August 28, 2020

This Friday we went to the Turning Point and Target, which the lovely Val joined us. After Colleen and I went to an antique/estate store.

This is where I normally post photos of the food. But………….umm……………. we sort of ate it before I remembered.

AVOCADO SMASH BENNY* Toasted ciabatta, avocado smash, tomato, bacon strips, twopoached eggs, topped with hollandaise, served with potatoes 12.49

TURKEY REUBEN MELT Toasted sourdough with turkey breast, homemade coleslaw, melted Swiss & sweet honey dijon spread 10.79

VANILLA CHAI TEA LATTE Spiced with ginger, honey & vanilla 4.69

ANNIE’S LEMONADE Frozen pink lemonade blended with strawberries & ice 3.89

CRANBERRY WALNUT CHICKEN SALAD WRAP Chicken breast, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries tossed lightly with mayonnaise. With fresh baby spinach in a wheat wrap 9.99

This is a list of the food we ate. Everyone was obviously very happy because it was gone very quickly 🙂

Next we took a quick trip to Target and then Colleen dropped Val off. We then met at an antique/estate place. It was packed. All I could think of if there is a fire we are dead. It looked like maybe there were some nice things, but I would be afraid to take anything because of the possible avalanche.

It’s funny how you often don’t see your clutter, to you it’s perfectly organized. You know where everything is or should be. To someone else, it may look like chaos. The worse is when I put something somewhere safe, then I’m sure it’s safe from others but often myself too. It’s also hard to find the balance between clean and clutter. I never feel comfortable in homes that are too clean either. I’m always afraid I’ll drop a crumb or bring in some dirt. So I find myself trying to be in a little ball, trying not to move. You want a home that people feel comfortable in, that feels like a home, not a museum.

August 21, 2020

This Friday we went to Molino’s and then to the park. I met Colleen at her house and we walked to Molino’s. Colleen was in front of me on the sidewalk and I watched her very carefully move a branch out of her way. I wondered if she was going to hold it for me. No, no she wasn’t going to hold it for me. Whack! 😦 Ouch! After we went came back from Molino’s, we took separate cars to the park. We ate at a table on a hill. It was a perfect day, not too hot or cold.

At Molino’s you can get a custom order salad and you can get it either chopped or not. I like it chopped, you can get so many tastes at one time. I always like the combination of foods. Their salads are really good.

Colleen brought a bowl from home and added some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from her garden. Her salad looks so fancy!

We watched youtube videos on our phones. This place looks awesome, but I don’t know if I would want to spend time here with Disney and Universal being close by. I wish they had them in different areas. I think it would be better in the mountains or by the shore. With the corona virus, it’s like a miniature amusement park without being around hordes of people.

August 14, 2020

This Friday we went to Tommy’s Tavern and Tap in Freehold. We went early trying to avoid people. After we made a few quick stops to Battleview and Pastosa’s. Then we played games online.

We had the sweet potato tater tots. They were a bit sweet for Colleen and me. The sauce didn’t help cut the sweetness, it only made it more sweet.

crunchy sweet potato tots 6

We had the meatball appetizer. They were good, not as good as 618 but decent. It was very pretty though, the way they piped the ricotta.

Tap House Meatballs pork and beef mix served with ricotta, pecorino & housemade marinara 13

We both had the personal pan pizza with ricotta and eggplant. We both had slightly different pizzas. Colleen’s was crisp and tasty with yummy toppings. Mine was not crisp but limp with tasty toppings. Colleen said it was the best pizza she ever had. 😦 Mine was ok. I think the differences might have been a couple of minutes.

san marzano tomatoes, grande mozzarella, grated romano & basil, drizzled with extra virgin olive oilpersonal (8in) 9.

the toppings you can chose from breaded eggplant – bacon – anchovies – ricotta cheese – jalapeño – pepperoni – – broccoli – roasted mushrooms – sautéed bell peppers – meatballs – grilled chicken — cherry tomatoes – sweet italian sausage – coal fired onions – roasted red peppers – – hot sausage – pesto – garlic – hot cherry peppers – breaded chicken -each topping | personal 1. |

We played Keep Talking, Fibbage and Guesspionage. I think with keep talking, we could use another person just for the needy knobs. I don’t see us getting past this part otherwise. Fibbage Colleen won best 2 out of 3 and I won Guesspionage best 2 out 3. She is the better liar and I’m the better guesser, at least that is the way I chose to look at it 🙂

It’s hard not to be down this year. It seems like nothing is going right. I’ve been coloring like a madwoman to help keep myself centered, but even that is starting not to help. I think I need to try and do something I haven’t done before, to keep focus elsewhere. How much longer until 2021?

August 7, 2020

We went to Samaha’s Farm Market and then to Keyport Fishery. Keyport Fishery has been around since 1936. I remember waiting an hour in line to place my order. You no longer have to wait that long. Now because of the corona, you call while in the parking lot, give them your order and telephone number. They call you back shortly. It is cash only. We ate on a bench by the bay. We both had the shrimp and scallop platter. The seafood is always fresh. The fries are crisp and tasty. It is cooked to perfection. The coleslaw is decent, not my favorite but not bad. It always has been. So yummy! This has been one of my favorite places to eat for a long time now.

Box of future sauce 🙂 I bought a box of plum tomatoes at Samaha’s

The fishery survived hurricane, Sandy. I didn’t think it would. There is a creek behind the shop and the bay in the front. Across the street stood Ye Cottage Inn, which the hurricane destroyed. Keyport Fishery has stood the test of time. I have little doubt, that the fishery will still be standing after the coronavirus The slice of pizza was a result of the depression, what will come of this? I wonder what will be left after all the dust has settled. Which stores and restaurants will still be open? What does it take to survive?

July 31, 2020

This Friday we had a proper Funday. At Freehold Raceway Mall, Shake Shack had a popup restaurant. We both had the hamburger. It was really good. It tasted like real meat, not the kind you get at a fast-food restaurant. The sauce on it was good too. Not too strong, but a hint of flavor.

After we met at Samaha’s again. Colleen said the green beans were really good. I guess they were, because there was hardly any left.

It felt good to get back to some sort of normalcy. I miss the sense of adventure and exploring. It is so hard to be sheltering in place. I know I can’t take too many risks, and it’s only a matter of time before things will go back to semi-normal. I know you are risking your life or the life of others when you venture out. Life needs to go on, but you need to be careful. It’s hard to find a balance. What is worth the risk?

July 24, 2020

This Friday was a bit of a bust. It seemed everything we wanted or tried to do didn’t work out. We did manage to go to Samaha’s Farm Market in Matawan. Colleen loves a certain eggplant there, even though they had many different eggplants, they didn’t have the one she wanted.

It is surprising how much variety they can pack into this small farm stand.

So many of our elderly are dying with the coronavirus. Many people are losing their parents. My thoughts go back to the death of my parents. I was very close to my mom. It hit me hard, even though at the time I didn’t realize it. I remember the day we buried her, there was ice everywhere. I had taken my shoes off and I was getting leftover food from the car. I was standing on the ice in bare feet and felt nothing. I was thinking, why don’t I feel the coldness of the ice. The next year I went into a fog, going through the motions of life, not experiencing anything. Eventually, I started to live again. You know in your head, that one day your parents will die, but your heart is another thing. In your heart, you think of them as immortal. You think that they will never leave, that they can handle anything. In a way, they are superheroes. In reality, they are human.

July 17, 2020

This Friday we went to Battleview Orchards and we were joined by Caroline:)

Some of the Jersey fresh produce at Battleview.

Even though our lives are pretty much at a stand still the world around us still goes on. Nature is going through the seasons. Jersey produce is at the farm markets. YUM! At least farm fresh produce hasn’t been taken from us.

There are times in life when our lives seem to a stand still, even without the pandemic. Times when life hands us such a blow, that the world stops for us. This was true when my mother and father had died. I was in such a fog. All around I could see people going about their daily lives, how could they go on, when my life has just stopped. They were acting normal, they didn’t know the loss I was feeling. In the olden days, people wore black to signal their loss, and other people would be kinder towards them. Today you are not given the space to grieve. When I run into someone with who I am losing my patience, I try to remind myself that I don’t know what is going on in their life. They could’ve just lost someone dear to them. In this crazy new world of the pandemic, we don’t need to add more grief to others’ lives. A little kindness would benefit us all.

July 10, 2020

This Friday we played Keep Talking. We are on the 6th level, the bombs are getting harder. We had 1 minute and 20 seconds to defuse the bomb. So….ready, BOOM! Ready..BOOM! Ready….BOOM! For hours, this continued and finally, we diffused it. I don’t have high hopes of reaching the end.

I know other generations have gone through far worse than the coronavirus, but I can’t help but think about all that we are missing. This Groundhog’s Day of never-ending sameness, where months have mixed into one. I know in my mind it will end. My soul, however, yearns for a real Friday where we get to explore and try new things.

July 3, 2020

This Friday we played Keep Talking again. I have my sports drink ready, let’s go face some bombs:) First hour same bomb from last week, drink from my bottle, stretch, ready for a bomb… BOOM! Second hour same bomb, stretch, ready for bomb…….BOOM! Third hour same bomb, we have made some progress but we only got to the end part once. We cut out unnecessary words. Stretch, drink coffee, blink because I haven’t blinked in two hours,(blink and you miss a dot or a dash) ………..BOOM! Fourth hour, Me: Colleen you want to try a different bomb, there are other ones. Colleen: No we can do this. Me: Okay. Fifth hour same bomb, stretch, blink, ready for bomb….YEAH! WE DID IT!

I would’ve given up two hours ago. I would’ve been frustrated and started making more mistakes and being done with it, but Colleen kept me calm. She said we could do it and we did! It’s funny how people can have an impact on you. Someone else might have made me more agitated and it would’ve been hopeless. You think that you are you and no one can change that, but people have an influence on your life. Even if you don’t want to admit it. They can bring out the best in you or the worst. It’s best to surround yourself with those that bring out the best and stay away from those that harm.

June 26, 2020

This Friday we went for a walk again, followed by a trip to Battleview Orchards. We were both excited because it’s the sour cherry time! Colleen called and they said they would have sour cherries starting Monday. Battleview is one of the few farm markets that sell sour cherries. I have never seen them in the supermarket. The season never lasts long usually a couple of weeks. We are going the week they went on sale. We both got in our cars thinking about the deliciousness of sour cherries. Colleen likes to make hers into a crumble, but I think nothing beats a sour cherry pie 🙂 …………….much sadness, we got there only to be greeted by a sign saying no more cherries today. Colleen asked the girl who worked there and she said they sold out on Monday 😦 She said the line for cherries was out the door and they went through two weeks of cherries in one day. We made some purchases and went to our own homes and played Keep Talking.

It’s funny how as soon as you say you are good at something, karma will show you how bad you are. I thought we were doing good at Keep Talking last week, but this week we were stuck for a good amount of time. So, no bomb-defusing for us. You can often see karma at work on reality competition shows too. As soon as someone says they are the winner and no one can see how awesome they are and everyone will be surprised by their brilliance. Two things will more than likely happen, they will be right (which seldom happens) or they will leave that show at the end. For the ones who do go on to the end and win is it bragging if it proves to be true. Is it bragging or self-confidence if you can back up what you say? Does it take that amount of confidence to make it to the end and win?