New Activity – Omelet Tasting

We both love breakfast, but the omelet has not been up there as a favorite option. So, we thought for O month we would sample a few made at restaurants in case we just weren’t being creative enough ourselves and were missing something. The first two omelets we tried were First Watch’s “The Bacado” (bacon, artichoke, and Monterey Jack) and their seasonal “Short Rib Omelet.” This one was described as: “Savory red wine–braised beef short ribs, house-roasted shallots and Crimini mushrooms, fresh spinach and Mozzarella cheese. Topped with Parmesan cream sauce and fresh herbs.” The Bacado was not a hit with us as it was very bland but the Short Rib Omelet was super delicious.

The next omelet we had at Little Gus Café. It was their “Gyro Omelet” which consisted of Gyro meat, tomato, onion and feta cheese. This one was a hit as well, mostly because of the innards and less due to the egg. We realize that what makes an omelet tasty to us are the juices of what it was filled with; otherwise it would be blah. And although we enjoyed two out of the three, we don’t think it has changed our minds about the joys of an omelet. We imagine the over easy and scrambled eggs are doing a little happy dance at beating the competition.

New Experience – Eastern Screech Owl

Laura: Imagine how surprised you would be to hear what sounded exactly like a whinny of a horse outside your patio door around 5:45 a.m.? It was a soft sound but didn’t let up. We were concerned some critter might be in distress (although we highly doubted My Little Pony was wandering the grounds). Kurt is an avid bird lover so, once we realized the sound was coming from one of the trees, he suggested it was probably an owl – either a barn owl or a screech owl. I grabbed our “Sibley Guide to Birds” and sure enough, it was the Eastern Screech Owl. Sibley’s confirmed that it sounds like the whinny of a horse and the map showed that they do populate the Eastern half of Texas, Dallas being part of that equation. It may not be a big deal to others but somehow this sighting and discovery made my day!

New activity – Opera

Barbara: I never thought that opera was for me. Yes, I loved “The Phantom of the Opera”, “Les Miserables” and “Tommy”, but I haven’t really considered them opera with a capital O. But since it was O month, I said “what the heck, I may as well find a traditional opera to see in the DFW area.” However, the stars were against me and absolutely nothing came up in my search. Luckily, though, I discovered a chamber music group in Arlington that was performing much of the music from the opera “Carmen” by the French composer George Bizet.  I didn’t realize how many of the songs were familiar to me and that I highly enjoyed them.

Optimistic that I now would appreciate opera, I came home and started to watch a video of the opera. And the verdict? Chamber music yes, opera no. Just not a story format I can get behind. Does that make me less cultured? Hope not. Maybe the fact that I don’t like soap operas either balances it out.

Laura: Knowing Barbara was headed out to hear opera music performed, I decided to watch the original Lon Chaney version of “The Phantom of the Opera.” This silent movie was playing on Kanopy but shortly after it began, there was a technical failure and it stopped streaming. That was fine with me since I wasn’t really into the silent movie genre – and what was the point if I was seeking the enjoyment of operatic voices? So, I chose instead to listen to a 30-minute YouTube selection on Top 10 “Must Know” Opera Songs. I loved it! I’ve always enjoyed opera music and these 10 selections reminded me why. To name a few, they included songs from Carmen, Rigoletto, Madame Butterfly and La Traviata. Plus, the power and magnificence of the voices of Luciano Pavarotti and Maria Callas are mesmerizing. I am hoping to carry this enthusiasm forward and make listening to opera music a weekly pursuit.