Five More Days and Counting!

After another busy morning shopping and taking care of KC with Tif, our friends, Daisy and Alan picked us up for lunch. When we lived in Illinois, we used to go out to lunch together every Friday (after three of us retired). One couple would drive and the other would choose the restaurant. Our goal was to find the best Cheap Eats around town.

We met Daisy and Alan when our sons were in kindergarten together. The boys and their group of friends maintained their friendships till they graduated from high school.


This wasn't necessarily a cheap place but Tif found a coupon for us. Daisy is from Venezuela and used to come to my class once a year to teach my children about the country of her birth. She is also a Spanish teacher for several schools. I used to thank her with a calamari salad from the Symphony's Restaurant in Evanston every time she gave her lesson to my class. It really was the BEST calamari salad I've ever had.


It is still the best calamari salad anywhere! No kidding! Every morsel has a fabulous kick to it. I really love the capers in it.


After lunch, we walked down Central Street past Tag's Bakery. I remembered how my student's parents often bought their children's birthday treats there. One of the treats they often liked to bring was a huge smiley face cookie. It's about $1.25 a cookie. I usually didn't eat it and brought it home for Tif and Jon. Well... maybe I used to eat the treats some of the time because I'd gained over 15 pounds when I retired.


Tif especially LOVED it so I just had to stop by and pick up ONE cookie for her.


I don't think the taste was all that great. It's just a happy cookie. Tif disagrees.


We returned home to another chore to attend to before we leave for Hawaii next Tuesday.

The branches of the ash tree we planted a few years ago when it was a twig had grown quickly and were draping over the car in the driveway. Birds found it a great toilet and found Tif's car a great target! Therefore we decided to cut the branch they were roosting on yesterday.


When we got up this morning, we found the birds just hopped to another branch and let loose with even more vigor. KC should learn something from them.


Rather than cutting ALL the branches off one side of the tree we decided to try the ol' hanging CD trick.

Tif refused to allow me to climb the tree. I don't know why she doesn't trust me. She wouldn't even let Art try.


She climbed up the tree like a pro and attached the CD to a branch. I have a feeling it may not work though. I don't know if the Illinois birds are as smart and stubborn as the bulbuls in Hawaii but after a while I think they realize that the CD's don't present that much of a threat.

We'll see.