Sunday, August 25, 2024

You know the old saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun”? We must be having fun in retirement, because the days are going by so quickly. I am glad my smart watch tells me the day of the week, because–full disclosure–I have had to consult it a few times.

The “highs” are numerous, and wonderful: we will be gaining a lovely daughter-in-law in October; no new medical problems have arisen; we are planning interesting vacations; our children are advancing in their respective careers; the birds are singing outside our windows; and so on.

But there are some “lows” as well: we are realizing that we are aging; some of our “bucket list” adventures will never happen because of our physical limitations; we ponder whether we have contributed enough to our society; we worry about outliving our savings; global warming is increasingly impacting us; and so on.

Yet with age comes wisdom, right? And we grow wiser by the day, or at least wise enough to forge a blend of the highs and the lows, with an emphasis on the hope-filled highs!

In a stemmed glass, combine 1 1/2 ounces gin (I used a home-crafted butterfly pea blossom gin–it’s blue!– inspired by Empress 1908), 1 ounce chilled hibiscus simple syrup (store bought), and 3/4 ounce lime juice. Stir gently, and slowly top with chilled ginger beer. Add a lime slice to float on top.

1. A huge box of plastic forks.
2. A huge bag of plastic knives.
3. Many half-used boxes of plastic spoons.
4. A dozen quart-sized bags, each containing miscellaneous plastic forks, knives, and spoons, in seemingly every color that is available at the Dollar Tree (because I once was a fancy room mother and felt the need to color-coordinate every event at the school).
5. Two packages of 100 tealight candles from IKEA (from my decorate-every-room-with-candles phase).
6. Paper sno-cone cups (left over from when the kids were quite young–like twenty years ago).
7. Red, white, and blue dessert plates (from an Eagle Scout ceremony a decade ago).
8. Graduation-themed plates and napkins (probably only five years old).
9. Bathroom mini-cups (a pandemic leftover).
10. A sleeve of plastic cups (a post-pandemic leftover from my classroom for students who forgot water bottles).
11. Red Solo cups.
12. Off-brand black plastic cups.
13. Candy canes.
14. Popsicle sticks. (Should I put these in the craft box?)
15. Lollipop sticks. (Could I use these to make cocktail garnishes?)
16. Peanut butter.
17. Almond butter.
18. Sunflower butter.
19. Apple butter.
20. Peach butter.
21. Plum butter. (Seriously, I have to stop going to Amish markets.)
22. Orange marmalade.
23. Red raspberry preserves.
24. Mixed fruit jelly. (Or I need to have scones for breakfast every day.)
25. Five different colors of sanding sugar.
26. Christmas-themed sprinkles.
27. Valentine-themed sprinkles.
28. Mardi Gras-themed sprinkles.
29. Easter-themed sprinkles.
30. Halloween-themed sprinkles. (Gah! When’s the last time I made a cupcake?)
31. Birthday-themed cupcake liner papers. (Yeah, OK, I haven’t baked cupcakes in years.)
32. Christmas-themed cupcake liner papers. (Maybe this is the year to bake cupcakes for the holidays.)
33. Christmas-themed MINI cupcake liner papers. (OMG, just OMG.)
34. An open tube of blue Betty Crocker decorating icing. (When is blue food ever a good idea?)
35. An open tube of red Betty Crocker decorating icing. (Red works for several holidays, right?)
36. Two open tubes of yellow Betty Crocker decorating icing. (And I don’t even like yellow.)
37. An open tube of green Betty Crocker decorating icing. (I can’t find expiration dates on any of these. Hmmm, chuck or keep?)
38. An open tube of black Betty Crocker decorating icing. (I chucked them.)
39. Five bottles of assorted whiskey. (Not chucking those.)

Enjoyed: Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Listed on the menu: No, but our server assured us that the bartender makes a great Old Fashioned.

Ingredients: Towpath Bourbon, demerara simple syrup, bitters, Luxardo cherry, orange slice.

The occasion: We have driven through Ohio so many times (mostly on our trips to Indiana), but this time, north-central Ohio was our final destination. On Saturday and Sunday, we watched Indy cars race at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course. On Monday, we toured the Ohio State Reformatory, now famous as a filming location for The Shawshank Redemption. (We spent three and a half hours there! Fascinating!) Later that afternoon, we arrived at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Admittedly, we doubted the appeal of a park located between the industrial hubs of Cleveland and Akron, but the park exceeded our expectations. Over the next days, we hiked to a covered bridge, to a glorious waterfall, and through dramatic rocky cliffs and ledges. We rode a vintage train and walked along the former Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath. And we learned how the Beaver Marsh area and the Cuyahoga River (which no longer catches on fire and is actually quite pretty) became driving forces leading to the Clean Water Act and other environmental protection laws.

My rating: **** out of 5. No frills or exotic extras here–the cocktail ingredients and presentation were classic, and I was pleased. The brand name of the spirits was perfectly chosen, since the national park next door was created around the towpath that once linked Lake Erie at Cleveland to the Ohio River at Cincinnati. The whiskey was 21% rye, so I tasted a clove-like “bite” at the start, followed by vanilla and a hint of pecan.

Final thoughts: Although Cuyahoga Valley officially became a national park in 2000, the 33,000 acres were designated a national recreation area back in 1974 by President Nixon, as part of the “Parks to the People” policy. That was a great idea! How wonderful that this peaceful park exists so close to such a large urban area.