?`s and ANNEswers

Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Seed to Table

Posted on March 16, 2024

I thought I’d seen everything in terms of a supermarket. Small Ma and Pa grocery stores that – to be honest — are disappearing. Well known chains depending on where you live: Jewel-Osco, Kroger, Publix, Winn-Dixie. Walmart, the largest grocery store in America. And those competing discount behemoths, Costco and Sam’s Club, where bulk purchases are the norm.

But I’d never seen anything like Seed to Table, a couple miles from where we’re staying. The current trend is called “farm to table,” but this operation goes even further. It isn’t just a supermarket; it’s an art museum.

The entrance puts you in the fresh produce section, which is enormous. All kinds of fruits and vegetable are artistically arranged, not just tossed in a bin. The apples form a pyramid. The corn lines up in rows with all cobs facing the same way. Bags of carrots are stacked in rows vertically and act as dividers in the vegetable section.

The bakery, next to the produce, has something for everyone. Seriously. If you want a carrot cake, for instance, there are three different sizes, just like Goldilocks’ three bears. The big one is company sized; the middle one for a family; and the little one for someone who lives alone. Edible art for everyone.

Then there is the block long cheese aisle, the block long meat aisle, and the block long fish/seafood aisle. And a wonderful array of prepared foods for those averse to cooking. It’s also a block long.

Next came the coffee bar, the wine bar, the pasta bar, and the guacamole bar, each ready to prepare the respective specialty at a moment’s notice. And did I mention the live entertainment seven nights a week?

There was also a place where parents dropped off their children to play instead of riding in the grocery cart and begging. Finally, near the checkouts I found — believe it or not — pumpkin pie. Who has pumpkin pie in March?

Because we’d gone to the House of Omelets for breakfast first, we bought only half a pumpkin pie and a small package of brie cheese. Had we come hungry our bill would have been much, much more.

Which suggests we need a return visit when we’re hungry, because there were also plenty of free food samples to enjoy.

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Beware

Posted on March 15, 2024

Today is the Ides of March, the day in the ancient Roman calendar that fell on March 15. There are a variety of explanations for the Ides surviving to the twenty-first century, but the most famous is that Julius Caesar was assassinated on this date in 44 BC. It probably wouldn’t still be relevant were it not for Shakespeare’s play about the event.

So what is there to beware of?

It’s a month before our federal income taxes are due. If you haven’t started prepping them, you might want to start soon. It’s also one month before the Boston Marathon, but only runners and their support teams are aware of the ticking clock. It’s also a date with many other events which you can review here.

So what is there to beware of during our vacation on Naples?

Not a lot, unless you forget sunblock and spend time at the pool. Not a lot, unless you eat too much for breakfast at the omelet restaurant. And certainly not a lot if you have no real deadlines, few projects, and even fewer commitments.

Bring on the Ides of March.

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Excursion Day

Posted on March 14, 2024

Yesterday M, the host for our vacation, and I went to the Naples Botanical Garden, while Earl stayed home and had the condo to himself. We all had a great time.

The Naples Botanical Garden, started in 1993, is a 170 acre preserve that features mostly tropical plants. Lots of orchids, crotons, palms, bamboo. And concrete. I mention this because there is a botanical garden where Earl and I live that is not very accessible for walkers or wheelchairs or strollers. So I was impressed that many of the walkways were user friendly for every age and ability.

We strolled along the designated paths and admired the collection. It made me wonder what the mission of a botanical garden is. So I turned to Wikipedia when we got home and learned that “A botanical garden or botanic garden is a garden with a documented collection of living plants for the purpose of scientific research, conservation, display, and education.” What I found equally interesting is that “It is their mandate as a botanical garden that plants are labelled with their botanical names.”

Naples is a bustle of stores, strip malls, restaurants, and residential developments. But the hours M and I spent at the Garden was 180 degrees from that experience. After we shared a sandwich in the café and browsed the gift shop, we agreed a return visit was in order.

I’m sure Earl will enjoy his time while we’re gone. He can listen to the television as loudly as he wants while having his phone play old time music while he works crossword puzzles. It’s a win/win because tropical plants labeled with their botanical names is not his thing.

M and I liked it.

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Palm Trees

Posted on March 13, 2024

Earl and I haven’t taken a winter vacation since the pandemic; before that we managed to get away for two or three weeks every year while Benton Harbor suffered under snow and ice and gloom.

By car, plane, or cruise ship, we always migrated toward palm trees. Some people say, “If you’ve seen one palm tree, you’ve seen them all”; we don’t agree. Sure there’s a certain similarity about them; but there’s a certain similarity about maple trees or BMWs or penguins, and nobody makes that remark in those contexts.

Palm trees are a sign that we’ve gone close enough to the equator that daily sun and warm temperatures are relatively guaranteed. Sand is often part of the deal, but not necessary.

There’s a certain change in attitude too. I’m not sure if it’s the palm tree effect or the weather effect, but people seem more relaxed, less rushed. Granted, we’re on vacation so that should be our modus operandi, but the clerk in the supermarket, the lady at the pool, and our host all exude the same vibe. It says, “Take your time; if you don’t get to it today you can be sure it will be as nice tomorrow.”

We’ve enjoyed palm trees as far away as Tahiti and Bora Bora, Key West, Puerto Rico, and most of the islands in the Caribbean. Currently we’re watching a grove of them outside our Naples condo’s windows.

I doubt Joyce Kilmer was writing about palm trees when he penned his famous poem.”I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree.”

For a moment, I toyed with writing one to what’s called in Latin palmae arecaceae; but when I checked Google® I found there is already a website with a link devoted to the best palm tree poems. So I’m just going to enjoy the ones we’re visiting instead.

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Inquiring Minds . . .

Posted on March 12, 2024

Even though we ‘re vacationing in Florida, I am compelled to answer a blog reader who asked, “Can’t the geese fly over the fence?” in response to recent posts about the geese versus me. (See March 7 and March 5 for backstory.)

To explain, there is a fence around the pond in front of our home to deter geese from settling on the property. Without it, conditions are ideal for geese to nest, bring forth their young, and make life miserable for the humans who live on the pond.

Geese need unimpeded access from water to grass. Additionally, when the goslings are born the parents lose their ability to fly. It’s not because they’re concerned parents. Rather, it’s because they’re molting; that is, losing their flying feathers. It just so happens to coincide with raising their young who first learn to waddle, then swim, and finally fly. This process takes approximately seventy days.

I’m not a goose (although some might dispute this), but I suspect they know all this instinctively when they’re searching for a place to settle. Yes, they can fly over the fence now, but down the road their children won’t be able to. They won’t either. And it’s grass on the other side that’s for dinner. Since a goose is capable of eating four to five pounds of grass each per day (and defecating more than half of that daily) if there isn’t a path from water to the green buffet, then it’s not a good nesting place.

This is probably more than you wanted to know. Tomorrow I promise to leave this issue behind and offer some vacation tidbits.

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Oscar on Steroids

Posted on March 11, 2024

Last night was Hollywood’s annual homage to itself. For the most part, it followed the usual routine. Jimmy Kimmel, as MC, wore various costumes and made inane jokes. As usual, one of the prime awards came early, most likely as a teaser to keep the crowd attentive.

Then, for another two and a half hours, we saw snippets of various films up for awards, and listened to presenters kibbitz with each other (Most presenters came to the mike in pairs.) before getting down to business, opening the envelope, and announcing the category’s winner. Yawn.

Then there was the recipient’s remarks that thanked everybody from producers and directors to parents and children. I did notice a lack of reference to the Almighty.

What struck me most, however, was that everything seemed blown out of proportion. The live renditions of the nominated songs didn’t just feature a singer; they included children and back-ups and dancers. The big awards of the year didn’t have one presenter; they had five. All five had won an Oscar in previous years,

In the Leading Actress category, for instance, the five former winners included Sally Fields, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Yeoh, Charlize Theron, and Jessica Lange. Each woman was assigned to describe one of the current nominees. It was all very treacly-like. For my taste it detracted from the eventual winner’s moment as Emma Stone rushed onstage with a wardrobe malfunction and was hugged almost to death by the other five. She finally got around to saying,”Thank you.”

But the final overkill was the section where Hollywood honors those who’ve passed away. Their names and photos are always shown on a big screen. In past years, this montage has been accompanied by appropriate music. One year, Cyndi Lauper played her “Time after Time” to the photos. This year those who had passed seemed lost in the musicians, the dancers, and the vocal rendition of “Time to Say Goodbye” that crowded the stage. ‘Lost’ is a generous description; irrelevant is more like it.

Come to think of it, irrelevant could describe the Oscars as well.

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Allegiant, Part II

Posted on March 10, 2024

First things first. We have arrived in Florida, and it was the smoothest landing I’ve ever experienced in all my years of flying. Kudos to the pilot.

I wish I could say the landing made up for the challenges of getting here, but I’d be exaggerating. I will say that for all the issues during our travel day – wonky website that refused to print our boarding passes, three delays in taking off with two and a half hours sitting in the plane on the tarmac, turbulent weather, and the seat belt sign that never turned off – the ground and flight crews of Flight 938 were amazing.

The wheelchair we’d ordered was there accompanied by a most pleasant man to push it. The delays in takeoff were handled professionally; at one point free beverages were offered (this from an airline where everything except a trip to the bathroom is pay-as-you-go), and during the time we sat in the plane we got – believe it or not – free pretzels and water. I didn’t see a rude flight attendant at any time, in spite of the fact the crew had already flown from Florida earlier in the morning and this was a return flight. They’d been up longer than any of us.

Often things are the other way around: the airline’s website works great, boarding passes can be accessed from an app on your phone, and the flight leaves on time. But the human element can be detached. Just employees doing their jobs.

On the basis of one flight with Allegiant, I don’t want to make any broad generalizations. We’ll see how it plays out when we go home. But I shall say that for all the grousing I’m doing about the airline, its people are a definite redeeming element.

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Random Thoughts

Posted on March 9, 2024

As we plan our upcoming trip to Florida, I’m reminded of the many other trips I’ve taken over the years either with Earl or my sons and their partners. Most of them have been chronicled in my blog, as this upcoming one most likely will be too. But for today, here is a post from March 13, 2014, ten years ago. It is called “Splurge.”

I leave today for a week in Costa Rica with my son and his partner. Because neither of my sons lives close, it’s always a project to get together.  It requires the kindness of the weather gods plus multiple airline transfers with the risk of cancellation plus keeping one’s luggage in tow. It’s always worthwhile though.

This current trip was planned last November when the three of us – my son, his partner, and I – began closing their company.  In the time it was in existence, the corporate credit card accumulated an incredible amount of points. And we certainly didn’t want them to go to waste. Or expire.

So we decide we’d use them for a final get-together in Costa Rica on the company dole. When we return we’ll cancel the credit card, close the bank account, and then need to find creative ways to bridge the distance between Michigan and New York State.

As of today, there are 2201individual blogs divided into various categories at annebrandt.com. Were I a newspaper columnist who wrote three times a week, I’d be about fifteen years into my career. Looking at some of the previous entries, many are still relevant.

So maybe you, appreciated reader, will stroll around the website, while I try to come up with a new idea that’s of interest on a daily basis. It can be a challenge.

 

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Allegiant

Posted on March 8, 2024

Earl and I are taking a trip soon and using Allegiant Airlines as our airline carrier. It’s one of those companies that advertises ultra low-cost, non-stop flights to selected cities. I’d never used it before, because I have used a travel agent for thirty years to book my airline travels.

But because Allegiant requires that you book online, I attempted to make these reservations myself, not even dreaming that Debbie, my agent, could help. Long story short, I am incapable of making airline reservations online in an economical manner because I’ve never learned how to do it. So Debbie bailed me out. At no commission, because Allegiant won’t work with a travel agent. I owe her one.

However, she wasn’t able to stop daily emails from Allegiant with all kinds of goofy suggestions. Like “Traveling lite is overrated” as an incentive for travelers to check extra bags online and avoid an added fee at the airport. Earl and I have always traveled lite and never found it overrated.

Another Allegiant tack is to tell travelers if they don’t print their boarding passes online, there is a $5 fee per pass if an agent has to print it for you. And another is that water costs $3 on board. By the time this trip is over, it will not fall in the “ultra low-cost” category.

We haven’t taken the flight yet, so I’m reserving comment on that part of the experience. But so far, I’m underwhelmed.

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Update on Grouchy

Posted on March 7, 2024

Two days ago my blog was about the battle between Canadian geese and Anne Brandt (Me), who was grouchy and whined publicly about the situation and the need for help. I may appear mild-mannered, but I have high expectations and want things handled in a prompt fashion. In the case of the Canadian geese, it’s imperative!

I’m pleased to report that the whiner (Me again) was heard, and the breach in the fence was fixed yesterday. Perhaps it was the appearance of the eleven geese that triggered results; perhaps it was my panic. Regardless, the fence is fixed.

And this morning two very frustrated geese spent almost an hour staring at the breach that is no longer there, pecking at the replaced fence, and generally – if I may anthropomorphize them – scowling and swearing. Anne Brandt was ecstatic.

The geese will return a few more times to make sure they didn’t misunderstand, and then they’ll go elsewhere to nest. And Anne Brandt will have a wonderful summer, as will all the other pond residents, whether they realize they came thisclose to catastrophe or not.

Anne Brandt isn’t grouchy anymore.

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