All posts by stradingerm@gmail.com

Having been a journalist for 35 years, I have plunged into web publishing to create the wider market for my eclectic writings. In Spinning Straw into Gold, you can follow our life in New England. Lunch with Marjorie celebrates my belief that everybody has a story...everyone can inspire. These are stories of ordinary people living extraordinary lives highlighting joys, sorrows, leadership, heroism, but always inspiration. City Cites is your guide to travel, food and entertainment Here (New England) and Elsewhere (wherever we go). I have also included my Pray for our Troops bookmark, and my resume workbook and writing services. More to come: Sourdough Cookbook, children's books, and other projects. See my contact page if you want to share YOUR STORY on Lunch with Marjorie, and I welcome your comments. Email me at marjorie@readmstradinger.com.

TLC at the DMV

th-3   Avoidance of the dreaded DMV visit had to end. After all, legally, our transfer from Illinois to Connecticut should have happened in 30 days. But, that didn’t take into consideration hotel life for 17 months, the not-sale of our IL home, and the continued “temporary living” status we enjoyed for most of 2008 and 2009.
But it was time. So on our first 80 degree day in April, the air-conditioned DMV seemed like a good place to escape the heat. 🙂 Right?

My first DMV line happily placed me next to older teens who knew a lot more than I about DMV lines. They must have noticed my old-lady lost look, and they took pity, telling me I really didn’t have to do this particular line, and could go directly to kiosk (GO)–although no mention was made about collecting any salary–and in fact, the kiosk wanted me to swipe a card, get my picture taken (not for the license–who knows for what!) and obtain a receipt which would allow me the joy of skipping over to the inching centipede–thousand-legger line on the other side of the building. This line was for those wishing a CT drivers license, update, driving or eye test, or replacement license.

Thank you teenagers! The pre-kiosk line had only cost me an initial ten minutes, rather than an additional hour.  th

But, this was still an hour and a half until my turn at the desk where I had to show ID, an address with my name on it, and surrender my passport and Illinois license. Didn’t know I needed a proof of address. Raced to my car, tore off a cardboard box address label that thank God was still in my car, raced back to the desk and presented it.

Noooooo. It was NOT a piece of mail.

“Oh come on!” I mistakenly called it a UPS box, instead of the legitimate USPS. They sound so similar, and after calling on an officer of the law to accept this–which he would not as UPS, but okayed as USPS I heaved a “whew!!” I was in.

I sat back down in the eye-test waiting area and listened in on various conversations–parents and teens, new residents, disgruntled people who didn’t think it was a good idea to waste April’s first 80 degree day.
My turn at the eye test. I was really stressing out the binoculars. We already know from my trip to Holyoke that I have challenges with my amblyopic situation. My testing officer was a dear man, about my age. Don’t these police people have crimes to solve? Never been to a DMV that used police officers for eye tests.

Unknown
“Um. Can’t do the binocular thing,” I confessed. “Which eye would you like me to use first?” I think my innocence was a plus.

“Left eye, please,” he said. “Okay, then.” Numbers, not letters–aced it.

Then the dreaded right eye, which is yellowing, according to my optometrist, but not enough for cataract surgery yet. 🙁 “I slipped on prescription sunglasses.) Aced this one too.

Then he said, “Which sign is closer?”

“Oh-oh,” said I. “Also a binocular question. I have no idea.”

“Try again,” he prodded, not able to process my dilemma.

“Um. Ok. But, they all look the same.”

He gave me one of the most tender looks I have ever seen, even outside of a DMV. Well I have actually never seen a kind look inside a DMV until this day.

“But, then how do you see which car is closer?” he asked, totally genuine, concerned for my welfare (which we all know is well-placed concern. See Finding My Way–scroll back).

“Well, I compensate,” I told him. “And, I don’t drive at night, and I don’t do Interstates, and I don’t put myself in situations where this might be a problem,” to which he gave me a look of incredulity but still kind.   th-1

“I probably don’t see it as well as you do,” I offered, hoping ego-boosting (for him, not me) would help my case.
In the meantime, dear Jay decided this was a good time to check in, and my cell phone blared Santa Baby by Eartha. Now the sign at the desk clearly says no one can have a cell phone on. I forgot to turn mine off. Santa Baby played its whole theme because I wasn’t audacious enough to answer it, or even reach to turn it off.
The USPS approver walked through our eye test area, leaned in, and exclaimed, “You have just made my day. I love that song.”
I was so happy to have made someone’s day!! Christmas in April. Who knew? Santa Baby on a contraband cell phone!! At the DMV!

My officer was writing some things on his paper, winding up my test report, when he threw me another curve (which I could see).

“Were you using prescription glasses?”   Unknown-1

“Um. Only on my right eye. I assure you, I use my left eye more. So pleeeeease don’t put ‘Needs correction’ on that paper. I haven’t had an accident that was my fault in 40 years of driving,” I said, hoping this too would comfort him. (After leaving the DMV, I realized I have been driving a tad longer than 40 years. Oh well. I didn’t get the math genes. And, that made me sound younger.)

He sighed. I wasn’t sure what he wrote, so I pushed my luck.

“You aren’t writing glasses on that, right? Cause, really, I mostly use my left eye.” I don’t think that had been a sigh of relief, but rather of resignation.

“No,” he said, shaking his head, and still that look of, “I hope she’ll be alright.”

I took my seat for another wait–this time the real picture. Only two hours and I was more than half way through–so I imagined.

It only took a half hour to get to the picture–and these people are nice.

“You’re way too nice to work at a DMV,” I said to my final desk gal. “How do you explain them letting you work here?”

“They let us drink,” she said straight-faced.

“Nice, and a sense of humor!” Unbelievable.

It took six tries to get my picture with the hopes my left eye wouldn’t turn in, as it does when I am tired. The two hour wait wore me down. I was tired. My left eye turned in. 🙁

th-1
“So I have to wait till the renewal for a new picture?” I asked. “2016?”

She smiled. She had tried. I couldn’t ask for portrait quality, even from this obviously caring soul after her six tries to get my eye right.

Oh well. Only a final half hour to request the procedure for me saving Jay from this two and a half hours of waiting, which another very nice desk person explained and gathered forms for.

Armed with power of attorney, registration forms for two cars, a motorcycle, and a temporary registration for getting the motorcycle from Massachusetts to Connecticut for its real registration, all that remained was getting insurance on the vehicles, and double-checking the list of must-haves: copies of Jay’s license, address proofs that matched each vehicle, and bank checks in the names of all participating registerees. Sounds easy, easy as pie, right? But, then it’s the DMV, which I have to say was not as odious a visit as I had anticipated, but still not the way I usually spend the first 80 degree day in April.

NOTE: This post originally appeared in April, 2010 on www.spinningstrawintogold.blogspot.com. It is reposted here by request.

Old person, new world

It’s amazing how huge changes in our behavior sneak up in small steps. When I look at even the vocabulary I use today, I realize that even as recent as a couple of decades ago words like mouse, desktop, icons, footprint, kindle, application, tablet, and so many more, meant something completely different than they do now.

Unknown-6 images

I no longer have a home phone. I don’t subscribe to cable TV. I have no print. I rarely buy a hard copy or paperback book. I don’t collect coupons, or print coupons and loyalty cards are now on my keychain.

I do not have a GPS device on my windshield and rarely use paper maps. Why would I when that helpful woman’s voice, sometimes irritating, tells me where to turn and gets me, usually, to my destination.  Unknown-7 pge.jpg

I listen to news on a tablet in the morning or on the Internet radio station available on my Apple TV, and I don’t have to be sitting in front of a TV to do this. A tablet is quite portable.

In the early ‘60s I read a TV guide article about the future. I was excited about tall tales of being able to get any movie you want on demand through some touch screen. I couldn’t wait to have an audio greeting telling me I have messages, or reminding me to shop or call someone. Now I am frustrated if the movie I want isn’t yet available on Netflix or Amazon Prime. If it isn’t there now, though, it will be soon, I am confident.

Jeff Bezos stated in an interview that it is his intention to have (almost) every book ever published available on Kindle. That is quite an ambition. I expect he will soon say the same thing about movies on Amazon Prime.  Unknown-8 Unknown-9

So modern life is ever changing, and APPLE, Amazon and Netflix have truly changed our behavior on a large scale. How many people have PC’s but still have the Apple products for phones, tablets and Apple TV?  Right?

It’s getting as though you have to think twice before you purchase almost anything—DVD’s of TV series that are free online make purchasing DVD series so unnecessary. And at this point, if the season I want on a series I am following isn’t out yet, I switch to a different series until it is. The selection is so vast, I wouldn’t have time to see everything anyway. And, unless I need to watch a live sports game, I have no idea why I would pay $100 a month for cable or Dish.

I just heard that the stats on people giving up a home phone have risen dramatically. We gave ours up ten years ago. The only people who ever called it were telemarketers and long, lost relatives, who if we wanted to talk to, would know our cell numbers.  Unknown-10 Unknown-11

Technology is so amazing that it connects over generations, gender, and even people with vastly different interests. Where but on Facebook, for instance, can you instantly find out which of your friends has a new grandchild, or a birthday, or needs prayer, or wants you to Like some cause they believe in–even if they are thousands of miles away. I don’t always act on everything there, but I am glad it is there.

The down side of all this is obvious. Privacy and quiet time are rare. I was unnerved to see my photos are waiting to upload to Twitter and Google Circles. I don’t remembering setting that up and don’t want to.

But, when I want to share photos, like asking my contractor friend to look at an inspection report on a house, it was amazing to be able to discuss that with him, having instant pictures and the report and being able to go over it line by line. No down time.   At Christmas, I wanted to give my son-in-law a picture of a train that my daughter took. It took my son and his girlfriend about a half hour to help me get it to CVS in Los Angeles, so it would be awaiting me at the store by the time we arrived there the next day. Then I could buy a frame and have it ready for Christmas, rather than the old days of film, developing, waiting, printing, paying for copies, etc. This was amazing to me.   Unknown-12       1003147_4894137400773_1868205741_n

For all its downside, I love technology, and am so happy to have the efficiency of  digital copy and paste, scanning, digital bank deposits, Amazon grocery delivery and countless other conveniences I never realized have crept into my life as normal, everyday activities. They say a million dollar idea is one that changes behavior. I can’t wait to see which one I can come up with. But for now, I will enjoy paying for or accepting for free the myriad of ideas that have changed mine–mostly for the better.

 

 

LG

LIFE IS GOOD!

On the river, there is an ever changing view, each day, each week, each month, each season, and really each hour. It’s like God has given us a dynamic art gallery, right in our backyard.

Often in the early morning the sepia tones give the river an artistic quality that almost cries out for a watercolor rendition.  Attachment-1

Then as the sun lifts higher in the sky, the river turns whatever color the day is bringing.

IMG_1838  Lately that is a muddy blue because the refuse of winter is collecting.  IMG_1734

 

 

 

 

Only a couple of days ago, the remaining pieces of ice were flowing

downriver, but now they are not to be seen.

The ice blue beauty is on its way, IMG_1698

and soon the trees will sprout their green against that amazing blue. By evening, the monochromes are back, but the wintry whites, not the browns of morning.

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But, whatever the view, we are so blessed to have this beauty to drink in every single day we are here.

It almost deters a person from touring the world, because, truly, we have a resort-like picturesqueness to enjoy, with no travel expenses.   DSCN0815

Spring always brings new hope, a refreshment from the long. cold. winter. And this past one was a doozy. Our heating bill just went from $798 to $520–YAY!, among other things to celebrate about spring.   th

 

Tomorrow is Easter. He is risen, in my heart, in reality.

I am so thankful to God for arranging the universe to let us have our river house, and all of the joy it brings.

From nuts to heaters and buckwheat to gifts

I have to admit it. I am an AmazonLLC addict. And, I am not apologizing!

I remember reading a New York Times story a few years ago about a woman in New York City who was a GrouponTM addict. She bought so many Groupons that she ran out of time to use them all before their expiration dates. That gave me fair warning and I immediately cut down on my ordering, learned to put them on my calendar right away to view the number of coupons and the expiration dates, and generally became a sensible saver, mostly for dining, massages and home decor products.

No such warning occurred for ordering from AmazonLLC. Truthfully, no such warning would get through to me. What happens is I go to a store to find a product, and often they don’t have my color or my size.

Or I go to the store to buy food, and then have to lug it home. So, I began to compare and price these items on Amazon LLC, and much to my surprise, there was almost nothing I was buying anywhere that wasn’t readily available on with free shipping (I am a Member) and two-day delivery.

That meant I could order my Tax software,  

my bedroom slippers, my canned goods, my bulk nuts and organic flours (often from Bob’s Red Mill),

and a wide variety of other things–even toilet paper. A little note here about Bob’s Red Mill. I thought I was ordering Buckwheat Groats for homemade muesli, but instead ordered Creamy Buckwheat cereal. So I called Bob’s Red Mill to ask about toasting the flakes and not using water to hydrate them. Not only were they helpful, I felt like I was calling family. They were friendly, and we had quite a little discussion about my question. I ended up being happy I had mistakenly gotten the flakes, because they are better for toasting and the muesli will be softer, so we don’t break a tooth on the groats if they are not hydrated. So happy to be their customer.                                                                                           

I could buy toys and gifts for my four children and eight grandchildren and have it shipped free to them in California. Way better than going to a store, wrapping the gift, mailing it myself. I have sent Legos, chess boards,  comic books, jewelry, books and gift cards to them, and there’s been no hassle.

The only product I have had trouble with has been the Mocking Jay necklace I have now ordered twice for my granddaughter. The first one never arrived, and the second attempt, if it does arrive, will be here after her birthday, even though I ordered it a month ahead of time. This one is not from AmazonLLC direct, but from a third-party vendor. That can be a problem, but has not been a problem with their own merchandise.

I began to, just for the fun of it, compare even things I would have never expected to find on Amazon: like the tankless water heater for our river house renovation, which was the same price as from the manufacturer’s site, and the bathroom fan and light,
but came to us in two days.

Once I realized I could order my organic almonds, coconut sugar, organic rolled oats, and tankless water heater in the same order, I became a little nuts about this system. I also learned about their subscription program for groceries. So now, although I am still a Costco TM member, I can purchase many grocery items at a 15% discount (if I have five products on order), and space them however I wish on the program, and then have them delivered to my door, so no lugging. I’m telling you, this is just too easy.

I can’t really find a disadvantage to this shopping site, except maybe clicking “add to my cart” is a little too easy. But, I guess that’s really what’s it’s all about. It so easy and convenient, and most of the time, I was going to buy these things anyway, that I just enjoy having it all ordered from one place.

This online company has brought one-stop shopping to a new level–and I like that. For those of you who have to see and touch before ordering, I recommend going out and seeing and touching and then coming home and finding it all. Returns are also easy. What a company! I was already sold on Kindle and ebooks. And, I love my Membership for Movies and Videos, especially their original programming like their original shows. And I love my music, although this needs a little work, because they haven’t really streamlined it yet for things like Sonos speakers ( also bought my
wireless Sonos from. This has to be one of my favorite all time purchases. I can stream radio and music throughout my whole house.

So, since almost everything I buy is on Amazon LLC (I mean is there anything Amazon LLC doesn’t sell?), and since I usually pay no shipping, and since I usually find what I need exactly in right size and color, why not use this convenience for everything I can?

 

Are you ready?

Are you ready? It seems, lately, if you listen to radio, that everyone from Homeland Security to FEMA to various other agencies, is using their PSAs (Public Service Announcements) to warn the public about impending disasters.  shazam_slide

So do they know something we don’t know?

I thought our President was confident that everything is under control.

So why the non-stop ads to tell us: “Winging it is not an emergency plan.”

I see it on billboards too, as I drive down the Interstate. (Okay, I mean as I ride. You all know if I drove Interstates, I would need a different kind of emergency plan).

Now let me be clear, even though every time I do this many readers attack me as though I had not been clear: I DO THINK EVERYONE NEEDS AN EMERGENCY PLAN!

11525668303_1d31cbfe08_q    However, I can’t remember hearing these ads in such preponderance, even in the early years following the September 11 crisis, when we were supposedly on high alert.

And, along with these dire warnings, masked as advertising campaigns to help us, we also have never seen so many major retailers selling emergency food supply at the level we have seen in the last five or six years. And even if we don’t spend hundreds on a year’s supply of dehydrated food, we certainly do pause in the canned goods aisles of the grocery, more than we ever have.

So what is this really about?

Could it be that our government is trying to warn us, in a more subtle manner than “late, breaking news,” and that by running these “be prepared” ads, daily, they are really trying to let us know there is an imminent problem?

440px-Apocalypse_vasnetsov   So many apocalyptical conditions are falling into place around the world. For those of us who believe the Bible predicts end times events, it would certainly seem we have never seen conditions line up at the level they do now.

We Biblical folks though, also believe that we do not know the times or the seasons for these events, and that we have a God who is in charge of our future, and the future of the world. Actually, the state of mind we are to be in is not fear, but readiness, no matter when it is going to happen. And, that readiness is not just about food. It is about readiness of the soul.

That said, either way, the government is letting you and me know that we must be prepared, and soon. We need to do several things:

Get a Go Kit together

Arrange a meeting place for the family

Store supplies like food, flashlights, water to last for weeks, and have

Can opener

Tools to turn off utilities

First aid kit     th

Dust mask

Flashlights

Local maps

Battery powered radio

Cell phones with solar powered chargers

Towelettes, garbage bags

Personal hygiene supplies

And, don’t forget a whistle–this is to call for help

I feel a bit of apprehension just typing up the list.

In the old days, we added a rope and rope ladder to escape a fire. I think the new ads are warning of way more scary things than escaping a fire.

I hope you are ready. I hope you are safe. I wish you faith and peace in all of this.

Because I believe we may be entering a time where you may need more than your Go Kit.

th-1For what it’s worth: Believing you’re in control of the universe is not an end-times plan. It’s kind of like “winging it” without the wings.

Figs vs. Food Assassins

OK, warning: this is a rant about food assassins!

IMG_1614    My ranting could be because, beautiful as it is on the river, it is brrr-cold and windy and even the river seems to bubble its complaints. You can see its ripples and almost a tide stretching out from the bank to its middle. The ducks aren’t playing, or even flying overhead. My toes are cold, the radiant heat is working hard, where in this 30 degrees F feels like 15 degrees F, it has to heat the floor to 82 degrees F to get us 65 degrees F.

That being said, it has nothing to do with the actual rant I intend. It’s just that cold brings out the guttural response to stuff. After two weeks in less than warmish, but sunny California, where the nearest “good” produce is blocks away, not an hour away, like in Enfield, CT, I got used to having good-for-you produce, and delicious, albeit, largely vegan food at my daughter’s house.    orange-beauty-smoothie-copy

Unknown-8     So returning to the cold weather, chain store produce, and temptation to eat packaged, processed food (which is less tempting when going out for treats requires facing frigid temps and strong winds outside), I, instead, reached for my dried figs, rehydrated them, and am munching on this amazing sweet treat with all kinds of goodness resident, like fiber, minerals, vitamins, anti-oxidents, lowering blood sugar, helping with weight loss, enough tryptophan to induce sleep, and enough calcium to ward off bone loss.

Try getting that from your Twinkies!

Why I call them food assassins

It just gets me thinking of how God created all of these amazing tastes for us, including sweet, sweet fruit, that when dried is even sweeter, and when dried concentrates the benefits, yet we geniuses have decided to discard wholesome snacks like figs, and reach for highly refined white flour, white sugar, no-nutritent, high calorie, high fat, processed snacks that do absolutely no good, and actually do harm.

better-choice-than-american-food-assassin-brands    Even if you do want a processed snack, try comparing a European cookie, for instance, to an American one. A serving for the folks across the pond may be 4 or 5 cookies, to our 1 for the same calories. Why? Why? Why?

I believe it has to be in the ingredients and the processing.

Watching documentaries like FOOD, INC. had me sobbing throughout, with how we are literally killing ourselves, with stupidity and greed, and feeding these obnoxious concoctions we call food to children.  I promise you, you can’t watch this and have no response.  foodincdvd_sm_dvd_image_0

We are usually consuming what the documentary calls “food-like products,” which replace actual food and nutrition. And, the mega-companies make it difficult for us to shop in normal grocery stores and hope to get anything like the whole, delicious foods God intended for us to consume. Even the whole foods that are there, are likely to have been picked and stored for long enough periods of time to decrease any nutrients they could have offered.

So, yes, I know it’s a choice. And, yes, I know a cookie or two, even a Twinkie, isn’t going to kill us. But a lifetime of eating this x&%(*xx@# daily IS going to seriously reduce the quality of our lives and health, and is probably going to shorten our lifespans.

You don’t have to switch to being a vegan or a vegetarian.

You don’t have to give up the tastes you love.

But, for the love of God and your own lives, please, consider taking some baby steps in this new year toward making choices for life.

I promise there isn’t a taste you can’t enjoy, and a processed food you will miss, once you get on the right track.

For starters, have a daily snack of dried figs. You will love them.

And, for some great tips of sharing life-changing, healthful recipes and lifestyle, visit three of my favorite sites: 

Foodscape – Nutritious Bites

Living Lighter with Laura 

www.be-still-farms.com/blogs

 

 

 

 

Ducks and geese

Some of the new sounds in my life are the quacking and honking of ducks and geese. I am learning some of the habits of these creatures, as I see them gather, feed, fly and play on our river. They arrive in this December season about 8 am and then fly away, somewhere, and return around dinner time. I am not sure what they do in between, but their numbers have greatly diminished since fall.

IMG_0652

These little darlings who have stayed around are noisy. If you don’t have to arise before 8am, you could count on their wild honks as an alarm clock. Really, they are that dependable. Not an expert on discerning a quack from a honk yet, but I will get this too, someday.

It seems some of the ducks and, I think mostly geese, flew somewhere else for the winter. I need to get a close up sometime of every type, so I can learn which are geese, which are ducks, and what types they are.  ct-river-ducks

It is all so new and it’s not as easy to tell a duck from a goose as you might think. I mean it’s not like one is white and one is black.  OK. Maybe it’s the neck. Help! I told  you I am blind.

Unknown My husband and I speculate that the local geese fly south, but maybe the Canada geese don’t want such a radical temperature change as the southern winter, and settle for our Connecticut temps for their winter abode. Not really sure if ducks migrate like geese. Again, so much to learn. And, by the way, we used to say Canadian geese, but the correct name, we have now learned, is Canada geese.

IMG_1486

I see black and white water fowl–ducks or geese, not sure which is which–and they seem to arrive at different times. Sometimes, in the day time, some of them, both white and black, seem to return for some frolicking on the river. They dive and immerse and return to river top.

IMG_1529   It also seems they arrive when the river is calmer. Lately, we have had some serious winds and rain, and the ducks duck out for that. Not completely sure. I am new at this duck-watching business. I will keep you posted as I get more informed.

A cup of coffee on the deck

When we first found the little foreclosure house, which we now call the River House, I returned that evening to our apartment and couldn’t get the little house out of my mind.  IMG_0652

I didn’t sleep much that night. I kept imagining that back deck overlooking the river, and could see myself holding my coffee mug in the morning, and gazing at the Connecticut River.

That was a year ago this month. I can tell you my visions of gazing at the river while contentedly sipping coffee have yet to happen, and the reality of what is involved in getting to that mind-vision has set in, hard.

I suppose I could figure out a way to ignore all of the work still awaiting us, ignore that we don’t have flooring yet, ignore that the heat isn’t complete enough to reach the area which will someday be the master bedroom, so the inside of the whole first floor is…brrr…cccold. And, really, the deck is still cluttered with construction stuff, and, though the river is beautiful, the view is not as clear as it will someday be.  IMG_1119

We have sat on our deck over the summer months with a work bucket and a cooler for a table and our lawn chairs. We have enjoyed Costco ready-made meals there, and sandwiches from Caronna’s, our local market. We have sipped water and iced tea. But we have not arisen on a morning yet and sipped coffee.

So my imaginations of what this deck offers me will have to wait. Probably until spring, or even next summer. But it will happen.

IMG_1477   In the meantime, we have placed our little card table in our someday breakfast area, and we have one, very uncomfortable, bar stool for the island. We haven’t populated our “living corner” yet–I cannot really call it a living room, since it is merely a corner of our kitchen, as is the breakfast nook.

But, having water flowing on the first floor–in the kitchen–and having lights and electricity, and a cooktop and oven, and a garbage disposal, and our water filtration system, and a microwave, and a side-by-side refrigerator, are no small accomplishments.  Yes, we still have to cover the island vent–after the re-mudding, taping and painting is finished. And, after the heat is all finished and the floor is in, and the “toe kicks” are installed, and we find all of our dishes, pots and pans, it will feel like a finished home. IMG_1471

For now, since the whole room offers a beautiful view of our river, and since human beings are exceptionally adaptable, we are just fine waiting until next year for the luxury lifestyle of coffee sipping on our deck overlooking the Connecticut River.

coffeehearts.gif~c100   If you’re close by, say next May or so, stop by. We can sip our brews together.

Food snob revisits Denny’s

OK, I have already admitted in blog posts past, I am a food snob. Even if I had not spent years being one of the Southern California Restaurant Writer’s Association critics, I would still be a food snob.

Print

foodscape.vanillaplummedia.com

I like adventuresome eating. I like chef creations that take time, talent and fresh ingredients.  IMG_1324

So these are not what chain food is likely to have. Really, no self-respecting food critic would even consider reviewing a chain store.

But, every so often, the gourmet in me just wants some comfort food–done the old-fashioned way. Diner food. And, when, recently, hubby and I were in the mood for pancakes, we said to ourselves: Denny’s.  Unknown

We were pleasantly surprised by more than the comfort food quality. So, the pumpkin pancakes were made from a mix–I suspect with refined sugar, white flour, and very little to do with actual pumpkin. But, once-in-awhile, it’s OK to have a little sugar and even some white flour. Denny’s delivered an excellent comfort meal of pumpkin pancakes, with two eggs, bacon, and hash browns. We enjoyed it. I didn’t gain any weight eating this meal. And, the price, at $6.99 was very friendly.

But, the best part of this Enfield Denny’s experience was our waiter, Walter, and the Manager Edgar Ayala, who stopped by our table to make sure we were doing well, and that there had been no issues.

When I told him that after five years in Enfield, this was our first Denny’s visit, and that as a food snob, I would not have put Denny’s on my radar, but that after this experience, we would be back, he smiled.

There is nothing wrong with this Denny’s. On my second visit, I tried a skillet breakfast of Yukon gold potatoes, grape tomatUnknown-1oes, mushrooms, onions, spinach, sausage and fried eggs.

This was really excellent. And, my request to have as little oil as possible (I imagined the gallon of partially hydrogenated oil used at our Marriott that put 30 pounds on me in the 17 months we lived there), was cheerfully granted.

Edgar, thank you. Walter, thank you. And, kudos to the line cooks who do seem to put together a meal even a food snob can enjoy.

When Walter delivered our bill to our table, he said, “Hope to see you next Sunday night.” He remembered us, remembered even the day of the week we had been there, and he was genuine in his invitation. This is not what one expects at Denny’s. And, maybe not all of the stores do this. But at Edgar’s place, they do, and we appreciate it. Service this good deserves to be applauded.

Wounds, angels and band-aids

Unknown   It is really amazing that in almost six months, we have mostly gotten through injury-free. And when I say “we,” I mostly mean Jay.

However I am the one known for tripping, falling and generally being the klutz around the place. (We will not do this statement in pictures.)

That said. I. too, have had more “almosts” that actuals when it comes to injury. I have visions of knocking my front teeth out (again), and worse, falling forward at the head of the stairs from the upstairs coming down, where the inspector pointed out we have a window without safety glass, where “someone” could fall headlong through and be cut. I really do not want to hover over that imagery.

Jay has had some serious incidents: falling off the ladder, heavy drill in hand, where he wrenched his shoulder pretty badly; almost cutting off a finger with a chisel; and lately, driving a screwdriver though his thumb.    IMG_1429

IMG_1427   We are not mentioning many cuts, bruises, and bumps on the head.

Luckily, most of these have been remedies by antibiotic cream and band-aids. No stitches yet.

I don’t believe in jinxes. I believe in God. And I don’t think it is too early to thank Him and our angels for protecting us from near tragedies and serious, permanent injuries.