The Small Big town

Though Raleigh has grown by leaps and bounds since we moved here in 1969, in many respects,  it is still a small town. A population of over 400,000 makes no difference, nor do the thousands of people who live outside the city limits, but still do all their shopping and commerce in or near the city. 

In May, we have a festival called Artsplosure, held in the downtown area. It is usually well attended, and today's activities saw many people gathering in the streets. For those of us who provide flowers  (or music, or food, etc.) to weddings and receptions, festivals such as Artsplosure can throw a monkey wrench into the day's schedule. We didn't have a problem today; however, since the blocked streets were not in the exact area we needed to be. 

As Mel (my employer) and I entered the downtown area, I sent a text  to daughter two; asking where she was, since I knew she and her husband were planning to attend. As luck would have it, they had just parked and were only a minute away from our second destination. I told them where the reception was being held, and they met us there. Afterward, I was struck by the serendipity of it, and how seldom it might happen that we would be that near to someone we know at any given moment. 

When we moved here in late August of 1969, we knew no one. Mr. kenju had met a few people in his new office, of course, and that was the extent of our social connections.  We began to meet people in the apartment complex we lived in, and after 18 months, we bought our first house here and met people in that neighborhood. Having children is a good way to meet people too, as we quickly learned.  

It only took a few years of living here before we began to see people we knew at the malls, shopping centers, flea markets, churches and the children's schools. We finally felt that we were a part of the city. That continued for years, and then Raleigh kept growing and growing and growing. 

For the last 10/12 years, I seldom see anyone I know when I am shopping, unless it is within a 3 mile radius of our house. Everywhere we go, there are strangers. Every other car has a license plate from another state  (or foreign country.)  Unfamiliar accents abound, new and exotic restaurants open and sometimes close before we have taken the opportunity to try their foods. 

I promise you I am not complaining about any of these things. I love that our city is becoming a more cosmopolitan area (though we have far to go in that respect.) The only downside of this unprecedented growth is that traffic is horrible, no matter what time of the day you go out. There are times when my commutes to work and home take far longer than they used to, due to the sheer volume of vehicles on the roads at all times. This is when I wish that the cartoons of the 50's regarding the future, where helicopters and personal aircraft (or monorails) were the norm - had happened. Raleigh and this whole area missed the boat over the last 2-3 decades by not building some sort of rail system (either elevated or underground) to link all areas of the city with nearby areas, especially the outlying "bedroom communities."

I have no idea where I am going with this  - and since it is 1:30 am - I will close. I was just bemused by being able to meet my daughter and her husband on the spur of the moment....LOL

A Major Disappointment... (UPDATE)

Have you ever worked very hard at some event and looked forward to it happening and then, by a cruel twist of fate you were denied the participation you had  so excitedly anticipated?  Tonight, my second-oldest granddaughter knows how you feel. 

She tried out for the school musical and got a part in the ensemble of the play "Pippin", in which the ensemble/chorus play a big part. Tonight was the opening, and I and my two daughters and this girls' younger sister were in attendance. I was planning to take video of her performance, so I had the camera ready. 

The opening number brings a lot of people on stage for dancing and singing, and a general set-up of the play by the character who narrates the action and sets the stage, so to speak. J was doing a very good job of dancing, when, three minutes into it, she twisted her knee and had to leave the stage. We didn't know what happened - we just realized she was no longer there. About ten minutes later, a teacher came out and got J's mother, saying that she had hurt her knee and needed help. Soon after that, my younger daughter received a text that first daughter was taking her girl to the ER.  

Three of us stayed to see the show, which lasts 140 minutes with no intermission. By the time it was over, we knew that J had what they think is a torn meniscus (knee cap). She was given a long brace/cast and crutches, and told to stay off that leg. If she is not better is a few days, she will have to see an orthopedist.

Of course this means that the show she worked so very hard for over the last several months; with long rehearsals and much practice of singing and dancing, is kaput - at least for her. She is (understandably) vehemently angry, and extremely disappointed. 

I hope that she will one day realize that all the hard work she put in on this show is not a total loss. For a girl who hopes to someday storm Hollywood with her talent, hard work - even without the thrill of performing - is not a waste. It is just another episode in a long preparation for success in her chosen field. 

Bravo, J......we hope you will soon be good as new!

Two days after this happened, J woke up with her kneecap back in place, and no pain.  Hallelujah!!

A Book Worth Reading....

This month our book club read "Walking Across Egypt" by Clyde Edgerton, a North Carolina writer who teaches at the UNC-Wilmington. Many of us had already read several of his former books, among them "Raney", a highly-acclaimed first novel. 

This book is chock full of references to southern foods, since the main character is an elderly woman who loves to lay out a banquet table for anyone who chances upon her front porch; friend or stranger. 

The hostess for the evening asked us to bring foods that were mentioned in the book, and our menu consisted of a delicious tenderloin, potato salad, tomato pie, deviled eggs, green beans and peas, lima beans and dessert:  apple pie with vanilla ice cream, and angel food cake with strawberries and chocolate sauce. It was all delicious (as usual) and I was so glad not to be on a diet  (as if I ever had been....lol)

The July book on our reading list is "The Secret of the Nightingale Palace", by Dana Sachs. Our host for that meeting went to high school with this author, and we may be able to Skype with her that night and ask questions, or discuss the book. The prospect is exciting  (as long as we like the book....lol)   

I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy Mother's Day to all moms, grandmoms, stepmoms, wanna-be moms and anyone else who loves children!

Posting this early, since I am working all day tomorrow at the flower shop. Hope your Sunday is the best one ever, with or without flowers!

If You Lived in Raleigh in the 80's....

 you might remember Ragamuffin's restaurant. That was back when North Hills was an enclosed mall, not the fancy shopping center it is today.

Ragamuffin's had the best soup in the city. It was called beer, cheese and cauliflower soup and I could have eaten it every day for years and not been tired of it. Their other specialty was muffins; specifically bran muffins. When mr. kenju heard they were going out of business, he asked me to buy some of those muffins and freeze them. I bought a dozen, but we both wish I had bought many more. 

I tried hard to find out the recipes for the soup and the muffins, but the ones I got were never completely true to the originals, so I gave up trying to duplicate them. I do still have several boxes of matches from there and every time I see one of them it makes me crave that soup and those muffins. Promise me that if you ever run across a place with these two items, you'll let me know where they are....okay?  I heard that the woman who owned that place moved to the west coast and I have always wondered if she opened a restaurant out there. I just might have to schedule a vacation soon if she did....lol

Funny How Time Flies....

whether you are having fun or not.

Things are a bit better since I last posted.  After five chiropractic adjustments, my back and neck are still sore, but neither hurt much on their own - unless I try to move too quickly. My twists and turns are slow and methodical, rather than quick and haphazard. Life is easier that way.

My car was ready last Friday but working all day prevented my being able to pick it up, so I got it on Monday. The check from the insurance company was supposed to have been delivered by then, but it wasn't. For a few minutes, I had visions of being stranded, thinking I wouldn't be able to get my car until they had been paid  (and I wasn't about to lay out over $800 myself.) But a call to the agent cleared it up and the check was promised that afternoon, so they let me have the keys.   

The car had been parked on the body shop's parking lot across the street from the shop for the weekend. I got in, after inspecting the repairs, and turned the key - only to find it was deader than a door nail  (whatever that means.) After 20+ minutes of the guys testing my battery and jump starting it, I was on my way, with admonitions not to stop the car until I got home.  The car has been fine since then, so it must have been something they did or didn't do that caused my battery to drain.

Monday morning, before picking up the car, I went back to the foot doctor about my  bone spur and Achilles tendonitis  (ouch!) Referring to the night-time sleeping boot an "instrument of torture", I was hoping to be told I could dispense with it - but no such luck ensued. Adjustments were made, though, and a pain cream is coming from a compounding pharmacy in Colorado, so I am trying to see the silver lining in this problem. I was told to start a course of physical therapy and there is a "shockwave" treatment they can give me, which is (of course) not covered by insurance. 

Considering the time we already spend with doctors, dentists, chiropractors, and dermatologists, I don't know how I can carve out the time for physical therapy. Do you know if they provide round-the-clock service? Maybe I could go between 2-3 a.m.; that is certainly the only time available to me. It is also time for a mammogram and I'm long overdue for a colonoscopy. (That one is so easy to postpone.....but I know how important it is.) One of my best friends died of colon cancer, and it was horrible. My work is starting to rev up as well; weddings and such get frantic in the spring and summer, of course. 

The Spring Cleaning I've been involved in since January is ongoing. The garage is beginning to look like that of Sanford and Son (if you recall that old TV show.) Part of it will be sold and part donated and part given to our children. Mr. kenju was going through some books yesterday; trying to decide which to keep, and he found a $100 bill in one book. Hallelujah!  He gave the money to me  (I'm still amazed at that)  and I am having a time trying to decide what to do with it. The temptation to fritter it away on something like dinner is strong.....as is the need to pay a bill. I try to be responsible. I asked on Facebook, and most of the respondents  said to to spend it on a fancy dinner. That would be very easy to do......I'll let you know what I decide. Daughter # 2 asked when Daddy got so rich he could use $100 bills as bookmarks.....LOL

Busy, Busy and Longing to be Back to Normal (Whatever that is.)

Busy, but not in the way I'd like to be.

Doctors, chiropractors, auto damage estimators, body shop owners, car rental agencies and agents from several different insurance companies are taking all my time.  Grrrrr.  I'd rather be working, and I do work this coming weekend - thank Heaven. My wallet and my sanity need it badly. And beside that, I miss Mel Day! I haven't seen him since January. 

My advice, should you seek it, is to never be involved in a car accident if there is any way you can avoid it. Aside from the pain it can cause, the mental aggravation of dealing with people who approach it from both sides of the spectrum is rough. What I mean is that an agent of an insurance company will be seemingly very concerned about your aches and pains and act as the very soul of compassion  -  up until it is time to settle your claim. Then their tunes change. 

I consider it extremely lucky  (for many reasons) that I have three wonderful children; each of whom has a career that benefits all of us:  an attorney, a nurse and a commercial insurance salesman. They come in very handy all the time but especially when I've been in an accident, and their advice has saved me a lot of trouble. I am fully expecting it will this time,  as it did before. I just wish it was over. 

The vile and nasty bombing in Boston has all of us upset, and I am no exception. Over and over I've heard people ask..."What is this world coming to?"  I have no answer, but I do know that the good in the world always outranks the evil, even when it seems quite the opposite. It must. We have to have hope and believing that good outweighs evil in the face of evidence to the contrary is imperative for our mental well-being. I do wish that the media would report on it and give us all the necessary facts as they appear, but not dwell on it 24/7. Mr. kenju has again resorted to watching his favorite old movies, in lieu of the news. One can only take so much of it before anger or depression sets in. 

Our hearts go out to all the people in Boston; those who were killed or maimed, and all their families and friends. May you not lose your faith, your hope, your ability to forgive in spite of all that has happened.