It's Not Everyday I See a Kangaroo Out for Lunch!

Bet that title caught your attention!

Over the years I've seen more than my fair share of oddities during the market day at Lake Eola, however, when Kathy came back from a bathroom run telling me she saw some folks eating lunch with a kangaroo, I had to see it for myself. Sure enough, sitting outside of Spice, a family of about six were having lunch with their pet kangaroo under the table. More specifically, with the man of the group who was hand feeding said kangaroo.

When I got there another gentleman was photographing the kangaroo with his iPad which looks so crazy to me. Anyway, when I asked the man how long they'd had a kangaroo for a pet, he replied matter of factly, two years.

Because he seemed a bit put out, I did not get the name. As to him being put out, what did he expect? It is only natural that most folks are going to be pretty much stopped in their tracks when they see someone casually dining with a kangaroo!!! I'd say this is taking the new "pet" friendly rules to an entirely new level. Talking to a young woman later she told me she'd seen the man carrying the kangaroo in his arms wrapped in a blanket. Furthermore, although she'd only moved downtown a week ago, she determined very quickly it's like a zoo down there. Yup.

Heather, from the Historic Preservation Board, sent me this photo on Friday.

Our mayor, Buddy Dyer is in the gold tie. That dress, practically the only color in a sea of dark. I should have removed my sweater....

Friday, late morning, just as Bruce returned from Houston, the window guy came, and we've done the deal. Double-hung, double paned, energy efficient windows from Simonton will be gracing our home in the next eight weeks. Did I already tell you the business about lead based paint? If I did forgive me, if not, read on. When replacing windows in a home built before 1970, the installers must test for lead based paint before the installation. If found, special installation methods must be used, and with that comes a price to the tune of $127 from Pella, while Father and Sons charges $50 per opening. Thank goodness when Dave returned on Saturday, while I was in Winter Garden, he tested the mandatory four windows and we passed. Obviously when there are 11 openings, this is very good news. The wait begins.

I hemmed and hawed about going to Winter Garden because of the threat of rain. Turns out I should have listened to my hemming because it did rain, and it was no fun. No complaints when someone gives you a tent like I received from my friends Jim and Ken, however, over time, a hole opened up in the top. As well, one of the ribs which helps the tent keep its' shape collapsed. The bottom line is the tent is now in the dumpster in Winter Garden. Rain poured down onto my prints, which thankfully are fine, but they had a drying out time once I got home.

Friday was icky weather as well. About a week after we returned from England I saw the sign for a new pub nearby with darts. I'm sure I mentioned the dart tournament we watched on the telly while in England, and I was a bit intrigued to come across a place near our home where such things happen. Friday evening we visited Rogue Pub, located in the old shopping center that once housed an A&P grocery store where my brother Pat was a bag boy. I'm talking forever ago, but its worth mentioning!

Not many folks yet as I mentioned we were here about 6 although it did get busier in the hour or so we were there. While chatting with our bartender, we discovered that she is the owner, and get this, went to school with Bill and Dave! Orlando remains a small town to me.

What have I been cooking lately? Well, a roast chicken in a skillet for starters:

Fantastic, I might add. A little recipe from my new favorite people, the folks at Cook's Illustrated. Then, of course, there are the sugar cookies,

that are so delicious if you are not careful you could eat this entire stack at one sitting! For now they are in the freezer to keep them fresh. If you haven't tried frozen cookies, you are really missing out.

After the window guy left, I went to our downtown library to both return books, and check out new ones. Taking the elevator to the third floor to look at cookbooks I made a detour into the used book store, and am I glad I did. For $1.50 I picked up one of the most enjoyable, not to mention highly interesting books I've read in a while--"52 Loaves" is the name. I've included a link to an interview with the author on NPR. If you like good food writing, and love bread, and who doesn't?, read it!

Finally, as I want to be done so I can read or cook, do you see what I see? (as seen this morning)

I told you they are everywhere!

Cookies, Flour, and Mattresses

By now, you all know I'm a fan of Big Lots for basically two reasons, bargains goes without saying, however, my most favorite part is finding new products. It's like shopping in Missouri or something. Earlier today I made the awesome sugar cookies, this time without the coconut and lime. The sugar police would definitely arrest me for these!

My flour canister was nearly empty so out came a new bag of flour, in this case Gold Medal. Here's a tiny synopsis about Gold Medal flour that I bet you did not know.

• 1866 C.C Washburn began his flour mill
• He made way too much flour prompting name calling--Washburn's Folly to be exact.
• 1880 he entered his flour at the Millers' International Exhibition (I'm presuming this kind of thing was a precursor of conventions)
• He won the GOLD MEDAL
• The bag claims it is America's best selling flour

There's more, but for our purposes that will be enough. This afternoon, while picking up a few things from BL, I came across a flour brand from Kansas I'd never heard of.

Perhaps a reader from the Midwest has heard of this brand? The best flour in America, period? Now I know about White Lily, King Arthur, Gold Medal and Pillsbury. Any other brands that you know of? What most interests me is the longevity of these companies. In today's marketplace, it is hard to imagine a new food stuff company that will survive 125 years or more. Do you agree?

I was a busy girl today, even vacuuming before my bike ride. It is the strangest thing; in the last few weeks I've seen more mattresses out for the trash than I've seen in a year. Today was no exception,

not just one house but two.

Actually there was a third today that I didn't even stop to photograph! What do you suppose is happening? People getting ready for holiday company? 

I finished my sewing project for the party, and after lunch I looked at more windows, followed by a trip to Roger and Trish's house to pick up my prints. By golly, the canvases looked so good I knew something was different. Messaging Roger, he told me the canvas brand was new. Nice. They recently had their house painted lilac which I was a little skeptical of to begin with but now I really like it.

Driving to BL afterwards I stopped at Dickson Azalea Gardens for a moment to check out the spot where I took a photograph that has sold well. Once upon a time there was some cool "street art" on this storm drain, but now I see it has nearly vanished.

It was one of those times when I went to look at one thing and something entirely different came to fore. Today all I saw new was this:

Seeing something like this always makes me wonder what 1335 means, and why someone chose to climb into Ferncreek to stencil love on it......

Can I just mention right here how excited I am to be about $120 away from my yearly sales goal???? The rest of the year will be gravy. :)

My goodness, it's a cardinal photo...

The last time I posted a cardinal photo was when they were molting. In other words, not very pretty. Now they are in their resplendent best! 

Yesterday afternoon I messaged Matt who messaged me back about having a little chat when he was done with work. Uh oh. Ever the optimist, or maybe I should say most of the time, I thought something was up and I tried to imagine it was good. Well my friends, it was something exciting. Now that Illinois has signed gay marriage into law, Matt and Tom are making plans to marry in Chicago. A June wedding no less. Why you might wonder Chicago? Most of you know that Matt was a PhD candidate at Northwestern until deciding he wanted to pursue a different career path. So Chicago makes sense. Plus, he's already found accommodations at this awesome looking hotel. I can hardly wait! As details fall into place, you'll be the first to know, well, sort of.

Props to my darling husband who tonight is in Houston during the grand opening of The Capital Grille. Talking to him this morning, there were only a few minor details to finish, making me very happy for his success. What makes me even happier is that he changed out my under counter lights Sunday while I was at the market, allowing me to actually see all this cooking

going on around here. I still remember my Mom complaining about how dark my kitchen was. to which I replied, I work in a darkroom Mom, I'm used to it. Now, as I get older. I feel bad about my cavalier attitude because I couldn't see either before he fixed my lights! 

Actually it has been eight years since I worked in radiology, and I'm contemplating letting my license lapse. At my age, with all these years of not working, finding a radiology job would be next to impossible. That said, I've held it since I was 19 years old, so it is a hard decision to make. What to do, what to do?

Let's end today with something from the newspaper, something so silly,  I just burst out laughing while reading. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The story concerns an older couple who have lived together for 14 years, having met at a funeral by chance. Numbers are very important to them, so after the man suffered a debilitating heart attack last year, making their union official gained new urgency. When she realized the upcoming number combination of 11-12-13, she was sure it was meant to be. The couple arrived at the courthouse at 9, and married at 10, on, 11-12-13, the second couple of the twenty to do so on that date. "The groom wore a ponytail and a Bluetooth in his right ear. The bride was dressed in blue slacks and a silvery-gray flower print blouse which, by coincidence, matched the upholstery of the wedding chapel chairs." Looking at the supplied photograph, I can only hope Jonathan and Alissa's setting at the courthouse in Austin was a wee bit nicer.