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Sue Spitulnik

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Sue Spitulnik

I am a retired grandmother that grew up in western New York State, left for 25 years, and am now back in the area. I happily live with my husband and two cats. I am pro-military, writing, food, family, and quilting. I am con-exercise, insulting commercials, and lack of common sense. I have met some great friends through this website.

National Girlfriends Day

 

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For me, the role of a girlfriend changed as I aged.  In grade school it was anybody of the same sex that I did something with.  In high school it changed to a girl I could share my secrets with and they wouldn’t tell.  As a young mother it was any other young mother that was learning along with her children how to get on with life.  It makes me shake my head when I think about how we thought we knew how to tame the world.  Oh how naïve we were.  (Good thing we didn’t know it.)

Now I’m a grandmother and one of my best girlfriends is my adult daughter.  If she weren’t so busy we would do more things together.  One of my childhood pals lives near by and we enjoy a long  lunch every couple of weeks.  We know each other’s life story; we listen intently to each others troubles and triumphs.  I laugh a lot when I am with her.  I have a few ladies that I get together with to sew.  They are my quilting girlfriends.  My acupuncturist and her sister are also my girlfriends.  We celebrate our birthdays together.  I have one of those special friends in another state who I might not see for two years, and we can pick up a conversation right where we left it the last time we saw each other.  One aspect of girlfriends that dismays me is when you become close with a work mate, then change jobs and loose touch with them.  I guess they were really an a acquaintance.

I recently wrote about something my mother’s best friend did for her when she was sick with cancer.  I’ll share it with you.

One sunny day, Mom was in her recliner snoozing when Doris arrived.  She said, “Come on Beck, we’re going for ice cream.”  Mom gave her a sad look and didn’t move.  “I’m not dressed.”  Doris went to the coat closet, got out Mom’s light, long rain coat and then stood by her chair.  I don’t think Mom had been dressed, or outside in more than a week.  It was getting towards the end.  Mom finally got up, Doris helped her to the bathroom, put her coat on her and walked her out to the car, maybe a jeep at that point.  They came back about an hour later.  Mom walked herself into the house, had color in her cheeks, and was smiling.  That was the kind of friend Doris was.  Helping to make good things happen, even though she was now suffering with rheumatoid arthritis. 

That’s what a girlfriend does, lifts up her friend no matter how young or old, in good times and in the unhealthy.  I’m a lucky lady to have the girlfriends I do.  We talk about things: current events, life, dreams, other relationships, our families.  Lots of times a girlfriend can help me see a situation in a different light; I’m thankful for that.

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National Mutt Day

mutt

This mutt definitely has a face only a mother could love, or any young boy or girl who has been begging for a dog.

My father always said a mutt would be less likely to be high-strung than a specific breed of dog and a female is often less aggressive than a male, with fewer bad habits.  He also advocated the smallest female in the litter was the best choice because to survive it had to be smarter, making it easier to train.

When I was growing up there were lots of dogs in my little hometown.  Most of them were mutts.  The neighbor across the street had a dog named Heinz because the owners said it had at least 57 varieties of breed in it.  My mother thought that was a really good name.  There weren’t leash laws then and I don’t remember people picking up piles in their yards either, we always watched so we didn’t step in them and complained loudly when we did.

I don’t think mutts are as common today.  Maybe I am wrong, but most of the people I know have full-breed dogs.  I probably shouldn’t admit this in print, but I’m not a dog person.  The fact your schedule is contolled because you own one is not somethng I want to adhere to.  I know, they are loving, loyal and always glad to see you, but so is my husband and I don’t have to make sure I get home at a specific time to let him out.  Dogs also take a lot of your time to teach them how you want them to act.  Personally, I’ll keep my cat.  I can leave for a few days whenever I want, and he has no problem training me.

 

 

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National Cheesecake Day

Until I went to Time Square in New York City, I had never had a three inch high, fluffy, more than delicious, piece of cheesecake.  Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.  It was nine years ago in December.  I had never been to New York City before so my husband and his son were showing me some of the sights;  Macy’s Christmas Window displays, Rockefeller Square with the ice skaters and Christmas tree, and honking taxis.  My legs and back were yelling for rest.  We went into “The Brooklyn Diner” because it was the closest restaurant with no waiting line.  A foot long Nathan’s hotdog was $15.00.  I don’t remember what I had as my meal, but I wanted to try New York Cheesecake.  I can honestly say I had never tasted such a delicate but pronounced cheese flavor, and not too sweet.  Previously, what I had been served with the same name, not in NYC, was a dense, heavy paste that stuck to your fork and the roof of your mouth, sometimes more lemony than cheesy, often covered with chocolate syrup or strawberries.  I swore I would never eat cheesecake any place else, ever again because I knew it wouldn’t be as good.

Three years later, I had the opportunity to spend another day in NYC.  My adult daughter and I flew down for the day.  We had breakfast at a deli that she had been to in the past.  The Turkish coffee was hot and strong, but not bitter.  We spent the morning walking in and out of the stores in the garment district, thankful our men weren’t with us.  They would have been bored beyond measure.  I insisted we go back to “The Brooklyn Diner” for a cheesecake lunch.  It was good as I remembered.  We then went to enjoy CHICAGO on Broadway.  It was fantastic.  Even more so because we have a family member in the cast.  We walked some more, then found a place to have supper.  I had an elk burger and a beer.

It was all I could do to stay awake while waiting to board the plane to fly home.  That day was probably the best day I have ever spent with my only daughter.  We laughed, saw some interesting things, shared dreams and good food, saw our first Broadway play, and bonded.  But you know what I remember the most.  The cheesecake.  Our two pieces of cheesecake and coffee for lunch cost more than our two dinners and drinks for supper.  It was worth every penny and I’d do it again tomorrow if I could.

 

 

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National Chicken Wing Day

Now that I have your attention, let’s have a little fun.  The following sentence will include five, yes, five, national days.

Let’s get gnarly about chicken wings for an appetizer, lasagna for the main course, then after dinner put on fresh lipstick while talking in the elevator.  It’s also System Administer Appreciation day (that refers to your IT person.  I had to look it up.)

According to the calendar of national days, get gnarly means get excited, or worked up about.  I don’t know about you, but someone just mentioning chicken wings gets my saliva glands excited.  I live very near the original home of Buffalo Wings so I’ve had some really good ones.  It seems they are smaller than they used to be.  And now they have so many sauces it’s hard to keep track of which I like best.

Moving on to lasagna.  It’s one of the things my husband doesn’t order in a restaurant anymore because he is always disappointed.  It’s never as good as mine.  I’ll share one of my secrets.  Make it ahead without cooking the noodles, then freeze it.  Let it thaw slowly, then heat through until bubbly hot.  The freezing and thawing melds the flavors more.  Oh, another tip, I use a lot of oregano.

Now that dinner is over, fresh lipstick is a must.  If you wear it.  I don’t.  My lips aren’t even and it’s apparent if I put lipstick on.  Besides, I just chew it off.

So now all we have to do to make the day complete is talk in an elevator.  This refers to actually speaking to someone you don’t know while riding between floors instead of staring at the door, the numbers, or your phone.  I’ll even let you get away without making eye contact.  All you have to do it say, “Have a good day.”  You never know, it just might be the nicest thing the other person has heard all day.  I promise it won’t hurt you.

Let’s get back to those chicken wings.  When my generation was young, eating the wing was not a treat, unless you liked the crispy skin.  Then some genius decided to make them a delicacy by putting hot sauce on them.  Have you ever paid attention to the number of pounds consumed, or maybe it’s sold, for that big football game the first weekend in February.  It doesn’t really matter in the scheme of things, but I think if you knew, you could win a bet about it in order to get a beer to go with your wings the next time you have them.

 

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National Milk Chocolate Day

When I was little I watched “Sky King,” “Mighty Mouse,” “The Rifleman,” “Felix the Cat,” and “My Friend Flicka.”  Commercials weren’t quite so insulting to the intelligence back than.  Maybe it was because I was a naïve youngster and didn’t know the difference.  One of my favorite’s was Farfel the dog singing about NESTLE’S Chocolate.  Nestle’s Quick came out in 1948, even before I was born.  There has usually been a box in the cupboard no matter where I have lived.  (Makes great flavoring for frosting especially if you want a brown color.)  My grandson prefers HERSHEY’S syrup.  He likes to squeeze the bottle!

My father was very difficult to buy Christmas presents for.  You could guarantee he got work clothes, underwear, cashews, and CADBURY Milk Chocolate with fruit and nuts.  We never dared sneak a square off the bar because it would be too noticeable.

Today there are many more companies that make milk chocolate.  One can stand for a few minutes in any big grocery store candy aisle contemplating whether to try an international brand or stay with an old stand by.  I don’t waste my time.  I buy what I know is good and no one will complain about.  M&M’s.

When my husband and I first started dating, he would bring me flowers and M&M’s every couple of weeks.  Just because.  I had to ask him to stop with the M&M’s.  I can’t leave them alone if they are in the house.  When we go to the neighbor’s to play cards, the M&M bowl calls to me from the doorway.  Thankfully candy bars don’t do that.

I can’t think of anyplace I have worked that at least once a week a fellow employee hasn’t said, “I need chocolate!”  It’s a real necessity in an office.  Even when I worked in a quilt shop, there was a secret stash of Hershey’s kisses.  You had to be “in the know” to know where they were hidden.

I’ve had the opportunity to visit Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco a couple of times.  If you look up toward the city proper there is the Ghiradelli Chocolate Company.  Take a ride in a cable car and visit it if you get the chance.

And we can’t forget Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Hanukkah.  What would we do without our chocolate treats on those days?  Any day is a good day for chocolate, milk or otherwise.

P.S.  In my novel, Secret Lifelines, (not yet published) Rick brings See’s chocolates to Millie.  See’s is a Pacific Northwest favorite.

 

 

 

 

 

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National Scotch Day

Scotch whisky, often simply called Scotch, is malt whisky or grain whisky made in Scotland. Scotch whisky must be made in a manner specified by law.  Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distilleries began introducing whisky made from wheat and rye in the late 18th century. Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: single malt Scotch whisky, single grain Scotch whisky, blended malt Scotch whisky (formerly called “vatted malt” or “pure malt”), blended grain Scotch whisky, and blended Scotch whisky.

All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three years. Any age statement on a bottle of Scotch whisky, expressed in numerical form, must reflect the age of the youngest whisky used to produce that product. A whisky with an age statement is known as guaranteed-age whisky.

The first written mention of Scotch whisky is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, 1495. A friar named John Cor was the distiller at Lindores Abbey in the Kingdom of Fife.

Many Scotch whisky drinkers will refer to a unit for drinking as a dram.  Source -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_whisky

I included the above because it was information I did not know.  Now to the personal part.

I’m sure you know someone who is not much of a conversationalist until they have had a few drinks.  I’ve never been accused of not having anything to say, but a couple of drinks reduces my fear factor so I might be more apt to divulge inner feelings.

I know lots of people who like to do tastings of Scotch, all the different types listed above.  I also know people that like a Scotch that is so oaky it tastes like you just chewed on the wood itself.  Neither of those apply to me.  I’m much happier with bourbon.

I do have Scott blood.  My great-grandmother was a McIntryre from Perthshire, Scotland.  When I lived in England in the ’70’s I had a beautiful Royal Stewart Tartan coat.  I was stopped on the street one day and asked if I had the legal bloodline to wear it.  That was actually still a valid question at that time.  I happily told the person, “In fact I do!”  My immediate response sent them on their way.  I held my head high whenever I wore that coat.  I was sorry when I wore through the wool.

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