The ABC Life Blog

New activity – The REVOLUTION REIGNS (and “Rains”) On

Barbara: The sisters have taken quite a break, what with travel plans, grandchild birthdays, and other annoying issues beyond our control so although I realize most people I’ve talked to have already seen this show, I was slow to come around and have only just now seen HAMILTON. Driving in a downpour and in a sports car, I must admit I was a tiny bit tempted to say “turn that car around!” but so glad I didn’t’. All I can say is that it was wonderful! I loved the staging, the venue (New York’s got nothing on the Winspear), the songs, the voices and…the audience! I was amazed how into the show everyone was, nearly hooting their heads off for each song. And, like I do at nearly anything, I cried. Leaving the theatre while wiping off my eyes, I was REENERGIZED and looking forward to more ABC Life activities.

LEARNING CENTER

DID YOU KNOW?

• Alexander Hamilton founded the New York Post as the first anti-Democratic-Republican publication. Wonder what he’d think of it today.
• Doctor James Jay created invisible ink that George Washington and his men used to send secret messages.
• It’s believed that for every soldier killed, 2 died of smallpox.
• It was during the American Revolution that the first submarine attack took place.

New restaurant: Piefalootin

How could we NOT go to a bake shop with this name? Its tag line – “Not So Humble Pie” – had us salivating before stepping into the car. They change their menus often, but Barbara was hoping they would have the Orange You Happy It’s Not Key Lime.

One can purchase a pie or a slice or a quarter and split it or they even offer “Pie Flights” with your choice of 3 slices. And if you want a whole pie but forgot to order one, they will allow you to select 4 quarters and they will create a Build-A-Pie for you. Even if this place turns out to be a bust, just their fun with names and offerings was enticing enough to have made a visit. We ordered the Pie Flight of Best of Both Worlds (a combination of chocolate cream and coconut cream pies), Oops (chunks of chocolate and pecan with bourbon) and the Key Lime pie.

Did it live up to its name? Unfortunately, no it did not. We were surprised to learn that it has been around for 5 years because the crust was very hard, the whipped cream had no flavor, nor did the coconut cream, and the Oops was just weird. Maybe they were having an off day; we hope so.

REPEAT PERFORMANCE – “MORE OR LESS”

We had previously started a section in our blog (actually, Laura started it, I replied,  and then we continued together) called “More or Less.” In it we thought about what we wanted to work on in our lives – some more and some less. We’ve decided to revisit what we said previously, determine how we’ve done on it, and possibly come up with new things to work on at our present stage of life.

So here goes –

Laura:

Previously: “I will work on having MORE PATIENCE. I used to be quite a patient person but as I get older, I’m more quick to get annoyed or bothered with people or situations. Having patience makes your life much easier and I will make a conscious effort this coming year to recapture the more mellow Laura. I want LESS PILES. Piles of paper and stuff are annoying. They have to go! But it’s not just stacks of material things. When you pile up stacks of feelings, they take a toll as well. My new motto: Let it slide. Let it go.”

Update: I have definitely made progress with the people portion but still need work on going with the flow when it comes to situations such as traffic and long lines. But for 2024 I want MORE PUZZLES. I’m addicted to Wordle, Waffle, Connections and the Mini Crossword and I’ve recently rediscovered my enjoyment of jigsaw puzzles. Keeps the brain going and they’re just plain PLEASURABLE. I’ll keep working on Less Piles but it will never be perfect. But who am I to let “perfect” stand in the way of PROGRESS!

Barbara:

Previously: “I want Less Overeating. I get in a whirlwind of eating when I know I haven’t yet started to “diet” and that has to stop, so Less of Me is what I will work on.” (I had started with “O” for some reason at which time Laura suggested I change “less overeating” to “less pfood.”)

Update: Seems that I haven’t learned my lesson! I still scarf down everything in sight on the weekend before my eating properly start date. So, this year I am determined to have LESS of “pfooling” myself and MORE “pfocusing” on one particular piece of the plan. For example, I’ve been going crazy lately over sweets so as I begin to try to slim down a bit, I’ll zone in on eliminating some desserts. I’ll start with pie!

New restaurant: Chris and John

It’s been a while since we tried some Pho so when we saw there was a restaurant that was a fusion of Vietnamese and Mexican street foods, it was a no-brainer to pay a visit.

This was another reaffirmation to us that our ABC Life opens doors to us that we never would have thought of opening. This restaurant was on a side street in a small strip center. We would have passed right by without thinking twice had we not been looking for a “P”. Once in, the long line of eager patrons was a good sign.

And OH the food! We decided to split one Pho Burger and one Phodilla (fusion of pho and a quesadilla). Both dishes were so flavorful; we couldn’t keep track of all the “yum”s we uttered spontaneously. As the sign says: “Life’s Too Short. Just Eat.” Highly recommend!

New Activity: PHOTO GALLERY

Both of us really enjoy photography – especially Laura – so off we went to the P D N B Gallery (Photos Do Not Bend). Although it was a little smaller than we had expected, so not as many photographs to enjoy, we did – as usual – make a game out of it by looking at all the photos in a room and then having to choose which one we would buy. Maybe we’ll see one of them the next time we go to Cottonwood Art Festival and get the chance.

New Activity: POSITIONING PETALS

After our last “O” activity we were so impressed with the beautiful Japanese floral arrangements that, along with our friend Rosemary, we signed up for a two- session class. Our instructor, Ms. Maruda, handed out all the supplies and began the lesson. There are many, many rules to this form of floral arrangement and we struggled to take notes on how to place the “big brother, little brother and younger sister” in the foam she gave us. Harder than it would seem. But we did the best we could with the “skill” we had.

After the experience it was only fitting that we write a Haiku in the traditional 5 syllable, 7 syllable, 5 syllable style:

Ikebana class

Japanese floral placement

Alas – no talent.

New activity – Japanese Art Showcase

Back in 2020 when Covid shut down everything and we were concentrating on doing things at home, Barbara tried her hand at Origami and was unsuccessful. So when we saw that there was a Japanese Art Showcase at a nearby recreation center that included origami we thought we’d see what a professional could do.

While the exhibit did have a lovely example of what can be done with origami, what really impressed us were the beautiful flower arrangements. This showcase turned out to be artwork that was done by students of a certified instructor in the Japanese Flower Art of Ikebana. Holy Cow!

And how can we not show this entry by a 9 year old boy, using Legos to imitate  a Japanese flower scene.

We spent some time talking to the instructor and are planning on taking her class either in March or April. We don’t expect to be as good as these students are since our talents don’t exactly reach to crafts or design, but maybe with practice?

Oh my (our) goodness, it sure is hard to get back to normal after two months of holidays but 2024 is upon us and the sisters have to return to their ABC life. We haven’t had time to do much in the way of activity so we thought we’d start out with something more passive, like reading and watching.

New book: The Outsider by Stephen King

Barbara: I’ve always enjoyed Stephen King books, but some types more than others. The ones I like the most seem to fall into 3 categories: they have a creepy element that most people can relate to like the creepy clown in “IT”, they have a “what if” element like “what if we changed history” as in “11/22/63”, or the situation could potentially happen which makes it particularly scary, like his latest book “Holly” (which had villains that actually gave me nightmares – a little TOO creepy). The Outsider did not fit into any of these categories because of its element of fantasy. Because he’s such a good writer I did finish the book and it wasn’t bad, just not my favorite of his.

New TV series: The Outsider

Laura: While Barbara tackled the book, I decided to watch The Outsider tv series, now streaming on HBO Max. I’m two episodes in and am definitely on edge trying to figure out the mystery of “who did it.” It presents a set of circumstances that are different than most whodunits so I will continue. It’s a bit slow moving but has enough elements in it that are intriguing to keep my interest. Plus, Jason Bateman is always a talent whom I admire and he has acting, directing and executive producer roles.

LEARNING CENTER

There are quite a few animals beginning with the letter O, each interesting in their own way. One is helpful, one you wouldn’t want to get too close to, and the other – well, bless her heart.

Did you know:

Oysters help purify the water they live in. One adult oyster can filter 50 gallons a day. Just remember that next time you eat a plate full of oysters.

Ostrich kicks are so powerful they can kill a lion.  

And our personal favorite – Orangutan mothers breastfeed their young for the longest time of any mammal, nursing them for about seven years. We refuse to look up how large a 7 year old orangutan is; we don’t want that image in our heads!

We hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours didn’t go exactly as planned due to Barbara’s getting Covid but each family’s household improvised; believe us, NO food went wasted.

The sisters are taking a short hiatus so that we can give our full energy to enjoying family during this holiday season. We’ll be back and energized in January with the letter “O” in our ABC Life.

ENJOY THE HOLIDAY SEASON!!!

Although we did use our noodles back in 2021, we thought it was time for a revisit as there are so many noodle restaurants to choose from.

New restaurant: Highland Noodles

When searching for a new-to-us place to try, Highland Noodles in Frisco stood out because they are known for their handmade on the premises specialty noodles. We were not disappointed – the tomato and egg noodle dish and the beef and noodle dish both had a rich flavor and the portions were huge.  Plus, we were very surprised (actually more like amazed) that the restaurant was located within a shopping area that had dozens of Asian restaurants and shops – and we had never noticed this area before although we had probably driven by it dozens of times. Thank you ABC Life for opening our eyes to the many options we have for future dining delights.

Bonus: The very next day we discovered on someone’s recommended mysteries for 2023 list the book Death by Dumpling: A Noodle Shop Mystery by Vivien Chien. It’s on our TBR list now. But it does make one think: how do you die by a dumpling? Poisoning? Or a swift and mighty whack on the head? We’ll find out soon.

LEARNING CENTER

Since we loved the flavors of this restaurant, here’s something we learned about “Natural Flavors”: Next time you read a label and are encouraged to hear the product has natural flavors so you’re feeling very health conscious, keep this in mind: “Secreted from a gland near its rear end, castoreum is a substance beavers use to mark their territory. Because it has a musky vanilla aroma, for centuries castoreum has been added to some perfumes and foods. The FDA only requires it to be labeled “natural flavoring.”

And, also, while we think back fondly on our noodles, we found there are several food terms for the head or brain: noodle, bean, melon, beef-witted, to name a few. But we want to pass along a caution: “Using your noodle is high in carbohydrates. Using your melon is less so. If you’re on a true low-carb diet, beef-witted is the way to go.”

New activity – Step Afrika! Performance

We’ve been to many dance performances but nothing like that which was put on by the group Step Afrika! (the exclamation point is part of the name). From what we have gathered online, it started with historically African American fraternities and sororities but has its roots in traditional African dance. In particular, some of the areas that were mentioned were Western Africa/Nigeria and South Africa. The group “promotes stepping as an educational tool for young people, focusing on teamwork, academic achievement and cross-cultural understanding.” They performed several dances, including Ndlamu, which is a traditional dance of the Zulu people, and Isicathulo, or the “gumboot dance,” which is a tradition created by South African workers in the mining industry as a way of secretly communicating with each other by the stomping of their boots.

We were so impressed by the amount of energy and coordination this dance took and the group was highly entertaining. The music that came out of stomping their feet and slapping their bodies was great. The audience was whooping and clapping, and it was unlike anything we had been to. It’s a highly recommended evening of entertainment.

Who hasn’t heard of Dr. Seuss? The name immediately elicits images of nonsensical characters, fun dialogue and fanciful illustrations. Both of us are ardent fans of his books so we knew we had to return to the Southwest Gallery in Dallas to wander through their featured The Art of Dr. Seuss Collection. It was truly delightful, with many fine arts limited edition prints of his original illustrations and never-before seen paintings. Apparently, Ted Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, spent his evenings creating art that was for his pleasure and not for his books. He says, “I like nonsense. It wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.”

When Laura told her son about this exhibit, he shared that his alma mater, University of California, San Diego, has an amazing sculpture of Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat outside their Geisel Library. Dr. Seuss lived in La Jolla for the second half of his life and the city honored him with this inspiring sculpture.

NEW ORLEANS NOSH

After Dr. Seuss, we decided to stop for coffee and a little something. So, when we noticed PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, we went in and were delighted to find they served Beignets. The sugar ones were truly yummy. A great top-off to an interesting afternoon.