HAPPY HAPPY

TO ALL MY BLOG BUDDIES, FAMILY & FRIENDS

WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS

TO ALL MY BLOG BUDDIES, FAMILY & FRIENDS

SPINACH PIE AT LEO'S

One of our favorite places for a casual meal is Leo’s.  We can get spinach pie and a bowl of lemon chicken soup, a Mediterranean classic to wet our whistle… with a piece of baklava for dessert. 

In the heart of Royal Oak, Michigan the interior of the restaurant is painted with beautiful murals of Greek scenery. Affordable, the price is always right there and the food is more than delicious. Do you have a favorite place to eat?

BYE-BYE TO A HOBBY

When I was younger I used to participate in a number of  physical activities. But as I’ve aged my body doesn’t want to cooperate, so I’ve had to readjust my lifestyle. And that meant giving up some of my favorite things. One of them was bowling. I used to belong to a league. I used to find so much pleasure meeting with my lady friends... once a week... to bowl and have lunch. Now my knees, back and hands can’t tolerate the slightest bit of exercise to those regions without being in terrible pain. So I had to say bye-bye to bowling. But I miss it and the camaraderie associated with it. Did you ever have to give up a beloved hobby due to physical limitations?

DEAR SWEET NANA

One thing I remember about my nana was always how good she smelled. Sweet and pretty. Her dresser top would be lined up with all kind of things. No  perfume that I recall. But she always had a tin of Lilac & Roses Powder sitting there. It was a staple. And gave her that signature fragrance I remember. Nowadays sweet powders are hard to come by, sports blends dominate the market. And you’re much less likely to find powders in a tin or ones with a puff. So imagine my delight finding this unique container at a local antique store. I instantly thought I  could use it to put powder and a puff in. It reminded me of my grandma. So I added my own powder. And with the help of Amazon and  my husband… I found the right size puffs, a little smaller than usual… to fit the circumference of the container. So I could make this little dream a reality. DO you have something that reminds you of a loved one? 

PRICES FROM THE PAST, TODAY!

When it comes to groceries… my husband and I disagree on where to shop for them. Our choices are limited. We have four places available to us. I tend to shop at a place called Meijers. My husband prefers Walmart. Until recently I didn’t understand his obsession for the huge box store. Now I do. I shop at Meijers because I like the atmosphere and the ethnic food readily available... not to mention their other products. With my husband it’s strictly about money. We use 2% milk, and at the store I favor… it costs approximately $2 for a half a gallon. At Walmart my husband pays a mere fifty-seven cents for that milk. A dozen jumbo eggs at Walmart costs only forty cents. At Meijers… again, it’s closer to $2. A bag of ready made salad costs $1.42 at Walmart, but at Meijers costs approximately $3. As much as I love the store I frequent, who can argue with prices reminiscent of a bygone era offered by Walmart.  They certainly have my attention now that we’re exclusively on Social Security. But I’m eyeing Aldi’s too. Atmosphere and availability are no longer my only criteria. COST is priority number one.  

SHOP TIL YOU DROP

These days... whenever possible... I shop online, sitting in my comfortable desk chair... in front of my computer. Delivery is often FREE of charge and delivery times are faster than fast these days... which  helps me avoid the traffic out and about. With that being said, the question is, will I participate in the local area Black Friday sales or not. The answer is probably not. This year for Christmas we’re eliminating the fuss and getting everybody gift cards. This way they can get what they want without me second guessing. No disappointment for them. And no hassles for me. And I’ll fill in the incidentals online, with a few item exceptions out in the physical store. I am an armchair shopper to my core. How about you?  Are you doing Black Friday? Or waiting for Cyber Monday? 

LUCK BE A LADY TONIGHT

What were the odds? I’m not much of a gambler. But last year our LUCK was much better. Neither my hubby or I  expected he’d still be employed at 78. But he was... until they canned him, a month ago... from a part-time job... he had held for the past four and a half years. We never should have taken it for granted, but we did. Living on Social Security alone doesn’t afford him and I too many luxuries from this point on.. but I make it a point to buy a lottery ticket every now and then, just in case the universe deems it my lucky day. Usually I buy the paper tickets to play for a chance to win the Power Ball jackpot. But I seldom if ever win so much as a dollar, despite putting out $10. Not a good investment I know. About a year ago something pretty remarkable happened in my world, though. Something that will keep me spending a little bit on the lottery. Back then I bought a scratch off lottery ticket instead of the other kind. And amazingly I won $750. Lightning doesn’t strike twice, does it? It was quite a surprise. Collecting my prize wasn’t as straight forward as I was originally led to believe. I had to drive an hour away, to a bank designated by the state and fill out all kinds of paperwork, as though I had won a much BIGGER jackpot. Not to slight the win but I also did have to pay taxes, plus processing fees out of my winnings.. All in all it was still a nice chunk of change and I was thrilled to have won. We probably should have saved the money for a rainy day. We could use it now.  But instead it went to buy a couple of smart tv’s. One for the living room and one for the family room. So we’ve enjoyed a years worth of entertainment courtesy of the lottery. Have you ever won a prize?  What would you do with your winnings? 

TEN HOURS OF AUTUMN COLORS

Both of my parents are in failing health. Particularly my father who had a stroke and can hardly walk. And my mom is suffering from sciatica and a bad back. (And so are my husband and I. All part of aging, I presume.) But we decided a visit was in order despite the distance and the pain. So we vowed to hobble along, to be together. And we took a ten hour ride through the mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia to visit home.  The trip was a labor of love. Fall foliage was in full swing. And the colors were magnificent. Seeing them is enough to lift anybody’s spirits. So we were invigorated by the time we got there. I always like going through the tunnel in the mountains too. The tough part is always leaving and saying goodbye again. I wish we lived closer, but unfortunately we don’t. Do you have someone you love, that lives at a distance? And does it break your heart, too.... that you can't visit them as much as you'd like?

LIFE SIZE

I like seeing artwork in public forms. So imagine my delight seeing this life size 'person' cutout sculpture gracing the sidewalk we were visiting. Depending which way you peered out of it determined the view you saw. I prefered seeing the stationary bricks of the building, as opposed to seeing the traffic. Have you ever seen anything like this in your travels?

DO YOU RESERVE JUDGEMENT?

I’ve always heard one way you can judge a place is by visiting their bathroom. Especially restaurants. Usually I don’t have to go when I get there... so that impression is often saved for later. And sometimes it’s way off base. I know a couple places with the crummiest bathrooms, ever... but the best food. So go figure. Do you judge a book by it’s cover? Or give a place the benefit of the doubt? Cleanliness is one thing. Decor and size is something different. 

A PAIR OF FASHIONISTAS

AS is typical... my pair of cats usually just sit somewhere and sleep, looking angelic. That is when they aren’t busy causing trouble… like chewing cable or headphone wires, or trying to steal pens and glasses off whatever table is nearby. Sometimes one finds humor in the most unexpected places. Imagine seeing the kitties making a fashion statement. The pictures tell the story.  

One kitty cuddled inside a discarded shirt of mine. And another one nestled inside a suitcase carry on bag. Obviously they are bored with their fur coats. Never a dull moment in my house with these two felines.  Do your pets ever do something too cute for words? 

PIE DAY

About a month ago… I sauntered into a local restaurant we frequent… and low and behold, something good was on the menu. PUMPKIN PIE. I love pumpkin pie. So I had my first piece of the season.  Have you? 

A SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

(cutting boards)

There is nothing like a  good festival  to keep you occupied on an autumn afternoon. GREAT food, music and of course vendors selling their wares. I love looking at all the homemade crafts. Don’t you? I can’t walk as much as I used to…  so my viewing time is limited.  Here are a few things I saw along the way at this particular festival. 

GOURDS

BIRD FEEDERS

PLATES

GLIDER

ROCKER

SKELETON

Some of the items look pretty but with seemingly no purpose other than to decorate an empty corner of your house or yard. Do you like going to festivals this time of year... as opposed to spring? You can spend a lot of money quickly, shopping at such venues. I kept my wallet in my pocket at this one and just enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells, instead. Do you splurge or are you frugal while attending this unique kind of shopping experience?  

FLORAL DESIGN REAL OR FAUX?

I went to school for floral design once upon a time. I became an expert in all things silk. I learned to work with faux flowers and plants and came to love them almost as much as the real deal. To this day I still have a tendency to use them more often than not. Case in point, autumn decorations. Outside I use the real flowers, but inside I prefer faux... less mess. Last year we had somebody clean out our garage and all my fall arrangements, wreathes, etc.  disappeared. Accidently thrown out.  I was upset, to say the least. So I am replacing things slowly.  I started with a singular pumpkin and vine of leaves. And it has filled me with absolute delight. Do you find big or small things bring you the most joy? And do you prefer real or faux flowers?

PATTERNS & BRIGHT COLORS

When it comes to fashion I like bold bright colors with heavy patterned prints. They hide the stains.  In my world solid colors are out. The reason why is simple. Number one... I tend to be clumsy. Number two... my anatomy gets in the way. I have big breasts and I’m short. That means when I sit at a table to eat my meals they act like a shelf. Everything falls there. So when I spill food... it shows up on a solid color shirt... much more than it would on a print... because solid colors are just too unforgiving. However, sometimes that is not the case and the print is vunerable. For example... I have a white shirt with an abstract pattern of green and purple in it. I’m extremely careful with it because basically it's a white shirt. But I wore it the other day. Everything was going well until my last bite of the hotdog. Slurp… a dollop of mustard slid out the bottom end and landed smack-dab on my shirt. I was devastated. It was my very last bite of lunch.  Not even the Tide Stain Stick could get the mustard out. So my pretty print shirt is now ruined. In retrospect I should have taken it off or forgotten the hotdog,  but I didn’t think I would need to. I was being very cautious. But apparently not cautious enough. Perhaps I should have worn a bib? Did you ever ruin something important to you because of something trite? Or stubbornness?

SYRUPY FRIEND

A while back, my hubby decided he was in the mood for  pancakes. Since I usually prefer French Toast instead,  it was unusual that I wanted pancakes too. Rather than rustle some up…  we opted to go out to get them. Our favorite diner was open so that’s where we went. When we were situated at a table we ordered a couple stacks of pancakes. In no time at all the order was ready. Needless to say, we devoured them, our tummies bulging with satisfaction. But... before we could leave to pay the check, we noted a visitor to the table. He was dipping a foot in the syrup that was leftover. Done eating, at that point... thank goodness... we spent the next 10 minutes or so, trying to photograph our new entertaining friend... who seemed GLUED to the spot. Have you ever been disturbed by a pesky fly?

NOT YOUR MOTHERS PIZZA PIE

My husband and I don’t often get to explore new restaurants because our area just doesn’t have any. We’re hopelessly lost in an avalanche of cookie cutter places that have formula food and no creativity for the palate to enjoy. To get something out of the ordinary we usually have to travel at least 60 miles or more to find it. Ridiculous I know. But those are the breaks when you live where we do. However not long ago a new pizza place came to town and it created quite a buzz. Though it’s a franchise, it’s different. We decided to try it out. It is called Mellow Mushroom. It has a hip, cool vibe to it. You can dine in a yellow submarine car or inside a glowing mushroom room. There are cool and unusual decorations from the tables to the light fixtures. And you can make a pizza pie your way with some neat ingredients. Or order one of their specialty pies. (their SHITAKE pie is to die for) They also serve craft beers. Definitely an interesting place if you’re looking for a unique dining experience. But don’t be in a hurry. Pizza pies of this caliber take time to make.

(the menu)

(the bar)

(mushroom room)

(assembly area)

(submarine room)

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE THEM)

NO APOLOGIES I LOVE WATER

I make no apologies for the fact I love water and being around the ocean or a lake really floats my boat. I hate being landlocked. I will go out of my way to find a new beach or body of water to explore whenever the opportunity presents itself. Recently it did. We went on a mini vacation to the Heartland to a lake we’ve never been to before. It was in quite a nice Ohio State Park. We heard about it because every July they have a big country western concert there featuring popular stars, like Blake Shelton and Little Big Town. It is a hit with the local yokels and out-of-towners flock from miles around to attend.  Though there was no music playing the weekend we went, a fun time was had by my hubby and myself. I saw a baby heron. That made my day. Unfortunately couldn’t get a picture, try as I might. We love seeing all the wildlife, campers, boats and people… out and about. But mostly we love the boats. Nothing like being in a pontoon boat out in the middle of a nice lake to explore the sights. Have you ever been boating? Do you like it?

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)