Spring | Peaches Prattlings

{April 17, 2021} It’s Saturday in Chicago! Yoga …Brunch … Walking [a lot!]…Food…Speakeasy!

Just your typical Saturday for us, right?!

We woke up before the alarm, that was nice, definitely don’t want to miss this! Got dressed in our yoga gear, put our clothes over it, no changing rooms at the event, yoga mat and yoga towels in the beach bag I brought to carry everything. There was some planning that went into this! Headed out, Dunkin’ Donuts was across the street, let’s wake up! There aren’t any DD’s close to us here, so we stick to Starbucks, which isn’t bad, PSM’s the choosy one when it comes to his morning cup o’ joe! Same in Hawai’i, the DD was not so good there! They got their first DD only a few years ago, they’ll get there. Uber ordered, just waiting.

Uber arrives, takes up the 2.5 miles to the Lighthouse ArtSpace where the Immersive Van Gogh Chicago is being held and where we were taking a yoga class offered by Core Power Yoga IN the Immersive Van Gogh Chicago Exhibit! We actually participated in a yoga class while the exhibit was happening.

The way the exhibit works, from their site: Be immersed in 500,000 cubic feet of stunning projection animating the master’s oeuvre and illuminating the mind of the genius. Wander through giant projections that highlight brushstroke, detail, and colour as you have never experienced them. Visitors will be immersed in Van Gogh’s works from his sunny landscapes and night scenes, to his portraits and still life. All of that, while set to music.

Originally, we were going spend a weekend in Chicago and go to the exhibit, and depending on the weather, we were going to take the bikes. I bought the tickets and we were set. Well…about two or three weeks ago, I got an email, telling me about the yoga classes in the exhibit! How could I resist!? I immediately emailed and asked if I could exchange our tickets so we could do this yoga class. As soon as they said yes, I checked with PSM which weekend would work best. This weekend it was, so exchanged happened, and…included with our tickets…we could spend time in the exhibit, win-win!

We got there early, got our temperatures checked, and waited, there was a class ahead of ours. The music we heard was nothing like any music any of our regular yoga instructors play! The room was dim, there were rings of light on the floor, spaced out. This is where they want people to sit, socially distant to experience the exhibit, but worked out for yoga, everyone just took a circle and put down their mats. There were three triangle or obelisk mirrors in the room, turns out they were for the event, but looked cool! The instructor came in and we got started about 8am.

As we are getting into child’s pose to get started, the exhibit began. That meant the music queued up, the video projectors started going, and we were immersed in the experience. It was a normal yoga class, well, not normal for us, we now know why it’s called Core Yoga! Wow! There were only two negatives to the entire experience…a few times, the instructor’s mic didn’t work, it was a big room, acoustics, and just technical difficulties and because it was moving all around us, sometimes the floor seemed to be moving, not good! Oh, and when you do a tree pose and the instructor tells you to look at something that’s not moving, to work on balance, and the entire place is moving…ha ha ha. Other than that…we moved, we stretched, we balanced, we downward faced our dogs! we sweat! So much fun!

After class, we got into street clothes and hung out in the next room, sitting in one of the circles on the floor, we missed an opportunity for a loveseat, all good. The exhibit began. Every space in the room was filled with images and movement. There wasn’t a nook or cranny the images did not catch. Look up, over, down, you name it, there was movement. The paintings were swaying, moving, morphing into the next painting, breaking down or deconstructing the strokes of the paintings, getting a feel for how he created them, the colors, the sights, the movements, all made sense in this amazing feet of beauty.

We sat through it once on the ground level, then moved up for the second time to watch it from the balcony, a different experience, you catch things from that angle that you didn’t see from the ground. You really paid attention, well, I did. “Oh, look over there!” “Now, look here!” and it went on from there. We essentially participated three times, nothing like it.

When we left, we headed to the gift shop, we picked up a few things, PSM bought me a mask with one of my new favorite paintings, after seeing it in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette. I love so much of his work, but his sunflowers series, sigh…you know how I feel about sunflowers! I love this mask!

Everything they did in the space was so clever, they stairs and walls were painted with Van Gogh’s work, the elevator, stairwell, even the signs were clever “Gogh this way” “No Gogh – Do Not Enter” “Goghing Up Elevators”. For one who so loves a funny pup, bad dad joke, I was Goghing Ga Ga over all of it!

After yoga and the experience, it was time for brunch! I was hoping to get to a few of my favorite places in Chicago to eat, but, just like the rest of the country, it was opening back up and things were limited. We ended up going to Kanela’s in Old Town for brunch, it was less than a mile away and had a good rating. We got lucky and didn’t have to wait for a table, wahoo. Our waiter was funny, the place a little kitschy, I absolutely love the signs on the way, berry punny!

I had avocado toast with a fried egg, kale salad, and some seriously crispy potatoes, it was seriously yummy! PSM had an açaí bowl and we shared a plate of challah French toast. Mimosa, decaf coffee, and a masala chai tea for me with oat milk.

Time to walk of brunch! We decide to walk the 3+ miles back to the hotel, it warmed up nicely as we were walking, then got downright toasty! ha ha, go figure! As we came upon Wabash Avenue and State Street, the lights were red and the bell was clanging, there were some sailboats coming and the drawbridge was going up! This is one of my favorite things about Chicago! And they still work!

We watched the drawbridge go up, we loved it, even though we really didn’t have a choice, since we had to cross the bridge when we came to it. Oh, sorry! ha ha. We enjoyed Spring in Chicago, flowers in bloom, all the way back to the hotel. At the hotel, hang up the wet yoga stuff, take our shoes off and relax! Executive decision from someone who is dairy sensitive to someone who’s allergic. Pizza and beer for dinner. How could I say no? We were in Chicago and they have bathrooms! HA HA

We were a few blocks from a Giordano’s, one of the two more famous places for deep dish or Chicago-style pizza in Chicago. There are many fine establishments, but PSM hadn’t been to this one and it was close. We got there, put our names in, ordered our pizza, and waited for a table, ended up walking towards the back of the restaurant and there were two seats available at the bar, sold!

We put in drink and appetizer orders and waited for things to magically appear! We went for the motherland! PSM had an Classic Chicago deep dish pizza and I went for the spinach and added pineapple, and for an appetizer, we ordered the combo, so not right! ha ha. Cheese bread, chicken nugget things, and mozzarella triangles. Hey, if you’re in, you’re all in!

Needless to say, there was more than enough food, for a few people, and we both ordered small pizzas! Normally we would share, but we were in Chicago, home of the deep dish pizza, have to get what you really want! NO, we did not eat it all! Let’s just say, there is a very grateful homeless man in Chicago eating really well tonight!

We didn’t feel like going back to the hotel just yet, so we stopped at Plymouth Pub, Restaurant, and Rooftop Bar. I had been there a few times, with work outings, and friends from work. We weren’t staying, just one beer and we were out. It’s got a nice atmosphere, and a decent view.

We left there, went around the block, because the entrance across the street, really wasn’t an entrance, go figure, to Brando’s Speakeasy! No secret knock, pook! We did have to show our IDs to the guy at the door, I held mine up, he said, “you showed me the back”, but all good. I said “You did say you just wanted to see that we had IDs…” Made him laugh. There was karaoke going on in the front, but no available seating, so we were lead to the back, ended up at the bar, and there was one other person in the room, how exciting…and the music wasn’t our taste.

I went up to the front and asked if there was anything in the front, no dice, I leaned over and said, there’s no one back there, it’s kind of dead, and the music sucks. I can’t believe I said that! So rude! Back to PSM I went. All of a sudden the music changed, it was like 70s and 80s, we were loving it! Then…all of a sudden, the room was filling up and everyone was having a great time, apparently, we made our own karaoke bar! Ha ha! When the guy who sat us came back around, I apologized for saying the music sucked, but thanks for sending folks our way!

The lighting was dim, the front room was washed in red, our room was cozy, with tv’s showing old black and white movies and tv shows. There were classic cartoons, black and white, of course, and old movies with ladies stripping, it was a speakeasy.

After about two hours, there was a two hour limit per table, and we were getting there, we sang our way out of the speakeasy and headed back to the hotel. Shoes off, jammies on, lay down, zzzzzzzz.

More adventure awaits tomorrow…but no alarm!

{April 15, 2021} It’s definitely Spring. Look at our killing fields…

As soon as the weather gets nice…one of our dogs, and I shall not name names, except…you could add the word slippers after her name and you would have my favorite movie! HA HA said dog, takes most of the toys in the house and takes them out back, well, into the backyard…and leaves them there!

In the house, it’s take this one out, leave it here. Take that one out, leave it there. Take this one and put it in my dog bed, and this one looks good on the other dog bed, and so it goes. We pick them up, put them in the basket, and there is a basket, I promise, and then moments later…where did they go! As I mentioned, in the Spring, grab a toy, take it outside. Leave it somewhere. Go back inside, grab another toy, take it outside. Leave it somewhere else. Then…if you try to bring it inside, it is either snatched from your hand or if it does make it back in the house, within minutes, it’s somewhere in the backyard!

Now…something they weren’t taught, before we got them, was to play fetch, it would be fun. How it happens in our house…we throw it, mostly Ruby, but sometimes Bee, runs after it, pics it up, races around the yard, then drops it somewhere and comes back to you…empty handed, or empty mouthed, as it were…not exactly the way it works! ha ha. Or…same scenario, just in the house…it cracks me up every time!

JS is going to be watching the pups when we head out of town this weekend and she was very sweet to ask if she could bring them a toy, so I sent her a text, thanking her, and showing her the pile and littering of toys we have. She really is sweet and the pups seem to like her! I can’t wait to tell you how it goes! We left them once last year at a kennel, this time, we’re hoping to be able to leave them with JS whenever we go out of town!

Back to our killing fields…you can see them through the window and when you walk the yard! Everywhere! The worst is when we forget to bring one or two inside…and it rains…ick! Then…it’s so sad when one of the toys just isn’t meant to be any longer, let’s just say…squeaker…gone, head…possibly gone or hanging by a thread, literally, stuffing…gone. Yeah, that happens too. What can I say, they love those toys to death! ha ha, sorry, couldn’t resist!

I love that some of the toys they came with, some we have bought them, and some, were Mollie’s, like Ruby’s absolute favorite opossum, a stuffed one, of course!, is the last toy we bought Mollie. We’re really happy that they are loving on these toys. Oh man, sometimes, when they have a few, or even just one, in the bed with them, and they are snuggled up with it, can it get cuter? Nope!

But…today…I went around picking up the toys from the yard. How long do you think it will take them to make their way, magically, of course, back out into the yard?!

{April 9, 2021} I know it’s Friday, but it felt like a Saturday!

Not complaining! Yup, it’s Fri-yayyyy! I finished most of what I needed to do for the week yesterday, so I worked until about noon and then I was done for the weekend, go us!

We did some stuff around the house, then headed out on the bikes to the Shaw Nature Reserve, they had signs for the daffodils in bloom which I had seen when we passed it on other rides. I love daffodils, you saw them in our backyard, what could make you smile in the Spring bigger than a sea of daffodils?! I remember back in Georgia, I went with TS to Gibbs Gardens for their daffodils, wow! Thousands! in diffferent colors, shades, shapes, and sizes! I

We got to the Shaw Nature Reserve, went in and parked. We saw daffodils, but I think we missed the explosion by a minute. It was hot out and I think they were fuller in bloom a week ago, but what we saw were beautiful! Next year, we’re going at the start of the season! The nice thing, it got is there and when we walked around the grounds, it was beautiful. I know that when the trees are at their fullest it is going to be amazing! For me, I loved the state of the trees as they were because some were still barren, which I think is so stunning, and some were just starting to bloom and bud and to see new life beginning, wow! We didn’t stay too long because we were both wearing jeans and it was getting up to about 80 degrees. We’ll be back for sure!

Back on the bikes, it was time for sustenance. We had passed a sign for Point Labaddie Brewery a few times on this road, so we decided to head there, who knew what was in store for us, but it was a new place for PSM to try some local goodness. If you go…pay attention because the only sign on the road is a blue directional sign that is not very big, you can miss it.

We pulled it, it’s a big barn-type building, lots of property around it, some picnic tables, the kind that have the benches attached, spread out and a tent frame, and lights strung across it and along the tables, I wondered if they had events there, seemed like it, or muic, let’s find out!

We went in and it’s a big open space, you can see right into the back where they brew the beer, the beer and wine list are on the wall above the register and there is a bar and a few of the same tables inside. They had snack bags of chips and cookies, but no food.

We sat at the bar and started talking to the man behind it, the owner’s dad, and J, the guy at the end who is up there a bit, knows the lay of the land. We talked to him about beer, traveling, food, and cars. He was wearing a Mustang hat, figured he was a car guy, yup…three Mustangs, wow! They had low mileage, didn’t drive them enough in my opinion! He does love them though!

Turns out, they do have events! Live music some nights, trivia other nights and on those nights, they have food trucks, which is exactly what I said they needed! We stayed for a while, people came and went, actually, most of them came, got drinks and sat outside. Again, a little toasty in our jeans, I was good inside.

When we talked about food, J and our bartender gave us some great food options in the area, good thing, because we were getting hungry! Snack bags of chips, pretzels, and animal crackers wasn’t cutting it for sustenance! Off we went to one of his recommendations, Letty Lou’s Cafe for Breakfast, Burgers, and Booze. How can you beat that?!

It was only a few miles down the road, away we went! The nice thing… it started cooling off, not as blistering! We found Letty Lou’s, walked in and we were pleasantly surprised! It was a 50s style diner with all retro dinnette tables and vinyl chairs, LOVE! It made me smile, like I was back in my grandmother’s kitchen! I’ve always dreamed of having that type of kitchen!

Our waitress was fun, very chatty, we liked that. We got down to business and ordered food. I had a veggie burger, although, I was torn between that and avocado toast, good thing we can always go back! PSM had what he saw on the menu…a T.V. Dinner! Although it did not come out on a t.v. tray, it looked just like one out of the box, but better! Meatloaf, string beans, and mashed potatos! I had mentioned it when we were looking at the menu back at Point Labbadie’s and he knew what he wanted!

We had fun eating, laughing, talking to the waitresss, looking at the decorations and being together. Another date! Am I a lucky girl or what?! Wait…two nights in a row? Oh yeah! And we’re just getting the weekend started! Seriously, it really did feel like Saturday, we had done so much! What’s next? You’ll just have to wait for tomorrow to see!

{April 6, 2021} Spring…PLEASE STOP…

kickin’ my arse!

First…there were the itchy eyes, I told you about that a few weeks ago, fear not…itchy eyes have not left me, they are both itchy, wet and dry, how about them apples!, but now…flowers are in bloom…looks beautiful…but…now add runny nose and sneezing! Seriously? Spring, Mother Nature, haven’t you done enough? Ha ha, couldn’t you have just made the flowers bloom…without the side effects?

I take my Flonase, every day, all year long, to be exact. That seems to help when it’s not Spring! I don’t remember if Summer is the same, I can’t think right now! And the worst part, all the sneezing wipes me out! I am exhausted! There are some days I have to take a nap in the middle of the day, I can’t see straight! Now, don’t get me wrong, I do love a good nap, just not when I have to work!

Before you ask, I have taken or tried many allergy medications, but…they all make me drowsy! Even the ones that are not supposed to. Being immune to medication is not a super power! ha ha. The other day, just to function, I took a Dayquil, just to stop my poor nose from running. It’s getting sore from the overuse of very soft tissues! I think I went through a box in two days! really?!

Honestly friends, I love Spring. I really do, even though I am speaking out right now, begging for relief. Now, when I was a kid, I didn’t have seasonal allergies, I didn’t know how lucky I was! When I moved to Georgia I was told…if you don’t have allergies when you move there, you will! And I was so lucky for year, but sure enough, in my 15th year or so…achoo! What?! And they haven’t left. When I moved to Colorado…not sure what magic there was, no allergies!

Ok, I’m done. This too shall pass, right? Yup, Fall is just around the corner! I can feel it!

{April 5, 2021} Spring has sprung for sure!

My dad wrote the best poem “Spring has sprung, the grass has rise, I wonder where all the flowers is”. Having a moment, I think that’s the full poem, if it’s not, sorry daddy!

Our yard, the neighborhood, the park, are all in bloom. I know, you’ve been listening to my laments about Spring, but truly, I love it. The colors, the smells, the grass, are you like me, do you love the smell of a fresh cut lawn, ahhh, the flowers, the trees, all of it!

We’ve been having work done on our yard and our amazing landscaping team, Oxygene Landscape Design, has been working on our backyard. I’ll show you pictures after it’s done, but while things are moving in the right direction, when they moved some daffodil bulbs from one place to another and when they took out one of the structures we wanted removed and rebuilt, they repurposed the dirt, to fill in some areas that needed a little help. It turns out…there were some bulbs in the dirt and now…we have daffodils growing in the pine straw in random areas, it’s great!

With this being April, we should have some amazing rain showers that should produce some amazing flowers in May. You know the saying “April Showers…bring May flowers“. Here’s hoping! I can’t wait to see what the neighborhood and the park look like when the trees and flowers are all in bloom, wow! An explosion of color!

Enjoy the colors!

{April 3, 2021} What…a day! Sun’s out…Top’s Down!

Just another typical Saturday, not much happening…except…

Up early…hot yoga…without PSM! What?! Yeah, on Thursday, we took hot yoga together and he told the instructor he wouldn’t be there, but I would…to represent us. What?! So…set the alarm for 645am and hot yoga, here I come. It was in the high 30s when I left the house…brrr, but about 45 when I came out of yoga, and I was sweating, so…top down on the car, ahhh…smoothie on the way home, what could be better?!

Got home, added a thin sweatshirt under my favorite heavy Keystone sweatshirt, got the pups out of the crate and to the park we went. It’s Spring, the flowers are blooming and people are going outdoors, nice! The park wasn’t too crowded, we did a few doggie greetings, and a kid even stopped us and asked if he could pet the dogs, especially Bee, beagles are his favorite dog breed. At the park, we walked through a Bald Eagle breeding ground, someone we passed told me there was a nest and there were 2 eagles in a tree, I couldn’t find them, bummer. There was even a sign “Bald Eagle Breeding Site, Don’t Linger and Be Quiet”. I really wanted to see them, maybe next time!

Back home, breakfast for all and to relax! While we dined, I watched the first episode of season 7 of Brokenwood, a mystery series based in New Zealand I’ll tell you about another time. It was great, I called my dad right after to talk about it since he had watched it the other day and was waiting for me to talk about it.

I showerd, got dressed, threw in a load of laundry, and loaded the pups in the car, top down, we were going to the bank, problem was…bank was closed, oh well. Drove around for a bit with the dogs then headed home. Ruby was happy to be out and in the car, Bee just didn’t want to get left behind! She’s up and happy and looking out the window when we’re stopped, but while the car is in motion, she is hunkered so far down into the seat, I think she’s hoping it will swallow her up! ha ha

We got home and the guy is doing amazing things fixing up our yard was there, we caught up for a bit, talked about Spring Break, plants, yards, forsythia, which he calls forcynthia, which I love! and then, into the crate with the pups, into my new black suede Indian Motorcycle jacket, I had to take it for a spin! It was about 75 degrees out at this point and even though it was warm, it was still a little windy, so I was very happy to have the jacket on.

I rode out to Castlewood State Park, not a far ride, rode through the park, there was a road that you can normally drive on, but it was closed, so I drove out of the park, down this fabulous winding and winding road, ended up on a main drag and kept going, it was great. I eventually turned around and headed back towards home, stopping at a Starbucks to enjoy a tasty beverage and a break, then headed home again.

Pups out of the crate, walk around the neighborhood, dinner for them, dinner for me. I tried something new, I roasted an artichoke and wow! It was fabulous! I can still smell the garlic in the house! y u m! I will be making that again! Then it was relaxing time! I finished an episode of Endeavour, I’ve been trying to finish the episode for about 3 weeks! It was good! Then it was RuPaul’s Drag Race and after the pups went to bed…I headed to the basement and made some really good progress with the stuff I brought back from Colorado. Grabbed the laundry and headed upstairs.

And now…I sit here talking to you, I moved the laundry basket to the floor so I can’t see it, I’ll take care of it tomorrow! So…there you have it, typical Saturday, not much happening, ha ha!

{March 24, 2021} Impromptu backyard bbq…nice!

I told you we really like our neighbors, well, most of them anyway. Tonight was no exception. We got a text from next door about 5:40p inviting us next door for some food and drink and to enjoy the weather! How could we say no?!

We got the text “Hey everyone (orthogonal neighbors of ours), we’re grilling a bunch of food and enjoying being out on the patio for the nex thour to 90 minutes. Feel free to come over and enjoy some food and drinks if you’re feeling up for it 🙂

First…I have no idea what orthogonal meant! I did ask when we were over there! I didn’t have time to look it up, we had just finished work, we were feeding the dogs, grabbed two chairs and headed over. It basically meant the neighbors on either side of them and to the back. Hey, that’s a $10 word! It took me a minute just to pronounce it!

It was a feast! There were veggie kebobs, yahoo! Grilled chicken, shrimp, hot dogs, corn, potatos, and pineapple. I was a happy camper! The corn was fabulous, the pineapple terrific, grilling it took some of the citrus bite out of it, the potatos were perfect, and the kebabs, y u m!

We sat, ate, drank, chatted, sat, ate, drank, chatted, kind of a wash, rinse, repeat, but it was the best kind. Our hosts, have two girls, the youngest is adorable, has four teeth and she is using them! She hasn’t been on solid foods long, but she was loving everything she tried, chicken, potato, corn, peppers, you couldn’t stop her! Her big sister is a trip, bright, curious about everything, and so sweet, and…has her daddy wrapped around her little finger, it’s so precious to watch. M&KR are our neighbors, K’s dad JS was there as well, always great to see him. The neighbors on the other side of M&KR were there with their new baby A, so stinkin’ cute and loves when dad carries him around like a football, didn’t like it when he changed positions.

It really was nice to be outside, the weather was perfect tonight, most of today, actually, but really enjoying the time outside tonight. We talked lawns, grilling, home repair, Spring, families, movies, tv, blogging. MR had started a blog and stopped, she’s thinking about going back to it, I hope she does, I look forward to reading it if she does.

And true to the text, about an hour after we got there, it was time to head home, they had wee tots to get into bed. All in all, a joy, just what we have wanted when we move somewhere, looking forward to many more nights like these. It seems the fog is lifting.

{March 13, 2021} It’s chilly…but not too cold for a ride!

The rain was predicted, but held off! It held off for the day, it had been raining the few days before, but not today! So…what should we do?! Go for a ride! It’s chilly, but we’re in riding season!

Now…I’m not a hard core rider, I don’t ride when it’s below 48, I might put the top down on the Beetle-Bug when it’s in the high 30s/low 40s, but the bike, nope. I don’t have the fancy stuff on my bike to keep me toasty, like butt warmers in the car, you’re kind of exposed, so…bundle up. I was fine on the top, but from the thighs to the ankles, a little brrr. Next time, Cuddle Duds under the jeans. Such a chance from last weekend, when I could have gone out in a sweatshirt!

We decided to ride to Grafton, IL, I don’t think I’ve mentioned Grafton yet to you. Its a small town in Illinois on the Missisippi River, turns out it’s the oldest town in Jersey County, IL. It gets crazy crowded in the summer and it’s a known spot for bikes, motorcycles, that is. Someone told me about it as a nice ride and one of the biker bars, the Hawg Pit BBQ, it made it an easy destination to put in the GPS.

It’s about an hour ride from here, so not too bad, and a nice destination, as I mentioned. You can go by the highways, yesterday, PSM took us on some alternate roads and it was nice. We eventually connected with the main drag that takes us over the Clark Bridge to Alton, IL, the middle of the bridge is actually the state line, pretty cool. It really is a pretty bridge, I have yet to take a picture of it, we’re always on the bikes. Alton is a cute town, we haven’t explored much of the town, there is a cobblestone street where they have a few restaurants with tables set up outside, which we’ve eaten at, it’s charming.

It was a bit chilly on the ride, so we decided to stop in Alton, but inside, ha ha. We stopped at The Old Bakery Beer Company, as the name says they have beer, tee hee hee. It’s a certified organic craft brewery with food options. We were going to get lunch in Grafton, so I settled on a cup of tea. I would like to go back, they had a nice looking menu with vegetarian and vegan options. It’s a warehouse-like open space, exposed beams, streams of edison bulbs, with tables, spaced appropriately socially distant, mask mandates, hand sanitzier, just like most places. It had a nice open, welcoming feel. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

After warming up a little inside, we walked outside to the bikes getting ready to head towards Grafton, it seemed to have warmed up a little, outside. One of the things we love about having Indian Motorcycles are the conversation starters. When we came out, a woman was in her car looking at the bikes and told us she was just sitting there admiring them, which was nice, and a guy came up to us to talk about our bikes, he’s thinking about joining the club! We would welcome him! He was wearing a great utilikilt, we’re getting near St Patrick’s Day, people were out celebrating. A utilikilt is a kilt made for every day work wear.

We got to Grafton and pulled in to the parking lot and walked into the Piasa Winery and Pub, we were there for the view, not the food. It was a seafood restaurant, they had some other things, but it was mostly seafood. PSM had a fried alligator, I tasted it, I was curious. I’ll just say, aside from the spicy batter, which I wasn’t crazy about, it still tastes like salty chicken, didn’t make me change my vegan ways, ha ha. For me, I had the grilled pear salad, it was quite tasty. A variety of greenery, grilled pears, glazed walnuts, and cranberries. We sat on the deck and there were heat lamps warming everything up, we needed it. Even the table was warm, I was happy!

After the winery, we went to the Gold Bar Saloon, there was a bar with a few stools, but the true gem was outside, well, sort of outside. There was a building next door with fire pits, that was fabulous. We took our drinks in, took off our jackets and sat on one of the sofas and just enjoyed ourselves. There were a few other people in there, but they were each at their own set of sofas and firepits, awesome! The music was country, but classic country that everyone seemed to know, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, and Boz Scaggs.

After a while, even though we had just eaten, we were slightly peckish and all I wanted was french fries. No idea why, I haven’t eaten or craved french fries in a long time, they just don’t agree with me, so I try to avoid them, but I was craving them, so off we went. We walked…next door, ha ha, to the Grafton Pub. We ordered fries, when I asked the cut, I was told they were somewhere in between steak fries and Burger King french fry. It was funny, when I asked what the cut was, she looked at me funny, so I explained the different cuts. We also ordered guacamole bites, which are a bit odd, but we were curious. We were told they were like wontons with guacamole in them, and fried. Ok…let’s just say, they were hot as all get out, to me anyway. We’ve had them before I realized, and let’s just say, not ordering them again, not everything tastes better fried…The french fries on the other hand, were tasty, if you could get past the coarse salt and pepper they put on them, seriously?! Just not my cup of tea honestly, I forgot to order them unseasoned, which would have meant fresh out of the frier, nothing extra, which would have made them perfect, they really were good fries, good size, perfect crunch on the outside, texture and taste of potato, I know that sounds weird to some, I’ll explain in a later post.

The Grafton Pub is also on the water, and Grafton itself it really is a pretty place in the Spring and Summer, especially with the trees in bloom and boats on the river.

After our snack, it was time to go. Interesting thing…until we sat at The Gold Bar Saloon, we didn’t see another motorcycle all day, then there were a few, it was nice to see some other cold weather riders like us. We got to the bikes, met another group of admirers, theses folks were slightly closer to inebriated, they were getting into the St Patricks Day mood, but still admirers of our bikes, which we definitely appreciate and welcome the conversation. After that, on the bikes and head back down by the river, over the bridge, on the highway this time and hello puppies.

The sun pretended to try to peek out, but aside from that, a great day overall. What could be bad, motorcycle ride, good company, laughter, the wind in your face, as I’ve told you…wind therapy! Wonder where the road takes us next…

{March 10, 2021} I killed a what? No…it’s too early!

I know Spring is coming, but it is only the second week of March, and I should NOT be seeing, or killing, MOSQUITOES!!!!

No, March 8th, which is when it happened, is waaaaayyy too early for mosquitoes! I was sitting in my office, with the windows closed, we leave the back door, which opens to the back yard, open now for the dogs to be able to enjoy the warmer temperatures freely, and all of a sudden something was flying around my laptop. I didn’t think twice and reached out and clapped it. I opened my hands and looked and thought “What the H!” [Well, it was a little harsher than that, but this is a family show!] “This is not right, it’s tooooo early!” But…point is, I killed it! Wahoo!

I am a lover of all creatures, great and small, well, I guess that negates that sentiment. There are some things that I feel we don’t really need on this planet, sorry…and there are some things that definitely do not belong in my house! ‘squeeters’ being one of them!

I looked it up and mosquito season begins when the temperatures get above 50 and guess what…it’s been above 50, even close to 70 over the last few days. Wait…we just had snow on the ground up until about a minute ago, Mother Nature, why don’t you give us a minute to get acclimated to the nice weather, give us a chance to prepare for the onslaught of hot weather, mosquitoes and whatever other flying and creepy crawly things are coming our way with Spring and then Summer?!

I guess that storm door with a doggie door in it is coming sooner than later! Now you now what I’ll be doing with my first paycheck! Last year, we had a mesh, magnetic screen door, it was great! It attaches with Velcro to the door frame and there are magnets in the middle that click close after you pass through it. The dogs took to it pretty quickly. The tough part is sometimes the one half of the velcro comes off the house, loses its stick, good thing there’s more velcro out there! But…it would be nice to have a storm door there with screens and a doggy door, so we don’t have to worry about the velcro coming off…the big idea…let the dogs out, and in, but keep the bugs out.

It is TOO EARLY for flying things in my house! My allergies are bad enough this early!

{March 8, 2021} It’s Spring alright…Achoooo

I know, it’s not actually the first day of Spring, that would be March 20th of this year, which is only a few weeks away, but…my allergies have kicked in and they are already kickin’ my arse!

I have been scratching my eyes like crazy today, my nose won’t stop running, if you see it, please catch it! When my eyes get like this, I can’t focus, it makes me incredibly sleepy and groggy. I actually had to close my eyes for 30 minutes earlier today! Oh brother!

I didn’t have allergies growing up, just smoke. Then…I moved to Georgia…someone told me that if you don’t have allergies, after you move to Georgia, you will! It didn’t happen to me for at least 10+ years, then all of a sudden, I’m allergic to everything and every spring…I had a mantra…I hate Spring. I know, hate is a strong word, I have said it a million times, but oh brother, I mean it! I even use Flonase every day, when it gets like this, it doesn’t matter! I used to user bioAllers Outdoor Allergy, it was dissolvable and I took it every four hours. It was crazy, it literally was like clockwork, if I went over four hours, I was sneezing. Eventually, it didn’t work very well, so I stopped. I’ve taken Zyrtec, that tends to make me sleepy, so does Claritin, even though they are both supposed to be non-drowsy.

When I moved to Colorado, wow! No allergic reactions to anything, except smoke, wow! It was crazy…I’d visit the Northeast and as soon as the plane doors would open…sniffle, achoo. Oh well, when I moved to Boston, hello, then Hawai’i, no different, now Missouri, it is what it is. Usually it only lasts this bad a few weeks, then it tapers off to manageable annoyance, then…in no time, it will be Autumn! Ha ha!

I remember last year, when the mask mandates came down, it was Spring and I was walking through the grocery store sneezing, and I would say loud enough for the people around me to hear “I loathe Spring!” That was all I could think to do to let folks know it was allergies and not anything else! Geesh…

I’m glad you can’t see me right now, my eyes are red and puffy, itchy and I can’t stop sniffling! I was so happy the snow melted…until now!

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