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End of spring break
Saturday night in Manayunk often means pub crawl, so William wisely suggested heading up Ridge Avenue to find a dinner spot more suitable for us old fogies. Good call. We settled on Maria's Ristorante on Summit in Roxborough. The food was outstanding and the price reasonable. It was a very nice place to mark the end of spring break and to spend some much-needed quality time with William.
One car, two full-time jobs
Becoming a one-car family may not seem like much to write about. But it represents an intentional transition to a life style that is relatively rare for a two-income family. When our very-used 1987 Volvo died in the spring of 2007, we decided not to replace it but stay with Paul’s 2002 Ford Focus as the sole family car. There have been work-related changes for us beginning in 2009, but here is how things were at that time. We live in the Philadelphia suburbs.
New electrical service; updating bathroom wiring
Our bathroom repairs have been pretty much on hold, because the next step involves electrical work. For the bathroom, we need/want:
- replace light over basin
- add GFI outlet near basin
- add outlet in bathroom closet (so rechargeables can be out of sight)
- add ceiling exhaust fan
While we're at it, we will:
Solar dryer in action
Winter hike at Smedley Park
Hiking at Rolling Hill Park
Cultural Orientation Professional Development Workshop
I attended a two-day workshop on February 24 and 25, 2009, on cultural and community orientation for refugees resettling in the U.S. The workshop was facilitated by the Cultural Orientation Resource Center of the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, DC, and was held at HIAS and Council offices here in Philadelphia.
Amy and Amanda's Birthday
Cheddar and potato soup
Simple and delicious....
- 2 cups vegetarian broth OR 2 cups water and 2 vegetarian bouillon cubes.
- 2 cups (approximately) cubed potatoes
- 2 to 6 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 to 3 cups milk (low-fat or skim is fine)
Boil the potatoes in the broth until soft.
Mash to desired consistency. (I like it roughly mashed for a little texture, but it would be good smooth, too.)
Taking care to keep warm, but not boiling, add milk to desired thickness grated cheese to taste.
Liquid soap dispenser
Martha Stewart sold me on the idea of using attractive refillable containers for items you tend to keep handy on the sink or counter to avoid being constantly assaulted by advertising and unattractive products. I invested something under a dollar in a pour spout that I added to a Prussian blue liter bottle that once held mineral water or something, and I've been using that ever since for my olive oil.
Haverford's single-stream recycling
Haverford Township begins single-stream recycling with the new year. Details are on the Township website. All plastics #1 through #7 are accepted; Earth911 has a list of which plastics are of which type.
Thursday is recycling day in our neighborhood. The only exception in 2009 is Thanksgiving Day. There's no recycling that week, but regular trash pick up will be on Monday.
New Year's Eve in Media
New Year's Eve in Media is a perennial favorite. When we arrived on State Street the ball atop the crane was lit and awaiting the last minute of 2007. We met our friends at the Iron Hill Brewery for snacks before heading back our to the street to join the celebration.
