hi,
yesterday I got a call from my dad in Toronto. He was griping about his car insurance. Don't we all. It seems that All State decided that his premiums were too low and needed adjusting. Since he pays monthly with an automatic credit card deduction, it's a good thing he noticed the rate hike because they certainly didn't call him with the change in rate. He called the agent and got some very nice lady with a half-baked lame excuse about his age..... okay he is 82, going to be 83 this November, but that was not 'news'. They've held this policy for him for the last 2 years on his Lexus in Florida. He wanted to know what we pay for car insurance and could I get him a better deal?
I'm not an insurance maven but I know with a little fancy footwork you can usually find a better rate, somewhere. The Internet is the best place to start, off I go.
Advertising usually drives me crazy it's so bad. I particularly hate the insurance company ads. Gecko's, ape men, umbrellas, obnoxious sales girls.... it's all terrible but it obviously works. Who do I bring up first on my computer... Progressive! I hate their ads the most so don't ask me why I even type in their name but I have to admit it was even easier to get a rate quote than I thought possible. It was impressive and cheaper than what All State was charging, by A LOT! A 30% savings. Go Flo! (she's the ad spokes person that they use.... don't ask if you don't know.)
Dad called All State to see if they'd meet the Progressive rate, they wouldn't so he cancelled that policy and took one out with Progressive. Easy as that. He's a happy camper and I now am on a first name basis with Flo. Do you think I can only get her to do something about her tacky hairdo & makeup...... ?
xox
m
Day Lily!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
chocolate chip cookies
Hi,
today's message is one of extreme importance. Pay attention carefully.
I'm on a quest to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie, with macadamia nuts & coconut. Our neighbour, Malcolm, has thrown down the gauntlet in my kitchen and challenged me to re-create this cookie that he buys from a Jewish deli down near Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I have to admit, it is one of the best cookies I have ever tasted and I am obsessed with trying to crack the recipe.
Last night was my first attempt. I got a decent cookie out of my effort but not nearly close enough to perfection. The deli cookie is thick and chunky, but soft to the pallet, not crunchy. I think I nailed the 'flavour' of the cookie but not the texture. My soft Canadian flour makes for a smooth, light dough and it needs more bulk.
In round #2, I plan to get some 'harder' flour, maybe some with more wheat bran in it (that will aid in digestion issues if nothing else). Dark brown sugar instead of the light version I usually use. More flour and less butter in the next batch... I have a few ideas I want to test out.
The biggest problem is consumption. Baking these is easy: getting someone to eat the inventory up is the real challenge. Marshall is great, but I don't want to turn him into Jabba-the-Hutt. After dinner, and a few cookie tastes, we walked around the neighbourhood, delivering cookies. I felt like a Keebler elf.
Malcolm gets first taste of course, since it's his cookie I am trying to replicate. He certainly liked my initial try and was thrilled to get warm cookies delivered. We talked about what needs changing to get the recipe closer to his store bought version but the fresh ones we showed up with were not going in the garbage either. If he was handing out grade points I probably got a C+ for my first effort.
I had to give some to our backyard neighbour, Kathleen Collins. She's a fabulous cook & baker. She even gave me some harder flour to try. Since she hasn't tasted the original cookie she could only guess at what corrections I need to try to get to Malcolms' version. If nothing else her husband John is going to be happy to have a sweet treat in the house. We played with their dog, Snickers and then toddled off.
Last stop was the Larricks' home. John is a really big man so I know he's got room to hide a few cookies on him. What can I say, I need eaters and have no shame in inflicting my cookies on nice people.... Kathy is a good sport about everything and is a willing victim for my baking experiment....they also have a great dog, Brandon, who will let me rub his tummy for ever if need be. A perfect household for cookie delivery. Marshall got to talk 'stereo equipment' with John, I unloaded more cookies, everyone was happy.
In the next couple of weeks I plan to bake my little heart out trying to get this cookie just right. If you are in the neighbourhood, hungry and feeling philanthropic, please come by to get some cookies. Your donations of a willing pallet and no fear of caloric intake is all I ask.
xox
the cookie monster
today's message is one of extreme importance. Pay attention carefully.
I'm on a quest to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie, with macadamia nuts & coconut. Our neighbour, Malcolm, has thrown down the gauntlet in my kitchen and challenged me to re-create this cookie that he buys from a Jewish deli down near Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I have to admit, it is one of the best cookies I have ever tasted and I am obsessed with trying to crack the recipe.
Last night was my first attempt. I got a decent cookie out of my effort but not nearly close enough to perfection. The deli cookie is thick and chunky, but soft to the pallet, not crunchy. I think I nailed the 'flavour' of the cookie but not the texture. My soft Canadian flour makes for a smooth, light dough and it needs more bulk.
In round #2, I plan to get some 'harder' flour, maybe some with more wheat bran in it (that will aid in digestion issues if nothing else). Dark brown sugar instead of the light version I usually use. More flour and less butter in the next batch... I have a few ideas I want to test out.
The biggest problem is consumption. Baking these is easy: getting someone to eat the inventory up is the real challenge. Marshall is great, but I don't want to turn him into Jabba-the-Hutt. After dinner, and a few cookie tastes, we walked around the neighbourhood, delivering cookies. I felt like a Keebler elf.
Malcolm gets first taste of course, since it's his cookie I am trying to replicate. He certainly liked my initial try and was thrilled to get warm cookies delivered. We talked about what needs changing to get the recipe closer to his store bought version but the fresh ones we showed up with were not going in the garbage either. If he was handing out grade points I probably got a C+ for my first effort.
I had to give some to our backyard neighbour, Kathleen Collins. She's a fabulous cook & baker. She even gave me some harder flour to try. Since she hasn't tasted the original cookie she could only guess at what corrections I need to try to get to Malcolms' version. If nothing else her husband John is going to be happy to have a sweet treat in the house. We played with their dog, Snickers and then toddled off.
Last stop was the Larricks' home. John is a really big man so I know he's got room to hide a few cookies on him. What can I say, I need eaters and have no shame in inflicting my cookies on nice people.... Kathy is a good sport about everything and is a willing victim for my baking experiment....they also have a great dog, Brandon, who will let me rub his tummy for ever if need be. A perfect household for cookie delivery. Marshall got to talk 'stereo equipment' with John, I unloaded more cookies, everyone was happy.
In the next couple of weeks I plan to bake my little heart out trying to get this cookie just right. If you are in the neighbourhood, hungry and feeling philanthropic, please come by to get some cookies. Your donations of a willing pallet and no fear of caloric intake is all I ask.
xox
the cookie monster
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
the Marshall Plan 2010
My poor husband. He's having a rough 47th year so far, and it's only the 4th day.
His birthday was on the 17th and he's not a "happy birthday" type of guy so we didn't really celebrate it. I love my birthday so I'm never sure what to do, or not do, for Marshall who doesn't share my enthusiasm for that special event. Fine, no big deal if he doesn't want a party, or a cake, or presents, or cards (it's all the stuff I like about having to get older, I can't imagine a birthday without all of the hoopla), but he was in a funk all day and I couldn't help. Marking a birthday is a riot in my books. The alternative is not party material, but Marshall can't seem to muster up any 'hooray' on his day, so we let it slide.
Marshall's real issues are with his pilots' license from Canada having expired and the plane annual inspection needing to be done. He's now in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with his plane. He flew it out there on his student pilots license so that his favorite mechanic, Mark Kutter in Huntington, Indiana can have the beast for a week and get it certified as flyable for another year. Tomorrow Marshall with fly commercially back east to Boston for a meeting, then home to Yardley on Friday. Next week he'll have to fly commercially back to Fort Wayne to pick up the plane and fly it back to the home base airport he keeps it at in Robbinsville, NJ. Then he has to get a couple of flight hours in with an instructor so he can book his final flight test with an FAA examiner to get his US pilots license all in order. He's already written his exam and got a 93% on the test. Must be nice to not have to study for a year to pass the pilot exam. I still have no clue about density altitude.... never mind.
We're lucky that our friend in Fort Wayne, Dr. Kathy Sherman, was available to pick Marshall up at the airport in Huntington and get him to his hotel. The good thing about Huntington is that the annual gets done on the plane in record time, by an excellent mechanic who knows the plane inside & out. The bad thing is that there was no way for Marshall to get to his hotel other than to have someone pick him up. He'd forgotten how small Huntington is and thought he'd "catch a cab"... ha! Kathy gets dinner in NYC when she comes to visit us next, in exchange for her delivery service to the Best Western.
Hopefully by the end of the month Marshall will have sorted out his license problems, have a certified legal plane and feel better about being 47 years old.... which in my books is a baby. Wait until he has to see the north side of 50! ouch!!!
I am hoping that by the time the plane is home, his license is stamped and this event is over that my hubby will be a happy camper again and realize that 47 is only a number. My hero.
xox
m
His birthday was on the 17th and he's not a "happy birthday" type of guy so we didn't really celebrate it. I love my birthday so I'm never sure what to do, or not do, for Marshall who doesn't share my enthusiasm for that special event. Fine, no big deal if he doesn't want a party, or a cake, or presents, or cards (it's all the stuff I like about having to get older, I can't imagine a birthday without all of the hoopla), but he was in a funk all day and I couldn't help. Marking a birthday is a riot in my books. The alternative is not party material, but Marshall can't seem to muster up any 'hooray' on his day, so we let it slide.
Marshall's real issues are with his pilots' license from Canada having expired and the plane annual inspection needing to be done. He's now in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with his plane. He flew it out there on his student pilots license so that his favorite mechanic, Mark Kutter in Huntington, Indiana can have the beast for a week and get it certified as flyable for another year. Tomorrow Marshall with fly commercially back east to Boston for a meeting, then home to Yardley on Friday. Next week he'll have to fly commercially back to Fort Wayne to pick up the plane and fly it back to the home base airport he keeps it at in Robbinsville, NJ. Then he has to get a couple of flight hours in with an instructor so he can book his final flight test with an FAA examiner to get his US pilots license all in order. He's already written his exam and got a 93% on the test. Must be nice to not have to study for a year to pass the pilot exam. I still have no clue about density altitude.... never mind.
We're lucky that our friend in Fort Wayne, Dr. Kathy Sherman, was available to pick Marshall up at the airport in Huntington and get him to his hotel. The good thing about Huntington is that the annual gets done on the plane in record time, by an excellent mechanic who knows the plane inside & out. The bad thing is that there was no way for Marshall to get to his hotel other than to have someone pick him up. He'd forgotten how small Huntington is and thought he'd "catch a cab"... ha! Kathy gets dinner in NYC when she comes to visit us next, in exchange for her delivery service to the Best Western.
Hopefully by the end of the month Marshall will have sorted out his license problems, have a certified legal plane and feel better about being 47 years old.... which in my books is a baby. Wait until he has to see the north side of 50! ouch!!!
I am hoping that by the time the plane is home, his license is stamped and this event is over that my hubby will be a happy camper again and realize that 47 is only a number. My hero.
xox
m
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
hi,
Yesterday was a "visit the dermatologist" day. Oh boy, fun wow!
I like him. Dr. Miller is a great guy, I just hate the fact that he likes to take pieces off me every time I go to see him.
This time I was worried about a spot on my back that had been growing for the last 2 months. Silly me, that thing fell off the day before the appointment. Dr. Miller didn't even want to talk about it or see the photos that Marshall had been creating to document it. It was just a "seborrheic keratoses". Ugly? yes. Growning? yup. Dangerous? no more than a bad pimple. I had been covering it up with bandages because my bra strap was rubbing against it and agravating the spot. The combination of keeping it covered and being wet in the pool all the time made the darn thing fall off. Perfect. I thought I had this dermatology visit in the bag. No such luck.
My forehead was the new issue. Dr. Miller and his eagle eyes, decended upon my brow just above my left eye and deemed it "unfit". I don't argue with this man (I have other men in my life to argue with if I feel so enclined). I know the drill now. Frist, I request (demand) drugs. I don't want to be aware of any of his procedures. They hurt, make me woozy and my blood pressure drops like a rock making the least little thing worse. Start with a dose of Adavan or Valium and I have half a chance of survival. The worst part is the numbing of the area. There has to be a better way to stick Novicain into you than with sharp pointed objects. I'm sure it was worse 100 years ago but it still hurts. Dr. Miller then scrapes away the the area that he has decided is evil. I get a really dorky bandage and I'm free until my next appointment in 3 months from now. Darn, I thought I could beg for another 6 months out of him, but no way.
Yes, I have been good. I wear my heavy duty sun screen daily, scarves, hats, covering clothing, no mid-day sun... I'm feeling rather Bedouin, Hassidic or Amish most days. How the hell do they were all those clothes in 100° heat? Marshall is diligently checking my skin for anything new or exciting that may crop up. My luck hasn't crashed and burned but it isn't giving me cause to run to Vegas and put it all on red either.
So, my new bad 'actinic keratoses' are gone. I look like a lop-sided pirate with a white patch over my left brow. My next appointment is already made with Dr. Miller. I can be a good patient when I want to be. I was back in the pool this morning teaching swimming (without getting my head wet) and life goes on, again.
We did stop at Max Brenner's Restaurant (www.maxbrenner.com) in Philadelphia for dinner on the way home last night. Nothing a little fabulous chocolate couldn't cure.
xox
m
Yesterday was a "visit the dermatologist" day. Oh boy, fun wow!
I like him. Dr. Miller is a great guy, I just hate the fact that he likes to take pieces off me every time I go to see him.
This time I was worried about a spot on my back that had been growing for the last 2 months. Silly me, that thing fell off the day before the appointment. Dr. Miller didn't even want to talk about it or see the photos that Marshall had been creating to document it. It was just a "seborrheic keratoses". Ugly? yes. Growning? yup. Dangerous? no more than a bad pimple. I had been covering it up with bandages because my bra strap was rubbing against it and agravating the spot. The combination of keeping it covered and being wet in the pool all the time made the darn thing fall off. Perfect. I thought I had this dermatology visit in the bag. No such luck.
My forehead was the new issue. Dr. Miller and his eagle eyes, decended upon my brow just above my left eye and deemed it "unfit". I don't argue with this man (I have other men in my life to argue with if I feel so enclined). I know the drill now. Frist, I request (demand) drugs. I don't want to be aware of any of his procedures. They hurt, make me woozy and my blood pressure drops like a rock making the least little thing worse. Start with a dose of Adavan or Valium and I have half a chance of survival. The worst part is the numbing of the area. There has to be a better way to stick Novicain into you than with sharp pointed objects. I'm sure it was worse 100 years ago but it still hurts. Dr. Miller then scrapes away the the area that he has decided is evil. I get a really dorky bandage and I'm free until my next appointment in 3 months from now. Darn, I thought I could beg for another 6 months out of him, but no way.
Yes, I have been good. I wear my heavy duty sun screen daily, scarves, hats, covering clothing, no mid-day sun... I'm feeling rather Bedouin, Hassidic or Amish most days. How the hell do they were all those clothes in 100° heat? Marshall is diligently checking my skin for anything new or exciting that may crop up. My luck hasn't crashed and burned but it isn't giving me cause to run to Vegas and put it all on red either.
So, my new bad 'actinic keratoses' are gone. I look like a lop-sided pirate with a white patch over my left brow. My next appointment is already made with Dr. Miller. I can be a good patient when I want to be. I was back in the pool this morning teaching swimming (without getting my head wet) and life goes on, again.
We did stop at Max Brenner's Restaurant (www.maxbrenner.com) in Philadelphia for dinner on the way home last night. Nothing a little fabulous chocolate couldn't cure.
xox
m
Saturday, July 10, 2010
new pose
hi,
first, the weather:
it's raining! yipee!!!!!
Mother Nature is doing her job and getting back on track with the precipitation. It was so hot & dry here we were thinking of re-landscaping with rocks, sand & cactus since everything else was dying a horrible, slow death. This much needed water is coming down in buckets, but that's a good thing today. I was fed up with schlepping the hose out at 6am every morning to try and keep the garden alive. Now I can look forward to all the weeds that will need pulling once the rains abates. Why do the weeds grow faster, stronger and healthier than anything else in the ground?
This morning I did one of my favorite Yoga classes. I am getting stronger and stronger, plus healthier and healthier... I wish I could get younger & younger but I'll settle for stronger & healthier. After Yoga I taught a swimming student for 45 minutes in the pool. She was huffing and puffing, I was feeling fine. I can see how the Yoga breathing is making my swimming better too. After 2½ hours of exercise between the Yoga and the pool I felt great. It's so nice to have a relatively healthy body again. My stamina is almost back to normal. Today in Yoga I was able to do one of the tricky balancing poses that has eluded me for the last 6 months. Who knows why it all-of-a-sudden "works", but it does. I am enjoying the Yoga because I see progress in my strength and healing.... and there is always a harder pose to master. Maybe I was a weed in another life? I seem to grow stronger & healthier like them. If I could grow taller that would really convince me that Yoga is miraculous on top of being good for your mind & body. Too much to strive for? Maybe.
Namaste
xox
m
first, the weather:
it's raining! yipee!!!!!
Mother Nature is doing her job and getting back on track with the precipitation. It was so hot & dry here we were thinking of re-landscaping with rocks, sand & cactus since everything else was dying a horrible, slow death. This much needed water is coming down in buckets, but that's a good thing today. I was fed up with schlepping the hose out at 6am every morning to try and keep the garden alive. Now I can look forward to all the weeds that will need pulling once the rains abates. Why do the weeds grow faster, stronger and healthier than anything else in the ground?
This morning I did one of my favorite Yoga classes. I am getting stronger and stronger, plus healthier and healthier... I wish I could get younger & younger but I'll settle for stronger & healthier. After Yoga I taught a swimming student for 45 minutes in the pool. She was huffing and puffing, I was feeling fine. I can see how the Yoga breathing is making my swimming better too. After 2½ hours of exercise between the Yoga and the pool I felt great. It's so nice to have a relatively healthy body again. My stamina is almost back to normal. Today in Yoga I was able to do one of the tricky balancing poses that has eluded me for the last 6 months. Who knows why it all-of-a-sudden "works", but it does. I am enjoying the Yoga because I see progress in my strength and healing.... and there is always a harder pose to master. Maybe I was a weed in another life? I seem to grow stronger & healthier like them. If I could grow taller that would really convince me that Yoga is miraculous on top of being good for your mind & body. Too much to strive for? Maybe.
Namaste
xox
m
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Wet Noodle
Hi,
it is still hot as hell around here and no sign of this heat abating soon. Our garden has turned into a waste land and forget the lawn, it's toast. The only thing enjoying this heat wave is the pear cactus that I planted, it's blooming! No amount of water is saving the poor plants. I even have to refill the pond every day because it's evaporating about 1" to 2" in a 24 hour cycle. I'm afraid the fish are going to get boiled in the bath water they are swimming around in. I love summer, but this is ridiculous.
Today I spent the day in water, a lot of water. I had swimming lessons at 9:30am for an hour, 12:30pm for an hour and a half and then again at 4:30pm for another 1½ hours. How do you get rid of that much chlorine on your skin? I swear I'm growing fins, gills and scales on my body. My swimming students are just too much fun sometimes. Dianna, who is just 4 years old, was practicing singing under water "It's Too Darn Hot". She loves musicals from the 40's & 50's and knows all the words to the songs from "Kiss Me Kate", "Damn Yankees" and "South Pacific". She's the next Shirley Temple if I ever met one. I plan to get her autograph as soon as she learns to write her name a little more legibly.
At least being in water all day kept me cool and comfortable. The fact that I shrunk 2 sizes is a bit of a problem but nothing some chocolate cake couldn't fix.
In other news, I'm up to 13 followers on my blog. I'm doing this because everyone bugged me about creating a blog last year when I was sending out my updates. Now that I'm healthy and feeling great, where are all my fans? Fickle, Fickle, Fickle! No problem, I'm writing this anyway to see if there really is a readership audience that is out there. I'd do this even if it was for only one person so I guess 13 is a lucky number to have already. I'm calling them "my Bat Mitzvah crowd". Feel privileged that you are part of an elite group.... at least I think you are elite.
xox
m
it is still hot as hell around here and no sign of this heat abating soon. Our garden has turned into a waste land and forget the lawn, it's toast. The only thing enjoying this heat wave is the pear cactus that I planted, it's blooming! No amount of water is saving the poor plants. I even have to refill the pond every day because it's evaporating about 1" to 2" in a 24 hour cycle. I'm afraid the fish are going to get boiled in the bath water they are swimming around in. I love summer, but this is ridiculous.
Today I spent the day in water, a lot of water. I had swimming lessons at 9:30am for an hour, 12:30pm for an hour and a half and then again at 4:30pm for another 1½ hours. How do you get rid of that much chlorine on your skin? I swear I'm growing fins, gills and scales on my body. My swimming students are just too much fun sometimes. Dianna, who is just 4 years old, was practicing singing under water "It's Too Darn Hot". She loves musicals from the 40's & 50's and knows all the words to the songs from "Kiss Me Kate", "Damn Yankees" and "South Pacific". She's the next Shirley Temple if I ever met one. I plan to get her autograph as soon as she learns to write her name a little more legibly.
At least being in water all day kept me cool and comfortable. The fact that I shrunk 2 sizes is a bit of a problem but nothing some chocolate cake couldn't fix.
In other news, I'm up to 13 followers on my blog. I'm doing this because everyone bugged me about creating a blog last year when I was sending out my updates. Now that I'm healthy and feeling great, where are all my fans? Fickle, Fickle, Fickle! No problem, I'm writing this anyway to see if there really is a readership audience that is out there. I'd do this even if it was for only one person so I guess 13 is a lucky number to have already. I'm calling them "my Bat Mitzvah crowd". Feel privileged that you are part of an elite group.... at least I think you are elite.
xox
m
Monday, July 5, 2010
heat stroke
Hi,
it's hitting the 100° mark today so I'm hiding inside the house. What a heat wave!
To celebrate the mighty 4th yesterday, we were invited to our friends home for bar-b-que. It was so hot that cooking outside got scrapped but we had a fabulous meal anyway. Dana is a wonderful cook. He made paella, pasta salad, roast pepper/eggplant tampenad and margaritas from scratch. I brought a fresh baked challah and an apple pie so we ate & drank like kings. They even put on a fun fireworks show at dusk. Marshall was the "Fire Marshal" and got to play with the hose, putting out a small grass fire. Everyone one had a good time. I'm ready for next years event.
I tried a new Yoga class this morning. I am not going to be able to sit up tomorrow. The instructor made it an 'abs' class to deal with all the food we ate over the weekend. Great idea, scary results. She had us doing modified crunches that are excellent, but without her abs of steel I know I am not going to be happy getting out of bed for the next few days. No pain, no gain, oy vey!
I hope you all enjoyed the weekend. Stay out of the heat if you are anywhere near Philadelphia. Drink lots of fluids and call me tomorrow to see if I survived the ab workout of today. Serves me right for thinking that I could play at the instructors level. I'll never learn!
xox
m
it's hitting the 100° mark today so I'm hiding inside the house. What a heat wave!
To celebrate the mighty 4th yesterday, we were invited to our friends home for bar-b-que. It was so hot that cooking outside got scrapped but we had a fabulous meal anyway. Dana is a wonderful cook. He made paella, pasta salad, roast pepper/eggplant tampenad and margaritas from scratch. I brought a fresh baked challah and an apple pie so we ate & drank like kings. They even put on a fun fireworks show at dusk. Marshall was the "Fire Marshal" and got to play with the hose, putting out a small grass fire. Everyone one had a good time. I'm ready for next years event.
I tried a new Yoga class this morning. I am not going to be able to sit up tomorrow. The instructor made it an 'abs' class to deal with all the food we ate over the weekend. Great idea, scary results. She had us doing modified crunches that are excellent, but without her abs of steel I know I am not going to be happy getting out of bed for the next few days. No pain, no gain, oy vey!
I hope you all enjoyed the weekend. Stay out of the heat if you are anywhere near Philadelphia. Drink lots of fluids and call me tomorrow to see if I survived the ab workout of today. Serves me right for thinking that I could play at the instructors level. I'll never learn!
xox
m
Sunday, July 4, 2010
the 'other' holiday
g'day
yup, it's July 4th and red, white & blue abound... but are you really celebrating the full holiday?
According to my Tyco calendar (a free-bee from Marshall's company that is totally excellent) it's also "Fil-American Friendship Day" in the Philippines. Does that mean we get to run out and hug all the Filipino people we can find on the street? Whoo-hoo!!! Great news for me, Filipino men are awesome salsa dancers and maybe I'll find a rueda* bunch out of the deal. Or I'll just phone Carmen, my Philippine friend who I went out dancing with last night. I hope she forgives me for not remembering to wish her a 'happy Fil-American Friendship Day'. I'm sure she would have looked at me like I was nuts, she's lived in the USA for 40 year.
To celebrate 'the 4th' today we are invited for bar-b-que to our friends home, the Newbauers'. I teach the Newbauer girls swimming, very cute, smart, kids. They are a nice family to hang with. Dana (dad) is an engineer so he & Marshall speak a similar language. Lisa (mom) is an anaesthesiologist at St. Mary's Hospital and does acupuncture for pain management. I had her give me a treatment for my allergies and it worked great. Even she was amazed. Marissa (7) and Diana (almost 4) are terrific swimmers and a lot of fun to teach. I've baked an apple pie and a gigantic challah to take to the bar-b-que. I know the challah doesn't quite fit into the traditional 4th of July food chain but Dana mentioned once that he loves that bread so I thought it would be a nice change of pace.
Madison is now up visiting for the next 2 weeks. I hope she has a good time with us. We have her enrolled in the Bucks County Community College camp for 5 days doing an 'explorer/science/nature' program. The second week of her stay Marshall plans to take holiday time and do day trips with her to see his family and just hang out. Later in the month the airplane is due for it's annual inspection. The "Marshall Plan" is to fly the plane out to Fort Wayne, leave it there with our favorite mechanic (and all around great guy), Mark Kutter, for the week. Fly commercially from Fort Wayne to Europe, do business stuff from Monday to Friday, then fly back to Fort Wayne, pick up the plane and head for home. Yes, it's how we do things around here. I'll probably stay home and tend the garden. I'll wait until Marshall needs to go to the Orient and then tag along behind him on a trip like that.
Time to get the day rolling. I have a swimming lesson this morning then off to the Bar-b-que. It's going to be a hot one, 97 degrees as per the weather channel. I hope there will be fireworks too somewhere along the way.
Happy red, white and blue to you too!
xox
m
*Casino Rueda is salsa dancing done with couple in a circle, switching off partners as one person calls "moves". Sort of salsa square dancing.... look it up on YouTube, trust me.
yup, it's July 4th and red, white & blue abound... but are you really celebrating the full holiday?
According to my Tyco calendar (a free-bee from Marshall's company that is totally excellent) it's also "Fil-American Friendship Day" in the Philippines. Does that mean we get to run out and hug all the Filipino people we can find on the street? Whoo-hoo!!! Great news for me, Filipino men are awesome salsa dancers and maybe I'll find a rueda* bunch out of the deal. Or I'll just phone Carmen, my Philippine friend who I went out dancing with last night. I hope she forgives me for not remembering to wish her a 'happy Fil-American Friendship Day'. I'm sure she would have looked at me like I was nuts, she's lived in the USA for 40 year.
To celebrate 'the 4th' today we are invited for bar-b-que to our friends home, the Newbauers'. I teach the Newbauer girls swimming, very cute, smart, kids. They are a nice family to hang with. Dana (dad) is an engineer so he & Marshall speak a similar language. Lisa (mom) is an anaesthesiologist at St. Mary's Hospital and does acupuncture for pain management. I had her give me a treatment for my allergies and it worked great. Even she was amazed. Marissa (7) and Diana (almost 4) are terrific swimmers and a lot of fun to teach. I've baked an apple pie and a gigantic challah to take to the bar-b-que. I know the challah doesn't quite fit into the traditional 4th of July food chain but Dana mentioned once that he loves that bread so I thought it would be a nice change of pace.
Madison is now up visiting for the next 2 weeks. I hope she has a good time with us. We have her enrolled in the Bucks County Community College camp for 5 days doing an 'explorer/science/nature' program. The second week of her stay Marshall plans to take holiday time and do day trips with her to see his family and just hang out. Later in the month the airplane is due for it's annual inspection. The "Marshall Plan" is to fly the plane out to Fort Wayne, leave it there with our favorite mechanic (and all around great guy), Mark Kutter, for the week. Fly commercially from Fort Wayne to Europe, do business stuff from Monday to Friday, then fly back to Fort Wayne, pick up the plane and head for home. Yes, it's how we do things around here. I'll probably stay home and tend the garden. I'll wait until Marshall needs to go to the Orient and then tag along behind him on a trip like that.
Time to get the day rolling. I have a swimming lesson this morning then off to the Bar-b-que. It's going to be a hot one, 97 degrees as per the weather channel. I hope there will be fireworks too somewhere along the way.
Happy red, white and blue to you too!
xox
m
*Casino Rueda is salsa dancing done with couple in a circle, switching off partners as one person calls "moves". Sort of salsa square dancing.... look it up on YouTube, trust me.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Canada Day 2010
Did you wave a maple leaf? Kiss a beaver? Ride a moose?
If not, then you didn't celebrate the Canadian way... now all my Canuck friends are howling with laughter thinking about how the rest of the world views Canadians.
What do we really do in Canada to mark this occasion?
If you're in Toronto you, you leave for the cottage in the Muskokas.
In Muskoka, they raid the beer stores and empty the shelves.
If you haven't got a cottage to go to, there are fireworks at Harbourfront, live jazz in the Beaches, World Cup on every TV in every bar in the city, no shortage of street parties and everyone gets a long weekend out of the deal. It's all typically Canadian except in Quebec where they hold out for Bastille Day on July 14th... typically French, but they still take the weekend off to sneer at Canada Day.
I went out for Indian food with my neighbour Kathleen, her daughter Kara & my friend Kim from Yoga class. For me it was a typical way to celebrate Canada Day with good food & friends.
So saluté
Happy Canada Day
xox
m
If not, then you didn't celebrate the Canadian way... now all my Canuck friends are howling with laughter thinking about how the rest of the world views Canadians.
What do we really do in Canada to mark this occasion?
If you're in Toronto you, you leave for the cottage in the Muskokas.
In Muskoka, they raid the beer stores and empty the shelves.
If you haven't got a cottage to go to, there are fireworks at Harbourfront, live jazz in the Beaches, World Cup on every TV in every bar in the city, no shortage of street parties and everyone gets a long weekend out of the deal. It's all typically Canadian except in Quebec where they hold out for Bastille Day on July 14th... typically French, but they still take the weekend off to sneer at Canada Day.
I went out for Indian food with my neighbour Kathleen, her daughter Kara & my friend Kim from Yoga class. For me it was a typical way to celebrate Canada Day with good food & friends.
So saluté
Happy Canada Day
xox
m
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