a testament to nice

Our neighbor--I hate to think of her as elderly, but I guess she is--fell in her garage the other evening, and ended up in the hospital. She apparently hit her head and lay there for a couple of hours (bleeding) until her grandkids found her (thank God it wasn't longer). Refuses to carry her cell phone in the house, and refuses to wear an emergency button. So, what do you do? Let her live her life, I guess. I keep saying we should check in on her more often, but she still drives...so what would I do if she didn't answer the phone? Can't panic, because she might be at the grocery store. Her kids and grandkids are great and are in touch with her quite often--I just felt so bad being right across the street and not being able to do anything.

We told our boys that she had an accident and was very hurt, and that she might not be able to come back home.

Andrew said, "I hope she can."
Mommy: "Yeah, me, too."
Andrew: "She's really nice."
Mommy: "Yes, she is."
Andrew: "She's one of the nice oldest people I've ever met."

And, in the days since then, both boys have asked me if she is able to come home from the hospital yet. What an amazing testament to the positive impression she has had on them--on ALL of us--for two little boys to be so concerned.

weatherman

Last night, Joseph took a break from being a "sweep sweeper" to be a "weatherman". He gave us the latest weather report:

"There's maybe pounds of snow tonight, and maybe this deep [points about neck-high]. And cars will be driving. And people will be walking around and the snow this deep [points about neck-high] will get their snow pants all snowy. And it's partly sunny today. Thank you. [Turns and walks away.]"


Mommy: So are you a street sweeper and a weatherman?

Joe: No, I can turn into anything!

Mommy: Wow; anything?

Joe: Yeah, just as I said so!

oh yeah, and el monterrey

I forgot about this closing. Not too many web references.

El Monterrey, Clovis, NM

more change...

The Liquor Depot on Washington Ave N has closed. Some people thought it was the best liquor store in the metro area. I used to work across from it; it was quite a place. Dated, full of everything you could want, including some real characters. Nearby was a Total station with a hot lunch counter. Yup, that's right--a Total gas station with a hot lunch counter. Teeny-tiny little convenience mart, with enough space to stand and pay. And a hot lunch counter. We called it "Chez To-TAL", and we'd head over there several days a week to see if they had lasagne or tater tot hot dish. (They also had a pretty nice cookie counter; I don't know where the sweets were made, but they had a great chocolate-dipped coconut macaroon.)

The Liquor Depot was purchased for condos; I'm predicting the same fate for Chez Total--if it's even still there. I haven't driven by in awhile, so it may already be gone. The area is becoming very high-rent and trendy, so they're razing everything to build expensive condos. Gosh, I'm so in favor of protecting and reviving wonderful areas, but I sure do hate to see these interesting places fall by the wayside in the process.

more odd names

Leech E. Disfigurements e-mailed me today with some special offers for personal enhancement medication. Somehow, I think that even if I wanted these products, I wouldn't have a great deal of confidence in personal enhancement medication from someone name Leech E. Disfigurements. Wonder what the E. stands for. Embolism, perhaps?

backyard visitors

The other day, we had seven deer in our backyard...there was no photo taken, but yesterday there were four. It's an odd thing to see, since we live basically in the city. But they're so beautiful I can't imagine why anyone would want to shoot one of these things for sport.

super-cool merchandise

The Koziol Audrey Tea Strainer. Great design; here's why:

It's functional - the flower rests in the leaf stand. Lift it out and set it in a cup. The petals suspend it over the cup. After steeping, the flower sits in the leaf stand. It makes better tea than metal infusers. And it's sturdy.

It's attractive - shiny, bright and cheery. The loose tea looks like the center of a flower.

Super-impressive. Actually, I like most of the Koziol stuff I've seen, including these great big plastic shopping bags that we use in our house for toy storage and portage. Sturdy, great colors and easy to carry.

BTW, I got the Audrey at Solutions Catalog (http://www.solutionscatalog.com)

let's call the whole thing off

You say "Parrano", and I say "Dutch Parrano"...

Several years ago, my friend Ward introduced me to Dutch Parrano at Surdyk's in Minneapolis. This is, basically, aged Gouda. Used to be hard to find--it's easier these days in good cheese shops. It's close to parmaggiano reggiano, but a bit creamier and not so harsh. Very nutty and wonderful. This is a hard cheese that you shave off and eat with fruit or crackers. It's fantastic grated on pasta or pizza, and divine with your fingertips.

(Surdyk's is another topic altogether. Customer service beyond compare.)

About six months later, I was in Amsterdam. When I travel, one of the things I love to do is go to local groceries and drug stores to see what the locals experience. I was in a wonderful grocery store close to my hotel, looking for something to bring to the hotel for dinner. I found some fruit, crackers, and suddenly an ENTIRE REFRIGERATED CASE full of "Parrano". Cubed, chunked, in various sizes. WHOA!!! I couldn't believe it! How is it that they had so much Parrano here, and was it the same as "Dutch Parrano" that Ward showed me?

Then...gradually...the realization of where I was came upon me..."Dutch"..."Holland"..."The Netherlands"...Amsterdam...oh, yeah. This would be, completely, "Dutch Parrano". I laughed out loud at myself, no doubt causing the locals to whisper about silly American tourists.

abscondtion, part ii

In November, Fernando Cabrito, The Goat Cheese Chef, was our "host" for the evening, for my friend Norah's birthday. Fernando made the most awesome baked goat cheese and tomatoes (among other things) at The Sample Room in Minneapolis.

We saw the chef and asked if he was the goat cheese chef. He replied that he was.

We took movies (quicktime) of our abscondtion. They were silly.

Norah says: [...This is the funniest little blog entry ever. It reads like a kids' book. "We did Mad Libs. Mad Libs are fun. Goat cheese is good. Our chef prepared it in a special way. We liked it. We thought about smearing it on the smooth, hairless areas of his body."]

Susan adds, "Because the hairy parts aren't good with goat cheese."

another cherished restaurant bites the dust

Earl Abel's in San Antonio is closing.

Dang.