Random weekend stuffs
Jeff and I headed up to Pennslovakia this weekend to drag the trailer back here for its winter stay as well as take care of other business. We went out shopping for a new dishwasher for Jeff's 'rents since their old one finally gave up the ghost after slowly falling apart. We found a display model at a substantial discount. I installed it with little difficulty despite the damn stenosis. We also got them a new microwave by surprise by claiming we needed a new one. Their old one was at least 20 years old by my estimation, and in addition to having lost cooking power over the years (all microwave ovens do this as they age, the magnetron, which is a form of electron tube, wears out with use) the turntable no longer spun, so what you end up with is food that required a long time to cook and has hot and not-so-hot areas. Of course, Jeff's dad thinks there is nothing wrong with the old one. The new one has a sensor that allows for lots of automatic cooking options. I've had one for years now, and grown to love it. I hope they enjoy theirs.
We did a lot of running around, from Amish auctions, Wally World, a little Amish thrift grocery store called Hoover's, my favorite local-ish restaurant (Schiano's), Lowes, and Sears on Saturday despite not being able to get any sleep Friday night from pain and other issues. I managed to do some good work around their place despite it all, and had a bit easier time getting sleep. Sunday we headed off to a little restaurant in Jeff's home town that has been there for eons called Hanna's, for lunch. I had never been there before, but we've had ice cream from the adjoining stand many times. It's a tiny place, with around a dozen items on the menu and a few sides. Jeff and I started snickering soon after arriving because we noticed the average age of the customers (including us!) to be in the low 100s, and once noontime rolled around the place became flooded with people almost instantly. I guess church let out and Jeebus made 'em hungry.
After we left the Geritol rave, we headed into downtown Shamokin and all of its cosmopolitan glory tp pick up several tubs of ice cream from Maurer's Dairy & Ice Cream Shoppe. They are known for their delicious homemade ice creams, most notably one they call "Bittersweet" that is made with milk and dark chocolate pieces that somehow shatter into tiny bits when added to the cold churn. It's actually patented, and several corporate interests have tried to buy the recipe/process from them, but they stand firm. They have conventional flavors as well as some unusual ones. One of the most interesting is "Teaberry" which looks like (and at first tastes somewhat like) frozen Pepto-Bismol. After your brain (and taste buds) process what's going on, the flavors mix and mingle, with a primary minty fruit flavor that hints somewhat of chocolate. Nowhere near as bad as it sounds from my description, it's a definite treat, and a taste adventure to boot. We had gotten several tubs of these because Jeff had told coworkers and friends about the stuff. He had given the stuff out before, and not only have people wanted more, word got around. Since we were bringing the trailer home, we fired up the fridge/freezer to keep everything nicely frozen on the trip home.
The last couple days have not been a lot of fun for me, since I am stumbling and falling at a greater frequency. I hope that relief from this hell comes next week. I'm still trying to get things mostly in order around here prior to being out of commission so I can (hopefully) relax. My legs have become bony sticks now, and I've lost quite a bit of weight. I can't wait for my life to return to its normal state of mayhem.
We did a lot of running around, from Amish auctions, Wally World, a little Amish thrift grocery store called Hoover's, my favorite local-ish restaurant (Schiano's), Lowes, and Sears on Saturday despite not being able to get any sleep Friday night from pain and other issues. I managed to do some good work around their place despite it all, and had a bit easier time getting sleep. Sunday we headed off to a little restaurant in Jeff's home town that has been there for eons called Hanna's, for lunch. I had never been there before, but we've had ice cream from the adjoining stand many times. It's a tiny place, with around a dozen items on the menu and a few sides. Jeff and I started snickering soon after arriving because we noticed the average age of the customers (including us!) to be in the low 100s, and once noontime rolled around the place became flooded with people almost instantly. I guess church let out and Jeebus made 'em hungry.
After we left the Geritol rave, we headed into downtown Shamokin and all of its cosmopolitan glory tp pick up several tubs of ice cream from Maurer's Dairy & Ice Cream Shoppe. They are known for their delicious homemade ice creams, most notably one they call "Bittersweet" that is made with milk and dark chocolate pieces that somehow shatter into tiny bits when added to the cold churn. It's actually patented, and several corporate interests have tried to buy the recipe/process from them, but they stand firm. They have conventional flavors as well as some unusual ones. One of the most interesting is "Teaberry" which looks like (and at first tastes somewhat like) frozen Pepto-Bismol. After your brain (and taste buds) process what's going on, the flavors mix and mingle, with a primary minty fruit flavor that hints somewhat of chocolate. Nowhere near as bad as it sounds from my description, it's a definite treat, and a taste adventure to boot. We had gotten several tubs of these because Jeff had told coworkers and friends about the stuff. He had given the stuff out before, and not only have people wanted more, word got around. Since we were bringing the trailer home, we fired up the fridge/freezer to keep everything nicely frozen on the trip home.
The last couple days have not been a lot of fun for me, since I am stumbling and falling at a greater frequency. I hope that relief from this hell comes next week. I'm still trying to get things mostly in order around here prior to being out of commission so I can (hopefully) relax. My legs have become bony sticks now, and I've lost quite a bit of weight. I can't wait for my life to return to its normal state of mayhem.