Uncategorized – Page 16

November 22, 2022November 22, 2022

The village…

On the Path train Sunday morning. We look tired AF!

We were planning on traveling to my biological mom’s house on Sunday morning, then Marty had the idea to leave from the farmers market in Troy and go into the city for dinner and breakfast, then drive to her place.

It was meant to be since he quickly found a hotel room in Newark, NJ, directly across from the train station; our Hilton Honors points come to the rescue again! The ride from Troy to Newark was under two and a half hours. We were there before 5 pm.

We hopped on the Path Train and took it to the World Trade Center stop. This was the same train ride I took daily when I worked downtown. As we got closer to the WTC, I became emotional about 9/11, thinking about the poor people on their way to work or at work on the most horrible day in American history.

We noticed see-through walkways on the floors when we got off the Path. The glass showed the original foundation and columns from the Twin Towers. I had to pull it together; I wasn’t expecting to see that or the other memorial items and reminders so we never forget what happened that day or those who lost their lives.

The new World Trade Center Train Station was beautiful and empty Sunday morning.

Next, we got on the 1 subway line and got off at Christopher Street. I found a 100% gluten-free restaurant I had never heard of before and made a reservation for 8 pm. I looked up gluten-free spots in Greenwich Village the two times I was there earlier this year, but this was the first time Wild popped up.

Wild was not only gluten-free, but the owners wanted it to be a safe place for GF people to dine at. They made everything from scratch and used local and organic products. It was an Italian place, like most Greenwich Village food spots, where the staff spoke with heavy Italian accents. The place was legit and small.

Our fried calamari and Marty’s Abruzzo lamb meatballs and rigatoni. The place was dark so are the photos I took. I don’t use filters; I post the real McCoy.

We didn’t mind being crammed into the small, noisy, busy restaurant filled with excitement and great energy. We were the oldest diners in the restaurant by 25 years, but that didn’t bother us in the least bit.

It was primarily young gluten-free women out to dinner with their girlfriends. There were men there too, but the ratio of women to men tipped the scales.

The food was incredible! We had the most delicious fried calamari we ever had, even before we had to go gluten-free. We have found gluten-free fried calamari at other restaurants, but this one went above and beyond. The squid was so tender, with a crispy exterior and excellent flavor. Their marinara sauce was delicious!

Marty’s dinner of house-made rigatoni with a lamb ragu was tiny Abruzzo meatballs like I made last week. Weird. I had house-made butternut squash ravioli in a tomato cream sauce. It was so good; I ate it so fast I didn’t get a photo of it.

The only bummer was when we asked our dashing young Italian waiter about dessert, he had to break the bad news to us; everything was sold out. Waaahhhhhh! Damn!

We headed back to our hotel, went to bed, and woke up, which felt like only an hour later; it was longer, but we were living in the New York minute and got back on the Path to go out to breakfast at the best gluten-free bagel shop in the country called Modern Bread and Bagel.

We ate at Modern Bread and Bagel in the city back in March up on the upper west side. This was a new location in Chelsea. We got off the subway on 14th Street, and the bagel place was across the street! Brilliant!

Modern Bread and Bagel is 100% gluten-free and kosher. We ordered our breakfasts and sat at a cute table for two. We sipped our coffees and ate our bagels like regular New Yorkers. It felt wonderful to feel like ordinary people and order whatever we wanted without worry in my favorite part of the city.

Everything bagel with veggie cream cheese, arugula, pickled onions, and tomato. They have great Americano coffee plus black and white cookies and rugelach to go. Yum!

We grabbed two black and white cookies and two chocolate chip rugelach and headed back to Newark. We got on the road at 11:00 am and headed to see my mom, an hour and a half away.

What a fun and spontaneous side trip. Marty and I learned during covid that we couldn’t keep waiting and making excuses for not doing the things we love to do. Yes, we were tired, and our legs felt like rubber after standing at the farmers market all day and then keeping up the fast pace of walking in the train stations and streets.

Every train we were on was clean! This train car just had its floor mopped! This was great to see how well taken care of everything was. The train riders were courteous to each other; New Yorkers are amiable people, and now what you think.

We both slept on the Path train in the morning on our way to Chelsea. I used to sleep on the Path every day, so this brought back some beautiful memories for me. We realized how easy traveling to the city is, and it doesn’t have to be a once-a-year thing; hell, I’ve been there three times this year!

We got home from my mom’s today, Tuesday afternoon. We had a lovely and fun visit with her. After we unloaded Skye, I made my mini pumpkin and pecan pie tarts for Thanksgiving.

Tomorrow I’ll do the rest of my Thanksgiving prep before I go to belly dance classes. Luckily, we weren’t flooded with orders like usual while we were away; it makes sense since almost every wholesale customer got their deliveries last week.

I love prepping and cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I am not doing anything fancy this year, just the basics. I will make my turkey as I saw on Youtube last week; I can’t wait to try it! I’ll let you know how it goes.

Travel safely, sharpen your knives before prepping, and don’t stress. The more things you do ahead will take a lot of stress away on Thanksgiving Day, I promise!

November 11, 2022

Eee-ouch…

The hot and cold weather makes my arthritis unbearable. My back and left hip have been hurting since Monday. Today, is the worst.

At belly dance classes on Wednesday, my back and hip hurt so bad it made me stop a couple of times. I can always push through pain, but it was tough.

Production this week was brutal so I was happy today I only had to go to Saratoga, NY to make a couple of deliveries. Ouch!

The only part of the trip that wasn’t horrible was driving with the heated seats which I keep them on all year because of my back.

Everywhere was crowded since it is a holiday. I was behind every slow driver possible and the ride home took forever.

Right now, I’m laying on a heating pad and trying to relax to get some relief. I’ve had arthritis since my 20’s so this is nothing new, just cumbersome.

Happy Friday, we are meeting friends at the Inn across the street for a drink later, this will not stop me from doing that.

Happy Friday! Have a good weekend!

October 30, 2022October 30, 2022

Daddy’s home…

Marty looks exhausted, but Otto and especially Klausie are all smiles.

Marty and Sam were away for a few days at an EMS conference; I stayed home with Otto and Klaus. I posted their photos at the end of my middle world post sitting by the back door waiting for them. Klaus also sat on the sixth step of the stairs going upstairs to keep watch out the front door.

They can tell the sound of their trucks from down the street. Klaus jumped up, looked out the front window, and screamed, running to the back door and flying out the doggie door.

Both dogs ran from Marty to Sam back and forth. I am chop meat around here, and only suitable for feeding time. Lol. They were very good boys for me and weren’t needy until today.

While the guys were away, I cooked and ate what I felt like. At first, I joked I would eat peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches the whole time, but I cooked.

I made a pot of Thai Mango Chicken Curry with leftover rice on Friday night. I also made a pot of Autumn Bisque Soup. To be called a bisque, there has to be cream in the soup. The cream in this soup is a scoop of vanilla ice cream that is stirred into the hot soup. It’s heavenly and to die for. I also made a batch of Curried Chicken Salad.

My friend Maria was coming for lunch; I wanted to make something seasonal. These two dishes go nicely together and are a perfect lunch combo.

Maria gave me the most awesome bottle of wine, complete with its own vampire cape. 🧛‍♀️

Maria and I finally got to chat, something we don’t get to do at the dance studio. She and I are alike in so many ways; getting to know each other better is nice. We only know what’s going on in each other’s lives by reading our blogs. Maria’s blog is Full Moon Fiber Art, something to check out, especially if you love farm animals and art.

Autumn Bisque Soup with Curried chicken salad studded with golden raisins and dried cranberries with apples was one of the faculty’s favorite salads I made when I cooked in the school’s kitchens. A lot of students enjoyed it as well.

After Maria’s visit, I started getting ready for the Halloween party I was going to across the street at the Arlington Inn and Spa. My make-up took an hour and a half, and my hair was only about 20 minutes. Before I left, I had time to throw down some leftover Thai curry and three tequila shots. 😜

The party was a lot of fun, and I knew and met a lot of people. I nibbled on some of the charcuterie platters and had a couple of drinks. The party ended at 10, so I left at 10:13 and was home by 10:15 since it’s a few steps from my house. Perfect!

In the foyer of the Arlington Inn & Spa.

When I got home, I made my trashy nachos and slammed down a ton of water. I was craving biscuits and gravy, but that would have to wait until morning.

Trashy nachos with chili beans, Velveeta, and lettuce.

I tried a new gluten-free biscuit recipe and was pleased with how light and fluffy the biscuits came out. I made a pan of sausage gravy, and breakfast was served. Yum! It was exactly what I wanted to have.

Light and fluffy GF biscuits. Better than I expected, which is always a good thing.

After looking at them, I took photos of the food I made and realized that I made all brown food. The picture of the sausage gravy looked like vomit, so I didn’t post that one for sure. Lol.

Biscuits and gravy are one of my all-time favorite breakfasts, tied with Eggs Benedict.

The weekend went quickly; even though they were the ones away, it was like a weekend retreat for me, including a fun party. I’m glad they are home, and now Marty finally has a chance to relax a little; so can Klaus, who is snoring on the couch as I type.

October 20, 2022

One year later…

My adopted mother passed away a year ago today. Last night, I was thinking about how it affected me.

I am as relieved one year later that I don’t have to deal with her, her games, or her manipulation anymore.

When I walked into her room and found her dead, my only emotion was relief. It felt like a million pounds were lifted off my shoulders.

The terrified expression on her face still haunts me. Yes, I know people die with their eyes open and mouths gaping, but her head was turned, looking at the door, looking straight at me. Her face and expression are burned in my memory and may never go away. She must love it.

A year later, I am still hurt, disappointed, and sad about how she treated me. How phony she was. How she used me. I am trying my best to put it behind me. I know her behavior made me a stronger and better person. So thanks, Eileen, for that.

I have written blog posts about her over the past year and how heartbreaking my relationship with her was. After decades of mental and emotional abuse, I still went back for more because she was my mother. That was my attachment disorder, to thank for that.

One year later, I feel the same; I think about it less. You would think I could heal my own heart for all my healing work, but this is bigger than that. Much bigger than anything I can do, I’ve tried.

Thanks for your kind words over the last year and for listening as I work through this difficult healing process. I know I need to let go of the hurt; it’s just hard to do, let alone ever be able to forgive her.

I am beyond grateful for you guys and that you have stuck with me through thick and thin. It means a lot. Thank you! ♥️ ~julz

October 20, 2022

Did you know?

Sam was making himself some instant oatmeal in the individual packages. I watched him pour milk into the empty bag.

“Sam! What are you doing? What, you don’t want to wash a measuring cup?”

Of course he got that shit eaten grin on his face and said, ” These packages were made to be measuring cups.” What the hell?

After he poured the milk into his bowl of dry oatmeal he showed me the package. He said, ”See? I told you.” That little smarty pants know it all.

Well, now I know and so do you. I still can’t believe this is a real thing.

He went on to tell me, people on the go don’t carry a measuring cup with them, especially if they are making the oatmeal in a convenience store, hotel lobby, or in his case the nurses’ break room in the ER.

I don’t know where he gets his logical nature from, certainly not from me.

I’m glad I made his day teaching me another one of his tricks. Remember how he eats his banana, upside down. He still has not convinced on that one.

October 14, 2022

A whole new world…

Back in the springtime, Marty and I got a year subscription to Proctors Theater in Schenectady, NY.

The shows are national tours of today’s Broadway shows. The cast members are excellent, and the sets are the same. It’s as good as any Broadway show when they change an original cast.

Our first show of the year was Aladdin. We knew that the special effects would be phenomenal since it was a Disney show; we saw Frozen in 2019 and were amazed at the effects.

The show’s trucks were parked behind our hotel.

We decided we needed to get away for a night; we weren’t even gone for 24 hours. We got production over early, packed up, and headed out by 1 pm. We grabbed a bite to eat and checked into the hotel two buildings down from Proctors.

Next, we went to my favorite day drinking bar, The Backstage Bar, and each had one of their killer Bloody Marys. It’s a Bloody Mary on steroids! Spicy and delicious!

The Backstage’s Bloody Mary is basically a liquid salad. You have potatoes from vodka, tomatoes, celery, horseradish, green beans, jalapeño peppers, gherkins, lime, cheese, and bacon.

Later, we went to a Moroccan place for dinner called Tara Kitchen. We were in a rush to make the show, so we had to hurry. We need to go back again so we can enjoy the delicious food.

The show was excellent, with lots of dancing, which is my favorite! The special effects were fantastic, as predicted, including the magic carpet ride.

We were home by noon the next day. We planned a no-production day which was fantastic since it was belly dance day! Yip!

We learned during covid we need to do things and not talk about doing them; life is too short to miss out on something you like due to laziness or getting home too late.

Have a great weekend!

September 23, 2022September 23, 2022

Magic…

No, magic isn’t one of my spiritual or supernatural gifts; however, I’ve always been a big fan of magicians. I loved a magic kit I had when I was a little kid.

One of my close friends and dance bestie, Bethany, moved to North Carolina 5 years ago. I was sad when she left, but I knew it was the right decision for her.

All different looks for all different gigs.

We danced at so many gigs together and went to many events, all of which we took selfies of beforehand. Our selfies always came out great with my selfie technique, not overthinking it and just snapping the photo in less than 3 seconds.

The Sahidi Sisters at a photo shoot. Photo credit Steven Trubitt.

Dance just wasn’t the same for a while. Kathleen and I continue to dance in our dwindling professional troupe, The Sahidi Sisters, as a duet which is fun, but not as fun as a trio, quartet, or when we had 7 Sahidi Sisters.

Bethany is now wrapping up a year-long cross-country adventure and was able to pass through VT on the final leg of her trip.

I was so excited when I found out she could visit and be able to come on Wednesday, our belly dance day. I quickly set up our guest room and started planning what food I would make. It’s what I do. Lol.

Kathleen, Bethany, and I danced together for 13 years, twice a week, for thousands of hours. We danced very tight, meaning you wouldn’t believe it was improv, and we could read each other’s minds when it came to dancing.

After Bethany arrived, we had a quick bowl of pasta fagioli and went to meet Kathleen at the dance studio.

Bethany told us she was rusty since she hadn’t danced our style for so many years and didn’t dance during covid or her year-long adventure.

I put on a music set, and bam! Magic. Not just magic, but fucking magic. It was as if no time had passed. We were a tight trio again, so tight we could have performed right there and then seamlessly.

The selfies I posted don’t even scratch the surface of how many we took together.

The three of us locked into each other’s energy and were able to read each other’s minds again. It was so familiar, honestly, as though no time had passed—the magical power of music and dance.

I know music is magic since it can bring back memories to dementia patients and muscle memory from activities such as dance and other movements.

Bethany stayed and danced with our students during our classes, some of whom she danced with for 10 years. Again, as though no time had passed. She got to dance with students who had joined us since she left.

The Sahidi Sister’s photo “Belly dancing in Vermont isn’t for sissys.” 😂

Yesterday, we hung out all day and just chatted. We ate a lot of yummy food and drank lots of red wine.

Marty, Bethany, and I watched a live arena production of Jesus Christ Superstar that was filmed 10 years ago in England but seemed like it was filmed last week. It was fantastic with such a talented cast. We all enjoyed it; we are all big musical theater fans.

Bethany’s visit was easy since I didn’t have to fret about her coming since she’s been here so many times before. Otto and Klausie may have remembered her since they loved her so much, taking turns cuddling with her.

They say true friends are the ones where you can pick up right where you left off, even after not seeing or talking to each other for long periods. They are right!

She has one more week of her long journey then it’s back to North Carolina for her. We promised each other we wouldn’t wait 5 years to see or dance with each other again. ☺️

It did feel great playing hooky yesterday, but today it was back to work, making deliveries and packing for the Troy Farmers Market tomorrow.

Happy Friday, guys! Enjoy your weekend! Safe travels, Bethany! 😚

September 15, 2022

I’m back…

Guess what? i feel back to my old self again! It was a long 5 weeks on a medication that wasn’t for me.

Tuesday I started a different medicine and bingo…I feel great! I have my energy back and I am not exhausted!

I’ve got a lot if blog post floating around in my head, I just need time to type them out.

Have a great day!

September 1, 2022

The 1st of September…

Just as I turned the page on the calendar this morning, I took out my first flannel shirt to throw over my delivery t-shirt this afternoon.

On Tuesday, I had to redo our chalkboard signs for the Troy Farmers Market because they had been rained on, and one had bird poop down the front. It was time to get rid of my “cool” summer kids and get ready for fall.

The four chalkboards took me about 3 hours to redo. It took so long because I am a perfectionist asshole and kept redoing things and had to correct the two words I always spell wrong; caramelized and parmesan. I never type them wrong, but I do when I print them on a sign. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Marty and Sam are always happy, almost giddy about pointing out my misspelled words. I tell them I hate them both, and they laugh. How can I do it every single time? Ugh! I know how to spell them!

I always save the best for last, the chalkboard with “artwork.” I love drawing, so working on the seasonal chalkboard is fun. I already know what my winter one will look like!

I drew the same kind of kids that I used on my summer design but dressed them in traditional German Oktoberfest clothing. I am pleased with how they came out. No, I love how they came out! God help the kid that tries to erase it or even touch it. Lol.

The chalkboards held up well all summer since I used chalkboard markers. They were tricky to figure out at first, but they were excellent once I used them.

Is it Oktoberfest already? Believe me; I am married to a very punctual and stubborn German; that being said, leave it to the Germans to celebrate Oktoberfest in September and not October, as you would think.

I haven’t had much extra writing time this week since we foolishly took off Monday and then became inundated with orders. We are caught up for the most part but still have to make more for Saturday’s farmers market.

Last night, instead of teaching dance classes, we had our belly dance annual dinner, which was held at Emily’s house. I was the queen of selfies and took photos everywhere but forgot to take one last night. I was exhausted and enjoyed relaxing while we chatted.

It’s nice to get together socially and enjoy some fantastic food. We make a potluck dinner; the food is always delicious because almost everyone in our group likes to cook or bake. Maria doesn’t like to cook but likes to cut things up, so she brings a beautiful, seasonal fruit salad.

We never get to talk or socialize much during class since I am a drill sergeant and try to keep things moving along to get in the most technique drilling and dance time for everyone.

After today’s production, we are on the road again doing our NY delivery runs to Saratoga and Albany. The carrot at the end of the stick today was getting some delicious empanadas I wrote about a few weeks ago for tomorrow night’s dinner. I told you, it’s always about food with me! 😂

It’s already 8 pm, and I just finished cleaning the dinner dishes. Even though I am super tired, it’s too early to go to bed because I would most likely lay awake for hours. After a ton of spätzle making and schlepping cases of spätzle into many store’s receiving areas, Marty and I are totally done; so done you could put a fork in us.

Good night guys. 🥱

August 26, 2022

Proud as a peacock…

Last night, Callie, Emily, Trish, Maria, and I performed at the Bennington Museum, celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the North Bennington Art Park.

This was Maria and Trish’s first real performance. They both danced at a few farmers’ market gigs where people only walk by or watch for a minute or two and return to buying their produce and baked goods.

Dancing at a farmers market isn’t a “feel good” gig because people don’t expect to see belly dancers, and many are prudes who look away as they walk by. It’s not like we are strippers, for fucks sake!

Maria’s husband and my writing mentor, Jon Katz, attended the performance and was gracious enough to take photos and videos of us.

Jon, who is an award-winning writer, author, and photographer, did a fabulous job describing the event in his blog Bedlam Farm Journal. Click on the link to read what Jon had to say and see video clips and photos. I just saw Jon wrote a second blog post about the gig; here is the link to that one.

My student Maria, an artist and blogger, wrote about her first performance experience on her blog Full Moon Fiber Art. You can click on her link to read about it and see some photos.

This was our first performance in over 3 years, and it felt great. I can’t remember when we have ever had such a fun and smooth performance. The setup was easy, the dancing was seamless even though it was improv, and the audience was fantastic and appreciated what we were doing! Yay!

When we rehearsed for this gig, we danced to the music and discussed how we would start and end the two sets, but we left everything else up in the air, the beauty of dancing improv.

We all danced “in” that moment in time and were present. We were the vessels of the music, but most importantly, we had so much fun together!

We all knew we needed to remember to smile while we were performing, but after watching the video clips, the smiles were real and not phony ones pasted on our faces.

My students have improved so much in the last 2 years; their technique is getting better every week. They are dancing tighter together and learning to DANCE; not just link moves together; there is a huge difference.

I was so relaxed at the gig, something that never happens. It felt like it was everyone’s gig, and each dancer took responsibility for it, not me being the mother hen like I needed to be in the past. We were in sync, not just while dancing but as a whole.

I am incredibly proud of everyone; the buttons are popping on my jacket, which is an old-fashioned saying. I smile when I think of the fun we had and how it really felt like we emerged, coming out from under the big black covid cloud and stepping into the bright sunshine. ☀️

Emily took some selfies before the performance.

I am truly blessed with my abilities to teach and dance with such a wonderful group of women, my dance sisters. We all have the performing bug now; we need to find more gigs to dance at; that was the only sad part of the night when I realized we don’t have another one lined up. Hint, hint…

Happy Friday, everyone! Cheers!