Third time is a charm

I love the concept of a Scottish restaurant. And locally we do have one that I am aware of, the Scottish Arms. I had been there twice before for dinner and despite wanting to like it, I hadn't. Today I changed my mind, and for anyone who knows me well understands this wasn't easy to do for me or the Scottish Arms. It was suggested by a friend, Beckyzoole, that their reuben is exceptional. I style myself as a reuben connoisseur, so with the gauntlet thrown down I was up to test her opinion. And can I say the reuben there is in fact yummy (yummy being used as a professional reuben eating terminology). The rye bread was crispy, the corn beef tender, the cheesy gooey, sauer kraut added the perfect addition to the overall texture and favor of the sandwich. My only complaint would be the thousand island dressing was a little spicy for a reuben. O'Connell's reuben had a better thousand island dressing, but their sandwich was a little soggier then it should have been. So all things being equal this was as close to reuben nirvana as I have found to date.
But enough reuben theory, back to the Scottish Arms. They do not serve the reuben with their dinner menu only their lunch menu. And lunch was awesome today. My beloved companion had the fish and chips and witch was also in the realm of yummy. In between mouthfuls she kept muttering, "It is so hard to get good haddock in the Midwest." I could see the look of bliss in her eyes as put her napkin down.
Because I am one of those too much of a good thing is a good thing type of people, I ordered the deep-friend mars bar for desert. OMG!!! It was a heart attack on a plate served with two scoops of ice cream. The wait staff all cruised by our table and drooled before one of the guys in a plaid skirt said, "I am going to have to order one of those for me." It was an intriguing item that tasted like a mars bar doughnut. I liked it very much. My lunch mate, had a few bites and declared the item too rich for her. Good, more for me!!! I left Scottish Arms poorer in pocketbook, but full in tummy and with the thought, Scottish Arms is awesome for lunch!

Meramac Springs and Romance

In my mind's eye childhood was rosy and all parks were fun. I have an especially sepia-toned memory of Meramac Springs Park in St. James. I remember running around in the park with my cousins and playing capture the flag with my classmates on the playground there. I also remember thinking the old smelter was a pyramid. And I believed that Captain Nemo lived at the bottom of the spring with his Nautilus. I even remembered in college when I would take my sweetheart to the hatchery to feed the fish. All in all beautiful memories without any hints of bugs, rainstorms, or the occasional pebble in my shoe.

With my head full of a romantic day at the park I took off with my friend Sungazing and her spawn to show them my vision of childhood. I had hoped the kids would love the beauty of the park and that she would snap some awesome photos. I also dreamed of a fun picnic on a blanket under a tree while children's laughter echoed through the park. And to be honest that was mostly what my day was like if you subtract the gigantic ants, the tiny ticks, and the occasional kiddie outburst. It was awesome. The park just gets prettier and prettier ever time I see it.

The spring puts out about 100,000,000 gallons of water a day and is about 350 feet deep. Captain Nemo and crew could in fact be down there. The cool vapors from the water make the spot a haven on a warm day. And who doesn't like feeding a fish or two?

Sungazing thought of everything, but bugspray (and I forgot the bugspray too). She packed the best picnic that any human or squirrel would want. And bless her bleach blond heart she even produced a bottle of sparkling grape juice from St. James winery. We swatted at bugs and knitted while spawn played in the park. The magic of the park was still there and a bit of my childhood remains intact, not besmirched by the real world. Thank you Sungazing and brood for giving me such a wonderful day.

World Wide Knit in Public Day

Lately I have not been spending much time with my mother. I have been really busy and with gas prices being so high I just have not made it down to Hermann that often in the last year. Two weeks ago I received a newspaper clipping announcing an event for World Wide Knit in Public Day (WWKIPD) on Saturday June 14th. Despite knitting in public whenever possible, I thought this was an excellent idea to knit and see my mom at the same time. I got in my hybrid and drove down. The weather was gorgeous, the setting at the Hermannhoff Winery bucolic, and the company was perfect.
My mother is not a knitter so she brought her current quilting project and we met 4 new knitters. The group at Hermann is small, but large in spirit. They call themselves "Strings Attached." Marsha, the woman who spearheaded the event was working on these adorable little Swedish elves she makes with leftover sock yarn (very clever her). I am including a picture of this cute little creations.
My mother worked on a quilt project she called, "Making a Scarecrow." I snapped a picture of her hands working on the block. I love watching her work. She is just so damned good at it she makes this look so easy. She will have this project done in a few weeks and it will be so cutesy it will assail my senses, but the craftswomanship will be excellent.
I worked on a little swatch bracelet with Dyeabolical Yarn. I really like how the colorway worked out on the bracelet. The ladies from Strings Attached invited us back anytime. They also seemed to really enjoy my mother's non-knitting project. Mom enjoyed meeting local crafty ladies too. One of the ladies, Joey, invited us to an art gallery opening that night which just extended our good time. Thanks mom for inviting me down and reminding me how cool it is to spend time with you.

Pie

Friday I had the day off, and I decided to take Natalie to The Blue Owl in Imperial/Kimmswick. She and I have never been and I had heard that they made great pies, and Natalie does love pie. The day was a little damp, but not torrential and the temperature perfect for a day out. We got right into the Blue Owl despite the full parking lot and lobby. The lunch was nice, but it was the dessert that was amazing. Natalie had the Butterscotch Pecan Pie. It came out piled in butterscotch coated pecans. My mouth watered just looking at her dessert. I ordered the Italian Cream Cake. I am not a pie lover. My cake was excellent with the most delicious cream cheese icing, but Natalie's pie...well let's just say it took the cake. (I know you are groaning right now Cuz). Natalie was kind enough to let me eat a few of those pecans, they were so butterscotchy good. She ate quite a bit of those piled on pecans, but only had one bite of the actual pie. The good people at the Blue Owl brought us two to go boxes, so the pie waits for Natalie in the frig.
On the way home I asked Natalie, laughing while I said it, if their pecan pie was as good as mine. I expected her to say the Blue Owl's was better, but she said, that the best pecan pie in the world was the one setting in front of her. I found that to be one of the most diplomatic answers she has ever had the foresight to utter. However, their pecan pies beat mine, forks down. If you look at the photo you can see the pie buried under that mound of yummy pecans. I think I am gaining weight just thinking about it. And hey there is pie in the frig, do you think Natalie will kill me if she finds it gone in the morning?

Bad Ideas

I am one of those people who will touch a bruise to make sure it still hurts. So are you surprised when I mention that this little gem (emphasis on little) passed through my hands at the library during a delete of Celtic music. Elsa Lanchester Sings Bawdy Cockney Songs who could resist? The Celtic music had a niche waiting for it in my music collection, but this CD is neither Celtic nor music. I kept thinking one day I would listening to it and see, just how awful it was. Maybe it would not be that terrible, I thought.
The New Yorker Magazine said of this disc, "A breath of fresh air in our smoky night life. Elsa with her abstract face, her thicket of apricot hair...oddly diverting...A weird and wondrous will-of-the wisp, being female, street urchin and witty in rapid succession...an interesting pair of sheep's eyes." Okay, but did they like it? Or did comparing her to barnyard animals mean she brayed like a cow in season. The magazine continues with, "There is a desperate quality about her art; in some curious way she takes her listeners out of a close, tidy world and into a disquieting place filled with sharp winds and unsteady laughter." Ah! They didn't like her music, but liked that she was making everyone uncomfortable with her bawdy cockney songs.
Touching the bruise, I admit I flinched as I suffered through the whole CD from Fiji Fanny to Mrs. Badger-Butts. The cacophony of her voice was like hearing your grandmother singing, "Darling Nikki," off key. I especially like that they were so desperate for someone to buy this CD that they put Elsa's Bride of Frankenstein photo on the cover. Trust me a whole CD of her hissing would have been much better.

I want to throw this monstrosity away, but maybe there is someone out there that just LOVES Elsa Lanchester. Act now and just maybe you too can feel the burn of this treasure.

I'm late!

So I was a little late on this present for mother's day. What is a month between kin? The Vintage Shawl from Runway Knits is finally completed. I also know that I promised to never knit the worlds longest scarf again, but I did not say anything about shawls. After I reached the much needed 70 inches I decided it wasn't long enough and added one more ball of yarn. So the end total was 75 inches without fringe. As you can see being modeled on the lovely Lavendergrl it is very drapey and drippy. I think it looks awesome and amazingly enough the shawl and the model's hair match. I should suggest my mom change her hair color to look this cool(or should I say hip).
There are mistakes (just a few). I got confused on the bind off and the ends aren't exactly the same (oh well). Also for some reason, it is more vertically striped then I imaged it would be. But the end result is a nice shawl that I think my mom will like. The added bonus is that the thing is warm. One night while furiously knitting away I fell asleep on the futon shawl in hand. At some point while snoozing I got chilled and draped the shawl over myself. Other than the needle poking me in the face, it was rather cozy.

I would also like to post that I did not get the lab trainer job at the other library. I am actually happy about that as the other library was further from my house then the library I currently work at. My boss said that they did really like me but, the selected candidate had more experience in that field.

Catch up

I have been very busy this weekend. So to catch up here is my list since last post.

-No news on lab trainer job.

-The much hated Raz is gone and have possession of 4540. Anyone want to assume loan come see me.

-Flooding on first floor of house Friday night.

-Flooding in basement.

-Hail damage to recently paid for car.

-Fruit Jam band gig cancelled Saturday night.

-Finished Vintage Shawl (will post more later).

-One Episode from completion of the series Lost in Space.

-Watched Guns, Germs, and Steel and wondered if the answer to all questions is geography.

-Went to UCity with Sungazing and Hubby. Much fun and sun there.

-Upcoming Dinner with Lady D next week.

Will post more later.