Focused at Fifty

While driving through Wernersville, PA this afternoon, I was admiring the lovely fronts of all of these perfectly kept Victorian homes, even in the dead of winter.  I do have a favorite thing I do though, that I am able to do only in certain towns with back alleyways. I will let you in on a little secret. I drive down the back alleys and view the yards and back porches of these beautiful homes. I love seeing the backyards, the sanctuaries, the private oases of various families. Some have decks, some have pools, and others have beautiful gardens. If I am lucky, they have no fences and I am privy to see the private gardens where they relax. In the front, the Victorian homes have beautifully public yards and porches. In the summer, large ferns, geraniums, or marigolds plantings dominate the front. Either wicker or rattan sets are spread out on wide verandas where cools breezes waft through. In the back, there may be bricked garden paths lines with lanterns. Or ...

Apparently AARP benefits are right around the corner. John just signed me up as a "household" member. But I am only 40 1/2!!! LOL. I guess I can still reap the benefits! :)

 (Picture courtesy of pexels.com) So John and I were at the Lodge in our community this evening and I was talking to a woman I will call Rebecca who was standing between John and I.  I have know her for a about a half year and run into her every couple weeks. She is very sweet, a little pretentious, and dresses way too sophisticated for Schuylkill County, PA. We were talking for about 10 minutes and within 5 minutes I realized she was really drunk. While throwing back a vodka tonic, she started talking about how she is working on some knitting project and goes on and on and on about it. I don't have a problem with knitting per se, but wanted to talk about other things. She kept going back to her knitting and then started talking about some knitting club she is starting. I stifled a yawn, glanced down at my watch, and seeing it was 10:00 PM, decided I needed to act to either alert John it was time to go, or try and get away from her. I attempted to...

Driving to work today in my trusty red Saturn, I glanced over at a woman traveling about 70 mph. She was passing me on the major highway I travel every morning. She was driving and putting on mascara in her visor mirror at the same time! She seemed to be doing it well and was very adept at it, just spending enough time to put on one brush stroke and then looking down at the highway in front of her. She would swerve just a little about every half mile. I was mesmerized at how determined she was to get on that mascara! As I spend a lot of time on this highway, you can imagine that I end up seeing some pretty wild stuff. The only time I ever saw a barn owl was when it swooped down in front of my car, coming to within about 2 feet of hitting my windshield. I screamed like a 5 year old girl. Thankfully I didn’t swerve into the other lane. I once saw a huge 35 plus foot sports cruiser boat on the back of a flatbed truck. It towered over everything but of course was just able to fit un...

This is the recipe for pumpkin vodka which I made during the Fall and the holidays. I would love to take credit, but alas, I cannot. It was created by the Chef Jerry Labooty and General  Manager Mark Rosenberger of the Greystone Restaurant in Pottsville, PA. I can say that it was easy to make and sooo good! One thing I would recommend is that if you aren't going to finish it quickly, I would strain the pumpkin vodka through a coffee filter and then chill in the fridge to encourage longevity with flavor! I halved the recipe and it came out perfectly. Enjoy! Pumpkin Vodka Recipe 1 gallon jar with lid 3 small pumpkins 2 1.75 L vodka (Skyy was used, I used Absolut) 1 lb brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice Remove stems from pumpkins, cut in half, and clean out seeds and fibers. Steam halves for 10-15 minutes until a little soft. Place halves, while still hot into 1 gallon jar. Add all the other ingredients, seal jar...

Winter can be dull. Winter can be boring. No one wants to do anything. Everyone suffers from SAD!!!! (Seasonal Affective Disorder for all of you non-psycho types.)  Well in the words of Cher in Moonstruck , "SNAP OUT OF IT!" Winter does not have to be any of the above! There is so much to do, you just gotta get off your lazy winterized ass and do it!  You need to bundle up and get out, or do something fun in the warmth of your own home. With a little creativity, you can enjoy yourself and for a short time, forget that Old Man Winter is knocking at your door! I used to plan drink nights out with friends when I lived in Philly. I would plan several in January and February just to get out of the house and forget about winter. They were so much fun. I had a steady group of about 10 or so friends come out once every 3-4 weeks for dinner and drinks at different hot spots in the city. It was the Ritz-Carlton crowd I worked with along with some other close friends of min...

I can't take credit for this, but wanted to post it. I love it and I am proud to be from New Jersey!!! IF YOU LIVE IN NEW JERSEY: If you live in or have ever lived in Jersey ...you'll appreciate this...if not, you may be surprised! New Jersey is a peninsula. Highlands, New Jersey has the highest elevation along the entire eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida . New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties are classified as metropolitan areas. New Jersey has more race horses than Kentucky . New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq mi.) than Havana , Cuba . New Jersey has the densest system of highways and railroads in the US . New Jersey has the highest cost of living. New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance. New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation. New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes referred to as the "Diner Capital of the World." New Jersey is home to the original Mystery Pork Part...