the US, Murphin Ridge continues to live up to the hipe it receives.

Why will YOU love a day or two relaxing at Murphin Ridge?

• Peaceful surroundings - the 1820's farmhouse overlooks fields of soy beans.  Their 142 acres have guided paths through the woods, so there is no excuse to just sit. Plus, it's fun to harmonize around the firepit.
• It's in the middle of the Amish area of Adams County. In fact it is important to never speed on the winding, hilly roads.  You never know when a buggy will be just over the crest of that next hill.  It is fun to see the children playing, clothes drying on a line and imagine life without some of the modern conveniences we expect.
• FOOD - Their chef, trained at the Culinary Institute of America, takes good food seriously.  There is an expectation that only the freshest food will be served.  The menu changes with the season and what is available in their kitchen garden and that of their Amish neighbors. Be sure to make a reservation, because the demand may exceed their limited space.
• The innkeepers, Sherry and Darryl McKenney are truly "at your service," enlivening the experience with their knowledge of the community and just plain good cheer. You can make reservations at 877-687-7446.

Personally, I would recommend being there for three days...then you get the benefit of actually relaxing.  Know that everything for shopping will be closed on Sundays, so plan your time there with that in mind. The Amish shops are important to see-buy herbs in bulk, choose a rocking chair for your porch, eat their Amish baked goods and cheeses.

Other places of interest include:

• Serpent Mound, built by the Adena Indians in the 800 B.C to 100 A.D.
• Edge of Appalachia Preserve, 14,000 acres developed by the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and Science and the Nature Conservancy
• Buzzard Roost Rock Preserve - Be sure you are in good shape for this hike. You'll find the view is worth the breathless climb!
• Shawnee State Forest is often called the "Little Smokies" and the only state designated wilderness area.
• Shopping in the antique shops.
• Clothesline of Quilts is a sampler of 20 painted quilt squares on local barns.  Finding all of them is a fun part of the trail through Adams County.
• Visiting a covered bridge should be a must if you have children along...they will probably have never seen one and as the bridges quickly disappear, they may never get the chance to show one to their children.
• Blake Pharmacy in West Union is like the one you may remember from your childhood, but lunch there features five-cent Cokes from the soda fountain, sandwiches and milk shakes, too.

If you are planning a romantic weekend for two, reserve one of Murphin Ridge's cabins.  Built by the Amish, each cabin is slightly different, but you may want one with a two person whirlpool and two -sided fireplace.  While we were there one loving husband gave his bride of 20 years an anniversary diamond ring. The surroundings throughout the Inn are further enhanced by the antique reproductions from the Workshops of David Smith.

Go and enjoy - it's beautiful in any season and you'll return refreshed and ready for the next project!