Family | Peaches Prattlings

{May 23, 2024} Hello Sin City!

Yup, you heard right, we’re in Sin City, Las Vegas, or as some lovingly, ha ha, refer to it as Lost Wages!

First leg of the trip, as promised! We made it by the skin of our teeth, yes, I already told you not my jam to be that early, but we made it. SO glad we weren’t checking our bags, very rare for us to do that. Although…when we go on week long trips or even several weeks, we don’t have a lot of luggage, happily, but we will check our bags coming back. We’re more concerned that our bags don’t make it to our destination, rather than going home.

So…bags on, sit down, strap in, and breath…ahhh… the flight attendant I spoke to getting on the flight was very nice, I even told him a bad dad joke! He liked it! Later, it turns out he was one of the flight attendants in our section, and W, as I saw on his name tag, was super nice! When it came time for beverages, I told him I would like to buy my husband a drink, he was sitting across the aisle from me, we both like aisle seats, and that’s what I try to book us whenever we’re flying together, so it mean we either sit in front/behind one anothe or across the asile, also makes it easier to poke and bug the other person!

I used to love and only sit in a window seat if I could, but over the years, especially flying for work, I realized I preferred the aisle, it’s not as cold as the window, since I don’t sleep very much on flights, I don’t have to try to find a comfortable position, and…best of all, I don’t have to ask anyone to move if I have to get up to use the facilities! Negative side… I have to get up if someone needs to get out and there is more of an opportunity to get hit by the drink/food cart, or people putting their bags in the overhead, but a small price to pay for being able to stretch out a wee bit more! ok, enough about that!

When W asked what PSM would like, he ordered a Woodford Reserve bourbon, make that a double, with one ice cub, that’s a whole other thing! Woodford Reserve is one of his favorite whiskies. Well… W didn’t take my drink ticket, and didn’t take my drink ticket… he came by and said I was so nice he wasn’t going to charge me! A really nice guy! He came by a few more times, I was ready with some more bad dad jokes for him, he even gave me some! can’t share them here!

We made friends with the guy sitting next to PSM, they had fun chatting about Grenada, whiskey, weddings, travel, veterinary medicine, what else could they talk about? the list is endless. Even W came back and chatted with us for a while, I told you, a good guy!

Flight one down….off the plane, on to the next flight, guess what…delayed…go figure. Ok, at least that gives us a little time for a bite to eat. We never had time to get something to eat before our first leg, so…I actually had a decent taco salad, unfortunately for PSM, not so much! You could have possibly broken a window with the stale bread of his sandwiche!

I will say, I was impressed with SLC airport, they had a lot of restaurants, bars, and food options open at 11pm on Thursday! I can tell you, not many airports have that, including Las Vegas, where we landed!

We finally boarded the flight and PSM was asleep within minutes, before we even took off, happily, I joined him after we took off! Since traveling to and from Hawai’i for a few years, possibly even before that, I stopped sleeping on the longer legs of my flights, even the 8 hour flights, but…on the 2nd legs, usually 2 hours or less, I’m out like a light, love that. Let me tell you, best naps ever!

We both woke up as the plane was landing. I asked PSM how he was doing…’I’m a little hung over!’ ha ha ha! Now…that’s the way to start a trip! Especially to Las Vegas! We deboarded the plane, it was a little after midnight, and headed towards baggage claim/ground transportation. I have to tell you, when we found it, I’m not sure where we were, I haven’t been to that part of the airport, so were just kind of wandering until we found a sign, whew.

We headed out to where the Ride Share pickup is and joined the crowd. We had been looking for the taxi stand, but couldn’t find it, we saw it when we we were up and out, the line was pretty long, especially after midnight!

They have the ride share system pretty down pat, you order your car, hang out in one section, then when your driver is coming in, you are notified, go across the road to the pick up section, and there are people monitoring the area, making sure it’s safe to cross and answering questions. When the driver is in a spot, they text you the spot number, you find them, load up, and away you go!

I love seeing Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Strip, or just The Strip, as it’s known, at night. There is something magical about the lights, the old neon signs, the outlines of the hotels, the skyline, sort of. One of my favorites to see is New York New York, it really does look like a mini version of the New York skyline, always makes me a little homesick, in a good way.

There were still people out and about on The Strip, and why not, this is Las Vegas! We made our way to the hotel, we were staying off the strip, about a half mile, I do enjoy being on the strip, maybe next time!

We made it to the hotel, checked in, up to our room, unpacked, and fell into bed. It was now sometime just before 1am, very glad I set the alarm for Friday before we left, I had to be up at 430a! Gotta work tomorrow!

Ok, need to pass out now! Welcome to Las Vegas!

{May 19, 2024} Another Project: Flowerbox Edition

So…the house in PA, as you know, we’ve been doing some renovations since we bought the house. The latest project I’ve been thinking about for a while and now that I found my flowers, I was ready to put it into action!

So…there is a flower box that is right outside the front door, it’s about hip high, well, my hips, I’m not that tall! And there was a metal box in it that, at some point, must have held some flowers, but when we bought the house, just dirt. Every so often, I would go out there and pick the weeds, and if I picked any weeds from the front yard, sometimes I would put them there as a holding place.

Well…I have these metal and ceramic flowers I got at different festivals and when I used to sell home decor and they have traveled house to house to house, state to state to state, and now… they have a home, outside of a jar on my desk!

First, I removed the metal flower box that was in the brick structure, the bottom was rotted out, so it wasn’t too difficult. I took out all the dirt, well, as much as I could, there were two concrete structures, like stacked cinderblocks inside, and some loose bricks. I removed as much dirt and put 2 of the loose bricks in between the cinderblocks. Then….I needed some filler.

So…love my husband…we stopped at Lowe’s, picked up some EZ Sand. This is the type of sand that is fast setting and gets into the cracks and crevices. We needed to ensure that nothing would work against the foundation and maybe crack one day. We also picked up some black recycled rubber tire mulch, I love this stuff! It’s a little more expensive than regular mulch or pine bark, but…it lasts about 10-12 years and all you have to do, if you’re using it as regular mulch in your flower beds, maybe fluff it up every few years.

Then we stopped at Michael’s to look for foam bricks. I found some and bought more than I needed, they were $2.50 for a set of 4, you cannot beat those prices at Michael’s! There are different types of foam bricks, there are the dry foam, for silk floral arrangements and more, then wet foam, that’s for live floral arrangements, what I got is hard Styrofoam, not as easily broken.

So…back to the house with our haul. Well, after a few other destinations, but home eventually. Since the flowerbox was empty, I filled in all the nooks and crannies with the sand. It’s so cool to watch the sand fill in, especially where there were little gaps and holes, swoop!

After the sand, then came the foam bricks. PSM and I cut the bricks down so they weren’t in too tight and could move around.

Then…the rubber mulch, it looks so much cleaner!

And finally… the flowers! Don’t they look fabulous?! I have one more ceramic flower…when I was testing them at first, of course, out of all the flowers I dropped, it had to be one of the breakable ones! These things have lived in more places than some people and I go to put it out and it breaks, ugh! Gotta love Gorilla Glue! Or something strong like that!

I’m considering putting some grass in there, but I think it looks good, clean, but who knows, I might change my mind if I find the right grass, I don’t want to overpower the flowers. Also…I am on the lookout for flowers to add, but they have to be special and just right, something hand made and makes you smile.

Another project done…Flowerbox Edition!

Enjoy and good night!

{May 12, 2024} Happy Mother’s Day

Do I just write about Mother’s Day or do I write about my day.

How about both? Today I tell you about Mother’s Day and tomorrow I’ll tell you what I did today. Sounds like a plan.

Mother’s Day happens every year, as it happens, imagine that. A day dedicated to mothers, moms, mums, mummies, mommas, mamas, ma. And that’s just in English! Mothers are an amazing lot, there is so much that encompasses being a mother. We are not just the person who gave birth to you, we are the bonus mom, or step mom, who married your dad, your mom, we adopted you, you adopted us, we are also aunts, and I have to tell you, aunts do not get enough credit.

There are some aunts who help raise a child, who might take over raising a child, adopt, you name it, or we just step in when mom and dad aren’t around, either at the moment, for a bit, or however long. I appreciate it when someone acknowledges us.

I love the expression, The best moms get promoted to grandma, or grandmothers, or mimi, or mawmaw, mimaw, granny, glamaw, you name it, there’s a title, even like, say… JJ. Grandmothers are in a class all their own, they have lived a life, have experiences, raised their kids and now it’s time to have some fun with the next generation. They can be tough, kind, silly, happy, loving, strict, impetuous, frustrating, helpful, but no matter what, they love their babies, the ones that call them mom and the ones that call them grandmom.

I have to tell you, I am all of those things rolled into one. In 1996, oh brother, I met TYL and her brother, WCH, and the day I met them, I became a mom. I know my title eventually and officially, would be step-mom, or bonus mom, but in my heart, I became a mom. I called it new mom syndrome…I think I told you, the second they started staying over, I didn’t sleep like the dead anymore! I would hear them roll over in their sleep, I would listen for the sounds of breathing. The weirdest one…my feet grew half a size! I had been a 7/7.5 since I was about 11, I am now 25 and my feet are a size 8! What?!

And my heart expanded, I could only love them more if I had given birth, I love saying I have all the joys and none of the stretch marks! They gave me joy, they gave me headaches, grey hair, laughter, tolerance, tested my patience, came to me when they didn’t feel well, asked me to read to them, craft with them, they taught me a different kind of love.

Then, I became an aunt. Lots of kids call me aunt/auntie, which I am honored by the title, you’ve heard me talk about some of them, especially SDL and Miss A, oh boy do I love that kid! and I love hearing to this day. My sister had a baby and I didn’t know that kind of love, it was different, in a wonderful way. I had a lot to teach her, and then her sister, most good, some bad, hey, that’s my job, but all of it special. I got a mother’s day card from my sister’s family this year and it had wonderful messages from my nieces. I have stories and photos that I love to share with anyone who will listen! Watching them grow up, even living with them for a while, I wouldn’t change that experience for the world!

Then…I’m still a mom, still an auntie, and now…I’m a JJ! I was about 42 years old and I became a grandmother, huh? Yeah. Not once, not twice, but I am the very lucky JJ to 7 amazing kids who I love dearly. I get videos and messages, and sometimes I even still get pictures that they drew, you know those are framed and on my walls! I love telling stories about them, you’ve heard some of my stories, it’s hard not to, I’m a typical JJ, so proud of all my loves!

I couldn’t end this post without a nod to the fur-baby moms, seriously! We are mighty and proud! Some folks think of their pets as family, as their children, and that’s just fine, hey, I’m a dog mom to two very goofy dogs, Ruby & Bee, maybe you’ve heard me talk about them once or twice. I was a cat mom and I’m a cat auntie, yup, people call me auntie to their pets, who am I to object!

I was going to just talk about Mother’s Day, but then I started talking about my favorite subject, my loved ones, and here we are! Sorry, not sorry! No matter who you are, how you identify, what your role is, embrace it, love it, revel in it. Whatever type of mother you are, I say to you Happy Mother’s Day.

{May 8, 2024} I have a 36 year old? What?!

Yup, you read that right, I have a 36 year old! My daughter TYL is 36 years old today! I still can’t believe it!

She was 8 years old when I met her, closer to 8.5 years old, but she was a bonified 8 year old! And boy did she put me through the ringer on occasion! When I first met her, she was nice, but skeptical, totally get that! She wanted to see who I was and what I was about, very fair. Her brother on the other hand, just turned 7 and he was like…i wuv you! But not my girl, and I have to tell you, I respect that.

Every time I saw her, every time we got to spend time together, I got to know her more and more and she was a card. Funny, silly, happy, snarky, curious, skeptical, and smart, she and her brother, both very smart, sometimes not a lick of common sense between them, but what do you expect from teenagers?! When I tell you she is smart, I wish I could show you the gold cords on her graduation robes, smart.

She was set in her ways, had her way of thinking about things, had her opinions, but so open to trying new things. She was always put together, even if we were spending the day hanging out at the house watching movies, she was showered, dressed very nicely and face on, she had her own style and way of doing things. We would go to movies, museums, the park, go on adventures, or just stay home and snuggle on the sofa watching movies.

We loved traveling together, we would go to Savannah, GA, Chattanooga, TN, Orlando, FL, and NYC a few times to see my family. Since we were living in Atlanta, GA at the time, the weekends with us were full of new experiences. New places to eat, explore, and discover.

I loved birthdays, sometimes it was a party with friends at a skating rink or bowling alley, sometimes it was a party with friends at our house and then, always…a special dinner out for their birthdays. The next year they always had the option…did they want to choose or did they want me to choose. Most of the time I got to choose and it was always something fun and different, I loved that they trusted me for that.

Did I mention silly? I remember one day running through a parking lot, don’t worry, I checked for cars, and she and her brother asked me if I was an adult…um…great question! There was the time I was taking her and her brother to skate night for their school at the local rink and after I checked them in, they asked who my teacher was! Um…I’m their mom! I was about 27 or 28 at the time, and they were in elementary school…sigh…

I’ll never forget…on my 30th birthday we were going to Six Flags, and I said something and she rolled her eyes, she was 13, totally expected. I looked at her and I said ‘do not roll your eyes at me…and on my birthday’, but what I was thinking was…I’m a mom! And I was over the moon!

We lost touch for a few years, I would reach out to wish them both a happy birthday, they would sometimes respond, and totally understandable, they were still finding their feet at that time. But one year…as I do every year on her birthday, I reached out and we had a very wonderful exchange and she told me she was married and getting ready to have a baby, and she wanted me to be a part of his life. What? My baby is having a baby? I was in the middle of an airport boo-hooing so many tears of joy, I’m sure people thought I was mad!

When we reconnected in person it was amazing, it was as if no time had passed, and so much time had passed. Here was this amazing, grown, smart, funny, intelligent, kind, caring woman standing before me, where was the girl? The teenager who fought with me? The teenager who rolled her eyes at me? She was in there, but on the inside, it was who and what made her the woman she is today, with so much more.

She is an amazing mother, she once told me I taught her how to be a step mom, you’ll never know what those words meant to me. Not only is she an awesome mother, she is a fabulous daughter, granddaughter, sister, cousin, just a top notch human being. This is a woman I am honoured to have in my life and treasure our relationship and bond and I don’t see that changing ever.

I’ll never forget the first time they spent the night, I didn’t sleep, I heard them turn over in their sleep and I even went out to check that they were still breathing a few times…keep in mind, they were 7 and 8 at the time! They made me a mum and I knew from that moment, I felt a love like I had never known. I know I didn’t give birth to her, but she is a part of me, and that is something I will treasure to the end of my days.

TYL, a very happy birthday my girl, I love you very much.

{May 3, 2024} A Swearing in, an Honour, and a Celebration!

Today was very special for myself and PSM, we were honoured to be a part of something very special. We got to witness the swearing in of some friends, and receive their citizenship to the United States.

It was so very cool! The president of the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club and his family were being sworn in as citizens of the United States, and we were there to support them, and cheer them on! We found out about it a few weeks ago and we were able to be there today to show our support, along with some other folks from the club. We saw them in the room before the ceremony, then we went into the courtroom to wait with everyone else for them to arrive.

The future citizens came in in groups, they had to do a lot of paperwork, then when everyone was in the courtroom, we stood as the two judges came in, and the proceedings began. There were introductions of the judges, then a welcome from The Honorable Charles T Jones, Jr a very moving speech and from his words you could tell how much he enjoyed this part of his job. There was a presentation of Petition for Naturalization & Motion, that was seconded, then there was the administration of the oath.

All the candidates stood and recited the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America. This is some very heady stuff, what they have to promise to do, defend, and uphold, it really makes you realize how much they want to be here, and what a privilege it is for someone like myself, to have been born here. There were several of us watching, listening, and getting emotional, I know I teared up, as did a few people sitting next to me. It really was an honour to witness and be a part of, I’ve seen it in the movies, but there really is nothing like seeing it in person, and feeling the magnitude of it all.

Next, one by one, each citizen-to-be stood, walked to the front as the judges called their names. They received a folder with paperwork, a certificate, a pin, I think, and an American flag. There was a lot of hand shaking , some bowing, flag waving, and a lot of cheering! I think almost everyone had at least one person with them, but I think we had the largest cheering section! There were 20 people who were receiving their citizenship, and they were from all over the world. There were people from Nepal, the United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Bhutan, Mexico, India, Haiti, Jamaica, and Cambodia, amazing.

After each person received their folders and flags, they sat down, when the last person received their packet, we all stood to recite The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. I’ll be honest, I get a little emotional when I say it, but this time, it felt more special. Then the court crier announced the adjournment and we all hugged, shook hands, and hi-fived. It was a special moment. Then a group photo, so cool!

After the ceremony, hugs and congratulations all around, we went outside to take a group photo with the new citizens of this great land of ours! There was going to be a celebration at the club house, a cook-out, and we were definitely attending, but first…a stop for a drink at a local watering hole, close to the club house, the Union Beer House.

We all rode over on our bikes, got drinks and hung out for a bit. Then the family headed home to change, and then on to the club house, they were putting on the spread! After a bit, I went home to take care of the pups, PSM hung out and I would meet him at the club house.

The pups were happy to see me, at least the wagging tails told me so! We went for a walk, they got dinner, and a little while later, I headed out to the club house to meet PSM and see everyone else. It’s been great getting to know the folks in the club, they are incredibly welcoming and we feel like we truly belong.

The club house was decked out in red, white, and blue, of course! There were burgers, dogs, chips, sides, desserts, and drinks. All free tonight, in celebration of the new citizens! So very generous! We ate, talked, laughed, met a few new people, wash-rinse-repeat! It was a great time, then we went upstairs for the meeting.

It wasn’t a very long meeting, but fun as always. The historical fact for tonight’s meeting? On this date in 2024, the president of the club became a citizen of the United States! Big cheers! After the meeting, chatting with some of the folks, and it was time to head home for the night.

Truly…an honour, thank you for letting us share this with you! And welcome!

{April 28, 2024} A Faerie Festival, Baby Goats, and a Movie

And what did you do on Sunday?

We decided to be leisurely this morning and why not, it’s Sunday. After the Beer and Pretzel Fest yesterday, how do you top that? Well.. with a Faerie Festival of course! This was the Forged Fantasy Faerie Festival, say that five times fast! sponsored by the Drunken Smithy. The Drunken Smithy is a place that opened about a year ago at the Lebanon Valley Mall, I think I told you about it, because they offer axe throwing, which PSM and did a few months ago, we love it! We’ve done it in a few places, great fun and a great release!

The Drunken Smithy also offers forging classes, something, when we take, I will definitely share with you! Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. Sounds fierce! It is! Looking forward to making something! PSM did buy me a hammered metal flower, actually it’s a dragon disguised as a flower and I so forgot to take a pic, I’ll do that, promise!

We were actually going to the movies and stumbled about the fabulousness of the Forged Fantasy Faerie Festival! It was like the Renaissance Festival in a mall, I loved it! There were people in costume, at least, some of them were in costume, I know some people live the life and this is how they dress every day. Faerie freedom! The best is when you see someone in full faerie regalia in an unlikely place, like loading something into their car in the parking lot. That was great!

There were so many vendors, some things repeated themselves, but all of it was wonderful and so many hand crafted items! There was music, minstrels, live Dungeons-and-Dragons role playing, face painting, libations, magicians, crystals, artists, and so much more, what else could you want?

Well…baby goats, that’s what! I was talking to a vendor and PSM came over and said “I don’t mean to interrupt…but there are baby goats”! What?! I have no idea, but I la la la love baby goats! And PSM knows it, I turn into mush! So…we rushed over, well, rushed while still being safe and not running into anyone and there they were! $5 for 5 minutes. My beau got me $10 minutes in with the baby goats! Some of them were only a few weeks old!!! I got in the pen, sat down and started loving on the baby goats! I was in heaven!!! Squeeeee!

Time with the baby goats was up…again, I was denied a baby goat or two…you really have to have more than one, they are pack animals. I think it would be so much fun to have a baby goat on the bike! In a side car?! Can’t you just see it?! Goggles and all! Yes!

We walked around some more, then it was time for the movies, luckily, in the same building. We headed over to the theater, got our water and popcorn, you have to have popcorn! Funnily…at home, I might put a little salt on my popcorn, but never butter, in the movie theater, must have butter! Don’t ask me why, that’s just the way it is.

We went to see The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. It was SOOOO good! The tagline: The British military recruits a small group of highly skilled soldiers to strike against German forces behind enemy lines during World War II. It was based on Damien Lewis‘ 2014 book Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII.

And this will give you the true backstory of how this came about: Churchill’s Notorious WWII Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Finally Gets a Movie, supposedly the beginning of the modern black ops!

It was directed by Guy Ritchie, you can imagine the cinematography and style. It was very clever and funny, the dialog was brilliant, the cast…amazing! Henry Cavill, you know…Superman! as the lead, Gus March-Phillips, Alan Ritchson, Jack Reacher!! as Andres Lasson, what he could do with a knife or bow and arrow?!, Alex Pettyfer as Geoffrey Appleyard, master planner, Cary Elwes, The Princess Bride!! as Brigadier Gubbins ‘M’, the one who initiates the operation, Henry Golding, Crazy Rich Asians!!! as Freddy Alvarez, a master at explosives, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, new to me, as Henry Hayes, a great navigator, Rory Kinnear, he’s been in a lot of action movies, but I know him as a funny man, he was a fabulous Winston Churchill.

Freddy Fox played Ian Fleming, the author himself! Eliza Gonzales, as Marjorie Stewart, and Babs Olusanmokun, as Heron, both new to me, but I look forward to seeing them in future films! And lastly, Til Schweiger, I’ve seen him before, he plays a very good bad, and I mean bad guy!!!

There was action, a lot of it, adventure, great dialog, I mean funny and witty, violence, yeah, a lot of violence, it was WWII, fighting the Nazi’s, there’s going to be violence, but interestingly…not a lot of blood, in one or two scenes, there was blood, but overall… not much! Oh, and there were explosions, and fire, lots of those, and very clever tactics and ploys to do what they needed to.

Overall, I recommend this movie, I want to see it again, yeah, two thumbs up!

And on that note… Gute Nacht (gooteh nakt) [Good night in German]

{April 23, 2024} Second Seder and Homeward Bound

First night with my family was fabulous, as always. Second night is always with PSM’s family, a fun time that!

It’s Tuesday, so it’s still a work day, that means, more cooking, just to fill in some of the gaps from what we ate last night at the first seder. We made two more kugels, another matzoh brittle, more gefilte fish, and more broccoli pancakes, oh yeah, more hard boiled eggs.

In between cooking, there was work to be done, for my job that is! I actually got a lot done, had a few calls, GES and dad went to the grocery store for some supplies, I did go out and treat myself to a chai at Starbucks, ended up talking to a nice guy about bikes, he commented on my Sturgis sweatshirt, how could I not talk about how much we love to ride?!

About 5p, I started to pack up my stuff and about 530p, I hugged and kissed everyone goodbye and headed to PSM’s family’s for seder. There were a lot more people at the second night seder, GES was having about 20, we had 11 last night, sound about right!

I walked in with my goodies, the fabulous veggie matzoh ball soup for me and the peach matzoh kugel for all. Let’s just say, I know it was good, but…there was absolutely nothing left for me to take back to PA and PSM! Happily disappointed!

We sat down about 630pm, I ended up at the kids side of the table. Kids being the youngest was about 16 or 17 and the oldest in their 20s, these are bigger kids. They still do the Four Questions, well, they’re still the youngest! Of course, I was also seated across from some of the older trouble makers, myself included, not complaining, there was a lot of laughter and love!

As all families, they have their own traditions, we sing Take Me Out to the Seder, sung to…you guessed it, Take Me Out to the Ball Game! They use different Haggadah’s, as most families do, but like most families, everyone takes a turn reading, participating in the service and the telling of our story.

I stayed until the seder was over and we started clearing the table, and some folks were heading out, it was about 930p and I had a very long drive home! Not looking forward to that…I got on the road, had the top down for part of it, of course! I decided to go through Connecticut, how much traffic could there be at 12-1am?! Well…not hours of traffic, but there was traffic! Seriously? I cannot stand driving through that state! I may have already said it, I enjoy the state, just not driving through it! ugh!

After about 3 hours, I probably stopped every hour, to get gas, walk around, keep myself awake and ready to go. It was a very, very, very long drive. I find that during the day, I can drive for what seems like forever! I remember driving from St Louis to Denver, CO, it’s about a 12 hour drive, I did it in one fell swoop, isn’t that a great expression! But once the sun goes down, I’m not good for the full drive without stopping.

I made it home safely, finished a podcast, started a new one, that kept me going for hours, I wasn’t sure when it was going to end, but good for my drive! I made it home about 330am and I was done! I emailed dad and my sister to let them know I was home, went into the house and was greeted with running, snuggles, and kisses from the fur babies, someone had fallen asleep and left them out.

I proceeded to love on them, get them in the crate, and it was all I could do to walk upstairs, put on my jammies, and fall into bed, the alarm was still coming at 6a, really?

All in all, a good trip, too short, but a good one. Family, friends, food, and fun, what more could you want? Notin’ I tell ya! Nothin’! G’Night!

{April 21, 2024} It’s Sunday…let’s go!

Yesterday, after the Biker and Bike Blessing, I loaded up the convertible, kissed PSM and the dogs buh bye, jumped into said convertible, dropped the top and away we went! We being me and the cah! [I said cah because I was heading to Bahston!]

PSM gave me a way to avoid the traffic in Connecticut, that Connecticut is so famous for and makes people not want to go or drive through Connecticut. Ok, so maybe people want to go, I spent a great weekend there with CWB two years ago, but driving through it to get to Boston, not my favorite, or my husband, or my dad, or anyone else who has to do it. That being said, PSM gave me a route that would add about 100 miles to my trip, which meant about an extra hour, but I would avoid Connecticut, and it worked!

I arrived at my sister’s about 830p, eyes were slits, but I made it! After visiting for a bit, I was done! Down to the sofa in the basement, set up the blankets, jammies on, and I started talking to you and couldn’t sleep, really?!

I did not set an alarm for this morning, but lucky me…I woke up about 530a, fun! I lay there not thinking or doing anything, I just snuggled deeper into the covers, it was cold in the basement, but I was toasty under a few layers, works for me! Eventually I got up and wandered upstairs and my sister was in the kitchen with EJS, she was heading off with ACS, to do a father-daughter college tour and soccer ID clinic. Can you believe it…college tours! O M G!

MGS came down eventually, she had a soccer game in the afternoon, she was going to chill until then. GES and I started to cook some of the dishes we would need for the Passover seder tomorrow and Tuesday. She hosts first and second night. I’m always at first night and when I started dating PSM, we go to second night with his family. Their first night seder is usually held in a hall with a lot, when I say, a lot, I mean a lot of people! They’ve had up to 100 in the past! That would be something to see!

We have to strategize what we’re going to cook because there’s only so many good size burners and only so much oven space! We started with a matzoh brittle, y u m! This is one cup of brown sugar, one cup of butter, melted, then you put it on a tray of matzoh, which goes into the oven for 5 minutes at 350. When it’s cooled, you break it into pieces. Some people make it with chocolate chips and nuts, I’m a purist. You’re welcome, you’ll thank me later!

I started on the veggie matzoh ball soup, y u m! Then we made I lost count of how many hard boiled eggs, then the potatoes, we had gefilte fish to make too. This is where the musical burners comes in because there are only two large ones and we use large stock pots for everything!

We had thumbprint cookies to make, coconut macaroons, matzoh apple and peach apple kugel, charoset for just the two of us, since we can’t eat apples. I think that’s everything. You know…I really need to give you our recipes for these dishes, they are sooo good! Other people would be bringing items tomorrow, so we don’t have to cook everything like we used to when we were kids.

About 1030am, we went over to a friend’s house to help them with the crafts for her son’s bar mitzvah, it’s a baseball theme and she needed a little extra zhuzhing it up [you just have to say the word out loud]. That was a lot of fun, there were glue guns, batteries, lights, baseballs, the whole nine yards! And she had a Cricut, so I had someone to chat Cricut, you know I was in heaven!

After the craft party, we headed back home to cook some more. When we got there, dad had arrived! The family is together! We chatted and caught up while we made a few kugels, then everyone left for the soccer field, I stayed behind a few minutes to get the kugels out of the oven, the off to the game I went.

Great to see MGS on the field, it was a lot of fun, she’s really getting so much better! This was her first game with this team, definitely a new experience! I’m so very proud of her! I hope she knows that!

Let’s just say, I had my top down on the way to Boston, today…I couldn’t warm up fast enough when I was back in the car after the game. I could not feel my feet or fingers, thank goodness it all came back to me! Back at the house, a little more cooking and then it was time for dinner. They brought in pizza and salads, I had a nice big salad, I had to go to the grocery store earlier and got some of my favorite vegan cheese, Chao Cheese, the brand is Field Roast, I actually never noticed the brand name before! I was always focused on the flavor. It is a full, rich, cheese, and melts nicely!

Dinner is always fun at my sister’s house, lot’s of chatter, banter, silliness, and laughter, what more could you want?! After dinner we did the last of the cooking we needed to, cleaned up the kitchen, everyone else went up to bed and GES and I sat on the sofa and relaxed! What a day?!

I know I nodded off a few times while we were sitting there scrolling through our phones and watching something on tv, I know this because I kept waking myself up! ha ha. After a bit, I went downstairs and here I am telling you about my day.

I’m going to say Bonne nuit (bon nwee), that’s french for good night.

{April 20, 2024} A Bike and Biker Blessing

Say that 10 times fast! Today was a great experience, I told you last night I would tell you all about it today and here it is!

A biker and biker blessing is a truly moving event, we participated in our first one in Hawai’i. It was held at a church, it felt like every bike on the island was there! We met, there was a blessing, in Hawai’ian and we went on our way, knowing we were, well, blessed!

Today, we were with the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club [LVMC], there was also the biker/bike blessing with our Indian Motorcycle Riders Group [IMRG], it wasn’t an easy decision, but we went with the LVMC because we haven’t ridden with them yet and last weekend we had our first IMRG group ride of the season. I also needed to be closer to home, after the blessing and lunch, I high tailed it to Boston for a few days!

We got to the clubhouse at 1030a and there were already about 30 bikes and people there, by the time we left, I think we were somewhere between 50-60, maybe, I couldn’t tell, but there were a lot of us! It was fun meeting some new people in the group and seeing what everyone rides, that’s always the best part.

We were very organized, not us personally, the group. There were several people who would be blocking traffic, that means that they block traffic at lights and stops so we can all ride together as one big group. The idea, which I liked the analogy when we rode in Hawai’i was we should function like a tractor trailer, everyone stays together.

We left in one big group, I know someone was taking photos, I can’t wait to see them! I have to tell you, it is such a site to see all the bikes riding in one long procession, it sounds wonderful and it looks beautiful! We rode to the Lebanon VA Medical Center, what an honor! There were some residents who were outside watching, some in the lobby, and many from their rooms. We did a tour around the perimeter, came to park in front and we all got off our bikes and walked towards the chapel.

Father Paul was waiting for us, he was wearing a long white robe, full regalia, with sunglasses, a baseball cap, and sneakers! LOVE IT! We all gathered around and Father Paul read from his prayer book, a few prayers I recognized, what I loved was he added motorcycles in there! He talked about being able to ride was freedom, reminding us of what we can do, and to keep each other safe. It was a lovely ceremony.

We all received badges/pins, oh yeah, before we left the clubhouse, we all received an American Flag with the Biker Blessing on it to attach to our bikes! After we received our pins, we got back on our bikes and rode past Father Paul, who then blessed us each with holy water! SO cool!

After we were blessed, we made our way back to the clubhouse for a fine feast of picnic and comfort foods and good conversation. We met some new folks and really just enjoyed ourselves. I know we would have had fun with the IMRG folks, this was fun getting to know the LVMC folks!

After lunch we headed back home, played with the dogs a little, I loaded up my car and headed out and here I sit at my sister’s house writing to you. I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow! I need sleep! After getting up about 6am, then the biker blessing, then a 7 hour drive to Boston, I’m beat!

Vroom Vroom…God natt (goo nat) [Good night in Norwegian]!

{April 19, 2024} A new place and a meeting

Today was your average work day, it seemed to go on forever, was yours like that? I looked up, it was 12p, then I looked up and I thought it was 3p, nope, it was 1p, then 2p, what happened?! I was very busy, so that should mean the day flew by and I didn’t have enough time to get what I needed to done. Nope, it was weird. I didn’t quite make my deadline, but I got a lot done, go figure!

After work, take the pups for a walk, they got in their smells, found some potato-chippy worms to munch on, munched on some grass, I listened to a podcast, and that’s how it usually goes for us. Oh, we did meet some of the dogs in the neighborhood, we said hello to Charlie, the teeny poodle who definitely tries to defend and protect his property and his humans, Calvin, the black and white great dane, what a sweet and gentle doll baby, having a moment on the other dogs names, but they all did the doggie meet-n-greet, let’s sniff there, oh my!

Then PSM got home from work and we tried a new place on our Lebanon Valley Libations Trail, The Union Beer House. It is in a random place, nestled in between some car dealerships and other businesses, you almost drive by you. When you walk in, it’s very cool, they have beer coolers on the left, a lot of coolers, basically, a wall of coolers, these hold bottles by the six-pack for sale. Then on the right, there are shelves of wine, and a cooler with beer cans, I didn’t get over there to look if the cans were for sale in six packs as well. The last cooler had single bottles of beer, again, didn’t get over there to see if they were for sale individually.

At the counter you can order food and drink, on the left were all the taps and a proper bar. When I say proper bar, I just mean that you can sit or stand at the bar and gather, chat, congregate, which is the same as gather, right? In the middle, wide open space, they had tables and chairs for eating, they had a high top long bar along the window. Then as you wander, they have a video gambling room, that was different.

The food was ok, I’ll be honest, the only thing on the menu I could eat was veggie fried rice and an order of 5 mini spring rolls, I asked about a veggie burger, I was told they have a black bean burger, but it was spicy. Fried rice and spring rolls it is. PSM had fish and chips. The chips were good, we both liked them.

The place was crowded with friends, families, single folks, groups, couples. It had a good atmosphere of people enjoying themselves on a Friday night. Kitchen closes at 8p, brewery closes at 10p, welcome to Central PA!

We went because it’s on the Libations Trail, but it wasn’t a place I would go back to. I could see going if PSM wanted a beer or some friends wanted to go have a beer and hang out, but overall, not my first choice. I enjoyed the experience and I’m glad we tried something new, but it wasn’t for us. We really like to sit at the bar and talk to people. Oh well…

Now, the plus…we were only a 2 minute drive from the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club! Score! We got there a little before everyone was going up to the meeting, we just missed the home made carrot cake, bummer! D is a great baker! I really like everything I’ve tried!

Tonight the place was packed, not quite standing room only, but a lot of people! I think because the weather is getting nicer and rides are about to start happening, people were there to get more information. Tomorrow, I’m excited, we’re going to a bike blessing, not telling you much more because I want to tell you about it tomorrow!

I’m glad I ran into R when I was at White’s Harley Davidson and he told me about the club, and I’m glad we finally went to a meeting and joined. Everyone is very friendly and has welcomed us warmly and we’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone. And…excited to go on our first ride with them and see what everyone rides!

And on that note, I’m going to wish you a शुभ रात्रि (shub raatree) [good night in hindi].

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