Can't let this go!

I'm sorry but I can't let this go.

Yesterday on the Today Show, while waiting for my car to be inspected, there was a segment called How to Wear White Before Labor Day.

Say what?

A young, well dressed, black man with the use of several mannequins instructed women on how to incorporate white into their wardrobes before Memorial Day.

Again, "say what?"

I thought that old fashion no-no was long gone! Who dragged it into the 21st Century? It never made sense to me. It still doesn't. But then I listen to the beat of a different fashion drummer and wear white all year long. I like white. It goes with everything. What's not to like? How dare someone tell me when I can and can't, or shouldn't, wear white!!

Are the fashion police going to issue a ticket or incarcerate me for this meaningless, ridiculous fashion edict? In all the years I've worn white,  no one has ever said to me, "Dearie, you can't wear white before Memorial day! What is wrong with you?"

It also reminds me of another ridiculous culinary no-no about not trying new recipes on guests you've invited for dinner. Yes, I know all the reasons why you shouldn't -- but if you're an accomplished cook or even if you're not but feel inspired to try something new, then I say go for it!   

Rules are meant to be broken especially these two!!! Wear white whenever and  spring a new recipe on your guests! Live on the edge!

Thanks for listening.

Namaste
Chris

Hunkered down

I was going to post a snow pic from early this morning (it's still snowing), but it dawned on me I might lose what few followers I have if they see one more snow pic! For those of you who know about Punxatawny Phil, I hope he's on his way to the witness protection program because there are a lot of angry people who were "snowed" by his prediction of an early Spring. Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun.

When weather like this settles in I usually bake cookies. There were three egg whites calling me from the fridge begging to be made into macaroons. As you can see my chocolate drizzle skills leave much to be desired but they're really good, quick and easy to make. I think I'll make a cup of hot chocolate, sit down, enjoy a few and watch our back yard fill up with snow!

Hope you're all staying warm those in the midst of this storm. Tomorrow's temps, at least here, will be in the upper 40's, which means most of this mess will be gone by tomorrow. Let's hope this is winter's swan song.

Namaste
Chris

Three for Thursday & a Goose at the Door

Same subject, different viewpoints.

This last photo has a story, which follows.

Yesterday, while waiting for the Newtown Bookshop to open I heard a Canada goose honking his lungs out around the corner. It was so loud I had to investigate. As I turned the corner there's a female Canada goose standing at, what I later found out was the bookstore's back door, tapping on it with her beak.

Is she waiting to be let inside? Does the owner feed her? Is it a bakery and she's in need of a sugar fix? Is it a fish store and she has a yen for sushi? Whatever it was HE was not happy she wasn't being attended to, which is what I think the honking was all about. (He's behind the post to the left. I couldn't get a good shot of them both at the door.)

I inched my way over to where they were trying to get a good shot of her at the door, when the woman in the bookshop came around the corner with her camera. By the time she'd arrived the female had given up but the male continued honking away. I think I heard her say under her beak, "Oh Fred, give it up!"

Who knows what lurks in the minds of water fowl.

Namaste
Chris

Sweet Ending

Perched on the banks of the lazy, meandering Paunacussing, wedged in a narrow valley is the town of Carversville, Pennsylavnia. Nothing of major historical significance happened in this town that I'm aware of but nonetheless it is full of local history.

The heartbeat of this close-knit community is the Carversville General Store. It's a place where you are greeted with a smile and a how are you today from Janice, Penny or Loretta. Grab a fresh cup of coffee and relax on the stools at the wooden bar in front of the store's windows and talk to one of the regulars. If you're there at lunchtime, order one of their fabulous sandwiches. I highly recommend their chicken salad on a kaiser roll. A delicious, two-fisted sandwich for sure. You can also pick up your mail or buy stamps and share a few words with Bob, the postmaster.

Near the coffee dispensers sit three old-fashioned clear glass cookie jars with the words Dirt Road Cookies emblazoned on their sides. I am a sucker for great homemade cookies. In one jar is peanut butter, another molasses, which are Joanne's favorite, she works in the deli, and the last, mocha chocolate chip, my new all time favorites!!! Linda A. is the cookie baker and she bakes these delicious cookies in the kitchen of a local church. 

On another note, this is the last day of my post every day challenge. I admit I wasn't sure I would make it. Above my desk hangs a calendar and as I looked at the month ahead I readily thought, How am I going to post every day for a month?

The first week wasn't too bad. The second I had all the posts written for the week. The third I was beginning to worry I wouldn't have anything to post then remembered a folder entitled Possible Blog Posts, which I knew would have a few interesting things worthy of a post. However, the last week I found myself counting down the days and even though February seemed to fly by, I learned a few things about posting every day.

The most important was to be in the moment because that's all we ever have. I learned to observe and pay closer attention to people and things going on around me because I realized it made my life richer by far. It forced me to slow down and live life. It also had the added benefit of providing some good posts and photos along the way.

Come September, not that I'm wishing for Fall already, I will be blogging for four years. For most of the bloggers I follow I'm probably still a blogging rookie but I never thought I'd make it this far. Along the way I have met many wonderful fellow bloggers who are struggling with their own life issues and managing to enjoy the simpler, finer things in life.

To those of you who follow and/or drop by, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It means a lot to possibly think what I photograph or write about is enjoyed by those who wander by to visit.

Now, I think I'm going to take a few days off.

Namaste
Chris

Warmer weather is on its way

I don't know why this photo intrigues me. It's a photo that should have people, namely children clammoring and running all over.

When I was a kid I had a hard time with this ride. I was always dizzy when I tried to ride it but then my family and close friends would say things haven't changed. These people love me or so they tell me. But I digress.

What I hope this photo conveys is warmer weather is on its way. Believe it or not, as a winter person who loves the cold in a big way, even I am ready for warmer weather! But what I really see in this photo are the children and their parents who will soon arrive heralding a new season filled with laughter and good fun.

Namaste
Chris

Sites You'll Like

The photo above has nothing to do with this post but I don't like to post without a photo. Does that make sense? In any event, here are a few sites I hope you'll like and possibly find useful.

AcronymFinder ~ From IBM to NPOESS (National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System) (I bet you already knew that didn't you?), this site will decode even the most cryptic initials.

I hate it when someone uses an acronym and assumes everyone will automatically know what it means!

My Way  ~ News, stocks, email and more -- without annoying ads. Their motto: "No banners, No pop-ups. No kidding."

Hallelujah! A place where I won't be harrassed, hounded or bombared by annoying ads for useless stuff.

UPenn Library ~ From Jack and the Beanstalk to Ulysses, 20,000 books -- all free to read over the internet.

I haven't thoroughly checked this site out but I definitely will to see what books are out there.

Namaste
Chris

A Smile

On a recent NPR broadcast, Rick Steves, yes the Rick Steves, interviewed journalist Elaine Sciolino, author of La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life. I didn't catch the interview but a friend did and he told me Sciolino talked about, among other things, why the French don't smile, which made me think of a small, crumpled piece of onionskin my mother carried around in her wallet.

I don't recall how I acquired this piece of paper, but I do remember my mother always telling me to smile. It was probably during my teenage years and if so, it's because I was a moody teenager. What teenager isn't? While I've never memorized all the words and can only recall a sentence or two, I have never forgotten what it says about:

A Smile.

A smile costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich nor mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor that he can be made rich by it.

A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and it is nature's best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.

There is no information about the author's identity but upon a short search of the Internet discovered it's by that ubiquitous and very prolific author, Anonymous.

My mother also used to say it takes more muscles to be mad, or was it grumpy, than it does to smile. I don't know if that's true but as a teenager you tend to believe what your mother tells you. I've never forgotten either.

Namaste
Chris