VS and YA are out and about this week. A few clues:
Where are we?
Today’s post is from Steve Grooms
Last September I joined a group of friends who met when we lived together in a dormitory at Grinnell College. David, Jack and Ralph flew into Saint Paul from Boston and the District of Columbia so we could relive old times. Because David made a fortune in the scented candle business, he happily funded the reunion. We would dine in a restaurant two nights. My suggestions about places where the food was good and inexpensive were laughed off. For David, cost is no object. He is used to the very best when dining out near his primary home near Washington, DC.
Since cost was not a factor, I had another suggestion. WA Frost and Company is a splendid old restaurant on Selby Avenue in the Cathedral Hill district. Built late in the 19th century in the Richardson Romanesque style, the Dakota Building, the home of the restaurant, now exudes the charm of an early time. While I had not eaten there in many years, fond memories of the place allowed me to hope it would not disappoint David or my other friends on this special occasion.
The restaurant was as lovely as I’d remembered. The building features arched windows, copper cornices and walls of sandstone and brick. Giant fireplaces provided light and warmth for diners. The room itself was so quiet we could all speak at normal volume as we told stories about our shared past. The wait staff was deft and unobtrusive. The bounty from the kitchen was so good that we kept saying, “This is the best ___ I’ve ever had!”
We had the sort of evening one remembers with a romantic glow. We had expected a great deal, but WA Frost delivered more than anyone could have hoped for. It was perfect.
Other restaurants can be excellent in other ways. The header photo shows Mickey’s Diner, which in its own way is perfect. You don’t go to Mickey’s expecting the elegance and refinement we had at WA Frost, but my last visit to Mickey’s was all we’d hoped it would be.
What memories do you have of a special restaurant, diner, food truck or family eatery? Or do you remember a restaurant that was so bad you can’t forget it?
Our family often exclaims sympathetically “Bad News Bears” when we hear about the bad luck of others. For the most part, we and our family and friends have not experienced much bad luck, save for one of my uncles who had years of successive crop failures. He was still able to sell his farm when he retired and buy a nice house in town, though.
Today is the anniversary of the bad luck of a woman baseball fan who was at a Phillies game in 1957 when one of the players fouled and the ball hit her in the face and broke her nose. As she was being carried by stretcher from the ball park, the same player fouled a second time and the ball hit her again. Bad News Bears!
Tell some tales of woe.
Husband told me out of the blue this week that his three favorite people of the 20th Century were Rosa Luxemburg, Dorothy Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr. (He has more time to sit and think now that he doesn’t travel for work). I had to admit that I didn’t know who Rosa Luxemburg was, but Husband tells me she was a good socialist.
Given our current situation, I think my three favorite people of the 20th Century would be Jonas Salk, Alexander Fleming, and Tommy Douglas.
Who are your favorite people from the 20th Century? How about the 21st?
Today’s post comes from Linda.
One of the projects I have been putting off way too long, and finally got to this summer, was to re-roof an old birdhouse I’d gotten from one of my gardening clients. It’s a very old weathered wood house that had been chewed on by a critter of some sort, and I had put it aside when the old roof fell apart.
I rounded up the wood scraps, saw, hammer, nails, ruler and pencil necessary to play Norm Abram for an hour, and hung the completed project on a panel of the old gazebo out back.
I felt rather pleased to be able to check it off my to-do list, but even more pleased when two days later I spotted some nesting material poking out of the opening.
After consulting a local wild bird store, I invested in some live mealworms to help provide a steady food supply for the parents and the offspring that were likely to follow soon. One of the parent birds became quite bold when s/he realized what I was delivering, and would come perch on the feeder while I sprinkled the mealworms from the container. The birds became a bit shy when I tried to film them, but I captured a few short videos of feeding time.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/l17jw3bbm3u7vjw/wren2.mov?dl=0
The activity intensified when the little ones hatched out. They were hungry, and talked about it a lot. The bold little wren actually brushed a wing against my hand one morning in its eagerness to get breakfast started. I was a little concerned that it was becoming too tame for its own good!
Do you cut corners on safety when you’re in a hurry? Do you worry about your family and friends who do?
I have lumbar scoliosis, which wasn’t diagnosed until I was in my late 50’s. It results in frequent sciatica and lower back pain, and I have had increasing troubles with it this summer. I initially attributed my increased pain to the stress and physical activity associated with my agency move to a new building. I spent the last month hauling, dragging, disassembling, and rearranging things, but got no relief once that activity stopped. Then I thought, maybe it is my Birkenstocks.
I love wearing Birkenstock sandals, and wear them with socks in the winter and without socks with Capri pants and most everything else in the summer. This week I experimented and wore my lace up Keenes, which look like bowling shoes, and found that my back pain went away. Darn it! The Birkies went in the trash.
You can’t really wear bowling shoes with shorts and Capri pants. I hate having to stop and lace up my shoes every time I leave the house. I like having less pain, though.
What adjustments have you had to make to your clothing as you got older? How would you describe your fashion style? What are your favorite shoes?
Our son texted us earlier this week to tell us that our two year old grandson said “Mommy, put on your listening ears and give me some goldfish crackers.” Son wrote “He’s using our weapons against us!”
I thought it was pretty funny, and told our son it only meant that grandson was understanding what they were telling him and doing some pretty creative problem solving as well
What do you think are the most effective forms of discipline or behavior management? How have you tried to change others’ behavior, either at home or in the workplace? Include pets.
Last week was my birthday. I learned a long time ago that I don’t want to wait around to have friends/family bring celebration to me; if I want a particular celebration, then I just make it happen. I came to this revelation after wasband #1 and I split up. It was Valentine’s Day and I was feeling sorry for myself so I went out and bought myself a small bouquet of flowers, some heart-shaped balloons and a couple of pink frosted donuts with sprinkles (one for me, one for the dog). I had also scored a big box from the new tv of the neighbors (Katy Scarlett loved to sit in big boxes and then eventually destroy them) which I decorated with red and pink markers for her. Turned out to be a great day and a great lesson for myself.
This is not to say that I don’t love what friends/family do for me – I think when folks think of me it means MORE to me because I am self-sufficient in the “celebrate me” arena. This year I had an especially nice surprise. While I was out walking the dog that morning, the little girls next door (Margot and Matilda) came over and did chalk decorations all over my sidewalk. I’m sure they had help from their parents, but the rainbows and butterflies were clearly Margot’s inspiration. It was so touching – it’s still there a week later although getting a little faded from folks walking on it and the couple of rain sprinkles. It was the best birthday wish I got this year!
Do you have a favorite neighbor? Or a not-favorite one?
Header photo credit: Peter Isotalo A 1:10 scale model of Vasa’s elaborately decorated stern.
On August 10, 1628, The Vasa, a brand new war ship commissioned by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, set off on its maiden voyage from Stockholm. It got about a mile into the harbor when a mild gust of wind tipped it over and sank it, killing about 30 sailors. It wasn’t salvaged until 1961. Quite a bit of the remains of the ship and much of its fittings and cargo are on display in a very popular museum in Stockholm.
The Vasa Syndrome is a term used today to describe modern institutional or business failure due to poor communication, unrealistic goal setting, and lack of adaptability by management. Gustavus was off fighting a war in Germany and Poland, but kept making changes to the design of the ship, insisting, for example, that there be 84 bronze cannons when the ship could only hold 36. He wanted it built quickly, with elaborate decorations and carvings that showed off his grandeur and greatness on its multiple decks, the height of which made it unstable in the water. It was tested for stability in the water and failed the test, but was allowed to sail anyway. It ended in disaster. It seems things never change.
What are your experiences with the Vasa Syndrome? Got any good stories about boats?
Husband informed me this week that the reason carrots are orange is a result of selective plant breeding in the 17th century as a tribute by Dutch gardeners to William of Orange. Prior to this they were purple, white, and yellow. This was a real surprise to me, as I assumed such activity was a phenomenon of the 20th century. What a wonderful thing to know!
What new things have you learned lately? What would you change the color of, if you could? Got any good carrot recipes?
Trail Baboon 