Seven years ago, I moved away from Ohio and I miss it dearly. I knew I'd miss my loved ones, but I did not expect to miss all of the little things.
*I should note - this may or may not be similar to the Ohio you experienced. Ohio is the 7th most populous state after all, so it probably looks roughly 11.5 million different ways to everyone.
**Conversely you may have had a very similar experience in a non-Ohio state.
(1) All of those trees that make up the thick border lines on the (2) patchwork quilt fields around the airport.
(3) Those Toy Story clouds too.
I miss looking down on those (4) long country roads and seeing a solitary car without a soul around. I always want to be in that car.
(5) I miss my grandpa's red barn, (6) the snow that lies on top, and the (7) icicles that spill off the edges.
(8) The soft grass in the yard of my childhood home. That is one of my younger brothers, Benjamin in an epic lightsaber clash with our dad.
And I miss (9) that little sapling partially obscured by my dad there. It's a full grown tree now, upon which 100 birds can sit and sing.
(10) I miss hearing the symphony of bird songs that happens when you're surrounded by trees all the time.
(11) The Christmas ornaments my mom painted, this one a tribute to (12) her childhood home in Xenia.
(13) Every single Ohio-shaped artifact hanging on a wall or a necklace or a keychain. It is a shape I recreate as often as possible, in drawings or graham crackers.
(14) I miss whatever particles in the air make a winter morning look like this.
And (15) all the smoke from all the chimneys that make the cold Ohio air smell just like a fireplace.
(16) I miss the sudden summer storm clouds gathering overhead.
And (17) the quiet intersection in front of you that gives you a chance to drive away from the storm or straight into it.
(18) I miss seeing the weather changes from the air too - on the hazy days my state would look positively oceanic.
(19) I miss all of those dandelions that come back every year, rebelliously dotting the green lawn. And (20) the world's greatest dog, who never knows what to do when we look down at him from the roof.
And (21) the clover we would search through as kids, looking for the lucky four leaves.
I really do miss the world's least helpful dog, who annually does not offer to help untangle (22) the huge box of Christmas lights in the attic.
(23) The early robins, the ones who try to force spring. Like this one my mom saw in the front yard.
I miss (24) the snowy winter forests that look like pencil cross hatching from the sky.
(25) I genuinely miss Kroger and all of their cheesy jingles.
View this video on YouTube
I miss (26) the radio my dad would turn on at night so I could fall asleep while listening to Marty and Joe call the Reds games.
(27) That tiny photobooth my family tries unsuccessfully to gather in every December.
We would crowd the same way around (28) the Deluxe Scrabble Board (it spins!) every time we would go to Xenia and visit my grandparents.
(29) I miss the leafy branches that rudely reach in through the sunroof.
And (30) the helicopter maple seeds that fall into your car and every crevice they can find.
I miss the (31) Christmas tree farms. And (32) every tree that lines the path of the Beast, my favorite roller coaster at King's Island.
(33) But of all the trees in Ohio, the one I miss most is this magnificent oak tree that has lived on quietly in a nearby patch of forest for over 500 years.
