Family | Peaches Prattlings

{January 20, 2024} How do we pack it all in…in a day? A snuggle, new coffee shop, new park, motorcycle group meeting, another new coffee shop, framers, drywallers, shoveling, new fireplace, a little football, a new desk [sort of]…

Whew! We don’t know how to rest on our laurels around here!

And on a Saturday! First…woke up after the sun, what?! It was just about 730a when we woke up, that was loverly! After a few minutes, PSM said, let’s get the dogs, sounds good to me! I said prepare yourself! I went down, grabbed the pups and raced them back upstairs! When I say ‘who wants to snuggle?’ they automatically head to the living room because they think they’re going to snuggle with me on one of their beds. So cute!

Up to the bedroom where Ruby jumped right up and Bee, you know, the Beagle, short legs and all, needed a wee bit of help! They were both up there, I got in bed, and it was like I wasn’t even there! ha ha. They la la la love being with PSM! I had to pull Ruby away to snuggle, then she went back and I grabbed Bee. A little whining and finally some singing! That dog la la la loves to sing! You can see it on her face!

After about 30 minutes, we realized we had a few things to do this morning! Get up and dressed, get the dogs ready, and we were off! We have to get another stamp in our Java Journey passports! We went to the Whirling Dervish Bakery & Coffee Shop in Annville, a charming little college town, we were there last week at Swatara Coffee Company, they are across the street from each other. If you ever get the chance to go, please do! But…beware the hours are not great! Thursday and Friday 7am-11am, and Saturday 8am-12 noon and that is it! We found out that the owner owns a real estate business, that’s on the main drag and the bakery/coffee shop is at the side door, which is also the back of the real estate office.

It’s sweet and charming, and delightlfully gnomish! It is covered with gnomes, gnomes, and more gnomes, and reindeer. They have a collection of gnomes that might put gnomes or a yard to shame! They are from all over the world and most are not for sale, just for looking, but some are for sale. Then there’s the baked goods! And the drinks. PSM had coffee and I had a chai tea, it wasn’t my favorite, I got it with almond milk. If we go back, and I want to, I’m going to get a cup of tea just made with water, and some sugar, I’m ok with that!

We got a few pastries to go and they were yummy! It was just so charming and heart warming walking around looking at everything. When I say walking around, I really mean standing in one spot and turning around and around, that’s really all the space they have. Totally recommend this place, even if you’re just a lookie-loo!

We left with our baked goods and drinks and headed to a nearby park the folks working there recommended. And oh my was it soooo worth it! Quittie Park Nature Park is stunning and charming and covered with a whole lotta snow today! The dogs absolutely la la la loved it! We dropped their leashes for a few minutes, there was no one else in the park, we wouldn’t do that if there were any other people or dogs. They so enjoyed that, watching both of them run like the wind! And now…I have Ride Like the Wind by Christopher Cross in my head! You’re welcome for the ear worm!

We don’t know how large the park is or how long the paths go, but you can rest assured, we will be going back! It’s only about 15 minutes from us, so I forsee a lot more trips there! Definitely on the weekends, maybe some evenings when the sun stays in the sky longer. Add this to the list!

Then it was time to go to the monthly Indian Motorcycle Riders Group meeting at Hernley’s Polaris-Indian Motorcycle. We joined the group when we moved to Pennsylvania. We join wherever we are, so we are now honorary members of our chapters in Hawai’i and St Louis! It’s a great feeling to know that you have people to connect with when you’re there! They were going over new business and somehow I volunteered to take over the calendar duties for the group, and I dubbed myself CQ…Calendar Queen! I’ll take it! I’m now responsible for putting together the calendar of rides for our group! I’m ready!

After the meeting, there was the monthly picture and we were off! We have a drywall finisher coming to the house at noon and we had just enough time to get there! We had just enough time to stop for gas, maybe get another cup of coffee/tea/passport stamp before we headed home. We stopped at Mill 72 Bake Shop & Cafe, so called because: Our name, Mill 72, is made up of two components. The “Mill” comes directly from our last name, Miller, and our family’s history of owning and working in a family-owned corn meal mill. The “72” references our Bake Shop & Cafe being located along Manheim’s Route 72. How cool is that?! I’ve oftne wondered why it was called that!

Well, it was lunch time, we got coffee and a chai latte, and two egg sandwiches made on waffles. Everything was pretty good! We both felt like the sandwiches, because they were made with waffles needed some syrup, but other than that, enjoyable. The atmosphere was charming, quite a few tables and some sofas and seats towards the back. It was open and inviting. I can definitely see going back!

After lunch we headed into downtown Lebanon to the Lebanon Fine ArtFine Art Gallery – Lebanon Picture Frame to finalize the frames we wanted for the artwok that was damaged in the move. The artwork saga is a whole ‘nother post! But Melody and Eric, the owners, have been great to work. They helped us with the estimates to get the pieces fixed and pick out new frames and mats, very excited to see them when they’re ready!

We grabbed the broken frames, I have plans for them, of course! and headed back to the house. The drywall finisher was there to do his thing and boy did he do his thing! He is really good! He taped up the seams, covered any nails and screws, and just made things seamless. He’ll be back on Monday to do whatever else he needs to.

While he was working, we went outside to do a little shoveling, it had snowed a little more yesterday and it’s windy so the snow is blowing onto the driveway. When I found the big patch of ice and went down on my knee and my wrist, I said…I’m good and I’m going inside! PSM soon followed.

We took a break, watched something on tv, then I went into the art studio to start to build my new fireplace! I’ll tell you all about that in another post, but it’s awesome! PSM ended up helping me and I’m so glad he did! There were parts that said it’s a 2-person step and they were right! bless him! We got the cabinet together and then put the fireplace in it and it’s AWE-SOME!!! You can turn the flames on with or without heat! I cannot wait to have everything in place for the studio! Right now it’s housing stuff from the kitchen, things that didn’t fit on the shelves in the other room, all good, working around it!

Then it was time to chill and eventually grub! We had leftover Chinese food from North China, our new favorite go-to for Chinese food. I seem to only get their garlic broccoli and I la la la love it! I’ll share more on this place some other time! We ate, watched some stuff, then PSM put on football and I headed into the art studio to put on my new fireplace and a movie to…start to put together a desk I got at Harbor Freight. I really love this thing and I got it half built, some of it is a 2-person job, so far so good, but I kind of ran out of steam, the thing is hea-vy! and I wanted to talk to you guys, so…I’ll go back to it tomorrow!

I think that’s about it for a Saturday, was that enough? Did I mention that most of what we did before we got home was all before 1pm?! I think that was quite the way to start the day! Are you tired? I am! What does tomorrow hold? I am contemplating going skiing! If I do, you know I’ll tell you all about it!

Night!

{January 18, 2024} St Thomas Day 3: Boat Trip, Snorkeling, Margaritaville, Jeep, Mexican and Tequila

It’s day 3 in St Thomas for us, December 24th, Christmas Eve, and our first excursion! It’s a jammed packed day, ya ready?

This was the first excursion we booked, don’t even remember the company, but we were supposed to go on the snorkel cat catamaran, but it turns out the catamaran was only going to two stops, so we opted for 3 and ended up the Breakaway. I’m wrong, just looked it up, and it’s New Horizons! The trip left from Margaritaville, we got a taxi up to the resort, found the launch point, got checked in and took a look around. A beautiful property, but, shhh…we thought our beach was better! We spent a bit watching the pelicans flying and dive bombing into the water, what a site to see!

And now we’re off, have our snorkel gear in hand, one of the things we always travel with when we’re going somewhere we know we’re going to swim. The great thing is we pack so little clothing, everything fits in our travel backpacks. We LOVE the ones we have from eBags, they are the Mother Lode Travel Backpack, I need to do an entire post on the eBags we have, I might sell you on some! The reason I mention them is we can fit all our clothes for the two or three weeks we’re traveling and our snorkel gear, which includes mask, snorkel, fins, waterproof bag, and travel towel. I’ll talk some time about how we pack, apologies for the digression!

We were on the boat, I took my Dramamine when we were taking off, they recommend about 30 minutes to an hour before you go, I take it when we take off. I don’t have a problem being on boats, I live for it, what I have a problem with is the not moving and just rocking, even ever so gently, I do not do well with that, I’ll tell you about that another time! But…I was set. The ones I bought were chewable, ick! They did not have the sweet, orange flavor they boasted. Needed to be washed down with something!

As we took off, we were offered a light breakfast, juice, water, pastries, and fruit, nothing too heavy before we were going to get in the water. The sky was crystal clear, we were even treated to a rainbow, can’t beat that! We sped along, good crew got us up to speed on what we needed to know when we arrived and the music was terrific.

First stop the water was clear, in some places, and not so clear in others, but it was so amazing to be in the water again. I missed this so much! It’s been about two years since we were in the water, and snorkeling, can’t wait this long again! Not a huge amount of fish where we were, but the coral and sea life that was there was terrific!

Back on the boat and a bit of lunch and the drinks started flowing. They said they wait to give us drinks until after the first stop, so they can see what kind of swimmers we are! And if we swim differently after a beverage or two! Second stop was great! There were honu, the Hawai’ian word for sea turtle. All of the honu had passengers! Remoras, I thought they were baby sharks, but not to be! Sorry some of my pics underwater aren’t the clearest, it all depends on where you are and if it’s sunny or cloudy what you’re going to get.

After another beautiful stop, and oh my the water temp was just perfect, you know that feeling you get when you’re just not sure how it’s going to feel and then you jump in and all is right with the world. Well…let’s just say…every time we swam, all was right with the world!

After the last stop, it was back to shore and Margaritaville. We thanked our crew, in voice and cash, then went to change. The one thing I’m not always a fan of is riding back in my wet bathingsuit, only because later in the day it does get chilly and you’re brrrrr a little. We changed into dry things and went into the bar/restaurant to wait until our rental car from 360 Car Rental, really beautiful blue 2023 Jeep Wrangler, was delivered. Can you beat this view? This was the window at the restaurant looking out onto the lagoon/beach. If I didn’t take the picture, I would have sworn it wasn’t real!

We ended up talking to two nice couples, very different individuals. One couple was older and a little limited in their mobility, but ready for adventure, he was a former airforce pilot and she was a huge movie buff like me! the other couple were bikers, PSM had lots to chat with them about!

Once we got the car we headed out and went down to Red Hook for dinner, at Agave, Tequila Bar & Mexican Kitchen. We sat at the bar, which is where we tend to sit at most places. There’s usually availability, the bartenders are pretty cool, and sometimes we get to chat with people hanging out like us. We had two outta three, worked for us. The bartender was great and helped PSM find some things he enjoyed. They had a deep conversation about tequila, whiskey, bourbon, and some other things, he concocted a new drink and had PSM try it, too cool. He also gave him a to-go cup for whatever he was drinking when we were leaving, gotta love that!

It was one of the better meals we had while we were there, I have to say! The gucamole and salsa were both made in house and a real treat. PSM had fish tacos and I had veggie tacos, both were really good and a pleasant way to cap the evening.

After dinner, we walked around Red Hook, then headed back to the hotel to shower and collapse. It was quite the day, not sure we could have fit more into the day! Not sure what’s going to be available tomorrow because it’s Christmas day, but we’ll definitely enjoy whatever it is we end up doing! Happy Christmas Eve everyone!

{January 17, 2024} Wonka

Yes. That’s all I can say is yes.

Well, I can also say worth it, loved it, enjoyed it, great story, fun to watch, laughed, cried, felt all the feelings, and we want to know what happens next. Well…we sort of do, because there was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory [2005], and there was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory [1971] [A very good year, if I may add!] And now…Wonka [2023].

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder was or is the story of how Charlie wins a golden ticket to take a tour of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Then, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Jonny Depp is the same premise, but we get a glimpse into the man behind the chocolate and you get to see a little of his childhood and what made him who he is. Interestingly, this version, Wonka, staring Timothée Chalamet is more about how he got his start with dreams of opening a shop, with the help of some friends, and butts heads with the ‘chocolate cartel’. In Johnny Depp’s version, he had issues with his dad, Timothée Chalamet was very much loved by his mother. Hmmm…

We know Timothée Chalamet is Willie Wonka, and he was terrific, but the rest of the cast, oh my! Olivia Coleman as Mrs. Scrubitt, an evil and vile woman! She was fabulous and I love her no matter what she’s playing! Tom Davis was Bleacher, an equally repulsive character, I can’t say I’m very familiar with his work, but he was icky in this, so well done!

The ‘Chocolate Cartel’, fabulous idea and description, were played by Paterson Joseph as Slugworth, Matt Lucas as Prodnose, and Matthew Baynton as Fickelgruber. I love Matt Lucas, I’ve loved him since first seeing him in Little Britain! If you haven’t seen it, look for it, it’s a sketch comedy show staring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. I will tell you, it’s tough to watch sometimes, and you will either love it or not, not a middle of the road kind of thing, but I love it! Matthew Baynton, I love in Ghosts, the UK version, among other things.

Keegan-Michael Key played the cheif of police, he is a funny actor and I have enjoyed watching him since his days on Mad TV! Jim Carter played Abacus Crunch, fitting name for a number cruncher, I know, that’s the point! Many of you probably know him from Downton Abbey, but I’ve been a fan since Haunted Honeymoon! Rakhee Thakrar was charming as Lottie Bell, who worked for the phone company, and I have a feeling that won’t click for anyone younger than me! ha ha Calah Lane was charming as Noodle, one of the other main characters who becomes very close with Willie Wonka and helps give him purpose and to achieve his dreams.

Sally Hawkins was absolutely perfect as Willie’s mother, I have admired her work for a long time, but one of my favorite roles is the mother in Paddington, is she typecast in that role? Rowan Atkinson as the dirty priest, oh he was delightful in his wickedness! It’s still jarring to hear him speak, sometimes, even though, my first introduction to him was as the Blackadder, oh wow, takes me back! Hugh Grant as the Oompa-Loompa, Lofty! It was fun seeing some of the actors in Paddington in Wonka, and it helps a little that it was directed by the same person, Paul King, who was also one of the writers, could be why it had a not so unfamiliar feel.

Just like in the other movies, you honestly can’t tell where the movie is filmed, it feels like Europe, it feels like a city in the US, who knows. Some things made sense, some things didn’t, but isn’t that fantasy and the joy of not having a clue?! Slightly indicitive of all three movies, and I’m ok with it.

As we were watching the movie, it was a musical, and there were some great song and dance numbers, I was wondering if they would be making this into a Broadway musical, it definitely has the makings. It actually looked like it was backwards, that this had been made from a Broadway musical, not the other way around, I’m curious to see what happens! There was a great and catchy soundtrack, but…PSM and I were waiting on certain songs. They played some of the traditional songs as background, but not the full song. Oompa Loompa for one, but the big one…Pure Imagination PSM and I were holding our breath, as I said it was part of the soundtrack in the background, until towards the end, then we held hands, let out the deep breath we were holding and the tears started to flow. All good.

Overall, I can’t recommend this movie enough, it’s whimsical, hopeful, charming, cheeky, clever, sweet, inventive, smart, sounds like Willie Wonka himself…Enjoy!

{January 15, 2024} A day off, sort of, and two more coffee shops!

Today is MLK day and for many, that means a day off, wahoo!

MLK Day, or Martin Luther King Day, is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the third Monday of January each year. Dr King was born on January 15th, and was chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law and civil society. The movement lead to several groundbreaking legislative reforms in the United States.

Since it’s a federal holiday, many companies are closed, it was interesting, in Hawai’i, it was not observed as a holiday by all companies, but King Kamehameha I Day was an observed holiday and many companies were closed. A regional thing I guess. And, as companies were closed, some use it as an opportunity for volunteerism, giving back to communities, I’d say that’s a positive thing, wouldn’t you?

I think it’s great people have the day off to do as they choose, be it a long, 3-day weekend, a lazy day, a day to get things done, for contractors, it’s a day without pay and those aren’t as much fun, ha ha. Sometimes I am happy to take the day, but this week, we were given the opportunity to work and I took it! I am prepping for a new class, so it was the perfect time to get work done without the normal work day interruptions or meetings to take away focus. Now, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t get up at 6am like I normally do, I took my time waking up, we took the dogs to the park, and then we took the opportunity to go to another coffee shop on the Lebanon Valley Java Journey! Bonus!

We went to Baked Sweet Coffeehouse & Bakery, armed with only the passports, didn’t have to take the mugs! One less thing to remember! Weehoo! The street…you can tell they are trying to renovate and bring it up, there were several new houses and you could tell several others had been or were in the process of being renovated. The bakery itself was charming, from the outside to when you steppined inside. Open, airy, light feeling, edison bulb string lights, [do you know how hard it is to find a description and not an advertisement for edison bulb string lights?!], tables and chairs, small sofas, just the perfect atmosphere for a no-pressure, laid back coffee shop.

There was a Maker’s Market to one side with items from different vendors, all small businesses, they had their own line of merchandise down the hall, and in the back, rooms for events or overflow from the front of house. When we got there, no line, when we left, almost out the door! We’re not sure if it was the fact that businesses and schools were closed or it was the local coffee shop, could have been a combination.

They had a large coffee and tea selection, and a lovely pastry selection. We ordered a chai with almond milk for me and a decaf coffee for PSM, a blueberry muffin, a coffee cake muffin, and a beautiful snowflake sugar cookie for later. I wandered around while PSM found us a seat in front of a great antique stove, not on, but definitely a conversation piece! Our order was up, they don’t take personal cups, unfortunately, we had to pour our drinks into our cups, and the drink and muffin were served on a metal tray with a napkin that looked like a linen kitchen towel. All-in-all, a great experience so far!

The baked good were great, PSM’s coffee was pretty good, I can’t say I enjoyed my chai at all, but the cookie, I had later in the day…y u m, fancy sugar cookie goodness. We agreed, we really liked the atmosphere, but it wasn’t worth us making a special trip there on another occassion, that’s not to say, if we were in the area, we wouldn’t stop by for a baked good.

I ended up not drinking my chai and since we were headed back home, we thought, why not…let’s check another coffee shop off the list, or passport, as it were! We went to City Watch Coffee. We had both been there before, the hours weren’t always conducive to when we were out and about. The atmosphere is cool, kind of futuristic, whereas Baked Sweet had a more charming atmosphere. Both places have very nice and accomodating staff.

Speaking of staff, one of the things PSM noticed and mentioned, which admittedly, I hadn’t, was that the staff at all of the coffee shops we had been to so far were completely staffed by women. Once he pointed it out, I thought, go girl power! I liked it!

I ordered their chai, which was called, I believe the Vic Chai, because it was named after a cousin of the owner’s husband, who’s name was Vic Chai, how cool is that and what are the odds?! PSM had a hot chocolate and we ordered egg sandwiches. The sandwiches were good, PSM’s hot chocolate was good, I didn’t enjoy the chai, not sure why, it had a strange aftertaste to me. It was the third time I had it there, so it turns out the chai is not for me, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t go back to try a different drink. I am drawn to chai lattes and I try them wherever I go and some are a hit, and some not. The nice thing about this place, it’s not that far from home, so if I do find a drink I like better, win-win!

After our 2nd Java Journey stamp for the day and fifth for the weekend, we went back to the house. When we got there, one of the guys from the construction company were there to talk to us about how the day was going to go, I went upstairs to start working, and PSM stayed down to hammer out any last minute details. There were a few things I had to come downstairs to take care of, but for the most part, I was able to get a lot of work done.

PSM went out to do some stuff while I stayed behind to work, hang with the dogs and answer questions. About 230p he picked me up, we went out to get some lunch, I was very much in the mood for soup, good ramen to be exact, but no ramen in the area, so we went to Kugo Japanese restaurant for udon, because they assured me they had vegetable udon, I was ready! We had been there for sushi a while ago and liked it, this time, the udon was just what I needed. Hot, flavorful, and full of veggies and noodles, what more could you want!

Back to the house, check out the demo progress, get some more work done, take the dogs for a walk, work, PSM went to the gym, then I was done by the time he got home, we had some grub, and it was time to chill!

Not a bad way to spend a day off…sort of!

{January 14, 2024} A snuggle, a freezing walk, two coffee shops, groceries, a movie, and football. Oh my!

Just another Sunday. I was going to say ‘Just another day for you and me in paradise‘. PSM asked me to play Phil Collins when we were driving on St Thomas and now I’m on a Phil Collins radio kick on Pandora, not a bad thing in my opinion.

Got up liesurely, it was about 7am, or a little before. I wasn’t quite prepared to get up and officially greet the day, so I decided it was time for a momm-puppy cuddle session, another good thing. I went downstairs and got the dogs out of the crate, tried to sneak past PSM, trying not to wake him!, and got them upstairs and on the bed.

We settled in and Bee did her thing of circling the bed and settling in and falling asleep almost before her head hit the bed, Ruby did the same, stretched out and proceeded to try to lick my arm clean, no thanks. We were snuggled in for about 2 hours, we cuddled, watch some tv, not even sure what we watched. I say we, but we know the truth, it was really the dogs in control!

Got up eventually, took them to Stover Dam Park for a walk, they absolutely love it there! I chose the wrong footware, go figure, I wore my Chucks, which was fine for most of the park, a few areas were a bit wet, mushy, muddy, and slightly puddley [I made that last one up!] It was a teensy bit chilly while we were there, about 31 out and it was supposed to snow at some point and as we were leaving, here come some flakes, not much though.

Back to the house, feed the dogs, grab our Java Journey mugs and off to Ancester Coffeehouse & Creperie, which happens to be attached to Schnitz Creek Brewery, different. We ordered the drink of the day for PSM, something waayyy too sweet for PSM, but he’s a trooper, did you see…it came with one of those hearts in the foam! and chai latte with oat milk for me. Yummy, not a lot of variation on the chai lattes, in terms of crazy taste, each one is a little different, but ultimately, I usually enjoy it.

I ordered a savory crepe, the Secret Garden, and PSM had a egg and sausage bagel. While we waited, we were chatting, I said hello to the little boy at the table behind us, and I liked his glasses. We started talking with the parents and all of a sudden, the dad says “PSM?” Go figure, they work together! That was fun! We chatted with them for a while, about work, the town they live in, the town we live in, and the Java Journey, how much fun things like this are.

Our food came, y u m! We will definitely go back! Well, actually…to get another stamp we have to go to their other location, not a bad thing! We chatted some more and as we were sitting there, the brewery was taking over the tables around us, they opened at 1130am, and guess what time it was. PSM said we could finish our food and drink and move straight to the brewery!

After the brewery, we realized we needed salad fixings for the week, motorcycle cleaner, and we were contemplating going to a movie, so we headed in that direction, stopped at the Grocery Outlet, one of our favorite grocery stores. They have a good selection, some interesting items, a decent vegan selection, and not very expensive, a win-win! After the grocery store, we decided to check another coffee shop off our list…Sydney Roasting Co.

Turns out, we don’t actually have to bring the mugs with us, as long as we have the passports, we are good to go. Good to know! We orderd a chai latte for me with almond milk for me and whatever frozen, overly sweet drink for PSM. I tried it and agreed for the first few sips, it tasted like coffee ice cream, which I used to love, but 4 sips in…coffee, no thank you! We hung out, enjoyed the atmosphere, added this place to the list of places we might come back to! Loving this whole Java Journey thing!

After finishing, well almost finishing, our drinks headed to Auto Zone, unfortunately, they didn’t have what we needed, oh well, but..the movies await! We went to the local Regal Movie Theater to watch Wonka. LOVED IT! I’ll write another post about it, it was charming! We laughed, we cried, we just really enjoyed it!

After the movies we went to 7th Street Bar & Grill, one of our new favorite hang outs. It looks unassuming on the outside, inside, it’s not big, but it’s nice. They have two pool tables, a bunch of booths and tables, and a nice bar, we’ve only sat at the bar. My only issue with this place…the bathrooms are ffffrrreeezzzinnnnggg! I would say, if you can skip it in the winter, do it! Go in the summer, it will be great! I had a veggie burger and PSM had a reuben. One of the footbal playoff games was on, the Greenbay Packers were trouncing the Dallas Cowboys, on their own field, ouch. PSM started talking to a few people at the bar who could talk football, I was ok with that!

At some point, I headed home to take care of the dogs and left PSM in his football element. Dogs fed, toooo cold and windy for a walk! Took care of a few things around the house, started to talk to you and PSM called and said he was ready to come home. Off I went to pick him up, back home, change into sweats, hang out and talk to you while PSM watches some more football downstairs. Sounds like a win-win! Oh, I also ordered something for my art studio, can’t wait for it to get here!!! It’s all coming together, I can’t wait to share pics and updates!

Tomorrow the demo starts on the kitchen! If you have the day off tomorrow…enjoy! If you have to work…I hope it’s an easy day for you. Whatever you do…Happy Monday!

{January 13, 2024} A jam packed day!

Breakfast, hardware store, hardware store, haircut, hardware store, coffee shop, hardware store, paint store, brewery, home, move stuff, dog walk, rest. Oh my!

What a day! PSM let me sleep in and took the dogs for a long walk, it was great, I slept in until about 8am. Much needed after not falling asleep until about 330am, go figure. Even though I got about the same amount of sleep I normally do, there’s something about waking up on your own, no alarm, and after the sun comes up.

After bagels, we went to Harbor Freight to pick up a power screwdriver and craft desk/workbench for me and some drill bits for PSM. We were there the other day and I saw this Yukon, Three Drawer Hardwood Bench and I thought it would be perfect for my art studio. Something I’ll tell you about another time! I love it! The studio and the workbench! Not exactly looking forward to putting it together, but now that I have a new power screwdriver, I’m ready to go! I am now the proud owner of the bench and a Warrior Cordless Screwdriver Kit! Who’s with me getting excited about power tools?!

Next was Lowe’s to purchase the tile we were looking at for the kitchen renovation that starts on Monday, oh my! They had three boxes left, we needed five, go figure…but we found an associate to take the boxes down and found out that they had two more boxes at another location, score! The nice thing…we had appointments for hair cuts across the way, we’ll be back soon.

Across to Great Clips, we’re not fancy-schmancy folks when it comes to getting our hair cut. PSM does miss Sports Clips in St Louis, it was mostly the neck massage he misses. I used to go there too, since I like an almost high and tight, clippers work for me. But…we used to go to Great Clips as well and they do a good job. Let’s just say, having hair this short is great in the summer, but brrrr in the winter!

After hair cuts, we went back to Lowe’s to pick up the tiles, back to the house to drop off our purchases, then on to the Lowe’s in Palmyra, but along the way, we were thirsty, never got anything to drink with breakfast and we stopped into Swatara Coffee Company in Annville. According to the website, Swatara Coffee is a nationally recognized cafe using locally sourced ingredients and elevating Pennsylvania Dutch flavors. Bonus!

What a charming town, we haven’t spent a lot of time there, but we’re going to go back for sure. When the realtor was showing us around over the summer, we went through Annville, and we’ve driven through it a few times, but hadn’t stopped yet, but there are a few places on my list.

When we walked in, I immediately saw the mugs for the Lebanon Valley Java Journey! I got a text about this on Thursday, this is one of the things that happens in this area to get folks out, going to local places, and trying new things. It’s in its fifth year and it’s a trail of coffee shops across Lebanon County. There are 12 participating businesses, you purchase your Java Journey mug, we really liked them! And then at each location, they have a secret drink, which you can only get if you have one of the mugs. Once you make a purchase, you get a stamp in the ‘passport’. At the end, you turn in the passport and you’re entered into a drawing for prizes. You know me…I’m all about the swag!

While we were there, another couple had their mugs, we talked to them about it, then another two couples came in and we talked to them about it. They had done it in the past, and they made a day of it to go to all 12 places in one day! The hard part…the hours for the coffee shops is not condusive to weekday ventures, unless you can go before 2 or 3pm! So… it looks like we have our weekends set up until it’s over March 9th!

We love doing stuff like this, it gets us out and trying new places and cities, helps us explore, and…some of the places on the passport are already on my list of want to try! We are also doing a brewery passport tour, and someone told us about the Scooped ice cream tour in the summer! Cannot wait for that one!

PSM got the secret drink, I forgot what it was, sorry! and I was able to get a chait latte with mac milk, that’s macadamia nut for those not in the know, and we shared a french toast muffin. What a nice treat! I can’t wait to explore more coffee shops! Hmmm…maybe tomorrow morning we’ll try another. The hard part…remembering to bring the mugs!

Back in the car, off to Palmyra Lowe’s, got our tile, asked if there was a Harbor Freight nearby and they said yes, the one we were at earlier! ha ha. Next stop…Sherwin Williams for paint color books so we can figure out what color to paint the kitchen. We need to picks something that will compliment the grey cabinets, white marble countertops, and white-ish stone backsplash. Working on it, but we’re getting there!

Next, we needed lunch! We did a lot and it was time for food! We went to The Rotunda Restaurant and Brewery. This was an interesting place…in the front, or door we walked into, it was a bar/restaurant/brewery with a nice big bar to sit at, great big fireplace, cool decor, and in the back, there is a tiki bar! Yes, I said tiki bar! I did not take pictures of the tiki bar, I will save those for the next time we go!

We saddled up to the bar, placed a drink order, PSM got a flight of beers, I got hot tea, go figure…some of the beers were good, one, not so much, well, in his opinion, I tasted them all and, well, don’t ask me! We ordered food, I got the vegan refried bean tacos, and PSM got a burger. The food was good, the bartender was great, the other patrons at the bar were fun to chat with.

All told, we had a really good time and we look forward to going back!

After the Rotunda, back to Harbor Freight, I forgot something, PSM said he’s done with hardware stores for the day! I agree. Then home to finish clearing out the cabinets in the kitchen, pics of the whole process another time, you’re probably done with this post! After we cleared the cabinets, take the dogs for a walk and it was freezing! Temps in the 30s, winds 30-60 mph! I do love my winter parka and thank goodness for my new hat with the headlamp and the fuzzy lining, I would not have made it, my head was cold!

After that friends, isn’t that enough? Back home to put on comfy clothes, sweatpants were the order of the day! Then off to write to you to tell you about my day! I’m sitting here in my cozy sweatpants, a flannel top and my oversized sweatshirt. And I have a dog sitting under my desk, happily snoring away, what could be better?

Good night my friends. Cannot wait to find out what tomorrow brings! But whatever it is, you know I’ll share it!

{January 12, 2024} St Thomas Day 2: Red Hook and a Snorkel

I don’t think I ever got tired of that view! The only thing I wish our room had was a screen door to the balcony so we could have slept with the door open and had the sea air and breeze, sometimes, coming through the room. I do so love the sleeping with the windows open! Especially at the beach!

Waking up on our own with the sun, maybe even a little before…eventually got motivated and went down to the beach to put our feet in the sand and the sea, feel the water on my toes. I may have mentioned, our goal at every beach is to get our feet in the water and get a picture! I think I only missed doing that on one beach! I got pictures of the beach and in the water, but not our feet in the water.

What’s that song by Zac Brown, Toes? Yup, I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand. Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand. Life is good today. For me, all except for the beer, spot on! I just put that song on and now I’m staring longingly at the window and the rain on it imagining its waves gently laping at the window! Sorry, back to you!

We went down to Sangria’s and got some breakfast, quite tasty actually, and not horribly expensive. It was the view that beat all! And with that view, what more could you want?! And one of my favorite parts of being at the beach and on an island, you can go almost anywhere barefoot! I am a barefoot baby, aside from being a beach baby, and if I can go barefoot, I’m doing it! And..having sand on your feet, what a great way to scratch your feet if there’s an itch! Win-win!

After breakfast we went to talk to the concierge and booked our first boat excursion for the next day! We picked up a calendar and some ideas on things to do, asked the hotel to get us a taxi to take us into Red Hook to get some groceries. I apologize, I don’t have any pictures of Red Hook except what I shared from the Tap & Still.

We went to Moe’s Fresh Market to pick up supplies. Turns out Moe’s, where they say “Welcome to Moe’s”! I couldn’t believe it!, is one of the pricier markets on the island, go figure! We did go to another market later in the week that was definitely cheaper, but we’re in a touristy area, so… but…what Moe’s does have is an amazing wine cellar, with not just wine, but hard alcohols, rum from the islands, of course. The food, it’s a gourmet market, was stupid expensive, you have to remember, everything has to be shipped in, think Whole Foods, but more expensive! But their wine cellar had some of the best alcohol prices on the island.

This was also when we found out, no Uber on the island, just taxis, and they charge not per trip, but per person, and it’s more expensive if you’re travling solo! We’re supporting local economy…If you do take taxis, be sure you have exact change, or at least singles, you won’t always get change back if your ride was $7 per person, were you going to give a $6 tip on a 5 minute ride? Just a piece of travel advice. The taxi drivers are all very nice and some will give you tips on local flavor, some try to send you to the very touristy spots, it’s a mixed bag, and adds to the experience.

After Moe’s we crossed the street to Ocean Surfari who would become some of our new best friends! They set us up with our next two ocean excursions! Tuesday will be our Do It All Snorkel, I can’t tell you about it now, but it involves water, a boat, snorkeling, alcohol, and pizza! More next time on that! And they also set us up with a day trip to Jost Van Dyke, British VI, more on that later!

Almost everything in the store was BOGO [buy one-get one free]! You cannot beat that! And…if you spend $50, you got a $10 off coupon. We spent, we got, we spent, we got! We ended up with some fun treats, a hat and swim trunks for PSM and I got a swim shirt and sweater/sweatshirt. And you could tell almost everyone on the island, tourist and local, went to their place! The island was a walking advertisement for this place! I also picked something up that I’m super excited about, but I’ll tell you another time!

After Red Hook, we went back to the hotel, it was time for water! We changed into a beach gear, grabbed our snorkel gear, headed to the hotel lobby to get beach towels, a short walk and we were at our beach. It really was a nice beach. We both got in the water, the snorkeling wasn’t great, turns out we needed to go past the swimming area to see stuff, we’ll know for next time.

After snorkeling, PSM went to rest on the beach, I put up my gear and went back to swim and stand in the water, I was just happy. A few days later PSM said it was almost impossible to get me out of the water! And? ha ha

As I was in the water I started talking to some people, you just randomly talk to people at the beach, especially when you’re at a resort, people are more chatty, it’s nice. I ended up talking to a woman about traveling and told her about PSM’s Bourbon Trail Ride, I’ll tell you about that another time! And we became friends, I even sent her the itinerary I built for PSM. Now, speaking of meeting people, almost everyone we met while we were there, I say almost everyone, was either from Massachusettes or Pennsylvania, not far from where we live, some southern connection, and Jewish. What are the odds on that one?!

I got out a little while later, PSM was happy on the beach talking to a guy, with a drink in his hand. We were both hungry so I went to Sangria’s and put some snacks on his open tab, and another rum, works for me! We ate and chatted with the family, I talked to my dad, sat in the sun, went in the water…it was like a wash, rinse, repeat for the holidays!

We stayed on the beach until the sun went down. Why do I hear The Cars song You Might Think…could be the line “But you kept it going, till the sun fell down, You kept it, going. Now you see how my brain works sometimes!
We kept moving from one spot to the next on the beach because the sun would set over here, but not over there, so we moved over there, then that would become over here, and the sun would set over here, but not over there. It was a vicisous cycle! You definitely do not hear me complaining!

For the life of me, I cannot remember what we did for dinner that night! It’s all good because the next day was great, and the next day, and the next. How could it be wrong in paradise.

More tomorrow!

{January 5, 2024} Alright, alright, I’ll tell you where we spent the end of 2023 and rang in 2024!

The USVI! Yup, you heard right, that’s the United States Virgin Islands! Even threw in the BVI! British Virgin Islands. Not a bad way to spend the holidays and ring in the new year!

When we started planning our end of year trip, we thought about all the places we were interested in going. Two years ago it was Mexico, warm weather, beaches, mountains, sun, sand, and tequila, what could be better?! Last year, it was England, three weeks of adventure, tours, exploration, and family, that was pretty darn awesome! Are we alternating cold for warm, cold, warm, cold, warm? Hmmm…Actually the funny thing was last year it was warmer in the UK than it was in the states! Last year we were actually on target for Puerto Rico and a hurriane hit, we’ll get there one day. This year, we were close, distance-wise, we decided on the USVI.

If I tell you the week of December 18th was a tough one for concentrating, I have a feeling you might believe me! I had to teach a few classes that week and the fun fact I shared…going to the USVI! A few people gave me recommendations, but Thursday…it was tough! Best part of Thursday…actually Wednesday into Thursday…SDL and Miss A stopped by on their way to visit her folks for the holidays, how lucky was I?! I actually got to spend a bit of time with them last year, this was a great ending to the year!

We headed to Philly on Thursday evening, we were crashing at a hotel because for some reason, we thought a 541am flight was the way to go! There is definitely something wrong with us! ha ha. We found the parking lot, that was an adventure, grabbed an Uber to the hotel, got some dinner, so not worth it, but we were starving, showered, and set the alarm for 3am, UGH….they recommneded we get to the airport 2-3 hours before the flight, you know me, I’m a ‘by the skin of my teeth’ kind of flyer, but that’s when I’m solo, and it’s not right before Christmas. It’s a good thing we were there by 345a, the lines were crazy, but…we weren’t checking a bag, thank goodness, the line was ridonculous! Gotta love TSA pre-check! Board the flight, layover in Atlanta, grits for breakfast, yum! Next flight…there is an island in our future!

Both flights were uneventful, thankfully! We got a taxi to the hotel, this was the start of learning how things were going to go. Taxis are not inexpensive and…they charge per passenger, not per trip, interesting, no Uber or Lyft on the island, ok. The roads…well, keep your eyes open, and if you get motion sickness easily, um…might be better to be in the driver’s seat…the roads are not that wide, the speed limit seemed like a suggestion, and they drive on the left. There are signs everywhere ‘Keep Left’ done!

The room wasn’t quite ready so we went put our slippahs [flip-flops, sandals] on, and walked to the beach on the property. The sand was lovely and the water felt amaing. The first thing we always do is stand in the water and take pictures of our feet in the water. ahhhhh….

We had been traveling for a while, it was about 2p, time for sustenance…food and drink. We’re in the USVI, where some of the best rum comes from, what do you think the first thing PSM wanted was?! We went to Sangrias Beachside Bistro. Cover over head, sand on the ground, no walls, and a view of the beach, what more could you want?!

Food, that’s what we wanted, food and drink! PSM’s goal on this trip was to eat fish, fish, and more fish! PSM had ahi tuna nachos, and I had a tropical spinache salad, water for me, and a sangria for PSM, that was the name of the restaurant, after all! A delicious lunch and a few drinks later, we walked on the beach, talked to the concierge, and booked our first excursion, a catamaran for Sunday, talk about hitting the ground running!

By now, our room was ready, we hitched a ride on a golf cart up to the room, we had our luggage with us. That was the first time we hitched a ride and on our last day was the last day we hitched a ride, we walked the steps, the steps, the steps to get to our building and room! The room was charming, very beachy vibe. Seafoam colored accent walls, white walls and white exposed beams above, balcony overlooking the beach.

We stayed at the Elysian Beach Resort, it was a little away from things, a bit quieter, good location, not far from Red Hook, I’ll tell you about Red Hook and the next part of the trip in the next post. We got settled in, put our traveling clothes in the closet, we knew we wouldn’t need the long pants, long sleeves, and heavier outer layer until it was time to leave, ok with us! Unpacked, didn’t take much, a few pairs of shorts, tshirts, bathingsuits, and snorkel gear, done!

We walked around to check the resort out, sat on the beach for a bit, talked about where to go for dinner. Right onsite was a place people told us about for fish, the Caribbean Fish Market, not an inexpensive establishment! But could you beat the view?! We didn’t have the best bartender/server, that was a bummer. I know it was busy, but maybe acknowldge us, smile at us to welcome us, when PSM asks for a rum drink that’s not all sugary sweet, suggest something instead of tossing the drink menu at us? Maybe that’s asking too much.

Despite all that, we had a great time, we were together, we were on an island, the weather was perfecet, and we weren’t at work, that makes for a great time! We ordered a few appitizers: brussel sprouts, eggplant frites, and a flatbread with brie, pear, and arugula. Y U M! That flatbread lasted us two nights!

We talked, drank, started to relax, and just enjoyed each other’s company. We often talk about what a great life we have together and the life we’ve made, it’s not too shabby and we can’t think of anyone else we would rather spend it with. Sounds like a win-win!

After dinner we sat by the beach, it was probably about 20 feet from the restaurant, enjoyed the breeze, and the sea air that was kissing our skin. Again, not a bad life we have! Eventually, we decided to head back up to the room, up, up, up the stairs. I will see if I took pictures of all the steps to get from the room to the beach! We got our stpes in for the day for sure!

Back in the room, no plans tomorrow, we’ll think about it tomorrow! We’re on vacation!

And that friends, was day one of our USVI trip, not a bad way to start. I can’t wait to tell you more! But for now…going to say goodnight and crash! Coming back to reality…even a short week, feels like longer than a 5-day week! Aloha my friends! Happy Fri-yay!

{June 1, 2021} June 1st…What a day!

Today is a significant and special day for me, for several reasons. We’ve talked about some of it before, so please allow me to share again. A lot happened on this day, and today, something else happened.

15 years ago today I lost one of the most important people in my life, my mom. That sounds so selfish, she was one of the most important people to my family, my sister, my dad, family, friends, so many people in our lives. She was quite a woman, I’ve told you about her, a force to be reckoned with, a force of nature! She was wonderful, smart, funny, goofy, stubborn, silly, infuriating, uplifting, encouraging, I’m running through my rolodex of adjectives to describe her!

I remember how much she wanted me to be a teacher, that’s what both my parents were, not just teachers, but miracle workers, there’s not enough space in one of these posts to tell you how amazing they were in their field. I remember her saying, if you went into teaching, I could help get you a job in any school in NYC. No thanks! And what did I end up doing? Teaching…adults. And I’m damn good at it! Who ever wants their mom to be right?!

When I decided I wanted to become a vegetarian, other moms might have said, “oh brother, I hope this is a phase” or “you’ll eat what the rest of us eat”. Nope, she was all in! She made two meals every night she cooked. One for me and one for everyone else or one for the two of us and one for the rest of the family. Who does that?! She would also search for new recipes for me, all vegetarian! Meatloaf, chopped liver, I know, crazy, but when you’re Jewish, that stuff is in your veins! So many things she wanted to try and I remember the first Thanksgiving, no, not the first Thanksgiving! I’m not that old! The first one as a vegetarian, everything but the stuffing was vegetarian, she was amazing.

She taught me so much, and that is what leads me to the next reason today is a special day. My mom was amazing, and I mean amazing with kids! She taught GES and I how to be moms, not just moms, but loving moms, caring, giving, huggable moms. We learned how to throw an amazing birthday party at home, make a boo-boo all better, soothe the hurts, scraped knees and feelings, how to listen, and love. Oh, did she teach us how to love. She gave great hugs, anyone can tell you that and to this day…there is not a kid, or adult, who I hug who doesn’t use both arms when they hug me. I won’t let go until there are two arms wrapped around each other, you can feel the love emanating and let me tell you, when I am hugging, especially a child, I can feel her within me, it’s like she’s hugging them with me. And that…brings me soooo much joy!

I remember one day when TYH told me I taught her what it was to be a step-mom, I don’t know if she really knows what that meant to me. I never once thought of TYH or her brother WCH as anything but my kids, I was step-mom in title only. I have so much love for them both and my grandson, CDL, and that’s something my mom taught me.

Eight years ago today, I met my first grandson, Baby A, OMG! I can’t call him that any more! I need to come up with something else, but he’ll always be my Baby A! I was living in Colorado at the time, but came in to see KAB and meet Baby A, he was FOUR hours old when I met him and what a doll baby. Did you hear what I said…EIGHT YEARS AGO TODAY! My grandson is eight! Where did the time go?! He just finished second grade! What?! I remember holding him, he was tiny and beautiful and perfect and had my heart in his hand the minute I held him and looked in his little face.

He’s a smart, precocious, silly, funny, rambunctious, energetic, talented, loving little person. I get pictures from him that he drew, sometimes exactly what he wants to be for Halloween, the last one is actually framed and hanging on my wall of love! He is a lot of fun to talk to and I loved it when he got a Facebook Messenger account, he used to Facetime me all the time! Sometimes we had a conversation, other times, it was me just looking at a wall while he ran around doing something! I love getting video messages from him and his sister, melts my heart! I cannot wait to see them again, maybe a weekend trip to Atlanta is in my near future!

Well, today…there is another reason for joy, my heart has grown with a new love. Grandbaby number 9! AEB! Maybe my newest granddaughter can be Baby A! Of course, when she turns 8, I can’t call her that anymore! Can you believe it?! 9 Grandbabies, 9 loves for me! Yes, I can! I am one of the luckiest people in the world. I got the news just about 2pm that Baby A got a baby sister for his birthday! I’m tearing up thinking about it. What a wonderful gift, well, for me anyway! I’m so very happy for the whole family! I know what a great big brother he’s going to be! And Princess E gets to be a big sister, I know how excited she is!

The family is expanding! CS has a new baby, KAB has a new baby, Pow Pow has a new nephew and niece. So much mazel to the entire family!

Now you can see why today is such a special day, remembering my mom, wishing my grandson a happy birthday, and welcoming my newest granddaughter to the world, my heart is very full. And I’m glad I got to share it with you!

{May 29, 2021} It’s Saturday, what shall we do?!

The weather is supposed to hold out for the rest of the day, what’s the plan?! Well, it’s Saturday, we have to introduce SDL and Miss A to The Shack of course!

Before that, after yoga, it’s Saturday, what else would we be doing!? we picked up bagels at the Bagel Factory, they only take cash and I didn’t have any, guess what…the woman behind the counter, I think she’s an owner, told me to just come back later to pay them. That’s the second place we’ve encountered that since moving to Missouri, that’s what I call hospitality! Back at the house, shower and off to The Shack.

We got very lucky, it was about 9am and we got a table pretty quickly! Wah to the hoo! The first booth we go, I’m not exactly sure how they expected us all to fit! Needless to say, I asked for a table instead of a booth. I kind of wish our server had gone with us, the server we got was less than…it happens. The food was good, as always, PSM and I both tried something new, SDL enjoyed hers and Miss A! Let’s just say first, SDL’s eyes were as big as saucers when she saw the size of the pancake, the entire plate! Second…she wasn’t sure if Miss A was going to eat it all. Well.. guess what…the eggs and the entire pancake…also mixed in with some yogurt for more liquid…g o n e! The girl can eat! What a champ!

We headed home to drop off our leftovers, get whatever we needed for the day, and potty breaks, of course! PSM had something else going on today, so it was just the three of us, girls day out! First stop…The Bagel Factory, paid my $10 and away we went.

First place was the Arch! How could we not! It’s the main iconic representation of St Louis, you can see it so much advertising and logos, it’s a landmark! Now, due to some restrictions we weren’t able to go up to the top, which is fine, we took pictures in front of the arch, from the side, you know the drill. Then we walked inside, went through security and down to the museum level, which is very interesting. We learned a lot while we were there, from concept, to funding to construction and completion. After learning, it was time for the gift shop, St Louis Arch souvenirs! SDL got a few things including postcards to send to family and friends back home, and of course, Miss A. I love that she does that, I do the same thing, I send post cards to PSM whenever we’re on a trip to tell him what a great time I was having!

After souvenirs, it was time for a bit of lunch, and luckily, they had a veggie burger! Not the best, but they had one, wahoo! There was lunch, pudding, bananas, and peanut butter, and dancing, what more could you want!

After lunch we headed out to walk the grounds a bit, we had just missed what looked to be a reenactment, bummer! But some of the costumes were fabulous! Eventually we headed to the car and off to Union Station, which was about a 4 minute drive, love that! Union station is a retired train station that now serves as a meeting spot with restaurants, shops, a pretty good candy shop, the St Louis Wheel, the Aquarium, which we will get to one of these days! Miniature golf, a ropes course, dancing fountain, actually fire and lights!, and so much more!

We walked around and they actually had a mini carnival with game and prizes, and a petting zoo! What?! I got to feed the goats, they tickled! PSM, please, please, please, can we get two pygmy goats?! OMG! They are SOOO cute! Imagine the savings on lawn maintenance! HA HA. They had goats, of course, an alpaca, a camel, Flemish giant rabbits, donkeys, and some other things I can’t remember! It was so much fun! I think I had more fun than SLD!

After petting and feeding, we headed over to the St Louis Union Station Hotel just in time for the 3D Light show in the Grand Hall, which runs on the hour from 5 to 10pm every day. There’s music and lights and just like the name, it’s all in 3D. There are birds flying, aquarium scenes, just wow! So worth it!

When the show was over, it was time to head out and find some dinner! Since it was Memorial Day Weekend a lot of the restaurants had a long wait if you didn’t have a reservation, and Italian was the request. We actually found one not far from the hotel, no wait!

The atmosphere was nice, the staff great, the food was ok, but the company, excellent! We talked, laughed, ate, danced, wash, rinse, repeat, what more could you ask for!? It wasn’t quite warm enough to put the top down on the way home, but the drive and conversation, as always were good, sounds good to me!

At home, it was time for a bath, spinning, laughing, and just being silly. And making plans for tomorrow, what adventure awaits us?!

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