Stop and smell the chips!

Oh ok…it is really “stop and smell the flowers” but this time it really was chips.

You see…now and then we have to step outside our boxes and do something different.

Needless to say, retirement has not been easy to adjust to for Gary or me. Those that know me , know how true this really is.

This weekend I decided to throw caution to the wind and and take an overnight trip. I suggested we throw stuff in a bag and just go and we did. I think Gary is ready for a change too. He has not been nice to me lately and that is putting it mildly but he has had a huge change of heart and I had to go with the flow and give him another chance. Oh yea…call me stupid for setting myself up for another nightmare trip but in my heart I knew this was gonna be different and it was..oh my.

We headed off to Frankenmuth, Mi mid morning. Almost near there we saw a diner. The old fashioned kind. That is the pic above with me in front of it. As we passed Gary remarked that he wondered what it was like inside and I said that we always said that and never stopped in even though we always had good intentions of doing that on the way home. This time I said…”HEY…I am a bit hungry…it is nearly noon and a little lunch would be nice”. Now normally he would have zoomed straight to the hotel..always in a hurry to get settled in. This time he said…”yea…good idea” and we turned around and went in. I was in awe that he would do this too but delighted.

It was cute inside with original counters and booths and all set up like the 50’s and it also played 50’s music. It was just typical diner fare so we thought. Gary had a sandwich which was served with the house specialty…home made tater chips. All brown and crispy and sooo good. I then noticed a guy come out of the kitchen. He fussed with some things on the counters…went around and rearranged and fussed with stuff on other tables. I told Gary I bet he was the owner. We read on the back of the menu that it was owned by a couple who wanted to make it a home town feeling place. Sure enough…this guy then went to adjust the window blinds . I notice he was not wearing an apron but a chef’s smock. He looked out of place and New Yorkish. I cant' say just what made me fell that but he did. Tall, well groomed with stylish haircut..well...New Yorkish..lol

He came toward us and I spoke to him and sure enough…he was the owner and yes….a chef to boot. He told us a whole long story of how he worked in New York. He had a conference out here in Michigan and fell in love with the area. He wanted to open an upscale restaurant but could not afford the rent. Back home he went. In the meantime the little diner he worked in in NY was moved to Frankenmuth and ran thru several owners and was again up for sale when he attended the conference here again. The same diner he worked at in New York. It was vacant for 3 years and he thought to himself…why not …and bought it.

Being a tourist town, there is not much business during winter months of Jan-May so he does other things to keep going. One is having a small local cooking spot. I went to his web site to check that out. He has an application for people to come cook at his place and be on his show. If you want to know more, go there. I did.

Ken's Diner

I submitted several recipes. I have no idea if they are suitable but hey…can’t hurt to try and who knows…maybe I will be cooking queen for one day.

The chat was about 20 minutes and so delightful. And to think we would have missed all this if we rushed off to our destination first.I might had gotten the time line a bit off as he told us a lot and it was so interesting. But so cute he ended up in the same diner he worked at so far away.

Maybe this is not exciting to anyone but me, but it was an unusual experience to see a chef in a small town diner.

Thus the moral is stop and smell the chips...flowers...something.

July Hair cut

I am beginning to feel egotistical here by posting so many pics of myself. But I figure that since only a few will see this, what they hey? It keeps my friends up to date on how I am aging....and that is certainly not well. I can't hide it so I will flaunt it..LOL.

The dark color has toned down a bit and I like it better and with new cut...I like it even better. The gray roots show up white and never fully get colored...grrrrrr.

I have decided to keep the longer length but needed it trimmed. I like it pushed behind my ears. So I will try it this length for a bit and see if I like it. I still have no perm but with the new mousse I found, it seems to stay most of the day. With hair spray of course. I seem to sleep on my head so even with a perm I still can't just comb and go after a night's sleep. Or else an evil fairy comes in and tangles my hair. Either can be a possibility.

People reading this...please send me a recent pic. You see me..now let me see you!

If a head shot is too much..then send me a finger picture...but not the middle one!

Carving Club Picnic 2007

Ron and Rita Morin

Every year we have a potluck picnic. This year we gave out a special recognition award to Ron Morin. He had done so much for the club and makes the most fantastic knives. Not only does nearly everyone have one..they have more than one.
Here he is with his wife Rita. He was surprised, shocked and happy with the presentation which included an award certificate, a special card signed by everyone with not only their name but a small paragraph of what he means to them, a $50 gift certificate to his favorite restaurant and lifetime club membership. He was speachless after which is not normal for him as he is generally a very chatty fellow. He did accept gracefully once he found his voice though.

Olga and Nick being funny

Nick and Olga being well...Nick and Olga

Jan and Charlie, my friends and neighbors

I would of posted more pictures but not sure if others would want them on the web. Heck, not sure if these people do but they didn't have a choice. LOL.
SHHH..don't tell them.
But pretty sure they will be ok with it.

It does make me wonder how many kids will feel with their parents posting so much as they grow up. I have seen ads aimed at teens warning them of the dangers of posting too much. I will err on the side of caution with this blog.

Yup....Xmas garland

BTW..... that IS Christmas garland still up. and yes..this is July. I got a head start on decorating. Sounds better than too lazy to take it down. But the truth is...we use it as ambiance lighting and I have not found the right grapevines or ivy to substitute for the rest of the year.

New hair color

Gosh...I could not decide which pic to post so I will post them both. Yea yea..it will seem vain of me to do that but what the heck..not many will see this anyway.

The color is way too dark but with the pool being outside gardening it will light up very soon. I prefer a color in between this and the blondish one.

It is so hard to get and keep one certain color..unless I want to wear a wig. And I assure you this is not a wig.

These are not self taken but Gary took them for me. Usually his pics take longer and are not always the best but I had him take these with the same settings I use for the self done ones...they came out pretty decent and he didn't take too long either.

me

Lilies along the driveway

This is the huge bed at the bottom of the driveway near the road. Finally the hostas got large enough to fill in. I will have to divide the lilies next year. The tall plant next to the yuccas is a pampas grass which will get about 7 -8 ft tall with large white plumes.

The same side of the drive but further up near the garage. At least this year the bunnies didn't eat them. For several years they ate all the leaves and they didn't flower. this year the bunnies switched to a new diet...the zinnias. I have only bare stems. I hid them in 4 places and the bunnies found them all. A few are recovering with leaves at the top but I noticed they found them too. Not sure home many times they will keep growing before they give up. sigh..........

May and June paintings.

Here are the first 2 paintings I have done in a painting class.
The teacher does one step by step and we do the same.
It is surprising how every one has a great painting and they are all different, well, with slight variations anyway.
I can't draw and have never painted a decent painting in my life but this guy makes it so easy.

He has a tv show too but unfortunately our cable system does not carry it.
I already signed up for the July class.

May 2007

June 2007

Oh..I almost forgot. His name is Steve Wood and this is his website.
Steve Wood Art

Front garden bed widened

From this

To this.

Widening this took me 3 days. this bed if about 45 - 50 ft long. I trench the sides like I once saw when in Amish country. When I get it to the final size, I will add edging to it.
The nearest end is a lilac "tree" and the other end is a Star Magnolia which gets white flowers before it has leaves in the spring. The middle has Dietuzias alternating with cannas.