Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[Ed Rooney]

New Yorky? George Orwell might approve. One of his six rules for writing is "Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print." I don't recall seeing Yorky in print . . . but it sounds like the name of that little dog. I would just say "who spoke so New York." 

 

So many of the classic old Jewish delis in NYC have closed. The Stage and the Carnegie are gone. Katz's was given a major lift by the scene in When Sally Meet Harry. They still do a great pastrami sandwich. 

 

The Reuben is not Jewish (or is it?). One story is that it was invented in Omaha, Nebraska by an Irishman. 

 

Betty, is that mustard I see on your chin? 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by Ed Rooney

[Betty LaRue]

Ooops, wiping....

I don’t give a flip who invented the Reuben. I just snarf them.

Edited May 5, 2021 by Betty LaRue

[Michael Ventura]

15 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

Ooops, wiping....

I don’t give a flip who invented the Reuben. I just snarf them.

Love em too!

[Allan Bell]

2 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

the Reuben

 

Never heard of them. NITC.

 

Allan

 

[Betty LaRue]

51 minutes ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Never heard of them. NITC.

 

Allan

 

Lightly butter one side of rye bread slices. Spread non-buttered sides with Thousand Island dressing. On 4 bread slices, layer 1 slice Swiss cheese, 2 slices corned beef, 1/4 cup sauerkraut and second slice of Swiss cheese. Top with remaining bread slices, buttered sides 

 

Above from the Internet. I prefer mustard to the Thousand Island dressing. Most places pile on shaved corn beef, much more than two slices. Then you grill each side until browned and toasty, and the cheese is melted. If you don’t use rye bread, it’s not a Reuben, throw it away. 😁
If I make them at home, I use a mild rye. I don’t care for strong rye.

[MizBrown]

My preference is for a ciabatta with spices. baked at a local grocery store, cut or torn in quarters, drizzled with virgin olive oil and smeared with chilaro (a mix of jalapeño peppers, carrots, and onions, finely chopped and pickled in white vinegar with some apple cider vinegar and balsamic in the mix).   I've got an electric vegetable chopper which helps a lot, along with dish washing gloves for handling the peppers, but let my helper do it last time and sent him home with one of the jars of it plus around $3 US for making my chilero.  The alternative would be avocado either just mashed or mashed with other things to make guacamole, with chopped eggs Nicaraguan style. 

[Bryan]

My wife's elderly but normally reliable sewing machine started to act up. I was summoned to fix it. In the past I've removed debris, applied a few drops of oil and all has been well, but not on this occasion. It all looked Ok but it didn't work properly. 

 

She was able to contact a local repair man, who came to the house this afternoon. This guy was a magician, he gave the machine a full service and replaced parts that he reckoned were too worn to be of further use. They looked fine to me, but not to him. He was right of course and the machine is now running, well, like a sewing machine. We were lucky to get him at short notice, as another client had had to cancel an appointment. He took several phone calls while he was here, there seems to be plenty of work for a good technician. Finally he demonstrated the finer arts of threading the machine and slick ways to wind a bobbin, before showing us the right way to park the mechanism after use.  

 

His fee, including parts, £55 and a cup of coffee. Pretty good value for a home visit, a lot of work and genuine expertise, very happy with the outcome.

[Thyrsis]

10 hours ago, Bryan said:

Finally he demonstrated the finer arts of threading the machine and slick ways to wind a bobbin, before showing us the right way to park the mechanism after use.  

 

His fee, including parts, £55 and a cup of coffee. Pretty good value for a home visit, a lot of work and genuine expertise, very happy with the outcome.

Very reasonable fee! I don’t think of my sewing machine as old but I’ve just realised it’s at least 36 so it’s getting on! I’ve used it more in the last year than I have for a long time. Only had it repaired once.....🤞 They are more complex than most people realise. Please enlighten me about ‘parking the mechanism’??

[Bryan]

6 hours ago, Thyrsis said:

. Please enlighten me about ‘parking the mechanism’??

 

We were told to leave the foot and needle down and the lever above up.  As I understand it, this takes stress off a spring and avoids de-threading the needle.

 

My wife just told me that the chap who did the work was 73 years old with no intention of retiring.

[Betty LaRue]

17 hours ago, MizBrown said:

My preference is for a ciabatta with spices. baked at a local grocery store, cut or torn in quarters, drizzled with virgin olive oil and smeared with chilaro (a mix of jalapeño peppers, carrots, and onions, finely chopped and pickled in white vinegar with some apple cider vinegar and balsamic in the mix).   I've got an electric vegetable chopper which helps a lot, along with dish washing gloves for handling the peppers, but let my helper do it last time and sent him home with one of the jars of it plus around $3 US for making my chilero.  The alternative would be avocado either just mashed or mashed with other things to make guacamole, with chopped eggs Nicaraguan style. 

I grew some jalapeños in my garden once for our parrots, when we had two. I had read in “Bird Talk” magazine that bird’s weren’t bothered by peppers, and they were nutritional.

I handled the peppers carefully. The parrots loved them.

Our birds were affectionate, so after a few times of ending up with burning lips after Echo kissed me, I quit feeding peppers.

[Bryan]

Herself being away looking after the grandbairns, I was able to experiment in the kitchen. Old Billy from our allotments had given me instructions on how to cook Yorkshire puddings, so I thought I would give it a try. The oil must  be smoking hot Billy said, so hot it was.  Made 4, ate 2 and then returned for afters, all gone.   Very nice. 

 

I find it difficult to judge quantities when cooking for myself, and would rapidly become overweight were it to continue for any length of time..... 

[Betty LaRue]

8 hours ago, Bryan said:

Herself being away looking after the grandbairns, I was able to experiment in the kitchen. Old Billy from our allotments had given me instructions on how to cook Yorkshire puddings, so I thought I would give it a try. The oil must  be smoking hot Billy said, so hot it was.  Made 4, ate 2 and then returned for afters, all gone.   Very nice. 

 

I find it difficult to judge quantities when cooking for myself, and would rapidly become overweight were it to continue for any length of time..... 

And....what condition was the kitchen in when you were done? Of course, you must be an accomplished cook, but when I was 11-12 years old and learning to make pies, my mother said somehow I managed to dirty every dish in the kitchen, and scatter flour everywhere. I clean as I go, now. I had not learned to be organized, then.

During that period, I made my first batch of brownies. I was very slow, scrutinizing the recipe, and driving my hovering mother crazy. She added the salt without realizing I had added the salt. The brownies tasted as if a cup of salt were in them. 
I panicked because my stepfather was very cruel about my budding cooking. He once rolled my soggy cake into dough balls to fish with. I cried for hours.

I ran out with the brownies in the rain and dumped them in the chicken pen figuring the chickens would eat the evidence before my stepfather came home. They ran to the pile, took one peck, and ran away from them. 
I had to go in the chicken pen amid the wet poop and pick up the nasty mess and hide it in the trash barrel under the other trash.

Bryan, I hope you didn’t need to hide anything.

[Bryan]

1 hour ago, Betty LaRue said:

And....what condition was the kitchen in when you were done? Of course, you must be an accomplished cook, but when I was 11-12 years old and learning to make pies, my mother said somehow I managed to dirty every dish in the kitchen, and scatter flour everywhere. I clean as I go, now. I had not learned to be organized, then.

During that period, I made my first batch of brownies. I was very slow, scrutinizing the recipe, and driving my hovering mother crazy. She added the salt without realizing I had added the salt. The brownies tasted as if a cup of salt were in them. 
I panicked because my stepfather was very cruel about my budding cooking. He once rolled my soggy cake into dough balls to fish with. I cried for hours.

I ran out with the brownies in the rain and dumped them in the chicken pen figuring the chickens would eat the evidence before my stepfather came home. They ran to the pile, took one peck, and ran away from them. 
I had to go in the chicken pen amid the wet poop and pick up the nasty mess and hide it in the trash barrel under the other trash.

Bryan, I hope you didn’t need to hide anything.

That's a sad story Betty, but I'm sure you make world class brownies now !

 

Re kitchen cleanliness I'm normally the washer up, a job I quite enjoy, so no problems with dirty pans etc. 

 

I don't cook much but I am called upon to make fish pie, Spanish tortillas, salad dressing, and, my favourite, onion gravy. Our old but reliable cooker doesn't have a fan oven, and tends to burn things at the edges, so not the best for pizzas or bread, otherwise we'd make that kind of stuff. One of the guys we share our allotment with makes fabulous focaccia bread with olives and rosemary, we get a loaf in exchange for a jar of homemade rhubarb and ginger jam. The wife of our other garden buddy specialises in fruit buns made with an excess of butter, another occasional treat.

[Betty LaRue]

9 hours ago, Bryan said:

That's a sad story Betty, but I'm sure you make world class brownies now !

 

Re kitchen cleanliness I'm normally the washer up, a job I quite enjoy, so no problems with dirty pans etc. 

 

I don't cook much but I am called upon to make fish pie, Spanish tortillas, salad dressing, and, my favourite, onion gravy. Our old but reliable cooker doesn't have a fan oven, and tends to burn things at the edges, so not the best for pizzas or bread, otherwise we'd make that kind of stuff. One of the guys we share our allotment with makes fabulous focaccia bread with olives and rosemary, we get a loaf in exchange for a jar of homemade rhubarb and ginger jam. The wife of our other garden buddy specialises in fruit buns made with an excess of butter, another occasional treat.

You are a keeper. My hubby refused to cook. He used to brag he could fry eggs, but he never did in my view. My son loves to cook. He’s coming to visit this weekend for Mother’s Day, and said he’s bringing supplies for two dishes he wants to cook for me. I hope I like them! If I don’t, he’ll never know.  I won’t make dough balls! 😂

[sb photos]

Today was my first trip away from home with an Airbnb overnight stay since last year. As there was heavy rain on the Suffolk coast, I left home later, ensuring when I arrived the rain had moved on. Wonderful accommodation, only downside no wifi, having to use my laptop with my phone's hotspot. Looking forward to tomorrow with a much better weather forecast, will be a busy day. 

[Bryan]

5 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

You are a keeper. My hubby refused to cook. He used to brag he could fry eggs, but he never did in my view. My son loves to cook. He’s coming to visit this weekend for Mother’s Day, and said he’s bringing supplies for two dishes he wants to cook for me. I hope I like them! If I don’t, he’ll never know.  I won’t make dough balls! 😂

I've been kept for over 50 years so hoping the arrangement might continue ! How otherwise would I get my hair cut ?  Our courtship was interrupted by our going to separate Unis, but survived. It involved a lot of hitch hiking. I shared a house for a while with a work colleague and we would each cook Sunday's dinner on alternative weeks, so I started married life with more practical cooking experience than my wife, but she took over when I worked full time and she was looking after the kids.

 

Good to hear that your son is going to cook for you, our sons are also into cookery it's what modern men do, apparently. Enjoy your mother's Day !

[Michael Ventura]

I grew up with a dad who was very comfortable in the kitchen, he did most of the cooking and was an excellent "chef" but left the baking to my mom.  Having him as a good role model, I too enjoy being in the kitchen and did most of the cooking, while raising the kids with my ex.  But also like my dad, I am not as comfortable baking....I think it requires more precision.

 

Tomorrow is Mother's Day in the U.S.   So happy Mother's Day to all the moms on this forum, moms (or mums) are what really make the world go around.  I will be away from the computer tomorrow. Taking my first personal trip since the pandemic started.  Meeting up with 4 childhood guy friends in the mountains of Eastern Pennsylvania, not too far from NYC.  We have rented a mountaintop house through AirBnB.   All of us are fully vaccinated.  Can't wait to see these guys, most of them I have known 50 or so years.  Lots of laughs and good food are always in store.  All of us are self employed "artists".  One is also a photographer, another a writer, another a carpenter/builder and the last one, well maybe not an artist but some sort of brainy consultant...never did understand what he does.  Just funny that none of us work at an office, all free spirits I suppose.

[Cecile Marion]

Have a wonderful time in Eastern Pennsylvania, Michael. I’ve only visited a few times, but much of my maternal grandmother’s family is from parts of Sullivan, Union and Lycoming Counties going back at least three hundred years. There are some very rural areas that are absolutely gorgeous. Two years ago my youngest daughter and I rented a cabin on a lake not far from my brothers’ home and it was absolute heaven. Today would have been my maternal grandfather’s birthday. He ended up in Pennsylvania as a young man, traveling by himself from southern Italy to New York City. Later, escaping a couple of thugs who were trying to rob him of his paycheck, he hopped a train in Lower Manhattan yards and rode all the way until the train slowed down to cross the Susquehanna River. He eventually met and married my grandmother and created a whole new life in PA.

[Michael Ventura]

43 minutes ago, Cecile Marion said:

Have a wonderful time in Eastern Pennsylvania, Michael. I’ve only visited a few times, but much of my maternal grandmother’s family is from parts of Sullivan, Union and Lycoming Counties going back at least three hundred years. There are some very rural areas that are absolutely gorgeous. Two years ago my youngest daughter and I rented a cabin on a lake not far from my brothers’ home and it was absolute heaven. Today would have been my maternal grandfather’s birthday. He ended up in Pennsylvania as a young man, traveling by himself from southern Italy to New York City. Later, escaping a couple of thugs who were trying to rob him of his paycheck, he hopped a train in Lower Manhattan yards and rode all the way until the train slowed down to cross the Susquehanna River. He eventually met and married my grandmother and created a whole new life in PA.

Thanks Cecile, I’m looking forward to the trip...never been to that part of PA.  We will be near Delaware Water Gap, a pretty rural area.  I’ll bring a camera of course but photography will take a seat to just hanging with these guys.  

[Betty LaRue]

21 minutes ago, Michael Ventura said:

Thanks Cecile, I’m looking forward to the trip...never been to that part of PA.  We will be near Delaware Water Gap, a pretty rural area.  I’ll bring a camera of course but photography will take a seat to just hanging with these guys.  

Sounds like a great time. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Let ‘er rip, in other words! 😁

[sb photos]

Started today early from our Airbnb with a 5 minute walk to Leiston Abbey ruins. Left my wife in bed. Was the first time for ages I carried a tripod with me. Shot both hand held and tripod mounted and utilised all three bodies and lenses (they all fit into the backpack with lenses attached) until the low sun rose into the clouds. Back for breakfast now then checking out to make the most of the day.  Disappointing that the iPhone hotspot only gives a slow Edge connection. Our next breaks away are for 3 and 5 nights, and thankfully all have wifi. 
 

Edit: called in the Butt and Oyster at Pin Mill on the way home as we were passing on the A12, only 15 mins away. Just had a nice meal outside and about to finally head home. Lovely weather although there was rain and thunder while at RSPB Minsmere earlier.

Edited May 9, 2021 by sb photos

[Betty LaRue]

Belly laughs are a good thing. They leave you limp with a feeling of euphoria.

Last Thursday, I was in the car with my daughter Kim, who was driving. We were on a busy street getting ready to turn into Lowe’s to shop for plants.

I had my large purse sitting in my lap. My phone was in a side pocket. I have my sound turned to the max so I can hear the phone ring while I’m doing things at home.

The phone was probably about 6-8 inches from my ear, and my forearm was resting on the purse and across the phone.

It rang. Very loudly. The ringtone was disco, (Stayin’ Alive) assigned to my other daughter. My phone is set to ring + vibrate.

I heard the sound, felt the buzz on my arm. I screamed, levitated off the seat and threw my arms up.

Kim had just started the turn, and it flashed through her mind we were about to be crashed into by some driver I saw, but she didn’t.

She levitated too. Yet she kept her hands on the wheel and made a perfect turn and parked quickly. Thank God. It could have been baaad.

Then she began chewing on me. “Mom, you do this all the time, yada yada yada.”  I was laughing hysterically by then, belly hurting, tears streaming. She finally laughed too, but continued to bawl me out because I have reacted similarly many times to other things with squeals or loud gasps.  She said this was the worst ever. 
I told her I don’t deliberately choose to frighten people, it is a reaction I can’t control. And I’m like Popeye, (the sailor boy) I yam what I yam.

By the way, when I answered the phone, all my other daughter heard was my laughing. I couldn’t speak legibly.

Another precious memory in the book.

Edited May 9, 2021 by Betty LaRue

[gvallee]

I just spent a few days 'out bush' around a pretty lagoon full of birdlife. The smell of campfires drifting at Happy Hour time was magical. So was the night sky. And no comms! The freedom of not having my nose glued to my tablet.

 

here, here and here

 

Never having enough of adventure, we signed up for a unique ride tomorrow morning: a ride in a replica of an old Cobb & Co. coach, the only galloping ride in Australia over old routes in the Outback. We can choose to travel on the roof near the driver and I hope I will be able to do. I was excited until Robert showed me an article about that very same ride a few years back.... I hope this entry can stay in the 'good thing' thread tomorrow....

 

Article

 

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by gvallee

[Cecile Marion]

Gorgeous photos! I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that many stars at one time.

[aphperspective]

First time since god knows when finally got my hair cut, (at my age that is hair cut as in singular). No longer look like a mad scientist.