F is for Furniture and More

 You may remember that we had difficulty finding a place to donate old items from our kitchen because they were considered too old even though they worked well. It was disappointing, but I understood that the thrift stores we tried couldn't afford to fill their space with things that wouldn't sell. Then our contractor mentioned Second Chance in Baltimore which takes building materials, appliances, etc. and suggested we check them out. A quick call confirmed that they would accept our items for donation, so one Saturday, when Wally was visiting, he and Ward took a van full of things there. They came back with great tales of how it was much more than a thrift store. It was like a Habitat for Humanity Restore on steroids. I was fascinated by what they had seen and said I wanted to see it sometime. However, it's about an hour away in a place we don't go to, so I didn't know when that would happen. But we made it happen last weekend. 

After our afternoon with Wally, Ward and I ventured into Baltimore to go to the Second Chance Store. The Second Chance organization was started in 2001 to provide job training and jobs for people in need. As part of that, one of the things the organization does is to dismantle buildings, including mansions, which gives them quite a variety of items to sell in the store.

The store takes up an entire city block in the old warehouse district, and there are fascinating things to see everywhere you look. If it's ever been in or around a building, you could find it there. We saw conference room tables, hotel couches, stone fireplaces, antique doorknobs, lumber, tiles, paving stones, kitchens, appliances, etc. And what made it so interesting was that there were grand things that had been rescued from mansions among the mundane. When I walked in the door, I was like a ping-pong ball bouncing from one amazing thing to the next. I was too busy finding new things to examine that I didn't get many pictures, but here are a few that I did take.

You can't see from this distance, but the entire front of the building was lined with building stones, bricks, outdoor sculptures, and more.

In the vast area, we actually found one of the things we donated,
this light fixture from our dining room, now office. 

Our light was quite the contrast to these solid mahogany carved doors that were priced at $17,500. There were so many beautiful doors that had been recovered from some fancy houses.

Or how about some friezes for your building?

I had to get a picture of this left-handed school desk among the sea of right-handed ones because it took me back to my school days. As a left-hander, I appreciated having a desk like this anytime I could because they were few and far between.

We will definitely be returning to Second Chance sometime, and I will try to get more pictures of its wares then.

But wait, there's more!

F is for Food photos.

In my D post, I mentioned that I didn't get pictures of Wally and Ward's meals. Well, they hadn't loaded yet, so I found them later. So for the sake of completeness, here are more food photos. :)

Ward had a steak with grilled Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes, topped with onion rings.

Wally had shepherd's pie.

E is for Exercise

 With declining COVID numbers, more people are going back to the gym, me included. However, I have been away longer than during COVID--more like 30 years. I quit my last gym when the morning sickness from Theo's pregnancy was too much to work out. I have never found my way back until recently. And that was with the help of Ward. 

Ward has been a regular exerciser for years (decades, maybe), utilizing a gym at work. However, with his retirement, he no longer can use that gym, and he wanted to make sure that he had a place to take classes-his preferred way to exercise. Thus the search for a new gym. We found a local one with a lot to offer, including many classes, and he is happy with it.

Then there's me. I wouldn't call myself happy, but I never have been while exercising. However, I know it's good for me, so I'm trying a sampling of classes to see what I might like.

My first was a Zumba class that I took with Ward. While he quickly and easily caught onto the routines, I had two left feet. But I kept moving, and miracles upon miracles, I didn't run into anyone! I have since repeated that feat. 

The next class I tried was called Fit After Fifty. It was a circuit class of machines that worked all major muscle groups. We did a certain number of reps on the equipment, then everyone changed stations. Each device is resistance-based, and you can increase or decrease the amount to fit what you need. In this class, I followed behind a sweet-looking lady probably in her 80s. She looked a lot like my mother did in her last years. However, when I went to the machines she had just been on, they were too hard for me, so I had to decrease the resistance. A little embarrassing, but something to strive for when I'm in my 80s.

After that, I tried a class called Fit Camp that was listed for all levels. Well, not all levels showed up for the class. It was a group of very fit women and me. But I struggled through almost to the end when the instructor asked everyone to get a partner. I wasn't sure what was coming up, but I didn't want anyone to be saddled with me, so I ducked out. In case you can't tell, I'm still working on my self-confidence while exercising in front of others.

I also tried a yoga class which was pretty good. There are more classes I want to try including several water aerobics ones. However, my work schedule is different every day, as is the class schedule, so it will be a while before I try all of them. And it will be a while before I am in good enough shape to try some of them. 

As in most things, I need to remember that slow and steady wins the race. 

Do you belong to a gym? 

D is for Delicious

or D is for Pictures of Delicious Food

I had a Pub Salad. It was delicious.

Last weekend, Ward and I met Wally for lunch to celebrate Wally's birthday and Ward's retirement. We were at an Irish Pub, and each of us got a delicious meal. Before we started to eat, Wally asked if I wanted to take a picture of my food since that seemed to be the thing to do. I said sure, why not.

I was indifferent to the question because I'm not in the habit of photographing my food to share on social media. It just doesn't interest me that much, but I may be in the minority. Food pictures seem to be everywhere. Also, I've noticed that attitudes have changed about it. Several years ago, I had conversations with various people who said it was ridiculous that people were sharing pictures of what they were eating. Their attitude was, "Who cares?" Now some of these same people share what they are eating -especially if it's a meal out. 

I won't say that I've never taken a picture of food and shared it on social media. I have done that on occasion here, but it is usually in the form of some kind of produce from the garden or a picture to go with a rare recipe that I post. If you look back through this blog, you may see more photos of rotten food than anything else from my longtime participation in the Frugal Girl's Food Waste Friday posts.

A photo from a Food Waste Friday post. Not a Delicious food picture.

So you may wonder where the pictures are of Wally's and Ward's delicious meals? Their pictures didn't turn out. I guess if I'm going to join the rest of the world and share photos of food, I need more practice. :)

Do you enjoy seeing what others are eating? Do you like to share pictures of what you're eating?

Until next time...

C is for Construction Update

 If you read here very often, you know that we are in the middle of a kitchen remodel. In addition to the kitchen, we are having a few other things done that we've been meaning to get to since we moved in. Ward and I have a history of fixing up places right before we sell them - sometimes just for the sale, or sometimes we only seem to get around to things right before it's time to move. So we're trying to do it differently with this house and fix things up so we can enjoy them. We've done a fair amount to our house so far, but much of the earlier work was either done before we moved in or outside, minimalizing the effects on our daily lives. Not so this time. But there is an end in sight even if the project is taking longer than anticipated. We should be done by June if the supply chains behave themselves.

It's been three weeks since I've shown any pictures, so here are a few if you are keeping track. Still, not much of the pretty stuff to show, but we are getting good work behind where the pretty stuff will be.

This window got reframed to include a wider sill. It will be above the sink, and I hoped to have a place to put a plant or two. We shall see. Since they had to leave room for the faucet, it didn't turn out as wide as I had hoped. 

The pocket door to the pantry has been installed as well as new drywall over the pocket part. This door came from an opening into the kitchen from the garage. We never closed it, so we repurposed it for the pantry. That way, there didn't have to be a big search to find a door that matched the others. I don't know if they will take it out to paint it or not.

They have taken the washer and dryer out several times, and the last couple of times, I thought the clothes were coming out of the washer warm, especially for a cold water rinse. Unfortunately, the water lines had been installed backward, so Ward changed them and put up a label to help when they have to move them again.

They are changing the door frame to the basement to a cased opening. We took this door off soon after moving in because it was in an impossible place where three different doors interfered with each other. They used Bondo to fill the holes in this area and the pantry door.

The repainted vanity and the new top have been installed. The faucet will be installed when the plumber comes to put in the toilet.

The wainscotting has been reinstalled around the new opening into the kitchen. Luckily, they were able to make the new configuration work. In addition, you may notice the new air filter Ward built. It is helping with the dust somewhat.

Until next time...

B is for Bubba

Have you ever met someone famous? I have. Sort of. Here's my story.

I was a twenty-something and in Houston for business. It was Sunday afternoon, and I was at the desk waiting to check into the Residence Inn near the Astrodome. There was already a man at the counter and several staff people behind it. Shortly, someone noticed me and, after getting my name, introduced me to the other customer. They said, "Miss Ingram. This is Bubba. Bubba Knight." I stared blankly, and they said, "You know, of Gladys Knight and the Pips." Then I knew who she was talking about. Or at least, I knew who Gladys was and knew she had Pips backing her up, but I didn't realize that Bubba was Gladys's brother and a Pip. They were performing at the Houston Rodeo the next night, and Bubba was the advance man checking in. If I had been paying attention, I might have noticed that there was something different about the other customer because Bubba was wearing a purple suit. Anyway, I asked Bubba for an autograph, and we both went along our way. 

When I arrived at my room, I found it was already occupied by two other men. I said there must have been a mix-up, and I would get another room. They were sorry for my trouble and invited me to dinner that night to make up for it. They were cooking something in their room. (Residence Inns are suite hotels with full kitchens.) They seemed nice, but I exercised caution and decided it was best for me not to have dinner with two strange men in their hotel room. Later I encountered them on one of the walkways and found out that they were high school friends of Gladys and her brother, Bubba, and Gladys and Bubba were at the dinner that night I was invited to. Oh, well. The next morning I saw Gladys at breakfast in her purple silk jacket. She looked sleepy, so I didn't approach her. 

That's my story. I was friendly with Gladys Knight's high school friends, I got her brother, Bubba's autograph, and I saw Gladys, up close and personal although I didn't talk to her. I'm not sure if any one of those things counts by themselves, but I think they all add up to one decent celerity encounter. :)

Have you had any encounters with someone famous?