Last Thoughts for 2013

We have never had much to do the week after Christmas, and this year was no exception.

The weather outside is frightful and the fire is so delightful. I have spent some pretty good time at home. Snuggled in.

One year we spent Christmas Day at a theme park in Florida. That was strange.

We don't have a large family. No crazy uncles visit. No grandchildren. Our only granddog, sadly for our Florida family, was put to rest before Christmas.

But the enhancements recently added to the sound system on our television and our generous cable package plus netflix provide us with some pretty good entertainment options at home.

I did at least one pretty good thing to close out the year. I bought a couple dozen poinsettias and set them up at church for the New Year's Eve candlelight service. They were marked down to $1 each and were nice--no dead leaves and in a variety of colors. This was a long-standing tradition of old Frank, who died last February: bringing left-over poinsettias to church. Harriet and her husband helped me. It was cold and we backed up our vehicles over the sidewalk to the front door to unload the tender plants. We did not fill the whole stage as per the usual irrational exuberance of Frank, but the poinsettias looked nice. I hope that all the plants will find good homes tonight and not have to be gathered up and tossed out into my (illegal) compost bin.

I gifted myself with one after the service.

So that's it. Another year. Except for a few health issues, it was a pretty good year!

Find me next year at Another Year of Living: www.alivingrosereturns.blogspot.com

A Taste of Christmas

I have previously referenced that wino-inspired line from a Gatlin Brothers song, "will they have Mogen David in heaven?" ... you remember the rest.

Can you imagine a perfect heaven with no food (or wine)? Will that eternal (immortal, immutable, invincible, invisible, whatever) spirit body need it? A little taste of heaven takes on a whole different meaning...

Every Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus, a baby who comes with the promise that all who believe he is also their Savior, are now welcome to live forever in heaven with him and his father, God. Pretty incredible. And worth celebrating.

But if you found out that there would actually be no real food or drink in God's banquet hall, would you still want to go? I know--that is a silly question. (I may be more ready to answer it when I am old and have lost my teeth and/or taste buds!).

It is difficult to even think of Christmas (or eternity) without a favorite food association. I have a few taste desires left unfulfilled this year. I have not had banket even once this year, or oliebolen (traditional Dutch old year's treat) or eggnog. And I only thought about making Hazel's Candy.

So far the best holiday taste I have had is a slice (or two or three) of pizza on Christmas Eve--very sad, but true. It was easy, inexpensive (just $10 for a large pizza) and delicious. It even had a touch of red and green. And came with a handful of complimentary mints.

The runner-up best taste so far was a slice of a Costco ham with spicy glaze. A bite of of M's mac and cheese at Panera Bread the other day was also very tasty.

The year is not over. I hope to consume one or two more things that are over-the-top delicious before the January diet starts. But so far, I enjoyed sitting down to that pizza more than anything else the entire season. I have provided a cropped closeup for your drooling pleasure.

Pizza Hut Pan Pizza (sausage, pepperoni, black olives, green pepper, grease)

And I washed it down with the cutest-ever bottle of full-sugared Coke, which even Santa cannot resist.

Is this staged or what?

I may add a few more things or not--it depends on how the last three days of the year (no pun intended) shape up. I would love to hear from you regarding your most satisfying mouthful this holiday season. Cronuts, anyone? Fruitcake?

More about the Power Outage - The Longest-Shortest and Darkest Day of 2013

My "white" maple on December 24

We did not have to sing or dream about a white Christmas this year. We had snow (and ice) aplenty by Christmas--a beautiful scene indeed. But at the close of winter solstice day, the shortest day of the year, my television screen clicked and flashed a few times, in the death throes of a power outage--and we were plunged into the longest and darkest day of the year.

Wires, thickened with ice, snapped. Heavy laden branches crashed down on other electric wires. Nature can be cruel ... and as long as we have vulnerable lines above ground, we will occasionally suffer storm effects. You might say we were "Under the Dome" of a very bad winter ice storm.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Michigan were without electricity last Sunday, maybe not noticing until that morning. I heard from several of my friends in the area that were untouched and we called Aunt V. to find that she was also fine, but I wonder how everyone else managed the day.

Today (Thursday) the last of the majority of Michigan Consumer Power customers were supposed to have been restored. Crews came from all over the country to help. It must have been dreadful working in all that snow and cold, with ice covering everything. But whatever they did, it was not good enough. Everybody wanted their heat back on now, to be able to fully enjoy the Christmas holiday. Hundreds, maybe thousands spent Christmas in a shelter.

 It has been about 10 years since we lost electric for more than a day because of a winter storm. This time we were more prepared! That handy little generator we bought late last year ran our refrigerator and other necessary appliances (like our coffee maker!) but not at the same time. When I plugged in the George Foreman grill to cook hamburger for the crock pot shepherd's pie we had planned, the generator groaned in protest. So I operated one appliance at a time, running extension cords from the garage and through the kitchen. First, grind beans, unplug, then make coffee; then plug in the grill to cook thick bacon slices, then plug in the toaster for some (frozen) waffles. (That was Monday morning breakfast.)

We could have gone out to eat, I suppose, but we did have a way to make it work here. As night fell, we found everyone a flashlight to light the path to the bathrooms. We did not need candles anywhere, since we had at least one lamp on, along with the light from the fireplace, which kept us toasty. It is great that water works when the electric is out. Imagine if we had electric toilets. All that white snow would have been streaked with yellow! At least we could all *poop in the house (quickly, in the chilly bathrooms located on the cold end of the house) during the outage.

At one point we plugged in the Christmas tree into our private little multiple outlet grid. We wondered if our neighbors thought we must have electric back on over here.

Our lights went out late Saturday night and it was getting cold by morning. All churches were cancelled on Sunday morning, and I received a plea from the "young marrieds" to come and rescue them. Their cars were stuck in their detached garage and they couldn't find the key. And it was getting cold. My 4-wheel drive vehicle is parked outside. I warmed it up, turning the heater on full blast, so the thick layer of ice would slide off the windows more easily with a scraper.

By Sunday late afternoon lights were on all around us, including our back yard neighbors, but neither of our houses was on a functioning grid. Our lights returned at 11:30 AM the next day--exactly 36 hours later, and the kids had light and heat by latter afternoon. We took them to work and picked them up; we drove them home to take a warm shower in a cold house and to empty their freezer into ours.

A few last minute Christmas gifts were not ordered Sunday, since the Internet was also down, but that was the least of our problems.

After a day with the four of us huddled into two rooms with one lamp and a gas stove fire and having to sleep on the sofas, we were sick of "camping out." While realizing we were more advantaged than many, it was not how we wanted to live--even for a day. The delight with the fact that we could keep warm in the storm and run a few appliances wore thin very quickly as the day and night dragged on.

It was my first experience with the noisy generator running in the garage (door half-open) all day. Every couple of hours I filled the tank with gas. I had to go out to buy more. We shut the generator off overnight. We will try to finish all the food that might have been somewhat compromised (not really) during the outage in our fridge and garage freezer. I just want to start the year fresh, anyway. You know, only healthy choices next year, after holiday indulgences. I have ordered the husband to bring home no more pizza or waffles and absolutely no more mashed potatoes from Costco.

*one poop per post per usual

Christmas Eve Day - the sun shone for awhile

Sunshine for Christmas

The sun came out today and shone through all the ice and snow. I hope someone took a lot of photos. I did not. The red berries encased in ice, with sparkling diamond droplets, which I noticed on my way in to the grocery store, were spectacular--but I was getting groceries for Christmas, not on a photo shoot.

Zoomed! Notice the branch that fell on the red maple.

So I took a few photos from the house, opening a slider door in the sun room. It was cheering to see some blue sky today. Tonight it will be dark early, of course; it is only three days out from the winter solstice. We will eat pizza, attend a Christmas program and open gifts.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Ice Storm and Power Outage

A couple hundred thousand homes in Michigan have been without power since the ice storm Saturday night. Our power was restored today just before noon. The ice, up to a half inch in some places, has been devastating to the power lines and to our lovely Michigan trees.

Driving around the city yesterday I heard branches snapping and dropping into the street. A few chunks of ice or snow fell on top of my car roof. I was concerned that a large branch might crush me if it fell--what were the chances?

The branches were literally hanging into the street, laden with their layered coats of ice and snow. I took this photo through my windshield:

Some yards were a mess. The trees were trimming themselves.

But it was pretty. A magical world of bare brown trees transformed into ice sculptures.

I never tire of seeing ice and snow on my trees.

Austrian Pine in my yard with snow on top of the ice

Surgery! (pre-Obamacare)

This little corner of cyberspace is about me, in case you haven't noticed. If other family members want to blather and blog about themselves they are free to do so.

So I don't talk too much about personal issues in the family.

However, the husband's diagnosis and surgery last month was a significant life event and I want to include it here, with his permission. Medical detail or photos are not really appropriate, so boring text only today. (We have a phone video of a doctor pulling a long rod out of the end of his toe from surgery two years ago, but no one wants to ever see that again, even me!)

Let me say first that he was able to access an experienced, highly educated and top-notch surgeon. He "enjoyed" a robotic laparascopic Da Vinci method surgery. He has a total of 7 puncture scars, sealed with glue. I believe that he had the best of modern medicine in America. And he was sent home to my care in less than 24 hours after the surgery was finished, with a prescription for a "controlled" substance and a warning not to drive under the influence. Of course, I picked him up from the hospital, but he was not so medicated that he didn't complain about every bump in the road I hit on the way home.

He was asked by the nurse if he felt safe at home. That was a new one to me. I would have appreciated it if I had been asked what "controlling" substance I would like a prescription for, in order to deal patiently with His Royal Grouchiness.

Surgery is never fun. I endured three C-sections (with a wonderful result each time) and I remember, 25 years later, the post-surgery-bent-at-the-waist-and-moving-slowly-pain. But women are plucky and do what they have to do. Men, however, are big babies. Without exception.

In the quarter-century since my surgeries, many things have changed and improved. Tracking everything with a computer and calling the nurse on her mobile is a huge improvement. The beds are cushier. They have those crazy leg squeezers that keep the blood in the legs circulating. And you don't even have to poop successfully before they send you home!

But as good as his nurses were and as great as the bedside manner of the PA (who was also the tool man for the robotic arms) was, I found that in the first few hours after surgery it was good to have an extra pair of hands available. I stayed until after 11:00 PM. He was under the influence of some pretty good meds by then which rendered him remarkably talkative and reasonably comfortable, as long as he didn't have to move. He was still pretty "hooked up" and it was hard for him to even reach for his ice water. The staff accommodated him with ice cream, popsicles and crackers. The whole experience was about as good as could be expected.

****************

We are extremely fortunate to have good insurance and access to the very best of health care. Hearing the horror stories already, early-on in the disastrous roll-out of "Obamacare," we are thankful that the surgery is over. Reportedly, over 6 million people have lost their insurance recently. And who really knows how health care may change in the future?

As we soon need to access Medicare, and, as future care under the ACA when fully implemented is needed, it will likely be subject to the dictates of new rules from a detached and incompetent government bureaucracy. We may be deemed too old for that hip replacement, or too old for that heart valve transplant (which gave my father-in-law a few more good years late in life).

I feel for those millions who have recently lost the policies that they were comfortable with and who may not find anything comparable at a price they can afford--or may find themselves with no insurance at all on January 1. More people were supposed to be covered; so far, more are without coverage than ever before.

Again, we are thankful for the care that was promptly available. And, thankfully, a full and complete recovery is expected.

Sadly, I am not confident that we will have the same good experience in the future, if "Obamacare" is implemented.

Fantasy Football - I'm # 1!

Last night I had two Bears football players in the last game of my league's fantasy football season--before playoffs.

It was brutal in Chicago. They were saying the wind chill was -7 degrees. At least they were not playing in 8 inches of snow--like the losing Lions in Sunday's game in Philadelphia. But Bears do cold better than Lions.

I have Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffrey on my team. Forte played with cold bare arms. They both had a pretty spectacular game against the Dallas Cowboys, with Jeffrey making one impossible catch in the end zone. Their above-projection play gave me a win for the week and a first place position in the league going into play-offs.

I had a bad draft report card (C-) and was predicted to place last: "appears destined for the basement." Well, I paid attention to my team but I do not know football. What happened was very, very lucky. There is money at stake, too, which sweetens the prospect of final victory.

I am not really competitive, but all I have to say is that winning surely beats losing. The husband encouraged me to join my daughter's league and finally convinced me to participate by paying my entry fee. Now he just keeps telling her, "we have created a monster." Kind of a poopy thing to say!

Christmas is Coming!

There are snowflakes flying and flames flickering in the gas stove--and I am beginning to think that Christmas just might be coming soon.

Angel on tree - 2012

Today we received our first Christmas card. It seems almost quaint (even if it was by Shutterfly) that people still send out cards.

 I also received notice of my first Christmas present--a gift subscription to Food and Wine magazine.

I have no Christmas tree up yet, but I have strewn Christmas lights all over the house, including on a small Norfolk pine in the computer room and in the bathroom.

The days are dark and the nights come early, so I leave low lights on everywhere.

 I need to do some serious shopping soon--even to find those small "stocking" gifts that are my responsibility. If this wintry weather continues, Amazon might have to be our go-to store this year.

Yes, it is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Are you ready? Are you already pooped out from getting ready?

My Top Ten List - Food Trends

I am compiling a list of the foods and/or dressy toppers that are currently trending, in my opinion--both those that tempt and annoy my palate. There are not so many new foods appearing on the scene (although the variety available is already staggering), but chefs are constantly conceiving of new ways to excite our palates, and awaken all of our senses--with alluring additives, addicting infusions, bold colors and combinations, tantalizing descriptions and precise platings. When we eat at a restaurant we don't usually sniff out (as a dog will) our food first--like we do when we swirl our merlot to fully appreciate all the fragrance notes--but smell is certainly integral to taste as well. And of course, eye appeal is huge for those who are not color blind. Occasionally we can hear the food as well--like when our steak comes out sizzling or when our saganaki flames up. And then there is the feel of food in our hands and mouth--texture, temperature etc. After all this, we have that marvelous tasting tongue which (hopefully) distinguishes sweet, salty, bitter and sour ... and that more elusive fifth savory taste, umami. Asians claim a sixth taste as well--one I think I want to avoid!

Some of us get bored with food and seek opportunity for a new taste experience. And there are those who are content to eat the same thing day after day, or who are just not tasters (how boring is that?) and may be excited more by color, texture, artistic plating or even portion size. But many of us are curious enough to want to try that new gastropub everyone is talking about or that new offering that is featured at our favorite market.

Sometimes I am forced to be creative and eat something a little weird just to use up leftovers--most recently, too much cranberry relish from Thanksgiving and leftover whipped cream. This is what I ate, using the extra cranberry/raspberry jam sauce that I boiled up myself:

Old fashioned Quaker Oats with cranberry sauce and Reddi Wip!

THE LIST

Well, here goes. This is my list, necessarily and admittedly subjective:

First is LEMON ZEST.  It sounds and looks and smells wonderful, especially as a garnish. But since when do we need to eat lemon peel? The bitter lemon peel should remain on the lemon, and be left to its role as an easy squeezy condiment for fish or as a swirly cocktail garnish--and then tossed and ground up in the disposal for a delightfully fresh lemon scent.

Next is CARAMELIZED ONIONS. They are everywhere. Anything caramel connotes a sweet richness. So I guess when caramelly onions are added to the sea-salted juicy (fatty) beef burger, that (supposedly deadly) trifecta of goodness is achieved. Onions do not agree with my digestive system, so this is another enhancement that is lost on me.

Then, often along with the onions ... there is BACON. Bacon is big and bad in flavor and fat. Did you try a bacon-wrapped turkey this year--or better yet, pancetta-wrapped? Some think that bacon mania is subsiding, but I disagree.

Bacon is not just for breakfast anymore. It is featured in cocktails, chocolate bars, and as a topping option at every fast food chain in town. For breakfast, it is no longer just two slices on the side (check out last week's Tea and Cookies blog), but it gets mixed into the blueberry waffle batter.

At The Ravenous Pig - candied bacon garnish

I have been totally into bacon this year, sampling every instantiation of it that I can find, including that baked brown sugar/coffee grounds recipe.

A friend of mine, aware of my obsessions, found this calendar for 2014, with recipes:

Bacon calendar from friend J

A waffle recipe:

Next, the fine marriage of salt and caramel, SALTED CARAMEL, appearing in everything from Starbucks coffee to holiday pies. I have not yet fully explored this trend, but I have always enjoyed caramelly candies and toppings for sundaes, etc. which are often accompanied by salty nuts.

(I later explored the union of salted caramel and rootbeer and I will never try it again! Maybe it was just this brand):

Yuck!

ROOT VEGETABLES are constantly touted, but I'm not sure what the big deal appeal is here. Eating roots does conjure up notions of healthy, hearty, earthy, even paleo.

Beautiful beet salad I enjoyed locally last summer.

 I like dirt (I am a gardener!), but I'm not so much into the rooty or the tooty (onions) veggies. Beets, especially, are finding their place at the table with more frequency, often in salads. But who really craves beet chips?

Thanksgiving 2011

KALE. If you have to deep fry kale to enjoy it, just forget it. I used it last year to garnish my turkey.

Friend O at local restaurant

LIME is certainly not new. After all, limes saved sailors from scurvy back in the day. But I am liking and using lime juice (not zest!) more and more and thus include the lime on my list. From my favorite marinade to my favorite drinks, lime is where it's at. Lime in my diet Coke, lime in my beer, lime in my gin and even lime in my V-8. What about lime zest and chili powder on your popcorn instead of butter and salt?

Purchased just today!

I am very glad that the lime dishes of my youth have trended out. Below is a photo of a jello that looks strangely familiar. It was taken from an Andrew Zimmern visit to some VFW event in Minnesota where he was asked to judge the jellos, as I recall.

FERMENTED VEGETABLES

I have not yet embraced this trend, either, except for the fresh dilly sauerkraut I use for Reuben sandwiches. Asian foods and flavors are definitely trending, with love for all things stinky and fermented (poopy and bathroomy smells!).

CRAFT BEER

Michigan has become the mecca of all things brewed. My latest risky purchase was a 6-pack of Vanilla Java Porter, brewed in Detroit. It is dark malt beverage brewed with coffee beans and featuring the addition of vanilla bean extract. It is actually quite nice--that from a Miller Lite-with-or-without-lime-drinker like me!

Is this a breakfast beer? Pair with bacon?

# 10

Can't seem to make a last choice here ... but it seems like everyone is making gnocchi. How about topping things with eggs? I've tried that this year. Also, polenta, arugula, adding smoke...

It makes sense that restaurateurs, chefs, food editors and bloggers are thinking about new and intriguing ways to appeal to our senses. And they jump on each other's bandwagons to tweet about their latest creations, promoting themselves or their businesses. And I am sure that they also create out of a boredom with the same-old same-old.

However, it also occurs to me that very ordinary foods are being elevated to a higher plane, like beets, kale, polenta or gnocchi (with its challenging pronunciation). At least these trends are more accessible to the everyday cook than, say, caviar, foie gras or duck confit.

It is interesting how faddish foods tend to come and go, much like fashion, fame or Facebook usage. What in the world will be next?

What do you think is trending in the culinary world? Best and worst you've had in 2013?

OKAY I'M STILL WORKING ON THE LIST BUT DECIDED TO PUBLISH IT NOW.

Rose goes An-TEAK-ing

Teak bowl from thrift store--what is it??

Last month I spent a Saturday afternoon visiting a few thrift stores. One thing my daughter and I always have an eye "peeled" for is teak--her eyes primarily peeled for mid-century furniture, while I will look at anything teak. Teak things are no longer as readily available new, since Thailand placed restrictions on exports of teak.

I have a used teak recipe box, bread box, paper towel holder, napkin holder, cheese tray, serving tray, picture frames and a more recent (new) vase from Indonesia, shown below.

So I found some more interesting pieces. Here is another one:

Teak tv tray??

When I returned home I announced that I had been out an-teak-ing. Nobody caught my clever little play on words! 

One more:

One coaster un-oiled, the rest freshly oiled--I use old olive oil

When I was actually in Thailand the only teak I could find to take home was a wooden fork and spoon from the night markets of Chang Mai. I was disappointed. I didn't even see a teak tree--as far as I know.

Another disappointment was a bout with the stomach flu while staying beachside in Hua Hin. I remember throwing up down a sewer grate. The smells coming up from below were worse than what I was adding. The sewer odors in Thailand were the pits. They smelled worse than poop!

Thai King celebrates birthday in Hua Hin today! Check it out--sitting on his blingy throne:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/383330/thais-celebrate-his-majesty-the-king-s-birthday

Thoughts on Food and Thanksgiving - Talking Turkey

This crazy Christmas consumer culture doesn't allow for one's turkey dinner to exit (requisite poop reference right up front) before it bombards us with Black Friday bargains. I actually went to the mall on Friday afternoon and the lines were not too long--but I was still exhausted and tryptophanned-out from a second go at the thanksgiving feast and only bought two small Yankee candles and a pair of Banana Republic argyle socks for my son-in-law's stocking. (I get him a pair every year, so no big deal if he happens to read this!)

Today, after a third attempt at finishing our cooking-for-12-marathon leftovers, I am still feeling stretched out and surprisingly hungry, but I can't stomach the thought of more turkey or mashed potatoes. The husband bought a long hickory smoked beef summer sausage at Costco--and that is calling to me from that great icebox which is our garage. I do not want to find it hidden in the tool chest in July, like I did one year! I also went to the store today for eggs and milk and found a loaf of Rothbury Farms apple fritter bread--which I find irresistible. What insanity led someone to market this? I love apple fritters! You are warned. Don't even look for this bread.

Anyway, Marissa and I cooked for a solid six hours Thursday afternoon and our men said everything was the best they had ever tasted. We did not spare any butter or cream or brown sugar or booze. But with only one oven, it was challenging, even hectic at the end--getting all the food hot and ready at the same time!

We have upgraded the green bean casserole as much as we can and added some dijon-braised brussel sprouts (with white wine and heavy cream) that ate like sauced candy to the traditional fare. The sweet potato crunch is really a dessert. A little garlic boursin spiked the mashed potatoes and new this year were hot baked rolls (Rhode's frozen) which intensified the single oven situation.

They look just as good as my mother's homemade!

We waited a while for the pie which Marissa had made ahead and spiked with rum, but she bought a Pillsbury crust instead of making last year's boozey vodka crust!

It really was a good meal and worth doing once a year. And it inspired a grateful spirit.

I took a couple of hurried photos that won't win any awards, but I include them so I will remember one day how much we all loved Big Food back in the day when we still had appetites.

This year's turkey got brown, but was a little overcooked in a Reynold's bag which somehow developed a hole.

Poor turkey's wing fell off
I actually ate the back-up bird--Butterball turkey breast slow-cooked in the crock pot, which was more moist and tasty.

Sweet Potato Crunch (Eet Smakeljk)

Dijon-braised brussel sprouts inspired by Smitten Kitchen

Thanksgiving Brunch:

Spinach Quiche inspired by Smitten Kitchen
(Arby's wine glasses contained cranberry juice and diet ginger ale)

Baked French Toast inspired by Paula Deen, served with maple syrup

Costco croissants, salmon and boursin

A Suddenly Snowy Sunday (and a Big Fantasy Football Win!)

A little snow and cold changes everything--overnight. The first thing I did this morning on the way to the coffeepot was to consult our indoor-outdoor thermometer: 21 degrees F. Brrr.

Our local meteorologist's blog claims that this has been the coldest November in a decade or so here in West Michigan, after years of warmer falls and later snows. This dusting of snow will melt next week according to projections, but it surely feels like OLD MAN WINTER is upon us. I am not yet ready for him.

 I am glad I am not a football game attendee. I watched a little football on a 52-inch screen from the cozy comfort of my couch. (It looks like I, with my "C-" draft report card took out our fantasy football league's "A" report card holder. I was the highest scorer today in our league of 12 and will probably move into 2nd or 3rd place. I am also at the top of the league pick'em. And there is money involved! I had to grab a brand new wide receiver this week to cover a bye. He was projected at 4.35 fantasy points and managed 16.40. Lucky, lucky me.

So anyway, until my blood thickens (thins?) I cranked up the gas fireplace stove in the cold, old aluminum-frame windowed sun room. I unpacked the Sunbeam heated throw that I bought yesterday. I snuggled in.

Last week's rain and wind storm once again took out the electric--but only for a couple of hours. A few people I know went without for days--showering at the health club, sleeping on the floor at the parent's condo, etc.

With our new furnace, new gas stove, new electric blanket and now a new heated throw, I plan to stay toasty all winter. If the electric goes out, I will toast in front of the gas stove which was installed when our furnace failed this past New Year's Day.

The big Husqvarna makes piles, but doesn't bag them.

But I am not finished with the leaves, I protest! Our honey locust tree once again dropped at least 30 bushels of pods--those are mostly now at the yard waste dump. Tomorrow I want to stay indoors--but I need to bundle up and pack up some bags of leaves for a final Tuesday morning pickup. I scavenged 10 free bags at the dump last week (worth $25) so I plan to put them all out on the street.

Honey locust pods land everywhere--many in the gutters.

 I have crazy looking tubers and rhizomes drying in the sun room. It is too cold for them in the garage and they need to dry for a week or so before they are packed away in boxes of peat moss in my aunt's root cellar.

The E-gifted azalea is once again beginning to bloom for Thanksgiving. I really need a greenhouse here!

Hymn board flanked by geranium and azalea

I see a low of 16 degrees F for Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Stay warm and drive safely.

Just Get Me to the Church On Time

We tried to fit in too much, not remembering that traffic can be a bit of a nightmare in a large city like Chicago.

fruit from Michigan!

Last weekend, after a noisy night on the 12th floor of the Aloft hotel (a fire station was way too near) we had Saturday breakfast at the nearby XOCO. I decided to order something authentic rather than say, eggs and bacon. I don't know what the others ordered, but I think my daughter R had something with "pork belly." I ordered my entree with no beans--I cannot manage beans for breakfast, and certainly not before a wedding. (That is as close as I am going to get--in this post about a lovely old (prudish) grandma and a lovely wedding--to the (requisite reference to) things that belong in the bathroom--or in my lawn.)

The red tomato salsa stuff at the base of my entree was fresh and delicious. I also shared a delicious butternut squash muffin. I took just one quick food photo!

Heuvos Rancheros at XOCO 

After breakfast we got our wedding clothes together and left downtown Chicago for suburban Downers Grove. Not having yet celebrated Grandma Rose's October 95th birthday with her, we were scheduled to take her to lunch and then get her to the wedding of her granddaughter on time. Things did not go well. We missed an expressway exit that might have provided a faster route and were assaulted with seemingly endless un-timed red lights. We were running late.

We told Grandma to stay in her room and we would come for her.

Grandma was ready and waiting by the entry. I did not want to help her for fear of being responsible for contributing to a fall, but I jumped out to help her into the front seat.

We hurried to the nearest restaurant, Rock Bottom Brewery. I had lunch there before Grandpa's funeral, just two years ago. There was an abnormally large curb looming ahead in our path between the car and the restaurant. Step up, Grandma! Oops! (Can't lift her leg that high). Slow motion...sinking to the sidewalk...her son holding on to her one good arm. She is down. Shocked. Seems okay. Whew. Our second worst nightmare after traffic--allowing the grandma to fall!

Then we started ordering everything on the menu we thought she might enjoy and eat easily, including mashed potatoes--after she said she wasn't hungry. Neither were we. But here we were for lunch. The husband started reading stuff off the menu. Do you like calamari? I snorted at the ridiculousness of that suggestion. I remember that the hot spinach dip was as delicious as it usually is when well made. Lots of doggie boxes were loaded into our trunk.

Then back to the rest home. Two long black skirts to try--the first one was falling off her hips. She has become so petite, with such a tiny waist! I helped her with her shoes, fastened her necklace. She grabbed some earrings from on top of the dresser. The matching ones were nowhere to be found, likely put in a safe place for the wedding!

We are running late. Grandma couldn't find her comb. I had one. Get Grandma back in the car--moving slowly. Please, no falling! No time to fill up with gas. Third nightmare: we think there is enough gas to get to the church.

Oh Oh. Accident on the Eisenhower? And no kids with smart phones in the car. What shall we do? Stay on the expressway and hope. Grandma seems oblivious to the problem, but I tell the husband to be quiet and not upset her. She remarks about how long it has been since she has seen the beautiful downtown skyline.

We finally merged unto the Kennedy from the Eisenhower and are still not moving well in traffic. Where is everyone going on a Saturday afternoon? Then we have only 4 miles left on the gas gauge indicator, but we think we can see the church steeple from the exit!

 I need to help Grandma up the steps of the church--oh please, no falling. With only 5 minutes to spare (and then the wedding began about 15 minutes late) I handed off the grandma to the father of the bride--she needed a corsage and to get ready for her special walk down the aisle. I said "She's all yours." Whew! I looked apologetic and mumbled something about traffic. He looked upset that we hadn't arrived the requested half-hour early.

The wedding was beautiful and proceeded without a hitch as far as I could tell: nine attendants, the niece a beautiful bride. A professional took 50 photos of the unity candle-lighting alone. I behaved myself and left my camera in my purse. Teared up just a little.

After the wedding we still had an empty gas tank. We now had the kids with the smart phones with us, but they don't exactly have an app for nearest gas. We were now down to 2 miles left, with more busy traffic and no gas station in sight.

We were in wedding clothes--but surely within walking distance of something. Nightmare scenarios were playing out in my mind.

I began breathing my thoughts upward with lots of please help us. Stat.

We got in the wrong lane, merged right with a wave, over the overpass, turned left and up a block or so a big Costco came into view--the husband's favorite gas and mashed potato store!

He filled the tank to a greater capacity then the owner's manual indicated.

We were saved. Whew.

We had about 3 hours to kill before the reception at Maggiano's Little Italy, conveniently located right across the street from our Aloft hotel.

 I wondered. Will there be mashed potatoes at the Italian restaurant? Or just pasta? Any comfort food sounded good. That and an open bar...

Fresh flowers at XOCO

Wedding Weekend in the City

A weekend wedding trip to Chicago started with a bowling party! This is a 4-lane facility with real people setting up the pins.

 My husband's family liked to go bowling over the Thanksgiving holiday back in the day, so this is sort of an old November family tradition.

Finding our first dinner venue too busy, we arrived earlier than our assigned time of 8:00 PM and enjoyed good old fashioned bowling food: beer, burgers, fries, fish and chips. And nachos:

The menu at Southport Lanes claims Craft Beer, Craft Food and Craft Bowling. We were all hungry and enjoyed the heavy fare that weighed down our stomachs as we attempted to roll those heavy balls down the two lanes which had been reserved for our group of 9.

The elder statesman of the group volunteered to finger a pencil rather than a ball. I played one line and managed to break a hundred, which not everyone did--two strikes helped. I attempted to tip the pin boys by putting a dollar in the thumb hole, as suggested by a sign on the wall, but our pin-setter did not take it, so after 3 rolls I pulled it back out. He seemed to knock down a few pins with his stick for the younger and prettier in our group.

This sort of bowling is certainly a throwback to a simpler un-mechanized time and the balls occasionally were thrown back, rolling up the lane for a third shot at any missed pins.

The whole evening was an adventure in experiencing an old Schlitz brewery building from around 1900 now occupied by a noisy crowd of the young and thirsty. Everybody in our group was disappointed in their inability to score well in this simple old game, but had had enough beer so they didn't care too much.

The bathrooms were upstairs and old-fashioned as well. A simple wooden shelf with door stoppers provided a unique way to hold the toilet paper--something I have a propensity to notice, even as I manage to incorporate a point of reference for "poop" in each post!

The website claims that the upstairs rooms were used for brothel purposes back in the day.


More wedding weekend events coming...