Let’s make this a feel good day!
Viva la France! – Kudos to French President Hollande who has vowed to continue to help refugees despite recent events. We cannot let fear compromise our basic ethics.
Pay it forward or maybe backward – I have received two free Starbucks coffees (sorta but I paid for someone else) within the past two weeks. There is a momentum going on in the drive-through to pay for the coffee of the person in back of you. Of course, I participated so it’s close to even but it still feels pretty good!
Similar but very different — A local pizza shop has started to take donations for the homeless in a unique way. You buy a post-it for $2 (discounted cost) that is good for one slice. You write your own comment or inspiration on it and tack it to a wall. A homeless person can come in, take a post-it or two (who eats just one piece?), and cash it in. Within a week, they sold 200. The good part — it’s local and it’s for the homeless that you know. Who can’t afford to give $2?
Christmas gifts – After spending money on furniture and some yard upgrades, we have decided to make this a low-key Christmas (that means no gifts). My cat will undergo some teeth surgery shortly. My dilemma is how to explain that the beloved husband’s gift this year is a cat with clean teeth? Perhaps I can wrap the extraction.
Never on a Friday – We had dinner out with friends on Friday night. In our house that is often take-out, pizza or local pub night. Restaurants are slammed and a crowded restaurant isn’t my idea of fun. I can’t hear well and most of the local restaurants have architecture they call “California-style” – high ceilings, no noise blockers, cement floors – not good for anyone with hearing issues especially when it’s filled to capacity. That 4 o’clock senior dinner special is starting to hold some allure for this old bird!
Early bird special! Source: dietxnutritionc.om
So how was your week?
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
No more gifts for us either! I can’t believe how freeing it is to be able to pay no attention to the almost constant barrage of “BUY THIS NOW” we get this time of year.
I have never heard of “California Style.” I guess, here in California, it’s just noisy and off-putting. I have hearing problems too and avoid loud restaurants like the plague. I want to be able to hear what my dinner partners are saying. I think it must be attractive to the younger demographic who are probably just paying attention to their smart phones anyway.
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No gifts are freeing. I do buy more things (needed things) at the holidays because the inventory is better but it’s easy purchases. I’d love to find a restaurant that caters to older patrons (and I don’t mean early bird specials!). Thinking more of portion size, noise and comfort.
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We like the pay it backward in drive-thru places. CH and I don’t exchange gifts for Christmas and we don’t buy gifts for family with the exception of his Mom. We don’t go out on Friday nights, Saturday, or Sunday unless we absolutely have to. We venture out on the less busy days… Monday thru Thursday. Your header is so pretty!
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Thanks! The header is a shot of my pear tree from last week. Sounds like we are very much alike. When people ask us out for dinner (if I’m on my game) I tell them we aren’t available for the weekend but we can to Monday thru Thursday.
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You’re just full of good news: the French president, pay it backwards, and the $2 post-it. I love it. These little close-to-home things are a good antidote for the news we hear of Americans behaving badly. Thank you.
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I always hope that people are being misquoted but….
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Viva La France is right. Now if only a few of our politicians would learn a thing or two from that. I received a coffee that way the other day. Now I have to reciprocate? Well, tis the season. I love the pizza for the homeless idea. All your hubby wants for Christmas is your cats two front teeth? There must be a song in that somewhere? Sounds like the kind of restaurants we have around here. Oh wait, I live in California! That explains it.
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California, land of the noisy (but hip) restaurants!
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Oh yeah, were with it, Kate. 😀
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Love the pizza shop idea. Hope your kitty cat appreciates his surgical procedure. I’ve not heard of “California style” restaurant decor, but I understand your reluctance to go to such a restaurant. Whatever happened to meeting friends for drinks and dinner to quietly catch up?
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I guess a “quiet” place means a boring place.
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I want to ask some pizza places in New Haven to offer this post it note, I think that is a great idea, Kate. Thanks for telling us about it. I’ve had the ‘pay it forward’ coffee happen to me, too. Felt so good for the rest of the day. Healthy cat teeth for Christmas sounds pretty good. At this stage, we really don’t need anything either.
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Yes so how do I wrap that rotten tooth so it looks like a nice present?
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I love that pizza place idea. If restaurants around here did that, I would definitely be eating there more often. Last year, our cat had to have extensive vet visits and testing right before Christmas, so we ended up not doing gifts at all either. Hope your kitties teeth surgery goes well 🙂
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Our cat Mollie is going in for a cleaning and extractions in 2 weeks. She is very sensitive to medications so I always worry with her. I got her paperwork and realized she’s 11. How did she get to be that old?
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Time moves way too fast! I still think of my cat as a kitten even though she’s now 3. Good luck to miss Mollie 🙂
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Many years ago my (then current) cat got sick. I took her to the vet and she was in renal failure. I said to the vet, “how could that be?” He said she’s 14, it happens.” Again I said, “how could that be?” I too thought of her as the little kitten who was just taking more naps. My other cats have been overshadowed the last few years with the illness of my (now deceased) cat Jake. However, they were getting older through it all.
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I’ve never heard of “California style” architecture, and can’t say that I know what it means. That being said, I do think that our restaurants are horribly noisy! I completely know what you’re referring to when you talk about the clatter and inability to have a decent conversation over that noise. It really spoils the experience and I try to avoid it. Fortunately for Southern California, there is patio dining year-round, and that’s the only defense. I love the idea of pizza for the local homeless. What a unique concept! We aren’t doing gifts this year either. I have some big dental bills this month, too. Your kitty and I have something in common. 🙂
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Here in the east we put California in front of a lot of stuff so it’s sounds more edgy. California cuisine (sometimes called fusion but my mother would call it a mish-mash of whatever they wanted to make), California style bars (loud, dark and noisy), etc. Outdoor dining is popular here however, during the summer some folks think it’s too hot and during the spring and fall, they think it’s too cold. As long as I’m in the shade and dressed for the weather with an umbrella drink in front of me, I’m good.
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Is that what that “style” is called?! Hah. Yes, I always want to eat early too, but hubby wants to water the plants first so that means I have to feed the cats first so we never get out of here until regular dinner time.
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It always takes up 15 minutes from the time we are ready to go until we get in the car. Check this, check that. Before you know it we are later than planned!
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Love the pizza post-it idea. Since the floods here there have been more homeless on the downtown streets. Heartbreaking.
I don’t like noisy restaurants because the difficulty we senoirs have with background noise. One of the reasons they do it is to turn tables. Noisy places are not places to sit back and relax and enjoy the food. The faster people eat and leave the more money is made.
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That’s a good point. I just don’t frequent those places often so they are losing my patronage.
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I love the pay it forward coffee. When someone does it for me, it makes my day. Also…this pizza deal for the homeless…want to meet whomever thought this up. How great is that. And I’m always touched when you say, you don’t hear all that well. Solidarity truly rocks. Love the Random 5.
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The coffee thing evens out. Someone buys yours and you buy someone else’s coffee but the pizza is truly cool. The restaurant discounts it so they have “skin in the game” too. Most people over 60 don’t hear as well either especially when there is a lot of background noise. Some are more willing to admit it. I find it easier to be upfront about it.
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And I admire you for that so much. Makes me willing to be a little braver.
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You are far braver than I am!
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I don’t know about that.
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Kudos to your pizza place ~ I hope honesty prevails.
We haven’t exchanged Christmas or birthday gifts for years. There simply isn’t much we need or want anymore. We’ll donate to a good cause instead.
I agree, Kate, it’s aggravating trying to have a conversation in a noisy place like that. I’d rather have a quiet conversation with a friend sitting across my dining room table. Must be getting old!
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We are both getting old!
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So that annoying, noise inducing restaurant design is called “California Style”? Here in California we just call it annoying. Please don’t blame us. We don’t like it, either.
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You probably call it “Philadelphia style!” They call it avant-garde and edgy too. That’s supposed to make it better.
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Great idea by the pizza place. We don’t exchange gifts. We typically buy something for the house, if needed. Who needs more stuff?
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So wise. The pizza place is in a downtown city near a university and of course homeless people. Great idea!
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I read an article a while ago about how restaurants specifically design interiors to enhance noise (hard surfaces, high ceilings). Apparently millennials equate noise with a good time, so if people are walking by and hear raised voices, music, clashing plates, they will be more likely to want to enter the establishment.
That means that someone might be able to make a lot of money by putting ear plug vending machines just inside the doors of trendy restaurants 😉
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Super sigh! That may be great for partying but not so much for a nice dinner with friends. I know I’ve heard variations on that before. They like to keep the music in bars loud so it sounds so fun but you can’t catch the name of the person sitting next to you. If only ear plugs would work! I think you need a whole head helmet!
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If all my cats had clean teeth I would consider that to be a great Christmas present!
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One before Christmas and one after. I agree with you. Happy cats and I’m happy.
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I love the pizza post-its! What a fantastic idea. I need to share that on Twitter or Facebook.
We’re right there with you and Beloved Husband. I think our big Christmas gift last year was a vacuum. So important with pets. 🙂
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I swear that our cats molt completely every week! I just saw a circle of grey fur on my carpet. It wasn’t there this morning!
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How does the pizza place keep “hungry teens” from coming in and grabbing one (or four) of the free slice post-its? ❓
BFF and I haven’t exchanged (obligatory) Birthday or Christmas gifts for years ~ no more racking our brains to come up with ideas and no more slogging through snow, slush, or sun to spend, spend, spend. Instead we blow a big raspberry at all the Black Friday hoopla.
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I don’t know about the teens. It’s in a university area and the kids from the university are the ones that bought the most tickets. I don’t know how they police it. Black Friday is a day to read a book, sip a latte (gotten early in the day) and laugh. I can’t get the beloved husband to completely stop the gift giving. I’ll have to think of something besides the rotten tooth. As you are well aware, you get to a point where you buy stuff you need when you need it. Many gifts come in the front door and go out the back door except Starbucks gift cards!
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On Black Friday, we like to watch the news to see how many idiots camped out in the snow to be first in line for the MAD rush.
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You won’t see my picture!
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Great Ideas Kate, my week was fighting pre-Thanksgiving crowds. But low key Holidays will work for me, my first no cards, I usually send tons, but get 5 back, they are not cimputer savvy. Regards.
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You are right. The traffic on the roads and in all the stores has picked up. I hate it but it’s part of the holidays. I haven’t even thought about cards yet. Each year I send less as others stop sending too. Connecting through social media has sort of taken over. It used to be that Christmas cards were the only communication you had with some people. Now I know where they are pretty much any time.
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Re cats dental job: Tell hubby that if he gets bitten, there’s less chance of an infection. Merry Christmas! 🙂
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It’s all in the spin!
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Absolutely! 🙂
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