Celebrating an Anniversary

We began the celebration of our 56^th wedding anniversary on grandson David’s day off. The list of restaurants we brought up included local ones and some in Asheville. David came up with the winner, one that had slipped our minds. He remembered that when his brother was here, we went to Square Root in Brevard on a day he was working. We promised him we’d go again so that he could experience it. We found that it had reopened with 50% capacity seating and took a chance. The drive on a small road over the mountain took a long time, so the lunch rush was over when we arrived. What a treat we had!

For the foodies: we had an eggplant and portobello sandwich, a hot ham and fig sandwich, and planked salmon with succotash and rice.

The ending was spectacular. We split a slice of key lime pie and a piece of cake they called a chocolate tower. I was hurrying to take a quick photo, and David turned the plates to show the desserts to advantage. The pie had a most intense lime flavor, enough to make us roll our eyes with delight. Words wouldn’t do the chocolate justice. Never mind justice, we should have asked for mercy after savoring the cake. It was sinfully good!!

Taking a different route home, John urged David and me to get out by a mountain stream. With David’s help, I got down the rather steep bank. If the video works for you, you’ll hear the roar of the stream and see the water rushing under roots of a tree. The roots had grown over big rocks for a solid base, but there was no earth around half the roots.

Unearthly roots

In case you can’t see it, below is a still photo of David as he tried to get a video looking upstream.

Nearer home, we went to the water’s edge at a local swimming hole. Children were jumping off a big rock into deep water, while adults lounged in camp chairs. David and his mother Kate swam downstream from there last year. This might be a good place for them to swim when she comes this year.

Friday People

For several years, grandson David worked at a fast food burger place when he wasn’t in college. He was never an opener, but he worked all different hours from 10 in the morning until midnight. It took me a long time to realize there was one day of the week when he was more likely to drag himself into the house and collapse on the nearest chair. I often asked how his day was, and he might share a short account of something that happened. Almost always an unpleasant experience happened on Friday. There was something about the day that made a few customers rude, overbearing, contentious, impatient, critical, verbally abusive, nasty and insufferable. If you can think of other adjectives, add them to the list. In addition, some asked for extra packets of a special sauce and refused to pay for them. David and I began to call these characters Friday People.

I’m sure none of you who read this act that way. Since you are one of the good ones, I’m going to ask that the next time you order fast food on Friday, you be especially pleasant to those who serve you. They may have already been maligned and mistreated unfairly. Whatever you can give – a smile, a friendly word, a thank you – please boost the morale of those behind the counter..

To be fair, I should mention the prize customers. When the dining room is open, there are people who come in for a meal regularly, often more than once a week. David comes home and says, “My regulars were in today.” Of course, they don’t belong to David; they are shared among the staff. These people have a nice word for everyone and often know names of workers. I think I’m right that occasionally staff members sit and chat with them if they are on a break. Some customers come in every weekday and order the same meal. As David says, you know what they’re going to say before they say it. These regulars are a pleasure to serve.

As David left for work on a Thursday, I said, “At least you won’t have Friday People today.”

With uncharacteristic pessimism, he replied, “Unless they come in a day early.”

This is my favorite Burger King photo of all time taken on August 24, 2011. David (16) and his brother Nathaniel (11) were having a lot of fun at lunch, bursting into laughter just after I took this shot. We were traveling upstate New York to see waterfalls, a favorite pastime even then. This was a Wednesday, so I’m sure we didn’t behave like Friday People.

David’s Birthday – Morning, Noon, and Night

I think all grandparents want special things to happen on their grandchildren’s birthdays. We’re blessed to have grandson David living with us, giving us an easy target.. The camera was waiting in the pocket. I was a little late getting breakfast on the table, so David took a shower and put on his uniform before we ate. John put a candle on the lemon biscuit spirals to add the birthday touch.

After David left for work, I made Brownies with dark cocoa and dark chocolate chips. John drove us to town, and we took our place in the Burger King takeout line. John told the order-taker that we were making a delivery to David. Coworkers are generally aware of a birthday in their midst, and she told us to pull up to the second window. If David was surprised, we couldn’t tell through the sneeze guard and required mask. Besides, he had his head in the clouds. Can you see the real clouds in the photo?

Many hours later we had dinner on the porch, and it was dark for the obligatory cake and candle picture.

I had noticed before that I cook for people I love, but it hit me in the face on David’s birthday. Morning, noon, and night I pushed food on him, not that it changes his shape at all. When he is hungry, I swear he can pull the front of his stomach in to touch his backbone.

Others paid attention to him with text messages, phone calls, and greetings on social media. One gift that came in the mail was very special. At work they brought in chocolate cupcakes to celebrate, and he loved that. After everyone had a chance to take one, he brought the rest home.

This was not a birthday with high drama or fireworks, but it was excellent in an ordinary sort of way. Happy 25th birthday, David!

A Used Watermelon

Odd items appear in Jonathan Creek more frequently than they used to. We now step right up and look into the water to see what is there. Under the swift stream was an object patterned in light and dark green. The camera zoomed in and confirmed what we thought. It was half a watermelon.

Although our temperatures are not hot yet, someone had a mid-summer feast. This is not an editorial, so I won’t castigate the person who threw garbage in the creek. I do hope he/she fell in the cold, shallow water and that there was an audience to laugh loudly.

Playing a Maple Syrup Bottle

Grandson David and I had a leisurely breakfast on the porch on his day off. We were having a repeat of blueberry/chocolate chip pancakes, and I thought I used the last of the maple syrup. David squeezed a few more drops out. He picked up the bottle and blew into it, like playing a flute. I remembered I had a flute tuner on my phone which I had never opened. According to that app, he was playing an A.

I tried to take a video, but he and I were not coordinated. I missed his best tones. When we looked at the takes, there was no sound. Well, if you want to be technical, we looked at the screen and listened for the note.

David drove us on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a drive that never fails to refresh us. Coming home, we stopped at Haywood Smokehouse for barbecue sandwiches. I was hungry for BBQ after hearing the longing in friend Karen’s voice when she spoke of it. The restaurant was doing a booming take-out business, but we went inside. Half the tables were marked with a red X. Our food came in styrofoam containers, and we had plastic utensils. I’m sure we had regular dishes and cutlery last week when we ate at a different restaurant. I know what we need to do – go out to eat again next week, right???

Shabby Chic or a Relic??

John and I had back-to-back wellness visits with our doctor, and I was rushing around to get ready. I reasoned it would be good to carry a pocketbook. I would dump my phone, camera, and wallet in it, so that I wouldn’t have the extra weight in my pockets when getting on the scales. I was wearing a green striped top. I remembered I had a green purse on the shelf that I hadn’t carried since we moved here six years ago. I grabbed it, threw in the three essential items, and rushed out. I’m glad I didn’t really look at it as I got in the car. I would have died a thousand deaths.

Both of us were pronounced healthy, although there was no guarantee we wouldn’t drop dead at the door. Everything was a bit strange. We called from the parking lot to let them know we were there, and the assistant unlocked the door and motioned us inside. I did not have a mask and was given one immediately. There were clear plastic sheets hanging around the reception area. My mask was fogged up, and I could barely see where I was going. Other than that, everything was normal. On the way out, I sat down to finish filling out paperwork. As I fished for my insurance cards, I saw the outside of the green pocketbook. Aaauuugggghhhh! It was a ragged mess!

Had anyone noticed? I had no idea. I remembered writing a post recently, and someone commented that what I called retro could have been called “shabby chic”. I put the purse down at home, removed the contents, and noticed green shredded pieces all around it. I had been out in the world, littering green bits everywhere. That’s when I noticed a brand name on it, which I read as Relic.

My accessory was not shabby chic, it was a bona fide relic!

When the photo was enlarged on the computer screen, I saw it might be Pelic. I’m sure you’d agree that Relic makes a better story.

Memorial Day Memories

John and I started the holiday a few days early, watching a video from blogger Linda [https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/12762988/posts/2721939870]. The Memorial Day video was touching and a very appropriate way to remember those who have defended our freedom.

At 10:00 am on Monday, I texted neighbors to see if anyone was available to have a pop-up lunch. We have planned holiday cookouts closer and closer to start time, but this was extreme, even for us. When we had one affirmative reply, John and I moved the grill to the front porch. We’ve always used the back screened porch for eating, but the front one is longer. Luckily, there were not many insects about. Our group included John, Jeff, David, Logan, Holly, Shawn, and Bob.

A pop-up lunch is equivalent to a come-as-you-are party, only for food, not clothes. Folks bring something they have at home, and they follow the unwritten rule of not going out to buy anything. Our group brought hot dogs, buns, chips, Scoops, quacamole , chopped onions, grated cheese, and deviled eggs. I love chips of all kinds and don’t allow myself to have them often. And deviled eggs! They are a particular favorite of mine, but I won’t make them myself because they take too much time. To me, this was a feast. Bob made us laugh. When asked what kind of hot dog he wanted, he said, “Steak flavored.”

Between the main course and dessert, Logan and David threw a Frisbee. After the meal was finished, Logan rode his bicycle on the street, and David got his bike out of the garage. Former neighbor Marla had tuned it up for him a few weeks ago, and this was the first time he’d done more than a test run. Shawn gave Logan permission to ride to the stop sign. Off they went, as we continued talking on the porch. We became aware of approaching rain, wondering where the fellows would be when it hit. They came back drenched, but still smiling. It began to rain when they were at the stop sign.

David and Logan were drenched. Logan’s mom always cuts his hair, so he isn’t shaggy like the rest of us.

We were amused when Logan went home to change into dry clothes and came running back through the rain. He was not nearly as wet as he had been.

David had been longing to go up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we headed there after everyone went home. Often cloudy day scenery is more exciting than that under brilliant sunshine. We had several things – rain, fog, and sun. It began to rain while David and I were enjoying Sunburst Falls. The stream had more water than usual, making it louder and more visually interesting to us.

Fog was next. That’s what happened the last time we drove there. Both times it was so thick that John had to keep his eye on the middle line. On the other side of the fog, I took this picture of the brooding mountains flirting with the clouds.

The last time we got out of the car was at Looking Glass Falls. I was thrilled to notice lots of mountain laurel on the cliff above the falls. I zoomed in a bit and cut off half the falls to show the bushes. Because of recent rain, the stream was high. Spray billowed onto the walkway halfway down the steps. No one ventured into the water, and most didn’t even go to the bottom of the steps.

I hope you had a pleasant and meaningful Memorial Day.

Dining Out!

Yes! We went out to eat! Legally! In our own county! It was a heady experience, one that we thoroughly enjoyed. I was surprised that everything was nearly normal. We had a real menu to hold, and the table was not bare. We could reach for sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, ketchup, and sweeteners. The glaring difference was that half the tables had a taped “X” on them. The last time we ate there on a Sunday, all the tables were full. There was a steady stream of customers today, taking up most of the unmarked tables. We noticed there were people coming for take-out meals. With that added traffic, the restaurant might have been doing as much business as before COVID-19. Not all restaurants will be able to bounce back like that. As you can imagine, we were happy to help.

You can guess what I did. I took out the camera to record this historic moment. Look at those happy smiles and the huge bowl of salad in front of John. David’s fish did not swim into view, but it was shortly inside him.

We ate leisurely, since no one was waiting for our table. David had half an hour back at home before he had to go to work. He knows the Burger King dining room will be opening, but he hasn’t been told when. They will need a few more workers when that happens.

Blue Food!

Grandson David’s favorite color is blue. Most foods are NOT blue. When Jell-o was on sale, I noticed Berry Blue and bought it. It seemed appropriate to use it with fresh blueberries, another of David’s favorites.

None of us had ever had this flavor before, and David was pleased with the color. I told him I licked the spoon after putting the salad in the refrigerator. It tasted like a fruity Jell-o, one with no distinct flavor. Pictured is my serving, blue Jell-o with bananas and blueberries.

It looks more like a monster than something edible. This is larger than life-size.

We looked at the box to see if any particular fruit was mentioned, and it wasn’t. I read several articles on line, one saying the flavor was a combination of raspberry and blueberry. Another said it was introduced in 1992. We don’t keep up with food fads, but 28 years was a long time to wait. What about you? Do you try foods or recipes when they are in the news?

Wild Hair During Lock Down

I thought it might be fun to take selfies just before the barber shops and hair salons reopen. We heard that North Carolina will begin reopening restaurants and hair places at 5 pm on May 22. I started the day before the announcement, taking a selfie that showed my hair long. I wasn’t trying to look good, but it backfired. The photo looked better than expected, so I made it my profile picture.

The next day I took another, trying to show how bad I could look. I discovered that there isn’t much difference between when I look my best and when I look my worst! That can be taken two ways. Either I don’t need to bother any more, or I should keep trying and maybe someday I’ll look better.