Family | Peaches Prattlings

{May 22, 2021} Just another average Saturday…

Yeah right! Who am I kidding?!

Got up, hot yoga, you know how we roll…it was tough! It’s getting hotter out and more humid, so hot yoga gets even hotter. Today there were quite a few people in class, different for a Saturday, I’m wondering if it’s because of the no mask on the mat policy, this particular studio, on a Saturday morning, it’s us and maybe one or two other people…this class had at least six people!

Hot yoga done, home, shower, work on the basement for a bit, it’s getting so much better! Then…go to Mungenast to pick up PSM’s bike, he was getting a new back tire put on. Pack the pups and PSM in the car and away we go! Top down, of course! And something we learned, Ruby has an issue with overpasses! I didn’t think much of it when we went under one a few weeks ago, she barked at it, but it turns out the change in pressure makes her bark and…jump! Not out of the car, but just enough to make us nervous! I don’t want to have to strap her down in the car! Hmmm…

After we got home, hung out with the pups for a bit, didn’t want to put them right in the crate after being out, and then we headed out to get some grub, bub. We went to a new place that I found, Olivette Diner and O M G! We are in luv!!! If you weren’t specifically looking for it, you would miss it. It’s a non-descript looking place from the outside. It’s in a strip mall, above the door Diner, that’s descriptive! The windows did say Olivette Diner, but honestly, if you weren’t looking for it…

We walked in and were very pleasantly surprised. They did have a few tables and chairs outside, we wanted inside and we weren’t disappointed! The place had a great retro feel, counter service with retro vinyl covered stools, facing the cook space, and a few retro booths, along with the retro signage on the walls. Let’s just say, a little retro. They had a surprisingly big menu for a small place, but we got right down to it.

We ordered a scramble with brie, spinache, and tomatoes, it came with a side of hash browns, and toast. I asked for the scramble to be done well, the hash browns dun…[note the emphasis on done] and when I asked which type of toast was better, our server couldn’t decide between the wheat or sour dough, both of which are made by a local bakery. Could I get one of each? Why, yes I could! Then… we ordered the Amazing Banana Waffle. It was a malted waffle topped with a hot and fresh banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon sauce. How could we not, it said it was amazing!

No sooner had we ordered and I got back from washing my hands, the food arrived. Did they actually cook it? It was sooo fast! Not that I’m complaining at all! I have to tell you, this was one of the best breakfasts we’ve had in a long time! We love the places we go and sometimes something new doesn’t always work out, but wowweee did this ever! It’s going on our favorites list! The scramble wasn’t overpowering with any one flavor and the brie was melted and blended in just right. The hash browns, ahhhhh, almost no one gets it right, this was…crispy and crunchy and just y u m! The toast, you know, I don’t know which slice was better…I ate one, then the other. Then…for the second set, I ate one bite of one, then one bite of the other, didn’t help! They were both so good, and just the right amount of butter! And the waffle…they were right…AMAZING! Wow! It was fluffy and light. The banana was hot and gooey, and the brown sugar and cinnamon sauce, who needs syrup. It really was fabulous! I would order this again and again and again!

I was disappointed, no room for pie and they had the list up and they have…strawberry-rhubarb pie, my favorite! Not to worry, we will be going back! Yessss! A true treat, if you’re in the area, or looking for a good place to go for breakfast or lunch! They are only open until 2pm, so get there early! Also…we were told the food came out so fast because that’s how they have to do it, normally the place is packed! Even at 1pm! Graduations are happening all around the state, that’s probably where most people were. Can’t wait to go back and bring people with us!

Now, back home, after we stop to get a graduation present. One of those graduations this weekend, we were invited to a graduation party, a son of one of PSM’s co-workers. After a brief sit down and hang with the pups, we head back out on the bikes to the graduation party. We saw a few people I actually knew and I met some of PSM’s co-workers, that was fun! Now I have faces to go with the names! It was a nice party, I enjoyed chatting with people and there were cupcakes, what more could you want!

After a while, we said our goodbyes and headed out to Nine Mile Garden for an Adult Prom! We’ve talked about Nine Mile Garden, it’s great. There is a micro-brewery and then there are always food trucks with plenty to offer, unfortunately, limited for me, but not for most. And the trucks are definitely varied! Something for almost everyone! And if you’re lucky, at least one of the trucks has dessert!

We didn’t really read the invite closely, so it was a lot of people watching…everyone was dressed in some form of 80’s attire, it was great! There were some prom dresses, suspenders, bow ties, big hair, wrestlers impersonators, rock star impersonators, 80’s music, lights, some decorations and music videos from the 80’s on the big screen. We ate, loaded spuds!, we drank, we people watched, it was so much fun!

What a Saturday, told ya…just another average Saturday. Well, for us it was!

{May 20, 2021} Another first…mask-less dining!

Yes, I know you can eat without a mask, this was walking into a restaurant without a mask!

Now, I know there are some of you out there who have been playing it very safe over the last year, not going out, strict quarantining, maybe only going out for groceries and curbside pickup, and I respect that. For us, as we’ve talked about, PSM and I have ventured out as often as possible. We respect the protocols the establishment has set for their business, masks walking in, masks walking around, masks off at the table, when eating. That is very fair, whatever is best for the business, I go with that.

This…was very different. So…I told you Monday about going to the yoga studio and being able to take our masks off at our mats, you still have to wear the mask when you walk in to the lobby, but on your mat, a machaya! [one of my favorite Yiddish words!] and they are allows you to shower at the studio again, rent mats, the whole gamut.

Tonight, we decided it had been a very long day, let’s go out for beer [for PSM] and brussels sprouts [for me]! I knew just where we were going! The Three Kings! Here’s where it was a new and different experience and took some getting used to. When I walked in, no one, and I mean no one…was wearing a mask! Now, there have been a few places, we may have talked about this, that you walk in with a mask and it’s half-arsed by the staff, so you’re like what’s the point, but you’re following the posted rules and I have accidentally walked out, especially if we’re sitting near the door without my mask on and felt odd and shocked when I got outside! This place, tonight…not one mask in sight, except for some people walking in the door.

I walked in with my mask, took it up when I sat next to PSM at the bar, but I have to tell you…the first time I walked to the bathroom, I didn’t wear my mask, and if felt weird, like I was doing something naughty! Imagine that! How times have changed! I walked to the bathroom, mask-less, no one looked at me, no one stopped me, it felt good, but weird.

Based on what the CDC said this week, businesses are at their own discretion to do what they want and I respect that. I will still be walking around with a mask in my pocket, probably for a very long time, until someone tells me I never have to wear one again, I’m not taking any chances, and why argue with what someone else is comfortable with/doing, what is it going to hurt?

I can’t wait to hear what your first experience is like going completely mask-less in an establishment. Oooh!

{May 15, 2021} Loaded Elevated Nachos…something new!

Typical Saturday, well, not sure who’s it typical for, ha ha. We got up, went to hot yoga, came home, I did my hair, turquoise this time, PSM worked on his pc and I did some work in the basement, it’s coming along! then made a Goodwill drop, then went to get some lunch. Typical, right? Ha ha

I am making some good progress! Promise! Even PSM said so, and that’s what matters, he can see it! I’m getting there! That made me feel so good! I’ll post pics after I’ve made some serious progress, you do not need to see where it is now!

We made the drop donations, then it was time for lunch, it was about 1pm at this point and PSM said, hey, let’s try Cracker Barrel, he’s never been, I used to go when I lived in Atlanta and it’s a good place to stop while you’re on road trips and truth be told, I love the store almost as I love the biscuits and corn muffins! The few times we tried to go during the pandemic it was a madhouse, crazy long waits. He was optimistic that it wouldn’t be too long it was about 130p, so why should there be a crazy wait time. He’s adorable! It’s Cracker Barrell…35-45 minute wait. See ya! At this rate, we may never go!

I saw something as we were driving past that I said, let’s give it a shot, Loaded Elevated Nachos. It was campy when we walked in, looked like an airstream trailer/food truck and very road trip old school. They had appetizers, entrees, and desserts, all nachos! They had two non-meat options: mushrooms and Impossible crumbles, we haven’t talked about my take on the Impossible burger and we’re not going to start now, but I tasted the crumbles and they weren’t bad, and mixed with everything else, I enjoyed it.

We ordered the Side-by-Side which is mix-and-match any two entrees or apps to share for $16, not bad, or, if you wanted to go solo, $10, can’t beat the price! I was slightly limited on my choices, a lot of things had a lot of dairy, but I was on a Bahn Mi kick, so I went with that, minus the Siracha Aioli, jalapenos, and cilantro. The fun part was, instead of traditional nachos, it was on wonton chips! Same shape as the nachos, but keeping with the Asian theme, they were wontons! PSM had the Hawai’ian BBQ, full on! He went spice city and the little spice on mine, I was on fire! I treated myself to an orange soda, well, PSM treated me, since he bought lunch! ha ha

They don’t serve alcohol, but if you wanted, you could get something from Narwhals, nothing but drinks, some even non-alcoholic, but we opted for orange sodas, y u m! I don’t drink soda very often, so I am very choosy about what I drink and I can’t tell you the last time I had an orange soda and this was, yeah, yum!

We got our food, went to sit outside and dig in. It was different, filling, tasty, and something I can see trying again. They had a lot of options and knowing they have meat alternatives, I’m down! Maybe next there will be some vegan cheese and sour cream! I could even see bringing my own vegan sour cream, especially if we are sitting outside!

So…if you’re in the St Charles area, check them out!

{May 14, 2021} Another great meal! DD Mau…you don’t disappoint!

Admittedly, I don’t often make declarative statements about where or what I want to eat. I know, you’re thinking, what? But JJ, you have so much to say, how is that possible?! Well friends, it is. I don’t always know where or what I want and I don’t want to take all the focus, but today, I had an answer!

I was thinking about it earlier and I am sure that’s not what you’re supposed to be thinking about while you’re in yoga and contemplating, but there it was, I made a decision. We got in the truck and I asked PSM if he had an idea, nope, great! I wanted Indian and/or vegan food! Indian was a no, the reason, which is fair, we haven’t found any Indian food here that isn’t crazy spicy, not a problem for PSM, but as you know, no good for me, or that wasn’t super salty. Fair point. There is a vegan place near us that I’ve told you about that serves only vegan Indian food, Bombay Food Junkies, but…still mostly spicy, but I do like it.

Ok, then vegan it is! BBQ at Smokee Mo’s St Louis BBQ or maybe DD Mau. I have a feeling you can guess where we went! HA HA. DD Mau it is! I have been craving Bánh mì for a lllooonnnggg time, especially since we went there the first time. I fell in love with Bánh mì when I first had it in Ann Arbor, MI, when I was on a project there, and it was vegan, otherwise, I would not have tried it and I fell in love! I’ve only found vegan Bánh mì twice since then, once in Hawai’i, and now, and it was soooo worth it! For a vegan Bánh mì, I had the choice of tofu, veggies, shrimp, or beef. I asked for a recommendation and they were out of shrimp, so that made it easy! I got a beef Bánh mì, no jalapenos or cilantro, if you ever get it, you might like it fully loaded, who knows!

I ordered the sandwich and an order of vegan cheese rolls, they weren’t bad! Like Krab Rangoon, but without the crab, it was like a spring roll with creamy cheese, vegan of course! PSM had Thai Chili Pepper Wings, they were hot and tasty, but not his favorite wings, he’s having a tough time finding wings that knock his socks off here! He also got Pho and a Hitachino Nest Beer.

Let’s just say…I was not disappointed and there was nothing left to take home for me! Shocker, I know! It really was a good sandwich! There are so many more options to try, can you tell I’m a little excited!?

One of the things I told PSM tonight…I was glad we found a place that has options for both of us. I love that he is accommodating and will try things and go to vegan places with me, but I like the fact that he has more options and there are actually a lot of options for me!

Man…now I’m hungry again!

{May 9, 2021} Happy Mother’s Day

Today is May 9, 2021 and it’s Mother’s Day.

The day is the celebration of not just mothers, but motherhood, maternal bonds. The beauty is it, even though for some it means celebrating the traditional definition of mothers, there are so many variations that are honored. Mothers who have given birth, surrogate, adoption, step mothers, grandmothers, aunts, godmother, friend, four legged…it doesn’t matter, if there is a bond, there is a bond.

I’ve always loved children, doesn’t matter who they are, as PSM would say, I’m like a moth drawn to a flame! Why lie, he’s right! I am known by so many amazing titles, and I wouldn’t trade any one of them. I remember when my sister told me she was pregnant, my first question was “Can I get the Halloween costume?” Her answer… “Yes, if you don’t, it might not happen”! That’s where it started! I’m auntie J to not just my sister’s kids, I’m auntie G to Miss A, and you know I am honored by the title. What I loved about living in Hawai’i is being called auntie instead of ma’am! I’m JJ to my grandkids, a title I wear with pride, in case you weren’t sure!

I will never forget the day I became a mom, a step mom, to TYHL was 8 and WCH had just turned 7 and I fell in love. They were funny, silly, goofy, smart, the list goes on. There are things that happen when you become a new parent, I don’t know if it happens to all parents, but…for those of you that know me, I used to be an incredibly heavy sleeper, I didn’t hear anything, but as soon as my kids started staying over, I felt like I had new mom syndrome, ha ha. I would check on them while they were sleeping, make sure they were still breathing! they were 7 and 8, they were fine! I would hear them turn over in their sleep. I woke up the minute they stirred, I knew I had to be alert if they needed me. The oddest thing, I don’t think it happens to everyone, but I have heard that some women’s feet go up a size when they give birth, here’s the thing…I didn’t give birth, but as soon as I became a mom, my feet went up half a size! I had been a size 7.5 since I was in the 7th grade and at 25, I went up to an 8, what?!

The way I am with my my kids, nieces and nephews, and grandkids, I inherited from my mom. What a woman and mother she was, welcoming, open, loving, silly, hugs for days, and so much more. When I’m hugging someone I sometimes feel like I’m channeling her, one of the ways is when I get half a hug from someone, I’m like ‘that’s not enough! full hug, two hands all the way around’ and it feel amazing, it’s like she’s right there with me and I know she is. I see it at those moments, when I look in the mirror! What a woman, yup, that’s about right!

Today was great. I got up early, no idea why, but…there was a huge thunderstorm happening and you know Ruby…so I let the girls out of the crate and snuggled up with them on on of their beds until PSM got up. After walking the dogs and giving them breakfast, it was our turn! We went to one of our favorite breakfast places, The Shack and it was packed! We were lucky to find seats at the bar with our favorite bartender/server Kelly. Breakfast was great, we laughed, got silly, chatted, laughed, ate some good grub, what more could you want?!

Back to the house, more snuggling with the dogs, until PSM came home from running an errand. He brought me a bouquet of flowers and a very funny card that sang to me from him, Bee, and Ruby, it said “Woof, Woof, Woof!” ! I was lucky enough to receive a great card from my sister, b-i-l, EJS, MGS, and their dog Bailey, thank you! Flowers from my dad, with two of my favorite flowers, daisies and roses, and they came in a happy face emoji vase! Ha ha. It was a rainy, blah day, so a treat…snuggle in our bed with the pups, I had to get up, they didn’t seem to mind…they hung out until we told them it was time to get up!

We ended up going to a restorative yoga class, it was only a few poses, but definitely felt restored! We got smoothies on the way home, watched Guardians of the Galaxy, hung out with the dogs some more, I’m talking to you and soon…zzzzzz. Oh! Cannot forget all the texts back and forth from friends and family, that made me smile!

Whatever you did today, if you celebrated Mother’s Day or Sunday, or May 9th, I hope it was a fabulous day!

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{May 5, 2021} Feliz Cinco de mayo

It’s Cinco de mayo. It’s the 5th of May. It’s a celebration, but do we really know why it’s celebrated?

Cinco de mayo is an annual celebration commemorating Mexico’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. I’m going to let you guess the date! This is not to be confused with Mexico’s Independence Day, which does happen, and is celebrated September 16th.

The nice thing about the holiday is it celebrates Mexican-American culture, gives a glimpse into something people may not have exposure to. Granted, in the US, it seems to look like a giant party, with people going to their local, maybe favorite Mexican restaurant, sometimes feeling like an excuse to drink, but when celebrated it lets people see some wonderful and beautiful expressions of love, artistry, and pride, and for those things, how can it be bad.

When my grandfather and his brother left Poland, my grandfather came to the United States through Ellis Island, like so many families, and my great-uncle went to Mexico and started his family there. The family grew and grew and grew and each time we would visit we would get an insiders view of the country and her people. I have so many fond memories of my family, being there for family events, traveling through the country and going places not everyone gets to see. I think of those times and smile.

I learned to speak Spanish a little as a kid, I took French classes all through school, but most of it has been as an adult through travel, and believe it or not, going to Mexican restaurants. One of the things we’ve talked about before is how I try to learn a language before we go to the country and practice as much as possible while we’re there. There are times I start to speak and whoever I’m speaking with repeats it back in English to make sure I knew what I was saying, but I love the times when I speak in Spanish and the conversation just flows, it’s great practice for me and I truly appreciate it.

Spanish is such a beautiful language, how could you not love it. And Mexican culture, so rich and colorful, influenced by a combination of Aztec, Mayan, and European influences. Some of my greatest memories are of the culture, Ballet Folklórico México Danza, Cliff divers in Acapulco, one of the scariest and most awesome sites! Mariachi Bands, Chichen Itza celebrating the Mayan people and culture. One of my favorite places in Mexico is Xochimilco, being on the water in colorful gondola-like boats, eating and seeing the flowers, oh my the flowers, the colors, known as the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco. Dia De Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, celebrating the idea that we can reunite with our deceased loved ones, I loved how Coco portrayed and honored this tradition. One of my most vivid memories is visiting the house shared by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, it’s now the Museo Frida Kahlo, the Blue House. I was nine and saw a painting of hers that honestly gives me nightmares to this day! The Mexican Hat Dance, considered Mexico’s national dance and Jarabe Tapatío, which originated as a courtship dance, is taught in nearly every grade school in Mexico! The colors, the costumes, the traditions! And the food, oh the food, vibrant, sweet, tangy, succulent, fresh, flavorful! I loved the food in Mexico, a fireworks display in my mouth! In a good way.

I hope you were able to get out and celebrate tonight, if it was attending an event, watching a traditional show, enjoying food at your favorite Mexican restaurant, I hope you enjoyed yourself!

I leave you with this Cinco de mayo greeting “¿Dónde estaríamos hoy si no hubiera sido por el Cinco de mayo? Festejemos este día tan especial con el corazón lleno de felicidad y gran orgullo.”

{April 25, 2021} Another pre-ride, a thing of beauty!

Today started early, about 620am, which is unfortunate for a Sunday, but a necessary evil.

We had a motorcycle ride planned and we had to meet the guys at 930am, we had quite a ride ahead of us. I didn’t intend to get up quite so early but someone invaded my dream and I wanted them out. No, not the wasband, someone else, but I knew I was dreaming and decided if they were not leaving, I was. Go me!

I got up, started piddling around, I knew we had to get up soon to walk the dogs, give them breakfast, and chill with them for a few before we had to put them back in the crate for the day. I will tell you, I am going to see if I can get JS, who stayed with them last weekend, to come and let them out, take them for a walk, maybe hang with them for a bit, when we have these long rides. We were gone about 10 hours today, which is a normal work day, if we went into the office. Not fair to the pups, but they were fine! Here’s hoping! I will need to do the same for the week of the annual motorcycle ride in New Hampshire, but more about then when it happens.

It was supposed to be much warmer than that other ride we took a few weeks ago. Our ride captain said he put in a special request for very little wind, thank you! We got dressed, put on our riding gear and headed out about 9am. We met three of the guys, our ride captain’s wife was going to join us later down the road.

I don’t know if you remember me telling you what a pre-ride is. It is a ride to test the route for an official group ride. This tests the route, for all levels of rider, the distance, and how it will be with a larger group. I think we’re supposed to have about 30-35 bikes next week, that means about 40, maybe 50 people on the ride, since there are some people who are paired up on their bikes. It’s much easier, as you might imagine, with less people, but it will definitely be fun. There are lots of logistics, like stop lights and stop signs. You want to try to ride as if you’re ‘one vehicle’, someone blocks traffic, if possible, you stay on the highway together, on the streets, signals, newer riders in the back, and you always ride in a group for the slowest rider, that way people stay together, as much as they can.

The ride we did today was great, it was about a 3 hour ride, and it’s three hours because we are taking back roads, very little highway. We also stop about every hour, which can be 100 miles, and we stop at gas stations, that allows bikes with smaller tanks, like mine to fill up. I fill up no matter what, since you never know if you will run out before the next stop. It’s also a great opportunity to stretch your legs, have a bio break, and catch up with folks for a few minutes, before the next stretch.

We are heading to, pun intended, now that I write this! Head Motor Company in Columbia, MO, the home of the University of Missouri or Mizzou, as it is affectionally referred to. We are heading there to meet the Kansas City Chapter of the IMRG, Indian Motorcycle Riders Group. While there, Head Motor Company is hosting a BBQ, there might be music, not sure, we will see some new rides, maybe get some new swag, who knows. It’s going to be a good time!

After we got to Head Motor Company, which happened to be closed on Sunday, most Indian Dealerships are, we headed out in search of food. We went to Flat Branch Pub & Brewing, and since I was able to find it on my GPS, after our ride captain got us back to the highway, I took over and led us there. Unfortunately, there was a 40 minute wait, we walked over to the Broadway Diner, which happened to be close, but…right across the street, the Shiloh Bar & Grill with plenty of seating, no wait, food, and alcohol! That last one I don’t care about, but everyone who did was happy.

We grabbed a table, ordered drinks and food, talked about the ride from St Louis, what did people think of it, opinions about next week’s ride, bikes, of course, future trips, raffles, kids, and everyone’s dogs, go figure. There were only 6 of us, so it was nice to sit and chat, and be heard, definitely more intimate than what’s going to happen next weekend!

After food and drink, we headed back to the bikes, rode a short way, stopped for gas, always stop for gas at the start of the ride and the start of the ride home, even though you’ve stopped along the way. Drove an hour, got gas, chatted, shook the legs, drove on. We did this until everyone started going their own way and then it was just PSM and I and we were out like a shot!

Back home the pups were very happy to see us, I would be too, after 10 hours! Walked, fed, loved on, zzzzzzz, that was funny! It’s tough sleeping all day, getting excited for 20 minutes, walk, eat, get loved on…zzzzz

What…a…day! What…a…weekend! Wow! Tomorrow is Monday, it’s a new day and a new week, what adventures does it have in store for us? I know it starts with 6am hot yoga, gotta go!

{April 24, 2021} Yoga…brunch…hair…dog…movie…

Yup, that was my Saturday, what’d you do?! Details, details, coming up!

We started with hot yoga, of course! New instructor, for this class, for us, and for her, this was her 6th class ever, very cool. The nice thing…it was a a 730am class, so…even though we set alarms for it, just to be on the safe side, and also we are tired of missing class and getting charged $15-$20! If you cancel less than 12 hours before the start time, they charge you $15, if you just don’t show…$20. I get it, you’re a business and there could be people who weren’t able to attend because there might not be spots available. They are pretty good about it if unforeseen circumstances happen, they don’t charge you, but if we oversleep, that’s on us, and that’s happened, pook.

Overall, it was a decent class, she’ll get there. Listen to me…ha ha! I did like her playlist, all the instructors have different taste in music, I’ll tell you about it some time. Most of the time, it’s us and one or two other people, this morning there was a decent sized class. And it was pretty even, there are some classes where it’s me and a few guys, but more classes are a whole bunch of women, and PSM! We’re also starting to get to know people, recognizing them when we’re in class together, which is impressive when you actually can’t see their entire face because of the mask! One of the guys, who we now know, was taking the next class, it’s a restore class, he’s a beast! wow! PSM said we’ll do that one day. Huh? My response this morning [of course we’ll do it, you know I’ll take the class with him!] was “Breakfast will restore me…now!” ha ha.

That seemed to work…off to The Shack we went! I’ve told you about one of our favorite breakfast places a few times. We shared a veggie omelet with french toast and an english muffin. Beauty…seats at the bar! We have sat at a table only twice in this particular location. Once because DLP was with us and once because there were no seats at the bar, go figure! At other locations we can never seem to get a seat at the bar! But…our favorite bartender was there and we’ve become friendly with her, she’s really nice and a lot of fun to talk to. We talk about life, kids, and now, she’s getting married! She and her fiancé have been working out and you can really tell! She is doing much better than I did before our wedding! You go!

Today we told her we just came from hot yoga and she said she always wanted to try it, she thinks her fiancé would do it with her. Lightbulb! This coming week is customer appreciation at the studio, all the St Louis studios and…we can bring a friend for free! We asked if they wanted to come and try a class! She said definitely! Wah to the hoo! She was telling us her child’s drop off schedule, we figured evening class…And…we told her there is usually sustenance after, especially if we do an evening class! She perked up even more on that one! Score!

After breakfast, we headed home. PSM went to run an errand with the trailer and I decided it was time for some color in my life, so I pulled out my latex gloves, just looked up latest gloves and it turns out they are called medical gloves, which makes sense since they can come in different materials, and went through my color options. Since my hair is short, I haven’t used the entire bottle of anything I used last year. It’s funny, I was just thinking I should have done this two weeks ago when we had the dog’s Gotcha Day! I had just started coloring my hair around then, too funny! My go-to right now is still Splat, it seems to work for me. I decided to go with Midnight Blue, well, I think that’s the color it is, who knows, this one isn’t on the bottle like some of the others! Either way, I think it came out great! Matches my bike, ha ha!

Then we had a doggie scare! I happened to walk into the living room, with about 15 minutes left to go on my hair and I see Bee, the beagle, sorry for what comes next…eating her own puke, ugh, ick, and everything else you can think of. By the way…they do that, fact of life, still gross! I stopped her immediately and cleaned it up, as I was cleaning it up, she started licking things. Licking things is not unusual for our dogs, they lick our faces, we love the kisses, they lick the grass, Bee licks the street for worms, they lick the area rugs, mostly checking for food, the beds they sleep on, the ones in the living room sometimes have crumbs from their treats, they lick our legs, pants, arms, that’s a little odd, but that’s them.

What this was…different. She was licking everything as she was trying to clean the entire house, licking incessantly, like she had an insatiable thirst. She licked the floor, not just the floor, the corners of the kitchen, the crevices, the area rugs, you name it, she licked it. I watched her for a few minutes, then I put her in the crate to see if I could stop her from going crazy and making herself sick. She proceeded to throw up in the crate and then try to eat it, I stopped her, was able to clean it up, get the bed out of the crate and when I closed the gate, she proceeded to lick the tray in the crate and the crate itself. At this point, I am on the phone with the vet. I had first called PSM during all of this to see if he had any ideas, nope, so vet it is. Turns out…dogs will do this when they get nauseous, trying to help whatever is making them nauseous go away.

While I’m on with the vet, she stopped, then started again, then stopped. They told me to bring her in, even though I thought she was done, better safe than sorry. I told them I had to get the dye out of my hair first and I would be up there. Of course this happened! I proceeded to go as quickly as I could to get the dye out, let’s just say, it looked like I murdered a Smurf in there! OMG! The one thing I always forget…wear gloves when you’re getting the dye out of your hair, just like when you put it in…my finger tips were a little blue!

Ruby is now running back and forth from our bedroom to Bee, very sweet and worried sister she is! I got leashes on both of them. By the way…Bee is now sitting in the crate looking at me as if she had not a care in the world! Got them in the car, luckily the vet is only a 5 minute drive up the road. I called and eventually they came out to get her. Then Ruby and I waited, and waited, and waited. They finally called, she was acting like her normal self, sniffing the ground, not licking, and sounding like a pig looking for truffles! The vet said they couldn’t find anything wrong, didn’t feel anything in the way, she even lost a pound! Go Bee! They gave her an injectable, to be on the safe side, and sent me home with a 4-pack of pills in case this ever happens again! I wish I could have gotten a video so you could know what it is if it happens to you! While Ruby and I were waiting, PSM showed up with a smoothie for me, he’s so sweet! He took Ruby home and after a while, Bee came out, happy as a lark and we went home!

Bottom line…Bee is FINE! Wah to the hoo!

But wait…the day’s not over! We got home, we were hanging out and I thought someone deserved a little something’-somethin’ and for me…the dog mom, is not an extra goodie, but time on the bed, snuggling with me and it worked like a charm! I got Bee, then Ruby on the bed with me and they snuggled while I played games on my phone and watched some Midsomer Murders! What more could you want.

If it was me, and it was, I wanted more! PSM came in and asked “What time does Mortal Kombat start? Ooh? Movie date? I’m in! I found a showing in the AMC IMAX theater, purchased tickets, selected seats, and put the dogs up, even before you can say ‘popcorn please!’

We got to the theater, ordered popcorn, water, and a box of Butterfinger Bites. Did you know Butterfingers were introduced in 1923?! Wow! I can tell you my box of treats was fresher than that! ha ha. PSM got a beer and we were ready to go! We found our seats, settled in and watched previews, which…I looked at PSM and asked him if Mortal Kombat, which I’ve seen the original movies and knew the answer to my question, was a horror movie, to which he replied no, and my next question…”then why are all the movie previews for horror movies?!” That made zero sense.

The movie started, and I will share details on the movie in another post, but…all I have to say is WOW! La La La LOVED it! I can’t wait to see it again! More details later.

After the movie, home to walk, feed, and hang out with the pups, grabs some dinner and chill, tomorrow’s another day! And we have a motorcycle ride in our future! Cannot wait!

{April 20, 2021} Mother Nature…really? Were you having a personal summer?

If you have’t guessed it, today…in St Louis…we had…SNOW! in APRIL! It can happen, or so I had been told and here we are!

A personal summer is what someone once referred to, for women of a certain age, which I happen to be one, a hot flash, if you catch my drift. I love the term personal summer, instead of hot flash! That being said, apparently, Mother Nature was having one of those today, so she had to turn up the AC, to the point it snowed! Actually, when we were walking the dogs, I said to PSM, it looks like Mother Nature sneezed really hard and all the stuffing got knocked out!

When we were in Chicago this weekend, we heard it was going to snow this week and when we got back to St Louis, guess what! We live in the middle, so that can happen. It wasn’t very cold this morning, the usual 45, we went to yoga, came home, walked the dogs, it was just overcast. The snow was predicted about noon, and around 11am or so, it started to rain, it was only 39 at that point and then the rain started to become flaky. Next thing I knew, I looked outside my office window and falling were those giant fluffy snowflakes, the ones that look all pillowy and so cute when they land on my nose and eyelashes…

When I texted my dad and sister, GES said ‘we had that Friday, have fun!’, gee thanks! It was pretty, but not enough to make a snowman, oh well…

It’s interesting to walk through the neighborhood and see the trees in bloom in pink laden with snow, or snow on the roof behind it. I hope our flowers don’t suffer too badly. We had snow piled in the backyard and then for our evening walk about 5p, it had already started melting, but…we’re getting a freeze tonight, wahoo.

But…with the freezing weather, we noticed smoke coming from some chimneys in our neighborhood, so guess what we did…yup…PSM built us a nice fire and eventually, everyone was sleeping by the warmth of the fire and they all looked so peaceful with lit up by the light from the fire. It’s ok if it’s freezing out there, tonight, all is right with the world!

{April 18, 2021} It’s a beautiful Sunday in Chicago, what should we do first?

Well…not set an alarm for one! That was easy! We got up eventually, took showers and got ourselves ready to greet the day. First…since we didn’t want to have to carry our bags around the city all day, so we arranged with the hotel to keep the room for the day, wahoo!

Eventually, we ventured out in search of breakfast. I was disappointed that the Chicago Diner ‘Meat Free since ’83’, one of my favorite places to eat in Chicago, unfortunately, it wasn’t open until 12p, maybe next time we go to Chicago, we can eat there. We decided on a place that was less than a mile away, Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe. It had a high rating, so we were excited. We put our names on the waitlist, we didn’t actually have to wait too long, it was quite busy. Chicago seems to still be waking up from quarantine.

When we finally got a seat, we waiting for quite a while before anyone came over to the table, our server was nice enough, but frazzled, according to her, it was crazy busy and they were backed up in the kitchen. Not sure if they had enough staff working. We finally got to order, PSM got his decaf coffee pretty quickly, but my chai latte, on the other hand, came just before the food, which was about 20 minutes later, and it came in a to-go cup, that was a first. I watched several drinks come out of the kitchen like that, I have a feeling they were low on kitchen staff. I was watching the people at the table next to ours, who were seated at the same time we were. Their drinks came at the same time mine did, and they still didn’t have food. Our food got there and we started eating.

We had ordered a vegetable skillet, requesting the hash browns be fully cooked, I don’t know if we’ve talked about this, but I don’t like my hash browns white, still looking like it was a just shredded potato. The veggies were good, the eggs as well. I will say the pancakes were good, we hoped they were since the restaurant was called Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe! The toast, on the other hand, was cold. Oh well.

We headed out for a stroll down Michigan Avenue, also known as The Magnificent Mile. You might be wondering why it’s called Michigan Avenue is known as The Magnificent Mile, click the link! It really is a beautiful street, the flowers are in bloom and one thing Chicago is known for, well in my opinion at least! is the artwork that is found on the streets, be it in the floral arrangements, sculpture, graffiti, even, and you know how much I love graffiti! I didn’t take any pictures of it this trip, sorry.

There were also quite a few businesses boarded up along Michigan Avenue, in preparations for the protests that happened on Friday. Many of those businesses were still open, and the foot traffic was lively, but not unreasonable and everyone was respectful of their space. We made our way to the T-Mobile Flagship Store, PSM had some questions, and if you remember my time in Chicago, I love that particular T-Mobile! After T-Mobile, we walked down Michigan Avenue, our end goal was Millennium Park, just looking in windows and watching people, and taking photos of the flowers as we went.

We were about to pass a Starbucks, what we thought was just an ordinary Starbucks, when it turns out to be quite a bit more than that! It was the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Yeah, try saying that 5 times fast! ha ha. I can’t think of a better way to describe it “If Willy Wonka had built the ultimate coffee shop instead of a chocolate factory, the result may have looked a lot like the 15,000-square-foot Starbucks Reserve Roastery.” That is the description from their website about the first Reserve Roastery that opened in Seattle, of course, where it all began.

The Chicago Reserve Roastery is a five story building and each story houses something different, although, you can get coffee and tee on every floor, although, they don’t have all the same traditional drinks that you would get at your average, on every block, Starbucks. First floor: Coffee, tee, pastry, merchandise. Second floor: dedicated bakery. Third floor: the art, science, and theater of coffee: coffee creations, flights, nitrogen-infused gelato, and more. Fourth floor: Alcohol! A cocktail bar. Fifth floor: Rooftop terrace, reservation required.

It was quite the experience. After we toured each floor, and it really was something to see, and something to see at every turn, we ordered drinks. PSM got an iced decaf something and I didn’t want a hot drink, so I tried to order something similar to the Dragon Drink that I like, which is sweet mango and dragonfruit flavors, with creamy coconut milk, ice and a scoop of real diced dragonfruit. I love it! They didn’t have anything like that so I ordered something the person at the register recommended and I ordered it with oat milk. She looked at me kind of funny, I said I wanted something similar to the dragon drink, here goes. First…they made it incorrectly and while they remade it the way I ordered it, I got to keep the incorrect one. SO glad I did because the one with oat milk…yuck! it was awful! wow!

After Starbucks, we kept walking and eventually ended up in Millennium Park, across from where we had breakfast. We started with The Bean, which is technically Cloud Gate Park, it is a 10-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect Chicago’s famous skyline and the clouds above. Basically, it looks like a giant bean! It was designed by Anish Kapoor. The cool thing about it is when you get under it, your reflection is inverted and sometimes it’s hard to find yourself in it. It was gated off, which makes sense, since so many people get in there and touch it. Safety first! A cool thing…as we were standing there, we saw a couple just after they got engaged, the eruption of cheers and the now fiancé’s tears were very touching!

Then we walked to the gardens, flowers were in bloom, some just coming to life, some dying. I liked that there was one patch where they left the dying flowers to feed the new growth and the insects who live in it.

After the gardens, we walked to the Crown Fountain, two 50-foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool, designed by Jaume Plensa. They project images of faces which are animated and in the summer, they are true fountains. The fun thing is to sit and watch all the kids, young and old, running and playing in the fountain/water spouts. Right now, not much water happening.

Then there was an installation by a Chicago based artist, Christine Tarkowski. “When we call the Earth by way of distinction a planet and the Moon a satellite, we should consider whether we do not, in a certain sense, mistake the matter. Perhaps- and not unlikely – the Moon is the planet and the Earth the satellite! Are we not a larger moon to the Moon, than she is to us?“

This was the end of our tour of Millennium Park, thoroughly enjoyable! Now, we’re hungry! A few blocks and we are at a place I la la la loved when I was in Chicago, Native Foods. I would not have subjected PSM to an entire weekend of vegan, but I wanted at least one, maybe two meals, and this is the one I got. One of the things I have been thinking about since we planned this trip is their vegan Reuben sandwich, O M G! I lived on it when I was there, introduced so many people to it, who couldn’t believe it wasn’t real and my mouth is watering just thinking about it now! And it was the vegan Reuben I compared all other vegan Reuben’s to.

And guess what they didn’t have… O M G! NOOOOOOOoooo! I was heartbroken, what was I to do?! I ended up with a meatball sub with provolone and sweet potato fries, PSM had a brisket sandwich, remember…all vegan. For dessert, we didn’t care much for the peanut butter parfait, but my other go-to favorite…their oatmeal creme pie! It’s more like an oatmeal whoopee pie, to give you a visual. Oh wow! I was going to say OMG again, but you’re probably tired of it! It is so yummy and good, another thing I got my non-vegan friends hooked on! I still get texts from friends I was on that project with, who will go there on occasion to get just that! Wow, that’s saying something! It’s so tasty, but soo, sooooo, soooo sweet! I couldn’t eat it all in one sitting and it was a little much for PSM, he did try it though, and declared it was all mine! muwahahah. Needless to say, it is going to take me a few days to eat it! Ha ha.

After lunch, back to the hotel to chill for a bit, then head to the airport, we have puppies to see! I can’t wait to find out what they got up to this weekend. First class home, then puppies! What a weekend! What’s our next adventure?!

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