Moving - Final Stages

The "kids" are moving and clearing their household. Many things have been sold, returned, consigned and tossed. Some things are returning to their original home--mine! This is not the way it's supposed to be. I am supposed to be clearing and simplifying my life!

The bookcase above was never in my house. But a few years ago we put it on top of my car, not securing it adequately. I braked suddenly and it slid forward over my windshield. I drove more carefully after that, with M holding on tightly to the bungees through the window! We also bought two small bookcases that day in Alto, Michigan. She is keeping those.

We have had so many adventures, scouting out mid-century bargains and anything teak! (I call it an-teaking!)

And now she is starting over. Moving to a small apartment in New York City. I tell her there will always be plenty of furniture available out there as the boomers downsize and she up-sizes again in the future.

On the above teak bookshelf: a tea set from Indonesia, back from M, a book and hippo belonging to E, two gift books to me from R and a bookend gifted from E to M.  An art book from Aunt V, I think, a teak-look vase gifted to me by M, borrowed and returned.

So many things. So many memories.

I am glad someone else has a chance for a fresh start. I just stay here, stuck with all my stuff, including my over-stuffed basement; stuck with all those memories--many once happy ones, now strangely and nostalgically sad.

Discovery Tour 2015 - Michigan Brews and Breweries

MY BEER JOURNEY - 2015
Winter Warmth

JANUARY 

Brewery Vivant Flight:

Great Works, Mela, Firkin, Undertaker

Brewery Vivant is a unique place that has a certain spiritual ambiance--it has found a home in a converted funeral chapel! The bar with its semicircle seating extends out from under an arch with a view of stained glass and spirits behind--an area that is referred to as THE ALTAR. Hmmm. Perhaps too many worship at this altar. I am not a worshiper. I just want to explore more of the great tastes that God has created for our enjoyment--and man has brewed and bottled and aged in endless blends throughout the ages.

I checked out the website after my visit, so I could remember the brews we enjoyed. They spelled the reference to THE ALTAR, alter. I emailed them and they responded promptly with a thank you and a correction!

The basic flight here was $10 and included 4 beers that are well known and distributed in Michigan. J. had this flight: Farm Hand, Triomphe, Big Red Coq, Undertaker.

I chose the $12 flight so I could mix and match a bit, but I thought it a must to also try the:

Undertaker:
 A Belgian style dark ale with notes of roasted malt and Belgian yeast. A menagerie on the palate: dark chocolate, coffee-like notes from roasted malts, and a mild character of dark cherries. The lingering finish hints of molasses and roastiness.

Wow! The only thing missing is caramel.

Unfortunately, although I liked all these selections, the best beer in this flight was the "firkin" which supposedly hinted of vanilla bean--which may never be brewed in this exact way again. If I had known then what a firkin was I might have asked whether it was stainless steel or oak, but it is most likely that I had a brew from a small batch that was stored in a stainless steel firkin. Look at the head on the firkin!

Also in January we visited a new bar, Gravity, which is not a brewery. I did not choose so well and surprised myself by liking the brown ale best. This was my flight, cute, but not so satisfying. Maybe I don't really like the blondes and pilsners after all! The Boffo Brown Ale was the star of this flight.

Boffo Brown: Medium body American brown ale with malt accent--toffee/nutty/caramel.
Wow! What's not to like?

Gravity Flight

We will have to put the Boffo brewmaster on our list for a visit.

I hope, by the end of the year, to be able to make my own tasting notes!!



FEBRUARY

Harmony Brewing Company  2-12-15

Black Squirrel Porter 7%, Aphrodisiale 7.2%, Capricorn Stout 8.1%, Fee D'Hiver 10.2%, Oli Bollen 9.3%

The samples at Harmony were generous and high alcohol. Nothing sessionable here! I just learned what session beer is! But the sample on the far left was absolutely not drinkable, let alone sessionable. The Porter's description on the menu referenced peat and should have been a clue (we are learning), but J. and I (two old farm gals from way back) were blindsided by the smell and taste of this beer--pure liquid cow manure! Our server said that customers bring their growlers from near and far to be filled with this barnyard brew! We decided it might serve as a (very pricey) manure tea for our garden. This flight was $13, the most I have spent so far.

It's a good thing that the Porter was not quaffable, because my brain was already swimming...

We were hungry as well, and decided to split a Crispy Pig pizza and some hot bacon nuts, so we did finish some farmyard-inspired food.

I am in no hurry to return with a growler for any of these brews. A couple of the samples were more complex than anything I have had so far this year, featuring dates, ginger, fennel, absinthe spices, cardamom, caraway and more.

My tasting notes referenced J. throwing up (not really) and me with a very confused palette. I did not have to note the cow poop--it is forever etched in my memory.



Perrin Brewing Company 2-18-15

Our first shared flight of five included:
Laughfest Honey Lager,
Sweet Potato Porter,
Cornlaboration,
 Poop Your Pants Chocolate Bock,
and a Razzberry Blonde.

We added 2 more Sweet Potato Porter samples, so that we could all try the flaming marshmallow thing. While it provided us with a little eye candy (J. even took a video!), it added only a charred element to the brew, a burned lump of under-cooked sugar.

My burger topped with a crispy onion ring and bacon provided a relieving cleanse for the palette, especially from the corn beer and the charred marshmallow.

Fried pickles & burgers -
both delicious!

O. liked the fruity blonde. I had to choke down the Corn(laboration)--should have known as it was a pilsner.

 But would you believe, we all liked the Poop Your Pants Chocolate Bock the best!

While a fun trick, the marshmallow did nothing for this Sweet Potato Porter!

We then tried the Perrin Black--an ale, Kona Brown and Big Konas, pictured above. The Big Konas, although it had a somewhat incredible description of how some of the coffee beans for the brew were collected (pooped out by wild--not caged!--Asian civets), it tasted too much like burned coffee to me, while the Kona Brown had a milder coffee flavor that dominated the brew and was okay.

Pardon me for the poop references, but they are the fault of the breweries, not me!

Even though beer tasting does not have an obviously direct land-to-table relationship like a wine tasting at a vintner in the middle of his vineyard (so many of the yeasts and hops are imported--and of course those pooped beans are not grown locally) the brewing and storage tanks are often in view, and tours are available at many of the breweries in the area.

View from our table at Harmony Brewing

2-26-15 - Right Brain Brewery at Village Inn Pizza & Sports Grille

This doesn't exactly count as a brewery visit, but Right Brain Brewery from Traverse City brought their kegs to town for the beer fest and shared them for a few hours on a Thursday night at Village Inn. Arriving early to share some loaded fries (sooo good) I started out with that Boffo Brown, an early year favorite from Dark Horse, which is on tap here.

Then I tried this flight:

Igor Takes a Digger, Concrete Dinosaur, Spiny Norman, CEO Stout

I thought I was trying to avoid IPA's... The Concrete Dinosaur was a simcoe-hopped IPA and the Spiny Norman was a rye IPA. The CEO Stout is available locally in cans, a coffee stout that I like quite well. The winner here might have been the Igor Takes a Digger, an Imperial Brown that is described as smooth, malty and full bodied. I was surprised later to learn that two of mine were IPA's. I might have misread the menu printed up just for this night's tasting, or been mislead by the menu. Oh well, I am learning...maybe even to tolerate the IPA's.

Village Inn has 13 Michigan beers, including two from Right Brain on tap now with 3 limited releases, including that pretty good Igor.


Founders Brewery 3-16-15

Founders is a very popular, growing and award winning brewery in Grand Rapids. It was very busy on a Monday night with $3 beer. This is the sample set I chose, but the menu was neither easy or clear--lists on the chalkboard. You have to know what you want here. I grabbed some stouts (daughter R liked the Oatmeal Stout recently) and managed to avoid the IPA's this time!

Oatmeal Stout 4.5,  Rubaeus 5.7, Imperial Stout 10.5, Porter 6.5

The raspberry beer is not even a beer, the stouts were okay, but the Porter was dark and rich with coffee and just a little peat. I like strong coffee as long as it is not burned in the roaster and I seem to like the coffee beers. but I was somewhat determined to enjoy this one in spite of its faint peatiness! I even finished O.'s Solid Gold pale ale and it was drinkable after it had been breathing on the table for awhile. A. likes the popular, hoppy, Centennial IPA and the husband couldn't find any amber lager on the list so he settled for the Dirty Bastard, a Scottish style ale, which is another winner from this brewery that he doesn't really enjoy. It's descriptions includes everything I like--vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, orange but it is heavy and ends with a hoppy note of something floral or something...

I did get a list of all 23 beers on tap, with even a Firkin, but they are not organized here for flights. Each sample is priced by class and this selection was $9. I could have had 3 Imperial Stouts (10.5) at that price and they would have had to carry me out of the place!

Read my other post on Bach and Brew (3-17) for the rest of the evening's delights.

At home I tried cans of Pothole Stout (very appropriate for a this time of year) from Brewery Vivant, CEO Stout, which was a real coffee fix, from Right Brain Brewery, Blood Orange (an American Pale Wheat Ale with honey) from Cheboygan Brewing Company and a bottle of Bellaire Brown from Short's Brewing Company. Still love most stouts and browns, but the nose on the blood orange was intoxicating.


March Flight to Florida:

I thought I would include the brews from my Florida excursion, even though this is supposed to be exclusive to the brewery scene in Michigan.

The choice on Allegiant Airlines, along with Heineken--really quite drinkable

An all-Florida flight

Blonde Ale from Orlando Brewing, Channel Marker Red Ale from 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Petersburg, Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale, Florida Beer Company, Cape Canaveral and Jai Alai from Cigar City Brewing of Tampa.

I like the name of the 3 Daughters Brewing! I didn't take notes and I cannot remember how any of these beers that I mostly shared with R. were distinguished. Have to start using that app!

Another flight from the American Smokehouse counter:

A description of the Floridian Hefeweizen from Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park:

Suntan for your soul.

Our unfiltered and refreshing German-style wheat beer is full on flavor yet light on the palate. Authentic hefeweizen yeast creates the compelling aromas of bananas, citrus, and cloves, while the all wheat and malt body perfectly captures the brilliance of a golden Florida sunset.

Also noteworthy was the Maduro from Cigar City Brewing which I picked up at Trader Joe's. Really good brown ale.

TO BE CONTINUED...

What's in the News?

When I have more time on my hands, I listen to more cable news and talk radio. And read more opinion pieces on-line. Much of the news is depressing, with shootings, rape and abuse of innocent children and animals. I try to read a few of my favorite writers who love language and humor and make me laugh at our crazy world.

And because I have some time, I have been playing Bach chorales.

This week was the State of the Union in Washington DC and an Iowa conference for Republican hopefuls for 2016. Two very different visions for the nation were laid out.

The President also did an interview with a YouTube star, (who gets thousands of views by bathing in milk and fruit loops in her bathtub), speaking to him through her signature big bright emerald lips. It is a crazy mixed up upside down world for sure, when a president thinks he needs to reach people in this way.

I still pay attention to all things political, even though nothing I do or think will ever make any difference. What can I say? I have picked a team and follow the games, for better or worse.

But I just couldn't watch the State of the Union this year. It's always such a laundry list of promises that will be broken and legislation proposed that doesn't have a prayer. This year--apparently--it was particularly filled with inflated notions of reality. I did check twitter, and listen to some of the pundit prattle. I learned a new work: dreck. No--not from Charles! I have a lot of dreck in my life as well.

Hey, the gas prices are incredible! (I paid $172.9 a gallon with a 15-cent discount ticket.) The trickle down effect from low prices has put money back in our pockets. But who can take any credit for that? It has as much to do with such things as the downturn in the Russian and Asian economies and the increased fracking on private lands on this continent than anything any politician has ever done. But if you are president, you take credit, because the electorate is dumb and/or uniformed.

I know my family would rather have me talk about food or the weather than broach subjects like who they voted for, their church involvement or any reference to bedroom behavior. These are not safe topics (politics, religion, sex) for most diverse social groups or even fairly homogeneous families.

So what topics are safe for dinner table conversation these days?

Sports are pretty safe, aren't they? The super bowl is still a huge deal--an excuse to party and eat chips and wings, if nothing else. What new snacks are you planning for the big day?

This week some censorship was needed, however! The talk was all about whether anyone touched (or rubbed - in his own words!) Tom Brady's (foot)balls! It was like every latent 4-year-old inner child impulse was unleashed with unending double entendres this week. VP Biden's preference for soft balls! The actual quote: "Having been a receiver, I like a softer ball." Deflate-gate!

It was way more fun than talk of one of two Japanese hostages that was probably killed by Isis in Syria this week. It was also more fun than listening to Barack Obama drone through his tired campaign rhetoric once again. But I missed that fun.

I don't have an office where I can catch the water cooler talk. So what was the talk about in your life?

My oldest daughter seems to be obsessed with new puppy talk--at least on Facebook. Puppy talk is always safe. Everybody loves a puppy video. She was late to puppy kindergarten this week, caught in a traffic jam. Oh no!

I will see the new growing puppy soon--purportedly the sweetest and smartest dog alive. I managed to snag a single seat (not assigned) on a no-frills airline for $158.50 (if I pack only a backpack), to Orlando. It must be those gas prices!

A friend of mine entertained a group of aging theologians in Arizona. I'm sure those conversations put her to sleep. But the weather looked great on the Facebook photos.

I am involved with two solitary, non-speaking, indoor activities every week that I hope will help to keep my brain alive. I played a few very challenging games of WWF this week. I played two games with a genius player (smilex) that blew my mind. And I got lucky--I used furcate--all 7 letters--on two double word scores that cinched a game with that super wordster. They have all-time stats now on everyone you compete with. She (or he) was way out of my league.

The other thing I do is to practice the pipe organ at church every week. The challenge of coordinating left and right feet with left and right hands will surely stave off Alzheimer's!!

The movie Still Alice is in the theaters now. That was a great book (a book club pick) and a reminder that every day we can remember where our keys were placed is a good day. I will wait to see the movie on Netflix. If you ever find my keys in the fridge, just shoot me, then and there.

I practiced a Bach organ chorale that I want played at my funeral. Ask me! I used to be able to do it well. I am sadly out of practice, and it taxes every part of my brain, fingers and toes (heel-toe, heel-toe) to play it.

Next week: The Big Move to The Big Apple

Sunday Dinner at the Big House ... with Orchids!

The pink flowers were oh-so-fragrant stocks.

We have our own Big House here in town. And in that 100+ year-old house resides the aunt-in-law, who is also my 2nd cousin. She has a lot of grandchildren who regularly fill up her gracious dining room table, young folks who are growing and eating ever-growing portions of her big, old-fashioned, meat-and-potatoes Sunday dinners. She used to invite others to fill those seats, but I don't blame her for prioritizing those favored family few in recent years.

I like the reflections in the mirror on the photo above, extending into the bar. I had to move to the side because I noticed my first photo had a kind of selfie of me framed right in that bottom section.

I have blogged about and photographed her Sunday dinners years ago--and they are still very much the same, with an occasional variant vegetable side. Photos of mounds of potatoes and volcanic gravy toppings are not that unique.

More unusual and exotic were the flower arrangements which accented the burgundy-themed room (which has returned to popularity--check out the Pantone color of the year for 2015 - Marsala!).

(Google thought that creating a black and white automatic awesome enhancement would please me. I prefer flowers in full color. Period.)

So yesterday we were once again invited to enjoy a full course Sunday dinner. They have done it so often that the process is perfected! My uncle trims the roasts and makes the gravy in massive quantities. (He has his secrets. Kitchen Bouquet helps.) The gravy is poured from ceramic pitchers, liberally, on the potatoes and the roasts (usually beef and pork, but I have even had elk).

Before the morning worship service, at least 10 pounds of potatoes are peeled and two gluten-free pies are baked. Dinner is usually sometime after 1:00 but snacks and adult beverages are available earlier. Leiden cheese, crackers, shrimp, fresh strawberries, deviled eggs and mini sausage links were served on this particular day.

To fill out the menu, a Caesar salad, cooked carrots, roasted mixed vegetables and homemade applesauce. To finish, a lemon meringue pie and a blueberry apple with vanilla ice cream. Coffee, too.

It was a treat to see the very special flower arrangements, which neither my aunt or I would probably ever purchase. Such bouquets are quite expensive, the roses shipped from far away places at this time of the year. And the big orchid blooms are so exotic.

When a florist friend heard Aunt V had been ill and in the hospital recently, the flowers which were left over from a show were brought over. How great to have such a friend who can provide a bit of cheer in this bleak mid-winter.

Some Heat and Some Sweet on a Cold Day

What else does one do for fun on another frigid day? Find some south of the border food at the only tequila bar in town, to spark tongue and tummy with a little sugar and spice and all things nice?

My pretty-in-pink cocktail--a prickly pear Margarita--was more sweet than heat, but yet, invoked warm memories of cacti and deserts enjoyed last January in Arizona.

Now this is how you begin a noon lunch with the aunt!--with a little celebrating, after a bit of a tough year which we both survived, and a little clicking of our glasses, and a little wishing and hoping for one more year of good living.

We shared the only salad on the menu, which had some jalapeno heat and herbs in the vinaigrette. It had been changed up with some hearty sweet potato chunks and roasted cauliflower instead of the tomato and cucumber which I enjoyed the last time I ordered it, above.

Also, a pork belly taco for me, a fish taco for the aunt. We didn't add any extra heat, which came in three levels of squeeze, because the flavor was so good already. Our bodies were thinking more heat, but our palettes were telling us, no thanks.

We shared a few bites of the dessert, a "three milk's cake" with toasted coconut and coconut milk, garnished with chocolate. Doesn't it look tempting?

Apologies here, for not being able to escape more talk of food and weather!  A weekend warm up is expected and all the "bad" food  and/or holiday food is out of the house now--in the landfill or sewer! That's why I had to get out!!  (Breakfast was black coffee and two egg yolks. Dinner was leftover beef roast and steamed broccoli).

Weather Wimp?

My view

The weather in Michigan has once again been frightful. Schools all through West Michigan were cancelled yesterday. We are in the middle of some kind of arctic event, although the weather forecasters are avoiding that polar word, too.

A big pileup made the news as a semi truck carrying, of all things--fireworks--caught fire. Now that would have been something to behold! The videos which I have seen so far just don't capture it.

Yesterday I watched an old episode of National Geographic's Life Below Zero. It was right at zero degrees and Erik decided to cut down some trees for firewood with his chain saw. For him, zero was a great Alaskan temperature to get some work done outdoors.

I have become a weather wimp!

Today's temps managed to rise above zero, even above single digits, but not yet into the teens. The high today was 12 above zero.

The husband (after recruiting my help) decided to embark on project Snow Blow the "Kids" Driveway, while they were away for the weekend in NYC. With all the jobs he doesn't do around the house and yard, he remains the Snow Blower King. An exclusive domain.

I sometimes put a mower in the back of my Mitsubishi, strapping it in with a bungee cord or two and using two boards as a ramp. I suggested we could move the snow blower the same way.

Turns out Tom the roofer and sider took all our leftover scrap wood and somehow my special ramp boards did not get saved. We had one large board left, a side rail to the waterbed that was here when we moved into the house.

Also, my SUV's back doors were frozen shut, so we could not stabilize the snow blower easily from the back seat.

We managed to load the snow blower--balancing it on that one big board, but then .... the husband thought it was necessary to walk behind the vehicle for the 3-4 blocks, at 4 miles an hour, uphill, through some un-plowed snow, making sure that the snow blower did not fall out, especially while we were chugging up the hill! That got his heart beating! He wasted breath yelling various instructions at me. Later he told me how bad the exhaust fumes had been, but he couldn't really yell at me about that! The return trip was somewhat easier, but my brakes were squealing at an annoying, high pitch as I tried to maintain at 5 mph or less down the steep hill. You can imagine how much he enjoyed that. Don't brake! Slow down! Keep moving! Get in the middle of the road!

We have a powerful used 2-stage blower which really needs a trailer for transport!

Anyway, I had layered with those new yoga pants and put on a warm wool hat, enduring the itch factor. I helped to shovel a little. Turns out that if you dress warmly enough you can actually get hot and sweaty when you work at 12 degrees above zero.

I have been too lazy to get out much in this cold weather, but accomplishing this task was somewhat rewarding. And some fresh air is always good.

The husband, walking behind my SUV holding on to the snow blower, provided a most ridiculous sight in the neighborhood, much crazier than my mowing the lawn on December 23! It made even three little kids stop playing, to stare. I waved and he told them he was pushing the car. So now they all know there is not only a crazy mowing lady in the neighborhood but a crazy snow blowing man as well.

(Compared to the struggles on Life Below Zero, however, our little afternoon adventure was nothing).

Even with all the adversity (no boards, no back seat, no trailer--and cold), we were able to get the job done. Pretty good for a couple of 65's like us!

But enough already with (and about) the weather. I'm ready to book a week in the tropics! (Or Orlando).

My Oliebollen Story

A dozen olliebollen rolled in sugar

I did not have any eggnog in 2014. I did not have any banket this past Christmas. I did not make Hazel's candy. But I went out of my way to indulge in some oliebollen.

Olliebollen are like round fritters, sometimes made with bits of apple, but always including raisins or currants--a traditional Dutch old year's treat. The name literally translates fat balls.

My recollection is that my mother fried a batch of oliebollen every Old Year's Day, as we called it. Hot out of the fryer, they were tasty! We always rolled those fat balls in sugar, never powdered. I have never made them and don't seem to have her old recipe, although there are various recipes in my Dutch community cookbooks.


But when I found out through social media that the new doughnut shop in town was stirring up a batch of oliebollen batter, I was determined to get me some. Local apples and Dutch gin-soaked currants pictured in a giant mixing bowl of dough were enough to excite and intrigue, although they already had me at OLLIEBOLLEN!

Without naming the place, I am aware of what the chef at the doughnut shop has been up to. I was waiting to indulge in these creative and pricey doughnuts...until both friend O and I had lost more weight.

Well, oliebollen are not technically doughnuts and it was the last day of the year and the last day to celebrate the holidays....................the temptation was just too great!

They would be ready for sale around 7:30 PM. Our church service was at 7:00. Our party was scheduled for around 8:30.

 I chose a dozen oliebollen over church attendance!

Parking was not readily available. I had to walk alone in the cold and snow. I had to pay a premium price. But the olliebollen did not disappoint! They were still warm when I purchased them, but were cool by the time I walked them back to my car and drove home. We ate most of them shortly before midnight, reviving them with a 7 or 8 second zap in the microwave.

Just before my doughnut jaunt I took my party hors d'oeuvres out of the oven--water chestnuts, sliced, marinated in soy sauce, rolled in brown sugar, topped with summer sausage and wrapped in bacon. Meat, salt, fat, sugar--just a few of my favorite things!

So I ended the old year and began the new year (see also My Bacon Story) with balls of fat and bacon. I did try one actual donut (see photo above) but it was not as good as the olliebollen.

 Life is good! (When I am bad!)

My Bacon Story

A couple of years ago I enjoyed a program on the Destination America channel called the United States of Bacon. Included in that episode was an establishment right here in Michigan with the most outrageous bacon sandwiches that I had ever seen--in sheer volume of pork belly used. The BLT featured a full pound of bacon. My friend J and I really like bacon. It turns out she had also heard about Tony's in Birch Run. We put it on The List.

Bored and bummed out after Christmas and New Years, and with gas prices at a 6-year low, on Saturday we decided to head up and over in the state to Birch Run.The weather was iffy, with a cold front approaching, but the reports indicated it would be above freezing all day, with lots of rain possible. A half dozen cars were in the ditch from earlier, one smashed into a tree. We traveled in my friend's new car with no problem. The price of regular gas at the pump in Birch Run was $1.69 and with her 5 cent credit card discount, J. filled up for $1.64 a gallon. I still can't believe the price!

Did the bacon sandwich at $9.89 meet our expectations? O. wanted to know. We are fussy eaters and probably have made some pretty darn tasty BLT sandwiches at home, especially in the late summer when tomatoes are red and juicy. I should have asked for extra Mayo on the side (love to slather on the mayonnaise), but in spite of the anemic tomatoes and imbalance of Mayo, the sandwich was good, and as ridiculously over-the-top as we had imagined it would be.

Tony's is kind of a dive and the crowd at mid-afternoon appropriately reflected that casual style. I left my coat in the car just in case the air was thick with bacon grease! A big pile of white pails for sale for a dollar greeted us at the cashier's booth. So classy! Tony's uses 11,000 pounds of bacon per week and about a 1,000 pounds of hash browns on a weekend. This place is popular! Other sandwiches and desserts are also big. Another menu item on their rather extensive menu (lots more than bacon)--Tony's Sub--is described as battleship size--and they suggest on the souvenir menu that you will want to take a photo of the massive $9.99 banana split. (On the Summer List).

I noticed others in adjacent booths using their camera phones, documenting the Big Bacon experience for family or Facebook. I didn't feel like the only crazy--photographing the heck out of my sandwich instead of eating it!

We each ordered a whole sandwich. I ate almost half the sandwich, boxing up the remainders for the husband. He called me on the way home to see if I had saved any for him. I said, "Yup, I'm bringin' home the bacon!" He laughed and replied, "that would be a first."

We also shopped a few bargains at the outlet malls before returning home. J. found a nice pair of black and brown boots at a 60% discount. I shopped at the Corning/Corelle store.

One More Year of Blogging?

Happy New Year!

Here I am again. Welcome to another year of my ramblings.

Come visit me here this year at One More Year of Living!  Keep me company as I make an effort  to become leaner, cleaner, richer, happier or whatever! I never did attempt a year of living kinder, which someone suggested, and now I am just glad to have made it through another year, period--with goals or not. Nothing too mean or naughty (or nice) here this year--and I promise, no poop!

 And I can keep my doctor, period. (I really could keep my doctor, if I would only go to the doctor!)

Even though I have no rules for living this year, I have banned some more words. If I use a word you think should be banned, please let me know and I will consider it. Foodie is banned. I don't use bae or cra cra so that will be easy. I really did like those polar vortexes last year...
At the end of the day, I have never referenced my skill set, so I'm good.

And in spite of my opening posts on bacon and fat balls (olliebollen), I will try to think and write less about food this year.