What Do Skeletons Do While They Wait For Halloween?

They work out

They do gymnastics

They go fishing. (See the tiny white fish swimming through the "water"?)

They play music

They pole dance

They wish people in the neighborhood a Happy Birthday.

Five years ago: Halloween Spirit

Exercising And Eating

I had a marketing birthday coupon from a Mediterranean restaurant twenty minutes away from the house that expires at the end of the month. There was nothing on the calendar for today, the forecast called for lovely weather, and the Grand Center area around the restaurant is quite walkable, so last night I told Hubby Tony I was going to combine exercise and eating. It took him about a second and a half to decide to come with me. 

This morning I was reading the newspaper. When I got to the page with the horoscopes I decided to see what mine said for the day. All I would have to do is substitute the word 'morning' for the word 'afternoon' and it was a great summary of today's adventure.

Parking can be tough in the Grand Center area, so I came up with a plan to park at a grocery store lot several blocks to the west and walk through the Saint Louis University campus to get to our destination. At 10:30 in the morning there weren't as many students on campus as I would have thought so we were able to get a good look at things.

The campus of the Catholic university is a mix of historic and newer buildings, some going back to the late-1800s. The Cupples House was originally a private residence, then a student center, and today is a museum and art gallery.

Cupples House

What would a Catholic university be without an awe-inspiring church? St. Francis Xavier was a missionary who co-founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The church named after him is built in the Gothic Revival style.

St. Francis Xavier church

The campus clock tower and fountain was in the middle a large plaza, and could be seen from quite a distance.

Wikipedia 

When we got to Grand Boulevard several blocks south of the restaurant it was still too early for it to be open, so instead of turning left we waited at a crosswalk, then followed a stream of students across the street.

 

We eventually ended up in the athletic complex area...soccer, baseball, and softball fields, and the Chaifetz Arena where the basketball team plays.

Main entrance

Across the street from the arena is the campus of Harris-Stowe University, a historically black college formed by the merger of two teacher training schools (Harris Teachers College for White students and Stowe Teachers College for Black students) in 1954. Tony and I wandered through a little bit of that campus, and then decided we were hungry and turned at the first main street we saw to double back.

I was surprised that we ended up on a section of the Brickline Greenway, which is still under development. By 2030 it will stretch for ten miles. This section of the trail was nicely designed, with separate sections for biking and walking. We passed some historical placards, several of them highlighting the history of the Mill Creek Valley, a predominantly Black neighborhood that was demolished in 1959 in the name of urban renewal.

We also saw a mural honoring the St. Louis Stars, a Negro National League team, who won the Negro National League World Series in 1928, 1930, and 1931.

 

When we reached the restaurant both Tony and I were hungry. The associate at the counter apologized for having trouble inputting our order into the computer, explaining she was new on the job. I told her to take her time. We ordered a falafel entree and a large chopped salad of tomato, cucumber, green pepper, and onion to share and each of us got a coffee drink. The food came quickly, and we dug in. Just about the time I realized I wasn't sure if there was enough food an associate came over with a piece of red velvet cake on a plate with two forks. She wished me a happy birthday as she set the plate down. After dessert Tony and I agreed we had eaten enough.

We walked back on different streets so we could see more of the area, but before we got in the car we stopped in the grocery store to buy a couple of items so we didn't have to stop on the way home. At the checkout counter there was a sample station with small oatmeal cookies. Tony and I each took one.

Five years ago: Oh My 'Gourdness'

Not Quite Written In Stone Yet

Hubby Tony and I scheduled our next visit to California to see the kids and grandkids way back in May. We recently learned that Son Donald was interested in coming for part of the time, so tonight he came over for dinner and a scheduling powwow.

The family chat texts were flying back and forth as we hashed out details. We thought we had the schedule finalized, but then DIL Nicole weighed in that she had a work trip scheduled and it would be nice if we could be at that house to help Son Brian with the grands on a couple of days we had planned to be 90 minutes away at the other house.

Once again, we remembered how hard it is to coordinate four households and their schedule requirements. After another flurry of texts we have a (very) tentative schedule, but I'm not holding my breath.

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Five years ago today: Shelter From A Storm

Settling In

It has been three weeks since Foster Cat Tilapia came to live with us, but it already feels like she's part of the family.

We learned from the shelter that at Tilapia's intake examination our petite little lady (all of seven pounds) was determined to be somewhere between 1 1/2 and 3 years old. She was pregnant at the time, and that may not have been her first litter. As foster caregivers, Hubby Tony and I are treating her so she learns how to be a cat-cat, rather than a mama-cat.

Tilapia started out so scared she spent most of the time under our bed, to only occasionally heading there. For a while she would stop and chase her tail for about 30 seconds before resuming whatever she was doing. When I checked her tail there didn't appear to be any type of sore, and I wondered if she was reverting to kitten play.

In the afternoon we can find Tilapia curled up in a patch of sun in the bedroom. For the past several nights she's joined us on the bed, but not until she thinks we're asleep. She's not a fan of wand toys, but she'll occasionally bat around a small stuffed mice. However, just like a young child who often prefers real-world items to purchased toys, her favorite thing to play with is a decorative toilet bolt cover from my bathroom.

Five years ago: And Then There Were Five....

Going Back In Time

A while back when Son Donald was at the house for dinner he was looking for matches. I told him where he could find them (in the cabinet with the measuring cups, bottom shelf, inside a Ziploc bag).

He came back with a matchbook in his hand and a quizzical look on his face. When he showed me what he was holding I was transported back to junior high and high school.

In case you're young, or you never had the opportunity to type on a typewriter, you're probably not familiar with correction tape. It was one way of fixing errors (the other one was liquid), and the only one allowed in typing class. The tape was coated on one side with a film that covered up the mistake. It came in several styles; this type had small sheets bound inside a matchbook-sized cardboard folder.

Fixing a mistake with correction tape was a laborious process. The first step was to backspace to the exact spot to be corrected. Next was to take a piece of correction paper, place the coated side down over the mistake, hold it there with your finger, and type the incorrect character again. That pressed the powder onto the page, covering the letter. The next step was to remove the paper and check to see if the mistake was completely erased, and if not repeat the process. Finally, the last step was to backspace again, and type the correct letter. The tape could only be used a finite amount of times before the film was all used up.

In college I was able to choose my own method of typo correction, and moved on to Liquid Paper. After college was over I set the typewriter aside in favor of word processing programs. 

So how did the tape get mixed in with the other matchbooks? It probably would have been when we were packing up to move to the condo six years ago, but other than that I have no idea. 

Five years ago today: Candy...And Much More

Grandparent's Answering Machine

Good morning . . . At present we are not at home but, please leave your message after you hear the beep. Beeeeeppp ....

If you are one of our children, dial 1 and then select the option from 1 to 5 in order of "arrival" so we know who it is.

Deposit Photos

 If you need us to stay with the children, press 2.

Magnific

 If you want to borrow the car, press 3.

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 If you want us to wash your clothes, press 4.

Pxhere

 If you want the grandchildren to sleep here tonight, press 5.

Free SVG

 If you want us to pick up the kids at school, press 6.

Free SVG

 If you want us to prepare a meal for Sunday or to have it delivered to your home, press 7.

Px Here

 If you want to come to eat here, press 8.

Public Domain Pictures

 If you need money, press 9.

Public Domain Vectors

 If you are going to invite us to dinner or take us to the theater, start talking. We are listening.

Vector Portal

 Five years ago: It's Always Interesting To Do New Things

What's For Dinner?

Tonight it was my turn to cook dinner, but when I checked the refrigerator there wasn't much to work with... one long, skinny Japanese eggplant, half a bunch of green onions, some almond milk, a scrape of margarine, a dozen eggs, and a doorful of assorted condiments. In the freezer I found most of a loaf of good whole grain bakery bread, assorted shredded cheeses, a stick of butter, and partial bags of frozen peas and corn.

I mulled over what I could make. All of a sudden I wondered if French toast could be savory instead of sweet. Turns out the internet told me it could. But what could substitute for the traditional maple syrup poured over traditional French toast? After a little more internet research I decided on a roasted eggplant and tomato pureed dip (which required swinging through the grocery store for tomatoes and flat leaf parsley).

The dip could be held more easily, so I started there. Japanese eggplant has very thin skin that doesn't need to be peeled, so I chopped it, along with 4 large plum tomatoes, all of the green onions, and 3 large cloves of garlic. I tossed the vegetables with a couple of 'glugs' of olive oil, added kosher salt/fresh ground pepper, and baked it at 425 degrees for 35 minutes. When the vegetables were done I let everything cool, then dumped it in the food processor, along with a large handful of flat leaf parsley, and pulsed until most of the chunks were broken up.

Dip

Forty-five minutes before it was time to eat it was French toast time. I combined 4 large eggs with a 3/4 cup of almond milk, a couple of minced garlic cloves, a handful of chopped parsley, a shake of onion powder, and salt/pepper. I put a couple of tablespoons of frozen butter in a baking pan and put the pan into the oven while it preheated to 400 degrees.

I soaked the bread slices in the custard mixture, placed them in the hot baking pan, then baked for 15 minutes/turned over and baked an additional 10 minutes.

Savory French toast

While the French toast was baking I nuked some frozen corn. Hubby Tony assembled the meal and set the table. 

My unusual recipe idea turned out to be pretty good, and since I made enough for four servings there is also enough for tomorrow night. I didn't write anything down, so even if I tried to recreate the dishes again they wouldn't be exactly the same, and that's okay with me.

Answer And Explanation

Hubby Tony and I walk most every day. For some reason, today that familiar exercise made the top of my left foot hurt. The sandals I was wearing, which are always comfortable, felt too tight across the top of my foot. I stopped mid-walk to loosen the strap, which helped a little bit, but by the end I was limping.

As one does in this internet age I came home and asked Dr. Google what the problem might be. She gave me several common causes to my query "top of foot pain when walking", along with a simple description of each.

Wikimedia

The one that most closely matched my symptoms was Extensor Tendinitis, which I learned could affect the tendons on the top of your feet or the back of your hands. Symptoms of the condition included pain (along a tendon or an area around it) that got worse with use, stiffness, swelling, and discoloration around a tendon.When I took a good look at the top of my foot I was surprised to see it was puffy, and there was a bruise in the sore area. No wonder I was having issues!

There were several possible causes. The first was shoes that were too tight, or shoelaces tied too tightly. Aha! I found the issue!

Figuring that a first step would be to try to alleviate the problem myself. The treatment section called for rest (by avoiding or reducing the activity that caused the issue), removing direct pressure from the top of my feet from my footwear, elevating and icing the area with a cold pack, and using an over-the counter NSAID, I took that to mean that tonight I had permission to sit on the couch with the footrest raised and a gel ice pad on the sore area. Things already feel better.

Five years ago today: Tech Inept

If You Can't Laugh At Yourself...

This afternoon our church had their annual Sausage Supper, rebranded this year as the Fall Festival. The event has been going on for decades, but over the years the menu has been revamped to include fried chicken and hot dogs. This year the menu was overhauled again to include an additional protein choice (tacos with chorizo sausage) prepared by the Latino community and modified sides (store-bought potato salad and potato chips instead of mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans).

Once again the temperature for the day was forecast to be well above average. I had volunteered to work a shift in the kitchen, which is a traditionally a very hot place, so this morning I put on a tee shirt that had a church logo large enough to cover most of the front.

I had a couple of errands to run. The first was a stop at the grocery store just up the street to get cash from the ATM. When I got close to the door I saw people standing there wearing yellow aprons, a sign that a chapter of a fraternal group Hubby Tony belongs to was doing their annual charity donation drive.

I walked up to the door and one of the collectors greeted me by saying "and here's someone representing [church name]". I was confused, because I didn't know the person. I started to ask how they knew me, then I looked down and saw the logo on my shirt 🤣.

Five years ago today: This Day In History.....Live From New York

The Calendar Says Fall, But The Thermometer Disagrees

October is more than a quarter of the way over. At this time of year, the highs in the St. Louis area are supposed to be somewhere between 68-72°F. Instead, today the high temperature might blow past the record of 89°F (which was set in 1938).

Yesterday I was at Aldi and noticed they had bagged peaches on sale. I thought that was kind of weird, because I associate peaches with summer, but the price was right and a bag came home with me. This morning I added one of them to my lunch bag. When I ate it hours later I realized that a peach was the perfect fruit for the summer-like day.

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