Monday, May 30, 2011
who'd have guessed...
...that the early 2012 election season would be just as "stuff & nonsense" as this blog!
Monday, May 9, 2011
bait & switch - Spring 2011
it is not surprising that more than a few republican-controlled state houses are passing legislation that inhibits, limits, or in other ways significantly deters women from getting abortions.
barack obama's election was a wake-up call to certain powers-that-be that times were changing in ways unacceptable to various powerful interests who did NOT in 2008 envision the country taking the road it took. instead of counting on elections going the way they want, they're looking to swiftly codify the startling changes they seek, beginning with america's heartland. note the laws that put restrictions on who can vote by making it more difficult (you need to have a passport or birth certificate to register is one example of several).
south dakota's new law requiring a 3-day waiting period between physician consult & abortion procedure, its requirement that all women attempting to access abortion services sit through two scripted (by state bureaucrats) lectures about abortion, and the other new requirement - that they have a consult with a "pregnancy health counselor" (persons without health care training, who are not covered under any confidentially requirement, who are usually anti-abortion) before the procedure - is just the latest in jaw-dropping legislation coming out of conservative state governments.
jaw-dropping because conservatives ran on the platform of getting government out of our personal business. but i forget - they are dealing with female health issues & there seems to be a segment of the conservative movement that seems to believe men will always know what's best for "the little woman."
running on limited government, then delivering extreme government interference in women's health care. bait & switch of the worst sort!
barack obama's election was a wake-up call to certain powers-that-be that times were changing in ways unacceptable to various powerful interests who did NOT in 2008 envision the country taking the road it took. instead of counting on elections going the way they want, they're looking to swiftly codify the startling changes they seek, beginning with america's heartland. note the laws that put restrictions on who can vote by making it more difficult (you need to have a passport or birth certificate to register is one example of several).
south dakota's new law requiring a 3-day waiting period between physician consult & abortion procedure, its requirement that all women attempting to access abortion services sit through two scripted (by state bureaucrats) lectures about abortion, and the other new requirement - that they have a consult with a "pregnancy health counselor" (persons without health care training, who are not covered under any confidentially requirement, who are usually anti-abortion) before the procedure - is just the latest in jaw-dropping legislation coming out of conservative state governments.
jaw-dropping because conservatives ran on the platform of getting government out of our personal business. but i forget - they are dealing with female health issues & there seems to be a segment of the conservative movement that seems to believe men will always know what's best for "the little woman."
running on limited government, then delivering extreme government interference in women's health care. bait & switch of the worst sort!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
suggestion sent to Diners, Drive-ins & Dives!
Add this to the pile of 5-star praises for FRED'S in New Hope, PA (a former art colony that retains a Woodstocky vibe).
Owners Chris & Ellen Bollenbacher, longtime owners of New Hope's perennially popular The Landing restaurant, tired of all the good breakfast places in their bucolic little burg being overrun with tourists. And with that inspiration, Fred's was born - a great spot for breakfast & socializing, albeit for members only.
Most of the food at Fred's is from scratch (even their bagels). The deeply loyal member/diners can attest to being homemade, as we all have an up-close view of what's happening in the open kitchen.
And what food! My favorite is oatmeal with craisins & a generous dollop of yogurt (but about once a month I cave into cravings for Nancy's awesome chocolate chip pancakes), while my hubster opts for the homemade granola with yogurt & sliced banana. Friends of mine who are finicky southerners swear by the sausage gravy over biscuits, while others swoon at the mention of The New Thing (so called because it's not on the menu yet) of puff pastry wrapped around scrambled eggs & roasted veggies or ham.
Prices are remarkably low considering the quality - and coffee is free!
The only thing that can begin to match the food is the atmosphere.
Fred was Chris & Ellen's Bernese Mountain dog, beloved by a legion of friends & fans. Sadly, Fred died, unexpectedly, just before the restaurant, already named in his honor, opened. But Fred's spirit is still very much alive at his namesake restaurant, which has become our shrine to him. Pictures of him adorn the walls of the simple structure (a LARGE storage shed in another life - the previous owner's daughter is now Fred's premier chef) and the large dogs that make C & E's half-doored office their home seem to bring him very much to life. As a thank you to C & E for creating a place that is a welcome shelter from life's storms, I commissioned my artist husband to do a portrait of the one & only - it will join dozens already on the walls, along with letters beseeching the bollenbackers for a coveted key.
It doesn't hurt that large back windows face directly out onto the Delaware River & across to equally artsy Lambertville NJ. Made for interesting viewing this spring, as the flood waters inched higher & higher.
Fred's has it all:
* uniquely fabulous food,
* mega-talented chef,
* immensely interesting owners,
* terrific backstory,
* beloved dog whose presence permeates every corner of the place,
* knock-out view (and bags of cracked corn by the front door so you can feed the river fowl before heading out on your day)
* it's in a world-renowned center of funk,
* and boasts a wildly loyal membership (although considered a local for all the time we spend in New Hope-Lambertville, my husband & I have a 35-minute drive to get there 3 times a week for breakfast ~ and in our section of SE PA, anything over 15 minutes is considered a trek).
a couple caveats: make sure you know where Fred's is located, since there isn't a smidgen of signage & it doesn't shriek "RESTAURANT" ~ and ~ take a moment before you arrive to get familiar with The Rules, penned by Chris, (http://www.fredsbreakfast.com/the-rules/) chief among which are...
1. We don’t do grumpy at Fred’s.
2. If my wife should happen to mention that she thinks you are cute, I will shut your key off.
3. You can stop in to fill your coffee for free and not stay for breakfast, but you must be smiling and say good morning to everyone.
8. Please do not lend your key out. Your friends will not give it back. Would you give it back?
10. Even though our sole purpose is to have fun, the bank has requested that on occasion we send money to show our gratitude for them paying for the construction of Fred’s. Therefore we will issue as many memberships as necessary to keep 30 of our 31 seats full at all times. Should we find that waiting lines start to form, new memberships will be curtailed.
11. Fred’s opens daily at 6 am. and closes at 11am. The computer locks the door at 6 whether we are ready or not, and locks the door at 11. Nothing personal if you are there at 11:01
16. It is the responsibility of the member sitting in the chair closest to the door to answer the door should someone dare to knock on it.
Of course, Chris & Ellen might be hesitant to garner more pr for their IMMENSELY popular place (being a Fred's member has a cache on par with being a Freemason, only a lot tastier). But a visit to Fred's would be a great Triple D segment!
Before signing off, our thanks for featuring another fav of our's - Pineville Tavern (we have a great backroads route to P-ville from NH).
Think about it... No - book it!!!
Owners Chris & Ellen Bollenbacher, longtime owners of New Hope's perennially popular The Landing restaurant, tired of all the good breakfast places in their bucolic little burg being overrun with tourists. And with that inspiration, Fred's was born - a great spot for breakfast & socializing, albeit for members only.
Most of the food at Fred's is from scratch (even their bagels). The deeply loyal member/diners can attest to being homemade, as we all have an up-close view of what's happening in the open kitchen.
And what food! My favorite is oatmeal with craisins & a generous dollop of yogurt (but about once a month I cave into cravings for Nancy's awesome chocolate chip pancakes), while my hubster opts for the homemade granola with yogurt & sliced banana. Friends of mine who are finicky southerners swear by the sausage gravy over biscuits, while others swoon at the mention of The New Thing (so called because it's not on the menu yet) of puff pastry wrapped around scrambled eggs & roasted veggies or ham.
Prices are remarkably low considering the quality - and coffee is free!
The only thing that can begin to match the food is the atmosphere.
Fred was Chris & Ellen's Bernese Mountain dog, beloved by a legion of friends & fans. Sadly, Fred died, unexpectedly, just before the restaurant, already named in his honor, opened. But Fred's spirit is still very much alive at his namesake restaurant, which has become our shrine to him. Pictures of him adorn the walls of the simple structure (a LARGE storage shed in another life - the previous owner's daughter is now Fred's premier chef) and the large dogs that make C & E's half-doored office their home seem to bring him very much to life. As a thank you to C & E for creating a place that is a welcome shelter from life's storms, I commissioned my artist husband to do a portrait of the one & only - it will join dozens already on the walls, along with letters beseeching the bollenbackers for a coveted key.
It doesn't hurt that large back windows face directly out onto the Delaware River & across to equally artsy Lambertville NJ. Made for interesting viewing this spring, as the flood waters inched higher & higher.
Fred's has it all:
* uniquely fabulous food,
* mega-talented chef,
* immensely interesting owners,
* terrific backstory,
* beloved dog whose presence permeates every corner of the place,
* knock-out view (and bags of cracked corn by the front door so you can feed the river fowl before heading out on your day)
* it's in a world-renowned center of funk,
* and boasts a wildly loyal membership (although considered a local for all the time we spend in New Hope-Lambertville, my husband & I have a 35-minute drive to get there 3 times a week for breakfast ~ and in our section of SE PA, anything over 15 minutes is considered a trek).
a couple caveats: make sure you know where Fred's is located, since there isn't a smidgen of signage & it doesn't shriek "RESTAURANT" ~ and ~ take a moment before you arrive to get familiar with The Rules, penned by Chris, (http://www.fredsbreakfast.com/the-rules/) chief among which are...
1. We don’t do grumpy at Fred’s.
2. If my wife should happen to mention that she thinks you are cute, I will shut your key off.
3. You can stop in to fill your coffee for free and not stay for breakfast, but you must be smiling and say good morning to everyone.
8. Please do not lend your key out. Your friends will not give it back. Would you give it back?
10. Even though our sole purpose is to have fun, the bank has requested that on occasion we send money to show our gratitude for them paying for the construction of Fred’s. Therefore we will issue as many memberships as necessary to keep 30 of our 31 seats full at all times. Should we find that waiting lines start to form, new memberships will be curtailed.
11. Fred’s opens daily at 6 am. and closes at 11am. The computer locks the door at 6 whether we are ready or not, and locks the door at 11. Nothing personal if you are there at 11:01
16. It is the responsibility of the member sitting in the chair closest to the door to answer the door should someone dare to knock on it.
Of course, Chris & Ellen might be hesitant to garner more pr for their IMMENSELY popular place (being a Fred's member has a cache on par with being a Freemason, only a lot tastier). But a visit to Fred's would be a great Triple D segment!
Before signing off, our thanks for featuring another fav of our's - Pineville Tavern (we have a great backroads route to P-ville from NH).
Think about it... No - book it!!!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
weighing costs
ethical questions aside, find myself wondering how many americans - had they been polled - would want bin laden captured or killed, knowing that:
a) he had become more of a figure head than a driving force;
b) capture or death would have minimal impact, as he developed organization on franchise, not centralized, model;
c) doing so would put the usa at considerably higher risk due to reprisals.
just wondering...
a) he had become more of a figure head than a driving force;
b) capture or death would have minimal impact, as he developed organization on franchise, not centralized, model;
c) doing so would put the usa at considerably higher risk due to reprisals.
just wondering...
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
what chutzpah!
some pundits are calling for the president to share credit with george w. bush for this weekend's successful attempt to take out osama bin laden. huh??
what company would put an exec whose team landed a coveted client on the same footing as a retired guy who spent seven futile years on the same objective?? beyond chutzpah ~ wildly silly!
what company would put an exec whose team landed a coveted client on the same footing as a retired guy who spent seven futile years on the same objective?? beyond chutzpah ~ wildly silly!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
inquiring minds - afghanistan spring 2011
come on - who ever thought that the usa could get involved in conflict in afghanistan and come out a winner? the soviets couldn't do it against us-trained afghans & we can't do it either.
fighting in afghanistan cost the soviets their union. what will it cost us? inquiring minds...
fighting in afghanistan cost the soviets their union. what will it cost us? inquiring minds...
Friday, April 22, 2011
Is my hometown a welcoming place?
reposted from my blog, mise-en-place...
there's been some discussion on facebook about whether or not my hometown is a welcoming place or one where people are challenged to show basic affection.
i, for one, believe that being comfortable showing affection could be heavily influenced by your family of origin, your circle of friends. i, for one, am basically a moving hug, so i tend to be an affection magnet. my husband, who did not grow up in my hometown, thinks that it's an unusually affectionate place (with himself as a very happy recipient). but he remembers when we were first married & i lectured him on "inappropriate public displays of affection" ~ he nipped that lecture in the bud for all time, pointing out, "but if people never see married couples showing affection to each other, how are they going to know it's possible?" so, i guess i did have some issues in an unremembered past.
the fact of the matter is that my hometown has an unusual challenge, one that i wonder if folks there realize. almost all of the people within the little borough are either related to each other in some way OR work together OR serve the same uses together. the vast majority of them go to the same church, have their kids in the same private schools, read the same small community newsletter so are aware of the important events on the horizon as well as shared knowledge of the town/family histories of the past. that is A LOT of connection.
it's hard to know what water is when you live in a fishbowl. my guess is that most people in my little hometown have no idea how invisible a person can feel who is NOT on the general radar. it's chilly.
my guess is that a vast majority of people back in my hometown would think of me as someone who's on the radar of a lot of people.
how wrong they would be.
see, i'm a odd duck in my hometown - in spite of coming from a family that's been members of our church for many generations, i haven't a single relative living nearby. not one. no cousins, no aunts or uncles, not even a brother or sister. very unusual. a horrific family tragedy when i was very young left me dependent on an older sister for a sense of connection rather than developing circles of friends in elementary school, high school & college. and i don't work in the church or schools that serve as the central pole and the bearing walls of our community. small wonder that - for decades - i felt like an UN.
mind you, i've fully experienced my community at its best & brightest. when john & i were married, i was utterly FLOORED by the number of people who attended. (it's a community tradition to issue a general invitation to one & all, in addition to specifically invited guests, so you never know how many to expect) it sure looked to john like we were on a lot of radars. what he didn't realize - what I didn't realize - was that how i'd approached our wedding had put us on a lot of radars. see, i'd treated it all as an opportunity for a BIG celebration, going way beyond the two of us getting hitched. we went to every one of that summer's many weddings, beaming & happy as can be. we had an open house for my very popular brother & his equally popular wife & their family, who'd trekked all the way from australia. relatives flocked to the wedding from missouri & california & nevada. looking back, it was sort of hard NOT to have us on your radar. as it turned out, the entire weekend, especially our day of days, was a veritable festival of connection.
i've also experienced my hometown at its, well... more detached. my mother died twelve years after our wedding. my closest friends were utterly FLOORED at how few people showed up to offer condolences. although her death, in the wee small hours of the morning, was announced at sunday church services, only five people stopped by. five. we just weren't on the radar of most folks. to most people, we were, at best, good acquaintances; if they'd thought about it at all, my guess is that they'd think we'd be inundated by others, that they wouldn't be missed. not being related or directly connected packs a powerful punch.
another challenging aspect to my hometown is how often people there use words, terms or phrases that others don't understand. very isolating. i recall my sister-in-law bemoaning not understanding arcane terms that many of us bandied about with the attitude that of course others would know them.
"for example," she asked, "what's this thing you call 'proprium'?"
feeling very sure of myself, i quickly answered, "that's easy - it's similar to the sensual!"
"but what," she shot back, "is the SENSUAL?"
and that is how, in my late teens, i realized how easy it was to use language that made total sense within my faith but left everyone else scratching their heads in confusion.
i've had people tell me that while things might have been that way, it's not a problem these days ~ we've become more embracing of the new, the different, the unconnected.
would that were true. i know from a variety of people - visitors to the church & town, new members of our faith, parents with children in the school - that many of them still feel a sense of isolation, of otherness. i saw it unfolding right before my very eyes last spring...
john & i had headed over to the cathedral, about to take set out on the annual walk that started out at one church & ended up - after a beautiful walk through the woods - with breakfast at another. we noticed a young couple there; we didn't recognize them, but it was pretty obvious they were waiting for the walk to begin. no one a single soul went up to talk to them. i waited & waited & waited for others to introduce themselves, to strike up a conversation. it never happened. john & i finally walked over.
turned out that although her family were church members from way back, she'd had very little contact with the community. her parents lived in nyc & she lived near woodstock; they were in town making arrangements for their september wedding in our beautiful cathedral - it was delightful to hear their plans, how almost everyone would be from out of state, staying in philadelphia, and their various events (rehearsal dinner, after-wedding toasts, pre-reception soiree & reception/dancing) would held in each of four very special locations, the very first wedding i've ever heard of that did that! more amazing than their plans was the fact that, while we introduced the couple to many people on the walk, both to & from breakfast, not a single person came up to them to initiate introductions.
going back to the fact that a fish doesn't understand what water is, i think it is an ingrained challenge in my hometown for people to understand that not everyone experiences people rallying around to lend support or to share joys, not everyone gets the friend-made quilt when the baby is born or the wedding is celebrated, not everyone has a family with whom to celebrate holidays. (we are blessed to have friends who adopt us on christmas eve & christmas day, at easter & thanksgiving. others are not so lucky.)
am going to be thinking on this for a while.
there's been some discussion on facebook about whether or not my hometown is a welcoming place or one where people are challenged to show basic affection.
i, for one, believe that being comfortable showing affection could be heavily influenced by your family of origin, your circle of friends. i, for one, am basically a moving hug, so i tend to be an affection magnet. my husband, who did not grow up in my hometown, thinks that it's an unusually affectionate place (with himself as a very happy recipient). but he remembers when we were first married & i lectured him on "inappropriate public displays of affection" ~ he nipped that lecture in the bud for all time, pointing out, "but if people never see married couples showing affection to each other, how are they going to know it's possible?" so, i guess i did have some issues in an unremembered past.
the fact of the matter is that my hometown has an unusual challenge, one that i wonder if folks there realize. almost all of the people within the little borough are either related to each other in some way OR work together OR serve the same uses together. the vast majority of them go to the same church, have their kids in the same private schools, read the same small community newsletter so are aware of the important events on the horizon as well as shared knowledge of the town/family histories of the past. that is A LOT of connection.
it's hard to know what water is when you live in a fishbowl. my guess is that most people in my little hometown have no idea how invisible a person can feel who is NOT on the general radar. it's chilly.
my guess is that a vast majority of people back in my hometown would think of me as someone who's on the radar of a lot of people.
how wrong they would be.
see, i'm a odd duck in my hometown - in spite of coming from a family that's been members of our church for many generations, i haven't a single relative living nearby. not one. no cousins, no aunts or uncles, not even a brother or sister. very unusual. a horrific family tragedy when i was very young left me dependent on an older sister for a sense of connection rather than developing circles of friends in elementary school, high school & college. and i don't work in the church or schools that serve as the central pole and the bearing walls of our community. small wonder that - for decades - i felt like an UN.
mind you, i've fully experienced my community at its best & brightest. when john & i were married, i was utterly FLOORED by the number of people who attended. (it's a community tradition to issue a general invitation to one & all, in addition to specifically invited guests, so you never know how many to expect) it sure looked to john like we were on a lot of radars. what he didn't realize - what I didn't realize - was that how i'd approached our wedding had put us on a lot of radars. see, i'd treated it all as an opportunity for a BIG celebration, going way beyond the two of us getting hitched. we went to every one of that summer's many weddings, beaming & happy as can be. we had an open house for my very popular brother & his equally popular wife & their family, who'd trekked all the way from australia. relatives flocked to the wedding from missouri & california & nevada. looking back, it was sort of hard NOT to have us on your radar. as it turned out, the entire weekend, especially our day of days, was a veritable festival of connection.
i've also experienced my hometown at its, well... more detached. my mother died twelve years after our wedding. my closest friends were utterly FLOORED at how few people showed up to offer condolences. although her death, in the wee small hours of the morning, was announced at sunday church services, only five people stopped by. five. we just weren't on the radar of most folks. to most people, we were, at best, good acquaintances; if they'd thought about it at all, my guess is that they'd think we'd be inundated by others, that they wouldn't be missed. not being related or directly connected packs a powerful punch.
another challenging aspect to my hometown is how often people there use words, terms or phrases that others don't understand. very isolating. i recall my sister-in-law bemoaning not understanding arcane terms that many of us bandied about with the attitude that of course others would know them.
"for example," she asked, "what's this thing you call 'proprium'?"
feeling very sure of myself, i quickly answered, "that's easy - it's similar to the sensual!"
"but what," she shot back, "is the SENSUAL?"
and that is how, in my late teens, i realized how easy it was to use language that made total sense within my faith but left everyone else scratching their heads in confusion.
i've had people tell me that while things might have been that way, it's not a problem these days ~ we've become more embracing of the new, the different, the unconnected.
would that were true. i know from a variety of people - visitors to the church & town, new members of our faith, parents with children in the school - that many of them still feel a sense of isolation, of otherness. i saw it unfolding right before my very eyes last spring...
john & i had headed over to the cathedral, about to take set out on the annual walk that started out at one church & ended up - after a beautiful walk through the woods - with breakfast at another. we noticed a young couple there; we didn't recognize them, but it was pretty obvious they were waiting for the walk to begin. no one a single soul went up to talk to them. i waited & waited & waited for others to introduce themselves, to strike up a conversation. it never happened. john & i finally walked over.
turned out that although her family were church members from way back, she'd had very little contact with the community. her parents lived in nyc & she lived near woodstock; they were in town making arrangements for their september wedding in our beautiful cathedral - it was delightful to hear their plans, how almost everyone would be from out of state, staying in philadelphia, and their various events (rehearsal dinner, after-wedding toasts, pre-reception soiree & reception/dancing) would held in each of four very special locations, the very first wedding i've ever heard of that did that! more amazing than their plans was the fact that, while we introduced the couple to many people on the walk, both to & from breakfast, not a single person came up to them to initiate introductions.
going back to the fact that a fish doesn't understand what water is, i think it is an ingrained challenge in my hometown for people to understand that not everyone experiences people rallying around to lend support or to share joys, not everyone gets the friend-made quilt when the baby is born or the wedding is celebrated, not everyone has a family with whom to celebrate holidays. (we are blessed to have friends who adopt us on christmas eve & christmas day, at easter & thanksgiving. others are not so lucky.)
am going to be thinking on this for a while.
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