Batter Up!

Tonight's the first game of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers. After dinner we'll be turning on the TV and settling in for an exciting night of baseball watching.

It's great to see the hometown team in the Series. Back in August, no one thought they'd be playing now; they were 10½ games back, and didn't qualify for the postseason until the last day of the regular season. Then, they had to win series against the Philadelphia Phillies and the Milwaukee Brewers. They did all that, and here they are!

In honor of this premiere baseball event, here's a poem written by Helen of Living Boldly.  Helen, thanks for letting me repost it.

Batter Up!

When summer fun has ended

And autumn leaves begin to fall

Baseball takes the center stage

For the greatest show of all

Frenzied fans will pack the stands

Will scream and shout and cheer

It's time for the World Series

For the best games of the year

Fans keep track on scorecards

Pitch by pitch and run by run

Through each of the nine innings

Or 'till the game is done

They boo the home plate umpire

Its three strikes and you're out!

No spit balls, scuff balls, mud balls

Umpires must leave no doubt

When the games have ended

And the champion has been crowned

They know they've been a part of something 

Something quite profound

GO CARDS!

Season's End

The retreat I helped plan this past weekend was a great success. It started on Thursday evening, ended on Sunday morning, and was jam-packed with activities. We got up before sunrise and didn't go to bed until long after dark. The weather was beautiful. We were able to some of the activities outside, under sunny skies with a few puffy white clouds. During breaks, it wasn't uncommon to see women strolling the grounds.

The retreat center we were at used to be a school for men studying to be religious brothers. The dormitory building is old, with thick walls and beautifully-worn hardwood floors. Each bedroom was large enough to hold a single-sized bed, upholstered chair, small desk, and sink. There was a closet off to one side, and a radiator under the window. The communal shower and bathroom facilities (one for each floor) were clean, but the water pressure wasn't as strong as what I'm used to at home, and I had a hard time regulating the temperature of my showers. There were also quite a few other women that needed to use them in the morning, so all my showers were hurried affairs.

I had my phone turned off all weekend. When I turned it on Sunday morning, there was a message from my boss asking if I could work Monday afternoon (starting at 2:00) instead of my usual morning shift. I was thrilled, because that would allow me to sleep in after the busy weekend. When I woke up this morning, it was wonderful to use my own bathroom. I stood in the shower for quite some, letting the warm (not too hot, not too cold) water beat down on my back as I planned my day.

This morning I put the garden to bed for the year. Vegetables like the tomatoes and peppers I'm growing don't tolerate cold weather, and our warm temperatures are coming to an end. Yesterday we had most of the windows in the house open, and it was nice enough to wear shorts in the afternoon. Later in the week, the lows will be in the upper 30s. Tomorrow is trash day, and one of the trucks that come through the neighborhood picks up yard waste, so I could pull up the plants and immediately get rid of them. I carried the "green" trash can out to the back yard and got started.

This summer I planted three pepper plants and four tomato plants. Over the months, they'd grown and become intertwined and morphed into a tangled mass of plant, so I started by removing the larger stems from each plant, removing the fruit and putting it in a bucket. As each individual plant was revealed, I pulled it out and added it to the can.

Next, I removed the weeds that had sprouted underneath the tangle of plants and next to the chicken wire fence that protected the garden. They got tossed into the trash can, too. The last job was to pull out the stakes that held the chicken wire surrounding the small plot. I wound the wire around the stakes so it would be ready to use again next year, then carried everything to the garage.

When I came inside, I washed the vegetables and spread them on a towel to dry. The bruised or blemished fruits went into the "broth bag" I keep in the freezer that holds odds and ends I save to make broth. Everything else got poured into a five quart bowl (and filled it to the brim). The majority of the tomatoes were of the cherry and grape varieties, although there were a few standard-sized ones. There were also a half dozen sweet green peppers and an equal number of hot ones. I'll decide what to do with all my bounty tomorrow.

Withdraw

Retreat (riˈtrit) A retirement or a period of retirement for religious exercises and meditation.

By the time you read this, I will have left for a retreat weekend with a group of women from church. The retreat officially starts tonight after dinner, but since I'm part of the organizing team I have to get there early and set things up.

Although we've been working on the retreat since July, this week has been a flurry of last-minute activities.  Each day I've gotten multiple emails from different team members, reminding me of things not to forget.  Be yesterday, I had a large pile of shopping bags in the dining room.

Last night I started packing my suitcase and getting my things together. The weather will be beautiful, but with a forecast for temperatures in the low- to mid-70s, it's hard to know if I should bring short sleeved or long sleeved shirts. I packed both, including two "church" outfits for Sunday. I've gone on week long vacations with a lighter suitcase!

Time to load the car and get on the road for my adventure!

I'm late! I'm late!

I've been so busy getting ready for a big affair at church this weekend I almost forgot the social event of the season...The Willow Manor Ball!  A lot of my bloggy friends will be there, so I wanted to stop in for at least a few minutes and say hello  to everyone.

What to wear?  Many of my friends got their dresses weeks ago (and posted pictures of them so we could all ooh and aah). Since I'm doing this at the last minute, it was a bit of a scramble. Fortunately, I work at a mall, so yesterday after my shift I ran from store to store and finally found something perfect.  Can't go wrong with basic black.

I didn't have time to get new jewels, so I'm recycling the earrings I wore two years ago. I think they're classics, though, don't you?

I decided to rent a convertible for the trip. I hope the weather cooperates so I can put the top down!









For the past two years I've taken a date with me, but this year I'm going by myself.  My plan is to talk with all the sensational guests and listen to the fantastic music, although I suspect that if I want to dance I'll be able to find someone who'll sway with me.

Maybe I'll see you there?

In Fourteen Hundred And Ninety Two...

Today is Columbus Day. I had to work. Hubby Tony did not.

Usually he's left for the office by the time I come downstairs in the morning, so it was different having him there today. As I got dressed for work, he was downstairs making his plans for the day. When I left, he had already started on his activities.

In my experience, Columbus Day is celebrated by the post office, banks, government offices, and some schools. I don't know how many people got to stay home today, but it was enough to affect traffic in a good way; the bottleneck I always run into getting onto the highway wasn't there.

While I was at work, I had a dinner inspiration. Since Christopher Columbus was born in Italy, wouldn't it be nice to celebrate his day by having Italian food for dinner? In between fielding questions at the Customer Service desk I put together a menu and wrote out a grocery list.

I asked Tony to pick up a loaf of good bread while he was out. After I left work, I drove to the grocery store and picked up the rest of the ingredients. My list started with a head of romaine lettuce for salad. The main dish was pasta (whole wheat rotini) with sausage and vegetables in red sauce (salsiccia, a container of sliced baby bella mushrooms, and a can of crushed tomatoes). I already had onion, garlic, red wine, and beef broth.

When I got home I fed the cats, then put the sausages in the oven to bake. I cut an onion into large pieces, then started sautéing it while I minced garlic. After five minutes the garlic went in the pan, too. I added the mushrooms, turned up the heat, and cooked them until they were dark brown. A big splash of red wine to deglazed the pan, then I poured in a cup of beef broth and the can of tomatoes. I seasoned the sauce with basil, oregano, and a teaspoon of sugar and let it simmer. When the sausage was done, I let it cool for a few minutes, then cut it into bite-sized pieces and added it to the sauce pot and simmered it while I cooked the pasta.

I prepared the salad and put it in a bowl. Tony came home bearing bread and cups of spumoni for dessert. It didn't take long to slice the bread and set the table. I plated the pasta, but put everything else on the table so we could serve ourselves. After we'd finished, I asked Tony to "serve" dessert. He got the ice cream cups from the freezer, took off the lids, and added a spoon to each. Couldn't be easier.

The whole meal was wonderful, and there's enough for leftovers tomorrow, too. I'd like to think Christopher Columbus would approve

Nature is the Art of God--Sir Thomas Browne

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Mobility Tour

The mall I work at has a supply of wheelchairs and electric mobility scooters available for customer use. Usually people come to the Customer Service desk to pick them up and drop them off, but if someone is unable to walk that far they'll ask for special assistance. If there's more than one person at the desk we're happy to do it; otherwise one of the Security officers takes care of it.

The other day I got a call from a woman who was finished with her scooter. Would someone come and pick it up? I volunteered to take care of it. The lady and her companion were waiting right where they said they'd be, close to one of the entrances on the far side of the mall. After helping her get through the exit door, I sat on the scooter and prepared to ride it back.

The speed dial on our scooters are permanently set to the lowest setting, which is the equivalent of a slow stroll. Perfect for mall browsing, but not so great for getting somewhere quickly. I decided to make the most of it, though, and moved past the stores at a sedate speed, noticing all the new merchandise in the display windows, and making mental notes of things I wanted to go back and check out. Even though I was just crawling along, I almost ran into people a couple of times with my rubbernecking!

You drive the scooter by pushing one of two levers with your thumb. The one on the right controls the forward motion, and reverse is on the left. After the first hundred yards, my thumb was starting to get tired, but I forged ahead. I refrained from honking the tinny-sounding horn, because I didn't want to draw any more attention to myself. I finally made the last turn into the Customer Service area without any incidents. I pulled the scooter into the storage area and plugged it in so it would be ready for the next user...which I hoped wouldn't be me!

Songful

I've been looking a song for a church event next weekend. After a lot of thought and listening, I've narrowed it down to two that are completely different.

The first is "Answer Me" by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings



And the second is "Down to the River to Pray" by Alison Kraus from the soundtrack of the movie O Brother Where Art Thou.



The director of the event has the final say, but I thought I'd also poll you, my bloggy friends. Which do you like better?

More Fun!

Back in August Hubby Tony and I went to Six Flags with Sons Brian and Donald and Daughter-In-Law Nicole. I hadn't been for a few years, and despite the fact it was close to 100 degrees that day I had a great time. There were very few people in the park and the lines for the rides were very short or non-existent. In four hours we'd done everything we wanted to do and left.

Brian and Nicole have Six Flags season passes, and yesterday they were planning on going again. Donald wanted to go with them, but he needed a ticket. He started searching around for a deal, but it was Nicole that came up with the solution. She and Brian wanted to get passes again for next year, and the park's currently offering a promotion: any season pass bought and activated now was good for the rest of this season and all of next year. To get the best price, they wanted to purchase a "family pack" (which included a free parking pass), but that required four people. After a bit of thought and discussion with Tony, we decided to join in. That's why, for the first time in my life, I'm the proud holder of a Six Flags season pass.

After Tony and I got back from church we piled in the car for the trip to the park. There wasn't much traffic getting into the park, and no lines at the admission windows. Instead of getting the usual ticket, we received paper vouchers that got us into the park, and served as our receipt at the ticket activation office. That didn't open until noon, so when we got into the park we took a quick vote on which direction to go and headed towards the first ride of the day.

Again, the park wasn't very crowded. The longest we waited in a line was 15 minutes. Until we got to the ticket activation office. That line snaked back and forth a couple of times, almost reaching the sidewalk, and moved in slow spurts. When we got up to the office, we found out they were having sporadic computer issues, causing all their terminals to shut down. Fortunately, they were all working when we needed them.

When I stepped up to the terminal, the first step was to scan the bar code on my voucher, then type inmy information (name, address, and email address). After that, I moved to the picture-taking station. The attendant scanned my voucher, which pulled up my information. He held up a small camera attached to his computer and told me to smile. Thirty seconds later he handed me a card with my name and photo on it.

This year's Six Flags season is over at the end of October, and it's only open on the weekends, so I don't know if I'll make it back before they close, but I'm looking forward to my visits next year. We had to designate one person to be in charge of the parking pass (it was one of the young people, since they'll probably go more than Tony and I will) so if I want to avoid the hefty parking fee I'll have to have quality theme park fun with them!

Deals On Demand

Another weekend, another family visit.

Son Brian and Daughter-In-Law Nicole came in town late last night. This afternoon we watched the Cardinals game (sadly, after a great start they lost big time to the Phillies). After the game we were hungry, and started thinking about where we'd like to go out to eat.

I've been using Groupon for several months to get discounts at local businesses, but tonight I didn't have any for restaurants. However, the Website offers another option I've never used before, called Groupon Now!

Groupon Now! allows you to buy deals that are good for limited hours today and the next two days. They guarantee that if you can't use the deal within the stated time they'll refund your money.

The deals are divided by type. You can choose to:

• Eat Something
• Get Pampered
• Get a Treat
• Go Shopping
• Have Fun
• Exercise
• Take Care of My Ride
• Visit a Museum

Within each category, the deals are listed by when you can use them and how far away each place was. I used the Groupon app on my phone, which uses its GPS to figure out my location, and was pleasantly surprised to find that a Chinese restaurant just a couple of miles from the house was listed. A couple of clicks later I'd purchased the deal. Everyone got their shoes and jackets, and we were on our way.