This Week @ Monday Creek: Good Neighbors

 

Stamps and a special snowflake from Tom.

My neighbor, Tom, is an engineer—and the kind of neighbor you don’t see often, but when you do, he arrives carrying good energy, fascinating stories, and sometimes even gifts. He grew up in the house next door. I remember his parents, Art and Waveline, fondly. Tom spends his days making intricate, high‑stakes components for large engines.

Recently, Tom stopped over with two surprises: the newest horse stamps (he enjoys visiting with my mare, Zubedia) and a delicate “snowflake.” The snowflake, however, isn’t just decorative. As Tom explained, it’s a small demonstration of additive technology—the kind of 3D‑printing‑based process that can create shapes impossible to form through traditional machining, where material is carved away. Additive manufacturing, especially in metals, has become increasingly sophisticated, and Tom is using an indirect additive method to produce turbine airfoils for aircraft engines.

This work traces its lineage back to industrial ceramics—“probably second only to coal mining,” as Tom put it.

So this little snowflake isn’t just a thoughtful gift. It’s a miniature echo of the very components that help propel engines, airplanes, and even rockets. A tiny piece of engineering magic, handed over the fence by a very good neighbor.

With 2026 already feeling like a turbulent year, Tom’s snowflake carried a deeper meaning for me. It reminded me that even the most powerful engines rely on very small parts—and often many of them—to move forward. In the same way, small developments can lead to big momentum.

Thank you, Tom, for your thoughtfulness. The snowflake now lives on my fridge, a daily reminder that through innovation, steady intention, and small, consistent practices, I can keep propelling my days in the right direction.

On another note, I’m sharing these photos a bit later than planned, but they’re from my local greenhouse—Fannin Family Farms in Nelsonville, Ohio—where the plants are always exceptional. I buy their hanging baskets and set them into my favorite patio urns since I don’t have a place to actually hang them.

I love the sweet scent of a petunia, the velvety touch of a geranium leaf, and the bold, joyful colors of begonias. Every flower is a vision of beauty. 

Ah, summer…