A FLORIDA DAY - Part 1
Yes, I know, I know I'm not in Florida anymore but the other day I had the kind of day that only happens to me when I am down south.

I attended a Wellness Day that was sponsored by The Front Porch and the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore.

ZUMBA GOLD


The day started out with a session of Zumba Gold - I had never heard of this exercise program until that morning. It's an exercise program designed for the older adult not used to exercise. (that's me.) It involved slow dancing to a Latin beat and other simple line type dancing. The elders who participated enjoyed it very much and were not only moving, they were smiling to beat the band.

MASSAGES AND MEDITATION

Photo GreenA's Photo Blog.

A massagist gave each person a brief shoulder massage and then lead them in a meditation with the sound of the ocean in the background. Nice!!

MAKE YOUR OWN SMOOTHIES

Lemon Berry Smoothie Remix by terriseesthings

While this was going on we were invited to make our own Smoothies. The committe had three blenders going -whatever we wanted - Strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums, bananas- you name it, they had it.

LUNCH

Photo At the front porch

For lunch we had a salad bar that had to be one of the largest that I have ever seen. Lots of vegies, dried fruits nuts, chick peas, kidney beans, tuna, hard boiled eggs, great breads and that's all that I can remember right now! Everything looked good, tasted good and was good for you.

DRUMMING SESSION


To top off the day we had a most unusual drumming session. Mamadou from Marblehead come with three drummers and several drums for those of us who wanted to join in the fun.

For those of you who want to learn more about the drumming session and more details about the day go to The Front Porch

That's just the first part of the day!!

A FLORIDA DAY PART 2 - to be continued

BONUS VIDEO:



Millie Garfield '08 for President!

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 4:59 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 12 comments | Old

 
THE SHOCKER
One of my favorite pastimes is going to the movies but in recent months there hasn't been anything that I wanted to see until yesterday.



"Kit Kittredge - An American Girl" is rated as a movie for kids 6 and older. Don't pay attention to that! It's a movie that boys and girls of any age can enjoy. The script deals with the time of the great depression when people were losing their homes and their jobs. Nothing much has changed.

The story is told through the eyes of a 10 year old, played by Abigail Breslin. What a charmer she is! I especially enjoyed Jane Cusack as an awkward librarian, Stanley Tucci as a magician and Wallace Shawn as the newspaper editor. Those were my favorites but every cast member did a fine job.

While we were waiting for the movie to start we saw parents coming with their children and grandparents coming with their grandchildren. I thought, "oh boy, what have I got myself into, it's going to be noisy."

Surprisingly, the childred were quiet, not a peep out of them. What I did hear was laughter from the adults. I was one of them.

One more thing about the audience - when the movie was over - They applauded!! How often does that happen?

Now for the shocker: As I mentioned earlier I haven't been to the movies in a while. The price of admission for a SENIOR is now $9:00!! If you are not a senior it's $10.00!!

I realize everything is going up but still I was wondering why it went up so much. Well, in today's Boston Globe, Parade Magazine there was the following article, Why Movie Prices Are Popping:

In the last year, the average ticket price has jumped from $6.88 to $7.08, and movie attendance was down more than 4% by mid-June, according to media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. In tough economic times, Americans traditionally have looked to the movies for an inexpensive escape. As prices rise, we may be forced to look elsewhere.

Guess I won't be going to the movies to often - there's nothing much worth seeing anyway. Netflix here I come!!

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 5:41 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 11 comments | Old

 
THANK YOU, THANK YOU
ABC WORLD NEWS APPEARANCE


As soon as my segment on World News with Charles Gibson was over the comments started coming in, one minute after the other, finally about 11 o'clock they started to slow down. Guess it was time for my viewers to get some shut-eye!



If you missed the full segment you can now watch it on the ABC News site. My behind the scenes post is here.

At 8:00 the next morning they started coming in again!! I tell you I didn't do much that day, between the comments on my blog, the e-mails, tweets, and phone calls I was receiving, I was a very happy camper!! For two days in a row I didn't get to finish the newspaper and that's saying a lot.

Thank you so much for the many enthusiastic, heartfelt and complimentry comments.

I even received one from "a lurker." She has been reading my blog for two years and was finally inspired to leave a comment.

I get a great deal of satisfaction making a post, it gets me THINKING and that's a good thing.

When I get feedback like I did this past week it inspires to continue doing what I love doing!!

Thanks again for all your kind words!

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 5:36 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 9 comments | Old

 
ABC - HERE I COME
In my last post, "Just Checking In" I said I was ok, just had to get my act together. Well, here's the whole story.

My ophthamoligist has been watching my cataract for a few years and the time came when he announced I was ready for surgery.

Last Thursday I had it taken care of. Everything went well. About 3:00 that afternoon my phone rang - it was ABC World NEWS.

They wanted to know if I would be interested in participating in a scheduled program on retirement living.

YES!!

"Could they come to my home on Monday for an interview and filiming?"

I told them that I had just come home after having cataract surgery, had a patch on my eye, drops to take, and various precautions to take like not getting my eye wet. I told them I would check with the doctor and get back to them.

The doctor said it would be ok to shampoo my hair and even said I could wear eye makeup!

So, it was a go!!

I've been written up in local newspapers, national newspapers, magazines, made a few presentations, and been on Retirement Living TV, but this was different! ABC TV!!

I must say I was anxious about how it would go and was glad when Monday finally came. Once the crew arrived at my home and introduced themselves I started to feel relaxed. They were a down to earth group and worked well together. That's a picture of me and ABC News producer Anne-Marie Dorning.

ABC's World News with Charles Gibson aired on July 2nd at 6:30 PM on the East and West coast and 5:30 PM Central Time - Retirees Move on Campus and Into Blogosphere.

As Charles Gibson would say, "Have a good day."

PS. My son Steve was here and showed the crew live streaming from his cell phone. Here's a video of that:



He also shot a behind the scenes video of the first part of my interview. Here's the full interview:



Alternate Formats: QuickTime (.mov), iPhone (.m4v)

Update:
Here's my portion of the segment...



If you missed the full segment you can now watch it on the ABC News site.

Mentioned around the web:

The Daily Buzz - Retired Bloggers Nap on Independence Day at Mobuzz.tv
Thoroughly Modern Millie! at sassholes
Talk About Being ‘Digitally Reborn!’ at Our American Shelf Life

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 10:36 AM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 55 comments | Old

 
JUST CHECKIING IN
For the longest time now I have made it a habit to post something on a Sunday. I won't be putting up anything for a few days and for those of you who "look for me" I'm ok, just have to get my act together.

When I do post something, it's going to be a goodie.

Have a good day!

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 5:46 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 13 comments | Old

 
SIMPLE PLEASURES
This season my friends and I signed up for a series of three plays at the North Shore Music Theatre.




Yesterday we attended a matinee performance of "Contact."

In the past a Saturday matinee attracted a sold out house, yesterday there were a lot of empty seats.

The Boston Globe's review was extremely positive, they thought is was "a crisp and classy production with a wildly imaginative musical score."

So, why were there so many empty seats? Maybe because the economy is bad, the price of gas is so high or because a lot of people are not familiar with the play. I'm thinking another reason could be that seniors are the ones that go to the matinees and as they pass on, the younger people don't do afternoons.

Could be despite the excellent review word of mouth turned people off.

I had expected to enjoy the play more than I did. Part one was slow, Part two, better. Fortunately Part three was very enjoyable. Great dancing and songs like "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" and "Beyond The Sea" saved the afternoon.

After the play, we went to a local restaurant and had a fine dinner. It was still early so what "to do" to round out the day?

"Ice Cream, Ice Cream, we all scream for Ice Cream."



There's an outdoor ice cream place not to far from where we live, a million flavors to choose from and a miniature golf course right next door. No, we didn't golf but we had our cones and watched the kiddies and the adults play.

It turned out the stop for ice cream was the highlight of the day.

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 3:34 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 12 comments | Old

 
THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY


This afternoon I attended a wonderful event - the engagement of a cousin of mine who met a lovely young lady on the internet. They live a short distance from each other but their paths had never crossed. Isn't there a song with that theme

"She travels all over the world searching for someone - doesn't meet anyone - returns home and finds someone right next door."

I've heard many performers sing it and enjoy it every time and today I witnessed the real thing!



Sharing this special occasion with family and friends was a pleasure, the music was great, the food was great but one thing was missing. When the waitress came around to ask who wanted decaf coffee, she served them, didn't ask who wanted regular coffee and just disappeared. I never got my coffee!!

When you view this video you will get "the rest of the story."

Enjoy.



Also available on YouTube.

Watch more Yiddish Class videos over on Millie's Yiddish Class blog.

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 7:36 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 9 comments | Old

 
I STILL "CAN'T OPEN IT"
I was running low on my favorite shampoo and went to the store looking to buy the same product. Low and behold the manufacturer had the same product in a NEW container with a different type of cap.



When you click on the video you'll get "the rest of the story."

One thing I did not mention in the video is this - I called the 800 number on the back of the bottle in order to speak to a customer service person. My main goal was to let them know the problem I had with the new cap.

I explained, she listened, asked for my name and address and said she would send me a coupon for a free bottle of shampoo.

Ok, a free coupon is fine but that is not what I was looking for.

Apparently she's just there to say, "sorry" and send out coupons.

Maybe what I should do is try that number again and ask for "Quality Control. I'm trying to alert them to a problem!

Proctor and Gamble Aussie Shampoo

Watch more I Can't Open Videos.

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 1:12 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 15 comments | Old

 
Fifty Dollars is Fifty Dollars

flickr photo by listentoreason CC BY-NC-SA

With the price of gas and food at an all time high, I thought this would be a timely anecdote. Enjoy:

Morris and his wife Esther went to the state fair every year and every year Morris would say, "Esther, I'd like to ride in that airplane." Esther always replied, "I know Morris, but that airplane ride costs $50, and $50 is $50."

One year Morris and Esther went to the fair and Morris said, "Esther, I'm 85 years old. If I don't ride that airplane I might never get another chance."

Esther replied, "Morris, that airplane ride costs is $50, and $50 is $50."

The pilot overheard them and said, "Folks, I'll make you a deal. I'll take you both up for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say one word, I won't charge you; but if you say one word it's $50."

Morris and Esther agreed and up they went.

The pilot did all kinds of twists and turns, rolls and dives, but not a word was heard. He did all his tricks over again, but still not a word.

When they landed, the pilot turned to Morris and said, "By golly, I did everything I could think of to get you to yell out, but you didn't."

Morris replied, "Well, I was gonna say something when Esther fell out, but $50 is $50.

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 10:17 AM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 13 comments | Old

 
THE GARDENER
My husband was a man of many seasons, first a son and brother, then a husband and father. during World War II, a soldier. After the war a technical writer.

HOBBIES

As the years went by he developed many interests and hobbies - enjoyed playing chess, did a comedy act and would be happy to perform at the drop of a hat, belonged to the Society of American Magicians, was sworn to secrecy and won't even tell his wife how the tricks were done.



At the height of his interest in magic his birthday was coming up, I asked, "what would you like for a birthday gift." One thing he mentioned was some magic tricks, so off I went to a joke shop in Boston. I was planning on spending about $25.00 which in those days was a lot of money. The clerk made some suggestions and what I finally purchased was A LOT OF PAPER!! What I got for my money was some small gadgets and a lot of instructions. Yes, he was happy with his gift!!

VOLUNTEER



For many years he was a volunteer for the National Park Service in Boston. Tourists would come into the office for information about where to go and how to get there. Forget the questions about The Paul Revere House or The State House. what they wanted to know was, "How do I get to "Cheers" and how far away is Filenes Basement."

THE GARDENER



With all the interests my husband had I think gardening was his passion. He could be out in the back yard for hours, planting, weeding, pulling up shrubs, replanting them somewhere else, fertilizing, putting down bark mulch, watering, you name it , he did it!

Every year he would try planting something different but was not always successful. One year he could have gotten the prize for the weirdest cucumbers.

He couldn't wait for May 30 to be able to plant tomatoes, they never disappointed, no matter what type he planted, they were always wonderful. Every year we had a bountiful crop and shared them with neighbors and friends.

I had it easy, all I had to do was go out there and take the tomatoes of the vine.

Memories, memories...

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 3:07 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 12 comments | Old

 
15 MINUTES OF FAME


Frederick Levy interviewed me for his new book:

15 Minutes of Fame, Becoming a Star in the YouTube Revolution.

It was an exciting opportunity. He quoted me exactly!

He used the following selection criteria to pick people to interview for the book:

Personality, Talent, Relate-ability, Uniqueness, Charisma, Energy and Innovation.

That made me feel really great.

I had trouble opening the book's packing material! :-)



The first 10 people who e-mail me with their mailing addresses will get a free copy of "15 Minutes of Fame".



[ If you click this image to email me, in your email, change the " AT " to "@" ]

Visit Frederick's YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/FrederickLevy

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 6:38 AM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 16 comments | Old

 
TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS
Now that I've been home a few weeks I have been thinking about how different my life is "here and there."

The Weather



In Florida the weather is better.

Even though it's spring here, it's can be cold and damp. As I'm typing this post I have the heat on!

It's true what they say about sunshine, When it's warm, the bones don't ache! I know that from experience.

Food Shopping



Because I go out to eat out a lot more in Florida, I don't have to go to the market as often or buy that much. Just yesterday I did another big food shopping and shlepping home the groceries was no joke.

The Movies



There are two movie theaters that are a stones through from my condo and one that takes about 15 minutes to get to.

Here in my town I have to travel a good half hour to get to the movies, and to add insult to injury, the price of admission is higher.

Restaurants



I rarely have to travel any distance to get a really good and reasonable meal. If you looked in the yellow pages for a bagel place you could easily find a dozen listings. The same goes for a delicatessen, many are nearby and oh, are they good!! The one problem with the popular places is, there is usually a long wait. The trick is to go there before you are hungry, by the time you are seated you are ready to enjoy that cornbeef on rye or a bowl of chicken noodle soup with a matzo ball!

It's another story here in the north - There is one deli in my area, I have never been there but I have heard it's "just ok." There have been several deli's that have opened and closed, they just don't have "the right stuff."

We do have a coffee shop and a Dunkun Donuts that sell bagels, they are ok but nothing like what is available in Florida.

The Library



It only takes me about 10 minutes to get to the local library. They offer many interesting programs which are held in the
DAYTIME and there is a large parking lot. They are in the process of building a much larger and more modern library which should be ready next winter. It's going to be close by too.

The library that I have in my town offers some interesting programs BUT they are all held in the evening. I remember going there last spring and found the street was not well lit, the sidewalk was irregular and there is no parking lot. That's not for me.

With all that said you would think that I would want to live in Florida all year round but no, home is where the heart is!

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 5:28 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 14 comments | Old

 
THE WATER BEARER AND HIS POTS


In a dynasty long ago, a Chinese water bearer had two large pots. Each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One pot was perfect in every way, and always delivered a full portion of water. The other had a crack in it.

At the end of each long walk from the stream to the bearer's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For many years the bearer made his early morning journey to the stream and home, delivering only one and a half pots of water to his household.

The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, for it delivered a full portion of water with every trip. But the cracked pot felt ashamed of its imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been created to do.

After years of feeling what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one morning by the stream.

"I am so ashamed of myself. Because of this crack in my side, water leaks out of me all the way back to your house and I cannot deliver the water as you hoped."

The bearer said to the pot, "Have you noticed that there are flowers growing near the path, on the side on which I carry you? Because I have always known about your imperfection, I planted seeds on your side of the path. Every day as we walk from the stream to my house, you have watered them. For all these years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my table. If you were not as you are, there would not be this beauty to grace my house."

We are all imperfect, but it's our flaws that make us what we are. One only has to see others for what they are to see how important they are to each of us.

posted by Steve Garfield @ 6:07 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 13 comments | Old

 
BACK HOME
Even though I did not experience a change in a time zone I'm having severe jet lag.



When Steve picked me at the airport on Tuesday I was just fine. We went out to dinner and then did some food shopping. The next day I was walking around the house like a zombie, couldn't do much of anything. I know from experience the first few days It takes time to find the light switches, the cabinets where I keep the dishes, glasses, pots and pans.

Not that I'm going to cook anything. :-)

THE CAR and UNPACKING
The car transport company called Wednesday and made a date to deliver my car on Thursday morning. I got in touch with my maintenace man and arranged for him to unload my car. He brings the things up in no time but for me it represents a "big job." So far I have unpacked two large cartons containing lots of paper work and surplus supplies and one duffel bag. There are three duffel bags sitting patiently on my bedroom floor waiting for my attention.

There are also a number of garment bags hanging in my closet containing summer clothes, no problem with those bags, I'll take things out as I need them. Some clothes get pretty wrinkled in transit, rather then iron them, I'll put them in the washer, easier then spending time ironing.

FRIDAY - SHOPPING AND MAIL
Friday I didn't do much around the house - went to the supermarket and did another big shopping. When I came home checked my mail - and there was a raft of mail that had been forwarded from Florida. At least that's one job that I can do sitting down!

SATURDAY - A MOVIE
Saturday I received a phone call from one of my friends - would I like to join her for a movie and dinner? With all the work that I have to do I should have said, "I'll take a rain check" but no, I said "yes."



We went to see "Flawless" starring Demi Moore and Michael Caine. Anything with Michael Caine is worth seeing! Demi Moore did a fine job too. The only thing I have to say about her is, in the opening scene they show her as an older woman. What ghastly makeup!!

TODAY - I'M NORMAL
Today I'm feeling I little more like myself and have been doing a little something, tomorrow I should finally get to those duffel bags.

This morning I had a call from a cousin that came home the same day that I did. We compared notes about how we were doing and what laughs we had! It made me feel good to know that I'm perfectly normal and that's the way it is when you get back home after being away for several months.

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 4:22 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 17 comments | Old

 
DOWN TO THE WIRE
Would you believe that even though I've been here just about five months there are still things that I have not gotten to do?

There have been days when I had to decide:

- go hear a prominent speaker
- go to the grand opening of a new store
- go to the pool
- stay home and just relax

You know for sure what I didn't do!



My Dear Cousin
Once during my stay in Florida I made arrangements with a dear cousin that lives down here permanently to meet for lunch, it didn't work out. Hopefully we'll plan to get together this Sunday for lunch at Johnny G's in Lake Worth. It's a very popular fish restaurant located right on the beach. Usually there is a long wait but since many snowbirds have already gone home our wait shouldn't be too long.

When I was growing up we spent a lot of time together, she had two sisters and I have none so she was like a sister to me. Her older sisters taught her many things and she pased some of what she learned from them on to me. No matter where we lived or what was happening in our lives, we always kept in touch. A few years ago we spent two weeks together at Senior Summer School in Flagstaff, Arizona. What a great time we had!

Passover with Friends at a Restaurant
I'll be spending the first night of Passover with friends at a restaurant in Delray. The menu will be a traditional Passover meal with all the fixings. I would say that most of the population in this area either eat out or order a complete dinner and have it at home. I remember one year going to a country club for Passover where they had a rabbi conduct the service, a fine meal was served AND there was a band for dancing!! Only in Florida!!

At Home - Cancel this, Start that
I've been home today making all the necessary calls, cancel this, start that, change my address and on and on.

Once I get settled up north I'll start blogging again.

Where ever you are, I hope the sun shines.

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 5:06 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 13 comments | Old

 
PLANS CHANGED
It's almost time for me to head north and the day finally came when I got to spend some quality time with two friends that I have known for over 50 years! They relocated to Florida a few years ago and when I'm down here we try to get together at least once.

When I was single the wife and I went on dates together. We played mah jongg and had fun on vacations.

Chess


Photo by teliko82 CC BY-NC

My husband and her husband had a lot in common. Their favorite pastime was playing chess together. Now that I think of it, I think they both were winners!

One To One
The plan was to attend the 5 o'clock grand opening of a fitness center, "OnetoOne" and then go out to dinner. The mayor of Delray Beach and the Chamber of Commerce were present for a ribbon cutting ceremony. You should have seen the scissors, HUGE!!

My friend did tell me beforehand that there would be a cocktail reception and a conducted tour of the facilities. Fine, we'd have a little something and then we'd go out to dinner. Well the cocktail reception turned out to be a mini dinner.

We took the tour and were very impressed with the state-of-art equipment and how the place looked. It had an oriental flavor, art work in shades of green, yellow and black.

Ice Cream


Photo by Zesmerelda CC BY-SA

Ok, we didn't feel like dinner after all those goodies, what to do? A suggestion was made that we ride down to East Atlantic Ave in Delray. It's a charming street with many lovely shops and an outstanding ICE CREAM SHOP with outside tables and chairs. I had a rum raisin ice cream in a waffle cone!!

The Beach


Photo by afagen CC BY-NC-SA

Then to top off a delightful day with my friends we drove down to the beach. It was high tide and there was a wonderful breeze.

It was a good thing that we had to change our plans because being down by the beach was a lot more enjoyable then eating in a restaurant! And I got to have that delicious ice cream cone.

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 8:05 AM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 14 comments | Old

 
Happy Birthday Ronni
Happy Birthday Ronni

Wishing you all the things that make you happy!

A delicious Lobster


Photo by: Sakurako Kitsa CC BY-NC-SA

A Good Laugh


Photo by: Juco CC BY-NC-SA

Lots of Love


Photo by: slack12 CC BY-NC-SA

posted by Steve Garfield @ 3:36 AM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 5 comments | Old

 
SOME FUNNY STORIES
Yesterday I had a very full day - My friends and I started out at 1:00 pm, I didn't get home until 9:30 pm - a high school production of "Grease" in the afternoon, dinner out and THEN the movie "Married Life."

There is never a lack of conversation with these ladies and yesterday was no exception! Come to find out one of the ladies was a food demonstrator and so was I. That lead to a lot of funny stories:


Photo: Cranky Media Guy CC BY-NC-SA

Harriet did some demo work here in Florida and one day she was told her next assignment was going to be to give out samples of Stay Free Pads!! Her response was "this area consists mainly of seniors, that's not a product they would be interest in." Well, management said, "don't let it bother you, do the demo."

She did and was she ever swamped, she couldn't give them away fast enough. Leave it to those seniors to find uses for that product like shinning shoes or polishing furniture!

That story reminded me of the time I was told I should alert the grocery buyer to stock up on lemon pepper seasoning since I was going to be doing "fish." The day came, I set up, put up a display of the product and went to get the fish - NO FISH had been delivered, fortunately for me, I didn't have to do "fish" but I bet the grocery department had an over-abundance of lemon pepper seasoning for a long time!

Those stories reminded me of the time I was in need of some kitchen chair pads. I looked in K-Mart, Walgreens and Walmart. No one seemed to carry them. ( those were the days before Linens and Things and Bed, Bath and Beyond ) In desperation I thought "I'll try the supermarket."


Photo by Roadsidepictures CC BY-NC

Off I went to the market, went up and down the aisles- no chair pads! Finally I saw an elderly gentleman who was the store floor walker. I asked, " could you tell me in which aisle I might find chair pads?" He brightened up and said, "follow me."

Oh happy day, I was going to get what I had been searching for, for so long!! He took me to aisle 9. I remember it like it was yesterday, and there they were - Kotex PADS!!

He must have been hard of hearing!!

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 3:44 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 15 comments | Old

 
THE COFFEE BREAK
How many of you need that 3 o'clock coffee break?

Where ever I am, whatever I have been doing I just need that caffeine lift. Up north there are a number of places that are open all day long where I can stop in, get off my feet, have a beverage and something sweet.

It's another story here in Florida. Most bagel shops are open for breakfast and lunch then hang up the "Closed" sign. Some shops are opened for breakfast and lunch, close and then reopen for dinner. Restaurants open for lunch, close and then reopen for dinner.

Fortunately for me and many other people in the area we now have two choices.



A Dunkin Donuts shop opened in the area and boy are they busy!

My second choice is at the Carnival Flea Market . Not only do they carry a variety of NEW merchandise, but they also have a food concession where you can purchase sandwichs, salads, knishes, ice cream, my beloved coffee and much more.

Now I want to tell you what prompted this post.



The other day I was at the flea market and it was time for a pick-me-up, got my coffee and a delicious piece of pastry, took a seat at a table that you share with other customers.

I noticed a young man who looked to be in his 50's with a well dressed elderly gentleman, probably in his 80's. They were sitting so close to me, I could not help but over hear their conversation

From what I overheard I surmised they were father and son. My impression was that the son was visiting from out of state. He was so pleased that his father was enjoying the pastry he had purchase for him and said, "before we leave I will pick up some for Ma, I'm sure she'll like it too." That lead me to believe that the man's wife was in a nursing home.

Then I heard the son say, "before we go see Ma, how would you like to get a breath of fresh air by the ocean." The father said, "I'd like that."

If I had been with a friend I would not have been aware and would have missed a very meaningful coffee break.

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 8:30 AM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 16 comments | Old

 
THIS ONE IS FOR ME
The months, weeks and days have been flying by and before I know it I'll be packing up and heading north.

Usually when I make a post I try to make it either informative, entertaining or humorous. Maybe there are times I am sucessful and it's all three. ;-)

This season has been a particularly busy one with a variety of activities. Some of the things I've done are already getting vague in my mind. Fortunately I have kept some of the playbills and flyers from events that I have attended.

As I said in my title, this one is to remind me of some of the "happenings this season."

THEATRE



The Boca Raton Theatre Guild production of "Company"
Stage Door Theatre production of "Baby."

"Company" and "Baby" were both fun with a cast of talented performers.

Delray Playhouse - An evening with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.



An evening with Jeanette and Eddy was most enjoyable. Before the show started we were invited to partake of cheese, crackers, fruit and wine. The theatre has a unique location. it's off the beaten track and if you don't know where it is, you could get lost. One of my friends still drives at night and she knew just where it was!!

The cast consisted of a narrator, a female and male singer. The narrator presented the history of the stars and "Jeanette" and "Eddy" sang songs from those times in their careers. All in all it was a most delighful evening!!

And who knew, there is a Nelson Eddy Appreciation Society, a non-profit organization since 1969, honoring the memory and legacy of both Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald.

OPERA LUNCH

Lunch at Benvenuto's and "Love Makes the World Go Round"
A beautiful restaurant,, a fine lunch and romantic songs, It was Valentines day , and to top it all off, each lady received a rose!!

NOVA Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale

Dale Chihuly's "The NSU Glass Garden"



This was a day trip that took us to the university. The main reason for this excursion was to see Dale Chihuly's "The NSU Glass Garden" which is in the Alan Sherman Library. That was the first piece of work that I had seen of his, now that I've seen it, I'm sure to recognize his work

Robb & Stucky (fine furniture store)
Mizner Park, Boca Raton

My friend and I happened to be at Mizner Park the day that there was a design presentation at Robb & Stucky. We decided to listen in, not that we will be doing any decorating in the near or distant future. What we learned is "wallpaper is back. green is the new black and animal prints are always in."

After the talk we wandered around the story and what do you know - This beautiful piece of glass artwork was on display - the only thing I could find out about it was price - $7,000.00. It looked like Chihuly but?? ---

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

The one thing that I'm sure not to forget is all the good times I've had with family and friends down here. Some friends live up north but they are not nearby, some old friends have moved down here permanently and some cousins also live a distance away from me but live in the Delray area. Florida brings us together.

If I had to write all this down, I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't have the patience to do it and my handwriting is not what it use to be.

Now that I've completed this post, anytime I want to remember the highlights of 2007-2008, I'll just check out my blog.

Thanks for listening.

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 6:04 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 9 comments | Old

 
MY CHICKEN SOUP STORY - PART 2
A few weeks ago I put up a post about my unsuccessful attempt to make chicken soup, I had no time to peel, cut and chop. Chancy from Driftwood Inspiration asked if I could put up the recipe for my soup. I haven't made it in a long time but the memory of that soup never fades.

When I was single and lived at home my mother made it without fail every Friday. Not only was the soup delicious but the boiled chicken that was in the pot was so moist, that was a treat in itself.

As much as I enjoyed the soup I did not appreciate having it EVERY Friday night. Too much of a good thing!! It's a different story today, if someone made it for me every week I would be delighted.

Millie's Chicken Soup

6 chicken leg quarters
water to just cover the legs
1 peeled onion
3 or 4 carrotts - sliced
3 stalks celery with tops - sliced
1 parsnip - cut in chunks
fresh parsley
Kosher salt to tsste
Pepper to taste

Place chicken legs and water in a large pot, bring contents to a boil and keep skimming off the scum. Once the water is clear turn heat down to low. Add carrotts, onion , celery and parsnip. Add seasoning and continue cooking for about 1 1/2 hours.
Add the parsley when the soup is almost done.

Note: This is not a low cholesterol soup I do not remove the skin or fat from the chicken, that's one of the reasons the soup tastes so good. Using kosher salt makes a difference too. Parsnips are not alway available in the market but when they are available they add a sweetness to the soup.!

Now - I'm not done yet!

If you want to make the traditional soup you should cook some thin noodles and add to the soup. AND what's a ckicken soup without matzo balls? The easy way to make them is to BUY a package of matzo ball mix and follow the directions. It's a never fail recipe!

Now - all that's left to do is ENJOY!!!

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 4:18 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 11 comments | Old

 
I Can't Open It - Fabulous


YouTube | Quicktime 640x480 | M4v iPhone/iPod | MP3 Audio

This time Millie can't get the spray cleaner to spray, it's foams a little, and then sometimes it works.

Steve comes in to help.

Note: Recorded last year

Labels: fabulous, milliegarfield

posted by Steve Garfield @ 4:32 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 15 comments | Old

 
MY CHICKEN SOUP STORY
A few weeks ago I was in the supermarket and saw that chicken legs were on sale. Should I or shouldn't I? I don't really have time to cook down here but I was tempted to buy them because I've been thinking "I'd love to have some homemade chicken soup."

So, what do I do?

I come home and put the chicken in the freezer and when I have the other ingredients I need, I'll take the chicken out and make my soup. Time marches on and finally I have the carrots, celery and onions and am ready to cook.

I have the chicken defrosting in my refrigerator, I have all I need to start cooking but there is one thing I do not have, it's TIME.

After a few days I start getting concerned, how long can the chicken sit there? I have no time to peel carrots, clean celery and slice onions. What to do?

Forget the chicken soup, I decided to make a very fast and easy recipe:



Millie's Quick and Easy CHICKEN with RICE

8 chicken legs
1 package Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Onion Soup Mix
1 cup rice
2 1/2 cups of water
seasonings to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can mushrooms

Rinse chicken legs and place in a 9x12 pan. Mix remaining ingredients together. Sprinkle with seasonings.

Cover chicken and bake at 375 degrees for one hour. Uncover and bake at 450 degrees for 1/2 hour.

When pan is uncovered, stir the mixture. If it looks dry, add a little water.

Looks like the only way I'm going to get my chicken soup is, order it in a restaurant

Labels: chicken, onion soup

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 2:09 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 12 comments | Old

 
THE LOST WEEK-END


Once a month I get together with some friends for a card game. The group consists of three couples and two single ladies. We meet in the afternoon, play for a while, take a break, have some light refreshments , play again and then we go out to dinner..

This month it was my turn to hostess the afternoon. I don't have to cook anything but I do have to plan on serving fruit, provide cold drinks and have some goodies. It's no big deal but I have to buy more of everything that I do not ordinarily have at home.

The night before our get together I received a call from the single lady who said she wasn't feeling well and could not make it. that was ok because I still had seven people coming.

The next morning I received a call from a couple, the lady of the house had a stiff neck and was not able to play.

That left me with two couples. That meant there were only going to be five people playing cards.

We play "3-14" which is a card game that is more fun when played with a large group so we decided to call off the game and just go out to dinner and come back to my place for dessert.

Good decision, yes? Yes, but the weather man didn't cooperate. We started to hear warnings about a possible TORNADO coming into the area. That took care of that. No card game , no dinner out and no one coming back to my place afterwards.

And you want to laugh, there was no tornado, just very heavy rain!

The next day one of my friends called last minute and asked if I wanted to join them for a movie - "Yes, sure." I quickly made a light supper and before you know it, they picked me up and it didn't take too long before my friend said she didn't feel well and had to go back home. So, no movie.

Just so you know, it's not all peaches and cream down here. ;-)

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 4:17 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 14 comments | Old

 
SHORT AND SWEET
Since I'm not sure this post will get posted I'm going to keep it short.

I had planned to write in detail about two movies that I saw recently but instead I'm just write a little about each one.



The Bucket List - It's advertised as a comedy - I felt it was more of a drama with just a little humor.
After seeing that movie I wanted to see something light, funny and romantic - 27 Dresses fit the bill.

I've been eating out a lot - going out to lunch and dinner at some very fine restaurants but let me tell you about the best and most enjoyable meal I've had recently.

My friends and I went to a new restaurant in town, Delancey St. Deli and Restaurant. On our table were buckets of all you can eat half sour pickles and cole slaw, delicious.

We each ordered the hot cornbeef and tongue sandwich served on the best white rye bread I have ever eaten. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

As Jacke Gleason would say, "How sweet it is."

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 3:27 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 10 comments | Old

 
TESTING
One, Two, Three testing.

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 9:13 AM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 2 comments | Old

 
I LOST IT
Steve,
Tried to make another post. Weird things are happening.

Take a look.

I was trying to type "I Lost, It, I Lost it.

Wanted to make a short post tonight but I won't do it because something
is very wrong!!!

Mom

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 10:37 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 2 comments | Old

 
MATERIAL for a MOVIE
The longer I'm here in Florida, the faster the time goes.

PILL BOXES

flickr photo by A. Belani Creative Commons - Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

Before I turn around I have to fill those pill boxes again.

Years ago when I first started taking medication I took one pill that I could take out of the container and I was done. As time went on I needed to take more med's and finally realized it would be easier if I got myself a pill box, and fill it once a week so I wouldn't have to bother opening several containers every day. ( and you know the trouble I have openning things. )

In recent times I've been taking a number of vitamins, some of which are pretty large, For example I'm taking two fish oil capsules every day and they are LARGE. Well, I outgrew my pill box and now I have an additional pill box to accommadate the vitamins.

PICKING UP THE NEWSPAPER

flickr photo by Roxanne Weber Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0

Instead of going up to the second floor of the condo, where I live, the newspaper delivery person throws the paper up from the ground floor. Most mornings I find the paper right at my door, some mornings the paper is far flung. All this time I did not question where I found my paper so long as it was delivered.

One morning I discovered why the position of the paper varied. Before I check the computer, have coffee or straighten out my hair I open the door to pick up the paper Well, this particular morning low and behold my next door neighbor was placing my paper at my door. She explained that when she goes by and my paper is far afield SHE places it at my door.

I don't know who was more shocked and surprised at that moment. First thing in the morning I don't expect anyone at my door and I certainly don't look like the neighbor that she knows!!

DINING OUT

flickr photo by Locator Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0

One day last week at about 5:00 o''clock I had completed some errands at a local mall. There are some small shops and a restaurant that is very popular with seniors.

This is what I saw: three men using walkers, walking to thier cars accompanied by three ladies carrying doggie bags. I've been telling my friends about what I saw and everyone I tell it to - their first reaction is to laugh. It does strike you funny when you first hear about it but deep down it's sad.

The good thing about what I saw is that these people who eat out so early and use walkers are still out there doing whatever, whenever they can.

If the people who produced Boynton Beach Bereavement Club make a sequel I can supply them with lots of material!

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 2:22 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 15 comments | Old

 
A 4X4 MEME

flickr photo by zimpenfish CC BY

A few weeks ago Claude from over at Blogging In Paris tagged me for a meme. It was one that would require some thought on my part and to tell the truth I want to take the easy way out today and just do a quickie.

It just so happens Steve did one today and I will follow suit and do a 4X4 meme.

Here Goes:

FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD
First job while in high school - Worked for a local shop selling ladies sportswear.
Inventory clerk at a knitting mill that manufactured sweaters for Russian War Relief. Occasionally they would ask me to model a sweater. Yikes!!
One summer when I was in between jobs, I worked at the clubhouse of a racetrack selling cigars and cigarettes.
Did food demonstration at a local market. Sometimes I cooked fish, sometimes I made pizza, gave out samples of cookies and candy.

FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN
London - Loved the pot pies and the Eglish accent
Paris - wonderful pastries
Bermuda - always wanted to go back
Canadian Rockies = Loved Chateau Lake Louise


FOUR FAVORITE FOODS
A vegetarian pizza with a cold beer
Veal marsala
Chicken soup with a matzo ball and noddles
Filet Mignon with bernasie sauce

FOUR ALL TIME FAVORITES
Movie: King King
Bands: Glenn Millier
Plays: The King and I
Singer: Frank Sinatra

Anyone care to join my 4X4 MEME?

See also, Chris Brogan: Memes and Why They Matter.

Labels: meme

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 5:37 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 5 comments | Old

 
A SHOT in the ARM
Usually when you hear the expression "A Shot in the Arm" you think it means, you got energized or inspired about something.

In this case I mean it literally.



Every year before I go to Florida I see my internist for my annual physical. While there I requested the doctor give me the vaccine to prevent shingles. He told me that I probably would have to pay for it out of my own pocket. I knew that shot could cost anywhere from $155.00 to well over $200.00. No problem.

The reason I was so gunho about getting the shot was that a friend of mine had the shingles last year and had a very difficult time, she was hospitalized and then had to spend some time in a rehabilitation center. She has not been the same since!

Sure enough, I recently received a bill for $155.00 for the Zoster vaccine. Medicare - non covered charges, Blue Cross -non covered charges. Before I pay this bill I want to make sure that I am responsible for payment.

One afternoon I allowed time to make phone calls to Blue Cross and Medicare. I got through to Blue Cross quickly - no, I'm not covered, but when I called Medicare it was a different story, waiting time - twenty minutes, ok, I had a book in one hand and the phone in the other hand, no I'm not covered. The person I spoke with suggested I call Blue Cross back and ask for "an exception."

I did that, "no exception."

One reason I kept at it was I have a friend who got the shot last year and she did not to have pay, so Millie was not going to give up the ship.

The next step was to call my medicine provider. "no, not covered." The person I spoke with was very knowledgeable, helpful and understanding. According to her, the United States government passed a bill last year stating that Medicare would cover the cost of the vaccine for people 60 and over. She also told me that a few months ago the AARP magazine had an article that stated that Medicare would pick up the cost of the vaccine.

What's happening now reminds me of what I went though with my computer - When I spoke with the computer repair person he said it was a Comcast problem and when I spoke with Comcast they said it was a computer problem.

Next week when I have no place to rush off to, I'll get on the phone with Medicare and see how they response to my new information.

From what I have been reading less than 2 percent have gotten the vaccine against shingles, a painful skin rash that strikes 1 million a year.

Have you had the vaccine and if so, did your insurance cover the cost?

More info:

Shingles vaccine a $150 puncture.

Are shingles vaccine shots covered by medicare?

Does Medicare cover the shingles vaccine?

October 10, 2007 8:48 AM

You may want to check with Medicare about this. I found this info on the web:

For patients over 65, Medicare will begin paying for the shingles vaccine in January, 2007 - but not the way it pays for the most widely used adult inoculations, flu shots, which are fully covered. Instead, the shingles vaccine will be treated like a prescription drug, with varying co-pays depending on a patient's drug plan.

UPDATE:

Does Medicare cover vaccines and immunizations?

If you have a Medicare prescription drug plan (Part D), you may be able to get coverage for other types of vaccines, such as the vaccine for shingles (herpes zoster). As of 2008, any commercially-available vaccine that is not covered by Part B should be covered by your Medicare prescription drug plan. Your Part D plan will pay for the vaccination itself and for your doctor to give you the shot (administration). However, you will need to make sure you follow your particular plan’s rules in order for the vaccine to be covered.

Labels: medicare, shingles, zoster

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 5:13 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 19 comments | Old

 
The BOYS and The GIRLS
Once upon a time, in the town of Delray Beach, there was a family that was made up of a father, mother, five sons and two daughters. The father had a small fruit and vegetable business.

When the boys grow old enough to have their own business they set up a tent and followed in their father's footsteps but on a larger scale. The tent was very large and the containers that housed the fruit and veggies were also very large.


Photo: Justin Knol CC BY-NC

When you approached the tent you saw huge displays of tomatoes. Once you got into the tent there were workers who were cutting up fruit and handing out samples. The fruit was delicious and the price was right.

"The Boys" were very likable and very good business men. The story goes that there was a lady who showed up on a regular basis, not buy anything but eat a lot of samples. One of the help reported her to "The Boy." His reaction was, "if she needs to do that, don't bother her."

A few years ago they did away with the tent and now run their business in a very large store in which they sell everything from soup to nuts. They still give out samples! At this point in time the store and the parking lot are not big enough!



When I came down this season, I discovered that the mother and sister of the boys opened up a market called "The Girls Strawberry U-Pick Farm."

When you walk out of the market's back door you're in the midst pf hydroponic heaven. Before you, growing in vertically stacked containers, are strawberries, tomatoes and other fruits and veggies.

Years ago when I had out of town guests I would take them to see the tent, and in later years I would take them to the store.

Now if you come visit me I will take you to visit "The Girls."

"The Boys" and "The Girls" will live happily ever after with fruit and veggies for everyone.

The End


More info:
Hydroponic U-pick farm opens in Delray Beach

Behind The Seeds at Epcot®

Labels: delray beach, fruit, the boys, the girls, u-pick, vegetables

posted by Mildred Garfield @ 3:32 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >>