the friday feed: negronis

When we were downtown looking at the NATO preparations we realized that we were in time for the Happy Hour at the newly opened Hotel Ardent. One of the NATO delegations has reserved the entire hotel for its stay in Dayton. 

One of their Happy Hour specials are $6.00 Negronis. Rather than using Campari, these Negronis substitute Aperol. Campari makes the drink more dry and bitter where Aperol brightens the flavor. Thanks to Todd, we always end up talking to the people beside us and have had some delightful conversations. This time didn't disappoint. We discovered quite a few connections with this man - where we've lived, common friends, and New York City. He used to live there and that's where we're headed.

"There can’t be good living where there is not good drinking." ~ Benjamin Franklin

 Bitter, sweet and bold,

Gin’s embrace, a perfect mix

of strength and complexity.

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

"Tis the season for flowers. I bought another bouquet. This one just spoke to me with the one bright red poppy standing out among the apricot and purple and beautiful greenery. Flowers are a reminder of the natural beauty in the world and at least for me, make one pause to appreciate the simple joys of life.

Isn't the center of that little red poppy just beautiful? The white blending to the red reminds me of a tie-dyed shirt. I remember doing tie-dye for the first time in 8th grade art class and what fun it was to create the color bursts on a t-shirt. 

From flowers to trucks. I drove to Cleveland on Monday to help my daughter-in-law with her two precious children for a few days while my son is out-of-town for work. 

My almost 3-year old grandson loves his books and loves trucks. Monday night at his dinnertime he asked me to read a couple truck books to him and then out of the blue he said, "Didi, sing a dump truck song to me." So an impromptu dump truck song ensued: 

Dump, dump, dump,

Dumipity, dump, dump, dump

Here comes the dump truck, rolling, rolling

Here comes the dump truck

It’s going to dump some dirt!

Right now he thinks this is the best thing since sliced bread and my heart just fills with joy every time he asks me to sing it to him.

Tuesday, after the rainfall, I took my 2-month little granddaughter on a stroll around the neighborhood. We walked in the street because sidewalk repair is happening all around the neighborhood. Quite a few  people were out enjoying walks alone or with dogs, lots of lawn mowing going on and Hallie slept right through it. I heard geese honking and a mockingbird tweeting various birdsongs. What an amazing little bird. I wonder if it would mimic a goose?

Let me tell you, that little sleeping angel has a set of lungs when she wakes up and wants her bottle. That bottle warmer does not work fast enough!

Todd is staying at home while I'm in Cleveland because we had an appointment to have the furnace ducts cleaned on Tuesday. Well, Tuesday morning my text message jingled with a notice that our appointment has been rescheduled for June 26 due to the technician's illness. We waited six weeks to get this appointment so what's another six weeks? Grrrrrr. I think I'll go buy another bouquet of flowers.

marigolds

The previous owners of our house used a lot of ground cover in this corner garden. Ground covers are supposed to be low maintenance but the ones in this garden weren't. Instead of preventing weeds, this area was filled with them and it was a real pain to dig around in all the ground cover to pull the weeds out. A little while ago, this garden was really bothering me and as my husband so eloquently says, I got a burr up my butt and pulled and dug out a lot of the ground cover. I spent two days digging that stuff out and after all that work, there was a lot of bare dirt there. What to do with it?                                                                                                                                   

I wanted something that is low maintenance, deer resistant, eye-catching, and pretty: Marigolds. I planted 128 little flowers with the hope that they will fill out and flourish.                                                                                                                                      They are a member of the daisy family and they often symbolize joy, resilience, and passion. Their strong fragrance is believed to ward off negativity and evil spirits. and their vibrant colors symbolize the sun's energy. 

In Mexico, marigolds are known as 'cempasuchil' or 'flor de muertos' (flower of the dead) and play a central role in the annual Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations. The bright orange and yellow hues of marigold flowers are thought to attract and guide the spirits of the deceased back to the world of the living. Marigolds are used to create elaborate altars and pathways, symbolizing the ephemeral nature of life and the connection between the living and the dead. In addition, marigolds are connected to the solar symbolism in Chinese culture. The flower's bright color is reminiscent of the sun and its life-giving properties. As a result, marigolds represent vitality, warmth, and the transformative power of the sun. The flower's strong fragrance is believed to repel negativity and harmful energies, ensuring a peaceful and harmonious environment. Lots of good and positive qualities for this little flower.    

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Marigolds are also the city flower for Kettering, Ohio. My little corner garden is blooming with city pride!
 

monday's mulling: word usage

There's a time a place for everything. You just have to know your audience.

Back in my teaching days I would use "big words" in the classroom and typically get the look of "what did you just say?" There was a reason. As a Language Arts teacher, I tried to use sophisticated words to model and promote students' vocabulary growth and word consciousness. It's never too late to start.

A little while ago this meme showed up and good ole word nerdy me got a big laugh. Loquacious was one of the words I used in the classroom frequently because, you know, 8th graders. They are a chatty bunch.

Eddie was one of my students who was very talkative. One day, exasperated me exclaimed, "Eddie, you are one of the most loquacious people I know!" He looked at me, the whole class looked at me, and this became a vocabulary moment. "OK, people, I just called Eddie loquacious. What do you think that means?" 

"Goofy...rude...funny...weird...talkative."

"Yes, talkative!"

The students had learned about how some words have Latin origins. I got out the dictionary, looked up the root word. Loquacious comes from the Latin word, "loquax." I prononuced loquax..."Lo - QUAX," emphasizing quax, walking around, flapping my wings, "Quack, quack, quack. This is how a duck talks! Quack, quack, quack!" 

Loquacious = quacking = talking. It worked.

 

mothers day

Four generations of mothers for the first time, starting off with my mom and me. 

My dad was in the Army, stationed in Germany, and my mom traveled alone to Germany, pregnant, not knowing anyone. She had no family around, but the Army wives and the landlord's wife, became her support system. I admire her for being a first time mom living in a foreign land, surviving and thriving. What a way to begin the motherhood adventure.

This is me, 40 years ago with my first child, my son. My story is quite different from my mom's. Once my mom married my dad, she never lived in the same town as her parents. Todd and I lived in Kettering about two miles away from my parents. My parents babysat, they popped in to say hello, they helped balance life as my family grew, and would bring over impromptu meals. The kids were blessed to have their grandparents involved in their everyday lives. 

My daughter-in-law with her first child. On the day Owen was born, she became a mom and gave me the new role of Grandma (Didi). Witnessing our children fall in love with their child and their new roles as parents is a deeply rewarding experience. For Todd and me, the opportunity to bond with our grandchildren and be a part of their lives is a wonderful blessing.

My daughter with her son on her first day of motherhood. Shortly after her son's birth she and her husband found out that their little boy was born with a hole in his heart and would need open heart surgery. What a way to begin the journey of parenthood. They learned very quickly how strong they could be in a time of crisis and once their son received his good bill of health, discovered that there is a lot of joy in parenting.

"Motherhood is the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It's huge and scary – it's an act of infinite optimism," - Gilda Radner

flowers

“Flowers are always beautiful, but there is something unmatched about spring flowers—an awakening, a renewal that fills the air with surreal harmonies of love and joy.”

~ Bhuwan Thapaliya

⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕  ⁕

For the last four weeks, my Wednesday morning routine was to go to yoga and then drive to Pink Moon Goods, a lovely small home goods gift store, to pick up my bouquet of flowers grown at Backlot Buds, a small-scale urban flower farm. While at Pink Moon Goods, I visit with the owner, Kathleen, and we have become friends.

The spring CSA flowers are done and Kathleen informed me that Backlot Buds won't be doing the summer and fall CSA. She saw the disappointment on my face and passed along the good news that bouquets will be delivered weekly for sale to the public. 

Looks like I get to keep my Wednesday morning routine. 

the friday feed: cinco de mayo

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held on May 5 to commemorate Mexico's victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. More popular in the United States than in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture.

Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistaken for Mexican Independence Day, the most important national holiday in Mexico, and that is celebrated on September 16, which just happens to be my birthday...olé!

We got home from Chicago late Sunday night, no food in the fridge from last week's power outage. Monday morning, I went to the grocery store and suggested meatloaf for dinner. Just FYI, Todd really likes meatloaf, but his response was, "Heck no! Today's Cinco de Mayo and we're going to Los Reyes for dinner!" 

 

cinco de mayo

salt, no salt, frozen, on the rocks

joy in every sip

 Muchas gracias to Catalyst of Oddball Observations for the tequila humor!

My brother, Pat, has a most excellent margarita recipe. (We call them Pat-a-ritas). It's pricy with all the different liquors in it, but mmmm, mmmmm, it makes a really good and easy-to-drink margarita. 24 years ago my siblings and I planned a surprise party for our mom's 70th birthday and Pat volunteered to bring the margaritas. Mom was beyond happy to be surrounded by family and friends and she LOVED the margaritas (her glass was rarely empty), proclaiming numerous, numerous times, "This is the best birthday party I've ever had!" 

MARGARITAS

One drink:

3 oz. margarita mix

1 1/4 oz. tequila

1/4 oz. Grand Marnier

1/4 oz. Cointreau

1/4 oz. Triple Sec

1/4 oz. Irish Mist or Drambuie

Squeeze of fresh lime juice

Salt the rim of a margarita glass and add freshly squeezed lime juice.

Add the margarita mix, tequila, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Triple Sec, Irish Mist or Drambuie, and 5 ice cubes in a shaker. Shake vigorously until throoughly mixed and cold. Pour into margarita glass.

For the party crowd:

Find the biggest bowl that you have and add

60 oz. margarita mix

25 oz. tequila (750 ml)

4 shots Grand Marnier

4 shots Cointreau

4 shots Triple Sec

4 shots Irish (Drambuie)

Limes cut into 8 pieces

Squeeze lime juice into glasses. Add margaritas and ice cubes.