On Being Green

I'm one of those people who thinks way too much.  I'm great at finding something to feel guilty about whether it be the condition of my house, the state of my gardens, or the quality of my cooking.  Lately, I've been obsessing over the environment and recycling.

These days everyone seems to be going green. And even if you really don't care about being green, it's real trendy right now to be environmentally responsible.  So some folks are spending lots of money on home renovation and new construction that meets the new green standard.   Unfortunately, most of us aren't in a position to spend a whole lot of the green. 

So, we do what we can in our house to conserve. We've changed all our light bulbs to the energy-saving kind.  We've programmed our thermostat to reduce the temperature at night. We use a rain barrel to capture water for our garden.

And we continously sort our cans, bottles, and boxes to reduce the humongous waste pile for future generations.

I don't know about you, but I'm constantly tripping over cans and cartons, overflow from our main recycling bin.  The garbage men take the Wednesday load away and the next day I'm at the neighborhood recycling center to get rid of a few more things.   It's an ongoing challenge to keep up with The Recyclables. Yes, sometimes I think there is another family living in our garage!


Kermit the Frog was right.  It's not easy being green.  

No Holiday Brag Sheets Please ...

Another Christmas and New Year has come and gone!  I did a quick first round clean-up last week, but I'm still wading through a few Christmas bags and bows.  And my Christmas tree is still standing in a corner stripped of its festive ornaments and gold angel top.  It's so cold outside that neither me or my husband have volunteered to drag the darn thing back to the shed.

So who knows how long it will remain in my great room! 

But I just can't discard all the beautiful Christmas cards folks take the time and expense to send our way.  I absolutely love receiving holiday photos of families ranging from newborns to college age. I keep those photo cards well after Christmas to peruse and enjoy. I also welcome a brief year-end update.   

Unfortunately, I don't feel the same way about some of the extensive newsletters slipped into the cards.

Let me clarify this.  I enjoy a good family update when it's informative and/or funny and/or thoughtfully done. I'm thrilled when friends travel and mention that special trip to Italy or Ireland or even Disneyworld.

I want to hear highlights about what the kids and adults are doing and any major accomplishments.  I also appreciate hearing updates when it relates to a family member's health or recovery from illness or landing a new job.  That is important stuff!

I am not the grinch.

Floating Away With Sam Frazier and Friends

Yesterday I caught the 10:30 mass at St. Paul's and seriously prayed for some strength to get through another insane holiday season.

After church I concluded that the perfect plan was to shop at Sister's on Tate Street in search of some funky earrings sure to please the most persnickety of teenage girls. Next I would swing by Tate Street Coffee where my former guitar teacher Sam Frazier was playing a rare, almost unheard of afternoon gig.

I thought I'd hear a few tunes, give Sam a hug, and move onto the next gift on my list. So I slipped into a seat along the sidewall, sipped on my coffee, and casually leafed through the Sunday N & R. I hid behind a bunch of college guys with young hip hairdo's and who coolly contained their obvious admiration for the musicians at hand. And somewhere between the warm-up and Sam's finale, I went off to a place far far away from Christmas madness. 

Greg Phairas Comes Through on A Rainy Saturday Night!

Last Saturday night our daughter was invited to the Northwest Homecoming and so that left me and my husband with nothing to do.

So we decided to get in our car, grab a bite to eat and figure the night out as we went along. We couldn't complain about the oodles of rain that night because lord knows we needed it!

We took 220/Battleground into town and wound up at Buffalo's. All I can say to that experience is bring back the old location and the old food because it was so much better! While Buffalo's has never been haute cuisine, you could always count on getting a good hot sandwich there with a homemade side of some sort. It always left me satisfied. But not this time. It's a completely different restaurant and experience.

But the evening was not lost! We decided to head back toward Summerfield/Oakridge and we wound up at Bistro 150 in Oakridge Commons.

There's Some Kind of Magic in that Greensborough Coffee!

I don't know what they put in the coffee at Greensborough Coffee on State Street (formerly Carolina Coffee and Tea) but I can hardly go a single weekday without visiting this magical corner coffeehouse!

I've been a patron of this shop for four or five years now and I make it a habit to visit there almost every morning for a cup of whatever's brewing. When I can't get there in the AM, I stop by on my way home from work for an iced coffee and to check out what's going on in the neighborhood.

And I don't even live in the neighborhood!

There is a wonderful cast of characters who frequent this place and I've made some dear friends and acquaintances in the process. And if you need a roofer, a jeweler, a therapist, an insurance agent, a masseuse, an organic gardener (the list could go on and on), you've come to the right place!

Phoenix Asian Makes Any Night of the Week Special!

I love last minute get togethers! There's usually little planning involved and low expectations. And on a Sunday night what can you really hope for when you've got work looming in on you the next day.

This past Sunday night, my daughter and I caught the 5:00 PM teen mass at our local church.
After mass, we decided to grab a bite to eat with our friend Patti and her lovely daughter, Danielle (who incidentally sang like an angel during Holy Communion).

It's always nice to spend some time with our beautiful daughters who are usually on the run with school and after-school sports and various sundry social activities. Our daughters are also strong-willed and naturally have their own mind and preferences about everything from food to fashion.

Say Goodbye to Summer with Picnic at Triad Stage

Hooray! Summer's finally over with a glorious autumn in North Carolina almost upon us! And Triad Stage started their new season. They've staged Picnic, the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning play by William Inge set in small town Kansas.

Let me come clean and say that I've never been to any other productions of Picnic nor have I ever seen the movie. So I was completely unfamiliar with the story.

However, I am a huge fan of Splendor in the Grass and the late great Natalie Wood. Thanks to Preston Lane's Notes from the Director, I learned that Inge had written the screenplay for one of my favorite movies of all-time and he won an Oscar for it. That made me feel a little less out of the loop.


Yes, I was fooled by the title. I thought it was going to be a light-hearted, old-fashioned romance. After five seasons of being a Triad Stage season passholder, I should have known better!