Chestnuts roasting

This evening I enjoyed time with my neighbors and friends at The Club, sitting in the former Palmolive family living room in front of the giant walk-in fireplace. I could smell the fire going from outside as I shivered my way from The Palace to The Club. Brrr....temps were in the low 50's with high, biting winds. Miserable outside, but delightful inside. Nice 'n cozy!

          

Here is the room dressed out for a wedding but you can see how the fireplace has considerable presence 

It was all I could do to not go and poke around in the fire which I absolutely love to do. The owner and the bar manager took turns stoking the fire and placing the logs in as needed. I'd have thrown all the logs in at once if it was mine, but oh, well...The tapas menu offered chicken sliders this month plus the crispy fried onions, which I greatly enjoyed. Kathy and I had a good chance to get caught up since I was absent last week due to the funeral home visit. Loved our time together.

While over there I got to see several of my pool friends who were there to have dinner including the couple who hosted the going away party for Lee. Speaking of Lee---her house was packed up on Tuesday and when I sent her a text that night to see how she was doing, she reported being exhausted and ready for bed. I can sympathize with her, but I have only moved cross-country once. Her car is being moved via an auto-transport carrier so she doesn't have to drive all the way to Napa. I am sure going to miss her, but am wishing her all the best on her new page in life.

Today I read some articles about what foreigners have observed upon living in the US. What were the things they were surprised by or disappointed to find? Most of the people who wrote in commmented on finding the huge portions of food which are served. What would serve two or three in some regions are consumed by one person here. Others were amazed by the immensity of our nation, from sea to shining sea, and how varied the terrain can be. While so many Americans are obese, almost as many are pre-occupied with fitness and exercise, running in particular. In the cities more than in the suburbs, interestingly enough. 

                             

Folks are impressed by the availability of materials and products, especially in the grocery stores. We are certainly a land of plenty. And, something I had a problem believing, people from other lands found Americans to be religious folks, having secure morals and knowledge of right vs wrong. Good for them being able to see that, right? And, we are patriotic! I like to hear that. One more thing, among the many others in the article, was how Americans more often use credit cards instead of using cash. Very interesting observations...At least I found them so.

11-12-13

This is a pretty cool date, if you ask me. My friends in MN made a family pyramid and posed for the camera to commemorate the big day. Always a good reason to have a party! Mom mentioned that folks were choosing this date to be married, to help them remember their big day. Hopefully they won't forget that easily. I do have a friend who was married on 2-2-02, not sure if it was by plan or not.

Some places had food drives to commemorate the special date

Today I ran some errands including bank stops, and then stopped at Publix to get some soda. While I was there, I picked up a few things for our ThanksLiving feast, including my festive bird. The last time I went looking for the type I like, they were sold out so was glad to find one waiting for me. I like the bake in the bag turkey breast and hope my guests don't have their taste buds set for dark meat. I could secure a turkey leg and thigh just in case someone insists on dark meat. As I told Justin several times recently, I am so excited about the feast!

Last year, Justin and I went to The Club for our feast where he dined lightly because he was expected at his father's house for dinner. I was invited to the Chappell's and went there to hang out. We dined later there, with Judy's bird being stubborn about popping its thermometer, which was fine with me. Since I was still rather full, any delay was welcome. Regardless, when dinner was served, I had some of everything!! And had a marvelous time with the two Mike's, David, and Judy. 

This year the two Mikes will be here around my table, plus my friend, Nancy W., and I am asking one more lady from church if she would like to come. A man who serves with the Navy in GA did not accept my invitation as he gets to go home to MN for the holiday. Corey is excused! And this year Justin will not be leaving to go to his father's so it will be an awesome day. Complete with football!

Accumulating Junque

Justin was off work today due to Veteran's Day. His boss, William, took the time to spend with his wife, a teacher, because she had a long weekend. Took advantage to enjoy some time away. Nice! Justin had the day at home, at least the first few hours before Jesse and he did battle at the Mall, going to see a movie. Wow! When I went passed the parking lot, cars were already parked on the grass, since all the official parking spots were taken. School is out and the movie "Thor" just opened. I think Justin and Jesse got their tickets on-line to make sure they get some for the matinee price.                                                                               

While he was getting ready for the movies, I was at Bible study where we had a good turnout. We had a great study and interaction today, much to ponder in this portion as regards our attitude toward the poor, etc. and fellowship. Might have created more questions than answers this time...

We had only 5 in our lunch group today and the ladies were wondering where to go. The one lady who thought the waitress there 'picked on her' suggested Long Horn, and I was all about it! The waitress could not have been more accomodating and attentive. I am not sure everyone was thrilled with the restaurant choice but it was wise to go here when we did due to the high traffic from Veteran's Day and the discounts offered them.

I sent Justin a text message, asking him to stop for soda on the way home. Sadly, none of the area stores had a really good deal on Diet Cokes, once again the CVS was sold out of product. How can that be? Instead he went to Winn Dixie and got the Pepsi products which were sort of on special to hold us over. My tendancy is to drink them too quickly because they go down so well. He made dinner for us using some smoked pork from the freezer, cooking it up with some spatzel. Just delicious!

Ed is already busy at church, sorting and pricing

Justin and I are gradually getting plastic bins packed up for the yard sale at Victory. I started rather slowly but have picked up some momentum of disposing of things. I should rephrase that---recycling items I no longer have use of. Justin and I haven't done this (or, I should say, I have not) since the Great Flood. That time, it worked out perfectly to have Christ Lutheran having a yard sale. Michael C. three times took stuff from our house to the yard sale for us. This time it's less emotional a purging than the previous one!

How do you like your neighbors?

I like mine around my table, enjoying the fruits of Justin's labor. Or, the Pad Thai of Justin's labor. He had no other plans Saturday than to make dinner and invite Dick and Debbie down to share it with us. Justin had Pad Thai for lunch Thursday at PF Chang and was not impressed with it, which prompted him to make his own. 

                              

He'd talked about doing this not long ago after finding a recipe online for making his own sauce. That plan did not work out as the ingredients were quite expensive as compared to the kit. It was simply delicious and I even got to help him prep for it. Cutting up onions and chopping peanuts are something I can do, especially since I was concerned he wouldn't be done in time for our guests to arrive. We worked together and no one was hurt---how about that?

                               

Besides his yummy Pad Thai, he made a dessert he'd been wanting to try. It was called Apple Wontons. He had to cut up the apples into what almost looked like shoestrings, flavor them with cinnamon and sugar, and then, using wonton wrappers, make a teeny dessert using the wontons. A few weeks ago Justin bought mini-muffin pans and has pressed them into service regularly since, including muffins and the apple wontons. He bought Blue Bell vanilla ice cream to serve with them, and wow! Just so delicious together, and pallete cleansing to boot.

He suggested we dine in our formal room, which required my getting out the tablecloth and the 'good dishes', which I very much enjoy doing, and 'laid the table', as the expression goes. Debbie was impressed that my dishes match the tablecloth (I like it, too!). I had water in the glasses already and Dick brought along a bottle of wine for them, and urged us to have a sip. It was not bad, sort of sweet. It was a German wine in a blue bottle, not Reisling. The name appears at the end of this posting.

They just LOVED the salad and meal, taking 2nds and 3rds on the Pad Thai. Even I had a bit more than my first serving, even had some salad to be socialable. The dessert was just divine, with us having to avoid the 'sharp' edges of the wontons. A consequence of baking them rather than having them deep fried. A small price to pay! Just a wonderful evening---dinner, conversation, and then more conversation. The way I like it!

                           

Pieroth Blue Burg Layer Schlosskapelle Nahe Auslese, if you are so inclined to buy a bottle.

A whirlwind Thursday

Let me tell you all about my Thursday---whew! To begin the day, Justin was my driver to Bible study, stopping first at the RaceTrak to get sodas for class. 

I talked with my mom on the ride over, with her filling me in on their wonderful worship services Sunday. One was at FG and the other at the Lutheran High School, where the brother of a special pastor/friend of ours was the preacher. She was so moved by his sermon that she told me, "When he said 'Amen', I said 'Wow!'" Mom is not normally a 'wow' person but this sermon nailed it. She wondered if with my connections and such if I could get a copy of the sermon. And, I did!!

Bible study was very good, lots of comparisons between Isaiah's times and the ones in which we live. Interesting how that happens. Pastor H. has a knack for doing this which adds a great deal to the class and to our learning. Much of the conversation revolved around the debacle unfolding as regards 6% of our national economy and the government's inability to launch. What a mess! We are in serious doo doo here, folks.

After class Justin and I headed to the Town Center Mall to have lunch at my favorite place---PF Chang. Their honey chicken is the best, with the brown rice and crispy noodles. Justin had pad thai, but he was not blown away by it. Says his is better...and I believe him! He stopped at the Publix before we headed back home. I had about an hour or so before I needed to be back on the road!

My friend, Carol, and I met at Panera over near church and had a marvelous catching up visit. She'd been gone for three weeks and came back refreshed. We still had lots to talk about. About three hours later I was home, late for my appointment with Linda!! I did get on-line in time to chat with her, and also had called from the car to let her know where I was and why I was absent.

Once I was home and had chatted with Linda, I had about 30 minutes before my next adventure began. My neighbor, Ellen, was treating me to a play in which our mutual friend, Maggie, was appearing. We had planned to go the week before but had to reschedule so tonight was a go. At 6:30 I had to be downstairs and away we went to Atlantic Beach. She asked if I wanted to ride with the top down on the car but I was just as delighted to have the seat warmer on!! It was so not 'top down weather'!

                          

The play was very good, the theater small and intimate. Maggie had warned me about a bit of language used in the play but she assured me her monologues were not like that. And they weren't. Both Ellen and Maggie apologized to me afterward for the bits that were in the show, which was nice of them. As it turned out, Ellen was going to take me home and then drive back to the beach condo, so Maggie offered to be my driver. She has been making this drive alone during the rehearsals and the run of the show, so having a partner for the long ride back to OP was most welcome. 

When I had left for the play, Justin reminded me that he was working on Friday, so he would not wait up for me. I can't remember what time it was when I actually got home but it sure was nice to finally get there and settle in. What a day!

My poor friend....

Poor Nancy W. is having a tough time with her new patio home purchased here on our property. The seller had to disclose any structural problems or defects with the home, but does not have to document the noisy neighbor next door. Oh my! She moved in on November 1st and has not had a good night's sleep since.

I was at Nancy's on Tuesday and she was dog tired. Not only is moving into one house exhausting, but she has to unpack at the old house to get things ready for the estate sale she is having. And now, she cannot get a decent night's sleep! It is making her cranky! The lady next door, sharing a wall, opens and closes her cabinet doors all night long. Nancy even went outside and peeked in the window to see what she was doing. Open, close, open, close...it seems she has obsessive compulsive disorder. 

Nancy bought her some rubber bumpers for the cabinet doors and took them to her, fearful of setting off a problem. The lady apologized but then it went on again all night. Her nerves are frayed from not sleeping and I suggested getting melatonin to help her sleep, which she said does not work for her under normal conditions. She is thinking of ear plugs, and has already gotten a white noise machine, which does little against the bang, bang, bang in the wee hours of the morning. She can't sleep during the day because that is when she needs to work to get things taken care of. I feel so badly for her as this move was her dream come true, and now, a nightmare.

              Nancy at the Tea Room

Her realtor, Pat A., told her the lady next door is quite ill, and Nancy reported seeing a band around her upper arm, as though she has a shunt in place. Also, has seen Hospice folks come and go which means the lady might not be long for this world. The neighbor's mom lives in the condos along the river and that might be the next person Nancy talks to about this. I could offer her a bed here if that would be a help to her...

This morning at breakfast it was all she could do to be civil, saying she feels like a witch with a capital B. The ladies go for a walk along River Road after breakfast so I hope the walk will help her to vent some of her frustration. Nancy said she feels sorry for any stones or rocks that get in her way! I hope she goes easy on the other ladies...

Gorgeous sunrise

This is what the sky and river looked like this morning. Instead of getting up to take the photo, I allowed my neighbor, Sharon, to do so. This would be sooooo easy to paint if I was thus inclined to pull out the paints and equipment. I figured that by the time I'd have gotten my camera, the moment would have passed, and instead, I just admired the interesting colors from my bed!