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BACKGROUND INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW: Sitting on top of Philadelphia’s City Hall tower is a bronze statue of Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn. It was designed by Alexander Milne Calder; is thirty-seven feet tall; and is the tallest statue atop … Continue reading
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I thought when I retired, clothes would be easy — jeans, casual tops depending on the season and sneakers. I didn’t want to dress like some old woman with elastic waistbands and stretchy clothes that doesn’t quite fit. Nor do I want to … Continue reading
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I have worked in small, mid and large-sized companies. I find that mid-size companies are the most fun. It’s big enough to need things accomplished and small enough to make a difference. I also love knowing everyone by name, which … Continue reading
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Neither the autumnal equinox nor the back-to-schools sales signal autumn in our house. We are all about summer. We embrace it even on its hottest days; anticipate it much as a child with Christmas. In our house, autumn starts the … Continue reading
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It is just before 8 a.m. and in the distance I can see the coffee shop. The drive-through line isn’t crowded – one car at the pick-up window, no one at the order thingy. I pick up speed. There is … Continue reading
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In the back of a carrier there was a small young cat, trying to be invisible. I felt sorry for her because in addition to being terrified, she was somewhat homely looking. The cats in the other carriers were pawing … Continue reading
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This week I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by three different bloggers. All three are bloggers I follow and admire and I was touched. After three rounds of the snoopy dance, I tried to research the award. I … Continue reading
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The beloved husband is a very accomplished musician. You know what that means! He has stuff – guitars, amplifiers, lots of boxes with switches that do things, picks, straps, sheet music and of course, stuff with Gretsch or Martin Guitar … Continue reading
Nothing strikes fear in aging baby boomers as the words “old people smell.” You know what it is. Maybe you smelled it in your grandparent’s home or the home of an elderly neighbor. (For purposes of this blog, elderly always means considerably older than me.) I remember it in my old Aunt Mary’s house – musty, slightly like perspiration, old clothes, like an attic.
It doesn’t come from being dirty. My sister-in-law’s parent’s home had it too. Maybe a contributing factor is wearing sweaters and wool clothes too long between cleanings but it’s not from not bathing.
I don’t know when it starts. It’s probably like other house smells. It starts so gradual that you never know you have it. With three cats, I always worry that my house smells like cats. Not enough to get rid of the cats but enough to buy candles, plug-ins, the reed thingies in the bottle – you name it, if it promises to smell good, I buy it. In our last renovation we built a room I call the “cat bathroom.” Yep, it’s enclosed with a cat door and has an exhaust fan and it’s located in the basement. Don’t let the basement part fool you, it is an upscale cat potty!
But I am not convinced so I ask unsuspecting visitors, “Does it smell like cats in here?” What good-natured visitor would tell me the truth? Of course I always pick visitors with pets or people like my brother who can’t smell anything.
If I wanted the truth, I would ask a child. They have a way of blurting out the most vivid truth in words that are not subtle. My grandniece Karen once told me my house stinks. Just like that. “Your house stinks.” Fortunately, I was considerably younger (so I wasn’t worrying about old people smell) and I happened to be frying cabbage at the time. At this point, she is too old to be that blunt or truthful so there is no point in asking her about the cats. Oh, yes, she also has cats.
Of course, maybe I really don’t want to know. Maybe it’s in the genes. My mother’s house never smelled of old people and she lived to see 75. Her house had wonderful cooking smells almost all the time. Maybe that’s the answer! Cook more, sweat less and don’t wear wool!
Condiments! I am all about them. At any given time there are six mustards in my refrigerator and none of them are the mellow yellow kind. There is hot and spicy; sweet and hot (my fav); sweet and spicy (that’s different from the previous one); horseradish mustard; coarse ground; and of course, Dijon. There is also ketchup, dill ranch (for the beloved husband whose taste buds are too delicate for anything with a kick), pickle relish and a bunch of others. I wouldn’t even consider eating a sandwich without them – sometimes one condiment, sometimes multiples. I have been known to forget the meat!
Last year a new kind of tap-room opened locally and my attachment to condiments reached a new level. We have a vinegar and oil tap-room. (http://www.seasonstaproom.com/ – Visit for the recipes!) When you visit, they have these barrels of infused balsamic vinegar and olive oils and you can move from one to the next and taste before you buy. One my first visit, I walked out with six bottles of vinegar – one of them was dark chocolate balsamic vinegar. Now before you wrinkle your nose, it doesn’t taste like Hershey’s chocolate. It is not a blatant strong chocolate flavor (not that I have anything against that). It is just a very pleasant deep-flavored balsamic. Maybe mole sauce would be a good comparison. Not sweet but nice.
There are two people in my house. The beloved husband with the tender taste buds is not a vinegar fan. I had no idea what I would do with all this tasty vinegar. Then I started to put it on everything. Did you know you can put a little puddle on mashed potatoes? Yum! Works well with most vegetables. Marinades meat and oh, yes, salads too.
There is always a bottle on the dinner table. You never know what I will put it on next — delicious on bread, to marinate fruit, the list is endless. Beloved husband just rolls his eyes.
He also thinks I should go to meetings. “Hi, my name is Kate and I am a vinegarholic. I can’t keep my hands off the bottle.”
I love them all. My favorite changes from time to time although I LOVE the dark cherry. I also have blueberry, strawberry, lemon (really yummy with meats and salads), lavender (I didn’t think I would like that but what can I say, I am weak), 18-year-old balsamic (this is probably the sweetest one), grapefruit and premium white. I have some friends who encourage and buy as much or maybe more, so I am not alone. There is a whole cult of vinegar people out there who sneak it in all kinds of foods!
There was a time when “tap room” had a whole different meaning. Oh what a difference 30 years makes. I wonder which flavor would work best on a hot dog?
