Teen-Aged

The other day I was at the grocery store picking up a couple of things, one of which was a bag of fresh spinach to replace the one I'd taken from Son Donald's refrigerator shelf.  I usually get my bagged spinach at Aldi, where there's one brand and two choices-take it or leave it.  However, this store had an overwhelming selection of alternatives.  Did I want a bag (multiple sizes) or a clamshell? Organic or conventional?  What brand?

I visualized the label of the bag I'd used.  The ones that were displayed on the eye-level shelf weren't right--they weren't big enough, or mixed with other greens.  I found what I was looking for tucked away on the bottom shelf.  It was a 9 ounce bag with the word SPINACH predominantly printed on the cellophane.  I checked the shelf price tag to see how much I'd be paying for it, and was startled to read I was getting something called "teenage spinach".
.
WHAT?!?  I'd never heard of teenage spinach.  Is it impulsive and hormonal?  Does it sleep all day and prefer to hang out with its friends?  

Of course not; it's just a categorizing term.  Spinach is typed according to how long it's grown before harvest.  Baby spinach has small leaves that are picked early (usually about a third of the time it takes to mature).  Teen spinach grows a little longer and has larger leaves.

Still, the idea of impulsive, hormonal greens makes me smile. 

Five years ago today: New Thing #220--Electronic

A Perfect Friday Afternoon

What do you do on a perfect 70-degree afternoon after a busy morning of errands, meetings, and outside chores?  I voted for ignoring the rest of my To Do list and taking a nap on the family room couch, where I could listen to the cicadas and feel the breeze coming in through the windows.

I wasn't the only one.  Fortunately the couch is long enough to share.

Five years ago today: New Thing #218-How Long?

The Sad Thing Is, I Think He's Seriously Happy

Email received from the mall Customer Service desk boss:

GOOD NEWS!
I have a very important announcement to make.  Santa is scheduled to arrive on Saturday, November 16th at 10 am.

Five years ago today: New Thing #215--Orange Crush

Do You Copy?

A couple of weeks ago the mall Customer Service desk was gifted with a two-way radio so we could communicate with the maintenance, cleaning, and security people more easily.  At first the sturdy black box intimidated me; my kids had toy walkie talkies years ago, but I'd never used a real one.  Now every morning when the desk opens we remove the radio from its charging station and set it on the desk. 

I've only had a few opportunities to use the radio, but I've discovered that when it's slow at the desk it's is a good source of entertainment. I just listen in on what's going on everywhere else in the mall!  There's a whole set of lingo that goes along with walkie talkies and CB radios, but the system here is pretty informal. Every officer/department has their own numerical identifying code.  Depending on who's is talking I might hear:

• Come In (Are you there?)
• 10-4 (Okay)
• Roger (Understood)
• Over (I’m done talking)
• Negative (No)
• Affirmative (Yes)
• Do you copy? (Can you hear me?)

Each department seems to have their own uses for the radios. Maintenance is usually silent unless someone reports a burned out bulb or a needed repair.  Cleaning mainly discusses floor spills (wet and dry) and who's going to clean what up. The most interesting exchanges, though, come from the security department and occur when the officers are watching someone do something they're not supposed to in the mall.

Five years ago today: New Thing #214--Divine Energy

Folks In Heaven

This poem has been making the rounds on my friend's Facebook walls.    I think it has a message worth remembering...

Folks In Heaven

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Bob, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said,
'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

~ J. Taylor Ludwig ~

Five years ago today: New Thing #212--Move Along

Classic Country

On our Friday night in Nashville Hubby Tony and I went honky tonkin'. I had a good time, but the rowdy "party" music the bands were playing wasn't what we came to the area to hear.  We were looking for classic country the kind with steel guitars and mandolins.  On Saturday we got our fix.

Saturday morning when we were sightseeing we asked the concierge at one of the hotels for music recommendations.   She said there were a couple of places on Broadway we could go, but the music we wanted to hear tended to be played more during the day.  In the evening we had two choices--the Grand Ole Opry or The Station Inn.

I'd already researched who was playing at the Opry, and wasn't interested in paying the (somewhat hefty) ticket price for that evening's program.  When the heard that the cover charge at The Station Inn was about a quarter of the Opry's our plans were set!  The concierge said we'd need to plan on being there when the doors opened (almost two hours before show time); admission was first come, first served, and sometimes there was a line to get in.

We thanked her for the information and continued on our way.  After a fun-filled morning and early afternoon of sightseeing we went back to our condo for a nap, then headed out again.

Our first destination was Robert's Western World, which specializes in traditional country music. We grabbed seats at a table to the side of the stage and small dance floor.  The room had a wonderful patina of age and a retro atmosphere.  In the afternoon there's no age restrictions, and the crowd ranged from tweens to seniors.  Many people were drinking, but the waitress didn't bat an eye when I asked her to bring me a cup of coffee.  We ordered a basket of fries to share, but passed on the fried bologna sandwich and fried pickles.

This country music is what we came all the way to Nashville to see!  Before most songs, the band leader would ask, "who wants to hear some [insert classic country music singer--Merle Haggard, George Jones, Buck Owens, Chet Atkins, Conway Twitty]". The crowd would whoop, and they'd start.  I can't say I knew all the songs, but it was still great.

We left in time to walk to a church several blocks away for Mass, then hopped on the shuttle bus for a ride to the Gulch area several miles away.  When we got off the bus we turned right instead of left and walked several blocks out of the way before we realized our mistake and turned around.  There was no line in front of The Station Inn, so we went for a quick dinner and returned when the doors opened.

The Station Inn bills itself as "Bluegrass and Roots Music’s premiere listening room", and it's been around since the 1970's.  The dive-y looking cement block building has no windows. Inside, the dark-painted walls and exposed ductwork on the ceiling made it feel like we were in someone's basement, and long rows of tables lined with mismatched chairs added to the atmosphere.

We took our seats as the musicians (the Keith Tew Band with Don Hill, Jon Martin, Randy Holland and Sam Jackson) were finishing their sound check.  After they left the house music came on and Tony and I chatted while we waited for the show to start.  We also struck up a conversation with a woman at next table.  It was that kind of place.

The band came on stage right at 9:00.  A traditional bluegrass band consists of guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and upright bass.  The instruments weren't amplified, but there were microphones on the stage so the sound could carry across the room.  The band played fast songs and slow songs, and there was plenty of time for each member to solo.  The audience wasn't rowdy--you could tell they were there to listen, not party--but there was plenty of hand clapping and cheering when something caught their fancy.

Unfortunately we couldn't stay to the end of the show, because the last shuttle bus headed back to the downtown area at 11:00.  A long walk would have been a sad ending to a great day.

Five years ago today: New Thing #210--TXT

Day Tripping

Friday night in Nashville Hubby Tony and I bar hopped and listened to music.  It was fun, but on Saturday we wanted something different.

Before we left home we had done research and figured out some things we wanted to do.  In addition, earlier in the week I'd been talking with some of the regular mall walkers at work.  When they found out my weekend plans they offered some ideas.  On their next trip past the Customer Service desk they gave me some more.  We left town with a long list of activities to choose from.

Saturday morning after breakfast we gathered our things and left the condo.  Our first stop was the five-star Hermitage Hotel, which for many years was "the" place to stay in town. It opened in 1908 and cost a million dollars to build. We walked inside and took a look at the lobby's beautiful vaulted stained glass ceiling and ornamental plaster domes.  They were setting up for an event in the lobby, so we didn't stay long.  We did talk to their Concierge, who wasn't assisting any hotel guests, and got some music suggestions for later in the day.

Next we headed a couple of blocks over towards the State Capitol. The building is easy to find; it sits at the top of a huge hill. We walked through the War Memorial Plaza, which contains an open space in front of the War Memorial Building (unfortunately closed) and monuments. We climbed a long flight of stairs to reach the Capitol. It was closed, but we walked around to the other side and took in the impressive views.  It started sprinkling, and we took shelter under the building's portico while we talked about what rain would do for our plans for the day. Thankfully it only lasted a couple of minutes and we moved on to the next activity on our list, the Farmer's Market.

On our way into the market we passed through Bicentennial Mall State Park and stopped to admire the row of 31 "Rivers of Tennessee" geyser fountains (one for each of the state's rivers). The market had two large covered sheds for produce vendors, an enclosed food court area, and a flea market section. As we wandered through the market we realized we were hungry. We noshed our way through the food court and market (soup from a Chinese stand, tamales and rice from another, and a homegrown tomato for dessert.)

When we were finished at the market we decided to take one of the free shuttles, which run every fifteen minutes, to get back to the condo . We stood at stop closest to the farmer's market for about five minutes, then decided it would be quicker to walk. On the way we ended up finding the Public Square Observation Deck, which had a nice view of the city's skyline.

By this time it was almost 2:00 and time to get back to the condo for a power nap.  There was a lot more to do! 

Five years ago today: New Thing #209--Wax On

Honky Tonking

When we realized this year our wedding anniversary was on a Friday, Hubby Tony decided to take a vacation day so we could go on an adventure. He came up with a list of places we could get to in the car within 5-6 hours. We talked it over, and decided on Nashville.

"Music City" was a natural place for us to go.  Tony and I like to listen to a wide variety of music.  Country is one of them, specifically classic country and bluegrass. It's hard to find them performed live around here, but if we went to the country music Mecca there'd be plenty to see.

Mapquest said the drive from St. Louis to Nashville could be done in as little as 6 hours, but our trip took a couple of hours more than that.  We went out of the way for lunch, then took scenic, but lower-speed state roads across Illinois to Paducah.  Once we headed south on Interstate 24 we encountered road work which slowed us down even more.  We finally pulled into Nashville about 5:00 

Our first stop after we parked the car was a visitor's center.  We came out of the center with maps, tourist information, and restaurant recommendations, collected our suitcases from the car, then walked to our condo, which was in a converted warehouse building right in the middle of everything we wanted to do.   After we unpacked our bags we read the visitor information and made our evening plans.

Crowds on Broadway

For dinner we went to Demos' Restaurant , which was recommended by the clerk at the visitor center.  Their specialties were spaghetti and steaks.  We sampled both, along with salads and fresh-from-the oven rolls.  Everything was good, and I walked out of there feeling like I wouldn't need to eat again for a very long time.

After dinner we walked up and down Second Avenue and Broadway, where there are dozens of places to hear music.  They all had their doors open (and none had a cover charge). If we heard something we liked from the sidewalk we'd go in, then move on to the next place as the spirit moved us. Most places were playing "new" country or rowdy country party music, and both the bands and the audiences were having a good time.

Each block also had street musicians who'd set up shop on the sidewalk. Sometimes we'd stop and listen and sometimes we'd walk right by; I had a stash of dollar bills in my pocket to tip the ones I liked best.

I knew it was time to call it a night when I started falling asleep sitting on a barstool while loud music played around me.  Tony and I listened to the last of the night's music as we walked past the honky tonks on the way back to our condo. 

Five years ago today: New Thing #207--A Preview

Getaway

Our wedding anniversary (number 33) was Friday.  Instead of spending just a day celebrating it, we took a whole weekend!

After breakfast Hubby Tony and I packed up the car for a weekend trip to Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville is approximately six hours from St. Louis.  There are two primary ways you can get there.  The most direct is through Illinois and Kentucky (going east then south on Interstates 64, 57, and 24).  An alternate route, and the one we chose to take, goes south on Interstate 55 before heading east to Paducah then south again.

Why did we take the longer route?  So we could stop at Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, home of "throwed rolls".

The parking lot at Lambert's was disturbingly full, but we only had to wait about fifteen minutes to get a table. We ordered our meals (a hamburger for me, fried chicken for Tony) and waited for the fun to begin.  We were lucky; it didn't take long for the roll thrower to wheel out a cart of large yeasty rolls.  We waved our hands so he'd send one our way.  There's butter and honey available on the table, but you can also get sorghum molasses or apple butter from the person walking around with a huge metal can.

It doesn't take long for our meals with sides to arrive, but in addition to the food that came from the kitchen we also got to have the pass-arounds: fried okra, macaroni and tomatoes, black-eyed peas, and fried potatoes, which are carried around the restaurant in metal bowls and doled out with large spoons.  You can get as many servings as you want.

Lambert's offers dessert, but we were too stuffed to take advantage of it.  We made a bathroom stop, (but passed on the gift shop on the way out of the building) and hit the road.  Nashville was waiting!

Five years ago today: New Thing #206--Fun With Desiccant

Overheard After Dinner Tonight...

Hubby Tony: I really like this fritatta you made.

Me: Thanks. It was easy to make yesterday before I went to work, and quick to reheat last night and again tonight. Now that you've eaten it, do you want to know the secret ingredient? Or would you prefer to stay in the dark?

Tony: Let me try to guess.  Of course it had eggs.  I also tasted corn, zucchini, greens, onion, and cheddar cheese. Was it a spice?

Me: Not exactly.  Those greens you ate came from outside.  They're dandelions.

Tony: Ummmm.....

Me:  Don't worry.  It's all good.   Yesterday morning I was weeding and trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Something clicked when I saw three monster dandelions growing in the ground cover outside the back garage door.  I know you can cook dandelion greens just like any other green.  We've had kale, chard, collard, turnip, and mustard, so what's one more type?  Besides, I once made myself a salad of dandelion greens and lived to tell.  Just to be sure I did a Google search, which led me to an article in the Huffington Post that talked about people actually getting dandelion greens in their CSA baskets. 

There was no way I could get a shovel in there to dig out the whole plant so I did the next best thing and pulled off individual leaves.  Some of them were a foot long!  When I was done I had a couple of cups.  Not enough for a side dish of greens, so I had to think (even more) creatively.  The Huffington Post article said:

"Because the greens are bitter, they pair perfectly with rich flavors: think goat cheese, egg yolk, bacon, potatoes."

We didn't have any bacon or potatoes in the house, but there are always eggs, and we had lots of cheese in the freezer. A fritatta sounded perfect.  I washed the dandelion leaves twice, then dried them, chopped them, and dumped them into a baking dish along with one ear of corn, most of the zucchini in the vegetable drawer, a half of onion, and a clove of garlic.  Mixed everything together, baked it, then when the vegetables were done added the beaten eggs and cheese and baked again until the top was nice and brown.  That's it.

Tony: (Still not looking completely convinced) Well, it did taste good.  Did you write a blog post about it?

Me:  Great idea!

Five years ago today: New Thing #203--Pay Attention