It's Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day- Yiipppeeee!!!!

Yes Kiddies, Its Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. WHAT????? You didn't know this????? Oh, my you poor dears. You must have lived such a sheltered life. Well, read on and I will elucidate you on some fine American Cuisine. 

Grilled cheese sandwiches have always been a delicious, toasted delight popular all across the world. Growing up this was a real treat. Of course back then “Wonder Bread” or whatever was on the ‘Day Old’ rack, and some yellow American Processed Cheese was the only components my mother needed. Add a can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup, and you had a feast. 

Now in Commemoration, Celebration, and Certification of Grilled Cheese Lovers everywhere, we have our own holiday, Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. An Honored Day when it’s your sacred duty to indulge in one of these melted cheese gastronomical delights.

Now melting cheese on bread is not a new culinary concept. In fact it has been around since the time of the Romans. On the other hand, grilled cheese sandwiches of today didn’t become popular until the 1920s. With the dawning of processed cheese and sliced enriched white bread they became an American staple, which soon spread worldwide. Simple to make. Easy to cook almost anywhere.

So what is the best way to celebrate Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day? Simple, make and eat a grilled cheese sandwich. If you are a traditionalist, just put some cheese of your choice between two slices of bread. Butter the bread on BOTH sides. Slap that baby onto a hot fry pan, brown on both sides, till the cheese melts, and your DONE!!!! The Grilled Cheese purist in you will be satisfied for sure.

 BUT, if you are like us, some experimenting is in order. Tomorrow the the Panini Maker will get pulled out. Next, some Swiss Cheese will be sliced ever so thinly off our block of cheese, and then some aged cheddar will be added. These will be laid onto fresh Ciabatta rolls. Some sliced Beef Steak Tomatoes comes next, followed by slices of Avocado. 

A mix of Mayo and Horseradish Dijon will be spread inside. Then a little butter on each side of the Ciabatta and into the Panini Grill it goes. Sounding good huh!!!

So what are you waiting for?????? Let your inner child loose and make that Grilled Cheese Sandwich. You know you want too....... Just Say Cheese!!!!!

Friday Funnies

Wondering if anyone has seen the Invisible Man ? — He left some things behind . . .

Maybe, he knows the person who left this boot a few weeks ago.

(This clothes pile was on the sidewalk outside our mill apt complex; seems someone left in a hurry. No need to make this stuff up, folks, we just keep looking around.)

Enjoy your weekend, Everyone.

All Washed Up (By Mistake)

Have you ever washed something that wasn't supposed to be washed under any circumstances?

IF you answered Yes, you're not alone. We've washed pants with leftover tissues and papers (usually nothing crucial). We've even laundered currency, which thankfully dried OK for re-use :-) coins just rattled around the washer until collected at the cycle's end. 

But we've also laundered some never-to-be-washed items like a wallet, cell phone, full set of house keys and, more recently, Grenville's Apple earbuds. 

No, all these were not washed at the same time because we never remembered to check pockets first!  All went through the wash cycle — not all went through the dryer (whew).

Except the earbuds, which got the full wash & dry treatment and are working fine. Grenville claims he can hear better now.

We're going to try and avoid future mishaps and now we have a sign near the laundry to be done and in very LARGE lettering: Check ALL pockets first (including gym shorts). Yet, despite that caution, I often overlook a tissue which somehow gets washed, dried, and then get tossed !

The washed cell phone was a flip phone (pre-smart phone ownership). Grenville followed a method of burying the phone in uncooked instant rice to dry it out. After a few days, the phone worked but the home screen looked a bit worse for wear. 

If your cell phone is submerged, the recommended method is to use a desiccant, like those silica gel packets which come free in many items (start saving those packets). There's also other steps to follow as detailed in this CNET article. 

(The commercial washer and dryer shown are in our mill apt laundry room and it's where the keys and earbuds (in gym shorts) were washed. The other items were washed in VA.)

Ever happened to You?

Spring and Snow (Again)

Outdoors, it looks like a delayed April Fool's joke today only it's NOT.

The calendar may show April 4 and Spring "officially" began a week ago today with snow too. But, this is the scene outside our window early today in Nashua, NH. 

Yes, we know this is New England, but after a 70+ temperature day last Thurs, we suspect that Mother Nature has a humorous side (or just doesn't have a calendar). Maybe we should re-think putting the snowshoes in storage?

The roads were not snow covered when we went grocery shopping, just wet.

This local car wash we use regularly was closed today. It will be doing a brisk business once the weather has cleared.

These flowers purchased today brightened the mood indoors at least.

It's been a wild and sadly, destructive week of weather in many parts of the U.S. with rains, tornadoes, flooding and heavy snowfall in some states.

How is YOUR Spring going so far — any wild weather changes?

Friday Funny

NO Fooling

This was not quite what we had expected to see when snow shoeing on a trail in North Conway, NH, this past February, but there it was — a carcass.

Sorry for that bad awful pun, folks. but it was right on — this vehicle was definitely a goner.

Maybe its owner couldn't find a good parking spot?

How this car ever made it onto the trail, we were never able to learn. It was fairly obvious that, over time, the car had been the victim of human scavengers.

We asked the long-time owners of the B&B where we were staying and checked various online sources dealing with urban legends in the area.

Our searches yielded nothing; but these vintage relic was an interesting find regardless.

Enjoy your weekend, Everyone.

What We Did at Easter

We spent the recent Easter weekend celebrating with family in RI and CT.  It was hard to believe that the weather was chillier on this holiday than on Christmas Day in New England. We were outdoors without jackets in December, but not so in March.

Our indoor activities included one of our favorite "traditions" on the day before the holiday — coloring eggs.

The grandkids are just as enthusiastic as we are, it seems, so it was a fun afternoon.

And each of them has their own technique. Granddaughter called hers "rainbowing" the eggs.

Grandpa and mom were there to help and also help with the coloring and sampling afterwards.

Easter Sunday morning it was time for opening treats after we returned from services.

The grandkids "lent" us their bunny ears for our self-portrait — we really liked the noses.

The only "one" who didn't have fun was this large chocolate bunny which was demolished after a family dinner. (It was delicious.)

If you also celebrated Easter, we hope that your holiday celebration was happy (and joyous) too. 

Easter, It's Not Just Candy

Today is Easter Sunday and we're spending it with family in RI and CT.  In anticipation, we decorated our apartment entry over the past couple of weeks.

Not only do we have a lot of bunnies hanging around and some multi-colored eggs on a "Charlie Brown" tree, but we also have Cyril, the Easter snowman. 

What? You've never heard of an Easter snowman — after all, this is New England.

Here's some things about Easter which you may (or may not) know besides that it 
marks the end of Lent. 

There's no connection between Christ's resurrection and modern-day traditions related to Easter Sunday. "Easter" doesn't appear in the Bible and some Christians feel that the Resurrection shouldn't be referred to as Easter Sunday but instead as "Resurrection Sunday" in keeping with the Bible.

Unlike holidays that fall on a set date, Easter is a movable feast that can fall between March 22 and April 25. Western Christian churches celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox (or Paschal Full Moon) on March 21. Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur and usually celebrate it a week or two after Western churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar.

After Halloween, it's the second top selling candy holiday in the U.S. Today, chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and marshmallow chicks (Peeps) form a standard part of the celebration. Easter, like Christmas is a very commercial holiday.

Many popular Easter traditions have been around for centuries. The holiday's most prominent secular symbol, the Easter bunny was reportedly introduced to the U.S. by German immigrants who told tales of an egg-laying hare. The decoration of eggs is believed to date back to the 13th century. 

The NYC Easter Parade tradition dates to the mid-1800s when high society folks would attend Easter Sunday services at 5th Ave churches, then stroll outside in their spring outfits and fancy headwear. Other folks started showing up to watch them and the tradition peaked by the mid-20th century.

Easter Parade, released in 1948, starred Fred Astaire and Judy Garland and featured the music of Irving Berlin. Gene Kelly, who had been scheduled to take the male lead, bowed out due to an injury. 

Astaire and Garland only acted together in this one film. Many people can recall the movie's famous lyrics: "In your Easter bonnet with all the frills upon it, you'll be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade . . ."

Today, 5th Ave in New York is shut down from 49th to 57th Street. And, some participants still don fancy bonnets and hats.

My brother and I (years ago) dressed in Easter finery and were treated to bunny treats.

We wish you and your families a joyous and Happy Easter celebration.

Grenville & Beatrice

Good Friday Observances

Today is Good Friday. 

This religious holiday is when Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week and also known as Black Friday, Easter Friday,  Holy Friday.

It's not a federal holiday in the U.S. But in Hawaii, it is a state holiday and city and state office are closed. In some states, specific counties have declared it as a school religious holiday. In Connecticut, the governor has named it as a day of fasting and prayer. Indiana state law mandates that state employees are given the day off as a religious holiday. In 1999, a state employee unsuccessfully sued the state government on this mandate, but was overruled.

Financial markets including the NY Stock Exchange, are closed on Good Friday as are many private businesses, public schools and colleges.

Some people may take the day off from work for a “Spring Break” weekend. Others often maintain a quiet day with limited outside activities including no radio, TV or electronics use. Some fast for the day and some play quiet music including Bach's St Matthew's Passion.

Hot Cross buns, a traditional Good Friday treat are often baked (and enjoyed) on this day. This sweet bun made with currants or raisins is marked with an iced cross on top. The treat traditionally marks the end of Lenten are often available year-round in some places. Some feel that the cross represents Christ's crucifixion.

(In accordance with the solemness of this day for many, the usual Friday Funnies has not been posted. Also, Comments are Off.)

The Art of the Game

“Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!

There are points to be scored. There are games to be won."  Theodor Geisel (Dr Seuss)

Have you done any gaming lately?

We've been doing quite a lot in recent weeks. Not the electronic ones like PlayStation, although we do have an older unit that my brother gave us several months ago and e've yet to set up.

Like so many others, we also play some card and word games on our tablets and computers. However, the games I'm referring to are like those we played years ago called board games or card games, which have no electronic parts and don't need batteries.

Remember those?

For the past couple of months, the Nashua (NH) Public Library has been hosting an Adult game night event on Monday evenings. We attended nearly all and have been having a lot of fun playing games with several others who have also become "regulars."

"It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game."  American sportswriter Grantland Rice

In the past few weeks, we've played popular games like Scrabble, Dominoes, Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit, Rummikub, and Clue. Many of these are provided by the library. We've also played some "lesser known" games such as 49, TransAmerica and Hey, That's My Fish, which were brought by another gamer.

"Life is more fun if you play games." author Roald Dahl

These game sessions last a couple of hours and time passes very fast once folks start interacting. Many evenings we've only played one game depending on the complexity and the number of participants.

“We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!”  Benjamin Franklin

What's been interesting is that although the library publicizes this and other events, there hasn't been an overwhelming number of folks attending. Not that we mind because there's always been at least 4-5 people and the time goes. A game evening has been scheduled here at our apartment building next week — we hope folks attend.

Do you play board games and, if so, what are your favorites?

Snow Kidding

Spring will be a bit late.

March 21 is supposed to be the 1st day of Spring, but Winter apparently did not want to leave on time. This was the view from our window earlier this morning. 

Overnight snow from an offshore nor'easter storm dubbed Winter Storm Regis brought snow across eastern New England into Monday afternoon as it tracked off the East Coast.

This first day of Spring here in NH was actually colder than on Christmas Day.

It did make for some dramatic photos today.

The good news? 

Snow should melt quickly from this (hopefully) last winter blast. Forecasters are calling for warmer temperatures into the lower 50s mid-week. We're looking forward to seeing this view  as we did this past Friday.

Hope you are all doing OK if this wintry storm is in your area as well.