Epcot - Feasting at the Festival

beet pop - $1

What would a festival be without food? And drink! It was hot and we slaked our thirst in at least 4 countries!

Lunch was on the run and on the street. I couldn't manage the food and a camera but I recall some tasty tacos and a watermelon and goat cheese salad.

Later the girls sampled a beet lollipop!

Midday we cooled down at a little gem in Mexico,
La Cava del Tequila. I had a Coffee Mexcal Margarita
that was completely refreshing. Erica had the flight and Rebecca enjoyed a Jalapeno Margarita.

tequila flight and chaser

La Cava del Tequila bar

What a beauty, all dipped in pink Hibiscus Himalayan salt!

The next stop for refreshment was in Germany and I needed a coffee. I have no photos to help me recall what adult beverages the girls might have consumed.

Following the Herman's Hermits concert we again needed to cool off, this time in the Rose and Crown Pub in the UK. I had a Stella Artois to go--the bar was very busy and we soon took our beer to the street.

The girls set their beer down to meet Pooh and Tigger. Tigger was kind of crazy--I'll spare him the embarrassment of a photo.

We were getting hungry now and headed back to France to be on time for our reservation at Monsieur Paul, a newly remodeled upstairs restaurant that is upscale and yet allows for casual guests. I wonder if Rebecca knew that this was the most expensive restaurant in all of Disney! She looked pretty shocked when she saw the bill!!! I was her guest but chipped in a little for the meal, which was the best I've had in a long time. What a great way to end a Mother's Day!

The food was all fabulous. After that Stella and then sipping a bottle of red wine from the south of France--and having very little to eat--I was a little bit silly and garrulous. Our waiter was accommodating, but there was a slight language barrier and my girls were wishing I would just be quiet (shut-up) and enjoy the food!

The website menu I checked didn't have all the food, so I don't have all the entree names and descriptions. I should have had the beef, since a filet beats chicken any day, but Rebecca's Red Snapper with scallops of potatoes simulating scales, with fennel, in a rosemary sauce was a work of art. I wish I could think of the appropriate adjectives that would do justice to the rich tastes of these dishes, but I will let the photos do the talking. Click on them and once again, drool!

What an elegant place setting!

Erica digs in to the Truffle Soup

Three Chocolate Cake with chocolate ice cream

Epcot and a Herman's Hermits Concert - Mother's Day Weekend in Florida

When you visit a theme park you know there will be crowds and that it will be expensive, but I recently found that there also will be things to learn and some surprises along the way. And it will be a feast for the senses!

One of those surprises, as we were strolling through Epcot May 12, on Mother's Day, was happening upon a live Herman's Hermits concert. Peter Noone is now 65 and prancing around stage and singing the old hits just like he did when I attended a concert in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in the 60's. Apparently he has recently put himself on a successful diet and he looked great from a distance. He was my first and favorite, a few years before the other big British invasion band hit our shores--The Beatles.

What was more surprising is that both of my 30-something girls knew all the words to the old hits! It was a feast for the ears that brought me way back in time.

Not so much a feast for the eyes was all the grey hair in the audience, aging hippies with pony tails and this totally Disney dude:

My girls know how to navigate a park and we got our fast passes in a timely fashion. The simulated ride over California was pretty cool, with breezes, and even a whiff of orange as we passed over an orange grove, a little surprise for the nose.

Another highlight was the guided tour "Behind the Seeds." Our guide was from Iowa:

The guide shared a taste of the gardens with us - freshly sliced cucumbers.

Winter Melon

One "Cinderella" pumpkin required a hammock

Bananas!

Erica snapped this photo with her phone.

Every plant was productive and every leaf was perfect. It is a controlled environment where thousands of lady bugs are released strategically to control some of the undesirables.

Look at this perfect lettuce:

The lettuce was planted in a bi-color Mickey-ears pattern:

Erica took this photo on the ride--our guide for the seeds tour is in the back.

Even this hose was wound perfectly by a Disney staffer:

Next: The food (including feasting in France) and a few adult beverages along the way.

Festivals, Food and Fun in Florida - Mother's Day Weekend 2013

So my girls in Florida have probably been wondering if I would include some posts from Mother's Day weekend, wondering what I would say about what a good time I had with them. The memories and images and tastes are already fading, but I have photos to remind me. Since my computer remained crashed (BSOD) for awhile, I wondered whether I would even be able to save the photos, which had not been backed up. But here I am.

I will start with some of the good food I enjoyed. I did manage to enjoy at least three notable restaurants and one cool bar and I have way more photos than I should include here!

The first day (Friday) I went to lunch with Erica at Hawkers--a new (2011) place that was new to both of us. https://www.facebook.com/hawkersstreetfare

Erica loves Asian fare and we ordered and shared some tasty stuff. She also consumes liquids like a fish and had several beverages in addition to ice water, including some Vietnamese beer and this Thai iced tea:

Pad Thai

Fried green beans 

That evening was my bacon-burger night, but the next day, on Saturday afternoon we drove to New Smyrna Beach and shopped a little before dinner. I had never seen this section of the coast before, including the drive-on beach. I took this photo of succulents for Marissa, thinking of her obsession with them and wishing she could have been included on this mostly "girls weekend."

We dined at The Garlic, arriving early on this Saturday evening so we would not have to wait in the long line that had formed by the time we left.

It would not be a good place for vampires. There are sacks of garlic hanging everywhere! But my entree could have been mistaken for something a vampire would enjoy. It was a giant meatball, set in a rich red sauce. Hmm. No wonder my blood was good to go last week when I donated to the Red Cross! The entree was the size of a bocce ball and could not have been finished in one sitting. I shared a taste here:

My Bocce Ball entree
Sadly, I see my still missing glasses on the table

One more closeup!

Click on this and drool!

I photographed the other entrees as well:

something ducky

something fishy?

I understand that the kids had taken the husband there when he last visited. It is a unique place with an old country indoor/outdoor ambiance. It was late-afternoon hot but there are warmers and a fireplace available. The restaurant is very popular; in fact, there was some annoying construction going on, as they are expanding the facility to accommodate more guests.

I waddled out with a box of  left-over Bocce Ball and ate it again for Monday lunch. It was not drop-dead-to-die-for-delicious. It was pretty good Italian country fare, but the presentation and the big-ball concept was unique and worth trying once. I am saving all foodie expletives for the French food we ate on Sunday night in France at Epcot. The Asian, the Bacon-burger, the Italian--nothing compared.

Next: Eating and drinking our way through the countries at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.

My First Bacon & Egg Burger

Not the greatest photo, but trust me--it was wonderful.

Grilling dinner poolside

Every time I am in Florida visiting my daughters I hope to try out a new restaurant or two and plan a menu that involves my son-in-law displaying his grill skills.

With summer coming, the magazines and blogs have been featuring lots of ideas for beefing up burgers. I have also been watching a few episodes of "The United States of Bacon."

So when I was in the Orlando area for Mother's Day weekend I was inspired to buy ground beef, bacon and eggs. I decided to beef up the burger with chicken (eggs) and pork. We chopped the bacon into small pieces, mixed it in with the ground meat along with some ground salt and pepper and grilled the burgers to well done. They were still juicy from the extra fat!

Rebecca showed me how to poach a perfect egg and the two of us were brave enough to top our burgers with one, the yolk running just a little. (I don't know what would be wrong with just frying the egg--fried in the grease from an extra strip or two of the bacon!)

We also added white cheddar, grilled rings of onion, and sliced tomato. Grilled asparagus filled out the menu. Dessert was a small portion of vanilla ice cream topped with a compote of recently picked Florida blueberries. All eaten poolside in perfect evening temperatures.

I personally thought my burger was delicious and can't wait to try this again sometime, maybe sans poached egg.

We discussed appropriate names for the creation--such as the Farm Burger, since it included all the animals my father had on our farm (except for the dogs and cats and peacocks!) It even included cow's milk in the cheese.

Another Blood Drive

My heart (or at least its life-blood) had been promised to another. This past Friday, by mistake, I broke my promise, spilling out a precious pint to a competing organization.

I learned recently during that short memory-loss episode that my blood iron level was sufficient to once again donate. Michigan Blood had been calling and I promised that I would come in to make a donation soon. It has been busy and it is an easy thing to put off, especially since it seems to zap my energy for a day or two.

So when I learned that my church was having a blood drive I thought that that would be a convenient way to donate. What I didn't know is that I had signed up to give to the Red Cross. They use the blood in their disaster relief efforts--and there has been quite a bit of that lately, so I should have no regrets, I suppose. They had a little different system and it was fast--a pint was drained in about 5 minutes flat as I was gently squeezing a ball to facilitate the flow. They measured hemoglobin, not calculating hematocrit level. I was at 14.5. I didn't feel dizzy afterwards, but later had little energy. I went home to lay down for a bit and promptly fell sound asleep, in the middle of the afternoon. My arm bruised a little and is turning many colors, but otherwise it was pretty easy and I am glad to have been able to donate and once again reduce my iron level to a low normal. I previously referred to this as my plan for blood-letting. I hope that some day it will be common knowledge that this is "a good thing."

 But having started my donation history (one donation and two failed attempts because of low iron) with one blood organization, I felt a certain loyalty to Michigan Blood. Like a woman once bitten by a vampire is forever changed, I was now connected, in a way, to the first blood-taker (sucker?). I had a donor card. I learned shortly before the donation that I had indeed now promised my blood to another--it was a completely different organization, but it was too late to turn back!

Oh well--how bad can one feel, really, for having given a successful donation to the American Red Cross? I called Michigan Blood to tell them to stop calling me now--for at least a year.

I wonder how much of my natural or acquired immunity (I claim to even have had West Nile virus) was transferred in that donation? I think I should get at least a hundred bucks per donation for my pure blood, tainted only by that daily baby aspirin. That seems only fair. What do you think?

Blue Screen of Death and a Greening Rain of Life

My neighbor added an owl last week to watch over our shared "heart" garden

I learned a new phrase last week. My computer displayed a lovely BSOD after a failed download.  After trying various delete and restore operations we called a tech guy. Today I picked up my laptop from the office of Patrick, who had done the work "on the side." He didn't have to wipe it clean--my files were preserved. There had been a problem with an old security system which he eliminated and replaced. I now have avast! Antivirus, he added a defraggler icon and cleaned it up a bit.

Along the way I heard a few horror stories of other cases (at least one terminal) of Blue Screen of Death. We had managed to save all my files to a new flash drive using safe mode, just in case it would need a "wipe."

I am so delighted to have my computer home again and completely functional. My last post here was early May and I have yet to tell my wonderful adventures in Florida on Mother's Day weekend. Now, if I could only find my glasses, and if only Mike would come over with some freon for the air-conditioner I would be happy--for at least a day or so!

It was cool and rainy today and we didn't need the air. I found my old glasses in a drawer. And the grass on the other side of the fence--and especially in my yard--could not be any greener. (See above)

And I am so happy about all the rain, even though the bathroom ceiling leaked a little today.

 I managed to mow all the long green lawn grass by Saturday. I also seeded a large section of lawn at the rental house, and on Wednesday and Friday I helped plant dozens of flats of annuals in the church garden. (Frank died in February, but all his flowers were already growing in the greenhouse.) The cool rainy weather is just perfect for the new plants to settle in and for the grass seed to germinate.

I also transplanted hostas and more in Marissa's garden last week. Hostas three feet wide popped right out after the gentle spring rains. I also helped my pastor divide old clumps of daffs and tulips at his recently purchased home. At Aunt V's I planted dahlias, cannas, callas and leftover Easter lily bulbs. All things green and growing are getting a good boost from the thunder-cloud rains.

So lots of volunteer work, too, last week and by Saturday night--utter exhaustion.

But, I sat around eating bad (indulgent) food and birthday cake all holiday weekend. My muscles are well rested now--except for my stomach muscles, which are once again stretched way too far.

We ate our first Costco cake (new members this year) on Memorial Day--pretty decadent, all decorated in white and purple roses for Aunt V's birthday. I took home the remaining couple of pieces, which are now demolished.

After our Memorial Day picnic lunch, it once again started to rain--more glorious rain.

I heard once, over a decade ago, that Martha Stewart did her transplanting in the rain and I make no apologies for occasionally gardening in the rain--or mowing the lawn after dark! Now, of course, Martha has a full time head gardener and many helpers on her farm, but I respect that she worked hard for years doing the nitty-gritty stuff, too--like de-lousing her chickens. Wow, I don't even know what that means. I don't remember our chickens on the farm getting lice or needing to be de-loused.

(I always manage to include some of my recurring themes in these posts! Lousy chickens. The farm. Martha Stewart. Rain and watering. Eating too much good food. The weather. My aching/aging/retirement body. Flowers.)

Life moves on, with another birthday on the horizon. Three friends join me for a July birthday and I hope we can celebrate with cake only once--or less!

 A church member died this week. A new baby joined us at the family picnic Memorial Day.

New baby birds (and their attentive parents) have lately been loud and chirpy. My neighbor Lynn picked up a fat worm from the wet sidewalk and dropped it into the wide open mouth of a baby robin who had jumped ship but could not fly. We still have a nest of baby sparrows that are surviving, their nest rimmed in poop. I took a photo today. They are staying dry and warm in their nest atop a porch light. A low-wattage bulb doesn't seem to bother them.

Lol. I even managed to fit in a "poop" reference in this post!

A Walk in the Woods

trillium

It was quite a May Day today. It reached the lower 80's. By 7:00 PM we relented and turned on the air for the first time. Earlier in the day I enjoyed a walk in the park.

bloodroot

ramps

All the trees and  buds and flowers are popping. The forsythia seemed to explode in just one day.

The garden club had scheduled a walk in the woods to see the trillium and other wild flowers, which were not really open last week when the event had been originally scheduled. I am still learning about wild flowers but came to recognize a few more. I saw ramps, which I had enjoyed as a soup garnish of ramp pistou earlier in the week. I took many photos and will share just a few. The untended wild flowers are a testament to their creator, faithfully and gloriously sprouting up each spring, pushing through the layers of messy leaves and fallen logs that are strewn about the forest understory.

trout lily

Calipers on my Car?

I knew something was very wrong with my car and getting worse. But I was in denial. I knew the horrendous scraping noise was getting louder, especially when I braked. But hey, the brakes still worked. I tried to glide through stop signs and hit all the green lights in order to avoid braking.

Like an old man who has a pain in his gut and is too afraid to go to the doctor and be given a life-altering diagnosis, I neglected my old car--afraid of the bad news I knew was coming. I have needed new brakes before but I have never before heard the excruciating sounds of metallic friction that were emanating from my Montero Sport's left rear end.

So finally last week the car went in to the garage. I had a friend pick me up at the shop in her school bus. We went out for coffee and a club sandwich as I awaited the dreaded phone call and she awaited her next run. Ouch. Two hours later I took the call--I had a broken caliper. They come in pairs as I learned. Only one was broken, but they recommended replacing both. What the heck were calipers? My gearhead brothers will laugh at me. I don't think I have ever replaced my calipers before.

And then it gets worse. I needed a new alternator, and belts as well. The battery had already been replaced and the car was starting fine, but I guess it was only a matter of time--it was not charging.

At some point during the final phone call informing me that my car was ready, the man at the shop called me hon. I appreciated that he was trying to be accommodating to me, but a tiny tinge of feminism reared its ugly head. My hackles were aroused...but my calipers were fixed!

The bill. $1398. And that was for only the one caliper. The car is now as quiet as a good dream and I can once again slam on my brakes without cringing from the screeching sounds of metal on metal.

For another couple hundred they would have replaced the pump for my windshield fluid. I have invested in a cheap squirt bottle to keep in the car.

I don't often write about my Dad. His name was Melvin and I liked him very much. My husband lost his father less than two years ago and sees him every day when he looks in the mirror. My parents have been gone so long that I can go days without thinking about them. And I try not to look in the mirror very often. But my bad brakes reminded me of my father. To save on brakes, he would go dangerously fast around corners. He careened out of our driveway onto the highway sans brakes. I recall that it felt dangerous.

I was also reminded that he delighted in freaking me out by navigating the ditches and ridges on the farm at a tipping angle. I'm sure he knew what was safe, but he delighted in trying to frighten me. 

I wonder if he did the same to those old gearhead brothers of mine?

I wonder if he would be amused by my bad caliper and braking-avoidance technique?

Fire and Ice in April

It's snowing--let's turn up the heat!

Today was a terrible, horrible, very bad April Day. I look at photos from last year when we had an early spring--too early really, as the apple blossoms bloomed and froze--and I marvel at the contrast. This is ridiculous. It was windy and cold this morning and then this afternoon--snow pellets began to blow about. You can see the accumulation on the ivy outside the window.

Tomorrow we will be a month into Spring. Nearly 10 inches of April showers have swelled the rivers and lakes, but it has been so chilly that the grass is hardly greening. One yellow pansy is trying to bloom in a half whisky barrel I planted last fall, a few primroses are peaking out pink and of course, the plucky crocuses and Lenten roses have been blooming for awhile. But it is pretty grim out there and spring cleanup has ground to a halt.

Inside, I have one bright spot. My amaryllis is indeed spectacular. I have photographed its progress as the stalk grew to 27 inches before opening up to bloom in triplicate.

Here is my blooming beauty as of today, April 19, 2013:

Fitness, Friends and Failure

When I was in my twenties I could eat a whole pizza every Friday night (and did for awhile when we were living in our Oak Park, IL apartment) and never think about gaining weight. Now I eat a small thin crust pizza and know it will make me gain weight.

I never learned the discipline needed early in life, when I still had hormones and muscles and no laptop or HD television.

About a week ago I finally joined a popular on-line site for weight loss, My Fitness Pal. I am trying to bring some more accountability into my life.

I was soooo good all week. I went out to eat only once and had fajitas--ate just the veggies and the meat and a little cheese. I mostly ate at home and mostly stayed near my (near-starvation) goals.

Girls Night Out - Shared fajitas and 1/2 price Wednesday wine

And then the full load of temptation hit on the weekend, on day 8 of the program.

It all went south on Saturday, late afternoon. An art gallery opening included a good friend and we showed up to lend our support. All the artists brought food and many baked. Cookies, bars, cheese and crackers--there it all was. And I had eaten vegetables all week.

Then we went out for dinner.

And then we were invited to the artist's home for pie and cookies and coffee. Not to be rude ... I ate a piece of pie and one more cookie.

And then Sunday: book club dinner and discussion--a generous spread of mostly healthy stuff, including a lovely bowl of fruit--but also a tempting bowl of chips and dip!

Fruit glowing in the early evening sunshine

And then I tasted the Texas sheet cake dessert. Oh my. Do you think I had just one of these moist, gooey, freshly-baked, almond-infused, nutty, frosted bars of goodness?

And so it goes. Do you think I put all this in my food diary???????????????????????

Plants for Four Seasons

A confusing array of plantings

When I scan my plant collection I could easily become confused as to what time of year it is. I bought a hosta and a rose bush at the home and garden show, which remain in the sun room until I can safely plant them in the yard. I have a few of those geraniums that were saved in the basement laundry room in a brown bag for the winter.

And then the above plants are moved around the house in order to capture some natural light. The poinsettia still looks too good to throw out. It was gifted to me at Christmas. The Easter lily was gifted to me on Easter Sunday. And my three-year-old gifted amaryllis is about to open up once again. The stalk has now grown to two feet above the bulb and I expect it will be spectacular when it opens. A five-year-old gifted azalea is not blooming currently. And an April anniversary planter has a variety of plantings included--croton, palm, hydrangea and those little pink polka-dot plants that are sold as summer annuals in our Michigan zone.

If I had been asked what time of year it was when I was quizzed to determine whether I had really lost my mind during that recent episode of transient global amnesia--I would have been totally confused by looking at my plantings!

I cannot kill a plant and sometimes the sun room becomes a little too crowded with plants for all seasons. The curse of a good green thumb...