A Day in Education

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which was also the Ceremonial Inauguration of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, was an eventful day for me.   It started out with a trip to Subway on Broadview Road in Cleveland for a Footlong Chicken Chipotle and Cheese Sub for my brother Bob.  After coming home, I checked my e-mail and played Free Cell on the computer.  After a brief stay at home, I was on my way out again.

Unfortunately, my card playing caused me to leave the house late.  As a result, I missed the bus.  I walked down to Pearl and Broadview Roads to catch a bus to Downtown Cleveland.  My first stop was Nathan's/Arthur Treachers in Tower City to enjoy Fish and Chips with Hush Puppies and Cole Slaw.  Coke was my beverage.  It was quite enjoyable!

After lunch, I took a train and a bus to visit the Cleveland Museum of Natural History because it was free today.  The bus broke down just before I was ready to exit the bus, but as it turned out, the Museum was just across the street.  I also had decided that the walk should not have been too far, so the driver manually opened the front door to allow me and another passenger to vacate the bus!

The museum was very impressive!  There was great detail about rocks and gems!  Astronomy was also featured!  Since the Museum was very crowded, I could not really appreciate everything!  The web site may be a help before you visit!  By the way, the Planetarium was a dollar.  The Whale Exhibit was Six dollars. Since I am frugal, I skipped both exhibits, but they probably would have been worth the price of admission!  What I did see, though, was very enjoyable!  I plan on returning in the future!

My next stop was just diagonally across the street from the Museum of Natural History!  It was the Western Reserve Historical Society Museum.  Although I had been to the attached Crawford Auto and Aviation Museum, I had not been to the other part of the complex previously.  There was an exhibit on Bridal Wear in the Late 19th Century!  There were some pictures of factories from long ago!  However, it was just average as far as museums go!  It was not crowded at first, but the action picked up a little, but it was not difficult to maneuver through the crowds!

I then headed towards Downtown Cleveland!  When I arrived in Downtown Cleveland, the snow was really coming down, so I almost cancelled my trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!  It cleared up so I made the trek down to the Rock Hall.  After a trolley and a short walk, I made it to the museum by 4:00 PM.  It was very crowded, even at that time!  Since I have been at the Rock Hall close to twenty times!  I started with the Pink Floyd The Wall.  I then headed to the Grateful Dead Exhibit that started on the Fourth Floor and continued to the top two floors!  After I enjoyed the exhibit,  I glanced at some of the regular exhibits!  I also enjoyed an interactive kiosk that featured One Hit Wonders.  The Rock Hall was as enjoyable as it has been for most of my visits!

My final destination was to Discount Drug Mart in Independence to buy some candy for Bob.  The bus was either late or running early, so I made it there with some leeway before I caught my bus towards home!  I ate dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening!

Today was a day worth sharing with all of you!  I hope that your day was as memorable!  Thank you for allowing me to indulge! 

Christmas 2012

Christmas was a nice quiet affair this year!!  It was at my sister and brother-in-law's house in Parma.  The participants were my brother-in-law Mike Schabel, his wife Maggie, my sister Kathleen, my brother Joe, and my niece Mandy!

We had roast beef, cheesy scalloped potatoes, two types of mixed vegetables ("Traditional" as you might find in a can, and California Medley), glazed carrots, baked beans with sausage, sweet potato fries, sausage-cheese puffs, and pineapple with honeydew(?)!  The food was tasty for the most part! 

The appetizers were broccoli, carrots, and celery with dip!  There may have been various peppers included in the tray!  There was also Colby Jack cheese!

Dessert consisted of Peanut Butter Fudge, mint pretzels, a Chex Party Mix, Pretzel, and M&M concoction known as white trash, and homemade cookies!  The first three items were made by Mandy!  The cookies came from Maggie!  Since we all received a plate of cookies to take home, I did not try any of the cookies at the celebration!

We then relaxed until we all left the party after a few hours of merriment!  The party was nice despite the downside of having a bad cough that I hope will disappear soon!  I can't wait for next year!

I am now going to enjoy some leftover Chicken Lo Mein and Lima beans from my Sunday dinner.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!
  

Sunday Brunch in Howland Township

My sister Patty and her husband Dan Sr. are in Howland Township, OH because their son Dan Jr. and his wife Laura attended a wedding last weekend in Texas!  Their daughters Amy Marie and Emily are years away from staying home by themselves, so Dan Sr. and Patty came to baby-sit!  They stayed through Thanksgiving!

Due to various "commitments" and my brother Bob's afternoon work shift, we had a brunch at Dan Jr. and Laura's house (Eat 'N' Park, Perkins, Bob Evans, and IHOP were not available for this function (LOL!)).  The participants besides the ones already mentioned were my niece Mandy, my sister Kathleen, my sister Maggie and her husband Mike, and my brother Joe, who arrived a little later than the rest of us!!

We had Bacon Quiche, French Toast made with Raisin Bread, Bacon, Sausage Links, and a fruit salad that emphasized blueberries and strawberries!  Dessert included Chocolate Brownies (Maggie's brownies included peanut butter chips. Patty's (with the help of Amy Marie and Emily) brownies included black beans from Aldi and candy corn pieces on top.), Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting, Caramel Apple pie, miniature Cherry Almond pies, and various muffins!  I did not have everything, but some of the Caramel Apple pie came home with us!! The food was tasty!!  It was just as good as the available local candidates!  By the way, Waffle House and Denny's were also options in the area!  (Bakers Square is not in the Warren-Youngstown area!!)

We enjoyed the company of the guests!  Amy Marie and Emily were very active as usual!!  After we left Howland, Maggie and Mike then took Bob to work at the Post Office near Downtown Cleveland!  They then took me home! 

I will relax for awhile!  Qdoba is in the plans for tonight with my BOGO coupon!!  Black Beans will never be the same again!  I plan on enjoying my meal, though!          

I Forgot about the Pineapple!

In my Thanksgiving report, I forgot about the pineapple in the Heavenly Hash!  Also, Aunt Mickey was my dad's older sister who died from complications from diabetes in 1975!  My sister Kathleen inherited the Nativity set that Aunt Mickey created in 1965 which resided at my Grandmother's house until she died in 1993!  It is now in our possession!  Bob and I also have a couple of lamps that Aunt Mickey decorated!  The cat(s) attacked them, so they are sitting in the attic!  The lamps that were in the living room previously were returned to their place of honor!

Bob's "ingredient analysis" brought this oversight to my attention!!  

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving was at my sister Maggie and her husband Mike's house in Parma, OH!  We had turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes (which I made), green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, corn, and bread!  The appetizers were mozzarella sticks, soft pretzels, spinach dip with miniature Club(?) crackers, rice and beans (new to me), and mini cherry pies.  The desserts were pumpkin Pie, french apple pie, pecan pie (The last two from Baker's Square), chocolate-peanut butter fudge, pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting (Frosting was not applied to the cake itself!), and a family tradition consisting of marshmallows, Mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries, and coconut that my late Aunt Mickey (She died in 1975.)called Heavenly Hash!  I did not try everything, but what I did partake was enjoyable as usual!

The participants this year (besides the hosts) were my sister Kathleen, my brother Joe, my niece Mandy, and her husband Paul.  We enjoyed each other's company!!  Unlike past years, the Gift Exchange was not done!  It will be done tomorrow with my brother Bob as witness!

Thanksgiving was very nice!  Hopefully, Sunday Brunch with my sister Patty and her husband Dan, along with other family members will be just as nice!  The report is forthcoming!!