A Farmers Market Day Out

This morning James and I ventured off towards the north for a few hours, gorgeous day, top down in the Mustang. We drove to Decatur to the famous Your Dekalb Farmers Market (yes, sounds weird grammatically but that's the actual name). It's an enormous indoor farmers market- 140,000 square feet to be exact. I just had to go after several folks mentioned it to me. Sounds silly to drive 50 miles to buy some fresh produce, but hey, it was Saturday and we wanted something fun to do. It was well worth the drive, I can't even explain how cool it was there.

We started off by having lunch there, at a small cafeteria that sold food by the pound! Mac & cheese and lasagna were side by side with couscous and samosas. This place is extremely international, in fact I felt like a foreigner inside the market. After lunch we moved down to the fresh pastries and coffee counter. I had perhaps the best cheese danish I have ever tasted in my entire life!

Maneuvering a shopping cart in the place was like dodging rush hour traffic, it was insane, there were SSSSSOOOOO many people there. I would walk down an aisle and be at the other end, only to turn around and find James still waiting with the cart to squeeze onto the aisle. It was mobbed. Everything was as fresh as food from a backyard garden. They had produce there I had never even heard of, much less ever seen, and I'm pretty food savvy with my cookbook addiction and Food Network devotion.

One huge section of fresh herbs and spices, fresh beans and legumes, organic everything under the sun, imported chocolates, a bakery with bread made on site, a fresh flower shop, seafood that was still swimming alive in tanks, every type of red meat imaginable, fresh cheeses. Oh my, it was just the most amazing thing. Maybe in New York City something like this would be common, but for us, it was an experience.

I have to say, we loaded our cart with lots and lots of produce (like chinese eggplant and whole pineapples), some baked goods, cheeses (including my favorite- goat), a container of whole nutmeg for me, and even a big pot of wheatgrass for the kitties to nibble on. In fact, we got 27 different items for only a total of a little over $40! Choke on that, Wal-Mart!! Then we blew the budget and splurged on two fresh cut steaks (at about 1 1/2 lbs each!) to throw on the grill tomorrow afternoon. We went up there without any real agenda, but we couldn't help ourselves, once we saw the vibrant colors of the veggies.

We unplugged the GPS and meandered back home through Atlanta. We stopped to have a late afternoon snack at the Varsity, but when we walked in and saw about 500 people (NO exaggeration) in line at the counter, we decided we'd come back on another day. After all, a Braves game was starting in about two hours, and I'm sure they were packed because of that. Although I think the Varsity is always packed, it is such a famous landmark. Me, I didn't want to stand in line for an hour for a hot dog!

Unfortunately I don't have photos to post of the farmers market, because at the front door there is a huge warning that there is NO photography allowed and buddy, they mean it. I watched as a woman walked towards the entrance with a camera in her hand and a security guard on a golf cart zoomed up quickly to deny her entry. Wow! So, I can only share the photo of James as we started off the day. Look at that clear blue sky! It was only about 70 degrees at 11am, so we had to feel that cool wind in our hair.

Everyone have a great weekend!

In Good Hands

I promise to finish up my posts about Florida within the next few days. I've been busy reading up on you guys, and what I missed out on while my PC was in the shop. For those of you who emailed me, worried about my back issues, never fear. I still have them! Har har.

I canceled my last epidural, if three of them didn't work, I had little hopes for yet another one working. So, I'm done with the pain clinic for now, and weaning myself off the (very ineffective) pain medication I've been on for the last ten months. I finally decided to see a chiropractor, much to the delight of my mother-in-law who has been telling me to go to one for about three years now.

Here is my new doctor (photo), hopefully soon I will be calling him a miracle worker. Doctor Craig Steingraber, or just Doctor Craig as he calls himself- guess the last name is a mouthful. It should be Spinegrabber- bet he's heard that one a few times. He is very very personable, and I would never admit it to my hubby, but he's super cute. The receptionist mentioned to me that he used to be the team chiropractor for the Houston Texans, although she said he doesn't like to flaunt that. Plus, he's got his very own local TV show here, which is how I found him.

I've had to go through all the MRI and X-Ray rigmarole again. My pain is once again baffling this new doctor- big surprise. My back issues that show up on the MRI are all on the left side- I have a herniated disc- but since my pain is on the right he, like all the other doctors before him, is stumped. The X-Ray shows a good deal of arthritis in my lower back- I know, it's hell getting old. Amazingly, he told me my spinal alignment is almost textbook perfect, which shocked me- and he admitted him as well- since I have always been so top heavy.

I will give him a little time, to see what he can do for me. I've had about four adjustments already, but no relief from the pain, and he reminded me yesterday that it will take time to figure it all out. But he said he believes he can help me. And since insurance is paying for it, heck, I'll go along for the ride for a few months.

He seems to think this is not so much an issue with my back, but with my pain receptors in my brain. Whatever. Just fix me!!!! I am going three times a week right now, through the month of July. Tomorrow he is sending me for a one hour massage. Wow, did I tell you how much I love this guy?? Just a simple massage, not a posh day at the spa like James does for me every year. He's also got me on mega-doses of fish oil, which he said will help with inflammation. But, damn the man, he makes me do exercises in his office after my adjustments. AND he's making me keep a food diary for him. I don't know how long this love affair will last now! Once he finds out I had a Coke, a Little Debbie, and a bag of chips today while out running around town, he will probably point me to the door and tell me to never return! Hah!!

Mote Marine

A few more quick photos from our Florida trip, trying to get this all finished up, so I'll keep the words to a minimum. This is our afternoon at Mote Marine, another one of those off the beaten path places to visit- but well known to locals. Mote not only has an aquarium, but also a mammal center with the dolphins and manatees. There is also a small sanctuary for rehabilitating wild birds (Save Our Seabirds), and although it's on the same property, it's not officially part of Mote. Mote is primarily a research and educational facility, but they are open to the public, and if you're down that way it is certainly worth the visit! (Yes, all the photos are mine, I have mastered the critter-in-the-aquarium technique! Cool, huh?!)

HI!!!!

Whoo-hoo! Back again. The Geek Squad did their thing, they said they removed over 1,000 viruses off our little HP Pavilion buddy. We have always used McAfee, but I guess they said that's not a very good virus protection program, so we have now installed Kaspersky. The Geek said that's the best out there. So, we'll keep our fingers crossed. Looks like they did a great job of recovering our data- so far I've found all our photos, our documents on Word, all of our bookmarks online. Yay! While they had it in their care, I had them add another hard drive, because ours was already full. (I learned that the other day when I tried to download an episode of NCIS off iTunes.) We have another 320G on here now, but the way I download stuff, I will probably fill it up, too! So, now we are back up and running. I have over 100 emails to catch up on. And of course the blog. I will finish up the posts about Florida, to share all the photos, then I'll be back in business and can move on. I will catch up reading all of your blogs, too. Glad to be back!!!

Temporary Difficulties

Hi all. Just a quick note to let you know I will not be on the blog for awhile. Our computer is currently in the hands of the Geek Squad at Best Buy. We somehow contacted a virus or ended up with spyware on our system. It will be out for about another week. James was kind enough to bring his laptop home from work for me, so I could post this and let everyone know I won't have access to a computer for a few more days, or even a week or more. I never finished posting about our Florida trip, so I will have lots of catching up to do. Hopefully we will get our computer back soon. Until then, take care, and I will talk to everyone soon!!!!

Sarasota Jungle Gardens

Here are a few photos from our afternoon at Sarasota Jungle Gardens. This place has been here since way before I was born, and I remember going to visit as a small child. It was once a private garden, but became a tourist attraction eventually. Although there are a few animals- like birds, reptiles, even monkeys- the star attraction is the "jungle" itself. The plants are allowed to grow freely along the paths, and most are native to Florida, very lush and tropical. And of course, you can't go to Sarasota Jungle Gardens without stopping by to visit with the flamingo flock. We ran into one that was especially friendly, and I actually had to shoo him away because he would get too close to my face (I think he liked my camera). We called him Number 12, because of the tag on his leg. He decided to hang out with us for awhile. He was a cutey!

Shopping With Mom

No trip to Florida would be complete without shopping for souvenirs. Only I don't go for the hokey plastic crabs, light-up key chains, or tacky T-shirts. That is Florida for tourists. I spent thirty years growing up in Florida, I do not need anything with the famous Mouse's ears on it, or sand in a bottle. And there's no better person to shop with than Mom. My visits to Bradenton always include a stop at Crowder Brothers, which is an Ace Hardware store on one side, but a gift shop on the other side. They carry lines from my favorites, including Brighton and Vera Bradley. We stopped in to pick up a few Brighton barrettes my mom ordered for me, and while we were there we put together a Brighton charm bracelet that I will be receiving under the Christmas tree this year. I guess I'm at that age where it's easier for me to show my mom what I want for Christmas! I'm easy to buy for- Brighton, Vera, Dooney, Coach, etc. I am a slave to the brand names!!!

On Saturday afternoon, while the boys were out doing their own thing, my mom and I went to downtown Bradenton for lunch at Theresa's, which has been a staple for the working crowd since I lived there. I had a scrumptious turkey burger with all the trimmings. After lunch, we walked directly next door to The Rusty Cricket (below). It's been there a few years, but I've never ventured in, and my mom had given it a thumbs up before. They carry all sorts of cute beachy items, and a very chic clothing line upstairs (too tiny and cute for me). I was treated to the items below here- two glass ornaments for my tree, a beautiful framed vintage print of a palm tree, and a decorative coaster tile with a map of Anna Maria (one of our beaches). I could have bought one of everything in the store, they had some of the most unique things I'd ever seen.

I also always have to make a stop at the big Bealls near my parents' house. We always find good deals there, and we always shop the clearance racks. They carry brands like Gloria V, Liz, Izod, and some fun brands like Bandolino and Hearts of Palm, which make great summer/beachware. Bealls also carries nice purses- last year I picked up an Aigner on clearance for $7! Yes, you read that right. They have a great big shoe department, too, with of course lots of Crocs, and Mootsies Tootsies and my favorite, Bare Traps. I could spend a fortune in there, really I could. But if you read my blog regularly, you know I have clothes issues, as in I have way too many and need to thin out my closet desperately. But I did find a few pieces on the discount racks, including the very cute ensemble below (curious cat not included). And look at the size of the top!! In fact, two of the three tops I bought were just plain ol' larges!! It's been forever since I could wear something that didn't start with a number or an X in the size.





Lastly we went to a new store out by my mom's house, which recently opened in a renovated Eckerd's that went out of business. I stole the cute photo of the store from their website, and the store is called Pink Pineapple. If I ever own a beach house, this is where I want to buy all of my furnishings. I fell instantly and head over heels in love with this store, and I wanted to buy absolutely everything in there. Of course, it was furniture and beds and rugs and artwork, so I wouldn't have anywhere to put it all!! They have a wonderful slide show on their page of a lot of their furniture, and I walked around touching everything in the place. Of course, I couldn't afford anything in there, either, except for (barely) the really darling bag below, made out of woven cotton rugs from Dash & Albert (they have the matching rug on their website). No, I don't need a beach bag where I live, but this is too nice to take to the beach anyhow. I had to have it, the pattern called out to me, and it's about twice as big as my largest purse. I picked it up, put it down, picked it back up again, put it down. One of those moments- you girls know- you really shouldn't but you can't help yourself. I hope this store stays in business, it was rather high end merchandise, but it was beautiful. Maybe it will still be there by the time James and I retire down to Bradenton...30 years from now...

More in my next post!

Down To The Gulf Coast

Here are the first of my posts about our trip:

We flew out of Atlanta on last Thursday evening, I picked James up from work and the airport is a quick 15 minutes up the road from his office. As you know, the airport here (Hartsfield-Jackson) remains the busiest airport in the world. THE busiest, in the WORLD. If you've never been there, it's a maze of many concourses and lots of people, long lines, overloaded parking lots. I personally love airports, and everything about flying, even with all the long waits in lines, and I wish we could fly more than the few times a year that we do. We were leaving from Concourse A, so instead of taking the tram and the moving sidewalks, we opted to walk. I try my best to keep up, but James always ends up carrying one of my bags for me, usually the one with the flowers and pink bunnies, and he looks so cute with it! Along the walk, there are displays of African-influenced sculptures, and this one was my favorite, so I had to stop and take a photo (plus catch my breath).



We arrived with enough time to stop and sit down at the Budweiser Brewhouse (below), where James had a huge nacho plate that was delicious (so he said) and I tried to stick to the diet and got a gross, stale, dry turkey sandwich which I only ate half of. Blech. Our flight was running a few minutes late, and while we meandered around at our gate (full flight, nowhere to sit there), we watched the overhead TV to see that MJ was at the hospital. No sound, just read the captions on CNN or whatever channel it was, and it said he was in a coma. By the time we got on the plane, other passengers were saying he was dead. I couldn't believe it, I had to call my dad quickly before we had to turn off the cell phones, and he confirmed it.



Taking off at Hartsfield-Jackson is no small task, we waited in line forever only to be told we were still fourth in line for take-off. And as anyone who flies knows, they usually shut down the air while waiting to taxi, so we were miserably hot until we got up in the sky. Here is a photo of the planes waiting behind us to taxi down the runway. Our plane was small, three seats on the right, two on the left. When we book our flights we always get seat assignments in advance, so we took the two on the left. I like the window seat, James prefers an aisle, but we want to sit together, so it suits us perfectly.



We were flying to Sarasota, which is a quick flight, not much over an hour. We haven't taken this short of a flight before in a long time. When we fly, I pack my big purse as though we are going to be in the air for two days, with iPod, snacks, paperback, magazines, puzzle books. You would think I was trying to keep a five-year-old entertained, with all the junk I bring. Here is James, doing what he does best when we fly. No folks, he's not sleeping, he's just resting his eyes.......





The photos below are our destination, the beaches of my hometown of Bradenton. This is where I grew up. Not on this tiny stretch of sand, but close enough we could ride our bikes there- if I had the energy. Paradise to some, home to me. Retirement heaven to James.