It's time again for me to re-activate my house....cause company's comin! Yep...it's Jeff and Donna and I want everything to be just perfect...but you know what they say about mice and men.
Anyway...time for me to empty out the two top drawers of my chest of drawers. Donna likes to unpack although they're only staying 3 days....then vacationing on the Caribbean.
My cooking is almost non existent. I use my George Foreman almost everyday...and I'm happy with the results.
Hard to believe that I cooked for a family and tried to make my meals interesting. That's why every couple of weeks I invite Harriet over...just to make sure I know how to present an interesting meal...and she most of the time appreciates my results. Not every time though...sometimes I try to get too creative and I flop.
Think for their first night I'll bake chicken breasts and make a casserole...everything in one dish.
They're easy people to please...at least they tell me it's good...but who knows what goes on behind closed doors. I'm only teasing...my grown up kids are very kind and are really helpful. ] have absolutely no complaints.
Nobody throws a fit....the tone here is harmony.
So...now I have to pray for good weather...but if it's not great, they'll just have to enjoy my company.
Please let the sun come out ... and let strength spring from the rays....after all, this is Florida...our Paradise on Earth!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Senior learning!
Last week my friend Harriet and I decided we'd like to join a group of seniors on a trip to St. Petersburg, Fl. on a venture called Grandedventures.
It's a little pricey but we enjoyed our vacation at a new Hilton Hotel which was beautiful and our home away from home for a week.
We both felt we needed a little time away from our reservation here at High Point to see new faces and study new people and courses. There was a so-called religious man who came with a pretty woman whom I assumed was his wife. He wore 4 different colored skull caps every day and he was constantly quoting from the Bible. During one of my gossip sessions, I found out they were shacking up together. I still get shocked! What's wrong with me! He changed yarmulkes (skull caps) like a woman switching earrings.
The classes we attended were very interesting...and some of the speakers were familiar to us...the Russian Orthodox priest talking about his wife and their belief in the Trinity. We also were happy to reunite with our music lady talking about Cole Porter...and the next day showing us clips of Gene Kelly and that he came from Pittsburgh where I come from and that he had a dance studio where he gave lessons early on.
We spent New Year's eve listening to the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. I have never seen such a huge stage..and we didn't just listen to the music of the masters...but we watched magical ballet and heard lots of opera. I was entranced. Perfect. My only complaint...everything was in German...and I still haven't forgiven them for the Halacaust.
The food at the hotel was all right. We all got served the same menu and there weren't too many complaints . Anything served to me is good. Let's face it...I'm getting very lazy. All the deserts were sugar free which wasn't such a great idea because to some people the artificial stuff is poison in their bodies.
Our week was good...went very fast. We were very cold so we wern't able to take the boat ride offered...but we did get to see the Barnum-Ringling Bros. Circus Museum.
One man spent 50 years building a matchbox scale of the circus....and that really interested me...such detail.... He included all the trains, animals, performers, tents, and even how they prepared their food....and the dishes they used... a view into their lives and how hard these people worked to install the tents and then a day later...take it all down again....and do it in another city.
In those days, many of the artists were considered freaks of nature...the bearded lady...twins joined together,,, Siamese and which they're able to separate today.....dwarfs and very tall people over 7 feet.
All that is changed today. I do remember the day the circus would come to our town and we were all excused from school to watch the circus parade with their big elephants and Arabian Horses. What a treat that was.
I recall that one year they were selling periscopes for 25 cents. That was a lot of money when you're 8 years old...but the vendor promised that I would be able to look behind me to see the homework of a classmate. I fell for it..and was I ever disappointed. But that was decades ago.
/Returning home from our trip we experienced a massive blowout on our bus tire. Not every garage can accommodate a bus....so we waited almost 3 hours. The bus company sent another bus from Miami...but in the meantime a garage came....so we were rescued.
While all this excitement was happening, Seth who owns Grandedventures brought all of us wine, crackers, cheese and little veggies. There was such a feeling of camarderie on that bus that we hadn't experienced all week....so everything serves a reason. When Seth, his wife and son boarded our bus while we were delayed he was received with such applause...he'd come to save us!
I'm glad I went...I'm glad I'm home!
It's a little pricey but we enjoyed our vacation at a new Hilton Hotel which was beautiful and our home away from home for a week.
We both felt we needed a little time away from our reservation here at High Point to see new faces and study new people and courses. There was a so-called religious man who came with a pretty woman whom I assumed was his wife. He wore 4 different colored skull caps every day and he was constantly quoting from the Bible. During one of my gossip sessions, I found out they were shacking up together. I still get shocked! What's wrong with me! He changed yarmulkes (skull caps) like a woman switching earrings.
The classes we attended were very interesting...and some of the speakers were familiar to us...the Russian Orthodox priest talking about his wife and their belief in the Trinity. We also were happy to reunite with our music lady talking about Cole Porter...and the next day showing us clips of Gene Kelly and that he came from Pittsburgh where I come from and that he had a dance studio where he gave lessons early on.
We spent New Year's eve listening to the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. I have never seen such a huge stage..and we didn't just listen to the music of the masters...but we watched magical ballet and heard lots of opera. I was entranced. Perfect. My only complaint...everything was in German...and I still haven't forgiven them for the Halacaust.
The food at the hotel was all right. We all got served the same menu and there weren't too many complaints . Anything served to me is good. Let's face it...I'm getting very lazy. All the deserts were sugar free which wasn't such a great idea because to some people the artificial stuff is poison in their bodies.
Our week was good...went very fast. We were very cold so we wern't able to take the boat ride offered...but we did get to see the Barnum-Ringling Bros. Circus Museum.
One man spent 50 years building a matchbox scale of the circus....and that really interested me...such detail.... He included all the trains, animals, performers, tents, and even how they prepared their food....and the dishes they used... a view into their lives and how hard these people worked to install the tents and then a day later...take it all down again....and do it in another city.
In those days, many of the artists were considered freaks of nature...the bearded lady...twins joined together,,, Siamese and which they're able to separate today.....dwarfs and very tall people over 7 feet.
All that is changed today. I do remember the day the circus would come to our town and we were all excused from school to watch the circus parade with their big elephants and Arabian Horses. What a treat that was.
I recall that one year they were selling periscopes for 25 cents. That was a lot of money when you're 8 years old...but the vendor promised that I would be able to look behind me to see the homework of a classmate. I fell for it..and was I ever disappointed. But that was decades ago.
/Returning home from our trip we experienced a massive blowout on our bus tire. Not every garage can accommodate a bus....so we waited almost 3 hours. The bus company sent another bus from Miami...but in the meantime a garage came....so we were rescued.
While all this excitement was happening, Seth who owns Grandedventures brought all of us wine, crackers, cheese and little veggies. There was such a feeling of camarderie on that bus that we hadn't experienced all week....so everything serves a reason. When Seth, his wife and son boarded our bus while we were delayed he was received with such applause...he'd come to save us!
I'm glad I went...I'm glad I'm home!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
China
I finally found something that I'd like to pass on to my readers. Although, we don't even have to look anymore...just about everything is made in China...which is not a compliment to our country. They're so up on everything and I don't know how that came to pass. They used to be fenced in by their great wall...but guess what...they're very smart people and enterprising...and they've really come out of their closet so to speak. They're now even encouraging their citizens to have more than one child. I found this to be very interesting...and we should know it.
Know Your Barcodes:
Even though the FDA is finally addressing the possible introduction of Melamine laced dairy into the US market from China, there is still no legislation forcing manufacturers to clearly disclose where products are made. Thankfully, consumers are no longer “buying blind.” There is one way to determine the originating country of a particular item – the barcode.
The next time you are are wondering where a product is made, check out the first three numbers of the barcode. If the digits are 690-695, then it is made in China.
Now we know and it's affecting our health....so .. forewarned !!!
Know Your Barcodes:
Even though the FDA is finally addressing the possible introduction of Melamine laced dairy into the US market from China, there is still no legislation forcing manufacturers to clearly disclose where products are made. Thankfully, consumers are no longer “buying blind.” There is one way to determine the originating country of a particular item – the barcode.
The next time you are are wondering where a product is made, check out the first three numbers of the barcode. If the digits are 690-695, then it is made in China.
Now we know and it's affecting our health....so .. forewarned !!!